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colleendoran · 1 year ago

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Great Big Good Omens Graphic Novel Update

AKA A Visit From Bildad the Shuhite.

The past year or so has been one long visit from this guy, whereupon he smiteth my goats and burneth my crops, woe unto the woeful cartoonist.

Gaze upon the horror of Bildad the Shuhite.

You kind of have to be a Good Omens fan to get this joke, but trust me, it's hilarious.

Anyway, as a long time Good Omens novel fan, you may imagine how thrilled I was to get picked to adapt the graphic novel.

Go me!

This is quite a task, I have to say, especially since I was originally going to just draw (and color) it, but I ended up writing the adaptation as well. Tricky to fit a 400 page novel into a 160-ish page graphic novel, especially when so much of the humor is dependent on the language, and not necessarily on the visuals.

Not complainin', just sayin'.

Anyway, I started out the gate like a herd of turtles, because right away I got COVID which knocked me on my butt.

And COVID brain fog? That's a thing. I already struggle with brain fog due to autoimmune disease, and COVID made it worse.

Not complainin' just sayin'.

This set a few of the assignments on my plate back, which pushed starting Good Omens back.

But hey, big fat lead time! No worries!

Then my computer crawled toward the grave.

My trusty MAC Pro Tower was nearly 15 years old when its sturdy heart ground to a near-halt with daily crashes. I finally got around to doing some diagnostics; some of its little brain actions were at 5% functionality. I had no reliable backups.

There are so many issues with getting a new computer when you haven't had a new computer or peripherals in nearly fifteen years and all of your software, including your Photoshop program is fifteen years old.

At the time, I was still on rural internet...which means dial-up speed.

Whatever you have for internet in the city, roll that clock back to about 2001.

That's what I had. I not only had to replace almost all of my hardware but I had to load and update all programs at dial-up speed.

Welcome to my gigabyte hell.

The entire process of replacing the equipment and programs took weeks and then I had to relearn all the software.

All of this was super expensive in terms of money and time cost.

But I was not daunted! Nosirree!

I still had a huge lead time! I can do anything! I have an iron will!

And boy, howdy, I was going to need it.

At about the same time, a big fatcat quadrillionaire client who had hired me years ago to develop a big, major transmedia project for which I was paid almost entirely in stock, went bankrupt leaving everyone holding the bag, and taking a huge chunk of my future retirement fund with it.

I wrote a very snarky almost hilarious Patreon post about it, but am not entirely in a position to speak freely because I don't want to get sued. Even though I had to go to court over it, (and I had to do that over Zoom at dial-up speed,) I'm pretty sure I'll never get anything out of this drama, and neither will anyone else involved, except millionaire dude and his buddies who all walked away with huge multi-million dollar bonuses weeks before they declared bankruptcy, all the while claiming they would not declare bankruptcy.

Even the accountant got $250,000 a month to shut down the business, while creators got nothing.

That in itself was enough drama for the year, but we were only at February by that point, and with all those months left, 2023 had a lot more to throw at me.

Fresh from my return from my Society of Illustrators show, and a lovely time at MOCCA, it was time to face practical medical issues, health updates, screening, and the like. I did my adult duty and then went back to work hoping for no news, but still had a weird feeling there would be news.

I know everyone says that, but I mean it. I had a bad feeling.

Then there was news.

I was called back for tests and more tests. This took weeks. The ubiquitous biopsy looked, even to me staring at the screen in real time, like bad news.

It also hurt like a mofo after the anesthesia wore off. I wasn't expecting that.

Then I got the official bad news.

Cancer which runs in my family finally got me. Frankly, I was surprised I didn't get it sooner.

Stage 0, and treatment would likely be fast and complication-free. Face the peril, get it over with, and get back to work.

I requested surgery months in the future so I could finish Good Omens first, but my doc convinced me the risk of waiting was too great. Get it done now.

"You're really healthy," my doc said. Despite an auto-immune issue which plagues me, I am way healthier than the average schmoe of late middle age. She informed me I would not even need any chemo or radiation if I took care of this now.

So I canceled my appearance at San Diego Comic Con. I did not inform the Good Omens team of my issues right away, thinking this would not interfere with my work schedule, but I did contact my agent to inform her of the issue. I also contacted a lawyer to rewrite my will and make sure the team had access to my digital files in case there were complications.

Then I got back to work, and hoped for the best.

Eff this guy.

Before I could even plant my carcass on the surgery table, I got a massive case of ocular shingles.

