the Rift


[JUDGED] Play Studies (open spar!)

Isopia the Mountain That Knows Posts: 780
Dragon's Throat Apostle atk: 6.5 | def: 10 | dam: 8.0
Mare :: Tribrid :: 18hh :: 3 - is now aging slowly HP: 90 | Buff: NUMB
Hubris :: Royal Bronze Dragon :: Shock Breath & Frost Breath & Babel :: Royal Gold Dragon :: Fire Breath Odd
#1

Isopia
          Does your imagination try to make you what you wanted to be?
Because I'm sorry I do what I did, but it came naturally

On the heels of her last spar which had gone much better than the girl had anticipated ("because you learn to play" Hubris had insisted), the demigoddess was compelled to try her luck again.

She wasn't sure if she had inadvertently indicated that she had wanted to spar with Seanan. From her vantage point, she had merely run around the meadow, trailing after wisps of frost and sparkles of electricity from her bronze dragon. But apparently in learning to play, she had also communicated that she wanted to spar. Only the sparring experience with Seanan was very different than those she had experienced prior to him. Always before her aim had been to wound and win. But with Seanan, it had just been a physical banter, a back and forth between the two of them.

It had been light. Fun even.

Play fun Hubris agreed, gliding off of her back and into the warm Birdsong air. Isopia snorted, but did not disagree. The ever academic girl would need the results to be duplicated before she was willing to make any deductions about the merits of playing.

So, keen to replicate the encounter, Isopia acted as she had before. Her long legs pulled her across the meadow, though this time there was a crisp breeze in the air which helped prolong sweat from appearing on her dark flanks. Hubris breathed circles of frost which the girl allowed herself to plummet through ears first, bucking and twisting as she did so, enjoying the way her muscles stretched and danced beneath her skin.




Open spar! Iso's just flailing around - feel free to attack first. I'd like to keep this moving fairly quickly since it's just a spar for fun, so keep that in mind if you decide to reply! :D

Setting: Thistle Meadow around noon. light breeze.
WC: 260
Attack: 0/3

Image Credits

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here

Själ Posts: 112
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.0
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.0 hh :: 4 (ages in Orangemoon) HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Ansgar :: Plain Griffin :: Draining Clutch ChaoticMelodies
#2
Själ
In the wake of the girl's encounter with Nymeria and Mesec, it had become apparent to Själ that, despite her best intentions, she was in no shape to be anyone's protector.  Though she had leapt to Nymeria's aid when she imagined that her friend might be endangered by the stallion that had come upon them so suddenly, she had done so without thinking and without considering the consequences of her actions.  What would she have done if it had been Mesec who had abused the wolf-mare?  What would she have done if he had attacked them?  However badass capable she might imagine herself, she was no warrior.  She had no training.  She would have been useless against any intruder who had meant them harm, and the memory was a fly that dodged her angry tail incessantly.

Well, she told herself after a few days of moping, I suppose we'll just have to do something about this, won't we?

Ansgar soared through the air overhead, her keen, golden eyes watching the ground ahead of her bonded.  A sense of satisfaction crept into their bond as the griffin, predatory by nature, realized where the unicorn's mind was going.  Finally, Själ was prepared to do something.  It wasn't that her companion minded wandering the Wilds without purpose, but she was becoming bored with chasing rabbits and mice alone.  In her mind's eye, Ansgar imagined that the two of them would be powerful contenders to any who thought to rise against them.  The princess, perhaps more confident than she should have been in her abilities, agreed.

And so they came upon the earthen mare cavorting across the Thistle Meadow, dragon in tow; a light breeze blew into Själ's face as Ansgar landed briefly upon her haunches.  -- Breeze good, -- the griffin mentioned with low, feral growl riddled with anticipation; the princess quickly caught on, noting that although she could smell the scent of the stranger, it was less likely that her own smell would alert the mare to her presence.  The pair paused, far enough away that it was unlikely that they would catch the stranger's gaze, half-hidden by tall grasses and shady trees.

A part of her, no doubt influenced by her mother's genes, considered attacking without warning, wondered what it would feel like to plunge her horn into the mare dancing and frolicking across the fields - but the stranger was massive, larger and heavier than the princess.  She would be stronger, and a miscalculation on Själ's part would lead to painful injuries to her lighter frame. No - speed and patience would be the key.  After all, she had no real desire to hurt the mare (did she?).  All she wanted was practice.  Just then, Ansgar's eagerness for the taste of blood flooded the bond, surprising and intoxicating the girl, and she leapt into a run, sending the griffin quickly into the skies.  Attack from above, she instructed, amber gaze flickering to the sun high above, her mind ticking quickly in an instinctual analysis of their surroundings.

