Hunter Zasati Tryezsh vs. Commander Rhylance

Hunter Zasati Tryezsh

Journeyman 3, Journeyman tier, Clan Taldryan
Female Human, Sith, Seeker
vs.

Commander Rhylance

Equite 2, Equite tier, Clan Taldryan
Male Chiss, Loyalist, Field Medic
Comment

To start, this is the first match I have seen from Zasati and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the narrative quality on display. The key thing here, I think, is how comfortable you are writing in this setting. Once you are able to get more used to it, you will probably have longer and more notable posts than you featured here. That, when coupled with your lack of issues overall, will really strengthen your posts in the future.

Rhylance, hello again. How are you? You doin' good? 'Cause the commas aren't. Syntax seems to be the place that tripped you up most in your writing this time, though there were some minor issues in both Realism and Continuity that hurt you more so. At the end of the day, Syntax is a relatively small weighting while these other categories add up very fast with only a few missteps. Proofing and taking your time to really plot out the traits of the individuals involved and the repercussions of damage will strengthen this up so you have fewer issues going forward. Your ideas for story are good, just need to hammer down that execution.

With the scores tallied, this stands as an example of length of post not necessarily being the difference maker. With a separation that is closer than it appears on paper, Hunter Zasati Tryezsh wins. It was a close one.

I look forward to seeing you both having future matches.

Hall Duelist Hall - Ranked
Messages 4 out of 4
Time Limit 3 Days
Battle Style Singular Ending
Battle Status Judged
Combatants Hunter Zasati Tryezsh, Commander Rhylance
Winner Hunter Zasati Tryezsh
Force Setting Standard
Weapon Setting Standard
Hunter Zasati Tryezsh's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Commander Rhylance's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Venue Nar Shaddaa: Club Vertica
Last Post 5 February, 2017 12:14 AM UTC
Assigned Judge Darth Renatus
Syntax - 15%
Jasper Arlow Blade Master Aiden Lee Deshra
Score: 4 Score: 3
Rationale: There wasn't much in the way of errors that we could see in your posts. Refer to the comments for specifics. Rationale: Repeated issues with comma use and other syntax that could have been caught with effective proofreading. Refer to the comments for specifics.
Story - 40%
Jasper Arlow Blade Master Aiden Lee Deshra
Score: 3 Score: 4
Rationale: While the flow of your writing was extremely pleasant and captured the reader's attention, there wasn't much in the way of plot progression and combat details here. You really left things for your opponent to handle and limited yourself by the amount you wrote. You don't need to write a novel, but you need to take control of the narrative. Rationale: You did a good job taking the story that was presented to you and elevating it into a more complete state. While there were sections that could be seen as unnecessary or confusing, nothing brought you down that wasn't outweighed by something you did well.
Realism - 25%
Jasper Arlow Blade Master Aiden Lee Deshra
Score: 5 Score: 4
Rationale: Nothing that was noted on review. Rationale: There were several instances that left the readers wondering how actions of Zasati correlated to her character sheet. Beyond that, you also took a blaster bolt to the shoulder in the first post and it was never mentioned again. Overall, damage such as that and the stab in his side were either ignored or left null in terms of its effect.
Continuity - 20%
Jasper Arlow Blade Master Aiden Lee Deshra
Score: 5 Score: 4
Rationale: Nothing that was noted on review. Rationale: A minor misstep in your first post. Please refer to the comments.
Jasper Arlow's Score: 4.05 Blade Master Aiden Lee Deshra's Score: 3.85
Posts

Nar Shaddaa Club Vertica

A gambler’s den of the Vertical City’s greatest bettors, Club Vertica is a casino reserved for the wealthiest of Nar Shaddaa. Cardshark droids are used exclusively to deal hands to those willing to risk their credits at the sabacc tables. Cheating is rendered near impossible under the surveillance of the droid's six photoreceptors. That of course does not stop the downtrodden from accusing others of being a fraud, which can often happen before someone receives a blaster bolt between the eyes. The few that have able to use skiffers undetected are counted as some of the best swindlers in the Galaxy.

