Jittery Saturday
Oct. 25th, 2025 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickYes, the PMS is kicking into full gear, which means I have been increasingly jittery and finding it hard to concentrate as the day has gone on. Which has not exactly been fun, let me tell you, especially as I had some long write-ups to complete today...but I have persevered, and thus you get to hear about my day:
Cleaning & Laundry: Pretty typical Cleaning & Laundry Saturday, all things told, though I managed to wrap the cleaning portion up a LITTLE earlier than normal –
A) Started around 10:30 AM, after pulling up the Internet Archive on my phone and electing to listen to the Ghostbusters: The Video Game soundtrack with my cleaning (good Halloween vibes, especially since “Ghostbuster” is my costume this year)
B) Sheets, blankets, bathrobe, and PJs went in the wash a little after 11:30 AM (at the tail end of the family laundry), once I’d gotten dressed and remade my bed and all of that
C) Finished off the dusting just as Mom called me in for lunch around 12:50 PM (well, okay, I finished it off just AFTER she called me for lunch, but I was seriously just about done, so...)
D) Got back to the cleaning around 1:30 PM, spent roughly a half-hour Swiffering and vacuuming and finished slightly after 2 PM
E) Checked on my load of laundry around 2:30 PM – big purple blanket wasn’t QUITE dry, so I gave everything a bit longer and got it all out of the dryer (hot and fresh) a little after 3 PM; folding it all took until 3:25 PM
*nods* We all know how the cleaning goes now. But it was nice to listen to the GB video game soundtrack as I dusted, and nice to get nice hot blankets out of the dryer and wrap myself up in them before folding. :) And now it’s all done and I don’t have to worry about the full kit-n-caboodle for another few weeks! Yay!
Baldur’s Gate III: Finally returned to Tav!Smiler and team exploring the old Dank Crypt today (even if I had to pause for a while at one point to fold and put away my laundry)! Here’s what happened as they traversed the lower levels of the old temple to Jergal –
A) First things first, though – before restarting my adventures, I hit the in-game mod manager and downloaded a new mod that recently popped up on the BG3 mod page – “Camp Event Overhaul” by HyperspaceTowel! This is a mod that changes some of the triggers and cancellations for the special scenes you can get by long resting so ones that can be easily missed (like the one you normally can only get if you do your first long rest alone, or a post-Wyll recruitment scene that is normally canceled by encountering Karlach) have a better chance to play. As someone who is interested in getting as much content out of her game as possible, I figured it would be a nice addition to my mod set. :)
B) Once the new mod was successfully added to my loadout (I have a whole 26 now), it was back to the Dank Crypt to pick up where our intrepid adventurers had left off! And where they had left off was right in front of the big heavy doors on the left side of the main room, leading into the main worship area (at least, I PRESUME that’s what it is, given it’s got a bunch of benches facing a big statue of Jergal in it). I had Smiler approach them, expecting to get a “locked” message because, as I recalled, it was Astarion who was holding the key (having been the one to find it in the big sarcophagus in the trap room after disarming everything) –
Only for the doors to open, and for me to instead get a message about how Smiler had taken the Engraved Key from Astarion via “magic pockets” and stash sharing. O.o I – have no idea if that’s a vanilla in-game message, or something that’s resulted from one of my mods. Either way, it was a little confusing! Convenient, of course – I wouldn’t say no to it happening again – but confusing.
C) Anyway – with the doors opened through the power of magic pockets, it was time for everyone to head into the main worship room and have a poke around. Smiler clocked all the scribe skeletons about in their fancy robes and noted that they were armed, but there was no sign of a struggle – Shadowheart, for her part, wondered what had been so subversive about the scribes’ words that they’d commanded such protection. Nobody had an answer for her –
So Smiler set about looting! And lighting all the candles and candelabras and braziers they could find to brighten the place up, because we must mind poor Gale’s weak human eyes. :p (And my own weak human eyes, frankly – always easier when you can see what the fuck’s going on in the game.) Here’s what they and their friends found:
I. A Scroll of Burning Hands (Smiler’s fourth one, sheesh – I gotta spread these around, Smiler’s forbidden from using fire spells thanks to the whole “rivals with the Wickerman” thing) and a quarterstaff on the first Entombed Scribe skeleton, near the stairs leading down into Jergal’s little sunken garden area – Smiler also accidentally picked up another jug while I was trying to search the vases next to the skeleton. *shrug* Might be worth something – we’ll find out!
II. A dagger on the second Entombed Scribe skeleton, this one clad in green, lying among the benches on the right side of the room
III. Three Scrolls of Protection From Good And Evil in a gilded chest near the Green Scribe, which Astarion picked up because he was the one to unlock the chest (getting a 24 on the DC 12 skill check thanks to all his bonuses). Though admittedly, I experienced some weirdness unlocking said chest –
Because the FIRST time I tried to unlock it, SMILER was the one to make the attempt. Despite not having any thieves’ tools on them. O.o I think what happened was that I forgot to properly switch to Astarion before right-clicking on the chest to bring up the “Lockpick” menu option, and Smiler grabbed a set of tools from Astarion through the power of magic pockets to make the attempt when I thus accidentally directed them to do it. Fortunately, their attempt to steal Astarion’s stuff didn’t stick after I canceled the action (I double-checked Smiler’s inventory to be sure), and I was able to direct Astarion to open the chest as I intended. *shakehead* Weird...but a good reminder to make sure I’m on the right character before I do any lockpicking in the future!
IV. Another quarterstaff off the Entombed Scribe clad in blue, lying by the big hole in the right-hand wall (the one that leads to the river, and the ladder back up into the Wilderness)
V. A “Heavy Key” and a dagger off the Entombed Scribe clad in purple, lying next to the middle sarcophagus in the row of three on the left-hand side of the room – don’t know what the key opens yet, but I’m eager to find out!
