CB Shin

Indeed, C'tar and his father were the only ones to have seen what had just occured, though he could not explain it. The other Sindarin warriors seemed to tread along ignorantly. Perhaps, C'tar thought, that Ranforne did not require his help at the bridge. He had clearly underestimated and he could only guess at the remaining powers she had hidden. You could never tell the true power of an Istari until it was too late... As the remaining elves and humans made their way to the Great Hall of Menegroth, C'tar immedietely made his way to his quarters, for he did not finish his sleep before the battle and was weary of it. For the remainder of the night, he had an unsettling sleep, for he dreamt of war and death and the encroaching shadow of Morgoth's hand...

I'm not sure what you're implying Dan L, but I already mentioned that there would be a leader. I said that in a small group, the leader would be chosen by the people he would be leading. Virtuous leaders are hard to come by, so I would trust the people to make their own decisions. This is especially easy since in a small group, everyone would get to know each other much faster. What I posted earlier meant that the leader would unlikely be corrupt, because if he did take advantage, he would have nothing to gain in such a small society. Interesting insight, Boba. Most leaders of Communist-failed countries were corrupt, and so as a result, people suffered. As I've mentioned before, I tried limiting the corruption by using the principle of "Nothing to gain, nothing to lose". Most wars in the past start with a conflict of interest. The whole reason for the Cold War was that the Communists said "Our way is the only way" and vice versa for the Americans. In such a small society, such a thing would never happen, as the small society can never contest with such a larger nation. By the way, I did not imply anything when I put quotes, I'm just used to putting them there... For everything else after, laws must simply be put up to restrict the actions of the people so that no one can get out of hand...

C'tar woke with a start as the warning horn blew. The sun had not risen yet, but dawn was coming soon. He quickly got dressed in his wargear and went outside to observe. The sentry yelled out, "Orcs are at hand! They are near the forest of Neldoreth!" C'tar became excited for that was the location of his battle. He grabbed his bow, Dae'Cu and rushed to join the other soldiers. His father was one of the people who was headed to Menegroth. C'tar hastened his speed as they came upon the River Esgalduin, where the orcs were on the opposite side. The bridge was in view now as Elves battled Orcs upon it. The first wave of arrows came upon the back ranks of the orcs as a countless number died. Behind the elves, a woman was singing, with each note faltering the Orcs. The look of fear was upon them. We were going to win. Suddenly, a whip of flame shot from the trees, killing several orcs and elves nearby as it lashed out. A balrog was with them! They had come down Dorthonion to plague Neldoreth. Many who looked upon the balrog wavered and were terrified and suddenly, the odds had become against them. Now the female wizard leaped into the battle, weapons swinging, each strike a killing blow, single-handedly inspiring morale throughout all the fighters. Now, the full body of both the Orc and Sindar warriors came from both sides of the forests. The bridge was covered with bodies, so much so that C'tar could have walked on it without touching the ground. He quickly ran to the shore line as a body of orc archers shot at him. He dodged nimbly and quickly shot back. A new volley came from the forests behind as his rangers join the fight, firing storm after storm of arrows. The balrog had continued lashing with his whip as the Sindarin were being pushed back by countless orcs. His father had now joined him in the display of archery, wielding Belthronding, his bow of yew wood. Beleg yelled out orders. "Archers, aim towards the side of the bridge!" A flash and a massive storm of arrows hit the left flank of orcs on the bridge, dwindling their numbers. Both C'tar and his father fired at the balrog supporting the orc lines. C'tar's arrow hit the daemon in the heart, while his fathers hit him in the forehead. The balrog's toughness showed when he pulled out both arrows, head and all. At least this kept the Balrog out of the fighting C'tar thought as he and his father continued firing. Now the defenders stood their ground and the battle came to a bloody halt as niether line advanced. Slowly, with the help of the Sindarin rangers, the Sindarin formed a thick line on the right flank where as the rangers hit the left, slowly advancing the Sindarin troops. C'tar saw the orcs take back empty ground on the bridge, surrounding the wizard Ranforne. C'tar dropped his bow, drew his sword "Neldoreth's Defense" and leapt on the bridge from an angle, stunning the nearby orcs. This allowed Ranforne to recover, as the two fought back to back. The orcs were dwindling from Ranforne's accurate hits and C'tar's fast strikes. Now, the Sindarin line had advanced as they caught up to the two. As C'tar looked foward, he saw his father shot another arrow straight into the Balrog's forehead in the place where he shot before. This time, the arrow penetrated it's armor-like skin and the Balrog fell with a large thump. As if the Vala themselves had declared it, the sun had just begun to rise as the orcs were being routed. With the battle won, the visiters were accompanied with the Sindar as they hastily drew their way to Menegroth...

