alternate title : Last Sighting of Nosferatu I am proposing that a new forum be created under the title above. This forum would allow users to post the darker images of their souls. The catch is that the author will be allowed to post as anonymous in the thread. Commenters would be given the option to post as anonymous. The admins, of course, would still know who it is. But the authors would be allowed to express their darker selves without tarnishing their other work. If artist suffer for their art, then they should be able to post the suffering without fear of reprisal. Now is the chance to give into the dark side of the force. (I figure we can't use "sith" in the title for copyright reasons.) *This is not intended to be a star wars fan forum.

Interesting?
How about if we want to bring out our pink sides of the force?
Or chocolate sides? I have this thing for chocolate, hmmm!
Isn't there enough dark stuff on the internet and even in real life without having a special forum for it too?

Why encourage more evil and sloth and dark moody stuff, enough to go around now for everybody and then some, people should be looking into their souls for the good stuff, not that bad karma that breaks my nails daily when I hear too much on the news.

Don't know about others but this kind of stuff just brings me down.

My take.

Message edited on: 06/04/2005 07:14

Have you ever tried to paint over darkness with pink. It will mix and the result will be blood red. Do not deny the darkness. Let it flow here, lest it flow everywhere else. Until the evil can be elliminated, it must be contained.

Have you ever tried to paint over darkness with pink. It will mix and the result will be blood red.
oh puh-leeze

I propose that we do not make a new forum for people to flaunt their evil images.

I propose that we already have a gallery for that.

I propose that if you want to make some dark evil images then own up to it and don't try to hide behind a fake name. Message edited on: 06/04/2005 10:35

I believe someone suggested a Christian forum at one time, and it wasn't created because this isn't the community to discuss religion or philosophy, or create a forum with a particular political or religious or philosphical viewpoint. The forums are either about techniques, or tools (including software) in order to create graphics/models/photographs that may address any subject. I would hope that we continue to focus on the process, and how to improve our skills as artists or artist-want-to-bes.

Ditto Melory.. Edit: And Dialyn, you are correct, there was a suggestion of a Christian Forum, but it was shot down in flames...therefore a 'flipside' forum should be shot down as well. And on a side note...Tio, what are the nudity and violence flags ticked for in your posts?...there is neither there,..which makes using the flags for nothing more than drawing attention to a post...which is abuse of the system.

Message edited on: 06/04/2005 10:46

It is not flaunting, it is the release of an inner burden. The forums are not restricted to techniques and tools. The forums are to facillitate communication. Art is the medium of the communication. The forums provide a context for the ideas exchanged. This would be another context. It does not promote a religion, philosophy or political point of view. If what people are really saying is that they fear the darkness, then so be it. Don't enter the doorway whose handle you can not hold.

I don't fear either the darkness or the light...one does not exist without the other. But the expression should be in the art...stories, poetry, photography, or graphics. There are other communities for people to discuss their particular viewpoints and hobby horses in philosophy, religion, or politics. While these topics may show up in the forums, there is no forum dedicated to these topics (in fact, such forums had to be discontinued because people could not be adult about respecting other people's viewpoints). I believe it is probably a good thing not to start creating them. I come here to learn about techniques, and share related information. I'm off this thread. Yawn. Have a mother to take shopping. Take care all.

Tio-- I bet you really love the Matrix movies, don't you? =) (just teasing, don't take it to heart). The Gothic gallery is pretty similar to what you are talking about in my opinion. And, honestly, I think that people are reasonable enough on average that if you want to post something a little darker, they won't downplay the rest of your art just because of that. I've seen folks with entire galleries devoted to pentagrams, vampires, and dark evil, and they get tons of viewings and comments.

