Here's the reminder to fill out your surveys by Tuesday March 31st. The Preorder store will also close on April 1st.
After this deadline any incomplete surveys can still be filled out, but those will be put on low priority and corresponding items will be sent out with a delay. If you have a specific reason why you need more time to fill out your survey please let me know! I'll try my best to still send out your items according to schedule.
Cards will be charged after the first week of April. Shipping is charged later, when the goods are ready to be sent out.
Ok! Each update should also come with something to look forward to. Otherwise it's just spam. Right?👀
The first pin sample is done! I present you...The Healer.
Left: Screenprint / Right: UV print
I was advised to test both screenprinting and UV printing techniques as each comes with its pros and cons. Screenprinting is more labor intensive with a higher chance of misalignments and is more prone to scratches. UV print can print images as is, from file to end product, and is more scratch proof because of a resin layer. At first sight there isn't much difference aside from more colour vibrance (left) and amount of detail (right).
So I asked for a photo from a specific angle. And there we have it.
Left: Screenprint / Right: UV print
I'm really not fond of that extra texture in the UV printing. It gives me a cheap tourist magnet kind of feel.😬 So the definitive decision has been made to proceed with screenprinting as originally planned. I'll order extras to even out the amount of possible B grades. The manu also got the OK to make samples of the 7 other designs. The Water Shrine has been unlocked in the Preorder store! Thank you! I'll start on getting those sample files ready! :D Here's a reminder that I'll order TWO versions, one with and one without the shrine back. Once the samples are in we'll do a quick vote on the preferred version.
For creative Backers that want to mix and match:
Parts of a certain material only fit into slots made for that material (it's the difference in thickness). You can't put wooden parts in acrylic slots and vice versa. The Shrine back and Shrine front have specific measurements and only fit into their appointed slots!
Of course you can put any wooden decoration in the shrine slots. I see some of you are planning to only use the Shrine front and put plants behind it. A display for a figurine?👀
Oh! Foo Dog 2 is fully finished and its shading now matches the lighting! This set was by far the most popular. :D
Both Foo Dogs
The Preorder store closes in 3 days and I'd like to highlight some items! For my next project I'll know to just whack everything into the survey, lol, lesson learnt.
If you liked the Mini Print add-on you might be interested in these listings (they're linked to the store so you can click on them):
If you're weak to stickers...I got you covered:
Hah! I snuck in some spam after all.
The Time of Waiting begins as all manus prepare their samples. In the meantime I'll work on the campaign page so it reflects the latest info, and think about decorative packaging.
If you'd like to follow my work in between update crickets come and say hi on Instagram or Bluesky, or in person at one of the cons I'm attending this year. :3 (Before you ask: Sadly I didn't get into DoKomi.)
Sorry for the wait! The survey has now been sent to everyone. BOOM! Now you can finally pick your pin designs! :) This helps me see how much of each design needs to be ordered.
The survey is separate from the Preorder store and only shows add-ons that were available during the live campaign. The Preorder store contains many more items and the possibility to unlock the Water Shrine. We're only 2 Backers away from unlocking it! Survey and store items are all added to the same basket. Shipping is calculated for your entire basket (Pledge + Preorder store combined). At the time of setting up the Preorder store I was still negotiating prices with my courier, which is why I wasn't able to charge immediately. This was not my preferred choice and I apologise for spreading out the charges. Negotiations are done now and shipping prices set, so I can start entering them into the system.
If you know anyone who missed the live campaign you can direct them to the Preorder store. They won't be eligible for collab rewards but everything that was available during the campaign can still be ordered there.
Ko-fi members: Don't forget to set 'Local pickup' if you're sure you can visit a con I'll be attending from June on. I'll see what I can do for cons that may get confirmed later (like MEX Berlin).
