Retribution

[SIZE=1]Inspired by Naruto. Comments are apprieciated. [B]Untitled[/B] You don?t seem to see The constant battle I fight Just to smile You don?t understand The demon I must restrain To act civil You have no idea How many nights were cold, lonely And with no explanation why. Why am I hated? What blood defiles me? So I try to hard Just to be noticed So I pray not to fail Just to be accepted So I persevere through the tough times Just to show the strength of this sinner And I?m willing to sacrifice myself again So that this evil?s forgiven.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]My dad is definitely smarter than I. He went to Princeton for undergrad and Harvard Law School for his degree in law he has now. My mom... ehh... I don't know. She's an awesome writer, but not book smarter than I.[/SIZE]

[quote name='x kakashi x']Yes, I hadn't even remembered hate crimes. Its nice to see other nationalities mentioned. Thank you Chabichou :animesmil . As for hate crimes, I believe that they are completely unnecessary. How can people possible try to live equally when there is laws based solely on a person's race. Crimes should be punishable equally. When a black person kills a white person, for whatever reason, its not considered a hate crime. Now if a white person kills a black person, then theres always that speculation of whether or not it was because of the person's race. I mean how stupid is that? Who cares what the reason is, they deserve an equal punishment (excluding other factors). It completely contradicts the constitution. We are not all equal in society when members of a certain race have special privelages. This law and some others don't neglect a person's race, they practically point it out.[/quote] [SIZE=1]It's mostly due to the overcompensation of racism. Like you said, the white guy is always walking on thin ice, so they have to go out of their way, lest they be accused by someone ignorant of "being racist" or something. I think Tony said that it was called "The white man's burden." lol Although, that is a short collection of writing by Chamberlain talking about how Europeans should rule the world. >_

[SIZE=1]Hm... Well, I'd definitely take a bullet for my brothers, but I'm not so sure about anyone else. Perhaps a child (someone younger than me). I'd never take a bullet for someone over the age of twenty though. I just have this burning desire to live, so I might not even take a bullet for a child, even if I didn't know them. Actually, now that I think about how stressful such a situation would be, I'd probably stare in shock as the kid was gunned down. I wouldn't really have the balls to jump in the line of fire for someone I didn't know. My parent's wouldn't want me to take the bullet, same for my other relatives. They'd want me to experience life to the fullest -- but I wouldn't have courage enough to do otherwise anyway. v_v I'm not even gonna feign like I'm some honorable-dogooder. If I don't know you, or you seem to have experienced a longer life than I have, I'm not going to take a bullet. I have a serious aversion to pain and death in general. It's selfish, but I'd rather keep my own life than save an anonymous one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]The swirl and blend of sound and color of the market place overwhelmed him, as he quickly realized that he enjoyed a peaceful nook much more than a bustling city. He longed deeply for a moment of solitude, to escape the claustrophobic city. Stirring his thoughts like a rock hitting stagnant water, was a gray metal blur flashing into his view. With a hollow thud, it impacted into the ground in front of him. He should have been more alert -- but he hadn't expected his opponent to be in a thriving, busy market place. The thought alone was slightly alarming. [I]Would she risk hurting these other people?[/I] He decided to call out, to test the waters a bit. "Excuse me, but are you my opponent?" Perhaps she would think him soft for being so polite, but it was only second nature. She gave him a toothy grin, deftly flipping backwards as she let another shuriken fly in his direction. It wasn't a serious throw, as it was sluggish as it approached him. But still, he unsheathed his kodachi with his left hand, and knocked the spiky object away from him. [i]It's her.[/i] He knew it, he thought as his right hand moving on its own to the katana, unsheathing it. He gave her a soft gaze, trying to see what she thought of him. [I]Does she consider me a worthy opponent?[/I] He hoped not. It would pay for her to be unaware of his skill. Deflecting a shuriken as slow as the last one thrown did not take too much skill. He took a step backwards, and bumped into a man in his thirties, who immediately yelled at him. Quickly realizing a circle of people surrounded him, he knew someone would die from a stray shuriken. The thief seemed not to care. [i]I won't let them weight me down. If they die, it is because they didn't run.