[mock] Wishbone vs Mosrael

[Brennen]

Welcome to the Battle round of the Nerischian Tournament.

If possible, each Ischian has been paired against a Nerinian. This round will take place in the format of short mocks. Each participant will post two attacking posts, with the person who posts first also posting a final defense post (Horse A Attack, Horse B Attack/Defend, Horse A Attack/Defend, Horse B Attack/Defend, Horse A Defend). You may use as many attacks or defenses as you’d like, though you will be limited by a 600 word limit, so choose wisely. You will have 3 days (to the hour) between posts, and four days from now (by the hour) until the first person is due to post. Judging will be done with a very similar rubric to the official battle rubric found here.

DO NOT post for these to be judged in the official judging thread when you are finished. They will be judged by Devin & Sid as they conclude.

@[Wishbone] vs @[Mosrael]
Wishbone will post first, unless otherwise decided by the players beforehand.

Jesper vs Leilan
Jesper will post first, unless otherwise decided by the players beforehand.

Breckin vs Viserion
Breckin will post first, unless otherwise decided by the players beforehand.

Bristol vs takei
Bristol will post first, unless otherwise decided by the players beforehand.

traton vs Caw
Traton will post first, unless otherwise decided by the players beforehand.

[Wishbone]

haze like a fever

i fell like a dreamer for sweet tea and lemonade; it clings to my t-shirt it’s loud and it lingers, designed to suffocate. i light up to find what i’ve known all this time, there’s some beauty here yet

It’s an autumn morning when they meet. A thin mist spreads through the wide clearing, though the sun quickly rising will burn it away by the time their fighting is complete. Wishbone notes the hard clay underfoot, dotted with precariously placed rocks and meager bramble. The chill of the evening before lingers on the girl’s skin, but she had made sure to trot to the plain so she is warmed up. If Warrick had taught her anything about battling, it was: “Make sure you warm up your muscles before a fight, otherwise you might pull a muscle or be too stiff to react accordingly.”

Wishbone comes to a slow halt for a moment, examining her opponent. She recalls the other mare’s name — Mosrael — and notes their differences and similarities. They both stand at the same height, with long legs and lithe muscle. Mosrael has perhaps more muscle compared to Wishbone (although the young mare has been training with Scorch, she does not have the years of training that her opponent does) but the young mare is leaner and more nimble due to her slenderness and age.

The young mare leaps into a controlled gallop, heading straight forward. The mahogany girl’s eyes switch rapidly between the ground in front of her and her opponent in the near distance, both keeping track of her orientation and making sure she doesn’t trip over any of the rocks she had spotted before.

Wishbone briefly considers shoving her opponent off-balance, but such an action wouldn’t do much damage in the end. She is also assuming that this mare is bracing for impact by anchoring herself deeper into the ground with her weight if she is not already moving toward Wishbone. So the mahogany girl instead aims her path slightly to her left (which would be aiming at Mosrael’s right shoulder) and slows her gait so that she is able to successfully pop into a rear.

Wishbone’s body is oriented on the opposite direction of Mosrael’s, allowing her forelegs to kick powerfully and attempt to injure any flesh found beneath them. Her initial aim is for Mosrael’s shoulder and lower neck area, though she might even manage to damage her opponent’s withers or upper back depending on how the other might move.

If Wishbone were to make contact against skin, her hooves could damage Mosrael’s skin and possibly result in bleeding. These injuries would be superficial, but they would also be distracting. More importantly, there is a possibility her impacts will land on the trapezius muscle or the deltoideus muscle of Mosrael’s shoulder. The trapezius is an important muscle in moving the shoulder-blade forward and upward by contracting and shortening the muscle. The deltoideus is another important muscle — though less so than the trapezius — as it aids to flex the humerus and rotate it outwards. If Wishbone’s feet were to find purchase on either of these targets, it could cause limited mobility of Mosrael’s right shoulder and inflict distracting pain.

After powerfully kicking her forelegs toward Mosrael’s body, Wishbone allows gravity to pull her body back to the ground, twisting her body slightly to the left as she falls. Unless her opponent has moved, they should be parallel to one another, though facing opposite directions. Wishbone moves into a quick walk, pivoting to orient herself so they are parallel again, though facing the same direction (her left shoulder is now just behind Mosrael’s right one). The girl remains close to her opponent’s side, positive that it is a safer option to stick close rather than dart off.

credit to eliza of adoxography.

