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ranmanjuu · 4 years

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not a request but can you imagine oda forces trying to play smash against the anti-oda or they all play minecraft together

i’ll expose myself here. i have never ever played smash (although minecraft steve being announced is super pog) so i can’t tell ya that part bud. but i can with the blok game. (disclaimer that this request was made after i closed it yet my heart said No, you actually Want to do this so here i am. most probably will be short).

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welcome folks, to SengokuSMP.

oda forces:

—nobunaga:

would be the one that steals your iron and shit. commits thefts willy nilly, and no one is exempt from this. if he needs it, he’ll get it with or without your consent.

would kill an iron golem for the few iron it gives

before he got his own base (cause i think he’d just spend most of his time mining and getting materials to protect himself) he’s probably just barge in the nearest bed and sleep in it, regardless of the owner.

his base would probably be built by hideyoshi or sumthn.

he prefers playing pvp more than just survival. since mc placed a kind of restriction for the end (and therefore blocking them from completing the game), he goes onto servers and practice his battles even in a block game.

1.9 axe-shield pvp. he’s tactical in knowing when to strike and block and to back down, and is immaculate with his crits.

—hideyoshi:

probably spends the first few days around nobunaga to protect him. he always fights off the mobs near him even if nobunaga can handle himself.

always reminds people to sleep every night, so that the phantoms don’t come. even though a lot of the players prefer to just stay up.

built a base for nobunaga near his mine cause he needs A Place and not just mooch furnaces and beds from other people.

spawned iron golems for “protection” but nobunaga keeps killing them cause it just gets in the way

would be the one to make mines 4 blocks high so you don’t Bump your head thing, probably like 3 block width and even staircases. would also be the one to make a safety railing across any bridges he finds.

if an ally, he’d greet new players and give them some extra stuff so that they have Something to start off with

i feel like he’d be a pve player idk why

—mitsuhide:

no one knows where he is most of the time. nor his base.

unless you see his nametag (which, most of the time, he’ll see yours first) it’s kinda hard to find him when he’s off and alone.

mf is the black market of the server. whatever potions, potion ingredients, or shit like that, he has. he probably owns like several wither skulls enough to summon a wither.

he would sneak around when mc is mining and just like. scare the shit out of them. the cave noises don’t help.

(the newest screenshot hasn’t been released yet but,) y’all know the warden? the new mob? cause it’s reliant on sounds, if anyone is ever in its proximity he’d throw like snowballs at them so that it goes after them. little shit.

bow skills?? perfect. even in a game his accuracy is spot on. you know those obstacles people make with like slime blocks and maybe mlg 360s? mf can do that

he probably knows enough redstone to make traps, too.

somehow knows what everyone has/doesn’t have.

—masamune:

prank ass bitch.

he probably has like a Source of tnts in his base or something. if anyone is moving out of their old base, he’ll either blow it up or burn it, whether they wanted to or not.

fuck it. he’ll do it even if you’re not moving.

probably doesn’t often sleep and would rather fight off the phantoms than anything.

he probably wants to defeat the dragon quick, cause it’s supposed to be the game’s ultimate goal. but because of the previous restrictions you put, he just goes off and fights other players (cough kenshin, nobunaga)

and when he does kill you, expect like half of your items to not be returned.

also one of the casual thieves in the server. he just doesn’t care that it Belongs to someone and just yoinks

also a pvp player, although i find him leaning more to 1.8 style. he will jitter click you out of existence.

has dogs because idk he gives off that vibe also they Attack.

—ieyasu:

does not log on much lol. he got on once and then Never Again. it’s only when you ask him that he begrudgingly does get in in his own contrarian way.

definitely goes wayy far out for more isolation cause he doesn’t want to get caught up with whatever shit masamune has.

the only major thing he did besides mining and everything was that he got a cat. and almost no one knows about it, other than you because:

“ieyasu has made the advancement [Best Friends Forever]!”

“mc: :OOOOO!!!!”

yeah, you never told anyone.

the longest time that he logged in at first was probably when he found out that cats sleep in beds and just. sat there as the night goes by in his bunker just watching and hearing it purr. he’s a bit irritated when the others tell him to sleep, but then see that the cat went and slept on him that secretly made his heart soft.

and then you insisted on going to his base which took a considerable amount of time, and even with his denying, you decide to decorate and expand his base! you also got to name the cat, but you never knew since you just said like “i’d name it [...]!” and later ieyasu found a name tag and actually did name it that.

—mitsunari:

he doesn’t run a lot i don’t feel. primarily because he was wonky with the controls from the start.

i feel like he’d have the brain to be a redstone engineer. he spends more time like, making those cool machines than anything (probably those that’d help out everyone like an automated farm, etc.)

thing is he forgot that he could die, so most of the time he’s just starve to death without even noticing it.

much like in real life, he always forgets to sleep. and that’s why phantoms are his number 2 in his cause of deaths.

doesn’t have an actual base. hideyoshi built a small one for him, but mitsunari kind of never uses it and just logs off on the spot. at this point it just became a part of the main buildings for everyone or something.

he doesn’t do an awful a lot of collecting and often asks others for some. and when he is given it, he goes “thank you ^^ <3″ and does like the happy-shift thing. it’s honestly too cute for it to be just pixels.

probably knows a lot about minecraft stuff too, it’s just that he never uses any of it.

—ranmaru:

he was so excited the first time you told him that he was invited to the smp of sengoku warlords! would probably frequent the most.

i think he’d just vibe really. not exactly going extremely into pve or pvp or redstone or building, he plays it at a very slow place and more like an animal crossing player would.

like, he builds a small farm and stuff. it isn’t as efficient as mitsunari’s, but it is what it is. also has an animal pen with loads of one animal category and he tends to let people use it with the exclusion of some (coughs masamune) as long as they breed them again or something.

and while he doesn’t go for the big projects, he is kind of a builder? he has the Aesthetic sense while building his house and stuff yk. would maybe lean into the cute, cottagecore stuff.

favorite food in game is probably cake! it takes more effort than most other foods and it just looks cute so he likes making them.

totally has shaders on.

is scared shitless of cave noises at times. you could play 11 near him and he’d just straight up panic and log off.

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uesugi-takeda forces:

—shingen:

i find him to be maybe one of those builders that stick to large projects and stuff idk why

he does other things too, mainly pvp (he likes to just head over to nobunaga’s base and kill him sometimes. not that the man doesn’t accept the challenge). would probably also be more into 1.9 pvp because he’s a very calculative person in fighting. yes even in block game.

but the first thing he built once he’s set from collecting materials, was a “restaurant”. for what, you ask? why of course he takes you on a minecraft date. that was the top of his list the moment you even told him about the smp

once the others found out (which was not that long) he just started bragging. kenshin burnt down the building later on.

but he always escorts mc or some shit while spewing out his Lines in chat, sometimes doing the bow in game thing. in response, there are several barfs in chat, and a list of people coming to kill him.

mf likes to combat log on kenshin when he’s on a Killing Spree for the shits and giggles.

—kenshin:

first time you told him about it, he was very happy to learn something about mc’s modern times, even if it’s a children’s game. unfortunately, he didn’t know what an ‘smp’ meant.

so when he logged on and saw that there were Other people, his smile turned into a deadly frown as he just began punching them to death. he only stopped when they ran off and you intervened.

he tried having you stick around longer when you were giving him a tutorial of how to play the game.

at first he only collected material to get stronger. and by that only sword because he sees no need in getting armor (he doesn’t die in battle irl, he can’t die in a simple game). but WRONG cause he got killed by shingen who, even though he had a stone axe, had iron armor while kenshin got nothing but an iron sword.

he doesn’t make a base (why do so many here don’t make bases istg). in fact, he doesn’t log on much.

at first, he only goes on if mc is on. it’s only when he sees that mc appreciates some of the work the others have put into things (like shingen’s builds, mitsunari’s redstone, etc.) is when kenshin tries to Do Things Too and kinda fail.

this man kinda has no aesthetic sense in the block game. but you give him a for effort.

1.8 pvper. he can definitely do 1.9, but more the former mostly cause his deadly anger makes him jitter click like crazy. often challenges others (consented or not) which mostly includes masamune and nobunaga, and he often surprise attacks shingen and sasuke.

—yukimura:

honestly a normal player in survival.

he makes a decent house, has some pretty strong gear, and just helps around his allies a lot (mostly {try to} drag kenshin away from trouble, scold shingen for being too close to mc {though it’s a him problem ngl} and just being a messy caretaker).

i feel like he’d enjoy tekkit tbh. sasuke would probably introduce it to him and he’d just generally enjoy it.

but this is about the smp

he got lucky the first drowned he killed dropped a trident and it’s been his favorite weapon.

probably tried at one point to build kenshin a small base but he wouldn’t listen so like. shrugs.

he’s a bit iffy with playing alongside the enemies in the same server, but they are kind of divided into two. and mc did say it was just for fun and games and they didn’t want to see actual wars be dragged into this, so he just lets it go and has fun.

he looks forward to beating the enderdragon a lot, when the end is available.

—sasuke:

oh Boy he’s having a field day. his adored sengoku warlords? playing minecraft, his childhood game??? absolute pog.

even though it was you who proposed the idea, the one who set up the server in the first place was sasuke, since he has more knowledge on that stuff.

since he got his bearings quicker than the rest from experience, and he was earlier to log on due to testing and stuff, he mostly helps you with building like the main hub, like the center place for everyone and generally things that involve helping the overall smp.

can mlg water bucket, through a lot of trial and error. he uses it mostly to make dramatic entrances where he drops from a hill and just not take damage.

^ speaking of Dramatic Entrances, he probably has a chest full of ender pearls for those specifically.

although he helps a lot with guiding everyone, at times, he pulls out the ol’ “sleep in the nether :)” suggestion just to troll

ngl he’d stick to his ninja thing and successfully make a redstone-wired door and has his banger secret base in it

—yoshimoto:

the s in smp doesn’t exist to him.

he’s just a collector, really. one of his first priority isn’t even materials like stone, the moment he finds any kind of flowers he’ll pick it up. it’s only when yukimura and sasuke actually Give him shit does he start living a not broke life.

probably dies a lot to mobs and stuff

but like legit, this man spent a long time collecting all 13 discs and almost every flower (yes, even the biome only ones) because he wants to take it all in. nevermind the fact that he can just listen to the discs online and all.

he’s immaculate in his aesthetics. even with just wood he makes his base look really cool ngl.

some parts of it are plastered with every painting there is in minecraft, or just item frames, or flowers in their pots. every decoration you can think of, lamps, campfires, even armor stands, he has them.

you gotta give him credit, it’s a lot of effort.

he often afks just to listen to the music even though, again, he could just listen to it online.

got into a bit of a spiel with ranmaru, since he unknowingly dyed a lot of his sheep (he did categorize it with color though). and so they made an agreement to just have every color sheep, and put them in different pens. so they just shared it now

he saw the cave updates and went silently bonkers because how pretty some look (like the lush caves? hello??)

he has like. 14+ texture packs and 4 different shaders ready at his settings.

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itsbenedict · 3 years

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Two-Faced Jewel: Session 4

A half-elf conwoman (and the moth tasked with keeping her out of trouble) travel the Jewel in search of, uh, whatever a fashionable accessory is pointing them at. [Campaign log]

Saelhen and Looseleaf, following their recent dance conquest, get back on the road to Thunderbrush- and get themselves wrapped up in a blood feud between rival farming villages. Before that, though... something goes bump in the night.

