AzureWolf

OMG! I actually know how to make that effect! But it never looks good when I do it... -_- I really like this banner, even if that front picture is overused by now (although it is one of Kakashi's greatest moments). I think the stock picture (the front) could look a little better, but since you do seem to be getting better yourself, I don't think it'll be a problem in the future. Maybe using a bluish shade to fit with the rest of the banner instead of B&W would breathe more life into that front pic. EDIT: Oh yeah, and I don't like the font all too much because of the jaggies at the curved parts.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Quicksilverus [/i] [B]I thought Hellsing was a good series. The only thing I didn't like, was that Celas Victoria seemed to serve no purpose there, and the show seems to meander a lot with her exploring. In this way the show wastes time doing nothing, when they should have had more action. However, Alucard is a one of a kind badass, he's unlike any other character and he's just plain cool. [/B][/QUOTE] Quite the contrary, Quicksilverus. Victoria was a key factor within Hellsing's success/intrigue. Without her, there would be absolutely no dynamic character development: she is, to put it simply, the only one who goes through a change during the series' progression. Yes, we figure out and see how all the main characters got to where they were with memories of the past, but even then, we never see them change. Alucard is just "da bomb," and never falters from being so. Lady Hellsing is aggressive, yet not b###hy. And Walter - well, he's the Walter-enator. :D In fact, Victoria is so key that you could call her the main character, as we look and discover the underworld of Hellsing alongside her. Most of the events are through her objective, and she's almost always on screen. She's as oblivious as the viewer is (maybe moreso).

Well, if it's any consolation, I don't see a problem with the stars and the background in general. The only weak-point I'm (still) seeing is the cropping. There's a very noticeable amount of white debris this time. Maybe if you told us how you crop, we might be able to tell you what to do more (or what not to do). It's another nice wallpaper, but it's hindered by your strange cropping problem. If you do get past that, though, I have no doubt that your banners will recieve greater praise. :)

[quote]although...they did make him a little too strong...[/quote] What did you expect [spoiler]THE first generation vampire[/spoiler] to be like? :therock: It would be pretty illogical if Alucard was a weakling. I personally loved the enemy being the underdog, especially when they deserved their come-up-in's, and some reactions were just so memorable. Which brings me to my gripes about this show. The person who deserved the most come-up-in's, [spoiler]Alexander[/spoiler], never got them. That was such a disappointment, although they did hint at Victoria being the one to administer the just desserts. It's such a great anime that is just so incomplete. Yes, it begins and ends with Alucard, but what about the other characters? What was Lady Hellsing's answer to Alucard's question(s)?! There wasn't even enough information to make conclusive conclusions.

Alastor, IP banning is pretty useless for dynamic IPs, which is the majority of home users. In fact, static IPs are a more expensive venture because you can make and host a website if you had one (that might not be the main reason, but it is one of them).

[quote]So as such, I wind up with the first DVD in a set and don't wind up watching the next one until I can actually convince myself that I should drop the $30 to buy it. So I basically watch all of my anime DVDs with large gaps between them. I wouldn't do a marathon, even if I could.[/quote] I've been meaning to ask you: where DO you buy your anime DVDs from?! I rarely see an anime DVD for 30 bucks unless it is a limited edition one that has other stuff bundled along.

[quote]I think Code Veronica is the only RE game where the knife is even of any use. You can slaughter all the zombies at the start with that alone, no problem.[/quote] You know, I thought the same thing until my sister told me to slash at their legs. It's a great way to disable/drop them in RE2 and 3. I would say that the "hardest" part of any RE game is actually get the control scheme down at the beginning of the game. It's more "horror story"-like if you are surrounded by a bunch of zombies at the beginning, but it doesn't exactly give you a chance to get acquainted with the way you move around. Once you do get your limited maneuvering down, it's pretty easy to ignore zombies (and maybe a few other types of monsters).

