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Times are hard and A wandering bard lives and eats on the mastery of their craft and the sharpness of their memory. No one likes tripping over the notes after all, or (heaven forbid) forgetting the lyrics half way through. So, in an effort to give their best performance this musician should endeavour to keep their fingers nimble and their tunes fresh in their mind. Especially as i play more than one instrument, most especially as I'm susceptible to distraction by the newest shiny musical object. Therein lies a deep dark hole filled with lost plectrums my friends. essentially keeping up the skill level with a few of them is something i need to work on. I want to be able to play them in front of people without crippling stage fright or self consciousness. ….i mean, there is going to be both of those things anyway, id just like to keep them to some sort of manageable level of terror. (Maybe i will make that a future goal sometime, try to reduce my stage fright 🤔) I used to practice mandolin most mornings. It was part of my routine and something i really enjoyed, over the last year or so its just something I've fallen out of the habit of doing. so this month I'm going to try to - practice twice a week for half an hour.( If i manage more. That is super. I just dont want to overload myself) also, this last month it became very evident that i really needed to sort two things in particular. - drinking enough water - going to sleep at 10-10:30pm Not doing the two above is messing with my meds and general wellbeing in various directions and needs sorting asap. to this effort I'm going to start using a water jug again and endeavour to get through 2 of them a day. Which evens out at about 6mugs worth (i probubly need to measure things at least once, just to know where i stand) For the sleep, I'm going to get back into the habit of setting an alarm so i don't read for too long. strait forward, so hopefully achievable. And, left over from last month we also have -finish sorting room (this is going to take a while, clearly. But its getting here) Already ongoing - try to go for 3 walks a week -stick to healthy snacks in between meals oh, incase anyone is curious. My mandolin is a 100+ year old bowlback. It is awesome and has amazing tone. I found it in two pieces in an attic and its had major neck reconstruction surgery. It plays like a dream 98% of the time but sometimes the original tuners are a bit crotchety

Hello nerds and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! [image credit; pinterest] Welcome to my 2024 challenge~ My name is Shaar ❤️ and as of August of this year I will have been on the forums for 10 years! Nerd Fitness really changed my life; at this time 6 years ago I was the fittest and strongest I have ever been in my adult life. I was powerlifting and exercising consistently, dialing in my nutrition, and was sitting at 126lbs of strong determined fire. A lot has changed in the past 4-5 years for me - moving back to my home state of Massachusetts after the end of a long term relationship, the covid pandemic, juggling a new full time job that I enjoyed but was taxing and had a long commute, and most importantly, the sudden passing of my mom in late 2021 and all the trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, and eventually PTSD that came with that and having to deal with her estate as an only child. Y’all it did a NUMBER on me and I backslid more than I initially thought. Mentally, physically, emotionally, you name it. I coped in ways I probably shouldn’t have for longer than I should have and I let myself fall by the wayside a lot. There were a lot of breaking points that I never envisioned. 2023 was an eye opener for me and a year where I finally started to pick myself up, realize what was important, and gratefully have the avenue to pursue my better self again. With the help of my amazing husband I quit a job that wasn’t serving me, began taking care of myself and my home, and learned how to be FUCKING HAPPY again. My life has consistently been a wild ride and I’ve always been overcoming struggles and climbing mountains, but for a healthy chunk of last year I finally gave myself permission to stop climbing and just be, and slow down, and rest. And after it all, it’s just what I needed. I spent a lot of 2023 looking back - at the me I used to be, the life I used to lead, and just kind of reminiscing that I could never get back to that again. I got very stuck in a nostalgia loop and it rooted me in place for some time. But now I realize I don’t need to be back there, and instead I can move forward in a whole new way. AND I’M FUCKIN STOKED FOR IT The Lunar New Year for 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. According to the ol’ internet (and Chinese history), the dragon is related to success, intelligence and honor in Chinese culture, while wood dragons are full of energy and dream of changing the world. I feel like I’m going into this year with a lot of drive and ambition and positive vibes, and am ready to hit the ground running to make my goals an absolute reality. The only thing standing in my way is me and I’m ready to harness the energy of the dragon and get shit DONE. [image credit; pinterest] 2024 LONG TERM GOALS » Dump this 15 lbs I've accumulated over the past few years. Currently 5’3” and 150, and would be over the moon to sit at 135 again. I’ve already taken progress photos and am ready to see where I’m at in a few months with all my hard work!! » Find a part time job that serves me. » Continue on my monk Path of 100,000 Punches. (Currently sitting at 19,609 according to my app) » Gain enough strength and mobility to be able to kayak and bike again. » Continue reducing alcohol and keep it at a bare minimum. » Read more than 20 books. I read 26 in 2023 and after a few years of barely reading anything, I’m SO HAPPY to be back into this habit. ❤️ CHALLENGE GOALS I quietly started setting a lot of foundations for my 2024 fitness goals in November and December, and I feel I’m at the point where my habits are ingrained enough to start pushing myself! Log food EVERY DAY. I’ve been tentatively doing this since December but I’m ready to make it a habit and continue keeping a close eye on my intake. Right now I’m using Cronometer and it’s got everything I need, and a really good food database too. I’m currently working at a 150-200 calorie deficit for most days (so about 1600-ish) and it’s been working just fine. Seeing the numbers is huge for me and being able to visualize what I’m putting into my body has retrained my eating - and portion - habits a lot. 80+g of protein most days. It’s a challenge to cram it into every meal but with decent planning it’s been going well! I’m hoping to achieve this at least 5 out of 7 days per week. Intentional movement 5 out of 7 days a week. What this looks like for me right now is usually 2 lifting days, 2 boxing or kickboxing days, and one walk/run day. Rest days are generally just rest or maybe some extra foam rolling or mobility if I need it. The Mountain of Howling Fists (our personal gym) is kitted out with a rack, barbell, plates and dumbbells, as well as a sick FightCamp boxing and kickboxing setup with a standalone bag and tracked workouts, as well as all of the recovery and mobility equipment I could ask for. My weekly walk/run/intervals lately have been at the local Planet Fitness to take advantage of their treadmills Because Winter. I have all the equipment and access I could ask for so there really are ZERO excuses here. I’ve been tracking my workouts on a big white board and will post them weekly here for accountability! Continue alcohol moderation. I basically backed off of drinking last month except around the holidays. It hasn’t been easy but the benefits are ENORMOUS and it’s super important to me to continue this streak. Again I’m giving myself three drink tickets this challenge to use if needed and whenever, but only three. And there we go! Honestly bigger stakes than any challenge I've really done recently but I'M HERE FOR IT and it's time for me to push forward with everything I've got. Thanks for visiting friends ❤️ and I'm grateful to have you around for the ride! LET'S DO THIS and show 2024 who's boss!!!!

... 'Cause the holidays are here. Wraps? Get it? It's a PUN Y'ALL i know shaar give it a rest ANYWAY For the final challenge of 2023 (that's only 4 weeks instead of 5) I'm going to continue setting some ground rules and foundations for what I want to start achieving next year. I feel I'm finally at a point in my life where I can actually start striving for more again and start challenging myself, something I haven't felt in a LONG time, and I'm excited to get on that train and have some BIG ASS PLANS. But first I really need to make sure my groundwork is set for success. This challenge will consist of two things: THING THE FIRST Continue to get intentional movement days under my belt each week. Last challenge was 4 days, but this challenge I'm going to up it to 5. I know I have the resources and time to implement this habit now, the biggest one being getting out of my own way and just DOING it. No more of this it's too cold out bullshit, or I feel lazy bullshit - I have a whole ass gym two floors below me (it's in my basement) and, remember shaar, intentional movement can be as easy as (and as IMPORTANT as) yoga and mobility. I'm aiming for a nice mix between boxing and lifting with an active rest day or two of walking and mobility work. I will continue to grow my discipline with myself and not shortchange future shaar by doing this EVERY WEEK. THING THE SECOND Living a mostly sober lifestyle has been AMAZINGGGGG for me. Granted I feel I'm at a point in my life where the timing is very right to make this decision, but the impacts of better sleep, less brain fog, and less inflammation and overall achiness have been huge immediate benefits. But! I still enjoy drinking every once in a while when it is planned and moderated right, and I feel last challenge helped me learn that and help realize and implement it. Since the holidays are here, I am allowing myself three drink tickets over the course of this challenge! That's three nights of drinking, whether it be out for an event, socially, or at home snuggled up and playing whatever dumb game I've discovered lately that brings me joy. (currently: the talos principle, because it makes me feel like a genius - so far) .... wait nevermind this challenge will consist of THREE THINGS. Eheheheh THING THE THIRD this is the wrapping up part right here Each week I will post a master list of things I am going to work to get done before the end of the year. This can be anything from practical things like finish cleaning out my pants drawer, or reorganizing the pantry, or framing and putting up the art I've bought, to little fun things like trying the greek place downtown for lunch I've never been to, or taking a walk on a snowy day and getting some pictures of holiday lights. I really want to get a lot of these lingering tasks done and dusted before the new year so I can put that focus 100% on me and my goals, so I figured I'd combine the "must dos" with some fun "want to dos" to make it a little more fun. Zero week counts for me! So I'll post a mini list tomorrow. OK! That's my little old challenge to end out this year! Aaaaaaa HYPE TIME YEAH LET'S GET ITTTTTTT

