Gavin

[quote name='Magus'][SIZE=1][COLOR=navy]What are Ace and AJeh? :catgirl:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]Sadly too sporadic to make for good conversation, I suppose I should've qualified that statement to include NarutoFan where I read up on the series and deal with said Sauce-tards.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I know Aizen is supposed to be the almighty chessmaster of this series but I'm really becoming annoyed at his "You've activated my trap card" style of fighting. I mean how often could Yama have possibly had to fight while Aizen was pretending to be a good guy ? And yet we're getting counters ridiculous counters to every one of his moves. I don't think the old man is dead yet, as Bleach goes no flashback means no death. I do agree Ichigo's intervention at this point is pretty pointless, he knows he's outclassed so unless there's another asspull power-up for him or daddy steps in to take over the fight I see it being a short mind**** followed by a swift slash to the midsection again.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Magus'][SIZE=1][COLOR=navy]:mad: I quit. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1] No! God damn it Magus I need someone to discuss the series with that isn't a fifteen year old perma-hormonal Sauce-tard. This chapter was pretty lame to be fair though, after all talk of taking a third option Naruto's idea is to go completely against his own code and die with Sasuke (ghey/gay, both really). At this point given Sasuke's half blind without his Sharingan and Naruto killed Pein this should've been a curb stomp battle, instead Naruto is refusing to bring out his ace (Sage chakra) and fighting like the scrub he was originally spamming Rasengans. We all know Sasuke won't die here so the more Kishi drags it out with same speeches the worse this'll feel. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Ace'][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I never thought I'd feel such unbridled joy about something not winning an award.[/FONT][/quote] [SIZE=1]Good, good. Learn to harness the spite my young apprentice, your hate will make you powerful.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]The Oscars have restored some of my faith in humanity what with FernGully missing out on the big two.[/SIZE]

[quote name='taperson'][SIZE=1][COLOR=RoyalBlue][I]And then there was one...[/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1] Promise kept.[/SIZE]

[center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/45prose.png[/IMG] [B]Otakuboards Prose Contest[/B] [SIZE=1]"Although OB is home to some amazing writers, it's rare that the site spotlights that outside of RPGs and Suggestions arguments. It was great to go toe-to-toe against some of my online peers, and though I lost I'm glad I participated in it."[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Shy[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/46JohnGoodEvil.jpg[/IMG] [B]John's Reputation System[/B] [SIZE=1]"Because with the Good/Evil system it might finally be possible to see what people actually think of you, but then in a nicely dressed manner! Plus, it makes us look more lively and fun than we actually are."[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Boo[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/47MrMaul.png[/IMG] [B]Mr Maul[/B] [SIZE=1]"Consistency is key here, and Mr. Maul continues to prove with every post how consistently awesome he is. He's often too smart for the room, but chooses to entertain us with his presence anyway"[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Shy[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/48-ob-meetup.jpg[/IMG] [B]OB Meet-Ups[/B] [SIZE=1]"This is a personal one for me, since I've been on the site forever (and make a point of reminding people that in every post I make.) But through this site I've been able to meet up some of the funniest, kindest and most sincere people on the Interweb. Whenever possible I try to meet up with some of them in real-life, and the results have always been great. There's a level of trust and familiarity with my friends on OtakuBoards that does not extend to other sites: OB is my online home, and by that same sentiment its members are my family"[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Shy[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/49Korey.png[/IMG] [B]Korey[/B] [SIZE=1]"Always helpful, always funny, always there to whack me one when I'm being a moron. Thanks, bro staff."[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Ace[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [center][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/50Taperson.gif[/IMG] [B]taperson[/B] [SIZE=1]"taperson always has the dopest signatures and avatars. Very ecletic, but it works, somehow. Plus she is constantly contributing to the Random Thoughts and Photo threads."[/SIZE][/center][SIZE=1] [RIGHT]- Korey[/RIGHT] [/SIZE] [INDENT][SIZE="1"]And that's our fifty Nifties for this year, congratulations to all our winners and here's hoping we have a nifty-filled year ahead of us for next year's nominations. In regard to the [B]"Of the Year"[/B] awards, well seeing as they're the crème de la crème of the Nifties I'll be posting them in a separate thread with special graphics for the winners. Unfortunately said special graphics aren't ready yet but should be finished this coming week.[/SIZE][/INDENT]

