Feb. '25 Progress Report
Hey everyone! This month was far better than the previous one (not that it was a very high bar), so I'm excited to give you some progress updates!
WHAT'S NEW ON PATREON?
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?
February was a lot of catching up from January, but I'm happy to say we're pretty much back on track. I finished tidying my office (which is the best feeling ever), and I was able to pick up the slack on the writing projects Karen and I weren't able to complete in January.
Outside of that, I went to MagicCon last weekend—please see the only photo I took during the entire weekend above. Gavin Verhey (a principal designer at Magic) very kindly created this silly playtest card for me, called The Fact Checker, and I feel so honored. The best part about this playtest card is that it directly counters the playtest card that Gavin made for Ify Nwadiwe, which I think is beautiful.
I've been developing the short stories I mentioned last month, and I'm almost done with one of the drafts, so hopefully I can post more about that project shortly! Also, I've been goofing around with the synthesizers I have here (that's right, multiple synthesizers, as Karen bought me a very fun one for my birthday), and I have two short songs that I'll be trying to turn into videos in the coming months.
WHAT'S UP NEXT MONTH?
First: JoCo Cruise! Ify and I are doing a live Um, Actually there, so I'll be out on the waves for the next week. If you're going to be on the cruise, please come say hello! I've never been before, and I'm excited/nervous, so it'd be great to say hello to some Patreon folks if you're out there with me.
Next: conquering my self-conscious fears! I have three videos (froghorn.exe, Husky Voice, A Jaunty Quest) that have been sitting on this Patreon for months, and the only thing stopping me from posting them is myself. I procrastinate on the BTS videos and say "Well, I can't publish these till the Patreon perks are done!" but if I'm being honest with myself, that's an excuse. I don't know why I became so self-conscious/self-loathing in the past year, but I have finally started addressing it with some new meds/therapy, and I know that I can't move on to new things if these are festering in the back of my mind.
So I'm promising that I will start publishing these videos next month! I'll most likely drop them on my YouTube every two weeks or so, which also gives me a chance to finish up the two short songs I mentioned above, and maybe those will come out in the same schedule!
I'll keep writing the short stories in the background, and I'll keep developing other new things as well. I'm excited about the future.
TALK TO Y'ALL SOON!
Comments (12)
Happy to hear from you again Brian!
Keep up the great work! I’ve been really enjoying seeing you on Um, Actually!
the cruise sounds so exciting! wish i could be there for moral support, and to take in the sights. looking forward to seeing precisely 1 photo of it 😁
I'm so happy to hear that you'll be posting those videos! Husky Voice means a lot to me and I'm sure it'll resonate with a bunch of other folks too, for so many reasons
Same! It really speaks to me and I’m excited to share it when it comes out, because I think a lot of my friends will love it, too.
that procrasination bit is so real. it's weirdly(?) comforting to know that people whose talent and work i so deeply admire have the exact same struggles with self-consciousness as i do. that being said, cannot WAIT for all these drops (esp husky voice but also yay short storieeesss)
My partner and I went on the JoCo cruise for our honeymoon a couple of years ago. We had so much fun. A bunch of the cruisers go every year and have tons of inside jokes - keep an eye out for small pokemon / felted mushrooms / etc that people will leave as Easter eggs for others to find.
It was so nice to meet you at Magic Con, and thank you again for signing me! JoCo Cruise sounds so cool, and I look forward to seeing what you post in the future!
Clarification: Gavin is *a* Principal Game Designer, not *the* Principal Game Designer. That means he leads teams for individual products. Mark Rosewater is the Head Designer in charge of all Magic design
oh no don't tell Mark I screwed it up (thanks for the edit, just fixed)
I wish I could manage to get tickets for the JoCo cruise so bad this year the lineup is INSANE! I hope everyone going has a great time!
Oh my gosh this is so many updates in a day! A human wizard! I am glad to hear you're taking some steps about feeling better, and more incidentally glad to hear that some of these really compelling songs will be made public soon! I can't tell you how much Husky Voice has already meant to me, and I'm so excited I'll be able to share it soon, along with these other bangers! You're making ME excited about the future with these drops and the short stories and everything!