The Basics

How to Catch a RolePlayer

Contributed by Khelek_Draco

How to Catch a Roleplayer, seven signs that give them away.

Seven Signs I look for that keep me from believing people when they claim to be anything other then Human:
1) Bad typing skills.
2) Poor grammar.
3) Idiotic claims of supremacy.
4) Entirely ''inhuman'' claim.
5) Anger over the slightest hint of disbelief from the audience.
6) A lack in knowledge of the creature/race/species/etc. that the speaker claims to be.
7) A desire to be different from Humanity and not at all normal.

I didn't have much time when I posted this, something came up and I had to cut my post short so here's some more detail on what I listed.

1) Bad typing skills.
Misspelled words or shortcuts like saying ''u'' instead of ''you'' is a sign of either impatience or lacking of intelligence. If someone is not patient enough to take the time to hit just two more keys on the keyboard, I doubt they could be anything greater then a human.

2) Poor grammar.
Misused words such as saying ''threw'' when they mean ''through'' is very similar to the first sign. It is a sign that the person in question lacks at least some measure of intelligence and is likely roleplaying if they claim to be more powerful then the average human.

3) Idiotic claims of supremacy.
Do I really need to explain this one? If someone were to claim some idiotic position of supremacy over all humans, two questions would be;
A)''Why haven't people heard of this person sooner?''
B)''Why is this person using a computer and bragging rather then doing some important ruler stuff?''

4) Entirely ''inhuman'' claim.
An obvious sign of a roleplayer. A Vampire is a HUMAN with a flaw in their Chi flow which they correct by feeding on some source of energy(NOT always human). A Lycan(werewolf) is very similar to Otherkin, the difference is that a Lycan can also change (ONLY to some degree) on the physical plane as well and they are still human. Otherkin may be able to change on the Astral Plane, but like Lycans their relation is a Soul/Spirit thing and thus they too are human. Shapeshifters are HUMANS with the ability to shape shift, but they usually only do so on the Astral for various reasons. Angels/Fallen Angels/Demons are all HUMAN while on the Material Plane unless they choose to keep their original form in which case they would NOT be on a computer and they would NOT be telling people what they are.

5) Anger over the slightest hint of disbelief from the audience.
If someone were really non-human then they should already know that not everyone is going to believe them. Anger about it is a sign that the person had not encountered this before or was not aware that they even MIGHT get that kind of response. Usually that means the person is probably a roleplayer.

6) A lack in knowledge of the creature/race/species/etc. that the speaker claims to be.
To a degree, this is a good sign. Obviously nobody knows EVERYTHING about their own species without doing a little research, their are even things about humans that have not been discovered until recently (mostly in Psychology and DNA), but if a person doesn't even know what a Vampire goes through when they first realize what they are (meaning their Awakening) it is unlikely that the person really is a Vampire.

7) A desire to be different from Humanity and not at all normal.
Most ''non-humans'' I have met want to be normal. They want to fit in, not be to different, and so are careful about who they tell about what they are. Someone who wants to be different and talks down about other humans is likely a roleplayer trying to make themselves look better then they really are.

Hope this helps a bit. :)

A few more clarifications.

Vampires and Lycans both use the word ''human'' to separate themselves from the ''normal'' people, or non-Vampires/Lycans. The reason for this is to make it easier to explain certain things and to keep from making long, confusing messages with the attempt to explain.

Some people who claim to be entirely non-human are simply misinformed about who they are. They are not necessarily roleplayers, but if they cling to the belief after you explain why and how they are human then they could very well be.

As with any other disease, the symptoms are signs of the problem, but do not mean that the problem definitely is the disease associated with the symptoms. In other words a person could show most of the seven signs I listed without really being a roleplayer. They could be delusional, they could simply be misinformed, but every roleplayer I have met has shown at least four of these signs. The most common signs being 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.

Shielding Instructions By Khelek Draco

This lesson is designed to get you set on creating your own shield with your own method. Here I will explain the basics; energy types, manipulating that energy(visualization and direction), and how to make it work.

Elemental Energies
Most people know about the four basic elements, so we'll cover that first. These are just basic summaries to help people out with understanding and working with them.

Earth: Well known for being the most enduring and sturdy of the elements, earth energy should exist within any shield. You can use it for a foundation to make your shield impenetrable. Earth energy is often represented by browns, greens, and other natural earthly colors. You can connect with earth energy same way as the last two mentioned, surround yourself with it as often as possible; keep a zen garden(one of those rock and sand ones), have potted plants throughout your house, etc.

Subtypes of the Earth element include sand, stone, plant, metal and mountain.

