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Imagine a pen and paper role playing game, you're dealing the death blow to your enemy, and it's just a small poke.
Am I dead yet?
Yes. You better are, because I just broke my sword. You don't have a spare weapon that I could use? No? Thought so.
(begin rummaging through backpack)
A rope, another rope, oh, and a third one. Torches, candles, even a lantern. Do I have lantern oil? Uhm, should have checked after I slipped on the ravine, that explains why the ropes were so soggy.
Oh, my survival handbook. "Always poynte the sharpe end of thy weapone towads the enemy..." Any word about a spare weapon? Damn.
Ah, lockpicks. I could use...
Where's that Goblin gone? Creeped off, ungrateful bugger. Could've waited for me to finish him off...
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
That tiny die has an edge length of 5mm
Toy Project Day 3336
Character profile for The Awakening. CLOSED :(
Link:
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Realm%20of%20Atica/107/114...
Information:
Name: Cadeu
Race: Hellspawn
Age: Uncertain icly, but around 18-19?
Class: Rogue/entertainer
Status: Indentured to a local inn as a goffer and acrobat/entertainer.
What is known: Cadeu awakened when she was ten. Like many others- she had no knowledge of her previous family, culture, religious practices, or friends. She did not fare well in the wilderness on her own and was quickly collected by scavenging slavers who sold her to a tavern. She has an affinity for acrobatics. In order to get a bit more bread in her belly she has picked up a talent in pickpocketing and lockpicking. She is genial and relatively friendly, but shrewd and opportunistic. Somewhere inside her is the gentle child she once was, but were she to find herself in the wilds again, she'd likely survive just fine.
(**If your character has been awakened for a while- feel free to reach out and discuss if we can have a past together which includes a connection, rivalry, or friendship.)
"Let's go! It's time for justice!"
Oh, good grief, who is this now...
...programs rustling...
"Hey! I'm Owlette!"
'Owlette'??
"One of the PJ Masks!? And part of the Power Heroes!"
Oh, well that explains everything.
What are PJ Masks?
"See, this is really unfair! PJ Masks is a major IP but, because we're not popular in Paprihaven, we're reduced to 'grab bag' performers on the Bijou Planks."
Is she...?
Breaking fourth wall? I think so!
You're about to be in major trouble, little missy!
Wow, PG calling her 'little missy'.
"What is 'breaking fourth wall'?? You know, PJ Masks isn't the only license given 'grab bag' status in Paprihaven. Have you ever seen Transformers outside of the Bijou Planks?"
Hey, listen, if you're going to continue breaking fourth wall please go away so we don't get caught in your punishment!
You're talking in a meta context! We are in this world and we shouldn't know about the meta aspects of what constructs it, like brands and licenses!
"Oh... what do I do?"
I hate to say this, because we the audience are not particularly fond of origin stories, though we have to put up with them every Friday with the Heroclix, but if you present this performance in an origin format then you have the 'Origin Clause' in the Fourth Wall rulebook.
"I don't understand any of that but, okay, origin!"
We just saved you from a lot of trouble.
You owe us!
Owlette (real name: Amaya) is one of the three main protagonists of PJ Masks. She is the six-year old member who makes up one-quarter of the PJ Masks and one-tenth of the Power Heroes, and is the Marvel Comics-esque counterpart of the original Bibou from an alternate universe.
Within the core PJ Masks team, she is the only female member and the only member capable of flight. Her main methods of travel are the Owl-Glider and, as of Season 5, her spirit animal, Eagle Owl.
Owlette, with her sharp mind and super planning skills, is quick to act. She can fly, has amazing eyesight, and when she flaps her powerful wings, the bad guys are sent airborne! Keep your “Owl Eyes!” on Owlette!
Long before the events of the television series, Amaya met her friends Connor and Greg in a sandpit at school.
At an unknown specific time, Owlette, alongside Catboy and Gekko, would obtain their powers by receiving superhero suits created by their Spirit Animals. However, it is unknown what caused the Animal Spirits to give her and her friends their powers.
Amaya has fair skin, long brown hair, and brown eyebrows, though in some of her appearances in Season 2, she is erroneously seen without eyelashes. During the day she wears a red dress with a pair of short red leggings under the dress and a white strip going around the middle of her dress. Her dress also has short pink and white sleeves. Amaya's eyes are red and narrow shaped with long black eyelashes. Amaya wears red glasses and a pink feather-shaped hair clip on the side of her head. She wears pink Mary Jane shoes.
During the nighttime Amaya wears a red one-piece onesie with pink sleeves, two diagonal white lines, and a pink owl symbol signifying her PJ Masks status. Like her normal attire, she wears red glasses and a pink feather-shaped hair pin. She also wears pink slippers.
During the winter, she wears a thick, red jacket over her regular clothes, as well as additional gloves.
Owlette's costume is a red superheroine suit with a horned red owl mask, a red and pink feathered cape, pink accents at the side of her legs leading up to her wrists.
She has pink padding at her feet and a pink owl insignia on her chest. She has narrow red eyes with red eyeshadow and black eyelashes.
When going underwater or on space missions, she wears her spacesuit, which includes a helmet, gloves, and boots worn over her regular superhero costume.
When driving her PJ Rover on Earth, Owlette always wears a helmet over her mask.
As of the episode "The PJ Riders," Owlette gains a Riding Armor anytime she summons Eagle Owl. The armor gives her a helmet with red goggles, gloves, boots, additional armored plates that cover her usual superhero costume, and glowing red stripes.
There are white lights generated from the owl symbol that run down the glowing stripes on her cape, which is replaced with a new cape consisting of multiple armored sections, representing her main power of flight.
The one time she became Dark Owl, her appearance is identical to the normal version of Owlette, but the color of her outfit is purple, as well as her eyes.
Amaya can be somewhat impatient at times and tends to have a bit of an ego when something lucky happens to her, such as the time she got a lucky basketball shot in "Owlette the Winner." She can also be a bit selfish at times.
Despite this, she is very sweet and cares for Connor and Greg and their safety. She's also helpful, friendly, and smart, but still naive.
As Owlette she is very quick with her abilities, though she is also shown to be very clumsy, such as in "Owlette and the Flash Flip Trip" and in later episodes.
Like her fellow teammates, childlike immaturity tends to overtake her mindset on the mission leading to issues (such as becoming too focused on her tablet in "Supersonic Owlette" and refusing to forgive Catboy for an earlier mistake in "Owlette's Terrible Pterodactyl Trouble"), but this is always realized and corrected leading to the mission being done properly, and the villain's plans foiled.
Owlette and the rest of the PJ Masks will fight various nighttime villains that are scientifically oriented, most of her appearances often involve her and the team stopping villains from stealing stuff.
Abilities
Super Owl Eyes: Can see in the dark, and see things from very far away.
Super Owl Wings: Her primary power; she can fly with her cape, like wings.
Owl Wing Wind: Can create powerful gusts of wind with her owl wings.
Super Owl Feathers: A power gained in "PJ Power Up," she can shoot energy feathers from her owl wings. These feathers come in various sizes, and can be used for multiple purposes, like projectiles, or to trap an opponent.
Super Feather Shield: An ability directly related to the above; she can use her owl feathers to create a large shield.
Feather Lockpick: Another ability related to the above; as seen in "An Yu's Birthday," she can use a feather to pick a lock.
Super Owl Swoop: Can perform a maneuver while flying.
Amulet Symbol: When pressed, she can communicate with her spirit animal (represented as Birdie, the Pigeon, and Owly).
Owl Feather Nest: A power gained in "Ninja Power Up," she can create a large, cage-like nest using her owl feathers, which can be used to trap opponents.
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
PJ Masks
Owlette
2017, Just Play
Another fine Bijou Planks entry from Grab Bag #131!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/54509105370/
This is actually Owlette's second appearance on the Planks, last seen with Fluttershy in BP 2023 Day 66!
With the blood of their dead
------
i'm finally back with pictures and this one is freebie focused! yess!
