Struggle Snuggle
Hey Guys, I’m back for the most part, and sorry for my absence. I’m usually pretty quiet about my personal life (despite journal comics talking about masturbation habits of course) but I thought I’d give everyone a heads up of what is going on. Someone really close to me, one of the few people who I can credit with raising me, is gravely ill. So with the amount of freelance I was doing, I wanted to make sure I had as much time to spend with them before it was too late. My time was extremely limited, so I wanted to make every second in my day count… and I’m really sorry that it took a longer toll on my comics than I had planned. Because I LOVE comics, and the community, and I love you guys for reading mine. I’m sorry for being quiet, and not giving more of a heads up of what was going on, but I didn’t know how, and I didn’t want to sound selfish while taking time off. Again, I’m truly sorry.
I wish I could say that my dinosaur engineering time continuum experiment was a success, but apparently trying to tape teeth to chickens doesn’t make them dinosaurs.
I’m back at my desk again, and I’m happy I can start updating again. For the time being, there will be multiple updates a week, and Scout will be back later this week for Monday at the latest. Thank you all for putting up with me, it really means a lot.
Also happy to be drawing Chase and the gang again (even though its just the back of his head in this post).
HE’S ALIVE!!!
Don’t ever feel selfish bout your life bro. You’re updates/comics will be here when you get back. Truth.
You take what time you need- We, your fans, will be here. We appreciate your work, and we appreciate you.
You gotta do, what you gotta do. Friends before art. I’m proud to hear you have your priorities straight, and such a kind heart. You, are a wonderful soul. <3
No need to explain,
Just glad you’re back 🙂
Just happy to see you’re back, Scott.
No worries, no worries.
I’d take time off for something important like that, as well.
My condolences and prayers go out to you and your family scott. This kind of situation is never easy to deal with.
+1 dude, time is the one thing you can’t get back. I’m gutted I didn’t spend more of it with those I have lost so I’m glad to hear you managed to get that in. I think everyone has just breathed a collective sigh of relief that you are still in one piece. Take all the time you need, just don’t think you will come across as selfish if you drop us a heads up, reading through the posts, there were some genuinely worried people out there! 🙂
There still are genuinely worried people out here.
Real Life always comes first man, no need to apologize.
Its all good man. We totally understand. Our prayers are with you
Yay Scott we are glad you are back!
In the last 2 years I have lost both my uncles, my father, and my mother… My advice, if you can still spend more time with them, is to blow off all your comics, for as long as you need, NOTHING is as important as spending as much time as you can with those you love near the end, I dont give two shits about the people who feel they are entitled to the free and awesome entertainment you give us, none of that is even one iota as important as these moments you have left with them… take as much time as you need, and anyone that has a problem with it, can go eat a bag of dicks…
That’s a Prussian name, isn’t it?
actually its Latin for “Guardian”.
Curator – I wholeheartedly agree with your statement, bag of dicks and all. That said, when someone starts an endeavor such as this site, and the other awesome comics that Scott has made, they are inherently forming a relationship with the readers and fans. And like any relationship there is a give and take. Scott gives us comics. We check his sites religiously, give him hits, buy items from his store, and even routinely go through and click a bunch of ads.
My meandering point is this:
Scott – you got shit going on, it happens. As Curator said, take all the time you need. But know that it’s not selfish to keep the fans of your work informed in whatever capacity you can. Now I’m not saying provide us with details or names or the private events of your life. But throwing up “Shit happened I’m Out” or a “Life exploded in my face and now my balls are on fire, won’t be back for a while” on your site will go a long way towards retaining your fans when you need to take multiple month-long absences.
Because when there’s no communication, I’m liable to think that your dinosaur engineering time continuum experiments were in fact a success, and that you are currently being eaten by a tyrannosaur, which arguably is going to leave me less expectant of updates.
Please don’t confuse my statements with discontent. I have no expectations and do not believe in any way that you owe me comics, or that you need to apologize to me or anyone when when life shits in your coffee. I am simply speaking objectively.
