Raiyuu

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Darkartic, be advised that as Original Poster you're expected to put more thought into your opening post. How can you expect people to respond to the thread in the way you intend, if you don't answer the thread's question yourself? Tell us which option [b]you [/b]would choose, and why.[/font][/color]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Kingler, water Pokemon, [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]announced the Pokedex from Xiaoyu's bag. It had noticed the proximity of the Pokemon before Xiaoyu herself had. [/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS]Its oversized claw is very powerful, but when it's not in battle, the claw just gets in the way. [/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS]She spun on her heel to try and spot the creature, but her foot sunk into the sand of the beach, she lost balance and fell flat on her face. There was a massive crab-claw poised inches from her nose. The thing on the end of it looked ready to overbalance at any second, but that made it none the less menacing. [b]"Kinglerrrr," [/b]the crab growled. Whimpering a little, Xiaoyu scrambled in her pack for a Pokeball. As she pulled one out and threw it, the Kingler struck. Her aim was thrown off and the Pokeball went wide; she only just managed to awkwardly roll out of the way of the giant, heavy crushing claw. There was a flash of red light. [b]"What?" [/b]Xiaoyu wondered. [b]"I missed..." [/b]There was a burst of yellow light that forced Xiaoyu to roll over and clamp her eyes shut. When the view from behind her scrunched-up eyelids went from red to black, she opened them and rolled back. The Kingler was still poised, its claw raised for a crushing blow. But it was blackened and smoking, its beady eyes wide with shock. As she watched in puzzlement, it keeled over and flopped into the sand. [b]"Pi - ka - CHU!" [/b]Of course, Xiaoyu realised as she turned her head to take in the immensely satisfied visage of Pikachu, the electric mouse. In her panic, she'd chucked the ball with Pikachu in, and he'd still been fully charged and ready to explode from the lightning storm. [b]"You can stay out," [/b]she told Pikachu, tickling his chin as she sucked Kingler into an empty ball. [b]"You're cute AND useful!"[/b] [/font][/color]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"Just five more minutes..." [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Xiaoyu mumbled, rolling over in her bed. Except, of course, she was up a tree. As she found herself falling through the air instead of burying herself deeper in the bedclothes, she yelped and flailed her arms about for a handhold. She just managed to catch a protruding branch, stopping her fall with a jolt. [b]"... tress ... Forretressss ..." [/b]She opened her eyes and found herself staring into two dark pits. They peered at her from the inside of a grey clamshell-looking thing, with pink fleshy tubes studded around its equator. As she stared, the tubes bulged. [b]"Forretress!" [/b]Xiaoyu just managed to swing herself up onto the branch she'd caught before razor-sharp shards of shell started scything out of the tubes. [/font][/color][b][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple]Forretress, Bug/Steel Pokemon. It remains immovably rooted to its tree. It scatters pieces of its hard shell to drive its enemies away. "Immovably, huh?" [/color][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple]pondered Xiaoyu aloud. If it couldn't move, then it couldn't hurt her now she was out of its line of fire. She relaxed, took out a Pokeball and tapped it against the Pokemon's hard shell. [b]Congratulations. You have captured a Forretress.[/b] [/color][/font]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"'kay, I'm coming with you!" [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Xiaoyu announced. [b]"If Pretty says it's big you might need help in there." [/b]They set off towards the woods, Ada's Jigglypuff getting steadily more agitated as they progressed. The woods were fairly dark even close to the edge, the canopy interlacing and forming an effective sunblock. It was worryingly reminiscent of the last forest they'd been in; that time, they'd been attacked first by an ogre, then by killer elves. [b]"I'm actually getting a bad feeling about this," [/b]Ada commented, shivering in the sudden cool provided by the shade. Both women jumped as something kicked up a commotion in a nearby tree. Before Xiaoyu had even spotted it, her Pokedex piped up: [b]Pidgey, Flying Pokemon. Very docile. [/b]The little brown bird was obviously as affected by whatever lurked