609214 ((Okay, I'll admit, I'm in a pretty foul mood right now. I just found out that the picture you sent is not an accurate reflection of the actual specifications of the arena.

So, I'd just like to ask, would you feel it would be fair for me to take a retcon on my last action? It was made on the assumption you were sitting behind a lone boulder on a sandy plain, not among a forest of boulders with tall grass. This would of course change True's decision making, but if you feel it was my fault for not checking myself, then I'll play on as is.))

609871
((Wait, what? I'm confused, didn't I send you a picture of grass, boulders, spires, etc.? I remember that I opened the image that Razorbeam had in his blog entry as a separate tab, then copy-pasted the link straight to you. What image do you have?

In any case, absolutely. If you didn't have the correct image then it is entirely your prerogative to go back and retcon your post.

And, seriously, I don't know what went wrong with what image I linked, but if I sent you the wrong image I'm really really sorry.))

((In fact, it seems that I embedded the image into one of my posts. I.. I really don't know how it's showing up as a desert arena for you, because it's the right image for me.....))

610135 ((Oh, you didn't realize? Hang on, here's the image I got.

As you can see, rock and sand without grass to be seen. Minus boulders as well.

Actually, that might be snow, but looking at the way it clings to the bases of the rocks, it's clearly some sort of grainy matter, and not grass.

In any case, I'm sorry I got hot under the collar. I wasn't sure if I'd been lied to or if I'd been an utter bonehead. Either prospect was pretty upsetting. I should have had more faith in your sincerity as a competitor. You truly are a man of integrity.))

610156
((We must have different screen colors then, because I see lots of green, with some blue where the light reflects off of moisture. I've always found, in a lot of photos from deviantART and Google Images, that grainy matter tends to fall to the bottom of the structures we're seeing, where as grass and other organics tend to grow up and over. *shrugs* I dunno.

And.. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic at the end. I'm bad at reading tone and I don't want to misinterpret, but I really truly am sorry if I misled you accidentally. As I said, you should feel free to repost your last action, since you had a different image of the terrain.))

610191 ((I was being sincere, it's been a joy battling with you. You've consistently been an excellent competitor. And yeah, for me the ground is almost blue/white, very pale. Easily snow or light sand, and nowhere near green of living grass, or tan of dead grass. I really should have read the exact description. Should I post over my old post with the new one, or just post anew that I'm retconning?))

610211
((Thanks! That really means a lot.

I don't have a preference either way, but I would do that thing I did earlier with the small summary of the action so far. Since we've both been retconning a lot more than other competitors, it seems important for any third-party viewers.))

610222 ((Agreed. To be fair, neither of us assumed that the picture would differ so wildly in color. I mean, I think my monitor displays color correctly, as it matches what I see on my other laptop, and the trees here are green... Man, how weird would it be if all the colors for the ponies were completely off for me?))

610249
((*Shivers....* Just to make sure, is my profile pic blue and pale-yellow?))

610262 ((It's not vibrant puce? Nah, It's black at the corners, dark blue with a light blue swirl, and a pale, pale, pale, yellow crescent. Like one quarter as yellow as Tia (my avatar's) hair.))

Anyway! Last time on the Storm Blitz and True Path show!

Storm blitz attempted to attack True with a warhammer after being deflected by a shield! In return, True interrupted the second strike by blocking storm's swing with a barrier that blocked the path of his forehooves, responding with a foolhardy charge!

But Lo' twas but a ruse, as when Storm raised his mighty hammer to lay low the foolish unicorn, True responded with a stun spell to the chest! Stunned and off balance, Storm retreated behind one of the many boulders littering the grassy field, readying a pepper grenade from his equipment pack...

And the battle continues...

[Reaction] As Storm Blitz hides behind the boulder, True casts a shield behind it, putting the pegasus behind a rock and a hard place. "Gotcha."

[Action] Calling his staff back to him, he begins advancing slowly on the boulder, the grass rustling as he moves closer.

610314
((Need more information about this. How close is this barrier to me?))

610329 ((Pretty close. Maybe a foot behind you. Assuming for these purposes that you are facing True through the boulder.))

610344
((Awesome, thanks! How is it structured? What is its shape?))

610346 ((it's curved and circular, a quarter of a sphere by surface area, the the convex surface facing away from you. It's kinda like a giant bucker or disc. Wide enough that you can't get around it without emerging from behind the boulder. ))

610358
((Trying to flush me out of cover then? Interesting....))

