Agree with everything here.
TBH, and this is coming from someone who most of you know is also a creator, when I lose a subscriber, I don't even notice. Not in a disrespectful "OH WELL MY READERS AREN'T WORTH ANYTHING" kind of way, but in a "I don't religiously track the exact # of my subscribers to the point that I notice when one or two disappear". The only times I ever raise an eyebrow at my subscription number is when 1.) my subscriber count jumps up by a large amount, either due to a promotion or a guest strip or whatever random reason, or 2.) my subscriber count falls down by a large enough amount for me to notice (this has happened only once). And yes, I'm one of those peeps that thanks their individual subs when I've got the time, but I'm still not going to remember half the users I thanked at the end of the day because that sort of thing just gets pushed to the back of my head.
When it jumps up, I take note of what I did so I can take advantage of that in the future. When it falls down, I take note again to see what maybe went wrong, and how I can do better. It has to be a large enough amount though, by like, 50. I lose one or two subscribers? That happens. Not everyone is going to enjoy my stuff as it progresses and that's okay, especially because stuff like Time Gate has a lot going on that hasn't even been touched on yet, and what readers may have liked about it in the beginning, they may not like it in the future when it tackles different things, changes styles, etc. Those people have a right to their personal preferences and I'm not going to force them to stay because that's a disrespect to them, as well as myself.
Some readers are gonna unsubscribe, and that's okay. Don't assume that if you unsubscribe from a comic you thought was going to be your cup of tea that the creator is going to be so torn up over it. Disclaimer for harsh words - the creator probably doesn't even know who you are or if you've even subscribed in the first place, and it's highly unlikely they'll notice and freak out if you drop that subscriber count number by 1. The only ones people really "notice" when they unsubscribe and are maybe a little saddened over are the ones that are dedicated commenters, close friends/creator acquaintances, people who were perhaps supporting and are now no longer supporting, etc. Basically readers who have made an effort to make their mark. I would definitely notice something was up if people like Amet or hyena or TristanJensen stopped commenting/reading lol But I probably, almost definitely won't notice if xXSonicFangirlXx (if that's even a real user i dunno lol) decides to unsubscribe, and I'm not going to question her over it.
TL ; DR if you want to subscribe to a comic as a "bookmark", go ahead. You may like the comic, you may not, hell, you may never actually get around to reading it and it may sit in your reading list collecting dust for an undetermined amount of time. As serenitysquirrel said, subscribing shows you at least have some sort of interest, and if that interest doesn't hold up, don't feel like you're obligated to stay subscribed to that creator. If you end up becoming a dedicated reader later on with lots of comments and interactivity, but all of a sudden disappear and want to unsubscribe, then let the creator know what's up if you feel the need to, but don't kill yourself over it. Subscribing isn't like being a blood brother or anything lol I know I'm playing it off as a sort of casual thing, especially because subscribers mean a lot to all of us, but don't stress yourself out over something that's essentially just a set of numbers.
sorry off topic now lol CONTINUE WITH DISCUSSIONNNN
