Up And Down Saturday
Jun. 22nd, 2024 11:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickLike, parts of it were good, but parts of it were pretty bad:
-->While making my bed I rediscovered my love for "The Birthday Massacre" after stumbling across some of their newer songs randomly on YouTube, but I still got up earlier than I wanted to
-->We had a nice lunch of spinach pies, but immediately afterward the video we were watching (Episode 3 of Season 3 of NZ Taskmaster) got stuck in one of those frame-type ads and I could NOT get it to go away (my parents eventually managed to fix the problem)
-->I had a solid Sims 4 session (details below), but it went on longer than I'd hoped, and I had to stop briefly at an awkward moment because of thunderstorms
-->And the big one -- nice dinner of chili dogs with the rest of NZ Taskmaster...and then while Dad was sweeping up while washing the dishes he found water all over the floor and realized the pipe under the sink was leaking because, well, it's cheap plastic garbage and all the cleaning supplies Mom puts under there apparently knocked it loose. As you might imagine, he wasn't happy. *sigh* Really brought the mood down around the house, that. (The pipe is fixed, Dad got it properly settled again, but I don't know what's going to happen with it tomorrow -- he was talking about getting a metal one or gluing it all in or something like that, but who knows what will actually happen.)
Sooo -- yeah. Less than a relaxing day off. *sigh* But at least I did get through everything I wanted to get through --
Tumblr: Pretty quiet day on tumblr – this morning, I was pretty focused on getting the Chill Valicer Save Update for this upcoming Wednesday drafted on Victor Luvs Alice (along with keeping up with the dash) – ended up being the now-standard five posts covering the Oasis Springs Food Sale! They’re all done with pictures, main text, and tags – just gotta add all the image alt text tomorrow! And this afternoon...well, nothing was happening on Valice Multiverse, and I have the write-up below to complete, so – yeah. We’ll just get that alt text fixed up tomorrow and we’ll be good to go!
Sims 4: Well, my plan was to do a “store day” over in the Chill Valicer Save, but like so many plans, it didn’t survive contact with “the enemy” (aka me getting distracted trying to get through a bunch of other stuff in the game). But the trio did still get out and about, and they did still have a good Summer Saturday –
A) First, after doing a quick check of the mods (couple of things to update from Lumpinou) and making back-ups and all that other fun stuff, I popped into the game, looked at the crafting barn, and went “well, I can’t figure out how to add a basement to the MAIN HOUSE, but HERE…” So I drew out a room under it, added some nice slat stairs with one of the new Horse Ranch railings going down (under the ones going up to Smiler’s party barn area), gave it a solid wooden floor and some nice stone walls (also both from Horse Ranch – that pack has some solid Build/Buy stuff, I must say), sold the woodworking bench that got kicked into the household inventory when I added in the new stairs (I wasn’t using it anyhow, honestly – Alice’s jewelry-making bench is now in its place) and voila – one barn basement! It’s rather sparsely furnished at the moment – kind of hard to furnish a room when you don’t have any working lights in it (the farmhouse is set up so the lights only go on when someone is in the room to conserve power, and my attempt to get Victor to turn on the ceiling lights I scattered in there only worked until I actually moved an object in there, whereupon they went right out again), but I also wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to put down there, beyond the nectar maker and a few nectar storage racks to help with aging. Ended up moving Victor’s cauldron down there as well, since that way I could free up the middle of the barn again – I could move the SimsCo canning factory down there too, I suppose, and make it for food and drink production? Kind of like the basement processing center at the store? I will ponder this. But yeah, currently what’s down there is the nectar-maker, the nectar storage racks (with the nectar Smiler’s already made inside one), Victor’s cauldron (and the cool stone circle underneath), and the yellow couch from the back porch. Why is THAT down there, you ask?
B) Well, because I ended up putting their new chess table in its spot! :D Yes, remember how Smiler actually successfully hosted a gold-tier Weenie Roast over in Copperdale last update, and thus got a nice wooden chess table (the one where the top is a partially-unfinished slice of a log) as a reward? I decided that it should go on the back porch because that’s where the chess lights were. :) I used the special camping chair (the one with the fish pattern) that they unlocked with their Silver Weenie Roast a while back for the seats, then moved the VIP bucket that was sitting on the side table next to the couch over to the counters by the barbecue, and the candy jar that was on that counter over to the side table. Because that felt more logical now. :P I also ended up moving the cooler they got for the original Weenie Roast here at the house over to the porch near the barbecue as well, then deleted the campfire in the yard entirely. Because they don’t really use it, and thanks to fun with “Simple Living,” they can’t even use it to roast weenies. *shakehead* I love that lot challenge but it comes with some BIZARRE restrictions. I also BRIEFLY experimented with pulling the porch forward so I could make the kitchen a bit wider, in an attempt to fit more stuff into it – but then I realized “oh shit, that means I’m going to have to pull out the side of the house upstairs too, and that is going to be a whole thing and – yeah, that’s more than I want to deal with right now.” So everything went back to the way it was before. *sigh* Damn kitchen restrictions – though I suppose I could try widening it the OTHER way? Be a little less of a ballache, and all it would do is make the spot for the pet obstacle course a bit smaller, and they don’t use that much…we’ll see what I decide later!
C) And the final bit of Build/Buy fun before I started the playsession proper – getting a sign for the farm! :D Because while I was going through all the Horse Ranch stuff, vaguely looking for anything relating to mini-sheep/goats (I thought they had a special bed or something like how chickens have coops and cows and llamas have sheds – appears not), I suddenly remembered this pack came with ranch entrance signs and that I’d wanted to put one over the front path to the Van Liddelton farmhouse. So I found the one whose aesthetic matched the farmhouse the best and plopped it over the front path, then decorated it with some metal signs for a cow, a chicken, a cowplant, and a freezer bunny. Oh, and a longhorn skull for the center. XD It looked really cool –
But while I was looking for those entrance signs, I found ANOTHER beautiful entrance archway that was included with the pack, made of wooden beams with flowers (I believe morning glories) and string lights wrapped around it. I was like “!!! I can’t NOT use this,” but at the same time, I really wanted the “official” sign –
And then I decided “screw it, I’ll put this in front of the greenhouse.” So that’s what I did, moving over the wheelbarrow with the gnome and the little cart current there and putting the new archway in front of the door, with dark wood and yellow flowers since I liked that swatch best. :) It looks really nice! I like it as an extra bit of detailing for the front. Lots of good stuff in this pack, glad I got it!