Cerulean lights illuminate the tables, making concealment during a game difficult. Seated around most of the oval tables are a mix of gamblers from different species, succumbing to their addiction for the ultimate prize—the sabacc pot. Credits are tossed onto the tables forming mountains that draw in fierce competitors with deeper pockets and faster wit than the usual patrons.

Behind the games of sabacc, drinks are being served from the alcove of a small bar. Most of these are a shade of blue in color, expertly mixed to dull the senses of all but the hardiest individuals. Onstage, a local band sets the mood of the venue with an upbeat number that deafens out most conversations. The stakes are always high at Club Vertica.

Cerulean light bathed the club in a familiar yet eerie coolness. Zasati Tryezsh grinned, lingering by the entrance to soak in the ambiance. She felt at home immediately. She reveled in the smell of acrid smoke as she slipped slowly between the sabacc tables. The noise, the questionably blue beverages, and the intoxicating apprehension of the patrons: it all excited her.

Just as her Master had instructed, Zasati mentally reviewed her equipment. Slender fingers slipped over the hilt of the lightsaber at her right hip and then down to the KYD-21 Blaster strapped to her thigh. Her left hand rested on the grip of a smaller BlasTech DC-17 Pistol tucked into its holster on her silver belt. Careful not to overly expose the hidden weapons, she allowed her black capelet to hang open just enough to reveal the skin tight dress beneath.

As crowded as it was, the woman had little trouble finding the Taldryan Consul. As agreed, he waited at a small table near the bar. She watched him for a moment, considering her options. There was no mystery to why he'd invited her here, but she would humor him anyway. Her thoughts were interrupted as his red eyes lifted from the table and landed on her.

Zasati approached her Consul, bowing to him slightly with feigned respect. He gestured to an empty seat, studying her as she slipped into it gracefully. Two drinks waited between the two. The Chiss lifted one of the crystal glasses, gently setting the neon blue drink before her.

The music blared across the club, forcing the blue-skinned man to lean forward and adjust his volume. "Thank you for joining me." He traced a finger around the surface of the cup but did not drink.

Stoic, his face revealed nothing of his motives. Zasati pursed her lips in annoyance, as a bright shade of pink wavered across the odd tattoo on her cheek. The cacophonous room made it difficult to focus. Still, she could sense he had ulterior motives for drawing her there that evening.

"Have you considered my offer?" He asked as drops of condensation bled onto the small napkin beneath his glass.

The half-Hapan leaned closer to the man, brows raised. "Deeply." A beguiling smile found its way across her lips. She waited as he calculated the weight of her word.

"I see," he drew back. He caught the slightest crinkle of Zasati's nose as her eyes narrowed, perfect lips struggling to hold a false smile. She wasn't here to join his cause. She was here to end it. The man turned slightly in his chair, curling his silver-blue hand around his beverage.

There. The Hunter felt the subtle shift in the Force only moments before the glass left his side. In one fluid motion, Zasati pushed away from the table and narrowly sidestepped the glass. Simultaneously, she took hold of her DC-17 pistol and fired off a round at him.

Darth Renatus, 14 February, 2017 12:21 AM UTC

Syntax

This is a pretty simple syntax error to make, one that is fairly common and it pertains to capitalization. As you can see with the corrections, these aren't proper nouns so they don't need to have a capital. The make and model of the blasters/pistols were correctly handled, but the generic device doesn't need it.

the KYD-21 [blaster] strapped

smaller BlasTech DC-17 [pistol] tucked

In the case here, you used two words where they could have been treated as a single word or a hyphenated word.

reveal the [skin-tight] dress beneath.

This is an example of repetition. You begin and end with "two" which creates an odd flow for the reader and catches their eye. Sometimes this can be used as a tool to intentionally draw attention to a point of emphasis (ie. Her eyes. Her eyes were those of a killer.), but in this instance it just jumbles the flow. I placed an example rewrite below.

Two drinks waited between the two.

[A pair of drinks were already prepared, sitting between the two of them.]