((Approved by Twilight at Dusk))
[Action]
Storm Blitz grimaced, poking at the shield before putting his pepper bomb away.

[Reaction]
"Well, this is going to be painful," he said to himself, pulling out a fire grenade. It was larger than the others, giving it a larger spread, and smelled of tar and turpentine. He braced himself to run, placing the pull-handle into his mouth to be ready to drop the weapon, then pricked his ears for the right moment.....

610508
((Approved by Crafter, and Subjekt Omega. Also, twilight TKed herself in season 3 episode 1 part 2, so this particular physics break is in-canon))
[Reaction]

As True advances on the boulder, he pulls his staff down under his barrel, bracing it under his body. Applying a little pressure to make sure he's balanced on the rod, True abruptly gives it a heavy burst of telekinesis, flinging himself silently over the cover, sounding for all the world like he'd simply stopped walking.

[Action]

As he sails over the boulder, he drops his shield and readies a new shield spell. A large spell, True would slap it over Storm as soon as he saw him, trapping him under a magical dome. Though the shield would pass through the boulder, it was an easy matter to phase it through.

611530
((Oh HO. And yeah, the way you've worded it makes sense. This isn't so much levitation of self so much as REVERSE levitation of the rod, yeah? In any case, have fun.))

611532 ((Next turn is going to hurt, seeing as I'm agility C and flying through the air, but with any luck I'll have sewn up the match! I trust you'll amaze me with your escape ))

611536
((Since you haven't actually cast the spell, I will definitely be escaping.))

611540 ((At agility B from a flying surprise attack?))

611544
((Dude, check my profile. I'm capable of giving the Wonderbolts a run for their money in a drag race. And your effect is on my perception of where I'm going, NOT on my wings. As long as I don't do any crazy aerobatics, I should be fine.))

611548 ((Touche))

611555
(( ))

((In other news, how do you like your coffee? Black or with cream and sugar?))

611566 ((I like it not at all ))

611569
((Really? What about tea?))

((If you read the bit about the speed, scratch that, I can't do math. I'm not sure what speed he's moving at now.... -_-))

611572 ((Tea is good, I prefer chai, but most varieties are good.))

611583
((Eh, I'm ambivalent about Chai. Some of it is very good, but other varieties are extremely pungent with their spices. It just kinda feels like they've punched me in the mouth with cloves or something....

What do you think about Earl Grey?))

611595 ((Earl Gray is nice. Honestly, I'm not a very acute taster, so I enjoy the cloves of face punching. Most other teas taste like generic bitterness. Nice generic bitterness, but all largely the same))

((Approver: Crafter))

[Reaction]
Storm was hardly stupid ((INT: A)). The moment he heard the unicorn stop moving, he knew something was amiss. The disappearance of the shield beside him was an even better indicator. With a curse, he pulled the pin on his grenade, rolled it about 1.5 yards from him, and began sprinting TOWARDS it.

[Action]
The grenade had a three second countdown. It looked for all the world like a moderate sized rock, perhaps kicked into the open by Storm's frantic attempts to run away.

1st Second: Storm covered the distance between the grenade and himself in no time at all. He was a complete blur, moving at his maximum possible speed as he pumped his wings frantically ((Agility B, but normally S)).

2nd Second: Storm appeared to trip over something. Since he was low to the ground and stunned, this was perfectly normal for anyone in his position. With a yelp, he went into a tumble, sliding to the ground about six feet from the grenade as he subtly drew his hammer.

3rd Second: .... [This space left open ended.]

((Really? I has a little sadface that you can't taste a lot of differences. What sort of brands do you drink?))

((Also, for future reference: Fire bombs have considerable range. I would say about 10 feet blast radius. Second, the thing is made with tar and turpentine, which means that the fire is going to be sticky. Additionally, Pine Tar burns at about 800+ degrees fahrenheit. This is based on the fact that wood lights at about 720 degrees fahrenheit, and it's easy to light wood on fire with tar.))

611601
((Class is starting soon and I want some foods. See you in a few hours!))

611673 ((Likewise! I'll get my post up in the interim))

611608
((Approved by Crafter))
[Reaction]

As soon as he cleared the rock, True saw Storm already in motion, but he was still on the ground, which meant True still had a chance. Upping the power of his spell, he cast it at the pegasus, dumping a massive load of mana into the shield, increasing its size to twenty feet in diameter.

[Action]

Focusing solely on maintaining the spell, True barely managed to cover his head as he slammed into the golden dome of his own shield. With a 'whump' followed by a noisy 'thump thump thump' he tumbled down the leeward side, winded and battered, but still conscious and focused.

