[Scaly Freak]

It doesn't surprise Scalyfreak at all that Self-Sabotage comes close to tearing her to pieces. The new body is too unfamiliar, the lack of armor to disconcerting, and her habits and fight instincts are not yet fully adapted to a reality where she is fragile and even a light graze of claws or fangs will cause significant damage to her. As if that was not bad enough, in the middle of the fight a Stress-Hydra materializes out of Scalyfreak's reach, but close enough to very comfortably reach her with multiple attacks.

 

So Scalyfreak runs. As far as she can, and she is pleasantly surprised to discover that she now can run faster and farther than she has ever been able to before. The new and unfamiliar body has its own advantages after all, and Scalyfreak enjoys this new benefit as she continues to run, all while keeping her attention behind her, listening and occasionally glancing backwards, to see if one of the large monsters has followed her. She is so focused on keep an eye out behind her that she completely forgets to pay attention what is ahead of her, and she almost doesn't see the cliff edge and the steep drop before it's too late. Before she has a chance to realize what is happening, reflexes are taking over, throwing her backwards into a roll and back up to her feet again, this time at a safe distance away from any risk of falling to her death.

 

“Huh. Well, that's convenient.” Scalyfreak looks down at her new, still unfamiliar, body, and shakes her head. “I wonder what else I can do now...?”

 

Since she is alone, and it's clear that the large monsters have not followed her, Scalyfreak slowly draws her rapier and the parrying dagger and relaxes, allowing her still unfamiliar feeling limbs to arrange themselves into the stance they want. She stays still for several moments, attempting to get a feel for what she is doing, and then begins to move slowly. Though it is challenging at first, she persists in trying allow her body to move without interference from her mind's desire to stick with old movement patterns, because her new weapons work differently than her old ones, and the new body has different strengths and abilities than her old.

 

It's challenging. It's difficult. It's frustrating. But Scalyfreak persists, determined to learn how to move properly in this new body the plot scroll gave her, because she knows that she won't be able to fight effectively until she can.

 

 

In case you don't know me, this should give you a fairly clear idea of what to expect here:

Spoiler

I cheerfully approach all my challenges as video game quests, with boss fights and level grinding, I have re-framed my anxiety into pyromancy, because it's very destructive when it flares up and gets out of control. But like the pyromancy flame, if the chaos is embraced and can be harnessed, all that energy can be used against against my enemies. In fireball form.

 

Track record in my boss fights so far:

 

• Self-Sabotage drains levels and health, and heals herself with what she drains from her opponent.
  • Current strategy: Apparently it is to face her without my armor, while carrying a long needle. Which means I'm discovering that sprinting is a fantastic self-defense strategy.
• Procrastination is good at hiding and then hitting me with a back-stab when I least expect it.
  • Current strategy: Ignore; deal with her later.
• Self-Indulgence was gradually convinced it would be easier for her to reach her goal if we worked together. Before the alliance fell apart on its own, Self-Indulgence was viciously killed by a very angry unicorn, that has not been seen or heard from since then.
  • Current strategy: Dance on her grave
• Stress-Hydra spawns whenever too many things are happening at once, or when something really big and overwhelming happens, and cutting off one of her seven heads makes no difference because it re-spawns a replacement head almost immediately.
  • Current strategy: The Herakles Method - Ask for help

 

I'm currently dual-classing as a Warrior Druid, because meditation is a great way to quietly build Endurance and Resilience stats while figuring out how to make my need for sleep work with my need to make my body lift things and move and generally be active in a way that builds strength and resilience.

 

So. I need to regroup and refocus in general after things stopped working properly in the second half of the last challenge. The combined might of Self-Sabotage and Stress-Hydra was a little too much for me, unsurprisingly, and a strategic retreat was in order. And now it is time to regroup and refocus, and start over. It's not over yet.

 

I still need to lose some weight, though not overly much. More importantly, my blood pressure still needs to go down. This is both a higher priority, and higher degree of difficulty.

 

Based on observations and the data gathered from my last challenge, reducing salt/sodium in my diet and losing weight only goes so far. The big change, that will really make a difference for my blood pressure, is to strengthen the heart and the rest of my cardiovascular system. For this, I need to do what I would do when I want to strengthen any other muscle in my body - I make it work very hard, and then I let it rest and grow stronger, then make it work very hard again, through regular workouts.

Since I spent the second part of the previous challenge completely failing to make this the priority it needs to be, it is time for me to set a cardio goal. I dislike it, but it needs to happen. And yes, I am aware that my mental block against doing cardio is not serving me well right now.