[Mosrael]

Mosrael

i'm way too
good at goodbyes

The battleground is eerily quiet as the eldest daughter of Ischia's new leaders stepped lightly upon it. Confidently, the purple freckled mare stared out across the misty expanse, fixing a steely gaze upon her opponent. Blowing cold, an autumn wind tossed through her silver streaked mane, a reminder of her past success. The Nerinian filly, with whom she'd been paired, appeared almost nervous as she trotted up to her starting position. Mosrael knew too well that the advantage was her's. Years of experience and training had made her lean and agile and, with many victories proudly behind her, she could not be intimidated by the twig of a horse presented to her.

Wishbone, Mosrael recalled as her name, slowed to a steady halt her gaze concentrated as she seized her up. Smiling with anticipation, Mos reminded hherself that their's would be a mock battle.

Exhaling, she braced herself for the start of their duel. Just beneath her skin, Mosrael's muscles bunched in preparation as her hooves planted themselves firmly into the soil. It was not difficult for her to guess the filly's approach. Reckless and young, undoubtedly the filly would rely upon her youthful vigor to steal the advanrage away from her own experience. The mare, however, has trained up her own fair share of rookies and is unsurprised when Wishbone does not disappoint.

Galloping forward, Mosrael stands in wait as she braced herself for the attack. Patience is a virtue. She reminds herself sternly. Veering towards Mos' left, her eyes watched as Wishbone's pace slowed ever so slightly as she changed direction. Taking aim at her shoulder, the bay struck out with her forelegs. Quickly, Mosrael side-stepped, knowing all to well that complete avoidance would be impossible. Instead, the battle worn appaloosa opted to take the full force of the filly's blow upon the strength of her back. Taking Wishbone's weight upon her, air pushed out of her lungs as she relied upon her strength to hold steady beneath the added pressure. Lowering her ears she bared her teeth as she took aim upon the filly's soft underbelly.

Backing away, Mosrael took note as Wishbone lowered to her feet once more with a thud. Parallel to each other, the mare licked her lips as she breathed out through her lips, her ears still flat upon her skull. Lunging forward as Wishbone reoriented herself to the mare's right. Mid-stride she slid to a halt, using the momentum of her forward motion to help spin herself up and onto her forelegs. Taking aim, she focused a generous amount her strength into her buck as she aimed towards the filly's barrel. Landing with a solid thump she trotted away, feeling the pain in her back from Wishbone's previous attack. Angling herself back towards the filly she squared herself expectantly as she anticipated her apponent's next move. 

Word count: 475

[Wishbone]

haze like a fever

i fell like a dreamer for sweet tea and lemonade; it clings to my t-shirt it’s loud and it lingers, designed to suffocate. i light up to find what i’ve known all this time, there’s some beauty here yet

As Wishbone’s forelegs aim toward her opponent’s shoulder, Mosrael side-steps her movements. It’s a simple defense and the girl scolds herself for not thinking of it before. Although it’s a straightforward defense, Wishbone’s hooves find purchase on, presumably, some piece of shoulder or back. With her attention diverted toward balancing on her hind-legs and Mosrael’s side-stepping motion, the girl doesn’t have a chance to identify where her blows land.

Nor does she catch Mosrael’s head snaking around to bite Wishbone’s underbelly. It’s a flexible and dangerous move. The girl’s forelegs could still be thrashing toward the shoulder region of the appaloosa, or else she’s in the process of falling back down. Regardless of the logistics, Mosrael’s teeth do find purchase on Wishbone. Teeth scrape dully against the girl’s belly, leaving a distracting pain that immediately bruises but doesn’t breaking the skin. A grunt leaves Wishbone’s throat at the uncomfortable sensation, but she’s immediately glad the attack didn’t hit anywhere that would limit her mobility.

She lands solidly — whether Mosrael’s head is beneath her or not — and notes the way her opponent shifts away to the left. It’s never good to be behind an opponent’s rear in a battle and dread fills Wishbone. She shies to her right, scrambling among the red clay to avoid Mosrael’s buck. Thankfully, the blow doesn’t hit her barrel, which might have fractured a rib. A blow does land on the girl’s left tensor fascia latae muscle (important for the flexion of the hip and extension of the stifle), leaving bruising and a dirt-print on Wishbone’s flank.

