Akeno Asukai

[align=center][/align] [align=center]Week 11 saw Jebei Dotharl rise above the competition to claim victory. Congratulations, Jebei![/align] [align=right]Mavis Ackerman was nowhere to be found during the event. He has until next week to defend. [/align]

[align=center] Week 10 saw Mavis Ackerman rise above all to dethrone the former Champion 3-1 with a winning roll of 8. [/align] [align=center]Congratulations, Mavis! [/align]

[align=center] Week 9 concludes with Lucerna Sainahs overcoming great obstacles to retain her place as Invitational Champion! Congratulations, Lucerna![/align]

[align=center] Week 8 saw Lucerna Sainahs climb her way up to claim Champion status! Congratulations![/align]

[align=justify]For all of my characters, durability is chalked up to their class, their experiences and their backstory. Regarding Akeno, taking a bullet is a pretty big deal depending on where she takes that bullet. A nick to the arm? Probably not a huge deal aside from stinging and some blood. A full-on bullet through the midsection, now that's a bit more of a problem. That being said, Akeno does have a protection spell on constantly -- it is weaved into all of her robes and generally is role-play as being a ripple of glitters when touched/activated. However, I consider it to more mitigate damage than fully protect from it. A punch or rough grabbing is likely to still cause some bruising, but the degree of pain inflicted is going to be muted. With other characters, their abilities have a pretty wide range and I do have an alt which is completely defenseless. They aren't very adept at magics and would very likely cry if they were shot at or stabbed. They've never seen the battlefield and are more civilian-types who don't go out chasing down bandits on the regular. Thankfully, these characters don't see too much role-play and have yet to engage in anything which might lead them down the road of danger, danger. Now speaking to battlefield engagement, depending on the situation (and character involved) I do believe it's entirely possible to cast a "shield" of aether which would completely negate any incoming damage from an outside force. Bullets fired off from outside of the shield would likely it it and disintegrate or be slowed to a point of just dropping to the ground without harming another individual. The use of aether is something I feel is quite open as far as role-play goes and how it is "shown" in character. Perhaps that is just me, but given the genre of fantasy I feel there's a lot that can be done with manifested aether; just depends on the characters development and purpose. [/align]

[align=justify]So, I've been watching this thread grow; reading responses and making some minor adjustments to my approach on the subject. I'd like to say that I genuinely appreciate the amount of feedback this has gotten, as it's a topic which is vital to my main character. There have been some things which I disagree with wholeheartedly, as I am of the mindset that when role-playing in public (such as popular hubs like Ul'dah, Gridania and Free Company hosted events) anyone can overhear or intentionally listen in on a conversation. Majority of the time, there isn't too much to be "gained" from eavesdropping on conversations in these hubs and events: I can promise you, a lot of topics are idle chatter and getting to know one another. And this is the type of information I've been gathering on my main. I've learned loads about former sex slaves and girls who are too shy to "make the first move". I've also learned (as stated here in the threads) that not everyone is super okay with their conversation being listened to; I've been spotted behind pillars, crates and even from behind (I was behind the person, near a plant). This is going to happen regardless of intention. I have accepted it. I was a little surprised at the amount of people who spoke up for OOC communication when in a public setting. I can understand certain settings and the reason behind it, but it intrigues me greatly. I do feel that this thread has gone off to the whole "doing wrong in public" direction and the truth is, most of what I've gathered is far from "dangerous dealings". The most exciting conversation I've listened in on, I was told to "please stop listening to us. This is private." and it was a possible assassination on some character I've never heard of. I can accept that the conversation did take place in a more seclusive place of Ul'dah, I just happened to be walking about taking in the holiday decor in-character (which was emoted) when Akeno overheard something akin to, "Are you sure that poison will work?" Forgive me if this was one of your characters and you feel outed, but I needed an example. When it comes to private role-play done in a public setting, I'm desperate to understand why people insist on using public channels such as /em or /say as opposed to a party-channel; which is a question that is a little off-topic as it dives into a whole new area of conversation. Again, I appreciate all the feedback. It's actually made me a little hopeful seeing that some of the bigger names on Balmung share a similar mindset to myself when it comes to public conversations. It renews my faith in finding the kind of role-play I want on a closed server. ^^;[/align]

