Zen

[color=darkred][size=1] I guess I'll claim Lunox's character. I need an excuse to draw again... Done in about a half hour. Hope you like it. [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/Cybernator/LunoxCharacter.jpg[/IMG] My character... [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/Cybernator/TheMistImp.jpg[/IMG] Well, he's a Naruto character. A run away trainee for the Seven Swordsmen of Mist. A bit of a naughty kid around 14 or 15. Likes to surf on his giant sword. Has bluish-black hair and eyes. And that's an Anbu mask on his head, yes. Its also dark blue and white. Note the very unintentional phallic imagery... Freud would have a field day. [/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I'm in a hip hop group, and our producers and DJ use Fruity Loops Studio and Magix Music Maker, if that's any help. Magix is pretty good for laying down vocals from what I gather, and Fruity Loops has awesome tools to actually make beats. So I think a combo of the two would be best. From what I've seen, Fruity Loops is really, really complicated because it has so many different effects and you have to use your keyboard as an actual musical keyboard to make the beats, so you'd have to get a midi to actual make any great stuff with it. Magix is more than less drag and drop stuff, much more simple interface, but less tools to actually work with, thoug the voice modulation tools are great and it really helps when composing tracks with vocals after the beats are made. But I'm just an MC, I don't know a whole lot about making beats.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']It's not that no one's opinions matter, it's that saying something like this:Doesn't equate to someone not being an individual other than in perhaps The Boss's eyes. It's not the label, or the group or what is even considered mainstream that's the issue. People get so lost in worrying over whether or not the group they like is considered mainstream that they often forget that it's just possible that the person likes the group because it appeals to them. Hell you could take that statement to mean I follow the crowd since 99% of the time I only listen to what's considered classical music. And that would be just as inaccurate as the statement I just quoted. [/QUOTE] [color=darkred][size=1] I wasn't trying to say that a person who listens to one genre of music based on personal tastes wasn't an individual. I was trying say that a person who listens to only one type of music and refuses to listen to others based on a stigma that they may be considered a loser or stupid mainstream person is not an individual because their descesion is based on the opinions of other people on their character rather than their actual taste in music. It'd be like me actually liking an artist like Akon, but not listening to him or saying that I hate him because the group of people I assosciate with wouldn't approve of it. Or if I really didn't like Mike Jones, but I listened to him because they people I hang around listen to him. That was what I was trying to get across. If you only like on genre of music, and genuinely don't enjoy other music, then that's perfectly fine. I wasn't trying to say you were conforming to a type if you were following what you actually enjoy. You simply misunderstood the message I was trying to convey. Or maybe I just worded it poorly.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Panache']I wear hip hop clothing and listen to metal core. Do I get an uber poser cookie? I think it's fine to do something someone else does because you see it and like it. It's not OK to do something else someone else does just to fit a certain mold. Funny story and a good example of a poser. A girl was wearing a Beatles T shirt on a field trip. I asked her if she enjoyed the Beatles. She said no. I said have you even heard a song from the Beatles. she said yea. I asked her which one. She said back in black... She was fitting the pseudo "Rocker look" that we have going on at our school.[/QUOTE] [color=darkred][size=1] While I can't defend the dumb girl who would wear the Beatles shirt, I really don't think poser is a term that should be used to often. While that one chick is, without a doubt, posing (or maybe she was pulling a Johnny Rotten and trying to be ironic), I don't think you're really a poser for dressing in a Hip Hop manner and still listening to metalcore. I mean, if you were rocking a Jay-Z t-shirt and had never heard his music, then maybe, but beyond that, I don't really see where I could call a person a poser. I wear skate shoes because I like how they look, and I don't skateboard, but no one calls me a poser, not even the skaters that I know. So, heh. I don't really think it much matters, though in that girls case it does possibly apply.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Individualism and maintreamism are really relative terms when you look at it. You can say I'm mainstream because my favorite musician is Jay-Z, a very mainstream and popular artist. I'm sure you couldn't find a person under the age of 45 who doesn't atleast know the name. Now is it a necessarily bad thing for me to like him? Am I therefore sacraficing my individuality because I enjoy his music? What if I were to say that I dislike his commercal singles, but I love his album work? Jay-Z, while a financially successful (possibly the wealthiest musician alive), has yet to have a number one single, ever. Out of his multi-platinum selling albums, none of them tipped the billboard charts. Compared to shorter lived or less talented rap artists such as, say, Soulja Boy (who is a very mainstream artist), Jay-Z has gained major long term