The Waiting Game
Jan. 20th, 2026 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickWell, we're still waiting on the biopsy, as despite the doctors saying they'd put him on the schedule (or at least try to) today, nothing's happened so far. Now they're saying it'll be done by the end of the week. >( Accordingly, I have talked to Mom and taken the rest of the week off work so she can keep using my car to go see him at the hospital and I can keep an eye on the house and help out with the chores and whatnot. Very glad now that I have loads of sick time banked up that I can dip into! And that my coworkers have been very understanding about all of this. Still, I'll be very glad once the procedure is done and he can come home already. *shakehead*
Anyway -- as it was another day of hanging around the house waiting for things to happen, I did a bunch of my usual day-off activities -- here's the write-up on those:
Tumblr: Nothing to do over on Valice Multiverse again, but I got a bit done on Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) – specifically, I went through my tracked tags before lunch and dropped into my drafts:
I. Some fanart of Beckett from Vampire: The Masquerade by trefa, showing the man in the woods gazing off at something with a book in his hand – it was really well done (made Beckett look like a hero on a mission), so I had to save it for later
II. A video by gemini-serpentis of the Fem!Malkavian Fledgling dancing in the Asylum in VTMB with a bunch of goths...except that the music had been replaced by “Cotton-Eyed Joe” – this was very amusing, not in the least because the frantic flailing of the Fledgling actually matched the music very well; probably will use this for a Song Saturday at some point
III. Some fanart by iothesc of his Smiler OC design (who I believe is called “Dr. Smiler”) – a black feminine-looking person (pronouns were not given for the OC, so I’ll use “they” for now), with black hair with glowing-yellow-streaked bangs (and a bit more glowing yellow in their bun), spiral eyes and spiral goggles, and a bit of a fiendish grin – it was a very nice Smiler OC design, and I really liked the hair (and goofy little Smiler hair ornament), so into the drafts it went
IV. A sped-up gif by pixiecorpse of Alice rocking on her heels in front of Cheshire in the Village of the Doomed from the original American McGee’s Alice – I just liked it, as I’ve always liked Alice having that little idle fidget (not sure I can put why into words, it just feels right for her) – and it’s fun to occasionally go back to the original game in reblogs
V. And some fanart by platonbatonn of Emily, Victor, and Victoria from Corpse Bride all lying tangled up together (Victor’s head laying on Emily’s legs while Victoria grips his, with him reaching for them both), red spilling across their bodies, and two bloodied swords and the Wine of Ages lying nearby, paired with some My Chemical Romance song lyrics referencing vows and cyanide – I saw this and went “oooh, dark OT3 mood right there, I like,” so I saved it
So yay, got some more stuff to drop into my queue at some point, including a new thing from each of my primary fandoms. :) We love to see it!
Writing: Decided to get this done before doing any video gaming today, so I didn’t have to worry about it while inevitably taking ages to finish off the session write-up later – and I’m pleased to say I completed a pretty heavy chunk of edits on Chapter Six of “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland” this afternoon! Specifically, I finished off the Pisha boss fight, which included:
A) Alice getting very angry when she saw Pisha reanimate the members of Simon’s camera crew as zombies to attack her, but being counseled by Cheshire to prioritize action instead of words – accordingly, she took out the legs of two of them, and the head of the third
B) Pisha getting angry about Alice sullying her dinner (complaining she’d been looking forward to eating that one guy’s brain), and trying to climb up the shelves Alice was hiding on to reach her – Alice managed to kick her off and land a shot on her while letting Pisha know it was her own fault for throwing her food at Alice as a weapon, and that she would have loved to turn the zombies on her if she knew how; cue Pisha managing to scratch her leg and inform her that her only chance of that would be to study the teachings of the Nagaraja or the Giovanni, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon
C) Pisha then asking Alice if she was one of those ridiculous vampires who only feeds on animals and doesn’t acknowledge what they’ve become, and Alice responding that “I’m not such a bleeding-heart that I don’t make humans bleed” but that she at least only takes what she needs – she admitted to having some sympathy for Pisha’s condition, which meant she HAD to be a monster to eat, but said that the least Pisha could have done was make it quick, as even tigers (which Pisha had brought up previously) did that. Pisha responded how she ate was none of Alice’s concern (well, you kind of MADE it Alice’s concern when you tasked her with finding Simon, lady) and that tigers were also territorial, and that she intended to make sure Alice never intruded on hers again (Alice: “Same, just different method”)
D) Pisha managing to dodge Alice’s next two shots – only to trip over one of her own downed zombies and accidentally plunge into her own mystical flames; cue Alice, horrified, running up and mercy-killing her with the shotgun because, no matter how big a monster Pisha was, she did not deserve to die like that
E) And Alice standing over the resultant pile of ash and now-inert corpses, rubbing her fire-scarred shoulder and wondering why it always came back to fire with her (Hatter suggested she was extraordinarily unlucky, which she said she could believe); complaining that she’d been feeling good earlier, and Caterpillar reminding her that Sanguine-charged blood was still in her system, ready to be used whenever necessary (causing Alice to put her hand over her heart as she thought about Victor’s taste and the memory she’d accidentally plucked from his mind, aw); and apologizing to the corpses of the crew, stating she hoped they rested in peace now that their murders had been so quickly avenged. And that she hoped they were glad Simon got out, though given she had no idea how they actually felt about him in life… *shrug* :p
And there we have it! Felt good to make some solid progress on that. I left it with Alice leaving the hospital to finally head to the museum – next time, after theloading screen timeskip, we’ll catch up with her arriving at her intended destination! Or, well, close enough to. :P
Baldur’s Gate III: Looped back around to this today, continuing the adventures of Tav!Smiler and friends in Faerûn – and they had a fair number of adventures today, let me tell you –
A) Picked up where I left off last time, with the group hanging out in their camp post-saving Arabella – I’d previously toyed with the idea of having them just end the day there (as, again, there’s some cutscenes I want to see), but today I decided, “No – FIRST let’s find that tiefling guard who saw the githyanki patrol so Lae’zel can have a word with him. THEN I’ll consider that a full day for the group and have them rest.” So the group returned to the Emerald Grove, where they headed up the stone steps from the Sacred Pool back into The Hollow – passing along the way the tieflings Amek (sitting on a rock behind the wagon Lae’zel took the Metallic Gloves from – he complained, “Those dirt-kissers would let us die for the sake of their bloody grove!” when Smiler said hi), Xeph (standing by the wagon examining the contents – she too was annoyed with the druids when Smiler stopped to chat, going “We could help each other – fight the goblins together. Instead these fools are trying to chase us away!”), Rechel (who briefly stood by Mattis’s shop looking down into the little hollow behind it before wandering off past the wagon – good thing we already spoke to her) –
And Doni! Hanging out by the big rock formation in what I think is the “center” of the Hollow (behind the training ground where you recruit Wyll), having reappeared after his little disappearing act from a couple of sessions ago! Smiler promptly went over to say hello, and he greeted them with the usual grunt – Smiler then asked “Where the hells did you disappear to before?” This prompted an active DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check – fortunately, with a little help from their various proficiency bonuses and Shadowheart’s Guidance cantrip, they passed it with a solid 14, causing Smiler to watch Doni’s hands as he grunted out his reply, realizing the kid was miming opening something somewhere. Curious, they asked “Is it a chest? A door? Can you show me where it is?” This prompted a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check, which they easily beat with a 16 thanks to being quite Charismatic (and a little more Guidance from Shadowheart), and Doni happily showed them the hidden hatch he meant. Smiler thanked him for showing him the door, getting an affirmative grunt in return –
And when they came out of the conversation, it was revealed that a little pile of stones near the base of the rocks, right across from the wagon, was in fact the concealed hatch Doni had just shown them! Naturally, I had to have the group use it –
B) And one quick fade-to-black loading screen later, the group found themselves in the tiefling kids’ secret hideout! A natural cave with a GORGEOUS waterfall pouring into an underground river to the right of the ladder Smiler and company used to get down – seriously, take a look:
