Ranger Hal Posted September 28 Author Report Share Posted September 28 Y'all, this is the best challenge ever! I've never made it past the third page before! Week 3 Friday Went bouldering (+3 xp) and finished a new V3 route (+2 xp). I'm actually not sure if I finished it previously or just got really close, but I know I didn't get any points for it before because it didn't have a grade posted last time. But I definitely finished it this time. I got pretty close on another V3, but couldn't quite get the balance to get my second hand on the finish hold. It will be there later for me to work on. I also tried a couple of harder things and then climbed easier stuff before heading home. I chopped a few blackberries after I got home (+10 xp). They are being sneaky and staying low to the ground in areas I cleared this spring, so they weren't as noticeable until I got up close. I have exciting plans to modify my challenge to get more work done on the blackberries, but it needs to wait until I kill the latest Needle Blight. Candles and teeth also happened for a short rest. Ranger Hal: 10 hp Needle Blight 4: 9 hp Short Rests: 15 Week 3: 43 xp 2 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Artemis Prime Posted September 28 Report Share Posted September 28 43 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: Y'all, this is the best challenge ever! I've never made it past the third page before! Nice. Hooray for fun mechanics encouraging positive behaviors! This is exactly how themed challenges are supposed to work. 44 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: finished a new V3 route (+2 xp). I'm actually not sure if I finished it previously or just got really close, but I know I didn't get any points for it before because it didn't have a grade posted last time. But I definitely finished it this time Congrats, nicely done! 44 minutes ago, Ranger Hal said: They are being sneaky and staying low to the ground in areas I cleared this spring, so they weren't as noticeable until I got up close. I have exciting plans to modify my challenge to get more work done on the blackberries, but it needs to wait until I kill the latest Needle Blight. Death to Needle Blights! 2 Quote "For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline". - 2 Timothy 1:7 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." -Gandalf Link to comment
Sovalis Posted September 28 Report Share Posted September 28 You’re doing so great, Hal! Congratulations! 1 Quote Past Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 Current Challenge: #17 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment
DarK_RaideR Posted September 29 Report Share Posted September 29 15 hours ago, Artemis Prime said: Nice. Hooray for fun mechanics encouraging positive behaviors! This is exactly how themed challenges are supposed to work. Very much this. Quoting for emphasis, because a single like didn't feel enough. Long may this trend continue. 1 Quote Lvl 65 Multitasker Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted September 29 Author Report Share Posted September 29 On 9/28/2024 at 10:42 AM, Artemis Prime said: Nice. Hooray for fun mechanics encouraging positive behaviors! This is exactly how themed challenges are supposed to work. + 12 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said: Very much this. Quoting for emphasis, because a single like didn't feel enough. Long may this trend continue. Up until now, I had really struggled with themed challenges. I guess it was just a matter of finding the right one (after almost five years hanging out here). I'm really grateful for all of you here on the forums. Without you, I'm not sure I would have found my way to creating this challenge. Special thanks to those who introduced me to Critical Role as the last year and a half of binge watching it really built a foundation I could use for this challenge. 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted September 30 Author Report Share Posted September 30 Week 3 Saturday Weekend hike happened (+10 xp, +5 xp for favored terrain, +8 xp for distance in favored terrain). I get a melee attack plus a bonus action melee attack for it being more than an hour. First is 18 to hit and a sad 4 damage. Second is 8 which misses. Guess I'm still trying to kill this thing. Apparently I need to work on being patient right now. All will be well. I also did candles and teeth for a short rest. Ranger Hal: 10 hp Needle Blight 4: 5 hp Short Rests: 16 Week 3: 66 xp Hal stabbed the Needle Blight again with her shortsword, but it was already pulling away and didn't take as much damage as she'd hoped, and her second swing missed entirely. In spite of taking heavy damage earlier in the fight, this one seemed to be very good at dodging. 