Retribution

[size=1]After making Japan's banner, I really got into the mood to make avatars. Here's a bunch for a new [b]Ghost in the Shell[/b] gallery. For the time being, at least, it should encompass all the Ghost in the Shell shows, as there's not quite enough for specific galleries. [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/2ndGIG1.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] 2nd GIG [1] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/2ndGIG2.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] 2nd GIG [2] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/cityscape.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] New Port City [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/fuchikoma.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Fuchikoma [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/laughingman.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Laughing Man [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/MotokoKusanagi.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Motoko Kusanagi [1] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/MotokoKusanagi2.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Motoko Kusanagi [2] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/MotokoKusanagi3.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Motoko Kusanagi [3] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/section9.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Ghost in the Shell [b]Name:[/b] Section 9 And here's a few Naruto ones. I found really clean scans and couldn't resist. [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/sasuke.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Naruto [b]Name:[/b] Sasuke [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/kakashi.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Naruto [b]Name:[/b] Kakashi Alright, fine, I'm addicted. [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/marchonparliament.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: March on Parliament [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/rose.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: Rose [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/soldiers.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: Soldiers [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/V.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: V [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/vmask.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: V [2] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/V2.jpg[/IMG] [b]Category:[/b] Movies [b]Name:[/b] V For Vendetta: V [3][/size]

[size=1]Thanks for the replies - I really appreciate them. I used 'procession' to try and get the melancholy connotation of a [I]funeral[/I] procession, as I usually see the word used. Other than that, what does everyone think of the introductory paragraph? My mother said it was too flowery and weighed down the start. I guess it's a bit overly romantic, but I'm also unsure of what should go there in its place.[/size]

[size=1];_; Deltaaaa! Stop trying to upstage me with your flashy newfangled style. [/whine] It feels alright to be doing requests again, but it's not like I'm doing it to pass the time. Japan's my friend like that, so I decided to help her a bit. But thanks to your banner, my time will be hurtfully thrown away. I hope you're happy with yourself. And Japan, do you want me to try an avatar to see what I come up with?[/size]

[size=1][IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/japan3.jpg[/IMG] After like a billion tries, this one came out fine. You'd better like it. :3[/size]

[size=1]Perhaps if you could elaborate on the specifics of your project, people would be more inclined to help. However, please keep in mind that OtakuBoards is not a search engine -- try searching for "Photo Mosaic" or some such term for your desired results. I personally don't know of a place where you can download thousands of images, and I know that [i]somebody[/i] has to initially arrange the pictures. Maybe you should give it a try if you have enough time.[/size]

[QUOTE=BloodRainShadow]I think your drawing is great. I love how your did everything. It looks really good ^-^ I give it two thumbs up :D anyways a little more practice and you can go all star lol. GREAT JOB!!!!! Oh yea WELCOME TO THE OTAKUBOARDS!!! :catgirl:[/QUOTE] [size=1]What exactly did they do well? Could you point out specifics, instead of just saying "everything looks good?" This would help the artist understand what they did right and what they should keep doing in their future work.[/size]

[size=1]This was done for a school assignment on the Vietnam Memorial in DC -- here's the criteria for it: - What is the general tone of the memorial? - Is this memorial fitting? - How do you think different audiences react to it and why? How is that reaction caused by the monument itself. - What is the subject of the memorial? - What do you think and feel? Vague, I know. I also haven't finished it, but just critique me on what's here.[/size] [CENTER] [B]The Vietnam Memorial:[/B] [I]The Scar of a Nation[/I][/CENTER] [size=1]It was silent as I walked slowly down the vast wall, looking into the shadowy depths of my country?s history. Even to someone as far-removed from the conflict as myself, the sight was moving. 58,169 dead. We are called to remember the sacrifice of those whose names appear on the wall. We are forced to confront the loss of life face to face, staring each name in the face and attempting to comprehend that each name is a lost life. We as civilians, however, are distanced from a veteran?s intimate relationship with the memorial. Where we as civilians see a SHERMAN LEE IVEY, a veteran would see his buddy who died in Quang Tri of multiple fragmentation wounds. A veteran would remember the story of how Lee, as he was called, would say the Lord?s Prayer before they went into combat, how he threw rocks at trees during down time, and how he hummed when marching. A veteran stares at Lee and sees his stories. I stare at Lee and see another name; this is the most fundamental difference between a civilian and a veteran. There is no way for a sixteen year old boy to grasp the gravity of SHERMAN LEE IVEY engraved in the Vietnam Memorial. As I continued my procession along the wall, I tried to comprehend the fact that each name was a human. I tried to remember each man, tried to recall their faces and their habits and their stories. It was then I understood I could never fully grasp what was in front of me. The wall was full of stories that would never be told to a boy who could not digest the essence of Vietnam. ?Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember but the story? (O?Brien). I hope that the stories of the wall are remembered, for my memory is nonexistent. I cannot remember the stories of Ronald Fair, Edward Tarin, or Mark O?Brien. I cannot remember the faces of William James, Robert Lockett, or David Rodriguez. Their memory is carried within the black granite.[/size]