Ok, while I am in favor of a forum expressly for the 'darker images of our souls' I also diasagree with the idea that it be an anonymous forum/gallery. Yeah, your general outlook may be pink and rosy, and that's all well and good but Everyone has darker thoughts. Everyone. A forum/gallery just for dark images might be good - espically if the images may have a horror/violence or sex angle - something that I think our children can grow into on their own without having the general galleries littered with it. No one has talked about the actual content for the galleries, only nicely worded philosophy of the idea. How about a content discussion so that the admins know what you want? Eridun

Eridun-- Yes, my point exactly. But my idea is that it's unnecessary really because such a forum practically already exists. Although limiting it to a forum, with an age restriction (say 18) might not be such a bad idea. I'll have to think about that a bit more before forming my final opinion on it. =)

heck, I expose my dark side freely, cause you know, it's balanced well with my cute side.

did you ever think that you would get that one sick Duck whos dark side is to post
things about killing ppl or doing things that should not be done with kids imo it would be opening a
pandoras box that should not be opened.The mods dont and wont work 24/7 to make sure images like that wont be seen so IMO id say not a good thing As for anonymous that is just a BS tital to hide behind A but a postwork forum would be cool were ppl could get together and tell and teach how they do there postwork lol

Message edited on: 06/04/2005 11:10

"How about if we want to bring out our pink sides of the force?" Well...., you have the gay forum...

My dark side? Hmm, I'm pretty darned pale pretty much on all sides. Or do you mean where the sun doesn't shine? (Sorry, I was just momentarily seduced by the Silly Side of the Force. As you were. These aren't the droids you're looking for.) bonni

How about the Lightly Toasted Side of the Force, for those who don't like it too dark? Self discipline has never been much in evidence around so it would probably just create more problems than it's worth *(skwaaaahh, skwaaaahh I find your lack of faith disturbing) As the peanut M&M said "Ok, we'll start on Monday"

Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have a constant fear that something's always near Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have a phobia that someone's always there Have you ever been alone at night, thought you heard footsteps behind And turned around and no-one's there? And as you quicken up your pace, you find it hard to look again Because you're sure there's someone there .....

I like wearing black, makes me look good and brings out my features nicely.
But when I take it all off I'm nicely pink showing off all the really nice things about me.

See, I'd rather leave them guessing with mysterious darkness and bring out that nice stuff when the moments right, not reverse as you suggest.

I don't need to bring out my dark side, I'd much rather surpress it thank you and I sure wish more people would do the same in life, be a much better world all around.

Too much sweet and good can be a yawn too, everything in moderation, but we do have more than enough darkness around us nowadays, just turn on the slimy Sunday Evangelists trying to make a buck off millions of sour grapes looking for a reason to believe in something besides what they have to see and hear and live everyday! Donate to me and I will guide you to better pastures, yeah sure, in your dreams!
We make our own pastures.

No self respect or discipline anymore, just attitude like expressed in this post. That attitude doesn't amount to much or people wouldn't have to fight with those inner demons so anxious to come out and play.
Tell them to get lost and take a hike, your better than those little devils inkling to get out of your persona.
No one asks you to be a Jar Jar Binks either, but why do we have to look up to Darth Vader all of a sudden?

This here reminds me of that commercial on tv lately where these gothic looking bunch of guys get picked up by some light humored oldster that takes them for a wild ride in the backwoods and lightens them up from their droopy, moody lost in zombie limbo character and by the end of the commercial they're all going something like...eeeeeyhaaaaaaaaaaaw!

Lol! Excuse me, hair appointment, have to run.

Try to bring out your spirits, not your gremlins.

Message edited on: 06/04/2005 13:30

My Spidey sense is tingling! There's danger nearby! Oh wait -- it's just my foot falling asleep again. Never mind. I'm so goth I listen to The Sisters of Mercy and Bauhaus simultaneously at midnight in a graveyard sitting in a pentagram surrounded by candles...and oh, there's a full moon...and then I die. And then I come back to life. And then I die again...tragically.

Mmm... End result, if you have something darker that you want to post, you can post it in the galleries no problem. People won't get after you, and if they do, they're just being immature and hurting themselves. Something VERY dark (like a pic featuring child molestation or rape or BDSM or some such) shouldn't be featured at all, anywhere, in my opinion. Yes, you are expressing yourself, but is that the sort of thing you really want to express? You are imagining hurting someone, terribly and for the rest of their lives, damaging them emotionally. If by dark you mean gothic, satanic, stuff like that (I'm imagining, say, a little girl sitting in the middle of a pentagram with candles at the points and blood dripping down her chin, or some such), I don't THINK there would be a problem posting something like that in the galleries so long as you check the "violence" box and/or "nudity" (if applicable). Something to think about.

