AzureWolf

[quote]The avatar looks a little big, but that isn't a problem at all. This is very impressive; did you actually take a second or two from the Naruto opening and just crop it, or what? The little transition between the end of the movie and the beginning is small but noticeable, yet it still is an amazing piece of work.[/quote] Looks big? Haha, I was worried that it looked too small and everyone would think I like little boys. Anyway... Oh sure, make my efforts seem so simple that a monkey can do them, but yeah, that's exactly what I did. I prepared the target area via VirtualDub (free program :D) - you know, cropping, clipping into short vid, and the whole enchalada. From there, if I wanted to add any effects, I would have put them in before converting the movie clip to a GIF. A completed GIF is far harder to work with than one from scratch, so when you are making a GIF out of something already made, you should prepare as much as possible before converting to a GIF. From there, I converted the clip into GIF using a custom 256-color set so it doesn't look all weird when losing its True Color luster. This was done with GIF Construction Set (also free, but very annoying "register me!" advertisement). Then I transfer it over to Adobe ImageReady, make any adjustments, send it back to GIFCS for supercompression (removes redundant data), and finally optimize the size using ImageReady once more. It's simpler than it sounds, though. [quote]The banner is also very nice. It looked like you put a lot of time into this one.. It's very well done framerate-wise. Again, the only problem with it is the transition, which is more noticeable in this. But still, you cannot do anything about that due to size limitations, and the overall quality of the banner is enough to make up for it. See, Kazuko? I'm not the only person who uses a one or two pixel-wide border![/quote] Yeah, I wanted a blue border, but that wasn't available in the custom 256-color set. :-/ Anyway, it did take more time because of the relative size, but not much more effort. Yes, the framerate did take some attempts to get just right. [quote]I was going to comment on the avatar. There's a black bit in the upper left hand corner that slowly moves out of the picture, then reappears when the animation restarts. I think if you got rid of that (... somehow) it'd be nearly perfect. It's a very, very cool idea -- I like those avatars where you're like "OMG ... is it MOVING?"[/quote] Ah yes, the full moon behind Gaara, and the clouds behind him... Hahahahahaha! Umm... Inside joke. That's a feasible fix that I will definately be on my "to do" list. [quote]Anyway ... the banner is a really cute idea. Again, the transition and natural looping-ability (... you know what I mean) is very important to me, so I wish it didn't skip back when the animation restarted. But I understand about the attachment limit size ... Just go ahead and finish it and see if you can attach it![/quote] Yeah, I guess I should try to finish it. Boy, that's going to be a hard one to finish, since there's really no end... Sounds like a challenge. I'll give it a shot. [quote]I wouldn't have expected you to make something so ... chibified ... o.O[/quote] Neither did, to tell you the truth. Well, just to defend myself, it was the weekend, I had some free time, and I couldn't think of anything that was "banner-worthy" off the top of my head except for this little snippet. Ever since they surprised you with this new ending, it just stuck in my head as one of the funniest parts of Naruto. It kind of blocked out my other movie-GIF plans. So there. :p Thanks for all the compliments and comments. I'll try to address the problems when I can get around to it (probably this weekend :D)

I would recommend GIMP. It's on par with Adobe Photoshop in terms of capability (if you can get enough plug-ins, that is). Hey, it's better than Paint and such.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Tsukasa_hack [/i] [B]The real Subaru is a girl, but [spoiler] She's crippled. It's Tsukasa who is really a girl [/spoiler] Thanks for everyones help on the summaries. I've decided to wait for the rest of the series to play out b4 I try to make complete sense of it, though. [/B][/QUOTE] What "rest of the series?" Haha, you just said the ending in a sentence. You can't get any more final than that. Also, while .hack//SIGN is a little on the fantasic side, it's certainly within the realm of logic. I think you should be able to make heads or tails of everything after wathing the entire series.

Well, the fruits of my rather sad labor are here: [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/avatar.php?userid=5284&dateline=1067802225[/IMG] From a Naruto opening. I really liked how this one turned out, even though I had to make so many sacrifices because of the size limitation (60024 bytes). Yeah, I wanted some more hair waving time, or at least a chance to make it look seemless without a break in it, but that would have required a slightly bigger size. [IMG]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Chibi-Naruto-Banner.gif[/IMG] From one of the Naruto endings. Now this one, I'm not too pleased with. I didn't know what the size limitation for banners was (bytes-wise), so I just used the attachment limit as a reference. I had to make too many sacrifices with this one: Naruto's not even in it! Yes, I know, this stuff is hardly my best work, but I think it's my best work in animated stuff. All comments and questions welcomed.

