There's a zombie on your lawn

So currently I'm playing a few games quite a lot and I thought I would talk a bit on them. Firstly the pc games.

Jona (brother) bought me the Game Of The Year Edition of this on steam. I've already almost completed it on Xbla (Xbox360 Live) (only got one achievement left to get - 40 waves on endless) but I really like my tower defence games and this one is rather good (that and steam had a sale~). It's pretty user friendly, it's basic enough that it's accessible to almost anyone but has enough difficulty that it isn't boring. The graphics are cheerful and the music isn't all that bad.

I've already completed the first play though and I'm well on my way through the second. I'm not sure why I find this so addictive but I do. Do you want to know my favourite part? The Zen garden. I'm not even joking, my favourite part (after completing the main game) is growing plants and picking up new plants from either Crazy Dave or on other levels. As the name Zen suggests, it's soothing. The music is nice and I like finding out what new plants I have acquired. It sounds ridiculous I know, especially when I'm so absolutely terrible at keeping plants alive in real life.

Any way, essentially I love this game because you can just turn it on and play for a short burst of time. There's no plot at all so that's not an issue and each level is about 5 to 10 minutes long (except for each last level of the area which is a double level).When my 360 was in my room I would play it a lot on that and now it's on my computer I'm playing it a lot at the moment. 'Chievo hunting (because the achievements on Steam are different to the Xbla ones).

Ahh good old Minecraft. I don't actually play this as often as I seem to make out. In fact I haven't played this in a couple of months and have only just reinstalled it today after the windows overhaul. Jona mentioned that the sheep had been altered so they are producing wool again after shearing (which I was having a major issue with last time) so I thought I would open it again and have a mooch. They've also added apples a a tree drop which is fab.

I do love this game, mostly because I just like building a nice house and then going off on a wander around the countryside and through the caverns and caves. I like exploring, although really I should head off to the Nether and the End at some point but that's kinda where all the scary things live.

I tend to play this game solidly for about a week (in a darkened room because it makes it easier) and then after that week appear, bleary eyed and blinking at the sun, and don't play it for about a month. It is a good game but I overkill on it. This is how I play most games really. I play them for hours each day and then stop. Then when I finally get back to them I'm all "dude, why did I stop? This game is AWESOME!". As it is I'm in the early stages of building a house (making the walls out of dirt and any other random materials that don't require tools to gain, because I like to play it out perfectly and dirt is easiest to change). I have already found sheep and pigs near by and I'm situated next to the sea. It should be fun so I'll let you know how I get on.

On Xbox I'm playing this: Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, another game that Jona bought me (this time for christmas). We are somewhat collecting these games (currently own DW1 (PS), DW2 (PS2), DW3 Strike force (I think, PS2), DW5 Empires (Xbox360), DW6 (Xbox360), Tactics (PS2), Warriors Orochi 1+2 (Xbox360) and DW Gundam 1, 2 (still with Anth, I really should get that back) and 3. DW in original format is about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in China and the warring that happened then. You generally play as one of the factions (Wu, Shu or Wei) and as a person from one of those. Throughout the game you unlock new people to play as and stuff. It's hack and slash in the extreme (press x to win). Orochi takes DW and Samurai warriors (a spin off from the same game company) and some demons and makes them all fight because some demon dude called Orochi decided that would be cool. It's quite fun because Jona and I are sitting there going "you don't fight together, you hate each other!" or "Lu Bu!? No one defeats Lu Bu!" and then steal his horse Red Hare (the fastest in any of the games). It's certainly interesting but the plot is pretty meh whatever. Mostly we have it for more co-op game play and because, like I said, they're fun. Hack and slash is awesomes.

Gundam is basically the same except with mechas. 1 and 2 followed the same formulae and were almost ctrl+c, ctrl+v of each other with some slight graphics changes. The story was the same, the campaigns were the same. It was the same game. Kinda disappointing. Actually one of them has the option for Japanese speech and the other doesn't. I don't remember which one but the American voices aren't too good (especially when they keep saying the same thing when they take a base/kill a named guy/kill x amount of people).