Here's the current timeline: -Today: Surveys are filled out, Preorder store items can be added -March 31st: Both will be closed (a reminder will be sent out) -Early April: Orders are locked, cards charged around this time -May: Pins and standees are on their way to me -May/June: Addresses are locked, shipping charged and orders are GO!🎉
In the meantime I get to work on pretty packaging and ideas for more pins/standees. :3
Don't we love sample photos? :3 For those that backed both Omamori Spirits and Myuna's Mystery Mix during the live campaign, the Entei woven omamori will automatically be added to their basket. The Suicine woven omamori will be sent by Myuna. Backers of the flat mail tier receive the Entei design as sticker instead. Nearly ⭐200⭐ of you have backed both of our projects. THANK YOU!
The woven omamori by Hey, Tze! and Myuna Art
The reward for backing 3 or more projects within the 🕹GAME OVER banner will also be automatically added to your cart. Over ⭐150⭐ of you qualify for this. That's some massive support for creators!
The 🕹GAME OVER banner collab reward
The Water Shrine can still be unlocked! We just need at least 5 people to preorder it in the store! (If it doesn't get unlocked by the time the store closes no one gets charged.)
I did make a mistake in the Preorder store.
The Water Shrine was never meant to have the Shrine back added, yet I put it up in the store WITH the Shrine back. 🤦♀️ This may not work out that well as the base will have to be much deeper. Single Torii gates standing in water are also more common, and there's no need to have two hooks. So, once it's unlocked I'll order samples of both versions and we can do a poll!
The Water Shrine as originally shown in the live campaign
The Water Shrine in the Preorder store
The Water Shrine's acrylic parts
-Standard Shrine standee: I've adjusted the base size, outer line art thickness and resized some of the decorations, and just put in an order for a sample of EVERYTHING. Big invoice incoming haha.💦 -Speaking of which: So many of you are adding the standee in your survey?! Thank you!🥺❤ -I'm still waiting for the first sample of the pins so I can decide between screen printing (preferred) and UV printing (last resort). -The woven omamori passed sampling and have been ordered.
I can't believe it's only been a month since the project ended; it feels like 3 months have passed!
If you have any concerns that remain unaddressed please don't hesitate to contact me. Just shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]. I discourage the use of Instagram DMs. Discord is an option if we happen to share a server, in which case you can contact me at @heytze.
I'll be at a Heroes Made In Asia in the Netherlands starting tomorrow so probably won't reply until next week. Your mails will be read! (I am also a very active Spam folder checker. It's always squeaky clean. XD)
Thank you, again, for making this project a success! :3 Tze
-I have unlocked the Stone Lantern & Berry Tree expansion pack. :3 Thank you for getting Omamori Spirits so far! -The Water Shrine can still be unlocked, we just need 5 people to order it! -Shipping costs will be charged LATER, I am currently locking in better prices. (It's been a battle for over 2 months to get those.💪)
If there are any questions don't hesitate to contact me! Preferably through e-mail [email protected] or on Discord at username @heytze. Best avoid Instagram as DMs and tags get lost there.
Reason for the delay: I pressed a nuclear button on launch and had to scramble to BackerKit Support to get it fixed. :'''D What a scare that was!
Freebie showtime: 🎁I first ordered The Healer as matte transparent sticker, which is roughly the same size as its pin equivalent will be. It's really high quality, velvety to the touch and dishwasher proof.❤ I think we're good to order the rest of the designs!
🎁Those who backed both Myuna's Mystery Mix and Omamori Spirits but opted to receive ONLY FLAT MAIL from me will receive the Entei sticker as collab reward instead of the woven fabric one. It's the same quality as the other omamori sticker.
🎁The Ho-Oh sticker is also here and it's so deliciously shiny.✨🤩 Backers of 3 or more projects in the 🕹GAME OVER banner can look forward to receiving this freebie!
Here are 5 of the vectorised pins. The holes will be bigger than in the initial design to make attaching a lobster clasp easier (please ignore the little placeholder scribble around the holes). The Guardian, Strength and The King are currently waiting for a colour correction. (You know what can happen when you accidentally switch around 2 numbers in a pantone code? ✨NEON!✨ Oops...) All pins will have two rubber backings in a matching colour and a name stamp on the back.
