FAQ;
Welcome to manga_battle, a battle style icontest community focusing on manga! The idea of a "battle" icon community is originally tartankilts's, who created ff_kh_battle, but this community was inspired more by bssm_battle's style.
This FAQ attempts to cover the basics of this community! More questions may be added as they arise, so if you have any, please don't hesitate to ask!
General Information
Q. What does the "battle" stand for?
A. In this community, iconmakers will "face off" against one another every week. Basically, what this means is that a number of iconmakers sign up for the challenge; the challenge itself takes place through weekly 'rounds'. For every round, an iconmaker must submit an icon according to that round's rules. Each round has a different set of rules, and at the end of each round a number of contestants may be eliminated, until there's only one left.
Q. What are the rules?
A. You can find a list of rules here.
Q. What is an avatar?
A. Your avatar is the character you'll choose to represent yourself - i.e. someone could have Yuuko from xxxHOLiC as an avatar, whereas you could choose Tsuzuki from Yami no Matsuei as your own. That way, no one really knows who's participating, and it keeps things fun! You can also customize your avatar by visiting the shop.
Q. Shop? What's the shop?
A. The shop is a place for you to purchase accessories for your avatar. If, for instance, you purchase Puppy Ears, your avatar will have little doggy ears drawn over the original artwork. Yes, it'll look lame, but that is the point. :')
Q. I don't like any of the shop items! Are those all there are?
A. Of course not. New shop items will be added as people buy - additionally, you may win some items through sidequests every round.
Q. Can I reveal my identity?
A. We would rather you do not! It keeps things more fun that way! Your identity will be revealed after the game ends. This is so that people may return through the comeback round under the same identity.
Q. I don't want to reveal my identity!
A. Please let us know on sign-up that you don't want your identity revealed once you get eliminated. However, if you place among the top three, your identity will be revealed - people have a right to know who the winners are!
Q. Who can I sign up as?
A. You can use anyone as your avatar, as long as they are a character in an existing manga series. You must also provide a manga image of your desired avatar on sign-up.
Q. Does this mean I can't use an anime or game character as my avatar?
A. Unless there is a manga for this anime or game, no, you can't.
Q. Why not?
A. Since this community focuses on manga icons, it should focus on manga characters too, don't you think?
Q. Is manwha allowed?
A. Sure, it's close enough.
Q. How do I sign up?
A. Make a comment to this post, and follow the signup guidelines listed there.
Q. What is a "Senior League"?
A. The "Senior" League is just like Challenge 01's contest - eliminations will start on Round 01, and anyone may sign up for it.
Q. What is a "Junior League"?
A. The "Junior" League is something of a practice league. Eliminations will not start until much further into the challenge, so that people have the time to learn from their critiques and improve. Junior League crits have to be helpful/insightful; while this may earn less crits, I personally guarantee every icon will get at least one critique - my own.
Q. Okay, I signed up. Now what?
A. You just need to wait for sign-ups to close, and a moderator will make an announcement for when the preliminary round starts!
Q. Sign-ups closed! Can I still participate?
A. Sorry, you can't! You'll have to wait until the next challenge opens to participate! However, you may still be a member of the community, and cast your vote every round. It would be much appreciated, in fact!
Q. Voting?
A. Every round, there will be a voting period for the submitted icons. Voting methods may vary depending on the round, but generally, favorites and eliminations will be picked, and points will be assigned accordingly.
Q. Am I required to vote?
A. It's highly recommended that you do, especially if you're a participating member! A single vote could dictate whether someone is eliminated or not, so everyone is strongly urged to vote.
Q. How do I vote?
A. Follow the instructions here.
Q. I got eliminated! What do I do now?
A. Additional (but optional) rounds may take place in the future for eliminated contestants to help them get back in. We would also be very glad if you kept participating in the community by voting even if you get eliminated! And of course, you're very welcome to sign up for the next challenge!
Q. What's the submitting/voting schedule?
A. Submissions will open as soon as the challenge post for that round goes up - which should usually be around 10 PM (Brazil time) on Sunday. Icons are due by 10 PM (Brazil time) on Friday, and voting is open as soon as the vote post goes up (usually shortly after). Voting closes at 10 PM (Brazil time).
Q. What? Brazil time?
A. Brazil time is equivalent to GMT -3:00. Converting is fairly easy - PST, for instance, is GMT -8:00, so 10 PM Brazil time would be equal to 5 PM PST. Note that Daylight Savings should be taken into consideration when doing conversions!
