Autumn 2026 Postcard, Website WIP & Postal Disruptions

Hey friends! I'm back to update you on what I've been keeping busy with since my last update, starting with this year's autumn postcard design: Crabby's Computer!

I went with this design as a reflection of the projects I've been focused on recently, and the TODOs I still may or may not fulfill before returning to developing Moonshell Island.

You might recognize this workspace from the in-game loft of Crabby's clubhouse:

It's also featured in this previous postcard design from Spring 2022:

I've reused the above design here and there, and as the thumbnail for my personal music playlist: Crabby's Mood of the Day Mix. Speaking of which, you can now play the mix directly from the new website I've spent the summer building, via Crabby's Boombox:

Isn't that neat? Whoops, got ahead of myself there. I haven't told you about the website yet!

Web Crafting Whimsy

Back in my day the Internet was PEOPLE, and whatever mess we had the skills to make, shared on our own amateur websites. Well, mine was amateur anyway... but I'd greatly prefer that classic cringe over the sea of slop that drowns out humanity today. So when the WordPress version of cheekynauts.com broke down for reasons beyond my comprehension, I took the opportunity to join the web revival by building a new site from scratch. Only I get to break the website now!

And yes, the main site is still very broken. Practically nonexistent, even. A placeholder! Well I never did master the art of web crafting, so I decided to start with a personal site I could have more fun experimenting with. Over the summer I learned enough to scrap together a Moonshell Island themed website for my web-worthy musings. It's unprofessional, incomplete, and full of Lorem Ipsum content. Most importantly, it indulges my whimsy! What more could you want? (Don't answer that.)

Now presenting: Crabby's Clubhouse - the website!

Building such an eclectic website that both functions and displays well across all devices is quite tricky, so I've settled on some imperfections. It's best viewed on desktop with JavaScript enabled. Cookies are also used to store your motion control choices using the toggles under the logo!

The pin collection doesn't serve much purpose yet, and won't drag-and-drop on touch screens. I might do more with it later, but for now just think of it as the site's "pieces of flair".

The boombox widget is based on Webdeck Player, and I recommend opening it in a separate window for seamless listening while you explore! I didn't build the widget myself, but I did adjust it a lot to fit my design based on the in-game boombox found in Crabby's clubhouse:

After putting in the finishing touches and actual content for this site, I also plan to build a much simpler studio website for Cheekynauts that will act as a portal to this site and other relevant links and information. For now it's still "Under Construction" though.

There's a lot more that could be done with this project, but I'm eager to wrap it up soon. It's already taken more time than intended, much like all the items I've ticked off my hiatus bucket list so far. That list is much shorter now, at least, and I'm finally starting to see my return to Moonshell Island on the horizon.

But first I've got to send out these postcards, so if you're a qualifying patron please make sure your address is up to date on your Patreon account!

International Shipping Challenges

On the subject of shipping, currently active delivery service disruptions have made it impossible for me to ship parcels and perhaps even letter mail to some countries outside Canada and the US at this time.

Because of these disruptions, I can't guarantee that affected patrons will receive their postcard or other physical rewards (like the Stellar Friend Award pin) on time or until these restrictions are lowered.

You can check the latest updates on the matter and which countries are affected here:
https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

Hopefully this situation resolves soon, but it is frustrating to invest time and patronage into fulfilling these rewards only to be blocked at the last step by situations outside my control.

If I am unable to fulfill a reward, I will contact the affected patron and send the item(s) at the earliest opportunity. For now, I'll write to all qualifying patrons and see what the post office accepts.

Future Outlook

I greatly appreciate all your patience and continued support during these challenges, and especially throughout my burnout break. Taking space to satisfy these side quests has been refreshing, but Moonshell Island remains my main creative objective in the grand scheme.

When I do return to the project, I'll be revisiting the concept of the game to align better with my strengths and capacity to see it through. That in itself is a daunting task, but it's important to take care of myself and prevent the need for such an extended hiatus in the future. Rest assured that my aim is to lean even more into what makes Moonshell Island special.

Until next time, take care of yourselves too!
Sam