Aaryanna_Mom

Goodness, so many wonderful ideas! :catgirl: This is going to be fun! I'm going to start organizing everything that's been suggested and then I'll come back and repost with it. I'm going to start a thread in the Art by Request section for the main banner since we can always request more for the other sections once we are decided on a plan. Plus I think it would be fun to do as indifference suggested, give the artists total freedom, other than to request that it doesn't stretch the layout of OB. It would be interesting to see what names they come up with as well, or even a banner without a clear name would work too. Anyway, I'll do that and then in the next day or two I'll have the rest up since I want to make sure I address all the suggestions that were made.

Well I must say that I'm pleased we won this round. If only because like you mentioned Rachmaninoff, a loss would have put us in a tricky situation with Anomaly's status still being up in the air. And at the same time I like it since being tied means that each team has to work that much harder to achieve the final victory. And speaking of that I've been thinking about all that's been said over the two threads that were created and I hope you'll forgive me team but I do want to address what I think is a certain amount of unfairness being directed at Shy. Since everyone seems to be focusing on Naps the Cat instead of his original point. Myself included, I thought it was a joke and pm'd Shy who set me straight on what happened. Now I hope everyone understands since I'm going to be blunt towards everyone. First of all I think it's a bit sad that the thread got closed before more responses could be made, or rather before Shy could try to explain what he was getting at. And the following attitude or perception that Shy was being flippant or not taking the role seriously is misplaced. However on the flip side I think even Shy failed to take in account that he is always fairly serious, to the point, well spoken and doesn't usually joke around like he did in the thread. At least not since I've known him. So the whole tone of the thread was to be blunt unsettling. It was unlike anything that most of us are use to seeing from him. And as a result it completely derailed his thread and idea. So in the end both sides are at fault for it not taking off. Ours for assuming it was a prank and Shy's for not realizing that you can't turn around and be funny like that and expect people to get it when you're not the type to do that. And perhaps you are Shy, but I haven't been around long enough to see it. Not like Charles who's sense of humor would have fit that thread perfectly. I honestly had to read it twice to believe that it was you. Anyway, that's pretty much what I wanted to say. *hands out freshly baked cookies* Now no taking what I said personally okay? ;)

[QUOTE=Charles]This should have been done a long time ago, in my opinion. [url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=45153[/url][/QUOTE]I can see that I need to adopt you as well as Shy. :catgirl: I swear! And here I was thinking it was a new idea! lol Though I'm more interested in stopping automatic programs and not members which is why I was throwing out the number five since I figure a program has to be rewritten in order to do something else. So it wouldn't take much to stop those designed to join and only post a thread, no matter how many times it came back it would keep hitting the restriction until whoever created the spambot rewrote the program. So I guess in that case you would only need to restrict it by one or two posts to work. At least I think that's how it works. I'm not too computer savvy so I could be misunderstanding what I have read about them. And in the end what Desbreko explained seems like a good solution too. So I'm happy either way since my idea was addressed.

If you haven't already seen my suggestion in the Suggestion & feedback part of the boards then here it is: [INDENT]I thought it would be nice to have a type of newspaper for OtakuBoards. I did some hunting around and found that this is an idea that has come up in the past and then died down. Not from lack of interest, but more from a having a clear direction to take. So my suggestion is to make having a newspaper more official in the same way that Otakupedia is. Not necessarily with a link but perhaps a permanent sticky in one of the sections, like OB Anthology for example. And to realize this suggestion I already have a clear idea on how to go about it. For starters it would need to have a set format, one that would make it easy to do a publication and yet not require so much that it would never be done. The first format would be that instead of trying to do it weekly or even every two weeks, a monthly deal seems like it would be the most flexible. A report on interesting threads and things that have happened in the past month, to give an example it could be done in sections. Something like this: [CENTER] [SIZE=3][B]OtakuBoards Communiqué[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] [B]Entertainment[/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT][B]Community [/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT][B]Creative Works. [/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT] It could even have a section for say featured members who have either made contributions to the site recently or in the past, or one that fills requests from members for articles. Other than the basic idea, the possibilities are endless. I?d really like to see what people think since it?s something I can see becoming a permanent feature instead of an occasional one. One that I know I would enjoy being a part of.[/INDENT] Now I've started this thread since I'm quite serious about the suggestion, making a monthly newspaper a regular feature of OtakuBoards. By doing so I am of course offering my time in helping to run it. To do that I'd like to come up with a more firm plan since I'm sure many of you have great ideas for things that could be included with each publication. Once we work out a format as well as a plan I intend on requesting that either a sticky thread be made for it or a link. So now that I've made that clear, what ideas do you have? What do you want to see or rather read about? Are you interested in helping? Even if it's only to point out threads or things that you think should be mentioned in the next publication. Also, what type of name would you prefer? The one I used of OtakuBoards Communiqué is obviously just a suggestion.

