Dias Blade

Arena Chat Thread

Same difference. And it isn't supposed. It's a fact.

@Inkarnate

Yeah, just like the Pixies in my backyard are a fact. They make this excellent syrup from trees that goes great on waffles.

No, I disagree with something and didn't want to elaborate at that given time. I have reasoning, but based on your comments our perspective is very different on the issue.

The only difference in perspective is regarding what counts as logic. Now your story keeps changing;
First its "this is bad cause I say so."
Then its "I didn't have any constructive counterpoints."
Now its "I did have those but I wasn't ready to give 'em at the time."

You're supposed to pre-heat the oven first. Pro-Tip.

Discussion is not a fight, “padre”.

If that's what you call discussion I'd love to see what you call a debate. Could prolly sell tickets for that.

This is a community thread discussing Arena and by the current measured topic – how to improve it. None of us have to agree with all of the ideas presented, but acting like this a little arena bout/fight is the definition of toxic.

Your perceived notion of condescension and provocative implies you are upset over the phrasing so I suggest you take a step back and breathe.

No shit, Sherlock. How long did it take you to figure that out? If you're trying to de escalate the situation YOU caused then you're doing a super terrible job at it. What sort of reaction were you expecting to get from that stunt you pulled? Turns out when you piss someone off they ACTUALLY get pissed off. Who knew, right? Was I suppose to pretend your asinine behavior didn't rub me wrong?

Stating “in my experience” is not condescension, it is just contextual wording to explain that I am not just some guy who has no knowledge of how arena forums work.

You said: "Also as someone who participated in the Arena format for nearly twenty years I can't say I think anything Dias has mentioned are ideas I think are fundamentally good at any level."

That's legit you saying everything on said list, including the idea of a friggen Rulebook which you only walked back after the fact, is bad FOR NO OTHER REASON other than your supposed 20 year record. So forget providing any kind of logical rebuttal as to WHY you oppose such things. Forget trying to have an actual discussion in what is supposed to be a discussion. And now you're here trying to pass this off as being perfectly fine?

"I disagree because I know its just bad. Trust me gaiz."
"Eh, I didn't actually have any reasons, womp womp~"
"Oh, I DID have reasons. I could tell you...but I won't."

I'm not the one here who is trying to dictate extreme revisions of the leaderboards among other things, mate.

HEH! DUDE! YOU JUST SAID:
"This is a community thread discussing Arena and by the current measured topic – how to improve it."
So either throwing my two cents into said public discussion apparently triggered you, which would explain that knee jerk reaction you had, or for some delusional reason you're saying me tossing out ideas makes me an Elitist? O_O

Holy crap...

There is nothing elitist about think an idea just isn't viable or fundamentally worthwhile.

Bubble is looking more likely, though personally I still lean more in the other direction.

But sure, let's just resort to ad hominem and similar rhetoric. That always works well, right?

You tell me, Strawman. =P

Pot meet Kettle. You were and are the one getting upset over phrasing.

So your "vibes" governing shit around here is compared to me getting pissed off at your nonsense? Dafuq? O_o

No, we're not talking about people from offsite who had an arena culture and joined... another arena culture. We're talking about people who have interest to give Arena a try if it had a different approach to things. We're talking about people who either stepped away from it, have no direct affiliation with it, and so forth.

1: I have interest in giving this Arena a try if it had a different approach to things.
2: I did step away from it.
3: I have no direct affiliation with this Arena.

I'm a new player around here. Doesn't matter that I showed up because of Mobius' tournament. His tournament is the only reason I found out about this place, I didn't know you guys existed. Do you NOT want new players? If the TZDL brought fresh faces to your site, shouldn't that be a good thing? Now I'm just confused. Are you just wanting people with no critical thinking skills or opinions of their own? Like, seriously, at this point now I'm just completely lost on what your priorities are.

But I think you've obviously made your "point" here.

Based on your post? I doubt it.

Not sure what productive dialogue can be made with someone who is accusing others and is acting combative.

Considering that despite being pissed off at you I'm still capable of rational thinking? I mean this entire time I've been doing nothing but reacting to what others are saying. I haven't begun speaking in weird languages yet, that's usually a fun show to watch. Also still obviously maintaining my sense of humor to boot. So yeah, having a productive dialogue is pretty much dependent on what others have to say.

And if your goal was to have a "productive dialogue" I would LOVE for you to elaborate on how "these ideas are bad because I say so" was even remotely looking to accomplish that aim. That's the thing you're failing to realize. Your response wasn't you conveying that you wanted a "productive dialogue" it was conveying you being asinine. And then acting suddenly perplexed by the reaction you got. AND THEN having the audacity to turn around and accuse me of being toxic for it? Are you nuts?

