;the arena;

~ The Arena ~


The three that made up the Triumvate stood in a triangle - their symbol of unity. Clad in the various attires that they saw fit, they began to weave their spell - calling upon the power of the Golden Ones to allow their creation birth.

The Sniper wove her magic with her massive hammer, creating the stability in the arena. The Hunter created the Sky, his barrage of arrows forming the clouds with their flares of lit magic. The Winter Sage created the water, using nothing but his hands.

Soon, their place began to take shape before their eyes. It was far more beautiful than even they could have imagined.

The white marble formed a circular floor on the slab of earth that was magically suspended in the air, floating amongst the clouds. Around that circle, a number of pillars reached towards the sky, forever hoping to reach the height of the Hunter's arrows. Around the arena, floating slabs of earth slowly moved around it, creating the stands that hovered ever constantly - just like the arena itself - appearing to be suspended above the clouds, light reflecting off them poetically.

Numerous cascading waterfalls fell from the sky, from the floating pieces of ground, to another. two of them happened to land on the Arena's edge, cascading off of it shortly after impact. The small bit that stayed pooled and flowed into the fountains that seemed to feed off this never ending supply.

The symbolism of the water was unavoidable - when looking north, the cascading falls formed the crest of the Winter Sage. On the arena floor, emblazoned into it with gold leaf, was the crest of the Sniper. And, around the sky and stands of the Arena - the clouds formed the crest of the Hunter.

Feeding off the magic of the three, plant life grew to embrace the pristine looks of the Arena, wrapping poetically around the columns in vining tendrils. Even, a few trees had been allowed to take root, magically symbiotic with the marble
Now, it was time for the finishing touches - combining their powers, they let the various elements form a crystaline element of unchangability, of endless strength.

Letting it weave into arches and statures along the outer edge of the Arena's bounds, just before the earth met the sky, they created the crystaline structures.

The arches were held up by 4 statures, repeated 3 times in trianglar placements. One was of the Sniper, her massive hammer looking as if it could hold up, or destroy the world. Along with her, the massive blade of the Tyrant seemed to be unmovable in the powerful earth of the Arena.

The Hunter's bow seemed to be poised to strike the heavens once again, while the Sage's hands seemed to suspened magic between him and the arch, keeping everything in perfect balance.

But, this was only one part of the magic... the magic that happened during the day. At night, the Arena changed to be a completely different place.

The white marble was no longer playfully reflecting the light. It became dark and haunting, black, laced with green and silver.

The starlit sky was occasionally obscured by a haunting green mist, that seemed to create a deathly silence to the place.

The waterfalls froze, seeming to be like the crystal arches. The fountains no longer threw water to sky, but seemed to throw diamond like shards up and down in an endless cycle.

The wind semed to no longer embrace the trees, but seemed to fight with them in an attempted to unroot them and take their place with the magic. However, it would not happen - it was not willed.

As the time changed, so did the dance of elements, the three tired and pleased, used their remaining magic to send themselves high into the Neverending Heavens, where they could watch the people who chose to enter their creation.
» Anti-Ridiculocity «

Ever see an argument? Who wins, the dude who's chill or the chili pepper shooting steam? Regardless of the result, who leaves what impressions?

With this in mind, please do us and yourself a favor -- just chill. Be reasonable. Use your head and skip the insults. One, the obvious part, flaming gets into rulebreaking. For a reason. Two, nobody feels obligated to sway or reach a solution/compromise. Three, it doesn't look too hot on you. Finally, four, is it fun to be wicked angry or something? Remember, this is an internet forum. We're here for kicks.

You don't need to be in love with everyone. You don't have to agree with everything. You don't need to let people walk all over you or "turn the other cheek", in the common interpretation of the expression.

Here is my advice to you if you would like to figure stuff out without busting out the CAPs and flood of asterisks: Be objective. Discuss the topic, not the people involved. Don't even mention the other people. Don't need it, don't want to frustrate them to the point of doing anything to not admit you're right. Along similar lines..if they start up, think of the steaming chili pepper. Even if it's infuriating, don't show it. You get mad, they score a point. It fogs the mind and therefore decreases your chance of things turning out your way.

So...yeah. Before I keep rambling, here's the point: Chill out -- it's better for you, the other person, the mods, and any other spectators.

Don't be ridiculous, just have fun with it.

