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f00pyf00p · 4 years ago

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Skateboard Go Zoom

Rating: General Relationships: Romantic Analogical Warnings: Foster System, Mentions of TERFs Word count: 4029 Summary: The poor victim Ms. Williams had preyed on began to stutter an answer. Virgil tried to pay attention, he really did, but the sun had decided to come out from behind a cloud at that exact moment and the light hit Logan in the face and suddenly Virgil was much more interested in watching Logan blink against it.His eyelashes always seemed golden tipped in the light. Other Notes: Analogical Week Day 5: Vocab card/Skateboard @analogicalweek

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Their town's skatepark was small. People trickled in and out of it, but there were never more than four people looking to use it at a time (unless of course, a group of high schoolers came together), and anyone stopping to watch only ever hung around for about a minute before continuing on their way.

The park consisted of a smaller-sized bowl, a short flat rail Virgil only ever used to practice hippie jumps, and a couple of quarter pipe ramps facing one another. There were several graffiti designs, a couple that Virgil had done himself, but generally, the park was well maintained.

Virgil absolutely loved it.

It was a rare afternoon to find the park devoid of Virgil. When he couldn’t be in the bowl, Virgil was manualing from quarter to quarter or practicing whatever newest trick he was working on off to the side. At the moment, that was an early grab finger flip. It was a move where he was supposed to squat down, grab the nose of his board with his hand, then lift up, while jumping, and flip the board so he landed flat on it and continued rolling.

At the moment, Virgil kept pulling up on the nose before he hopped and ending up not doing much of anything- besides tripping over the damn thing. He had gotten it a few times though; it was a work in process.

But of course, Virgil could only go to the park in the afternoons. Right now it was morning. Which meant he was in the worst possible place on earth, in the worst possible class, with the worst possible person sitting next to him.

“8 is to the power of 4x+2,” Ms. Williams said loudly. “And it's equal to 64. So, what do we do to solve for x?”

The worst person Virgil could possibly be sitting next to’s hand shot into the air.

Ms. Williams sighed. “Anyone besides Logan?”

The class was silent. Logan’s hand slowly stuttered back to his side and he looked down at his paper.

Virgil peeked over at it and found all the practice problems Ms. Williams had said they would be doing together already finished, answers neatly circled and not an eraser mark on the damn thing.

Which was impressive because Ms. Williams had only handed them out about five minutes ago.

“Sally? Do you know where to start?”

The poor victim Ms. Williams had preyed on began to stutter an answer. Virgil tried to pay attention, he really did, but the sun had decided to come out from behind a cloud at that exact moment and the light hit Logan in the face and suddenly Virgil was much more interested in watching Logan blink against it.

His eyelashes always seemed golden tipped in the light.

Okay, freak. Virgil scolded himself. You’re in math class, not theater.

He had just managed to pull his attention back to the whiteboard in front of them when Logan had the fucking audacity to brush his hair back with his hand and then all Virgil’s useless brain could think about what it would feel like?

Was it soft? It certainly looked soft. He could imagine running his fingers through the black roots before wrapping his arms around Logan’s neck and-

Stop it.

Virgil’s brain decided not to listen to his request and began to wonder on repeat if Logan’s lips would be squishy and delicate, or more commanding.

He glanced over at Logan and found the boy watching him. They met eyes and almost instantaneously, both Logan and Virgil looked away. At this point, Virgil was sure he looked like a tomato, and it was very small comfort to know that Logan’s face had darkened as well.

It took a moment for Virgil to gather himself, but he forced his attention back to the board and concentrated on each one of the practice questions Ms. Williams had assigned them. They ended up finishing a little early, so Ms. Williams passed out their homework as well.

Virgil, apparently, had not learned his lessons from the earlier eye contact and spent the entirety of math glancing over at Logan. Logan (of course) had already finished his homework and was leafing through what appeared to be a psychology book with notes all over the margins and Virgil watched as he reached over and highlighted a certain section.

God, he was adorable.

Logan glanced over at him again and again, both boys looked away instantly. Cursing himself, Virgil made a quiet vow that he wouldn’t look at Logan for the rest of the period- a vow that he broke not even a full minute later.

Math was a very stressful period.

Somehow, Virgil managed to finish all homework problems just as the bell rang and he shoved the papers into his bag before practically running out of the room.

He didn’t notice the wide pair of brown eyes that followed him out the door.

The skatepark was a little busier than normal- meaning that every piece of equipment was currently in use- but that simply gave Virgil the time to practice the early grab finger flip, a trick that continued to elude him like the annoying thing it was.

Rolling rolling… now jump and snatch! Flip and land it!

Virgil grinned as he put his foot down and came to a stop. That was the fourth time in a row he had gotten the trick down, and while it wasn’t nearly close to perfection, he was very happy with it.

He was about to do a 180 hippie jump over the rail when out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a young African-American boy crouched over a book. His right hand held a pencil that he was diligently using to underline an area in the gigantic book he held and he followed that by a little scribble of notes off to the side

Virgil would’ve recognized that face anywhere.

Logan?

No no no no no no no noooo…

What is he doing here?

I want to talk to him.

No. Talking is bad. We don’t do that here.

Just go up and say “Hi. It’s Virgil from math class.”

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Okay, what about an excuse? “Hi, it’s Virgil from math class. Sorry to bother you, but I’m struggling with question 3 on the homework-”

NO. That’s weird. And creepy.

Okay, what if we just wave to him. Waving is normal.

No, it's not.

Well, it's also weird if you don’t acknowledge him.

Shut uppppp.

Virgil swallowed. He shook his head wildly before facing the rail again and riding right for it.

As soon as the rail got close enough, Virgil jumped up and off of his board, and spun his body 180 degrees so rather than facing the beautiful boy on the bench, he looked over at the bowl. His landing was perfect, as expected of him.

He wondered if Logan was watching.

Virgil did another kickflip and then almost stopped to bash his head against the wall.

Riding was for him. For the adrenaline when soaring through the bowl, for the wind in his face, for the achievement when he finally mastered a new trick. Not for showing off to hot boys.

He wondered if Logan would be impressed by a flamingo.

Pull yourself together, Casey.

For the next couple of hours, Virgil did his best to forget about the boy taking notes in his book and concentrated on enjoying himself. He managed to get a number of different turns in the bowl, where he could enjoy doing a couple of bonelesses- a trick where he grabs the board, flips it up in front of him, and jumps off of his front foot, then turns the board and aims his front foot so it lands on the board. He got a couple of cheers each time he did one of those.

Later that night, when most people had cleared out, Logan and Virgil remained. Logan still hadn’t looked up from that stupid book, but Virgil had once watched Logan forget to go to lunch because he was engulfed in reading, so that wasn’t very surprising.

Virgil was back to working on his early grab finger flip when Logan’s black glasses slid down his nose. In one movement, Logan shoved his glasses back up, made a note in his book, and stuck the end of his pencil into his mouth.

Virgil tripped over the tail of his board and sent it riding solo, straight into Logan’s foot.

Logan glanced down at it

This was it. This was the end. Virgil was going to die, right here, and Logan would forever remember him as the terrible skateboarder who sent boards flying into people’s feet like a complete newb.

For some obnoxious reason, however, Virgil kept breathing and his heart kept beating- admittedly at a mile a minute. His hands became clammy as Logan looked over at him, back down at the board, and said;

“Do I… do I kick it back to you? I don’t want to break it.”

Holy shit, they were talking.

It took a few seconds for Virgil to realize Logan needed an answer and that they had in fact, been standing in silence for the past 30 seconds.

“Oh! Yeah! Sure!” Virgil debated slapping himself in the face. “It’s durable, trust me. I’ve wiped out on it loads of times.”

At this point, Virgil was pretty sure his face was brighter than the sun and he was more than ready to find a ditch to curl up and die in.

Logan put his foot on the tail of the nose of the board and before Virgil would warn him that it was too far to the left, Logan pushed and the board took off.

It rode straight for Virgil for about three seconds before promptly turning and heading off on its own adventure to the right.

Logan's entire face went a warm brown and he instantly leaped to his feet and went to grab the board. Virgil didn’t really notice and the two of them made it there at the same time, barely a couple of feet apart.

Virgil kicked his board up so the tail landed in his hand.

“I um- Sorry,” Logan said. “I mean to push it towards you.”

Virgil waved a hand to say “no problem” mostly because his tongue had stopped working in his mouth and he was pretty sure if he said it aloud it would be a garble of complete gibberish. He tried to come up with something to say- something to get this beautiful, beautiful boy to keep talking to him- but nothing was coming to mind and he was going to miss the one opportunity he had and then he would die alone and sad-

“You’re skateboard tricks are cool.” Logan scratched the back of his neck and Virgil’s heart stuttered to a halt. “I saw a couple of them while I was working. You’re very impressive.”

It was all Virgil could do not to squeal.

“Thank you.” Somehow, he found it within himself to keep his voice steady.

He still needed to say something else.

What else could he say?

Ummmm…

“I could teach you if you want.”

What?! NO!

It’s fine, it’s fine. He’ll just say no thanks and then I can go spend the rest of my life cringing at this moment.

“If you really wouldn’t mind, I do think I would enjoy acquiring a new skill.” Logan looked up and met Virgil’s eyes. “It sounds… fun.”

What?

Virgil blinked.

Logan. The most beautiful person on the planet. Wanted to hang out. With him?

Him?!

The sun might as well have just set in the east. Virgil closed and opened his mouth several times before he finally figured out that using his vocal cords was helpful in human communication and said;

“Y-yeah. Sure.” Virgil licked his lips. “I can go over the really basic stuff now if you want.”

“Satisfactory.”

“Right. Okay. Then um…” Virgil dropped his board onto the floor in front of them and took a couple of steps back. “So there are two basic stances. There’s regular, where you have your left foot in the front, and then right back, and goofy, which is opposite. You’re- Are you right-handed?”

Logan nodded.

“Okay. Then I’d go regular. That’s usually most comfortable for right-handed people.”

Logan nodded again and before Virgil could give any more instructions stepped onto the board. Almost instantly, the board titled forward and Logan went stumbling off it, right into Virgil.

Virgil caught his shoulders with both hands. “Right. So don’t do that.”

A half-smile appeared on Logan’s face and Virgil’s heart did a somersault. He managed to keep his breathing steady and let go of Logan in turn by reaching for the board and pulling it back over to them.

“So instead of… whatever you just did, you’re going to put your left foot near the nose- or um, the front of the board- a little after the bolt. And then your right foot should be shoulder-width apart at a slight angle. On the tail.”

Logan stepped up again, this time more cautiously. He glanced over at Virgil, who smiled encouragingly, and then slowly placed his feet precisely where Virgil had told him.

A more real, fond smile appeared on Virgil’s face. This guy and following directions…

“Right. Now bend your knees a little for better balance just use your right foot to shove you forward.”

Logan did both at once. The board rolled- a lot slower than Virgil could remember ever going and he stopped after a few feet, but when Logan looked back his entire face had lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.

Virgil couldn’t help but smile back.

Skateboard lessons became a daily thing. Every day, after school Virgil and Logan would go to the skatepark (separately) and Virgil would spend the first two hours dicking around and doing tricks while Logan would read some random stupidly heavy nonfiction book. Once people had cleared out, Virgil and Logan would begin their “lesson” which started off as simple instructions but quickly devolved into actually talking.

The first time the talking happened, Virgil had been questioning Logan about being home on time.

“It’s getting dark.” Virgil glanced at the sun falling behind them and then back at Logan, who was trying (and failing) to do an ollie (a very fundamental skateboard jump). “Do you need to worry about going home?”

Logan jumped up and the skateboard hit the floor with an ugly crash. “I like being out of the house.”

“You need to make sure you’re comfortable popping the board up,” Virgil advised. He paused. “Your parents won’t mind?”

Logan shrugged. “My parents died when I was a baby and I currently reside in a house with eight other foster kids. They’ll barely notice.” He placed both feet on the board and leaned down, so the nose of the board was up in the air and his back foot firmly planted the tail on the ground. “I’ve got the popping down. I can’t do the jumping part.”

Virgil hadn’t been quite sure what to say. In the end, they had just carried on with the lesson.

The next time it happened, Logan had mentioned how the term “ssri” kept showing up in his newest psychology book and he wasn’t quite sure what it meant.

“I mean, I’m aware it's a type of medication,” Logan informed him as he tried (and failed) to perform the ollie again. “But it seems to be a category and I don’t know for what.”

“Oh its selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,” Virgil said calmly. “I take Celexa, so I’ve had that term thrown in my face a lot.”

Logan blinked at him. “Celexa is prescribed for depression.”

Virgil met his eyes, licked his lips, and then sheepishly looked down at the floor. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“I um…” Logan shoved his glasses up his nose. “I think you’re very strong. I don’t know what it's like, but simply reading about it suggests that you’re incredibly strong. And if…” his voice trailed off. “If you ever want to talk to anyone, I’m open.”

Virgil had never appreciated anyone more than he appreciated Logan at that moment.

Skateboarding after that became more limited. Not because either one was no longer interested- but because conversation would take up quite quickly and figuring out how to ollie suddenly wasn’t the priority.

“You read all of Twilight!?” Virgil gaped at him from his spot beside Logan on the bench. “How!? You’re Mr. Read Long Boring Nonfiction books!”

“I read fiction too!” Logan was half-smiling again. “But, I didn’t read Twilight to enjoy the story so much as to critique it. It’s the same reason I read the 50 Shades of Grey series and watched The Kissing Booth.”

Virgil stared at him open-mouthed.

“I have a notebook- well, a series of notebooks really- dedicated to ripping apart literature. I’ll react to each chapter or each arc of the movie and put downtimes and chapter so I can go back to it, and then write what went wrong plotwise, characterwise, setting-wise, etc.” Logan’s smile turned into a full one at the look on Virgil’s face. “It’s really quite enjoyable.”

“Do you have them on good works as well?”

