Retribution

[quote name='Delta][color=#656446][size=1]Don't mind me. Just taking the initiative to feed the Worm.[/size'][/color][/quote] [size=1]I love it, Delta, but hosting is probably the largest problem here. Those wanting to sign up, wait until I give the go-ahead. If someone wishes to provide hosting, please contact me. Katana originally was hosting, but I'm not sure if she's still on board with that, since it's been quite a while.[/size]

[size=1]Hey jigglyness, what up. First of all, let me start off by staying your work is excellent. You've definitely got a great grasp of brushing and the techniques associated with it. Out of curiousity, did you use pre-made brushes or are those mostly self-done? A few of your pieces lack depth (Bloodlust, beautiful sin, random bursts) or feel incomplete (heartache, sweet sacrifice). Additionally, I think you might want to consider making your text larger, more carefully done, and prominent in your pieces. In some of them (specifically Seduction), the text just gets lost amid your busy backgrounds, or it looks rather uninteresting (again, random bursts). Keep up the hard work, you've got amazing potential.[/size]

[size=1]Delta, I love you. Will you marry me? *hands e-ring* I'd like to do [b]30) News from the front[/b]. I'll be done by Monday.[/size]

[size=1]This is partially foolish, partially understandable. Foolish because we haven't seen enough currency from our own continent that we thought it an espionage tool. Understandable because, well, to an outsider I can see where they were coming from. I'd rather have the Dept of Defense take all precautions to prevent espionage on them rather than being too lax and putting national secrets at risk. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Canadian2004PoppyQuarter.jpg[/img] But I wish the Dept of Defense was worrying about, you know, securing our porous souther border and protecting our ports. But hey, being suspicious of coins is cool too.[/size]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']I disagree, not everyone is able to stand up to others openly mocking them or threatening to do horrible things to them. I was trying to point out how such a thing makes it harder for people to want to fight for what they believe in.[/quote] [size=1]I guess that's the disappointing thing. I wish people would stand up for what they believe in, despite adversity. [QUOTE]Not everyone can devote their time to fighting for what they believe in. And on some level it is unfair to expect everyone to be passionate about the government all the time.[/QUOTE] I hear you, but [i]not even half of America votes in the Presidential election.[/i] It doesn't take radical activism to register and cast a ballot.[/size]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']Because in the end, people like 2007DigitalBoy are not the reason we are in Iraq.[/quote] [size=1]To be technical, people like DB [i]are[/i] the reason. People who think they're powerless. People who think democracy is a useless enterprise. People who think protest bears no fruit. I mean, if you want to play semantics, I never mentioned his age in my opening post... I just criticized his mentality. And really, that's the biggest thing about it. I don't care if he's 10 or 50, apathy towards the government is a horrible thing. [QUOTE]But that's just it Retribution, telling the youth that it's [I]their fault[/I] we are in Iraq is far from helping them to feel empowered or that they can make a difference. It's making them feel like the older generation is blaming them for problems and issues that have been around long before they were even born. The current issue may have happened while 2007DigitalBoy was alive, but that region has had serious issues for a very, very long time.[/QUOTE] I never said it was his fault. I said that silence is a tacit affirmation to the government that they're doing things right. And in that respect, I guess anyone who didn't say "Hey, why invade Iraq?" is at least in part to blame. [QUOTE]Also some of you are forgetting the sheer opposition those who did not approve of the war got from their fellow intolerant Americans when we first went over to Iraq. Even here in Utah, rallies where others gathered to protest and speak out against the war when it first began were literally attacked by other Americans who were for it. It got ugly on the University campus close to where I live as people bought eggs and showed up for the sole purpose of egging those who had gathered, attacking them for not approving of the war. Requiring the law to get involved to avoid a riot.[/QUOTE] The threat of unpopularity should not deter anyone. Again, I point to the Civil Rights Movement and the protesters who utterly disregarded their personal wellbeing to protest. If we are afraid of being [to the point of silence/inaction] hated or hurt, then why bother standing for your opinion? [QUOTE]Things like this are bound to make anyone feel like giving up and walking away since it's intimidating to have an opinion, voice it and be attacked by others for daring to think different.[/QUOTE] Very true, but that doesn't excuse people to just take the path of least resistance. Perhaps I mean to capture the spirit of civil disobedience and I'm just not communicating that well enough?