As mentioned in our last Weekly Update, I wanted to type another blog post today, as it is kind of a special date for two very different reasons. One of which is revealed through the picture above: the 14th of August is actually the birthday of SHINRAI’s grumpy little protagonist, Raiko Shinpuku!
Since she was born in 1996 (with SHINRAI taking place in 2010), she’d actually turn 21 today. So, Happy(?) Birthday, Raiko-chan!
(By the way, if you’ve ever been wondering why SHINRAI takes place in 2010 of all times… that’s because I originally wrote it in 2011 as a prequel to another story I was writing at the time, which was set in that very year.)
For Raiko herself, today is also very important for another reason: it’s the same day her sister Reiko died in 2006, and therefore serves as a reminder of what she has done and why she chose to become the person you are introduced to in the beginning of our VN. What happened between these two sisters will be a major topic in the future of the series. SHINRAI is essentially their story and it’s a story I cannot wait to share with you.
Unfortunately, it will still be a long way until we do get to that point, but of course we want you to see it as soon as possible, which is why we will continue to work as hard as we can. Just as we have ever since we started turning SHINRAI into a VN back in 2013. And naturally, I will also continue to keep you updated on our progress every week, just as I have ever since August 14, 2014.
That’s right. That’s the other reason why I am writing this. Because today, it’s been exactly three years ever since I made the very first posting on our Tumblr blog (which you can check out by clicking here if you’re curious).
Aside from two instances when the update had to be delayed by a day or two, I have managed to type up and post something every single Saturday for these past three years. And this last Saturday, we have managed to reach #156 of weekly updates.
Quite a number, eh?
Sometimes, I do wonder how many people even read these and if there is actually a point in doing them every week. Typing them eats quite a bit of time, after all. Time I could also be spending on actual VN work. But on the other hand, that’s not really what these updates are about. Of course, they serve the purpose of updating those of you who are interested in our progress, but there is a bit more to it than just that.
For one, it gives me a reason to actually do post and tweet something at least once a week. This way, even if people do not read these updates, they still see that we are actively working on our projects and that we are making progress. Many other developers tend to only post once in a while and then disappear into obscurity for a good number of weeks or even months, making you wonder whether or not their projects are still active. I know a good number of projects I’m personally interested in myself, where I’m honestly not quite sure what’s going on. And that’s kinda sad. So, by doing weekly updates, I can at least show those interested in ours that we keep working towards our goals.
The other, much bigger reason for making weekly blog posts, however, is the fact that they serve as a motivator for me.
I’ve mentioned this before but every week, I know that on Saturday, I have to make a quick report on the progress we have made over the past week. And it always sucks if you don’t have any significant progress to report. So, in a sense, I’m kind of putting a little bit of pressure on myself, so that I will make progress I can proudly tell you about.
Of course, being a team only consisting of two people, the amount of progress we can make within a week isn’t as much as I wish it was. And it often greatly varies, depending on a number of factors. There are weeks when writing goes super smooth, but then there are those where I get stuck and have to “waste” a lot of time thinking about how to solve problems. In case of the latter, I naturally get much less actual writing done than I would otherwise. Same goes for drawing. Some weeks, I’m just having a tough time and need to re-draw stuff over and over again, while other weeks, everything looks great first try.
And then there are other factors which will sometimes affect the amount of progress we can make, ranging from other responsibilities we need to take care of to catching a cold, for example, and simply not having the energy to achieve much.
Bottom line is that there will always be weeks when I won’t be able to report that much progress. But I will try my best for that to be the exception, not the rule. I want to be proud of what I’ve managed to accomplish when I look back on a week, after all. And having to inform you about that progress, once again, serves as a great motivation to work as hard as I can in order to achieve that.
So yeah, these are the main reasons behind our weekly updates. Somehow, I have managed to keep this up for three consecutive years. Sometimes I wonder myself how I did it, but it is certainly something I am very proud of. And in order to be proud of it in the future too, I will continue with these weekly updates for as long as we work on our projects.
Whether you regularly check out these blog posts or just every once in a while, whether you’ve been with us ever since the beginning or just recently… I truly thank you for checking by. And I hope that you will continue to stick around while we work on our two newest projects: GENBA no Kizuna and SHINRAI’s sequel Withering Without Hope.
It might still be a while until they can be released, but I will keep you updated on their progress and continue to share some tidbits every week, which will hopefully keep you curious enough to check back at least once in a while.
With that said, it’s once again time for me to get back to work!
So, thank you once again and, until next Saturday, take care! :3