As soon as Mosrael’s blow lands, Wishbone is moving back toward her left and in the direction of her opponent. Her flank immediately flares with bright-hot pain and Wishbone is forced to transition from her canter to a slow trot, favoring her left hind-leg. Still, assuming Mosrael is turning and squaring herself at a slow pace, the girl is able to catch up to her opponent easily.

The pair are now supposedly facing each other head-on once more, at a stand still. Wishbone has oriented herself again on Mosrael’s right side in order to protect her left flank and deal more damage to her opponent’s right side. Although another rear would be Wishbone’s preferred attack, the pain flaring in her left flank suggests such a move would not be wise.

Rather, the girl feints another rear, rocking her weight onto her hindquarters and lifting her forelegs a foot off the ground. The movement sends angry pain rocketing along her flank, but Wishbone grits her teeth through it. Before rising into a full rear, the girl snakes her head to the right, her teeth aiming for Mosrael’s unprotected right ear. The movement is dirty-quick and Wishbone’s hope is that her opponent will be too distracted with the feint rear to think of an attack to her head.

The attack has the intention of shredding the thin skin of her opponent’s ear. This would cause blood to flow down Mosrael’s face, which could pool in her right eye and limit her visibility. It would also limit her hearing sense which could raise the odds in Wishbone’s favor. The ear of a horse isn’t very thick, so Wishbone could easily damage the tissue found beneath the skin.

After her quick movements, Wishbone shifts her weight to her left and backs up two careful steps. She intends to stay close to her opponent, especially with the damage to her left flank, but she aligns herself so their heads are parallel, facing opposite directions, unless Mosrael has already moved away.

credit to eliza of adoxography.

[Mosrael]

[quote='Mosrael' pid='72897' dateline='1526568886']

Mosrael

i'm way too
good at goodbyes

Mosrael's aides heaved as she took a moment to consider the damage she'd done this far. The grassy arena almost fell silent as the two mare's stared each other down. Across the patchy span of brow ingestion greenery, Wishbone limped unsteadily as she sought to collect herself after Mosrael's sizable blow. Pain lingered in every step and she regretted to think that she'd been too rough with the green filly. Experience had taught her that amidst the struggle was not the time to assess one's wounds. That would be a job for later, submerged in the healing salt of the sea. Although tension shot through her body she forced herself to ignore it. Their's was only intended to be a short duel and she sensed the end was quickly approach.

Determined still, Wishbone pinned her gaze upon her appaloosa's counterpart once more. The sun was growing hot in the sky and Mosrael shifted her weight to alleviate her growing discomfort. Clinging close together the two remained quiet and, for a moment, she imagined that she could see the Nerinian strategizing her next move. However inexperienced she might have been, the filly had been an unexpected pleasure.

Shifting her position ever so slightly the mahogany framed horse ooriented herself at Mosrael's right side. Weary of her opponent's plans, she kept herself well out of reach - almost dancing in place. Her muscles were hot and ready as Wishbone threw herself upward. Her hooves only ever so slightly lifted from the ground before she allowed gravity to force her down once more. Mosrael charged forward, using blunt force in Hope's of throwing the filly off balance and they met with a bone jarring thud. She stumbled backwards, blinking away the tiny black dots clouding her vision. Half-blind she relied on her hearing to keep Wishbone's position known to her, though, without her sight, it was a notably more difficult task. Hoping for one final strike she popped one last buck, completely relying on the remainder of her senses before she galloped safely out of Wishbone's reach.

Finally over, Mosrael stood breathless as her body trembled with uncharacteristic fatigue. With her vision slowly returning to her she watched as Wishbone collected herself. Standing upon opposing sides once more, Mosrael considered the Nerinian. No, the Leviathan. Smiling she nodded approvingly before she slipped off the field.