So pretty! Anyway, after taking a moment to admire that, Smiler and company then proceeded down the natural steps to the left to the actual hideout (marked with a cute little string of blue pennants), where Meli (the little locket thief from before) was practicing his pickpocketing on a little dummy wearing a backpack, and two other little tieflings were hanging out by the central stalagmite by some crates of stolen stuff – one named Zaki who I hadn’t seen before –
And Silfy! AKA Mattis’s sister, and the unsuccessful little pickpocket who tried to steal Smiler’s things a couple of sessions ago. Smiler went over to say hello – the poor girl nervously said “Hello again,” then informed them that “Mol’s in charge here. Not me,” before ending the conversation. Aww – I was kind of hoping I could have Smiler tell her that it was all right, they didn’t hold her trying to steal their things against her. Ah well – we’ll just pretend they did. Anyway, figuring I ought to talk to Mol then, I swung the camera around to look for her (finding a little hidey-hole full of stolen stuff behind Meli in the process – including a teddy bear, aww) –
And then she happened to walk basically right into the middle of the group, thanks to her NPC patrol route. She even stopped and looked at them as if she was surprised to see so many adults hanging around. XD Smiler went over to greet her – she replied, “Well, look who’s come to visit” before informing them that her kids had told her about how busy they’d been since their arrival. She then proceeded to sincerely thank them for helping Meli escape with the locket (“I owe you for that”), saving Arabella from the druids (“Don’t know what those bastards would have done”), and going easy on Silfy (“Not many marks would have done the same”). Smiler assured her they were happy to help, and she replied “And we’re happy to be helped” before asking what she could do for them. Smiler inquired as to why they were engaging in all these “schemes and swindles,” noting it was risky business – Mol explained they were saving up to get a better hideout once they reached Baldur’s Gate, before mockingly asking if Smiler planned on lecturing her about how stealing is wrong. I was briefly tempted to go for the “not at all, I’d like to make an investment in this new thieves’ guild” line in response – but that requires you to give 20 gold to the kids, and Smiler and company only have 34 gold to their names at the moment. So instead they went “I’m not your parent. Do as you please” – Mol responded, “Didn’t need your permission, but fine.” XD Snarky bastard kid… Smiler then asked if she had anything to trade, and as it turned out, she did indeed –
But, uh, not much. And while what she had was largely useful – a few good potions and a couple of scrolls (including one of Fly, oooh), plus some trap disarm kits – it was all unfortunately just a bit too expensive for Smiler and company – again, only 34 gold to their names! So I just exited out of that and had Smiler ask if they needed help with anything instead. And as it turned out, Mol did – specifically, with getting revenge on the druids. “You saw what those bastards that run the place were doing to Arabella. Scaring the precious mite,” she told Smiler angrily –
Before continuing, “I want to steal that big shiny idol they’re all chanting at.” You know, the very Idol of Silvanus that Arabella tried to steal – and that nearly got her killed by Kagha when she got caught. Smiler was immediately like “Count me out – I’m not getting involved,” and Mol derisively went, “Figures. Don’t think you’ve got the stones for the job anyhow.” It’s less a matter of stones and more Smiler doesn’t want any more kids nearly dying by snake, Mol! Fortunately, she didn’t hold their reluctance to help with her ill-thought-out revenge plot against them, and assured them that they were welcome back anytime as the conversation ended. :) Nice to know the kids think so kindly of us! Though this does remind me that I have to go and find Mirkon sooner rather than later – can’t leave the kid to the Harpies!
C) Having spoken to the leader of the little gang of “Thieflings” (as the game calls them in the dialogue files – cute), Smiler decided to see if the other kids had anything interesting to say. Silfy had no new dialogue, sadly (come on, let me comfort the scared little tiefling kid), but when Smiler approached Meli, he promptly complained that they were blocking his life, before recognizing them as “the one who helped me get away.” This apparently did not earn Smiler any brownie points with him, though, as he promptly followed that up with a rather aggressive, “You want something? Or you just here to stare at my forehead?” I was briefly tempted to just stare at his forehead – yes, that was an option in the dialogue box – but decided to have Smiler instead ask Meli to “Tell me the truth. That adventurer’s locket – do you have it?”
Meli, understandably, replied, “Look, if I had it, would I tell you?” XD He then declared the whole conversation a waste of their time and told Smiler to “find yourself a maze and get lost. I’m busy.” XD Yeah, that kid ain’t giving up nothing, Smiler – you want to get that locket for Barth (and I’m not sure why you would), you’re going to have to steal it back yourself! (Or get Astarion to do it.) Smiler thus moved onto Zaki, but he didn’t have much to say to them – just noting, “You don’t look so tough. Mol fought off a hobglin all by herself.” Which, one, well-spotted kid, Smiler is NOT the tough one in this group, and two, good for Mol, I suppose! I don’t know how hard a hobgoblin is supposed to be, but I imagine it would be difficult for a kid to fend off. Then again, we already know Mol’s quite scrappy, and good for her.
D) Having chatted with all the kids in the hideout, Smiler and company decided it was time to move on, ascending the ladder through the hidden hatch in the rocks and making their way back down to the makeshift “marketplace” past Guex still making Main Hand Attacks on that dummy in the training area. After checking a few crates lined up by the big rock formation, just to see what was in them (a handful of camp supplies, like oranges and booze), Smiler spotted another guard standing by the nearby storage building, Zorru, and brought their party over to say hello –
Only for Zorru to see Lae’zel and go “B-by Moradi’s eyes, another one. My f-friend’s blood not enough? Come to rip me open, too?” Because, as it turns out, this guy was exactly the tiefling I was looking for – the one who encountered the githyanki patrol, and the one that Lae’zel wanted to interrogate! :D Yay! Lae’zel promptly stepped up and coolly informed the shaking guard that “In Creche K’liir, a formal greeting begins with a bow.” Zorru, terrified, turned to Smiler and asked, “Is this m-monster with you?” –
And I, seeing a good opportunity to finally earn some approval from Lae’zel, decided to have them err on the side of making HER happy and had them reply, “Yes. And I suggest you do as she says.” Zorru thus bowed to Lae’zel –
Only for her to demand, with folded arms, “Lower.” Zorru turned to Smiler, and I decided to have them stand there quietly, waiting for him to obey (or not), under the justification that they’d let Lae’zel do this as it would make her happy, but they weren’t going to help her intimidate the poor guy THAT much. Zorru decided it would be better to obey and got down on hands and knees, and Lae’zel demanded to know where he’d seen the other gith. Zorru stammered out that he’d seen them by the mountain pass, on the road to the city, stating “Saw us ‘fore we s-saw it. Jammed its b-b-blade through Yul’s belly, straight to the other side.” Lae’zel taunted him with “No twisting? Kin must have been in a hurry,” then forced him to mark on their map where the pass was before allowing him up, stating “You can keep your innards.” A stunned Wyll said, “By the dead gods, are all gith so brutal?” –
Only for Lae’zel to reply, “Brutal? Blood still flows through his own veins. I was positively gentle.” Which, uh, I think is a “yes” to your question, Wyll! Githyanki – not nice folks! *grimace*
E) Anyway – Zorru scurried away once dismissed (I think – he certainly wasn’t there when the cutscene ended), and Smiler went to check in with Lae’zel, as she had an “!” over her head post-interrogation. She proclaimed cheerfully (as cheerfully as she gets, anyway) that “The locals prove compliant. A useful trait,” while Shadowheart angrily told Smiler that she’d warned them about her, and that “you ought to reconsider keeping her around, before she causes real trouble.” Smiler, for their part, asked Lae’zel if she planned to be that rough with everyone they met –
Causing Lae’zel to go, “Rough? Soon, you will be vomiting blood and tearing apart your own flesh. When the tentacles sprout from your lips, will you still cry that I was rough?” Smiler, annoyed, went “All right. You made your point,” and she declared “Then I needn’t make it again” –
Before adding “The teeth-ling was clear. If there are githyanki west of here, that must be our objective. Purification cannot wait.” Smiler, seeing a small opportunity to get their own back, went “Heh – did you say ‘teeth-ling?’” causing Lae’zel to actually look embarrassed for half a second before confessing she was unfamiliar with the – “well, I shall not say ‘culture.’ ‘Custom,’ perhaps,” of the area, before informing Smiler they would “educate me on matters of this Fay-run.” Smiler immediately told her, “No, no. It’s ‘Faerûn’” (pronounced “Fay-ROON,” if you’re curious), getting an annoyed “Tch.” in reply. Hey, you asked them to help you! Smiler then wrapped up the conversation by asking about the purification, causing Lae’zel to explain that “The creche holds the zaith’isk. It will cleanse of the parasite. By covenant, I can say no more.” Yeah – by covenant, and by the fact that you don’t actually KNOW what that thing does… Also, gotta say, her saying “teeth-ling,” while still funny, doesn’t quite hit when she’s already used the correct pronunciation in other banter. Ah well.
