Cid of the Lufaine

Calendar of Upcoming Events and Points of Interest

August 1: Cycle 15 Begins / Gateway #1 Opens
August 8: Gateway #2 Opens
August 15: Gateway #3 Opens
August 22: Gateway #4 Opens
August 29: Gateway #5 Opens
September 5: Gateway #6 Opens
September 12: Gateway #7 Opens
September 19: Gateway #8 Opens
September 26: Gateway #9 Opens
October 1: Reservations for Cycle 15 Open
October 3: Gateway #10 Opens
October 10: Final Showdown Begins
October 17: Final Showdown Continues
October 24: Reserve Applications Open / Reserves Close
October 25: All Applications Open
October 31: Applications Close
November 1: Cycle 16 Begins


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Can't finish out the cycle? No problem. Just fill out this handy form for us so we can flag your character as out for your teammates.

Character: Canon:


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Chaos, god of Discord
deusdiscordia

Chaos is the god of Discord in this ongoing conflict, and can be seen by many as the antagonist of aggressions. He is violent, cruel, vicious, and seething with rage, not to mention consumed with growing his power. He revels in sowing destruction, in change and chaos. His warriors are typically of like ilk. Many are just as aggressive and profoundly evil, while others stray to a more devious bent: manipulative, controlling, deceitful, self-absorbed, selfish, Machiavellian. Those who stand in his presence will find themselves ill at ease, more stirred with negative thoughts and emotions, unsettled.


Cosmos, goddess of Harmony
deaconcordia

Cosmos is the goddess of Harmony, and the exact opposite of Chaos. Her purpose in the war is to preserve the world. She is goodness and light, but also true neutrality, the counterbalance against all that that her opponent is and stands for. Many consider her kind and understanding, although quite subdued and soft-spoken most of the time. Her warriors are oft like her: just, fair, kind, compassionate, protectors. Those who stand before her will find that they are inexplicably soothed and calm. The goddess seems to radiate with a calm serenity which passes on to those in her presence.


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Applications are CLOSED.

Applications for Cycle 16 will open on October 24th, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. UTC.


Email your application to: cidofthelufaine@gmail.com


Applications will open one week prior to the start of the new cycle. Each cycle runs for three months, so there will be four application cycles per calendar year. It is advised for players to submit their applications as early into the app cycle as possible, so they may begin plotting with their fellow teammates and rivals.

The first day of applications is open only to reservists. After that, applications are open to everyone and will remain open until both sides reach 60 members each, or until the first day of the new cycle. Cycle 14 will begin on May 1st, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. UTC.



Player
Name: You do know this, right?
Age: Are you 17 or over? (There are potential legal landmines we're looking to avoid.)
Preferred Contact: AIM/plurk/email/whatever
Other Characters Played Here: Who else ya got?

Character
Name: Character's name, please.
Canon: What's their canon?
Age: How old is your character in actuality? (Bear in mind, children younger than Onion Knight are unlikely candidates for the war. Exceptions will be reviewed only on a case-by-case basis.)
History: You may provide a wiki link. However if the information provided there is insufficient, we suggest including a concise summation of the character's canon history as a supplement. (For original characters, please include a full written history for the character and an added portion that specifically describes their canon world.)
Canon Point: Where are they coming from? Please select a point far enough into the canon that the character's personality is firmly established and will not cause undue stress on castmates when memories are regained.

Preferred Team: Chaos or Cosmos. As a general rule, evil types will make best sense on Chaos and good types belong on Cosmos. Please note, all Dissidia characters will remain on the same side they represented in Cycle 013, barring extenuating circumstances. (Such as Sephiroth being applied for pre-Nibelheim or Golbez from some point in The After Years.)

Cycle Goal: What will your character strive to achieve this cycle which will earn them their crystal or power core? This can be as easy or difficult as you prefer, and you may opt to change it in later cycles if they are unsuccessful in the current one.

Memories: Each warrior will come in with two vague, general memories about their canon life and one specific memory. There is a process in place for them to gradually regain memories in the game.
General - e.g. Firion knows the wild rose is somehow important to him.
Specific - e.g. Cecil knows Golbez is his brother.

