I've recently found myself with an abundance of time on my hands (tentacles) and I'm trying to make myself do the things I enjoy more. I mean, I should be cleaning, but I don't want to (:

So, you know, it's about to be Keel Hauliday, then Morostide shortly after, so let's get active again. I haven't changed since Masquerade (:

What's everyone else doing? Who is playing Baulder's Gate? Tell me about your player character. (open invitation) I've made 3. Lapis Studmuffin, a tiefling sorcerer, to play by myself. Buttermilk, a dragonborn druid, to play with my husband. Dilynrae, a drow wizard, to play the Dark Urge.

I started playing Baldur's Gate but didn't get very far because I hated the character creator. I'm the type of person who likes to obsessively customize a character down to the lights in their eyes, so I wasn't particularly happy that you had more options to customize what's in your pants over what's on your face. It's shallow, yes, but it's critical to my immersion.

I've made two characters, a human monk in a play-through with my wife, and a gith rogue in a single-player game. For some reason I'm blanking on their names right now, but I'm having so much fun so far.

Hope your car issues get resolved! I feel like I haven't done any CLEANING but I've managed to keep tidy which is good enough. The bathroom is taunting me, but I have guests coming this week so I really need to tackle it.

Yeah, for me I'd really like to see more BODY options. Let me be a fat wizard gdi it's always sad when they decide to use presets instead of having sliders. I'm sure you know about Black Desert Online? It's the most robust character creator I've come across. What do you prefer to play instead?

I keep getting monk equipment. Very frustrating as I am not a monk. Maybe I'll pay Withers and respec. Punching lots of things?

I have not played Baulder's Gate. I am a very, very casual "gamer". My wife is a very passionate gamer though, so I get to live vicariously through watching her kick butt.

Right now I am making forum posts like crazy since I need one more forum point for the anniversary cookie, and procrastinating reading the entire book I am supposed to have finished for my bookclub meeting next week AND the paperwork I should be doing.

I completed missed Masquerade this year! My job went on strike and then we got back a week before Masquerade started, and I was too overwhelmed with work to even remember it was happening.

Oh, what book? I go through fits of reading, right now I'm not really reading anything but I've really been enjoying chuck tingle horror novels I was recently fired from my job lolol so lots of time for me to not do much. But I did scrub my bathtub tho. I have no idea wtf happened in there, I literally have no recollection of what caused this weird orange grimy film but it is a heck of a thing to try to clean.

The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory & Transformative Justice Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health ed. Zena Sharman I always want to read more than I do, I used to read a LOT, but I struggle to stay focused these days.

I'm really sorry to hear that! I hope you are able to find a new and better job.

The orange film could be soap/shampoo residue.

waves from the sidelines I haven't been as active pretty much anywhere these days. My time is very much taken up by being a mom to my now SEVEN year old. Like wtf what happened?! That kid should not be 7 already. Other than that... Its been battling depression amongst my paternal grandmother dying of cancer after 3 weeks of being diagnosed with it. I haven't played Baldurs Gate (or anything else for that matter) because my 4 year old laptop is finally obsolete and won't run anything new even if I could afford it or any of the other like 5 or 6 games that have come out that I want. And I can't afford a PS5 to play others that I'd like. So... tiktok scrolling, wallowing in depression and mom-ing is my life. shrugs

(also I've heard that orange film could be hard water? I've seen lots of people on tiktok use toilet bowl cleaner to get it off.)

Oh boy. Sounds like heavy stuff. I stick to fiction primarily, I'm not cool enough to be intellectual lol Do you have anything that does keep you focused? Or do you like to collect hobbies so you can always do a little something?

Seven years!!! Gosh, time is fake. We're having some buddies stay with us next weekend, and like I used to babysit their kids and now they're teenagers???? No. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. That's very sudden. How's the little one taking the loss? Toilet bowl cleaner. I'll try that. It's weird because it's literally not a bathtub I use. I just take showers, and use a different bathroom for it. Do you do the dumb mistplay thing? I have almost $50 to redeem for playing random games through them. Once I get that goal, I'll probably remove the app lol

He's fine. He didn't really know her and she never made any real effort to foster any sort of relationship with him. I'm probably taking it harder than him, even though for me its really an odd way of grieving. I don't miss her, and I haven't cried, but my brain is just having a hard time with the fact that she's not around anymore. Its weird. No, I don't do mistplay or any of that stuff. My games are pretty much bought physically or through steam. I play Disney Dreamlight Valley off and on, as they add updates and content. But I'm pretty much out of new games to play.

