Rachmaninoff

I'm sure I'm not the only one who follows a pattern to checking out and reading news. I usually start with the major headlines and then work my way into the more local reports and then finally I'll more to what is often my favorite part. Weird news. I just love seeing all the absurd things that people do like this article here: [URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24949337/"][U]Prankster hurt in 'mooning' gone wrong[/U][/URL] I also tend to wrap thing up by checking out any comics that are posted in my local newspaper since ending with a laugh is what I like best. I don't really have a favorite site or paper that I check. Anyway, what kind of habits do the rest of you have for checking out the news? Do you favor traditional printed newspapers, online sites or watching it live? Or perhaps a combination of all three? I rarely watch it on TV since I can just go to the website for the TV station here and stream the videos and watch it at my convenience. I tend to read the actual paper and online sites the most.

I'm not sure what inspired this idea but the premises is simple. Have you ever been playing a video game and run across a creature/monster and immediately thought... [I]oh that reminds me of so and so at OtakuBoards![/I] o_O Well that's exactly what happened when someone showed me this picture here from some Pokemon game. My first thought was oh... tiny, pretty and deadly. Apparently this one uses poison as one of her attacks. Anyway, upon looking at this picture the first person I thought of was Indi. [SIZE="1"][I]*ducks*[/I][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/6656/pokemonroseliayb8.png[/IMG][/CENTER] So that's the deal, what creature/monster in a video game have you run into that reminds you of someone here at OtakuBoards and why? Have fun!

Just to be clear, my post is the same day as Allamorph's post, or if later on, only a day or two at most. Considering what Gavrie sent to Nathan, skipping ahead more than a few days is inadvisable at this time. Or so Allamorph and I decided when discussing it briefly while I worked on my post. So Phaidra and Sarvel's moment of learning that vampires still exist is coming up! I'm thinking this should be fun. Their startled reaction that is. =P

I wasn't homeschooled but I never had the drama that you seem to land yourself in Prem. Short of telling you to avoid people who insist on secrets that eventually get out and cause nothing but trouble... I think it's going to just continue until you get a little older and leave some of the drama behind.[I] Hopefully. [/I] I really don't have much in the way of advice on that. I avoided drama by staying away from people in my school who had a knack for turning [I]anything[/I] into a soap opera. It helped that I had friends who were pretty level headed considering that we were immature teens at the time.

[quote name='Adam']Is it just me or is this a HORRIBLE idea? I've never made smoothies before, so there's a >50% chance that I'll mess up the proportions or make something really boring just to be safe.[/QUOTE]If you've never made one then it can be horrible, but if you have then choosing the ingredients yourself is how I prefer to do it. I like Strawberry Kiwi smoothies but most places tend to put more Kiwi in there than I like. So being able to adjust that so there's a bit less Kiwi and more Strawberries makes for a tastier smoothie. Aceburner... frozen fruit is fine if you give it a chance to thaw a bit first or run the fruit under lukewarm water a bit and then drain. That tends to cut down on the extra water. Though I won't argue that fresh fruit is better.

