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Gaia Life

A catalog of my experiences as an employee and citizen of Gaia.

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Week Thirty-Eight: I'm Late, I'm Late, I'm Late! Rhyming titles aside, I apologize for being so late with this entry. Like a few of you know I was sick a lot last week, including Friday and Saturday, so here's another special Monday-edition of "Gaia Life" smile Event Fatigue Writing events is a pretty specialized process. It's not as though any developer can just walk in off the street and make one go semi-smoothly. When I first started working on events at the beginning of this year, the previous Queen of Events (no, that doesn't make me the current Queen of Events) trained me and held my hand for a while until I was semi-comfortable with the 48,923 things you have to keep in mind while writing an event. I say "semi-comfortable" because each event is different, and I don't think there has been a single event where we didn't leave feeling as though we could have done something better or that we forgot something entirely. In many cases, something flat-out broke. Plus, there's a lot of pressure since thousands of users will see, use, and judge you based on what you build. Ultimately users respond to what they see, not your good intentions - so just because you have a great idea for an event and you really put your heart and soul into it doesn't mean people will appreciate it if it sucks. People don't always end up like things when they're actually executed just because you think they will. So after doing 3 events and one sponsorship, "event fatigue" is starting to set in. Unlike other projects at Gaia, events MUST be done by a certain date. No way around it. And if you want it to go over smoothly, it has to be done a week or so before the event actually happens, since you have to test it. Days that would otherwise inspire joy and/or nights of debauchery are now associated with work, expectation, and responsibility. I swear that when my birthday comes up, I'm going to ask someone else if they have time to celebrate instead of me -- my mind is now trained against events! The Joys of Event-Writing In spite of all that, I still consider myself very fortunate to be working on events. There are few tasks within Gaia that are as fast-paced, as challenging to do successfully (I still don't feel I've run an event that went as well as it should have), and ultimately rewarding. No one person in Gaia HQ knows everything about every system on the site. You have the forums, Towns, Games, the Quest System, rare events, the core framework that powers the site, the World map, the newsroom, the database, etc. etc. etc. So to work on events, you have to be a "jack of all trades". Since I'm not one of those, it usually means I have to take from other developers all the time. You also have to work with server people (You know who you are!) to make sure what you're doing won't crash the site, you have to work with people who plan the storyline to make sure what you're doing is in line with their message, and you have to make sure it's fun. It's a very rewarding exercise not only in developing your abilities as a technical person, but also as a manager and organizer - since ultimately all event changes have to go through you, the developer. A lot of creativity goes into each event also. Although the lack of items was distressing, and the fact that the "Love-O-Meter" was anticlimactic, I think that we did a lot of creative things with our limited resources for the Valentine's Day 2007 Event. To browse the forums a month later and see that people still have Valentine's Day kiss responses screenies in their sigs makes me feel we did something right there. So if you ever wanted to be a person at Gaia who got to have a little bit of a hand in everything that goes on here, you may consider the exhausting, stressful, and rewarding field of writing event code!

Posted by: Fleep Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:14am

Gaia Isn't Being Money Hungry

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Subaku No Kameko
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:15am


	stealz BWAHAHAHA! you made me sick too you know D: with your e-germs.

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:17am


	YAY! This one has funny links! HUZZAH! We loves the events heart and are glad lovely devs, such as yourself, work to make Gaia so interesting heart

Yeata Zi
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Sgt.PepperHat
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:17am


	-steal- -pat pat- You deserve a break. You did a really good job witht he events. -clap clap- Now get your butt over to your bloody fanthread for its special 1000 page party. DD:<

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:20am


	You and everyone responsible did an excellent job with the events. ^_^

Sheshira
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Darksp
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:20am


	Ugg...Poor Fleep. You need an anti eventful hug right now. -hugs- All our nice refernces to Alice in Wonderland

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:22am


	Damn. One comment and when it comes my turn, there are five. mad I still liked the events! But I'm still sticking to my want of being a graphic designer. :3

Cid High-Wind
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Leena no Majo
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:23am


	comforts You sir, need a night of partying. Thats why you should stop by the Sheep thread and be the captain of our sexy party in celebration of 1000 pages! But serious, We've said it in sheep cast and we'll say it here. YOU HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB WITH THE EVENTS! Seriously.

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:24am


	heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart heart

Kirosu
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[~+Color.Me.Insane+~]
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:26am


	I love it Ffeep. heart The journal and events. :3 <3

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:39am


	D: You were sick?! You know, every time I read you journal I remember this petition to give admins and devs (..and mods too?) more hours to sleep. Gaia so should pay attention to this petition! 8D Even if some billion people yell at you, who cares? ..Yeah, I'm not thinking straight right now. Anyway, as always, thank you very much for all the work you do, and the spirit you put into the things you do! heart You get tons of brownie points and a warm blanket as a prize <3 And our love. Something tells me you'd like a real cookie more XD Have you seen this?? Beatboxing Flute artist! :O

Nite Lewis
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Austierra
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 02:45am


	THE LINKZ WERE ORGASMIC.

