Dagger

I know little about animation, but the banner itself is fantastic. I don't really like the effect you used on the "revolution" text; it's a little too fast and flashy for my tastes--not exactly seizure-inducing, but I'd prefer for the words to be more deliberately paced. Everything else is perfectly timed. I particularly love how you used orange in "zero" and red in the "maker" half of "peacemaker"--both hues complement Tetsu's vibrantly colored hair and serve to pull the image together. Like all of your work, this looks very attractive and professional. Awesome job. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Dan was only suggesting that you might have used a reference image, which is a perfectly acceptable habit. Anyway, I haven't seen enough of Naruto to know how closely this adheres to Sakura's character design, but I think you've captured the basic look of her face and hair rather well. I especially like her sandals and outfit, but her left arm (the one holding the bouquet) seems shorter than her right (which, by the way, appears very relaxed, natural, and realistic). I think your drawing is quite promising. Though fanart may seem difficult at first, it grows much easier with the assistance of practice and repetition. ~Dagger~

slap that clay onto the wheel and tailspin round to evolution. fingers feel the bucking bowl. the potter God was here before (he shaped man's form from dust and sweat or maybe dirt with mingled tears all sorrow-streaked and melting fear) but you impress your own design into the lord-forsaken earth within your hands the holy dearth explodes into a sinner's revolution.

What program are you using to create these banners? Regarding your latest piece: while the images on the far right and center do complement each other well, the girl on the left looks somewhat out of place. Kieko already mentioned that the text is difficult to read; if you have Photoshop, that could be easily fixed. I personally don't know much about working in PSP or MS Paint. If you added a border (it doesn't need to be anything fancy, just something in a shade of deep purple, blue or black), this banner would look so much better. I also suggest choosing a more visually interesting font--it appears as though you used Arial, which isn't exactly novel. Keep on trying, and your skills will continue to improve. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Here's the latest product of my procrastination: a new banner featuring Arcueid, one of my favorite characters from the anime Shingetsutan Tsukihime. It took a while before I was satisfied with the bloodstains, but overall I feel rather good about this piece. I may, in fact, end up using the banner myself, but I think I'll wait to see if you have any suggestions. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote]To be honest I have no idea how long the series is, and for those of you interested I'm planning on compiling a kind of comparison list type object between the characters in Peace Maker Kurogane and The RK universe, in specefically the RK Tsukiohen OVA.[/quote] I would love to see something along those lines. If I were more knowledgeable about Rurouni Kenshin, I would try to compare and contrast it with PMK myself, but I think I should probably leave that task in your hands. ^_~ Oddly enough, I didn't even realize that Okita was featured in Tsukiohen. Because PMK basically tells the same story as the Kenshin OVA, but from a vastly different point of view, I feel as though they complement each other rather well. It's difficult to be a fan of two extremely similar shows (such as RahXephon and Evangelion), but Kenshin and PMK don't necessarily have to "compete" for the same audience. I hope what I've said makes some modicum of sense, heh. Some sites I've been to seem to indicate that, like Scrapped Princess, PMK will be twenty-four episodes long. I was sort of hoping for a higher number (thirty or forty-something, perhaps), but you know what they say about quantity and quality. ~Dagger~

Out of curiousity, how did you decide where to place each image? Was it random, or did you have a plan for how you wanted the wallpaper to look? I think you should add a nice, simple-looking border. It'll help pull everything together. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Heh, I can't help loving Saya either. She's so sweet and pretty. Now I understand how all you crazy Naruto fans feel. ^_~ PMK is just so darn good. I would have been happy if it had retained the same level of quality that's found in its first episode, but Peace Maker actually [i]improves[/i] over time. Its animation never becomes sloppy, and even practice fights and training sequences are exciting to watch. PMK has the intensity of Rurouni Kenshin, the emotional range of Fruits Basket, seiyuus as good as Gravitation's, and some really delightful character designs. All in all, I can't wait until this series is released outside of Japan. By producing both Last Exile (an eye-poppingly awesome show) and Peace Maker Kurogane, GONZO proved that it's definitely a force to be reckoned with. On a different note, do either of you know how long Peace Maker is supposed to be? ~Dagger~

I have two words for you: holy crap. If I ever feel extremely bored, I'll see if I can name every single character featured in this wallpaper. So far, I recognize faces from Fruits Basket, Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha, Outlaw Star, Kenshin, Escaflowne, Gravitation, Gundam Wing, Trigun, FFVIII.... ....Oh, I give up. ;P I'm not sure whether to congratulate you on actually completing this, or to pity you for having lost your 'net connection for a month. ^_^; ~Dagger~

