Rainy Rainy Saturday
Jul. 13th, 2024 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickNot exceedingly rainy -- it did clear up by the end of the day -- but it was very wet this morning, that's for sure. Good thing I had nowhere to go! Instead, I hung out at home and got through my little impromptu to-do list --
Cleaning: Pretty typical cleaning Saturday, honestly – started around 10:30 AM; finished dusting and Swiffering by about 1:10 PM, right before lunch; vacuumed after lunch and dishes were done, wrapping up around 2:15 PM. *shrug* Nothing exciting – I’m just glad that I didn’t have to worry about any laundry on top of it!
Tumblr: Didn’t do much here at all – I barely kept up with my dash on Victor Luvs Alice, and there was literally NOTHING happening on Valice Multiverse – but I did pop into my drafts to add a new “not-incorrect quote” scene to my latest compilation for Valicer In The Dark, featuring Alice asking Smiler what was in the flask they were studying so intently, and getting an answer she did not like. (It’s, uh, urine. Because they were trying to figure out what was going on with some sick kids in Houndsditch. ...My sense of humor is weird sometimes, I fully admit this.) So that’s something!
Sims 4: Spent a couple of hours putzing around in my game today, working on some layout ideas and suchlike for the ever-more-likely future Tiny Town challenge save –
A) My initial idea was to download SrslySims’s “blank save” (a save that she has entirely bulldozed for challenge/building purposes) and use that to plan my layout and do a little building – but after downloading the save (and picking up Zerbu’s “Venue Changes” mod as she mentioned using it in the build to turn all lots residential – wasn’t sure I really needed it, but figured better safe than sorry), I opened up my game to find that the person in my “resume” button had turned into a white silhouette – and when I went to open the save, the game began telling me that it required every pack and kit that I haven’t bought. “Fuck that noise,” I went, closed the game, and deleted the save file. (I left in the mod, but I’m probably going to get rid of that too, as it just makes the “venues” list longer to scroll through. I wasn’t planning on making any other lots a “Chalet Garden” or a “Forgotten Grotto!”) I don’t think that’s SRSLY’s fault, I think it’s EA being an asshole, but I didn’t need that stress.
B) Okay, with that idea scrapped, I instead just made another branch of my main “building save” file and called it “Wiped Windenburg.” I then proceeded to evict all the current residents of Windenburg (checking “Manage Households” to make sure they all got in there safely), before heading over to Newcrest to pick up my partially-completed Ministry of Joy nightclub! I noted the lot size – 40x30 – then, after starting to get the wallpaper on the top floor sorted, only to spot some CC wallpaper from one of my Crypt-O-Club downloads that I suddenly decided I really wanted to use, I just saved the lot as it was to my Library under “Ministry of Joy Club,” figuring I could get it sorted the way I wanted once I got to Windenburg. (The one currently in Newcrest is now called “Ministry of Joy Club NoCC” to indicate it as the “no-mods” version I should work on when I’m in No-Mods mode because of a patch...guess I didn’t REALLY need to do that, as I still have my original building save, but not gonna hurt anything!) I thus headed back to Windenburg to survey my options –
C) And immediately realized, “Okay, that lot off on what looks like an old dock to me, where the big public pool lot usually is, is both one of the few lots big enough AND the only one in an area that even slightly matches the MOJ’s build style.” So I hopped over there, saved my “Recreation Factory” renovation (you know, when I turned James Turner’s abandoned factory shell into a recreation center while making stuff for a potential VITD save file) to my Library, then replaced it with the Ministry!
And then promptly had to use the “move lot” option to spin the Ministry around as it was facing the wrong direction. XD I also scooted it back slightly so it was too close to the front of the lot, then spent some time trying to figure out what I wanted to replace the grass surrounding the building with (mostly trying to see if there were any wooden floors that I felt worked with the wood in the world surrounding the lot...there really wasn’t, so after a lot of fiddling, I ended up going with some dark parquet flooring – I think from Paranormal Stuff? – that looked nice to me). I was tempted to then just keep going and build up the lot some more using all my fun CC stuff…
D) But I told myself “wait, no, this Sims session is supposed to be all about figuring out what you want to place where for the Tiny Town Challenge – leave this for later” and headed back into the map at large so I could visit my Library and figure out a few more lots. Ended up getting three more placed –
I. The Hill Valley Courthouse I downloaded a little while back! This was another 40x30 lot, to my mild frustration, but I soon realized that it would fit in the spot currently occupied by Coorinberg Cottage, over by the Von Haunt Place – and indeed, it actually looked rather nice over there! (Though maybe it would make more sent on the lot leading into the neighborhood – eh, details.) The lot itself is really nicely done too – there’s offices, a courtroom, a debate area, and a wedding area. :) I’m still thinking that I’m going to end up making it a rec center instead of a park, though – just gotta figure out how I’m going to change things around to do that!