success while still maintaining his artistic individuality. His latest album was written in two weeks shortly after he was inspired by the film American Gangster. The album itself is semi-autobiographical. It is an amazing album, and it is universally loved. To say that I am mainstream because I enjoy Jay-Z, because even an idiot can enjoy music that good, would be like saying Kurt Cobain was a mainstream guy because he was a huge Beatles fan. Everyone loves the Beatles whether you are mainstream or an individual. To me, people who assosciate themselves with groups, such as Goths, Metalheads, Punks, Scene, Emos, etc, are less individual than the people who don't. To allow ones self to be defined by a single movement, by a single trend or group, is in itself a sacrafice on one's true individuality. Primarily, I am a hip hop fan. I make hip hop music, and I enjoy hip hop more than any other musical group. I dress in a more, than less, hip hop fashion. However, I love classic rock, metalcore, R&B, Gwen Stefani-esque pop, Japanese New Wave, French House and Techno. I can wear a Lynrd Skynrd vintage shirt and still blend it into my hip hop style. Like Kanye West, who is a Fiona Apple fan and who sampled Daft Punk is one of his singles, I can define my own 'general' style while appreciating and being a fan of other musical genres. People who ONLY listen to Metal or Emo are not individuals. They are more 'mainstream' or atleast, conformists, than people who listen to Akon and Ashlee Simpson. So while I can say that I feel like I belong best to a Hip Hop group, I don't say that I am only a hip hop kid. I won't allow myself to be defined only by one movement or one musical style or one fashion style. If I did that I'd be a one dimensional person. If someone wants to be an individual, they should love whatever they love, and not be embarrassed to admit it to their friends. My friends, a primarily metal guy, a primarily indie guy, and a primarily classic rock guy, were all having a round table discussion about how we love freaking Coren Rae Baily, a very non-Hip Hop, metal, indie, classic rock artist, simply because we appreciate her talent as an artist. And we didn't let our "primary individual groups" stop us from appreciating and admitting our appreciation of that artist. So yeah. Individualism is really being yourself, and not letting any group at all define what you like. You can like the mainstream, indie, whatever, as long as its what you like and you like it without being embarrassed over liking it. Mainstream is just a term used to describe what could be said as being "universally" liked or liked by a very large group. I enjoy the mainstream, and I enjoy the indie just as much (if not slightly more). But I don't let either one define me as a person. I like to consider myself a true individual.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I don't really see why people are so excited over the Suigetsu/Kisame fight, I know Sasuke assembled Hebi for the sole purpose of killing Itachi, and thus probably made plans for taking out Kisame in the process, but really, I think it's going to be an immensely one-sided fight.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [color=darkred][size=1] How can you say that, Gav? Suigetsu's powers thus far, have been left majorly unexplored, and the little we have seen of him has been immensely bad-***. So not only do we get to see more of him (definetly my favorite new character in Shippuden thus far), but we also get to see more of my favoirte Akatsuki member Kisame, we get to see more background on the relationships between Mist Village shinobi and the inner workings of the Seven Swordsmen. Its gonna probably be one of my favorite fights ever, if they show it all. EXCITEMENT! As for Sasuke/Itachi... who cares. Just a butt load of Sharingan crap is all I'm expecting. Tobi and Naruto, that's gonna be cool, me thinks. But Suigetsu and Kisame is definetly gonna be dope.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] You guys are all haters. Gwen Stefani is the dopest pop-singer around, and I'm not afraid to say it. "Sweet Escape" is, without a doubt, one of my favorite pop songs of all time, so eat it. I can see the resemblance, but the actual fragrance is called "L.A.M.B." and L is just the first letter of that, so its not like she's stealing the name or anything. Just the letter in that font to put on the bottle. So yeah. Quit hatin', haters.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Hahahaha! I killed Bill! Yes! I always knew I'd be the eventual end of Joko. Well, now you got me hooked. I got some catch up to play, but I am excited to see the rest of this, and what happens next. w00t![/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] There was a recent poll done in Switzerland (where Marijuana use is legal) that proved that high school students who smoke pot socially are just as studeous and well adjusted as those who do not smoke pot. Marijuana is a weed, that comes out of the Earth. Nothing is added to it (as far as I know) and it isn't tampered with by other harmful chemicals. People have been using it for centuries. Its probably less harmful than alcohol, and it seems to be that it is safer than cigarettes. All Marijuana laws are doing is clogging our court system in America and shoving a bunch of (more-than-less) harmless stoners in jail. If we sin-taxed mary-jane like we do alcohol, and made it legal, the government could probably pull a bit of much needed tax dollars from it. I don't smoke pot or anything else personally, because I'm an athlete and I can't be messing with my lungs. But I don't disagree with the use of the drug either. Its inevitable that people are going to smoke pot, so making it illegal is just preventing the inevitable. Kinda like asking teenagers to practice abstinence.