Welcome to Noob Forest (the tutorial fetch quest)

[Red Dragoon]

NPC: Well, hello there, traveler. Don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before. Always nice to see a new face, just make yourself right at home. (smiles) Actually, do you think you can help me out a little? If you’re feeling up to it, can you go out into the Emerald Forest, fetch me some water from the stream there? Just be careful, the forest is crawling with Cacaobites, they can be tough if you don’t have a lot of experience.

 

(Accept Quest: Yes / No)

 

NPC: Thanks, traveler. I appreciate the help. I’ll pay you back, one day. If you get K.O’d I’ll revive you, but you only get twice a week for free, otherwise I got to charge you.

 

NPC: Oh, and if you want, introduce yourself around. Oh, I know that look. Have things you’re trying to escape from, do you? No, you don’t have to tell me. A lot of people here are looking for a fresh start. Might not be as bad as what you knew. At least keep talking to me, I’ll make it worth your while.

 

***Note: While traveling, you may find pages of the Tome of Ancient Fairy Tales. Collect as many as you can, bring them to the Archivist for a reward***

 

 

Objective:

 

Go to the Emerald Forest (walk for at least five minutes at least five days a week)

 

Collect water for NPC (drink 32oz water every day)

 

Monster: Cacaobites (35/35 hp) (reduce sugar intake, no more than 35g a day, don’t go over more than twice in a week or it will cost you)

 

Collect Tome Pages (write some every day, pages collected are either one fully typed page or one notebook page back and front)

 

Bonus: Speak with your fellow travelers (not a requirement yet, just a nice idea)

 

________________________________

 

Notes:

 

This is my first challenge, and if I'm going to gamify my life, might as well go all out. 

 

Low water count I'm sure, but I'm used to drinking more coffee than water, wanted to start light. Same with the sugar, I wanted a solid number to work with (that wasn't an unrealistic at this stage zero), found a lot of conflicting advice and just picked one I think I could manage (it will involve me paying attention to sugar intake as well, another new habit and new level of food awareness)

 

I don't focus on word count with writing, and since I hand write all first drafts I don't get my word count right off anyway (not until the chapter is finished). I'll count pages as a compromise, for what that may be worth.

 

I'm better at speaking on my own threads and responding when spoken to. That's taken a big chunk of courage. I'd like to be able to speak to other people here on my own, but if I can't quite manage yet, that's all right, too. (maybe I can like people's posts as an easier alternative)

 

Going to start on the fourth, just posting the plan for now.

[BarbarianBassBro]

Hehe, nice quest. good luck with it!  

[Febri]

I enjoyed reading your quest  good luck on your journey

[Red Dragoon]

3 hours ago, BarbarianBassBro said:

Hehe, nice quest. good luck with it!  

 

1 hour ago, Febri said:

I enjoyed reading your quest  good luck on your journey

 

Thanks, guys!

[Dawnwings]

Love it! Very creative gamification, and I think it will likely help you a lot as you. I like your goals, they're tidy and measurable so that should really help you tick them off.
And if you're happy posting here, and liking people's comments, that's great. It's sort of like those bits of dialogue in game where the NPCs walk past and say something and you sort of acknoweldge it in your mind but keep doing what you were doing. I think it counts
Can't wait to see how you go against the Cacaobites! Here's hoping they don't ambush you as much as they ambush me in the woods

[Cazamoline]

Now that is how you start a quest! I love it.  

 

Good luck on your quest. 

[Fluffy]

Love how you wrote this!  Can't wait to see how you do!

[Matrim_Cauthon]

Excellent set up!  Far more creative than I could ever manage.  Your goals are a great starting point.  Good luck!

[JuniperBlossom]

I love your setup!  What a fun way to gamify your goals!  I love that you picked goals that make sense to you right where you are.  I look forward to following your quest.

[Red Dragoon]

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

 

Especially with the goals here. I struggled the most over those, finding that balance between possible and way too easy. Its good to hear other people say they seem reasonable.

 

Glad you like the set up. Might as well stretch my creative muscles while I'm at it. Let's see how far I can go with it.

[Red Dragoon]

Explore The Emerald Forest?

(Yes / No?)

 

You set out along a well worn path. Everything looks pretty and green, like a post card. Bird chirp, mosquitoes are unheard of, bunnies hop merrily around with big cartoon eyes and everyone you pass is whistling showtunes. You seem a little disappointed, but what did you expect? This is Noob Forest, we're still easing you into the adventure, of course its all non threatening. You need to work your way up to Gritty Horror House, or Fire Blasted Hellscape. But don't worry, traveler, you'll get there!

