Pumpkin

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=1]There are always going to be fake people in this world that are going to judge you by your looks, what you wear, who you know, and even where your from. This reminds me a bit of highschool where popularity is considered everything. It also reminds me of a girl I use to know. She tried to gain popularity by telling lies, and being fake to everyone who met her, they knew her "interests", her age, and what she looked like. But they did not know anything about her life or what she was really like. She is stuck in an image that is not her. The only thing that "image" can do for you, is make you misserable. People like you for the wrong reasons, and it's tiring to keep it up. Also, it's a false sense of happiness that reals most people in, when in reality, those people are not actually your friends. They don't even know you. I think it's better to be yourself and find real happiness then to live behind a lie. I've just started college recently, and there are people there that will only hang out with you because of your looks and that's pretty sad. But it's those people that arn't worth your time. You have to come to the conclusion that not everyone's going to like you, and even if they dont, who cares? You should find people who you actually care about and WANT to spend your time with. Being fake will not get you that, and I think you should explain that to your friends because being a fake person is just a waste of time. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Charon]I don't think she sold out. She's sold millions of records with No Doubt; it's not like she needs money. Regarding her diet and fashion adventures, that's something completely different. There are other ways to stay thin, and that's her personal choice. And while her clothing line is ridiculously overpriced, fashion is something she cares about, knows about, and loves to be apart of. Nobody's complaining about Ryan Seacrest's clothing line.[/QUOTE][SIZE=1] I have to kind of agree with Charon in some sense. Every artist is allowed to experiment, ff I could sing, then I would love not to stick to one particular crowd or category and go with what feels right. I own all No Doubt CDS and also the new Gwen CD. I don't really like [b]Holla Back[/b] very much and is probably my least favorite. If anything I find her songs [b]Cool[/b] ( which sounds like a song on her first album of No Doubt ) and [b]What are you waiting for?[/b] more unique from anything I've heard in the media recently. Anyways, yes I like both. I don't think it was a sell-out album and like someone said before was made to be a 'dance' album. As far as her personal life goes, I don't think anyone should starve themselves to gain popularity in the music buisness but thats all up to her. What I don't get is her trying to promote the Harajuku girls and trying to start a new trend of Japanese clothing. In a way I find it great and different but on the other hand, I just hope her new album talks about something new. I think if I hear the word Harajuku one more time, that'll be enough for me. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Ilium][COLOR=DarkRed']Vandels are vandels. You can't expect to put somthing on a grave and find it there the next morning; it's the sad truth about my Generation, shiftless lot we are. I think that this, although a bit of a reminder of how much my generation sucks, is not really a tragedy; it's a fact of life, like Hockey Riots are a fact of life where I live. I'd rather see news reporting about the two Torontonians who were caught smuggling guns across the Boarder, and than that lead them to a gun-smuggling ring that was responsible for 14 shootings in the Toronto Area; now that is a tragedy. This is just depressing.[/COLOR][/quote][SIZE=1]Just because something isn't a big tragedy doesn't mean it isn't important to somebody. Vandalism is common nowadays but that doesn't make it right and it doesn't make it right that those parents have to worry about someone stealing something off their child's grave. I would think these kind of things happen often in a cemetery, shouldn't they have a security system or something? I've heard of people taking flowers off the grave (which it's a pretty messed up thing to do) but taking a child's toy is pretty low. But still, if something is that valuable, I don't think a grave would be the safest place for it. They should have made a place for it at home or somewhere where the public can't get their hands on it. Some people are just twisted and would simply take something that doesn't belong to them for fun. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Otaku America][COLOR=Navy]Even if you don't believe in God, God is still with you. In the bible it says if you're not with God you're against him (also meaning, if you don't believe in him, your creator, you're against him and with the devil). I see where you are coming from but do you actually believe some accidental science theory created life on this Earth. Everything from the sky, mountains, water, even seasons all have different creations. Those paleontoligists are as out of job as the Ufologist. The only thing they both have in common is that they're fake except that Ufo's have a much larger consipiracy theory. Roswell in Mexico anyone? I don't find this a touchy or silly subject so I don't know where that came from but this question has been asked for several decades. I don't recall Alexander the Great touting about dinosaurs. The word dinosaur wasn't invented until the late 1800's. So there is no such thing as 6 billion years ago and this is me speaking objectively. Instead of the flood, it was a Pluto sized asteroid. This is where science came from, from those who started questioning their beliefs and started developing theories. Those so-called "theorists," don't know how old anything is they just make silly 600 million year old theories. [/COLOR][/QUOTE][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana][color=#990033] First of all, I'm not going to question your faith in god or anything. I