It's the night after the wedding reception, and the party has free rooms, courtesy of Carrid Bronzebloom. Looseleaf and Oyobi remain roomies, Vayen shares a room with Orluthe, and Saelhen insists on a room of her own, as a proper noblewoman.

Also as a proper noblewoman, she searches the room for any and all places of entry or exit, and places some ball bearings in front of them. It's just the window and the one door, so... two spots.

In the night...

A pair of crit fails, on the part of whoever's sneaking into her room at night, and on Saelhen's part to notice them! Saelhen, it seems, meant to sleep with one eye open, but the eyes disagreed on which one it should be, and she dozed off something fierce.

Which means that Oyobi, trancing in the adjacent room (elves don't sleep!) is the only one to hear Vayen bang his shin on something and go "ow!" in the middle of the night. Oyobi, however, has a -1 to int, and fails to recall exactly which rooms her other party members were in.

The next morning, Saelhen notices... that the ball bearings by the door have been disturbed. Even though the door was locked, and remained locked the whole time, someone was able to get into her room and pass the DC 10 dex check to not get knocked over by the ball bearings. Apart from that, though, nothing in her room is out of place or missing. Hm...

On the road, while Looseleaf is distracted buying a quarterstaff from a traveling merchant, Saelhen and Oyobi touch base on the situation in Thieves' Cant.

They're not taking action on this just yet, so they proceed onwards. The tall grass starts to thin out and get shorter- turning to prairie, and then almost scrubland as the climate gets more arid. It's here, as day turns to evening, that they approach a two-story building at a crossroads.

Benedict I. (GM): There's small buildings in the distance on either end of this road- and further up the highway, past the two-story building is a tall black stone tower that seems to be standing in a field, completely alone. As you approach the crossroads, you can see the sign- Wheatley General. And as you approach closer, you can see the vandalism. Some sort of yellowish-white paint has been used to write "EAT SHIT, TRAITOR" across the left half of the building's exterior, and the glass windows have holes in them. Across the right side is similar vandalism, in a more brownish-yellow paint, reading "SWINDLER INSIDE". To the left of the store is a sign pointing off to the left, northwest, reading "<- Barley". And to the right of the store is a sign pointing off to the right, southeast, reading "Wheat ->".

Inside, the place is cleaner than the outside, and fairly well-stocked for a general store in the boonies. At the counter is a very tall and very tired-looking person- either an especially tall human or a very lanky goliath.

(Most of the session is interrogating this dude.)

He tells them that they have rooms for rent, and that they're open 24 hours. Also, he warns them not to visit Wheat or Barley- apparently, they've got some kind of blood feud going on, and there's a lot of hate directed his way for trying to be neutral in the conflict.

Looseleaf: "What... are they paranoid about?" Benedict I. (GM): "Each other, mostly." Looseleaf: "And wwwwwwhy are they paranoid about each other," Benedict I. (GM): "If you go down there, they're gonna interrogate you to make sure you're not sent by the other guys to kill people." "Oh, uh, the killing people." "The murders and stuff." Looseleaf: "OKAY you could have LED with that," Looseleaf says, flipping her antennae forward and backwards. Benedict I. (GM): "They keep, I don't know, killing each other, over pointless stuff." "And getting angrier and angrier about it." "S'why I left and set up here. Tired of it." "Didn't... really help, though." "As you can probably see." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Ah. One of the sad affairs where each death is the next death's cause." Saelhen lowers her eyes. "In my country, we call such things ばかげたナンセンス."

Looseleaf's not sure this adds up. She wants to know why he set up shop in a place he hates, rather than just pack up and leave. His excuse is that his little sister is still in Barley, and he needs to stay here so that she has someplace to go if things get worse for her.

Looseleaf: "Wh- why are you letting your little sister stay in a place where people are apparently regularly dying- you're painting this place up to be a warzone, that's how you're making it sound?" "Seriously, why not just, I don't know, book it for Blacksky. It's not that far a travel from here." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "You assume he can compel her to leave, Madam Looseleaf." Looseleaf: "Or, even the port town upwards the road from here. That's where we're going too; if it's inability to leave keeping you here, we could take you with us?" Benedict I. (GM):"It's... ugh. It's not that bad. Just like... I don't know, they all act like it's not happening, until it does." "Nobody will admit to killing anyone, even if they'll talk all day about how the other side deserves to die." "Too polite for it."

Saelhen declares that she'll confer with her companions on what to do about all this- but the shopkeep insists that he didn't ask them to do anything. It's not their problem, and it's better to not get involved.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Ah, of course. I forget myself in this exotic lands. No one has asked anyone to do anything. Yes, Oyobi? Vayen?" Benedict I. (GM): Vayen has no response. "It... sounds like something should be done, though," Oyobi says. "If it's a monster, I can kill it dead!" The tall guy sighs. "You're Deathseekers, aren't you?" "You're looking for a quest." "But I can't pay, so... just forget it."

Looseleaf is entirely on board with this guy's pitch- why should they get involved?

While they're deliberating, there's a mysterious thump from the back of the store. Thalath asks them to please wait while he deals with the situation- so of course they peek at what he's doing.

Thalath piles up a few armfuls of groceries, and brings them to the backdoor, where, waiting for him, sits... a wheelbarrow. Which wiggles expectantly.

Thalath, unsurprised by this ("...Still the usual."), exchanges the groceries for a sack of coin left in the wheelbarrow, which trundles away, satisfied.

Anyway, this is unremarkable, so the party continues deliberating on what to do. Looseleaf theorizes that the murders are being committed by some unknown monster preying on both towns, which would be far too dangerou-

Oyobi is super down for night-monster hunting, and votes that they interfere. Orluthe volunteers because he just wants to help people (and not because he wants to fight monsters, surely), and Saelhen wants to get involved because getting tangled up in a clan war might provide an opportunity to get rid of Vayen somehow.

Vayen votes to get involved, too.

That... doesn't bode well. But, uh, the votes are the votes! Looseleaf is determined to do this right, if they're doing it.

Looseleaf: Get a sheet of parchment out, start taking notes. "We're investigating apparently now!" is what Looseleaf says. "Now, tell me everything you know about these mysterious deaths." "The great detective Looseleaf is on the case." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Cultural studies," adds Saelhen. "This will make fascinating material for a thesis on standing intergenerational grudges." Benedict I. (GM): "Wh- oh, god. That's- studies? Don't tell me you're from the University..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Better than deathseekers! Benedict I. (GM): "I should've known when you said "run to Blacksky" and not "run to Oyashio"..." "I mean... I guess they'll know you're out-of-towners for sure." "So you probably won't get run out on a rail." "But... you really don't want to get involved. It's just heartbreak no matter where you look."

They put the screws I mean persuasion rolls to Thalath, and manage to get some information out of him:

His sister's name is Kensa, but if they go around asking about her, they'll know it was him who put them up to it, so please don't

There've been honor killings on and off for a while, but there's been a sudden and severe uptick in killings in Barley over the past year.

Barley's victims are all found in their fields, with four evenly-spaced holes in their chests, in a diamond pattern- and sometimes the bodies go missing.

He doesn't know much about Wheat's murders ("you'd have to ask Sass", but he heard dogs were involved.

There's a new killing around once a week now- usually on the outskirts, not in the town center.

The local authority in Barley is one Malath Kanthalga, cleric of Diamode, who's huge and has four fingers on her right hand.

Looseleaf: "What are the local authority forces like? Who would usually be responsible for handling deaths like this? Is there an Ecumene in charge of this town?" Benedict I. (GM): He nods, and grimaces. "Malath Kanthalga. Cleric of Family, in Barley. You'll be able to recognize her because she's gigantic and only has four fingers on her right hand." "If it's not three, by now." "She's the one in charge of witchhunts and telling people how to live their lives."

Looseleaf puts two and two and a DC 15 Religion check together to come to a conclusion. To the Ecumene of Diamode, which puts family first, losing a child is like losing a finger from your hand. Consequently, under Diamode law: to disown a child, you legally have to cut off one of your fingers. Given that, and what Thalath said about emphatically not being a Kanthalga, it's likely he was disowned.

On their way out, they notice the wheelbarrow trundling towards that weird black tower down the road- and Looseleaf pops back in to ask Thalath about it.

Looseleaf: "What's with the ominous black tower looming over everything in the distance like an evil villain's lair in a storybook," Looseleaf belts out rapidly. Benedict I. (GM):"Wh- oh, that?" "That's just- don't go over there, either." "That's just- there's some crazy torture wizard, stay the hell away if you can help it." Looseleaf: "There's a crazy torture wizard, and he buys groceries from you?" "And... nobody's thought to pin all the mysterious deaths on the ominous crazy torture wizard with an evil tower?"

Thalath seems convinced there's no way it could be the crazy torture wizard in the spooky tower. Reasons being:

you can't torture people if they're dead

he doesn't bother anyone anymore, since people got mad at him kidnapping people and then got mad at him trying to trick people into volunteering

he hasn't been seen in at least a year

he's totally senile and couldn't possibly get away with dozens of murders without being caught

Looseleaf suggests that maybe this guy is dead, killed by one of his own creations, and that monster is responsible for the murders. Thalath doesn't think that's possible either- he's clearly still alive, right? Someone's doing magical lightshows up in that tower every night, and someone's putting sacks of coin in the wheelbarrow in exchange for groceries.

Looseleaf... makes an arcana check to remember something about arcane magic, which I mentioned in our Discord chat:

Benedict: things about the world you would know as common background knowledge: arcane magic- that is, magic built into the world by the gods as part of the system, available to anyone with sufficient training or talent- strains the body somewhat it feels tiring, like physical exertion Farn: is it exercise? Benedict not quite, is the thing unlike physical exercise, which builds up the body's muscles so that you can do things easier over time magical exercise just gives you more of a feel for magic, so that you can do more difficult things with it. the easy stuff never gets any easier- you just have more endurance magic practice is known to shorten lifespans a bit and make the body frailer- a mage needs to work out more and eat better than a non-mage to maintain the same physical fitness it's why wizards are typically squishier- it's not a game balance thing, it's a literal effect of putting in the amount of practice to be a good wizard Farn: and arcanists tend to be nerds so that's often not gonna be a thing i imagine not enough time in the day! Benedict: yep furthermore, the image of a wizard as an old man with a long white beard isn't really a thing in the popular imagination- because physical aging makes you less able to cast magic that strain magic puts on the body can cause actual damage when your body's deteriorated enough and can't handle that strain this is why Dean Variable Velocity is in a wheelchair. she was one of the most accomplished wizards in the world, with raw power that whole cities feared- but she's no longer capable of more than the simplest cantrips due to her advanced age casting big magic would literally tear her apart and has done so in the past, costing her the use of her legs that's why she's an academic administrator, now- she means to pass on her knowledge to the younger generation, who can actually make use of it

What Looseleaf realizes is: if the old man is as senile as Thalath says he is, it's pretty weird that he'd be doing big magic lightshows every night. Maybe impossible! Maybe whatever's happening up there isn't an alive old wizard doing magic!

