Here,

Ouch

I finished the Reichenbach Fall.

Currently debating if I should watch the next episode where (hopefully), it's explained how he did it.

Anyway

Ouch

This came to me as I was lying in bed, not quite awake, and was the thing that made me sit up and open my laptop to write it down

A loved one showed me the movie Blame, a story about humans trying to surivie in an enormous intelligent city that they no longer had control over. Trying to find food while avoiding the being detected and eradicated like vermin. This hostile but indifferent monolith changing around this small community just trying to continue existing. Living on the internet feels like this, but with an even slower level of hostility. We aren't hunted down by killer robots, but instead we are faced with changes that are uncaring and frustrating as inhabitants that live here. A path we once took has suddenly closed or, even more frustrating, now demands grams of gold to open for us. We visit a nearby place where stories are kept and shared, only to find that it and all the people who lived there have been replaced with a big empty hole. New communities sprout up from the collapse of old ones, but we are hesitant to get to know them lest we become invested in relationships that might suddenly vanish; all the while trying not to vanish ourselves. We are living in a crumbling megastructure controlled by indifferent unknowable entities. And while we, the people outside this metaphor, might know the decisions they're making are driven by a desire for profit; it doesn't change how seemly random those decisions seem to us who have to live with them.

Will ja nicht sagen das ich krasser bin als Merz, aber ich hab noch nie nen Wahlgang zum Kanzler verloren

ok so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon

pirate timebomb but make it extra soft

On Owen's stream today and during it, we found out just how perfectly primadonna by Marina fits tr!Owen like genuinely listen to the lyrics while thinking of him and tell me it isn't a great match!

'You say that I'm kinda difficult

But it's always someone else's fault

Got you wrapped around my finger, babe

You can count on me to misbehave'

And

'Going up, going down, down, down

(Yeah) Anything for the crown, crown, crown'

These fit so good with tr!Owen!

I'm always up for an encryption to break and you do seem to need one so sure

Of course you would have, of course, but this message does seem quite urgent. Any idea what it's referring to or who sent it?

Jlhspotn, zw pvqmp kfwwjrg Tkimvuqaj wymv ziai? Dd M lozikhu? Mw’t fevq jyfi e lfqx xlni. I ydmi jjjtj ifv hwirprei.  Ropy wrlv gbcs kr xs, wjqe zv kmflmnx.  Wzgn, uscb. Wzgn, uscb.

Another code? The structure suggests it's not random gibberish. But without the cipher, even I can't make sense of it.

SH

Sooo Paralives and the Brainwashing EA has done

It's funny. Paralives launched a gameplay video that looks really good, along with some announcements. One of them being that they won't be offering paid DLC. I was watching Satch on Sims and him, plus a few other people, seem to think this is a bad move.

No shade, but it's easy to tell people who don't really game and all they play is the Sims. Like EA got yall so brainwashed that you actually think you're SUPPOSED to be getting charged for base game features.

His concern was wanting a different world to play in or different aethitics. Who said we can't get that for free? We may not know what all features Paralives are going to offer, but what rule says that they can't give us another world to play in for free? I mean literally, there are so many games that do free updates and only offer DLC if it's a niche theme that not everyone would be into, or if they're adding ADDITIONAL gameplay that has no resemblance to what's already in the game.

Only EA removes base game features just to sell them back to you later. Or expect you to buy a multitude of different DLCs that have the exact same theme or niche. Now don't mind me while I gripe on this point a little.

Growing Together and Parenthood should have been one generations themed pack.

Discover University and High School Years should have been one pack focused on education.

All of the occults (vamps, wolves, witches, ghosts, aliens, mermaids, plant people) all should have been in ONE paranormal pack.

Features from Dine Out should have been included in Get to Work. There was no need for that to be seperate DLC when they both relate to active careers.

For Rent and City Living should have been one pack.

Simple features that should not be locked behind a pay wall, and I'm not even talking weather. Like why do I have to buy DLC just for my sims to have access to a hot tub (Perfect Patio), an ice cream maker (Cool Kitchen), a popcorn maker (movie night), for them to have the ability to carve a pumpkin or have different holloween costumes, when Holloween is a holiday that comes in the base game with base game ability to trick or treat, etc. (Spooky Stuff), I have to buy Vintage Glamour just to have a butler (if anything the butler should have been in get famous along with everything in the luxury stuff pack. These are all things that should just be base game that they force you to buy DLC to have access to.

And speaking of weather, I do feel like packs like seasons, pets, laundry day, bust the dust, and my wedding stories should all be base game features. Yeah I don't care if we're used to paying for stuff like seasons and pets, things can and should change. These are all life basics, why am I paying extra?

Now I'm not all negative. There are packs that actually make sense. Get Famous makes sense. So does Island Living, Strangervile, all the vacation packs (jungle, outdoor, snowy). Hell, even Journey to Batuu made sense. Yeah, hear me out. These are all OPTIONAL packs. Stuff that not everyone is going to play with but they each bring something different to the game. Now whether any of these packs are filled to the brim with playable content, thats another story. But at least the concept makes sense.

Okay, off my soapbox and moving on.

I will forever and always use No Man's Sky as an example of a development team that chose integrity over money. That team has been releasing update after update for YEARS. Significant updates too. Updates that completely change the gameplay mechanics, adds brand new features to the game, or updates/changes the look of the game. All for free. Yes, it's normal. Not normal in the sense that these companies should be releasing broken games or not delivering on promises to begin with, but at least they weren't money-hungry assholes about it. The amount of updates that game has, quite a few could have been paid DLC and they didn't do that. Now if they started releasing DLC with specialty ships or different cosmetic features, I would have no problem paying for that cause it's optional.

Paralives knows what they're doing. As long as they are focused on making the base game everything it's supposed to be, I don't see why they couldn't sell the type of optional DLC that makes sense in the future. But I'm certainly not going to say that they're making a mistake by not having paid DLC right now.

I can definitely see them adding things like weather, a new life stage, or new clothes/build objects for free and that's dope. I'm excited about Paralives more so than Life By You. But either way, I'm just glad EA has competition in the life simulation genre now that isn't just about farming management.

IN THE WORDS OF OUR LORD SEMIFONTOS WE ARE GOING BACK THE ISLAND!!!!!!! /REF