I didn't even know there was such a thing.

There I was, minding my own business. I go to bed one night with a scratchy eye, and by 4 PM the next day, I was in the emergency room being told if I didn't get immediate specialist treatment, I was in big trouble.

I got transferred to another hospital and got all the scary details, with the extra horrid news that I could not possibly have cancer surgery until I was free of shingles, and if I did not follow a rather brutal treatment procedure - which meant super-painful eye drops every half hour, twenty-four hours a day and daily hospital treatment - I could lose the eye entirely, or be blinded, or best case scenario, get permanent eye damage.

What was even funnier (yeah, hilarity) is the drops are so toxic if you don't use the medication just right, you can go blind anyway.

Hi Ho.

Ulcer is on the right. That big green blob.

I had just finished telling my cancer surgeon I did not even really care about getting cancer, was happy it was just stage zero, had no issues with scarring, wanted no reconstruction, all I cared about was my work.

Just cut it out and get me back to work.

And now I wondered if I was going to lose my ability to work anyway.

Shingles often accompanies cancer because of the stress on the immune system, and yeah, it's not pretty. This is me looking like all heck after I started to get better.

The first couple of weeks were pretty demoralizing as I expected a straight trajectory to wellness. But it was up and down all the way.

Some days I could not see out of either eye at all. The swelling was so bad that I had to reach around to my good eye to prop the lid open. Light sensitivity made seeing out of either eye almost impossible. Outdoors, even with sunglasses, I had to be led around by the hand.

I had an amazing doctor. I meticulously followed his instructions, and I think he was surprised I did. The treatment is really difficult, and if you don't do it just right no matter how painful it gets, you will be sorry.

To my amazement, after about a month, my doctor informed me I had no vision loss in the eye at all. "This never happens," he said.

I'd spent a couple of weeks there trying to learn to draw in the near-dark with one eye, and in the end, I got all my sight back.

I could no longer wear contact lenses (I don't really wear them anyway, unless I'm going to the movies,) would need hard core sun protection for awhile, and the neuralgia and sun sensitivity were likely to linger. But I could get back to work.

I have never been more grateful in my life.

Neuralgia sucks, by the way, I'm still dealing with it months later.

Anyway, I decided to finally go ahead and tell the Good Omens team what was going on, especially since this was all happening around the time the Kickstarter was gearing up.

Now that I was sure I'd passed the eye peril, and my surgery for Stage 0 was going to be no big deal, I figured all was a go. I was still pretty uncomfortable and weak, and my ideal deadline was blown, but with the book not coming out for more than a year, all would be OK. I quit a bunch of jobs I had lined up to start after Good Omens, since the project was going to run far longer than I'd planned.

Everybody on the team was super-nice, and I was pretty optimistic at this time. But work was going pretty slow during, as you may imagine.

But again...lots of lead time still left, go me.

Then I finally got my surgery.

Which was not as happy an experience as I had been hoping for.

My family said the doc came out of the operating room looking like she'd been pulled backwards through a pipe, She informed them the tumor which looked tiny on the scan was "...huge and her insides are a mess."

Which was super not fun news.

Eff this guy.

The tumor was hiding behind some dense tissue and cysts. After more tests, it was determined I'd need another surgery and was going to have to get further treatments after all.

The biopsy had been really painful, but the discomfort was gone after about a week, so no biggee. The second surgery was, weirdly, not as painful as the biopsy, but the fatigue was big time.

By then, the Good Omens Kickstarter had about run its course, and the record-breaker was both gratifying and a source of immense social pressure.

I'd already turned most of my social media over to an assistant, and I'm glad I did.

But the next surgery was what really kicked me on my keister.

All in all, they took out an area the size of a baseball. It was hard to move and wiped me out for weeks and weeks. I could not take care of myself. I'd begun losing hair by this time anyway, and finally just lopped it off since it was too heavy for me to care for myself. The cut hides the bald spots pretty well.

After about a month, I got the go-ahead to travel to my show at the San Diego Comic Con Museum (which is running until the first week of April, BTW). I was very happy I had enough energy to do it. But as soon as I got back, I had to return to treatment.

Since I live way out in the country, going into the city to various hospitals and pharmacies was a real challenge. I made more than 100 trips last year, and a drive to the compounding pharmacy which produced the specialist eye medicine I could not get anywhere else was six hours alone.

Naturally, I wasn't getting anything done during this time.

But at least my main hospital is super swank.

