DarK_RaideR

Echoing this. Given your recent work thoughts, interviews and decision to stay, y'know.

I've seen it in other Invision-based forums before, however these always show "1 other person is here". Maybe there's an option to switch into such a display, so it's a bit more anonymous than showing exactly who is on the thread too?

It's like an ongoing group mini challenge with narrative RPG elements me and @Sovalis are running for you wonderful people. Just drop by the thread in the Accountability/PvP subforum!

I feel compelled to bring back this classic:

First off, forgot to mention in my last update that we also went for a drive before preparing dinner. It's been a bit of a struggle to add me to the car insurance, but deffy saw it through and now we're doing little drive arounds so I can get used to driving here. Today I did my workout first thing in the morning, so here we go with another mini spreadsheet. Exercise Total Weight Moved (Sets * Reps * Weight) Comments Barbell Overhead Press 3 * 10 * (10+10kg) = 600 kg Pretty ok as usual, I'm prioritizing shoulders so these exercises go first Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Feels like I'd struggle with these if they were done later in the workout Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Managed some better form and range of motion Weighted Lunges 3 * 24 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 900 kg Hate these, so I put them as my first leg exercise. Also, as with all leg stuff, taking it super easy for maintenance alone Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Moved the triceps exercise way up in priority and it paid off, big time. Didn't struggle this time Weighted Sit Ups 3 *10 *20kg = 600 kg Think I got marginally a little more range of motion this time Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 * 20 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 750 kg These really hit the spot Hip Thrusts/Glute Bridges 3 *10 *(10+10kg) = 600 kg Always a magic moment when your gf walks in while you're in the middle of these Dumbbell Rows 3 * 13 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 487.5 kg I know I can do much more weight in a row, so these felt easy Barbell Front Squats 3 * 8 * (10+10kg) = 480kg Almost skipped these since I did lunges, but I decided not to. Best not start with that mentality already Barbell Incline Bench Press 3 * 15 * (10+10kg) = 900 kg This felt a bit harder as it was moved to near the end of the workout Barbell Calf Raises 3 * 20 * (10+10kg) = 1200 kg Started to feel the burn on my grip and forearms here, made me worry for the final exercise Wrist Curls 3 *10 *(10+10kg) = 600 kg Pushed through to the very end Today's workout music Following that, I had an apple and a tangerine as my post workout meal, showered and joined deffy on my laptop for the rest of the working day. Wasn't feeling like driving though, so we did a post work debrief snuggle in bed instead and watched some guidance videos about roundabouts and motorway driving in the UK. Lunch was leftover fritters, flatbreads and dips, then we had even more leftovers that we combined with some amazing falafels and hummus for dinner. Them Oddbox veggies are really seeing us through several days and I got on the scale today to see I've lost some 2,5kg in the three or so weeks I've been here already.

It's been about a week since the first search parties returned to Rebel's Refuge. Their forays have been successful, but there's clearly much out there to still be explored. Everyone has had some time to rest and recover, but Avolen already put the word around for anyone who'd drop by the Emberwood Inn for a meal or drink: seems like Lukaas has an announcement to make. Well, the day has finally come and everyone settles down while the half orc takes the floor at the center of the common room. "Alright, first of all thank you to everyone for answering the call, and thank you for your efforts thus far" he begins. His words are answered by a round of low applause, some choosing to knock on their table approvingly instead of clapping. "It seems our current forces can support up to two different parties at the same time, so I've taken in the information you brought back and used it to plan the next two missions, if you want to call them that. But first, Ellereth told me he wanted to get something in before we get into the nitty gritty of it." The apothecary shuffles from his table to stand next to Lukaas and produces a small vial of a bright red liquid in it. "I have been using the herbs brought to me in order to brew the remedies we'll need for the winter. This is a little extra I made, a healing potion the likes of which come handy to warriors and adventurers such as yourselves". With that, he hands the potion to Lukaas and quickly resumes his seat, clearly happy to be out of the spotlight. The half orc holds the potion and raises a finger to point at Rezka. "I was told you were the one who brought in the biggest batch of herbs, so to me it's only fair you get this, but of course it's up to you lot to manage your resources. However, I will not accept any infighting over such things. I'll hand this to you and it will be your decision, and yours alone, if you want to keep it or give it to someone, and who that might be." Lukaas takes a few steps towards Rezka's table and leaves the vial on it, before stepping back again. "Now, onto business. Those of you who joined Rezka reported signs of activity in that area, and paths branching off the path you followed. Whatever this is, it's too close for comfort. We must know what's going on. Thanks to Guglug's efforts and assistance, Niko was able to identify a path between the mountains and the Emberwood. Should get you to the region further north of the mountains, without having to trek up that rough terrain again, or going too deep into spider territory in the forest. I want you to follow up on those leads, identify who's out there and whether they're friend or foe. No interaction if possible, just observation. Report back to me and we'll plan our next moves. Understood?" Few hums and yeahs later, the half orc responds with a satisfied nod of the head. "It's a similar deal for those of you who went into the Emberwood. Them trinkets and whatnot. Something's clearly behind those spiders, or at least interacting with them. I need you to circle around the woods from the south side, as far up as we've dared to farm and forage. Past that there's a hilly area as you turn around and head back up north again. If who we're searching for doesn't reside in the forest, that's our next best bet. Two things are different for you though. One, it's a longer trek over flat land and I don't want you to waste time, or risk a shortcut through the woods, so I've secured a few horses to make your journey easier. Two, if you do run into whoever it is you're searching for, you have permission to interact with them. I want you to be friendly and diplomatic. Should things get ugly, or if they prove to be hostile, do not engage. We don't know what we're up against, so if it comes to that, retreat and we'll make a more calculated move to take care of that." "That is all, sort your teams out, pack your things and come talk to me if you have any questions." Alright people, it's time for another round of adventuring! As always, let us know if you'll be participating and which team you want to join. Don't forget to drop a link to your challenge and also follow the challenge thread of all the people in the same party as you. Last but not least, @Ranger Hal, what you do with that potion is up to you. Can hand it over to whoever you want now, or hold onto it and use it on yourself or one of your party members when the need arises. No specific mechanics about how it works, we're not doing the maths thing, just consider it as a little narrative prompt that gives you players the right to chip in and slightly alter the story in your favour.

