Retribution

[SIZE=1]Banners and wallpapers? I guess. But it'd be cooler to have personal emblems for everyone or something. Something customized, and yet still tie into the RPG somehow. The sign-up sheet looks good, but you might want to include a "fighting style" field. It worked pretty well in my spar, and it should translate pretty well over into this. Perhaps people could also be specialized in certain weapons? Kunai, shuriken, katana, things of that nature. But really, we should take baby steps and instead of planning banners and wallpapers and sign-up sheets. What's the plot going to look like, first of all?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I mean, I know [I]I[/I] throw out my 2 cents every now and again in those threads. Just because you haven't been in a relationship doesn't mean that you haven't observed enough in others to provide a statistic. Or a technique that you've seen work many times. But like many others have said, you won't be able to provide that first-hand advice to anyone. But that doesn't make your opinion less significant than others. Like Panda said, you'll be free of the bias if you've had a really good or really bad relationship. I say you're well entitled to give your advice.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ReFlux][color=darkred][size=1] But this sort of thing would require a strong 'dungeon' master and quite a few NPC's. But if anyone's up for it, I think two or three members such as me, Xander, and anyone else interested (Retribution?) could handle it. It'll just need good orginization, planning, and possibly a chapter based system (ala Kill Adam) and it could actually turn out pretty great... hell, excellent even. Kinda gets me excited.[/color][/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'd love to help out with a Naruto RPG. But we'd have to have sign-up cuts, and make things competitive so that we don't get some shoddy RPer as the main character solely because they saw it first. And we'd have to work hard to keep things tight. Yes, the Chapter system with goals would be the best to do, and each chapter would last perhaps two pages or so. That way, it wouldn't be too long before more people were included.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]... I'm not sure if this would work. It'd take a really strong plot to pull it through. And everyone would try and god-mod with jutsu in battles. I'd recommend an internal conflict within Hidden Leaf village. Might be more interesting than good ninja vs bad ninja.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I can only hope and pray that you're actually trying to seriously pick up the language and stick with it. Too many a time have I see someone say "I wanna learn Japanese!" because they like anime. They learn it from a friend, then quit once they see how hard it is, and how little they know. I don't know... but it just bugs me. Perhaps because they're posers? *shrug* So yes, I know very little about Japanese, but I can only wish you the best of luck on your endeavors, and [B]stick with it.[/B] No matter how hard.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Being completely random loses its fun quickly. Basically, the RPG would die after the third page. God-modding automatically drains the fun out of an RPG, as their no limit as to what they can do. It gets annoying, and to follow suit would only make the RPG even worse. I'd recommend coming up with something a little more strict, so that there'd be an interesting story line. That's why those "In School" RPGs never work. Too much freedom.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Ahh yes, the classic humbling of oneself. It's really a good move if you don't want to be considered stuck up or anything. Makes for great "ur not tat bad!1" comments, doesn't it? But still, never hurts to be humble. Just be a little more confident in your skills, cause they're really not that bad like you say they are. [b]Cupid[/b] image was funny, but I'm assuming it wasn't made to look awesome, but solely for the purpose of hilarity. Good job on that. [b]Battle banner[/b] was alright. You pretty much nailed the futuristic/tech look in the background and the typo. But I wish you'd outlined the typo with white or something to make it more defined. I like this one the best of them all. [b]Knightmare[/b] not only did I not like the play on words, but the shadow/mirror effect isn't working well for this. I like the background, and the shadowy-ness of it all, but the border's lacking too. It looks like a tutorial banner. No offense, it still looks pretty good, but it looks like you followed a few steps to complete it. [b]Animated Sig[/b] actually is pretty good. But there's too much going on. The text's quick fade in/out and the rain make it look too busy. I (personally) don't like the flashing typo at all, but believe that the rain effect was quite