2 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted September 30 Author Report Share Posted September 30 Week 3 Sunday Fairly chill day. I spent a bunch of time thinking through the mechanics of next challenge and discovering that Rangers don't get ritual casting. That was a little disappointing because I'd gotten all excited about the possibility of choosing spells that weren't limited by spell slots, but I found a way to get most of the things I want to work on into next challenge. There was something I was considering for a later challenge that doesn't work anymore, but I have at least two months to figure something out. Also got my short rest. It's interesting how much missing one workout and failing to kill a Needle Blight affected this week's xp total. I'm not worried about it. Unless I completely give up, I shouldn't have any problem making it to Level 2. And rolling dice is more fun than xp anyway! Ranger Hal: 10 hp Needle Blight 4: 5 hp Short Rests: 17 Week 3: 66 xp 2 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted September 30 Author Report Share Posted September 30 Week 4 Plan Workouts planned for M, W, and Weekend. My usual T one is bumped by a meeting and my Th/F look busy so I probably won't make it up, but that's why there's a weekly plan, to allow for life to be busy. 2 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 1 Author Report Share Posted October 1 Week 4 Monday Did gym cardio (+10 xp). Ranged attack is 16 to hit and 10 damage which finally takes care of this Needle Blight (+50 xp)! Also did some bouldering (+3 xp) and got the V3 that I was pretty close to finishing on Friday (+2 xp) and also a V2 that I'd been struggling with (+2 xp)! It was a good session. And I did candles and teeth, so that's a short rest. Needle Blight 4: 0 hp Short Rests: 18 Week 4: 67 xp Finally, with a well placed arrow, Hal managed to take down the slippery Needle Blight. Now that that was taken care of, she started to look around. She still had a number of the arrows she brought with her, but with little experience making new ones, she would need practice as her first attempts weren't likely to be successful. There was plenty of wood around for creating arrow shafts, but she was going to need feathers. Noticing signs of a flock of nine turkeys, she began to follow their tracks. Four weeks ago: “I know you weren’t planning to leave quite this soon, but we’ve had a number of reports of Needle Blights on the outskirts of the Veridian Forest. We need someone to deal with it before they attract even bigger problems. The Veridian was always a little dangerous anyway and most people stayed out of it, but we don’t need the denizens growing bold enough to attack travelers on the trade route through Kelton Junction. And while you’re in the area, there apparently used to be some sort of Ranger safe house near the edge of the forest, but many of the rangers from that area were lost in the war and I don’t think anyone has tried to use it for more than 30 years. It would be good to know if it still exists and can be used by other rangers as they travel through.” Hal sat quietly for a moment before nodding. She’d hoped to get further in her studies in the city, but at least the travel would give her time to practice the new songs she’d learned. And it might be interesting to visit that area. Her uncle was one of those rangers lost in the war against the great evil, and although she’d never met him, she’d heard stories from her mother. She closed the journal containing all her notes and sketches and began packing for the journey. She picked up a set of woodcarver’s tools and a number of arrowheads on her way out of the city. Given the amount of time she was going to be away, running out of arrows was a real possibility. She didn’t know how to use the tools very well, but maybe given enough practice she could teach herself to make passable replacement arrows. I'm introducing a new mechanic for dealing with the blackberries around my house. Creating new arrows requires arrowheads (already acquired in the city), feathers, and wood. Hunting turkeys (maybe just one to start with, we'll see) will provide feathers (8d6 feathers per turkey, 3 required for each arrow). For every day I do any chopping of the blackberries (for wood to make arrow shafts), I can attempt to create arrows on a short rest. Not being proficient in woodcarver's tools, starting out, I need to make a dexterity check (DC 18) to successfully make an arrow. After making 5 successful arrows, the DC drops to 15 and I can attempt 1d2 arrows per short rest. After 25 successful arrows, the DC drops again to 12 and I can attempt 1d4 arrows per short rest. After creating 250 arrows, I will be proficient in using the woodcarver's tools to make arrows and can start attempting more interesting arrows (maybe fire arrows, maybe magic arrows once I have access to spells, I haven't decided yet). Turkey stats: AC 11, 3 HP, 10 xp I'm also going to start tracking the days I practice memorizing songs. I have some thoughts about using this to bump up Charisma to allow a multiclass into Bard (if I still want to do it when I get to that point), but I haven't worked out all the details yet. However, I can start tracking without knowing all the details. 