Sandy

You do know that the American two-party division sucks, don't you? ;P It's so narrow, and both big parties only represent the ideals of wealthy people (and nobody ever seems to vote for the independents). As an example, I'll give you a glance to the European party system, which is much more varied. There's the [B]left wing party[/B] for workers and socialdemocrats, the [B]center party[/B] for the middle class and microenterpreneurs, the [B]right wing party[/B] for academic urban people and enterpreneurs of bigger corporations. Then there are the [B]communists[/B], the [B]green party[/B] (who are often liberals) and the [B]christian party[/B] (who are often conservatists). Plus a mishmash of smaller parties. So instead of giving a choice of three big, vague parties, why don't you allow a broader selection. That way there could be more parties, and more presidential candidates. ;D Oh, and I really like the idea, by the way. But I'm into politics anyway. ;P Do work it on!

[B]Question: [/B]Just [I]how[/I] long after the events of the Deathly Hallows does this take place? I've read the book so I'm not afraid of spoilers, just wondering if the school would still have the same faculty, some of the same students etc. Here's my character: [COLOR="Teal"][B]Name:[/B] Medea Weasley [B]Age:[/B] 13 (born 29th of May) [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Personality:[/B] She's daring, outspoken and jovial - just like a true Weasley. Nobody's quite sure how she got sorted into the Slytherin House instead of Gryffindor, but it might have something to do with her secret ambition to reach higher than any Weasley has ever reached before. [B]Biography:[/B] Medea is the descendant of the Weasley Siblings, legends in Hogwarts alongside Harry Potter. The weight of her ancestry hangs heavily on her shoulders, and she desperately wants to prove her worth. To everybody's surprise she was sorted to the Slytherin House in her first day in Hogwarts, where as all of her cousins went to Gryffindor. She has since became somewhat of a black sheep in her family, although she doesn't agree with most of her classmates on the inferiority of Muggles and Squibs. On the contrary, she is very interested to see the Magic Realms and the Muggles' world united someday. Nevertheless, she has grown proud and arrogant during her stay at the Slytherin, and she doesn't have many friends outside her House. Even her relatives at school shun her. But she'd rather concentrate on studying than petty rivalries. [B]Appearance:[/B] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/hp-medeaweasley.png[/IMG] [B]Year:[/B] Third [B]House:[/B] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/HP-slytherin.gif[/IMG] [B]Wand:[/B] 8 inches long, made of ash tree with a mermaid's hair as it's core. [B]Familiars:[/B] A female tarantula she calls [I]Fat Widow[/I] and a grey owl named [I]Cinderby[/I]. [B]Classes:[/B] Astronomy Charms (her favorite class) DADA Herbology History of Magic (her least favorite class because she gets bored easily) Potions Transfiguration + Divination + Muggle Studies (she's the only Slytherin in the class)[/COLOR]

The only big misconception about me (that I've heard of, at least) is that I'm a girl - and I'm talking about real life, not online (which would be more understandable because of my user name). XP Thankfully it hasn't happened since highschool...

[font=Century Gothic]I'm sorry for exaggerating, it just [I]felt[/I] like each loss (for [I]all[/I] of the teams, not just this one) resulted in frustration and nitpicking - normal reactions, I reckon, but when they're always aimed at me, it sometimes feels a bit too much to take in. It's like every loss is my fault, for making such a sucky challenge, heh. ;P But I know that's not how you guys really feel - I know you've had plenty of fun along the road. Mind you that this is [I]Survivor[/I] we're playing here, it has it's highs and lows - it can't all be just fun and games, otherwise there'd be no challenge in it for anyone to "survive". But yes, your faith is at the hands of the opposing team. After that is settled, we move onto the next challenge - something not as complicated as this one, but I gather it will be twice as demanding. You'll just have to wait and see what i'm talking about... ;D[/font]

[B]Sojio[/B], you scare me... A lot. But enough about you, let's talk about [I]me[/I]! Or rather, look at me - in London. [url=http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/?action=view¤t=omakuva9.jpg][U]At the Piccadilly Circus.[/U][/url] [url=http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/?action=view¤t=omakuva10.jpg][U]On a double-decker.[/U][/url] Quite fresh, these pictures are, although I had to wait for my boyfriend to send them to for a couple of weeks. Quite good pictures, as well. I'd [strike]bang[/strike] ask me out if I met myself. ;D [SIZE="1"]And now I'm being a selfish bastard and will have a face full of zits for weeks.[/SIZE] [B]@ Retribution:[/B] my bag's not a very unique one, I could walk into any store that sold men's bags and find a similar one (I have, since this current one is my third dark green bag).;D