VI. And a peridot ring in the gilded chest at the end of the little “balcony” area past the Purple Scribe skeleton, behind a big iron candelabra
Overall, not a bad haul! And given I knew that all of these skeletons would be popping back to life shortly to make life hard for Smiler and their friends, it felt good to disarm them early. :p
D) However – before that could happen, the group had to investigate another door they’d found on the left-hand wall, next to the row of opened and decaying sarcophagi! Opening it revealed a little room with a quartet of sarcophagi inside, with a crumbling wall on the far side of the door that overlooked a large cave lake. Oh, and a “chained-up old book in a forgotten temple” on a nearby table (or possibly a shelf – large flat wooden surface, at any rate!) that Gale immediately clocked, commenting on how tempting it was. XD Oh Gale… Anyway, after letting Astarion into the room (having accidentally closed the door on him due to a misclick while initially wandering around), I had Smiler search the one still-complete sarcophagus in the room for goodies (picking up another soul coin, a rapier, and a bone for their trouble); had Astarion use his lockpicking skills on the heavy chest right next to it (he easily beat the DC of 15 with his many bonuses...but only found a cup, glass chalice, and plate inside *shakehead* Dang randomized loot!) –
Then had Smiler go and examine that chained-up old book in a cutscene! The narration noted the book was very light for having such a heavy lock on it, then presented them with a few options to get it open. I immediately went for the special [WARLOCK] [CHARISMA] option, of course, and had Smiler channel their patron’s strength into it to get it open –
Aaaand Smiler promptly got a 9 (with bonuses!) on the DC 10 lock-opening check. >( Mar-Mal is not very strong, it appears. Fortunately, the group had an inspiration point to burn thanks to Astarion being impressed with Smiler tricking their way past the guard at the door a few playsessions ago, so I went ahead and rerolled. THIS time, Smiler got a dirty 20, which felt much more appropriate. *nods* Having bested the lock, they claimed the loose page that fluttered out of the book (pulsing with magic, apparently), then attempted to puzzle out the nearly-illegible scrawl within – they could make out that this was a list of names of some kind, but of who and why? Fortunately, they easily beat the DC 10 religion check with an 18, and quickly figured out that the book listed the names of gods – ones that had died, then been restored during the Second Sundering. They then proceeded to pass the passive Investigation check to spot the last three names were closely grouped together, but also scribbled out so thoroughly as to be unreadable. Smiler closed the book as the narration commented on how whole pantheons had died and been reborn anew, all recorded in the book –
And cue both Shadowheart AND Gale getting inspired by Smiler’s little reading session (Shadowheart because she’s an Acolyte and gets inspired by religious stuff; Gale because he’s a Sage and gets inspired by neat magical stuff), and Smiler gaining both a Scroll of Ray Of Enfeeblement and a new book for their personal library! Or perhaps Gale’s or Shadowheart’s personal library – we shall see.
E) With everything of value taken from the side room, the group headed back into the main worship room and down the steps into the little sunken garden area looking for more goodies. They all took a moment to peer at the statue there – Smiler and Shadowheart failed their religion checks, but Astarion made his and commented “Jergal? This place must be ancient – no one worships the Final Scribe anymore” (Gale also succeeded, but he didn’t get a line) – then Smiler made sure to loot the entombed warrior lying down there of its scimitar. The group then checked the two alcoves on either side of the statue, up a few steps. The first one, on the right, contained only empty vases –
But the second one, on the left, as per previous playthroughs, contained a button on the wall. Smiler noticed it via passive Perception check and commented it was worth trying out, so after quicksaving (and folding up all my laundry), I had them press it –
And sure enough, it opened the secret door hidden in the wall to their right! Unfortunately, it also woke up all the dead scribes and the warrior. Because nothing can ever be easy for a D&D video game protagonist, now can it? :P And so began the Big Skelly Fight, which consisted of:
Round One – Well, Astarion was SUPPOSED to go first, but as he was at the back of the pack and thus couldn’t actually GET anywhere, I had Shadowheart go first instead (as you can switch between characters so long as they’re right next to each other in the turn order). I directed her to run down the stairs into the little garden area and shoot the Entombed Warrior with the crossbow – she obliged, hitting him for 10 damage. Once she was out of the way, Astarion was then free to Cunningly Hide, sneak down the stairs and riiiight up to the edge of the Warrior’s (and friends) cone of vision, then hit him with a shortbow shot with advantage. The hit landed and, with the help of a tiny sneak attack that the game let Astarion tack onto the end of the shot, did another 10 damage. :D Astarion then retreated up the stairs, and Gale came forward and hit the poor Warrior with Ray of Frost, reducing the poor bastard down to 1 HP and cutting his movement by 10 feet in the process. *nods approvingly* After that, it was the turn of the nearest Scribe (the one who’s robes I didn’t note the color of, though they were a bit greenish too) and the Warrior –
And, rudely, the Scribe chose to run toward the stairs leading into the garden area and cast a big bubble of Silence over Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion! Meaning none of them could cast spells! Which wasn’t such a big problem for Astarion, but Shadowheart and Gale are fairly reliant on their spells, so… The Warrior, meanwhile, just used Dash on itself, limping forward with its frozen legs as far as it could (which wasn’t as far as you might think). That brought things around to Smiler’s turn – and fortunately, they were outside the bubble of Silence, so they could use their spells! :D They quickly examined the Scribe casting the Silence bubble and found it had 8 Wisdom (meaning -1 to all saving throws with that stat; very good to know), then decided to keep it simple and blast the jerk with a Gilded Eldritch Blast –
Aaaand then it transpired that, to cast the spell, Smiler had to run forward. Which put them in the bubble of Silence and stopped them from firing it off. >( Annoyed, I had them instead finish off the Warrior with their crossbow before retreating back outside the bubble. This put things back in the hands of the remaining three scribes – Green and Blue, far away from the action, used their turns to Dash forward into “causing trouble” range –
And Purple used ITS turn to hit poor Smiler with a nasty Ray of Frost! Resulting in their movement dropping by 10 feet, and their HP dropping down to 2! D: My fault for forgetting to cast False Life before the fight, admittedly, but jeez! Poor Smiler!
Round Two: Fortunately, Smiler has a bunch of new acquaintances that have their back in this situation – case in point, after discovering he had a good shot at the Purple Scribe, Astarion Cunningly Hid, then sniped it with a shortbow shot, even adding on a bit of extra piercing damage with a sneak attack. Having halved its health from 10 HP to 5, he then ran forward out of the Silence bubble so if he wanted to Firebolt someone on his next turn, he could. Shadowheart followed him out of the bubble and – after I checked if I wanted to try and used her Channel Divinity charge to freak out the skeletons (I decided only one was close enough to her to be affected, which felt like a waste) – cast Guiding Bolt on the Silencing Scribe! This absolutely COOKED the unfortunate skeleton, killing it and freeing Gale from the bubble. He promptly cast Ray Of Frost on the Purple Scribe, reducing it to 1 HP (yeah, see how YOU like it) and ran forward as well. Smiler, for their part, downed a health potion (as that only took a bonus action, not an action, like casting False Life – why you need to cast it OUTSIDE of combat, Vic), then tried to get into a better position to shoot the Purple Scribe with their crossbow. Unfortunately, they missed the shot, and I had them retreat back to the top of the steps near Withers’s door. This brought things back around to the remaining scribes –
And of course, the first thing Blue Scribe did was cast ANOTHER giant bubble of Silence over Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion. >( Purple Robe then cast ANOTHER Ray of Frost at Smiler (though fortunately for less damage this time), and Green a Ray of Frost at Astarion. What is with these assholes and Ray of Frost??? Is that Jergal’s favorite spell or something? I WANT ANSWERS, WITHERS
Round Three: However, Astarion wasn’t about to let lightly frosted legs stop him – as there was no point in hiding as he was out in the open, he hit the Green Scribe with a hamstring shot with his bow (dunno how he hamstrung a SKELETON, but okay), then ran over to and up the stairs with the now-cooked Scribe upon it. Then, after considering his bonus actions, I had him use his Cunning Dash to overcome the frost movement restriction (though I think his special Bucaneer’s Boots actually already helped cancel that out – they grant like an extra 10 or 20 feet of movement per turn) and get over to the benches, out of sight of the remaining scribes. The turn then passed to Shadowheart, who ran out of the Silence bubble and hit the Blue Scribe with a Sacred Flame, doing a bit of damage –
And, much more importantly, breaking the jerk’s concentration, destroying the Silence bubble. Which then left Gale free to cast one of the best spells in the game – Magic Missile! Three darts of magical power which, unless the enemy is doing some extra-special magical bullshit, CANNOT miss. He promptly sent one each at the three scribes, killing Purple and injuring Blue and Green still further. This brought things around to Smiler, who ran into the little courtyard, considered their options –
And, remembering these skeletons had like no Wisdom, decided to stop any future shenanigans from Blue Scribe by hitting them with Id Insinuation. Blue Scribe’s skull was promptly filled with a torrent of conflicting desires, and their mind collapsed on their next turn, killing them. Green Scribe, left all alone, decided to rely on a tried-and-true tactic and hit Gale with a Ray of Frost –
Round Four: But it was too little, too late, as Astarion, safely out of the Green Scribe’s cone of vision, Cunningly Hid, then sniped Green and killed it with his bow. Party victorious! :D Cue everyone grouping back together –
And Gale, rather rudely, asking about the potential loot, telling Smiler that “it isn’t for your pockets only.” O.o Dude – one, we already looted these guys (and I double-checked the skeletons once they went back to being dead – nothing new spawned on them), and two, magic pockets, remember? What’s mine is yours, yours is mine, all that fun stuff. Chill!
