Hello, all! I know I said I’d keep you updated about things after some backend site maintenance, and I sort of fell out of these regular updates for a while. Sorry about that! I’m totally still around, though! Things are going more slowly than anticipated on the comics-front, but I also didn’t expect March-April to be so busy. I’m not a person used to juggling many things, try as I may. It’s a learning process!

The good news is, and this is apparent if you visited at all since my last message, but the website is fine! I made some updates to WordPress and Webcomic that were a long time in coming and the basis for some big future updates that will roll out when the comic starts up again! I’m personally very excited, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

The other good news is that I definitely want to get this thing updating again before the year ends. I know that sounds like a long time after an already-long process of restarting, but it’s already May! We have a long path ahead of us all, but I’ve never been more excited to take it!

To start (over), however…the new and exact starting point of the story has been a point of internal contention for me, even since I restarted Millennium in 2008. Maybe I’ll make that part of one of my upcoming posts! (Without spoilers, of course!)

Oh, by the way! Today I posted this image, the official last card of the Webcomics Tarot to be completed! That site still has some more updates coming to it, so it’s not “over” yet. I’m glad I started it — webcomic people are awesome!

See you again soon!

Up Next:

• Sibling Rivalry
• Signs of Civilization
• The Quiet Hometown
• Nice Getup, Pal!
• Areas to Explore
• Ronou’s Hometown, Clayden
• Dark Hybrids and the Ones Who Control Them
• And more!

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to let you know that this weekend, the site will be upgraded — or specifically the WordPress part of the site, the page archives. During this update, things might break momentarily, but that shouldn’t last long — so don’t think I’ve disappeared if you just happen to see the site acting funny! It’s just updates! We’re still around!
One thing I’ve always made sure to do is maintain the integrity of the site even while it wasn’t actively being updated, so don’t worry if you see something out-of-sorts for a short bit!

Sunday evening EDIT: This has been put off ’til sometime during the week! I’ll give the all-clear when the upgrade’s finally complete!

Stepping Stones

This upgrade is goes along with something I’ve been wanting to do for the better part of a year…besides getting this story going, of course! No one wants to deal with sub-par distribution when it comes to what they’re creating (or at least I don’t), so the time calls for upgrading — and that goes right with all the other behind-the-scenes stuff that’s been going on with the comic lately. It’ll be nice! Ever closer to a proper comic in the proper light!

Quick Updates

I’m still working on the next developmental updates, and the new pages! Yet sometimes I have less substantial news. You can see me give out quick blurbs of updates or bonus drawings/doodles at various websites, especially Twitter and Tumblr, which is why I’m linking them in this post! Go there if you like keeping up with comics via social media!
(Side note: they’re not even a fraction as frequently updated as, say, my main Twitter…if you happen to be familiar with it! But they do post whenever there’s something to be posted about!)

Hello! I’m continuing the developmental doings with a post about the major makeover of our prime protagonist!

From Boring to Brave

…Or at least I’d like to think so!

Apart from a little elemental influence, not a whole lot of thought was put into the majority of the main characters’ designs when I first drew them in 2003. The first doodles were a product of some mix of stirring ideas and classroom boredom. (And ultimately, the most productive thing that has come of my old love of role playing games.)

That said, apart from the fleshing-out of my drawing abilities and some changing details, their basic designs have not changed very much in ~10 years — except Ronou’s.

A True Protagonist

As the poster child of this comic (along with Mune, but a bit more weight is put on Ronou), Ronou has lots of responsibility and lots of things to represent and embody. The other characters haven’t changed very much in appearance since their first show in-comic (except clothes-wise — I can’t wait for that post! — but not so much their faces) because their looks still basically represent what they are. Mune, a deceptively gentle-looking and intelligent Water Mage. Sabér, reticent yet powerful and multi-skilled, like Earth. Sarn, unpredictable as Fire and also witting (and capable of arson).

Yet Ronou, the determined and fun-loving wonder of Wind — Ronou’s look fit the bill, yet it was…boring. When you see her old incarnation, your mind isn’t prompted to say, “Who is he? What’s his story?” Except for the fountain hair. That was something, I guess.