In "he said, she said" format, the dialogue is part of the sentence, so you wouldn't capitalize "he" in this instance, despite the question mark.

my offer?" He asked as drops

So, similar to the above, your sentence structure is off here. Also, I personally don't get the verb use here, where you use "drew back". It isn't painting a clear picture in my thoughts and leaving me confused as to the intended imagery. That's something to keep in mind in all writing: what will this look like to the reader?

"I see[.]" [He] drew back [and] caught the slightest crinkle [...]


Story

This is a well done example of setting up your character's familiarity for the locale based on both fictional history and your aspects. This is done organically, within the story, which strengthens the narrative and helps your score.

She felt at home immediately. She reveled in the smell of acrid smoke as she slipped slowly between the sabacc tables. The noise, the questionably blue beverages, and the intoxicating apprehension of the patrons: it all excited her.

You have the opening post in this match, which means you are saddled with establishing the primary hook and narrative driving force of the match—which you did. However, this is the only instance of actual combat in the entirety of this post. It amounts to a brief flash and quick exchange. Typically, we would like to see a bit more in the way of conflict to really drive the story forward, but this does set up the match. So, in that regard, it's not terrible. In fact, it's something! Just need to get more comfortable and add a bit more to your set-up in regards to this.

There. The Hunter felt the subtle shift in the Force only moments before the glass left his side. In one fluid motion, Zasati pushed away from the table and narrowly sidestepped the glass. Simultaneously, she took hold of her DC-17 pistol and fired off a round at him.

To close out the story comments on this post, I just want to highlight a missed opportunity for you. Much of the post is spent hinting at some sort of "reason" for them being there. That there is some "cause" she is interfering with and the offer that was alluded to. You left your readers with questions that aren't answered in a satisfactory way. You don't have to outright say it, but you need to at least quantify it in a way that hooks the reader, rather than annoying them. This also leaves a plot hole opening for your opponent to grab hold of and run with, helping their score instead of yours.


Realism

While not a mark against you, it should be noted for your reference that you walked the line between utilizing your opponent's aspects and putting yourself at odds against them. This isn't the place you want to be in your writing, because Realism scores can quickly stack up and make, or break, your chances. The reason this is of note in your post is that you have Rhylance initiating this conflict. This has the high probability of going against "Sharp As My Mind" which places emphasis on him avoiding combat until his target least expects an attack. While not a line that was explicitly broken, it was brought into question here.

Rhylance pushed himself off of his chair as the blaster bolt sped towards him, grazing his left shoulder. The medic could feel the stinging pain reverberate through his shoulder, but he needed to get out of the open. The Consul could see the half-Hapan gathering herself off of the floor after flinging herself backwards, and he took the moment of reprieve to find some form of cover.

The nearby spectators reacted variously, some appalled by the murderous behavior, others fired up to see a fight break out. Rhylance himself had not counted on the half-Hapan actually choosing to side with her master, Vodo. Even though he had hoped she was smart enough to know which side would come out on top in the Clan’s disagreements, he seemed to have been mistaken.

Pushing his way through the crowds of club-goers, the Chiss scanned the room for any sign of his attacker. Zasati would have been searching for him by now, clearly under orders to kill him for her master. The Consul needed to stay one step ahead of her. To his left he could see the nearby dance floor, and as an idea entered his mind, a grin broke across his face.


Zasati, after pushing herself back to her feet, searched for her Consul. Though she had been attracted to the intelligence the man exuded, her master’s word was law, and Vodo wanted the Chiss dead. No fool without a connection to the Force deserved to lead Clan Taldryan. Zasati paused as she walked passed the bar, stretching out with her feelings to search for her target. She felt the Force’s pull towards him, but it was muddled due to the vast crowds of people in Club Veritca.

After a few minutes of looking around, she came to the dance floor and could easily see that the Chiss was most likely hiding amongst the dancing crowd. The multi colored lights flashed in sequence with each other causing a strobe like effect. The music that rang out over the dancers had a techno vibe to it. Zasati wasn’t stupid, she knew that he had likely set a trap for her within the crowd, but her own playfulness, and the thrill of the hunt drove her to enter the crowd.