“Certainly! I have an entire notebook simply on where Harry Potter went wrong. Admittedly, I made it after J.K. came as a TERF in a bit of a rage but it is quite detailed.”

“I’ll need to read that,” Virgil said sincerely. “I’m pissed at her as well.”

Logan shoved his glasses up his nose and wiped his hands on his pants. “Yeah?”

“Oh yes. Look- here.” Virgil got up to his feet and offered Logan a hand. When Logan grasped it, butterflies exploded in his stomach and those butterflies flew all the faster when Logan didn’t drop his hand after.

Virgil swallowed and used the connection to pull Logan toward the two quarter ramps facing one another. There on the side in big red and gold bubble letters were the words “Fuck JK Rowling.”

“I wasn’t very imaginative,” Virgil admitted. “I was just kind of… mad and I figured this would make me feel better.”

“Did it?”

“A little.” He paused. “Not really.”

Logan’s shoulders had turned in on itself. It was the very first time Virgil had seen Logan without perfect posture and it didn’t sit right with him.

“Did ripping it apart in your notebook help you?”

“No.” Logan looked at the floor. “Why were you mad at JK?”

“Because she doesn’t support Trans people?”

“Do you?” Logan's voice was small and suddenly Virgil understood exactly why he had been acting off.

“Yes. Virgil looked at his friend until Logan met his eyes. “Yes. I do.”

Logan bit his bottom lip. “So if I told you that I was trans…”

“I’d thank you for trusting me and promise not to tell anyone without your permission. And then nothing would change.”

The responding smile was brighter than anything Logan had ever given him in the past.

There were lighter conversations as well. Somehow, Logan dragged it out of Virgil that he liked spiders and stuffed animals, and the next week, Logan had sheepishly given him a stuffed spider “in payment for the lessons.” Virgil had told him it was unnecessary, but Logan said if he liked it it was his and that was that.

“I mean, Marvel movies are better, obviously-”

“Obviously,” Logan agreed.

“But DC comics are pretty good.”

“As long as you don’t count Superman, I’ll agree with you.”

Virgil gave his friend an amused look. “What’s wrong with Superman?”

“He’s-” Logan grimaced. “Everything about him is just so… flames. On the side of my face. See-Seething fire.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate.”

“He has no flaws. He can fly faster than a bullet, he has superhuman strength, x-ray vision, lasers come out of his eyes, he can heal very quickly, he has superhuman breath, superhuman stamina, he’s invulnerable and he has superhuman vision! And these are merely the ones I can recall off the top of my head!” Logan's hands flapped around him and each word was aggressively punctuated.

A coy smile appeared on Virgil’s face. He loved watching Logan get passionate about something. It was fairly easy to set him off and once you did, it was a bit like watching an interesting nature documentary.

“If he had moral struggles he might be somewhat compelling, but he doesn’t even have that. It’s all truth, justice, and the American way.” His tone had adopted a somewhat mocking edge to it, especially as he said “the American way.” “He’s a horrible character.”

“What about Kryptonite?”

Virgil admittedly had only said that to see Logan’s head explode and explode it did.

“Kryptonite is the most bullshit thing in the entirety of literature and I’m including sparkling vampires.”

Virgil burst out laughing. For a moment, Logan simply blinked at him, face going a very warm brown before a large smile broke out over his face and he joined in.

“I did it!”

Virgil had been taking a drink from the sprite they had grabbed earlier and it took a moment for him to realize exactly what Logan was talking about. He smiled.

“An ollie?”

“Yes!” Logan’s excitement was contagious enough that Virgil felt his heart rate pick up- although that might’ve been because of the adorable grin on the boy's face. “Hold on.”

He went to do it again and ended up tripping over himself. The grin faded into a pout. “I had gotten this,” Logan muttered. “Hold on.”

He placed his back foot in the middle of the tail and his front foot in the middle of the deck, slightly closer to the top bolts. In the same movement, Logan snapped the tail on the ground so the board was going up at an incline and jumped. Virgil watched with no small amount of pride as Logan rolled his foot up to the nose of the board, forcing it back to the ground, and landed perfectly so each foot covered the bolts.

“There!” That adorable smile re-lit up his face and it grew all the more when Logan saw Virgil nodding. “I got it!”

“Well done!” Virgil beamed back at him. “Having taught you, I take 50% of the credit.”

Logan nodded (which had not been the reaction Virgil had expected) and jumped off of the board. Before Virgil could really react, black arms looped around Virgil’s head, and Logan crushed Virgil into the tightest hug Virgil had ever experienced.

Virgil froze. Slowly, he reached his arms around and reciprocated it, even if all he could think about was how close Logan was at the moment, how he could feel his breath on his neck, the bones of his back, and the plastic of his binder.

He wondered if he wasn’t hugging Logan close enough. Or maybe too close. Or maybe-

It’s a hug. Calm down.

But what if he was hugging wrong?

Then Logan pulled back, and it was far too soon and all Virgil wanted to do was pull him back into his arms, and god he looked adorable smiling at him, still elated from being able to get that trick down and-

“Can I kiss you?”

Virgil hadn’t even realized the words had come out of his mouth until Logan’s smile fell slightly.

Fuck, fuck fuck-

The smile came back full force.

“Yes,” Logan said simply.

Virgil leaned forward and their lips met and it was like fireworks had burst between them. Every part of Virgil’s body tingled and he wasn’t thinking about whether he was doing it wrong but the feel of Logan’s mouth against his and how silky Logan’s hair was to the touch.

They broke apart and Virgil just stared at him, stared at this beautiful, beautiful boy, and was suddenly really glad for the moment months ago when he had failed to land an early grab finger flip and sent the board rolling into the boy on the bench.

#analogical #analogicalweek #virgil-x-logan #virgil sanders #logan sanders #transphobia tw #skateboard

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s0ulwork · 5 years ago

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💜💜How I cope with fatigue and seasonal affective disorder (SAD):

• Vitamin D and St. John's Wort- because the sun is the best source of Vitamin D, its important to make sure you're getting enough of it during the winter months, which is why I take a Vitamin D supplement every morning. St. John's Wort is an herbal supplement that helps with depression and anxiety (I take this in capsule form.)

• Exercise- I always feel better and have more energy when I work out. You don't have to spend hours at the gym or anything crazy. I do yoga every morning and HIIT cardio 3x per week. You really only need 15-20 mins of HIIT, 3-4x per week to get some good cardio... and you can do it at home!

• Sleep- Make sure you're getting enough sleep! Everyone is different, but I personally need a solid 8-9 hours of sleep every night to feel fully rested in the morning.

• Be mindful of what you're eating- we all know junk food is bad for you, but really pay attention to your diet. Frozen meals, snack foods, soda and any processed foods will make you feel like garbage... these things have no nutritional value whatsoever. I typically eat 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of veggies everyday (and protein of course.) If you aren't big on veggies, try incorporating spinach or kale into a fruit smoothie (you'll hardly taste it!)

• Crystals- There's several crystals that are known to help boost your energy levels: Ruby, Carnelian, Clear Quartz and Orgonite. Try wearing any of these daily (as a necklace or bracelet or you can just keep a small piece in your pocket.) I have a beautiful Orgonite necklace and if I forget to wear it, my energy level definitely decreases.

• Journaling- Daily journaling is definitely a mood booster for me. I find it's most efficient first thing in the morning or right before bed (make it part of your daily/nightly routine.) Write down 3 things you're grateful for each day!

I hope these tips are helpful❣

#self love #journaling #gratitude #winter blues #self care tips #self healing #mental health #positive mental attitude #chronic fatigue #high vibes #loveyourself #fillyourcup

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ectodog · 5 years ago

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it’s the 4th anniversary of the premier of vld which of course means i have assembled a rough timeline for my descent into voltron special interest hell. it goes something like this:

- june 10 2016: vld season 1 premiers. i am none the wiser

- january 20 2017: season 2 comes out. this fact is irrelevant to me

- august 4 2017: season 3 happens. still not entirely sure what a “voltron” even is

- mid-august 2017: one of my friends cosplays keith. that’s cool. who’s keith?

- october 17 2017: season 4 arrives. that’s fine i guess

- march 2 2018: season 5 has entered the building. i am vaguely aware that i have known people who watched it at some point. the fandom is apparently “terrifying” but i survived homestuck, so i scoff at the concept and go on with my life

- june 15 2018: season 6 drops. i see a bunch of cool gifs and pretty fanart. coupled with the hype i have absorbed from the lead up to it, i wonder if i should give the show a watch

- june 16 2018: i start watching vld. two (four) episodes in and i love it. i can already tell i’m a hunk kinnie, and this brings me no end of joy

- june 28 2018: within two weeks, i have caught up entirely. i am thriving in the post-s6 hype

- july 20 2018: at sdcc, the Big Reveal happens. shiro is gay. he is a disabled main character of of colour in a wildly popular show for kids, and he is kind and brave and the pinnacle of masculinity, and he is gay. no matter your shipping opinions, this is incredible news and it’s hard to Not ride the high, so why bother trying? they show a trailer and announce the release date for season 7, and within hours a bunch of booted recordings of s7e1 are floating around online

- july 23 2018: my interest level has gotten to the point where i need to make a separate twitter for it, so i do. (fun fact: as of today, less than 2 years later, said twitter has over 7300 posts on it. my main, 4x that old, has ~30k)

- august 10 2018: season 7 is online at 1am my time. im selling at an artist alley all weekend, starting the following morning. i binge half the season anyway before passing out, and completely avoid the internet until i can watch the rest later that day

- october 5 2018: at nycc, the trailer for s8 and release date are revealed. i immediately book the announced day off work because i know i will want to watch the entire thing at once the second it’s out

- mid-october 2018: “leaks” of s8 start appearing online. pretty much no one in the fandom believes them, because no one Likes them. they seem ridiculous. people start making “leakverse” fanworks to feed some of the finale anticipation into, including me. no one really thinks they’re plausible at all

- december 14 2018: season 8 airs. i post a quick but heartfelt fanart before gearing up for 1am. it starts, and i cry. the first time they form voltron, i cry some more. things keep happening, and i keep getting tears on my screen, and i have to pause and start it over and over, but i live tweet the whole thing anyway. the leaks were... real. i come out of it unsure how i feel, exactly, but i am exhausted from the marathon and so immediately pass out

- the same day, after some sleep: im upset and confused as to why the finale season was so hollow. i see im not alone. it’s a rough week, feeling like something i love so deeply let me down so much. i realize it’s only been 6 months since i got into it - but, clinging to a deep sense of betrayal, i cry some more anyway

- the immediate aftermath: there are petitions and accusations of censorship and conspiracies about where the “real” s8 is. it’s hard not to get caught up in, or at least dragged down by, the lack of hype. no one who worked on the show says anything for days, weeks, months. fix it fanwork starts cropping up, and i surround myself in them. none of the excitement from before is there, not the same way it was. i start a new and highly ambitious piece of art out of spite. it’s left unfinished

- january 2 2019: lion forge releases the third volume of vld comics. no one really cares. i certainly don’t

- the intermediate aftermath: it becomes clearer by the day that the season was, simply put, a failure and a flop. no one liked it. kids cried over it and parents had no idea how to explain it to them. the fandom and community dim for a while, but i keep immersing myself in the trove of fanwork that already existed, and i start trying again to make some of my own

- may 29 2019: lion forge comics announces that they are not renewing their license to make more vld comics. that, coupled with the abysmally rated final season, seems to be the nail in the coffin for this iteration of the ip. there won’t be anything else official for vld. somehow, this sparks a renewed interest in me. despite everything, im more dedicated than ever before to preserve and proliferate my good experiences. i know this won’t be a blip in my history as a fan, so i’m determined to be happy with it, as best i can be

- the rest: is, as they say, history. as of now, i have something like 20 fanworks of my own in progress for vld. my ao3 bookmarks number in the 100s, and my to-read list is at over 250. ive made a concerted effort to be more active and engaged in the fandom, because it came so close to fizzling out, for me and maybe for everyone, but it’s brought me so much goodness that i cant and Won’t let that happen, not without a fight

it’s been just under 2 years since i decided to watch voltron on a whim. and it has honestly become a central part of my interests and identity in that time - but for the majority of it, it’s been because of fandom and fanworks, and that’s maybe what made it stick so well to begin with: the creative, varied, amazing parts of it that no network mandate could have offered on its own

this started as a way to catalog my journey into and through vld but honestly it kind of became a love letter to the fandom (at least, my corner of it). that’s what’s made these last years so special - what’s made them simultaneously fly by and feel like a solid constant. a dedicated, talented fan base who are capable of so much more than the constraints of the source material

it’s amazing to look back on, and incredible to keep looking forward to. we’ve all been told - “go, be great”

we have been, and continue to be. like the stars, and like my love for vld, it’s inevitable

so thank you all for the years of “great”. 🖤

#this got so far away from me im so sorry #but i really wanted to write it out so! there you have it #voltron #vld #long post

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missguomeiyun · 5 years ago

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I’m back from Korea

I feel like October didn’t happen at all .. but at the same time, it happened & it happened too quickly =/

I was away for 2.5 weeks in Korea, & then when I came back, it was a mini series of night shifts so I practically did nothing. .. & by the time I realized it, it was Halloween & I was working evening shifts so I didn’t go out. O_O it has been 1 crazy month. But November is here now, & things are returning back to normal: my vacation withdrawal is over, & I have some “normal” combo of shifts, & it’s time to say bye-bye to the hot weather. It’s gonna be great~

Okay, let’s be real: I’m never “over” a Korea trip lol the other day, I was really craving that budae jjigae. The struggle was real. So I made it for lunch ^^

For my 1st return post, I’ve decided to keep things simple & just share a brief summary of my 2.5 week-long trip with you!

