Post by tidus on Aug 1, 2012 16:56:01 GMT -5
Posted by theunsent on May 13, 2012, 6:15am
(OOC: Just a quick author's note. This is Tidus's thread, and he's taking charge of it following this intro post I decided to write up for consideration of the opening ceremonies and other formal stuff like that. Seymour's just a spectator in this thread, so I won't be adding much in with him. Mkay that's all, LET THE GAMES BEGIN)
The air was crisp on this warm, sunny day, and every swift breeze that swept through the salty atmosphere surrounding the docks of Luca, was welcomed with bright smiles and cheerful demeanors. Today was a big day in Luca, and that much could be witnessed by the thousands upon thousands of people who flocked through the streets, and the many who filled the docks as many ships had continued to arrive from all over Spira. The sounds of flags billowing in the wind, waves crashing upon the shores, and gulls crying as they made flight filled the air everywhere, and the sun shone brightly above. There was a very positive vibe filling the city, and it could only be replicated by two events in the history of the world; The first being the last large tournament in Luca, where unfortunately many fiends had arrived to terrorize the spectators and participants. Many people remembered the last tournament in Luca before the lengthy off season, however with the popular game known as Sphere Break, the time passed had been spent with little boredom. Though it was not enough to contain the desire that blitzball players continued to find themselves filled to the brim with. The second event in history to even be compared to the current festive nature of Luca, was over a thousand years past, within the machina city of Zanarkand. Many of the writers, commentators and spectators had already started to comment on the scale this tournament was growing to be, as not only was there the excitement of the blitz tournament to look forward to, but it had also been promised that the Grand Maester of Yevon Primus was to be among the attendees. This created a lot of buzz from the people, as they had been looking forward to the peace rally the Maester was said to be leading, and with the absence of Sin in the world, many were certain that a true Eternal Calm was sure to begin this day.
The waves of the sea were calm, yet despite this, Seymour found that the ship upon which he traveled had its deck soaked continuously. The grand flagship of Yevon Primus was much like the one he had boarded with Yo Mika many years prior, yet unlike the crimson sails that adorned the former Grand Maester’s ship; the one that cut through the waters on this day flew sails of white and blue. Many officials from Yevon Primus were aboard the vessel, as well as the recently formed Bevelle Breakers, a blitz team that had come together over the last four months prior to Seymour’s revival. The team itself was composed of various former Crusaders, yet among their ranks there were a few followers of Yevon who wanted to change their outlook on life. The team seemed well versed with each other, as from Seymour had been able to tell upon this boat trip to Luca, they had been practicing very hard. All of that practice would surely be needed if they hoped to get past the first round, as well as take down the Luca Goers, and the Besaid Aurochs. Their uniforms were composed of a dark shade of blue, with gold and crimson trimmings around their pads and armor, which greatly reflected the Aeon of their hometown. The team had been known to pray to Bahamut for victory, as they believed the powerful entity to be guiding their progress, and would hopefully grant them the Crystal Cup. Though despite being from Bevelle, the team found itself hard pressed to impress the Grand Maester, as they anticipated him to be rooting for the Guado Glories, whom were also aboard the ship.
The Grand Maester had spent most of the time in one of the many cabins provided, only bothering to venture out on deck whenever the confinement began to bore him. The wheels of the colossal machine were turning with great force, and with this blitz tournament to go along as planned, the people of Spira would know true peace. They would no longer be burdened by the needless bickering of different factions vying for power and influence over the people, no, they would understand what a Calm was supposed to be like. Like the many that had come before this one, the people would be able to embrace the Calm, and live in undisturbed peace like they wanted. No doubt after this festive event had transpired, the many flocks of sheep would return to their respective fields in the world, simply to graze upon the grass that was their contentment. They would let their guards down, and return to their simple existences, with the knowledge that Yevon Primus would keep them safe from the Heartless. While the dark beings had been known to be attracted toward the more northern parts of the continent, Seymour had assured everyone that the Stadium, as well as the entirety of Luca would be safeguarded from any threats. This day of peace would prosper, and Seymour remained certain that the Heartless would not disrupt it; he had taken every precaution within his power to reinforce this statement.
While the waves continued to break upon the bow of the ship, Seymour watched on from the upper level, his icy blue gaze focused upon the faint structures of Luca slowly growing in size upon their arrival. It was possible that the docks were already buzzing due to the sighting of the Grand Maester’s ship a few miles off shore, yet it was assured that every dock was flourishing with life and activity. The first matches were to start upon the arrival of the Yevon officials, and with only two of the teams yet to arrive, many of the organizers in Luca had already announced the beginning of the seed lottery, which would determine the matches for the coming competition. Among those Yevon officials already in Luca was a young man, and former praetor of New Yevon, Baralai, who had been asked by a clergymen to oversee the lottery as a favor to Maester Seymour. The youthful former member of the Crimson Squad accepted the offer with little hesitation, hoping to gain more respect among his peers, pay respect to the late Maester Mika, and be granted permission to return to the temples, no longer ex-communicated. No one knew that the Meyvn of the Youth League had suddenly gone missing, and yet Baralai was surprisingly among these numbers. Many people assumed that the Youth League was now doing what the Machine Faction had done since the crisis in the temples, and had only been laying low to keep their operations to themselves. The days following the Grand Maester’s speech had also forced relocation upon the occupants of Djose Temple, as many Yevonites had arrived by way of Mushroom Rock Road in order to reclaim a place deemed sacred in their eyes.