[FONT="Century Gothic"]I have to say, this turned out to be a very interesting challenge. [I]Most[/I] of you completed it according to the rules, understanding what was required. The few that didn't were the make-or-break factor here. Now I have to admit that I had trouble spotting the clichés. Some contestants have seen probably few dozen anime shows and read as many manga books that I haven't even heard of. Furthermore, I had to make some sort of judgment on what cliché was specifically related to anime/manga, and what was a universal cliché. Granted, some of the clichés I found and listed below are universal as well, but I added them in if they were familiar from an anime/manga I knew of. The story itself had quite many inconsistencies, and it was definitely a weird mixture of all possible anime genres, but I'm not judging anyone based on that. I [I]expected[/I] it to be a mess, really. ;P But without further ado, here's the rundown of everything I spotted: [COLOR="Red"]The Aces:[/COLOR] [SIZE="1"][u]BKstyles:[/u] 11 - woken up by mother - sleeping late - fussy mother - pet creature - magic book - legacy of the family of witches - tripping over - falling into a boy?s arms - blushing - secret crush - well-endowed redhead [u]Shy:[/u] 14 - spikey-haired boy - eye-patch - magical twins - twins not knowing each other - annual competition - summoning monsters - tentacles - mecha - enemies from outer space - anti-magic government - people failing to make connection between the transformer and the transformation - collecting monsters - samurai sword - Tokyo [u]Keyblade Wielder:[/u] 11 - visible sigh - unlimited eating - magical communication devices - puffed cheeks - steaming ears - mocking ?tongue & eyelid pull?- face - sparkling eyes - romantic daydream - giant fan - evil laughter - masked hero [u]Ezekiel:[/u] 4 (disqualified for too few words) - love being the key - slow motion jump - glistening teardrops - encircled by the enemy[/SIZE] [COLOR="Gold"]The Sunflowers:[/COLOR] [SIZE="1"][u]Rachmaninoff:[/u] 13 - girl named Rei - pink hair - dissing glasses - pervert old man - magical outfit change - popping vein - short skirt - family jewel - pet is always hungry - pouring tears - sweatdrops - explosion where nobody?s hurt - huge mallet abuse [u]Aaryanna:[/u] 11 - sword wielding nuns - old wise woman - doubleganger - reincarnation - seeing/flying impossible distances - catgirl - tomboy - magical song - cherry blossom petals - sudden chibifying - flailing arms [u]Aaryanna_Mom:[/u] 11 - temporarily charred clothes - large bump in the head that suddenly disappears - making faces - visible question mark/light bulb over head - killing a henchman in a fit of rage - split screen showing all characters present - villain?s stupid motives - blue face of embarrasment - momentarily cattish look - ultimate transformation - cinematic camera for attacks [u]SunfallE:[/u] 3 (disqualified for pointing out the clichés) - ravens as symbols of evil - bubbles coming out from the noses of the sleepers - it was all just a bad dream[/SIZE] [B]Total:[/B] [COLOR="Red"]The Aces:[/COLOR] 36 [COLOR="Gold"]The Sunflowers:[/COLOR] 35 This means that [COLOR="Red"]the Aces[/COLOR] have collected this victory! Congratulations! As a reward for winning (again), you'll get to keep your ranks united for at least the next challenge, and get the initiative next time, as well! As for the other team, it's time for the... [SIZE="5"][CENTER]Sixth Team Council[/CENTER][/SIZE] [COLOR="Gold"]The Sunflowers[/COLOR], I'm sorry, but your party will go down to three. Who will be the next flower to wither away? [B] It's time to vote[/B]. And the votes are in. [B]Aaryanna[/B]... you got one vote. [B]Kathy[/B]... you also got one vote. [B]Rachmaninoff[/B].... you got one vote too. And yes, [B]Beth[/B], you got one vote as well. This means that it is a [B]tie[/B]. Otherwise it would be the Team Captain's decision, but since she is under the threat of being eliminated as well, it all falls to the hands of [COLOR="Red"]the Aces[/COLOR]. [B]BKstyles[/B], please post what your team decides to this thread as soon as possible. You can only pick one flower out of the bunch, remember.[/FONT]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="goldenrod"]:animesigh Thanks for the implication that we have no honor Sandy.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [FONT="Century Gothic"]As I explained to you over at the PM, I did not by any means wanted to imply that your team has no honor. "Completing something with honor" is a [I]phrase[/I], at least in my language, meaning that someone's done something how it was meant to be done (eg. "he completed the driver's license test with honor"). You, Beth, and Ezekiel were both disqualified, thus you didn't complete the [I]task[/I] with honor, but you both are persons with great honor and I respect you both deeply. Hope you understand this. As for catching "too few" of the clichés, I did catch over 70 of them, and if that's not enough, then I guess I just don't know my anime/manga that well. Just remember that I was collecting [B]clichés[/B] (things that are repeated over and over again almost ad nauseum), [I]not[/I] things that have happened in one single anime episode once. I'm sorry you guys feel like quitting after this loss (have you noticed you have the same discussion after every loss, by the way?), but you just have to trust me being impartial on my judgings. It's not like I can desert you into some solitary island, now can I? ;P But I'd trust your will to fight the other team will last a bit longer, since there's only two or three challenges coming (depending on the outcome of the next challenge) until the Grande Finale. Again, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to make you feel better (at least nothing that wouldn't offend the other team). You just have to find the strength to continue from yourselves. PS. Always remember that this is [I]just[/I] a game.[/FONT]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]I wonder. So, these flaws could range from minor trivial inconsistencies to full-out failures, right? (Not that I expect full-out failures – but just in case. :animesmil )[/FONT][/QUOTE] Umm, [I]potentially[/I]. *sweatdrop* That's why I want to go through with the beta-testing first, to see if the game can be done at all. There's so many things here that can go wrong: too few players, too many players, too few missions, too rapid levelling-up, too many battles, too few things to do and people getting bored etc. I just have to be certain before I open it to the crowds. Btw, does that count as a sign of interest to become a beta-tester, Allamorph? ;P

