Raiyuu

[font=trebuchet ms]If you want to celebrate it like a true milestone, I highly recommend a [b]Murder Mystery Party.[/b] I did it for my eighteenth, and it makes for a memorable evening; and not many people do them, so it stands out in the memories of everyone involved. [u][url=http://www.host-party.com]Host Party[/url][/u] do fairly cheap options, though you do have to make all the props yourself. Enjoy, whatever you end up doing.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][b]START // Optic stalk[/b] >> Eye >> Evil eye >> Folklore >> Oral tradition >> Odyssey >> [b]Ulysses (novel) // END[/b] Seven articles, but six steps. That's how it works, right? If not, someone else can get it right for me. ;) Ah yes, and for my next trick... [b]START // Hippopotamus[/b] >> Sunburn [3rd paragraph of "Characteristics"] >> Hat [linked as "hats", 1st paragraph of "Protection:Skin"] >> Category:Hats [right down the bottom] >> [b]Tin-foil hat // END[/b] Here's one to try ... I got it in four steps (i.e. five articles, including the start and finish). // [u][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H_Macy]William H. Macy[/url][/u] >> [u][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Arthur_Talbot_Gascoyne-Cecil%2C_3rd_Marquess_of_Salisbury]Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury[/url][/u] //[/font]

[quote name='Boba Fett][font=verdana][color=darkgreen]Chabichou, anyone who kidnaps and threatens to kill a hostage is a terrorist. This kind of disgusting, animalistic behavior does the Palestinian cause no favors.[/color'][/font][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]Yes, but equally Israel are (according to the letter of law in the Geneva Convention) committing War Crimes by cutting off amenities to Palestinian civilians that have nothing to do with the specific incident in question. The term is "Collective Punishment". Essentially, neither side can claim clean hands in this conflict, nor in this particular incident. I do try and be an optimist about these situations, and I have seen positive changes on the horizon in this conflict; talks between the two recently have seen tacit acceptance of Israel's existence by the Palestinians, for example. It just makes me cross when resolution comes one step closer and some idiot throws it three steps back again.[/font]

[quote name='Cygnus X-1][font=verdana][color=sienna]...partly to increase word count...[/color'][/font][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]That isn't a valid reason for doing anything in a work of fiction. If it doesn't add to the story, axe it. Are you going for a comedic angle? Because the 'hero' that thinks the world of himself but can't hit a barn door from inside the barn sounds farcical. I do mean that in a good way, it's amusing to read about such characters accidentally saving the kingdom and getting the girl, more through luck than judgement. You could go for a Robin Hood version of [i]Bored of the Rings[/i] with those character designs, but if you're going for more of a 'truth behind the legend' approach then, well ... you need to find out some truth, and write about that, not about Robin's Mirror-Universe counterpart.[/font]

[quote name='Gavin][font=verdana][size=1]...you made the statement that somehow Mormons take more flack than other Christians, even when you knew the Da Vinci Code was the biggest piece of flack ever hurled.[/size'][/font][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]If I read Grace's earlier posts correctly, I think she's trying to say Mormons (as a rule) don't make a big deal out of the jokes made at their expense, whereas the Catholic Church can be trusted to get prickly and make a hoo-hah out of a piece of controversial fiction. I don't know whether that's true. I've never knowingly met a Mormon, I didn't actually know they once practised polygamy, I don't know any jokes about them and thank goodness I've never had one knocking on my door with pamphlets.[/font]

[quote name='Tical][font=verdana']I thought elemenowpee was one letter.[/font][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]I was even cuter than you. I pronounced those letters "lemon in a pea" when I first learned the alphabet. I was also convinced for a fair while that I could see through my eyelids, but [i]only at night.[/i] Why? Because at night, I could see the same thing whether my eyes were open or closed. Being a child, it didn't occur to me that [i]darkness[/i] looks the same whatever state your eyes are in...[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Um ... how can I say this without sounding fanboyish ... it's my favourite book ever and I want to [b]be[/b] William Gibson? Gibson has an incredibly tightly-controlled writing style. He manages to create a believable near-future world without overuse of technobabble or other sci-fi cliches. And the man practically invented slick, tech-noir cool. We wouldn't have [i]The Matrix[/i] without [i]Neuromancer[/i]. Definitely pick it up and read it. If you like it, read [i]Count Zero[/i] and [i]Mona Lisa Overdrive,[/i] the other two books in the trilogy.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]The last time this thread popped up I wrote an OB fanfic based on it. :p My preferred superpower is and always has been [b]invisibility.[/b] With control, of course, permanent invisibility would be lame. And of course, I'd have to be able to make my clothes invisible too. But with those caveats, think of the awesome! Fighting crime becomes a possibility - you can follow bad guys, sneak into their base, beat them up before they know what's happening. You can also avoid people you don't like. And before anyone asks, no I'm not making up reasons to cover the fact that I want to go perving.[/font]

