Shy

[size=1]A friendly reminder that the nominations thread will close in four days, on the 31st. These next few days are going to be your last chance to post your nominations, so I'd start doing that if I were you. Also, [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=56356]Otaku Artists are needed to help create banners for this year's award.[/url][/b] Check out the thread in Art by Request if you are interested. Thanks. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Hey all, it's that time of year again. [url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52384]Last year Retribution and Delta were kind enough to help me out in creating 50 beautiful banners[/url] for the OtakuBoards Nifty Fifty, but this year I've decided to ask help from the entire community. Here are some samples from last year to give you an idea of the quality I expect from these: [center][img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/nifty_fifty/lady_asphyxia.jpg[/img] [img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/nifty_fifty/how-do-you-pronounce.jpg[/img] [img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/nifty_fifty/ignore_list.jpg[/img] [img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/nifty_fifty/CHW_no-craaaazzzzy_fonts.jpg[/img][/center] As I stated earlier, I will need 50 unique 300x100 banners in a very short amount of time. Because of this, I'd like to get as many members involved as possible. Simply post here to express your interest in helping out, and tell me the amount of banners you'd be able to create in the following six days. From there I will send you a PM stating the names of several *SECRET* Nifty Fifty winners for this year. I will also include a user name and password for a site where you can upload the completed banners. You are only limited by your imagination, really, since my only style guidelines be that the banners are 300 x 100, and have a 1 pt. black border around it. In order to get the Nifty Fifty completed on time, we kind of have to rush things. Having said that, I'm not willing to sacrifice the look of this year's awards. Please don't volunteer to take on more work than you can complete within the timeframe. Thank you in advance! -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Welcome to the boards, mgladstonez, I hope you enjoy it here. The [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55821]Otakupedia[/url][/b] thread is a great source of information regarding OtakuBoards history and culture. The second post in that thread, focusing on notable threads and trends, will be most helpful for you (although everything is good.) If you are looking for great threads in The Arena, I'd reccommend [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=44373]55 Fiction[/url][/b], [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55093]Opinionate Me This![/url][/b] and [b][url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=38715]The Reanimatrix[/url][/b]. Hopefully that will help you out, feel free to contact a staff member if you have any other questions. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]We put forth a very strong effort, and in spite of everything I'm happy with the names and the banners. It's a shame one of us will be voted out, as I think all of us were very effective as a group. Hopefully there will be no hard feelings, either. -Shy[/size] :whoops:

[size=1]I think the important thing is that we just post [i]something[/i], as Sandy has set the deadline for this evening (yesterday evening?) I personally like the first banner more, but it's up to the team to decide, or short of that, Kathy. We've had plenty of time to come up with a post, and I'm afraid our indecisiveness is going to hurt us in this first challenge. We are Team Argo, our color is orange and Kathy is our proud captain. Go! -Shy[/size]

