Retribution

[SIZE=1][b]OOC: It's been so long since I've RPed. *oils joints* Here we go!IC: [CENTER][SIZE=4]TERRA ETERNUS[/SIZE][/CENTER] Japan was foreign, strange, unwelcoming, xenophobic. He could tell he wasn't wanted, as soon as he stepped onto Japanese soil. An American, someone who needed to leave. They whispered about him as he strode through the terminal, invisibly spat at his feet. Alexander wanted to leave.[/b] [i]I was sent here to further my education. So I will. These people will not hold me back. But I don't like it here.[/i] [b]On the car ride home, his hosts introduced themselves in a less formal manner than when they were at the airport. It seemed that manners were paramount in Japan, and that humbility was prized. He had both. "I am Kayane, and this is my wife, Michi. Our family name is Yutsuko, but that is a formality. For now, please just address us by our first names," They gave him a smile through the rear view mirror. The two were the first friendly faces he had seen in his stay of Japan so far. "As you wish. If I seem callous or rude, I sincerely apologize ahead of time. I am new to your way of life; please understand," he replied quietly. He didn't feel much for talking, but he wanted to make a good first impression. "Oh! Quite alright! Make yourself at home." The car shut off, and Alex was left staring at the house that would be home for the next few months. It was small, efficient looking, yet clean and fresh. He was used to such places, living in an apartment all his life. He got out, took his bags to his room, and pulled out the futon to go to sleep. It was a rich navy blue, but was firm.[/b] [i]Good enough for now. Tommorow's the big day.[/i] [b]He arose early in the morning, well before school started. He needed an early start, to get acclimated to life. After rising, he put away the futon, then carefully dressed himself. [i]I need to look good and presentable... everything else is working against me.[/i] Once he was all ready for the day, he made himself as well has his 'family' a traditional Japanese breakfast. It was one he had read once five years back, and hadn't heard of since. He smiled at himself as he miraculously remembered it. He left the food on the table, not eating until his family woke up, and walked out into the stone garden outside. It was a small patch of land, and he mentally noted it to be a quiet place to sit for a while; something he prized. After standing for a few minutes, his hosts came in, thanking him for the meal and ate it, making small talk at the table. He left on foot with plenty of time to walk to the school nearby. Armed with his schedule and his mediocre gasp on Japanese, he set off with the task of understanding the language -- the subject matter itself would be easy to him. The day passed slowly, as he fought to understand every word being pour forth from the fluent mouths of the native speakers every second. He hated it. Finally, a class he could easily understand without too much instruction arrived. Art. At the beginning of class, he was introduced as "The exchange student from [i]America[/i]." The class gave him a simple "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Crowne." They stumbled on his name, and soon adapted "Alexander" to "Arekusu." Then the class period started. From what he gathered, their quarter project was to create some grand piece of art, any genre. He smiled gently, wanting to make a good impression, and pulled out a small notepad and pencil, slowly sketching the beginning to an organic machine blueprint, and hoped it would pass off as art. The sketch seemed to catch the eye of another exchange student, Shinji. "Is that an Evangelion?" he started off the conversation in a low tone, unsure of himself and if he had said the right thing to Alexander. "What's an Evangelion? For now, it's an organic-based machine, with cells aided by nanomachines to keep the structure 'growing,' if you follow." Shinji nodded, sure of himself. He was obviously well versed in such matters. Alexander liked him for that reason alone. An intellectual equal. "I know what you mean. I've studied this stuff before. Or things similar, I should say." The conversation trailed off into a highly technical conversation, and Alexander was having trouble holding his ground. He was over his head, only read about such things. Shinji had a very adept grasp on mechanical design. But the conversation was cut short by a shocking announcement. "All students, please enter the Emergency Shelters immediately!" Shinji went the other way, with another person Alexander didn't have a good look at. Instintively following the two, he fought against the current of people, eventually getting outside of the school. His eyes were greeted with the most improbable thing he had ever seen in his life. A large, walking mech. It looked alien, with laser-whip arms and a deformed looking head, and slightly frightened him.[/b] [i]Similar to my drawing! Very odd, but I was thinking it would look something strange like that. Was it even machine?[/i] [b]The thoughts raced, forcing him to find a better spot to see the destructive being, smashing into skyscrapers with its beam whips. He climbed up the side of the school using emergency ladders, and stood on the top, watching the carnage. It was repusilvely magnetic, he knew of the loss of life ensuing, yet was captivated by such raw power. In the back of his mind however, he wished for it to stop. His prayers were answered by two more mechs, entering his field of vision quickly. With a fluttering heart, he watched the three entities clash, ripping each other apart.[/b][/SIZE]