[size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, rohansachar! I appreciate your acknowledging that thread resurrection is a bad thing, but you still did it. Please read the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php][b]Official OtakuBoards Rules[/b][/url] for an overview of OB's rules and expectations on post quality. Next, the Art by Request forum is not a place to offer constructive criticism for art. Not only that, but your post wasn't constructive criticism to begin with. If, for example, this thread had been in the Art Studio and wasn't extremely old, your post wouldn't help the artist at all. What exactly do you like about it? A "Good job!" comment helps no one. For reasons mentioned above, please familiarize yourself with both the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=42878][b]Art by Request Rules[/b][/url] as well as the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52171][b]Art Studio Rules[/b][/url]. I hope you enjoy your stay. Thread closed.[/size]

[size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, zombieme! Unforunately, your entire reason for being on OtakuBoards seems to be to advertise for your site. Therefore, I must close the thread, as it is more of an advertising gimmick without the link. While you seem to have real the Official OtakuBoards Rules, please take the time to familiarize yourself with the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=42878][b]Art by Request Rules[/b][/url] so that you have a firm understanding as to what the Art Studio and the Art by Request sub-forum are used for.[/size]

[quote name='Boo][size=1']What is the point in living if you have no goal for eyes? The goal would be to live. I myself, am not quite impressed by that goal. Why would you want to live... just to live? Where is the point?[/size][/quote] [size=1]The goal is to do something that you can actually accomplish. Why strive to lift a mountain when instead you can strive to become stronger. I'm basically saying 1) don't bite off more than you can chew, and 2) in your quest for your dreams, don't neglect the imperatives (paying the rent, getting a job, etc).[/size]

[size=1]It's basically the same way for me. While I don't feel like getting into the specifics, the exact same scenario just took place at my school. I was annoyed for a while, as I enjoy being praised for taking harder classes than most, but after a while I realized that the points really didn't matter at all, and I got over it. It always sucks when a huge change occurs, especially in regards to grades, since our entire lives are built around them (well, mine anyway). My only advice would be to take it as it comes, and take comfort in the fact that you'll be a step ahead when it comes time to apply to colleges.[/size]

[quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']Awesome zen moment you had there, Retri. I know I felt inspired to get up and seize the day. *takes a long sip of Starbucks coffee* Yeah, I think today is going to be a day of positive changes and achievements for myself.[/color][/quote] [size=1]I can't separate the sarcasm from the seriousness, if there is any seriousness there. I'll get you one day, DeathKnight. ;_; Anyway, there's something wrong with sweatshops in general, not just the fact that children work there. Adults deserve equal rights as well -- we shouldn't stop giving our sympathy to those who are "too old."[/size]

[quote name='Japan_86][COLOR=Indigo']Well, I am not particularly fond of Child Labour, but people are going to keep buying the items made by them no matter what.[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]And therefore we should stand by and watch children be exploited? I mean, of course, that's just the way it is -- why don't we just throw in the towel now. Dont refer to child labor as if it's just one of those necessary evils. What people should be doing now is fighting for major corporations to allow Unions for their workers. That's the way every other country got out from under the wheels of capitalism, and that's the way it can be solved in these developing countries. And in the meantime, don't help Nike, Wal-Mart, and Starbucks exploit their workers. Try to find food and clothing not made in sweatshops. I understand that it's extremely hard, especially for clothing, but make the conscious effort. Even the thrift store works -- if you get things from there, you don't help the corporation, as your purchase goes only to the store. Don't sit around thinking "Ah, someone else will do something" or "It's wrong, but what can I do?" Do something about it -- even if it's something small. That's how change starts.[/size]

[size=1]Yeah, I probably do take living for granted. But you probably can't fully appreciate it until you've come closer to death. I think [i]The Things They Carried[/i] did a good job of explaining this when saying (roughly) "...and after the firefight, the whole world seems so damn alive." Of course there's a chance there's nothing after death, and it's extremely hard to imagine what it would be like to just cease existing. I remember trying to do that when I was about ten, and I still try with no result. I imagine just black -- but then I wonder "Would I get bored with just blackness and nothing to do?" Then I have to remember, I don't exist anymore, so I don't get bored. The whole process is confusing, frightening, and mind-numbing, personally.[/size]

