Yeah, kind of like that, I bet.

Ahem...

Monster Truck Rally Announcer Voice:

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

The Unity Games Finals will be on FimFiction.Net all day every day! We've got ponies! We've got testerone! We've got both!

TESTOSTERONIES!

Don't be a little bitch. Grab your wallet and pull up your pants before they fly off when you SHIT BRICKS! Book your seats for the penultimate dueling experience.

Your ticket buys you a whole seat, but you'll only need the EDGE! Don't cut yourself on it.

Edgy enough? Maybe not. Oh well, I tried.

In all seriousness though, we've got Virgil VS Ferris in the finals. Should be one hell of a fight, and if its not I will give you all a full refund. Their duel starts tonight, so tune the eff in. Their duel will end Saturday [3/9/13].

BE THERE.

If you're not, I'll kill you.

       Razorbeam.

Alright, we're finally almost done here. Here is the semi-final ladder, though at this point if you can't figure out who you're facing in the next round on your own... how did you get this far?

Ribbing aside, the semi-final round starts tomorrow [2/24/2013]. The pace will pick up now that we have fewer duels, and less for me to do between rounds. Hopefully I can keep up, but the sooner we get the Games over with, the better, eh?

News items:

Firstly, I want to congratulate everyone who made it this far, including the contestants who were defeated in the quarter-finals. To be one of the top eight in a tournament of sixty four contestants is incredibly impressive, especially in a tournament of this competitive nature. Few and far between are the writing tourneys where you are literally pitted head to head with your fellow competitors, and while that can make it more stressful, it also makes it more... powerful. Reaching this point, win or lose, speaks volumes for your tenacity, creativity, and drive. Well done, all of you!

Secondly, I would like to congratulate the semi-finalists specifically. There are only three duels left in the tournament (and one outside of it), and these are yours. You four currently represent the lines of victory draw through the roster, but three of those lines will cease in the future. Take pride in your accomplishment, and worry not about where your journey in the Games might end. The ending is fast approaching, so congratulate your fellow semi-finalists, congratulate yourself, and compete with honor and zeal in the last two rounds. I am very impressed! (And don't forget, each of you will be receiving a full commission of your OC's for advancing to this round.)

Thirdly is a note to the judges. Now that the roster has thinned so much, and there are only two duels, I intend to thin the judges roster. This is not to spite anyone, or take away your power, but rather to free you from the burdens of having to be a judge. I will try my best to keep the timezone range we currently have, while giving as many of the current judges as reasonably possible the freedom to finally set the games aside and just watch, if they so choose. If you badly wish to remain a judge, please let me know so that I do not remove you. Again, this isn't a punishment, merely an act of practicality.

And lastly is a reminder that the exhibition match between myself and the winner of the finals will be held immediately following them. All three of the possible OC's that could appear in that bonus match are now currently on the roster. Please use the thumb-up / thumb-down system to vote for which OC you would like to see me compete with against the finalist when the time comes. You can find them here:

Kith

Kardak

Malik

It's been fun, but the conclusion draws near. Let's make it one to remember!

Fight well,

        Razorbeam.

Round 4 starts tomorrow [2/17/2013]. If you don't want to start that early, that's too bad, because it ties right into my next point

From here on in, the rounds will not be getting a week between them. This means that Round 4 will run until Saturday [2/23/2013], and Round 5 will start Monday [2/25/2013].

Not much else to say beyond that, other than to inform you all of the following:

- The quarter-finals lined up exactly like I expected them to.

- Anyone who makes it into the semi-finals gets a full-color commission of their OC, paid for by me.

- The prize for actually winning the Games has not changed.

Short-ish blog, but me being tired and busy seems to have that effect on things I write. Hopefully in the future I will have more time on my hands, but for now this is what you get.

Also, the new ladder is here:

Fight well,

          Razorbeam.

Firstly, I had a commission done of Aurus by GreatLeonopteryx on dA, and I could not be happier if I tried with the results. I just wanted to show this off before I got too far into the business of the games and the voting, because I think the artist responsible deserves some effing recognition.

Voting news:

Now, on to the news for the Games. As stated in a previous announcement, all voting this round will be conducted by judge-panel only. Sorry for anyone who really, really enjoyed public voting, but too many rule breakers made it their business to aggravate me, and this is the result.