[quote name='Delta][font=verdana']I've read an account of a political prisoner in China (was it?) who tried to go on a hunger strike but when the jailguards heard about this, they introduced liquid food to his body via enema. Won't this push the feces back to the digestive tract? Sounds dangerous.[/font][/quote][font=trebuchet ms]If he was on hunger strike he probably had no faeces in his intestines anyway. And while I'm sure force-feeding with a funnel would have been easier, and the guards were most likely being vindictive, introducing food by enema does work. The purpose of the intestinal tract, as an organ, is to absorb nutrients from the sludge into which the stomach makes your food, so squirt liquid food far enough in and you'll start absorbing the goodness out of it by simple diffusion. Call me dumb or perhaps innocent, but I had no idea Shirow drew hentai, beyond the naked droids in GitS. You think you know your preferred field of geekdom, and then suddenly someone turns everything upside down...[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]The closest I've ever come to a near-death experience was on holiday in Lanzarote, years ago. My cap blew off and went over a cliff and I nearly chased it over! I had one of those cinematic moments where you skid to a halt with your toes over the edge. I didn't really register the danger at the time. I was more concerned about my hat.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][quote=MAMA]MAMA better known as Members Against Moderators and Administrators I honestly hold no grudge what so ever against any of the mods.[/quote]Catchy as it is, the MAMA acronym doesn't seem to accurately reflect the feelings of its cardinal member. How about MATS - Members Against The System? If there's no grudge against mods then the name of the group is pretty misleading.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]We have a forum called [b]OB Anthology[/b] especially for book-and-literature related stuff, so I'm moving this thread there.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Well, that clears up a few things. OB politics? Fantastic, that'll make life more interesting! Just as long as it doesn't turn into one of those Anthology fanfics where the elitist older members go around killing newbies.[quote name='Ezekiel][font=verdana][size=1]They do a great job, but my main concern was the fact that members, like JJ, Sakura, The Boss etc who have been on the Boards for a long time, have had consistent post quality and always follow the rules don't get recognition they deserve.[/size'][/font][/quote]Come on, since when were Moderator titles a symbol of 'recognition'? You MAMA guys evidently recognise each other's worth as OB members. We don't have a gold star system, the best 'recognition' you can hope for is the respect of other members and you all have that already.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Small criticism here. I liked it better when the 'paper' gave you news about what's happening actually on OtakuBoards, rather than in the anime world at large. After all, if I want to know this week's DVD releases I can look at theOtaku.com. The nice thing about the original paper was that it gave us news about up-and-coming RPGs, interesting O. Lounge discussions, etc. Info that's relevant to the site we're clicked onto, right this second, and which we can't get anywhere else online.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][center][IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/Raiyuu/translogo.gif[/IMG] [size=3][i]Traitors to Soul Society!? Decisive Double Duel![/i][/size][/center] "Did you think you could run forever?" The voice was hard, determined. On instinct, Ryuji withdrew into a shadowy doorway; Nao followed suit on the other side of the street. She gestured upwards with a flick of her head, and he saw the two silhouettes outlined against the summer clouds high above. "Or maybe you thought we wouldn't chase you?" The taller of the silhouettes flickered out of view, moving faster than Ryuji could follow; the figure reappeared at the base of the unfinished skyscraper. "No, the powers that be say the stuff you found out makes you too dangerous." He was walking forward, towards where they were concealed in the shadows. Ryuji cursed his inability to hide his spiritual pressure. Of course, this changed everything. They'd intended to flee, living in exile from Soul Society. But if that were no longer an option, they'd have to fight. Fight their old comrades. "Evidently we should have listened to you, Yasou," replied Nao, stepping calmly out from the shadows and facing him down the street. "You warned us, and we followed our predecessors' footsteps anyway." "If you realise your mistake, then we can end this peacefully," said Yasou, spreading his hands reasonably. "Who said mistake?" asked Ryuji, clenching his fists and crouching, preparing to spring. "Give us the