…I think this is the absolute best comment in the world. And it makes a rather valid point. Not to get on Scott’s ass, because I totally understand needing a break or something, but Scott’s career is kind of like a garden of flesh-eating Venus Fly Traps. When you tend it on a regular basis, it’s more of those sunflowers on “Plants vs. Zombies”, but when you either overfeed it, it gets greedy and constantly expects more until they explode all over this metaphorical garden. If you underfeed it, it gets either ravenous and tears at your flesh or dries up…or dries up as it tears, ravenously at your flesh. Cultivate carefully, is really my only possible suggestion. Cultivate Carefully.
I completely agree with Plaguemonkey. The part that scares me the most is that you said there would be multiple updates during that week, and that Scout would update the following week. I’m not complaining that the updates didn’t happen. I am genuinely worried about you. Apparently something big must have happened to change the course of your plans once again. I hope that things get better for you soon.
Not even a long-time reader – spent the last week reading the comic from the beginning, falling in love with the characters. That said, both Curator and Plaguemonkey raise excellent points – don’t apologize for taking the time you need to work things out when life deals you a shitty hand, but it never hurts to let people know that shit has arisen and that you need to take time off.
People will either understand or they won’t, but you’ll know which ones care and which ones should be fed bags of flaming dicks.
Kind thoughts towards you and your loved ones, and looking forward to seeing Nerf This resume. Until then, do what you have to do.
i agree, letting people know that you are taking time off is good, never meant to imply differently, just that people shouldn’t give him crap for it, and he shouldn’t feel bad about having to do so. 🙂
Scott, we love you and we are happy to have you back. Take as much time as you need my man.
No worries Scott. Family comes first. We stayed because we love you and your work. Time wont change that.
Don’t apologize. We all understand totally. We’re all wishing you the best Scott.
Time away has only solidified our love for this comic. We are privileged to have it and when your real life takes a turn for the worse, we as fans will be accepting and will always give you the time needed to deal. I read a lot of negative posts here in the past few weeks and ya know what…..to hell with those people. It’s freaking awesome to have you back but it’s better to know that you have your priorities in line and took care of your family first.
Taping teeth to chickens may not work.. but what about gluing feathers to iguanas? INSTA-RAPTOR!
2 votes for Insta-Raptors. They could sweetly rip your face off. Missed you Scott!
Scott, NEVER apologize for family. I think I speak for the overwhelming majority of your readers across all of your media when I say that my condolences go out to you, that your family ALWAYS comes first, and that I hope everything gets better in the near future.
Like the people who commented before me, we’ve been here from the beginning and will always be your fans. I hope everything is okay with you and your family.
Family is much more important that our foolish amusement. I’m glad that you are personally alright, and whatever you need to do to make the most of your family time, particularly now, is a priority. We’re here for you. Thanks for all you do Scott.
You should never have to apologize for taking time off for a family emergency. Those that know you will understand. Don’t force yourself to update on account of us, you don’t want anything to get creepy (Questionable Content?). I hope everything is going okay.
OH JOYOUS DAY NERF THIS IS BACK WE LOVE YOU SCOTT!!!!
As you can tell I’m more than stoked nerf this is back, I’ve always looked forward to every strip.
I hope you’re doing well Scott! Stay awesome bro 🙂
honestly I was scared that you were dying. I’m sorry to hear about your family, but also I am relieved that you are ok. We as your community and fan base do care. Please take all the time you need, you and what you create are worth our time and we will wait.
Jesus, I just now read the post. We ALL understand taking time off, showing your love to those closest to you is where you needed to be. All love man, we’ll be here to support you!
Dude…. shut up =)
You do not have to explain yourself, and you most certainly do NOT need to apologise. Nobody, nobody whatsoever is angry with you, because you, like us, are a human being. Quite a dapper and insane human being, but a human being none the less. I want to offer you hugs, cupcakes or maybe (Juuuust maybe) raptors from my own personal stock (but they are damn fine raptors and I have yet to decide if I’m willing to part with one).
