Article: Strawberry Cage, Intolerance, and Ultracompassion

The story of a fursuiter who had an opportunity crushed by their community- but why?  Strawberry Cage, Intolerance, and Ultracompassion: 

https://bleedingfool.com/furry/strawberry-cage-intolerance-and-ultracompassion/ 

Thanks to @BleedingFool for hosting us and adding photos & links. 

Patreon Upgrade and the Drawing Board

Unmet desires are in the crosshairs.

Readers periodically come to me interested in new shirt & merchandise designs- but I never find the time to draw them.

I’d also love to create the occasional short Dreamkeepers animation, though I can never quite justify spending time.

Plus there’s concept art & lore that would be great to see- a page of springer gun designs, sports logos for the district fallguard teams, all kinds of stuff.

But even if I had the time, what would readers want me to tackle first?

Then I realized, I make time every month for extra art- the Sketch of the Month. So if we gear that towards official Vivid content, everything levels up. More of the official merchandise, concepts, and animations we’d like best.

So Sketch of the Month is evolving to an even more powerful form- now it’s the Vivid Monthly Poll.

To help guide the Vivid Monthly Poll, we’re also forming an exclusive new Discord room, the Drawing Board. The Drawing Board is a creative panel focused on generating the best, most engaging merchandising choices for the franchise.

Current Mastermind backers (From Patreon and Dark Market) have been invited to join. We’ll sound out the Drawing Board for feedback and input on apparel, toys, games, animations, and other enticing possibilities. I don’t often announce flaming piles of ‘maybe’ in public. But in a smaller group, we’ll be free to share productive brainstorms and hone Vivid’s endeavors.

We’ll be actively curating the Drawing Board to ensure it remains an effective and task-oriented room.

While Masterminds will be invited initially, we’ll be making judgement calls as we go to ensure we get the best team possible for the job. Nothing personal to those screened out, it’s about the work. Full criteria will be shared with Board Members prior to admission.

Here’s the new Vivid Monthly Poll format.

Mastermind backers will submit design ideas in any of the following categories:

• Teepublic / Apparel art
• 1 second’s worth of Animation stage (rough, cleanup, and color are separate stages.)
• Concept / lore design
• Miscellaneous merchandise

Then the Patreon Commanding Vote backers will vote, and we’ll go to work on the readership’s top choice.

Thank you to the backers who make Dreamkeepers possible every day.

New backers, today is perfect for joining- we’ve just released a PDF of Chapter 13 for you to enjoy, and Chapter 14 updates begin in April.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-13-pdf-25487785

https://newproject2.com/vivid/chapter-13-pdf-download/

https://www.subscribestar.com/posts/16293

Together, the Dreamkeepers graphic novel series is just the beginning.

Chapter 14- Exodus art, and backer download

Indi & Digo are prepping for action, because Chapter 14 backer-exclusive updates begin in April.

Now is the best time to dive into Chapter 13. Download 50 pages’ worth of Dreamkeepers in PDF format today: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-13-pdf-25487785

One dollar a month will give you insider access to new story, plus unlock daily art posts. Thank you to everyone fueling the series, because of you we can begin offering more than ever before.

Speaking of which, scope out the new shirt design derived from the Chapter 14 cover art. Sport your favorite variation: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/vivid-publishing?utm_campaign=Vivid%2BPublishing

And for existing Patreon backers, new changes coming, announcement in the pipeline.

Roleplay Poll

Which direction should Faction War go? The GMs have two options for you.

Because the dust has settled, and Goldenblood is over! Central City Authority players were able to secure victory in a three-way battle against Neon Knives and the Troika players.

The latest version of Faction War saw a range of weaponry, mounts, persuasion tactics, and terrain features deployed. Next game should allow for veteran and new players to join up & play- mods will announce when they’re kicking it off:

https://discordapp.com/invite/uD5AMRb

But first- thank you to the moderators who took on GM-ing responsibilities for the last half of Goldenblood. I had fun developing the Trinity system to this point, but lacking the time to participate with day-to-day gameplay, fine tuning is better left in the hands of capable veterans.

The Faction War mods have presented two pathways for game development:

One:

Add more detail to the game mechanics, and create a deeper roleplay experience. This would require more player time investment in learning the rules, and possibly limit the player count to more manageable group sizes.

Two:

Simplify the mechanics to create more of an interactive board-game experience. It would be easier for new players to jump in, and require less investment to participate, possibly accommodating a larger group. Mechanics would be robust, but the trade off would be mechanical nuance and depth.

How to decide?

I think it’s your call. You folks will be the ones playing, let’s ensure you get the experience you’d like best.

So, fire up that clicker, and vote in our poll!

Should Faction War veer more towards a deep roleplay experience, or towards an interactive competitive board-game experience?

Vote here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25435300

And after you vote, jump into the Discord and meet some friends. https://discordapp.com/invite/uD5AMRb Contact mods with your own suggestions, and help plan the next scenario.

Faction War mods, get in touch with me any time you need to signal boost an announcement. Now everyone behave, and watch out for NPCs.

For reference, existing Faction War game system:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wGyAQ8AnTLG3DRJ7nPY4xFW0z8l4dCTQTXSMIPrOX5c/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wLBlZH-O3mukpjcW22c9dSjeYsJaugIrFbZeuvbawFY/edit?usp=sharing

Patreon: Changes & Treats Coming

Heads up to present & future Patreon / Dark Market backers, an announcement is coming soon!

We’ll share something nice for you to download, as well as a few tweaks to the Tiers. Should result in more fun & content for all.

And while we’re here, quick update about Dark Market.

In addition to Zero Strings, Subscribestar, and Bitcoin, Dreamkeepers can now accept backers in New Project 2, the Patreon alternative created by the legendary Dick Masterson.

We’re happy to bring you art & fun, whichever platform you prefer! Links below:

https://www.patreon.com/Dreamkeepers

http://www.darkmarketcrypto.com/

Convention Schedule and Banner Mashup

6 foot by 6 foot mashup of Dreamkeepers, Skirmish, and Wayward Astronomer.  Geo's taking it on the road!  Catch his updated convention lineup on our news page: https://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/News.html

And if you love the solid reassurance of hard-copies in your life, hit the new Vivid store: https://vivid-publishing.mybigcommerce.com/ 

Everything except Skirmish is in stock.

Sketch with Dave- Draw Perspective! 1-5 point.