Q. How do I submit?
A. Follow the instructions here.
Q. I couldn't submit my icon in time! What do I do?
A. Each participant is allowed to skip one round, provided that skips are allowed for that round. To skip, simply let us know in a comment, or don't submit at all, and your skip will be automatically used up. If you really need to skip a round even though skips aren't allowed, contact one of the moderators with your reasons, and we will try to work something out! If you have no skips left, and don't submit, you will automatically get eliminated from the competition.
Q. What do I get if I'm the winner?
A. You get a choice between one of the prizes listed here. They're not much, we know, but hopefully enough to encourage participation! (You also get to feel warm and fuzzy?) Do note that prizes are different for Senior and Junior leagues.
Q. I have a question that wasn't answered here!
A. Feel free to leave a comment to this post with any additional questions you may have!
The Battles
Q. What are points?
A. Points are basically what you're after! They dictate who remains in the competition, and who gets eliminated. Contestants with the least amount of points will get eliminated every round (preliminary round notwithstanding). In the end, the person with the most points wins the competition.
Q. How do I win/lose points?
A. Everyone starts out with one point. Check this post to see how many points the current participants have. Each round, the method for winning/losing additional points may differ. Check each challenge post to know how to win/lose points for that round. Additionally, "bonus" optional 'tests' may be presented each month, and you may win or lose extra points by completing them.
Q. I skipped a round! Do I win/lose points?
A. You don't win or lose any points for skipping a round. If you happen to be the person with the lowest amount of points after skipping a round, you will keep your score for the next round, and not get eliminated.
Q. What is the preliminary round?
A. The first round of the competition is called the "preliminary" round. The intention is to establish an initial ranking, and hand out the first number of points - participants are not allowed to skip this round, and no participants will be eliminated in the preliminary round.
Q. How many participants get eliminated each round? How do participants get eliminated?
A. The number of eliminated participants depends on the round. Participants with the least amount of points overall will get eliminated - the points system will vary each round, so pay attention to it!
Q. How do I know how many points I have?
A. Check the ranking here.
Q. I have a question that wasn't answered here!
A. Feel free to leave a comment to this post with any additional questions you may have!
This FAQ attempts to cover the basics of this community! More questions may be added as they arise, so if you have any, please don't hesitate to ask!
General Information
Q. What does the "battle" stand for?
A. In this community, iconmakers will "face off" against one another every week. Basically, what this means is that a number of iconmakers sign up for the challenge; the challenge itself takes place through weekly 'rounds'. For every round, an iconmaker must submit an icon according to that round's rules. Each round has a different set of rules, and at the end of each round a number of contestants may be eliminated, until there's only one left.
Q. What are the rules?
A. You can find a list of rules here.
Q. What is an avatar?
A. Your avatar is the character you'll choose to represent yourself - i.e. someone could have Yuuko from xxxHOLiC as an avatar, whereas you could choose Tsuzuki from Yami no Matsuei as your own. That way, no one really knows who's participating, and it keeps things fun! You can also customize your avatar by visiting the shop.
Q. Shop? What's the shop?
A. The shop is a place for you to purchase accessories for your avatar. If, for instance, you purchase Puppy Ears, your avatar will have little doggy ears drawn over the original artwork. Yes, it'll look lame, but that is the point. :')
Q. I don't like any of the shop items! Are those all there are?
A. Of course not. New shop items will be added as people buy - additionally, you may win some items through sidequests every round.
Q. Can I reveal my identity?
A. We would rather you do not! It keeps things more fun that way! Your identity will be revealed after the game ends. This is so that people may return through the comeback round under the same identity.
Q. I don't want to reveal my identity!
A. Please let us know on sign-up that you don't want your identity revealed once you get eliminated. However, if you place among the top three, your identity will be revealed - people have a right to know who the winners are!
Q. Who can I sign up as?
A. You can use anyone as your avatar, as long as they are a character in an existing manga series. You must also provide a manga image of your desired avatar on sign-up.