Freebies/Deals:
Crown: .Evil Baby. - Crown of Sorrows (Free GG)
Horns: Skellybones -- Kijo Shibari Horns Light Brown (Free GG)
Axe: Chaos Chainaxe Sheathed - Level 9 (Free GG)
Wine glass: EDERIGON - Bloody Valen-Wine (Free GG)
Book: [Ten-Zero] Necronomicon (Free on MP)
Key on belt: Iron Lockpicks - Level 9 (Free GG)
Wrist/Neck Shackles: Shackles - UTILIZATOR (50L$ in world)
Stomach Wound: Barbiecide- Bear Attack (Dollarbie on MP)
The rest:
Head: BeSpoke - Ghoul Nyx - Head (F)
Hair: [KRR] Nemuri hair
Gauntlets: ::Static:: NeoKnight Gauntlets
Boots: ::Static:: NeoKnight Boots
Loin cloth/belt/garter: PFC~Wild [REBORN]
The brass keyhole of a see-through padlock designed for use practicing the lock-picking technique 'raking'. HMM!
Designed and sold by the Lockpicking Lawyer.
It actually arrived right after Christmas due to shipping delays. Many more picks/tools on the other side.
2.5"/64mm edge-to-edge.
Silhouette of a Schlage key, some HPC lockpicks and a key extractor.
And no, wise guys, this is an old key that doesn't fit any of my current locks.
I'm a bit more cautious than the people who posted clear photos of TSA luggage keys allowing others to create and post 3D printer files so you can make your own.
Strobist:
The objects are on a sheet of white acrylic with a 600EX II-RT placed a short distance behind.
Seen in Venice, shot with A7rII and Loxia 85mm 2.4
@Jonathan this one is clearly inspired by your work :-)
#Locks. Keeping honest people honest for centuries.
HPC pick and tension tool in a Schlage door lock. 1:1 reproduction ratio.
It'd been close to a few months since the men had left the Shade in favor a more hospitable climate up north in sunny Loreos.
Sain's ship was still being repaired, but it was of little issue to the men. Rumors of a sea serpent reaping the waves of the west were making their rounds through Roawia, and the tax ship the men had been tracking for quite some time had docked-up in a port city along Loreos' coast, waiting for the all clear from the crown to continue into the more dangerous waters further west.
As such, the men had too been stuck in this port town waiting for the ship to move again. But they had been making the most of their time there. Between boozing their way through all the scummiest bars and brothels the city had to offer, to fighting men on the streets in the wee hours of the morning, and gambling in the fighting pits, which Boethius had now developed a knack for, it was safe to say the men were once again running a bit low on gold and wine to help cool their tempers.
To be fair the Lenfel gold they had stolen in the Shade had lasted a fair bit longer than they had intended, even after most of it had went to Sain's ship repairs. They'd been living quite luxuriously these past few months, for Outlaws of course.
"Well, the wine will be all but gone soon..." Said Boethius taking a big swig from one of the last bottles. "It's amazing you've made it last this long..." Said Algar slyly. Boethius caught his breath between sips and said, "Well...after that five bottle night...and the fish market incident, I had to limit how much I drank during the day a little bit." He chuckled with an almost malicious tone in his wine soaked breath before taking another chug.
"But the question still remains, where can we get some more coin quickly?" Asked Nepos looking at the men.
"Aye, well one of me little birdies told me that there be some slavers in this city who be making coin hand over fist. What do you say we proposition them for a little loan?" Asked Sain with a hearty grin. "Sounds like the best plan yet." Said Boethius taking another gulp of wine. "I think you're just saying that because the wine's almost gone." Said Nepos with a grimace. "Aye well the lad can come with me to get the money then if you're concerned it won't work out." Said Sain quickly. Boethius needed no other convincing other than the possibility of more wine as an outcome.
The two men drunkenly wandered the town looking for the villa of the slavers they were going to steal from. Finally after a good bit of walking, and more drinking, and even more drinking, they had found the luxurious doorstep flanked by fine granite columns. Sain meticulously picked his way through the front door easily, only after fumbling with the lockpicks a few times, and the men were in.
Inside were gold statues, fine furs and cloths, hand carved furniture, paintings, leather bound books, silvered goblets and even spiced wine, one of Boethius' favorites, among other things.
Boethius wandered the villa looking around appraising the items while he popped the cork of a new bottle of wine. As he continued to sip the finely spiced and aromatic wine straight from the bottle he became more and more infuriated by the luxury these men where living in.
Jealously perhaps Boethius guessed. He had been in such environments before, usually stealing of course, but nonetheless something deeper in him brewed a foul anger.
Maybe because these men were slavers? That had to be it, he thought. The Loreesi were always so mighty atop their groomed horses, claiming moral and intellectual superiority yet they housed some of the greatest scum known to Roawia.
Boethius was interrupted in thought by the sound of shuffling and hushed speech outside on the patio. Boethius alerted Sain and they looked out the windows to see two men talking over some wine themselves.
"Aye lad, this be perfect!" Said Sain busting open the door.
The slavers were startled at first as the door flew open and two men clad in brown and black walked through the doorway.
But their fears were quickly subsided when one slaver said, "You're late. We've been waiting for hours!"
Boethius looked at Sain in confusion, which Sain shot right back at him. They looked again to the Slavers. "You're here for payment correct?" He said motioning for the other slaver to produce something out of his pockets.
"Aye lad, not so fast there..." Said Sain drawing his sword.
"Not this rigmarole again." Said the main slaver. "Listen we have half your payment here, we just need more time to sell the men you provided on the docks."
Sain eyed the fumbling slaver who tossed him a small sack of coins. "You'll see that half the payment is there-" Began the main slaver before Boethius cut him off. "We're not here for some measly payment, you vulture."
The main slaver was now a bit frustrated, and stared at Boethius with his beady eyes. He turned to the other slaver and said, "I hate when they show up too drunk." with a sniveling laugh.
Boethius, now infuriated, gripped his now almost empty bottle of wine with white knuckles. "We're here for more than just a few coins."
Now the Slavers began to sweat. "Do you know who I am boy? You're intimidation won't work on me. Who do you think you are, challenging a man like me?" The main slaver asked setting down his glass.
"Aye, well who we are ain't be important in this situation, what is important is that we be robbing you. So go on, give it up. Hand over all yer coin." Said Sain calmly. "I will do no such thing!" Yelled the other slaver in some attempt to impress his superior. Sain then looked up and said, "Aye, well this can go one of two ways; my way or yer way. Which one it be?" But before the slaver could make a decision Boethius flushed the bottle in his hand of all its contents and spit them onto the slavers who recoiled into the railing. "This boy is mad!" Growled the main slaver.
Boethius rammed his sword into the man's chest and watched as the crimson blood spilled onto the tiled floor. He watched the man grasp for air where none was present until Boethius withdrew his blade with such force that it sent the man over the railing.
The other slaver sat with shock as a stream of blood trickled down next to him. He covered his head and begged for life but Boethius would have none of it. In a fury Boethius hacked the man to pieces as Sain watched.
Boethius and Sain exited the villa with a trunk full of goods and on to the streets. "I didn't expect it to go that way, but..." Said Boethius readjusting his grip as the film of blood on his hand made the chest handle slippery. "Well laddie, I told him it'd go one of two ways, and now we be leaving with his gold and his life. A pity really." Said Sain with a sinful smile. "I feel bad for the other guy, he should've chosen a more sensible business partner." Boethius looked at Sain and they both began to chuckle as they walked on to the streets and into the daze of traffic.
Title was adapted from Hemingway.
Tried to do a more tiled build with subtle textures, something a little different from my usual stuff.
Enjoy.
Do not believe blowhard assholes, Especially the ones in the eyes of the media. Pushing Horse shit down our throats. You can't help but laugh at these political blowhards, because you can't take them seriously. They are filling time and selling their opinions. What about the lockpicks you may ask.... maybe they can help open our minds.
