Redemption

[center][IMG]http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/bishie_owner/F_F_Monaco.jpg[/IMG] [font=Trebuchet MS][color=DimGray][u][b]Welcome to Monaco, Europe.[/b][/u][/center] So? you?ve come to play in my league? This is no free ride. Any races that run in these streets go through me. And if you don?t play by my rules, you?d better watch your back. Monaco is known for three things: gambling, crime and rich people. Whether it?s fortunate or not, I?m one of those three. My family is rich ? really rich. But I guess that comes from being second-cousins to the royal family. My father, Heratio Armeni, is a famous F1 (Formula-1) driver, so I know my way around a car and I know what makes them tick. My uncle was a police informant with the Mafia. He played both sides and gathered a lot of contacts before he died. So don?t make the mistake of thinking I?m just a pretty face. Anyway, if you?re going to run in this part of the world, you?d better have some credentials. I?m going to pull up your rap sheet. You should know what a rap sheet is ? the report that police keep on you ? your traffic offence record. It doesn?t matter if you?re not from Europe, you can?t start fresh here. Your past will always catch up to you, especially in this town. If you?re hiding something from me or my crew, I will find out eventually. And in case you?re wondering, I don?t drag ? I drift. My ride is nothing to sneeze at. And the name is Rei ? Rei Armeni.[/font][/color] [center]=============================================[/center] [size=1]Welcome to the Fast and the Furious: Monaco Blaze RPG. It?s been a long time since I?ve created an RPG on here, so forgive me if I?m a bit rusty. Ok. This RPG is about the whole underground racing scene that Fast and Furious have made famous. I?ve tried to incorporate elements of the street racing series Need for Speed in this RPG as well as some elements from the Fast and Furious movies. For this RPG, I?m going to try something different. As players in this RPG, you are allowed free reign over who your character is and what they do. What I mean by this is that I?m willing to give you the creative leeway to create outlandish characters if you wish. They could be an undercover police informant, or a daughter of the Mafia. You also don?t have to be from Europe. You can be a newcomer, or a veteran of the Monaco racing scene, since the small country of Monaco will be the centre scene of this RPG. It is totally up to you. However, keep in mind that this is a real-life RPG. People can die. Our characters don?t have to know each other. There can even be some rivalries ? violent or not ? if you wish. But if you do know some character, please put them down in the sign-up under ?Known Associations?. Lastly, I will also be enforcing a posting order, so no one is left out. This is also to keep the RPG flowing slowly and evenly, so people can keep up. There will be an Underground thread for questions, queries or suggestions as well as extra information. Now the sign-up. I tried to be original and incorporate the Need for Speed: Most Wanted rap sheet that is used in the game. Since I don?t have it on hand, I made it up from what I could remember of it. Sign-up:[/size] [INDENT][font=Courier New][center] ************************************************** [size=3][b][u]Rap Sheet[/u][/b][/size] ************************************************** [/center] [b]Report filed by:[/b] (which authority made this report. eg. Miami PD) [b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] (19+) [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Occupation:[/b] [b]Nationality:[/b] [b]Short Bio:[/b] (two paragraph max) [center]************************[/center] [b]Traffic Offences:[/b] (what traffic offences have you committed. Eg. speeding excessively) [center]************************[/center] [b]Preferred Rides:[/b] (the cars you use to race or be seen with) [center]************************[/center] [b]Known Associations:[/b] (other characters that you know in this RPG)[/font][/INDENT] [size=1]I will be adding my character later. I also sent a PM to the mods of this section, since I accidently posted this thread before I remembered to put a rating on it.[/size]

