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A, so that we can save the madra for things that can only be done with madra like Dream Mirror. Also I feel bad about making Papa disappointed and it'd be nice to do things which make him undisappointed once in a while. JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Sep 16, 2019 |
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Sep 16, 2019 04:44
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SerSpook posted:A Agreed. Being able to use a weapon well, even without our madra, will be of great benefit. On an unrelated note, I think our valley might be an impact crater. A roughly elliptical valley with a concentration of metals right in the middle? Not sure if this means anything for us, but it'd be cool if true nevertheless.
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Sep 16, 2019 04:47
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A. Four paces is not very impressive. What was it, 18 paces apart when our matches with the other lead tiers start? I'll be happy when we can hit a target at at least 9 paces.
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Sep 16, 2019 04:55
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C
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Sep 16, 2019 05:01
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SerSpook posted:A Agreed.
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Sep 16, 2019 08:17
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I do wonder, if Pumie keeps putting in effort into training and pushing herself the way she has in the last two updates, what's the likelihood that her unknown "benefactor" within the Elders will nominate Pumie for Copper the very next winter and all the Coppers in the clan will start coming after Pumie too?
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Sep 16, 2019 10:46
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A
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Sep 16, 2019 10:50
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Sep 16, 2019 11:44
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A
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Sep 16, 2019 12:04
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Be more powerful
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Sep 16, 2019 12:17
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Question for Carmenia: "Honored Sifu, would it be possible for two Smiths and their spirit companions to link their Spirit's Strengths together, so that each one of them can punch with the combined strength of all four of them? Or 10 Smiths and 10 spirit companions, each of them striking with the combined strength of all 20?"
JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 13:40 on Sep 16, 2019 |
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Sep 16, 2019 13:35
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That obviously wouldn't work because there's no link between other smiths like there is between the Smith and their silver bear. A Fundamentals are important!
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Sep 16, 2019 14:06
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paragon1 posted:That obviously wouldn't work because there's no link between other smiths like there is between the Smith and their silver bear. It's worth a try.  Within the story, Carmenia did say we could freely ask questions. Within the genre, wuxia literature has many examples of multiple fighters joining and focusing their combined chi / 气 into a single attack, so it's possible something like that could exist in the Valley.
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Sep 16, 2019 14:27
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A
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Sep 16, 2019 15:03
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A Let's try to get our BAB up.
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Sep 16, 2019 17:32
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Kristopher posted:A. Four paces is not very impressive. What was it, 18 paces apart when our matches with the other lead tiers start? I'll be happy when we can hit a target at at least 9 paces. In a practical sense it sucks, but it’s not as bad in the context that the weapons we have chosen to learn are intentionally difficult to use as a weapon so that an opponent can’t pick them up and use them against you.
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Sep 16, 2019 17:50
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Dr Subterfuge posted:In a practical sense it sucks, but it’s not as bad in the context that the weapons we have chosen to learn are intentionally difficult to use as a weapon so that an opponent can’t pick them up and use them against you.
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Sep 16, 2019 18:09
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Didn’t mean to include the gun in that. I think my head went to plural because “fangs” is plural.
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Sep 16, 2019 18:43
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A. We need base accuracy. Then we can enhance our attack with madra, rather than use it simply to hit.
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Sep 17, 2019 01:05
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Assuming we go with A, can we try cycling madra while we make our mundane throws?
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Sep 17, 2019 01:45
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MaliciousOnion posted:Agreed. Being able to use a weapon well, even without our madra, will be of great benefit. You live in the mouth of a cave and can see a slice of the sky outside, above the tops of the trees from most of your home. From where you sleep, the sky is around a corner, but you stayed up to exercise with Papa many nights when you were young. You think you are probably more familiar with the night sky than most Silver Bears, except maybe for the Hunters or Fishers. There are stars, and they do move, but so slowly you can only tell by checking their position and then checking again a long time later. They move from West to East. You have never seen one fall. You have never seen one streak across the night sky, faster than the other stars around it. This is not at all unusual to you. It is the night sky you have lived under your whole life. You are much, much too tired to stay up at night. You fall asleep the second you reach your bed furs, and frequently fall asleep even sooner than that.
