Questions about the site before signing my char up

[ghost]

So me and my... uh.. accomplice, have been looking around for Avatar RPGs and stumbled across Feng Shui, which we decided looked alright.

However, he has brought to my attention some rule about no new benders being allowed.

This is my cause for concern because.. uh.. what's an Avatar RPG if I can't play a bender, really?

So, I'd just like to know what the deal is with this rule and whether or not there are exceptions. We're both experienced roleplayers and we're certainly not here to WTFpwn everybody else with mazterful bending skilzzzzz... so to speak.

If I wanted to play a bender, would I be able to just apply with one and get it approved by the admins?

Also, about the mature boards...

What is that, exactly? I mean, I hear "MATURE" and see a character age limit and I immediately think "smut board," but I looked around a bit, saw that the characters there are required to be over 17 and it's basically a place for RP that is anything about PG-13. This just piqued my interest because, uh, what if we wanted to go there for a scene of gratuituous violence or just roleplay that is more detailed and literally mature? Why does our character age correlate to that, or... is it really just the smut section?

Thanks in advance,

Ghost

[kinen]

I can answer the first one, and the answer is that NO benders will be allowed. Unless you have major rep with Jia and Xia. Because then anything is possible. ;D (jk)

I suppose I'm one to talk. I'm trying to get an Air Nomad non-bender passed.

It's not like you can't make a couple of characters. Make one or two non-benders to help us get the percentage down, and then you can make whatever bender you have in mind.

[jialingjin]

We are currently not accepting benders because we have too many. Yes, we have too many. Benders logically make up small percentage of the population. Well, when we made this rule we had 70%+ benders in each of the three groups. That is WAY TOO MANY. So we are currently not allowing any benders to be made, and we are deleting any inactive members to lower these percentages. It is working, the Earth Kingdom is down to 41% benders. When all three groups are under 40% we'll accept benders. If you want to be a bender, help us by lowering the percentages, by creating a non-bender.

Secondly, the Mature board is a board for extreme violence, extreme issues, and yes, anything sexual. Some of our members are as young as 12. We just want to make sure that any children Surprisingly, we only have two threads in the Mature board right now.

[ghost]

I can understand not wanting young members exposed to to that, yes, I'm just not sure how the age of the player correlates to the age of the character.

And while benders logically make up a small percentage of the population... Well, I don't know. I've run RPGs and fiddled with the idea of making such a system, but uptimately figured that my player base didn't really need to be representative of the population at large.

Anyway... I suppose I'll wait for the population to fix itself before I join up, then.

Thanks for the quick response.

[jialingjin]

I guess it's because we don't want 13 year old characters getting it on if you know what we mean.. where as.. we have 13 year old players who are as mature as some of the 18 year olds here.

Anywho.. Sorry about the bending thing. We try to be as realistic as possible when it comes to the Avatar World.
Keep checking back though if you like, and please.. we encourage you to make a non-bending character. They can be just as cool as bending characters, espically if your creative. (we also have season 1 characters avalible to play.. you simply have to audition.)

Yes, Gandy is testing the limits with his Air Nomad cause. I fully support him.. but I'm still not going to let him go easily.

Since you aren't going to play, I am going to warn you that we do purge our inactive members every few months or so.. You might get blacklisted for inactivity and may have to re-register if you do decide to join us.

[kura]

You know ghost, there is so much more to Avatar than the benders. There are the Kyoshi warriors, the Yu Yan archers, the refugees in the Northern Air Temple (who have accomplished the closest thing to airbending possible)... really, there is just so much to explore :3

I'm actually surprised that no one here RPs a Kyoshi warrior or Yu Yan archer ^^; But you should really consider all the different possibilities for characters in the Ava-world, because it's not all about the bending.

[ghost]

There is a lot more to the Avatar world than the bending, yes. Personally, I absolutely adore the Kyoshi warriors. I had ruled them out already because I thought everyone would be playing one.

The bending thing honestly would not be a problem if it weren't that I already sort of half-made my character, haha.