clever. Looks like three different layers of a highly stroked image quickly alternating. And the image fits well with it all. Background was pretty good as well. Kudos! So yeah, you're not too shabby. Not enough to act like you're a piece of s**t. Keep on going, and you'll be fine![/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC:Wow. Completely hilarious! Much better than my last card in the other game...IC: Sergio shook his head sadly, hoping that somehow his action could be forgotten by the both of them. Touching her hand? Loco! He walked into the dining room, and sat down looking weary but feigning a thin smile. Maybe he was just overreacting. He just needed some food. It would make him feel better, right? He watched each person come into the dining room, smiling, chatting with one another. He wished he could've been like that. Breaking his morals wasn't something he did lightly. The Master's gruesome face showed itself, smiling grotesquely as he watched dinner be served, and saying words that melted into nothingness. He was nobody. He was rich and going to die soon. He would. But why the suddenly dark thoughts? He stared at the table for a while, but smelled an exquisite Lobster doused in butter with marinated fish. It was all extremely fresh, and was a delicacy where he lived. He appriciated the aged wine as well, nodding at the host's extensive knowledge of such things. Quite a cultured man. But the while envelope slipped into his lap ominously. It carried an aura of gravity, of importance, of ... doom. Sergio picked it up, tried his hardest to smile and make it look natural, and then ripped it open brutishly. He wanted to get it over with. The mangled letter made him shove his plate away and slam his forhead into the table. "Dios Mio, forgive me, Senor," he whispered to himself. A new wave of emotion washed over him, and slowly his sobs grew louder. [i]I'm going to make a scene. I should just leave now.[/i] "I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, and dinner was [I]genial[/I], but I really should leave" he managed to choke out of his voicebox. Like a few others had done, he left the table, but he looked a wreck. He sucked up his tears for as long as he could, then stumbled into the library. Such a magnificent place would have taken his breath away on a regular day, but the three floors worth of books didn't interest him. He began to cry more audibly than before as he climbed to the third level of the library, and sat on the floor, peering over the edge to the bottom level. A few tears made it down to the second level, spattering quite forcefully from the gained momentum. "How am I supposed to do this? I have not the strength..." he said, losing the word "strength" amid more sniffs and sobbing outbreaks. He needed to be alone for a bit, but the complete worst thing was that he couldn't tell anyone. He had no one to support him. He had no real friends in this house. And what would Maria think? What did her card say? What if their cards conflicted? It was too much for him to comprehend in one sitting, and he took a dictionary off the shelf nearby, and slowly opened it to the middle. Laying backwards, he set the heavy book over his head, and closed his eyes, wetting the pages with his tears.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: Check out the sign-up and Underground thread for info and other information. Kairi, you're sign-up was beaten out by Ozy. So therefore, ReFlux and Ozy, you two need to come up with a way you two are related. The [B]posting order [/B] is in the Underground thread. Please check that out before posting! It should prevent from people going post-crazy and hogging the battle. With that, good luck!IC: The rain was picking up, more than usual. It made the branches heavy, sagging low with the extra weight, and made the brook froth and bubble with newfound excitement. It would flood soon, and the rain would muddy up the ground. For now, though, it firm. Muryou had told him that. He always had good eyes for such things. But talking about the weather lost its interest, but something else sparked it once more. He saw two lone travelers about a mile off. Their pace was fast and light, as if they were in a hurry. "Muryou, wanna mug 'em?" He felt eager, perhaps a little too much. His body was already secreting adrenaline to help him in the upcoming melee. But he didn't expect for his partener to reply. He was silent, usually, and made Keiji carry the conversation most of the time, so his replies were gold. "Yes. But I'll watch for a while. Hang back in the brush so that they don't know I'm here," he said in an unexcited monotone. He always hung back, but it was a fact of life Keiji had learned to fight with, and even use to his advantage. After all, they did have the element of surprise. Keiji shifted his weight, attaching his kodachi and katana to his hip for the soon-to-come