Air: Perhaps best used in this case for personal strength, you can use air energy to strengthen and shield your mind. Air energy is often represented by the color yellow, light blue, or clear as air is. Surrounding yourself with air energy is easy; don't go into space and remember to take steady deep breaths. Setting up fans throughout your home and opening up some windows to allow fresh(thus not dead/stagnant) air in may also be helpful.

Element subtypes for air include wind, gust, breeze, tornadoes, hurricanes, gas, and sky.

Water: A good supportive energy, water is great for change/adaption. You can use water energy to form an adaptive shield which would change as required according to the situation. Water energy is often represented by dark blues, specifically ocean blue. You can connect with water energy same way as fire energy- surround yourself with it; go for a swim, keep a fish tank(even if there's no fish), etc.

Subtypes of the water element include mist, rain, vapor, river, stream, fog, and steam.

Fire: Perhaps the best element for attacks, fire is great for any shield designed with a backlash. The fire energy is represented by orange, yellow, red, and other fiery colors. You can connect with the fire energy by surrounding yourself with it; candles, fireplace, etc.

Subtypes of the fire element include flame, lava, magma, heat, and arguable lightning.

Now, there are also two other ''elements'' although arguably so. Chaos can be seen as an element, a source, an energy, or simply as a descriptive word. Spirit is often seen as a body part or layer, however it is manipulatable and is a form of energy.

Chaos: Most definitely the hardest to explain, an experienced chaot may do better here then I, but here's what I know.

Chaos in a shield is helpful for throwing off your opponent, however chaos energy is chaos because it is unpredictable. Nobody can be sure what a shield of chaos will do. You may be able to attach a general direction, such as how it is meant to protect you, but how exactly it will protect you will remain a mystery and may change every time it must protect you.

Chaos is represented by many colors and none, however each of the subtypes/results of chaos may be represented by certain colors. Light being white, gold, silver, or otherwise brightly colored. Darkness being very dark red, dark navy blue, black, or some other very dark color. Energy, which is often relatively compared to light, may be various shades of yellow, red, blue, green, orange, or purple(rainbow colors, in other words). Void, which is the most comparable to the main element of chaos, is prone to be black.

The subtypes of Chaos are much easier to control, each of which existing out of chaos rather then being chaos itself. Each subtype is a result of it's existence and thus the chaos effect has already taken place with them.

Spirit: This type of energy can be used to boost your own power, energy, and ability. As a shield it is better to contact the spirits themselves and request them to form the shield for you, more often then not they will happily oblige. Spirit energy is often represented by silver, white, or transparency. Unlike any other element, and this may be due to the lack of spirit being it's own element, spirit energy does not have subtypes.

Other types of energy include Psi and Chi. Psi is energy from your mind, it is not it's own element. Psi is any type of psychic energy and is the most common type for beginners to use since we all use it naturally throughout our lives, even if only subconsciously. Chi is one step above Psi for the ascending practitioner, it is the energy from the rest of your body. Your muscles, your organs, your bones, everything. Chi is our life energy. Most commonly these energies are given a color by the practitioner, I have yet to see a single color set for either, however in reference to chakras Psi would most likely be purple and Chi would most likely be orange or red.

How to Build a Shield

When manipulating energy the key skill is visualization. In the last post you see that every energy has it's own color. When directing that energy, visualize it moving as desired in the form of light which would be colored according to the energy type. For example, if I were visualizing earth energy solidifying my position in a career, I might use the contract to represent my position and visualize brown/green light flowing into the contract and giving it the strength of the earth.

In shielding, you don't need a piece of paper to get that energy. You need yourself to get that energy. For my example we will use white light.

Step One: Clear your mind. Meditate if need be. You don't need to stop all thought process, you just need to be clear headed. If something is annoying or distracting you, take a moment to meditate and forget about it. This isn't required, but it's much much easier to visualize when you're not bothered by work or other stressful events.

Step Two: Begin visualizing. See a white light emanating from your body. Now visualize another white light starting at the top of your head and flowing down you like water to cover the white light that came from you. See and feel that energy hardening into a shell, protecting you from energy, mental, and emotional attacks.

Step Three: Accept it. Know that your shield was a success and that you are safe.

See? That simple. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Now, the reason I covered so many energies is because you can make a shield out of more then one. That will be explained in the next post, this one was just to make sure you know how to make the shield and this method works with any energy type. Also keep in mind, there are other methods out there and some people find the longer and more complex method to either work faster(rarely) or more efficiently. The efficiency of your shield is based upon your own belief in it. Some people have actually reached the point where they don't need visualization at all, they are already shielding by believing they can't be harmed.