[quote name='Sandy][b]The team with the most effective teamwork, the most describing name and the most creative flag will win this challenge[/b'], while the other three teams will face their first Team Council, where three players will be voted off.[/quote] [size=1]I've been thinking about this portion carefully, and I believe we may need to rethink the team name. We need something representative of all of us, but also something creative and catchy. All of the other teams are coming up with very similar, and very generic names. I don't want to see any of us voted out, so I'd like us all to focus on this. What do we have in common... what common bond do we share that can unite us as a team? As for coming up wth a creative flag, I'm very happy with what Zeke has come up with so far. My biggest concerns lie with the team name not being descriptive enough. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Both of these images are beautiful, but I think I like the first one the most. I'm having some difficulty seeing what the image in the second banner is. I see that the fleece is there, but is someone in armor holding it? I'd much rather have an image of the fleece being alive than um... yeah. The skeleton image seems more fun to me, but maybe that's just me. As for the other details, I like the coloring, border and font of the first banner the most. My vote goes for the first, but I'll be putting the winning banner in my signature regardless. Good work. [b]What board games or card games are your favorites?[/b] I'm currently obsessed with Monopoly and Risk. I grew up playing these games, but haven't played them for years until recently. It doesn't matter how old you are, it's always fun to have soimeone land on your property. [b]What is your favorite color?[/b] Royal Blue. Beyond that, black and white are my two favorite colors. [b]What superpower would you most like to have?[/b] Telekenisis. Being able to move object with your mind has always seemed incredibly cool and useful to me. [b]Tell us about a fun trip you took.[/b] -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Team Argo it is! [b]What is your favorite animal?[/b] I love dogs. My family has four of them currently, and they basically run the household. One of them in particular, Hank, is quite fond of me ansd tackles me whenever I enter the house. [b]What is your favorite type of book and why?[/b] I prefer non-fiction memoirs or historical books to fiction generally. Growing up I read a lot of fantasy and I guess I just grew tired of it. One book I recently read that I love was 'Assassination Vacation' by Sarah Vowell, which goes into great detail about all of the presidential assassinations in U.S. history. It's much more interesting than it sounds. [b]What would be your preferred method of world domination?[/b] I don't really want the world, but I'd take it over with giant robots if I had to. You can't go wrong with giant robots. [b]What sort of design elements would you like to see in our flag?[/b] I'd like it to remain simple, but beyond thrat I don't have any specific ideas. 'The Argo' was actually the name of The Argonauts ship, so maybe it could have a ship somewhere on it? I trust Zeke to come up with something great. [b]What board games or card games are your favorite?[/b] -Shy[/size]

[size=1][b]What do you do for fun outside of the internet?[/b] I like to travel whenever I can. Sometimes that means a few days in Northern California or Las Vegas, while others it means an afternoon in Los Angeles or San Diego. Being in Southern California, I feel like I'm truly blessed to have so much to do at my doorstep... it would be a waste not to go out and enjoy it. When I can't travel (as is often the case during the school semester) I play a lot of video games, read a lot of comic books and spend a lot of time with my friends. I've recently rediscovered the joy of board games, so I'm forcing everyone I know to play marathon sessions of Monopoly and Risk. [b]What is your favorite season, and why?[/b] We don't really have seasons in Southern California. It's either incredibly hot, or incredibly windy. I prefer 'windy' for the most part, so I guess Fall and Winter are my favorites. [b]Are there any odd tricks you've discovered you can pull off?[/b] I don't know if this is a trick, but I'm so tall and thin that I was able to break into a friend's house via her doggy door. She was pretty surprised to find me sitting on her couch when she got home from work. [b]If you could take a trip to any one place in the world, where would you want to go and why?[/b] There are so many places I'd like to visit, but one that stands out above the rest. I've had a childhood dream of visiting DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida since I was a small child. Theme parks have always been a passion of mine, so much so that I took up a job at Disneyland for a few years. One day I know I'll get there, but it's just a matter of finding the time and money to do so. [b]What is your Residual Self Image (RSI)?[/b] What an odd question! I honestly can say this is something I've put much thought into, but there was once a popular series of OB fan-fictions called 'Enter the Net.' The basic premise was that the internet sucked in all of the OtakuBoards members, and their appearance was their residual self image. In that story I was 'Bosko,' an old Looney Tunes character from the days of black and white cartoons. Let's go with that. My new question is: [b]What is your favorite animal?[/b] As for the team name, since Kathy is going to be our captain (assuming she accepts the position) why don't we be 'The Family,' or 'The Siblings' or something? If she's our Mom, we might we well be brothers and sisters. -Shy[/size] :whoops:

[size=1]First and foremost, I'm a nerd the likes of which rarely see the light of day. I know a lot about Comic Books, and I know a tremendous amount about Animation. Beyond that, my obsessions are fairly diverse: including Journalism, Public Radio, Useless Trivia, and Disneyland. I often worry that I devote too much of my time to pursuing these interests, but I'm certain that these will lead me to a life far more exciting than the straight-and-narrow course would provide. Currently I'm enrolled in college, although my major is undecided and subject to change without notice. Chances are it will be something involving writing, since that's always been a passion of mine. I've been on OB for nearly 6 years, and during that time have held just about every staff position. More importantly, I've made some wonderful, life-changing friendships over the years. Like Zeke, I've had little experience working with the various members of this team. Kathy and Zeke I have spoken to on a few occasions, but this will give me a good chance to get to know my team much better. As a way to get to know one another, I suggest we have an ongoing interview in this thread. I will post the first question, and the next person to post has to answer it. Then they post a question of their own, rinse and repeat. These questions can be anything, but my question is: [b]What do you do for fun outside of the internet?[/b] Personally I prefer [b][color=green]Green[/color][/b] to [b][color=darkorange]Dark Orange[/color][/b], but agree that orange is a more exciting color. As for a team name, I'd love to hear everyone else's suggestions. My idea is based in mythology: [i]The Argonauts[/i], or [i]Team Argo[/i] for short. [b]Kathy[/b] would be a fantastic leader, and I second the nomination to put her in in charge. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]...and I just realized that after everything I've done to Sandy and White in the past two months, this would be their chance to get even. Game on? -Shy[/size] :whoops:

[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]A bit harsh Josh, one might easily turn round and declare they preferred "Kill Adam" when it was "Kill Bill". In actuality the storyline behind The Hit is quite different to Kill Adam/Kill Bill in many respects. We know only that James has had a price put on his head, we don't yet know by whom or for what reason, though I have a few theories. And from what we've seen of the assassins currently, there's no personal motivation to collect the bounty, it's just business.[/SIZE][/QUOTE][size=1]'Kill Adam' [i]was[/i] a blatant rip-off of 'Kill Bill,' or at least it started that way. Eventually the story grew into something unique, but I think the quality was such that nobody would try and confuse it with this latest generation of OB fan-fiction. What concerns me more than the premise is how everyone is willing to turn a blind eye towards the problems with the piece. The Boss is capable of much more, but he'll never be able to reach that point if the feedback he receives is just blind praise. The thing that jumps out at me about the writing is how repetitive the sentence structure is. This is something very common when writing in the first-person, and you have to make sure not to start off every sentence with 'I.' Worse yet, you need to learn when to end a sentence and start a new one. Your story has a lot of run-on sentences and you'll find that your writing is much stronger with shorter, more concise description. I also noticed is that you aren't satisfied with your characters simply saying something; yhey have to 'reply cautiously,' or 'pronounce prominently.' The dialogue should be strong enough to stand on its' own without additional description. When two characters are engaged in a conversation, it isn't always neccessary to apply attribution to who said what:[/size] [indent]"I love you, Walter..." Sarah said, turning her back to the man. "I.. love you too, you saucy sea wench! ARR!" Walter removed the smoking pipe from his mouth, and kissed her passionately on the lips. "Oh, what will ever become of us?" "We can make our life together, on the sea!"[/indent][size=1]That's obviously not the best example, but I think you get the idea. After several lines of just dialogue it would be a good idea to break it up with some kind of description, even if you are only describing one of the characters turning around of biting into an apple or something. Please don't use slashes in your writing. Describing someone as an 'Owner/Chef' is lazy, because you could just as easily say 'Bob is head chef and owner of such and such a place.' When writing in the first-person, you should also avoid writing things like "This made me angry," or "This upset me." [i]Show[/i] with your writing, don't [i]tell.[/i] Describe the tears welling up in your eyes, or how you punched the wall in frustration. Do something! In one scene your character is bleeding to death, and it doesn't really seem to bother him at all. Isn't he in pain or afraid? And if he isn't, why not? That's all for now... I think you get the idea. If you're going to write something as cliche as an OB-Assassins fan-fic, you need to make it stand out through the quality of the story and the writing. There is potential here, but you (and anyone writing OB fan-fiction) can't rely on just the characters and in-jokes to carry the story. I hope that helped. -Shy [b]Edit:[/b] Typos. Irony![/size]

