Quests & Challenges

Hmm... I suppose it might be interesting to get a sort of year in review type recap of levels and stuff, after the challenges?

NOOOOO;; FIRST DEATH WAS SO SAD

;A; Oh nooooo. Poor Sklonda barely got a chance to shine... Looks like Pink and RNG were out for blood this week ;;.
Also Drew, listen to Hansel. Please.
I think Crescentstar711's idea of just giving level updates at festivals is a great one. As for when to write in deaths, I just say do what makes sense for the narrative or what you have inspiration for. Obviously, you can't have a dragon interacting with the 'locke indefinitely after death, but maybe if you don't have the inspiration to write in their death immediately, it can be saved for the festival which can be treated as reaper season for any unresolved deaths from the month. That way you still get variety without the challenges being the only cause of deaths.

-Whistles- That was brutal. Sunny's gotta be feeling terrible about this, and what another emotional blow for Zarzuela! First she can't see her husband, then her adopted child gets murked the first time they go out on an adventure... that's really rough. I wonder if Sunny and Zarzuela will be able to commiserate, or if Zarzuela will consider Sunny's misadventures just the latest in a string of bad luck.

@Aquasparky Oof, good luck for your first death! And yeah, Sunny really does have some bad luck! @Leopardmask That's the direction I've been leaning towards, I think, after hearing feedback! @RedSiren [emoji=spiral sad size=2] @Sabariel It really was. I knew deaths would start happening now that I have a bunch of level 1s mixed with levels 5-10, but RIP. This is why I have the anti-death flip rule, to level everyone up by at least one if I get a tails on the death streak, so the higher level dragons still stand a chance of levelling up (and can really boost lower level dragons in the process). My method for determining if it was an immediate death or a challenge death I think is going to be to flip a coin for each death. Heads I kinda see as the "challenge goes on as usual" flip (seeing as heads = death streak for a death streak roll, and heads = keeping a hatchling for the hatchling coin flip) so heads with = immediate death. Because this is plague, I really want it to be dangerous and lethal to just live and train there. And then tails will be altering the course of the locke and keeping a dragon alive (without letting readers know they are supposed to be dead) in order to kill them off during the challenge to make them as dangerous as possible. It will be nice too to have the extra time for the tails dragons to wrap up story arcs before the challenge if possible. @Pocketdog I'm planning for my next chapter to be the clan's reaction to Sklonda's death, as a sort of precursor to the challenge. So we shall see them how Zarzuela reacts....

[quote name="Petall" date="2023-06-25 14:44:26" ]My method for determining if it was an immediate death or a challenge death I think is going to be to flip a coin for each death. Heads I kinda see as the "challenge goes on as usual" flip (seeing as heads = death streak for a death streak roll, and heads = keeping a hatchling for the hatchling coin flip) so heads with = immediate death. Because this is plague, I really want it to be dangerous and lethal to just live and train there. And then tails will be altering the course of the locke and keeping a dragon alive (without letting readers know they are supposed to be dead) in order to kill them off during the challenge to make them as dangerous as possible. It will be nice too to have the extra time for the tails dragons to wrap up story arcs before the challenge if possible.[/quote] Sounds like a plan to me!

oh man.... poor Sklonda. First death of the locke! I'm real scared to see what you've been brewing with the challenges so far lol

@chippertowns

Hehehe I'm still working out exactly what it would be! I was hoping to write my next chapter this weekend or today, but I always forget how much night shifts take out of me so I may not be able to.

