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Senior Columnist: Mitchell Wrieze
Duel to the Death December 17, 2013
Let me preface this article by saying that I have never dueled in RhyDin, nor do I ever plan to in the future.
I respect the art of dueling. I do not use the word art lightly, either; there are most certainly some in RhyDin who would disagree with me on that observation given the sport's premise, but an institution of its caliber doubtlessly garners respect for a multitude of reasons. Dueling in RhyDin has been around for as long as it has largely due to its massive fan base. For as long as duelists come back for more, there will always be fresh blood on the floors of the Outback.
I respect dueling. I appreciate it. I understand that RhyDinians crave an outlet, and hand-to-hand competition will always be a respectable method to gauge oneself against the greater forces inside and outside this realm. However, there are certain lines that we as a people " fighters and non-fighters " must recognize if we are to carry on this history, especially when it comes to allowable or acceptable violence. And more and more frequently, those lines have become blurred.
In a sport such as the Duel of Fists, where a sound kick from Koyliak VanDuran-Simon will crack a man's skull loudly enough to be heard ringside, exactly what kind of violence is considered "excessive?"
Though having taken place in November, the FireStar challenge between Vanion Shadowcast and Melanie Rostol is still being talked about. As far as the Post has learned no publicly accessible recordings exist of the two matches that have generated so much controversy, and perhaps thankfully so. While the lack of hard evidence leaves naught but eyewitness reports for clarification, descriptions in those reports suggest firsthand images may be hard to stomach. According to some, Shadowcast (the Opal holder) allegedly displayed a number of previously recorded images of individuals being physically tortured in order to intimidate Rostol (the challenger) during the matches.
"Melanie challenged me for FireStar, and then dared to act as though I were this vile thing," Shadowcast told the Post recently. "She acted as though she would be doing a favor to the citizens of the city to take my title. I wanted to prove two things in my challenge. One, Melanie is still a rookie. She doesn't have the skills to back up her mouth. And two, Melanie is a murderer without remorse, the same as I. She didn't flinch as her own people burned alive. She even said she wished that she could kill them herself, for being weak. She's not some champion of the people. I think that I proved that."
Is this the mentality that has become generally accepted" Previously recorded or not, the act itself is damaging " to both the challenger and the Outback's image itself.
"It's a sad state of affairs when someone can commit murders just for the sake of a psychological edge in a challenge match and not' feel any repercussions from it?" G"nort Dragoon-Talanador expressed via a telephone interview. "I mean think of it. A guy kills ten people just so he can try using that against his challenger, and everyone's okay with this" I say 'Something should be done on an official level,' since that act was done due to an Opal challenge, and everyone thinks that's crazy. They say 'Challenge and take it from him if you want to do anything about it.' Okay, that makes no sense. Will taking his Opal stop him from killing others for the sake of an Opal challenge" No. However, you strip his title from him, and ban him from fighting in the Outback or gain official duels for like, 6 months, and I guaran-damn-tee you that he won't be killing anyone again. At least not in regards to any challenges anywhere."
In response to the FireStar debacle, Matthew Simon released a statement condemning Shadowcast for his actions, but conceding that because the crimes were not committed within the boundaries of the Outback, he was unable as sport coordinator to strip Shadowcast of his rank or Opal.
Let it be known: Kill a man on the doorstep to the Outback, and so long as his blood does not hit Simon's floorboards, he is not held responsible.
For so longstanding a tradition that dueling is, it is remarkably concerning that incidents like this still occur. Because strength is respected, does it follow that greater expressions of violence are thusly venerated"
"RhyDin worships its stars, and treats them like royalty," Shadowcast went on to say. "While I find that amusing, sometimes, dueling by its very nature is limiting. Most of the fighters in this city have little true power, outside of their skill at a sport. Teams like The Wrecking Crew are regarded with reverence that I find very strange. I could turn Maria Graziano's guts inside out with the blink of my eye."
Where do we draw the line between acceptable and excessive violence" Is every deplorable act such as this to be ignored" What will it take for stricter rules to be enforced within the duels, with women and children ringside" And perhaps most importantly, what sort of precedent are we setting for future generations?
The fact is simple: If this sport is to continue, something has to change.
