Braidless Baka

[color=orangered]I'm dittoing Kitty here, I think it's all the stalk-like things coming off the butterfly, they kind of look like thin leaves that you get off plants. And the wings make the petals. Though it really didn't take much looking to find the butterfly. Like Kitty said, an optical illusion thing ^_^ Keep it up - it's cool ^_^[/color]

[color=orangered]Well, here's my entry, for what it's worth O_o - I don't usually do well in these kinds of competitions ^_^;; The character's an original, so I haven't copied off anything - though I borrowed the posture a little from a manga (I usually reference mangas to check out my postures/expressions when I draw original characters O_o) - I'm not sure if that disqualifies me or not - but at least I can't be accused of cheating ^_^;;[/color]

[color=orangered]Phew, I think I got here just in time O_o Well, here's my entry, one I made for Metatron a while ago, and I believe he still uses it ^_^ I've gotta say I'm impressed by everything else I've seen here ;) we've got some talent on OB methinks ^_^[/color] [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=519657[/img]

The wind buffetted against Ton's face, his hair flicking into his eyes like a creature gone wild. He couldn't see where he was going, and he didn't care to find out. Just away from whoever, or [i]whatever[/i] was chasing him. Then, out of the darkness, he noticed something. A slight sound behind him. He flinched, unable to turn, and unwilling to see. The slender piece of metal, aimed at him, shot through the sleeve of his jacket, getting caught in the material and swinging there precariously. In a swift motion, Ton grasped the handle and pulled it out of the cloth, throwing it to the floor as he scooted around another corner, into the darkness. Then, with a shout and a curse, he fell, tripping over something in the darkness. A hand shot out, covering his mouth with a low hushing sound. Lain, his finely blonde hair in his eyes and blowing with the gusts of wind, just narrowed those calculating grey eyes at Ton. Eyes, the hacker realised, that just couldn't be... human. And, in response to that thought, his own eyes widened a little. Slowly, obviously listening to the sound of Jenk approaching, Lain took his hand away. "[i]What the...?[/i]" "[i]Shh...[/i]" The atmosphere was tense. And Ton burned with a desire to run. This just wasn't safe. She was going to find them, he knew it! They should be running now! But no... they listened and waited.

[color=orangered]Heh... I remember the Gladiators... O_O but now I have that song stuck in my head! Wonderful lyrics, had me giggling - and that's always a good thing ^_^[/color]

Seb raised an eyebrow at Zell, still not having taken his attention from Alex. Always cautious... "Y'know... maybe she's right. You should at least [i]try[/i] to get some sleep. I don't think they're going to take your lifestyle into account here." "And what do you know?" snapped Zell, turning her gaze on him sharply. "I won't do exactly what they want me to!" Seb frowned, his hand pulling the red rope of hair over his shoulder as he picked at the end of it. "Then why're you here?" "I...!" Seb raised an eyebrow as Zell trailed off. "See? You start trying to change things and then you don't understand what you're fighting for anymore. That's what happens." "Insightful," piped up David, from across the room. In reply, Seb just shrugged. "But it's the truth."

[i]8:04pm[/i] Ton sighed. Why was the time moving so damnned slow? He paused for a moment, listening to the creaking sounds around him. This place was old, that much was sure enough. In fact, computer records scheduled it for demolition in a matter of days. How's that for timing? The wind blew past cracked windows, reminding the hacker of previous periods of confinement. What would he do if they found him anyway? Insinctively his flicked his gaze across the room, checking for escape roots. The stairs were always an option, although there were more holes in it than in a hunk of swiss cheese. The window was another viable option. Quietly, the brunette leaned his head against the wall. "Bo~ring." Then... suddenly... the place started creaking a whole lot more. And... thumping... which was certainly odd. With a start, Ton scrambled to his feet and swore harshly. Of course! This was the perfect place for outlaws to squat! Demolition, nobody around. That's why he'd chosen it. Why did it have to be so damnned obvious?! He leaned down, to snatch up his bag, in time to hear the footsteps freeze below. In turn, he froze. They were listening for him. See, bats don't care about blindfolds... they have other ways of doing things. Ton barely dared to breathe. The silence was punctuated by the wind blowing outside, which seemed to pick up suddenly. A gale. Which could only mean one thing. Fallen... [i]"There's someone here!"[/i] With those words, Ton was off. He'd been busted, and he didn't intend to get caught, though what he could really do about it was anybody's guess. Grabbing the banister on his way past, he pulled himself round onto the stairs, his footfalls slamming up them. Below him was a sudden flurry of activity as well, the leader of the team shouting at the others to get a move on. The room at the top of the stairs was empty, Ton knew that, he'd already looked there when he got here. But now dry dust flew up as his shoes skidded across the floor and across to the open window. He leaned out of it for a fraction of a second. It was a long way down. But they were getting nearer... there was nothing for it. Taking a deep breath, the hacker leapt, landing on his feet somehow and making a run for it. He knew they would follow him. And to make it worse, he was out after curfew. But what else was he supposed to do? Wait and die?

