Retribution

[SIZE=1]"Alchemy is interesting to me. I'd love to learn how to create all sorts of healing potions," Narote said with genuine interest. The goblin smiled and nodded at an eating Narote. "But you might wanna take up Herbalism if you're gonna be an Alchemist. How else will yeh collect herbs to put in those potions?" Narote swallowed a marinated pepper, then replied. "Very good point. So I'll take up Alchemy and Herbalism. By the way, the food's good," he finished, taking another bite of peppers and lettuce. He finished his meal off with the fruit on the outer rim of his plate. To his disappointment, the fruits didn't taste nearly as good as the vegetables, but he politely ate it, and took a long draught of water. "...Water? C'mon, Narote," Apollos said laughing a bit at his friend. "I try not to drink too much, you know that. Besides, we're going to be busy, so it's best to hydrate." He gulped hard, looking at Renjin and Kirra, and felt genuinely nervous. They had a death warrant on Apollos? head, and definitely didn?t like him at all either. Despite wanting to have a peace-making talk, he sat patiently and waited for everyone else to finish their meals. OOC: Sorry for the length, but I wanted to get that down.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I regard myself as strong in graphic design, and I devote plenty of time to that each day just practicing for fun. However, I do think that I'm a pretty good writer as well, but writing is harder to notice that art, right?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm glad to see some interest, but we need a few more guys. Let me take this moment to say that all Mistresses must have a servant -- choose who your servant is in your sign-up by adding a field [b]Servant:[/b] or something of the sort. If there are conflicts, we can all work it out via PM/IM. I'm not going to set a sign-up end date, due to the obvious lack of guy RPers in this. I encourage you fellas to join in the fun![/SIZE]

[quote name='Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed']From what I've heard the Jewish Isrealites treat the Muslim Isrealites like the Muslims treate the Jews; like second class citizens. By createing Isreal all that is done is that the Muslim world now has a target for it's prejudice; the Leaders (Who tend to be fanatical) can now declare total war on a country to inflict their damage on the Jews instead of just a few isolated cases. Even if it was legal it's not a good idea.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Regardless of it being a 'good idea,' it happened, and these settlers being moved are still reality. Israel becoming a target of prejudice is not grounds for deeming the nation's creation 'a bad idea.' "Oh no, we'll be discriminated against... let's not stand up and do what we believe in." The Jews wanted their own country, and they got it. America's behind Israel, so I highly doubt any of those fanatical countries are going to be in any rush to attack.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed']Nontheless, the government of Isreal was grafted from the country that was already occupying the area. Any violent assualts on Jews could only increase if they created the Jewish state of Isreal out of a Muslim country. It turned from the occasional beating, murders, and riots into full-scale war that has raged since the creation of Isreal.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Well, if that's true, it's a much different explaination than: [quote name='Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed']Saying that they deserve it because God said so is not a reason to have a country IMO) and that the country itself is Illegal[/COLOR][/quote] Yes, they did say that it was rightfully theirs, but that's not even remotely why the UN gave them the land. Really, the country's legal. They have legal claims on the land, issued by the UN. It's not like they overthrew Palestine and split to form the Israel we have today. As far as I'm concerned, they got the land through a very much more fair, humane process than how North America got claimed.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed] The Mongoliods were Nomadic, as were the Scythians and Armenians (Temporarily) and, well, pretty much every culture in the Steppes and Plains were Nomades, but they all lay claim to some homeland or another. There is a slight difference between the two. Europeans (Brits, French, Spainiards etc.) colonized North America and created an empire; they faught for this land and the Natives were unable to put aside petty squables, unite and defeat them. The point is that the Europeans faught tooth-and-nail to take it, and though I don't agree with the methods, North America was taken. Isreal, however, was simply created by the UN illegally in the middle of already occupied Muslim lands as a homeland for the Jews, based on the simple reason that their God had promised it too them; if that's not the most crooked, skewed reason to creat a country I'd like to see another.