Well, first off, we were just having fun with the idea, as if we could actually afford to buy such a large piece of the United States in the first place. And anyway, the complications would be less than with a large country, like Russia or China. People who think alike and have the same morals are more likely to get along, though that applies to everything. Assuming that we actually bought off a piece of land, people have the option of moving in or out of the place if they find something unsatisfactory. Almost always, America will go to war when the country itself is in danger or if "Democracy is threatened". I don't think we would be in either catagory, because I wouldn't try to force propaganda on anyone.

I don't blame Zhuge for liking Kongming so much. He is perhaps the greatest mind there will ever be. I also congradulate him on his conversion to Taoism. I was interested in Lao Tzu's philosophies. Anyway, I also liked Jiang Wei in the DW games. I liked his spear techniques, they seemed to fit.

As I mentioned before , Natives have the option of moving out and Marxists have the option to move in. You probably think that this would be unfair to the natives who live there, which is the point of having a large state with a small population, like Montana or Maine. Any person who has a desire to have more power or money should not come in the first place, therefore only the true Marxist would actually come. Actually I had the idea of using three seperate branches like the United States so that power is divided equally in a place with a larger population, but for a smaller group, there would only be one leader decided by the group.

You're right Charles. I'm not sure if anyone besides sunyipee, Junyi and I have read the actual history... But I could be wrong. Anyway, I agree that we should move the thread to the Sony forum instead of the Literature forum. Besides, less hassle for us if you move the thread :laugh:

As I said before, not to those extremes. Junyi and I wanted to buy a state, so if you didn't agree with it, then you could simply move out. The Marxist region would be in the heartland of the United States. Kind of ironic :laugh: The point is that anyone who would agree with the methods would want to live there. Since there are a relatively small number of Marxists, seeing the corruption it sowed before, it would work. This is because that there would be no power-hungry people trying to gain leadership. The ambitious man would have nothing to gain, I mean for goodness sake, its Kansas, which is precisely the point. Almost everyone would know each other, and since leadership means pretty much nothing, everyone would be content with their lives. Am I making sense, cause I know I worded it kind of strange.

I don't think it would be, since anyone who has read the books can also participate. I personally have read Three Kingdoms and played all of the games, as Junyi already knows. My favorite character is Lu Xun, both in the history and the games. First of all, double weapon attacks are simply awesome in my opinion and his speed is quite good, even though his weakness is his range. History-wise, He is perhaps China's youngest person to become Chief Commander in any country. He defended against Liu Bei's unprepared attack brilliantly, setting fire on both ends of his camps and routing the Shu forces beautifully, though this was in part of Zhuge Liang's absence. Before the final attack, the young commander did not falter when the older, more experienced generals looked down upon him and thought him a coward. He proved his worth and earned his respect. He was also the one responsible for Guan Yu's death, but did not take any credit. This turned out good for him, as Lu Meng later died. Though not as cunning or intelligent as Zhuge Liang (This was proven at the Eightfold Ramparts Maze), he was one of the most brilliant minds in all of China. There was a poem that described his qualities during that battle in the book. [SIZE=1]He'd mastered war's six arts when he spoke before the chiefs; Angling for one mighty fish, he set a tasty bait. For this divided kingdom now has paragons enough. And shining high above them all--Lu Xun of the south![/SIZE]

I agree with Jun Yi. Marxism can work efficiently in perhaps a smaller environment. Has anyone read the book "The Giver". It would be something like that, only not as extreme to the point where it skips reality.

C'tar and half of the surviving rangers began collecting the ears of the dead orcs they had slain to show success. Still, C'tar had been disappointed that he could not eliminate the enemy leader. His final shot was straight and true, but the sorceror had deflected the arrow with his dark magic. As the last ear had been collected, they started heading back towards Menegroth. The success had been a small one, for Morgoth had plenty of orcs to spare, but not enough generals. C'tar would not easily forget the orc who had saved the dark elf... C'tar marched back to his quarters where he would think about the oncoming battles. Ever since the Battle of Sudden Flame where Fingolfin had been slain by Morgoth, orcs and other fell beasts roamed the lands closer to Doriath than ever before. It would only be a matter of time before Morgoth would devise a plan to penetrate the Girdle of Melian that had protected them for so many years. He went to his drawer and picked out some maps and studied them for some time. To the east of Doriath was the River Celon, and right south of that was the forest of Nan Elmoth where the battle he had just been in occured. There were two threats currently posed to Doriath. There would be nothing blocking the orcs from settling in Nan Elmoth, but his main concern was to the north where Dorthonion lay. There, the orcs were plentiful and the mountain range of Ered Gorgoroth protected them. He put away his maps and pondered the possibilities. He had an uneasy awakening the next day...

