Well The BIOS Update Is Done

[crossover_chick]

But only after leaving the computer on all night and all day while I went to work, then spending an hour on the phone with Dell Tech Support -- the automated install never got past actually downloading the accursed thing, so we had to do a manual install that included uninstalling and reinstalling the Support Assist app. Computer is functioning and has been all evening, but -- yeah. Didn't take long for the bloom to go off THAT rose. Hmph.

In other news, RI's on the verge of a semi-lockdown -- the governor wants to put us on "pause" for two weeks after Thanksgiving, with offices and colleges and such closing. Supposed to run through the 30th of November through the 13th of December, then she'll reevaluate where we are with cases and suchlike. She's not starting now so everyone has time to prepare beforehand. Obviously this has sparked some talk about how we'd handle remote working this time around. Like taking our phones home so we could still take calls. Which -- not sure how this would work here? I dunno, it's something to discuss with my boss and watch for memos on.

And as I do still have an actual day of work tomorrow, let me wrap this up with a few last quick notes:

-->Work itself was fairly quiet, though as usual we had credit card stress. I just -- I'm so SICK of having to deal with that crap. It's frankly amazing -- we discuss issues with them over and over again, and nothing gets fixed. Ugh.

-->No workout today because of the phone call, so I got in some other YouTube instead:

A) Finally got a chance to catch up a tiny bit on GrayStillPlays:

1. More Turbo Dismount! Gray played a few more impossible boards, including a landmine staircase to get over a wall; a land mine “skipping lake” to get to the end of a board; a terrifying game of “Frogger” featuring multiple fast-moving lanes of traffic – and one set was going PERPENDICULAR to the others; and a board especially made for him, where you have to get to the end of a roadway with cars coming from LITERALLY all sides (hell, as Gray discovered introducing it, you wait too long and one plows into your rear end). It was a hard slog, but Gray beat them all! We’ll never really know how much sanity he gave up to do so, as he didn’t have that much to begin with.

2. Back to Solar Smash! Which has had some updates. . .basically, now it actually has a proper solar system to smash. :D So Gray promptly put all the planets inside of each other to see what happens – mass explosions, is what happens. :P Back over in classic mode, there’s also more to see – your laser death beams can be customized in power and color, there’s a new meteor storm option, a few of the classics – like the worms – now have collision detection and can interact. . .and one of the planets can now FIGHT BACK via a forcefield, which both annoyed Gray and sent him looking for goodies inside all of the other planets available. XD Good times~

B) Then I popped over Kevin’s way for a minute for a video about Planet Coaster, sponsored by creator Frontier – turns out he and RTGame had a little competition to see who could make the worst park. Kevin’s plan? Bathrooms at the ends of a super-long and twisty path; free roller coasters with no loops and super expensive steam car rides; and COWS. A truly terrifying number of bouncy cow mascots. It was actually kind of majestic when they all tried to go to the staff room (which could only hold three). And then Kevin made an island full of them, suspended it in space with the terrain editor, and started crashing roller coasters on it. I hope RT brought his A game!

-->Wrote some more on "Londerland Bloodlines" -- worked my way through Alice and Tung talking about Jeannette, which led them to Knox and the Cathayan, and finally to a discussion of the sects (which I've never actually asked him about, so this was enlightening). It's fun stuff, and will definitely help Alice feel a little less in the dark (despite being in a sewer).

-->Got my queue for Valice Multiverse done -- three asks, one thread, yayl

And now I have to answer my DW comment and go to bed, because, as mentioned, one more day of work. We'll see how it goes. *sigh* Night all!

Comments

[gigs_83]

I re-installed the rest of my Steam games and my VtMB save is gone. Maybe for the best as I had to update the patch anyway. *shrug*

[crossover_chick]

Aww, too bad -- though yeah, you have to start a new save with each new version of the patch anyway. Ah well -- more excuses to replay it? :p

[gigs_83]

I had to cheat my way to saving both Jeanette and Therese because I guess I didn't do enough interactions with them or something.

Also, doing the Ocean House quest while simultaneously watching Hells' VOD stream of Eternal Darkness...Malk insanity plus the sanity effects from that game really messes with the head, lol.

[crossover_chick]

If I remember correctly, you need to have a Persuasion of four or above, and not favor either sister over the other -- that means doing both Therese and Jeannette's quests, but not giving Jeannette the pendant, and not antagonizing or getting too chummy with either. I don't think your "relationship values" with the two have to be exactly the same with the Unofficial Patch to pull off the save, but you can't have blatantly favored one over the other.

Ooh, yeah, I can imagine. Though you know what would probably be even worse to play with that stream? Grout's Mansion. Especially if you try out the special secret maze area.

[gigs_83]

I did do Grout's Mansion today (the barn didn't need me so I got to come home early) and it actually didn't bother me. The maze bit was annoying, but for me I guess the Ocean House has a creeper vibe or something. *shrug*

[crossover_chick]

Huh! I've always found Grout's Mansion to be creepier -- different strokes from different folks, I guess. (Though, in my case, it probably doesn't help that I'm thinking of the whole thing from Alice's perspective, who would be rather confused at first, rapidly going into stressed and angry as she navigates the mansion and listens to Grout's recordings, and finally plunges into full-blown terror as she has to escape the fire at the end of the level.)

[gigs_83]

Yeah, I can see Alice being absolutely terrified at the end. That fire was the cause of Final Death a couple of times for me.

[crossover_chick]

I sort of mentally divide "Londerland Bloodlines" into before and after the Grout mansion -- before, she's kind of scared of LaCroix and his Dominate powers and trying not to rock the boat too much with everyone; after, she is just DONE. Demands a paycheck for her services, gets much sassier, the lot. Forcing her to relive one of her greatest traumas will do that.

(It also kind of leads to her falling in love with Victor, as he offers help the moment he sees her come home from the adventure, and even makes her a blanket nest after she's had a shower. He's just a sweetie.)