Action Archives - Stacy Lyn Jensen

NPC’s and a Dragon in Elden Ring

abstract purple shapes on sky — Photo by Kristaps Ungurs on Pexels.com

I’m definitely still in the beginning of Elden Ring. I’m currently at level 34, still using a samurai character. The last few times I’ve played, I’ve essentially gone around, killed some skeletons and talked to a bunch of NPC’s and I killed a dragon.

NPC’s

I talked to a guy named Kenneth Haight (he wants me to go to some unspecified fort and take it back for him), a girl that gave me Jellyfish ashes, and a pot, and Blaidd (he wants me to let him know if I see a guy somewhere, I forgot his name though). I also went to the Roundtable place and talked with several people there.

Normally, I am a player of linear one-person type games. I prefer horror games. I like to be able to play “intensely” for a few days, or several weekends in a row or whatever, and then be done with the game. But, Elden Ring, and all the NPC’s that are in the game, and just the vastness of the world makes it so that the idea of being done after a couple of weeks even is impossible.

gray dragon statue — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Because I do play a different kind of game, normally, I think that this game may be one that I pick up and put down. One that I play while I’m in between other games, that kind of thing.

One thing, I know this has to be on the wiki or something, but how do I know what to do for each NPC? Like, I talk to a person, and then later I have something for them, but how and when do I know when I’ll have the thing. Does the game ever let me know, does it make the object for the NPC a different color or indicate somehow who or where that item should go?

Dragon

The other thing I’ve done recently is kill a dragon in Caelid. It was a dragon that was just sitting there, and it didn’t take anything from me but time. Now, I have a bunch of dragon hearts and stuff, but I don’t know where the dragon church is.

So right now in the game, I feel like I need to find the dragon church, and then the fort that the guy wants me to help him with. I know that Blaidd also will help or need help with something, but I don’t know what, exactly. I also would really like to get something that will allow me to use magic.

Elden Ring: The Beginning

universe filled with stars nebula and glowing milky way — Photo by Enric Cruz López on Pexels.com

I’m a late to the game. As with most things, I’m late to begin playing Elden Ring. I just started the game last weekend, and after I started, I read about a journaling technique that is used to help you learn. So I thought it would be fun to journal my way through. To see if it helps me learn the game. So here I go, journaling my Elden Ring experience.

Journal for Elden Ring

Basic Info

I’m using a Samurai. I’m currently at level 17, and I don’t dare go near anything that looks like a boss of any kind. So far, I’ve talked with Varre (sp?) at the very beginning, and I found Blaidd today. I spoke to a guy who was a bush. I also have my horse, Torrent, my Ashes of War, and my summon. Furthermore, I was able to locate the temple that allows me to get the glorious physick today, as well.

Today’s experience playing Elden Ring

I died a bunch today from falling. I actually ended up leaving a bunch of runes behind because I kept falling in the same spot, and I got sick of getting the runes and then falling again. Generally, though, I am starting to feel a little bit better about fighting. But I don’t dare face anything that is on a horse, or has a name.

I also, when I was going under some ruins, heard someone that needed help. But, I looked and looked, and I couldn’t find them, so I will be going back to that area to see if I can find them. I don’t remember what they said their name was.

I also found the map for West Limgrave, and I got some kind of axe something. Not sure exactly what that is for yet. I was able to upgrade my weapon as well using a smithing stone.

Future Goals for Elden Ring

I am trying to make it to Caelid so that I can beat up the white dragon that is sleeping so that I can get a bunch of runes and level up. I also want to make it to a spot that has a big ball that if it falls off a cliff, I get a bunch of runes for as well.

For now, what I would like to be working on, while I’m trying to get to Caelid is to get better at aiming at enemies, because I always forget to do that in the heat of battle. Also, rolling, I need to get better at rolling out of the way or blocking.