[SIZE=1][CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/star.png[/IMG][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/star.png[/IMG][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/star.png[/IMG][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/star.png[/IMG][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/star.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [INDENT][LEFT]Yup it's finally finished, and we have the added bonus of being up before the Oscars. While I can't provide Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as hosts, we have Ace and Allamorph who are just as good. Also sincere thanks to [B]Shy[/B], [B]Boo[/B], [B]Delta[/B] and [B]Sara [/B]for all their hard work.[/SIZE][/LEFT][/INDENT] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/01Lamoof.gif[/IMG] [B]Allamorph[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Allamorph is a sage of knowledge, a constant prankster and overall a good person to know. For better or for worse, Allamorph will always be two things: Honest and Direct. The amount of things he has done for Otakuboards are numerous and fantastic. It has been a pleasure to know him"[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- Korey[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/02Request.png[/IMG] [B]Every member that answers the calls of the needy in the Art by Request sub-forum![/B] [SIZE="1"]"Without their superb artistic skills and will to aid those in need of avi/banner sets, I personally would be without one! My pleasure at having a visual identity on teh internetz would be null and void!"[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- chibi-master[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/03Shy.gif[/IMG] [B]Shy[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Dude. He created the Padded Room Party thread. He should be granted eternal life for that alone!"[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- chibi-master[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/04Boner.jpg[/IMG] [B]The Boner Thread[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Submitted under the title Two Points Of View, this ballsy topic asked us to examine ourselves in a most...unique way. Most of us declined in favor of cracking nut jokes. Like that one. Also I got to slap a big fat TMI sticker on it."[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- Allamorph[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/05Rach.gif[/IMG] [B]Rachmaninoff[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Because you can never have enough news stories"[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- taperson[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/06MewMew.png[/IMG] [B]MewMew[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Because she can do a Chiquita dance like no other, while still being one of the nicest people you'll ever meet."[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- Boo[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/07Screwup.png[/IMG] [B]Did I Just Screw Up[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Because for some reason someone went back there to replace all their posts with "10char" which I thought was pretty nifty, considering the title is "Did I just screw up?" So yeah."[/CENTER] [RIGHT]- Boo[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/NiftyFifty2009/08GuildWars.png[/IMG] [B]Guild Wars Revival[/B] [SIZE="1"]"Because there hadn't been playing as many Otakus Guild Wars at the same time since the QKT was abolished, and this was awesome and scary at the same time, because I was gained in on way too quickly by all others. But it was a bit of quality time that you wouldn't have anywhere else on the web.

