The Good Place and 7DTD

As usual, I come late to shows (if at all) but I have to tell you about The Good Place, a half hour comedy available on netflix, which I've been watching all week.


The Good Place begins with Eleanor (Kristin Bell) who, thanks to some kind of error, is sent to the Good Place instead of the Bad Place, which is definitely where she belongs. She discovers this as Michael (Ted Dansen), the Architect of the Good Place, goes over all the wonderful things some other Eleanor did when she was alive. Now Eleanor has to figure out how to stay in The Good Place without being discovered...

I cannot begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying this show. Each episode is only 21 minutes, making it easy to watch one, two, or three, at a time. It's also hilarious. Ted Dansen is super funny as the Architect ("Any place or thing can be up to 104% perfect. That's how you got Beyonce.") and Janet as the all knowing assistant is the best. She can't eat so she just presses food against her mouth in imitation. And, of course, it's about much more than Eleanor trying to not get found out and sent to The Bad Place.

Have you seen this show? Oh, and please no spoilers since I'm only on the first season. Happily there are two more :)

Meanwhile, in the world of 7 Days to Die, a computer game in which you must gather supplies, built a shelter, and withstand the horde, I am still having a ton of fun. I found a really cool garage with a second floor apartment that I've fixed up, and the place is missing the bottom few stairs so the zombies can't get up (yet). I'm still playing on the easiest setting and I've died enough that I get sarcastic remarks upon reset ("You barely made it - again.") but I don't care. It's fun!!!

Finally, I am reading (ever so slowly) Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin.


What have you been doing?

7 Days to Die, Puppy Update, Birds, and All the Light We Cannot See

My apologies for not returning sooner with the promised review. I have been horribly busy juggling a number of demands on my attention. One is a new game my brother introduced me to.

It's wicked fun. Not only are there zombies, but you have to build yourself a safe place and collect useful items like food so you won't starve, wood and stone to build tools, and anything else to help you survive the 7th night when the horde comes. If you make it through that, then on the 14th day, there will be more...As usual I've died a lot.

You can also play on line with friends (I play with my brother) and partner up, which makes things a lot easier - especially when your brother is an experienced zombie killer :)

Attention grabber number two is my current wip, which I've been making steady progress on (27K) and of course there's the puppy, who is pretty irresistible...

He can hop into that chair all by himself now.

As for my thoughts on All the Light We Cannot See...

This book takes place during WWII and is told from alternating view points. One is Marie-Laure, a blind girl who sees more without her eyes than many people see with. The other is Wernor, a boy with a talent for electronics, specifically radios, who soon becomes part of the Nazi war machine. I think the title sums up beautifully what the book is about, because there IS a great deal of light in this world many of us don't see, either because we can't, won't, or, it isn't visible to us. I think this is   which is one of the most beautifully written books I've had the pleasure to read. The way Marie-Laure sees things is so artfully described and Werner, this boy who really has no interest in politics, who isn't bad at heart, gets dragged into the war because of his obsession with radios. I can't help but feel a little sorry for him even though he ignores so much because of his love of radios. How the two are connected I won't reveal but do read the book. I recommend it.

And finally, a couple of pics taken my son the birder.

The problem with horses

my horse in Skyrim

The problem with horses is that you have to keep track of them.

Horses? What horses? I'm talking, of course, about the horses in my WIP, who not only help my characters traverse long distance in shorter times but also allow them carry more stuff, like weapons and armor. Without horses, my characters would only be able to travel about 20 miles a day, unencumbered. A horse, however, allows a person to travel up to 60 miles a day, again, unencumbered*, a big difference, especially when your characters are going from one end of the Duchy to the other. So. I need the horses. But. Then I have to keep track of them. Like the other night I had my characters heading down to the docks and about to find a place to stay for the night when I remembered the damn horses. So then I had to make sure I saw the horses taken care of before proceeding with the rest of what happens that night.


Meanwhile, bought Black Out and All Clear by Connie Willis, reading A Gathering of Shadows, book two in the Shades of Magic series, watched all but the last episode of Lost in Space on netflix and upped my highest game score on words with friends aka scrabble to 551.


