FAQ
Rules and questions marked with "NEW" indicate that they have changed since Book 1.
■ How exactly does this work?
A:tLA Battle is a Last Iconmaker Standing challenge, similar to
animanga_lims and
avatar_lims. However, there are a few large differences: For one, the elimination occurs much like a story or a series of episodes; secondly, people are not eliminated immediately, but rather, points are subtracted from their total. We all have bad days, you know? :)
■ So there's a plot to this?
NEW Unfortunately, in Book 2, there will be a minimal plot. As this is my (
helium_icons) senior year, I don't think I'll be able to keep up with writing new chapters for the LIMS every week, as I'll be filling in college apps and scholarship apps as the LIMS goes on. There might be a little paragraph at the beginning with a basic backstory, but it will most likely follow something like a boss encounter, much like
ff_kh_battle.
Originally, in Book 1, this was the answer:
Yes, this is an RP-style LIMS (as opposed to RPG-style in
ff_kh_battle and tournament-style in
bssm_battle). The first week, a preliminary chapter will go up. Iconmakers must make icons depending on the circumstances of the situation in which they are in. For example, if the characters wind up in a dark cave, they'll need to get out using a light source. So the challenge may be that your icon needs to use light textures of some sort, or that it can be bright in general, or that it can focus on a character being happy; if it is dark, moody, sad, or something along those lines, points will be subtracted. I will try to warn you if that is the case so that you can have time to resubmit.
As the plot goes on, challenges will become harder. You may be required to combine various techniques, or the amount of techniques that will help you out will diminish, and the amount of things that will get you further stuck may increase. Who knows!
Each week, the plot will be customized to the characters remaining. And thus, chaos ensues. :P
■ Wow, this looks like it'll go on forever, then.
Not really. Once we get to approximately half of our iconmakers remaining, we will commence the Final Battle. :P From there, the iconmakers will be divided into two groups with roughly equal points, and iconmakers will be pitted one-on-one with each other. The winner of each individual battle advances to the next round, and so on until the final battle, which will determine the last iconmaker standing! :)
If, however, there are a small amount of iconmakers in the beginning, I may choose to simply advance with the story plot until the iconmakers are eliminated to leave one last iconmaker.
■ Does this mean that I have to play the same character for the entire challenge?
Yes. This is to keep me sane and to make it easier to keep track of character status.
■ Do my icons have to feature the character I've chosen to play?
Oh, not at all! They can feature anyone or anything you wish, as long as it isn't forbidden in that week's challenge. If you want to feature the character you play in all your icons, you may do so, as long as they fit in with the challenge.
■ How does the points system work?
Each character begins with 5 points. Then, depending on the results of the challenge, the points total changes according to these standards:
Most Favorite Icon: +3 points
Second Favorite Icon: +2 points
Third Favorite Icon: +1 point
Third Least Favorite: -1 point NEW
Second Least Favorite: -2 points
Least Favorite: -3 points
Everybody Else: receive 1 mark NEW
Did Not Follow Directions: Lose half of your total points
Skip: -2 points
You do not get bonus points for combining all the prompts that advance the plot.
NEW Marks don't affect your point total until you receive three marks. Three marks equal the loss of one point. Marks are reset every four weeks.
If you need a skip for an extenuating circumstance (severe health problems, family emergency, will be away for the entire week without internet, etc.), the point loss will be nulled. However, if you are skipping because you don't like the challenge, or if you have another excuse (final exams, etc.), the point loss will remain.
If you are found to be lying about the circumstances of your skip (or cheating in any other form), you will immediately be disqualified and barred from entering the next book. After the one-book waiting period, you will be allowed to enter again.
NEW ■ How do injuries work? What happens if I get one? How can I get rid of one?
There are several different injuries that occur throughout the plot, and they fall into two categories: Temporary and Permanent. Temporary injuries disappear in three weeks from the time they were received, while permanent injuries last until they're cured.
Temporary Injuries
ARM INJURY
Effects: Your ability to fight decreases, so you cannot place as top favorite. If you do place as top favorite, you surrender your position to the second favorite, and you take second place.
Cured By: Sling
LEG INJURY
Effects: You get slowed down, so you earn one fewer point than usual. If you place as top favorite, you get 2 points instead of 3, etc.
Cured By: Crutch
EYE INJURY
Effects: Since you can't see as well, there is a 50% chance that you will get an arm injury or a leg injury.
Cured By: Glasses
PENTAPOX
Effects: See poisoning.
Cured By: Frozen frog
Permanent Injuries
POISONING
Effects: In addition to any points, loss of points, marks, etc. that you may gain during one round, you will gain an additional mark every round.
Cured By: Antidote
BURN
Effects: See poisoning.
Cured By: Healing water
FROSTBITE
Effects: See poisoning.
Cured By: Warm jacket
A trip to the hot springs will cure all ailments. Every two weeks, there is a 10% chance of a hot springs trip.
NEW ■ How can I get the curing items?