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1] From what I've researched, Israel wasn't created because the UN decided to let people return to their Promised Land. The UN partitioned Palestine because Jews had immigrated there to escape the Holocaust. The increase of Jews didn't go over well with the Arabs, and the Arabs attacked the Jews.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][b]Name:[/b] Sergio Alvarez [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Age:[/b] 28 [b]Personality:[/b] Sergio is a loyal man, and strives to please everyone he meets. He will bend over backwards to satisfy his Mistress. He does everything with intense vigor, sometimes feigning interest, so as to appear to be doing his job. His co-workers joke that he would jump off a bridge just to follow his Mistress, no matter how cold or indifferent she may be about his sacrifices. [b]Appearance:[/b] [url=http://hyung-taekim.org/displayimage.php?album=10&pos=1][link][/url] (Sergio in formal wear) Sergio is pure Spanish, and looks like it as well. His black hair has been pony-tailed upon the request of his Mistress. [b]Character Snippet:[/b] Sergio wiped the beading sweat off his brow as he browsed through the table of contents of an ancient law book. The room was stuffy, lacking any air conditioning, and Sergio did not dare disturb his Mistress? slumber with a call to ask if he could lower the temperature in the library. He had to write a draft of how laws had changed over the past three hundred years, and it was due by morning. Rubbing his eyes once more, he sighed and kept reading. [I]Symposium on Jurisprudence: A Framework of Rights and Obligations in Liberal, Traditional, and Social Democratic Regimes. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Civil Liability II. Elements of Offense?[/I] ?Hm. That?s not it,? he said with strange calm. It was the 213th book he had tossed aside, into the stack of other rejected books. Finding books with helpful information was next to impossible. He raised his eyes to a stack of books next to him, and took another off the top. In doing so he realized another figure enter the library. He studied it thoroughly to be sure it wasn't a woman, in which case he would stand at attention and greet her courteously. "Oh. Hey, Sergio. Another late night?" A drop of relief splashed into his mind; it was a friend. "Yes... my Mistress has me burning the midnight oil for her." "Is that so?" He said in a joking tone. Sergio's innocent mind grasped the joke after a few seconds, and he nodded in a silent approval, smirking a [i]You know you shouldnt have...[/i] "Hilarious. What're you doing here?" "Nothing -- I like reading about that woman... what was her name? Right! Whitney Churchill. Saved all of Great Britain from the Nazi invasion of World War II. Very inspirational lady." "Sounds like it." He tossed another book into the rejected pile, and typed a few more notes in his laptop before addressing his friend again. "But ... why haven't men done anything? We work hard too, right?" "C'mon, Sergio. Men aren't exactly... hm... [i]worthy[/i] of leadership positions, and you know that. Don't give me any of that nonsense." "Yeah... whatever..." he trailed off, deep in his own thoughts. "Well, I'm off to read about them Nazis. They sounded completely barbaric, killing their first borns and all." He turned and left, walking into the deeper reaches of the library, leaving Sergio to his note taking. He tilted his head back, and stared at the cieling, just thinking for a while.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed']I don't think that even the Jews as a race deserve the land, since the only people who really have any claim to it are the Bedouin Nomads.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Well, I mentioned earlier that the Bedouins were nomadic, and as a result had no 'homeland.' If you're moving from place to place, you don't have a land to consider yours in the first place. And the Native American tribes inhabited North America, so I don't think that we have any claim on this land, either. Maybe we should just pack up and leave. >_>[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Sometimes it's common courtesy to pretend you care about something you genuinely don't. I'm sure you understand that. But you may be talking about something a bit different... I'd be straight with your friends and tell them you're getting tired of their falseness, and that you see right through it. I think they need a wake up call like that.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Circéus]I do not consider tha George W. Bush is not a human being because he lacks any form of remorse or compassion. I consider that Dubya do not belongs to [I]Homo sapiens sapiens[/I] because he has displayed the common sense and IQ of a combined ton of krill. (I know that wasn't adressed at me, but it just begged for that answer.)