O-Ushi

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]I was inspired by the "Original RPGs" thread to think of my own ideas. Basically, I feel that people need a little incentive to make their own mark in the Fantasy genre, a little push in the right direction beyond the cliche medieval setting. Thus...alterna Fantasy Alterna-fantasy is my term for a fantasy setting within an different time period (such as Shadowrun and Urban Arcana). We all know the standard, over-used (at least in my opinion) medieval time period, and while this is classic, surely it would be nice to...flesh out a self-restricted genre? What I will attempt to do here is make a few setting based on this world that also includes the standard ideas of fantasy. Firstly, I will put the races I would use in this world, and what they are doing in it: Let's start with an easy one, shall we? [B]Elves[/B]: The elven race are an aloof race within the world; part of humanity'ssocial structure, but apart form it at the same time. They are a superior race (at least, in their view), and have little actual time for the petty foibles and blunderings of humanity. Elves are a tall race (the average male being roughly 6'6") with predominately white hair and pointed ears, but other than that can easily be mistaken for thin humans. What really sets them apart from humans is there mentality. They are completely amoral, and only truely concerned with the survival of their own race (they are few in number due to an ancient catastrophe reffered to only as the "Great Devouring"), they would gladly let 20, 100, 10,000 humans die to save one of their own. They are extremely long-lived, reaching maturity at around 50 and dying at roughly 350 years, and normally spend their lives in quiet contemlation, and so are known as a race of philosophers and scholars, rather than warriors. Elves have no natural talent for magick (their race being adamantly against the inter-racial breeding that gives some of humanity their natural prowess with it), but have long since learnt to compensate for this defect by crafting and mastering the art of Wizardy (that is - the ways of Magick learrnt through study and science, rather than natural talent). Their social structure is usually based on a person's intelligence and way with words, climbing the social ladder with a silver tongue and barbed insults, thus making them a race obsessed with words, not actions. The Elves inhabit the south of Europe, from Italy to Greece, as well as small part of northern Africa (predominaely Egypt, being known as the "Ghost Folk" for their pale skin and aloof manner) and smatterings of the East (particularly Vietnam). They are known to be the causes of these regions success in war, culture and technology in history. [B]Dwarves[/B]: Dwarves are a sombre, steady race that has had great luck with mingling with the humans of the world. They have mixed in with their society and have become active leaders and judges within the regions they occupy. They are stout humanoids, with a rough average of about 4'5", with a thick, wide chest and burly muscles on the whole. They have grea pride in their breads, which can range from short but meticulously kept facial furnishings to great, intricately braided affairs which drag along the floor when they walk, and their hair can be from jet black to flaming orange and everything in between. Dwarves a fairly long-lived (living to about 180 on average), but what is amazing about them is their tenacity and constitution. They can shrug off all but the most virulent of diseases and potent of toxins, and combined with their longevity, they have coined a common phrase amongst their warriors; "Death Only Violent." Their personalities are fairly similar to humans, although they have a very strong tradition of honour and the honour of their family (or "clans" as they normally refer to them as), and they will hold a grudge against a person until either the dwarf dies, the grudged one dies or the grudge is repayed. Saying this, however, dwarves have strong social bonds, and will willingly drink with a complete stranger, shoudl they take a shining to them. Their heirarchy system is totally based on a person's honour and their deeds, rather than petty words and gilded promises (a common Dwarf phrase is "when bones are dormant and rotten, a great legend will fight on into eternity"). Dwarven territory is almost totally based in Japan, where their ideas of honour and their skills as warriors have had huge influences on the code of Bushido and the evolution of the Samurai. Dwarven made katana are the envy of lesser weapons, and a suit of Dwarven armour can make a great warrior almost god-like in the field of battle. [B]Orcs[/B]: Orcs are simple folk, proud warriors and cunning generals, an Orcish campaign is the nightmare of any "lesser" race. Their are a huge race, and although short lived (it is rare for an Orc to live past 50), they do not stop growing in size and strength for the enterity of their lives. A venerable Orc is a fearsome sight to behold, normally brushing 8 foot and twice as wide as a human, their green skin is pitted with scars and pock marks of a thousand battles. Their faces are pig-like, with an upturned nose and two great tusks curling from their bottom lips, their eyes are coal black. Orcs are the greatest warrior race, simply ignoring wounds that would cripple a lesser being. In the words of a famous Orcish general in the World War, "Weez woz built from da blood of da Gods, weez iz here to stomp da wurld flat, chew up da uvver races and spit 'em out. Weez iz da Orcs, and we woz made for fightin' and winnin'." One main drawback Orcs have never overcome is their intelligence (or lack there of). They're not the sharpest knives in the draws collectively, and have a tendency for... over-zealousness, however, their animal cunning makes up for their unintelligence on the field of battle. In a peaceful setting, orcs are worth their weight in gold. They are tireless workers, able to lift much more than a human with no effort, stand duties that work drive anyone else mad with boredom. The more dormant ones are normally very respected members of the community, able to work any labour job with the strength of 3 men. Their social structure is fairly basic "The bigger the better". They respect strength, and anyone who can wrest power from the old leader is followed devouted (untill, of course, they are overthrown). Orc territory is extremly expansive, ranging from Germany to Western Russia. They have been so far flung because of their ancient rampages that took them across the lands of Man and Elf in a bloody path. They have always been warriors in their regions, from German soldiers of the Kaiser in the Great War, to keepers of law and order in Socialist Russia. [B]Dragons[/B]: The term "Dragon" encompasses 4 actual species of reptiles (going from smallest to largest): Drakes (Brown, feral things with two great curling horns jutting from their head, they are roughly the size of a horse and wingless), Daemons (Black as night, they have 6 legs and great powerful claws from climbing rocks and even the roofs of caves, they are about the size of a large SUV), Wyrvens (Winged, bipedal creatures dark green, with a spiked ridge running along their backs, capable of breathing fire and about as long as an 18 wheeler) and Wyrms (the greatest of all dragons, 4 legged fire breathers the size of whales, proud, majestic and extremely intelligent). Dragons speak their own language, a glottal, guttural tongue of harsh rasps and bitter croaks, but are intelligent enough to understand the speech of Man (in fact, some humans have learnt the draconian tongue and act as translators to other men). Noone knows quite how long a dragon (of any variety) live, as none have ever seen one die, and they are extremely dangerous hunters, as intelligent as any human, if not more. Dragon territory is the area we know as North America, but they call Gal'akka-gorannis-firasha (or "The point where the firsts eggs were laid and our ancestors clawed into the light"). The humans that settled in America have grown a great bound with these intelligent behemoths, and they are normally called upon in times of war, and most major cities have a small roost of Wyrvens for security purposes (the White House's roof is shaped like a bowl, to acomodate the ancient Wyrm that nests there, to protect the President and his staff). Dragons normally spend a few decades in a military regiment, and are veterans of countless battles. [b]Gnomes[/b]: The Gnomes are the greatest inventors in the world, bright and friendly, their contraptions have astounded the world for countless centuries. They are a short folk, standing at an average 3'4", but unlike the bulky dwarves, have perfect human proportions. They have slightly pointed ears, and large noses, their hair is normally an earthen brown. Male dwarves like to have short, perfectly trimmed sideburns or beards, while women like long braids. Out of all the races of the world, they have done the best to blend in with human society, taking places of great esteem within the community (respected doctors, lawyers and engineers), They all have a love for the underground, and have had a great knack for mining, even more so than the Dwarves. Their friendly nature also makes them excellent merchants and tradesmen, and often hawk their products on the streets. Gnomish territory is almost exclusively middle-Europe, mainly in the area of Germany and Holland, where they live in small, underground houses known simply as "Dwellings." These are often proportion to make the "Big races" (As they call almsot every other race) comfortable, but they tend to be claustraphobic to non-gnomes. [B]Sylph[/B]: As with the Dragons, the term "Sylph" is very loose. It describes a whole host of imps, goblins and faeries that inhabit the world. The mpst famous of these are the Fae of Britain, and the kitsune (fox-sprites) of Japan, but it encompasses a whole menajerie of creatures both great and small, of all shapes and sizes. The one thing that all Sylph hold n common is their outgoing nature and their innate magical abilities, which can range from mind-contorl to shape shifting. Fae are found all over the world, in a whole myriad of conditions (although they tend to stay on geomantic lines, more on which later). [Note: Since there are too many types of Sylph to mention, I'll be saying which sort of Sylph are available on an RP-to-RP setting] Alright, now for the first setting: [B]The Wyld West[/B] [I][CENTER]A dusty wind swept through the large town, carrying cries for mercy, screams and death rattles in its wake. Large figures on burly mounts tore down the street, guns firing into the air, their steeds tearing up the earth. They bellowed in jubilation at the loot they had gotten, and made a beeline for the nearest bar. A lone shadow stepped into the middle of the street, silhouetted against the angry sun. A shadow wearing a star above his heart. The man's overcoat swept lazily in the breeze as he stared at the oncoming bandits. Seeing the figure, the bandits yanked on their reins, forcibly pulling their mounts to a halt. The biggest bandit, obviously the leader, hopped off his steed and landed with a dull thud on the ground. The leader was tall, easily 8 foot, with red, bloodshot eyes and green skin. An orc. His steed, a huge, ill-tempered boar, grunted and thrashed, before the orc grabbed its nose ring and pulled hard, slamming its face into the ground. The leader's face twisted into a smile around its tusks, and he fingered the shotgun that was strapped across his back. "Yoos be wantin' somthing, 'oomie?" the orc grunted "Or yoos just wondrin' whether I'd buy yoo a drink?" The other orcs laughed, a harsh, brutal sound, like bubbling tar. The figure laughed, lifting the brim of his hat slightly. "No, no...ah was just about to ask you guys to not make too much noise. It's Sunday, and folks 'round here will be wanting their rest, you understand?" he drawled, smiling. The orcs stopped laughing. Their leader stalked towards the man, pulling his shotgun out of his seath. "We don't like bein' ordered around, 'oomie. Reckon we'll hafta teech yoo a lesson..." The figure whispered words. Inhuman words. Words like crackling fire. The orc brought his shotgun down and aimed it squarely at the human's chest. The man raised his hands. Arcade symbols danced across his fingertips. The shotgun sang out. Blue flames roared from outstrechted palms. Quickdraw. ... "Stinkin'....mage..." the orc whispered as he lay on his back, staring into a vast, cloudless sky. His gang had abandoned him right after he had taken the blast full in the chest, before he had even hit the ground. The man sauntered over to the prone creature, and leaned over him, smiling as he rubbed the star on his chest. "Welcome to Endsville." said Nathan Creed, vigilante, bounty-hunter, Hex-Slinger[/CENTER][/I] The year is 1834, the height of the Wild West. People from Europe and even the Far East have sailed the oceans to stake a claim in this new world. The law is violence, and the language is firepower. However, things are not as we have learnt. All through history, we have lived amongst creatures we in this world would consider "fantasy." Orcs, dwarves and elves rub shoulders with humans on the street, and even the most normal perosn could have the blood of a sorceror running through their veins. This is the story of the Wyld West. In this world, orc banditos run amok across the land, Gnomes and Dwarves struggle for dominance on the rare gold claims, and the country are policed by a whole army of vigilante Sorcerors known as "Hex-slingers" Next Topic: Magick and "East Wind" Any comments?