[quote name='grecords']I really don't fit into any of the groups as I refused to be stereotyped. Even at my own expense.[/quote][SIZE=1]It doesn't matter if [i]you[/i] refuse to be stereotyped, as [B]you have zero control over whether you are or not.[/B] People are people, and it seems to be that stereotyping is locked in our nature. It's probably that whole fear of the unusual, but the reason why is inconsequential. It's that it happens, whether you're aware of it or not.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I skimmed over the previous posts, so forgive if I repeat stuff. From what I hear, it's harder to pick up an Eastern Language (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, etc) if your mother tounge is a Western Language (Italian, English, German, etc), and vice versa. I believe this is because of the structuring of the sentences, and the different ways of expressing an 'alphabe.' I'm learning Spanish, but it's kind of difficult. Just memorizing all the different tenses/moods is what gets me. Aside from that, I could buy something, order food, ask a question, or talk to someone for a short period of time. From what I hear, you have to study abroad in order to really soak up a language and become fluent. One of my friends studied Spanish abroad for three years and became fluent, and then moved to Italy and became fluent in Italian as well. Trilingual. Luucky (Napoleon Dynamite-esque)![/SIZE]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium][color=#332E1D]I guess that at the very least, this should be a good reminder about tolerance...and that in many cases there's still a long way to go.[/color'][/font][/quote][SIZE=1]Tolerance, hm? Whatever happened to [i]accepting[/i] human beings? Ahh, I'll stop preaching now. Actually, the New Testament (Paul, I believe) says expressly that homosexuality [i]is in fact[/i] a sin. But Christians now adays narrowed it down to if you [i]act upon[/i] your homosexuality (having sex with another man), that it's a sin. I don't believe either. I think the Bible was written by a man. Inspired by the Holy Spirit? Maybe, but the human author is speaking as well, and he carries his own opinions and knowledge of his current times. We see that things change, and we no longer stone people and the like, so why not this? Hehe... I know this gives rise to a bunch of Bible-is-nothing-but-a-book arguements, but whatever. The Bible is a historical book, recounting history. I'm not exactly sure if it's inspired by the Holy Spirit. [/religionclass][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Thanks Boo-Boo Head. =p Here's a fake CD case for a fake band. Sue me if the song titles/band name/CD title suck. I like it overall, so how about you? [i]Stock: Iksela from deviantART[/i] [b]SKYE[/b][/SIZE] [IMG]http://img152.echo.cx/img152/7457/skyecd5bz.jpg[/IMG]

[SIZE=1]*worships Nomad* Thank you SO much. So, so, so much. As for the edits, I can't really see the word "Nomad," so maybe a slightly brighter shade of green than that in your current edits would work. It took me a while to see the "OB Graphic Artist," so the same advice goes for that too. I'd recommend rendering a more graceful lighting effect. Aside from that, good stuff. Winner.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I don't think I'll individually critique each banner. I'll just give you a more general analysis. For all of your banners, you have a character on one side or another, with typography balancing things out. I'll start out saying that you're pretty good (assuming you didn't use pre-made brushes). Try blending in your stocks more than just the blend mode options -- try the smudge tool, lowering opacity, and other things. The last thing I'm going to touch upon is that you really shouldn't rely on typography to balance out the banners. It makes things look hollow/empty, and bland. Make typography secondary, and place your work first. Good luck in the future.