Duel to the Death December 17, 2013
Let me preface this article by saying that I have never dueled in RhyDin, nor do I ever plan to in the future.
I respect the art of dueling. I do not use the word art lightly, either; there are most certainly some in RhyDin who would disagree with me on that observation given the sport's premise, but an institution of its caliber doubtlessly garners respect for a multitude of reasons. Dueling in RhyDin has been around for as long as it has largely due to its massive fan base. For as long as duelists come back for more, there will always be fresh blood on the floors of the Outback.
I respect dueling. I appreciate it. I understand that RhyDinians crave an outlet, and hand-to-hand competition will always be a respectable method to gauge oneself against the greater forces inside and outside this realm. However, there are certain lines that we as a people " fighters and non-fighters " must recognize if we are to carry on this history, especially when it comes to allowable or acceptable violence. And more and more frequently, those lines have become blurred.
In a sport such as the Duel of Fists, where a sound kick from Koyliak VanDuran-Simon will crack a man's skull loudly enough to be heard ringside, exactly what kind of violence is considered "excessive?"
Though having taken place in November, the FireStar challenge between Vanion Shadowcast and Melanie Rostol is still being talked about. As far as the Post has learned no publicly accessible recordings exist of the two matches that have generated so much controversy, and perhaps thankfully so. While the lack of hard evidence leaves naught but eyewitness reports for clarification, descriptions in those reports suggest firsthand images may be hard to stomach. According to some, Shadowcast (the Opal holder) allegedly displayed a number of previously recorded images of individuals being physically tortured in order to intimidate Rostol (the challenger) during the matches.
"Melanie challenged me for FireStar, and then dared to act as though I were this vile thing," Shadowcast told the Post recently. "She acted as though she would be doing a favor to the citizens of the city to take my title. I wanted to prove two things in my challenge. One, Melanie is still a rookie. She doesn't have the skills to back up her mouth. And two, Melanie is a murderer without remorse, the same as I. She didn't flinch as her own people burned alive. She even said she wished that she could kill them herself, for being weak. She's not some champion of the people. I think that I proved that."
Is this the mentality that has become generally accepted" Previously recorded or not, the act itself is damaging " to both the challenger and the Outback's image itself.
"It's a sad state of affairs when someone can commit murders just for the sake of a psychological edge in a challenge match and not' feel any repercussions from it?" G"nort Dragoon-Talanador expressed via a telephone interview. "I mean think of it. A guy kills ten people just so he can try using that against his challenger, and everyone's okay with this" I say 'Something should be done on an official level,' since that act was done due to an Opal challenge, and everyone thinks that's crazy. They say 'Challenge and take it from him if you want to do anything about it.' Okay, that makes no sense. Will taking his Opal stop him from killing others for the sake of an Opal challenge" No. However, you strip his title from him, and ban him from fighting in the Outback or gain official duels for like, 6 months, and I guaran-damn-tee you that he won't be killing anyone again. At least not in regards to any challenges anywhere."
In response to the FireStar debacle, Matthew Simon released a statement condemning Shadowcast for his actions, but conceding that because the crimes were not committed within the boundaries of the Outback, he was unable as sport coordinator to strip Shadowcast of his rank or Opal.
Let it be known: Kill a man on the doorstep to the Outback, and so long as his blood does not hit Simon's floorboards, he is not held responsible.
For so longstanding a tradition that dueling is, it is remarkably concerning that incidents like this still occur. Because strength is respected, does it follow that greater expressions of violence are thusly venerated"
"RhyDin worships its stars, and treats them like royalty," Shadowcast went on to say. "While I find that amusing, sometimes, dueling by its very nature is limiting. Most of the fighters in this city have little true power, outside of their skill at a sport. Teams like The Wrecking Crew are regarded with reverence that I find very strange. I could turn Maria Graziano's guts inside out with the blink of my eye."
Where do we draw the line between acceptable and excessive violence" Is every deplorable act such as this to be ignored" What will it take for stricter rules to be enforced within the duels, with women and children ringside" And perhaps most importantly, what sort of precedent are we setting for future generations?
The fact is simple: If this sport is to continue, something has to change.