[quote name='Blayze][size=1][b]Dare: [/b']a damn fine RPer, someone with an imagination to match mine, and another one I have on my MSN contacts list but never really talk to that often. I reckon she'd be great fun to hang out with.[/size][/quote] [size=1]Aw thanks Blayze. Talk to me sometime on MSN. I'm not going to bite. ^^ And congrats on the moderator job! I'm sure you'll do great![/size] [quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma][b]Dare[/b]. Wow, we've only had about 3 or 4 conversations, but they were special. She's a lot like me (in that opposite gender kind of way O_o) and that's appealing. Because I'm appealing. Yeah, I'd love to meet her.[/color'][/font][/quote] [size=1]I'm a lot like you? Lol. That's scary. Two Whites running around. [b]Anyway, adding more to my list: Jokopoko[/b] - dear dear Will. What can I say? We've jut started to talk and yet I feel like we're good friends. And that British charm. ;) [b]White[/b] - I think we've had two conversations White? The first. Well, lets just say I was depressed before the conversation started and was in hysterics by the end of it. I think my sisters think I'm strange, laughing at the computer for no apparent reason. [b]Keyblade Wielder[/b] - excellent artist and I've RPed with her one time before. She seems like a nice gal and easy to get along with. And I also believe that we've talked one time before on AIM. [b]Ikillion[/b] - talked to him a couple of times over AIM. He's really great and fun. And he and I love One Piece as much as each other. He even told me about Zoro in future episodes that I don't have. Thanks dude![/size]

[size=1]The Self-Appreciation Week event gave me this idea. Do you ever feel like that the username you use gives you a set personality? Confusing right? Let me explain. When I was [b]amgoddess[/b], I only ever posted in the Adventure Square. The majority of the RPGs I did were fantasy related with my characters being very similar to each other. When I was [b]Reiku[/b], I started to post in other sections of OB other than the Adventure Square. I also started to make individual characters for each RPG and explore different genres of RPGs. When I was [b]Kura[/b], I posted in other sections of OB often. I made RPGs that were different and out of the purely fantasy realm (or tried to). Now that I'm [b]Dare[/b] I try to be different than what I did with my other usernames by taking risks, making new friends, doing things I wouldn't of when I was any of those other usernames. Anyhow, the main reason I change my username is that I felt like I've evolved/matured from that username and need to make a new one that describes me better than before. Why do you change your username? Do you feel that a specific username you've used has been given a certain personality by other users?[/size]

[size=1]Nice banners. I really like the Ryuhou ones (I'm a sucker for him ^^; ). The first banner - The background in nice. Suits Ryuhou well. The font is nicely themed, again, suits Ryuhou well. As for the actual image of him, to me, it seems a little too much blur has been applied to it. I don't know whether that's an affect you put on him or if it was the original image that was like that. The second banner - Again, the background and the font are suited well to Ryuhou. And the image looks great! I wish I had some good pictures of him. ;_ ; May I ask where you got them?[/size]

[size=1]Well, here's an update on my planning for my website. I've come up with a basic design and a title. I'm basing the design off the picture attached and the font I chose for the title. The title will be 'The Written/Boy Emotion'. I'm not sure it says what I want it to say, but at the moment, it's the best I've got. If you've got any suggestions for a title, then post them! Any help will be much appreciated and credited. If you see the attachment at the bottom, you can see a guy with a gradient pink/purple background and sakura blossoms. Basically, the background of the main page (home page) will be that gradient of pink and purple. That picture will be in the top right hand corner. I plan to extract the sakura blossoms out of that pic and use them for design purposes in the site too. The font is called 'Beyond Wonderland', so if you have it, you'll know what I'll be talking about next. Anyhow, this font is very elegant and has its own unique style. It has a lot of curls and curves in its design so I'll be using that element to make the essence of the layout of the site (eg. dividers, borders, fonts). I'm still going to be working on the idea of making it a manga book metaphor (gah! last semester at uni is coming back to haunt me!!). You know how they have chapters within a manga book. Well, for the sub-main pages, I was thinking of doing the same design as the front page, but making them in grayscale, with small bits of colour in the page just to highlight certain things like links. For the bishie pages, they'd look like a normal manga page, with all the irregular polygons and the such. For the writing pages (fan-fics/original stories), well... haven't worked that out yet. Comments? Suggestions? Constructive criticism? All are welcome.[/size]