Well I don't know much about how the site works, but what you've suggested Desbreko sounds like a much better solution for stopping automated spamming. And I certainly have no problem with waiting to see if something like that fixes the problem. [quote name='Darren]But even if they decided to do ECards, who would really know? I mean how would it help pull the community together since you would get the cards in private, and unless you publicized it in the forums, no one would know what it said? I don't know, it just seems like it would be way too much work when it's not really needed.[/QUOTE]Making it public isn't what I'm aiming for. It's something that people would encounter once they've been a member for a bit. Usually what makes a place great, whether it's a school or your favorite place to eat, is the little touches. Things that make the place stick out to you. You don't need to say to people, hey join OB since they send real cards on birthdays! It's more of a member getting one and realizing, hey they actually cared enough to try and do something a little nicer. And as any company can tell you, people talk about places that they like or standout. I'm sure that's true online as well. I didn't say it would help pull the community together. ;) Only that it helps to make a place seem more like one since not everything that makes a place great is visible. [QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=Indigo'] A good way to start on this would be to open a thread in OB Anthology and start collecting ideas from the members, to see just what people would like to read in a monthly newspaper so to speak and then go from there.[/COLOR][/quote]Ah, you're right, I should go ahead and start a thread to gather ideas. I'll do that immediately since I am quite serious about this and intend to offer my time in helping run it. Thanks for mentioning that. ;)

Well I don't know how things work behind doors, and I do think Shy has a valid point. However as James already pointed out steps to make the rules less restrictive have already been done. I even remember when they changed out a number of the stickies in the past six months, making them more simple and easy to understand. And in the end, trying to save someone who won't enable the option to talk to staff and only uses fake meow, meow, meow responses instead of English is what I've always understood to be a troll. I don't see any injustice since they knew exactly what they were doing. If they really wanted to be a member and throw in the occasional meow thing, that would have been fine. It was in my opinion melodramatic and totally unnecessary since they could have pm'd a member of the staff directly, and used English instead of this silly nonsense of running to Shy. Who I assume they actually talked to in English? Anyway, I was responding to it but the thread got closed while I was doing so. Which kind of sucked, but in the end I agree with everything James said. It's an issue that is already been addressed and I don't see a problem with over moderating either. I'm just glad no names were thrown out (like the name of the person who banned them) or I'd have to bonk you Shy and make you apologize. ;) Anyway, I've still been working on my idea though and I'll have it up either later tonight or tomorrow team. [CENTER]------------------------------[/CENTER] All right team, the thread is up. Sandy did not say that we were restricted to only one idea so I presented three that I have been thinking about. I hope all of you like the suggestions and definitely be sure to provide your own feedback on what you think of the ideas. ;)