II. The Club Confession I downloaded QUITE a while back! This one was a 30x20 lot, so it could fit a lot of places – I ended up putting it where the South Square Coffee lot usually goes. It of course is facing sideways, but it’s facing sideways when you encounter it in L.A. in VTMB too, so I’m not too fussed about that. (Though it is facing the OPPOSITE direction of the one in VTMB – I may use the “move lot” tool to spin it around at some point). Much like the Ministry of Joy, though, it had a little bit of unwanted grass around it – fortunately the rough stone/cobbles of the neighborhood I placed it in are a little easier to match, and I ended up surrounding the lot with the curvy Realm of Magic stone flooring. (It only occurred to me later that I might be able to match the surrounding area even better with terrain paint...we’ll see if I remember to try that out on a future visit!) The interior of this one looks cool too, though I definitely want to jazz it up a bit. That cross dance floor needs a bit extra life breathed into it!
III. The Red Rocket I downloaded also quite a while back! To the point where I forgot it was a National Park. XD While the fact that it was 20x20 lot meant that I had lots of options for where to place it, I REALLY wasn’t sure where to put this one at first. After all, this was a lot that was built in StrangerVille and is supposed to represent an old fueling station. Where the hell was it going to look good in Windenburg? but while looking at the map, I noticed that the Waterlock Redoubt lot was next to what looked like a main thoroughfare of sorts, so I stuck the Red Rocket there. Granted, in-GAME that is a lot of terraced walking paths going up and around, but I still think it looks good there. It’s a fun lot – all overgrown with plants and shrubs and stuff, and with almost every crafting bench in the game shoved into a tiny area. XD I am gonna update this one too, but kudos to the creator – I am impressed!
E) With those lots sorted (and me unable to find a “Ball & Socket” in the Gallery – guess I’ll be making the Corpse Bride bar myself!), I decided to turn my attention to my chosen 64x64 lot for my Tiny Town – the Von Windenburg Estate on the Crumbling Isle! I hopped in, bulldozed the old Villareal house, then – after a quick poke on the Gallery for inspiration – took a moment to get some of the necessaries for the residents when they first arrive: tents, pee bushes (though I ended up using the Horse Ranch variant instead of the original Get Together ones because the HR ones were WAY cheaper, and I’m trying to make sure this lot is capable of being bought as a “starter home”), and a washtub and clothing (because of COURSE I’m going to force them to do laundry – I’m also planning on making this place Off The Grid too, mwhahaha). I then started trying to determine sizes for each mini-lot, using the Werewolves fence, which – took quite a while. Mostly because I discovered, to my annoyance, that drawing an enclosure with a fence doesn’t make it a proper room – each fence piece is still its own separate thing. After struggling for a bit with how big I should make each mini-lot, and going back to the Gallery again for more inspiration (resisting the urge to just download someone else’s build – yes, it would have made my life easier, but I really wanted to design mine from scratch), I ended up figuring out that the ideal size for the mini-lots was a nice solid 18x18 enclosure! Which allowed me to make a perfect upside-down “U” of squares around the edges of the lot and still have a decent amount of space in the middle for a little “common area.” Here, actually, let me show you:
Like that! I think that looks very satisfying, don’t you? :) And it offers some incredible views too.
And so, with my plots sorted, I threw a cooler into each little enclosure, and called it a day. Mostly because my computer’s fan was a bit like “hey, you’re making me work overtime here.” XD Fairly solid start on what I want out of my Tiny Town, I feel – though it does highlight that there are a TON of lots in Windenburg, damn. O.o Which is good, because it means I’m not going to have any problems placing all my “fandom” lots...hell, I could probably throw in a bunch more lots if I wanted. Maybe find a spot for the Bowl-N-Skate Family Fun Center I made a while back? The Ice Cream Conery? The Freezer Bunny Arcade? Sunny Brews? Though I should probably leave space for other people to live in the main world too...I will have to ponder this more.
Writing: Got the rough draft of my next owed gift fic done – one for Weird Kev on tumblr, who requested his Ducktales OC Phillianne Tropy and her girlfriend Zan Owlson in their VTMB forms (Ventrue vampire and her ghoul lover respectively) being interviewed “What We Do In The Shadows” style. I’m only semi-familiar with the show, admittedly, but I think I got something that captures the spirit, with Phillianne and Zan giving a fairly casual interview about how Philli does respect other vampires, thank you, just the ones who deserve it. Which turned into her bitching about Sebastian LaCroix and what a stupid jerk he was (and she would know, his past requests have seen her visit L.A. during the time of VTMB and help out Malk!Alice with some of the bullshit there), and ended with the cameraman accidentally putting the idea of getting a “ghoul union” going into her head, since she was going on about how ghouls deserve fair pay after mentioning that the ones on her payroll were getting more than poor Alice was for doing much less dangerous jobs (they’re office workers, and Alice, we know, was doing things like blowing up Sabbat warehouses). Definitely needs some tweaking and cleaning up and all that, but that’s for next Saturday.
