Horendithas

[QUOTE=iyami]There is a[B] huge[/B] problem with Plagerism on this website. Almost [B]every[/B] wallpaper and greeting card contains stolen art. This website says that plageism isnt tollerated, but if that were true, would you really let this happen? :animedepr i persoanlly know some of the origional artists,so this gets to me. You can find every solen image on either [url]www.we-love-anime.com[/url] ((which contains copyrighted Official anime images)) or [url]http://deviantart.com/[/url] ((which contains copyrighted Origional images)) :animestun Also: PNG format is now more common, and all around better than JPEG format, becuase it doesnt distort when i convert, but its still a small size. it would be nice if you could accept that format. Also, also: I have a verbal disorder, much more complex than dyslexia and much worse, and i dont feel liek its fair to take away my posting privilages ecuase of it, becuase even if i double spell check every post, ill still have errors.[/QUOTE] I agree with Panda. Besides I find it hard to believe that you have actually gone through every single wallpaper, fan art and e-card on this site. I?m not saying that plagiarism isn?t a problem I?m just saying that your statement is an exaggeration. I say this for several reasons. First saying you know the original artists is a bit meaningless as there really isn?t a way to prove such a thing online. Secondly just because an image is on a particular site does not mean that they own the picture once they post it. The only one who truly owns official art is the person who created it. For example I have scanned pictures from art-books that I have bought. Since I have the book and I have posted the pictures, it still does not make the pictures mine. They rightfully belong to the original artist who created the book. Third, since when were the sites you listed somehow free of plagiarism? I have seen wallpapers that I created and posted here at Otaku show up on deviant art. The person who stole it didn?t even bother to remove my signature from the wallpaper. Being a member of that site does not mean it is somehow free of people who steal others work. And if you are wondering I did report the stolen wallpapers and the people who run deviant art removed the wallpapers that were stolen from me from their server. Panda is right; if you can prove that something is stolen then use the report option when viewing a wallpaper. I have used this option many times to report items that were in the wrong category as well as ones that had been stolen. I myself reported one that someone stole from a friend of mine and the stolen wallpaper was removed from this site. If you want a site or community to be better run you have to take the time to get involved in the process, sitting back and complaining accomplishes nothing. As for your posting issues, well in addition to using a spell check in an e-mail program, and if your current e-mail doesn?t provide that service, hotmail does and it?s free. You can use a program like word as it works well too. [COLOR=Indigo][B]Okay now that I?m doing putting in my two cents so to speak I also have a suggestion. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I think an option to have different guest book styles would be nice. Right now they are pretty set but if you are changing how your site looks you might want something different. For example I would love the option where you could change say the background color behind just the guest book entries. I?m sure you could probably do this with html or something, but for those of use who don?t really understand html very well, it would be nice to have some pre-set styles to choose from. I also think it would be nice to have a preview entry option like you have the chance to see what your post will look like before posting it on OtakuBoards. I am forever making mistakes and it?s a bit of a pain to have to go all the way back into modify posts just to correct a simple mistake. It would make things simpler if you could look at your myOtaku entry before posting it. I've edited this entry five times before finally posting it so it's a feature I know I would use a lot.[/B] [/COLOR]

[COLOR=Indigo]First off I agree with [B]SunfallE[/B] and [B]visualkei[/B] as a pat on the back is what you deserve. It is extremely difficult to be faced with such a situation and yet still help them. There are several ways to deal with this. One is to talk with either friends or family members as it can help you to feel less freaked out over what you dealt with. Another is to do as others have suggested and seek professional help. Especially if talking to friends and family hasn?t helped you to feel less freaked out. There is nothing wrong with needing someone to help you. What upsets and frightens someone is different for each person. Such things no longer freak me out, but I?ll never forget how horrible it was when my brother was murdered, as I was right there next to him when it happened. I did end up getting counseling for that event but not for other things that I have seen. Most important is to do what you feel is best and to not worry over what others might think. Also I?m going to disagree with [B]AnimeFront[/B] a bit here as looking at more pictures that deal with gruesome death may add to the problem instead of helping it. So I would recommend not doing that, at least until you have had a chance to deal with the issue so you feel a little less freaked out. At least that is what I think.[/COLOR]

I think it?s a good idea. However you can also find e-cards in the concerned category that have a simple saying on them like ?Are you okay?? or ?I?m worried about you.? You could send something like that and then simply explain in further detail how you feel on the actual card itself. There are lots of poems about losing a loved one that you can find online that would go well with a concerned e-card. Or like you said, Hallmark has some nice ones as well, though their selection is a bit small.