Welcome back you wonderful you, and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that we are happy to have you back and alive, not angry that you took time off to say farewell to somebody you love.
Oh good gods, you have no reason to apologize. It’s not selfish. It’s the smart, compassionate choice. The human choice. Do what is right for you and your loved ones. We’ll all be here.
Thanks for letting us know Scott. I know we can all appreciate that family comes first. If you need more time, take it. Now we know the situation, do what needs to be done. Once again, thanks for taking the time to make your thoughts known.
I don’t think anyone has a right to complain about something as amazing as your comic, especially when it’s free. Your work is amazing, and while we will be sad when you take breaks, we will always understand. Nothing is more important than family. Just remeber that your internet family will be ready to welcome you back when your real issues are solved 🙂
Don’t ever be sorry; life and family first. No doubt, no question! I’m sorry for your loss 🙁 All we need to know is that you’re alive and we’re good to go from there! Being selfish is OK, we’re all here, waiting, for when you get back 😀
There’s no nee to apologise, you’re doing what you have to do and theres nothing wrong with that. People are more important that comics.
Definitely spend all the time with your loved ones as you can. We’ll always be waiting here patiently for you to come back, so take all the time you need whenever you need.
Hey man as long as you let us know now and then your doing okay I can wait on a comic for you to spend time with the ones you love.
I am SO GLAD you didn’t die of ass cancer Scott. I missed you.
Just know we’re thinking of you and you can and should take as much time as you need. /hug
I am sorry to hear this about your very close friend. I am also glad that you put your priorities into what I would call a proper sequence. Family and friends always should come first. It’s been 6 years since my mom has passed and I still am hating myself for not going back east to see her prior. Granted, life’s circumstances will make our choices hard and at times seem like it’s forcing our choices, but there still is always the choice. I am glad you are back to your comics! “Nerf This” is my favorite comic! The last comic I loved this much was “Outland”. Thank-yoiu for coming back to entertain us!
I just wanted to say that I’m sorry you’re having to go through something like this. Having lost my mother several years ago, I can remember what it’s like to lose someone you love. If I were you, I think I would have done the same thing you did.
Scotticus, while we appreciate your apology, you really don’t owe us one, we all lubs ya and no doubt those of us who really, Really, REALLY love your comics would have waited even longer (but not too much even longer mind!).
You do this for the love of it, we’re not paying customers, we’re comic loving geeky (in my case) nerds (again in my case). Just remember that your health, your family and your friends should come before a bunch of freeloading comic nerds (yeah, that’s me again).
But hell, we’re glad you’re back with us, and we’re ALL looking forward to see how the stories carry on.
Welcome back man 🙂
Don’t be sorry ONE bit, you did the right thing. Family,and beyond close friends, are important. I’m just glad to hear YOU’RE ok. With people driving these days i was worried you got hit and you were really hurt 🙁 but you go spend time with them befor it’s to late :3 make THEM smile and happy. we will all be here waiting for you <3
Been waiting to see what happens in the comic, but real life and family come first. No need to apologize for anything
No worries, we’ll always be here. It’s splendid to have you back!
WELCOME BACK!
left us on a cliff hanger back there
also i love how scott is immobile and unchoosingly acquiesces to the needle fur hugs
You don’t need to apologize to us. There was an emergency. We can wait! You come first. I’m glad you’re okay.
Welcome back.
I love the time and effort you put into making my day that much more awesome. Thank you, stay strong!
You don’t need to apologize for actually having a life outside of writing a free comic for the internet Scott. I, like many people I’m sure, am perfectly happy to just wait for updates checking pretty much everyday as I have done until I see something new. That being said, really glad your back!!
It’s not selfish to spend time with those you love, especially if they are engaged in a struggle, health-wise or other. We are always grateful for your comic, and are very glad to see you back, but the most important thing is that you do what you need to on the home front. Do what you’ve gotta, and we’ll be here and glad to have updates as life permits!
