Retribution

[SIZE=1]Meh. Here it is. I'm afraid I used [i]brushes[/i], so it isn't really my skills. I just splashed them on. Use it if you like... I was gunning for a grungy-ish feel. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/sfbanner.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: Yeah, thanks. I guess stabbing a guy and smashing a computer have different results. heh IC: Sergio heard the knocks on his door, and turned over in his bed. He wanted to sleep off the guilt that was slowly ebbing away. He stayed under his warm sheets, but the knock persisted for several minutes. Whoever it was, they must want to see him... "Fine, fine. I'm coming..." He whispered in a tired voice, as if the knocker would hear him. He picked up the blankets, not wanting to leave their warmth and wore them like a cloak around him. Opening the door, he saw a tired Sean. "Oh, hey. Que pasa?" He said tiredly. "C'mon in." "Uh.." he obviously had to think about the spanish phrase. Eventually, he ignored it and came in. "Well, hey." "Yeah.. any particular reason you're knocking on mi puerta in the middle of the night?" He grinned slightly. Sean shrugged, opening his mouth to answer as he sat down on a louge chair and Sergio sat back on his bed. "Well, I was tired but couldn't get to sleep. So I just came around. Anything new happen lately?" "Naw, but the dinner was great!" Sergio lied, thinking about the buttered lobster again. Sean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. My food was good too. Things are pretty ... interesting here." He said, searching for the right word. Sergio knew exactly what he was talking about, probably the card that was dropped off. "Indeed. Anything you wanna do, talk about, anything?" Sergio said. He wasn't one to talk about the disturbing card he got. "See, I thought ahead about this." Sean stood up, and walked out. "Wha?" He said, wondering where he went. About a minute later, he came back, Xbox in hand, along with two controllers and a few games. He sat down at the plasma tv, and hooked everything up. "Oh... nice. What game?" "I don't really play video games much. What's your favorite? I'm willing to learn I guess." He sat down on the carpeted floor, the blanket still wrapped up around him. The floor was comfortable as well ... it must've been the rug. "Never met a person who didn't play videogames. Anyway, I guess we'll play Halo 2." The game started up, and Sergio quickly caught on. They played co-op mode to get him aquainted to spitting death and killing aliens on screen. The sound was turned down low, so as not to wake up anyone at... [I]2:43 AM?[/I] ...it's late. Sergio thought. Ahh well, I can sleep later. This is too fun to stop for now. The kept playing the game for a while, and he had become a proficient player. Of course, Sean turned around and killed him every now and then. Sergio found it hilarious, actually, when he got back-stabbed, and eventually caught on, attacking Sean back when he was being surprised. "Yeah. Take that. OH! You got [I]killed![/I]" Sergio said, rather loudly. Sean told him to be quiet, and then they both laughed. "Right, right. I'll get ya back." It was a fun night, playing videogames at 2:30 in the morning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Ah... I had the same problem. I'm African American, and I don't really hang out with many people of my own race, only because of the way (most) of the black people at my school treat me. They call me a nerd, along with a whole slew of annoying words just becase I do well in school. So I don't hang out with them. But I do hang out with people of the same race as me with smiliar likes, dislikes, and interests. While I don't have that many black friends, I make up for that in other areas. But really, I don't have an answer to you question. My only suggestion would be for you to seek out people who share the same interests. And silently curse racists. Urg... they'll get theirs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: This should be... interesting... I think I now hold the record for most graphic post in this RPG so far. Someone top me! IC: [b]Later that night...[/b] Sergio woke up with a start, annoyed that he had to sleep with the lights on. He shook off the thought, realizing it was only the rules, no matter how annoying they were. He couldn't believe that everyone else could actually go to sleep with the bright light shining in their eyes. But he didn't dare challenge the rules; he heard Sean screaming a few hours ago. Was he okay? Finally, after dancing around the inevitable, he realized he had to fufill the task as quickly as possible. "Well... I had better go now..." he said sadly, stemming the tears from his flowing eyes. He searched the room for a weapon, anything. Something to aid him. He remembered the fork and knife, and picked them up from the ground, washing the butter off of them, and shoving the spare napkin in his pocket. He had to get rid of that later... He held the knife tightly in his right hand, in a stabbing position as he stalked out into the hall. It was well-lit, as they weren't allowed to be in the darkness. It made his task all the more harder. He glanced at each door, trying to find the correct one. [i]Karyan, Sean, Alex, Sarah[/i]. "Fuck." he whispered, spotting the final name tag. [i]Syn.