[COLOR=Indigo]I?ll just explain the ones that bother me the most. 1. [B]People who think gangs are cool[/B]. Nothing infuriates me more than this. In my opinion there is absolutely nothing cool about being in a gang and being a part of the stupidity that seems to go along with it. I have no patience for those who either join a gang to get or sell drugs or participate in the drive by shootings and gang wars that tend to break out. 2. [B]People who break the law[/B]. Primarily people who break the smaller laws and think nothing of it. Like speeding or stealing other?s work online and posting it elsewhere as if they did all of the work. The attitude that it?s just small stuff so there?s nothing wrong with it really irritates me quite a bit. It?s easy to say that until you are the one that people steal from. 3. I agree with Panda on the one about [B]people who abandon pets[/B]. Where my parents live a lot of people have the attitude of never fixing their pets and getting rid of them when there is to many. Or like she has said where they get tired of the new pet so they drop it off somewhere. I?ve lost count of the times I?ve found poor half starved to death dogs and cats. If ever catch someone dumping their pet I can assure you I?ll be beating the heck out of them for being so irresponsible and stupid. Or maybe I should drop them off somewhere that is hundreds of miles away from any civilization and see how long they survive. I could easily list several more, but these are the ones that annoy me the most.[/COLOR]

Ah, Halloween, one of my favorite days of the year for so many reasons. I have always loved this holiday. Not only is it my Birthday but the idea, even if it?s not the original reason why it?s a holiday, of the dead coming back to life is kind of creepy and fun at the same time. Where my parents live back home the entire town is totally into Halloween. You can?t drive anywhere in town with out seeing decorations all over the place. It kind of reminds me of the movie Hocus Pocus as they really go all out. They are so into it that once evening hits pretty much everyone is dressed up and either out trick-or-treating or at a Halloween dance or party. It may be a small town, but its just lots of fun. It really is magical as seeing someone in regular clothes in the evening is rare. So you feel like you?re in another world altogether. I?m always sorry when it?s over and I?m even more sorry that I?m in another state attending College, as they don?t do very much here. The only definite tradition my family has is that if possible we all get together to visit a haunted house or explore a corn maze together.

I personally think that a curfew for minors is an excellent idea. Many of the cities here in Utah already have one. For example here?s the info on the curfew in the city of Provo [B][URL=http://www.provo.org/index.php?module=ibcms&func=print&fxn=ppd.Curfew_main][COLOR=Indigo]Curfew Law[/COLOR][/URL][/B]. I don?t know if it is effective in preventing crime or not though. My experience with minors who stay out late has been that a lot of times they are just getting into trouble. Or even though they are just having fun a lot of times they don?t think about the time and are really quite noisy. And as the info about the curfew states a lot of the crimes that are problems here in Utah happen during the early morning hours. Though I also don?t know if that is true either. If I were a parent I would not want my kids running around during the middle of the night. It may be unfair, but how many other laws have been implemented because of people causing trouble. As a result everyone else has to follow the laws because of a small percent of people who refuse to do so. Kind of annoying but if people didn?t break the law there wouldn?t be a need to consider having a curfew.

[QUOTE=SunfallE] For me my favorite season has always been fall. I just love the autumn colors and I usually spend as much time as possible going out and visiting the mountains to take pictures and do some hiking. I have always loved Halloween and the Thanksgiving holiday as well. Perhaps it has something to do with my birthday being in the month of October as I grew up having fall and Halloween themed birthday parties. Even once all the leaves have fallen and the once green grasses turned brown up in the mountains, fall still seems to hold the charm of an enchanted place waiting for the right moment to come alive again. I have also always loved how the leaves dance across the land in the wind as if they are celebrating being free to roam the earth. I love windy days in the fall and could easily spend hours listening to the sound of the leaves dancing. [/QUOTE] Fall has always been my favorite season as well. The crisp clean autumn air, the changing colors and I too love the sound of leaves dancing in the wind. If I get the chance I?ll spend nearly the entire day outside if it?s windy on a fall day. It?s just so relaxing to listen to the leaves as they dance. My birthday is in October as well. I know that yours is today October 1 so Happy Birthday. Mine is the 31 of October on Halloween. I grew up having fall and Halloween themed birthday parties as well. What I really like is all the fall decorations that people put up, Christmas decorations are nice but they just seem so commercial to me where autumn decorations seem to celebrate the beauty of life itself. I always put up lots of preserved fall leaves and fake silk ones around the house, as I just love how they look. Winter is a mixed one for me. I do love how snow looks and how beautiful it is, but other than a brief time I hate the cold that goes along with it. And Utah tends to just be cold in the valleys with all the snow in the mountains. My idea of snow is to have one glorious week of being buried in snow around Christmas time and then going right back to either autumn or spring like weather. Spring, well where my parents live back east is absolutely beautiful with all the flowers and greenery so to speak. And summer would be more fun if it wasn?t hot. Though the worst part is out here in the dry climate of Utah you get sunburned all to easily. I don?t back east but it?s more humid where my parents live so maybe it?s because your skin isn?t dried out like it is out here.