Note: Dissidia characters will come armed with the above memories, in addition to any they regained during Cycles 012 and 013. These will build through each progressive cycle.

Personality: The most important part of your application. Please be as thorough and detailed as possible about the character. We're looking for at minimum three to four well-developed paragraphs, which covers personality, preferences, likes, dislikes, motivations, behaviors. Be certain to include solid examples from a canon source. Do not include any headcanon or non-canon information. Stick to the facts and only the facts. We encourage a solid character analysis but do not want to have to discern what is truth and what is fabrication or assumption, or based in fan-created materials. If your character's presence in their canon is so diminutive that you cannot muster the minimum paragraph limit, they are not valid for play. (For original characters, the minimum paragraph limit is six.)

Skills and Abilities: Arguably the second most important portion of the application, as the game revolves around fighting in a war between Chaos and Cosmos. Please be as detailed and specific about your character's skills, fighting and otherwise. Be certain to include any weaknesses, counters and limitations, in addition to whatever effects the skills might have. This will be so your rp partners can review your skillset should they be unfamiliar with your canon. For characters who are less magical/gaming/superpowered such as knights, combatants and military, you may select 5-10 supplemental skills from those represented in the Dissidia games. Please be certain to list them and which warrior(s) you're drawing from. More information about this may be found in the FAQ or by asking if in question.

Samples: Please provide two samples which demonstrate your presentation of the character. These may be from dear mun, museboxes, other games, public memes. Or you can provide fresh samples in either first or third person, or one of each. We will be assessing your handling of the character, looking not only at writing style and quality of writing with an eye to proper grammar and punctuation, but also your depiction of the character. Details under review will include voice, accuracy, knowledge of their canon setting, accurate dialogue. We ask that any samples provided be lengthy enough for us to make these determinations.

Arena: Within the gateways are different arenas which act as a visual backdrop. These can, and often do, have effects in place as well. Please pick one location from your character's canon to act as their representative arena. It should only be a fragment of the world, not a large sprawling country. Understand that these are nothing more than an empty space, so no fauna will be present.
Arena Name: What is the name of the location you're choosing?
Physical Description: Please provide as much detail as possible, drawing on all five senses whenever possible. Be certain to be detailed enough so that anyone canonblind can reasonably interact in the arena.
Media: Any pictures or videos you can share.
Effects: What, if any, effects will the stage have?
Music: If there's any music specifically associated with the area, just to help set the mood.

Last Business:
Have you read the rules and FAQ?
Which rule was your favorite and why?
Anything else?



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Reservations are CLOSED.

Reservations for Cycle 16 will open at 12:01 a.m. on October 24th.

Reservations will last until 11:59 p.m. UTC of the first day applications are opened. (For Cycle 15, that is July 24th) After that, you are still welcome to apply for that cycle. However, your application will go into the queue with the open applications until the cycle quota is met or applications close. You may only reserve one character for each team.

Reserves are put into place to ensure you have saved your spot in the limited number of applications accepted for each cycle. The first day of applications is only open to reservists. So think of a reserve as your front of the line pass to applications, guaranteeing that you'll be saved a seat.

To reserve a character, please fill out the following form:

Name: Personal Journal: Character: Canon: Intended Team:


Team Chaos


Team Cosmos




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Q. Do I have to have played the Dissidia games to join this game?
A. Not at all! We welcome everyone, whatever their gaming history. All you should need to know to play in the game should be available here and in the game documents. And if you ever have questions, you're quite welcome to ask and we'll be happy to help you out. All you really need to know is which side you're fighting for and how your character will help attain their team's victory.

Q. So how does this work? We're all amnesiacs?
A. Well, maybe a little. Your character has been drafted into an unending cycle of war, a battle between Chaos the god of discord and Cosmos the goddess of harmony. Warriors are brought to the field, and in so doing, their memories of their lives are wiped entirely. As they fight others, little by little, they have the potential to remember threads of their real life. When the cycle concludes, the losing side's memories and experiences are devoured by the dragon Shinryu, and the board is reset with all knowledge of past cycles erased from their knowledge.