C'tar had been angry with his father's decision of falling back and letting the dark elf go, so he took the remainder of his rangers and tracked them. It had looked like the remainding orc army would travel through the Pass of Aglon. In order to do so, they had to pass the forest of Nan Elmoth. C'tar decided that this is where he had to strike. Since they were familiar with the area, C'tar and his rangers took a direct route to Nan Elmoth and awaited patiently for the prey. C'tar crouched atop the trunk of a great tree, bow drawn with an arrow nocked. The orcs would be arriving soon he knew... Everyone else was in position and waiting for the first step near the forest. They came on heavily, boots clanging rushing towards the forest. C'tar saw an opening at the dark elf leader and took his best shot. With that came a sudden flurry of arrows, piercing the tough armor of the orcs. The arrow he had shot at the Dark Elf was deflected...by fog. He immedietely realized his error and concentrated instead on the orcs. The orcs were now aware of where the rangers had lay. They started chopping down random trees with their axes and broad swords, all the while the rangers were shooting. The orcs' numbers were thinning and fast. Orcs were not stupid, but they needed proper guidance and the dark elf had not done anything, simply watched behind his wall of fog. C'tar noticed something about the fog... It was moving towards them! He immedietely yelled "Fall Back!" and the rangers stealthily withdrew. His judgement had been correct, for the fog had rotted all the life it had touched. It wasn't over, the Dark Elf was buying time. The small remainder of orcs flew hastily away from the forest and back around. With one last shot, he felled another orc and then ordered to pursue them. The sorceror was running out of tricks. Now though, they were out in the open, but it hardly mattered, for the rangers had still shot down all orcs within range at will. At last the final orc had fell. The sorceror was alone, vulnerable or so it seemed. "An Cu (Longbows), Fire!" A volley of arrows seemed to fire straight and true, but when they neared the elf, the same wall of mist and fog appeared again. The arrows were useless... C'tar drew his sword and prepared to rush the Lieutenant of Sauron. The others charged as well. Fog figures went up as each step we took got closer to him. Now rangers were fighting mist warriors as C'tar headed for the leader. C'tar swung his sword back, prepared for the kill...

Very clear insight SciriosDarkblade. I actually don't think that I find "too much right" in marx's ideals, I simply admire them. If you think about it, Marx's ideals were never really "finished" because he left out many factors in human nature, as you've said. I suppose the reality of it is that humans are too intelligent to be content with what they currently have. There's always the need to push further, which is part of the reason we've evolved so much. The only actual way a Communist country would be a utopia, is if humanity started all over again already with the sense of equality in their minds. But, as you can tell from my posts, I am very Iron-Willed (or stubborn...) and I'm always looking for ways to reform.

Ctar rushed in to the king's halls. Thingol sat upon his throne, with Mablung and Ctar's father Beleg at his sides. Ctar seldom spoke so even this was a surprise. "Scouts have reported that an elite force of orcs have skirmished against our Gondolian allies. Turgon is with them. I believe that the assembly will not take place if we do not aid them immedietely. Our allies in Brethil are also being attacked." Thingol replied, "You crave battle, do you not? Doriath is not in a position to openly proclaim war against Angband, as we are in progress of gathering our forces." "But sire, if we do not help, our chances of a league will no longer exist, we must help them!" Thingol was not used to such a tone. "My answer stands, we will not yet go to war." Ctar's father was silent the entire time. Ctar stormed out of the hall, clearly irritation on his face. Thingol spoke one more time. "Ctar Cuthalion! Do not draw our enemies here!" Ctar's plans had been ruined. He had planned to urge the Gondolin and Brethil forces to retreat to the Girdle of Melian, where they would have been protected. Now, he had to personally aid the troubled forces with his own troop of rangers, for Man and Noldor alike...

I think you were a little confused about the other rewards and privileges I was talking about. I meant that as liking your job, which reaps personal rewards, which could mean anything. It would not be materialistic as you think and I apologize for mistaking a lawyer's career as being easy, though actually you would make your job easy. If you had a job you liked, it would seem easy to you because you enjoyed it, but if you hated your job, than of course it would seem difficult so there are many other factors to a job other than just income.

:laugh: The name is C'tar and he doesn't talk that much or usually at all As Suzu, Callisto and Aidan were running in the direction of where the girl went, they suddenly came upon horse tracks. C'tar silently pulled out his rifle and scoped out the horse. The others kept going. He saw the girl with a boy on top of a mount. He suddenly shot the mount with dead aim and the boy and girl continued running. For some unknown reason, he did not feel like shooting the actual targets. By now, Suzu and Aidan were way ahead of C'tar and knowing that he couldn't catch up, continued back to the town. He had an unsettling feeling that he was unsure of...