F) With the main objective of my session achieved, I was about ready to wrap things up by sending everyone to camp – but before I did, I noticed a rat running around near the storage hut Zorru had apparently been guarding. And, well, since Smiler had “Speak With Animals” active, I figured there was no harm in them saying hello. To my mild surprise, the rat responded with “Stay back, or else!” A puzzled Smiler was like “What’s wrong?” only for the rat to insist there was nothing wrong, they just wanted Smiler to stay back –
Before going “Ow! My tooth…” Smiler, feeling sorry for the creature, said, “Let me take a look,” and the rat informed them that “It’s the front one. I chipped it on the evil thing.” Smiler immediately asked, “What ‘evil thing?’” and the rat responded, “In the box. Follow me, I’ll show you!” –
Before running off, faster than I could turn the camera! *facepalm* I tried my best to follow it, but as I was trying to get Smiler to go around, I accidentally clicked on Shadowheart, prompting her to start a conversation and talk about how it was “Almost pleasant, traveling with company. If you ignore all the...less pleasant aspects.” As there was no interesting new dialogue to tempt me into speaking with her, I promptly had Smiler leave the conversation and look around for the rat –
But no dice. The little furry bugger was gone. *huffs* However, upon looking around the area, I realized something – the gap in the storage building’s door was more than big enough to allow a rat. Maybe it had gone in there? I thus sent Smiler up to open the door –
Only to find it was locked. And worse yet, marked in red, meaning breaking it open would be a crime. Hmmm. I played around with camera angles for a bit to see into the building, and confirm the rat was in there (along with a tiefling, sitting on the floor), then fiddled around with the controls until I remembered which one let you see the field of view of nearby people. There didn’t seem to be anyone looking in the group’s direction, so I switched control to Astarion and had him start taking a crack at the door –
Only for the camera to suddenly show a nearby guard folding her arms, with the narrator warning the group, “Your lockpicking is attracting attention. Tread carefully.” Damn it. Probably should have had Astarion hide first, but I thought he could get away with it... I promptly had him back off, and switched control back to Smiler to say hi to the nearby guard and maybe smooth things over. Fortunately, she was willing to talk – though all she had to say was, “Goblins. Druids. This grove is a death trap. Grab what you can and get out, that’s my advice.” (Well, why’d you stop us lockpicking to grab something, then? :p) With her as an eyewitness, though, picking the front door was out. “Is there a back entrance, then?” I wondered, and panned the camera around the back, past the shabby door cutting off the Hollow from the next area –
And saw not only what did indeed look like some sort of access point around the rear, but also a tiefling holding a goblin in a cage at crossbow-point! While the goblin yelled abuse like “you tiefs are boring! Even your cages are boring!” I quickly realized this was Arka – sister of Kanon, the guy who died when the goblins first tried to raid the grove – confronting Sazza, the captured goblin Volo had mentioned before. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get involved just yet, but I had to pass the scene to reach the back entrance of the storage building, so I had Smiler and company go through the shabby door into what the game named the Makeshift Prison –
G) Where the game forced Smiler to be a part of the confrontation. *shrug* Okay then! As previously stated, Arka was pointing a crossbow at Sazza, threatening to kill her out of grief and anger at her brother’s death – Sazza was taunting her, saying “Ya ain’t gonna shoot me. Yer hands are shakin’,” while her friend Memnos tried to get her to put the crossbow down, pointing out that Sazza couldn’t fight back. Arka snapped, “That’s the point. Get out of the way,” but Memnos refused to back down, reminding Arka that Sazza didn’t kill her brother and that she was better than that –
And then Sazza broke in again, encouraging Arka to “Shoot before you lose your nerve, tiefling. If you ever had it to begin with.” Smiler informed Sazza that she ought to shut her yap, as “Those words could be your last” – Sazza refused, stating, “I’m not afraid. Chosen by the Absolute, I am. I’m blessed.” Arka growled, “Oh, I’ll bless you all right” –
But Smiler, wanting to know more about this “Absolute” that kept cropping up, quickly stepped in front of her crossbow before she could shoot. Sazza gloated, “Looks like the Absolute sent me a protector. Ya gonna kill them too?” while Arka demanded Smiler move. Smiler decided to use their potion-given ability to Detect Thoughts to see what Arka was thinking (mostly because I hadn’t used that option a lot and wanted to give it another whirl), bringing up an Intelligence check with a DC of 12. I was briefly worried that something was about to go wrong, largely because they only had one +2 bonus to add (thanks to being decently intelligent) –
And then they rolled a nat 20. :D Yeah, I guess they wanted to use that ability as much as I did! Peering into Arka’s thoughts revealed she knew her brother would hate her for doing this, but he wasn’t here thanks to the goblins taking her from him. Smiler then broke out the Persuasion to convince her that shooting Sazza wouldn’t avenge Kanon or change anything, and thanks to their Charismatic nature, easily beat the DC 10 check with a 14. Arka thus reluctantly backed down, admitting that they were right (even if she wished they weren’t) before demanding to know why they cared if the goblin lived or died. Smiler explained that “She still has a story to tell. One I want to hear,” leaning into their Bard class –
Only for Lae’zel to complain, “Tsk. Your soft heart will be the death of us,” and for Wyll to surprise me by indicating he disapproved of that! Dude, I thought your hatred of goblins was supposed to be left in Early Access! O.o An annoyed Arka declared Smiler “exhausting” but agreed to leave Sazza alone, and Memnos led her away to cool off. Which would have been the end of the session –
H) Except Gale indicated that he was interested in speaking to Smiler right afterward with the customary “!” over his head. Smiler thus went over to chat, and Gale revealed that he’d seen a similar standoff at a place called the Yawning Portal, adding, “Of course, an establishment like that invites all sorts of outlandish entertainments.” Smiler commented that, “I’ve heard superstitious inkeeps muttering about the Yawning Portal – what is it?” (courtesy of their Bard class again), and Gale explained it was an inn in Waterdeep, and that there was “never a dull moment there” – largely because adventurers from all over the country constantly came there to “try their luck down the well.” The well being a passage into the Undermountain – “full of death, danger, and vast amounts of treasure. Hard to resist.” Smiler accepted that and asked what the standoff had been about, and Gale admitted he didn’t know for sure, making a joke about how “a drow, a dragonborn, and a cleric of Cyric walk into a bar. Your standard fare,” before saying that it could have started over someone cheating at cards, or been borne out of a lovers’ quarrel. The important thing was, someone drew a crossbow, and the entire room went silent. A fascinated Smiler asked, “What happened next?”
And Gale told them “I stood up and yelled ‘Shadowdark ale for everyone!’” Which, naturally, defused the situation because everyone was now much more interested in the free drinks – in fact, Gale said that calling for a round was the most powerful magic you could perform in a place like that. He then added, “Mind you, all I did was call for ale, but you went and stood in front of that crossbow. I’d drink to that.” So apparently he approved a LOT of Smiler’s actions there. Which is nice – glad someone did! :) I find it very amusing that I’m apparently speedrunning Gale’s approval, given my first impression of him was “probably doesn’t think much of Smiler because they’re a warlock.” I’m still planning on romancing Wyll this run, but maybe Gale and Smiler can be besties instead. Smiler could use one, given Alice and Victor aren’t in this world!
And so the playsession ended with the group hanging out by Sazza’s cage, having successfully saved her from tiefling wrath. Next time – well, I don’t know if the game will force me to speak to her or not. If it does, we’ll take care of her business (which may include letting her loose so she can return to the goblin camp); if not, we’ll see about following that rat, and maybe talking to the tiefling inside the storage hut. Though I’m going to have to make sure I can actually HELP said tiefling, as the reason she’s sitting in there is because she’s suffering some bad effects from an Auntie Ethel potion, and the game says she can be cured with the Lesser Restoration spell...which Smiler does NOT have, if I remember correctly. Hmmm. Might be worth doing Sazza’s stuff first because that should include fighting some people along her escape route, which might get the group some very necessary experience...we’ll see!