If you don?t already know about it, recently both Shy and I were given an assignment. One from the [B]OtakuBoards Survivor 4[/B] RPG that is currently being hosted by Sandy. Basically as you can see here: [QUOTE=Sandy][font=Century Gothic][center][size=5][color=Red]Josh, the Timid Prince[/color] VS [color=Gold]Kathy, the All-Mother[/color][/size] [b]Mission:[/b] Start a [I]new thread[/i] in the Suggestions & Feedback section with the best of this community in mind. [size=5]DUEL!!![/size][/center][/font][/QUOTE]We are supposed to come up with something that would have the best of the community in mind. A suggestion if you will. And to that effect I am starting this thread since there are couple of things I?ve been thinking about that could make a difference. I have three things to mention so I?ll get started. [B]The Suggestion:[/B] Now I?m sure that all of you are aware of the occasional problem with what is known as spam bots. Automated programs that sign up at a forum for the sole purpose of posting a thread to either advertise or to post links to porn. In every case that I have seen, they have always followed the same pattern, one thread is posted and nothing more. Now I?m not really too worried about it since I?ve also noticed that the staff takes care of them quickly. But the thought has occurred to me, what if it was possible to keep most of them from happening in the first place? Which brings me to the suggestion, is it possible to limit people from being able to start a thread when they join? Now since I am not familiar with how the program for this forum works I honestly don?t know if this is even possible. But if it was, it seems like a very tiny restriction of requiring a new member to post in an existing thread so many times would get rid of the problem or at least help curb it. To throw out a number, say requiring five posts before one can start a new thread. Something that would help end the spam bots and yet not truly restrict the true members. [B]Greetings:[/B] This is my next suggestion, one that has to do with the e-mail system. Something that I thought about before it was made known that the system seems to be broken, basically it has to do with Birthday e-mails. Before the system had problems members were getting a very simple e-mail like this: (which is exactly what she got since she still had the e-mail) [INDENT]Hello Aaryanna, We at OtakuBoards would like to wish you a happy birthday today![/INDENT] Forgetting about the issue with the e-mail system, my suggestion was to do something a little nicer. To actually send an e-card instead of just a simple text message. Now again, I don?t know how feasible it would be to have something like this happen, or if it would require using a different service all together to make it possible. But it still seems like a nice idea. Even if it could be done by someone who was willing to take the time each day to simply send a pm to each member on the list of Today?s Birthday?s at the bottom of the forum. Since things like that are what makes a place stand out, that little extra touch that makes a site seem more like a community. [B]News:[/B] Now for my final suggestion I thought it would be nice to have a type of newspaper for OtakuBoards. I did some hunting around and found that this is an idea that has come up in the past and then died down. Not from lack of interest, but more from a having a clear direction to take. So my suggestion is to make having a newspaper more official in the same way that Otakupedia is. Not necessarily with a link but perhaps a permanent sticky in one of the sections, like OB Anthology for example. And to realize this suggestion I already have a clear idea on how to go about it. For starters it would need to have a set format, one that would make it easy to do a publication and yet not require so much that it would never be done. The first format would be that instead of trying to do it weekly or even every two weeks, a monthly deal seems like it would be the most flexible. A report on interesting threads and things that have happened in the past month, to give an example it could be done in sections. Something like this: [CENTER] [SIZE=3][B]OtakuBoards Communiqué[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] [B]Entertainment[/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT][B]Community [/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT][B]Creative Works. [/B][INDENT][information here on interesting threads, etc.][/INDENT] It could even have a section for say featured members who have either made contributions to the site recently or in the past, or one that fills requests from members for articles. Other than the basic idea, the possibilities are endless. I?d really like to see what people think since it?s something I can see becoming a permanent feature instead of an occasional one. One that I know I would enjoy being a part of. Anyway, that wraps up what I wanted to present. Hopefully at least one if not all of these ideas could be helpful for the community. And I thank you for taking the time to read it.

Daniel had thought that William was cautious, but even he had no idea just how cautious he was. Not only had he surprised him by having them sign up for a few classes that did not have Kerstin in them, nearly every thing they had gone to so far she hadn't even attended. Still, just as William had said there was quite a bit to pick up. Daniel found it almost appalling at how stupid some of the wealthy and politically connected were. Between the illegal business deals, to other more disgusting illegal drug habits to slave trading. It was unbelievable. And even then Daniel had felt stupid compared to William. Watching in amazement as he seemed to read people's minds, knowing just when to join conversations as well as how to position himself to overhear others talking in hushed tones without the others realizing that he was listening. It was no wonder that William was leading the Resistance, he was clearly good at a wide variety of things. It was a pity that what they had learned so far was pretty useless as far as the situation regarding Celestia and Jason went, but he was sure it would come in handy for other reasons. Daniel finished getting ready for the function that they would be attending that actually would have Kerstin there. And since it had been announced, he already knew that Darren as well as a bunch of other important people would be there. Including Sandra and Stevens. If he had his way, Daniel would not be going, but William had insisted. Even going so far as applying temporary alterations to their appearances and using completely different student ID's "[B]You about ready?[/B]" William called from the main room of their shared suite. "[B]As ready as I'll ever be,[/B]" Daniel said as he finished buttoning up the formal jacket and joined him in the main room. "[B]I'm curious about one thing though. Why did you make three ID's? There's only two of us you know.[/B]" "[B]Because the group we are impersonating when we provide our ID in order to gain admittance share the same room at the university and do everything together. I've gotten wind of some interesting rumors and the last thing I want is for our persona's to show up as being at the function. Should anything happen, a full investigation could spell trouble.[/B]" Daniel finished tugging on the outfit he was wearing, making sure everything was in place. "[B]William, just what rumors are you talking about? You know I hate how you keep me out of the loop for just about everything.[/B]" William just raised an eyebrow, "[B]Sorry Daniel, but I thought you would have realized what I meant. It has to do with Darren and those who wish him dead. It's no secret that Blaine Uratak despises him as well as a number of other's who lost quite a bit of influence and power when the three major shipping companies were exposed. It's not official, but my understanding is that Jared is heading the investigation, it's rumored that Blaine has hired assassins to take out Darren. And since they are being cautious and keeping him on the Creator, it only makes sense that if possible they would try to get to him here. It's why we are going as someone else. The security for this function is going to be much tighter than the others. And if something did happen, well since I arranged for the three to be indisposed, it will have them looking in the wrong direction. I've already got two of my crew impersonating both you and I. Making it look as if we are somewhere else for the evening. Besides, I have someone else coming along who will take the role of the third person.[/B]" Daniel just sighed. Feeling rather stupid. Even if he had been good at commanding a battle ship, he had never really been good at covert operations. Well unless they entailed an actual battle between ships. But this? In the end he could only admire William's ability to blend in, doing his best to be the annoyed friend who had been dragged along to Reflection. Something that William assured him that he did well. And later when they finally arrived and went through the security that just as William had said was much tighter, he couldn't help but admire how the other person who had come along blended in just as well as William did. Now, as Daniel stood near one of the elaborate buffets for the function along one of the walls, watching those who were already either dancing, chatting or wandering around in the huge massive ballroom, he did his best to try and avoid looking for faces that he knew. As well as avoiding the gaze of the security that was visibly present. "[B]Stop moping,[/B]" William teased him. "[B]Go and find someone cute and ask them to dance. Remember, we aren't here as our other persona's so it will look out of place if you do nothing.[/B]" Daniel shot him an irritated glance. "[B]You make it sound so easy.[/B]" He turned his back on him and headed out into the main area where others were gathered in groups talking. Mumbling to himself and not paying attention to what was going on. Until he literally bumped into someone. Daniel started to apologize until she turned to see who had bumped into her and Daniel saw just who it was and who was with her. It didn't matter that he looked different, or that the chances of him being recognized were non-existent. He froze just the same. Doing his best to not panic and immediately run.[I] Hell! [/I] [CENTER]--------------------------------[/CENTER] [B]OCC:[/B] Looks like I ended up posting before you did indifference. In that case I leave the rest up to you. Or at the very least the next part.

