DeathKnight

[color=crimson]Yes. I have had experiences with depression and suicidal.. thoughts. I was much younger than you, 11-12 at the time. It gave me my lack of appreciation for psychiatrists and anti-depressants that I have today- but that lecture is for another topic. I would tell you the whole story but it is quite melodramatic to retell- rest assured that I dislike suicides, I dislike psychiatrists and I dislike anti-depressants or any medication made to affect your emotional state. I have the fondest hope that you get through this "alright". Appreciate the relationship you have with your biological family. Some people I have met do not have the same opportunity as you to exist in such unison with their biological relatives- cherish them, because you have a treasure that some people would die to have. You might take them for granted, but they are something irreplaceable. Good luck.[/color]

[quote name='Epitome][color=orange][size=1]As much as I hate to say it, its true.[/size'][/color][/quote] [color=crimson]Not to oppose the charming, pro-parent rhetoric that exists in this topic, but your situation is much different from what we so far know about Heezay's situation. Of course, this statement could prove to be null and void once we understand more about what's going on. Tips on dealing with strict parents? Manipulate them if you are smart enough- but, you didn't hear that from me. Otherwise, you'll have to tolerate the authority in your household once reasoning with them fails- being overtly stubborn or argumentative usually just gets you in hotter water. Alright, back to the pro-parent lecturing. Carry on.[/color]

[color=crimson]My view on death is that no one living can be sure of what occurs, so having a stern, stubborn opinion is curious at best. My own inclination is that some form of reincarnation exists- as I'm not dead, I cannot expand further on that. I'm not going to be stereotypically calm/placid about my own death- I would much rather prefer existing than not- but I think I could handle knowing I was dying fairly well. Might lose my head a bit, but- yeah. I'm sure that when the time comes, the way I'm handling my mortality will be the last of my concerns. Heh. To me, spirituality isn't about who is "right" or "wrong" or who is "correct" or not, it's about what you hold faith in with your heart. I'm fairly certain you cannot prove your religion's validity to a secular person, just as they can't disprove it's validity. Just continue doing what your gut tells you to.[/color]

[color=crimson]I'm pretty laid back, so I'm not stressed out that often. If I get that way, I do some form of distraction- reading, writing, gaming and plenty of metal/rock. Maybe go for a hike if the weather isn't akin to one of the ten plagues. Metal cures all ills.[/color]

[color=crimson]My cuticles are decimated. The other bad habit I have is that I'm pretty fidgety- I'm usually in a state of motion, no matter what I do. Some part of me is moving in some fashion 90 percent of the time. Is talking to yourself a bad habit? lol.[/color]

[color=crimson]The symbolism is executed well, I'm surprised that someone could miss that- but I enjoy what it's saying immensely, as I believe in that too. The artwork itself is well done, I don't see any disastrous faults with it. 8/10.[/color]