In 2021, the NYPD and LAPD are facing a new kind of treat: Electronic Terrorism.
Using EMP's criminals can disable electronic devices such as cars, airborn vehicals and most modern electronic-based weapons.
When this happens, police forces will have to go 'old-school' and use 20-year old weapons,
such as AR15's, SCAR's, UMP's or even M14's.
Sweetwater therefor created the 'Lockpick', a 15 year old USAS-12 optimized for modern day battle.
Features:
-Overall lightweight body
-Electricity-free internals
-Quickly detachable RDS for using the Iron Sights.
-Three-side rail system.
-14 round 12gauge magazine w/ SPW MPO
-Light foldable Para-stock.
-Quickly detachable flash hide w/
-AR-style grip w/ texturing.
Designed for electricity-free combat, it is the standard backup weapon for all NYPD and LAPD assault teams, making the US, a safer place.
Credits!
-Shockwave: Stock and RDS advice
-Beck: Pistol grip
-SPW: Miscilanious parts
-Wiikling: Custom made (awesome) charging handle
-Wes: Rails
-Woitek: Textures
-Keeb: MPO
-Sim and Joker: Shading inspiration
If i forgot you, let me know!
ALL SIZES TOO!
Feel free to comment and add notes!
"I can't believe you talked me into this," groaned Jessica, slumping her shoulders as she followed after the man in front of her.
"C'mon," chuckled Simon, falling back a bit to line up with her. "This is gonna be fun. It's not everyday you get to see Sonar in person."
"Yeah, because some Italian DJ is worth going out to some concert hall," she rebutteled, now looking at Simon.
"One, he's not Italian, he's Modoran," Simon countered. "Two, he's a prince that does shows in America once every few years. This is a pretty rare experience."
Jessica sighed, "Yeah, I know, and you're right. It's just…"
"The crowd?" he asked, holding up the pair of tickets to the man at the venue.
"Y-yeah," she responded, rubbing her shoulder slightly. "I know it really should be something to worry about, but…"
"It can feel like the world is closing around you?" he suggested, her nod following slowly. "You shouldn't feel bad about that. I want this date to help you with it." He turned his head to her with a smile on his face, "I'll be here every step of the way."
"Thank you, Simon," she responded, smiling back at him. Her smile grew a little wider as she held back a chuckle. "So, this date, huh?"
Simon's face flushed slightly as his eyes widened. "Date!?" he asked, his pitch raised. "Did I say date? I meant day… this day… at the concert."
Jessica continued to chuckle as the two entered the theater.
-^-^-
Jessica held the cup of sprite in her right hand as she shuffled past multiple people. Her other hand had found its way to Simon's sometime between getting drinks and moving through the crowd, which she didn't mind. The man led the two through the dense crowd to their spot, which was surprisingly good.
"Alright, these are the spots!" shouted Simon, his voice barely heard over the shouting crowd.
Jessica gave him a nervous smile, the crowd making her uneasy, but the contact calming her down. "Y'know, I didn't think the spots would be… be this close," mumbled Jessica, her eyes look up at the stage of the amphitheater.
"Well," Simon called, gaining her attention, "Hal said he got these from Bruce Wayne." The man placed his drink down, sitting on the seat marked for him. Jessica followed suit. "How he knows Bruce Wayne is beyond me, but it makes sense they're good seats."
"Yeah, I guess," she replied, taking a small sip of her drink.
"So, how's it been with work?" he asked, turning his attention to her.
"Um, it's been fine," she responded, slightly looking up to him. "I'm almost finished with my next chapter. I'm hoping that I can finish it up tonight because I've got some really cool stuff planned out."
Simon's face adopted a smile as he listened to her, "That's nice, anything on the rhyme side of things?"
Her face turned, blushing heavily. "W-w-well, I- yeah, but n-n-not anything g-good," she stammered out, embarrassment running up her spine.
"Hey, I doubt that," he reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'd love to see it sometime, if you're comfortable."
"M-maybe."
"Excuse me?" sounded off a voice from the stage. "Excuse me?" The crowd all looked up to the stage, a man in a suit standing with a microphone. "There has been an inconvenience, Sonar will not be performing today. We thank you for your understanding."
The crowd immediately began to roar, obviously upset by the turn of events. Simon gave Jessica a confused look, her own expression the same.
"What do you think happened?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd.
"I'm not sure… but I'm going to find out," Simon stated, matter of factly. As he stood, he immediately began shuffling through the crowd, Jessica jolting up to follow him.
"What do you mean find out?!" she asked, squeezing through the raging audience.
"Well," grunted Simon, getting out of the crowd to the stairs, "I'm gonna see if something happened. A Green Lantern can respond a lot faster than a paramedic."
Jessica nodded, continuing to follow Simon out of the building.
-^-
Jessica and Simon entered the backstage area, using a lockpick construct to open the back door. The two made haste through the different halls of the building, taking note of how empty it was.
Jessica checked another room, seeing it empty, noting, "You'd think the backstage of a Sonar concert would be…"
"Bustling?" finished Simon, gaining a nod from her. "I know, it's almost creepy how empty it all is."
Jessica nodded once more, reaching for another door before stopping. "Simon, look."
Simon moved to stand next to her, "Bito Wladon… Sonar."
Her hand reached forward, grabbing hold of the handle and opening the door. The two stepped inside, immediately noticing the room looking like a mess.
"For a prince, his room is a pigsty," noted Jessica, lifting an embroidered red jacket.
"Guess his butlers aren't here to clean up for him," chided Simon, electing a laugh from Jessica.
The two continued to search around, finding empty cans of beer, baggies full of weed, and Jessica cringing upon finding a box of condoms, which Simon laughed hysterically at. It was after a few minutes of searching when Simon saw a small piece of paper balled into the trash bin in the corner of the room.
"Hey Jess," he called, gaining her attention. "Come check this out."
The woman stepped over, looking at the paper Simon plucked from the can. "A paper in the trash?" she asked, her head looking at the filthy room once more. "That's not suspicious at all."
"Exactly that," Simon nodded, looking over the note. His face shifted slightly, his mouth parted and eyebrows raised. "Umm, Jess…"
Jessica quickly looked over the note, gasping at the words.
"Mr. Sionis is ready for the exchange. We will be present within the hour."
"Sionis?" Jessica questioned, looking up to Simon. "Isn't that Black Mask?"
Simon nodded, chuckling slightly, "I bet Hal'll love to throw this one at Batman's face. 'Green Lanterns taking down your baddies, so much for off limits Gotham.'"
Jessica chuckled, but looked back at the paper. "We should probably head to…" she paused, thinking for a moment before continuing, "the underground parking garage. It's where the deal will be happening."
Simon nodded once again, following her out of the room.
-^-
The two floated down the elevator shaft, making sure not to use the elevator to keep their presence as unknown as possible. Upon reaching the proper floor, the elevator door was pried open with a simple construct.
The two had their plan set. They'd search the garage and contact the other upon finding the deal. What they didn't expect, however, was for the deal to be going on right outside of the elevator.
Wladon stood stunned at the sight, a briefcase in his hands. Across from him was a group of men, the two in the front standing out. One wore a crisp white suit, a white skull mask on his head. The other had a magenta suit on, a large copper helmet on his head.
"Uhh… well that's awkward," stated Simon, as all parties stared at each other.
The man in white sighed, looking over to the man in magenta. "Ferris, take care of them," he stated, a commanding presence in his tone.
The man nodded, quickly reaching into one of the trucks they had. Stepping out from the van, Ferris now held an RPG in his hands.
"I'm glad it's you two," he stated, loading a rocket onto the launcher. "Especially the terrorist."
Simon visually winced at the words, feeling a flash of hurt from the words. His mind slightly blanked, the implication bringing up memories.
"Terrorist!?" shouted Jessica, her eyes glowing a green fury. "He's a hero!"
A blast of green energy launched forward, hitting Ferris directly in the chest. His finger pressed onto the trigger before he was hit, causing the rocket to launch, exploding into the ceiling above them. Rubble began to fall from the now damaged ceiling.