know that you believe whatever is in the bible is true, but would if "Dinosaurs" were described in the bible? Well I found an interesting site that you might want to look at. [QUOTE] The Bible refers to many the common animals we know today. The list includes lions, wolves, bears, sheep, cattle and dogs along with various kinds of birds, rodents, reptiles, and insects. What is interesting is that this extensive list includes three animals that we no longer recognize. These three are (in the original Hebrew language) tanniyn, b@hemowth (yes, it?s spelled correctly?at least as close as we can get in Roman characters), and livyathan. Although we alter the spelling of behemoth and Leviathan slightly, we still use those same words in bibles today. However, tanniyn is always translated into another word when we write it in English. Tanniyn occurs 28 times in the Bible and is normally translated ?dragon.? It is also translated ?serpent,? ?sea monster,? ?dinosaur,? ?great creature,? and ?reptile.? Behemoth and Leviathan are relatively specific creatures, perhaps each was a single kind of animal. Tanniyn is a more general term, and it can be thought of as the original version of the word ?dinosaur.? The word ?dinosaur? was originally coined in 1841, more than three thousand years after the Bible first referred to ?Tanniyn.? To make things clearer, we constructed the following table comparing the scientific names with the Biblical names tanniyn, behemoth, and Leviathan. ?Dinosaur? Names, Then and Now Name and date first written in the Bible Scientific Name (best estimate) and date the name appeared tanniyn (dragon) before 1400 BC dinosaur 1841 AD behemoth before 1400 BC brachiosaurus 1903 AD Leviathan before 1400 BC kronosaurus 1901 AD How we got these new names is interesting. In 1822, Mary Ann Mantell became the first person to discover and correctly identify a strange bone as part of a large, unknown reptile. Her husband, Dr. Gideon Mantell, later named this creature an ?Iguanodon.? From that time forward, these forgotten animals were given names chosen by the people who rediscovered them. Of course, the Bible, written between approximately 1450 BC and 95 AD, does not include any of these names. [/QUOTE] You can read more [URL=http://www.biblestudygames.com/biblestudies/faq/dinosaurs.htm]Here[/URL] and [URL=http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/dinos.shtml]Here[/URL]. This solves that bit of the arguement for it states that just because it didn't have the name "Dinosaur" does not mean it was not stated in the bible. You just have to look harder for it. As far as Dinosaurs ever existing in real life, is kind of an obvious one. I find that really hard to take that you believe they don't exist especially when we have BONES of the creatures in museums around the world. Maybe you should go to one and see for yourself. Then maybe you'd have a change of heart. As far as the days go, Boo could be right. Seven days back then could have been a lot longer. You never really know. [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[CENTER][SIZE=1][COLOR=#FFFFFE][FONT=Georgia][b]Name:[/b] Yavela Du'brin [b]Age:[/b] 100+ but looks the age of 23 [b]Race:[/b] Night Elf [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Appearance:[/b] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/PurpleFire/purpleelf.jpg[/IMG] Yavela stands around 5'11" tall and has an elegantly slim figure. She has light lavender skin and dark violet eyes with green hair. It is common for elfs to have different color skin and she has taken after her mother for her purple skin and the green hair from her father. (adding more later) [b]Class:[/b] Druid [b]Weapon:[/b] A wooden staff [b]Spells:[/b] [i]Druid Form[/i] - She can turn into a seal, black panther, bear and a cheetah-like cat when taking her druid form. [i]Healing Touch[/i] - She can heal others with this spell when necessary. [b]Personality:[/b] Editing [b]Biography[/b]: Yavela Du'brin was born in Darnassus, the capital of Teldrassil. Her mother worked as a preistess at the Elune Temple and her father was a hunter. She grew up pretty safe despite growing up on the edge of the big city, but she longed for the woods since she was a child and knew one day she would desire to become a druid. This conflicted with her family because her mother had hopes of her being a preistess in the name of the goddess Elune. (still editing) [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/center] [COLOR=black][SIZE=1] [b]OOC:[/b]I'll finish this later. Promise. Sorry. By the way, I played World Of Warcraft so this is pretty awesome ^-^[/SIZE][/color]

[size=1]I definately have things of value. One is a small stuffed tigger thats baby soft that I got from this guy I was dating. I know that doesn't sound important, and yeah we're not dating now. But for some reason, I always keep it with me. You could say I'm also a packrat, for I can never get rid of things that people have given me. Another thing, as silly as it sounds is, my Xbox. And I don't even play xbox that much. I find it special because I got it from my brother-in-law for christmas, a month before he died in a motorcycle accident at age 34. The fact that he bought something expensive for me, shows how caring he was and what a good father he would have been for his son. Now all I have is that to remind myself of him. Sad, but it's all I have left. [/SIZE]

