Gavin

[QUOTE][font=tahoma][b]Gavin:[/b] Contrary to most people that have already given their opinions, [u]Kumite[/u] was my favorite of the 3 on paper. While in places it can be a bit obscure, that has never personally bothered me but as I said above it's important to take a general audience into consideration. Yes the sign up is demanding, but the general part of it I don't mind much. When it comes to the spar character however, very little is provided for how this character should be formed. Now hear me out before any conclusions are jumped to: Normally when a character is created for an RP, the story [b]or[/b] guidelines specified by the RP creator set the standard for how the participants should form their own characters. For instance, in my RP Sinister Nation...it was clear that characters would have to fit the model of the modern day mercenary, where as in Doublehex's CAF it was clear that our characters were to be versed in various types of magic. That made sure to pan out the acceptable sign-ups from the ones that wouldn't fit in. Concerning Kumite, you say that the themes of the spars would be specified later by yourself as well as the character is meant to be based off of ourselves...but this could be interpreted so many ways for different people. When it comes to our skills and abilities, it's hard to envision what fits best or even what's fair. For instance, someone could create a character who's abilities are creating supernovas with his eyes and super speed. Someone else could simply be a gunslinger and have skills like sharpshooting, etc. This is clearly a mismatch, while it may not matter because writing will be in the hands of people who's character are the participants, it would prove to be more difficult and possibly awkward to write a believeable spar with the character at the collosal disadvantage holding his own. I think that has been what has kept most people from jumping at the sign up. They are waiting to see what other's are creating first so they know how to fit their character into the mix to make things more convincing. There are no real restrictions, and while in most cases this may be a good thing...it creates difficulties with even the beggining parts of this event, meaning the sign-up. But again, I like the idea of a writing contest (in fact I thought Otaku Idol 2 itself was going to be one) and the idea of claiming "Best in the Arena" as a prize...it's just difficult to get into.[/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Thanks for bringing up that particular issue BK as it has been one to which I've been giving some considerable thought. When I created Kumite it was in the hope that each area of competition would be nearly separate in themselves, i.e. that someone who was proficient at role-playing would not be overly challenged by the poetry section of the competition as to give everyone a fair chance at winning. The sparring section however was something I added simply because I considered it to have been a major part of the Arena at one stage. What I had originally hoped was that people would understand that the sign up for the spars was genuinely meant to be vague in that I had hoped to be able to give people the opportunity to create characters that really reflected their own skills and attributes. However I can see there was also a lot of room for god-modding so I'll have to go back and see how I can change that. Which I suppose leads on to the following question: [b]How could the over-all application to Kumite be made more user-friendly while keeping the competitive nature of the competition intact ?[/b] Any and all response to that would be most welcome.[/SIZE] [quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson]Vote for [b]White[/b'] '06.[/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]¬_¬ Bah Ken you traitor.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer[/url] Well now, seeing as Internet Explorer 7 or Window Internet Explorer as the brand has been renamed in the wake of Vista is coming up to one month old I was wondering what other members make of the new set-up. Personally I think it's an improvement on the old system, though I have to admit I'm not too keen on not being able to view websites in any other font other than Trebuchet MS, though there's probably a way to change that and I simply haven't found it. The appearance of much of the text as well appears to have been designed from a purely LCD monitor viewpoint as ClearType font smoothing absolutely cannot be enabled on a CRT monitor without making you feel as if you're surfing while intoxicated. As I said however I feel it is actually an improvement on the previous version as the elements taken from competitive browsers like Firefox, tabs, multiple search engines (though the Wiki one sucks for anything longer than one word) and of course you can access your visited sites offline which can't be done with Firefox, which is massively handy for long RP posts without tying up the phone line. Other people's thoughts ?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Charles]Man, this is insane: [url]http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PS3-60-GB-TRUE-BUNDLE-PACK-REALLY_W0QQitemZ160050434898QQihZ006QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Jesus, what could possess someone to fork out over $4,000 just to play the PS3 a few weeks before anyone else. I mean "insane" really does just some this up in one word because the person who's made the successful bid must have a lot of spare cash lying around.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1]Gavin, this table makes the text stand out a lot more. My eyes are grateful. As for the banner, I just meant to say that it wasn?t very clear. Partly because at first I couldn?t even see what it was, and afterwards I didn?t really get the connection between Dragonball and a writing contest. Though I?m flattered, I?m not sure if you needed to take the banner off for me, I might be the only one who had that problem with it. I think there?s still some attention puller thing needed on top, but I?m not sure what it should be (my mind?s not really functioning well anymore). Perhaps someone else has an idea. I?ll just shush now, before I get more people on my back. Just to repeat: it was all meant in a constructive way. Not just to smite your prides.[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]On the contrary Boo, I'm very grateful for your feedback on the look of the event. And I'm happy that you find the new layout to be easier to work with than the previous one. As for the banner, I actually didn't take it down just because you suggested it, I felt that it actually looks better without it with the new background. Sorry. ^_^; 2600[/SIZE]