Wladon dropped the case onto the ground, quickly flipping it open and taking out its contents. The white suited man noticed, backing off from the commotion.
"Get up, Ferris," he commanded, helping him to a stand. "It's time we go."
"I want to take out that mother fucker," he growled out. "His bitch too!"
"Another time," stated the man, picking up their own briefcase full of cash. "Mr. Sionis won't be pleased, we should keep losses at a minimum."
Ferris reluctantly nodded, following the man into one of the vans as it pulled off.
"Wl-Wladon, what are you- you doing!?" shouted Simon, snapping out of the short panic attack. "Why the hell do you need cash!?"
Wladon stepped out of the dust and smoke from the explosion, a large pistol in his hand. "You can never have too much, can you?"
A large blast of blue energy erupted from the barrel of the gun, hitting Simon directly. His body launched backwards, the force causing him to crash into the elevator doors.
"S!" shouted Jessica, making sure to not say his name. Her body turned to the man, already aiming at her.
Her ring quickly formed a protective bubble around herself, the attack shot from the gun blasting her back as well. The ball construct luckily took the blunt of the force, but the noise the gun made was ringing in her ears.
"How do you like it?" he asked cockily, flaunting the gun. "It is my own design, producing deadly sound waves."
Jessica listened as he continued to brag about using his musical talent for his own weaponry. The idiot decided to let her know all about the sound waves being able to bounce off of objects, causing massive damage. She now knew how to take him down, just needing him to attack again.
He stepped forward, pointing the gun at Jessica once again. "Well, I may have lost out on a good deal, but two Green Lantern's?" he mused, chuckling to himself. "That's a good payoff."
As he pulled the trigger, Jessica acted, encasing him into a green bubble. The sound waves immediately began to bounce around the bubble, causing the man to drop the gun and cover his ears in agony.
As he eventually fell to the ground, Jessica allowed the construct to fade, standing up to check on Simon. The man sat slumped against the wall, a smile on his face.
"Thanks for the help," she teased with a small smile.
"You looked like you had it handled," he responded, chuckling slightly before his face went a bit red. "Aaand my ring might have died… and I'm stuck."
Jessica now noticed the way his body was slightly indented into the elevator door, which made her laugh out loud. "Okay… okay that does make up for it a bit," she chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.
Suddenly the elevator opened, Simon falling back into it which only made Jessica laugh again. The officers they had contacted after finding the note stepped out, the man who announced Sonar to be absent following.
"Sonar!" he shouted, anger, worry, and disappointment all lingering in his voice. "What are we supposed to do! We have a stadium of people out there!"
Wladon mumbled inaudibly, his head obviously still ringing from the attack, only slightly regaining consciousness.
Jessica walked away from the villain as the officers moved to arrest him, moving to help Simon up.
"It's a shame all of those people will lose out on the 'once in a lifetime' experience," Jessica noted, a small frown on her face.
Simon silently agreed before his eyes widened. "Well, there is one experience even more exclusive," he exclaimed, looking at her.
"What?" she asked, confused by his face.
"A live performance by Green Lantern," he offered, a smile on his face.
Jessica's face immediately sank, her body shrinking in on itself. "Wh-wh-what!?"
"Yeah!" he enthused. "It's something any crowd would be stunned by!" As he looked at her, he saw the dread on her face, his own expression falling. "Hey, Jess… I… I didn't mean to… you don't have to. I just… you deserve to be heard."
Jessica stared at the floor, her body shaking slightly. "I-I-I just… why? Wh-who would want to hear me? Who would th-think I'm any good? Th-they definitely wouldn't… I…"
Jessica paused mid-sentence as she felt a hand grab her own. Her head tilted up to look at Simon, the contact calming her down. "I want to hear you," he stated quietly, smiling warmly at her. "Cause last time? You knocked it out of the park."
The two stood, staring at each other for a moment before Jessica smiled slightly, moving forward and hugging him. He was surprised, but wrapped his arms around her as well.
"Thank you."
-^-
Simon stood out in the crowd, back in their original seats. The crowd was rowdy, yelling curses at the man standing on the stage.
"Hello everyone," he announced. "As I mentioned before, Sonar is not able to perform today." The boo's from the crowd made Simon smirk a bit. They were all going to be very pleased. "Instead we have a very special guest, a once in a lifetime experience. Behold, Green Lantern."
The crowd suddenly became very quiet as Jessica stepped out onto the stage. Simon could see her nervousness, but also the bravery he saw in her everyday.
The neon green stage lights suddenly all lit up, music beginning to play in the background. Jessica glanced at Simon, who gave her a reassuring thumbs up and smile. She took a deep breath.
"Finally,
You've given me,
A reason to be strong.
And we'll stand,
Hand in hand,
Till the end…"
Simon couldn't help but smile as the crowd began to cheer, his face also reddening the way she kept her eyes on him while she sang.
Today definitely didn't go as he planned… it went much, much better.
A so-called "black box" covers the keyholes of the handcuffs so that the prisoner is not able to open the handcuffs even if he were in possession of a handcuff key or a lockpick. Furtermore, the "black box" makes the handcuffs rigid which severely restricts the prisoner's range of movement. This is really a maximum security restraint!
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Aeridian was rudely awakened by a flurry of feathers and high pitched screeches causing him to roll over and bang his head on the cold stone floor. His eyes snapped open, but he blinked as his head swam painfully. Harold the owl was flapping madly around the cell being chased by Graig. He was struggling to get free of a leather satchel fastened loosely around his neck. It had been two days since Harold left with the note, so they had been expecting him at anytime.
Graig waved his arms about trying to catch Harold’s leg or pouch. “Come down here you crazy bird! You’ll not be free if you continue to deny aid!”
Derrik merely watched the fiasco and muttered something about being caught by the guards and the removal of toenails.
Aeridian sat up and rubbed his head gingerly. “What’s going on Graig? Why does Harold have a pouch on him…?”
Graig wagged an accusing finger at the owl and furrowed his brow. “Now you listen to me Harold. I’ll not be made a fool by some confused day owl! I’m trying to help you confound it!”
He turned to the Elf and nodded. “It seems he might have found your Elven companions… or someone else wanted to play a cruel joke on poor Harold.”
Aeridian chuckled at his failed attempt to relieve the bird of his discomfort. “Why don’t you just leave him alone for a little while? I’m sure he’s tired enough from the journey that he’ll want to rest.”
Graig grunted and threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine! If you don’t want my help Harold, you’re on your own!”
He stalked over to the small pile of straw next to Aeridian and sat down. He leaned his head against the wall and took a ragged breath.
“Harold, need a rest? Bah! I’m the one who needs it. I’m getting too old for this sort of thing…”
Aeridian watched the old man with growing fascination. What stories could this man tell? He wanted to ask Graig about his life before prison, but he didn’t know what to say. The Elf thought quietly as he watched Harold land cautiously. He smiled as the owl walked awkwardly across the floor dragging the leather pouch in his wake. Aeridian reached an open hand and rubbed the black plumage warmly. Harold gave an affectionate hoot and proceeded to fold his wings. Hearing the bird Graig opened his eyes slowly and leaned over to him. Gently he loosened the satchel and lifted it over Harold’s head.
He looked over it for a moment and then handed to Aeridian. “If it is from your friends you’d best open it first, eh? But if there’s any food I’ll gladly take it off your hands…”
Aeridian looked at the leather work and noticed a small stag emblem stitched onto the flap. He smiled widely and filled it open eagerly to see its contents. “Renlin… how in the world did you find Harold?”
He pulled out piece of yellow parchment, a dagger, a chisel and small hammer. The note informed him that Galdreir, Renlin and other Elves were on their way to the island, but they might be delayed. Since sneaking in all the way to the dungeons would be too risky, the tools were to aid him partway. They planned to meet him in the courtyard at nightfall and bring him to the boat on shore. Aeridian read the plan over again to make sure there were no mistakes. He glanced up and noticed that daylight was already fast receding. He quickly rolled up the paper and stuffed it back into the pouch. As he gathered the tools he briefly informed Graig, Derrik and Saloso about the escape attempt. Graig stroked Harold’s head thoughtfully as he listened.