[Quote="Lore"] I do remember girls in my class being utterly enthralled with everything Jonathan Taylor Thomas did, years back. Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about him since Titanic thrust Leo DeCaprio into the hearts of middle-schoolers everywhere. Whatever happened to him?[/QUOTE] [quote name='Generic NPC #3']He disappeared once he passed puberty and all the girls realized they had a deeper voice than he did.[/quote] [SIZE=1]I [i]love[/i] [b]Drew Barrymore[/b]'s movies for some reason. I think she is a very talented actress, especially for the fact that she does not fit the stereotypical barbie figure. I still find her attractive. I also like [b]Jessica Alba, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller[/b]. Just to name a few. There isn't anyone I'd really not see, but there are some singers out there that should just never act like [i]Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears[/i]. It's just really bad acting and ends up being cheesy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I have the most common name known to god. Seriously, if you looked my name up in the phone book where I live, you'd find thousands of listenings. I mean my sister even had a best friend with the same full name as me. You already guessed my last name which is the most common last name there is, Smith. I hate it with a passion. And my boyfriend's last name is Brown. lol. We both have very common names. It's funny cause my mother has a very unique name. Her family's name is Vegvari (which I would rather have) and her first name is Agotha. My grandmother's name is Marika. Where did the creativeness go? I hate my first name only because when I call my friends, they get me confused with their others because my name is so common around here. Katie is a really popular name from where I live, infact I use to have three katies in my class before. It gets confusing for people. I tried making up nicknames like Kat or Kitty but I could never get used to them. Guess I'm cursed to forever be, [i]Katie Smith[/i]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][b] Code Name / Call Sign: [/b] Lin Yao meaning "beautiful jade treasure" [b]Gender: [/b] Female [b]Location: [/b] Hong Kong [b]Age: [/b] 25 but appears younger [b] Personal Appearance: [/b] [ Editing ] [b]Personality/Behavior:[/b] [b]Personal History:[/b] [b]Special Skills or Abilities: [/b] [b] Player's Availability: [/b]Atleast two times a week. I can post on fridays, saturdays and sundays. So three at maximum. [b] Which Otaku Thread Rating Do You Expect Your Posts To Fall Under: [/b] I'm going to go with M, for language and violence. Just in case. - - - - - - - - - [b]OOC : I'll definately edit and complete this all by the deadline. I'm so sorry I left so much blank. I'll finish it when I get back. [/b] [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Aiyisha][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial]Why is it stupid or juvenile? It's just two people using each other for kicks, or to help connect with their long distance partner. There's hardly anything stupid about it, and I don't think see how anything sexual can be juvenile. In it's simplest form, if it's not between devoted and in love individuals cyber is somewhat like a swingers party without the risk and more fantasy. If it is with a loved and cherished individual, it's akin to phone sex. No more. No less. I don't think you've ever done it, or don't understand it very well. I have done it, and it was enjoyable and very erotic. It was pretty much interactive erotica, in essence, but the person I was interacting with was (and still is) a treasured and beautiful woman I am madly in love with it instead of some lame bot or whatever. Nothing we've ever done has been 'juvenile or stupid'. I don't see where your opinion is even stemming from.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE][SIZE=1] I have to agree with Aiyisha on this. What makes that wrong if its between two loved ones? Especially those that are in long distant relationships. I don't think it's juvenile, that sounds silly. I do think it is a violation of trust only when the person that your interracting with, is indeed not your partner and they do not know about what you are doing. That is in a way, cheating, especially if you know the other individual. It's kind of like having a phone affair? I guess you could say. All in all, I find nothing wrong with what people want to do, only the fact that they are indeed in a relationship. What they do is their buisness, and no it's not always cheating. There is nothing wrong with exploring your sexuality. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Hmm...This is really tough to pick out specific people. But I honestly think this bunch would make a good cast ^^ we're just all too different. [i]Hack Helba[/i] - We need a comedian in the house. He's got his own sense of humour and he's also a great graphic artist. I think he'd bring a lot of energy into the house. [i]Dragon Warrior[/i] - He makes great RPG's and plus he's a pirate? What more can you say to that? 'nuff said. [i]Retribution[/i] - Although I don't know Retri that well, he's also awesome at art and I definately think that there'd be a lot of serious discussions. He seems like he'd be the serious one of the group, and atleast keep the house from going crazy. [i]ChibiHorseWoman[/i] - She creates some fun topics, to others might be considered spam, but I honestly think she can make any topic become fun and actually have some meaning. Plus it'd be fun to have someone who wants to know about your personal life, you know she'd definately get majority of the airtime for being the caring motherly type. ^^ (and thats not a bad thing!) [i]SunfallE[/i] - Also a great artist but a creative writer as well. SunfallE seems like a really be calm and helpful to others. He'd probably be the problem solver of the group. [i]BenaKittie[/i] - We always need someone who's sorta new and also has a lot of energy. I just think she'd get a long with all the rest of the cast. [i]Kamuro[/i] - I think he's very opinionated and probably could go from having a sense of humour to having a serious conversation. Being flexible is a good thing. Yup so there's my list. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Revue][COLOR=FireBrick][SIZE=1][IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24156&stc=1[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24155&stc=1[/IMG] Haha...Guess I couldn't do mysterious after all. If by a weird twist of fate you decide to use this set but would want to change something in the design, please feel free to PM me.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Omg thank you. And no it is mysterious looking, but more towards futuristic but I still like it. ^.