Post Holiday Break

For some reason, this year, the holidays seemed to be overwhelming.  It wasn't just the rushing around getting presents, or the  holiday gatherings, or traffic.  I felt by the time Christmas Day loomed near that my cup had ranneth over and then dumped out completely.  Hence, the sort of half-assed attempt at a Christmas party on the 23rd.  And I'm not done yet.  Kids are still out for winter break and my niece decided that the week after Christmas would be the perfect time to get married.

So I'm taking a break.  

I know.  I'm sorry.  My rather lackluster streams lately have testified to the necessity of it.  I never want to do something that 1) I don't enjoy doing or 2) dread having to do.  You can really tell when someone has lost the spark, and the only losers are the awesome people who come to watch one stream.  I haven't lost my spark yet, but I fear it has dimmed somewhat.

So what to expect:

1- I am taking a break until next year.  The plan is to return to a full schedule of streams on Wednesday, January 3rd at the normal time.

2- I am modifying my schedule again.  The alternating Friday/Saturday evening schedules are too weird and confusing.  I am considering doing a day-time stream for Friday while the kids are in school, but I haven't decided that yet for sure.  The rough draft of it looks like Mon-Thurs in the evenings, with a day-time stream on Fridays and my Sunday stream with GirlStreamers.  I will defintely keep you guys updated and of course, post the new schedule on my channel.

One last thing to note -- winters are hard on my depression.  Yes, I suffer from depression with just a smattering anxiety mixed in just to make things interesting.  If I've learned anything over the years about having depression is if you neglect self-care, it makes depression worse and it takes longer to bounce back.  This is my self-care.  If you suffer from depression, don't make the mistake I did and wait for years and years to care for yourself.  Find help, learn about it, and know that the people around you care about you and only want you to be your best self.  Need help finding help?  Go to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Thanks so much for understanding and supporting me.  Let's kick 2017 to the curb in a spectacular way and start over fresh in 2018.

~~~   Scrappywheelz  ~~~

Does he love me. . . does he love me not? Theron

So last night I finished the playthrough of my agent, Velvete's, storyline in the game.  I've been playing through it mostly so I can make notes for a story I've been working on.  And its interesting that some things  have been popping out at me as supportive of some of my fan theories about Theron Shan.

If you don't like SPOILERS, then stop reading now and come back after you played through Traitor Among the Chiss.

One of the biggest parts of my storyline with Theron and Velvete is their connection,  not just from their love for each other but also because as both of them are spies, there are some things that just don't need to be said between them.  And I'm not going to go down the whole list of places where Theron either proved to me that something more was up, or was so obvious a toddler could have gotten the hint (however, if, in the furture, a few people want to see my list I can post it in a different blog post).  I want to focus on a couple of things that popped up during and after I finished Traitor Among the Chiss.

The first one was what I'll start calling a Toddler Moment -  a hint done so obviously, the writer in me physically cringed watching it.  The moment I'm talking about is right at the end of the flashpoint where Theron is observing the holomap with the Chiss, Valss, and his hestitant "Yeah."  People aren't stupid.  If you're still in the pocesss of proving yourself to an organization, especially if they are illegal or have a dark purpose, like The Order of Zildrog is hinting at, any hesitation could be seen as not fully committed to the cause and thereby making you look suspicious. Certainly made me suspicious.  But I guess that's the point, we're supposed to question his motiviations.

The next is a very interesting letter I got from Theron after I got back to Odession.  It reads as such:

"I saw your message on the HoloNet.  I wish I could drop everything and leave with you.  Somewhere awa from all this war and death.  But that's just a nice dream -- reality is much harder.

Feels like I've fought for peace all my life, but everyone has let me down.  The Jedi, the Republic, even the Alliance.  The galaxy doesn't deserve this endless war for power.  I just want it to stop.  But now, I've finally figured out how to end the desctruction.  Trust that eveything I do is for the good of the galaxy.

I don't expect you to understand.  But however this ends, I just want you to know that I loved you from the moment I saw you.  And I always will."

Cryptic, much?  Possibly even a letter of intimation, dare I say?  Until we know all, all I have is supposition colored by hope.  I do hope Theron does come through, at least for Velvete.  Regardless of what happens to her, the galaxy will go on with or without the Alliance.  So I can't see why, even despite his best heroics his current plan falls apart, they can't reunite and fight through the aftermath together.  Time will tell, as it always does, as Lana says.

And since we are on a vein of romance today, let me share with you another letter I got about the same time.

"From: Arcann

Suject: The Alliance

We've spent such a short time as allies, but laready I feel a connection to the Alliance, and to you.  Your victories give me strength -- and I feel the sting of your setbacks.  This betrayal unsetttles me.

I realize you're strong enough to take care of the matter yourself.  I witnessed your power, not so long ago.  But as you protect the Alliance from this dangerous man, know that I am a weapon for you to wield however you see fit.  My hand is yours.  You need only ask."

Holy what???  I mean I have heard rumors that some time in the future they will be making Arcann a romanceable companion, but short of saying he's madly in love with me, its almost, ALMOST the same.  Guess time will tell on this one too!

What's your thoughts about any or all of it?  Do agree with my assessment?

No stream tonight.  And no stream on Saturday -- maybe.  I would normally stream this Saturday but we have Cmdr_Blackhorse's company party that night.  I might try a day time stream on Saturday, but only because I've been challenged to widen my gaming net and try Elder Scrolls Online.  Check Twitter for the most update to date gaming time updates, or check my channel's panel wall.

