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I didn't have the time or energy to prepare a "Whatcha Doin'?" post last week because I was burned out after helping my dad build a newer, sturdier gazebo that we shouldn't have to take down and place in the garage every year. It got its first real test today when a rainstorm swept through my town this afternoon. It must have worked, because I didn't see any water leaking onto the table after it was all over.
That "new computer" smell
Jan. 14th, 2023 07:32 amI've had my eye on buying a dedicated gaming computer for a while now, but hadn't seriously thought of actually buying it due to the cost involved (the mid-range all-purpose computers I've bought over the years have ranged somewhere from $500-$800, with the only real upgrades I've added to them were extra RAM sticks when I needed to multitask because they're the easiest things for me to install. On Sunday, my dad drove me out to Micro Center where he got his latest computer (that would theoretically make it easier for him to watch the weekly church service), where I bought myself a PowerSpec G711. I've only had this for a week, so I haven't really had a chance to put it through its paces yet. I'm still trying to get used to the "glowing cooling fans and GPU" aesthetic these gaming PCs have, along with there being no optical disk drive...but I rarely used the one on my old computer anyway.
Aside from the obvious "play better games on my PC", the real reason I chose to upgrade my computer after about 5 1/2 years was for the space it offered. My old rig offered 2 TB for storing games/music/etc., but only 96 GB for programs (and do you believe how weird it is to say 96 GB is too little space?) The G711 only started with 1 TB standard, but I also bought a supplementary 4 TB drive which the clerks installed on-site at no extra cost. Now I won't have to worry as much about shuffling my programs or games around to make room for new ones like I have to do for my PS4 and Xbox One.
Now then, what else have I been doing?
Video Games - While I decide to go with something of a reset for my digital library, I've been playing River City Girls 2 on Nintendo Switch and just recruited Marian (the "damsel in distress" from the original Double Dragon who was a shopkeeper in the first River City Girls game). You have to fight her as a boss first, and it took me six tries to beat her because every time you knock off one of her life bars, she jumps up to hit a switch that floods the room with toxic waste, and you have to jump onto pillars while she tosses exploding oil drums at you. I lost a lot of health because I misjudged how far I needed to jump between pillars. She's also wicked fast and will often dodge out of your combos, which no other enemies up to this point have done yet. Regardless, I can't wait to try her out in real combat. The other new-ish playable character, Provie from River City Ransom: Underground, is still out there somewhere, and I hope to find her soon. ⭐
Manga - I've been on a SPY x FAMILY kick lately, and I just finished reading Volume 5 from my library. While this one wasn't quite as cute as Volume 4 (where Anya first met her new psychic family dog Bond), I did enjoy Chapter 29 and its "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" subplot, with Anya's (failed) attempt to explain to her class what Loid and Yor do for a living. ⭐⭐
Fan Fiction - I don't have much going on in the way of fan fiction (other than slowly working on the latest chapter of The Ghost of Ochs), but one of my friends tipped me off to a silly and cute little Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes one-shot called But I Don't Want to Be a Marketable Plushie, written by the same author who wrote the epic-length Three Houses fic An Eagle Among Lions (which I also like). When I first saw gameplay trailers for Three Hopes and learned that Monica was going to be playable, I was excited, for her dire situation was what inspired me to start writing Ghost. Playing the game and learning that Monica had a thing for Edelgard surprised me at first, but I quickly warmed up to the pairing, and I just wanted to read a story where the emperor and her loyal (and lovestruck) vassal just relax and goof off without the specter of war hanging over them.⭐⭐
There are only six days left until Fire Emblem Engage drops, so I'll soon have something to keep me occupied for a while after playing Three Hopes inside and out for months. I hope this new game resonates with me as much as Three Houses did.
Aside from the obvious "play better games on my PC", the real reason I chose to upgrade my computer after about 5 1/2 years was for the space it offered. My old rig offered 2 TB for storing games/music/etc., but only 96 GB for programs (and do you believe how weird it is to say 96 GB is too little space?) The G711 only started with 1 TB standard, but I also bought a supplementary 4 TB drive which the clerks installed on-site at no extra cost. Now I won't have to worry as much about shuffling my programs or games around to make room for new ones like I have to do for my PS4 and Xbox One.
Now then, what else have I been doing?
Video Games - While I decide to go with something of a reset for my digital library, I've been playing River City Girls 2 on Nintendo Switch and just recruited Marian (the "damsel in distress" from the original Double Dragon who was a shopkeeper in the first River City Girls game). You have to fight her as a boss first, and it took me six tries to beat her because every time you knock off one of her life bars, she jumps up to hit a switch that floods the room with toxic waste, and you have to jump onto pillars while she tosses exploding oil drums at you. I lost a lot of health because I misjudged how far I needed to jump between pillars. She's also wicked fast and will often dodge out of your combos, which no other enemies up to this point have done yet. Regardless, I can't wait to try her out in real combat. The other new-ish playable character, Provie from River City Ransom: Underground, is still out there somewhere, and I hope to find her soon. ⭐
Manga - I've been on a SPY x FAMILY kick lately, and I just finished reading Volume 5 from my library. While this one wasn't quite as cute as Volume 4 (where Anya first met her new psychic family dog Bond), I did enjoy Chapter 29 and its "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" subplot, with Anya's (failed) attempt to explain to her class what Loid and Yor do for a living. ⭐⭐
Fan Fiction - I don't have much going on in the way of fan fiction (other than slowly working on the latest chapter of The Ghost of Ochs), but one of my friends tipped me off to a silly and cute little Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes one-shot called But I Don't Want to Be a Marketable Plushie, written by the same author who wrote the epic-length Three Houses fic An Eagle Among Lions (which I also like). When I first saw gameplay trailers for Three Hopes and learned that Monica was going to be playable, I was excited, for her dire situation was what inspired me to start writing Ghost. Playing the game and learning that Monica had a thing for Edelgard surprised me at first, but I quickly warmed up to the pairing, and I just wanted to read a story where the emperor and her loyal (and lovestruck) vassal just relax and goof off without the specter of war hanging over them.⭐⭐
There are only six days left until Fire Emblem Engage drops, so I'll soon have something to keep me occupied for a while after playing Three Hopes inside and out for months. I hope this new game resonates with me as much as Three Houses did.
[Meme] On the first day of the new year...
Jan. 1st, 2022 05:26 pm2022 is off to a slow start. I hoped to see my brother this weekend because he didn't visit us over the Christmas holiday, but it's been rainy and dreary all day. I figure that if this year is going to be a downer like 2020 was when COVID-19 hit like a hammer, I may as well roll with the punches and make my own fun. (FYI, I'm all vaxxed and boosted up, so if I do start feeling its effects, they won't hit me as hard.)
So, what have I been wasting my time on so far in 2022? Well...
So, what have I been wasting my time on so far in 2022? Well...
- First game I played: The Sims 4. It's almost always the first thing I do when I wake up. Don't ask why.
- First NEW game I played: Pokemon Unite.
- First podcast I listened to: 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back, mainly for the "hard-hitting analysis" of Ready Player One.
- First manga I read: Cage of Eden, Volume 2
- First webcomic I read: Nix of Nothing. It just started a few months ago, so there are only 12 pages so far.