Soon the ship carrying Spira’s messiah had come into dock, and once the crew aboard had fastened ropes securely to the hook cliffs upon the sides of the ship, a ramp was set up to the ship. Within moments many loyal people of Yevon Primus had laid out a carpet, and had a welcoming party complete with a band set up. A melodic tune was played as many of the officials had begun to get off the ship, followed by the Bevelle Breakers and the Guado Glories in respective order. There was quite the crowd gathering upon Dock 4 to greet the Grand Maester, and Seymour could see the many hopeful faces of the people as he departed from the second level of the ship. Once down the stairs and to the head of the ramp, Seymour waved his arms before him to make the Prayer of Yevon with a respectful bow to the on looking crowd. A smile crept upon his face as he descended the wooden incline, and acknowledged every approaching official with a dismissive wave. While many of the Yevonites seemed shocked to have been interrupted in their hellos to the Grand Maester, each standing aside to let the Guado pass, many people began to clap as Seymour strode forward to stand before the crowd. “Today is a joyous day, as that much can be evidenced by the weather and every face in this crowd. It pleases me to join you all here on this fine afternoon, to take part in the festive nature of yet another esteemed and competitive blitzball tournament.” The speech to the people brought about much applause from the crowd, which was met with a smile upon Seymour’s part. The Grand Maester was then escorted from Dock 4 to Luca Stadium, where a luxury lounge for important guests had been set up. As he made his way from the docks to the site of the games, Seymour could hear the commentators already beginning the introduction ceremonies for everyone watching on the Sphere Network.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the opening tournament of the season!”
“That’s right Bobba, we’ve got some great blitzball action today!”
It will be history in the making Jimma, as not only are we going to witness the largest tournament in Luca’s history, but a new team is making it’s debut today as well!”
“I can’t wait for this. After many years of speculating whether or not it could be possible, Bevelle has finally managed to get a team together. Since this will be their first outing in real competition , it’s certainly hard to gauge their skill.”
“The best of luck to that team, Jimma. Moving along, at Dock Number two its…”
The luxury box was fit for royalty, as it was fitted with a soft carpet of a lightly hued aqua, which greatly reflected the massive Blitz Sphere viewable from the retractable glass windows that made up the majority of the far wall. The entirety of the stadium could be seen from here, as a perfect view of the game would be accessible, and it was also where the desk for the commentators of the tournament had been set up. Upon his entry into this esteemed room, which appeared to possess every possible type of condiment and nourishment one could ask for, Seymour took note of the numerous tournament officials who had gathered inside. As they noticed the Grand Maester, they all turned to respectively make the Prayer of Yevon to the Leader of the Guado, moving just enough so that the blue eyed Unsent could glimpse the revolving cylinder used for the draft lottery, attached to a handle used to turn and tumble the spheres inside. Among the group that had congregated in this box included many Yevon clergymen, stadium staff, tournament officials, one or two referees, and Baralai. Once they had made their respects to him, Seymour returned the favor and gave a solemn nod. “I believe all the participating teams are now here, as both the Bevelle and Guado squads arrived upon my ship not too long ago,” stated the Unsent to the tournament officials, who then took their time in going over the last few check ups on their lists. Baralai nodded to Seymour, then looked to the nearest official with a stern expression.
“You can each go to collect the captains of the teams now. If you would be so kind as to escort them all back here, I see no trouble why we cannot do the drawing in here.” Once the request was given, many of the tournament officials began to exit the room, shortly followed by Seymour and the Clergymen. Within a few minutes many of the officials were out on the docks, looking for the different teams in hopes to find their respective captains. Meanwhile Seymour and his party of Yevonites had journeyed to the VIP box, where the Leader of the Guado had been blessed to be able to be a spectator at the last tournament. This had also been the exact spot where he had summoned Anima to dispose of the fiends he had summoned, yet as Seymour took ease upon his well cushioned seat, he remained aware of the fact that such a ruse could not be accomplished this time around. There were many people who remained speculative of this event, and though while most sought to enjoy it, there were few who only saw it as another stage for another fiend attack. Despite these rumors that tried their best to spread themselves, most people only cared about the excess amount of blitzball they were about to enjoy, and so sought optimism where these conspiracies were brought up. As he fingers caressed the gold armrests upon the chair he now sat in, Seymour looked forward to the massive sphere of water, and silently observed the serene features of the aqua. It held a sway about its form, much like the eerie surfaces of the Farplane gates in Guadosalam. The wait would be plentiful, as many people were still rustling about the Stadium, and had yet to see their way to their seats.
The games were soon to begin, and anything could happen.
---
It was a mostly sunny day for a blitzball tournament in Spira; the last of the cold weather's early morning showers came, leaving fresh morning dewdrops on the city of Luca and it's plant life, sunny with slightly overcast clouds. The crowds were gathering and taking their seats in the massive arena, colorful decorations and team colors everywhere, people holding hands cheerfully with family and friends while eating vending food as if the worries of Sin and Vengagun were just a faded memory. People of all walks of life were filing into the area, not just the races of Spira such as the Ronsos, the Guado and the Al Bhed, but here and there the odd discrete traveler from another world maintaining the world order could be invited to take a ticket at the gate as well. All the team captains had been summoned to the Luca docks surrounding the stadium, and as one of them, Tidus was hoping to look forward to captaining the Besaid Aurochs again. However, it looked like things had changed the last time he was in Spira, as Tidus was facing off against someone from his girlfriend Yuna's past.
