[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41841531/e65936c903bad21a3aac71107c78c0f375a8220b.png[/img] [h2]Hey everyone 🦊![/h2] Today, I wanted to share something personal with you. With the campaign on [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grownarts/paws-and-leaves-a-thracian-tale?ref=2yj50y]Kickstarter [/url]slowing down and progress stalling, I find myself thinking about: [h3]“What if this campaign fails?”[/h3] And with that thought comes a flood of memories - times when people doubted me, times when “friends” told me I’d never succeed, times when people around me seemed to wait for my failures so they could say - “I knew it”. I know I’m not alone in this; we all have those people in our lives, people who don’t believe in our dreams and who are quick to remind us of our limits. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about ending the campaign on [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grownarts/paws-and-leaves-a-thracian-tale?ref=2yj50y]Kickstarter [/url]after barely reaching the 20% goal in this first week, wondered if it would be easier to press that cancelation button and relaunch in the future with more hype. Right now, it doesn’t look like there’s enough commitment to get us to our goal and I find myself caught between waiting for a miracle and canceling the campaign before we reach the last day. But no matter how many times I wrestle with this, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: [b]I am not ready to surrender. [/b] It’s not about pride or ego. It’s about something deeper. For me, letting this campaign run its full course, even if it means reaching the end without the funds, is my way of standing by this dream, saying - “I tried” . It wouldn't be me if I give up now. I am not afraid of failing. When I first considered [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grownarts/paws-and-leaves-a-thracian-tale?ref=2yj50y]Kickstarter [/url]as a platform to crowdfund, it felt like the right way to fund the next phase of Paws and Leaves - a place where I could show up as who I am, an indie developer who believes in creating a game that’s more than just entertainment. I didn’t come here just to use [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grownarts/paws-and-leaves-a-thracian-tale?ref=2yj50y]Kickstarter [/url]as a marketing tool; I came here to grow our community. A community that resonates with the themes of resilience, reflection and patience at the heart of this game. I want this space to be where people who believe in those ideas can come together, where you’re part of something that matters, that’s real and that has meaning beyond a screen. Yesterday, during a kids’ Minecraft group that I lead weekly, one of the kids asked about the campaign launch and how it is going so far. I told him honestly that things weren’t looking great and he looked up at me and said - “Maybe you just need to wait a little longer, like when Minecraft loads really slowly”. [b]A kid reminding me of patience[/b] - it hit me because patience is exactly what I always tell them they need to have. It was a humbling reminder of the values I’m trying to pass on and it made me remember why I’m doing this. [h2]That conversation took me back to a powerful memory from my own life, one I rarely share. [/h2] When I was fourteen, my dad went into the hospital for what we thought was a routine check-up. He’d been having heart issues, but nothing too concerning - or so we thought. That day, my mom came home devastated, alone. She told me and my siblings that my dad’s condition was more serious than we’d realized and he needed a heart transplant to survive. My mom and I knew the odds - how hard it is to find a matching donor heart, how long and uncertain the wait could be. That night, my mom sat with me in my room and for the first time, I saw how scared she was. I looked at her and said - “He’ll be okay. We just have to be patient and keep hoping”. 10 days later, something remarkable happened. The doctors came to my dad with unexpected news: a donor heart had been found and they could do the surgery within hours. My dad got his second chance - something none of us expected so soon. That experience taught me that, sometimes, even in the hardest moments, hope and patience can bring miracles. [h2]And that, in a way, is at the heart of Paws and Leaves. [/h2] Just like me, our character Me in Paws and Leaves is on a journey. He searches for memories, even as he knows his life is nearing its end. Some journeys must be completed, even when we don’t know if there will be a happy ending. Me’s story isn’t about avoiding the inevitable - it’s about walking into it with grace, finding meaning and connecting with memories along the way. In his journey, he’s showing us that sometimes, we need to press on simply to see where the path might lead. I share this because I want you to know that even if the campaign doesn’t reach its goal, I am committed to seeing this story come to life. I am totally aware of failing on this campaign. Paws and Leaves is more than a game to me; it’s a way to honor the strength it takes to hold on, to continue even when hope feels distant. And every single one of you, by being here, reading this Update, is part of that journey. [h3]Thank you for believing, for supporting, for showing up. [/h3] I’ll keep moving forward with all of you, with this story and with the hope that there may still be a happy ending waiting at the end of this path. We’re in this together, bound by a red line of hope, resilience and the faith that some journeys are worth taking, no matter how uncertain the outcome. I will update you again as soon as we reach any milestone. [b][u]28 days to go[/u][/b]. Get on [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grownarts/paws-and-leaves-a-thracian-tale?ref=2yj50y]Kickstarter [/url]now and help bring this journey to life. Warmly, Florian