Her gallop was lazy, and as she approached the stranger (who had probably seen her coming, by now), she called out, "Shall we?"  With a toss of her head and a snort, the princess brandished her horn, attempting a wide circle around the bigger mare, hoping to consume her attention and distract her from the tiny figure circling far above, invisible in the sun's bright rays.  Suddenly, the princess veered inward, directing her horn towards the bigger mare's center of mass.  Simultaneously, Ansgar dropped like a stone from above, intending to sink her outstretched talons into the mare's back.  Själ paid little attention to where precisely she aimed, for as she neared the stranger, she leapt suddenly to the right, hoping to swerve around the mare and to avoid any attack that might be aimed her way, giving Ansgar time to complete her strike.

"Talk."

Words :: 651
Attack :: 1/3

--Ansgar.--
Själ

Pixel by Reli <3

Please tag Själ in all replies.
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Want to plot with Själ?  Visit her plot page here!

Isopia the Mountain That Knows Posts: 780
Dragon's Throat Apostle atk: 6.5 | def: 10 | dam: 8.0
Mare :: Tribrid :: 18hh :: 3 - is now aging slowly HP: 90 | Buff: NUMB
Hubris :: Royal Bronze Dragon :: Shock Breath & Frost Breath & Babel :: Royal Gold Dragon :: Fire Breath Odd
#3

Isopia
          Does your imagination try to make you what you wanted to be?
Because I'm sorry I do what I did, but it came naturally


Suddenly the circles of frost stopped, though it took Isopia a moment to realize that they had. She plunged headlong into the open air and only then, as she felt the lack of chilly moisture on her face, did she realize that Hubris had been distracted by something. The demigoddess pulled up abruptly, feeling a flash of embarrassment heat her cheeks, and turned her golden gaze to the skies to locate her bronzey counterpart. 

Hubris hung in the air, wings beating and blue eyes focused across the field. He hadn't noticed Sjal and her companion when they were crouched and in waiting, but he noticed them now as they danced across the field. Look. Play. He sang into Isopia's mind, directing her attention towards the approaching duo. 

Inexperienced Sjal might have been, she didn't look it to Isopia. Galloping across a field straight towards someone she didn't know, surely was an indicator of confidence, was it not? The idea of approaching someone like that horrified Isopia, whose introverted and academically condescending outlook on life only further enabled her stand-offish nature. So to see the unicorn - not much older than Isopia was by the look of it - galloping towards her offering only a casual Shall we? by way of introduction or prelude to the inevitable spar, suggested to the girl that assuming her opponent was familiar with battle would likely be advantageous. 

Sjal's circling (and non-intentional show of confidence) did the trick she had intended: Isopia's gaze was firmly fixed on the moving unicorn rather than what circled above her. The demigoddess's large shoulders stayed relatively still as her hindquarters moved in a circle which aimed to be parallel, though obviously much smaller, to the one Sjal was making. 

As the unicorn lunged, Isopia followed the advice of her body's instincts and tried to shuffle her pivoting body away from the length of Sjal's horn. Despite Isopia's (surprising) agility, the unicorn was far too fast. The tip of Sjal's horn scrapped jaggedly against Isopia's ribs, catching and bouncing on the cage of bones that gave her barrel shape. A bright red line followed in the wake of her horn, as if it was more like a fountain pen than the sword it proved to be. Isopia gasped, causing her sides to expand and giving the horn one more opportunity to plunge itself into her - though this time due to the mare's continued movement the point found the curve of her shoulder. Sjal's horn pierced the taunt muscle of Isopia's shoulder before the big mare could finally pivot herself fully away. As this was occurring, Hubris had been focused on the descent of the bird-cat that Isopia's mind had previously called a griffon. The dragon deduced what the griffon aimed to do based on the angle of its body and its outstretched claws. The bronze swooped low, a blast of icy plume leaving his open jaws, aimed below the griffon. He hoped that the shock of flying through the icy air would jar it enough to divert its course. Though whether it was because of him, or because of Isopia's flailing that saved the big mare from the griffon, the dragon didn't know. But suddenly she was screaming.