"No way. You slacker, there's no room for lazy excuses like you to captain the team I trained so hard. I'm the captain now." Becklem stated, the representative of the Youth League who had been sent to Besaid Island, and had now taken over the team in Tidus' absense. The Besaid Aurochs behind him rubbed their heads sheepishly, none of them able to look Tidus in the eye, except when they snuck the odd glance out of either reverence for their former star player or shame. "Okay, okay, fine. Good luck with the games, then, and if we meet on the field then we won't go easy on you!" Tidus exclaimed, pumping his fist in front of him as is usual confident salute. "Hmph. You and what team? You've only got a short amount of time to even qualify; you'll never make it. Trust someone like you to be lost in memories and dreams of the past to not see what's happening right now." Becklem coldly ordered, turning around. The Besaid Aurochs followed him, without a further glance to Tidus, to the players-only section for registering.
(He was right. I had no team; the Zanarkand Abes were now no more being just a dream of Sin, and I'm the only existing one left. Unless... and then a idea came to me. It was a long shot, sure... but hopefully some people heard the word I spread around about Seymour, and had come to help. Maybe they could help and play blitzball... by joining the one and only legendary Zanarkand Abes. The team could be formed again, with me as captain... it was the only way to stay legitimately in the games to see what scheme Seymour was up to.) Tidus thought in internal monologue to himself, as he starting to look around and scout for players on his empty pier, hoping powerful and uniquely skilled players would be drawn by the visitor's entrance nearby.
It was his only hope. He picked up his trademark yellow and black megaphone, and clambered up atop some crates to get as much attention as possible. "Sign up here to become one of the legendary team members of the Zanarkand Abes! Are you tired of the Yevon Primus oppression? Tired of being seen as no-one important? Want to show this world just what you're capable of against all odds and a amazing co-operative team by your side? Come and join me, Tidus, star of the Zanakand Abes! We'll take you to the finals and beyond, because what's our goal? Victory!" As people started crowding around to listen in interest what he had to say, even if he had the odd person make a negative expression and/or turn away, he began to notice a few individual people stand out from the crowd. After making a few changes, he placed down and pointed to a sign-up sheet on the table, where the top of the sheet with the name and insignia of the Zanarkand Abes was emblazoned above the words 'SIGN UP: add signature below'.
---
Some time later, after he had finished mollifying everyone how to play the game and they had handed in their registration forms, they were all inside the stadium. The roar of the crowd was all around them as they stood in the very center of the stadium, atop enormous rings, and pocketed at the edge of these rings were small warm, bubble-jetted spas for the players to relax in before the game started. Tidus relaxed as he lay back in one of these, drowning out the roar of the audience for the moment as he listened to the soothing rhythmic tide of the water lapping up against the side of the spa, his eyes closed. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's match will be... the Zanarkand Abes, versus... the Guado Glories! For the title of going into the quarter finals!" Tidus heard the announcer even from underwater, rising as he seemed serious for a moment, turning to everyone in his team in the surrounding spas next to him. "Remember what I told you guys, that because of players trying to enhance their breathing, they came up with this water you'll be able to breathe in. But when I say 'What's our goal?' I want you all to cheer with me, 'VICTORY!'."
"So everyone, as the Zanarkand Abes... what's our goal?" he smiled, hoping the other players would unite with team spirit and chime in.
"VICTORY!" everyone would chime in together, hands in the middle as they threw them up into the air in team spirit.
The moment Tidus had finished speaking, turning to the center of the spherical rings they were standing on, a big spark appeared with a static snap and had been gathering in size, until suddenly there was an implosion which the forceful but harmless shockwave of wind washed over them and slightly pushed back the crowd. From the center of the advanced and once-forbidden machina that was powering up the sphere, water began to fill it up, and Tidus lead the way and jumped in to swim to the middle. The scoreboard lit up and the whistle blew after everyone had taken their positions and went with the coin toss, the Glories winning the toss and getting the ball first. Immediately a machina from the bottom of the Blitzball sphere shot up the ball, and it landed in the possession of the team captain of the Guados called Navara; for this round it would be up to the Zanarkand Abes to stop him with their tackling abilities as he swam towards the goal.
The horn started the game off as the captain of the Guado Glories, Seymour's former team, rushed for the goal. Tidus was swimming in the immediate area off to his left and hung back for the moment, however; there were other ways to show support simply by running in and tackling. There was the concern of his as the captain that if they both didn't knock out the captain to steal the ball, then the captain would break through their defenses and rush the goal. Tidus waited for just that, and as predicted, the Guado captain passed the ball towards another player, Tidus reaching up with a hand to try to block it.
"Navara Guado has made a pass, and Tidus the team captain is attempting to block it... its passed through his block and it's caught by Geira Guado!" the commentator announced, and an uproar came from the stands as the crowd cheered both Navara's and Tidus's efforts.
Geira Guado, the left forward of the Guado Glories, swam unopposed to the goal and attempted to make a kick for the first goal of the game. If the Guados got the goal, it would put them with a solid lead for the game, making an humilating early defeat for the Zanarkand Abes. Swimming after him, Tidus attempted to be one of the defenders to block as he lined up a shot; if the shot was to be blocked, it was up to any other team players as well as the goalie's catching abilities to block it. "Giera lines up for the kick..." the commentator added to the tension of the moment, everyone's breath hitched as the moment in time suspended; would the Zanarkand Abes be eliminated early and Seymour's plot to destroy Spira never challenged?
Tournament theme: Otherworld
-----
Tidus needs five more people to join the Zanarkand Abes. If you want to join Tidus's team, just fill out the self-descriptive application below:
Position: Your position you'll be taking on the field. There are five other positions: Left Forward, Right Forward, Middle Forward, Left Defense, Right Defense, and Goalie. Tidus already has the position of Left Forward, and if not all positions are taken, then they will be filled with NPCs. Only one character per member per sign up.