Workout: Another night on the bike, another night with Jon of Many A True Nerd, pedaling my way through –
A) The end of “Fallout: New Vegas - The Worst Courier!” The first episode of the Adventures Of Useless Steve concluded with:
I. Useless Steve attracting the attention of the giant radscorpion he accidentally lured into town again...then realizing he could weaponize it and luring it to the correct side of town so it would fight the Powder Gangers when they spawned in – a process that involved getting it away from the Bighorners it so wanted to murder; crippling its nearly-broken right legs (and then hastily downing some antivenom when it managed to sting him in return); luring it to over near Easy Pete’s old house (RIP Easy Pete) before ducking inside, waiting a few hours to make sure it would lose interest in him, then exiting out the other side to get back into town proper
II. Useless Steve starting the assault against the Powder Gangers with Ringo and Sunny Smiles (and Cheyenne, of course) in the middle of the night, and Jon being delighted that “my stupid, stupid plan has worked” when the Powder Gangers spawned in and immediately ended up in a fight with the giant radscorpion. They did manage to take it down, but not before it killed about half of them, and with the help of his new plasma gun and the assistance of Ringo, Sunny, and Cheyenne, Useless Steve was able to kill the others, becoming Vilified among the Powder Gangers but Idolized by Goodsprings (well, what was left of Goodsprings – which Jon estimated was over 50%, given Doc Mitchell, Chet, Sunny, and Trudy were all still alive – along with that one unnamed guy who never leaves Trudy’s bar except to sleep XD)
III. Useless Steve hitting the road to try and get some supplies for his adventures ahead, including:
a. Hitting Jean Sky Diving for whatever goodies he could pick up in there (a silenced .22 pistol and some other crap he could sell)
b. Sneaking down the road disguised as a Powder Ganger (to fool the average grunts) to rob the corpses near the trailer home and grab a “Today’s Physician” and a Stealth Boy from inside
c. Hitting Sloan to steal all the mining money and the two skill books in the worker’s barracks (one for Explosives, one for Repair) – plus six pulse grenades that happened to be in there
d. Swinging by Lone Wolf Radio, an abandoned radio station that was maintained by some sort of conspiracy nut previously (it’s full of somewhat-depressing graffiti and old cans) for its Wasteland Survival Guide to boost up Survival (and also so Jon could tell everyone “hey, that story you may have heard about this location being the site of a cut quest where this would be the home of a serial killer, and if you caught up to the killer and joined him, it could unlock the ability to kill children in this game? Yeah, that’s bullshit, this was inspired by a conspiracy theorist with a megaphone one of the devs encountered on his old college campus”)
e. And finally hitting the NCR Correctional Facility to grab the “Lying Congressional Style” Speech skill book inside, along with the Administration key off the leader so he could loot that room for mines, dynamite, and ammunition (which involved Jon using a fun glitch involving using the “sit” interaction on an outhouse from the rear to teleport Steve past the fence so he wouldn’t have to meet the door guard, who would see through Steve’s disguise and start shooting, then burning one of his Stealth Boys to sneak past everyone upstairs, since his initial foray up there resulted in everyone shooting at him)
IV. And Useless Steve ending the episode by sneaking past a few last Powder Gangers (and taking a couple of their explosives) before reaching and looting the ruins just outside Primm itself, gaining some more medical supplies and ammo! Because Useless Steve may be useless, but the RNG does not seem to totally hate him. :p
B) And the beginning of “Fallout: New Vegas - The Worst Courier - Part 2 - Armed But Not Dangerous!” The second episode of the Adventures Of Useless Steve began with...something I will tell you tomorrow, as it's too late and I have to wrap this up. Watch this space!
FreeTube: Finally managed to get to one of the videos that have been waiting for me in my Subs over here: “CaFae Tales: The Well of Youth” by C. M. Alongi! The first of the new YouTube series where the CaFae Latte cast will be retelling various folk and fairy tales that Chris has discovered while researching stuff for the series. This week’s tale was the story of an elderly Scottish medieval couple, Angus and Bessie, who used the Well Of Youth to become young enough to be able to work again and thus pay their rent to their landlord, and featured:
A) Bob breaking the fourth wall to express some confusion about being in a YouTube video – she seemed quite puzzled by the widescreen format XD
B) Bob being inspired to tell the tale by Mike talking to Cyrus and JC about his recent family vacation to Scotland (visiting cousins who lived there), and how they’d visited the Well Of Youth, which is apparently a cute little heart-shaped pool that’s supposed to confer magical youth upon those who drink from its waters thanks to a blessing from St. Brigid – Mike didn’t believe that the pool actually conferred YOUTH, but felt that the waters had to be magical in some way due to the pool being a sacred spot for so long. Cyrus was more skeptical (having heard of too many scams involving stuff like that), while JC didn’t believe it because they remembered what Bob had said back when Erik first tried to sell Cyrus to the Stone Oak Coven that the only way to make something that granted immortality was to kill an immortal first – and indeed, Bob said she’d been to the pool herself, and could confirm it had no effects like that on people
C) Bob setting the scene by explaining how, back in medieval times, Scotland was divided up into parcels of lands ruled by lords, who sent people called “factors” around to collect the rent from the tenants who lived there (various farmers, crofters, and fishers), and how Angus and Bessie’s problems started when their lord employed a new factor who was much less willing to give some old people a little extension to gather their rent money than the old one. Cue the pair trying to figure out what they could do, and Angus floating the idea of using the Well Of Youth to become young and strong and able to work again, explaining that his mother used it to regain her youth when his father’s eye started wandering. Bessie pointed out that his mother then proceeded to die in childbirth along with her next baby, framing it as a possible punishment from God – but then Angus asked if she had any better ideas, and she admitted she did not. So off they trotted –
Right before JC interrupted to be like “Angus’s mother regained her youth and then went back to her terrible potential-cheater of a husband?! She should have fucking left him and started over elsewhere!” Mike pointed out that she couldn’t leave her kid with the terrible husband – and when JC said “well, she should just bring him along,” Cyrus pointed out that a mother taking her child and leaving her husband was hard enough today, never mind in medieval times. JC did not look like they wanted to accept that point
D) Bob continuing the tale by talking about how the couple found the well and drank from it, regaining their youth – only for JC to interrupt again by being like “there were no GUARDS? A castle? Nothing? I’d protect that thing with my life and charge through the nose for people to access it” (Mike: “With a gift shop at the end.” JC: “Exactly! He gets it”). Cyrus agreed the lack of guards was silly and said that the story of the Healing Spring was better in this regard – the spring was in a cave, guarded by a whole bunch of animals (the kind depending on the story), AND you could only drink the waters via a special cup (with Bob noting in an aside to the audience that this was likely a precursor to the Holy Grail). Granted, in that story, all the animals were asleep when the hero came a-calling, but still. An effort was made!
E) Bob then revealing that, after regaining their youth and getting the money for the rent from a neighbor (because they could now work off the debt with their new vitality), Angus and Bessie actually told the startled factor about the Well Of Youth and what they’d done – cue JC yelling at the characters “DON’T TELL HIM, HE’S A PARASITE, CHARGE HIM FOR IT!” Bob tried to insist some things shouldn’t be behind a price wall, but JC and Mike disagreed, with Mike stating that, if the well really DID confer youth, overpopulation would be a real issue. Cyrus countered that people could just expand into different realms – like the Fae Realm, the Abyssal Realm, the Celestial Realm, the Eldritch Realm… Bob was like “you know humans go insane in the Eldritch Realm,” only for Cyrus to respond that humans were barely sane in their OWN realm. *nods* I’m with Cyrus on that one.
F) Bob finishing off the tale by revealing that the factor vanished after talking with Angus and Bessie (as per one of their neighbors), and the pair heading up to the Well Of Youth...to find a baby crying there, as apparently Mr. Factor drank too deep of the waters. Cue Bessie and Angus adopting the baby and raising him as a much more upright citizen – though the neighbors did occasionally comment on the kid’s resemblance to the disappeared rent-collector. JC was not happy that the neighbors chose to comment on THAT and imply Bessie’s a whore and NOT about the couples’ seeming immortality, but Bob was like “that’s how the story goes.” Mike said he thought it was adorable, and that he liked that Angus and Bessie simply wanted to be able to make their rent – JC responded that they thought drowning the landlord would have had better results.
Cue Cyrus saying, with a far-away, world-weary look, “You’d think so...but it usually just causes more problems.” XD Methinks he’s speaking from experience there.