Word count: 391

[Wishbone]

haze like a fever

i fell like a dreamer for sweet tea and lemonade; it clings to my t-shirt it’s loud and it lingers, designed to suffocate. i light up to find what i’ve known all this time, there’s some beauty here yet

As Wishbone’s forelegs touch the ground again, the pair collide. With her feet securely on the ground again, the physics of the push forces the mahogany girl to take several quick steps backward. These movements send a few sharp jabs of pain along her left flank and the girl grits her teeth against the pain. Still, she moves forward and then to the left, away from Mosrael, at a slow trot. Her right shoulder draws upon a dull ache from the collision, but other than that she finds herself pleasantly undamaged from Mosrael’s attack.

Her opponent seems dazed however, and delivers a buck to the air where Wishbone had been a few moments ago. In the time it took for Mosrael to pivot, move forward to allow space between the pair, and shift her weight, Wishbone is already about fourteen feet away from her opponent’s side. She can feel their mock drawing to a close, and thus slows her gait to a halt. The flaring pain along her left flank dims with this ending of movement, and Wishbone takes the time to carefully evaluate the damage she received.

Her left tensor fascia latae muscle is swollen (and potentially torn slightly) and bruised from Mosrael’s hoof impact. There’s a superficial ache to her underbelly where teeth had scraped across her skin, but the dull sensation there feels like a fly’s bite compared to her flank. And besides those two, the bone of her right shoulder aches from the collision impact and she suspects she might feel tight and sore there in the following morning.

Wishbone’s amber eyes turn toward her opponent, where Mosrael is nodding and then slipping off the field. The girl does so a moment later, slick with sweat and eager to limp home and enjoy the salt of the ocean on her sore muscles.

credit to eliza of adoxography.

[devin]

WINNER: Wishbone

Wishbone


Attacks & Defenses (-5/+5): +3 average of all posts
+, -, or / Were attack(s), defense(s), and movement(s) understandable? (Did the player use directional cues like right and left, was the horse in the right position to make that attack, etc.)
+, -, or / Would the attack(s) have been effective? (If the horse is aiming to cripple their opponent, they wouldn't bite; if they are are trying to distract or bruise they might bite, etc.)
+, -, or / Were the attack(s) and defense(s) described well? (Specific area they are aiming for why they are aiming there, etc.; this does not require specific anatomy but rather, you are aiming for the shoulder to hinder movement, biting to distract or bruise, etc.)
+, -, or / Were the defense(s) reasonable? (Did the horse take an appropriate amount of damage?)
+, -, or / Did the damage taken and previous damage/injuries taken affect the horse’s decisions and movements adequately?

Post 1 (+3) comes towards Mosrael, rears and strikes at her shoulder, then pivots around to face the same direction
+
+
+
/NA
/NA

Post 2 (+4) takes bite and kick, shies away from the kick, feints a rear and bites at Mosrael’s ear
/Mostly good, not clear on what exactly she does at the end of post two
+
+
+
+

Post 3 (+2)
+
/NA
/NA
+Reasonable dodge for second attack given that Mosrael didn’t aim
/Getting charged at at this distance might have caused more damage

Realism (-2/+2): +1  (average of the below, max of 2 as not all elements need to be present in all posts, should include at least 2 elements per post, however)
+, - or / Were stats of each character taken into account? (How big is your opponent, do you know their build, experience, traits, etc.)
+, - or / Was the landscape used? (if it's raining, the footing will be muddy and effective movement. if it's winter, the ground might be ice covered, etc. these things can be used in attacks/defenses)
+, - or / Were traits used reasonably and within their limits?
+, - or / Was there anything in particular that stood out in terms of realism, good or bad?

Post 1 (+2)
+Acknowledged stats
+Acknowledged landscape
/No traits
/

Post 2 (+1)
+
/
/
/

Post 3 (0)
/
/
/NA
/

Creativity (-2/+2): +1.33 (average of the below, max of 2 as not all elements need to be present in all posts, should include at least 2 elements each post, however)
+, - or / Did the horse give a sense of their emotions/reasons/feelings throughout the battle? Do you have a sense of their personality?
+, - or / Were the attacks/defenses creative and interesting?
+, - or / Was there anything in particular that stood out in terms of creativity, good or bad?