Day 1-4: I stayed at my usual Seoul home, Namsan Hill Hotel. I was unable to book a longer stay at this place =( These 1st few days, I revisited some places in Seoul: Namdaemun (for hand-cut noodles called “kalguksu”); Sinchon/Ewha Womens Univ area/Hongik Univ area for shopping & ; Gyeongbokgung area for Tongin Market & some art museums; Insadong/Samcheongdong/Bukchon Hanok Village for some relaxing strolls around traditional Korean housing. Some new places I went to include:

- a cafe called “Kopi Han-yak-bang” (lit. trans.: “coffee Korean pharmacy”). Look it up! It’s super cool! The owner believes coffee has a healing power, just like traditional herbal medicine, so the cafe is like a vintage herbal medicine shop/pharmacy. It feels as if you’re entering a movie set rather than a cafe.

- The Skyfarm for brunch! Pretty place with amazing view of Seoul.

- Seongsu area for industrial warehouse cafes. It was a valuable & memorable experience bcos Seongsu used to be an area for large factories (making of leather products & shoes, & car-fixing shops), but it’s revitalizing & the large factory spaces are now being converted to hip coffeeshops. Many of which do collabs with local/emerging artists & fashion designers so there’s lots of artsy things to see in these coffeeshops.

- Seoul Forest. There’s like a picnic area, some basketball & tennis courts, walking trails, etc. .. I had a convenience store goods dinner in the picnic area, & watched the sunset there.

Day 5-8: I moved over to Savoy Hotel located in the heart of Myeongdong. It’s ~15min walk away from Namsan Hill Hotel. Great location but also quite loud. My options were slim when I was booking stuff, & I needed to stay close to Seoul Station bcos I arranged 4x 1-day trips! I didn’t realize it at first but then I was like, “I have 4 back-to-back day trips right now.” I was essentially out every day from like 0700h to 2100h.

Trip 1: Paju~ for Heyri Art Village & Provence. I have been to these places before & really liked it so I went back, esp Heyri Art Village. After the day trip, I met up with 2 of my coworkers for K-BBQ in the Hapjeong area.

Trip 2: Jeonju~ I only went to 1 place in Jeonju & that was the Jeonju Hanok Village. It was raining all day that day. However, it was still very enjoyable. The village was a beautiful place, & under the rain, it looked even more picturesque.

Trip 3: Incheon~ for Incheon Chinatown & Wolmido, which is an island connected to Incheon via a highway. Due to its close proximity to China, Incheon became a major port for trades back in the day, & the Chinese immigrants basically settled here, hence it’s the largest Chinatown in Korea. I met up with my friend Ji Yoon in Chinatown & we spent some time catching up.

Trip 4: Gangneung~ For the annual Gangneung Coffee Festival; its title was “Voices of Coffee” this year! It was held at the Gangneung Olympic Ice Arena. I can’t recall how many shots of coffee samples I had that day, but it was a lot. I also went to the Anmok Coffee Street, which is a line of cafes along Anmok Beach - all the cafes face the beach so the view is pretty. Even more so on the day I went bcos it was cloudy =]

Day 9: remained in Seoul today. Went to the Seoul Botanic Garden, which opened its doors in May 2019. Very pretty displays~ Huuuuuge space too. It was like Telus World x Muttart Conservatory x Devonian Botanic Garden. Lots to see, & if you go, allot more time for yourself here. & then in the evening, I camped out by Yeouido Hangang Park for the annual Seoul International Fireworks Festival, which was named “Life is Colourful” this year. So many ppl! I was expecting that before going but it was beyond my imagination. It was truly an experience- the streets were blocked off for pedestrian traffic & literally, it took like 10mins to move 5meters after the show as over! Then at the subway station nearby, there was a bottleneck, where apparently the capacity inside the underground station was reached so we needed to wait outside the exit.. . still, it was fun!

Day 10-12: 1 way train ticket to Busan. Yes, train to Busan ;) I was safe though hehe Busan was beautiful! In hindsight, I should’ve spent more time here but . .. NEXT TIME! I went to BIFF Square & Gukje Market, which was like across from my hotel, Stanford Inn Busan. Gamcheon Cultural Village was super cute; although I would hate being a resident there =/ The Busan Int’l Film Festival was happening then, & I visited the Expo & Convention Centre for the film market. Can’t go into the exhibition, but that whole area was filled with ads/posters of BIFF - it was a big deal! It was cool to witness such a big event & to experience the sheer scale of it. I then went to Shinsegae Centum City, which is the largest shopping complex in the world. Haeundae Beach was also cool. I went on a cloudy day & it was awesome! That same evening/night, I checked out the Jagalchi Fish Market, which is the largest seafood market in Korea. It has 7 floors total, with 3 underground parking levels :O On the last day, bcos I only had the morning available to do stuff, I had Busan fish cake for breakfast & strolled in BIFF Square again.

*Note: I actually hit all the things on my itinerary EXCEPT for the Busan Museum of Art, which was closed on Mondays =( but the security guy let me in to see the lobby bcos he knew I was a tourist. Thank you!

Day 13-17: Flew from Busan Airport to Jeju Airport. I used more time than needed for the whole process- turned out foreigners have their own line at the Busan Airport, so it’s faster than locals. There’s also a domestic terminal & international terminal, so from arrival to being checked in & through security.. . it took less than 25mins. It was great! In regards to Jeju, I did the following:

- stayed in Jeju City for the arrival afternoon/evening, with my hotel being Astar Hotel. Had a street food dinner at Dongmun Market; they were having this night market/festival event so a bunch of street food stalls were open from 7pm-midnight. Smelled like heaven haha

- I did my 1st hike ever on Hallasan Mountain, specifically the Gwaneunsa Trail, & I reached the peak. It was.. . hard. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it; however, it has proven to me that I am a land person, & I belong in museums, cafes, & street walking lol. Look up the details of the trail! Was it ambitious of me to go on this for my 1st hike ever. .. without any hiking gear? I went with what some ppl would consider gym shoes, a hoodie, leggings, & a backpack with water, juice, kimbaps, 2 bananas, 6 mandarins, & some snacks (cheese crisps & pineapple cream-flavoured crackers).

- The day after the hike, my legs were still okay. But it was my glut that was starting to get sore XD I went to Osulloc Tea Museum & Innisfree Jeju House. The aesthetics <3

- Went to Black Pig Street for black pig bbq. I was hoping a restaurant or two was taking solo-diners & thankfully, the 2nd restaurant I asked did! I ordered pork neck instead of pork belly - it was quite tender & kinda chewy, actually. Later that evening, I went to the Tamra Cultural Festival 2019. It was neat~ There was an outdoor night market, as well as a stage for cultural dance/play/music.

- Jeju Island is actually quite small, & it takes approx. an hour from 1 side of the island to the other side. Thus, for my 3rd (full) day, I went to the Jungmun (Jeju City is north of the island; Jungmun is south coast) & visited the Yellow Cafe, Chocolate Land, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, & Yeomiji Botanical Garden.

- From Jungmun, I took a local bus to Lee Jong Seop Street in Seogwipo, the next city over. The street is very pleasant & chill, with artwork along the street, coffeeshops & eateries, as well as little gift shops. Totally my thing! It reminds me Bukchon Hanok Village in terms of vibe, but minus the traditional housing look. The Seogwipo Olle Market is nearby, & is a great place to buy Jeju souvenirs. The pricing, I heard/read, is cheaper than Dongmun Market in Jeju City - it is true! There are also less tourists here, which was what made it enjoyable for me, personally.

- Only the morning on my last day was free for activities bcos my flight to Seoul was early afternoon. I visited the area around Jeju City Hall, which was ~20min walk from my hotel. It was a very leisurely morning, where I sat down & enjoyed coffee at Coffee Finder & had a build-your-own-ramen bowl at a place nearby. The architecture of Coffee Finder was unique; it used to be a 2-floor house, with like a driveway/sidewalk. But the ummm first floor ceiling/second floor flooring was knocked down so there’s a “hole” in the middle of the cafe. The cafe has very homely vibes as the placement of tables/chairs are in what was (at one point) rooms of the house. It’s open but also you can get some privacy at the same time.

Day 17-18: Back to Seoul, & stayed at Namsan Hill Hotel~ Itaewon is a must! I need to go to Passion 5 every time lol. & I also revisited the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art bcos I like it. & then I had my last day as a “free” day, where I didn’t plan ANYTHING. I’m a very intense planner & when I go on trips, I literally plan to the minute haha & guess what, I ended up in Hongdae. Honestly, it’s my kinda place. Sadly, the transportation situation there isn’t convenient for the rest of my itinerary, or else I would choose a hotel that’s in the vicinity. I nearly spent 2.5 hrs at Coin Su Noraebang haha I realized that if you score high enough, time gets added to your paid time :O I can’t let that go to waste =P

There ya go, Korea 2019!

PS: I haven’t decided what/how I’m gonna go about posting my trip. .. There are wayyyy too many photos & it will take me a million yrs to write/upload. Perhaps expect unexpected Korea posts scattered between my regular posts :P I will, however, share with you the coffees I’ve had in Korea. I tried diff ones, from franchise to small local cafes, adventurous flavours & the typical black Americano. I didn’t have any poor experiences but there was 1 particular one that I will likely never order again - tbh, I should’ve expected it but I still went for it anyway *shrugs* so I guess it was all my fault haha ok, I’ll ttyl~!

#korea #korea travel #travel korea #korea trip #korea 2019 #solo travel #vacation #seoul #busan #jeju island #paju #incheon #gangneung #jeonju #tourist

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nicosroom · 6 years ago

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My Money Snapshot

[Inspired by Corporette]

Location: Ohio, small college town

Age: 29

Occupation: PhD candidate (English)/half-time instructor

Income: $16,000 before deductions

Net worth: $588 (I’m crying)

Current Debt: $12,844

Living situation: Renting with a roommate

Money Philosophy:

I grew up in the “working poor” category. My parents are divorced and my father never contributed much financially. Mom made around $21,000 per year at work and she cleaned houses “under the table” to supplement that. Somehow, we never went hungry, what we ate was relatively fresh and healthy, and she managed to put two of us through Catholic schools for a total of 14 years. I know now that mom is still paying some of those loans and credit card debts and that part of her strategy included not contributing more than the 3% that her employer matched in her 401k. Every time I complain about the financial stress I feel at my salary level, I have to remind myself how comparatively unstressful my financial life is.

I’ve always been poor and I always knew that graduate school/academia is not a lucrative career. I tell myself that if I can make things work at this pay grade, then I’m ready for just about anything. My main strategy is to have a budget, stay in the budget, and save every bit that I can.

Monthly budget

$1000-1100 for the necessities each month. Monthly spending on eating out, entertainment, shopping and other categories varies widely. I also won’t lie... dating someone who makes 4x more money than me helps... I’m fairly frugal on all of these fronts: I buy most of my clothes second hand and I tend to shop seasonally. Spikes in spending occur around the winter holidays when I’m buying gifts and when I am doing traveling. And I also have totally weak, impulsive moments - like the $3 soap sales at Bath & Body works, or that time I spent $110 on bras and underwear on a whim. Anyway:

Rent: $272.50/month

Other living expenses: $130-170/month (electric, internet, phone, renter’s insurance - lower in summer, higher in winter)

Transportation: $332/month (gas, insurance, car payment)

Healthcare: $162/month (health+dental insurance, no vision coverage)

Groceries: $120-150/month ($30/week)

Debt Picture

Student loan: $2000

Car loan: $10,488

I’m a career student & my motto for all the years I’ve been in school has been “follow the money.” I went to college on very hefty scholarships and I only had to take out the $2000 loan to cover housing costs during my first year. For the subsequent three years, I was an RA, so I never had to take loans again. I applied to graduate programs based on the research fit, and when I got my offers, money weighed heavily in the decision. I would have loved to live in Boston as a wee 22-year old, but I wasn’t about to take out loans for a year’s worth of tuition and the living expenses. And to get a PhD while living in Minneapolis, my very favorite city in the US? It would have been such a dream, but for the quite steep difference in stipends and the significant disparity in cost of living compared with Ohio. My only regret on this front is that I haven’t started paying back my tiny student loan. I’ve been able to defer it since I’m in graduate school, which was a great idea when I was a master’s student who didn’t know the first thing about budgeting. But if I had just paid $25/month from the start of grad school the balance would be $0 about the same time I graduate from this PhD program this August. Instead, I’ll be scrambling to pay off the whole balance before my 6 month grace period ends.

The car loan is less than a year old. I finally broke down and bought a new (by which I mean used) car last summer after really pushing it with the car my parents had bought me in high school. Repairing that car put me into credit card debt more than once and I was getting so stressed about it. It was time. I have a very good credit score, so I qualified for a nice loan rate with my credit union, and to get a better rate I got my mom to co-sign my loan. It’s a popular rental fleet model so there were tons of them on the market, but average miles were high - so when I saw one that was two years old with only a years worth of miles on it at $1000 less than the average price for that make, model, and year, I jumped on it. My payments are $231/month on the 5-year plan. Currently, I’m paying that minimum, but I plan to escalate my payments as my income goes up (I’m on the academic job market now, pray for me). I folded this car payment into my existing budget by giving up solo-living and finding a roommate. When I had my own apartment, very spacious with a huge kitchen and tons of windows/natural light, I was paying about $585 for monthly rent. I hate living with people, but I hated the idea of being trapped in this college town without a car even more - one of my other mantras is “you can do anything for a year.”

A note on credit cards: I love them. I’m one of those responsible people that charges everything and pays the balance like clockwork every month. This is the only way to make sure you’re actually taking advantage of the cash back/reward perks! Currently, I’m using Capital One’s Venture card and stockpiling airline miles for travel (it has a 40,000 mile sign-on bonus). If you’re good for it, I also recommend one card with a great balance transfer program. For me, when I get into an emergency situation, it makes me feel like I have options. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve had to use my balance transfer card to cover costs ($1400 in car repairs, summer 2015), but at my level, I can’t afford to not have back up plans.