Whoa! Great work! It's so full and rich, and I'm not even being sarcastic! I really like the simplicity: it brings a certain level of focus on Kenshin, and the "untapped potential" adds to that depth if you've watched Kenshin. The background is crisp and clear, but the picture has stunning clarity. ~Dope cropping skillz~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]I can only repsond to what you've written. I don't know you well enough to know how far you take some of your idea, because obviously some people would take them that far. I don't think anyone in here that has had sex in there lifetime has given any implication that the act itself it is required for a real, loving relationship to last. It's an aspect of the relationship, not the focal point. I certainly don't think that way, yet I've not waited for marriage either. It's something that is a result of one's love for another person, and personally, I don't need marriage to define that love for me. [/B][/QUOTE] Awesome, we are on the same page. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for the clarification. Anyway, this point goes to another point of discussion. Yes, marriage has become very superficial, IMO. I think that the origins had some sacred validity to them, but over centuries, that meaning was lost, and only the act of marriage has lasted.

[quote]So if I love this person and can't afford to get married because of financial reasons, I shouldn't have sex with them? How does this even make sense? I understand being against pre-marital sex, but this, to me, is equating love with financial stability, which just doesn't work. Love doesn't base itself on such trivial and superficial things, so why should I be tied down by it?[/quote] Ok, you know what I mean. We aren't comparing ridiculous extremes. I could turn to the other extreme and say to forget marriage altogther and just stick with sex and no finances, which begs the question, "why are you wasting time having sex if you don't have enough money to even support yourself?" These are things you should be taken care of even before you start a relationship, IMO, but I'm referring to the average joe, who has a ho-hum job that, while not satisfyiing, puts food on the table. [quote]People go through hardships. Some people will never be able to afford a nice wedding. That doesn't mean they can't support themselves or eachother in general, but weddings are incredibly expensive... and I doubt most people want to run off to Las Vegas and spend $50 away from their family.[/quote] Again, if there are so many problems, why is sex required for the relationship to last? Is the bond so weak that you need sex to keep two people together? IMO, the bond of marriage is one that defines sex, but doesn't require it. [quote]That means that is it? That means their love isn't strong enough to show it in a physical way? How is that a better alternative?[/quote] No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that money can change a person. So, if you get married after sex, it's implied that you now have the money to do so (which you didn't before). Is there 100% certainty that your partner will be the same with this increase in $$$? Obviously, we aren't talking about anyone here on OB, who are 100% sure of their partner and know them like the back of their hand, but I'm referring to the general populace in the US (and where applicable :)). But in all seriousness, I don't mean just your relationship, but a general/average relationship.[quote]If you are in love with someone to the point of wanting to marry them, than it shouldn't matter whether or not they have had sex...yet, since you have abstained from sex you have more than likely made your partner feel guilty because they didn't place as much importance on it as you did.[/quote] I agree, it shouldn't matter. However, I'm saying that a true relationship can go without sex until marriage because it is that strong. I think I'm making just the opposite emphasis, that sex is an accessory to your love, not a requirement.

The ending is cliffhanger-ish abrupt. I think it's better that they didn't continue, because, just by watching the beginning and the ending (leaving the entire movie out), you can figure out what the cliched aftermath will be. It's a short movie based on the beginning of the manga. Thankfully, that's all that was ever made. Try to completely block out all the plotholes, and it should be fine. Of course, you'll lose most of the story (which might be a good thing, haha).

It's kind of like one of those energy of activation curves: it starts off low, then there's this financial hurdle for marriage, and then it's low again - not as low as it used to be, but significantly lower than the whole hurdle (meaning the transition). Again, if you can't financially join, why do you have to cheapen the relationship and join physically? I'm not saying to mooch off of anyone after marriage: simply, if you can't support yourselves, it's clear that you two should not be bonding so extensively. How do you justify something so unclear? Money changes a person, so are you sure that the person you married is the same person you loved?

Wow, very nice blending of images. I don't like the picture on the far right, though. It stands out, and not in a good way. The background has potential, but it just doesn't feel like it's "there" yet, you know? Like, it's just a little too sloppy to be considered good. And I think borders rock. ;) Besides that, everything's awesome. I really like the setup. Good job!