I am not surprised that Bush thinks a war on Porn is a good idea. After all, why choose to spend the nation?s money on a real problem when you can go after something that in my opinion is not a problem. Unless you are talking about getting rid of Porn that involved people who are not old enough, I have no problem with money being spent to protect children. But to attempt to control what adults like to watch just because it does not fit in with their narrow-minded views is sheer stupidity. I just can?t agree with it as there are so many real problems that need the money. Like victims of the recent hurricanes and homeland security and crime, additional funds are desperately needed for these issues. Porn has been around for centuries and it?s not likely to change. And with today?s technology any adults can simply make their own videos if they wanted to. I will never understand why Bush seems to be so fond of attempting to force his own moral values on others. I personally think that whether or not people make or watch Porn is their choice. So long as they are adults that is. [QUOTE=Circéus]I bet you that'll be like those who ended up sued on the issue of music rights. As for my personal opinions, I happen to have [I]just[/I] read a magnificent rant that sums it up better than I could ever even hope too. A great read. [url]http://www.livejournal.com/users/evilgmbethy/172196.html[/url][/QUOTE] That is a very nice rant. Though I think a warning in your post that it contains swearing would have been a good idea.

I have been wondering about this as well. I have been a member for just over two months and so far everything has run just fine. But starting yesterday all three sections of Otaku have not only run terribly slow, but most of the time the pages simply will not load. As every other site I visit runs just fine I have been wondering why this site is not. Even just to reply to this thread has taken me over 15 minutes as the pages keep messing up and I have to start over.

Well I am definitely impressed with both pictures. Excellent work by both of you. [B]Sun[/B]: What I like most about your picture is the soft background picture at the beach. Although the text on the photo does fit the color scheme quite well it feels a bit off as the words are a tiny bit blurred when I look at them. I also do not care for how the m at the end of materialism touches the border causing it to look slightly merged with the outer border. I also do not care for the yellow dots or bubbles in the corner as they don?t seem to fit with the color scheme to me. Though I think they aren?t really enough to complain about as overall it?s very well put together. [B]Ozmandius[/B]: Although it is an obvious display of materialism, it is put together quite well. The receipt in the background really brings the rest of the items together. What I don?t care for is the two-dollar bill in the corner as it appears crumpled a bit and it is resulting in some blurring of the picture. I like how you combined more than one type of currency for representing materialism, as it seems to me to imply that materialism is not restricted to just one form of money. The words are nicely placed except for the word end as the picture of the coins distracts from the letter n. Still overall an excellent job. It?s a bit hard to choose as both pictures have a nice feel and flow to them. In the end I vote for[B] Ozmandius [/B] as their picture seems to capture the theme of materialism a bit better than the other one does.

[IMG]http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7427/imagecon015yy.jpg[/IMG] Colors: Purples and Black Words: Imagination is more important than knowledge

[QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium] A) Which aspect of OtakuBoards do you find to be the most negative/confusing? [/font][/QUOTE] Over all there isn't much that I consider negative. Sure there are members who post just to annoy others or to play the martyr or victim, but so far I've been impressed wtih how the moderators step in and keep it from getting out of hand. [QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium] B) What is your favorite aspect of OtakuBoards? [/font][/QUOTE] I really like how there is actually conversations instead of just pointless spamming which seems to be so common at other forums. And I really like how there are sections besides anime, like Otaku Lounge, so you can discuss lots of different topics. I also like how the avatars and signatures are done. I've been to sites where they don't put a limit on the size and as a result it is utter chaos as members will use pictures in their signature that take an entire page. The way it is done here lets you personalize your posts without distracting from the actual topic.

I?ve seen other myOtaku users sign up for a different webservice that is free to build their own site regarding different things like stories they have written, art they have drawn, etc. If such a thing is not going to be done here you could do what others have done by building a seperate site about your collection and then providing a link on your myOtaku page so visitors could go and check out your site if they so desired.