[SIZE=1]I have to agree with Ace's assessment, nobody is questioning that Naruto has matured as the series has progressed. Due to the hardship and tragedy he has had to deal with, in as much of a personal way as Sasuke has he has dealt with it while still attempting to hold on to what many characters consider childish ideals of unbreakable friendship and faith. To be honest I think it's actually Sasuke who is regressing in maturity as the series has progressed. His goals are becoming wider and vaguer as time goes on, from simply "Kill Itachi to avenge his clan" to "Kill Konoha's Elders to avenge Itachi" to "Kill Konoha to avenge his clan". He's becoming so blind I can genuinely see him aligning with Madara's plan by choice because of depth psychosis or the way he has twisted his own memories of events. The problem however isn't the relative maturity of characters, it's that Naruto seems to be unwilling to address just how dangerous Sasuke is and that Naruto's faith in their friendship is, for the time being, unilateral. I mean he pulls Sakura out of the way of likely being killed, and rather than ask Sasuke what's going on he launches full whack into his "I understand you, we're alike, I'm glad I met you" speech which is exactly the same thing he did four years previously and had it tossed in his face in exactly the same way. I think Naruto has an idealised version of what Sasuke is, or what Sasuke should be and he's letting that idealisation push him to the point where he not only makes foolish decisions but effectively ignores the opinions of others, who were just as attached to Sasuke for the sake of his own wishes. As I said, Kakashi was much closer to Sasuke than he was the other two members of Team 7, he directly comments he now understands what the Third went through when he had to fight Orochimaru for the last time. Kakashi who calls Sasuke his beloved student is willing to kill him because of the danger he represents, he's willing to look at the big picture and see it for what it is. Sakura is the same, genuinely loving Sasuke on an emotional and romantic level but still being able to see he needs to be stopped before he destroys more. It's not "Konoha ninja taking care of a Konoha problem" it's Team 7 putting their own feelings aside and doing what's necessary, an adult decision. I know we're supposed to admire Naruto for not giving up, for having the guts and the courage to keep trying to do the right thing when chances are against him. In this case however I think he's being fundamentally selfish and childish because his word effectively means more to him than the lives of others. For an instant imagine if it had been Tsunade rather than Danzou Sasuke had come across and killed, someone Naruto is much closer to emotionally, would that alter the way this conversation went ? That doesn't mean I want Naruto to become a cold-blooded assassin and just butcher Sasuke where he stands, that would be an incredibly unbelievable departure from his character. Instead I just want him to look at what his predecessors had to deal with, and how they ultimately sacrificed their own desires for the good of the world. Big picture, big decisions. I think Naruto is still trying to look at the small picture and make big decisions off of it. Specifically in regard to being negative about the series Ajeh I don't think that's necessarily true. We all see the potential the series has, and most of the time what we're complaining about is actually the fact that Kishi seems uninterested in reaching that potential and prefers to churn out clichéd storylines with the same messages constantly. You pointed out yourself that this meeting is a mirror for VotE. There is plenty to like about the series, as I've said before Naruto is the hero and he certainly possesses heroic qualities that are admirable and interesting to see cast against the apparent ninja norms. He succeeds despite having everything put in his way practically from birth and yet continues to hold his head up and think the best of people. Sasuke by contrast was born the perfect ninja, strength, skill, abilities and yet he's been unable to deal with the loneliness and the tragedy that Naruto has managed to overcome partially because of Sasuke himself. From a psychological point of view it's a great series, pacing wise and story-wise however there are problems in that the main character seems to be receiving less and less focus and Naruto's development is being tied inherently into Sasuke's. I like Sasuke (or well, I tolerate him because I find him interesting) but I want to see Naruto address his own issues every once in a while, how he feels about Sakura, how he feels about his own legacy, Hinata. We seem to be going from fight to fight to fight without any real development of anyone but Sasuke and that's a problem. It feels like someone fast-forwarding a movie to just watch the fights. At the end of the day if I didn't like it, I wouldn't be reading it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm not even concerned with people trusting Sasuke once he's brought back to Konoha Magus, I'm concerned by the fact once his strength returns and he's able to escape (he is a Kage class ninja after all) he'll decimate Konoha for all he's worth. He has blatantly stated he intends to kill everyone from his home village and Naruto still doesn't see the danger in dragging him back there as a prisoner as opposed to him returning as an attacker at a time of Sasuke's own choosing. Naruto at least may have the ability to fight Sasuke evenly one on one, although to be fair Sasuke is without his Sharingan for this fight which he's come to rely on very heavy thus far. Of all the ninjas in Konoha, Naruto is probably the only one who could fight Sasuke and not be killed pretty much instantly so unless he spends his every waking hour handcuffed to Sasuke I don't see anything but the danger of his decision. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I do agree Magus that a bit of a mix up of abilities would've been nice in this chapter but I get the feeling Yamamoto vs Wonderweiss is going to be dragged out to three or four chapters before the end during which we'll get a bit more info on both characters.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]While I was ultimately disappointed with the chapter over the fact Naruto gave the same damn speech he gave three/four years previously at The Valley of the End I have to admit I was expecting it. Naruto was never going to make the hard choice of killing Sasuke, despite the threat he represents to every single life in Konoha. In a sense I'm annoyed at Naruto for the same reasons I've come to dislike Orihime for in Bleach. Both are ultimately selfless, heroic characters who at the same time are dangerous because they lack the ability see the far reaching consequences of their actions. They do good things to bad people and then rely on utter luck to avoid having it come back and bite them in the ***. Even if Naruto manages to beat Sasuke and drag him back to Konoha he's not going to achieve anything by it except put all of Konoha in danger. Naruto is selfish and selfless at the same time in that he's making a decision which ultimately is best for Sasuke on many levels, but driven by a personal need for Naruto. Kakashi favoured Sasuke above both Naruto and Sakura during their time together in Team 7, he was also the one to teach them their first lesson about working together as a team. Now however even he knows killing Sasuke (whom he called his beloved student) is in the best interests of protecting Konoha. I said it before that Naruto is actually dangerously blinded by his own personal dogma in the same way Nagato was (and Madara may be), only that Naruto's dogma has a positive spin on it. Naruto feels he knows best in this case and is willing to push that to the point where he endangers the rest of his own team and the entire village by demanding Sasuke be taken alive. I think Sasuke is so poisoned by his own hatred at the moment he's actually incapable of being convinced there is anyone who cares for him outside of the Uchiha, and even then "the Uchiha" are just an idealised concept to him. I don't think Naruto should die, I think that Sasuke knows he's getting backed into a corner here and he either needs Madara to bail him out or he has to kill someone on Team 7 to create an opening for himself to escape. I think in the next two or three chapters, depending on how long the fight lasts we may see someone's (I'm guessing Kakashi's) death. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Based on the current chapter raw, it's pretty damn clear that Yama actually uses his zanpakutou to make fights even for his opponents, seeing as he can punch holes in Espada class Arrancar.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Stephanie'][SIZE=1]2,000th Post!