((Oh man! I think I did it! I'd hoped I'd get to trap you in a location with your own grenade... but FIRE?! Thank you! You just turned this into the most AWESOME battle on here!))

611721
((Ah, here's a problem though. The grenade's just gone off. How are you not caught in the blast? Because unless you've managed to get more than 10 feet into the air, the explosion should have caught you.))

611899 [[I popped over the rock as you were running, after you dropped the grenade. Thus, my shield went down as you tripped, allowing me to crash into its surface. Given the size of the shield, you're inside the shield with your grenade, while I'm outside, as I just bounced off the top. You're literally inside a giant dome of fire right now.]]

611926
((That would imply that were already ready to cast the massive spell. Massively stretching the size of a spell requires more than a split second, but you would have to make that decision in enough time that the grenade doesn't yet explode. Furthermore, how do you know that I've got a grenade out there? As I said before, the thing looks like a moderately sized rock. You may know out of character, but how does your character know that he should adjust the shield spell? Also, you can't cast full size domes, as detailed by your profile. So what exactly have you cast? Also, do you have the reserves to pull that off?))

611979 ((First, I took a specialization in shields, I'm INT S, and shields are relatively easy to cast, seeing as we've twice seen them used to guard entire cities. For days at a time no less. Second, you rolled the grenade then ran, which at the velocity I'd have to use to clear the boulder, I've already got line of sight. So, instead of just a split second, I've got one and a half if not a full two. Third, the grenade is an accident. He intended to stop storm, but when he cleared the rock, he saw storm was already running, so he upped the scale of his already prepared plan on the fly in order to catch him even though he was moving. The fact that you are sitting on a grenade is just bad luck.))

((Oh! And I can't cast a full sphere! I can cast a quarter sphere, which, by surface area, is a curved disk. Placed low enough to the ground, it's a dome.))

612013
((Ah... okay, so I don't want to sound like a whiny berk, but I was under the impression that I started running almost just after you left the ground, with the shield dropping almost immediately after you left the ground as well. Hence, you left the ground, dropped the shield, I ran. Thus, you'd not come into line of sight until just the moment I tripped, meaning that you'd be in the middle of casting the spell when my genade went off. Were you already above the boulder when you dropped your first shield? Because that would lead to a VERY different sequence of events and different actions.))

612033 ((Okay, here's what happened. He launched himself and dropped the spell. As stated, he would cast the new shield spell AS he saw Storm. Now, considering you jumped on your plan as soon as you stopped hearing him, he would see the beginning of your sprint. Since you're fast as hell, he would adjust his aim and increase the power as a result, increasing the scope so you couldn't outrun this new spell.))

(( Also, keep in mind that running from behind the boulder as he ascends brings you into view sooner, starting his spellcasting earlier.))

((Another point: A lightning fast pegasus is running from you, and you're determined to catch him. Do you A) Increase the power of your spell? or B) Stop and reflect on the fact that he tripped... while you're sailing through the air, and reduce your spell to a more reasonable and modest size?))

612033 ((One more note. You did not start sprinting the moment the shield went down. You drew a pin on a grenade and threw it, which is not an instantaneous action. If you had the grenade armed and ready in hoof, I might grant it, but having to pull the pin says you had to commit to the act of throwing it, THEN sprinting, which could easily cost you a second, leaving you sprinting when True sees you.))

612152
((True, true, sorry about that. ))

612054
((Okay, that makes sense now. As I said, I was under the impression that you had dropped the shield the moment your feet left the ground, meaning that you don't see me moving until you've already crested the boulder, which would be just in time to get hit by my grenade. Your move is valid, sorry for being whiney.

Although, since I technically have grounds, retcon? ))

((Yes I know that's flimsy. But you take what you can get, right?))

612164 ((I don't know. Honestly, it's getting close to Saturday, and... what grounds do you have? It sounds like I've got a valid move, made under valid conditions, and that you had a correct understanding ((In so far as IC goes)) of how the situation was arranged. The only point I might grant is the grenade going off first, which honestly doesn't help you much.

Best case scenario: Tar splatters on my face, and is on fire. Now, I did throw myself fairly high, so this is slim, but let's grant it. However, I am a trained guard with combat experience, and the shield is the sole move I can make in this case, so I'm still going to raise it even if my face is on fire. At this point, I'm going to crash into my shield, roll down, and frantically extinguish my face in the dirt, while you are still inside the golden dome of shake n' bake.