action. "But you're gonna back me up, right?" Muryou didn't answer, just shrugged with his same vacant stare. It was quite annoying, sometimes. Agitating. "Just wait. Patience." They both sat there in silence, with only the rain making any noise. It was quite peaceful. He watched the pair of travel down the now-mud choked road, and as they came closer, Keiji noticed they both bore a weapon. They were fighters? No matter. They?d be killed. He waited, patiently as Muryou had told him to, until their backs were turned to him and they were just passing by his spot. He was on an embankment, perhaps ten feet higher than their level, and around twenty feet away from the path. It was a miracle they hadn?t been spotted. He lunged out of the brush with as much force as he could muster, drawing both his katana and kodachi and performed a downward swipe on the woman?s head. She whirled around and blocked it, which was nothing short of a miracle. [i]Had they heard me?[/i] With no time to entertain thoughts, he backed up a step, sizing them both up. One was blind, but stood in a stance of Zen-like alert. Perhaps he was in closer touch with his other senses? He did not attack for a moment, realizing he was outgunned. He would only stand a chance if Muryou attacked the other traveler. After a short interval of peace, the blind man took a quick step forward taking a quick swipe at his toes. Keiji parried the swift attack with a block of his own, then took an immediate step closer to him, stabbing at his chest.OOC: So it has begun. Go ahead, ReFlux. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]The Underground for the RPG "Down the Path" can be found here. Duh. I'm gonna post the posting order for people here, so make sure you check up on it. Also, questions/comments can also go here too. I want good, three paragraph posts. Make them descriptive, and read the posts ahead of you to make sure you're not conflicting with a prior action. That'll help things straighten out. We're going to cycle through the posting order unless specificed otherwise. You have three days tops to post your action, to keep things moving. If you can't do that, please say so here or in a PM. [b]Posting Order:[/b] 1. Retribution 2. ReFlux 3. Dagger 4. Ozy[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, sign ups are closed now. Thanks for all who joined. Trust me, it was a very hard choice to see who got the cut -- you three were so good! But here are the roles now: [b]Travelers[/b] Ozy ReFlux [b]Bandits[/b] Retribution (me) Dagger Sorry Kairi. v_v I really liked your sign up, but Ozy's sign-up was more original and outside the box. Good job to both of you. Dagger is the other bandit by default, since there was no one else to contest the spot. Thanks to all who participated. I'll create a thread in the Square and in the Underground. Check those out soon![/SIZE]

[SIZE=1](I'm glad I've impacted the future of Sparing sign ups with my addition of the Fighting Style and Skills. Or perhaps it was only a resurrection of the past. And I really hope this stays up.) Here's the historically accurate sign up, peeps. Dig it. [CENTER]"You win battles by knowing the enemy's timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect."[/CENTER] [B]Name:[/B] Miyamoto Musashi [B]Age:[/B] 30 [B]Place of Origin:[/B] Harima Province, Japan [B]Occupation:[/B] Samurai, Poet, Philosopher [b]Appearance:[/b] Looks like [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/SwordOfTheSamurai.jpg][B]this[/B][/URL] when clean, and [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/vagabond.jpg][B]this[/B][/URL] when not. Hah. [B]Body:[/B] Rather short, which helps him in his penetrating and constantly-mobile attack. Strong calf (more explosiveness on a push-off) and arm muscles (better follow-through on a swipe). [B]Fighting Style:[/B] He was trained to be a samurai at the age of 13, and soon wanted to become the best. He is known for coining the duel-weilding sword style now used throughout Japan. Preferring to attack from close range, he quickly penetrates a foe?s guard and moves in for a quick kill. He will readily sacrifice a weapon or physical comfort to win a duel. Musashi, being a poet, is an abstract thinker, attacking in irrational patterns, with motions that are completely unconventional and never-before-seen. His opponents have no idea what to expect from him, aside from a fluid, adapting attack, but he is always one step ahead, predicting their next move. [B]Weaponry:[/B] One katana, one kodachi, which he can weild with deadly efficiency. Hung on his left hip for quick-draw. [B]Skills:[/B] Faster than one would expect of him, and weilds his katana with chilling precision. It is said that he defeated sixty people consecutively without losing once, and did so with a bamboo rod. After battles, he will compose a haiku. [b]Blade God:[/b] Sure, why not?