Greetings...
Before you disregard what I have to say, what I have taken time to write in this painstaking area, please consider what is beyond the scope of what you are shown. Consider what I have to say here, and take a look if it please youl if not, then just go to another thread. I merely speak my mind, and I would enjoy for some discussion to come my way for once. Take time to read this if you spar, and generally RP... Think about it, and then use it if you will, and i hope that my efforts were not in vain. I have an unaltered joy for what you would call "forum fighting", what I will call Sparring or Generic/Online Sparring for this little shindig; and yes, I am here to talk about something. Now, I in no way mean disrespect to the work and effort put to run this site, but I have a few things I would like the Sparrers and future Sparrers of this site to see...
I have seen many talented writers here, people who rival those that spar on other message boards, Momentum Sparring, NeoNamek, Shadows of Namek, and even some on Animeleague. Amazing posts and detail that has been shown in single units altogether, and things seem to flow with a great detail and loved entail of things in this place. Almost a unity that is shared with an altered understanding... Yes, altered, and I mean that in a way that is nothing close to insulting or derivative. I respect the way you spar, and I enjoy reading some of your posts, but you seem to be lacking in certain aspects of your own threads and creations. Yes, they are all ultimately unique, and I have read through your Guide multiple times... I am not here to argue points, but merely to make known what you are missing out on, and what I think should be shown to you in different views than the one that seems the shatter-point of this Arena forum.
You all have skill, but have you ever heard of the beginning of Sparring, and what it was based off of? Most likely not... I shall educate you then, in the History of Generic Sparring. Planet Namek, the Holy Grail of all things Role Playing and Sparring, was once a Message Board, like this one. During that time, maybe 3-5 years ago, it was a thriving community with talent unsurpassed, and thoughts adorned with new ideas. Sparring was born through the anime show DBZ, what you seem to dislike, or if you want a closer detail (which I will elaborate on later), Dragonball. The idea of online fighting with words was perfected there, altered and then shaped into many unique forms as each person blended their own aspects of writing into it as they saw it. There is no one true way to fight in sparring, but multiple folds of thought. Consider it like multiple realities, each a ripple of what was once the beginning point of this one singular thought. So, why I ask, do you dismay the idea of DBZ? The raw urge to destroy something with a Ki blast, to hit with multiple punches is fine, but most people have the sense not to overdo it... Keyed down is fun, but it takes away from the truth of it all...
PN, Planet Namek, was the golden age of sparring on a way, the pinnacle of all things was to be considered a veteran sparrer at that place. But sadly, it closed, and the veterans and sparrers all sparsed throughout multiple message boards. But, the people, DrunkVegeta, Benime, Deciding Strike (Strike), Pikkle, PiedmonSama, MarieSCat (Cat), Mirage, Baron VonMorte, and countless other veterans and sparrers continued to do what they do best... Spar! Other communities grew, places like Unrivaled Forums, Momentum Sparring, Neonamek, Shadows of Namek, Perfect Existence, and so many others, all seemingly dribbled with places that worked with the sparrers that had once lived on PN...
So, think about it... Characters with powers are fine! Have fun with souped up types of things, flashy techniques, and your own favorite anime powers! Yes, it's fun to cool off sometimes, and maybe just once things should be taken a bit less seriously... But wait, I am never trying finished...
Now that you know where Sparring began, I must show you what else you are missing out on! Oh, the joys of it! I weep for what you cannot see, what the blind cannot feel... You spar in a thing called "Open Style Sparring", and you ask what it is? Open Style is where you fight with an opponent/multiple opponents, where you may throw the attacks, fire the guns, and swing the swords, but your opponent gets to decide how much damage, or if damage is dealt that all. Tis a good thing to practice and work on, but it is only one of the many ways that things happen... Godmodding, in my mind, is an excuse for what you don't want to take, what you can't take... It's not playing as another person's character at all... A few actions are fine with me, as long as you don’t sacrifice my character to a volcano and say that I allowed it... What is there besides Open? Oh, my friend, you have yet to see!
Closed Style, Hybrid Style, New Age, and Old Age Sparring! All of these are here for you... Closed, just like Open, except altered... Ever wanted to just punch someone? Ever feel the need to kill something in some way that could not be blocked? Well, Open never allows for you to decide in moderation what happens to your opponent... It withdraws you from the real battle, and does nothing but shove you into a hollow shell of thinking that you can adapt to things. Closed Style Sparrers (those who use it most often, like myself), are really in my opinion the ones who can adapt to anything that is thrown to them... Open lets you choose if you take damage, or to dodge, while Closed is the exact opposite. You don't decide at all... Your opponent, who is hopefully a decent person, regulates how he acts in battle, and how your opponent takes the damage. Yes, there is a fine art to it, and it gets terrible sometimes, but what if I broke your arm? Would you be able to come back and fight me with the same vigor that your character had shown earlier? Well, I know that I would... My saying is, ' Kick me in the balls, and I'll hit ya back twice as hard '. Closed allows for this, in moderation, with slight modding (yes, such a thing is accepted at other boards).