They report back to their team about their findings.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "There appears to be a torture wizard in the tower," she remarks. Orluthe Chokorov: "A... torture wizard?!" Looseleaf: "Okay, here's my deductions, courtesy of the great detective Looseleaf's ultimate thinking brain," Looseleaf says. "According to Thalath, there's an evil torture wizard in the tower, yes. Like, an actual, comedically evil torture wizard, which- that makes no sense?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "A torture wizard whom Sir Thalath regards as not at all a viable culprit for these incidents, no less." Looseleaf: "How has nobody come around and dealt with the torture wizard? There's a cleric of Diamode here for crying out loud, and I know that Diamode isn't exactly super big on conquering evil and saving the helpless, but surely having a torture wizard around interferes with family values in some way at least." "I bet Thalath's the real wizard or something. Thalath's a great name for an evil wizard." "And at the end, he's gonna be like, muahahaha, I fooled you all, it was me behind the whole situation, my machinations laid undetected for YEARS." "Guy really doesn't want us going to the evil wizard tower or any of the towns." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "The point Madam Looseleaf is driving at, whilst also recklessly speculating, is that we would like you to keep an eye out for anything..." "Torturous, or wizardly, while we investigate." Looseleaf: "Look, you're the one who wanted us to get into this situation involving people getting killed, and now apparently on top we also have to worry about becoming tortured by torture wizards."

So, to investigate further, they head into Barley to gather information. On the way, they noticed, by the roadside... some old rotted wood and blackened soil that indicates a building burned down there some time ago. Looseleaf reads the spirits of those burned-out foundations and finds that- while it was too long ago to get details- they burned down from a fire that burned hotter than normal fire should've, and... those burnt timbers witnesses, and sometimes caused, death. It seems like there used to be a town at this crossroads, before it split.

They arrive in Barley, and they're directed by a local farmer to the Temple of Diamode, in response to which Orluthe takes off his cap and stole- he doesn't seem to want to be recognized as a cleric of Diamode by actual Diamode clergy. There, they meet...

Malath Kanthalga, clearly a goliath, is handing out pieces of newly-forged plate armor to a queue of farmers. (That's expensive! They wouldn't be buying that stuff if they didn't need it, out here!)

She rounds on the party and gets a very good roll to intimidate them, demanding to know who they are and what they're doing there.

Looseleaf comes up with a clever angle- she wants to offer her services as an animist, to inspect the bodies of the victims and determine how they died- ostensibly proving once and for all that their hated enemy was responsible, is the angle.

Malath isn't opposed to her doing some magical forensics- she seems convinced that it was in fact the town of Wheat that's been killing the people of Barley, and expects the investigation to confirm what she already knows. She refuses to let up on the guard thing, though- safety first.

So, next time... it's time for some fantasy CSI! I've never written a murder mystery in a setting where magic is real before, so this'll be a fun challenge.

#twofaced jewel #tfj log #d&d 5e

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radramblog · 3 years

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Nuz Report- X Water/Poison

God I feel like shit both mentally and physically right now, and I cant put a button on why. This might be an issue, considering I’ve got like half an hour or so to get this bad boy done.

Hmm. Let’s talk about the nuzlocke I finished yesterday, that’ll work, I can vomit words on that.

I finished a Pokemon X Duolocke with 1 death yesterday, but the fuckers made me fight for it.

For round 6 of the Nuzlocke Premier League, we did Duolocke Runs of Pokemon X and Y. Now I was hoping to take this month off, since only 3 of the team’s 4 members have to do each round, and I’ve done literally all of them previously without a break. But unfortunately, our 4th had to pull out for real life stuff- understandable, but still a pain. Kalos is probably my worst region for Nuz stuff (save Galar which I haven’t tried yet) and being locked to two types, after my allies had taken the starters I didn’t despise, was not exactly a thrilling prospect.

(these screenshots were taken post-E4. I was Lv.68 going in, same as Diantha’s ace.)

With my teammates taking Psychic/Normal and Fighting/Dark respectively, my only starter choice was Froakie. This is literally the first time I’ve used Froakie for anything, and it meant I had to reckon with the abyss that is its natural learnset. Chau (named after Knives from Scott Pilgrim) was an absolute mess until it hit Greninja, and even then took forever to be actually good. Pinch-hitting with U-turn was useful, but that TM comes frustratingly late.

With Froakie in mind, and Dark taken, one of my types had to be Water. I ended up choosing Poison for the natural synergy- Poison can take on the Grasses that scare my Water types, and Water can deal with Poison’s Ground weakness. Greninja, being also Dark, can scare off Poison’s Psychic weakness, with the Poisons taking the Fairies that Gren doesn’t like. It made sense to me.

The only other super earlygame mon that made it to the final team was Pikablu the Azumarill. Gen 6 introduced a thing where baby Pokemon get 3 perfect IVs by default, and Pikablu’s ended up in Attack, Defense, and Speed (with Huge Power of course), making it one of the best Azumarills you can possibly end up with. Funny rabbit didn’t get to abuse its powerful Fairy STAB until learning Play Rough very very late, but thwacking things with Return and Aqua Tail proved to be enough.

While I played around with a Beedrill and Panpour early, the next mainstay wouldn’t show up until Sycamore offers a Gen I starter in Lumiose, where I of course chose Bulbasaur. Rafflé was such a versatile, hard-hitting mon that did a patently absurd amount of work in the E4. Sleep Powder is a useful enough tool that access to it guaranteed him staying on the team, but being the first actually good Poison around (save Budew->Roserade, but I didn’t know where to get a Shiny Stone and it’s redundant anyway) meant a lot early on.

It was around here that I had the only death of the run. Outside of Connecting Cave lies a trainer with an Axew, which I completely forgot knows the frankly overpowering at that point Dragon Rage, one-shotting Anaesthesia the Croagunk. It was a real shame, I was kind of hoping she’d be able to redeem the line for me, but I guess it wasn’t to be. She was Modest anyway so she wouldn’t have been good regardless, I suppose.

Moving through gyms and the awful Kalosian pacing, I ended up picking up a few other temporary team-members- Vaporeon and Crobat. [bad meme] the Vaporeon, despite having an excellent nature, just didn’t have the stats to cut it, and I wasn’t comfortable with Flaps adding yet another Electric weakness to the team, especially with Clemont approaching.

[bad meme] would get replaced by Lagrange the Lapras, since Ice seemed like an extremely handy type to have around. Lapras is another one of those mons that’s just generally pretty solid, his bulk being much appreciated along with the coverage Ice Beam (and later, Thunderbolt) brought. Looking back, I ended up with a bit of a bulkier team than average, but I feel like that was fine to make up for the fragility of Chau and one of my later members.

Clemont was the first Gym that actually scared me, and it wasn’t because of his actually good Pokemon. My main answer to him was Venusaur, except, he has an Emolga….that bloody rodent gave me more trouble than anything else on the team, since it hit everything super-effectively if I didn’t grind something else up (and I didn’t).

Choices for the team ended up being pretty slim pickings. The lategame of XY has a lot less variety for my two types than the earlygame, with multiple repeated options, and a lot of them were less than appealing. Combine that with my lackluster luck with a lot of areas and my team felt a little stretched for playables. That Beedrill only left the team after Clemont.

It would be replaced by Quaaaaaaaaag. Despite having the worst of Quagsire’s two abilities, he pulled more than his weight, even if he just clicked Earthquake most of the time. An immune switch for Electric was absolutely essential for the run, letting Chau’s U-turn be extremely safe in certain scenarios.

The last team member was somewhat of a surprise. I was running around Frost Cavern for the only legal encounter, a 10% shot at Haunter. I’ve always been a lot less high on that line than most, gotta get that hipster cred in, but that does fly out the window when you get to legitimately use a Shiny one.

Unfortunately due to the rules of the NPL, I was not permitted to get Mega Akuta running, confining him to the shade shiny he was. But I wasn’t going to pass up the chance anyway. Akuta had huge utility being able to switch into Normal, Fighting, and Ground completely freely, and break just about anything with a variety of heavy Special attacks. His paper-thin defenses didn’t matter if he never got hit, though I was always loathe to switch him in just in case he got Crit to death on entry.

The final team paired up awkwardly against the Kalos E4, and I was a bit worried about having 4 waters and 2 poisons instead of 3/3 (my other options were like, not good) but we made it through without losing anyone. Malva and Drasna were, unsurprisingly, not hard, and Siebold’s Gyarados terrified me with Dragon Dance but didn’t actually get an attack off before Lagrange’s Thunderbolt took it out. I was extremely concerned about Wikstrom, but a rather silly strategy prevailed- using Rafflé to Sleep Powder and set up Growth (shoulda taught Swords Dance tbh) before rolling him with Bulldoze (I forgot to get the Earthquake TM). Diantha was similarly scary, seeing as her Mega Gardevoir had SE on everything except Quaaaaaaaaaag , and he wasn’t going to be able to take two. Chau was in when she came out, and I knew Night Slash wasn’t going to KO, so she had to get out of there- U-Turning into an already chipped Akuta was the only play and I had to hope she went for Moonblast instead of Thunderbolt. She did, but it got the Special Attack drop, which presented its own conundrum- does Akuta KO from here, or does he die? Because I can’t switch around forever, chip damage wasn’t going to get me far when she had healing items in reserve. I went for it, and it turns out Akuta did get the KO, but I was nailbiting the whole time.

I’m hoping next round, Crystal Superless, is less grating on my nerves, if I even have to do it at all. Because, fuck, I need a break.

