commanderyes

[commanderyes]

Hey folks

My head is full of storms right now so thought I’d yell a little before I go back to the aether

Hatred and ignorance triumphed this week. There’s no mincing it. No matter how much some of us pointed, and pleaded, and cried out and shook shoulders, the monsters still won. They’ve won in ways we never thought we’d ever see in our lifetimes, and the skies are only gonna get darker and darker from here on out.

I’ve spent these last days trying to comfort so many of my friends, because they are terrified of what’s to come. Because their livelihoods are at risk. Because their LIVES are at risk.

I’ve had to hear them say they are so close to end it all.

And as someone that doesn’t actually live in America I can’t even begin to describe how helpless I feel. To think that I have no power to do anything but listen and encourage and sometimes throw money at them. And then there’s that feeling in the back of my head that even telling them to not give up is nothing but hollow platitudes, -because- I do not live there. Because I have the luxury to “unplug” from all of this. That it’s not my place to speak about not giving up because it’s not -my- ass on the line

But what else am I supposed to do?

I’ve heard friends say the beliefs that helped them pull forward until now have been shattered. I’ve seen people on the internet swear they’re only gonna care for themselves and their families from now on, and the rest can burn for all they care. And I can’t say I don’t feel where they’re coming from. So many of us want to think people can be better. We want to think humans are fundamentally good. I’ve spent six years making fanfic doodles about why we should keep fighting for a world that over and over refuses to be rescued. And now I find myself walking out during breaks at work and just staring at the sky

Why indeed

Because if we give in, if we decide to stop caring entirely, then their victory over us will be absolute.

Because if we are to brave this ocean of blood and shit all over again we are going to do it together. Cling to everyone in your life that matters, cling to love and kindness, cling to happiness, cling to SPITE if that’s what it takes, and then hold on to it with all your fingers and toes and teeth, because no matter how relentlessly ugly it gets, there are still good things in this world, there are good people willing to care and try, and that is worth waking up every morning for, that is the world that needs you in it.

As others have said before, for every moment where we think “It’s So Over” there eventually comes a “We’re So Back”.

If you’re a woman, or poc, or LGBTQ+, or all at once, if you’re any minority whatsoever, or you’re just someone trying to fight the good fight; it’s going to be terrible out there, and that you have to keep on fighting harder than you’ve ever fought before is the cruelest goddamn thing. But even so, please, you have to try. You have to care. You have to endure. You have to stay strong. You have to love yourself.

Take all the time you need to grieve and rest and lick your wounds, and then get back up and continue the fight. Even if the skies get darker, the sun is still out there. Tomorrow is another day.

You are going to make it through this. You are going to outlive the monsters and see the end. You are going to smile and laugh and love again. You are going to survive this, and you are going to live

You get to live.

[commanderyes]

The Commander Says Goodbye

I’m not going to lie, I’m extremely anxious as i’m writing this, out of what these news could mean to a lot of people, and my heart feels heavy enough it could drop down my ribcage any minute from now and squish all my other organs. But I’ve been dancing around this topic for a long time now, and I think i’ve finally reached a point where i can’t ignore it anymore, for my own sake.

I hereby announce Commander Yes has come to an end.

As I’ve mentioned plenty of times before, here and to many other people, when I began this comic all the way back in 2018 I was in a really bad, really low place in my life in every sense of the word, and it was a spur-of-the moment decision to cheer myself up, because Path of Fire had just released and my enjoyment of the game had reached fever pitch and I had been playing Guild Wars 2 alone since as far as launch, and none of my other friends had ever really gotten into it. I guess I just, dunno, cried out into the big maelstrom of the community, one voice amidst millions, because i wanted SOMEBODY to look at what i did and revel in the nerdery with me.

And somehow the snowball began to roll and people wanted more and more of what I could do, and I was being actively reached out to, and, well, some time after that I landed my first ever job, I discovered a lot of things about myself, and I found myself in communities that welcomed me with open arms, and many of the people in there have since become among the best friends I could’ve possibly encountered, kindred souls who i’ve shared joys and sorrows for many years and who I can’t imagine living without anymore.

And all the while I kept making the comics, and with every entry posted every week I’d keep having people stopping to comment on them, and whether they were dumb jokes or personal takes on the story, they’d all share how much what I do kept hitting them in the kokoro, and to this day whenever I play anywhere in the game I still get people who recognize me and thank me for doing what I do. It was wonderful, it IS wonderful, and seeing that response motivated me to keep going, because what did still mattered to people, out there.