[/i] "If you don't want to get hurt, leave now." He said it above the murmur of the crowd, which was gasping at the ensuing fight. They shrugged him off, but slowly the tide of people began to receed back into the recesses of the city -- back home, to work, to the park. It was good. With the market relatively empty, the fight would be much easier. All the while, the thief had blended into the crowd, taking the moment to steal away from his line of sight. Inside his mind, he was frantic, knowing he needed to find her, or he would die from a shuriken in the back of his head. His eyes darted, searching the rather vacant marketplace. With both kodachi and katana at the ready, he slowly approached a small shelf made of wooden boxes, coincidentally happening to be the box where Sakura hid behind.OOC: Hope that was good enough to get this started. And I'd like to see your fighting style before you see mine, so ha. ^_^[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, it's good overall. Here's some minor adjustments to make. [b]Font.[/b] Firstly, the quote is good, but doesn't match the image, and second, it looks awkward. I suppose the positioning is sporadic, and the words look feeble... like I could crush them with my pinky finger. Know what I mean? Perhaps a stroke/outer-glow/bevel would help make it a little "stronger" looking. Also, try using font that portrays the emotion felt in the image/quote. I'm guessing something a little sad/droopy/jagged. [b]Sasuke.[/b] I like the abstract bg, but Sasuke is ehh. He has color, but isn't blending very well with the abstract bg. He's lost definition with the colors he's been given ... perhaps add another layer and darken him? Not exactly sure. Good stuff. This, my friend, could beat me. ^_^[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Kairi][CENTER][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]To Retribution: See...you had nothing to worry about. Next time there's an issue or something like that...please wait...cause in the end it really ment nothing. I personally don't care whether I win or loss. If anyone has an issue with people voting...or with the idea of ''lossing" please PM me about it. [/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1][B]Kairi:[/B] Yeah, sorry about all the confusion/mishap/semi-drama. It's all good between you and I though. [B]Sakura:[/B] Yes, I accept your challenge! I won't be online for a bit (perhaps until friday), so bear with me. I hope you're inventive. Mu-ha. If you could set up the thread, I'd be forever grateful. [b]New Rule:[/b] I like the idea. Makes it much easier. How about a set number of votes needed to win, so that a spar doesn't end up getting 20 votes. Perhaps first to 5 wins, or whoever has the most votes within "x" days wins.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I've seen you do bettar work. The avatar is pretty good, although I think scanlines would've done better than a grid for this. But the banner, I really don't dig the font or positioning of "Boo." The left side of the banner's colors are starting to diffuse from your original colors (on the right), making it look kinda sketchy. I like the effect/filters/brushing on the banner itself, but the font and left side dragged this down.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Being black myself, it's sort of strange to be fed up with the generalizations of your race. Some black people enjoy blaming "the man" or "the system" or "it's just the way it is." It's a deep-rooted problem that probably won't be fixed for a long time. Yes, it stemmed from slavery, but that's over too. The wounds still remain though. After being emancipated, black folk were still treated like dirt. After [about] a century, black people weren't as discriminated against, but that's not saying much had improved. They were still being lynched, "colored" this, and "colored" that. Hey, perhaps even "colored" time. Har har. After the Civil Rights movement, things were still tense, but people eventually stopped being so racist. But blacks were economically challenged for reasons that are too complicated/deep-set to talk about now. So they went to the ghettos. That's where all the crime and shizzle came in. But where am I going with? No idea. Haha. Race in general is a double-edged sword. Perhaps it gives you a swelling feeling in your chest, that your race did something good. But it's also hurtful, easily used to separate people and judge them on it. If I had a choice, I'd keep my skin. It doesn't make me feel particularly proud that the leading cause of death in black males under age 21 is gunshot wounds. But it does make me feel good that we've come so far, and that great people have hurdled immeasurable obstacles to give me a chance at living good. I suppose a legacy like that is something to cherish.