Abilities: Pick four abilities from your character's powers; two offensive for attacking a player with a ball, and two for shooting the ball. With attacking a player with the ball, pick an power which only hits once. For shooting, pick a power that hits more than once, but if it hits more than four times, then it will only strike three targets maximum before kicking the goal. If you don't have any powers that hit more than once, your shooting powers will only be able to knock out one opponent in addition to shooting the goal (see Shooting below). If these powers happen to have special effects, Tidus will post up with your stat results what your powers will do, or how many times it will knock out opponents if it's a Shooting Power.
Random Stat One: This will determine one of your stats. Count how many of your powers you have and put the number here.
Random Stat Two: This will determine one of your stats. Number of the day of the month you were born. If it is below 5, then the day it says on your View Profile when you registered your account.
Random Stat Three: This will determine one of your stats. Count number of letters before the @ in your e-mail address, then put it here.
Random Stat Four: This will determine one of your stats. The number of the day you registered on the site. If its below 5, the number of the day of the month you were born. It is' 20 or higher, then minus (take away) 10 from that number.
Random Stat Five: This will determine one of your stats. Pick one of these three characters: Sora, Riku, or Kairi. Tidus will determine this stat for you depending on your answer.
Post this template above your roleplaying post, so Tidus knows you are signing on to play for the team. If you want to watch the match and post in the roleplay, you can post and not sign-up with the template (but if demand becomes too much, then Tidus will post a link to a seperate thread). In Tidus' next post, he will post up each player's stats and powers, along with who is in what team if the demand exceeds as well.
Sign-up end date: 5th of August, 2012 (Additional players and teams will be added if positions exceed the demand!)
If you have any questions and aren't sure how to go about the game after reading the above, please PM Tidus on Vincent's account (since he's on it more as staff) or ask me in the c-box when I'm in there. ^__^ Now, there will be no posting order; as this thread is intended for everyone to have fun, just post when you can, and the next round will continue once everyone's posted. People who are not playing Blitzball can post in the thread and be in the audience. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please PM any of my accounts. Now let's kick some blitzballs! Have fun guys! Goooo Abes! ^__^)
Tidus' stats:
Tidus - Tackling Abilities:
Drain Tackle's special effect is cutting the stats of his opponent in half for that turn only. If he chooses to pass it to another player, they gain +5 to their SH if they attempt to kick a goal, for that turn only. Cannot stack.
Venom Tackle II's special effect is Poisoning the opponent, cutting the stats of his opponent in by the same amount the next round/encounter before it wears off and also adding + 5 to ATK.
Shooting abilities:
Sphere Shot's special effect is adding +3 to SH stat when he kicks a goal.
Jecht Shot's special ability is able to eliminate two players blocking the kick and adding +5 to his SH. (he cannot eliminate the goalie)
Position: Left Forward
BL (Blocking) : 30
PA (Passing): 14
AT (Attack): 19
EN (Endurance) 13
SH (Shooting) : 14
(OOC: Just a quick author's note. This is Tidus's thread, and he's taking charge of it following this intro post I decided to write up for consideration of the opening ceremonies and other formal stuff like that. Seymour's just a spectator in this thread, so I won't be adding much in with him. Mkay that's all, LET THE GAMES BEGIN)
The air was crisp on this warm, sunny day, and every swift breeze that swept through the salty atmosphere surrounding the docks of Luca, was welcomed with bright smiles and cheerful demeanors. Today was a big day in Luca, and that much could be witnessed by the thousands upon thousands of people who flocked through the streets, and the many who filled the docks as many ships had continued to arrive from all over Spira. The sounds of flags billowing in the wind, waves crashing upon the shores, and gulls crying as they made flight filled the air everywhere, and the sun shone brightly above. There was a very positive vibe filling the city, and it could only be replicated by two events in the history of the world; The first being the last large tournament in Luca, where unfortunately many fiends had arrived to terrorize the spectators and participants. Many people remembered the last tournament in Luca before the lengthy off season, however with the popular game known as Sphere Break, the time passed had been spent with little boredom. Though it was not enough to contain the desire that blitzball players continued to find themselves filled to the brim with. The second event in history to even be compared to the current festive nature of Luca, was over a thousand years past, within the machina city of Zanarkand. Many of the writers, commentators and spectators had already started to comment on the scale this tournament was growing to be, as not only was there the excitement of the blitz tournament to look forward to, but it had also been promised that the Grand Maester of Yevon Primus was to be among the attendees. This created a lot of buzz from the people, as they had been looking forward to the peace rally the Maester was said to be leading, and with the absence of Sin in the world, many were certain that a true Eternal Calm was sure to begin this day.
The waves of the sea were calm, yet despite this, Seymour found that the ship upon which he traveled had its deck soaked continuously. The grand flagship of Yevon Primus was much like the one he had boarded with Yo Mika many years prior, yet unlike the crimson sails that adorned the former Grand Maester’s ship; the one that cut through the waters on this day flew sails of white and blue. Many officials from Yevon Primus were aboard the vessel, as well as the recently formed Bevelle Breakers, a blitz team that had come together over the last four months prior to Seymour’s revival. The team itself was composed of various former Crusaders, yet among their ranks there were a few followers of Yevon who wanted to change their outlook on life. The team seemed well versed with each other, as from Seymour had been able to tell upon this boat trip to Luca, they had been practicing very hard. All of that practice would surely be needed if they hoped to get past the first round, as well as take down the Luca Goers, and the Besaid Aurochs. Their uniforms were composed of a dark shade of blue, with gold and crimson trimmings around their pads and armor, which greatly reflected the Aeon of their hometown. The team had been known to pray to Bahamut for victory, as they believed the powerful entity to be guiding their progress, and would hopefully grant them the Crystal Cup. Though despite being from Bevelle, the team found itself hard pressed to impress the Grand Maester, as they anticipated him to be rooting for the Guado Glories, whom were also aboard the ship.