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I'm a Buddhist, so I don't really have the idea of Heaven to ensure me a reward. The best I got is Nirvana (if I sacrafice all wordly things from this point forth) or a nicer life after I die, which doesn't exactly mean rich. The thing that motivates me is my desire to make the most out of the life that I have right now. I have a healthy body, a functioning mind, and a moderately comfortable living arrangement. Things could be much worse for me, so I don't see a reason not to do something with the tools I got. But then again, I'm a romantic. My ultimate goal in life is to be remembered after I'm dead, through some impact on the world scene (preferably a positive impact). I'd like to write a great book, make a great film, be a great muscisian, or a great champion, and leave an impact on the world that will be positive after I'm dead. I want to die knowing that I somehow made a difference. I always said if I were rich, I'd give away most of my money, if not for the fame, but for the personal knowledge that I did something better with my money than spend it on a cool car. If there is no afterlife, or reincarnation, then being famous is the closest thing to immortality that a person will ever get. So chasing a dream of fame doesn't seem all too bad. As for immediate, day to day things, I'll say it without being ashamed. I want to look good, find a good woman to love me, and to be admired by my peers. It may sound a bit shallow, but really, its just a smaller version of the former. I want people to remember me in a positive way, because I grew up in a rather impermanent enviroment, moving around growing up. So I figured, your only as good as your last impression on a person. If I'm going to be remembered by someone, I want to be missed. I don't want to be rich, I don't want "the easy life" or some super-stardom. I just want to leave a positive impact on the world, and be remembered for that. That's my motivation through out life. Sometimes, I think to myself "Man, what's the point in all this anyway? It's gonna blow up eventually anyway, so why do I care about the way the world remembers me?". Sometimes you just want to give up, not go about, make up excuses to for-go your life. But really, as long as I'm alive and healthy, things could be much, much worse. So I don't see why I shouldn't take advantage of what I got, put it to good use, and try to make some kind of difference in the world, great or small.... Preferably great, though.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I owned, (and lost), [b]Lunar 2: Eternal Blue[/b]. It's really, really good. I enjoyed you immensely, or atleast, the parts I got to before I lost it, haha. I think you may like the characters a bit better, and it continues with the great anime cut scenes.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Japan_86'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Any other good Gundam series? I liked every one so far and I've seen all or some about seven or eight of them. They are: G Gundam Gundam X Gundam 08 MS Team Gundam Wing Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Gundam Seed Destiny One I forgot the title but it is about this little boy who's friend is a Gundam pilot or something. Judging from the art I think it came around in the 80's like Stardust. Does anyone know this? I like to make sure what I spend my hard earned money on is what I like. I did see a thin pack for Kaliedo Star season one out for $30 at Suncoast. Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket? I will have to check it out. I keep hearing that Gundam X will never be released in America. That true?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [color=darkred][size=1] War in the Pocket is the one you're thinking of from the '80's. The pilot is the kid's older brother. It's really, really good. If you like Gundam, I'd get it. If you like anime, I'd get it. I loved it.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I loved [b]Gundam 0083[/b] and [b]Gundam 08 MS Team[/b]. I wasn't a huge fan of Wing because it was so stylized and I appreciated the previous two's realism and depiction of war. I would suggest those. I liked [b]Trigun[/b] alot when I was first getting into [adult swim], but its animation is kinda hoaky, but the characters are cool and its fun to watch. If you can get past the mediocre animation, I'd suggest that. It's a good story. If you like Gundam, and if you havn't seen it, I'd suggest [b]Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket[/b], which is a, I think, six episode series which is really, really good. Its probably my favorite Gundam and one of most emotionaly involving series I've ever seen.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Oh boy... Well, it's been a while. Let me hit this one real quick... [b]Beat:[/b] [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcP7Sw8YJYo"]Triumph[/URL] What was you hopin'? You must've been dopin'/ I'll throw salt in ya wounds while they still open/ Dopa-Ropin', take the mic, we elopin'/ Mash out, kids, then say they was MOPin'/ Like you strokin', my cock, you all on my dick/ I've brokin' through blocks, I always break bricks/ Mk spits sick, got cancerous rhymes/ Beautiful brain, got the handsomest mind/ Kidnap you, with the ransom on line/ I'm the shine that blinds, cancer that kills, you flows all benign/ I'm straigh up ill, you need to get your shit in line/ Take early retirement, you need to resign/ Throw a fit, I throw a tip, so phat that I need a tuck-nip/ Break arms, shatter bones, and then I pop hips/ Spittin' the hardest, Mk's got the rock lips/ Keep ya mouth zipped or you get a tooth chipped/ Thats just a little for starters.