Mr. Blonde

I think it creates an undeserved aire of confidence. It's not a real accomplishment and not worth a breath of bragging rights. But that's just my opinion. Do I care enough to actually go to options and disable it? No.

Well that went off pretty well. Except for the Justice messing up the oath. So apparently they have something like 12 inaugural balls to go to which will last until roughly 3am. It's good to be the king.

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial] Watch your ellipses. Four periods at the ends of sentences, not three.[/font] [/QUOTE] Actually it [I]is[/I] three, not four. Well the response is pretty much what I expected so far. But I decided I'd rather do something unique and fail doing it than do what I have done before. Thanks for the feedback so far everyone.

I was kind of having a hard time thinking of what to do with my character but I think I can put something together now. Sorry for the delay, Vicky.

[quote name='JJ']As horrible as this sounds, he did "get" it for being a terrorist. Reading the article sent a chill down my spine as I read what all they had done to him. Some of that is almost unbearable and the fact that he landed in the hospital twice? I honestly think there was justice served here, if he truly is who he's been labeled as.[/QUOTE] Justice? I would hardly call this justice. "Rumsfeld warned in 2002 that torturing would jeopardize convictions of 550 detainees at Gitmo, hundreds ultimately go free with no charges. Dozens are tortured, eight fatally. Three are convicted on U.S. soil, twelve hundred immigrants are rounded up without due process, without bail, without court dates, and without a single charge of terrorism" That's not justice. We're getting that bad drinker face, and we're looking more and more like the terrorists.

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]We do already have a name for Olivier's father, although I can't access that just now. [/font][/QUOTE] I searched for it but for the life of me couldn't find it. Thanks, James. I'll change that in my post.

[quote name='DeLarge'][SIZE=1]Actually, scratch that, I really can't. You Yanks and your crazy traditions... [/SIZE][/QUOTE] As you dust off your powdered wigs and go to court.

Alright, its up there. I followed those before me and kind of molded the Achard family a bit more. If anything needs to be changed, let me know.

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][B]Your name: [/B] Nicodemus Lockharvest [B]Your age: [/B] By his physical appearance one would judge Lockharvest to be no older than 65, but he refuses to reveal his real age, seeing it as a sign of weakness. [B]Your connection to the [B][COLOR="DarkRed"]Almagest[/COLOR][/B] OR [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard[/B][/COLOR] family: [/B] Nicodemus Lockharvest was an orphan from the moment he was born, but was adopted by Olivier [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard’s[/B][/COLOR] father (Laurent [B][COLOR="DarkRed"]Achard[/COLOR][/B] Sr.) when he was in his early teens. [B]Your portrait: [/B] [U][URL=http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3230/1001ym1.jpg]Nicodemus Lockharvest[/URL][/U] (Shy, if you would like more detail let me know and I'll add some. I just sketched this up and wanted to get my audition up here asap.) [B]Your occupation/location:[/B] Nicodemus Lockharvest is the High Priest of the Treasury at the Church of the Phoenix. He lives along with the other High Priests on the Island Citadel, off the coast of Cobalt Bay. [B]Your story: [/B] Nicodemus was found on the steps of the Writhlyn Orphanage, hours from birth, barely alive. He was taken in by the women of Writhlyn and raised within its walls. If Lumière Academy is the light of Anova, Writhlyn was surely the dark. It was a dreadful place, where unspeakable horrors were brought upon its children. The orphans were used as beggars, placed on street corners to plead for change, nothing but pawns for the Orphanage to turn a profit. Some of the children were even blinded, crippled, maimed; the lame orphans always made more money for Writhlyn. Luckily for Nicodemus he was spotted by Laurent [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard [/B][/COLOR] while begging in Le Monde and taken in as an adopted son. This displeased most members of the [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard[/B][/COLOR] family for one reason or another. Despite his lack of acceptance by the other [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard[/B][/COLOR] siblings, and even Laurent's wife, Marianne-Odette, Nicodemus quickly found a kinship with Olivier and for years the boy was Nicodemus’ only friend. However his time at the orphanage hardened Nicodemus, and it is this deep seeded resent that will propel him through his life, guiding his actions along the way. Though Nicodemus was always judged to be the brightest of his boys, Laurant always sensed something intensely troubling about the lad. He seemed to lack the slightest bit of human compassion, so the old man was bewildered when his early twenties Nicodemus decided to volunteer as a devotee in the Church of the Phoenix. His said his goodbye’s to everyone (though only Laurent and Olivier seemed to regret his departure) and left his home. Nicodemis’ wits and high intelligence allowed him to excel in his studies within the Church. He was a faithful protégé under Priest Camous Pendragon, before the Priest’s suspicious death some years later. And though there were whispers of treachery Nicodemus was appointed as Pendragon’s successor, and given the surname of Lockharvest by the Church. Nicodemus had no patience for teaching and held no interest in apprenticing a devotee. It came as no surprise that when his region’s Cardinal was found murdered, Nicodemus quickly sought the position. Nicodemus’ impeccable record, along with the kind words and considerable donations of Laurent [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achard[/B][/COLOR] guaranteed Nicodemus would receive what he desired. In his late thirties Nicodemus Lockharvest became the youngest Cardinal ever appointed within the Church of the Phoenix. For nearly forty years Nicodemus reveled in his comfortable position of power, molding his region’s churches into his vision: money making machines. Cardinal Lockharvest’s ministries raised more funds for the Church than all other Cardinals combined. Two years ago he was handsomely rewarded and given the position of High Priest of the Treasury, completely overseeing the church’s finances. During his years in the Church, Nicodemus has strayed away from his adopted family; this particularly affected his brother Olivier. After Laurent's death, Nicodemus never returned to his childhood home, and seldom agreed to meet with Olivier. Though many [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]Achards [/B][/COLOR]question the decency of Nicodemus, Olivier has stood by him all these years. This fact had led Nicodemus to say, “My father, and brother Olivier are the only people I will ever love”. [/FONT]