Nobody is going to pay you or promote you. I hope whatever fun you have in the arena is yours, but I definitely don't think anything we believe is compatible.

Its not about our beliefs being compatible. Its about whether or not something makes logical sense. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but not all opinions are magically correct. That's why you put forth ideas and then examine them. I've already told that other guy, I don't work here. This isn't my job. As such, I'm clearly not the one who has ultimate say cause I'm not the one who is going to be putting in the time on it, not unless I'm A) getting paid for my effort and B) getting the job title that goes along with that sort of job. There's been zero attempt to encourage me to stick around here or offer up my services for free.

I wasn't even planning on saying anything else beyond throwing up those suggestions, that was until I caught sight of your response, which I've already gone over ad nauseam. You wanna disregard my feedback? Hey, its your house. But if you're gonna talk shit, then I'm gonna check you whether you like it or not. In the future, maybe don't act like that. That way you can avoid situations like this.

Arena Chat Thread

<Snipped quote by Dias Blade>
It is very true that I haven't participated in a meaningful manner in RPG's Arena. But trying to invalidate my perspective because of that is really immature and nonsensical.

@Inkarnate

I wasn't invalidating your perspective, I was invalidating your supposed 20 year record for literally saying everything in said list (including a rulebook...) was "fundamentally not a good idea."

And its kinda hard to invalidate your perspective when you aren't actually giving one. "This is bad because because 20 years of playing in the Arena" isn't an argument, its just someone trying too hard to be asinine. =P

Also, Dias, all I said was essentially that I disagree with you not that I had any constructive counterpoints.

That...makes it even worse. So you disagree with something even though you have no actual reasoning for doing so? O_o

This kind of hostility and condescension is only proof of strengthing the perception of Arena as having a toxic sentiment.

Bro, YOU started it. You wanna talk about toxic?
-Dubs every idea someone gives as being "fundamentally bad" because of 20 years of experience. (Condescending)
-Admits after the fact that they didn't actually have any constructive counterpoints. (Provocation)
-Gets called out for their blatant nonsense and then tries to use that to call others toxic despite being toxic himself. (Hypocrisy)

You picked a fight with the wrong person, padre.

If you think "talking shit" is an excuse of being antagonistic then I don't think Arena getting better and becoming more inviting is going to happen.

Talking shit is LITERALLY the act of antagonizing, I don't know why you're writing that as if the two are different things. And with people like you stalking around this place yeah, I'm inclined to agree, although I would apply that same logic to the entire site. Its Elitists like you who ultimately cause the death of communities.

Invalidating an experienced RPer's thoughts is counterproductive to reforming Arena, not that I particularly care personally.

1: Who are you again and why should I care? For all I know your 20 year record is an utter farce, I don't know you just like you don't know me. I had no reason to question your experience up until you pulled that boneheaded stunt.
2: "Invalidating an experienced RPer's thoughts" has to be some sort of joke. If we don't know each other, then why assume that your 20 years of experience alone is all you need to invalidate the ideas I was suggesting? There is a huuuuuuuge difference between disagreeing with someone and being a Troll. And not even a good Troll.
3: You certainly cared enough to defend yourself. Maybe next time don't go sticking your foot in your mouth.

Also, I will amend my point and stating a clear and concise rulebook would be a good idea if the community as a whole could even agree on the approach we want to take.

LOL... Well since you're clearly one of the problems around here, I don't know. You might need to be excluded from the decision making process for the community. I can't see anyone getting anything accomplished what with you just randomly disagreeing with shit for no actual reason. I hope you aren't a staffer, that doesn't sound like the sort of admitted behavior befitting of a Forum Mod. And if you are then perhaps it would behoove someone to re-evaluate that decision.

Eh. I don't particularly vibe with any of the ideas. I can see the appeal of them (and have seen some of them in process), but fundamentally by my perspective, I don't really think they are good for helping reform RPG's Arena like so many people want to do here. If you want to be more inviting more competitiveness won't really bring in new interested parties.

Facts over Feelings, chief.

Maybe if you actually bothered to read what I had wrote (Which you clearly didn't) you would have seen the stuff about Teams and Gauntlet Challenges, both of which focus more on teamwork, being more inclusive of different kinds of players like those who prefer to play more supportive roles to aid allies and building up the community as a whole to establish more interpersonal relationships with others. Again, another reason I find myself questioning your experience, I mean this is basic shit I've suggested. How in the hell do you claim to be around that long and yet don't know this? Are you kidding me?

The only explanations I can personally come to are either A) you're lying about yourself or B) you spent all that time in a bubble and never actually expanded your horizons. (Ahem; "Bazinga~")

But I do think most of your ideas won't work because it's just "let's rework and add systems nobody cares about!"