All right, I know I told you that I would have a post up indifference, but I've been caught up in researching what to do for my challenge in the Survivor game. So if you want to post first in regards to the Ball on Reflection go right ahead. Just be sure to leave any mention of either William or Daniel out of it since that would mess up what I have in mind. Anyway, I promise that I'll have a post up in the next day or two at the very latest. I just wanted to let the rest of you know as well, since I haven't gone anywhere. ;)

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink]Dude, "Trekkie" is not the preferred nomenclature. "Trekker," please. ; )[/color][/QUOTE]Perhaps now Trekker is the in thing, but until the media started picking up the word in the 1980's Trekkie's was what we proudly considered ourselves. And even though in the 1991 TV show "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special", Leonard Nimoy attempted to settle the issue by stating that the term 'Trekker' is the correct term...those of us who remember it from the beginning still on some level think of ourselves as Trekkie's. ;)[QUOTE=2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange']That's what I meant. Hardcore nerds are only recently big enough to be considered a social class. they used to be the occasional weired guy in your neighboorhood, but now they're extremely common, and you can find them all over the place (myself, for example, am a hardcore nerd more than anyone I've ever met in person, and yet I also happen to be well-known, as well as I know other hardcore nerds even at school.)[/COLOR][/quote]No they've always been considered a social class, much in the same way that Japanese Otaku are. The big difference isn't recognition but rather one of acceptance. It's becoming more acceptable to be a hard core nerd, regardless of what the medium is. Today, it's become a part of society that is no longer shunned or tucked out of sight. Parents are no longer embarrassed that their son has more interest in say anime than girls. People are being accepted for not having 'traditional' interests as far as jobs and activities go. It's a social class that was always there, if not in the form of Trekkie's or Otaku's then in the one of Hippies or Science nerds. And we no longer try to pretend that they don't exist. A social class does not need recognition to exist.

I'm sure all of you have these, moments where you did something as a kid that later you are embarrassed by. Especially when it's something that you did, but were too young to remember and your parents get a kick out of telling others all about it. Now for the most part I was pretty much a boring kid in that I didn't get into trouble, I didn't start fights and got along with most people, other than my younger sister of course. But apparently when I was about three that wasn't the case. I was far from boring as far as mischief is concerned. Now my family lived in a very tiny farming town in East Texas and apparently one day when I was three I decided that I was going to help with the chores. I got a bucket and took it to where the chickens were and then filled it with water. Now I have no memory of this, but apparently I took baby chickens and held them under the water until they quit moving. Naturally when my mother found me she was horrified, wanting to know just what I was doing. It seems that I proudly told her that I was bathing the chickens for her. I have no idea how I got the idea that they even needed baths, but apparently I drowned close to ten of those poor things before my mom stopped me. So now the question is, what did you do as a kid that was embarrassing?