[/size]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']DB can't even vote yet and speaking out doesn't make a difference when someone like Bush refuses to accept the decision of the rest of the government. All the speaking in the world can't stop the president from being a jackass and vetoing the decision to withdraw.Why give DB a hard time when the true problem is what you just stated? What annoys me is when people get on others cases about not being more vocal, especially when they don't even have the right to vote yet. DB can shout all he wants and argue his points all he wants and the stupid GOP and Bush don't give a damn.[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]It's the principle of resistance. I'm well aware he cannot vote, I know he will have next to no impact on the state of affairs. But it is the idea of active disapproval, the concept of disapproval, the principle of disapproval. I would hope you would speak out against something negative, even if it had no bearing on the end result. [quote name='2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange']Okay. That's bull. I'm sorry, but just because I was born in America and happen to be alive now while this is an issue, I am automatically to blame for it?[/COLOR][/quote] No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is: Through silence you tacitly support. You say "I don't care," which to those in power means "What you're doing currently must not be so bad". [QUOTE]So your saying that, my uninvolvement IS, in fact, involvement. That i am absolutely on a side, no matter what? That because one person isn't making a difference, he's automatically making things worse? I don't understand this opinion at all. In fact, I'd go so far as to call you an idiot for even having this opinion. I do not consent to the actions of our government, I think I made that pretty clear, but I'm not jumping to me feet to fight a losing battle with the rest of you guys.[/QUOTE] I'm glad you don't consent, but through not disapproving/caring, you're just enabling the current state of affairs to continue. And why not fight a losing battle? Why not fight out of principle? Surely if we only fought when we thought we could win, things would be greatly different today. [quote name='ForgotteÑ-HerÖ][COLOR=DimGray']Even if DB could vote and rise up with opinion, would it matter? I can't vote neither but I already know I can't make an impact. The president doesn't listen to the common people. Hell, just look at the protests. Bush doesn't care. [/COLOR][/quote] The reason people like Bush get into office is because of apathy. It's because people give up on politics, because people think they can't change the system. The system IS you. The government IS you. It's made up of everyday people like you and I. We all play a very active role in the government. [QUOTE][COLOR=Blue]Retribution here's a question for you. Are you making an impact on the president. I think that answer is clear. Don't say anything until you speak out and make a difference to Bush.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] It's not whether or not I'm having an impact. It's that I'm not supporting, that I'm resisting. If all protesters thought "I'm just one more person, what does it matter?" No one would show up to protest. But with all those individual people, then you have something powerful. While I'm not changing policy, I am trying to. I'm not resigning myself to the idea "Oh well, I guess that's life". I guess I feel frustrated that today's youth feel they un-empowered. Youth have made up some of the most powerful movements, sometimes when they were too young to vote. The US Civil Rights Movement, for instance, was largely supported by young people. I don't [i]think[/i] I said "If you're not with us you're against us" and I apologize if you took me to mean that. I mean to say... if you're not saying "That's not right," then at the very least you're not doing anything to change it. And yes, people without a vote can inspire change. Sorry for the rambling/rant.[/size]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=Darkorange']Honestly? I've abandoned politics.[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]Congratulations. People like you are the reason we're still in Iraq. You see, apathy towards government is equivalent to tacit consent to government actions. If you don't speak out against it, then you've also got a blame to shoulder. Really, the biggest thing that pisses me off about the veto is that people see the Democrats as "losing momentum" or "not getting the job done". It's not because of the Dems that we won't withdraw from Iraq, it's because the GOP and Bush refuse to budge, refuse to compromise, and refuse to revise the strategy (or lack thereof).[/size]

[QUOTE=DaSilva]I really don't believe that we can say that humanity has progressed one bit. To count what we have done as progress, we must first know what we are progressing towards. Until a purpose is found, no progress can be made. Go existentialism![/QUOTE] [size=1]I think "human progress" could be accurately defined as the movement towards a heightened quality of life for all. But really, you're just being obnoxious by playing semantics.[/size]

