Posted March 20, 2024 at 03:19 am

On March 14, 2004, I posted the very first page of Slightly Damned online on my personal website. I built the site myself from notepad and updated it manually for years. Every page of the comic was a separate .html file, and it as inefficient as heck! I remember getting emails from folks telling me their internet speeds couldn't handle the high quality JPEGs I initially put up. Those could exceed 500kb EACH! So I decided to replace them with lower quality ones that were under 200kb for a while...

Wait, where was I? Oh, excuse this old fart for reminiscing. With the current state of the modern internet, I can't help but feel wistful for the world wide web as it was when I first started Slightly Damned.

Slightly Damned is 20 years old now! I never imagined I would keep up with it for this long. When I first started, I was just an ambitious teenager with no real thoughts about the future. I didn't even think about collecting the comic into books. I assumed no one would want one.

So much of this comic was made under the belief that I would one day be forced to drop it. That day never came, but it sure tried. I've thought about quitting several times. Through the darkest times, I thought about quitting more than just the comic. But still, despite everything, I pressed on. I loved working on Slightly Damned too much to stop. I gave up a lot and risked a lot to keep going. I closed doors that I still think about to this day. No regrets, though.

Over the years, several kind people have told me that reading Slightly Damned helped them through hard times. That alone makes the effort worthwhile. It's easy for me to get fixated what I haven't achieved and feel frustrated and down on myself. But in the end, it fills me with a great sense of fulfillment knowing that my art can make people happy. Making Slightly Damned helps me through hard times, too.

I think we are past halfway through Slightly Damned's story. I can picture the conclusion, and I want to reach it within my lifetime. But if I fixate on the fact that I have 10-20 more years to go before I can conclude Rhea, Buwaro, and Kieri's tale in a way that satisfies me, I'll be overwhelmed by existential dread.

So I will continue as I always have: I'll take things one step at a time. I will not deliberately stall, but I will also not rush just for the sake of concluding things sooner rather than later. I'm in a position that allows my serialized story to come out at a slow and steady pace; a pace that would make most publishers turn inside out. It's not a privilege I want to take lightly.

I am dedicated to seeing Slightly Damned's story through to its natural conclusion. At this point, it has proven to be my life's work. I love this world and its characters. I'm as passionate as ever to keep heading towards the finish line for the story for as long as I am capable.

Thank you to everyone who ever gave me words of encouragement, supported my business, was patient with me, spread the word about the comic, attended my streams, made fan art, and otherwise lent a hand, even if just for one moment. I can't say it enough: I would not be able to keep being an artist if it wasn't for your help. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Love,

Chu

P.S. I'm planning to give the Slightly Damned website some love soon, starting this year. The info pages about world history and the different races are long overdue for some new art and new lore. It's going to be a huge undertaking, so I don't know how long it will take. But it's something I've been needing to do for a long, long time. Please look forward to it!

P.P.S.

"But when's the comic going to start updating again?!" Oh, yeah! I am a bit behind schedule because I was sick for a week following my vacation to Japan (which was otherwise fantastic). The anniversary poster also ended up being much more labor intensive than I planned, but I think it was well worth the trouble. New Slightly Damned pages are literally the next thing on my work queue as I write this, so rest assured, they are coming as soon as possible. Thanks for being patient as always!

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Anniversary goodies!


The poster I designed to celebrate Slightly Damned's 20th anniversary is available as a high-res file! You have two options:

On my Patreon, $2+ patrons can access the file here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/slightly-damneds-100572486

(I am planning to sell this poster as a physical print in the near future. And perhaps a blanket and/or wallscroll, if I can swing it one of these days... I just think it would be cool.)


It is also included with the 15th anniversary poster and over 160 wallpapers in the Slightly Damned 20th anniversary wallpaper pack! This pack collects all the wallpapers I made for my patrons from August 2014 to June 2023, with a few bonuses. https://ko-fi.com/s/0f793eae5e

I also made a short music video celebrating 20 years of Slightly Damned art, which you can check out on my YouTube channel! I wanted to encourage people to keep going with their own artwork. Improvement can be slow, but it does happen if you just keep trying. A time-lapse of the poster's creation will be uploaded soon.