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Tatsuya slumped against the wall, his Seung Tung Chui hanging loosely in his hands. He watched the other students file into the large hall for the first class: Weaponry. The white haired boy sighed, the breath coming out slow and deep, brimming with annoyance. He slipped lower down on the smooth stone wall, until he was in a sitting posistion, one knee drawn p to his chest, one of the melon-headed hammers resting on his thigh. "Oi! Nakadai!" a voice called, deep and throaty It was Toshiro, one of Tatsuya's "closer" cronies. He was huge, with a wide chest and a shaved head. Toshiro was as thick as two short planks, although he did have enough brains to nail those planks together and beat you silly with it. He, like most of the "bullies," tended to hang around Tatsuya, and regularly looked to him for guidance. "What is it, Toshiro?" The big buly stopped by him and grinned, leaning his axe on one shoulder. The older boys were allowed to use real wapons in classes, as the teachers had the somewhat misguide idea that they were mature enouh to use them without killing each other. Needless to say, a practitioner of healing magic always watched over these lessons...just in case. "You missed a [I]proper[/I] horrowshow scuffle 'down the halls yesterday, Nakadai. Amon got scarred something brilliant." "Really." "Yeah, mate. Proper horrowshow it were, I tells you." "Do go on." Tatsuya said somewhat resignedly, paying avid attention to the floor. As the bully droned on in his usual fashion, Tatsuya watched the light play off the head of one of his hammers, transfixed by the dancing patterns that chased across its surface. He wondered, briefly, what his sister was doing... **** Himeko just got into class in time by the skin of her teeth. Talbain-sensei gave her a genlt warning look, before motioning for the class to be silent. Himeko hugged her book to her and scurried down the row, taking a seat by a girl she didn't know very well. Her name was...Imi Kagami. Himeko remebered that Imi was very quiet, like Tatsuya. They would probably like each other, if they met. Well...Imi might like Tatsuya, her brother seemed to like the new people he met less and less, nowadays. Himeko sighed. English was her worst subject, she had no flair for language, preferring the ordered, structured forms of alchemy and potion-making. Himeko stopped her musing when she heard Talbain-sensei clear his throat politely but sternly, and she knew class was about to start...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1][CENTER]Indeed, kin, it was a day to remember. Great beasts of cold metal glided effortlessly, clamorously over the waves, through the mists that permamently enshourd our isle. their noise was that of a thousand beasts stampeding, and we could spy dozens of the unknown ones, the mon-keigh, clambouring around the beast's back. The homeguard, led by my cousin, stood firmly, both feet planted on the sodden sand as they aimed their weapons at the great creature. To their right, a huge Burden Beast lumbered into view, tthe great gun on it's back humming softly as the loaders slipped another round into it's chamber. Signalling the thumbs up, each of the Battle kindreds raised a shout, each squadron adding it's voice to the roll call, crying out their leader's name: Rikiul Saruul Jehudiel Gardiull The chorus continued for half a minute, unabted, before suddenly cutting out in unison. A deadly silence hung over the beach as a group approached on a small boat, squat and completely different from our sleek skiffs. It landed on the beach and the retinue stepped off, a creature not unlike us, followed by a furred being a good head and shoulders taller than us and a squat lizard-eqsue being. As they approached my cousing stepped forwards, his wings seathing themselves and tucking neatly behind his back. The foreign creatures, as one, spread their arms wide and bowed deeply, an obvious sign of none agression. My cousin paused for a moment and brought his arm-mounted weapon across his chest, and placed his left hand upon the blade, symbolising the he would sooner cut himself than them. It was at this that the creature not unlike us spoke, in words we could not understand at the time, but we are assured were symbolic and perfectly poignant to their people. "We come in peace."[/CENTER] [CENTER] Unity Highschool, the original inter-species school in the Albion states, starts it day in the usual fashion...at least, in essence it does. Five years ago, a race of people were discovered in the region of the Cathyan republic, a race of long-lived humanoids that have remained unmolested by the humans or any of the other races of the world. They have developed a totally different culture than any other race in the world. After their discovery, all the nations and races of the world were eager to have them join the global community to contribute their neutral wisdom and technologcal knowledge to better the cause of friendship and unity. Today is a historic day, a landmark in history, as the first students of the new race, the Shadar-kin are attending their first day at Unity high. This is the story of the highs, lows, romances and conflicts the students of Unity High will experience after this historic milestone.[/CENTER] [B]Basic information[/B] The year is 3004 ACE (After Common Era, equivalent to our 2004) This is a world not unlike our earth, except for the fact that while there is only one dominant species in our world, there are three in this one. These three races are the Tekkaks, a squat race of lizard-like people, the Linas, a fox-like race of survivors, and the humans, masters of steel and fire. They drive cars, go to work and share our schools. And therin lies the problem. A new, myterious race has been discovered in the far east, on an island thought to be uninhabited they have forged a life that mirrors the technological advances of our own. They are the Shadar-kin. For the past 5 years there have been numerous talks with them from all the major governments of counties and peoples, and their island (known as Dalashmi) has been under protect by the combined might of the Tribune of Peoples. They have finally reliquished and have expressed eagerness to ingle witht he people of the world. they have sent a handful of families to various regions of the planet, and are currently in talks on how to effectively open channels of communication with the world. The children of thse families are now attending their first days at the schools in their new homes, having spent the past 3 years stufying the Middletongue, or common language. Most notable are the two students attending Unity High, the first school that allowed students of all species to join. inter-species relationships are allowed (and, in some areas, even encouraged) and, while fruitless, lead to some interesting stories. Sign up sheet For race specific imformation, click [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=624149#post624149]HERE[/URL] [B]Name[/B]: [B]Age[/B]: Dependant on race [B]Race[/B]: Please note, I will only allow [B]1[/B] other Shadar-kin. If more than one person sign ups as it, I will choose who gets it. Also, please note there are NO half-breeds, as it stands it is a genetic impossibility (the DNA is too different for interbreeding to be viable). [B]Gender[/B]: [B]Description[/B]: Picture or written, it's all good [B]Personality[/B]: [B]Introductions Are Iin Order[/B]: This replaces the Bio section in most RPs. Basically, it's an open one-post RP, depicting some scenario of your choice involing your character. This is so you can get a feel for your character, and so I can get a look at your RPing style. [B]Notes[/B]: Anything else you deem neccessary for us to know (fears, pet peeves, crushes etc.) [B]Name[/B]: Deeproots Saruul [B]Age[/B]: 17 [B]Race[/B]: Shadar-kin [B]Gender[/B]: Male [B]Description[/B]: Saruul is a typical Shadar-kin, with long, luxurious black hair, but with a slightly more square jaw than is typical of the race (his House normally refers to it as their "Warrior's chin"). He stands at 6'11", so is fairly average for his race, and his wings are an exceptionally dark green, and he normally keeps them neatly tucked behind his back. His elders (and, of course, the good Humans that organised him going to Unity High), have changed his traditional clothes style to something that is less...alien to the other students. The light, airy silk that is common with the Shadar-kin race (due to their hypersensitive skin) has been fashioned into a long T-shirt, with it's edge hanging nearly to his knees, light blue in colour, and his trousers are made of a strange material known as "denim," but with a lining of his familiar silk, so it does not chafe his legs. He wears a bone necklace that was given to him by his father the day he was born religously, not even taking it off to bathe. [B]Personality[/B]: Saruul is quiet and deeply philisopical, and is often seen as humorless in the eyes of those who do not know him. This is not true, and he does have a wicked (if somewhat sarcastic) sense of humor, but prefers to hold his tongue around strangers, and whatch them until he can be sure his comments will not go misinterpreted. His family is known for its legendary anger, and Saruul is no exception. Though it takes a while to get him riled up, he goes almost berserker when his buttons are pushed, and has been known to be exceptionally violent in those circumstances. He does not particularly care for the humans, and Linas tend to annoy him (he finds them too outgoing and overbearing), but he has taken a shining to the Tekkaks, seeing their prudence and paitence as refreshing. [B]Introductions Are Iin Order[/B]: Sorry, will have to write this later... [B]Notes[/B]:[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Check out the Sign-up [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=44350]HERE[/URL] Alright, I'm going to give some more information on the general world of Unity high, as well as the races and cultures of it. [B]Geography[/B] Geographically, the world has three major continents, the "super-continent" of Alashtania (the size of our Eurasia), ancestral home of the Humans, the next smallest is Ereoke (about the size of North America), native home of the Linas, and the smallest (roughly the size of Australia, with a comparable climate) is Kellika, land of the Tekkaks. Politically, they are split into smaller countries or regions, depending on the dominant race. Eurasia has 4 major regions, with roughly 200 smaller countries, Ereoke has 50 countries, and Kellika has 12 Barontages (based on councils of the wealthiest families). The new race, the Shadar-kin, has a small island in the middle of the large ocean seperating Alashtania to the west of Ereoke, and is about twice the size of Japan. [B]Races[/B]: [B]The Humans[/B]: They are as us in appearance, personality and culture (although slightly more inclined towards oriental tendencies on the whole. Imagine the world as if China or Japan had risen to power instead of the Romans). [B]The Tekkaks[/B]: A race of slightly squat, lizard like people. They are humanoid, although their faces are very different