The Grand Maester had spent most of the time in one of the many cabins provided, only bothering to venture out on deck whenever the confinement began to bore him. The wheels of the colossal machine were turning with great force, and with this blitz tournament to go along as planned, the people of Spira would know true peace. They would no longer be burdened by the needless bickering of different factions vying for power and influence over the people, no, they would understand what a Calm was supposed to be like. Like the many that had come before this one, the people would be able to embrace the Calm, and live in undisturbed peace like they wanted. No doubt after this festive event had transpired, the many flocks of sheep would return to their respective fields in the world, simply to graze upon the grass that was their contentment. They would let their guards down, and return to their simple existences, with the knowledge that Yevon Primus would keep them safe from the Heartless. While the dark beings had been known to be attracted toward the more northern parts of the continent, Seymour had assured everyone that the Stadium, as well as the entirety of Luca would be safeguarded from any threats. This day of peace would prosper, and Seymour remained certain that the Heartless would not disrupt it; he had taken every precaution within his power to reinforce this statement.
While the waves continued to break upon the bow of the ship, Seymour watched on from the upper level, his icy blue gaze focused upon the faint structures of Luca slowly growing in size upon their arrival. It was possible that the docks were already buzzing due to the sighting of the Grand Maester’s ship a few miles off shore, yet it was assured that every dock was flourishing with life and activity. The first matches were to start upon the arrival of the Yevon officials, and with only two of the teams yet to arrive, many of the organizers in Luca had already announced the beginning of the seed lottery, which would determine the matches for the coming competition. Among those Yevon officials already in Luca was a young man, and former praetor of New Yevon, Baralai, who had been asked by a clergymen to oversee the lottery as a favor to Maester Seymour. The youthful former member of the Crimson Squad accepted the offer with little hesitation, hoping to gain more respect among his peers, pay respect to the late Maester Mika, and be granted permission to return to the temples, no longer ex-communicated. No one knew that the Meyvn of the Youth League had suddenly gone missing, and yet Baralai was surprisingly among these numbers. Many people assumed that the Youth League was now doing what the Machine Faction had done since the crisis in the temples, and had only been laying low to keep their operations to themselves. The days following the Grand Maester’s speech had also forced relocation upon the occupants of Djose Temple, as many Yevonites had arrived by way of Mushroom Rock Road in order to reclaim a place deemed sacred in their eyes.
Soon the ship carrying Spira’s messiah had come into dock, and once the crew aboard had fastened ropes securely to the hook cliffs upon the sides of the ship, a ramp was set up to the ship. Within moments many loyal people of Yevon Primus had laid out a carpet, and had a welcoming party complete with a band set up. A melodic tune was played as many of the officials had begun to get off the ship, followed by the Bevelle Breakers and the Guado Glories in respective order. There was quite the crowd gathering upon Dock 4 to greet the Grand Maester, and Seymour could see the many hopeful faces of the people as he departed from the second level of the ship. Once down the stairs and to the head of the ramp, Seymour waved his arms before him to make the Prayer of Yevon with a respectful bow to the on looking crowd. A smile crept upon his face as he descended the wooden incline, and acknowledged every approaching official with a dismissive wave. While many of the Yevonites seemed shocked to have been interrupted in their hellos to the Grand Maester, each standing aside to let the Guado pass, many people began to clap as Seymour strode forward to stand before the crowd. “Today is a joyous day, as that much can be evidenced by the weather and every face in this crowd. It pleases me to join you all here on this fine afternoon, to take part in the festive nature of yet another esteemed and competitive blitzball tournament.” The speech to the people brought about much applause from the crowd, which was met with a smile upon Seymour’s part. The Grand Maester was then escorted from Dock 4 to Luca Stadium, where a luxury lounge for important guests had been set up. As he made his way from the docks to the site of the games, Seymour could hear the commentators already beginning the introduction ceremonies for everyone watching on the Sphere Network.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the opening tournament of the season!”
“That’s right Bobba, we’ve got some great blitzball action today!”
It will be history in the making Jimma, as not only are we going to witness the largest tournament in Luca’s history, but a new team is making it’s debut today as well!”
“I can’t wait for this. After many years of speculating whether or not it could be possible, Bevelle has finally managed to get a team together. Since this will be their first outing in real competition , it’s certainly hard to gauge their skill.”
“The best of luck to that team, Jimma. Moving along, at Dock Number two its…”
The luxury box was fit for royalty, as it was fitted with a soft carpet of a lightly hued aqua, which greatly reflected the massive Blitz Sphere viewable from the retractable glass windows that made up the majority of the far wall. The entirety of the stadium could be seen from here, as a perfect view of the game would be accessible, and it was also where the desk for the commentators of the tournament had been set up. Upon his entry into this esteemed room, which appeared to possess every possible type of condiment and nourishment one could ask for, Seymour took note of the numerous tournament officials who had gathered inside. As they noticed the Grand Maester, they all turned to respectively make the Prayer of Yevon to the Leader of the Guado, moving just enough so that the blue eyed Unsent could glimpse the revolving cylinder used for the draft lottery, attached to a handle used to turn and tumble the spheres inside. Among the group that had congregated in this box included many Yevon clergymen, stadium staff, tournament officials, one or two referees, and Baralai. Once they had made their respects to him, Seymour returned the favor and gave a solemn nod. “I believe all the participating teams are now here, as both the Bevelle and Guado squads arrived upon my ship not too long ago,” stated the Unsent to the tournament officials, who then took their time in going over the last few check ups on their lists. Baralai nodded to Seymour, then looked to the nearest official with a stern expression.