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Sep 17, 2019 02:25
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JosephWongKS posted:I do wonder, if Pumie keeps putting in effort into training and pushing herself the way she has in the last two updates, what's the likelihood that her unknown "benefactor" within the Elders will nominate Pumie for Copper the very next winter and all the Coppers in the clan will start coming after Pumie too? I think our benefactor is Elder Herejo and he promoted us to get what he wants even though it would harm us. It's political maneuvering. We'll probably have to earn Copper status unless he piss him off again. JosephWongKS posted:Question for Carmenia: "Honored Sifu, would it be possible for two Smiths and their spirit companions to link their Spirit's Strengths together, so that each one of them can punch with the combined strength of all four of them? Or 10 Smiths and 10 spirit companions, each of them striking with the combined strength of all 20?" Elder Minaro imbued an object with Madra for us so the principal of sharing Madra is there, but he said it's a rare technique. The limit is probably that someone needs to be the recipient of the Madra and we're frequently at capacity. Question for Carmenia: "Is that how Treasures are made, by filling them with Madra and a technique over and over until the object 'knows' that technique? You say some Smiths believe that an object can become aware if it accumulates enough vital essence. It might not happen naturally, but couldn't we get together and fill an object with vital essence over and over to see?"
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Sep 17, 2019 04:09
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Kristopher posted:A. Four paces is not very impressive. What was it, 18 paces apart when our matches with the other lead tiers start? I'll be happy when we can hit a target at at least 9 paces. Papa offered to move your lessons to the cultivation cave you share with the other Lead tier Smith apprentices so you could practice the Hunter’s metal guidance technique more. Mama taught you to be polite, so you hug him and tell him “Thank you, Papa. I want to get good enough to switch to Healer’s needles first.” Your father is doubly pleased with your response. First by your politeness, and second by your determination. He gives you one of his rib-crushing hugs that drive the air from your lungs. You’ve practiced on one tree for so long, that it has more holes in it than leaves. After sinking all eight of your throwing copper spikes into the very holey tree from five paces away for the third time in a row, your Papa congratulates you. “You’re doing great Pūmič! I think its time we gave this poor tree a break, don’t you?” You groan when you see the new tree. It’s only as wide as an average Silver Bear adult. You just know you’re going to start missing and having to hunt down your dragon’s teeth again. Papa smiles encouragingly and positions you five paces from the tree. You calm yourself, breathing steady and regularly to the same patient beat as Carmenia has you work her pot bellows. Centered and focused, you draw a fei biao dragon’s tooth and take careful aim. You raise your left hand with the copper spike cradled between your middle three fingers exactly the way Papa taught you. You bring your arm down as you step forward, flinging your weapon with the whole strength of your body behind it. Your copper spike flies straight and true… into the tree to the left of your target and several paces behind. You can’t resist the urge to groan again. You just knew that was going to happen. MaliciousOnion posted:Assuming we go with A, can we try cycling madra while we make our mundane throws? As winter’s deathly chill begins to settle upon the valley, you feel like you’ve made enough progress in both your throwing and your control of the Spirit’s Strength technique to try to combine them. You sit down on the cold, hard ground five paces in front of your target tree and meditate. You have worked on this technique with Carmenia for less than a handful of days in total and it still takes you some time and intense concentration to achieve. When you think you are ready, you stand up and ready one of you copper throwing spikes. As you exhale you throw your dragon’s tooth and it... Shoots through the air with incredible speed Way off target. It goes so way off to the right. It takes you a few more attempts before you manage to simultaneously hold the technique and throw your dragon’s tooth accurately enough to hit your target. It hits the tree with a very satisfying sound. When you go to retrieve it, you see that you threw it so hard that you buried it the length of your thumb through the bark and into the solid core of the tree. When you try to pull it out, you cannot. It doesn’t come out when you yank on it with all of your normal strength. Only after much wiggling back and forth and a short struggle are you able to recover the copper spike. As a result of your apprenticeship with Healer Curada, you are very aware that Silver Bears, both human, and bear, are much, much squishier than a tree like the one you just sank your weapon a thumb’s thickness into. It occurs to you that you could really hurt someone doing that. If you did that in one of your spars, Mina might have to blunt one of your attacks for once. You tried this on one of your Elder Herejo lesson days, because you wanted to keep all of your madra on days you have lessons with Papa and Mama for practicing the technique Papa taught you. That means Papa was still inside the cave you live in, just now waking up to protect the cave at night. When you run in and tell him about it, he stops mid-yawn to pick you up and spin you around in the air by your wrists, causing your legs to fly out behind you. “Great job Pūmič! I’m very impressed with you!" Papa spins you through the air and up onto his back. "I can't wait to see. Let's go now!" Papa carries you outside and whistles when he sees how deeply your throw pierces the tree. "That's amazing. You're getting so strong!" He retrieves it seemingly effortlessly, and the first two throws that missed for you. The copper spikes are pretty big, but they look tiny in his huge hands when he hands them back to you. When