User blog:Holokami/Fighting Licenses

So, you're a psychic, human, super human, android, psychena, or spirit, with decent power, and you're raring to get fighting on the psionic haven of the Faraday Isles. Well, hold your horses. Even on the Faraday Isles, there's something you'll need to get before you can go wild against others with those powers and skills...

A Fighting License.

Fighting Licenses are one of the most important things for a psychic, or anybody willing to fight, to own in the world. Fighting Licenses are licenses which, as the name implies, allow you to compete in legal, structured fights against others. After the Psychic War, Lumi knew there had to be a way to allow psychics, and others, to fight peacefully against each other, as locking it down builds up tension.

Lumi Faraday struck a deal, and helped forge global laws which allow for lawfully unrestricted use of psionics; as long as their usage doesn’t maliciously hinder another, harm another, or infringe the freedom or human rights of another. Public fights, even if they’re not serious, aren’t legal, as even Lumi agrees, letting psionic powers and powerful technology be used unrestricted and irresponsibly is too dangerous. Even on the Faraday Isles, they're restricted.

Lumi struck another deal with the global community, after she developed a system to allow for fights between those who've been proven to be responsible with their powers, technology and skills- those who hold a Fight License. In order to lawfully fight in public, against another, both parties are required to hold a Fighting License. The First Psychic School issues out Fighting Licenses globally, and the applicant is tested in many areas- but responsibility with their powers, technology, and skills, is the real focus.

Some initially believed the Fighting License was a way of Lumi controlling psychics, but after two years of the system being set-up, everybody began to understand why it exists- it allows them to fight, unrestricted, anywhere in the world, as long as they don't harm the public or damage property too greatly. The license grants you a legal freedom, just like a driving license open up the roads of the world and high-speeds to you.

The physical Fighting Licenses people carry around are cards, the same size as a credit cards, though slightly thicker. They’re white and metal, with coloured features, coloured to indicate the type of license held. At one end of the fighting license is a semi-circular button.

Anybody- Psychics, non-psychics, androids, psychena, spirits, e.t.c., can get a Fighting License.

Provisional Fighting License
At the age of 12, a person can apply for a Provisional Fighting License (you can apply for one at any age though). The provisional license allows a person to fight only others with provisional licenses, and only under the watch of a Supervisor. This is Lumi’s way of showing from a young age the seriousness of a fight, and hopefully the level of personal responsibility needed to throw your powers around without supervision.

The application process is easy; you apply online or at the First Psychic School, and you receive it- there aren’t any tests, and a quick background check is ran to see if you’ve ever caused trouble on the Faraday Isles before. If you have, you’ll still get the license, but have a tougher supervisor.

All who’ve not applied for a provisional before they turn 14 will automatically be sent a letter to come to the psychic school to get one. Even if they have no plans to ever fight, it’s something to have to cover their back in case they get unwillingly dragged into, or caught up in something.

Key Points:
 * Can be applied for at age 12 and over.
 * Can only fight other holders of Provisional Fighting Licenses, and only under the watch of a Supervisor.
 * Can only fight on the Faraday Isles.
 * Will automatically be called to receive one if not already applied for by age 14.
 * If planning to achieve a Full Fighting License, you’ll be put into three mandatory combat situations by your supervisor during the month before your tests.
 * License colour: Red

Full Fighting License
At the age of 15, those who’ve held a Provisional Fighting License for at least one month can enter into tests to attain a Full Fighting License. There are four tests to advance from a provisional to a full license:

Written Test
The written is the first thing you’ll need to pass, as if you can’t pass it, you can’t be seen to be responsible enough to fight. The test is here to show:
 * You know the laws and rules surrounding the use of weapons, psionics and psychic fights around the world,
 * You know the branches of psionics and generally what powers they include,
 * Also a few questions tailored to your own powers and abilities, to show you have a basic grasp of them.

Practical Test #01
The first practical test is a series of challenges tailored to you skills, powers, and style- It’s simply an advanced PICT Power Assessment, but more formal and slightly more scrutinous than the school-based tests. This test is here to show:
 * You know how to use and control your powers or weapons,
 * You use your powers responsibly,
 * If your powers are too dangerous to be allowed to use them in public.

Practical Test #02
The second practical test is an actual combat situation against another, typically a supervisor, but it can be a Shepherds Guard. If your power isn’t related to direct combat, this test will be a team battle, with you as the support helping your combat partner. This test is here to show:
 * You can again control you powers or weapons,
 * You act responsibly,
 * You can stand on your own two feet in battle,
 * (If a supporter) You can successfully aid, guide, or protect your team member, and can also keep them under control if they go too wild.

Supervisor Meeting
After the written and practical tests, the supervisor, or supervisors, you’ve had since you received your provisional license talk with other supervisors, Advanced License Holders of a year or more, and sometimes even Marcella Beaumont, Eadda Cayce, or Lumi Faraday, in a meeting about you, other applicants, and all the tests.

