Allamorph

[quote name='Shy][size=1']But we put it up to a member vote, and the vast majority voted 'no' so...[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]You keep repeating this like I'm somehow unaware. :p Anyway, I already said I didn't care either way. So I'm just going on again, like usual.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Purple stuff. Also Sarda's a total jerk. Very clever of Thief to get the meddlesome group out of commission that way, though. Now we just wait for them to come back at the most inconvenient time, since that's what they're good for. And where the deuce are White Mage and Dragoon?[/FONT]

[quote name='Shy][size=1']I don't see a potential for abuse here, but also I just don't see a need for it, either.[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Neither do I . . . which is why if it doesn't work for us it won't be terribly painful to discard. I think this feature is akin to the double-posting decision in the Anthology. I was initially against it because I didn't see a need for it. But so far as it has been in implementation, it hasn't done any harm and if it did we could easily recant the decision. Same with the increase in banner width and height even farther back, to which I was also initially opposed for the exact same reason?and with the exact same effect. After seeing the former rule-change in practice in the months following its implementation, and remembering the latter, I began to feel decidedly blue-haired about my stances. Really, I don't think "it's not necessary" is a good enough reason to discard an idea. Let it run for a while. If it works, no harm done. If it doesn't, nix it, no harm done. Neh?[/FONT]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium]Dagger is essentially right - I think we are all sort of coming at this with way too [much'] cynicism....[/font][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Ironic that one of the more cynical members, then, is sort of defending it. Well, I'm not, really, but I [I]am[/I] willing to give it a run. Like I said before, I think our member base is mature enough to handle the reps system. Given the large amount of people who are descrying the popularity-contest nature, I don't think we have to worry about popularity contests at all. Plus, you never know 'til afterwards.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Hmm. [QUOTE][I][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]?They look happy.? I was devastated. He was innocent, they cared not.[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] [QUOTE][I][FONT="Tahoma"]A tiny smile, they were thrilled. An invaders flag, my heart sank.[/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] I saw these four entries and shrugged. Easy format, easily replicated. A does B, C did D. The problem with these entries, I think, is not so much the format, though, but that they try to encompass too much. Looking at each one, I see two events mentioned which means that each contestant was in essence attempting to evoke twice as much imagery in half the amount of words. And that's insanely hard, especially when you limit yourself to complete clauses. Consider again the example I gave [COLOR=DarkRed]chibi-master[/COLOR]: [B]For sale: baby shoes, never worn[/B]. That's six words, a fragment (headline, really) and most importantly, [I]one event[/I]. Reducing the focus to that one event allows you build just a touch more around it just by having twice as many words available to you. Take, for instance, [I]"A tiny smile; they were thrilled."[/I] The obvious lead here is an infant, and that may very well be . . . but why the people around are thrilled is left ambiguous. It could be that the infant merely smiled, or it could be that the infant was in danger of dying shortly after birth, or it could be that something happened to the the infant's parent and it is the rest of the family taking comfort in that tiny smile. [I]Or[/I] it might not be an infant at all. It might be a person who has never smiled before in their life; or someone who has gone through a terrible traumatic experience or loss and has been ensconced in desolate emotions for an unhealthily long time, and has just now responded to friends' attempts to ease whatever pain was there. It's not definite. Hemingway's was definite, and captured more than just the surface event. He hit on so many past events and emotions that you can almost see a story for nine months before that line even takes place. I just feel those four were too much reached for, and too little achieved. So that leaves me the last from each. And my verdict? [COLOR=DarkRed]White[/COLOR], by one word. [QUOTE][I][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]She pushed his hand away [B][U]again[/U][/B].[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] That single word pushed the story so much further than even the previous five could set up. It spoke volumes about the previous relationship. The other entry, [I]"Blood flows. Why am I cold?"[/I] is just too ambiguous, even more so than the AB-CD entries. It seems to border on the esoteric, the pseudo-philosophic, rather than evoke a scene with emotions attached. [B]Lrb[/B]. (Dude, White was such a better name. Seriously. :p)[/FONT]