[quote name='Boo][size=1]Gavin, your event is just not clear enough. The title of the thread doesn?t say anything to me. Then when I [I]do[/I'] choose to enter it, I get welcomed by a banner of which I have no idea what is on it (I finally found out it?s a Super Saiyan. Why it?s on there, I don?t know). The colours are on the pale side and the text in the thread isn?t obvious enough. I think the main problem with your event is it?s presentation. I am really sure that I didn't even read through your whole event. [/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]I was wondering Boo if you could clarify that a little for me, as genuinely if you feel that it is the presentation of Kumite itself is one of it's cons I will attempt to rectify it. [strike]In relation to the background, that's easily changed, as I designed eight different backgrounds for the thread itself and eventually settled on the current one, and changing that to a more vibrant one will bring out the text better.[/strike] [B][Edit][/b] OK I've changed the background to something that's more vibrant and brings out the text better. I don't understand your complaint about the banner though as really I give a thorough explanation of the event itself in the opening two paragraphs.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9030df][font=lucida calligraphy]Would you rather be forced to watch the 4KIds Dubs of Tokyo Mew Mew, Magical DoReMi (What's the original name?) and Winx Club [center]or[/center] The four seasons of the Sailor Moon Dub from DiC and CWi and the three movies that were dubbed?[/color][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Yeesh, I think I'd rather stab both my eyes out and leave it at that. However I'll punt for Sailor Moon as I've actually heard of that one. Would you rather ? [B]Watch Dragonball Z with the FUNI dubs ?[/B] Or [B]Watch it with the Ocean Group dubs ?[/B] Pure personal preference this one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][b]1) How do you feel your standing in the OtakuBoards community has impacted the success (or lack thereof) of your event's sign-ups? Be specific.[/b] Truthfully I would hope that my standing on OtakuBoards has not impacted on the Event at all, as it was my aim to gather people together regardless of them standing so that people were starting off on a level playing field. [B]2) How do you feel the standing of each other candidate in the OtakuBoards community has impacted their own success (or lack thereof)? Be specific.[/B] Honestly I have to admit I've not really had a chance to view other people's events, though this is more so due to the busyness of my own life at the moment what with high school. However I will go back to my first response and say that I hope aside from perhaps attracting people based off our previous qualities of works, that the success or lack of is based purely off the events rather than our own statuses on OtakuBoards. [B]3) Do you feel you have adequately promoted your event to the OtakuBoards community? How are you doing that?[/B] Hmm, this is perhaps something I could have improved on. Like Sandy and White I've added a hyperlink to the thread to my signature, obviously titled Kumite "For the Glory" to reflect the event itself. However aside from adding that hyperlink I've done little in ways of obviously promoting the event, Sandy cleverly used the graphics forum to generate some interest by getting people to submit artwork, where as myself and White designed all the graphics and code for our events. I've tried to refrain from obviously advertising the event as I would prefer it if people join of their own accord rather than feeling as if I've pressured them into it. [B]4) Will your event be able to continue if you do not receive the quantity or quality of sign-ups you expected? What will need to change?[/B] This really goes back to what Raiyuu said about the referees. Kumite requires a player number that is a multiple of 8 to ensure that the rounds run smoothly from one to the other, so at eight applicants I would be willing to start the event though I would have hoped for more. As to what I would change, I've noted that a lot of members have expressed concern about the "poetry" section of the competition, so I may consider dropping it and then focussing on the RP, Story-telling and Sparring segments and after that condensing the rounds to a single area of competition for advancement rather than the 2 out of 3 system I had considered. [B]5) How have your expectations for member interest compared to [i]actual[/i] member interest in your event? How do you feel about that?[/B] Like White and Sandy I've been genuinely shocked by the complete lack of sign ups I've received as Shy did point out the sign up demands for Kumite are considerable, but given that the event itself is designed to give someone the title of Best in the Arena I think it's reasonable to demand such a level of quality. Honestly I'm a little disappointed that perhaps it is the challenge of the event, which I considered one of it's pros, has turned out to be such a con in people's minds. [b]6) What do you blame for a lack of interest in these events so far? Please be specific.