G'morning, 2013! - Post-Kopocalypse Sunshine Frolics

[Meeplelard]

Is that...Gourry?  Holy crap man, how have you been?

[The Duck]

GREFTER WE MUST YELL AT EACH OTHER ABOUT PC GAMES.

Life has been a bit rough, which was the major reason for my hiatus, but things are calming down. I've missed you guys, and it was great meeting Elfboy and Ciato a while back (I freaking love Vancouver). They said that when Grefter was there, he finished a playthrough of Mass Effect in like 10 hours which is the Grefterest thing.

[The Duck]

As for what's going on with me, I'm in Nashville TN now getting a PhD in Cognitive Psych/Neuroscience, and I'm in my third year. I'll be here for another 2.5-3 years if things go well, but very soon it will be dissertation mode, which is frightening. I'm enjoying it here but am terrified of my prospects on the academic job market. Maybe I'll just be a post-doc forever.

Had I known that people were taking the GRE, I would have volunteered to take it for anyone here. Killing standardized tests is sadly one of my skills. For females, I'd be willing to put on a wig and makeup. I'm surprised that super mentioned there's a handwritten section since I thought it was all computerized.

[Grefter]

I was in Vancouver, I did a Mass Effect run like I was a Vancouverite.  No side missions at all.  Pretty short.  I found out that if you don't recruit enough people the game auto saves Wrex because they can't let you go through a sequence with less than 2 party members (Kaidan/Ashley split up, only forced other characters are Liara and Wrex).

Duuude PC games man.  So much good stuff in the last few years!  X-Com: Enemy Unknown is probably the highlight and if you don't have it yet I have a spare copy on Steam.

Also my envy at how much more success you are having in fields than I is palpable (good job man even if it is super stressful.  I can tell you the corporate space is no better, at least in IT).  Congrats dude.

But please, you should know you don't need a wig to pretend to be super.

[The Duck]

I never thought of doing a minimalist party but given story events, I suppose everyone you mentioned makes sense as forced characters, but I did think you could refuse to take Wrex. So he just kind of appears if you don't recruit him? Being too minimalist also makes you miss Garrus, someone I apparently can't be without when I play ME games.

I saw that Baldur's Gate got an Enhanced Edition where one of the new party members is a monk, which just sounds disastrous at low levels (especially in this edition where they don't get a Wisdom AC bonus). Monks take a while to get going in SoA, I think they start standing out at around level 13-14? Whenever the fist becomes d20 and their magic resistance becomes noticeable. 

The new X-Com is just fantastic. Loved every bit of it and it retains what was so enjoyable about the originals. I've not heard what they're doing with Enemy Within, though. I thought Terror of the Deep got ridiculous but maybe they can salvage something from that since it would make for interesting maneuvering with this new system.

I assume you liked Dragon Age so that's that.

[Grefter]

I loved Origins, I have played through the sequel twice and like every part of it that isn't actually playing the game.  Varric is a very us character.

I haven't plowed through Enhanced Edition yet, my only Infinity Engine game in a long while has been Icewind Dale like a month ago.  I think they are actually pretty okay in BG1 though, they are a spikey class.  AC scales with level rather than Wis, so they aren't at 10 AC the whole game or anything (but they aren't massive AC like in ToB).  They really just benefit from the move speed bonus (think you get it at like level 2 or 3?).  You can kite like crazy with it if you want or just not gouge your eyes out at melee dudes being stuck behind a wave of archers/mages.

That said, not as good as a Fighter.  BG1 is very very fighter oriented.

I think Wrex is optional technically?  But I didn't seem to have a way to turn him down.  I might have to try again sometime.  It might be that he is forced if you don't have enough people or something.

Glad you dug X-Com, we can still be friends.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Hooray, welcome back!

[superaielman]

GREFTER WE MUST YELL AT EACH OTHER ABOUT PC GAMES.

Life has been a bit rough, which was the major reason for my hiatus, but things are calming down. I've missed you guys, and it was great meeting Elfboy and Ciato a while back (I freaking love Vancouver). They said that when Grefter was there, he finished a playthrough of Mass Effect in like 10 hours which is the Grefterest thing.

Hopefully things are looking up, the last time you talked you were pretty understandably unhappy.  Death to the GRE.

E:

Had I known that people were taking the GRE, I would have volunteered to take it for anyone here. Killing standardized tests is sadly one of my skills. For females, I'd be willing to put on a wig and makeup. I'm surprised that super mentioned there's a handwritten section since I thought it was all computerized.

The dumb section where you have to write out the paragraph before you take the test. I didn't write anything profane in there, though I was tempted!