[quote]Could you expand on Shingetsutsan Tsukihime? You grabbed me attention with your expalanation and I was wondering if you could go into a little more detail on the basics of the show.[/quote] Of course. ^_^ The show's main character is a teenager named Tohno Shiki, who experienced a terrible accident when he was a child. Ever since the accident, he's been able to see strange lines criss-crossing over everything in view--people, animals, objects, etc. Soon afterwards, a woman gave him a pair of glasses which restored his sight to normal. Fast forward to the present. While the series seems to focus on Shiki, it's really more about a vampire named Arcueid (they meet in a very unconventional manner, but I won't spoil the surprise for you). She's one of the most beautiful, compelling anime females I've ever encountered. Tsukihime's basic plotline is similar to Miyu's--Arcueid is an "executioner," whose task is to destroy rouge vampires and other supernatural beings. If you're interested in seeing Shingetsutan Tsukihime, my advice is to watch at least three episodes before deciding how you feel about it. Also, bear in mind it contains a good deal of gore--not gouts of blood, as in Peace Maker Kurogane, but quite a few severed limbs. The overall atmosphere is very dark and occasionally creepy. It's not a slow-moving show, but I was [i]really[/i] confused after seeing its first episode. Only when I continued did I understand what was going on, and started to like the series. [quote]I really found FMA to be a unique and more or less completly original anime[/quote] Yeah, I'll give you that. FMA is different from any show I've ever heard of; I guess I was a little turned off by the way it switches so abruptly between serious scenes and crazy comedic sequences. Also, the fight sequences didn't really impress me, but the main character seemed really cool. Do you happen to know when Gundam SEED is coming out in North America? I'm guessing that it'll become very popular almost immediately after being released. ~Dagger~

I actually have a couple of questions regarding the milieu in which the RPG will take place. I assume that it's a slightly Tolkien-ish sort of place, but I could easily be wrong. It'd be great if one of you could explain, for example, how elves and humans tend to interact in this world (i.e. are they civil to each other?). Also, I was wondering what enemies might threaten our characters during their adventure. While the ogres will obviously be something of a problem, I'd like to know if other bad guys and beasties could potentially become obstacles. Thanks for indulging me. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Heh, I had a really hard time deciding what to call this thread. Basically, I'd like to discuss shows which haven't yet been released outside Japan (Onegai Twins, for example, would fall into that category). In the past couple of weeks, I've watched the beginning episodes of Full Metal Alchemist, Chrno Crusade, Maria-sama ga Miteru, Peace Maker Kurogane, and Shingetsutan Tsukihime. Full Metal Alchemist failed to capture my attention, and Maria-sama manages--in the course of a single episode--to simultaneously rip off Revolutionary Girl Utena [i]and[/i] be staggeringly boring. So I doubt I'll follow those shows any further. However, I've really come to like the remaining three series. In my enthusiasm, I already created a separate thread solely for Peace Maker Kurogane, and I'll wait a bit to talk about Chrno Crusade, but here I'd like to share my thoughts regarding Shingetsutan Tsukihime. Tsukihime is almost like a cross between Vampire Princess Miyu and Boogiepop Phantom, but without Miyu's lameness or Boogiepop's shifting timeline. It has beautiful music, acceptably decent animation, and an intriguing storyline. Better yet, its characters never go into SD-mode (something which usually annoys me beyond all belief). If you like serious anime and supernatural themes, I strongly recommend this show. What new series are you most interested in? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Toorima [/i] [B]Kurt Vonnegut is a really good fiction author. Not all of his books are sci-fi or fantasy, but most of them are.[/B][/QUOTE] While I've only read one of Kurt Vonnegut's novels (Cat's Cradle, which was first published in 1963), I [i]really[/i] enjoyed it. It's packed with irony and surreal plot twists, not to mention some truly fantastic writing. Cat's Cradle is simply a very entertaining book. So if you're interested in Vonnegut, go ahead and check out both Cat's Cradle and Piano Player. ~Dagger~

[quote][b]plus chicken are my favorite animals... to eat .[/b][/quote] I couldn't have said it better... although that bird looks a bit more like a dove than any other variety of poultry. I think the olive branch was what tipped me off. ^_~ Anyway, Baron, I love this banner. The "Slaughter" text looks great, and I feel that the faded background images make it a good deal more interesting to look at. As others mentioned, the red "S" also works quite well. Great job! ^_^ ~Dagger~