[/b] Again I have to agree with Sandy and White, my major blame lies with the lack of activity on the boards, my target audience for the event was the writer's pool in the Arena which seems to have dried into a puddle over the last few months. Of course I definitely understand that IRL things like school and work have to come first, it just seems that lately OtakuBoards has developed an apathy never seen before, even in low traffic times like the September/November term.[/SIZE] [quote name='Shy][SIZE=1'](On a minor note: It should also be noted that despite Gavin's claim, Kumite is not OtakuBoard's original writing competition. That title goes to the original Otaku idol, started by the always-awesome Charles.)[/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]My bad, but to be fair the original Otaku Idol was before I was regularly active so I spoke out of ignorance rather than malice. So I guess I'll just change it to "Otaku[B]boards[/B] 2nd Writer's Tournament" as to give Charles his due credit.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Okay this is dumb but would you rather [center]be too hot most of the time or be too cold most of the time[/center][/color][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Seeing as I spend an hour or so per day in the gym I'm used to being too hot, so obviously I'll go with that one. Would you rather [B]Hear the most annoying music for one week non-stop ?[/B] Or [B]Hear mildly annoying music for three months non-stop ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Allamorph][FONT=Arial]So, would you rather... ...eat all your meals for one week at a less-than-praiseworthy school cafeteria? or ...eat nothing but tofu for one week?[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Cafeteria, I've had tofu and it's awful, so I'd take only "less-than-praiseworthy" over that. [B]Have your body completely shaved ?[/B] Or [B]Have all your body hair grow wild ?[/B] Body includes head.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9348fd][font=lucida calligraphy]Would you rather: Be subjected to a marathon of Christmas songs [center]or [/center] Be subjected to a marathon of DiC and 4Kids dubbed anime?[/color][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Having worked in a supermarket at Christmas I've become nearly immune to Christmas songs being looped over and over via a radio, so I'll go with that one. Would you rather be [b]Struck by lightning ?[/b] Or [b]Set on fire ?[/b] Think about it, as electrocution fries your internal organs.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Sandy]It's [I]game on[/I']![/quote] [SIZE=1]Indeed it is Sandy, I'm sure I speak for White as well when I say I look forward to the competition and that regardless of who wins we'll give the members of OtakuBoards quite a show over the next two months. Honestly I can hardly wait for it all to begin, and after that I probably won't be able to wait until it's all over and a winner is decided. ^_^; Anyway, good luck to everyone else.[/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=BLACK][SIZE=1][LEFT]Done and dusted, thanks for waiting so long Phil. [b]Name:[/b] Brother Michael Griffin. [b]Age:[/b] 34. [b]Gender:[/b] Male. [b]Race:[/b] Human. [b]Alliance:[/b] Section XIII. [b]Description:[/b] [b][url=http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/Lee.jpg]Rare photo of Brother Griffin[/url][/b] Obvious from this photo, Michael is of an athletic build with long wavy brown hair and dark eyes. Standing just over six feet tall, Michael like all Paladins has trained to look completely inconspicuous when moving in normal clothing during his dispatched hunts, so much so that he now feels more comfortable in hunting gear than he does his robes. [b]Weapons:[/b] None. See Special Skills below. [b]Specialist Skills:[/b] Brother Michael is a master of unarmed combat, having spent much of his teenage years and the entirety of his adult life training and honing his skills as a martial artist. Frequently questioned as to why he has chosen such a relatively impractical method of combat, Michael replies that even the best smith forges a flawed blade and that knowing his own body's strengths and limitations leaves him with options open to none of his brothers and sisters. Now aged 34, Michael has attained Godan [5th Dan] mastery of Shotokan Karate and Shidan [4th Dan] level mastery of Judo as well as interweaving both distinct arts together as a cohesive fighting style. Michael is also a very tactical fighter, knowing that he cannot match a vampire in brute strength, he will invariably attempt to seek out weaknesses that might be assaulted to even the fight and has proven remarkably successful in this regard. As well as this Brother Griffin has taken the spiritual side of martial arts, often lost to Western practitioners and made it a central part of his own training. Of course given that Brother Michael is a devout Catholic, his meditations are often hours spent in either pray or reflection on how he may better fulfil the work of God in his daily life. Never the less, he is adamant that the syncing of mind, body and spirit are necessary to be a truly prolific martial artist. [b]Personality:[/b] By all account Brother Griffin is a normal man, he has highs and lows like everyone, though generally he's found hovering around neutral in a quiet kind of pensive mood. Polite and extremely articulate, he has become something of an orator among his brothers in that generally when a problem arising between the Paladins and another branch of Church he is the one sent to deal with the situation. Michael is definitely one who plays by the rules and follows the orders of his superiors to the letter, if he's told to eliminate an entire nest of vampires and their familiars by himself, you can be certain it will be done without hesitation or regret. [b]Short Bio:[/b] Born in the Republic of Ireland on July 2nd 1984, the situation surrounding his birth however was most unnatural as while Michael's father desperately rushed his