YouTube: Once again, started later than I anticipated, but I did watch both videos that I wanted to watch today –
A) First up, from the Watch Later, we had “I Used A 6 Stage Plan To Beat The Energy Need | Super Sim Series 9” by Petey Plays It! The latest in the adventures of Tina, his Super Sim, this detailed how she conquered the need for sleep – without resorting to the “Never Weary” trait, as Petey isn’t a fan of the “completely fill a need forever” traits (if he does get them, they’ll be purchased in the very last episode of the series) or just using charged Plumbite (which slowly recharges ALL of a Sim’s needs and thus is a little too overpowered for something that’s meant to be a challenge). So how did Tina manage to get her Energy need under control? Via the following:
I. Completing the Crystal Crafter aspiration! Which would grab her the “Attuned” reward trait, allowing her to absorb charge from crystals to pump up her Energy Need! This was something that basically took the entire video, as she needed to do things such as grow a Magnificent-quality crystal tree, complete ten pieces of jewelry or gemstones while Focused, and use a Jet item to summon the Grim Reaper, and that last one – well, it took her AGES to get the Jet. To the point where she found almost EVERY OTHER CRYSTAL in the game before her tree finally gave her the crystal she needed. On the plus side, she breezed through the early stages, and even got to gift Mars a bracelet that made him more susceptible to being convinced of things and more likely to lend money. XD At least he got a day on the bunny slopes on Mt. Komorebi with her out of it!
II. Crafting various pieces of Amethyst jewelry and cutting an Amethyst gemstone! Because not only did it help her complete her aspiration above, charged Amethyst jewelry and gemstones cause Sims to regain energy faster than sleeping and also can cause them to wake up with a special “Lucid Dream” moodlet. So if and when Tina DID need to sleep, she’d sleep for less time and hopefully wake up happier and more inspired!
III. Farming bombardier beetles in her insect farm! How did that help her? Well, as it turns out, you can use the nuggets they produce to create Bombardier Beetle Stir Fry, a dish that fills both Hunger and energy. It does also give your Sim some very fiery burps that can set them alight briefly, but no risk, no reward, as Petey said. XD
IV. Changing her lot type over to a Haunted House Residential temporarily! Not so Guidry and Temperance would bug her and the creepy noises the house made would force her to stay awake – no, so she could use her Mixology skills to make drinks to give to the specters in hopes of getting the Forbidden Candy Jar – that specter gift where you can eat a candy once per day and get a special Energized moodlet that causes your Energy need to refill for a few hours! This is another one that took longer than either Tina and Petey wanted, as the specters around her house were all about giving her bizarre idols, wraith wax, and specter sips (though the latter allowed her to max the Acting skill and get up to level six in the Horse-Riding skill, so THAT shit is way overpowered too, fun), but near the end of the video, she FINALLY got a nice jar of green candies to pick at. Patience wins the day!
V. Buying a better bed and upgrading it! Yes, one of the more obvious ones, Tina got herself a nice four-poster from the Cats & Dogs expansion with an Energy rating of 8 and upgraded it twice so it would be the absolute most amazing bed she’d ever owned. That plus the Amethyst stuff probably would make it so she’d only have to sleep for minutes, if she slept at all.
VI. Buying the “Seldom Sleepy” reward trait with her aspiration points! The most obvious one of all. XD Good thing for Tina Petey is not opposed to the reward traits that simply slow down how fast needs decay!
So yes, Tina is now, if not completely immune to Energy need decay, at least FUNCTIONALLY immune. So she can accomplish more in each day! Which is important, as she did a bunch of OTHER stuff this episode too – namely, joined the Mixology career so she could complete the Master Mixologist aspiration (and craft the emotion potions – though she only ever crafted one Focused potion before Petey just started buying them from the rewards store as it was easier) – she’s currently level 9, and Petey is hoping for a certain recipe chance card to show up; participated in her first Finchwick Fair and sacrificed an apple pie and a begonia to get started on the Finchwick Fair Ribbons collection – she got nothing for the pie, but she got first place in the crops competition for the begonia, so that’s something; made extra Hematite jewelry to protect herself from death because it appears the pact she made with the Grim Reaper after being resurrected via wishing well last episode had an expiration date, so now she’s just cycling out various pieces to keep herself protected at all times; and applied to university and got accepted into every Distinguished Degree program (along with getting a ton of scholarships for all her skills). The episode ended with Tina packing up all her most beloved objects as she prepared to move into university housing (including mom Sally’s grave), and Petey telling us about a beautiful-but-empty natural history museum that’s just gone on the market, hmmm… We’ll see what comes of that later, I’m sure!