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Inspired by "Brave New World" by Huxley. Finished reading it for the second time. Go ahead and leave a comment on whatever you please. [b]Efficiency[/b] Product equality emphasized As our society grows more efficient We progress humanity -- to live happier lives. Mass production -- an innovation of centuries past Improves our quality of living. We are all equal. We are all congruent -- same Conditioning the embryonic child To love their function, to love their sameness. - Their equality - Their congruency. We smile together In the light of our glowing industry Happy that humanity is evolving Massproducehappinesskillindividualityconformforsociety[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1] At least try to derive a scrap of deeper meaning from this, rather than not comment on it, or just give me crit on syntax. Try to tell me what emotion you get from this, so that I can see if I succeeded in my job. [B]Aircrash[/B] [I]Pull up... Pull up...[/I] The frantic radio screams to me. I can't do it, I'm not strong enough. [I]Slow down... Slow down...[/I] The static line scrambles, cracks in its frantic yelps. [I]Do you copy?[/I] ... And the silence hung. They knew it. The devistating crash to the bottom I forsaw Killing me upon impact[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]... These are all pretty good banners/avatars, but how much work do you do? All I see are crops, resizing, and text. Perhaps experimentation with other effects would do you good. My bad. I guess I didn't see your more recent work. v_v[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, I feel there are a few points to life. 1. To live to better the human race, and make it a more enjoyable place to be farther down the road for your offspring. It's basically that "greater good" philosophy coming from here. 2. And to live the best life you can. To try and live up to your morals, and to excel at what you do. To push ahead, slogging through the muck and grime of the world to push forth society and yourself. 3. Or perhaps to worship God. 4. Or perhaps just to die -- our life is inconsequential. We cease to exist when we die, so in the grand scheme of things, what is the point? I personally, go to explaination #2, and perhaps a little less of #3.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]Dagger[/B] You seem to be simplistic, not to be bothered with overexplaination or looking particularly done-up. But that's not to say that you don't value your personal appearance. Your minimalism serves you well. Haha.[/SIZE]

[quote=Xy GGu] Florida news < What we are presented with in post = One-sided opinion Wrong sense of justice / Unfair radical replies = Disgust toward those claiming to be humane[/quote] [SIZE=1]Whoa... what're you talking about? It seems to me that this "one-sided opinion" isn't stemming from my side of the fence. The media is taking your side -- bringing up the "She's an [B]innocent 5 year old child[/B] from a rough life -- weep for us" arguement. Wrong sense of justice? Who's to say? I do know that the media is on your side. Don't think for a minute that the media wouldn't eat up a story about "child abuse by a teacher."[/SIZE] [quote=Sage]That is where you are sadly very, very wrong. Just think about yourself when you were five. Surely you threw some wild tantrums over the smallest things, throwing stuff and screaming your lungs out. In this case the girl was in a class room with lots of potential targets to aim frustration at, it's not like she did it out of the evilness of her soul. Think about your own reaction if suddenly, in the middle of your childish fissyfit, a couple of bulky strange adults had come and put cold steel chains around your wrists and ankles. How can you possibly say that it wouldn't harm the kid in any way? That is like the most traumatizing thing for a five year old aside sexual abuse and violence! Next time before you start saying what's harmful and what's not, Retribution, do a little soul-searching, okay?[/quote] [SIZE=1][B]This girl truly had no right to do this.[/B] Just because she was hella pissed doesn't mean she can go swear like a drunken sailor and tear posters off a wall and yell and kick and scream like there's no tommorow. Handling your anger in a destructive manner -- at any age (well, unless you're around three or under) isn't right. They [I]might not know that[/I], but their ignorance doesn't make things hunky dorey. Hm... so you ask me to put myself in her shoes? If I was throwing one of my own hissy-fits when the cops came in? If I was thrashing about and swearing like a sailor, my mother would have laid a firm back hand across my cheek and thrown me in my room without dinner. If the cops had come in? I'd be horridly frightened. It [I]is admittedly[/I] an 'over-the-top' thing to do. But what should the teacher have done? Throw her in a closet? Pick up the thrashing child? I know I wouldnt've. Picking up + Thrashing/Berserker child = physical pain for you. I think people have a