KarmaOfChaos

[color=deeppink][size=1]Well, I really loved the ending, like the actual scene itself, but like the others said, there's just something very abrupt about it, like something else needs to happen right before it. Maybe just a short piece about Felix being back at the Commissioner's Office or something, and, again like the others said, hinting a little bit more about the ending. Otherwise - I really, really enjoyed this story. (And I read it, too! ;)) The greatest part for me was the characters. On a superficial level, they were wonderfully constructed, and supported themselves. But you also subtly created them on a deeper level, especially in 'Day Four', where Jolene opens up and you realize she's more than just the cynical psycho. Then you begin to see perhaps deeper facets of the other characters, all of whom are jaded, on some level or another. Which I really liked, how they all had that one unifying feature. Good stuff. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]This poem is kind of ambigious. Is the speaker telling us to give up on our lives, as they are no better or worse than a TV show, and completely pointless and overperfected? Or is s/he telling us that we need to disconnect ourselves from all the technology we've become dependent on, which dictates to us what are life should be? Good stuff, either way. Reminds me of this song by RHCP, Throw Away Your Television. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I am most definitely intrigued. You did very well with setting the mood of the story, making the reader feel s/he is going partially insane right along with Serge (in this case that's a good thing). I just have a few suggestions: 1) You seem to restate "Serge" a lot. Unless you are doing this on purpose for some specific reason, it seems a little repetitive. Try using 'he' instead of Serge. I really only noticed this in the first couple of posts though. 2) A big part of how a reader will view a story is in character-perception. Maybe you could add some visual description, because when I first started reading, I imagined him as a large bald black man (probably a result of the name Serge), but then in the mirror scene I started to view him as a scrawny white man, and started pronouncing his name "ser-jay". Yea. Lol. Good stuff! Can't wait for more. ;) Although someday you and Godel are going to drive me insane with your French. >.> -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Overall, this is a good poem. Nice use of words, I loved all the consonance/assonance you used. It made the poem have a good rhythm. My only complaint is that sometimes, especially in the first couple of stanzas, you seemed to just be shoving more words into the lines for the sake of having more pretty words, and it threw the beat off. "and taste the way your mind works--" This line struck me as very good. It gave me a feeling of tangible thoughts, of going into someone's brain and just licking up everything you find and never being satiated. "Your smile persuades the breath from my lips" The use of the verb 'persuades' just rocks this line beyond all rockage. Again, I get very strong feelings and images, a girl smiling and the breathe being physically pulled out of him, almost taking him with it. You should definitely keep writing. ^-^ -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]This is a nice little poem. Surprisingly cheerful for you. ;) 'write with your flesh and tendon and bone' Those were my favorite lines - they provided for some very vivid imagery. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]The last four lines were simply spectacular, and this is a very good piece of poetry overall. My only suggestion is to change the 5th and 6th lines - they disrupt the flow and dampen the effect of the last four lines, which are truly the best part of the entire poem. But otherwise - great scheme, it's always interesting to see someone departing from the standard quartet to couplets or sextets, etc. Good stuff. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]A group of barely-clad sexy-delicious women prancing around kicking guys asses - how could that possibly be a flop? Especially with all the H.O.R.N.Y. members around here...* cough * Great work Annie. I can't wait to see who your next victim is. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]To write is to be liberated. That was the idea that truly struck a chord in my mind and soul - because for me, that is what it is. Writing is a liberation, a release of emotions and at the same time a way to pinpoint them and realize what they are. I write for myself first and for others second. Writing is liberation, it is enlightenment, it is a window into your own soul. And of course, it is many other things, which you have stated. But that was the thought that I related to. Very well-written piece. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]This is a very good piece, and the topic is something I think everyone (or at least, most everyone) can relate to. The beginning is especially intriguing - it made me want to read the rest of the story, to find out what's so wrong. But my absolute favorite moment is this one: "If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder then I wish I could just tear mine out and never look at her again." As Methuselah said, sometimes it's better to just have plain and simple fact, and that in and of itself is much more powerful. However, I am also a huge lover of lyrical sentences and metaphors and taking little phrases like "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" and manipulating them eloquently to the will of the story. Stuff like that just speaks to my soul. And I really had to restrain myself from adding a "man" to the end of that last sentence. >.> But yes! Good work! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Charles dear, have I told you lately that I love you? All hail the innuedo! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I enjoyed these! The first one could use some work, but I really liked these two lines: "Never give in to seduction and bliss, Especially when I insist. " I love that kind of slap-in-the-face irony, and that you've achieved in two lines here is very good. Some of it just seems bitter and artless though. The second was better, especially the last two stanzas. I liked the metaphor between the solider who is a coward and the type of lover he(she?) is towards you. Nice alliteration with "sweet seraph of hell". The third was about on the same level as the second. The last line was sharp and poignant, which I think is fantastic in poetry. I also liked the first two lines - the idea that a simple mistake can lead to huge, horribly beautiful mess. Keep Writing! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I'm 15 years old. Unlike a majority who have posted here, I actually did join otakuboards for the anime. I stumbled upon it through theotaku, while searching for the name of the cat from Trigun. Good stuff. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Well, I live in the deep south, so a majority of the older generations (40 and above) that were born and raised here are at least slightly racist. Two of my best friends have racist parents and there have been serious arguments about who they date because of it. There are quite a few serious implications of racism today, not just the stuff people talk about going on 30, 50, and 100 years ago. Yet, this doesn't mean I won't laugh at a good racist joke. Because the key thing is that they aren't being serious. In fact, they're making fun of a common stereotype, which in away, takes away its power, and presents it in the view of something not to be viewed with respect. Of course, it will be argued that making jokes about racism is taking light of the situation, but I have found that most people who take racism so seriously are honestly just looking to pick a fight. But it's never cool when someone is being openly racist. It's usually most effective to walk away/ignore them. Unless they have a gun and are surrounded by a large group of people dressed in white with torches. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Well, if you like light-hearted, amusing animes with romantic undertones, try [b]Fruits Basket[/b]. At 26 episodes it's not intimidating, and it's something everyone can understand, without being too well-read in Japanese culture or anime and manga (such animes as FLCL and Excel Saga require a deeper obsession with many anime genres and Japanese lifestyles). It's great for laughs and exemplifies a lot of things you'll see in 'traditional' anime. It also deals with serious themes, and requries thought and makes the viewer feel something for the characters. Very good overall anime. Unless of course you're macho man and refuse to watch "girly" anime. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Oh [b]yes[/b]. Biggest cliche ever: two lovers get into a fight, and they somehow, despite the fact that it is completely and utterly unexplainable, run into each other (most likely in the rain) and there is a big dramatic scene and then they kiss and make up only to have the bad guy come and take the other away or something else involving seperating them. Oh oh oh and: Having a big dramatic scene and suddenly it's decided that the other character's name needs to be moaned or whispered in very desperate manner every five seconds. "Oh Hinato!" "Oh Kira" "..hinato" "Kira!" "Hinato *sob*" "Kiraaa..." Etc so forth and whatnot. This is fun. I hope we can come up with more! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I would like everyone to note the SARCASM comment at the end of Piro's post. ...have you all carefully observed it? Good. Although Jhonen Vasquez's works are definitely unique, hilarious, and morbidly delightful, I tend to prefer manga. The constant random and bizarre nature of his work is both hysterical and interesting but also quite tiring. I can only watch/read his work when I feel like actually paying attention, especially when reading JTHM. Sometimes it's nice to just curl up with a good, sensical manga and drift off. But yes. Much love for JV and his work. Rock on, dude. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Actually, I think this would belong in the manga section. * points up * But I guess it's up to the mods. Anyway, I read the first volume of Demon Diary, and I just couldn't get into it. For like the first half I thought Rae was a girl (wouldn't be the first time for mistaken gender, lol) and then I was all confused and just gave up. Perhaps I'll try again though, after I finish Gravitation. -Karma EDIT: Demon Diary is already a thread in the manga section, guys.[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Going back to what someone said earlier, I draw a lot of true 'manga' because of the enjoyment it gives other people. Often times, a (humorous) real life situation that happened with myself and/or a couple of my friends will inspire a short manga out of me, exaggerating the story for the amusement of others and adding lots of random strangeness. (Like floating cereal boxes.) As for stand-alone artwork...that's an entirely different story. I find that while my stand-alone art is anime and manga-influenced, it also contains a lot of elements of surreal and symbolic artwork (see: Kahlo and Dali) as well as more true-to-life humans. Most of this is done because I need to get emotions out, and art happens to be one of my favorite mediums for doing so. I tend to be quite reluctant to share these pieces with lots of people. -Karma PS: As for the whole 'manga-is-easy' arguement...I think that if you have some artistic ability to begin with, imitation of certain styles is easy, but coming up with your own style, or imitating the style of say Angel Sanctuary (and doing it well) is much more difficult. There's also a lot of tedious attention to detail, which is by no means easy.[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1][b]First of all, in defense of Sailor Moon, DBZ, Ronin Warriors, and Gundam Wing.