Raiyuu

Here's a haiku about how to write haiku. [indent]Five syllables first Then seven on the next line Five again to end.[/indent] One of my classes last term had a fun exercise: everyone writes their three favourite words on little slips of paper and jumbles them up in a hat. Everyone then picks three slips at random and writes a haiku containing those three words. You end up with weird ones like these: [indent]Her sillage departs. That old Minneapolis Irony she had. In perplexity He feels cold head pain echo; Popsicle brainfreeze. Cranky bloody love. Always pumping people up To prick and deflate.[/indent] Anyone care to guess which words I pulled out of the hat? .:EDIT:. Just remembered! Me and my friends had a thread written almost exclusively in haiku on their band's messageboard. It's [URL=http://jurassicska.proboards32.com/index.cgi?board=gen&action=display&thread=1101755446][u]here[/u][/URL] if anyone fancies a giggle.

Woo-whee, Sandy. I think I'm just going to comment on the ones that catch my eye, if y'all don't mind. But my overall impression from skimming over the whole contestants' thread is that only a select few have used the brief to full effect. Black&white can be classy, it can be seedy, it calls up lots of connotations with old movies, especially (to me) noir detective genres. Most of the photos just looked like snapshots with greyscale filters to me - only a few people actually tried to tailor their entry to the specifications. [b]White[/b]'s use of brushstroke filters (or whatever he did, I don't pretend to know digital art) is a good example of someone taking the black&white brief and running with it. He even said that the idea of a black&white photo said something to him and that he followed that, which is what I think the competition should be about - letting the brief dictate the results, rather than doing your own thing and slapping the brief over the top. The angle is interesting, too. [b]Shinmaru[/b] is worth mentioning because he says he at least tried to work with the template. Running in the opposite direction is a response to the brief as well, I suppose. Made me grin, anyway. [b]RiflesAtRecess[/b]: I've never even heard of Jerome's Dream but the piece succeeds in looking like album art, and there's something to be said for achieving what you set out to do. I like the typewriter font on the lyrics; in fact nice composition all round, except (and this is really annoying me now I've noticed it) the pale grey border around the actual photographic portion is really messy. It's distracting. [b]Vicky[/b] ... I'm not actually sure what it is, but there's something about that photo. I think it might be the puddles in the background ringing bells in my head attached to memories of Humphrey Bogart films where it's always raining. The rough focus from the phone camera actually works quite well, though she's given it away that it wasn't intentional. I've realised now I haven't really commented at all on people's quiz answers, but I have a lecture to get to. Maybe next round. ;)

If I were you I would ask myself: if I don't know enough about Japan and Japanese culture to name my characters well, why is my story set in Japan at all? Also, discussion about fiction goes in the [b]OB Anthology[/b]. Always check through for the relevant forum before posting a thread, mmkay?

I'm actually excited about Bleach again. I know what's going to happen because I've read it all, but finally, the artists that can draw Ichigo are back on the scene and the good storyline is back in the driving seat. Shinji's voice was a bit deeper than I imagined, and a bit overly wacky in the classroom scene - I mean, he's meant to be a bit of a goof until he gets bored or annoyed, but he grated when he was pratting about in front of Ochi-sensei. Hopefully Masaya Onosaka will grow into the role. I feel kind of sorry for pure anime-viewers, though. The new ED sequence [spoiler]completely steals the thunder from Isshin's big reveal next episode[/spoiler].

[indent][i]"Why art thy songs so short?" a bird was once asked. "Is it because thou art so short of breath?" The bird replied: "I have very many songs and I should like to sing them all."[/i] [right]- Alphonse Daudet[/right][/indent] I always pull that one out when people ask me why I write short stories instead of getting my act together and writing a 'proper novel'.

If you helped clear up the Boards way back when, you should know that this kind of thread was going to get closed pretty quickly. I'm sure you can get in touch with your old friends by searching either for them, or for old threads you posted in. (Heads-up: James is still here in force, but not many of those other guys still post very often.) [b]Thread closed.[/b]

Tek, I thought we agreed: what happened in the Pirates vs. Ninjas thread [b]stays[/b] in the Pirates vs. Ninjas thread. And for goodness' sakes don't bring Jesus into this. [b]Dagger[/b] I wouldn't watch nearly as diverse a selection of series if it wasn't for Dagger starting Anime Lounge threads. Without her I might have missed out on [i]Haruhi![/i] Her breadth of knowledge allows her to justify her criticisms when she has them, but she's equally unafraid of [i]squee[/i]-ing like a little girl when something exciting, original or plain pretty comes along. [thread=54075][b]6 Degrees of Wikipedia. [Game][/b][/thread] Game threads. Don't you just hate 'em? Spam magnets all. But this one was time-consuming and challenging enough that you couldn't just 'pop in' and post a response, you had to [i]do your homework.[/i] So the n00bs avoided it like the plague and everything stayed shiny, until John asked us to connect Hippopotamus with Tin-foil Hat, after which it all went a bit quiet.