[quote name='GTK']To grab ideas from some other replies, contests involving themes or different mediums might be fun X3[/quote] [size=1]I think you should go for it. The fact that you're an established member of the forum would only lend weight to any event or contest you create. Remember, [b][i]the power is yours![/i][/b] Anyway, I've seen a general wish for broader mediums covered here, and that's understandable considering most people just do graphic design. But basically, you've got to post it up. I agree that it'd be a breath of fresh air to see more traditional mediums represented here, but uh... we can't do anything about it. I know it's rather hypocritical of me to say it, but if you see a thread with only a few replies, take some time and post your thoughts on the art. If we all chip in here and there, newer artists will be more inclined to stay and older artists will be more inclined to keep posting. Any further suggestions to the Art Studio's use, activity, future, etc are all welcome![/size]

[quote name='Dodeca][SIZE=1']When a group could be blamed for a nation's troubles and murdered en masse.[/SIZE][/quote] [size=1]If people are economically depressed enough, you could do it again. I know I'm splitting hairs, but I thought I'd point it out. I think how you define "humanity" affects my answer to the OP's question. If we define humanity as human development, then I must heavily disagree. There's been a general trend towards greater techology/social freedom/economic strength in the world. However, if we define "humanity" as compassion for our fellow man, willingness to help others, and general equitable treatment of all, then I would say that we've stayed about the same. There will always be more people apathetic to other's blights, and a [slightly?] smaller percentile of those who are compassionate. As an interesting side note, our more developed technology gives us more sophisticated and effective ways of killing one another. Meaning genocide is easier than ever![/size]

[size=1]It's rare that the Art Studio gets a discussion-only thread, but I think the times call for one. Basically, there's been very spotty activity here in the last few months. No one's to blame, and I understand that posts come in cycles and spurts, but it's getting ridiculous. This place is just too cool for it to end up as antiquated as the Underground. So I have a few questions for the community: - Is it boring here? Is it worth posting here anymore? Please say why or why not. - Would you like to see more events and community activities here (i.e. Graphics Worm, Draw My Character!, etc)? If so, what kind? - What can you as a member do to make this place more exciting? Is there something I'm neglecting to do as a moderator of this forum? I understand you can't really force artistic inspiration, but I'd love to see this place as the center of creativity and constructive criticism that is once was. So feel free to offer any other suggestions as to what we can do to make this place more fun, or just go ahead and start a thread with some of your art you've had collecting on your hard drive! I look forward to hearing from you all.[/size]

[size=1]Well on the whole, I genuinely believe you've been pretty mature about the entire situation you're in. What usually happens in advice threads is the OP gets hacked apart by the repliers saying "omg you're wrong," but in the case... I think you're largely right. Your mom's schedule does in fact matter in terms of letting you join Dance, because she has to work out transportation logistics. However, one would think she would've factored that in if she let you try out in the first place. In any event, I think your mother is being at least somewhat unfair, but please understand the strains placed upon her. She's a single parent with three children, one of which has special needs. While it's not necessarily fair, those considered to be the strongest and best off will slip through the cracks if there's limited attention to spread around. I'd recommend you get your mother to talk to both your father and aunt. Your father might say he'll pay $350 which will be cut out of your child support, but you can't be sure if that'd be cutting out a vital part of your mother's budgeting. And hey, if your mother says no just to spite you/your father, I don't know what to tell you. Just bear her for another year and you'll be out of the house.[/size]

[size=1][img]http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/02/1e/90/21/35557409.JPG[/img] [size=3]Yo-Yos[/size] These were all the rage in the late 90s, if my memory serves correctly. During recess, I remember having "sleeping contests" to see who could keep their yo-yo down and spinning for the longest amount of time (but you had to be able to pull it back up). Eventually, they started coming out with those yo-yos with the 'brains' in them or whatever which were supposed to add to its versatility. But really, all the cool kids had a fireball.[/size]

[quote name='Roleni-Chan']Well I like the colors you put on Sokka. Its fits like in the cartoon[/quote] [size=1]Welcome to Otakuboards, Roleni-Chan! You're on the right track with your post, but try explaining what you mean by being more specific. Also, try offering points of improvement the artist can use to get better. Thanks! If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to PM me or any other staff member.[/size]

