SunfallE

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I wouldn?t even know where to begin on that rant by Jen. On one hand I can agree with her as any form of obsession is rather annoying. And then on the other hand she?s just as obsessed as they are only on a different topic. Then of course there?s the why in the world does she even care? It has me wondering if part of her gripe is that she has to deal with a number of obsessed fans on a regular basis. Otherwise I have to wonder why she?s even thinking about it. I don?t know about the rest of you, but the number of obsessed fans of any type of thing whether it?s sports or the Japanese culture that I?ve run into has been very small. And even then 99% of them I rarely deal with. It?s a occasional see them around town type of thing. Hardly enough for me to even be thinking about it for any amount of time. Though if she?s having to deal with someone like that on a regular basis then I suppose I can see why she would be so frustrated. Otherwise, her rant is a bit over the top.[quote name='Panda'] Wanting to choke ALL cosplayers because just a few are over-the-top is another example of a blanket statement. I do find it quite funny and ironic that the person who wishes to do this wants to do it while cosplaying Darth Vader. I guess after choking everyone in costume he'll have to choke himself too. :p [/quote]Hehe, it is funny when you put it like that. ^_~ I?ve never been into cosplay, but then seeing as I like to dress up for Halloween I don?t see any problem with people dressing up for conventions. Honestly, it just sounds like fun and I?m sure there are plenty of cosplayers who are not over the top. And yes I?m referring to you Panda. ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]It?s been so long since I went bowling that I don?t even remember what my scores were. Other than they sucked that is. I do remember that it was fun even if a good amount of the time your ball ended up going down the side and hitting nothing. And seeing that there is a bowling alley less than a mile from where I live there?s really no excuse for me to not give it a try again. Now I just have to convince my friends to come along too as bowling by yourself seems like it wouldn?t be as much fun. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well to start with I was LDS/Mormon as it?s the church my parents belonged to and I was raised as a member. But then I grew up and went from being a member of that religion to not being a member of any religion. I don?t really believe in God and the idea of following scriptures which are suppose to be from God does not appeal to me. It was rather confusing since as a teenager I was never comfortable with the teachings of the church. It always felt to me like instead of getting their own answers they were relying on some outside influence that couldn?t be proven to guide their lives. Also as Aaryanna already mentioned, it?s a male dominated religion for all that they pretend they are equal. And I ran into the same problem she did when ever I questioned it. To this day there are members who knew me as a child and because I drifted away from being an active member they will literally turn their backs when I walk by on the street and act like I don?t exist. Now don?t get me wrong, I know that their pigheaded behavior is just them and not the church in general. But I still feel disconnected with religion and that applies to more than the religion I was raised in. Though I?m sure having my mother spend years using the scriptures to prove why I was evil didn?t help either. The end result, I?m far more comfortable being in-between. I don?t really believe in God and yet I?m not going to say He doesn?t exist as someone could prove me wrong. I?ve just yet to see anything that has me believing that there is a God. And until I feel on some level that it is real it just seems pointless to attend church and pretend I do believe when I don?t. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]I'm curious to find out how people learned about sex, what their schools teach about sex- especially here in the IS since thanks to our government you're really not allowed to tell kids much about sex. Something anything. What do you think about sex? What were you told? [/color][/font][/QUOTE]I learned about sex the hard way. At the young age of seven. Not because I wanted to know but because the knowledge was forced upon me. And living in a highly religious community who just didn?t want to believe things like rape happened at such a young age didn?t help either. After all their precious little teenage boys would never do something like that! I didn?t learn about it from school as sex education is pretty much nonexistent here in Utah. The idiots even willingly turned down millions in federal aid for the schools just because they refused to have sex education classes. As for what I think about sex? Not much really, other than it?s far more pleasant when it?s not being forced upon you. As for what I was told, it?s rather ironic as my mother tried the explain things speech when I was twelve and all we did was fight because I yelled at her for not believing me that I was raped when I was seven. [quote name='Raiyuu][FONT=Trebuchet MS] Is American sex education genuinely so bad that you learned more from [i]porn?[/i] Because we had it covered in cringeworthy detail at GCSE level - I think that's eleventh grade? - I say cringeworthy because I went to an all-male high school, with a female biology teacher. Up till that point I thought the verb [i]to giggle[/i'] applied exclusively to the fairer sex...[/font][/quote]I?m afraid so. Many of the more reserved states like Utah have voted to not have sex education in their schools whatsoever. And the ones who do use very lame comparisons like others have mentioned in this thread. And those classes cause more confusion than anything else. So sad as it might sound, many kids pick up more from porn than they ever did from school. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue] I don?t even remember what chapter it was when you made it quite clear that he?s one mean little shit.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] To be fair I don't remember either unless I actually go and look. :p[QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue'] Just don?t keep us waiting so long between chapters and we?ll be set. ;)[/COLOR][/quote]Well since you put it like that... ^_~ [B]Chapter Eight:[/B] The commander sat down in her chair on the main bridge as she continued to read what Jared had downloaded from Celestia?s computer. She wasn?t positive but it appeared that Celestia was using programming technology that was developed by their scientists. But the question was how could she have gotten such knowledge? She pulled up a screen and paged one of her men. The screen lit up immediately. ?[B]Yes Commander?[/B]? the man on the other side asked. ?[B]Nathan, I?m sending you some computer information. You have spent time on Earth and know the difference between our technologies. I want you to study this and tell me which scientists this style of programming is taken from.[/B]? The commander said. ?[B]At once Commander,[/B]? Nathan replied. ?[B]Sandra[/B],? Jared said. The Commander looked up to see Jared entering the bridge. ?[B]I took the liberty of acquiring medical scans of the human Jason for the doctor to study, would you like a medical report of Celestia as well?[/B]? he asked. ?[B]Yes, have the doctor go herself to obtain the information. Have you finished reading Celestia?s notes?[/B]? Sandra asked. ?[B]Yes,[/B]? he replied. Sandra got up and walked over to the main screen showing the Earth from space. ?[B]I find it hard to believe that not only does her game know how to identify us, but that her sketches of our uniforms are completely accurate, the energy configuration for a laser gun is accurate and her general story line actually matches some of our planets history.[/B]? Sandra paused for a moment and then continued. ?[B]I?ve sent her technical specifications over to Nathan for analysis as they too appear to match our technology as well. I want you to continue with the interrogation of both Celestia and Jason. Some where in their memories there must be a clue to how she obtained this information.[/B]? Jared replied, ?[B]Yes Commander.[/B]? Sandra turned back to face Jared, ?[B]What?s the report regarding the building?[/B]? she asked. ?[B]It was completely destroyed, the authorities on their world are convinced it was some type of accident and that both Celestia and Jason were killed in the explosion.[/B]? Jared replied. ?[B]I?ve also finished the investigation of the other energy signatures that are more advanced on this planet. None of them are a direct threat to our invasion plans. I can forward the report to request the invasion fleet at any time.[/B]? The commander walked over to her chair and sat back down. ?[B]I think we should still wait, at least until we finish checking out Celestia and Jason. We need to make sure there isn?t a resistance cell operating on Earth; I think the possibility that her information came from some one from our world is quite high. Celestia may have been being used by the resistance.[/B]? The commander said. Jared walked over and stood next to the commander. ?[B]The thought had occurred to me, it would explain why her information is so detailed. I?ll make the interrogations my priority and with your permission I?ll send down several level one scout teams to check into this further.[/B]? He said. Sandra replied, ?[B]permission granted to use level one scout teams, increase their report time schedule to twice daily instead of once, even if it?s a nothing new to report update.[/B]? Jared pulled out his hand held device and input the changes into the assignment. ?[B]I?ll get started on that immediately Commander,[/B]? he said. Jared bowed briefly, turned and left the bridge. Sandra pulled up the data from Celestia?s computer and studied it once more, looking for clues she might have missed the first time. Nathan pulled up the data the Commander had sent him to analyze. He had barely started going through it when he realized he might be in trouble. He sent a request for further information about the person who had written the program. A few minutes later the information about Celestia and Jason arrived. He was right! Celestia had been one of the candidates chosen by the resistance to help further Earth?s technology so they would be able to resist the invasion! But she had proven to be an unsuitable candidate, or so they had thought at the time. Her memory was supposed to have been erased! Clearly that wasn?t the case! Nathan read further through the programs she had created and surprisingly she had actually improved on some of the basic programming! Nathan cursed under his breath. If only the invasion had been postponed for another twenty years. At the rate she had been going Earth?s technology was on the brink of a major revolution! Now the real concern was if she remembered him. If she did the resistance was in for major trouble. If they found out about him and he was interrogated it would be a disaster. He was too far up in their chain of command and the information he knew could seriously compromise their operation. Although he found the thought distasteful he would commit suicide first. Too many lives depended on him. Somehow he had to see if Celestia remembered him. Fortunately he had never met Jason. Nathan continued to write his analysis of Celestia?s program, she was a lot smarter than any of them had realized so he was able to clearly state that although she was using programming developed by his world, she was also doing stuff that was not like anything they had ever done or anyone on Earth either. Nathan almost hated to tell the truth. The report would guarantee that she would live, but it would also