Thank you very much for your vote of confidence in my abilities. ;) I may not have been here as long as some of the other people here, but I do have several ideas that I think are perfect for this challenge. Don't worry about coming up with something Rach, this is my challenge after all and it would hardly be fair to Shy if I was getting assistance. Though once my thread is up there's no reason why you can't add your input at that point. And speaking of the thread, it will be another day or two since I'm currently doing some research for it. Because like I said, I want it to be more than just for the challenge.

[QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=goldenrod]I'm sorry team. But honestly. Between the flag and the poem I feel like all I've done is let all of you down. I'm not going to lie and pretend it didn't depress me. I'm just glad Aaryanna_Mom is next since I remember the suggestion thread she did in regards to the Community Events a while back, during the Otaku Idol 2 bit. She's the perfect person for this challenge in my opinion since she's already demonstrated that she's got a good grasp of things that would be good for the community here.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]I wouldn't let it get you down. ;) After all no matter how good each contestant is, Sandy can only choose one. And based on what I know of poetry, both of those entries were well matched, so it could have gone either way. Anyway, seems like my challenge has already been issued. I'm going to take some time and think about it since I want to present the best possible idea. I want the thread to be more than just a means to win the challenge. I want it to be more than just a simple suggestion for this place. Because in my opinion something that can help this community is more important than who wins.

[quote name='Sandy]I understand the situation, and agree with your suggestion. I will make the necessary changes, and you and Shy will go next. There's no point in asking [I]his[/I'] opinion, since, well, I make the decisions around here. ;P[/quote]Thank you very much hun. I understand that you make the decisions. Though I wanted the Aces to know that I wasn't demanding the changes, after all, Shy may not have been able to switch to the next challenge. So I figured it was polite to ask both of you. ;) Anyway, thanks again. And hopefully by the time we get to Anomaly her computer will be fixed. It's easy for me since anytime mine quits working all I have to do is call Beth and she comes over and fixes it for me. So I've never had to send my computer away to be fixed, or wait for very long either.

Alright, here's mine for 49) Square: [URL=http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6020/quiltvt0.jpg][U]Quilt[/U][/URL] It took me a while, but I finished it. It's a throw quilt that I hand quilted, with a red fuzzy material on the back. And naturally when I went to take a picture, Aaryanna's dog just had to immediately claim it since she thinks every blanket in this house belongs to her. lol It was just too cute so I didn't bother to retake the picture. :catgirl:

I'm sorry to hear that about Anomaly's computer. And seeing that she did have a friend make sure we were aware of what's happening, it brings me to a request for both the Aces and for you Sandy. Based on your list here:[QUOTE=Sandy][font=Century Gothic] [center][b][color=red]BKstyles[/color] vs [color=Gold]SunfallE[/color] [color=red]Keyblade Wielder[/color] vs [color=Gold]Anomaly[/color] [color=red]Ezekiel[/color] vs [color=Gold]Aaryanna[/color] [color=red]White[/color] vs [color=Gold]Rachmaninoff[/color] [color=red]Shy[/color] vs [color=Gold]Aaryanna_Mom[/color][/b][/center][/font][/QUOTE]I am assuming you were planning on doing the challenges in order, which would have made Anomaly's challenge next. However in light of what happened I want to ask that my match with Shy be shifted to be next instead. Putting Anomaly at the end of the list. If that is acceptable with the Aces as well as you Sandy since I feel that since Anomaly did do her best to inform us as to what happened such a request is not unreasonable. Obviously if by the time we get to the last one if she still can't get on then the match would be forfeit.