 

Build HP (physical health)

PAI continues to be a helpful measurement for me, providing useful data points for measuring overall activity levels on a daily basis. It is also helpful for showing me the difference between when I am just pacing a lot during the day, and when I am intentionally moving/exercising, so I am keeping the app and will continue to check the point totals and compare them.

 

On that note, the health bar goal for this challenge is to do two cardio-style workouts during the work week and at least one during the weekend.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

This continues to be a priority for every day life, which makes it very frustrating that I am still struggling to remember to meditate on weekends. Meditation is a firm staple in my daily morning routine, and the reason I forget on weekends is most likely because I don't do my regular morning routine on days when I'm not going to work. So “remember to meditate on weekends” needs to continue to be a goal until that also becomes automatic.

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

This covers all the things that fortify and recharge the emotional bandwidth and resilience needed to face stress, life obstacles, and everything else that is emotionally draining when life refuses to be all sunshine and roses (which is most of the time). Or to phrase it a bit differently, this is what allows me to turn the The Flame from unintentional immolation into enemy-destroying fireballs.

 

Things that regenerate the Stamina Bar and will be measured during this challenge are my library book reading challenge, and various other things that I'll probably come up with later as the challenge progresses.

 

For this first week I am starting with what I call Project Underwear, even though I'm close to the end of that project. Project Underwear is comparatively straight-forward, it's simply about replacing my old and therefor useless bras with new ones that are comfortable and do their job. I have one more bra I need to replace, which of course needs matching panties, but then I need to do something about the large number of black panties I have, that stylistically completely fail to match my new black bra. I also need new sports bras – the ones I have are several years old, and even the highest quality fabric and craftmanship becomes garbage after a large enough number of years.

 

I am going to spare you my bitter rantings about how most of the bra industry seems to be designed to make it almost impossible for people who need to wear a bra to find one that fits, and I will also spare you the even more resentful and bitter rant about living in a society that has made it so taboo to talk about breasts that most of us who grew up with them go most of our lives without any idea of what to look for in a bra or even how it's supposed to fit in the first place.

 

We don't exchange this kind of knowledge with each other, the way runners do with running shoes, or the way lifters talk about chalk or squat shoes, so we are left entirely to our own devices, depending on nothing but our own ability to research without any outside help. We may actually live our entire lives without ever learning how to properly size ourselves for a bra, and what style and cup size is the best fit for our breast shape, and yes this is me holding back and sparing you the bitterness.  

 

And those are my goals for this challenge.

 

 

 

 

[Gemma]

Following.

 

 

Spoiler

Also, your strategy for dealing with Procrastination made me laugh out loud in a way that caused hubs to shoot his classic 'you finally lost it?' look. 

 

 

Your restraint on the bitter rant is admirable. I am well rehearsed on my own bitter rants on this exact same topic. Women's undergarments and the ludicrous taboos around them are specially designed to push us all to the very edges of our sanity.  I finally (at age 49, after decades of extreme discomfort of all different sorts) had to break down and go for a professional fitting - and even after that every brand, every style still fits differently, so half of them are still uncomfortable even at my professionally determined 'right' size.  Grrrrrr. 

[sarakingdom]

1 hour ago, Scaly Freak said:

then I let it rest and grow stranger

 

[Scaly Freak]

22 minutes ago, sarakingdom said:

 

 

Stronger, stranger.... it's a matter of nuance.

[Jupiter]

Following.  

[Scaly Freak]

45 minutes ago, Gemma said:

Your restraint on the bitter rant is admirable. I am well rehearsed on my own bitter rants on this exact same topic. Women's undergarments and the ludicrous taboos around them are specially designed to push us all to the very edges of our sanity.  I finally (at age 49, after decades of extreme discomfort of all different sorts) had to break down and go for a professional fitting - and even after that every brand, every style still fits differently, so half of them are still uncomfortable even at my professionally determined 'right' size.  Grrrrrr. 

 

I came across this in my research, and it was quite the lightbulb moment. No wonder standard sizes are the bane of breast comfort! (Full disclosure: That is the company I am buying my replacements from, and though I've only tried two of their models I'm very happy with them, so I am biased in favor of everything they say.)

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

On that note, the health bar goal for this challenge is to do two cardio-style workouts during the work week and at least one during the weekend.

 

After posting this, I remembered that it was still weekend. In an effort to begin this challenge in a more productive way than I ended the previous one, I went back to Darebee and looked for a replacement program for Spellbound. One with more cardio.

 

I have now completed the first chapter of "Age of Pandora" and, well... 