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]The thing with putting current Anthology threads in with the Square is that they'll drop off the first page pretty quickly, squeezed out by RPGs. Charles, those stats you pointed out about Anthology threads seem to me to suggest that those threads [i]need[/i] their own forum, to stop them being swamped by bigger threads with more (and more frequent) replies. And to balance out that bit of naysaying, I think the idea of conducting OOC discussion in the original sign-up thread for the RPG, instead of having a separate thread and a whole forum just for those threads, would tidy things up considerably.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Actually, Uryuu sneakily 'liberated' the [spoiler]Seele Schneider[/spoiler] from his father's storeroom at the hospital, with the help of [spoiler]Urahara's handy ability to open doors through walls[/spoiler].[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I've always been under the impression that if I created an RPG and rated it [E], it was my responsibility as OP to keep my buddies in line and make sure the RPG remains within the [E] limit. As a lot of people have already said, that's why every RPG gets rated M - because nobody wants to get caught out if i_liek_pie29473 decides to write a cunnilingus scene. What I'm getting at is that this idea of PMing a Mod and getting your title edited when you go overboard is contradictory, because the level of profanity/gore/sex is, as much as the setting or the sign-up sheet, the OP's choice. If i_liek_pie29473 goes outside the rating, the OP should be PMing them to say "please edit your post" and writing them out if they don't comply. Perhaps if we just made that responsibility clearer to RPers, it could solve the arse-covering problem - but then half the problem is that people don't read the Rules. Having written all that, I suppose that entire problem is symptomatic of the general brokenness of the Thread Ratings. I don't know if a complete restructuring of the forum is necessary just to reduce needless profanity or overzealous ratings, though.[/FONT]

[url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27][b]Anime Lounge[/b][/url] I wouldn't say it's necessarily become [i]more[/i] Nifty this year, but I've actually been back and done some posting there recently, reminding myself (after long stints in the Otaku Lounge) that I joined this Board to [i]talk about anime[/i]. It may not be cool to like anime anymore, but at least those of us that still have the bug are allowed a little ghetto where we can discuss it! [thread=52331][b]The Otaku Lounge Rules Sticky[/b][/thread] This is a purely selfish nomination, because now, instead of giving lengthy explanations, I can just say "go read the [thread=52331][u]sticky[/u][/thread], n00b". Which gives me more time to post around without my Moderator hat. [thread=55821][b]Otakupedia[/b][/thread] "IT TO SCARE BABIES!"

[quote name='Tekkaman']If Regulus was still alive, he'd be the next owner of the Black home but Dumbledore said that Sirius had done 'something' with the will that made Harry the owner of everything instead of Bellatrix Lestrange, the next descendant of Black.[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Oh, I'm not suggesting Regulus is still alive. All evidence suggests Voldemort killed him stone dead. I'm suggesting that Horcrux in the zombie lake had been gone a fairly long time - that Regulus stole/hid/destroyed it, and possibly some of the others, and was killed for doing so. Obviously if I'm right then Regulus won't be giving Harry any help in person, but he might have left pointers as to the locations of the other Horcruxes.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]My pet theory is, and has been since reading [i]Half-Blood Prince,[/i] that "R.A.B." is Regulus Black. If I remember right, he's a member of Sirius' family - his brother, was it? I don't remember. (I haven't read the books in a while but I remember having evidence to back this up soon after finishing [i]HBP[/i]...) Anyway, I'm pretty sure that like all the Black family he was pretty cosy with Voldemort, but was eventually killed by the Dark Lord. The killing suggests a betrayal, and if I've remembered right he was in quite a convenient position to go around pinching Horcruxes. Not to mention his initials match... Can anyone straighten out my facts for me? In every book since [i]Order of the Phoenix[/i] JKR's announced the death of a main character, and every time I've predicted that it'll be Hagrid, so I guess I'll predict that it's him again - the odds get shorter every time I'm wrong after all! Then again, I thought he might be the eponymous Half-Blood Prince as well, being half giant and all. So my track record isn't looking good for my being right this time. I also predict that, unlike what a lot of Potter fans are theorising, Harry is [i]not[/i] a Horcrux himself.[/FONT]

[url=http://www.otakuboards.com/member.php?userid=25558][b]Fasteriskhead[/b][/url] Because he can send an otherwise staid and predictable thread spiralling off into the hinterlands of philosophy and existentialism, and because he actually says what he thinks in Anime Lounge threads. But mostly for the [thread=55418][u]Pumpkin Scissors drinking game[/u][/thread].