The oncology treatment went smoothly, until it didn't. The feels don't hit you until the end. By then I was flattened.

So flattened that I was too weak to control myself, fell over, and smashed my face into some equipment.

Nearly tore off my damn nostril.

Eff this guy.

Anyway, it was a bad year.

Here's what went right.

I have a good health insurance policy. The final tally on my health care costs ended up being about $150,000. I paid about 18% of that, including insurance. I had a high deductible and some experimental medicine insurance didn't cover. I had savings, enough to cover the months I wasn't working, and my Patreon is also very supportive. So you didn't see me running a Gofundme or anything.

Thanks to everyone who ever bought one of my books.

No, none of that money was Good Omens Kickstarter money. I won't get most of my pay on that for months, which is just as well because it kept my taxes lower last year when I needed a break.

So, yay.

My nose is nearly healed. I opted out of plastic surgery, and it just sealed up by itself. I'll never be ready for my closeup, but who the hell cares.

I got to ring the bell.

I had a very, VERY hard time getting back to work, especially with regard to focus and concentration. My work hours dropped by over 2/3. I was so fractured and weak, time kept slipping away while I sat in the studio like a zombie. Most of the last six months were a wash.

I assumed focus issues were due (in part) to stress, so sought counseling. This seemed like a good idea at first, but when the counselor asked me to detail my issues with anxiety, I spent two weeks doing just that and getting way more anxious, which was not helpful.

After that I went EFF THIS NOISE, I want practical tools, not touchy feelies (no judgment on people who need touchy-feelies, I need a pragmatic solution and I need it now,) so tried using the body doubling focus group technique for concentration and deep work.

Within two weeks, I returned to normal work hours.

I got rural broadband, jumping me from dial up speed to 1 GB per second.

It's a miracle.

Massive doses of Vitamin D3 and K2. Yay.

The new computer works great.

The Kickstarter did so well, we got to expand the graphic novel to 200 pages. Double yay.

I'm running late, but everyone on the Good Omens team is super supportive. I don't know if I am going to make the book late or not, but if I do, well, it surely wasn't on purpose, and it won't be super late anyway. I still have months of lead time left.

I used to be something of a social media addict, but now I hardly ever even look at it, haven't been directly on some sites in over a year, and no longer miss it. It used to seem important and now doesn't.

More time for real life.

While I think the last year aged me about twenty years, I actually like me better with short hair. I'm keeping it.

OK. Rough year.

Not complainin', just sayin'.

Back to work on The Book.

And only a day left to vote for Good Omens, Neil Gaiman, and Sandman in the Comicscene Awards. Thanks.

#good omens graphic novel #good omens #terry pratchett #neil gaiman #dunmanifestin

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rose24207 · 30 days ago

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Can I request something where reader and Mafia Lando are together and Reader gets like sick, and she brakes up with him because she doesn’t want to burden him with her sickness and she also doesn’t want him to be sad because of her but Lando figures it out when he looks into what she’s been doing and he gets suspicious when his guys tell him that readers been going to the hospital a lot. He also looks into her finances and sees she’s making big payment and when he finds out about her sickness he confronts reader at her apartment and she tells him but he promises to be there for her and to pay for the best treatment.

In sickness and in secrets

Summary: When you break up with Lando to protect him from your illness, he uncovers the truth, confronts you, and promises to stay by your side, ensuring you receive the best care and his unwavering love.

Genre: Mafia!Lando, angst, fluff

TW: sickness, breaking up

A/N: English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

Masterlist

The first time you met Lando Norris, it was in the most unconventional way possible—at the end of a loaded gun. You had stumbled into his life purely by accident, an unwitting witness to a deal gone wrong. Instead of pulling the trigger, though, Lando had taken one look at you, decided you weren’t a threat, and walked away.

That was two years ago. Now, you couldn’t imagine a world without him. The enigmatic and sharp-witted leader of an underground empire, Lando had always treated you with a rare tenderness that seemed at odds with his dangerous reputation. He was your safe harbor, your anchor in a stormy world.

But life had a cruel sense of humor.

When you’d first started feeling unwell, you had brushed it off as stress. It wasn’t until the symptoms worsened—intense fatigue, frequent headaches, and moments where your body simply didn’t seem to cooperate—that you finally sought medical advice. The diagnosis hit you like a freight train: a rare autoimmune disease, one that would require extensive treatment, medication, and constant management.

Your world crumbled, and with it, so did your relationship with Lando.