[size=1]I liked this better when it was called 'Kill Adam.' -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Expect another post from me as time goes on. Why isn't this very active this year?[/size] [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55093]Opinionate Me This![/b][/url] By interviewing members on a variety of subject matter, Mimmi created one of the most dynamic [i]discussion[/i] threads in the boards history. It?s only fitting that it was placed in OB Anthology, where it would be safe from the wrath of our less literate members. [b][url= http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55911]Forest Friends![/b][/url] ??But then again, the forest wasn't that safe anymore, because the humans were destroying it. The safest place for a little white kitten to be right now was with Jinx and the others. Her forest friends?? [b]Sandy/White[/b] Sandy and White are like Yin and Yang, the sun and the moon, fire and ice. Both are beloved members of the staff, but each represent a much different portion of the community. Over the past year they have both proved their worth to the community, making the competition for becoming OB?s next Event Master much more interesting in the process. These two members, more than any others, defined the past year at OtakuBoards. Regardless of the outcome, both should be proud of the hard work they put into their respective events. The community and I are extremely thankful. [b][url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=54921]The Harem of Celebrity Lust[/url][/b] From Carey Grant to Jessica Alba, there?s a celebrity for everyone to fantasize over. Beautiful people. Beautiful thread. [b][url= http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=54321]Coming Attractions[/url][/b] Even though it was short-lived, Jokopoko made a great contribution to the Underground. It?s this kind of innovation that separates OB from other forums, and Joko deserves a lot of credit for coming up with it. [b]DeadSeraphim[/b] Alan is always challenging the status quo, whether it is through his posts, custom titles, or creative efforts like Forest Friends. Although his contributions to the boards are difficult to measure, he is easily one of our best members, and more importantly, a great friend. [b]Spam Porn Bots[/b] If Sandy and White defined the past year, Spam Porn Bots [i]defiled[/i] it. Without computer programs made specifically to register for message boards and advertise pornography, it would have been a boring year indeed! Thank you for giving staff members something to rally against. -Shy

[size=1][indent][b]What name would you like to be used for you during this competition?[/b] 'Shy' works just fine, although you can call me 'Josh' if everyone else is using their first names. [b]What is your age and gender?[/b] 21 year-old. Very male. [b]What country do you come from?[/b] Southern California. [b]What areas of OtakuBoards you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses?[/b] I would like think my strengths are [i]Social Interaction[/i] and [i]Creative Writing[/i]. My weaknesses are probably [i]Discussion/Debates[/i] and [i]Art[/i], since I so rarely visit those parts of the boards. [b]Name one member of OtakuBoards that you consider your friend here.[/b] Sara. [b]What one thing would you take with you to a deserted island?[/b] A friend. Preferably an attractive one. [b]Why do you want to participate to OtakuBoards Survivor 4?[/b] These are fun, challenging and creative competitions that bring together our diverse membership. Why wouldn't I want to be part of it? I have applied for OB Survivors at least two or three times, but still haven't been chosen. Maybe this was due to my staff position, since I may have been too busy to take part in the competition in the past. However, I assure you that I will fully devote myself to OB Survivor 4 if chosen. ...please?[/indent][/size]

