DeathBug

MoBC isn't in the JP sets "Champions of Dark Magicians" or Advent of the Union", so hes' probablyt not in this series. The secret Rares...are secrets! We don't know what they are yet, and probly won't until muh closer to the set's release. Guesses include Dark Magician Girl, Exclusivity Virus, Diffusion Wave and XYZ Dragon Cannon. However, those are all just that: guesses.

Hey, is the card "Exclusivity Virus" something to fear? I've heard a lot of JP duelists mention it, and it seems like it'd be pretty powerful. (Especially to myself and other tribal duelists.) Should I side deck some protection against it?

Ben: Ditch all your tribute monsters that don't have effects; you've got way too many. Add more level four rush monsters, or effect monsters. Also, get a draw-power card like PoG or GC, as well as M/T destruction, like MST, HFD or HS. (MST should be the easiest to get.) Domon, your first deck should drop one thunder Nyan-Nyan, b/c of the various non-light monsters you have. Also, you've got too many traps for a deck with Jinzo; ditch a pair of Wobokus and either Light of Intervention or Royal Command. (Having both is redundant.) Your second deck...has way too much going on. You need to either have an earth-beatdown, a Magnet deck, or a gravity Bind deck; all three at once is a disaster waiting to happen. Decide which them you prefer and get rid of cards that don't pertain to it. Now I post my deck. =) [b]Gettysburg v 3.0[/b] My latest Warrior deck, so far ahead from my first misguided attempt. Here we go: Tribute Monsters: Jinzo (Coming soon to a Joey tin near you!) Monsters: (17) Maurading Captain x2 Exiled Force Goblin Attack Force x2 Warrior Dai Grepher x2 (Will replace at first opportunity with Breaker and Amazoness Swordswoman) Gearfried the Iron Knight x2 (Will replace w/ Blade Knight when he's released.) Don Zaloog x2 Cyber Jar Fiber Jar Sasuke Samurai Injection Fairy Lily Witch of the Black Forest Sangan Traps: (4) Mirror Force Imperial Order Destruction Ring Call of the Haunted Magic: (18) Monster Reborn Regeki Dark Hole Premature Burial Pot of Greed Swords of Revealing Light Graceful Charity Mirage of Nightmares United We Stand Reinforcements of the Army x2 The Warrior Returning Alive x2 Change of Heart Harpie's Feather Duster M Space Typhoon x3 Total: 40 Let's go over the changes: Now that I'll finally be able to get a Jinzo, he replaces Freed the Matchless General. Speed is the name of the game here: In addition to Pot of Greed, I've also got Witch of the Black Forest (Searchable monsters: 14) and Sangan (searchable monsters: 12). Plus, the infamous Mirage of Nightmares/MST (or Imperial Order) combo...I'm actually in danger of decking myself, but I'll get over it. Speed! Only one power-up card, but it's the best one for this deck. (powers up 16 monsters) Monster Reborn can bring back 18 of my monsters to the field. Call of the Haunted can bring back 16. (Excludes Gearfried) Premature Burial can bring back 16. The Warrior Returning Alive can send 10 of my monsters from the Graveyard to my hand. Reinforcements of the Army can summon 10 of my monsters to my hand. Maurading Captain can special summon 16 monsters to the field. Exiled Force's effect can be used a max total of six times per game. I can't wait for Magician's Force so I can get rid of the dead weight and do some real damage with this puppy. Thoughts?

Okay, here's the question: is there such a thing as too much speed? I'm planning the latest version of my Warrior elemental deck, and currently have: Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, WotBF, Sangan, two copies of "Reinforcements of the Army" and one Mirage of Nightmare. (I ditched Freed when I found out Jinzo will be in the new Joey Tin; I'll snap one up as soon as I can. =) ) So, that's seven cards with draw power. Witch, Sangan, and Reinforcements are targeted searchers, too. PoG, GC and MoN aren't targeted, but allow for more drawing power. Do I have too much draw power here? Am I in danger of decking myself constantly?

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Black_Phoenix [/i] [B] And lets be honest about one thing. The monument was of no harm to [i]anyone[/i]. The only reason it came up is because someone had to make their voice heard. [/B][/QUOTE] Actully, that's not true. The ACLU and the Association for the Seperation of Church and State actually go around looking for things like this and then turn them into media circuses to get their point out. That's what happened in this case: they were looking for a fight to begin with. (I'm on the fence regarding this fact of the events: I agree with seperation of church ands state, but I'm noy sure I agree with the ambush tactic. We have enough media circuses that occur without anyone trying; we don't need anyone going out and causing them.) And of ourse the issue regards constitutional seperation of C & s. It was *never* about other people being offended. Contray to popular belief, no one has the right to not be offended.

No BLS, sorry. Check out toywiz for a pic of the box. The following cards are ultra rare, as seen from the box: Breaker the Magic Warrior, Black Paladin and the Chaos Magician. In all likelyhood, Black Paladin's name will be changed to DRak Paladin, keeping in step with the rest of the Dark magician name changes.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Justin [/i] [B] Christians are [i]required[/i] to preach the Good News to the nations. -Justin [/B][/QUOTE] Since when? Seriously, the obligation of spreading a dogma is one of the most misunderstood practices of the Christian faith. Where in the Bible does it tell you, abjectly and not within the context of a larger story, to try and convert everyone you can? I am Christian, but I hold the right to disagree with the conversion philosiphy. If God didn't want me to disagree, he wouldn't have given me free thought. However, I'll gladly explain my reasoning, lest I be stoned to death with stones. Discovering a faith is a deeply personal and spiritual event in a person's life. As such, I believe that the process of discovering your faith is one of the most private things in the world. Someone of another faith has no right to do that for you. I would not want, say, a person of the Muslim faith to tell me constantly how great Muslim is and how I'll burn forever if I don't follow it. I extend the same courtesy to everyone else.