 

You walked for 50 minutes.

 

You collect 40oz of water from the river

 

You take 31.5 points damage from wandering Cacaobite. You defeat the Cacaobite. You receive 1 Crumpled Candy Wrapper

 

You find 2 Tome Pages.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Whether I walked for 2 miles or 1.6 is in dispute between the treadmill and the iPod step counter.

 

Much of that sugar came from an apple I ate today

 

I'll probably drink more water than that before the day is over, but as of dinner that's where I'm at.

 

[Red Dragoon]

Explore The Emerald Forest?

(Yes / No?)

 

You walked 1.87 miles

 

You collected 56 oz. of water

 

You take 31 points damage from wandering Cacaobite. You defeat the Cacaobite. You receive 3 Hidden Razorblades

 

You find 1 Tome Page

 

____________________________________________________________

 

Exercise today was a Zombies, Run 5k training session, I didn't think to look at how long it took me so I went with the step counter instead.

 

I'm beginning to realize, even on the second day, the sugar goal may have been a tad restrictive, moreso than I thought. I'm finding it hard to balance, while I'm avoiding sugary snacks it does come up in enough small amounts in things I eat every day that I didn't know about until I started to keep track (like zucchini, one of my go to vegetables ). The first two days I barely made count on just normal every day food. I'm not going to drop it, going to see what I can do, but if I'm off for a few days I won't go so hard on myself, and after this is over, I'll lighten up on it and rethink my numbers.

 

Doing great on the water so far, though.

[Dawnwings]

Sounds like you're doing really well! And I love your updates, they're great!

Have you considered shifting the sugar restriction a little? Naturally occurring sugars tend to be processed differently by the body, from what I understand though I could be wrong, so maybe adjust to take that into account?

[Red Dragoon]

3 hours ago, Dawnwings said:

Sounds like you're doing really well! And I love your updates, they're great!

Have you considered shifting the sugar restriction a little? Naturally occurring sugars tend to be processed differently by the body, from what I understand though I could be wrong, so maybe adjust to take that into account?

 

Thanks, I'm having fun with it (the updates, that is).

 

I did consider that, but wasn't sure if it would look too much like changing the rules midway through. It does feel like it might be legitimate, not worrying so much about zucchini and making an exception for it. I don't know. Any opinions, anyone?

[Red Dragoon]

A Fluffy Black Cat appears!

 

Traveler       vs.       Fluffy Black Cat

 

Fluffy Black Cat uses Look Pathetic

It is very effective!

 

Traveler uses Mind Own Business

Fluffy Black Cat uses Sit on Lap and Purr

 

Fluffy Black Cat Wins!

 

You walked 10 minutes

 

You collect 48oz water

 

You find 1 Tome Page

 

___________________________________________________

 

I should've put this up before I went to sleep last night, but I was brain dead and didn't get a chance. The low walk time is in large part because my legs needed a break, but the Fluffy Black Cat (surely an agent of some great evil) sensed every time I was going to get up and thwarted me so it was the last thing I did before I went to bed.

 

It was more like 1.5 Tome Pages, I stopped where the scene ended.

 

K.O'd on sugar, taking one of the free days.

[Dawnwings]

Kitten!! Yay kitten! Pets know when you need to take a break. Cats are just better at making you do it

 

I don't think changing your goals to take into new information is a bad thing. In fact, if you don't change what you're doing because what you thought you needed to do and what you need to do are actually different, you could undermine your goal and sense of achievement entirely. For example, I thought doing one strength workout would be a giant challenge, but since I've accidentally found out I'm fitter than I thought, I'll keep track of how much I am capable of and adjust the challenge accordingly. If I didn't, I wouldn't get fitter, I might plateau or lose shape. But I didn't know that to start with, so I'll just make sure I stick to the core principle of the goal. Get fitter by doing more. Same applies for you sugar. Maybe only count it for certain things, fruits or snacks depending on which you're aiming to curtail, and see what happens?

[Red Dragoon]

Explore The Emerald Forest?

(Yes / No?)

 

You walked 1.2 miles

 

You collected 40 oz. water

 

You found 1 tome page

 

______________________________________________

 

I think this might be easier for me to record the day before when I first wake up.

 

After some thought, I'm reorganizing the sugar goal. I'd had snacks and desserts in mind when I made it, and (being totally new to paying attention to nutrition) didn't take some things into account, like sugar appearing in the vegetables I eat. I've been hesitant to eat those things while trying to keep to this goal and I know that ultimately isn't a good thing for me.