If you are not with me, you must be a terrorist!

We have a Gothic category for images of the "Gothic" nature. You may take that as literal or as movementarian as you wish. If yours is of a "left hand path" nature, and WITHIN the TOS, there is also the "Religious/Spiritual" category. Adding a category of forum specifically for Vampiric/Goth/Dark posters is, to be honest with you, a bad idea. Why? Because then, we'd have to cater to everyone else who wants one with their category. We'd have a Christian Right-Wing Forum, a No-Holds Barred Rough It Out Forum, a Dances Naked In Pink Hats Forum, and all kinds of other requests. Believe me, you think your idea is way out there? I'm sure that someone will come up with a stranger request, usually in a matter of minutes. We're all different. Not one of us is so much alike others that it's one big clique. That's what makes the art community in general a good thing. As for hiding behind anonymous posts and threads....that is a bad bad bad bad BAD idea. We've got enough problems with trolls as it is. If you're not brave enough to be yourself online, then why would posting anonymously be a good thing? It facilitates lying, cheating, and hurting others. I'm not saying it is a bad idea. Just not a good idea here. If you think that enough people would want a forum like you're describing, by all means, create one. Purchase some hosting, run your message boards, add some galleries. No one's keeping you from it. It's just that, here, g we have a hard enough time keeping the peace sometimes ;). MorriganShadow Renderosity Moderator

Not having a dances naked with pink hats place is, IMO, a VERY good idea. LOL. You don't want to see some of the creepy tarantula boys who go around naked with pink hats on. ;-)

I guess I'll close this post out as follows: Those who think anonymity is hiding - Please post your real names (first and last) to this thread. Those who think darkness means goth - Time did not start post middle ages. Darkness was around long before nonconformists found eyeliner meaningful. Those who are fond of describing anti-darkness as pink - You are beyond my help. Thank you for commenting. Those of you who think this post was about Star Wars - The point, you have missed. Those who are moderators - Why do you say the idea is bad twice before you say you are not saying it is bad. You sound like a school-marm. Not criticizing, just adding my critique. Thank you all for commenting. I will probably come up with another idea soon, so brace yourself and buy bonds. Peace by with you.

I think it's fine if you want to close out the thread, but there is one thing I would like to mention. You can easily get our first and last names. Just click our screen names, you will be taken immediately to a screen where you can see my first and last name. I do notice that your first and last name are not there. Not really meaning anything by that, but still. Darkness and evil has been around since the dawn of time. Nevertheless, when I say "gothic", I refer to the movement, mostly in America, and mostly by teens. Not to a time period or to a type of architecture. Vampires were around long before this movement. And yet they are still considered "gothic". Just some thoughts.

Those of you who think this post was about Star Wars - The point, you have missed. Those of you who think a joke about Star Wars is anyting other than a joke - the joke you have missed. bonni

Well before God had created the matter the dark matter was still there and remains until today filling 95% of the Universe. The dark matter is so ancient that even God doesn't remember or knows by whom was created.