5 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 2 Author Report Share Posted October 2 Week 4 Tuesday No workout because of an evening meeting, but that was on the calendar, so I'm safe from being attacked. The later part of the evening involved logistics of getting ready to pick up my truck from the shop in the morning (the original power steering pump was leaking and needed to be replaced after 400k miles which seems fair), but I did get candles and teeth done, so short rest. Turkey: 3 hp Short Rests: 19 Week 4: 67 xp Moving quietly, Hal approached a small clearing and spotted the turkeys foraging for food among the grass. 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 3 Author Report Share Posted October 3 Week 4 Wednesday Got my gym cardio (+10 xp) and some bouldering (+3 xp). Ranged attack against the turkey misses (9 to hit). Chopped some blackberries, but no arrow making attempts because I don't have feathers yet. Also, short rest. Turkey: 3 hp Short Rests: 20 Week 4: 80 xp Hal fired an arrow, but it went wide and lodged in a nearby tree. The turkeys were startled, but Hal froze and after a few minutes where there didn't appear to be any further danger, they went back to eating. 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Artemis Prime Posted October 3 Report Share Posted October 3 3 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: The turkeys were startled, but Hal froze and after a few minutes where there didn't appear to be any further danger, they went back to eating. Not very good survival instincts there - sounds like turkeys. I really like your arrow making mechanic. I kind of want to incorporate it into an actual game. 2 Quote "For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline". - 2 Timothy 1:7 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." -Gandalf Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 3 Author Report Share Posted October 3 5 hours ago, Artemis Prime said: Not very good survival instincts there - sounds like turkeys. Mostly I just didn't want to narrate tracking them down again ? 5 hours ago, Artemis Prime said: I really like your arrow making mechanic. I kind of want to incorporate it into an actual game. Thanks! I borrowed some from this Fletcher's Kit that I found online (lots of ideas there for special arrows that do weird or interesting things if you can find the right feathers), but some of it I had to make up to get around the 250 days that the Player's Handbook says you need to gain proficiency with a new set of tools. 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 4 Author Report Share Posted October 4 Week 4 Thursday Took the day off work to hang out with SAR friends and play patient for some training. I also got to sleep in because the first training scenario was cancelled. It was good. Did candles and teeth for a short rest. Turkey: 3 hp Short Rests: 21 Week 4: 80 xp 5 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 5 Author Report Share Posted October 5 Week 4 Friday Bonus gym cardio workout (+10 xp) gives me another ranged attack against the turkey which also misses (7 to hit). This is a little ridiculous. Oh well. Also did some bouldering (+3 xp) and finished one new V3 (+2 xp). I got pretty close on another one, so maybe next week I'll get it. Chopped some more blackberries, but again, no feathers for arrow making. Did candles and teeth, so that's another short rest. Turkey: 3 hp Short Rests: 22 Week 4: 95 xp 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 7 Author Report Share Posted October 7 Week 4 Saturday Pretty sure this was kind of a crash and burn day. Stayed up past 4am, slept until 2pm. Didn't do morning candle, although I did do evening candle and teeth. Had a bit of a melt down when I found out that a favorite restaurant apparently closed. I didn't go there all that often, but it was a comfortable place and I knew exactly what I liked to get. I don't go out to eat that much, so a lot of times I'm picking something off the menu that I don't necessarily know I'll love, so having somewhere I was very familiar with, well, I'm really going to miss it. Week 4 Sunday Didn't get a hike in this weekend. Like I said, Saturday was a day. And today had some extra things (good to get done) that took up most of the time I would normally use for hiking. But I did throw on my pack and go for a walk, so I'm going to count that as a pack workout (+10 xp). It's not a hike, so no favored terrain bonuses, but it was a couple of miles outdoors, so it does get exploration (+2 xp). That's a shortsword attack (14 to hit) that hits the turkey for 8 damage (+10 xp). I get 33 feathers from the turkey (8d6). I chopped some blackberries, so I get one arrow attempt (dex check of 8.) which fails, using 3 feathers. Also did candles and teeth for a short rest. I feel pretty good about today, like I managed to salvage something of the weekend. Turkey: 0 hp Feathers: 30 Arrows: 0 successful (DC 18) Short Rests: 23 Week 4: 117 xp After a second arrow missed, Hal decided that today was just not her day for archery and ran up to hit a turkey with one of her shortswords. The rest of the turkeys scattered, but she did manage to take down that one. It was not exactly what she'd hoped for, but it was a start. She made camp and settled down to pluck the turkey and cook it over a small fire, carefully saving as many feathers as she could. Her first attempt at making an arrow with her new woodcarver's tools was rather dismal, but that was to be expected. 5 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 8 Author Report Share Posted October 8 Week 5 Plan Workouts M, T, W, and Weekend. Week 5 Monday Went to bouldering night (+3 xp) and got pretty close on a new V3. Maybe next time! Did gym cardio afterwards (+10 xp) for a ranged attack. 7 to hit, so that misses. Chopped some more blackberries (there's something very satisfying about pulling out a runner that has just started to put down roots but isn't very well established yet) for another arrow attempt (dex check of 14) which also fails. Did candles and teeth for a short rest. Needle Blight 5: 18 hp Feathers: 27 Arrows: 0 successful (DC 18) Short Rests: 24 Week 5: 13 xp Hal spotted one more Needle Blight. She had seen fewer recent signs of them, suggesting that there weren't too many of them left in the forest. She fired an arrow, but again, it flew wide. After this fight, maybe she should check her bow in case it had been damaged. Normally she was a better shot than this. 4 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 9 Author Report Share Posted October 9 Week 5 Tuesday Stairs workout (+10 xp) for a melee attack. 20 to hit and 8 damage. Chopped more blackberries (and attempted to pull out a few roots, but they'll probably come back). Rolled a natural 20 on the dex check (total of 23) for the arrow attempt, so that's a success! Also, the first time I rolled a natural 20 with my dice! I think I'll wait to narrate that part though. It doesn't really make sense to be making arrows in the middle of combat. I've already decided I'll have to split the story next challenge because it will make even less sense with all the things I'm planning then. Candles and teeth happened, so short rest. Needle Blight 5: 10 hp Feathers: 24 Arrows: 1 successful (DC 18) Short Rests: 25 Week 5: 23 xp The Needle Blight charged in, but Hal drove it back with a solid stab from her shortsword. 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
DarK_RaideR Posted October 9 Report Share Posted October 9 3 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: I think I'll wait to narrate that part though. It doesn't really make sense to be making arrows in the middle of combat. Maybe something happens in combat that teaches our hero a lesson in regards to arrows, which they then apply after combat to make arrows? 1 Quote Lvl 65 Multitasker Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 10 Author Report Share Posted October 10 15 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said: Maybe something happens in combat that teaches our hero a lesson in regards to arrows, which they then apply after combat to make arrows? Hmm, I'll have to keep that in mind and see if anything comes to me. Otherwise, I'll probably just save the arrow making description for when I've finished off the enemy. 1 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 10 Author Report Share Posted October 10 Week 5 Wednesday Gym cardio (+10 xp) for a ranged attack. 19 to hit and and 11 damage which finishes off the Needle Blight (+50 xp)! The gym friends were doing mostly ropes tonight, so I did a bit of climbing with them. It was fun! We also did a little bouldering at the end (+3 xp) and even though I only did about 3 routes, one of them was a new V3 (+2 xp). I liked it. I feel like I should add xp for harder climbs, maybe 5.11- and above. I don't do much climbing, but I feel like I should get credit for the bit that I do. Maybe next challenge. Chopped blackberries (might have to slow down a bit or my yard waste bin will be too full), but a dex check of 8 is a failure on the arrow attempt. Also, short rest. Needle Blight 5: 0 hp Feathers: 21 Arrows: 1 successful (DC 18) Short Rests: 26 Week 5: 88 xp A solid arrow shot finished off the Needle Blight. Taking a break to rest, Hal attempted a few more arrows. Two were failures, but one looked like it just might work. As she began looking around, she found no