Bay 12 Games Forum

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This was one of my best school days in a while.

First Period,
Science class, I'm told I came in 8th place for the STATE-WIDE math test I took two weeks back or so (I mentioned it here).  I also hand in my papers for joining the National Honor Society.

Second Period,
This is one of my few study halls, I use it to finally finish my power point presentation that's due today (although as you see later I didn't even have to do it until May).

Third Period,
I take a test in History about Nazis, nothing special.

Fourth Period,
Math....my math teacher is not the greatest organizer, but at least she's a nice lady.  Nothing much here really, took another test.

Fifth Period,
Destroyed the opposing team in ULTIMATE FRISBEE YEAHH

Lunch,
About 6 kids lost their senior privileges for the next year because they were throwing food.  I didn't like most of them either.

Sixth Period,
Samuel L. Jackson

Seventh Period,
English class, pretty much standard.  I'm told that the power point isn't due until May.  I made the whole class erupt in laughter with one of my jokes...
I can't really say the joke without ruining it.  It's preserved in history, also I didn't think it was that funny but that's how comedy works.

Extension.

I've been unconsciously categorizing people based on what section of 4chan they'd likely go to.

/b12/

There's a sophomore on the other side of shop who believes Nazis are the best thing ever.

I hate him.

Homestuck: Year One

4/13/2009 - 4/13/2010

tldr; no updates until April 13th!

Change of plans again. I was going to do a couple animations before 4/13, and then a BIG ONE on the day of 4/13, the one year anniversary of Homestuck's starting date. My schedule is not going to permit this though. I'm going away this weekend, and as anyone who travels knows, that will consume a block of time greater than the span of the travel dates themselves. It will screw me up way too much to be in super-crazy production mode. I can pull off regular-crazy production mode, but note super-crazy. In summary, this week is toast. And in any case, there's really no reason to rush this thing just to squeeze something critical into a meaningless date.

So instead I will do ONE animation, take my time with it, and post it on 4/13. That will be the next update you will see.

Then after that I will move it along to the end of the act. I will still post the animation I was originally planning to post on 4/13, but at a somewhat later date. There won't be much ambiguity here. When I do post it, you will know exactly which date this animation was originally slated for.

But the good news is I think we can get the Volume 4 album out on 4/13. Keep an ear out for it.

So as long as we're here with almost a year's worth of HS under our belts, why don't we hit pause and check our game status.

Homestuck:

4 kids
365 days (and counting)
1667 pages (+1 on day 365)
2024 images
85,000 words
62 Flash animations (+1 on day 365)
5.5 images per day, every day
1 Flash animation every 6 days

Some Flash data:
1 hour total of animated footage
3000 imported graphic files
53 songs
3 albums (+1 on day 365)

1 sacred urns toppled
1 mystic ruins desecrated
1 hallowed tombs defiled

15 Sweet Bro and Hella Jeffs

---------------

The Problem Sleuth data, for your convenience:

3 detectives
365 days
1621 pages
1915 images
45,000 words
0 sacred urns toppled
0 mystic ruins desecrated
0 hallowed tombs defiled

I remember writing after finishing PS that I didn't really notice the effort involved over the course of the year. That is very far from the truth this time. Believe me, this felt like a serious undertaking. Clearly I not only surpassed my previous page counts in less time, but added major animation chores on top of all that, which proved to be the most labor intensive part of it! Even disregarding the animation, the extra detail in the the static pages, the larger environments, the heavier use of color, the more rigorous character design and game mechanics, the doubled word count, it all added up to something much bigger than PS. Then pile huge Flash projects on top of all that and you have something that's certifiably insane. The good news is that I got faster the more I challenged myself.

I've easily worked twice as much on HS as I did on PS. Probably more. There have been more all-day-all-night affairs than I could count. Weekend breaks mostly nonexistent. I just don't recall that sort of relentless exertion during Problem Sleuth, except maybe during the final moments of the battle. Even the whole Sepulchritude thing strikes me as a pretty quaint endeavor now. That would really just be a run of the mill battle animation these days.

Why am I jumping the gun and reviewing this all now rather than on 4/13? Probably because I know I won't feel like it by then, just after I post an animation, and with more to do right away. This isn't QUITE as monumental as the PS year-end spectacular, since obviously the story's just going to keep going. To be honest, I feel like recently Homestuck has been just starting to warm up. Let's see how she handles in year two.

Anyway, I got work to do. See ya.

I have Spring Break next week, yah!

Quote from: ToonyMan on April 07, 2010, 02:26:33 pm

It's pretty common Jack.

I'm just not sure why you see it as beating yourself up mentally. It's just a good thing to do.

They're not on the same line Jack, they are separate.

Yeah, I'm conflicted about leaving school.  On the one hand, I love mathematics.  On the other hand, going to school is killing me and/or driving me insane.  I kind of consider "not dying or being insane" more important than "Vector gets to go to class."  But dammit, I love this place.  It may be killing me, but I love it.

This may be the best decision I've ever made, but it's still tearing me up internally.  You see, on the "staying" side is "Mathematics, comrades from school (no close friends, but at least I have comrades), don't have to live with parents, cost to parents."  It's mostly the mathematics and the cost to my parents; I feel really, really bad for them.

On the "going" side is "be less crazy, get time to read books, learn how to cook reasonable food before I have to live by myself, time to become more mathematically mature so that school makes me less crazy, learn how to handle stress, talk to psychologist about being less anxious all the time, figure out moodswings.  Furthermore, restart semester next year in courses I'm interested in, rather than two applied-side math courses that were hiding in purity, a horrible course in linguistics, and Professor Poland's class (which is, of course, wonderful)."

There's no real reason to stay, other than the fact that it's a major lifestyle change for the next year or so.  I think I'll be okay.  I think it's the right idea.  I just wish I didn't have to make this decision.

---

And here's the solution... it may be a little bit difficult to read/follow, but it's all there.

Spoiler: Solution (click to show/hide)

In case you can't see that bit at the bottom, I think the Golem eats people.

Hey I know those kind of problems, they're OK.

...

You guys do know that I make up a lot of pseudonyms, right?  Also that I name people in themes (Rosewood, Aspen, Willow) and so on?  Sheez, I don't actually only make friends with trees.

"Professor Poland" is the internet-nickname for my favorite professor.  He has a ridiculously thick accent, and his lectures are almost 100% tangent.  He also happens to be a Polish count, and the most skilled mathematician in the department.  He's pretty amazing, other than the unfortunate instances in office hours when you go in for help with a problem and he decides it's more important to talk about Linux, music compression, linguistics, or the printing industry.  Other times, he just ends up spouting proofs at you for two hours while you listen helplessly.

My nickname for him in real life used to be "Count Bastard Analysis Professor," but it was a little bit long and the analysis course ended.  Now it's "Count Bastard Algebra Professor."  Much better.

---

I don't want to leave.  I want to stay here.  I like it here.  I think I might actually be able to make it through the year... maybe I could stay.

Somehow it's like "normal-me" has no knowledge of happy-me or sad-me.  What am I thinking?  I can't stay.  I have to go and learn how to be sane.

I tend to have a double thought system in my head.  One version will discuss something and the other will list problems with that plan.  Version one will then tell solutions to these problems and so on.

I really beat myself up mentally.

Oh, and some kid tried to ironically hump me when I was walking in the hall, it upset me in the inside.