[size=1]Ah yes... good ol' Whose Line. There was a show similar to Whose Line in Australia not long ago. It was called 'Thank God You're Here'. Basically, some celebrities/improv comedians were put into situations they had no idea about. It was all very funny. The themed ones were the best. Ie. Pirates, Titanic, Jane Austen era. Anyway, back to 'Whose Line'. My favourite parts were: 1. When Wayne accidently showed this poor woman's underwear on national TV. He was in the game 'Party Quirks' and his quirk was being basically 'An Old King Kong/Godzilla movie'. He picked the woman up and slowly the skirt inched up as well. Ryan made it all the more funny by doing not 1, not 2, but 3 parts of a Ho-down about it. 2. The 'Three-Headed Broadway Star' game with Ryan, Drew and Wayne. The musical was 'My Favourite Shoe' and the hit love song was 'You are My Sole-Mate'. Drew stuffed up lots of times, but the finishing touch was when he said 'me' in a very high-pitched voice at the end because he was laughing so much. 3. The Questionable Impressions game in the hospital. I was in hysterics.[/size]

[size=1]My grandmother was in NY recently (that's a big trip considering we live on the east coast of Australia) and she and her friend stumbled onto a location of Spiderman 3. It seemed like they were still filming. I believe it was in front of a huge glass building. The glass had a sort of blueish-green tinge to it. They had cameras running up and down wires from the top to the bottom. The building was very tall (can't estimate stories) but yeah... seemed like something good was going to be filmed.[/size]

[size=1]My two favourite mythical/mystical creatures are the Phoenix and what I call a true Sphinx. I love Phoenix because they are beautiful birds made of flame. They can die and be reborn and heal wounds.[/size] [QUOTE=Hans Christian Andersen]In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when she and Adam were driven from Paradise, there fell from the flaming sword of the cherub a spark into the nest of the bird, which blazed up forthwith. The bird perished in the flames; but from the red egg in the nest there fluttered aloft a new one? the one solitary Phoenix bird. The fable tells that he dwells in Arabia, and that every hundred years, he burns himself to death in his nest; but each time a new Phoenix, the only one in the world, rises up from the red egg. The bird flutters round us, swift as light, beauteous in color, charming in song. When a mother sits by her infant's cradle, he stands on the pillow, and, with his wings, forms a glory around the infant's head. He flies through the chamber of content, and brings sunshine into it, and the violets on the humble table smell doubly sweet. But the Phoenix is not the bird of Arabia alone. He wings his way in the glimmer of the Northern Lights over the plains of Lapland, and hops among the yellow flowers in the short Greenland summer. Beneath the copper mountains of Fablun, and England's coal mines, he flies, in the shape of a dusty moth, over the hymnbook that rests on the knees of the pious miner. On a lotus leaf he floats down the sacred waters of the Ganges, and the eye of the Hindoo maid gleams bright when she beholds him. The Phoenix bird, dost thou not know him? The Bird of Paradise, the holy swan of song! On the car of Thespis he sat in the guise of a chattering raven, and flapped his black wings, smeared with the lees of wine; over the sounding harp of Iceland swept the swan's red beak; on Shakspeare's shoulder he sat in the guise of Odin's raven, and whispered in the poet's ear ?Immortality!? and at the minstrels' feast he fluttered through the halls of the Wartburg. The Phoenix bird, dost thou not know him? He sang to thee the Marseillaise, and thou kissedst the pen that fell from his wing; he came in the radiance of Paradise, and perchance thou didst turn away from him towards the sparrow who sat with tinsel on his wings. The Bird of Paradise? renewed each century? born in flame, ending in flame! Thy picture, in a golden frame, hangs in the halls of the rich, but thou thyself often fliest around, lonely and disregarded, a myth? ?The Phoenix of Arabia.? In Paradise, when thou wert born in the first rose, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, thou receivedst a kiss, and thy right name was given thee? thy name, Poetry.[/QUOTE] [size=1]Nice piece of work, ne? Anyway, onto what I call a true Sphinx. A true Sphinx is like a cougar - a large cat with a sandy coloured coat - with sandy coloured feathered wings. I know that isn't much different but I like them better than the conventional Sphinx.[/size]