[B][CENTER]Dark Space[/CENTER][/B] Alex was done for with training for the day. He had no assignments for a while so he headed for one of the tallest buildings in the entire city to take a seat on the edge. It was a few blocks over from where Patrick, Terry and Fiero were staying and offered an excellent view of the city. But more importantly, it was high enough up that the unsettling feeling of sensing vampires was at a minimum. He knew he was letting it bother him more than it should, but he disliked being down among the humans and therefore closer to any vampires in the area. It wasn?t really a big deal since they?d been there all along, he just found the sensation unnerving and would rather keep a healthy distance between them. ?[B]You?re so boring Alex,[/B]? Nall complained once they were situation on the edge of the building. Alex was sitting on it much like a human would with his feet hanging over the edge while Nall was sitting on the ledge to the left. ?[B]Why?[/B]? ?[B]You use to spend your spare time watching shows, reading books or playing games.[/B]? Nall explained. ?[B]Now you just sit and brood, hanging out with the birds instead of the humans.[/B]? Alex didn?t bother to comment on the observation, he was sure Nall knew why and he didn?t want to get another lecture on how he was letting it bother him more than he should. He was getting the training he wanted after all. Every single day, schedule permitting, Nathan would continue with teaching him different forms along with making sure what he had taught him so far was also being kept in mind. On the days their schedules clashed he was doing as told, faithfully going through all of the stances and forms that Nathan had instructed him to do. It was tiring, even for a Shinigami, but that never stopped him. It was kind of frustrating that so far they had not moved beyond any form of unarmed stances or combat. Alex wished he knew more or understood why it seemed like it was taking so long. ?[B]I wish it wasn?t taking so long.[/B]? He finally said, more to himself than anything else. ?[B]Do you mean the training?[/B]? Alex nodded. ?[B]Seems to me that Nathan is just being through,[/B]? Nall observed. ?[B]I get the feeling that unlike the Council or your mentor, he?s making sure you learn things completely instead of rushing your training. That?s what got us in that mess in the first place, we didn?t know what to expect or how to counter it.[/B]? ?[B]I know.[/B]? Alex didn?t bother to mention how useless they had been, but Nall wasn?t so easily fooled by his attempt to keep an even expression on his face. ?[B]You better not be thinking we were useless again.[/B]? He growled. Glaring at Alex he stretched his wings and turned to face him better. ?[B]I?m going to start smacking you if you keep doing that.[/B]? He pressed on when Alex opened his mouth to object. ?[B]Would you blame a five year old human for not knowing how to drive a car?[/B]? Alex shook his head. ?[B]So stop it then. Why would you blame yourself or anyone else when no one taught you how to deal with vampires or bothered to train you better?[/B]? ?[B]I know![/B]? Alex said testily. ?[B]That?s part of why I?m angry. No matter how I look at it, all I can see is that the higher ups didn?t care if we got killed![/B]? He looked down to see that his fists were clenched in anger, Alex took several deep breaths and let the air out as he slowly unclenched his hands. It did little to calm the anger he could feel dwelling inside. What if there had been other groups sent after a vampire like they had? What if others had died instead of managing to stop the vampire? That more than anything bothered him the most. It was speculation only, but the thought hovered in the back of his mind like a hateful whisper that he couldn't get rid of. ?[B]I don?t understand Nall, there are vampires all over the damn city and yet until the deal with the Count we didn?t even know they existed. So tell me, why were we never told? Why did they send us in there with practically no information whatsoever?[/B]? Alex resisted the urge to get up and start pacing. ?[B]I?ve run it through my mind again and again and I can?t figure it out. I want to go back and demand some answers only...[/B]" He faltered. "[B]You're worried no one would listen or even care.[/B]" A powerful gust of wind blew across the building top, bringing with it the sharp smell of water laden air and a hint of a chill. Alex ignored it as it continued for several minutes, he did not bother to alter his state and instead allowed the wind to tug and toss his hair and clothing as the storm front passed by. Not too far off in the distance on the other side of the city, clouds were approaching rapidly and flickers of lightening could be seen. A moment later and the wind died down to a steady breeze. "[B]It feels wrong Nall. I don't know why but something isn't right. Even Patrick is acting oddly with how he's going to things all over the city and mingling with humans.[/B]" Alex finally stood up. "[B]I can't explain it, it's similar to when Nathan started the chant and I knew that more was needed to break the illusion the Count had trapped us in. I can feel it.[/B]" Alex looked to Nall who was sitting patiently, waiting for him to finish. "[B]Come on Nall,[/B]" he motioned with his head to indicate the direction of his apartment. "[B]We still have plenty of time so let?s go and watch something okay?[/B]" Nall just flew up and landed on his left shoulder in answer.

I vote we cut back on the spamming a bit and remember what AIM is for guys. As well as how certain topics [I]already have a thread[/I] for them, like a certain story by Aceburner; so lets get back to what this thread is about okay? Thanks.

I borrowed my brother's SNES to play some older games like Secret of Mana and Secret of Evermore. Naturally the graphics are pretty outdated and such. But it's kind of fun to take a trip back into older games like this. When I get done with those two I plan on playing Illusion of Gaia.

