KarmaOfChaos

[color=deeppink][size=1]The men in bikinis are making me want to [i]rip my eyes out[/i], but other than that, it's a good story so far. The second chapter reminded me of this one time we were having an AIM chat and decided to invade DW's siggy... * bursts into a fit of hysterical giggles and is unable to finish the post * -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I like how you're creating pleanty of tension and problems and mystery around Nubohiro's family. This leaves the story open for a lot of development in that area. Also, it allows you to see where some of the character's motivation comes from, why they act the way they do. I'm curious about meeting the father. Is he an asshole or all the kids just rebellious? Or perhaps a bit of both? * intrigued * The new character is also interesting, if a bitch. It's good to have at least one character in stories that absolutely everyone wants to shoot in the face. They make a good place to direct anger towards, and can create excellent plot twists. The family dynamics are also going to provide pleanty of material for you. My only suggestion: it probably would have been more effective to combine the last two chapters into one. They both don't stand particularily well on their own, but together they would make a very good chapter with enough content to actually constitute a chapter. Cha. Good stuff. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Rabid fans indeed. Obviously some huge excitement going on about book 6, although I think some of the hype has died, it's still hugely popular. I can't wait for the next installment myself, it's a fantastic and amazing world that Rowling has created. Random note: Rowling was once a poor single-mom, and the Harry Potter series was mostly bedtime stories for her daughter. A friend told her they were very good, and suggested she write them down and try to get them published. The very first time any of it was written down was on a napkin. I would like to see the entire series written entirely on napkins. That'd be fantastic. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]* copy 'n' paste * I definitely like the second one better. The rhyme scheme flows very well, and it tells a story, it has a point. I liked how you talked about the light as something strange and alien, almost something to be feared. Then, it turns, and the symbolism is that the light is hope (you contradict this later though with the word "hopeless"). However, again, the light is full of negative connotations, because even though it has melted away part of the darkness, it couldn't stay. A "fool's hope" so to speak. A bitter memory filled with longing for something that you had once, but could never have again. Most of the time, hope is looked at either as a savior, or a condemnation even though you need and desire it. However, you seem to take it from the point of view of being abnormal, not belonging in your world. It's nice to see a different perspective like that. The first one needs some work. Rhyme would greatly enhance the effectiveness, as well as eliminating some of the more rambling lines that don't serve much purpose besides mundane repetition. Also, simplfy it by taking out the adjectives of the first line of each stanza: "If love was a..." The adjectives making the reading awkward, and throw off the flow of the poem. Keep writing! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]YES! DOWN WITH DW! I fully and completely support this venture. Best of luck, my almost-naked maidens. * salutes by snapping a g-string * -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]My friend tricked me with that one once. It's pretty sad, considering we had just learned about how to name elements and compounds in Chemistry. But yea, that sheet is hilarious. Ahem. Back to the topic at hand. Yea, those results aren't surprising. I think "common sense" though is, in reality, the things that should be obvious as the wise choice, but aren't always, for whatever reason. Laziness and ignorance are the great enemies of common sense. It'd be interesting though, to see how many other experiments you could come up with using this data, relating to psychology. I think you mention it in your paper, under the discussion section. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]If I really want something, I'll guilt trip my parents into letting me do it. ...but then I feel guilty afterwards. :rolleyes: Most of the time though, if they allow themselves to be guilt tripped into it, it probably isn't that bad. (Like spending the night over at friend's house when there's an older brother there.) They draw the line if I ask for something really ridiculous, and I listen to them. It's stupid to argue, you'll only make everyone angry and upset, and you still won't get your way. Still. Eighteen's gonna be fun. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I haven't heard the entire album, but I did hear one song that they did on the radio and I honestly hated it. I like rap/hip-hop, and I'm a fan of Linkin Park, and if they had done it differently I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but it just seemed all wrong. Jay-Z was just rapping to a repeated part of an LP song, and it sounded awkward and out-of-sync. I kept waiting for LP to do some singing too, or for Jay-Z to start sounding better, or for the melody to change, but it just kept on that way throughout almost the whole song, until I finally just changed the station because the song annoyed me so much. I don't know, maybe the rest of their album is better... -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I may be the only one here, but I really can't read that...uber...tiny...font. Anyway, I enjoy some anime music a lot, others not so much. For example - the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is great to listen to when I'm in the mood for jass-blues-bebop with a little bit of rock mixed in. FLCL also has some excellent music, particularily that from The Pillows, who make very good J-Rock(/Pop/whatever). On the other hand, I really like many other kinds of music. In the end, it's really dependent on what I want to listen to at the time. But yes, I like anime music. ;) As far as favorite sound tracks go...Cowboy Bebop is probably my favorite, although I'm also very fond of several songs from Fruits Basket, FLCL, and of course, Totoro. "Freckles" from Kenshin will also always hold a special place in my heart, both the Japanese and English version. ^.^ -Karma[/color][/size]

[color=deeppink][size=1][b]Solo in a skimpy French maid outfit.[/b] I don't know whether or not I should jump for joy or be emotionally scarred for life. XD;; -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Well, first, let me just say that this is an [i]amazing[/i] band. The Dresden Dolls is the first band I've seen to come out with something truly unique in...quite awhile. They mix german cabaret, alternative rock, and the tori-amos reminiscient moaning vocals of Amanda Palmer to create something edgy but eloquent, hard but also very gentle at times. The band is comprised of Amanda Palmer, who does vocals and the piano, and Brian Viglione, who does drums and percussion. They also have various other artists and their instruments appear in their music, from the electric guitar to the violin and cello. The sound that comes out is absolutely trippy. My favorite tracks on the album are Girl Anachronism, Half Jack, Coin-Operated Boy and Gravity. Girl Anachronism is a very heavy song with lots of loudly played instruments and fast-paced, screeching vocals, which is polished over in places, but left rough in others. This is good one to freak dance to, and the tune is almost psychotic. Half-Jack is a wonderful build-up song. It starts off very slow and melacholic, with sorrowful piano and light, feathery vocals with a slight moan in them. Then it builds up with heavier piano and wailing saturated with desperation, piling up the energy until it simply explodes. Then drops straight back down to the low, whispering singing, and builds up again, this time with even more fantastic vocals. Coin-Operated Boy is the ultimate quirky song. Palmer plays the toy piano in this song, and sings in a back-and-forth mechanical manner which is extremely catchy. If you get a chance, download the live version of this song...the lyrics are slightly altered, and very hysterical. Gravity is a good overall song, with nice deep vocals and heavy piano and drums with interesting little taps of the cymbals. The song has an almost laughing air, but bitterly, like a rather mutated smile. It has a interesting overlaping effect with the vocals at certain points, much like Half Jack. Amanda Palmer is a genius at writing lyrics to fit her style and voice, and they throw all the cliches out the window and bring in a breath of fresh air. She doesn't try to make herself appear the victim or the savior, but writes from her soul, and it is reflected in her lyrics. She employs delicious rhyme schemes that make her songs very tangible. Not to mention, the album art is gorgeous. But enough of my ranting. Has anyone else heard of this band? Opinions? Think I'm an idiot and that TDD suck? Think I'm dead on? Responses are greatly appreciated! -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I agree with James on the whole "multi-point" discussion thing. I like it when posts are picked apart and addressed on each level, as long as you aren't attacking the person, or doing something spiteful like quoting little bits and pieces and making useless, sarcastic commentary on it that doesn't further the thread what-so-ever. Also, I don't think it's a problem when a thread has a couple tangents, especially