 

[Harriet]

17 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

I still need to lose some weight, though not overly much. More importantly, my blood pressure still needs to go down. This is both a higher priority, and higher degree of difficulty.

 

Based on observations and the data gathered from my last challenge, reducing salt/sodium in my diet and losing weight only goes so far. The big change, that will really make a difference for my blood pressure, is to strengthen the heart and the rest of my cardiovascular system. For this, I need to do what I would do when I want to strengthen any other muscle in my body - I make it work very hard, and then I let it rest and grow stronger, then make it work very hard again, through regular workouts.

 

 

Ahhh... cardio. Good luck!

 

17 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

This continues to be a priority for every day life, which makes it very frustrating that I am still struggling to remember to meditate on weekends. Meditation is a firm staple in my daily morning routine, and the reason I forget on weekends is most likely because I don't do my regular morning routine on days when I'm not going to work. So “remember to meditate on weekends” needs to continue to be a goal until that also becomes automatic.

 

I also have trouble remembering. It never feels like an urgent priority even though I know how useful it is.

 

17 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

This covers all the things that fortify and recharge the emotional bandwidth and resilience needed to face stress, life obstacles, and everything else that is emotionally draining when life refuses to be all sunshine and roses (which is most of the time). Or to phrase it a bit differently, this is what allows me to turn the The Flame from unintentional immolation into enemy-destroying fireballs.

 

Things that regenerate the Stamina Bar and will be measured during this challenge are my library book reading challenge, and various other things that I'll probably come up with later as the challenge progresses.

 

For this first week I am starting with what I call Project Underwear, even though I'm close to the end of that project.

 

I wish you success with the fireball suppression efforts. I, meanwhile, am angry that no underwear fits. Virtually all women's pants cut across the butt cheek, even so-called boy shorts, which are not in fact modelled after men's underwear at all. WHY?????

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

I wish you success with the fireball suppression efforts. I, meanwhile, am angry that no underwear fits. Virtually all women's pants cut across the butt cheek, even so-called boy shorts, which are not in fact modelled after men's underwear at all. WHY?????

 

I tend to wear thongs for just this reason. I did recently come across bikini-style panties that go across the glutes without moving around or biting in, while still being a good fit around the waist, so  promptly bought several pairs.

 

14 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

I have now completed the first chapter of "Age of Pandora" and, well... 

 

It appears that cardio does not lead to DOMS... which is pleasant. I'll see about doing Chapter 2 tonight.

[Mistr]

Following!

 

I hope you enjoy Age of Pandora. I certainly find that I am happy to do cardio in martial arts and dancing, but not in walking on a treadmill. Hiking is fine. Finding a fun activity makes a huge difference.

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Mistr said:

I hope you enjoy Age of Pandora. I certainly find that I am happy to do cardio in martial arts and dancing, but not in walking on a treadmill. Hiking is fine. Finding a fun activity makes a huge difference.

 

It really does. During our lunchtime walk today, Husband and I talked about cardio and how little of it I have been doing on a regular basis, because of how intensely I dislike it, and we came to a similar conclusion. He suggested the same thing you just did, to find a fun activity that increases my heart rate, that I actually enjoy. As an example to illustrate what he meant, he reminded me that he shares my feelings for "traditional" cardio, the kind that is done on machines in a gym, but if someone gives him a a group of likeminded individuals, a basketball, and at least one hoop, he is perfectly happy to do that kind of cardio for hours.

 

I keep meaning to go back to dancing as cardio, and it has yet to happen. I really need to add this to my list of alternatives, for when I inevitably need a break from Age of Pandora.

[Harriet]

4 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

It really does. During our lunchtime walk today, Husband and I talked about cardio and how little of it I have been doing on a regular basis, because of how intensely I dislike it, and we came to a similar conclusion. He suggested the same thing you just did, to find a fun activity that increases my heart rate, that I actually enjoy. As an example to illustrate what he meant, he reminded me that he shares my feelings for "traditional" cardio, the kind that is done on machines in a gym, but if someone gives him a a group of likeminded individuals, a basketball, and at least one hoop, he is perfectly happy to do that kind of cardio for hours.

 

I keep meaning to go back to dancing as cardio, and it has yet to happen. I really need to add this to my list of alternatives, for when I inevitably need a break from Age of Pandora.

 

Belly dancing! You shared that video with the gothic looking belly dancer and now it's kind of entwined with my mental picture of you. 😄 But I'm sure any dancing would be fun.

[Scaly Freak]

1 minute ago, Harriet said:

 

Belly dancing! You shared that video with the gothic looking belly dancer and now it's kind of entwined with my mental picture of you. 😄 But I'm sure any dancing would be fun.