----- [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3244658/18#post_54464310]Previous[/url][/center] ----- [center][b][u]Day 12: The First Loss[/u][/b] [item=shattered glass] Sentence: Writing[/center] ----- [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/86667702][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=86667702&skin=0&apparel=19647,16235,19637,6030,1706&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/24340611][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=24340611&skin=0&apparel=37886,13083,15710,30057,30062,30061,30060&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] "It was all my fault! I couldn't stop it!" Sunny wailed. She was standing in the center of Zarzuela's tent. "And now she's gone!" The pain on the skydancer's face was unbearable, and wracked Sunny with even more guilt. "It's not your fault," She responded, voice cracking slightly. "But, if I had been able to go solid-" Sunny began, before Zarzuela cut her off. "Then you likely would have died. And I could have lost both of you," The skydancer said. "It's a terrible loss, a tragedy. And we will mourn her deeply. But you cannot carry this guilt on yourself." "But if I hadn't taken her out-" Sunny protested. "I have raised enough children to know that once they hit a certain point, if you don't let them do something, they are going to do it anyways." Zarzuela said. "Like I said, this is a terrible tragedy, and in a moment, I am going to go and cry until I have no tears left in me, but I need you to know you did everything you could. The Scarred Wasteland is a dangerous place, these challenges are going to be dangerous. There is going to be loss. If you take each one on yourself as something you were somehow responsible for, you will not be able to keep going and fighting. Mourn as much as you need to, feel everything you need to feel, but do not take responsibility for it unless you were the one to deliberately take their life." "O-okay," Sunny sniffed. "I'll try." "You should go," Zarzuela said. "You are a dear friend and I love having you around, but Shui doesn't know you are free, you have the freedom to go. You hsould find adventure elsewhere, where it is more safe." "And leave my friends? I can't do that. I need to know you all are safe," Sunny said, steeling her resolve. Because no matter how hard she tried to relieve her guilt, she knew she wanted to do what she could to protect her friends that were living. [center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/9a138c26554e324936484ade5021b573/280633acce0f81d9-f0/s540x810/4749c14343af35096e06119b885d7bc79977c4c5.png[/img][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/84847674][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=84847674&skin=0&apparel=12900,431,44227,12914,20581,21848,12924,12931&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85652760][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/scry?sdid=4200367&skin=0&apparel=42934,6027,552,490&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] The campfire burned low, just embers now. Most everyone else had gone to sleep. Even the rowdy trio of Octavia, Pearl and Shingle had tuckered themselves out, and were passed out in a pile, cuddling together in the remaining warmth. Only Hansel and Hime were still awake, and the heaviness of Sklonda's death hung over them. They had, of course, watched her grow up over the past months. It was hardly the energy Hansel had been expecting the night before the first challenge. To put it frankly, it wasn't fun anymore. Not for Hansel, at least. The risk-taking polycule seemed only spurned on by the apparent risk, and Cure and Zeil were too desperate to back down. But, aside from the friendships he had formed, Hansel was not held by the same ties. But, he looked at Hime, he knew she was. And there was no way in hell he was leaving without her. Especially not if that would mean leaving her without anyone to pull her away if Shui took things too far. No, there was no backing out now, no matter who died. Sklonda was not the first to die, and she would not be the last. Dragons could die in the challenge tomorrow, dragons probably [i]would[/i] die in the challenge tomorrow. He just had to hope that as many of his new friends made it through as possible. Hansel was not aware of when he fell asleep, but the cool air of morning prickled against his exposed skin as he lifted his head from where it rested on Hime's neck. Looming over him, Shui looked down blankly through the eyes of the skull he wore. His face was shaded and it was impossible to read his expression. [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/30081270][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=30081270&skin=0&apparel=29244,32034,768,23290,28149,32705,32701,744&xt=dressing.png[/img][/url][/center] "Wake the others," Shui demanded. Hansel realized he was not speaking to him, but to Hime. "It is time." ----- [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3244658/20#post_54490045]Next[/url][/center] ----- [center]@Pocketdog @Lixue @pancakeswithabs @Brasil @Disillusionist @VeniVidiVici @sedge122 @Crescentstar711 @RedSiren @Khyriana @Aquasparky @Leopardmask @BarbaraFett @SakuraSundae @Jaspernoir @Glitchtrap @Sabariel @Aetherstorm @Mutequill @LaSilva007 @chippertowns @Tirtouga678 @Murvax @Drachenschwinge @Calyrex @Lightwolf57 @QuietGhost @queerkestrel @GrinningWolf24 @NewmoonWasTaken @LeafyGaming77 @Reshiramu[/center] ----- I deeply apologize for the delay in this chapter. I always think I will write more on my night shifts when my night shift weekends come around, but I always forget how much they take out of me. The past few days have been extremely busy as well. But, despite knowing life happens and I can't control my energy levels/writing motivation, I always feel bad for gaps between the stories, especially during festivals. I am not too far behind on pulls though, so I am going to try to post multiple chapters over the next little while until I am drawing new things every day again. Next pull is an art pull, and I am waiting on some laundry, so I'll do a drawing before bed, so expect that in the next hour or two!

Don't feel bad over real life taking time to do things! The wait is well worth it in how quality your writing and storytelling is, and real life does always come first

So excited to see the 'challenges' start, everyone has been such a fun character to read alongside with and I'm nervous of anymore losses occurring