I recently downloaded from Steam the lovable old game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and installed the Restored Content mod that returned to the game content that the developers had to cut prior to the rushed release date. I love this game to bits, due to playing it all the time as a child, and I was fascinated to see what restored content I could fiddle with.
I had always known about the sub-level of the Telos military base, the one with the locked door that you can never enter. Cut content. I always knew it was the door to the HK manufacturing plant that G0-T0 took over after Revan abandoned it. So I was super excited once HK-47 initiated the quest to find out where the HK-50 droids were coming from so he could hunt them down and kill them. Continue reading →
One good thing about having the Sims, other than mindless, soul-eating entertainment, is the ability to make original characters and play around with them in a setting outside of their stories. I do this quiet frequently, and have the most fun with it – I also get a lot of character ideas from interactions they make in the Sims. For example, when I created Aisling and Alistair from Changeling in the Sims, I got ideas for their future and more characters.
When I had the Sims 2, I made a replica of Caitlyn’s house and made her and Fane. But now that I have the Sims 3, I changed it up a bit. Caitlyn, I’ve made before. I know my way around her head pretty well. So instead, I made Fane and Verity, his long ago love from 1809.
I adore Verity. Let’s just make that clear early on. She’s a hotheaded, seventeen year old uber-devout Catholic hellbent on serving God and her Pope, but she’s also sweet as sugar. She changed Fane’s mind on religion and faith and the differences of them, and their relationship was built on mutual respect and admiration, and was purely wholesome.
It was fun making her in the Sims. Especially because they have a hotheaded option.
Stuffed into an alternate reality where they were able to stay together, Fane launched to the top of the political career while Verity worked first as a businesswoman, then as a teacher. It was the most fun building a life for them.
So here’s an idea of what Fane and Verity look like! (Keep in mind, in my head Fane is a lot skinnier and pointier, due to the being dead thing.)
Oh, and this is this one time Verity was eating dinner, nude, in front of her son, after going to work, nude. Thanks for glitching, Sims!
So my internet connection inexplicably died the other day. I was without internet except before starting my shifts at work, for three days, because my brother was the only one who knows how to fix it and he wasn’t available during that time.
One does not realize how much one is on the internet until one does not have the internet.
I had nothing to do. I stared at the wall for the first day before work. I read a book – Room, by Emma Donoghue, which is so good, by the way – I played the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on xbox (WHICH IS A FUCKING HARD GAME, by the way; now that the Steam summer sale is on, I’m going to download it and mod the shit out of it, because the story is so good) because Steam and Origin need internet connections to play my PC games. I reread lots of Changeling, and edited it a bit.
And then when I finally got the internet back up and running, I checked all my social media, then got bored. dafuq’s up with that?
Then I played several hours of Skyrim, and I loved it.
Having to babysit my dog – who was mauled by the neighbour dog and is in need of constant attention, lest he scratch out his stitches – is giving me a lot of time alone at home. I’ve come to the realization that I could so easily live alone – plus a cat, my future Scottish fold named Sausage – and just become a hermit. I love being alone. My own company is enough.
Plus also, I’m getting my first pair of sunglasses in 10 years. I haven’t been able to wear them since I was 9, thanks to needing glasses. But I’m finally going to, because I’m going to get my first ever pair of grown-up prescription sunglasses! I’ll be able to see in the summer time – which is a big deal, because I live in a desert, basically. I was hellbent on getting wayfarers, and go big or go home – I’m getting Ray-Bans. So stoked. I’ll be able to see while outside! I also got a straw hat with a rainbow band today. This is a summer of drastic changes, as I don’t wear hats either.
Also, I was planning on growing my hair out and getting it styled in a pin-up wave and dyeing it silver, but it’s only at my shoulders and I HATE IT. I always forget how much I don’t like long hair. As soon as it hits a certain length, it just goes up in a perpetual ponytail. I mean, I adore braids and long, curly side ponies, but the effort of getting there… ugh. I’ve had a taste of uber short hair, and I love it.
Long hair goal. Image from two years ago, pre-dreadlocks.Short hair temptation. Image from a year ago, a month or so after grad, post-dreadlocks.
Thoughts? I’m thinking of silver, white-blonde, either way, since I’ve never had light hair save for my fake red. Brown, black, blue, purple, multiple shades of red, orange – but never blonde. And if I don’t like it, it’d be easy as hell to fix.
Ugh. Seeing pictures, I’m definitely leaning toward short hair again. I don’t want a perma-pony all summer when I could have a boyish fauxhawk.
Did anyone else shit brix throughout all of this Sunday’s Game of Thrones episode? I’m always on the fence with the Lannisters. I’ve always liked Tyrion, and I think I’m getting to really like Tywin, due to his jovial interactions with Arya, but I’m never sure if I like or hate Cersei and Jaime. But this episode was one in which I liked both. Cersei actually showed her heart when talking to Sansa and Tyrion; Jaime proved he was a man of honour, despite taking a stab at poor Ned when he did.
But the end. The end. Theon Greyjoy needs a swift kick in the rear. I’m not sure if I can hate him more, the little shit. I suppose we’ll find out on Sunday.
Ugh. Frustrating. And the end of the True Blood rerun I caught was a cliffhanger, too. HBO is making me suffer; but they know I’ll just keep coming back.
Steam had a midweek sale this week that I got wholly into. I don’t usually check out the sales except for Sims 3 Pets expansion, because I am not buying that for $40 regular, but this time was an exception. They had Plants vs Zombie GOTY edition for 75% off. It was just over two bucks. Who am I to resist? That has got to be the most addicting game ever.
I also have writer’s block, in a sense. I know where I want to go in Changeling and OtK, but I keep getting distracted by, you guessed it, video games. My Bosmer assassin in Skyrim is getting all my attention, having now surpassed by Nord warrior in levels and skill. It’s hard to get things done when there’s Skyrim to be had. I also amped up a bunch of mods: a blood spatter mod, which puts gallons of blood spilling about after attacks and death, a Hobbit Hole mod that is exactly what it sounds like, and more killcam shots. Oh, and a real-light mod, which makes everything darker and rather spookier. I love mods. The Skyrim Steam workshop is a beautiful thing. Never has a mod been so easy to download.
I’m having a difficult time concentrating on anything lately. Maybe I’ll write a short story and put ‘er up here, just to change things up. We’ll see!
Steam is a benevolent deity. Why is this? Well, my brother informed me that they’re having a sale, which I had a vague inkling of due to LucasArts tweeting about it. So when Spencer ran upstairs to tell me, I immediately thought:
AMG WHAT IF THE SIMS 3 IS ON SALE.
So I checked.
And it is.
Half off everything.
I bought and am in the process of downloading the Sims 3, plus two expansions. I’ve waited so long for this. So long.
Oh shit, I just realized I forgot to download the pets expansion. Oh well. I’ll make do with whichever two I bought, because it’s been five minutes and I already don’t remember.
Anyhow. Steam also told me that I’ve played 75 hours of Skyrim. I should really be shot. I’m such a nerd. But at least I’m getting ideas, right? And I still have a social life, sorta. I’ve been writing a little more lately, which is just awesome! Yay!
Okay. Maybe going to go play Skyrim while the predator drone ruthlessly downloads the Sims. Time to frolic around and steal for the Thieves Guild, oh yes oh yes.
Also! I had a moment of Oblivion love, when in the Dark Brotherhood I was given the daily power to summon the ghost of Lucien Lachance, and then was subsequently given Shadowmere as a steed. Hearing Lucien greet Shadowmere, then having a jolly old time with the two of them, felt like home ♥
JP Marshman 