[/i] He gripped the knife tighter, and slowly opened the door. He made sure it didn't creak, and peered inside. He had caught glimpses of Syn, but he had never spoken to anyone. Sergio wasn't even sure if he had attended dinner. He seemed like a mysterious, dark character, but he never talked to anyone. He didn't have any friends, or even aquaintences for that matter. It would be his downfall. He closed his eyes, then opened them, glancing around the room before he turned the corner. He heard footfalls coming closer and closer to the corner. Would he pounce? Would he deal the final blow? Or might he die himself? No. He knew that. His urge to live was deep within his veins. He could not... would not die. "..hm?" Syn grunted as he turned the corner, catching a mere glimpse of Sergio, before he attacked. It wasn't enough to defend himself. Sergio gripped the knife tightly, and lashed out at Syn's neck, but he dodged. "What the fuck?!" He said, in an almost conversational tone. Sergio spared no second, quickly driving the dinner knife into his left lung, and pulling it out with difficulty. Syn landed a square right-hook to Sergio's jaw, but couldn't knock him off. He gasped in pain, gurgling on his own blood. Such a silent, painful death was hell, and Sergio knew it. Syn convulsed violently once more, and kicked Sergio in the abdomen. He doubled over in pain, keeping his blurring eyes on the profusely-bleeding man. Of course, Syn couldn't move, but he had a fighter's spirit. He gasped, trying to regain his strength, and did. He stood up, bent over his body again. Syn was having difficulty breathing, as he went into shock from the pain and lack of oxygen from his punctured lung. Pulling the knife out of Syn's chest, he prepared to stab the incapacitated man through the heart, to deal the deathblow. It would be a swift end. He cried, sobbing silently, lest he wake others up. He knew he had to deal the deathblow quickly though, or he would put him through extra pain. Even if he were a killer, he had to be merciful. He gulped again, then drove the knife through Syn's heart, then pulled the tainted knife from out of the man's body. The white carpet was spattered with innocent blood, but Sergio could afford no time reflecting. He wiped the knife off with the napkin in his pocket, to remove finger prints, then stuffed it down the bath-tub drain. It went down far enough for it to be unseen, and it would eventually clean itself off from constant use of the tub. Then he moved to wash himself off. Thankfully, he had no blood on his clothes, but his hands were another story. They dripped in the red color of hate, screaming of his sin. He needed to purge it. Thinking quickly, he moved to the bathroom closet, and pulled out a heavy-duty body cleanser and scrubbed his hands clean. Washing it off, he looked clean again, but on the inside he felt terrible. "What have ... I become? Christ have mercy... I have sinned against you. I know I am not worthy, but cleanse me of my sin. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me of my transgressions." He spoke quietly to his God, hoping to find reconciliation. Sergio stood for a few seconds, listening to the voice of his God in his heart. He heard the good news, that Christ died while we were yet sinners. He felt better, but not completely guiltless. He needed to see a priest soon, and all would be better. Breaking from his trance, he walked around Syn's dead body, feeling another pang of guilt, as he walked back into his room, double and triple checking for any sign of being the killer. He was clean, but his conscience made him check once more. There was nothing. Sergio got into his room, and shut the door. He turned on the shower to hot, re-cleansing his physical body of impurity. It seemed his act impacted both his spirit and body. "I need to be forgiven..." he trailed off as he stepped out, feeling clean again. He changed into a new pair of pajamas, then went to sleep with the lights on again. It was one hell of a night.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I would fly everywhere I went, unless it was really cold. I would probably also try to see how fast I could go, what kind of aerial tricks I could perform, and all that interesting stuff. I'd probably do so much stupid stuff I'd like... crash and die or something. Yes, it would be a very interesting thing to do, but what if you flew into restricted airspace? Would you be shot at by a jet? Strange...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OOC: Good stuff man! I'm lovin' this more and more. IC: Sergio smiled contentedly as he ate the buttered lobster -- this personal favorite. All was well with the world. He had friends, food, and luxury. Then the card hit the table. He picked it up eagerly, making sure no one could read it. Skimming across the message, he was extremely nervous, then read it again, more carefully, making sure he had the message right. There was no mistake. He was over come with a feeling of vertigo, struggling to hold down his dinner. "I... must be going." He said, knocking his napkin onto his lap in a dizzy haze. He shoved it in his pocket, along with this card, and walked up stairs, thinking hard the whole way. He felt scared, nervous, and eager all at the same time. He opened the door, and sat on his bed. To his surprise, several classical CDs were left on his bed, along with an mp3 player which had already been programmed with his favorite songs. He grinned, but it soon faded as he turned back to reality. He flopped backwards into the cushiony bed, lavishing in such luxury, praying it would never end. Turned to his right side, he felt metal poking his hip, and he pulled it out. It was the fork and knife from dinner, the fork was dripping in the rich butter. "Aw.. in my khakis. Ahh well." He tossed the silverware into a drawer, then changed his clothes into pajamas. Black silk was already waiting for him, another one of his favorite luxuries. He slipped into it, and brushed his teeth. Finally, when it was all done, he fell into an uneasy, restless, light sleep. He woke up a few hours later, at around midnight, and decided to watch television to pass the time. It felt like insomnia, but he knew better. It was the card plaguing him.[/SIZE]

