Episode 11 Update - 02/01/25

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Hello all and happy new year. Here’s how the episode is now progressing:

For a good chunk of this month, I’ve been working with a hired artist on one very specific aspect of Scene D. I previously thought I'd have to wait until the scene’s character animation was entirely complete to get started on this part, but Scene D is now far enough along that we’re able to collaborate on it. The image featured in today’s post features a frame that won’t be utilized, but something very similar will be, so be sure to look for it in the episode. As usual, I wrote this part into the script with no idea how to actually execute it. This part had always been a sort of stress in the back of my mind that I was putting off until the end, but it's now actually going very smoothly. I think this will be some peoples' favorite part of the episode, and others will likely find it quite strange. Personally, I think it is the one part of the episode that I think gives it a good deal of rewatchability. I hope you enjoy the extra effort that’s going into achieving a very specific effect.

Scene D is still coming along. It’s not yet finished, but I’m now trying to lock it down in a very organized manner. As of writing this, there are currently three characters left to animate, with each needing work in very specific sections. Here’s a chart of everything that’s left to do on them, with the numbers corresponding to the frame sections from the scene:

I’d actually hired out someone else to animate Character A entirely, but even with their work complete, I'm still having to tweak it so much and re-do entire sections and aspects of it. Hiring them out for this gave me a good base to work with, but it didn’t reduce the labor on my part as much as I expected, and I'm still having to refine everything. Stuff like this makes me worry for future projects, as it seems I want certain characters animated in very specific fashion, but don’t have the ability to articulate my ideas in a way that makes the process necessarily faster. It’s something I’ve definitely gotten better at, but I continue to work on.

As of now, scenes B, C and F have “special effects” type work that I need to pass on to hired help, but I really need my focus to be completely on finishing Scene D right now, and cannot afford any further side tracking. The post-production phase is in sight, and we’ll go balls to the wall when we get there.

Okay - so I'm FINALLY in a good place personally. It took a while, but I’ve now found the right therapy, the right medications, and a schedule that has me working consistently and often. I now realize the extent to which I’ve been impatient about my work process. I had often relied on hard, intense bursts of work and getting large chunks “finished” as soon as possible, and then getting disappointed in myself not hitting my own deadlines. I’ve now found a much better pace for myself. I’ve separated what needs to be done into smaller, manageable segments that I can attack and chip away at every day. Rather than locking in and finishing big segments in bursts, I’ve found it much more effective to nibble at it piece by piece, finishing smaller sections, and doing every bit correctly so it needs less refinement later. Just as well, I’ve made sure I am no longer tied down by distractions (like the merch thing) or obligations. I’m very happy to report that for the first time in a long time, I am back in my zone. If I can keep it here, we can finish this damn thing.

I intend to release this episode in 2025 with no exceptions. Spring would be nice, but we’ll see.

I very much appreciate you all for sticking with me this long. The process has taken much longer this time around and you’ve all been so kind and understanding. I couldn’t do this without your support, and I really really really hope you like this episode.