 

So here's the new deal: I'm not worrying about the vegetables, and I'll give myself a free serving of fruit, the kind I'd normally eat with breakfast. I'll make note of the total to keep an eye on it, but I'm mostly concerned about added sugar and not gorging myself on fruit.

[Red Dragoon]

Explore The Emerald Forest?

(Yes / No?)

 

A wild Cacaobite appears!

 

Traveler     vs.    Cacaobite

 

Cacaobite uses Misleading Labels

"Its sugar made from corn. What could be more natural?"

 

Attack

Skills

Item--------- 1 Crumpled Candy Wrapper

                     1 Perfectly Ordinary and Totally Useless Heirloom Necklace from Deceased Parents

                     3 Hidden Razorblades -------------- Use? (Yes / No?)

 

You use Hidden Razorblades

 

Cacaobite Defeated!!!!

(21/35)

 

You walked 1.6 miles

You collected 48 oz water

You found 2 Tome Pages

 

____________________________________________________

 

Counting breakfast fruit and vegetables, sugar was at 37. So not too far off.

[Polgara19]

Love the way you've written this!  Good idea reworking your cocoa bites goal - more realistic!

[Matrim_Cauthon]

Excellent work thus far!  Your adventure is going good!   I agree with your choice about the fruit and the added sugar.  Fruit has nutritional value. Added sugar to stuff is EVIL!

[Red Dragoon]

Explore the Emerald Forest?

(Yes / No?)

 

The Emerald Forest is filling with thick fog. You are feeling sluggish and tired and slow to move.

 

Status Effect: Energy Down

(Keep Going / Lie Down and Give up / Antidote?)

 

There isn't one. It will wear off in time. Might take hours. Might take days.

(Okay / That Sucks?)

 

I bet it does.

(Okay / Are You Laughing at Me?)

 

N-no. Of course not. Why would I do that? The narrator is only here to help, not to take sadistic glee from watching you struggle. I swear. *throat clears*

(Okay / ...okay??)

(Keep Going / Lie Down and Give up)

 

You walked for fifteen minutes

You collected 40oz water

You take 18 points damage from wandering Cacaobite. You defeat the Cacaobite. You receive 1 Chunk of Nougat

You found 2 Tome Pages

______________________________________________________

 

Going through a period of not sleeping well or long enough and feeling low energy as a result. Its a normal occurrence and I know it should pass any day now. Just would be nice if it hurried up.

 

But, as much as I don't enjoy feeling brain dead and exhausted most of the day and only getting on the treadmill at the very last minute before sleeping, it is encouraging to know that I did still do it, every day this last week. And that I never settled for the bare minimum five minutes either. Small win (or big win, maybe).

[Red Dragoon]

Ugh, okay, breaking format.

 

Been a crappy last two days, thank you sleep issues, and going through the usual anti social, short tempered mood that goes along with that.

 

Monday, I didn't do any walking (making it one of my free days), but made it under the sugar limit (easy to do when you're sleep more than you're awake, you don't eat a whole lot) and I think just made the water requirement.

 

Yesterday, I again just made the water requirement, and I did walk for ten minutes and just sneaked under the sugar limit.

 

I didn't write either day, but that's excusable. I finished something and needed to think on how to start what comes next. The hours I've been currently keeping have me asleep when my room mate is home from work, so I may have to wait until Friday when she's off to go over what I've finished, before I go to type it up.

 

I do think this is getting better, but recovering from an extended crappy sleep cycle does usually mean an abrupt swing out of it, which is never fun. And now I need another quiet day to get my mood back in order.

 

Sorry about this. Will be back with more precise updates very soon.

[BarbarianBassBro]

 

Sorry about this. Will be back with more precise updates very soon.

Don´t worry, you´re doing great!

[Red Dragoon]

Ugh. Slinking back in a week later...

 

I feel kind of bad. But I suppose its not surprising I hit my social limit, I'm an exaggerated introvert as it is and this is as social as I've been in a number of years (yes, really, and I know that's bad, but what are you going to do?). I do want to try and build a tolerance (because I'm hoping to move and live again in a place where I get along with people), but I'll still need to take breaks every now and then.

 

I have kept up with the challenge, even if I'm not reporting it every day. That still counts, right? And not doing too bad with it either, in spite of bad sleep, heat and the city spraying pesticides around that had my asthma acting up for a few days (seems to have passed now, hopefully).

 

Sugar (Cacaobite extermination): That one has been very good, after modifying my goals. Happy to see that I've lowered the added sugar in the not fruit and vegetables I eat, just before beginning this exchanged my usual breakfast yogurt with a plain one adding fruit and honey, since that had been one of the biggest and most regular loads of extra sugar I was eating. It has instead been about abstaining from desserts and finding alternate snacks. Eating more nuts, an apple, and I found a coconut almond milk that doesn't have sugar if I want something other than water and coffee.