What’s that, NWC is starting again? Oh, sign me up fam,

#ramble #pokemon #nuzlocke

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chrysaliseuro2019 · 5 years

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We've all become Poodies

Post a tasty breakfast at the castle we duly bought 8 of their specialty chocolates each of which were named after previous residents of the castle. 4 with strawberry and 4 caramel. They were to prove extremely tasty way beyond your usual offerings. Liz went looking for the sheep but he had been moved. We speculated whether it was in preparation for the table but he looked like he would be a very chewy offering so presumed it was for the paddock. We set off for the town of Sigulda which we had heard about and which also read well in crits. Scenery very flat, well farmed with plenty of corn looking crops (I noticed Pete said one field was Barley but he brought some extra knowledge having lived on a farm as a boy - I didn't really have a clue) and also with cows here and there (I COULD recognise them). Sparsely populated. Also pretty green. This was the standard scenery throughout Latvia and Estonia (to come). Low populations meant that there is still plenty of space. At Sigulda we drove into town and then went looking for the scenic chair ride which would give us a good view of some pretty nice and very verdant surroundings and potentially the castle. It was very amusing along the way to see kindergarten kids being taken for a walk, little tiny tots all strapped together in rows of two so they couldn't take off across the road. It was a bit like Santa's sledge with the teacher/carer in charge As we drove around I saw a little bunch of them about 100 metres away and just wanted a closer look so we went down that street. This was a fortuitous diversion as we stumbled upon a small park and toboggan ride. One of those little metal carts on a metal rail heading down a reasonably steep slope in and out of trees. All 4 of us were up for it and went on individually and laughed our way down though occasionally the corners were a bit sharp which made you thankful for the seat belt otherwise we might have been off. What a hoot and we all felt a bit younger and adventurous. Photos half way down told the story and Sue starred with a swashbuckling sweep of the arm and big smile captured perfectly. Unfortunately no soft copy. Part of the deal was a chair ride back up the slope so we killed two birds with one stone. The chair looked over and through the trees and passed over what looked like a real toboggan ride in winter with steep grassy slope. This place would look even more picturesque with the snow down. Next stop was Cesis. Another attractive town with a medieval castle. After a stroll through town which had a few interesting old buildings and shops it was time for coffees on the edge of a small square. A lazy 45 minutes and another stroll around town this time mostly outside the castle walls and through the gardens. They were setting up for some sort of event presumably a concert at a stage in the gardens which would have been a lovely place to sit with the castle as a backdrop. Part of the enjoyment and pleasure of being in this part of the world, especially as we were just passing through, was to just enjoy the relaxed ambience and picturesque scenery and towns (though some had the soviet concrete block look in places but all interesting one way or the other). Nothing too rushed here. We now had Estonia and the capital Tallinn firmly in our sights though it was more than three hours drive. Lunch was required. The town of Parnau was a possibility but it was too far away. We started to head up the coast with the Baltic to our left looking for anywhere to stop. A restaurant came up but apparently the waiting time for lunch was 40 minutes at least. Time we didn't really want to waste. It was also pretty formal when a reasonable sized snack would probably do. We pressed on and the hunger pangs in the car were becoming palpable. The little towns were coming fast enough but we couldn't find anywhere to eat. It just seemed like houses. Finally we saw a small cafe/store which had the charming sign "Pood" outside. The mind boggled about how this could be interpreted but clearly you could get something to eat there and who knows what else. Weather was quite pleasant with the sun out and around 22 degrees. Turned out it was just a small store/ pastry shop/ deli/ bottle shop. A sort of you name it we have it place. We got pizza and pastries and soft drinks and sat outside by a small field pretty pleased to have found it and just soaking up a bit of local, albeit basic, charm. Often the best. A stream of young people who seemed to be on a camp, some of them with bows (as in arrows) flowed into the shop and past us with the young guys usually in the throes of downing a can of beer which they had just purchased. Quirky and fun. Boxy visited the wooden outhouse which actually looked more like an incubator for mosquitoes but the rest of us were not game. He confirmed it was at the rudimentary end of facilities. On to Tallinn and we rolled up at the Park Inn Raddison in the late afternoon. Not our normal style of hotel (in that it's more your big and impersonal) but choice was pretty tight and probably cut the best deal, at least on booking.com, that we could find. Nothing flash but the room quite spacious and breakfast included. Did the job. Headed out around quarter to eight and found a local pub in the centre of town for pre dinner drinks. Much research going into dinner on the Internet and we decided to go to a restaurant called Ribe. A really good choice. Sue and I shared the halibut (tasty but a touch soft but that may have been how they like it) and Guinea fowl with Peter and Liz on the Guinea Fowl. Guinea fowl excellent and desserts were good too. Most of all it was a funky little place which would not have been out of place in most cities in the world. Waitress really helpful and friendly and she gave us some more restaurant recommendations including for their sister restaurant "Radio" for the next night. We headed home through the lively streets. Flower market still going. Liz and I are spending our late evenings exploring possibilities for the next phase of the trip. Ferry to Helsinki and a couple of nights there definitely on but post that we need to decide. Greece looking good. Peter and Sue tend to turn the light out earlier which may explain why they are a bit more sprightly than us first thing. Next morning after a hearty and tasty breakfast we went on the free tour of Tallinn. We really enjoyed it after a slowish start where the young lady who was our tour guide spent a little too long talking about a haunted house. 3 mins would have been enough not 10. We were looking for a bit more nitty gritty. Things improved though as we went along and she explained more about the history of Estonia and some relevant buildings and monuments. Life has been tough here with a series of wars and conquerors over many centuries. It has been ruled by Danes, Germans,Swedes and Russians. Independence was declared in 1920 and then in 1939 the Germans and Soviets carved up Europe with the Soviet Union taking over and independence went out of the window. Then the Germans were back in 1941 with the Soviets back again in 1944. Independence finally returned in 1991. Quotas of citizens were sent to Gulags, many never to return. The guide advised that the quota which was also the case in some other soviet satellites was just a number which was picked to ensure that those remaining understood the cost if you didn't toe the line. Buildings and monuments we saw included the Victory Column a monument to the war of independence 1918-1920 and a tribute to those who fought in it for which Estonians are eternally grateful. It was made of green glass in the shape of the cross of Liberty, Estonia's most distinguished award. It was actually only opened in 2009. Apparently there is a construction flaw in that in the moist and cold Tallinn winter mould gets into the monument. This means that they have to totally dismantle it pane by pane annually and give it a good clean. At great cost. Discussions about replacing it with a more practical icon not requiring this amount of maintenance cause consternation among the diehards and others and so each year the de-construction/ re-construction process continues. We also visited the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built in the late 19th century with the Russians hoping to move Estonians away from the Lutheran religion. It was disliked by many Estonians and post independence in the 1920s a decision was taken to demolish it. This never took place because it is gigantic and there were not sufficient funds to carry out the demolition. The church is opposite the Estonian parliament building and the demolition decision was revisited in the 1990s post the second declaration of independence to extend the car park for the MPs. Nothing has happened to this point and one fancies it won't but what would I know. We had progressively warmed to our guide and she took us to vantage points to get a good look at the city. Also she pointed out to us the bohemian part of town. Not very far from the old city ie 15 minute walk. After the tour we headed for it. It didn't disappoint, eclectic and alternative, little cafes and bars and a combination of quirky and tasteful shops. Also a very good market with all manner of offerings where we stopped for a coffee. After the tour finished we wandered into the main square where a stage was set up and the bohemian version of Morris Dancing was taking place compete with traditional folk outfits. Also some singing and recitals including by very young children. It was interesting to stop and watch for a while. I joked to Boxy would he get up there as they were asking for volunteers to dance when blow me down that's what they did. We were a bit too slow to get into the first set but I managed to have a dance with the prettiest of the dancers after that. I'm sure she said how come I got lumbered with the old fart? This was in front of the main stage and went for a couple of minutes. I stumbled around around doing the odd turn and poking a toe out here and there (complicated this Estonian dancing). They didn't suggest I apply to join the troupe at the end. We had a light lunch and then went our separate ways though that didn't last too long. Peter and I separately but pretty simultaneously stumbled upon a little craft beer cafe and enjoyed a tasty bevy. My Slovenian IPA was superb. Peter and Sue headed off to explore. Liz and I got together again briefly to look at an excellent painting , a portrait, which was a possible buy. Not exactly cheap and turned out I liked it more than Liz (so never really a starter😅). We then headed off separately again. Turned out we both really trundled around the old town just soaking up the laneways and sights. I headed upwards and enjoyed the views again. Back to the ranch and Liz and I spent a fair bit of time looking and booking our next legs. We probably just dallied 10 minutes too long doing so. Heading out around 8.00pm it had started to drizzle. We had decided on the sister restaurant to last night's which was a 15 minute or so walk away from the old town. In fact in a residential area. We grabbed some umbrellas from the hotel and with Peter leading the way on google maps we headed off. Within a few minutes drizzling rain turned to torrential rain. Sue and Liz who were both in sandals soon brought us to a halt under a building for some shelter. Water was streaming down the paths and the streets. A 5 minute or so stop and off we set again with rain back to a drizzle but water everywhere. It was particularly necessary to keep your eye out for passing cars as there were large puddles beside the footpath which could lead to a severe drenching. The drivers I must say seemed to appreciate this and gave us a wide berth thankfully. Anyway we arrived as a damp quartet with the girls particularly so. It was worth it. Delightful little restaurant. Maitre de/owner also very friendly. It was a sharing menu and whitebait, cauliflower, tuna and beef all went down well. As did wine and desserts (sticky date pudding, ice cream). The owner also gave us details of a restaurant in Helsinki to visit which apparently was not a tourist haunt. We had a drier trip home. I went for a quick stroll around town to walk off dinner while the others headed home. Tallinn had been good fun and interesting. Liz felt another day there would have been good. I found it a touch commercial but you can get off the beaten track. 2/3 days enough though I would suggest

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bitletsanddrabbles · 6 years

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Day 11: Breath

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Pairing: General

Characters: Doctor Clarkson, Thomas Barrow (technically)

Warnings: Season six, episode eight. Apparently this prompt calls for either super trite sop or philosophical, brooding angst. I went with option B. Loudly. Also, it was written over the span of the past two days when I wasn’t feeling my best and, therefore, probably waxes a bit pretentious and needs some going over. Con crit welcome.

The world was reduced to the needle, moving in and out of abused skin, drawing nowhere near enough blood, and the barely-there sound of breathing. Doctor Clarkson stitched as quickly as he could, as neat and precise as any valet or Lady’s maid repairing a torn coat sleeve. He tried not to look up and see the too pale face lying on the pillows. Time was the most valuable commodity he had right now, and he dare not waste it.

He’d been surprised when Anna’s call had come, of course. No one ever truly sees these things coming. He was at a loss to know how Miss Baxter had caught on. Yes, he had been surprised, but not shocked, as the rest of the household. Instead the surprise had spiraled into a sickening sense of inevitability. It was the same feeling as when he realized a cancer had spread to a patient’s vital organs or that even the most modern of treatments wasn’t working. The feeling that no matter what he did, no matter how he fought, he was fighting against something too big for him to defeat.

He finished the first wrist and stood, crossing around to the other side of the bed, pausing only to listen and assure himself that there was still a fight to be fought here. Thankfully Thomas had always been a fighter, even if that had proven more of a problem for those around him than not. But it was undoubtedly as much a part of why he persisted in drawing air despite his own, willful attempt at self destruction as Miss Baxter’s timely intervention. He untied the neat knot she had made in the strip of ripped fabric and tried not to let the fear that Thomas would change his mind, that his fighting spirit would give up and work against him, completely choke him.

He wasn’t good to anyone if he stopped breathing himself.

Setting aside the makeshift bandage, he started in with the needle again. He wondered, trying to distract himself just enough to stay calm, if Miss Baxter had any medical experience. Even if she hadn’t been a nurse proper, there were plenty of women who had volunteered at the hospitals and convalescence homes. At any rate, she seemed to know exactly how to tie a bandage. He wished he’d had more time to speak with her, in the past. She wouldn’t be able to volunteer at the hospital, of course, not with her career, but it would have been nice to know there was someone here who could help in an emergency. It had been that way when Lord Grantham’s ulcer had burst. Calling on Thomas for help had been second nature. He’d not for a moment thought that without a war going on the younger man would hesitate to follow orders or would have forgotten the necessary training. Without him, who knew? Perhaps Lord Grantham would have been another life lost.

He realized he was clenching his jaw and forced it to relax. He concentrated on his own breathing, in and out, two stitches per breath. Medical training or not, Miss Baxter had gotten there in time and done what needed doing. Once stitched up, the only worry would be the possibility of infection, and he told himself that wasn’t likely. Not here. Not in Downton Abbey. Here there was no trench mud to work its way into the wounds, no sweat to wash contaminates into them. He didn’t need to worry about gangrene taking hold, not with such able care takers as resided in the Abby’s walls. And even if, for some reason, Thomas’s own bed should become unusable, there was no shortage here. There would be no need to kick someone out in order to keep the injured man from lying out under a canvas tent, with insufficient shelter from the elements and pests.

It wasn’t the war.

And he tried not to think about the war. He tried not to think about that lieutenant that Thomas had liked so much. He didn’t think there had been anything in it, really, at least not from the other side, but looking back on it he should have known that sending the young soldier away would break Thomas’s heart. He should have expected a fight. And of course, he hadn’t gone, not the way he was supposed to. In the end the doctor wondered, if he’d been able to act differently, if he’d had the luxury of letting the lieutenant stay or reason things out with Thomas rather than simply exerting his authority as an army Major who couldn’t, under any circumstances, let his underlings question him and his judgment, if things would somehow be different now. If the lieutenant would have lived, if he’d have kept contact. If that touch stone would have meant he wasn’t sitting here with his needle.

It didn’t really matter, though, did it? It didn’t matter because he hadn’t had that luxury. Instead he’d had more injured than he had beds, had not enough medicine at any given time, had notices flooding in from his superiors to expect more and make room for them. He’d had nurses and orderlies with family who, had word gotten around that he’d made allowances for Thomas and Lady Sybil, would have press ganged him into filling every bed with their injured loved ones until they lost more men to infection and pneumonia than they saved.