DWas of yet. Also the plot is different (although essentially the same as Orochi). There are also a million chapters and missions to do (mostly copy/paste but that's fine) so I'm going to be taking a while on it. It is good if you're angry, upset or insomniac though. Many a night has been spent on DW6 with Jona and they're good fun. Just don't play them for plot, or interesting things happening. They're all kill loads of guys and then kill the big bad boss at the end. Sometimes there are "save this guy" or "don't let X die" but mostly "kill Y to win".

Again one of the best features about it is that I can normally complete a mission in about 10 mins (they give you a time limit of 90mins. I think that would be soul destroying and really hard to require that length of time. I reckon my AI allies would defeat everyone in that time if I didn't :P) so I can pick up a controller and quickly kill some people and then go do something else.

Finally when I'm out and about I've been taking my Gameboy color with me to play this. I've already mostly completed it on emulator years ago but I finally picked up a copy for cheaps off Amazon. It's a very basic game with a similar layout to the original Red/Blue in the way that there are gyms and you defeat 3 people then a gym leader. There is also a rival (who I can't remember the name of) who turns up every so often. You get to choose your starter deck (Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle and friends) and off you go. The cards that are used in the game are from the base, jungle and fossil sets with the promo Meowth (Blackstar 10) that was originally released with this game also used (I didn't get one because it was second hand but I can get one off ebay pretty cheap).

There isn't much to the game but I quite enjoy it and sadly I also rather enjoy thinking "yup I have that card in reals". It's a game about collecting things and in my family that's quite a trait that we have. I'm not very far in it but I'm still having fun remembering how to play the original TCG (the updated version I play on TCGOnline is better but nostalgia!).

So you may have noticed that very few of my games at the moment are plot driven. Really only DW:G3 can boast any kind of plot and even that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. It's mostly because at the moment I don't want to be thinking "so I have to go here to talk to this guy to get this quest to get to this part of the game to find out blahblahblah". All I really want is action at the moment. At some point I'm going to go back to my pile of incomplete Squenix games (Persona4, FFXIII, Last Remenant, other FFgames) and Mass Effect (finally got for Christmas) but I feel like it would just be too much (I also need to find a synopsis for the first disk of Last Rem because I haven't played that in about 3 years and I need my maps for FFXIII and probably need to restart VII, X and get a synopsis for I and III). See! Look at how much effort plot driven games are when you are a sporadic gamer like me! Maybe after these games I'll go back to Theme Hospital (with no plot) and finally complete it (on consultant level because I enjoy it hxc on there). I should also go back to Pokemon.... Soul Silver, Black, start Diamond and Emerald. We got them all at roughly the same time so I have a major backlog on that front.

And then I have other things I need to be doing other than gaming! :P I need to start applying for a second job (bleh), reading all my hundreds of unread books (le sigh), tidying and decluttering my room (all the frikking time!), getting a good night's sleep for work the next day (very important!), sorting out the Iolanthe files so I can send some to Hazyshade (because I've overkilled my mind on copying up the score and it's just a little too much and he is fabulous and keeps offering, also 70 page 1st act finale anyone?!). I also want to be practising my instruments more and learning how to play the ones I've bought but never learnt (or acquired) but I don't seem to have enough hours in my day! I agree with Blue on the thought that sleep is such a waste of time but such a damned necessity!

Now I should make a checklist for tomorrow and go to bed because it's almost 00:30 and I should have been in bed an hour and a half ago so goodnight all my lovelies and may all your dreams come true (just the good ones and not the nasty nightmares).

Lemonses and butterflies, Buttercup xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm not sorry there's nothing to save.