[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]*sigh* Why am I covering up for a President that I don't support? Because I have a shred of decency. He's a f_cking human being. He has emotions like you and I. Just because he's doing stuff you [we] don't like, doesn't give you a excuse to regard him as ignorant and subhuman. I guess I'm kind of the 'Amen Chorus' of DeathBug, but I needed to say that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]*bows* I'm extremely surprised no one has commented on these yet. Let me take the time now to tell you that [b]THESE ARE THE GREATEST THINGS EVER.[/b] I mean, they're made in MSPaint, and the quality is extraordinary. I'm really at a complete loss for words. I love the last one the most.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed] Yes, I don't live in the US (Although I know a great deal about it, I don't think you realize just how invasive the US media is over here) but my point was that the US has prfoundly, in recent years, screwed over my country. I was just responding to all the good things that the US sterotypically does with all the bad things that it... well, actualy has done. It was probably out of place, but I often can't contain myself when I here things like that without anything bad... It just makes me feel, well, sick.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Lore wasn't talking about what [i]you[/i] percieve, whatever that may be. She was talking about memories, and what she remembers America to be from these. Her definition of America has nothing to do with current events. As for the propaganda-ish media crossing over the border... I have no idea what you're talking about. Bush doesn't really have too much 'propaganda' in America. I mean, he has the Army commericials, but those aren't related to him at all. Really, I see the media as pretty free from Bush propaganda. Altogether.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Narote looked surprised at the outbreak of violence between Renjin and Apollos, and immediately moved to halt the fight before it got out of hand. ?Stop now, fighting is not the answer,? he said in a stern tone. The combatants did not listen. Narote kept talking ?Apollos! You know that God would not want you fighting in His name like a child ? put down your weapon. As for you, Renjin,? he said, shifting his body a bit. He cleared his throat before beginning. ?God?s Light leads us to heaven, a glorious, pure, holy place where there is no evil, where everything is perfect. The Light purifies, purging away those too demonic to stand it. Those who turn from the Light turn towards Evil, but God is forgiving ? He will accept repentance. Evil does not balance anything out ? without it things can only be better. If everything is good, I fail to see how anything could be evil, wrong, or out of balance,? he said, with a hint of finality. He sighed heavily when he realized they weren?t going to stop. However, Renjin began to reply while fighting. "There is no evil but light and dark, two sides of the same copper piece. It is merely your opinion on what side the coin may land, Narote. Evil is nothing, it is everything. It is inside you and me, and you have chosen to take it and create light. I have chosen to take it and perform the Dark Ritual, fighting for those with the very power you forsake." ?Then you are demonic, and need the Light. You seem to think there is no absolute truth, when in fact there is. Evil is what kills defenseless children. Evil is what slaughters entire villages. Evil is what God and the Light is not. True, there is Evil within all, but it is what we choose to do that defines us. Do we harness that Evil, and let it run through our blood, committing Evil deeds? Or do we let Light wash it away, become pure, and do good for others?? Narote stopped talking, realizing the increased conviction in his voice, and said a prayer to calm himself. ?I am done. I cannot convert you if you keep your heart closed.? He walked away a respectable distance, still hearing steel clanging, occasional grunts of exertion, but ignored them. He sat on a rock next to a gurgling brook, and inhaled the fresh scent in an attempt to calm his clouded, annoyed mental state. He said another prayer. [i]Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now at at the hour of our death, Amen.