Out Of Plague Times. . .Into Period Times

Yup -- just as I finish my time in Covid Town, the damn red curse shows up. Surprised me right before I took my shower tonight. >( Fortunately it had only just started, so damage was minimal, but it still annoys me. Like, you couldn't have waited just a couple more days? Had to start RIGHT before I go back to work? Ugh. . .

Well, anyway, today was my last day at home, with me getting up extra early (around 8 AM) to slooowly drag my schedule back to normal before returning to work now that I'm officially out of the woods with the plague. And I had a pretty productive day overall --

Tumblr: Well, getting up early did at least give me a productive morning on tumblr – after doing the usual dash-and-tags catch-up on Victor Luvs Alice this morning, I proceeded to finish up the text on the upcoming “Love Is Easy” Song Saturday post and about half the text on a future “Valicer In The Dark” AU Thursday post before lunch! Came back to the “Valicer In The Dark” post and finished that one off after lunch, so that’s all set for whenever I wish to unleash it on the world. :p

And then, this evening it was queuing time! Five-part Chill Valicer Save update for Wednesday, next OT3 Valicer meme for Thursday, another “OT3 roles” reblog for Friday, and the “Love Is Easy” Song Saturday on Victor Luvs Alice; and the OT3 meme for Valicer from last week and one late-arriving ask reply for Valice Multiverse. w00!

Sims 4: Yup, more building on Gutknecht Bend today! Well, mostly more decorating – a lot of my playtime today was spent adding decorations and such over the house (changing up the curtains to be consistent across the house; setting up a sitting area by the front door with a sofa, two chairs, and a big old chunk-of-lumber coffee table; adding a coat rack and an umbrella stand by the front door; putting up pictures and other decorations on the walls; adding a hutch to the dining room and some plates and cookware and such to the kitchen; adding a few more rugs; and finishing off the upstairs magic study with some chairs, lots of bookshelves, and more decorations), though I DID add some columns to the inside corners on the bottom floor where the “tower” part intersects the “building” part to provide a smoother join, and I changed up the greenhouse windows. That was probably the part that took the longest, honestly – I spent a lot of time experimenting with stacked smaller windows before just going “screw it” and finding a mid-wall-height metal-framed window that looked right and fit well enough next to the door I’d chosen. *nods* I think it came out all right in the end! Here’s some pictures of the tentatively-finished product in all its weird mismatched glory (I was going for an aesthetic that was half-Victorian, half-thrown-together handmade shit XD), including an exterior shot showing off the fancy Realm of Magic windows up top:



Still not discounting doing a “wrecked shell” variation for anyone who might want that, though! However, next time I play, I definitely want to get back to the Valicer trio. Both because I love them and because part of me wants to see about maybe adding some more house upgrades to their place too. XD

Writing: Back to normal schedule, back to “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland” on this fine Tuesday! Having gotten the info she needed from overhearing the answering machine message left on Milton’s machine, Alice has gone back up to her own floor, reconnecting with Victor and telling him about her night. He has decided he does not particularly want details about her pissing off the Russian mob and getting involved in a gang war. XD At least she was able to tell him she also has a lead on her next plaguebearer. . .should be able to wrap this chapter up on Thursday! Which is good, because I have a gift fic due in a couple of weeks, meaning I’ll need Saturday to start writing it. . .

YouTube: Got two videos out of the Watch Later and one out of the Subs – but that’s partly because the OTHER video in the Subs today was Call Me Kevin playing an early-release copy of Hogwarts Legacy, and – well, I have heard SO many horrible things about that game (namely that the whole premise of the goblin uprising that makes up the plot draws on so many antisemitic tropes it’s not even funny; plus there’s the whole thing about J.K. Rowling being a horrific transphobe), I can’t bring myself to watch the video. It’s just – no. *shakehead* So yeah, that left time for the following instead –