Once again, GTK, you come packin' the heat. I don't have that much to say. This is really good. How much time did you spend doing this? Anyway, the only thing wrong I see with this is the border, which you've already pointed out. The thing (in my opinion) that really makes the picture so good is how you overlayed the guy's body onto the background, so that his clothes blend with it. Awesome idea. But I'm not too fond of the cap -- just not my style. [B]9.5/10[/B]

[SIZE=1]Let's do this again. ^_^ [B]Name:[/B] Rion Marquise [B]Age:[/B] 26 [B]Height: [/B] 5' 11" [B]Weight:[/B] 150 lbs [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]General appearance:[/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/zechs.jpg[/IMG] He doesn't have the helmet, and has a silver rapier at his side. [B]Occupation:[/B] Extremely powerful and wealthy nobility. He has so much money and influence, it is rumored that if he wanted to, he could overthrow the current government quite easily. [B]Bio:[/B] Rion Marquise was born into a powerful family. His father, James, secretly favored him since birth, as he was the first-born male. He had an older sister who was taught all the 'proper' things a lady of noble blood should partake in by Rion's mother. James taught Rion to fence, first and foremost, as he called it "The dance of nobles." He was trained once everyday for two hours a day. All in all, Rion had a very nurturing childhood, and became very smart and cultured. He was taught ettiquite, wines, swordplay, strategy, literature, and philosophy. All of the mentioned subjects were practiced nearly everyday, for his whole life. As a result, he ended up adopting many views he read about the world, civility, and human motives. Rion is kind to all he meets, so long as they are nice and have good intentions. With a gentle smile across his face, he dances the political waltz, gaining both noble and common friends to help him with his cause. However, Rion never shows Daimon his hate for him. Whenever they talk, Rion treats him with only the utmost respect. Recently, Rion has been locked inside King Daimon's castle. He is getting rather tired of being kept as a prisoner, and wishes to leave the castle as soon as he can. Wanting to see his family once more, he is supporting the rebellion to break him out. While being kept inside the castle, Lady Ashrel has hung around him, and Rion thought that he was slowly converting her from a cruel, cold woman to a kind, caring one. He sincerely hopes the rebellion will succeed and that Ashrel will drop her evil ways.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Nice stuff. I'm in. [B]Name:[/B] Michael the Archangel [B]Creation:[/B] Angel [B]Sex: [/B] Male [B]Appearance:[/B] [url]http://www.sadena.com/michael/michael15.jpg[/url] Only with brown hair, green eyes. [B]Personality:[/B] Michael is completely loyal to God, serving only Him. If anything were to be a hinderance to his bond with God, he would remove that obstacle so that he could stand fully in God's light once again. Aside from being loyal to God, Michael is a very logical person, thinking through all this actions. He is quick to serve justice to the unjust, to free the opressed, and to quickly do God's bidding, be it smiting Lucifer's minions or saving lives. Michael is a quiet, logical, and eager to deal justice. [B]Bio:[/B] Michael was born at the moment God created the heavens. He was at that time assigned to his post as the general of all the angels, the one who would lead heaven's forces into its final battle before Christ's heavenly banquet. His duties were assigned by God at the moment of his creation, and have not changed yet. He still is called to fight against Satan, save the souls of the faithful, to call men's souls away from the Earth for judgement, and to be the champion of God's people. He wears a cape stained in the blood of the slaughtered Lamb of God, and will ride into battle for Christ -- and be victorious. [B]Power:[/B] The Sword of God is set ablaze with His divine righteousness, and smites all evil foes in His name. [B]Weapon:[/B] The Sword of God[/SIZE]