to ours. They lack any protuding noses, having merely two slits that they can open and close at will (a system evolved from life in the deserts of the world), and instead of ears they have 2 silver dollar sized circles of membrane. Their mouths, instead of teeth, have three seperate rows of bone on the roof, and huge tongues with which their speak their language, which is a complex, alien form of clicks and hisses. They're eyes are thin and their pupils oval, like that of a crocodile, and their heads have short, hair-fine spines which they often dye in an explosion of bright colours; their lips are rigid and expressionless. They stand at about 5 foot on average, with scaly skin normally a light brown in complexion, which they often douse and soften with sweet-smelling oils (unusually, this is escpecially true with males, who often use this as a sign of their familiy's wealth, the better smelling, the richer). Tekkaks are slightly longer lived than humans, normally living to 150 years of age. they are sent to school to learn at the age of 14 (the time before being spent learning the basics of trading, bartering, mathematics and the Tekkakii tradition by their family). Their personality is, in a word, slow. They are fairly relaxed and tolerant, and are very slow to anger, but when they are pushed beyond their limit, they are just as slow to let the anger go, and are thusly seen by many people as being dim-witted and humorless. This is not true and, while they are not prone to extreme bursts of emotions, they believe that all emotions have their time, and are willing to share a joke with those who are willing. One thing they are extremely passionate about is wealth. Families tend to have large fortunes of precious materials expertly hidden within their homes, and many of the wealthier ones even go to sleep on a small hoard of gold and gems (both of which are plentiful in Kellika). The Culture of the Tekkaks is one based around wealth. Throughout history they are praised as the best traders and merchants, and this is due to their great emphasis on personal wealth within their society. To the Tekkaks, wealth is a sign of two things, natural intelligence and prudence, and so the wealthier you are, the quicker you scale up the social ladder. Family is incredibly important to the Tekkaks, and a 20% tithe of all wealth they aquire abroard is sent back to their families by any means. Socially, females often hold the position of extreme authority within the family, and the head of the familyis known as the Matriarch. To insult a persons family, no matter how distant a relation, is very insulting personally, and so Tekkaks have learned to use a very delicate way of speaking about other people, whether positive or negative. This makes them very good diplomats, although their somewhat unnatractive (by human standards, at least) appearance tends to through off the more conservative. [B]Names[/B]: Tekkakii names are made of three things. First comes the name that your parents have given you, secondly the name of your mother, and then of your father, in that order. Written Tekkakii names are the phonetic translations of the Tekkakii language, which any other race cannot speak. Male Names: Kilbik, Koktak, Chublik, Seertik, Mikmak Femal Names: Gifbith, Gofreth, Zimlin, Tuthmin, Ofreth High School Age: 20-24 [B]The Linas[/B]: The Linas are a tall, furred race, built for survival. They stand at an average of about 6 and a half foot, powerful yet lithely built. Their faces are almost elfin in quality, high cheekbones, small mouths and noses, but eyes nearly twice the size of human eyes, giving them an almost innocent appearance. Sof fur coveres their entire body - which can vary in colour from bloodline to bloodline, but it generally brown or red - with the exception of their midriff, and they all have a large collar-like mane of fur around their necks, which hangs down past their shoulderblades and their chest (many females don't wear tops in the summer, as the mane covers all the "innapropriate" area). Their limbs are long and willowy, with their legs having an extra joint (like that of canine hindlegs), and their hands have long fingers. On the ends of thier fingers are small slits that could easily be mistaken fot scars, but are actual opening for the claws that all Linas deelop during the first years of their lifes. These claws grow to about 2 inches long, and can be retracted at will, although in the past 50 years, some families have had their children de-clawed for social reasons. Though this is frowned upon by the more traditional Linas, they can see it as a neccessary evil (to expel the feral nature they have forged in the past). The Linas live to be about 50 on average (a truely venerable one can be about 60), and start attending school at about 5 years. Their personality is pure passion, passion for anything, music, art, love, but to a last they all hold a secret urge to hunt, to destroy. This has given the a reputation of beng somewhat feral and savage, but they at least try to curb these feelings. They do, however, have one time in the year where their emotions cannot be controlled, and is generally called "the Heat" (although this is normally used to describe a biological affect in female animals, but this affects both male and female Linas). During this time they go through many extreme emotions, anger, depression, lust, and this is different from individual to individual. They are very quick to make a joke, and have a very keen wit about them. They are not prone to commitmen, and are often viewed as flighty (especially by the prudent Tekkaks). Culturally, the Linas view actions much higher above words. They have a strong sense of duty and honour, and are incredibly self-ssacrificing to those they deem worthy (especially in war, they have displayed a sense of duty that is likened to the "divine wind" fighters of the rebel Nipponese forces). They view combat as a great way of relaxation and liesure, and - while full blood combat has been banned for centuries - they often hold sparring matches for those of all ages, and a great martial arts teacher is a person of great standing within the community. The only thing that rivals their love for fghting is their love of music, and some of the greatest bands of old (and, indeed, the modern chart hits) are made of Linas musicians. [B]Names:[/B] Linas names are often made up of two syllables, with consonants begining and ending each syllable. Since they do not form large families or communities, they do not take surnames. Often a name is passed down from parent to child, particularly if a successful Linas believes their offspring might benefit from their own reknowned name. Male Names: Jostlich, Basril, Todmik, Ruspil Female Names: Jimtat, Birtris, Sulnam, Hadmel High School Age: 9-13 [B] Shadar-kin[/B]: Shadarkin are much humans in build and height, but they are very different. Their skin is ivory white in colour, and apart from that on their heads, they are completely hairless (many humans find their lack of facial hair unsettling, especially their lack of eyebrows). However, for all their smooth delicacy, Shadar-kin skin is tough and resilient. Their faces are likened to delicate human, but the reselblance ends at their eyes, which are set wide apart, and are featureless orbs of soft gold. All Shadar-kin are born with a pair of vestigal, reptillian wings placd just below their shoulders blades, though these do not have the strength to allow them flight. These wings are primarily used for decorative purposes, often being painted with various patterns or images for social events. Their fingers are long and almost prehensile because they have an extra joint. Ashemi reach full adulthood at the normal rate of humans, but are believed to live to be over 1000 years old. This longevity, and their infrequency of propregation means that the race is very small in number, though their technological skill (especially when considering their rudermentary anti-gravity generators, which the put on their all-purpose vehicles called "skiffs") mean that that they wield great power amongst the learned of the other races. There strangest trait, however, is their hypersensitivity. All Shadar-kin have a sense of touch that is infinitely more sensitive than that of a human. they can feel the subtle flow of the air across their skin like it was a robe of linen. It is because of this that they are very adept at picking up other languages (but feeling the vibrations and matching them), and also their own language is made up of almost subvocal hums; their writing reads like music. They Shadar-kin are quiet and introspective, pften deeply philisophical aboutt he nature of good and evil, the nature of the universe and their place in it. Many Shadar-kin enjoy music, while some only find the music of nature to be worthy of their attention, the melody of a brook, the beat of thunder, the harmony of the wind. They greatly love the open spaces of nature, meaning most of the families that have been sent to the other race's cities find them troubling and claustrophobic. However, for all their love of beauty and quietude, their ferocity is legendary, and can shock even the most hardened of Linas warriors. At all times, even the the heat of battle, Shadar-kin are steadfastly polite to both their comrades and their enemies. Shadar-kin social structure is seperated into the commnities they call "Houses," which are similar to clans of old, where all members are related by blood or by marriage. Outsiders are welcome, but the House is a tight-knit organisation. They do, however, have a strong sense of duty to one another, and in times of great conflict whole houses will pick up and move closer to the contested area. In times of peace they tend to stay out of each other's way, but keep close contact via convoys of skiff-mouted messengers and heralds, as well as social gatherings. House names are often taken from the area they live. Since their discovery of the outside world, Shadar-kin have worked on anither language, based on a near dead tongue known as Asheru, which they normally speak in battle (for strange, traditional reasons). When talking to other races, they use the direct translation of their names into Asheru, and their House names are often translated into their literal meanings in Middletounge. [B]Names:[/B] A Shadar-kin's House name is always pronounced first. They are then given a name by their mothers at birth. His name is both a badge of honour and a responsibility; he must never bring shame upon his House by soiling his name. Some housenames include "Deepcanyon," "Widevale," "Crackedmountain" Male Names: Rikiul, Zuriul, Saruul, Samandriul, Kepharul Female Names: Rashiel, Yephiel, Remiel, Zophiel Jehudiel, Baradiel, Amashiel High School Age: 14-18 If you have any questions,f eel free to post them here or PM me and I'll answer ASAP. Thank you [B]O-Ushi[/B] [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Name[/B]: Yoshiko Myazaki [B]Age[/B]: 17 [B]Gender[/B]: Male [B]Description[/B]: Attachment [B]Notes[/B]: Yoshiko isn't a loner...he's a hermit. He purposefully excludes himself from all but the most important of social contact. He dislikes people, as a general rule, and loathes any he sees as "weak" (which there are a fair few of at the school. He is cold and authoritarian, beliving strongly in might making right and words above actions. He's the best fighter in many of the martial arts clubs (although he still claims he is part of them only for the exercise purposes), but his grades are only average. He has always disliked foreigners (because of some rumored incident that supposedly happened when he was very young), and so holds Shaun Hidler in particular contempt. His father was a police officer killed on duty when Yoshiko was 9, and was a strong influence on the boy, giving him his ideas of law and order. However, over the years Yoshiko has twisted it into a mindset of "strength" and "weakness," a cynical view of the world as people who are born to rule, and those that are born to be ruled. Needless to say, Yoshiko believes that he was born to rule. [B]I hope that's alright, if not, I can change to play Gebhard or something I mean, all animes need a serious, brooding pseudo-bad guy, right?[/B].[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Thanks, that's great, but it's too big for an avatar here (maximum size is 80x150 pixels). Thank you anyway, it makes a great banner