further signs of Needle Blights, but she did pick up the trail of a couple more turkeys. Maybe she could gather some more feathers before starting on her next task. 5 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 11 Author Report Share Posted October 11 Week 5 Thursday Lots of feelings right now. Why did Covid ruin so many things? Nothing's wrong, but as many things as have gone back to normal, some stuff hasn't and I'm sad. Also, because I'm not telling anybody about it, they can't do anything to help, although I don't think it's reasonable to expect them to fix it. I hate being broken. Anyway, pulled out and chopped some blackberries. Dex check of 12 for arrow making which fails. Candles and teeth for a short rest. Needle Blight 5: 0 hp Feathers: 18 Arrows: 1 successful (DC 18) Short Rests: 27 Week 5: 88 xp 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
Whisper Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 I've been feeling the need for more ritual in my life. I bought a candle and fancy matches. Haven't started using them yet, need to get a space set up, but wanted you to know that I've taken some inspiration. 1 Quote We are not sinners trespassing in the garden of an angry God. We are prodigals come home; fully seen and deeply loved. Spoiler Unused for now, Quest Log: Not Silence in the Library but a Whisper in the Academy Link to comment
Mistr Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 7 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: Week 5 Thursday Lots of feelings right now. Why did Covid ruin so many things? Nothing's wrong, but as many things as have gone back to normal, some stuff hasn't and I'm sad. Also, because I'm not telling anybody about it, they can't do anything to help, although I don't think it's reasonable to expect them to fix it. I hate being broken. Oh yes, I hear you on this. Personally, I feel like I lost 3 years of regular exercise at a crucial period (my late 50s) and I am struggling to get back in shape. I also notice that my tolerance for being around other people is lower than it was. I want the connection, but in controlled amounts. My impression is that a lot of people are suffering long term effects from the trauma as well as the viral infections. People want to go back to normal, but neither the people or the world around us is like it was before. 4 Quote Level 80 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted October 11 Author Report Share Posted October 11 3 hours ago, Mistr said: I also notice that my tolerance for being around other people is lower than it was. I want the connection, but in controlled amounts. Yeah, I think my tolerance is a little lower, but it was never super high to begin with. I've spent a lot of my life generally avoiding crowded areas, so I feel like connection in controlled amounts has always been the way things were. 4 hours ago, Mistr said: My impression is that a lot of people are suffering long term effects from the trauma as well as the viral infections. People want to go back to normal, but neither the people or the world around us is like it was before. The strange thing is that not all that much changed for me, at least not after the first several months of Covid. Sure, we had to wear masks at times, and handwashing became a bigger priority, but I was still going to work, church, SAR, and outdoor activities (which I already did a lot of) mostly as usual. I know I'm very privileged that Covid was mostly just a weird blip that didn't have a huge effect on my life, but I'm wondering if that's making things harder now. My life returned to normal very quickly, but everyone else's lives didn't. The thing that really hit me this time was how much my department at work has changed. Because of office moves and job changes, the part of my group assigned to my office is about half what it was, and the folks that are left, I'm lucky if I see them once a week for part of the day. So many people are choosing to work from home (because why wouldn't you, unless you're weird like me) almost every day and when they do come in, they usually leave early to pick up kids (which to be fair, some people did before Covid, but it wasn't as widespread) or beat traffic or whatever and just work a few hours later in the evening to make up for it. So my work community, that I used to see 30-40 hours a week (even though a lot of times we were just working on our own projects and didn't necessarily interact all that much) never really came back. I can't blame them for taking advantage of the new normal to spend more time with family or less time commuting, and it seems selfish to wish they were around the office more. 3 Quote Challenges: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Adventures: Adventurers Wanted: A West-Marches Campaign Link to comment
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