That’s it – their first crisis of many – quickly and lovingly resolved. I couldn’t resist one more ode to Will’s discretion and skillful handling of illicit cash, the sort of traits Eve once found hot but unviable. With everything distilled, and for all their trouble, they have this love to show for it, and $75.

So, we’re done? Just like that? I’ve been writing these posts almost every day for 2.5 years, about as long as I’ve had my son, and I can’t easily imagine stopping. The past few years I’ve mostly quieted down and hid from the noise of the internet, particularly social media which has taken on an odd simulation of life quality, a place that is not quite human. During the pandemic life has gotten even quieter, and I’ve relished sending these small bottled messages into the great big sea, never quite knowing who’s reading them or how they’re being taken, at least not by any numerical standard.

Many of you have written during the reruns to tell me what OP means to you. I’ve long known nobody will care for my work as much as I do, and even casual, sporadic enjoyment by an audience does my heart well. But knowing that the comic has grown in the minds of people as they age, that it’s representative of a time and place or has been formative in some way — it leaves me tongue-tied. If I never achieve that sort of connection through my work again, it will have been a great honor of my life. I’ll forever scrutinize the details of my own choices, but the impact leaves me humbled and content. I’ll never regret a minute I gave to this comic, or the possibilities it opened up for me. I want to thank you for taking the time to communicate what OP means to you, or even just quietly seeing value in it over the years. I’ve so enjoyed this 2nd opportunity to talk about it with you, and my heart aches to close the door once again.

Once more I’d like to thank Valerie Halla for her enormous contribution to this project, and for offering her own thoughts in the rerun comments. She’s currently selling a digital edition for her gorgeous webcomic Goodbye to Halos, which you can buy here.

I’m still hard at work on my next project, Perfect Tides, into which I’m channeling much viscera and creative energy. Lately I’ve been doing game dev streams on Twitch, so subscribe if you’d like a glimpse into that process. I’m hoping in 2021 I’ll have a game I’m very proud to share with you.

At some point I’ll also get around to properly archiving the reruns so they can be navigated as easily as the originals. In the spirit of scrappy ancient blogs, and webcomics as I know and love them, this update is long overdue, and I thank you for your patience.

-Meredith Gran, October 2020