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]When's this gonna end? How about a win-number, or a deadline? I say deadline is this Wednesday, April 13th.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I?m liking the sign-ups thus far. Keep?em coming, folks! I've decided the deadline is this [B]Wednesday, April 13th.[/B] I'll be telling who was accepted then. @ Dagger, I've taken the liberty of filling in our relation. You're my foster father! Hah. @ Ozy/Kairi, if one of you isn't accepted, will the other bow out due to their tie to one another? Thinking about it, why don't we all just add in the relation part once accepted? [b]Name:[/b] Miyamoto Keiji [b]Age:[/b] 17 [B]Relation to Partner:[/B] Partner in crime, good friends. They've been through a lot together, being Bandits and stealing from the passerby. They have a relationship of trust, and support, but more so familial bonds. Keiji ran away at a young age, and ran into Muryou, who became a father figure to him. [B]Fighting Style:[/B] With solely a katana, he is a basic fighter. With his kodachi to aid his attack, he is proficient. But what he lacks his swordsmanship, he makes up for in acrobatics and creativity. Preferring to attack from close range, he quickly penetrates a foe?s guard and moves in for a quick kill. He will readily sacrifice a weapon or physical comfort to win a duel. Keiji is an abstract thinker, attacking in irrational patterns, with motions that are completely unconventional and never-before-seen. His opponents have no idea what to expect from him, aside from a fluid, adapting attack. [b]Weaponry:[/b] One katana, one kodachi. [b]Skills:[/b] While calm outside of battle, he is a berserker in it. He is filled with a brimming blood lust and unheard of ferocity in battle. His creativity stems from his prowess in battle. His mind can only be penetrated by the words of Muryou once he fighting.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Kairi][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]OCC: just reserving my spot Retri...[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]There's no reservation. It's a competitive sign-up, so if someone has a better sign-up, they'll get the spot. I hope you two edit your posts soon![/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]First and foremost, I'm really sorry to the mods. I read the Arena rules about making spars, but naming them was kinda not covered in the rules, except for the fact not to make vague titles. I tried to jazz things up a bit. But here we go: The road is a dusty one, but not completely forsaken. The wear in the thin path can easily tell you that many people travel this road during peak market hours; right before and after lunch-time. A shallow stream runs parallel to the dirt-path, but is prone to over-flowing when it rains even the slightest amount. Bandits lurk the forest, not coming out until well-after the path's peak hours of travel, so as not to get caught in a fight with multiple people. They travel in small, light groups of two or three, springing only on targets that have something worth stealing, but will provide minimal resistance. Locals have quickly caught on to the bandit's methods of theivery, and travel with katanas or spears on their person, with a good friend. Safey in numbers, so they say. In particular, a group of two people coming back from the villiage at around 6 o'clock PM, after peak hours, walked down the trail, as many others had. Two bandits spotted these people, and deemed them worthy of mugging. Nice clothes. Two bags of gold a piece, and two chickens led on a leash. "They look rich enough. But usually those well off are fat with their opulence, and cannot defend themselves. We shall strike when they cross our path, right?" The clear voice said to his partener in crime. He spoke quite nicely for a scruffy bandit. His partener only nodded, watching, waiting. Hope that was enough to reel you in. I'll sign up once I get someone to post first. Please make these good, clean sign-ups. This [I][b]is not[/b][/I] first-come, first-served. If you're sign-up is better than another's, you beat them for the spot. Here's the sign-ups [b]Name:[/b] Japanese, please. (Last, then First name) [b]Age:[/b] Not really relevant. It's only here to gauge how physically capable your character is. And please, don't have everyone be 23 years old. Be realistic. If you're dressed nicely, you have at least some age on you, or you're related to your partener, and you're both rich. [b]Relation to Partner:[/b] This encompasses if you are the other bandit (I'm one of them), or the traders (two spots). Please also tell how you're related/acquainted with your partner. [b]Fighting Style:[/b] This takes the place of a regular RPG's "personality" field. So really, it should reflect what kind of person you are. Calm, violent, heartless. But you don't need to go too in-depth. [b]Weaponry:[/b] No magical weapons. Two weapons per-person. Feudal Japanese weapons, too. No guns. [b]Skills:[/b] This doesn't have to be martial, but even something like "Can calm someone down." Or if you're very specialized in your specific art, it goes here. But again, [U][I]no god-mods.