*slides into this challenge at the last possible second* *after p much ghosting during the last challenge Because Life* Heheh. HELLO friends! It is I, your wayward ranger bard. Full stop in that I wasn't going to even make a challenge this go around because I let the last one slip *hard* and I am a Very Busy Person, but I have a lot of (good) things going on and want to do my best to be here. ALSO full stop in that my posting here will be SUPER sporadic - right now I'm shooting for once per week - MAYBE twice if the timing is right. But I'm going to do my best! The big thing I'm centering my challenge is that my himbo samurai of a husband and I have begun in full force to build out our basement into a full training gym - we live in a mountainous area and I'm a sucker for Wuxia-related anything so dubbing it the Mountain of Whispering Blades sounded right up our collective alley~ It's been a huge dream of both of ours to have a stocked home gym and we are finally making it come to fruition with some solid financial decisions, a lot of hard work, a LOT of research, and even more hard work. My husband is also a workhorse and very strong and both of us being on the same page with a lot of open communication and dedication to make this a priority and take time from our weekends and spare time to make this happen has made the process honestly, pretty enjoyable. We have been VERY busy sorting and cleaning out our basement - nearly 15 years of my mom's things left over after she passed (from not just the basement but the WHOLE house that we just stashed down there), and our stuff after we moved, the front end of creating our space was a LOT of work. (I will totally post before and after pictures soon!) But now we are in the building phase, a.k.a the phase of dropping some money to get our gear. For this challenge we are going to BUILD A GYM. We've already acquired a squat rack, bar, bench, and multiple weights from a fitness friend that was looking to offload some gear he didn't need. We purchased some mats and bumper plates that are on the way, but we also made a bigger purchase ... of ... A punching bag. I am 10000000000000% STOKED about this. My husband is a martial arts psycho and I am so so excited to put on my wraps and gloves and pick up my old monk lifestyle. ( i did martial arts for 15 years and have a second degree black belt in taekwondo ❤️ ) I will go into detail about all of this MUCH later because there's a lot going on and I have LOTS to babble about but Ao is hassling me to watch all these videos about different dumbbell racks and we have to go to Home Depot to buy 350 pounds of sand this afternoon and some other shit I already forgot about ALSO HELLO I am doing EXCELLENT; my gym workouts have been real consistent since the start of the year and I'm really starting to see some muscle gain and weight loss and I'm THRILLED. I'm doing a handful of different workouts now (along with my usual lifting) that I'll talk about later tooooo, I've been reading a lot (currently obsessed with ACOTAR) and getting outside a lot and right now life is good for me. I super look forward to sharing my Mountain of Whispering Blades progress with my nerds!! ❤️ OKAY TIME TO GO BUY SOME SAND

The world-weary ranger-bard and her bedraggled adventuring party make it to the next village by the skin of their teeth. Achy, tired, and still a little itchy from some terribly timed traveling illness, the team stumbles into a little tavern called the Hunter’s Rendezvous for some rest and recovery. Shaar’s adventuring party promptly retreat to their rooms and fall asleep for a good 5 weeks; meanwhile the ponytailed bard bemoans her fate while laying face down on one of the tavern tables, waving her arms and legs and making low pitched wailing noises. “That last challenge got really fucked up,” she howls to no one in particular, thumping her forehead against the table in gentle frustration. “I had so many goals I was ready to take on and then it just got shot to shit!” She takes a deep breath and pushes herself up to sit on the tabletop, wrinkling her nose in thought. “... Hmm. Maybe I should just set my sights a little lower. .. Just for now..” she murmurs to herself. It seems like a good idea, and dark brows lift in consideration as the thought takes hold and Shaar tilts her head towards the bartender of the Hunter’s Rendezvous, who is wiping down some clean beer glasses, and suddenly has a mysterious yet inviting yellow exclamation point over his head. Shaar calls across the room to the bartender, oblivious to anyone else that may be in the tavern having a conversation amongst themselves or just trying to relax without having to listen to some small shrieking bard. “... Hey, you! Yeah, you! Got anything that needs doing around here?!” HELLO MY FRIENDS, my nerds, my pals! And welcome to my next challenge! I am glad you are here, yes YOU, the one reading this, and I hope the bartender here can get you whatever drink you like and you find a comfy spot to take a load off. ❤️ So yeah my last challenge had great potential but then life showed up and was like, HAHA, shaar you miserable dingus, here’s a 2 week long cat emergency and also some doctors visits and also shingles just because. Yeah. It SUCKED. I still got a lot done and recovered from everything way quicker than I thought I would have (*hugs my body thank you for being so resilient and amazing ilu*) BUT, I definitely missed the mark on some things. That being said, our intrepid bard is going to be scaling back her dreams of grandeur and doing a bunch of... fetch quests! If you haven’t played a MMO you’re probably like “shaar what in the everloving frick is a fetch quest”.. (oh look it me) The concept of fetch quests are simple - in a game generally your big main questline will bring you to a town or big new location and in that town, there are a billion little NPCs with exclamation points for side quests for you to do to either - get items - gain experience - unlock more quests or areas - pretty much supplemental goals that have smaller rewards that will help you towards your bigger goal. Some fetch quests are stupid (collect 900 blades of grass for no discernable purpose) and some of them take some time (go way over there and fight this angry man that’s been terrorizing the native wildlife) but they are all VERY VARIED AND UNIQUE and that’s what I’m leaning on here. Each weekend I will post a list of things I want to accomplish each week, i.e. my fetch quests from the bartender (or whatever other townie that wants me to help them get their life together). My one goal will be to burn out as many things on my list so that next week I have room for more fetch quests on my list. BOOM. I have a lot of little things to do I’ve been dragging my feet on, and I’m a BIG FAN of crossing things off lists, so I think this will work very well for me this go-around. My big reason for scaling back this challenge is that my work schedule is going to be changing a little bit - currently I work 3 days a week (M-W) for Many Personal Reasons I won’t dump a wall of text here on. As of this week I’m going to be adding a half day on Thursday into the mix - I’ll work from 7-12 - to see how I handle it. My big goal is to be able to work 4 days a week but it is of utmost importance that I DO NOT burn myself out or overwhelm myself - my work life balance is extremely important to me, especially with some low-key health issues I’ve been managing, so I’m going to take it slow and see how this goes. Another perk of this is that there’s a LOT of great hiking, biking, boating, outdoor exploring I can do out near my work, so when I leave at 12 I have the rest of the afternoon to get outside and see new things and exercise. I’m REALLY looking forward to that part, too!!! Anyways THAT'S IT, keeping it simple and taking things week by week so I can keep up with my fitness and nutrition and keep building on those habits, while also crossing A BILLION THINGS (ok maybe only a million) off my never ending to-do list!~ LET'S GO FRIENDS let's tackle our challenges and kick their butts!!

HELLO FRIENDS! And welcome to probably my 3867th challenge ❤️ I've made a lot of progress so far this year, especially with what I have working against me, and I really really want to keep myself on the right path and keep moving forward again with my health and fitness. I've come to the realization lately that taking care of myself mentally and physically brings me joy, like BIG HUGE JOY, and I want to use that joy to boost me up when I struggle. Because I do definitely struggle.... I was super inspired by Jarric's challenge last round and how he put together an adventuring party to tackle his goals, so I'm theming mine in a similar way; each goal will be themed after some schmuck highly qualified tradesperson I found at the local tavern and shilled into working for me, HEH. So without further adieu.... Az’khar Of the Steadfast Heart One of the things that’s been HARD for me since the start of the year has been getting back into a fitness and movement routine. Between unpredictable winter weather and my own variabilities in how I’m feeling physically each day, it’s been low-key frustrating and also a lesson in adapting my workouts and what I can handle on the fly. BUT - I have been determined and have managed to ease myself back into the game. This habit 100% needs to continue so I’m adding it in here first!!! My goal is: Three in-gym days. My Thursday or Friday morning is generally reserved for barbell work and my heavier lifting because I have more time to devote, but my other two days are equally important - accessory lifts, rowing, or even treadmill work (I have been running intervals!).. Whatever I feel I can handle, I’ll tackle. I’ll only push a PR if I feel I can handle it, and I will be more than happy with being able to accomplish a solid round of maintenance lifting. 1-2 general movement days. This can include anything from - yoga - mobility work - muscular restoration with foam rolling, acupressure mat, or targeted pressure point release - getting outside and walking/hiking (once it warms up!) - ANYTHING to keep me moving. Fionbarr, The Apothecary Another thing I’ve really set my sights on tackling this year is alcohol moderation. I drank more than I should have last year in a bad string of coping mechanisms but this year I’ve been determined to kick that habit. I’m SUPER happy to report that I’ve worked real hard to cut my drinking down by a good 80% of what I used to be at and I’m really REALLYYYYYY happy with this progress!!!! I’ve also been slowly diligent in adding a solid round of supplements to my routine - remembering to take them is the hard part though, heheh.... Both of these things in tandem have me slowly but surely feeling better - less aches and pains, less fatigue and mental fog (and less anxiety!!), and WAY less inflammation symptoms. This is a two-pronged goal! They are: Alcohol only one day per week (if I have a craving for it; none is great too). This will 100% either be a Friday or a Saturday, on a day where work or the gym doesn’t follow. I still want to be able to enjoy a drink or two without making it three, or four, or more over the course of multiple days! Get your supplements in more days than not! I’m currently taking a Lions Mane blend in my coffee in the morning for my mental health and to help with cognitive function and inflammation symptoms (among more benefits), a turmeric blend in my afternoon tea to help with my gut health (also among other benefits), my multivitamin and omega 3’s daily, and my BCAAs post-workout and creatine as needed for muscle recovery. Julien, Keeper of the Hearth One thing I’ve found that brings me a lot of comfort and joy is taking care of our house and all the assorted tasks that fall under that umbrella. I think part of it is the deliberate slowing down of my life - I work part time now (3 days a week) and have actual time to devote to taking care of our space, and I thoroughly enjoy being able to care for the place that in turn houses and shelters me and my little family. Another part is definitely a connection with my mother - this was her home for many years before she passed, and it was her sanctuary while she dealt with her stresses of life and she took care of it as such; being able to own this property and care for it to me is a real way to honor her memory and keep that connection. When we moved in I pretty much piled the basement and closets with Items I Couldn’t Deal With Yet and have left it at that since. There’s a lot of things to dig through, among a lot of just piles of clutter... I have a LOT of work to do around here once spring starts warming us up - sorting, deep cleaning, throwing things away we don’t need anymore - alongside my every day and week tasks of laundry, shopping, cooking, and keeping things tidy. AND getting my deck ready for flowers and plants! My goals here are: Each week I will go through at least one thing - be it drawer, box, closet - whatever I have the energy for, and clean it out. My goal is by summertime to have everything we don’t need in this house cleaned out and taken care of. This is a big project but I know I can do it! Keep up with my cleaning - one room each week. This is just basic tidying/cleaning/dusting until spring comes so I can do a deep clean of each room. Keep up with batch cooking our lunches for the week, and our dinners for the weekend! Lirianne, The Chronicler The final goal. Stay here. KEEP POSTING. I struggle with consistency here too because I’m not sitting at my computer as much as I used to be (and when I am I’m usually playing video games hahaha) BUT I want to carve out the time to record my stories here with you all. 2 posts each week here, minimum. Check in with friends and cheer them on! OKAY it's about time to hit the road so grab your pack and make sure you have everything secure and if you have to pee before we leave GO NOW because we're not stopping for a while and if you don't pee now that's on you 'cause you're gonna have to HOLD IT until the next tavern okay??? OKAY LET'S GO NERDS ❤️❤️