[color=crimson]Lucius calmly focused attention on his nearest foe, who was already focused on him. It was a demon of gargantuan size and strength wielding a large battle-axe- as if he wasn't imposing enough, the axe itself was aflame with the most intense fire darkness could muster up. This demon was clearly more attuned to brute force than powers, but the axe was the demon's trump card- enchanted with some sort of powerful attack. The juggernaut followed Lucius' gaze to his axe and chuckled, pointing the axes head straight at him. His lips curled into a sinister smile as he muttered a command to his axe in latin, the language commonly used for arcane spells. The flame came alive immediately, shooting out and snaking across the sky erratically- it homed in on Lucius, arching towards him at a sickening speed. Deftly, he slid to the right- the flames singeing his left side in lieu of turning him into toast. The demon, racked with disappointment that Lucius was not turned into a mere burnt husk, was still satisfied with the raw power his axe had. His smile grew as the flame slammed into the nearby scenery, shattering an entire structure with a blinding explosion. Lucius' eyes narrowed as he gripped his sword firmly- he had no choice. With deft movements, he charged- he wasn't about to give the demon an opportunity to fire off another one of those shots. Taking the self-confident demon by surprise, the considerably smaller Lucius took advantage of his agility- it was a bit nervewracking, but familiar. If your power can't match a behemoth demon's, use your agility- one wrong move, though, and you're cleaved in half. Ignoring how closely he was treading on death's doorstep, he continued his attack as expertly as possible. His sword sailed through the air as he unleashed quick flurries of strikes, trying to get the demon to make a defensive mistake. Even as slow as the demon was, he was a stalwart defender and, as time ticked away, the flame on his axe slowly began to reignite. With no time left for conventional attacks, Lucius began to recite an incantation in a soft voice that permeated the area around him, his words lingering in the demon's mind in an irritating fashion. His reflexes slowed considerably and gave Lucius the window of opportunity to disarm this demon of his enchanted weapon that he had wanted- and was prepared for. With one smooth stroke the axe flew from his hands, flying downward in a wild circular rotation. Lucius was alarmed- it was heading straight towards Luther, who was ascending up towards the battle. Lucius called out to Luther, and the same look of alarm came over his face. It almost lopped off his arm but, fortunately, he was able to dodge out of the way with mere moments to spare. It sailed past harmlessly, landing with a distinct "clang!" on the rooftop. Disarmed and embarrassed, the demon was enraged, flinging punch after punch at Lucius. Finally, another window of opportunity opened and he counterattacked with a long arching swipe- the demon made a surprising quick movement, clasping his hands together over the blade. He caught it mere inches away from his exposed chest, the blade's edge aimed directly at his heart- relieved, he let out a "phew". The blade was immobilized and the two were locked in a tug of war that Lucius could not win. The demon smiled, knowing he was far stronger than the angel- yet, Lucius returned the smile calmly, even as the blade slowly was wrested from his grasp. Suddenly, from the side, Luther's light blade slid effortlessly into the demon's unguarded back- he let out a deafening yell and flailed wildly, trying to hit one of them. The strikes were too erratic and Lucius and Luther escaped out of his reach as the demon's blood spilled out. He clutched at his wound, descending as strength seeped out of him. Cursing loudly, he finally was unable to fly any longer and fell several dozen feet to the rooftop, landing with a distinct thud.[/color]

[color=crimson]I better hide the fact I'm an elitist. *shuffling noises are heard* For the record, I don't listen to much Goth Metal. I do have [i]Damnation and a Day[/i] collecting dust on a bookshelf somewhere- most of the time I listen to it for it's classical tracks, lol. I wasn't really aware the Lacuna Coil MP3s I have were Goth-anything, either. I must be really out of touch with the genres bands are being shuffled into- I usually tread all genres of metal/rock, picking and choosing what I enjoy. I rarely like whole genres of music- in these lists alone, I know I hate Cannibal Corpse [like being stabbed with a fork in the ear], From Autumn to Ashes [I thought they were nu-metal crap until a few moments ago] and Dimmu Borgir [I liked one song on their CD, the rest was bland]. Type O Negative, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell and Charon are good, though. However, Slipknot and Evanescence are bane on music. If you listen to them, you are tainted and must be purged by way of swordfight, strangulation or immolation by flamethrower. Choose carefully.[/color]

[color=crimson]People have a problem with tolerating an opinion different than theirs, apparently. lol. [quote name='Pumpkin']I have to say I get everything Baron was saying, would if someone slaughtered your cat and just said "Well it was going to die anyway?" and ate it. Yeah you'd feel pretty disgusted right.[/quote] Yes, because the cat was not produced or birthed with the purpose of it being consumed as food. I never stated that the fact it is mortal condones any sort of "torture"- that would be idiotic. If something is birthed and it's specific purpose is to be cooked and eaten, I don't care what you do prior to it's death. [quote name='Kane']People who treat small animals, actually people who can treat any animal cruelly are quite capable of being just as malevolent to anyone because it's in their nature.[/quote] As I said, I respect nature- but I do it logically. If you think I'm some sort of mad man just because the way my meal was treated before it was killed is of no concern to me, that's your choice. [quote name='Maladjusted']Your pet's going to die anyway, let's just beat the hell out of, it doesn't matter. They're animals, too.[/quote] *points up* [quote name='Siren']I've never read anything so absurd.[/quote] I'm glad! I hope I made your day. :) Anyway. No one seemed to consider the fact I never said what I, personally, would do as a worker in this slaughter line. I wouldn't torture the chickens. If someone else wails on a chicken and enjoys himself, that's great for them. I'm not malevolent. I respect and care about nature, I try to avoid harming it. But these workers aren't me, are they? I don't need [or want] to become a [strike]crazed[/strike] passionate advocate of chicken rights because, well- look at all of you. You all step in and do the work quite well, hm? About IAMS, that is the sort of thing that I will [and do] care about. It's unfortunate that people cannot respect nature in settings like the ones we've talked about, but there are plenty of people just like the majority of you all. I don't have to do anything out of my way when there is already a social delirium growing about what corporations do to animals. I can hope that people start respecting nature more and not much else, as I am not in any position to affect or change the way things work. If some of you think you are, that's great- please, on my behalf, go do something for nature.[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi']According to increasingly violent Americans, acts of wanton cruelty to animals are acceptable as long as the creatures death was likely anyway.[/quote] [color=crimson]Yes. They are, lol. Thank you for summarizing my post. The plight of the chicken destined for fast food is of no concern to me. If people wish to rant, rave, sue or lament over the plight of said-chickens, that's fine with me. I don't care either way what occurs, people will be as idiotically passionate as they want to be. [/color]