Now you just need to pick up drums and release a one-woman album as "The Starpucks" Good to see you back, following!

Yes. OHAI FREN! Welcome back! Thank you for your comments, I'll hunt down your challenge thread after posting this update. Let's see, what have I been up to while the forums were down... 😎 The rest of Monday was nice, after my workout, shower and forum update, I took a chair and my laptop to go sit in the room where my lovely fiancé was working. It was really nice to hang out together, even if we didn't interact much. Certainly better than being at different floors of the house and I wonder why we weren't doing this earlier. Certainly will be a thing going forward. I've also mentioned how we've been naughty with takeout dinners. Well the other day I found us a Greek place and we tried it out, was real nice and also did some nice dishes I didn't expect to see on the menu, like tomato fritters. Deffy loved those, so we took it into consideration while designing our Oddbox consumption meal plan. This was our dinner: Top left is salad with leafy greens, croutons and parmesan flakes. Right underneath is some tzatziki that deffy made. We like to joke about its originality, since it's got courgette/zucchini shavings instead of cucumber, but I can say it's the tastiest I've tried so I don't really care about the details. Next to that is some delicious pita flatbreads she made from scratch. I made the fritters, top ones are courgette/zucchini based and the bottom ones are the tomato based. Then there's a beetroot, yoghurt, garlic and walnut mix I made in the big bowl, and some taramosalata (fish roe dip) we purchased. It was all delicious, filling, we had plenty of leftovers and I bet if there was a video of us in the kitchen, it'd be a beautiful dance: we each did our own bits without ever getting in each others way and also cleaning up things as we used them. If you've ever done some cooking, or had someone else "help" you with it, you'll know how rare this is. Surely a sign we're made for each other. This morning I was feeling a bit sore all over, so I questioned if my body had recovered enough to hit it with another full body workout. It was a little cold too, so I decided to do some cardio as an active rest day of sorts. I got on the elliptical, which I'd been warned is a bit creaky and needs a little tightening, to manage a mere 15'. Was aiming for more, much more even, but might as well contain my ambition at this point, take it easy and appreciate what I did instead of skipping any physical activity (not true, we do a lot of that kind of cardio on a regular basis). It was a fun experience though, I had my phone resting on the display and playing a podcast, but the creaking had it shifting to the left with every step, so I need it to bring it back into position. Kinda felt like using a typewriter Onwards and upwards!