D) Okay, that’s enough Build/Buy shenanigans – time to actually get the trio DOING stuff! Smiler got sent to the new barn basement to put away their nectar, clean the maker, then squash up some more grapes, while I told Alice to lick herself clean and finish up her delicate bracelet and Victor to clean up the pet poop on the back porch and then head upstairs to bed. XD After taking a moment to check the calendar (and to cancel the pop-up holiday “Neighborhood Brawl” as it just isn’t my scene), I checked in on Alice – she not only finished her bracelet at “excellent” quality, she also developed a Like for Gemology in the process! Right after pinching her finger working the wire, so you know she was serious. :p I got her a charging grid and put her new bracelet out there to charge (had the crystal that reduces negative moodlets faster, so we want it charged up), then had her go and stop Shock from eating chicken feed. Fortunately, one scolding is all it took for Shock to finally learn that she shouldn’t eat trash, and she and Alice had an adorable bonding moment right afterward. Awwww~ It’s nice when the pets actually behave!
Anyway – after opening up the MySim capsule she picked up a couple of sessions ago (just another Chef Gino; I promptly sold it), I had Alice scavenge (she found a couple of common upgrade parts) then head to bed, while Smiler, after finishing up their nectar, got put on “make mechanisms” duty for a bit because I’m still working toward that Servo, damn it. Once they were done with that, they fed Toothy the cowplant, repaired a broken water collector, recycled the resultant trash pile (plus some more wraith wax) and played with Shadow…
E) And then 5 AM rolled around, and the farm chores could begin in earnest! I woke Victor up to tend to his greenhouse – only to discover he had spoiled food in his inventory and instead sent him to take care of that (and clean out the fridge too while he was at it). Smiler, as usual, got put on chicken duty, spreading a little feed and cleaning the coop, while Alice got sent to harvest the prairie grass in Moory’s pen (finding a hematite crystal – the kind that makes your Sim functionally immortal when charged – and a bottle of energy nectar in the process; the latter went into the aging racks downstairs). Victor rewarded himself for a good clean-up job with a Minty Mocha cupcake breakfast, then I had him get in his “gardening outfit” and sent him into the greenhouse to plant some fresh oversized crops and tend the garden. Alice moved on from taking care of the prairie grass to taking care of Moory (the cow needed a thorough clean today), while Smiler did a quick sort of the trash (gotta get those recyclables) before heading back to the chickens to chat with them and gather the eggs (three normal ones, two hatchable ones – the latter got sold as I’m not interested in more chickens at the moment). I then had Smiler join Victor in the greenhouse to apply some super vitality fertilizer to the new oversized crops, while Alice cleaned out Moory’s shed –
F) And then, out by the recycle machine, transformed into a werewolf! Because it had been a little while since she hung out in Beast form, and I figured it was about time she did some werewolf stuff. Like marking her territory in the front yard. XD I was THEN going to have her do some more scavenging and the like –
Only for her and Smiler to decide they wanted to play ping-pong together, and for Alice to run off to the ping-pong table before I could stop the interaction. *sigh* I was like “fine, okay, you can play a game of –
“Hmm. Actually. Hang on. Why not play a round of juice pong instead?”
And so they did, tossing balls at each other’s cups of juice. XD And damn, Alice absolutely SMOKED Smiler, getting all four of their cups while they only got ONE. I think I see why Smiler only plays regular ping-pong with people these days. XD Sorry Smiler! Maybe this will make you a little less obsessed with the table!
G) Anyway – Victor finished the tending and the fertilizing while this was all going on (super vitality on the oversized crops, and some pet poops on a few nearby flowers) – as he was busting for a pee and dirty, I had him transportalate up to the white-and-blue bathroom and hit the toilet and the shower while Alice went on a hunt and Smiler entered the greenhouse to get their plasma fruit and herbalism supplies (along with some pears and plantains) before super-selling the rest. Well, ALMOST all of the rest – the way they did it, the apple tree got missed, in every super-sell batch, so they ended up harvesting that too. XD Well, they can use ‘em for nectar! While that was going on, Victor finished his shower and cleaned some more spoiled food out of the fridge –
And then I spotted Ian Moody standing on the porch for some reason, being pestered by a couple of specters. I decided to have Victor save the poor old guy and sent him out to give one a Potion Of Good Fortune – the gift was a hit, fortunately, and Victor got another lump of wraith wax, which he promptly sold to an oddity collector because we have ENOUGH of that stuff, thank you. Ian, thus freed, headed back out into the world as Alice returned from her Hunt, mouth full of meat and Fury high. I looked at her, looked at the in-game clock (which at this point was around noon), and was like “you know what, I’m not going to the store today. They can just have a chill day at home for a change.” So I directed everyone to hang out on the porch together for a bit while Alice finished her meat, then Smiler went over to shape the bonsai into a freezer bunny shape (as they were feeling very playful) and had Victor get a REAL lunch of mushroom steak (as he was trying to eat ice cream – you have to eat REAL FOOD sometimes, Victor) –
H) And had Alice start doing more werewolf stuff! As not only was she very high in Fury, she was ALSO getting very close to gaining another ability point. So once she was done with her lunch, I had her enhance her sense of smell and go out scavenging. This unfortunately didn’t yield anything, so I decided to have to go check out the community garden area nearby (it is – nearer to that one barbecue surrounded by herbalism potions than I first thought) and had her tunnel over there –
And THAT put her over the edge! :D Delighted, I paused a moment to consider my options (and also have a snack in the real world) – and while “Pack Howl” and “Lunar Howl” were both tempting, I went with “Hunting Party” so Alice could lead a group hunt with Victor and Smiler at some point. Because the family that hunts together… XD With that sorted, I had her look over the plants in the planters (nothing to harvest that they didn’t already have, though Alice was able to evolve some of the mushrooms), then check out the nearby sign for details about the next Finchwick Fair. I was thus informed that it was the Oversized Crop Fair on Saturday, with submissions of crops and pies both allowed –
And then I went – “hey. Today’s Saturday. And Victor totally has some oversized crops still hanging around in the fridge. I think we even have a pie. We should go!”