[color=crimson]These animals were produced with the intention of slaughtering them for our consumption. They were born with no choice in the matter. What a company does between their birth and them becoming a combo doesn't concern me. If something is bred with the goal for it to become some form of meal, I am pretty sure their existence has been demeaned to the point where complaints over torture prior to their ascendancy into fast food nirvana is irrelevant. I respect the animal kingdom as much as or more than the next person but I do it logically, lol. Oh and, not to be juvenile or anything, but COK is an amusing acronym. [/color]

[color=crimson]There was a great ruckus, a ruckus that only one man could create to such a degree. This ruckus was accompanied by many great explosions and screams of death that, to say the least, "distracted" the would-be sniper. Everyone was captivated by the destruction that was occurring near them- maybe a little too near, as several rockets slammed into the n00bs around Kenneth and the Otakus. Scared shitless, whatever was left of the n00b forces started to pull back- vehemently calling the Otaku forces "lamers" as they went. Leaving the battle-worn Otakus temporarily victorious, everyone let out a collective call of celebration. But, off in the distance, n00b reinforcements were gathering, preparing to launch another all-out attack on the fortifications and trenches the Otaku's had built- but, that would take them time. Time enough for the Otakus to dig in again and do what they did best. Kenneth stood up and stretched, cracking his neck from side to side. He had to find Matt and report to him about his Special Operations squad being taken out by that all-too lucky n00b artillery shell. He had lost his communicator in the that blast, but knew that only Matt could create such a firestorm in such a short amount of time- not even the Otaku's artillery were causing destruction of that caliber. Gun in hand, he sprinted towards where [most of the] destruction had occurred, leaping over varying piles of debris, bodies, dictionaries and "x_x" smilies as they came. The ground around him slowly became more and more devastated - small fires brightening up the scorched ground, smoldering craters and the like. Matt was armed with some pretty heavy-duty stuff, to be sure. He approached the small group of people and slowed to a stop. Saluting to Matt, he noticed the corpse that most everyone was looking solemnly at and recognized it.[b]"Damn!"[/b] He said, shaking his head, [b]"I was hoping for once that maybe we'd be successful without losing someone important.."[/b] [/color]