He had tried, in his way, to make up for it, promoting Thomas to acting sergeant without even a pretense of a fight when Lady Grantham asked, but it was a feeble effort at best. The war had been too big for him to defeat.

He was about three quarters of the way through when he noticed something small and dark along the edge of the wound. The fear of infection flared brightly in his mind and was ruthlessly squelched. It was too soon for anything to have set in, he told himself. The cut simply wanted a bit of cleaning, that was all. Probing gently at the little black line revealed it to be a thread from the bandage, stuck in the congealing blood and easily lifted out. He pressed on, repeating his assurances to himself and adding the reminder that Thomas had survived a light infection the summer before, so it would take something quite serious to kill him now. He firmly ignored the fact that in the younger man’s current, weakened state, even an abscessing side would be difficult to recover from. There was no one to administer tainted placebos and false promises, not here. Here there was, once again, Miss Baxter, steadily becoming the greatest, reassuring light in the darkness. The woman who had brought Thomas to him when fear would have kept him away, now matter how clearly ill he was.

The fact that she’d had to bring him, that fear had that great a hold, left Doctor Clarkson with that same, inevitable despairing feeling. Yes, he’d been able to treat the infection, but he hadn’t been able to get anywhere near the source of the problem, had he? He could offer as many pretty words of advice as he liked, but it wouldn’t cleanse the infection of an intolerant society. Perhaps if he’d been less aware of Miss Baxter’s presence, or more confident in her caring, he could have done more. Perhaps if he’d assured Thomas more thoroughly that he, himself, didn’t care about such things, that he wanted the younger man to be whole and healthy despite it all, that would have fixed something. But he’d been wary of giving wrong impressions or offending delicate sensibilities. The world was too big for him to defeat.

With a sense of relief he stitched the last stitch, tied off the thread and cut it, and re-bandaged Thomas’s wrists. Mechanically he gathered his tools, washed them in the basin of water Mrs. Hughes had thoughtfully provided, and tucked them away in his bag where they belonged. There was nothing to keep him there. And yet he stood, for several minutes, simply watching Thomas lie there, unmoving, listening to him breathe. Finally he reached out, smoothed backed a few strands of hair that had been mussed in all of the fuss which he was quite certain Thomas would have hated if he were awake, and turned to leave. He wasn’t quite certain where he was going. Downstairs, first, to let Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes know that all should be well. Then? The hospital was the obvious answer. There would be other patients, other fights to win or lose. There was paperwork for the merger that, despite his surrender, he was still uneasy about. The afternoon had not left his mind any more at ease with the thought that, despite promises, he might one day not be able to personally watch over the people he cared about, but rather have to send them to York, to someone he’d never met. He didn’t want to face that, not yet. He could go to the pub, but he wasn’t hungry. A year ago he might have called on Mrs. Crawley, invited her to tea or some such, divided his burden with her, but he wasn’t yet comfortable taking that liberty with Lady Merton. The wedding had not ended the friendship, but it had changed it.

The last option was to go home to his empty house, maybe make himself some tea, and try to read or fill the time some other way that didn’t leave space for brooding. He rejected that option out of hand. Loneliness was too big for him to defeat.

#downton abbey #downton abbey fanfiction #fanfiction #12 days of christmas #doctor clarkson #richard clarkson #thomas barrow #attempted suicide #brooding #angst #series spoilers

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crystalelemental · 3 years

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Alright, documentation of the rematches we had. I’m gonna do everything at once.

Fist, the established team, all between level 70-71:

Helene the Granbull (Impish, Intimidate, Quick Claw; 252 Atk/Def)

Ophelia the Yanmega (Timid, Speed Boost, Life Orb; 252 SpAtk/Spd)

Artemis the Lopunny (Adamant, Cute Charm, variable Plate; 252 Atk/Spd)

Faye the Leafeon (Careful, Leaf Guard, Leftovers; 252 HP/SpDef)

Larissa the Cresselia (Bold, Levitate, Leftovers; 252 HP/Def)

Nayru the Dialga (Modest, Pressure, Adamant Orb; 252 HP/SpAtk)

Gardenia went first, and was...super easy. I like that Jumpluff sets sun with Heat Rock, but also Grass is weak to Fire so this is never a great plan. Lopunny blasted through with Ice Punch and Fire Punch. The only two hiccups were Cherrim and Torterra. Cherrim had Focus Sash, so it got a shot in on Lopunny. Torterra survived the Ice Punch because big turtle tank, so it took it out. Sadly for her, Yanmega exists, and ended the fight in the next two shots. It crit on Air Slash against Roserade.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Roark was both easier and tougher. At no point was he truly threatening, thanks to Dialga, but he at least got attacks off and had some counterplay in place with Earthquake and Body Press. I also give kudos for setting up Stealth Rock and then having Roar on like everything. Aerodactyl is also fairly threatening, but sadly for it, it missed Stone Edge against Yanmega, who then got Speed Boost and was able to finish it off. Rampardos survived Giga Drain with Focus Sash, but then killed itself with Head Smash. So that was funny.

Candice went next, because another match I really respected and wanted to be at maximum challenge. Unfortunately, despite knowing how this goes, I didn’t plan for it and bring weather, so...oops. Worse, Jynx was her second Pokemon, and had Focus Sash and Focus Blast. No miss, so Lopunny dropped. On the second mon, I lost my Fire coverage. Uh-oh. But my Yanmega was faster, and also beat up her Mamoswine to like 1HP. That one wasn’t Sash, that’s just unlucky. So by this point, all our good damage dealers are down, and it’s up to defense. Unfortunately for her, this was the debut of Cresselia, who basically doesn’t take damage. She got to +6 Calm Mind on Mamoswine, who never even missed Stone Edge and even got a crit, but she just didn’t care and could heal it off with Moonlight and just dunked on the whole team.

After a brief (1.5 hour) intermission to catch up Granbull, we challenged Fantina. It turned out this was a waste of time because Granbull barely participated. Don’t get me wrong, she tried, and beat the Drifblim, but Dusknoir burned her and we had to go to Leafeon, who set up Leech Seed for a Cresselia setup. It turns out, nothing could so much as dent Cresselia. Like, even her Gengar’s Shadow Ball dealt like 1/3rd of its HP after the +5 boosts, and then it’s a super easy Moonlight back to near full. So that was fun.

Maylene was the hardest fight yet. Granbull had trouble as soon as Infernape hit the field. And by trouble, I mean the residual damage from Stone Edge Hitmontop meant Infernape could one-shot with Flare Blitz. So we had to bring in Cress early, and she also got hit really hard by the fact it didn’t die in one Psychic, and took a good chunk from Overheat. She won, but then...Heracross. Megahorn was unkind. But then we brought in Yanmega, and from there it was a clean sweep. Lucario survived an Air Slash, but the flinch happened and we won with no damage. I probably should’ve led Yanmega, I don’t know why I tried to get fancy. But I did, and she was tough.

Next on the list was Crasher Wake. Despite having Leafeon, I led with Lopunny because I was somehow convinced Gyarados would be his lead, apparently forgetting about Drizzle Politoed. Who apparently has Perish Song. But the next thing was Kingdra, and I can’t lie, realizing it had Swift Swim and frankly fantastic matchups against my team was...concerning. So I had Dialga use Roar of Time on it. Then Gyarados came out, and it has the electric damage reducing berry, like an asshole, so Lopunny nearly died after a Dragon Dance boosted Aqua Tail hit. Shoutouts to Lopunny’s natural bulk, by the way. Having now lost Dialga and Lopunny, two of my best offensive units, it was time to bring out the big guns. That’s right, Yanmega. I missed Air Slash, and he got up Substitute, which seemed really spooky until I realized Bug Buzz bypasses it, and kills it instantly. Huntail had Shell Smash, but thanks to Speed Boost, we were already faster than it anyway and the Sash didn’t matter. Giga Drain swept. So that’s, what, 3 wins for Yanmega?

Next up is Byron, and how did his Aggron outspeed my Dialga? I know it’s a 0 investment in speed Dialga but still, what? Anyway, he gave his Steelix a Life Orb, so that is just...10/10 planning, dude. Empoleon was scary until Dialga crit it after outspeeding somehow. Seriously, how did Aggron beat us? That has to be Scarf, right? Magnezone is tanky and is apparently Magnet Pull since it has a Sash, but what really gets me is that its Thunderbolt missed my Dialga, who was at 10HP, and allowed it to keep trucking. Bastiodon went down to Granbull though, since Dialga finally decided to die.

So finally, we get to Volkner, who I did see was a higher level than the others. And let me just say, absolutely 100% fuck Volkner. “I’m the Electric type gym leader, here to use my electric type Pokemon,” and fucking throws out a Pelipper. I don’t care if it’s for Rain establishing purposes for your Thunder spam, that is absolute bullshit levels of cheating and you know it, asshole. Automatic zero, worst of the gym leaders. And yes, I am partially only mad because my plan for Earthquake Granbull to have a good time flopped as a result of this, and we had to bring in Dialga to just punch everything again. Look, I love getting to use my Dialga, but this was supposed to be a team effort. The worst part is his Raichu is apparently Choice locked, because it tried using Focus Blast on Dialga and missed, I switched to Cresselia, and it just kept trying until three turns later when he had to switch out. It should be noted that at this point, he ran out of rain. And then had Jolteon come in to Reflect, and Volt Switched to Lanturn. Who dealt 30 damage to my now +6 Cress. What was your plan, Volkner? You cheated your own monotype restriction for what? Was it worth it, you sack of dogshit? Why does Jolteon have a Toxic Orb? Why did you put all your eggs into an 8-turn basket with Thunder? Why did you think any of this was effective? I literally took no lasting damage. That’s not even a fucking joke. Cresselia healed back up to full and was the only unit that got hit. You were literally the easiest gym leader fight and it wasn’t even close because of your stupid high-risk high-reward play, where the high reward was like 30 damage. God this guy is such a fucking chump. Imagine thinking this guy is the best gym leader. Though fuck me I guess, my first attempt at the league involved not saving first and then running in without any of the PP on Cress because I used a bunch, and only didn’t stop to heal because everyone was at full and forgot it was still important.

Overall, the gym leaders weren’t that big a deal. Like at all, I’m a bit disappointed. In fact...okay, look. I’ve talked about the need for your cheat abilities from friendship because the player doesn’t really have the same ability as the league to max EVs appropriately, but when you choose to grind money and buy those, you’re still at a bit of a disadvantage, but it’s a much more even fight. And then you add in cheat skills, and get situations where Dialga just dodges an attack over nothing and is like haha and keeps blasting. Like, it’s funny, but it’s not as thrilling as winning for more legitimate reasons. Oh well. Maybe the league will be more my speed.

#pokemon brilliant diamond

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dreamy-axolotl · 6 years

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A Pleasant Insignificant Day

TAZ controls my life but in a minor way. I am influenced by the McElroys no matter how hard I think it’s my own doing. Anyways here’s my boys Taako and Magnus, Merle hopefully will be written in the future but i rolled a crit 1 for his characterization so it might not be the best piece

“Oh hell no.”

“Taako come on.”

“There’s nothing on this planet that could help you, and since I’m on this planet, that’s saying something.”

Magnus sighed, leaning his forehead on the door that stood between him and the stubborn elf he was talking to. He waited a few seconds, then lifted his head with a smile, “Well, you could try to teach me, and I’ll give you credit for it, or if it doesn’t work out, you can do it and then I will give you all the credit for it.” His voice lifted for the last few words, borderline teasing.