[quote name='Satori'][SIZE="1"][FONT="Trebuchet MS"][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"] Also, from the very start of this thread I've wondered whether or not there will be a graphic map or just the written imagined kind? [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/QUOTE] I've thought about making a World Map and separate Region Maps from the get-go, I just haven't gotten around to do them yet. But please, your "half-skills" (talking about [I]modesty[/I] here) would really be of help, Satori! Currently I'm finetuning the beginner jobs, adding missions and Viruses and balancing things here and there. I'd be interested in starting up the [B]Beta-Test[/B] next weekend/next week, if things go smoothly from here. I just need people to do the testing with me. So far I've got [B]Gavin[/B] to co-operate with me as a GM, and [B]Jokopoko[/B] as a volunteered tester, but I think I'll need at least one tester for each job (of which there are six) to see if they're working in the real game. There are some requirements for a beta-tester, though. First of all, he or she must report to me immediately once he or she finds a flaw in the game system. Any other type of feedback are recommended as well. Secondly, he or she must be truly interested in the project, so that I won't have people quitting on me after two posts or so. As a reward for their effort, the beta-testers will get to keep everything they've acquired in the testing in the real game once it begins, including levels, items, completed missions etc. So who's up for the task, huh? ;D

I'm loving how the thread is four pages in, and practically everybody are avoiding to utter the One Name Over Them All. Yes, the Almighty One-Winged Angel, the Secret Daydream of all Gamer Boys, the Epitome of the Power of Evil, the Ultimate Mommy's Boy: [B]Sephiroth[/B]. I don't know if he's all that great by his own merits, but as part of the superb plot of Final Fantasy VII, he's definitely the most memorable villain in the whole history of videogaming. That's [I]exactly[/I] why no-one wants to mention him; he's sort of a given by now, and everyone hates him for that. ;P As for my personal favorite among villains in videogames, I still owe my heart to [B]Edea[/B] from Final Fantasy VIII. There should be more of her ilk; beautiful but corrupt sorceresses forcing all countries under her control by a flick of a finger. Sure, the plot became quite messed up by the end, but for the parts featuring Edea, I loved every second! And she was temporarily playable, as well! XD

Honestly, I see nothing "mature" about this "conversation", heh. ;P It will become mature if I we start to discuss about scissor fetishism, where one gets kicks out of somebody cutting his/her underwear while s/he's wearing them, but I don't anyone really wants to talk about [I]that[/I]... But yeah, shaving pubic hair is a pain in the butt (especially when you shave your butthair, heh) - the outcome will look nice and clean for a day, then the cruciating itch begins, and sooner than soon it'll be the same untidy bush it was before. *rolls eyes* Nowadays, I stick to trimming my body hair with scissors. It erases most of the risks.