B) And second up, from the Subs, we had “DIY Lego Cars in GTA 5” by GrayStillPlays! More LEGO Torture Board fun, yaaay! XD Specifically, this one featured Gray building LEGO cars (well, “building” – he chose his parts, and then an appropriately-reskinned car appeared when he stepped in the “build” script circle; like, if he chose one “dot” piece, then he got a “LEGO Roomba” that was a reskinned RC car) to try and find the one that could get him through Alex’s latest LEGO-themed Challenge Course Of Pain. And what was on the Challenge Course Of Pain? Why –
I. LEGO Tornado UPGRADED – Alex was VERY ANNOYED that Gray managed to one-shot the LAST LEGO tornado that he made (apparently it took him an hour to create it), so he made an even NASTIER version for Gray to jump through. And fortunately for his ego, Gray did not one-shot this one, though he came close! Gray instead had to observe the tornado to learn its behavior (namely, that it moved from right to left) and then time his jumps so that he only clipped the edge of the tornado instead of going straight through it. Or occasionally ramp off one of the pieces caught in the tornado. Whatever worked! XD
II. LEGO Heart – Alex then built Gray a LEGO heart to break through, much like Gray broke his heart when he one-shot that LEGO tornado. XD This one was mostly all about having a car that was fast enough and weighty enough to do enough damage to the pieces so they’d fly out and give Gray a thumbnail hole or two to jump through – a light car wouldn’t cut it!
III. Rotating LEGO Bridge – Having gotten his feelings regarding his poor original LEGO tornado out, Alex went back to normal terrible challenges, like forcing Gray to go across a bridge where every other LEGO chunk rotated just a little bit faster – until forcing him to drive over one long, very-quickly-rotating end piece. This one required an interesting mix of speed (to get over the blocks in time) and patience (to time going over the blocks correctly), so Gray, Mr. “I Will Fully Admit I Have No Patience,” struggled mightily with it. XD
IV. Secret LEGO Pyramid – After making it through the bridge, Gray then had to climb the LEGO pyramid to reach the teleporter at the top by going around the edges and finding the secret ramps going up! As you might imagine, this started out pretty hard, and just got more and more difficult as he ascended, with the ramps being put in more and more awkward places and giving him less and less room to turn. Navigating this required a car with good suspension that didn’t mind scraping its chassis around ninety-degree corners!
V. Stalking LEGO Rex (that breathes fire and wields a Weebmill katana) – And finally, after a teleport and a checkpoint, Gray had to go down an increasingly-narrow bridge (started out decent size, ended up as a tightrope) dodging obstacles and leaping over gaps to reach the win – all with a LEGO T-Rex breathing fire and wildly spinning a giant katana keeping pace with him and trying to knock him off the board. And while the fire actually wasn’t much of a threat (Gray was never in it long enough for any problems to occur), the katana DEFINITELY was – getting hit by that was a run-ruiner, so Gray had to pull out all of his tricks to avoid it (like keeping to the far left of the course whenever possible, and finding ways to get ahead of the katana whenever possible).
So, what car did Gray build for the win? Well, after going through such things as the previously-mentioned “LEGO Roomba,” one oddly-shaped LEGO motorcycle, a LEGO bus that made it decently far, a LEGO tractor unsurprisingly didn’t make it past the first challenge, and a LEGO fidget-spinner thing that worked like the one-tire “car” Alex has made for other challenges (and drove just as erratically), Gray finally made a LEGO truck that had speed, power, and WILDLY awesome suspension, to the point where it could drive over the rotating parts of the bridge while they were rotating.
In other words, he built the LEGO version – of the Wastelander. The LEGOlander, as per at least two comments on the video. :D So I get to chalk this board up as another win for my favorite GTA V car! Wastelander Supremacy, baby!
Whew -- that was a lot! But it was a good time, at least. And now I really should try to get to bed before it's 2 AM and I'm wondering where the time went. Tomorrow, plans are to catch up on Victor Luvs Alice a bit and prepare for next week's queue; play some Fallout 4 and keep working my way back to the Red Rocket to build Jezebel her body; update the FO4 Playthrough Progression appropriately; keep up with Gray and Jon as my usual Sunday Two on YouTube; and get in a workout with Squid's Baldur's Gate III cutscene movie. *nods* All achievable, I hope -- night all!