So yeah – a fun first episode of this new series! I’m looking forward to future tales and in-universe commentary thereon. :)
*shakes head* I have to find a way to get through those game write-ups quicker...or at least remember that I have less time than usual at night these days because of FaceTiming Dad and trying to help Mom. Anyway, I'm heading to bed -- we'll see what I manage to get done tomorrow. Night all.
Anyway -- as it was another day of hanging around the house waiting for things to happen, I did a bunch of my usual day-off activities -- here's the write-up on those:
Tumblr: Nothing to do over on Valice Multiverse again, but I got a bit done on Victor Luvs Alice (N Smiler) – specifically, I went through my tracked tags before lunch and dropped into my drafts:
I. Some fanart of Beckett from Vampire: The Masquerade by trefa, showing the man in the woods gazing off at something with a book in his hand – it was really well done (made Beckett look like a hero on a mission), so I had to save it for later
II. A video by gemini-serpentis of the Fem!Malkavian Fledgling dancing in the Asylum in VTMB with a bunch of goths...except that the music had been replaced by “Cotton-Eyed Joe” – this was very amusing, not in the least because the frantic flailing of the Fledgling actually matched the music very well; probably will use this for a Song Saturday at some point
III. Some fanart by iothesc of his Smiler OC design (who I believe is called “Dr. Smiler”) – a black feminine-looking person (pronouns were not given for the OC, so I’ll use “they” for now), with black hair with glowing-yellow-streaked bangs (and a bit more glowing yellow in their bun), spiral eyes and spiral goggles, and a bit of a fiendish grin – it was a very nice Smiler OC design, and I really liked the hair (and goofy little Smiler hair ornament), so into the drafts it went
IV. A sped-up gif by pixiecorpse of Alice rocking on her heels in front of Cheshire in the Village of the Doomed from the original American McGee’s Alice – I just liked it, as I’ve always liked Alice having that little idle fidget (not sure I can put why into words, it just feels right for her) – and it’s fun to occasionally go back to the original game in reblogs
V. And some fanart by platonbatonn of Emily, Victor, and Victoria from Corpse Bride all lying tangled up together (Victor’s head laying on Emily’s legs while Victoria grips his, with him reaching for them both), red spilling across their bodies, and two bloodied swords and the Wine of Ages lying nearby, paired with some My Chemical Romance song lyrics referencing vows and cyanide – I saw this and went “oooh, dark OT3 mood right there, I like,” so I saved it
So yay, got some more stuff to drop into my queue at some point, including a new thing from each of my primary fandoms. :) We love to see it!
Writing: Decided to get this done before doing any video gaming today, so I didn’t have to worry about it while inevitably taking ages to finish off the session write-up later – and I’m pleased to say I completed a pretty heavy chunk of edits on Chapter Six of “Londerland Bloodlines: Downtown Queensland” this afternoon! Specifically, I finished off the Pisha boss fight, which included:
A) Alice getting very angry when she saw Pisha reanimate the members of Simon’s camera crew as zombies to attack her, but being counseled by Cheshire to prioritize action instead of words – accordingly, she took out the legs of two of them, and the head of the third
B) Pisha getting angry about Alice sullying her dinner (complaining she’d been looking forward to eating that one guy’s brain), and trying to climb up the shelves Alice was hiding on to reach her – Alice managed to kick her off and land a shot on her while letting Pisha know it was her own fault for throwing her food at Alice as a weapon, and that she would have loved to turn the zombies on her if she knew how; cue Pisha managing to scratch her leg and inform her that her only chance of that would be to study the teachings of the Nagaraja or the Giovanni, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon
C) Pisha then asking Alice if she was one of those ridiculous vampires who only feeds on animals and doesn’t acknowledge what they’ve become, and Alice responding that “I’m not such a bleeding-heart that I don’t make humans bleed” but that she at least only takes what she needs – she admitted to having some sympathy for Pisha’s condition, which meant she HAD to be a monster to eat, but said that the least Pisha could have done was make it quick, as even tigers (which Pisha had brought up previously) did that. Pisha responded how she ate was none of Alice’s concern (well, you kind of MADE it Alice’s concern when you tasked her with finding Simon, lady) and that tigers were also territorial, and that she intended to make sure Alice never intruded on hers again (Alice: “Same, just different method”)
D) Pisha managing to dodge Alice’s next two shots – only to trip over one of her own downed zombies and accidentally plunge into her own mystical flames; cue Alice, horrified, running up and mercy-killing her with the shotgun because, no matter how big a monster Pisha was, she did not deserve to die like that
E) And Alice standing over the resultant pile of ash and now-inert corpses, rubbing her fire-scarred shoulder and wondering why it always came back to fire with her (Hatter suggested she was extraordinarily unlucky, which she said she could believe); complaining that she’d been feeling good earlier, and Caterpillar reminding her that Sanguine-charged blood was still in her system, ready to be used whenever necessary (causing Alice to put her hand over her heart as she thought about Victor’s taste and the memory she’d accidentally plucked from his mind, aw); and apologizing to the corpses of the crew, stating she hoped they rested in peace now that their murders had been so quickly avenged. And that she hoped they were glad Simon got out, though given she had no idea how they actually felt about him in life… *shrug* :p
And there we have it! Felt good to make some solid progress on that. I left it with Alice leaving the hospital to finally head to the museum – next time, after the
Baldur’s Gate III: Looped back around to this today, continuing the adventures of Tav!Smiler and friends in Faerûn – and they had a fair number of adventures today, let me tell you –
A) Picked up where I left off last time, with the group hanging out in their camp post-saving Arabella – I’d previously toyed with the idea of having them just end the day there (as, again, there’s some cutscenes I want to see), but today I decided, “No – FIRST let’s find that tiefling guard who saw the githyanki patrol so Lae’zel can have a word with him. THEN I’ll consider that a full day for the group and have them rest.” So the group returned to the Emerald Grove, where they headed up the stone steps from the Sacred Pool back into The Hollow – passing along the way the tieflings Amek (sitting on a rock behind the wagon Lae’zel took the Metallic Gloves from – he complained, “Those dirt-kissers would let us die for the sake of their bloody grove!” when Smiler said hi), Xeph (standing by the wagon examining the contents – she too was annoyed with the druids when Smiler stopped to chat, going “We could help each other – fight the goblins together. Instead these fools are trying to chase us away!”), Rechel (who briefly stood by Mattis’s shop looking down into the little hollow behind it before wandering off past the wagon – good thing we already spoke to her) –
And Doni! Hanging out by the big rock formation in what I think is the “center” of the Hollow (behind the training ground where you recruit Wyll), having reappeared after his little disappearing act from a couple of sessions ago! Smiler promptly went over to say hello, and he greeted them with the usual grunt – Smiler then asked “Where the hells did you disappear to before?” This prompted an active DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check – fortunately, with a little help from their various proficiency bonuses and Shadowheart’s Guidance cantrip, they passed it with a solid 14, causing Smiler to watch Doni’s hands as he grunted out his reply, realizing the kid was miming opening something somewhere. Curious, they asked “Is it a chest? A door? Can you show me where it is?” This prompted a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check, which they easily beat with a 16 thanks to being quite Charismatic (and a little more Guidance from Shadowheart), and Doni happily showed them the hidden hatch he meant. Smiler thanked him for showing him the door, getting an affirmative grunt in return –
And when they came out of the conversation, it was revealed that a little pile of stones near the base of the rocks, right across from the wagon, was in fact the concealed hatch Doni had just shown them! Naturally, I had to have the group use it –
B) And one quick fade-to-black loading screen later, the group found themselves in the tiefling kids’ secret hideout! A natural cave with a GORGEOUS waterfall pouring into an underground river to the right of the ladder Smiler and company used to get down – seriously, take a look:
So pretty! Anyway, after taking a moment to admire that, Smiler and company then proceeded down the natural steps to the left to the actual hideout (marked with a cute little string of blue pennants), where Meli (the little locket thief from before) was practicing his pickpocketing on a little dummy wearing a backpack, and two other little tieflings were hanging out by the central stalagmite by some crates of stolen stuff – one named Zaki who I hadn’t seen before –