Isopia, normally so focused on shepherding her instincts and the natural responses of her body, let forth a scream unlike anything she ever had before. It was of course partially due to the immense pain screeching down her left side, but also partially because of surprise. Isopia had never been stabbed by any sort of blade before, but nor had she expected to be. She had assumed Sjal was a practiced warrior yes, but she had also assumed this spar would be more like the one she'd just had with Seanan. More play and less pin-cushion.

Through a fog of pain and uncharacteristic anger (though not terribly so, for it was true that Isopia hated being wrong), the demigoddess lashed out with the only part of her body not currently consumed by pain: her mind. It was difficult to grasp her magic with the overwhelming tidal wave of pain erupting from her side, but she fought through it. Water and earth appeared in the air, combining together to form a thick sludge of mud. From his vantage point Hubris breathed a stream of frost onto the amalgamation, freezing it nearly solid. This frozen mud ball was then thrown towards Sjal. Isopia was aiming for the girl's right shoulder and neck, but the pain made her aim wobble slightly.

More mud appeared in the air before Isopia, but this she directed towards the bloody line on her barrel and the puncture on her shoulder. The mud mixed with fur and blood in an attempt to prevent any more blood from spilling down her body.






WC: 799
Attack: 1/3



TEACHING NOTES

So good! I got a really good feel for Sjal's motivation in your opening few paragraphs. Sometimes these can read as being contrived and put there purely to get points, but yours seemed really natural and flowed.

Grammatically everything looked just fine to me - some of your sentences did get a little long though (- Breeze good, -- the griffin mentioned with low, feral growl riddled with anticipation; the princess quickly caught on, noting that although she could smell the scent of the stranger, it was less likely that her own smell would alert the mare to her presence. ) which made me go back and re-read it. That isn't a criticism, just a note, since 'readability' is one of the things that you'll be marked on.

UGH THIS SENTENCE: With a toss of her head and a snort, the princess brandished her horn, attempting a wide circle around the bigger mare, hoping to consume her attention and distract her from the tiny figure circling far above, invisible in the sun's bright rays. SO GOOD.

I like how you already mentioned that Isopia was bigger than Sjal. That much is obvious, but you already seem to be aware of their stat differences. For what it's worth, they're actually fairly evenly matched. Isopia is stronger and Sjal is faster, but their agility and endurance are the same. This might seem weird given that Iso is larger than Sjal, and so you might consider having her be like "WTF. HOW CAN SOMETHING THAT BIG TURN SO FAST."

The two things I'd suggest considering for future posts/spars are

1. You didn't mention Hubris! He's flying around breathing frost, and given that your griffin is attacking from above, I would have thought he'd be on the look out for the dragon. Or that maybe Sjal herself would be like "Mental note, avoid the frosty-lizard" or something.

2. Your attack was very vague. I think you probably did that just because she was running across the field, and Iso could have done any number of things in the meantime which would have changed where she was attacking. That being said, the way to handle it is just by saying something like, "So long as Isopia didn't move too much, Sjal's horn would aim for her _____. If she did move, all bets were off and the unicorn would just try and hit whatever was in reach" or something like that. As it stands, saying, "mare's center of mass." just makes me confused. I assume you mean like ... the center of her side? It's hard to manage vagueness, not PPing, and somehow being specific enough.

Last tiny note. I'm way stricter on PP than anyone else here. So take this with a grain of salt. This line, ...intending to sink her outstretched talons into the mare's back felt a little too declarative to me. Saying "attempting to sink her..." would have been better. 'Intending' just seems stronger than necessary. But again, I'm stricter about wording than everyone else.






Image Credits

Själ Posts: 112
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.0
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.0 hh :: 4 (ages in Orangemoon) HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Ansgar :: Plain Griffin :: Draining Clutch ChaoticMelodies
#4
Själ
It was not confidence that had driven the young mare across the fields toward the earth queen before her; no, it was a special kind of desperation, fed by the need to protect those (the one) she loved.  Själ had no knowledge of the fighting arts, no experience in the ways of war, and as she plunged headlong along the radius of her circle, she felt a thrill of adrenaline rush through her.  She was suddenly feeling too much at once - she was excited, terrified, bloodthirsty, squeamish - she had no time to process the emotions assaulting her - she was upon the larger mare, and there was no more time to think -

Själ had not meant to hit the mare; she had been trying to dodge to the side, feinting to distract the stranger while Ansgar attacked from above.  To her surprise, her horn caught angrily on flesh and sliced violently through sinew; as she carved along the mare's side, Själ felt her horn scrape on bone beneath the stranger's skin.  Her horn had hit ribs as she galloped by, and despite the gritty scrape of bone-on-bone and the sudden spray of blood upon her face, Själ was giddy with an unexpected glee.  I hit her! she exalted.  Who knew that she would like spilling blood?  The young mare flicked her head, trying to free herself and get away from the (now sure-to-be-angry) hybrid, but her horn merely stabbed into the other mare's shoulder (how little control she had, how very frustrating).  The bigger horse turned frantically away from the pain that Själ had accidentally inflicted, and Själ veered in the opposite direction in an attempt to get out of the Mountain's range.