problem with the whole cops coming in and cuffing her deal. That, as stated before, is probably because you all associate cuffs with jail and capital punishment and those dingy/dark jail cells. But it was only a mechanism to prevent her from dealing further damage to her surroundings. Would your reaction have been different if the cops put her in a room alone? Probably. Damaging to the child? No idea. I know that she won't end up in some mental ward. It's not enough to make her crazy or anything. And don't tell me to "'do some soul searching." I know exactly what I think, and don't need someone else to second guess my decisions. This girl was not right to explode on the teacher like she did. It'd be good if someone knew what prompted her to detonate upon the classroom like she did.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Sage]Listen to yourself! She's[I] five years old[/I], the teacher could've held her in his/her arms, speaking to her with a calming voice. How hard can it be to calm down a five year old kid with a temper tantrum?! I've done it multiple times when I worked at the kindergarten, and no, not once I felt the need to call [I]the police[/I']. And I really worked with children with special needs who had little to no self-control.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Thank you; I'm well aware of the fact she's [i]five years old.[/i] I don't think the teacher was going to pick up the kid because she was thrashing about, probably ready to harm a person if they tried to constrain her. I'm sure the teacher over reacted by calling to cops, and that holding the girls wrists or something would've been the best course of action. But in reality, the teacher did what she did, and I'm left thinking -- Is it terrible? No, not really. It's the preconcieved notion of being cuffed that's got everyone thinking that they were doing somethign inhumane to her. Then the arguement of "mentally damaging her" springs up, almost from nowhere. I mean, yes, she definitely was under alot of stress, but that does not give her the right to trash a classroom. The reality of it all is that both parties were at fault. She shouldnt've trashed the room, and the teacher shouldnt've called the cops. Yes, calling the cops was over the top, but it's not like the girl is harmed from it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Yeah, I've seen Kino's Journey a few times at my friends house (Heil On Demand!), and I'm completely in love with it. It being only 13 episodes long is really too bad, because when you start to love it alot, it's over. And towards the end of the series, you understand why Kino is traveling around. [spoiler]It's a "dream" or "book," make by her father to disillusion her from the real world, which is a barren place. Her and her father are the only two people alive there, so he uses this technology similar to the Matrix. And the intriguing question was posed "What happens when the story ends?" I'm left wondering the same thing too.[/spoiler][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, I think breastfeeding is much better than formula. But at a meeting is a no-no. Like everyone else has already said before, a meeting isn't exactly an appropriate place to do this. But formula doesn't have to be used in its stead. Why not just pump it out into a bottle for the baby, and then give it a bottle instead? I think what Adahn was getting at is that breasts are distracting not because they're sexually attractive, but because they're distracting -- mostly due to our preconcieved notions that breasts are sexual things. I'm sure you'd be a little flustered if a woman just whipped out a breast in front of you to feed her child. It's just ... natural. It's engrained in us.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Adahn][size=2]I feel it's appropriate to add a little more information.[/size] [size=2]1. The little girl said she didn't have a father.[/size] [size=2]2. The little girl said her mother doesn't love her.[/size] [size=2]3. The little girl's teacher was mean to her constantly, and she got fed up with it. (not something I'd put past most Florida teachers, from what I've heard)[/size] [size=2]4. They also handcuffed the little girl's ankles.[/size] [size=2]5. To clarify, when I say little girl, I mean 5-year old girl.