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]With Vicky and 'Zeke I bring the Capricorns in this thread to three strong, meaning we're beating all you other signs! That's right, in this thread at least, Capricorn pwns other signs because there's more of us. My birthday is [b]today,[/b] January 2nd ... and I'm on the internet, posting on an anime board. Go me. I don't really go in for astrology. I'm sceptical, which is a polite way of saying I'm fairly positive it's all hocus pocus and mumbo jumbo. But reading horoscopes and stuff is good for a laugh, and sometimes they are scarily close to the truth - mostly because they're so general they can't fail to score a hit somewhere. I got a little Capricorn book for Christmas once, and the only thing I can remember is that it said "Capricorn is an Earth sign, and Earth signs like sex". Eat that, non-sex-loving Zodiac signs.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][b]Thread title simplified by popular demand.[/b] [quote name='Ezekiel'](I was watching the fireworks too, Vicky! Those people must be completely blind.)[/quote]You mean the ones in London, around the Eye? They were damn impressive, if only for the sheer length of the display. I was impressed by the first ten seconds, and it must have continued for about five minutes, getting brighter and louder by the second.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][b][color=red]Phaedrus,[/color][/b] if you want to take part please re-post with a picture that doesn't blow up the Boards like a balloon. DW, I'd like to suggest that as an addendum to the rules - pics that distort the tables on which the site is built should incur penalty points. Because, you know, surfers [i]hate[/i] to scroll sideways. I'll be in there judging, too. I don't have a camera either, so if I wanted to take part I'd have to rely on someone having taken an appropriate picture and posted it on Facebook some time in the past.[/FONT]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman']There have actually been studies done on the benefits of red wine on your heart so drinking in moderation isn't that bad.[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Red wine can reduce cholesterol and diminish the chance of getting cancer [b]if[/b] you drink it in moderation, [b]and[/b] you're over sixty years of age.[/FONT]

[quote name='R@R']Don't we normally lock these threads?[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Yeah, but this one actually had some discussion of old OB / who remembers who / nostalgia trips instead of the usual "well, I'm back, just thought I'd create a spammy thread and let you all know". But hey, I think we've had all the back-slapping mileage this thread's going to get. [b]Thread euthanised.[/b][/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]You can't give something that already has sentimental value. Things gain sentimental value through time and attachment. Several small gifts work well. That way you're not risking everything on a single choice. A little box of chocolates - some earrings - beanie toys are often a good bet if you want to show you have a cute, sensitive side. Plus, that way, you can keep slipping her gifts throughout Christmas.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=Red][b]takoyuki,[/b] shape up or ship out. I was about to close this thread on grounds of poor post quality when I realised [b]all[/b] the poor quality posts were yours! So I'm not going to close the thread and spoil everyone else's fun (much as I'd like to, game-thread-hating killjoy that I am) but I am warning you: read the Rules. Read the Otaku Lounge Sticky. And obey. (Principally in your case, 'obey' means use some capitalisation, spellcheck your posts and actually put some thought into your responses instead of just picking an option and not telling us why.)[/color] We now return you to your regularly scheduled inanity.[/font]

[quote name='Aaryanna']I?m going to add reading people?s minds to your list of superpowers![/quote] [center][img]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/Raiyuu/Zingers/Juggernaut.jpg[/img][/center] [font=trebuchet ms]Man, I've been [i]aching[/i] for an excuse to use that one.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Try Murakami's short fiction, as well as his novels. I had to read [i]Super-Frog Saves Tokyo,[/i] from the collection [i]After the Quake,[/i] as part of my Creative Writing degree, and it was one of the most professionally executed surrealist shorts I've ever come across. He's one of several authors on my Christmas list this year. Right now, though, I'm wading through [i]The Diamond Age[/i] by Neal Stephenson, which is very dense, long, wordy, and (so far) not nearly as good as [i]Snow Crash,[/i] the book that got me into Stephenson in the first place. Where [i]Snow Crash[/i] was an effortlessly cool, slick, shiny piece of near-future cyberpunk that didn't take itself overly seriously, [i]The Diamond Age[/i] is a plodding far-future epic that never quite seems to know where it's going. It jumps and stutters forward in time without much structure, its future-science feels flawed, characters change their minds on a Confucian technicality when their obedience to Confucianism hasn't been properly built up. So don't buy that, but pick up [i]Snow Crash[/i] if you're into sci-fi. The future is full of tiny economically independent country-franchises, the fastest way to deliver a parcel is by giving it to a kid with a skateboard and a magnetic harpoon, and pizza boys carry samurai swords and aren't afraid to use them. There are a couple of large infodumps of Sumerian philosophy/mythology, but I forgave him that because there's a pirate in it called Bruce Lee, and because the Sumerian stuff is actually relevant by the end.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Ooooh, I see how you meant it now. And don't worry that it already went in. The whole point of this project is it's constantly evolving and not set in stone - if you've got an edit to your article (or someone else's for that matter) post it and we'll edit it in.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]And pretty simultaneously, by the look of things, I've added articles on SunfallE, Shinmaru and Charles. I've tried to amalgamate Japan and White's entries as far as possible, and added in a couple of details / captions / etc.[/font]