The fall and the fallen. Together we speak of tragedy, its slow descent and crashing down to death, but few in this room can articulate the meaning of the word. Plucking sorrow from the pages of a book-- that's what this class is for, and yet empathy in all its warmth cannot imbue an innocent soul with knowledge or the grayness of despair. They're purely theoretical, these literary talks, subtly indulgent, scarfed in hypocrisy. We peer at the characters like God in his heaven, describe little ants crawling through the chapters of a Great Work. EDIT: No fear, Raiha. We'll keep the thread alive. ^_~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Artemis [/i] [B]Has anyone else read [i]The Hero and the Crown[/i] or [i]The Blue Sword[/i]? I don't remember the author's name because I borrowed them from a friend.[/B][/QUOTE] Those two novels are among Robin McKinley's best works. I actually prefer Deerskin (a tragic, lyrical, hauntingly beautiful book), but The Hero and the Crown was what first introduced me to her writing, so I have a special fondness for it. Any fan of fantasy should read Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The series consists of four fairly short novels (Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons), all of which satirize traditional fairy-tale themes and conventions. They're riotously funny, with likeable characters and an engaging storyline. You'll never look at giant rabbits the same way again. ~Dagger~

On the one hand, the wallpaper looks very clean and pleasant. On the other hand, I really don't like all those soft shades of purple--they make the brightly colored Sonic seem somewhat out of place. I'd recomment removing the glowing, snow-like spots and giving the background a nice, strong, reddish tint (that includes the abstract parts behind the two grids). You obviously have quite a bit of technical talent, but this wallpaper just doesn't come together. In my opinion, Sonic mixes rather poorly with lovely, delicately detailed backgrounds such as the one you used here. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Demon Babe:) [/i] [B]Inuyasha on the other hand some of the battels are predictable,but a lot arn't. Like when Naraku or Koga show up they usually run away.[/B][/QUOTE] Er.... You just contradicted your own assertion. Few anime fights are truly unpredictable. I mean, the main character almost always wins--and when he doesn't, it's pretty clear that he'll eventually come back with a vengeance. In Inuyasha, Kouga can be counted on to protect his own interests. Naraku does devious things, rarely appears in person, and generally acts as though he's invincible. Sesshomaru toys with his little brother, but doesn't seriously attempt to kill him. These characters' actions don't really change over the course of the show, which I think says something about its development--or lack thereof. ~Dagger~

My guess is that it'll be received quite well. This thread could attract some pretty interesting replies, so I, for one, will make an effort to follow it. Although I feel that the term "evil" is a bit overused nowadays, I believe that inherently evil people do exist--they're just far rarer than most of us seem to think. Some people enjoy inflicting pain on others. Some not only revel in others' suffering, but are also entirely devoid of guilt. How can one cure the lack of a conscience? Certain prisoners, no matter how pleasant their behavior becomes, will never truly be rehabilitated--but I don't see how anyone could possibly possess the foresight required to tell the difference. I disagree with your assessment of Hitler. Just because someone's evil doesn't mean that all of his or her actions and ideas are thoroughly depraved. In my mind, a man may simultaneously be both evil and impeccably courteous. He may feel affection or even love, and still not experience the mental issues that normally result from hurting someone. (For the record, I'm using male pronouns only because it gets a little tiring to say "he and she" all the time). I just [i]cannot[/i] accept the idea that Kim Jong Il, a man who's starving his entire ******* country in order to support his lavish lifestyle and enormous ego, is not a horrible, evil person. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Ryu_Sakura [/i] [B][color=lilac][size=1]wiccans do not worship Satan or the devil, it was just an excuse for people a long time ago to kill execptionaly smart or away women. the Salem Witch trials was actually started by a group of girls escpecially Abigail Willams, who wanted revenge on Martha Corey for taking her love away from her. so thats how that started.[/color][/size][/B][/QUOTE] I have no idea what an "away [woman]" is, so I can't really comment on that. However, I thought that because many people felt threatened by those who seemed to be different from them, most witch hunts targeted eccentric or unusual women (who were mainly elderly, unmarried or widowed, and lived in isolation). I don't think that intelligence was really a factor, unless a woman's intellect lead her to question the Church or perform other.... er, witch-like actions. It's been a year or so since I studied the Inquisition, so I could be wrong. But saying that people wanted "to kill exceptionally smart . . . women" strikes me as being slightly misleading. ~Dagger~

Winding round the hours as how a hand revolves, Spinning smooth and bladelike To encompass every hour. So she sits, her hair untied. It's dark as the secrets that lie beneath a lake: Above which stands the waterfall, Cascading down to pierce its hidden waters. This is one who veils her thought with words, Who calmly weaves a glamour through the eyes Of each admirer. Thread the needle, pierce the skin, Sew up a shattered heart And then lay it down to sleep. That's what she does, the administering angel, Curtained all around by shining darkness.

