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Everybody wanna be a nerd until it's time to do nerd shiet. So how about it? I know a bunch of us play Dungeons & Dragons. Who would be interested in getting a game together? We can run it on Roll 20 or something. We'd probably also have to decide on which edition to go with. I've personally only played 4E and 5E.

Hi guys. I've been laying low and recovering after my leg injury caused a subsequent loss of motivation in my challenges, and the narrative associated with them. For that reason, I won't be doing a narrative this challenge; the jury is still out on whether or not to change my username. (If I do, it'll be to Callanthar, my World of Warcraft character, who happens to be a hunter, the WoW equivalent of a ranger.) For this challenge, I'll be channeling the various abilities of a D&D party, emulating the various strengths that make them so successful. And of course, absorbing the strength of an entire party of adventurers in a single person is exactly what we Rangers at Nerd Fitness like to do! Here's our party: Goal One: The Fighter. The fighter relies purely on his skill of arms and armor to protect him from foes. In a world of magic and supernatural creatures, only the fighter's training and martial prowess save him from being a dragon's lunch. A fighter must be ridiculously strong in order to protect his friends and battle his foes. To emulate the Fighter, I'll be doing strength workouts thrice per week. I'll be using the Stronglifts program, but I'll be adding chin-ups to Workout B, and replacing barbell rows with chin-ups in Workout A. I really want to get better at chin-ups. Survived the adventure: 6 workouts. Quest complete: 9 workouts. Natural 20: 12 workouts. Goal Two: The Ranger. The ranger acts as the party's scout, travelling farther and faster than anyone else in order to protect the party from ambushes, and let them know what lies ahead, in any terrain. A ranger must be swift, versatile, and untiring. To emulate the Ranger, I'll be doing cardio at least thrice per week. At least one workout must be on my bike, and at least one must be on foot, running if possible. (Things look good so far, but I'm not going to tie myself down to running if I feel the leg is going to play up again) Survived the adventure: 6 workouts, 2+ of each. Quest complete: 9 workouts, 3+ of each. Natural 20: 12 workouts, 4+ of each. Goal Three: The Monk. The monk can perform one of several roles, depending on their specialisation. A monk lives an ascetic lifestyle, and must remain in peak mental and physical form to accomplish their incredible feats of athleticism and focus. Their fists and self-discipline are both hard as iron. To emulate the Monk, I'll be working to lose weight. I'll be tracking my calories needed, calories eaten, and calories burnt through exercise over the course of the challenge. Survived the adventure: 8,000 net calories burned (~300 per day). Quest complete: 11,000 calories burnt (~400 per day) Natural 20: 14,000 calories burnt (~500 per day) Goal Four: The Wizard. While the rest of the group relies on their bodies to perform their tasks, a wizard relies solely on their mind. By understanding the world on a deep level, they can perform feats that would otherwise be impossible. Theirs is a life of intense study, minds grappling with the nature of the cosmos. To emulate the Wizard, I'll be working on my programming. I'll be studying an hour per day, working through the game-making books at inventwithpython.com, but I'll also be translating the programs featured within into Java, since that's the language taught at my university. Survived the adventure: 14 hours studied. Quest complete: 21 hours studied. Natural 20: 28 hours studied. Completing the quest: In order to complete the quest, all four party members must complete it. Should a party member survive, but fail their quest, a natural 20 from another member can prop them up. Success means the party earns 500 gp, and a magic item worth up to 1,200 gp. 10 gp = 1 Australian dollar, so that translates to 50 dollars to spend on whatever I like, and up to 120 to spend on equipment. Should the party fail their quest, but everyone survives, they manage to earn 250 gp for their efforts regardless. In the event that a party member dies, all funds acquired must be spent on the Raise Dead spell, giving the party no reward for their attempts. Let the adventure begin!