The Godrock, as I call it, should be moved. However, I am very specific in my reasons for wanting it moved. I believe the judge has the right to express his religion however he wishes, but sadly, he choose to do it on *state* land. Therefore, he violates the seperation clause. However, what bugs me is that people misinterpret the Seperation of church and state clause. It exists solely so the government does not spend money or resources on something that will not benifit the whole of society. It's not about tolerating all religion or tolerating none at all, it's about the almighty dollar. BTW, because oit was brought up, America is, in fact, a judeo-christian state; it was founded by men who were very strongly christian, and the majority of the population defines themselves as christian. Whether this is right or wrong is up for debate, but that would be wildly off-topic. Just be aware of the way things are. However, I've noted that only Judeo-Christian displays of religion gain notority in the media. Hmmm...

Beast Machines was the best transformers series. It had the best animation, the best storyline, and the most awesome character designs. (Jetstorm pwns you!) Original Transformers- blech. They were all shapped like boxes...it didn't keep me entertain, and I was, like, two, and easily entertained. Give me Ninja Turtles anyday. Beast Wars- Good but not great. Dinobot was, without a doubt, my favorite character on the show, followed by Inferno. It really wasn't that deep, and the characters changed every season to push more toys. (In all fairness, not nearly as many toys as the original series.) RiD- Eh. I liked Skyshark and the Predicons, but thay was it. More kiddified than the original Beast Wars. Armada- Can't stand it.

Well...first, you have *waaaayyy* too many cards, B_K. A good ratio to start with is about 7 traps, 13 magic and twenty monsters, although you can play around with these numbers. (I myself prefer to use 4/5 traps, 16/18 monsters, and 18/20 magics.) Trim the fat to forty cards. It'll be easier to pick the better cars when working with smaller numbers. Also, right off the bat, ditch Ryu-Ran, REBD, and the Labyrith Wall. When choosing a tribute monster, what you need to do is select either a) one with tons of strength for a small tribute (Summoned Skull, and later, the Cybernetic Wyrven), b) one with a killer effect (Jinzo, Vampire Lord, Hades) or c) one which is a little lacking on a or b, but go with the deck's theme (Freed, Tyrant Dragon, Machine King). Those guys have none of that. I'd also recommed dropping Shadow Ghoul, b/c he's weak unless you build the deck around him. You should keep BEWD if you want fire power, but Summoned skull is better if you can get one.