^ thanks for everything, I love it![/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Out of Pepsi or Coke, I would definately have to go with the Coke. Although my family has always favored Pepsi, so thats pretty much what I've been stuck with most of my life. I really dislike it. Coke is sweeter, I guess thats why. What's funny is, I love Mountain Dew. But that's just me. Once I saw how much sugar was in it, I tried Sprite. But even though Sprite looks like it doesn't have as much caffeine in it, it actually has a good amount. Let's just say caffeine doesn't boil well with me, I find it hard to sleep at night if I drink too much soda. My all-time favorite would have to be [b]Orange Soda[/b] though. Don't know why, but I could drink gallons of thats stuff, it's way addicting. Oh, and BTW, I would pick Rootbeer, If I wasn't allergic to it. Don't ask, because it's sadly true. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Before Johana could say a word, she was thrown many feet back and fell harshly onto the ground. She tried to stagger up, but ended up holding onto her ankle and was having trouble standing. A fallen angel named Woe sneered and made a comment towards her. Metraron and Woe seemed to be imersed in conversation. It turns out, she had most likely recently been kicked out of heaven, and somehow Metraron knew her. [i]"Maybe they were past lovers too or something..."[/i] thought Johana, but the thought made her blush and also felt a pang of jealousy which she quickly just labeled as concern for his well-being. Johana watched, as the fallen angel, atleast in her mind, seemed to be losing her own sanity. Johana was going to speak her mind to the fallen angel Woe, but Metraron stood before her blocking her view. Next thing she knew, the fallen angel was right beside her and was staring into her eyes. [b]""What ever shall we do about this lil pain your having? OOO, I KNOW, Operating time!!"[/b] Woe sneered, and she felt a sharp pain that felt like her ankle was on fire and let out a sharp cry. Blood seemed to pour from her swollen ankle and the pain was intense, but she fought back the tears. In what seemed like hours, Gabriel arrived and healed the wound with his blade. Relief overwhelmed her. She watched them talk to one another in a daze and saw Gabriel tense up. Two different fallen angels appeared, one she recognized as Dead and the other she thought went by the name of Belial. She obeyed Gabriel's orders and stayed put, but oh how she wished she could help them. Bewildered, she watched as Metraton ripped his shirt appart, and made symbols appear on his body. She watched as Metraton and Belial battled in the alleyway, and prayed for his and the other's safety. She watched as Metraton had changed, it was horrifying but strangely beautiful all at the same time. She had wanted to touch his wings and feel what they were like, but at the same time cringed at how frightful he looked. She felt ashamed for being afraid. He must have sensed her feelings for he knelt down beside her and tried to comfort her. She could not keep herself from shaking and could not even mutter a word out of her mouth. She felt bad that she herself was afraid of his other form, but also was saddened by the fact that she had not been able to defend herself, thereby getting him into trouble. They decided to go to the apartment complex where they had been living with her since their stay on earth. She walked closely behind Metraton trying not to make eye contact with him, she would make up for him saving her life, and also because she felt she was only a burden on the angels. And maybe for some reason, she felt she had to prove herself to him somehow as simply not just "another mortal girl". ***** They got home shortly after their encounter, and it was suprising how much of Johana's ankle had healed. She barely remembered the pain she had endoured only less then an hour ago. [b]" Go into the kitchen, I'll make you all something to eat since you've obviously had a busy day... "[/b] said Johana motioning to the kitchen. Metraton, Gabriel and Raphaelle all went and sat at the table. [b]" I'll be there in just a moment.."[/b] She mumbled half-ethusiastically and headed towards an old tattered closet. She opened it and begun to dig through many possessions that had been obviously cooped up there for years. [b]" Where is it? It's got to be here somewhere! "[/b] scowled Johana as she began tossing things to and fro behind her. Finally, something caught her eye and she cheered while grabing it. [b]" You okay out there? "[/b] came the voice of Gabriel only to get a [b]" Nothing! "[/b] shout from Johana. She picked up a bow and arrow and acouple bottles of holy water. She put the bow and arrow on her back and placed the holy water along her belt. This was no ordinary bow, infact it was given to her for God, and for one purpose only. He had told her only a pure heart could use this bow but not what damage it would do to the victum. However, he stated that it was only for use in big emergencies, for if the person used the bow, used it for evil purposes against god that they person would die a painful death instantly. It was made for someone immortal, and since it's risky for mortals to use this bow, it is said that not to use it after three times. Otherwise the penalty is death. Johana knew they would recognize it from somewhere, so she quickly put a jacket over which covered her weapon. [i]" This time I will not be unprepared. I will fight. Just like they do for us. [/i]" Johana stated, for she had no fear of the consequences, and saw this as a perfect opportunity to test it out. **** [b]OOC:[/b] I haven't been posting lately ;_; I hope this follows the storyline, I went back and read all the posts believe me. I gave Johana a weapon because simply, she was like a sitting duck waiting to be hurt. Atleast now, she has a chance at getting some fighting done too. Hope this okay for the people I involved. The first half is just her view on what happened and her feelings. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I've been having problems trying to get into MyOtaku account. See, I don't remember my password but when I went to type in my email address it says that it doesn't exist. I've tried this plenty of times and I know I typed it in right. Is there anyway you could send me the password yourselfs? This is really frustrating because I know I put it in right and my email is working fine. Hope you get back to me on this one. If I could have my password emailed to me that would be much help since obviously it was changed for some unknown reason. My email is [email]purplefire66@yahoo.com[/email]. Thanks. [/SIZE]