And so the playsession ended with the newly-victorious quartet heading back to the secret door they’d unlocked, ready to see what was inside. Next time, the group meets Withers, and everybody gets a chance to level up! Which should hopefully include Smiler, because right now they’re lagging behind their friends, short 14 XP. Fortunately I believe finding Withers counts as a quest completion and thus will give everyone some XP, allowing Smiler to join everyone in advancing to Level 3. (Technically – still pretty sure I’m going to be giving Smiler their first level in Bard instead. I want those Performance and Musical Instrument proficiencies, damn it.)
Writing: I said I was going to work on Valicer Polyship Week 2025 stuff, and work on it I did, writing up the rough draft for the Day Eight prompt “Games Night!” Mostly because the associated story was one of the clearest in my head after last night’s Game Night for me and my family. :p As mentioned yesterday, it was a Modern AU verse, and featured Smiler catching Victor and Alice sorting the peg people from their newly-acquired The Game Of LIFE board game into three mostly-equal piles, with Victor preparing to paint one of the piles yellow. Smiler asked what they were doing (startling poor Victor and nearly causing him to tip over his chair – Alice managed to catch him and haul him back upright, though, meaning all that happened was he dripped some yellow paint on his pant leg), and they explained that they were updating the game. And when Smiler was like “why?” Alice explained that the version they’d picked up from the charity shop was from 1991. Meaning that the general public hadn’t been so aware of the gender binary not being so binary, meaning the game had only pink or blue peg people –
Prompting Victor to say that they hadn’t considered it fair that Smiler, proudly nonbinary, would have to choose between being a boy or girl for the game. Smiler was touched, though they assured their partners they could have dealt with it for the length of a board game – Victor responded “You shouldn’t have to deal with it, we love you as you are and you deserve proper representation,” Alice echoing the sentiment. Smiler said they appreciated it –
Then suggested painting all the white buildings on the game board too, while they were at it. Which Alice at least was definitely on board with. XD It’s a little rough right now, but I AM in PMS mode, and it IS the first draft, so...I’m sure it’ll come together nicely on a revision!
FreeTube/Invidious: Welp, no OXBoxtra videos today – but that’s because my evening was spent watching “CaFae Latte Season 78 - TikTok Compilation” by C. M. Alongi instead! And this season started out a little nerve-wracking, but ended up being mostly cute. :) Our episodes included:
A) A cop knocking on the window of our favorite recurring ER nurse’s car while she was catching a catnap at a gas station! Turns out the nurse – one Lisa Gomez, according to her license – had just come off a 36-hour shift and was feeling WAAAY too drowsy to drive home safely, so she pulled into the station to catch a few zzzs before continuing on. She was rather annoyed that the employees had called a cop on her after seeing her parked there for 15 minutes, instead of coming out to ask her to move themselves…
And even more annoyed at the cop’s attitude, given he first justified the employees calling him in by saying they thought she was homeless thanks to her junky car (and adding that you could “never tell” with them, especially if they were on drugs)...and then, when she said she didn’t understand the whole thing around “sexy” cars, him commenting that she did not need any help being sexy. And then offering to escort her home. And asking for her number when she refused that, so he could be sure she “got home safe.” Lisa was rightfully like “no, not happening,” and drove away as soon as she could. *grimace* Yeaaah, not a fun way to end a shift in the emergency room...
B) Husniya’s husband Asif showing up as the cafe opened for the day and letting her know that their coffee machine at home broke before begging her to make him a coffee – she informed him that she’d have to charge him, but when he pouted she agreed to give him the VIP discount. And a muffin. XD David, Bob’s former friend-with-benefits-but-now-just-friend showed up shortly thereafter and teased Asif about sleeping with the staff for discounts – Bob appeared on the scene and informed him playfully that it was marriage and co-parenting that got you those, not just good sex. XD Bob explained their relationship to Husniya once she asked, and David said that now he was navigating the nightmare of dating apps! Bob was surprised, given that she saw him as a very good catch (handsome face, funny, good-natured, lucrative job), but David explained that the problem wasn’t getting casual hook-ups, but finding someone to be a long-term partner (apparently he wants marriage and kids one day). Someone who would not psychoanalyze him on a date, try to sell him essential oils, or spend the date on Instagram. *shakehead* Asif commented that he did not miss those days at all –
Causing a confused Husniya to be like “...we were arranged? By our community?” Asif clarified that he’d been doing online dating BEFORE he met her, keeping his options open – obviously everything got deleted once he did meet her. :p Husniya then recommended that David maybe look into a love charm from the Stoughton Street Coven to improve his luck – David was like “aren’t those like date rape drugs?!” but Bob quickly reassured him that THAT was only the case if it targeted a specific person, and that most love charms are made to gently adjust reality just a little bit to make it more likely that you’ll meet a good match. Up to you to create and maintain the relationship! David was like “sold” once he was assured it would mean an eventual end to his online dating woes and got himself a nice iced coffee before heading out...only to overhear a familiar asshole cop harassing a familiar ER nurse...
C) Lisa being harassed by the asshole cop, who apparently FOLLOWED HER ANYWAY when she tried to get away from him and was now like “you told me you were going to your house, not a store, that’s lying to a police officer, I could have you arrested.” Lisa was fuming, telling him that he was harassing her, but he said that all he wanted was her number, which she was like “you’re not getting” –
And then he pointed out that he could arrest her. Or get ICE involved. Lisa was like “my family has been here TEN GENERATIONS – we were in California BEFORE it got given to the US by Mexico!” The cop said that he’d be willing to back her up if she relented on the number, and then gave her a choice if he called her or ICE. Lisa, fed up, was like “ICE – I’ll get my coffee and a lawyer” – the cop shrugged and prepared to make the call –
And cue David stepping and pretending to be Lisa’s boyfriend, going on about how he worries so much about those long shifts and how he didn’t order anything for her since he knows she likes her coffee hot. Lisa, fortunately, caught on after a little bit and lied to the cop that they’d been going on three months – the cop, annoyed, was like “you could have TOLD me you had a boyfriend.” Lisa responded that “No is a complete sentence” and happily went off with David to the cafe, asking him about the latest IT drama (apparently he’s a computer programmer).