[quote name='Gen. Andronicus']I felt that it was a tad over-ambitious. Don't get me wrong, I don't care for the current administration in the US and feel that there criticisms are well-deserved, however, the movies political message seemed a bit to localized (kind of like a big FU to George W Bush) for it's own good. It's basically the same message that you could read on the editorial page of your local newspaper, nothing profound. This affected my enjoyment of the film, and I believe will affect its future level of greatness.[/quote] [size=1]That's why they placed it in Great Britain, I thought. I personally think that it could be enjoyed by someone who wasn't even alive during the Bush Administration -- the message is the exact same either way. It's more of a lesson on how government should be run rather than an exclusive FU to Bush.[/size]

[size=1]I wouldn't search. I'd just live. What's the point of searching all your life, when you can make the best of your situation, here and now. Why waste your time chasing a shadow when you can live?[/size]

[size=1]For the record, I have nothing against those different than me -- after all, diversity is the spice of life. All I was saying was that people naturally recoil away (instinctively) from the uncertain, unexplored, and different. If I were to see two men making out on the subway, I wouldn't sit next to them -- not because I hate them, but because I'm not used to seeing that kind of thing. I think that's the whole point I was trying to make. You can't really blame people for having that 'uncomfortable' reaction -- it's what they do with that reaction that counts. If they call those two guys "fags" and make fun, they are wrong. However if they just sit somewhere else, that is completely acceptable. So uh, good luck with whatever you choose to do with your life. I hope you are satisfied with whatever happens. :)[/size]

[size=1]This idea is novel and I love it, but for future reference, please don't post pictures that stretch the OB layout. It makes 56k users suffer unnecessarily, and it makes things look bad and annoying in general. Please read the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52171][b]Art Studio Rules[/b][/url] for clarification on this specific rule. I've edited all pictures into text links. Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns. Thanks![/size]

[QUOTE=Fasteriskhead]EDIT: you can read the bits in small font if you really want, but the important part is the bottom paragraph. [SIZE=1]As bad an idea as it probably is for me to start up in this thread again: Retribution, I have to ask if you really mean what you seem to be saying here (that "you really can't blame them for [diagnosing you with mental illness]"). Are you really saying that a minority within a larger group has no right to "blame" anyone when they are treated as an inferior, or as damaged goods? Does this lack of blaming extend to make it improper to blame anything else (society in general, God, whatever)? What, are these "deviants" supposed to simply accept whatever is done to them? I don't think you mean to say this, but it's exactly the result if you follow your line of thought through. Now, obviously you're trying to talk about commonplace human behavior rather than what should really be happening, and as such you place yourself above the "normal people" who would be judging someone as ill. You [i]yourself[/i] say, correctly, that deviancy doesn't make someone "mentally insane or less of a person." But according to you, this is exactly how everyone else will act. Someone deviant, for normal people, is seen as something less than fully human. Stop me if I seem to be putting words in your mouth. On the one hand, you see in basic human nature the need to dehumanize someone different (and because it's basic I can't "blame" them for doing it), but on the other you see [i]yourself[/i] as being able to know that this person is actually still just that, a person. Now, I don't think this division makes sense. Do you think it isn't [I]possible[/I] for all the rest of these people to know what you know? Of course not. Obviously I think most people here would think it can happen, but just hasn't for various reasons. But: if it [i]can[/i] happen, if people [i]can[/i] change their minds, then why the heck shouldn't we blame them when they don't?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1]God Almighty, Fasteriskhead... You certainly were putting words in my mouth. I'm not saying a minority should accept inferior treatment -- the majority shouldn't be treating them as second-class citizens in the first place -- I'm saying that [b]you and everyone else would consider something outside the norm if it didn't conform to the norms set forth by billions of other people exactly like yourself.[/b] It's not like this is revolutionary here -- take blindness for example. If you saw a blind person, of course you'd think they're not the same as everyone else. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. I think you mistook me for thinking that the blind man's difference is bad, which I do not. All I'm trying to say is that when you look at billions of people, and they all behave the same way as you, you'd consider it 'normal.' Now, if a person existed outside of that norm, you would of course consider them a deviant from that norm, solely because they are not the same as other humans whom you have met. It is a human reflex to consider something different [i]painful[/i]. My parents, for example, live within a very tight routine. They have their cups of coffee, go to work, come back home, and take care of me. It would be [i]painful[/i] for them to be forced off to work without that cup of coffee. And I really couldn't blame them for being annoyed with the break in routine. Change is painful for humans, and you can't blame them for thinking so. You can, however, blame them for their response to that change. Likewise, it will be normal for a human to consider GS 'different' and even 'strange.' You can't blame them for thinking that. You can, however blame them for thinking that GS is 'subhuman.' Perhaps the mental illness reference was a slightly off-kilter with what I was trying to say, but not by much. Basically, stubbornness is something you can blame someone for, but human mental reaction you cannot. It's a subconscious thing that must be subdued. The failure to accept those different is a huge failure indeed, however it's not a failure to think something foreign is strange. Whether you consider someone deviant less of a person is a completely personal issue. I consider gays deviant from the norm, for example, but they are just as human as I. I hope that covered all the bases. And jeez, Fast, you make me fight for every point. :3[/size]