[CENTER][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/PurpleFire/yazela.jpg[/img] [SIZE=1][i]Tired of savaging goods? Wish you could get the materials you need without traveling? Well your worries have been solved![/i] [b]Keep noticed for updates[/b] :: In Stock :: [COLOR=Orange][u]Common Goods[/u][/COLOR] Shells - 40 Plant Fibers - 8 Iron Ingots - 23 Piles of Glittering Dust - 42 Bones - 48 Granite Slabs - 6 [COLOR=Green][u]Rare Materials[/u][/COLOR] Roll of Parchment - 1 Bolt of Silk - 2 Steel Ingot - 1 Fur Square - 1 [COLOR=DarkOrchid][u]Other Items[/u][/COLOR] [b]Dyes :[/b] Red 1 Yellow 1 Purple 1 [b]Upgrade Components[/b] Hammer Grip [COLOR=Deepskyblue] Unidentified[/COLOR] Axe Grip [COLOR=Deepskyblue] Unidentified[/COLOR] Rune [COLOR=Deepskyblue]Unidentified[/COLOR] I'm very willing to take special orders and if your looking for something that I do not hold in possession with me at the moment, I'm willing to get it for you. All that I ask is that you please not re-sell the items and use it for your own benefit and that you are also a part of the guild. Send /whisper to [b]Yazela Dubrin[/b]. Can't wait to hear from you! [/SIZE][/CENTER]

[SIZE=1][QUOTE=Dagger] The first thing I don't understand is why what we think doesn't matter. To me it seems like you and others are saying that we as outsiders cannot judge this situation as being wrong. Or, to put it differently, I feel as though if everyone throughout history had the type of attitude being presented here, no progress would have ever been made. The main sense I got from Gavin's post was "Well, it's an unfair law, but for their own sake they just shouldn't have done it in the first place." It's not an incorrect way of looking at the situation, but to me it seems rather callous. Traditions & customs are all very well, but they can't be used to excuse everything. I feel that it's perfectly within my rights to look at their law, whatever it stems from, and say flat-out that I think it's morally abhorrent. [/QUOTE] Dagger, I officially love you now. Seriously, she is right. If everyone just sat on their butt and said "It's not my problem, It doesn't deal with us, and it'll all work out" do you think anything would get done? People can help, and sometimes the government there is too strong that they need help to break away. Look at Iraq for example, it was a mess with the Taliban and only with a good government will they get to break away and finally have freedom. You think people like living that way? I'm sure they don't. Women get stoned for reasons that are ridiculous. Also, for the person who said that America went through a similar time. Well, yes I can see your point. But you also forgot one thing, we had HELP too. How did we win a lot of wars? With help. It isn't as easy as you pointed it out to be. I'll just say that. [QUOTE=Rasetsutaisho]i think marylin manson would punch you in the face... honestly laws are only restrictive when you go against them... i belive that country is trying to preserve a more pure and simple way of life... if you know anything about history you'd know that just about every civilization falls apart right after or when their about to reach their peak... just look at the roman empire... and look how much it mirrors our own! i know this is off topic but... i think their really wise in doing things like keeping women covered up all the time! i mean take an honest look back in your life... how many of your problems had something to do with some girl that you liked? and did you even really like her? ... that whole problem wouldnt have even happend if the girl was covered![/QUOTE] Excuse me, but I would seriously slap you if I had the chance. But honestly, James and Imi pretty much statted most of my arguement. First off, like stated above, if nobody took care of their country and just waited until this "empire" died, how long do you think that will last? so people are just suppose to suffer through a regime praying one day their prayers will be anwsered? Uh, I don't think so. Second off, the second paragraph really made me angry. Being the independent woman that I am, I don't feel that covering up a woman's figure is right. What makes a woman's body less then a man's? Is it her fault that she is good-looking? I don't believe in not having the right to wear what I want, and would find that lifestyle most unpleasant. Not "Pure" and "Simple" as you so call it. Overall I don't think it's right to hang the kids. I understand the law, but that doesn't make it morally right. In fact, its downright disgusting. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']I don't know as much about other areas of the board, since I don't really follow them as much, but I wouldn't say post quality is declining in the Hardwired section, at least. If anything, I'd say it's actually improving, and has been for a long time. Yeah, there's still spammy posts; but I've noticed that out of the number of people who actually keep coming back and don't just leave after a few posts, most of those are at least decently high quality posters.[/color][/quote][SIZE=1]Desbreko is right. Most of the people who post bad-quality threads usually only post a few times and dissapear, the ones that stay usually begin to learn the rules and produce decent quality posts. Plus we always have the moderators to whip them into shape *evil grin* But seriously, I think OB is far from having bad posts. Even though people say the Otaku Lounge is spammy, I find it amusing and if you think this is spammy try visiting a forum like MT ([url]www.minitokyo.net[/url]) and you'll see the difference. There is actually a forum for such spam. That is why I don't think we have anything to worry about. Unless Quantity becomes more important then Quality. Then we might have a problem. [/SIZE]

