Baron Samedi

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Nathan followed the group numbly from the weird. The acrid taste of bile hung in his throat, just challenging him to vomit. He hadn't actually entered the room, but looking over Nicholas' shoulder had been enough. It was even kind of funny. Three odd looking, misshapen blobs, sitting in their own private tanks. Wires snaked all over the tanks and the brains themselves. But they were brains, Oh my God, they were brains. And they weren't even real brains...they were grown. I mean, they [i]grew ******* brains to control the ship[/i]. At least in prison you knew what was what. After seeing them...well, the mess hall was the last place he wanted to be. Nathan had done some pretty appalling stuff in his time, but the sterility of the... actions. I mean, ******* brains. Geez. Something about this mission really stank, and it wasn't just Nicholas. There was something going on deeper here. The whole mission had the feeling of an experiment...and combined with that raving lunatic who was to be there only company and cargo for the trip, things were definitely looking down. Nathan's thoughts then turned towards Nicholas. A more pompous, arrogant man he'd never seen. As if feeling the glower directed at the base of his spine, Nicholas turned around "Everything alright Nathan?" "Just ******* A". Nicholas smirked, and turned back around, hurrying to the front of the group again.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[size=1][color=darkred]Someone correct me if I am wrong, but those errors are caused by faulty coding somewhere in the page...it isn't enough to drastically affect the appearance of the page, but where "s have been missed or something, it will sometimes bring up an error problem. It doesn't actually affect it. And, thankyou very much Adam. The new limit allows much fuller use of introductions, whilst not going "too far". Thankyou very, very much Adam. ^_^[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Err. Something here strikes me as being real funny. You're saying that "Alot of them are better looking than the natural human.", "a lot of males that are vampires in movies are extremely sexy" and stuff. But, newsflash, duh. They're played by actors. Meaning that they're not real vampires, and the actors are human. Making the humans sexy. And the only, only reason vampires are portrayed as sexy is because they're supposed to be sexy and seductive. I mean, who ever heard of an ugly vampire? What do I think of them? An old myth which people love to hear about on the movies.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Well, the snapshots are good and high quality, and the images look good. However, Borders! Borders! Borders! Why do people always forget borders? Unless you actually [i]want[/i] a piece of work to feel unfinished and look pretty lame, then you need borders. It doesn't matter how elaborate or how simple the borders are...a banner or an avatar really need them. No Kitty, the avatars are 150x80. Right size. Good stuff, but it just looks...well, shoddy to me without borders.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Very...freaky 'papers and banners. They look good and high quality, awesome backgrounds great cropping. All that kind of basic stuff, and your layout is excellent. I don't really understand the point of the numbers, but whatever.Might I ask why they have the freaky masks and stuff? I don't really know anything about them aside from the name.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Heh. I guess these things are just bound to come back around and bite you, eh Sara? I'd have to agree DDG...I think that text does make them feel all cramped though. Down with the words, that's my motto for sure. Heh. I doubt it'll make fad status- I'm not cool enough for that, but if some people reckon they look cool, then my work here is done. Thanks for your comments DDG ^_^ Yeah, I do have random image thing on. That one is a picture of a hand holding this beautiful flower, and everything but the flower is black and white. The petals are this delicious purple, and the stem a brilliant gold. It is very nice. Great taste there Sara, lol. I'm not really 100% happy with the Murder one, nor the Graffiti one. However, I think most of them hold up fairly well. The American flag one is my favourite by far though. Anyway, thankyou muchly for your comments Sara. Actually, thank everyone for their comments. It is great to know that people are somewhat interested in your work. ^_^[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]"Ultra thin banner trend" eh? Well, I can't stop people if they want to. It's up to what they find aesthetically pleasing. Yeah, text could be added to these banners. It wouldn't be too hard to do. Such as the attatchment I added here. I could even use smaller fonts- it wouldn't be hard at all. Placement and font. My Star one is larger than the others. Anyway, I am glad that you all like them. Or, both of you do anyway. Heh.