I just got Tales of Symphonia a few months ago and having finally beaten it I am now on my second time through. So far I?ve really enjoyed playing it. I really did like how the plot took a twist as it gave the story a lot more depth. I knew something had to happen as how could you be at the end of the initial quest and still only be on disk one? As for favorite characters in the game I really adore Zelos and Lloyd. I really love playing as Zelos with his womanizing ways and Lloyd?s endless hope is kind of endearing. I really like the battle system as you can spend a lot of time getting your timing right for techniques or you can partially turn it over to being automated when you aren?t in the mood to attempt to get every little move right. I really dislike games that don?t give you a choice regarding this type of battle system. Some of my favorite moments in the game are in the various side quests you can do. They really are quite a bit of fun to do.

I am with Panda on this one, what makes one afraid differs quite a bit from person to person. I also agree with elfpirate as some fearful experiences give us more courage to face things. I wouldn?t say that being afraid to ask someone to go on a dance is trivial as the fear of rejection can be really quite powerful for some people. I?ve had some experiences in my life where I could have been killed and truthfully they scared me quite a bit. But it didn?t stop me from continuing to live my life. Like elfpirate I?ve ended up gaining more courage after experiencing what I did.

I've always thought that fortune cookies were kind of fun. Even if the sayings in them were on the cheesy side. And they are quite yummy to eat. Though the one I got last time said I would soon meet the woman of my dreams. Kind of amusing as I usually date guys and not other girls.

If I had to choose I would keep my dreams. I have no real desire to find the love of my life so to speak. Dreams are the very essence of who I am and no love could ever replace that. Perhaps in the future I would want love, but isn?t that a dream in itself? People long and dream of meeting the perfect love in their life at one point, so by keeping my dreams I not only keep who I am but I can still love if I choose to do so. If I gave up my dreams, I would be giving up everything and to me that is not love. I could never ask someone to do that for me, nor could I expect someone else to do so for me.

I am fairly calm and rarely get upset. It usually takes something on the serious side to get me angry. Or something that is ridiculous and it downright annoys me. For example several months ago I saw a man driving with a cell phone. He was clearly not paying attention to his driving and he sideswiped a kid on a bicycle. Fortunately it was on a lower speed limit street but the kid did end up with some pretty painful bruises and bumps. What got me angry was that he got out of the car and started yelling at the kid. He was pretty out of control and hadn?t realized that he had strayed to the side into the designated bike lane. I took a picture of the scene with my cell phone as the guys back tire was on top of the bike and it showed quite clearly that he was driving in the bike lane and that the kid was not at fault. I then called the police as this guy was actually threatening to sue the poor kid. I mean he was only 12 so the poor thing was in tears. After I did that I went over and pretty much did some yelling of my own to get him to back off. I think he thought I was the kid?s mother as he actually did back off. It was fun to see his face though when I showed the police the picture in my cell phone and he realized that he was so in trouble for hitting the poor kid.

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]Well, I can't really speak for others regarding their policies on letting people use their work, but I wouldn't think anyone would care. Considering that the whole point of submitting them in here is so that others can use them and all. So yeah, I'd say go ahead and use one as a custom avatar if it didn't get added to the archive or is still pending. Also, I add avatars kind of sporadically -- basically, "when I feel like it" -- since it's not exactly a high priority thing. I try not to let too many pile up before doing an update, but sometimes it'll be a while before some submissions get added, so don't think something was rejected just because it hasn't been added yet. Most of the time I'll make a post in here whenever I add new submissions (such as my post before this), to keep people up to date on which have been given the yea and which the nay, and anything after that post will be left until the next update/post.[/color][/QUOTE] Thank you for answering my question. After I posted it the other day I realized that I could simply ask the person who made them directly. Their answer was similar to yours as they replied that the whole point of submitting them was for others to use them. I still appreciate you taking the time to reply, as I was a bit uncertain regarding the policy on using them. Though upon reflection I realize that I probably didn?t need to ask. I am quite impressed with all the kind assistance I have recieved from fellow members here at OtakuBoards. Thank You. Till later. indifference

I have a question regarding the avatars. If you see one that you like and it either didn?t get approved or you don?t know if it has or not, for example the most recent post of DNAngel avatars, it was posted today and I do not know how long it takes for someone to decide if they are going to be used or not. Well basically I was wondering if you had to wait or can you go ahead and use one that you like? I am assuming that by posting the person is who made them expects others to be able to use them. I ask this, because I like the DNAngel ones and would like to go ahead and use one of them.