[CENTER][LEFT][COLOR=#FFFFFE][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][b]Name:[/b] Annabelle Marie Louise ( "Miss Louise or Anna") [b]Age:[/b] 28 [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Appearance:[/b] Annabelle is a tall, half-french woman that stands about 5'11" and even so is mostly seen wearing red heels. She usually has her blonde hair tied in a tight bun and wearing a burgundy overcoat with white gloves. She adores rubies and anything that costs of great value or rarity as seen by her wearing many golden jewelry. She has a screwd look on her face which often disguises her actual beauty, and often appears to be unapproachable. Although her appearance isn't as friendly, she is quite the talker. She has pale skin and light smokey brown eyes. All in all, she appears very buisnesses-like and serious. [b]Personality:[/b] Annabelle is a very complex character. She is often seen as snob of a lawyer, and is great at telling fibs and convincing people to believe in them. This manipulative behavior is what got her, her job at the law firm. She does not have many friends because of this, so it is hard for her to socialize and is use to being in charge of things. She has a very bad control issue, but when cornered with something that she did wrong, she can at times be quite fragile. For you see, she is quite the perfectionist. Although Anna's exterior appears tough, she might not be as tough as she believes to be. [b]Place in the Group:[/b] Annabelle is very power-hungry. She does not work well in groups unless she is given a job in which she can lead in some sort or give orders. This makes her the perfect person for organizing what people should do and when. She could help with keeping track of their resources since she wouldn't be caught dead hunting, and creating up useful ideas for escape or for surviving on the island. She also would do well with helping organize huts for them to sleep in. [b]Special Skills:[/b] Annabelle went to school for buisness, accounting and philosophy. She's great at making educated guesses, and despite her looks, really smart with math. She can figure out how to set up a camp simply by doing mathamatics to get it perfect. She also took a job at a local restaraunt in her lifetime and knows a bit about foods and cooking which may in the future come in handy. [b]Record of Events:[/b] Annabelle sat in her chair with her legs and arms crossed, filing her nails. She always did this when something irratated her, and was glancing nervously to her nails and to the drunk woman who was singing Karaoke in which she thought her ears we're going to bleed. [b]"Oh come on now, Annie, you know it isn't that bad. Why not enjoy yourself while you're here?"[/b] said a woman beside her, whose name was Eliana Parkson, a co-worker from her law firm. [b]"Eliana, you very well know that I did not want to come on this stupid degrading trip. I could be in Paris right now having a manicure and the time of my life, but you had to help drag me here. And I told you to call me Anna."[/b] Annabelle scowled, her eyebrows screwed into a v-shape that would make any person cringe. But Eliana just laughed it off and continued drinking a glass of champagne. [b]" Well I'm going to go to bed, I guess. It's dreadful boring around here, Miss Eliana. I hope to see you later." [/b] exclaimed Annabelle tactfully as she got up from her chair and paraded out of the room. A humble cry shouted out from behind her [i]"Why!? It's so early![/i] but she was gone before anything else could be said. [i]" Finally some peace to myself...and I won't have to deal with these unmannered people. What relief. [/i] thought Annabelle to herself sighing, she really was not in the mood for socializing. Before she knew it, she heard shouts from inside as she was standing on the deck and the sailors we're running out signaling to people. [b]" Whats going on? I demand to know. "[/b] growled an angry Annabelle as she yanked one of the sailors towards her. [b]" Lifeboat. Now. " [/b] were the only words he uttered as he went to real them up. Annabelle stepped into the nearest one, assuming that this was just infact a drill and that Miss Eliana would be joining her shortly. Filing her nails, she watch in irratation, as everyone began to flutter franctacly into a lifeboat. Little did she know, that it was not a drill but in fact the ship was set to sink. [CENTER][i]Wierdos.[/i] she thought. [/CENTER] Later, she stood there bewildered as she watched the boat sink infront of her very eyes. That is when reality struck her. [/LEFT] [/SIZE][/CENTER][/FONT][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][b]OtakuBoards Username:[/b] Pumpkin [b]Alias:[/b] The Evil Guinea Pig Scientist [b]Image:[/b] [URL=http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/DancingBlade/images/scientist.gif]Click[/URL] [b]Writing Piece:[/b] [i]I never thought it would end like this....they use to tell me banishment was the end....I knew one day it would come for me...but not like this...not ever like this..to run from the past is expected...but can you really hide from it forever? Fearing...for you know....confronting the past is evident.