I) And so, with about two and a half hours to go, I started prepping the gang for the trip to the Fair! Smiler was fine – they’d had a nice flirt with Victor over his lunch, then drunk the last bottle of Fizzy Plasma in the fridge to control their thirst, so I had them fix the kitchen sink (which had broken after Victor had washed his dishes) before sending them to make more mechanisms. Victor, for his part, cleaned the chicken coop, then used his magic to clean up the puddle in front of the sink and repair another broken wind turbine – which just so happened to push HIM over the edge into getting another talent point! :D I considered my options, and eventually picked “Master Duelist” – I would like him to complete the Spellcraft & Sorcery aspiration at some point, and that means winning more duels, so – might as well give him the edge! I then gave him an oversized watermelon to submit (since, you know, summer) and had him make a nice chocolate pie with the dough in the fridge (since the blueberry pie in there was close to going off) – this got him up to Cooking level 8, so now he can make apple pies!
And while all that was happening, Alice had herself a little baby RAMPAGE! Because at that point it was easier to knock her over the edge of Fury rather than trying to cool it down. After a few howls and stomping around the world ferociously (though I made sure to keep her away from any wandering NPCs), she gave in to her inner beast –
And, as usual, simply scavenged a bit before I had her regain control. XD Her wolf instincts were demanding a nap, however, so I had her curl up on the ground for a little snooze while Smiler finished their second mechanism and Victor started the laundry…
J) And then, once everyone was good, and Alice was back in her human form, it was off to the Fair! I sent Alice and Smiler to the bar to get some drinks while Victor went to submit his entries. He submitted the chocolate pie okay – but when he tried to submit his watermelon, a MUSHROOM appeared on the little table. A small one (well, not SMALL small, but the smallest size of oversized). I was initially deeply confused and thought someone had stolen his spot, but eventually worked out that, despite me PICKING the watermelon, the game must have just had him automatically place the first thing on the list of acceptable produce – a small oversized mushroom – there instead. Well THAT’S irritating! Suddenly I remember why I don’t usually come to these things. >(
Anyway – with Victor having submitted his entries (even if one of them was not the entry I wanted), I then TRIED to have him join Alice and Smiler at the bar (where they were chatting with a couple of other comers) – only for someone to steal his intended seat and cancel out the interaction. So he went over to a picnic table by the festival and had a specter sip all alone. Which was both sad and funny – especially when he finished the drink and ended up with two levels of VETERINARY skill, of all things. XD Well, uh, I guess that makes taking care of the cats and the dog easier? With that done, I had him look at the competing entry in the pie competition (someone’s fish pie, which he thought looked very nice), then looked around for something else for him to do –
K) And spotted the grocery stall and the garden stall. Each of which said that they were not only selling things, but buying them – at a 10% mark-up.
Cue Victor visiting each to both buy a few things and offload some of the crap hanging around in his inventory. XD At Kim’s, he bought a black bean (I couldn’t remember at the time if they had those at home or not – turns out yes, but it WAS only the one) and fifteen lots each of flour, sugar, red meat, and white meat (though in my game it was labeled as “beef” and “chicken” – I’m pretty sure that’s Brazen Lotus’s work), before selling her a bunch of the produce in his inventory – basil, parsley, sage, bell peppers, a small lettuce, some small pumpkins and watermelons, and a spare vitality fertilizer. Over at Agatha’s, he picked up a bunch of animal treats (party, fishy protein, healthy, pumpkin, and chocolatey) before selling her loads of flowers. So he may have spent some money, but he certainly got all of it back! I was ready then to try and get him back in the bar for his drink already –
And THAT is when it started thundering and lightning in earnest outside, and I realized that I had to save where I was and shut off the computer. *sigh* I spent roughly the next twenty, thirty minutes playing games on my iPad and wondering if, when I loaded up the save again, the Fair would even still be there –
L) And fortunately, when I did hit the old “Resume” button, everything was where I’d left it! :D I thus sent the trio over to the speaker in the pub to have a nice dance and chat together (with Smiler raving about non-exclusive relationships to Victor and showing off some sweet moves), before ending on some kisses (after Alice briefly ran off to the bar to get another wrench XD). I then sent Alice and Smiler out to look at the competition entries (Smiler praising Victor’s pie) while Victor finally got HIS drink from Sara the publican. Once they’d gotten an eyeful, I had Alice go dig up a dirt pile I’d spotted looking around the area (turned out to be a mustache fossil – pretty sure they’ve got that), while Smiler made friends with the mayor and (after a bit of coming through the menus – the Finchwick sidequests are under “Activities” under “Friendly,” everyone) offered to help with her errands. She offered them the choice between the “welcome to Henford-On-Bagley tour” (which, they’ve been living here for both in-game AND real-world years, I think they got it XD) and “going around asking people if they’re the recipient of this package I put together and then forgot who it was supposed to be mailed to.” XD Smiler took the second and started meeting and greeting around the fair to see who the package belonged to. The mayor’s adopted son, grocery deliverer Rahul? Nope. Kim of the grocery stand? Nope, though they did learn that she’s a Foodie. Fellow fair competitor Thomas Watson? Nope. Sara behind the bar? Nope. Seems like tracking down the owner of this package is going to be a little tougher than Smiler or I thought! O.o
M) Anyway – while Smiler was making the rounds, I had Alice entertain herself by window-shopping at the various shops in the town square (shame that they don’t actually SELL anything without the help of mods), then play a few games on her phone after throwing away the rotten meat in her inventory (whoops), while Victor had his drink, then (to stop him constantly going back for MORE drinks – I’m starting to think my trio has a juice problem) napped on a bench. He woke up in time for the end of the Fair though, and stood on the green while it all faded away around him, awaiting the results. A few moments later, he learned that he’d gotten a participation ribbon for the pie contest (aw) –
And first prize in the Oversized Crops contest! :D I mean, the mushroom was up against an equally-small lettuce, so it wasn’t MUCH of a victory, but I will take that ribbon! And the extra treats he got from winning – another pumpkin and chocolatey treat, and a spicy treat to boot. :D Nice. Now I just gotta remember to USE them…
N) With the fair done, it was time to send everyone back home. I had Victor put all his ingredients and produce and stuff in the fridge (thank you Brazen Lotus’s “put away” option :D), then had everyone play with the three cats, since they were all outside standing in roughly the same area, and Victor needed to renew his friendship with Surprise anyway. Once the cats were sufficiently entertained, Victor headed up to bed (new ribbons up on the wall), while Smiler got back on making mechanisms and Alice made a RAW bracelet out of obantium and citrine for a fun white-and-orange bracelet. And Gemology level 3, nice.