REx Raptor cringed. "Seth, you idiot! Asura Priest is a Spirit Monster! He returns to your hand each turn! Why'd you leave youyrself wide open?!" "It was cutting it a little close," Seth admitted. "But it's all part of my plan." "I see," Lydia said. "Did you plan to loose?" "Nope, sorry. I've got all the cards I need for my strategy to work, save one. And I know I'm about to draw it. My deck won't let me down." At least, Seth thought. It better not. Come on, deck, come through for me... Seth drew his card, and smiled. "This duel is over. I summon the Magician of Faith!" A young girl with a staff appeared on the field. Rex laughed. "Seth, you moron! The Magician's effect only works when she's flipped over! It's useless to summon her in face-up defense mode!" "He didn't," Lydia called. "She's in attack mode." "What?!" "You better believe she's in attack mode. She's going to win this duel for me! Because now, I play the magic card I just drew, Creature Swap!" Lydia stepped back. "No...that card..." "It gives me one of your monsters in exchange for one of mine. And I choose to take your Bazoo in exchange for my Magician of Faith!" The dueling field shimmered, and suddenly, Bazoo was in front of Seth, the Magician in front of Lydia. "Bazoo," Seth commanded. "I have two monsters in the graveyard. Eat up!" Bazoo did. He still had the Beast Fangs equipped to him, so his attack grew to 2500. "Nice trick," Lydia admitted. "But I still have other monsters. I can win, even without Bazoo." "Maybe, but you won't have a chane to use them. Bazoo isn't strong enough to wipe out your Life points yet, but once I equip him with the magic card Megamorph, his attack strength will double, because my Life points are so much lower then yours!" "You let me attack you on purpose..." Lydia muttered. "Yep. I risked the entire duel on one card draw. Now that Megamorph is in effect, Bazoo has 5000 attack points. You're done for! Bazoo, attack the Magician of Faith!" Bazoo screeched and swiped his claws. the Miagician was wipped out, along with Lydia's Life points. Lydia came to Seth, smiling a bit. "That was an excellent duel," she said. "I'll just have to work harder to beat you next time." "I look forward to it," Seth said, blushing. "Here. My Tournament card and my Bazoo the Soul Eater Card. You deserve them." "Thanks," Seth said, taking both cards. Only one more duel, and I'm in the finals! he thought. _____________________________________ OOC: Well, it's been a few days since anyone posted. Rather than double-post, Il'l just add onto this one. ^_^ IC: Seth was cheerful as he examined his two new cards: Bazoo the Soul Eater and the Cyber-Tech Alligator. Sure, they weren't of the Light-attribute, but they were symbols of his victories, like badges of courage. He placed them into his deck without a second thought. [i] Besides,[/i] he thought. [i]I know that they're strong cards. They'll do fine. Plus, they'll make me more unpredictable. I'll be able to surprise Rio, Hiro and anyone else with them. Now...I need one more duel to guarentee my place in the finals...Who to pick?[/i] "Hey! Seth!" A loud voice broke his concentration. He turned around and saw Rex and Lydia running up to him. "Uh, hey guys. What's up?" "We found a duelist worthy of your talent," Lydia said calmly. "I want you to murder this guy!" Rex yelled "Come on!" "Wait a sec...what?" But it was too late. Rex was practically dragging Seth with him, until they finally reached the duelist everyone was so excited about. Green hair, a pink shirt, and white slacks after Labor Day. The only duelist with the guts to wear that kind of outfit was... "Espa Roba!" Espa looked up. "Hey, Rex," he said. "Long time, no see." Rex wasn't happy to see him. "Don't give me that! I remember how you cheated me at Battle City, jerk!" "Hey, now," Espa said. "I gave you your Serpant Knight Dragon back." "For all the good it did me! I was kicked out of the Tournament!" "I sense animosity," Lydia said. "Espa, the name is Seth Niteshade," Seth said. "And I challenge you to a duel." Espa grinned. "All right; I accept. The future is clear; you won't win." "where are your brothers, you cheat?" Rex demaned. "Right there," Espa pointed to a group of young boys who looked almost exactly like him. "Can we just duel?" Seth asked impatiently. "All right, let's go!" Seth and Espa drew their cards. Rex laughed. "Ropa, Seth will take you down! Joey Wheeler won your Jinzo, and I bet you're hopeless without it!" "Fat chance," Espa replied. "I've got a whole new deck, and a new monster even more powerful than Jinzo!" "If you two are done," Seth interrupted. "I place one monster face down and end my turn." "Good; I summon Zombrya the Dark, in attack mode!" A tall monster wearing a dark super-hero costume appeared on the field. [i]Zombrya?[/i]Seth thought. [i]Hmm...a strong monster, but his attack drops every turn...what could Espa be planning?[/i] "Zombrya, destroy that pesky face-down monster!" Zombrya leapt into the air and struck the card with a flying low kick. The card was the Dark mgaician Girl's little sister, Magician's Valkryia. She was destroyed instantly. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." "Nice move," Seth said. "But your dark hero's about to be wiped out by a hero of the more old-fashioned variety. I summon the Blade Knight, in attack mode!" A knight in a shining suit of armor appeared on the field. He bore a shield and a large sword. "I equip the Bright Castle card to my Knight; his attack points raise from 1600 to 2300! Because your Dark hero lost 200 points after destroying a monster, that puts him at 1900 points...Blade Knight, attack!" The Knight charged and, inches from striking Espa's monster, the face-down card activated. "Waboku!" Espa called. "It negates any damage I take! I loose Zombrya, but my life points are unharmed!" Sure enough, Espa took no damage as Zombrya was sliced in half. "Well, then,' Seth replied. "I end my turn." "That's all you can do," Espa snapped. "I summon the Saphire Dragon, in defense mode!" [i]What's going on here?[/i] Seth wondered as the green dragon appeared on the field. [i]Why summon a monster like the Saphhire Dragon in defense mode? He's clearly made for attack...also, what do Zombrya and the Dragon have in common? What's Espa's strategy?[/i] "Blade Knight! Destroy the Sapphire Dragon!" Espa didn't even flinch as his dragon was sliced in half. Even his brothers, looking on, didn't seem bothered. "What's going on?" Rex asked Lydia. "This isn't anything like when I played this creep! Seth's slaughtering his monsters with no trouble!" "He's waiting for something," Lydia replied. "Every time he draws a card, he has an aticipating look on his face, then slight disappointment." "But Seth is killing him!" "Niether of them are in control," Lydia explained. "True, Seth's Blade Knight is a force to be reckoned with, but Espa hasn't taken any damage yet. He's waiting for something, and once he gets it, this whole duel could turn around." Espa drew his next card. "I play the Skilled Black Magician, in defense mode!" Seth was taken aback. [i]That's it, something's up here! That card is only used in Dark Magician decks! Plus, he already played a dragon and a dark warrior! None of his moves make sense! He's playing like a kid who just tossed together the cards with the highest attacks![/i] [i] But...Lydia's strategy seemed random at first, and she turned out to have a nasty surprise waiting...Look at him; he's not even worried. I've got to break through his monsters and figure out his strategy, or he might spring something on me that I can't beat![/i] _________________________________ OOC: Hello? Anyone home? IC: "I also place one card face down," Espa said. "I end my turn." Seth looked over his cards. Sure, he could quickly gain field advantage by rushing Espa now, but if he was planning so spectacular move with his unorthodox strategy...then maybe it's best to keep some cards in reserve. "Well, i guess it's pretty obvious what to do," Seth said. "Blade Knight, wipe out his Magician!" The Blade Knight charged forward and struck the Skilled Black Magician with his sword, destroying him. "I'll admit, Ropa," Seth said. "I have no idea what you're doing. so far, all of your strategies have been completely off the wall." Espa grinned, full of confidence. "I wouldn't expect you to comprhend my stratgey," he said. "After all, i'm in touch with the currents of the universe! You're out of your league! I summon the Dark Elf in defense mode, and place one card face-down." A dark-skinned elf in a green dress appeared on the field. She had a huge attack of 2000, but only 800 defense. So why play her like this? "Blade Knight, destroy the elf," Seth said half-heartedly. In his mind, he was trying to discern Ropa' strategy. [i]What is going on here? Espa's not some rookie...I must be missing something...All right, he's played four monsters so far: Zombrya the Dark, Sapphire Dragon, Skilled Black Magician and Dark Elf; what do they all have in common?[/i] [i]They all have 1900 attack or higher...but what does that mean? Without a clear stategy, monsters are useless, no matter how strong....unless...oh no! He couldn't be planning that...Oh man...[/i] "I discard Megamorph from my hand," Seth said. "My card count is now six. Your move." "Time's up for you, Seth," Espa said. "I place one more card face down, and play Goblin Attack Force, in attack mode!" A quartet of Gblins appeared on the field. They were evenly matched with Seth's powered Blade Knight. "I now end my turn." "I draw...and discard my trap card, Light of Intervention. I can't attack, so it's your move." Espa laughed. "It's over for you, Seth! I was stalling until I drew a card your Knight couldn't overpower! Now, Prepare to face a monster whose power is limitless!" Seth backed away. "Oh crap...I was right...you're going to play *him*, aren't you?" "Yes!" Espa laughed, and his brothers looked on in anticipation. "I sacrifice my Goblin Attack Force to summon the great Demon Gaazetto!" The Goblins disappeared, and a dark cloud formed in their place. From it arose a hideous demon warrior. "What is that thing?!" Rex asked. "The Great Demon Gaazetto," Seth replied. "A rare and ultra-powerful monster card. His attack and defense strengths are both zero, but his ability makes him almost unbeatable. His attack and defense become double the amount of the attack and defense of the monster tributed to summon him!" "That's right," Espa said. "And because my Goblin Attack Force had an attack strength of 2300..." "Gaazetto has an attack of 4600." Lydia finished. "Impressive." Espa smirked again. "Now you'll see why he's called the Great Demon! He's even more powerful than the Blue eYes Ultimate DRagon! Nothing in your deck can stop me! Great Demon Gaazetto, unleash your power on his Knight!" ________________________________________ Gaazetto unleashed a dark blast of incriedible power at the Blade Knight, who was instantly destroyed. Seth's LP dropped to 1700. "This duel is over," Espa declared, full of confidence. "My Great Demon Gaazetto will wipe you out!" "You've obviously got a lot to learn about Duel Monsters," Seth chided. "Brute strength alone never wins a match. Ask Rex." "Hey!" Espa laughed. "Usually, that's true. However, in this case, we've moved beyond brute strength. We're talking ustoppable force of nature here! Gaazetto's too strong for you to do anything but sit back and loose!" "Is he?" Seth asked. "Well, that's where you're wrong. I draw..." "Not so fast!" Espa said. "I play my trap card, Time Seal!" Seth looked up suddenly. "What?" "I know you could find a way to destroy Gaazetto on your own," Espa explained. "So I'm not leaving you a chance to draw new cards! That'll shut you down real quick!" "I do'nt need to draw cards; I already have one ready for your demon!" Seth produced a magic card. "I play Ebykio Drakmord, the Black Dust Virus! This magic card will riddled your monster with the plauge, rendering him unable to attack or defend. After two turns, he'll be destroyed!" "nice try," Espa said. "But I play my other trap card, Solemn Judgement. At the cost of half my life points, I destroy your magic card." The Black Dust dissipitated, leaving Seth with no new options. [i]I'm screwed,[/i] Seth thought. [i]No monster can go toe-to-toe with Gaazetto...And none of my magicc ards will help me...better play the defensive...[/i] "I place Freed, the Wandering Hero, in defense mode!" A blond-haired general with a cloak appeared on the field. "I now end my turn." "Good! Gaazetto, destroy his monster!" Gaazetto unleashed another volley of energy, wiping out Freed. "My turn's over," Espa said. "But don't bother drawing a card. My other face-down card is also a Time seal. You'll only get one more draw in this duel before I finish you." Seth reached to his deck, but Espa mearly activated his trap card. Seth looked over his hand...[i]Nothing! I've got the Copycat....he has stats of 0/0, but can take the base attack of one opponent's monster...that won't help me, though, because Gaazetto's base attack is 0![/i] "I place the Reflect Bounder, in defnse mode." "And I have my Great Demon detroy it," Espa chuckled, as his monster went to work. "You've got one more move; your hand is almost empty. Hurry up and draw." [iThis is it...[/i] Seth thought. [i]If I don't draw the card I need right now, all my work was for nothing. There's one card that can help me, and cinch the duel....I have to draw it![/i] Seth drew his card.... .....And smiled. "It's been a good duel, Espa," Seth said. "Your Great Demon Gaazetto is extemely powerful. I'll take good care of it." Espa frowned. "What are you talking about? You're bluffing!" "Watch and learn," Seth said, confidently. "I summon the Servant of Catabolism, in attack mode!" An ancient mollusk creature appeared on the field. Espa laughed. "That thing only has700 attack points! My Great Demon will slaughter it!" "Your Great Demon is going to help me win this match!" Seth declared. "I play the magic card Riryoko!" Lydia smiled. "I know exactly what he's doing." "Care to fill me in?" Rex asked. "Riryoko allows me to take the attack points of one monster on the field, divided them in half, and add them to the attack of another monster," Seth explained. "I'm sure you see what comes next." Espsa wasn't worried. "You're going to give half my Great Demon's attack to your Servant of Cataboloism. Big deal. Riryoko only lasts for one turn. You'll destroy Gaazetto, but next turn I'll just summon one of my super-powerful monsters to destroy your mollusk and the rest of your life points!" "Ther'es no next turn," Seth said. "Riryoko, take half of Gaazetto's attack points and give them to my Servant of Catabolism!" A magical aura surrounded both the Servan and the Demon. Gaazetto's attack dropped to 2300, and the Servant's roose to 3000. "Your mistake was choosing such a weak monster," Espa gloated. "Your Servant is one of the weakest monsters I've ever seen. He'll destroy my Demon, but he won't live long enough to brag about it!" "I'm not going to destroy your Demon at all," Seth said. "You obviously don't know about my Servant of Catabolism's special ability. True, his attack points are low, but he makes up for it. You see..." "My Servant of Catabolism can bypass all of your monsters and attack your life points directly!" Espa turned pale. "But I only have 2000 Life points left...." "Exactly. Sevant of Catabolsim, wipe out Espa's life points!" The tiny mollusk glowed brightly and unleashed a stream of bubbles. THey passed directly through Gaazetto and hit Espa. "No...I lost....." "Youre out of life points. I win. Your Tournament card and your Great demon Gaazetto are mine now." Espa looked to his brothers. They smiled. "It was a great duel, Espa," One said. "You don't have to be embarassed." The others nodded. Espa smiled slightly and handed Seth his two cards. "It was a lot of fun dueling you," he said. "I hope you do well in the finals." "Agreed," Lydia said. "You'd better," Rex muttered. Seth smiled as he added the Great Demon Gaazetto to his deck. "Thanks, all of you. But I need to check up on a friend of mine. I'll be ayt the finals, don't worry. And i'll win." Seth waved goodbye and ran off to find Hiro.