Julius walked into the hotel, unsure if it was the correct place. The directions said that the team was supposedly resting at his current location. He gave a low call, into the building. "Hello? Anyone here?" A light cut on in a backroom, and a man walked into view, giving him a casual grin and offering Julius his hand. He took it, giving the man a firm handshake, unsure of who the person was. But manners never hurt, did they? "Hello. You must be ..." He paused for a moment, recalling his strange name. "Ah. Julius Arelius. I'm Commander Red." "Pleased to meet you, Commander. I guess you know who sent me and the reasons why." He nodded an affirmative, beckoning him further into the hotel. Julius followed, and was led to a well-lit hallway, with soft talking wafting through the corridor, just barely reaching his straining ears. Obviously, he was analyzing the hotel, who was it in, what they sounded like, what kind of man the commander was, and exactly where the inhabitants were located. It was part of his syndrome. Sometimes he hated it, with a burning loathe, as he couldn't think as simply as any other human. He was blessed and cursed with the gift of an over-reactive mind. He thought almost five times as fast as a regular person. He strode down the hallway, glancing into each room to see who was in it, what they were doing, and if he could occupy the room. Several had people in them -- people he didn't know, people he didn't want to disturb with his trivial presence. He settled upon an empty room, and flicked on the light, surveying the space and finally deciding it would do fine. "Just like... home?" He said, trying to console himself with the thought of his original home on Mars. Looking out into the blackness of space. The hungry vacuum, the gaping infinity glaring at him every moment. It was a great feeling, and made him feel at peace when he thought about such times. He sat on the squeaky bed, unzipping his bag, making sure all his weapons were clean and loaded, and that the rest of his limited belongings were in order. He wanted to talk to someone -- anyone. But he didn't know any one. He had been briefly aquainted with the commander, but no one else. He layed on the bed, flat on his back as he stared at the ceiling, trying his hardest to slow his mind down. "The people in the room next to me breathe deeply, softly, caring? Maybe a relationship. The Commander was firm with his grip, probably a strong, confident man. What made him like that..." he paused for a second, ruminating over all the new information. "Just stop. Stop right now." He took another deep breath to still himself. Wishing sorely someone would take the time to say at least 'hi' to him, he stared at the ceiling long and hard, cementing his over-active mind to a stand still. OOC: So was that good? My character's sign up can be found in the underground thread. Later!