OOC: Gah... how to follow on from that? *sigh* Well, I can try ;) ~~~~~ [i]7:00pm[/i] "Great..." murmured Ton idly, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, as he turned his gaze away from his wristwatch. "Curfew..." The whole idea was just... insane. People weren't animals, why lock them up? They weren't all children either. So why weren't they allowed to go out after dark? Although a man of many, many guises, even Ton didn't like the idea of going out after the curfew. They were everywhere, the long arm of the law. And Ton would just as well stay hidden, he didn't need to be IDed right now. He leaned back against the wall with a quiet sigh, letting his hazel gaze wander around the darkened room. This place would do until morning. Then he could get out of this entire Sector. Amazing what a little computer trickery could do in this day and age. Speaking of computers... He pulled his bag over and unzipped it. Nothing fancy, just what he needed. His laptop computer being one of those things. He booted it up, listening to its hypnotic hum and irregular beeping noises. [font=courier]C:/_[/font] He paused for a moment. [font=courier]C:/WWW:/_ WWW:/cd systemops_ Password: ****** --Access has been denied at this server. If this error continues, please contact the server "systemops"-- WWW:/_[/font] He could go further... he could try going internally. He paused for a moment, considering the possibility. But then decided, no. He didn't have the right equipment, and there was no point going into the systemops server blind as a blindfolded bat. But bats have other ways to see... ways that normal people don't understand - a different way of looking at life and the people in it. He'd just have to be a little more patient.

[color=orangered][b]Name:[/b] Samantha (Sam!) [b]Age:[/b] 17 [b]Past Information:[/b] A Brit by birth and breeding - having spent all of her 17 years there, until deciding to go to the Bahamas with a group of people she met on the internet (she's a very trusting soul, at that) - a very boring, uneventful past. [b]Relations:[/b] Following on from the fic... I'm Geist's girlfriend, right? [b]Career:[/b] Student / Sales Assisstant / (Wannabe) Webmistress [b]Name one item and one item only:[/b] My paperback copy of Lord of the Rings ^_^[/color]