@BrokenPromise

Who is this "nobody" you speak of? Making the assumption that "nobody cares" has no supporting evidence to back it up. How does that facilitate a rational discussion with meaningful debate?

I disputed the notion of holding yet ANOTHER tournament being the magical solution to the raised problem concerning this Arena. I provided not only an argument but also a list of solutions, further backing my argument.

So far, the only counter arguments I received have been "these ideas are fundamentally bad because I say so" and now "nobody cares!"

And this is while I'm hearing those on that side of the fence claiming OTHERS are the problem, that OTHERS are the ones who are toxic and uninviting. Let's add some more perspective here, I am NOT from RPGuild. This is not my community. This is not my forum. I am exactly the "outsider" demographic you guys are talking about. I'm fresh blood around here. So the question becomes, how do YOU get new faces like ME to stick around and be active in this place?

in the case of idea 4 "let's make something that isn't anything like arena to trick people into RPing here!"

Who decided Gauntlet Challenges weren't an Arena thing? C'mon guys... -_-

The Arena is RP Fighting. Did you think that only applies to one particular kind of combat format?
No, of course not.
-Sparring
-Dueling
-2vs2 (Round Robin or Tag Team)
-Team vs Team (Round Robin or Elimination)
-Free For All
-Skirmish (Clan vs Clan, Neutral Setting)
-Survival (Fight until you drop)
-Time Attack (Complete Objective in "X" number of posts)
-Gauntlet (Players vs Mods)
-Tournaments

Literally, its everything and anything related to the FIGHTING aspects in RPing. That's why I also said the notion that the Arena needs to be "less competitive" is absurd when that's what the Arena exists for.

I think all that really has to happen is that people have to start showing less toxicity to "outsiders" and actually try to make the newby tourney work.

OR you try offering them some actual CULTURE and give folks incentive to be more involved and want to spend their time here? Tournaments are something you do when you have an active community. You don't. You have a skeleton that hardly even resembles a forum since its lacking basic things like a Rulebook and a broken Leaderboard that has no real meaning other than stroking the ego of some while shaming others.

Rankings exist to serve as something to strive for. They are milestones. Its something someone can achieve and feel good about. Someone just hit B Rank? WHOO! Good job, mate. That's a sign of legitimate progress. It builds self-confidence, its less about competition and more about personal improvement. You don't get that with this leaderboard nonsense, that's more likely to intimidate newcomers and discourage them from participating because they don't want a negative score.

Teams are another thing. You're new to the Arena? Consider hooking up with a group of more seasoned players. Not only does that give the older folks something to do (You know, training the next generation, which a lot of folks in my generation obviously dropped the ball on... -_- ), but it also gets the newcomers involved and ENGAGED. Social Engagement is one of the key factors to Community growth as it stimulates our brains with Serotonin.

You know, nothing is stopping you from doing all of that without the site's support.

Burger

Complaining about infrastructure when you have all the tools you need to build that infrastructure is like dying of thirst because you're too lazy to draw water from a well.

....ITS YOUR FUCKING FORUM! ARE YOU SHITTING ME!?
Accusing others of being lazy while then expecting them to do the god damn work for you. Unbelievable. You're here having a public discussion about what kind of ideas can be used to increase activity and bring in more outsiders. I weigh in on said public discussion. No, no. Its not MY job. RPGuild has Mods/Admins. This isn't fucking Walmart or Target where the Team Leaders reap the benefits of the unappreciated workers who bust their asses to make the boss look good. To you, I'm the fucking customer giving feedback on the company. If people wanna just disregard said feedback for bullshit reasons (or no reasons at all) then oh wellz, guess that's even less reason for anyone to stick around this place. But don't sit there and try playing that kind of shit show with me.

Tell you what, I'll cut a deal with ya. Pay me. You wanna hire my services? Cool beans, I need the money. Make me a Mod too while you're at it, get a title to go with my payment. That's the only thing you have to offer me, you've done a horrible job of motivating me to wanna put in the time and effort of my own accord.

uninvited dumbass who doesn't participate in arena.

LOL! But I'm the toxic one. Hokay~

Arena Chat Thread

<Snipped quote by Dias Blade>

He said he "participated in the arena" format. Clearly it wasn't here.

@BrokenPromise

Which means literally nothing. If he's gonna boast about 20 years of playing in the Arena, but has literally nothing to show for it in his own community's Arena forum, then the smart move is to just not even mention it. Literally one of the suggestions I made was that an actual Rulebook be created for the Arena, which he also claimed was "fundamentally not a good idea." And his only reasoning was because 20 years of experience? At that point, yeah, I'm gonna start to question his credibility.

I don't buy into the highschool popularity contest crap.