[/I][/U] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I have only one question: Why did you answer the door? Seriously. It's rule number one of skipping. Don't show your face to anyone who'll tell your parents, God forbid your [I]parents themselves.[/I] You should've gone out the back door. I guess you're more honest than I... And how does his spark conversation?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Ahh yes, Photoshop Elements. From what I can gather, it's really not that far behind Photoshop CS. We have it at school, and it just takes a little longer for it to get it to work. Instead of all those nifty short cuts we CSers have, you have to go to great pains to get a simple effect. The [b]Avatar[/b] was pretty plain/empty/lacking flavor. It's a gradient with a picture. I'd recommend either throwing in some background effects to jazz it up, or make the girl glow, or something to draw an observer in. You also need a border. The [b]Banner[/b] (better quality one) was about the same as the avatar. Not to be blunt or mean or anything, but it doesn't have any kick to it. Partially due to the fact that the image you used to begin with wasn't very clear. The gradient is there once more, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not going to cut it. Throw in a filter! Distort the girl a bit! Randomly mess around with filters and see what happens. It'll help you learn, and eventually mix-and-match them. Finally, the typography. It was a good quote, and fit with the image, but I got the feeling it was there to take up room. The bottom right corner is my favorite place to but the text in. It gives my image (bigger=better, usually) more room, and therefore more to look at. Also, it would be alot more clear if there were some outline around it. But I know that Elements is severly lacking in this department. I'm not even sure if it can do it. But maybe you can rasterize the layer, and using the magic wand (does Elements have it?), go to stroke. It'll be sketchy, but it'll be an outline nonetheless. Good luck on your future endeavors, and keep experimenting. You're off to a good start.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Heh. I'm not an expert, but here goes... [b]1[/b] I'd say is pretty good for your first time in photoshop. The gradient works well, but the image isn't blended all that well. There's that light-bleeding going on that needs to be fixed. The font is a good choice, but it's not very visible. Perhaps a "stroke" or "outer glow" under the layer's blending options would define it more. [b]2[/b] In my opinion, it's your best. It's simple, yet clean. The image is clear, and the light green gradient makes a graceful transition to match the character's bows. But there's too much empty/neutral space on the right side, and it feels like you're missing something. Sorry, I can't really place my finger on it. [b]3[/b] Is the worst of the batch. Looks like you got some good practice with layer blend-modes and duplication, but it feels random, too much white, and not enough definition at all. It would've been alot better if you had a steady fade off with the same kind of thing you did. So there'd be: [really faded image] ; [semi-faded] ; [barely faded] ; [real] In that order, to give it that kinetic effect. And the picture doesn't look very dynamic. Perhaps if there was a picture of someone running, it'd be better used. [b]4[/b] The clean up really isn't all that bad. I can see the (very) minor problem with the red-stroke on her left arm, but that might be what you were going for. The background's pretty simple brush work, but it matches the feel and color of the banner. But I'd recommend that you focus on using filters first, then brushes to get the general feel/hang of photoshop. Then you can use the brush/smudge tool with one another to produce really cool effects. [b]5[/b] The background looks pretty empty, but the colors definitely match. There's that glass-ripple-esque effect going for you too. The font choice doesn't come off as ... edgy perhaps, of what you were going for. The facial expression is definitely there, but the font itself and color of it seems pretty dull. I'd (again) go for some sort of outer glow/stroke in the blending options of the font to give it a border, and go to [B][url]www.dafont.com[/url][/B] and raid their selection. You're definitely better than what I was when I was messing around with photoshop first. Reading tutorials will take you pretty far in learning the basics, getting some tricks under your belt, and improve you faster. Good job on it all.