[SIZE=1]OOC: Good shizzle, man. Keep it alive! I'll finish the sign up later... Oh, and where's the appearance? [B]Name:[/B] Orion [B]Age:[/B] 22 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/demian.jpg][here][/URL] All the white on this clothes are filled in with black. Much shorter hair, down to his neck. [B]Weapon:[/B] Two kodachis (short katanas). [B]Abilites:[/B] [i][U]Retribution[/U][/i] -- Orion moves much faster in general. He can run faster, think faster, and act much faster than he usually could. [i][U]Justice Hammer[/U][/i] -- Orion runs at the opponent, slashing sideways with one kodachi, downwards the with other, then turns and slashes with both simultaneously downwards. When used in conjunction with [i]Retribution[/i], the move is unforseeable. (sp?) [B]Personality:[/B] Orion is the generic loner type, being silent most of the time. He speaks only when he needs to, with as few words as possible. This of course, can understandably become quite annoying when holding a coversation with him. He veils his past in a black shroud, opening up his shielded past, emotions, and thoughts only to those who know him well. When you become Orion's friend, you will find out that he is more social than you think. Other than that, he is usually found frowning, walking a few steps behind the rest of the party, and not taking the praise for his successes.[/SIZE]

"Very good of you, Maaya. Another match?" "As you wish." They both stood up, giving each other a few steps of space each, and tapped swords to begin the fight once more. It was Maaya who held her sword on the defensive this time. Rion circled her slowly, analyzing her stance for a weakeness of some sort. Maaya counter-circled, doing the same, both watching each other for a sign of attack. Maaya reacted instantly as Rion quicly shot out his rapier at her throat. She swatted the blade to the side, and took a stab of her own at his chest. Rion could not retract his sword in time for a parry, and instead dropped to the ground, stabbing at her left-knee cap. Maaya dodged the blow, but not fast enough, as there was a shallow scrape where he had attacked. But Rion had left his back completely exposed, as she came down upon it from her previously-missed position. Rion rolled to the side, seeing the sword embed itself into the earth, as she pulled it out quickly. "Quite a fight you're putting up. Do you still wish to follow the rules of engagement? I'll permit you to break from your form to beat me." She looked at him for a moment, then gave a light smile. "No, I will stay with the rules. I don't wish to have the upper-hand. Let's continue." Rion rose, and stabbed at her eye in one motion. She parried quickly, obviously angry that he had suggested she break the rules to beat him. She sent a barrage of attacks fleeting at his body, most of which were blocked, but a few made it past his guard, giving him rips and tears in his clothing. Rion took advantage of such an onward attack, as he jumped to the right side then stabbed at her ear while she took the last slice at thin air. However, she was more perceptive than he had expected, and she dropped on the ground, rolled, then, smacked his rapier so hard it flew from his grasp. "Excellent. Come at me again." She was undaunted, attacking the swordless-man once again with a swift side-swipe. Rion jumped forward in a deadly gamble, grabbing her wrists the moment before the blade would've killed him, then swiped with his foot to trip her. She jumped in the air, avoiding the trip, but was still bound to Rion by the wrist. Rion then pushed her on her back, as she had no footing to save herself. He landed on top of her, straining to maintain a firm grasp on her wrists, lest they slip and cause him the spar. "Do you give up?" "Never." She said simply. Both were breathing hard, trying to gain back their lost wind. "No? Fine then." He answered swiftly, disregarding his body so that he would win the duel. She held tightly to the sword with her right hand, as her left hand gripped his throat. He felt himself choking, but it would only be a few seconds now... He freed his right hand, flicking out the knife from the sleeve and setting it against her neck, as his left hand struggled to stop the sword. "...do...I wi..n?" He gurgled through the tight choke hold. Maaya looked at the blade, then back at Rion's gasping face, deciding what to say next. OOC: I like this fight. Mu-ha. And I'm glad the revolt is starting now. It's about time...

Sergio and Sean finally made it into the dining hall, joking the whole way down. He had confirmed Sean was genuinely a nice guy, as well as a few bits of personal information. Trivial things like hobbies and music were exchanged, and it turned out that Sean liked rock, while Sergio preferred classical. They were very opposite, but in the same respect, were much alike. "Wow. It's pretty decked out. Nice stuff." Sean said as he peered into the hall. All sorts of food had been layed out, the room was decorated richly, and more people were coming slowly. They hovered around the entrance, talking to one another. Sergio noted that Sean seemed to always be the life of the party. [i]Must be very interesting...[/i] He pondered, also glad he had befriended him.

