Raiyuu

[font=Trebuchet MS]For a more in-depth (and very repetitive, le sigh) discussion of the difference between newbies and n00bs, I would refer you to [thread=47437]this thread[/thread]. (Please don't post in it though, as it's long dead.) Lostcause, from what I've seen of your posting it [b]is [/b]of high quality, although your point might be backed up a little better if you told us a) who the friend in question is and b) which RPG she got removed from. On what evidence are you basing your assumption that she was removed [b]because [/b]she was a new member? I won't repeat what everyone else has said about the other possible reasons for her removal... And yes, as various people have said, fifty posts is the cutoff from New Member to Member. Although we like to discourage people spamming their way to the new title, heh. I'm sure you're not the sort to do that. [/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Welcome to OtakuBoards, apiekind. This thread could fit in the Anime Lounge or Manga Workshop, as it involves a Naruto character ... but I think you'll get the best replies if I move it to the Art forum, as you're looking for pictures and discussing wallpapers and such. I hope you get some useful replies, and that you enjoy your stay here. [/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Some of that stuff about forgetting how to make ertain sounds can be observed when the Japanese speak English. Because the Japanese language is made up of syllables, consonants with attached vowels like 'su' and 'ka', Japanese people seem to find it really hard to pronounce words with more than one consonant next to one another. So the word 'stint' (don't ask why that one popped into my head first...) becomes 'sutinutsu' or something else that sounds equally ridiculous to our English-speaking ears. Because Japanese has so few consonant clusters, they get out of practice at sounding them.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Nobody enjoys spending rush hour in a tube station. Nobody, that is, except a man who delights in the casual observation of others. This man - nondescript in a grey shirt and navy business suit, with a black briefcase, he could be any form of office worker or civil servant - isn't even waiting for a train, at least not in the normal sense. He sits, relaxed, in one of Kensington Gardens' uncomfortable perforated-steel bucket chairs, and allows his eye to rove the crowds that exit each train. Here he sees a woman struggle from the carriage with a pushchair, and seeing her slightly frightened expression, he imagines that she is fleeing an abusive spouse, or perhaps abducting a child she is supposed to be babysitting. A half-smile tugs at his face. More likely, he surmises, she is purely worried the doors will close before she can properly exit the train. There he sees a young child - ten years, maybe a little older? - heading purposefully for the staircase that leads outside, and imagines that he is running away from home, having heard tales of how London's streets are gold-paved. He wonders briefly what it says about his own subconscious, that he imagines so many people to be running. Of course, the child's mother catches up soon enough, and his fantasy is dispelled. From the next train to arrive comes a man similarly dressed to the observer. He casually unbuttons his suit jacket as he alights; looks around for an unoccupied seat, and though there are many, chooses to sit with company, placing his briefcase between the seats. The man imagines this second man is an agent of some shadowy, clandestine organisation, working behind the world's scenes to bring down governments. His choice of seat is not random; there is a secret document taped to the seat's underside, or some message written in code on the opposite wall of the tunnel, which can only be deciphered from this precise position. Abruptly, he tires of observation. Picking up the briefcase from its position side-by-side with the other, he walks towards the stairs, heading up into the heavy air of London. The second man picks up the briefcase left behind by the first man, opens it; smiles and nods to himself. As the observer heads for home, carrying his colleague's briefcase, he thinks to himself how much more interesting real life can be than imagination. [/font]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]You're the man, Revue. (Or are you? Sorry if I'm wrong on that one - I made that mistake with Ozy once, I think...) Thanks a bunch! [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]The dockside end of town was full of shops selling trinkets, charms and keepsakes. Kyo wandered absently, soaking up the pleasant, friendly atmosphere. He picked himself up a small silver pendant in the shape of a dolphin on impulse, and wandered deeper into the town, whistling to himself. Nearer the centre of town the shop windows full of knick-knacks gave way to tavern signs swinging gently in the breeze. As he progressed, the taverns got increasingly