The door slowly-inch by inch slowly-opened halfway, then was flung open. Taako stood there, arms crossed and nose pointed up, looking at Magnus smugly, “Well if anyone can teach you how to cook, it’ll be me.”

“Oh thank Istus.” Magnus pushed his way in, shoulder knocking Taako to the side, “Carey and Killian would kill me if they saw what I ate on a regular basis.”

Taako followed him, brushing off his uninjured shoulder, “Which is?”

Magnus turned his head, smiling, “I’m not telling you, either.”

Taako scoffed, and slipped past Magnus to get to the kitchen. It was large, expensive-looking, and not a speck of dust could be seen. If a stranger wandered in, they would think that it had never been used. But Magnus was no stranger, and he knew that the only thing Taako loved more than looking flawless was cooking flawlessly.

The two were in the kitchen for hours. It took them a lot of time arguing over what to make. Taako wanted to make olive oil–confit chicken with cipolline onions, but since Magnus didn’t know what that was, or half the words in there, he argued for something simpler, like steaks with boiled potatoes. After 15 minutes, they decided on chicken escabeche, which Taako would teach Magnus how to make, letting him write it down in the simplest of instructions.

As they were letting it simmer, Taako turned to Magnus, “So how’s life in Magnus-land been while the world hasn’t needed our help?” He leaned back against the counter, smoothing out his skirt with one hand, drumming the counter with the other. Magnus could faintly recognize the tune, but he snapped his eyes back to the elf’s when he remembered the question.

“Oh, you know, raising dogs, keeping in touch with people, making wooden ducks, the usual.” He leaned onto the island in front of him, resting his chin in his hands, “How’ve you been?”

Taako smiled, waving the hand he used on his skirt, “Oh same old, same old. Cooking, helping people out of the kindness of my heart, going out every night. Lot of shit to keep cha’boy busy.”

Magnus chuckled a little and nodded, turning his head to look out the window. He stared out for a little, watching the wind whip through the tree right outside. Taako shifted uncomfortably, pushing off of the counter and checking on the escabeche before walking over to Magnus. Taako tried to come off as someone who didn’t care, but he knew a hundred years together meant that the other knew him better than he let on. It also meant that Taako knew something was up with Magnus. Seeing him face to face was a rare occasion. Carey and Killian knew he couldn’t cook and probably offered to bring something, and Taako hadn’t exactly been the best at keeping in touch. It was a pleasant surprise to see him here, he wasn’t complaining about that. It was just worrisome.

Magnus felt himself being pushed, and to a step to the right to let Taako lean on the counter with him. They stared at each other, faces inches away, in silence. Then Taako batted his eyelashes, and waited for his friend to smile before opening his mouth, “What’s really up, my dude? You’re never this quiet. It’s frankly a little off-putting, and there’s no room for off-putting in this kitchen.” Magnus sighed, standing up straight, but not moving away. Taako straightened too, but couldn’t compare to the human’s height.

“I’ve been a little lonely.”

“Come again, Mr. Social?” Taako’s voice dripped sarcasm, but he felt a pang in his heart.

Magnus smiled sadly, “I’ve been talking to everyone, but tonight’s gonna be the first time I’ve seen my friends face to face in awhile. Today’s the first time I’ve seen you in… months?” Magnus shrugged, but he wasn’t looking at Taako anymore, “It’s been a little rough on my own. I keep thinking that we’ll always have our bonds from the time we’ve spent together, but now that we’re not about to die at any moment, I feel alone. And it sucks.”

His shoulders sagged, and Taako felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He used Mage Hand to turn off the stove, and wrapped his arms around the bigger man. Magnus immediately returned the hug, but was caught off guard by such a strong show of affection. Getting a hug out of Taako wasn’t easy. He almost felt bad for dumping this on him. Taako pulled back, and wiped his eyes free of anything that might resemble liquid, “I’m sorry I’m not there more.”

“Oh no, it’s fine! It’s really not just you. I’m not reaching out or visiting, and there were seven of us on the Starblaster, and now we have more friends, and it’s really dumb to-” he’s silenced by another hug, this one shorter than the other. Taako propped himself up on his tippy-toes and kissed Magnus’ cheek. Then he turned and headed for the pan on the stove-top.

“You really shouldn’t blame yourself, you know. We’re all a little selfish, and honestly, you’re the only one out of all of us who can share your fucking thoughts, so kudos to you.” he stirred the contents of the pan, then started to remove the cinnamon and clove, “We should do this more often. I’ll teach you how to cook basic things. You can stop eating fantasy ramen and feeding the leftovers to your dogs, and I can sleep at night knowing I spared another life from death by sodium.”

Magnus laughed, deep and bellowing. The elf felt his heart soar. He set the pan on the back burner and turned to his friend, brandishing the spatula like a wand, “But you have to know that if you start feeling lonely and you don’t break into Merle’s house at 2am to have a karaoke party, but instead wallow in your misery, I’m coming after you and magic missiling your ass.” He watched Magnus bend over in laughter, proud of what he did, and added, “Or I’ll send Lup. She’s not as forgiving.”

This time Magnus straightened up, a grin on his face, “You got it.” He checked the time, then turned back to Taako, “I might need to use your dish. I’m gonna have to book it to make it back in time.”

Taako waved his hand nonchalantly, pouring the pan into a tupperware dish that was magicked to permanently warm things, and tossed it to Magnus, “I’m not dating the grim reaper for nothing. I’ll have him portal you home.”

He placed the pan and the spatula in the sink, and pulled his stone of far speech out of his pocket, “Just remember that presentation is everything, and I get all the credit.”

His friend grinned, giving him a thumbs up, “All yours, bud. Same time next week?”

“Oh honey, if you think I’m letting you go malnutritioned for a week, you’re sadly mistaken.”

#taz #the adventure zone #the adventure zone balance #taz balance #magnus burnsides #taako

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estellacalvert · 6 years

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The Potential of Film as a Medium FMP - blogpost

Film as an extension of photography

To begin with, I regarded film as an extension of photography. When watching commercial movies, what excited me most were the held frames. One that notably sticks in my memory is (I believe) from Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1969,) although I must admit to only watching it in part while my dad had it on the TV, and if you asked me what it was about I would scarcely be able to tell you more than its genre. I am not even sure if my memory of the scene is correct, but the frame I recall was of a white building, with the camera set far away so that you could see clearly the blue sky and the horizon line that fell behind the building. The foreground was that dusty stone that seems almost terracotta in stark contrast to the blue, and the landform formed a frame around this building. This shot was held with no movement of the camera, and small black, ant-like figures walked around the area of the building. I just remember thinking ‘this would be a beautiful photograph, but it's more than a photograph – it's alive.' I think this more than anything is what drew me to the medium of film. More and more I found myself feeling that moments were inadequately captured in a photograph. Film made it easier for me to get at what I was trying to say – whether that was ‘look, how this line follows, how it looks like a drawing' or … Film, especially when observing things, gives me the power to record what I regard as a visual sentence. In my "sketches" each shot is one sentence: a change of frame in a continuous shot may relate to some kind of punctuation.

Post-production

Not only does film allow me to document my train of thought when looking at something, but through editing I can make connections between different clips that could have been considered as having no relevance to each other. The seams (when one shot changes to another) of a film are critical to the fluidity and continuity of the film as a whole, as it is not natural to have such immediate jump to another space, time, point of view etc. This is not how we experience our own reality, and so when viewing a film if there is no necessity or logic in the transition from one shot to another it can feel disjointed and jarring, and viewer engagement is easily lost. In editing footage, it's interesting to discover what shots complement each other hinged together. It allows for me to have control over what the viewer is likely to be thinking; I can guide their train of thought as if I were delivering to them a dictation – just as they would follow my words, they follow my image.

When watching films, I always take note of the seams. One of my favourite cinematic techniques I see used is when a frame is held for just a split second too long. For example, in John Crawly's Brooklyn, there is a scene where Saoirse Ronan is sat on a bench if I recall correctly, waiting for a ferry, and that basically sums up the entire shot. The difference being, and I remember this scene because it was the first sign this was drawn to my attention, is that the frame was held for longer than I expected. I realised I was almost counting down in my head when the shot was due to change. I think that it is true when it comes to cinema that we sense a general pattern din seams: we are used to seeing a character looking after another who has just walked out of frame for about 3 seconds; maybe a shot of a character deep in thought for about 5 seconds before the shot changes to show a close up of their face, so we may better understand just how deep in thought they actually are. I have been accustomed to expect these changes, and why I remember Brooklyn is because the change did not happen when I expected it to. The effect of this "second too long" was an almost tangible tension and sudden anxiety as a viewer – I felt as if I had been looking at the wrong thing, perhaps that's why my expectation was unfulfilled. I was left not just looking at the leading lady waiting for the scene to change but spurred into searching throughout the entire frame to try and assess what I might have missed. This meant when the scene did cut, soon after this (what I can only describe as a) little anxiety shock, the film had won my full attention. Amazed at the effect this technique had had on me, I always keep it in mind when constructing my own films. The balance is in knowing when a single shot has been held for too long to the point where it has lost its tension and the ability to cause that moment of slight stress at potentially mislead expectation.

Alain Fleischer makes the statement that "something is lost for the film to continue" when it moves from one shot to another (Film Cuts, 1995.) I think his implication that there is greater value in the subject matter of the film than in the actual film itself is not necessarily true. He assumes that "something is lost" when the shot changes, and in one sense I can understand since when editing my own footage there is often a sense of reluctance in having discard footage for the sake of the film as a whole. However, I hope I have argued that there is something to be gained in these abstract interruptions through the medium of film.

Relationship to light and space

One property of film that broadens its potential as a medium is its intrinsic relationship to light and space. The very first moving images were created using firelight and material form to create shadows on stone walls, making the immediate world an image. With advances in technology, there are different ways in which light can be used to permit the experience of film. We are very familiar with screens; film seems to exist within them, and if we wanted to we can go right up to the film and touch it, and it will stay under our fingertips. In this way it is very controlled, contained. Even the shape of our screens resembles a frame, and I feel like choosing to display a film work on a screen on the wall invites the viewer to consider the work in a very similar way to displaying any other rectangular composition on the wall whether it be a painting, print or photograph.

I think the medium of film has greater potential through the means of projection. Light is both a wave and a particle; When an object is projected, be it moving image or photograph, it inherits both the material and incorporeal properties of light. You can feel the energy of the projected image (moving or still) and know that it is not contained to the boundaries of a screen but takes on the space around it. If you were to go up to try and touched a projected film, you would find yourself left with your shadow: you cannot touch the object under your fingers; its existence is not defined to a given space, and if you raise your hand in front of the light, you in effect alter that objects existence for as long as you choose to keep it there. Tacita Dean in her exhibition Portrait at the National Portraits Gallery in 2018 used semi-opaque lightweight board as the surface upon which to project her works. You could walk round the suspended film and view it from both sides, and the space in the darkened room surrounding fell away. The floating films seemed to transcend, the energy of the projected light being so focused and concentrated onto their designated space.

(I recently took a different approach to projection. In a group crit I chose to project a film across a large spread of wall, which meant that the film functioned more in creating an atmosphere and altering the viewing experience of other pieces of work rather than being considered in a one to one dialogue with the viewer.)

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While I am aware that this may sound very lofty, I genuinely believe it to be true. There is so much more energy contained within a film when it is projected; when it doesn't depend on a wall, a canvas, or any other set surface. It could exist anywhere.

