June 4th is our comic’s birthday. And this time, it’s not just ANY birthday… it’s The Fourth birthday.

For this long-awaited occasion, I’ve made a number of improvements to the site over the past month. Read on to find out about them!

Smilies
Make a face! From now on, thanks to Victor’s web wizardry and my attempt at pixel art, emoticons you post in the comments will convert into sprites of our characters! Here’s a guide; just take out the spaces!

:) = : )
:D = : D
:( = : (
:o = : o
8O = 8 O
:? = : ?
:cool: = : cool :
:x = : x
:P = : P
:| = : |
;) = ; )

New Site Pages
Quite a bit of new content has been added to the website, including:
The New Reader Page – An intro to the comic and its world that newcomers can click on to get a quick idea of what we’re all about.
Reader Characters – located under the “rewards” tab, this page displays characters that readers have created after a much-appreciated donation.
Cast – while this page isn’t new, it’s been totally redone with new art, tweaked descriptions, and more info!

Title Pages
I consider this the centerpiece of our Fourth anniversary celebrations. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Each chapter now has its own title page! They’re done in a minimalistic style that I think provides a nice contrast to my normal art. You can see them all, and jump straight to the full-size version, on the Chapter Jump page under “Archive”.

Fan Celebration:
Ok, I’ve been working my butt off so I don’t think we’re going to update tomorrow after all. But if any of you guys make something in the next few days, I’ll add it to this post before putting it up on the Fan Art page! To start us off, here’s something from longtime reader Lin!

happyfourth

From reader Gabrielle:
IMG_0477

A work-in-progress from illusions-and-mayhem!
tumblr_npeel3wyvi1qfyazjo1_1280

From Aelandia!
tumblr_npjyrngSvQ1u7i5ofo1_1280

A little bonus
Well, after years of hinting at its legendary existence, I guess it’s about time to show this. Sigh.

skarva LOLs to post

Yep, there it is. My first concept art for this comic. Proto-Skärva.
WHY
Fun fact: I never consciously changed his face shape, it just evolved as I continued to practice drawing him.

So, there you have it! Happy Fourthiversary!