Final Thoughts

The other thing, is how do I decide if I want to upgrade Faith or Intelligence? Or Arcane? Or all of them? Do I just find a spell or a weapon that needs one, and then go from there? So many questions. Elden Ring is very big, and I have a lot of questions that I can only answer by going through the process of playing.

Horror Tober

Every October I love to watch a new horror movie everyday. Some days I sit with my kiddos and we watch a classic movie that I loved as a kid, like Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Other days I want something visceral, maybe some body horror. Still other days I want psychological scares, or those movies that everyone is talking about, but I just haven’t seen yet.

So for this year, we have watched, or at least attempted to watch something scary or Halloween themed every night. Our list so far is:

The Thing (1982)

The Thing (2011)

The Shining mini series

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Ghostbusters

The Haunted Mansion

Saw

Saw 2

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place 2

Before I go to Sleep

Haunted Mansion

Tales from the Crypt

Treehouse of Horror

Halloween Baking Championship

The Nun

Nightmare on Elm Street

Movies or shows I would like to watch:

Cabin in the Woods

Talk to Me

Suspiria

Lake Mungo

VHS

Cannibal Holocaust

Midsommar

Hereditary

Zombieland

The Stand (old)

It (new)

Get Out

Beau is Afraid

I’ll add more as I think of them.

Plotting: Freytag’s Pyramid

When thinking about plotting: Freytag’s pyramid is where we begin. We can apply it not only to novels, but to short stories, too. This imagery of plot could even be applied chapter-by-chapter in a novel.

Freytag’s Purple Pyramid Photo by Castorly Stock

There are several sections of plotting: Freytag’s pyramid. Outlined below:

Exposition
Inciting Incident
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Dénouement

Sections of Plotting: Freytag’s Pyramid

Exposition

In the exposition of the story, this is where world building takes place. This is what I think of as the “day in the life of…” section. In a movie, this is where we follow the main character as they go about their day, this is before everything changes. For example: At the beginning of Game of Thrones (the book) they are going to see someone get beheaded. This serves to build the world, and also shows us what life is like for the character.

With today’s audiences, we don’t want to spend too much time on exposition. It is always good advice to: “start as close to the end as you can.”

Inciting Incident

During the inciting incident, something happens that sets the main character on their story-journey. For example: in Harry Potter, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The inciting incident can be anything, but it needs to be something that changes the main character, or starts them off on the way to change.

The inciting incident won’t be used if you are applying plotting: Freytag’s pyramid to a chapter in a novel that isn’t the first. This only happens once in a work.

Rising Action

Rising Action is where the meat of the story lives. Every chapter in a novel should raise the tension, bring on another conflict, or have some other complication for the main character and others. For example: In Gone Girl, we find out, about half-way through the book, that one of the characters has been lying the entire time. This effectively raises the tension and also acts as a kind of irony for the reader. We need to see our characters struggle, to fail. We need to worry that they won’t make it out of whatever jam they are in. The tension rises to a fine point.

Plotting: Freytag’s Pyramid Photo by Oleg Magni

Climax

The climax is the point where the tension finally boils over, and is resolved. This is the fight, the declaration of love that is reciprocated in a passionate embrace, this is the moment, near the end of the book/story where everything finally comes together. For example: in IT when the adults are able to finally beat Pennywise and stomp all of its eggs so that it cannot have any babies.

Falling Action

Falling Action/Resolution/dénouement this is the shortest part of the book/story. Essentially, you will want to end the story and get out. Spending too much time resolving the tale can cause readers to sour on the story. We need some resolution, we need to know that they didn’t die, maybe. Or that they got married, or moved in together, or that the killer was arrested, but much more than that is too much. For example: In You, the story ends with the main character setting his sights on another girl. It leaves the reader wanting more, which is what we all want.

Conclusion

This plot device is used to check your writing. You can use it to plot out things, if you want. But there are many other plot options that you can use as a framework for the plot.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you want more information about plotting: Freytag’s pyramid. I will be putting up other plotting things soon.