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Genosuke hesitates as he stands outside the door of the library. He gripped the books underneath his arm tightly. He was going to make a fool of himself. A damn fool, surely, noone really wanted to help him, she was just teasing him, letting him wait there for hours while she laughs with her friends. He hesitantly stepped into the room, his eyes fliking this way and that. He walks through the aisle, rows upon rows of books, treasure coves of knowledge waiting to be cracked open. His feet made no sound on the soft carpet. His eyes fell upon a figure, a figure resting her head on a table. It was Nekomeishi. Well, there was still time to be humiliated. He stepped slowly closer to her. He couldn't see her face, she might be sleeping...he reaches out with a hand and gently places it on her shoulder, jostlin her softly. "Nekomei-" "Don't touch me!" she gasps, turning sharply and shrinking away from him slightly "I...uh...sorry..." Gensuke whispers, and looks down at the floor "I'll go..." "No! No...it's fine. I just had a bad experience when I was younger..." [I]An excuse...she just doesn't like me[/I] [I]Why would she invite me here if she doesn't like me?[/I] He nods and pulls out a chair, sitting down. He puts the ooks ont he table and opens his text book. He stops, his head slowly sinking, not even making eye contact with Nekomeishi. "Nekomeishi, why...why do you want to help me? There are p-probably people who need your help more than me." he scratches the back of his neck nervously "so...why help me?" He didn't look at her, if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to talk. There was still time to humiliate himself...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone could make me a Zutons avatar and banner based on the picture in the attachment. I don't want anything overly fancy, just the face of the zombie, and maybe the hands (if it's possible), with a "O-U" in the top left hand corner. If anyone could, it would be great. Thank you O-Ushi