[align=center] [/align] [align=justify]Just in time for the Holiday season, Shenhu brings to you its Starlight Spectacular! With the Magus Invitational currently postponed, the people here at Shenhu would like to extend an invitation to those within our community this Holiday season to still come out to Fresca's Wash for a bit of fun, magic and prizes. Similar to the Magus Invitational, the Starlight Spectacular is a role-play tournament based around Mages. The rules are fairly simple (and will be announced prior to the start of the event). [/align] [align=center]• Rules of the Game • [/align] [align=justify][align=center]Number One This is a magic-only tournament. Physical contact between characters is not allowed. Number Two [/align] [align=center] In order to advance to the next round, participants must accumulate three successful hits on their opponents. Number Three [/align] [/align] [align=center] Injuries can and likely will happen -- this rule is very much the same from the Invitational. [align=center]• Spectacular Prizes • Grand Prize [/align] [/align] [align=justify][align=center] 100,000 gil 1st Runner-Up [/align] [align=center]50,000 gil 2nd Runner-Up [/align] [/align] [align=center]25,000 gil Participation [/align] [align=center] 10,000 gil • Date & Time • Sunday, December 24th 2017 8pm @ Fresca's Wash [align=right]Note: There will be several party finders up and running the day of the event. Have questions? Feel free to contact me via in-game (Akeno Asukai) or Discord (KiraKitsune#8883).[/align] [/align]

[align=center]Special Announcement[/align] [align=center] Due to the Holiday Season, week 8 of the Invitational will be postponed until January 7. For those within the community who will be around during the evenings, we've prepared a couple of very special tournaments to celebrate Christmas Eve. [/align] [align=center]Starlight Spectacular Please remember that these events are completely separate from the Invitational and any wins garnered here are one-time-only. For individual rules, guidelines and prize listings, please click the appropriate links above. [/align]

[align=center] Congratulations to Jebei Dotharl -- our Week 7 Champion! This was Jebei's first week of defending and what a shut-out. 3-0 win to retain his place at the top of the food chain.[/align]

[align=justify]So, I've been keeping up in silence on this thread -- reading the responses, tilting my head and thinking of all the semi-useless information I've gathered in the last few days of hanging around in the Quicksand. Yes, the Quicksand. It's a pretty solid hot spot for people boasting about their accomplishments. [/align] [align=justify]Now, what I'm getting from the community thus far is that it is still pretty divided however, it would appear (to me at least) that a good portion of the community shares my thoughts: if you're in a public hot spot, using /say and my character is clearly within a reasonable range -- your information is mine. It also seems that while people here aren't necessarily against someone listening in, they do feel that even in public, eavesdropping warrants a response -- whether it be an out of character whisper or an emote directed to the person(s) being watched. Some points have been brushed over -- such as people being "picky" when it comes to walk-up role-play and it does lead me back to my concerns (which have already happened on Balmung) regarding people who intentionally change their behavior when they know someone is watching them. I'm willing to chalk this up to a bad experience, but when it's someone who is considered by others (who were close to my character at the time) to be a "major player" and a little unavoidable unless I cut ties in-character with the people specifically linked to this bad experience. How, exactly, does the majority of the community handle this kind of... situation? Do you just abandon the whole eavesdropping on this person? Do you respect their decision and continue to make attempts at eavesdropping on semi-public and public scenarios? I am genuinely curious as to how people prefer to handle these situations -- especially since I have some very public, very unsettling outcomes to this kind of seclusion behavior on other platforms. [/align]

[align=justify]Now, I know this is a topic which has popped up in a number of circles and games -- as espionage, spying and gossip are often pretty popular around role-play communities. With this topic, comes the "time-old question" of: how should one proceed to eavesdrop on a public conversation? I've had several interactions with characters I've spied on in the past as well as characters spying on myself. In some other games -- such as WoW -- the issue is generally resolved with simple game mechanics such as Stealth; unfortunately, XIV does not offer much for a "true" stealth and I've encountered loads of people who will still see you. My inquiry is in regards to what people consider proper etiquette for spying on someone in a public venue. I've had several instances where people have altered their conversation/behavior when alerted OOCly to my eavesdropping as well as ICly to an emote stating that I am eavesdropping. This has caused me to often disregard this when faced with public settings however, I will walk closer to targets or simply move to stand nearby -- so as to give a more reasonable hearing range. What I am curious about is how this community feels about eavesdropping without emoting or whispering directly that a character is doing such? How does one feel about eavesdropping with an emote only and no whisper? How about with a direct OOC whisper regarding the eavesdropping? I'd also like to hear if others have had successful run-ins with people not altering their behavior once they are alerted to someone listening in? [/align]