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Skeleton Mask Zip-Up Hoodie [img]http://www.jungle-life.com/media/119/lrg_dead-serious3.jpg[/img] Venom Zip-Up Hoodie [img]http://hiphopdiscounts.com/images/clhs_1.gif[/img] Black Nike SBs [img]http://www.theskateboardindustry.com/tsi/images/sbclassic.jpg[/img] P-Rod Series Nike SBs [img]http://www.sneakerhunt.com/pics/sbs/nike_sb_p-rod_artist_series_andy_jenkins.jpg[/img] CD/MP3 Turntable [img]http://microtechaudio.org/shop/images/Pioneer%20CDJ-1000MK3.jpg[/img] Magix Audio Studio Music Program [img]http://www.gold-directory.com/uploads/posts/thumbs/1141564542_B0006397RS.jpg[/img] Crack... [img]http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/adux/GH3xbox360bundle.jpg[/img] I'd also like to have a few new pairs of jeans. I'm really only asking for the music stuff and some clothes though, not particularly the things listed. Though that would be awesome.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Considering that I've been watching anime since I was a small child, I would consider myself an otaku. I consider Boondocks an anime because it has such a definitely Japanese art style. Just because an anime has been dubbed and re-written into English doesn't mean its not anime anymore. So if the Boondocks started off scripted in English and was originally done with English voices, I can still consider it anime. If it airs in Japan, I'm sure the Japanese consider it an anime series. But really I don't find it that important to debate. Just a matter of our points of view on the subject.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Considering that everything except the writing and voices for the Boondocks is done by an Eastern production house, I'd give it that its an anime.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] [b][u]Current Manga Titles[/b][/u] Naruto: Shippuden Bleach Eyeshield 21 [b][u]Current Anime Titles[/b][/u] Death Note Bleach (currently not on air) The Boondocks Death Note is pretty interesting in a Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. kinda way, but I wish there was a little more action. Eyeshield is fun to read because I like sports manga alot, though I wish I could find a place to read Dunk, because I was really into that and Harlem Beat. The Boondocks is always hilarious Right now I'm searching around Veoh and YouTube for a new anime series to pick up. Having a hard time though.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Well, regardless of how much a loser you may be, everyone has atleast a couple of friends. Really, the only question I'm asking here is "What do you and your friends do when you hang out?". Go to the movies? Listen to music? Play video games? What are you favorite activities to partake in when hanging out with your buddies? Personally, I have several different friends I hang out with. On one spectrum, I have the friends whom I make music with. When we hang out, we usually either work on music, talk about music, or go perform it. Really, this is a budding friendship hardly two months old. But lately its been something that's taken up more and more of my time. They're supposed to teach me how to skateboard soon, also, seeing as how they all do that to without me. Another group of friends are my "fitness friends", which the main thing we hold in common is our interest in martial arts and fighting, so when we hang out, its usually to work out, learn martial arts from one another, or to go to a class or practice together. This group is also part of another group. The hardcore gamer group, whom, are all suprisingly rather atheletic individuals. The thing is that their only other interest other than working out is playing video games or watching funny movies. With this group, I play hours of Halo, Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros., amongst other games. We're a typically outrageous group and involve a bit of arguement and trash-talk in our fun. My core group of friends, my closest friends, are a combination of the other three, gamers, athletes, and muscicians, but we do more than just those things together. Some days we just hang around the house and talk about wierd things, we go to football games to holla at girls, or we go out on the town and fool around at Cafés and at other people's houses. Sometimes we'll try something productive, such as making a funny movie or something, but we usually get sidetracked by other things. Sometimes we'll go to a movie, or we'll go bowling, which is always fun. I'd have to say my favorte activities with my friends are playing video games and generally hanging out in public places, joking and laughing aloud too much. It's just an enjoyable and memorable expierence when you and a couple of friends can just hang loose and enjoy one another's company. So what about you? What do you do when you chill with your homies?[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] While waiting to finally get my hands on [b]Guitar Hero III[/b] I've been playing an extra amount of [b]GHII[/b] and [b]Rocks the 80's[/b]. Apart from that I started a new game on [b]Pokémon Emerald[/b] cuz I was bored. [b]Halo 3[/b] has been fun, I occasionally still play with friends on Live, and thats really fun. I'm still waiting on an opponent to challenge me at [b]Soul Calibur III[/b], but I guess they don't exist. I've stopped playing it, so hopefully next time I pick it up, it'll be more of a challenge to play. Seriously, its not cool how much better I am than others at this game.