[quote name='Stephanie'][SIZE=1]Oh, and in honor of our one and only Irish Man Gavin, I will be changing my banner and avatar to something blindingly green. :)[/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]Yay? :animeswea I admit I am always a little perplexed by the fascination that has developed around the day, more so those with absolutely no Irish connections (and no, your housemate's third cousin's ex-girlfriend's grandfather does not practically make you Irish) being so enthused by it. Also congratulations on your upcoming 2,000th post Steph. [/SIZE]

[quote name='taperson'][SIZE=4][COLOR=RoyalBlue]IT'D BETTER BE.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1][I]Crosses out Taperson's Nifty.[/I] :-P[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I quite like Pi Day, if only because it's clever.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Stephanie'][SIZE=1]I just imagined her as a long, absurdly skinny candle. Thanks, Gavin. And sleep deprivation. And late-the-night-before-they're-due-essay-writing.[/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]I know the feeling, I'm struggling to get four assignments done before 5 pm this evening and given I have just over four hours to go it's going to be close.[/SIZE]

[quote name='taperson'][SIZE=1][COLOR=RoyalBlue]I AM GETTING INCREASINGLY IMPATIENT WAITING FOR THE NIFTY FIFTY TO ARRIVE.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]Should be up this weekend at the latest taper, promise.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Good that one of Microsoft's litany of lawsuits has actually had positive results for more than just the company itself, even if it's only on a temporary basis. Perhaps it's just an overexpose to memes originally generated on 4-chan but am I the only one who thought the "operation" should've been called inb4 instead of b49 ?[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ace'][FONT=Comic Sans MS]THINK UP A NEW PLOT DEVICE YOU TROLL. THESE ONES HAVE BEEN STALE SINCE THE TIMESKIP BEGAN.[/FONT][/quote] [SIZE=1]Originality ? From Kishi ? Cease your heresy this instant fool.[/SIZE]

