Survey Results and Experimental Updates! (Patreon)

Ahoy, me hearties!

We are finally back to a more frequent schedule, and this Cap'n is now here for ye to answer yer questions, hear your suggestions, and deliver the spicy popcorn we all grew to love!!

And what better way to start this post than by sharing last month's survey results! Are you ready to see what the voice of the majority is? Because I certainly am!! Let's go at it!! 😍😍😍

Part 1 - General Results 🤔💭

The vast majority of my sailors (76.5%) are keen on more Critical Role content, but fret not, for it doesn't mean yer affections for other Universes have waned! For example, we've got a strong emphasis on Overwatch, League of Legends, and (no surprise here) - Baldur's Gate!

When it comes to Original Characters Eria seems to be taking the lead (69% ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)), and that warms this Captain's heart like a cozy fire on a chilly night. 🥰🥰🥰

In a delightful twist, a resounding 80% of ye are eager to dive into Soulgasm - music to this Captain's ears! 🎻🎶💖

II. Critical Role ships 🎲

Many of you clamored for more Pike and Fearne in various combinations, as well as a return to previous Critical Role campaigns and exploration of unique ship dynamics. It appears that while many of you appreciate a more intense and less ordinary experience, we do have a diverse crew onboard! There are also two staunch groups of Jester enthusiasts and critics, sparking a never-ending debate about the 'right amount of Jester' since voices from both sides are hearty and true!

III. Our Main Treasure! ‍🍿

Some of ye mentioned a yearning for more animations, while over half of the sailors are 'alright with anything' when it comes to the future of animations. The votes were nearly equally divided among various animation options: maintaining the current schedule, crafting more elaborate animations less frequently, or embracing an experimental and surprising approach. See by yerselves, me hearties!:

While crafting more animations per month is practically beyond reach, it warms this Captain's heart to see that they hold a special place in your hearts! (Apologies for the weird % sum; this Cap'n forgot to unclick the 'multiple choice' option' 😅)

And thus, this happens to be a great place to jump to the next part of our post:

Part 2 - Experimental Updates 💡

Given the good spirits of my gorgeous sailors and the positiveness towards trying new approaches when it comes to animations, I've been thinking about how to keep raising the bar and deliver better quality every time. Some changes are coming, yet before talking about those, I want to come clean about a few things and share the reasons why I think this change is so important because not everything has been as great as I might have made it sound (TL.DR. at the end).

I. Unsustainable schedule - Health Issues ❤️‍🩹

In the last months and years of this journey, I've been going through constant high levels of stress, lack of sleep, depression, and a general state of panic. Lately, my depression got very severe and made me think about quitting everything (I mean, everything), my health also declined for the worse, and I started losing hair like only a few times I experienced before. And so I came to the conclusion that this wasn't sustainable in the long run. Not only that, but I felt a great sense that this wasn't a life worth living.

My personal relationships got significantly hit, and I, like a wounded animal, was unconsciously isolating myself in a lonely corner of self-pity. In addition, the noticeable decline in quality in the last couple of animations and the lack of interaction from my side were simply the cherry on top.

II. The Cause 🔒

The main reason for this was the monthly delivery of animations.

You see, creating a monthly animation is, at least for me, extremely demanding to say the least: spending 12-16 hours a day (I am not kidding) for weeks a time working on the artworks, rigs, animation, postproduction, organizing the voice actresses/actors/composer/etc. Staying up until 4-6 AM on the last days of every month to make sure we could deliver just to wake up on the 1st of the next month and repeat the process.

This has been going on for years, and it has taken a great toll on my creativity, my capacity to stay positive about the future, and overall every single aspect of my life.

This all has been my own responsibility. I did this to myself. But there might be a solution, and it is all thanks to the new perspective you've given me in the last survey, my beautiful sailors:

III. The Experimental Solution 🗝️

I believe it is time to try a new approach so we can push this adventure together much, much further and not lose our health and hope on the way. We can make it unique and worth it on every single opportunity, and I think I might even know how!

We are changing the monthly animation schedule for longer and more developed productions. 📣

This will keep my thirst for improvement and new challenges alive and well with the possibility of getting proper sleep, spare time every now and then, and space for experimenting. Starting from multi-scene artworks all the way to giving more context and developing a sense of storytelling that will only get better with time! And who knows! Maybe I will get some of my lost hair back! :'D

The only caveat is that we will have a more flexible delivery schedule, yet I will keep you updated on the development of each piece, animation, scene, and idea. After all, you are my muse, my beautiful crew!

Note: A poll shall come a bit later today to decide the next biggie animation to come!! Please don't forget to choose your favorite!!

IV. The consequence 💀️

I am sure that more than just a few of you will not be happy with this decision and will decide to part ways. And to all of you, I tell you: I understand--I understand, and I want to thank you for all the support throughout the years and for making this adventure a reality. You are incredible, and I will always be grateful for what you did ❤️❤️❤️

Yet, if you decide to stay, I want to thank you twice for all this time and for the ones to come because I shall do my best to find a balance and, with time, create the things that up to today I couldn't.

I will make it worth it, my lanterns.

Thank you so, so very much.

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TL.DR.: Animation production will take longer, but animations shall also be longer and better produced. They will be delivered as soon as they are finished, and we shall receive constant updates with WIPs for the crew to enjoy and know the state of the production. Polls stay, the crew shall have the last word on the pieces and animations that shall come =)