D) Lisa and David arriving the cafe and Lisa ordering a large dark roast coffee (black as sin), pixie dust on the side for at home, and a curse on the asshole cop! Bob was like “...I can provide the coffee, but I will need more details on the subject of the curse.” XD Lisa and David explained what had happened, and Husniya promptly went into Mother Hen mode, insisting on giving Lisa the coffee on the house, and that she stay there for a while, and getting her something to eat too. (Asif explained their oldest just entered first grade, so now Lisa would be the recipient of the mothering – she was fine with that.) XD Bob said that she was glad Lisa got away, but she hated the idea of that asshole being free to harass others – however, she couldn’t curse him without any DNA or his full name. Lisa admitted that she didn’t see his name, just his badge number –
And cue David pulling out his phone and revealing he got the guy’s LAST name (Benson), his face, and his license plate number – he’d been filming before stepping in. Asif asked to see the phone and said that he’d get the guy’s full name in five minutes (Husniya: “He used to do computer security for the government”), and Lisa thanked David for his help. David said it was no problem – his own mom is a nurse, so he definitely wouldn’t have felt right just walking away –
And cue the pair immediately bonding over stuff like David’s sister being a surgeon (Lisa was initially embarrassed as she’d talked shit about surgeons as part of the ruse of being David’s girlfriend, saying they had no bedside manner, but David assured her that, while he loved his sister, he had to acknowledge she had like NO people skills) and Lisa’s family history (David was very intrigued to learn that her family had genuinely been there for like ten generations; Lisa explained her uncle was a history nut who liked researching that kind of thing – he’d hit a dead end concerning where the family came from before California, but had found an interesting story about a relative who was swept up in a mass deportation pre-World War I but just hopped of the train and walked back to his house). All while Husniya made a face suggesting like she wanted to squee but was holding back. XD Asif then got the cop’s full name, and Bob asked for suggestions about the curse – Lisa said she wanted him off the force, if not in jail, and Bob obliged by first making him unable to harm, harass or, abuse anyone except in self-defense, then making sure his crimes would be revealed to all, and wrapping up by making sure he would suffer poverty and misfortune until he stopped being racist and sexist. Lisa thanked her and said that she’d be off now so she could actually get some sleep. David jokingly asked if she wanted an escort –
And Lisa said “no, but I do want your phone.” Which she promptly put her number in, explaining she was too tired now to flirt properly but he was welcome to give her a call when she could have a proper conversation. :D She then headed off with her goodies, leaving a dumbstruck David behind…
Who then asked if Bob had hit him with a love charm already. And Bob confirmed she had, saying she did not expect that magic to work so quickly. XD I mean, I guessed from the moment the love charm was mentioned that David was going to meet Lisa and hit it off with her, but still. I didn’t see quite this turn of events coming! XD
E) Rethu chatting with Husniya about how Drek agreed to sub for them tomorrow (Jewish holiday) in exchange for nibling pictures and showing off Xaytha in a jack-o-lantern (which C. M. used as an opportunity to show off the new design of just that on a cup she’d designed for the merch store) when a demon came in to get a snack. She cooed over the picture of Xaytha, then said that, as an incubus, she had some allergies, especially to celestial ingredients – Rethu let her know that if she stayed away from the honeycakes, she should be fine. A puzzled Husniya was then like “sorry for asking, but I thought female demons with – carnal abilities were succubi?” The incubus let her know that was a common misconception and explained that the words “incubus” and “succubus” mean “to lie on top of” and “to lie underneath” respective – meaning the split was actually along the top/bottom axis, not the gender one. It was just because of people back in earlier times having very firm views on who should be on top and who should be on the bottom during sex that it got warped into meaning “male sex demon” and “female sex demon” – “Sexism warped the translation,” as per Rethu. :p A curious Husniya asked “what if you’re a switch?” and the incubus explained that such a person would be a “concubus,” which means “to lie next to.” *nods* The more you know!
F) And finally, JC angrily accusing Cyrus of eating their cookie dough again during one of his days actually working at the cafe, only for Cyrus to be like “I only took a little – and I did not leave those claw marks in the dough.” An embarrassed Drek admitted he’d eaten the cookie dough – JC was like “et tu?” while Cyrus laughed and told him that you always hide the evidence. Fortunately for Drek’s continued survival, Ghost Hunter John showed up for coffee and a pumpkin brownie just then. Cyrus asked what he was doing in their neck of the woods again (apparently he lives in Minneapolis), and John explained that he was investigating a haunted hotel in Rochester. Drek was like “oh hey, my parents went there and had a blast” – JC asked if it was really haunted, and Drek admitted that while his dad swore he saw a ghost, his mom was sure it had just been some guy, or a projection set up by the hotel. JC said that they certainly HOPED that was the case, given their previous run-ins with ghosts – John admitted that ghosts often are more violent than the living, given their inability to pass on is often due to trauma from their death, but said it wasn’t always a guarantee. Cyrus was more confused by the fact that JC would so easily dismiss the idea that the hotel was haunted – JC said that they were just pretty sure it was more likely to be a marketing ploy, and John said that the stats would back them up. But he had to check out anyway, so he headed out with his treats while JC told Drek “you’re helping me clean the oven” as punishment for cookie dough theft. XD
Another excellent season, to be sure – I did really like the David & Lisa stuff at the beginning. All the side characters seem to be getting names now, it’s neat. :p And now I’m wondering if the haunted hotel is going to play a part in the next season/arc or not...
And there we have it! And now I am VERY fucking tired and heading to bed. *shakehead* Tomorrow, I hope to get some Halloween-related posts ready for Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) for this upcoming week; play some more Portal and continue the Transmission Received Run; get another Valicer Polyship Week 2025 fic written; figure out my workout movie; and watch the latest F:NV YOLO Remastered episode from Jon. And MAYBE get through answering Moose's messages, though I get the feeling that might end up being done Monday afternoon. ^^; Sorry Moose! Night all!
Cleaning & Laundry: Pretty typical Cleaning & Laundry Saturday, all things told, though I managed to wrap the cleaning portion up a LITTLE earlier than normal –
A) Started around 10:30 AM, after pulling up the Internet Archive on my phone and electing to listen to the Ghostbusters: The Video Game soundtrack with my cleaning (good Halloween vibes, especially since “Ghostbuster” is my costume this year)
B) Sheets, blankets, bathrobe, and PJs went in the wash a little after 11:30 AM (at the tail end of the family laundry), once I’d gotten dressed and remade my bed and all of that
C) Finished off the dusting just as Mom called me in for lunch around 12:50 PM (well, okay, I finished it off just AFTER she called me for lunch, but I was seriously just about done, so...)