fuller and rowdier, until he caught a strain of music carried on the wind. [i][b]"Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games..." [/b][/i]The music was a style Kyo hadn't heard before, and he followed the sound, intrigued. The sign outside the tavern showed a white-clad figure descending to Earth from a cloud; the blocky script underneath read [b]Fallen Angel Inn. [/b]The music stopped, to a spontanteous round of applause. Kyo pushed the door open to see a lean, British-looking man jump off the stage and take a sweeping bow. The Fallen Angel was packed, but two groups stood out immediately to Kyo. The first was sitting at the bar, merrily drinking and consisted of April, May and Kaze; the second was joining in the applause for the English singer. [i][b]Gears. [/b][/i]Kyo's right hand reached across his body to the left of his belt, where his chain was clipped, and took hold of the large, wickedly curved, sharpened hook. But almost instantly he relaxed, having noticed on the clothing of the Gears the insignia of the Renegades. Kyo ordered a round of drinks and slid them expertly along the polished bar surface towards his shipmates. [/font][/color]

[quote name='Godelsensei']...having sporadically flirted with Japanese, I've learned to think of it in a very systematic way. It doesn't really flow like French or English do. It's more like a math equation to me, though it may seem strange...[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I think I know what you mean. And while, like a lot of people here, vocabulary is currently my weak point, I'm finding Japanese surprisingly easy to learn after being warned by all and sundry that it would be a cast-iron b*tch to grasp. So much of Japanese grammar is based on context, which means that they don't need different conjugations of verbs; the verb to be is [i]desu [/i]whether it's "I am", "You are" or "They are". It doesn't change ending or anything, and that was what I found hard about learning Latin, German and French. The hardest part of learning Japanese is getting your head around reading in a different alphabet (or rather, three different alphabets). And I don't seriously think I'll be able to pick up a lot of kanji without actually going and living in Japan. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I'm getting a name change to [b]'Raiyuu'[/b] soon, so I need a new banner and avatar. I heard that photos are harder to make these things with than drawings, but if anyone can do anything with these then I'd be mucho grateful... [url="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/firecrew/matt_pinwheel.jpg"]Avi pic[/url] [url="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/firecrew/matt_doublepinwheel.jpg"]Banner pic[/url] I'd like the avatar to say 'Raiyuu' somewhere, and the banner to say 'playing with fire'. Any takers? [/font][/color]

[center][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/SheriffMatt/crew3.jpg[/img] [/font][/color] [left][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Adam, the guy on the left, got into fire-poi first, goodness knows where he got the idea. He got Mike - second from left - into it too, and he got me into it. I didn't want to just jump on the poi bandwagon so I started doing staff, and Adam took that up too, some time later. I'm pretty much self-taught. I started off with the online tutorials on Home of Poi but once you have the basics down, it's best to just run with it and make stuff up; that way you develop an individual style and some signature moves that no one else does. [/font][/color][/left] [color=DarkGreen][/color][/center]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Welcome to OtakuBoards, [b]TheDarkOne00127. [/b]The best first step for you would be to take a look-see at our [b][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"]Rules[/url] [/b]and [b][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?"]FAQ[/url] [/b](click!), where you'll notice that we don't actually allow introductory posts here. We'd much rather get to know you through your posting style, so jump right in and reply to some threads! I hope you enjoy your stay, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to private message me or one of the other Moderators. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font][/color]