[/b] Both Sailor Moon and DBZ were milked past the point of no return, and horribly mutated through dubbing and editing. Yet, I still love them. They are what got me into anime, and DBZ and Sailor Moon posters will always have special places on my walls. I still watch the first few of the DBZ sagas uncut, which aren't that bad, as well as my Sailor Moon movies. Goku and Serena are classics for me. Ronin Warriors was a great show. The animation wasn't fantastic, but it was typical of the time period it was made in. They didn't kill it by dragging it out, it had an original plot line (especially during the time it came out) which I really loved, and interesting characters that I thought got developed nicely. It remains one of my favorite animes to this day. Gundam Wing appealed to me because it wasn't ALL about the mecha aspect. The characters had depth (they did, and anyone who wants to get into a debate about it, I dare you to start a thread,) and the plot was interesting and actually seemed to have a theme that made you think. I don't much care for what model or type or what weapons a certain gundam has (I think that's typically a guy thing), but give me good characters, plot, and animation, and I'm a happy bunny. Now. For mindless bashing. (Just kidding.) One anime that just bored me to tears was [b]Full Metal Panic[/b]. I had heard good things about it, so I was excited when I got the opportunity to watch it. However, although the animation was fine, the characters were absolutely obnoxious. The girl (C-something I think, she had blue hair) was snotty and stupid, and the guy assigned to 'protect' her didn't seem to have any personality at all. I only watched the first few episodes though, so perhaps I'm not giving it a fair chance. Oh well. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I don't think the rating matters much unless it's outright hentai, I've bought anime in stores that was 17 or 16+ and they never even asked to see my ID. Then again, I look a lot older than my age, so I can see why they wouldn't bother. It might be different if an 11 year old tried to buy something like Puni Puni Poemi. That would be a good experiment. * recruits her younger brother * Anyway, the ratings that REALLY bother me are those that my video rental store puts on anime. Apparently, all anime automatically has a "Youth Restricted Viewing" label put on it, from Sailor Moon to Heavy Metal (shudder). Occasionally my mom will read the rating just to make sure I'm not renting some horrible, mind twisting sex-filled film with no moral value, see the YRV rating, and freak out. It then takes 30 minutes to convince her it's not soft-core porn. -.- -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]"Some people say forgive and forget. I say forget about forgving and just accept. And get the hell out of town." -Debbie, [i]Grosse Pointe Blank[/i] "Amélie still seeks solitude. She amuses herself with silly questions about the world below, such as 'How many people are having an orgasm right now?'" "Fifteen." -Amélie, [i]Amélie[/i] Two of my particular favorites, there are many more. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Believe it or not, Danny Elfman was Jack's singing voice. For those of you who are big Tim Burton fans, you'll know that Elfman and Burton frequently collaborate when making movies (Danny Elfman does the soundtracks). I love both of their work, and it's absolutely fantastic when the get together to work on something. I'm almost positive they worked together on Scissorhands and Big Fish, and probably others but I'm a bit too lazy at the moment to look it up. But yes. About The Nightmare Before Christmas. I actually just saw this movie recently, since I have been deprived of many of the 'basics' of movies due to my mother's rather distrusting view of media. I absolutely loved it. The characters were, despite the surreal, fantastic world they lived in, very human, and I think many people could relate to them. It was also great on a satirical level - the best example being the two-faced politician. And the artwork itself...well. Everyone here already worships and adores Mr. Burton's artwork, so, 'nuff said. The sheer creativity employed in making this is amazing, as is the originality, which is why it became so popular, and still is. This movie is also, in my opinion, one of the best examples of a good Disney musical that you can get. Traditional Disney is famous for its music (see: Under The Sea, Circle of Life, A Whole New World, etc), and The Nightmare Before Christmas didn't fail to live up to these standards. Music is very important to a movie, and Elfman manages to incorporate strange yet addictive music which greatly compliments the visuals. Definitely one of my top ten favorite movies of all time. -Karma PS: Don't worry, the fad will die out soon, just to be replaced by another.[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]It's a good story so far, and your characters are very believable. That's something many authors fail at. My only suggestion is that the plot seems forced, the sequence of events is too focused on the one idea of Ryan and Nicole having a relationship. Try filling out the story more, and developing the raw materials you have in the characters. Keep writing. ^.^ -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1][b][center]Vanity Kills[/center][/b] He stared at the clock, waiting. "Come...on...." she muttered, trying to fit her size ten waist into size four jeans. She pulled tighter, until the button popped off, bounced off the mirror, hit her forehead and made her stumble backwards. Her spinal cord smashed into the metal hook on the door, killing her instantly. - - - - Brilliant idea, Sara. 55 is also my favorite number. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Shy, I didn't see this thread until today! I haven't had time to get on otakuboards, but now it's winter vacation, so that won't be a problem. Can I still join? I'd love to be a part of this. -Karma[/size][/color]