A) First up, this afternoon before my workout, another video from Simmer Erin – “Growing Together, I have Questions- Gameplay, BB and CAS Close Analysis (Sims 4 2023)!” Another video about the upcoming expansion pack, this was Erin taking a step back to look at certain things from the trailer and talk about what she hopes is in the pack and what she expects to happen with certain things. For example, she hopes that parents actually teaching children to ride a bike is in the pack, and not just kids getting on kid bikes and learning to ride themselves – she wants the family bonding interaction! She was also curious to see how treehouses will work and how customizable they are; was similarly curious about how customizable the rec center and its decorations are (focusing on a specific corkboard in the background of one shot that looked like it had Sim-created pictures on it); was very pleased with a bunch of the build/buy items on display (including a cabinet that looks like one she herself almost bought, and the puzzles in the rec center); thinks that carrying infants on your back LOOKS cool but suspects, like James Turner does, that it’s gonna bug out very easily; isn’t sure if we’re going to have an actual “tooth fairy” for kids losing teeth in the game or if it’s just gonna be a pop-up, but she’s good either way (and shared a story about bruising a tooth when she was younger, causing it to turn LAVENDER – the “tooth fairy” gave her extra money for that one!); and mentioned that she really hopes the “milestones” system is good and adds some depth to the gameplay. We’ve all got our fingers crossed for that one, Erin! And on a bunch of the other stuff you mentioned too.

B) Then, this evening, we did the other Sims video I’d dropped into my Watch Later – “The Sims 4: ALL Toddler Features on ALL PACKS!” by onlyabidoang! (Except not really because he had to put a few he forgot into the comments. XD) In honor of the upcoming Growing Together pack, Abi decided to see what the previously-released packs offered in terms of toddler gameplay! Some of them were complete no-goes (like Backyard Stuff, Perfect Patio Stuff, and StrangerVille – though Abi INSISTED on showing us a glitched-out Possessed toddler for that one, thanks Abi); others had a bit of gameplay (toddlers can use tents from packs like Outdoor Retreat and Snowy Escape, watch movies with older Sims and eat popcorn in Movie Hangout Stuff, and play on rocking chairs in Nifty Knitting Stuff – oh, and tend insect farms in Eco Lifestyle, yes seriously); and a few had a LOT of gameplay (obviously Parenthood has the character values, Seasons has them affected by the weather and able to use a special kiddie pool, and Cats & Dogs and Cottage Living lets them interact with the animals in adorable ways). XD A very fun video showing off all toddlers can (and can’t) do!

C) And finally we had GrayStillPlays in the Subs, with “Upgrading a BABY DOG into a GOD in Save the Doge!” Though, actually, the game he played was a similar “draw the thing to save the creature from the bees/piranhas” puzzle game called Save Balls. Possibly he deliberately misidentified it to avoid demonetization trouble with YouTube. XD At any rate, as stated, it’s a puzzle game where you must draw things, and of course Gray tried to draw the most ridiculous thing possible. Dog needs to be protected from both sides while hanging from a pyramid? Draw a man straddling the pyramid and dabbing! Two dogs must be protected while hanging out together (one literally) in a tunnel? Surely the Y from “Yeet” will do! Three pirate Pepe frogs on sticks must be protected? Surround them with the world’s most unhealthy pair of lungs! Need to knock a dog down a tunnel to have them outrun the bees? An extremely crude anvil will get the job done! It was extremely ridiculous and thus loads of fun – perfect Gray video. :P

Workout: Back on the bike for the first time in over a week, taking an “Easy Tour” ride as I start the next Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark on the playlist – “The Astor Gambit!” This one featured Edvard and Zillah, working together on Edvard’s assigned task of “figuring out how to get past the special Astor Innoventions custom lock on the Dimmer Sister’s big old vault.” Edvard still believed that the whole thing would be child’s play (because of his deeply ingrained hatred toward Astor manifesting in believing everything they make is junk), but he did at least get in contact with an old college friend, Wester, who had actually worked for Astor to see if he had any useful information. Wester posted back that he was free to meet to exchange information wherever, so Edvard set up a meeting at pub over near Charterhall University, where they used to hang out as students. Zillah tagged along as a bodyguard – Edvard was somewhat annoyed and said he could take care of himself, look at these electric punching fists he invented, and then nearly walked into a wall while deep in thought (only saved by Zillah pivoting him at the last moment). XD I love all the different weird dynamics and personalities the various Bladeventurers have – it makes for a lot of fun and varied adventures depending on who is paired with who.