debates, as long as they're not spam or insults. I think it's a sign that intelligent thought is taking place, that you can read something and get more than just ideas on the topic at hand out of it. I can see where it becomes a problem if the topic completely changes, but sometimes, when the topic shifts a bit, the discussion ends up talking something even more interesting and thought-provoking. But yea. I only occasionally have problems with OL. Like when people post about how horrible their life is. I have no patience for self-pity. If you've genuinely got a problem, and you are actually looking for advice and reading all the responses with an [i]open mind[/i], that's fine, but if you just want to whine and complain, then get off of my messageboard. Final conclusion: spam = no. discussion = yes. -Karma PS: I like the quirky threads like "bad habits". They're interesting and I don't think they're spammy. ^.^[/size][/color]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1] Anyway, the spoiler-heavy posts that populate the last few pages of this thread are by and large devoted to discussing recent developments in the manga and how they relate--or, more often than not, don't relate--to the anime. If you plan to follow the manga, I definitely advise you not to read them. However, I don't think reading the spoilers would adversely affect your enjoyment of the anime, because (in my opinion, at least) the latest manga-only plot twists just don't jive with what's shown in the anime. I've started to approach this as though the two series take place in minutely different worlds, and it does make things a lot easier. Of course, you won't appreciate the sheer jaw-dropping power of the spoiler-ed revelations unless you watch a good portion of the anime first, so there you have it. :p[/QUOTE] [color=deeppink][size=1]I could have used that information before I went around highlighting the spoilers thinking they were about the anime. -.-" But let me tell you, my jaw did indeed drop. Akito...who knew?[/size][/color] [QUOTE=Dagger IX1] Anyway, what you do think of Tohru? ~Dagger~ [/QUOTE] [color=deeppink][size=1]Hahhahahahahahha...nice. Anyway, many people seem fond of writing Tohru off as an idiot, or a nimrod. She's not. She's very naive and oblivious of the world around her, and I think that's partly just her personality, but also partly a defense mechanism. Her eternal hope is a barrier against the very horrible pain that you see when [spoiler]she talks about losing her mom and not saying "Stay safe!" the day she died.[/spoiler] She cares very much about the people around her, and hates and fears being a burden to anyone else, because she feels she has failed her mother and doesn't ever want to fail anyone again with her "incompetence". As I said before, she is the consummate people pleaser. She is not, however, an idiot. She is intelligent, and dedicated in everything she does. She may not always succeed, but she tries. Her character shines out as one of the brighter, much more hopeful, non-the-world-gave-up-on-me-so-I-gave-up-on-it characters. Personally, I adore Tohru, and I relate to her on many levels. I'm pretty oblivious to a lot of things, and when you tell me something, I'll take it for face-value and believe it, even if it seems a little ridiculous. I'm also a people pleaser, although for different reasons. So I suppose I'm slightly biased. Anywho. Yea. Yay for Tohru. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I love Franz Ferdinand. I was watching some documentary thing or something on them, and they quoted something the lead singer (I think) said, about how they were just trying to make music that people could bop their heads and dance to. They've certainly achieved that with this album. I honestly can't listen to one single track on the whole thing without bopping my head a couple times and doing a little mini-dance. Like Asphyxia said, their tunes are extremely catchy. Great jumping around dancing to music. My favorite tracks would have to be Take Me Out, Michael, Jacqueline, Auf Achse, and Darts of Pleasure. Good stuff. -Karma[/size][/color]

[quote name='Adahn][font=Courier New][size=2][color=blue] Oh, and the last time I had a playground was 5th grade, so if you could tell me of a school where 8th graders get recess, please tell me so I can spoil my children effectively.