21st Transmission [Video/Written/Action] (Forward Dated to March 17)

[thefinaljedi]

[Well it's about that time of year, when the weather begins to shift and it's beginning to get to the point where cultivating and preparing to for planting season is becoming a necessity. And to get all this started, Luke needs your help. He opens up the journal and smiles at the camera.]

Good afternoon Luceti,

For those of you that don't know me, my name is Luke Skywalker. For the last couple of years I've been tending to some of the farmlands outside the village, trying to build up emergency stores as well as bringing a bit of self-sufficiency to the enclosure. And as some of you may know, within the last year both Nami and Applejack have both departed, leaving the orchards near the farmland untended. I've been tending to them as best I can, but the vast majority of the help I had with the work has also returned home.

In the interest of better utilizing the space I'd like to request the help of anyone willing to volunteer their time with a bit of manual labor. I'm afraid it's simply not going to be possible to manage it all by myself, and any help would be greatly appreciated. It's beginning to near the planting season, after all. I'm happy to offer whatever services I can provide in exchange.

[There's a pause, and he seems to look somewhere off camera.]

On a related note, if there's anyone who knows anything about building irrigation systems, I'd appreciate any advice.

Thank you for your time, and may the Force be with you all.

[Shutting off the feed, he sends out two private messages.]


Written, Filtered to Loki
Loki, I know this is much less interesting than musical theater and cookies, but I was hoping I could get your help with a bit of magical work on the farm.



Written, Filtered to Trafalgar Law
Law, I figure we should probably revisit some of those supply caches and check on them. Possibly restock and take care of a few other things down that vein.

Comments

[thefinaljedi]

Alright, good. For the most part it's just putting seeds in the ground and tending them with water until things start growing anyway. Then, y'know, pruning and keeping birds away as best as we can.

[medicalpunch]

Oh, I'm sure we can come up with some good strategies to keep the birds off! [She may already have plans. EVIL PLANS. At least from the birds' point of view.]

[thefinaljedi]

Good. I've heard scarecrows are a way to go, but they don't seem to work when the birds can talk, and the scarecrow obviously can't. I think they figured out they weren't real people.

[medicalpunch]

Oh, believe me, ninja can be a lot more creative than that! If we toss up some seals, we should give those birds the shock of their lives!

[thefinaljedi]

Well, that'd be excellent. Better than having them all over the food, of course.

Though, these seals are hopefully a non-lethal method?

[medicalpunch]

They can be pretty much anything. It's just an embedded jutsu that can trigger like a trap.

To keep it non-lethal, it could be a genjutsu -- an illusionary art -- that shows the birds a larger predator keeping watch over the fields.

[thefinaljedi]

Well that'd sound like exactly what I'd want, actually. Are you able to use those jutsus? I admit, I'm not all that familiar with what most of you ninja are capable of.

[medicalpunch]

They're not my main area of specialty, but I'm pretty good with them all the same. I'd be happy to give you a bit of a demonstration.

[thefinaljedi]

Obviously it doesn't need to be anything specialized, so that'd be great.

And yes, a demonstration would be appreciated.

[medicalpunch]

Of course! [This'll be a bit more visible than the things she does at the clinic; glowy green hands probably aren't that impressive to a Jedi.]

[thefinaljedi]

Excellent. When's a good time?

[They aren't, but they also aren't unimpressive. Everyone's power here is, in some way.]

[medicalpunch]

How about this afternoon, after my shift?

[She certainly won't be one to claim her abilities aren't highly useful and significant, but the more combative ninja arts are much showier.]

[thefinaljedi]

That sounds good to me. Do you know where the farm is?

[medicalpunch]

I do! I'll be there and ready.

[She's rather looking forward to it, even. And she'll be there at the appointed time, ready to give Luke a rundown on ninja mischief.]

[thefinaljedi]

Good, glad to hear it.

[And Luke'll wave when he spots her, looking up from some of his work.]

Hey there. Glad you could come all the way out here.

[medicalpunch]

Oh, it's not a problem at all!

[Truth be told, it doesn't seem like all that much of a distance to her, really. Ninja aren't big on traveling by anything other than foot.]

Let's see, what are we looking at here?

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke stands, gesturing all around. The fields themselves are fairly self-explanatory, a dozen plots of tilled earth with a canal running between them. There are rows of apple trees off to the east, and even further off a grove of orange trees. And a few buildings as well, barns and sheds. A fence runs around the place as well, mostly on the forest side of things.]

This is the farm. Not really a lot to look at, but it's better than having nothing at all.

Applejack's orchard is over that way, and Nami's mikan grove is just beyond that.

[medicalpunch]

It is better than nothing.

[She nods, thinking it over.]

It'll take some work to keep them all covered, but I think it can be done without too much complication. An overlapping set of seals, with the illusions built into them... probably multiples for each field, to keep some level of novelty.

[She considers it, eyes going distant as she sorts through possibilities in her mind.]

[thefinaljedi]

What sort of illusions did you have in mind?

[He sounds interested, as someone who's intrigued by illusions himself. He and Loki had done quite a bit of work the last year on illusory tricks both mundane and magical, and he'd gotten a bit of an eye for it.]

[medicalpunch]

Well, I was thinking for the most part illusions of predatory animals, both sight and sound, along with other loud noises or intense stimuli.

[She taps a finger against her lip, thinking.]

There are also genjutsu that cause the subject to fall asleep or experience disorientation, but I'm not sure that would be as effective at driving the birds away. It would have the advantage of not being something they could get used to or fight off, but...

[thefinaljedi]

But it'd leave them here, and they'd eventually wake up to a buffet or end up getting hurt by a predator. Neither of which is really appealing.

[medicalpunch]

Exactly. And if they're flying high enough, abruptly falling asleep could injure them when they fall. That's unnecessarily cruel, I think. [She might be a ninja, but she's also a healer; causing injury in combat is one thing, but hurting animals just because is something else.]

So, illusions to scare them away it is. Or... [She pauses as a new thought strikes her.] Misdirection could also work. Show them a field that is barren and empty.

[thefinaljedi]

That might be good, though, I think the idea of predators sounds better. More amusing, in a way. [He laughs good naturedly.] They've caused me plenty of problems, it might be fun to watch them run away.

[medicalpunch]

Feeling a little vengeful, are you? [She makes the joke without understanding the implication it will have for Luke.] I think that can be arranged.

[thefinaljedi]

[A younger Luke might've commented, but he just smiles, nodding. No harm in taking a bit of amusement in removing a problem, really.]

Excellent. Thank you, Sakura.