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, here we go. The [b]background[/b] is outstanding, and I wish I could see more of it. The center of it is a nice, pale green; a welcome constrast with the blue/white combos going on now. The vine things look elegant, but the eye candy is torn away from me as I move to the edges of the banner. Lighten it, I'd recommend. The [b]typography[/b] is a mixed bag. While I like the font (still can't find it), the neon green stroke really kills the mood of this banner. I love how "Nomad" is off the banner, but "OB Graphic Artist" is floating in the middle of nowhere, secluded and post. I'd recommend moving the banner focal point to the left and fade to black as you move to the right. You might want to consider moving "OB Graphic Artist" to somewhere more inconspicuous and remove the neon green stroke. Replace it with a one pixel sickly (dark!) green stroke and you'll be in business.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Thanks, Ima. Here's another image, minimally modified, so hopefully you can see the end product, and not just a little bit of effort. It's about how man can create beautiful things now... [b]sun.FLOWER[/b] [IMG]http://img161.echo.cx/img161/1696/flowertech1cq.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Now... not all Christians are like this, nor do most support this kind of treatment. While most of you may be athiest, don't let people like these determine your feeling on the religion. They're bending scripture to fit their message. Like Hitler making Jesus aryan and saying Jews killed Christ and need to be exterminated. I'm Christian (as you probably have guessed), but I believe gays and lesbians should be able to marry and live happy lives, and don't deserve to be looked down upon by people. Something as intolerant as what they did to Zach is just ... I can't exactly put it in words how terrible this is. I wonder why he's not rebelling, if he hasn't already. I'm basically with Hevn on the reaction.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm back! So stop sending your e-mails to Sun, and give them to me. He is no longer the leader of the GFX Club. But, he [i]is in fact[/i] the vice-president of sorts. Basically he's a helper, cause he's more organized. So far, we have several graphics battles running through the Graphics Club, which pleases me. Check out the [B]Otaku Graphica 2005[/B]. It's very enjoyable.[I] Feel free to post links in here directing to your graphic thread if you want more critique from us.[/I][/SIZE]

[SIZE=4][B][URL=http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=7428306&Mytoken=20050609002410]Click here for the story.[/URL][/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]Sorry about the poor title for this article. I couldn't really think of much else in this shocked/disgusted state I'm left in after reading their rules. Please, click the link -- it's a boy named Zach's blog. It contains the rules for this ... Love in Action camp he's attending. He's homosexual, and his parents wanted to change that, and sent him to this camp. You don't need to scroll too far down to see the rules laid out by the camp, and after those you can read his parent's reaction to his coffession of being gay. Now, this topic is here to not only discuss if being gay is right/wrong or whatever, but also to draw a reaction from people here. Do you think these people are doing the "Christian" thing to do, or are they just over the top? Personally, I think it's sickening his parents would do this to him, and horrible how the camp is set up.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I loved Sesame Street... my first words were "Big Bird!" Haha. And yes, the T-shirts are sexy, especially the second one. I want it now. *steals*[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Sweet Jesus I'm glad I got back when I did. Just to put my foot in the door so to speak, here's my work. If I get something better, I'll put it up instead.[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/ink.jpg[/IMG]

[SIZE=1]Good stuff, Sir Xion. The first thing I noticed is that you don't like color much. It'll help out alot if you use even just small bits of bright colors (yellow, red) in constrast with your gray/black thing you've got going on. Secondly, the filter thing. It's a good start (I [i]believe[/i] you just got PS. Don't hurt me if you've had it for a while. *hides*). I'd recommend some tutorials on using them in combinations from [B][url]www.pixel2life.com[/url][/B]. You've got the hang of it, and now it's just finding the perfect combinations to make things work out the way you want them to. Good luck on that. You're pretty good starting off. Keep going, and you'll make giant leaps.