[size=1]What exactly [i]are[/i] the Commonwealth Games? I'm assuming it's an athletic competition amongst those of the former (or current) British Commonwealth/Empire, so I guess my real question is what type of games are played? And why isn't America allowed to play? They won their independence just like India, right? Haha. Except no self-respecting American would compete in a [i]British[/i] sporting event. jk.[/size]

[size=1]You know, Hittokiri, life would be oh-so much easier if you were to crop out all that empty space so that the image didn't stretch OB's layout. It's not like anything [i]at all[/i] is happening out there except for some gradient. I really have only one comment; it's too hard to read. If I hadn't seen the title of the thread, I'd still be scratching my head. The "t" is especially painful ... I finally realized it was broken up into two parts. Did you modify the font to make it look so hot, or did you download it? If so, what's the font name and could I get a link (plzkthxbaidude)? You do a really good job on making the fonts look real and interesting, rather than flat and undynamic. Keep up the good work, maybe consider making things bigger and more legible, and you have a winner.[/size]

[QUOTE=GoldScorpion78]I already [I]had[/I] my chromosomes tested. XX, completely female. So if you're looking for some biological proof that seperates male from female, chromosome testing means very little. Having the genitals of one or another (or sometimes both) sex, to me, also means nothing. But let's take into consideration the [B]outward appearance[/B] for a moment. The person in question will undoubtedly dress to their preferred gender, and that, to me, is what qualifies someone to be that gender. If you consider yourself to be female, for example, all your life, and at birth some doctor says you're male, does that not sound just a bit strange? And if your parents made you wear boy clothes, that too is wrong. Now, for me, it is opposite of that. My point is, humanity as a whole should learn to accept that someday a person will have a baby of one gender that grows up to be the opposite. It isn't a disease, or a mental illness, it's just [I]there[/I] and it will always be there. There's no medicine that will make me feel comfortable as a female. But there [I]is[/I] medicine that will make me more of a male, and that, my friends is testosterone. Which, I'd like to announce, my doctor and psychiatrist are trying to find a way to put me on.[/QUOTE] [size=1]My point was that you are biologically a female. How you "feel" wasn't my point. I understand that you feel as though you are a male, which is fine in my book. I was in no way attacking you. However, the way you feel deviates from the norm of human development, and thusly, people [I]will[/I] diagnose you with mental illness/defects/what have you. You really can't blame them for doing so, either -- if you deviate from the norm seen in billions of other people, one can only assume that there is something different in you causing that deviation. It's not that you're mentally insane or less of a person, it's just that there might be something chemically or mentally different about you.[/size]

[size=1]I'd recommend you clarify what you mean -- I've heard the song, so I understand what the point is, but others may not. I'd suggest lightening it up a bit to make it seem a bit more hopeful, as well as make the words "angel" and "nightmare" stand out more. As it stands they sort of blend in. While it's vague, I hope it helps.[/size]

[size=1]Seriously, folks, whatever happened to the classic: [b]I love you.[/b] Has it really lost its meaning so much that we need to tack on cheezy and annoying metaphor and similie? Its simplicity is what makes it so powerful and beautiful, or uninspired and lame. It's all in the delivery, I'd say. If you just mumble it, it'll sound weak. If you say it 'from the bottom of your heart,' the words will carry more meaning than anything else you'll be able to piece together.[/size]

[quote name='Ucalna']I think it sounds like a good pic. Doesnt sound like theres anything to add to it, it sounds PERFECT![/quote] [size=1]Perhaps you should've read my previous post. Please, please, [i]pretty please[/i] read the rules. If it's perfect, what makes it perfect? If you tell the artist that, they'll know what they did right, and will be able to replicate it later. Just saying "It's perfect" doesn't help anyone. You can find the links to the rules in my post above yours.[/size]