The Rabbits

That old man turned out to be right. I should only chase one rabbit at a time.

My chupathingys are eight years old now, and when I look back at everything that's happened with them, I can't help but be amazed. There's a website, a chupapedia with a whole catalog of breeds, a comic, animations, hundreds of lil' chupababies, a Discord server, and even a game.
And then there's this patreon, which you guys made possible, and I can never be grateful enough for that.

So, let's talk about chupathingys in 2019. Chapter 9 wrapped, I'm more committed than ever to finishing the story I set out to tell on Sirca, and I'd like to get you guys involved in the next step. In order to move at a better pace, I need to cut back the things that are slowing it down. This might mean trying something new, or just abandoning the old. This year I'm putting all my other projects on the shelf and focusing entirely on this--what you guys are about to vote on.

What should I do next with r[E]volution?

1. Continue producing the comic as-is
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," they say. All I would have to do is double-down on comic work and do nothing else (that means no more "Ask Docs" or gifs, etc.)

2. Continue the comic in a reduced style
Comics...! But faster, and messier. Imagine the style for "Ask Doc" but with a little more polish. Rather like this, actually:

The obvious benefit is that THIS IS THE FASTEST OPTION, by far. If you don't mind this sketchy thumbnail-style, this is a pick for you.

3. Go back to producing the video game
There's a new version out (v0.5) thanks to Auro Vee, who volunteered to do a ton of work. Big props to him, and y'all should check it out:

DOWNLOAD THE GAME HERE (Windows version - Mac version available upon request)

There's lot of fun things to be said about a game project. The possibilities are practically endless. The DRAWBACK is that not everybody has the time, technology or inclination to play a video game, so that reduces the audience for this. It's possible to record and upload gameplay videos (chapter-by-chapter, even) to make up for that, but that would be that.

4. Make a game, but in a reduced format (visual novel)
If you've ever played (or watched) a visual novel, you know what this is about. It would still be a game project, just without the map exploration. Progress would be driven by dialogue and character portraits in front of nice backgrounds. Being a game, this still leaves a lot of room for branching paths and player choices, so it could be really fun, and take much less time to produce than the above option. Also, like the above option, it's possible to record and upload gameplay videos.

5. Make a video series (animatic style)
This one's the wildcard. Feel free to watch it (it's only a minute long) and see what you think.

So far, the time it takes to produce a scene like this is roughly the same as it does a regular comic update. Time spent being equal, this option does have bonus backwards-compatibility if I take the raw frames and cut them into comics, a la option 2. It also opens the door to some outside help with sound design, if anyone's interested in that...? I always welcome new chupapologists, heh.

As for voice acting, I'm 80% against it. Anyone who wants to see this option with VA would have to argue the 20% pretty hard to convince me that finding RvB sound-alikes would not be A) exceedingly difficult B) really awkward and gross. I mean, it's possible and I could be completely wrong! We'll see, if this gets the vote.

I'm equally invested in all these ideas--they EACH sound fun, and have their own unique drawbacks and challenges. Really, at the end of the day/month/year, my goal is to share r[E]volution's story. I'm not particular on the art medium, which is why I leave it to y'all to decide. WHATEVER IS CHOSEN, the other options will be archived and never returned to again.
(And for the 1% looking for more Phoenix Chronicles, you're going to want to vote for the FASTER options, like #2, because I won't be going back to TPC until chupa stuff is off my plate.)

And finally, let me say... For those of y'all still here, thank you. You guys amaze me all the time. I've always appreciated your support, feedback and community.

Cheers to a chupariffic 2019~