[/i][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed] >begin rant When I think of America, I think of all the Canadian farmers (Including my Uncle and my best friend's dad) who got screwed by the Beef Ban. I think of all of BC's lumber industry which is going out of business one-by-one due to the illegal Lumber Tariff. I think of the fact that he didn't know the identity of our PM when we sent aide to NYC in the first hours and landed all those US planes and welcomed them into our homes (It's true; for about two days we had 3 people from the US living in our home, and this happened all over the nation) I think of the fact that he threatened, and damn nearly did, to blockade the boarder when Canada refused to fall in line and march off to Iraq. I think of the illegal patroling of Canadian waters in the Artic by US Subs under Bush's direct order. I think of the fact that Bush has only set foot in his closest allies country ONCE in his 5 years as president. He even flew down to Australia (Where he was boooed by Aussie MPs) and Mexico. I think of the virtual white-washing of Canadian importance in American textbooks and history. I think of the propogandga-ish media that flows over the boarder and turns people into Right-Wing, Uber-Americanised 'tin soldiers.' Finally, I think of the consequences of GWB's illegal war that's greatly effected my and many other lives. [I]This[/I] is my America. I don't see how great it is. >end rant.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]*awkward cough* Erm... You don't live in America, so you wouldn't really get any of the stuff Lore's talking about. She's talking about stereotypical American moments. 4th of July, learning the Pledge of Allegiance (I too said "invisible" when I first learned it), watching those baseball games and those white picket fences. It's more of a cultural up-bringing thing. Like, I wouldn't have any idea of traditional Canadian stuff. Canada's kind of a cold, obscure nation, north of America, where I go when Bush instates the draft. That's (mostly) all I know. As for quotes? [B]"To win the battle is to be prepared to die."[/B] ~ Miyamoto Musashi It reminds me of everything I do in life. If I want to succeed, I have to be prepared to sacrifice everything to win. [B]"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"[/B] ~ Sir Winston Churchill This is by-far my favorite quote. It has a beautiful, tragic, and courageous history behind it as well. As you may know, Hitler was launching Operation Sealion with his [i]Luftewaffe[/i] (Air Force), and outnumbered the RAF 2 to 1. The RAF managed to hold Hitler back away from the UK, long enough for Hitler to indefinitely postpone Sealion. I listened to this speech, and I must say, it made me want to become an RAF pilot to fight against Hitler. And I don't even live in Britain. lmao As for the quote itself, it's bursting with a glorious vision -- a courageous act that will be remembered, an act that was your finest hour.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I have Google Earth. I used it for about ten minutes, after the fun of finding my house died down, and I asked myself "So what is this good for now?" I think I'm going to uninstall it, as it serves no real useful purpose that you can't use Mapquest or something for.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Red']I doubt that the Church is required to have any sort of respect for the dead, more plain ol' freedom of choice. What they think is entirely up to them - until somebody finds out the reasons behind it assumptions won't do much, eh?[/quote] [SIZE=1]Agreed. I always thought that respect for the dead was a human instinct, and it was something that was given, whether your atheistic or religious.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: Not a problem, Archangel. Actually, I think it was a good idea for us to be friends ahead of time.IC: Narote glanced back at the smoking remains of Stormwind, and bit his lip in sadness. ?Before we leave?? he trailed off, vaguely addressing Apollos before walking slowly towards the rubble. Apollos nodded a silent affirmative, closing his eyes and folding his hands in a position of prayer. Narote dropped to his knees, and prayed as well. [I]Dear God, lead these souls to heaven and may they bask in your pure glory forever. Even in times of death and carnage, I must still exalt your Holy name. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. World without end, Amen.[/I] He stood, and raised his staff in the air, whispered the last line to the prayer. Ethereal forms raised out of the wooden heaps, from out of their body shells, and shot skyward with increasing speed. He smiled, and turned back to Apollos, who was smiling just as fully as Narote. ?I?m done here. Where did you say we go?? Apollos began to walk briskly away, tilted his head back, finally replying after Narote caught up to him. ?Nightsong Forest.? ?Sounds like a place that?s tainted by evil,? he replied softly. ?Perhaps. We?ll find out soon enough?? Apollos replied just as vaguely as his comrade. It was quite obvious that they both had their minds in different places at the moment. In silence, the two continued, Narote trailing Apollos a few steps behind. He had no idea where he was going, and decided to let someone experienced lead. Finally, they stumbled across two people locked in a tight kiss for a few instants. They were too far away to see their facial features, but it made the chaste priest feel uneasy. Apollos picked up the pace. ?I think that might be our man. Hurry, Narote. C?mon!? ?Yes, yes. I?m coming.? After another minute of jogging through the thick woods, they came upon the two. The man looked extremely agitated, the girl with a sly smirk on her face. They were facing away from one another, which struck Narote as odd. He had just seen them kissing a moment ago? ?Are you Renjin Forestwalker? If so, we?re looking for you,? Apollos said confidently. Narote was inwardly grateful he hadn?t made him speak to strangers. ?Yes, I?m Renjin. Who?re you two?? ?I am Narote of Granada, and my comrade is Apollos Pursol.?