“You can each go to collect the captains of the teams now. If you would be so kind as to escort them all back here, I see no trouble why we cannot do the drawing in here.” Once the request was given, many of the tournament officials began to exit the room, shortly followed by Seymour and the Clergymen. Within a few minutes many of the officials were out on the docks, looking for the different teams in hopes to find their respective captains. Meanwhile Seymour and his party of Yevonites had journeyed to the VIP box, where the Leader of the Guado had been blessed to be able to be a spectator at the last tournament. This had also been the exact spot where he had summoned Anima to dispose of the fiends he had summoned, yet as Seymour took ease upon his well cushioned seat, he remained aware of the fact that such a ruse could not be accomplished this time around. There were many people who remained speculative of this event, and though while most sought to enjoy it, there were few who only saw it as another stage for another fiend attack. Despite these rumors that tried their best to spread themselves, most people only cared about the excess amount of blitzball they were about to enjoy, and so sought optimism where these conspiracies were brought up. As he fingers caressed the gold armrests upon the chair he now sat in, Seymour looked forward to the massive sphere of water, and silently observed the serene features of the aqua. It held a sway about its form, much like the eerie surfaces of the Farplane gates in Guadosalam. The wait would be plentiful, as many people were still rustling about the Stadium, and had yet to see their way to their seats.
The games were soon to begin, and anything could happen.
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[/center][/div][/font][/size][/sub]Go now, if you want itAn otherworld awaits you
It was a mostly sunny day for a blitzball tournament in Spira; the last of the cold weather's early morning showers came, leaving fresh morning dewdrops on the city of Luca and it's plant life, sunny with slightly overcast clouds. The crowds were gathering and taking their seats in the massive arena, colorful decorations and team colors everywhere, people holding hands cheerfully with family and friends while eating vending food as if the worries of Sin and Vengagun were just a faded memory. People of all walks of life were filing into the area, not just the races of Spira such as the Ronsos, the Guado and the Al Bhed, but here and there the odd discrete traveler from another world maintaining the world order could be invited to take a ticket at the gate as well. All the team captains had been summoned to the Luca docks surrounding the stadium, and as one of them, Tidus was hoping to look forward to captaining the Besaid Aurochs again. However, it looked like things had changed the last time he was in Spira, as Tidus was facing off against someone from his girlfriend Yuna's past.
"No way. You slacker, there's no room for lazy excuses like you to captain the team I trained so hard. I'm the captain now." Becklem stated, the representative of the Youth League who had been sent to Besaid Island, and had now taken over the team in Tidus' absense. The Besaid Aurochs behind him rubbed their heads sheepishly, none of them able to look Tidus in the eye, except when they snuck the odd glance out of either reverence for their former star player or shame. "Okay, okay, fine. Good luck with the games, then, and if we meet on the field then we won't go easy on you!" Tidus exclaimed, pumping his fist in front of him as is usual confident salute. "Hmph. You and what team? You've only got a short amount of time to even qualify; you'll never make it. Trust someone like you to be lost in memories and dreams of the past to not see what's happening right now." Becklem coldly ordered, turning around. The Besaid Aurochs followed him, without a further glance to Tidus, to the players-only section for registering.
(He was right. I had no team; the Zanarkand Abes were now no more being just a dream of Sin, and I'm the only existing one left. Unless... and then a idea came to me. It was a long shot, sure... but hopefully some people heard the word I spread around about Seymour, and had come to help. Maybe they could help and play blitzball... by joining the one and only legendary Zanarkand Abes. The team could be formed again, with me as captain... it was the only way to stay legitimately in the games to see what scheme Seymour was up to.) Tidus thought in internal monologue to himself, as he starting to look around and scout for players on his empty pier, hoping powerful and uniquely skilled players would be drawn by the visitor's entrance nearby.
It was his only hope. He picked up his trademark yellow and black megaphone, and clambered up atop some crates to get as much attention as possible. "Sign up here to become one of the legendary team members of the Zanarkand Abes! Are you tired of the Yevon Primus oppression? Tired of being seen as no-one important? Want to show this world just what you're capable of against all odds and a amazing co-operative team by your side? Come and join me, Tidus, star of the Zanakand Abes! We'll take you to the finals and beyond, because what's our goal? Victory!" As people started crowding around to listen in interest what he had to say, even if he had the odd person make a negative expression and/or turn away, he began to notice a few individual people stand out from the crowd. After making a few changes, he placed down and pointed to a sign-up sheet on the table, where the top of the sheet with the name and insignia of the Zanarkand Abes was emblazoned above the words 'SIGN UP: add signature below'.
---
Some time later, after he had finished mollifying everyone how to play the game and they had handed in their registration forms, they were all inside the stadium. The roar of the crowd was all around them as they stood in the very center of the stadium, atop enormous rings, and pocketed at the edge of these rings were small warm, bubble-jetted spas for the players to relax in before the game started. Tidus relaxed as he lay back in one of these, drowning out the roar of the audience for the moment as he listened to the soothing rhythmic tide of the water lapping up against the side of the spa, his eyes closed. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's match will be... the Zanarkand Abes, versus... the Guado Glories! For the title of going into the quarter finals!" Tidus heard the announcer even from underwater, rising as he seemed serious for a moment, turning to everyone in his team in the surrounding spas next to him. "Remember what I told you guys, that because of players trying to enhance their breathing, they came up with this water you'll be able to breathe in. But when I say 'What's our goal?' I want you all to cheer with me, 'VICTORY!'."
"So everyone, as the Zanarkand Abes... what's our goal?" he smiled, hoping the other players would unite with team spirit and chime in.
"VICTORY!" everyone would chime in together, hands in the middle as they threw them up into the air in team spirit.