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]OOC: Yeah, I'm a bit of a Beatles nut, Kitty "And where's you're homework, Mr. Mifune?" the teacher asked, folding her arms strongly across her chest. "I...couldn't do it..." "Speak up!" "I couldn't do it, Ma'am." [I]Again[/I] "Again?" "Yes, Ma'am." "If you can't do your work you have to tell someone, Genosuke." "I...I know..." [I]I can't. I don't deserve it[/I] "I should speak to your parents." "My parents..." "Would be very disappointed with you." [I]We haven't been in the same house for 2 weeks.[/I] "Try harder next time." [I]Save it for someone who has a chance, Ma'am[/I] The teacher stormed off, and Genosuke stared at his desk, feeling the clas's eyes on him. His face was a mask of tired resignation. It was the same in all subjcts, he couldn't do anything right. He turned his head slightly and looked at the girl sitting next to him. He had passed her in the hall before. Her name was Neko...something...Nekomeishi Kyojin. She...she had looked away the second she saw him. She probably didn't like him. It wouldn;t suprise Genosuke if she did. The bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, and Genosuke tiredly tucked his books under his arm, before making his way out of the room. As he reached the door he heard a voice behind him. "[I]Um, hey! Could you wait up?[/I]" OOC: Sorry for the length, out of inspiration...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[CENTER][I]They say that death is the ultimate reward for the warrior. Though they die, their spirits are reborn again and again, Carrying with them the sins of the past. A murder remains a murderer throughout time, Lovers continue to love beyond their deaths, They say the ultimate punishment of the Samurai Was to be reborn as a Samurai Unable to escape their history. For these 14, that is true. Though bodies die, and bones decay and rot Sins of a life will echo on through time. Gama-oyabun, Lord Toad, gasped as blood leaked slowly from his mouth. He gripped the blade of the sword with old, grizzled hand, trying - in vain - to remove the offending weapon from his abdomen. "Nezumi..." he rasped, spitting it like a curse. Nezumi laughed, the sound rich and hedonistic, echoing throughout the large hallway the three figures stood in. He fliked jet black hair from his eyes, a smile creeping across his face on rose-red lips. He turned to Neko, and smiled... Hirose awoke with a start sweat dripping from his brow. He turned, fumbling for his beside table. Clumsily, he opened the drawer, and their it lay, a blade, shing dully in the half-light of the morning. He had scratched a name on it, three small characters.[/I] Nezumi. [I]He stared at the blade, he breath quickeneing in his throat. He thought of a blade, cold steel, breaking the delicate skin across his wrists, the warm, sharp pain, and the blood flowing like water from a bottle. He swallowed hard and, shakingly, closed the drawer. It was the dreams. The dreams were getting worse.[/I] This is the story of a group, reborn 250 years after the deaths of thier past lives. They are the spirits of the 14 Families: Gama (Toad) Nezumi (Rat) O-Ushi (Ox) Tora (Tiger) Usagi (Hare) Ryu (Dragon) Hebi (Snake) Uma (Horse) O-Hitsuji (Ram) Saru (Monkey) Tori (Bird) Inu (Dog) Ousa-Buta (Boar) Neko (Cat) Though many have been scattered throughout the land, many have ended up in the ancient city of Edo, now called Tokyo. They attend Jyuushin Memorial Highschool, and are all plauged by the same nightmare, the nightmare of a day that made, or ended, the lives of their ancient counterparts. they now search to find the truth behind that fateful day. This is the story of the 14 signs, a story of love, betrayl and honour in a city ruled by night.[/CENTER] Basically, I'm trying to find a way to mix genres. The RP itself will be split in two, one set in the school in the modern day, while the other is set in an ancient city, ruled by the 14 clans of kenshi (note: kenshi, swordsman, not neccessarily of the Samurai caste). I wanted to draw comparisons from the ancient warriors to the present children, and I wanted them to discover the events that lead up to and the actions of the day that killed their past lives. My question is, do you think it could work?

To be perfectly honest, it's probably the most accurate movie about the life of Jesus out there...at least about the cultural climate. they have heavily researched the different groups and factions wihin the society at the time. The People's Front of Judea are the zeaots (which literally translates into the term "keen men" or "dagger men," as they used to run up behind any Roman guards they see and stab them) are always trying to oust the Romans in one way o another. In the opening scene (where everyone is listening to Jesus give his Sermon on the Mount) the man with the ubrelaa who's always tellin everyone not to take it literally obvious represents the Saducees (the most educated and "enllightened" of all the people of the time, who the Romans considered intellectual equals and often sought them for guidance). Also, it does have a little dig not just at Christian, but at Christian movies with their character's reactions to Crucifixion. They see these millions of Christian movies making out the crucifixion to be a rare, horrendous event (don't even get me started on the [I]Passion of the Christ[/I]), but they know that crucifixion was a fairly standard (if somewhat horrendous) method of execution. By saying "Welll, crucfiixion's a doddle, isn't it?" they challenge many people's misconceptions that Jesus was one of only a handful of people crucified. Also, the movie is [I]horrendously[/I] funny.