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BabyGirl [/i] [B][color=deeppink]I think this brings up a good issue, too. At my age, I'm too involved in training for my career, college, and living life to marry the man I love right now. We're too young, or at least I believe I am, and immature to even think thoughts of married life together now. There's the money issue, too. We're both going through the same, extremely expensive photojournalism program, and I'm living off of my parent's money. I think it would be selfish to suddenly expect them to pay for my married life! There's so many more issues that go along with marriage than just 'getting married'. However, the person I am with now is an incredibly perfect match for me. He's amazing, and I see myself being with him for a long time in the future. We can still live together as though married, but without the wedding bells and the claustraphobic feeling of being eternally bound.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] See, I think I covered this problem with my last comment: if you two are truly meant together, why would you need to hurry into sex if you can't even go through such a simple celebration first? I know there's some one-time finances and the whole family get-together, but again, it is ultimately a trivial matter if this relationship is so meaningful. IMO, the whole process of marriage serves as a nice buffer for addressing fears and what-not. EDIT: btw, I take no offense, Solo (or anyone else). Dispersion of opinion is what we are trying to do here. :)

I don't know... I've always seen premarital sex as selfish, relativistically speaking. If you are willing to go that far with someone and still not marry them, there has to be something wrong in the relationship. Why don't you marry them if they are that central to you? I don't think time would be such a demanding factor. I really haven't seen any core-cutting comments favoring pre-marital sex yet. I mean, brushing it off as something personal is so easy for one thing. Secondly, it is so wrong. It's two people, not one. If you applied this "it's personal" logic to everything else in life, communities would be nonexistent. Also, when you die, are you the only one affected? Didn't think so. When you take a step back and look at the big picture, "it's my life" doesn't sound so meaningful. It would be great if we could all just tell everyone to leave everyone else alone, but we know that's not going to help anyone in the long run. IMO, man's greatest achievements were the ones he made with other people. EDIT: Thought I'd clear up that "selfish" remark. I don't mean you are selfish, but I'm saying when you compare it to people who waited till marriage, it seems [B]a little[/B] selfish. What if the person you married waited for you?

I absolutely abhor the artwork in the banner, so I can't make an unbiased comment on the banner work here. I think others might feel the same. Nonetheless, here goes... I think you did the best you could with what you had to work with. I mean, a background would really suck with this stuff, IMO. However, I like the text setup (along with the font used). It fits really well with the "picture."

[quote]But if you like the childlish's animes then you might not be intrested in this one...[/quote] Darn, well that explains that. In comparison with other vampire anime movies, this one takes the cake (memories of Blood *shudders*). However, as a stand-alone product, the artwork - not the animation - was a huge turn-off for me. Everything's all so funky... The animation was great, but what it was animating left a lot to be desired. The story style certainly had its perks. D is a very active character in terms of action, but socially, he's completely passive. And so, any kind of social interaction is created by action. It's an interesting duality that's been setup. At first, D appears to be the sour, bitter-dough and "work comes first" kind of mercenary, but, as his character indirectly develops, you realize he is just so much more. Not [B]that[/B] much more, but enough that you know there's a chocolate center, possibly with some almonds mixed in. I so need to eat...

The [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32652].hack//directory[/url] is up as a sticky for a reason, you know. They have a place where you can talk about each episode. This episode was "Epitaph," right? So just click on that episode and post your comments there. Hmm... Seems I joined OB after episode 9, so I still need to post my comments about this episode too. :whoops:

So, what kind of limitations are we talking about here? Are we talking about things that were possible but never happened, or ones that are explicitly mentioned? Or does the limit goes so far as to things that could never happen? Where are we allowed to draw the line?

Has anyone noticed the lack of extras within anime DVDs? I didn't notice until I saw how many things are in a normal DVD. The most we seem to get are the standard dual voiceovers, one-two subtitle types, and maybe a clean opening. Until I saw all the extras packed into just the first volume/DVD of Risky Safety, I figured they couldn't do much more. However, outtakes of the translated dub and tradition notes (or whatever they are called) were very awesome extras. We all know how normal DVDs are, so why can't anime DVDs be the same? The current standard for extras in anime DVDs just plain sucks, especially when compared to other DVDs. DVD quality and all the other standards are great, but I think there's just not enough.