The moment Tidus had finished speaking, turning to the center of the spherical rings they were standing on, a big spark appeared with a static snap and had been gathering in size, until suddenly there was an implosion which the forceful but harmless shockwave of wind washed over them and slightly pushed back the crowd. From the center of the advanced and once-forbidden machina that was powering up the sphere, water began to fill it up, and Tidus lead the way and jumped in to swim to the middle. The scoreboard lit up and the whistle blew after everyone had taken their positions and went with the coin toss, the Glories winning the toss and getting the ball first. Immediately a machina from the bottom of the Blitzball sphere shot up the ball, and it landed in the possession of the team captain of the Guados called Navara; for this round it would be up to the Zanarkand Abes to stop him with their tackling abilities as he swam towards the goal.
The horn started the game off as the captain of the Guado Glories, Seymour's former team, rushed for the goal. Tidus was swimming in the immediate area off to his left and hung back for the moment, however; there were other ways to show support simply by running in and tackling. There was the concern of his as the captain that if they both didn't knock out the captain to steal the ball, then the captain would break through their defenses and rush the goal. Tidus waited for just that, and as predicted, the Guado captain passed the ball towards another player, Tidus reaching up with a hand to try to block it.
"Navara Guado has made a pass, and Tidus the team captain is attempting to block it... its passed through his block and it's caught by Geira Guado!" the commentator announced, and an uproar came from the stands as the crowd cheered both Navara's and Tidus's efforts.
Geira Guado, the left forward of the Guado Glories, swam unopposed to the goal and attempted to make a kick for the first goal of the game. If the Guados got the goal, it would put them with a solid lead for the game, making an humilating early defeat for the Zanarkand Abes. Swimming after him, Tidus attempted to be one of the defenders to block as he lined up a shot; if the shot was to be blocked, it was up to any other team players as well as the goalie's catching abilities to block it. "Giera lines up for the kick..." the commentator added to the tension of the moment, everyone's breath hitched as the moment in time suspended; would the Zanarkand Abes be eliminated early and Seymour's plot to destroy Spira never challenged?
Tournament theme: Otherworld
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Rules:
Tidus needs five more people to join the Zanarkand Abes. If you want to join Tidus's team, just fill out the self-descriptive application below:
Position: Your position you'll be taking on the field. There are five other positions: Left Forward, Right Forward, Middle Forward, Left Defense, Right Defense, and Goalie. Tidus already has the position of Left Forward, and if not all positions are taken, then they will be filled with NPCs. Only one character per member per sign up.
Abilities: Pick four abilities from your character's powers; two offensive for attacking a player with a ball, and two for shooting the ball. With attacking a player with the ball, pick an power which only hits once. For shooting, pick a power that hits more than once, but if it hits more than four times, then it will only strike three targets maximum before kicking the goal. If you don't have any powers that hit more than once, your shooting powers will only be able to knock out one opponent in addition to shooting the goal (see Shooting below). If these powers happen to have special effects, Tidus will post up with your stat results what your powers will do, or how many times it will knock out opponents if it's a Shooting Power.
Random Stat One: This will determine one of your stats. Count how many of your powers you have and put the number here.
Random Stat Two: This will determine one of your stats. Number of the day of the month you were born. If it is below 5, then the day it says on your View Profile when you registered your account.
Random Stat Three: This will determine one of your stats. Count number of letters before the @ in your e-mail address, then put it here.
Random Stat Four: This will determine one of your stats. The number of the day you registered on the site. If its below 5, the number of the day of the month you were born. It is' 20 or higher, then minus (take away) 10 from that number.
Random Stat Five: This will determine one of your stats. Pick one of these three characters: Sora, Riku, or Kairi. Tidus will determine this stat for you depending on your answer.
[b]Position:[/b]
[b]Abilities:[/b] [Attacking power number one; attacking power number two; shooting power number one; shooting power number two.]
[b]Random Stat One:[/b] <read description above and place answer here>
[b]Random Stat Two:[/b] <read description above and place answer here>
[b]Random Stat Three:[/b] <read description above and place answer here>
[b]Random Stat Four:[/b] <read description above and place answer here>
[b]Random Stat Five:[/b] <read description above and place answer here>
Post this template above your roleplaying post, so Tidus knows you are signing on to play for the team. If you want to watch the match and post in the roleplay, you can post and not sign-up with the template (but if demand becomes too much, then Tidus will post a link to a seperate thread). In Tidus' next post, he will post up each player's stats and powers, along with who is in what team if the demand exceeds as well.
- The match will go for five rounds/turns. Every turn, the ball will be launched into the blitzball arena, and the Zanarkand Abes will always grab the ball first in the first round (Tidus will describe who the ball is given to). In the next round, whoever scores a goal, the opposing team will get the ball.
- Whoever has the ball will make an attempt to go for the goal. Every round, that member will always have an encounter, with one or more people from the opposite team. Any amount of players can join the encounter, but the more the team is focused on one point of the field, the weaker the defenses are on other parts of the field for the opposing team to throw the ball and get through. Everyone will get an encounter if they do not participate in a previous encounter, taking turns to be involved in different encounters on the field, so if you chose not to be in a encounter you will have the option to be involved in the next one.
- In a encounter, the player with the ball has two options, and can only either do tackling or passing.Tackling: The player can choose to tackle, and must select one of their attacking powers to do so. When you do so, that power's cooldown will be added to your [AT (Attack) stat (which Tidus will provide for you in his initial post to notify everyone of their stats). This number will then be taken away from that player's EN (Endurance) stat. If you (or you and any teammates involved) manage to deplete that player's EN stat, then the last person that reduced the stat to 0 (zero) will remove that player from the encounter. If there are no other players who chose not to tackle you or your teammates, the player with the ball can break through the defenses and go for the next encounter. If there are opponents that chose not to tackle you, then you will have to pass the ball (see below). The players you have tackled keep their EN stat lowered for that amount until a goal is scored.