Q. When do I get my memories back and how?
A. Memories will come back little by little through battle and encounters. The key to remember here is that it is a very gradual process and not even the most seasoned warriors who have served in numerous cycles have regained all their memories. What will trigger them back is accomplished through rp with others, especially conflict. A scene doesn't have to involve a fight to have conflict, though that is certainly a valid direction to go. We're not going to dictate what you can regain or how or how often. This is entirely on the honor system and left fully to the player's discretion. It's safe to assume for every completed thread, you should regain one minor memory from your character's life. Any memories your character has regained in a previous cycle stays with them, so little by little, they should be able to paint a fuller picture of their life. Maybe.

Q. So wait! You mean every three months I'm going to lose all my CR?!
A. Actually no. We appreciate that this is a matter of concern in the rp sphere and we're making a slight modification from the realm of video game to accommodate this. All warriors, regardless of which team wins, will retain a knowledge of who is their friend and who is a rival. They won't remember the specifics, just like they don't with home, but they will easily be able to identify that X is my friend. Y is a big jerk. The more your character interacts with their friend/enemy, the more they will gradually be able to remember about them.

Q. What happens when my character arrives?
A. On arrival, your character will be placed somewhere within their team's territory and will hear the voice of their deity greeting them. They will be instructed to seek out their crystal (Cosmos) or power core (Chaos), and that attaining them will give them the power needed to win the war. The will find on their person a small glass-looking ball, much like a crystal ball, but closer to the size of a baseball. This is their crystal eye.

Q. Crystal eye? What? o_O
A. The crystal eye is like a miniature crystal ball, although for the purposes of the game, it serves as a way to communicate with others. Unlike other "network" options in other games, this is nothing quite like an internet. There is no video recording, no text or photo capabilities. All the crystal eye can show you is the person on the other side reaching out to you. Therefore, it won't be possible for someone to go delving into a storehouse of past communiques for information; when the moment is over, it's over. There is also no way to manipulate it so that what it conveys is private or hidden, so no filters or hacking. It provides both visual and audio contact, though some may find it difficult to master at first and others may choose to ignore it entirely, choosing instead to seek out personal encounters.

Q. How many characters can I play?
A. Three characters total, no more than two per team. Depending how the the game fills out and grows, this could possibly change in the future.

Q. Are there any limitations to who I can play?
A. Yes, but just a few and mostly common sense.

- Civilians, non-combatants and children under the age of 12 are not valid characters. This is a war and both gods are out to win. Each has different motivations but neither would bring in anyone not prepared to fight. (Children who are depicted fighting in their canon will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.)
- You cannot play anyone who has a close (or rival) canon relationship with your character. For example, you may not play Tidus and Jecht, nor Onion Knight and Cloud of Darkness.
- Characters from Dissidia are asked to refrain from choosing more than one character from the games, unless it is clearly demonstrated that they have no interactions whatsoever. This is partially to allow players to fully interact with the opposite team, and allow others a fair chance at a limited number of characters. If the applications cycle is about to close and no other candidates for the character are forthcoming, by all means you may choose them, provided they do not conflict with the other rules set in place.

Q. Are original characters allowed?
A. Yes and no. We fully encourage wholly fleshed out original characters that are your own creation. However, we will not allow canon original character, for example, a random SeeD from Final Fantasy VIII. For games such as MMOs where one is expected to create their own unique character, these are allowed, although this is with the understanding that they are not THE one of the game. Other allowable "canon OCs" are characters such as the Hero of Kvatch from The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion or Hawke from Dragon Age II. If in doubt, contact the mods and we'll sort you out.

Q. Are AU!characters allowed?
A. No, canon characters only.

Q. Can we play a character and bring in their memories from another game?
A. Afraid not. It muddies the waters too much with the memories and complicates relationships.

Q. Are powers nerfed?
A. Not at all... within reason. Any powers which could teleport your character out of the war, rip through the space-time continuum, or otherwise be a flagrant case of godmode (we're looking at you Q), cannot be used. Otherwise, you may slash, bash, cast, summon, whatever to your heart's content.

Q. My character fights with familiars/pokemon/summons. Is that ok?
A. Yep absolutely. We do ask that you don't bring in a fully loaded pokedex of pokeballs with you, but otherwise, knock yourself out.