Happy New Year, my nerds. Not to brag, but I knocked the Holiday Challenge out of the park. So we're going to carry that momentum into 2023 and keep on keepin' on. In 2022 I was introduced to Critical Role by our fantastic discord crew, then ended up joining a D&D campaign for the first time in about a decade, again thanks to those wonderful discord nerds. So in honor of my return to TTRPG, my 2023 challenges will be a tour through the D&D classes, starting with the Bard. Song of Rest Sometimes in the winter when I can't spend as much time outside as I like, my mind starts to get a bit loud. Music helps quiet it, so like any true bard, I'm making sure I don't neglect my instruments. Piano: 35 min/week progressing through my exercise book. I chose that time because it breaks down to 5 min/day, but it doesn't actually matter what chunks the time ends up being in. I'm not going to set a particular progress goal here, as I don't want to rush through lessons I might be struggling with just to hit the deadline, so the only real goal is to be further along in the book than I am right now. Guitar: Also shooting for 35min/week for the same reason. Main focus here is going to be fingerpicking, with the goal of being able to play Into The West by the end of the challenge. Trombone: My first musical love, and I don't want Petunia (yes, my trombone has a name) to think I've forgotten about her. At some point I'd like to join a band again, though the timeline on that is a bit nebulous. My technique/ability hasn't faded too much, it's mostly a matter of getting my lips back in shape. The goal for this challenge is to play 1 hour/week with the aim of being able to play that full hour in one sitting by the end. Bardic Inspiration My challenges are always more successful when I regularly hang out on the forums to inspire and be inspired. So this goal is simple - post something in my thread at least 5 days/week, and every time I post on my thread, go comment on at least one other thread. College of Valor - Battle Magic The Player's Handbook describes College of Valor Bards as "daring skalds," so obviously I have to include them in this challenge. They specialize in combat, so this will be my workout goal. Working out is another great coping tool for me to keep my mind orderly. Plus, who doesn't like being strong? I've been sitting on this 5x5 workout program that I cobbled together from a few different sources for over a year now, and I'm finally going to run it. It alternates push/pull days, with the main lifts (OHP and squat on push, chin ups and deadlift on pull) being done in straight sets of 5x5 and then finishing with a circuit of accessories for the opposite lifts. The goal is 3-4workouts/week with a total of 16 workouts this challenge. I haven't done any full body lifting programs in a while, so I'm going to start pretty light, but add weight fairly steadily to ramp up to challenging workouts. College of Glamour - Unmasked With a little prompting from my spiritual director, I've decided to take a closer look at the Enneagram. I've played around with it a bit in the past, but never gotten too much out of it. I found it more helpful for considering how other people approach the world than unpacking my own stuff. But I finally shelled out the big bucks ($12) to take the Enneagram Institute's RHETI test instead of doing free ones, and I think I have been mistyping myself as a 5 when I am actually a 3. Which makes sense, because as someone who seeks achievement and self-improvement, one of the things I value is new knowledge and information. To be honest with you, I'm not very happy about being a 3, which is why I'm pretty sure I am one. One of the most reliable ways to type yourself is to read a description of the weaknesses of each number and see which one makes you the most uncomfortable, and I really don't like reading through the various descriptions of unhealthy 3s. So what does this all have to do with College of Glamour Bards, you ask? Here is the description from D&D Beyond: This is actually a really great analogy for how I feel about being a 3. Healthy 3s are often inspiring leaders. At less healthy levels, they often become controlling and manipulative. I was definitely an unhealthy 3 when I was younger, and kind of a bully. I've put a lot of effort into learning to be kinder and gentler with people, and I think I've made pretty good progress in that area. But I've also been operating more like a 9 as far as conflict avoidance and not really stepping into my full potential. So for this challenge, I am going to start working on the process of embracing the strengths of being a 3 and accepting and addressing the weaknesses that come along with it. To do this, I am going to finish reading a book I got for Christmas, The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz; keep digging around on the Enneagram Institute's website; and also bring all this up with my spiritual director in our January meeting. I might also revisit The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron, as last time I read it I didn't find it nearly as helpful as most people apparently do, but I was also mistyping myself at the time. If I don't get to it this challenge, I'll bump it to next challenge. And that's it, my plan for blasting into 2023 and owning it with the power of song.

Finally, finally, finallyyyyy..... I am back on the forums for good this time!! HOO BOY HOWDY TL;DR - hi friends, I’m Shaar, longtime forum member, local bard (and occasional time-mage), and CAPS LOCK CRUSADER, that’s been wayward for a few years due to the Chaos Rodeo that is Life. [a little more details under spoiler tag to avoid wall of text] Cue to today where I’m admittedly struggling a little! My job has been exhausting and overwhelming for me after everything I’ve been through, and I get very tired during the week very quickly - it’s affecting my fitness and gym schedule too. Heck I even finally bought myself a bicycle three weeks ago but haven’t had the time or energy to take it out yet, and that makes me REAL SAD. So I met with my supervisors recently and was very honest and open with them, and I’ve been given the blessing to drop down to part time work - three days a week. I’m super grateful for this because financially we are in a very privileged place where I can make this decision to step back and slow my life down again. It’s also HARD for me (i am a proud little shit) but lately I’ve been slowly able to come to the realization that... I’m not young anymore shaar you dingdong! Past Me coulda maybe done all this shit and kept on trucking but I’m not Past Me anymore, I’m not 25 or 35 anymore, I’m 42. And it’s time to start ACTING LIKE IT. This challenge is all about adjusting to my new schedule, re-learning how to slow down, and be able to start taking better care of myself. I’m getting older and need to get comfortable with settling into a different chapter of my life - and being okay with not being all FULL SPEED AHEAD all the time! Each week I’d like to post a checklist of my goals for the week and keep this thread updated with HOW THE HECK I’M DOING, even if I’m hardcore failing, ‘cause that’s ok too. (And also part of the process.) My main goals are to get settled into a comfortable - and sustainable - gym schedule. I love lifting weights but it’s become increasingly hard on my body lately. Whether that has to do with my schedule being so jam packed or just me getting older remains to be seen, BUT I need to work with the concept of not pushing myself to my limits all the time, but keeping it more real. I have a BICYCLE now so hopefully take that out for a few spins before it gets too cold here toooo~ I NEED to add more mobility and yoga into my life. I feel like an old oak tree a lot and I’m going to be able to have the time lately to take more care of myself. Yoga, foam rolling, even just laying on my acupressure mat for 20 minutes, anything that will help my recovery!! Keep drinking water, keep eating generally balanced meals, keep the drinking ONLY TO WEEKENDS, keep your anxiety in check, keep getting decent sleep, and keep working on enjoying myself!! I’m going to have more time on my hands to balance all of these things and make it work for me and holy HECK am I looking forward to ittttttttt. I’m REALLY STOKED about this new chapter in my life and I’m just really over the moon that I’m able to make these changes and just lead a more enriched and healthy existence mentally, physically, and emotionally. Anyways that's it from me for now, more updates very soon and I can't wait to catch up with all of you nerds!! ❤️❤️ I MISSED YOUUUUU let's do great things together!!!

I'm going to set up a challenge that mostly doesn't require the computer and internet connection because we'll be on vacation for the last two weeks of the challenge!! I'll probably have my computer, but based on prior trips, I may not be have a decent internet connection unless we are in port. The goal is to draw 6 x week number cards from a mixed deck ... and then do them. So, week 1, that's 6 cards. And week 5 .... that's 30! If I don't clear the cards for the week, I have to pay a forfeit to church or charity to resurrect me. There's no guarantee that the resurrection spell will work correctly, and I could end up cursed or undead or ?? I can use the Goodberry spell (one per Omega 3 rich food eaten) to undo the damage of one card missed. Cardio: terrain cards Strength: monster/villain cards Balance/flexibility: yoga, BOSU ball workout, any other agility related thing I can think of Nutrition: Omega-3 rich foods (cast the "Goodberries" spell for each one) Social: Place and encounter cards Omega-3s: Itchy skin and thinning hair .... hoping that it is just because 1) I have gotten older and 2) I have been eating more animal-based fats than vegetable-based fats. And ... Alaska. Hello .... let's eat some salmon!! A friend of mine from the SCA commented that she needs to figure out how to "people" again, and I agree. Teaching doesn't engage the small talk and social interactions, and I need to practice before I get on a boat for an 10-day cruise full of strangers. I think I can mostly do this with my Pathfinder and MTG Forgotten Realms cards, plus the ones that I am making. HUM >>> might get creative and actually make my own "playing" cards for the "game"??? And .... I might pick up some tokens to represent healing potions. For someone who doesn't currently play D & D, I'm looking at a lot of game props to help with this. I'm still in search of the dragon. The dragon is a lifestyle and set of habits to support health and a "normal" body weight and BF%. Not quite there, but last challenge, I pretty much coasted on habits and didn't gain weight. Didn't lose it or reduce BF% .... so that means I AM getting close. It just needs some minor adjustments.