“So, your friends are already on their way, eh? They must be loyal…”
Aeridian slid the knife into the doors keyhole and paused. “Anything they do for me, they know I would gladly return the favor twice over…”
He moved the knife around slowly before taking up the hammer and chisel. He took a deep breath and gently began to loosen the lock with a couple hammer blows. The sound of metal grating upon metal made the Elf wince.
“Derrik, can I borrow a bit of cloth again? I need to muffle the sound before the guards take notice… thanks.”
Fitting the cloth over the hammerhead Aeridian continued to pound away as quickly, yet quietly, as he could. After numerous moments, which seemed like hours, the lock gave way. He was just about to open the door when he heard footsteps… It was time for the changing of the guards. Aeridian shook his head in frustration and took a step back away from the door.
“Any ideas? I don’t want to cause suspicion if a guard goes missing…”
Graig shrugged. “Kill him or knock him out. Derrik or Saloso can take his armor and led us out then.”
Aeridian searched his mind for another way or a better plan. He sighed when he came up empty. Walking quietly to the door Aeridian, pulled the knife out, and opened it slowly…
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Part 4 is here! Man, I don’t know about you, but I’m loving this! It’s been so much doing my two favorite things: writing and building for LCC. :D
Thanks for all the comments, it really means a lot when I’m trying to crank out good material for you guys. Keep a look out for the next part it’ll be coming fairly soon… ;)
This is part of a miniseries built for the Lands of Classic Castle on the Classic Castle forums, check it out! :)
~ Ductus Exemplo ~
-Aeridian
Bryan's EDC as of February 2012
- ITS EDC Trauma Kit w/ Coyote Pouch
- Sig Sauer P6/P225 and Spare Mag (Loaded with 9mm Hydra Shok)
- Sig currently carried IWB (In the Waist Band) RCS Phantom Holster (Not Shown)
- KIA Bracelet - Jason Workman, who I served with in the Navy and who perished in the tragedy on 8.6.11
- Giveaway Wallet - In Mugging Situations
- Keychain with Solomon Bar Paracord fob, Duct Tape fob and Kingston Flash Drive
- Change, Wedding Ring and ITS Challenge Coin
- Bosca Nappa Vitello Pocket Wallet
- Titanium Bogota Toolset
- Bobby Pin
- Nemesis Knives Ti Card (bottle opener and sharpened edge)
- Cash (leftover $2 bills from Starbucks Appreciation Day)
- Emerson Commander (appendix carry)
- Bic Lighter
- iPhone 4 with Foliage Magpul Field Case (Mfg. with better tolerance than the Executive Case I reviewed)
- Moleskine Volant Mini Notebook
- Pocket Survival Kit (modified slightly since it was shown in this original article)
- 4Sevens Preon 2 in Satin Titanium (appendix carry)
- 4Sevens Titanium Pen w/ Glass Breaker Tip (takes Fisher Space Pen refills)
- G-Shock DW-6900MS w/ Suunto Clipper Compass
Macro photo of the keyway and first pin of a master-keyed Wilka cylinder lock. This is lock number T1721 of the 17th Toool (NL) "Doorlopende Competitie" (lockpicking contest).
Ryclen was taken to a prison tower on the coast under heavy guard, and was locked into what he was told was the "vilest, lowest, and least maintained dungeon in the tower". He was also told that he was to be moved the next day, to the lord's castle for torture and eventual execution. However, a glimmer of hope appeared when the guard received a casket of fine but heavy ale, and spent half the night drinking and the other half sleeping. The guards had searched Ryclen, but did not find the lockpick in his hat, which he went to work with now. It wouldn't take him more than an hour, he estimated. But the true challenge lay ahead, getting out of the prison alive.
You have no idea how long it took me to arrange the figs just right. Do you realize how hard it is to get a minifig drunk?!
Anyways, you might not notice, but the walls are slightly angled to give a forced perspective look. Not by much, but it's better than just straight walls.
Ever wonder what one should take with them on an extended international backpacking adventure? Well, here's what I took on a 4-month long backbacking trip to Japan. This is going to be a long read, with(almost) every piece of gear I carry with me on a trip like this, and brief descriptions where necessary.
Let me start by telling you how I organize gear. 1-Shelter(including clothing and sleep system). 2-Food/Water(including cook systems and water procurement systems). 3-Tools(including weapons, blades, electronics, etc). 4-Miscellaneous(Camera gear, repair kits, IFAKs, etc.) 5-Carry systems(backpacks, mostly)
Starting with Shelter(see top left of image):
-Koppen Viggo 20 sleeping bag. I've been meaning to get a quality bag, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. If it keeps you warm, then you can make do with it.
-Coghlan's Bug net. In the red stuff-sack. Absolutely essential on warm/temperate adventures. Trust me. No, really, trust me.
-Eno Singlenest hammock. Do NOT buy a lower quality hammock. Again, trust me on this one. I've seen FOUR cheap hammocks break without any misuse. Buy a quality hammock. Also note: Mine came with very heavy, solid steel carabiners and no hanging line. I've replaced the biners with Metolius FS Mini biners. They are incredibly light weight while retaining a 22KN strength rating. Highly recommended! For hanging line, I use 750 cord; light and strong enough to hang on.
UPDATE: I still use this hammock, but my suspension system has changed. I now use Amsteel Blue as my hanging line, and I use a knotless setup with aluminum descender rings.
-Blue blanket borrowed from ANA airline after I landed in Tokyo. I don't carry anything like this usually, but this one's sort of like a souvenir to me.
-Carabiners. Aformentioned Metolius FS Minis.
-Small green bundle of fabric is a home-made sil-nylon pack cover. Sil-nylon is incredibly light(I mean INCREDIBLY light), much less bulky than many other waterproof fabrics, but is not as durable. Mine has held up well, though.
-Green folded fabric is a home-made bivy sack. I do not use a tent for a few very good reasons. I'm often stealth-camping, and a tent is WAAAY to overt for that, and a tent is heavy and bulky to carry. I haven't used a tent in years and I've had absolutely no regrets. There are some sacrifices made when using a minimal system such as a bivy, though. Ask me about it if you want some pros and cons.
-Sleeping pad. I use a cheap, Wal-Mart sleeping pad, cut to shape in order to fit in the floor of my Alpacka Packraft. There are lots of good reasons to use a cheap, closed-cell foam pad instead of an expensive pad, but the primary reason is that your sleeping pad will probably be destroyed by use over time, and a ruined $8 pad is easier to swallow than a ruined $80 pad.
-Being used as a tablecloth in the image, a cheap 6'x10' tarp. For the same reasons I use a cheap sleeping pad, I use a cheap tarp. I do have to make a note here, though: Not all cheap tarps are the same. I wish I could give you advice on which brands to avoid and which ones to buy, but I really don't remember the brands of the tarps I've bought. Anyway, many cheap tarps have extremely weak eyelets, a weak weave, and(if this is important to you like it is to me), a gloss coat. Some, however, do not have those problems. It's hit-and-miss. Good luck when shopping around, and let me know if you find a decent brand.
Clothing:
-Under Armour compression boxers, 2 pairs. Not recommended. On long treks, they do not wick away sweat as advertised, so you'll end up clammy. They also ride up a bit, and I used to hate that, but I've realized that letting them ride up -though slightly uncomfortable- helps to minimize chafing in and round your sensitive bits.
-5.11 Level 1 9” socks, 3 pairs. The ONLY socks I adventure with. Fantastic elasticity, great durability, and don't start to stink for a loooong time. Great socks!
UPDATE: While I still love how comfortable they are, they aren't as durable as I used to think. I've now owned about a dozen pairs of these, and I've stopped buying them. I've switched to Vermont Darn-Tough socks. More durable, about as comfortable, and they have a lifetime warranty.