chance to go back..." In an instant he'd driven a fist into Yasou's gut, then spun behind him to wrap his arms into a stranglehold around the larger man's throat. "...and we'd do it all again." [/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][center][b]Name[/b] Ayuki Nao [b]Appearance[/b] Nao's jet-black hair is cut short, and she wears thick-rimmed square glasses. She has a tendency to look at people over them. [b]Personality[/b] Nao is cold and controlled at all times. She'll calculate the exact amount of force required in battle and apply just a little more. She won't lose her cool, but her absolute confidence in her own abilities can be exploited as a weakness. [b]Concentration[/b] Kidou - Hadou. [b]Zanpakuto[/b] [indent][size=1][b]Name[/b] Henkage [Strange Shadow] [b]Appearance[/b] Henkage is a tanto [small dagger] with a dark grey saya and hilt-wrap. Nao keeps it in the folds of her kimono. [b]Shikai Call-out[/b] Chikara kashidase [Lend your power] [b]Shikai[/b] [spoiler]Henkage's blade fades away into shadow, leaving an outline vaguely visible. Plunging this ghostly blade into the heart of a comrade allows Nao to infuse her reiatsu into them, draining her somewhat but potentially either rejuvenating an exhausted ally or allowing them to reach greater heights of strength.[/spoiler] [b]Bankai[/b] Haiiroten Henkage [Ashen Heavens, Strange Shadow] [spoiler]The shadowy blade of Shikai Henkage grows into a diffuse cloud that covers the sky, allowing little light through. Creepers and tentacles of shadow twist down from the blanketing mass, seeking out and attaching themselves to spiritual entities. Once a spiritual being is ensnared by the shadow, Nao can redistribute their reiatsu as she sees fit, draining it from enemies and feeding it to herself or her allies.[/spoiler][/size][/indent][/center] I'll post the Adventure square thread tomorrow. Until then you can just stare at those tempting, tempting spoiler tags :devil:[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=red][CENTER][b]This is the signup thread for a pre-arranged spar between myself and JJ. If your username is not 'Raiyuu' or 'JJ' please don't post in this thread.[/color] [size=4]JJ vs Raiyuu[/size] Setting[/b] This is Kubo Taito's Bleach universe. Raiyuu's party are fleeing Soul Society. JJ's party are pursuing. I have a sneaky suspicion fighting will ensue... [b]Guidelines[/b][/CENTER] - Only release one level of a character's Zanpakuto [Soul Cutter] per post. - Don't switch between characters mid-post, wait for the next one. Obviously character A can act in character's B's post, but the post is entirely from character B's perspective. [CENTER][b]Signup form[/b] : Name : Family name followed by given name. : Appearance : We can limit this to facial features and build, as all Shinigami [Soul Reapers] dress the same way. : Personality : Brief. This is a spar after all, we're much more interested in battle skills. : Concentration : Shinigami train in four main areas and usually concentrate on one. They are:[/center] [indent][size=1][b]Zanjutsu.[/b] Sword technique. [b]Hakuda.[/b] Hand-to-hand combat. [b]Hohou.[/b] Movement techniques, like Kuchiki Byakuya's infamous 'Shunpo' [Flash Step]. [b]Kidou.[/b] Soul Reaper magic; separated into 'Hadou' [Offensive Spells] and 'Bakudou' [Binding Spells].[/size][/indent] [center]: Zanpakuto : [indent][size=1]: Name : : Appearance : : Shikai [Initial Release] Call-out : : Shikai : : Bankai [Full Release] :[/size][/indent] [b]Name[/b] Sato Ryuji. [b]Appearance[/b] A little shorter than average. He has black hair in a high ponytail and bangs framing his face, not unlike [url=http://fungkurs-network.net/images/basiliks/yashamaru.JPG][u]this guy here.[/u][/url] [b]Personality[/b] Ryuji is a show-off, and has been known to take on Shikai-released opponents with his sword still sheathed, in order to make their defeat more embarrassing. Attack those close to him and he'll lose all self-control. [b]Concentration[/b] Hakuda. [b]Zanpakuto [indent][size=1]Name[/b] Tatsumaki [Whirlwind]. [b]Appearance[/b] The four sides of Tatsumaki's hilt-guard are slightly folded around like the blades of a fan. Ryuji wears the sword diagonally across his back, hanging from his belt, with the hilt at his right hip and the point by his left knee. He holds it underhanded. [b]Shikai Call-out[/b] Sasayake [Whisper] [b]Shikai[/b] [spoiler]The curled panels of the hilt-guard expand and fold out like a satellite dish or the petals of a flower, forming a shield at the blade's base. In this form Tatsumaki hoses out Ryuji's Reiatsu [Spiritual Pressure] in a beam about a metre across. Tatsumaki being a wind-element Zanpakuto, all this beam of Reiatsu does is shunt opponents away. Getting near Ryuji with Shikai Tatsumaki pointed at you is like trying to walk against a gale, but it won't actually cause you any damage.[/spoiler] [b]Bankai[/b] Aoryu Tatsumaki [Blue Whirlwind Dragon] [spoiler]Ryuji's Bankai seems unnatural at first; it appears to have changed the appearance of his own body. But on closer inspection it becomes clear that the enormous leathery wings are sprouting not from Ryuji's back, but from the tiny, spindly dragon clinging to his robes. A beat from Aoryu Tatsumaki's wings can send buildings flying in the opposite direction, and if folded across each other they form a near-impenetrable defence. Oh, and if the dragon clings on tight enough, he can lift Ryuji and allow them both to fly.[/spoiler][/size][/indent] I'll post my other character later, when I've worked through some naming issues. Enjoy, JJ. and if you can come up with a more imaginitive title, let me know - I drew a blank [/center][/font] :animeswea