Savings and Investments

$5,517 Cash

$7,861 Roth IRA + employer mandated retirement account

Retirement: The biggest financial mistake I've made in grad school is that I did not opt into the retirement account offered by the university when I started my M.A. in 2012. When they ask me that “what I wish I had known before I went to grad school” question, this is near the top of the list. I did, eventually, open a Roth IRA and slowly I started to build something. This year, when my graduate funding dried up and they made me a “half-time instructor” the retirement account for public school teachers was mandatory and the contributions are high: 14% of every pay check (annoying, yes, but on the flipside, there is an equally high employer match). While I’m contributing to this, I’ve paused my contributions to the IRA. I’ll roll this money over, either into the IRA or into another state/employer retirement fund when I move on from here.

Personal savings: I strive for a minimum of $100 per month and frequently do a little more, but each month is different and I consider it a win if I break even. Through most of grad school, I’ve taken on “second jobs” to bolster what I can save (and boost my resume). Both jobs have been through the university, so they limit me to five hours a week. When I max them out, this can be an extra $200-250 each month.

I took up a new savings challenge this academic year to build on my “play money” savings account (a high yield savings account which my bank labels a “goal setter” account). The challenge involves tallying the “total savings” printed on my receipts each month (i.e. when the grocery store is like “you saved $6″ because of sales and coupons). So, At the end of the month, I put that running total into my goal setter account. Sometimes the total savings are like $26, but others its as much as $171. It’s an interesting challenge because it encourages me to do tedious things, like scroll through all the digital coupons on the grocery store app; but at the same time, I know that the higher that number is usually coincides with a lot of shopping which encourages some self-regulation.

I initially set my goal at $2500 when I opened the goal setter account in 2014. When I had to dip into the account in April 2018 to pay $930 in car repairs, I finally set plans in motion to buy my car. Since I bought used, I only put 10% down on the car (just over $1200). When I sold my old car for $1000, I put that money right back into the account to start saving for new things...

What I’m saving for now:

travel: to celebrate finally finishing this PhD, I’m hoping to pull off a trip to Europe. Later this year, I’m also turning 30 around the same time that one of my regular professional conferences is meeting in Hawaii. If I can do one or both in the next year, that’d be grand. (As I mentioned, I'm saving up airline miles with my credit card program, too!)

a multicooker: think InstantPot...but more expensive because my dreams all revolve around small appliances that match my stand mixer.

What I do to be frugal...

I’ve been frugal my whole life, but a couple of major habits I’ve formed include:

Meal planning and home cooking (read my guide to meal prep here). The money part of that means planning what I eat around maximizing the ingredients I have to buy. I plan meals that use the same ingredients so I’m not spending on an entire bunch of celery and then throwing out 75% of it. Routinization also helps, so my grocery lists stay about the same week to week and the bill relatively predictable - for example, I eat avocado egg salad almost every day for lunch. I know, avocados are not cheap, but I also believe in spending on the things that nourish you––literally and “spiritually.” Roxane Gay once said that she never bought avocados or blueberries when she was a “poor grad student.” Once she started making money, she realized she would buy them because she could afford them, but she also threw them out all the time because she didn’t plan her meals right to actually eat them. The point is, buy the foods that you like/feel good about and build habits around them. It’s not wasted money. That said, I won’t pay more than $1.25 for an avocado!

Second hand clothes shopping, especially for my business casual (it’s amazing what people donate to the Goodwill, barely worn!)

#money #money snapshot #avocados #debt #savings #gradblr #gradschool #personal finance

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mmjjbbaannkkss · 5 years ago

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2019 July 16-21 Rotators, Delts and Ankles

“To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it” ~ Charlie Chaplin

#xv31 monday, Heavy Push Treadmill warm-up -/110 >> Incl DB Bench 4x 6 3540455050- >> BB Flat Bench 4x 6 100*4 >> Dips 3x 8 4*6 >> Incl DB Neutral 3x 8 35404545 >> Shldr Press 3x 6 50507070 >> R/Delt 3x 8 5,10,15,20,25,30 >> Front Raise 3x 8 15202025 >> Pullover Press 3x 6 35353535 >> Tric Pushdown 4*6 3535355 >> Twist 4x 10 507090110 >> Treadmill cooldown

Nagging trouble w front delt, could warm up rear delt first, shoulders/chest are working better with volume or slow, no train, no gain, dips same fascia tension, could do myofascial stretching of arms/shoulders, neutral hold db was worst, shoulder press better, rear delts targeted with an archer cable pull/draw was THE BEST thing even if just this stage of delt gains, front raise weak, hi red/blonde team, ...that pullover was a skullcrusher once my double dips in its place, tric-push might’ve benefited being diamonds instead, explosive twists high resistance only one shoulder on machine taps obliques w/o mentally bombing //

#xv32 Tuesday, 7x7 Pull Treadmill warm-up -/? >> Palms-In pulldown 7*7 100*7 >> DB 1-Arm Row 35,505050,656565,80- >> Wide Lat pulldown 70,9090,11111111 >> Straight pulldown 35,5050505050,6565 >> Shrug 100*3,150*4 >> Row 607590105120135150 >> Delt Deck 90*7 >> Preacher Curl 80808080,959595- >> Straight Bar Curl supine 20303040405050- >> 1-arm cable curl 2020,25252525,30- >> Treadmill cooldown

Aminos, beet juice, hot green tea, getting some good body temp w/o caffeine pwo, has made sleeping better; avoiding carbonated anything; the 32oz hot tea, scoop aminos, splash of beet and/or orange juice, helps keep a sweat going, at about an hour there’s a need to pace myself, could be the music slowing me down and then my repping too fast; slowing down and lightening up and steady state has been worth it; 45lb plate fell 1-2ft onto my foot, in a good way

#xv33 Wednesday, Slow/Heavy Legs Treadmill warm-up -/? Plate Squat 4x 6 0,454545 >> Horizon Press 3x 8 90,130,170 >> Hack Squat 3x 8 203040 >> Deadlift+Curl 3x 8 404040 >> Leg Ext 3x 8 101010(4ct.iso) >> Leg Curl 3*8 LR/ F@30/16:13:10 >> Heel Raise 4x 8 LR /f@70/25'20:25 >> Side Bends 4x 8 plate LR 45454545 >> Rev Crunch 4x 12 121212-12- >> Rope/Crunch 4x 12 arm-chair 110,110,130-150- >> Treadmill cooldown 10min

Un-broke foot? Yesterday, bench locked into chair, plate balanced like a wheel, tumbles dives onto my foot, 15 years ago I rolled the ankle, and it was like brb google...ok that didn’t help, so like, the actuators and hydraulics, top left of foot into ankle were rusted, then smack, years of fascia stretched, hydrated, cracked, idk, a masseuse could’ve brunt their hand b/w ankle/foot and forced the fold methinks - am kind of numb even before ever going to the gym, so it didn’t register, but almost instantly pimp step was gone (google it), straight lines then/there, NBD right? even popping my knee is easy with foot... flexibility that’s the word, would’ve never known planting left heel first was so essential, go figure, count your lucky stars /// need to compose a heavy leg day with more mule kick and deadlifts, compounds, one-leg deadlift is hard,

No bruise, some residual morning stiffness, even sleeping and sitting has changed. Damn you, Achilles!

#xv34 Thursday, Lite Push fst7 Treadmill warmup, -/hot >> Shoulder Press 7*7 10,3030,5050,7070,90 >> Front raise 7*7 30*7 >> Lat Raise 7*7 5,10,1515151515 >> Incl BB Bench 7*7 60*7 >> DB Flat Bench 7*7 2(45)*7 >> Crossover 7*7 10152025252525 >> Pec Deck 7*7 70,85,100,115,13,145,16,175,19- >> Pullover 7*7 35,505050,656565 >> Tri-bar tricep 7*7 50506060707085 >> Twist 7*7 100100100,120120120,140- >> Treadmill cooldown 10min

Better start with delts push day, would've liked to do lite volume delts-only day, shldr press good warm up progressive, front raise cable ropes better but lighter, lat raise leaning outward is better for me and "stimulate not annihilate" merited, bench yet felt weak/deflated but tender at coffee, inner delts front cable cross low new target, pec deck better, tricep same/oof, twist good but could've angled obliques raise maybe,

#xv35 Friday, Slow Pull Treadmill warm-up -/? >> Lat Pulldown 3x 6 507090110 >> Sit Row 3x 6 607590,105,120,135,150,165 >> High Row 3x 6 35506580 >> Chin Up Palms In 3x 8 887-1- >> «Bow pulls LR 3x 8 101520 >> Smith Shrug 4x 8 60,160,160,160- >> EZ Curl 4x 10 2030405060- >> Cable Curl 1-Arm 4x 10 1015 → rope curl 15202530 >> Preacher Curl 1-Arm 4x 105050658095 >> Twist 4x 10 7090110130 >> Treadmill cooldown 10min

Right afterwards, great for now bow draws, but stretched left rear delt and wrung/wrought it in smith shrug so couldn't proper cable curl, did ropes curl instead after seeing it in a Hany Rambod vid last week, breezy night is good >> doing pulls at the same speed up/down has really felt healthier the next day. Should run from the treadmill to pullups and get those fucking things over-with first. Might make bow-string pulls new rearmost delt iso, across the chest.

#xv36 Saturday, lite legs overslept, skipped leg day, did mow the lawn in a 90 fog Sunday, soaked. It’s like I have a new ankle, have been moving/flexing it in (awe?) when just thinking about it. Might test lifter’s sprints Wednesday.

////

Notes/tips

> Wide stance, knees locked, alternate opposite hand to foot touch 1 minute, incorporate some pushups again for chest volume training; shoulders > full “CAN RAISES”, no shrug, straight arm raises lite wide, targets “supraspinatus”

> external rotation, open the sliding door lite, targets posterior rotator cuff, infraspinatus and teres minor > external rotation press, cable pull lateral, then open the window, then press

> if you do low weight high volume, you’ll get some muscle size increase and some definition, and eventually plateau until the reps are done with resistance, and that could mean isometric holds or bodyweight pauses (called calisthenics), because the slow (to warm up) twitch muscles, like delts or biceps, some of the chest, will begin to need slightly more recovery time, and continues until either muscle memory is learned (gymnastics, crossfit) or slow eccentric or deep concentric/eccentric can train/gain the inner muscle (bodybuilding, powerlifting), slowing reps can extend hypertrophy while making strength gains, but requires more rest and more nutrition considerations,

instagram.com/swehttamxam/

#workout #training #program #routine #goal #guide #schedule #fitness #exercise #6day #ankle #shoulders #rotator cuff #rotater cuff #mobility #flixibility #quotes #quote

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jwslw · 6 years ago

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d20 Modern Stats for the Fallen from Destiny

The Fallen/Eliksni

Species Traits

Ability Modifiers:Str+2, Dex+2, Int-2, Cha-2.

Monstrous Humanoid.

Medium

Darkvision: Eliksni have Darkvision out to a range of 60ft

Four Arms (Ex): An Eliksni can wield four medium-sized or smaller weapons or two large weapons simultaneously, the extra set of arms grant the Eliksni a +4 bonus to Climb and Grapple checks, the extra arms are treated as off-hands. Unless Docked (see below) or unable to access Ether (see below) the second set of arms/hands will regrow over a period of 1d6 weeks if cut off.

Ether Dependence (Su): Eliksni require a specialized substance called Ether to function, All Eliksni carry a specialized air tank and breathing apparatus with 24 hours worth of Ether. If an Eliksni is forced to operate without Ether for an extended period of time they will sicken, suffering a -2 penalty to all rolls and checks until they have their supply restored. If they go without Ether for a number of days equal to 2x their Constitution score, they will die. As a Fallen grows larger it requires more Ether to function properly. Ether also influences the growth of an Eliksni (See Fallen Class)

Docking (Ex): As a punishment for real or perceived crimes against their fellow Eliksni, an individual Fallen can have its lower set of arms docked and their Ether ration is reduced to half what a Medium sized Eliksni would usually receive, preventing the arms from growing back and negating the Climb and Grapple bonuses they normally apply. In addition the Docked Eliksni loses its +2species bonus to strength and its Charisma penalty is increased to -4. If a docked an Eliksni had previously increased its size through the Fallen class, it immediately shrinks back to medium size losing all size based bonuses and penalties, if that Fallen's status is restored, their size will restore at the same rate as their arms.

Base Land Speed: 40feet.

Bonus Feats: Eliksni receive Archaic Weapons Proficiency and Light Armor Proficiency as Bonus feats

Skill Bonuses: Eliksni receive a +4 Species Bonus to Hide, Jump, and Spot checks.

Languages: All Eliksni can receive Read/Write and Speak Language (Eliksni), most can learn English or another human language

Level Adjustment:+2.

Fallen Class Base Attack Fort Ref Will

Level Bonus Save Save Save Special

1 +1 +0 +2 +2 ----

2 +2 +0 +3 +3 ----

3 +3 +1 +3 +3 Bonus Feat

4 +4 +1 +4 +4 ---

5 +5 +1 +4 +4 Size Increase1, Extra Attacks

6 +6/1 +2 +5 +5 Bonus Feat

7 +7/2 +2 +5 +5 ---

8 +8/3 +2 +6 +6 ---

9 +9/4 +3 +6 +6 Bonus Feat

10 +10/5 +3 +7 +7 Size Increase2, Extra Attacks

At anytime, an Eliksni can take a Level in the Fallen class, gaining the following bonuses

Class Skills: Climb(Str), Drive(Dex), Hide(Dex), Intimidate(Cha), Jump(Str), Listen(Wis), Move Silently(Dex), Pilot(Dex) and Spot(Wis).

Skill Points (First Level): 2x Int Score

Skill Points (Level up): 2

Bonus Feats: At 3rd 6th and 9th Level an Eliksni may select from one of the following feats as long as they have the prerequisites: Alertness, Armor Proficiency (Medium, Heavy or Power), Brawl, Combat Martial Arts, Defensive Martial Arts, Frightful Presence, Leadership, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Personal Firearms Proficiency, and Power Attack

Size Increase: As an Eliksni rises through the ranks of their clan their Ether ration is increased allowing fo impressive physical growth. At 5th level, an Eliksni's size increases to Large and at 10th level it increases to Huge, when this happens the Eliksni receives all the benefits/penalties related to increasing size. If a Eliksni is Docked, it will immediately shrink back to Medium size, negating these effects, if the Docking is reversed, they will gradually reattain their previous size/benefits and penalties over a period of 1d6 weeks as their lower arms regrow.