 

Water Consumption (collecting for the NPC): I've come up to the line, sometimes maybe just short of it. I've been limiting myself to two cups of coffee a day (bearing in mind that my cup is huge, but as big as my water bottle), making sure they're both filled up at the same time and trying to go back and forth, once beyond the morning when I need it. If I've come short a few times, its been negligible, half a cup off maybe because I was neglecting to drink anything at all.

 

Walking (exploring the emerald forest): I took my two break days last week, and I took one day so far this week (last night, but it was less about lack of motivation and more about poor timing). With the aforementioned asthma issues, and hitting a wall I've hit before where my enthusiasm drained away - understandable, that, I've been near completely inactive for most of my life, that I'm going to automatically bounce from that to working out even five days a week consistently is probably not that realistic. When I drilled that into my head, I decided the important thing was that I kept coming back to it when I found my motivation again, the beginning seeds of a habit. During these weeks, its not been anything strenuous, its been a walk between ten and twenty minutes, always the last thing I do during the day (ugh, I don't learn). I've hit a lazy period, other things in the environment have me feeling like crap, but I still think about this challenge and no, I have to do it, its just ten minutes and I want to win, damn it. And I do it, unless things are pretty bad that day, I still do it.

 

While I kind of wish I had stories of impressive physical feats for this challenge, I'm also a little glad that it came during the lazy period. Trying to develop a small habit I can do when I really don't feel like running from zombies or a punishing body weight routine, that's important too. This, more than anything else, feels like my biggest win here, for those reasons.

 

Writing (collecting tome pages): Took several days off to plan out the next course of action, I knew that was coming and that's fine. But I'm back to it now and its moving right along. So well, actually, I think there's a good chance I might finish the first volume by the time this challenge is done. And now that I realize that, I want to, because how great would that be? Four and a half pages since I stopped reporting daily and my day just started.

 

As far as the added socializing option goes, I was reading through the forum, hitting the like button every now and then, burned out, but I did it, I made a start.

 

I'll try to be around a little more before the challenge ends, I had other fun thematic post ideas I wanted to use. Thanks for the support, people, it really has made a difference.

[Red Dragoon]

NPC: Welcome back, traveler. Long time no see. Have you finished with your task?

(Report - Yes /  No?)

 

NPC: Thank you very much, the water you collected will last us a good while. And you held your own against the Cacaobites, you're stronger than I thought. Maybe next time I can send you a little further out. That is, if you'd want to do some work for me again.

 

NPC: I promised you a reward, so here you go. Welcome to town, I hope to see you again.

 

***Emerald Forest Cleared***

(insert victory fanfare)

 

Level Up: 0 --> 1

 

STR: 2 DEX: 2 STA: 1 CON: 2 WIS: 2  CHA: 1

 

You Receive Bronze Knife

You Learn Skill Will Power

 

Tome of Ancient Fairy Tales Volume One Complete

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

All right, my absence from the forum aside, not a bad job. I managed to finish my novel (the first part) and lost about nine pounds during this time (eleven total since I first weighed myself back in mid March). Hard to argue with that.

 

The sugar ended up being the easiest part, even without the modified rules I rarely went over it, and with the modified rules I was very under. There's not a lot of added sugar in my food anymore which is good to know, and I went a whole month without eating any sweets, which is great and makes me want to eat a whole cake to celebrate. Okay, not really, not that bad, but when my birthday comes around shortly I can enjoy a bit of something in peace.

 

I maintained the walking, even if it ended up being more a quick walk of ten minutes each day (I only did the whole week the first time, the others I took my two free days each time). On one hand I suppose it was good that I managed to do something even if it wasn't something more intensive, on days when I otherwise might not have had the motivation. But, the more I thought it over, the more I wondered if having that bare minimum made it more difficult to get back the motivation to do the more intensive work, let me slide by for longer when I otherwise might have struggled to get going again. That's a point, too. Balance can be hard to find. I met my goal though, so good.

 

The water was not an unreasonable amount, but the hardest to do just on account of my tendency to not pay attention. When I kept focused during the day, it was a simple thing; when I let my mind wander or got too involved in some task, I'd be downing water before I went to bed.

 

Writing, well, I finished something. Something huge (200,000 plus words, here). I often don't finish things. And I've gotten a lot more done since reporting here than I had in most of the past year. So I'm very proud of that.

 

Thanks for the support, people.