[quote name='Sapphire Flare']How do you spin it without burning yourself or it going out of control?[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]You practise a lot without fire first, lol. And it still sometimes goes out of control, especially if you're throwing and catching - the eye is naturally drawn to the bit of the staff you can see, i.e. the bit that's ablaze, and you have to concentrate to make yourself grab [b]between [/b]the two flaming fireballs. Sometimes you don't concentrate hard enough and then you drop it.[/font][/color] [quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']How long have you been practicing for?[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][size=2][font=Trebuchet MS]I got the staff around April 2004, lit it for the first time last Summer. I haven't practised a lot since then, but I had a couple of School Fayre-type events where I just practised for two hours straight, which brought it all back. It's like riding a bike :animesmil[/font][/size][/color] [quote name='Mistress Roxie][/size][color=#9933ff']I'm curious to know how long the exposure was - 30 seconds, a couple minutes?[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I think for most of the photos the exposure was about ten seconds. Some of them were shorter, like Adam's burnoff, and others were longer, like my pinwheel (the top picture in my first post).[/font][/color] [quote name='Mistress Roxie][/color][color=#9933ff'] Is it easy or difficult to twirl? I'm also guessing there are a LOT of safety procedures involved, so erm... no one gets burned. ¬_¬[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]The basic moves are pretty easy - what's difficult is stringing them together with good flow. You have to be constantly thinking about what trick you'll do next, otherwise you'll stall (i.e. the staff'll stop moving) and you'll lose rhythm and flow, and it won't look any good. Also, contact moves - rolling it around wrists/shoulder/legs/neck - are hard. There are lots of safety procedures; it's recommended you keep a bucket of water and some fire blankets on standby. In practice we tend to cut it down to a) wearing tight clothing so the firey wicks don't get snagged when they're spinning around you at high speed b) tying back long hair and c) dousing your hair in water [b]before[/b] starting. Hair is the most likely thing to catch fire, but to be honest, paraffin doesn't burn with a particularly hot flame. Getting a poi-string wrapped around your leg and the burning wick being held against your trousers would be a hazard, but if it just bounces off you, you'll get away with a sooty mark. [/font][/color] [quote name='elfpirate][/color][font=Comic Sans MS][b']How much does a firestaff cost, anyhow?[/quote] [/b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I think mine was about £60, but you can get them cheaper. Mine's really [b]nice, [/b]so I paid more for it, but you can get rigid wooden one-piece ones for less. [url="http://www.homeofpoi.com"]Home of Poi[/url] is the best place to look, although you get a significantly nicer selection if you live in New Zealand.[/font][/color] [/font]

[i][b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Is she flirting with me? [/font][/color][/b][/i][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Kyo decided she probably wasn't. From what he'd seen of Captain - of [i]May, [/i]she had that quirky happiness around the whole crew. He grinned back. [b]"S'pose it is a little weird," [/b]he replied. They started walking back towards the sky-ship's wheelhouse. [b]"Um ... who exactly is this April we're looking for?" "I'll show you when we find her," [/b]May replied playfully, quickening her pace so Kyo had to really stride to keep up. He decided he liked the Captain - she seemed just as free-spirited as he liked to imagine himself to be. [b]"May! Looking for April?" [/b]The voice came from a girl with flying goggles pushed up on her forehead, perched precariously atop the wheelhouse. To Kyo's surprise, she looked Japanese. [b]"Follow me!"[/b] the girl cried. Kyo and May both grinned despite themselves. As the Japanese girl disappeared over the top of the wheelhouse, the two of them gave chase. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I've been wondering if anyone else has experience of this slightly unusual hobby. I personally twirl a [b]firestaff; [/b]five feet long, red galvanised-aluminium, rubber grip, breaks down easily into three pieces. Each end has a [b]wick [/b]- basically a fat wad of Kevlar wound round and screwed into place. You douse the wicks in paraffin and set them alight, then twirl the staff. No, I am [b]not [/b]a wannabe majorette, before you ask. It's on fire, therefore inherently manly :animeswea I also have friends who spin [b]poi; [/b]similar Kevlar wicks, only mounted on the ends of cords and swung around the body. They hurt less than a staff if you whack yourself in the head, but it is possible to get tangled up in them, which can lead to hairy moments when they're alight. I think these arts - poi in particular - have a fairly popular following in New Zealand. Poi orginate from Maori courtship rituals. I know I had to order my firestaff from New Zealand, as I wanted a collapsible one. Here are some examples of what can be achieved with a firestaff, a Summer evening, a big field and a camera with a long-exposure function: [/font][/color] [center][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/SheriffMatt/matt_pinwheel.jpg[/img][/font][/color] [/center] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS] [/font][/color] [center][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/SheriffMatt/matt_doublepinwheel.jpg[/img][/font][/color] [/center] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS] If