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 03:18am


	I so wish I knew how to write code gonk

greenferret
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OMFD i k
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 03:24am


	I've liked all the event so far this year. Aww... You're not the Queen? You'de be such a wonderful queen though.

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:11am


	:] I shall work for Gaia one day.... but maybe not writing event codes. >.>

SOawesomeness
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Rayinte
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:23am


	Well at least the events are over for now ... Oh wait, Easter. And April Fools? Nevermind. sweatdrop But hey. Every event you do, the better you understand what the mindless masses of Gaia are expecting from events. 3nodding

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:28am


	Gaia events are like babies, some are ugly some are cute but each one is a blessing.

JeeszyCreezy
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Kamyltra
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:30am


	So. I've been wondering. Do you use search terms like "develop +abilities", say, and sift through dozens of pages of mediocre and/or racy results, confident that one of them will eventually be something as awesome as an anthropomorphically muscular squirrel, or do you think to yourself, "You know what would suit this phrase perfectly? If there was a squirrel, but like ripped," and trust the Internet to produce it for you? Or do you just filter through the mounds of funny images that your fans must send you because they think you'll like them?... sweatdrop

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:40am


	I'm so sorry you've been sick, dear Fleep. D: I've been sick as well. From Tuesday until now. Evil fevers and sinus pressure and such. I'm glad you're feeling better, though. :] It was probly caused by all that hard work you and the rest of the Gaia staff do, ya'know. ;[[ Hopefully no one else catches that bug. [[Or maybe they wanna to get a few days offa work x3;;]] And yes, I believe you'd be a wonderful Queen of Events. -huggles- ;D <33333

Viva la Courtney
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dBEf-GAEc-18E-BBAf
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 04:53am


	I think I'd like that kind of job. It's just so tempting to get into absolutely everything. I hope you're not like me. If I was at Gaia HQ I'd be bothering the artists, writers, etc. constantly, even when I didn't need to know what they were doing to get my work done. Quote: Me: "DUDE, That PIctures looks So ccooL!!" Saka: "Ah, so you need it for the Quest then?" Me: "What?! No way! Keep up the good work, bro! stalks to see how he draws" Saka: draws picture of Pritchard in paaaainnn Does it ever get tempting to just run into someone else's code, copy it, then try and see if you understand it? I wonder if that would get you in trouble . . . D: Oh btw, you stated that you've been an entrepreneur since you were younger, right? I haven't looked, but are there any works of yours outside of Gaia that you can show? Event coding must be pretty exciting. I've complained about how starting a new project and doing repetitive code is boring before, but no event's really been the same here on Gaia, so it must keep you on your toes and entertained. The kind of code writing you've done with Gaia events must be a blast. ponders how it works Oh btw, when I log in with the wrong password here, I get some database error that shows some freaky hash, then my password O_O;; See ya, Pritchard

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 05:02am


	Ah, that's the beauty of programming: no one person can do everything on their own blaugh . Of course, it would be less stressful if you could sweatdrop .

Sorennial
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Druki
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 05:06am


	I was thinking more along the lines of accountant (drat I forgot what them company accountants are called) as I'm very lacking in programming/developing, but we'll see where my majors and classes take me. smile I'm think...so there's east and (very likely) a storyline update heading our way. Then conventions followed by a chillax autumn (unless there's another storyline update like last year). Then Halloween, Christmas, so on. Wash, rinse, repeat. Is there ever a dull moment in Gaia HQ?

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 05:29am


	Your hair is luxurious enough to be queen no doubt. Err.. avatars.. hair..

HardDickensCider
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Ruiko_Fumu
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 06:41am


	All I've been hearing from you are lots of stress and anxiety. I just hope you get your little R&R when you do get it. Your symptoms of illness could have been caused by just that. crying Oh well, just get better soon. sweatdrop

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 07:12am


	Ohhh, whine you make working for Gaia sound like... WORK. D: Shame on you! ((jaykay i thank thee for all teh hard work! :] YA RLY!!))

eluzabeth
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BazThree
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 08:00am


	fleep i have to add that usually i add in my comments that i didnt like something or it was overused ...but to be honest your a really nice awesome guy i gaia WOULD NOT be the same without you ...yes most of the events havnt been brilliant or as good as they could have been this year ...but they have been unique and new and thats what counts ...i think that the next event ...easter lol just incase you didnt know biggrin will be better than the others ...i i also think your trying to stop people like me bothering ...so sorry but your wicked ...so all my put downs about the site SHOULD NOT count ... anywho ...good luck with the easter event really looking forward to it this year cheers , Baz biggrin

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 08:43am


	i like that poster that you linked at the end, for some other good ones go look at verticalandwastingoxygen.blogspot.com lots of good posters that my brother comes up with

Metalupis
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Xya
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 12:01pm


	I can only imagine what you go through...gatting ready for work in the morning... the day an event is set to release.