All around the half-Hapan, various species could be seen grinding against each other as they danced to the reverberating beat. Zasati could feel her pulse heighten as adrenaline fueled her searching. There was so much to take in, and the ambiance, the smoke, the music; all of it worked against her as she continued her search. She was only halted by the feel of steel against the back of her blue dress.


Rhylance kept his approach slow, moving in sequence with the dancers around him as he approached his hunter. He had to admit that she was an exotic beauty, and maybe in a different life, they could have enjoyed each other’s companionship. Pulling out a scalpel that he had coated with a paralytic toxin, he made his move and gently pressed the blade against her back as his left hand rested on her hip.

“Stay calm, Zasati. Dance with me and we can speak.”

“Lord Consul, I didn’t take you for a dancer.” The woman responded with a sultry voice.

“There is much you obviously do not know, my pet.”

The two Taldryan’s followed the lead of the crowd around them as they moved with the music. Rhylance needed to keep this conversation moving, and convince the woman to realize the errors of her decision. It was not too late for her to change her mind.

“Zasati, I understand the situation that you now find yourself in. Who to trust; my master, or my Consul? I can offer you so much more than that Twi’Lek can. I can offer you power over him. A position by my side where you need not worry about anything anymore,” he told her with his silver tongue. “I can give you freedom that you’ve only dreamed of.”

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lord Consul,” she responded as she ground herself against him, using her body as a distraction against the red blooded Chiss. She slowly put her blaster away, and pulled out her dagger. Excitement flushed across her face as her tattoo changed color with her strong emotions. “But I belong to no man, I choose to be by Vodo’s side.”

She thrust the blade back, clipping Rhylance in the side with the sharpened blade, and she felt a slight sting against her back as his scalpel cut against her skin.

Darth Renatus, 14 February, 2017 1:14 AM UTC

Syntax

Misuse of commas in these examples. Due to there being a great many rules regarding these, and not all of them are explicitly set in stone, it can be easy to slip up in this regard.

flinging herself [backwards] and he took the moment

To his left[,] he could see the nearby dance floor

This is a collection of general issues. Misuse of plural, wrong word choice, typos, and missed hyphens.

through the [crowd] of club-goers

she walked [past] the bar

vast crowds of people in Club [Vertica]

The [multi-colored] lights flashed

distraction against the [red-blooded] Chiss.

We've had this talk quite recently, Rhylance. You know I stand up for the little guys. The really little ones. The punctuation marks. As I foretold, Turel has been contacted and a restraining order is being drafted on behalf of the commas. You could have also broken this apart instead of one sentence. Also more comma issues later on.

Zasati wasn’t stupid[. S]he knew that he had likely set a trap for her within the crowd, but her own [playfulness] and the thrill of the hunt drove her to enter the crowd.

An instance of repetition to watch out for. Here you have "his approach" followed by "he approached".

Rhylance kept his approach slow, moving in sequence with the dancers around him as he approached his hunter.

When started a dialogue chain, you need to establish the speakers before abandoning identifying the character. In this instance it can be easily inferred, but it is something to be aware of.

“Stay calm, Zasati. Dance with me and we can speak.”

This is a case of "he said, she said" and needs to have a comma instead of a period/full stop.

you for a dancer[,]” [the] woman responded

I have consulted the scriptures and they say unto me: there is one capital in "Twi'lek".

Twi’Lek


Story

I would like to commend you on this use of narrative. In one of your previous matches, I pointed out that you missed a golden opportunity to take your opponents plot holes and advance the narrative. This time you made the interception and made a bee-line to the end zone. This is what you want to do every time you find yourself making the second post in an ACC match. Look for the openings and opportunities to take control of the narrative yourself so that you aren't just following along with the direction your opponent desires.

Rhylance himself had not counted on the half-Hapan actually choosing to side with her master, Vodo. Even though he had hoped she was smart enough to know which side would come out on top in the Clan’s disagreements, he seemed to have been mistaken.

