Patreon Update + Origin Story #0 Details

 Hey Patrons!

I'm happy to officially announce that I'm working on Story #0, an origin story titled "Gildedguy Gets Up".(The name will make more sense once you watch it.)

You can read the basic details on the project page here: https://gildedguy.com/gets-up/ 

But in a nutshell, the project will be a double-release, consisting of:

• Single-Issue Comic (estimated 24 pages)
• Animated Music Video (as usual)

 Double-Release Origin Story

Comic pages detailing the first part of Gildedguy's origin story will be posted publicly. These releases will continue up until the animation's live-premiere, which will contain the climactic ending for all to see. 

This story will offer insight on questions that viewers have asked for years, including:

Where did Gildedguy come from?

How did Gildedguy get his armor and sword?

What's up with the green eyes, pen-thing, and the star?

Why the added format?

Over the past few weeks, I've been writing Gildedguy's back story, and I realized that there's a lot of extra content that is important, but not crucial for enjoying the overarching story. So instead of cramming all that content into a one big animation, I plan on presenting the extra backstory in comic format:

The 24-page* comic will also tell the whole story, but will present the exposition more fully. Plot that spans months and other small details.

The 5-minute animation will tell the origin story from beginning to end, focusing on the end. It will be very similar in format to the other animations.

(* The plan is to only publicly release Acts I & II of the comic, so that the ending of the animation is not spoiled. Patrons will have exclusive access to everything though.)

More about the Story

Gildedguy's basic backstory was created back in 2016 when I first registered him as a Duelist on Hyun's Dojo. I had a basic premise, but the gist was that GG is a knight-guy, but he also draws. He starts off in a clan of other painters, painting stop signs for money. 

In this origin story, I hope to explore work-life balance, parental expectation, and the cost of creativity vs security. These are things that all artists must face, so I hope it'll be relatable to many of you out there.

Reminder: Patreon Sales Tax

From last month's update post:

In July, Patreon will be required by law to collect sales tax from certain pledges. Apparently this will affect less than half of all patrons, and only a fraction of the pledge amounts will be taxable (depending on your location). 

Patreon has set up some options for me to accurately calculate the sales tax per tier, which shouldn't be much, since most of the rewards are one-time downloads. Affected patrons will be getting an email from Patreon with more details soon.

Shadowshaw Delay

Project Shadowshaw is still in production, but we're delaying the release to allow one of our VA's to handle some health concerns. I'm hoping to get it released sometime in June, but it is quite uncertain. Thankfully, the project itself is less time-consuming than a normal animation, so it can still make progress on the back burner.

Exciting Stuff - Hype & Grind

It'll be a grind producing the comic and animation at the same time, but that doesn't mean there won't be time for fun along the way.  As the project progresses, we'll release teasers, trailers, giveaways, and special events!  And since my origin story is very personal to me, I'll have to make sure the premiere is extra special. 

The Twitch stream is always receiving interactive upgrades thanks to your guys' support. Just like with the previous animation, I'll be live-streaming nearly all of the creation process. 

I plan on collaborating even more with other creators to keep things interesting. The success of Gildedguy vs. Oxob opened a lot of doors, and I intend on stepping into some of these new opportunities.

Thanks for supporting the animations so far, here's to another 6+ months of craziness. 

Cheers.