Well... I know this isn't very long, but I wanted to get it out so as to start a longer story. I don't often release fiction on OB - I think this is the first time aside from Otaku Idol. So, constructive critism is always welcome ^_^;; [b]Divine Penance - Chapter 1[/b] [i]?Hey, the power?s out again?? Quietly, the red-haired youth lay in the silence. Total darkness. He tilted his head towards the blonde on his right. The other boy?s breathing was so soft, you couldn?t even tell if he was awake or not. The redhead sighed, before reaching out with a gentle hand to nudge the boy. ?You awake?? In response, the blonde shifted, provoking a sleepy snort, before falling silent again. ?Evidently not?? whispered the redhead, lying on his back again with a sigh and studying the ceiling. ?The power?s out,? he murmured again, this time to himself. The fan above them had stopped purring. He hated that. The night was warm enough with the two boys in the same room without the fan dying on them. The sticky heat was oppressive; and the blonde, who?d already been up the whole night crying, would soon wake up again.[/i] Quietly, Kieran ran his biro up and down his desk, the point leaving a faint blue trail in its wake. Then, absently turning his green gaze upwards, he gnawed on the end of the biro, satisfied to watch the comings and goings of classroom C17. Not everyone was in the class yet; Kieran could count at least seven empty seats. He had been in first, however, his quiet presence haunting the teacher as she came and went, taking books out and bringing them back in. They never spoke. Not until there was at least one other person in the room. And then Kieran was usually forgotten in some wonderful conversation about the weekend. Kieran preferred not to talk about his weekends. Five minutes before the bell went, everybody was in their seats. Somehow they had all made it in on time. Unusual. The general murmur continued in the classroom, the seats on either side of Kieran remaining empty. Absently, he pulled at his school tie, loosening it a little. Just enough to look untidy, but not enough that someone would talk to him about it. Then someone else entered the room. Someone Kieran didn?t recognise. He watched as the boy walked into the classroom, his head held high, as though daring someone to say something to him. The teacher, she spoke with him in hushed tones, and by the look on his face he was being reasonably polite in his turn. Boring. Kieran turned his gaze away, his thoughts dwelling elsewhere. What did he care if someone new was coming into the class? It?s not like they were going to talk to him anyway. It wasn?t until a few seconds later Kieran heard the footsteps approach him, and he looked up in time to see the blonde stop by his desk. ?Can I sit here?? Kieran blinked, aware of the rounded American quality to the other boy?s voice, and then shrugged. ?Sure.? The blonde proceeded to pull the chair from under the desk and sit in it, then rifling through his bag for his books. ?Don?t bother,? came Kieran?s quiet voice, provoking the other boy to look up curiously. ?What?? ?Getting your books out,? continued Kieran, turning his gaze away. ?We don?t have lessons in this room.? ?We don?t?? Kieran?s answer was to shake his head, still not looking at the stranger. There was a lengthy, yet uncomfortable pause. Then the blonde, desperate to break it, spoke. ?My name?s Dominic. What?s yours?? ?Kieran.? The reply was reluctant. The room continued to hustle and move like a tide, as the two boys sat at their desks like stones. Dominic, Kieran noticed with a strange satisfaction, was fidgeting like nobody?s business. Why did the blonde care if a total stranger was ignoring him? Some questions nobody could answer...

[b]Name:[/b] Sebastian Gortz [b]Nick/Code name:[/b] Shift [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Age:[/b] 18 [b]Description:[/b] Tall red head with long hair brushing down to hip-length. Usually tied back in a plait for convienience's sake. Usually dresses casually, it being not unusual to see him in denim and trainers. When he becomes a shapeshifter, his form changes in not the most dramatic of ways. He becomes almost feral, his ears sharpening a little, his gaze becoming a little more feline, and his canines growing out a little more. However, this more beastial form makes way for him to adopt any number of shapes, making him a key to any plan involving stealth. He is also loyal, and if he feels he is in debt to a person he will even go to the extent of stalking them to make sure his debt is repaid. He doesn't want a kick in the face later in life when he "owes them one". [b]Creature:[/b] Shapeshifter [b]Trigger:[/b] High anxiety - when he gets worried or panicked, he gains his shape-shifting abilities. And they're not always under his control. ~~~~ Well, I okayed the character change with Walnut, and upped the age slightly ^_^;;

[color=orangered]Heh, I'm well amused by this ^____^;; The "Ah cookie" line and the whole "Des's face" thing had me in near-hysterics. And yes... doukeshi03 [i]was[/i] estatic... *attempts to calm her down* ^_~ Great work Solo, I'm keeping an eye on this one ^_____^[/color]

[color=orangered]I used to have to wear a uniform - until I got to sixth form. However, wherever you go in the UK things are different. First schoolers usually have to wear some kind of uniform (sometimes it's optional -aka- up to the parents). In Middle School and especially High School, they tighten things up, making them compulsary. And then, in sixth form it depends again on where you go. We have a dress code - no denim no leather no trainers etc etc. But apart from that, it's pretty loose. They just ask that you're presentable, and I can fully comprehend that. Uniforms in schools are just like they are in the workplace. It identifies you as part of a whole, and lessens discrimination. Sure, we may not like wearing a school uniform, but you'd protest at having to do schoolwork if you hadn't been expected to do it before. I guess that means it's a matter of what you're used to. ;) In my school it seperates lower school from the sixth form. So I'd say uniforms have their uses. ^_^;;[/color]

[color=orangered]¬_¬;; Yeah, it's early for me and late for her... sleep woman! Then you won't feel so nervous! But gah... I'm starting a new job soon myself. Just go with it. What happens when you get there can only be dealt with there and then. And no matter what you do, it can't be solved by fretting and worrying. Just go and knock 'em out ;)[/color]