[font=trebuchet ms]I work as a lighting tech at my Students' Union in term-time, making all the moving light fixtures do pretty things while people dance. I usually start rigging everything at about three or four in the afternoon; the doors open at ten; the punters are kicked out at three in the morning and I'm usually in bed by about five, after striking and putting all the lights away. It messes up my sleep patterns a little, but I can choose when I work, so I usually don't have lectures the next morning, thankfully. The only downside is I don't usually get a break for my evening meal, so I either have to cook something really filling for lunch, or order in pizza to eat while I'm operating.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][quote name='Tical][font=verdana']I apologize in advance for any feelings I am about to hurt.[/font][/quote][color=red]Apologising in advance doesn't make it okay to post sweary tirades. Apart from Avenged666fold, who seems to have taken his leave from the thread now, the debate is progressing in surprisingly civil tones, and I'd quite like it to stay that way. So we'll have no more of this "**** you" and "why the ****", if you please. Standing up for your beliefs is one thing, but you're just making your 'side' of the debate appear reactionary and intolerant.[/color] I'm politically liberal and non-Christian, so I probably don't even have to say that I support the rights of homosexuals to have their union recognised. But I can also see where Gavin is coming from. There are issues to be hashed out with semantics, I think. Basically, for a Roman Catholic, 'marriage' is defined as a union between to members of the opposite sex, right? So two men, or two women, declaring their union, is by definition NOT marriage. In England homosexual couples can be recognised by the State as partners. Because, before this law was introduced, one partner could die unexpectedly and the other would have no claim (by law) over their estate, or even funeral arrangements. If a man's wife died unexpectedly, however, the State would recognise that they had pledged their lives to each other. It was screaming "double standard!" I'm not sure what England's stance on the gay [i]marriage[/i] issue is, but 'civil partnerships' seem to please the non-radicals of both sides. Obviously the fundamental Christians and other parties opposed to homosexuality [i]in general[/i] still kick up a fuss, but we won't shut them up until being gay becomes a capital offence.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]Short post: loved it, but it needed more Gambit. Or any Gambit at all. Longer post: but having said that, any Gambit would probably leave me going "they got him so wrong!" Now, people have mentioned Psylocke, who I also like, but which one was she? I didn't notice her name mentioned, and I didn't notice any telekinetics / psychic swords amongst the ranks of either side. Overall I really enjoyed the film, and [spoiler]Xavier dying[/spoiler] was incredibly well done - came right out of left field! But Magneto's "What have I done?" ranks up there with Vader's "NoooooOOOOOoooooo" as one of the cheesiest, worst-delivered lines ever. I expect better of Sir Ian. And certain characters seemed to have been slotted in to please fans and given no real role in the story. Warren, I'm looking at you. If that's what would have happened to Gambit, I'm glad he wasn't in it. Finally, Vinnie Jones deserves a mention for being brilliant. For some reason I was sure they'd have made him put on an accent, so when he opened his mouth and started [strike]chewing gravel[/strike] talking uber-Cockney I almost jumped for joy. [spoiler]"You wanna let me aht of 'ere, I need a pee!"[/spoiler][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][quote name='Hanabishi Recca][font=verdana]Not true, WE [The christians] are stopping the anti christ from becoming that far ahead [In power on this earth']. So, we have to be gone for the anti christ to become where they need to be. Understand???[/font][/quote]Whoa, okay, calm down. There's no need to be patronising. All I was contesting was your assertion that the antichrist has [b]already been born,[/b] for which (as far as I can tell through your condescending tone) you haven't thus far provided any backup. In fact, you've further contested your own statement. You said earlier the Antichrist is already born. Then (quoted above) you said the Christians must be 'gone' (and that certainly isn't a bit of the Bible I've ever come across - Christians as a people are supposed to last until they're saved during Armageddon, right?) for the Antichrist to reach the position s/he is prophesied (in Revelation) to reach. So, to sum up: Statement 1. The Antichrist has already been born. Statement 2. The Antichrist will be in a position of power. Statement 3. The Christians are ready to stop the Antichrist reaching said position. Statement 4. Therefore the Christians must no longer be around to stop him/her when s/he rises to power.