heavily pregnant wife to the hospital then were attacked by a group of vampires. His father attempted to fight off the attackers, though being unaware of their supernatural nature he was easily defeated and torn to shred by the beasts. Whether through divine intervention or pure chance, Michaels mother managed to escape the frenzy, collapsing in premature labour on the steps of the hospital. Michael himself was born several hours later via Caesarean section, but the shock of the attack and the death of his husband drove his mother into a coma she would never awake from. Left an orphan, Michael was placed into a group home after he was judged well enough to leave the hospital. The next fifteen years of Michael's life bear little relevance, he was a quiet and complex child, choosing to spend much of his time alone, which provided a factor against his being adopted by many prospective parents. The Brothers running the orphanage noted however the deeply spiritual nature of the boy, he considered his parents murder an act of God and despite the savagery of the act, understood his parents had been called to God. However at age 15 he received a letter which would change his entire life, in this letter was a photograph whom the sender claimed had been directly involved in the murder of his parents. Michael recognised him as one of the men who had come along with his wife to try and adopt him several times over the course of his stay. It claimed they were familiars, servants on vampires whom had targeted his parents as prey for their masters. Michael showed the letter to no-one, neither believing nor disbelieving it's contents until one night he managed to slip away from the building and attempted to track down these "familiars". What he found was much more gruesome than he had expected, he watched from a window as the two familiars tied a gagged young woman to the chair of their basement, only to have her fed upon moments later by a pair of shadow covered fiends. They had to die, every fibre of his body told him they had to die. The Fifth Commandment applied only to those who lived their life in the service of God, so their deaths were legitimate and sanctioned. Waiting until the following morning, Michael broke into the house and proceeded to kill the two occupants with a small kitchen knife he had found. Once he realised what he'd done, Michael dropped the knife only to be confronted by a pair of men in plain clothing, one identified them as Paladins of Iscariot, the other told him that now he belonged with them. Thus Michael spent the next nineteen years of his life as member of the Paladins, being made a formal Brother at age 24. [b]Notes:[/b] Though it may not be obvious, Michael has a deep-seated hatred of The Second Order and it?s members and has on occasion been involved in incidents with it?s members before.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']I agree with you for the most part, just not the fact that Bush is as bad as Saddam.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]My bad, I never actually meant to imply that he was, simply that there are people out there more evil than Saddam who should have been removed from power instead of him. The way the operation has been conducted, we'll be seeing the effects for decades to come as Iraq tries to rebuilt itself without become a base for Muslim terrorists everywhere.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Raiyuu][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Not to be nitpicky, but: I don't mean to rag on Gavin, but am I the only one that sees a contradiction here? Or do members that didn't quite make it into the main event count as participants, rather than 'outside help'?[/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Oh, good point, must have missed that. Thanks for the heads-up Raiyuu, better I see that now than half way through the event itself. Hmm, I may have to cut down the number of participants, or maybe alter the style of the battles to a single type of contest rather than a best of three. Anyway I should be ready by Monday.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']It's tough to compare Dubya, foolish though he may be, to such an evil man.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]I think in reality Alex the only way we'll really be able to make an accurate description of Saddam's governing abilities is twenty/thirty years down the road once we see what state Iraq itself is in. As I've said before I think there were far better targets for President Bush's Operation ___ Freedom and that Iraq simply became a scapegoat built up on a completely false argument of Weapons of Mass Destruction and his links to Al-Qaeda. If we're to call it as it is, President Bush has caused the deaths of over 150,000 people in order to remove a relatively-moderate Muslim leader in a country which did not harbour or tolerate militant extremists. Compare that with Iran or Syria and I think that simply labelling Saddam as an "evil man" is inaccurate, or at least saying it's tough to compare "Duyba" to Saddam, Dubya just has U.N. permission to go tear-assing around where he pleases.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm afraid Doublehex I'm going to have to drop out of Legacies, it probably won't come as a surprise to anyone seeing as it's been quite a while since I'm posted. Mostly it's down to school and the workload we're getting in preparation for next year, which means I have less time to spend online. Again I'm sorry to have to drop out, but real life has to take precedence.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Sandy]It'd be equally annoying for us to have to PM the user about what rating he or she would prefer to have in her game. [I]And[/I] we would most likely have to send that kind of PM much more often than the single user in this current system. Try to think about our workload, too. We aren't exactly paid employees here... We do this out of the goodness of our hearts!