D) Got back to the cleaning around 1:30 PM, spent roughly a half-hour Swiffering and vacuuming and finished slightly after 2 PM
E) Checked on my load of laundry around 2:30 PM – big purple blanket wasn’t QUITE dry, so I gave everything a bit longer and got it all out of the dryer (hot and fresh) a little after 3 PM; folding it all took until 3:25 PM
*nods* We all know how the cleaning goes now. But it was nice to listen to the GB video game soundtrack as I dusted, and nice to get nice hot blankets out of the dryer and wrap myself up in them before folding. :) And now it’s all done and I don’t have to worry about the full kit-n-caboodle for another few weeks! Yay!
Baldur’s Gate III: Finally returned to Tav!Smiler and team exploring the old Dank Crypt today (even if I had to pause for a while at one point to fold and put away my laundry)! Here’s what happened as they traversed the lower levels of the old temple to Jergal –
A) First things first, though – before restarting my adventures, I hit the in-game mod manager and downloaded a new mod that recently popped up on the BG3 mod page – “Camp Event Overhaul” by HyperspaceTowel! This is a mod that changes some of the triggers and cancellations for the special scenes you can get by long resting so ones that can be easily missed (like the one you normally can only get if you do your first long rest alone, or a post-Wyll recruitment scene that is normally canceled by encountering Karlach) have a better chance to play. As someone who is interested in getting as much content out of her game as possible, I figured it would be a nice addition to my mod set. :)
B) Once the new mod was successfully added to my loadout (I have a whole 26 now), it was back to the Dank Crypt to pick up where our intrepid adventurers had left off! And where they had left off was right in front of the big heavy doors on the left side of the main room, leading into the main worship area (at least, I PRESUME that’s what it is, given it’s got a bunch of benches facing a big statue of Jergal in it). I had Smiler approach them, expecting to get a “locked” message because, as I recalled, it was Astarion who was holding the key (having been the one to find it in the big sarcophagus in the trap room after disarming everything) –
Only for the doors to open, and for me to instead get a message about how Smiler had taken the Engraved Key from Astarion via “magic pockets” and stash sharing. O.o I – have no idea if that’s a vanilla in-game message, or something that’s resulted from one of my mods. Either way, it was a little confusing! Convenient, of course – I wouldn’t say no to it happening again – but confusing.
C) Anyway – with the doors opened through the power of magic pockets, it was time for everyone to head into the main worship room and have a poke around. Smiler clocked all the scribe skeletons about in their fancy robes and noted that they were armed, but there was no sign of a struggle – Shadowheart, for her part, wondered what had been so subversive about the scribes’ words that they’d commanded such protection. Nobody had an answer for her –
So Smiler set about looting! And lighting all the candles and candelabras and braziers they could find to brighten the place up, because we must mind poor Gale’s weak human eyes. :p (And my own weak human eyes, frankly – always easier when you can see what the fuck’s going on in the game.) Here’s what they and their friends found:
I. A Scroll of Burning Hands (Smiler’s fourth one, sheesh – I gotta spread these around, Smiler’s forbidden from using fire spells thanks to the whole “rivals with the Wickerman” thing) and a quarterstaff on the first Entombed Scribe skeleton, near the stairs leading down into Jergal’s little sunken garden area – Smiler also accidentally picked up another jug while I was trying to search the vases next to the skeleton. *shrug* Might be worth something – we’ll find out!
II. A dagger on the second Entombed Scribe skeleton, this one clad in green, lying among the benches on the right side of the room
III. Three Scrolls of Protection From Good And Evil in a gilded chest near the Green Scribe, which Astarion picked up because he was the one to unlock the chest (getting a 24 on the DC 12 skill check thanks to all his bonuses). Though admittedly, I experienced some weirdness unlocking said chest –
Because the FIRST time I tried to unlock it, SMILER was the one to make the attempt. Despite not having any thieves’ tools on them. O.o I think what happened was that I forgot to properly switch to Astarion before right-clicking on the chest to bring up the “Lockpick” menu option, and Smiler grabbed a set of tools from Astarion through the power of magic pockets to make the attempt when I thus accidentally directed them to do it. Fortunately, their attempt to steal Astarion’s stuff didn’t stick after I canceled the action (I double-checked Smiler’s inventory to be sure), and I was able to direct Astarion to open the chest as I intended. *shakehead* Weird...but a good reminder to make sure I’m on the right character before I do any lockpicking in the future!
IV. Another quarterstaff off the Entombed Scribe clad in blue, lying by the big hole in the right-hand wall (the one that leads to the river, and the ladder back up into the Wilderness)
V. A “Heavy Key” and a dagger off the Entombed Scribe clad in purple, lying next to the middle sarcophagus in the row of three on the left-hand side of the room – don’t know what the key opens yet, but I’m eager to find out!
VI. And a peridot ring in the gilded chest at the end of the little “balcony” area past the Purple Scribe skeleton, behind a big iron candelabra
Overall, not a bad haul! And given I knew that all of these skeletons would be popping back to life shortly to make life hard for Smiler and their friends, it felt good to disarm them early. :p
D) However – before that could happen, the group had to investigate another door they’d found on the left-hand wall, next to the row of opened and decaying sarcophagi! Opening it revealed a little room with a quartet of sarcophagi inside, with a crumbling wall on the far side of the door that overlooked a large cave lake. Oh, and a “chained-up old book in a forgotten temple” on a nearby table (or possibly a shelf – large flat wooden surface, at any rate!) that Gale immediately clocked, commenting on how tempting it was. XD Oh Gale… Anyway, after letting Astarion into the room (having accidentally closed the door on him due to a misclick while initially wandering around), I had Smiler search the one still-complete sarcophagus in the room for goodies (picking up another soul coin, a rapier, and a bone for their trouble); had Astarion use his lockpicking skills on the heavy chest right next to it (he easily beat the DC of 15 with his many bonuses...but only found a cup, glass chalice, and plate inside *shakehead* Dang randomized loot!) –
Then had Smiler go and examine that chained-up old book in a cutscene! The narration noted the book was very light for having such a heavy lock on it, then presented them with a few options to get it open. I immediately went for the special [WARLOCK] [CHARISMA] option, of course, and had Smiler channel their patron’s strength into it to get it open –
Aaaand Smiler promptly got a 9 (with bonuses!) on the DC 10 lock-opening check. >( Mar-Mal is not very strong, it appears. Fortunately, the group had an inspiration point to burn thanks to Astarion being impressed with Smiler tricking their way past the guard at the door a few playsessions ago, so I went ahead and rerolled. THIS time, Smiler got a dirty 20, which felt much more appropriate. *nods* Having bested the lock, they claimed the loose page that fluttered out of the book (pulsing with magic, apparently), then attempted to puzzle out the nearly-illegible scrawl within – they could make out that this was a list of names of some kind, but of who and why? Fortunately, they easily beat the DC 10 religion check with an 18, and quickly figured out that the book listed the names of gods – ones that had died, then been restored during the Second Sundering. They then proceeded to pass the passive Investigation check to spot the last three names were closely grouped together, but also scribbled out so thoroughly as to be unreadable. Smiler closed the book as the narration commented on how whole pantheons had died and been reborn anew, all recorded in the book –
And cue both Shadowheart AND Gale getting inspired by Smiler’s little reading session (Shadowheart because she’s an Acolyte and gets inspired by religious stuff; Gale because he’s a Sage and gets inspired by neat magical stuff), and Smiler gaining both a Scroll of Ray Of Enfeeblement and a new book for their personal library! Or perhaps Gale’s or Shadowheart’s personal library – we shall see.