After talking with Jacob, he strolled out into the courtyard, clearing his minds, as he prepared for the rebellion. He would have to go on without Asher, and start it as soon as he had a few supporters under his belt. He couldn't pull off the stunt alone. He had to veer to the right to miss a girl walking towards him. He shook himself from his thoughts, looking at her with annoyance, trying to go back to his thoughts. He had more important matters to attend to. Surely he could let it go. She was persistent though. "Excuse me, sir, are you Sir Marquise?" She asked, undaunted. "Yes I am. And who are you?" He looked at her, then eyed the weapons on her side. His eyes widened as his hand idly touched the hilt of his rapier. It was his fighter instinct. His body entered an awake, alert state, while looking casual and at ease. He was waiting for her to make a sudden movement to react to.

Sergio walked out of his room, running into a funny-dressed Sean. "Whoa. You really took this getting-dressed thing seriously. You put me to shame." He said, jokingly. Sean laughed, looking rather happy someone had gotten out of their room. "Yeah, I haven't wore this for a while. You look pretty good yourself." They both chuckled once again. "So, what brings you here, Sergio?" "Well, you see, I came from Spain and went to college at Oxford. I don't always speak perfect ingles... english. How about you?" "I came from Fife, Scotland. I rarely get to relax, so this was definetly a welcome getaway. Should we start walking to the dining hall?" Sergio took a moment to consider the question, then came up with a response. "Yeah, vamanos to the dining hall." He loved using spanish, and assumed Sean knew what it meant. They both started walking slowly down the hall, talking about whatever they felt like. They heard a piano playing in the distance, somewhere far off in the mansion. "Very good playing. Who might it be?" Sergio inquired. Sean shrugged, as he had no idea. "Anyway, you single or anything... I mean, all the girls in this mansion, there's gotta be something going on eventually." "I'm single" Sean grinned. "And yeah, I get what you mean. I guess only time will tell." He said as they both continued sauntering to the dining hall.

Well, I'm not a girl, but I'll attempt to answer your question. I suppose you could tell a guy off by being direct, simply telling him you're not interested in a relationship with thim. Maybe try to spend less time with the person, or drop subtle, obvious hints. Maybe stress that he's [i]just a friend[/i]. Girls have a way with shooting down guy's hopes by doing that stuff. Any help?

Sorry to the mods... I wasn't sure if I could just answer the question or not. Well, what do you want to submit work to? If you just want to post some art for feedback, here is fine. If you want to place a request for art, the Art Request for is the place. And finally, if you wish to submit a poem, story, or anything else, the Anthology is the forum for you. I hope I was of help to you. ^_^

Well, I'd show the alien: - White House - [strike]Washington Monument[/strike] All the monuments in Washington. - War: I'm sure it'd intrigue them. - Our primitive technology: I'm sure they'd laugh their pants off that we're using such terrible computers. I mean, we can't display holograms!

Although I don't write lyrics, I suppose my advice will still hold true. I write poems, just for the record. I draw my inspiration from events or feelings in my life, or things I see happening around me. Usually, something I feel strongly about. For instance, I had a [i]very[/i] disturbing dream, and it caused me to change my personal title, avatar, and signature. I suppose I could write a poem about it, but word's don't do justice. Anyway... I also get really good inspiration from other songs. Mostly songs that inspire a strong feeling within me, I jot down a rough, terrible poem, which I later edit. Instrumental songs, or songs without lyrics in general help more than lyrical ones. I guess because it doesn't confine you to what is spoken already, but what you think. Lastly, I write poems about observations ... and ones I feel strongly about. Things like homo-phobia, discrimination, failure, and love are all intriguing topics, ones (mainly love) I try to put to words. Overall, open your eyes to the world -- it has more to offer than you think. Poets are usually very observant people, and pick up on alot of things. Write about anything you feel strongly about, and it'll eventually come to you.