Extra Attacks: Whenever an Eliksni increases in size, it gains the ability to make upto two Stomp Attacks per round as part of a Full Attack Action. Stomp Attacks are made at the Eliksni's Highest Melee attack Bonus -10 and can be performed along side Ranged attacks or Melee Attacks. A Large Eliksni's the Stomp Attack deals 1d4+half Strength Modifier Bludgeoning damage, at huge the damage increases to 1d6. If an Eliksni is docked it loses access to its stomp attacks till its arms regrow.

Example Fallen

Shank

A Shank is a Fallen scout, sentry, and repair drone. Shanks can be deployed from Walkers.

Shanks attack in small swarms and fire small plasma cannons in short bursts. For the most part, their attacks are relatively weak. They can also boost themselves up to avoid grenades or small arms fire, but this tactic isn't used often.

Because their offensive capabilities appear to be based on attacking in numbers, individual Shanks are lightly armored and are easily destroyed. When the Epic modifier is active, Shanks have a shield that is vulnerable to Solar damage.

Shank (PL7) CR1/2. Medium Construct. HD:1d10+10. HP:15. Mas-. Init:. Speed: fly 30ft (Poor). Defense:, Touch , FF (+3Equip/+3Equip,+4Deflection [Ranged only]). BaB:+0. Grapl:+. Atk/Full Attack: -4ranged (3d8 RI 120ft Laser Sniper rifle, or 2d6 RI 70ft mini Grenade Launcher) or -8ranged (2d6 RI 50ft H&K MP5 Auto-fire). FS:5ftx5ft. R5ft. SQ: Construct Traits, . AL: Eliksni Clan. SV: Fort+0, Ref+0, Will+0. AP: N/A . Rep+0. Str15, Dex10, Con---, Int---, Wis10, Cha1. Skills: Disable Device+5, Listen+6, Repair+5, Spot+6. Feats: Alertness Equipment: Projectile Deflector, H&K MP5 w/Plasma Coated rounds and Auto-Loader gadget and 120 rounds, or Laser Sniper Rifle and Auto-Loader Gadget w/4x 50 round power cells, or Mini Grenade Launcher and Auto-Loader Gadget w/4 Dissolver Grenades, Fusion Torch and a Miniaturized basic Tool Kit. Purchase DC: 28($16,360) Restriction: Mil+3. Frame: Armature. Locomotion: Thrusters (Standard). Manipulators: Task Hands (x2) Armor: DuraPlastic. Sensors: Class 3. Skill Software: Skill Chip (Disable Device+4)Skill Chip (Spot+4), Skill Chip (Listen+4), Skill Chip (Repair+4) Feat Software: Feat Progit (Alertness) Accessories: Self Destruct Mechanism, Weapon Mount (w/1 of three weapon options), Tool Mount (Projectile Deflector), Internal Storage Bay (20lb limit)

Servitor

A Servitor is a spherical, mechanical Fallen class. Servitors can float in air and shoot purple Void blasts from their eye. A Servitor's weak point is the center of its eye. They provide the Fallen's life-sustaining ether and are treated as gods by the Fallen.

Living relics of the past Fallen civilization, Servitors are highly advanced machines that can process matter and energy into the Ether that all Fallen depend on for life. They can fulfill a support role on the battlefield, but also anchor Fallen communications networks and provide technological support.

Although Servitors fulfill a vital role in Fallen society, they are integrated in a complex way. Servitors are attached to a Prime Servitor, the largest and most powerful Servitor in a Fallen House. The Prime Servitor exists in an unclear symbiosis with a Fallen Archon, who works to convey the wishes of the House's Kell to the Prime Servitor. Some recent developments suggest that Prime Servitors play a key role in Fallen space flight.

In combat, Servitors act as support units to groups of Fallen, buffing up any nearby Fallen and raining powerful energy blasts from afar. They also have a tendency to teleport short distances to evade fire and throw off a players' aim, so careful tracking of them is necessary. Servitors are quite resilient as well, and tend to spin around to try to conceal their vulnerable eye.

Therefore, it is advised that a Servitor be the primary target in a group of Fallen, so that it can't buff up nearby units, and their powerful energy blasts don't cause any ranged grief.

Prime Servitor

Prime Servitors are a focus of worship and logistical activity within a Fallen House. They serve as part of House leadership alongside an Archon and a Kell.

Prime Servitors are viewed as gods within their respective Houses, due to the life sustaining Ether they produce. While they were once seen as beacons of hope for the Fallen people in the wake of the Whirlwind, they are now tools of control used by Kells. Servitors within each House are attached to their Prime, and possess unique programming from other Servitors connected to different Primes. Prime Servitors exist in an unclear symbiosis with Fallen Archons, who act as their caretakers and protectors. It is thought that Prime Servitors may play a key role in Fallen star flight. In some instances, a Prime can act as the leader of a House in the stead of Kell, however they depends on their Archon's to protect them and their ability to lead is weak.

Species Traits

Construct traits (Ex): Servitors have dark vision with a range of 60 feet. Servitors are immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necromancy effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. They are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or the effects of massive damage. Servitors cannot heal damage on their own but can be repaired using the Repair skill. A successful Repair check (DC 30) heals 1d10 points of damage to a Servitor, and each check represents 1 hour of work. A Servitor reduced to 0 hit points is immediately destroyed and cannot be repaired and cannot be raised from the dead.

Ether Gathering (Su): As a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a Servitor can begin drawing in ambient positive and negative energy as well as any previously released Ether and processing it into usable Ether that can be redistributed to other Eliksni. The total process takes 1 round per gallon of Ether produced and a Servitor can hold a gallon of Ether per Hit Die.

Healing Pulse (Su): Once every 1d6 rounds as a Full Round action, a Servitor can release a cloud of gathered Ether, All Eliksni, and Eliksni aligned Constructs/vehicles are healed for 1d10+the Servitor's HD worth of hit points, 1d4+1/2 Servitor's HD worth of Ability damage and receive a +2 Morale bonus to Attack Rolls and Saves for 1d4 rounds. A healing pulse uses up all Ether a Servitor has gathered, and it can not perform a healing pulse with an empty tank.

Communications Array (Ex): Servitors gain Read/Write and Speak Eliksni for free, Servitors have Built -in Radio and LASER Transceivers for communicating with Fallen ships and other Servitors.

Spell-Like Abilities (Su): Once per Round a Servitor can cast the following spells At Will/Mage Armor, Magic Missile (1st) Invisibility (2nd) Lightning Bolt (3rd) Dimension Door, Ice Storm (4th) All spells are cast as a Mage of equal level to the Servitor's Hit Dice, saves are based on the Servitors Wisdom Score.

Skills (Ex): Servitors receive a number of skill points equal to their Wisdom Score. Servitors treat Craft (Pharmaceutical), Computer Use, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Navigate, Repair, Spot, Survival, and Treat Injury as “Class Skills”

Bonus Feats (Ex): Servitors Receive Alertness, Gear Head, Guide, Medical Expert And Stealthy as Bonus Feats

Servitor CR4. Medium Construct HD:5d10+10. HP37. Mas--. Init:+0. Spd 30ft fly (Perfect). Defense:15, Touch10, FF15(+5Nat). Bab+3. Grapl+4. Atk/Full Atk:+4melee(1d6+1 Slam) or +3ranged. FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Construct traits, Ether Gathering, Healing Pulse, Communication Array, Spell Like Abilities. AL: Eliksni clan. Sv Frt+1, Ref+1, Wil+5. AP. Rep+0. Str12, Dex11,Con--, Int--, Wis18, Cha1.

Skills: Craft (Pharmaceutical)+4, Computer Use+4, Hide+4, Listen+7, Move Silently+4, Navigate+4,Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni+1 other), Repair+4, Spot+7, Survival+7, Treat Injury+7

Feats: Alertness, Gear Head, Guide, Medical Expert, Stealthy

Advancement: 6-8 (Large) 7-13 (Huge).

Prime CR12. Huge Construct HD:13d10+40. HP37. Mas--. Init:-1. Spd 30ft fly (Perfect). Defense:17, Touch7, FF17(-2size,-1dex, +10Nat). Bab+9. Grapl+26. Atk/Full Atk:+16melee(2d6+13 Slam) or +2ranged. FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Construct traits, Ether Gathering, Healing Pulse, Communication Array, Spell Like Abilities. AL: Eliksni clan. Sv Frt+4, Ref+2, Wil+8. AP. Rep+0. Str28, Dex7,Con--, Int--, Wis18, Cha1.

Skills: Craft (Pharmaceutical)+4, Computer Use+4, Hide+4, Listen+7, Move Silently+4, Navigate+4,Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni+1 other), Repair+4, Spot+7, Survival+7, Treat Injury+7

Feats: Alertness, Gear Head, Guide, Medical Expert, Stealthy

Dreg

Unlike other classes of Fallen, Dregs possess only two arms to the usual four. Their lower standing within the Fallen heirarchy results in their loathing by other classes, which have the Dregs' second set of arms docked and prevented from developing until they have proven themselves worthy to become Vandals. Otherwise, they are similar to other Fallen classes, albeit seemingly smaller and sporting a large crest of hair.

Dregs usually carry Shock Daggers and Shock Pistols, occasionally using Shock Grenades, and rarely Shrapnel Launchers. They are undisciplined fighters, and will hiss and clatter, revealing their position. They seem to wear only light armor with little to no exo-atmospheric protection, and will melee at close ranges, though they aren't as strong as more elite Fallen variants.

Dregs can be seen riding Pikes.

Dregs are the lowest class of Fallen, but it appears that ranks are based on honor. Dregs have their arms removed as a sign of shame and disgrace, indicating that if they do not do well in battle, even a Captain can be downgraded to a mere Dreg. However, if the Dreg proves themselves worthy, they will be allowed to regrow their second pair of arms and work their way up through the ranks once more.

Most Dregs are cannon fodder and do not provide much in the way of resistance. However, what they lack in weaponry and skill, they make up for in numbers. A Guardian must take care to not be surrounded by too many, lest they be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. In addition, Dregs on Pikes should be considered a serious threat. The House of Dusk also fields spear wielding Dregs called Wretches

“Common” Dreg CR1 Medium Monstrous Humanoid Tough Ordinary 3 HD: 3d10+6. HP22. Mas14. Init:+2. Spd 40ft. Defense:16, Touch14, FF14(+2dex,+2Class,+2Equip). Bab+2. Grapl+4. Atk/Full Atk:+4melee (1d4+2/19-20 Shock Dagger) or +4ranged (2d6 RI: 40ft Shock Pistol or 4d6 Shock Grenade). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Docked, Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+4, Ref+3, Wil+0. AP4. Rep+1.Str14, Dex15, Con14, Int10 Wis8, Cha6.

Occupation: Criminal (Hide, Move Silently)

Skills: Drive+6, Hide+6, Listen+1, Move Silently+6, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni), Spot+1.

Feats: Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency

Possessions: Shock Pistol w/1d4+1 power cells, Shock Dagger, 1d4-1 Shock grenades, Ether Tank and Breathing mask, Survival Armor, various gear and personal possessions.

“Elte” Dreg CR4. Medium Monstrous Humanoid Strong Hero2/Fast Hero2 HD: 4d8+8. HP29. Mas15. Init:+2. Spd 45ft. Defense:20, Touch18, FF18(+2dex,+6Class,+2Equip). Bab+3. Grapl+5. Atk/Full Atk:+5melee (1d4+3/19-20 Shock Dagger) or +6melee (1d6+3 Non-lethal slam), +5ranged (2d6 RI: 40ft Shock Pistol or 4d6 Shock Grenade). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Docked, Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+4, Ref+4, Wil-1. AP4. Rep+0.Str14, Dex15, Con15, Int10 Wis8, Cha6.

Occupation: Criminal (Hide, Move Silently)

Skills: Climb+4, Drive or Pilot+4, Hide+6, Jump+4, Listen+1, Move Silently+6, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni), Spot+1.

Feats: Alien Weapons Proficiency, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Stealthy, Simple Weapons Proficiency

Talents: Melee Smash, Increased Speed

Possessions: Shock Pistol w/1d4+1 power cells, Shock Dagger, 1d4-1 Shock grenades, Ether Tank and Breathing mask, Survival Armor, various gear and personal possessions.

Wretch CR4. Medium Monstrous Humanoid Strong Hero2/Fast Hero2 HD: 4d8+8. HP29. Mas15. Init:+2. Spd 45ft. Defense:20, Touch18, FF18(+2dex,+6Class,+2Equip). Bab+3. Grapl+5. Atk/Full Atk:+5melee (1d8+4/x3 Arc Spear) or +6melee (1d6+3 Non-lethal slam), +5ranged. FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Docked, Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+4, Ref+4, Wil-1. AP4. Rep+0. Str14, Dex15, Con15, Int10 Wis8, Cha6.

Occupation: Criminal (Hide, Move Silently)

Skills: Climb+4, Drive or Pilot+4, Hide+6, Jump+4, Listen+1, Move Silently+6, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni), Spot+1.

Feats: Alien Weapons Proficiency, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Stealthy, Simple Weapons Proficiency

Talents: Melee Smash, Increased Speed

Possessions: Arc Spear, Ether Tank and Breathing mask, Survival Armor, various gear and personal possessions.

Vandal

Vandals are a six-limbed class of Fallen, having a higher ranking than Dregs, but lower than Captains. They bear heavier armor and more deadly weaponry than Dregs.

Vandals wield one of four types of weapons: Shock Rifles, mid-range weapons that fire bright blue homing projectiles; Wire Rifles, powerful sniper rifles that take time to charge; Shrapnel Launchers, which fire several projectiles at a time; or dual-wielded Shock Blades.