And Silfy! AKA Mattis’s sister, and the unsuccessful little pickpocket who tried to steal Smiler’s things a couple of sessions ago. Smiler went over to say hello – the poor girl nervously said “Hello again,” then informed them that “Mol’s in charge here. Not me,” before ending the conversation. Aww – I was kind of hoping I could have Smiler tell her that it was all right, they didn’t hold her trying to steal their things against her. Ah well – we’ll just pretend they did. Anyway, figuring I ought to talk to Mol then, I swung the camera around to look for her (finding a little hidey-hole full of stolen stuff behind Meli in the process – including a teddy bear, aww) –
And then she happened to walk basically right into the middle of the group, thanks to her NPC patrol route. She even stopped and looked at them as if she was surprised to see so many adults hanging around. XD Smiler went over to greet her – she replied, “Well, look who’s come to visit” before informing them that her kids had told her about how busy they’d been since their arrival. She then proceeded to sincerely thank them for helping Meli escape with the locket (“I owe you for that”), saving Arabella from the druids (“Don’t know what those bastards would have done”), and going easy on Silfy (“Not many marks would have done the same”). Smiler assured her they were happy to help, and she replied “And we’re happy to be helped” before asking what she could do for them. Smiler inquired as to why they were engaging in all these “schemes and swindles,” noting it was risky business – Mol explained they were saving up to get a better hideout once they reached Baldur’s Gate, before mockingly asking if Smiler planned on lecturing her about how stealing is wrong. I was briefly tempted to go for the “not at all, I’d like to make an investment in this new thieves’ guild” line in response – but that requires you to give 20 gold to the kids, and Smiler and company only have 34 gold to their names at the moment. So instead they went “I’m not your parent. Do as you please” – Mol responded, “Didn’t need your permission, but fine.” XD Snarky bastard kid… Smiler then asked if she had anything to trade, and as it turned out, she did indeed –
But, uh, not much. And while what she had was largely useful – a few good potions and a couple of scrolls (including one of Fly, oooh), plus some trap disarm kits – it was all unfortunately just a bit too expensive for Smiler and company – again, only 34 gold to their names! So I just exited out of that and had Smiler ask if they needed help with anything instead. And as it turned out, Mol did – specifically, with getting revenge on the druids. “You saw what those bastards that run the place were doing to Arabella. Scaring the precious mite,” she told Smiler angrily –
Before continuing, “I want to steal that big shiny idol they’re all chanting at.” You know, the very Idol of Silvanus that Arabella tried to steal – and that nearly got her killed by Kagha when she got caught. Smiler was immediately like “Count me out – I’m not getting involved,” and Mol derisively went, “Figures. Don’t think you’ve got the stones for the job anyhow.” It’s less a matter of stones and more Smiler doesn’t want any more kids nearly dying by snake, Mol! Fortunately, she didn’t hold their reluctance to help with her ill-thought-out revenge plot against them, and assured them that they were welcome back anytime as the conversation ended. :) Nice to know the kids think so kindly of us! Though this does remind me that I have to go and find Mirkon sooner rather than later – can’t leave the kid to the Harpies!
C) Having spoken to the leader of the little gang of “Thieflings” (as the game calls them in the dialogue files – cute), Smiler decided to see if the other kids had anything interesting to say. Silfy had no new dialogue, sadly (come on, let me comfort the scared little tiefling kid), but when Smiler approached Meli, he promptly complained that they were blocking his life, before recognizing them as “the one who helped me get away.” This apparently did not earn Smiler any brownie points with him, though, as he promptly followed that up with a rather aggressive, “You want something? Or you just here to stare at my forehead?” I was briefly tempted to just stare at his forehead – yes, that was an option in the dialogue box – but decided to have Smiler instead ask Meli to “Tell me the truth. That adventurer’s locket – do you have it?”
Meli, understandably, replied, “Look, if I had it, would I tell you?” XD He then declared the whole conversation a waste of their time and told Smiler to “find yourself a maze and get lost. I’m busy.” XD Yeah, that kid ain’t giving up nothing, Smiler – you want to get that locket for Barth (and I’m not sure why you would), you’re going to have to steal it back yourself! (Or get Astarion to do it.) Smiler thus moved onto Zaki, but he didn’t have much to say to them – just noting, “You don’t look so tough. Mol fought off a hobglin all by herself.” Which, one, well-spotted kid, Smiler is NOT the tough one in this group, and two, good for Mol, I suppose! I don’t know how hard a hobgoblin is supposed to be, but I imagine it would be difficult for a kid to fend off. Then again, we already know Mol’s quite scrappy, and good for her.
D) Having chatted with all the kids in the hideout, Smiler and company decided it was time to move on, ascending the ladder through the hidden hatch in the rocks and making their way back down to the makeshift “marketplace” past Guex still making Main Hand Attacks on that dummy in the training area. After checking a few crates lined up by the big rock formation, just to see what was in them (a handful of camp supplies, like oranges and booze), Smiler spotted another guard standing by the nearby storage building, Zorru, and brought their party over to say hello –
Only for Zorru to see Lae’zel and go “B-by Moradi’s eyes, another one. My f-friend’s blood not enough? Come to rip me open, too?” Because, as it turns out, this guy was exactly the tiefling I was looking for – the one who encountered the githyanki patrol, and the one that Lae’zel wanted to interrogate! :D Yay! Lae’zel promptly stepped up and coolly informed the shaking guard that “In Creche K’liir, a formal greeting begins with a bow.” Zorru, terrified, turned to Smiler and asked, “Is this m-monster with you?” –
And I, seeing a good opportunity to finally earn some approval from Lae’zel, decided to have them err on the side of making HER happy and had them reply, “Yes. And I suggest you do as she says.” Zorru thus bowed to Lae’zel –
Only for her to demand, with folded arms, “Lower.” Zorru turned to Smiler, and I decided to have them stand there quietly, waiting for him to obey (or not), under the justification that they’d let Lae’zel do this as it would make her happy, but they weren’t going to help her intimidate the poor guy THAT much. Zorru decided it would be better to obey and got down on hands and knees, and Lae’zel demanded to know where he’d seen the other gith. Zorru stammered out that he’d seen them by the mountain pass, on the road to the city, stating “Saw us ‘fore we s-saw it. Jammed its b-b-blade through Yul’s belly, straight to the other side.” Lae’zel taunted him with “No twisting? Kin must have been in a hurry,” then forced him to mark on their map where the pass was before allowing him up, stating “You can keep your innards.” A stunned Wyll said, “By the dead gods, are all gith so brutal?” –
Only for Lae’zel to reply, “Brutal? Blood still flows through his own veins. I was positively gentle.” Which, uh, I think is a “yes” to your question, Wyll! Githyanki – not nice folks! *grimace*
E) Anyway – Zorru scurried away once dismissed (I think – he certainly wasn’t there when the cutscene ended), and Smiler went to check in with Lae’zel, as she had an “!” over her head post-interrogation. She proclaimed cheerfully (as cheerfully as she gets, anyway) that “The locals prove compliant. A useful trait,” while Shadowheart angrily told Smiler that she’d warned them about her, and that “you ought to reconsider keeping her around, before she causes real trouble.” Smiler, for their part, asked Lae’zel if she planned to be that rough with everyone they met –
Causing Lae’zel to go, “Rough? Soon, you will be vomiting blood and tearing apart your own flesh. When the tentacles sprout from your lips, will you still cry that I was rough?” Smiler, annoyed, went “All right. You made your point,” and she declared “Then I needn’t make it again” –
Before adding “The teeth-ling was clear. If there are githyanki west of here, that must be our objective. Purification cannot wait.” Smiler, seeing a small opportunity to get their own back, went “Heh – did you say ‘teeth-ling?’” causing Lae’zel to actually look embarrassed for half a second before confessing she was unfamiliar with the – “well, I shall not say ‘culture.’ ‘Custom,’ perhaps,” of the area, before informing Smiler they would “educate me on matters of this Fay-run.” Smiler immediately told her, “No, no. It’s ‘Faerûn’” (pronounced “Fay-ROON,” if you’re curious), getting an annoyed “Tch.” in reply. Hey, you asked them to help you! Smiler then wrapped up the conversation by asking about the purification, causing Lae’zel to explain that “The creche holds the zaith’isk. It will cleanse of the parasite. By covenant, I can say no more.” Yeah – by covenant, and by the fact that you don’t actually KNOW what that thing does… Also, gotta say, her saying “teeth-ling,” while still funny, doesn’t quite hit when she’s already used the correct pronunciation in other banter. Ah well.
