Discontinuing $10 Patreon Tier! Sakana on hiatus!

Hey everyone! 

 It's a strange and stressful time we're in right now, so I hope you're all doing well and staying safe wherever you are!  

It's been nearly two weeks since the end of the Volume 3 Kickstarter, and I'm preparing to begin fulfillment once the funds reach my bank account early next week! Unfortunately, if fulfilling a Kickstarter didn't make my life hectic enough, I'm also scrambling to reassess convention and travel plans after a string of cancellations caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus. In short: everything I was going to do in March is no longer happening! 

You may have already seen this announcement on Twitter, but if not, here it is again: 

•  Now that the Kickstarter is over I will be taking a break from Sakana updates so that I can PREPARE TO BEGIN THE FINAL VOLUME OF THE COMIC, and also finish a bunch of other current projects that have been piling up!  I've been working on three projects simultaneously for the last two years and actually that's NOT A GREAT IDEA! In order to end the comic with all pomp and circumstance it deserves, I really need to lighten my workload. 
• Another step I'm taking to lighten my workload is DISCONTINUING THE $10 TIER ON THIS PATREON. Trying to mail postcards on top of everything else I'm doing is unsustainable at this time, and I am unable to provide more substantial exclusive content to this higher tier. Therefore, I will be deactivating it this month. Here are a few important things to know: 

1. I will be mailing postcards for all previous months to everyone who pledged during those months. If you didn't receive a postcard for a month that you pledged, it's likely I don't have your address! If you can provide me your address and the months you didn't receive the postcard, I can send them to you! Please shoot me a DM! 

2. Patreon provides me NO WAY to remove people from a tier, so $10 tier patrons will need to edit their pledge manually! If you must cancel your pledge or choose not to lower it to another tier, that's totally fine! I appreciate all the support you've given me! 

3. Because Patreon isn't great (see: the above issue), and I want to give people an easier way to support my work, I'm making a Ko-fi page.  https://ko-fi.com/madrupert  It's very "in the works" right now, but Ko-fi itself seems like a more sustainable alternative to Patreon's venture capital antics. I will be running both concurrently for some time to assess my options. If you'd rather make a one-time pledge through Ko-fi than keep going with a Patreon subscription, it's your choice! 

4. I'm trying to come up with ideas for what to post to my remaining tiers while Sakana is on hiatus, and I'm open to suggestions! 

Anyhoo, things are a little hectic for me right now! Multiple cancelled cons will mean a big chunk out of my paycheck, but I'm doing what I can to minimize the damage and be proactive with my time and workload! I understand this is probably a pretty hectic time for all of you too, so I appreciate your support during this time! If you must cancel or adjust your pledges, that's totally fine! We all gotta do what's best for our own situations! 

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know! And if you're pledging at the $10 tier, please make sure to adjust your pledge before the end of the month! 

Thank you all! Stay safe out there! 

<3 Mad