[size=1]I think Dead brings up a valid point, but OB is closely linked with if not a subsidiary of theO, right? I'm personally in favor of pushing OB into a much more general community, but the question is what will make us different from other boards if we do? I kind of feel like we're clinging to anime as a crutch to keep us different from general discussion boards. If we let go of that crutch, we'll probably end up as a normal discussion board; granted with our own flavor, but a discussion board nonetheless. The move away from anime has been a gradual process, most notably being the consolidation of the separate anime forums (Digimon, DBZ, Gundam, etc) into just the Anime Lounge.[/size]

[quote name='Osiris']this is pretty good i hope someone big looks at your site and makes it into a real deal.[/quote] [size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, Osiris! Instead of "this is pretty good," try to explain what you like and what could be improved. This way, the artist can identify their strong and weak points, and keep improving. MadHatter's post is a great example of what to do. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks![/size]

[quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']The "importance" of suffering does not change the effect suffering has on victims. It is a 'national tragedy' to the nation it occurs in. Darfur and Iraq, prominent examples of worldwide tragedies, should be given attention but the scale of suffering, even if minimal in comparison to genocide and regional warfare, does little to ease the pain.[/color][/quote][size=1]I agree, however I still believe genocide should have priority over and be considered more important than a school shooting. I suppose my point is that it's a shame that people only heed suffering in their sight rather than a greater amount of suffering but out of sight. [QUOTE][color=crimson]In regards to this issue though one ridiculous statement I read online was some yarn about how if all the other students had owned guns then, well, they could have kicked his *** first I guess lol. I sincerely hope that was a witty statement and not an actual point of view the person had.[/color][/QUOTE]Ah, the American gun culture. Gotta love it.[/size]

[size=1]I think you're right in your sentiment, Felix. It sounds callous to say, but I think this incident to be less important than those crises abroad. 32 people in Darfur probably died in the past hour, yet alone the entire day and yet genocide is relegated to the last pages of the paper while 32 deaths is a "national tragedy". It's pathetic that actual genocide hasn't gotten this kind of press. That's western civ I suppose.[/size]

[size=1][b]Spring:[/b] This is probably the worst season of all. Sure, the weather starts to warm up, but it screws around too. In the morning it can be 40, and at 1 pm it'll be 75. And the next day, the high could be 50. Furthermore, everything becomes muddy and nasty outside. [b]Summer:[/b] Quite obviously the best. You have a 3 month break and the weather is stellar. Let's be honest, folks -- nothing like walking out of 100 degrees into an AC'd house. [b]Fall:[/b] It'd be a cool season if 1) I didn't have to rake ridiculous amounts of leaves biweekly and 2) it didn't denote the start of a new school year. [b]Winter:[/b] Eh, it's alright I guess. Christmas and New Years are there, but on the other hand it's crazy cold and [i]I hate the cold[/i]. ERGO summer is the best season.[/size]

[QUOTE=Sephiroth][COLOR=DarkRed]I like black cotton socks, can't ever go wrong with it, comfortable and goes with almost anything! I currently enjoy ankle length socks! This ankle sock addiction began a few year's ago when I went to the US[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]Say woooord. Black socks and ankle socks are excellent choices indeed. Ankle socks only in the summer, plz. But standard white tube sox 4 da wintr.[/size]

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink']I don't recall it's name, but it involves lots of nonsense and the word "renig."[/color][/quote] [size=1]Haha, yeah. I thought it was a semi-racist thing at first, but if you look it up, it's spelled "renege". ORIGIN mid 16th cent.(in the sense [desert (esp. a faith or a person)] ): from medieval Latin renegare, from Latin re- (expressing intensive force) + negare ?deny.?[/size]

[size=1]I added in the timeline (simplified from the Staff Forum version), but I think it'd be cool to have it more organized, perhaps by forum/rank. Anyone up for the task? Heh.[/size]