* how do I know this? Dungeons & Dragons :)

It's good to be back...in Skyrim

Some of you might remember me posting about my adventures in Skyrim (the most awesome game ever courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios who also brought us the other Elder Scroll games as well as Fallout). I had gained the title of Archmage of Winterhold, possessed the Guldar Amulet, and attained level 24. That was when I used to go over my brother's house and play. But. He kept modding (mods/modifications are programs fans of the game make which add content to the game like livelier inns, additional companions, prettier towns, etc), forcing me to start over numerous times and eventually I gave up.

Fast forward to last summer when I finally bought an Alienware Laptop capable of playing Skyrim and then ahead to a week ago when said brother helped me finish installing the mods I wanted for my game. That was last Saturday and to show you just how beautiful Skyrim is modded out a bit (and I do mean a bit; my brother has a ridiculous number of mods on his game), I took some screen shots to share. You can click on them to get the full effect.

This is Whiterun at night, often the second large town you come to. My house is just up the street...

This is Breezehome. The place cost 5000 gold pieces and the furnishings are extra. I had to kill a lot of bandits to get the place looking so nice ; )

Bleak Falls Barrow in the distance.This is one of the first quests you get, and let me tell you it's cold up there. You can freeze before you arrive, especially if you have the Frostfall mod. Thankfully, I also have the Campfire mod.

A view from the road outside Riverwood (which I often want to call Rivendell even though the two places look nothing alike).

Approaching Riverwood late in the day.

And finally, the bridge at Riverwood, watching the sun come up. Yes. I do that.

As of last night, I've reached level 10 and just enrolled in the college at Winterhold. I have a companion, Lydia, given to me by the Jarl of Whiterun after I helped kill a dragon, I've met with the Greybeards (another cold place), been attacked by Cultists, and got my ass kicked by a Hagraven. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I've been having, and how good it is, to be back, in Skyrim.

Meanwhile...Fallout 4, Revisions, and Something New

In addition to enjoying my new house, I've also been having a lot of fun playing Fallout 4.

Fallout out 4 is a first-person 'shooter' type game, though it isn't all about shooting. Set in the same universe as Fallout 3, the game begins in a vault like its predecessor, but unlike Fallout 3, your character has been cryogenically (is that a word?) frozen only to wake up and witness the murder of their spouse and kidnapping of their son, which of course propels them out of the vault and into the world.

I'm playing the vanilla version, which means I don't 'have' to sleep or eat, and the world isn't as vivid as it could be. I prefer to play modded, because it makes gameplay a bit more real, but I know zip about installing mods (I know, I could probably watch it done on Youtube but...waaay too lazy) so vanilla it is. It's still fun. I've made a good start helping the settlers in Sanctuary, kicked a bunch of raiders out of places, and rescued a Sith (Synthetic Human) detective who will hopefully help me find my son.

Meanwhile, I've also been revising my Paranormal Mystery BELL, BLACK & BRIAR, set in an unnamed city in the late alternative 1950's. I had some fun researching that era, especially the cars

decor

architecture

and the clothes

I would totally wear these. Aren't they adorable?

Finally, I started something new and different, an MG story, which I've never written before. Luckily my CP is well-versed in all things MG :)

So, what's new with you? Writing anything new? Playing any cool games? Glad summer is here?

Zombie night

No the zombies didn't show up at my at my house but I did go over to my brother's on Saturday to play Left For Dead II, in which you and three other players are trying to make your way through the zombie apocoloypse. This is a multi-player game you can play on-line or, if you're like my brother, you just set up a second computer so you can play with your sister :)

But wait, it got better! Not only did we play Left For Dead, but we watched another episode of The Walking Dead (season 3) AND had marinated steak cooked on the grill with garlic mashed potatoes (my specialty).


Now that's what I call a good zombie night :)


ps I just discovered that the next chapter in Left For Dead is the Dark Carnival...

Can you see me rubbing my little hands together with glee?

Skyrim and why the bow is my weapon of choice

Because you can kill people before they can get to you in open spaces and you can always back up in closer quarters. The only trouble is other bowmen…and those damn necromancers!

Ash - my alter ego (see the bow on my back?)