guarantee that she would remain a prisoner for the rest of her life. And he didn?t even want to think about what they would do to her in order to extract as much information from her as possible. Nathan hated to admit it, but she was even more intelligent that he was. He would love to find a way to get her into the hands of the resistance. With further training she might even surpass some of the greatest technological minds of his world. Nathan made sure he included everything he had observed in his report. He knew that the best way to stay hidden was to never leave any details out of his observations. The worst mistake one could make was to leave out details as sooner or later someone would notice that you were hiding information. It was part of what made him so successful, he made sure to never hide details unless absolutely necessary. That way the few times it was noticed, it was dismissed as a simple mistake. Nathan continued working on the report, as he knew the Commander would want it as soon as possible.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]You?re views indifference so closely mirror mine that I could just about copy and paste your post and it would be one hundred percent accurate! ^_~ I adore RPG games, other types are a play occasionally type of deal as though they are fun they don?t suck me in like RPG?s do. And the stealthy bit, I?m the same way, I totally suck at it and get beyond frustrated when I can?t get past certain parts of the game. I?m the same when it comes to fighting as I dislike the need to use multiple buttons timed just right to pull off a move. Though some of that comes from having arthritis and to be honest the level of repetitiveness or rather of needing to hit the buttons so many times so quickly doesn?t agree with me. After all while that sort of thing just makes my hands hurt. Where the other type where it just works is a bit easier and I tolerate it just fine. Anyway, I?ve been hooked on RPG games ever since I played The Seceret of Mana for SNES and Zelda. My entire game collection is pretty much nothing but RPG games. Though my brother likes the racing ones and it?s fun to get together and race with him from time to time. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]And here I thought I had posted in a thread like this. Guess I need to fix that. For the most part it really depends on the anime as to whether or not I prefer subtitles or the dub version. For example some of the older anime?s like Sailor Moon and Samurai Troopers were so heavily modified that the only way to get the original is through a subtitled release as parts if them were never subbed. And to be honest the subbing that was done sucked quite a bit due to the alterations that were made. Now that subbing has improved dramatically I am finding series like Fruits Basket, InuYasha (which I watch occasionally) and Full Metal Panic have subs that are good enough that unless I just want to see the differences I don?t even bother to watch the subtitles. Or older ones that are finally being released like Wedding Peach that although older like Sailor Moon, have a decent dubbing for the type of show it is as by the time it was released in the USA they weren?t altering the anime?s as much as they use to. So I really don?t have a preference. Though if I ever get to the point where I can understand Japanese, I?ll probably just watch them in their native language and do away with both the subtitles and dubbing. But that?s a long ways away I?m afraid. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I?d like to remind people to stay civil in the discussion here. Your outburst [B]Red 6[/B] was completely out of line as you?ve been a member long enough to know that flaming other members is unacceptable. Just as using symbols to get around the swear filter is as well. [B]BlueEyedAngel [/B]has been polite and civil to everyone in this thread in spite of the majority not sharing his views. Whether they are rude on another forum or not is irrelevant. I took a look and if nothing else, they nitpicked him apart enough that one of their own members was banned for it. So lets keep showing them that here at OtakuBoards you can have different opinions and yet still be civilized about it. Any more posts like that will just result in this thread being locked. And I?d hate to shut down a thread that for the most part has done just fine.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom]In retrospect, now that I think about it, if they really are planning an invasion it would make sense to rely on a drug to verify any statements she made. After all I'm sure being tortured is no guarantee that you will get the truth out of a person, at least not without a lot of effort that is. So I guess it fits after all. I should pay more attention to the dialogue right? ;) As for the plot I like how you are developing the character I initially thought would be a major one. I?m getting the impression that he enjoys tormenting others. So I?m curious to read more to see how that goes. Even if he is a bit predictable I?m still enjoying the story so far. :catgirl:[/QUOTE]I don?t know about that, after all on some level it needs to be more obvious right? Otherwise you just confuse your readers and that?s definitely something you don?t want to do if you can avoid it. ^_~ It?s interesting to hear you say that about the one character. So far everyone I?ve showed it to has said the same thing. I?ll tell you this much especially since this next chapter is going to make it clearer anyway, you are correct, he does enjoy tormenting others. But as for the details?just take a look. ^_~ [B]Chapter Seven: [/B] Jason watched as Celestia was taken away through another door leading into the interrogation room. Although he was relieved that they were done interrogating her, he was desperately worried about what was going to happen next. As if he could read Jason?s mind the alien with cold eyes said, ?