Ansgar was diving, intent on her prey, and it was not until she saw an icy wave extend below her that she realized that she had made a mistake.  The griffin and her bonded had both assumed that the dragon would be as distracted as its master by Själ's antics; neither had guessed that it might intercept the griffin in its frigid breath.  By then it was too late to halt her descent, so Ansgar flared her wings and angled herself toward the ground.  Her altered path allowed her to drop through the edges of the ice rather than its center, but she still shrieked angrily as her belly and legs went numb, tiny icicles forming in her fur from the water in the air.  Själ winced as she felt a shadow of the griffin's chill; Ansgar muttered reassurances through the bond.

A scream split the air, turning both Själ and her griffin's attention toward the stranger.  The unicorn's ears flattened against her skull, protecting her from the sudden sound.  Ansgar screeched angrily in return, unimpressed by what she felt was an overdramatic response to pain.  Själ felt a sudden wave of guilt, for however much she may have enjoyed causing the wound, she had enough of a conscience to feel bad about it.  She was slowing, turning slightly, halting with her right side facing the Mountain. Her mouth opened to apologize and offer help, but then she noticed that the earth was moving.  Fear spread through her, paralyzing her in the face of the growing ball of mud that was forming in the air.  Shitshitshitshitshit -

A shower of icy shards exploded around the ball, surprising the unicorn and spurring her into action.  She leaped forward, trying to trace the circle she had previously made around the stranger, but it was too late - the icy ball of mud collided with her the right side of her barrel, so hard that it nearly knocked her over.  She staggered sideways, suddenly unable to breathe, pain exploding along her side.  She didn't know what it felt like to lose her breath, nor that it would pass.  A gasping, choking sound erupted from her throat (Can't breathe, no air -) as her mind was overtaken with the terror that comes with suffocation.  Later, she would realize that the ribs that had broken were the more pressing issue.

A furious shriek cut the air as Ansgar, having recovered from her mild chill, lunged toward the stranger, hoping to avoid the dragon's breath for long enough to actually hit the mare this time.  Pools of darkness swirled around her paws as she flew close to the ground; with one eye on the reptile, the griffin attempted to swoop quickly onto the Mountain's back from her left side to hook sharp claws into the mare's shoulders.  The darkness, if she succeeded, would pervade the mare's senses, draining away life and magic to protect the unicorn and distract their opponents, giving Själ time to try to recover.

"Talk."

Words :: 787
Attack :: 2/3

--Ansgar.--
Själ

Pixel by Reli <3

Please tag Själ in all replies.
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Want to plot with Själ?  Visit her plot page here!

Isopia the Mountain That Knows Posts: 780
Dragon's Throat Apostle atk: 6.5 | def: 10 | dam: 8.0
Mare :: Tribrid :: 18hh :: 3 - is now aging slowly HP: 90 | Buff: NUMB
Hubris :: Royal Bronze Dragon :: Shock Breath & Frost Breath & Babel :: Royal Gold Dragon :: Fire Breath Odd
#5

Isopia
          Does your imagination try to make you what you wanted to be?
Because I'm sorry I do what I did, but it came naturally


The muddy mixture which coated the slowly coagulating wound on her side stung and itched with a dull throbbing sensation that Isopia didn't care for in the slightest. Though now that her base-instincts were falling under her control once again, she tried to numb her mind to the screaming sensation and merely allow it to pass over her. She exhaled a breath of frustrated disappointment in herself, silently vowing that the few moments she had spent underestimating the set-up of this spar were now over, just in time to see the icy mass strike Sjal's side. The girl had pivoted and instead of hitting the fleshy portion of her shoulder, Isopia's missile had struck the unicorn's ribs. The demi-goddess only heard a muffled gasp escape the girl's lips, causing the Mountain to believe that her attack hadn't been very successful.

Her teeth clenched together in another uncharacteristic display of frustration. 

Coming! Hubris suddenly interjected, flashing an image of the winged cat skimming across the ground. Isopia had nearly missed the griffon's movement, for her mind was still only reaching mediocrity when it came to battle-strategy, and half of it was focused on the unicorn and the damage Iso's attack may or may not have done to her. 