Shielding With Elements

Each type of energy has it's benefits in a shield. The most commonly and recommended shield is one from earth energy, when referring to elements, but that does not mean we are limited to earth energy.

In my last post I explained in step two what to visualize. Now I'll walk you through creating a shield with all four basic elements.

1) First you want Chi. That comes from you and yourself should be the center of this art. You can mix Chi energy with Psi and that is often recommended. Visualize purple and orange energy emanating from your flesh to form that glow coming from your body. Feel your Chi and Psi flowing through you.

2) Now we start with the elements. First element, second energy, is earth. Earth is your elemental foundation. Visualize brown/green energy flowing down over you to cover you in Earth's warm embrace. Feel the safety and security of Earth's infinite strength protecting you.

3) Next is air. Visualize light blue or yellow energy flowing down from the top of you, forming windy cocoon all around you. Feel the fresh breeze from it and know that it will blow any negative energies away.

4) Third element, fourth energy, is water. Visualize a deep blue flowing down from you, washing away any attempts to harm you. Know that this energy will adapt to fit your needs and protect you from attacks.

5) The fourth element, final energy, is fire. Visualize red, yellow, or orange energy flowing down to surround all the others. This energy is the most aggressive, it won't just protect you, it will lash back at your attacker to let them know they need to back off.

Again, you are not limited. You can add any or all of the Chaos energies as well, and spirit energy is always helpful. Spirit energy may do better under the energies, closer to your own spirit, as the two would then strengthen each other.

Shielding With Elements

Each type of energy has it's benefits in a shield. The most commonly and recommended shield is one from earth energy, when referring to elements, but that does not mean we are limited to earth energy.

In my last post I explained in step two what to visualize. Now I'll walk you through creating a shield with all four basic elements.

1) First you want Chi. That comes from you and yourself should be the center of this art. You can mix Chi energy with Psi and that is often recommended. Visualize purple and orange energy emanating from your flesh to form that glow coming from your body. Feel your Chi and Psi flowing through you.

2) Now we start with the elements. First element, second energy, is earth. Earth is your elemental foundation. Visualize brown/green energy flowing down over you to cover you in Earth's warm embrace. Feel the safety and security of Earth's infinite strength protecting you.

3) Next is air. Visualize light blue or yellow energy flowing down from the top of you, forming windy cocoon all around you. Feel the fresh breeze from it and know that it will blow any negative energies away.

4) Third element, fourth energy, is water. Visualize a deep blue flowing down from you, washing away any attempts to harm you. Know that this energy will adapt to fit your needs and protect you from attacks.

5) The fourth element, final energy, is fire. Visualize red, yellow, or orange energy flowing down to surround all the others. This energy is the most aggressive, it won't just protect you, it will lash back at your attacker to let them know they need to back off.

Again, you are not limited. You can add any or all of the Chaos energies as well, and spirit energy is always helpful. Spirit energy may do better under the energies, closer to your own spirit, as the two would then strengthen each other.

Why is it important to shield?

Recently there have been a number of attacks. Those who were unable to defend themselves often report physical pain, problems within their thought patterns, emotional wreckage, or more. Although not all is so serious and random attacks in this fashion may be rare, they do happen and if you don't know how to shield you are at risk.

It is possible to die from energy based attacks.

I am not trying to scare you or cause alarm by saying this, I just want to make sure everyone knows how important it is to know how to defend yourself. Since science can not track such attacks, your murderer should you fall victim to such a conflict can and will get away without legal retribution. Chances are your death will look like an accident or natural cause including falling off something, having a heart attack, rupturing something, or worse. All this can be easily blocked by a proper shield, which had you read the posts in this thread you would know how to create.

So build a shield and strengthen it often. Later, if another member doesn't jump on it first, I will post a lesson on how to make servitors specifically for your shield.

Thank you for reading. Stay safe.

What Shadow Energy Is. -By Khelek Draco

In order to work with shadow energy, you must first know what shadow energy is. I have posted elsewhere how light and darkness are results or subtypes of chaos, so some of you may be slightly confused when I explain that shadows are not. Shadows actually have nothing to do with chaos.

A shadow is the result of light and dark combining. When light hits an object on one side and darkness forms it's outline on the other, that is a shadow. Shadow is the result of balance between light and darkness. If you have no light then there is no shadow, everything is engulfed within darkness. If you have no darkness then there is no shadow, the object would be hit by impenetrable light from every possible angle. Shadow = Balance/order within chaos.

The comparison of shadows representing evil is entirely off. If anything, as you should have gathered from the last paragraph, shadows would represent neutrality. It is the balance between light(good) and dark(evil), thus it is neutral. Neither good nor evil. In actuality, neither light nor darkness should represent good nor evil and shadows, likewise, should not be involved with such metaphors. Why? Because everything good/evil related is based entirely on perspective, unlike light or darkness where you can not deny being unable to see either from extreme light or pure darkness.