[align=center] With the reigning Champion nowhere to be found, Jebei Dotharl claims victory over all other Challengers in Week Six of the Invitational![/align]

[align=center] Congratulations to our new Champion: Rygart Nekros! (apologies for the delayed responses: real life has been hectic af.) [/align]

[align=center] This one was a nail-biter, but Neru Featherstride remains unstoppable in the Magus Invitational; defeating the Week Four Challenger 3-2 to retain her title as Invitational Champion. [/align]

[align=center] Congratulations to Neru Featherstride on her second successful title retention. She remains the Invitational Champion going into week four. (Apologies for the late post regarding Week Three of the Invitational. Sickness and Holidays.) [/align]

[align=justify]Ah, the age-old question... For me, personally, I believe in certain scenarios and situations a characters race definitely plays a part. As it's been stated in the original post, there are some races which make sense in being better in certain areas however, the game does offer a bit of a contradiction to that belief with the use of NPC's. Generally speaking, I tend to chalk it up to Square trying to include races in all areas; meaning it is not necessarily a statement of "all races are equal here". I do like that actual lore statements, made throughout the lore books and the like -- which were listed earlier in this thread, by Sounsyy; however, to take them a bit further there are a few scenarios which would play out very specific in my mind. Such as Hellsguard Magi and a Dunesfolk Magi -- not only would I consider the magics used, but generally speaking (for myself) it makes more sense that the Dunesfolk would likely win the day. I do also think/believe that a Miqo'te would/could give a Duskwight a "run for their money" when it comes to hearing. This kind of "contradiction" to the written lore also holds true for the strength of an Au Ra woman versus a female Roe. I just cannot agree that a female Xaela would win against a female Roe in a game of pure strength. That being said, I do believe a female Xaela would win against a female Raen in a game of physical strength. For many of the races, I consider an individual characters backstory as they will play the most important role in a characters stats physically and mentally.[/align]

[align=justify]What are your thoughts as a balmung player about the Lockdown? In truth, the lock-down is probably far more problematic for people who have taken a more prominent/active roll in the community as a whole -- people who, unlike me, are well known within the communities of Balmung as their role-play is likely to be centered around the same group of people day-in and day-out. I've actually had this conversation with friends repeatedly and I don't find myself too restricted -- in truth, I don't see it as a problem; but of course, I am not a well-known member of the Balmung server. While yes, when frequenting to the "regular" hot-spots of Balmung I do tend to see the same people day-in and day-out, but I chalk that up to the fact that these are the same people who've hung out there for years -- I'm only just beginning to "notice" this due to the distinct lack of "new blood". To put it bluntly: I don't feel very affected by the lock-down as a whole. Do you feel like at some point you might just drop RP activity until they open the gates? Absolutely not and for several reasons; the largest of these reasons is that I've finally begun to put my name (and my character) out there in the world. As the Magister of the Invitational (a weekly role-play event) and the Kingpin of a Syndicate Free Company, I've committed to Balmung for better or worse. As state above, there are a plethora of people I've never interacted with and I've been on the server for three years. Do you think Square should just update their server capacity already to accommodate more than 50k characters? I don't. While it would be nice to have "fresh meat" hanging around, I don't personally feel like it's absolutely necessary for my characters growth. The upside to the servers opening would be Free Company recruitment being a whole lot easier however, I am still able to put together events with the few (and when I say few I mean four) members I do have. There are selfish reasons for me quite enjoying the server being closed off. They are petty and small. I know there are lots of people who have new friends and as Syranelle said, their significant others have joined the game and they are unable to have them here on Balmung -- in this regard, the lock-down is a detriment. However, I don't foresee Square opening the gates anytime soon. [/align]

