Hi Law! (I am also a backer for your and Jojoorsmth’s Chronic Critters campaign, so that’s how I recognize you haha!) Okay, sooooo: I know this response might be a bit wordy, but I’ve tried to comprehensively explain (as best I can) what’s going on with this campaign, especially regarding Nova. (I’m also reusing and expanding upon some of my previous responses to other backers.) I’m obviously not Han (the creator); but Nova's, Nyx's, & Taija's availability (as post-campaign goals only, and NOT as pledge reward options) actually has an exact equivalency to which plushies did and did not get unlocked during the Chronic Critters campaign.  As you know (haha), Chronic Critters received $36,524 from pledges during the campaign. This amount unlocked Juniper, Porsha, Pixel, Audie, Salem, Eclair, Poppy, Oolong, Clover, and the two emotional support critter vests. We backers got to choose among them as pledge rewards when we filled out our surveys. However, Chronic Critters didn’t reach a high enough funding goal to unlock Dizzy, Basil, or Bubbles as pledge choices. You and Jojoorsmth made them available as post-campaign stretch goals, so if enough backers added them on to their pledges in surveys + non-backers pre-ordered them in the shop, they could also get funded for production. (I know Dizzy didn’t end up meeting the minimum order quotient, but I forget if Basil and/or Bubbles did, sorry ^.^;; ) Again, as you know (haha!), a number of Chronic Critters backers really wanted Dizzy, Bubbles, and Basil as pledge reward choices. But of course, you and Jojoorsmth needed the available pledge $$$ to pay for the production of the plushies that DID get unlocked; factory production isn’t a free service lol. So: as disappointing as it may have been for some folks, backers had to choose among Juniper, Porsha, Pixel, Audie, Salem, Eclair, Poppy, Oolong, or Clover as pledge rewards. If they wanted, they could pay to add on another plush to help it potentially get funded! ------- This same kind of situation happened in the Pajama Buddies campaign! The project received $42,278 in pledges, which means that enough funding was raised for the following plushies to unlock in the goal order and thus become eligible as pledge choices: ° Lumi the Kitty ° Ollie the Dragon ° Leo the puppy  ° Kopi the possum ° Juno the fox ° Banjo the Jackalope All other plushies became post-campaign add-on stretch goals with a minimum order number required to be made. We can't choose Nova (or anyone else not on the above list) as a pledge reward, because Han *has* to use the campaign funds to manufacture the unlocked goal plushies. (Just like you and Jojoorsmth with Dizzy, Bubbles, and Basil!). This kind of issue is one of the reasons why backers can adjust our pledges right up until campaign’s end; but of course, it does require backers to monitor ​**which** plushies get unlocked. (And to consistently vote in the polls for their faves if backers are choosing unlock order goals!) Anyway, you can verify all this info by looking at the campaign's main page in the stretch goals section. Banjo the Jackalope was the last unlock (at $42k)- chosen via backer poll: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/hannimations/pajama-buddies-cuddle-companions/updates/25223  Thankfully, two of the three non-reward plushies in this campaign will for sure be going into production: ° Nova the otter (enough people have preordered/added on already, WILL be produced) [Nova’s seriously so pretty and it’s easy to see why over 90 people have ordered the otter friend so far! Your disappointment due to not getting to choose Nova as a pledge reward is SO understandable! đŸ«¶đŸ»] ° Nyx the Bat (enough people have preordered/added on already, WILL be produced). [Also, they’re the one I really wanted most of all, which is why I eventually decided to just pledge for a mochi button during the campaign itself. I added them on in my survey and I’m so hyped for them đŸ„°đŸŠ‡đŸŒŒ] One final plushie still needs a few more preorders or add-ons to go into production: ° Taija the Red Panda (As of the time of this comment, only eleven more orders/add-ons are needed to meet the MoQ!!!! Almost there!) ------- Hopefully, this breakdown makes sense! But still, what’s happening now is super unfortunate. I've backed over 100 campaigns; yet I've never before experienced anything quite like this particular set of circumstances. Sometimes final samples do turn out differently than their concept art**; but it DEFINITELY isn't the norm for a design like Banjo to be voted on for color choice, only for the losing version to get finalized instead?! Plus, add in the extremely sporadic communication/updates, plus the additional issues surrounding Kopi’s noticeable divergence from the campaign design, PLUS how many people had either: ° their hearts set on Nova and Nova only or ° COULD have been okay with choosing Banjo and/or Kopi as a substitute for a plushie not unlocked/they didn't like the design of.... but then both of those final samples diverged from the campaign designs. It's almost like a logic puzzle where you end up with fewer and fewer correct answers the more you try to solve it. .... And well, all I can say is that I'm so glad I decided that my pledge //during the campaign itself// would only be for a mochi button. ** (Again, final samples turning out differently does indeed happen sometimes. It happened to me during the Critterfolk campaign. I initially pledged for the rabbit and wolf, but their final samples ended up juuuust different enough from the concept art that those plushies didn't appeal to me any more. Thankfully, the coyote and opossum plushies ended up looking amazing so I got to adopt them instead! And of course, the creator kept us updated on everything regularly!) ----- IMPORTANTLY!!!!!! In spite of all this, I still wish Han the absolute best. Being disabled is hard on just a basic level of existence, and I can't imagine trying to run a business on top of that
 all while dealing with burnout and intensifying physical chronic illness symptoms. And apparently, Han’s online shop & crowdfunding projects have not been as consistently sustainable (in terms of finances vs. energy) as physically vending at conventions. But physically vending at cons is of course a huge energy drain all by itself. (This info comes from previous updates as well as comments from backers who are in Han’s Discord server.) Again, I really love Han’s work. I adore everything I received from her previous AutDHD Creatures campaign! I’ve practically lived​ in the autism hoodie this winter. And Dash the wheelchair-using Disability Pride Puppy plushie is on my bed right at this moment! Crowdfunding does of course mean we as backers do have to accept that various lengthy delays, unexpected world events, etc, can and probably ​**will**​ happen (example: Orange Dictator Man 2: the sequel from an even worse level of hell đŸ« ) and that products may turn out differently from what was shown during the campaign
 HOWEVER, backers absolutely have the right to be frustrated with how things have turned out for the Pajama Buddies campaign so far. Even so, I’ve used my time and effort these past ~two weeks trying to help people understand what’s going on and make the best of the situation. I did this some with your and Jojoorsmth’s campaign too! The more we all can help each other (both for/as backers and creators), the more projects can succeed and even flourish! Hopefully, with some further patience and effort on everyone’s part, Pajama Buddies can still end up as successful as Chronic Critters! P.S.- Apologies if you already know this, but there is a search function for every campaign. (Saying this because you talked about skimming posts in the community but not being able to find an answer.) It can be a little hard to see on mobile sometimes, but it’s the tab to the right of the “community” and “FAQ” tabs! I’ve linked this project’s search tab for ease of use/as an example —>  https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/hannimations/pajama-buddies-cuddle-companions/search#top

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