~~~  Scrappywheelz  ~~~~

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Write this down on a piece of paper and then nail or paste it to your wall:

Saturday

December 23rd

8pm MDT

twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

Christmas Party!

I love Christmas!  Its probably tied with Halloween in my favorite-O-meter for favorite holiday of the year.  And what's more fun than a Christmas party!  A Christmas party with cheesy Christmas music blasting in the background, games, and giveaways!  Join me for trivia, lots of Star Wars playing, laughing, and maybe some truth or dare if you have gotten some Scraps built up before hand!

While my Halloween party was a resounding success, there were some hiccups.  These I plan on not repeating and I have devised a system to make prize-giving much easier, consistent, timely, cost-effective and rewarding for all involved.  It will involve prizes being mainly procured through Amazon, Steam and gift cards.  I also plan on having some game specific prizes available that I already have in my hot little hands, though I really wish that you could gift Cartel Coins to someone.  Thankfully, Steam has already hopped on that bangwagon, even though it takes about 3 days from 'friend-ing' you before 'gifting' can occur.

Also just annoucned today, Nividia GeForce and SWTOR have teamed up to make the holidays even more jolly.  If you sign up for GeForce Experience client by December 13th, you'll get a slew of freebies.  The "Rule the Galaxy Story Pack" will contain:

• Full access to Knights of the Eternal Throne, if you don't already have it.
• An Outlander character token to boost one character to level 65.
• Chiss Talon Intercepter Airspeeder mount.
• Force Veteran's Armor Set.

Not too shabby.  And considering that Nividia has been pushing the GeForce Experience to anyone who has recently purchased a new graphics card or updated their drivers, this seems like a nice 'you're welcome' for having one more program hovering in the background on your computer.  Click HERE to download the client and be eligible for the giveaway.  You'll recieve the code for the redemption on December 13th within the client and you have until December 31st to redeem it.

Tonight is WoW Wednesday and Goblin Warlock leveling!  Join me!

Twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

Ch-ch-ch-changes . . . on my channel!

Green Screen Fail!

So you may have noticed a few changes already on my channel.  First was an ill-fated attempt at a DIY green screen.  We are now waiting for a properly colored backdrop to come in the mail.  In the mean time, you'll just see me in a little box in the corner until I can get this fixed and looking better!

While I am wearing the same headset, I'm not using the mic anymore!  My husband decided to surprise me with a Blue Snowball.  I love it.  I've always had a problem with the mic being in front of my face, and the Snowball solves this problem, not only because its a free standing mic that makes it unnecessary to do much adjusting of my desk set up to accommodate it.  It also sounds clear as a bell despite being 15 inches away from my face!

Lastly and most fun, I've added a few fun commands to the channel exclusively for my Followers.  They are sound bytes that can be played during the stream.  I plan on adding more but for now here are the ones you can use:

!booyah - sound of Cyborg saying 'booyah' !leia - 'from now on, we'll do as I say, k?' !strange - 'what a strange person' from Monty Python !vadar - 'i have you now' !wesley - 'shut up, wesley'

Let's not abuse these, k?

And for those who play Star Wars: The Old Republic and did not already know or see my Tweet yesterday - if you are interested in playing the new Traitor among the Chiss flashpoint with the cinematic, you must play it as Solo, not Story. Otherwise, you'll be looking at doing that flashpoint all over again (took me just over an hour to complete it the first time) just to see Theron's new do.