Well, at least we're trying to make a compromise (even though you say YOU don't need too :laugh: ). Surely being a lawyer has other privileges and rewards. You bust your arse for 3 years, but then take it easier, right? I think the hardest work you'll being doing in your entire law career would be education, so my point is it all balances out in the end. You certainly are a firm believer (and very strong-willed I might add) in your own ideas.

Is that really how you think my attitude is, Arch? I really think that Deathbug views me as "Oblivious, ignorant and not getting it." Point Blank: your mistaken. I have been reading the MEANINGS of his posts, and I even agreed to some extent. I simply have my own opinions, that's all and I'm not yelling or forcing them on anyone, at least I hope not. Alright than, if you were in my position, Arch, what would you do?

That's right, American names can be translated by and only by, pronounciation. Chinese first names are usually made up of other words, but only ones that originate in China. My own Chinese name is Xu Tian Hong, which is "Sky Hawk Xu" in english. Xu is the family (last) name and the Tian Hong has the actual meaning. I have two seperate names actually. My english one is Charlie, but it has nothing to do with my Chinese name.

C'tar and Suzu finally came to the area of town where Xyander was fighting the dragon. The girl was running away now, the dragon staying behind to hold the witchhunters back. Suzu and her witchhunters charged fanatically at the dragon, while C'tar searched for higher ground. He ran into the inn, up the stairs and to the roof where he could see the battle below quite clearly. The black dragon was extremely tough, it's entire body covered with armored scales. It suddenly blew fire toward the witchhunters. Suzu and Xyander ducked aside, but many of the others were killed in the streaming flame. Suzu fired round after round of shotgun shells, but they weren't penetrating. Xyander was having better luck, his blade now in whip form and seeming to wound the dragon. While this was happening, Kurumi luckily got away to the side. C'tar focused and it seemed, to him, that time itself slowed down. The dragon suddenly rose up for just a moment, and Castillo seeing the chance, fired at the underbelly of the beast, a single shot piercing the vulnerable flesh. As if on que, Xyander struck his strongest blow with his whip and seared the beast's belly. Suzu finally finished it off with a well placed round of shotgun shells. The dragon screamed and fell on it's back. Castillo signaled for Xyander and Suzu to hunt down Ralience. They nodded, and Xyander with his amazing speed took the lead. Castillo went down to where Kurumi was. She was unconcious. He picked her up and carried her to the inn and on to a bed. The innkeeper did not protest. He awaited outside patiently for the others to return...

Heh, fair enough. Baron, I see what you mean. Humans are too intelligent and different to think alike for one major goal or accomplishment. Only a few elements make all people want to accomplish something, since the beginning of the human race. Individualism, everyone wants to be recognized for what they have accomplished. Wealth, indeed everyone does want to get ahead. I want to concentrate on Purpose, what motivates you to want to do something. Deathbug, do you only want to become a lawyer because it pays well? It seems to me you love arguing, and to make a job out of it would be a dream come true wouldn't it? A remedy has to be made, to combine all three elements and yet maintain sense of equalism. Deathbug, I was throwing out ideas because I wanted to reach a compromise. Unfortunately, niether of us think alike...at all. I don't think we've reached an agreement on anything so far. "Winning the arguement" isn't the goal here is it, or am I missing something? Is it really impossible to have two people reach a compromise without completely abandoning their beliefs or morals?

:laugh: Confused? How about trying different ideas off the top of my head? Before I answer to your post Deathbug, Baron Samedi, "getting ahead" is considered a motivation. It can simply be replaced by another motivation. Once again I fail to see how "If the country goes up (wealth), so do the people, if it goes down, so do the people." is so difficult to understand. Yes, a person with an easier job would get the same pay as someone with a harder job. Let me explain, No matter how hard the job is, you still need that job done, whether easy or not. Specialties only help, because if you have a job that you like, regardless of difficulty, so much the better. Oh right, Sunyippee, I am a Chinese/American and I know that China is recovering now. I meant when Mao Zedong overthrew the democratic government, not the present government. Anyway, it's good to meet a Chinese nationalist. You just called me stupid, but it doesn't count because you didn't "directly" say it... I most consider myself to be a Marxist/socialist, I was simply throwing out ideas to sound more capitilist because honestly, I don't even care about our argument anymore. Niether I nor you have changed our minds about anything and my approval rating on the OB has just gone down the drain... Over 700 views and Deathbug is the only one arguing with me on a regular basis. I have my opinions, regardless of what you think, and you have yours. Shall we draw this argument to a conclusion, or do you feel I've missed something.