Arena Chat Thread

Also as someone who participated in the Arena format for nearly twenty years I can't say I think anything Dias has mentioned are ideas I think are fundamentally good at any level.

@Inkarnate

20 years in Arena format and yet between your current account and that Gowi account, you collectively only have 1 fight in your own community's Arena? (A fight that apparently never even finished...) And you've been here collectively 5 years? I didn't know being a spectator counted. =P

If you've been playing in the Arena for 20 years, and you can't see the obvious value to any of the points I made "for an Arena", then something smells kinda fishy to me. If you wanna bring up experience to justify talking shit to someone, at least bring something worthwhile to the table. Or at the very least, have something more recent in said forum you're talking shit in besides an unfinished fight from a year ago.

<Snipped quote by Dias Blade>

That's where you're wrong. It built my community and it's slowly growing. I just have the wherewithal to capitalize on it and do a lot of the work-load to make things happen.

@Mobius

Fair point. But in regards in this place? Your tournament is the only one I know of on here that's actually finished. I'm just saying, people keep trying to suggest running a tournament as if that'll fix this Arena's problem even though that experiment has already been attempted by them. I'm saying what they really need is a legitimate overhaul and start incorporating NEW ideas instead of thinking they already got this thing figured out.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”- Albert Einstein

Arena Chat Thread

Your problem isn't the competitive aspect. Its that your Arena is bare bones and stale as all hell.

Zero infrastructure. Your answer isn't in yet ANOTHER friggen tournament... God, someone please stop that trend. Its like beating a dead horse around here. Tournaments and Safe Spaces don't build community. Neither does this absurd notion of taking a dive on purpose for the "sake of story" which only cheapens the experience. This is RP Fighting, that's the format. The Arena has been a thing ever since 1997 for Christ sake.

Its super simple, guys.

1: Your ranks mean jack shit. There's no value to those records. Step One is doing a hard reset on all player scores. You want change? It starts there. Next, ACTUALLY HAVE LEGIT RANKS... What you have is just a stupid Leaderboard. What you want to do is have actual established "Ranks" that have requirements for each the higher you go that progressively get more difficult. Back in the community where I started, we had a pretty clear cut system in place.
-E Rank; Entry Level, everyone starts at the bottom.
-D Rank; Acquire 5 Wins using a Martial Archetype Character. (What you would know around here as RM, I believe?)
-C Rank; Acquire 10 Wins using a Tech Archetype Character. (Whether real world technology or sci-fi technology)
-B Rank; Acquire 10 Wins using a Magic Archetype Character. (Anything Fantasy based)
-A Rank; Acquire 20 Wins using a Hybrid Archetype Character (Mix at least 2 of the 3 Basic Archetypes in one character) in ADDITION to completing a Level Up Exam administered by an Arena Mod. (The Level Up Exam is meant to test your Problem Solving Skills, Combat Tactics and how Creative you are)
-S Rank; Granted the Title of "ACER" for completing this challenge, the only requirement necessary is for you to actually defeat a Team of A Ranked Fighters. (3 Person Squad)

There will be a list of pre-made Battlegrounds for each Rank. Players can ONLY participate in the Battlegrounds listed for their Rank or below. A Rank Battlegrounds will include special conditions, environmental hazards, Hostile NPCs that can randomly be controlled by an Arena Mod at any time during the fight along with other potential gimmicks to further encourage creative approach to challenging situations.

IN ADDITION, if you LOSE a fight, your score suffers. Yes, there is a damn good reason for that. It discourages you from simply quitting a fight and provides legitimate risk involved for losing. Once you manage to hit a milestone and Rank up, though, you can't be DROPPED a Rank. Your score also doesn't go into the negatives, it just stays at 0.

2: Create a legitimate RULEBOOK for the Arena that includes all the Rules and explanations for how to actually play the game within an RPF Format. Using said Rulebook will be mandatory for all Ranked Matches and Guild Events.

3: Encourage the formation of "TEAMS" by having a Team Registration thread and hosting Team Events. Give Teams ranks also. This builds community as even weaker players can overcome the odds with proper teamwork. In fact, do MORE Team related stuff. Make it a central focus of the Arena.

4: Introduce Gauntlet Challenges. Another old school concept, basically a mix of PvE and PvP. The Arena Mods will take control of dangers present within a set location for either Solo Players or Teams can enter to test their mettle against whatever crazy challenges the Mods throw at them. Like a legitimate ARMY that said Mods have total control over. (And because its a Gauntlet Challenge, NPCs in this setting are treated as Player Characters, effectively giving the Mods plenty of options to let loose) You can even include a "Raid Boss" at the end with some spiffy reward(s) for the player's character if they manage to complete the challenge.