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Upcoming In-Person Events:

Anthro Weekend Utah

July 19 - 21 // Layton, UT

Support:

Community:

  • I stream 3x a week on Twitch! http://twitch.tv/hyenachu I stream art on Tuesday & Thursday, and video games on Sunday. Come hang out with me and the regulars; we'd love to meet you!
  • There are Slightly Damned communities made and run by fans on both

    Discord
     https://discord.gg/pyVrJz7

    and Telegram https://t.me/SlightlyDamned 

    If you know of any more and would like to share, just let me know via email or DM on social media!

Find me elsewhere:

Posted January 6, 2024 at 08:16 pm

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that Slightly Damned's main comic is officially on a short hiatus until March.

Next week, I am going to Further Confusion in San Jose, CA for what is currently my only planned convention appearance of 2024. When I get back, I'm going to spend the next three weeks finishing up all the work that I have left to do on Book Three. The end is in sight! I can feel it!

I've been posting previews of the bonus content I created on my Patreon, X-Twitter, Bluesky, Telegram channel, and tumblr, as well as streaming them on Twitch. Go check it out if you're curious! If you're hungry for Slightly Damned content in general, it's a good idea to follow one of my art gallery or social media accounts. Although the main comic hasn't had any new pages in a while, I am still drawing constantly.

After those three weeks are up, whether I'm finished or not, I am going to vacation to Japan. I'm finally going to visit an old friend of mine after our plans were pushed back for several years. I can feel it deeply in my soul that I need some rest. I've been fighting off a lot of fatigue, stress, and depression these last few months. No matter how badly I want to jump back into updating Slightly Damned again ASAP, if I push myself any harder, I'll break!

I'll take some additional time to recuperate from the trip when I return since overseas travel is exhausting. I plan to be ready to start updating the comic again on or shortly after March 14, which also happens to be Slightly Damned's 20th anniversary!

Thank you very much for your patience and support for all these years! I seriously could not have made it this far without you.

Posted December 8, 2023 at 12:00 am

Hello, folks! I just wanted to write a brief message about why the comic's updates have been sporadic lately. In short: I'M BUSY! I just got back from being a vendor at Midwest Fur Fest 2023 in Chicago, and it was great! And I've got another convention/possible family visit coming up fast in January when I head to California for Further Confusion in San Jose!

I am also hard at work on Slightly Damned: Book Three's bonus content! I really don't want to make people wait too long for it, so Slightly Damned pages are on temporary hold right now. And uh, in truth, things don't get much more uplifting in this flashback for a while, anyway... *weeps*

I didn't intend for page 1111 to be the last new page for the year, but I am just one slow artist who can only handle so much at once. So I want to spend the rest of December focusing on the book. I really wish I could post the new content as I finish it because it looks really good, but they're book exclusive!! So if you want a sneak peek at what I'm working on, you'll have to check it out on my Twitch streams on Tuesday & Thursday nights! http://twitch.tv/hyenachu

P.S. I'm going to start using my Patreon http://patreon.com/raizap to post new Slightly Damned pages for free once I get back to them.This feature could be useful for anyone who'd like to have new comics delivered right to their inbox each week. All you have to do is sign up for an account and follow my Patreon, free of charge.

Thanks for your patience and support!

Posted September 8, 2023 at 01:59 pm

Hi folks! You may have noticed I haven't been as consistent with weekly Slightly Damned pages as I used to be. I know I've noticed, and it sucks! My passion for making this comic burns brighter than ever, and I want to make making pages my top priority again!

I probably should have just taken an official chapter break now that we've reached the end of Part 11. (I think.) However, in classic Chu fashion, I believed I could will myself through an inhuman workload... but alas, it was not meant to be. Part 12 of the story is important and somewhat heavy, so I don't want to rush things right before I leave for Megaplex in Orlando, Florida next week!

