Pipstickz

You can't get a book published these days, no matter how good, unless you're already known on the national stage - corrupt politician, whistle blower, axe murderer, etc.  The publishers want to see their money turn around in a ridiculously short time - like a week or two from when it hits the stands.  I imagine selling a movie concept is similar - you have to pack the theatre on the opening night based on the buzz, and not risk anything on the quality of the movie ie. long term sustainability.  Hence, offering a rehash of a known plot will get people in the seats, and their job is done.

Don't apologise, if its unclear to you its unclear to someone else  I really appreciate these bug reports.
I will spruce up Mur's wording and report back.

@lashtal was "defeated" with the use of a Berserker; I am happy to forfeit to him given the change in rules to account for this, or to otherwise attempt the round anew.

I had one Berserker in both my rituals, we're even Aia.
I believe our match was valid, so rock your way to the very top bottom!

Locked as this has degraded into just petty arguments.
If someone has some constructive ideas please make a new thread, I will review all constructive posts here.

Disagree with both. 
The fact that samurai Jack is the best action cartoon just shows you how pathetic the industry is. Don't get me wrong, but can't we make action productions that are not based on manga written 30 years ago? As for plagiarism in other countries, I'll make my point in a jiffy.
My problem with Hollywood copying the Japanese is the fact that they're dooming you to be forever 12 (mentally). Let's take Mononoke (series). In it, this guy is roaming the land, killing these evils that are born from human emotions. To do that, he has to determine the form, the origin, the facts, and the whole show is kinda like a detective film, or problem-solving task, whatever, watch the show. The point of it is, where there is this great evil, you have to look at all the aspects, and when you've weighted everything, then you can cut at the root of the problem. The various tasks are not that important, the plot is interesting, but overarching is this idea of problem solving. We've got an issue, let's see how to fix the issue.
Here comes a lazy script-writer from Hollywood. Wow, they've got monsters in here. Cool! And this badass guy cuts them with the sword. Cool! And then everybody's happy, there's a damsel crying at the end, they probably did naughty stuff after the show (which means that no, we keep it PG on the cutting, but yes, we insert erotic stuff into the film. Then we call the Japanese kinky for showing breasts). And he takes the plot, disguises it and turns it into a light vs dark thing, Luke, I am your father. Used to be light attribute, now I'm dark. That's it. Day vs night, light vs dark, god vs satan, whatever. What, is that not enough? You're looking for some hidden meaning? Stop trying to think this much! It's just entertainment.
I mean, whatever they copy, it's always light vs dark and the hero vanquishes evil, happy ending, go home, 12 year-old audience. How did the monster appear? Who knows, it's an ancient evil that cannot be defeated and keeps appearing every 2 years for a movie. What are the motivations of the hero? Who knows, he likes getting the girl, probably. Let's also accessorize him with a talking sword - it's there in the Jap version, and it looks cool. Is there something else behind this whole thing, like maybe some moral, some idea? Nope, we don't want to stress your (few) neurons, you won't be able to sleep tonight, thinking that maybe when we've got issues, we're supposed to do some thinking and we're supposed to cut at the root of the problem with determination. It's just entertainment; you want education, you go elsewhere (maybe school, maybe).
And then they wonder the Japanese anime conquers the world. How could it NOT do that when scrap budget production has more depth than a Hollywood blockbuster with millions of dollars budget? And, well, that blockbuster would've had the depth if the hadn't cut it when copying the plot, but whatever. Besides, it's a blockbuster because of the advertising machine which brought people into the cinema after they've heard about this film 30 times a day, each day of the week, and they gave in. Also, there's nothing else to watch, since you don't speak other languages. You could go watch an Ozu or Tarkovsky, but...
And of course nowadays you get a lot of crappy animations, because it did conquer the world and it's more and more of a business. How did it happen, though? Well, they made stuff that had some meaning beyond light vs dark.
Can we get a beige vs grey, perhaps? I know this is how artistic ideas and influences work, but there's a difference between copying (badly) something and taking inside a concept, thinking hard about it and delivering something good at the end of the process. What, we've got no social issues around us? No human condition thoughts to ponder? But you see, it's much easier to copy something than to look around yourself, see what the people around you feel, think, to sympathize with them...After all, that is work, and we prefer stealing.
That's why Hollywood sucks. It's lazy, as I said. And if you don't want to hit a wall at the mental age of 12 and find yourself scared when night comes ('cuz dark vs light, it's dark now, Darth Vader is coming), well...you don't watch these crappy movies.
Why, why watch any Hollywood movie made since the 70's that is half (or much less) of what you'd get if you watched the original film? And my issues is primarily this: if the ratio of original vs copies is 7:3, like it may be, that means I get to watch 7 bad movies that are killing my brains for 3 passable ones ('cuz original does not necessarily mean good). Also, when a studio is known for remaking loads of films (without giving any attribution...or maybe after 50 years, when the income has dried out), how much trust do I put in it? Trust to make an original, that is.
I don't have that kind of time. I'm already getting bored of films altogether, imagine how I feel about that crappy american ''powerhouse'' that lost the creative power when I wasn't even born.
 