5: Create a Hall of Fame. Players who hit serious achievements should be honored and shown the proper respect for overcoming legitimate challenges.

RPing and the Arena has always been a time honored tradition for any RP Community. You need to understand what the Arena actually MEANS and the actual flame of passion that continues to burn bright. Its all about our EMOTION, an expression of who YOU are and the true values it symbolizes.
Ahem;

That's what I'm talking about.

[TZDL2017] Dias Blade vs Decoy - Finals

Post is up, sorry for the wait. Was having technical issues.

[TZDL2017] Dias Blade vs Decoy - Finals

THEME:


Talk about a high stakes Chess game. To those no doubt spectating from their lofty pedestals, the action had long since shifted into top gear with a lot having just happened in such a short time frame. Your average person would have lost track of things following that first volley of attacks, leaving most easily confused. But for these two, they were operating on a whole other level. For them, the world might as well be standing still, both demonstrating a mental focus transcending scientific understanding of the brain, two subjects who clearly stood as testament to the potential of their species. In a battle of this magnitude with opponents ranking at this caliber, all but a single millisecond can make all the difference.

Blink and you'll miss it.

Far removed from his own body, Dias' awareness had long since detached from its physical constraint since the beginning of the fight, before presenting the assassin with his own makeshift calling card. Like a puppet on strings, the warrior manipulated his body with a delicate touch and steady hands to apply surgical precision in every act. Absolute control over the body and the latent energy within, the contraction of each and every single muscle, controlled breathing and heart rate, the blood flow throughout the circulatory system. Of all the blades at his disposable, the sharpest and most daunting weapon he possessed was that of his mind...

But how long would it take the two of them to realize this about one another? Only time could tell. But the Reaper is not known for patience, and so it is that we continue onward down this path of destruction. The sight of which came in the form of bullets apparently as Dias observed the first payload of projectiles traveling through the air in slow motion trailing towards the wall of swords. Was his adversary a sniper? Regardless, the presence of firearms was going to make things tricky for the swordsman. Having realized this, the Narrian didn't hesitate to begin airborne evasive maneuvers shortly thereafter having launched up from the ground. Good thing too, considering his prediction of a continuous barrage seemed spot on.

As his control over the surrounding mass of raw Ether was tied directly to his imaginative thought, Dias could freely harness the metaphysical energy and make use of it so long as he maintained some form of contact. This also meant that he could perform actions independently without having to rely on physical movements such as with manipulating the floating weapons so long as they remained within his sphere. His initial dodge was another illustration of this as he merely ignited small portions of Ether in the space between his feet and the hard surface below, generating a series of controlled bursts directed away from himself so as to literally shoot his body up into the air. Making use of his old mentor's teachings on how to augment one's anatomy with spiritual power, Dias had already taken steps earlier to reinforce his body to withstand the strain and abuse he had a habit of putting himself through.

Another burst of energy was conjured, this time coming from his left side to abruptly alter his trajectory and interrupt the vertical ascension. Muscles locking and manually taking steps to guard against the violent momentum of his quick boost that quite literally threw his body out of the projectiles' pathway.

None of this would serve to impede the Narrian's prior counter, the several blades which were set to be shot allowed to continue without issue just as with the replacement for his discarded zweihanders proceeding to take solid form. The composition of the floating weapons were different this time around, instead of replicating more Adamantite metal which he had come across during his travels. Now they appeared to be forged of the same material used by the Aesir Empire, the mass produced sturdy workhorse of their military forces; Titanium-A32. Capable of resisting heat in excess of 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit and proving three times stronger than stainless steel, yet lighter in weight by comparison, while likewise being resistant to corrosive elements or powerful impacts. Their design had also been tweaked, now sporting two inch thick blades akin to the various BUSTER Sword models fielded by the SOF Crimson Knights.

Despite having already cleared the incoming bullets' line of fire, he calculated their speed and distance while timing his own evasion perfectly so that they would still enter into the distorted space surrounding him. The instant that each round made contact with the ninety foot radius sphere of raw Ether, a portion of the energy around their point of entry would instantly be triggered, turning unstable and causing an abrupt explosion being shunted outward in direct opposition to the two shots. Having been inspired by the concept of the empire's Reactive Armor, Dias purposefully set off an eruption of destructive force intended to render each bullet as little more than a paper weight falling to the ground, assuming they didn't just shatter from the pressure exerted upon them.

At first the meaning behind this action would seem almost pointless, no actual reason to it. At least that was how it would come off to the peanut gallery. But he had a feeling the message would get across to his opponent looking down on him. A firm statement that needed to be made loud and clear.

That all you got?