in the woods as Pretty was. She kept fluttering noisily from branch to branch, head turning from side to side to search out danger. Xiaoyu took advantage of the Pokemon's distracted state to quickly and quietly shin up a tree, creep out on a sturdy branch and drop her white-and-gold Survivor Pokeball right on top of Pidgey's head. She hopped off the branch, catching the ball as it fell and landing lightly on the ground next to Ada. But Ada was rigid, and Pretty's eyes had widened to almost the size of his whole head-body-thing. [b]"Um, Ling Xiaoyu? Up that tree may have been safer..." [/b]There was a low growl, and the air was full of sparks. [/font][/color]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Xiaoyu cartwheeled left, the wind from the bull-like Pokemon's charge rippling her silk dress. For such a large creature it seemed able to turn remarkably quickly, and she was having trouble avoiding its scarily pointy horns. [b]"Uwaa~ah!" [/b]she wailed as it readied itself for a another charge, pawing the ground and whipping itself with its three tails. Her Pokedex kept bleeping stuff at her - she'd caught the words [b]furious [/b]and [b]violent, [/b]but everything else was drowned out by the thing's angry snorting. It was all she could do to avoid its charges; there was no question of capturing it unless she came up with some kind of distraction. [b]"... ears!" [/b]There was a familiar voice shouting at her, but the Pokemon's thudding hooves were muffling it. [b]"... Xiaoyu! COVER YOUR EARS!" [/b]Somehow Xiaoyu managed to execute a side tumble with her hands over her ears; the bull passed her by, but she landed awkwardly. She wouldn't be able to get up in time to avoid it again ... She saw the bull Pokemon turn for another charge, but its movement was sluggish, and its tails seemed less enthusiastic in their whipping. As she watched, incredulous, its eyes rolled up into its head and it fell over, fast asleep. Rolling over, she saw Ada cuddling a little pink ball with a microphone. The woman gestured for Xiaoyu to uncover her ears. [b]"Quick, capture it before it wakes up!" [/b]Ada called. Xiaoyu did so, scrambling for a Pokeball and chucking it at the sleeping Pokemon before running over and vigorously glomping Ada. [b]"Ada~aa! I was getting lonely," [/b]the small girl grinned. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS][quote name='Kawaii Sakura][/font][/color]I know it's spam[color=DarkGreen'][font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] Yes, yes it is. Advertising threads are [b]not allowed [/b]on OB. If you want to direct people to your forum, feel free to place a link in your signature. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Grrr, gravedigging ... there's been nearly [b]one year [/b]since this thread was last posted in. If people still consider the subject relevant, feel free to start a new thread. Seriously, the responses here are hardly likely to still be relevant a year on - everyone will have changed their opinions on who they'd like to meet. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font][/color]

[font=Verdana][color=DarkGreen]Kaida looked thoughtful for a few seconds. Ash had been a little put off by her re-assignment so early on in her Legionnaires career, and even more so by her new team members; what with Kaida and Aura being non-human, she'd been unable to imprint them, a situation she'd never encountered before. But now the initial xenophobia was fading she could acknowledge Kaida as a good leader and astounding tactical thinker, an opinion backed up by what she'd heard of the disastrous Temple of Aton mission. [b]"Right," [/b]Kaida started, having reached a decision, [b]"Mirror, grab the uniform and head in there disguised. Rendezvous with Z and give him the spare commlink, his is obviously faulty. Then join a patrol and start feeding us more intel on their movements and positions." [/b]Ash nodded and grabbed their MS13 hostage's uniform, which was lying draped over the back of a chair. She'd lured him in with the old seduction trick and zapped him with Tech's little stun pistol, which the genius had let her keep after their encounter with Al-Hadiye. She shut her eyes and leaned her head back, visualising the form of the henchman in the wardrobe and allowing her body to change... [b]"We especially want information on the man in charge," [/b]Kaida continued. [b]"He shouldn't be hard to spot, Arachnid pounded his face into the concrete last time they met. Let us know where he's hiding." "In case I have to shoot him," [/b]added Vinovka, grinning behind her rifle. [b]"Give Z a commlink, find the head honcho," [/b]Ash repeated, pulling on