And THAT is where I left it! Whew – yeah, lot going on today! You can see why it took me so long. But hey, it was a pretty fulfilling day, and we have a new basement space to furnish and turn into something nice for the trio. :) NEXT time, though, I am DEFINITELY gonna try and actually get them in the store. They gotta empty out that shop at some point!
Writing: Edited the next chunk of “Start At The Beginning...Sort Of” after supper and The Pipe Thing, with Emily throwing Barkis and Victoria’s wedding reception into absolute chaos all by her lonesome. Though, admittedly, people in Duskwall all know that ghosts are bad news, so even one showing up in the middle of your dinner is a bad time. Fortunately Emily kept it together and didn’t try to hurt, or even touch, anyone other than Barkis (currently hiding under the head table, as per canon), just spooking them out the front doors (fortunately Victor, Alice, and Smiler were able to get out of the way of the outgoing mob). So now that the guests (and Lord and Lady Everglot, who fled up the stairs without even checking on Victoria – Victor was rightfully angry about that) are out of the way, Emily can really get started on her bastard ex – if he lets her, of course...
YouTube: Got in the desired Saturday Two, happily, so my Watch Later is cleared and my Subs are all caught up on, yay –
A) First up, from the Watch Later, was the Petey Plays It video I wanted to watch – “27 Base Game Moneymakers All Sims 4 Players Can Use!” Which was Petey listing a variety of ways to make money in the Sims – from “pocket change” methods like performing comedy or music for tips, selling fish you’ve caught, selling photos you’ve taken with your phone, or just using the NanoTech trash can that gives you cash for throwing things away (tip: that one works best in a house with lots of Sims); to “standard” methods like entering video game tournaments, selling cupcakes to rabbit hole bakeries(he specified from the Cupcake Factory machine, but hopefully it works with ones you make in the oven too), selling wooden statues and furniture you’ve crafted, and hosting social events for the rewards (house parties and dates yield stereos and VIP buckets!); to “the real money makers” like working your way to the top of a career, painting pictures, writing and publishing books, and straight up just asking all your friends for loans and then never paying them back. XD A good, fun list – especially if you’ve been looking for a new way to make money in the game for a challenge or something!
B) And second up, from the Subs, we had the daily GrayStillPlays episode – “Every time I get shot my vehicle gets more armor in GTA 5!” Though the title was rather misleading, as this wasn’t an “every time something happens a script makes a change to the car” board (like, every time he got shot his car changed to one with more armor) – this was a straight “here are the challenges, here are your cars, figure out which one can beat all of them and reach the win” board. The title was correct in implying that this was a “car versus bullets” board, though, with Gray having to best four challenges against heavier and heavier caliber fire –
I. Which Car’s Windshield Protects The Best Against Different Calibers? – Gray and his chosen car had to survive a group of nine identical women, each with a different caliber of gun, ranging from the humble taser to the simple handgun to a double-barrel shotgun to full-on automatic pain. Each woman appeared before him and had a few seconds to fire as many shots as she could before she was whisked away and another woman with a new gun replaced her. If Gray managed to survive them all, then a teleporter appeared behind him –
Teleporting him to a new chunk of road where ALL NINE of the ladies lay in wait with their guns, ready to ruin his life. However, Gray quickly discovered that this challenge could be cheesed – mostly by discovering the women weren’t protected while they were firing on him, and that if he managed to kill them while knocking them off the platform, there was a good chance they’d spawn in dead in round two. Taser Lady, hilariously, survived the most and the longest, leading to a very funny moment of Gray clambering out of a car bent in half with arms limp because he was in the middle of getting tased at the time. XD We love to see GTA being a glitchy, hilarious mess!
II. Which Car Can Survive A Double Mini-Gun Barrage? – Gray and his chosen car had to follow a pair of military-grade mini-guns on carts up a length of roadway, with the guns firing on Gray for basically the whole time. Gray could go off to the side, but the guns WOULD follow him, so this was all about if the car could tank the fire until they reached the end of their track. No cheating here!
III. Which Car Can Survive A Quad 20mm Auto Cannon? – Gray and his chosen car had to survive for 34.5 seconds (you know, half of 69 :p) in an arena (well, on a floating square with no sides) with a truck with, well, a quad 20mm auto cannon on its back. Speed and agility helped here, along with decent armor plating – but the most important thing it needed was the weight to shove the car around and knock the guy firing the damn thing out of position. XD Hey, the challenge said you just had to survive – not take every bullet to the face!
IV. Same Thing But Now You Have To Survive The Tank Bullets – Gray and his chosen car had to repeat the above “survive the arena” nonsense, only this time against a tank and for the full 69 seconds. This one was all about making damn sure that the tank did NOT get to blast you right out of the gate – if you took a shot while getting onto the square, you were pretty much guaranteed to blow up. Gray needed speed, agility, and smarts for this one!
So, which car won? Well, after a ridiculously-short outing with the go-kart (seriously, Alex and co XD), Gray actually started getting past the first challenge and seeing what cars could take what. The three standouts? The Sherp (which, despite a LITTLE trouble in the first challenge, actually did quite good up until the tank – its armor is solid, and it sits high enough off the ground that a lot of bullets miss important parts of the car; it didn’t die until the tank, and it took three hits); the camo-jeep with the roof-mounted mini-gun (Gray could just use the mini-gun to mow down the ladies trying to fire on him, and a lot of the other fire hit the roll-bars around the car instead of the car itself – again, it made it to the tank, though it died quicker than the Sherp); and the ultimate winner, the Insurgent (the frosty father of armored vehicles, it came close to blowing up a few times (the Sherp can take bullets to the nose a lot better than it can, shock) and had some REAL problems with the tank – until Gray half-accidentally managed to kite the tank off the side of the square by forcing it to back up to try and hit him better when he was playing “Ring Around the Rosie” with it; again, the challenge just said SURVIVE, soooo XD). Nice to know what vehicles you want to take into which dangerous situations!
And there you have it, my day. Which was much longer than I'd like, so now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will HOPEFULLY be better -- goals include getting as much of the image alt text on my Chill Valicer Save update sorted; playing Fallout 4 and getting Victor and Ada out of Rust Devil HQ; updating the FO4 Playthrough Progression doc accordingly; getting in a workout; and keeping up with GrayStillPlays and Jon of Many A True Nerd. Hopefully all achievable with the minimum amount of bullshit. *nods* Night all!