I appreciate this topic and I agree with most of the arguments.
I think the problem is not "copying", it's the so-called KISS attitude (keep it simple and stupid) which is spreading not only in arts, but literally in every field and corner. Have you followed a political debate lately?
Pip has a point when he writes "Nobody is just creating in a void".
I was about to write a page long post, but then a quote by T.S. Eliot came to mind.
“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.”
I think it's all here.

On top of the above rewards, if we receive 6 or more quality entries my personal favourite will receive something very rare for me to release - A year 6 anniversary Aramor.
The possibility of more bonus rewards also exists - the Archives are, after all, very important to me.

One would think so, but if a certain leader of the Caretakers did happen to possess of such Berserkers, ascended to their highest level, and also did happen to create the rules, mayhap, naught were overlooked?

I would, mayhap, alter this suggestion to suggest that MP3 should not gain more than five thousand points of heat from any single battle, including that against Non-Player Characters.

The Null and The Void
  The Void is calling, whispering silent screams for me. Do I let them be, or do I give in to the falling?
  I cannot surely ignore the beckon, for I am afraid that I am weak. Do I only take a peek, for it would merely be a second?
  A wonder to stare into its depth, only to be consumed. Would I eventually be exhumed, or left without breath?
  Seconds turn to hours, and with time it all grows larger. Would I be able to departure, or be trapped in all the flowers?
  Perhaps to master the Void, one must be a Null. But before I try to cull, must I not be undestroyed?
  To be a Null would be an achievement, to be something not important. But is something so forgotten, even truly worth attainment?
  If in the end the Void cares not for me, I fear I would not care about myself. Is it worth losing sight of yourself, only for a taste of impossibility?
  I must learn to preserve myself, especially in darkest times. Can I walk between the lines, and put the fear up on the shelf?
  I feel I must remain steadfast, and not be coerced to either side. But how long can I run and hide, from the dead hand of the past?
  I will refrain today from looking, for the Void will not be winning. But will tomorrows bringing, make it all again alluring?
  The Void is calling, whispering silent screams for me. Do I let them be, or do I give in to the falling?

Hello, everyone,
16 years, wow! That's a lot! Throughout these years, we've seen a lot: the rise and fall of many alliances, RPCs, Queens and Kings, not to mention countless events and quests. We have also witnessed the appearance of new lands, creatures and even concepts (Wiiya and Fenths come to mind, for example). I could go on and on, but I'll try to keep this short (and ultimately fail), so bear with me!
Mur once said:
I, for one, find this quote fascinating, especially when we acknowledge the many "coincidences" that take place in our beloved realm. As a (tentative) researcher, I often have to dig through old records to look for said events when trying to identify and/or predict their associated collisions. When doing so, I frequently find myself picturing an ideal world where a certain concept or topic would be well-documented and whichever public information regarding it could be easily retrieved by any interested party. While at first this is a rather selfish thought, I really think such scenario would greatly benefit our community and, as such, I'd like to propose this quest to thee:

TLDR: QUEST DESCRIPTION HERE!
Pick a topic of your choice (anything, really: a particular event, a principle, a resource, an alliance, a faction, a land... hell, even the history behind a certain medal, why not? :P) and document everything you can about it as if you were an Archivist writing a book on that subject for current and future generations. References to relevant announcements, adventure log entries and forum posts are encouraged, as are screenshots, artworks and chat logs — feel free to add anything you'd find appropriate. Bear in mind, though, that we're interested in PUBLIC information here. For the love of our Demon, keep it spoiler-free! Oh, one last thing: due to the nature of our goal, multiple submissions per player are more than welcome, so, the more the merrier — only one pack of rewards per player, though!
 
With your entries, I plan to start organizing (and contributing to) a "new generation" of documents for the MD Archives. I hope that in the future everyone will enjoy heading to the Archives to browse the bookshelves for clues!

Oh, and since there isn't a predefined "editorial style" for these, I'll draw inspiration from our submissions in order to determine that as well.

Finally, I invite anyone inspired by this quest (even if you don't submit an entry) to join me in this endeavor! If you're interested/curious, feel free to send me a PM (forum or in-game would be better... though I might also be available on Discord during the birthday) so we can discuss stuff.
 
Enough with the wordy bit! Here comes some important info:
Submissions Entries are to be sent via FORUM PM. Please don’t make them public before the quest ends as I’d like to see a lot of variety in your entries. After that period, I’ll contact you to find a way to make all of them available (we’ll see how that goes, depending on the formats and whatnot).
Judging We have managed to get a very special Archivist to judge your entries: Kyphis the Bard! Hooray! Oh, also some random guy that goes by the name of Aelis will be acting as judge (don’t trust that one).