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. When it comes to the thread ratings, I have to admit I've always felt that a decent thread that simply lacks a rating should just have one added to it rather than being closed, it always seems a bit spammy to see a bunch of threads closed for lacking a rating. Of course that's not to say anything against the Arena's staff, often threads that lack ratings are simply stuff thrown together without any real effort and thus would be closed anyway. However having hit the return button by accident while still posting a thread, it's annoying to have to PM a friend on the staff and have them change it. As for the ratings themselves, there's been arguments before for an additional rating of T for teen to compensate for those threads that wouldn't be PG but still not fall enough into the M category. Personally I think there should be an additional rating, but that's a debate for another time.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Dodeca][SIZE=1]If Bush was [i]really[/i] serious about bringing Iraq around to the Western, 'civilised' way of doing things, he wouldn't be supporting this. The EU, on the other hand, have the right idea. Fo shaw.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]There is a small problem in the fact that President Bush is himself a rather big fan of the death penalty, as proven by his tenure as Texas' governor. I love it when Republicans in America say they oppose abortion and yet support the death penalty, especially these guys are born-again Christians who seem to be unaware of the Fifth Commandment. As for the E.U., I'm so disillusioned with that sorry *** political institution, if it can so be called that it really makes no difference. America is the puppeteer in this show and they're the ones who'll make the Iraqi courts and judges dance.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]1. What religion are you CURRENTLY following? If you don't have one, then why?[/B] Roman Catholic. Surely there's no need to go further than that ? [B]2. Why do you follow that religion? Parents, personal reasons, etc?[/B] My parents are Catholic, but as of about 14 I made the choice to remain Catholic of my own accord. [B]3. Do you ever feel that people often criticize you because of these beliefs?[/B] Have you ever walked into an abortion or gay rights thread and mentioned the term Catholic in relation to your opinion ? The name Dan Brown also comes to mind, as well as every redneck who thinks he espouses any form of truth. [B]4. This one may spark a little bit of arguing: Do you believe that your religion is the [I]one true religion?[/I] If so provide evidence.[/B] Yes I do. However I cannot provide evidence because my belief is based on faith, ergo someone who does not share my faith cannot be convinced of it's validity. In fact this question cannot be answered through anything other than an expression of faith, and thus there cannot be one definitive answer as there will be one for each person. [[b]Edit[/b]] OK having read the thread more fully, and realised I'm considered by some to be a religious tyrant from a doctrinal point of view, I have to say that I personally believe a person's choice of faith must be their own, and that that choice must be a reflection of their own genuine beliefs. There's no point in my mind of just going through the motions if you don't believe in the task.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Like Ken, I'm surprised this farce took quite so long to conclude. Saying that the Iraqis were in control of the show in akin to saying it's the puppet who comes up with the jokes rather than the guy with his hand up it's ***. I personally don't think the man deserves the death sentence, for a whole variety of reasons other than my objection to the death penalty itself, the most major one being my considering this trial a massive farce when Saddam has proven to be one of the most stable and moderate influences in the Middle East, at least when compared to his counterparts elsewhere. I'm not saying he didn't commit atrocities, but if Bush is looking to go and punish war criminals, let him go to Africa and do a proper job of it. Whether or not there will be riots over his death, I'm inclined to say there will be, as he will become one of the things he himself fought against, a martyr to fundamentalist Muslims everywhere. I feel most sorry for the Iraqi people themselves, the Americans will go home eventually and wash their hands of the whole situation until they feel that the new government is "oppressing" it's people and sweep in like the proverbial hawk. [B][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein[/url][/B] Looking over the article, there's actually a rather interesting little tid-bit at the end, should Saddam manage to evade the hangman for only another seven months he will be too old under the Iraqi justice system to be executed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. As has been stated in a rather round-about way, the Lounge simply doesn't generate enough solely politically based threads to warrant a single forum. Besides the whole purpose of the Lounge is discussion that doesn't belong in other major sections of the boards, so it makes little sense to start splitting hairs as it were when it comes to such a