[/SIZE]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']While I don't support capital punishment, I think corporal punishment would be justified in this case, catch the excuses-for-human-beings who did this and give them twenty lashes each. I might seem a bit extreme I know but acts like this shouldn't be tolerated or those involved shown any mercy. [/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]Whatever happened to jail-time? I'd say twenty lashes is getting off easy. Perhaps twenty lashes in addition to several years jail-time. Personally, I'd rather get my punishment over in a span of a day rather than drag it out and waste several years of my life.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][center][size=2][b]A Woman?s World[/b][/size][/center] [b]The History[/b] For much of history, women?s roles have been mostly submissive ones, ?supporting? the dominant male partner in a relationship. They have cooked meals, cleaned homes, and borne children. Their opinions have no been valued with nearly the same weight as those of men?s, and only recently have they received fair treatment the professional world. In the year 2005, women were allowed in the work place, to lead completely independent lives from men, but still did not hold the majority of positions in government. Through a very slow, excruciating ?revolution? lasting nearly three hundred years, women now the dominant position in the world. 100% of elected officials of any kind are women, and men consist of strictly the lowest caste ? ?Servant Class.? In complete contrast, women consist of the mid to upper classes of ?Middle,? and ?Prominent? caste?s respectively. Such changes are directly results of a peaceful revolution spanning from 2102 to 2143. During this period, women took a step into the political arena like never before ? nearly half of elected officials worldwide were women. Previous religious and moral tension was removed, but at a great cost. A sect of radical conservative men persecuted women in manners reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials; executions of groundbreaking women were commonplace, but were not accepted in the least by females. They decided to take their fight for equality a step further. By 2132, all women were abstaining from sexual intercourse with their husbands, and some decided to remain single until further notice. While there was a great spike in rapes, these births were not plentiful enough to repopulate the human race. Women all over the world banned together and demanded equal rights, and in some cases, more rights, than men in the world. These demands were integral in the carving out of woman dominance ? already they were asserting their will, not giving a choice, and men complied readily. Men thought it would be prudent to agree to their terms, then seize the chance to have relations with their wives once more, and disregard their demands. Quite obviously, women saw the underhanded move, and quickly announced they would not have relations until they held 60% of government offices. Their demands left men no choice but to comply. By then it was too late. It would only be a matter of time before women voted out the men in office, and eventually held a universal monopoly on every influential role in society; from politicians to celebrities, from religious leaders to teachers. [b]The Censorship[/b] The only way to maintain of the power womankind had gained was obvious ? inserting pro-woman propaganda in every medium a man could have access in, and censorship. This censorship is completely controlled by United Censorship Coalition, an international effort to keep men ?in the dark? about what freedoms men had previously. Such an effort required colossal collaboration; every book had to be found and recycled into a new, censored book. Here is a current example: [QUOTE=Genesis 1:18-25] 18 And Goddess said, "It is not good that the woman is alone. I will make for her a suitable helper." 19 Now Goddess formed from the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air and She brought them to the woman to see what he would name them; and whatever the woman named every living creature, that was its name. 20 So the woman named all the cattle, and the birds of the air and every animal of the field. But for Eve she found no suitable helper. 