PSA: What is a Jutsu?

[Tou-kun]

A jutsu, on this site, is a technique. A defined technique. Since we've been running into problems on the jutsu front, the staff has seen it fit to be more proactive with what we expect so we can make this whole process run a little faster. The first step of this process is giving jutsu a formal definition that we can build off of and subsequently stop people from registering things that aren't jutsu, and thereby wasting our time.

A jutsu is a formal technique. In terms of ninjutsu and genjutsu, it is a technique which uses chakra. If Technique A shoots a fireball, something that cannot happen by natural human means, it is a technique. If Technique B makes your heart stop by looking at you, it is a technique, a jutsu, and albeit nearly unapproavable, is eligible to be registered.

In terms of Taijutsu, a technique is a formal style or methodology of movement and impact. Technique A in terms of Taijutsu is a technique when it involves a specific method of happening and produces effects that otherwise wouldn't happen with a normal hit. So, if Technique A breaks someone's ribcage with one attack, it is eligible to be registered. If Technique B, however, is a simply uppercut, it is not a technique. Please don't register it unless you want to be ignored. Another point with Taijutsu. If Technique A breaks your ribcage, it breaks your ribcage. We don't care what it does from other angles and stuff. We don't care what happens if you throw a kick in there. Technique A breaks your ribcage. We know, because you already said Technique A breaks your ribcage. So it breaks your ribcage. We don't need to read that again with an extra pinch of cumin. Notice how I'm being redundant in saying this. That's how annoying it is when we have to read it nine times. Please. Don't do it.

Now that we know what a technique IS, let's talk about something else. Say something IS a technique. That still doesn't mean you can register it under a few set conditions. Say Technique A says I can shoot ice out my pores. If Technique A is approved, there is no reason for me to make Technique B which says I shoot ice out my pores because that would be redundant. In the same respect, Technique C doesn't need to be registered saying you can shoot icicles out of your eyeballs if Technique A already hints at that. Technique A might not have stated it explicitly, but we already got the idea. To read it again in Technique C irritates us, and wastes one of your jutsu slots.

In terms of Taijutsu, if your base technique says your strong as shit, I don't need to see another technique saying your strong as shit when you punch someone in the face. We know that already. Mainly with Taijutsu, you'll find that you can slide with your techniques because you can do most of it by RP anyway. Taijutsu techniques, in terms of being registered, serve to denote a specialization. This is not to say that anyone can do a combo, we certainly look to the taijutsu techniques in your profile when we handle rulings, but it goes to say that you don't have to register EVERY move you're making if you're a Taijutsu specialist; that was a run-on sentence, so I'm going to end it here.

For the sake of being more specific, lets look at the following example. I will use one of my own techniques to prove the point.

DOTON: SARUTAHIKO NO SHUSHI ^{Earth Release: Finger of Sarutahiko}
土遁: 猿田彦の手指. S-RANKED. This method of manipulating the earth is for the most part forgotten. Instead, users manipulate the actual earth and not the energy of the earth. However, Banana learned from his sensei as a Genin about another form a Doton and as he grew, decided to research it ultimately coming up with this technique.

This technique requires absolute chakra control and depending on what is being attempted huge reserves. So much chakra in fact that if an attempt is too ambitious, Banana could die on the spot. After forming the needed handseals, a string of about thirteen seals, Banana will slam his hand down onto the earth and flow his chakra down into the Dragon Veins, a flow of energy which govern the formation of mountains and earth. By influencing this energy, not the earth itself, Banana is capable of performing near godly feats such as moving, or even flattening mountains. He can create valleys, giant craters or plateaus simply by manipulating this energy. This can even be used on a small scale to create small rocky landforms no larger than a man.

The technique says Banana can alter the earth by way of manipulating dragon veins. Doing so he can create mountains and whatever. Good. We're in we're out. Done.

There are no follow up techniques saying he can create mountains. That is because the original technique already has that provision. That's pretty much it. No redundancy.

Another point. We all appreciate backstories and the like, but please, we ask that you keep them to a minimum simply because we have tons of jutsu to rule on and only so many words we can read without going insane. That being said, if you want to add a little backstory into your jutsu, that's a completely fine, but that backstory shouldn't take up half of the description or even close to such. Please, no more than four brief sentences of backstory to a jutsu.

In short, if you take nothing else away from this PSA, take this: We want your jutsu to be presented in the most compact form. Adequately say what the jutsu is doing, how it's being done, and what the effects are. Anything else is fluff, and slows down the process of approving your jutsu. We understand that some people are simply descriptive writers, but you must also understand that we have tons of other descriptive writers and have to read through all their stuff too. Consideration goes a long way and makes everything go so much faster. So if you could please follow these rules everything will run a lot smoothly from here on out.

As always, this is open to questions. Please, don't be shy. Don't be afraid to ask something if you have to. I'm available on AIM also if you're not comfortable asking your questions here.