[B]You should be more worried about your fate instead of Celestia?s.[/B]? Jason controlled the urge to shudder as the aliens removed the restraints from his ankles and pulled him up. They took him into the room where Celestia had been and after removing the other restraints they proceeded to strap him into the chair. Once they finished everyone left the room except for the commander and the alien with the cold eyes. ?[B]Jason,[/B]? the commander said, ?[B]I trust you understand what will happen if you fail to cooperate?[/B]? Jason nodded his head and said, ?[B]Yes, I understand.[/B]? She looked into his eyes if measuring the truthfulness of his reply. ?[B]Good, then I want you to explain what exactly it is you do as Celestia?s assistant[/B],? she said. Jason didn?t waste any time, he immediately explained how it was his job to monitor the simulations and to organize the information into reports for Celestia. He further explained how it was also his job to prepare the documents that were given out to the press or to other companies once she had taken a look and approved the content. He was also responsible for responding to inquires and mail regarding her business. ?[B]In other words[/B],? Jason said as he finished explaining, ?[B]I?m basically her glorified secretary.[/B]? The commander picked up the hand held device that Jason had seen the other alien use to hack into Celestia?s program. She read it for a minute and then put it back down. ?[B]Celestia?s notes regarding your hire confirm what you have just told me. The real question is whether or not keeping you alive is worth my time.[/B]? She said. Jason felt a cold chill run down his back. It was true that he wasn?t smart like Celestia was, sure he was an expert programmer and highly intelligent, but for the most part her programs eluded him. Apparently the commander wasn?t expecting an answer as she continued by saying, ?[B]It says here that you helped Celestia develop the formula for the laser gun that would use a different energy configuration to disable our people?s nervous system. Your people are quite different than ours and I find it hard to believe you two stumbled upon the correct energy signature that would effectively attack our nervous system.[/B]? Jason was stunned! Sure he had a knack for configuring different energy signatures, but he had simply followed what Celestia said she wanted the frequency to be. Jason explained this to her. She looked at him as if she wasn?t sure he was telling the truth. Jason said, ?[B]I swear it?s the truth. It?s probably why Celestia hired me, as I?m very good with those type of calculations.[/B]? The commander set the hand held device down and walked around the desk until she was facing Jason. ?[B]For now I intend to allow you to live as well, I suggest you continue to cooperate,[/B]? she said. The commander turned to the other alien and said, ?[B]Jared, put him in a cell for now.[/B]? Jared replied, ?[B]Yes Commander.[/B]? He reached for the desk and called for some of his men to assist him in moving Jason. The commander spoke again, ?[B]And Jared, I?ve seen you watching this one, be patient, if you really want him, wait until I am finished.[/B]? Jared smiled, ?[B]Yes Commander, I would never go so far as to interfere with your wishes.[/B]? The Commander replied, ?[B]I know, I?m only asking that you tone it down a little this time as we can?t be certain how fragile humans are compared to us.[/B]? Jared replied, ?[B]Understood Commander, and I apologize as that did not occur to me.[/B]? The Commander turned to leave but stopped and said, ?[B]Before I forget, make sure the destruction of their building is complete.[/B]? Jared replied, ?[B]One of my men is already verifying that Commander.[/B]' The Commander smiled and left. If Jason had felt uncomfortable around Jared before, he found it was ten times worse being alone with him. He could feel that Jared?s cold eyes were watching him. Jason carefully kept his gaze on the floor as he heard Jared?s footsteps as he came closer. Even when he saw his feet in front of him he couldn?t bring himself to look up. Jason nearly jumped out of his skin when Jared grabbed his chin and forced him to look into his hard cold eyes. Jason tried to hide his fear but he knew by the look in Jared?s eyes he wasn?t successful. Jared released him and said, ?[B]You really are quite attractive, for a human.[/B]? Jason averted his eyes and shuddered. He had never been the type to harass others if they weren?t interested in him. His sister had once had a problem with a stalker. Although he had sympathized with her he hadn?t truly understood just how upsetting it really was. Never had he felt such a powerful mixture, of fear, terror and distaste. Part of him felt totally nauseous. It was so powerful he couldn?t stop himself from trembling. The door opened and several more aliens came into the room. At Jared?s order they released Jason and rebound his hands behind his back. They then forced him to follow Jared as they took him to a cell. Once they arrived Jared removed Jason?s bonds and shoved him into the cell before closing the door. Once again Jason nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized that Jared was still in the cell with him. Instantly he backed up until his back was against the wall. Some how Jason knew he was no match for Jared. Jason felt his heart racing, he began to sweat when Jared pulled out a small device and started walking towards him. Never had he felt such terror. Jason?s knee?s buckled and he slid down the wall into a sitting position. When Jared was only a few feet away he closed his eyes and tensed, expecting the worst. ?[B]Don?t worry,[/B]? Jared said. Startled Jason opened his eyes and looked up. ?[B]I?m only scanning you to get your biological information. The commander said to tone things down and I can hardly do that without further information about your structure.