Cleaning: Pretty typical cleaning Saturday, honestly – started around 10:30 AM; finished dusting and Swiffering by about 1:10 PM, right before lunch; vacuumed after lunch and dishes were done, wrapping up around 2:15 PM. *shrug* Nothing exciting – I’m just glad that I didn’t have to worry about any laundry on top of it!
Tumblr: Didn’t do much here at all – I barely kept up with my dash on Victor Luvs Alice, and there was literally NOTHING happening on Valice Multiverse – but I did pop into my drafts to add a new “not-incorrect quote” scene to my latest compilation for Valicer In The Dark, featuring Alice asking Smiler what was in the flask they were studying so intently, and getting an answer she did not like. (It’s, uh, urine. Because they were trying to figure out what was going on with some sick kids in Houndsditch. ...My sense of humor is weird sometimes, I fully admit this.) So that’s something!
Sims 4: Spent a couple of hours putzing around in my game today, working on some layout ideas and suchlike for the ever-more-likely future Tiny Town challenge save –
A) My initial idea was to download SrslySims’s “blank save” (a save that she has entirely bulldozed for challenge/building purposes) and use that to plan my layout and do a little building – but after downloading the save (and picking up Zerbu’s “Venue Changes” mod as she mentioned using it in the build to turn all lots residential – wasn’t sure I really needed it, but figured better safe than sorry), I opened up my game to find that the person in my “resume” button had turned into a white silhouette – and when I went to open the save, the game began telling me that it required every pack and kit that I haven’t bought. “Fuck that noise,” I went, closed the game, and deleted the save file. (I left in the mod, but I’m probably going to get rid of that too, as it just makes the “venues” list longer to scroll through. I wasn’t planning on making any other lots a “Chalet Garden” or a “Forgotten Grotto!”) I don’t think that’s SRSLY’s fault, I think it’s EA being an asshole, but I didn’t need that stress.
B) Okay, with that idea scrapped, I instead just made another branch of my main “building save” file and called it “Wiped Windenburg.” I then proceeded to evict all the current residents of Windenburg (checking “Manage Households” to make sure they all got in there safely), before heading over to Newcrest to pick up my partially-completed Ministry of Joy nightclub! I noted the lot size – 40x30 – then, after starting to get the wallpaper on the top floor sorted, only to spot some CC wallpaper from one of my Crypt-O-Club downloads that I suddenly decided I really wanted to use, I just saved the lot as it was to my Library under “Ministry of Joy Club,” figuring I could get it sorted the way I wanted once I got to Windenburg. (The one currently in Newcrest is now called “Ministry of Joy Club NoCC” to indicate it as the “no-mods” version I should work on when I’m in No-Mods mode because of a patch...guess I didn’t REALLY need to do that, as I still have my original building save, but not gonna hurt anything!) I thus headed back to Windenburg to survey my options –
C) And immediately realized, “Okay, that lot off on what looks like an old dock to me, where the big public pool lot usually is, is both one of the few lots big enough AND the only one in an area that even slightly matches the MOJ’s build style.” So I hopped over there, saved my “Recreation Factory” renovation (you know, when I turned James Turner’s abandoned factory shell into a recreation center while making stuff for a potential VITD save file) to my Library, then replaced it with the Ministry!
And then promptly had to use the “move lot” option to spin the Ministry around as it was facing the wrong direction. XD I also scooted it back slightly so it was too close to the front of the lot, then spent some time trying to figure out what I wanted to replace the grass surrounding the building with (mostly trying to see if there were any wooden floors that I felt worked with the wood in the world surrounding the lot...there really wasn’t, so after a lot of fiddling, I ended up going with some dark parquet flooring – I think from Paranormal Stuff? – that looked nice to me). I was tempted to then just keep going and build up the lot some more using all my fun CC stuff…
D) But I told myself “wait, no, this Sims session is supposed to be all about figuring out what you want to place where for the Tiny Town Challenge – leave this for later” and headed back into the map at large so I could visit my Library and figure out a few more lots. Ended up getting three more placed –
I. The Hill Valley Courthouse I downloaded a little while back! This was another 40x30 lot, to my mild frustration, but I soon realized that it would fit in the spot currently occupied by Coorinberg Cottage, over by the Von Haunt Place – and indeed, it actually looked rather nice over there! (Though maybe it would make more sent on the lot leading into the neighborhood – eh, details.) The lot itself is really nicely done too – there’s offices, a courtroom, a debate area, and a wedding area. :) I’m still thinking that I’m going to end up making it a rec center instead of a park, though – just gotta figure out how I’m going to change things around to do that!