At the end of Lydia's turn, Bazoo shrunk back down, with only 1900 attack points. "Just to be safe, I place one card facew down before I end my turn," she said. Seth checked his options; Lydia could keep feeding that freak for at least one more turn, with the other three monsters in her Graveyard. He'd have to take it out now....but it had 1900 attack points, and only his Thunder Nyan nyan could match that. He didn't have his Thunder Nyan Nyan yet.... "I play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon," Seth said. "I use it to destroy your face-down card!" A small cyclone formed on Lydia's face down card, blowing it away. "I also placeone card in defensive mode and end my turn." Lydia drew. Suddenly, three monsters appeared on her side of the field; her Dimensional Scouting Machines. "Hey...what?" "These Machines return to the field after being removed from the game," Lydia explained. "That's why I selected them to go to the Graveyard. Now, Bazoo, devour the Nimble Monomogas." Bazoo fed once more, powering back up. With a single swipe, he destroyed Seth's monster, Spirit of the Harp. "Your move." Seth drew a card. Aha, he thought. Asura Priest! I think I have an idea... "I play Asura Priest, in attack mode!" A six-armed man appeared on the field, with 1700 attack points. "His six arms can attack as many of your monsters on the field as I want. Asura Priest, destroy those Scouter Machines!" Asura sped to the side of the field, striking each of the three machines. They exploded instantly. After Seth made his attack, Asura Priest left the field. "Your move, ma'am." "That wasn't very smart," Lydia said. "I play my other face-down card, Miracle Dig. It brings my three Monomogas back to the grave. Now, Bazoo, feed again and attack his life points directly." Bazoo did feed, and did attack. Seth was knocked backwards by the forec of the blast. With no monsters to defend himself, Seth's LP dropped to a measly 200. "I'm afraid you're done," Lydia said. I might be, Seth thought. I'm risking everything on this one gambit. I have all the cards needed for this next attack but one....if it's not the right card...I'm done for good!