[/size] [/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Thank you [I]so much [/I] for telling me that before I posted. It really helped to know that while I posted in the first place, in order to have an informed decision. But really, judging on what Adahn said in his [B]first[/B] post, my opinion stands. I would definitely lock the girl up, or just keep her in cuffs until they managed to subdue her. What should they have done? Just like the little devil run around and break more stuff, and potentially hurt more people? At this point, a "Let's calm down, now" talk wouldnt've sufficed. She was past the breaking point, and the only thing to do then, was to let her rage tire itself out. I believe that the police cuffed her so that she would burn her rage out, and not hurt anyone/thing. Now, with the NEW information, I can create a different opinion. Locking her up -- I'm not sure about. But I do believe in putting her in a controlled area where she can't hurt anyone or break anything for a while. Perhaps that place would be the back of the cop car, while the cops/teacher tried to calm her down from the other side of the steel fency thing. We should also take the girl's word for a grain of salt. I believe her saying that her mom doesn't love her, and her father's not there, but what about the teacher? That could have been just a biased outbursted when she was pissed. I mean, when [I]you're[/I] angry at someone, you won't say "She's nice to me!" you'll be more ready to say "******* off!" But, even if her teacher wasn't mean, but her home-life sucked, it still doesn't permit for her to trash a room. Heck, if that were the case, I'm sure many classrooms across America would need to be fixed up again. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Xy GGu']I am starting to feel disgusted about and toward a lot of people lately. No one here being any exception.[/quote] [SIZE=1]What do you mean "disgusted?" As in you don't like our conduct, or our opinions? If you don't like my opinions, sorry. If you don't like my conduct, please tell me why, and I'll see if you have any grounds. I'm guessing you're digusted that I'd want to lock up the girl for the night? I'm surprised you don't agree with me on something like that. I mean, the kid needs to be shown how to act, and not be a complete b**** all the time. Therefore, you have to go to the extreme. The inmate thing was a [I]joke.[/I] Lighten up, man. But if you weren't talking about the discussion at hand ... I don't know what to tell you.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I assume we're analyzing the person above us... Well, [B]Hacky[/B], your name speaks for itself. You either love violence, or just the cool name. You probably have somewhat of a dark aura around you, with that angsty persona goin' on in real life. Your custom title isn't helping me much though... "Extreme?" [I]Harold & Kumar go to White Castle [/I] pops into my mind when I hear it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I kind of don't care how old you are ... if you're above the age of three, you know better. If you don't, oh well. That' too bad -- so GO COPS! They should've locked that girl up for a night, and see how she turned out then. [B]With the other inmates.[/B] Yes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]In general, I agree with Lunox, but I also feel you're trying too hard. The expressions Salinger uses are forced -- I can just ... feel it in the sentences. Compacting the use of Holden's trademark phrases makes it seem too condensed, and gives the whole "I'm trying too hard" feel. Again, like Lunox, I guess I'm being a stickler or something. Forgive me for that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Don't be shy, people! It bugs me that this thread doesn't get many replies. My Anthology threads have a habit of being like that too. But here's a bunch of work I've been doing. I hope it makes up for the time I've been not posting anything. So ... here goes! [b]Way of the Warrior[/b] - A banner for my new forum (see sig for a link!) [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/wotwbanner2.jpg[/url] [b]Retri Neon Icon[/b] - A little crop of the bigger image (see below) [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/retriav.jpg[/IMG] [b]Tokyo Nightlife[/b] - Made for a graphic battle, with the theme being Japan. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/tokyo.jpg[/IMG] [b]Not Okay Again[/b] - A lil image for Treno+Jian's forum. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/noa1.jpg[/IMG] [b]Nebula[/b] - Experimentation [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/retrifire.jpg[/IMG] [b]Retri Banner[/b] - I was wearing this just a few days ago. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/mechinfinity/retribattle.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff] Just to clarify - that's for all Popes, not just Benedict - he's not concieted or anything. The Pope is technically suppose to derive his decisions on prayer, the bible, and the Holy Spirit. The idea in general is very laughable to me, personally, but I just wanted to clarify that it's not only Benedict that thinks that.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Yeah, I know. I guess it does sound like I meant only him in my post. And I still think that the whole infallibility in regard to faith and morals is complete ... crud. Heh. I mean, there's plenty examples of Popes in history who clearly taught the wrong things. And during the Reformation, when there were [B]three [/B] Popes at once![/SIZE]