» Anti-Ridiculocity «

Ever see an argument? Who wins, the dude who's chill or the chili pepper shooting steam? Regardless of the result, who leaves what impressions?

With this in mind, please do us and yourself a favor -- just chill. Be reasonable. Use your head and skip the insults. One, the obvious part, flaming gets into rulebreaking. For a reason. Two, nobody feels obligated to sway or reach a solution/compromise. Three, it doesn't look too hot on you. Finally, four, is it fun to be wicked angry or something? Remember, this is an internet forum. We're here for kicks.

You don't need to be in love with everyone. You don't have to agree with everything. You don't need to let people walk all over you or "turn the other cheek", in the common interpretation of the expression.

Here is my advice to you if you would like to figure stuff out without busting out the CAPs and flood of asterisks: Be objective. Discuss the topic, not the people involved. Don't even mention the other people. Don't need it, don't want to frustrate them to the point of doing anything to not admit you're right. Along similar lines..if they start up, think of the steaming chili pepper. Even if it's infuriating, don't show it. You get mad, they score a point. It fogs the mind and therefore decreases your chance of things turning out your way.

So...yeah. Before I keep rambling, here's the point: Chill out -- it's better for you, the other person, the mods, and any other spectators.

Don't be ridiculous, just have fun with it.


- Naus

~The Basic Outline V2.0~
By Inn(ue), with inspiration from Ja Lemondrop

Many of us have a fondness for combat, impaling each other with pointed sticks and possibly poking a couple eyes out.

However, we do have some etiquette. We aren't completely barbaric. Combat roleplay can be considered an art in itself, but while it is open to interpretation, there are a few things that you may want to follow if you want people to fight you again.

========================
1. No moving out of line.

Remember in lower grades when you had to follow in a line and 'budging' was a no-no. Well, that is true too.

Here, we use a posting order. In essence, your posts should be as follows.

Good Example:
You Post
Opponent Posts
You post again.

NOT:
You post
You post
Opponent posts
You post

People don't like it if you budge and it causes issues with the combat.

========================
2. No cheating!

Sometimes we wish we could change our answers, often on a test. A few quick strokes of a pencil and we could easily change the answer on a test to the right one....

As much as it is bad in school, it is bad here. It is not considered tactful to do that.

So, one should always refrain from editing your posts unless you opponent okay's it. The reason for this is because if the opponent sees the unedited version, they could post based off of that one.

=======================

3. If I throw a rock at you....

If you were playing a game of baseball *or some other sport* and someone throws something at you, but you don't put your hands up to catch it, nor do you move.... you will get hit with it.

If you do not dodge an attack properly, it is not auto-hitting if your opponent says it hits you. It is only logical.

Often, this rule is the most confusing, because it DOES seem like it is autohitting. If neither of you are sure about it, ask someone who might know!
=======================
4. Good vs Evil

Yes, like many of the clichés of the storybook worlds... we have our version of good and 'evil'. While not inherently evil, there is a difference between it and the good.

In essence, it is a good idea to be able to logically explain some abilities. Many of us get overzealous with the abilities we think we must have. Being a master of all elements at the age of 12 is a bit unrealistic, because something like that should take practice.

Be able to explain them, both in background, and a bit in science. Magic is all nice and wonderful, but.... it shouldn't be used as a catch all for everything. Be able to explain our powers.

For example, a good example of an explained attack is my character's attack, Korin Serayaku. She has super strength and can punch things with a force greater than that of a normal human. She can do this because her body can exponentially increase the output of kinetic energy into another object. This gives her unrivaled strength.

Example of Good and Poor attack

-Good: Korin's fist flared with a bright light, gathering energy from her spin as she fell toward her opponent. Stopping completely in air, she pushed all of the energy of motion from her body to her right fist. Unleashing it, she created a massive shockwave that zoomed at her opponent with surprising force.

-Poor: Ty appeared right in front of Korin and slashed at her neck.

Look at the attacks here; one has a good reason for the ability, while the other just happens. You should avoid as many possible of the latter examples. And, be careful when using super speed... it is a bit over used and easily to powerplay with.

That, and it gets really boring when you keep teleporting behind each other. Spice things up and throw something unusual in the mix.

=======================
4. Good vs Evil

Yes, like many of the clichés of the storybook worlds... we have our version of good and 'evil'. While not inherently evil, there is a difference between it and the good.