[quote name='Roxie Faye][color=#9933cc']I just hate that society (or biology, take your pick) is all about finding someone to be with, and if you don't have anyone, you're some kind of failure.[/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]I don't agree with that, personally. I haven't actively participated in Valentine's Day in a long time, but I do remember back in grade school the fun I had just making wallpaper-sample cut-out hearts for whoever I could think of, and I know plenty of people my age who do the same thing even now. Certainly Valentine's Day is more [I]special[/I] when you have a significant other, but that doesn't meant that if you lack one you're automatically deprived of the spirit of the day. And actually, I'll probably not have anyone special of my own to celebrate with, at least for many years to come. Then again, I take my pleasure often from watching others enjoy themselves. Might seem a bit melancholic, but it makes me happy in its own way.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Afterthought to you people who seem to feel like people are parading their partners around in front of you.... ...have you ever considered it might be your jealousy souring your attitude, and not their ostentation?[/FONT]

Magic. No, seriously. The important background bits about this species are that they were originally animal—not human—and that they are not truly lycanthropes. As time wears on in their history they gradually shift to a more human-esque society, and that presents interesting changes in itself. But the people are simultaneously human and animal, not a hybrid between the two. So when they shift, it's not a quick but gradual process of features morphing into other features (i.e., a nose becoming a muzzle, or teeth lengthening into fangs) but an actual switch. The magic comes into play by basically remembering the last items the person was wearing when they last switched. If you notice, though I have ascertained privately that almost all allamorphs are martially trained, the Cougar was wearing no weapon, while the Red-Tail was. What they were carrying was simply what they brought with them when they left. Drannet wouldn't be carrying half of those items on his belt come trading day. So basically, there is no rational explanation. It just is. But it's rooted in fantasy, so what have you. =P

[FONT=Arial]I don't mind them. Quick parting or impromptu hug, hair ruffling, peck on the cheek or lips or whatever, it's just a thing. I am, however, tempted to stand and watch the next time I see a couple frozen in place murmuring to each other and having their own little silly make-out session in the middle of a lobby. I might even start cheering. Lewdly. I mean, ya know? Sheesh.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Heh. Remember these guys? [URL="http://www.imeem.com/people/L6ANe/music/l4O1QfYj/chumbawamba_mary_mary_stigmatic_mix/"][COLOR="Blue"]Mary Mary (Stigmatic Remix)[/COLOR][/URL] Oh yeah.[/FONT]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff][B]EDIT:[/B'] Okay... no color other than the beginning page and ending page. That just sucked.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Considering the "ending page" is always the scanlator credits page, it was really only the first page in color. :p Also, I couldn't resist. [CENTER][IMG]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z158/Allamorph/Misc/lolz/situationalz/colbert.png[/IMG][/CENTER][/FONT]

[quote name='Roxie Faye][color=#9933cc']Most of the songs by Ayumi Hamasaki. She sounds a lot like a chimpmunk.[/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Add a resounding third to that, except I'm gonna go ahead and say [I]all[/I] of them. I banned her from all my Pandora stations for a reason. Also, "chimpmunk" is great. Annoying as a chimpanzee, shrill as a chipmunk. Total score.[/FONT]

[quote name='Kinetix][size=1']However, if I were to narrow it down, I'd say that the Bonnaroo Music Festival of '08 was the most astonishing event that I've attended.[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Wait. Bonnaroo, as in [I]Bonnaroo[/I]? As in Manchester, TN? As in, I live about twenty minutes from the town when I'm not at college? As in, the gol-durned event blocks off traffic for almost a week? Holy crap. Either you are located very close to me, or that thing is more popular than I thought it was. Although with Dave Matthews there in '06 or '07 (can't remember), I shouldn't be surprised, of course.[/FONT]

[CENTER][IMG]http://www.marriedtothesea.com/012709/stomp-on-these.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]