[size=1]Here's a few I like: [b]Sousuke[/b] and [b]Chidori[/b] from [b]Full Metal Panic[/b]. I think I like these two before 1) you get to see the development of their relationship through the anime and 2) Sousuke's whole attitude to the whole protecting-Chidori-thing. It's all very funny. [b]Tsukasa[/b] and [b]Subaru[/b] from [b].hack//Sign[/b]. Since I haven't watched the entirety of the series, I'm not sure whether these two get together or not (I'm about half way through). But as a couple, I think they're cute. They're both quiet sort of people, each having their own problems to deal with but together they are each other's rocks.[/size]

[size=1]This semester just passed I had to make a 2-minute video for a film course I was doing. It was an actual assessment item, so our idea was a tongue-in-cheek poke at the actual assignment. Trying to write a script for a 2-minute video is very very difficult. Even though we tried to squeeze our story into the two minutes, it ended up being three minutes. As I said, very difficult. I want to know, to any other film-makers or the general public, what would you put in a 2-minute video? Basically think of it as a trailer for a movie, trying to tell a whole story in a small timeframe.[/size]

[quote name='Dragon Warrior][size=1']Some veterans prefer it as the same character, I guess. But some RPGs might not accept that.[/size][/quote] [size=1]That does really depend on the RPG doesn't it. An already made character can't exactly be the right character for the RPG, so they might change small aspects of them. It's always hard to come up with original characters all the time. It takes me a couple of days to get my character the way I want them.[/size]

[size=1]This is really good. I'm getting so many ideas for games and the such. When you guys say gameplay, can you give an example of a game which battle system/gameplay so I can understand what exactly you're meaning. Twists in the storylines do keep you on your toes. Do you like characters that you can relate to easily or someone you want to learn about? What kind of environments (worlds/fantasy/sci-fi) do you like better? You can all go into big detail if you like. It would help out a lot.[/size]

[size=1]When I first started here, that was the case with a lot of my characters I made. I went through phases of certain powers or aspects. But now that I've matured a little and my writing's a bit better since then, I try to make an individual character for each new RPG. Certains aspects may be similiar between each of some characters but I try to make them different.[/size]

[size=1]Thanks. Sounds like it might have some people that actually think it might go somewhere. Hmm... now to my scheming. I think I'm really going to enjoy being the 'bad guy' in this one. And since a recent Fast and Furious film came out, I was going to do one on that except include a lot of elements from the Need for Speed games. Meh. I'll just see how it goes.[/size]

[size=1]A nice variety of opinions around. Good good. Seems like the storyline and graphics are major players in you guys choosing a game. Sound/music and gameplay is coming in a close second. It's harder and harder these days to come up with original storylines with the copyright laws and such (as well as not being cliched). I'm always afraid that I'll get myself into trouble because I've written a script/plot that is similiar to someone else's without me knowing about it. As for gameplay, I haven't had much experience with making games, but I know from observation that it takes a lot of work. And a game with multiple ending must have extremely complex code. @.@ I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.[/size]

