Can a be a jerk for a moment and just boast about this

[candiedcotton]

I know it's really petty but I'm really proud of this.

My webcomic has been trending/popular/featured on three different sites this week, each of which is a first. Webtoon, Tapas, and Global Comix.

I'm sure plenty of people here experience this a lot, but for me it's new. I just started posting this thing in October.

[BlairFujin]

I wouldn't call this being a jerk
Congrats and wish you more successes like this ^^

[candiedcotton]

Thanks. It was something I kinda needed. I've questioned the existence of this comic since the beginning, so it's a nice sense of confirmation that it's something people genuinely enjoy.

[Kelheor]

That's amazing, congrats
Nothing petty about it, something nice is happening and it's right be proud of it!

[candiedcotton]

I can only hope one day to be as skilled as senpai Kelheor.

[darthmongoose]

This is kind of the sad thing about how creators with a larger following have historically been scared off the forum. It can feel uncomfortable to really celebrate larger milestones like "omg I'm featured!", "I'm trending!", "I'm in the top row of the popular rankings!", "I got 1000 subs!" when you feel like somebody's going to come in like "tsh...must be nice. I just wish I could get even 10 subs..." I hit 2500 subs last week and didn't even mention it here because I felt like people would think I was a jerk!

But I think it's important for people to see these kinds of successes and milestones being hit. If you work hard at your craft, you can do it! The audience is there, and if you pay attention and really try your best to make a well-presented, easy-to-read work with an engaging plot and/or characters and keep updating steadily and promoting widely, you can attract people, even if you are a solo creator without a big established fanbase, or even if it's a bit niche.

Basically, well done! Well deserved! Keep up the good work!

[candiedcotton]

Absolutely. And congrats, I wish you had made a post about it, that's awesome. You're extremely skilled and educated in storytelling as a whole and it shows whenever you post.

I totally agree with you though, I really have been debating saying anything, heh. I didn't want to come off as a jerk or being inconsiderate of others who might not have made milestones like that yet.

I'm an antisocial, awkward person with a lot of nuero issues and things like that. I suck at promoting but I try. So if I can do it, I think anyone really can. And I had absolutely zero social media presence before this.

[Kelheor]

@candiedcotton phahaha sure, next time someone needs an artist who draws a page per week, just call me x)
I agree with @darthmongoose , it's really nice to see people acknowledging their achievements.
And congrats on 2.5K, Kate! great number

[InfiniteLine]

Nothing petty about it. You SHOULD be damn proud and you shouldn’t feel like a jerk for celebrating a legitimately incredible and impressive milestone! Scream it, shout it! (Especially to your fans, they will celebrate with you!) Just don’t be obnoxious about it, haha—which you are definitely not.

Congrats on the awesomeness. Keep it up!

[DarkSena]

Congrats to your achievements. It might bite me in the bum but I'm gonna say this that I do celebrate my own achievements with my close friends, don't really shout it out usually because personally I think that there are many people who try equally hard as us and don't nearly have similar results so I don't wanna rub salt into anyone's wounds because I know how it feels like feeling like an utter failure way too often

[Kelheor]

@DarkSena yeah, and that's the reason most creators stop celebrating with the community after they achieve some numbers ^^ no one wants to feel like a jerk, even though we all want to share and be proud

[candiedcotton]

I vote we start pushing to encourage each other to celebrate milestones. If we only support when people are struggling, it feels more like a 'misery loves company' kind of thing. We should absolutely support each other. This is frankly the only place I go to when it comes to talking about comics and whatnot, and I'm sure for others it's also their only place to find support and relatability.

I mean, this forum is overflowing with people just spam-promoting their work. At least if we are showing our milestones and celebrating together, it adds to the sense of community here.

We shouldn't be ashamed of being proud (and I'm telling myself this too, lol).

Edit: and not just subscribers and stuff, but also instagram and places we're building social media presence. That's important, too. Plus, it could encourage others who ARE struggling to ask questions about how someone achieved certain goals.

[LackofCoffee]

I see no jerk, only justified pride in an awesome achievement. Congratulations!

[smokesalty]

Not a jerk at all, congrats on your achievements, that's amazing!!

[Surihpas]

Ok but no jerkiness or pettiness here. This is amazing congratulations! We should absolutely celebrate those achievements more, especially here with other creators who know how difficult it can be, and just how meaningful those successes (the small ones too, not just this) are. So huge congrats again. Keep up the good work 🥰

@darthmongoose also gonna use my comment to say congrats to you too! That's... beyond incredible honestly. And I'm sorry you felt people might think you're a jerk if you celebrate it here (the way I see it the only way you could have actually been a jerk is if you would have said something along the lines of 'behold my success peasants! You could never!' which... I really don't think you would have lol). But I get what you're saying ,which kinda sucks.

We should be able to celebrate each other, realizing someone's success doesn't come at the expense of yours (and I say it as someone with less than 50 subs so... technically I should definitely be on the "losing" side. Only I really don't see it like that). I really think we can only benefit from an environment where both small and big achievements are celebrated.

[darthmongoose]

Positivity is VERY YES.

It's always good to remember that if an independent creator is getting more readers, that means more people who read independent comics coming to the app, it means more people interested in browsing independent creators, and it means more chances for promo and banner swaps or fanart features and the like. So if somebody's managed to get more subs, it might mean more subs for you, since people who like a comic or novel and have made an account on the site or app will probably want to read more stuff!

[DarkSena]

We should but the problem is that people do compare themselves with others. It's like the neighbour bought a new car then I should buy a new car so I'm not the "loser" It's the natural competitiveness that makes us feel so many ways and often makes us bitter. I'm also on the loosing side here Never thought that my first sole project would perform the way it does as I've been in the "game" for so long but let's keep up doing our best I might be a dreamer but I still believe in miracles. Gonna check you out

[Surihpas]

Oh I completely agree, and I would by lying if I said there isn't a part of me that say 'am I not good enough?' when I see other people succeeding. That being said, I also understand this voice is my insecurities speaking, and the fact someone else is doing better than me does not mean I should be bitter/salty about it and towards them. Sometimes it's just a matter of time or content (not in terms of quality, but what you create vs. what the audience on the platform wants), and if it is quality... well, I'd rather improve and be objectively good (to some people, because you could never match everyone's taste) and not be read because I'm the least worst, you know?

Also, just like @darthmongoose said, a positive environment truly benefits all creators, both big and small. Not to mention, big creators are still people too, and still creators while at that. They deserve to be celebrated just as much as smaller creators do, plus you really can learn a lot from them (and at least from what I saw here they're very generous about sharing knowledge and helping others).

And hey, I say dream on! These things can take time (I think), and believing is always good. And I'll be sure to check out your work as well just based on your avatar here (it's so fun and colorful so I'm immediately intrigued haha).

[InfiniteLine]

Worth petitioning for an "Achievements" forum category so anyone who might not want to see other's successes can mute it and the rest can celebrate fellow creators without feeling like they'll perceived as jerks..?

[Flios]

Oh, uh-
Can I also be a jerk?
* in a boasting connotation *, "Eyy, I just hit 60 subscribers-"
Yeah, no. That's very unimpressive. On a serious note though, congrats to everyone here it's nice to see so many successes and positive things on the forums.