Stealth Vandals, variants of normal Vandals, can use a cloaking ability to render themselves nearly invisible.

When facing Vandals in combat, pay close attention to what weapons they carry; if they utilize Shock Rifles, treat them as most other trooper-level enemies, only being tougher in general, and remember to take cover from their homing projectiles. If they use Wire Rifles, then either close the distance to catch them off guard, or stay in cover and either wait for them to finish firing their weapons, or counter-sniping them before they get a chance to land a shot. If they use Shrapnel Launchers, keep a reasonable distance, for the launchers have poor accuracy and high spread. Finally, if they utilize Shock Blades, treat them as regular melee-oriented enemies and take them out from a distance.

With Stealth variants, the same tactics apply, but with extra caution being necessary, as their cloaking device makes tracking them more difficult, and they could sneak up on unwary players if given the chance. The House of Dusk calls Vandals Marauders.

Common Vandal CR4. Medium Monstrous Humanoid Strong Hero2/Fast Hero2 HD: 4d8+8.HP29. Mas15. Init:+2. Spd 45ft. Defense:19/23, Touch18/22, FF17/21(+2dex,+6Class,+1Equip/+2dex,+6Class,+1Equip, +4 Deflect vs ranged). Bab+3. Grapl+5. Atk:+5ranged (4d6 RI30ft Shrapnel Launcher or 3d10 RI140ft Wire Rifle) or +7ranged (2d8/19-20 RI60ft Shock Rifle). Full Atk:+5melee(1d6+3 Rifle butt) and +0melee (1d8+1/19-20 2x Shock Blades). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+4, Ref+4, Wil-1. AP4. Rep+0.Str14, Dex15, Con15, Int10 Wis8, Cha6.

Occupation: Criminal (Hide, Move Silently)

Skills: Climb+4, Drive or Pilot+4, Hide+6, Jump+4, Listen+1, Move Silently+6, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni), Spot+1.

Feats: Alien Weapons Proficiency, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Brawl, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Stealthy, Simple Weapons Proficiency

Talents: Melee Smash, Increased Speed

Possessions: Shock Rifle (12lb) w/3x 15 shot powercells or Wire Rifle (11lb) w/3x 5 shot powercells or Shrapnel Launcher (9lb) w/24 shells and 2x Shock Blades (4lb each), Silent Suit with Chameleonic Coating and Integrated Projectile Deflector, Breathing apparatus, various gear and personal possessions.

*Includes armor Modifiers

Elite Vandal CR6. Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Fast Hero4/Street Warrior2. HD:4d8+8 plus 2d10+4. HP36. Mas15. Init:+3. Spd 30ft. (Base 40ft) Defense:21/24,Touch20,FF17/21(+3dex,+6Class,+1Equip +1Dodge vs Melee/+3dex, +6class, +1equip, +4Defelction against Ranged). Bab+5. Grapl+11. Atk:+8ranged (4d6 RI30ft Shrapnel Launcher or 3d10 RI140ft Wire Rifle) or +10ranged (2d8/19-20 RI60ft Shock Rifle). Full Atk:+3melee(1d6+3 Rifle butt) and +3melee (1d8+1/19-20 2x Shock Blades). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Urban Survival, Improvised Weapons. AL:Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+6, Ref+5, Wil+0. AP:6. Rep+.Str15, Dex16,Con15, Int8 Wis9, Cha10.

Occupation: Law Enforcement (Intimidate, Listen)

Skills: Bluff+3, Climb+6, Hide+14*, Intimidate+3, Knowledge (Streetwise)+5, Listen+2, Move Silently+18*, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni), Spot+2, Survival+2, Tumble+6

Feats: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Brawl, Defensive Martial Arts, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Stealthy, Street Fighting

Talents:Evasion, Uncanny Dodge I

*Includes armor Modifiers

Captain

Captains are the tactical coordinators and leaders of individual Fallen combat groups. Captains serve exclusively as infantry field commanders, personally leading their subordinates into direct combat with the enemy. They are the most vicious member of their crew and receive the largest ration of Ether and the best gear.

Fallen Captains are extremely tough combatants. They favor either Shrapnel Launchers or Shock Rifles. Alternatively, they can dual-wield a pair of Shock Blades. They possess personal short-range teleportation systems as well as powerful Arc shields.

Captains are extremely aggressive. They lead by example, charging fearlessly into the fray and rallying their fellow Fallen around them. Though they will back off if their shield breaks or if they take heavy fire, Captains are otherwise fearless and will charge into the battle even if the odds are against them.

Captain CR9. Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Strong Hero3/Charismatic Hero3/Field Officer3 HD: 6d8+6 plus 3d6+3. HP50. Mas12. Init:+0. Spd 30ft. (Base 40ft) Defense:,Touch,FF(+5Class,+5Equip). Bab+7. Grapl+12. Atk:+3/-2ranged (6d6 RI 300ft Molten Welder) or +7ranged (4d6 RI 30ft Shrapnel Launcher) or +9ranged (2d8 RI 60ft Shock Rifle). Full Atk:+4/-1melee(1d6+2 Rifle Butt) and -1melee (1d8+2/19-20 2x Shock Swords). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Leadership, Uncanny Survival. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+6, Ref+4, Wil+6. AP:9. Rep+3. Str12, Dex11,Con12, Int12, Wis13, Cha13.

Occupation: Technician (Computer Use, Repair, Research)

Skills: Bluff+7, Climb+1*, Computer Use+3, Diplomacy+7, Gather Information+7, Intimidate+7, Knowledge (Tactic)+7, Listen+3, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni plus 3 others),Repair+3, Research+3, Sense Motive+7, Spot+3.

Feats: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium), Combat Martial Arts, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Talents: Extreme Effort, Melee Smash, Coordinate, Inspiration

Possessions: Shock Rifle (12lb) w/3x 15 shot powercells or Shrapnel Launcher (9lb)w/24 shells or Molten Welder (36lb) w/2x 10 shot power cells, 2x Shock Swords (4lb each) Light Duty Vest, Personal Force Field (DR10/--), AutoPort device, Breathing Apparatus, various gear and personal possessions.

*Includes Armor Modifiers

Archon

An Archon or Archon Priest is the primary link between a House's Kell and its Prime Servitor.

Eliksni serving as high priests, Archons are revered among the Eliksni for their connections to the High Servitors. Outside of combat, Archons are tasked with mediating communications between the Kell of their houses and the High Servitors. They are almost always encountered armed with Shrapnel launchers and are extremely durable.

Archon CR10. Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Dedicated Hero5 Acolyte5 HD:5d6 plus 5d8. HP42. Mas10. Init:+1. Spd 30ft (40base). Defense:19, Touch17,FF18(+1dex,+6Class,+2Equip). Bab+9. Grapl+15. Atk:+11melee(1d8+3/x3 Arc Spear) or +10ranged (4d6 RI;30ft Shrapnel Launcher). Full Atk:+11/+6melee(1d8+3/x Arc Spear). FS:5ftx5ft. R:5ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Divine Spells, Turn/Rebuke Undead, Spontaneous Casting, Combat Casting. AL: Eliksni Clan, Good or Evil. Sv Frt+9, Ref+5, Wil+11. AP:10. Rep+5. Str14, Dex12, Con10, Int11, Wis14, Cha13.

Occupation: Celebrity (Diplomacy)

Skills: Climb+4, Concentration+6, Diplomacy+10, Handle Animal+4, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy)+8, Listen+10, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni plus One other), Sense Motive+10, Spell craft+6

Feats: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Animal Affinity, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Talents: Healing Knack, Healing Touch 1 and 2.

Spells: (5/5/4/2): Typically Prepared Spells 0 (Mending and Resistance) 1(Cure or Inflict Light Wounds, Remove or Cause Fear, Bane or Bless and Shield of Faith), 2(Hold Person, Vampiric Touch, Summon Vivilor 3), 3(Bestow or Remove Curse)

Possessions: Shrapnel Launcher (9lb)w/24 shells, Arc Spear (8lb), Personal Force Field (DR10/--), AutoPort device, Medium Combat Armor (Non Proficient), Breathing Apparatus, various gear and personal possessions.

High Archon CR15 Large Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Dedicated Hero5 Acolyte5 HD:5d6+5 plus 10d8+10. HP80. Mas12. Init:+0. Spd 30ft (40base). Defense:21/25,Touch15/19, FF21/25(-1size, +6Class,+4Equip, +2 Natural/-1size, +6Class,+4Equip, +2 Natural +4 Deflection vs Ranged). Bab+14. Grapl+24. Atk:+19melee(1d8+9/x3 Arc Spear) or +13ranged (4d6 RI;30ft Shrapnel Launcher). Full Atk:+19/+14/+9melee(1d8+9/x Arc Spear) and +9melee (1d4+3 2 slams). FS:10ftx10ft. R:10ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Divine Spells, Turn/Rebuke Undead, Spontaneous Casting, Combat Casting, 5 levels of Fallen. AL: Eliksni Clan, Good or Evil. Sv Frt+14, Ref+7, Wil+15. AP:10. Rep+5. Str22, Dex11, Con12, Int11, Wis14, Cha13.

Occupation: Celebrity (Diplomacy)

Skills: Climb+10, Concentration+6, Diplomacy+10, Handle Animal+4, Hide-4, Intimidate+7, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy)+8, Listen+10, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni plus One other), Sense Motive+10, Spell craft+6

Talents: Healing Knack, Healing Touch 1 and 2.

Possessions: Shrapnel Launcher (9lb)w/24 shells, Arc Spear (8lb), Personal Force Field (DR10/--), Projectile Deflector, AutoPort device, Medium Combat Armor, Breathing Apparatus, various gear and personal possessions.

Baron

"They don't crawl out of their Skiffs too often."—Ghost

Barons are high-ranking Fallen who command one or more Skiffs or Ketches and their respective crews. They outrank Captains, who only lead a crew of Fallen, but are subservient to their House's Archon, Kell, and Prime Servitor. A House's Kell allows his Barons to take some of the largest shares of ether, allowing them to grow to several times the height of a lowly Dreg.

Barons are a variant of the standard Fallen Captain. While they lack any unique weapons or abilities, Barons possess stronger shields and can usually be found guarding an important objective or leading a Fallen assault in story missions and strikes.

Baron CR14. Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Strong Hero3/Charismatic Hero3/Field Officer3 HD: 11d8+33 plus 3d6+9. HP105. Mas16. Init:+0. Spd 30ft. (Base 40ft) Defense:21/25,Touch14, FF21/25(-1sz, +5Class, +5Equip,+2Nat/+4 Deflection vs Ranged). Bab+12. Grapl+13. Atk:+7ranged (6d6 RI 300ft Molten Welder) or +11ranged (4d6 RI 30ft Shrapnel Launcher) or +13ranged (2d8 RI 60ft Shock Rifle). Full Atk:+12/+7/+2melee(1d6+2 Rifle Butt) and +12melee (1d8+2/19-20 2x Shock Swords) and +6melee (1d4+2 2x Stomps). FS:10ftx10ft. R:10ft. SQ: Darkvision 60ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Leadership, Uncanny Survival, 5 levels of Fallen. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+9, Ref+8, Wil+10. AP:9. Rep+3. Str20, Dex10,Con16, Int12, Wis13, Cha13.

Occupation: Technician (Computer Use, Repair, Research)

Skills: Bluff+7, Climb+(-4armor)*,Computer Use+3, Diplomacy+7, Gather Information+7, Intimidate+7, Knowledge (Tactic)+7, Listen+3, Pilot+5, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni plus 3 others),Repair+3, Research+3, Sense Motive+7, Spot+3.

Feats: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Alertness, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium), Combat Martial Arts, Far shot, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Talents: Extreme Effort, Melee Smash, Coordinate, Inspiration

Possessions: Shock Rifle (12lb) w/3x 15 shot powercells or Shrapnel Launcher (9lb)w/24 shells or Molten Welder (36lb) w/2x 10 shot power cells, 2x Shock Swords (4lb each) Light Duty Vest, Personal Force Field (DR10/--), Projectile Deflector, Breathing Apparatus, various gear and personal possessions.

*Includes Armor Modifier

Kell

A Kell is a leader of the Fallen. Fallen Houses tend to collapse and turn against each other if the Kell falls, but nobles of Houses can rise to power and replace former Kells.

The Kells serve as part of the triumvirate leadership of a Fallen House and are like Archons in that they are large and powerful, and that their loss weakens their house. If a Kell dies, the House is vulnerable to infighting amongst the Houses Barons and nobility.

Since Fallen do not take the loss of leaders lightly, the position of Kellship is highly important to a Fallen Houses stability and should the Kell fall, the Houses become subject to civil war between bitter rivals within the houses nobility. For example, during the Reef Wars the House of Wolves fell into a civil war after their previous Kell, Virixas was killed and three rival contenders emerged and fought each other to take his place. Only the most powerful contender or when all opposition is gone can someone assume control.

While it is possible that a House can still function without a Kell, as an Archon can assume command, their loss severely weakens a house and demoralizes its forces. For this reason, Kells are a prime target for enemy forces.

Kell CR20. Huge Monstrous Humanoid (Fallen) Tough Hero4/Hellix Warrior 6 HD:10d10+60 plus 10d8+60. HP224. Mas22. Init:-1. Spd 30ft (40 base). Defense:28/32,Touch14/18,FF28/32(-2size,+6Class,+9Equip,+5Nat/-2size,+6Class,+9Equip,+5Nat, +4Deflect vs ranged). Bab+19. Grapl+37. Atk:+21ranged (10d6 Elect Range; 200ft M-70 Rocket Launcher). Full Atk:+23/17/11/7melee(1d6+15 Rifle butt) and +23melee (2d6+5/19-20 2 Great swords) and +11melee (2 Stomps 1d6+5) or +21/16/11/6ranged(8d6 Ball/Fire RI; 60ft T-95 Chain gun). FS:15ftx15ft. R:10ft. SQ: Darkvision 90ft, Ether Dependence, Four Armed, Haul, Light Sleeper, Survivor, Strong as an Ox, Superior Conditioning,10 levels of Fallen. AL: Eliksni Clan. Sv Frt+16, Ref+8, Wil+11. AP:15. Rep+3.Str30 (+10), Dex11, Con22 (+6), Int8, Wis10, Cha16.