his uniform. [b]"Gotcha." [/b][/color][/font] [center][font=Verdana][color=DarkGreen][b]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/b][/color][/font][font=Verdana] [/font] [/center] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS][font=Verdana][b] "Thanks, my man," [/b]whispered Z as he fitted the new commlink into his ear. Aura, still in the building across the road, had used her infrared satellite map to guide Ash to his location. Now they were both crouched, concealed behind some massive piece of heavy machinery in the hall where the fifty children Z had found were being held. Z didn't seem at all fazed by Ash's gender-switching. He flirted when Ash was female, acted laddish when he was male. He'd probably met all sorts if half the stories about him were true. Ash was starting to find that quite attractive, but this wasn't the time. [b]"Take a look," [/b]the espionage artist suggested, handing Ash a monocular. Pointing it in the direction he indicated, Ash saw a gantry running around the walls near the warehouse's high ceiling; at one point there was a door, and next to it, a large plate-glass window affording a view of some kind of control room. Ash felt Z's fingers touch a button on the monocular, and his view zoomed in several times. There was a man lounging in the control room, swinging round in lazy circles in an executive swivel chair. [b]"So that's our man," [/b]Ash concluded. There was no doubt. The man's face was surrounded by a framework of fine steel pins, like some kind of bizarre mix between orthodontic headgear and a ball-and-rod molecule model. Presumably, after Arachnid's enraged pummelling, those pins and rods had been surgically implanted to hold his head together until the bones healed. [b]"Can you let the chief know?" [/b]he asked Z, who nodded an affirmative and gave a thumbs-up. Ash nodded back, threw in a wink for good measure and emerged from behind the machine. [i][b]Blend in and bluff. No problem. Been doing it all my life.[/b][/i][/font] [/font][/color]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Reading through the Pokedex had given Xiaoyu a much better idea of what to do, but she'd had her head buried in it so much, looking at pictures of Pokemon, that she hadn't really been alert to her surroundings. She reckoned she'd probably walked straight past a fair few creatures. The air seemed to be getting heavy, like there was a storm about to break. Little blue sparks played across the screen of the Pokedex. She stuffed it back in her bag so it wouldn't shock her. The long grass ended abruptly, giving way to a low, moss-covered hill. Sitting on the hill's lower slope was a little yellow Pokemon, with adorable red cheeks and a tail that looked like a ... ... lightning bolt ... From her pack, the Pokedex bleeped. She craned her head back to listen, not wanting to touch it in this atmosphere. [b]Pikachu, electric Pokemon. [/b][/font][/color][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple][b]It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose.[/b][/color][/font] [b][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple] [/color][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple]The sky was darkening and fat electrical sparks were flashing between the clouds. The Pikachu noticed her and sat up on its haunches, its tail raised like a lightning rod. [/color][/font][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple][b]"No, be careful ... !" [/b]Xiaoyu yelled to the cute creature, dashing forward with a Pokeball at the ready. The clouds swirled above, energy gathering to strike the Pikachu, as Xiaoyu thumbed the button and pitched the ball overarm ... The lightning and the ball struck simultaneously. The Pikachu's cheeks swelled up as the bolt charged it up through its tail, and then it glowed red and flashed into the ball. Picking up the ball, Xiaoyu mused, [b]"better not get too close when I let you out..."[/b] [/color][/font]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I've bought Art of Otaku and found it well worth the $19.95 (especially since that translates into about £11 for us Brits). Obviously a lot of people are wary of online transactions and that's a healthy attitude to take, but AofO uses PayPal, the most secure online payment service I know of. (Grief, I'm starting to sound like an ad campaign.) In terms of the quality of the product, it really is good, it's big and expansive which allows for lots of detail on the little things that people find hard to draw *cougheyescough*. The only thing I've found is that a couple of the tutorials assume you know how to do certain things; these are usually covered elsewhere, but sometimes it's not obvious where, as the chapters are arranged by artist, not by subject matter. And in terms of payment, it is secure, but to take advantage of PayPal you'll need a credit/debit card. I think the site allows you to pay by cheque and other methods, but I'm not sure how the system works for that. And I'll vouch for the integrity of the people on the money's receiving end - Adam does my webhosting and he hasn't let me down yet, lol. Hope all that helps. [/font][/color]