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]"Carry the two...no, that's not right..." Genosuke whispered, running a hand through his hair and chewing softly on the end of his pencil. Behind him, a clock gently counted down the minutes. "I want to take the uncertain number and....yessss.....no. Damn." He flicked the pencil around his thumb, catching it neatly with his index and middle finger, and tapped an irregular beat on the old, wooden table. Everybody else was having lunch. He didn't bother eating in school anymore; he didn't get hungry that quickly, anyway. Trying to solve whatever egnimatic homework he had been assigned took up his lunch times. He briefly wondered what it was like, eating lunch with his friends, talking with each other, laughing at each other's jokes... Didn't matter, anyway. He wasn't that funny. People wouldn't laugh. He could hear voices in the next classroom. A girl and a guy. the boy had a deep voice, rich and mellow...he recognised the voice...Ranma something-or-other. One of those incredible popular people that girls swoon over. Genosuke placed the eraser end of the pencil in his mouth and perched the writing implement between his lips. He folded his arms across his chest and scowled gently. "If x equals 7 when y is geater than 3 and smaller than..." His grimace sunsided, and fell into his familiar expression; one of tired resignation. He couldn't do this stuff. Hell, he couldn;t do anything, really. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the cieling, trying to discern some sort of epiphany from the time-stained tiles. "[I]Who's that?[/I]" a voice whispered. Male, female, it didn't matter. "[I]Gen-something. He's in your brother's year.[/I]" Genosuke had heard this conversation a thousand times before, from various people in various years. He didn;t bother reacting anymore. "[I]I've never seen him before.[/I]" "[I]He's a loner, I think.[/I]" Of course he was. Footsteps walked briskly away, unseen. Suprisingly, some other steps made their way towards him. Unsuprisingly, they brushed right past his room and into the room of Ranma something-or-other. [I]Damn it. maybe something will come to me, later.[/I] He sighed and spatthe pencil from his mouth. It landed with a gentle tap of his open book. He closed the text book and the exercise book, gathering them up under his arm. He got up and walked out of the classroom, sweeping past the open door of the next room. He chanced a look inside, and saw Ranma something-or-other being fawned over by two girls. One of the girls he had given his umbrella to that very morning. He had plenty more umbrellas.He sighed as he went out of site of the class, shoing his free hand into his pocket. [[B][I]He's a real nowhere man, Sitting in his nowehere land, Making all his nowehere plans For nobody.[/I][/B]][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Name[/B]: Tatsuya Nakadai [B]Age[/B]: 18 [B]Gender[/B]: Male [B]Appearanc[/B]e: [IMG]http://www.fruits-basket.com/characters/imgs/hatsuhara001.jpg[/IMG] [B]Personality[/B]: Tatsuya isn't what you would call a "people person." He isn't overly agressive, but people tend to stay out of his way, wether he likes it or not (much to his charign at some times). He is quiet and withdrawn, normally sitting quietly by himself, of with the students classed as "bullies." Despite his quiet nature, Tatsuya has a powerful personality, and can be extremely authorotarian when he wants to be (giving him the nickname "Iron Nakadai" amongst the bullies of the school). He is normally fairly relaxed about things, but gets extremely defensive about his only family, his younger sister Himeko. [B]Extra Notes[/B]: His pet peeve is outgoing people, seeing them as "show offs." He always carries his speciality weapons, a pair of Seung Tung Chui (or "Twin Melon hammers"), which he wields masterfully in spars. His only hobby is staring up at the clouds as thy drift by lazily. [B]Love[/B]: The only love he shows to any living person is to his little sister, Himeko. He rings her every night without fail to make sure she is alright. As for an actualy relationship love...he doesn't really bother anymore (he used to try and get girl's attentions, but he only managed to scare them off, so he doens't even try anymore). And, with permission from Methuselah [B]Name[/B]: Himeko Nakadai [B]Age[/B]: 14 [B]Gender[/B]: Female [B] Appearance[/B]: Attachment [B]Personality[/B]: Himeko is fairly friendly, genuinely sweet and caring. She's not particlarly outgoing, be will try and make a person feel comfortable and happy whenever she can; she's one of those people you can't really dislike. Her main fault is her perfectionism - she will not stop untill whatever she does is the best it can be. She loves her brother dearly, but can find him doting and confining, as he is always worried for her safety. [B]Extra Notes[/B]: Himeko absolutely adores the delicate art of alchemy, finding great pleasure in plumbing the depths of the metascience. She is also a keen flortist (flute player, that is), and her only fear is a deep, far-reaching fear of water. She doesn;t mind rain (as long as she has an umbrella and someone near her), but would sooner doe than go swimming. [B]Love[/B]: She would never admit it, but she does have a small crush on Chojiro Ebisawa, after seeing him take secret magic lessons with Mr Talbain. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Rain tapped down gently on the roof of the umbrella like the gentle fingers of a thouand angels. Drops cascaded down the sides of the concave before falling silently to the ground, unnoticed. Patterns unimaginable, plainly beautiful, unseen, gurgle by in the gutter, as water flows past the debris of leaves and dirt, twisting and contorting around the shapes as it merges and blends into itself. [[B][I]I'm gonna buy this place and burn it down[/I][/B]] Genosuke lifted his eyes from the gutter, and took another drag on his cigarette. His feet made no sound as he wandered down the wet pavement. A car sped by then - later - a bike, carrying their occupants to the Wishing Well Highschool, Genosuke's destination. He srugged the fake fur lining of his coat further up around his neck, trying to keep warm on this brisk, wet morning. [[B][I]I'm gonna put it six feet underground[/I][/B]] [I]Tp. Tp. Tp.[/I] Footsteps quickly made their way up behind him. He turned around and scannd the figure with soft, grey eyes. A girl, probably around his age (not that it mattered), was quickly making her way to the school, shoulders hunched against the rain. He stopped, and she started to walk past him, as if he wasn't even there. Noone noticed him much anymore. He reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder. She turned with a start, [I]Don't say anything, don't say anything...[/I] he tinks, simply passing her his umbrella. The rain hit his bare head, cooling hs mind and plastering his hair to his skull. Droplets ran down his face, his eyes downcast. [[B][I]I'm gonna buy this place and watch it burn[/I][/B]] Letting go of her shoulder and his umbrella, Genosuke launched himself down the road, pulling the fur lining of his coat right up to protect his face. He spat the cigarette out of the side of his mouth. It fell and landed, unnoticed, on the wet pavement. An inaudible hiss, the dying glow of the embers, all that marks the passing of the flame. [[B][I]And do all it did to you in return[/I][/B]][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Name: Genosuke Mifune Age: 17 Gender: Male Description: [IMG]http://www.fruits-basket.com/characters/imgs/hatsuhara001.jpg[/IMG] (as an aside, he is also exceptionally tall, probably the tallest in school) Thoughts on Love: "...Love?...I dunno, maybe. It'd be nice, I suppose, but I don't think it will happen." he says, before shrugging and walking away.Genosuke has very little confidence when it comes to women, often becoming tongue-tied around the fairer sex. He feels that noone will really love him, and he's come to terms with it, simply shoving his hands in his pockets and moving on. Bio: Genosuke is a fairly egnimatic character is school. He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and isn't particularly physically gifted (sportwise, that it). He is quiet and reserved, preferring not to try to grab the attention he so desperately wants. He's been at Wishing Well High since he was 14, but has made few aquintances and even fewer friends. His homelife is almost non-existant, both his parents are wealthy business owners, and are either out at some meeting for the night, or are too tired to spend time with him. He's just barely managed to scrape the grades to make it through the school, struggling on simple assignments, but he doesn;t want to ask for help, as he feels there are "people who need help more." He has tried to ask out a few of the girls in the school, but normally gets too tongue-tied to get his feelings across, and so oppurtunities are always missed and chances pass by. His parents bought him one of those fancy new VR capsules for his birthday, but he has little inclination to use it as of now...