[size=1]I think I joined a year after you left, Flash. But it's always interesting to see an Oldies' history (and an exemplary one at that). With this in mind, I propose a Moderator Timeline of Succession. This would probably start out better as textual, chronicling the transition of power for each moderating position. Of course, it would be done by forum (included those discontinued and renamed, which would be noted as such). I envision a more graphical representation eventually, probably in the form of a family tree or hierarchy or ... you know what I mean. This is going to require quite a bit of help from Oldies, as the oldest mods I can recall aren't very old at all. So what do you all say? If anyone wants to start working on it, below is a wealth of good information. Things in bold... you get the idea. 02-25-07: Phenom becomes a moderator of Hardwired. 02-24-07: Panda becomes the new category moderator of Arts and Entertainment. 02-24-07: Stuart and Charles resign. 02-15-07: With the Nifty Fifty over, Shy transfers power to White. 01-13-07: White becomes Event Master [b](through contest)[/b]. 09-02-06: White becomes a moderator of Play It. 09-02-06: Charles is promoted to Category Moderator. 06-29-06: Blayze, Ezekiel, and Sandy become moderators of Adventure Square. 06-28-06: Jokopoko becomes the moderator of Arena Underground. 06-21-06: Ikillion becomes a moderator of Anime Lounge. 06-21-06: indifference is promoted Category Moderator. 06-18-06: Bio resigns from modding Arena Underground 05-22-06: Charles rejoins the staff as a moderator of Play It. 05-11-06: Peanut becomes moderator of PC/Mac! 04-26-06: Red resigns from modding PC/Mac. 04-12-06: Clurr becomes a moderator of Music, Movies & TV. 03-14-06: Revelation becomes moderator of OB Anthology. 03-08-06: indifference also joins the staff [b](I don't know what position)[/b]. 03-07-06: SunfallE becomes moderator of Otaku Lounge and Aaryanna becomes moderator of Anime Lounge. 03-03-06: Stuart becomes Category Moderator. 03-02-06: Lady Asphy becomes Category Moderator. 03-01-06: Sara resigns [b](I don't know from what position)[/b]. 02-17-06: Syk3 resigns from modding the Art Studio and Retribution takes his place. 01-25-06: Shinmaru resigns from Play It and Bombu takes his place. 01-23-06: r2vq becomes moderator of Anime Lounge. 08-01-05: Solo and Arcadia resign, Stuart becomes moderator of Otaku Lounge and Petie becomes moderator of Music, Movies & TV. 07-30-05: Teams are dissolved, Desbreko becomes an Administrator. 05-14-05: Raiyuu becomes moderator of Otaku Lounge, Ozymandius Jones becomes moderator of Adventure Square, terra resigns [b](from what position?)[/b]. 02-28-05: Dagger becomes an Administrator. 01-05-05: Yay! Shy is back. ;D [b](to Event Master?)[/b] 11-20-04: Solo becomes team leader of Tokyo 3. 11-03-04: Piro and Asuka resign [b](from what position?)[/b]. 10-11-04: Shy resigns and Arcadia takes his place [b](what position?)[/b]. 09-09-04: Bio becomes moderator of Arena Underground. Edit: I just noticed the categories "Notable Bans" and "Banned Members" are identical. Why?[/size]

[quote name='Lunox][color=dimgray']So, anybody else going through a bit of a tough spot due to growing up? [/color][/quote] [size=1]Yeah, definitely. I think we already chatted about it, but I'll share it again. Basically second semester of sophomore year I cracked under the workload and let my GPA plummet. I felt overwhelmed, overstressed, and generally hated the monotony that was my life. I sucked it up, limped through the rest of the school year, and came back junior year with a better mindset. Junior year, I did what everyone else didn't -- [i]completely ignored SATs.[/i] As a result, I had more time and energy to focus on other things. My grades were drastically improved, etc etc. The end of junior year is always a ***** on wheels, so my advice to you would be focus on APs, and worry about SATs later. You still have like four more test dates to go. Study for SAT over the summer, not now when there's a lot of other stuff on your plate. But over the summer, hit the SAT books hard or it won't do anything. Right now I'm just kinda coasting to victory -- 20something more days until high school ends. Only one more paper + AP exams, then I'm out. So nothing too stressful.[/size]