Back To The Grind...Sort Of
Jan. 2nd, 2025 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickAfter all, I'm only back to the grind for two days, and then there's another weekend. :P Though admittedly this one is a cleaning weekend, so I guess that counts as part of the grind? Maybe? Not like I particularly enjoy cleaning... *shakehead* Anyway, here is the Standard Weekday Write-Up of my activities --
Work – Not as busy a first day back as I had thought – while there were a lot of e-mails to get through, most of them were just GL stuff, and one of my coworkers does the GL on Thursdays (I do it Mondays and Fridays), so she was the one slogging through all that while I just called a few people back about stuff (credit card related, mainly) and then got back to the roster maintenance I was working on before. *shrug* Kind of a boring day overall, honestly – we’ll see what Friday looks like!
To-Do List –
1. Get in a workout: Check – another night on the bike, pedaling my way through the following –
A) The end of “Hanging out with all of Tiny Town! - Part 12” by James Turner! Which was basically just James finishing off the initial form of Scarlett’s fairycore cottage tree house (which actually contained a lot of items from the bistro-themed kit, since James really liked the doors and windows...plus as many strings of fun lights as he could fit around the place, and a swing); having Scarlett test it to make sure she could cook in the absolutely tiny kitchen and reach her bedroom no problem; and then declaring “I know I said I was going to play her a little longer to try and get all her mushrooms growing, but it is 11 PM here, I wanted to release this episode today, and I am bushed.” XD So the episode ended with Scarlett sleeping in her treehouse and Pablo enjoying the fancy lighted swings that James stuck underneath the tree. We’ll pick up with this series again sometime next week, with Silas the yellow-loving boho photographer FINALLY getting an episode!
B) The entirety of “The Sims 4 Life & Death: ALL 35 NEW GHOST ABILITIES & FEATURES” by onlyabidoang! Dude finally got a few free moments during his medical internship to record a video discussing all the different powers now available to ghosts in their very own skill tree, plus a few bonus features like the new ways to temporarily turn into a ghost as a living Sim; how ghosts can get the Burning Soul trait, which allows them to regain some of their old traits should they choose to be reborn as a new Sim; and the benefits available to ghosts who attend Afterlife Anonymous meetings (mostly moodlets, though there’s a special trunk there you can practice your possessing on for extra ghost XP). It really wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before in Petey Plays It’s video on the subject, or some of Abi’s own earlier videos on the new pack, but it was still entertaining to see his take on it! We always love seeing poor (dammit) Emily suffer. :p
C) And a couple of short Corpse Bride and Alice: Madness Returns clips to fill out the last couple of minutes. :) Sadly didn’t have time for a The Smiler-related clip, but I can make that up later! :p
2. Continue working on “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland”: Check – yes, I’m back to this story now that 2025 has dawned and “A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded” needs a little time to sit and percolate. I thus started edits on Chapter 4 tonight, with Alice having a bit of banter with Victor about his sleep schedule and what’s in her e-mail inbox as she gets ready to take on the night. Victor admitted to her that he likes being nocturnal like her because it means he can order a steak-and-cheese sandwich for breakfast if he wants, since he now gets up around lunchtime. XD A little bit of a slow start as I get back into the rhythm of things, but it’s still a start, yay~
3. Keep up with YouTube Subs: Substitution Check – had nothing to actually watch in my Subs (not even a compilation video by GrayStillPlays), so I instead turned to my Watch Later to catch up on one of the videos there – OXBox’s “Game of the Year 2024: WE DECIDE!” Everyone’s picks for their GOTY, plus a few Honorable Mentions. In brief, we had –
Jane: GOTY was SatisFactory (she really enjoys the gameplay loop and constructing the factory even if it kind of makes you the bad guy for despoiling this beautiful alien planet), while her HM was Dragon Age: The Veilguard (she loves it and considers it a good game, she just hasn’t connected with it like she has with past DA games – she thinks she might just need more time with it to get that spark back)
Andy: HM was Balatro (specifically the mobile version, as it’s a fun little weird poker roguelike (yes, really) to play on your phone), while his GOTY was Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (best RPG he’s ever played, with a perfect mix of hilarious, “not taking itself too seriously” elements and genuinely heartwarming and heartbreaking stuff)
Ellen: GOTY was AstroBot (she loves it because it’s easy to learn but hard to master, and it’s so joyful and fun to play), while her three HMs were LEGO Horizon Adventures (an adorable adaptation of Zero Horizon that helps bridge the gap between more “kiddy” games and more “grown-up” ones), Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (just a fun puzzle game where she got to throw rocks at things), and Flock (a game where you fly around on a bird and learn calls to collect the other flying creatures around – she described it as “Bugsnax without the creepiness”)
Mike: Had a sort of “Honorable Mention of an Honorable Mention” by admitting he’d considered Call of Duty Black Ops 6 as his HM (he just likes the multiplayer, which is as good as ever); actual HM was Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics (which he found was an excellent collection of fun classic fighting games remastered for the modern day); and his GOTY was Metaphor Refantazio (a game that he first played because they were sponsored by the company to make a video on it, and to his own surprise fell in love with because he really enjoyed the world and the combat – which is weird, because it’s basically “fantasy Persona” and he’s never been into those)
Some interesting choices there, I must admit! If I was going to play any of them, it would probably be Satisfactory, as it seems the one that has the gameplay loops I most like (plus there may be secret eldritch horror nonsense, based on one of the clips…). Though AstroBot looks adorable – I just don’t have a PS5! Sorry Ellen!