Passing: If the player with the ball decides to throw the ball (or there are people who chose not to tackle you in the example above), then the PA (Passing) stat will be played against the remaining opposing team's combined BL (Block) stats (which Tidus will provide for you in his initial post to notify everyone of their stats). After the player with the ball states in their post clearly who to pass to, whoever attempts to block the ball will take away with their BL stat from the PA stat, and if the combined BL (Block) stat of the opposing team is larger then the player who reduced their stat to 0 (zero) keeps the ball. If the opposing team blocking the ball has a lower combined BL stat, the ball passes through (and sometimes will even miss a NPC player based on Tidus' decision) and whoever the player with the ball decided to clearly pass it to then that player will catch the ball. The player's PA will remain the same amount until someone scores a goal.
Players without the ball also have two options, either tackling, or blocking.- Tackling: The player can chose one of their Attacking Powers, and add it's cooldown number to their AT (Attack) stat (which Tidus will provide for you in his initial post to notify everyone of their stats). This number will then be taken away from that player with the balls EN (Endurance) stat. If the EN stat of the player with the ball fails to be reduced to 0, then the player keeps the ball, but also keeps their EN stat lowered for that amount until a goal is scored. If you (or you and any teammates involved) manage to deplete that player's EN stat, then the last person that reduced the stat to 0 (zero) will steal the ball from that player.
- Blocking: If you chose not to tackle the player with the ball, and the player with the ball either endures any tackles made to him in attempting to pass it or passes it without anyone tackling them, then your BL (Block) stat combined with your team mates will take away the PA (Passing) of the opponent with the ball. If the opponent's PA is completely reduced to 0 (zero) then the last player who's stat reduced the ball to 0 then catches the ball. If the combined BL stats of your team does not reduce the ball player's PA stat though, then they will succesfully pass to whomever Tidus designated they were passing to on the team.
- This is what will happen after every encounter, and once the encounter is finished (when it comes around to Tidus' turn and he shows the workings of what happened) then the player with the ball will move and the next encounter happens. Every second round will be an attempt on the goal, with the fifth round being an exception as a extra innings for the winning team with the most points so far to make a goal. If both teams are tied one on one, then whoever scored the goal last will have the chance to kick the goal, but if that team misses the opposing team gets an attempt to score a goal in a additional round until a team scores a goal.Shooting: During a round where it's designated as a shot for the goal. the rules are the same as a normal encounter, except that for the person with the ball the option to do Tackling is replaced by Shooting. Shooting is just like passing, and the player can select a Shooting power, and that power's cooldown will add to the players SH (Shooting) stat (which Tidus will provide for you in his initial post to notify everyone of their stats). If there are any special effects, Tidus will state what they are in his inital post of your stats before the game, as some of these will remove opposing team members from blocking with their BL stat. Your SH stat will go against any defending player(s) combined BL stat plus the goalie's CA (Catching) stat. If the opposing team's BL plus CA stat reduces your SH stat to 0 (zero), then the last member who did as such will catch the ball (or sometimes Tidus will decide if they fumbled the ball, so someone else on your team can catch it and take a shot, in the event your SH stat is reduced to 0 as a 'second chance' and so your team mates can catch and attempt to shoot). If your SH is higher than the opposing team's BL plus CA stat, then congratulations, you've scored a goal for your team and your team will earn one point.
- Passing: If you decide to pass to another player instead, then it's the same as the Passing rule above if you're the player who has the ball, with the exception that if you are successful passing to a player of your choice, that person can shoot for a free goal because the opposing team was too busy trying to block/catch your pass.
- The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
* This idea/design of Blitzball roleplay is based off the game Blitzball from FFX, none of the basic concepts of Blitzball, characters nor FFX belongs to me. Any similar blitzball threads on this site or others found to be identical or similar in concept or execution in roleplay without prior consent to Tidus will be reported to the admin staff of that roleplay site in a formal complaint. Ideas in this thread copyrighted, patent-pending and trademarked to Tidus.
Sign-up end date: 5th of August, 2012 (Additional players and teams will be added if positions exceed the demand!)
If you have any questions and aren't sure how to go about the game after reading the above, please PM Tidus on Vincent's account (since he's on it more as staff) or ask me in the c-box when I'm in there. ^__^ Now, there will be no posting order; as this thread is intended for everyone to have fun, just post when you can, and the next round will continue once everyone's posted. People who are not playing Blitzball can post in the thread and be in the audience. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please PM any of my accounts. Now let's kick some blitzballs! Have fun guys! Goooo Abes! ^__^)
Tidus' stats:
Tidus - Tackling Abilities:
Drain Tackle's special effect is cutting the stats of his opponent in half for that turn only. If he chooses to pass it to another player, they gain +5 to their SH if they attempt to kick a goal, for that turn only. Cannot stack.
Venom Tackle II's special effect is Poisoning the opponent, cutting the stats of his opponent in by the same amount the next round/encounter before it wears off and also adding + 5 to ATK.
Shooting abilities:
Sphere Shot's special effect is adding +3 to SH stat when he kicks a goal.
Jecht Shot's special ability is able to eliminate two players blocking the kick and adding +5 to his SH. (he cannot eliminate the goalie)
Position: Left Forward
BL (Blocking) : 30
PA (Passing): 14
AT (Attack): 19
EN (Endurance) 13
SH (Shooting) : 14
Template made by Memzard of OTE
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