Q. Does this mean I can't use an anime or game character as my avatar?
A. Unless there is a manga for this anime or game, no, you can't.
Q. Why not?
A. Since this community focuses on manga icons, it should focus on manga characters too, don't you think?
Q. Is manwha allowed?
A. Sure, it's close enough.
Q. How do I sign up?
A. Make a comment to this post, and follow the signup guidelines listed there.
Q. What is a "Senior League"?
A. The "Senior" League is just like Challenge 01's contest - eliminations will start on Round 01, and anyone may sign up for it.
Q. What is a "Junior League"?
A. The "Junior" League is something of a practice league. Eliminations will not start until much further into the challenge, so that people have the time to learn from their critiques and improve. Junior League crits have to be helpful/insightful; while this may earn less crits, I personally guarantee every icon will get at least one critique - my own.
Q. Okay, I signed up. Now what?
A. You just need to wait for sign-ups to close, and a moderator will make an announcement for when the preliminary round starts!
Q. Sign-ups closed! Can I still participate?
A. Sorry, you can't! You'll have to wait until the next challenge opens to participate! However, you may still be a member of the community, and cast your vote every round. It would be much appreciated, in fact!
Q. Voting?
A. Every round, there will be a voting period for the submitted icons. Voting methods may vary depending on the round, but generally, favorites and eliminations will be picked, and points will be assigned accordingly.
Q. Am I required to vote?
A. It's highly recommended that you do, especially if you're a participating member! A single vote could dictate whether someone is eliminated or not, so everyone is strongly urged to vote.
Q. How do I vote?
A. Follow the instructions here.
Q. I got eliminated! What do I do now?
A. Additional (but optional) rounds may take place in the future for eliminated contestants to help them get back in. We would also be very glad if you kept participating in the community by voting even if you get eliminated! And of course, you're very welcome to sign up for the next challenge!
Q. What's the submitting/voting schedule?
A. Submissions will open as soon as the challenge post for that round goes up - which should usually be around 10 PM (Brazil time) on Sunday. Icons are due by 10 PM (Brazil time) on Friday, and voting is open as soon as the vote post goes up (usually shortly after). Voting closes at 10 PM (Brazil time).
Q. What? Brazil time?
A. Brazil time is equivalent to GMT -3:00. Converting is fairly easy - PST, for instance, is GMT -8:00, so 10 PM Brazil time would be equal to 5 PM PST. Note that Daylight Savings should be taken into consideration when doing conversions!
Q. How do I submit?
A. Follow the instructions here.
Q. I couldn't submit my icon in time! What do I do?
A. Each participant is allowed to skip one round, provided that skips are allowed for that round. To skip, simply let us know in a comment, or don't submit at all, and your skip will be automatically used up. If you really need to skip a round even though skips aren't allowed, contact one of the moderators with your reasons, and we will try to work something out! If you have no skips left, and don't submit, you will automatically get eliminated from the competition.
Q. What do I get if I'm the winner?
A. You get a choice between one of the prizes listed here. They're not much, we know, but hopefully enough to encourage participation! (You also get to feel warm and fuzzy?) Do note that prizes are different for Senior and Junior leagues.
Q. I have a question that wasn't answered here!
A. Feel free to leave a comment to this post with any additional questions you may have!
The Battles
Q. What are points?
A. Points are basically what you're after! They dictate who remains in the competition, and who gets eliminated. Contestants with the least amount of points will get eliminated every round (preliminary round notwithstanding). In the end, the person with the most points wins the competition.
Q. How do I win/lose points?
A. Everyone starts out with one point. Check this post to see how many points the current participants have. Each round, the method for winning/losing additional points may differ. Check each challenge post to know how to win/lose points for that round. Additionally, "bonus" optional 'tests' may be presented each month, and you may win or lose extra points by completing them.
Q. I skipped a round! Do I win/lose points?
A. You don't win or lose any points for skipping a round. If you happen to be the person with the lowest amount of points after skipping a round, you will keep your score for the next round, and not get eliminated.
Q. What is the preliminary round?
A. The first round of the competition is called the "preliminary" round. The intention is to establish an initial ranking, and hand out the first number of points - participants are not allowed to skip this round, and no participants will be eliminated in the preliminary round.
Q. How many participants get eliminated each round? How do participants get eliminated?
A. The number of eliminated participants depends on the round. Participants with the least amount of points overall will get eliminated - the points system will vary each round, so pay attention to it!
Q. How do I know how many points I have?
A. Check the ranking here.
Q. I have a question that wasn't answered here!
A. Feel free to leave a comment to this post with any additional questions you may have!