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Sex does sell. In so many things, there is a hot girl, or a handsome bloke. You don't want to see John Q Public on adds, or Mary W Lou. Advertising is all about capturing attention and interest. If your add isn't unusual, stupid or sexually appealing, there aren't many other ways to capture people's attention these days, especially with all this market competition. For example, some ex-playboy model flew over here to Australia to model for some ads for a [i]men's shoe company[/i]. Yep. She is standing there, and in front of her, sitting on a bench is a guy with his foot resting on the bench. Personally, she is pretty ugly- good body, bad face. However, the whole point is that it'll make people stop and look, and maybe if they see the store, they'll think, "Oh, they had that ad" and they'll wander inside. Sex does sell, especially if it is trained on a target audience, and it will continue to be a fairly major part of the industry.[/size][/color]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Inspired by the loading bar of Desert Combat and by a cool image I found online, I have decided to create a batch of Ultra-Thin banners. Hope you like, ladies and gentlemen![/SIZE][/COLOR]

[size=1][color=darkred]That was beautiful Alex. I felt that it started with a slightly upbeat feel due to the rhythm, but descended into a mournful type of pace. Your rhyming is good, and paired off with the non rhyming parts of the poem, it balances each other. The mix of rhyming and not works well, and doesn't feel like you just messed up. I thought this was very touching Alex. Wonderful. It gave me goosebumps.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]"They admire us," Man, you're one funny ducky. I can honestly not think of anyone who admires the US. Speaking from a wide range of friends and contacts, and my general knowledge of what is going on in the world, nobody admires the US. Not that many even like it. On a side note, how many of you even notice the words on the money? It should be removed for basic reasons, but does anybody here even notice the words that often? Oh, and HOTpage, and all you others...when a big bunch of kids are beating your face into the ground remember this -Majority rules. Right? Right?[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Sorry to just go ahead with it, but I am a bit impatient. If you don't like it, just tell me. I think the font looks good, but it is your banner.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Not too bad...however I feel that the pink banner is much too tall to be aesthetically pleasing... it just feels fat. The background is awesome, and your cropping and choice of stock images really excellent. Crystal clear and high quality- they are yummy. I don't like the graffiti font for the names though... it isn't right. It needs to be smoother. I like the idea of the graff font, but it needs perfecting and smoothing. Also, with the blue one, the font colour doesn't match the background appropriately...it is a bit too neon for the banner. Change that. Overall, nice banners with a few minor aesthetic problems. Your layout is tight, and I love the graphic work.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Good stuff PT. That was a really good story I thought...nice and concise, but still drawing us in. I personally don't know anyone like that, but that kind of sterotype is readily identifiable, meaning we can relate to her all the quicker. The ending is excellent, and is the kind of professionally smooth and classy ending I have come to expect from you. The whole story flows really well, and contrary to Flashlight's opinion I believe the repetition [though it wasn't really that much =/] serves only to re-inforce the message of this story. Nice PT, nice.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]I have never had too much of a problem with personal space... I never really had anyone push their way in, so to speak,or anything like that. I'd say that with some people there is a limit, with others I don't mind. I for example have, over the last few weeks, turned into a total Teddy Bear. If I don't get ten or so hugs everyday, then there is something wrong. Seriously, there are these few girls and everytime I see them they just hug me. It isn't uncomfortable or anything- if I had a problem with my personal space there would be a problem. I never was really possessive of my own space, because at home I could just sit around on my own anyway. But, I have become free-er with my personal space lately. So, it's all good.