This also is what helped film so accessible to the public in history, as it was able to be delivered to audiences anywhere so long as there was a means of projection and a wall. Working with projection, therefore, offers a great deal of flexibility: a film can be distorted by exploiting the surface it's projected onto, made to take up a greater or lesser amount of space. In the future, I think the idea of projecting onto public buildings could be really interesting – since the image created has no permanence, the duration I would be allowed to continue what I would be doing before being asked to stop, especially with films that are about exploring different media.

The moving image and the temporality of film

Film is a fascinating medium to be working with now as our relationship with time is changing. Everything is becoming faster, and with that comes the expectation that we become faster as well. Film can be difficult to engage with sometimes purely because it demands time from the viewer. While it is true that any artwork which aims to be considered demands time, the way in which film demands time is different because time exists within the film. A film's request of a viewer's time seems a lot more formal than the request of a painting, because the film's time request is specific, whereas the request of the painting is indefinite and ambiguous. When using film as a medium, there is an extent to which the filmmaker has complete control over the length of the conversation between itself and the viewer (to hark back to my previous analogy of a film as a sentence.) But this can make the relationship between the object of film and the viewer dictatorial. The exchange completely breaks down if the viewer decides to cut the exchange short by removing themselves, and the choice to do this feels a lot more detrimental than when the same choice is made in front of a painting. There is no concept of "start" or "finish" with other mediums. Consequently, someone can disengage at any time without causing any real offense. However, film cannot shake itself of this concept of "start" and "finish." Even if a film is played on a loop, the fact it cannot be its whole self all at once still demands this linear definition; the object of film exists in time, not materiality.

The fact that a film cannot be its entire self all at once is an intrinsic characteristic of moving image. After all, all film is numerous still images shown in quick succession so as to feign movement. No one image is any less a part of the film, but none of them alone can make it up. It is not even enough for them to exist together, they must exist in running succession, otherwise, the object in question is not a moving image. This calls into question when the moving image actually is, what is it and how can it simultaneously be one thing and a plurality of things? The question of the movement of film challenges its wholeness and integrity, and I think this element of film has incredible philosophical potential worth exploring.

People on film

People or persons as the subject of film draws the medium out of philosophical abstraction. It grounds it in something we consider real, and that we can immediately relate to our everyday experience of the world. The fact that film is able to use real images (‘real' here used in a sentimental, not scientific sense) that directly relate to our experienced reality gives the medium unparalleled potential to construct characters. The consideration of characters pulls film into a different playing field – it is at this point that I feel the distinction between the terms "film" and "movie" becomes blurred. When I think of the potential of film with regards to character, a number of what I would consider "movies" come to mind; I think that part of the difference is made by the fact that the object of film is being used to ends entirely separate from the medium itself: in movies, film is the medium of storytelling, but storytelling is not a prerequisite of film as a medium.

One of the movies that come to mind is Peter Farrelly's Green Book. The subject of the movie is, in fact, the relationship between two unlikely companions, and each scene is geared towards the telling of their shared story. Other subjects of the film tackled issues of race and prejudice, but in reality, these were by-products of the primary subject, questions that were raised due to the nature of their relationship. It is undeniable that a focus on character has the ability to have a significant impact on a viewer, and in the case of Green Book I left the cinema with a feeling of something between happiness and joy – I had fallen in love with Tony and witnessing the loving relationship between him and Dr Shirley left me unable to stop smiling for the next 45 minutes.

Another movie which had a similar effect was Naomi Kawase's An. The plot of this film is incredibly simple, and if asked what it is about the tempting answer to give is "bean paste." While this is not entirely wrong, it is misleading. The movie forms the character of Tokue, an eccentric old lady with leprosy, with incredible sensitivity and managed to move me to tears within the first 10 minutes. Although this is perhaps more telling of me as a viewer than the movie, I think it is true to say that when the subject of film is human, emotions come into play – although this is more the potential of persons as subject as opposed to the potential of film as a medium. I think this is an important distinction relevant to my art practice: I am concerned primarily with the properties of the object of the medium in question, not the subject.

To come back to the focus of this inquiry, I think Han Bo's An Elephant Sitting Still is a good example of a work that almost calls for the title "movie," but not quite. It is interesting that in all the descriptions of this work I have read, it is referred to as a "feature-length film." Bo uses character as a tool to talk about the harsh society of impoverished urban China. His effective use of character accompanied by his skilled use of his chosen medium meant that he was able to hold my attention to his dictation for just under 4 hours. The way he builds character is not through dialogue, a critical tool for character building used in the previous two movies I have mentioned, but through image (his choice of shot, from the length of time it is held to how close to the character the viewer is allowed) and action (how the characters act and interact with their environment in the film – the choices they choose to make.)

Film and abstraction

While reading The Cinema Effect by Sean Cubitt, I found it fascinating that after reading for a good hour, only once had the camera been referenced in a mention of the shutter. That was it. This was strange to me since in doing film, the camera is indispensable. As an extension of the filmmaker, it is the means of creating film. Film cannot happen without the camera (or perhaps it can…this may be something I return to for later inquiry.) This being said, it is true that when experiencing cinema, one is not thinking about the camera; it departs from its means of creation. This distancing effect, the ability film has to transcend the material yet retain the façade of being of our world and retaining features that we recognise as belonging to our own reality, gives film the potential to abstract subject matter, while making it feel less abstract. I will attempt to illustrate this point further: in personalising an individual through film, giving insight into their private world, their private thoughts, makes the viewer feel closer to them, and feel as if they are less abstract due to their enhanced understanding of the individual. However, to personalise the individual is to abstract them from the social world. Even the individuals closest to us, our friends and family members, are not to us personalised in this way. Other people are object – we can refer to them by name, we can describe them with language. The personalisation of individuals and even places through film lifts them out of the object realm of language and into the subject realm of experience, the experience of the individual becomes the defining element, and so the individual has been abstracted.

The film Lost Highway (David Lynch) has no moral, its plot is incoherent, you do not warm to any of the characters, it does not have any profound emotional or intellectual impact. I found that you can take nothing of value away from this film – all of its value is completely contained within the experience of watching it. This is why I think it is a good example of film's potential to be abstract, in the same way, a painting might be, but obviously with their necessary distinctions.

The expectant relationship we have to film

Our present relationship to film originates in the shortening of the working week in the late 1800s across Europe and North America, which gave people a lot more surplus time, and led to the commodifying of film. This is what has framed our standards and expectations of being entertained by film – this was displayed very clearly when the feedback cards from the 2018 Turner Prize exhibition, which consisted of 4 films, contained comments like "would have been better with comfy chairs and popcorn." I don't think I have ever gone to a gallery with the intention of viewing art expecting there to be snacks to enhance my experience, nor have I left thinking "that would have been better with biscuits." Film's intrinsic relationship to cinema cannot be ignored when presenting work to a public audience.

The question stands as to whether this association of film and cinema is a limitation of film as an artistic medium, or offers the artistic medium potential. Undoubtedly, film's connection to cinema can bring the subjects of art to more people. Film is accessible and does not have the same class boundaries historically that art does, hence its potential capacity to bridge the high-low art gap. Film has the potential to reference itself without undermining it: you can make a film about film without undermining film. "Art" does not have this capacity: you cannot make art about art without undermining art.

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freyaevephotography · 4 years

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BE ESSENCE

Three years seems a long period of time to spend finding yourself and deciding on what your future ambitions look like, but after all this time three years merely seems like 3 months. To walk away from University with my own marketing and management agency, ‘Be Essence’, and the knowledge I have consumed within this time is simply invaluable, even if I wasn’t sure of it at the time.

Be Essence is my very own agency that provides marketing and management services to influencers and brands. Through my website and social media platforms I advertise four main services that Influencers and brands can choose from:

BE Digital - This offers clients our photographic skills to provide them with quality content for their social media platforms.

BE Social - This is where my agency will take over our clients social media platforms and do all of the content distribution for them.

BE Advised - This service allows our clients to sit down with us on a 1:1 basis to discuss all their social media queries and how to help them utilise their platforms properly.

BE Efficient - Be efficient gives our clients detailed monthly plans to help them post content consistently to reach maximum engagement.

But let’s rewind a little bit .... how did Be Essence actually come about? Well, during the first semester of my final year, I became obsessed with the idea of influencers and why we have these individuals after previous research I had done on them in my ‘Who is the modern day designer of anti-fashion?’ essay. At the time it fascinated me in terms of what was their actual purpose, that they get so much criticism for the jobs that they do, yet everyone looks to them for inspiration and product recommendations. It seemed like a bit of an odd concept to me; a conundrum. I took this fascination and decided to base my whole dissertation around Influencers and how they should/could be using their elevated status within society. This very quickly became a huge factor fuelling the physical side of my course, as I gained more and more information on the influencing community. I learnt for example, that there are different tiers of influencers, and that 70% of teens trust influencers over our traditional celebrities. This is when I realised that being an influencer was a legitimate job and that they are extremely influential individuals all across the globe. As a nation, we look to these individuals for advice and genuine recommendations, therefore I wanted to create a platform to help people recognise influencers and the important work they do. This is where the first ‘draft’ of Be Essence came about. The first version of my platform was one that shared the profiles of female influencers and the great work that they do ... it was a platform designed for regular instagram users to recognise the influencers I shared with them. However, after that semester had passed, I was given my last brief of my final portfolio that was designed to sum up all of my work. I was stumped, as I had no idea how to construct a complex project that simply didn’t consist of a folder of fashion photography because that’s what I liked doing. This is when I took myself off to a 1:1 tutorial with my lecturers to see if they could enlighten me with some ideas that reflected my talents as a photographer. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a straight forward chat that led to my final idea ... I think at one point I actually sat and said to them, ‘the thought of doing that idea bores me’. We got there in the end though. All we had to do was think of the things I loved doing most throughout my three years, and that was fashion photography and making my Be Essence page for influencers. And that leads us all the way to the birth of my marketing and management agency. I stuck with Be Essence as the platform for my agency as I had already gained a lot of recognition and had spent a lot of time building a following so it only seemed appropriate to keep it going but rebrand my initial idea.

Be Essence now seems like an obvious outcome and achievement for me, but little did I know at the time that it would develop from attending those 2-hour professional practice lectures back in my very first year. Professional practice was never on my agenda when I started university as I was so unsure of myself as an artist. Writing a CV and presenting myself as a professional seemed out of the question when I had no idea who or what I wanted to be within the photographic industry. However, I have used those foundational skills and assets ever since. The whole premise behind Be Essence has been built upon on the business strategy I had learned in my very first semester, and being able to market my brand and target a specific audience successfully, using tools such as a strong website, social media platforms and business cards. From this basic knowledge I have expanded my understanding to become competent in more advanced settings such as metatags, search optimisation and social media statistics which has helped me focus and build a much stronger following. All of this groundwork that I had learnt over my first two years of university has helped me build my legitimate platform and through the statistics and analytics of my platforms it is evident that all my hard work has paid off. I have managed to build a targeted audience who are constantly engaging with my content and asking me questions about the services I provide. It’s honestly so rewarding to see.