[quote name='Delta][COLOR=#656446][SIZE=1]They're okay with me but I do get offended whenever their asinine affairs (iow, SPAM or OOT's) drown out posts with sense and substance. It's like one will post this and then immediately gets followed up with an inside joke and another 'til one actually has to go back a few pages to remember what the thread really was about.[/size'][/color][/quote] [size=1]I agree with that a lot. It makes people feel like they're on the sidelines and their voices aren't heard. It's very frustrating as a member, and must be more frustrating for newer members because, maybe, they feel their opinion or what they posted wasn't taken in.[/size] [quote name='Delta][COLOR=#656446][SIZE=1](Well, that probably was off-topic. Sorry for ranting in your thread, Dare. I really am glad you put something like this up. :3)[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]It's all right hun. I was hoping I wasn't taking an unnecessary risk by putting this thread up and making enemies. :animeswea [/size] [quote name='Cat14][size=1][color=Purple]I do how ever get mad some times at the new members when they post stuff like "OMG I LYKE LUVS HIM!". But the new members then learn what OB asks of them and they become good members of OB.[/size'][/color][/quote] [size=1]Yes. Some people need to give newbies a break. The posting standard of this forum is very high and it's also ...hmm... difficult isn't the word I want to use but I can't think of a better one. It's also difficult to make friends around here because of the groups and whatnot. That's what I found when I was a newbie.[/size] [quote name='Sandy']If I may comment on the oldies - newbies division, I don't think it's that straightforward. I mean, I've been an active member here for four years, so in theory I'd be an old member, but then there are the "ancient" members like James and Sara, who've been here since the beginning. They aren't as intimidating to me as they were when I was a newbie, but in my mind I still can't seem to be able to lift myself up to their level, no matter in how good terms I am with them.[/quote] [size=1]I think if you ask most members, they feel the same way Sandy. I know I'm in the same boat as you. We created a rift between ourselves and others we respect because we don't see ourselves as good as them? That's not exactly how I wanted to put it but it was close enough.[/size]

[quote name='D. Resurrected']What are the boundrys to define it as a group?[/quote] [size=1]Well, it could be anything. As you stated, [b]D. Resurrected[/b], it could be grouped by which forum you post in the most often. Also as [b]DeathKnight[/b] states, it could be by how long you've been here. I started this thread to hear any concerns held by new users (and regular users if they wish), if they feel that they're singled out. When I first started, I felt that it was going to be hard getting into the community. So I PMed a lot of people who were online (yes... I was one of those types of newbies). I had never been on a boards-type of site before, so I was completely lost, and that was the first thing I could think of to make new friends.[/size]

[quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']Perhaps. What does it matter if there is? I don't see any exclusivity being given to anyone, no one is benefiting from things that others are not.[/color][/quote] [size=1]I am aware of that. I was just wondering if anyone, particularly new users, felt that there are groups in OB. I was told, before I entered university, that there was no social hierarchy there, but after experiencing a year of it, I know well that there are such things. I was curious to know if this situation was applied to the internet as well, forums specifically.[/size]

[QUOTE=StarrStruck][COLOR=SlateGray][B]Into The West[/B] [I]Annie Lennox[/I] Lay down, your sweet and weary head. Night is falling. You have come to journey? end. Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before. They are calling, from across a distant shore. Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face? Soon you will see. All of your fears will pass away. Safe in my arms, you?e only sleeping. What can you see, on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rises. The ships have come, to carry you home. And all will turn, to silver glass. A light on the water. All souls pass. Hope fades, Into the world of night. Through shadows falling, Out of memory and time. Don? say, We have come now to the end. White shores are calling. You and I will meet again. And you?l be here in my arms, Just sleeping. What can you see, on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rises. The ships have come, to carry you home. And all will turn, to silver glass. A light on the water. Grey ships pass Into the west. I love this song, as does my sister, but whenever we listen to it my mother claims it makes her cry. And, true, it is sad...but a beautiful type of sad. Which is okay. ^^[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]Ooohhhhhh. Yes that one too. The ending song of Lord of the Rings. Howard Shore is a genius. Most of the music themed for the Elves is also beautiful.[/size]

[size=1]I'm not sure whether this will cause a stir with the recent thread in the Suggestions forum or not, but here goes. I've been on this site for about 2 years now and I've seen a lot of things change around here. When I was a newbie, I was very intimidated by the posting standards of this place. I also realised that there were some sort of social hierarchy to this site. As I stayed longer, I saw these social groups more and more closely. I pose the question to you. Do you think OB has a social ladder where there is a 'top' group and other groups? Are some users categorised because of where they post most often?[/size]