The demigoddess shimmied to the left - directly into the griffon's claws. The image Hubris had presented in her mind was like looking into a mirror: she didn't see what he saw, but rather the reflection of it in her mind. She thought she was moving away from the danger that he was showing her, but in fact, she moved right into it. Bright red streaks of pain swirled with dangerous precision in her mind as she felt her tense muscles greeting the light of day. Throbbing flesh screamed as the gentle breeze that surrounded them brushed over the exposed flesh, feeling more like needles dragging across her skin rather than a calm wind. And then it was Isopia who was screaming - a sound muffled by her lips as the state of impassiveness that she tried to always maintain tried to douse the sound by forcing her mouth shut. She succeeded in half biting her own lip and shook her head wildly to try and regain her thoughts from the clusterfuck of warbling cries of pain that were echoing from inside of her shoulder and out through her clenched jaws. 

Similar to the tactics of the unicorn and her bonded, it was Hubris who answered this attack, allowing Isopia her own moment of respite. 

On swift wings, the dragonling followed the blur of feline form. His wings beat hard against his dappled brown sides as he attempted to track her movements and gain on her. It was difficult though, for the griffon was nearly his equal in size and wingspan. His body might have been slightly more aerodynamic than hers, given his elongated face shape and neck, but he did not have any clear advantage. With a burst of effort to try and minimize the distance as best he could, the dragon's jaws opened. A beam of electricity jagged forward in a blue streak aimed for the griffon. Hubris' attack was not meant to be fatal by any means, nor was it overly aggressive. He knew this was a spar, and that like it or not, unicorns and griffons had talons and horns that caused pain. He did not fault them for their attacks, but nor would he stand idly by forcing Isopia to act while her body still swam in a fog of pain.

He was her companion after all. Not her bonded, her companion.

As this occurred, Isopia stood, weight shifted to her right to try and eliminate the tension on her bloody shoulder. Again, she created a mixture of mud that she placed over the wound, and again, she had to stifle a scream as a fresh flash of pain bolted through her muscles and up her neck. Despite the urge to pin her ears against her skull and glare at the mare standing opposite to her, she refrained. Like Hubris, she knew that they had asked for this, and the fault was entirely on her for underestimating her opponent's intentions and misreading Hubris' warning. Any outward display of animosity or frustration would be childish, given that she knew those emotions were more properly directed towards herself.

Isopia stood rigidly, trying to force as much emotion from her features as possible. All the while her golden gaze was fixed on Sjal, prepared to break herself from her temporary rest should the mare move to attack again.

It was her turn after all, and the demigoddess doubted whether their companions would finish this spar themselves. Though in her current state of agony, the demigoddess wouldn't mind if they did.





WC: 797
Attack: 2/3



I'm such a jerk. I say I want a quick spar and then take three weeks. What is muse even ;-;

TEACHING NOTES

I have almost NOTHING but good things to say about this. I really enjoyed reading into the relationship between Sjal and her companion. It was subtle, but it came through in the way you wrote, making it a really enjoyable read. I thought Sjal's reaction and Angsar's actions perfectly matched the thoughts going through both of their minds. Your post was easy to read and free of errors. You might mention a bit more of the surroundings (did the grass tickle the griffon's belly as she glided so close to the ground?) - doing so would boost your post up a bit in terms of judging, I think.

The only comment I'll make is with regard to damage taken. Yes, Isopia rolled a 5/6 making her attack almost the strongest it could be, but broken bones are a big deal, even ribs. Almost any time the judges see a broken bone they cringe, because realism-wise, it's usually unwarranted. Yes, Iso basically threw a rock at her, but unless it hit in precisely the right place, I'm not sure a rib would break - and your post made it sound like more than one did: Later, she would realize that the ribs that had broken were the more pressing issue. So I would watch that. A roll of 5 is definitely not something to brush off, but given that Angsar took some of the damage by being slightly chilled/frozen, that means Sjal could have taken even less.

I also think you probably ran out of words, but I would have loved to see more of what Sjal was thinking/doing while her companion attacked. She let out a grunting sort of sound, but didn't make any other noise. With a few broken ribs, I would have expected more. I know Angsar screamed in response, but I wanted more from Sjal. Was she worried Isopia would evade the griffon again and attack her? What will she do if Iso starts throwing more balls? Again, probably just a WC thing.

Just something to keep in mind! Other than that, super post!