All threads that require voting will have been closed by now, and you will not find the usual "Vote for X" posts. The only exception would be the thread for Kobalstromo & Dagger and their duel with Helrumyc, as this duel has received the first (and likely only) official extension of the tournament. Their duel will conclude by Thursday [2/14/2013].

Due to the extension, any news regarding the ladder for Round 4 will be announced after that date (as if I wouldn't have waited at least that long anyways). However, you will be able to check the threads that have closed to find the winners that way, as usual.

Unexpected news that I just now started writing:

Also, in the next few days you might notice three new listings on the roster. These are the three possible final combatants that the Unity Games Grand Champion will face. Rather than choosing one at the last minute, I decided it would be most fair to post the three I have been considering sooner and give you all a chance to begin thinking about which one you would like to fight and formulating a plan, as you are able to do with your other opponents in the ladder. For the record, they are all changelings. Go figure.

Rather than deciding on one of them myself, I will be asking for votes. I will let the members of the UG group decide which of the three OC's I provide the winner of the finals will fight. To vote on one of the three OC's I'll be posting soon, simply go thumb around in the roster and place your votes on whichever one(s) you like best. Since this doesn't really affect anyone, I don't care if you vote multiple times or downvote (you cheeky bastards) any of my OC posts. It's not like it alters anyone winning or losing, or their self esteem in this case. You couldn't scratch my self-esteem if you tried, I went through middle-school like everyone else. Bring it on.

As stated previously, this final fight between myself and the UGGC (Unity Games Grand Champion) has no impact on the winner's prize, it's just a chance for me to have at least one duel myself and subject myself to the same judging and duel process I've put all of you through. It's only fair, and I imagine it's a hell of a lot of fun, so I would like a fight.

Also, I will allow the members of the group to not only vote on which OC I use, but supply the arena for this 'extra' match as well. I've been yanking all of you around, and it's only fair you get the chance to do the same. Go ahead, put me through the ringer. I am not afraid.

Excited for the next installment of the games,

       Razorbeam.

Here she is, the much-awaited ladder for Round 3. To clean it up a bit and make it easier for those still in the running, I have removed the names of any contestants who have been eliminated. I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone by doing so, and apologize if anyone feels slighted as a result.

You can also find this updated ladder in the first post of the roster page, as always. Matches will begin opening tomorrow evening. [Monday 2/4/2013]

Rules update:

Due to the level of crap in round two regarding the voting, public voting is no longer a thing. Any threads requiring a vote to decide the outcome will be decided by judges only, not general group members. It has been very effectively proven that I can really only count on the judges to make reasonable assessments regarding the duels. Go figure. Unfortunate that the overwhelming majority won't be allowed to vote anymore because of a minority that refused to be respectful and follow the rules. Those of you who have done nothing wrong, you have my condolences and apologies, but I won't suffer the acts of fools any longer.

TL;DR - From Round 3 onward until the end of the Games, all duels to be decided via vote will be voted upon by recognized judges only. My personal vote will be cast only in the event that all other judicial votes result in a tie-vote.

Additionally, here is the arena for Round 3. As always, you are free to complain as long as you don't mind me laughing at your complaints, because the arena will not be changing from the above until Round 4.

Ice. Ice everywhere. This arena's primary features are the drastically altered footing, and its unpleasant weather conditions. It will be cold, it will be windy, and it will be a damned blizzard. Creatures one the ground will slip and slide, creatures in the air will have to fight wind. Everyone's equally inconvenienced.

Also, unlike the previous two arenas, this arena is designed for the sole purpose of taking your battles to different elevations and obtaining the high ground. Or the low ground, in the event such a thing would give you an advantage. Crevasses in the ice, varying levels and tiers of glaciers, and many drifts of plain old snow will provide you all with many options to fight from. And the ongoing blizzard will offer you many places to hide, if staying close to an enemy is not your concern.

However, the wind and the snow will make it much harder on you ranged combatants. It will be just as difficult for you to find (and hit) your target as it will be for your target to find you.

Best of luck, and fight with honor!

          Razorbeam.

Yes I stole this from the closing blog of Round 1. Yes it still fittingly represents how tired I am, and probably you all are, at the end of a rung in the tourney ladder.