So, you ask, why would I do it? Why would I spar closed? Well, the idea is this: It gets you into the spar, and with someone who knows how to challenge you, it is never easy to decide how to do something. It puts you in a corner, and you only have to fight back out of it. I find it all the more fun, and it just is much more enjoyable to me than Open Style. Whilst that may be my personal opinion, I have yet to mention the other styles... Hybrid? What is Hybrid? Well, it is a combination of Open and Closed, the perfect blend that is the HARDEST of all things to truly understand and then begin to truly complete. Hybrid Sparring is dominated by Closed, allowing for things (mainly hand to hand or weapon) combat, while Open is used in the larger and more powerful attacks. So, you cut off my finger with closed, and then leave a post open when you throw a giant rock to crush me. All in moderation, so take it in stride and all things turn out well and dandy... Your guide to sparring didn't allow for this, and I am disappointed that I am writing this as I type these very words... You should all at least know about the opportunities like this. Something as influential as these styles could make a whole new aspect out of things! I love sparring with my whole being, but I hate how you spurn certain aspects of how people make things work...
Old School and New School (New/Old Age Sparring) Sparring, are the fluent styles in which a post is written. Old School is short, to the point, and mainly in your face. Meanwhile, the New School, more prominent these days, is longer, more detailed, and filled with more subtle influences than the older style. Each is unique when connected with the three main fighting styles of open, closed, or hybrid... It makes something totally new, something unheard of: it makes freedom in Sparring! It's the "pick your poison type of thing", you know about that stuff already... So, why am I here posting this? Because I am tired of people complaining about elitists who think they know how to spar with just one style, or with only a few months under their belts of RPing... Take it from me, I have been RPing and Sparring for nearly 3 years now, and I still have stuff that I learn everyday I make a post...
Well, you mentioned abilities and characters, along with the moderate templates on which people can do certain things? I have no intention of being rude, but what do you think you are talking about? I respect the work done, and written, but it's not all one way. The tree may have multiple branches, but you only see what is from the ground: try from another tree's limbs. Some people like to use flying and acid-spitting monks, even if it is odd... For example, I have seen a Psion (Psionics that were mentioned in the abilities area of the guide), a character called Saar, who was just that. That was all he was: a floating eyeball, with a physical weakness in his own fragile body. But, he could kick you in the balls twice before you even thought of trying to touch him... This character is one created by DV, DrunkVegeta, and everytime I see something by this character, I marvel at the very idea behind it... I've seen Dragons, fought Psions and Templars of Dark Powers, battled alongside 6-year old characters that would turn your stomachs inside out before you even looked crosswise at them! The endless possibilities are what you derive, not what one person puts into words and down on paper; know that I mean no disrespect, but limiting yourself to one small and configured idea is just wrong, it violates everything that Sparring is meant to be...
Sparring is meant to be odd, random, and most importantly, FUN! You aren't here to make humans that talk in bad dubbing, fire off some rounds, and then die, you make adventures and things that are meant to play out over unknown amounts of posts! I have an Assassin, and I love his dark profile, while others may enjoy the bright side of a paladin; think DnD, with powers like DBZ... Endless possibilities, with your own thoughts: Shapeshifters, Elemental Creatures, Angels, Demons, ANYTHING. Ki, Chi, Spirit Energy, or just Energy is meant to be used in whatever way... Limited characters show only a certain degree of things, but large characters should have flaws, allowing for balance. I enjoy fighting without ki, but sometimes you need to blow something up for the fun of it... This is an online game, nothing more, nothing less. And I applaud you in developing your own system of thinking and playing, but I want people to know about other ways that work, too. I think one sparrer once said...
"Be insane, for it is good!"
Well, he got the jiff of it. Yes, that is totally true. Have your character's soul seared with the tempered edge of a sword, have it drawn blood and then rise from the dead! Nothing is meant to make sense, and a spar is only finished when the two people think it is done, or just let it fade off... Nothing orderly is done in spars, another quote saying: "I hope that our neat and orderly spar doesn’t turn into a fight" (or something very close along those lines. I'll look for it for you). Well, things happen as they come, people fight as they wish, and my own ranting and raving must eventually come to a finish... I will close my many opinions and insights to you with one question, one thing for you to contemplate if you have read through this all...
What is it I have shown you? Has it altered what you thought of sparring? What in god's name is this guy all about?! Think about it, and then give me your opinions... Each of us have one, about how incomplete things may or may not be. I am merely giving you what I think is something that you are missing here, some vital part of a greater good... Contemplate, and then try it out, if you would like to... I hope I did something good, moving, or something that got you riled up... Just think on it. All I ask...
Thank you for listening... Thank you for reading, and thank you for just anything else... The world is open to you, in my opinion, so don't limit yourselves. Explore, and have fun!
And as it was once said,
"Be insane, for it is good!" - DrunkVegeta
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For more articles on Sparring like what I mentioned here, look at these places (not advertising, I warn. I just am offering more to people who want to read up on it).
There are other places I could post for these things, but it is mainly up to you. PM or IM me with anything you want to know, discuss or argue about, but I ask that you keep things moderate; my PM box only holds so much... Who knows... Only the turning tides of Fate can truly decide where we go and how things turn out just another turn of the dice... Thanks again.
Yue,
Opinioned Sparrer