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] Are there any issues with my character up to this point? Portrait and family ties all okay? Please inform me.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I recently burned a set of three mixed CDs with several key hip hop tracks. Most of them are from [b]Jay-Z[/b]'s Reasonable Doubt, a compilation of [b]Wu-Tang Clan[/b] early to mid-nineties albums (Liquid Swords, Enter the 36 Chambers, Cuban Linx, etc), the Beastie Boys broad cateloge, and various underground artists including Canibus, M.O.P., and Swollen Members, among others. I'll probably be banging out these three for the next year or so. P.S.- I almost forgot the super-dance tracks provided by [b]D.P.G.[/b], [b]The Pack[/b], and [b]Wale[/b]. If you need something to play at a party, check these tracks: Candy (Drippin' Like Water) by D.P.G. Ride My Bike by The Pack In My Car by The Pack WALEDANCE by Wale All great. Check 'em out.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] I went by what you said and made him the son of Leonhart and an unknown mistress. But if this also conflicts with anything, then just tell me where you think he'd fit in and I'll try to fit my sign-up around that. The only real issue is who birthed him by Leonhart.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] The character I made is the son of Leonhart Almagest, but with another spouse after the death of Beatrice. Is there any issue with this or should I turn him into an Almagest cousin? I was hoping to work in some forms of hostility with Raiha's and Shy's character due to his only being a half-brother, seeking approval and praise and not getting it just to add some extra dimensions to his character. Is there any issue with this?[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1] [b] Your Name:[/b] Bartholomew “The Dart” Almagest [b]Your Age:[/b] 21 [b]Your Position in the Almagest Family[/b]: Illigetimate son of Leonhart Almagest and an unknown mistress. He was summarily taken into the Almagest house as a son, and raised as one of the family. Leonhart saw to take good care of Bart, despite some animosity coming from his half-siblings, Fauntleroy and Macey. [b]Your Portrait:[/b] [url=http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/b/bc/Steve5.jpg] Bartholomew[/url] [b]Your Occupation:[/b] Bartholomew is the young face of the Almagest clan, due to his celebrity status as the welterweight champion within the Gladiator Games. A rather refined sport, yet a bit brutal, the Gladiator Games acts as an arena where two trained competitors may fight using only their bodies. The Games have a strict set of civilized rules, including no hair pulling, eye-gouging, groin attacks, spinal attacks, among others. The fights continue on ground or standing until one fighter admits defeat, is knocked unconscious, or the fight is deemed finished by the umpire. Death has never occurred in this arena, and injury is minimal compared to other popular sports. Due to this, the otherwise harsh-seeming sport has grown into one of Czenovia’s favorites. Bartholomew has gained celebrity status as one of the sports finest athletes, and an honorable champion. Due to his father’s vast wealth, he was able to gain the finest training in all of Czenovia. An expert boxer, grappler, and savate-player, the handsome man’s outright skill and accuracy have earned him the ring-name “The Dart”. Apart from his fighting career, Bartholomew helps his family’s company by acting as their prime promoter and advertiser, often endorsing new technologies through public appearance and as special guest speaker at press-conferences. He attends CHAOS, studying business practices should he ever need to end his fighting career for one in his family’s company. [b]Your Story:[/b] Bartholomew grew up in the privileged settings that the Almagest family had provided all its children. Attending the finest schools that Czenovia had to offer, early on Bartholomew showed great talent as a natural athlete. Combined with his sharp good looks and his renowned family, he was a rather popular individual through out his schooling age. Bartholomew began training in wrestling at the age of eight for his schools and showed great talent, which eventually lead to the school’s boxing team and eventually, the savate club. Excelling at all, he began his career as a Gladiator with the good wishes of his family at the age of eighteen and quickly excelled. Gaining celebrity status almost immediately, he has become a media darling for his dashing physicality, civilized charm, and athletic skill. He is one of the many faces of the great Almagest family, and one of the most popular amongst the common people due to his highly publicized exploits. He has also garnered some negative attention due to his reputation as a playboy amongst the young noble women of the Czenovian houses. Try as he might, due to the begging of his family, he has a difficult time avoiding attention for his youthful romanticism. With a charming, yet, reserved personality, Bartholomew wishes to be taken seriously by the others members of the family as a future business man once his athletic career is over. However, he often feels shunned due to his youth and reputation, and is rarely seen as an adult amongst the older family members. He studies steadfastly when not training in order to hopefully bring success to the company his family built one day. However, he often feels a great deal of negative feelings coming from his half-siblings, which often leads him to seek their approval from his accomplishments. Please inform me if there are any issues concerning my character.[/color][/size]