Future of our Fandom

[Róisín]

Viola, thanks and so glad that you are on board. I am not useful at the tech stuff, but if you can think of anything else I can do I will cheerfully help as I can. I believe our community to be worth sustaining.

[Ragnarok]

I'm not a fan of SSSS now. But this forum is worth preserving. Let's see where it goes.

[FreshTakoyaki]

Interesting to see this discussion, especially as the discussion thread for comic updates and the comic itself seems to have pretty much died out!

[thorny]

Interesting to see this discussion, especially as the discussion thread for comic updates and the comic itself seems to have pretty much died out!

I'm not sure how new that is. I've noticed for some time that on a lot of days we seem to be talking about nearly everything other than the comic; or, at least, other than the recent updates.

[Keep Looking]

I'm not sure how new that is. I've noticed for some time that on a lot of days we seem to be talking about nearly everything other than the comic; or, at least, other than the recent updates.

Yeah, no - most of the time I've been on this forum (since mid-2019) the bulk of forum activity (aside from events such as the advent calendar or chapter break filler) has been from people discussing non-ssss related topics - writing and gardening and little moments of happiness and the comfort corner and all that. This is a community which was brought together by ssss, but even before lovely people happened we were a community which was connected through a number of shared experiences and discussions, not just the comic.

In many ways I think this is why we want to keep this place alive - if it was just a place to talk about ssss, then if you're a person who doesn't feel comfortable with Minna anymore or has just lost interest in the comic there'd be no reason to stick around. But we've formed a community that extends beyond that.

[Vulpes]

Interesting to see this discussion, especially as the discussion thread for comic updates and the comic itself seems to have pretty much died out!

I agree with thorny and Keep - the latest updates thread is usually pretty quiet, and most of the activity has to do with things other than SSSS. The forum has attracted a diverse and interesting group of people, who are interested in many other things beyond SSSS that they have to talk about here!    There seems to be some kind of commonality that keeps us interacting, no idea what it is, but it's apparently not just SSSS.

[lwise]

Has Minna said how long before SSSS ends?  Weeks?  Months?

[SkyWhalePod]

I agree with thorny and Keep - the latest updates thread is usually pretty quiet, and most of the activity has to do with things other than SSSS. The forum has attracted a diverse and interesting group of people, who are interested in many other things beyond SSSS that they have to talk about here!    There seems to be some kind of commonality that keeps us interacting, no idea what it is, but it's apparently not just SSSS.

That's actually a comfort to hear, I feel less bad about not having much to say about SSSS but wanting to see the big rocks at everyone's houses.

It is very nice just to have these slow, peaceful conversations with people from everywhere, about anything. I'm a pretty quiet person in real life -- I listen more than I talk, and after forty-five minutes or an hour of listening to someone, I glaze over. Makes it tough to have conversations with anybody! But I do like sharing and learning about people. This board is a really nice compromise -- I can come and invest as much or as little energy as I have to talk to some really cool, fun, creative, smart people, learn about them, learn from them, and share with them. No awkward silences, nobody is disappointed when I can't think of anything to say. It's not about SSSS, it's about being here together. We keep each other company!

I'm not completely sure, lwise, I don't remember hearing any sort of time frame attached to the current adventure.

[Jitter]

Earlier Minna has said that Adventure 2 will be somewhat shorter than A1 because there is no prologue and also no need to introduce the characters etc, maybe 300 pages or so shorter. So there shoud be at least close to 300 more to go. We’ve been getting here for about 2,5 years, although that was slowed for the LP process. So, I would say at least anout a year to go, if she really will go through the original arc.

Even if not, it’s still likely to be several months. It should also be borne in mind that SSSS is her only work and living at the moment, it wouldn’t be very feasible for her to just stop out cold even if she wanted to. I very much hope it won’t come to that, because if she were working just because she has to, there would likely be a dramatic quality drop far beyond what we have seen now.

[Róisín]

I would agree that while the community formed around the comic, the people drawn by Minna’s early work were of a type to be interested in the world and other people and cultures. I do think the Forum community is worth saving. And I have certainly learned many interesting things! Let’s keep talking to one another.

[thegreyarea]

Earlier Minna has said that Adventure 2 will be somewhat shorter than A1 because there is no prologue and also no need to introduce the characters etc, maybe 300 pages or so shorter. So there shoud be at least close to 300 more to go. We’ve been getting here for about 2,5 years, although that was slowed for the LP process. So, I would say at least anout a year to go, if she really will go through the original arc.

Even if not, it’s still likely to be several months. It should also be borne in mind that SSSS is her only work and living at the moment, it wouldn’t be very feasible for her to just stop out cold even if she wanted to. I very much hope it won’t come to that, because if she were working just because she has to, there would likely be a dramatic quality drop far beyond what we have seen now.

If adventure 2 ends up with 700 pages we would still have to wait 275 pages for the end. With 4 pages a week we would have 16 months ahead, and adding four 2-week page breaks we would have roughly 18 months or one and a half year of SSSS updates. Also, as you pointed, SSSS probably is her source of income, so it's not that easy to just stop, unless she is able to retain the fans or win many new ones.
I share your hope that she still finds joy in doing each page. SSSS has been central in her life and it would be sad if it ended with a huge drop in quality.
Anyway I'm quite optimistic. I feel that this great community will find a way (or several ways) to thrive, opening to other works while keeping the connection with SSSS (and ARTD)

[Jitter]

She has repeatedly said it aloud that SSSS is what she does for a living. So far there are no ads whatsoever on LP. The LP book sales may be a success, but that’s a while away from now. Financially it would also hardly make sense to kill SSSS off abruptly because there is still Book 4 to go on A1 and if she cuts the fandom off, that’s not likely to be a huge success. Not that I know who are the ones participating in the Kickstarters (besides the ones who have mentioned it here or in Disqus, but those are a handful only), but the ongoing comic seems like the main platform for marketing of printed books.

And I don’t mean this in any sort of contempt, my point is that she has so far been rational with her finances and I hope this stays so, especially as it’s another factor for the proper ending of A2. In her recent comments she has complaining about her past self for being “greedy” and “loving money”, but surely she’s allowed to make a decent living.

[JoB]

Financially it would also hardly make sense to kill SSSS off abruptly because there is still Book 4 to go on A1 [...] the ongoing comic seems like the main platform for marketing of printed books. [...] my point is that she has so far been rational with her finances and I hope this stays so, especially as it’s another factor for the proper ending of A2.

Spoiler: evil capitalism thoughts • show

There also is the special twist that while minnasundberg.fi is served by a Finnish webhoster (Nebula Oy), and hummingfluff.com by Cloudflare, the sssscomic.com presence is based on a contract between Minna and Hiveworks, which extends beyond mere hosting (so as to include Hiveworks running the Kickstarter campaigns for the SSSS books, for example). No idea what the exact terms of the contract are, of course, but I can't imagine Hiveworks to be very happy about the entire development.

The LP book sales may be a success, but that’s a while away from now.

Maybe not - the banners on Hummingfluff currently say that the LP book's available (via self-publishing) now.

[Vulpes]

the banners on Hummingfluff currently say that the LP book's available (via self-publishing) now.

In her latest video, she's checking over LP books and talking about when she'll be able to open her shop. Fast turnaround by the printer!

[Jitter]

Wow that was quick! I’d be keen to know how well it sells, but I’m not sure it’d be something she’s prepared to discuss given the recent comments about money.