you go [url="http://photobucket.com/albums/a374/firecrew/"]here[/url] you can see more photos taken by myself and my friends, and if you go [url="http://www.homeofpoi.com"]here[/url] you can find lots more taken by actual professionals. So: does anyone else do anything like this? [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Here's an object lesson in why you should read [b]at least [/b]the first post of a thread before posting in it, heh. Message to [b]Midboss, killa kid[/b] and [b]Dhampir Nyoko[/b]: the point of the thread is to try and analyse what [b]other people's [/b]sig/avi/title/username says about [b]them, [/b]the idea being that then [b]someone else [/b]analyses yours. For instance: [b]killa kid [/b]You evidently like to project a facade of toughness, although obviously like anyone's username that could just be an in-joke. Your lack of avatar and signature could indicate that you just haven't been bothered to do anything with them yet, or that you don't put much stock in how you present yourself to others. 'black-rikku', I presume, is an anime or video game reference (FFX...?). Also, killa kid, you need to brush up your punctuation a little. You could do without the confrontational tone, too :animeshy: [/font][/color]

[quote name='Marriel']Gamers? nerds/geeks? Same thing. Can't see a difference.[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]You can be a geek/nerd without being a gamer, though I don't know whether a gamer can ever avoid being a geek/nerd. I was classed 'nerd' for a while, but I've never been a gamer. I just studied too much for my own good :animeswea Does anyone else know the same distinction between nerd and geek as I do? I heard someone put it this way: the nerd won't go to the party, because he'll be home studying for tomorrow's test. The geek [b]will [/b]go to the party, but will get wedgied by everyone there. [/font][/color]

[font=Trebuchet MS][color=DarkGreen]Welcome to OtakuBoards, [b]DarkShigure. [/b]Please could you lay off the ALL CAPS in future? It's the Internet equivalent of shouting in people's faces. Where I come from shouting in people's faces is considered fairly rude. Just a politeness issue, really. Lower case is your friend. I hope you enjoy your stay. [/color][/font]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Welcome to OtakuBoards, [/font][/color][b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Fruggie89. [/font][/color][/b][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I'm afraid [/font][/color][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]your post is [b]spam. [/b]If you don't want to answer the question asked in the thread, it's better that you just leave well alone and don't post in the thread at all. I understand that you don't want to tell complete strangers where you live, but there's no need to get confrontational about it. Enjoy your stay. [/font][/color]

[quote name='The Monster']I know a couple of things concerning up coming series's of it. Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston are both not taking part in the second series which is a bit of a pity.[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Are you sure? I know Christopher Eccleston definitely isn't (as does anyone that saw the series finale yesterday) but I heard that Billie Piper had given a definite yes to series two. I've seen David Tennant in a few things recently - [b]Casanova [/b]and [b]Blackpool,[/b] in both of which he was excellent, bringing a really quirky acting style that really spiced the shows up. I wish Eccleston had done two series - he's been fantastic - but I'm sure Tennant's going to be really at home in such an offbeat character. Also, did anyone actually notice the [b]Bad Wolf [/b]theme running through the series until the Doctor pointed it out in the Cardiff episode? Obviously when they did a refresher flashback I recognised all the clips, but it hadn't really caught my attention before then. [b].:EDIT:. [/b]Oh yeah, there's going to be an hour-long Christmas special to precede the second series, as well. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Both posts in this thread so far constitute [b]spam. [/b]Here at OB we demand a high standard of post quality. Please, in future a) punctuate your posts properly and b) when starting threads, try and give a springboard from which an actual [b]discussion [/b]can arise. As it stands this thread will encourage spamtacular one-line responses like the one it's received. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font][/color]

