NEW YEAR'S SEASONAL UPDATE!

Happy New Year everybody! :D It's 2022 and that means we've got a year-end wrap-up and an update on what's coming in the 12 months ahead.

VIDEOS:
First, a review of what OSP did in 2021: We had 57 videos between us, including 12 Trope Talks, 9 Miscellaneous Myths, 8 Histories Summarized, 6 History Hijinks, 5 Detail Diatribes, 4 Fables & Folktales, 3 History-Makers, 3 City Minutes, and a couple of others. A good assortment!
We had our old standby's doing the heavy lifting this year, but 2021 also saw a smattering of new shows on the channel, including Detail Diatribes, Fables & Folktales, City Minutes, and Antique Antics (as a sub-series within the History Hijknks umbrella), as well as new types of streams with the OSP After Darks and the Blue Assassin's Creed solo streams. We're excited to be trying out new and different things, and we're appreciative of not just your support, but your honest feedback on what works and what doesn't.
In addition to adding new videos, this fall also saw us tactically yeeting a few old ones. The "Bad History" playlist launched in November as a repository for some older videos that we don't feel comfortable leaving out in the open. Instead, they're unlisted, but accessible via this playlist, with the intent for you to analyze them (if you so choose) and see where we made mistakes and what we can do better. Rather than deleting them forever and pretending they never existed, we're creating a mini-museum for our failures so that their shortcomings can be understood in context.
We talk more about our favorite videos of the year in our New Year's Bonus Podcast which is out today on all podcast platforms as well as on our channel (https://youtu.be/oHhqkrwIOhA), so check that out for more video retrospection.

PATREON SITE:
This was our first full year since our patreon tier renovations at the end of 2020, and we are thrilled with the shape this community has taken since then. We recognize that most of our patrons still engage with OSP on YouTube itself than here on patreon-dot-com, but we nonetheless appreciate your comments and likes for our posts over here when you stop by :)

ENAMEL PINS:
We also have to thank you immensely for how enthusiastically many of you have supported the pins. It started as an experiment in 2020 but this year those little enamel pins have become literally one of the backbones of our operation. I'm not going to bust out the spreadsheets, but holy crap. The success of these pins is amazing in itself, and funds our contributions to our charity streams (like the one we did yesterday), but it also allows us to take risks with new and cool ventures, like the Sun Wukong vinyl toy from last month (still available right here!)
Because of the pins, we're able to continue ratcheting down our sponsorship activities to the lowest they've been in years, it's less unnecessary effort for us and a better viewing experience for you — you'll continue to see our friends Campfire and World Anvil on Trope Talks because they're straight-up good programs and we like working with them,  but we're aiming to slowly get our channel to the point where the only sponsorships you see from us are the really cool things, like a Lego Colosseum.

MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT TOO:
All the pin sales in the world can't help us if we're too exhausted to make videos. Burnout is very real, and it's a problem that's only become more prevalent among YouTube creators over the past year — and we applaud all of our peers who have put their mental health first, in big ways and small. Burnout comes in many forms, it can be hard to see coming, and it can come from several angles both online and off. So to make sure we're in good shape for the long term, we're going to take it easy for the next several weeks. We've still got uploads every Friday, and you may not even notice a difference, but they're videos that are a little shorter and less labor-intensive to assemble. The blockbuster videos like Loki, Werewolves, and The British Empire are a blast to make, but the research investment alone is monumental, so they take time.

COOL NEW PROJECTS:
In addition to enamel pins, we have a handful of really exciting projects coming in the next year. The first one you'll see is a collaboration with The Woman Cards this March for Women's HIstory Month. At this point, all I can say is that we're working together to design a deck of cards that celebrates some of our favorite Women History-Makers. Hype levels astronomical. Soon we're also hoping to share some news with you about printed publications. Can't give anything concrete yet, but when we can, you'll be the first to know, so stay tuned for the Spring Seasonal Update in March.
What I can say more about is that Red and I have side-projects which aren't strictly related to OSP that you might still enjoy. Red's fantasy webcomic Aurora is barreling along through its 15th chapter now, and she's aiming to get it in a physical format after the first arc wraps up. Meanwhile — and this is literally the first I've directly mentioned it — I am looking to publish a story that I've written and revised (and revised and revised) over the past few years. Quick pitch: it's a novella-length story written in the style of an Epic Poem, set in the history of Pre-Renaissance Venice. The most Blue thing ever, right? As with our other two publication projects, my hope is that we have more to share with you soon.
Really, the point of all this is that we want to make cool things that aren't just "OSP Merch", "OSP Pins", "OSP Books", but things that are cool in themselves, and connect you to the myths, literature, and history you love. Our next big push is to find new ways to show off world culture to people who've been fans of OSP for years as well as those who've literally never heard of us. If all goes to plan, we see ourselves doing cool projects that feel at home with OSP, yet can appeal to anyone with an interest in the world & stories of the past. Pins are the start of that, because they're cool all on their own, and the Woman Cards are the next frontier, but from there, the world is wide open!

WARM FUZZY FEELINGS & THANKS:
For the past several years, the two of us spent every hour of our workdays making videos, and that practice adds up. I dare say we've gotten rather good at what we do. So don't worry about us going off into left field with these projects, because while we're talking about new and cool things, rest assured that our every-Friday upload schedule is staying firmly in place. All of this new stuff is just icing. We're wary of doing too much too fast, which is why it's taken us so long to level-up like this. (I mean, heck, there's a reason most of these seasonal updates are 7 paragraphs explaining like 2 things (can you tell I like to write as well as be thorough?)) But as we're coming up on the 10th anniversary of OSP on YouTube, the scope of what we can do in addition to videos is going to grow, and we can't wait to show you what we'll make.

BUT LIKE PLZ TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES:
We're unbelievably thankful for the support of you all on Patreon, but in the current economic climate it's important that we encourage everyone to take care of their own financial needs first. Whenever a patron comes to us to explain why they need to drop their pledge, we always support their choice. We will be just fine. Support takes many forms, and the only two that cost money are buying pins and pledging on patreon. If you like what we do, enjoy watching the videos; and if you really like what we do, share your favorite vid with a friend. The effect that has is astronomical, not just for our subscriber count, but for our collective understanding and appreciation for the stories Red & I love so much.

CONCLUSION:
So, that's that. We're taking it easy the next few months, but after that, it's go-time. We're keeping up with the every-friday videos you love, and finding new ways to make the world of the past exciting and accessible. YouTube videos are just the start.
And now, the part where you come in! Red is planning on bringing back the reading streams in 2022, and we need your help selecting which public-domain story to read first!

Thank you all so so so so much for supporting the work we've done up to this point as well as all the work we've yet to do.

Cheers, and happy new year!
-Blue