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the area around the blue haired man begun to pick up speed at an alarming rate, reacting to the out pour of Air as the element was manifested from his mass of Ether to begin seeding into the environment with an ever rising temperature...

A Young Upstart's Brush With Death! Lysander vs Rakatah!

Alrighty, I have been called in by both Lee and Lysander to oversee this fight.
I was also asked to render a verdict on the recent counter made by Lysander with regards to whether or not what he did was feasible. That being said I'm going to break this down step by step to determine if the IC Justification checks out or not, and I will present my findings here for both fighters to view for themselves how I end up reaching my conclusion.

Let us begin.
Chronological Order of Events;

1: Lee performs an Interrupt during Lysander's first sentence of dialogue at the beginning of his previous post in order to make an Attack Action, which in turn negates the rest of Lysander's post past that point.

"Hm, that's it, eh?" As his foe spoke, the Pundambayan mumbled his word of power, Darligrov. Flaring up the ringed lights across his forearms, illuminating himself and the area around him with his magical light. The same less than quarter of a second, the young man spun on his heel, slinging his entire weight into his right arm and whipping his arm up to sonic speed. Releasing the door like a discus at its widest point towards the man in the middle of his sentence.

2: Lysander attempts an Interrupt in the form of a Counter Action via his shadows aimed at preventing Lee's Attack.

The shadow of the door itself reacted at the speed of instinctual though - which is to say that even as the brutish man began to turn, and it became all the more clear what was happening - it began to create the biggest drag effect a man could have ever seen. That same drag amplified itself as it left the others hand, as the monstrous man's own shadow reached from behind him and grasped it - putting as much force the opposite way as it had going forward.

This is the point of contention, whether or not this is possible.
Does Lysander have an opportunity to react? This is of the utmost importance.
Prior to Lee's actual Attack being launched, the following acts occur in his post;

As his foe spoke, the Pundambayan mumbled his word of power, Darligrov. Flaring up the ringed lights across his forearms, illuminating himself and the area around him with his magical light.

The same less than quarter of a second, the young man spun on his heel

The Darligrov, Word of Power, generates a visual effect. This in and of itself would warrant a Reaction from Lysander. There's also the act of needing to turn around so as to perform the Attack. As such, there is indeed a window of opportunity to allow for a Reaction.

Lysander may also have the appearance of a Human, but his race is listed as something called a "Soul Hivan."

Race: Humanoid, Soul Hivan

Such being the case, the reaction time of this species is unknown, it is an RP Reality element, a fantasy species. To impose a "Human Reaction Time" on the character would be paramount to altering the character and undermining the creative freedom of the player in question. However, the Reaction Time itself is indeed ambiguous with no real mention of it stated anywhere in the sheet.

I default to the Game Mechanics; Chronological Order dictates prior to Lee's Attack, at least one other Action was performed which is clearly visible; thus Triggers a Reaction from opponent.
However, was the Counter quick enough? Further analysis needed.

The shadow of the door itself reacted at the speed of instinctual though - which is to say that even as the brutish man began to turn, and it became all the more clear what was happening - it began to create the biggest drag effect a man could have ever seen.

Lysander is enacting a power directed upon the door's own shadow. This Action Speed is rated as Instant. The power in question is presented in the Character Sheet as is;

Shadow Lord: Once the wielder of the legendary sword Gekimetsu, Lysander has infused within himself the power of the Shadow Lord, allowing him to manipulate the very shadows around him. Once a power only usable through physical contact with the sword itself, Lysander has destroyed the soul contained within the sword and taken its power for himself.

Through this he is capable of manipulating the shadows in various ways. He can utilize them for quick traveling through the realm of Jigoku, as well as harming a person he’s fighting simply by causing damage to the shadows they emit. A thousand things can be done with these shadows, and he has used them for such a length of time that complete mastery is a thing of the past - he has become the master of Shadows and his power over them is indomitable.

Conclusion
Based on this data, I conclude that Lysander's Counter is legitimate.
HOWEVER...
The door itself dragging during Lee's Attack is grounds to prompt a Reaction as well. How you choose to use this is entirely up to you.

In addition, I also conclude that Lysander's interference with Lee's attempt to throw the door and likewise grab it via shadow, is going to cancel out the effect of the door exploding along with the amount of force both fighters are exerting upon it. The door will remain intact. Lysander's shadow is committed to grabbing the door regardless of Lee's Reaction.

No Damage is assigned to either player. The Fight shall resume.

Furthermore, due to no Rules being provided for this fight by either player, and due to RPGuild's Arena not having General Rules listed to serve as a default, any and all arguments regarding the use, or lack thereof, of Character Stats is rendered moot. If Character Stats were intended to be a requirement, then it would have needed to be agreed upon by both players. It also would have required Lysander to assign point values to his character's attributes in order for him to even participate in the first place.