21 So Goddess made the woman fall into a deep sleep. And while she slept, She took one of the woman's ribs and closed its place with flesh. 22 Then Goddess made a man from the rib She had taken from the woman, and She brought him to the woman. 23 And the woman said: "This is now bone from my bone and flesh from my flesh; he shall be called man, for he was taken from woman. 24 For this a woman will leave her father and mother and will unite with to her servant, and they will multiply according to the woman?s bidding." 25 And the man bowed to his mistress, submitting his flesh unto her.[/QUOTE] All sources are highly censored by the United Censorship Coalition (UCC), as previously mentioned. The UCC?s Archives are thoroughly firewalled to prevent potential hackers, and is uplinked to the Internet to provide instant access to anyone who wishes to reference the information. The few women who aren?t disillusioned themselves as to what is the truth must keep past events completely confidential. So much as a hint at male dominance is eligible to be executed without trial by the government. [b]Social Norms[/b] Much has changed since 2005, and among the most drastic of changes is social interaction. In the year 2305, there is very little tolerance for social offenders ? they endanger the elegantly complex caste system laid down through hundreds of years of hard work. Listed below are a few examples of very basic social laws. [I]Speaking ? Man to Woman:[/I] A man is to address a woman as ?Miss,? and to maintain eye contact throughout the conversation. Breaking eye contact, or showing ones back to a woman is punishable as seen fit by the offended. Men are to address women in a passive tone, never demanding or hinting at agitation. [I]Speaking ? Woman to Man:[/I] There is only one law: that the woman assert her dominance over the man in her tone, posture, and demeanor throughout a conversation. She is free to break eye contact and turn her back on the man as she sees fit. [I]Accepting Orders:[/I] A man must promptly follow a woman?s instructions as thoroughly as possible, and must never question the reasoning behind it. Failure to satisfy 100% is punishable as seen fit by the woman being served. This is especially important when serving ones Mistress (woman in chief control of the man). [I]Friendship:[/I] There is no law against cross-gender friendship, but it is highly discouraged and looked down upon. A woman is to initiate any friendly advances, but there is to be no relationship past the point of ?familiar acquaintance.? [I]Sexual Relations:[/I] A man is to, under NO circumstance, initiate sexual relations with any woman. A man?s Mistress is the only woman who is allowed to be sexually intimate with, and even then, the Mistress is to make the advances. [b]The Conflict[/b] A group of several fairly ?educated? men work as servants to the Earth Almighty Queen?s cabinet. The Queen is a figurehead, and relatively unimportant, as the cabinet members hold all the power in decision-making. These servants stumble across an uncensored book, #4 in a series of 20 of Plato?s Collected Lectures while serving their mistresses. The book is shared secretly amongst them, and highly disturbs the group of men. Such a book leads them to conclude the lives they have been living are full of falseness and shadow. It is up to the cabinet of men to find a way to spread such information, but such a delicate task must be done quietly and precisely. It is the job of the Mistresses to stop these servants from broadcasting such vital information to the rest of the world. [B]Welcome to my newest (second) stab into the Arena![/B] I tried to pull together new concepts, and so hopefully I?m starting an RPG that?s never been done before. I hope you found the backstory interesting. First of all, this is going to be a competitive RPG in two respects. One, I?m going to be accepting the best applications for the FOUR Mistresses and THREE servants (I?m one of the four, so three open spots). Two, the Mistresses and the servants will be actively ?fighting? one another. The servants are going to be trying to keep their information a secret, and to find a suitable method of telling men everywhere they?re not just servants. The Mistresses will be trying to get their servants to divulge the information to them using whatever methods at their disposal ? force, seduction, blackmail, it?s all fair game. I will ask that there be no characters that god-mod by ?having a sixth sense with people,? I want you to go through great pains to get the information. Once/If the Mistresses get the information, you have clearance (PM me first) to execute whom you think is tied to the conspiracy. But don?t go all Stalin on me and kill all the servants, kay? ^_^ [U] [B]Sign-Up Sheet:[/B][/U] [b]Name:[/b] Anything. This is an international effort. [b]Gender:[/b] If you?re male, you?re a servant. If you?re a woman, you?re a