Entries will then be judged on:
Presentation (10 points) As I said, there’s no predefined editorial style, so feel free to innovate. Make it interactive, draw stuff, use pictures where one would expect text and vice versa, etc. Go wild on the format and surprise us! Historical accuracy (10 points) We expect you to present good references for the stuff that you write. Try your best to provide “proof” for your sources. Writing (5 points) We won’t look at your grammar or vocabulary here. Just aim for some degree of cogency in your texts, that’s all!  
Rewards (the good part, finally) 1st place: Anniversary creature + Wishpoint (if we have at least 3 entries, if not we’ll see) 2nd place: Anniversary creature + 1 gold 3rd place: Anniversary creature + 5 silver
    Additionally, all entries, regardless of score, will receive some amount of silver or spellstones (the exact quantity will be defined Soon™).

    PS: I have been given the power to award Anniversary creatures to good quality/score entries that don’t make it to the Top 3, so try your best! And now the coolest part: if your entry doesn't make the cut, you’ll have some time to improve it and try again if you’d like.
Deadline April 29th (end of birthday). After we post the results, you get an additional week if you want to improve your entry to go for an Anniversary creature.
       
 
Okay, that was a bit lengthy... thank you for your patience thus far!
Please post here if you have any questions. I'll try to answer as fast as I can.

One of the things to consider that that with the wrong ritual a MP3 can be capped to MP5 without attaining the various other requirements. Certainly when we had one MP7 "helping" out newbies they regularly capped them accidentally :S 
Certainly some of these ideas have merit though and I will investigate them once we know what combat is going to be like.

Welcome one, welcome all! I invite you to join the parade and write your opinion on the idea of pacifism on a societal (or bigger, or smaller, your choice in the end) scale. Write me your thoughts for or against or both or neither, but don't hold back! If anyone finds this is far too open ended then make your voice heard, and I'll shout back some prompts for everybody to hear. Please do remember to write your entries to me privately though as anything otherwise may affect the ideas of others, though I wouldn't dare stop anyone from their private discussion. All that being said, entries will be judged on
x/10 Well reasoned
x/10 Meaningful but concise (not too long not too short, use your judgement)
x/5 Interesting
Paraders may find an anniversary creature as reward at the end, and maybe some other prizes too. (Firmed rewards TBD)
(Entries due by the end of the Anniv, and the parade theme is just a theme, I have no real intention of trying to wrangle all participants in the same place at the same time! Though if they spontaneously organized into a parade, that could be very cool! Much cooler than spontaneous combustion, though that's cool too.)
Good luck folks!

Welcome one, welcome all! I invite you to join the parade and write your opinion on the idea of pacifism on a societal (or bigger, or smaller, your choice in the end) scale. Write me your thoughts for or against or both or neither, but don't hold back! If anyone finds this is far too open ended then make your voice heard, and I'll shout back some prompts for everybody to hear. Please do remember to write your entries to me privately though as anything otherwise may affect the ideas of others, though I wouldn't dare stop anyone from their private discussion. All that being said, entries will be judged on
x/10 Well reasoned
x/10 Meaningful but concise (not too long not too short, use your judgement)
x/5 Interesting
Paraders may find an anniversary creature as reward at the end, and maybe some other prizes too. (Firmed rewards TBD)
(Entries due by the end of the Anniv, and the parade theme is just a theme, I have no real intention of trying to wrangle all participants in the same place at the same time! Though if they spontaneously organized into a parade, that could be very cool! Much cooler than spontaneous combustion, though that's cool too.)
Good luck folks!

Are you sure you don't want it to be "Poultryous" anymore?

Well i don't. Name is something that represents someone not just in his own eyes but also in others eyes. Since i don't see a real reason to consider this name change other than a mood swing, and i don't see it in any way related to who you are, what role you play, or how others know you, i can't approve it. (Not to mention the other name sounds terrible, but thats irrelevant right now)
I approved just very very few name changes over these 16 years and they all had a reason. Imagine people talking about Fang, but refering to mchickenwhatever , its just not you.
(Btw, impressive you got people to vote and support you, this method might have actually worked, too bad just 3)

...ok...
(don't wanna say something dst would say)

There was a comma in the first position of the token field, Does it work now?
 
If so I will script up something to fix everyone and then review whats happening to cause that.

It is fun and interesting that the menu reacts, though. Sometimes my "Fights" button does an extra spin, I feel like it's showing off. I agree with Fyrd nonetheless, especially about the whole menu going away to hide.

And herewith, for those who did wish to note the occurrences within Necrovion:
 
 

Herewith, the log from the event this day:

Many thanks to those who did attend, and welcome to Dracoloth, Priest of the Moon.
 
 

If you slowly mouse down through the list, Quest - QDoc - Navigate - etc. most spaces between menu items are inert.  However, the spaces between the last three menu items are wonky.  Passing over the space between Wishshop and Items sets the menu into a whirly frenzy.  The space between Items and Shop does the same, with the addition that you can lose the menu completely.
If you hope for people to spend things in the shops, you do NOT want to discourage them from using these menus!

As long as she has followers, Syrian still is the queen in exile of the Necrovion people. Even if the land itself doesn't currently acknowledge her as such. And I do believe many still see her as such.