-Starter longsleeve base shirt and Starter shortsleeve base shirt, one each. I'm not a snob. I love quality gear, but when a cheap option works this well, I'll advocate its use. These Wal-Mart shirts work just as well as my Under Armour shirts, at a much lower price point. Recommended.
-5.11 Taclite Pro pants, 1 pair. Never ask me about these pants, because I will never stop talking about them. I have a confession(something some of you know already): I love good pants. I REALLY love good pants, and I've spent thousands of dollars on quality pants over the past few years, and out of ALL of them, the 5.11 Taclite Pros are the pick of the litter. They are the best pants I've ever owned, without a doubt. I have them in several colors, but my favorite color is Tundra.
-Lightweight synthetic shorts, 1 pair. Useful in hot weather and as swimming trunks. Here's just a general note: Avoid cotton in all of your clothing. Seriously, just avoid it.
-Light fleece pajama pants, 1 pair. Used as (surprise!) pajamas, but also as an insulating layer in cold weather.
-Light fleece pullover, 1. Insulator in cold weather.
-Columbia HeatMode 2 jacket. Thin jacket for wind/light rain protection. I use this often but it's now out of production. I always travel with a light jacket made of a tightly-woven, synthetic material for wind and rain protection.
-Tru-Spec Web belt. A great belt for it's $6 price point! Recommended if a higher quality belt isn't in the budget. Also, it's flexible enough to be comfortable underneath a backpack hip-belt.
-Baseball cap, for sun protection.
-Shemagh, for 8 trillion different reasons. I recommend everyone have a shemagh on them at all times. Great for lots of things, but I use mine primarily as a scarf, for sun protection, and as a face mask.
-Lightly insulated gloves, for cold weather and for keeping your hands clean while adventuring. I use mine often, always have a pair of gloves! Standard Mechanix gloves are basically a Gold-Standard for adventure gloves.
-Marmot Precip hardshell jacket and pants. Although pricey, I recommend these. I'd actually pay the high price to buy them again if anything happens to mine. Durable, light, packed with features. Great rain suit!
UPDATE: I did end up buying a second set of these after my first ones disintegrated, and my second set is now also disintegrating. I no longer recommend this set. I'll update when I find a good alternative.
-Finally, I separate my clean clothes and my dirty clothes in their own mesh bags.
Food(Top right of the image):
-I won't get into my usual backpacking food, but there are lots of good resources on the web for that kind of info. Message me if you want to know my usual choices.
-I will mention the protein powder, though. If you're hiking and doing a lot of physically demanding tasks, FEED YO' MUSCLES, SON!
-Hard-sided, watertight container. I carry most of my food in a container of this description. It keeps delicate food items or potentially messy food items from getting crushed, it has an air-tight seal to keep animals from sniffing out your food, and it's waterproof. Alternatively, you could use a roll-top dry-bag, but that wont keep your food from getting crushed.
-Jetboil Flash. I avoided Jetboil systems for a long time, primarily because of their price, but when I encountered a fellow traveler using one in the Redwood forests of Northern California, I was blown away. I bought one a few days later, and now I'm spoiled and I never want to use any other cooking system again. Highly recommended!
-Lexan spoon, but no fork. I don't carry a fork because chopstix are easily crafted from twigs or acquired from restaurants. Here in Japan, they give them to you at the cash register when you buy food at grocery stores.
-Spare fuel canister. I actually don't usually carry a spare, since one canister lasts so long, but when I took this photo, my current canister was running low, so I bought a replacement.
-P-38 can opener. Always.
Water(In front of the sleeping pad):
-Nalgene SILO 1.5l water bottle. Nalgenes are an industry standard, and for good reason. However, I'm not picky, as witnessed by the next bullet point...
-Generic 1.5l softdrink bottle, repurposed as a water bottle. Same capacity as the SILO, lighter, but not as durable. I'm not a loyalist to any brand here, not even Nalgene, just be sure to use a reasonably durable bottle.
-Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter. I've been using this filter for years. Highly recommended. I did install a pre-filter the day I got it, though. I use cheap, very small, very light fuel filters. Don't get hung up on certain brands or models, though. I've used MSRs and other Katadyns, and I've done lots of personal research, and they all seem to do the same thing with similar results. Just don't get a Lifestraw. Seriously.
Tools:
-Morakniv HighQ Robust(Not pictured). This tool, as well as the next three tools listed, were in my system until I was arrested in Tokyo and they were confiscated. As a knife guy, I could talk at length about options and philosophies of use, but I'll just leave it at this: Moraknives are the best fixed-blade knife you can buy at their price-point.
-5.11 folding knife. Cheap garbage(Not pictured). I got it as a promo item when I ordered some other 5.11 gear, but I brought it in place of a better, more expensive knife in case anything happened to it. I'm lucky I did...
-Lockpicks. I have Sparrows, SouthOrd, and Peterson lockpicks. I've picked my fair share of locks, and I want to tell you all something. Home-made lock picks are better than each of the above-named brands. My standard set contains the following picks, all hand-made by myself: A shallow hook, a deep hook, a DeForest diamond, a Bogota 2-peak rake, a top-of-the-keyway serrated tension wrench, and 2 bottom-of-the-keyway smooth tension wrenches in different sizes. I carry my picks in a Sparrows Sentry case. Sometimes I carry shims as well, but I wasn't carrying any when I came to Japan.
UPDATE: My every-day lock pick selection has changed. If I'm going minimalist, a set of SEREpicks are what I carry, but if I can spare the extra room, I also bring a traveler's hook, some shims, an EZ-Decoder, and a few bypass tools.
-Leatherman Wave(Not pictured). Always have your multi-tool. There are lots of variations, only you can decide witch one is best for you.
-The pliers on the bottom of the image are a stand-in for a multi-tool. I found them in an abandoned building, so I took them with me. Pliers are incredibly useful, which is one of the primary reasons for carrying a multi-tool.
-No-name, fixed blade knife(bottom-center, next to my Rhodia note pad). I bought this a few days after I got out of jail in Tokyo, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's roughly three-quarter tang, hand-profiled, very hard carbon steel blade. It's been great so far!
-Four-Sevens QT2A-X flashlight, with a poorly-done, home paintjob. I've been using this light for a few years now, and I cannot recommend it. I'm a “Flashaholic,” a term coined by Nutnfancy, so I am VERY particular when it comes to flashlights. This light does not stand up to my requirements. Ask me about it if you want to know more.
UPDATE: ARMYTEK, Surefire, or Streamlight are all great options. I've been carrying Armytek now for a while, and I can't recommend them enough.
-The light is in a home-made .93 Kydex holster. Very cheap, very trim, very effective, great retention.
-Also attached to the light is a Tac-Ord lanyard. I will always recommend attaching your light to a lanyard.
-Fenix diffuser head, modified for use on the above flashlight.
-Fenix Headband, for turning any light with a body diameter of 18-22mm into a headlight. Recommended! However, the process is slow. The retention screw must be completely removed in order to set the light into the clamp. A faster system would be nice, but I haven't found one that's better than this.
-Streamlight Nano/Terralux TLF-KEY1 frankenlight. I recommend both of these micro flashlights, but I recommend the frankenlight even more! With the body of the Streamlight and the head of the Terralux. :p
-Suunto A30 compass with a 550 lanyard. Great compass, very accurate, glow-in-the-dark, rotating bezel. Recommended.
-Garmin eTrex Legend handheld GPS. This thing is definitely dated, has an old, unreliable antenna, and has frustrating controls. Not recommended at all.
-Goal Zero Guide 10+ charger(pictured) paired with the Nomad 7 solar panel(not pictured). This system has served me well over the past 4 years. It charges 4x AA or AAA(with adapter) batteries at a time, and you can usually get enough sunlight in a day to make 2 full charges. It'll also charge my camera batteries, one at a time, and has a USB 2.0 port, so will charge cell phones, MP3 players, whatever. It's a decent, inexpensive system. You can't expect super high performance in a light, backpack-able package, but this is probably as good as you're going to get in this philosophy of use. I will say that it is the most versatile system I've ever found in my research. Recommended. Ask me about it if you want more info.