Mistress. [b]Age:[/b] Just keep in mind you?re an advisor/servant to the women who lead the world. How long does it take to get to that point? [b]Personality:[/b] This has nothing to do with your gender. If you are a quiet, humble, and naturally submissive woman, that?s perfectly fine. If you?re a headstrong, brash guy full of bravado, that?s cool too. Just remember that you?ll need to fight to stay within your social norms. [b]Appearance:[/b] A picture for the face/body is fine, but remember you?re all professionals. Men have short hair, and both men and women are dressed in professional attire. [b]Character Snippet:[/b] Give me a sample of how well you can write. This is probably the biggest factor of the whole sign-up to determine whether you get in. Feel free to PM me with questions... I don't bite. Too hard. ^_^[/SIZE]

[quote name='Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f']I have family in Gaza, and these withdrawl makes me happy. I'm getting sick and tired of Israel makeing settlement everywhere, and not permitting palestinians to build (or rebuild) their homes. Palestinians outnumber Israelis tremendously, and it's about time they stop invading on the little land palestinians have left to themsleves.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Stop invading? They beat Palestine in the Three Days War (I think). They won fair and square. This was the land they got. The withdrawl from Gaza gave me bittersweet emotions. Happy, that there might be some peace with the radical Palestinian bombers [temporarily?] satiated, but sad that so many people got evicted from their homes. I put myself in the Israelite's shoes, and realized how bad the situation must suck for those settlers 'living' in the disputed land. It's really sad that Arafat wasn't open to peace, I'm entirely happy that man is gone. For good. Perhaps there can be some rational peace talks rather than these insane suicide bombings and helecopter attacks and whatnot.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, I wouldn't recommend reading the user's manual too deeply. Skim it to get a feel for what the general, basic controls do and then set off learning through experience. You'll find that doing it this way is more rewarding in the sense that you'll learn faster, and it's flat out more fun that way. If you want a jump on the game, head [url=http://www.pixel2life.com/tutorials/Gimp/All/][b]here[/b][/url] for a few tutorials. Good luck on your future work.[/SIZE]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet]Actually it may look a bit different to the American people this time around since she's going to him and his motorcade already drove by her once. She's a woman on a mission, he already claimed that the mission was accomplished in Iraq (and if that [i]is[/i'] the case why can't we pull out) The least he can do is appologise to her face.[/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]Her 'mission' is going to fail. Let's face it -- the world's already forgotten about her. She had her 11 o'clock's news of fame. The jig's up. As for the whole "Mission Accomplished" that was a PR move. The mission's far from accomplished. Remember those WMDs he promised we'd find in there? Did he give ANY other reason to justify the war? Nope. So he's trying to change the mission, give the people something they can cheer about it. [QUOTE][color=darkviolet]Let's just focus on the subject now- woman wants appology- is there a snowball's chance in Hell she'll get it?[/color][/QUOTE] Nope.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Rafael felt an arrow dive into his left shoulder and sent messengers of agony through his arm and to his brain. He screamed, but his cry was lost amid the pounding roar of battle. He gritted his teeth with hate, and shoved his rapier through a man?s face, and buried his dagger into another man?s throat. Blood soaked his clothes, oppressed all of his senses, consumed. ?TAKE THIS!? he yelled in berserker bloodlust. His rapier immediately impaled anyone he could reach, and the blade was violently shoved through their body up to the hilt, then quickly withdrawn for another killing blow on the next face in the crowd. He did not stop, pushing forward through the crowd, past his comrades and deep into the enemy beast. Knifes and swords lashed out a him, only to be dodged by Rafael and catch their comrade in such close quarters. The lucky men who managed to swing well enough had their blades swiftly beaten down and were soon dead. He was completely lost in the crowd, but continued to kill, to thrash violently through the men. Every so often he would see a soldier fly up from behind the heads of his opponents, and knew it was his comrades. They were too far behind, and he could not turn back now. [I]I?m going to burn the castle to the ground. I can?t make it out anymore?