Occupation: White Collar (Computer Use, Diplomacy)

Skills: Climb+14*, Hide-9*Intimidate+13, Knowledge (Tactics)+2, Read/Write/Speak (Eliksni)

Feats: Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light/Medium/Heavy), Double Tap, Endurance, Frightful Presence, Great Fortitude, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Mecha Weapons Proficiency, Multi Weapon Fighting, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Talents: Remain Conscious, Second Wind.

Possessions: +3 Master-craft T-95 Cavalcade Chain gun w/200 Plasma Coated Seeker rounds and Integrated M-70 EMP Rocket Launcher w/6 rockets (115lb), 2 Great Swords, Ether tank plus Breathing Apparatus, Huge suit of +1 Master-craft Plate mail, Breathing Apparatus, Personal Force Field (DR10/---), Projectile Deflector, AutoPort, Various Gear and personal possessions.

*Includes armor penalty

Fallen Weapons Range PDC/

Weapons Dmg Type Crit Inc RoF Mag Wght SZ Res

Shock Dagger 1d4 Slash/Elec 19-20 --- --- --- 2lb Small 14/lic

Shock Blade 1d8 Slash/Elec 19-20 --- --- --- 4lb Medium 16/lic

Arc Spear 1d8 Pierce/Elec x3 --- --- --- 8lb Large 17/lic

Shock Pistol 2d6 Electric 20 40ft S 10(cell) 1.5lb Small 21/lic

Shock Rifle 2d8 Electric 19-20 60ft Sin 15(cell) 12lb Large 27/res

Shrapnel Launcher 4d6 Ball/Fire x3 30ft Sin 8(Int) 9lb Large 23/res

Wire Rifle 3d10 Electric 20 140ft Sin 5(cell) 11lb Large 24/res

Shock Grenade 4d6 Electric --- 20ft --- --- 1.5lb Tiny 15/mil

Web Mine Special --- --- ---- --- --- 4lb Small 21/mil

Scorch Cannon 6d6 Fire N/A 300ft Sin 10(cell) 36lb Huge 29/mil

Shock Dagger

D20 Rules: requires the Archaic Weapons Proficiency feat to use with out penalty

Shock Blade

D20 Rules: requires the Archaic Weapons Proficiency feat to use with out penalty

Arc Spear

D20 Rules: requires the Archaic Weapons Proficiency feat to use with out penalty

Shock Pistol

D20 rules: Requires the Personal Firearms Proficiency Feat to operate without penalty

Shock Rifle

D20 Rules: Battery Fire (+2 Attack expends 3 Bolts per shot), Target-Lock (+4 Attack, Move action to acquire target), Charge time (Must build a charge before it fires, charging is a Move Action), requires the Personal Firearms Proficiency Feat to use without penalty

Shrapnel Launcher

D20 Rules: An attack from a Shrapnel Launcher loses 1 damage die per range increment after the first (4d6 at one increment, 3d6 at two increment, ect) at the third and fourth increments, any creature/object adjacent to the intended target must make a DC 15 Reflex save or take equal damage. Requires the Personal Firearms Proficiency Feat to use without penalty.

Wire Rifle

D20 Rules: Charge time (Must build a charge before it fires, charging is a Move Action), Integrated Scope (+70ft Range Increment, Move Action to acquire target). Requires the Personal Firearms Proficiency Feat to use without penalty.

Shock Grenade

D20 Rules: Burst 15ft, Ref 17, can stick to targets (DC22 Strength check to remove), detonates 1 round after being thrown.

Web Mine

D20 Rules: Burst Radius 20ft, everything caught in the blast must make a DC 17 Fort save or be effected as if by a Slow Spell and suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to Drive, Pilot and spot checks and Ranged attack rolls. Planted with a Demolitions check, detonates when a hostile creature/vehicle passes within 10ft. The Effects of a Web Mine last for 1d6+2 rounds once detonated.

Scorch Cannon

D20 Rules: Scorch Cannons require the Exotic Firearms Proficiency (Rocket Launcher) Feat to operate without Penalty, Burst Radius 20ft (Ref 17 for half damage), can be fired in direct or remote detonation mode. In Remote detonation mode the shooter makes a Ranged touch attack at their highest Ranged Attack bonus -4. On a successful attack, the “Projectile” clings to the target but, does not detonate and can be detonated by the shooter at any time as a move action. As a Full Round Action, the shot can be removed with a successful Strength Check (or Escape artist if clinging to a living creature)equal to 5+the total attack roll. For each round the “Projectile” is left in place it builds “Charge” (+1d6 damage, +5ft Radius +1 Ref) if the shooter does not detonate the shot themselves, it will auto-detonate after 1d4+2 rounds (determined when the shot is fired)

The stats for a Scorch Cannon can also be used to represent a Shock Cannon (Damage type changes to Electric), a Null Cannon (Damage Type changes to Negative Energy, Increases magazine capacity to 30 [Int], Can not be reloaded, PDC+4), or the Molten Welder (PDC-2, can not use remote Detonation RoF changes to Semi)

Fallen Vehicles

Pike

Crew: 1 Pass: 0 Cargo: 500lb Init: -1 Maneuver: +1 Top Speed: 175 (18). Defense: 8 Hard: 15 HP: 45 Size: H PDC: 44 Res: Mil (+3) Face: 5/3 Armament: 2 Fire-linked Arc Cannons (Forward). Bonuses: None.

Equipment: -Fire-linked Arc Cannon: Damage: 6d6 (4d6 un-linked) Damage Type: Electric. Critical: 20. Range Increment: 150feet. Rate of Fire: S,A. Magazine: Cell (Infinite as long as the Pike is operational). Size: huge . Weight:150lb (70lb per weapon +10lb for mount). Purchase DC: Restriction: Mil+3. Special: When Linked together the Arc Cannons expend 2 rounds on a single shot attack, 20 rounds for an auto fire attack and 10 rounds on a burst-fire attack, in a single weapon configuration its Fire mode is normal. If a Fire-linked cannon is used as an independent weapon from the vehicle, its magazine capacity changes to 400(cell) (200 shots per weapon)

-Engine Boost: +250ft (+50/5 squares) per round, duration 2 rounds, must cool down for 1d4+1 rounds between uses.

-Hovercraft: Can ignore terrain effects.

-Armored Windshield: Hardness 5, 5HP

-Electronics suite: +2 equipment bonus to Spot, Search and Navigate checks.

-Comms Array: Functions as a professional radio with a range of 100miles.

Fallen Walker (PL7)

Size:Gargantuan, Quadrupedal(-4size) HP: 400 Super Structure: Duralloy Hardness: 15 Armor: Duralloy Defense:+8 Penalty: -8 Reach: 15feet Strength:+24 Dexterity: -2 Speed: 40feet Purchase DC: 49 ($6,744,700) Equipment Package: Crew: Cockpit (Torso x2), Shank Hanger w/3d4 Shanks (Back x2), Spider Leg (+2 Legs), Fusion Power Core (+1 Shoulder Slot, +1 Helmet Slot), Laser Painter (Helmet), Integrated AI (Cranium),Oracle MkV Targeting System (Helmet), Class V Sensor Array (Visor), Comm System

Defenses: LX-20 Anti-Shock Array (Belt), 24 Hours Life Support (Right Leg)

Weapons: PNK Puma Pop-Up Turret With Auto Fire Module (Helmet), Hunter Laser guided Missile Launcher w/6 missiles (Shoulder x2), Typhoon 240 Laser Cannon (Shoulder, Right arm), Shock Grenade Dispenser w/40 grenades (Left Leg x2), M-70 EMP Rocket Launcher w/12 missiles (Right Arm, Right Leg)

Shock Grenade Dispenser (PL7)

A special device used to scatter Fallen Shock grenades. As a Full Round Action, the pilot/gunner/on-board AI can order the Dispenser to deploy a shock grenade into each outer 5ft square within the Mecha's Fighting space. Unlike a normal Shock Grenade the dispensed grenades will only detonate when a hostile creature/vehicle passes within 5feet.

Damage: 4d6 per grenade

Weight: 75lb

RoF: N/A

Slots: 1 per Dispenser w/20 grenades, plus 1 per additional 20 grenade bundle

Activation: Full Round Action

Range Increment: N/A

Target: Targets Fighting Space

Duration:Instant

Saving Throw: Ref17 Burst 15ft per grenade

Purchase DC: 24 for weapon, 19per 20 grenade bundle

Restriction: Illegal+4

Shank Command Bay (PL7)

A specialized hangar bay designed to hold and deploy Shanks. Each hangar can hold upto 12 Shanks and can deploy upto 3 of them as a Move Action

Slots: 2, must be Back or Shoulders

Activation: Move Action

Range: Personal

Target: You

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: None

Purchase DC: 27

Restriction: Illegal+4

Fallen Skiff (PL 7)

Type: Ultralight Size: Colossal (-8size)

Subtype: Fast Freighter , Junker Tactical Speed: 3,000 Ft ( 6Sq)

Defense: 7 Length: 110ft

Flat Footed Def: 5 Weight 450Tons

Autopilot Def: 5 Targeting Bonus +3

Hardness: 20 Crew: 4 (Trained +4)

Hit Dice: 11d20 (220hp) Passengers: 204

Initiative Mod +4 Cargo: 199Tons

Pilot’s Class bonus +3 Grapple: +16

Pilot’s Dex Mod +2 PDC: 52

Gunner’s Atk +2 Restriction: Restricted(+2)

Attacks:

-3 Ranged (9d8 RI 3000ft Fire-Linked Lasers)

Attack of Opportunity:

Deploy Shock mines

Standard PL Design Specs: Power Plant: Fission Generator

Engines: Ion Engines, Thrusters

FTL Drive/After burners: N/A Super Structure/Armor: Alloy Plating Defenses: Auto-Pilot, Damage Control (1d10), Light Fortification (25% chance to negate critical hits) Sensors: Class I Sensor System, Targeting System Communications: Laser Transceiver, Radio Transceiver Weapons: Two Fire-linked Lasers, Bouncing Mine Bay (4 Grenade Bundles)

Grapplers: Grapplers

Hangar: 2d12 Shank Combat Drones

Ground Vehicles: Can carry 1 under slung Fallen Walker (-125 tons cargo capacity) or 1d6 Fallen Pikes (-16 tons per Pike)

Transporters: N/A

Starship Weapons Range Minimum

Weapon Name Damage Crit Type Increment RoF Ship SZ PDC/Res

Bouncing Mine Bay 6d6 N/A Electric N/A Single Colossal 24/Mil+3*

*Purchase DC 21 for replacement mine bundles

Bouncing Mine Bay

A special device used to scatter Fallen Shock grenades. As a Full Round Action, the pilot/gunner/on-board AI can order the bay to Dispense a shock grenade into each 5ft square directly under the space craft. Unlike a normal Shock Grenade the dispensed grenades will only detonate when a hostile creature/vehicle passes within 5feet. Unlike most weapons, the Bouncing Mine does not take up a Weapon slot but, consumes 100 tons of cargo space, the Bay can hold upto 4 bundles of grenades at a time.

Fallen Ketch (PL 7)

Type: Heavy Size: Colossal (-8size)

Subtype: Battle Cruiser, Junker Tactical Speed: 3,500 Ft ( 7Sq)

Defense: 11 Length: 1,360ft

Flat Footed Def: 7 Weight 140,000Tons

Autopilot Def: 7 Targeting Bonus +5

Hardness: 20 Crew: 320 (Expert+8)

Hit Dice: 445d20 (8,900 hp) Passengers: 960

Initiative Mod +6 Cargo: 40,996Tons

Pilot’s Class bonus +5 Grapple: +16

Pilot’s Dex Mod +4 PDC: 72

Gunner’s Atk +4 Restriction: Military (+3)

Attacks:

2 fire-linked Lasers +1 ranged (9d8 Range Increment; 3000ft) and 1 battery of 3 plasma missiles –2 ranged (18d8/18–20)

Attack of Opportunity:

Point-defense +5 ranged (4d12×10)

Standard PL Design Specs: Power Plant: Mass Reactor

Engines: Particle Impulse Engines, Thrusters

FTL Drive/After burners: N/A Super Structure/Armor: Alloy Plating Defenses: 1 chaff launcher (8 chaff bundles), 1 decoy drone launcher (4 drones), improved autopilot, improved damage control (5d10), Light Fortification (25% chance to Negate Critical Hits), radiation shielding, self-destruct system (4d6x10) Sensors: Class III Sensor Array, Improved Targeting System Communications: Laser Transceiver, Radio Transceiver Weapons: 2 Fire-linked Lasers, Battery of 3 Plasma Missile launchers (16 missiles each), 1 minelayer (50 gravitic mines with displacers, magnetic fields, and particle fields; 10d10×10 damage)

Grapplers: Tractor Beam Emitter

Hangar: 24 Gargantuan Ultra Light space craft, 6 Fallen Skiffs or other colossal Ultra Lights

Ground Vehicles: 2d12 Fallen Walkers (-125 tons of cargo space per Walker), and 6d12 Fallen Pikes (-16 Tons of cargo space per Pike)

Transporters: N/A

#dnd #homebrew #destiny #sci-fi

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nomdy-plume · 5 years ago

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Have you seen ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’?

It’s a good job I don’t post a new blog every week – I’d have nothing to talk about.

Whereas, leaving it a few months between updates, I have LOTS to cover. You ready? Let’s begin:

Since returning from Texas, I have completed a month’s contract onboard another ferry, after my management were kind enough to offer me a way out of short-term pecuniary disenfranchisement. It was the sister-ship of the one that I normally find myself on and I’m pleased to say that it was the better of the two: the indoor smoking room (I no longer smoke) was a [much larger and better equipped] gym and the gym room was a very plush TV room with a full satellite package.