E) With everything of value taken from the side room, the group headed back into the main worship room and down the steps into the little sunken garden area looking for more goodies. They all took a moment to peer at the statue there – Smiler and Shadowheart failed their religion checks, but Astarion made his and commented “Jergal? This place must be ancient – no one worships the Final Scribe anymore” (Gale also succeeded, but he didn’t get a line) – then Smiler made sure to loot the entombed warrior lying down there of its scimitar. The group then checked the two alcoves on either side of the statue, up a few steps. The first one, on the right, contained only empty vases –
But the second one, on the left, as per previous playthroughs, contained a button on the wall. Smiler noticed it via passive Perception check and commented it was worth trying out, so after quicksaving (and folding up all my laundry), I had them press it –
And sure enough, it opened the secret door hidden in the wall to their right! Unfortunately, it also woke up all the dead scribes and the warrior. Because nothing can ever be easy for a D&D video game protagonist, now can it? :P And so began the Big Skelly Fight, which consisted of:
Round One – Well, Astarion was SUPPOSED to go first, but as he was at the back of the pack and thus couldn’t actually GET anywhere, I had Shadowheart go first instead (as you can switch between characters so long as they’re right next to each other in the turn order). I directed her to run down the stairs into the little garden area and shoot the Entombed Warrior with the crossbow – she obliged, hitting him for 10 damage. Once she was out of the way, Astarion was then free to Cunningly Hide, sneak down the stairs and riiiight up to the edge of the Warrior’s (and friends) cone of vision, then hit him with a shortbow shot with advantage. The hit landed and, with the help of a tiny sneak attack that the game let Astarion tack onto the end of the shot, did another 10 damage. :D Astarion then retreated up the stairs, and Gale came forward and hit the poor Warrior with Ray of Frost, reducing the poor bastard down to 1 HP and cutting his movement by 10 feet in the process. *nods approvingly* After that, it was the turn of the nearest Scribe (the one who’s robes I didn’t note the color of, though they were a bit greenish too) and the Warrior –
And, rudely, the Scribe chose to run toward the stairs leading into the garden area and cast a big bubble of Silence over Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion! Meaning none of them could cast spells! Which wasn’t such a big problem for Astarion, but Shadowheart and Gale are fairly reliant on their spells, so… The Warrior, meanwhile, just used Dash on itself, limping forward with its frozen legs as far as it could (which wasn’t as far as you might think). That brought things around to Smiler’s turn – and fortunately, they were outside the bubble of Silence, so they could use their spells! :D They quickly examined the Scribe casting the Silence bubble and found it had 8 Wisdom (meaning -1 to all saving throws with that stat; very good to know), then decided to keep it simple and blast the jerk with a Gilded Eldritch Blast –
Aaaand then it transpired that, to cast the spell, Smiler had to run forward. Which put them in the bubble of Silence and stopped them from firing it off. >( Annoyed, I had them instead finish off the Warrior with their crossbow before retreating back outside the bubble. This put things back in the hands of the remaining three scribes – Green and Blue, far away from the action, used their turns to Dash forward into “causing trouble” range –
And Purple used ITS turn to hit poor Smiler with a nasty Ray of Frost! Resulting in their movement dropping by 10 feet, and their HP dropping down to 2! D: My fault for forgetting to cast False Life before the fight, admittedly, but jeez! Poor Smiler!
Round Two: Fortunately, Smiler has a bunch of new acquaintances that have their back in this situation – case in point, after discovering he had a good shot at the Purple Scribe, Astarion Cunningly Hid, then sniped it with a shortbow shot, even adding on a bit of extra piercing damage with a sneak attack. Having halved its health from 10 HP to 5, he then ran forward out of the Silence bubble so if he wanted to Firebolt someone on his next turn, he could. Shadowheart followed him out of the bubble and – after I checked if I wanted to try and used her Channel Divinity charge to freak out the skeletons (I decided only one was close enough to her to be affected, which felt like a waste) – cast Guiding Bolt on the Silencing Scribe! This absolutely COOKED the unfortunate skeleton, killing it and freeing Gale from the bubble. He promptly cast Ray Of Frost on the Purple Scribe, reducing it to 1 HP (yeah, see how YOU like it) and ran forward as well. Smiler, for their part, downed a health potion (as that only took a bonus action, not an action, like casting False Life – why you need to cast it OUTSIDE of combat, Vic), then tried to get into a better position to shoot the Purple Scribe with their crossbow. Unfortunately, they missed the shot, and I had them retreat back to the top of the steps near Withers’s door. This brought things back around to the remaining scribes –
And of course, the first thing Blue Scribe did was cast ANOTHER giant bubble of Silence over Shadowheart, Gale, and Astarion. >( Purple Robe then cast ANOTHER Ray of Frost at Smiler (though fortunately for less damage this time), and Green a Ray of Frost at Astarion. What is with these assholes and Ray of Frost??? Is that Jergal’s favorite spell or something? I WANT ANSWERS, WITHERS
Round Three: However, Astarion wasn’t about to let lightly frosted legs stop him – as there was no point in hiding as he was out in the open, he hit the Green Scribe with a hamstring shot with his bow (dunno how he hamstrung a SKELETON, but okay), then ran over to and up the stairs with the now-cooked Scribe upon it. Then, after considering his bonus actions, I had him use his Cunning Dash to overcome the frost movement restriction (though I think his special Bucaneer’s Boots actually already helped cancel that out – they grant like an extra 10 or 20 feet of movement per turn) and get over to the benches, out of sight of the remaining scribes. The turn then passed to Shadowheart, who ran out of the Silence bubble and hit the Blue Scribe with a Sacred Flame, doing a bit of damage –
And, much more importantly, breaking the jerk’s concentration, destroying the Silence bubble. Which then left Gale free to cast one of the best spells in the game – Magic Missile! Three darts of magical power which, unless the enemy is doing some extra-special magical bullshit, CANNOT miss. He promptly sent one each at the three scribes, killing Purple and injuring Blue and Green still further. This brought things around to Smiler, who ran into the little courtyard, considered their options –
And, remembering these skeletons had like no Wisdom, decided to stop any future shenanigans from Blue Scribe by hitting them with Id Insinuation. Blue Scribe’s skull was promptly filled with a torrent of conflicting desires, and their mind collapsed on their next turn, killing them. Green Scribe, left all alone, decided to rely on a tried-and-true tactic and hit Gale with a Ray of Frost –
Round Four: But it was too little, too late, as Astarion, safely out of the Green Scribe’s cone of vision, Cunningly Hid, then sniped Green and killed it with his bow. Party victorious! :D Cue everyone grouping back together –
And Gale, rather rudely, asking about the potential loot, telling Smiler that “it isn’t for your pockets only.” O.o Dude – one, we already looted these guys (and I double-checked the skeletons once they went back to being dead – nothing new spawned on them), and two, magic pockets, remember? What’s mine is yours, yours is mine, all that fun stuff. Chill!