[color=crimson][b]Name[/b]: Lucius. [b]Age[/b]: Nine hundred and some odd number. [b]Race[/b]: Angel. [b]Weapon[/b]: Sword of the Templar - Inscribed in some form of latin. May it, and it's bearer, guide you in your darkest hour. [b]Power[/b]: Voice of the Saints - Lucius seems to have the uncanny ability to help any type of being who is suffering and has a good heart with his words. He can inspire them to battle, lift their spirits, share much wisdom- things like that. It's even been said, with some effort from Lucius, his words can bless you and improve your fighting skills, giving you some sort of a tangible white aura that signifies your blessed state. Yes, he can do many things with this and most seem to be very positive. But, to his enemies who have evil in their souls, this power is a bane, for all of his blessed words do the opposite for them without him meaning to- distracting their mind or causing their head to ache over the holy power that lingers, forced into their heads. Physically, sometimes it even feels like they have been cursed to slower reflexes or their blows doing less damage.. even getting small, seemingly insignificant wounds from out of no where- those pile up when you are in the middle of a swordfight. Surely it's just their imagination. [b]Appearance[/b]: Lucius is a tall [6'5"], slender man who appears to be in his late twenties at the most. His hair is dark and mid-length, falling past his nose and just touching the bottom most part of the back of his neck. His eyes are green and they glow slightly, signify his dedication and devotion to the power of all the spiritual side of things. He is quite handsome, although he would never admit it to himself openly. The rest of his body is muscular and lithe, focusing on agility over raw power. He has several scars on his arms that refuse to disappear no matter how much they are healed. They were caused by some manner of demonic weapon early in his career as a warrior and are a reminder of the conflicts he has been through. [b]Personality[/b]: Lucius has existed long enough to understand the value of a calm, objective mind. He is not quick to judgement, anger or anything like that- he can be, at times, very quiet. Of course, he's not stoic or anything- he enjoys, above all else, contentment and happiness amongst his peers. He approaches problems objectively- tries to see both sides of the coin. That's one of the reasons he is on Adamo and Misato's side in all of this. He values others opinions as well as his own and is open to ideas, theories or otherwise that people can bring up- he is flexible and will admit defeat if logically proven to be wrong. Amongst all these placid intellect is a quiet passion to better the world, to see "good" be spread across the land- maybe there is a little zealot hidden in him somewhere. His openness to good cheer and contentment does not always leave him content or happy, quite the opposite. He has much to reflect on, with the recent events. He had served, quite loyally, to God through many conflicts- lost several good friends in them, too. There are skeletons in his closet, large ones, that he has to remember once in a great while just to remind himself of why he is dedicated to goodness, objectivity and things like that. He tries not to let his brief periods of melancholy rain down on others as best he can. He values his friendships and is sorely disappointed by the 'civil war' that has broken out between brethren, but he it seems to be, unfortunately, necessary. He brings intelligence and wisdom, in whatever form it can be brought, to a very chaotic situation. If he had an army to marshall, he would be a, no pun intended, godsend- his tactics are well known to be very effective against enemies. But as it stands, he is content with whatever role he plays in all this and sincerely hopes that the best possible outcome will arise eventually. [b]History[/b]: Lucius was formerly Lucius Kegan. Beyond that, he doesn't say much- he leaves it alone for his own quiet contemplations to think back on it. Most people believe it to either be traumatic or dramatic, but they do not have much of anything to go on so their guess is as good as yours. Whatever the case of his arrival, he arrived some time ago and began his service to "good". At first he was merely an operative- using his power to console or speak to mortals who were deemed important or worthy of an answer in comparison to the others. Through disciplined, loyal service he became friends with a broad range of people - common warriors or lesser influential people and several "higher ups". He has been a very key member of the Angelic order for several centuries and was tested in battle on several occasions, acquiring his scars from some sort of occasion during one of these "tests'. Whatever happened there got him promoted to a position of authority, giving him tactical command of a portion of the angels. He awaited his time when his strategic skills would be truly tested, and he got his wish. The Demon-Angelus Wars were one hell of a proving ground. The long, tired battle lost him several friends permanently, but he proved himself as a warrior and a general valiantly- as did many other angels. Together, as brothers, they defeated their long-hated enemy and scattered his forces to the winds. Finally, good seemed to have won and Lucius was happy that he had been able to play a minute role in it. He expected a long time of peace to come and settled in. However, within a short amount of time [for a creature with such longevity as an angel] the unexpected happened- the incorruptible was corrupted and his brothers had been divided. This was all much to take in, but he had recognized the slow progression God had made away from his "usual" self. It was hard to tell, but it was there- a difference, ever so slightly. Something was amiss, something was not right here..What a pity that it would ironically befall the defeater of evil to become that which he so hated- and his brethren were divided against each other. It was unfortunate, but to seek an end and right the wrongs that had occurred from the total destruction of the formerly most evil one, he had to take up arms against his brothers too. As Adamo worked to right the wrongs as well, he helped- and when she lost, he left heaven with whomever else would come to continue the fight. He is there still, waiting and doing all he can to aid their cause.[/color]