[/B]? Jared continued. Jason was speechless; he didn?t know what to say. A tiny bit of the fear left when he realized that Jared would most likely wait until he had analyzed the data before doing anything. ?[B]What about Celestia?[/B]? Jason asked. Jared looked at him and smiled. ?[B]Good, you?re not as timid as I thought,[/B]? Jared said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small hand held device, turned it on and tossed it to Jason who caught it. He looked at the screen to see Celestia in a room asleep in a bed like the one in his cell. He looked back at Jared. ?[B]She?s fine. She?s just sleeping as a result of the serum we gave her.[/B]? He said. Jason stood back up and leaned against the wall. Jared finished scanning him and turned the small device off before putting it in his pocket. He walked forward and held his hand out. Jason gave back the device showing Celestia sleeping. Jared turned it off too and put it in his pocket. Jason gathered his courage and asked, ?[B]Can I see her? Please?[/B]? Jared laughed. For a long moment he just stared at Jason, then he walked forward until they were nearly touching. Jason felt himself begin to tremble again; he fought it enough that he was able to stay standing this time. He looked into Jared?s eyes but the intensity there was too much and he looked away. Jared reached up and grabbed his chin forcing him to look into his eyes again. Jared leaned forward and whispered, ?[B]Continue to cooperate and I?ll consider allowing you to see her.[/B]? For a moment Jason was afraid he was actually going to kiss him or something like that, but then Jared let go and turned and left, locking the cell door behind him. Jason walked over to the bed and collapsed on it. For a brief moment he was overcome and shook. When the feeling passed and the trembling stopped he wondered if this was how his sister had felt when the stalker had plagued her. He vowed that if he ever got out of this alive, the first thing he would do is tell her how sorry he was that he wasn?t as sympathetic as he could have been.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]After following you two discussing this game I finally went out and got it. Especially since I like RPG?s. Now that I?ve played it a bit, I?m wishing I had picked it up sooner. Addicting is right! So far I?ve really enjoyed playing it. I really like the battle style and how you can choose to either focus on physical fighting or on using the symbology as a main focus instead. It?s nice how simple and easy it is to use your skills as like you indifference I like to just use a technique instead of having to jump through hoops to get a special move to work. I want it to just work! ^_~ Also after Aaryanna showed me her guide book for the game I went and ordered one for myself. I was pretty impressed with the level of detail that went into the guide and I can?t wait to get it and try out the customization and inventing once I get a little more money that is. Also, doesn?t Nel?s voice sound familiar? She reminds me of the character from Outlaw Star who played the female assassin Twilight Suzuka that ends up joining Gene?s party in that anime. And the guy Norton, doesn?t he sound like Katsuhiko Jinnai from El Hazard? Hehe I just cracked up when I heard his voice as he?s so crazy in that anime! Wait, I just checked and it is the same guy! LOL! No wonder he sounded so familiar. Hmm, and it seems I was right about Nel, it is the same person from Outlaw star. ^_~ Some of the other voices sound familiar but I?ve yet to place them. As for characters, Cliff is pretty funny and though I?ve only seen him in one cut scene so is Albel. Based on how his character is designed compared to the others I think it?s pretty obvious that he?s going to be around in the game. They don?t usually bother to put more detail into none playable characters like they did with him. Even before he spoke it was pretty obvious he was different. Even if he is a bit ruthless. Anyway, the two of you are so much farther along that I am. I?m not that far past my party?s arrival at Elicoor II as I?ve only had the game for a few days. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well for me the most important person in my life is my younger brother. We?ve always been close friends and when ever we are feeling down we?ve always been able to depend on each other to be there when we need it. The other person would be my dad. I can?t talk with him about everything as he really doesn?t get a lot of stuff. But he has always cared about me and tried his best to always be there. He often isn?t, but it?s not from a lack of trying. For the most part I don?t really have a lot of important people in my life. Just a select handful who when it comes down to it are always there and try their best to be understanding. The rest are just fair weather friends or family for that matter who vanish the moment anything becomes hard. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well my bedroom is rather boring. I?m currently living in an unfinished basement so it?s pretty bland and uninteresting. I do at least have nice curtains on the windows, but the walls are still cement and I?ve got a throw rug on the floor or else I?d be walking on cement as well. Probably the only thing that makes it nice is at least one wall is finished so it?s not open to the other half of the basement. Which by the way is pretty big. I have oak shelves along the other walls along with my dressers and such so it means that for the most part you can?t even see the cement except at the top. The nicest part is the room is fairly huge. I have my queen bed, my desk and chair. A recliner along with my TV and other stuff all in the same area and yet there is still plenty of room to move around. If not for the unfinished state of the room, it?s more like a large studio apartment as it?s easily big enough that you could add a small kitchen and bathroom and yet still have the other side which is equally as big available for stuff. The only drawback, it?s a bit chilly in winter, but that?s easily solved by the use of an electric blanket and dressing warmly during the day. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I?ll never forget my sixth grade as it was the year I had my appendix taken out. It was a miserable year since I was in pain for months before they finally figured out what was going on. The teachers thought I was faking it to get out of school and even my mom was skeptical since every time the doctor checked me they couldn?t find anything wrong. (we had a very poor doctor at that time as he was terrible at missing things) Finally about halfway into the year the pain was so bad that I passed out in school and was taken to the hospital. The doctor at the emergency room was far better and he figured out what was going on and I had surgery the very next day. So then I spent the rest of the school year recovering from the surgery since due to the nature of it they had to do more than a simple same day surgery procedure so I had an incision several inches long. At least when I finally did go back to school for the final few weeks the teachers had the decency to apologize for not believing me back at the first part of the year. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well since being a member of one does not require membership of the other, I?m sure there are members out there who are not a part of both. In fact, considering how many members there are at myOtaku it?s kind of obvious that not everyone has both. I know members who only have a myOtaku account and ones that only have an OtakuBoards account. I actually signed up for both on the same day. Primarily because when someone mentioned it to me I mistook myOtaku for the forum and only once I had signed up did I realize it was not only not the same but I didn?t even need to sign up for the other one. I didn?t even use it much until I had been a member for a while. Now even though I don?t update my myOtaku page as regularly as I would like, I sign into both sites usually every single day. Even when I don?t have moderation duties I like to visit friends sites over at myOtaku, check out the newest submissions, and here at OtakuBoards I like to read all the new posts. So though you don?t need both, I like having both as it gives me greater contact with what?s going on in the world of anime and among fellow fans. ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Welcome to OtakuBoards [B]Katamari666[/B], Please be aware that we have a rules page that all members are required to read before posting. These [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"][COLOR=RoyalBlue][U]Rules[/U][/COLOR][/URL] and [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][COLOR=RoyalBlue][U]FAQ[/U][/COLOR][/URL] can be found on the left navigation menu and the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52331][COLOR=RoyalBlue][U]Otaku Lounge Rules[/U][/COLOR][/url] are pinned at the top of the forum. You can also use the underlined links I have just provided. We encourage people to introduce themselves within their posts as they enter discussions throughout the boards. We would rather that than having a ton of introduction threads. For that reason I am going to lock this thread. When you re-read the rules page it will make more sense to you. If you have any questions please feel free to pm myself or another member of the staff. ~SunfallE [B]Thread Closed[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Farto the Magic][FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=DarkGreen] But how would they be killed cheaply and humanely? [/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote]I'm not sure about the cheap part, but lethal injection is suppose to be a more humane way of putting a dog down. Though unlike sticks and brute force, it does cost more money. Though I would imagine if they were to take in account how much they had to pay the people who rounded up the dogs to kill them it might not be as expensive as they thought it would be. Sure they get paid anyway since they are just doing their jobs, but it still leaves the question of how much time was paid for doing that particular task that could have been spent elsewhere. So they might have been better off just paying for lethal injections. Especially since other humane services have offered them financial assistance in vaccinating the dogs if they abandon the policy of beating them to death.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='YoukaiAlchemist']Regardless, I want to know what you all think. O.o What is causing these writers to see thier characters living and breathing in our world?[/quote]I would imagine that instead actually seeing their character that they wrote about, they are instead seeing some behaviors that remind them of the character. Which considering how many people there are in the world, isn?t all that surprising. If they were to take the time to really get to know the people they would find that other than say looks or the occasional phrase, the person isn?t anything like the character they are writing about. Seeing characters in the people around you can be a great tool for creativity as one of my English teachers once told me, that if you don?t see people saying stuff, then be careful when writing a story where they do. She was trying to get us to see that on some level it?s important to have a degree of realism in the actions and conversations between your characters in a story. And that observing how people behave by watching how they gesture, move and speak you can use it to improve your writing style.[quote name='YoukaiAlchemist]from what she told me, she was just out shopping when she spotted 2 people that looked exactly like characters from a story she wrote. One of them winked at her. O.o True, she does believe in some supernatural things, but this really freaked her out. I don't think she was expecting it. and I know she doesn't do drugs. ^_^ though thanks for the imput. Maybe it was overactive imagination.