[/I], he woefully reflected as he cut down another man. He tried not to get bogged down in any individual fights, to shun the increasing pain in his left shoulder blade, and slogged through the bodies to the opened gate, with new troops pouring out. He slashed and hacked, but was occasionally cut by a lucky blade, and his wounds were agitated by his constant state of motion. Despite his misfortune, he made it through the gates, and got through the thick cloud of soldiers, only to be greeted by a row of musket men with their guns loaded and their hammer?s cocked. He gulped hard, and jumped right as they opened fire at him. The bullets of lead zipped underneath his feet and into the soldiers behind him. He came down upon the lieutenant?s skull with his rapier digging its way through his sinew and bone. A large fountain of blood flowed out as he pulled out his weapon to finish cutting down the reloading men. To his surprise, a flurry of arrows, five to be exact, landed on his back from a group of men on an opposing turret to his position. He yelled in pain, partially from the surprise, and took note of every motion he made, realizing the excruciating pain stemming from each. His arms spasmed involuntarily from the shock to his nervous system, but his mind remained unmoving, and he raised his sword again in beastly protest. He was a wounded lion, murdering the deer who managed to have the misfortune of coming into too close quarters with the man, but a beast who was slowly dying with each passing second. He had no choice. ?GIUSTO! I SUMMON YOU FORTH WITH THE FAMILIAR TECHNIQUE!? He raised his sword in the air, completely ignoring the pain that arose from such a swift movement, and it was filled with writhing electricity, dancing magnificently up and down the tempered blade. Bolts flew off it, searing the flesh off the soldiers, all of which were wearing metal armor and carrying steel swords. At long last, the beast within his sword appeared just as horrible and fearsome as his duel with it. Giusto nodded quickly at Rafael, then moved to toss screaming men aside as if they were toys, burning them remarkably as he touched them. The electric current leapt from man to man, due to their close quarters, but the electric current faded them more men it went to. That did not stop Giusto from protecting Rafael, throwing balls of electricity into groups of archers, tearing heads off of infantrymen as if they were toy dolls. Rafael would have given Giusto an approving nod, but at the present, could not risk to spare the extra effort doing so. ?Gi..usto? hit the powd..r? inside? deeper? the castle?? Rafael mumbled to his comrade, who turned and sprinted into the depths of the castle, plowing through the servants and reinforcing soldiers he cam into contact with. Rafael turned his eyes back to the converging crowd, hoping his party would be able to get to him before the arrows, the bullets, or the blades would. Meanwhile, Giusto weaved in and out of corridors, trying in vain to find the gunpower room, so he could detonate the castle. Rafael knew that too much electrical current would excite it and in turn, blow up a good portion of the castle. He just hoped that the said portion was not the place where he was feebly standing on.OOC: I hope that was okay... Comrades! Save me! =P[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][b]Enter 1:[/b] This is what I'm talking about. There's nothing to critique, and I mean [i]nothing[/i]. You cropped out a great part of a picture, added text that fits the 'mood' and maintained color harmony. Excellent placement! [b]Hiatus:[/b] This is also very nice. Only a few things I'd change. First of all, the scanlines are a bit imposing; perhaps lowering the opacity on them would do the trick. Secondly, the "Site Under" text feels slightly too cursive for this... something a bit more sans serif would do the trick. ^_^ [b]Enter 2:[/b] Adding too many effects makes things feel messy and uncoordinated. Your first two works were clean and to the point, while this has unnessecary lines of different colors, and illegible text that's colliding with said lines. The "Enter" font doesn't fit the look of the girl at all... and taking out the other text overlapping her along with the lines would definitely improve visibility. Sorry if I sound harsh. ;_;[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Not a problem. Photoshop information can be found [url=www.adobe.com][b]here[/b][/url], while Paint Shop Pro information can be found [url=www.corel.com][b]here[/b][/url]. They're both going to run you at least $700, so unless you're serious about graphic design, I'd recommend GIMP. If nothing else, use it to test the waters for free, rather than get into serious debt with something you don't enjoy anyway. Remember though, that you can find these products used for significantly less than if they were new. Others resort to piracy of these products, but you usually end up with program flaws, and stealing a very large product -- don't do that, and I'm not kidding.[/SIZE]