I've noticed that some RPG creators feel the need to thank/praise/encourage every single person who signs up for his or her RPGs. If this practice was restricted to PMs, I wouldn't have any problem with it--but I don't think people should be allowed to add one or two line posts like, "I'm so glad you joined; now we just need a few more members. Tell all your friends!" Doing that invariably ends up bumping the thread to the top of the page and, consequently, making it less likely that other recruitment threads will be noticed. A couple of days ago I joined a new RPG, and almost immediately received a very gracious PM from its creator. If everyone behaved like that (rather than adding unnecessary posts to their sign-up threads), the Recruitment forum would be a far cleaner and more pleasant place to frequent. Just a thought. ~Dagger~

I've only seen a few more episodes of Peace Maker Kurogane, but I'm still quite infatuated with it. Its comedic sequences are starting to grow on me (compared to Chrno Crusade's, they're actually rather brilliant), and I love how the show portrays Saitou. In Rurouni Kenshin, Hajime Saitou is a serious, semi-evil character who has little tolerance for braggarts or fools. Peace Maker Kurogane's Saitou may have a similar character design, but his personality is almost completely different. He speaks in a low, forboding monotone and has a bizarre habit of materializing when other people least suspect him to appear. And although his swordsmanship is very much respected, he's simultaneously one of PMK's funniest characters [i]and[/i] an absolute terror on the battlefield. Hittokiri: I haven't gotten around to downloading the manga yet, but I've seen scans of some of its covers, and the artwork looks quite spectacular. So I'm definitely looking forward to reading it. Heh, I'm also watching the Anime-Keep fansubs (what can I say, I really like their work ^_^). haruno: Okita is my favorite character, hands down. He's such a nice guy--well, except when he's slaughtering people--and he's ridiculously pretty to boot. I've also started to get used to Tetsu's personality; he had far more spaz attacks in the first episode than he does in any of the other ones I've seen. ~Dagger~

The library's vaulted ceiling seemed more suited to a cathedral than to a place of learning, and its shelves stretched impossibly high. Leile felt a brief twinge of reassurance as she glimpsed the tall, spindly ladders that leaned gently against the walls of books, but her relief didn't last long. They could easily waste a lifetime in here. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if one of them got lost amongst the dark, labyrinthine shelves. Anubis kindled a flame in the palm of his uninjured hand and flicked it casually into the musty air. It skittered over to Leile and floated a few feet above her head, following her every step. "Er, thanks," she said, mildly surprised. He silently inclined his head, and then did the same for Aissa before seating himself at one of the library's dust-coated study tables. Aissa threw him a slightly reproachful glance, but he didn't appear to be in any mood to help. The mage watched them search, occasionally pointing out hard-to-see signs or rejecting a particular book. At least half an hour had passed before he finally spoke. "Still nothing?" "Still nothing," Leile replied tartly. She was perched near the top of a rather rickety-looking ladder, peering gingerly at some moldy old manuscripts--all of which seemed to contain nothing more than dense descriptions of country's various kings and their legislative triumphs. He stared intently at his staff, avoiding her gaze. "I suspect that the kind of information we're looking for might be.... hidden." Aissa supressed her growing irritation. "Care to tell us where?" "I hope you're as good a healer as you appear to be," Anubis said slowly. He touched the table, turned over his hand to reveal the dust that clung to his fingertips, and absent-mindedly blew it away. Leile scrambled down her ladder, cringing as it creaked, and jogged over to join them. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Follow me if you want to know." Without giving either of them any time to protest, he led them to the library's darkest, farthest wall, one which had been painted with a now-fading mural. The human shapes that covered its surface might once have been pleasing to look at--now, after centuries of wear, they appeared more like warped and tortured demons. It hardly seemed to be a pleasant portent. "Behind this lies the sealed room," the mage said quietly. "I'm fairly sure that any books pertaining to the curse will have been placed within it." With those words, Aissa immediately began to grow wary. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Beneath the glow of his magical lights, Anubis's hair shone a brilliant silver. He turned toward her, eyes glittering, but his next question was clearly directed at Leile. "Do you truly wish to know about the curse?" "Well, yes, but--" "Then let's hope Aissa doesn't let me die," he snapped, and brushed his fingers gently against the peeling paint.

Orson Scott Card is a master of both sci-fi and fantasy. You've probably heard of the brilliant Ender's Game, but Enchantment (one of his lesser-known novels) is also a great read--it's basically an exotic, modern-day retelling of Sleeping Beauty. He puts his own spin on the classic tale by incorporating ideas and characters from traditional Russian folklore. Anything by Neil Gaimain is pretty much guaranteed to be interesting. I haven't read Neverwhere in a while, but I do remember loving it. His writing is beautiful and has a certain unique, dreamy quality that really makes it stand out, especially since so much contemporary fantasy is rather poorly written. Go ahead and read his latest book (American Gods) while you're at it. I'm a sucker for anything that references Norse mythology, and American Gods definitely satisfied me in that regard. Good Omens, which was written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett, deserves its own mention. It's a hilarious, irreverent novel that satirizes everything from the biblical book of Revelations to telemarketers to Elvis sightings. Any fan of fantasy or humor should be required to give it a look. I have many more recommendations, but I'll save those for another post. ^_^ ~Dagger~