Less than a kilometer away from the town, C'tar was watching through his scope all the events that took place at the inn. He felt somewhat sorry for the girl, because once the Witchhunters declared a target, they hunted it down fanatically until it was either destroyed or killed. To top it all off, the girl had bounty hunters all over the place, roaming the town aimlessly, looking everywhere for her. C'tar stood up and with his sniper rifle on his shoulder, the infamous "Longshot" started headed toward the inn. He saw several potential targets to snipe out, but he never killed for fun. His sense of duty was true and his thirst for blood was less than others of the witchhunters. Halfway to the town, he heard a faint noise, then something that sounded somewhat like a crash. He at once ran over a hill to see what it was. The blimp was there and Suzu and her witchhunters were walking. Suzu was the only one without tension on her face. She saw C'tar and walked right up to him and spoke. "Oh good, a veteran witchhunter. I was starting to grow tired of these amateurs." The rest of the group groaned. C'tar stood as still as stone, silent. Suzu spoke again. "You know, you should work on your people skills, your not very interesting to talk to." She laughed at that. Surprisingly, C'tar had a reply. "We got a job to do. Lead the way." Suzu turned serious and led the mass of Lunar Witchhunters towards the inn. C'tar knew there would be much bloodshed with the townspeople and bounty hunters before the night was over...

Deathbug, if you do some research on the internet, you will find that I am not the only one who thinks this. Even other capitilists have acknowledged Marx's theories. There was one major error I noticed in your post. If you do take away the dictators, as you said, then the wealth that sustained them would be distributed evenly among the people. There are many factors in a countries wealth that have not been accounted for in your posts other than government. Resources and trade are two big ones. If you have a resource rich country, like America, I'd think twice before saying that a Marxist government would fail right away. You also put it your post that Thomas Jefferson agreed with private ownership and while he did so, he also wanted government to take as little a part as it could in the economy, which therefore formed his democratic ideas. You've mentioned several times that he Marx wrote such "crap" as Das Kapital and The Communist Mannefisto. Simply saying "his ideas suck" is a very base arguement. You also say that the impoverished cannot advance in class because all the money is hoarded by the government. Doesn't that itself violate Marx's theory of "Abolishment of Class"? A change I could make to make it work more efficiently is everyone gets an equal income, yet has the right to private ownership. Let me explain. That change has something in common with capitilism. Careful managers of their money will lead to them eventually having great wealth, while someone foolish might end up homeless. You might be asking "Doesn't that go against Marx's main premise of Abolishment of Class". The answer is no because everyone is still sustained by an equal income. I also think that those who don't work shouldn't be paid anything. It's very difficult to imagine a country working together like that, but by getting rid of the lazy, so much the better. Here's the motivation for this, "You either work, or you starve". That might seem similar to America today, but the difference would be no charity organizations to support them. Why should the hard working spend their time helping the lazy when the lazy can't help themselves? It might sound cruel at first, but it is actually very fair if you think about it. That's just one way I think Marxism could be improved. Finally, Let me ask you this. Do you believe that his theories are so hopeless that they cannot be changed for the better without sacrificing his main premise? If your answer is no, I have another question. If by some miracle of god (as you would put it), it could be changed, what differences would you have made to his philosophies. P.S. I hope I'm being civilized enough to meet OB standards.

I've been sick for a while, so I haven't had time to post, but I won't back down now, looking like a coward, even if the site director has assaulted me down :laugh: Alright than, in an effort not to be lazy and to redeem myself, I'll try a more reasonable approach. First off, Marxism, in theory, is only an idea for the economy. In true politics, it is run by a dictator. The main leaders, like Stalin and Mao Zedong have complete control of every aspect of government, therefore, I believe that some philosophies of Marx differ from that of Communism. As I've stated before, communist dictators stretches the doctrine of the theories of Marx, because his theories were not totally clear. They've used communism as an economic base, poorly I might add. Here's why I believe that communism differs from Marxism. Marxism is about the abolishment of different classes, such as rich or poor. Present communists do not follow this rule, for the Communist Party are rich while their people are living in poverty. Now on to my own theory. The main weakness of a Marxism state of country is lack of motivation and ambition, correct? Well, as Deathbug said before, Capitilism has been altered before. I see no reason why Marxism cannot be the same, an alteration in its political base while retaining its economic ideals. Simply put, I agree with Marx's philosophy on the abolishment of classes, which does not mean sacrificing one's individuality.