It’s okay. I was a little taken aback at first, then I felt kind of annoyed. Soon, though, I was just worried about you, and then I felt guilty about being annoyed. What if you had died! What if your Dinosaur experiment had worked, and you had been eaten! I was very worried.
Gotta say this is a great comic, and i am glad that you take the time to create it for us. so if you gotta take time off for whatever reason then do so. i for one will be more than happy to wait till you are ready to update. i hardly ever comment on the comics i read and i know i should offer my support more but i am an avid reader of only a few comics and this is one of them. do what you want to do and ill just keep checking back to see when your next update is. hope good times start rolling your way. 😀
While I’m happy that you’re back, I am so sorry for what’s going on… That sort of thing is always difficult.
Never apologize for staying by the side of someone you care about. Real life comes first. I wish you and yours the best. Lots of love and good vibes for you.
No apologies needed. We all figured you had your reasons. Sometimes you need to just step back and remove yourself from everything and take the time to experience what’s truly important. And there is nothing more important than spending time with the people that matter to you, and letting them know you’re there. Most of your fans understand that. We’re just glad your alive & back with us as always Scott.
-First thought upon seeing new stuff; ‘checks date posted, “Delivered!”‘
-Then I saw that it actually wasn’t planned that way and that things were Happening and felt bad about just being glad (it’s a bit of a strange feeling).
-So now I’ll just leave it at “Don’worry about it” unless “Wait, ‘is’ or ‘was’? That’s important to worry about” in which case “I apologize. I might not be sure why I’m apologizing or whether or not it matters to you, but I do.”
Take it easy, dude.
You do what you need to do. Family comes first.
I waited for you. I always wait for you to come back.
YOU’RE BACK!!! 😀 You really shouldn’t be apologizing for spending time with ill loved ones, (though it wasn’t nice when you said you’d resume Monday like forever ago.) It’s not even like we pay you (except in T-shirt sales.) And even then. Plus, like the curator says: you’re giving us free entertainment. It’s not like we did anything to be entitled to it. (Except grow up in the entitlement generation, unfortunately.)
Don’t feel bad at all; people come before work, even if that work is awesome, super amazing, enjoyable webcomics, We’re all devoted fans and are willing to wait out the suspense whenever something comes up! Thanks for creating three webcomics that I absolutely love!
No apologies needed. Thank you for taking time to let all of your fans know what is going on, and I wish you the best, good sir!
Dude, relax. If you need time with your family, take it. We can definitely wait. Really, if it’s a choice between spending time with a sick family member or trying to keep updates up to appease a bunch of self-entitled pricks, take all the time you need. You have plenty who are more than willing to give you the time that YOU need and in the meantime, we’ll go back and enjoy the 4 years worth of delightfully madcap and uniquely dapper comic archives.
Anyone who disagrees can go get ass cancer. Gallons of it.
Oh for… be more selfish! We love you. Stop apologizing for being human.
Glad you took the time away to be with family. Family SHOULD come before everything else. And that includes your webcomic and fan base.
Good to have you back though. And on that note… It looks like chase is being absorbed into Snarky!
Hey Scott, just wanted you to know you produce my favorites out of all the web-comics that I read on a daily-weekly basis. I imagine most of us understand that family comes first. We will all gladly wait until you are ready to put something up again, because all of your work is totally worth the wait. You provide us with dapper awesomeness free of charge and you don’t owe us anything.
Hey Scotticus! Nah, look, in those circumstances, you take whatever time you need to take off. Illness and death are nasty things to behold for those left behind. Family is far more important.
So, whatever happens, spend your free time with them. There’s no way in hell that anyone can guilt trip you from that, unless they want to make an enemy of, say, the WHOLE OF THE INTERNET! Or at least the rest of your fanbase, which includes a decent subset of the WHOLE OF THE INTERNET!
I’m sorry I started reading this at such a tumultuous hour in your life. Take care my friend.
there is no physical way you should be considered selfish for taking time off for something like that. The community as a whole will wait and be supportive.