forum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][CENTER][B]Why I want to become an Event Master:[/B][/CENTER] I want to become the Event Master to really challenge myself in terms of what I do here on the Boards, this site has given so much to myself and my fellow Oldies over the years I feel that in such a position I could be fulfil a truly important and necessary role, which has seen more and more application over the last few months. [CENTER][B]Why Community Events are important:[/B][/CENTER] Community Events have proven as much the glue for OB's community as any other segment of the boards, they are that rare time when everyone on Otakuboards regardless of age and seniority can come together and each have their voices heard with equal respect and consideration. Such events as the Nifty Fifty have proven that as a community we are more than willing to give credit where it is due to all those who make OB a better place, regardless of rank and privileges. Legionnaires collected some of the most talented role-players on the site and allowed them to express their work to a board-wide audience, and proved hugely successful in this regard. Put simply, without Community Events, Otakuboards would simply be a collection of different forums that shared the same root site. [CENTER][B]Why I wouldn?t suck at the job:[/B][/CENTER] I think I wouldn't "suck" at the job because I have experience in managing both people and "events" so to speak from my work in the Arena in terms of RPGs and stories. While it is true I've never held a position among Otakuboards' fine staff, in real life I'm heavily involved in the running of student bodies for my high school and have been for a considerable time, so I think I would be capable of dealing with most of the issues that would be sent my way. Finally I think overall I'm a fairly easy-going person, respectful and more than willing to listen to others, and above all very willing to have fun. All qualities which Josh has proven are necessities for being a great Event Master, he never seemed overbearing or unapproachable and every event was always about having fun [CENTER][B]My favourite memory of OB:[/B][/CENTER] After five years there are so many ones to pick from, but the one that really sticks out at me would have to be the Black Horizon RPG series from a couple of years ago. While the RPG itself was exceptionally enjoyable, it forged friendships for me with people whom I came to regard as being like a second family to me, and who's company I truly miss now that they're not longer around. These people know who they are, and I'm not going to go naming names just for the sake of doing so. [CENTER][B]My Event:[/B] [img]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/Kumite.jpg[/img] So you think you're the best ? You think there's no opponent you can't conquer ? No environment you can't compete in ? No skill you haven't mastered ? [b]Prove it !![/b][/center] Welcome to [b]Kumite[/b], Otaku[b]board[/b]?s first writer?s tournament. Gathering the sixteen most accomplished role-players, sparrer, poets and authors from the Arena, this event will pit them against one another in knock-out style rounds for the greatest prize of all, the title of Arena?s Best. This event will function much like any RPG in the Adventure Square and it?s sub-forum, starting off there will be an application thread, where the title hopefuls will submit a sign up containing a character sign up of themselves based on fields which I will provide and three samples based on each of the areas of competition, role-player/spar, poetry and story-writing. These samples may be new works you write specifically for this event, or they may be works you?re content are examples of your best, however I will ask for all three. After this I will select the sixteen all-round best and post the main event thread in which these contenders will battle one another in one-on-one battles on each of the topics, the winner of two will go on to the Quarter Finals which will again repeat the same format until we have an overall champion. If you don?t quite grasp the set-up, think of it as the World Cup of OtakuBoards, with the first thread being the qualifiers. Now you might be wondering how the actual one-on-one battles are going to be conducted in terms of content and how they?re going to be refereed. At the beginning of each contest, I will provide both players with a line of text or even just one word on which they?re to write their submission for that round, for poetry it may be something as simple as "Loss" or "Salvation" Where as for stories and role-plays it may be something along the lines of "His tobacco stained fingers stayed stationary for a moment..." after which both parties will make their submissions. Finally for spars, I will provide only the environment of competition and the reason, though this like the poetry section will be based on a single word like "Betrayal" The spars will consist of three posts each of no more than 400 words, after which a winner will be declared by either myself or the referee overseeing the match. Seeing as I?ve mentioned referees twice I?m going to explain this in further detail. Given the scope of this event if successful, which I seriously hope it will be, I simply will not be able to manage every segment of the competition myself until we get to the later rounds such as the semis. Instead