Image Credits

Själ Posts: 112
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.0
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.0 hh :: 4 (ages in Orangemoon) HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Ansgar :: Plain Griffin :: Draining Clutch ChaoticMelodies
#6
Själ
The world had grown quite small for the princess as she imagined that she was dying.

Short gasps for breath did nothing to alleviate the suffocation that bound her chest; so terrified was she of the prospect of death (no, not yet, I'm not finished -) that she did not, at first, realize that her desperation for air have given way to pain.  It seemed quite sudden, the appearance of sharp, intense, agonizing shards of glass in her side; an angry, injured howl erupted from her throat.  It wasn't supposed to be like this - she wasn't supposed to have spilled blood in a spar, and the stranger wasn't supposed to have actually injured the princess!  She was supposed to walk away with scrapes, bruises, and experience - she wasn't supposed to have to limp into the forest to go curl up somewhere and die!

(She was being a little overdramatic.)

Ansgar's triumphant shriek broke through the girl's distraction, and she turned, wincing with each step, to regard the small creature with wonder.  The griffin had sunk her claws, laden with darkness, into the bigger mare, holding tightly as Isopia screamed and writhed in pain and terror.  It was only a moment, but it was enough to distract the stranger, enough for Själ to collect her scattered mind and prepare for the remainder of the fight ahead.  (She wasn't going to die.  She was simply going to hurt, and she had to be okay with that.)  When the griffin's hold on the mare broke, Själ found herself facing the stranger with a mixture of apprehension, respect, and anticipation.

Unfortunately, neither the princess nor her bonded had been paying attention to the dragon.  The former had been watching her own companion, forgetting for a moment that she was still involved in the fight; the latter had been too focused on distracting the stranger to consider her surroundings.  As the reptilian beast approached, the griffin leapt into the air, releasing her hold on the mare and attempting to remove herself from the dragon's range.  Hubris, however, had a flying start - Ansgar could not pick up speed quickly enough to avoid the electricity that spouted from his mouth, and before either she or Själ could think, she had been hit.  One moment, Ansgar was there through the bond; the next, there was only blackness and pain.

Själ watched with horror as the griffin, almost even with the tops of the distant trees, thrashed in midair, her ascent slowing to a breath-taking halt before she began to plummet toward the ground.  Time seemed slow, too slow - and as the unicorn lunged forward, desperate to reach her incapacitated companion, she realized that she would never make it in time.  Ansgar was going to crash, and there was nothing she could do about it.  Suddenly, without thinking, she changed course with a roar, charging headlong at the Mountain with her horn lowered, hoping to repeat her earlier attack.  Stupid?  Yes, absolutely - she telegraphed her movements completely, allowing emotion to overtake her previously logical train of thought.  The princess no longer cared.  Win or lose, she would die to protect her companion, who she imagined to be gravely injured.

The attack on the griffin was, in actuality, rather short-lived; Hubris had directed a quick burst of electricity that was only momentarily debilitating, not meant to kill, or even harm.  As Ansgar began to fall back to the earth, she regained some level of control over her body, using her feline grace to twist so that her feet were facing the ground and stretching her wings slightly to slow her descent.  Though weak and confused, the griffin was able to land relatively safely in a small, unceremonious pile of fur and feathers.  She would not die this day, but tomorrow, she would be quite sore.

Själ was several lengths from the bigger mare when her companion's reassurances broke through her panic, bringing with them an intense sense of relief.  Knowing that Ansgar would be alright lessened the bloodlust that had taken over the princess, and she found herself lifting her horn away from the other mare, no longer wanting to spear her through the heart.  Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision slightly, making it difficult for her to stay on course.  She shifted her trajectory so that she could try to run along the bigger mare's right side, where she could plant her front hooves and throw her back hooves towards the stranger, hoping to kick the right side of her neck.

She just wanted this spar to be over.

"Talk."

Words :: 767
Attack :: 3/3

--Ansgar.--
Själ

Pixel by Reli <3

Please tag Själ in all replies.
Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.

Want to plot with Själ?  Visit her plot page here!