In essence, it is a good idea to be able to logically explain some abilities. Many of us get overzealous with the abilities we think we must have. Being a master of all elements at the age of 12 is a bit unrealistic, because something like that should take practice.

Be able to explain them, both in background, and a bit in science. Magic is all nice and wonderful, but.... it shouldn't be used as a catch all for everything. Be able to explain our powers.

For example, a good example of an explained attack is my character's attack, Korin Serayaku. She has super strength and can punch things with a force greater than that of a normal human. She can do this because her body can exponentially increase the output of kinetic energy into another object. This gives her unrivaled strength.

Example of Good and Poor attack

-Good: Korin's fist flared with a bright light, gathering energy from her spin as she fell toward her opponent. Stopping completely in air, she pushed all of the energy of motion from her body to her right fist. Unleashing it, she created a massive shockwave that zoomed at her opponent with surprising force.

-Poor: Ty appeared right in front of Korin and slashed at her neck.

Look at the attacks here; one has a good reason for the ability, while the other just happens. You should avoid as many possible of the latter examples. And, be careful when using super speed... it is a bit over used and easily to powerplay with.

That, and it gets really boring when you keep teleporting behind each other. Spice things up and throw something unusual in the mix.
-Player A attacks Player B with a post
-Player C Blocks the attack for Player B
-Player B doesn't see Player C's Posts since he thought it was his turn to post, and tries to block the same attack.
-Player C make another post attacking Player A
-Player B attacks Player A
-Player A misses the attack since he thought it was his turn to post.

The second is so much more confusing. If there is a clear pattern, it is simple to know what is going on at the time. Posting orders are important!

========================
7. So, you just threw the ball to the wrong person....

Don't just say you threw a knife at your opponent... That is a basically pointless post.

For example, "Korin threw a knife at Ry." With such a simple attack, it is easy for the person controlling Ry to counter.

"Ry plucks the knife from the air with a quick motion from his right hand. Twirling it skilfully, he threw an on-target throw at his opponent's chest."

Ry, clearly made a more clear cut post. While this guidelines relates to many of the others, it is an important one. Non-directional attacks are very poor forms of combat, unless they are properly prepared for.

Saying you threw a rain of knives at an opponent is pointless. For starters, how did you manage to throw that many in a small gap of time? As well, how many of these are actually aimed for the body? And, are any aimed off to the sides, behind, or in front to cut off an escape route? By adding in directional details, it forces your opponent into a situation that is much harder to dodge. This means both READ and USE them. The more detailed, the less confusion there is on both sides. Mental pictures in your mind are often going to be different than that of your opponents.

========================
In no way is this a complete guide. There are many small details that are just to numerous to put into this guide.

If you have questions, the Beginner's Sticky is good, as well as more experienced RPers.

-Player A attacks Player B with a post
-Player C Blocks the attack for Player B
-Player B doesn't see Player C's Posts since he thought it was his turn to post, and tries to block the same attack.
-Player C make another post attacking Player A
-Player B attacks Player A
-Player A misses the attack since he thought it was his turn to post.

The second is so much more confusing. If there is a clear pattern, it is simple to know what is going on at the time. Posting orders are important!

========================
7. So, you just threw the ball to the wrong person....

Don't just say you threw a knife at your opponent... That is a basically pointless post.

For example, "Korin threw a knife at Ry." With such a simple attack, it is easy for the person controlling Ry to counter.

"Ry plucks the knife from the air with a quick motion from his right hand. Twirling it skilfully, he threw an on-target throw at his opponent's chest."

Ry, clearly made a more clear cut post. While this guidelines relates to many of the others, it is an important one. Non-directional attacks are very poor forms of combat, unless they are properly prepared for.

Saying you threw a rain of knives at an opponent is pointless. For starters, how did you manage to throw that many in a small gap of time? As well, how many of these are actually aimed for the body? And, are any aimed off to the sides, behind, or in front to cut off an escape route? By adding in directional details, it forces your opponent into a situation that is much harder to dodge. This means both READ and USE them. The more detailed, the less confusion there is on both sides. Mental pictures in your mind are often going to be different than that of your opponents.

========================
In no way is this a complete guide. There are many small details that are just to numerous to put into this guide.

If you have questions, the Beginner's Sticky is good, as well as more experienced RPers.