[b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Name: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Kyo Takasugi[/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Age:[/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] 25 [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Gender: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Male [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Nationality:[/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Japanese [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Human or Gear: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Human[/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Faction: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Jellyfish Pirates [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Personality: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Outwardly, Kyo is an outgoing, friendly, positive individual that delights in showing off and making others laugh. While he does derive genuine enjoyment from the life he's chosen, he can never seem to shake the feeling that everything he does, from joining the pirates to fighting Justice, is an attempt to escape from the pain in his past. [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Physical Description: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Kyo is of a little less than average height, with eyes the deep blue of a stormy sky and black hair styled[/color][/size][color=DarkGreen] into a long ponytail and two tendrils framing his face. He is of slight build, and wears a looted, obsolete military dress coat, deep green with threadbare gold braid at the buttonholes and epaulettes. When heading into combat he carries his weapon coiled around him diagonally like a bandoleer, one end hooked to his belt.[/color][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Weapon of Choice: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]a long chain with a bladed hook on one end.[/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Innate Magical Element (Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning):[/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Wind [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Preferred Jinki (Human only): [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Zessen [/color][/size][/font][b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen] Bio: [/color][/size][/font][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=2][color=DarkGreen]Kyo has been an orphan since the first Gear assault on Japan. He survived in the camps by begging and stealing, becoming a streetwise, competent thief, more than capable of taking care of himself. As soon as he felt able to, he escaped the camp and fled to the sky pirates. The freedom of the sky, to him, was the exact opposite of the cramped, oppressive atmosphere of the camps. He isn't in this life for booty of either kind; he's in it for the sheer unbridled freedom of it, living outside the law. When the Jellyfish Pirates began fighting the forces of Justice, Kyo joined in with zeal and passion against the forces that destroyed his homeland and his family. [b].:EDIT:. [/b]I changed my element and Jinki - decided wind was a more in-character element for such a free spirit. Hope that's okay. [/color][/size][/font]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]I met Jonah Lomu when he was signing his autobiography in Waterstone's. He was [b]large [/b]and [b]in charge[/b] - normally when celebrities come to bookshops for signings they have a massive security entourag, but The Lomu needed none of it. [quote name='KKC][/font][/color][size=1]...I think a distant realative of mine might have worked on the 4, 5, and 6 Starwars movies...[/size][color=DarkGreen'][font=Trebuchet MS][/quote] On a related note, my friend's uncle, who I haven't met but who I know by two degrees of separation, got killed by Chewbacca in Episode Four. He's also had his arm melted off by alien blood in one of the Alien films. And my mum's friend's brother is Andy Serkis, who played Gollum. But then again, mentioning them is cheating really - after all, you can reach anyone on the planet through six degrees of separation. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Marvel are [b]way [/b]better than DC. DC's superheroes (Superman and Batman being the ones that come immediately to most people's minds as being representative of the company) are too invincible. Take Superman. His [b]only [/b]weaknesses are Kryptonite and Lois Lane. That means the only way a villain can [b]defeat [/b]him is with Kryptonite. This leads to repetitive storylines along the lines of: [b]Villain: [/b]Superman, I am speaking on frequency only you can hear! I have kidnapped Lois Lane! [b]Superman: [/b]*whoosh* Yoink! [b]Villain: [/b]I have Kryptonite! [b]Superman: [/b]Arrgh! Save me, Lois Lane! Similarly, the Green Lantern. There's [b]nothing [/b]he can't create with that ring, so every encounter is solved by him creating a new and visually impressive thingie to counter whatever it is the villain has to offer. Marvel superheroes, with the possible exception of home-baked Yankee beefcake Captain America, are far more human and fallible. You know that, for the purposes of the comic continuing, Spiderman won't die. But it's feasible, from an if-this-were-real point of view, that he [b]could [/b]die, or fail, or make a mistake. That gives the stories more suspense and makes them a generally better read. [b]Make Mine Marvel :animesmil[/b] [/font][/color]