you admit you used a Smith technique to increase your strength, he is still just as proud of you, and tells you so all through dinner. You fall asleep that night with him congratulating you again. Mr. Prokosch posted:Question for Carmenia: JosephWongKS posted:Question for Carmenia: "Honored Sifu, would it be possible for two Smiths and their spirit companions to link their Spirit's Strengths together, so that each one of them can punch with the combined strength of all four of them? Or 10 Smiths and 10 spirit companions, each of them striking with the combined strength of all 20?" She sits and thinks for a moment. She continues thinking. You start counting. You are so tired that you almost nod off and fall asleep twice while waiting for her answer and have to restart your count at the last number you remember. When you get to four hundred she speaks again. "The technique I am teaching you does not work that way. Another technique might. It would be difficult to harmonize two souls not already linked, but Smith's do many difficult things. I can think of no reason Spirit's Strength could not be so modified. However, I am an expert Smith, not an expert in matters of the spirit. I will discuss it with Elder Teshera." Carmenia pauses for a long moment. "I will also discuss it with Elder Minaro. His knowledge of the spirit is second only to the Matriarch's."
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Sep 17, 2019 06:14
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And this is where Plan Friendship comes in again. The more friends we have, the more powerful our combined Spirit's Strength / Spirit Bomb can be! 
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Sep 17, 2019 06:24
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LLSix posted:Carmenia starts to answer and then changes her mind halfway through the first word "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..." This is my favorite thing so far. And also gives me a lot of respect for Carmenia. She was about to dismiss it out of hand and then was like "Wait. This might be something."
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Sep 17, 2019 11:34
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At some point in our apprenticeship with Carmenia we should show her the practice lump Minaro made for us and the metal manipulation technique. We went up two tiers since we stopped practicing it and she might have tips. She's might have made the thing. If we can manage to combine spirit strength and hunter's guidance we might actually start winning these fights. Depending on where you hit, that's a killing blow as our opener. Mr. Prokosch fucked around with this message at 13:08 on Sep 17, 2019 |
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Sep 17, 2019 12:25
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Hah! Shows what I know. I wonder how different tiers will affect that sort of thing?
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Sep 17, 2019 17:56
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Mr. Prokosch posted:At some point in our apprenticeship with Carmenia we should show her the practice lump Minaro made for us and the metal manipulation technique. We went up two tiers since we stopped practicing it and she might have tips. She's might have made the thing. It's been awhile, so just as a reminder, this is what Elder Minaro did: LLSix posted:At the beginning of lessons, the next day elder Minaro beckons you over to where he’s sitting beside Genialda. For once, she isn’t sleeping. Instead, her huge bear head fills the elder’s lap, and he’s petting her back. Her growls of contentment fill the lesson cave. Elder Minaro gathers a fuzz of bronze underfur on his fingers as he pets her, much like a dog shedding their winter fur in the summer heat. He holds up the fluffy ball of bronze wire and instructs you: “Watch.” Without any further gestures from the Elder, his fluffy cloud of bronze wire fur collapses into itself forming a smooth sphere about the size of the Elder’s eye. The sphere flattens into a thin platter like a small plate. The plate separates into three needles, complete with tiny ‘eyes’ to put thread through. The needles merge back together into the sphere. “You asked to learn something no one else could teach you. I dare say no other Silver Bear has devoted as much time to unifying our techniques as I have. The metal guiding technique the Hunters use is only a small piece of a much more fundamental ability.” The sphere floats up from his palm and starts circling your head. Trying to keep track of it is making you dizzy. “At its core, it is just the ability to control metal. It is the same principle they use to sharpen the edges of their weapons, although they are hardly aware of it.” The sphere reshapes itself into a menacingly sharp-edged arrow and clips off a piece of your hair. It is so sharp you didn’t feel any tug as it parted the strand of hair. “The Guard’s technique to dull the edges of weapons is also part of the same technique.” The arrowhead reforms into a thick wedge and this time when it impacts your hair it pushes the hair out of its path instead of cutting it. “Finally, our smiths use yet another part of it to create our uniquely strong armor and blades by compressing the metal far more than mere muscle power would allow.” The wedge reforms into a much smaller sphere than before. Where before it was the size of an eyeball, now it is the size of a pupil. “All parts of the same technique, and, when properly mastered, well suited to more decorative uses. The bronze sphere momentarily forms into an earring, then a ring, and then a very thin bracelet. “More detailed designs are possible as well.” The bracelet reforms into a miniature bronze bear; then drops into your hands. You hold it up and squeal with delight. It’s a perfect copy of Genialda in every respect, down to the tiniest detail, but no bigger than a human eye. Smith Carmenia is a boulder of a woman with a bottomless well of patience. You have watched her create many useful items and a few deadly weapons with her bare hands while you were pumping the pot bellows in her smithy. You have not seen her reshape metal without the use of her hands or other tool. Nor have you seen her float metal in the air.
