The Seekers of Illumination

[T.G. Oskar]

Far as I know, the main instigator for the dissolution of the groups (the BoD, of course), by means of its highest command, has accepted that the war was so successful that there may be no need to dissolve any group in here. If that's true and honored (dunno about the true part, but I can trust they'll honor such agreement if it ends true), then we aren't pressed on to take arms. Yet, indeed, we need to begin training if we are to make a stand eventually.

I also need the training. I feel not only rusty, but unprepared. Tried to figure out what's wrong with my writing style, but without success. So, I'll be more than willing to accept the proposal, although we should first determine which characters to use (the official SoI characters are fine by me, but I'd need a drastic revision and improvement of the official character). If you want, please make a PM before making the thread, to discuss the general background of the RPB. I feel that we must hone our RPB skills a bit more than the RP. At least, I feel like it: having only...5 battles? (Kaitou, Anomaly, Taco, Kaitou again, and the failed attempt at the ToA which has prevented me from taking another action as I feel I did my best but ended up doing nothing at all), I feel a bit unprepared. And I feel like I need to define better the goals of my character (it definitely has a base on Paladin, but I often end up with a jack-of-all-trades character that focuses mostly on defense and support than attack) Almost all attempts on making characters in other genres often end up that way. Yet, as much as I desire a boost in magical prowess -- most especially White and Holy Magic -- I also feel that he should have a cinch of Alchemy added in it, perhaps the sudden mixture of chemicals and improvising alchemical and chemistry reactions to support the combat style. And, I've always sought to have a swordmaster with knowledge on dashing, multiple strike, and magic-empowered techniques.

So, I need to define how much of a percentage of skills can be added to follow a general trend, a glimpse of focus, and define an otherwise odd and overpowered set of skills. The moves of a Paladin and the magic of a Priest normally combine well, and the area of Swordmaster can be added with little difficulty, but how do I add the knowledge of Alchemy to the mix?

Perhaps, once I can figure that out (that doesn't mean that I won't accept the challenge, it's more on defining the skills of my character, which can be done via brainstorming), I can accept more general challenges (i.e. out-of-club challenges)

I still need to digest that essay, Sinis. It's pretty much simplified, but requires a bit of time to tie loose ends and understand how each part of the whole works in conjunction. But let me get this straight: by doing without thinking, thinking of nothing...you are supposed to be enlightened. Yet, rational thinking often allows to analyze the proper way to do so. Perhaps, the focus of the Wu Wei is to, at the moment of action, be free of thoughts, to be free of doubts. You act without thinking, for you have already thought of what to do. And that result of your thought is how you live your life. To achieve enlightenment, your path and the Tao should be one, or at least your path must be sustained by the pillars of the Tao (as in, there is no one specific Tao): once that's defined, further thought cripples the potential, the Pu, which is to be avoided.

Perhaps I shouldn't give it that much thought.

[Sinister]

As for RPBing...well, anytime. I'm going to stick with Jafar. He's one of my favorite walk-the-line type characters, which is pretty much me. He's sheet is prolly some where in the old OOC thread. I'll recycle it wordforword, pending any differences that you feel are necessary.

I'll be honest about it. I have a happy talent for composition. I really do. But I've never RPBed in my entire life. There, I said it. I can't imagine it's that different than an RP but I'm willing and ready to learn.


@essay: You've got it pretty much in the fact. Wu Wei serves as a guide when making decisions by saying that anyone in touch with the Tao already knows what to do.

It's like driving a car. Nobody THINKS about driving a car, they just do it. At first it takes commands of bigger actions and decisions...later on you just become the Tao. You act without having to think.

As for Pu, well...I went off the deep end on it. I learned until I could not possibly learn anymore, which supposedly will inhibit me in the end, by detracting from the potential. Which you can heal, by living a quiet life of peace, which I now intend to in my old age.

[T.G. Oskar]

RPB isn't that different from a forum RP thread, except that it's more...how to say, intimate?

Allow me to explain. In an RP, you collaborate with others to advance the story, by composing the action taken by your character and how he executes the action. The more elaborate and vivid the composition is, the more enjoyable it is to read. Each piece of the story becomes a jigsaw puzzle that blends into a whole story, as chapters of a book.

But I assume you know that. It's just for the purpose of placing a brief description to which to refer in case of comparison. Of course, one part of the RP that the RPB lacks is the presence, at times, of a moderating participant, which holds the reigns of the storyline, which determines what can be allowed, and what can be disallowed.

In an RPB, similar rules apply, but with certain differences. When I speak of "intimate", it's because only two people participate, and the entire flow of the small battle flows from the combination of both minds. One may define the boundaries of the story, but at the end, both people have the potential to alter the story as they see fit. The actions are purely the definition of a combat action, which may include, and are not limited to: flashbacks, lapses of thought, speech, and the movement in itself. Each action constitutes a turn, in which the action is responded as it deems fit. You can either take the hit, block/parry/evade or otherwise null the effect of the attack, apply a move to reduce its effects, or even a limited alteration of the move (this one can border on god-modding, and it should be agreed on both parts). The true degree of intimacy is on the discussion of the move. For example, say that I deal an attack with, say, a fireball: a very typical spell. Normally, you either take the blast, or block the fireball with either a physical or magical barrier. Yet, to really add the depth of knowledge and control, you decide that's better if the fireball explodes, yet the pressure wave and the flames swirl around you, as part of an effect of a protective ward placed upon you beforehand, or even as a reflexive action. You may think that such a move is possible (in the realm of one's mind, anything is possible), but the other person may not agree to such. Yet, if you discuss beforehand the effect of your ward, and that you may exert a bit of personal power to alter the effects of a move slightly, and the other person agrees, then the action becomes more fluid: both people agree to allow the move to be altered, and by no means it should be considered god-modding. Only the abuse of said privilege can turn into god-modding, or in the case where the person is simply undefeatable. One simple premise must be always followed: in the realm of RPB, no matter how cool your character is, he's always vulnerable to something. One of the infinite possibilities of moves of your character should be able to at least dent the defenses, and shake the confidence, of the opponent. If the person is truly undefeatable by some specific circumstance, then the battle becomes un-fun, an undesirable end.

One of the things that often works is that the RPBers often communicate via PM, or by instant-messaging programs, to gain feedback on the moves that will be executed, and how the other reacts to it. Communication is essential (one of the things that apparently seems to be a flaw of mine). Writing technique is also key: each person has its own writing style, which can cause conflict upon the other. In essence, the victor of an RPB often has the superior, or the edge, in the writing style. The way one describes the action, and how it affects the opponent and the background, eventually becomes the judgement by which a winner is declared.

And getting into the mood is essential: write while listening to music, think of ways to solve a particular problem every moment you can, and also think that the more glory you hog, the less entertaining the battle is. The battle should be a swing, a dance of actions, in which the other person can be granted a chance to shine, or else, the battle is abandoned, and the victory is sour.

That's mostly it. I think I get here, and I get inspired in writing one-hour long posts just for the heck of it. I tend to exaggerate the length of my posts with flair and long words.

As per Jaffar, well, the degree to which the skills should remain locked or not should be settled upon the discussion. I agree that, to reach the proper potential, your character should be free to undertake its own actions. Thus, it should be capable of executing all of its actions, and perhaps even add a few more. In the RP, since it should give the impression that they were beginning their journey, they had to begin at a lower level. Not in this case, where they should be facing at an equal degree of power, perhaps with a slight handicap if so desired and agreed. I'll explain more via PM, to determine if the idea running up my mind sounds right to you.