-8 Goal Zero NiMh, 2300mAH AA batteries, stored in a Bluecell battery case.
-8 Goal Zero NiMh, 800mAH AAA batteries, stored in a Bluecell battery case.
Miscellaneous Stuff:
-50-100' of 550 paracord. Innumerable uses.
-100' of bank-line. Choose your own diameter, I use #15. Great for anything that requires less bulk and strength than paracord.
-Sewing kit. Plenty of thread, multiple needles, stored in a plastic, flip-top tube container. I use mine constantly.
-Primary phone: Nokia Lumia 520 (Windows-based). Not recommended. Windows hasn't been working on their phone OS as long as Android and Apple has, so there are more bugs than the competitors.
-Secondary phone: Motorolla Moto G(Gen1) 8gb, Global GSM(Android-based). Fantastic phone at it's price! I did a lot of research before buying this phone, and I've been very happy with it.
UPDATE: Still using the Moto G series of phones. I'm currently using the Moto G 5 Play, and I'll be buying the 6 when this one dies.
-Note! The Maps.Me Android app is amazing for international travel. Requires no data, no service, nothing. You download whatever maps you want, and you can zoom in, search, navigate- all possible without any connection at all! Great app, very detailed maps for almost every country in the world.
UPDATE: STILL MY RECOMMENDED TRAVEL MAP APP!
-Notepad. Pictured is a French-made Rhodia dotPad #12. Not recommended. Assembled with a single staple, covers are falling off after 2 months of carry and use.
-Writing utensils: Pictured are a 1) Pilot Opt. 0.5 mechanical pencil. Terrible eraser, mediocre spring-tensioned clip. 2) Pilot 3-color, 0.5 Frixion pen. At first I was stoked on this pen. The ink used will disappear with heat, so you get a rubberized-plastic eraser that is designed to create heat through friction, making the ink almost completely disappear. But, after asking around, I've heard stories of ink disappearing when left on hot dashboards and such. That's a dealbreaker. 3) Stabilo Worker 0.3 pen. Not recommended. Running about $8, its ball-point system will NOT keep your lines anywhere near 0.3mm. More like .7 or so. Personally, I'd replace each of these with Zebra pens and pencils. Simple, attractive, reliable.
-Extra pencil lead. I like harder lead rather than softer, but I haven't done enough research or testing to recommend any certain brand.
-Full-sized notebook. The one I'm currently carrying another French-made book- a Jour & Etoffe Color-Fil, 6mm-ruled notebook. Recommended, but good luck finding one. I'm actually kind of particular with my notebooks, but carry whatever you want.
-Generic protractor/ruler combi-tool. I happen to enjoy technical drawing, so I carry something like this often, just to aid in my doodling. However, a ruler is very useful in travel. Most multi-tools will have one engraved in the handles.
-Tissues
-Primary wallet: Keep one wallet with your day-money and photocopies of your Ids in an accessible pocket.
-Secondary wallet: Keep another wallet with the rest of your money and your actual Ids in a separate pocket, preferably a more secure one.
-A few lighters. I don't smoke, but lighters come in handy every so often.
-MP3 Player. I hate iPods, so I've been trying different players over the years. The latest iteration of Sandisk's Sansa series, the Sport+ is actually pretty good. No removable battery, but it has expandable memory, so you can use your micro SD card.
UPDATE: The Sansa series was awful, so I found a generic MP3 player buy a company called Niusute, and it's been GREAT. I've had it for about a year now, and it's held up well. It doesn't have a user-replaceable battery, but it does have expandable memory, and its best feature is that it has a battery life of 80 hours! I use it constantly, and I generally recharge it once a week.
-Micro SD to regular SD adapter, in protective case.
-I am very partial to JVC Marshmallow headphones. I recommend them to everyone, but I bought a different kind of headphone after reading lots of favorable reviews. They have something of a cult following, but frankly, I have not found any reason to like the MonoPrice Hi-Fis. Mediocre. Better than dollar-store headphones, but not by a whole lot.
-Extra ear pieces for my headphones. I always manage to lose mine.
-On this trip, I brought a small Japanese dictionary. The one pictured is excellent. I did some research before settling on this one, and I'm glad I chose it. Recommended for anyone traveling to Japan.
-Pack towel. Never go anywhere without your towel! Arthur Dent will tell you why.
-Business cards. I don't have any reason to have my own, but I collect them everywhere I go from people I meet. It's easier than asking people for their Facebook or E-mail. Just get their business card and stick it in your wallet.
-Lenovo Thinkpad E440, with a Core i5. I usually don't travel with a full-sized computer, but I wanted to edit photos as I went, so I brought my photo-editing computer with me. Included is the appropriate charging cable, a wireless mouse, and a mouse pad. A note on the mouse: Bring a wired mouse when traveling if you bring a mouse at all. It wont take any of your valuable rechargeables, so they can be used elsewhere.
-Silicon Power 1TB external HDD. Highly recommended! I've had this for about a year and a half now, and I've thrown it in snow, dropped it on concrete, dropped it into a sink full of water... And it comes with its own cable, stored neatly in a built-in compartment. Great hard drive!
UPDATE: Still recommend these! Great hard drives!
Hygiene:
-Antibacterial wipes
-Nail clippers
-Razor
-Toothbrush
-Castile soap stored in a repurposed glycerin bottle. This stuff is amazing. I use Dr. Bronner's. It's made of plant material, non-toxic, biodegradable, and extremely versatile! It can be used as shampoo, body wash, face wash, shaving cream, and even toothpaste. As an added bonus for the Tea Tree variety of Castile soap- it acts as a bug deterrent. For about half a day after using it, it works very effectively to repel mosquitoes, gnats, ticks, whatevs. Highly recommended in every flavor!
-My hygiene supplies are all stored in a Kifaru zipper pouch.
Camera Gear: I'm not going to get much into camera gear here. It's not all pictured, but ask me about it if you want to know anything. I'm going to list a few things here, though. Just the “notable” things, I guess.
-Nikon D750.
-Canon 70D.
-5 batteries for each. A mix of OEM and non-OEM. There are lots of good off-brand batteries, do your research before buying.
-Joby Gorillapod Focus with the Ballhead-X. Highly recommended! Love this tripod.
-A zoom lens. At least 250mm, but keep weight in mind if you're backpacking.
-A 50mm lens. Because it's beautiful.
-A wide-angle lens.
-I personally love fish-eye lenses, so I carry one with me. I love being able to see ~so much~ and the distortion doesn't bother me at all.
-Chargers with car adapters.
-LowePro Toploader Pro 70AW. This is another thing that you shouldn't ever ask me about. I will talk your ear off about the quality and features for hours. Of ALL LowePro gear, for that matter. I also have their ProTactic 350. LowePro gear is not particular cheap, but it's worth every penny you'll pay for it. Would you put $5,000 worth of camera and lenses in a $20 case? I wouldn't. Amazing gear. Also, the AW versions have a built-in rain cover.
-Attached to the above bag is a LowePro lens case, compatible with LowePro's SlipLock attachment system.
-Extra memory cards. Seriously, bring extras.
Carry System:
-REI XT-85. I've been using it for two years. Highly recommended.
-Adidas Cinch-bag. Bought it in college, and it's still in great shape. Highly recommended. I bring this with me for times when I can store or hide my XT-85, so I can explore a city without being weighed down. There are lots of small packs that will fill this role, but this is what I had on hand, and I like it.
Not pictured: Here are things I usually bring, but didn't bring on this trip; or gear that I DO have now, but didn't put it in the picture for some reason.
-Handcuff key and Master bump key. Located in a hidden pocket somewhere on my clothing. When I was arrested in Tokyo, and they VERY thoroughly searched ALL of my belongings, they never found these. :)
-IFAK. Stands for Individual First Aid Kit. There isn't one pictured because my custom-built level 1 IFAK went missing before my trip. Whoops.