I can’t add embellishment to a character just to make up for their essential boringness, though. It has to be genuine! Perhaps an overhaul was in order. And so it occurred!

My true hope is that Ronou relates to people. She tends to go with her gut — though her impulsiveness doesn’t mean she won’t learn from her mistakes. Going with the flow is a Wind sort of thing, and it’s with that spirit that she leads the story!

What Does a Change in Appearance Mean?

For the most part, it’s just that. I didn’t have to alter the script beyond the pronouns for this purpose — except for a couple situations made slightly more interesting. It made me realize how flexible this character is — though I started thinking that a female role would have always been more believable.

There are practical reasons behind these changes as well. Ronou’s hometown, Clayden (which gets its own post a little ways down the road) is a heterogeneous village composed of different people from different places over time, only having, in recent years, built up generations of families. For Ronou and Mune to have looked so similar doesn’t make much sense. I liked Mune’s design as it was (and it seemed to be a favorite among readers back in the day — I’m glad!), so I decided to mix it up with Ronou’s.

As for the genderswap, I find that most of the characters I’ve ever written are male — even from the stories I made as a small kid. That appears to be my preference, too: I tend to gravitate toward and root for the male characters in things, if only because they are the likable main character with all the focus. (Think about it: creators tend to make central characters that relate to them, both visually and in, well, character. Why didn’t I?) Without politicizing it too much (because I’m driven by my inner voice more than anything), there are not enough cool female protagonists in the media that I consume — and definitely not in my own work. So, during this opportune moment of overhaul, I created one. And she’s in it for the long haul.

Got any questions? Don’t hesitate to send ‘em my way!

Coming Next:

• Sibling Rivalry
• Signs of Civilization
• Nice Getup, Pal!
• Areas to Explore
• Ronou’s Hometown, Clayden
• Dark Hybrids and the Ones Who Control Them
• And more!

Hello, everybody! I’m here to finally bring you developmental updates! You few who have stuck around to read and watch with such patience, I thank you! I had intended to be doing this more consistently throughout the year — and now I come to you with arms full! It all begins here!

Rethinking the Beginning

I’ve reapproached the prologue to this story more times than anything else (except perhaps Arcs 4-6; they’re very detailed arcs). Frankly, what you see now is irrelevant — I’m not sure what I was thinking when I did these first 15 pages. It’d work in an animation where it’s not longer than 3 minutes, maybe, but not so much here. And I shouldn’t waste anyone’s time, especially my own!

As I’ve said before, I restarted Millennium because I couldn’t expand its world or anything without first rebuilding the basics. The start of the story is very important. Reconstructing the basis of this tale took longer than I thought it would, but all for the better — a firm vision is now in place!

When updates start again, we’ll start from the scene that was set to come after this, and these pages will go away. The next scene is a prelude to things to come — involving memories, emotions, and a starry sky.

A Loose Timeline

I’ve begun planning out the designs and page thumbnails for the prologue’s pages and story. Late winter/early spring is when I hope to start updating again! I’ll be posting development updates regularly until then, at least once a week (and even after — after all, there’s a lot to develop!). Please keep checking back! There’s a lot to cover!

Life’s a Sand Witch

Life-wise, a lot of things have happened to me these past couple of years!

• Acquiring a Big Girl job, only for the business to tank a few months later!
• Adjusting to new life circumstances!
• Relearning how to learn!
• Major life changes! New ways of living! Not always in a good way! It’s disjointed and odd a lot of times.

Scrambling for any semblance of work, drowning bad feelings in copious amounts of Team Fortress 2 — I was happy, I was sad, I was fighting a near-constant fatigue, reticence and faltering work ethic — I wasn’t sure what would happen to me or what I could do!

All the while, I judged and juggled whether or not I could invest in all the things I wanted to do — especially my webcomic projects. For a short while, in spite of all the inspiration, the ideas, the love of the stories, I considered dropping one or both of them. I upgraded my equipment to be able to work on anything without hassle — and some of those upgrades proved to be…distracting, rather than practical!