Post 1 (+1)
+
/
/

Post 2 (+2)
+
+I liked the feint and then grabbing at her ear
/

Post 3 (+1)
+
/
/

Grammar (-3/+3): +2 (total from below 3 elements)
Grammar (-1/+1): +1
- Were there consistent (i.e. More than two typos in one post, or sentence fragments in every post) grammar issues or typos? If yes, -1. If no, +1
Readability: (-1/+1): +1
- Were the posts easy to understand? If yes, +1. If no, -1
Powerplaying: (-1/+1): 0
- Was there powerplaying? If yes, -1. If no, +1
Careful with positioning - don’t forget your opponent might move and your positioning might change

Outline specific instances of issues for critique; overall good! I’d like to see more description of what she might do if her opponent doesn’t react the way she expects/wants her too, but for this short of a word count this is good
Rubric Total (sum of above sections): +7.33

Mosrael


Attacks & Defenses (-5/+5): 0 average of all posts
+, -, or / Were attack(s), defense(s), and movement(s) understandable? (Did the player use directional cues like right and left, was the horse in the right position to make that attack, etc.)
+, -, or / Would the attack(s) have been effective? (If the horse is aiming to cripple their opponent, they wouldn't bite; if they are are trying to distract or bruise they might bite, etc.)
+, -, or / Were the attack(s) and defense(s) described well? (Specific area they are aiming for why they are aiming there, etc.; this does not require specific anatomy but rather, you are aiming for the shoulder to hinder movement, biting to distract or bruise, etc.)
+, -, or / Were the defense(s) reasonable? (Did the horse take an appropriate amount of damage?)
+, -, or / Did the damage taken and previous damage/injuries taken affect the horse’s decisions and movements adequately?


Post 1 (+1) Sidesteps to take the hit on her back instead of shoulder; nips at Wishbone’s belly as she is rearing?, kicks at Wishbone’s barrel
/At one point she is both “galloping forward” and “standing in wait”, can’t be both
+
/Described well as far as what she is attacking but little to no detail on why
+
-Doesn’t acknowledge any damage really from the attack

Post 2 (-1) totally dodges Wishbone by charging her?, then bucks and moves away
+
+
-What is she aiming for when she bucks? Where is she? We have no idea
-She completely avoided Wishbone’s attack, didn’t even get scraped with teeth
-Didn’t acknowledge any discomfort from first post in second post even though she supposedly got kicked pretty hard

Realism (-2/+2): +1  (average of the below, max of 2 as not all elements need to be present in all posts, should include at least 2 elements per post, however)
+, - or / Were stats of each character taken into account? (How big is your opponent, do you know their build, experience, traits, etc.)
+, - or / Was the landscape used? (if it's raining, the footing will be muddy and effective movement. if it's winter, the ground might be ice covered, etc. these things can be used in attacks/defenses)
+, - or / Were traits used reasonably and within their limits?
+, - or / Was there anything in particular that stood out in terms of realism, good or bad?

Post 1 (+2)
+
+
/NA
/

Post 2 (0)
+
/
/NA
-Didn’t really take any damage the whole mock

Creativity (-2/+2): +1 (average of the below, max of 2 as not all elements need to be present in all posts, should include at least 2 elements each post, however)
+, - or / Did the horse give a sense of their emotions/reasons/feelings throughout the battle? Do you have a sense of their personality?
+, - or / Were the attacks/defenses creative and interesting?
+, - or / Was there anything in particular that stood out in terms of creativity, good or bad?


Post 1 (+1)
+
/
/

Post 2 (+1)
+
/
/

Grammar (-3/+3): -1 (total from below 3 elements)

Grammar: (-1/+1): -1
- Were there consistent (i.e. More than two typos in one post, or sentence fragments in every post) grammar issues or typos? If yes, -1. If no, +1
More than two typos in first post
More than two typos in second post
Readability: (-1/+1): +1
- Were the posts easy to understand? If yes, +1. If no, -1
Powerplaying: (-1/+1): -1
- Was there powerplaying? If yes, -1. If no, +1
Yes, in post one; you can never say you know a hit landed unless your opponent says it has - they could block or avoid it
Not taking any damage/hits is also a form of power playing unless you have a really good reason and even then kind defeats the purpose of battling

Outline specific instances of issues for critique; Be super careful of power playing! Any timer you say you affected your opponent instead of “hoped to” or “tried to” or some other variation, that’s power playing. So is totally avoiding attacks a lot of the time - make sure you take hits and talk about how it affects your character’s actions.
Rubric Total (addition of all above): +1