R&R starts soon! I’m just waiting on updates from Hunny at this point as to where he is, and when he’ll be here. So, don’t expect much in the way of updates around here for a couple weeks. I’ll be ummm….Busy

Squee! brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

When you start out as a mage, you are in a tower, with other mages. You’ve just passed you big test to become a full mage from apprenticehood, and your friend Jowan is whining that he hasn’t had his test yet. Now, I can’t stand Jowan. He whines through the whole Origin. And when you tell him you can’t discuss your test with him he gets in a snit “so much for friendship” he says.

THEN, he has the nerve to tell you he’s in a forbidden love affair with a chantry initiate. To explain, she’s basically a nun in training. The chantry is the church in this game. So he wants YOUR help to run away with her. But mages are not allowed out of the tower, so he knows he’s asking you to break your  own vows, and risking YOUR life in fact. Yeah, friend my foot.

I refused to help, the first enchanter knew about the conversation, and asks you to help anyhow, in order to catch them both red handed. Mainly because the chantry initiate would get away with it if not caught in the act, while the mage would be punished. So, I did it.

Basically you help, you get him through the storage room, he destroys his phylactery (the only way a mage can be tracked when they escape), you lead them back to the hall and poof they’re busted and you’re exposed as helping get them in trouble.

You meet Jowan later, and my first time I apologized to him and gave him a break. THIS time however, I was less sympathetic. The conversation had me laughing out loud.

He goes on to tell him I OWE him, but the video would be too long if I included that. OWE him, yeah, right. the first enchanter wouldn’t have SUSPECTED anything if he hadn’t seen this dimwit approach you, after already observing he was acting oddly.

Well Aren’t We a Tad Bitter brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

Have Done:

• Kept up with Teressa’s Dragon Age story at Musings. They are just past Lothering now. It’s been a slow start but with new personalities coming in at this point I’m hoping it gets easier. I reversed the archives, so that it reads in order from start to current, because to me that makes sense. I also added lightbox so the images can be clicked to enlarge without leaving the page.
• Read more than half of Rhett Butler’s People. I’ve read and watched Gone With The Wind several times, and was almost expecting to be disappointed. But seeing it unfold from Rhett’s perspective, while staying true to the original has been impressive.

To Do:

• Get this house ready for Hubby’s visit. I’m trying to put it off until the last week. First off because I work better under pressure, and second because it’ll keep me busy during the worst of the waiting.
• Finish my current playthroughs of Dragon Age. The rogue, and the mage. I had hoped to explore all the origins but Dwarf doesn’t appeal to me. That leaves City Elf, if there’s time I may have a go at that. I also have played 2 out of three classes, leaving warrior as the only one I haven’t tried, and one ending I haven’t committed to.
• Stock the kitchen with Hubby’s favorite foods, snacks and drinks.
• Pick up movies I have been meaning to get.
• Clean the inside of the truck. Stupid damp weather.

The weekend will probably be spent reading, writing and gaming. Maybe some cleaning when I get bored with the rest. Refereeing teenagers, and trying to not get run over by the dogs. Did I mention I cannot wait til I have my other half here? Maybe I’ll go two weeks without a tension headache!

Friday Fallback brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

I complained Tuesday about what was getting on my nerves for the last seven months. So today, I’m going to counteract that with what I’m most excited about. Even if it’s only two weeks, it’s the most normal I’ve had since July and I cannot wait.

10. Seeing his face. Other than pictures, I haven’t seen his face. He can rarely get on a computer, let alone one with a webcam.

9. Someone that actually appreciates my cooking, to cook for.

8. Conversation! Yeah I have people to talk to. That’s not what I mean. I mean laughing at the same TV show, or  arguing over who’s dog is smarter.

7. Someone else to yell at the dogs or answer the kids. Having two parents instead of just me.

6. Kisses

5. Hugs

4. Snoring

3. cuddles

2. smiles

1. NOT waking up alone!

Defining Normal brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

The little redhead you see is Leliana. One of my personal favorite companions in the game. Who can resist a well trained spy/assassin type, lethal with a bow, deadly with daggers, devious and innocent all wrapped in one?

The only thing that bugs me is she looks nothing like she does in the trailer. Sten does, Morrigan does, but not Leliana. She looks like this in game.

Well, while I was searching for mods to make MY characters look better, I stumbled upon THIS mod . Now? My Leliana looks like this…

Much closer, and much more fitting I think.

Dragon Age Mod: Leliana brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

1. taking the dogs out. Yeah I know I can make the kids do that, but when the dog weighs more than the kids and goes nuts when he sees the dog next door who the neighbors leave in their yard all day behind a flimsy fence, it’s too risky.

2. Making the coffee. I never seem to get it to taste as good as it does when HE makes the coffee. I either get it too strong, or too weak.

3. mommy I need…Mommy can I…mommy we’re out of…Mommy Mommy mommy

4. I miss Man tv…mainly because I’m subjected to teen tv 8 hours a day.

5/ I’m sick of having to….

WAIT!

A List of Stupid brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

Notice anything? Maybe not if you haven’t spent any time in the Character Creator, but she definitely differs from the norm. But why?

Because I found some very handy little mods for the game. Much like WoW uses plugins. DA has precious few choices for hair style and color, the same with eye color. So eventually every character kind of looks the same. I stumbled upon Dragon Age Nexus over the weekend when I was trying to create my mage and was frustrated with the limited hairstyles. I found four mods I actually liked.

CC Extra Tints and Tones – adds hair colors, skin tones and eye colors (also adds Morrigan’s hairstyle and Duncan and Ohgren beards).

More Hairstyles – pretty self explanatory here.

Pineappletrees Vibrant Colors – Skin tones, eye colors.

Chargen Package- adds more presets to the character creation menu.

and lastly, Friendly Fire to make the above all work nicely together. All come with instructions for installation.

Also, some of you on your second or third playthrough may have noticed, Alistair tends to talk like he’s king even when you don’t make him king, this mod fixes that little annoyance.

You also may have noticed, if you’ve managed to tempt any party members into your tent, you only get the cut scene the first time. Afterwards when you choose “Let’s go to sleep” (That’s for Alistair, not sure about what Leliana, Morrigan, or Zev say) you get a kiss, a black screen and that’s it. If you would rather see your little love scene this is the mod for you.

Hey, look! I wrote a useful post!!

Dressing Up Dragon Age brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

Anyhow, this is what happens if you’re a female gray warden, I believe it happens whether or not you romance Alistair, after Morrigan gives you the option of her dark ritual. It kinda cracked me up, and I promised Llanion I’d post it, so here it is.

note: no he isn’t their king, I got the glitch where he still reacts as king when he wasn’t chosen…lol

A Proposition brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

* Gotten my “nook” from Barnes and Noble. I added several books to it this week such as Rhett Butler’s People, Twenties Girl, The Blind Side, The Lovely Bones, The Last Song (Nicholas Sparks), and Dragon Keeper. I started with Rhett Butler (shocking right?) and so far I’m enjoying it. Reading on this thing is awesome. I really can’t explain why.  Aside from carrying a purse sized library around, and not having to turn pages or worry about losing my place.

*Played through Dragon Age: Origins yet again. But this time I wrote (well I’m still writing) my character’s story. I even gave it it’s own blog. That way, if I want to do it again with my next playthrough, or continue it with the expansion, I’m not flooding this blog with it.

Between the reading, playing and writing the days do seem to go faster. But after seven months…just not fast enough.

This Is Torture brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah

Killing an Ogre…With Style! brought to you by Lady Jess - Life, Love, Games, Hooah