II. The Club Confession I downloaded QUITE a while back! This one was a 30x20 lot, so it could fit a lot of places – I ended up putting it where the South Square Coffee lot usually goes. It of course is facing sideways, but it’s facing sideways when you encounter it in L.A. in VTMB too, so I’m not too fussed about that. (Though it is facing the OPPOSITE direction of the one in VTMB – I may use the “move lot” tool to spin it around at some point). Much like the Ministry of Joy, though, it had a little bit of unwanted grass around it – fortunately the rough stone/cobbles of the neighborhood I placed it in are a little easier to match, and I ended up surrounding the lot with the curvy Realm of Magic stone flooring. (It only occurred to me later that I might be able to match the surrounding area even better with terrain paint...we’ll see if I remember to try that out on a future visit!) The interior of this one looks cool too, though I definitely want to jazz it up a bit. That cross dance floor needs a bit extra life breathed into it!
III. The Red Rocket I downloaded also quite a while back! To the point where I forgot it was a National Park. XD While the fact that it was 20x20 lot meant that I had lots of options for where to place it, I REALLY wasn’t sure where to put this one at first. After all, this was a lot that was built in StrangerVille and is supposed to represent an old fueling station. Where the hell was it going to look good in Windenburg? but while looking at the map, I noticed that the Waterlock Redoubt lot was next to what looked like a main thoroughfare of sorts, so I stuck the Red Rocket there. Granted, in-GAME that is a lot of terraced walking paths going up and around, but I still think it looks good there. It’s a fun lot – all overgrown with plants and shrubs and stuff, and with almost every crafting bench in the game shoved into a tiny area. XD I am gonna update this one too, but kudos to the creator – I am impressed!
E) With those lots sorted (and me unable to find a “Ball & Socket” in the Gallery – guess I’ll be making the Corpse Bride bar myself!), I decided to turn my attention to my chosen 64x64 lot for my Tiny Town – the Von Windenburg Estate on the Crumbling Isle! I hopped in, bulldozed the old Villareal house, then – after a quick poke on the Gallery for inspiration – took a moment to get some of the necessaries for the residents when they first arrive: tents, pee bushes (though I ended up using the Horse Ranch variant instead of the original Get Together ones because the HR ones were WAY cheaper, and I’m trying to make sure this lot is capable of being bought as a “starter home”), and a washtub and clothing (because of COURSE I’m going to force them to do laundry – I’m also planning on making this place Off The Grid too, mwhahaha). I then started trying to determine sizes for each mini-lot, using the Werewolves fence, which – took quite a while. Mostly because I discovered, to my annoyance, that drawing an enclosure with a fence doesn’t make it a proper room – each fence piece is still its own separate thing. After struggling for a bit with how big I should make each mini-lot, and going back to the Gallery again for more inspiration (resisting the urge to just download someone else’s build – yes, it would have made my life easier, but I really wanted to design mine from scratch), I ended up figuring out that the ideal size for the mini-lots was a nice solid 18x18 enclosure! Which allowed me to make a perfect upside-down “U” of squares around the edges of the lot and still have a decent amount of space in the middle for a little “common area.” Here, actually, let me show you:
Like that! I think that looks very satisfying, don’t you? :) And it offers some incredible views too.
And so, with my plots sorted, I threw a cooler into each little enclosure, and called it a day. Mostly because my computer’s fan was a bit like “hey, you’re making me work overtime here.” XD Fairly solid start on what I want out of my Tiny Town, I feel – though it does highlight that there are a TON of lots in Windenburg, damn. O.o Which is good, because it means I’m not going to have any problems placing all my “fandom” lots...hell, I could probably throw in a bunch more lots if I wanted. Maybe find a spot for the Bowl-N-Skate Family Fun Center I made a while back? The Ice Cream Conery? The Freezer Bunny Arcade? Sunny Brews? Though I should probably leave space for other people to live in the main world too...I will have to ponder this more.
Writing: Got the rough draft of my next owed gift fic done – one for Weird Kev on tumblr, who requested his Ducktales OC Phillianne Tropy and her girlfriend Zan Owlson in their VTMB forms (Ventrue vampire and her ghoul lover respectively) being interviewed “What We Do In The Shadows” style. I’m only semi-familiar with the show, admittedly, but I think I got something that captures the spirit, with Phillianne and Zan giving a fairly casual interview about how Philli does respect other vampires, thank you, just the ones who deserve it. Which turned into her bitching about Sebastian LaCroix and what a stupid jerk he was (and she would know, his past requests have seen her visit L.A. during the time of VTMB and help out Malk!Alice with some of the bullshit there), and ended with the cameraman accidentally putting the idea of getting a “ghoul union” going into her head, since she was going on about how ghouls deserve fair pay after mentioning that the ones on her payroll were getting more than poor Alice was for doing much less dangerous jobs (they’re office workers, and Alice, we know, was doing things like blowing up Sabbat warehouses). Definitely needs some tweaking and cleaning up and all that, but that’s for next Saturday.