Both nations have habitually overstepped their bounds. That's all I will say regarding the matter because many people have stated my opinions already. [quote name='Chabichou'][COLOR="#004a6f"] The only obstacle is Israel and the U.S. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] I don't know if I like the way this sounds... Obstacle? I think Otaku's threat level has just been raised to orange. Yikes.

Susan J. Crawford (the official in charge of deciding whether Guantanamo Bay detainees go to trial) has declined to refer Mohammed al-Qahtani (a Saudi national who attempted to take part in the September 11th attacks as the 5th man on flight 93) for trial because it is now evident that he was tortured while imprisoned. [url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303372.html[/url] So much for Bush's torture policy bringing justice to the world and avenging the deaths of those killed on September 11th. Now this would be terrorist will go free because of an archaic torture policy (which Cheney denied exists) that the Bush administration has used on Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The size of the event is only in response to public interest. Costly measures had to be taken to meet public demand and avert certain mishaps from happening. Though many will definitely occur regardless. This is a money making machine for the DC area, which will certainly recoup any losses. The bars, shops, stores, restaurants, hotels... hundreds of millions of dollars are coming to DC on the 20th. About 40 million dollars has already been raised to offset the cost of the event, and certainly much more will be raised on inauguration day. Also, the high security detail... I don't think anyone can deny that this president will be a marked man his entire time in office. Measures must be taken, even those seen as extreme.

[QUOTE=Meet the Parents] [SIZE="1"]Jack: Greg, how come you don't like cats? Greg: I don't not like cats. I-I just-- I just prefer dogs. I mean, I'm just more of a dog kind of, you know--Come home, wagging their little tails, happy to see you kind of-- Jack: You need that assurance? You prefer an emotionally shallow animal? You see, Greg, when you yell at a dog, his tail will go between his legs and cover his genitals, his ears will go down. A dog is very easy to break, but cats make you work for their affection. They don't sell out the way dogs do. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] hilarious. ------------------

Very nicely done both of you. You both paint a very vivid picture of the despair and hopelessness laid before you. My vote will go for Delarge for the following reason: The first post told me how the character was feeling. The second post explained to me his actions and that in turn allowed me to gauge how he felt. While the first post did this in a way, Delarge handled the subtle nature of failure and fall from glory very well.

cats are the lazy man's pet hence, I own cats.

I already had mine written, Vicky, so no advantage this time. But mine is up, let the criticism begin.

Dear, friend I find myself in the lost years, wondering if I?ll ever experience ?found? years. Does it just get worse from here? How does anyone survive? I finally realize the human race is in a quandary. Torn between beasts and gods, we possess the positive of neither, but the negative of both. We must continually occupy our minds, for threat of the many ?illnesses? that plague our psyche are but a whisper away from truth. If given more than a moment to consider our imprudence and tactlessness we recoil and question our humanity and the very point of our existence, like sharks that must constantly swim to breathe. We ask, ?How could ?God? do this?? In these lost years I feel more alone than I ever have, wishing for someone to merely say, ?I understand,? but I doubt I would hear the words even if they were spoken. I live for happiness that will never be fulfilled, and desires that will never be quenched. The human condition is a sad one indeed. I've searched for a point to life, spending money to learn a skill, spending time to catch a dream that does not exist. The pursuit of happiness has been out of reach for so long that the realization of it is impossible. We all hold onto ?Wait until?? Wait until I finish that, wait until I do this, wait until I have grown so old that my dream can be nothing but a dream. It will be perfect, unspoiled and more real than it could ever have been. Would I be happy then? Actual feelings escape me. I only realize how I [I]should[/I] feel. I am on the outside looking in. There is no room for any sentiment anymore. I play my ?game? with each and every person; never letting someone know how much I actually enjoy them, and never telling them I can?t live without them for the fear of losing them all together. I wish more than anything to hear, ?I love you?, but will cringe in opposition when I do. It is in this unwillingness that I an not meant for this world; the bastard child of hope and failure, my end is inevitable. It is at this time that I finally realize there is nothing more that can be done. My acceptance of this fact has been clouded by my blind faith of the 'American Dream', but it is in this hope that I find nothing but hopelessness: the ghost of a life I was promised, but never can have. Even the fact that my 'privileged' life disappoints me is sickening; I have become 'one of those people'. I can no longer stand what I am, now knowing this is all I will be. Now there's nothing more to say. I'm leaving you today; this is the end. Goodbye.

