Progress Update: Holding a Hay-baler in the Brain (IMPORTANT NOTE ON BOOKMARKS!)

G'monday, maintenance crew!

The "maintenance crew" thing is kind of a new development. I'm trying it out, and it just seems to... fit. It's sticking in my mind. What do you guys think of it? You are a bunch of helpful humans and engineers, after all.

More to the point, I've been hard at work incorporating all the new goals you guys have unlocked for the show! Things are sliding into place, and soon we're going to step into a new phase of Tale Foundry production.

What a time to be alive~

Let's talk about it!

Where are we now?

Now that everything is in proper order, we're officially starting into the first week of our new calendar today. Like explorers on an uncharted sea, Felipe, Nova, and I set off into strange new territory for the show. Will there be monsters? Stay tuned and maybe you'll find out.

All that to say, really, that we now have a solid pipeline for the first time ever.

This week, for instance, is a scripting week. This is where a series begins, with the outline/scripting process, which pretty much everything else branches out of. From there we get lots of visuals for Felipe to create as well as an absolutely astounding abundance of production work for yours truly. 

As all of this unfolds, week-by-week, we also have new scheduling for research and social media stuffies. At the moment, that last bit really just translates to "Patreon Rewards and Such". Good ol' PRaS.

This actually brings me to an exciting development for all you members of our maintenance crew...

What's next?

With the new pipeline, we actually know how to conduct our research and plan our series. This means I actually have some bloody idea when the vote for our next series will go up.

Would you like to know?

I could tell you. It'd be good fun.

You really, really want to know when this thing is happening? If I leave you hanging here, is it actually going to begin to fester at the back of your mind.

Fine. 

This time, but only this time (in part because that's all you'll really need to get a feel for the new schedule)...

We'll be ready to vote on the next series topic as early as next Sunday.

That's right. We're now doing this at the beginning of every series. This, so that we can prepare as we produce. While Felipe is making art and I'm animating, I have the full intention of reading up on all the saucy deets of whatever literatorialistic thing it is we've got on the slate.

It'll also provide use with a good many Forge sessions to hash things out before the time comes, which is a pleasant bonus~

Anything else?

YES.

A footnote for all of your patrons who have a bookmark headed your way. We've officially sent the names and addresses off to our merchandise people to prepare the orders for shipment. A lot of you should be receiving bookmarks quite soon!

BUT!

Due either to some oversights on your end, Patreon's, or ours, we couldn't find the shipping addresses for about ~50 of you. To correct this, we've sent out a direct e-mail to everyone for whom this is the case. The e-mail should be in your inboxes right now, and it should be from NoReply@TheTaleFoundry.com. 

Just enter the requested information, send it back, and the rest should happen on its own.

We'll only be sending out bookmarks until March 30th though, so be sure to check your e-mail and respond well before that date! 

—

And that's about it at the moment.

Honestly, it feels like so many things are happening at the moment. Keeping track of it all is a bit like holding a hay-baler in your brain. Too many spinning parts, too great a threat to your fingers to intervene in the motion, and the looming threat that it all flies apart and lodges itself some poor onlooker's vital organs.

But, through the sheer confidence and willpower bestowed upon me by all of you, I feel I have a good handle on the thing.

There will be order yet, and better show than we've ever seen before.

As always, a great deal of love to all of you. Be well. Spend the week doing things that matter to you.

—Benji