YouTube: Once again, started later than I anticipated, but I did watch both videos that I wanted to watch today –
A) First up, from the Watch Later, we had “I Used A 6 Stage Plan To Beat The Energy Need | Super Sim Series 9” by Petey Plays It! The latest in the adventures of Tina, his Super Sim, this detailed how she conquered the need for sleep – without resorting to the “Never Weary” trait, as Petey isn’t a fan of the “completely fill a need forever” traits (if he does get them, they’ll be purchased in the very last episode of the series) or just using charged Plumbite (which slowly recharges ALL of a Sim’s needs and thus is a little too overpowered for something that’s meant to be a challenge). So how did Tina manage to get her Energy need under control? Via the following:
I. Completing the Crystal Crafter aspiration! Which would grab her the “Attuned” reward trait, allowing her to absorb charge from crystals to pump up her Energy Need! This was something that basically took the entire video, as she needed to do things such as grow a Magnificent-quality crystal tree, complete ten pieces of jewelry or gemstones while Focused, and use a Jet item to summon the Grim Reaper, and that last one – well, it took her AGES to get the Jet. To the point where she found almost EVERY OTHER CRYSTAL in the game before her tree finally gave her the crystal she needed. On the plus side, she breezed through the early stages, and even got to gift Mars a bracelet that made him more susceptible to being convinced of things and more likely to lend money. XD At least he got a day on the bunny slopes on Mt. Komorebi with her out of it!
II. Crafting various pieces of Amethyst jewelry and cutting an Amethyst gemstone! Because not only did it help her complete her aspiration above, charged Amethyst jewelry and gemstones cause Sims to regain energy faster than sleeping and also can cause them to wake up with a special “Lucid Dream” moodlet. So if and when Tina DID need to sleep, she’d sleep for less time and hopefully wake up happier and more inspired!
III. Farming bombardier beetles in her insect farm! How did that help her? Well, as it turns out, you can use the nuggets they produce to create Bombardier Beetle Stir Fry, a dish that fills both Hunger and energy. It does also give your Sim some very fiery burps that can set them alight briefly, but no risk, no reward, as Petey said. XD
IV. Changing her lot type over to a Haunted House Residential temporarily! Not so Guidry and Temperance would bug her and the creepy noises the house made would force her to stay awake – no, so she could use her Mixology skills to make drinks to give to the specters in hopes of getting the Forbidden Candy Jar – that specter gift where you can eat a candy once per day and get a special Energized moodlet that causes your Energy need to refill for a few hours! This is another one that took longer than either Tina and Petey wanted, as the specters around her house were all about giving her bizarre idols, wraith wax, and specter sips (though the latter allowed her to max the Acting skill and get up to level six in the Horse-Riding skill, so THAT shit is way overpowered too, fun), but near the end of the video, she FINALLY got a nice jar of green candies to pick at. Patience wins the day!
V. Buying a better bed and upgrading it! Yes, one of the more obvious ones, Tina got herself a nice four-poster from the Cats & Dogs expansion with an Energy rating of 8 and upgraded it twice so it would be the absolute most amazing bed she’d ever owned. That plus the Amethyst stuff probably would make it so she’d only have to sleep for minutes, if she slept at all.
VI. Buying the “Seldom Sleepy” reward trait with her aspiration points! The most obvious one of all. XD Good thing for Tina Petey is not opposed to the reward traits that simply slow down how fast needs decay!
So yes, Tina is now, if not completely immune to Energy need decay, at least FUNCTIONALLY immune. So she can accomplish more in each day! Which is important, as she did a bunch of OTHER stuff this episode too – namely, joined the Mixology career so she could complete the Master Mixologist aspiration (and craft the emotion potions – though she only ever crafted one Focused potion before Petey just started buying them from the rewards store as it was easier) – she’s currently level 9, and Petey is hoping for a certain recipe chance card to show up; participated in her first Finchwick Fair and sacrificed an apple pie and a begonia to get started on the Finchwick Fair Ribbons collection – she got nothing for the pie, but she got first place in the crops competition for the begonia, so that’s something; made extra Hematite jewelry to protect herself from death because it appears the pact she made with the Grim Reaper after being resurrected via wishing well last episode had an expiration date, so now she’s just cycling out various pieces to keep herself protected at all times; and applied to university and got accepted into every Distinguished Degree program (along with getting a ton of scholarships for all her skills). The episode ended with Tina packing up all her most beloved objects as she prepared to move into university housing (including mom Sally’s grave), and Petey telling us about a beautiful-but-empty natural history museum that’s just gone on the market, hmmm… We’ll see what comes of that later, I’m sure!