[Shale]

HOLY SHIT DUCK OUT OF NOWHERE

Great to see you (such as it is) again!

[Fenrir]

Yo.
I really would like to offer you something like a Cave Noire stat topic but no time really.

[The Duck]

Yo.
I really would like to offer you something like a Cave Noire stat topic but no time really.

I'm sad you didn't stat topic Demon Souls or Dark Souls.

[Fenrir]

I almost stat topic-ed Mr S from the SaGa 2 remake on the DS but it just wasn't the same without you.

(also he had like the exact same stats)

[superaielman]

Yo.
I really would like to offer you something like a Cave Noire stat topic but no time really.

You feeling better now that a little tim e has passed since the breakup?

[Fenrir]

Yeah.
(Especially now that Gourry has come back)
Time, no contact with ex, more contact with everybody else, lifestyle changes. It works.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Speaking of lifestyle changes! I'm moving! Yay!

My friend James and I have decided to escape the life of Unwindulaxing in Northwest Florida to hit the "Big City". We're both getting transferred from our current job locales to promotions in more tourist-heavy sectors. Exciting! The move will be in about 4 to 5 months (Feb-March-ish) to get trained before the big rush of the Spring.

Our options for new locales are San Francisco or Orlando. So... yeah! No matter my choice, I end up near a Disney Theme Park... and that's all that REALLY matters.

[Meeplelard]

I wouldn't consider North California quite "near" a Disney theme park.  Isn't the distance from San Fran to LA Area similar to...oh...from Jersey to like South Carolina?

[Grefter]

Castro is pretty much Disneyland for DJ.

Edit - Way more rides though of course.

[Idun]

I have had an epiphany. Call me superficial, biased, bitchy, veering off into problematic territory, but..

Holy shit, Batman. I thought I was just attracted to intelligent, outgoing men. No, that's not the situation. I've liked dumbasses. But what I've noticed is that all of these intelligent, outgoing men are my conception of a MAN, something I've toiled around with too often growing up as a child of the US & the black southern communities.

Like, a MAN, man: career-oriented or in his career, older than me, dresses in nice collared shirts (not necessarily tailored!), tennis shoes only on lazy days, having assets, family oriented and being really motivated. Woah. That blasts my gender-oriented skirt out of the water. It's like I'm performing Marilyn Monroe, but am keeping my dress down for sake of not allowing my horniness to bust from the seams. Tall. Physically fit. Gorgeous smile. Puts me in my place (not as a woman, but as an intellectual equal!). Somehow knows every time to grip me. I really love men. Assertive, dominant (but not creepily so) men. A person with their shit together, friend or lover, is the best thing...

[DjinnAndTonic]

I have had an epiphany. Call me superficial, biased, bitchy, veering off into problematic territory, but..

Holy shit, Batman. I thought I was just attracted to intelligent, outgoing men. No, that's not the situation. I've liked dumbasses. But what I've noticed is that all of these intelligent, outgoing men are my conception of a MAN, something I've toiled around with too often growing up as a child of the US & the black southern communities.

Like, a MAN, man: career-oriented or in his career, older than me, dresses in nice collared shirts (not necessarily tailored!), tennis shoes only on lazy days, having assets, family oriented and being really motivated. Woah. That blasts my gender-oriented skirt out of the water. It's like I'm performing Marilyn Monroe, but am keeping my dress down for sake of not allowing my horniness to bust from the seams. Tall. Physically fit. Gorgeous smile. Puts me in my place (not as a woman, but as an intellectual equal!). Somehow knows every time to grip me. I really love men. Assertive, dominant (but not creepily so) men. A person with their shit together, friend or lover, is the best thing...

Be careful, knowing what makes you horny is a good way to overlook the bullshit that usually comes along with the traits that makes you horny.

[Idun]

Said for truth. Yes, I agree. And next to this horniness is an intense happiness, so it's even more problematic because I feel intoxicated. I've been practicing how to not rush into things, since I 80% of the time do.

[Grefter]

And now for a porn recommendation.  Go watch Educating Rita.  Go gay for Michael Cain.

Edit - Disclaimer in that this might just be Grefter porn, there is no fucking in it.

[Fenrir]

[Idun]

Yes!!!! Mais sans infidèle... (:

[Fenrir]

(Or murderer, right?)


I really reaaaaally don't think you have very particular / strange tastes, in any case. Don't worry.

Or at least I hope because I've just started wearing classy shit 24/7

[superaielman]

And to think you could be wearing a seven wolf moon shirt and a Duke Nukem forever hat, Fenrir.