[align=center]Hello and welcome to the community. ^^;[/align] [align=center]It's so nice to find another WoW ship-jumper. /jokes But seriously, welcome to the community. If you're ever interested in engaging in conversation with a caustic little Raen woman from across the Sea... Akeno is your girl. Hope to see you around in-game sometime. I've heard good things about the Tea House, but Akeno has never been. ♠[/align]

[align=justify]I am so very happy to see this thread has continued to get some interest and some response. I am also still very surprised to see that the majority has stayed on the side of "winner-takes-all" as well as the "people shouldn't be doing it for prizes" concept, which I had not expected for some reason or another. There are a few things that have been noted, which I'd like to address. Erah'sae - The "Second Place" competitor would be the weekly Challenger who rises above all others to fight against the current Invitational Champion. Should the Champion lose their position against a Challenger, the Champion walks away with nothing -- just as the Challenger would for obtaining second place. I have worried before about everyone wanting something for participating beyond the experience and enjoyment of an agreed upon combat system. It was one reason I stated the direction I wished to go with the Invitational: a "winner-take-all" and an incentive for those who've won to return each week. When it comes to the idea of an entrance fee, I worry that such might deter others from taking place in this particular event. It is already quite small, with only about ten (10) entrants thus far. Myself and those I speak for who've aided in the event with funds and the like aren't opposed to shelling out gil from our own pockets to support the event. Mermaid - Your support is very appreciated and while none of us wish to completely change the Invitational's structure as a whole, we aren't opposed to constructive criticisms. Our goal is to draw larger crowds, offer a place for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies -- a competition where they can (and will) be injured, but are free to show off their talents. Hell, we're eager for the day when two competitors develop a feud. I'm sure some of the Invitational Chaperones would love a chance to inject themselves into a fight that's become a tad bit hazardous. I, personally, am excited for the day when two competitors end their duel in a dispute -- because not everyone is a gracious "loser" nor should they be. Conflict happens and we welcome it at the Invitational provided it does not hinder the enjoyment of others and remains purely in-character. We won't tolerate harassment or people using our lenient viewpoints to ruin an experience for others. I just know some day Akeno will have to step in and put the Invitational on pause so that the Chaperones can escort some away, but I am getting off track. >.< Again, I thank everyone for their contributions. ^^; Myself and those who aid in running the Invitational are listening and holding private conversations about ways to better this event as a whole for a community that we genuinely enjoy being a part of. So please, never be afraid to offer your opinions -- even if you've never attended or read the Invitational rules (which are being reduced and reworked just slightly).[/align]

[align=justify]Alright, so, this thread has gotten quite a few pieces of input and I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to the community for reaching out and sharing their opinions on the subject. When I was approached about the potential to create and run this event, I was genuinely excited. I was also very much aware of how I prefer to do things and the "end-game" for this particular event once the decision was made to take it into a more public showcase. The Invitational is (and will always be) a public event. Without the support of the community (whether it be a helpful criticism of how to do something better, a willing volunteer or a negative remark about the rules and/or the mechanics used to create a semi-safe environment) this particular event will die. I know that myself and those who've stuck out the entire creation process do not want that. [/align] Tessarial - You are absolutely right that listening to one or two people who shout the loudest will lead us all down a very tricky path in which we'll end up catering to the people who complain the most or run the largest smear campaign. I, personally, do not want that. However, I am always interested in hearing what the community enjoys and/or dislikes. [align=justify]The Invitational is not meant to be an easy win. We went with having a defending Champion to add a level of prestige -- a chance for people to lay claim to "dethroning" someone who has held the position for weeks. I am almost certain down the line we'll have Champions who decide to forfeit their position and re-enter at square one just to see if they can climb back up the wall. [/align] [align=justify]Edric - The exhaustion is something we've considered and is one of the very reasons we've made the event similar to the Grindstone in the sense that you can and will suffer injuries throughout your climb. We want the Invitational to be not only a test of one's mind, but also of their fortitude - a means of "showing off" just how strong a competitor is mentally. Casting spells, in our minds, isn't an easy task and exhaustion does wear on a person. We wanted this to be a factor -- even a small one. Gegenji - I believe it was Maril who made the statement about gil prizes should always be a secondary option and that people should be involved in events for the role-play and story as opposed to just winning gil; and we've agreed to this. We welcome the good and bad of people being upset in-character about someone working their way up and then not quite having the ability to defeat that last, remaining "boss". We welcome people boasting when they are able to survive the entire competition and then dethrone a current Champion. To answer the main question of where the funding is coming from... it's from my FC, the Syndicate. Generally speaking it's out of my own pocket, the pocket(s) of my Curators who volunteer their own gil and our FC chest. To support these types of events, the majority of my council contribute a portion of our earnings from weekly map runs and personal sales of crafted items and/or materials. The main point of this thread was to see if the community (or at least a larger part than two people) would be more interested in a secondary prize or a tier prize -- such as the finalists receiving something for making it as far as they did. I am surprised to see that those of you who have answered are more towards the "winner-take-all" as the event was intended to be. So thank you, to those who've already responded. And if there are others who'd like to contribute to the discussion, we are keeping it open. The Invitational will not be changed as of yet however, we are still very interested in hearing the ideas/opinions of the community. ^^; [/align]