4. Get my tumblr queues sorted: Check and check –
Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) – Threw a gifset I saved a while back of someone matching certain VTMB characters to certain songs (like Damsel to the song “Shitlist”) into the queue for tomorrow – it felt like the most appropriate thing to put in there given I’ve restarted work on “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland!” I’ll figure out Song Saturday tomorrow.
Valice Multiverse – Had two asks to put into the queue over here today –
A) An anon responding to my OOC “Happy New Year” post – specifically, the tag where I said “put on that one Mountain Goats song and brace yourself.” I was referencing their song “This Year” (which a lot of people on tumblr have been referencing, with the lyrics “I’m gonna make it through this year/if it kills me”), but the anon instead said they were playing “No Children,” which is a song about being in a toxic relationship and hoping that it all goes down in flames and they destroy each other. I admitted that it wasn’t what I was thinking of, but it was still, unfortunately, a vibe. *sigh*
B) And toonsisters sharing a comic she found of three people making a heart with their hands – and then one of them changing the heart into a dong. Causing the other two people to be like “COME ON.” Apparently it reminded her of the trio. XD Cuddlepile!Alice looked at it, then silently looked at Smiler who was like “how very dare” (“am I wrong?” “Didn’t say that”) while Victor just facepalmed. XD
Whew -- and now I have to get to bed because, you know, still got another day of work. Before another weekend. *shakehead* This is the stupidest way to return to work, I swear...anyway, night all!
Work – Not as busy a first day back as I had thought – while there were a lot of e-mails to get through, most of them were just GL stuff, and one of my coworkers does the GL on Thursdays (I do it Mondays and Fridays), so she was the one slogging through all that while I just called a few people back about stuff (credit card related, mainly) and then got back to the roster maintenance I was working on before. *shrug* Kind of a boring day overall, honestly – we’ll see what Friday looks like!
To-Do List –
1. Get in a workout: Check – another night on the bike, pedaling my way through the following –
A) The end of “Hanging out with all of Tiny Town! - Part 12” by James Turner! Which was basically just James finishing off the initial form of Scarlett’s fairycore cottage tree house (which actually contained a lot of items from the bistro-themed kit, since James really liked the doors and windows...plus as many strings of fun lights as he could fit around the place, and a swing); having Scarlett test it to make sure she could cook in the absolutely tiny kitchen and reach her bedroom no problem; and then declaring “I know I said I was going to play her a little longer to try and get all her mushrooms growing, but it is 11 PM here, I wanted to release this episode today, and I am bushed.” XD So the episode ended with Scarlett sleeping in her treehouse and Pablo enjoying the fancy lighted swings that James stuck underneath the tree. We’ll pick up with this series again sometime next week, with Silas the yellow-loving boho photographer FINALLY getting an episode!