[quote name='SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well you see, I'm not at all against tightening up the system and making it harder to seek it.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] [QUOTE][FONT="Arial"]During the pre-trial phase, the State?s Attorney in the charging county has full discretion to file a notice of intention to seek a penalty of death as long as the following four conditions are met. [LIST][*]The State?s Attorney must file the notice and all aggravating circumstances on which the State intends to rely at least thirty days prior to the trial; [*] The defendant must have been at least 18 years old at the time of the offense; [*] The defendant cannot be mentally retarded; and, [*] The defendant must be accused of principalship (e.g. the actually[[I]sic[/I]] killer) in the first degree or of principalship in the second degree. For murder in the second degree, the defendant must also meet the conditions that he or she: 1) intended the premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, 2) was a major participant in the murder and 3) was actually present at the time and place of the murder.[/LIST] Although a case may meet the above conditions, the decision to file a death notice is ultimately at the discretion of the State?s Attorney. Furthermore, the State?s Attorney has the discretion to unilaterally withdraw the death notice at any point during the trial.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]It's pretty tight already. And I'm not even listing the mitigating circumstances.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I performed with [B]Riders In The Sky[/B]. You know, the guys who did the "Woody's Roundup" music for Toy Story 2? Yeah. Them. And they're awesome guys. Amazing senses of humor, on-stage and off. I have fond memories of "Rawhide". :animesmil[/FONT]

[quote name='Boo][size=1']For the same reasons, I doubt a death penalty is going to scare them off from killing.[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Agreed. And by the same token, prison time does not deter people from stealing?whether it be embezzlement or grand theft auto or falsification of tax reports?because the one thought [I]most closely universal[/I] in these cases is the idea that the doer of the act will get away with it. I am highly amused at those who get hung up on prison time and the death sentence as merely deterrents for the crimes with which they are associated. [quote name='Boo][SIZE=1]What is the ultimate reason why there [i]should[/i'] be Death Penalty?[/size][/quote] Ah, but wouldn't that drag us into more theology? :p[/FONT]

[quote name='SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I forgot to mention some of the religious music put out by the LDS Church.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]The very thought scares me.[/FONT]

[FONT="Arial"][CENTER][B][U]B Street Blues[/U][/B][/CENTER][/FONT] [SIZE="1"][align=justify]A heavy sigh from her partner made Isen look sharply about. [B]?What is it??[/B] Nathan mumbled his response. Rolling her eyes, the werecat elbowed him. [B]?Waaugh!?[/B] The shinigami reeled, throwing his arms up and stared at her. Isen held her gaze forward, ignoring his hurt glare. [B]?Talk,?[/B] she demanded. [B]?I....? [/B] Nathan stopped himself before he could speak any further. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he caught up with his familiar and fell in step. A moment passed before he spoke again. [B]?I have to kill him,?[/B] he said at length. [B]?I swore I would kill him. I spent years tracking him down, setting up ways to get closer to him, to get access to him. Every time I see him, it?s all I can think about. He?s the reason this happened to me, the reason Trey....?[/B] He sighed again. Isen said nothing. [B]?...and then every time I get the chance, every time I have him right in front of me, I can?t do it.?[/B] Nathan?s voice took on an anguished edge. [B]?Every time he has something I want or I need or something, and ... and it feels like he?s expecting it somehow. Like he?s watching me, waiting for me to take a step he?s already known about.? [/B] As if hearing himself say the thought made him realize its truth, Nathan quieted down. [B]?It?s like he?s studying me,?[/B] he finished. Isen nodded. [B]?That is possible.?[/B] [B]?I don?t like it.?[/B] [B]?Why should you??[/B] The werecat examined her hand. [B]?I think he is genuinely interested in what we?re doing, though,?[/B] she added. [B]?And I think he?s worried about something.?[/B] [B]?Hunh?? [/B] Nathan looked at her searchingly. [B]?Didn?t you notice? It wasn?t just that he brought his sword out again. He was wearing his chainmail.?[/B] Nathan stopped dead in his tracks. [CENTER]--------------------------------- [FONT="Arial"][B][U][SIZE="2"]Passing Thought[/SIZE][/U][/B][/FONT][/CENTER] [B]?What news??[/B] Victor strolled into the darkened part of the air conditioner structure on the building?s roof. [B]?As bleak as it hass been,?[/B] he answered, without humor. [B]?Tsough tsey have not finished yet, tsey are getting very close.?[/B] [B]?We?re running out of time.?[/B] Victor shrugged. [B]?I am afraid tsat is inevitable now. I can tsink of notsing effective we can do to interfere witsout compromising ourselves grievously. ?And you cannot remain here for much longer,?[/B] he added. [B] ?You might arouse suspicion.?[/B] [B]?That?s my business.?[/B] [B]?As you will,?[/B] said the vampire. [B]?I hope for your tsake it iss not a mistake.? ?We?ll see, won?t we??[/B] Victor smiled. [B] ?Quite tso, my dear. Quite tso.?[/B][/align][/SIZE]