That's a clever idea (sorry that I don't visit your myOtaku - yet). I think it'd be hard to navigate through one thread with both guesses and poems. How about a separate thread for guessing, and you put "RE: author of poem" and then make your guess there? Sorry for cluttering up this thread already with OT posts. :sweat:

[quote]Azurewolf, I have a question for you. I've read through that epitaph piece before and it gives you the names of all eight phases. I'm just curious as to who Cubia is then. He seems to be very relevent, as we see him at the end of infection and fight him in mutation(by the way, why doesn't he die?). Was he simply meant as a test for kite?[/quote] I don't know what role Cubia plays yet. I'm sorry I never responded, but, as far as I've gotten in OUTBREAK (just got Balmung), he seems to be [spoiler]a strong variable that hasn't been factored into the original game's outline (i.e., he was not created by Harald, and is not based on the epitaph)[/spoiler]. [quote] I would like to help you with your site if you don't mind Azure Wolf! I will be doing it from my myotaku site!!! Click the link to the left for those you want my help or opinion on the matter! Hacker Kite[/quote] :sweat: Are you actually talking about [url]http://revan.us/[/url] ? Heh, that site's not really going to be about .hack, since it's a joint project with one of my friends (and he doesn't like .hack). Still, thanks for the offer. Also, I just started playing OUTBREAK (blame college), so I would really like to learn everything I can before making any more conclusions (I mean, I was wrong quite a few times with this stuff, if I remember). I was thinking of updating this thread after I beat the game, which shouldn't be too long.

Those are some really clever ideas for a wallpaper, especially with the Far Eastern Text to correspond to desktop icons. I might just be someone who likes flashy effects, but it does seem a little empty. I'm also not too fond of having white on my desktop, but I think it works well for this theme. I agree with Yami*Maho Keno that pink petals would fill the white area nicely. That's not to say it's bad, though, as it looks like something my sister would use as a background. My favorite part is the eye. Within the pink and white gradient, it just shines strongly, with an entrancing sense of emotion or thought. Expect this to replace my sister's current B&W Asuka background on her laptop...

It ends when Asuka is just about to do battle? I remember it going far beyond that, past even when she does do battle and [spoiler]gets owned deservedly[/spoiler]. It was a long time ago, but I KNOW that's not how it ends. There's quite a bit more.