Now that you know what it is, let's go into what it can do.

Shadows are hardly limited by anything. They exist because of light and darkness, so long as both of them are present so are shadows. Shadows, regardless of where they are, can be used for healing, attacking, defending, creating, meditating, and divining. As you can see, shadows give potential for a variety of abilities.

In healing the shadows offer balance and strength, an endurance perhaps beyond that of any other element(including earth). In attacking, shadows can be used to attack the sanity and through doing so the spirit of an individual. In defense, shadows can be used to prevent such attacks as mentioned in previous sentence and can be used to prevent any other attack that would effect your balance or integrity. In creating, shadows are often used for servitors. Shadow servitors are very useful and very good at providing their own energy source. In meditation, shadows offer the same balance they represent and of course that is often accompanied by peace of mind. In divination, shadows are often used through a pendulum or through tarot cards.

Finally, the practice.
This is a simple practice to help get you familiar with shadow energy. It is not a spell, ritual, nor a definite form of energy manipulation(although it can be), it is a visualization technique. It is also a form of meditation.

1) Sit comfortably in a shadowed area, anywhere you like.
2) Close your eyes and relax, let all your worries and fears go.
3) Visualize(sense/see) the shadows wrapping around you, forming something like a blanket.
4) Visualize(feel) the shadows softly forming a cocoon around you.
5) Visualize(sense/feel) the shadows entering you and filling you with their energy.

And that's it. Simple as that.
Good luck and remember to have fun.

Balancing Shadow Energy By Khelek Draco

There are multiple ways to do this, and perhaps doing all of them would be the best way. One is the meditation mentioned in the previous lesson. Another is to turn a room into a shadow room. If you are extremely dedicated, turning your house into a shadow house would also be very beneficial, but remember not to lose balance with the elements. Another, more difficult method is to use a crystal. Balance with shadow energy requires balance between light and darkness. Spend your days in the light and spends your nights in darkness, or if you are nocturnal like I am then spend your nights in light and your days in darkness. In this way you are like a shadow, relying and dwelling in light and in darkness.

Shadow Meditation
The shadow meditation was mentioned in the previous lesson. In case that lesson for any reason can not be found, here it is again.

1) Sit comfortably in a shadowed area, anywhere you like.
2) Close your eyes and relax, let all your worries and fears go.
3) Visualize(sense/see) the shadows wrapping around you, forming something like a blanket.
4) Visualize(feel) the shadows softly forming a cocoon around you.
5) Visualize(sense/feel) the shadows entering you and filling you with their energy.

Shadow Room/House

A shadow room can be made two ways that I know of. A shadow house is just a house in which every room, or practically every room, is a shadow room. One way is to set it up so that there are a lot of shadows; set a bunch of items in window seals, both resting on the bottom and hanging from the top as well as attached to the sides if you can. The other way is to drape a thin black(or gray, if you find one that looks nice) curtain over the window so that the entire room is shaded.

Using a Crystal

The method that involves a crystal is difficult because crystals normally do not naturally use shadow energy. So this method requires you know how to communicate with at least one crystal that you have bonded with and that the crystal you have bonded with accepts your request. With those two requirements met, all you have to do is ask the crystal to attract shadow energy to you and balance shadow energies within you. If the crystal agrees to do that, you just have to keep the crystal with you and be very grateful.

Keep in mind that crystals are alive and are not toys nor tools. They deserve respect, kindness, and consideration. Being what they are, they hold more age and more wisdom then humans do. As such they deserve respect all the more.

Types of Dragons by Khelek Draco

There are two kinds of dragon; the physical/material and the astral/etheric. I will explain the physical/material, that being what they were when they populated the earth. After explaining that I will explain the astral/etheric, what they branched into when they left.

Physical/Material Dragons

Prehistoric
The prehistoric dragon was the first of it's kind, developing wings and most importantly(although perhaps debatably) the ability to breath fire. This dragon either went extinct with the dinosaurs or escaped into the water to evolve later into the dragons of myth and legend. These dragons were, no doubt, the roots of what we know and love today. If given a specific element this one would most likely have been a dragon of air, having no front legs/arms it was mostly an aerial creature.

Marine
The marine dragon most likely developed it's wings into fins and, of course(being underwater), lost the ability to breath fire if such an ability was developed by the prehistoric dragon. After the ''KT Extinction''(as it was called, if I remember correctly) this dragon resurfaced and evolved into what we know and love today. This was the dragon that evolved into the world's very first six-limbed vertebrate. If this dragon were to be related to a specific element, I think it's pretty obvious that this would be the water dragon.