The voting on round 2 threads is open now, and actually has been for a few hours. I've just been a little busy, and a lot emotionally overwhelmed. I figure I get this done, I can get the time I need to sort some stuff in my head and figure some things out.

Voting for Round 2 closes Tuesday [1/29/2013].

Round 3 starts next Monday [2/4/2013].

As always I urge you to read the threads you wish to vote in, and vote for the contestant that seems to most deserve their victory on the merits of their writing and battle in the duel. Not based on how much you like them in reality, or how much you enjoy their OC in the RPs. Obviously I can't stop you from voting for stupid reasons, but I can sure as hell try.

As always, if I feel voting is being augmented by outside votes and I think someone is recruiting or begging for votes, I will disqualify them without a second thought, or even a real warning. I don't have the patience to deal with cheaters. It is okay to encourage people to vote on your thread, it is not okay to ask them to vote for you.

And now the list of threads that need to be voted upon:

Metaflare VS. Goldenarbiter

Kapuchu VS. Kobal & Dagger

SentientPixel VS. Fordregha

Aziraphael VS. Doctor D

Flicka VS. Medicshy

Helrumyc VS. musicman722

Acer VS. SwiftEthan

Hybridnecros VS. NightmareDash

NathanTraveler VS. ShadowBro

Chainlinc3 VS. Glassed

Crafter VS. Corvus

If your thread needs to be decided by a vote, and you do not see it here, please let me know. Double check your thread's status by looking at the first post, and seeing if a winner has been declared.

Also, I don't want to have this talk about downvoting again that we had in the first round. If I see it, I will will begin removing those I know to be responsible, and trust me it's very hard not to know who you are. Don't make a stupid mistake for the sake of 'fighting the system' or just 'being an ass'. The voting says anonymous, but I'll use my best judgement to make it less so and expel you. Don't downvote, it's bullshit, I will end you.

Go vote for those who have earned their wins and their slots in the third round!

Regards,

       Razorbeam.

As planned, round 2 of the ladder will commence this evening, very shortly. You'll see 16 new notifications as I create the threads; as before, find yours and report in. When both duelists are ready, I will open the duel.

The duels will run until Saturday night at midnight, US EST. [GMT -5:00]

Before the duels commence, please brush up on the new rules that were added, due to the judge discussion held over the weekend. There are now posting formats, for both duel posts and PMs sent to judges. Review them, and use them here on out. I know formats can be tedious, but they will make things simpler in the long run for both judges and contestants alike.

You can find the formats, and rules pertaining to them, here.

Thank you for your continued participation, and for putting up with all the shit I change.

Fight well,

        Razorbeam.

Judge council makes it sound cooler than it really is, but I had to do something to get you to read this, right?

I would like to speak with all the judges and discuss a bunch of shit. Technical-sounding, I know. Anyways, I'm setting up a live-chat IRC thing for it. Whether you're a judge or not, if you want to help discuss, update, and just make the rules better in general, sign in and come participate in the discussion.

The IRC thingy has been closed.

Or you can just come say "hello". Whatever.

In other news, I was assaul-... approached with various requests for additional roleplaying threads for the Unity Games group. Due to the sheer number of threads (because duels) I have decided not to add anymore roleplay threads.

Doesn't mean there's any harm in asking for them, though. I recommended a few users that they take their ideas for threads and make groups of their own for them, giving them the freedom to manage members and make as many threads as they like without having to ask my permission.

That went over exceedingly well, and as of right now there are two groups that are extensions of the Unity Games group, and the Visionary universe in general. You can find links to both below:

JJMalcom's Visionary Roleplay Universe Group

StachePony's Corps of Defiant Enforcers Group

I'm not saying you have to go out and join them, I'm just letting you all know they exist. They could certainly use more members, and thy'd make for good opportunity to make new/continue using characters in the Visionary Universe once the games close (because they will eventually close). Just look into it, it's a good opportunity to get into the groups early with the characters you've made and stick with them. Plus, there's always a chance you'll roleplay something that you'll eventually write into a story because of how awesome it ends up being.

And I want to read those, so go do it.

Regards,

         Razorbeam.