The beauty of literature, (including but not limited to anime, but you can speak about *all* literature in this fashion), is that it can have different meanings on different levels. Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is a great example of this. On the one hand, it's a sad story of a guy who turns into a big bug and is rejected by his family. Yet is has many different layers. It's also a commentary of the social addiction to work and progress. It also psychologically deleves into the basic question of identity. It also explores the foundations of familial relationships. It also explores man's relationship with God and the universe in general. However, you don't have to know all of that in order to understand Metamorphosis as a seally tragic, if somewhat bizzare, story. Stories are like ogres, which are like onions: they have layers. You can enjoy something on one level, and not care about any other level, and that's fine. Trigun is an awesome anime. I fell in love with it as it was presented on the surface: a story of a more-than-human hero plagued by manipulations beyond his control, who just wants to enjoy life. It wasn't until long after I had seen the entire series that the possibility of Trigun as a religious allegory ocurred to me. If you don't like this line of thought, and want your anime to be jusyt anime, that's cool. I'm just talking to the people who look onto some of the others layers it might posess. It's certainly not for everyone, I admit. But I still think it merits discussion among those who enjoy discussing such things. And now that I've gone totally off-topic in defense of myself, does anyone have anything to say regarding my original post in the first place?

Seth, with Rex in tow, came upon a crowd where a duel was just ending. The loser, a shoert guy with red hair, walked away in a sullen mood, having lost his rarest card and a chance at the championship. The winner was a pale young lady in fishnet stocking, platform boots, and rather scruffy black attire. Her t-shirt said "Vampiress", and she had a pentagram medallion on her neck. "Does anyone else wish to duel?" she asked in a soft, monotone voice. "I take on all challengers." "What do ya' think, hot shot?" Rex asked sEth. "Think you can take her?" "Well, I never like to disappoint a lady..." Seth said. He raised his hand. "Me! I'll take you on." The girl nodded. "Come on, then. My name is Lydia. Let's begin." He stepped into the center of the circle the crowd had formed. "I'm Seth. Very nice to meet you." "Meetings are just the first part of saying good bye," she said. "i'll go first." Seth blinked. "Uh, okay." Well, he thought. Not very chipper, is she? "You better not loose, Seth!" Rex called. "I have a rep to maintain!" "Winning or loosing doesn't matter," Lydia said. "What difference does it make? I set one monster face down, and set on other face down card. Your turn." Seth drew a card and looked at his hand. "Hmm...well, I play the Hysteric Fairy, in attack mode." A male angel wearing a strange sort of business suit appeared on the field. "Attack her face down monster!" The angel nodded and flew into the air. He dove onto the card, destroying the monster instantly. "The monster you just killed was the Nimble Monomoga," Lydia said, still unphased. "I gain 1000 life points because of it." "Great..." Seth muttered. "We just started, and now she's at 5000 life points! And I still don't know her strategy!" "Also, the death cries of their fellow bring two more Nimble Monomogas from my deck to the field," Lydia explained. "Are you done with your turn?" " Not quite," Seth said. "I place on card face down. Now I'm done." "Whatever," Lydia shrugged. "I draw. Now, I activate my face-down card, Painful Choice." Seth was confused. "Huh? Painful choice? What's that do?" "I select five cards from my deck," Lydia said. "You pick one of them and it goes to my hand. The other four go to the graveyard." Seth chuckled. "You're got to be out of your mind, but go ahead. Pick your cards." "Already done," She said. Holograms of five different cards appeared on the field. Sinister Serpant, Dark Bats, and three Dimensional Scouting Machines. "Well, obviously," Seth said. "I choose the Sinister Serpant; he'd only end up in your hand after each turn anyway." The other four cards disappeared, and Lydia added the serpant to her hand. "I place one face down card and end my turn," she said simply. What is she doing? Seth wondered. This is crazy...her strategy is completely random... "I activate *my* face-down card, Regeki Break!" seth said. "I discard one card from my hand, and destroy one of your Monomogas!" A small bolt of lightning shot from the card, wiping out one of Lydia's squrriels. "And because it was destroyed by a trap card, you won't get the 1000 points! Now, Hysteric Fairy, wipe out the last Monomoga!" The Fairy struck again, and Lydia's LP rose another 1000 points, to 6000. At least that's the end of her defenses, Seth thought. Next turn, I go for the kill! Lydia drew a card. "I just drew the card I was waiting for," she announced without a trace of emotion in her voice. "My most powerful card. I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater, in attack mode." A fat blue baboon appeared on the field. Seth had to stop himself from laughing. "That's your most powerful monster? It's only got 1600 attack points. Even my Hysteric Fairy has 1800, and he's not nearly my strongest card! This is crazy." "I play the magic card Beast Fangs," Lydia said. Bazoo's fangs doubled in size, making him look far more intemidating. "His attack raises to 1900." "That's better," Seth admitted. "But still...that's the best you can do?" "You oviously don't know about Bazoo's ability," Lydia said. "Watch. Bazoo, feed." The spirits of the three Dimensional Scouting Machines rose before the ape, and it gabbed them greedily. To Seth's disgust, it began to devour them. "Ewww..." Rex said, sticking out his tongue. "My sentiments exactly," Seth said. "What's he doing?" "Eating their souls," Lydia explained. "Three souls each turn fills him up. Thath's why I used Painful Choice to dump monsters into the graveyard for him." As Bazoo fed, he got larger. When he was done, he had doubled in size, and his attack had risen to 2500, plus 300 more for the Beast Fangs...2800, with no tributes. "I think I get it..." Seth said quietly. His Hysteric Fairy backed away from the big baboon. "Bazoo, kill his Fairy," Lydia commanded. With a wild howl and a swipe of his claws, Bazoo wiped out the Hysteric Fairy, and 1000 of Seth's LP. "I think I'm in trouble..." Seth said, as Bazoo howled again.