Q. My character is just a soldier/knight/fighter and doesn't have any supernatural powers. Are they allowed?
A. You bet they are! We've even got something in place to help soup them up for the war. While video game characters, shounen heroes, magical girls, and superheroes probably come equipped with a full battery of skills and powers, we want to see our knights of the round table and military geniuses involved too. So for those folks, we allow the player to supplement their character's sword skills or shooting accuracy with skills taken directly from the Dissidia games, within reason... and within sense for the character at hand. For example: Arthur Pendragon from Merlin would want to look to the skillset of Warrior of Light, and select five to ten skills to add to his own capable sword. Major Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica would look to Laguna Loire's skills to boost his shooting abilities. This is of course entirely optional and at the player's discretion. A list of the original warriors in Dissidia and Duodecim may be found here for your reference.

Q. I want to switch sides. Is that possible?
A. Yes but only between cycles. There are notable cases, particularly in 012 where by choice or circumstance, characters were moved to a different side: Jecht, Tidus, Terra and Cloud being the examples. If during the course of the cycle circumstances occur that would force a side switch, this can be done, but only for the next cycle. If it is your intention to pursue rp actions that would lead to a side switch, be prepared to justify that switch. Mid-cycle brainwashing or side abandonment is possible, but such instances will be reviewed on an as-needed basis. Ultimately it is the character's actions and motivations that determine which team they are selected for. It is possible for one god to become too irate with a warrior and abandon them to the other side or flat refuse to have them. If in doubt, ask the mods.

Q. Can my character die?
A. Yes, but perhaps not in the sense you are thinking. There won't be a death and revival process with some penalty in place. There's K.O.ed and there is Defeated. K.O.ed simply means you've lost your fight, but your opponent hasn't finished you off, more or less you are knocked out but can be revived by others. Defeated is closer to what one might think of as dead. It means you've been eliminated from the cycle. As Defeated will remove you from the remainder of the cycle and render your crystal/core useless, please think carefully before you choose this option for your character. In either case, all warriors will be revived for the next cycle, should the player wish to continue with them. There is a form of permanent death, which forever removes the character from the wars, and this is to fall to a manikin. We are not allowing this method of death as it would permanently remove a character from being able to be played, and that just doesn't seem cool in the rp setting.

Q. Wait. Didn't that happen to some characters in 012? What about them?
A. Ahh yes, Team Cannon Fodder. That would be Lightning, Kain, Yuna, Laguna, Vaan and Tifa. For whatever reason in the games, these characters are available to play in the nightmare realm once the game is completed. The characters even comment asking how it's possible. The point is, no one knows, except Shinryu and well... he's a jerk and not telling. Point being, our brave heroes who bit it get a one-time chance in the cycles again. As with all returning Dissidia warriors, they have no memories of the previous cycles because theirs were nommed at the end of 012.

Q. What happens if someone drops?
A. If someone drops, they are presumed killed by one of the warriors on the opposing team, and are absent the remainder of the cycle. Any crystal/power core they have earned will not count toward final counts in the cycle's last battle. The player will have to reapply for the character during the next application cycle and not be able to use intent to continue.

Q. What's intent to continue?
A. For players who have already been accepted into a cycle, during the week of the culminating battle, they may express their intention to continue as a warrior in the next cycle with the same character. At that time, they will be asked to declare what memories they might have regained that will carry over. Players will not be asked to reapply for the same character, and their numbers will count in the overall team totals for the coming cycle. If a player hasn't declared their intent by the time applications open, they will have lost their spot and will have to reapply.

Q. Can we canon update?
A. Yes, but only between cycles. Mid-cycle updates are not allowed. When intent to continue is opened, you will need to declare your intent with a canon update. During the application cycle, please submit a fresh application noting what information or knowledge is new for the character and how this has potentially changed/impacted them. If these changes will include/necessitate a team change, note that as well and be prepared to justify that in the application.