But this past year, my 26th year on earth, it came to me. A lot of things started clicking together in my mind! I started noticing what I had to change to get closer to what I wanted to be. I started seeing things in other people that I wanted to see in myself. And I knew that I could do what I desired — which was to invest more in my personal projects and make them 100% worth my time, and others’ time as well! If I did that, I could make them successful, without a doubt!
My life has always been slow-going, but I like that story about the tortoise! That’s how it is now!

So, that’s where I am! And I can say for the first time in a long while that I am excited to be bringing you Millennium!

Please keep your eyes peeled!

Coming Next:

• Ronou’s Redesign
• Sibling Rivalry
• Signs of Civilization
• Areas to Explore
• Ronou’s Hometown, Clayden
• And more!

Thank you for reading!

Please see the news post that goes along with this new image — A Retelling in Motion!

The adventure ahead is grand!

When things slow to the pace of the fallen snow, you know it’s Holiday time! Though honestly, it still feels like a rush to me — didn’t December just start?!

Mune and Ronou feature alongside Lovefeast’s two main characters in this year’s holiday card I sent to many of my friends!

I actually first started drawing this last year for Comic Creators for Freedom, but it didn’t get done in time. Which was a shame — I really did like last year’s theme, and it was very successful! Incidentally, these guys were originally much further apart, making the pitchers look much less intense. That’s point-blank right there!

Expect a much more substantial update next weekend, when the holiday hustle has settled down! Happy Holidays to you all! I love you!

News Posts to Come:

• A Retelling in Motion!
• Ronou’s Redesign
• Sibling Rivalry
• Signs of Civilization
• Areas to Explore
• Ronou’s Hometown, Clayden
• And more!

I’m making this small news post to mention something small yet notable. I’d like you to know that all Senshuu.com addresses are now defunct! I never really posted about it here, but I ditched my old web name in favor of “Miluette” last July or so. Millennium’s main site used to be located at Senshuu.com a long time ago, and for a while some of my web projects were subdomains of it (Webcomics Tarot, Millennium, Lovefeast, etc.). But, Millennium hasn’t been located at a subdomain for a long time, though there have been few updates since then. If you link to Millennium or have it bookmarked, please make sure you’re using www.millennium-comic.com! I appreciate it greatly!

Along with that, the website should be undergoing a radical makeover sometime soon — I hope during November! Things may temporarily break during the process, but it won’t mean that the comic’s dying. Ultimately the structure of the site will change, and it will be better for all of us — easier to navigate for you, and easier to manage for me!

Thank you for sticking around! Keep an eye out for a big news update and some more informative posts starting in November! (Previews and postings on Millennium’s Twitter and Facebook feeds!)

…and happy new year, all! Another year’s passed! In no time, Millennium will be almost a decade old!

It’s been awfully quiet here these last couple of years. Not without reason, especially this year. I actually had to get through quite a bit of crud! Lots and lots of unstable ground, cropping up right after I’ve dealt with past difficulties! But I honestly do believe I’m better for it now.

I’ve got some more things to take care of (priorities have become pressingly more important since a few months ago). After that, updates! And a format change! The format change is what I’m really excited about; it’s new ground. I boxed myself in with the way I do comics. It’s actually kind of stubborn as well as unnecessary. I want to have fun again!

Speaking of that, I actually made many more changes to the upcoming parts — things that make way more sense than some of the stuff I stuck to for so long. I thought about it for most of this year. I don’t want to write things out of some feeling of obligation (well, I have to write THIS so they know THIS and THAT), because none of us will enjoy it. It just has to flow! Trying new things started this chain reaction of other-thinking. Lucky for us!

It was hard working on the next scene because I didn’t want to. It was same for the prologue of my other comic. Why do I keep doing that? No idea! But that problem should be pretty much done with. :D

These WERE the upcoming pages. Why was the next scene hard to work on? Because it was almost completely unnecessary. Millennium’s a bulky story, but at least the “extra” scenes in later parts are things I’m actually looking forward to drawing. Getting to the point is imperative right now.