[align=justify]With week two of the Invitational wrapping up on Sunday, one of my Curators received a message from a now-former participant regarding the notion of a returning Champion defending their "title" and the lack of consolation prize money for participants who reached the finale -- i.e. second place competitors. The manner in which this topic was approached was nothing less than negative and left a rather sour taste in the mouths of myself and those who've been assisting with the Invitational as a whole. However, it did reopen a previously closed topic of conversation among myself and the wonderful people who've acted as a council for the Invitational event. Now, a second-place prize is something we've considered prior to announcing the start of the Invitational. It was brought up during the early stages of planning, when we discussed having the Champion from the week prior return to "defend their title" as reigning Champion. During the initial stages of planning, we discussed the potential of having a much smaller sum of money awarded to the finalist, i.e. the second place competitor; however, the response within the group was mostly a no for this route as no other ongoing tournament (that we know of) offers a "consolation prize" for those who don't actually win. At the end of the day, we've all agreed to remain with the lump sum awarded to the weekly Champion and an additional amount being given to Champions who've successfully defended. Week One went off with no mention from participants about this "rule" and this is likely because there was no one to "defend" in the finale. During Week Two, our reigning Champion sat out for the duration as expected and chose to defend their place as Champion against our Week Two finalist as opposed to reentering the tournament from the beginning and "forfeiting" their "title" as Champion.[/align] [align=justify] This is the outcome we expected to occur with this event and we were all excited to see if we would have a successful reign. We did and at that moment, seeing it all come together, we were very excited. Unfortunately, that excitement was quickly snapped in two by the whisper received by our main Curator -- whom brought it to my attention. I know this is a lot of information, but bear with me, please. With the conversation reopened, we have discussed several ideas including a much lower amount awarded to our finalist however, there is still some uncertainty among us as to which way we would like to go. The entire point of us bringing a larger scaled event to the public was to get more role-play out there in familiar settings with different twists. This is what I intend to do here since the forums are the quickest and easiest way to reach the largest number of community members. We value the input of the community however, none of us want people to simply lash out because they don't agree. Constructive criticism and ideas will always be respected and that is what I am hoping to find here. So here is the question I wish to pose to you, the community: [align=center]Should there be a second-place prize for finalists at the Invitational?[/align] [/align]

[align=justify]First, let me start by saying WELCOME BACK in the most obnoxious way possible because I'm in a solid mood. ^^; While I can't currently offer romance from my delightfully racist Raen, I can offer some long-term, semi-casual RP (and be semi-casual I mean she might try to convince him to investigate some dangerous ruins from time to time, but I'm alright with little meet-ups here and there in major cities and "flavor of life" RP) if your character doesn't mind the occasional sneer or disdainful response to the behavior of Western-born men and women (she's a work in progress). Your availability works out pretty well with my own schedule as I am generally around until about midnight-one am CST; and I'm usually pretty open to meeting new people with Akeno. I'll do my very best to look for you in-game and pop over a whisper should you be without a flag for something. I know the perfect person to introduce you to for puns. Specifically bad ones. [/align]

Invitational Faculty & Staff. Like many tournaments before the Invitational, the hierarchy of our volunteer’s is quite similar, and each role plays a vital part in ensuring the Invitational runs smoothly and efficiently. Magister Akeno Asukai Lead Curator Cyef’a Lyegha Curator Bibinji Bubunji Chaperone Varik Sandbourne Jared Quinn Renias Athidrial Eluric Valkoris Lead Medic Yvaine Athidrial Medic Invidia Asukai Liara Lia