Don't mind if I do! Cursed AI indeed. Although it did make me think, given the horrors this can produce, it might actually be a useful tool in coming up with new sorts of Dnd monsters and depicting them It's weird because I was never too hyped up, or struggled with screens keeping me up etc, just lived in a place where it's culturally the norm to stay up till very late. Sadly, without a later start to the day as well, which just ends up reducing one's sleep. Welcome everyone, it's Day 1 of the new challenge and as expected, I'm off to a good strong start. The real question is whether this is going to last, which is why I made Sustainability one of my three pillars. I'm intentionally taking it slow for this reason, don't want to take up too much too early and fall off quick. Furthermore, I'm a bit rusty after some time off workouts and there's also the wedding which I expect to create a mid-challenge gap, so I don't want to go hard for a couple of weeks, then do absolutely nothing for a bit, then try to pick up from where I left off for the remainder of the challenge. I had a bit of inspiration last night, as I remembered a Meal Plan diary I'd found in deffy's cupboard. I pulled it out and we more or less planned the week's meals, thus ensuring we'll be eating up all the Oddbox veggies. As an added bonus, it only takes a bit of time to think and plan everything, so we don't have to get creative every evening and wonder what's left and how to cook it, we have a pre-determined roadmap to stick to. Today's meal is tomato and courgette fritters with an assortment of dips. One of them is made of beetroot, yoghurt, garlic and walnuts, so I've already boiled and peeled the beetroots after my workout, before typing this. I began with Setup A and a conservative approach to load/reps. Arbitrarily assigning a weight of 10kg to the barbell and 1.25kg to each dumbbell handle, here's a mini-spreadsheet for all you kinky people: Exercise Total Weight Moved (Sets * Reps * Weight) Comments Barbell Overhead Press 3 * 10 * (10+10kg) = 600 kg Felt pretty ok, but it was also the start of the workout and I was fresh Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Felt just about right Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Struggled to pull off the last few reps of the final set with good form and range of motion Weighted Sit Ups 3 *10 * 20kg = 600 kg Used a 20kg plate, feel like the range of motion was smaller than it should have been Barbell Bench Press 3 * 15 * (10+10kg) = 900 kg Surprised to notice my left side is more well developed. The lifts were easier that side and also the bar hit my chest before it hit the right pec Hip Thrusts/Glute Bridges 3 *10 *20kg = 600 kg Used the 20kg plate again, these did feel quite easy Barbell Biceps Curls 3 * 15 * (10+10kg) = 900 kg Struggled a bit to pull off the last few reps of the final set Barbell Front Squats 3 * 8 * (10+10kg) = 480kg Rather easy, but it's ok. Going low and maintenance on the leg exercises, I already struggle to find pants that will get past my thighs Pull Overs 3 * 8 * 20kg = 480kg Used the 20kg plate, focused on technique to ensure I was pulling with my chest/back rather than arms Barbell Calf Raises 3 * 20 * (10+10kg) = 1200 kg Much like the front squats, not emphasizing this bit much as I'm already at a good level Dumbbell Skull Crushers 3 * 15 * 2 * (1.25+5kg) = 562.5 kg Barely able to move my arms by the end of sets 2 and 3. I remember being better at this and with more weight/reps, so it was likely exhaustion. Might have to consider moving this exercise further up the order. Romanian Deadlift 3 * 8 * (10+10kg) = 480kg More of a Stiff Legged Deadlift than RDL, but I'm not sweating the details. Another leg exercise I'm going real light with. Wrist Curls 3 *10 *(10+10kg) = 600 kg Used the barbell, the final reps were much harder than I expected. Overall it was a good start and I already started feeling a bit sore after my shower, roughly an hour after the end of the workout, likely a sign of being a bit rusty after being absent from the gym. You might have noticed I've got the exercises in an order that allows muscle groups to rest (so it's usually a leg exercise after an arms/upper body one) and it served me well, save for that note to push the triceps one higher up. Last but not least, I'm expanding the Simplicity-Sustainability-Spreadsheets triptych to also include Sick playlists (bro!). Here's what I had on today on shuffle to help me pump that iron:

NEW CHALLENGE GOOOOOO!!!

I’m quite excited about this challenge round, and I haven’t been excited about a challenge in quite some time. A large part of this comes from finally being able to live with my wonderful fiance, who will officially become my wife by the middle of this challenge. We’ve spent a full year trying to make this happen against all odds and it still feels unreal that it’s about to become true. Living with deffy for the past two and a half weeks has been an absolute dream, everything is wonderful and just so easy, so natural. We’ve been a bit naughty, indulging ourselves a little too much on sweet delights and takeout food, but the start of this challenge and our recent subscription to Oddbox should be the start of turning this trend around. We’ve been mostly skipping breakfast and having a light lunch, which is way less than I used to eat on my own, so compared to my previous state, this is a more reasonable fasting/portion control setup I just walked into without any struggles. The move has also been a blessing for my sleeping habits. Compared to where I came from, people here tend to stay in and go to bed early. On top of that, I no longer have to make late night video calls to deffy while 2 time zones ahead of her and staying up late because of that. So sleep is also taken care of. The rest of the fun stuff, like Duolingo or my 2024 Reading Challenge, I’m keeping up with but don’t feel like strictly tracking. With everything else under control, this challenge will focus completely on a single goal, workouts. I have everything else pretty much figured out, I have the equipment, all of the free time and no excuse for failure. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, just done and tracked. In other words, I’m basing my plan on three pillars: Simplicity Sustainability and Spreadsheets!

Following! Also, marrying! And helping with the Oddbox part. And the Greek lessons. And everything.

Cat naps, cantrips... All my brain is reading is "catnip"

I'm saving it for the opening post of the next challenge thread.