As some of you may recall, due my dear brother’s over-modding of the game I was forced to start my Skyrim game over AFTER I had reached level 32. It was very painful, and it's taken a long while to get where I am - especially when I only get to play once a week at my brother's house (if the game was in my house I'd get no writing done). Anyway, I’m pleased to share that I finally acquired the Gauldur Amulet (again), boosting my magic, health, and stamina by 30 points each.  Better yet, I have Lydia back, who I lost due instability (she kept stealing my horse) in my first game. She says amusing things like, “I am sworn to carry your burdens,” when you give her the awesome Glass sword you just found - not that I've actually found a glass sword, yet, but I did get a glass dagger as a reward for killing a bunch of spriggans last weekend :)

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I’m waiting for copy edits, making slow progress on my revisions, and I’m reading The Sign of the Four, the second Sherlock Holmes novel, in which 'the great detective comes fully to life - not only as a melancholic and an inscrutable master of deduction, but also as an incurable drug addict. "Which is it today?" Watson asks Holmes matter-of-factly on the opening page of the novel, "morphine or cocaine?" "It is cocaine," Holmes famously replies. "A seven-per-cent solution. Would you like to try it?"'

I had no idea Holmes was a drug addict! Did you?

skunks, wips, and Skyrim

My skunk problem has lessened. I've only seen one once, and I found a couple spots that might be accessible and blocked them off. I won't say the smell is gone but at least my food doesn't taste like skunk anymore and the smell is no longer overwhelming. Hopefully they're getting the message and moving on.

I also finished my first round of edits, addressing all the points mentioned and slashing nearly 6,000words from the document! Some of it I wish I could keep, but I have to admit there was a lot that could go. Additionally I sent a few more queries off on my YA witchy Regency Romance, GRIMOIRE, and got two requests for fulls! I'd sure love to find it a home. Plus I have two manuscripts to revise, one in a big way (a whole new arc for one of the characters), and my NA scifi, NO REST, which needs world building and fleshing out before I send it off to readers. Oh, and I'm reading How to Write the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, which I won just by commenting over at Adventures in YA Publishing.

What are you doing? Writing? Relaxing? Vacationing? Got any cool weekend plans? I'm hoping to go play Skyrim at my brother's house. I'm also still looking for the Guldar Amulet Quest which gets me an amulet that boosts my magic, health, AND stamina by 30 POINTS!

Level Up

No surprise I couldn't resist this little blogfest, hosed by Jamie over at Mithril Wisdom. I may not be a hard core gamer (only because I don't have ready access to a hardcore gaming computer) but I sure love to get my Skyrim on. It's like being inside your own fantasy story complete with good guys, bad guys, a big Quest, countless small quests, not to mention the ability to be whoever you want. Plus there are dragons and enchanting tables and potion making and so many bandits to kill you'll never be bored. Ever. Which is also why it's probably a good thing I can't play it at home else I'd never get any writing done! The downside is being at the mercy of your brother and his love of mods,* which means sometimes bad things happen, like your game gets corrupted forcing a complete re-installation and the loss of all corrupted saved games. So instead being the Archmage of Winterhold and in possession of the Gauldur Amulet, a bow of freezing that captures souls, two houses, AND the friendship of the Jarl of Windhelm...

Ash

I get to start over again in Helgin, with my head about to be chopped off and a dragon about to lay waste to the town...ARGH!!!!


*a mod is short for a modification of the game, usually designed by fans of the game, which alters or improves gameplay. For example, one of the mods my brother installed made the town of Whiterun much prettier, another made all the bad guys harder, and yet another added followers for hire to the game. As far as I know, mods are only available for the PC. If you're not playing a modded game, then you're playing 'vanilla' which is okay, but not nearly as immersive, imo.

oh! what's this over here...

