I've finished Dragon Age Origins. I got all the Achievements I was missing (about six of them) over the course of a couple of days this past week. It felt good finishing, and I've since given the game to Samantha for her enjoyment. She was really excited to start today, but we ended up spending a lot of time putting her new shelving unit together, so that didn't happen. :(

On the other hand, it 'is' a very nice shelving unit. Her room is lovely. I'm almost jealous. I do wonder what will happen to it when she moves out though - it's been nailed into the wall. Does she disassemble it and take it with her? Will Nicole buy it off of her? I have no idea. It's a very nice piece though and it suits her room perfectly.

Christmas was great. It feels really nice to not have to deal with work or school anymore. I've just got cats, Sam, family, and Mass Effect, and it's wonderful. :)

Sam's really got my number when it comes to gifts. She went and painted me a Halo Reach portrait, got me a copy of Halo and Philosophy, as well as a Mega Blocks Banshee. We made the Banshee last night together. Tonight I went out with Art, Sabs, Marek, and Tegan. We hit the town center and took advantage of Mind Games' clearance sale. As of tomorrow, Mind Games won't be in the Town Center anymore. I went ahead and bought a Carter action figure. He came with a Spartan Laser weapon, which made me happy.

I have lots to read, things to play, and a good couple weeks rest to enjoy. Merry Christmas and happy holidays. :)

Cats.
I`m allergic to cats.

Between Enzo, Max, Nala, and Chaos, I`ve had my fair share of watery eyes. Apparently I it`s because of the saliva they coat their skin in to clean themselves. It hasn`t stopped me from growing up around four of them, or sleeping with them nestled up against my arms, but it gets a little inconvenient from time to time.

I miss Nala... :(

I have never cried. Ever. ;>_>

Slappy the Dummy, a character from Goosebumps, was a recurring horror in my night terrors since I first saw him when I was five. I had nightmares involving him all the way until my early teens. Eventually I got to the point where I realized I was bigger than him, and that made the difference for me, but it still astounds me how something like that had such a hold over me for such a long time.

Vacuum cleaners were also a nemesis between the ages of six and ten. Damnable loud machines, making things disappear. >_>

Game of Thrones made me not want to read another book for a very long time. I finished A Dance With Dragons three months ago on a very low note. I don't dislike the series, but it left me drained by the end of that fifth book. Mistborn is a welcome relief. Samantha suggested it back when I had just started GoT. I'm still very wary, but I'm at least enjoying myself and allowing myself to relax a little bit as I read it.

160 pages in and so far, I like Brandon Sanderson. I hope I still feel that way in 400 pages.

I finished Dragon Age 2 today!

( Victory )

Last Wednesday Deja Vu Discs gave me a call to let me know that Dragon Age II was in. By then I was on my third playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins since getting it in August. I had 68/76 achievements in Origins, and after playing the game endlessly for a couple of months I was itching to get started with the sequel.

The Good
It stuck to the strong storytelling of the first game.
The voice acting is well-done.
The companions are well-written, balanced, and loveable.

The Bad
I didn't have all the DLC right away (lol, I cheated the first time).
Suffers from the occasional bug or glitch (same as Origins)
The whole story takes place in a single city, and some mountains nearby.
Characters die/leave a lot more easily.

Origins surprised me with the staggering amount of writing and well-developed RPG elements. A lot of the game relied on decision-making, but I felt safe with my understanding of how the world worked, and how my decisions would impact the game. With Dragon Age 2, your dialogue choices are still important, but in a much more subtle way. I'm finding that consistency in my character is important for my companions. There aren't as many dramatic decisions like there were in Origins. Instead I'm finding it's much more personal. I'm just doing my best to keep everyone alive.

Merrill is just adorable. <3
Sabrina came by earlier today and took me through some of Merrill's personal quest. Beat the Varterral. It was a lot easier than it was in Witch Hunt. The thing spent the entire match paralysed. Sabrina was severely disappointed by the lack of attention I'd given Fenris, and decided to go ahead and do his companion quest. :3

All in all I'm enjoying it. A lot. Too much maybe. ^^;

Curtis came by for some Portal 2 before our weekly Dragon Age. We got through to test chamber 7 of the DLC. It's 'pretty' complicated stuff, but he manages to figure out a lot of the things I get stuck on. It's pretty great. I'm sad I didn't do it with Sam, but maybe we'll still be able to do the last few together or, failing that, she can play with Maria?

Dragon Age is going well. We finished the attack on Redcliffe and recruited Shale on our way to the circle tower. I'm really enjoying our weekly get-togethers. :)
I deleted a lot of my older characters after everyone had left; Theron, my Dalish warrior elf (and my first ever character); Faren, my commoner warrior dwarf; Lelianna, from the DLC, all of them are gone now. I've started the last origin story I had yet to play through, the Dwarf noble. I find myself liking Bhelen a little bit more, despite how much of a dick he is in the main campaign.

Sam and a few of us are looking at going Apple Picking some time before October is finished. She's going to look up places nearby, and we'll see about going on a Saturday.