[size=1]So now that Hardwired has been merged with The Prefecture, can we hope to see some changes to The Arena anytime soon? I'm not just talking about removing Thread Ratings, but also reorganizing the forums as well. Also, why not move Art Studio to The Arena? Creativity rocks. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Here we are, months later, and over the course of the competition my opinions about both candidates have changed drastically. Rather than repeat my thoughts here (and the thoughts of everyone else, no doubt) I?m not going to go into very much detail; 1,000 words or so will suffice. If anyone would like me to elaborate, feel free to ask and I will do so. I feel that both Sandy and White?s events were failures on many levels. Labyrinth, in my opinion the more polished of the two, felt like little more than an RPG. The argument that Sandy chose to stick with what he knew best for the initial event is a valid one. Unfortunately that argument completely fell apart when his next pitch for an event was 'OtakuBoards Survivor 4.' While 'Labyrinth' didn?t attempt to push anything in terms of creativity and structure, it was an effective use of message boards as a creative medium. White, on the other hand, seems completely unprepared for the medium he is creating his events for. 'Mafia,' as fun as it may have been for members participating, had most of its? action take place over PM and AIM. More to the point, outsiders attempting to follow 'Mafia' had absolutely no clue what was going on most of the time. White took criticism regarding his event seriously. One week he invited members not participating in Mafia to submit their votes of whether or not certain players were guilty. Since he didn?t continue to do this in subsequent weeks, it probably wasn?t much of a success. Regardless, he should be commended for attempting to change his event based on opinions from the OtakuBoards community. Sandy made no such attempt to change 'Labyrinth,' despite repeated cries from members to do so. Perhaps in part because of this, 'Labyrinth' struggled to maintain interest from those participating during later weeks. While the momentum behind 'Mafia' only grew as time went on, 'Labyrinth' struggled. My personal opinion is that in execution and in overall performance, 'Mafia' was the stronger of the two events. More importantly to me, it tried something new and took risks, even if it was far too inclusive. I expected that Sandy would use the Event Master position to launch another OB Survivor. They are fun, well-crafted games that have become a staple of the site. However, my concerns are with what this says about the type of events Sandy would choose to run in the future. Competition-based events are great, but diversity and experimentation are needed to keep Community Events interesting and relevant. It was a disappointment to me that Sandy would choose to pitch another OB Survivor. This was a chance for both candidates to show what the 'Otaku Idol 2' has shown them about creating events. Both pitches were failures in every regard. White should be commended for trying something different with his pitch, although the concept behind his ?Otaku 101? event is terribly lame and unworkable. Sandy?s ?Otaku Records? pitch was the strongest of the second round of pitches, and showed the most creative growth. The problem here is that Sandy refused to take down ?OtakuBoards Survivor 4? as his pitch, instead insisting that he could pitch them both. Accepting both would be unfair to White, who pitched a single event and stuck with it. Much has been said already about the individual performances of the Event Masters themselves. Sandy, the older and more experienced of the two, is arguably more creative and organized than White. The basic parts of this job: creating Community Events, maintaining member interest and seeing them to completion should be no challenge for him at all. Still, one?s most important duty as a staff member is not moderation, but upholding and maintaining the site?s rules through example. Certainly if Sandy weren?t considered a strong candidate, there would be no reason for members to challenge him so frequently. Gavin was left to his own devices and still failed to produce a functional event. I would have liked this competition?s outcome to be dependent solely on the strength of the events, but that obviously was not an option here. Choosing an Event Master who would be so divisive to the boards would certainly be a misstep. That said, the Event Master is a very important position, and it was created to bring the diverse OtakuBoards community together. The membership?s reluctance to accept Sandy has brought out the worst in both he and the community. I have made every attempt to distance myself from these conflicts and remain objective in my judgment. Unfortunately that is no longer an option, since I alone am forced to make the final decision: Congratulations White. Sandy, my respect for you has remained untarnished through this entire debacle. Despite being at odds with one another years ago in the Digimon forum, I more than anyone wanted you to succeed me as OtakuBoards? next Event Master. Your creativity and passion for your position in The Arena are outstanding qualities, and I have no doubt that you will continue to do fantastic work there. Thank you once again for the time and dedication you put into this competition. It is my most sincere hope that you will be able to work alongside White as he grows into his new role. While I feel he is not fully prepared for the position yet, he has proven himself to be incredibly flexible and open to criticism. The professional manner he handled his event and criticism towards it are what impressed me the most, and made him stand out as the winner of this competition. These qualities above all others are ones that will help him work alongside members and staff to create a wide array of compelling events. Keep in mind that regular members' own opinions and ideas are just as important to this forum as White?s or my own. This will hopefully become more apparent with the upcoming creation of a new ?Events Suggestion? thread in this very forum It?s been a fun ride. See you next time! -Shy[/size]