Sergio walked out of the room, and caught a few passing words of Karyan and Marcus' conversation. "I'm sorry... can't... you. Don't ... offense." He walked into his own room, shutting the door behind him, and then sighed. "So why's he asking her out already? We've known each other for a few minutes. Strange." He automatically thought Marcus had dependency issues, if he was looking for a relationship so soon, but stopped his thought process immediately. "I can't think bad about someone yet. I don't know him, and I can't judge him yet." He changed into a white dress-shirt, and buttoned it up, all except the top one. He felt like he was suffocating with it on. He put on slightly baggy khakis, and a Rolex watch, which was on his desk now. Then he turned, walking into the bathroom, and looked at all the toiletries on the counter. Deodorant, cologne, soap, towels, lotion... all of which was the best money could buy. Nodding his head in approval, he picked up the bottle of cologne, and rubbed a small dab on his neck. "I hope things'll go well. I [i]think[/i] I've made some friends. Sean was definetly nice. The others, I didn't really get to speak to though. They seem like good people." he said whistfully, as he put on a pair of white shoes. Stepping out into the hall again, he was the first one done, and leaned against the opposing wall, sighing deeply. Was there a girl for him at this mansion? He usually did entertain such thoughts, keeping a studious mind, but with all the free-time in the world, his mind wandered idly. He heard a door creak open, and he turned to see who would come out into the hall.

When I thought my dad had died in the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. You see, he was on the plane flight only about half and hour later from the attack, and if he had gotten a ticket earlier, he would've died. So I knew he was going to NYC that day, and then I heard of the attack on TV, watching the planes hit the buildings. At first I was just really scared, but then I remembered, [i]My dad's going to NYC this morning! omffg1!1!1![/i] So I was on the verge of crying, fighting back tears. Then I saw my mom when she picked me up that day, and she assured me he was okay. That was really scary.

Here's a better image. I recieved comments on another board, and they told me it looked a little weak for the theme of strength. So I upped the contrast and all that un-fancy jazz, and here's the new product. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/bleach1.jpg[/img]

[B]Name:[/B] Aidan Rotham [B]Age:[/B] 16 [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/demian.jpg][ link ][/URL] Aidan has slightly shorter hair, and wears a white dress-shirt with the top button undone, and black, fairly loose jeans. He doesn't have the necklace, and stands at average height. [B]Personality:[/B] He's funny and nice once you get to know him, but is quiet and reserved if you don't. He isn't necessarily cold, only detached when dealing with a stranger. His moods are relatively steady, and if he's angry, will stay that way. Never does he have a moodswing or act foolish. [B]Bio:[/B] Aidan was born into a richer-than-average household, and later had a younger brother and sister. They looked up to his good example, as he was a straight-A student and on the soccer team. His parents were very proud of him. One day, his life would change forever. His family was on a plane-trip to Spain for vacation, and Aidan's parents left him and his two siblings alone for a while in Castile. At night in a park, his little brother was stabbed to death and robbed, and Aidan wasn't strong enough to save him. The robber left him and his little sister unharmed -- his little brother had enough money to satisfy the robber. After the event, Aidan because extremely depressed, quiet and sad because he couldn't save his brother, and became extremely protective of his little sister. Eventually, he became less and less depressed as the year went on, but became quieter because of the ordeal. However, his old personality flashes back every now and then if you are a good friend of his.

I'm not sure if this is possible -- I know little of the inner-workings of a message board. However, I wanted to suggest more user-customization more specifically font size, color, and type. Basically, there might be an option in the user cp where we can set our default font, size, and color so that all of our posts have it automatically unless specified otherwise. Again, I'm not sure if it's possible, but I certainly would like it. Thanks.

I have a question, particuarly about how to emulate brush effects in photoshop. I've downloaded a few brush sets, and then used them to see how they work would turn out. And they looked awesome... but it took no skill. So I didn't post them on OB, lest I recieve praise for easy work. Anyway, I wanted to know how to emulate brush effects, particularly techy and grungy effects without using the brushes themselves. Only because if you make the effect yourself (without brushes), you have skill, but with them, you're a poser (and have no real skill). Here's some techy work I did with brushes. [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/dreamdigital.jpg[/url] And here's a grungy effect with brushes. Sadly, this is in my underground thread. >_>;; [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/libraryaltron.jpg[/IMG] But I want to know how to make those effects without those brushes. It'll give me a sense of accomplishment. Any tips on grunge/tech FX?