Forest
The forest dragon was long and slender with wings good for gliding leaps although it was not prone to fly. As the marine dragon would also have been long and slender, it is most probable that the forest dragon came before the later dragon which took more to the air. This dragon became most well known in Asian territory as what we may call the Chinese dragon. Naturally it would evolve differently as it covered more ground. From reports that I have read about various dragon's cultures, it is my belief that for the Eastern continent this dragon would have first surfaced in the African territory and moved it's way Northward to China. If related to a specific element, this would no doubt be the earth dragon.

Mountain
The mountain dragon would have been the largest flying animal to exist. Judging by various reports, this is most likely the type of dragon that evolved in the mountain chains of Europe and perhaps Western Asia over time. Living in caves and feeding on what food was available, this dragon would eventually have been forced to feed on cattle and the livestock of nearby towns. Of all the dragon breeds, I believe this one is most likely to be the dragon of fire.

Many material dragons would evolve differently as they spread out across the world. In the Americas dragons evolved much as they did on the Eastern continents, although physical appearance details such as facial structure and talons may have been different. The thunderbird is one such example where the dragon may have resembled a bird more then a flying lizard, or perhaps that's just what the tribes most related it to due to not having seen anything else like it before.

Elemental Dragons

After leaving the material plane and becoming entities of energy, these dragons would have undergone quite a few changes. One of those changes may have been their types. Each dragon would have changed to fit a certain type/element and their powers may have even increased(as anyone who has astral projected may know, magick is much easier to handle on the astral). It was this change that brought about what we now know as fire dragons, water dragons, earth dragons, and air dragons, as well as the potentially more mysterious spirit and chaos dragons.

Before I begin I will add that physical descriptions may vary. Not being on the material plane also means that physical matter would be irrelevant and thus evolution would no longer take place as it would according to science. Now the dragons may shift to a form that is most preferable by them, meaning a dragon that was once a marine dragon could take the form of a mountain or air dragon and still be of the water element. Because of this I will simply state the most common colors for each type.

Fire
Fire dragons are perhaps the most thought of. Controlling the element of fire, obviously, these dragons often take on colors representative of the fire element. That being red, gold, orange, and nearly any color between them. Subtypes of the fire element are lava, magma, flame, and heat just to name a few. All fire dragons, that includes subtypes, are led by Fafnir.

Water
Water dragons control the water element and most commonly may take on colors to represent that, usually that would be darker shades of blue or for some subtypes a blue-tinted white. Subtypes of the water element are ice, rain, mist, fog, and snow just to name a few. All water dragons, that includes subtypes, are led by Naelyon.

Earth
Earth dragons control the earth element. Most earthly colors, namely various shades of brown or green, are likely to be seen on earth dragons. Subtypes of the earth element are grass, dirt, flora, and rock just to name a few. All earth dragons, that includes subtypes, are led by Grael.

Air
Air dragons control the air element, most commonly will be seen in colors representative of air. Those colors include shades of yellow, light blue, white, and sometimes an air dragon may be clear. Subtypes of the air element include wind, gust, tornado, and hurricane just to name a few. All air dragons, that includes subtypes, are led by Sairys.

Chaos
Chaos dragons are those that are unpredictable. They have no set leader and their magick has no set rules or boundaries. Likewise their colors may vary indefinitely, although most people associate them with being black. Subtypes of the chaos element are considerably easier to understand, they are elements that fit with no other element in particular and were created by chaos; light(most dragons of this subtype may be white, gold, silver, or otherwise brightly colored), darkness(most dragons of this subtype may be very dark red, very dark navy blue, black, or otherwise very darkly colored), shadow(most commonly varying shades of gray), energy(often relatively comparable to light, although more likely to take on shades of yellow), and void(most often comparable to the main type of chaos, although more prone to be black).

Spirit
Spirit dragons are comparable to those of chaos, although they are more likely to be silver or clear with white-like outlines. They, too, have no set leader. Unlike chaos dragons, and any other type of dragon for that matter, spirit dragons have no set subtypes. Most commonly spirit dragons are actually the spirits of material dragons who died before the surviving dragons performed the ritual that took them away from the material plane. Most dragonkin are likely to become spirit dragons if they choose to rejoin the dragons after the end of their current lives. For example, if I were to choose to fly with dragons again I would most likely be a spirit dragon because I did not live long enough to partake in the ritual that freed them from humanity's blood lust. The dragon that helps me through this life happens to be of this type, he was my brother in one of my pastlives as a dragon.