Hello my nerds!! WELCOME to my uhhh... 50-something-th challenge... (I lost count, hmm, I should recount and update my little brain huh?) here on Nerd Fitness! I am REALLY EXCITED about this one, because after the past Hell Year that I’ve dealt with, I’m feeling ready to lift myself up a little bit more and re-start setting some building blocks in place and kicking my own ass into gear. To do this I’m going to turn towards my past here - yep, I’m literally copying a challenge I did in 2015. Holy shitcakes 2015?!!?!! Wow that’s old. (Psst shaar, so are you.) 2.Did you know I keep all of my past challenges in a Google Docs folder labeled Nerd Fitness?? Well now you do (how exciting for you to know huh), and it goes all the way back to my first one in September 2014. 3. Obviously to say Nerd Fitness has been life changing for me is an understatement. I’ve been somewhat wayward over the past years and have also shouldered a LOT, but my last challenge rekindled what I already knew - these forums are invaluable and I’m ready to take advantage of that again! HO-KAY SO. 2015 shaar(awy) was just starting out and at this point in her timeline was getting ready to set some groundwork for GREATNESS. And I’m about to do it all - over - again. I’ll be editing these goals just a teensy bit to update them for Current Shaar, but the overall accomplishments are going to be about the same. With the help of a THEME - it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a themed challenge, and in honor of this one (and the original content) I’m going to lean into the prettiness of the FF7 remake to get this going. ANDDDD I’m going to grade myself too, just like the frickin’ olden days! Ahahahaaa yeah here we go~ Quest 1 - Less Mako, More Mana So near the end of last challenge I took a big step away from alcohol and it was very eye opening. (DIFFICULT, but eye opening.) I’d been drinking a -lot- since my mom’s passing and to deal with my anxiety/depression/PTSD and it eventually started affecting everything in a negative manner - my sleep, my anxiety, my digestion, my weight - I am at the highest weight I’ve ever been and I know a lot of it is from boatloads of empty calories. I went a week with no alcohol and it was unreal what a difference it made in literally every aspect of my life. I want to keep this habit up!! For this quest, I will only have a drink if it is 1. At a social function, or 2. Friday evening or Saturday. NO exceptions. A - Nailed these goals and stayed within my lines! B - Managed to stay within these parameters for 4-5 weeks of the challenge. F - Captain Morgan called, he wants his boat back. Quest 2 - Stocking up on Sylkis Greens I’ve sat down with Ao and told him, once I get back from my NYC trip I am CLEANING UP MY DIET!!! No cookies, no delicious lemon sponge cakes, no brownies... I won’t cut treats out completely BUT I definitely need to moderate better. I’ve been eating way more junk than usual and IT ENDS NOWWWWW. Also I need to work on cleaner lunch solutions for me, and work to snack healthier. As much as we both love the occasional treat (he is a WAY bigger sweet tooth than me) I know we are both on the same page with preferring to eat as cleanly as possible, so I’m sure with his support we will be able to nail this one - this goal is all about fueling myself better! A - Managed to stay within my parameters for the whole challenge - and feel good about my choices! B - At least had 4-5 weeks of solid successes in the kitchen. F - Hello I am the new Burger King mascot......... Quest 3 - Training for AVALANCHE This is a big one too. Between having covid and traveling and general feeling unsavory-ness, my activity streak has kinda been in the shitter. I go back to work part-time after the 4th of July so before that, I want to take advantage of as much time as I have to set some good and consistent habits! My goal here is activity - three gym days (two weekday, one weekend) alongside one outdoor day - this can be hiking, kayaking, walking in circles around the neighborhood (or local cemetery, ps i looove walking through cemeteries, does that make me a weirdo) - but making consistent activity a better habit is the name of this goal! A - Nailed my activity goal every week! Yeah! B - Did my best but only managed 4-5 weeks of goals met. F - I have become potato. Quest 4 - Lifestream I’ve still got a lot going on over here, and the prospect of returning to work soon is daunting in multiple ways. As I forge onward and re-set these goals for myself, and figure out what I want and what serves me, I really need to stay present here and keep posting. Cheesy moment - I have many lifestreams in my life that keep me going, that uplift me and care for me when I need it. This place is one. So I’m gonna be here. A - Kept my promise and stuck the hell around. F - Fell off the wagon, ultimate fail. That’s it, pals! Digging into the annals of history to retrace my steps towards what works, and what will hopefully kickstart this path to me again!! In the famous words of Cloud, LET’S FUCKIN’ MOSEY!! (Okay I know he really didn’t say it like that but let me have a little bit of hype here ok) ❤️❤️

Ahahahaha yes hello hi GREETINGS once more~ I am returning from yet another half-done challenge where obvs I fell off the wagon - where even is my wagon now? Do I still HAVE a wagon hoo boy howdy... ANYWAYS TL;DR hello I am shaar, longtime forum member but heavy lurker as of late; my mom passed away very unexpectedly in September and the trauma and grief surrounding not only her passing but dealing with every aspect of her estate/proceedings/etc. has been sitting HEAVY with me and frankly I've been dealing with it quite terribly. As of April 11th I'm on mental health leave from my job and have since been firmly diagnosed with PTSD and have been having a WILD TIME with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. I'm sure I'll unpack more of this ~*~exciting point in my timeline~*~ later but in the meantime... I'd like to maybe finish a challenge?? But only MAYBE. I've been going to therapy weekly and my session yesterday really opened my eyes about expectations - things I unwittingly set for myself.. how I've done it over my whole life and even now that I'm stepping away from everything, I'm still doing it, and it's not fair to myself! I'm a big fan of to-do lists but right now it's kind of counter-productive to what I'm trying to accomplish.. which is to retrain myself how to live without impending doom around every corner, and get back to some semblance of who I am. SO. I'm here with a non-challenge. No lists to tackle, no goals to reach. Zero expectations to just... see what happens. Somehow through all this I've managed to keep up a REALLY good gym habit - I'm there at least three times a week (because I have time now, wow what a concept) so things aren't all terrible! I have really good days but the terrible ones are just TERRIBLE but I guess I'm working on acceptance, too. Blah blah blah I'm looking forward to being more PRESENT and catching up with everyone and seeing where I'm at in a month?? There's still so much up in the air for me - and not having a plan SCARES me, yes I've brought this up in therapy ahaha - BUT I will do my best, whatever level that's at each day. I'm just gonna show up. I think that works for now! (Also sorry for all the John Murphy gifs, some days have been nothing more than binging The 100 and I have ZERO REGRETSSSSS)

Hi friends - I went back and forth a zillion times about “should I post a challenge after falling off my last 183 of them” and I thought to myself… why not? What’s the worst that could happen, I make it 184? So hi, I’m shaar, and I’m 100% going through the motions. 🙃👋 Since my last updates in January my mental health has gotten worse than ever and I am currently struggling with high functioning depression - TL;DR my mom passed away very unexpectedly 6 months ago yesterday and my usual chaos life has been waaaay more of a tragic tornado than usual. I’m dragging around an enormous amount of trauma and grief and poor mental health from having to shoulder every bit of her passing and estate myself and now that the dust has settled things have gotten worse instead of better. I’m honestly not even sure what this challenge will BE or how often I will try and check in but it will at least be something. I’ve made a big decision to take a mental health hiatus from my job, which is a HUGE point of my stresses - I am at the point where I can’t function and do my job at the level I need to and I need to back away to get better. I am pretty much expending all of my energy at work to Keep Up Appearances and not lose my mind that by the time I go home or the weekend comes, I’m spending 80% of it on the couch or in bed, and that’s Not Okay. That will start next month (if I don’t have a meltdown and quit first ha ha ha) for a few months so there may not be a whole lot of posting here until I can get to that point where I actually have energy to do updates or, you know, actually give a flying heck about anything at all. My nutrition has been somewhat tragic 🙃 and my drinking has been a little bit excessive 🙃🙃 but I made a deal with myself yesterday that today the drinking was going to stop. So, there’s a goal! I haven’t been to the gym in a week but at least I hope to have the energy to tonight. And that’s about it! I will do my best to stay around this time and hang in there so I can start to get better and work towards CAPS LOCK SHAAR again. ❤️❤️

#Back2Music22 Several weeks ago over on Ye Olde Discord, several people were interested in a get musical again pact. I'm going to tag those lovely folks here, but absolutely anyone brave enough to click on a thread advertising a Bard Only party can most certainly join in! If you are a rusty musician looking to get back to it, a newly-minted bard hoping to learn your first notes, or a seasoned troubadour who never leaves home without your trusty lute, all are welcome here! @Starpuck @Cheetah @obax @bigm141414 Very sorry if I missed anyone, tag whoever you think might be interested!

Well, jeez. It’s been a WHILE. I kinda don’t even know where to begin at this point..... HELLO everyone, I am shaar - longtime forum member from days of yore, wayward bard and time mage, liberal user of caps lock and bringer of the HYPE! If we haven’t met before hello and I hope we can be friends! ❤️ If we are already friends, hello I MISSED all of you so much; your genuine kindness and support are what keeps me coming back here throughout the chaotic rodeo that is my life. So, where have I been? (spoilered for Terrible Life Events) But enough of what's been handed to me. I feel that more than most I am always in flux; today shaar is in a very different place than last year’s shaar, or even two years ago. Ten years ago? TOTALLY different person. Living in a totally different place, completely different people and situations. Change is a constant companion and I’ve learned to take it under my wing and find ways to make myself thrive with it. The entirety of my life has been a wildly stark dichotomy of brilliant highs and lowest lows - there is rarely an in between. I've had some amazing experiences and am somehow through it all, a very lucky person. I have shouldered a lot of loss and unfortunate events. The past three months have seen me at my lowest ever. The sun is starting to crack through the void a little bit and I’m convinced that 2022 is going to burn brighter to me than anything, EVER, before. So here I am. LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO, YEAH??? OVERARCHING GOAL Don’t fall back into The Void. My sub-goals all center around BETTER HABIT BUILDING. V. important. Regular fitness schedule. I’m grateful through all of this I have a body that not only puts up with me but allows me to lift heavy and pretty much do what I want. It’s been a solid three months since I’ve done anything remotely fitness-related; I will take advantage of the fact that I am in good physical shape and get to the gym three times a week. Eat better. NO more mozzarella sticks for dinner! NO more leftover pizza at 9am! NO more holiday candy! I will make smarter meal prep choices for work lunches that contain more protein and more veggies, and I will cook us a healthy homemade meal twice a week at least - once during the week, and once on the weekend. (Leftovers FTW.) (Also I fuckin LOVE cookingggggdsfjlksd) Dry(ish) January. Full stop admittance that alcohol has been a coping mechanism for me through all of this madness. I will keep any drinking to Friday night and Saturday ONLY. Keep up with posting. It’s been harrrrd for me to keep up with the forums, mostly because the only chance I have is at my desktop (posting on my phone makes me want to curl up into a ball and fade away) but I now have a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad so hopefully that will help???? (YES it will~) I considered making a 2022 roadmap for my goals but then I realized my existence could be classified as “shaar plans and the gods laugh” so then I ALSO laughed and said to myself, YOLO HERE WE GO FOR NOW~