I was beginning to think that as well. However I wasn't sure how much detail needed to be present. Apparently not as much as I had thought. I'll throw that on the back burner.

It's a shame we can't get more people posting here, but we'll make due. I'll post when I can.

If we can get at least one more person (a pilot) I'll take care of the other crew positions. I have a couple ideas.

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]You've kind of missed my point Mr. Blonde. Just as the church is not one-note or evil, it is not fanatical in the opposite direction in regards to all of technology either. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] I misunderstood your point at first, but now my point is actually similiar to yours. They only use mining and technology when it is more useful or there is no alternative. It seems since they wouldn't use metal for armor, they wouldn't use thousands of pounds more metal for a fleet of air ships when wood would do the job, and actually be more practical, like I suggested: [quote name='Mr. Blonde']... but I just like the application of wood here better. I think it looks good and it's much lighter than steel would be. [/QUOTE] But I also suggested a mix of some wooden and some metal ships. We can agree on that maybe? Or perhaps wooden ships held together with large steel struts. What's your thought on this, SunfallE?

I'll post tomorrow to keep this going. considering Delarge just made the post I should have, but I suck so I didn't. Thanks by the way, buddy. I was just waiting for other people to put something up... so much for that.

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]I see no problem using metal here. Earlier it was mentioned that the church had issues with alchemy and magitechnology (particularly the latter). [/font][/QUOTE] I didn't think I had read about the church being opposed to non-magical metal, but then again I know I'm not as familiar with this story as some of you guys so I wasn't sure. I agree, James, as far as being able to use metal, but I just like the application of wood here better. I think it looks good and it's much lighter than steel would be. Plus it would be much easier to work with, unless the church has large refineries to manufacture the steel. And I think since the church is very "green", most likely the ships would be kept afloat by hot air, which would eliminate any fire hazard in that regard. EDIT: Or here's a fine compromise: A mixed bag. Some metal ships, some wood. I'd imagine there would be different phases of ships, older and newer. So in that time span the material they were created from might have changed by what was available at the time. Metal can be recycled after all. And steel swords sound fine to me. I suppose we don't need to confuse the issue.

In no particular order: Pick up cat o' nine tails: Take strawberry jam: Weave basket: Bare knuckle box Tom Brokaw: Pick up land mine (oops): Search for hospital:

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well though I do think the church would be clever to a certain extent, I'm not so sure they'd go so far as to build it entirely out of wood. After all the gas used for Zeppelins is highly flammable. So it wouldn't make much sense to use something that also burns. Plus, wood would rot after being rained on. It wouldn't provide an airtight seal either, allowing the precious gas to escape.[/QUOTE][/color][/font] If a zeppelin catches on fire, wood or not it's going down. Plus the hull would not need to be air tight, because it is completely closed off from the blimp. Most air luxury air ships have windows, so the air tight lock isn't neccesary. Also if rotting were an issue, naval forces wouldn't have made their battle ships from wood for thousands of years. [QUOTE] Osage orange is a homely wood, its crooked, curved growth looking almost deformed compared to arrow-straight hardwoods such as oak. But it resists rot well, and its natural crooks make it ideal for shaping into a hull's curved ribs. [/QUOTE] Also the ships could be thermal air ships, which means they are powered by hot air and not flammable gas such as hydrogen. Also helium will not burn either. [quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] So I see them being as clever as possible and yet still willing to use the bare minimum of materials necessary for such ships. Like how the guard would have real steel swords instead of wooden or other materials that wouldn't work as well. [/QUOTE][/color][/font] The swords could be made out of alternatives, such as ceramic. Some metal is used in production, but not nearly as much as a steel sword for instance. [QUOTE] Ceramic knife blades of various forms have the advantage that the ceramic they are made from (ususally some form of aluminium or zirconium oxide) is extremely hard. Not as hard as diamond, but fairly close if you believe the marketing. This means that it can be made extremely sharp and will not wear down and blunt the way a steel blade will. [/QUOTE] Or as I mentioned before bone. The tibetans used to make swords out of whale bone. If you think about it, bone is extremely strong, considering all of the wear and tear we put it through. [quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] I can definitely see leather armor under the uniforms in the image I provided since that would provide protection and cut down on the need to mine for ores. Just as I can see the other more bulky ones for Sief's personal guard. That would be considered more acceptable. [/QUOTE][/color][/font] I think all of the guards should be dressed how you presented, SunfallE. Like I mentioned I really enjoy the design. EDIT: Here's the look I was going for in regards to the hull of the airship. [U][URL=http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9167/19111964ag4.png][B][COLOR="Blue"]image[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/U] And looking back I noticed Shy mentioned the ships were steam powered, so the engine would most likely have to be iron of some kind, but the rest of ship could be wood.