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] [color=deeppink][size=1]I had a playground AND recess all the way into 8th grade. Perhaps you should consider moving to South Carolina. ^-^ This thread makes me want to kill myself. Anyway! Back to the topic. Someone mentioned it before, I forget who it was (I was busy watching the Rin and Alex Deathmatch), but they talked about when people try to tell you who you love. The whole "you're not really in love with them" thing. It's not that this shakes my belief in my own feelings for whatever person we happen to be talking about, but it pisses me of when someone is so presumptious and arrogant as to think they that know how deeply or shallowly I happen to care for that person. Now, if a friend who I'm close to and who knows about the intimates of the relationship is trying to give me advice saying "I think this is unhealthy for you" I respect that. But when someone blatantly tells you that you don't know what love is, and that you couldn't possibly love so-and-so, to me, that is extremely rude. Uhm yea. [/end of two cents] -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Well, I'm pretty new into the whole shonen-ai genre, I'm more of a shoujo-ai girl, but I'd have to say [b]Gravitation[/b] is definitely one of my favorites. [b]Fake[/b] was pretty good, but not the best I've ever read, sometimes the artwork seemed awkward and strange. It had an interesting plot line though. I'm absolutely dying to pick up [b]Legal Drug[/b]. Whee. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I'm a highly materialistic person. I love clothes, and I spend massive amounts of money on them. As a result, my clothes are extremely ecelectic. I buy a lot of stuff from Morning Glory, which is an Amy Brown-esque boutique in California, and from Goodwill, which has the neatest things. (I found a plaid tie there, it was the most awesome tie ever.) I adore plaid, black lace, and elaborately decorated clothing. I'm very fond of the Gothic Lolita look. A lot of my clothes have Asian influences. At the same time, I've been known to wear mutli-colored duct tape plastered pants and a rainbow tube top with a plastic jacket that has little duckies floating around in it. I find clothes to be a wonderful outlet for creativity and design, and I've altered a lot of my clothes from their original form to tailor suit them to my tastes. Therefore, I take great pride in my clothes, because to me, the way you dress reflects your inner self. I dress in showy, spontaneous stuff, and that's the kind of person I am. Of course, that's just a generalization, not true for everyone. But meh. I don't have a "style" unless Karmality counts. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]He may be your brother, but he's done something wrong, and if you don't show him that there are negative consequences, he's going to think he can get away with again and again. If he really needed the money, he could have asked you for it. Going behind his sister's back and taking your PIN NUMBER is not okay. If he obviously has such little respect for you and your property, then in my opinion, he doesn't deserve any sympathy or pity. If my brother ever did something like this, not only would I press charges, but there would be blood spilled. Lots of blood. And I'm not just whistleing Dixie. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Nice play on words - Dr. Whimsley (whimisical). I liked the description of the neurotic psychologist. You always write stuck-up prick characters really well, and it was amusing the way he instantaneously regained composure once his patient entered the room. As for the dream itself, I'm going with traditional logic here in assuming that it reveals things about Chris' personality, and his hopes and fears. He wants to be hero, but is overcome by fear, and various scenarios of what he feels to be "bad luck". He wants to be noticed but everyone ignores him. Also, there's a dominant person in his life with ambigious gender issues. You leave a lot open to interpretation, which is nice. It's hard to tell in places where you're just writing something for the sake of being amusing, or if it has some symbolic or metahporic, but regardless, I think Chris is going to give Dr. Whimsley a lot more trouble than he's planning on. I'm eager to see where this one goes. Keep writing. ^.^ -Karma[/size][/color]

[QUOTE=Lady Asphyxia] [font=Verdana][size=1]Well done Mimmi! I'm sure you'll get a great mark![/size][/font][/QUOTE] [color=deeppink][size=1]I'm Karmi, dear. * pats her sympathetically and holds up fingers for her to count * Lol, aside from that, I did make an EXCELLENT grade. Ninety-eight you guys! Thanks one and a million for critiques, special graci to Mitch for pointing out the grammar error. Y'all's reviews mean a lot to me, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm thinking of fleshing it out more, giving her more of a background, etc etc whatnot. If it happens, I'll post the new version in this thread, so if you're interested, check back every once and awhile. Once again, thank you! -Karma[/size][/color]