Given the cricket world cup was taking place during my contract, it was wonderful to be the only person on the ship who wasn’t busy working during the day. I had the whole TV room to myself (about 25 yards from the mess, food, drink, etc.) to indulge in what was an amazing tournament.

On my last two contracts I was playing in the main theatre (in the belly of the ship) with a party band but for a month I was providing troubadour, solo, action upstairs in the Sky lounge – my first contract as a soloist. After an initial knee-jerk reaction to accepting the contract of downloading a ton of backing tracks, so I could provide a range of musical options, I realised pretty quickly that this was completely unnecessary.

Performing 4x 30min sets a night: I started out by planning 3 days’ worth of unique sets, which I figured I could adjust and tinker with until I was happy with how they all worked out. Slow, mellow ones to start with before whipping the crowd into a frenzy with sing-a-long classics later on in the night. I think I had about 150 songs in my solo repertoire to choose from and it’s basically about 7 or 8 songs a set (depending on how long I drag them out for).

It was the usual mix of songs that I know I can play and sing – which work in a solo setting – and a desperate grab for as many other suitable songs which I could learn or which I really wanted to try out acoustically.

However, pretty early in the contract, one of the ladies on security in the port was kind enough to pass on her head cold to me. My throat was soon swollen enough for me to ask my Entertainments Manager (EM) if it would be OK if I just played some instrumental stuff until my voice was better. His reaction – reading between the lines, and the indifferent shrug – told me that he couldn’t care less what I did as long as I was up there making some form of noise for my allotted times.

Now, this meant that the bar staff / bar manager in my venue must have been happy with what they had heard of me so far: they are always the ones to complain if something isn’t working or going to plan. This pleased me: the bar staff have to listen to the solo act over and over and over again, every night for weeks on end, so whereas the passengers might only hear one or two performances, the staff will hear every single one.

They become very sensitive to how good/bad people are in both their playing and their selection of material – normally the lack of it. 150 songs might seem a lot, but that’s only 5 days worth before you repeat yourself IF you stick to playing every song.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I quickly got the 30 min sets down to 3 or 4 songs – only two of which I might sing on. I needed to come up with a few more jazz instrumentals to bluff my way through as the staff were hearing Autumn Leaves and Blue Bossa every night, and I don’t want to drive them too mad…

It was a good exercise in needing to be creative with a looper pedal as well as figuring out which of my repertoire I could drag out for around ten mins with solos before and after each verse/chorus…

It meant that I could reduce the songs on which I did sing down to a select, polished group. It was a great relief to know that I could just throw down a loop and meander whimsically around some melodic lines for the duration of the sets. Audience were happy, bar staff were happy – I was over the moon!

The audiences were a mixed bag. Most were very receptive: in the warm summer evenings, the top lounge where I played was the place to be. Plus it is right next to the open smoking decks – so there have been some good numbers of bodies in, most of the time. They don’t seem to mind me in the corner with a looper pedal just noodling away and I’ve been able to play all the requests thrown my way so far. The German passengers seem extra friendly and receptive – apparently they LOVE a bit of Dire Straits, which suits me right down to the ground because so do I.

As per most contracts, there were times when a small, appreciative crowd were loving everything I was playing – just as there were times when a large, unappreciative crowd couldn’t have cared less what I was doing. In my final week, I was determined to give it everything I had in those final shows – I poured my heart and soul into everything I did. And no-one noticed, cared or gave a hoot.

Such is life!

Some nights I sucked, didn’t want to be there… some nights I was on fire, didn’t want it to end… I had a ton of fun, even if it didn’t feel like it all the time. I also got to head into Amsterdam a couple of times which was wonderful, it’s possibly my favourite European city and I’ve spent so many hours wandering around the canals and streets.

There’s a breakfast café very near the station which always – ALWAYS! – has a queue of about 10-15 people waiting to get in. It’s called Omelegg and I’ve always wanted to know what the food is like in there… all the online reviews say it’s incredible… my lifetime quest to find out for myself continueth…

The party band who were onboard were a nice bunch. They were in the lamentable – but not uncommon – position of joining the ship with a guitarist who was young, naïve and completely unprepared for the contract. However, he was a nice, well-meaning guy and the others didn’t seem to be willing to cuss him out: they were kind of hand-holding him through the contract. Bless.

Bands are responsible for making sure they know what they are doing, are rehearsed, etc. and apparently this kid had known for a year that he was doing it. Sounds like his reasoning was as follows (taken from ad verbatim quotes from the band):

· I’m the best guitarist at my university

· I can play anything and I can sing a bit

· I should be able to figure out / jam along to whatever the band play

I was torn: between admiring the sheer, bare-faced audacity of naïve youth and gobbling popcorn at the eye-widening, car-crash drama of it all. I managed to catch a few of their songs – when our set-times overlapped a little – and it was, indeed, painful to witness.

I wish I could say that I hadn’t been there before, in his shoes (albeit under slightly different circumstances), but I had. All I can say is that if you survive a baptism of fire like that and STILL want to pursue it as a career, you’ve already displayed enough courage and determination/perseverance to almost guarantee some level of success. It is being right at the bottom of a very steep, painful learning curve.

I also loved my Ibanez jazzy hollow-body guitar on this contract, too. I bought it in Hong Kong a few years back (the Tom Lee store there is incredible: an Aladdin’s cave of guitar goodness) and hadn’t really touched it since. I wasn’t sure if the contract would stipulate ‘acoustic-only’ – but that was me being overly cautious. Not only does it sound great – that oaky, woody, jazzy sound you’d expect from that style of guitar – but it plays so much more easily than anything else I own.

And, because you guys are always most interested in the tragic, nerve-wracking, up-and-down drama of my life as a musician, I’ll fill you in on current events.

I’d been lining up a contract for later in the year, back onboard the last cruise ship where we did the acoustic duo gig. This time as the party band, which – although fraught with its own logistical challenges – was at least a contract on the table. Indeed, I had digitally signed and returned it and was relieved to have another 5 months of work booked in to keep my head afloat.

However, the delightful and immensely-talented LT had previously – and both I and the drummer were loosely aware of this – auditioned for a cruise line which paid nearly twice the money for not quite half the work, but certainly a much more agreeable working environment.

So, it was with a sense of dread and doom that we read her message saying that she had been offered a contract with this other cruise line and we weren’t going to be able to tag along. We weren’t going to do the contract without her and we all knew that she was destined for greater things than earning minimum wage with no days off for five months.

So, here I am under fairly intense financial pressures and no work on the horizon. It’s all very Inside Llewyn Davis, which pleases and disgusts me in equal measures. On the plus side, in my attempts to get some sort of a side-gig going, I’ve done some work as an extra on a major Netflix production which was being filmed in Wales. It’ll be out later this year, I’m hoping to get some screen time – it’ll be something to laugh about with my family.

So yeah, there’s the update. I may leave it as long again to allow enough to occur to make it a riveting read… but then I don’t have much on at the moment and may end up publishing frequently as a means to pass the time…

*salutes*

#music #musician #guitar

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is6621 · 6 years ago

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Mall the Small Things -Kelsey Sullivan

In a span of just a few weeks, a number of retailers have announced store closings. In a CNBC article, as of March 1, more than 4,309 store closures have been announced by retailers so far this year. Victoria’s Secret, Gap, JC Penney and Tesla all announced store closures within the past 2 weeks - leaving hundreds of storefronts empty and hundreds of shoppers questioning.

Victoria’s Secret plans to shut down 50 locations in 2019 - 4x more than their average twelve per year. Gap - 230 closures over the next two years and spinning off Old Navy, and JC Penney, between department stores and home and furniture locations, 27. And what’s a blog post without mention of our favorite social media guru, Elon Musk and Tesla - announcing they will move all sales online and close showrooms. But, don’t worry, you can buy a Tesla in the matter of a minute on your phone. eMarketer predicts Amazon will control nearly 54% of all retail ecommerce by 2019.

Since the rise of online stores, like that of Amazon, many large retailers (as mentioned above) are left feeling bruised and broken. Sure, online shopping is all about convenience. Heck, as I sit here writing this blog, I have googled hairspray, cleaning spray, and a few other items I need but am too lazy to go out and pick up (move the car, lose the parking spot, fight the crowds, change out of my Sunday lazy attire, i can make up a number of excuses) to see if I can purchase online, cheaper, with the instant gratification of having by tomorrow. I stopped when my travel hairspray delivery date was Friday and came to my senses that i can just get tomorrow while at work with a quick trip to CVS. But, therein lies my point. Convenience is there, yes. but convenience still lies within the brick and mortar stores too. Convenience, the key here, and highly valued but not the holy grail.

PRO: In Store shopping - Personalized. Experience

In a nutshell, online shopping is a glorified google search. You are searching, scrolling, clicking thru and for results. Chat bots are there for you, but are they real? Can they tell if those jeans make your butt look nice, or if the shoulders on the blouse make you look boxy? Nope. They may provide customer service, but nothing like that you would get in store. Forget clothes for a second. What about big purchases? TVs, cameras, computers, appliances - are you going to trust a bot to help you find what’s best for YOU? No. Again, a better experience to be had in store, checking out the products, asking the pros, who are real-time and subject matter experts. Online, things like customer reviews and photos have helped bridge that gap, but having someone walk through your large purchase, with you in mind, now that is personalized. That is an experience. And back to my hairspray example, one of the main reasons people still believe in buying something in-store is more satisfying than online is because you’re able to get that item immediately. A Fluent survey found that the reason most likely to be cited for shopping in-store is the ability to see or try on items in person. According to a study by Autotrader, 88% of shoppers prefer to purchase a car in person. Maybe that’s for the test drive before, be as it may - buyers want to have that experience before the drop their hard earned dollars.

As e-commerce continues to change the way retailers think about brick-and-mortar locations, it’s clear there are just too many of them.

PRO: Online shopping. Convenience.

There is no argument that online shopping is much more convenient. You can do in your robe, in between loads of laundry, dishes, or as your about to run out of paper towels. Outside of black Friday, the Internet is the only shopping experience that is there for you 24/7. You are not at the mercy of store hours, South Boston parking, Massachusetts pike traffic, or mother nature. Save time, save effort. Buying a gift? Even better - skip the step of wrapping, packing, and sending.

CON: In store shopping: Price comparisons. Shopping the deals.

For multichannel retailers - those who sell both in physical stores and online - pricing becomes tricky. Retailers all have different price matching strategies - some brick-and-mortars (Best Buy, Target, Staples) will match online prices in store upon customer request, while others (Home Depot, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s) stand ground on a hard no. Self-matching would seem smart to most, appeasing customers and maintaining fairness - a strategy to earn higher profits according to Harvard Business School professor Elie Ofek. who found that price matching is not just a necessary evil; it can be a competitive tool and boost a company’s bottom line.”

Shopping online gives us the opportunity to compare prices, vs. in store, we do not have as easy of access to. You forget the prices you’ve seen in the previous shops, so you can’t compare them. One of the biggest questions faced by brick-and-mortar retailers today is whether prices should be the same online and in stores. Macy’s reported a decline in store sales, resulting in a 10% stock price drop. But it’s these stores that have to continue to find ways to face and defeat disruption - ramping up web operations, but more importantly creating new reasons and values for customers to patronize stores. Price strategies are what can keep all retailers afloat and results in an immediate effect. Prices can be changed tonight and profits can start rolling in tomorrow morning.

CON: Online Shopping. Scams, Fraud, Identity Theft, Phishing, Abuse. (all the things that scare you)

The Internet knows more about us that we do. Think about how many times a day you are entering personal information via your phone, your computer, your tablet. We are entering our credit card number like its our name in a drawing and simultaneously running the risk of our lives being hacked. Online shopping fraud was up 30% in 2017, while every year since seems to break records. As e-commerce grows, e-commerce fraud grows even faster. This is not to say do not shop online as it is not safe, but it is a caution so shop smart. Most online retailers have secure sites and have every security measure needed, but we just need to be more...aware. Not purchasing from shady sellers (mom and pop sites vs. Target.com). We have to question safety, quality, and lots of inconvenience spent dealing with the repercussions.

There is data to support that physical stores are still important to consumers. We are not ready to forego altogether. Stats from 2018 support the importance of physical retail environments include:

- According to google, 61% of customers would rather shop with brands that have a physical location than with brands that are online only. Also, nearly 80% of shoppers go in-store when there is an item they need or want immediately.

- 57% of cusomers say that the closing of many department stores has negatively impacted their perception of ecommerce (Avionos)

- And then there’s Amazon, now with brick and mortar Amazon Go stores in three cities across the U.S.

The in store experience allows customers to engage with the brand. At the end of the day, both in store and online shopping are important and relevant to consumers and therefore cannot be forgotten. The retail space is going thru an evolution of which is fueled by consumer behavior and expectations. To be successful, brands need to take steps to account for shopping wherever and whenever it happens.

1. Be ready to capture at any stage of the journey

2. Create a seamless experience between both experiences

3. Use data to fuel and customize both experiences.

To succeed in the modern world of retail, whether brick and mortar or internet, retailers need to embrace web AND in-store operations as unique operations and remember that at the end of the day, it’s all about what the customer wants. Adhere to my needs and price sensitives, and I will support you whether in store or online.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/01/gap-victorias-secret-tesla-store-closures-hit-malls-in-the-middle.html

https://www.emarketer.com/content/the-pros-and-cons-of-in-store-and-digital-shopping-experiences

https://b2b.autotrader.com/oem/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Car-Buyer-of-the-Future_NAS-Client-Presentation.pdf

https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2018/04/24/e-commerce-fraud-rose-nearly-twice-as-fast-as-e-commerce-sales/

https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mksc.2017.1035

https://binaryic.com/knowledge-center/how-customers-prefer-to-shop-online-vs-in-store/

4 notes · View notes