SKYRIM

My brother keeps laughing at me whenever I say this while playing. As you can see from the screen shot the game is visually stunning, AND it gets five stars for sound, imo. Sound can be very important in creating an experience. Of course, it helps that said brother has totally modded this game out. And for my non-gaming friends, mods are little - or big - enhancements to the game created by fans of the game. Bethesda (the company that makes the game) allows it. For example, one particular mod allows you to have an additional house at the edge of a river. A pretty cool house, I might add, with a tannery and a bridge that crosses over to the other side. Another mod adds textures, or hunger/thirst (which means you have to eat and rest and stay warm), or maybe a cart so you can carry more stuff (loot). Oh, and speaking of loot, guess what I found? The Gaulder Amulet. Well, specifically I found all three pieces of the Amulet, which, when reforged gave me 30 extra points of magic, health, and stamina. I was quite pleased.


And I hope you will all forgive me for not making it around to see everyone on Wednesday. I have specifically reserved Wednesday mornings as my time to go visiting but we lost power early Wednesday morning and never got it back 'til late afternoon. By that time I was on my way to my mom's for dinner. Which took priority.

Hey, sorry, they were killer chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Not to mention the dinner.

And now, may I present...

The new Archmage of Winterhold, Ash:

Yup. That's me - or, my alter ego - who, having found the Staff of Magnus and defeated Ancano (I KNEW he was bad!) was made the new Archmage, complete with all the trappings, including the Archmage's robes (which I am wearing along with a rather attractive circlet that does something I forget now) and the Archmage's quarters at the College of Winterhold. This means I now have two places I can call home.

Meanwhile, the great give away continues and our latest winner is Laura Campbell. Congrats Laura! Hope you find a prize you like :)

Now, for the question of the day. You'll notice I talk about this game I like to play, Skyrim, made by Bethesday Software which also had a hand in my other favorite game, Fallout3. My question to you is what games do you like to play? Computer games? Card games? Board games? Mind games? You tell me and I'll jot your name down in my trusty notebook and enter you into next week's drawing. Good luck!


addendum: Tad Williams' OTHERLAND series is now off the table :(

today I am working :(

but afterward I'm heading to my brother's to play Fallout 3

what are you doing this weekend?

the difference between a zombie and a ghoul

I was wondering about this the other day after playing Fallout 3 at my brother’s because there are lots of ghouls in the game but no zombies. Some of the ghouls are sane (albeit horrific looking) and you can talk to them, trade with them, and get information from them. But other ghouls – mainly the ones who live in the abandoned subways – are like zombies, mindless killing machines. And like zombies, the only way to kill a ghoul for sure is to shoot it in the head, otherwise, there’s a good chance it will re-animate and come after you again. Thankfully they aren't too hard to kill - unless they come in a swarm, then you better have something semi-automatic or run.

Anywhere, for those who care to know:

A zombie is a reanimated corpse or a human who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic with some media renditions using a pandemic illness to explain their existence.

A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights. The term is first attested in English in 1786, in William Beckford’s Orientalist novel, Vathek, which describes the ghūl of Arabian folklore.

There's also another fun game my brother has called Left for Dead, in which you're in a zombie infested city with three companions and you have to find/fight your way to safety. This is a multi-player game so my brother and I can play together. But I still like Fallout better.

So, do you prefer zombies or ghouls?

Fallout

And just in case you think I do nothing but write and watch Fringe and Caprica, let me tell you about Fallout….Oh, did I forget to mention I occasionally play computer games? Not as much as I used to - since I  pretty much write in my spare time now - but sometimes, on Saturdays, I go over to my brother’s house and play Fallout, just to escape and kill bad guys.


Fallout, fyi, is made by Bethesda software, the same folks who put out Oblivion (a first person fantasy role playing game), a game I actually beat. I was pretty powerful in the end. I ran the Dark Brotherhood, headed the Thieves Guild, and could make a potion out of just about anything - just ask me about Nirnroot sometime. Fallout, however, is post apocalyptic, set in a world where it was the 1950’s one day and then BOOM! In my current game I have a fair number of weapons in my possession, a motorcycle, a cheap place in Megaton (a metal city in the wasteland), and I have just reached level 5. And I have to tell you, I love this game! I love killing mutant soldiers and bloat flies and raiders. I enjoyed fending off the Mutant attack on Big Town and rescuing their doc from what once was the Germantown Police Dept. And I can’t wait to go back to Arefu and deliver Lucy’s message – though it would be nice not to get radiation poisoning this time :)

so, what do you like to play?