Katana

[color=royalblue][size=1]Oh, don't get me wrong, that twist was pretty awesome. XD I thought it was funny, because yeah, it was basically like a big troll that must've suuuuucked for people watching it month by month. For me? Hilarrrrious~ Buuuut it was a drag because of what got filled in. Talktalktalk. I shouldn't be whining about how talky the show is, and it wouldn't bother me if it was dispersed a bit differently, but it's like aghhhh 20 minutes of taaaalkiiiiiing...yeah. I'll stop complaining now.[/size][/color]

[quote name='Shinmaru'] Have you watched the whole thing? There are some episodes of [b]Katanagatari[/b] I didn't like, but overall I enjoyed it. Not totally sure yet how I feel about the ending, though. Some parts are pretty good, and some parts are ... kind of dumb, really. [/quote] [color=royalblue][size=1]I'm halfway at this point but plan to finish it up before the week is out. Unfortunately, I've had the ending spoiled to me ('cause I'm like that), but just That One Part so I vaguely know what's coming. Ish. I think so far, episode 4 was the biggest chore out of what I've seen. Like I said, my main issue is how sometimes there's just lots of talktalktalktalktalk, and a lot of it is honestly irrelevant to me. With subtitles, I'm not going to understand everything my first go-through, since it's an issue with trying to simultaneously keep up with what's going on on-screen and comprehend it. It just isn't going to happen, and when I get massive info-dump, the chances of me being able to remember even a smidgen of that is pretty low. Talktalktalktalktalk... But see, I've realized that a lot of this stuff, I don't HAVE to really understand for me to enjoy the show. In this scenario, I can take it as it is and not be bothered that I don't totally "get" it. So long as I know who Togame and Shichika are, I'm pretty cool. XP[/size][/color]

[color=royalblue][size=1]Yaay I can make a legit post this time~ I've been trying hard to get back into anime, which therefore means I've been stalking out other people and see what they're watching/recommending. Etc. I finished up [b]Allison & Lillia[/b] about a month ago, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's done in that typical soft-color almost-kaiwaii style, but certainly not moe desu. The format of the story almost reminded me of [i]Higurashi no Koro ni[/i], since each arc is typically 4 episodes in length and somewhat self-contained...except that if something happens, it's bound to show up somewhere else and bite you in the ass. It was a fun watch and got addicting at some points, though there are a few Wall Banger moments... Working on watching [b]Katanagatari[/b] right now, something I dove head-first into without much research. It's comprised of 12 44-minute episodes, which is a bit tough to slough through when it's only available in subbed form. Also lots of talky bits, especially in the first episode, since the story has to be laid out. Talkytalkytalktalk. Some episodes are easier to get through than others, and I did binge on three in a row one time. GORGEOUS art style, by the way, rather unique. And the music is really good too. And there's fighting! Kinda. Lastly, my friend is trying to get me into [b]Nerima Daikon Brothers[/b]. I got one episode in before winter break, and I'll be having the sets shoved at me at my return, so that's one to get back to.[/size][/color]