-->While making my bed I rediscovered my love for "The Birthday Massacre" after stumbling across some of their newer songs randomly on YouTube, but I still got up earlier than I wanted to
-->We had a nice lunch of spinach pies, but immediately afterward the video we were watching (Episode 3 of Season 3 of NZ Taskmaster) got stuck in one of those frame-type ads and I could NOT get it to go away (my parents eventually managed to fix the problem)
-->I had a solid Sims 4 session (details below), but it went on longer than I'd hoped, and I had to stop briefly at an awkward moment because of thunderstorms
-->And the big one -- nice dinner of chili dogs with the rest of NZ Taskmaster...and then while Dad was sweeping up while washing the dishes he found water all over the floor and realized the pipe under the sink was leaking because, well, it's cheap plastic garbage and all the cleaning supplies Mom puts under there apparently knocked it loose. As you might imagine, he wasn't happy. *sigh* Really brought the mood down around the house, that. (The pipe is fixed, Dad got it properly settled again, but I don't know what's going to happen with it tomorrow -- he was talking about getting a metal one or gluing it all in or something like that, but who knows what will actually happen.)
Sooo -- yeah. Less than a relaxing day off. *sigh* But at least I did get through everything I wanted to get through --
Tumblr: Pretty quiet day on tumblr – this morning, I was pretty focused on getting the Chill Valicer Save Update for this upcoming Wednesday drafted on Victor Luvs Alice (along with keeping up with the dash) – ended up being the now-standard five posts covering the Oasis Springs Food Sale! They’re all done with pictures, main text, and tags – just gotta add all the image alt text tomorrow! And this afternoon...well, nothing was happening on Valice Multiverse, and I have the write-up below to complete, so – yeah. We’ll just get that alt text fixed up tomorrow and we’ll be good to go!
Sims 4: Well, my plan was to do a “store day” over in the Chill Valicer Save, but like so many plans, it didn’t survive contact with “the enemy” (aka me getting distracted trying to get through a bunch of other stuff in the game). But the trio did still get out and about, and they did still have a good Summer Saturday –
A) First, after doing a quick check of the mods (couple of things to update from Lumpinou) and making back-ups and all that other fun stuff, I popped into the game, looked at the crafting barn, and went “well, I can’t figure out how to add a basement to the MAIN HOUSE, but HERE…” So I drew out a room under it, added some nice slat stairs with one of the new Horse Ranch railings going down (under the ones going up to Smiler’s party barn area), gave it a solid wooden floor and some nice stone walls (also both from Horse Ranch – that pack has some solid Build/Buy stuff, I must say), sold the woodworking bench that got kicked into the household inventory when I added in the new stairs (I wasn’t using it anyhow, honestly – Alice’s jewelry-making bench is now in its place) and voila – one barn basement! It’s rather sparsely furnished at the moment – kind of hard to furnish a room when you don’t have any working lights in it (the farmhouse is set up so the lights only go on when someone is in the room to conserve power, and my attempt to get Victor to turn on the ceiling lights I scattered in there only worked until I actually moved an object in there, whereupon they went right out again), but I also wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to put down there, beyond the nectar maker and a few nectar storage racks to help with aging. Ended up moving Victor’s cauldron down there as well, since that way I could free up the middle of the barn again – I could move the SimsCo canning factory down there too, I suppose, and make it for food and drink production? Kind of like the basement processing center at the store? I will ponder this. But yeah, currently what’s down there is the nectar-maker, the nectar storage racks (with the nectar Smiler’s already made inside one), Victor’s cauldron (and the cool stone circle underneath), and the yellow couch from the back porch. Why is THAT down there, you ask?
B) Well, because I ended up putting their new chess table in its spot! :D Yes, remember how Smiler actually successfully hosted a gold-tier Weenie Roast over in Copperdale last update, and thus got a nice wooden chess table (the one where the top is a partially-unfinished slice of a log) as a reward? I decided that it should go on the back porch because that’s where the chess lights were. :) I used the special camping chair (the one with the fish pattern) that they unlocked with their Silver Weenie Roast a while back for the seats, then moved the VIP bucket that was sitting on the side table next to the couch over to the counters by the barbecue, and the candy jar that was on that counter over to the side table. Because that felt more logical now. :P I also ended up moving the cooler they got for the original Weenie Roast here at the house over to the porch near the barbecue as well, then deleted the campfire in the yard entirely. Because they don’t really use it, and thanks to fun with “Simple Living,” they can’t even use it to roast weenies. *shakehead* I love that lot challenge but it comes with some BIZARRE restrictions. I also BRIEFLY experimented with pulling the porch forward so I could make the kitchen a bit wider, in an attempt to fit more stuff into it – but then I realized “oh shit, that means I’m going to have to pull out the side of the house upstairs too, and that is going to be a whole thing and – yeah, that’s more than I want to deal with right now.” So everything went back to the way it was before. *sigh* Damn kitchen restrictions – though I suppose I could try widening it the OTHER way? Be a little less of a ballache, and all it would do is make the spot for the pet obstacle course a bit smaller, and they don’t use that much…we’ll see what I decide later!
C) And the final bit of Build/Buy fun before I started the playsession proper – getting a sign for the farm! :D Because while I was going through all the Horse Ranch stuff, vaguely looking for anything relating to mini-sheep/goats (I thought they had a special bed or something like how chickens have coops and cows and llamas have sheds – appears not), I suddenly remembered this pack came with ranch entrance signs and that I’d wanted to put one over the front path to the Van Liddelton farmhouse. So I found the one whose aesthetic matched the farmhouse the best and plopped it over the front path, then decorated it with some metal signs for a cow, a chicken, a cowplant, and a freezer bunny. Oh, and a longhorn skull for the center. XD It looked really cool –
But while I was looking for those entrance signs, I found ANOTHER beautiful entrance archway that was included with the pack, made of wooden beams with flowers (I believe morning glories) and string lights wrapped around it. I was like “!!! I can’t NOT use this,” but at the same time, I really wanted the “official” sign –
And then I decided “screw it, I’ll put this in front of the greenhouse.” So that’s what I did, moving over the wheelbarrow with the gnome and the little cart current there and putting the new archway in front of the door, with dark wood and yellow flowers since I liked that swatch best. :) It looks really nice! I like it as an extra bit of detailing for the front. Lots of good stuff in this pack, glad I got it!