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Doctor, doctor! Mi favorit tv sho waz just canselld and i miss it alot alredy! wot shood I do?!?!1? i dont like the otha tv shows they are soooo gay. For some reason I get the feel that RPGChick was taking the mickey...but whatever. How can you save all of us when, by my calculations, you are about 20 years old, can't spell pour, know, Havoc, devastation, or bowels. Also, you say you are a Biologicial Weapon Researcher. Who's cooking the snapper? I smell fish.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Disbanding countries would mean disbanding armies and governments. Which, even if a world governing system was put into place, would mean that there would likely be large areas unmonitored. So, groups would spring up, trying to retake countries. Economy would collapse...bleh. Plus there is too much firmly entrenched enmity between certain countries. It just wouldn't work. I'll lock in "@#$% no." Thanks, Eddie... *wins a million dollars*[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]That looks much better now. The thumbnails are just created when you attatch something to your message. For example, if you click on the reply button on the left, underneath the last post, then it will take you to a reply page. Underneath the text box is something saying "Manage Attatchments". Click on this and you can upload stuff to OB, and it will appear as a thumbnail in your message. If you do that, then when you click on it, it will appear bigger. Only people logged in to OB can see it though, so it can be good for hosting your OB banners from. Can only be used on OB though ~_^[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred] As I suggested, having no text might be good-I mean we know who you are already. Alternately find a pixel font, or a superlarge faded Arial font might fit in well. Also, I would recommend something less clashy than red- perhaps white or grey.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=darkred] [CENTER]Identity Crisis.[/CENTER] [i]Thoughts, dreams flood my mind. Faces, voices. Emotions, places, that I lived in yet have never been to. Pain, love, recognition yet who was it? Who am I? Who, where, why, how? ¿Quién, dónde, por qué, cómo? ? Yo no sé el español. What is happening to me? Who is me? ¿Yo me soy? Or not? I am crying...thats why everything is blurred...or have I ever seen before? Ha jeg noensinne grått før? Кто - я? Chi io sono? Qui j'est? Who am I? Wie ben ik? Wer bin ich? I was... brushing my teeth, staring at my horribly messy hair...I really need to get it...no. I was at my mother?s funeral?no. Was I? Was I ever? There? I don?t know. What do I look like? So many faces?which one am I? Out of the darkness they rise, smiling, frowning expression flickering across their faces too fast to distinguish, yet who am I? I see famous people?am I famous? I see ugly people, beautiful people. Males, females. I am one of them?but who. Like I have binoculars I zoom in. Microscope. Glasses. They are images?..flickering green light shocks as they break apart. Like a cheap movie, flickering green lines race up before, me as my rollercoaster view takes me into the face? What? Why? Hvorfor? No. I am English?I am not you! I am not fake? I am real. You, you are the green lines the not me. Why is there not me? My hands?see they are real. You are the fake. I am real! The peanut is real not the shell?the shell? Why not? Just because it?s there doesn?t mean it?s real. Does it? I shouldn?t be here?I should be there?and the vista opens before me. I see my grieving mother over a grave?but I am alive I yell. I am not there, for though my words resonate in my ears, they have no volume? my Physics professor was wrong, I can talk in space?am I in space? Maybe I died?. Is this heaven? Or am I in limbo. Limbo. Yes, that must be it. But that isn?t my mother?or my name. Is it? I put every last penny into the car but it isn?t taking me anywhere. The windscreen. Where from? Goes black. Black. Pitch?but not. Like a computer monitor on standby, the blackness contains it?s own slightly muffled glow. I feel warm, and dopey?I am floating on the surface of the ocean? I open my eyes to the World. Pink. Soapy, like Pears strawberry shampoo. I have the most horrible headache you can imagine?[/i] Wirrrrrr-chkk. 011010111. Question=Flush?% 011010111 Criteria=Consci&%ous Question=Flush?% 011010111 Confi%rm Wirrrrrrr-chkk The gloriously perfect pod faded to black as illumination was de activated, umbilical withdrawn and pod flushed. [i]Down?as if into the bowels of the Earth. Is this Earth? I don?t think I know. Can you tell me?[/i] This sounded much better in my head. I don't think this is a really great piece... maybe I'll be back later. We'll see. [/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]It looks cool, aside from the fact that the font is horrible. The font, and colour of said font ruin this banner. Cool picture..but this banner might look better plain.