A Stitch in the Yarn
Heist Report // Light a candle and pour one out for my workaholism.
Resolutions being as fickle as they are, I’m not sure to look too close into the momentum we started the year with.
On December 30th, I published A Huddle-close Yarn: An Interlude, which is a tide-me-over single narrator parable about the thief Symphony when she was a kid. It was a return to the field after over a year, and while the initial engagement metrics weren’t hot, there are encouraging signs of life.
A Huddle-close Yarn by the numbers
So far, AHcY clocked 102 views on Substack and was downloaded 777 times — although, downloads or “plays” as a metric is increasingly rough to interpret.
Due to a temporary copyright hold, I could only publish to podcatchers late on New Year’s Eve, where it’s been played just 166 times with most listeners making it to — but they didn’t stay through — the credits1.
This makes up less than 10% of our known audience, but not bad for a cold feed.
What’s more, A Huddle-close Yarn turned out beautifully.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories surrounding Symphony. She’s just a rock dropped into a pond: the things going on around her are so interesting.
So, I am going to tell the story of a new pickpocket
You probably don’t remember Fowler from Rogue Bazaar, but that brat’s encounter with Symphony changes his life. In the next week or so I am going to serialize his story — no, not an audio drama :/ — called “The Pickpocket.”
Cool, eh? Light a candle and pour one out for my workaholism.
What’s going on with the next season?
I am picking-up speed.
S201: (script here) is well underway, with five of its seven parts already recorded. I have already started making the episode around the edges.
S202: (script here) is fully recorded. If I hit a blocker with S201, I can pick up S202.
S203: (script here) remains a bit of a wildcard. We’re still missing a few key cast members, but casting will begin this week to close that gap. I’ll keep you posted.
Looking ahead
Each of these steps brings us closer to delivering the layered, immersive storytelling you and I have built this project on. Reengaging folks a hiatus is no small feat, and unless I fabricate something new, the feed will cool again before the season’s ready.
The path forward is clear: complete S201, finalize casting for S203, and introduce Fowler’s serialized adventure. Coin by coin we will wrest a little glory from the cyng.
Don’t get caught,
Michael
Furbelow
The Thief is produced by the fyrd: our thegns Nandi K,
, Trei Brundrett, Andy McLellan, Eudico, Rebekah Monson, Andy Priestner, Mike Atchley, Patrick Myers, and Cordelia Black.You can join the fyrd and help me make this stuff through Substack or Patreon.
According to Spotify’s audience retention metrics.