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 01:39pm


	There, there. pats on back wink

Spring Violet
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Tai Naito
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 03:27pm


	If anyone gives you sass about the events, link them here! eek You're doing a great job, Fleep 4laugh

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 03:35pm


	Aren't you glad you don't have this elegant and compact server system to work with?

BenjaminBriggs
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XDmaster4
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 05:32pm


	fleeperd you realy did an good job with those events i liked them although there wernt many items better then those events you have to spam to get all items and the highest rank (grunny halloween thing )

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 08:13pm


	I lol'ed at the fish pic. rofl Too bad our fun is your stress. I hope you take a holiday sometime just to get away from the hectic work you do! Although let us at teh forums know so we don't freak out. blaugh "Where'd Fleep go?" "Oh no! It must be the aploycapse!" sweatdrop Anyways, thanks as always for the hard work.

Hydro
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NukeGoesBoom
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 08:31pm


	Great job Fleepadoodle ^-^ Waiting for the next one happily

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 08:54pm


	In the spirit of your journal i comment thusly : Murphy was an Optimist

Scandi the Vampire
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LabTech David
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Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 09:04pm


	Aww fleep I hope you feel better. xp Good jobs on the events too. scream domokun

Commented on: Tue Mar 27, 2007 @ 10:03pm


	Awww Fleep I enjoy the events lately hehe I think you are doing great and keep up the good work. We love you and are we having a April's fool day event by chance? heart Dezi heart

~Guilty by design~
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Pigmask Commander
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Commented on: Wed Mar 28, 2007 @ 12:04am


	No matter how bad an event is here on Gaia, we still love it because it's an event. You people work hard to make even a simple event such as the Valentine's Day event. I appreciate it and others do too. [I actually found myself trying to collect the Labu necklaces O_O] Also, I'm totally psyched for upcoming and future events you make with others! mrgreen I shall await your next week summary, Fleep. heart blaugh

Commented on: Wed Mar 28, 2007 @ 12:13am


	sounds really complicate to make a event @_@;;

Yanes
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Chema
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Commented on: Wed Mar 28, 2007 @ 12:42am


	People really do plan the storyline? o_o;

Commented on: Wed Mar 28, 2007 @ 10:31pm


	I'm sure everyone loves your events! Hope you feel better soon!

Lillita
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.Haruka__Tenoh.
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Commented on: Wed Mar 28, 2007 @ 10:43pm


	xD Writing events sound fun. But anyhow you guys are doing a good job! 8D Keep up the good work.

Commented on: Thu Mar 29, 2007 @ 08:24am


	Go team! Keep up the exhausting, stressful, and rewarding job! Yer gettin' better at it!

Giraffics
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[Chibi]
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Commented on: Thu Mar 29, 2007 @ 10:38pm


	OMG! TIS THE 42nd ENTRY, and there are (were) 42 comments!!!! 4242424242424242 4242424242424242 4242424242424242 4242424242424242 4242424242424242 4242424242424242

Commented on: Fri Mar 30, 2007 @ 01:39am


	Fleep!!! I told you /not/ to get stressed! Don't you ever listen? You might need more art.. or maybe a good night sleep.

The Freezer Pop Queen
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Lyca_Watyre
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Commented on: Fri Mar 30, 2007 @ 06:59pm


	4laugh I'm stealing your squirell. rofl Hehe...the love-o-meter was fun! We got to boast about how smexy cool we were. Maybe next year we could get a giant heart shaped candy box to wear? shrugs Keep up the good work and quit stressing about pleasing us! Sleeep...sleeeeeep... I guess it's fair though. I'm still trained to be up all night! Thank you verrrry much! mrgreen ...still the best free RP community site I've ever seen. and heck, it's better than a lot of the pay-sites too!

Commented on: Sat Mar 31, 2007 @ 02:30am


	cool yo 3nodding

Coo1
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Ginger Flare
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Commented on: Sun Apr 01, 2007 @ 08:26am


	I loved the "Love-O-Meter" Pretty sad that there wasn't something 'special' for getting to the top.. but we did get some gold out of it. So it wasn't completely pointless like most people made it out to be. You did a great job on all of the events. heart

Commented on: Thu Apr 05, 2007 @ 10:10pm


	good job with the events pats on back i hope i can work on Gaia someday, but i don't live anywhere near CA and i'm not that good with CCS coding xD maybe someday

Angel Diary
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Lakura the Angel
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Commented on: Tue Apr 10, 2007 @ 11:14am


	It's nice to know there are admin who can look an event in the face and insert a funny image link.

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