Here's the standee using an acrylic charm from the amazing Natasja van Gestel as model! Her omamori charms happen to be approximately the same size as my pins, hehe.👌 The used keychain is too long in this example; instead, I'll add a lobster clasp to all ordered pins to display them a little higher.
Some changes still need to be made like thicker outlines for the decorations and a bigger base THAT WON'T BE AS ANXIETY INDUCING. Living on the edge? Yolo? Want a border of 2 mm thick? I say NOPE. :'D At least it's an easy fix!
An important note on the standee's functionality:
Now that I've been able to test it, I have to say it's very tricky to remove parts once they've been wedged in. An option is to push them in halfway, which means the standee is slightly wobbly but parts can still be exchanged easily. If you want the inserts to be level with the base they'll have to be pushed in completely. The standee will be super sturdy but I'd refrain from removing anything. Don't want your parts to break... 💥😬 I'll add all parts to the Preorder store separately so you can order extras!
The Preorder store will launch Monday March 9th at 7:00 PM CEST / 2:00 PM EST! Around that day a small amount of you will be randomly picked to receive the survey. If you're one of the Chosen Ones (BackerKit picks people, not me XD) and have the time, I'd really appreciate it if you could finish the survey within a few days.🥺🙏 This helps me find and fix mistakes before the survey is blasted out to everyone. Thank you!
Below is a sneak peek at products from the Preorder store: Most payments went through now, though there are still some failed charges. This is ok as payments can still be fulfilled when I send out the surveys. An order from the Preorder store will also triggers a charge, so you can spread things out if that works better for you.
Long Update, but we finally got some photos. :3 Thank you for supporting my project!
Well, that was some ending of the campaign. 😃 We took a small dive downwards at the end, but you guys held on to that 6K stretch goal, keeping it safe by just 20€! Nerve wracking. And you did it!💪
Photo evidence that I was, indeed, on a boat.
During the last 48 hours I was travelling to Hamburg, then Copenhagen to vend at J-Popcon. Monday my train back was cancelled and I had to partially travel by bus and boat. Adventure!😂 And then of course, had to prepare Lunar New Year celebrations. Happy New Year🏮, Spring festival and Eid Mubarak!
Working on the project wasn't an option with one knee up against the bus window and being butt cheek to butt cheek with my neighbour. But now I'm back at my own desk.😌👍
BackerKit secures payments first, which takes about 2 weeks. Most payments went through on day 1 after the campaign.❤ There are still a couple of failed payments. It happens! Especially if you've backed several projects your bank may flag some transactions. Or the registered card may have insufficient funds/expired. Please check with your bank so it can be fixed in the coming week.🙏 Preorders and shipping are paid later. Only your pledges are being charged now. There will inevitably be people who end up ghosting the project and not paying. I'll keep the 6k stretch goal UNLOCKED, even if we end up dropping below the goal amount.
After the payment phase you'll receive a survey. Not to be confused with feedback form spam, this survey is necessary so you can pick your rewards (which pin design, standee expansion, etc), change Pledge Level if you want, and confirm your shipping address! I will also open the preorder store where you can get items that were not part of the project. If you've been eyeing things from my Ko-fi store this will be your chance to save on shipping costs! Also: Those who missed the campaign will get a final possibility to order unlocked items. Expect the survey mail to roll out in March.
YES! It will work a bit differently from the campaign: In the preorder store each unlockable item needs a specified amount of orders instead of a funding amount. If the goal isn't met, the item isn't unlocked and you won't be charged. More on that when the survey comes in.
The Sticker Club was one of the available (one-month, discounted) add-ons during the campaign. It features derpy mon with a monthly food special! If you missed the add-on during the campaign you can still sign up normally on my Ko-fi. (There's a special going on in February with amazing guest artists Myuna Art and Siplick!👀) The Club ships worldwide, postage included.
That's it for now! Don't hesitate to ask me if anything remains unclear (though I think the survey will explain a lot in itself). :3
