PSA: A friend in need...

Hi, everyone.  Things have been busier than usual as of late thanks to our civic duty, a member of our staff switching day jobs, and changes in my own work schedule and responsibilities (I'm working more hours than before and I'm in charge of training the new guy in addition to my other duties...).  As a result, the amount of time we've had to devote to RKS has unfortunately taken a hit.  That's not as big a deal as it might sound, though; everything is looking good, and the nature of our day jobs gives us time to think of solutions to whatever issues we come across without actually ruining our forward momentum (we often already have solutions to the problems at hand before the next chance we have to sit down and tweak code or edit graphics).  Having a mindless day job works wonders when you're moonlighting as a localization specialist, and an involved fanbase really helps whenever you're showing symptoms of writer's block (seriously: thank you, everyone).

Suffice to say, it'll take a few more days before we're ready to roll out the next Developer Diary entry.  Having a bit of extra time to hear your thoughts on the matter really helps this time around since it involves something we touched upon in the comments section of our last post; I'd like that discussion to be properly concluded before posting the next entry.

Unfortunately, things haven't been looking as great for our friend Tristan MacAvery, voice of Rosenkreuzstilette's Count Michael Zeppelin and Neon Genesis Evangelion's Gendo Ikari (and many others).  Out of respect for his privacy, I won't go into detail as to the nature of his predicament, but I will say that his situation has left him feeling pretty depressed.

As you may remember, Tristan drove all the way from Syracuse to our place in Montreal to record his lines for Zeppelin, and he was willing to do it entirely pro bono (of course, we made sure he didn't walk away empty-handed).  You might not be aware that Tristan is also a talented author; you can find a half-dozen titles under his real name on Amazon, and a few more under his Cheyenne tribal name, Tristan Black Wolf.  He made a point of giving me an autographed copy of his latest book, The Laputan Factor, as a thank-you for having him over (much to my surprise), and I can honestly say that I can't quite figure out who was giving who the bigger reward...

Tristan has recently started a Patreon to help support his writing career.  Having read through The Laputan Factor much quicker than I'd expected (I started reading it on the bus on the way to my hometown one evening after work -- and stayed up until sunrise finishing it instead of turning in for the night), I can safely safely say that he deserves every penny he's asking for and then some.  The story felt like something you'd expect from Kotaro Uchikoshi, the author of the Infinity series (Never 7, Remember 11, Ever 17, and 12 Riven), the Zero Escape series (Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward), Steins;Gate, and Punch Line -- those of you who are familiar with his work know that this is no small compliment.  If you're interested in throwing some change Tristan's way, you can pledge as little as a dollar.  Personally, I'd recommend a $5 pledge since you receive a digital copy of The Laputan Factor as a thank-you gift (as well as a free digital copy of one of his future digital releases).

It'll still be a while before we start accepting pledges or preorders for Rosenkreuzstilette Schwesternschaft.  Instead of sending anything our way, we'd much rather everyone show their support for the voice of Count Zeppelin himself.  Oh, and the project's German translator, Martin "Dream&Nightmare" Tessnow -- he drew the cover art and illustrations for The Laputan Factor.  And, yes: Tristan was the one that introduced us.  The luck does indeed snowball.
 
Still on the fence?  I think this video review of the book speaks for itself:



You can read the first three chapters of the book for free here and judge for yourself.  Even if it's not your thing, please consider showing some support for the man that has already done so much for this project.