Hello Awesome People!The images from today's Wall of Text is WIP artwork from the final coloring book I'm making with RP Games, "Sajani and the Magic Coin" - showing the page's progress from their notes in the manuscript to their final pencils and inks. The thumbnails and inkwork shown was made by Phoenix of Starlight, whose Dino Toons work you can also see on Patreon.Been preparing for a few things to happen in June, both on and offline, and wanted to share that with you as the month is kicking off.FIRST: Mental Health UpdateSo, June is back. My old mental health enemy. Long-time fans of FE know June is a difficult month for me. It has a lot of family death anniversaries - deathaversaries, I call them. Two of which are on my birthday. Which means it's a month where I navigate feelings of grief, depression and loss while simultaneously navigating pressure to be happy, outgoing and celebratory. Usually, I spend the bulk of May preparing to face the month of June. Getting into a good diet and exercise routine, making sure medication's up to date and effective, having an emergency plan in place in case I NEED an ADULT ( aka therapist and/or medical professional.) But that's all short term stuff. It's only in the last couple years that I've seen real progress on the long term thing I've been working on: how to talk about this. How to explain to my friends who ask "What do you want for your birthday?" that what I really want is time and space to grieve. Why I need that time and space to process my emotions. How this is definitely not me asking in code for a surprise party. How this is in no way a reflection on my feelings about them or my love for them, and I'll happy to get together and eat cake while watching fireworks a week later on July 4th. It sounds so simple as I write it out. But it took years, YEARS, to figure out my feelings, what I wanted, and how to say it. And in the meantime, a lot of good, generous people went out of their way during June to cheer me up - only to get hurt by my reaction. Or lack of reaction. Or an obviously fake reaction. And guilt over hurting people trying to be good to me would spiral into another depression. Why was I even trying to work through this mess of myself? This year was why, past Ellen. Not all the friends you had are still around. But those that are, this year you know what to say when they ask what you want. You know how to say it in a way that helps you, and doesn't hurt them. You can actually communicate with your friends. That's the best frickin' birthday gift ever. SECOND: New Furry Experience Arc Been working on a new FE story to start posting in June. Got inspired by all the news stories of snow in Utah this spring. It's a bit strange to draw a Winter-themed story arc during the summer, but it's fun, light-hearted arc I'm looking forward to drawing. Plus, having a fun project to work on is an important part of navigating June. THIRD: Updating Reward TiersI've talked (typed?) a little in the past about updating reward tiers to better match the workload I can handle at this time. And in June, those changes will be starting. I'll be posting more details about the new tiers and rewards next week.Know that all rewards that have been pledged for through May 2023 will be honored. To help streamline this, I have been going through the campaign records and my own notes, and during the first week of June all patrons with queued rewards will be getting a private message confirming what I have on record. In regards to commission rewards, this will also be when we can work out a deadline/delivery schedule so you know when to expect your pieces. Oh, and FOURTH: I'll be spending one of this month's deathaversaries on a road trip to visit family. I'll make sure to get some great sketches to share with you. ~Let's do this, June! Let's DO THIS.