Reading fiction is good for you too! I say people should read at the edge of their comfort zone, and that edge will gradually get bigger and bigger :)

I try to have strategically planned decompression time for my brain so I can sort of 'recharge' my focus, but lately its hard to recharge enough for anything outside of work and handling my wife's immigration paperwork.

My great aunt passed recently. I don't really have any feelings myself about it. She was the last of my grandma's siblings, so now it's just her. Do you have other grandparents still? I don't especially have a great relationship with my grandma, so I imagine it may be similar to your situation. More weird than anything. Does your family decorate for Halloween?

I really love the libby app for finding new things to read. It's connected to your local library, so all you need a library card and you can get free ebooks. You can read them through the app, or transfer to a Kindle. I'm a huge huge fan (turn off the wifi on your kindle and you can keep up to 6 books to read as slow as you may need lol) Hooooooookimygoodness immigration papers. My husband and I were stupid enough to go through that shit TWICE. All of the good vibes in the world to you for that process.

I use Libby to borrow audio books from the library as its easier to listen than to read on the bus to work.

Thank you 💜! I am paying an immigration lawyer to handle all the talking to the government for me, which will hopefully make the process as smooth and fast as possible.

Yes, I love audiobooks for when I'm just plain tired of using my eyes. I have friends who also like podcasts but I find it hard to get in to them I'm curious to know what countries, if you're comfortable sharing, but no worries if not. It's very helpful to have a lawyer I'm sure! We thought about it a few times but mostly just relied on forum boards lol the second time was a bit easier because we already such an established relationship and also he had a great job offer so that helped I guess.

Yeah. Both on my mother's side. Both from my dad's side are gone. I don't have that great of a relationship with probably 98% of my family on either side. But this death felt different than every other death I've experienced and my lack of a relationship with her just makes my reaction that much more odd. I know its probably grief in one form but ... eh. I used to. But for... many reasons... I've lost the desire and ability to decorate. Maybe when I can get back out on my own with my kid I can start decorating again. I love halloween... its my favorite holiday of the year but single mom/no money/no life or control means I don't get to do anything I enjoy anymore. So my depression takes over. Its a nasty cycle. :/

I have a handful of podcasts that I like, but I have tried and given up on many more. They really have to grab me right away.

I am in Canada, and my wife is applying to come from the US with a spousal sponsorship.

Completely agree. Even mobile games give you face and body sliders, but Larian couldn't? 🤔 Let me save the world as a pint-sized tiefling with a chip on my shoulder! Or a strangely slim and svelte dwarf. I refuse to be boxed in.

I loved the BDO character creator, but didn't enjoy playing the game much. I want to give Starfield a try... but my usual MO with Bethesda products is to wait at least 5 months to see if they manage to patch any of the massive glitches guaranteed to be in the game on release.

Maybe you should check out mistplay. Download some of their games on your phone and "earn" some money to decorate. I just got a neon glow skull for like $10 at Walmart. I have too many skulls in my house but I just keep buying them!

Ah! Canada, mine too! My husband is Canadian and I'm from the states. When we first got married, a decade ago, I got my permanent residency there, but then a few years later he got a better job offer in the states, so we did the paperwork for him again. He's thinking about applying for citizenship soon. Ah I love love. It's so stupid, making us fill out PAPERWORK just to LIVE with our partners. That's always what I say, is that we got married so we could live together. My husband is my best friend. Sorry, you got me spouting about love now lol

I absolutely lost all of my shits when subeta gave us a fat subq set. It's a start. I'd tried to get CW artists to make me fat clothes but nothing ever got finalized. Hope to see more things like that! Larian tried to get me with lady beards on dwarves. Like, they tried. Maybe? But ... idk it's been in beta for like 3 years try harder? Lolol Dragon Age will always been my favorite Bethesda game. It's just the one I've played the most. Not very good at mass effect, but husband let's me make the choices when I'm watching him play. He has a shirt with Garrus on it that says Alien Space Boyfriend

The biggest issue with preventing me from decorating is the fact I live with a hoarder and can't decorate outside of my 7'x8' bedroom because every flat surface outside of said room is covered in their shit. I really just need to be able to leave, but with the economy and cost of living what it is... that's not happening.

My mother isn't a true hoarder, but she does like to keep things. It's so much easier to tell her to get rid of junk than to do it myself. I cleaned the bathroom successfully tho! I mean, as successfully as its going to get. The tub no longer has a film, but it still feels a little soap scummy. Oh well. Next I need to do the guest room. Previously it had been my work from home office, but now THAT'S obsolete so I'm going to rearrange it a bit, see what I can do. Gotta go fill my unemployment now....