Makeship Plushie Launch & Story 8 News (Patreon)

Hi Patrons!

The past couple weeks have been somewhat quiet. Despite this, a multitude of small Gildedguy projects have been bubbling beneath the surface. Two of them related to merch, and one of them regarding the next big animation.

Official Plushie Campaign

I've partnered with Makeship to launch a Gildedguy plush! I've sold plushies to you guys before thanks to AuddiePottie's talents, but this new launch comes with the help of a larger company. This is part of my experimentation with allowing another vendor manufacture and ship my merchandise, so as to free up my time more.

Shipping 200+ orders is no small task!

Do note that the new product has a minimum order quota to reach before they can begin manufacturing. The campaign ends on September 21st. 

To help promote the plush, KAP and I animated a quick little skit involving Gildedguy finding the perfect winter gift for Lilian. By the way, the Makeship Plush's delivery date coincides with the winter, for those lookin' for a good holiday gift.

https://www.makeship.com/products/gildedguy-plush 

- I'd also like to thank one of our community mods, ShadowByName, for writing the sales description for the plush!

Story 8 Development

While pouring over all the feedback Story #7 has been receiving, I've been getting fidget-y thinking about what to do next. I've had an idea for a particular duel simmering in my head for years now, and I believe it may be time to go for it.

The subject of the next animation is a deep, personal one, but I'm confident that the story is a good one, and worth expressing. This past week I finished the first draft of the plot, and I'm now working on getting rough storyboards and concept art done. We're still a few weeks away from beginning animation production, but I'm now mentally committed to doing this project - Gildedguy & the Dragon of Mar.

The story features our golden knight, an outcast warrior-mage, and his Dragon. Anyone who is familiar with the real-life parallel for this character should know that I'm making this animation for my own sake, not his (Mar's). Themes of all-consuming shame, shadows, and self-reflection will permeate this tale.

I plan to lean into a grand fantasy-vibe for this one, since Gildedguy is going to be closer than ever to his final destination of the green star. There is a particular moment in the story that I'm frighteningly obsessed about - I wish I could implant it in your guys' heads right now without having to go through the next several months of work. 

Regardless, I'll be grateful if I ever reach the achievement of accurately depicting "the moment" at all!

Updated Etsy Shop & Patron Special Offer Codes

Due to high demand, I had to do a light restocking of the Gildedguy Leaf-Cape Keychains. I've also brought back an updated version of the Oxob keychain, which now features an Overloaded burnt side: https://gildedguy.com/shop 

Note: If you were an active $15+ patron during July, you were eligible for a free keychain, redeemable via voucher in the Etsy Shop. Message me! Some patrons missed this announcement, so I am just bringing it up again just in case!

We also have a new product: Character sticker packs!

Kero designed two dozen new high quality stickers featuring a multitude of characters from the animations. Even if you don't plan on buying them, the art is worth zooming in and looking at on its own.

As of right now we only have ~20 of each pack left. Restocking won't be for at least a couple months tho!

They're all selling steadily, which is awesome! All of these merch opportunities have expanded my budget (and consequently, my vision) for the next project. I must pay back you guys with more animation!

Thank you for checking in with me on this lengthy update - have a good one.