[quote name='Mirushi']Oh. Thanks for the explanation. I know there are only four DVDs out now but I'm pretty sure more will be coming out. I haven't even met all of the characters yet...I think. Too many to keep track of. I also like Tohru, except for the fact that she likes to please people too much. She just needs to find time to please herself too.[/quote] [color=deeppink][size=1]Nope, DVD 4 was the end. The anime was made before the manga was completed, so a great deal of what goes on in the manga later on is left out in the anime. (For example, two of the zodiac animals, the horse and the rooster, don't even make an appearance in the anime). That's the appeal of going out and buying the manga. We get to find out what happens, yay! -Karma PS: This just occured to me - the only way that they'd make more DVDs is if they made a second part to the series, but I haven't heard anything like that, so I think they're just leaving it at 26 episodes. But hey, I could be wrong. I'm content with the manga.[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I forgot who's recommendation I picked Gravitation up on (mighta been Dagger's, lol), but I'm currently addicted to it. The thing that I truly love about the Gravitation manga is that the characters are so imperfect and messed up, and how, much like real life, their problems actually get in the way of their love. There are very few stupid, sappy scenes, and it goes against all the expectations one would have of a "romantic comedy". Eiri's abusive and arrogant and Shuichi's desperate and immature, they love each other, but the relationship is often on the rocks. This is added to Shuichi's unique career and couple of very much out-there characters (I love K. He is the most hilarious character in the whole manga, in my opinion.) and it's just gorgeous. The only thing I dislike about it is that sometimes it seems so obscurely random that it feels like she's (the mangaka) is just pulling plot twists out of her butt and sticking them in there. Slightly confusing. But hey. I only read it to look at Eiri Yuki's bad *** sexiness. So it's all good. YAY FOR FANSERVICE! -Karma[/size][/color]

[quote name='Mirushi]I have no clue what dubbed means so I won't say anything about it except that it would be nice if someone wanted to tell me. Anyway, I've seen the first four DVDs. I don't really like Yuki that much even though I did at first because he doesn't do anything anymore. Kyo is one of my favorites along with most of the Sohma family except for Kagura, Ayame, Ritsu, and Akito, who I believe is supposed ot be a [spoiler]girl.[/spoiler'] I also don't like Tohru too much because she always tries to impress other people too much. However, without her, there probably wouldn't be much of a show.[/quote] [color=deeppink][size=1]Dubbed is a term meaning that the anime show was taken from its original form with Japanese voice actors, their voices were taken out, and voice actors who speak English replaced them. Subbed is where the original voice actors are still there, and the translated text is just at the bottom of the screen. Some people prefer subbed because the voice actors tend to be better, other prefer dubbed because they don't like to have to focus on reading the text. There's other arguements about them too, but that's the basics. If you're watching an anime in English it's been dubbed, either professionally or by fans of the show. Fruits Basket was done professionally, and I think they did a really good job with it. Isn't there only four DVD's? Maybe you meant first four episodes...? Anyway, the point of the show is that everyone has flaws, both major and minor. Tohru's isn't necessarily that she wants to impress people, but that she doesn't want to be a burden and she wants everyone to be happy, sometimes at the cost of her own happiness and well-being. She's a people-pleaser, not an attention whore. I love Tohru, but that's just me. ;) -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]I like his body, and the sketchy, slighty-overproportioned hands, but something about his face doesn't seem right. It's a little too 2-D, it needs more filling out, maybe give his eyes a direction to look in or something, add some shading to his hair. Then again, 3 AM sketches aren't supposed to be perfect, right? Lol. -Karma[/size][/color]

[color=deeppink][size=1]Au contrair, I liked it very much. Not many people can put that much feeling into a few short words, but you manage to do it quite well. I like the imagery the second line gives, the gasoline rainbow makes you feel as if it's something beautiful, but manufactured, a product of corporate society. The mistaken love seems to relate to it being so wonderful and grandiose and passionate in the beginning, but then extinguishing quite quickly, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. Very good. And don't be bothered when people don't respond to your poetry or writing, it doesn't mean you're not good. Look for c&c in other places, such as fictionpress.net, or other people you know offline if you really want feedback. =) -Karma PS: I love haikus.[/size][/color]