The Magus Invitational Sundays, 8pm CST @Fresca’s Wash ( 21.0 , 25.8 ) Originating on the island of Koshu,the Magus Invitational (known then as Maho no kyoso) was formed shortly after the Age of Blood – at a time where Clan Lords across the nation were forced into a cease fire against one another. It was this tournament which allowed blood feuds to continue in this new age of peace instilled by the Bakufu. Here, Clan Lords would gather and bring with them their most powerful Magisters. Champions were selected through brutal processes and entering Clans would move into a spacious arena, surrounded by their Lords and brethren. This arena, watched over by a select few would permit the use of both spell and physical attack – often resulting in numerous injuries and under the guise of a tournament, the Clan Lords would continue to aggravate their opposite. Champions climbed through the numbers, challenging all who stood against them and those who defeated their opponents were gifted the proper title: Maho no bikuta. Bragging rights for Clan Lords to hold over those they once slaughtered on the fields. This tournament has made its way to the western lands of Eorzea, finding a new home in Central Thanalan under the watchful eye of Akeno Asukai, a Hingashi native and first-born daughter to the twelfth Lord of Clan Asukai. Here, Eorzean blood feuds are gifted an opportunity to grow and fester until one side rises to the station of Invitational Champion. The Magus Invitational employs a simple set of rules to ensure the relative safety of all competitors, the Invitational staff, volunteers and those who’ve come to spectate the weekly event. For those familiar with other, popular tournaments events (such as the Grindstone and the Runestone) some of these rules will seem repetitive; these tournaments have laid the ground for a comprehensive list of easy-to-follow rules and we respect the hard work and dedication those before us have put in to the community. Rule Number One: Participation is optional and by participating you agree to adhere to all rules. This includes the consequences should you fail to follow them. While the Chaperones and Curators will never kill a character (without permission),escorting you off the tournament grounds without waiting for an emoted response is a likely candidate. Your consent to be forcefully removed is your participation. To say it again: by participating you agree to be forcefully removed by Curators and Chaperones for any conduct deemed inappropriate by the Magistrate. Rule Number Two: We understand the disconnects happen however, any participant who disconnects (regardless of match importance) will be allotted ten minutes once their character disappears entirely to return. Should a participant not return in this time, their participation will be chalked up to forfeit and their opponent will advance. This is non-negotiable. Rule Number Three: Injuries will be sustained, death will not.The staff of the Invitational employ aether-dampening magics within a certain radius to prevent any one spell from reaching a dangerous and/or fatal level however, these magics will not stop that fireball from melting off the first few layers of your skin. Furthermore, physical attacks are not permitted and any participant who feels the need to punch their opponent will be removed by Chaperones and given a temporary ban. This ban can and will become permanent. By participating, you acknowledge this consequence however, it is your choice how severe injuries become as well as how long they exist. Rule Number Four: To combat the injuries sustained and help replenish the pools of all participants, the Invitational staff employs a few healers and medics. These healers will be on hand and will approach you after every fight. It is your decision to either accept or decline the offered potions, stitches and our aetherial healing methods of each medic however, we are not responsible for your choices. Should you decline healing and your injury become infected and/or worsen, that is on you. Rule Number Five: Invitational Champions do not automatically reset every week.Instead, Champions are afforded an opportunity to return and defend their position as Champion against the week’s finalist. Returning Champions are permitted to forfeit their spotlight and return to the ranks of Challenger to participate in the Invitational from round one however, this means they will not be guaranteed to participate in the finale. Defending Champions are gifted an additional ten-thousand gil (on top of the 100k base prize) for successfully defending their position as Champion. This additional gil increases by an additional ten-thousand every subsequent week, capping out at an additional 100k – meaning a Champion could earn 200k per week if they hold their title long enough. Defending Champions are allotted a two-week grace period; meaning a Champion can essentially “skip” one week before either defending or forfeiting their position as Champion. Is the prize money real? Yes, the Magus Invitational is offering a real in-game prize of 100,000 gil for first-time victors. The additional 10,000 gil for defending Champions does increase every week a Champion is successful in defending, capping out at an additional 100,000 as outlined above. The cap for a defending Champion is 200,000 gil – achievable by successfully defending 10 weeks in a row. What if I don’t like the idea of my character being injured? Not all injuries need to be large or long-term however, this is a tournament for Mages and when fire, ice and earth are being flung in your direction, something will land, and something will hurt. We have however, toned down the origins of the tournament from the violent bloodbath it once was. Our hope is that participants will use the Invitational (and the injuries sustained) as a turning point for character development – possibly walking away with a new feud or a desire to further their training/knowledge. As outlined above (rule number three & four) we will never try to force an injury on a participant; we believe the community is fully capable of determining what makes logical/realistic sense for their characters. Are there any restrictions on the type of magic one can use during the tournament? This is a public event, meaning it is open the whole of the Balmung community. We are aware that not everyone is going to share the same views on what is and is not acceptable role-play however, none of us are here to dictate what others do with their subscription. If a participant wishes to use magics that are otherwise frowned upon, they will be allowed; but please keep this in mind: suspicious activity can and will earn you a reputation as well as consequences beyond our control. Reminder: there are several void-hunting and Grand Company aligned Free Companies who do not tolerate the summoning and/or worshiping of the Void and its creatures. The Invitational is not responsible for these people. Why is there no consolation prize for Challengers? As with other tournaments, weekly or not, this is a winner-take-all competition. We understand that some people may not agree with our terms, but we have opened numerous conversations regarding the prizes and how to dole them out appropriately. This conversation of possible prize-money to the week’s finalist has been revisited in recent times and may be revisited again in the future however, for now we intend to keep the tournament as a winner-take-all.