[quote name='Gavin'] [SIZE="1"]You mean like men loving women and women loving men ? ;) I'm just kidding Sandy.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Heh, more like bisexuality, asexuality, pansexuality, transsexuality, transgenderism and hermaphroditism, just to mention a few... ;P

I don't get this thread. It's so different from all the previous ones. :/ In the past the threads went, almost without exception: "Gay people are the coolest!" "No they're not, they're horrible sinners!!!" "No they're not, my best friend is gay and we always go shopping together!!!!!" "No, the Bible says they should be killed and I agree!!!!!!11". At that point the mods would lock the thread. But now everybody have seemed to accept the idea that you cannot just wipe out a large minority of people for doing against your liking. So they accept us gays as [I]people[/I], but still don't accept us as what we are - men loving men, women loving women, and don't even get me started on everything that goes on in between! Like Raiyuu has been noting in this thread already, people are posting oxymorons and paradoxes about hating homosexuality but having homosexual best friends. And [I]that[/I] is weird. How can you be friends with someone who lives in a way you think is appalling? Because homosexuality, and you can take this as a fact from a person who is a homosexual himself, is NOT just a sexual thing, it's NOT just an act. It really, truly is a way of life. I'm not satisfied with just banging my boyfriend, not by far. I want to share my life with him, move in together, visit each other's families on holidays, see the world with him, and grow old with him by my side. Now if someone would please tell me what's so wrong with wanting that with another person? And no, I won't take "because you both have penises" for an answer. ;P

You're being way too cautious with us, Konata! ;D We don't bite... well, maybe nibble a little some times, but I can see from these two posts that you're an excellent addition to the personal and varied member base of our online community. So take it easy, you've got nothing to worry about. This is a section for Suggestions & Feedback, so of course you can post those things here. Concerning introductions and goodbyes, it's customary that members can include them to other posts as a [B]side note[/B]. Like in the RPG section that I moderate, it's only good if people mention long vacations or other absences in the game thread or at the Underground. Likewise, new members can sign into RPGs saying "Hi, I'm new here. I'd love to join this game, so here's my character: (etc.)" I think you can see why creating whole new threads for something that can be said in one sentence is rather pointless, am I right? ;D I hope you'll stick around, and even venture to the Adventure Square sometime! Cheers! - Sandy

[quote name='Retribution'][size=1] I guess what I'm saying is, people always pour out their sympathy for a week, maybe a month to the cause. And then it's on the next cause. And the next. The true scope of human suffering on this planet is not grasped by any of us. Like I said, that's sort of to be expected since we're so far removed from it all. I guess seeing all this sympathy to this earthquake that only claimed 9 lives makes me wonder about how we feel [or do we even remember?] about previous tragedies. Is it all a facade of sympathy that lasts a week? Are we truly sorry for these people?[/size][/QUOTE] You want everyone to carry the weight of the [I]whole[/I] world on their shoulders constantly? When people's private lives are oftentimes unbearably tragic on their own? People just aren't that strong. Anyway, I don't get you. Japan posted about the recent earthquake, something that touched her closely through her friend. So she didn't list every catastrophe that has taken place previously. So what? How is that forgetting or disrespecting anything? On the contrary, I think it's very rude to come to a thread where someone's worried about people who they care about, and say "Yeah, but think about all the people who died back then! This is nothing compared to that! Why aren't you saying anything about that, huh?" This thread isn't about catastrophes in general, or comparison of them, thus Japan didn't even bring them up. This thread was about this particular case. I know your rant was meant to be more about the general state of things, but you've got to think of the emotions of other members sometimes as well. People react to things that happened close to them (or someone they know), and soon forget more distant events. That's completely natural, and no one should be made feel bad about it.