"[B]I can't believe you choose such a silly name for your ship William,[/B]" Daniel said as he set his things down next his bedroom door in the suite they would be sharing while they were on Reflection. "[B]I mean of all names why did you have to pick [I]The Tryst[/I]?[/B]" William just laughed as he took a moment to head into his room and then come back into the main room. "[B]It's suppose to be silly. After all I am for the moment playing the role of a fool.[/B]" Daniel just snorted, "[B]A role that you play all to well, I swear it's as if you already know how the wealthy behave. Stuck up, irritating, pompous as well as being so sickening about finding true love that it's a wonder they let you even come here.[/B]" William smiled mysteriously, "[B]Well it's not the first time I've assumed this type of role you know. Or rather one of pretending to be a member of the wealthy class. I assure you my crew is well acquainted with it. Just as you and I will be playing the fools, they will be playing the bored crew running around while their silly employer amuses himself.[/B]" Daniel just sighed since the room, in his opinion was excessively fancy. With silk curtains and a set of expensive sofas and end tables in deep reds as well as carpet and a well stocked bar. Well, it was a good thing he didn't know how much the dual bedroom and main living area was costing them. Some how he got the feeling that it would irritate him, even though he understood the need. And for them to have a balcony that overlooked part of one of the bigger universities as well as the ocean was in his opinion a bit much. But William had disagreed, pointing out how the location was just right for someone to look for a perfect woman. He opened up the double doors and stepped out, surprised at how nice the view really was, and the university, he hadn't realized what a great view they had. Daniel could easily see those who were coming and gong from the main entrance since their suite was in the main Hotel across from the university. [I]I guess if William really was looking for someone, this would work beautifully. All he'd have to do is sit here and watch the people. [/I] William joined him. "[B]I see that you've discovered our view. It's not the first time I've stayed here. Though it was under a different persona. However, as expensive as this place is, being situated across from that university is ideal.[/B]" "[B]Why is that?[/B]" Daniel asked as he continued to watch the flow of people. "[B]It's simple really, families of high ranking politicians and officials get certain benefits when it comes to attending schools and such. As a result quite a few rich little brats are here attending school. But they aren't what interest me. What does is that as a result quite a few high ranking officials attend the social functions held here.[/B]" Daniel sighed a bit before turning and heading back into the main room and sitting down on the sofa. "[B]So that's why you insisted that I learn all those irritating rules as well as how to dance. You intend to attend those functions.[/B]" "[B]Correct, and I'll be dragging you along with me. It will take some time, but I assure you there will be contacts one can make.[/B]" William joined Daniel by sitting on the other sofa, facing him. "[B]Besides, I happen to know that Darren's sister is attending that school. I can guarantee that anything she attends will have the type of officials we are looking for.[/B]" Daniel just raised an eyebrow at that and leaned back. "[B]Isn't that a bit foolish? I mean, considering what you told me about the issues Darren is having, I would have thought that the security would be too tight. And I don't know about you, but what if Jared is there? Change or not he just might realize who I am. To be frank William, I think you're being a bit reckless.[/B]" "[B]I don't think so,[/B]" William disagreed. "[B]We won't be focusing on stuff that Kerstin attends, but on stuff that the school she attends hosts. There's a difference. Probably about ninety percent of what we do go to won't involve her or the possibility of seeing Jared or anyone else for that matter.[/B]" "[B]I still think it's too risky.[/B]" Daniel asserted. "[B]Of course it's risky, gathering information is always risky. But trust me, we'll learn more this way. It would take months if not years to pick up on what we will find out in the next couple of weeks.[/B]" William stood up. "[B]I suggest you start putting your things away since the first thing we will be doing is signing up for some classes.[/B]" Puzzled Daniel got up as well, "[B]Classes? Why would we want to take classes?[/B]" "[B]Because students are automatically admitted to any function the school is hosting.[/B]" Daniel just shook his head, "[B]Alright, give me a little bit and I'll be ready.[/B]" With another sigh he picked up his stuff sitting by the door leading to his bedroom and then he went inside.

Well this ought to be fun! I was hoping I would end up facing Shy. ;) And I see that the first duel has been declared as well. I had to look up what a haiku was since I'm not familiar with Japanese poetry though. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what both players write. Since writing up a poem to fit the structure you mentioned Beth sounds like fun! :catgirl: I may not be the one to face this duel but I'm already getting ideas on how one could write a hiaku to describe the competition. But since this isn't my battle I'll just sit back and watch.

[QUOTE=Anomaly]Oh Sandy. I loveth thee anyway, and I shalt never officially dispute any of your calls ;D Have another sunflower, on me. Oh I'm totally psyched for this challenge. Let's go get em, Sunflowers (haha, man it just doesn't quite have the same PUNCH as the Mercenaries did.. Oh well. Much love to it.)![/QUOTE]Now now, the duels are coming up and I for one am looking forward to who I will be facing. It should be quite fun. Since I wonder who they will pair me up with. As for the lack of a punch, I wouldn't say that, after all, the Incas used the sunflower as an image of their sun god. It is in my opinion a far more subtle punch than the more obvious one of the mercenaries. We are the warriors of the sun god Inti...[COLOR=#FFD700][B]The Sunflowers[/B][/COLOR]. :catgirl: I guess Sandy and the rest of you missed that subtle reference behind the name. If I had thought of it I would have had SunfallE include words on the flag along with the characteristics to make that clear. Oh well. :whoops:

No problems here either, especially since Daniel and William won't be arriving for about three to four days after the Conqueror and the Creator does. I figure that until they hit the border between sector six and one that William was traveling at full speed so they won't be that far behind them. Since his ship is faster than the flagships. Anyway...I love the new banner/avatar set you made indifference. ;)

So far they had cleared all the security checks on their way to sector one. Daniel couldn't help but admire how cleverly William had set things up. With his persona and the one he had set up for Daniel, they were hardly getting more than a second glance. William had secondary programs for everything on his ship, hiding the fact that it was faster that all of the military ships other than the newest messenger ship the Transcendence. Unless the inspectors took it upon themselves to actually board the ship and do a complete check by virtue of taking apart part of the hyper drive, they would never know just what it was capable of. And the way William had behaved like an irritating stuck up snob, gloating over how he thought it was the 'in' thing to travel on his own ship instead of one of the luxury liners was something Daniel knew that as a military commander, he would never have never guessed that he was more than an idiot. One who foolishly bought a freight vessel instead of one of the small cruise ships that the wealthy often got. It had taken no acting on Daniel's part to roll his eyes behind Williams back when he had been talking to the security at the checkpoint between sector six and one. Even his own crew had a hard time not snickering behind his back. And in the end, when they had finally been cleared to proceed to the next point where they would be checked, many of them had actually laughed. Especially when William had just grinned impishly and bowed mockingly to them before returning to his more serious and to the point self. Daniel sighed inwardly, [I]at least it will be easy to play my part of finding my 'best friend' annoying if he continues to act like an idiot.[/I] "[B]I rather liked how you were rolling your eyes behind my back there Daniel.[/B]" William said as he turned to face him. "[B]Uh..[/B]" William laughed, "[B]Don't worry about it, I expect you to behave like that around me when we are in character. As well as when we are not around others since we will not be staying on the ship when we get to Reflection.[/B]" William motioned to the side conference room. "[B]Anyway, now that we've passed the first security check I need to go over some things with you.[/B]" Daniel followed him into the conference room and took a seat, waiting patiently for William who was pulling up some information and securing the doors. Then a moment later the screen in front of where Daniel was sitting lit up, a picture of the High Council building was on the screen, with part of the right section highlighted. "[B]Now before that enlightening encounter with security, I received an update from one of my agents in sector one. Both Jason and Celestia are being kept in the High Council's main building. In the section I have highlighted. It's the one where they have their own personal research facility as well as other high tech laboratories. For now they've been handed over to Elite Commander Dakar who is overseeing first their interrogation. Then he will be responsible for the security once they put them to work in the lab. Something that according to the orders issued will happen as soon as the interrogations are completed.[/B]" Daniel interrupted him. "[B]Forgetting how you managed to get this information, just how in the hell are we suppose to do anything if they're being kept in the main building for the High Council? Dammit William! You know as well as I do that getting into that place is for all intents and purposes impossible![/B]" Frustrated, Daniel slammed his right fist on the table, shutting the screen in front of him off. "[B]What you've just told me is that I'll never see my daughter or Jason again.[/B]" Daniel fought to keep his voice steady, to ignore just how painful that thought was. "[B]What's the point in going if we can't even get to them?[/B]" William leaned back a bit before responding, "[B]I can't tell you everything, you know that Daniel, but I can assure you that there is a good reason for us to go. As much as I'd like to fill you in on the details, you already know far more than I ever intended.[/B]" "[B]You mean Kiva correct? Hell, even with her on our side, even with as much advance warning as she was able to give, they still caught Jason and Celestia.[/B]" Daniel sighed. "[B]I have every intention of dying before allowing myself to be interrogated you know that! I never go anywhere with out having the poison with me.[/B]" "[B]I know, and I'm sorry that for the moment our priority will not be on recovering Jason and Celestia. I still thought you would like to know where they are though.[/B]" William said. He wished he could tell Daniel about Erica, but she had her own plans as to how things would be done and even if she had technically handed things over to him, he had no intention of countering what she wished to do. And as much as he liked Daniel, he was a little to honest, if they ran into Erica on Reflection, not that he thought they would, but still. It would be better if he only saw her as a Council member. Daniel sighed, "[B]I appreciate knowing, really I do and I understand that we need to gather more information, that you have contacts on Reflection. I just don't see how that will help when it comes to Celestia and Jason. Though I'm sure it does help the resistance.[/B]" "[B]Correct, it will. And the more information we can get the better. Things have calmed down, in spite of all the attacks, in spite of how much trouble you caused on Earth. If we get the information I am hoping for, once we release it to the public, those will seem like nothing in comparison. I can guarantee you that it will take far more than cleverly discrediting what we released or countering it with the idea that the research in sector fourteen is not as invasive as we portrayed it as. It's unfortunate, but most of the people now believe that the research to make the lesser races more passive was exaggerated. That their intent will barely even change how the lesser races think or feel. But you and I both know that even if it starts that way before long they will make sure that the lesser races will barely even know how to think for themselves. You know as well as I do that technology like that will always be abused. It was forbidden for a reason and using it on the lesser races is no excuse. Just as what they are doing with the third research project is also banned. I'd love to expose that as well, but doing so would comprise Kiva and I have no intention of doing so. But if we can get a hold of the information through another route while on Reflection. That would be ideal.[/B]" Daniel looked away, "[B]I understand, and I'll do my best to help you in retrieving that information. I just wish that I could retrieve both Jason and Celestia and get the hell out of here.[/B]" "[B]So do I[/B]." William responded. "[B]Now, lets take a moment to review the information on how the wealthy behave shall we?[/B]" Daniel just groaned as William began to go over everything he had been required to learn. [I]What a pain.[/I] Daniel hated it. As much as he knew it was necessary, he still hated it since the more he learned about the wealthy, the more he disliked his own people.