 

Oh, most definitely belly dancing. Because it's fun and great for creating body awareness and practicing muscle control..

 

The dancer is Diana Bastet, and I've been a follower of her YouTube channel for a few years now.  The channel is currently on an an unplanned hiatus, because Diana lives in Ukraine, and so she has more important things on her mind right now. I've been rewatching all her videos, with the adblocker turned off, just in case the extra monetization helps.

 

I'm going to spoiler this video of her dance to Black Sabbath's Paranoid, because it's belly dancing, in the kind of attire associated with belly dancing, and that makes it NSFW for a lot of US based workplaces.  

 

Spoiler

 

[Harriet]

18 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

I'm going to spoiler this video of her dance to Black Sabbath's Paranoid, because it's belly dancing, in the kind of attire associated with belly dancing, and that makes it NSFW for a lot of US based workplaces.  

 

It's okay, I have no workplace. *bobs up and down to saucy dance like nobody's watching*

[Scaly Freak]

Chapter 2 was loots of high knees and jumping, which actually was fun (although I had to go carefully with the jumps at the end because my knees begun to whine).  And then Chapter 2 wanted me to wall-sit for 60 seconds, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my quads are still strong and stubborn.  

[Loveable_Bouncer]

I had a rant about Bras... but I know you know the feels. I do an online consultant for mine, since I know few peers my age that have the same issue I have....(heav ho to fight gravity.... )

 

Diana Baset wow it's been too long since I've seen belly dancing. I attempted the class outside of my senior year of school and saw myself dumb at rhythm. Now realizing it's because life was chaos and I had teachers passively freak out at  belly fat (I was tiny than compared to now).... need to self reflect. 

 

 

Joining you on your pandora travels. I need a non excuse quick cardio for my 15 mins of movement. And I always wanted to complete this one. 

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Fairly_Bouncer said:

I had teachers passively freak out at  belly fat

 

Fuck those teachers. Bellies come in all shapes and sizes and if they can't handle that then they shouldn't be teaching belly dance. 

 

And belly dance is difficult. Everyone who is not already a professional dancer, who tries belly dance for the first time, is going to suck at it. Most of us don't naturally move specific body parts in that specific manner, so belly dance class is the first time we ever try to. And for the record, Diana Bastet is not a good basis for comparison unless you're a professional at belly dancing yourself, because what she does in her videos is not beginner basics. I have looked at other belly dance channels and I keep coming back to hers, because she is better. She is in fact very, very good.

 

I've been haphazardly searching for beginner belly dance class videos on YouTube, and if I find any good ones I'll try to remember to post them here. Pandora requires belly dancing!   

[Loveable_Bouncer]

18 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

And belly dance is difficult. Everyone who is not already a professional dancer, who tries belly dance for the first time, is going to suck at it. Most of us don't naturally move specific body parts in that specific manner, so belly dance class is the first time we ever try to. And for the record, Diana Bastet is not a good basis for comparison unless you're a professional at belly dancing yourself, because what she does in her videos is not beginner basics. I have looked at other belly dance channels and I keep coming back to hers, because she is better. She is in fact very, very good.

 

I've been haphazardly searching for beginner belly dance class videos on YouTube, and if I find any good ones I'll try to remember to post them here. Pandora requires belly dancing!   

 

Oh yes, I honestly remember watching belly dancers after shortly learning and could quickly see who puts in the effort despite any weight. I remember once seeing a dancer that had extra weight but you could see all the muscles moving through her... Damn I forgot about that. 

 

Will look forward to you on joining the journey of Pandora and the teachers you may help find (first time imagines my character of Bouncer...). 

 

[Scaly Freak]

Age of Pandora, chapter 3, completed.

[juliebarkley]

Following for what I hope will be a pleasant diversion to cardio!

 

What sort of dance are you thinking of picking up?

 

On 3/27/2022 at 5:48 PM, Scaly Freak said:

I am going to spare you my bitter rantings about how most of the bra industry seems to be designed to make it almost impossible for people who need to wear a bra to find one that fits, and I will also spare you the even more resentful and bitter rant about living in a society that has made it so taboo to talk about breasts that most of us who grew up with them go most of our lives without any idea of what to look for in a bra or even how it's supposed to fit in the first place.

Since you are on the topic of sharing info and experiences and such.... I'm going to take this opportunity to plug A Bra That Fits, and also ask a question. Since you are or have recently been purchasing bras, do you have recommended companies that you have had good experiences with? My size is apparently very unpopular with retailers on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, and the only Canadian company that had more than like two options I bought out of stock and they haven't gotten anything new in since.