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Here we go: Hey, It's not half bad, I'd say. I like the clouds and the positioning of everything. But things look pixelated, and looks as if things were resized to fit size requirements. If that hadn't happened, this would've been pretty good. The font would been bigger and more crisp, and the stock would be more defined. In closing, just make sure you don't have alot of empty space in your wallpapers, and you'll go far![/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Wow. These are so kick-***. I love it all, the stock's mood fits so well with the background, and the only thing I can give you any critique on would be the brushing on the guy's cheek. Remove that or make it a bit less noticable. You've gotten really good, really fast. Props to you on that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I don't want this to rot away here for the next week, as I'm going to be leaving for the beach shortly, but I'm taking the liberty of giving the Club some direction. [B]For now, if you'd like for the Club to review your art, place [GFX] in the title of your thread.[/B] This will alert other club members that there is some art you'd like for them to review. [B]Also, feel free to ask for tips on how to improve ones general technique or pointers on specific problems you may have.[/B] We'll start it off by discussing my technique and problems with it, but you can ask for evalutions and stuff. I hope that was specific enough. I'm not going to have computer access, so uh... may the Force be with you.[/SiZe]

[QUOTE=Rising Sun][COLOR=DarkOrange][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Retri, Retri, Retri. Very very good. The only minor problem are the scanlines. Maybe make them a bit less prominant? Other then that, this has been your best "Dadaism" piece. Keep up the great work and we needa make another collab sometime. Maybe of Catherine Zeta-Jones? Haha. Peace, Sun [/FONT] [/SIZE] [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Thanks sakurasuka and Sun. I'm glad I have some positive feedback on these. I don't know if I can take Zeta-Jones' stare long enough to work on the canvas with her. I'll think about it though. Haha. Here's a farewell present to you all. Comment away and I'll read them when I get back. Yay! [b]Geometry[/b] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/geo.jpg[/IMG] [b]ATTENTION[/b] I'm not gonna be around for the next week, so don't be surrpised if this thread sinks to the lower regions of the Studio. Also, keep challenging other users through the Graphics Club, and feel free to post art in a separate thread (but specify you want GFX club to look at it, probably through notation in the title like "[GFX]." Later fellow artists. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm not exactly sure what my strongest emotion was. Either anger or determination (if that's an emotion). I get worked up into severe fits of [B]anger and bloodlust[/B] when someone keeps messing around with me and I don't find it funny. It's a problem, to say the least. It's happened a few times when either a group was making fun of me, or someone was trying to fight me. In both instances, I would fight the aggressor until multiple people were holding me down. Once, I sprinted towards the guy and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, and started to run, and in those seconds I wrested a stick from the ground (think King Arthur), and swung it forcefully towards his face. I stopped a few inches from it, gasping with hate, and threw the stick away. I'm just glad I stopped there... And [B]determination[/B] when my teacher during a parent-teacher conference hinted that I may not get an A in his class all year (this was first quarter). I was really angry for a period of time, but channeled it into something more productive, and got As in his class the rest of the year. Thinking about it now, my user name was changed when I was really pissed at one of my 'friends' from school. Talk about Brutus. [quote name='Kamuro']Love is by far the strongest emotion one person can feel towards another.[/quote]I don't think it so. I believe hate is stronger than love. It overwhelms, and consumes so many. That's why alot of people are saying their strongest emotion was hate/anger. Hate is stronger than love, because it can hurt so much more. While love can hurt the two in love, as well as a few of those surrounding, hate has killed millions. Every war waged was fueled by hate. The Holocaust, the Nazis, all of those were hate. Love, yes, love is powerful, but not as strong as hate. Love is constructive, and is contageous, but not nearly as much as hate. Hate is stronger than love because of the fact its higest aim is to take another's life (ultimately, anyway). And when you reach the level of taking another human's life, I don't see how you can go any higher.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Thanks, Sun. Anyway, I'm still thinking about how I can make my art a bit more unique, and take a step away from the abstracts I've been doing. I hope you don't mind, Sean. I used your poem's title for my work... I'll edit it if you wish. [b]Star Shot Down[/b] [IMG]http://img127.echo.cx/img127/5324/ssd6fa.