Because the above is true, the next Round of the tournament will begin Monday [1/21/2013]. You will all have this week to roleplay about your sweet, sweet victories, or your crushing defeats. Or however you want to look at it. Either way, I expect the roleplaying will change slightly due to the results of round one being posted.

All dueling threads have had a winner declared by this time, as well as a reason for why they are the winner. If you don't like the winner, or the reason, that's unfortunate.

The dueling ladder will be updated with pretty colored lines to indicate more easily who will be continuing on to Round 2. Expect this up sometime tomorrow evening.

Also, there is an important note for all judges, or people wishing to judge during Round 2:

I would like to go over what has worked, what has not, and any concerns or ideas the judges might have after our first round of dueling. Don't send me PMs about this discussion, but I will open a thread for it soon, and hopefully we can all agree and settle on some improvements to the process based on experience, and make the second round smoother and more fun overall than the first. Admittedly, the first round was messy, but it could not be helped, and I am sure it brought to light some issues many of you as contestants and judges alike would like to cover. This thread will be appearing sometime tomorrow, along with the updated ladder.

Also, some of you judges will be receiving private messages of a somewhat-serious nature regarding your particular methods of judging and corrections that I feel you in particular need to make, revelations in the soon-to-be-made 'judge-council' thread notwithstanding. This is meant to be friendly criticism to assist you in providing the best experience you can to the duelists in future rounds, so if you are contacted by me for this reason, I ask that you take the message courteously.

Have an enjoyable remainder of the week while I tidy the place up after your wild bouts of smashing shit.

Regards,

       Razorbeam.

If you're not tired of running in circles around spires of rock and firing laser, arrows, various other projectiles, and bashing each other with shit... you should be. I gave you all an extra day and everything.

That being said, any duels that are still open are being closed, and will be handled with voting. Now read the following shit, because it's very important and I don't want to have private messages regarding it because you were too lazy to read this:

If your duel has managed to conclude itself (someone forfeited, one of you admitted defeat, whatever), and I have not yet closed it, let me know immediately so I can remove you from this list. If you were a part of a duel and were left waiting on someone's reply to your combat post for two days or more, you were made the winner by default, and your duel is now closed. There were a few of these, and they're not contestable. If you didn't post for two days or contact me, you lost your duel.

If your duel is still going on and hasn't been concluded yet, it is now time to stop bonking each other. The duels will all be finished by tomorrow evening, meaning that voting will be closed, the duels will be closed, and all Round 2 contestants will have been decided by then.

How the voting works:

You will click on the links for any fights you feel like voting on, and you will go vote there. At the very, very end of each of the threads that need voting, you will see two posts. One for each of the duelists. Voting is very simple. You will thumb up for the person you think deserves to win.

This is a vote. That means you may only vote for one of the duelists: not both. Obviously I can't stop you, but I expect you to be mature, honest, and vote properly. This also means that you should not go vote-whoring to get people not in the group to vote for you. If I find out any of you did this, and believe me I will find out, you will be disqualified and your opponent will win automatically, regardless of how the voting was going.

Hear that? Cheat on the voting, and you lose. So don't. Pretty easy.

What you should vote on:

You're not voting for whoever took the least damage in the fight, or anything like that. Even if a duelist got the shit kicked out of them, they could feasibly win in voting. If it were just a matter of health-to-health, I would have already closed the threads in question.

When you vote, I want you to read up on the fight: all the posts you can handle. I want you to vote for who you think fought best, made best use of their character, and who deserves to go on to the next round. The duelist with the most votes in each of the fights will advance to the next round.

The list:

Valrek and Fury

Makeshift and Flicka

Kapuchu and TinKanSinar

Azi and Dovah

NightmareDash and Chrys

inoeitall and MeNoGoosta

Onyx and Meta

BetweenLines and Shadow

Foxi and Medic

ROFL and Glassed

Omega and Hyzaku

Tast and Corvus

Dracma and Ford

Twilight and Shadeslayer

I'll get the vote-posts up ASAP: should be within just a few minutes of this blog coming out. Again, if your duel is listed, but is actually closed, let me know.

And again, if I catch anyone cheating on voting, there will be hell. Real, actual hell. So don't make my job harder than it already is, and give me fair results, please.

Go vote!

       Razorbeam.