[color=crimson][size=1]It was a quaint scene, one out of many a movie. Lovely skies, rolling clouds, wind softly blowing. Large explosions, devastated ruins, bodies. Just your average day on OtakuBoards. Slowly, the n00bs were laying waste to whatever roleplays they could get their hands on. Their advance was sluggishly slow, thanks to the valiant work of the [strike]insane[/strike] brave, rag-tag bunch of warriors that had risen to the banner of the Lord James. However brave or valiant they were, it was clear that they were outnumbered by the horrid 'people' that were the n00bs. Even here, in the StarCraft RPG area, they displayed a form of cunning as evident by the Zerg hordes that were battling just a short distance away. Or, maybe they were just stupidly lucky. Either way, from Kenneth's vantage point, it looked like a hard fight to drive these fools back from whence they came- if they could win at all, that is. Standing up, Kenneth placed his rifle on his shoulder and thought for a moment of what he should do. His squad had been obliterated by an artillery shell that had been, in fact, a large "devil" smiley- those suckers were powerful, to be sure. Kenneth had been pretty banged up, but after a nice half-hour of bandaging and treating wounds, he was good to go- where was that crazy healer when he needed her? There were hordes of the enemy facing hordes of his friends and each was inflicting equal damage to the other- especially with the battle-talented Zerg NPCs on the n00bs side. Silently he stared back out onto the chaotic scene below- what else could he do, really? He was a soldier, soldiers fight. He leapt off his perch and landed softly. He gathered himself and began a quiet walk towards the battle that was several miles away. It was quiet and placid here- calming. There were bodies strewn about, some he recognized, some he didn't- most of them were still alive, but some had gone to the great message board in the sky. The relative calm was being forced out more and more as he walked, mainly from the sounds of artillery going off. In the distance was a small firebase of Otakus- hardworking people, each of them loading and firing artillery shells out into the distant firestorm of the frontline. As he approached them, a guard with heavy rimmed glasses pointed his menacing assault rifle straight at him- Kenneth instinctively raised his arms straight up and shook his head- "[b]Hey, wait. I'm not your enemy.[/b]" The guard, noting his well-spoken reply, nodded and lowered his gun. "[b]Where's your squad?[/b]" Kenneth glanced back towards the wasteland behind him before replying- "[b]M.I.A., you could say.[/b]" The guard understood and waved towards the firebase, "[b]Come on in, we have anything you would need before you head back out.[/b]" Kenneth looked at his sorely empty ammunition pouch and nodded- "[b]That'd be great, man. I uh, 'lost' most of my ammo earlier today.[/b]" The guard grinned and disappeared back into the busy firebase, the artillery shots ringing off continuously as he went. Kenneth jogged into the base and brushed aside his hair, letting out a brief sigh- this was damn tiring work, to be sure. In short order he had gotten himself a few more packs of ammo and a couple of grenades to boot- he was pretty happy about those 'nades. Reloaded and content with said grenades, he started off quietly, deciding not to bother the obviously-busy soldiers with their artillery-support duties. The same weird, glasses wearing guard stopped him though and pointed back to his right, towards an oddly dressed woman wielding a large, shimmering staff. "[b]Just go to her[/b]", the guard said with a smile, "[b]She's our resident teleporter. How do you think we're always stocked with this ammo?[/b]" Kenneth stared quietly at the guard for a few moments and nodded- might as well avoid a long walk. "[b]Thanks, you guys keep up the good work for our troops out there.[/b]" "[b]Hey, no prob- making shit blow up is what we do and we do it the best.[/b]" Kenneth grinned and slid past the guard, approaching the mage hastily. She smiled broadly at the approaching young man and bowed to him, "[b]What can I do for you, sir..?[/b]" Wondering if he should skip the formalities, he shrugged it off mentally and returned the mage's smile. "[b]Kenneth.[/b]" Ever cheerful, the mage bowed once more, "[b]Ah, yes. Sir Kenneth. What can this mage do for a man such as yourself?[/b]" "[b]Well,[/b]" he began, pointing to the chaos in the distance, "[b]You see that?[/b]" The mage followed his finger out to the main part of the battle and nodded, "[b]Yes, it's quite a dangerous scene. You should be thankful you are in the relative security of this firebase.[/b]" She again nodded affirmatively to him, her smile still as broad as ever. "[b]Er, well, actually.. I need to *go* there. As fast as possible, I might add.[/b]" The mage flustered a bit and opened her mouth to say something, but quickly decided against it. "[b]If that is what you desire. Please try to keep yourself in one piece.[/b]" Ignoring the various portions of his body that were already bandaged up and aching, he nodded- "[b]I'll do my best.[/b]" The mage closed her eyes and concentrated, her hair rising a bit as she opened up a channel to her inner power. His view was washed over in a sea of white- teleporting was always unnerving for him, but there was no other way to get to the front lines faster- the sea of white lasted no more than a few seconds before it disappeared, landing him in the midst of your typical, zerg-filled battlefield. Explosions, gunfire, magic, l337 speak- all the horrors of war were going on around him. Various n00b attacks were fluttering past as well- all kinds of smilies were smacking into people all around him, their screams of terror mixing with the other deafening sounds. Off in the distance a row of Zerg NPCs, with n00bs around them cheering their 'pwning' on, plowed forward in a dramatic charge against the Otakus. The Zerg were dropping like flies to the intense fire of the Otakus, but there were simply too many of them to handle. However, those n00b officers- if you could call them that- those are more lucrative targets.. especially for a trained rifleman. Kenneth kneeled down and lined up his shot..[/color][/size]