But I did always say I planned to keep doing these comics until I ran out of energy for them, and I think i’ve finally reached that point.

Because ever since I actually landed that job I’m exhausted and sleep-deprived every other day, so much so that I only have time to work on the comic on saturdays and sundays, and it gets harder and harder to just sit and draw, and at that point it was just more work, and while I still enjoy and play Guild Wars 2 a lot, it no longer consumes my time and attention like I’ve used to and i’ve been having fun with more personal projects, and honestly the direction the story is taking these days does not sit right with me and it’s hard to find inspiration in that, and this might be borderline selfish but every year I find people care less and less about the comics and it really takes a hit to you motivation when hardly anybody responds after you’ve spent a whole weekend trying to squeeze a five-page comic out.

And, well, I have been doing these for six years straight, and I think that’s a good run. I’m tired, and ready to move on, at long last. Let it be someone else’s turn.

But that’s the beautiful thing about this community, isn’t it? Even if I’m hanging up the hat, there are a whole lot of fantastic artists out there, as we speak, still cranking out works of art, deserving of all the attention they can get. And think of all the artists yet to come! For every story that ends, another story is just about to begin!

The world keeps on spinning, one way or another.

I’ll be closing my patreon shortly after this, but the reddit archives and tumblr blog shall remain for people to browse whenever they feel like (or until they both go in flames, i guess, what social media isn’t about to these days)

I still don’t think I ever was that much of a big deal, but all the same, to everyone who’s ever supported me and helped me be the person I am right now, to everyone who’s been there from the beginning, to all the devs of this game that has captured us for nearly a decade now, to all my fellow players and artists out there

Thank you.

See you out there, fellow commanders. Still the stars find their way.

[commanderyes]

The Commander And Sales

[commanderyes]

The Commander And A Beginning

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The Commander And Catching Up

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The Commander And Innocence

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The Commander And Homecoming

[commanderyes]

The Commander And The Parting

[commanderyes]

The Commander Stakes Out

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The Commander And Power Creep

[commanderyes]

Happy New Year, everypeoples

There won't be a comic tomorrow cause i've happened to get sick in this final weekend of all times, but at least let me wish that whatever fresh new hell awaits us this coming year, may it still work out for us all

Keep doing your best, guys. Keep loving yourselves. You're worth it

[commanderyes]

The Commander Receives

(Merr Cringus everybody!)

[commanderyes]

I think like everyone I got mega hyped about anet adding Snargle Goldclaw to the game as an homage to your character, but over the years ive started to wonder how it feels for you when Goldclaw is such a different character in personality and tone from your Snargle. A canon erotic fanfiction author is a very funny joke and it was a pleasant surprise to see him more fleshed out as a person in EoD. But your comics, though sometimes funny, are special in how earnestly and powerfully you can extract the emotional weight of gw2's story. Snargle Gutslurper as an interpretation of our commander is wonderful- authentic and funny and full of heart. The game often rushes past powerful moments and I appreciate that you've always let him have the time and space to process in a more real way.

I imagine there are players who may know Snargle Goldclaw but never Snargle Gutslurper, which is kind of bittersweet to think about. I wonder if you've ever had thoughts like these and what it's like to be in this unusual situation as an artist and as a player.

A bonus thought- has Goldclaw ever come back through the other way and influenced how you see Gutslurper?

No matter the case thanks for sharing your stories. Long live Snargle 🙏

Personally I never thought - and still don't think - I'm that big of a deal. I just decided to draw a couple silly comics to cheer myself up when I was hitting a rough patch, saw people received them very positively and it all just kinda snowballed from there. It's allowed me to revisit feelings and thoughts I've had about the story back when I was playing all by myself at launch, and further explore heavier themes because, well, how many of us have had a point where nothing ever seems to go right with our lives no matter how hard we try? How many of us have felt like we're just being pulled along through life, not knowing what do we really want, or how we feel about ourselves?

And more importantly it's allowed me to meet people I hold very dear to this day and who I feel I would never have met if I hadn't decided to start this weird little journey.

As for Goldclaw...knowing that my silly depressed cowcat got the devs to name a character after him, and it ended up being an extremely horny shitpost that just keeps on growing while SIMULTANEOUSLY being a war-scarred romantic idealist slowly working towards being a better writer and person, will always be one of the high points in my life

[commanderyes]

The Commander And The Thorn

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The Commander And Second Chances

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The Commander's Orbit

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The Commander And The Backburner