I haven't been around here in a while. For a long time, I've been doing a whole lot of nothing. Just occasionally posting in my insiders groups on Facebook and Discord about how frustrated I am that I've been doing a whole lot of nothing.
Right now, I'd like to preserve the most recent of those posts, which is a resolution to really change that moving forward. So, for posterity, I'd like to also put today's post on the blog. It went as follows:
I was talking some time ago with the boys about my frustrations with moving on. It's an executive dysfunction issue, massively, but Mason also made a pretty good point: that I'm actually ruthlessly efficient when I'm writing and performing. But we finished that part a long time ago. I've been trying to continue the projects as the producer and director, but there's no reason to expect me to know how to produce and direct projects like these, so, one can see how that would give me trouble. I was reminded of the saying that if you judge a fish by the way it climbs a tree, that fish is going to think it's stupid. I have been feeling stupid for the past two years as I've failed to make any progress.
Also, you know... the country. I've been told it's okay not to be okay right now. I don't know what to do about it. I'm not the person who's bringing the art that gives people hope and joy at a time like this. I've tried to be and I beat myself up so hard over the fact I haven't been succeeding.
So, here's what I'm working on currently:
First of all, whatever else happens, I'm going to try to post stuff publicly more often. Previously, I haven't wanted to give too much stuff away, but there's not really any point to that. I'm going to try to publish a special feature on all TAPAS socials at least once a week. Also, more pictures of my cats. Those are good.
Enclosed are the new (hopefully final and ultimate) design sheets for the Keys & Kingdoms characters, going for an easier system. First thing I'm going to do is have Stacy put them in a height chart again (this image is a quick approximation), see how well that works from the new angle. And then we're going to go into doing the same thing for the Irregular Fantasy characters; I haven't been able to find a freelancer who can really get those right, so we're going to try to get Stacy back on it! Nice full-circle deal; I started the new system because Stacy was unavailable and I thought that no one other than her could adapt to our intricate character-design system, so I came up with a less-intricate version which I'm sure will be a relief to her upon returning. :P
Following that, I'm working on some guides to the general design schematics of K&K, like a species guide, and some follow-ups to those human, elf, and dwarf videos I made some time ago. Need to draw up detailed plans for those and then, commission!
And then there's storyboards. As the director, I've wanted to do those by myself, to teach myself how; at least for some pre-board boards to give direction to the real storyboarders. And in two years I've never started. I have to do that. And I think what I have to do is start big instead of starting small: teach myself how to do it by boarding the big and grand Irregular Fantasy pilot episode. So the smaller segments, all remaining teasers and such, those won't come out for a while, not until after I've done that.