D) Okay, that’s enough Build/Buy shenanigans – time to actually get the trio DOING stuff! Smiler got sent to the new barn basement to put away their nectar, clean the maker, then squash up some more grapes, while I told Alice to lick herself clean and finish up her delicate bracelet and Victor to clean up the pet poop on the back porch and then head upstairs to bed. XD After taking a moment to check the calendar (and to cancel the pop-up holiday “Neighborhood Brawl” as it just isn’t my scene), I checked in on Alice – she not only finished her bracelet at “excellent” quality, she also developed a Like for Gemology in the process! Right after pinching her finger working the wire, so you know she was serious. :p I got her a charging grid and put her new bracelet out there to charge (had the crystal that reduces negative moodlets faster, so we want it charged up), then had her go and stop Shock from eating chicken feed. Fortunately, one scolding is all it took for Shock to finally learn that she shouldn’t eat trash, and she and Alice had an adorable bonding moment right afterward. Awwww~ It’s nice when the pets actually behave!
Anyway – after opening up the MySim capsule she picked up a couple of sessions ago (just another Chef Gino; I promptly sold it), I had Alice scavenge (she found a couple of common upgrade parts) then head to bed, while Smiler, after finishing up their nectar, got put on “make mechanisms” duty for a bit because I’m still working toward that Servo, damn it. Once they were done with that, they fed Toothy the cowplant, repaired a broken water collector, recycled the resultant trash pile (plus some more wraith wax) and played with Shadow…
E) And then 5 AM rolled around, and the farm chores could begin in earnest! I woke Victor up to tend to his greenhouse – only to discover he had spoiled food in his inventory and instead sent him to take care of that (and clean out the fridge too while he was at it). Smiler, as usual, got put on chicken duty, spreading a little feed and cleaning the coop, while Alice got sent to harvest the prairie grass in Moory’s pen (finding a hematite crystal – the kind that makes your Sim functionally immortal when charged – and a bottle of energy nectar in the process; the latter went into the aging racks downstairs). Victor rewarded himself for a good clean-up job with a Minty Mocha cupcake breakfast, then I had him get in his “gardening outfit” and sent him into the greenhouse to plant some fresh oversized crops and tend the garden. Alice moved on from taking care of the prairie grass to taking care of Moory (the cow needed a thorough clean today), while Smiler did a quick sort of the trash (gotta get those recyclables) before heading back to the chickens to chat with them and gather the eggs (three normal ones, two hatchable ones – the latter got sold as I’m not interested in more chickens at the moment). I then had Smiler join Victor in the greenhouse to apply some super vitality fertilizer to the new oversized crops, while Alice cleaned out Moory’s shed –
F) And then, out by the recycle machine, transformed into a werewolf! Because it had been a little while since she hung out in Beast form, and I figured it was about time she did some werewolf stuff. Like marking her territory in the front yard. XD I was THEN going to have her do some more scavenging and the like –
Only for her and Smiler to decide they wanted to play ping-pong together, and for Alice to run off to the ping-pong table before I could stop the interaction. *sigh* I was like “fine, okay, you can play a game of –
“Hmm. Actually. Hang on. Why not play a round of juice pong instead?”
And so they did, tossing balls at each other’s cups of juice. XD And damn, Alice absolutely SMOKED Smiler, getting all four of their cups while they only got ONE. I think I see why Smiler only plays regular ping-pong with people these days. XD Sorry Smiler! Maybe this will make you a little less obsessed with the table!
G) Anyway – Victor finished the tending and the fertilizing while this was all going on (super vitality on the oversized crops, and some pet poops on a few nearby flowers) – as he was busting for a pee and dirty, I had him transportalate up to the white-and-blue bathroom and hit the toilet and the shower while Alice went on a hunt and Smiler entered the greenhouse to get their plasma fruit and herbalism supplies (along with some pears and plantains) before super-selling the rest. Well, ALMOST all of the rest – the way they did it, the apple tree got missed, in every super-sell batch, so they ended up harvesting that too. XD Well, they can use ‘em for nectar! While that was going on, Victor finished his shower and cleaned some more spoiled food out of the fridge –
And then I spotted Ian Moody standing on the porch for some reason, being pestered by a couple of specters. I decided to have Victor save the poor old guy and sent him out to give one a Potion Of Good Fortune – the gift was a hit, fortunately, and Victor got another lump of wraith wax, which he promptly sold to an oddity collector because we have ENOUGH of that stuff, thank you. Ian, thus freed, headed back out into the world as Alice returned from her Hunt, mouth full of meat and Fury high. I looked at her, looked at the in-game clock (which at this point was around noon), and was like “you know what, I’m not going to the store today. They can just have a chill day at home for a change.” So I directed everyone to hang out on the porch together for a bit while Alice finished her meat, then Smiler went over to shape the bonsai into a freezer bunny shape (as they were feeling very playful) and had Victor get a REAL lunch of mushroom steak (as he was trying to eat ice cream – you have to eat REAL FOOD sometimes, Victor) –
H) And had Alice start doing more werewolf stuff! As not only was she very high in Fury, she was ALSO getting very close to gaining another ability point. So once she was done with her lunch, I had her enhance her sense of smell and go out scavenging. This unfortunately didn’t yield anything, so I decided to have to go check out the community garden area nearby (it is – nearer to that one barbecue surrounded by herbalism potions than I first thought) and had her tunnel over there –
And THAT put her over the edge! :D Delighted, I paused a moment to consider my options (and also have a snack in the real world) – and while “Pack Howl” and “Lunar Howl” were both tempting, I went with “Hunting Party” so Alice could lead a group hunt with Victor and Smiler at some point. Because the family that hunts together… XD With that sorted, I had her look over the plants in the planters (nothing to harvest that they didn’t already have, though Alice was able to evolve some of the mushrooms), then check out the nearby sign for details about the next Finchwick Fair. I was thus informed that it was the Oversized Crop Fair on Saturday, with submissions of crops and pies both allowed –
And then I went – “hey. Today’s Saturday. And Victor totally has some oversized crops still hanging around in the fridge. I think we even have a pie. We should go!”