I've recently announced some changes to my Patreon in order to get more breathing room into my work schedule. You can read the details here, but the short of it is that I'm not able to keep up with the Suggestion Box. I started to feel like it was holding me back from other things that were more important, including but not limited to: updating the lore & art on the Slightly Damned website, making better merchandise, and keeping the weekly update schedule steady. All patron rewards pertaining to Slightly Damned pages will not change, and in fact, stand to benefit from this change as I try to become more consistent again.

This autumn, I have three goals:

  • Finish the remaining Suggestion Box sketches and wallpapers for July 2023 and August 2023
  • Draw all the bonus content for Slightly Damned Book Three with the cooperation of Kickstarter campaign backers (and hopefully complete the book so it can be printed)
  • Get Slightly Damned's weekly page updates back on schedule!

If all goes well, I'll be able to draw a wider variety of things while also giving Slightly Damned its fair share of love in 2024 and beyond.

Thanks for sticking with me for all these years! I'm looking forward to the 20th anniversary next March!

Posted July 22, 2023 at 04:15 pm

Hiya folks! Thanks for being so patient with me. I've been spread a bit thin this year due to bad luck, a lot of behind-the-scenes work, frequent traveling to conventions, and most recently, I got sick. (Thankfully, I am already nearly back to full health.) I am happy to report that the conventions have been going really well! Now, onto the big news:

The "behind-the-scenes work" I mentioned is actually related to Slightly Damned! The Third Bookification project (aka crowdfunding for Slightly Damned Book Three) is finally set to launch-- in less than a week! The campaign goes live on Friday, July 28th, 2023!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1858050352/slightly-damneds-third-bookification-project

Oh, and I'll do my best to have new weekly page updates resume on the day after: Saturday, July 29.

I've still got two more conventions I'm signed up for this summer, so I thank you again for your patience. I'll do my best to keep up and/or catch up with everything I have on my plate!

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Upcoming In-Person Events:


Furrydelphia

Philadelphia, PA // August 25 - 27, 2023


Megaplex

Orlando, FL // September 15 - 17, 2023


Support:

Community:

  • I stream weekly on Twitch! http://twitch.tv/hyenachu I stream art on Tuesday & Thursday, and video games on Sunday. Come hang out with me and the regulars; we'd love to meet you!
  • There are Slightly Damned communities made and run by fans on both

    Discord
     https://discord.gg/pyVrJz7

    and Telegram https://t.me/SlightlyDamned 

    If you know of any more and would like to share, just let me know via email or DM on social media!

Find me elsewhere:

Posted March 4, 2023 at 12:57 am

Hello, folks!  Thank you for being patient while the comic is on a brief hiatus. I am still working hard behind the scenes, and things are progressing smoothly.


After many years, I finally made covers for chapters nine and ten of the Slightly Damned! Check out Part Nine: Through Fang and Flame and Part Ten: Atop the Tree of Peace!


Slightly Damned has been nominated for an Ursa Major Award for "Best Graphic Story"! Thank you all so much for your support and participation! A nomination like this is an honor, and, I hope, helps potential fans find the comic to enjoy. The competition is fierce this year, as always, but if Slightly Damned is your favorite in that category, then please take a few moments to vote for it!

And don't forget the other categories, too!

https://ursamajorawards.org/Voting.htm

New Slightly Damned pages are still on hold for the time being. In less than two weeks, I'm going to be a vendor at my first furry convention in another country-- Furnal Equinox in Toronto, Canada! I hope to catch up on Patreon rewards and new Slightly Damned pages after rest from my return.

Stay safe out there!

Chu

Posted January 27, 2023 at 06:42 pm

Hey all, Chu here! In February I'll be working on preparing for the Slightly Damned Book Three Kickstarter! As such, there will be no new comic pages after the February 4th update until March or so. I'll also be putting Patreon rewards on the side for the time being. I wish I could do everything, but I am just one person and I don't have the time and energy for it all! I'm also terrible when it comes to making buffers in advance...

However, I will continue streaming on Twitch as usual! If you drop by my art streams during February, then you'll be able to see me work on updating the Book Three cover and redrawing certain pages. Time permitting, I also plan to make the long overdue chapter covers for Book Five: Part Nine and Part Ten.