[quote name='jonesy']I agree with a lot of what you said Gavin, that this last chapter came across as being contrived. As for the lack of tactics, I would imagine that at some point Yama-ji had a brain when it came to tactics but since he's so powerful he just brute-forces everything and doesn't need to worry about tactics, until maybe now.[/quote] [SIZE=1]That actually seems to have been the crux of Aizen's argument to Yama in the chapter, his lack of tactical acumen is down to the fact his wtfpwn zanpakutou generally allows him to one-shot enemies regardless of distance or strength. Even though he's more powerful than Aizen when main offensive power is taken away, Yama becomes vulnerable because he's become over-reliant on it. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Magus'][SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]In a sense I have Aizen pegged as an anti-hero than being a clear cut villain simply because Soul Society seems to do more sadistic stuff. (I'm looking at Mayuri and Kenpachi)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]I don't know, Aizen killing his own apparently loyal underlings kinda pushes him out of hero territory. After all while Soul Society has Ken and Mayuri, Aizen had Nnoitra and Szayelaporro who were pretty much identical if not worse, although to be fair topping Mayuri is pretty damn hard. Personally I'm actually expecting Urahara, Tessai, Isshin and Ryuken to make their appearance in the next while. Urahara has been the only one able to match wits with Aizen on an almost level playing field and I've always figured Isshin is former Royal Guard so it should make for an interesting match-up. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Sad to say I called it, I knew Kakashi would be hopeless in a fight against Sasuke at this point, even though the latter is half blind and nearly dead from chakra loss. Naruto's arrival likewise was not surprising, nor the fact Sakura choked yet again at the moment of opportunity. I'm vaguely curious about how Naruto will address the current situation, I suspect we'll get another heart-felt speech about how Sasuke doesn't need to let himself be controlled by his hate, Sasuke will rage some more than people don't get his brother was awesome (despite the fact that was the idea genius, it was either that or every Uchiha but him was considered a horrible traitor who got what they deserved) and in the end Naruto asks one more time for Sasuke to come home. I doubt there'll be a fight, more than likely Madara will reappear and whisk Sauce away again before anyone can interrupt him. Likely as well Sasuke is finally ready to take his brother's eyes to achieve EMS. Of course I could be wrong and Naruto beats six shades out of Sauce for his troubles in the name of friendship (stopping you from going too far) and rises to act as the Hokage he wants to be. Like I said, next week will be curious.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I wasn't really blown away by this chapter to be honest, far too much of it came off as being contrived. If getting one on one with Aizen was Yama-jii's aim the entire time he should have been the first to engage him the moment Fura blew out his fire-prison. Even if his plan worked all Yama would've done at that point was to ensure everyone bar Ichigo and Unohana would be killed along with Yama and Aizen. There was no necessity to it at all. Wonderweiss I'm particularly disappointed by, aside from his horrific design, because of the inconsistencies. I don't agree with the general consensus that this proves beyond doubt he's not a Vasto Lorde, because sending an Adjuchas-class Arrancar against the Gotei 13 Commander even with the ability to negate his shikai would likely be suicide. Added to that even though he's been designed (or redesigned) specifically to deal with Yamamoto's abilities, he has apparently defeated Kensei off-screen and as Kensei was already in bankai at the time and still had access to his Vizard powers that at least hints to his potency. I wouldn't have minded so much of he was outright stated to be a genuine Vasto Lorde, but the whole modded thing makes him seems just contrived. Why Ichigo didn't rush in to help Kensei is beyond me, if he knew he couldn't take Aizen would he at least make himself of some use, because he isn't affected by Aizen's powers yet and might have a chance at taking Wonderweiss if I'm wrong and he isn't a VL. Of course it could turn out Yama butchers Wonderweiss in the next chapter with a combination of kidou, swordplay and flash steps but somehow I find that unlikely. Overall a poor chapter saved only by the fact I love Aizen's speeches, and I got to see Toshiro maimed again. [/SIZE]