Anyway, the two went over to the pub and met Wester (Edvard belatedly realizing he has never asked this old college chum what his second name is), with Edvard buying a round of very powerful drinks for them all to enjoy. XD Wester explained that he was in pretty dire straits right at the moment – while he HAD been working for Astor, he’d left to try and create his own hydraulics company with a friend. Astor hadn’t liked that and immediately put the kibosh on people working with him, and now the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Indeed, Zillah was able to spot with a good Survey roll a suspicious man with a newspaper nearby, and Wester, upon taking a look, confirmed that it was an Astor goon, as they’d been tailing him for weeks – first to be vaguely threatening and stop anyone trying to help his business, and now apparently just out of spite and to watch him fail. As Edvard was getting a bit loud in talking about how he wanted to bring the Astor company down, the group tabled the conversation briefly and resumed it back at Wester’s own apartment. He confirmed that he’d quite like to see Astor and his company go down, and Edvard told him about their plan to get through one of his custom locks and humiliate him (though he didn’t tell him where, just so he wouldn’t have the information to give should the worst happen; Wester was perfectly fine with this). Wester confirmed that the custom locks were a good job (which Edvard scoffed at), and that the building that all of Astor’s stuff is made in (right there in Charterhall) is VERY heavily guarded to prevent theft of ideas or plans –

But! The company also hosts regular little job fairs (“Anyone can Innovent”) where they allow any and all members of the public to apply for positions and give them a tour of the factory and all that. Very few people are actually HIRED at these events, of course, BUT it would get Edvard and Zillah in the door. Zillah said she was willing to pretend that she could “innovent” and asked if they had a punching division, with Wester confirming that they DID do defense stuff, on a very heavily guarded floor. Edvard said they’d try their chances at the next one in a few days (with him using a fake identity and Zillah just doing her best) and he and Zillah asked if they could get a map. Wester obliged, giving them an overview of the whole building and how it is broken up (with more general consumer products on the lower floors, and the special order/more secretive stuff up top – the level they want, Industrial Security, is the very top floor in fact) and what the Security floor looks like – he couldn’t tell them where the vents were for quick escapes, but he was able to mark out the archives where the plans for each custom lock are kept in case repairs and the like are needed, so that was good! He also gave them some old keycards – he didn’t think they would work, as they change them VERY regularly, but just in case! Edvard and Zillah thanked them for this information, and he asked politely if perhaps they couldn’t see their way to helping him keep the wolf from the door at the moment. Luke revealed (at Andy’s prompting, as he doesn’t quite get the monetary system of BitD) that Edvard was carrying 4 Coin of the gang’s money on him, and that the info Wester had provided was worth about 2 Coin –

Edvard promptly gave him 1 Coin, claiming he didn’t have any more. And tried to justify it to a glaring Zillah that he needed to buy a lot of electricity juice and that they could come back and give him more later. XD At least Wester has enough for rent or food now. . . Anyway, that brought us to the engagement roll, with the pair making their plans to infiltrate the job fair – Luke got them four dice for being bold, exploiting a weakness in the enemy’s defenses via the job fair, and by doing “social stealth” in applying for jobs (though Andy and Jane really had to argue that one), and the final roll was –

A five! And two ones and a two. XD Well, a five got them in the front door with normal load, with Zillah wearing a spare labcoat of Edvard’s (too big for him, just BARELY big enough for her and her muscles) and carrying a briefcase which Edvard filled with some of his inventions for her (an apple corer, a lightbulb, and a hat that reads thoughts – which he proved worked by putting it on and then saying she thought it was a stupid invention XD), and Edvard carrying a fake ID saying his name was Cornelius Gorey (which he’d had made up just before going full criminal). He gave it to the guard who asked them what their deal was when they arrived (Zillah just handing over her normal papers), and Luke demanded a quality roll – Edvard rolled Consort and got a five, success with a complication. Said complication being that the ID ALMOST passed muster, except that Cornelius was listed as having paid no tax over the past year. Edvard quickly bluffed that he’d earned no income, which was duly noted by the lady in charge of the whole job fair on her clipboard. XD On the plus side, one other person who’d tried to come in under a fake name was straight up thrown out (for trying to get in a SECOND time – these job fairs are One Attempt Only, then you are blacklisted for life), so better to be thought of as slightly crap, I guess! And so I left it off with the gang being brought to one of the machining rooms, where apparently they make cogs and such. We will see what happens with Zillah and Edvard from there! Hopefully Edvard can stop himself from going off on any rants. XD

*nods* Not bad -- and even with getting surprised by my period right afterward, it was good to get back to working out and all that. And now it is time to head to bed, for I do have to get up by 7 AM tomorrow. And thanks to PMSing, I have been suffering from The Insomnia, so. . . *sigh* Hopefully tomorrow won't be TOO wretched in terms of catching up. Night all!