Isopia the Mountain That Knows Posts: 780
Dragon's Throat Apostle atk: 6.5 | def: 10 | dam: 8.0
Mare :: Tribrid :: 18hh :: 3 - is now aging slowly HP: 90 | Buff: NUMB
Hubris :: Royal Bronze Dragon :: Shock Breath & Frost Breath & Babel :: Royal Gold Dragon :: Fire Breath Odd
#7

Isopia
          Does your imagination try to make you what you wanted to be?
Because I'm sorry I do what I did, but it came naturally
Despite the fact that Isopia possessed none of the battle-instincts that the Gaucho's and Archibald's of this land did, she was a dedicated student of the world and a quick learner. Especially when pain was involved. She had taken her eyes off of the griffon once, and now her back screamed in pain for that mistake. As much as the girl tried to blot out the warm warbles of dizzying pain, it was impossible to completely ignore the physical remnants of having ignored one of her two opponents. However now that Hubris had entered into the fight, she didn't have to worry about following two foes at once.

Watch the griffon. Isopia mentally ordered her dragon through laboured and pain-fogged breaths.

The demi-goddess' head was held low (keeping it high strained the muscles that ran along her newly lacerated shoulders and withers), but her golden eyes were wide and alert, focused on the dark unicorn as she suddenly lunged away - towards the direction where Isopia vaguely knew Hubris and the griffon were. Because the Mountain knew that Hubris' attack had not been overly aggressive, she didn't think to assume that Sjal's movements were prompted by the near-death the unicorn wrongfully ascribed to the winged cat. Instead, the demi-goddess took Sjal's sudden lunge away from her as indicative of danger not inherent to their spar. Turning her head around (causing an arc of pain to snare through her neck), Isopia saw nothing that suggested harm. Confused, she turned her gaze back in time to see that Sjal had abruptly changed direction and was now heading right back towards her.

Isopia had lost valuable seconds by buying into Sjal's misdirection (again, the girl wrongly ascribed more battle-strategy to the unicorn than she deserved), but she stopped herself before her teeth could clench together. A wave of calm fell over the demigoddess, for although she had fallen for one of Sjal's tricks again, it had given her the opportunity to control the animalistic tenancies of her body - namely teeth-clenching as a response to frustration - and for that, she was grateful.

But now she had to focus on the task at hand.

Running away was not an option, nor was flying. Despite the fact that Isopia's passive magic made her physically look rooted in place, the pain that consumed her flesh made her feeling literally rooted. Once again, she would have to rely on her magic.

Summoning up a shield composed of the most compact earth Isopia's pain-fogged mind could create, Isopia held it in front of her chest, hoping to protect herself from Sjal's spear. However as the unicorn's head titled and shish-kebabing Isopia no longer seemed to be her intention, the demi-goddess thrust the shield of earth towards the oncoming unicorn, hoping to batter her in the face with the mound of earth, or, if her aim was compromised because of pain and quick-decision making, that it might cause the unicorn to trip at the very least.

Saving her strength for the final few seconds when she hoped Sjal couldn't follow her movements, Isopia tried to dodge to the side. But because she was large and the pain in her body even larger, her movements were clumsy. The girl had thought Sjal meant to slam her body into Isopia's side, and so she didn't expect to feel hooves suddenly send dual shock-waves of dull pain across her rib-cage. Isopia barked a guttural sound as air was forced to leave her lungs. The dull throb from Sjal's hooves quickly blended itself with the flagrant pain extending all over Iso's back and shoulders. The maroon of her pelt would surely turn a lovely shade of purple from that kick, and Iso knew the next few days would be plagued by soreness and stiffness now. Vainly her mind searched for Hubris' to ensure that another attack wasn't coming. Quickly the dragon confirmed that it wasn't. Not from the griffon at least.

Exhaling an exhausted breath, Isopia turned as swiftly as she could (which was actually quite slow), to try and face Sjal. By her count, the spar was now over (or at least 'over' as dictated by the arbitrary but never explicitly expressed rules of sparring), but the demi-goddess' muscles were tense nonetheless.

"Good spar." She offered and was mildly surprised by the croaking sound of her voice. Isopia had never been this injured in a spar before (ever?) and despite the fact that her innate healing abilities had already started knitting her body back together, clearly there were parts of her body which weren't as receptive to pain management.




WC: 765
Attack: 3/3



TEACHING NOTES

WOOOP.

Having Sjal worried about her companion was EPIC in this post. It isn't easy to write companions since you have to balance them 'being their own character' but also being intimately tied to your own. I thought you did a really good job of writing Ansgar's reaction to Isopia hurting Sjal, but the best part was obviously Sjals' reaction to thinking that Angsar was injured. It made me feel the depth of their bond, but also how young and naive in certain ways Sjal is. It made her feel more real and vulnerable as a character.