B) And second up, from the Subs, we had “DIY Lego Cars in GTA 5” by GrayStillPlays! More LEGO Torture Board fun, yaaay! XD Specifically, this one featured Gray building LEGO cars (well, “building” – he chose his parts, and then an appropriately-reskinned car appeared when he stepped in the “build” script circle; like, if he chose one “dot” piece, then he got a “LEGO Roomba” that was a reskinned RC car) to try and find the one that could get him through Alex’s latest LEGO-themed Challenge Course Of Pain. And what was on the Challenge Course Of Pain? Why –
I. LEGO Tornado UPGRADED – Alex was VERY ANNOYED that Gray managed to one-shot the LAST LEGO tornado that he made (apparently it took him an hour to create it), so he made an even NASTIER version for Gray to jump through. And fortunately for his ego, Gray did not one-shot this one, though he came close! Gray instead had to observe the tornado to learn its behavior (namely, that it moved from right to left) and then time his jumps so that he only clipped the edge of the tornado instead of going straight through it. Or occasionally ramp off one of the pieces caught in the tornado. Whatever worked! XD
II. LEGO Heart – Alex then built Gray a LEGO heart to break through, much like Gray broke his heart when he one-shot that LEGO tornado. XD This one was mostly all about having a car that was fast enough and weighty enough to do enough damage to the pieces so they’d fly out and give Gray a thumbnail hole or two to jump through – a light car wouldn’t cut it!
III. Rotating LEGO Bridge – Having gotten his feelings regarding his poor original LEGO tornado out, Alex went back to normal terrible challenges, like forcing Gray to go across a bridge where every other LEGO chunk rotated just a little bit faster – until forcing him to drive over one long, very-quickly-rotating end piece. This one required an interesting mix of speed (to get over the blocks in time) and patience (to time going over the blocks correctly), so Gray, Mr. “I Will Fully Admit I Have No Patience,” struggled mightily with it. XD
IV. Secret LEGO Pyramid – After making it through the bridge, Gray then had to climb the LEGO pyramid to reach the teleporter at the top by going around the edges and finding the secret ramps going up! As you might imagine, this started out pretty hard, and just got more and more difficult as he ascended, with the ramps being put in more and more awkward places and giving him less and less room to turn. Navigating this required a car with good suspension that didn’t mind scraping its chassis around ninety-degree corners!
V. Stalking LEGO Rex (that breathes fire and wields a Weebmill katana) – And finally, after a teleport and a checkpoint, Gray had to go down an increasingly-narrow bridge (started out decent size, ended up as a tightrope) dodging obstacles and leaping over gaps to reach the win – all with a LEGO T-Rex breathing fire and wildly spinning a giant katana keeping pace with him and trying to knock him off the board. And while the fire actually wasn’t much of a threat (Gray was never in it long enough for any problems to occur), the katana DEFINITELY was – getting hit by that was a run-ruiner, so Gray had to pull out all of his tricks to avoid it (like keeping to the far left of the course whenever possible, and finding ways to get ahead of the katana whenever possible).
So, what car did Gray build for the win? Well, after going through such things as the previously-mentioned “LEGO Roomba,” one oddly-shaped LEGO motorcycle, a LEGO bus that made it decently far, a LEGO tractor unsurprisingly didn’t make it past the first challenge, and a LEGO fidget-spinner thing that worked like the one-tire “car” Alex has made for other challenges (and drove just as erratically), Gray finally made a LEGO truck that had speed, power, and WILDLY awesome suspension, to the point where it could drive over the rotating parts of the bridge while they were rotating.
In other words, he built the LEGO version – of the Wastelander. The LEGOlander, as per at least two comments on the video. :D So I get to chalk this board up as another win for my favorite GTA V car! Wastelander Supremacy, baby!
Whew -- that was a lot! But it was a good time, at least. And now I really should try to get to bed before it's 2 AM and I'm wondering where the time went. Tomorrow, plans are to catch up on Victor Luvs Alice a bit and prepare for next week's queue; play some Fallout 4 and keep working my way back to the Red Rocket to build Jezebel her body; update the FO4 Playthrough Progression appropriately; keep up with Gray and Jon as my usual Sunday Two on YouTube; and get in a workout with Squid's Baldur's Gate III cutscene movie. *nods* All achievable, I hope -- night all!