There are a few parts to this blog:
1. General update
2. Minecraft talk leading to scaryness
3. Nail varnish

I thought I would give you this knowledge in case you come across a block of text that you find boring. Everything kind of gets mixed together but that is the best way to split up my writing.


So I'm half way through my third week at work and I'm rather enjoying it. I am knackered every day after just two hours (although the two mile bike ride (one way) can't help towards that either, my poor thighs!) and my back has already started hurting (joy, oh joy, hello slow muscle crawl, hope I didn't miss you at all ¬¬) but we have good laughs.

I went on my first training session yesterday and it was just like being back at school for two hours (everything seems to be twos!) right down to me not knowing any answers... except I did get one but man I felt horribly stupid again. It's that engaging brain to do things... it just doesn't work on demand. I know I'm not that stupid I just can't seem to do very well in those scenarios. Except it was fine and I'll get paid for turning up and it was compulsory so it wasn't bad.

As a slight aside it was about diversity and equality and was actually rather interesting on what you can get called up on, or call people up on. But then got me wondering about identity and ended with some vodka apple to make shush :P

So work is going pretty well. In between work and other such things I am copying up the Iolanthe score for this year's Buxton. This would be fine, if it wasn't so damned long and such a complete arse(!) of a score. There are inconsistencies throughout and there are some pages that haven't been printed properly so you kind of have to make educated guesses on what notes you are meant to put. It's donkey work. It's not really very interesting but you can slave away and it's done without thinking too much. I was attempting to do the whole score in 2 weeks but that would have destroyed me so now I'm just working at it as much as I can.

In between doing that I have rediscovered my love for Minecraft. For such a cheap game (it was £7 for me almost a year ago but it'll be about that now or mebs up to £10) it's quite amazing and you don't have to pay for upgrades (of which there have been numerous). You essentially pay once for an account and you can play for as long as it is running. I love exploring, I love collecting and crafting. Making houses and enjoying the, however "pixellated" it is, the scenary. Notch has been playing with the light settings and wow I was rather impressed actually. I will tell you what I don't like though.

That. I don't like them at all. He is called an Enderman. It's from the Nether, which I haven't yet explored at all so I don't know anything about it. He can pick up blocks and move them (currently he is holding a dirt block). This is fine in itself, although it changes the scenery, so long as you don't make your safe house out of a "moveable" block because then he might let other, more hostile, mobs in, such as zombies and creepers. That is fine. Enderman, move what you like. If you make eye contact he will stare you down. I have only had one experience of this and it was from a safe place where I could hit him repeatedly until he stopped. He will approach you and stare at you. If you break eye contact he will kill you.

Now that's not a very nice way to play that game. He also has either a higher attack than you, a higher health bar than you or both because unless you can kill him before you break eye contact you will, at least nearly always, die (apparently, according to the wikia). Even that isn't too bad. Ok, try not to make eye contact with them, just don't look directly at them, that's plausible.

HE FECKING TELEPORTS.

This I cannot cope with. Unless the level is more than 3 blocks higher than the level he is currently on he can teleport onto it (I'm not sure how far lengthwise though... I saw one teleporting around from a nice high vantage point and it looked like about 30 blocks). I had one of them teleport next to me. What the actual hell? I practically died on the spot (it also didn't help that he was followed in very quick succession by a creeper... or more to the point I was followed). What if they teleport into your viewpoint and you realise too late because you were already turning? Why does it need to do something quite so damned creepy?!

Ok I have a major issue with teleporting things or more accurately, things that move without moving or without you being able to see them move. I was never the wolf in "What's The Time Mr. Wolf", except by force, because it creeped me out. Remember these guys?:

Yup Dr. Who's Weeping Angels. I found that hard to watch because of the "teleportation". I know, it's not quite the same but essentially it had the same idea. It moved without you seeing that it moved. It bothers me a lot. Although, yes they were creepy regardless. I think they were the scariest thing on that show yet (although I haven't watched half of Tennant or any of Smith so there may have been creepier but imo they are the ones that take that crown). (Another aside I just got distracted with a video of 500 miles (The Proclaimers) with the crew and some of the cast of Dr Who dancing along to it. It's quite cute, if only for wor David's grin all the way through).