I guess I'll start with the judging, then. I have to say that I hope you really knew what you were up against when you asked me to judge your duel (I warned Beth about this already). I'll try to be as nice as I can, but I will say things honestly and frankly, as always. So don't hate me for that. ;P First of all, it was good that you explained your choice of format, BK (a chapter from a longer story instead of a short story), since I would've given you a long minus for that otherwise. ;P The ending still bothers me, but I'll get back to that. I won't say much about the techical side of the stories (I think Allamorph handled that part perfectly already), but focus more on the style and the plot. So here goes: [B]Common issues:[/B] You both had [I]essentially[/I] the same main character: a caring white straight man from Earth with a wife and a kid. The same dude that adventures in pretty much every sci-fi novel, tv-series and movie ever made (just a slight generalization, heh). Now, you know me, I like to steer away from conventional characters, just because I find them, well, boring. Both of your characters were frankly said "yawn-inspiring". Their behavior and reactions were unsurprising, and their personality was one-sided. Your stories, as great as they were, could've used that extra [I]oomph[/I] gained from a unique, different main character. I don't mean that you have to use a one-legged mulatto hermaphrodite from Venus to please me, but Beth, had you told your story from Saria's or Christine's point-of-view, I believe you would've had a whole different aura to your story (a better one in my opinion). Same goes for BK, Jenna would've been more original choice for a main character. I might sound like a hardcore feminist, but honestly, bringing some female p-o-v to the largely male-driven genre would've impressed me. As another point, did you notice that you both used the same title, or at least titles with the same idea? ;P [B]The End of Beginning:[/B] Beth, even though your main character was conventional for Sci-Fi, I don't think your story was. Sure, there was the whole "Earth explodes and few survivors manage to escape into space"-plot device, but in my opinion that was just some rather irrelevant setting in relation to the essence of your story. You provided an alternative view to mortality and death in general. The "flat world" was intriguing, although I didn't quite graps the idea of the barriers (I could only see them as some sort of force fields that people could walk through), but the idea of some other people trying to escape death by building that world, [I]and actually being successful with it for a while[/I], is very interesting. A great short story which began smoothly and wrapped up nicely, although it take an "M. Knight Shyamalan"-like twist in the middle. [B]Alpha and Omega:[/B] BK, I have to say that your story wasn't quite what I expected to read in this duel. It was as if you took the given genre to heart and stuck with it like a slave. I've played Star Ocean 3, and your storysetting was almost identical to it, with influences from Star Trek and Neon Genesis Evangelion thrown into the mix (although SO3 was already riddled with those to begin with). I don't want to put you down, your story had nothing wrong with it [I]per se[/I], it was captivating and I, too, would've wanted to read more of it, but there wasn't anything that I hadn't seen before. And the ending! DUH! You don't cut story right in the middle of the climax, unless you're doing a tv-series! Just a few paragraphs more, the "Guardian" could have even just blown up the entire fleet, and your story would've been saved. Now the abrupt end felt like a cold shower thrown on me, as I had barely even gotten into the story. But I sincerely hope you will continue to expand and especially [I]deepen[/I] the world you've created. It has potential, now you just have to be brave with it and break the mold (or just ignore me and do what you want, heh). ;D [B]In Conclusion:[/B] There's not a doubt in my mind, I will vote [B]Beth[/B] with "The End of Beggining" as the winner of the Sci-Fi Showdown. Alas, I'm but one of the three judges (the "Simon Cowell" of our panel, I presume), so I'll hand the ball to Jamie and Revelation. Great job, both of you, I sincerely enjoyed reading your stuff! *thumbs up*

I should probably give you a forewarning: even talking about the [I]number[/I] of clichés in public will disqualify your post. So far you haven't said exact numbers, but you better take this warning seriously. Losing just one post will most probably make you lose the whole challenge. Oh, and Kathy, I hope everything's okay now (or as okay as they can be in your condition). Remember that you're a rolemodel to us all, you brave woman. ;D

Yes, I heard that the death toll is relatively low considering the force of the earthquake. Then again, I know Japan has quakes frequently, and so the architects have taken that into consideration and designed sturby but flexible buildings to accomodate the situation. Talking about thinking ahead (always a good thing)... My thoughts are with the victims, in any case. Hope everybody's okay from your friend's family, Japan!

Yay, I found one: [url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=56992[/url]. It's [B]TheDailyOtaku[/B] with the help of hint #4 ("It was suppose to be for the community you see. Until a barrage of words took over, you’ll see."). I really like the idea of this thread, although I still can't see why it couldn't be posted to the Community Events where it would be accessible to more members. It's not like the section has a whole lot going on over there at the moment... *prods White* ;P