“You’re breaking up with me?” Lando’s voice was sharp, laced with disbelief as he stared at you across the living room of his penthouse.

You stood with your arms wrapped around yourself, the weight of the decision pressing down on you like a physical force. “It’s for the best, Lando.”

“For the best?” His brows furrowed, anger simmering beneath his calm façade. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Y/N. What’s really going on?”

“I just... I can’t do this anymore,” you said, your voice trembling. “I can’t be in your world. It’s too much.”

His jaw clenched, his piercing eyes scanning your face for the truth you weren’t telling. “After two years, you’re just realizing that?”

You bit your lip, tears threatening to spill. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t enough.” Lando took a step closer, his voice dropping to a softer tone. “Talk to me. Whatever it is, we can fix it.”

You shook your head, your heart breaking as you turned away. “Not this time, Lando.”

He reached out, but you were already walking out the door.

For weeks, Lando tried to respect your decision, though it ate away at him. You had been his constant, the only person who saw past the walls he’d built around himself. He couldn’t fathom why you’d left so suddenly, especially when everything between you had seemed perfect.

When his men started reporting that you’d been visiting the hospital frequently, his suspicions grew. Lando was a man who thrived on control, and the lack of answers gnawed at him.

It wasn’t just the hospital visits. He’d had your finances investigated—a move that left him feeling slightly guilty, though he justified it by telling himself it was for your protection. What he found made his blood run cold. Large, frequent payments to a private medical facility.

Something was wrong.

The knock on your apartment door startled you. You weren’t expecting anyone, least of all *him*. But when you opened the door and saw Lando standing there, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of anger and concern, your stomach sank.

“We need to talk,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

You stepped aside, your heart pounding as he walked into the small living room. He looked out of place in the modest space, his tailored suit and commanding presence a stark contrast to the worn furniture and cluttered coffee table.

“How did you—”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, turning to face you. “Don’t lie to me, Y/N. I know something’s going on. The hospital visits, the payments—what’s wrong?”

You froze, panic rising in your chest. “Lando, I—”

“Tell me,” he said firmly, stepping closer. “I know you. I know this isn’t about me or my world. So stop pushing me away and tell me the truth.”

You swallowed hard, tears welling in your eyes. There was no point in lying anymore. “I’m sick, Lando.”

His expression softened instantly, the anger draining from his face. “Sick? How?”

You sank onto the couch, your hands trembling as you explained. “I have an autoimmune disease. It’s... it’s not curable, but it’s manageable with treatment. It’s expensive, though, and it’s going to take a toll on me physically. I didn’t want to burden you with it.”

Lando sat down beside you, his eyes locked on yours. “Burden me? Is that what you think this is?”

“I didn’t want you to see me like this,” you whispered. “And I didn’t want you to feel like you had to take care of me. You have enough to deal with already.”

He reached out, cupping your face gently. “You’re not a burden, Y/N. You could never be a burden.”

You shook your head, tears streaming down your cheeks. “I didn’t want you to be sad because of me. I didn’t want you to watch me struggle.”

Lando’s thumb brushed away your tears as he leaned closer. “You don’t get to decide that for me. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. And if you’re struggling, then we’ll struggle together. I’m not going anywhere.”

You let out a choked sob, leaning into his touch. “Lando, I—”

“No,” he said firmly, his voice steady. “No more pushing me away. No more secrets. I’m going to take care of you, whether you like it or not. And don’t even think about arguing, because you know I’ll win.”

Despite the tears, you let out a shaky laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love me for it,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “We’ll get through this, Y/N. I’ll make sure you have the best treatment, the best doctors—whatever you need. You’re not doing this alone.”

For the first time in weeks, the weight on your chest began to lift. Lando’s unwavering determination and love gave you a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, you didn’t have to face this battle alone.

True to his word, Lando spared no expense in ensuring you received the best care possible. He accompanied you to appointments, held your hand during difficult moments, and made it his mission to keep you smiling even on the hardest days.

The world might have painted Lando Norris as a cold, ruthless leader, but you knew the truth. Beneath the tough exterior was a man who loved fiercely and unconditionally.

And as you sat together one evening, his arms wrapped around you as you watched the city lights from his penthouse, you realized that no illness could take away the bond you shared.

With Lando by your side, you knew you could face anything.

Thank you for reading!

#lando norris #lando x reader #lando imagine #lando x you #f1 #fluff #angst #mafia!lando #f1 mafia au #mafia #sickness #formula one #formula 1

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