[size=1]Since the general concern seems to be that one giant Games and Stories may prove too difficult to manage, perhaps we should have things organized like so. [indent][b]Arena Square:[/b] RPGs, poems and short stories go here. Arena Square is an all-purpose forum for creative writing on OtakuBoards. Like the rest of The Arena, the swear filter will be in place but there will be no thread ratings. [b]Arena Underground (Sub-Forum):[/b] Arena Underground is the new home to sign-up threads/RPG discussion and also more generalized threads about creative writing. [b]Arena Games:[/b] Game threads can have their own designated forum, although it will be heavily moderated and posts will not count toward a member's post count. General OB rules such as 'No one word posts,' still apply.[/indent] Literary discussion and threads about specific books can be moved to the Movies, Music and TV forum (which would be retitled to 'Otaku Media' or something.) -Shy[/size]

[size=1]200 OtakuBucks for [b]Sara[/b] in first place. If she doesn't win, I'll personally rend the judges.

[size=1]I'm really tired of all of these suggestions for [i]more ratings[/i], or even changing them into something more workable. Time has proven that these ratings don't work; we're not on page six of this thread because of how accessible and clear Thread Ratings are. What we need to do is reset the standards for quality and content in that forum so that ratings and sub-ratings won't be neccessary. As for members asking moderators for permission to include adult content in their threads, the whole approval proccess seems a little time-consuming and full of too many problems. I can easily imagine dozens of members demanding a Mature rating for their supposedly 'tasteful' RPG. This would end up flooding the forum with Mature threads, or, conversely, discouraging members from creating new threads until their own was finally 'approved.' My opinion is 'No ratings, no exceptions.' There obviously are ways to get around the swear filter, but I feel having it in place will help dictate the type of stories members can, and want to tell. If for some reason the content within a specific RPG or story gets out of hand, moderators can always edit the word [Adult] into the title, or perhaps just the letter [A]. That being said, adult threads should be few and far between. I hate to see my original idea for two simple forums diluted into something else entirely. If members still want the Underground, so be it. I just don't see why Underground threads and Sign-Up threads need to be seperated at all. Perhaps the Inn (or whatever it's called) can be changed to welcome Sign-Up/RPG Discussion and more generalized threads about The Arena itself. Multiple sub-forums seem like a step in the wrong direction to me. -Shy[/size]

[quote name='Sandy]This is actually something I was expecting, although I do have a question about it: [B]do the limitations about the lenght and amount of threads etc. that we had in the beginning of this competition apply to this as well or not?[/B'] I'm guessing they won't, but gotta make sure...[/quote] [size=1]Nope. You are only limited by your own imagination, kiddo. -Shy[/size]

[size=1]As I?ve stated before, congratulations to both of you for making it this far in the competition. Your devotion to the site, and to Community Events has been proven time and again by your participation in Otaku Idol 2. The community is very thankful to both of you for creating and running such enjoyable events, despite the obvious obstacles. We have one final interview to go, and some final twists. Let?s see if we can?t have some fun with this, shall we? [b]Interview Five: The Final Interview[/b] [b]1:[/b] How do you feel about your own performance throughout Otaku Idol 2? How has it changed, for better or worse, over the past two months? [b]2:[/b] What have you learned about the OtakuBoards community during your time in the competition? What have you learned about being an Event Master? [b]3:[/b] If you could go back in time using some sort of fantastical internet time machine, what is the single thing you would have done differently during your time as Event Master? [b]4:[/b] What is the most positive thing you can take from your experience as Event Master? [b]5:[/b] Looking over both completed events, which do you feel was the best? Of previous Community Events, which do you feel was the best and why? [b]6:[/b] If you were given the power to decide the outcome of Otaku Idol 2, what would it be and why? [b]Assignment One:[/b] Write an open letter to the community, explaining why your competition would be a better Event Master than you would. Please highlight their personal and professional strengths in detail, while also describing how great their event (and ultimate handling of your event) was. Please spare no details in explaining your own shortcomings as an Event Master and staff member to the community. Your tone and candor are most important here. [b]Assignment Two:[/b] Using what you?ve learned from Mafia and Labyrinth, pitch another event to the community. That's all. Thank you again for your time. The final outcome will be decided once this last round of interviews/assignments is finished. -Shy[/size]