[quote name='Charles']Hey, no worries; this is a good topic and we haven't done anything like this in a while. This is exactly what we want to see. Good stuff![/quote] [size=1]Heh. Thanks. I love your banner and avi too. I don't know why people take it so offensively. I'm a feminist, but I don't feel it's suggestive. Must be Aussie humour.[/size] [QUOTE=Charles]Now, my tastes are changing a bit and I find it more and more difficult to be impressed with visuals. That's why I'm so open to the innovation philosophy Nintendo is going with. They're really right on the money with their philosophy. I mean, a cooking game is actually being made for the Wii; that's a genre I've wanted to see for a while. I even made a thread expressing my ideas for a cooking game a while back. Awesome! Other interesting concepts, such as being a lawyer in Phoenix Wright and performing surgery in Trauma Center are equally appealing. So, yeah, I'm just looking for games that are quick and easy to get into and that also bring something new to the table. Things like art and story still occupy a big part of my interests, but a lot of the games I've seen this generation are exactly like what I've been playing for years--only better-looking. There are some major exceptions, and traditional games are still cool if executed well, but I'm definitely ready for new outside-the-box approaches.[/QUOTE] [size=1]That seems to be the trend in most media outlets lately. Movies such as [b]V for Vendetta[/b] and [b]Aeon Flux[/b] and the trend lately with RPGs in this site. The traditional genres don't seem to be attracting a lot of people anymore. Hmm... Maybe it's a good sign that we want games/movies/RPGs that make us think.[/size]

[quote name='AnimeHeroX']it really doesn't matter where an anime is made. i mean as long as a anime is great it really doesn't matter where it comes from. i mean their are a lot of great aniem compaines i the USA like funimation, tokyopop, 4kids... although if you make a really violent cartoon i would suggest going to them because they completely they ruined one-piece.[/quote] [size=1]They did ruin One Piece badly They turned it into a children's show when it has too many complex adult issues in it. And I'm furious at them for changing Zoro's name to Zolo. IT'S ZORO DAMN IT! *clears throat* Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. I agree with most others in this thread that even if the anime isn't from Japan, it can still be anime. Like you, I'm also trying to get into the anime/manga industry but not as a cartoonist. I live in Australia and I want to make Japanese-quality anime here using the wealth of talent here. So if I do achieve this, it wouldn't be anime if anime was classified by its origin.[/size]

[size=1]As a future game designer, I was wondering what makes you play a game. It is the graphics? The storyline? What kind of game it is? Because your friends play it? A combination of these elements? Personally, it's the type of game it is and the storyline. The two are usually intertwined with each other since I love RPG games. Games like .hack and the Final Fantasy series are the games I usually go for. There are exceptions though. I like the Need for Speed series, especially Underground 2 and Most Wanted. However, I can say that the graphics in Final Fantasy X and X-2 - the movie graphics - definitely helped me choose the games. So, I pose the question to you guys. PS. Charles/Bombu, I tried to find a thread like this one, but I couldn't find any. Sorry if I've repeated.[/size]

[size=1]Although I am a fan of fantasy and sci-fi RPGs, I don't specifically look for those. For starters, I usually browse the Inn for catchy titles. If they intrigue me, then I go look at what the RPG is, whether the genre is sci-fi or high-school or whichever. The ratings don't really decide what kind of RPG I do, but I've found that I join mostly M-rated ones. I don't really know why, but it seems that the ones I join are rated that, for whatever reason. Hope that helps.[/size]

[quote name='Perfection][SIZE=1][b]Iris[/b'] by The Goo-Goo Dolls comes in easy at first for me.[/SIZE][/quote] [size=1]That song is really beautiful and pretty. I really can't differ between beautiful and pretty in music anyway. Here's my list: [b]Sora[/b] from the Escaflowne movie. [b]Introduction song[/b] from Final Fantasy X-2 Both have beautiful instrumental pieces. They're really easy on the ears and are just great to listen to while writing. [b]One Perfect Day[/b] by Lydia Denker This song is from a film called 'One Perfect Day' about a teenage/young adult DJ who tries to make it in the industry while dealing with drugs, friends, alcohol, etc. It's a very empowering song as well as being beautiful/pretty.[/size]