When you’ve passed all four tests, which are ran all year round, you’ll receive your Full Fighting License. A Full Fighting License allows for, as you might image, unsupervised fights against others holding full licenses around the world, it also allows you to participate in the World Psychic Games and to be a Shepherds Cadet.

Key Points:
 * Can enter tests for at age 15 or over, after holding Provision Fighting License for at least one month.
 * Can fight, unsupervised, against other holders of Full/Advanced/Special Fighting Licenses. Fighting against holders of Provisional Fighting Licenses is prohibited. Deadly force is prohibited.
 * Can fight anywhere in the world.
 * Can enter the World Psychic Games.
 * Can apply to be a Shepherds Cadet
 * Can apply to enter tests for Advanced Fighting License.
 * Must pass four tests to receive.
 * License colour: Purple

Advanced Fighting License
An Advanced Fighting License is the same as a Full Fighting License, except it grants the authority to legally use your powers against anybody, regardless of anything- however, deadly force with your powers if still prohibited. You also don’t need to formally set-up a fight through the card handshake to fight. This license is needed to be a Shepherds Guard, as you'll be required to fight others without licenses.

Receiving one requires you to pass tests under the tough scrutiny of Marcella Beaumont and Eadda Cayce, and can only be applied for after holding a Full Fighting License for a year. These tests really test your skill and mentality, as you need to prove to them you can really be trusted with such a license.

This license is a requirement to become a Shepherds Guard, and much be achieved before you can start applying to become one. You also can’t get this license unless you’re a Shepherd, and generally only if you want to become a Shepherds Guard, or you have the expressed permission of a person of authority.

Key Points:
 * Can enter into testing for after holding a Full Fighting License for one year, must be a Shepherd, and must be applying to become a Shepherds Guard.
 * Can fight against anybody and without formal set-up. Deadly force is prohibited.
 * Can fight anywhere in the world.
 * Can enter the World Psychic Games.
 * Can apply to be a Shepherds Guard
 * Can apply to enter tests for Special Fighting License.
 * Must pass various tests to receive.
 * License colour: Gold

Special Fighting License
The Special Fighting License is a highly restricted Fighting License which only Special Operatives of the Shepherds can receive. It’s the same as the Advanced Fighting License, except it grants the use legal use of deadly force with their powers. These licenses are only held by Shepherds Special Operatives, people who take on the most dangerous missions and tasks around the world.

You must have held an Advanced Fighting License for a year before being allowed to test for this license. The tests for this license are handled personally by Lumi Faraday herself, and are some of the harshest tests anybody will ever go through. Special Operatives are required to never say what these tests are to others, and even then, they can change from person to person..

The physical fighting license a Special Operative receives is distinctly coloured, so even in an ordinary street fight, their opponent(s) have a warning of their authority and apparent skill at the card handshake. Special Operatives aren’t “secret agents” but rather “special agents” who handle the toughest situations- like hostage situations, gang fights, or public attacks involving powerful psychics for example.

There are currently only seven people in the world who hold this license. Owning this license isn't meant to be a secret, though two of Special Operatives keep it that way. There are currently seven holders of this license:
 * Eadda Cayce
 * Laura Griffith
 * Marcella Beaumont
 * Nozomi Ono

Key Points:
 * Can enter into testing for after holding an Advanced Fighting License for one year.
 * Can fight against anybody.
 * Use of deadly force is legally permitted only when necessary—when the Special Operative has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the Special Operative or another person. If feasible, a verbal warning to submit to the authority of the Special Operative is given prior to the use of deadly force, and if possible, a display of the Special Fighting License.
 * Can fight anywhere in the world.
 * Can enter the World Psychic Games.
 * Must be applying to be a Shepherds Special Operative to receive.
 * Must pass various tests to receive.
 * License colour: Black Body, Brushed Aluminium Features

Starting a Fight
So you have your Provisional or Full Fighting License, you're eager to get fighting, even if under supervision. So. How do you start a fight? It's actually simply to start a fight- you and your opponent only need to touch your Fighting Licenses together- with over 51% of the card’s surface in contact, while holding down the buttons for three seconds (a button which uses psio-tech to register the individuals psionic "fingerprint", and their will to fight)- this is known as the “Card Handshake”, then the fight will be initiated after a they've moved at least 30 feet apart.

Rules of Combat
Psychic fights are an anything goes kind of fight, however, despite the great variance of powers and styles, a few certain rules must be met:
 * Deadly force strictly forbidden.
 * To win, a person must have their opponent forfeit, or get knocked-out.
 * When the opponent truthfully forfeits or is knocked-out, the fight is over, and any further action against them is considered illegal.
 * To forfeit, a person must hold down the button on their license for 5 seconds.

Team Battles
In order to set up a team battle, after the initial card handshake, each member of each team, like a card handshake, you and your team member only (one at a time, if more than a 2v2) need to touch your Fighting Licenses together- with over 51% of the card’s surface in contact, then press the button twice, it doesn't need to be in sync.