Anyway, I feel safe in saying you’ve got a good deal to look forward to because I’ve already begun working on stuff. So hang with me, and thanks for sticking with!

2012 will be a year of reconnecting with comics. I love comics these days. They excite me. I submitted to Aftershock earlier this year, which is a beautiful book with impact. I’ve still got to wrap up a short story I did originally for an anthology, as well as guest pages for Union of Heroes. I’ve gotta do what’s priority, as always — job-hunting in the quiet times was keeping me as busy as if I had a job, and portfolio’s pretty important — but I’m going back to the time where my comics were retreats and pleasures. And it’s reason to be excited.

Much love to you this coming year!

I had been meaning to update news here for the longest time. Things have been difficult around here; over a slow process, I’ve overcome a lot of roadblocks impeding productivity and growth (I really had to acknowledge them), and just as soon, they were replaced by other, much bigger roadblocks of a different nature. Had to make some tough decisions; still making some. A lot have to do with work (or lack of) and my priorities as far as life is concerned. Managing time like this is difficult, to say the least, but it’s tempering me for the future, as I see it.

This is starting to sound like a “hiatus” announcement. Well, it’s not! Online since 2003, can’t stop now! Though, until further notice, you can consider Millennium in Development Mode. Among the things I’ve acknowledged is my general will against doing art, despite my desire to. That makes it hard to make new pages of either of my comics right now. But in the last couple months, I’ve discovered ways of actually structuring and motivating myself in spite of external factors. Though the external factors are important, too. (And apparently once you turn 25, your body goes to poo!)

Millennium’s more than script and page. There’s a lot more in-between, I’m realizing. The next step’s finally come, and I’m glad you’re here reading this. You’re probably ready to see things; ‘specially those of you who voted “2004″ in the current poll. :D I’ll make a habit of posting concept art here more regularly to get you revved up and keep this space occupied.

I’m really going to be working on making my comics the things I want to make. Not those extra things that’re taking up so much time, but those things I love doing in the midst of everything else. I’m getting the juices flowing again; I’m feeling them. It’s good, it’s nice!

Which brings me to this: redesigns. Ronou’s taken one more redesign that will see its way into the comic as soon as I have time to edit the current pages. This is the last time I’ll majorly redesign her. Probably.

What’s funny to me about Ronou is that, when I think about how “he” was before, Ronou was really an ambiguous kind of character (with a name that, in this world, is unisex). I love Ronou to death, and “his” personality remains — because with this redesign I literally changed but 1% of the script. This new incarnation of her makes the comic a lot more interesting for me, and even makes a few things make more sense, which is good. The characters were boring at the start, either purposefully or because of my very limited skill back in the day. They’re finding themselves by now.

And I’m glad.

See, some things have been going on, and life’s not exactly going as planned. The last few years I’ve battled general fatigue, bad hardware, and a lack of discipline with regards to working from home, but right now I’m countering things that are mostly out of my control. Wish me luck, and I’ll continue to do my best!

The tides keep turning. Up until recently, I was drawing for Mysteries of the Arcana. As of yet some of my pages there are still incomplete (without shading), but I am finishing them and a few other projects (freelance and otherwise) alongside working on my comics. Meanwhile, I learned some things about my capacity for drawing comics and got a much better drawing tablet to make the whole drawing experience less painful. Yay!

Right now I have big priorities, which is why some of my plans for comics haven’t moved forward as quickly as I’d hoped. But my vision is clearing, so I think things should come together in the next couple of months.

Meanwhile, take a look. The next page, 00-18, is actually about 70% done, but there’s one panel I’ve been doting on and trying to redraw to make sure it conveys a strong spot in the page, and at the beginning of the story. Here are some rough peeks:

It’s just something I’d like to get right! I believe in this panel! If only I could beam my brain images into the computer!

By the way, there are some interesting things here I think, and also I changed the poll!