[color=crimson][b]Character Name[/b]: Kenneth. [b]Status[/b]: Enigmatic Otaku. [b]Boards Location[/b]: The Arena. [b]Team[/b]: None. If it is really neccessary, Team Hanzo I suppose. [b]Appearance[/b]: Attachment. [b]Weapons[/b]: An unidentified type of semi-automatic rifle.[/color]

[color=crimson]You fools better not forget the D.K.! *Donkey Kong rap starts* H-H-H...Here we go! So he's finally here, performing for you! If you know the words, you can join in too! Put your hands together if you want to clap, as we take you through this fun-ky rap! HUH! Mandatory rant on my history followed by my sentiments: I joined on October 5th, 2001 which makes me an older member, I suppose. The list of things I have done here is too long and mundane to give out. I started off as a very typical ignorant spammer. Then I became an angsty, ignorant spammer. Since then, I've progressed a bit above that- just a tad, yeah? I was a moderator, of course- of the oft forgotten PC forum, no less. I was the winner of Big Brother 2, the thread that spawned the ever lingering "living" plushie 'craze'. Most of my time was spent roleplaying, but as of late I cannot find any good threads to roleplay in. And, of course- there are many people I've met here that I have sincerely enjoyed knowing, but listing all of them would be impossible. Several of them have already replied in this very thread. Some of my old clique have, of course, left and I miss them- I hope they are doing well. I hope to meet many more good friends, of course- maybe even some of these younguns will provide me with some amusement. Us crazies have to stick together.[/color]

[color=crimson]I suppose it's the "in" opinion of the day to hold some sort of disdain for humanity as a whole. We have no directive. As such, we screw up. Along with these screw ups, however, we have achieved outstanding [as far as we can see] leaps in technology and, to some extent, socially. What have we contributed to the universe? When have we had the opportunity to contribute to the universe? I might have missed something, but we are still struggling - we haven't even unified together as a species. How can we contribute anything to the universe when we are still deadlocked between each other in national and racial conflicts on a single, small planet? I'm not sure what sort of impact on the universe you have in mind, but you have to realize that, no matter how technologically advanced we are, we are still a divided, segregated species whose full potential is being wasted on inter-species struggles. This might be preachy, but I find it to be true- think about how many material and human resources are being expended in Iraq on both sides. Both sides are preaching that they are justified in their actions- this may or may not be true, but whatever the reasons for being there, a heavy toll is being paid. That is one of dozens of current examples, ignoring all the wars of the past. With this, I can say that humanity still needs progress, obviously- but it doesn't "deserve" anything as negative as that. If the end of the world comes, I don't know where I will be. Hopefully I will have forewarning of it so I don't end my existence on this planet sitting on the toilet or something. If I don't have forewarning, I guess I'll just have to hope I'm lucky ;P. If I do, I'd prolly try to do something with friends or something spiritually symbolic, like praying to the spirits of the earth or something. Go out with a quiet smile. Here's to the Apocalypse.[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']All this gung-ho **** about "I'd feel no remorse about killing someone" "They'd get whats coming to them" etc. is ********.[/quote][/size] [color=crimson]I'm not gung-ho about it. I'm not actively searching for the first opportunity I have to shoot someone in the head. If it comes, it comes- if it doesn't, it doesn't. What occurs and what doesn't occur I have no idea of, but if I am confronted with a situation where I feel that killing someone is necessary, what am I supposed to do? Quote some poetic verse from a Shakespearian play while falling to my knees, staring upwards to the heavens?[/color] [quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']I doubt that for one moment, any one of you could truly know what it would be like to have killed someone.[/quote][/size] [color=crimson]Yes. I assume the killers on this message board are a minority.[/color] [quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It is not a movie, or a game, where you shoot them in the head and then spit on them. [/size][/quote] [color=crimson]Don't degenerate into stereotypical blabberings and insult me by even implying that. I've put a lot of thought into this subject for personal reasons and this is the viewpoint I have adopted as my own.[/color] [quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It's not something you do, and then forget about. You live with it the rest of your life. [/size][/quote] [color=crimson]I said I'd have no qualm about it. Don't blow it out of proportion in such a dramatic way. If I kill someone it will be an event I remember in my life until the day I die, but, it won't be negative. It will be gray at best- instead of a pitch dark, haunting black that turns me into some sort of a shell of a man. That would be a waste of my existence, to let one occasion become such a life-altering scar.[/color] [quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It doesn't matter what your reasons for killing them are... reasons can console, but not heal.[/size][/quote] [color=crimson]If I killed out of cold blood, just for the sake of seeing it splatter on the floor- then I would need emotional healing and forgiveness from humanity in any way possible. Otherwise, I would view it as something I did out of necessity. While I might not like it, I won't let it shatter me in any amount to the point that it burdens my existence. Understand I'm not eliminating that option for myself- it will remain an option. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't look forward to it with any sort of fondness or excited anticipation. If it happens, it happens- if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's as simple as that. If you think that I will feel differently, that's simply delightful- I don't care. Time will tell how it happens, if it does at all. Beyond that, it's all speculation that cannot be proven concrete. Just wait and see. That's all I can do.[/color]