Every round--provided that you submitted the previous round--there is a special draw option. You can pick a number from one through twenty, and you receive an item based on what was assigned to that number (I make lists beforehand). For the first round only, you may choose from a sling, crutch, or eyedrops as your free item.
Alternatively, you can "buy" the cures. Every week, if you are still in the competition, you receive 5 gold. Every week, you get the option to buy a cure with the gold. These are the prices:
Sling - 10 gold
Crutch - 10 gold
Glasses - 10 gold
Frozen frog - 15 gold
Antidote - 20 gold
Healing water - 20 gold
Warm jacket - 20 gold
The merchants also have some more items that you can purchase. They are:
Bag - 10 gold
You can normally only hold three items at a time, but this bag will let you hold up to five.
Free skip - 50 gold
The free skip lets you skip a week without any point penalty. However, you may only buy one for the entire duration of the book. Also, you may not use the skip in the tournament segment, so use it wisely!
Mysterious Bundle - 5 gold
Seems like there's always something left over from yesterday's shipment... Well, the merchants aren't ones to let anything go to waste, so they've put them into bundles. Who knows; maybe you'll get the cure you're looking for... or even a free skip or ancient scroll! But then, the merchants have been seeing a lot of elbow leeches around lately, too, and there's been a weird infestation of other creatures... Well, if you want to take the chance, the mysterious bundles will always be there!
NEW ■ How many items can I hold at a time? What if I get another one?
You can only hold three items at a time (this is so people don't hoard items). If you get another item and you already have three, you can either throw away one of your items, or you can choose not to take the new item. Or, you can buy a bag for 10 gold and hold up to five items (same rules apply if you get more items, though).
NEW ■ What else can I get in the weekly draw?
In addition to all seven healing items, the following items are also included in the weekly draw:
- Lucky charm: You may keep it for the duration of the book, but it is active the entire time (you can't "turn it off"). It will protect you from injury once. After it protects you that one time, it will break. (It's very fragile!)
- Ancient scroll: This ancient scroll has secret, rare knowledge inside. After you read it, you'll gain one point! It's very rare, though.
- Eraser: This lets you erase all your marks! You can only use it once, though.
- Elbow leech: Oh no, how'd that get in there?! You get two marks if you manage to get an elbow leech. :( Sorry!
NEW ■ Do I have to wait to get gold, or is there another way for me to get gold?
You may sell your items if you wish, but the merchants charge a 15% commission. This means that you will get only 8.5 gold if you sell a sling, 17 gold for an antidote, etc. Also, you may randomly get gold sometimes. Who knows!
NEW ■ Can I trade items? Can I give other people my items?
Yes, you may trade items with the merchants, but they must be of equal or lesser value. If you're feeling kind, you can give an injured player your item if you happen to have the cure. However, if I find out that people are cheating and revealing their identities to facilitate this, the option to give other people items will be removed.
■ How many icons may I submit?
One and only one. If you want to change the icon you submitted, you may do so before the voting post goes up. Just make sure to delete your initial submission.
■ Is there anything that will always be forbidden in my icons?
Yes. You may not submit icons that:
- feature fanart;
- do not comply with Livejournal's userpic standards (100x100 or smaller; 40kB or smaller);
- are made from a base already made by someone else;
- contain excessive vulgarity;
- were made by following step-by-step an icon tutorial or by almost exactly copying another person's original design; and/or
- are not your own work.
If you are found to be submitting an icon including one or more of the following, you will be warned before the voting post goes up. If you choose not to heed the warning, your icon will be disqualified, and you will have two points subtracted from your total, as if you had skipped.
NEW As Season Three draws nearer, please beware of using screencaps with spoilers in them. As soon as new episodes begin to air, I'd like to respectfully ask that you wait one week after a new episode airs before you submit an icon with a SPOILER screencap from that episode. If there's nothing in your icon that's particularly spoiler-ific, then your icon is fine. Example: For the Season Two finale, an icon featuring just a still of Azula standing would be fine; an icon featuring Katara healing a wounded Aang would not be okay.
■ What do I win?
The last iconmaker standing gets a banner (size of iconmaker's choice) and can choose from one of the following prizes if they wish:
- A customized layout made by
helium_icons
- A personalized set of up to 10 icons of the subject of the iconmaker's choice by
helium_icons
■ May I join and just watch? Do I have to participate?
Oh, no, feel free to just watch the crackalicious plot unfold! XD I'd appreciate it if you contributed to voting, though, because it sucks when people are voted least favorite 'cause there are only three votes or something D:
NEW ■ What if I don't want people to know who I am? Can I just play the character and never reveal my identity?
No. When you sign up, you agree to the terms of the LIMS: That is, you agree to allow your username to be revealed at the end. If you're uncomfortable with receiving critiques, etc. then please do not sign up.
■ What else do I need to know?
NEW Put "I can't wait until September 21!" in the subject of your sign-up comment to prove that you've read the FAQ ;)
■ I have a question that hasn't been answered here.
Feel free to leave a comment with it, and I'll answer it ASAP. :)
If you're thoroughly confused now, don't worry! Just sign up and submit, and things will become clearer as the challenges commence. :)