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Some things like "Dirty Old Man" are supposed to be like that. People are short or bald or old and that is what you refer to them as...not to their face, but that is the appropriate term for it. Lots of PC stuff is just ridiculous. I don't agree with going out and calling homeless people 'hobos' [openly] or calling them 'housing deficient indivudal people with a lot of self-worth and abilities that can benefit our community' either. Be respectful basically. Call it for what it is, as long as you can be nice about it. Do I feel pressured? Not really. I watch my mouth, but I am generally not someone who goes around saying bad stuff anway.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Well, of the first one I have mostly compliments. Your typework is good, the fonts are gorgeous and smooth, and the background is nice and it just feels sleek, refined and laidback. I don't like the image quality of the girl however. She is pixelly...and in this line of business, so to speak, pixelly is a big no-no. I'd try to find another, sharper stock image for that header....aside from that it looks good though. ^_^ As for the second one...well, it is very snazzy for sure ^_^. I like the background a lot...and the overlayed text and lines looks good. I don't feel that the sharpenss of the diagonal lines is of high enough quality though. Diagonal lines are very difficult to get right, because they go pixelly and nasty on you...so, that kind of detracts from what should be a smooth, high quality image. The funky text looks very cool,I just wish with stuff like that that I could read it ^_^. lol. Again, with the stock I am not getting the crystal clear clarity that really makes something high quality. With those stocks, they just don't seem right...like there is a very subtle blurring. I don't like it =\. Bear in mind that this is only because I am really studying these headers- on a website they'll look just dandy. Ok? ^_^ Nice work there Haze, but look for better stocks I'd say. As for jpgs, every single one of my pictures is jpg. I have never ever had a problem with it. Are you people not using a high enough quality or something? lol.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Look, I am Australian but I'm gonna stick my opinion in here anyway. And that is profoundly stupid of you to say that. As Dan pointed out, that kind of behaviour and attitude is quite the opposite of what Christians supposedly stand for. And if you were any more than some lamer trying to stir up controversy, you'd know that Separation of Church and State is guaranteed somewhere in your constitution. Which is why there is a furor over having "In God We Trust" on your currency. Or anywhere else. Also, not everyone believes in your "God". In fact, it seems the only people who want to make a lot of noise are the Christians themselves. Do you really need to have "In God We Trust" on your money? In the Court of Law? For some people, pledging on God means nothing. What most people would be happy with is a secular society with a religious underculture. Religion is something uniquely private...it has no place in Law, Schools or anywhere outside of Church and Home. Live and let live, "Christian". [quote name='gendou ikari']Every man believes in God deep down in his heart ,or they would not replace Him with images of man made creations, or supress him within their soul... That is why we go to hell. Because it is inexusable to reject God and the US is trying to remind the people.[/quote] Hah. Let me guess, you're Christian? If so, then you probably are not old enough to have never believed in him. Meaning you have believed in him all your life. Right? Anyway, if that is so then how could you possibly know what others feel? You made a statement based entirely on your religious conviction...which is impossible because you don't know what "non-believers" feel. Do you? It is like a Nazi guard saying that the Jews didn't really feel that bad...how would he know? Only the Jews know how bad they feel. I can't stand here and say that you're wrong. I can stand here and say that you are wrong because I don't have any need for a God, though. I feel no need for any type of assurance of purpose, or deliverance. I am happy to live. I don't need God. So, you aren't 100% correct, at least. And you implied that you were. Only a believer would be able to say that "all men need God" because the believer needs God to be complete. Non-believers don't. You are biased, and can not truthfully make all encompassing statements like that. Basically, you're wrong.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkred]Thats pretty good for a first banner in Paint. It actually looks pretty good. I'd recommend a thin black border around it though. If you really want to produce top-notch banners I'd recommend you get another program though. Even Microsoft PictureIt works better than Paint. For now though, it looks really good, but would be completed by a thin black outline border.[/size][/color]