[FONT=Arial]Right, so you can see how little I'm concerned about it. Although, you know, if I felt like abusing the system in that way, I could figure out a way to deal with the countermeasures. But that's far too much an energy expenditure for something like that, don't you think? :p [B]Edit:[/B] [quote name='SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Mainly because part of the reason theOtaku's system uses hugs now instead of votes is because people [I]did[/I] run around and deliberately vote down people's submissions. I remember the complaints over that. [/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] Yeah. But then again you have many times the number of members available to vote for/against, as well as many more [I]submissions[/I] on top of that. I think the population and posts per day here would make the system [COLOR=DarkRed]Petie[/COLOR] mentioned a lot more effective in dealing with that sort of thing. And again, compare the average ages of those doing the voting stupidity on TheO and the average age of the members here. We all have our snitty moments, but by and large I doubt the majority of us are that immature.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Hmm. Then again, that depends on the member base we have, and I'm not entirely certain the members here would decide to do that sort of thing. I mean, if I have a beef with somebody, I'm not going to go around "thumbing-down" every post or thread they make. That's petty and childish, and feels cowardly to me. Like I'm hiding behind a system. I mean, "post-rapage" is a potential problem, definitely, but I'm not sure how much of an actual worry it is.[/FONT]

[quote name='Dagger']The greatest risk you run is that most people are just going to ignore or not notice it.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]> > If it wouldn't be too much trouble to add, I don't see what employing it could hurt.[/FONT]

[quote name='SaiyanPrincessX][SIZE="1"]Ten cents. Literally. The thing that really sucks about girl pants is that the manufactors think girls never use pockets or somehting, so you could usually only fit [I]maybe[/I'] half your hand in them![/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial][I]*sticks his nine-inch-long hand wrist-deep into his pocket*[/I] All of my pants go through that process before I buy them. If I can't get at least wrist-deep, they go back on the shelf. Not too fond of girl's fashion trends myself. But then, wouldn't you be worried if I was? :p[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]First item: I am in my pants. I am an extremely important to keep in my pants. I never go anywhere without me. If I'm not in my pants, things get drafty. Then there's my wallet which contains many essential items like licenses and voter registration and Social Security card and various gift cards. Behind the wallet is my university card, which allows me to eat and get back into my dorm. Also . . . there's a receipt in there right now. I bought three subs for the price of two today. Mega-set for next week. Other hip pocket is three pencils and a pen. Pencils are black Ticonderoga because I can't stand mechanicals and I can't stand . . . really any other kind of wood pencils because of terrible erasers. Three of them because I had a tendency to lose pencils in middle school, and because I hate having to sharpen a pencil when there's no sharpener around. Pen is a cheapo black Bic. Writes like a breeze, though. Nothin' in the rear. No junk in this trunk, sorry. (I mean that, too. I've got very little in the way of rear.)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'm nothing if not thorough. (^_^)[/FONT]