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Sep 17, 2019 21:11
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Wait poo poo if our madra senses gave us super hearing does that mean everyone else, who sees madra, has super sight?
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Sep 17, 2019 21:26
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LLSix posted:
Sorry, I didn't mean the technique, I meant the lump itself. He said he got help from the Smiths to make it, and since we were talking about shaping metal and Madra leakage I figured she could give us advice on shaping it and maintaining the shape.
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Sep 17, 2019 21:42
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Mr. Prokosch posted:Sorry, I didn't mean the technique, I meant the lump itself. He said he got help from the Smiths to make it, and since we were talking about shaping metal and Madra leakage I figured she could give us advice on shaping it and maintaining the shape. When you show Carmenia the wildly rich in vital essence lump of tin she raises a hand to shield her eyes and looks away. "There is a lot of vital essence in that. You should warn people before showing them something that shines so brightly. Yes, I remember helping Elder Minaro make that four springs ago. It is a test for you, not for me. I can and will show you a Smith technique this winter that might help you if you work harder than you have been. It is not the whole solution to your test, but it will help you. Now is not the time for that. You should focus on the Spirit's Strength technique today." LLSix fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Sep 17, 2019 |
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Sep 17, 2019 22:55
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LLSix posted:I can and will show you a Smith technique this winter that might help you if you work harder than you have been. She still thinks Pumie isn't already working as hard as she possibly can? 
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Sep 17, 2019 23:05
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During the previous winter, the sixth winter you survived, older Tin tier children began to bully you, and sometimes beat you when they caught you alone. While you were talking with Senior Enlacio about how to deal with them, you decided that you would rather make friends than spend your time trying to hurt the people who hurt you. You also decided that you would not eat meat anymore, because your mama also fights with her words and social relationships, and does not eat meat. Papa was very unhappy about this, but Mama helped me convince him to support my desire to be a vegetarian. It has been four full seasons since you ate meat. It has been a trial at times. Meat still smells delicious, but now that you have stopped eating it, you notice that you can tell the other Silver Bears all eat meat just from their scent. Out of everyone you know, only Mama, Enlacio, their spirit companions, and Wotjeo, do not smell like they eat meat. When you arrive for your first lesson with Enlacio since achieving Lead you find a set of clothes your size made from the same odd cloth Mama and Enlacio wear laid out in the middle of his grove. You know it is made by the Corazon Chamois. Enlacio is meditating in the middle of the grove. Like all Crystal Butterflies, he is wearing a lot of jewelry. Every finger of his right hand has at least one ring, as do several fingers of his left hand. The gems on his belt sparkle in the sunlight, as do those on his ankle bracelets and topaz earrings. Even his hair is decorated with gems that sparkle in the weak winter light. Compared to the adults in your clan, he keeps his hair cut short, reaching only to the base of his shoulder blades and pulled back into a single slender and tidy ponytail. He is much shorter than Papa. He is even a little shorter than Mama, about the same height as some of the Lead tier teenagers you fight, but shorter than the older ones. Because he is so short, you have a hard time guessing his age. Enlacio opens his eyes you step past the last tree and crooks the tip of his finger to beckon you closer. He has you lean down so he can sniff your hair and the same for Wotjeo. You are very glad Mama made you wash this morning despite the cold. Enlacio’s chin dips ever so slightly, the tiny, tiny motion he uses for an approving nod. “You have shown great determination both recently and since last winter. These clothes are the first part of your reward. Return home now to change into them and wear them only for our lessons if you want the rest of your reward.” You rush home and hastily change. The clothes do not sparkle like Mama's do, but are instead a light red with strikingly deep black trim. When you return Enlacio is meditating again. This time he doesn’t open his eyes or react to your presence at all. You’re a bit disappointed because you wanted your reward. You try to wait patiently, but his spirit companion, the yellow crystal butterfly Fianza swoops around you and Wotjeo as if daring you to chase her. It’s annoying and soon you chase after her. She floats through the air, always just out of reach. It reminds you of one of your earliest memories, learning how to crawl so