My mother died in October (at age 85). My daughter got married in October, and she and her new husband are starting to talk about having kids. This has prompted some new soul searching on my part - and some thinking about what I want to accomplish in my life. And some thinking about what I want to BE as a grandma. (Disclaimer - my daughter is not yet pregnant and doesn't plan to have kids for 2 years, which gives me time to lose 40 pounds .....) I was a "cool mom." My daughter looks back on her childhood with fondness - at horseback riding and rock climbing and hockey and soccer and cheerleading and theater and Girl Scouts and videogames - and appreciates how she had freedom and support (I was involved in everything but cheer) to do a lot of different things. That kinda ended when she went to college and I began to slide into habits of an empty nester. I gradually started to internalize the messages that say "you shouldn't be doing that" or "you shouldn't dress like that now that you're over 40/50/60/whatever." Truth is, I want to have FUN and BE FUN. I want to be the grandma that shows my grandkids how to do cartwheels and handstands. Takes them rock climbing. Knows the names of all the constellations and birds .... and who will dig for worms, go swimming, take them hiking, and can help them find well-hidden geocaches. I don't want to be like all of the grandmas in my family (who are, unfortunately, sedentary lumps perched on top of atrophied, skinny legs) who sit around doing needlecraft, or bake a lot of unhealthy foods, or sit in front of TV or computer. I want to beat the expectations of my family and avoid the stereotypes of what a middle-aged woman does and how she dresses and acts. Specific goals will evolve over time, but .... there's the current list!!! Fitness Lose weight and gain muscle (127 lbs and 21% BF by May 2017 - when my daughter will graduate with her Ph.D.) Do a chin up unassisted (again) Do a crow pose Do a handstand Travel Go to Greece Go to Rome Go to London Do the Unexpected Blackbelt in karate Do a Zombies Run Do the ZR Virtual Race Volunteer as a zombie at a Zombie Run Do a bubble run Do a color run Do an obstacle course run Do a 5K Do a 10K Do a half-marathon Bike to work (at least during decent weather ....) Keep Learning Master's Degree Doctorate Learn modern Greek Get my Personal Trainer Certification Defeat the Fashion Police Wear tights and a tunic Wear tights with a skirt

HELLO THERE and WELCOME to what is probably take 38 of Shaar Actually Posting Enough to Finish an Actual Challenge......... WILL IT HAPPEN??? Ahahahahaha yeah hmm we’ll see about that~ >:3 Hi friends, I missed you! ❤️ Brief Intro: Hello I am shaar!! I’ve been here on and off for almost a decade now (!!!) and it’s no joke when I say that Nerd Fitness changed my life. I’ve lived up and down the east coast but am currently (and very happily) settled in a comfy little town in central Massachusetts not far from where I grew up. I live with my boyfriend of almost a year now, he is the absolute best and I love him x 4980358740. ❤️ We are both very much health and fitness nuts (he is extremely fit and is an actual himbo) and both of us being on the same page helps so much when making healthy food and lifestyle choices. I play a LOT OF VIDEO GAMES maaaan I really love video games, I’m still playing XIV but not so much, kinda burned out there, but I’m also into Genshin Impact and the new FF7R DLC with Yuffie AND I played the Swords of Legends Online beta last week and man I cannot wait to lose myself in that flashy xianxia bullshit when it comes out for real wowow ❤️ I love cooking and being outside and horror movies and video games (duh) and reading and well pretty much everything. My life is unbelievably amazing and I’m grateful for it every day, I’m certain I’ve gotten to where I am with 50% hard-ass work and 50% luck, somehow I rolled a nat 20 in LUCK, it is a very high stat, also CHARISMA, I am max CHA and am an actual bard, my dump stat is INT and I’m not even sorry about it. BRIEF HUH SHAAR JEEZ Anyways hmm ok. SO on the real I hemmed and hawed about even making this challenge 500 times ‘cause my biggest enemy really is - finding the time to post. I work a 40 hour week in the office (and I adore my job), aside from that I’m at the gym or watching movies with Ao or having dinner with my mom or just being out and about, I’m very out and about lately, so I’m worried I’ll kinda fall off the log or whatever with keeping up here. The new forum format STILL OVERWHELMS ME A LITTLE but I’m gonna do my bessssssssssssst. (also an excuse to use a bunch of wei wuxian gifs HA) SHAAR GOALS! - THE GYM! GUYS. After nearly 4 years (since I left North Carolina wow) I have found a killer local gym with LOTS of racks and actual DEADLIFT PLATROFMS and shit! !!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing fitness-wise has hooked me as much as lifting, ever, and I’m SO STOKED to be back at it. Like I don’t even have words for how happy I am. I’ve gone twice and yesterday was my first leg day that I blew out of the water and am feeling the DOMS BAAAAAD today. But I DON’T GIVE A HECK. This goal will be easy; lift three times a week. My plan is to go one morning (they open at 5 am) before work, one day after work, and one weekend. (Side goal for this - don’t break your ass) I’m so ready to get back to a good routine and see my stupid little noob gains and rebuild my muscles and get STRONG AND FRESH TO DEATHHHHHHHH. - Eat smart. In the past I’ve struggled with fueling myself properly for lifting heavy - I may or may not have been a victim of the ol’ carb flu MORE THAN ONCE OK int dump stat there it is pals - honestly my diet is pretty neat and clean overall BUT I know I’m going to need to add more protein and good carbs overall. My Fitbit is going to be a huge help with this so I know exactly what I’m expending energy-wise and I may track my food on their app ‘cause it’s SUPER SLICK but long story short - don’t eat like a shitface. - POST HERE. THIS IS MY HARDEST GOAL. HONESTLY. I will do my best, I love my friends here SO MUCH and I always feel guilty when I can’t be as present as I want to. Posting used to be so easy for me ‘cause honestly I’d do a lot of it at my old job in NC or when I worked from home here but all of that is gone now and honestly, covid really made me REALLY jangly being “online” all the time, so I’m really on the go a lot more than I ever have been just being able to be OUTSIDE. But I will try my hardest to strike a good balance here. ❤️ I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my friends here and I really mean that 50048095%. Ho-kay that's all I've got for nowwwww, I'LL FINISH THIS CHALLENGE JUST WATCH ME~

- - - Her favorite time of day was twilight, where the sun had barely crested down beneath the horizon, lifting one last futile glow of the promise of daytime against the encroaching night sky. The melange of dying gold merging into the comfortable slate-blue atmosphere of whatever bits of daylight were left, giving way to the yawning darkness of space. She found it fascinating and sat, enrapt, small form curled into itself under her fur-lined charcoal cloak, chin resting on bent knees as she just... watched. She watched the sky change before her eyes, the colors dance and fade and darken into nothing, and Shaar was unaware she was holding her breath until she let it out slowly in one low, metered hiss. The vastness of the night sky had always been one of her favorite things; comforting in a way, in its deep endlessness. She could understand why so many people feared the night, why they were uncomfortable with it. But she somehow managed to thrive when the sun was long gone and the cloak of eventide settled about her shoulders, heavy and familiar, like an old friend. She remained motionless for some time, sitting in what could have been considered a quiet reverence, nimble fingers of one hand delicately trailing against the fixtures of bone settled in the wristwrap of her other; mindless, a moving meditation as the motions continued in diligent repetition. Bottle-green eyes remained bright and fixated on the endless expanse before her, slowly adjusting to the darkness as night finally settled in for the long haul. Stars and constellations began to dot the blackness, and a small smile curved her lips as she watched them come to life, one by one. She was waiting for someone, but she sure didn’t mind biding her time this way either. “Hey, stranger.” As if on cue, Shaar heard his voice behind her. She sat up just a bit straighter, leaning her weight back into the cluster of rocks behind her, head tilting just a bit to break her gaze from the sky and allow it back over one shoulder. The Fury approached quieter, much moreso than she remembered, and the thought elicited a crooked smile. “... Revenant been giving you tips on how not to be a bull in a china shop?” An indignant snort as the redhead stepped into view through the trees. “And fuck you too.” His form flickered briefly as he spoke, effervescent, but there was a lilt of a return smile in his words - the man moved to sit unceremoniously at her side, mimicking her posture intrinsically. Shaar smiled a bit wider then, leaning comfortably against her familiar, and they sat in silence for a long few beats before she spoke. “I’m sorry.” “‘S ok.” His reply was almost instantaneous, and the two turned to look at each other, gazes locking for another long moment before The Fury lifted one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “Weird times, dude. ‘S all good. Really.” There was a subtle emphasis on that last word, and he moved to rest one hand on her knee in kind. Shaar dipped her chin, drawing her hands out from beneath her cloak, one lifting to smooth wayward dark hair away from her face. “Everyone doing ok?” “Mhm. Getting along. Revenant’s teaching Light how to paint. Not quite masterpiece level yet, but..” He continued as Shaar chuckled softly at the mess that likely entailed. “Voice’s... well, Voice. Full of riddles and shit. ... He’s good. They’re good.” The man paused briefly. “But I’m sure you didn’t ask me here to catch up on the family.” Family. That word sat with Shaar for a moment before she shook her head slowly. “.. You’re right. I didn’t.” The reply faded into the darkness of the night sky as she turned her gauntleted right palm up, fingers splayed just so, and as if on command something of a holographic map spread up and out from the crux of her hand into their vision. Bright white dots and lines against an empty backdrop, some larger, smaller, brighter than others, all mimicking the emptiness above them. Some small texts, very foreign and barely opaque, littered what could be the edges of the chart. The patterns reflected brightly in their eyes; his warm gold, and hers cool green. The Fury let out a long, low hum, copper brows furrowing as he watched, Shaar’s free hand moving the map as if it were a touch screen - enlarging certain areas, and shrinking entire galaxies to see them whole. He knew what it was. A trickle of adrenaline danced up his spine as he posed the first question - “Where are we going?” “Don’t know.” Her reply was soft, and he considered it thoughtfully before posing the second - “What are we looking for?” “Don’t know.” The same response, but he could catch the lilt of a faraway smile in this one as delicate fingertips swiped across the map, seemingly keying in quick patterns at key points to allow a swing to a whole other viewpoint. The Fury sighed, running one hand through his hair as bright eyes flitted from the map to the cosmos above, and then back to her. “Fuckin’ a dude, what -do- you know?” Shaar laughed quietly; a tinkling of silver bells that instantly reminded him of The Light, and it made him catch his breath quickly at the sudden resemblance. “Not much.” There was a wild smile curving her lips as she tilted her head towards him once more, a single dark brow lifted in return. “You coming?” “Wouldn’t miss it.” - - - » Shaar kom Starkru bardic time-mage; of the furious heart, traveler 'twixt the stars FRIENDS!! Did you know, 2021 is gonna be our MOTHER FRICKIN’ YEAR??!?! I’m so hype I can’t even express it in proper words adkslf asfklgsdj lfasjd dasjldas SEE?? We are surviving a Global Chaos Shitstorm and we are going to move forward - TOGETHER! - and show 2021 who the boss is. (Spoiler: US.) Brief introduction for the new friends or otherwise memory-challenged (that’s me big time); hi! I’m Shaar, native New Englander who grew up here but moved away for some time to some places, returning after a long stint in North Carolina 2 years ago. I love it here and can’t envision being anywhere else; for many reasons and after many adventures, this is now Home, and in short time I'm about to move in with my boyfriend (hence forth Aoshi, or Ao) and am 10/10 looking forward to this change. Life has not been easy for me and I’ve seen my fair share of adversity and wildly unexpected struggles but thanks to my sheer screaming willpower - and the humbling support of my friends here - I’ve been able to eventually tackle every obstacle that’s been put in front of me. I love being outdoors and exploring everything the Northeast has to offer, and I’m also a huge fan of horror movies, traveling, cooking, and - video games - something you’ll probably hear a LOT about here, ehehe. Fitness-wise I’ve dabbled in everything, from powerlifting to yoga to boxing, and my current Life Setup (thanks to covid) has me utilizing the work treadmill and weight sets, which honestly isn’t so bad. I’ve had some setbacks, but haven’t we all?? I’m so excited to be here with you all and tackle our goals and succeed and ALSO progress Shaar's story a little bit and write for her... SO! LET’S GET ON IT YEAH?? [roadmap] I’m super into the night sky, and always have been. I do however, struggle to find constellations - weirdly enough the ONLY one I can continuously pinpoint is Orion’s belt which is WILD ‘cause it’s legit just three dots in the sky, like, of all the shapes and chaos mess up there how does that even work? Anyways friends there are APPS that can do this for you, you just fire that sucker up and point it at the sky and BOOM there’s Libra! I’m sure no star traveler but I want to see how much I can see! Try a star finder all (or two!) and share my findings. [phase shift] I am moving on Saturday the 2nd, in true Shaar fashion, a whole 48 hours into the new year. ‘CAUSE WHY NOT? This will take some adjustment on my part, as obviously I’m not used to cohabitating with a partner since the past... 3? Years? Aoshi and I have gotten the house set up already so now all that’s left is to get my stuff in and set up my room. I expect this to be quite a flawless transition to be fair but lots will be different, so this goal is to execute this as effortlessly as possible and report back with my progress. [arcane texts] My Kindle is old and busted (seriously, I have the original Fire, BIG YIKE) BUT - I’ve found that I can use the Kindle app on my iPad! I’ve been jonesing to read more lately, especially once I’ve moved and have a bit more time under my belt, so my goal is to finish one book in my library from start to finish. [culinary charisma] Pulling one of my end-of-2020 goals into this challenge; MORE COOKING! I have a laundry list of things I want to make for Ao and I once I’m in and settled - and the list is ever growing - so my goal for this challenge is to make two sick-ass dinners for us and get this ball rolling! (Also the boy has one of the best knife sets I’ve ever been able to use LORDY LORD I am hashbrown BLESSED~) I'd be honored to have you along for my travels~ 💖 Friends, we go, TOGETHER!!