I) And so, with about two and a half hours to go, I started prepping the gang for the trip to the Fair! Smiler was fine – they’d had a nice flirt with Victor over his lunch, then drunk the last bottle of Fizzy Plasma in the fridge to control their thirst, so I had them fix the kitchen sink (which had broken after Victor had washed his dishes) before sending them to make more mechanisms. Victor, for his part, cleaned the chicken coop, then used his magic to clean up the puddle in front of the sink and repair another broken wind turbine – which just so happened to push HIM over the edge into getting another talent point! :D I considered my options, and eventually picked “Master Duelist” – I would like him to complete the Spellcraft & Sorcery aspiration at some point, and that means winning more duels, so – might as well give him the edge! I then gave him an oversized watermelon to submit (since, you know, summer) and had him make a nice chocolate pie with the dough in the fridge (since the blueberry pie in there was close to going off) – this got him up to Cooking level 8, so now he can make apple pies!
And while all that was happening, Alice had herself a little baby RAMPAGE! Because at that point it was easier to knock her over the edge of Fury rather than trying to cool it down. After a few howls and stomping around the world ferociously (though I made sure to keep her away from any wandering NPCs), she gave in to her inner beast –
And, as usual, simply scavenged a bit before I had her regain control. XD Her wolf instincts were demanding a nap, however, so I had her curl up on the ground for a little snooze while Smiler finished their second mechanism and Victor started the laundry…
J) And then, once everyone was good, and Alice was back in her human form, it was off to the Fair! I sent Alice and Smiler to the bar to get some drinks while Victor went to submit his entries. He submitted the chocolate pie okay – but when he tried to submit his watermelon, a MUSHROOM appeared on the little table. A small one (well, not SMALL small, but the smallest size of oversized). I was initially deeply confused and thought someone had stolen his spot, but eventually worked out that, despite me PICKING the watermelon, the game must have just had him automatically place the first thing on the list of acceptable produce – a small oversized mushroom – there instead. Well THAT’S irritating! Suddenly I remember why I don’t usually come to these things. >(
Anyway – with Victor having submitted his entries (even if one of them was not the entry I wanted), I then TRIED to have him join Alice and Smiler at the bar (where they were chatting with a couple of other comers) – only for someone to steal his intended seat and cancel out the interaction. So he went over to a picnic table by the festival and had a specter sip all alone. Which was both sad and funny – especially when he finished the drink and ended up with two levels of VETERINARY skill, of all things. XD Well, uh, I guess that makes taking care of the cats and the dog easier? With that done, I had him look at the competing entry in the pie competition (someone’s fish pie, which he thought looked very nice), then looked around for something else for him to do –
K) And spotted the grocery stall and the garden stall. Each of which said that they were not only selling things, but buying them – at a 10% mark-up.
Cue Victor visiting each to both buy a few things and offload some of the crap hanging around in his inventory. XD At Kim’s, he bought a black bean (I couldn’t remember at the time if they had those at home or not – turns out yes, but it WAS only the one) and fifteen lots each of flour, sugar, red meat, and white meat (though in my game it was labeled as “beef” and “chicken” – I’m pretty sure that’s Brazen Lotus’s work), before selling her a bunch of the produce in his inventory – basil, parsley, sage, bell peppers, a small lettuce, some small pumpkins and watermelons, and a spare vitality fertilizer. Over at Agatha’s, he picked up a bunch of animal treats (party, fishy protein, healthy, pumpkin, and chocolatey) before selling her loads of flowers. So he may have spent some money, but he certainly got all of it back! I was ready then to try and get him back in the bar for his drink already –
And THAT is when it started thundering and lightning in earnest outside, and I realized that I had to save where I was and shut off the computer. *sigh* I spent roughly the next twenty, thirty minutes playing games on my iPad and wondering if, when I loaded up the save again, the Fair would even still be there –
L) And fortunately, when I did hit the old “Resume” button, everything was where I’d left it! :D I thus sent the trio over to the speaker in the pub to have a nice dance and chat together (with Smiler raving about non-exclusive relationships to Victor and showing off some sweet moves), before ending on some kisses (after Alice briefly ran off to the bar to get another wrench XD). I then sent Alice and Smiler out to look at the competition entries (Smiler praising Victor’s pie) while Victor finally got HIS drink from Sara the publican. Once they’d gotten an eyeful, I had Alice go dig up a dirt pile I’d spotted looking around the area (turned out to be a mustache fossil – pretty sure they’ve got that), while Smiler made friends with the mayor and (after a bit of coming through the menus – the Finchwick sidequests are under “Activities” under “Friendly,” everyone) offered to help with her errands. She offered them the choice between the “welcome to Henford-On-Bagley tour” (which, they’ve been living here for both in-game AND real-world years, I think they got it XD) and “going around asking people if they’re the recipient of this package I put together and then forgot who it was supposed to be mailed to.” XD Smiler took the second and started meeting and greeting around the fair to see who the package belonged to. The mayor’s adopted son, grocery deliverer Rahul? Nope. Kim of the grocery stand? Nope, though they did learn that she’s a Foodie. Fellow fair competitor Thomas Watson? Nope. Sara behind the bar? Nope. Seems like tracking down the owner of this package is going to be a little tougher than Smiler or I thought! O.o
M) Anyway – while Smiler was making the rounds, I had Alice entertain herself by window-shopping at the various shops in the town square (shame that they don’t actually SELL anything without the help of mods), then play a few games on her phone after throwing away the rotten meat in her inventory (whoops), while Victor had his drink, then (to stop him constantly going back for MORE drinks – I’m starting to think my trio has a juice problem) napped on a bench. He woke up in time for the end of the Fair though, and stood on the green while it all faded away around him, awaiting the results. A few moments later, he learned that he’d gotten a participation ribbon for the pie contest (aw) –
And first prize in the Oversized Crops contest! :D I mean, the mushroom was up against an equally-small lettuce, so it wasn’t MUCH of a victory, but I will take that ribbon! And the extra treats he got from winning – another pumpkin and chocolatey treat, and a spicy treat to boot. :D Nice. Now I just gotta remember to USE them…
N) With the fair done, it was time to send everyone back home. I had Victor put all his ingredients and produce and stuff in the fridge (thank you Brazen Lotus’s “put away” option :D), then had everyone play with the three cats, since they were all outside standing in roughly the same area, and Victor needed to renew his friendship with Surprise anyway. Once the cats were sufficiently entertained, Victor headed up to bed (new ribbons up on the wall), while Smiler got back on making mechanisms and Alice made a RAW bracelet out of obantium and citrine for a fun white-and-orange bracelet. And Gemology level 3, nice.