[color=crimson]Nothing keeps me from hatred. I hate as freely as I love, depends on what occurs, who I'm dealing with, etc.- just because I am open to hatred doesn't mean I'm a walking psychotic nutcase who is out to hurt as many people as possible, lol. Hate is as valid an emotion as any emotion and I do not deny my right to feel it whenever it is caused. BUT- I do not let it *consume* me. There is a difference between feeling something and becoming a slave to it. To be honest, it takes alot to piss me off- and a hell of alot more to make me hate you as a person. I might hate your actions or opinions, but it takes more than that to hate *you*. Violence is apart of humanity. I have no qualms about murdering someone- as long as I have ample justification to do so. Doing anything in cold blood is idiotic and, to use a common term, "wrong". Reason has to be combined with action, or else it has no meaning beyond what tatters you try to clothe it with. I'm not going to deny myself my right to hurt another- I'm just not going to do it without a reason. And, yes, it has to be a logical reason. It would be lovely if we could leave in an idealistic world where there is no war, no violence, etc.- but that will never happen. While we can limit such things, there will be no extermination and I hope that all of you realize that. So, what we have so far is uncontrolled, meaningless violence = "wrong", for a lack of a better word. You have to have a myriad of reasons to murder someone and plenty of reason to wail on someone for any amount of time. I would never hurt someone I cared for in any amount, unless they had betrayed me. Heh. I do play alot of video games, but they never inspired me to do anything violent. Now, I do think that there are many things that influence children into who they are as young adults and beyond- but video games are not the only influence, obviously. Parents, your environment, the social situation you are in at school, etc.- all those things and more influence children to varying degrees. So, they blame cannot solely rest on any one party. Plus, really- any effect video games have are small in comparison to the home environment they grow up in as a whole, you know?[/color]

[color=crimson]I'm pretty sure in the context of the situation he was speaking of the meek, humble personality that children have. The disciples around him assumed that a man of such stature as Jesus did not have time or breath to waste on mere children, that he was higher than them- he was showing that one must BE humble and meek, as Jesus was and just like the children that wanted to be with him. The message of alot of the Bible is love, respect, generosity and humility- this ties in with the whole message, especially humility. Only ones who are not full of themselves, egotistical, haughty, arrogant and so on.. But, obviously, I'm not understanding it correctly. =)[/color]