What about the rest of my body? True is wearing a robe. It will catch the tar, and even if it itself ignites, it can be torn off easily enough, basically giving me a free pass on 90% of my body. So, you've scored maybe 30% health damage at maximum, while you're inside a raging inferno, that's trapping its own heat, and consuming all the oxygen while pumping out smoke.))

612164 ((Besides, one of us has to lose, and honestly, this is the most awesome defeat out here yet. You're in a giant inferno! That's bucking awesome! And even better! Even if you do escape, or somehow stay alive until I run out of mana, then by that point, the air inside will be hot enough to perform a backdraft.

You will be inside a giant, magical, bomb.

Think about that.

Hooves down, you will have the coolest loss here. You, my friend, will go down in history. Ponies will say. "Oh man, did you read Shadowbro's fight? That was AWESOME. He bucking EXPLODED!"

612187
((Hey, I DID say it was a sliver of a chance. But it'd be silly of me to just discard a chance at getting another chance, right?))

612209 ((True, and see my comment on how awesome your loss will be ))

612207
((Now wait a tick, I need more information before we call me dead, 'kay?

1) How is this shield structured in relation to the ground? Is it very flat, is it more dome like, etc. I need very clear imagery on this, because it will effect how much Storm can move.

2) Where is the center of the shield? Is the shield starting at the boulder?

3) I need to know, PRECISELY, when you cast the shield. Because, if you didn't realize, Storm was trying to fake tripping, making you drop your guard and blow yourself to hell. Congrats on outsmarting him, by the way. In any case, he would be fully aware of his surroundings, so depending on WHEN you cast it, he's going to react differently.))

((Also, physics wise, it's not going to be that epic. The combustion will suck up the air really quickly, and yes there's going to be smoke, but the grenade only would burn for about 10 seconds anyway. With the shield in place, it would immediately lose oxygen and go out. It might be HOT, but that's a hell of a lot different from BURNING. And since energy is always conserved, by the time you lift the shield (which is going to be soon, unless you suddenly know that I dropped a grenade, so that you can finish me off), it'll be too cold to recombust.))

((Also, as a side note, 20 foot shield, plus summon consumption, plus the penalty of using said shield, is really damn draining. Shouldn't you be at, like 5% - 8% mana at this point?))

612238 ((

Dome and dome location:It's a very shallow dome, where the edges have been sunk into the terrain, the center of the dome should be slightly behind you, as he did see you running and did correct some. Given its shallowness, I'd say probably 6' tall max at the center, sloping down gently. I'd say you could stand maybe in the central 5' radius.

(It's the top quarter of a sphere, like this. (This isn't a top quarter, but I've been trying to construct a ratio of radius to cross section height that gives the dimensions of a quarter sphere, but it's hell.))

Mana: Like I said, shields are cheap, and I'm a will S. I'm at... 45% mana right now (Crafter approved). OH, and the retcon earlier was specifically to AVOID casting the summon, as it made no sense in an environment where there was ample cover to play cat and mouse. Why would you make time your enemy in a waiting game? It'd be like lighting your fists on fire when your enemy just ran into the forest: sure you'll hurt more, but you're not going to catch him before your hands burn off.

Anyway, 45% mana, which, if the fire dies out due to oxygen fairly quickly, still leaves you plenty of time to choke to death or at least pass out. Second, the shield is translucent, so I know you're on fire, and what exactly that means for you, though I assure you, I am pleasantly surprised by the development.

Timing:I'd have to say that the shield went up just as you were tripping, since we have the grenade toss second, the sprinting second, and the tumbling second. Assuming I saw you just as you started to run, and that I was already preparing a large spell to begin with, enhancements and casting would only take 2 seconds.

612284
((Well.... that's depressing. HOWEVER, it does give me the slightest possible chance.....))

((In all seriousness though, and apart from the possibility of me surviving this, since we're not in a deep round, can we refrain from killing Storm Blitz? His wife is around and I'd rather not have her be horrified and depressed...))

612294 ((Of course we weren't going to kill him! Just pass out from smoke inhalation, or asphyxiation, or heat exhaustion as I assume shields reflect radiated heat, or else they'd be useless against fire spells, which are very popular. Judges are supposed to call the match in the event of an imminent "deathblow" anyway.))

612294 ((And just as an aside, don't forget that your agility debuff is still active))

612312
((If I may: Seriously, the fires are going to go out from lack of oxygen. It's going to be horrifically anticlimactic.))

((Also: DAMN this judging gig. I have so little tiiiiime.))