I have no idea, you just mind your own business and out of no where... POW! You get a pm asking you if you want to be a moderator. o_O And one of the conditions is that you have to be a willing slave to the system and accept being utterly humiliated if Des should chose to do so. Oh and you get chained to the site... >_> I kid you not so you'd better be sure you really want it when you say yes to being asked! Des will only let you retire if he feels like it. Oh and [I]no[/I] we don't get paid. It's slavery. We're lucky to even get any food from time to time. =P

[QUOTE][FONT=Arial]Better idea. [I]Close the thread.[/I] Somebody put the Love Shack signal up in the sky, summon the lovebirds.[/FONT][/QUOTE]First idea is a go. The second idea... >_> We do not have nor do we need a Love Shack signal. XP [[SIZE="1"]has given up hope that the Love Shack references will eventually vanish[/SIZE]] Anyway, the question was answered long ago and if people really want to spam, pm and AIM is your friend. Thanks. [B]Thread Closed[/B]

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]The few I saw with the first were annoying even though I liked the actual idea... I just didn't like the first Doctor at all, I always had the urge to just kick him in the shins whenever he opened his big mouth. >_>[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Probably because he comes across as a bit sexist, which considering when the show was made is understandable. Just as they had a lot of the "woman always screams when startled" bit that later on was thankfully dropped. They are fun for the general idea though and the old means of special effects are worth watching just to see how they approached making things look alien without the aid of more advanced computer graphics.

Since Indi got me started on Gankutsuou I decided to check out the soundtrack as well. Right now I'm listening to this piece [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnv0GYNG-4"][U]Kaishou[/U][/URL] So far out of everything I've listened to, I like this one the best. However, I'm far from being done checking out the tracks so we'll see.

I myself have not read either book though I have heard of them. A few people I know who have gone down the path of later needing rehabilitation speak just as highly about the books as you do. I've thought about picking them up and checking them out just out of curiosity. Anyway, the way you've done the title of the thread results in it displaying oddly [it looks like this "Tweak&quo...] on the main page of OB. Perhaps you might want to let Allamorph edit the title to Tweak and Beautiful Boy to correct that?

I don't really have any feedback. I'm thinking that will come later once I've seen a little more of how things went for you. I am interested in hearing more about this though so post day two when you've got it ready.

Welcome to OtakuBoards everyone. We love seeing new [SIZE="1"][strike]victims[/strike] [/SIZE]members joining the fun. Just take a look around, I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy and by all means, if you have any questions feel free to drop me or any staff member a pm. :catgirl:

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]As it stands, I find the concept of whacking people about the head with a padded stick and yelling out damage counters incredibly demeaning, and as far from reality as I think role-playing was intended to become, so the only reason I might even remotely consider watching such a show in the first place would be to laugh as raucously and contemptuously as possible, which is not a good reason for watching a show at all. And I do [I]not[/I] believe it would be positive advertisement for the larping community.[/FONT][/QUOTE]That's what I was thinking, that the only reason I'd even consider watching a show like that is to laugh at it. I imagine even that would have little entertainment value and other than maybe a snippet or two, I'd just ignore it like I do all reality shows.

[quote name='Aceburner']As for me, Italian is number one. Give me good plate of shrimp fettuccine and some garlic bread any day. Good old fashioned spaghetti is also a great dish. Mostly any Italian dish I've ever tried I liked.[/QUOTE]I love Italian food and like you just mentioned so far every dish I've tried, I've liked. I also enjoy Mexican or rather the version of it we get here, and I'm not talking Taco Bell. Americanized Chinese is okay and good so long as I don't have it too often. What I love best though is some of what would be considered southern cooking. I love Cajun cuisine. I also like barbecue but the variety here in Utah just doesn't compare to what I got when I was in Texas. Utahans do not know how to make barbecue. >_>

Upon learning that during the series [spoiler]Albert's finance's piano playing was excerpts from Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto.[/spoiler] *pokes Indi* I have re-visited this anime to watch it since other than to check out episode one I never bothered to watch more, though I had planned on it. Anyway, as said, the visuals are fantastic and the whole thing has a very sinister air about it that I'm getting the feeling is going to get rather interesting later on during the show. If I'm reading things right that is. I guess I'll find out. Oh and I definitely agree with the sentiment about how the ending song really fits the show. It's so different and yet oddly fitting that the intro is slow and the outtro is nicely fast paced. It suits the tone and feel that the anime is developing so far. Switching it around would ruin the impact it's meant to give in my opinion.