And so the playsession ended with the newly-victorious quartet heading back to the secret door they’d unlocked, ready to see what was inside. Next time, the group meets Withers, and everybody gets a chance to level up! Which should hopefully include Smiler, because right now they’re lagging behind their friends, short 14 XP. Fortunately I believe finding Withers counts as a quest completion and thus will give everyone some XP, allowing Smiler to join everyone in advancing to Level 3. (Technically – still pretty sure I’m going to be giving Smiler their first level in Bard instead. I want those Performance and Musical Instrument proficiencies, damn it.)
Writing: I said I was going to work on Valicer Polyship Week 2025 stuff, and work on it I did, writing up the rough draft for the Day Eight prompt “Games Night!” Mostly because the associated story was one of the clearest in my head after last night’s Game Night for me and my family. :p As mentioned yesterday, it was a Modern AU verse, and featured Smiler catching Victor and Alice sorting the peg people from their newly-acquired The Game Of LIFE board game into three mostly-equal piles, with Victor preparing to paint one of the piles yellow. Smiler asked what they were doing (startling poor Victor and nearly causing him to tip over his chair – Alice managed to catch him and haul him back upright, though, meaning all that happened was he dripped some yellow paint on his pant leg), and they explained that they were updating the game. And when Smiler was like “why?” Alice explained that the version they’d picked up from the charity shop was from 1991. Meaning that the general public hadn’t been so aware of the gender binary not being so binary, meaning the game had only pink or blue peg people –
Prompting Victor to say that they hadn’t considered it fair that Smiler, proudly nonbinary, would have to choose between being a boy or girl for the game. Smiler was touched, though they assured their partners they could have dealt with it for the length of a board game – Victor responded “You shouldn’t have to deal with it, we love you as you are and you deserve proper representation,” Alice echoing the sentiment. Smiler said they appreciated it –
Then suggested painting all the white buildings on the game board too, while they were at it. Which Alice at least was definitely on board with. XD It’s a little rough right now, but I AM in PMS mode, and it IS the first draft, so...I’m sure it’ll come together nicely on a revision!
FreeTube/Invidious: Welp, no OXBoxtra videos today – but that’s because my evening was spent watching “CaFae Latte Season 78 - TikTok Compilation” by C. M. Alongi instead! And this season started out a little nerve-wracking, but ended up being mostly cute. :) Our episodes included:
A) A cop knocking on the window of our favorite recurring ER nurse’s car while she was catching a catnap at a gas station! Turns out the nurse – one Lisa Gomez, according to her license – had just come off a 36-hour shift and was feeling WAAAY too drowsy to drive home safely, so she pulled into the station to catch a few zzzs before continuing on. She was rather annoyed that the employees had called a cop on her after seeing her parked there for 15 minutes, instead of coming out to ask her to move themselves…
And even more annoyed at the cop’s attitude, given he first justified the employees calling him in by saying they thought she was homeless thanks to her junky car (and adding that you could “never tell” with them, especially if they were on drugs)...and then, when she said she didn’t understand the whole thing around “sexy” cars, him commenting that she did not need any help being sexy. And then offering to escort her home. And asking for her number when she refused that, so he could be sure she “got home safe.” Lisa was rightfully like “no, not happening,” and drove away as soon as she could. *grimace* Yeaaah, not a fun way to end a shift in the emergency room...
B) Husniya’s husband Asif showing up as the cafe opened for the day and letting her know that their coffee machine at home broke before begging her to make him a coffee – she informed him that she’d have to charge him, but when he pouted she agreed to give him the VIP discount. And a muffin. XD David, Bob’s former friend-with-benefits-but-now-just-friend showed up shortly thereafter and teased Asif about sleeping with the staff for discounts – Bob appeared on the scene and informed him playfully that it was marriage and co-parenting that got you those, not just good sex. XD Bob explained their relationship to Husniya once she asked, and David said that now he was navigating the nightmare of dating apps! Bob was surprised, given that she saw him as a very good catch (handsome face, funny, good-natured, lucrative job), but David explained that the problem wasn’t getting casual hook-ups, but finding someone to be a long-term partner (apparently he wants marriage and kids one day). Someone who would not psychoanalyze him on a date, try to sell him essential oils, or spend the date on Instagram. *shakehead* Asif commented that he did not miss those days at all –
Causing a confused Husniya to be like “...we were arranged? By our community?” Asif clarified that he’d been doing online dating BEFORE he met her, keeping his options open – obviously everything got deleted once he did meet her. :p Husniya then recommended that David maybe look into a love charm from the Stoughton Street Coven to improve his luck – David was like “aren’t those like date rape drugs?!” but Bob quickly reassured him that THAT was only the case if it targeted a specific person, and that most love charms are made to gently adjust reality just a little bit to make it more likely that you’ll meet a good match. Up to you to create and maintain the relationship! David was like “sold” once he was assured it would mean an eventual end to his online dating woes and got himself a nice iced coffee before heading out...only to overhear a familiar asshole cop harassing a familiar ER nurse...
C) Lisa being harassed by the asshole cop, who apparently FOLLOWED HER ANYWAY when she tried to get away from him and was now like “you told me you were going to your house, not a store, that’s lying to a police officer, I could have you arrested.” Lisa was fuming, telling him that he was harassing her, but he said that all he wanted was her number, which she was like “you’re not getting” –
And then he pointed out that he could arrest her. Or get ICE involved. Lisa was like “my family has been here TEN GENERATIONS – we were in California BEFORE it got given to the US by Mexico!” The cop said that he’d be willing to back her up if she relented on the number, and then gave her a choice if he called her or ICE. Lisa, fed up, was like “ICE – I’ll get my coffee and a lawyer” – the cop shrugged and prepared to make the call –
And cue David stepping and pretending to be Lisa’s boyfriend, going on about how he worries so much about those long shifts and how he didn’t order anything for her since he knows she likes her coffee hot. Lisa, fortunately, caught on after a little bit and lied to the cop that they’d been going on three months – the cop, annoyed, was like “you could have TOLD me you had a boyfriend.” Lisa responded that “No is a complete sentence” and happily went off with David to the cafe, asking him about the latest IT drama (apparently he’s a computer programmer).