Seth smilied. "I activate my face-down card, Defusion!" he said. tHe card rose, and the Brachio-Radius monster shimmered and returned to its component monsters. "What?! No!" Rex shouted. "Your Ax is also destroyed," Seth continued. "Unless you want to sacrifice one of these two to get it back..." "That would leave me defenseless! No way!" "Fair enough. I reveal my face-down monster, the Kaiser Seahorse!" A blue sea serpant bearing a trident rose into the air. "Seahorse! Destroy his Crawling Dragon!" The monster hurled his trident at the black dino, and it was destroyed. Rex's LP dropped to 3850. "My Kaiser Seahorse has a very special ability," Seth bragged. "It can serve as two tributes if I use it to summon a Light-type monster. Next turn you could be facing down one of my strongest monster!" Rex drew a card and smiled. "There won't be a next turn for you, hotshot! I sacrifice my Twin-Headed King Rex to summon my newest and rarest card!" The King Rex was pulled into the base of the card, and a robotic dinosaur with large wings emerged. "Meet the Cyber-Tech Alligator! He has an attack of 2500! Alligator, destroy his fish!" The Cyber-Tech Alligator roared and charged the Kaiser Seahorse. The Seahorse was detroyed, and Seth's LP dropped appropriatly, to 3250. "You might as well give up," Rex said, grinning. "This duel is in the bag!" "Not yet it's not," Seth replied. "I have several ways to destroy your monster!" "Yeah, right! The Cyber-Tech Alligator is unbeatable, especially when I draw a Limiter Removal! That will double it's attack points instantly!" Seth examined his cards. There was only one that could save him right now... "I place one monster face-down, and one other card face down, and end my turn." "Typical," Rex laughed. "Playing defense again. Some hot-shot you are. Cyber-Tech Alligator, destroy his face-down card!" Seth grinned as the Gator swooped down to attack. "My face-down monster has a surprise for you!" When the monster was revealed, it turned out to be a beautuiful young woman glad in a knight's armor. "Meet the Dimensional Warrior Girl," Seth said. "Her sword was forged in a twilight dimension. If she activates its powers..." The DWG deflected the Alligator's claws with her sword, and there was a blinding flash. When it was over, both monsters were gone. Rex gasped. "Wha-where'd they go?!" "They have left the game," Seth explained. "Her special ability has transported both of them to another dimension, out of the game. they aren't even in the graveyard. You won't be seeing either of them again." "No! Not again!" Seth drew a card. "It's my turn nolw, Rex. you've been controlling this duel long enough. Now, you'd better be ready to play the defensive!" "But...I ca'nt..." "I know. You don't have any defensive monsters. Tough break. I, on the other hand, can defend *and* attack. But the time for defending is over!" He set his monster card. "I play Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode!" A beautiful angel rose from the card, with 1800 attack points. "I also activate my face-down card, Bright Castle! It raises her attack by seven hundred points!" The angel grew taller as her point totals rose to 2500. "And just to seal the deal, I set my Field card, Luminous spark!" She grew taller yet again as her total attack rose to 3000. "Now, attack his life points directly!" The now Amazonian angel released a blast of yellow energy right at Rex. His LP fell to 850. Rex drew, and sighed. "I give," he said. "There's no way I can beat a monster that strong." Seth smiled. "It was a good deal, dude," he said. He walked over and extended his hand. Rex hesitated, then shook. "Here you go," he said. "My Tournament card and my Cyber-Tech Alligator. tHey're yours now." "Thanks," Seth said. "Hey, listen. I'm gather an assortment of duelist for a little side-project I'm working on. I'd be honored if you'd like to join." Rex considered. "Well, I'll think about it, but on one condition." "What's that?" "The only people who beat me, at least without cheating, always go all the way in Tournaments. So you'd better make it to the finals, or I'll beat you up and take my Alligator back!" Seth grinned. "No prob." As he placed the Cyber-Tech Alligator into his deck, Seth wondered how the others were doing. He was already half-way to the finals. Two more duels and he'd be in. Seth decided not to challenge Hiro yet. That ewould wait until they were both in the finals, assuming Hiro made it that far. I wonder what he's up to now," Seth thought to himself as he and Rex re-entered the crowd.

I did not voice any personal religious veiwpoints, nor was I looking for religious symbolism when watching the show. I simply presented a way it appeared, after consideration given. I am not equating Vash to the Lord, I am saying that he may have been written with intentional parallels to him. It is entirely possible that the writers of Trigun intentionally drew upon the Bible, just as the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. Clearly the two are very different, but many of the basic similarities and themes remain. I simply wished to present a new view of the work. It's not as if I myself were writing a story and equjating it to the Bible; the story, one of my favorite, already exists. I'm simply examining it in a new light. Many animes (and works of fiction in general) reference the Bible; why not Trigun? I would be the first to say that, as people, (one real, one fictional), Vash and Jesus have very little in common in the way of personalities. They shared a similar moral code; however, Vash, being mortal, had flaws. Jesus had none. the point I wished to make was that their situations and the events surrounding them were very similar. As for offending other people...there is no tactful way of putting this; any way I say it will sound cold, so I'll just say it: I don't care if I do. There are, at last count, six billion human beings on the planet, all of whom have different ways of thinking. i'm bound to offend some of them no matter what I do. Left with such unfathomable odds, there is only one logical course of action: I must do what I would normally do, and not worry about whether or not I offend people. THat is not to say that I don't care about other people's feelings; there are just simply too many other people to please them all. If you would seriously like to discuss or debate the issue on its intellectual merits, please do so. However, if this offends you, I invite, nay, encourage you to use youir God-given free will to not read it at all.