[font=Trebuchet MS][color=Purple]Xiaoyu was confused. She'd been woken up, whisked to the CPU, Mog had said a lot of things that whistled over her head while she yawned and now she was standing in a field of waist-high grass, a knapsack over her shoulder full of ... ball things, with little idea of what she was supposed to be doing. The team had split up by group decision - another conversation Xiaoyu had yawned through. So now she was on her own in a field, and everyone had kept mentioning monsters. At least it was daylight this time. Examining one of the ... pokeballs? ... she found it to be white and gold, with a stencilled golden lotus on the white half. There was a button on it. Apprehensively, she pressed it with her thumb. The ball started humming, and grew a little warmer, but nothing else seemed to happen. She kept her thumb pressed down, in case it was some sort of charge-up thing. There was a rustling in the long grass. Looking up, Xiaoyu could see the grass parting in a line towards her. Something shorter than waist height was advancing ... she smelled burning and saw smoke rising along the line. She settled into a martial arts stance, ready to attack whatever appeared. The grass before her moved to reveal an orange dragon no taller than her knee. The smoke came from the grass behind it, as the crackling orange flame on the end of its tail set the dry vegetation on fire. They stared at each other for a second, until the thing opened its mouth. Xiaoyu could see the red glow of fire creeping up its throat. She squealed and lashed out, kicking it high into the air. It flailed helpessly as it arced over her head. Hoping the thing in her hand was a grenade or something, she spun and lobbed it straight forward. The ball intersected with the dragon in mid-flight; there was a flash of red light; and the ball dropped quietly into the grass. Xiaoyu was very confused. A tinny voice from her knapsack said, [b]"Congratulations, you have captured a Charmander!" [/b]Rummaging amonst the balls, she found something small, grey and rectangular, similar to a pocket PC. Picking up the ball absently, she started browsing through it, hoping to find out what she was meant to be doing. [/color][/font]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]So ... are both teams in the same area? That is: a) can we encounter members of the other team? and b) can we [b]not [/b]capture Pokemon members of the other team have caught? EDIT Also, do evolved versions count as the same Pokemon? So, if I catch a Charmander, can no one catch a Charizard? [/font][/color]

[b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Hug Monster [/Tical] : [/font][/color][/b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I seem to remember from a previous, similar thread, that you like to hug. Which explains the username, heh. Your avatar displays the youth of today's usual disdain for President George W. Bush, but in a witty way that suggests you offer your political opinions with humour; you're politically aware to an extent, but maybe you take current affairs with a pinch of salt. Signature? Well, you appear to be a Mustang fan and I can't fault you on that. The slogan shows the same kind of humour as your avatar. Wasn't that same image AnimeFront's avatar for a while? Also, I know [b]Baron Samedi [/b]was a while ago, but so far no one's been aware that Baron Samedi is a Voudun god or Loa. Heck, I've no idea what the significance of that is in relation to your personality, Baron, but I like to show I know more stuff than people :p [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Foxboy, when you start a thread you need to set an example in terms of post quality. Specifically here, you need to set out what painful and joyful memories [b]you [/b]have of December. You can't expect people to respond from the heart if you yourself don't seem to care enough about the subject to post your own thoughts, ne?[/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Hmm, gravedigging. Please don't bring back age-old threads. This one hasn't been posted in since [b]2001! [/b]So I don't think any of the posters are going to be interested in the subject anymore. Normally in this situation I'd say 'if you think the subject is still relevant, feel free to start a new thread', but since this is a personal advice thread for a specific person, I don't think it would be relevant in any circumstance. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font][/color]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]They managed to pile the pews two high in a circle around themselves by the time the first legless undead torsos crawled to their position. [b]"Back to back, 'kay?" [/b]suggested Xiaoyu. Krystal nodded, seeing the sense. Only having to watch in front would ease both their nerves. As the first greyish, decaying hand grasped stupidly for a handhold over her side of the defensive wall, Xiaoyu heard that generator-whine starting up again behind her. That meant they were coming over Krystal's side as well; she was powering up her staff to deal with them. [b]"I'm still watching your back, 'kay?" [/b]she reassured her new pal, [b]"I just have to get a teeny bit closer to deal with them!" "Right!" [/b]acknowledged Krystal, as Xiaoyu broke formation to drive her fist hard into the slimy, rotten face that had followed the hand over the pew. An explosion of bright yellow sparks signalled a critical hit, as the zombie's head detached itself with a wet crunch and cartwheeled back into the advancing horde. The creatures in the surrounding area howled and backed off slightly at the sudden bright light. [b]"Eeeewww!" [/b]squealed Xiaoyu, shaking her hand to get rid of the sticky brain-goo. [b]"But hey - Krystal, they don't like bright light!" [/b]She didn't wait to see if her companion would take advantage of the information. More gaping dead eye-sockets were appearing over the stack of benches. Xiaoyu had work to do. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]So ... many ... spiders ... I might leave modding of this thread to Stu and Panda in future. Personally I'm quite a fan of the Pond Skater. [img]http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/habitats/images/pondskater.jpg[/img] I'm afraid I don't know the genus or anything ... I just find it fascinating that something can have evolved to take advantage of surface tension the way these do. That and the Jesus Lizard - any animal that walks on water is good in my book. [/font][/color]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"Hey!" [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Xiaoyu greeted the others, bouncing to her feet. [/font][/color][b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"I'm Ling Xiaoyu! I like ice cream and theme parks and my favourite colour is pink." "It shows," [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]giggled Krystal. Xiaoyu hopped around to face the blue fox, staring hard with one fingertip on her chin as if studying Krystal for the first time. Just as the atmosphere seemed about to get awkward, she grinned and clapped her hands with glee. [b]"You're a pretty colour too!" [/b]she announced, before bending over with her hands on her thighs to look the seated fox in the eye. [b]"So ... you're, like, from a whole 'nother planet?[/b] [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]If Wikipedia vetted articles or edits before they were allowed to be submitted, it would lose a lot of what makes it Wikipedia. I think it's great that I can spot a spelling mistake or grammatical error in someone's article, correct it and it appears, corrected, immediately. The system they have now works 99% of the time. They have admins (not hired, I believe, but comprised of volunteers not unlike the Mod team here) who read all the newly submitted articles and edits, checking them out for clarity and accuracy. I don't think this one isolated incident should be shaking anyone's foundations. [quote name='Lore][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I don't think we really need to add the prefix "wiki" to everything, do we?[/font][/color][color=DarkGreen'][font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] Seconded. ...wiki. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]The purpose of alcohol is to make everything seem funnier, thereby making a night out with friends better. It's impossible to 'drown your sorrows' as the cliche goes; the sorrows don't drown, they just hold their breath until you wake up the next morning and then they break the surface with as much noisy splashing as they can manage. (Yay for extended metaphors.) But if everything we've said hasn't put you off the sauce, at least remember either to [b]drink a glass of water after each glass of booze [/b]or [b]drink eight to ten glasses of water before you go to bed. [/b]It's the only surefire hangover cure there is. You don't want a pounding headache and gut-rot to go with your blues when you wake up in the morning. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Calm down, Brasil. Debating whether Chabi should or should not have posted the links she did is kind of off-topic. You've already pointed out the flaws in the information presented in said links. That was on-topic for the thread. Attacking Chabi is not. [quote name='Brasil][/font][/color]If you didn't agree with the site's conclusion from the start, then why did you link to it in the first place?[color=DarkGreen'][font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] Perhaps to spark off discussion. Which it did. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I'm going to respond to the 'why did the towers collapse?' question that popped up, because I actually have some knowledge, albeit knowledge I gleaned from TV. There was a very long, involving documentary about a year after the attacks which detailed why the towers fell the way they did. Basically each floor of each tower was held up via trusses, meaning the floors were only actually supported where they met the walls. Architects usually try and give this method a wide berth, because it leads to structural instability. Once a few floors were destroyed and there were fires breaking out (i.e. once the planes hit), it didn't take much for the truss supports to start buckling/melting/burning through, bringing down more floors. Once the buildings were essentially hollow (because every floor had fallen right down to the bottom), there was nothing to stop them crashing straight down under their own weight. As for the various conspiracy theories about the Pentagon plane: there just isn't any way we can know for sure. I wasn't at the Pentagon at the time, so I don't know whether a plane hit it or not. But I've seen the footage you've all seen, of two aeroplanes hitting the WTC. If it's all an Operation Northwoods-esque conspiracy, why crash two real planes and fake the other? All the theories sound like people making excuses to me. [/font][/color]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]'kay, we had a PM-a-round, and although it isn't unanimous, the general consensus is that [b]Shinji [/b]should be deleted. Sorry, Shinje.[/font][/color]

[color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Phew! [b]So [/b]glad we won that one, I'd have had to deliberate for days to decide which of you guys to vote off! Great stuff, everyone. I think it's time for Xiaoyu to make with the hyperactive... [/font][/color]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"Do you think they made the staircase extra difficult to make up for Bubble and Bobble's puniness?" [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]asked Ada rhetorically, kicking another Mobblin in the face. Simply jumping over the booby-trapped third steps had proved to be not enough. The perspective of the tower was weirdly skewed, and it hadn't been obvious from the floor, but the steps got much [i]larger[/i] as the Bravers progressed closer to the landing. Xiaoyu, acting as vanguard, was a little over halfway up, and was already having to jump and grab the edge in order to climb to the next step. Just to make things extra fun, a little door in the wall by the staircase's foot was popping open every thirty seconds and disgorging ugly blue Mobblins, which would climb up after the team and harass them from the rear. By general group consensus, Xiaoyu and Samus were pushing ahead, neutralising traps. Xiaoyu was nimble enough to alight on a booby-trapped stair and quickly spring off it before whatever spiky device of painfulness it was rigged with skewered her; Samus was able to fire off arrows, setting off movement-triggered traps harmlessly. Ada and CJ acted as a rearguard, booting Mobblins, [i]kabong[/i]-ing them with the mandolin or just shoving them onto the nearest booby-trap. Xiaoyu crouched and sprang, grabbing the lip of the next step with her fingertips and hauling herself up. As soon as her full weight was on the stair, a hatch to her right swung open and a hail of (presumably poisoned) darts puffed out. She ducked, pressing herself to the floor, as they whooshed over her head. [b]"This one's clear!" [/b]she called down to Samus, who was aiming an arrow upwards to hit the step three above Xiaoyu. The blonde-haired woman nodded. Xiaoyu turned to start cimbing the step in front of her. But, crouching and jumping, she discovered she just couldn't reach the lip to haul herself up. [b]"Um ... guys? We might need a change of tactics! Human pyramid, anyone?"[/b] [/font][/color]