Remember that "show don't tell" can help the quality of a story. You are assuming all readers know what "techno" is. While, I suppose, a safe assumption given its prevalence, you want to be conscious of such things in your writing. As well, there is the concept of "Chekhov's Gun". More or less, what do you gain from writing this sentence? Is this adding to the story in a meaningful way? Will this somehow come into play in the narrative beyond a set piece? Don't draw my gaze to the gun on the mantle if it isn't going to be fired by the third act. This isn't a bad thing, but I'm trying to convey the concept so you can work it into your writing. For instance, if I were to draw attention to the music, it would be due to how annoying it is for my character or how distracting it is. Especially with the mention of the strobe effect, that would make a search quite difficult.

The music that rang out over the dancers had a techno vibe to it.


Realism

This brought up a rather major question in regards to Zasati's aspect, "I Will Rise". Of note is the phrasing here: She struggles to respect authority figures and sometimes forgets that gaining power means having to submit. You imply an unwavering submission to Vodo's command with this single statement without explaining her own motivations for adhering to that command. This trips you up when held against her aspect.

Though she had been attracted to the intelligence the man exuded, her master’s word was law, and Vodo wanted the Chiss dead.


Continuity

Not only are these two separate continuity errors, but they play into each other. In the first case, for Zasati's post her actions are described as "sidestepping" which you embellish into "flinging herself backwards" here. The choice of words here is important, because they represent two ends of the spectrum in terms of both the force used to make the movement and the distance travelled. The reason this plays into the second section, that leads off your perspective shift, is because your narrative descriptions imply she stands up and then stands up again! It is a small error, but one of note.

gathering herself off of the floor after flinging herself backwards

Zasati, after pushing herself back to her feet, searched for her Consul.

Zasati felt her blade kiss his side just as the caress of his scalpel nipped her back. The pulse of the music ricocheted through the club, summoning a devilish grin to her full lips. She was wildly exhilarated. Her shoulders rolled back with sinuous grace as she swept around, fist darting towards him.

Blue fingers grasped tightly around her wrist, ending her momentum before it had even begun. She glared at Rhlyance with playful defiance. How he was able to match her perfectly each time was beyond her, but she reveled in it. If a dance was what he craved, who was she to deny him?

The beat boomed behind her, strobes shifting as quickly as the colors of her tattoo. She loosely rocked into the Consul, chest to chest, lips poised beside his ear. Diverting his attention, she whispered wordlessly, letting the heat of her breath brush his cheek. As the music swelled, the crowd moved in, pushing the two impossibly close together.

The Hunter paused as a faint chill began to travel from the scalpel wound on her back. It climbed the length of her shoulder blades, prickling beneath her skin. Zasati willed herself to ignore it. She had heard the rumors of this Chiss and his tenacity, precision, and affection for poison. Pulse pounding, it was only a matter of time before his cheap trick did its work.

Dagger still in hand, the woman artfully adjusted it and pressed the edge into Rhylance’s armpit. She felt the familiar coolness of his scalpel threateningly balanced against her exposed leg. His grip was still firm on her right wrist.

At that moment, the club seemed smaller. Smoke stung her eyes. The smell of sweat mixed with the musk of his cologne made her stomach clench. The deafening roar of the music screamed behind her temples. She feared they would spend hours trapped at an impasse. For a brief moment, she worried Rhylance would see uncertainty in her eyes.

No.

An animalistic snarl clawed its way up her throat. She shoved him away with all of her strength.

Darth Renatus, 15 February, 2017 12:01 AM UTC

Story

What really works for you in this post is the cadence, or flow, of the writing. It's interesting as a reader and you aren't really leaving us in any lulls. However, you aren't writing as much as you could be. You're letting the other writer do all the heavy lifting and progression while you give us these pretty asides that are fun to read they don't really drive the story onward. You are hurting yourself more than anything by limiting yourself. Show us what you can do, don't hold back.