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Hm...well, this is better than the Mortal Kombat ones. That's for sure. [b]Midnight Passings[/b] is a tough one to start critiquing. I think I'll start on the stock. Yes, the stock isn't extracted very well, beause her hair on the left side looks like it's stroked with black. Take that out, as it makes her hair look chunky. I guess her overall positioning/blending is alright, but she looks rather detached from the background, and I don't know how to fix it. The typography doesn't fit at all. The colors of it are fine, but the outer glow doesn't match any other color, and the font choice is a bit too sleek for such a webby/clashing/abstract background. The mirror effect is clever, but doesn't fit either. It's floating the middle of space, and feels disorienting. You don't get any comments on the background aside from it looks overly misty and you used no skill. Teehee. [b]Hybrid Moments[/b] is better, and I like everything except for the typography. "Hybrid Moments" is in a clean font, while the rest is grungy and dirty. It's also awkwardly placed... I mean, it's a good idea to position it in the middle of the focal point, but it's at a slant, and has that annoying yellow outer glow. Change it to white I say! The "Rising Sun" is fine. No crit there. Finally, change the guy's helmet color. It's neon green while the rest is teal. [b]Throw it Away![/b] is good, but I recognize the same background you used for our failed collaboration. Try not to reuse your backgrounds so much, and start experimenting. You're only cheating yourself out of the pratice. Aside from that, I really like this one. The light blur on Yoshi does him some good, and the typography is respectable.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC:It's been a while since I signed up for an RPG. Hope this is okay *cracks knuckles* [B]Name:[/B] Alexander Crowne [B]Age:[/B] 17 [B]Country:[/B] United States of America [B]Languages:[/B] Fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian (is learning Japanese). [B]Race:[/B] Human [B]Description:[/B] Sparrow in pilot suit. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/sparrow.jpg[/IMG] [B]Personality:[/B] Alexander is quiet, and enjoys solitude. Being an observant fellow, he watches people to find patterns in their actions, what fuels them, and enjoys the arts. Just because Alex is quiet doesn't mean he's depressed or afraid -- he prefers to keep his distance between strangers and himself. Once you get to know him, you will discover how abstract and interesting he really is. [B]Rank:[/B] Chosen Child [B]Bio:[/B] Alex grew up in an upper class neighborhood in New York City. It was by the off chance that his rich uncle had bought his middle class family an apartment suite, that his family was living in such a space. He had several siblings, and was the oldest of them; it was there he was forced to command them to do chores, and it was there he began to value solitude. He grew up with a handful of richer boys and girls, most of which who held the arts in high regard; on friday nights they'd drive to galleries, concerts, buy photography off the street corner, hang out in the famous coffeehouses of NYC nightlife. While most of his friends had to sacrified their studies to have such a good time, Alexander did not, due to his Mensa-rated IQ and abstract, far-off grasps of even the most solid concepts. He breezed through his studies, not worrying too much about things, as the work did not seem like work. It seemed like monotonous busy work. His father made him take advantage of his rich surroundings, and enrolled him in a fencing class. Alex signed up for the soccer team for the extra challenge, and managed to make it to varsity as a freshman. His father and mother expected him to do well -- his performance at everything else had been astonishing, and of course it was the same way once again. However, extra curricular activities could not wash away all the boredom that existed. In class, he began to pass the time by writing poems, drawing pictures, designing the floorplans to buildings, or even preliminary blueprints to theoretical star-ships. He found it quite fun, but shared such things with only his closest friends. [b]Schedule:[/b] (in order) AP Calculus / Non-Euclidean Geometry Advanced Creative Writing Advanced Weaponry AP World History Art Concepts Lunch AP Japanese IV Photography[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]My cousin has Asbergers Syndrome as well. Although, I don't really realize it too much. He tends not to hang out with me when he comes over (he's my age), and instead, he talks with the adults. Apparently, he finds it much easier to talk with adults than his peers. There have been extremely rare instances where he misses a social cue (respecting an elder, being serious for a moment, adjusting speech to fit another age range, etc), but I don't see it as too big of a problem.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I was born on Queen Isabella of Castile's deathday. Just so you all know, she authorized Chris Columbus' journey to the new world, but [B]also gave the thumbs up to the Spanish Inquistion >_