I think I'm done... I may come back and tweak it if you reckon it needs it ^_^ ~~~ [b]Name:[/b] Tonayal Thraves [b]Nickname:[/b] Ton [b]Age:[/b] 18 [b]Character Type:[/b] Hacker [b]Attributes:[/b] Being a hacker, Ton is obviously very good at... hacking. He's also a dab hand at internal hacking, this giving him access to a lot of information he just couldn't get at otherwise. Has [i]no[/i] magical abilities whatsoever. ;) [b]Appearance:[/b] Ton's usual dress consists of a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt. He's not one who's exactly on top of fashion, and has no overwhelming desire to climb the social ladder. A mop of overgrown dusty-brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes, he doesn't exactly look like someone you would pay attention to. His right ear is pierced with a small gold stud, the only piece of jewellry he actually owns. His entire worldly possesions are contained in a small backpack that he's never seen without, to go along with his nomadic lifestyle. [b]Personality:[/b] Loyal to the point of what he openly admits is stupidity. If he is sticking with someone, he's not the kind to lose his nerve halfway. He's not really met anyone he'd give his life for just yet, but he's the kind of guy that wouldn't give it a second thought. He's also very protective of his hacking, and won't hesitate to jump headlong into an arguement if it needs to be argued about. He's also a bit of a hothead, who acts before thinking. He means well, but it doesn't always seem like it. [b]Bio:[/b] Up until about 4 years ago, Ton lived a happy Norm-ish lifestyle. He went to school, learned stuff, came home again. His father had a well-to-do job involving the Technoglobe mainframe, a well-paid job. Well-paid enough that Ton's mother could afford to be a housewife. But then, slowly, Ton began to see what Technoglobe was doing. How every aspect of what he did was controled - somehow. What he learned at school, how far his hobbies could go, even what his parents did for a living. All these things were determined by the system. Eventually this led to him becoming more of a rebel than he was comfortable with, recieveing numerous electronic warnings from school that he [i]really should[/i] stop screwing up the internal computers, if he'd be so kind. This in its turn led to disputes in the household, and eventually Ton decided he'd had enough, packing a few precious belongings and running. He was caught, and sent home, but he repeated the procedure shortly afterwards, his first stop after which being to get his registration chip removed. After this, the most recent four years of his life have been spent winging it. He relies on contacts he's made and skills he's developed to keep him alive. Technoglobe, while on the look-out for him, have no idea where he is now, his ability to take other (electronic) guises serving him especially well when he wants to travel. Humans don't argue with computers nowadays. However, the first fourteen years worth of indoctrenation have taken an unwelcome toll on Ton, his phobia of magic. Angels were always spoken of as lower beings who only wished the wrath of some evil God on the general population. As such, Ton doesn't understand their faith, and is afraid of the powers they have. Powers which are technically impossible... worse, they're [i]unscientific[/i]. He has no problem with the person behind the Angel, who they really are, he's just disturbed by what they can do, and will often get twitchy or nervous if he doesn't completely trust the magic-user.

[color=orangered]Akito's kinda evil really O_o;; I don't like him much... Especially in the last episode... [spoiler]I mean where DID that car actually come from? And go to for that matter? O_O;;[/spoiler] But no, I think it's a very worth while anime to sit down and watch. The storyline's cool, the animation's very pretty, and the whole idea with the chinese zodiac intrigues me. But something's gotta be great when I openly denounce my zodiac (the cow ^_^) in front of my whole Japanese class and adopt the cat as my new zodiac... [spoiler]And I love how they make up in the end... If you've seen it you know who I mean... if you haven't then STOP PEEPING UNDER SPOILER TAGS![/spoiler] Yeah, I highly reccomend Furuba ^_^;; Kyo is so cool and... annoyed O_o;;[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Queen Asuka [/i] [B][color=hotpink][size=1]You named your couch? That's pretty weird.[/color][/size] [/B][/QUOTE] Heh, I'm thinking he meant "coach", but meh... But yeah, swearing isn't something I care too much about. As long as it isn't excessively used. And I don't mean that because I dislike swearing, just because it's [i]supposed[/i] to be offensive. So if some little brat in lower school (and trust me, they're in abundance) starts swearing their little heads off, I just don't like them. Because they're going out of their way to be offensive. However, I have some great teachers at school, and sometimes a cuss word slips out. But we don't think anything of it, because it's in reference to a [i]thing[/i] or something [i]they've done[/i] - not in reference to anyone else. If teachers are deliberately launching at you or people you know, that is something that should be rectified. Same thing if it's happening often. But if it's just a one-time thing... just calm down O_o;; the world doesn't get any quieter y'know...