Yup, I said it was a bad idea. For Renderosity. Not in general. Oh, and if you click on my name, you'll get taken to my artist page. Where you can not only see my picture, but that my name is Jennifer Jonas. You can also see that on the "Team" page. I post with my screen name so as to not confuse the masses. That, and, after having the screenname everywhere that I have an account on the internet (including my domain), the name of MorriganShadow is a huge part of me. It IS my dark side. As was stated, the idea is a bad thing in a site as huge and volatile (sometimes) as Renderosity. LOL, and I've been called much worse than "School Marm". Today. And it's only 8am where I am. I apologize for not having a 100% understanding of what you're wanting to do here, but half explainations lead to half interpretations, so that's all anyone has had to go on. I stated that the sort of forum that you are suggesting would be a bad idea to have at Renderosity. Having to police an area that you'd described (and yes, we do have to monitor every inch of this site to comply with rules that WE, as a business, have to follow) would be, to be honest, much more work than fun for anyone. First of all, it would be a forum of a "Darker" nature. Immediately, protests around the site would erupt from Conservatives of many of the most mainstream religions, stating that we allow such filth onto the site (like we don't get messages like that already). Also, having it anonymous would be catastrophic. Think about it. Remember that kid in high school who was "dark", but not quite outrageously goth? The one who read poetry, and painted, and could draw those amazingly detailed scribbles instead of listening to the lesson in Trigonometry? The one who would draw a picture of a beautiful girl, throw it away, and later get beaten up by that girls boyfriend? That forum would be the kid. Human nature tells me that for every one kid like that, there are at least 15 "big burly guys" who would come into that forum to raise hell simply due to the subject matter. My saying it was a bad idea was more than just a no. It's trying to say "Forcing something into a community does not make it accepted automatically." And that is what we would be doing. We would be attempting to force a "Dark" lifstyle into the community, where there are many who are vocal against it. I understand the want...nee, need, for it. But it is logistically not a possibility in a site as huge and diverse as Renderosity. It is, in all reality, an explosion waiting to happen. MorriganShadow a.k.a. Jennifer Jonas Renderosity Moderator

I just have to ask, oh immortal one... what planet are you on? Seriously? No, there's nothing wrong with darkness, Goth, vampires, whatever. I love a good fang flick. Or even a not-so-good-one. But that doesn't mean it will fly in a mainstream sort of place. How about we have a gay/lesbain/transgender forum and gallery, too? Nothing wrong with those groups either. But if Rendo puts one up, you'd better believe the moral majority is going to be in there shrieking their lungs out. Why the heck would Rendo want that? And that's my reality check of the day. Thank you. ;-) -Heidi McClure (photo on my artist page)

"Evil" has been around only since the Zoroastrians divided everything into black and white, dark and light, good and evil. Dualism and extremes is pretty much unknown before that. Evil doesn't really exist, for many of us... it is just a concept to describe the worst parts of human nature. Others believe that evil is a concrete entity who can be called into your presence with the right rituals... and who will then do your bidding. Having an anonymous gallery for the exploration and celebration of that which is bad, ugly, terrifying, and ghoulish will lead to warfare of the nastiest sort, made worse by the assumed shelter of anonymity. Not only will there be rampant thread wars under the gallery images as people tear into each other (you should have seen what was happening in the political galleries last election), but the bad blood will spread into the other sections as artists get dragged into this battlefield. I am minded of something that John Gardner once wrote about our responsibilities. We who create do have a responsibility not to add to the world's burden of filth and depravity and ugliness and misery just to wallow in it. There is plenty of that already... just read the news! And, for fairness' sake, if Renderosity created a gallery for "darkness", it would have to create a lot more galleries: toys, childhood, fuzzy friends, wrinkles, fish, astronomicals, collectibles, hats, cars, as well as each of the several hundred split-off churches. A celebration of aging is just as valid as a celebration of darkness! As mentioned above, if you want a gallery full of anonymous posters creating and commenting upon work of this sort, why don't you set it up? There already are websites where goth, sadism, or deviant images are posted, so make your own, add a warning label to the front that it is age-restricted and unmoderated, and put the energy into running it. You might want to make it hacker-proof. Carolly Hauksdottir My nude photo is on my artist's page ;^) but enough members have met me who can vouch that I'm just as opinionated in real life.

Carolly: My nude photo is on my artist's page ;^) And the R'osity servers go into overdrive as everyone rushes to Carolly's artist page... ;o)

TIO........ Good to see ya again... I think I understand where your going with this idea.. I think the biggest hurdle is, your proposing a forum with a completely different format than what exists here. I doubt that would fly with the programmers.. The other catch (as I see it)...is we have to stick with the TOS...so allowing members to post "without fear of reprisal" isn't going to work..the administration isn't going to allow an "anything goes forum"... however..if one uses his brain, and phrases his words properly..you can say a lot and still play by the site rules.. Again...good to see your name again...