Dude, cut them some slack. You should have seen how active things were during the summer. People have a lot of things to do during the school days (I wish I could update my myOtaku...). Yes, it is partly their fault for promising to commit time when they certainly can't, but you should not press them to do so. I think this problem is just a personal issue consisting of few persons. If people make commitments and fail to keep them, then their reputation will fall. Make obligations you can keep, or don't make them at all. Still, I think you should give some lee-way if it's not [I]that[/I] big of a delay.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Arasoi [/i] To go back a little ways and answer this question, .hack//SIGN isn't over. At least, I don't believe so. The final two episodes, 27 and 28, are supposed to come with .hack//QUARANTINE.[/QUOTE] .hack//SIGN is basically over. Episode 27 (Intermezzo) happens a little before INFECTION begins, and episode 28 (Integration) is after [B]all four[/B] of the games. [quote]And yes...[spoiler]Maha is Mia. And if this is true, then why does everyone still refer to Maha as a he? I've always thought of Maha as a girl, even before I learned that Maha and Mia were one and the same. And, since Mia is a girl, I would assume that makes Maha a girl as well, correct? Since they are, after all, the same character.[/spoiler][/quote] Well, Maha's gender is really debatable even then. You have to consider several aspects: 1. Maha's origin; 2. Maha's purpose; 3. Episode 25. 1. We don't know where Maha is from, and it's questionable whether or not a real person is using the character Maha, Maha is a trapped person within the game, or that Maha is just part of "The World" all together. 2. [spoiler]We have heard of Maha's purpose in the Epitaph of Twilight. However, the same cannot be said of Mia.[/spoiler] Additionally, with respect to Tsukasa, Maha was a welcoming wagon to "The World." Defying truth and reality was the cornerstone to Tsukasa's state, and Maha played a crucial part in that veil. It would be fitting if Maha was a female, hiding in the guise of a male, [spoiler]which would mirror Tsukasa's state.[/spoiler] 3. [spoiler]Maha was data drained, and data draining is an altering experience.[/spoiler] As we have seen in the games, [spoiler]data draining is quite the random system[/spoiler], and what affect it had on Maha is questionable. Did it fix/change Maha's overall gender? IMO, certainly possible.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Arasoi [/i] [B]Yes, we know that in .hack they use helmets. Those helmets, however, are connected to the brain, and that would be even more expensive and harder to make, so the idea of motion suits was suggested instead. Motion suits would be less expensive than the helmets, but most likely still very costly. [/B][/QUOTE] Connected to the brain? O_o You realize .hack takes place only a few years after our time (2003)? There's no connection to the brain. If there was, .hack's primary mystery would be pretty self-explanatory, don't you think? I mean, coma victims would be pretty easy to figure out, and doctors would not be so blind as to rule out "The World" as a possible cause of the coma victims' condition.

[quote]Does anyone know where I can get some decent fonts? My edition of Photoshop (it's some odd half-baked version) doesn't have too many that I like.[/quote]The number of fonts in Photoshop is based on the number of fonts you actually have (in the windows --> Fonts folder), so you just need to put more in there. Sorry, while I may have a diverse collection, my old roommate is responsible for all but a few of them. :-/ EDIT: Oh, right, the banner. Very nice, very clean, and overall, it fits with everything else. Red and Black - that's a very nice song... Right, right, the banner. As I was saying, the red and black seems to flow well, and it looks like you did that smooth coloring on the roses in the back, which is another plus. A sharp, clear focus (Miyu) in front of a soft background: smart.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Kenshin_Himura_ [/i] [B]I think they are mainly good if not done improperly. I myself have never made an amv, I have no software to-_- .[/B][/QUOTE] You know, if you are really serious about making a music video or something, there is a completely free (and extraordinarily versatile) program called [url=http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=9649&release_id=192324]VirtualDub[/url]. It's really easy to use. Give it a try if you want. Kudos to Avery Lee for making it free. Just so you know that having a lack of software isn't a good reason not to make AMVs. ;)

I don't know why you used green for Shinji. I mean, you were on a roll with blue for Rei and red for Asuka, but where did green come from? O_o Certainly, I think purple would be a better choice, and, if not that, at least a brighter green to emphasize the pattern more. And yeah, the picture isn't the best of the best, but I know you were trying to look for a "profile" angle. However, why don't you try to also make a pattern out of that and make Shinji look in the other direction that Asuka is looking? Just suggestions, don't have to listen to em. :p

Ewww... It's not the banner - it's the artwork. I really dislike it, especially all the black on that person, and the proportions... Something's just wrong with the picture, IMO.

It's snake (or snakey) grunty, but getting to the point, what exactly are you planning to discuss? Grunties are not normally cute, IMO, but they do have their moments. [size=1]pssst.... I suggest you read the rules of the forum before you get in trouble.[/size]