you could try to catch Mama’s crystal butterfly spirit companion. Soon you are giggling with the simple delight of running and playing. Fianza swoops around you in playful circles, dodging and weaving sometimes just half a breath ahead of you or Wotjeo. You are still worn out from your exhausting days in Carmenia’s smithy and even more, draining spars and night recovering with Healer Curada and you soon give up the chase to lean against a tree and rest. Enlacio waits until you’ve stopped panting before he stands up and opens his eyes. “I thought you might need a chance to be a child for a little bit. You seem to have enjoyed it so from now on all our lessons will start that way. It’ll help wake you up and Fianza needs the exercise.” You don’t recognize all the words in Fianza’s reply, but you caught enough to know that it was very rude. The corners of Enlacio’s eyes quirk upwards in the very slightest beginning of a smile though, so maybe you misunderstood. Your lessons with Enlacio are much the same as previously, still focusing on learning how to form the Light Madra in your topaz hilt into weapons, but Enlacio has you take breaks more frequently than you remember to play simple games like chasing Fianza or making up names for the different trees, plants or animals in Enlacio’s grove. There are always lots of animals in Enlacio’s grove. It seems like more animals gather in Enlacios grove and linger longer than other parts of the forest nearby. If Mama is not out trading, she’ll swap stories with Enlacio or gossip about people they both know during your breaks. You frequently ask Enlacio about the second part of your gift. Every time you do he tells you. “Be patient. Continue to show the same determination you have in seasons past. It is almost ready.” It’s all very pleasant, even though manipulating Light Madra to make weapons is still the most challenging task you’ve ever attempted. Pumping the pot bellows for Carmenia is incredibly hard, but it is also so simple you can do it while asleep. That’s not just a saying, some days you’ve literally fallen asleep while pumping the bellows and Carmenia had to wake you up. Manipulating Light Madra is almost as challenging and much more complicated. Despite that, you are making steady progress and are able to form a few new weapons every season. Summer is a very busy time for Traders and Mama is gone for an especially long time at its start. The first day she joins your lesson with Enlacio in Summer, the season is more than half-finished. You look up from practicing forming a qiang (spear) from you topaz hilt to see a rabbit sitting next to Mama. She looks like she is talking to it. Ever since you can remember, rabbits, birds, and other animals have talked to Mama. They’ve always glared at you suspiciously and fled at your approach though. A second rabbit is hopping away from Mama towards where you left your bags full of food for lunch at the start of the day. There’ve been three breaks since then and Mama moved away. As you watch, the rabbit reaches your lunch bags and sticks its head inside. The animals that love Mama so much have been terrified of you for as long as you can remember. You’ve never seen one so boldly try to steal your food before. 1) You... A. Sigh and let it eat your lunch B. Throw a rock at it, trying to scare it away C. Sneak close enough to hit with a dragon's tooth - Papa will appreciate the extra meat and furs but it might eat some of your lunch while you are getting closer D. walk close enough to scare it away by throwing a dragon's tooth and be sure of not hitting it E. Jog towards it to scare it away F. Make a weapon with your topaz hilt and approach it menacingly to scare it away G. run towards it waving your arms in the air like a crazy child to scare it away H. walk towards it slowly and try to talk to it without scaring it away. It will probably eat some of your lunch while you are getting closer write in
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Sep 17, 2019 23:15
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H! Yes, our Disney Princess powers have finally arrived!
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Sep 17, 2019 23:31
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Sep 17, 2019 23:34
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E That's our food Rabbit.
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Sep 18, 2019 00:03
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Chatrapati posted:E That's our food Rabbit. If we learn to tame a squad of rabbits, we can train them to bring us edible forest vegetables on an ongoing basis. Short term investment, long term gains.
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Sep 18, 2019 00:10
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H We only know People and Butterfly, but let's give it a try. Mama seems to talk to them. If it eats some of our lunch that's a small price to pay, since we're getting more food now.
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Sep 18, 2019 00:23
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A, it looks hungry
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Sep 18, 2019 00:34
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Sep 18, 2019 00:40
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