I didn’t get into the Nesquik again. This time I got into the OvalkWIKI, my new, hyperlinked encyclopedia of plotting, character development, and all things Schlockiverse.

I wrote for something like six hours straight, starting at 8:30pm. It was Oh-Dark-45 (nudging 3am) before I got into bed and slept. Fitfully. Dreaming of plots and characters and the rest of it.

If Writer’s Block is like constipation, what I’ve got right now this morning is Writer’s Hangover.

It feels good. I wish I could do this more often.

The revelation in today’s strip was, for me anyway, the absolute best part of this storyline. When I figured out how Petey did what he did, what HAD been a hodgepodge of plot-device compromises suddenly solidified in much the same way supercooled water will solidify if you drop an ice-cube into it.

More ramblings, but you’d better read today’s strip and footnote first.

I be in da funk, yo.

Stupid Nesquik. I have no control. My first binge (Saturday) coincided with decent diet from the day before, so I was alright, but trying to maintain a sugar high for four days is a Bad Thing. Wednesday’s insomnia was disastrous, and today has been a depressing grind as a result.

So I’m experiencing chemically-induced doldrums. Snapping out of it is tough, and it’s costing me buffer. I should have had a week inked by Tuesday night, and I’m only a third of the way there on Thursday.

New rule: giving Howard Nesquik as a treat will earn you Negative Points. Bringing Howard some sushi, or maybe chinese food, or even a McDonald’s double-cheesburger? Positive Points. Actual fresh sushi may earn you a level-up, or maybe an extra life.

While I don’t expect this to be an issue often (few enough of you have the opportunity to treat me to ANYTHING), when it comes up, I’m sticking to my guns. You don’t bring a bottle of vodka to a reformed alchoholic, you don’t ply a cold-turkey smoker with a pack of camels, and you don’t bring me any more damn Nesquik. EVER.

Chalain, Liren, and Vermillion are forgiven for their enabling behavior at Fandemonium. They had no way of knowing.

–Howard

There are a number of things I’ve pretty much given up in order to keep up with Schlock Mercenary, and every so often I miss them.

• Role-playing games. Every time I see dice, or sourcebooks, I get this itch. *sigh*
• Karate. I figured I was on track for 1st-degree black-belt within 18 months when I finally gave that up. The yellow belt I’d earned still hangs in the closet somewhere, but I’m not worthy to wear it.
• Legos. We’ve got at least $1000 worth of Legos in the house, and my only interaction with them is “you kids need to clean up this mess.”
• Web programming. No joking, kids… I used to write Perl, Javascript, and gobs-and-gobs of HTML. Now I outsource, and I can tell I’m missing out on all the fun new tools available in CSS and DHTML.
• Video Games. If I’ve got time to sit down and figure out a rich new virtual world, I’ve got time to draw.

That’s the list for now. What inspired this post? I was over at Spells and Whistles wondering if that talented l4m3r had updated yet, and there was an ad for these gorgeous metal dice. *sigh*.

If I were a full-time cartoonist, I’d play tabletop RPGs at least four hours a week. I know it. And I’d build my own miniatures and dungeon maps with legos. And I’d play video games. And I’d still let Chalain do all my web programming. And I’d be able to kick your butt.

–Howard