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, I don't draw but... [b]Spike Drinking[/b] I thought was overall pretty good. His eyes/face are somewhat distorted, along with his funky right elbow, but I love the shading and the shirt's wrinkles. I'd give his tie more definition, perhaps a subtle pattern or something. And the cup's proportions are somewhat skewed. [b]Tsukasa[/b]'s eyes are too small, or his face is too wide. I think narrowing up the face would make this better, along with making the hair fit proportionately with the scalp. I like this, but Spike is better. Good job.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]The Mask[/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/mask.jpg[/IMG] + or - it, people.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: Despite how fun this is, I'm going to have to wait for others to post their stuff too. I don't want people getting lost in pages of conversation. However, I'll grace this post with a reply. It'll be my last post for today, lol. Oh, and some crappily translated spanish in there. Follow the asterisk...IC: A dagger of shock shot through him. He clamped his jaw shut, turned his eyes to the ground, and retracted his hand off of hers slowly. [i]What the fuck was I thinking? Am I out of my mind? Inexcusable![/i] The words sounded like his fathers, passed onto him. He had instilled a sense of manners in Sergio from a young age. Therefore, the action he had just commited was completely uncalled for. Touching a lady's hand within the [I]first hour[/I] they met? Completely ludicrous. "I am sorry about that. You don't have to forgive me either. It's been nice chatting with you, pero creo que nosotros debamos parar*." He shook his head, hanging it low at the ground once more, the stood up. He lingered for an instant, but quickly forced himself to walk away, mingling in the crowd. He saw most people were having small-talk with one another, not really getting serious about anything. More than anything, he wanted to talk to someone, to unload his troubled conscience onto a friend. But he didn't have any here. Maria barely counted, and he had temporarily exiled himself from her presence. "What exactly am I doing here again?" He asked himself. He tried as best he could to cover up his shame, to look as if nothing happened. The last thing he wanted was for someone to think he wanted pity. The sad thing was, he did want it. OOC: [B]Learn 'spanol in a day!:[/B] * = but I believe that we should stop.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Sergio's room was perfect to him, too. He had been comepletely over-joyed when he saw the white marble in the bathroom, the lush carpeting, the huge TV, along with countless other luxuries. But somethign was strange about [I]everyone's[/I] room being perfect. "Maria you're room's perfect to you, verdad?" She nodded, flipping through the channels for something she wanted to watch. She wasn't listening entirely to him, either. "Isn't there something strange about that? How could he know?" She turned to him, and furrowed her brow, but then cracked a bigger smile at him. "Don't worry about it so much!" Sergio nodded uneasily, trying to take her words to heart. The television rambled in the background, and soom became rather annoying. Perhaps it was just because Oxford didn't allow for him to have the leisure time of just watching TV, or maybe because he loved to read. "So anyway, tell me about yourself, Sergio. What do you like?" She sat on the bed, Sergio took a seat on the floor. He didn't mind, really. "Hm... well, I'm from Madrid, as you know. I graduated from Oxford, and I like aeronautics," he grinned before continuing "I like to practice my English whenever I can, and I'm pretty nervous about this mansion." "That's only expected though. I'm a little nervous too. But go on..." "Oh. I was born in Castile, and I write, well, at least try to write poe--" he was cut short by a crackling sound overhead. The owner of the mansion gave them simple instructions, and of course, they would follow him. "Well, we can talk on the way to the fountain. How about it?" he said. She nodded to him, and both walked out the door and towards the back of the mansion.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'd recommend you try to accomplish the same goal as us, but independently. Go about your business of infiltrating, and then explain yourself when you run into us. Something along those lines would probably be easiest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I like it alot. The first paragraph (stanza?) wasn't as strong as the second. Actually, the second was the best, IMO. I can't exactly place my finger on what I love about it so much. Perhaps its the metaphor of him begging on his knees, and they're bloody from doing it so much. I'm really sorry I can't offer much reason to my crit, but just know that I love it. It ends pretty well too, giving it that creepy, sad feel when you're done.[/SIZE]