Excellent work team. I've posted our results to the main thread as required for this challenge. :catgirl: I just love how all of you work so well together. I can't wait to see what the next challenge is going to be. And thanks again for your work in creating the flag and avatar's SunfallE, I love it!

[CENTER][SIZE=7][B][COLOR=#DAA520]T[/COLOR][COLOR=#FFD700]h[/COLOR][COLOR=#B8860B]e[/COLOR] [COLOR=#DAA520]S[/COLOR][COLOR=#FFD700]u[/COLOR][COLOR=#B8860B]n[/COLOR][COLOR=#DAA520]f[/COLOR][COLOR=#FFD700]l[/COLOR][COLOR=#B8860B]o[/COLOR][COLOR=#DAA520]w[/COLOR][COLOR=#FFD700]e[/COLOR][COLOR=#B8860B]r[/COLOR][COLOR=#DAA520]s[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE] [COLOR=#FFD700][B][SIZE=3][SIZE=5]Proudly Presents [/SIZE] Our new team flag[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/CENTER] [CENTER][IMG]http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a88/SunfallE/8%201%202006%20Storm/The%20Sunflowers/TheSunflowers04.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] [SIZE=3][CENTER] [COLOR=#FFD700]Along with [B]Kathy[/B] as our team [B]Captain [/B] Our new team color is:[/COLOR] [color=#FFD700][B]Gold [/B] Code #FFD700[/COLOR][/CENTER][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Anomaly]I still have to make one up @_@ I'll try for it tonight. You guys made freakin' [B]CUTE[/B] banners. Fo rls. Tough to pick! edit: mine is made and sent![/QUOTE]You all make the cutest and funniest banners. ;) I love all of them. Which is only going to make it harder when it comes to a final choice. Personally no matter which one we choose, I think the other team will never see it coming. You guys are awesome! :catgirl:

[QUOTE=Shadow Blade][SIZE=1][COLOR=SlateGray]However I come with a plea for help. [B]My partner and I have to do a debate for Stem Cell Research[/B]. Apparently we had to draw positions, and we're ending up drawing the pro-position. In other words we have to be for it. And I don't know what to argue with. But here are a few stuff we came up with. 1. It'll cure dieases. 2. Way better than abortion. 3. Scentific breakthroughs? [B]We need more stronger arguments[/B]. With the Finals, my attention span is all over the place and I need help. Plus I am not much of a science intuned individual. [B]I'd really appreciate your help if you could help me come up with some ideas.[/B] If so then my partner and I will forever be in your debt. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]For starters, it sounds like this is an assignment you need to be doing yourself. You've already got three points to use for your debate, research them and get the information you need to back those points up. Because in the end, your debate will go better if you are relying on your own research instead of what we think. I realize that looking things up takes time, but in the end you'll build a better argument than if you rely on the points we bring up. You'll get more detailed information than you would from simply reading what people's take on the issue is here. And that is the only help I have to offer, or rather that I will offer.