B) The entirety of “The Sims 4 Life & Death: ALL 35 NEW GHOST ABILITIES & FEATURES” by onlyabidoang! Dude finally got a few free moments during his medical internship to record a video discussing all the different powers now available to ghosts in their very own skill tree, plus a few bonus features like the new ways to temporarily turn into a ghost as a living Sim; how ghosts can get the Burning Soul trait, which allows them to regain some of their old traits should they choose to be reborn as a new Sim; and the benefits available to ghosts who attend Afterlife Anonymous meetings (mostly moodlets, though there’s a special trunk there you can practice your possessing on for extra ghost XP). It really wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before in Petey Plays It’s video on the subject, or some of Abi’s own earlier videos on the new pack, but it was still entertaining to see his take on it! We always love seeing poor (dammit) Emily suffer. :p
C) And a couple of short Corpse Bride and Alice: Madness Returns clips to fill out the last couple of minutes. :) Sadly didn’t have time for a The Smiler-related clip, but I can make that up later! :p
2. Continue working on “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland”: Check – yes, I’m back to this story now that 2025 has dawned and “A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded” needs a little time to sit and percolate. I thus started edits on Chapter 4 tonight, with Alice having a bit of banter with Victor about his sleep schedule and what’s in her e-mail inbox as she gets ready to take on the night. Victor admitted to her that he likes being nocturnal like her because it means he can order a steak-and-cheese sandwich for breakfast if he wants, since he now gets up around lunchtime. XD A little bit of a slow start as I get back into the rhythm of things, but it’s still a start, yay~
3. Keep up with YouTube Subs: Substitution Check – had nothing to actually watch in my Subs (not even a compilation video by GrayStillPlays), so I instead turned to my Watch Later to catch up on one of the videos there – OXBox’s “Game of the Year 2024: WE DECIDE!” Everyone’s picks for their GOTY, plus a few Honorable Mentions. In brief, we had –
Jane: GOTY was SatisFactory (she really enjoys the gameplay loop and constructing the factory even if it kind of makes you the bad guy for despoiling this beautiful alien planet), while her HM was Dragon Age: The Veilguard (she loves it and considers it a good game, she just hasn’t connected with it like she has with past DA games – she thinks she might just need more time with it to get that spark back)
Andy: HM was Balatro (specifically the mobile version, as it’s a fun little weird poker roguelike (yes, really) to play on your phone), while his GOTY was Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (best RPG he’s ever played, with a perfect mix of hilarious, “not taking itself too seriously” elements and genuinely heartwarming and heartbreaking stuff)
Ellen: GOTY was AstroBot (she loves it because it’s easy to learn but hard to master, and it’s so joyful and fun to play), while her three HMs were LEGO Horizon Adventures (an adorable adaptation of Zero Horizon that helps bridge the gap between more “kiddy” games and more “grown-up” ones), Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (just a fun puzzle game where she got to throw rocks at things), and Flock (a game where you fly around on a bird and learn calls to collect the other flying creatures around – she described it as “Bugsnax without the creepiness”)
Mike: Had a sort of “Honorable Mention of an Honorable Mention” by admitting he’d considered Call of Duty Black Ops 6 as his HM (he just likes the multiplayer, which is as good as ever); actual HM was Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics (which he found was an excellent collection of fun classic fighting games remastered for the modern day); and his GOTY was Metaphor Refantazio (a game that he first played because they were sponsored by the company to make a video on it, and to his own surprise fell in love with because he really enjoyed the world and the combat – which is weird, because it’s basically “fantasy Persona” and he’s never been into those)
Some interesting choices there, I must admit! If I was going to play any of them, it would probably be Satisfactory, as it seems the one that has the gameplay loops I most like (plus there may be secret eldritch horror nonsense, based on one of the clips…). Though AstroBot looks adorable – I just don’t have a PS5! Sorry Ellen!
4. Get my tumblr queues sorted: Check and check –
Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) – Threw a gifset I saved a while back of someone matching certain VTMB characters to certain songs (like Damsel to the song “Shitlist”) into the queue for tomorrow – it felt like the most appropriate thing to put in there given I’ve restarted work on “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland!” I’ll figure out Song Saturday tomorrow.
Valice Multiverse – Had two asks to put into the queue over here today –
A) An anon responding to my OOC “Happy New Year” post – specifically, the tag where I said “put on that one Mountain Goats song and brace yourself.” I was referencing their song “This Year” (which a lot of people on tumblr have been referencing, with the lyrics “I’m gonna make it through this year/if it kills me”), but the anon instead said they were playing “No Children,” which is a song about being in a toxic relationship and hoping that it all goes down in flames and they destroy each other. I admitted that it wasn’t what I was thinking of, but it was still, unfortunately, a vibe. *sigh*
B) And toonsisters sharing a comic she found of three people making a heart with their hands – and then one of them changing the heart into a dong. Causing the other two people to be like “COME ON.” Apparently it reminded her of the trio. XD Cuddlepile!Alice looked at it, then silently looked at Smiler who was like “how very dare” (“am I wrong?” “Didn’t say that”) while Victor just facepalmed. XD
Whew -- and now I have to get to bed because, you know, still got another day of work. Before another weekend. *shakehead* This is the stupidest way to return to work, I swear...anyway, night all!