Wowie wow wow last challenge of the year AND my 50th - yike I’ve been here for a hot minute, huh? This challenge when completed, will be number 50 for me. And that’s just the ones I’ve successfully finished, not counting the pile of half-assed incomplete challenges where I’ve fallen into a void hole or something. LEVEL 50 IS PRETTY BIG! As always I’m so grateful for this community - for all of YOU - for always being here and being so supportive. Nerd Fitness has really seen me shoulder some of the hardest times of my life and somehow come out screaming on the other side, and I credit a lot of that to the support I’ve found here and the fitness and wellness that’s been a big help in keeping my head on straight. If I can repay even a little bit of that it’ll be my absolute delight. ❤️ So, THANK YOU for helping me get here! I've also taken a big liberty and edited my ENTIRE opening post - thanks to Rangerbrain and everyone's DND characters popping up of late, I finally decided to sit down and not only write a character sheet for Shaar, but to retool my goals just a smidge to align with her classes. I've written for Shaar LOTS in the past, so it was an easy transition into an actual character format. And while I've written MANY character sheets in the past for my own creations, anything DND-related is so out of my wheelhouse, so this is all a bit of my own liberties (and my own fandoms) here. :3 Without further adieu... » Shaar kom Starkru bardic time-mage; of the furious heart, traveler 'twixt the stars Race: Human l'Cie Alignment: Chaotic Good Stats: STR 5 | STA 4 | WIS 7 | CHA 9 | CON 6 | DEX 3 Appearance: Shaar is short of stature, clocking in at a huge 5'3", but don't let that fool you; you know what they say about little dogs having the loudest bark? Yeah, that generally applies here. Long dark hair is often pulled into a high ponytail, various small braids woven into bits of it, adorned in kind with an assortment of small feathers and beads at their tie-offs. Jaw-length bangs frame a pale face that nine out of ten times is harboring at least a ghost of a smile, if not on her lips then lingering in forest green eyes. She is generally clad in dark colors as per her preference; layers of fur and leathers that seem comfortable and well-worn enwrap her small form, a pair of charcoal over the knee boots topped off by a light hooded cloak draped across her shoulders, fur-lined and dotted with various bone pieces and feathers along its hem. Despite her egregious nature she prefers to dress diminutively, save for a few special notations - her right wrist bears a gauntlet of sorts, a distinct covering of delicate bones settled in a single layer atop her forearm, all fitting together a bit too neatly - a single ring rests comfortable on her right ring finger, a set of pewter-cast swallow claws clutching a bezeled moonstone - and an intricately stitched leather belt slung low across her hips, housing more than a few sheathed short knives, and a small pouch containing... who knows what. Personality: Charismatic to a fault, there is a reason Shaar is a bard first and anything else second. She is a textbook extrovert and 9 out of 10 times will be not only ready, but thrilled to strike up a conversation with anyone, anytime, about anything at all. A patron acolyte of The Fury, Shaar is also a very steadfast and tenacious individual and can be very forceful in her ideals and beliefs, or defending those she cares about or shows loyalty to. She is always very off the cuff, joking and casual in most any situation - if you witness her get steely and serious, you know shit's hit the fan. She's got a temper and often swears like a sailor, but for the most part her heart is in the right place and she tends to funnel her wild exuberance into mostly non-reckless behavior. Talents: bard; There are many darkened taverns, in far-flung areas of the world, where legends exist of a small girl effectively shit-talking alpha thugs to the point of rendering them speechless. This is the legacy of Shaar - not only demeaning bullies and adversaries into a pile of mush with her continuous string of curse words and putdowns, but also flipping that skill completely around to support and enliven her friends at the drop of a hat. Nothing brings Shaar more joy than being able to bring laughter to a friend or ally in their darkest hour - well, aside from trash talking criminals, naturally. time-mage; A traveler and shepherd of the stars, not by choice, but by nothing more than circumstance and necessity, Shaar has the ability to hold the fates in the palm of her hand. Existing in multitudes across worlds, the burdens she has shouldered and overcome have opened the doors of locked away and arcane abilities, allowing her a myriad of resources to not only entrap and hinder her adversaries, but to benefit herself and her allies on the field of battle as well.. l'Cie; Shaar is a l'Cie - a human chosen by agents of the world's gods as servants to fulfill a focus or greater task. She knows very little of her racial upbringing, save that she is a patron of The Fury and that she harbors quietly long-lost attributes of the time mage, a sect of people little known to her world. CHALLENGE GOALS Bard [ "Cool story, bro~" ] A bard always has stories - I want to be more present on the forums. I know this is HARD for me because I'm always going 500 miles an hour but I want to work to share more with you all over this challenge; more updates, more wild stories from my life (because I have a LOT), more interaction with you, my friends! ❤️ [ Provoking Cantrip ] Keep fitnessing, twice a week at the VERY least. Treadmill, lifting, see how your elderly-ass skeleton is feeling that day! And do it. Simple as can be. Time Mage [ Cosmic Deceleration ] My life is a textbook example of “man makes plans and the gods laugh” BUT, I’d like to sit down and hang some goals for 2021 that I’d like to strive for. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head already and a lot going on (AS USUAL) but it’d do me good to solidify that shit so I can hit the ground running - as always. It's time to look ahead and plot my course. [ Stellar Interconnection ] Y’all I feel OLD lately. My knees hurt. My shoulder gets in the way of *gestures vaguely at life*. My back feels like an old-ass oak tree. I know I can do better at this because I have in the past and duuuuh I also own a fair amount of GMB Elements. I know better in that everything in my body is connected and I need to set myself up for a good 20-30 minutes of stretching and mobility twice a week. Foam rolling, tennis ball on wall, downward dog, ANYTHING that gets my elderly-ass skeleton moving more than sitting at my desk all day. OK friends, that's all I've got! Let's finish this year out HOT and then show 2021 what we've got!! (Hey, it's almost like I'm a real bard, you know, the rhymes..... ehehe~ ❤️ )

Oh hey look I changed my name back~ IT ME! DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK, I’VE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS (that’s a ll cool j song you know) And hopefully maybe this time my dumb ass can finish a challenge? Maybe?? ? ? ??? Hi friends, I missed you all so v. much ❤️ So Loire is back to Shaar because let’s be real, that’s who I am, and like my name change I am also.... Back to basics here. My life has been STUPID busy and somehow it’s all good shit despite Madam Rona rearing her ugly-ass head again lately... cases here are climbing slowly again (like I’m sure they are for all of y’all too) and I’m just like, can people just BEHAVE for a little bit so we can kinda maybe get back to a little normal? Maybe? PLS? Anyways, thanks to the Madam here, I’ve shelved my boxing classes for the foreseeable future ‘cause I just can’t confidently get back to -that- kind of normal right now. It sucks but it’ll be there in the future. In the meantime I’ve gotta figure out what the fuckadoodle I’m doing over here to keep myself from turning into a Chaos Manatee. GET IT TOGETHER SHAAR HERE ARE SOME GOALS Do fitness things. Guys did you know my workplace has a gym? AN ACTUAL GYM? Our owners added a gym onto our big expansion last year and we just finished it up like a month ago and there is - a treadmill - an elliptical - fuckin’ BARBELLS - a whole ass bathroom and shower - this is the part where you slap me and say SHAAR YOU HAVE BARBELLS AT WORK and you are not USING them1?!1/!?1# I know I know I know.... I know. My plan is to come in on Saturdays when no one is here and go to work, and ALSO one weekday after work, to be determined with how I’m feeling and what else I’ve got going on that week. Keep prepping lunches. I have SLACKED at this over the past month. I like to meal prep for Monday through Thursday and go out for lunch on Fridays but SOME days... uh.... Weeks...... I have gone out to lunch ALL week. It’s not good for me and it’s a money pit and I need to stop throwing money out the window because of some plans I’ve got unfolding (see: next goal) SO. Meal prep. SUNDAYS. Do it. No excuses. Get yourself together. Honestly I’m somehow 20/10 together even in this chaos timeline BUT - I’m moving in with my samurai himbo boyfriend within the next couple of months and I need to ASSESS MY SHIT. We are both STUPID excited for this and I could just go on and on about how wonderful and lovely and thoughtful and sweet and excellent he is but I won’t put that evil on y’all, your teeth might fall out or something. I’ve already started going through my accumulated stuff since moving back to New England but I need to not lose momentum here so I can be ready for a clean and easy move when it happens. Paring down the clutter, stowing/packing my summer stuff away for easy transport, and making a shopping list of things I’ll need to buy are all on deck for me. (Did you know I’ll have my own BATHROOM?? I’m gonna make it look SO COOL GUYS) STAY. PRESENT. Keep up with my thread and MORE IMPORTANTLY, y'all's. I'm playing lots of video games (natch) and having lots of adventures and I need to share them all AND, share in yours too! This may be the hardest goal of them all but I swear I'll make it happen! I miss my nerds like BIG TIME and I'm gonna do my best, I promise!~ Despite the chaos life is good, really REALLY good, I’m somehow very lucky to be right where I am right now. LET’S CRUSH SOME GOALS FRIENDS!

