Zakabox w3 July 2015

Please note that while I (and thus the box) <i>did</i> die,  I was resurrected /through various means/, (https://twitter.com/zakamutt/status/622077969926881280) Tay's /misguided assertions/ (https://twitter.com/ArchmageTay/status/622533798127755264https://twitter.com/ArchmageTay/status/622533798127755264) aside.

Having been struck with a combination of industriousness and boredom, I've somehow written a pre-post box for this week - so I won't be talking about progress or releases this time. I can't promise anything in the following weeks of my vacation, but hey, wifi does occasionally happen. Anyway, let's get onto the actual, sometimes regrettably outdated, commentary...

New localization contender Culture Select, who have at long last started their Kickstarter for Type-Moon inspired VN WISH, /did an AMA/ (https://twitter.com/fuwan0vel/status/623049108438298624) on Reddit recently. There aren't that many answers, but they are long and of high quality.

This was a while ago, but I'm not sure if anyone caught it: MG's Himawari release /will be all-ages only/ (http://mangagamerstaff.tumblr.com/post/124038930274/i-was-wondering-if-there-was-any-difference-in-the), as Front Wing does not intend to make an 18+ version of their remake.

VN studio Dischan is now /dead for good/ (http://dischan.co/blog/2015/07/the-end-of-dischan-media/), and has shut down its store. As of current you can still log into Dischan's web shop - and if you've got an account, but this is to be removed in a bit over two weeks. Dischan previously bled most of its members after its director Jeremy officially declared the end of the Kickstarted Dysfunctional Systems ep 2 and 3 project due to lack of funds and general disillusionment with how things were turning out. Jeremy didn't actually kill Dischan itself back then, but did end its sojourn as an explicitly commercial company. Do note that Kickstarter refunds will still be paid out as money becomes available.

Being on the road makes using my laptop to read VNs a bit tough at times, which is why, apart from some amusement at the concept, I read Get Dumped (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.visualnovels.getdumped). I can recommend it somewhat - it's not too bad for a free phone VN, but use a walkthrough after you get three ends if you can't get the fashion disaster one. It's not originally for phones only, so if you're feeling adventurous you could just read it on your PC - I'd only recommend it for those with a fetish for the unusual in that case, though.

A lot of VN studios have set up Patreon pages recently. One of those is /Alice in Dissonance/ (https://www.patreon.com/fault/), creators of the fault series. Off the top of my head, /Love in Space/ (https://www.patreon.com/loveinspace/) (Sunrider) and /Lupiesoft/ (https://www.patreon.com/Taosym) (The Reject Demon: Toko) have also done so. More humorously, so did /Sekai Project's CEO/ (https://www.patreon.com/dobacco/), though he explicitly tells you not to give him money. He seems to use it to post some blog-y stuff, including /this anecdote/ (https://www.patreon.com/posts/2953817) of how SP managed to land CLANNAD through the magic of Google Glass.

Personally? I'm alive and well in France, though the heat can be a huge pain sometimes. I've been reading VNs quite a lot, and have actually reached the <i>second</i> chapter of Amairo Islenauts, reading it in Japanese with the help of a text hooker. These things happen surprisingly often when you have no Internet connection. If you're using a wireless connection, one productivity tip would be to just disconnect and keep it that way for a while.

Anyway, I have to finish this and get it to Tay in Pastebin form before the world explodes. Thus, this commentary will now end.