F) With the main objective of my session achieved, I was about ready to wrap things up by sending everyone to camp – but before I did, I noticed a rat running around near the storage hut Zorru had apparently been guarding. And, well, since Smiler had “Speak With Animals” active, I figured there was no harm in them saying hello. To my mild surprise, the rat responded with “Stay back, or else!” A puzzled Smiler was like “What’s wrong?” only for the rat to insist there was nothing wrong, they just wanted Smiler to stay back –
Before going “Ow! My tooth…” Smiler, feeling sorry for the creature, said, “Let me take a look,” and the rat informed them that “It’s the front one. I chipped it on the evil thing.” Smiler immediately asked, “What ‘evil thing?’” and the rat responded, “In the box. Follow me, I’ll show you!” –
Before running off, faster than I could turn the camera! *facepalm* I tried my best to follow it, but as I was trying to get Smiler to go around, I accidentally clicked on Shadowheart, prompting her to start a conversation and talk about how it was “Almost pleasant, traveling with company. If you ignore all the...less pleasant aspects.” As there was no interesting new dialogue to tempt me into speaking with her, I promptly had Smiler leave the conversation and look around for the rat –
But no dice. The little furry bugger was gone. *huffs* However, upon looking around the area, I realized something – the gap in the storage building’s door was more than big enough to allow a rat. Maybe it had gone in there? I thus sent Smiler up to open the door –
Only to find it was locked. And worse yet, marked in red, meaning breaking it open would be a crime. Hmmm. I played around with camera angles for a bit to see into the building, and confirm the rat was in there (along with a tiefling, sitting on the floor), then fiddled around with the controls until I remembered which one let you see the field of view of nearby people. There didn’t seem to be anyone looking in the group’s direction, so I switched control to Astarion and had him start taking a crack at the door –
Only for the camera to suddenly show a nearby guard folding her arms, with the narrator warning the group, “Your lockpicking is attracting attention. Tread carefully.” Damn it. Probably should have had Astarion hide first, but I thought he could get away with it... I promptly had him back off, and switched control back to Smiler to say hi to the nearby guard and maybe smooth things over. Fortunately, she was willing to talk – though all she had to say was, “Goblins. Druids. This grove is a death trap. Grab what you can and get out, that’s my advice.” (Well, why’d you stop us lockpicking to grab something, then? :p) With her as an eyewitness, though, picking the front door was out. “Is there a back entrance, then?” I wondered, and panned the camera around the back, past the shabby door cutting off the Hollow from the next area –
And saw not only what did indeed look like some sort of access point around the rear, but also a tiefling holding a goblin in a cage at crossbow-point! While the goblin yelled abuse like “you tiefs are boring! Even your cages are boring!” I quickly realized this was Arka – sister of Kanon, the guy who died when the goblins first tried to raid the grove – confronting Sazza, the captured goblin Volo had mentioned before. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get involved just yet, but I had to pass the scene to reach the back entrance of the storage building, so I had Smiler and company go through the shabby door into what the game named the Makeshift Prison –
G) Where the game forced Smiler to be a part of the confrontation. *shrug* Okay then! As previously stated, Arka was pointing a crossbow at Sazza, threatening to kill her out of grief and anger at her brother’s death – Sazza was taunting her, saying “Ya ain’t gonna shoot me. Yer hands are shakin’,” while her friend Memnos tried to get her to put the crossbow down, pointing out that Sazza couldn’t fight back. Arka snapped, “That’s the point. Get out of the way,” but Memnos refused to back down, reminding Arka that Sazza didn’t kill her brother and that she was better than that –
And then Sazza broke in again, encouraging Arka to “Shoot before you lose your nerve, tiefling. If you ever had it to begin with.” Smiler informed Sazza that she ought to shut her yap, as “Those words could be your last” – Sazza refused, stating, “I’m not afraid. Chosen by the Absolute, I am. I’m blessed.” Arka growled, “Oh, I’ll bless you all right” –
But Smiler, wanting to know more about this “Absolute” that kept cropping up, quickly stepped in front of her crossbow before she could shoot. Sazza gloated, “Looks like the Absolute sent me a protector. Ya gonna kill them too?” while Arka demanded Smiler move. Smiler decided to use their potion-given ability to Detect Thoughts to see what Arka was thinking (mostly because I hadn’t used that option a lot and wanted to give it another whirl), bringing up an Intelligence check with a DC of 12. I was briefly worried that something was about to go wrong, largely because they only had one +2 bonus to add (thanks to being decently intelligent) –
And then they rolled a nat 20. :D Yeah, I guess they wanted to use that ability as much as I did! Peering into Arka’s thoughts revealed she knew her brother would hate her for doing this, but he wasn’t here thanks to the goblins taking her from him. Smiler then broke out the Persuasion to convince her that shooting Sazza wouldn’t avenge Kanon or change anything, and thanks to their Charismatic nature, easily beat the DC 10 check with a 14. Arka thus reluctantly backed down, admitting that they were right (even if she wished they weren’t) before demanding to know why they cared if the goblin lived or died. Smiler explained that “She still has a story to tell. One I want to hear,” leaning into their Bard class –
Only for Lae’zel to complain, “Tsk. Your soft heart will be the death of us,” and for Wyll to surprise me by indicating he disapproved of that! Dude, I thought your hatred of goblins was supposed to be left in Early Access! O.o An annoyed Arka declared Smiler “exhausting” but agreed to leave Sazza alone, and Memnos led her away to cool off. Which would have been the end of the session –
H) Except Gale indicated that he was interested in speaking to Smiler right afterward with the customary “!” over his head. Smiler thus went over to chat, and Gale revealed that he’d seen a similar standoff at a place called the Yawning Portal, adding, “Of course, an establishment like that invites all sorts of outlandish entertainments.” Smiler commented that, “I’ve heard superstitious inkeeps muttering about the Yawning Portal – what is it?” (courtesy of their Bard class again), and Gale explained it was an inn in Waterdeep, and that there was “never a dull moment there” – largely because adventurers from all over the country constantly came there to “try their luck down the well.” The well being a passage into the Undermountain – “full of death, danger, and vast amounts of treasure. Hard to resist.” Smiler accepted that and asked what the standoff had been about, and Gale admitted he didn’t know for sure, making a joke about how “a drow, a dragonborn, and a cleric of Cyric walk into a bar. Your standard fare,” before saying that it could have started over someone cheating at cards, or been borne out of a lovers’ quarrel. The important thing was, someone drew a crossbow, and the entire room went silent. A fascinated Smiler asked, “What happened next?”
And Gale told them “I stood up and yelled ‘Shadowdark ale for everyone!’” Which, naturally, defused the situation because everyone was now much more interested in the free drinks – in fact, Gale said that calling for a round was the most powerful magic you could perform in a place like that. He then added, “Mind you, all I did was call for ale, but you went and stood in front of that crossbow. I’d drink to that.” So apparently he approved a LOT of Smiler’s actions there. Which is nice – glad someone did! :) I find it very amusing that I’m apparently speedrunning Gale’s approval, given my first impression of him was “probably doesn’t think much of Smiler because they’re a warlock.” I’m still planning on romancing Wyll this run, but maybe Gale and Smiler can be besties instead. Smiler could use one, given Alice and Victor aren’t in this world!
And so the playsession ended with the group hanging out by Sazza’s cage, having successfully saved her from tiefling wrath. Next time – well, I don’t know if the game will force me to speak to her or not. If it does, we’ll take care of her business (which may include letting her loose so she can return to the goblin camp); if not, we’ll see about following that rat, and maybe talking to the tiefling inside the storage hut. Though I’m going to have to make sure I can actually HELP said tiefling, as the reason she’s sitting in there is because she’s suffering some bad effects from an Auntie Ethel potion, and the game says she can be cured with the Lesser Restoration spell...which Smiler does NOT have, if I remember correctly. Hmmm. Might be worth doing Sazza’s stuff first because that should include fighting some people along her escape route, which might get the group some very necessary experience...we’ll see!
