simply sarah on The Duck : SS7 158 Getting ready for her date!

Locoma at 6:31AM, Aug. 21, 2023

This is just too sweet! That last panel just melted me, Sarah is such a loving friend... so motherly. I loved the first panel with the reflection and the different mirrors, almost a portrait of their relationship. And again, such a display of difficult poses to draw it's baffling.

skyangel at 3:22PM, Aug. 21, 2023

One thing I notice most when comparing my earliest pages with these final ones is how much more attention I pay to the background as time goes by. I used to just feel happy if the characters came out okay but then as my confidence grew it became more fun to play with the background art as well.

tommym at 1:29PM, March 8, 2023

Dear sky Sarah is such the angel tommym

skyangel at 2:42PM, March 9, 2023

Tommym! I kept wondering where you had disappeared to. It was so nice to look in this evening and see your name all lit up in my notifications :) I hope you are doing okay.

Fruitbat44v2 at 9:48AM, Aug. 11, 2022

Nice, quiet strip. Nicely drawn, as always. And some nice interation between Sarah & Nicky. I hope Nicky's date goes well. Talking of Nicky, and I hope I'm not sticking my head above the parapet too much, but ... Nicky is a trans-woman. ...................... Sky, what does this mean in Nicky's case? Is she undergoing treatment for gender dysphoria from the NHS, and will eventually under going gender reassignment surgery? Or is she a man who's happier living as woman, but is physically male & intends to remain so? Or is Nicky's exact status undecided i.e Nicky is just Nicky?

skyangel at 3:06PM, Aug. 12, 2022

Fruitbat: * Takes shot at* That's actually a very good question. Once Nikki was well established as a character I found there was an ever growing amount of material online about transitioning as if it was the most logical path to take but there were also an equally large amount who either didn't feel the need or didn't feel able to so I decided in Nikki's case to put hormone therapy and surgery to one side, at least up to this point to show relationships can exist without a desire to transition. I will explain this more towards the very end so readers can make their own assumptions about Nikki's future beyond the ending tho.

fredhedges at 8:45AM, Aug. 8, 2022

That's right, just make a new friend first, then whatever happens next happens.

skyangel at 2:30PM, Aug. 12, 2022

Fred: Back when I was I was the only one of my friends who was still single it felt like every date was an adventure. I was just looking for someone down to Earth but I met so many that weren't that it was ever rarely a wasted evening.

Ironscarf at 3:56PM, Aug. 7, 2022

Lovely! Your pace when struggling to keep motivated appears to be about five times faster than mine is on full blast.

skyangel at 2:21PM, Aug. 12, 2022

Ironscarf: Haha The last two pages I've done feel like they have taken two weeks each and I know I'm slipping but then the page is done and I still seem to be ahead by a few pages so as long as I can keep my lead it feels like I'll be okay.

Genejoke at 3:18PM, Aug. 7, 2022

great dating advice.

skyangel at 2:18PM, Aug. 12, 2022

Genejoke: We do our best ;)

gagroovy at 11:45AM, Aug. 7, 2022

Continued. I look forward to rereading the entire story From the beginning (maybe in print??). In conclusion I say THANK YOU! You (and your two color artists) have created a beautiful thing and I'm happy I got to see it. Thanks. Alan p.s. I hope everything works out for Nikki. Is it too much to want for a happy ending for everyone? I hope not.

skyangel at 2:17PM, Aug. 12, 2022

We have discussed putting it into print but it's something which will take a lot of sorting out due to the huge page count. But, yea I've been very lucky with my colorists, and Becky especially has been working on this forever now so it will be nice for her especially to own a hard copy of all her work! DV: I'm not too sure how I will feel either. I've had breaks before and always come back with renewed enthusiasm so I wonder if my life will feel strangely empty too.

DarkVisor at 8:31AM, Aug. 9, 2022

Feel the same way: been following this for so long it's become a weekly feature, _not_ looking forward to the end as it will feel like the end of The Truman Show (you know, like the people who watch it even while having a bath? what do they do now?)

gagroovy at 11:24AM, Aug. 7, 2022

So here's the thing, I don't like change. And this comic that I've been reading for over a decade is coming to an end. I've stuck with this story longer than any other webcomic I've ever read. It's a testament to your skills as a writer and as an artist that I've stayed with it and keep checking this story for more. These characters feel like real people I know. And though I'm just a strait guy from Alabama this story has really connected with and moved me. I have felt like commenting this for years but kept putting it off for one reason or another. But since the end is coming soon I am saying this now. I expect you will be getting a lot of these in the coming months. Endings are always bittersweet at best and I will miss this story and these characters and your comments at the end of each page. However I also can't wait to see what you come up with next. I know it will be great because you've shown how great you are at storytelling. Also this story isn't going anywhere.

Locoma at 6:24AM, Aug. 21, 2023

I'm really moved and identified with this comment. Bittersweet indeed!

skyangel at 2:08PM, Aug. 12, 2022

Hi Alan, As I've said before, it's reading comments like this one that really make it all worthwhile. It's been very special for me too, as I'm just a normal person who has led a very quiet and ordinary life on the whole, so to have created something like this that can touch so many people for so long feels pretty magical for sure. Readers often thank me for having produced such a massive page count but it would never have gone on for as long as this if it hadn't been for all the wonderful input from our readers over the years and that to me is what has always made this comic so very special.