[quote name='Doublehex']And as for the kids that frequent the boards, I say that we just tell them that its time to brighten up. We should be kind, of course, but if we need to, we should start to be harsh. There are ways to act, online and offline, and censoring will do that no good. By censoring swears, you are harming the kids. They will not learn; they will keep on swearing, even if its all *** and ****. But if we actually talk to them, they will learn; they will mature. They will become better people for it.[/quote][size=1]I'm Shy. I'm a 21 year-old college student who has been living on my own for almost a year. I created Thread Ratings while also participating in one of the most graphic RPGs to date. More to the point, I regularly consume alcoholic beverages and have engaged in irresponsible sex countless times. I DON'T WANT CURSING IN MY GODDAMN ARENA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT IT OFFENDS 8 YEAR OLDS.[/size] [QUOTE=DeathKnight][color=crimson]So the theory is that the piss poor roleplayers we have making their shoddy little crudheaps full of unnecessary cursing/sexuality/violence will find the path to being good roleplayers by washing their mouth out with soap? Or am I not following this correctly.[/color][/QUOTE][size=1]The idea is that putting in a swear filter will put a stop to the unneccessary swearing and vulgarity in the forum. In turn, new members will not be turned off by the 'adult' and inclusive nature of The Arena and [i]hopefully[/i] be inclined to participate themselves. Idiots are always going to be idiots, but now they can offend people with their words as opposed to their [i]language[/i]. Rebooting The Arena isn't going to hurt the forum's overall actvity. In fact, I think it will draw more people into a part of the boards they might have been avoiding. Any current threads can be transferred over to the new Arena, they only need to follow whatever guidelines are established for RPGs in that area. -Shy[/size]

[QUOTE=Charles]I was talking with Alan and he introduced the idea of just indicating what each thread is by tagging it with [Game], [Story], etc. *edit: as he just said above me. I also think that people can put in special requests for M-rated RPGs to the staff before they create an RPG. They would make a "pitch" telling the staff of the area why their writing needs to be "M" rated and they could decide whether to allow it or not.[/QUOTE] [size=1]James has discussed 'hardwiring' Thread Ratings into threads in The Arena, meaning that you couldn't post a thread without first attaching a Thread Rating to it (much in the way you can attach a smiley icon to a thread's title.) Instead of forcing members to attach Thread Ratings, we can simply force them to attach an icon indicating what type of thread it is (Game, Story, RPG, etc.) As for the 'M' Rating Tribunal,' or whatever it is... I don't agree with that idea neccessarily. There are tasteful ways to tell quality stories about vampires, assassins and sex that don't involve being graphic. We're not trying to limit the kinds of stories people are able to tell, we just want them to be more mature in the way they handle certain subject matter. Putting the swear filter back on those forums would be one of the easiest and most effective ways to do that. -Shy[/size]

[quote name='ForgotteÑ-HerÖ][COLOR=DimGray]As for the subjesct.[/COLOR] [B][COLOR=Blue]Shy's[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR=DimGray']idea is a good one. One question though. Will these subjects be in subforums?[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]Nope. There would only be two forums: Games and Stories and Arena Discussion, and one sub-forum: Adventure Inn. [color=blue][b]-Shy[/color][/b][/size]