The Flame and the Void

Channeling Saidin requires much concentration. It is a constant struggle requiring the wielder to remain focused. The flame and the void is a technique for maintaining concentration and avoiding distractions. It is almost a necessity for controlling Saidin.

In order to form the Void, one concentrates on imagining a flame in his mind. He then concentrates on feeding his stray thoughts and emotions into this flame until nothing is left but a void. This is difficult at first, but with practice the void can be formed almost instantly. Some of the effects of being in the void are the ability to avoid pain and other distractions as well as a distinctive emotionless quality. When someone is in the void, his voice will tend to be cold and flat, although it is possible to overcome this with enough practice.

For some, the void can be a difficult thing to RP. It is generally accepted on Fang that one should not put his thoughts and emotions into his emotes. Since the flame and the void is purely a mental trick, this presents some problems in RP. It is generally considered best to just roleplay the effects of being in the void. Some examples:

Joe's face goes slack and his eyes cold as he assumes the void. His voice comes out cold and flat as he says,"Seize Saidin, Dedicated."

Joe's face, blank from the void, does not register any sign of pain as the sword tip sinks deeply into his thigh.

An example of how not to do it:

Joe forms an image of a bright flame in his mind and slowly feeds his emotions and stray thoughts into it. An expression of calm gradually comes over his face as the flame burns away all distractions, then fades away leaving only the empty void.

The previous example is not necessarily a bad emote. It just goes against the commonly accepted standards for RP on fang. It is generally accepted that one should not describe his thoughts, since the audience has no way of knowing these things.

The examples of the right way are not necessarily perfect, either. Each student should develope his own style that he is comfortable with. The important things to portray is that one usually appears emotionless when in the void and that he is able to ignore pain and other distractions while still being aware of them.

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