Rex smiled, already sure of his victory. "I've been practicing ever since Joey Wheeler beat me in Duelist Kingdom," he bragged. "That cheater Espa Ropa messed up my plans for a comeback, but this time I'm going right to the top. I play Anthrosaurus, in attack mode!" A small, man-shaped dinosaur appeared on the field, and roared. Seth blinked. "Uh...Rex, that monster only has 1000 attack points...what do you think you're doing?" Rex laughed. "I'll let you figure it out!" Seth examined the situation. His face-down card was the Kaiser Seahorse, with only 1750 attack points. His Swords of Revealing Light protected him, but only for the next two turns. On the other hand, Rex's King Rex was powered up by the Axe of Despair card, giving it 2600 attack points. So why would Rex throw down such a weak monster like Anthrosaurus in attack mode? Rex wasn't a rocket scientist, to be sure, but this just seemed stupid...Seth could destroy that thing and still have time to switch his monsters back to defense mode. So why...? "Okay, Rex, I'll bite," Seth said slowly. "Why do you have the Anthrosaurus on the field?" "So I can do this! I play the magic card Polymerization! I fuse my Twin-Headed King Rex on the field with the Crawling Dragon in my hand, to form the mighty Brachio-Radius!" The King Rex disappeared, and from the fusion vortex emerged a gigantic dinosaur creature. Seth read his duel disk; this new monster had 2200 attack. "You just wasted cards, Rex," Seth gloated. "Your T-Rex with its Axe was stronger than this beastie." "...And that's where my Anthrosaurus comes in," Rex sneered. "Ax of Despair went to the graveyard when my first dino left the field. But Ax's effect says that I can sacrifice a monster on the field to send it to the top of my deck!" Seth sighed. "I see where this is going..." "Yep! I sacrifice my Anthrosaurus to send the Ax to the top of my deck! My Brachio-Radius can't attack until next turn anyway. But just to make sure I won't have any problems...I play De-Spell! It destroys one Magic card. Kiss your Swords good bye!" Seth actually smiled. Sure, he was in trouble; his Seahorse would be destroyed next turn if he didn't act, and its special ability was of no help. However, he now knew how Rex thought. "Dinosaur cards are strong," Seth said. "But that's really all they have, their strength. Your whole deck is based around power up monsters and removing obstacles. But, tell me, Rex..." Seth drew his next card. "What do you do if your opponent doesn't charge you head-on?" Rex glowered. "Who cares? Play your next monster!" "I don't play a monster this turn, Rex," Seth said, full of confidence. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." "Then you're as good as dead!" Rex snapped. "I draw Ax of Despair, and use it on Brachio-Radius, raising his attack to 3200! Now, attack!"

CN cannot be sued for showing FLCL, or anything on its Adult Swim block. They have fulfilled their legal responsibilities by not only showing the "offensive" programming in the wee hours, but also issuing a disclaimer before it and all other Adult Swim programs. So there. =P

Vash is Jesus Christ. Did that get your attention? =) Good. I'll explain. [spoiler] The more I think about it, the cleaer it becomes: Vash is, intentional or no, akin to Jesus. Rem called he and Knives "angels". Knives is clearly Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. Knives also acts as Satan did to Jesus, as the Temptor. Like in the Bible, Vash rejects the temptation. Rem is the Virgin Mary. She is a maternal figure to Vash, yet she is completely "pure"; she had a true love, but he's dead, so she is physically untouched. Meryl is Mary Magdoline. MM followed Jesus as the only female disciple, similar to how Meryl follows Vash. At first, it's her job, but it eventually takes on a deeper meaning for her. Similar to Jesus, Vash wanders a dessert, alone, helping others. sometimes, he exorcises "demons" and performs miricles. In most of the early episodes, Vash helps someone in need, usually turning their life around. In the episode where Vash is declared a natural disaster, and we see the flash of faces that he's helped: those are his "disciples." He saved them either from external or internal danger. (Yes, even BDN.) Legato Bluesummers represents Damien, the Anti-Christ. (Yes, I'm aware that Damien isn't Biblicle, but it works.) Legato is Knives' most devoted follower, and represnts what Vash *could have* become, had he allowed his brother to corrupt him. (There's another Biblicle comparison, to Cain and Able, but it isn't nearly as extensive or accurate as this.) The Gung-Ho Guns are, several times, referred to as "demons", and thus they are. Whereas the lesser crooks represnted minor evil spirits who possessed pigs and such, these are the real deal. As an article on otaku.com pointed out, Vash & Knives grew up in a garden. (Eden) The plants on Gunsmoke keep the citizens alive; Vash has the power to repair them. In the Bible, faith sustains people, abnd Jesus repairs it. I am positive that Wolfwood, Milly, the SEEDS ships and the city in the sky have Biblical counterparts, but I do not know enough of the New Testement to draw parallels. Anyone wanna' help out? :) Also, if there's anything I've missed, do tell. (I believe that each Gung-Ho Gun might also represent something specific, but again, I don't know enough to be sure.) [\spoiler] So, am I onto something, or completely off-base?

Well... here we go now. :) Favorite writers: Mike Brian Bendis: Let's see...Ultimate Spider-Man, DareDevil, Alias, Powers....this dude's awesome. However, know that his stories can be long at times; many people have copied his style of streching stories out. (He does it better, though.) Tom DeFalco: Two words: Spider-Girl. Paul Jenkins: I love this guy's more epic stories. His many one-ish standalones have been good and bad, (mostly good), but when he writes a story arch, you pay attention. His three-ish arc with new villain Fusion was awesome; it's a shame he had [spoiler] Dok Octopus beat Fusion nearly to death [/spoiler] in his second arc. His Green Goblin arc, "A Death in the Family", was one of the most creative i've ever read with ol' Norman. What's he done now? He's actually made Venom scary, for the first time ever. Kudos, PJ! Jhonen: I second that! I thought JtHM was a bir overrated, (itr got way too indulgant in some places), but I consider Squee! a masterpiece. :) Wish I could find "I Feel Sick"... Oh, and he created Zim! Roger Stern: I don't know what he's doing now, but he wrote my favorite storyline of the eighties: the original HobGoblin saga. It's a crime that he was takken off the title before he could finish it, and the whole thing turned into a debacle. Fortunatly, his follow-ups, "HobGoblin Lives" and "Goblins at the Gate" were awesome. JM DeMattis: This guy can be horribly depressing, giving every character personal demons to the nth degree, but at the same time can put summon such menaces as "the Legion of Losers", Walrus-Man, the White Rabbit, and the Terrific Toad Man. (I'm not kidding on any of those....) Todd DeZago: This guy's just for nastalgic purposes. I read his stuff a lot as a kid. i'll do artists later; I'm short on time.