Ta-dah! I did it, I finished first of the jobs. Let me represent, in all of it's glory: [COLOR="Magenta"] [B]the Mangaka[/B], a budding artist and fanatic of all things Anime & Manga. It’s a very magic-oriented job. [I]Alignment:[/I] Order - Basic HP: 5, Basic MP: 10, Basic Attack Power: 1, Basic Magic Power: 3 [I]Weapons:[/I] - Paint Brush (Lv1, Atk +1, Mag +2) - Fountain Pen (Lv3, Atk +2, Mag +3, water element) - Calligraphy Brush (Lv5, Atk +3, Mag +5) - Paper Fan (Lv7, Atk +6, Mag +9, air element) - Parasol (Lv9, Atk +8, Mag +15, light element) - Origami (Lv11, Atk +10, Mag +22, break possibility 1/4) - Blood Scribe (Lv13, Atk +14, Mag +24, drain HP with each attack) - Inuyasha Plushie (Lv15, Atk +22, Mag +33) [I]Armor:[/I] - Souvenir Kimono (Lv2, HP +5, MP +5) - School Uniform (Lv4, HP +10, MP +10, protects from "Boredom"-status) - Sailor Uniform (Lv6, HP +16, MP +16, absorbs water element) - Floral Kimono (Lv8, HP +24, MP +24, absorbs flower element) - Bishounen Suit (Lv10, HP+30, MP +27, male characters only) - Lolita Dress (Lv10, HP +27, MP +30, female characters only) - Magical Fallal (Lv12, HP +20, MP +50, nullifies spirit element) - Shinigami Suit (Lv14, HP +40, MP +35, male characters only) - Megami Dress (Lv14, HP +35, MP +40, female characters only) [I]Magic Arts:[/I] - Sakura Bud (Lv1, +2 flower elemental damage) MP -2 - Ink Splash (Lv2, inflicts "Blindness"-status) MP -2 - Sakura Blossom (Lv3, +3 flower elemental damage up to two targets) MP -5 - Zipper Lips (Lv4, inflicts "Muteness"-status) MP -4 - Withering Sakura (Lv5, +5 flower elemental damage up to three targets) MP -10 - Signature (Lv6, inflicts “Curse”-status) MP -12 - Sweatdrop (Lv7, +10 water elemental damage) MP -15 - Sigh of Relief (Lv8, +12 air elemental damage) MP -17 - Stumble (Lv9, +15 earth elemental damage) MP -20 - Flames of Fury (Lv10, +20 fire elemental damage) MP -25 - One Piece (Lv11, inflicts “Statue”-status) MP -14 - Sailing Moon (Lv12, gives “Enchant”-status) MP -21 - Dragonball (Lv13, +30 energy elemental damage up to four targets) MP -30 - Pocket Monster (Lv14, +25 magic damage of an element of choice) MP -40 - Death Note (Lv15, attempt to instantly kill the target with chances equal to it’s level) MP -50[/COLOR] I had so much fun doing this! XD Here are some new statuses: [U]Negative Statuses:[/U] [B]Statue[/B] – makes target immobile, unable to do absolutely anything until healed, but if it’s attacked before that, the target will shatter and die immediately [U]Positive Statuses:[/U] [B]Empower[/B] – doubles target’s basic attack power for three turns [B]Enchant[/B] – doubles target’s basic magic power for three turns [B]Double[/B] – allows target to take two actions in one turn up to five times

I would be ever so happy if someone would make a nifty logo and perhaps some other graphics for my latest Adventure Square project [B]OBsession[/B] (formerly known as OBscene), which is an attempt for an OB MMORPG (click [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=57531][U]here[/U][/url] to visit the thread). For the logo, I'd like something that's about 300 pixels wide, and a little less high. It should include the title of the game, [CENTER][FONT="Century Gothic"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]OBsession An OtakuBoards MMORPG[/COLOR][/FONT][/CENTER] , in [I]Century Gothic[/I] font, and optionally colored [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]blue[/COLOR]. The background could have an image made in the style of [B]Final Fantasy[/B]-logos (google them up if you don't know what they look like), but that's up to your skills and interest, of course. The image can be pretty much anything related to OB, monsters, fighting, magic, fandoms, pop culture etc. The other graphics can be anything related to the game, if you happen to get inspired to do so. I hope I'm not being too vague on what I want, since I really don't have a clear image in my head about it. I can say for certain that [I]anyone[/I] who contributes things to this thread and eventually joins the game will get a special [B]bonus[/B] to their character. ;D Thanks in advance!