Steven Universe Challenge Steven Universe is about a group of Gemstone based beings who save the world, and notably ALL Gems are female (well technically they are a uni-gendered race that uses female pronouns ). GIRL POWER! The show has a couple of main themes: the power of compassion and the necessity of strong, trusting relationships. I love the show for the amazing characters, beautiful animation, fun and catchy songs, and hilarity ("my mind is the internet, I know every continuity mistake ever made on television"). Awesome characters I wasn't able to fit into this challenge include: Connie Maheswaren (nerd girl extraordinare turned sword fighter!), the whole Pizza family (especially Nana Pizza!), Buck Dewey, Sour Cream, Onion (yes he's Sour Cream's half-brother ) Ronaldo the consiracy theorist ("keep Beach City weird!"), Peridot, Lion (the only non-anthropomorphized animal I've ever seen in a cartoon), Lars and Sadie.... I could keep going but I won't Not all of the song videos display but I highly recommend watching them because 1. they're awesome and genuinely great songs and 2. because each song is linked to the challenge goal of the character who sings it Be Kind is the overarching goal, much like Steven’s approach to life. Compassion to all, including (especially) myself. Steven: “Be Wherever You Are†aka Self Care Steven is a sweet, kindhearted boy who shows compassion to everyone and loves himself. His Gem weapon is his shield, representing his desire to protect those he loves. Steven Tasks Greg Universe: “Have a Little Faith in Me†aka Creative Quests Greg may be the best character on Steven Universe. A former wanna-be rockstar who fell in love with a huge pink alien lady (seriously Rose Quartz is like 8 feet tall) and then raised his son on his own (Rose gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven.....). He's an amazing dad, he's super relaxed (for the most part) and: "When you're a one-man band you got to know do it all: lyrics, graphic design, forum moderation..." -Greg Universe “Don't focus so much on talent, Steven. Making art is all about communication. A piece of art is a conversation. Every choice you make, is a statement. Don't worry about labels, or conforming to a standard. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty.†-Dogcopter https://soundcloud.com/aivisura/steven-universe-wailing-stone?in=aivisura/sets/steven-universe Greg Tasks Amethyst: “On the Run†aka Food and Exercise Amethyst is the most intuitive and impulsive of the gems. From masquerading as a wrestler (Tiger Millionare is the best early episode IMO) to her obsession with food, Amethyst is the most human of the Gems since she was "born" and raised on Earth. https://soundcloud.com/jeff-liu/on-the-run-official-version Amethyst Tasks Pearl: “Strong in the Real Way†aka Exercise my Brain The brains of the Crystal Gems, Pearl is insecure but super smart. She's strong in her own way. She wasn't made to fight or even be the amazing technician she is but she trained herself to be useful to the team and become more than she was "programmed" to be. Pearl Tasks Garnet: “Stronger than You†aka Calm Voiced by Estelle (yes "American Boy" Estelle) Garnet is the leader of the Crystal Gems. She's strong, doesn't put up with anyone's shit, and she's supremely confident in herself and her abilities. But she also believes in her teammates just as much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDpCzvMmbSA Garnet Tasks More great songs: "What Can I Do"- Greg Universe Ft. Rose Quartz and the Crystal Gems "Do It For Her" -Pearl and Connie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpMSwgPKWd4 "Like a Comet" -Greg Universe (this song is so great and young Greg rocks it!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-n-KVZta0 "Haven't You Noticed (I'm a Star)"- Sung by the amazing Olivia Olsen (aka Marceline from Adventure TIme) https://soundcloud.com/aivisura/steven-universe-havent-you-noticed-im-a-star-rebecca-sugar Types of Combos: Points will be accumulated by creating combos. I need to do 7 combos per week [dungeon explanation here] Beginner: Gem Glow = 1 thing from each list +500 points Basic: Bubble = 1 thing from each list + 3 extra from any list +800 points Intermediate: Amethyst's Whip = two things from each list OR Shapeshifting= one thing from each list and 5 from any list +1000 points Seasoned: Rose’s Sword = two things from each list + 3 extra from any list OR Laser Light Cannon= one from each list and 8 other items +1300 points Experienced: Healing Spit = 3 things from each list OR Pearl’s Spear= 2 things from every list + 5 things from any list OR Mr. Universe Shirt =1 thing from every list and 10 from any list +1500 points Advanced: Rose’s Shield = 3 things from each list + 3 extra from any list OR Greg's Van= 1 from each list and 12 from any list +1800 points Expert: Fusion = 4 things from each list OR Garnet’s Gauntlets= 3 things from each list and 5 from any list OR Quartizine Trio= 2 things from each list and 10 from any list OR Lion's Mane= 1 from each list and 20 from any list +2000 points Dungeons! ~UnDEr CoNSTrUcTiOn~ Goal of at least 7000 points per week, some days can/will be higher than others, every 300 extra points means I get a bag of Fry Bits. [still figuring out what the Fry Bits do] Dungeon 1: Roses Room (Week 1) Activate the door and enter Rose's Room in the Temple BOSS FIGHT: Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem (Week 2) Get enough points to release Lapis, then save the ocean! Dungeon 2: The Message (Week 3) Decode Lapis’s message BOSS FIGHT: The Return/ Jail Break (Week 4) Escape Space Jail Dungeon 3: Sworn to the Sword (Week 5) Learn to Sword fight BOSS FIGHT: Catch and Release (Week 6) Capture Peridot