Hey man no need to apologize for having a life and caring about people. I hope your doing alright these days, and it is fantastic to get new updates. I love your comic(s), so even a period of silence will be met with nothing but hopeful waiting (quivering monocles and all). From the other comments, it is pretty apparent that you’ve developed a fan base of awesomeness and we wish you the best.
Hey man, I am sorry to hear about your relative… I hope that they feel better soon. And no need to apologize, your comics are always worth the wait.
welcome back!!!! yay an update after soo long
Welcome back! It is nice to have you back, but seriously, take as much time as you need. I’m down to one living grandparent, and it was super hard for me to move 5 hours away from her just because I’d like to spend a lot of time with her, you know? Which sounds morbid, perhaps, but it is the truth. You gotta do you, so … you know … go do you, Scott.
it’s good to have you back, Much Love and I’m really sorry to hear about your family =( Love and light to everyone affected
take as much time as you need
and you wasn’t being selfish there’s no need for a apology
I’m looking forward reading your excellent comic but not at the expense of you spending time with your sick friend
thank you very much
Welcome back. Every once in a while life grabs us by the cojones and drags us where we need to be. Its great to see you back and updating,
Hey, don’t feel selfish for wanting to take time off to be with important people in your life. I’ve lost very important people to me, and regretted very much not being there in the end, when they needed me. It’s not selfish to want to be there. It’s compassion, empathy, love.
And those are the things that make humans great.
Oh… oh my gods… i finally caught up with yor comic. I fucking love this. My jaw broke from joy long ago, good sir. And your art style is constantly advancing.Keep up the good work!
Also, please stop apologising for taking a little time off, especially for things you had no control over. You do good work and make good art, that’s all any of us can ask, and we enjoy your work thouroly. I tip my hat to you sir
Not getting down on Scott here or anything, but I’m starting to get the feeling that Chase is going to die of asphyxiation.
Something tells me Mrs. Mills would be okay with that. I mean, just a guess…
Every time I try to load this page, my computer freezes for a while before eventually loading.
Also, it’s good to see that you’re back.
So does mine, it’s odd.
Sorry to hear about the trouble. Good to have you back though
Scott, I started reading this comic when Chase was getting married. I started from the beginning, and then just kept going from there. I love this comic, and I will be content to wait for you to figure out everything in your life. I’m actually thinking about doing a reread ^_^ just take your time alright?
A Loyal Fan
Shaggy Donahugh
You’ve ALREADY seen the terrifying Battle Owl…I now present to you…the BATTLE SQUIRREL!! (sans armaments, however)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3b/Pink_fairy_armadillo_cropped.JPG/800px-Pink_fairy_armadillo_cropped.JPG
So, you’re *not* back, then?
We all certainly understand (and I hope your friend/family member gets better) your need to take time off, but you may want to just take an official hiatus for now.
Hope you’re okay, dude.
I can understand that you need time to be with the ones you love in the small amount of time you have left. If you need two months, we’re okay with waiting. Heck, if you need two years, I’ll be able to be patient.
But it makes me slightly peevish as an audience member to hear you to say you’ll be back and then hear and see nothing for another month. If you need to have a hiatus until everything subsides, then issue one, officially. If not, at least give us a tad ‘lil update in the comment section. You don’t need to make a new, sharp-looking page for the announcement, it doesn’t even need to be formal in the slightest. Even a “Sorry guys, just didn’t have time to make it happen” shows us you haven’t forgotten and is appreciated.
It’s just feels like a contradiction to hear you say you care about your audience but then completely leave us in the dark for so long…
BE WITH THOSE YOU LOVE!!!!!! WE THE FAN COMMUNITY WILL UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!
Keep up the good work, and I hope your family life gets better.
I often wait months for pages of certain comics. I enjoy them, so the wait is worth it. Art takes time. Life takes time. Do what you need to do, man.
You are feeding the Rape Culture with this-it is not funny.
emma – really?in that case is also feeding bear murder,black magic,environmental damage,and killing in laws for giggles!
aaaw look he’s asphyxiating from lack of respiratory movement