Apology

Dirk impresses us with character growth and then gives us some more of the bad boy we all know and love. Hey, at least he’s consistent.

Fun fact: Loyal readers of this comic have probably noticed that Dirk’s lineart has changed. This is because I realized that I will be drawing him in his more complicated and time-consuming form more often than not, and therefore wanted to make my life a little bit easier.

Also, you don’t know how much I wanted to have Dirk curse in the last panel. I was tempted to replace “jerks” with a creative grawlix.

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Oh yeah. Dirk was trespassing. Oops.

Fun facts: Originally, I was going to add two more roles to the Dirk plans, one that would have been in last week’s comic and one that would have been featured this week:
Orin Scrivello, DDS

from Little Shop of Horrors and the duel role of Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf from Into the Woods. Ultimately, they were cut for time, as I wanted to keep this comic running at its standard weekly upload schedule.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Dirk as Robert Grove. I like to think that the previous piece of fanart was a glimpse into the future for the Chrisville Theater Society.

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So far, Softboy’s “Dirk Plans” are an insightful trip down memory lane. (Maybe they’re a little too insightful. Remember, Dirk has shown that he hates being seen as either goofy OR as an untrustworthy threat.) But it looks like Dirk’s just spotted something he didn’t expect…

In case you need a refresher after almost three months away from this arc, here’s the previous installment.

Fun fact: The drawing of Dirk in panel 7 is inspired by a gorgeous piece of fanart by @chiropteracupola. I hope I did it justice!

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Happy New Year – 2022

Time moves differently in the world of Softboy Pillowman. There’s no telling how fast Chris will age, or when/if certain major world events will start or end. But no matter when Softboy takes place, or what happens outside the blog, we’ll keep working to improve ourselves and the lives of others.

Happy new year, everyone.

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2021 Art Summary

2021 sure was a productive year. Even after losing the first two months to a hiatus, we started one of the longest and most ambitious story arcs that the blog has ever seen, had an entire month-long Halloween story, AND got to explore fun fanart. Hopefully we’ll finish the Dirk arc in 2022!

This year both challenged and strengthened my art-making abilities, and I’m pretty proud of all that I’ve accomplished. This blog and its fanbase may be small, but to those of you who follow and comment on my silly little uploads, I am eternally grateful.

Thank you for making this content worth creating.

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This art summary template was from Mossygator.

Well. In early 2020, I drew Softboy Pillowman dressed as Jaskier right after watching The Witcher season 1. It only makes sense that, almost two years later, I draw Softboy Pillowman as Jaskier after watching The Witcher season 2.

This drawing was a lot of fun to create, but it almost makes me sad. As epic a break-up song as “Burn Butcher Burn” is, I hate to think of anyone making Softboy feel that broken-hearted.

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This week, we’ll take a closer look at another beloved member of Chrisville: Velvel Fox.

Fun facts: The Velvel Fox picture book series is, of course, fictional, but this toy is based on something real. My great-grandfather used to tell my grandmother bedtime stories that always began with “Once upon a time, Velvel Fox…” Velvel Fox was, apparently, a boy that he knew from his childhood. My grandmother went on to tell similar stories to her own children, including my father. My dad didn’t continue the tradition with me, but he did tell me about it.

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Time for things to get a bit darker this week (although hopefully, not too dark to read). Here’s an about page for our favorite stuffed cryptid, Moth!

Fun fact: Moth was inspired by a mothman plushie that I purchased at Flame Con and gifted to a friend of mine. (I did my best to put my own unique spin on Moth, though)

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Now for Chris’s other best friend: Makena! She also made an appearance alongside Lorrie in 2020′s Halloween comic.

Makena is an inventive and inquisitive kid who often looks to the stars. She finds space utterly beautiful and wants to be an astronomer when she grows up. While Lorrie acts on her emotions and Chris gets overwhelmed by his, Makena stops and thinks before she does anything. Chris asks her for advice on everything, even when it’s something that Makena isn’t skilled in, just because he trusts her judgment that much. Makena often holds herself back from taking risks because she doesn’t want to be hurt or grossed out, or because she predicts that something will go wrong. Lorrie and Chris teach her that it’s OK to take risks, and that sometimes things that go wrong… are better!

Makena’s parents, Ione and Giuseppe, are proud of their daughter and her interest in science. They had also expected her older brother, Cosimo, to be a future STEM major. However, Cosimo turned out to be an extremely talented dancer and baker, which his parents have accepted. (Their only concern was how he’d “make a living” in the future, but Cosimo’s charm and optimism ensure that his future is bright.) Makena’s family may have their squabbles, but they’re very loving, and Chris loves interacting with every one of them when he comes over to play.

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