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I'm afraid I still don't get the player character thing, are we not supposed to be version of ourselves, in which case what happens in we're already an NPC or Game Master ? As I said I'm just a bit confused on the whole sign up thing. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] Umm, I didn't think of that option, honestly... That someone would want to play as [I]themselves[/I], heh. XP How stupid of me... Well, I'd surely prefer if people made up original characters instead, just to avoid confusion as you said. Premonition, thanks for the mission, although I did take the liberty of tweaking it somewhat (I'm way beyond Mission #4 in numbers, for one). Here's the remade version: [COLOR="Teal"][U]Mission #13 Get Me My Money Back![/U] [B]Location:[/B] The Underdocks, Adventure Square [B]Prerequisites:[/B] Gamer Lv3/Mangaka Lv3/Movie Freak Lv3/Therapist Lv3 [B]Description:[/B] “Damn thieves! Always stealing form my shop instead of the other ones! I don't care anymore, but you can get back my money right? I'll give you a reward if you catch those darned thieves!” - Lagrame the Merchant [B]Goal:[/B] Defeat 2 Pigpockets at the Adventure Square and bring back Lagrame's money [B]Reward:[/B] Leg of Meat, 20 Experience & 70 OtakuBucks[/COLOR] Also, I made Leg of Meat a [B]Mission Item[/B] instead of a normal one. Mission Items are different in that you can only acquire them from certain missions, and they should be used under special circumstances (such as another mission with that Mission Item as a prerequirement). Here are the ones I've come up with: [B]Autograph[/B] – maybe you can change it to something good… [B]Love Potion[/B] – make someone fall in blind love with you [B]Leg of Meat[/B] – toss it to the Viruses to make them ignore you for a while When creating Missions, remember that you can also put completing an earlier mission as a prerequirement. That way you can create whole [I]strings[/I] of missions, each harder than the previous, and have a little storyarch to them. ;D [B]EDIT:[/B] And here's a sneak peek at one of the missions that will give you an Advanced Job as a reward. All the upgrades are done in a similar manner, through completing extra tough missions. [COLOR="Teal"][U]Mission #?: Knight’s Oath[/U] [B]Location:[/B] Otaku City, Palace of the Three Thrones [B]Prerequisite:[/B] Gamer Lv15/Mangaka Lv15/Movie Freak Lv15/Therapist Lv15 [B]Description:[/B] “Our beloved subordinates, times are grave and we are in desperate need of reinforcements to our Order of Moderator Knights. If you wish to become one, you must pass the Trial of Valor.” – Sovereign James [B]Goal:[/B] Defeat 1 Spam Dragon and make an oath to the Three Sovereigns [B]Reward:[/B] Advanced Job Moderator Knight, 100 Experience & 1000 OtakuBucks[/COLOR] [B]EDIT #2[/B]: Name change! The game is going to be titled [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]OBsession[/COLOR][/B], instead of OBscene. I think it fits better, and is more related to the contents of the MMORPG (the whole world is based on fanatism and fandoms, after all). Also, I've put up a [B]logo request[/B] to the Art Request forum, you can see it [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=783875#post783875][U]here[/U][/url].