[color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]Kurosawa's secondary power, his Trump Card, wasn't what anyone would expect given his primary. From being the least noticeable man on the train, Raiyuu's partner was now its most prominent occupant, by virtue of there appearing to be around a hundred of him. Ninety-nine were just illusions. The one solid version was waiting for his partner to make a move, so he could go in for the package. Raiyuu, peering through the crowd of phantoms, spotted Lady Kaishi taking advantage of the disposal guy dropping the package; she gestured dismissively at the man as he moved in to retrieve the box, and he flew the length of the carriage, landing in the luggage rack. [i][b]You're mine, Kaishi-dono. You're about to feel the full force of my own Trump Card, while Jimmy's hides me from you. [/b][/i]As he stalked his prey through the crowd of suited figures, Raiyuu began to move his hands. Not by much, but at incredible speed. His balled fists vibrated into a blur. He wasn't far from Kaishi now. She spotted him. [i][b]Too late. [/b][/i]As his fist surged towards the witch's midriff, the incredibly rapid vibration excited the air around it; particles of air were overcome by extreme friction, and Raiyuu's fist burst into flames. Kaishi-dono tried to react, but his concealment in the crowd of counterfeit Kurosawas had got him close enough to strike before she could pull any tricks. The blow connected, and the dark-clothed woman arced gracefully through the air, landing on her feet in a martial artist's ready stance. The package seemed to hang in mid-air for a second before crashing down to the floor of the carriage. The lid bounced off. Kurosawa's phantoms vanished in shock as the Unnoticeable Man voiced what all six professionals were thinking. [b]"You have [i]got [/i]to be joking."[/b] [/font][/color] [center][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]~~~~~~~~~~~~ [/font][/color] [left][b][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]"Birthday cake, Kurogo-san? Was that really worth hiring our services for?" "You don't understand the situation in our family. I couldn't let my brother appear more generous than me. Our mother is close to death, and how she views each of us could determine the eventual recipient of her fortune!" "So you intercepted his cake in transit and sent us in to deliver it. But he hired recoverers. He hired [i]Lady Kaishi.[/i] For a [i]birthday cake?[/i]" "And of course our stepsister tried to destroy the blasted thing to make us both seem equally at fault." "I don't believe I'm hearing this..." "Well, you hardly acted professionally. The package did not reach its desitnation in prime condition. I refuse to pay your extortionate fees." "Right, come here, you -" "Raiyuu, he isn't worth it, back off. There'll be other jobs. Proper ones." "I guess this means we can't afford those nitros for the van now..." [/font][/color][/b] [right][size=1][color=Black][font=Trebuchet MS]That about wraps up the Prologue. The RPG seems to have lost momentum, so if anyone doesn't want to continue, let me know and I'll see whether it's worth carrying on. For now, anyone who [b]is[/b] still in can make 'aftermath' posts; depict your team's confrontation with your respective member of the Kurogo family, or the consequences of not being paid for the job. Once everybody who's going to has posted I'll start up Act One. [/font][/color][/size][/right] [/left] [/center] [color=Teal][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Not exactly a problem, and to be honest more of a gripe... ...Has anyone else noticed that some of the myO ad banners are so wide they actually distort the site, both in backroom and in people's homepages? You end up with a great big empty column between the sidebar and your posts, or between the sidebar and your friends list. Isn't there a standard size for banner ads that's supposed to stop them distorting websites? .:EDIT:. I'm a FireFox user, so if this is just an incompatibility issue, ignore me. [/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Welcome to Otakuboards, [b]SilverWolfEyes. [/b]If you cast a quick glance over our [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][b]Rules[/b] (click!)[/url] you'll notice that we like to maintain quality posts here, and this topic doesn't exactly invite discussion; there isn't anything wrong with your quality (correct spelling and punctuation, phew!) but it's likely the responses will end up being of the "[b]Yes[/b]" or "[b]No[/b]" variety, and that [b]would[/b] be spam. Also, there's actually another thread here in the Lounge that this observation might fit better in, so I'll merge your thread with it. I hope you enjoy your stay at OB. If you have any queries, don't hesitate to message me or one of the other Moderators. [/font][/color]