This in turn applies to issued arguments made by both players with regards to one another's various abilities. No Rules were stated, which also means there were no Character Regulations in place for submitted profiles.

Lee and Lysander have reached a compromise and have agreed to use a set of rules provided by myself.
These rules shall be put into effect from this point going forward, leaving all current posts in this fight exempt. I am clean slating this. The Rules are as follow;

(Note: These are taken from my Rulebook which was crafted for an Omniverse RP setting, but they are comprehensive enough to also be applied for Arena use.)

[big][Core Rules][/big]

"No God Moding"- You are a player, not God. You are NEVER allowed to take control of another player's character in any way, shape or form. Not unless you have their express permission to do so. This is the most basic rule in RPing.

"No Power Gaming"- The concept of power levels does not exist here. At no point in time should you ever assume a position of superiority. If two characters are both "strong" then it makes literally no sense for one to be "stronger" by comparison just because you say so. Remember the golden rule of thumb; EVERYTHING MUST HAVE IC JUSTIFICATION. If something doesn't make sense, odds are you shouldn't attempt it. (You'll find this is a repeating theme with these rules as well, which is why its called the golden rule of thumb)

"No Metagaming"- OOC must always be kept separate from the IC side of things. In other words, if there is something going on that your character would have no way of knowing, they can't just suddenly access that knowledge and act upon it. If you need a key to open a door, and you as a player know where said key is located? Your character can't just magically know where to find it. You never want to be called out on something like this, just trust me on this. Its bad news bears to be caught metagaming.

[big][Character Regulations][/big]

1: Player Characters (PCs) being used in any Omniverse Thread are NOT required to have a profile posted here. You'll notice there is no area for people to post a CS anywhere in this section. Mind blowing, right? Well, don't get too happy about it. If another player asks you about it, you are expected to provide at least a link to said Character Sheet(s). The same applies to being asked to explain something that your character has used or is actively doing. You are expected to be fully capable of explaining the details of whatever it is you are trying to do.

2: AT NO POINT IN TIME SHOULD YOU EVER PULL A FRIEZA!

That shit is no bueno. Character Powers are regulated in terms of destructive capabilities or impact on the game world. In other words, even if you COULD potentially do something like blow up a planet, you're not allowed to do so. That kind of behavior will not only get the vast majority of other folks giving you the evil eye but it will mean me or someone else having to step in to sort it out, which will NOT end well for you. This also applies to doing anything that could potentially impact other threads, which is also likewise not allowed. Make sure that whatever it is you are doing will ONLY effect the confines of whatever thread you're in, that is pretty much the easiest way to avoid pissing someone off. This reason certain kinds of offensive actions will not be allowed.
The following is a Banned List which will be updated as needed.
--Blackholes.
--WMDs. (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
--Time Pausing.

3: To further expand upon the previous rule, the focus here is placed more on self-moderation. In other words, your character can be and do whatever. There is no cap in terms of powers or destructive capability for what a Player Character can achieve. No one is going to call foul on you for having something listed in your Character Sheet/Profile. Actions are what we judge here, not words.

4: ANY attack, spell or weapon used that can outright either ignore or instantly destroy any kind of defense MUST have reasonable limits. If you have a spell that creates an Orb of Annihilation for example, which outright causes anything that touches it to cease existing instantly upon contact? That's a fairly overpowered thing but just because its that powerful doesn't mean you can't use it, it all depends on how you balance it. One way would be to say that it remains stationary, cannot be moved around by the caster along with reducing its size and limiting the number of orbs that can be created/sustained at any given time. Limitations like that help to balance out how powerful something is. Things to consider to help in terms of setting limits for such things, choosing any one of the following would be acceptable;
--Reduced Speed; Your OP attack moves slow making it easy to dodge.
--Close Range; Your OP attack has shit for range, forcing you to get within melee range.
--Prep Time; Your OP attack requires that you spend a certain number of posts/actions before using/activating which also means it can be interrupted.
--Focus Needed; Your OP attack, while activated or in use, leaves you completely vulnerable. Can't perform any other actions; unable to Block or Dodge any incoming attacks from others.
--Kamikaze Act; Your OP attack will result in your own death as well.
--Trump Card; Your OP attack will only last for a certain number of posts (Use your best judgement, the time limit should reflect the nature of what it is you're trying to do), after which you cannot use it again for at least 24 in-game hours or instead leaves you completely vulnerable and unable to defend yourself or fight back.