Hi friends! Welcome to my throwback challenge, in MORE ways than one. :3 Everything is Chaos and I’m feeling like I’m in some ways, starting over, cobbling together a new routine in a world that doesn’t look like it’s going to be going back to the normal we know anytime soon. The goals I was pushing for are either unavailable right now or just don’t fit into the life I’m living, SO. It’s time to go back to the start and tackle some throwback goals to start building a new foundation! What better to do this with than the remake of one of the best and most iconic RPGs ever? FF7R is absolutely the best video game I’ve ever played, hands down, I play a LOT of games, and I could write an essay on why it’s so perfect to me, buuut I won’t. I’m even going with a THROWBACK FORMAT to the old days of many of our challenges! HAH! What is the world coming to?! (Don’t answer that.) Ok pals, LET’S MOSEY~ CLOUD STRIFE Don’t be a shithead. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. I have to make myself a goal not to be a bitter shrew. But that’s where we are. I’ve been digging deep lately to look past the things that make me angry - the things I don’t have, that I feel slighted on, that maybe I feel like I deserve after all I’ve done? - and not let that bleed into my social relationships. The isolation’s making me a little more edgy than usual; my fiery heart is good for a lot of things, but not when it’s burning a resentful hole in my own chest. Cloud’s a shithead when you first meet him, just in it for the money, stay the fuck outta my way, blahblah. But that all changes slowly but very surely, and he begins to open up and care about his teammates. The remake does a VERY good job with this and the transformation from Angery Fuck to Empathetic Friend has been a blessing to witness. Goal: realize when you’re angry at things out of your control. Deal with it - journal, yoga, do some creative writing. Do not isolate from your friends or shun them; create your own light. AERITH GAINSBOROUGH Aerith is an absolute sweetheart and I will fight anyone that tries to hurt her. Real talk. She is also the last of her kind, an Ancient, and as it’s described in this game, “a steward of the planet”. It’s finally springtime, and this isolation from Pandemic World and working from home is doing a number on me. I need to get outside AT LEAST once each weekend. It’s been kind of hard because all the parks I try to go to are flooded with people - and the state has actually been closing down certain state parks because of it for safety reasons - but every little bit I can find it a help to me. TIFA LOCKHART Tifa is just #goals. She’s strong, beautiful, kind, empathetic. The way they fleshed out her personality in the remake is absolutely perfect and I LOVE AND SUPPORT HER. Tifa’s dealt with some shit but she’s never let that make her any less strong. I’ve dealt with some shit too, but I’m slowly turning into a marshmallow. Now that I’m kind of “settled” (ha ha) with our current situation I need to make whatever consistent fitness I can make happen, happen. For me right now it will probably look like: Kettlebells - 2x week. Yoga - At LEAST 1x week, optimally 2. This is subject to change if I’m having a Week from Hell or if a giant meteor drops on us, but this is my plan as of now! BARRET WALLACE Barret somehow is this amazing mix of shooting his gun and cursing like a sailor continuously while ALSO being an absolutely kind and compassionate leader and friend and it’s perfect, his personality in the game may almost be my favorite. He takes NO SHIT and is VERY LOUD and has NO RESERVATIONS about letting people know how he feels. He’s true to himself and his comrades and he never wavers from his goals. I want to vlog more but I am always so lazy about doing it so I’m going to just GET IT DONE. At least 2 vlogs this challenge. I promise not to yell and swear a lot, well, I’ll do my best! Ok, cool, coolcool, I have ACTUAL GOALS this time that can start kickstarting some progress in this wackadoodle timeline we find ourselves in. BUT WE GOT THIS. WE CAN DO THIS! And I'm glad YOU are here with me, nerdfriends~ ❤️

HELLO FRIENDS Actual goals coming soon~ [edit] Actual goals are here! .... Kind of~ This is a real loose theme around the gacha game Arknights. TL;DR, you're allowed to do missions until your Sanity Meter (upper right) runs out; it's kinda a way of throttling player advancement so the game can be experienced over a course of time, as opposed to binging everything all at once. (I like it, it encourages me to step away and do other things~) How the actual shit do I keep my sanity meter intact while the world is burning, though?? I somehow have been able to soldier on and keep positive throughout this ridiculous chaos timeline of ours. At the time of this writing I've been temporarily laid off of my job (myself and about 1/3 of our staff, we will re-up once everything gets back to normal) and am collecting unemployment benefits, caring for my 67 year old mom who has numerous autoimmune issues, and our state is about to enter lockdown tomorrow. IT'S INTERESTING TIMES! I need to set myself some baselines: - Don't drink like a shitbird. - Don't eat like a shitbird. - Try to keep moving. At-home kettlebells, yoga, take advantage of my boxing club's on-demand service. - Make sure you shower and dress like a normal person. Try to keep a regular sleep schedule. DO NOT fall into The Pit. - DON'T PANIC. (I've been doing pretty good at this) - ADAPT to whatever happens. (I'm also ridiculously good at this one, thankfully.) That's.... really pretty much it. I'm not here to over-extend myself, but to stay the course and do all I can for my friends and family while I have the positive headspace and bandwidth that I do. ❤️ Let's get through this, together.

Hi guys! Holy crap what a big challenge! NERD FITNESS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!! Can you believe it?!!? I can’t!1/!?11 It was the fall of 2014, and I was at Forever 21 trying on cute dresses for work. I remember trying on some in my usual size, 6, and it was just the breaking point. Nothing fit, nothing zipped up right, nothing felt good, I felt like a human sausage and I’d finally had it. A bad dress shopping experience finally put my path back into my own hands as the next day at work I googled “fitness for nerds”. And the rest, as they say, is history. This place has literally changed my life in more ways than one, and I often can’t find the words for how humbled, grateful, and proud I am to be a part of this community, and to be YOUR friend. (Yes, you, reading this, you are my friend whether you like it or not, but I hope you like it~) So along with the usual goals, there’s going to be a special one too... OK PALS LET’S GET THAT BREAD (do the kids even say that anymore???) (also don’t get too much bread just a moderate serving every once in a while ok too much is bad for you) Food Tracking I’m starting with the big one, the down and dirty shit I hate.......... Food logging. I’m becoming WAY more active lately and I really need a baseline of 1. What I’m eating calorie-wise and 2. How much protein I’m getting. I don’t want to crash and burn if I can avoid it OBVIOUSLY, so. Log everything that I eat on the ol’ MFP. GO TEAM Conditioning + Mobility Holy Hannah pals if boxing has taught me one thing it’s that while I think I’m fairly fit, I need some WORK. I’m not used to cardio and being so active on my feet and I need to work on supplementing that - along with continuing my lifting - so I can progress and keep being awesome. I’m going to observe myself and add mobility work into my week at least 3 times depending on where hurts most - ankles, wrists, my entire flesh corpse - and make sure to take care of myself. Consistency I think this is a goal that a lot of us seem to be working on building... staying consistent. I love winter (fun fact it’s my second favorite season) but gosh does it come with some doldrums - like right about THIS time of year. I need to be super mindful about not succumbing to The Lazies and make sure I work out 3 times a week - boxing for one, lifting for the other two, or vice versa if I feel I’m ready to make that change this soon. One week at a time! Write my Story Not just my narrative (although that will pop in here too) but my Nerd Fitness story. I was inspired by our favorite Sloth when a few months ago he posted a list of all his accomplishments he’d achieved since coming here, and I really want to do that too. I’ve come so far in more than just fitness aspects, and what better time to get it all down on (digital) paper to share with my best pals?? Super excited to celebrate this big milestone with everyone and see what goals we are all gonna SMASH!!