-A mesh bug shirt. These aren't super effective, but I often carry one because they are extremely lightweight, and offer a ~little~ bit of protection. Just enough to keep you from losing your mind as you set up your net over your sleep system.
-When I'll be filtering water from sources that are likely to contain critters, such as agricultural run-off, I will carry a water purifier in addition to my water filter. My purifier of choice is the Steri-Pen Adventurer Opti with the purpose-built solar charging case.
-Many of you know how much I love packrafting. When you carry one, you have to include the other components of the system. For me, these components are as follows: Packraft, paddle, repair kit, inflation bag, dry bag for the rest of your gear, paracord for lashing your gear to the raft while traveling by water, seat, seat back, riser seat, and stuff-sack. The entire system usually weighs about 7 pounds with the gear that I own and use. It's possible to get your entire packrafting system down to about 5 pounds.
-Guns. When I travel in places where I can legally carry a pistol, I carry a Glock 19(Gen 4) in one of two ways. When I carry openly, it's in a G-Code XST RTI holster on a Low-Ride RTI platform, attached to my clothing belt(not my pack belt). When I'm concealing, I add a Kifaru Koala to my pack system, and I carry the pistol in the Koala's dedicated CCW compartment. In either case, I always use Glock 17 magazines outfitted with Arredondo +6 extensions. Arredondo products are very highly recommended by me! Awesome stuff. I carry spare magazines in either a G-code dual mag holder(RTI variety), or in the mag caddies inside the Kifaru Koala.
-The Kifaru Koala is another piece of gear that I'll talk forever about. It's amazing. Perfect. Lovely. Perfect. Comfy. Perfect. I love it! Added bonus: Last year, Kifaru dropped the price on the Koala. Yay!
-Last but not least... Kelsey. Poor Kelsey got left at home on this trip. It was a difficult decision, and I've regretted it many times over since arriving in Japan. I only hope she'll forgive me when I get back. I'm sorry, Kelsey. :(
I think that pretty much covers it! That was even longer than I thought it would be... If you've made it this far, I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm very particular about the gear I use, and most of what I own has been thoroughly researched before it was purchased. I love quality gear, and it's very important to me to use gear that performs its intended task very well. I never buy anything just because it's the first thing I found on Amazon that does vaguely what I need it to do. No, I spend months, and sometimes even YEARS(no kidding) researching a particular piece of equipment before buying it. If I own it, it's because I have deemed it to be better than any other piece of gear that fits the exact niche I set out to fill.
Journal.
This is the first time I have written to you since I left Ada to his work in the king's city. We said our farewells, and then he tasked his servant to place me with a guard to be my guide and guardian back home to Baelins Rest. He chose poorly, and starting tomorrow, I will continue on my journey home alone.
Travelling with Brorn was wretched. He thought of himself as something of a teacher, but his lessons were difficult, and he had no patience for what he called idiotic Mistakes.
When I get home, I need to thank Arnion for his patience; I thought that lines and loss of leisure time were cruel, but what a stupid child I was.
There was a time when I felt he had no intention of taking me home at all.
We travelled mainly in the night, but our days looked like this:
Set up camp
Hunt/gather/prep food
Lessons:
Language: Thieves' cant (utter nonsense)
Weapons: Knife fighting (thankfully, I could do this already, or I might have died a hundred times.)
Equipment: Lockpicking, etc. (This pouch has many tools, but I know how most of them work.)
and general sneaking around, pickpocketing, and the like.
Lessons and the various creative corrections of my failures, which he so enjoyed, took up most of the day. Depending on his mood, we could rest afterwards, but he did not trust me not to run while he did, so I was tied to a tree like a dog. Then he would leave for hours to "hunt" I quickly learned that meant robbing some nearby house or poor soul on the road.
We travelled together for months like this. Reluctantly, I learned the skills he desperately wanted me to know, but I will never use them.
My 80th birthday came and was marked by a harsh thrashing when I failed a sneak attack against him while we trained in camp. I fought, of course, but it hardly mattered. He beat me as though he would have beaten me to death.
When I awoke tied to my tree, he had gone away not long returned in a panic, and now he is dead, strung up in that same tree, and though I may have wanted to, I played no part in his fate. For all his skills and sharp words, they were useless against these human guards who thundered into camp on his trail; he did not escape the wrath of these wronged strangers, and had it not been for my pitiful state, I fear, I would have shared his fate, but they took me for a kidnapped boy. Though I am reluctant to admit it, I suppose they were not far from the truth.
A gruff, greying man took me from that place into the town on horseback, though I remember very little of that journey.
Our packs and weapons were brought with me to the town healer's house, and I have spent the last month here recovering from the damage.
The Man who saved me is Éoaden, the captain of the town guard; he has visited most days, and though I am sure it was purely out of pity, I was grateful for the company.
Éoaden was a father; I learned that when he brought his son and a bundle of clothes to my room one day, the younger Man had collected things he and his friends had grown out of; it is a curious thing to be dressed in cloth woven by human hands, and the youth seemed to find my discomfort funny but one word from his father and he kept his stupid smirk to himself.
After that initial meeting, Éoaden, the younger, visited more than his father, and we formed a friendship that I, at least, will not forget.
Éoaden, the elder, helped me send a letter to Ada informing him of Brorns's betrayal and his fate at the men's hands, as well as my request to continue on my way home alone; I left out what had happened to me, he does not need to worry about that, and he will only tell Naneth and Arnion who will probably never let me leave the house again if they find out. I learned later that the captain sent a letter to my father, accompanying my own, but I had no idea what it said. The reply arrived yesterday with Adas' blessing to continue alone and an enclosed letter for Éoaden; I did not read it, though I wish I had.
It will be strange to leave the healer's house. Mrs. Darras has been gentle, kind, and calm; I will miss that.
I am nervous and growing more aware of that as the sun sets. At Mrs Darras's request, I have not gone much further than the garden wall, even with all the younger Éoadens teasing and childish dares. But I had no desire to upset the lady or the captain, should he find out. I can't break that trust.
To the shock of my hosts, my wounds healed long ago. I have just waited on the letter, and now that it is here, I am reluctant to go; perhaps I got too used to being coddled as the wounded child they saw. I will not lie and say I did not relish in the attention. I have not felt so unburdened in a very long time, long before little Doriens ordeal with the pirates. But all that being said, I miss naneth and my brothers and will be glad to get another step closer to home. I am the eldest son; I need to act like that again.
My "new" clothes and bag are packed for the journey. Brorns, things, and weapons were sold, and the money was stored away with my stuff after much bickering. Neither of the Éoadens, not even Miss Darra, would take any money in payment or thanks, so I will use it to board this ship, Captain Éoaden has found. He's taking me to the port city tomorrow. It was a pleasant surprise when he said so; I was readying myself to go alone.
Unfortunately the guards did not think my little stunt "was all in good fun", so they locked me up.
They had begun what looked like an expansion on the prison since the last time I had been there. Luckily the guards had missed my handy lockpicks I always keep on me when they searched me.
It was only a matter of time before I was snooping my way out of the place. I finally ended up on the roof. Looking around for a ladder or just a way down, I found some kind of winged contraption.
I figured I'd probably be the fastest way down, so I proceeded to pick-up the contraption, and make my first flight.
This was only a few moments before I guess the guard had noticed my absence. As soon as I began my run a few guards burst on to the roof, shouting and wielding weapons. But it was too late. I was soaring!
Again, This was going to be an entry to the CCCX, Daring Escape Category, but my internet wasn't permitting me get on, so I guess I got shafted :P
For October's Monthly Scavenger Hunt.
I should probably explain why I own handcuffs. Lockpicking is a bit of a hobby of mine. I can get out of these using a paperclip while handcuffed behind my back. I have not had to use this skill yet, but it's a useful one to have, you have to agree.