[color=royalblue][size=1]Of course, we all know what the real issue is, and don't you pretend you don't. The real issue is, of course money. People want things for free. If it is online for them, they will go and get it and watch it online because hey, not having to shell out for a series? Awesome! Face it: In the olden days with a 26-episode series released on, say, six DVDs at $30 each, you're looking at about $180, nowdays with 13-episode thinkpaks at $60, it's about $120, if even that. Now that's a broad generalization, because not everything in Japan is released in the US. Understandable, as not everything will find a market and will be worth it (hello ADV and Geneon). I'd be a massive hypocrite if I didn't say I watched subs, because hey, look at my current avatar and banner. Unfortunately, I don't think [i]Katanagatari[/i] will ever get a US release, and neither will [i]Allison & Lillia[/i], a series I reviewed for my stint on Anime-Pulse. These shows are just not highly marketable (the former more because of it's odd format). And if you don't get your show on TV, then chances of it breaking even are far less than before. Fansubs are almost a necessary evil, since they expose a series that we're probably not going to get outside of Japan, and if they [i]do[/i] manage to get licensed, people know to get it. [i]Ouran High School Host Club[/i] was the first series I watched completely through fansubbed, and I jumped to get it when it was released in the US because I knew it was a show I liked. And yay, a dub! If you're one of those "I don't like dubs" folks, I remind you that DVDs are released with the original Japanese and professional subtitles. Heck, some companies [i]only[/i] release their series on subs because dubbing is too expensive. You've got your options laid out handily. One thing I will sympathize with is the fact that yeah, anime is expensive, and anime's target audience is a group that tends to not have a lot of expendable money (starting thereabouts in middle school and going through college as a broad age range). It can make purchasing and supporting a series very difficult. There are some good things, though: 1.) Anime these days is a lot cheaper than it used to be, especially since the advent of the thinpaks. 2.) Be thankful you don't live in Japan. DVDs there are ungodly expensive and only come with 2 episodes or so. I could talk about this until I'm blue in the [s]font[/s] face, but I'm going to end it here. Phew. (By the way, Netflix is a legit way to watch a show. You're paying for the service, so hey, if you have Netflix, more power to ya.)[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=royalblue][s]I'd like to do things and travel to places.[/s] I suppose visiting the homeland of my ancestors wouldn't be a bad idea. Ireland and Germany top the list, and I could even scrape by on surviving in the latter since I know scraps of the language. [i]Wo ist ein Toilette?[/i] There's also other standard things, like meeting people, and doing odd things, like skydiving. Or ice skating. I haven't gone ice skating. I think at this point, my major life ambition is to get published in something widely circulated/read/looked at. Yes, I am a greedy corporate mongrel who wants recognition for something I did that wasn't illegal. Getting a drawing or a story published would make me happy. Oh, and graduating college. That's pretty high on the list, but considering I should graduate in the spring of 2013, I'm probably screwed on that.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1]If there's one thing that has been made clear to me in my time spent with others who draw and such, it's that having an unnatural love for art supplies isn't something that I alone disturb myself with. It's something pretty universal to those I've met in my travels, and also a feeling that is really hard, if nigh impossible to convey to others unless they themselves do what you do. To start this off... In the past year, I've learned that I really, really love oil pastels, and that I really like using the Sakura Cray-Pas Expressionist pastels. They're the brand my drawing professor showed the class, so I just went with that. Also, they were reasonably priced. The only bummer with them is that I cannot find them individually stocked anywhere except online, whereas the Van Gogh and Sennelier brands are. So whenever I needed a replacement for a stick, I had to buy Van Gogh (eanneliers are expeeeensive), and that's when I found out I utterly [i]despise[/i] that brand. Okay, italics is harsh, but I really don't like them as much as the Cray-Pas. They feel a bit grittier and dryer and are more difficult to blend with. On that note, has anyone ever used Senneiler pastels? I've touched them, they are uber!silkysoft, but that'd make me think they'd wear down in no time flat. Also, they're ungodly expensive, which is a huge deterrent for a hobo such as myself.[/size][/color]

[quote name='Boo' timestamp='1294427279' post='703695']Concerning the podcast troubles: [url="http://blameon.ytmnd.com/"]BlameOn[/url]. [/quote] [color=royalblue][size=1][s]HOW DID I MISS THIS[/s] Dammit, my stupid doodle of an anthropomorphic taco with a dashing monocle and wicked goatee is going to be far more famous than I can ever hope to be. *shakes fist at Shin*[/size][/color]

[quote name='Sangome' timestamp='1294436097' post='703699'] [color="#9932CC"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Katana's probably going to hurt me now. Umm. ilu?[/font][/color] [/quote] [color=royalblue][size=1]Naw, I just wanted to set the record straight that it wasn't ME who started calling Shinmaru "Tacochan". I'm pretty sure it was Miss Anonymous, but also keep in mind we had SomeGuy on board so it's really anybody's guess. I'm just the unlucky sap who (most likey) said "Somebody needs to draw that" and then had everybody remind me I draw things, so the responsibility fell to me. In other words, I'm not the racist, but I will gladly call Shin "our token Mexican". Ilu too, 'gome. :V[/size][/color]