However to say the least, my third year has been a struggle, I was so disheartened by my second year of studies, as well as having a taster of working in the industry with Big Dog and Brogan Buzec. I was just completely reluctant to go back and carry on with the same distressing, for me, university routine all over again. I have had some real highs and some real lows this year but I can honestly say I don’t think I would be where I am now without the support of my boyfriend Joe. He became one of my biggest motivators and supporters in completing my university degree. Joe has been my artistic muse and has given me the creative freedom and motivation to flourish and create work that I love and can say I am proud of. I can remember starting my final semester being so anxious about starting university again, that I don't think I slept or ate properly for at least a week. I was petrified. I had never experienced this sort of emotional pain before and I just knew completing a degree in such a state would be impossible. I spent so much time driving to and from my boyfriend’s house all the way in Devon to help keep me sane during my last year and make it that little bit more bearable. I eventually made the decision to take a step back from Falmouth and to complete my final year away from the university setting and this is probably the healthiest decision I could have made. I feel as if the standard of the work I have been completing ever since, reflects the positive impact of this decision. Being able to work away from university has allowed me to spend the hours that I need to on my work, to then know that when Joe comes home from work, I can have a sense of normality and happiness before it’s time to get back to work again. I couldn’t be more grateful to have met someone so supportive of my work and who feeds my creativity and I don’t think I would be where I am now with my final project without the love and support, he has given me throughout this last year.

So as you can see, all had been going well; I had amazing support behind me and I have been producing some really exciting content with some incredible people, for my Be Essence page. But before I knew it, BOOM … a global pandemic occurred. It really does make me sad to look back on my university experience with its mixture of positives and negatives, that right when I was starting to enjoy my work we all get taken down by the corona virus. Completing my university degree has been challenging enough without the added complication of not being able to shoot any new content for my Be Essence agency as my content is solely reliant on engaging with Influencers. However, this pandemic has really shown that social media is probably more important than ever in keeping everyone connected and allowing me to use my platform to support those who are also struggling to produce content for their personal brands.

Reflecting back on my three years it’s beautiful how I have had little stepping stones within each semester that have led me to this final destination, and I really couldn’t be prouder of my final outcome. I remember in one of my previous crits, I was told by my peers that I was being too ambitious with my idea and that it wouldn’t work because things like Be Essence take years to plan. But I’ve done it, haven’t I? Even with a big global pandemic, which meant I had to postpone my launch event, the way I have been able to use my initiative and create my own agency with all the tools and knowledge I have collected over my three years of university - I am very proud and thankful.

#Socialmedia agency final instagram love

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nuzblog · 7 years

Text

November 17th and 18th, 2017

Extra long update here, comin' in real hot!

After some research, I established my plan going forward. The first step of that plan is to retrieve Arctid, my Venonat from Route 15, from the PC, and start ascending Silph Co. Psychic coverage is going to be very useful, and since my Jynx Plan A is foiled, Venonat will have to do until I can get something better.

Of course, once I'm in Silph Co. it becomes clear that that's where I was supposed to go first - the trainers are nothing to my Pokemon. Which... confuses the heck out of me, given that Koga is definitely meant to be Gym 5. Like, do you want me to be in Fuschia City or not?

Of course, once Arctid hits a level where I'm like "okay maybe now I can actually use him to fight this thing he has the type advantage against", he dies up good. Siiigh. Well, at least it means I won't have a big hole of "unable to catch anything but still not technically FAILING a capture" on my big list of captures by location. I head back to Route 14, where I quickly replace Arctid with another Venonat, this one dubbed Sciari. Back to Silph Co. I go!

Heh. TM for Selfdestruct. Good joke, video game.

I made the smart decision to actually look up Blue's team before heading in to fight him and... yeah, he's a bit too tough. Grinding time!

Oh, while I'm out, I might as well fish on Route 19. Goldeen is a dupe, but Staryu sure ain't! Boy, if I hadn't already spent my one and only ever Psychic TM on Lola, Staryu would be SO useful. Or if it like... learned Psychic STAB moves. Seriously, what is with movesets this gen? Every single Pokemon is such trash. Sandslash literally doesn't even get any ground type moves outside of TM. It might as well have been straight up Normal.

Grinding literally takes the entire rest of the 17th. That and losing at Pokemon Cards, but hey, this isn't a "let's nuzlocke Pokemon TCG" blog, is it? (Also how would you even do that? Burn every card that dies in battle? Only buy one booster pack at any given store you visit? Lmao)

While grinding, Moschops tries to learn Focus Energy, which... is another hilarious joke. Both because it's at such a high level, and because it's supposed to quadruple the crit rate... but it actually QUARTERS it, making you almost never get a crit after using Focus Energy.

Sciari, on the other hand, learns Psybeam, which means I can finally stop mashing B every time it tries to level up, and turn it into the beautiful moth it was always meant to be.

Psybeam in hand, my first move when I started playing the next day was to fight my way through the Fighting Dojo. I actually did this so soon after waking up that, when claiming my Pokemon, my errant finger erroneously hit "start" instead of "select" when naming the Hitmonlee I claimed. Its name is "B", but uh. Please pretend that it's "Bruce." Not that I'm using it. I HAVE my Fighting type.

I then checked out Koga's gym trainers, since I was on such a roll, and, funny enough... literally only the one dude with a Level 38 Hypno was even close to a challengingly high level. Everything else was a piece of cake. Koga included.

Oh, except for that Level 42 Weezing. That's pretty nuts, right? Well, actually... Maybe not.

Gen 1's AI tech is so primitive that NPCs, even gym leaders, will make real boneheaded moves in the interest of type superiority. Famously, confronting Lance with a Poison type makes you nigh untouchable, since most of his Pokemon will use Agility since Psychic is super effective, without even checking to see if Agility does damage.

His Weezing knows 2 poison moves, Smokescreen... and Selfdestruct. All I need to beat him, besides Cingu and Sciari, is something that resists poison, and can either for sure tank a Selfdestruct OR... that I don't mind losing.

Remember vlad?

My team for Koga is Cingu, Sciari, Lanius (my highest leveled team member at the time) and Vlad. His other Pokemon are easy peasy.

And as expected, when he switches in Weezing, I switch in Vlad... and he blows himself up. That's Koga's gym badge! Which also mens I can Surf outside of battle! Whoo-hoo!

First destination (floating from Pallet on Bernie's tummy, repels on), for easy flying, is Cinnabar Island. Now, I've mentioned my mysterious plans here... I'll discuss those later. I have not yet put them into effect.

Instead, I think it's high time we take down Dingus. I box Bernie back up, and for once my actual team is the same number of Pokemon as his team.

The one concern I had was with Gyarados, but I got it sleeping and lemme tell ya... it never woke back up. B)

Now I have a Lapras! Her name is Nessie. Of course since nothing in this game can be easy, I get it at Level 15. Sooooo grinding time!

While grinding, I started clearing out trainers on the surfing routes, and grabbing Pokemon. Oh, but first... Penthes learned Razor Leaf! And you know what that means...

Leaf Stone!!! Finally, my lovely pitcher plant is all overgrown up! (Get it? Overgrown, like, plants do? Do you get it? Do you see the humor in my joke?)

Okay so. Route 20, I fished! Horsea appears! Aaaand I killed it accidentally, cause Sing and Surf start with the same letter. Been a while since that's happened, huh? Feels like old times.

Seafoam Islands! I didn't actually go through here yet, although I plan on doing so - my intent is to battle all of the legendaries I can, treating them as additional boss fights. Still though, I stepped inside to catch a dude! After 5 consecutive Staryus, I finally found a Seel. Staryu isn't even that common I thought? Ah well. Seel's name is Harp.

Route 21, where I could catch a Tangela if I really wanted but look I have Penthes, I need no more grassy boys! After fishing up yet another Staryu, I caught a Shellder! Its name is Okeefe.

Since I still have grinding to do, I stepped into the Pokemon Mansion, hoping not to be completely owned, and... It's okay actually! I caught a Grimer, named it Ooze. I fought my way through, and Nessie actually started doing most of the work way earlier than I'd thought. Surf owns bones. Ice Beam is pretty solid too. I finished the mansion, grabbing the Secret Key, and... set out for the unfinished business in Saffron.

First, Giovanni. Nessie, Cingu, Penthes and Moschops join me for this fight, and, quite frankly... he's a little bitch and I could have made short work of him before doing the Pokemansion.

Next is Sabrina. She and her gym trainers are a touch tougher, but I manage fine with Lanius, Cingu, Nessie and Penthes.

Also now Nessie is finally at around the same level as the rest of my team! Hooray!

Now, here I am. Plotting and planning. Blaine shouldn't be too hard at all. Giovanni is just as much of a puss as always. I have three more dungeons to tackle - the Power Plant, Seafoam Islands, and Victory Road. The resting places of the three Legendary Birds. But most importantly...

The Elite 4.

Now, I'm planning here still. I know what I want to do, but I'm interested in getting any feedback there could be. Especially since the ask box which I didn't realize was closed this whole time, is now open! (That's "Option" on the menu!)

The first point: An Electric type would be super effective against almost all of Lorelei's Pokemon, against both Lance and Dingus' Gyarados, and against Agatha's Golbat and Lance's Aerodactyl. That's really really good. The Power Plant has electric types. In fact, it has options: Voltorb and Electrode would be duplicates, but that still leaves random encounter chances for Magnemite/Magneton, and Pikachu. Now, obviously one of those is way way better to have than the other. But is that a chance I'm willing to take, when the other option is repelling my way through until Zapdos, and hoping to high heck I capture it (or chucking my Master Ball at it, maybe?) Zapdos does have legendary tier stats, but it also is part flying type, which removes its ground weakness... but makes it weak to Ice, meaning its usefulness against Lorelei will be limited to its ability to OUTSPEED Lorelei. Zapdos is fast, but is it fast enough to body an elite four member without getting hit?

The second point: I really really need Psychic STAB. I love my big mothy boy, but he's just not cutting it. Now, stop me if you've heard this one: Cinnabar Island's coast acts very strangely. Since it doesn't expect to have an encounter rate but it can be GIVEN an encounter rate, basically any Pokemon can show up there as long as it can show up somewhere else. The question is one of gambling. You see, I could play it safe and get a Drowzee by going to Route 11 where I've already caught Sandshrew and Spearow and flying to Cinnabar... or take a bit more of a risk with a higher payout stats-wise by using Route 24 and trying to catch an Abra? Not only is there the slimmest margin of possibility for it to flee an Ultra Ball, it might also not show up, since that route also has Caterpies and Metapods that I don't yet have. I suppose doing the more traditional Safari Zone glitch is also possible, to try for an Exeggcute, but A: that'd supplant (ha!) my boy Penthes, and B: even less of a guarantee, and jeezy kableezy do I NOT want a dang Nidoran as my booby prize. So, what should I do? Play it safe or get dangerous?

The third point: If I'm adding these guys to my team, then it's going to exceed 6, and someone's gonna get boxed. Nessie is INTEGRAL to the Elite 4 gameplan, and also just kinda rules overall. Lanius is my flyer... but if I get a Zapdos, that replacement feels like a no-brainer. Sciari is right out as soon as I've got an actual real Psychic type, so really it's just a matter of who's losing out to my Electric type. Cingu's Slash will be incredibly helpful, and Dig should double down on effectiveness for the Onixes, Agatha's poison types, Rhydon and Arcanine. Moschops will make Lorelei that much easier. That really seems to leave it to Lanius, who feels more expendable but will probably be most useful in the Elite 4 fight (especially vs. Venusaur) and is also my flyer... and Penthes, who I've become so emotionally attached to as the first Victreebel I've used and a fantastic assripper who came from such a humble start (especially losing Vine Whip, lmao), who has, in lieu of my lost Minos, become practically like my starter. Can I really afford to leave one of them behind? Should I nix someone else instead?

Please, leave your thoughts.

#pokemon #nuzlocke #pokemon blue #entries

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