[/i] It was raining. The water washed the sweat that dripped on her face, and the sounds of shouting could be heard echoing over the cliffs. She could still feel the heat of fire on her back and the shouts of the angry villagers as they chased her. It was freezing. Katara struck a match and lit some beach wood on fire, it was the only thing she could do to keep from freezing to death. Shivering, she curled up in a ball in the sand and tried to get some rest, she knew she would be stuck in this cave till morning and had to get out before the tide came. "Mila...sister..I hope your watching over me. I miss you." were her final thoughts before everything began to fade and the rain begun to stop. Morning arose, and with that Katara had a big appitate. She caught some fish and ate it with seaweed, not the most delicious course, but it satisfied her stomache. She packed the leftovers into her bandana where she had packed a few household items just before her house was burnt down. She dug through her belongings A knife, her diary, a compass, a map and a locket of her and her dead older sister, Mila Adrias.. They had always looked alike, but were never twins although mistaken to be majority of the time. "I promise somehow I'll make this up to you. Your name will not be tarnished any longer." Katara said outloud promising to herself. She flung the bandana full of belongings over her shoulder and began to walk. She would now begin her new life. [i]~ Belated Fortune as Mila Adrias[/i] [b]OOC:[/b] I posted an older piece of my writing because I couldn't find the time to write a new piece in time for this. Sorry. Hope this is good enough. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Siren]If I'm not mistaken, "Nexus" is a type of gathering place. I think. It's early and I haven't slept, so I may be wrong, but isn't it a convergence of some type? I would guess "The Nexus" being placed in the gaming forum is going to turn out to be some type of convergence related to gaming. Maybe for the gamers themselves on OB. In Guild Wars, there's an OB-centric guild, Quantum Kabuki Troupe, so...maybe Nexus will be something for OB-centric guilds/clans/groups to mingle and converse? There are loads of online games OBers play, I think (Literati, what?), so it'd make sense to have something like The Nexus, if my guess is correct.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [b]Nexus[/b] 1. A means of connection; a link or tie. 2. A connected series or group. 3. The core or center. [/QUOTE][SIZE=1]If I guess correctly, Siren should be right on the dot. I too play Guild Wars, and I think it would be interesting to see a place where you could meet others who play MMORPGS. I've seen this happen with many forums however, maybe a guild for each mmorpg that is out there? Honestly, I think that would be a great idea. Maybe a way to advertise your own guild etc. would also be an option as many here play World of Warcraft or Everquest 2. Maybe it could also be a place to post in-game events or items for sell or trade. That is my best guess. Otherwise, I'm at a loss. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Lovely poem. Somehow it reminded me of a Christian love song for some reason, strange no? Maybe it's because you added god in there. First off, I have to say I love the rhythm you had going in the beginning, thats really catchy and I know its hard to make things rhyme and also have meaning to them. Believe me, that is tough, since I fail all the time when making things rhyme. Anyways, I have to agree with [i]Kamuro[/i] a bit where there was no closure and it seemed as if you rushed the ending a bit. I didn't quite get that last part so much as the beginning, it left me a little clueless. It could use some improvement but I would definately rate it a 7/10 poem. Great work and hope to see more of your poetic work in the future. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Kamuro][SIZE=1']I've made you all aware of how skeptical I am concerning this movie. But I was watching VH1 a little bit ago, cause I'm a loser with no life, and found myself watching "Best Week Ever." There's a segment of the show where certain issues are subjected to either a Downgrade (bad) or an Upgrade (good). Corpse Bride got an upgrade, congrats DW! lol [/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]Whoo! I love that show. lol, I'm such a dork. Seriously, I've only seen one preview in a movie and the other one that DW posted and I have to say, it does appeal to me. I always loved [b]Nightmare Before Christmas[/b] and no matter what nothing will top that, since to me is Tim Burton's best work purely for the reason it was my favorite movie as a child. I don't know, maybe I was wierd but I was not scared at all of that movie. Infact, I matched it more times then I could count. The animation in this movie is very similar to NBC, and although it involves a corpse (which he seems to do a lot of animation with the dead don't you think?) I find it hilarious. The purpose of him maybe falling in love with the corpse, yes I find it funny. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I guess I have a sick humour. I agree with James, when he stated that in NBC her arms kept falling off. I found that humorous when I was a kid. Still, she doesn't even look that grotesque for a corpse, so that helps viewing wise. I like Johnny Depp and actually, I don't think he's got quite so many movies as he use too. Some actors click well with directors, isn't that the same for other directors? They have people that they get a long with or find is the most flexible actor for roles. Honestly, I can't get sick of someone that I can't see in the movie either, but thats just me. I definately can relate to people judging movies by movie reviews, especially in newspapers and TV. My dad won't watch a movie that he hears is bad. Whats ironic, is the one's that they say are great for me are usually really bad (example : Hustle & Flow, no hype there) and the ones that they claim are going to be duds, end up being really great movies. Infact, I find a lot of my favorite movies, have a bunch of bad reviews. It's kind of funny really. That is why I never trust movie reviews and rely solely on my own opinion. You never know unless you try it. But yeah, I'll definately keep my eye out for [i]Corpse Bride[/i] and maybe drag some of my friends a long the way. As I said before, its not everyone's cup of tea. Everyone has their own taste of humour and movies. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]What a great thread. Seriously, I mean it. Like [i]Panda[/i], I have adopted four pets that I rescued. My family and I have caught about 20 kittens or above overall, and took atleast 15 adult cats to get neutered or spayed so that they don't increase the feral population. Where my dad's shop for his construction company is, there is a whole cat colony since its right across from a small local dump. Just because they are scared, does not mean that they won't grow to like you. They just have never been around humans before, and you have to get them to socialize with you. Despite this to me as being common knowledge, when I asked people if they would like to adopt them, and mentioned that they were in fact "feral" (meaning strays) they would quickly reply no. Most people find this disturbing, and want nothing to do with cats that are "Dirty" or "Unmannered". In all truth, all the cats that we adopted out have always been timid, healthy, and most of all friendly. I don't see whats the difference between a feral cat and a "house" cat. Not all feral or strays are mean and can not be a pet, atleast in my experience. I seriously don't get some people. The neighbor was even trying to shoot the cats until we stopped him. The first cat we caught was my cat, Nyrobi, who suprisingly walked right up to us and wasn't scared in the least bit. The funny thing is, we only had one kitten that was rough around the edges. But in the end, over time, she turned out to be one of the sweetest of the bunch. We've worked with forgotten felines, which is actually a group around my county thats sole purpose is to cut down the number of feral cats because people are not taking care of them and there is so many where I live. The only downside is that everything is not free and it's not cheap. We've had to pay for mostly everything and of course, had to get them tested for serious illnesses. Soon, the vets office would always call the kittens we brought in the "golden" kitties since we had to spend so much money on them. Thats one of the reasons why we quit rescueing kittens from the shop. Another was, the last ones we caught. We cleaned them off (since they were covered in fleas) and then we noticed that their belly's were swollen. We took them to the vet and found out they had [b]FIP[/b][i](Feline Infectious Peritonitis)[/i] which is a fatal disease that is contagious. We had to put them to sleep which was our first experience ever having non-healthy kittens and knowing that it would spread into the colony. They were only weeks old and it really was hard to see them go. I have five cats all together, and the fifth one is from a neighbor who moved away and didn't want his 11 year old cat (who by the way has heart disease and had Amonia at the time) anymore and abandoned it. My mom even had to confront him and he told us to keep him. He hadn't been to the vet in three years and was seriously looking in bad shape. We ended up keeping him and he lives outside our house now. Another thing is, We all seem cursed in finding stray kittens. When my sister moved into her new house, the owners had left their black kitten there. And then there was someone who dumped a cardboard box with the mother cat and it's kittens on her lawn. And just yesterday, a grey cat has been showing up at her house and looks like it has no owner. Yup, it looks like I'm cursed. But I'd rather take the animals that nobody wants, everyone's got to have a home. And for those of you who think I'm insane for writing this much, you have no idea. *Is an animal lover for life* [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Retribution][SIZE=1] Anyway, some mental illnesses are chemical, and can't be beaten by just "trying harder" or some other crap like that. Chronic depression can't be alleviated by just looking at the brighter side of life, or trying harder. Some illnesses are genetic, and therefore need medication. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1][b]Jackpot.[/b] Retri, took the words straight out of my mouth. For one thing, there is a big difference in the need of medication. Below is a defination of the word "Chronic". [QUOTE] [b]Chronic[/b] * Of long duration; continuing * Lasting for a long period of time or marked by frequent recurrence, as certain diseases * Subject to a habit or pattern of behavior for a long time [/QUOTE]As Retri pointed out, there are people out there that have diseases, that might not be curable without medication. As for people who have mild depression or a small case of what they assume is ADD, have more of a chance about turning their life around. I would suggest counseling would be the best cure. Yes, I believe doctors do hand out prescriptions like candy at times. This can cause people to scramble for a quick fix. Parents are quick to solve their teenager's hormones or behavior. I know for one I did a report on Bi-polar disorder in school after hearing many students claim to may have suffer from the disease, and what I looked up is nothing close to what they described. Bi-polar is one thing that is very hard to diagnoise. Because some behavior disorders are so hard to diagnose, doctors do not always get the right diagnosis, leading to some children with the wrong kind of medication. However, I do not think that medication is bad, however unless its abused for all the wrong reasons. If someone is really struggling, then maybe the medication may help you. I know for one, I had problem sleeping and the doctor gave me anti-depressents as a sleeping pill. It wasn't being depressed that was making me not sleep, my sleeping pattern was just very messed up. One of the pills made me drowsy and feel lazy and the other made me extremely alert and hyper. It all depends on the person, and its hard to find the right pill that works for you. Not everyone's problems can be solved with medication, but that doesn't mean you can't try it. So, point being said, there are people who have a natural chemical imbalance and must stay reliant on the needs of medication and there are those that can overcome it themselves. But however you chose, it's mainly up to you. I don't think the medication should be restricted to those who feel they personally need the prescription of pills. If thats what they think will make them better, then go ahead. But I would suggest toughing it out before jumping to conclusions. [/SIZE]