[font=trebuchet ms][quote name='Hanabishi Recca][font=verdana]Too bad the antichrist is already born.[/font][/quote][quote=Hanabishi Recca][font=verdana']Well, if the rapture is next then the Antihrist will have to already be born for the reason that he is going to be a Governor/ something with high power.[/font][/quote]Okay, so if I'm reading this right (and I'm not really knowledgeable about Revelation, so correct me if I'm wrong) then you're saying the Antichrist must be born around twenty or thirty years before the Rapture, because Revelation states that s/he will be in a position of political power when the Rapture occurs. All good so far? That still doesn't mean the Antichrist has [b]already[/b] been born, surely? I think someone earlier in the thread mentioned that there's no date specified for the Rapture, the Second Coming or any other Apocalyptic events. The Rapture may happen tomorrow, or it may happen in another three thousand years, right? And in the latter case the Antichrist's grandparents wouldn't even be a twinkle in their parents' eyes yet. So I can understand if you say the Antichrist [b]could[/b] already be living amongst us, but since no date is set, there's no reason to say s/he has [b]definitely[/b] already been born, right?[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=red][b]Bláse[/b] has the right idea with this thread. [b]taperson[/b] and [b]Gun Preacher,[/b] you don't. Just posting a simple list isn't interesting to read - make sure you expand on at least [b]some[/b] of your points, even if it's only a few words.[/color][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]I'm really hoping KT surprises us with the next chapter. It's fairly clear that [spoiler]the four Arrancar that just appeared are a distraction, to draw everyone away from whatever Ulquiorra is meant to be doing. But the whole [i]"Arrancar come to living world --> they immediately pair off with the stationed Shinigami --> we see several fights in sequence"[/i] cycle wasn't great last time, and I can't see it being better this time[/spoiler]. I'd have preferred to have seen [spoiler]the team of Arrancar going straight to carrying out their objective and being harassed by Hitsugaya [i]et al,[/i] rather than simplying distracting them for the sake of showing another series of duels[/spoiler]. But yeah. I [i]know KT[/i] is an exceptionally skilled storyteller. So having set up a predictable pattern with the [i]Night of Sledgehammer[/i] arc, hopefully he'll surprise us this time by doing something completely different. If [spoiler]Ichigo goes Vizard and fights Grimmjow[/spoiler] in chapter 231, I'll be disappointed. I'm anticipating [spoiler]Ulquiorra going after Inoue, expecting little resistance because his goons are tying up the Soul Society troops, and being surprised (but utterly deadpan, of course) when he has trouble dealing with Rukia, Orihime and Chad triple-teaming him with their new power-ups[/spoiler].[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][quote name='kingN][font=verdana']couldn't think of anything[/font][/quote][color=red]Then don't post. This thread is looking like going the same way as the Wish thread - spamtacular but held together by a couple of quality members. kingN, you aren't the only one, but please work on your post quality. Refer to the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules,[/u][/url] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][u]FAQ[/u][/url] and [thread=52331][u]Otaku Lounge Sticky[/u][/thread] for more guidelines, though to be honest you should have read those thoroughly well before now. Continued poor quality posting (by anyone) can result in a ban from the forum.[/color] [quote=Hanabishi Recca][font=verdana]Have your own anime collection or Have your own manga collection?[/font][/quote]A few months ago I wouldn't have hesitated to say anime, but I'm leaning more towards manga these days. I'm finding increasingly that with all my favourite series ([i]Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Saiyuki[/i]) the manga is far superior to the anime. Plus, in the case of series adapted from a manga, reading the original comic gives you a better window on the manga-ka's original intentions for the story. Manga is also often gorier :devil: Would you rather: [i]volunteer, unpaid, for a job you love[/i] or [i]draw a decent salary for a job that bores you to tears?[/i][/font]