[b][u]General Awards[/b][/u] [b]Overall Member of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Dagger IX1[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]OtakuSennen[/color][/size] [b]Male Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]OtakuSennen[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Shy[/color][/size] [b]Female Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Dagger IX1[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Braidless Baka[/color][/size] [b]Staff Member of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Shy[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Sara[/color][/size] [b]Funniest Member:[/b] [color=blue]K.K.C.[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Mimmi[/color][/size] [b]Most Opinionated Otaku:[/b] [color=blue]Crimson Spider[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Transtic Nerve[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]Member most likely to be here in two years:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Best Newbie:[/b] [color=blue]Haruno_Sakura[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]SasukeUchiha[/color][/size] [b]Best Oldie:[/b] [color=blue]Shy[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Sephiroth[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]Most likely to become a Staff Member:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Favorite Banned Member:[/b] [color=blue]Mihyotto Wolf[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Taylor Hewitt[/color][/size] [b]Most improved Member of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Kitty[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Wasabi[/color] (don't change your name just before nominations... -_- )[/size] [color=red][strike][b]Thread of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Silliest Thread of the Year:[/b] [color=blue][url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33546]I.....am Lone....[/url][/color] [color=red][strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b][u]Random Awards[/u][/b] [color=red][strike][b]Avatar Award: (Best Avatars Overall)[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Signature Award: (Best Signatures Overall)[/b] [color=blue]Sara[/color] (can't believe I forgot about R.E.S.C.U.E.) [color=red][strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Best Location: (Best Specific Location)[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Best Otaku Couple:[/b] [color=blue]Syk3 & Mei[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Q.Asuka & PiroMunkie[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]Best looking Otaku:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Otaku clique of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Best MyOtaku:[/b] [color=blue]Sara[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]ShyGuy[/color] (those depressing entries cost you :p)[/size] [color=red][strike][b][u]Otaku Writers[/u][/b][/strike][/color] [color=red][strike][b][u]Social Otakus[/u][/b][/strike][/color] [b][u]Anime Otakus[/u][/b] [b]Otaku of the Year: (Best Anime member overall)[/b] [color=blue]Dagger IX1[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [color=blue]maladjusted[/color] [b].hack//SIGN Member of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Black_Phoenix[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]K.K.C.[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]DragonBall Guru:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Digipeep of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Gundam Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]Yu-Gi-Oh Member of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Solo Tremaine[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Domon[/color][/size] [b]Least Disappointing Yu Yu Hakusho Member:[/b] [color=blue]Dagger IX1[/color] [color=red][strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b][u]Otaku Gamers[/u][/b] [b]Gamer of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]Shinmaru[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Charles[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]Nintendo "Mario" Award:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]The Sony Award:[/b] [color=blue]Sephiroth[/color] [color=red][strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Xbox Gamer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [b]PC Gamer of the Year:[/b] [color=blue]cloricus[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Harry[/color][/size] [b][u]Otaku Artists[/u][/b] [b]Best Graphic Designer (Banners, wallpapers, etc.):[/b] [color=blue]doukeshi03[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Dark Death[/color][/size] [b]Best "Traditional" Artist (Drawings, paintings, etc.):[/b] [color=blue]mystikal[/color] [size=1]Honorable Mention: [color=blue]Sara[/color][/size] [color=red][strike][b]Best Spriter:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike][/color] [color=red][strike][b][u]Series Otakus[/u][/b][/strike][/color]

O_o "[B]Do not[/B] be a hater?" Is this some kind of upperclassmen's banner that it needs proper english? It seemed so weird to read "Do not" instead of "Don't." Nonetheless, this word needs to be spread, and the banner does sport the XBox style to boot.

I thought we were over this EVA thing before... ;) Who is the guy in the back, and what does he have to do with the banner? That's all I'm wondering. Also, I think it'd be cool if you made that glow you had on Shinji more like spikes on a hedgehog. Not greatly, just subtely. It would put more emphasis on the words, you know? Besides that (and it suffering from Shy Syndrome), it's just like the rest of your cooly-styled banners.

*cough* Guys (and girls), remember, the match-ups for the Chuunin exams should be considered spoilers since just those groupings give off a lot of information. I think they are spoiler tag-worthy. [quote]Reason being is that the manga is from the true intentions of what Masashi Kishimoto wanted, not what tv tokyo wanted.[/quote] Jubei Yagyou, that's fanboyish reasoning for why you think the manga is better. I think you are forgetting that the creator of Naruto has no god-like abilities, nor is perfect in any way. A revised version of things is almost always better. The anime is much more polished and solid than the manga ever was. Just looking at the first chapter, you see more foreshadowing and hints of things to come than the manga has: [spoiler]Naruto's peers, Hinata, humor timing[/spoiler]. In the manga, [spoiler]Naruto's peers were random people[/spoiler]. Additionally, I think Masashi Kishimoto welcomed such subtle (and better). If not, then he's a little too arrogant for his own good. No one's work or creation is pefect, and revisions should always be something the creator should think about. Lastly, Naruto's manga version has basically been a blue print for the anime, with [B]improvements[/B] here and there. That's my two cents. Sorry for being a tad rude, Jubei, but I remember you using much better reasoning for why you prefer the manga before.

Speaking as a person who has been spoiled by video game CG, this is still very cool, with the lighting effects and everything else. It seems like stuff you would see in early-middle PSX cut scenes, and doing that just by yourself is indeed an accomplishment. I have no experience or knowledge with CG, so that's really everything I can say. I don't know how you can make it more on the level of today's CG (maybe more people? lol).