[color=royalblue][size=1]I should kidnap my friend for lunch on Best Friends Day. That way she'd be forced to see me. :V Also, Waffle Iron Day shall be spent cookin' waffles. All different kinds of waffles. I say we all swap recipes.[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=royalblue]I rock the English language, I know that for sure. Or rather, I creatively bend it to my will and much to the chagrin of my foreign language teachers who were annoyed at the student who was trying to translate flowery prose from English to said other language. In seventh grade, the middle school I went to forces one to take two foreign languages - a quarter of Spanish and a quarter of German and yes, those are the only two offered in my district (we have four grade schools that feed into two middle schools that feed into one high school). I was good at both but don't really remember a whole lot from Spanish. Come high school, I took German my freshman and sophomore years and totally rocked it, and what's more impressive is that I still retain a basic understanding of the language now, three years later. In other words, you could drop me in Germany and I can ask where the toilet is.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]I never did watch Golden Girls, probably because it was far ahead of my brain when it was on TV (fact check: I wasn't born for the majority of it), but I did see her in Hollywood After Dark. ...You know, that's all I'm gonna say about that.[/color][/size]

[quote name='CDCDCD89' date='03 March 2010 - 02:24 PM' timestamp='1267644277' post='691369'] I'm from the midwest. We usually call it "soda" around here.[/quote] [size=1][color=royalblue]I'm from the Midwest (northern Illinois) and I tend to hear a lot of people say pop. A lot of people also say soda. Seems we're a mix. I personally prefer the term "soda", as it just sounds far more, I dunno, refined or something. Yes, I am speaking of beverages as if they were works of modern high-class society. And when it comes to Coke vs. Pepsi products, I am easily a Coke fan, no problem. I like the cinnamony flavor Coca-Cola has whereas Pepsi just tastes like a rush of hi-fructose corn syrup. As for my [i]favorite[/i] soda, it's Coke Zero, hands down, though I also love Ginger Ale [sub]shut up[/sub] somethin' fierce.[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Your picture is in Grayscale rather than a color. If a picture is scanned in as grayscale from your scanner, it'll be opened in Photoshop as such. Easy fix. Image > Mode > RGB Color (or CMYK Color, whichever you prefer to work with).[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]If Pokabu turns into a [i]giant, flaming boar[/i], I might actually consider using a Fire starter for once. (As opposed to my trend of WATER ALWAYS!!1!1!). But yeah. If only. *tear*[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Before my current tablet, I hated doing lineart because I could never get it to be nice and smooth and, well, consistent. Even now, with Astrid [sub]my tablet, stgo[/sub], I still notice my lineart can be a bit bumpy, which is annoying. Heck, what if you don't have a tablet? Sure, it's possible to use the mouse with the brush, but that's pretty hardcore. I made this tutorial over two years ago, so of course the drawing I used is a bit laughable, but hey, it serves its purpose. [url="http://kataoi.deviantart.com/art/Lineart-with-Pen-Tool-Tutorial-73814579"]Can be found on my deviantArt account, which is what it was made for.[/url] That's why it's those green-grey colors. :B Any questions, please don't be afraid to ask! [img]http://randomthunk.net/LineartTut.jpg[/img][/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Lord knows I have not played a new Pokemon game since Generation II (yes, I have LeafGreen and SoulSilver, but those don't exactly count), so all these new-found monsters just confuse the heck out of me. Dang city folks and their flying machines. But hey, I might actually get into this one, what with everyone being all excited. Now if only Nintendo would release the games in, say, the summer or winter, NOT in the final sweep of my spring semester. I'm looking at you, HG/SS. To play quick catch-up with the thread: [list] [*] I hold all reserves on the graphics and whether or not they are the best of the DS until Golden Sun DS comes out. :B [*] The trainer designs look great by me, except I think the girls' shorts are absolutely ridiculous. Also, why are they so dang short. Justified in that she's older than "10", for once. [*] Also, I could rock a cosplay of the boy trainer, and that scares me. [*] The starts look alright, certainly not the worst effort I've seen. Tsutaja's design is really slick, I think they nailed that one. Pokabu looks like an Umbreon; Mujimaru like the kid that gets beat up at recess (most likely by Tsutaja's goons). [/list] Names? Uh... Tsutaja: Sir Critter Pokabu: Porkloinion Mujimaru: Danny Though I do like the Edokun aspect...[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]When I look at it, I get this very "down the rabbit hole" kind of vibe from it. I like how the swirly, vortex-y edges draw you in from the outside to the in, but I think the thing in the middle (dandelion weed?) is a little too centered and focused because once your eyes go in, they don't go back out again and explore the rest of the picture plane. AHH ART CRITIQUES ARE HAUNTING ME IN THE SUMMERRRR So Mew, do you want other people to post up their college artz, or is this a Mew-thread? :B[/color][/size]