[color=crimson]Any organization of any size works to proliferate and keep itself alive. While Christianity *was* overzealous, it was doing what every group of humans has done for eons- it worked for it's best interests in any way possible. So of course it led to extremes- perceived threats and windows of opportunity can cause any normal person or persons to act rashly to either gain an advantage or keep themselves alive. Place this trait in the hands of Christendom in the 'ye olde' times and you've got a situation that is just bound to go bad several times over, you know? That doesn't make it "right", of course. The Christian church might be corrupt, blind or misunderstanding but it has, in some messed up way, given alot of normal, average people some manner of hope to continue through hardships and trials. So, it did what it was supposed to do- draw people into one of the many messages of hope that exists. They had a form of their message they thought was correct, they preached it, people believed it. This has a point, I promise- the point is that they are not malicious. They are stumbling drunkenly, yes, but not malicious. I'm sure that they have ****** up to such a degree on some occasions that it might seem that way but, overall, I find them to be well-meaning [but of course, blind, stumbling, etc and so on]. It's unfortunate that so many people chose such a bumbling format for their hope, but what can you do? My religious beliefs would not be helpful here. However, as to Satan, I do not believe that he is a single entity or demi-deity. A common theme throughout the world's cultures and religions is a common enemy- that mankind has one single dark enemy that is plaguing our every move. I believe that the concept of Satan is giving a personality to the enigmatic "darkness" that all humans seemed to start off fearing. So, I find him to be more of a character than a literal figure. Overall, I find anything based off the Bible to probably be false as I hold the book to be nothing more than a good read for mythological studies, lol. I respect anyone who believes in the book to be something more, but I am not one of you. I'm not really sure out of any of the Christian religions which one is more 'true' to the book/message itself- you seem to be getting a few things right and a few things wrong from the Christian interpretation I was taught for 14 years [which is the Jehovah's Witness interpretation, by the by]. I've studied the Bible several times over personally with an objective, scientific mind and could see how you might be taking some of what it says to be too literal- you have to remember the extensive symbolism involved in the book, it is very, very enigmatic [which is why someone having an epiphany about what it says to the point of it being the truth is so hard to believe]. It's hard to see through the veil of secrecy it's own words puts itself under. I am, however, glad that people are not all just following the commonly held viewpoint- obviously, this is the only way for positive [or negative] progression to occur. =)[/color]

[color=crimson]Unfortunately, you are only as enlightened as every other pseudo-messiah, fuhrer or sage that has and will exist during the course of our species in this dimension. If you do turn out to be the one, the one person out of the billions that will/have pondered, contemplated and soul searched to the point they hit "the truth", congratulations. To me, it will never be as simple as X group of opinionated people is right in comparison to Y group of opinionated people and that X should do everything in their power to show Y how "corrupt" or "wrong" or "not true" their opinions are. I'd explain how I feel, but that is completely irrelevant and really, I doubt you are interested in being objective towards other's views at all. There are many different spiritual paths and they always seem to place themselves in competition in one another.. and yet, they all seem to be heading towards the same ending, if you watch them long enough. It's almost pitiful, heh. It would be delightful for "the truth" to be found, but it needs to be distinguished from the field of religions all with their claims of being the one. Ah well. Until that time, I am agnostic and not passionately searching for a faith. To each his own.[/color]

[color=crimson]I think it's totally up to you. Some are bound by culture, religion and otherwise, but beyond that it is just up to you. Make a choice, think on it, etc. Anyone who condemns you for any choice you make in that regard is, probably, idiotic. Now, I don't condone anyone who sleeps with anyone they can as often as possible [I view that to be disrespectful, not on a personal level but.. yeah] but you clearly don't wish anything of the sort- quite the opposite, in fact. So, I think that's fine. Not "weird" or anything like that. You do what you view best for you. Your friends do what they view is best for them. Don't give in to any pressure they might put on you to change what you feel is the best course of action.[/color]

[color=crimson]*looks at username* Hmm. Well... I mean, I suppose. Eh? Nah. No, no. I don't think I often act like a Death Knight. Murder, pillage and destruction are capital offenses if I remember right. So.. of course I wouldn't do things like that. :angel: [SIZE=1][i]...muhahahaha...[/i][/SIZE][/color]

[quote name='Attimus331']you shouldn't flaunt it around like some new piece of jewelry, or material possesion.[/quote] [color=crimson]Depends, maybe it's an act of great cunning. Haha. I don't doubt the possibility of new mystical/paranormal things but the way this young man presents himself makes me very skeptical- nothing personal, of course. ;P[/color]