Hello gentle robot enjoyers,

Sampling of the Soft Circuit items has been coming along! All of what I'm about to share may already look familiar if you're in the Short Circuit Discord. Join on up over there to get a first look at all related developments. 💚 Basically the second I receive updates from my manufacturing partners, or as I work on artwork, I get excited and spur-of-the-moment share in the Discord. X)

The supplier of our official Byte has come through with a first look at a Python prototype!!

Above is an unedited photo. The body of this lengthy comrade is almost spot on right out of the gate. The bulk of the adjustments needed are concentrated on and around their face, but this is such a promising first attempt that I'm certain we'll get there.

Here's their adorable noggin with my edits - this is what we're aiming for.

With the dark gray and light gray of the jaw reversed and the mouth embroidery upside-down, I think those pieces of the pattern got straight up swapped! Beyond fixing that and bulking up a few areas, the biggest adjustment is to the snoot length and shaping; I'll keep picking at this guy as long as it takes to nail that, up to and including modeling a 3D reference for them if necessary. As a greyhound person, I absolutely know it's all about the snoot. ;3

Most of the changes on the body are just detail placement, replacing some heavy embroidery with embroidery-lined fabric applique, and adding in a few missing details. Otherwise they pulled it off amazingly and I can't wait to drape this absolute noodle around my shoulders.

We're at 52 Python orders presently! With the amount of other add-on purchases we've gotten so far, I've lowered the goal of orders needed to unlock bulk Python production to 70 units. That means we just need 18 additional orders to make them real for everyone, and I'm feeling confident that we can reach that!! If anyone you know would be into acquiring a tubular robot dragon of their very own, please feel free to slip the Pre-Order Store in their general direction~

The two delightful guest art keychains, Byte Bites and Robot Dog Dreams, are now physically in my possession and they turned out great!

The labels on Byte Bites are even more legible than I'd hoped - you can fully read the "nutrition facts" on the back! - and quite well printed. The PVC candy bar portion is somewhat bendy and squishy, which I find incredibly pleasing.

Dog Dreams came out a nice size, the holographic side catches the light beautifully, and they arrived with protective film on both sides. If you missed out on either of these, they're still available in both the add-on section of your survey and the Pre-Order Store.

Last but certainly not least, a few weeks ago I sent off files for the remaining pins to my manufacturer. Given that the Water and Earth Lines have established colorways, these should look more or less as expected, but as always I want to give you all the opportunity to see photos of the real deal in the metal before you make your final selections.

General reminder that if you backed the campaign proper, please fill out your surveys as soon as possible!

We're currently hovering at 89% completion. If we could get just a few more handled, I can begin ordering bulk quantities for many of the items, which in turn would allow me to fulfill the orders without a plush much sooner.

If you stuck it out to the end of this update, I'm excited to share with you that I have three fresh projects currently in early development, all intended to run as part and parcel of wonderful creator-lead group events! 

The project I'd like to highlight tonight will be my contribution to TRIBUTES.

Planned for this November, TRIBUTES will feature projects designed by a line-up of veteran enamel pin artists, dedicated to video games that hold personal meaning to them. Click on the banner above to explore some the early teasers!

I will be participating with Gears of GAIA, a love letter to the Horizon series - perhaps unsurprising to many of you, given my predilection for the intersection of nature and technology. Due to the wild cause and effect of life those games are also responsible for the manner in which I met my wife and wound up living across the ocean, so it was perhaps the inevitable choice when I was invited to participate.

The sketches currently visible on the teaser page are very preliminary and subject to change! I'm still deciding how far to push the circuits, as I look forward to breaking gimmick on these, but the end result will certainly have some overlap with the design sensibilities I employ for Short Circuit. If anything about that tickles your interest, pop on over there and give the teaser a follow for further updates.

That's all for now - thank you as ever for being here and supporting small independent artists!!