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][COLOR=teal]I sincerely apologize in advance if I offend anyone in this post, but I feel this needs to be said before things get worse. OB has always boasted quality. Posts, organization, and members even, all have a standard of quality. I think this graphics contest should be no different. That being said, I think the lack of votes for the Young Cheezay and Sean match is due to the very poor quality of both entries. Sure, you can vote and say which one is better, but even then, it gives you a dirty feeling since neither entry deserves recognition of any kind. I'm sure Young Cheezay and Sean are great artists, and if not, have the ability to become great ones if they keep working on it. Their submissions (READ: not them) are wretched and, IMO, unacceptable in something titled as "[B]Otakuboards[/B] Graphics Tournament." Also, I don't think either artist conveyed the theme well enough for them to be valid.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] I am in complete agreement with AzureWolf as I too was very surprised at the lack of quality in Young Cheezay and Sean's work. Many of the others clearly put a lot more effort into creating their pictures for the contest. If a member doesn't seem to be putting the effort into the picture then perhaps they should be removed from the contest. Though I think they should be given a chance to try again first, and if you have a repeat of either no votes or comments indicating disastifaction with the entries then give someone else a chance to try.

I found both of these pictures on the disappointing side. [B]Cheezy:[/B] Your picture does seem to connect to the concept of childhood, but it looks terrible. I also do not care for the words, as they are too plain without some type of effect or graphics. The white background is also quite distracting and makes the picture seem to clash. Overall the picture and words do not seem to flow together in any way. It?s a good idea, but it seems to need something to connect it together. Right now they don?t even seem related. [B]Sean: [/B] I really do not care for your picture either as it doesn?t really seem to connect to childhood either. However as a simply abstract the vertical lines running through the center spiral do give the impression of something that is constantly interrupting the basic circle of everyday life. The words also fit that theme as they too are interrupted by the lines, but they are a bit distorted and difficult to read. The colors also clash a little bit and the picture does not seem to have any flow to it. Please do not take it personal but right now both pictures seem to be lacking to me. If I had to pick one as they are now I would choose [B]Sean[/B] as even though it needs work it does at least fit together a little bit better than [B]Cheezy?s[/B] work does. Therefore my vote goes to [B]Sean[/B], though I think another attempt at this theme would be better as I was not really happy with either one.

First off I will say that I think both pictures are nicely done. [B]Katana:[/B] I really like the abstract feel and darkness of the background as the character is falling out of the picture. It?s as if he tried to fly and failed and is reaching for something to save him. I do not care for the words in white, as they are too neat and orderly for this picture. The effects on the words falling and flying fit this piece much better as they seem to be being affected by the falling. Definitely nicely done. [B]Revue: [/B] I like how your picture has a cute and whimsical feeling to it. The colors flow nicely together and everything was placed quite nicely to give the impression that the plane is literally pushing the very air aside as it falls. I do not care for the words as they are on the small side and a bit blurry making it a bit more difficult to read. I also did not care for the dots and vertical lines, as they seem to distract from the soft nature of this picture. I do like the clouds and the little house and truck as they fit the whimsical feel rather well, though a bit too clean for my tastes. Overall I am impressed with both of these pictures. Both are very well done. I liked the darker abstract feel of [B]Katana?s[/B] picture a little bit better,so my vote goes to [B]Katana[/B].

Personally I think that the Lunar series is one of the best anime games ever made. I especially liked Lunar 2 Eternal blue, as the characters themselves were very entertaining and quite loveable. I also liked how they incorporated over an hour of beautifully done anime cut scenes throughout the game. It really gave life to the characters. Another one that I think is quite excellent is Tales of Symphonia. The flexibility of the characters made it quite fun to play and entertaining as depending upon which character you choose to control it would change the responses you got from the various players and townspeople through out the game. It also was fun, as building trust with the different characters would change which person was by your side for important events. Giving you seven variations on how the story would finish. The basic ending was the same but interactions between Lloyd and the others would vary. And some of the side quests were absolutely hilarious to complete.

[quote name='AzureWolf][COLOR=teal']That's basically what a messenger bag is... Aren't they wonderful? I admit that you can't overpack them like you can backpacks, but in college, you really never need to pack them with ALL of your books like you did in highschool.[/COLOR][/quote] Thank you for the clarification. Where I live I had never heard the term messenger bag before. Or if I did hear it I have forgotten it. Here that type of bag is equally used by both genders. They are considered to be like backpacks and for everyone. The only thing that might distinguish one as being more for a woman or vice versa is perhaps the color as I have seen bright pink designs and more masculine ones made out of leather. I have yet to see one with an anime design on it though. That would be kind of fun and unique. Well unique for this area that is.