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Heh, well so long as I can get the Chewie outfit and a lightsaber I'll be happy. I might take a shot at designing a few new weapons and armours then that might give a little more Arena feel to the game, Auron's Jacket perhaps.[/SIZE][/quote] That'd make a perfect armor for the advanced job Final Fanatic. ;D [quote name='Gavin][SIZE="1"']Seriously ? I'd have thought your fellow staff would have been lining up to be GMs. Oh well, better luck for me. Though I'll have to figure out how to be the Keeper of Oldie Secrets as well as a player character.[/SIZE][/quote] Oh no, you don't get to play THAT role - it's an NPC, non-player character. ;P NPCs speak through players who are talking to them. It's only your [I]cameo[/I]-role, anyway, just like "Sandy the Sage" is mine and "Raiha the Enchantress" is Raiha's. We Gamemasters aren't in-game personas (if you don't want to consider us as gods meddling with everything, heh), but as I said, you can be a player in the game as well. Btw, would you mind taking [B]N00b Mountain Region[/B] as your region thread when the game starts, Gavin? That would mean that you'd be the one responsible for all the battles ensuing in that thread and all the players currently residing there (which is all the Spammers and Occultists, really). Since you're not a moderator, you'd have to create the thread yourself so you could edit the first post, as well as all the Spammer/Occultist character profiles to the upcoming Underground thread. Don't worry, I'll give you everything you need for it. ;D I would handle the game in general, as well as [B]Otaku City Region[/B] with it's resident beginner jobs, unless someone else wants to do that. Other region threads at this moment are [B]Musmovitel Town Region[/B] (former Obrah Town), [B]The Underdocks Region[/B] (former Creative Docks, sorry about the name change, Will), and [B]Anthology Archipelago Region[/B] (although that could be created later). [B]The Great Archive[/B] and [B]the Forsaken City[/B] are endgame business, so I won't even go there yet. ;P Yet to be created are a Hardwired-themed region and Anime-themed region, and that would be quite enough (remember that these regions include a town as well as dungeons and fields, which can be added later). Anyway, I will send you (and other possible Gamemasters) my precious Word-file about this game once we're closer to the beta-testing. If you want to ask me questions about Gamemaster's duties, you can freely do so either here or through a PM (and this goes for all of you). Hmm, just to spice things up a bit, here's a little simplified theory of how I imagine that the [B]battles[/B] will go: [quote=Player] (Kikuichimonji, Level 2 Mangaka, HP:11, MP:16, Atk:3, Mag:6) Kikuichimonji felt that the buzz of the Otaku City was too much for him at that moment, so he decided to go out for a stroll at the Fields of Gold just outside the city perimeters. He walked through the golden grass and enjoyed the midday sun sending it's warming love down upon him. Out of a sudden something grabbed his leg and he came tumbling down. When he looked at his feet, he saw a little pink worm wrapped around his ankle. He immediately recognized it as one of those dreadful Viruses. "Get off, you nasty creature!" [B]*Kikuichimonji engages Loveworm in battle. Kikuichimonji has the initiative*[/B] "Hah, you're so weak!" Kikuichimonji laughed as he raised his Paint Brush up in the air. "Take this!" He pricked the Loveworm and made it squeal in pain. The Virus hissed at him threateningly. [B]*Kikuichimonji attacks Loveworm with his weapon. Loveworm loses 3 HP*[/B][/quote] [quote=Gamemaster] (Loveworm, Level 1 Virus, HP:2, MP:5) The Loveworm hissed at Kikuichimonji, and wrapped itself around his waist and squeezed as hard as it could. [B]*Loveworm uses Hug. Kikuichimonji loses 2 HP*[/B][/quote] [quote=Player] (Kikuichimonji, Level 2 Mangaka, HP:9, MP:16, Atk:3, Mag:6) "Ouch, that hurts!" Kikuichimonji screamed and shook the worm off of him. "I'll show you who to hug!" [B] *Kikuichimonji attacks Loveworm. Loveworm is defeated. Kikuichimonji gets 2 Experience & 5 OtakuBucks*[/B][/quote] If the player is then lucky enough (Gamemaster has to draw the result someway, using the odds described at Loveworm's profile), the Gamemaster will send him a PM about an item that was dropped by the Virus (these PMs can be postponed until the player has received multiple items, though). [quote=Gamemaster's PM]Kikuichimonji received 1 Candy (restores 10 HP) from defeating Loveworm at the Fields of Gold. -OBscene Gamemaster[/quote] Then the Gamemaster will update the player's Character Profile with the HP lost, the Experience and OtakuBucks gained, the new item to his inventory etc. Sounds complicated, I know, but I'm ready to do it. ;D Does anyone have any ideas how to simplify the battle system even more?

I don't consider myself justified to say anything on the matter, since I'm a gay male and will never have kids of my own, thus I will never have to make the choice myself. I just have to comment on this: [quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]It's not "potential life," as that would be something that may or may not become alive; it [i]is[/i] life because it's already alive. So, yeah, it does seem like murder to me.[/color][/QUOTE] With that philosophy you shouldn't be eating meat, stepping on grass or even breathe in case you might swallow a microscoping insect. Animals, plants and bugs are all alive, you know. Thus you need to make a separation between "life" and "human life". Does a fetus live a human life? Inarguably no. So it is the [I]potential[/I] life lost that you're worrying about after all, isn't it?

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Well Sandy, I have to say, you've got me very interested in this project of yours. My one complaint is that while you've created base classes that represent each of the other categories of OB, you've somehow left out the nearest and dearest to both of us, the Arena itself. Surely we can have an Adventurer class that specialises in combat and loot-sweeping or scouting ?[/size][/quote] Hmm, somehow I thought that [I]all[/I] of the jobs would fall into that "adventurer"-category, so it would be a bit pointless to create a different job for that. Trust me, Arena isn't forgotten in this game - the whole game takes place here, so how could it ever be? ;D [quote name='Gavin][size=1']I'd be happy to work as a Game Master if you need one, though my skills in HTML are pretty rudimentary.[/SIZE][/quote] Yaaaay! You're the first one who has straight-out volunteered to be one! Just remember that you can play a character of your own as well, despite being a Gamemaster. Someone else will just do the battles against your character. ;D And html? Pfft! What ever little skills you have, I don't even have those! I think we can handle everything with basic tags. ;D ... Although I wouldn't mind someone making the game some decent [B]graphics[/B]. XP