The full body weight of the 64 kg woman crashing into him caused the Chiss to stumble back into a couple of dancing civilians. As blood streamed down his side, Rhylance tuned out the angered voices of the dancers whose nights had just been interrupted. He couldn’t help but grin in her direction as her face contorted with rage. His poison was doing its work slowly, and for the moment, that was all he needed. It wouldn’t be too long now before Zasati fell into a state of paralysis.

“Do you really choose death, over loyalty to your Consul, Zasati?” the Chiss asked, condescension dripping from his words.

“You’re no Consul of mine. I am loyal to Vodo, and to what Taldryan should be.”

With her response, Zasati could feel the cold chill of the paralytic coursing through her bloodstream. She needed to end this, no matter what. Though she hated using it, the half-Hapan sheathed her dagger and grabbed ahold of the hilt of her lightsaber. Pressing the seldom touched button, a hissing screech brought the blue hued blade to life. Fear spread through the crowd, and the bystanders moved away from the saber wielding woman.

“So, you’ve made your decision then…fine. I respect that.” Rhylance said adjusting his glasses before preparing to defend himself. Dodging the lightsaber would be a challenge, but upon inspection of the club around him, he knew that there were enough places to run to, in order to be safe.

“Your short lived reign is over, Lord Consul!” Zasati launched into a wild swing, cleaving only air as Rhylance turned to run off of the dance floor. The half-Hapan followed close behind the Chiss, but she could feel her body slowly numbing. The muscles in her back stiffened, making her arms and legs somewhat harder to move.

Rhylance stumbled as the pain in his side got the better of him. The wound wasn’t life threatening, but it was still a hindrance to his ability. Zasati capitalized on the opportunity to jump into the air, as well as she could, thrusting the blade down towards the Chiss’s chest. Noticing the danger he was in Rhylance rolled to the right, the blade sinking through the floor like butter. From his roll, he slashed his scalpels blade against Zasati’s left arm, cutting into the tendons. She let out a cry of pain and found herself unable to control her left hand as well.

The Chiss dropped his scalpel, stood up, and pulled out his blaster. Taking a few paces back he kept the barrel centered on Zasati. Fear crossed the woman’s face. She took a gamble in Club Veritca, and she lost. The future of the Clan was at stake, and her Masters victory needed to be ensured. Unfortunately she realized she wouldn’t be there to witness his victory.

“I gave you a chance, my pet. You doubled down on Vodo. You lost.”

“You can kill me here Blue, but he will win. You are nothing compared to Vodo.”

The Chiss’s red eyes never left her blue ones. He grinned as he pulled the trigger. Zasati couldn’t move fast enough, the poison had taken its toll. Blue energy collided into her small frame, knocking her unconscious with its stunning saturation. Rhylance walked over to her body and knelt down, checking her pulse. She was still alive, as he intended. A group of security guards approached the scene, and the Consul pulled out his credentials. With some assistance, after paying off the guards and transport, he was able to have the half-Hapan transferred to his residence.

“Looks like I win this round Vodo. With some…experimental procedures…your pet will become mine,” Rhylance said to himself as a grin stretched across his face. It was time to see if his inhibitor chip would work or not.

Darth Renatus, 15 February, 2017 12:20 AM UTC

Syntax

About those commas... also a few other minor syntax issues.

choose [death] over loyalty

through the [crowd] and the bystanders moved

I respect that[,]” Rhylance said[,] adjusting

places to run [to] in order to be safe

slashed his [scalpel's] blade against

in [Club Veritca] and she lost

the Clan was at [stake] and her [Master's] victory

Unfortunately[,] she realized

approached the [scene] and the Consul pulled


Story

So, this is kind of—by that I mean entirely—unnecessary to do here. We don't need to have the exact measurements of her weight, just that she's throwing it all into you. Come now, we all know never to out a woman's measurements.

The full body weight of the 64 kg woman crashing into him


Realism

Where did the implication that she hates using her lightsaber come from? This seems to be something that would feature prominently in an Aspect, namely a Combat one, but neither myself nor Blade are able to find a reference that would play into this.

Though she hated using it, the half-Hapan sheathed her dagger and grabbed ahold of the hilt of her lightsaber.