I found it interesting that Sjal lowered her horn/tried not to kill Iso once she realized that her companion wasn't actually in a life or death situation, but she did keep charging at her. Now, I know it's a spar and you had to attack again, but it would have been nice to understand a bit of the emotion behind that decision. Was it like a "okay, you don't deserve to die but imma still kick your ass for hurting him", or was it more like, "oh. well shit, I can't really stop my charge now, so here goes nothing" ?

Even though it was Angsar who took the damage in this post, I would have liked to see something about Sjal's physical condition as she ran towards Iso. After all, you said in her last post that she broken a few ribs, and so it seems like galloping towards Isopia and trying to kick her should have caused a great deal of discomfort.

All in all I think you definitely have the mechanics of sparring down. Your posts are easy to understand, there's plenty of emotion, and you respond to attacks well. I think really the only things to work on going forward is to take appropriate damage and to be sure that you carry forward injuries when applicable.






Image Credits

Själ Posts: 112
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.0
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.0 hh :: 4 (ages in Orangemoon) HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Ansgar :: Plain Griffin :: Draining Clutch ChaoticMelodies
#8
Själ
As the gap between the pair closed, a flickering thought interrupted the swarm of pain, anger, and relief that had consumed the girl:  she's not moving.  The mountain stood still before her, an oddity given the fury that had been coursing through the princess only a moment before.  The bigger mare had at least tried to dodge Sjal's last few attacks - so why wasn't she moving now?  But there was no time to puzzle through the stranger's reasoning, no time to change her mind - she was approaching too rapidly, and though she had lifted her horn away from her opponent, it was far too late for her to duck and run.

She was no more than a few lengths from the demigoddess when she realized that the mare was gathering up more dirt and mud; alarms rang in the back of her mind, but despite her best efforts, her body seemed to have decided to finish out the fight on its own.  And so it was that as the shield of earth grew more compact, the princess flung herself closer; it was almost as though she thought that if she jumped into the blow, it would be less painful.  Regardless of her muddled reasoning (she was tired, and she was sore, and it was making her thoughts scatter like roaches when the light comes on), she jumped forward and the stranger thrust the earthen clump at her, and it did not feel good.

The mud and dirt exploded against the lower part of the unicorn's shoulder, eliciting a grunt from her as she stumbled slightly, thrown off more by the weight of the shield than its ability to harm her.  Still, her shoulder was set ablaze with a sharp, jarring pain, though somehow the girl was still able to turn and swing her hind legs into a kick that landed against the stranger's barrel.  She cantered a few steps away, limping slightly as the stabbing in her shoulder faded to a dull throb, exulting (arduously) at successfully defending herself against the mountainous hybrid.  At the sound of the stranger's voice, the girl slowed to a stop and turned to face her opponent.  Her movements were stiff and pained, and she fought to keep her exhaustion out of her face.

Ansgar lifted herself from the dirt, shaking unceremoniously, fur and feathers blurring together as she attempted to shake away the lingering pain in her muscles.  With a suspicious glance toward the dragon (who's to say this wasn't a trick, a diversion, meant to lull them into a false sense of security before destroying them launching a new set of attacks?) before slinking sulkily toward her bonded.  The griffin slipped into the unicorn's shadow, taking a seat between her forelegs as she began to clean her dirtied fur, grunting and growling as she bumped a bruise or a sore muscle every now and then.

"Good spar," the stranger had said.  "Good" - by whose standards?  As far as the unicorn could tell, neither of them were in particularly "good" shape, now had either of them clearly bested the other (she was a bit vain, after all - she would never admit to being worse than an opponent, though she was certainly not convinced that she was better, either).  Even so, the girl could see the value in the experience - she had learned much, and this was only her first time!  She eyed the long scrape along the other mare's side proudly, only slightly disappointed to see that it seemed to already be on the mend.  And that was only a small taste of what she could do!

Finally, she nodded.  "It was."  She paused.  She would need to find shelter at the very least, though she would have liked to have known a healer who could check her and Ansgar's injuries.  A mental sigh chased away the pointless wish.  She was herdless and friendless (at least for the most part), and she would find no help for her current predicament.  "Thanks," she added, no animosity in her voice, though her neutral tone did little to mask the lingering pain of her injuries.  "Let's do it again sometime."

"Talk."

Words :: 693
Attack :: Closing post.

--Ansgar.--
Själ

Pixel by Reli <3

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Jen Posts: 16
OOC Account
Mare :: Other :: 14.3 hh :: 21
Jen
#9
20 HP Gap, fight goes to Isopia. 1.5 VP to Isopia.


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