And THAT is where I left it! Whew – yeah, lot going on today! You can see why it took me so long. But hey, it was a pretty fulfilling day, and we have a new basement space to furnish and turn into something nice for the trio. :) NEXT time, though, I am DEFINITELY gonna try and actually get them in the store. They gotta empty out that shop at some point!
Writing: Edited the next chunk of “Start At The Beginning...Sort Of” after supper and The Pipe Thing, with Emily throwing Barkis and Victoria’s wedding reception into absolute chaos all by her lonesome. Though, admittedly, people in Duskwall all know that ghosts are bad news, so even one showing up in the middle of your dinner is a bad time. Fortunately Emily kept it together and didn’t try to hurt, or even touch, anyone other than Barkis (currently hiding under the head table, as per canon), just spooking them out the front doors (fortunately Victor, Alice, and Smiler were able to get out of the way of the outgoing mob). So now that the guests (and Lord and Lady Everglot, who fled up the stairs without even checking on Victoria – Victor was rightfully angry about that) are out of the way, Emily can really get started on her bastard ex – if he lets her, of course...
YouTube: Got in the desired Saturday Two, happily, so my Watch Later is cleared and my Subs are all caught up on, yay –
A) First up, from the Watch Later, was the Petey Plays It video I wanted to watch – “27 Base Game Moneymakers All Sims 4 Players Can Use!” Which was Petey listing a variety of ways to make money in the Sims – from “pocket change” methods like performing comedy or music for tips, selling fish you’ve caught, selling photos you’ve taken with your phone, or just using the NanoTech trash can that gives you cash for throwing things away (tip: that one works best in a house with lots of Sims); to “standard” methods like entering video game tournaments, selling cupcakes to rabbit hole bakeries(he specified from the Cupcake Factory machine, but hopefully it works with ones you make in the oven too), selling wooden statues and furniture you’ve crafted, and hosting social events for the rewards (house parties and dates yield stereos and VIP buckets!); to “the real money makers” like working your way to the top of a career, painting pictures, writing and publishing books, and straight up just asking all your friends for loans and then never paying them back. XD A good, fun list – especially if you’ve been looking for a new way to make money in the game for a challenge or something!
B) And second up, from the Subs, we had the daily GrayStillPlays episode – “Every time I get shot my vehicle gets more armor in GTA 5!” Though the title was rather misleading, as this wasn’t an “every time something happens a script makes a change to the car” board (like, every time he got shot his car changed to one with more armor) – this was a straight “here are the challenges, here are your cars, figure out which one can beat all of them and reach the win” board. The title was correct in implying that this was a “car versus bullets” board, though, with Gray having to best four challenges against heavier and heavier caliber fire –
I. Which Car’s Windshield Protects The Best Against Different Calibers? – Gray and his chosen car had to survive a group of nine identical women, each with a different caliber of gun, ranging from the humble taser to the simple handgun to a double-barrel shotgun to full-on automatic pain. Each woman appeared before him and had a few seconds to fire as many shots as she could before she was whisked away and another woman with a new gun replaced her. If Gray managed to survive them all, then a teleporter appeared behind him –
Teleporting him to a new chunk of road where ALL NINE of the ladies lay in wait with their guns, ready to ruin his life. However, Gray quickly discovered that this challenge could be cheesed – mostly by discovering the women weren’t protected while they were firing on him, and that if he managed to kill them while knocking them off the platform, there was a good chance they’d spawn in dead in round two. Taser Lady, hilariously, survived the most and the longest, leading to a very funny moment of Gray clambering out of a car bent in half with arms limp because he was in the middle of getting tased at the time. XD We love to see GTA being a glitchy, hilarious mess!
II. Which Car Can Survive A Double Mini-Gun Barrage? – Gray and his chosen car had to follow a pair of military-grade mini-guns on carts up a length of roadway, with the guns firing on Gray for basically the whole time. Gray could go off to the side, but the guns WOULD follow him, so this was all about if the car could tank the fire until they reached the end of their track. No cheating here!
III. Which Car Can Survive A Quad 20mm Auto Cannon? – Gray and his chosen car had to survive for 34.5 seconds (you know, half of 69 :p) in an arena (well, on a floating square with no sides) with a truck with, well, a quad 20mm auto cannon on its back. Speed and agility helped here, along with decent armor plating – but the most important thing it needed was the weight to shove the car around and knock the guy firing the damn thing out of position. XD Hey, the challenge said you just had to survive – not take every bullet to the face!
IV. Same Thing But Now You Have To Survive The Tank Bullets – Gray and his chosen car had to repeat the above “survive the arena” nonsense, only this time against a tank and for the full 69 seconds. This one was all about making damn sure that the tank did NOT get to blast you right out of the gate – if you took a shot while getting onto the square, you were pretty much guaranteed to blow up. Gray needed speed, agility, and smarts for this one!
So, which car won? Well, after a ridiculously-short outing with the go-kart (seriously, Alex and co XD), Gray actually started getting past the first challenge and seeing what cars could take what. The three standouts? The Sherp (which, despite a LITTLE trouble in the first challenge, actually did quite good up until the tank – its armor is solid, and it sits high enough off the ground that a lot of bullets miss important parts of the car; it didn’t die until the tank, and it took three hits); the camo-jeep with the roof-mounted mini-gun (Gray could just use the mini-gun to mow down the ladies trying to fire on him, and a lot of the other fire hit the roll-bars around the car instead of the car itself – again, it made it to the tank, though it died quicker than the Sherp); and the ultimate winner, the Insurgent (the frosty father of armored vehicles, it came close to blowing up a few times (the Sherp can take bullets to the nose a lot better than it can, shock) and had some REAL problems with the tank – until Gray half-accidentally managed to kite the tank off the side of the square by forcing it to back up to try and hit him better when he was playing “Ring Around the Rosie” with it; again, the challenge just said SURVIVE, soooo XD). Nice to know what vehicles you want to take into which dangerous situations!
And there you have it, my day. Which was much longer than I'd like, so now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will HOPEFULLY be better -- goals include getting as much of the image alt text on my Chill Valicer Save update sorted; playing Fallout 4 and getting Victor and Ada out of Rust Devil HQ; updating the FO4 Playthrough Progression doc accordingly; getting in a workout; and keeping up with GrayStillPlays and Jon of Many A True Nerd. Hopefully all achievable with the minimum amount of bullshit. *nods* Night all!