[quote name='8bit;814325][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]I still don't think I was being snarky, though... :animestun[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]Well if you consider that we were both misunderstanding the other person's intent, then neither one of us was being sarcastic/snarky. It only came across that way. [QUOTE=Zen'][color=royalblue][size=1] It being illegal is just clogging our already crowded court systems and prisons. Jail and the courthouses should be reserved for rapists, killers, robbers, and the like. Not a bunch of confused, harmless pot-heads. That's my opinion.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]I'm actually in favor of decriminalizing it in the sense that some of the penalties don't need to be as harsh as they are. If marijuana offenses are considered less of an affront to civil society than violent crimes such as murder, rape, or kidnapping, or even less of an affront than other drug offenses, then then they don't need to be penalized as harshly if not more than offenders of said crimes. Take this document here for the state of Utah: [URL="http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/pdf/col_sanc_pdfs/state_details_pdfs/UTAH.pdf"][U]Collateral Punishments for Marijuana Offenses[/U][/URL] I don't agree with some of the fall out of having a conviction on one's record. Moving to decriminalizing the punishment for possession is something I do support.

[quote name='8bit'][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]How is that being snarky? Maybe you disagree but I don't think I did anything to deserve the sarcastic response.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]Let me get this straight, I've had people taking my original statement out of context from the very beginning so using your own words to emphasize my point made me sarcastic? I've said it many times already. I answered the question and I gave my reasons as to why for the answer. Just as you are firmly on the other side of the fence, so am I. The phrase "And there are a lot of us" gives the impression that you are not alone in that opinion and I was making a strong statement that it was true on both sides. So I'm sorry if you took that to be sarcastic, but at the same time, I'm kind of tired of people getting defensive over how I see the original topic. Which I clearly stated was based on what I saw happen to those around me. Not you or anyone else I've never met before. I can't help it if people take that as a personal attack when it's not meant as such. It is as I said, the reasons why I would vote against a measure to make the stuff legal. People have been reading more into what I said in my first post.

I agree with Indi, the Support Raiha Queen of Death was the best. So... Congrats on winning Allamorph, the one who does not like poetry. lol Anyway, I agree with the others Sabrina... you should host another contest. Knowing you, I'm sure you'll think of something.

Aceburner, there is absoutely no danger whatsoever of [I]anyone[/I] at OB eating Prem. lol[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Great job so far Ace, wonder if this will be one of my chosen lost cases, or where Ace is just damn that good ?[/SIZE][/QUOTE]I'm seeing chosen because one look at Prem and you'll be... no way he could have done it. =P

I'm thrilled to see that Obama made it instead of Clinton.[quote name='Retribution;814158][font=Arial]Taking Clinton as a running mate means taking a lot of political baggage from the 90s, which totally contradicts his message of 'change in Washington.' [/font][/QUOTE]I so agree, she's totally the wrong choice for a running mate in my opinion. [quote name='DeathKnight'][color=crimson'] Hopefully Obama does the right thing, denies her a V.P. slot, and marches straight on to November.[/color][/quote]I know I'll be disappointed in him if he does take her along.

[QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="tahoma"]Basement Cat: You have been [I]snatched![/I][/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE][SIZE="1"]So [I]that's[/I] how it works, I should have known. XP[/SIZE] [B]Exquisite performances; the final note; melodious.[/B]

I suppose I might try it once just to see what bugs tasted like, provided they were roasted or something. I'd sooner pass though. Cultural upbringing and all - bugs are not food! XP I really don't want to find myself using the line: Tastes like chicken! [SIZE="1"][I]*shot*[/I][/SIZE]