Seth strolled through the crowds, looking for just the right opponent. "Heyo!" he called out. "Anyone want a real duel? I pull out all the stops!" "I'll take you on, hotshot!" A voice called back. Seth turned around suddenly. "Well....I guess I'm in for a real challenge, aren't I...Rex?" Rex Raptor approached Seth, grinning. "My dions will chew you up and spit you out, tough guy." "Yeah, if they're not blinded by the light," Seth snapped back. "Enough talk! Time to duel!" "Right!" They activated their duel disks as a crowd formed around them. Rex drew his cards. "Get ready to eat my dust," he said. "I play Twin-Headed King Rex in attack mode!" A large, two-headed purple monster appeared on the field, roaring ferociously. "And I power him up with the magic card, Ax of Despair! His attack raises by 1000 points!" Seth paled a bit as he looked over his cards. Nonthing he had in his hand could beat a 2600 attack monster...He'd have to play defense... "I play the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!" He cried as a trio of shining swords surrounded the dinosaur monster. "I also place one monster in face down defense mode!" Rex chortled. "The duel just started, and I've already got you on the defensive! You're about to be blown back to the stone age, and out of this tournament!"

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve [/i] [B] I fail to see the point about arguing over religion.... If you're Christian you believe God gave us free will. So our free will isn't to believe.... God gave us that, you should accept that. It's not your job as Christians to try to convince us (and if it is, then the bible contradicts itself yet again). You should be looking at all the sinning you do yourself before you start going after others. [/B][/QUOTE] Kudos, TN. :) Exactly one of my points. It's none of my business what anybody else believes; as long as they're content with their beliefs, I don't see why anyone should want to change that.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wrist cutter [/i] [B] It's your love for God. That's it. Your love for God will get you to Heaven. And along with that love come all those good deeds - you want to please the ones you love, don't you? It's not just a religious thing, it applies to human relationships as well. You please God when you do things such as this. [/B][/QUOTE] Well, I've found that creedo to be a bit lacking, because there are way to many situations it doesn't cover. What if I've lived in a small African village all my life, and never heard of any religion outside of the one we practice there? Am I going to Hell for ignorance? Not to sound corny, (but all discussions of this nature invariably will), but I believe what gets you into Heaven is the quality and goodness in your Soul. All people have the capacity for good and evil; it's which side you allow to dominate you that proves what kind of person you are, and gets you into Heaven. Really, though, I'm not cponcerned if people believe what I believe; I'm more concerned that they feel spiritually fulfilled. I myself can't believe that all we see is all there is, or that there's nothing greater than man. I mean, if this is it, I might as well die right now, because a good portion of this sucks. The one belief I don't understand is total athiesm. To me, it would see a very dour life to lead to think that this second-rate existance full of pain is all there is, that you are always totally alone, and when you die, you're nothing but bug chow. To me, that does not seem a very happy outlook on life. However, if you believe that, and it makes you happy/spiritually fulfilled, (although I can't see how, but that's just my perspective), then go for it. God wants you to feel fulfilled and happy. The other belief I don't understand is Jehovah's Wittnesses...why do they keep ringing my doorbell? :D

Watch out! Deathbug's actually going to give a real opinion on something important! Duck! Anyway, I am Christian: I believe in God, and Jesus Christ. I also believe in a large portion of the Bible. However, (and this is where several of my friends will argue), I do not believe in every single thing the Bible says. I also do not believe that following every single little religious law is going to get me into Heaven. I believe that being a good person will. What bothers me is when people use religion as a substitue for independant thought. I get flack for disagreeing with, say, some obscure Bible verse, and it bugs me. (My thoughts on the Bible are that it, while it was meant as a historical account of God's works, it was still written by men. And men make mistakes. Therefore, the Bible has mistakes, but I still hold true to the basic theme.) ....(And before anyone points this out, I'm aware that saying the Bible is flawed is kind of copping out of religious v. scientific debates; I didn't think of it that way, but it's useful at times.) The one thing I fundamentally disagree with, in *any* belief system, is a dogma of conversion. If you don't believe in God, then I'm not going to bug you about it. That's your choice. Similarly, I don't want to be bugged about my beliefs, or told I should believe something else. You think what you want, and I'll think what I want, and we'll see who's right when we're dead. This particular bit of my philospihy has gotten me more flack than anything else: I believe that non-Christians can get into Heaven. If you live a good life, and are a caring and compassionate human being who tries to do what's right, then you're in, IMO. I don't know about anyone else, but *my* God wouldn't send one person to Hell and let one in Heaven if the only difference between the two is that one's a Christian and one's a Buhdist/Wiccan/athiest/whatever. I rarely dsiscus religion, period. Most people have their own beliefs and don't want me to bother them with mine. Seeing as this is the forum for it, I just thought Id' get that off my chest. I think that a person's faith is a deeply personal thing. I know that, while I followed my parents and paid lip service to the church, at one point in my life it became very apparent that God was listening to me. I asked for help and He gave it. That's all the proof I needed. You can't be expected to give physical evidence for a relgious debate, because religion is a matter of faith. you either believe in something or you don't. God is a reality to me. As far as I'm concerned, He exists. So, really, i can hardly be expected to be unbiased. If you believe in something/someone else, that's your right; He gave us free will and independant minds for a reason. Just believe in something that makes you feel happy and spiritually fulfilled. I do, and that's really what religion, (any religion) is there for. (Man screws up the sound concept of religion by using it as an excuse to kill people, but that's for another thread.) Well...Im' done. I think that's all I'm going to say on the topic. I'm a little copnfused about why this thread was started...but whatever.

OOC: No prob, Keskai. =) IC: Seth took Dereck's Tournament card and his rarest card. He placed the tournament card in his pocket and handed Dereck's rare card to Serena. "Wait, what's this?" Serena asked, puzzled. "It's for you," Seth said, smiling. "I told you I was dueling for you. I don't need it, so you can have it." "Thanks, I guess...what are you going to do now?" "I'm afraid I've got to go," Seth said apologetically. "Sorry, but I need to find three more strong opponents, and quickly. Be sure to check me out in the finals, okay?" Seth smiled and turned away. Just like that, he was gone.