[size="1"][color=royalblue]I wouldn't say fans have turned me off from a series, because, well, I can't think of a series I stopped liking because of the fanbase. I was into Naruto early on in the days of its manga release and then again when the show aired on Toonami, but stopped watching when it hit fillers and never picked it up since. I lost interest and didn't feel it was worth putting the effort into to watch again. Same goes for any series I discontinued (Bleach, Lucky Star, others I cannot recall at the moment). If I like something, I will continue liking it because I get enjoyment from it. If I [i]do[/i] despair with the fanbase, I do something really simple - I don't associate with them. I will not go in active searches for LiveJournal communities or deviantArt pieces (maybe a couple I'll fave and comment), I won't really talk about them if somebody brings them up in Chat, etc. I primarily do this with Kingdom Hearts - a video game franchise I did enjoy and got entertainment from, but absolutely cringe at the fanbase for. More than anything, if I'm willing to talk about the show and advocate for it, then that means I like the fanbase. If I don't, that's the "I like to pretend I don't know you" part of me coming out. The fandom I'm most at-odds with is Doctor Who. I love the show, and I do love a lot of the things people make from it, so it's not like I don't seek out fanart/fiction. [Whovian rant] It's mostly how people whine and complain over the new season and things that have changed because, well, they HAVE TO. But these members of the fanbase can't move on, and it seems like I'm the only one who LIKES the changes. [/Whovian rant] Contrast that with my friends who actually like the show and we're all fanspazzy over it. I had this conversation with Sangome, which led to her saying something along the lines of "this is why I consider 'fanbase' 'me and my friends'". This also leads into "everyone sucks but me" territory. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have a fanbase to fall back on then nobody at all, but man if it isn't annoying at times.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Lady Shy' date='02 June 2010 - 04:34 AM' timestamp='1275471244' post='694252'] So, what? You decided to take away even the last bit of Art Studio activity by making a Desktop thread in the lounge while they've been in the Art Studio for years? Pfft. [/quote] [size=1][color=royalblue]Better start using that mod power of yours to get something going. On a different note, I am amused/impressed/something at how many people are using Windows 7, mainly because I tend to fall in the gambit of "takes forever to upgrade to a new operating system". (It's a VERY special thing that I have Windows 7 when it is so "new".) :B[/color][/size]

[quote name='Raiha' date='01 June 2010 - 08:05 PM' timestamp='1275440731' post='694170'] [color="#9932CC"][font="Times New Roman"]Gotta say, I can only surmise that us posting our desktops will for the most part, prove that most of us are filthy perverts. .....I include myself here.[/font][/color] [/quote] [color=royalblue][size=1]We live in perverted times, my friend. You could [i]make[/i] my desktop perverted, just gotta imagine a story with it. :D[/size][/color]

[size=1][color=royalblue]1. If OtakuBoards were a meal Allamorph would be the [b]bill[/b]. 2. Always a pragmatist, Al Gore is using video footage from his pending divorce for a new documentary about his wife, An Inconvenient [b]15 Minutes of Re-fame[/b]. 3. Boo says: â??I think my girlfriend is having an affair with an auto mechanic, last night I found an [b]oil spot[/b] in her bed!â? 4. In real-life Desbreko is just like he is online. The only difference is that people don't like it when Des [b]shows his wallet-pictures of lolis[/b] in public. 5. I've tried visiting other forums before but the people there always freak me out. On one message board their most popular thread is called The [b]E.V.I.L.*[/b] Party. [spoiler]* = Every Villain Is Lemons[/spoiler][/color][/size]

[size=1][color=royalblue]I like to say "I really don't like cheese", but I seem to hold a lot of exceptions to this. I will only eat cheese pizza. That is, I won't eat pepperoni or sausage or stuff like that. So I'll eat it on pizza. I'll eat cheese on my bagels. Love cream cheese. In that vein, I've come to really enjoy cheesecake. Also, cheeseburgers are awesome. But I don't like cottage cheese or cheese on nachos or pretzels. Really, I'm not a fan of melted cheese on things. However...however. I [i]love[/i] Monterrey Jack cheese, ohemeffgee. Love that stuff. I have eaten whole blocks of it in one sitting. Soooo good. But not that Colby jack crap or pepperjack (sorry), no way, gotta have it straight as Monterrey. I will even accept it as parts of bribery.[/color][/size]