And be on the look out later in the week or on the weekend for information about my upcoming Christmas party!


~~~  Scrappywheelz  ~~~

For your FYI . . .

Welcome to your news bomb!  Lots of little bits that I think you'll find useful --

 

You might have noticed the names on the yellow leaves on my overlay.  Those wonderful people have subscribed at one point or another to my stream and I wanted to highlight them as a way of thanking them for their generosity.  The next time you see them in my channel, please give them a virtual high-five.

A Song Request system is now available on my stream!  Thursday night was  blast as some of my regulars tested it.  To access this feature, you just type in !sr or !songrequest in the chat box along with the name of the song or the link for it from YouTube.  Viewers of my stream have the ability to request up to five songs, but if you need more than that, asking me or my mod for extra requests shouldn't be a problem.

Did you know that you can get bits for free from Twitch?  Yes ma'am you can!  In the bottom right hand corner of the chat column you'll see a diamond-ish symbol next to the emotes symbol.  Click on it and it will prompt you to either pay for the bits OR watch a video.  You watch the video (commercial) all the way through and Twitch rewards you with 5 bits!  Its a nice way to cheer on your favorite Twitch content creator (me, of course!) without breaking the bank!

Through November 20th, get your free Special Forces gear in celebration of the new Star Wars: Battlefront II.  Go to www.swtor.com/redeem-code and enter the code SPECIALFORCES.  You'll find a little package in the mail the next time you log on, and its account wide!

Through November 27th, if you complete any three Group-finder PvE activities (flashpoints, heroics, ops) or three warzones, you'll  be eligible for a new companion, Darth Hexid.  She'll be showing up in your inboxes on November 28th if you complete the requirements for her eligibility.

Also, if you logged on at all between November 8th and November 27th, Karraga the Unyieldingly Little (aka Mini-Mogul NM-1) pet in the mail on November 28th.

Tonight would normally be a World of Warcraft night but considering there's still a lot of stuff to do since the server merges, I'll continue on with my kitty trooper leveling.  Feel free to stop by, say hello and request a song or two!

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

The Problem with Theron

There are many feels when I write this blog post.  Very many feels.  I remember the day I first met him.  Tall, handsome, a little dorky, and a dead sexy voice performed by Troy Baker.  All the things a gunslinger or a sage could ask for, except, well, he was a little standoffish.  His awkward flirts were endearing for a while, and then became frustrating.  Did he have a problem with commitment?  He said otherwise, but his actions spoke volumes.  And then Yavin 4 happened and how could I not trust those brown eyes staring down at me?  But somewhere in my heart, I knew things couldn't last.  Not with him.  Not that I wished it.  It was just a gut instinct.

In heavily story based game play, things of this kind happen.  We fall in love with a character only to have the rug pulled out from under us.  And sometimes, it actually hurts like a break-up.  I hit the end of the train on Umbara and I just sat there in shock.  I had heard rumors.  I refused to believe them because there was no possible way Theron would betray me.  He had been by my side for so many adventures.  He had chided me when I tried to kill Senya and Arcann, but loved me anyway.  So it was like my guts being wrenched out when I stood there staring at him through the red-hued forcefield as he monologued about the Eternal Alliance and he looked me dead in the eye telling me he was going to kill me.

So here's the stupid thing.  I still can't accept for one moment that he truly betrayed me.  Despite his assassination attempt, I can't help but feel that something else is going on.  I can't put my finger on it.  When Lana and I were walking into the cab of the train, he had his gun trained on us the whole time.  If he had truly wanted to kill us, that would have been a golden opportunity.  But he didn't.  When he was ranting about alliances and rotting and takedowns, he still said "I love you, too."  And finally, the explosion.  Maybe if I had been less skilled, less experienced, I would have died in that train crash.  But I wasn't and I know he knew that.  That means it was only a cursory attempt on my life.  It means he wanted me and Lana to escape.  I know he cared for Lana too, having worked with her so long.

The question becomes - now what?  If he is truly a traitor, then would I have the strength to destroy him?  Would I be weak enough to let someone else do it for me?  If he is not a traitor, do I have the patience and faith to wait for his return?  Can I forgive him?  Do I want to?

Join me tonight on another adventure!

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

Halloween Eve will be a Scream!

I'm sending out a last minute reminder to not miss my Halloween Eve party tonight starting at 8pm MST!  There will be games.  There will be music.  There will be prizes!!  Let me give you a rundown of what's up for grabs so far (prizes subject to change - but probably won't).

Funko Pop -- BB-8 figure, new in box

Two $10 Steam Virtual Gift Certificates*

Two Candy Coffee/Drink Cup Prizes

$10 Playstation Store Gift Card

Two 5000 Star Wars: The Old Republic Cartel Coin Virtual Gift Certificates*

I'm not kidding!  So join me for some WoW/SWTOR game action and a chance to win these fantastic prizes!

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

* Virtual Gift Certificates are to be redeemed either in app or in game.  Steam gift certificates will be redeemed through the Game Gifting function.  This will require the winner to select the Steam item of their choice and be friended with Scrappywheelz in order to recieve the prize.  Star Wars: The Old Republic cartel coins can only be redeemed in game.  Selections for cartel market items will be selected by player and then items will be gifted through in game transfer - either in game character trade or though the mail.

~~~  Scrappywheelz  ~~~