I'll try to resume updating comic and catching up with patron rewards in March. But I will also be a vendor at my first convention in Canada in the middle of the month, so it may take until April to get fully back on track. Thanks in advance for being patient with me!

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The Ursa Major Award nominations are open until February 11!

It would mean a lot to me if you could write in to nominate Slightly Damned for "Best Graphic Story"! Getting nominated-- and ideally, winning-- helps attract new eyes to the comic, which is essential for its ongoing success. But don't forget that you can nominate up to 5 creations per category, so please be generous and vote for other works that you enjoy as well!

The Ursa Major Awards also have a Fursuit category, and 2022 just happens to be year where I got my very first fursuit! You may have seen it in person at a few conventions or as stretch and hydration alerts on my Twitch streams. It's a really great suit, and it was made by Remi of Wild Dog Works. I think that they definitely deserve the recognition for their professionalism and quality, so please write in to nominate my suit if you agree! The character's name is Chu, just like me.

Fursuit nominations must be submitted with a photo. This is one of my favorites; it was taken at Midwest FurFest 2022.

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Upcoming In-Person Events:


Furnal Equinox

Toronto, Ontario // March 17 - 19, 2023


Anthro Weekend Utah

Layton, Utah // July 14 - 16, 2023


Support:

Community:

  • I stream weekly on Twitch! http://twitch.tv/hyenachu I stream art on Tuesday & Thursday, and video games on Sunday. Come hang out with me and the regulars; we'd love to meet you!
  • There are Slightly Damned communities made and run by fans on both

    Discord
     https://discord.gg/pyVrJz7

    and Telegram https://t.me/SlightlyDamned 

    If you know of any more and would like to share, just let me know via email or DM on social media!

Find me elsewhere:

  • I am quite talkative on Twitter. It's a great way to keep track of what I'm up to! @sdamned
  • I maintain several art sites with mirrored content!: deviantArt // FurAffinity // tumblr
  • My Youtube channel is where you can find archives of old video game streams and illustration time-lapses.

Posted October 28, 2022 at 04:09 am

Howdy, folks! Sorry for missing the last two weeks of updates. I've been really good about having a new page for nearly week of the year so far, but I'm going need a short break.

There will be one new page each week between October 29 - November 19. However, after that, there probably won't be any new pages until December 17.

I'm still going to be very busy! I have Patreon rewards to honor, new merchandise to design, and posters for charity to illustrate. But I also need some rest. Because of how labor intensive they are, that means I need to put SD pages aside for a bit.

Thank you for understanding!

- Chu

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Upcoming In-Person Events:

Midwest FurFest

Chicago, Illinois // December 1 - 3, 2022


Further Confusion

San Jose, California // January 12 - 16, 2023


Furnal Equinox

Toronto, Ontario // March 17 - 19, 2023


Support:

Community:

Find me elsewhere:

  • I am quite talkative on Twitter. It's a great way to keep track of what I'm up to! @sdamned
  • I maintain several art sites with mirrored content!: deviantArt // FurAffinity // tumblr
  • My Youtube channel is where you can find archives of old video game streams and illustration time-lapses.

Posted June 25, 2022 at 12:52 pm

Howdy, y'all!

It's been a while since my last post, so I just thought I'd give a brief update. All is well with me and the comic, but I've been really busy so I need a short break. There will be no update today or next week, but getting caught up will be my first priority in July.

The Mushy Stuff zine I made for TCAF is now available for purchase from my online store!

This is a 44-page, full color book that contains mushy, romantic comics and illustrations of Buwaro and Kieri from 2018-2022. If you are a $5+ patron of mine, you can download the PDF here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/mushy-stuff-2022-66408991

And for those of you wondering about the Book Three Kickstarter... don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it!

That's all for now. Happy Pride Month!

You can download this as a 1920x1080 wallpaper on my Patreon!

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Upcoming In-Person Events:

Megaplex

Orlando, Florida // August 5 - 7, 2022


Further Confusion

San Jose, California // TBA


Furnal Equinox

Toronto, Ontario // March 17 - 19, 2023


Support:

Community:

Find me elsewhere:

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