"A remarkable piece of art" - The New York Times
First, hats off to everyone who entered, I knew my competition would be intense and I am very honored to be in your presence.
Wow, thank you everyone! First I would like to thank all of the brave men and women fighting overseas to defend our freedoms, may you come home safely! Next I would like to thank Edgegamers for being such a tight knit community of gaming peers that almost one year ago adopted me into its loving household. I would like to thank Ill Legend and his advisors for doing such an amazing job at being internet role models for us common folk who strive to attain an image in their likeness, albeit coming up short, for their (what I assume to be made of) crystalline atom structures are both unique and unreplicable, thus out of our reach as if we extend our hand out to some angelic creature only to be just short of grasping it, reminded that we are but humans living in a world governed by science. Next I would like to thank Valve for creating Counterstrike: Source, a means of both entertainment for those with a small need of cognition resulting in an aroused state from the peripheral cues of boom headshotting opposing players, and a release for those with skin neoplasms caused by the Sun's harmful UV-rays and are thus reluctant to experience healthy social lives, resorting to virtual pleasures to satisfy their cravings of comradery. I would like to thank Bill Gates and the creators of MS paint for giving me the opportunity to express myself through crudely drawn stick figures and other creative designs that I believed to be lost after hitting puberty and losing all forms of individuality expressed by drawing pictures on my little art desk with my drawing kit provided to me on several occasions by my grandmother on my father's side, who would seem to forget she gave me this gift several birthdays in succession. I want to thank Antoine Dodson for having the courage to speak out against the injustices of the urban settings in which we live, where people believe they can freely climb into the windows of law abiding citizens, leaving behind finger prints and what have you. I want to thank my father and step mother for providing me with this laptop on which this piece of art was constructed, although I continue to hold them in contempt for personal reasons of which I will not divulge on this happy occasion. Finally, and most importantly, I must thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
On the night of November 11, 2010 at 11:50pm Eastern-Standard time, Ill Legend came to the website with a contest of who could create the best poster. I immediately took interest in such a competition, for my MS Paint skills were finely tuned from my days of crafting romantic pictures for the many love interests I associated with, whom a majority, if not all, now reside on my AIM friends list of which I do not log on for obvious reasons. So I sat and pondered the many possibilities for which I could base my poster on, for you see I am a fan of contemporary art, and nothing screamed modern more than Antoine Dodson, denouncer of sexual assault by day, internet superhero by night. And so I took his image and mused about how I could transform this icon into a messenger for Counterstrike: Source in way that would instantly grab one?s attention and say, ?I really want to be a part of that sweet goodness.? I set upon drawing the figure of our hero as best to my ability until I felt that what I had did him justice well enough. Then I removed him and began working on the detailed brick wall and window behind him, giving him a more at home setting so that the audience would be less hesitant to let their guard down and better absorb the message that he brings. Once this was finished I combined the two, making good use of the magnifying class to touch up what was there, leaving only the speech bubble empty. I began combining and separating different CS:S terms and lingo, aspects of game play, until I finally settled on the subject most knowledgeable to me, Jailbreak. And so a text box was born, and in it the words that you see above. At last I was finished, but it lacked one more quality. ?Ah yes?, I thought, realizing I needed to brand the image with a reference to CS:S itself directly. I added the double rainbow and looked at my finished product, admiring its beauty as I sat Indian style, naked save for the sweat on my brow from the intense work put into creating this masterpiece.
Some may ask, ?Shadow19, where did you get your passion?? Or, ?Shadow19, how is it you?re so skilled with a touchpad brush?? Or even, ?Shadow19, wen we goin to D & B to shoot some hoops and eat some delicious steak?? ? Jomigirock. Well I tell you this people of Edgegamers, I am but a man, maybe just a dreamer. I believe in the good of humanity, that people should strive to adhere to the moral codes set unto us by the culture in which we have formed for ourselves. To do so because it is right, and good within our hearts, not because some religious or political text told us it?s the right thing to do. I believe in evolution, not just of the scientific kind, but of the ethical and moral kind as well. I believe we can be better than what we are, we can destroy tyranny and hate, we can overcome prejudice and discrimination. People talk of golden ages, of civilizations that experienced great glory but have long since vanished. Some wonder when our golden age will occur, or if it already has. I believe our golden age, not as a country, but as a species, has yet to come. When we can set aside all the hate and violence in the world, to come together as one and solve the problems we face, problems of agriculture, medicine, and ultimately science, the science to take us further than we?ve ever gone. There are billions and billions of galaxies and stars and planets out there, waiting for us, but intangible and unreachable until we can solve our own worldly strife and hardships. The point I am making, is that you, me, Antoine Dodson, Ill Legend; we aren?t so different. We are but men and women trying to survive on this planet we call Earth. It is my hope that with this picture, you can store it in your hearts, in your minds, and transfer it and its message to your kids, and they will transfer it to their kids, and so the dream will live on. I urge you, take your loved one by the hand, look them in the eye, and tell them this everlasting phrase,
?You can?t have your pudding if you don?t eat your meat.?
Thank you, and God bless!
Edit: I?ve just received word that I will not be getting a $100 Visa gift card for winning, please disregard everything that has been written.
COngratulations Shadow19 on the WIN! 