Well, my birthday is on December 10th - but turning 18 isn't really something I'm overly fussed about. I imagined it was going to be a [i]really[/i] big thing, but to be honest it's not. I can already smoke, have sex legally, and gamble (National Lottery! Whoo!) - all of those are legal at 16, at 18 I guess I can drive (after passing my test) get married without parental consent (looooong ways from that yet ;)) and drink in public (I'm alcophobic and everything >.>;; ) - there's probably a whole bunch of things I've missed out about turning 18 (voting O_O) but I don't really think it's gonna effect me straight away... maybe later it will... Right now my big worry is exams and university applications O_o;;

Wheeeeeee!! I get to go on a date with my husband!! O_o;; Although... doesn't it usually work the other way round? Meh, whatever ^_^ Keep writing it and I'll keep reading it! *is enjoying it so far*

I haven't actually read the manga through yet... (it dropped on my doormat this morning ;)) but from what I've seen and fan translations it seems pretty neato ^_^ It differs from the anime that - in the first instance - Shuuichi doesn't have a sister in the anime. Or at least she's never mentioned... So I'm waiting for it to be pretty different. But what I've seen so far looks promising ^_^;;

*prods Geist* and who might that "certain character who has not been introduced" be? *chuckles* Nice work J-pan-chan, I'm still watching ^____^

Well, I guess I'm refering to students. Lots of students I've talked to absolutely [i]hate[/i] his work because there's so much to it. So much to unravel. Which is what I like about it ^_^ So, yeah, when I say "bad" I guess I mean "hard to study"

[b](1) Highest-Rated Artists[/b] If I'm looking for pictures I want to look at good images. So, this is a good one to find good pictures. Though with that method you'd never find artists that aren't awful, but aren't the best. [b](2) Recently Updated Artists[/b] Yeah, if someone draws a new picture I want to know about it. [b](3) Recently Updated Anime Categories[/b] This one isn't really so important. I will have my own categories that I will look in, but overall, even if a category is updated I won't go to it just because it's been updated. [b](4) Most Prolific Artists[/b] Like Semjaza said, I don't really care who drew a picture. If I'm impressed I'll go look at their profile page, but I don't want to search for pictures based on how much someone can write. But maybe that's just me ^_^;; [b](5) Most Popular Anime Categories (by # of pics)[/b] Again, my point's been raised already, but it's just a statistic. And it won't get me to go visit areas for an anime I'm not a fan of. ~~~~ I don't know if it's already been thought of, but what about having a myOtaku aritist list? Like you've been throwing around ideas for having a friends list that lets you know when something's been updated. What about a list like that for fanart? Have a list of your favourite artists, and having some kind of method that let you know when your favourite artists have updated?

Well, I've been studying at least one Shakespeare play a year for at least four years now and I've got to say that, although I don't really like studying texts, Shakespeare isn't half as bad as everyone makes him out to be. Right now I'm studying [i]King Lear[/i] for the second time, and I'm quite enjoying it to be honest. There's a lot of depth in the play, whether Shakespeare meant for it to be there or not. I've also had the "pleasure" (?) of studying [i]Othello[/i] (which I wasn't overly impressed with) and [i]Romeo and Juliet[/i] (which has been branded as bad, but I didn't think it was all that bad) Has anyone else got any ideas about Shakespeare? Any favourite characters / plays etc? I can't be the only one who thinks Shakespeare is intriguing O_o;;

I haven't actually managed to read the manga, (living in the UK makes it hard to get such groovy things :P) However, I have seen the first episode of the animated version and it's really kinda funny O_o;; So I'm gonna be trying to get hold of the managa AND the anime as soon as I can. Also, you guys all seemed to like it ;)