D) Lisa and David arriving the cafe and Lisa ordering a large dark roast coffee (black as sin), pixie dust on the side for at home, and a curse on the asshole cop! Bob was like “...I can provide the coffee, but I will need more details on the subject of the curse.” XD Lisa and David explained what had happened, and Husniya promptly went into Mother Hen mode, insisting on giving Lisa the coffee on the house, and that she stay there for a while, and getting her something to eat too. (Asif explained their oldest just entered first grade, so now Lisa would be the recipient of the mothering – she was fine with that.) XD Bob said that she was glad Lisa got away, but she hated the idea of that asshole being free to harass others – however, she couldn’t curse him without any DNA or his full name. Lisa admitted that she didn’t see his name, just his badge number –
And cue David pulling out his phone and revealing he got the guy’s LAST name (Benson), his face, and his license plate number – he’d been filming before stepping in. Asif asked to see the phone and said that he’d get the guy’s full name in five minutes (Husniya: “He used to do computer security for the government”), and Lisa thanked David for his help. David said it was no problem – his own mom is a nurse, so he definitely wouldn’t have felt right just walking away –
And cue the pair immediately bonding over stuff like David’s sister being a surgeon (Lisa was initially embarrassed as she’d talked shit about surgeons as part of the ruse of being David’s girlfriend, saying they had no bedside manner, but David assured her that, while he loved his sister, he had to acknowledge she had like NO people skills) and Lisa’s family history (David was very intrigued to learn that her family had genuinely been there for like ten generations; Lisa explained her uncle was a history nut who liked researching that kind of thing – he’d hit a dead end concerning where the family came from before California, but had found an interesting story about a relative who was swept up in a mass deportation pre-World War I but just hopped of the train and walked back to his house). All while Husniya made a face suggesting like she wanted to squee but was holding back. XD Asif then got the cop’s full name, and Bob asked for suggestions about the curse – Lisa said she wanted him off the force, if not in jail, and Bob obliged by first making him unable to harm, harass or, abuse anyone except in self-defense, then making sure his crimes would be revealed to all, and wrapping up by making sure he would suffer poverty and misfortune until he stopped being racist and sexist. Lisa thanked her and said that she’d be off now so she could actually get some sleep. David jokingly asked if she wanted an escort –
And Lisa said “no, but I do want your phone.” Which she promptly put her number in, explaining she was too tired now to flirt properly but he was welcome to give her a call when she could have a proper conversation. :D She then headed off with her goodies, leaving a dumbstruck David behind…
Who then asked if Bob had hit him with a love charm already. And Bob confirmed she had, saying she did not expect that magic to work so quickly. XD I mean, I guessed from the moment the love charm was mentioned that David was going to meet Lisa and hit it off with her, but still. I didn’t see quite this turn of events coming! XD
E) Rethu chatting with Husniya about how Drek agreed to sub for them tomorrow (Jewish holiday) in exchange for nibling pictures and showing off Xaytha in a jack-o-lantern (which C. M. used as an opportunity to show off the new design of just that on a cup she’d designed for the merch store) when a demon came in to get a snack. She cooed over the picture of Xaytha, then said that, as an incubus, she had some allergies, especially to celestial ingredients – Rethu let her know that if she stayed away from the honeycakes, she should be fine. A puzzled Husniya was then like “sorry for asking, but I thought female demons with – carnal abilities were succubi?” The incubus let her know that was a common misconception and explained that the words “incubus” and “succubus” mean “to lie on top of” and “to lie underneath” respective – meaning the split was actually along the top/bottom axis, not the gender one. It was just because of people back in earlier times having very firm views on who should be on top and who should be on the bottom during sex that it got warped into meaning “male sex demon” and “female sex demon” – “Sexism warped the translation,” as per Rethu. :p A curious Husniya asked “what if you’re a switch?” and the incubus explained that such a person would be a “concubus,” which means “to lie next to.” *nods* The more you know!
F) And finally, JC angrily accusing Cyrus of eating their cookie dough again during one of his days actually working at the cafe, only for Cyrus to be like “I only took a little – and I did not leave those claw marks in the dough.” An embarrassed Drek admitted he’d eaten the cookie dough – JC was like “et tu?” while Cyrus laughed and told him that you always hide the evidence. Fortunately for Drek’s continued survival, Ghost Hunter John showed up for coffee and a pumpkin brownie just then. Cyrus asked what he was doing in their neck of the woods again (apparently he lives in Minneapolis), and John explained that he was investigating a haunted hotel in Rochester. Drek was like “oh hey, my parents went there and had a blast” – JC asked if it was really haunted, and Drek admitted that while his dad swore he saw a ghost, his mom was sure it had just been some guy, or a projection set up by the hotel. JC said that they certainly HOPED that was the case, given their previous run-ins with ghosts – John admitted that ghosts often are more violent than the living, given their inability to pass on is often due to trauma from their death, but said it wasn’t always a guarantee. Cyrus was more confused by the fact that JC would so easily dismiss the idea that the hotel was haunted – JC said that they were just pretty sure it was more likely to be a marketing ploy, and John said that the stats would back them up. But he had to check out anyway, so he headed out with his treats while JC told Drek “you’re helping me clean the oven” as punishment for cookie dough theft. XD
Another excellent season, to be sure – I did really like the David & Lisa stuff at the beginning. All the side characters seem to be getting names now, it’s neat. :p And now I’m wondering if the haunted hotel is going to play a part in the next season/arc or not...
And there we have it! And now I am VERY fucking tired and heading to bed. *shakehead* Tomorrow, I hope to get some Halloween-related posts ready for Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) for this upcoming week; play some more Portal and continue the Transmission Received Run; get another Valicer Polyship Week 2025 fic written; figure out my workout movie; and watch the latest F:NV YOLO Remastered episode from Jon. And MAYBE get through answering Moose's messages, though I get the feeling that might end up being done Monday afternoon. ^^; Sorry Moose! Night all!
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Date: 2025-10-28 01:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-10-29 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-02 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-04 04:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-02 11:21 pm (UTC)Asif asking Husniya for coffee was adorable. ^^
The comments mentioned that lying to an officer is not, in fact, a crime. The guy's a dick.
I knew ER nurse (I just....I feel weird using her name lol) and David would be getting together the moment he stepped in to help. I also giggled when he was like "Did you already hit me with a love charm?" and Bob was all "...I didn't think it would work that fast." XD
I would be allll over that Xaytha mug if...well, you know.
"Concubus" must be where "concubine" comes from. 🎵The more you know...🎵 indeed.
Apparently Drek stealing the cookie dough was based on something CM went through as a teenager -- her mom was JC, her dad was Cyrus, and she was Drek. :p
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Date: 2025-11-04 04:18 am (UTC)It was, yes -- dude knows how to butter up his wife. XD
Well, he'd already proven his dickitude earlier -- what's one more thing? *shakehead*
Hehe, yeah -- as I said, I was like "oh my God he's gonna meet Lisa" the moment love charms were mentioned. I just didn't expect it to happen that fast! Much like Bob -- that was a great moment. XD
Yeah, I know. *pats* Bleh.
Oh yeah, probably! I wasn't even thinking of that before! Neat. :)
*snork* I see. To be fair, cookie dough is delicious, and I bet JC's is especially so.