5: In addition to Rule #4 concerning OP attacks, the same logic applies to ANY manner of invincible defense. Everything has its limits. Obviously you wouldn't want to deal with someone who just tanks and ignores everything you do. It makes any encounter unfair when the other guy just blocks whatever you or others throw at them. That being said, again its all about self-moderation. You can have an OP defensive ability, spell or technology, but it needs to be balanced. The stronger your defense is, the greater the trade-off should be. Whatever you decide to do is entirely up to you in terms of how you go about accomplishing this. That being said, just as above, here is a list of acceptable options for you to choose from if you so desire;
--Actions Disabled; Your OP defense makes it impossible for you to move or perform any other actions.
--Low Coverage; Your OP defense is relatively small and can't provide you with full cover, causing other parts to be left exposed.
--Selective Shield; Your OP defense only works against a particular kind of attack while does literally nothing to stop anything else from passing right through it. An example would be stopping any kind of magical spell but yet physical melee or ranged attacks bypass it without any interruption.
--One Shot; Your OP defense can only be activated once every 24 in-game hours and can only be used to block ONE attack. (This is also known as a "Panic Button" or "Oh Shit" type of defensive action)

6: ALL Player Characters and NPCs must be capable of being killed by conventional methods. What this means is that something mundane like a sword can "potentially" be lethal to your characters. This doesn't mean you can't make something like a Samurai Goo Girl, but said character would need to have a fatal weak point at the very least that would prove lethal if you were to penetrate her. (Pun so not intended...) Obviously, if you're fighting a robot or giant living rock, its not like you can expect a regular sword to just cleave right through them on its own, there needs to be IC Justification on both sides. Point is, again, self-moderation is key here. You wouldn't want to deal with some virtually invincible creature trying to kill off your characters so respect that others wouldn't want to deal with that crap either.

7: The ONLY time characters may be exempt from these regulations are for Special Story Events. An example could be a super powerful villain for someone's plot shows up in a thread to wreck havoc or serve as a major challenge for other players. HOWEVER! Such events can only be conducted in IC Threads (Locations) created by you. If you wish to run such an event in someone else's thread then you must obtain their permission to do so.

UPDATE:
While during discussion between both fighters to try and hammer out a compromise concerning various character attributes, both players have consented to end the fight under my recommendation. The fact that this battle took place with ZERO rules set from the beginning, in addition to all the OOC negativity and arguing which has taken place, neither are enjoying themselves and the overall experience has been sullied. There is nothing wrong in this decision and it is entirely understandable.

As a note for any future combat, I would highly advised ensuring that both fighters hammer out the details what is or isn't alright to have or use for their characters before any attempts at another battle.

The Fight has Concluded;
Results - No Winner.

Time for more coffee...and some advil...

[TZDL2017] Dias Blade vs Decoy - Finals

THEME:


Holy crap, the entire warehouse that had just been catapulted was seemingly disintegrated outright with chunks and various debris crashing down into the street below. That was rather unexpected, to say the least, the wealth of burned Ether previously injected into the structure being instantly dispersed the moment physical contact was lost. Utterly wasted... So much for that plan. The six katana that were left buried in the building's interior were promptly dislodged by the crazy powerful discharge which must have come from Mazono himself, causing a break in connection with Dias.

The metal threads he had attached to the hilt of each weapon were suddenly dissolved by his touch, no longer serving any purpose at that point.

Of course, he wouldn't simply wait for his adversary to respond. More of the surrounding energy from his field gathered into the palm of each hand, taking hold as a pair of arming swords manifested in his grip. Finally they were able to get a good look at one another, with Serpent Eyes getting a gander of the large blades acting as a makeshift shield wall. A smirk crossed the Narrian's face in that moment as before the man could even let loose the barrage, like flicking a switch inside Dias' head, the greatswords which Mitsu had been so fixated on without warning lit up with a burst of blinding radiance. Blazing with all the intensity of a solar flare, it would serve to hopefully take the other man by surprise and leave him dazed. Thankfully, not something the Narrian had to be concerned with due to his altered perception of the world.

Meanwhile, a mere second after triggering the obnoxious light show, Dias had already moved, launching himself skyward with the ground beneath where he once stood having cracked. By igniting small directed bursts of burned Ether, the swordsman evacuated the scene just in time to avoid getting caught up in the hailstorm of bullets which tore through the blades only to find nothing on the other side. In response, just as Mitsu opened fire, several of the floating swords acting as a fancy cape for the warrior broke off from formation to take aim at the legendary assassin. Their hilts then shattered with the Ether contained within erupting as each blade was sent flying through the air as lethal projectiles delivering enough force to easily puncture a solid inch of titanium plating.

In the meantime, another eight zweihanders began to form to replace the ones abandoned, maintaining a defensive perimeter floating five feet out from him and ready to counter at a moment's notice.

Now this is a fight...

(OOC: Tien is a very underappreciated character in DBZ)