I vote for Obi Wan Kitnobi :)

mark-- That's a great kitten. My sister's boyfriend has about four or five kittens along with about four full-grown cats and one "teenager". His house is crawling with cats, in other words. Normally I would go there and take lots of pictures of these kittens and cats, but his house has to be seen to be believed. Let's just leave it at that. pushinfaders-- I think that the main thing is that you don't deliberately try to offend a lot of people. Renderosity is about the free expression of ideas, and people who go out there to deliberately offend other people are hindering that high goal. So, yes, if you can find the right words. There are some things that there aren't the "right" words to express, though. hauksdottir-- Is that sanskrit on your artist's page? Yes, I actually looked at the lettering rather than you. But I love sanskrit and it looks much like it. What does it say?

"I think that the main thing is that you don't deliberately try to offend a lot of people" well....not really.......art isn't always pretty..if I express an idea thru art...that I am passionate about...it could be quite offensive to a lot of people..especially when you express your feelings/beliefs about things like religion and politics. Let's face it..the intent of some art IS to be offensive..I'm not making a case for either side, just stating the obvious I suppose.

Hmm... I meant in the forums, wasn't really thinking about art... Correct me if I'm wrong, but the TOS does state that you cannot directly attack a religion. If just post your views on religion/politics, if it offends someone, then that's their problem. BUT, if you directly attack a specific religion/politics/view, then it's a violation of the TOS. This is what I meant by offending. If you just state your views and nothing else, then you are expressing yourself, not being offensive. I think we both mean the same thing and are just getting tripped up over semantics. I could be wrong, and often am =)

Quenya. An ancient form of elvish. :)

I love that kitty!!!! :-) And the elvish. But my Quenya's erm, not so good. What does it say, Carolly? Don't make me drag out my Silmarillion. LOL. ;-)

You mean the Babel Fish doesn't have a Quenya to English translator? I'm shocked! Somebody better get Alta Vista on the ball pronto!

Wonder if they'd get a Klingon one, too? ;-)

One of the funniest things I've ever seen is a t-shirt that has a Klingon phrase on it, which, when translated, reads, "Get a life!" ;-) bonni

We just got a new kitten (named Sarah) and my pit-bull/chihuahua mix dog adopted it. They sleep together on the couch. The dog is named Vicky. Named after THAT vicky, too.

HA! Bonni, that's great! LOL! giggle

Attached Link: Free Klingon Dictionary

Actually Klingon translations of a couple of shakespeare works have been published, as has a Klingon translation of the New Testament.

I Am The Mysterious Chaotic Overlord of EVIL!!!!

Whose Thoughts Regard The Depths Of Deep Subjects In The Darkness.......The Darkness Of The Failure To Pay The Power Bill.........

Bow Before Me, All Ye Mere Mortals Below.........

If what people are really saying is that they fear the darkness, then so be it. Don't enter the doorway whose handle you can not hold.

And While You Are At It --

Be Sure To Use The Bach Door. Because The Handel On The Front Door Is Baroque.

Message edited on: 06/05/2005 23:19

If you have enough Monet you can fix it when it's Baroque, that is if you can get a museum to lend you some

lol@XENOPHONZ Wow, this thread has seriously gone OT. Like, so totally and completely that XENOPHONZ posts on topic and it seems off topic. =) A girl that my friend knows can read and write fluent elvish. Not sure which dialect, though. It does look a bit like sanskrit, but not really. And yes, Carolly, you never did say what it meant. ?

Wow, this thread has seriously gone OT. Yes. :-) I spent most of my life in "darkness", rather seriously depressed and with a lot of pain and other difficulties. I have lots of true stories from my actual life that can make people gasp. I know all about the darkness. I don't fear the darkness, but I won't dwell in it or linger on it. Nietzsche was right. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. These days I'm much more inclined to kick back and have a laugh, and the world is full of things to find amusing if you just look at them the right way. ;-) Okay, now it's time for me to go Chopin. I'll be Bach in a minuet. ;-) bonni

Museums Love their Monet too much .
The Bach Door Key is in the 21st century .
Hope it is not Baroque.
If U do go Flat, just try your best to Keep In Tune .

Message edited on: 06/06/2005 01:44