[/QUOTE]At this point she?s reading too much into the situation. It?s one thing to feel others look or act similar, but to cross over and actually think they are is kind of pointless and unrealistic. Sounds like she needs to quit thinking about stories and do something else for a change. [QUOTE=YoukaiAlchemist']o.O and I also keep the idea that it may still be a paranormal thing, due to the number of reports. though it could just be people that simply look like the characters. I'm sure it's happened before.[/quote]Reports do not make paranormal experiences true. Since one often uses common characteristics among real people to describe characters in their books, it?s not surprising to see people that look similar to what you might describe in a book. I would imagine that you can find all sorts of people that look like one described in a book. It?s a little hard to come up with completely original looks in a character as I?m sure you?re bound to find at least one person somewhere in the world who looks like the description. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]A year ago I was still working as a truck driver. If someone had told me that my life would change and I would no longer be driving along the west coast I wouldn?t have believed them. I suppose another thing that happened is my father survived having a serious surgery due to cancer that surprised the doctors as they didn?t expect him to survive. So he made some new records for the hospital by being the first person to be that sick and survive. So that made my life different in that it brought home the reality that someday either myself or my father is going to die and it just won?t be the same. Other than that not much has changed in the last year. Well other than being asked to be a moderator here. Though I suppose if my job hadn?t changed that wouldn?t have happened as I wouldn?t be around enough as I was only home a few days a month and getting online was kind of a catch a minute when you finally have access sort of thing as not all truck stops have internet access that you can use. So although I haven?t really changed personally, my surroundings and jobs have had a dramatic change. And since that includes still having my father around, it?s a change for the better. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Dare][size=1']As a future game designer, I was wondering what makes you play a game. It is the graphics? The storyline? What kind of game it is? Because your friends play it? A combination of these elements?[/size][/quote] Usually what grabs me into a game is the story line. I?m more into RPG?s so if it?s a fighting game or racing type of game, more often or not I don?t even bother to check it out as I don?t really care for those type of games. The graphics take a second place as a good storyline and interaction with characters is more important to me. Good graphics are nice, but not if the storyline is flat and stale and lacking in originality. Like indifference mentioned. Crystal Chronicles was beautiful, but story wise, very, very boring. Actually very few of my friends play video games so whether they play it or not doesn?t really matter. I do take recommendations from the few who do, but not very often as they like games like WarCraft and EmpireEarth. Those type are fun I suppose, but not really my thing. I only play that type of game when I?m completely bored. I?m also picky about the game play as well. I like it when games give you the option to do things either completely manual or have part of it handled automatically. I really don?t have the patience for lengthy button pushing just to get one move in. In fact I tend to avoid such games as all they do is frustrate me to no end. I also like it when they do like Tales of Symphonia and offer different levels of difficulty. Thus giving you the chance to have the game more challenging if you so desire. Or like Diablo II where defeating the first one opened up Nightmare and defeating that opened up the Hell level. (which I have yet to finish) Music isn?t too much of a big deal, though I do like it to at least have variety on some level. That?s another reason I don?t care for racing games, the few I?ve tried had about five songs at max and I don?t want to unlock them, I want to have them from the very beginning. Unlocking different courses and cars is fine, but music? Meh! It gets so repetitive that I grow sick of it and usually never play the game again.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Ikillion][COLOR=#99121c][SIZE=1][FONT=Comic Sans MS]You know, there are so many places on teh internets where you can "Obtain" Such chapter releases, although as much as I would love to tell you where you can obtain such material, I am unable, since thats against the rules and all... [COLOR=White]atleast on the main forum [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote]I know and I try to avoid scanlations if possible and go for the more legit sources. ^_~ I guess I can see if one of the more popular magazines for manga have it. I'm just too lazy to get one unless I know it has what I want in it and my bookstore keeps them sealed so I can't take a peek! Though I understand why. :animesigh Edit: Okay now I feel stupid I guess I should just ask for names because other than Shouen Jump and Newtype I'm not famalir with what magazines for this kind of stuff there is. I've just never been into getting subscriptions for any magazine.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Aaryanna][COLOR=SeaGreen]What I also loved is the art book for this series. I don?t have it but SunfallE does. (seeing that she?s the one who let me read her books as I don?t have any of the novels to this series) Anyway, it?s absolutely gorgeous. I just love the style and art of this series. My only question is that from the information I?ve read there is ten books in Japanese, but the list for release I?ve seen only shows six scheduled to be released. Though I suppose since the sixth book isn?t due till December, maybe by then they will have the dates for the other four out. Unless they combined ten books into six for the English release. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]Once I saw the art I couldn't resist as I too think it has beautifully drawn characters. And the art book is simply gorgeous. ^_~ I too noticed that the release only showed six books, I would imagine that they will probably let us know when the next ones are when we start to get closer to book six being released. I just can't imagine them combining ten books into six. Though that would be nice as it would make it much more affordable. Anyway, you already know I like it indifference since you're the one who introduced me to the series. ^_~ Once I saw the art and looked into it I got the first four books and when I saw the art book at a good price through e-bay I couldn't help but pick up it as well. Even if the story line is slightly predicitable I still find it a good read. It got easier to follow once I realized that the twins were easy to tell apart once you realized that one wore glasses. The first time I read it I kept getting them confused! As for Yuki/Ruki, she is a funny character. The one I like the best is Bishu even though [spoiler]he's not really in it as much as the other characters. [/spoiler]What can I say? He has such beautiful long georgous hair! ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I?ve started reading the manga to this series and ironically the more I read the manga the more I begin to dislike the anime for all the pointless fillers in it. Even the arch?s that deal mainly with the manga storyline are loaded with pointless filler episodes and it?s starting to get a bit ridiculous in my opinion. Enough that I've quit watching in on TV as it's just too annoying. So where are you guys getting the chapters you refer too? Are they being released in some magazine I can get? If not I guess I?ll have to wait for the next manga release.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]As sick as this is, it seems like lately you hear about more and more cases of this kind of behavior. I would have to imagine it?s because now cases like this are being reported more, not that they are happening more. Still sometimes it amazes me at how lax the law is towards people who commit such crimes. Some of the laws surrounding rape do more for the perpetrator than the victim. It?s like saying you were bad, a slap on the wrist and they are off to do it again. And the mother, well in some ways I feel she is even more responsible than the guy. Instead of leaving him or trying to save her daughter, she even participated! Someone like that has no right to even be a mother as she has failed to protect her own daughter from being raped repeatedly by this guy. It?s really too bad that they aren?t going to be punished more for the crimes both of them committed. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Charles'] Beating any living creature to death with a stick is one of the most savage, primal, and sadistic measures one could resort to. [/quote]That?s really my whole objection to this entire mess. Not that it might have been necessary to put the dogs down, but that they are beating them to death. It?s beyond cruel and really puts the whole country in a bad light to the rest of the world. There are better solutions and they don?t want to be bothered to even try. Even if it?s more expensive they could at least make a start and work on putting long-term solutions into place instead of this indifferent and sick attitude of lets just kill them all. This isn?t really an issue of whether dogs have souls or not but rather one of stupidity as short term measures like this isn?t going to stop rabies when there are so many dogs in China. Unless they plan on killing them all. And considering that we domesticated animals to be companions that?s just lovely that we go to that trouble only to fail to care for them medically and then not even have the compassion to kill them more humanely. No they?ve out right beaten them to death and as Charles said, beating any living creature to death is sick. Does anyone even know if China has tried to educate people or help make vaccinating pets cheaper? Honestly it sounds to me that they doing what they often do, kill and ask questions later, only this time it?s dogs instead of people. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][b]1 ~ What is your NATURAL hair color/colors?[/b] It?s actually a combination of colors from light blonde to medium blonde with reddish brown hair thrown in. [b]2 ~ Have you ever dyed your hair? If so, what color[s]?[/b] For a permanent color I?ve just used something that lightens it a little kind of like what happens during the summer. For Halloween or parties where you wash it out with shampoo later I?ve use pink, silver, purple and green. [b]3A ~ If you have, do you regret it? Has it damaged your hair?[/b] No I don?t regret it. It did damage my hair some, but usually if I put the right conditioners on it dying it made little to no difference what so ever on the condition of my hair. [b]4 ~ Are you satisfied with your current hair color?[/b] Yup. Whether it?s the darker blonde mix or the lighter when I?ve dyed it, I like both so I?m always pretty happy with it. [b]5 ~ What is your favorite style for your hair? [[long, short, bangs, etc]][/b] I like an in-between length. Not too short but not to long either, about a few inches past my shoulders. I have what?s known as a sensitive scalp so long hair, especially since mine is thick, just weighs me down and gives me a headache. [b]6 ~ What kind of hair do you like in the opposite sex?[/b] It depends on the guy as I?ve seen guys with anywhere from very short to long hair that looks good on them, so I really don?t have a preference. ^_^[/COLOR]