Hi pals~ I sat around and thought on this challenge for a while. The first challenge of a new decade?!1?!? That’s BIG RIGHT?? What should I -do-?... Start over. 2019 was a big, big year for me. Perhaps one of the best of my life. There was a lot of luck involved but also a lot of hard work on my part with adjusting to literally a Whole New Life and, not gonna lie, I killed it. But some other things took a backseat in the meantime, namely my fitness and health habits. I look back to when I first joined NF in 20...14? And I’ve backslid a lot. Not quite to that starting point, because I’m armed with a LOT more knowledge now, and a base level of fitness, but pretty close. And honestly, I’m really not very disappointed... more like excited, ‘cause the only way for me to go from here is UP. I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, and it won’t be easy, but I’m ready. My main goals for this year are as follows, with corresponding challenge goals branching off beneath: 1. Take better care of myself. In many ways. This one is the most important. Obviously fitness and nutrition and fixing my donked up body are very much at the forefront of this, but over the past few months I’ve come across an interesting bit of introspection about myself - I’m lonely. It’s certainly not a crippling thing, nor anything that invades my day to day heavily, but it’s there in the undercurrents. While I’m not sure exactly what to -do- with this knowledge, I’m at least aware of it, so that’s half the battle.. Right?!!? - Deep Tissue Massage set for January 8th. Minimize damage until then - stretch at least 3x a week, foam roll if you can. - After this, back to the gym! Three times a week, no excuses. - Keep batch cooking lunches. Keep it healthy - this hasn’t been too challenging. However, WATCH THE SNACKS. This is the toughie... Loire you can only eat gnarly snacks TWICE A WEEK OKAY. Cheese curls, chips, whatever; only twice. This is a big rule. - Drink less. This is another toughie. I’ll openly admit that I’ve been drinking more than usual over the past month or two to manage and process what feeling lonely is like - I’ve never dealt with this particular beast before - but now it’s time to stop using it as a crutch because it does nothing for me. Drinking only on Friday and Saturday nights, and that’s that. 2. Level up my cooking skills. GUYS I. LOVE. COOKING. I really really do. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, it’s relaxing and nothing brings me more joy than pulling off a complicated meal and having it be awesome. ❤️ And just cooking new stuff - one of my new favorites is butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter sauce and garlicky green beans - and I’m ready to do more, and put my resources more into this hobby. ❤️ - Cook at least two new dinner meals over the course of this challenge. Post them! - One of them must make use of............. THE BROILER. ( Backstory: I am scared of the broiler because it gets so hot and what if it blows up my kitchen and also my face and I become like Harvey Dent Two Face for the rest of my life but ALSO I know this is a very unfounded fear but the broiler is WEIRD guys, every time Tank brings it up on his thread I’m like aaaaa and so it’s finally time, to use, the BROILER.) 3. Buy a kayak and roof rack for my car. Y’all remember playing Legend of Zelda for the first time as a very impressionable 6 year old and that moment when you realized you could take a raft out into the water to get to the next dungeon and you were like totally hype and stunned like WHHHOOOAAAAA?!!?!1?!/ No, just me? That feeling is how I feel about kayaking!!! I love it. It’s an absolute adventure for me and exploring is one of my absolute favorite things in the WORLD and I want to do more of it. Unfortunately, I know very little about, uh, making a smart purchase - brands, types, yadda - so this will require a little legwork. But in the meantime, paving my way to this: - Pay down all credit cards and get to zero debt ASAP. This should not be hard for me, and I’m planning on siphoning some of my tax return into this project, but it’s important for me and my list-oriented financial brain to start from square one. That's it; that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I'm so thankful to be able to be here and have you all as a support system, it's just like... I don't even know how to put it into words. No matter how many times we try and fall, or stray wayward for a bit, this place is always here for us - me - to come home to and it's just... invaluable. I'm humbled and grateful to have everyone's support while I work to figure out my on-fire chaos life, and I'm honored to be able to contribute my support to yours. (Not saying anyone else has a chaos life.) (But if you do, that's cool too~) (I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS OK ❤️) LET'S DO THIS THING TOGETHER

MY FRIENDS, WHAT IS UP I've kinda taken a bit of time away from the forums in my last challenge - October's been a busy month full of commitments and fun and AWESOMENESS. TL;DR I'm still actively living my best life and after some time away - and away from everything to reset and recharge - literally tho', I'm currently spending a week at a little coastal New England cabin and it's PERFECT - I'm ready to slam the reset button on my goals and GET GOING AGAIN. More details to come but I wanted to get this post going 'cause I'm HYPE. Goals will SURELY include: - GYM TIME SHAAR YOU BUTTHEAD. I NEED to get back into this routine. 3 times a week, zero excuses. - Get outside! Log 3 adventure hikes this challenge before it gets butts cold out! - I have two open credit cards right now, and my goal is to pay them both down before 2020 hits. Bigger win if I don't have to use any part of a holiday bonus to do this. I want to be able to start directing way more money into my savings account and I've been super aggressive with my debt so far, I just need to stay on target through the holidays too!! - READ MORE. While I was away for a week I took my Kindle with me and started reading one of my favorite old books, Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite... it's so good, it totally digs my aesthetic of like 90's era queer southern gothic vampire culture (I know that sounds weird but I too am weird) and I want to re-finish this book and start another one! Goal is to finish this book and buy another one, and finish it too!! - MORE VIDEO GAMES! I haven't actually been gaming a lot lately - I know, shocker! - because October has been so busy! But now I'm back home and with much less commitment going into November so I want to stream some games and show you guys what I play!! I have a Twitch account at twitch.tv/loiire/ and will stream at least 3 gaming sessions over the course of this challenge. I'll announce ahead of time when I'm doing the live streams, but I'll also post the finished video on my thread so people can watch afterwards. What games will I choose?!!?!/1?! WE'LL SEE~ :3 Ok more later, ciaociao for nownow my pals~ <3

Gather 'round ye young and old. Listen close as this story unfolds. I tell the tale of a party of four and the epic adventure that was in store. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! There was a fiery barbarian, a fallen hexblade, a clerical modron and me, the horned bard - little did they know, this adventure would be hard. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Through dungeons they would explore and monsters they would battle, the journey ahead would be a difficult one traveled. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Would they succeed? This was a question they would find out later. Lest the group forget that their DM was Dark_Raider. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! What he had in store was an ongoing story - as this oddball foursome sought friendship and glory. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! If you would like to see how this story ends, then stick around as the fun just begins. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Welcome, welcome, welcome friends! I'm so glad you're here! A new challenge has begun and I'm excited to be back with the Rangers ! If you're behind on the times with what's going on in "Wolfie's World" then let me catch y'all up super quick: I'm working 2 jobs now...over 70 hours a week. I nap like it's going out of style. I workout like a cocaine addict. Aaaaaaand, I'm starting my very first D&D campaign with the wonderful and talented- @Raxie @Jarric and @Starpuck ! We are graciously being DM'd by the legendary @DarK_RaideR and I could NOT be more excited to start our story. If you would like to know more about the specific "party of adventurers", then please head on over to their respected challenges and check out all the cool stuff going on there! If you caught it up above, I am playing the bard. This is a class I didn't realize how much I identified with IRL and I'm honored to not only play a Bard, but a sexy, lute playing Tiefling Bard . Ok, so maybe not EXACTLY like that one, but you guys get the gist. I have horns, a tail and a love for music and stories! My charisma is my main stat and I'm not afraid to charm your pants off...literally! This challenge will center around my Tiefling Bard, Arkaryn (Are-Care-In) Riftripper. Race: Tiefling Age: 25 Height: 6’2 Weight: 190# Hair Color: Dark brown Eye Color: Violet Skin Color: Light Blue Class: Bard/College of Valor Background: Arkaryn “Ark” grew up in the village of Ruinspoke. His father, a bard himself, was entrusted as the lead musician of the Full Mugs, a tavern owned by a male dwarf named Temget, whom prided himself on his homebrewed beer. Ark grew up loving music and hearing the stories of many adventurers and their travels into the various ruins that surrounded Ruinspoke. He longed to adventure and make a name for himself when he came of age and set out on his own when he turned 18. Gifted in multiple instruments, Ark was prolific with the lute in particular. As a parting gift before he left, Ark’s father had given him his old lute, an ebony colored beauty with gold engravings. Along his journeys, Ark met a dragonborn named, Otivull, who was training with the Lance Defenders, and the two became best friends. Ark taught Otivull how to sing and play the lute while Otivull taught Ark how to fight. The two had many years adventuring together and earning coin before Otivull’s Lance Defender squadron was re-stationed and the two inseparable friends lost touch. Ark found himself back in Ruinspoke for a time being, playing at Full Mugs tavern with his aging father. The longing for adventure still held strong in the Tiefling’s heart and after a year, he set out again to make a name for himself. It was on his next adventure that Ark would meet Jyotika the Fire Genasi, Penemue the fallen Aasimar, and Cog the self-aware Modron. What happens next is a story still waiting to be told... This is how I see Arkaryn looking like (except he's light blue with violet colored eyes): Handsome, huh?? The rest of my challenge outside of my D&D campaign will involve two things: Steps & Reps. Goal 1: Steps Did you know that for every 2000 steps walked equals 1 mile? Well, since starting my second job at Costco, I've realized I've been taking a MASSIVE amount of steps. On average, I get about 12k steps in a day (if not more). Over the coarse of a 5-day work week, that's 60k steps, or around 30 miles walked a week. And that's NOT including anything extra on my days off. 30. Miles. A. Week. And that's on the low end. Yesterday I had 15,972. The day before was 15,182. That's 15, almost 16 miles walked JUST on the weekend. My goal is to track my steps daily and see how many miles I can cover over the coarse of this challenge. My goal is 175 miles walked over the next 5 weeks. That's 35 miles a week. I think I can achieve that goal. Bonus points for anything over 175 miles. Possible Points Earned: +4 STA, +1 DEX Goal 2: Reps This little workout thing I've been doing....I've got it down these days. I don't need to track my daily/weekly workouts. I do however want to track how much weight I'm moving per workout. I will do this by multiplying the amount of weight in each set including reps, multiplied by the total number of sets per exercise and then continue this process for each exercise in the workout. An example would be today's workout: 4 x 6-8 BB alternating reverse lunge 2 x 115# x 6 (each side) = 2760# 2 x 135# x 6 (each side) = 3240# 2 x 6 seconds leg lockout iso 4 x 6-8 DB lying triceps extension 1 x 30’s# x 8 = 480# 3 x 35’s# x 6 = 1260# 4 x 8 DB high pulls (40#’s) = 2560# 2 x 6 seconds cable high pull iso 3 x 12 Deadlift (125# x 12) = 4500# 3 x 10-12 DB bench press 1 x 40#’s x 12 = 960# 2 x 45#’s x 12 = 2160# 3 x 10-12 chin up grip lat pull down 1 x 100# x 12 = 1200# 2 x 115# x 12 = 2760# Drum roll... dibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadiba... TOTAL WEIGHT MOVED = 21,880# !! Possible Points Earned: +3 STR, +2 DEX Goal 3: P.R.I.D.E aka Party of Ridiculously Interesting and Daring Explorers Dark_Raider coined the term: P.R.I.D.E in our discord last week and we all just loved the idea of it! With the unique group make-up we have, it's likened to popular titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad. I'm really excited about this whole thing and can't wait to learn the D&D ropes from some of the best! This goal ties into the D&D campaign. I want to: Have weekly updates on how the campaign is going, interesting facts and short story write-ups from Ark's POV if time permits. Ark's starting spell list: Cantrips- Vicious Mockery (you know this one's gonna be a lot of fun!) Minor Illusion Ray of Frost (due to my Levistus racial variant) Spells- Charm Person Sleep Healing Word Hideous Laughter Ark's Starting Stats: Strength- 8 Dexterity- 15 Constitution- 14 Intelligence- 10 Wisdom- 12 Charisma- 16 Possible Points Earned: +5 CHA (because, duh! Charisma is my most important stat! ) It's good to be back with the Rangers! Can I get a woot woot for my lute lute?! Wolf