what I will do is ask those members who?s neutrality I am sure of, but who either did not make it into the main event or did not sign up to serve as referees for the matches I do not oversee personally. These referees will be anonymous, as to prevent floods of PMs attempting to sway their judgement and obviously they will not post in the event itself. Instead their verdicts will be PMed to me, and I will declare a winner. I know some will feel this may allow others to get away with having an inside man, but I see having the refs as anonymous as being fairer to them as well as the players involved in the particular match. And that my friends is [b]Kumite[/b], a relatively simple event based on a simple idea to answer a question which has been going around the Arena for as long as time as I?ve been around. The game ends when we have a winner, and that winner as I said will receive the user title of "[b]Arena Champion[/b]", along with the massive respect and glory that goes with it. If I should be made Event, I would even like to make this an annual event in which the previous year?s winner competes against the new champion for their title. [/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']I really have no problem with teaching one method first. It?s the only teaching one method that bothers me as it comes across as an attempt to force Christian moral values on others. I can see where you are coming from and perhaps it is different where you live, but they don?t teach other methods here, and that in my opinion is stupid. Teenagers and young adults need all the options so that they can decide for themselves which method is the best. You misunderstood me. I myself am not embarrassed, but in the course of my job I work with women who are seeking alternatives and I often get asked where they can get them without having to ask for them. ;)[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]You're telling me, the only sex education we ever got in school was the very clinical explanations in biology, and at that stage I'd already had the birds and the bees talk with my parents. Thankfully even before then I was aware of the more graphic details so in-depth explanations were not necessary. I'm not promoting one over the other, I think people need to make their own choices, and to do so I agree they need to be given all the facts, including the one eluding a lot of people I know, that condoms are not invincible.[/SIZE] [quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']Also, and it?s my fault for not explaining this upfront. Many of the stores that do keep them where you have to ask, didn?t use to. It?s something that?s been changed within the past year. Though I suppose that could be due to theft issues and not an intention to embarrass others. I guess I?m just too used to there being an ulterior motive when aspects of this type of subject are discussed where I live. [/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Ah OK, I thought you'd meant that they had always been like that. It's probably theft, as I can't imagine it's too hard (no pun intended) to steal a pack of condoms if they're just stacked up like everything else. [/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']The reason some of us sound a bit uptight is there isn't other education on preventing pregnancy. Here in Utah, the schools only teach the kids to not have sex. A few places do offer a more education, but not very many as it?s frowned upon to tell kids or young adults to use condoms or birth control. If this idea of the Bush administration was an addition to a program where they explained safe sex, using preventive measures and then the benefits of abstinence, then I wouldn't be bothered. But where I live many of the schools and centers do not offer any form or education other than not having sex. Which in my opinion makes things worse as the kids and young adults aren?t very familiar with all of the options, only the one of never having sex.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]While I can sympathise with you situation indifference, I have to admit I've always felt that it's better to teach abstinence first and then later discuss safe-sex methods, but maybe I'm just really old-fashioned that way, or just really Catholic, take your pick. I guess I've never seen condoms as being any better an alternative to abstinence though I agree people do need to be able to make that choice for themselves as to which they prefer.[/SIZE] [quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']And if you think that?s bad some of the pharmacies and stores put condoms behind the counter so you have to ask for it instead of being able to get it and purchase it using one of the self-service check outs. So they make it harder for people who are self conscious about making such purchases. So some of us see this as another attempt by the government to try and tell people what to do instead of really giving them informed choices. [/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]What's wrong with having to ask for them ? Seriously just because you might be a bit embarrassed to ask for a pack of condoms does not mean the government are trying to prevent you buying them. My local pharmacy keeps them behind the counter, but in plain view and it's done to keep them out of children's hands.[/SIZE]