Workout: Another night on the bike, another night with Jon of Many A True Nerd, pedaling my way through –
A) The end of “Fallout: New Vegas - The Worst Courier!” The first episode of the Adventures Of Useless Steve concluded with:
I. Useless Steve attracting the attention of the giant radscorpion he accidentally lured into town again...then realizing he could weaponize it and luring it to the correct side of town so it would fight the Powder Gangers when they spawned in – a process that involved getting it away from the Bighorners it so wanted to murder; crippling its nearly-broken right legs (and then hastily downing some antivenom when it managed to sting him in return); luring it to over near Easy Pete’s old house (RIP Easy Pete) before ducking inside, waiting a few hours to make sure it would lose interest in him, then exiting out the other side to get back into town proper
II. Useless Steve starting the assault against the Powder Gangers with Ringo and Sunny Smiles (and Cheyenne, of course) in the middle of the night, and Jon being delighted that “my stupid, stupid plan has worked” when the Powder Gangers spawned in and immediately ended up in a fight with the giant radscorpion. They did manage to take it down, but not before it killed about half of them, and with the help of his new plasma gun and the assistance of Ringo, Sunny, and Cheyenne, Useless Steve was able to kill the others, becoming Vilified among the Powder Gangers but Idolized by Goodsprings (well, what was left of Goodsprings – which Jon estimated was over 50%, given Doc Mitchell, Chet, Sunny, and Trudy were all still alive – along with that one unnamed guy who never leaves Trudy’s bar except to sleep XD)
III. Useless Steve hitting the road to try and get some supplies for his adventures ahead, including:
a. Hitting Jean Sky Diving for whatever goodies he could pick up in there (a silenced .22 pistol and some other crap he could sell)
b. Sneaking down the road disguised as a Powder Ganger (to fool the average grunts) to rob the corpses near the trailer home and grab a “Today’s Physician” and a Stealth Boy from inside
c. Hitting Sloan to steal all the mining money and the two skill books in the worker’s barracks (one for Explosives, one for Repair) – plus six pulse grenades that happened to be in there
d. Swinging by Lone Wolf Radio, an abandoned radio station that was maintained by some sort of conspiracy nut previously (it’s full of somewhat-depressing graffiti and old cans) for its Wasteland Survival Guide to boost up Survival (and also so Jon could tell everyone “hey, that story you may have heard about this location being the site of a cut quest where this would be the home of a serial killer, and if you caught up to the killer and joined him, it could unlock the ability to kill children in this game? Yeah, that’s bullshit, this was inspired by a conspiracy theorist with a megaphone one of the devs encountered on his old college campus”)
e. And finally hitting the NCR Correctional Facility to grab the “Lying Congressional Style” Speech skill book inside, along with the Administration key off the leader so he could loot that room for mines, dynamite, and ammunition (which involved Jon using a fun glitch involving using the “sit” interaction on an outhouse from the rear to teleport Steve past the fence so he wouldn’t have to meet the door guard, who would see through Steve’s disguise and start shooting, then burning one of his Stealth Boys to sneak past everyone upstairs, since his initial foray up there resulted in everyone shooting at him)
IV. And Useless Steve ending the episode by sneaking past a few last Powder Gangers (and taking a couple of their explosives) before reaching and looting the ruins just outside Primm itself, gaining some more medical supplies and ammo! Because Useless Steve may be useless, but the RNG does not seem to totally hate him. :p
B) And the beginning of “Fallout: New Vegas - The Worst Courier - Part 2 - Armed But Not Dangerous!” The second episode of the Adventures Of Useless Steve began with...something I will tell you tomorrow, as it's too late and I have to wrap this up. Watch this space!
FreeTube: Finally managed to get to one of the videos that have been waiting for me in my Subs over here: “CaFae Tales: The Well of Youth” by C. M. Alongi! The first of the new YouTube series where the CaFae Latte cast will be retelling various folk and fairy tales that Chris has discovered while researching stuff for the series. This week’s tale was the story of an elderly Scottish medieval couple, Angus and Bessie, who used the Well Of Youth to become young enough to be able to work again and thus pay their rent to their landlord, and featured:
A) Bob breaking the fourth wall to express some confusion about being in a YouTube video – she seemed quite puzzled by the widescreen format XD
B) Bob being inspired to tell the tale by Mike talking to Cyrus and JC about his recent family vacation to Scotland (visiting cousins who lived there), and how they’d visited the Well Of Youth, which is apparently a cute little heart-shaped pool that’s supposed to confer magical youth upon those who drink from its waters thanks to a blessing from St. Brigid – Mike didn’t believe that the pool actually conferred YOUTH, but felt that the waters had to be magical in some way due to the pool being a sacred spot for so long. Cyrus was more skeptical (having heard of too many scams involving stuff like that), while JC didn’t believe it because they remembered what Bob had said back when Erik first tried to sell Cyrus to the Stone Oak Coven that the only way to make something that granted immortality was to kill an immortal first – and indeed, Bob said she’d been to the pool herself, and could confirm it had no effects like that on people
C) Bob setting the scene by explaining how, back in medieval times, Scotland was divided up into parcels of lands ruled by lords, who sent people called “factors” around to collect the rent from the tenants who lived there (various farmers, crofters, and fishers), and how Angus and Bessie’s problems started when their lord employed a new factor who was much less willing to give some old people a little extension to gather their rent money than the old one. Cue the pair trying to figure out what they could do, and Angus floating the idea of using the Well Of Youth to become young and strong and able to work again, explaining that his mother used it to regain her youth when his father’s eye started wandering. Bessie pointed out that his mother then proceeded to die in childbirth along with her next baby, framing it as a possible punishment from God – but then Angus asked if she had any better ideas, and she admitted she did not. So off they trotted –
Right before JC interrupted to be like “Angus’s mother regained her youth and then went back to her terrible potential-cheater of a husband?! She should have fucking left him and started over elsewhere!” Mike pointed out that she couldn’t leave her kid with the terrible husband – and when JC said “well, she should just bring him along,” Cyrus pointed out that a mother taking her child and leaving her husband was hard enough today, never mind in medieval times. JC did not look like they wanted to accept that point
D) Bob continuing the tale by talking about how the couple found the well and drank from it, regaining their youth – only for JC to interrupt again by being like “there were no GUARDS? A castle? Nothing? I’d protect that thing with my life and charge through the nose for people to access it” (Mike: “With a gift shop at the end.” JC: “Exactly! He gets it”). Cyrus agreed the lack of guards was silly and said that the story of the Healing Spring was better in this regard – the spring was in a cave, guarded by a whole bunch of animals (the kind depending on the story), AND you could only drink the waters via a special cup (with Bob noting in an aside to the audience that this was likely a precursor to the Holy Grail). Granted, in that story, all the animals were asleep when the hero came a-calling, but still. An effort was made!
E) Bob then revealing that, after regaining their youth and getting the money for the rent from a neighbor (because they could now work off the debt with their new vitality), Angus and Bessie actually told the startled factor about the Well Of Youth and what they’d done – cue JC yelling at the characters “DON’T TELL HIM, HE’S A PARASITE, CHARGE HIM FOR IT!” Bob tried to insist some things shouldn’t be behind a price wall, but JC and Mike disagreed, with Mike stating that, if the well really DID confer youth, overpopulation would be a real issue. Cyrus countered that people could just expand into different realms – like the Fae Realm, the Abyssal Realm, the Celestial Realm, the Eldritch Realm… Bob was like “you know humans go insane in the Eldritch Realm,” only for Cyrus to respond that humans were barely sane in their OWN realm. *nods* I’m with Cyrus on that one.
F) Bob finishing off the tale by revealing that the factor vanished after talking with Angus and Bessie (as per one of their neighbors), and the pair heading up to the Well Of Youth...to find a baby crying there, as apparently Mr. Factor drank too deep of the waters. Cue Bessie and Angus adopting the baby and raising him as a much more upright citizen – though the neighbors did occasionally comment on the kid’s resemblance to the disappeared rent-collector. JC was not happy that the neighbors chose to comment on THAT and imply Bessie’s a whore and NOT about the couples’ seeming immortality, but Bob was like “that’s how the story goes.” Mike said he thought it was adorable, and that he liked that Angus and Bessie simply wanted to be able to make their rent – JC responded that they thought drowning the landlord would have had better results.
Cue Cyrus saying, with a far-away, world-weary look, “You’d think so...but it usually just causes more problems.” XD Methinks he’s speaking from experience there.
So yeah – a fun first episode of this new series! I’m looking forward to future tales and in-universe commentary thereon. :)
*shakes head* I have to find a way to get through those game write-ups quicker...or at least remember that I have less time than usual at night these days because of FaceTiming Dad and trying to help Mom. Anyway, I'm heading to bed -- we'll see what I manage to get done tomorrow. Night all.