[align=justify]I'm learning so much about this community... To be fair, I'll admit that I only read the first page of comments/replies. I saw a few that more or less grind on me, but don't necessarily stop me from engaging in RP with someone "guilty" of that particular peeve. [/align] [align=justify]So, onto my personal red flags. My number one red flag for potential RP friends is who they associate themselves with. I am aware of how much of a prejudice this is however, over the years and numerous games I've come to learn that birds of a feather flock together and you can learn a lot about someone based on the company they keep. That being said, I won't immediately write the person off as being problematic, but I do find myself a little more vigilant around them -- especially if they rub elbows with a number of people I consider to be problematic. Second on the list of enormous red flags are people who, right off the bat, want to get to know more about you on an out of character level. If it's the first time we're interacting and I'm suddenly under fire from a barrage of questions asking the personal stuff (generally, my gender, my timezone, etc) I tend to get a little queasy. [/align] [align=justify] I much prefer people to wait for a consistent dialogue to be present before starting to get to know me as a person. The third highest flag for me gets a little more "personal" (for lack of a better word) and is in regards to someone's search info. Generally speaking, I always read a characters search information before attempting to interact with them; it often gives me an idea of what to expect without having to scroll through whatever is clogging my chat log to read through their emotes. [/align] [align=justify] I've come to find that Balmung specifically has a very direct line between search information and the kind of RP one can expect from that person. Most people I've come into contact with (again, I have to emphasize that this is my experience) who use an excessive amount of auto-translate tags, any version of "E" RP and (as Warren pointed out) "Para" (specifically this word in my experience) aren't usually long-term story seekers. For me, it lets me know to be wary of them as the chance for them sticking around long-term aren't exactly in the double-digits. I was going to make this it's own "thing", but decided against it. It should probably be a lot higher on the list, if I'm honest. The phrase "D-MRP" or "Dark" or any combination of that particular "genre"/"trope". This is something I have encountered in a number of games and it's almost always lead to characters whose sole purpose is to be a bad-ass as possible. I believe many communities use the label "Edge Lord"; they're often villain characters whose only real form of torture is adult in nature. They tend to ignore in character consequences and simply prance around attempting to "torture" and maim and murder anybody they don't like. I don't find them to have a lot of substance, or haven't I suppose would be a better statement. As far as language and using a thesaurus, I don't mind either. There are a few "triggering" words, but the forums are no place for those. Generally speaking, I don't mind waiting an eternity for people to respond unless I waited twenty minutes and your response is, "...". Then I want to bash my face into my keyboard and uninstall the game in its entirety.[/align]