User blog:Taldin/A Simple Journey Begins With A Single One-Step Plan

(Fantasy Friday: this is the centerpiece of what I had in mind for creating content. Habitica is all about adventuring -- and yet there's precious little actual adventuring taking place in the public eye, outside the quest flavor text and the festival things. Since I'm a writer, why not actually get some real adventuring done?)

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There were monsters out there. Of this he was quite sure. There were tales of heroics and horrific happenings in his history books, and fantastical facts that followed fearsome foes. It was the best of times to live in Habitica, where magic and might made mundane and menial things manageable, and anyone could become a hero.

His name was Taldin, and a long time ago, it was something more unique of a name. He was young adventurer with an old soul, and so he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty doing things, although there were times he could certainly be squeamish about some of those things. But like monsters, work and chores and tasks didn't vanquish themselves!

Hanging in his closet was an old cat burglar costume; it didn't quite fit him anymore. Perhaps one day he'd get back into shape to wear it again, but for the moment, he'd gone back to basics; aught but a training sword and his wits.

Most adventures begin in a bar; his began in a little corner of the City, in a tiny little office that had papers stacked everywhere, cluttered and in disarray from hectic projects not so long passed, and other archives from things done far too long ago. He couldn't bear to be rid of any of it; he never knew if he might need it.

He'd cleared his docket completely; no trace of the ideas and action plans that had previously graced his planner were left.

Adventure called, but work called first.

"How dull." he muttered to himself, looking at himself in the mirror; "...at least, dull for a werewolf, anyway." It was the way he wanted to look for the day; wild on the inside, peaceful on the outside, at least while the day was young. And the night was so far away yet, and there were things to do before the moon rose.

Determined to put work before play, however, he added his first task: "Make a List of Things to Do Before Adventuring." And it all-too-quickly filled with action items that only the City employees cared about; but he afforded himself a chance to dream big by adding a separate list of things to do when he had spare time.

Only thing was? He rarely ever had spare time. When he did, he found other things to do.

Taldin was a workaholic. He knew it. He was the best sort of person to Get Things Done, but he was also the worst sort of person to do it-- because he'd always fill his lists with more things than a normal person could possibly get done.

Today was the first step to getting better -- decluttering his list and starting fresh.

Perhaps this time, he'd make it to the Adventure part.

Hanging on the walls were trophies from what amounted to a previous life; lists of foes vanquished in the company of friends. But his friends were far away, and one of them slept an enchanted sleep that they hadn't woken from in over a month; he didn't want to call on them for aid just yet, because he himself was unsure of the outcome of the road he had set himself upon.

Life is a matter of choices; and this time, this day, this hour, he chose work.

The weekend beckoned, and he looked away. For the moment, anyway.