Picture the scene, I was happily flicking through radio stations in my room, innocent as a child on christmas day. As I slowly turn the knob I hear the heart-warming sounds of "- of Common People." followed by the familiar driving synthesisers of one of my all time favourite songs (that is, "[I]Common People[/I]" by Pulp), and an anthem of classic Britpop. I nod my head to the beat, expecting to hear Jarvis Cocker's cool, indifferent voice. Instead, I am greeted by no less than a living hell. William Shatner. In my mind, something snapped. I am here to give my 2 cents on a subject that is generally tiptoed around. Covers. I urge, nay, [I]beg[/I] people, famous, infamous or nobodies, to consider whether a song is actually worth covering. Could you improve it, or are you just making a mockery of its memory. I present to you a list of modern songs that should never, EVER be covered on pain of being tied down and sternly asked why: [I]Bohemian Rhapshody[/I] by Queen: possibly one of (if not [I]the[/I]) greates song of modern times. Incredible vocals, an eerie opening, driing middle and the one of the single greatest ai guitar moments in history (you know the one I'm talking about). [I]Imagine[/I] by John Lennon: I have heard about a bajillion different covers of this song, and none of them hold so much as a candle to his memory. It's simple when they make it over complicated, plain where they make it dramatic. It's a poignant reminder of the things we take for granted, and noone really seems to pay attention to this. [I]Stairway to Heaven[/I] by Led Zepplin: Simply [I]because[/I]. [I]Free Bird[/I] by Lynard Skynard: Probably the longest post-hendrix guitar solo of all time. "If I leave here tomorrow..." [I]Smoke on the Water[/I] by Deep Purple: Yes, I know everybody does this riff when they first get an electric guitar, but it should go [I]no further[/I]. This is a legendary track, and should remain as that. [I]Fool's Gold[/I] by The Stone Roses: Only a handful of good things came out of the 1980's, and this was one of them. [I]Anarchy in the UK[/I] by the Sex Pistols: Simply because everyone is too apathetic to really care about things anymore, and untill they are, this song should stand as a symbol of the birth of punk rock. Well, that's it fir now, I shall return with more moments of aural gold soon. But now, as I type this, my eardrums are once again assaulted by another travesty. Busted, a cliche, manufactured boyband here in England, is doing a cover of [I]Teenage Kicks[/I] by The Undertones. John Peel would be turning in his grave. Excuse, I need to lie down and cry for a while...

[CENTER]A clockwork bird flutered down form the rafters on metallic wings. It spiralled above the dancing figures, glorious in their finery, like besplendant angels in bright colours. A castrate sang out in its eerie, ethereal tones, accompanied by the gentle wailing of a violin.[I] 'The beauty spot was borrowed Now my sweet love rusts tomorrow On my confession that is waiting to be heard Run your empty rain down on me Whisper your death beats so softly Bend your knees, the altar of my ego'[/i] The clockwork bird skitted in between the dancing people, sharp, unnatural movements preformed with perfect reflexes. It looped and rolled amongst the figures, its bronze and gold feathers flashing in the light of a thousand thousand candles. It darted towards a figure in the corner, watching the dancing guests. It landed on his shoulder, and pressed its beak against the man's cheek. "Good evening, Ozymandius" the man murmured, pressing his glass of dry Asamaec to his lips. The bird sang in metallic tones. "I find these affairs most tiresome, old friend." Eyes made of pure emerald blinked as it cocked its head. "They hold nothing of the subtle charm of the Songbird, Ozymandius." The one-sided conversation intrigued the bird, who clacked its beak. The song changed. A fast, intricate piece known as the [I]Cardinal's Arms[/I] Belial 'ap Temozareila sighed and stroked Ozymandius' head, before walking towards the door. more guests were arriving for the social at the Temozareila household. His feet swept against the floor gently, and the clockwork bird launched from his shoulders, winging its way back towards the rafters...[/CENTER]

Well, I for one am trying to break the mould right now with my RP [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=43894]Ivory Tower[/URL] (shameless plug, shameless plug), with an idea of not only setting, but character mindset and (hopefully) interaction. I think having a world full of two-face little so-and-so's intent only on their own personal power is cool, so I made an RPG in a pseudo 19th century setting (think the Jane Austen period) where the player's jobs are to wine, dine and deal with each other (and, of course,s tab them in the back) for the eventual goal of becoming the head Family. I wanted an RP where the player could indulge their sweet tooth, having everything material they wanted, and letting them loose. Basically, I believe what needs to happen is not to have great, inovative plotlines or bizarre concepts, but change little things. Things like "No, you can't have powers...figure out how to beat the bad guy yourself" or "Ok, you can have powers...but no set spells". That sort of thing... Hmmm...this has inspired me somewhat. How about a concept of "Alterna-Fantasy?"

Not to mention that, while we're saying all this, the only reason we need to send food over to areas like West Africa is not because they don;t have any, but so the blinkin' country has some money. There's more than enough food in Africa so that everyone can live happily, but the problem is because of the Third World Debt they have to sell all of it to survive. Also, Adahn, have you every actually seen a West African country, crippled by the Debt? Or the poorer areas of China? India maybe?

I come to you today to ask you a simple question. Would you choose to live in a perfectly (Athenian) Democratic world or a Perfectly (True) Communist world? Ok, mayber not [U]that[/U] simple... Personally, I feel that I would much rather prefer to live in a perfectly Communist society, if only it was possible. However, saying that I have a slightly cynical poinbt of view and believe it would never ever be feasible in this society.

Well, basically the formula is putting an extremely complex issue that not only includes mathamatical ideas but also physical principles into layman's terms. Of course, with the basic principle hat people seem to get confused with is that this assumes there is [B]no definite in anything[/B]. There can be an extremely large probability that something can happen, but it can never be definite. The formula merely states te probability that the worse thingt hat could possibly happen will happen. Unfortunately, there was some poblem writing this theory down, as their pens kept running out of ink and their paper spontaneously combusting :D