Q. What are the activity requirements?
A. There isn't an activity check, per se. With applications only being open every three months, there's no need for stringent minimum requirements. We assume everyone is here to play and have fun, and hope that everyone finds the setup for play encourages activity. However, just for the sake of knowing who's still around, we'll hold a check-in once a month, just for folks to pop in and say hi. We'll ask at that time that you share your character's progress toward their goal thus far. We suggest for good progression in earning a crystal/power core that you have at least one encounter per month. If we feel that someone is character squatting, or grossly inactive, we will ask them to sit out the following cycle to give someone else a chance.

Q. What's an encounter?
A. An encounter can also be called a thread or a scene. More than just a few handful of tags. This can be with someone on the other team, or your own. It can involve a fight, or it can be dialogue that forwards your character's progression towards their goal for the cycle. It's safe to say that your character cannot earn their crystal/power core without at least one encounter a month, for all three months of the cycle.

Q. So how do I get these crystals/power cores?
A. This is the easy part! You get them through rp! When you apply, you'll choose a goal for your character for the cycle. This can be something like Cloud searching for a reason why he's fighting or some internal self-realization goal. Whatever works for your character. As your character plays with others and works towards that goal, they will be getting closer to reaching their crystal/core. When your character has attained their goal (presumably late in the cycle), they will receive their crystal or power core. There will be a post in place for character to register they have reached their goal. Our only requirement is that the process leading to the goal's attainment has been demonstratively played out in your rp. This is not something you can handwave. Please note: characters will not be aware that their cycle goal is what must be met to attain their crystal, or even that that is their goal.

Q. There's no hiatus post?
A. With the lax activity policy, we don't feel it's necessary to track who is and isn't around for a week or two for vacations or life or reality breaks. If you're going to be gone for more than three weeks, however, we are going gently request that you please consider sitting out the current cycle. Missing one whole month of a three month cycle is a large portion of time and leaves your team in the lurch come time for the big cycle showdown. Which isn't to say you'll be dropped, just consider your team before taking an extended leave of absence. If you're not going to be around when the check in post is live, just drop a note to the mod journal about your circumstances.

Q. What about mundane things of life like food and housing?
A. As far as we can tell, these things aren't present in the games and thus we don't feel it's necessary to put them into place. However, if it's a detail you'd like to work with, feel free to assume the shops have foods and you can attempt to pitch a tent and hunker down wherever the need strikes for the night.

Q. There are shops?
A. Yes! Maybe not the brick and mortar things, but think of them as remote access via your seeing eye. In those shops, you will buy items and equipment with gil, and can trade goods to open up better options within the shops. There are also moogles floating around the world map with special purchases like skills, summonstones, and rare equipment, purchasable with KP, or kupo points. Both gil and KP can be earned from fighting within gateways.

Q. Will we age?
A. Despite the war of the gods extending for several cycles, combatants do not age. Think of them as being ripped out of time.

Q. Are the orbs of light still around from Duodecim? How does that even work?
A. They are indeed still around. However, instead of giving things like chains once four of them have been collected, they now bestow one positive status effect.

Q. So are there events or curses or experiments or something?
A. Yes and no. You won't find genderswap events or suddenly everyone is a fluffy bunny! However, every so often something will happen to complicate the war. There's no name for it and no set pattern. (Though we promise you there won't be more then 3 per cycle, and never two weeks in a row.) Past oddities has included a full week or torrential rains and a week of minor earthquakes. In addition to this, every week, new gateways will open for conflict fighting and general exploration. There's always something for a player to do or interact with if they're motivated.


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At the end of the 13th cycle of war, Cid of the Lufaine broke his longstanding neutrality as an observer of the Conflict of the Gods. In teleporting the Warriors of Cosmos away, he denied the dragon Shinryu his feast of their experiences and memories, breaking the pact. The Great Dragon was enraged, as was Chaos, who realized that Cid was seeking his death to end the cycles.

Thus a new agreement was entered.

Chaos would relinquish his remaining strength to Shinryu, who would in turn punish Cid for his duplicity. Cid was cast into a Nightmare Realm, an alternate world where Cosmos never won the 13th Cycle, and the Conflict continued to rage on. With each cycle, Cosmos would continue to lose strength and Chaos would gain more and more power.

Welcome to the 14th Cycle.


Nightmare Realm is a panfandom, fighting game of endless cycles of war, based on the alternate reality created in Dissidia Final Fantasy.


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