I'll tell you someone else who creeps me out:

Most of the film (bar one second where it shows rope being pulled out of someone's mouth) I can watch fine. It's not really scary. Samara crawling out of the tv? Fine. Samara suddenly appearing in front of people, after crawling out of the tv, without needing to move? Hell no. Only part I can't watch. Point is, if I can't see it move, it's terrifying.

But enough of horribly creepy things. I should probably go to bed soon. Tomorrow is Friday (yay) which means that I get two days off (yay) before going back to work again on Monday (boo) but it does mean that I get to buy more pokemon cards (yay - it happens every Monday atm to make them better) and also I only have 3 weeks until we break up (yay) which is kinda rubbish because I haven't started Christmas shopping and it's not that long now (boo). I also get to paint my nails tomorrow (yay) because it isn't allowed at work (boo) but it shall be sparkly because I am all about the glitter atm (yay).

Just to share these are the ones I have right now:

Ok maybe I should make my own swatches at some point. Maybe I'll do one over the weekend (it'll be Snow Globe fo' sho' because it's my newest one and I need to try it out).

L-R T-B:

China Glaze: Snow Globe. White holographic sparkles of varying size. As of yet unknown quality.

China Glaze: Fairy Dust (bought to replace my old Miners Photo Finish that is very gloopy, but still works). Holographic glitter. Very nice to apply (probs because it's C.Glaze) and very good coverage.

Rimmel: Disco Ball. Surprisingly it looked exactly the same as one in the Miss Sporty range but I know Rimmel make up (even if Miss Sporty was £1 cheaper). Blue/silver sparkles of varying size. Nice but you need 2-3 coats to get good coverage at all.

Stargazer: 146. I dislike that stargazer have no names. The names are my favourite part :( Red, blue, green and silver glitters (slightly bigger than Fairy Dust). Nice to apply, quick to dry.

Barry M: Red Glitter. I agree with someone else, uninspired name much? It's got great coverage though and is my only non-silver/white based glitter. It's great over a crimson at Christmas.

17: Glitter Top Coat. Kinda uninspired by this one. Similar colour to Snow Globe but glitter instead of sparkles. It does not have great coverage (or it didn't on my toe nail, but they are tiny and it was far away from my face) but it's a nice colour (white holo, thus the purchase of Snow Globe although they might be nice combined).

I would like some different coloured glitters/sparkles/flakes. Actually I don't own any flakes yet but I have seen some and they are nommy. In winter I get all glittery and sparkly and in summer I like matt colours (which reminds me I should pick up a mattifying top coat at some point) in bright neons. I love wearing nail varnish. Love love love! I need to wear it more. I would like to be able to afford more China Glaze, O.P.I and Nails Inc. but they go past my usual budget of £5 max. I need to learn that it's ok to spend more now that I'm not reliant on pocket money :P It's difficult though and I do want ever so many things. And I still have no more room than last time we spoke.

Oh the difficulties in life! Maximum difficulty! D:

Anyway, lemons and fruit salads for all xxxxxxxxxxx

p.s. I'll let you know how my nail varnish turns out, if I remember.

p.p.s. For those who don't know my hair is now fuchsia, I'm still yet to get a good photo though :/

p.p.p.s. I realise I never tell you where my title is from. I would say "is that ok?" but I don't really mind if it isn't. I presume it doesn't really bother you or you google it if it does because really google is fountain of knowledge.

p.p.p.p.s. I know that fountain of knowledge is often a wiki name but really isn't it more a lake of wisdom? Actually I quite like these metaphors :D

p.p.p.p.p.s  Start now not tomorrow. :)
p.p.p.p.p.p.s. None of the images are my own. They were on googles.