End of Year Update (Patreon)

Hello everyone,

It's been too long since I've given an update on the state of the project overall. Pop Lee and I are still in this for the long haul and the story I have planned is only halfway done now at almost 300 pages, with much more to come after that planned plot line resolves. There are two different issues I want to raise about how the comic will continue and what form the storyline will take.

First- Condensing Duchess Chapters and Metaplot Movement

The current chapter, chapter 6, is the fourth 'Duchess' chapter, meaning that it is a chapter that is focused around a side character and themes I developed with a $50 patron in the first two years of the comic. We have regularly had Duchess chapter polls to decide on the next chapter and the winner of the last poll was Gael'atai and a magical adventure into the Deva's magical realm, the Dioptra, where readers will learn about Deva religion and see Princess Claire parley with mythological figures in the way only she can.

There are three more Duchess chapters: Duchess Libuse, Captain Malodin and Duchess Ameniala. Some of the Duchess patrons have recently expressed a willingness to have their chapters and characters condensed or folded into a a larger chapter that moves the metaplot of the main story forward, rather than continuing with more Duchess chapters that will increasingly feel like tangents. I like this idea as I think by the time chapter 7 finishes, Princess Claire and her Entourage will have quite a few side quests under their belt and should really get back to fighting the Tzaraks again. But, I will hold a poll in the new year so all patrons regardless of tier can have their say.

Second- Higher Tiers Without Rewards

The Duchess tier was retired a while ago because I couldn't keep adding more and more pages to the comic without it feeling like a ponzi scheme, especially as the chapters are now twice as long as I had originally planned. I've tried various ideas to keep higher tier patrons involved, like a side comic featuring their characters, but the planning was too complicated and so I ultimately changed it to something more manageable. 

However, some patrons have expressed a desire to pledge more than $15 on a regular basis, even if it does not come with a reward. So, I will be opening two new tiers at $25 and $40 per month, but neither of them will have any larger reward than the $15 tier. If we can raise enough funds, we can potentially increase the number of monthly pages to 5. However, pages have grown more expensive over the years, as I believe that Pop Lee needs to be paid a fair wage and get regular raises in order to stay committed, just like all the rest of us hope for at our jobs.