[I][CENTER]And in the Place Where Sun Shines Things That Live do scurry 'roud Amongst trees of wood, not iron, nor steel And Air is pure and Light abound. There is no hiss of pistons pumping Nor grind roars of turning gears. They Who Are watch the masses work As cheerful music do dance round they're ear. Their speech is of Poetry, not glottal stops No pebbles fill their mouths or throarts Their voices are melodies, not caws. Their language whispers, our language croaks. And when they dance they dance for days Their heads filled with music, their hearts with joy Their feet do play across marble flooring Thheir hands do run across new Wooden toys. But fear the Rich Man, and hed my words Behind masks of silk a serpent lies For with each word a sword is drawn And with each gesture another dies A pox upon They Who Are Let them each other devour As we toil beneath the growing shadow Of that damndable Ivory Tower.[/I] The Ivory Tower dominates the horizon. It stand 3 miles high from base to peak, a mountain of silver, marble and gold. It weaves and curls gracefully as it reaches towards the heavens, twisting seductively, no jutting balcony out of place, no arch not strategicaly placed to ease the eye. Visages of beautiful angels dance arcoss it's surface, carved lovingly over generations by forgotten masons and stonecarvers. At its base sit the squat houses and factories of Mordax, where the huddled masses live out their lives in toil and servitude. However, we are not concerned with them. We are They Who Are, the Powers That Be, the Aristocracy, the Familes, call them what you will. We are the ones who own factories, shops, workers, lives. We have reaches beyond he wildest imaginations, can live existances of pure hedonism, endulging every possible delight this mortal coil can offer us. We can buy whatever we like, eat whatever we want, kill whomever it pleases. But that's never enough. The head of the leading clan, the Ulantis, is dying. He has been dying for the past 3 years, but it is only now that the Famly has deemed it neccessary to expose it. Now it is time for another Family to take its place as the rulers of Mordax and the Ivory tower. The Families jostle for posistion, through intrigue, blackmail and murder they claw their way to the top of the pile. And that is where you come in. It is your job to bring your family to power in the Mordax, by any means neccessary. Welcome to the world of the Ivory Tower, where money is everything, but life is cheap.[/CENTER] Alright, before we go any furhter, I need to say something about this RP, something very important...*Ahem* [B][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3]YOU ARE NOT THE GOOD GUYS[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] You are [I]not[/I] rebels fighting against the aristocracy for the huddled masses. You are [I]not[/I] pure of heart and good of will. You are [I]at best[/I] the better of two evils. I want you to remember that you are ruthless when you are RPing. This is a RP of intrigue, backstabbing and barbed tongues, not huge powers and magick. The world of the Ivory Tower is one of pure indulgence, Gladiators fight to the death for their master's amusement, and the air is purer than any other in the world. When setting the scene for your post, the sky is the limit (quite literally). Characters: [B]Name[/B]: Make it fancy and almost alien sounding (just to further alienate youself from "normal" humanity) [B]Age[/B]: Try to keep it above your teens, ok? [B]Description[/B]: Picture or description is fine, but remember, you're rich beyond your wildest dreams. When going to a Party in the RP, flaunt it. [B] Personality[/B]: All your fears, dreams and little quirks. [B]Weapons[/B]: 2 maximum. nothing too large and unwieldy (generally one fencing/swordsmanship weapon for deuls, and one covert knife or such for protection), guns are allowed but...keep it tasteful (think Gregorian English deuls) [B] Introductions are in Order[/B]: Replaces the Bio. RP some with your character, o get a feel for their speech, knock out any kinks you might find and give me an idea of the character. It can be from you past or present, it matters not. Here's my character [B]Name[/B]: Belial 'ap Temozareila (Teem-mu-za-ray-la) [B]Age[/B]: 34 [B] Description[/B]: A tall man, long and willowy, easily reaching 6'3". His limbs and hands are long and graceful, his shoulders are wide, but his hips slender. He walks with long, predatory steps, like a hunter stalking its prey, and every movement he makes is almost exaggerated, every gesture thrown into huge proportions. His face is long and sharp, a small nose and thin, green eyes give him a serpentine likeness, the kind of exotic charm women have a distinct fascination with. His skin is pale, as is the fashion nowadays, but his hair is flaming red, oiled dark into armomatic ringlets that cascade down his cheeks and neck. His normal outfit is a light green silken shirt underneath a dark green soft leather greatcoat. His trousers are brown and airy, and his feet are adorned with long, thin boots. Around his waists he wears the blood-red sash of House Temozareila [B] Personality[/B]: Belial is a man of two sides. His demeanor, his open face, is kind and likeable, slow to judge and quick to laugh, he is a compulsive flirt, and is keen to get in on any gambling action. However, underneath this mask is a man obssessed. He is ruthless, brutal and utterly determined. If he wants something, he will find a way to get it through hell or high water. Somewhat of a dandy, he looks after his image (and the image of his current significant other) with an obsessive devotion, both in physical appearance and reputation. [B]Weapons[/B]: Not one for guns, Belial satifies himself with a battle-forged Rapier, long and elegant, with an elaborate basket hilt in the shape of a raptor's claw. In his left boot his keeps a thin, sturdy main guache (off-hand dagger) [B]Introductions are in Order[/B]: "[I]Jarbilong and Belial 'ap Temozareila, of the House Temozareila![/I]' the herald sang out in a deep, melodious voice, and the two figures in the doorway bowed in perfect, practisd unison. The hall was almost sparse for such an occassion, although, Belial noted, filled with only the cream of the crop. His eyes slid around the hall, noting all the faces of the business men, merchants and factory owners who talked and laughed amongst the tumblers, acotbats and waiters. A man dressed in a long, white robe offered the two getlemen a fluked glass of some sort of beverage. Taking a tentative sip, he found it was a sweet Asamaec, a rare off-world drink made from the bark of a tree. Belial and Jarbilong made their way through the crowd, siping the Asamaec and talking in hushed tones. "I don't see why you dragged me here, Jarbilong. I was all set for a night at the Arena. I heard that the Blood Rose was fighing tonight." "You spend too much time in the Arena, Belial my friend. You need to mingle with the masses, or your name will shortly be lost." "As if my name is found." "Belial..." "I'll have you known I've been to four parties within the last tenday!" "Indeed?" "Indeed." "Liar." Belial stopped and stared in a parting through the crowd. A woman stood there in an emeral green low-cut dress, her hair held back and spiked out. Adorning her chest and shoulders were three live jewel spiders, each one the size of a man's fist. Half her face was covered by a masquerade style mask shaped with the 10 eyes of a spider, but her lips were full and pouting. "Who is that [i]vision[/i]?" Belial whispered, quite dumbfounded "The Mistress Anansee, of the House Bryson. Quite untouchable, I'm sure you'll find." "Oh...I'm sure I'll find a way..." Belial said, sauntering towards her in slow, predatory steps. Tonight he hunted. Alright, your turn

Actually, Japan, you misintepreted my post. Basically, I believe that the original idea of God was a necessity of man to answer the unanswerable questions. Now I believe we have moved on through science and such (I mean no slight on religious people with this, though(, an god is no longer a necessity.

I was wandering around the internet and stumbled across a formula developed by a team of Scientists, sociologists and pyschologists. A formula for Murphy's (or Sod's) law. It is thus: In the calculation, five factors have to be assessed: urgency (U), complexity (C), importance (I), skill (S) and frequency (F) and each given a score between one and nine. A sixth, aggravation (A), was set at 0.7 by the experts after their poll. Top of the most likely - and most annoying - events was spilling something down yourself before a date and the boiler breaking down in cold weather, followed by rush hour being worse when you're already late. The equation has seven steps to forecasting a potential Murphy's Law moment, so you can work out which factors you need to change to avoid it: 1. Rate the urgency, importance and complexity on a scale of one to nine and add the three figures together 2. Rate from one to nine how skilled you are at the task, then subtract this from 10 3. Multiply answers to 1 and 2 and divide by 20 4. Rate from one to nine how frequently you perform the task and divide this by 10 5. Rate the sine (or sin) of your answer to step 4 and subtract this from 1 6. Divide 1 by your answer to step 5 7. Multiply your answer to step 3 by 0.7 and multiply this by your answer to step 6, and that's your Sod's Law rating. The closer to 10 it is, the higher your risk of falling victim. Or, to summarise ((U+C+I) x (10-S))/20 x A x 1/(1-sin(F/10)) ...just thought I'd let you know :D

Personally, I'm a bit of a Freudian. That is to say, I belive that God is the necessity of Man. Now, I'm not saying that everyone should belive in God (being an atheist myself), but it makes sense why people do. For example: [I]A caveman looks up at the sky and sees the sun crawl its lazy journey above him. "Why does the sun do that?" he ponders. "There must be something moving it, otherwise it would stay where it was." he concludes. And thus he called the thing that moves the sun God.[/I] Simplistic, I know, but it makes sense if you think about it. God is man's way of answering the questions he cannot answer himself. Of course, I do philosophy and have thought long and hard on subjects such as this, and asking my own questions, like: [I]Why would a perfect God create an imperfect universe?[/I] Or, more soecifically [I]Why would a perfect God create a universe at all?[/I] But then you get into the problem of personification, and the Problem of Evil and so on and so forth. To conclude, I think that religion is a nice idea...in moderation. Cheers