Thread: Matrix RP - "This Is A Sparring Program..." *INTRODUCTION AND DISCUSSION*

In the labyrinthine tunnels of the New York sewer system, sometime around 2203 A.D. (at best estimate) the humans continue to condition for their ongoing struggle against the machines. Neo has been recognized as The One, and tales of his power have been telegraphed all throughout Zion, serving as both a sense of hope for the oppressed, and a sense of inspiration for those rebel fighters who seek to bend the Matrix to even a fraction of the degree that he has shown is possible. This strive has increased many rebels’ abilities exponentially, producing fighters paralleling or even surpassing those legendary skills as having belonged to Morpheus and Trinity (who have, since, improved as well) at the time when Neo was discovered.

Throughout the fleet of hover-crafts that call Zion home, these fighters continue training – using, often, the most intense environments to wage their sparring matches – exceedingly determined to reach the pinnacle of their mental proficiency within the Matrix. These sparring matches, more often than not, are held within the relative safety of their ship’s LAN, away from the unrivaled complexity and lethality of the Matrix itself, however this hardly makes the simulations harmless. The atmospheres can be tweaked to provide basically any sort of terrain imaginable. Weapons of all sorts can be loaded before the execution of the program. Safeguards have been created in these sparring programs that cause a deathblow to simply boot an adversary from the program and awaken them to the bow of their ship, instead of bringing about their physical death. As with any other aspect of the virtual fighting, though, there is only so much damage the digital body can take before it begins to take its toll on the fighter. Take too many blows from your opponent, even in the digital world, and they will feel a very real fatigue begin to set in, rendering them much less an able opponent.

Ultimately, though, these are battles of mind. They rely less on who is stronger, or faster, and more on whose mind is more equipped for the battle at hand. Technique, perception, awareness, concentration – these are the attributes that decide the winners, in these contests where no fighter truly begins with a physical advantage. Agents can be dialed in to the programs, of course, as an even more intense challenge, as no rebel – save Neo – has been quite able to match their speed or strength. Cunning, though, is the one true weapon that a human has against a machine. They are not unbeatable. Though whether or not any single fighter will be able to free their mind enough to defeat the next opponent – be it software or another Zionist’s consciousness – remains to be seen…


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As the prologue states, this is about sparring - 1 vs 1, 2 vs 1, whatever. Participants will be playing versions of themselves as Matrix rebels. Basically you can challenge anyone on DV, at any time, since the characters require no real "backstory" at this time. It's just them, set in the world of the Matrix - that is, of course, unless someone would like to fight as an Agent, which is fine as long as it's agreed to by the opponent.

The settings can be anything you wish, and any weapons available in each battle must be stated in the opening post of each battle (approved by both participants - as the settings should be as well - in this thread). Having knowledge of the abilities of the characters in the movie should give a pretty good example of what is allowed. No "super-powers" like pyrokinesis, telepathy, weather control, flight (that is exclusive to Neo), or things of that nature. A slightly superhuman speed and strength advantage is awarded to all who enter the virtual arena. The rules of the sparring programs can be bent. Gravity can be opposed - to an extent - and physics can be slightly overruled. A diverse knowledge of weapons and tactics - whether martial arts or military - is at your disposal (should you decide to use them). Really, it comes down to how well you use what you have.

Ultimately, if this goes well, I'd like to start up a Matrix-based RP (all having to do with original characters based on "ourselves") with a storyline tying into the time period in the movie series between the first Matrix and Matrix: Reloaded, but I don't know a damn thing about running full-scale RP (nor do I have the time to). I just think it would be a good topic for DV Rp, as the world of the Matrix is so analogous to lucid dreaming. As for right now, though, I'd just like to get some fights going. Heh.

ANYWAY. This (so far) is for straight up sparring. No outer story-lines (besides the limited one that's given), or reason for character bio's. Simply "program" (read as: "decide upon") your pre-fight arrangements (i.e; where you are, what you're wearing, what kind of weapons you either have on you or are scattered around the battlefield, etc.) and go at it. Your initial posts should be as if you are already jacked in and seeing the battleground before you.

Any fights under this theme should have their own threads entitled "Matrix Spar: ______ vs. ______". ANY SPECTATORS, PLEASE ONLY COMMENT ON FIGHTS IN THIS THREAD. PLEASE DON'T BOG DOWN OTHERS' FIGHT THREADS WITH DISCUSSION. THIS ONE WILL BE A CATCH-ALL. I will also be updating the following post with links to each of the spars that are going on.

Ideally, it would be great if each fight had an impartial judge to rule over any moves that seemed implausible, given the premise, to try to curtail any arguments between the fighters.. I will do what I can to watch others' battles and moderate. Any judgment calls should be done in this thread.

Anybody wanna fight me first? Let me know, and we'll set the conditions.

Battle List

(Winners are in Red)

Oneironaut vs. Man of Steel and AspirationRealized (ongoing)

Oneironaut vs. Luminous (ongoing)

Oneironaut vs. no-name (finished)

Oneironaut vs. no-name (ongoing)

Oneironaut vs. Mzzkc (ongoing)

Amethyst Star is looking for a sparring partner.

Weapons: Sniper Rifle and Knives

Location: TBA

Conditions: If the head/torso is hit, the match is over. If a limb is hit, it becomes useless but the match continues.

Originally Posted by Amethyst Star

Amethyst Star is looking for a sparring partner.

Weapons: Sniper Rifle and Knives

Location: TBA

Conditions: If the head/torso is hit, the match is over. If a limb is hit, it becomes useless but the match continues.

... o0

((I request Steel consult with me privately before replying. When this post has assumed its purpose (and I'll let you know), it may be deleted))

((No no no. No (known, at least) consulting between posts! Hehe ))

Nobody out there brave enough to accept Ame's challenge?

This looks really fun. I'll join in after I see a couple fights.

I'll fight Ame if she's fine with my conditions.

Out of character:

I am in two other RPs so, my replies will not be reliably fast. However, I have been able to reply once or twice a day consecutively, so this shouldn't be a problem.

In Character:

The match will be held outside and within the confines of three buildings. The one in the center will be the tallest, and the other two of equal height to eachother but only a a story or three shorter. The center building will be met with the other two as if it is the vertex of a right angle; the building north of it will be connected in the center by a hallway between them (the hallway is the length of the street beneath it), while the westernmost building is very close to it, with only an alleyway and several fire escapes between them. The buildings will be referred to as North, Center and West. If this isn't clear, be sure to ask questions. This is very flexible, and can be changed if you have any suggestions... the final accepted specifications will be fleshed out when I post the thread.

Positions at the beginning of the match need not be specified. I think this is a good idea for a match with sniping in it, but I am willing to compromise this condition if you really dislike it.

My character will be using a Mosin-Nagant Sniper Rifle, with a modified chamber to accomodate tranquilizer rounds, 26 per clip (Note that these tranquilizers are not meant to kill or maim but merely to make conditions worse. The effects will make you sluggish and slow, as well as make you dizzy, and at higher levels of intoxication, make your vision blur. The speed and significance of these effects are of course dependent on where you are hit and how many times). It is also customized with paratrooper folding stock and a pistol grip.

Also equipped will be a .45 Colt Single Action Army Revolver. This is meant to kill and maim, but is ineffective at long range, and only the six shots that come with it will be carried.

My character will be wearing a modified ghilli suit, which provides nothing more than camouflage.

Matrix has things downloaded, right? Why not list them while I'm at it. My character will have downloads pertaining to sniping (both the shooting and spotting positions, since I'll have no partner), the revolver, as well as a bit of parkour.

Savvy?