I think this banner could have greatly benefitted from the 16.7 million colors offered by a jpeg file. All those red spots on the guy make it seem like he's infected with something. It'd be easier to comment if that wasn't so distracting. I like the idea with the text, but I think there should be more life in the banner overall. A border wouldn't hurt either. I think a night-themed background would look really nice with this banner.

I think the art style is responsible for me being absolutely repelled by your first banner. However, your second banner has nice art, and the calm blue works. The character's positioning and the "Someday's Dreamers" text is well-placed. I would recommend, though, to make the characters a little more visible. And is that white outline for the text necessary?

You know, that second "effect" one (the one on the right) reminds me of how all those children's books were colored. You know, Curious George and the rest. Always bothered me how they didn't color inside the lines... Cool recreation, though. I really like the socks. My sister did something similar for one of her classes, and the teacher said she couldn't have made this because "only professionals can make socks like that." That was a while ago. I think it's because of that thing on top of her head, but she feels like she should be in a Dr. Suess book.

I didn't have any problems reading it (yay for this cheap laptop's LCD screen). Still, using a blue and black shade with black text: it makes sense that it would be hard to read. I think you should stagger the words a little more. It's a cool idea, but I think "revenge" should be just a little higher up, and "is to seek," but still keeping the latter above the former. Why did you pick a blue and black shading for something that is revenge-themed, out of curiosity? I always thought something yellow-red fits better (in this case, dark yellow or dark red).

Like everyone else, I think the hardest part to deciphering this code is actually being able to see it. I'm betting it has to do with fate, though. :p The quality of that picture in the background is a little lacking, and a border is always a nice thing to have. I hope you do make a larger version.

[B]SasukeUchiha[/B]: PMed you already. :) [B]PyroPhobic[/B]: wow, one of the few poeple who actually liked my initial idea of contrast. Yeah, I thought it was good, but after seeing how a more friendly mix compares, I have to go with the majority (plus, if more people like it, there's a greater chance that the judge will like it better too :D). I'm glad you and a few others liked it, because, after the first few responses, I thought this wallpaper was a complete and utter failure. Glad there's hope. Thanks for the comments about the banner and avi too. :) [B]Sara[/B]: haha, you always have the oddest comments. Anyway, she's Rosette Christopher from Chrno Crusade. She's a deep yet comical character. If the website wasn't down, I'd give you a link to the original picture. [B]Shippo[/B]: Yeah, it's my first wallpaper. But to be fair, I've been doing banners for quite a while, so I wouldn't really say it's my first time in making something like that. O_o of course I made them and everything else except for the CC logo and stock picture. Actually, I should say that I used Photoshop to make them. The fireflies are pretty intuitive to make: a circle with the paintbrush, then a strong smudge tool. The background isn't very intuitive, though. ______________ Ok, with the deadline being soon (Dec. 31st), I'm going to go with the majority vote (which was #4 - I asked on AIM as well), with the small changes that were recommended by SasukeUchiha and PyroPhobic. Thanks to all. All these comments and help were responsible for the resulting fixes/changes to the wallpaper. Haha, I would have submitted the first one I posted if everyone didn't help me out. :) Final Wallpaper can be seen [url=http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Chrno-Wall-Dec.jpg]here[/url].

Thanks cloricus, this trick will definately make stalking newer people much easier online. :) Did you try it on MSIE? I am now an Opera user, so I wouldn't know (thanks, btw). :-/ And could you clarify how and why this works a little more, for those of us who have no clue what a URI is?

I think everyone who commented on the banner was misunderstood by the "fast readers." It's not that it's too fast to read: I think everyone who said it was too fast was able to read the text in one loop. The point is, though, you have to watch it at least twice to figure out everything: one loop to read the text, and then a second to figure out what the text is talking about. You can't honestly say you can take in the picture and read the text within one sitting.

Oh, so that's what that ring is. I was wondering what this whole banner was about. Does he actually have an LOTR ring, or is this just another clever Photo manipulation?