Thanks for the heads up on the purge thing.. I'll see if I can alter my character accordingly and join.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

[sekar]

What is that, exactly? I mean, I hear "MATURE" and see a character age limit and I immediately think "smut board," but I looked around a bit, saw that the characters there are required to be over 17 and it's basically a place for RP that is anything about PG-13. This just piqued my interest because, uh, what if we wanted to go there for a scene of gratuituous violence or just roleplay that is more detailed and literally mature? Why does our character age correlate to that, or... is it really just the smut section?

Thanks in advance,

Again what Jia said before...we have 12-19 here, and some of the members thought it would be good for the more advance players to "frolic" and advance their character in new and more mature ways. And Yes...we do have sex there << depending on the rating. Hence why we need to have older characters...

[naru]

I have a friend signing up as a firebender and i just wondered why the 40% bender is so important since it shouldnt be required for us to make a population in proportion with the real population should it?

[kura]

Ah, but that's the beauty of Feng Shui. We try to stick as close to canon as possible, and in canon, benders are the minority. 40% seems like a reasonable percentage for benders (after all, it could very well be lower than that for all we know). Until that percentage is met, benders are not going to be accepted.

I'm afraid your friend will have to create a nonbender, or will simply have to wait until benders are allowed once again. I encourage your friend to do the former - it will certainly help lower the percentage of benders around here ^^

Besides, as I stated earlier, the Ava-world is not all about the bending.

[kaska]

Ok, sadly, while I like the limits on benders, I think my idea of having to make 2 non-benders before making a bender would work MUCH better than this free-for-all thing...considering my idea would ALWAYS keep it in proportion and...well...once we allow benders again, we'll have an influx and just shut it out again. Or would we put the rule back in once it reached 70%? If it's the latter, then your system works...otherwise...

[gandalan]

I know I'm not making any bending characters. The admins will do what admins do.

UBER BACKHAND

And then everything will be just fine. ;D

[vintageflyby]

I don't mean to question the higher ups or anything but... I noticed that there are certain people who tell those of us complaining that there is so much more to avatar than bending and that if we are creative than we can have just as much fun. mMy inquire to them is: How many benders do you have? I hope I don't offend when I say that it is little consolation coming from some one who might have more than one bender. Was population representation so important when you started posting? I am posting here because of the rpg I have visited so far this one is pretty cool and your attention to detail is admirable but some of it may not be practical. And as you contimplate the rarity of benders I would have you consider the episodes involving aangs past in the air temples and the episodes in the north pole. In aang's flashbacks there seems to be only airbenders. When they visit the north pole there seem to be as many benders as not. The place is full of them. Well I am sure my ranting has angered some but I hope that it has inspired afew as well. I think that a ratio of 2 non to every bender for a rp is the right way to go

[chamir]

I believe the Admin was hoping that there wouldn't be so many posters signing on with so many benders when this place begin. But o'course I'm jus' guessin'.

My benders total 1 and that was because the character I created, an FN tankhead, needed to be a bender. Otherwise my characters would of had bending as an unnecessary afterthought skill; which could be a problem with most characters wanting a bender. That skill could be some tacked on afterthought that their character can live without.

Yeah there are a lot of benders in places such as the North Pole and Ba Sing Sei... But remember how large they population is! Then think of how small our RP population is.

It seems to fit pretty well.

Besides the Air Temples more than likely only brought airbenders into their temple so it is uncertain if even had nonbenders as residents.

And if the Admin and staff allowed a 2 nonbenders for every bender then you have the problem of people creating 2 nonbenders that are either crap and/or hardly ever used.

But com' on vintageflyby surely you can come up with a character that doesn't need to bend. That can get by and is well enough skilled without having to be a silly bender. *nudge nudge*

[gandalan]

I created one bender character about 9 months ago, when I first joined. Benders were allowed then, so that's exactly what I did. He's my main character.

Then, after that character took a break for a while, I created an archer character, nonbender. So I'm 50/50.

And seriously dude, stop complaining. Everybody's in the same boat here.