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, juliebarkley said:

What sort of dance are you thinking of picking up?

 

Probably a very personal interpretation of belly dancing. With lots of enthusiasm to compensate for my lack of skill  

 

2 hours ago, juliebarkley said:

Since you are on the topic of sharing info and experiences and such.... I'm going to take this opportunity to plug A Bra That Fits, and also ask a question. Since you are or have recently been purchasing bras, do you have recommended companies that you have had good experiences with? My size is apparently very unpopular with retailers on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, and the only Canadian company that had more than like two options I bought out of stock and they haven't gotten anything new in since.

 

I am, one by one, buying my replacement bras from Third Love. I took their fittig quiz, and then took advantage of their introductory offer to get a discount and an extended trial period of my first bra from them.  Ironically, that bra is now my least favorite of the three (the wires begin to poke me around the 14-hour mark, while the other two last a few hours longer before the discomfort sets in). I have learned from this that shape and, for lack of better words,  gravity's effect on the shape, are as important as cup size.

 

I don't know if the introductory offer is available for customers outside the US, but their shipping FAQ has a section on returns from Canada, implying they ship there. In addition, they do seem to carry a variety of sizes, including half cup sizes in some models. I wish they carried a few more bright colors, but overall I am quite happy with the bras I have purchased from them so far.

[juliebarkley]

7 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Probably a very personal interpretation of belly dancing. With lots of enthusiasm to compensate for my lack of skill  

 

I am, one by one, buying my replacement bras from Third Love. I took their fittig quiz, and then took advantage of their introductory offer to get a discount and an extended trial period of my first bra from them.  Ironically, that bra is now my least favorite of the three (the wires begin to poke me around the 14-hour mark, while the other two last a few hours longer before the discomfort sets in). I have learned from this that shape and, for lack of better words,  gravity's effect on the shape, are as important as cup size.

 

I don't know if the introductory offer is available for customers outside the US, but their shipping FAQ has a section on returns from Canada, implying they ship there. In addition, they do seem to carry a variety of sizes, including half cup sizes in some models. I wish they carried a few more bright colors, but overall I am quite happy with the bras I have purchased from them so far.

Alas, their fitting quiz quickly told me they do not carry my size.

 

Just from personal experience - fitting quizzes (and Victoria's Secret-type human fitters) often put people in bands that are too big by 1-2 sizes. When I've had wires poke, it was usually because the band was either too big in the first place or had stretched out. If the panel between the breasts is not sitting flush with your body (ie. you could fit a pencil in the gap on the bottom), maybe try a band size down and a cup size up and see if it is more comfortable. The extra tightness takes a little getting used to, but it makes underwires so much more comfortable that usually you just forget they're there. (Example: moving day of 25000 steps and much carrying of things leaning on my chest, and I had to make one small adjustment all day.)

[Scaly Freak]

26 minutes ago, juliebarkley said:

Alas, their fitting quiz quickly told me they do not carry my size.

 

Just from personal experience - fitting quizzes (and Victoria's Secret-type human fitters) often put people in bands that are too big by 1-2 sizes. When I've had wires poke, it was usually because the band was either too big in the first place or had stretched out. If the panel between the breasts is not sitting flush with your body (ie. you could fit a pencil in the gap on the bottom), maybe try a band size down and a cup size up and see if it is more comfortable. The extra tightness takes a little getting used to, but it makes underwires so much more comfortable that usually you just forget they're there. (Example: moving day of 25000 steps and much carrying of things leaning on my chest, and I had to make one small adjustment all day.)

 

The band is not the issue, it fits perfectly for all three models. I think the reason the band pokes on the outside of the cups on this model is because it sits right below the centerline of the breast itself, and gravity must be obeyed, and also because the cups are designed for a breast shape that keeps them closer together. 

[juliebarkley]

13 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

The band is not the issue, it fits perfectly for all three models. I think the reason the band pokes on the outside of the cups on this model is because it sits right below the centerline of the breast itself, and gravity must be obeyed, and also because the cups are designed for a breast shape that keeps them closer together. 

Oh, it pokes on the outside. My bad. I've only ever had it poke on the inside. Could be a simple shape/style mismatch, as you suggest.

[Scaly Freak]

5 minutes ago, juliebarkley said:

Oh, it pokes on the outside. My bad. I've only ever had it poke on the inside. Could be a simple shape/style mismatch, as you suggest.

 

Mine always poke on the outside. After learning about shapes and directions, the reason for it seems pretty clear to me, and it really helped when I was selecting the other two models.