James

[color=#707875]Charles and Tony are both right, krippled master. People disagree on OtakuBoards all the time, but it doesn't mean that one person is attacking the other. Tony was completely respectful to you with his comments; he was merely having a discussion with you. If you don't want to discuss ideas, then you shouldn't be posting in a discussion thread at all. It's as simple as that. In any case...I think Microsoft has more to learn from Sony, rather than the other way around. Although I do agree that Sony has been able to get away with producing a lot of trash -- much more trash than Microsoft. I don't think there is much doubt that the Xbox has generally been a superior machine to PS2, in terms of quality issues. However, I don't think that Microsoft understands the gaming business. They are still looking at the console business in a similar way to the PC business. And the two are very different. Of course, Microsoft [i]does[/i] have the money to throw at Xbox and Xbox 2. There's no question about that. But if they continue to lose money on their next console, one must wonder how long they'll let that continue. It's true that Microsoft has tried to take the easy road in some respects, by offering large sums of money to purchase well-known developers and publishers. But even Microsoft's attempts to "buy the talent" haven't really resulted in greater success. Look at Microsoft's purchase of Oddworld Inhabitants as an example. That was a great deal for Oddworld, but an awful deal for Microsoft. Talk to anyone who played Munch's Oddysee, which was perhaps the most over-hyped (and under-delivering) game in history. Of course, there are many areas that I give credit to Microsoft. Their third party developer support program is very extensive; probably more extensive than what Sony or Nintendo are doing. And that works really well for smaller developers (although Nintendo's Fund-Q and bilateral deals are probably putting them on an even playing field to some extent). In some ways, I think that Microsoft is doing what it needs to do as a newcomer to the market. And Xbox -- while not a huge success by any measure -- is still not a complete failure. I think it's probably an adequate first step. But it's only a first step; MS will have to do a lot more if it wants to produce a longterm yield from the industry.[/color]

[color=#707875]I haven't seen a lot of these movies (Big Fish, LotR: RotK), so I don't really have any particular recommendations. But I would make two points. Firstly, I think Peter Jackson should win Best Director -- he [i]should[/i] be recognized for the three LotR films. He worked incredibly hard on those movies, bringing each to the screen consecutively. That's a massive task. If he isn't recognized at all...then I will pay even [i]less[/i] attention to the Oscars in future, because that would only prove that they are for big ticket Hollywood insiders and not "good movies" in general. I would also love to see Kill Bill win something, though I don't know what. A nomination would at least be good. Kill Bill was the best (or one of the best) movies that I saw in 2003. And of course, Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions should be in the running somewhere -- at the very least for special effects. Revolutions particularly deserves to win that award, as I can't think of another movie in the past year with effects on that level. In any case, there probably aren't enough categories for all of these movies to win something, or even to be nominated. And as we know from history, a [i]lot[/i] of amazing movies miss out on getting the nod at the Oscars.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]Now for example when I signed up to OtakuBoards I was shown a Privacy statement, I agreed to it and that put me in a contract with OtakuBoards and Adam directly. If he were to break that without abiding by that contract I would sue him, among other things.[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]No, it wouldn't put you in a contract with OtakuBoards or with Adam directly. We provide you with our own guarantee about what kind of information we use and how that is used. However, you are still responsible for your own personal information -- when you register at OtakuBoards, you aren't entering into a contact with anyone. You are ultimately responsible for your own person, but we (and the creator of our software) are responsible for what we do on our end. But you shouldn't mistake us for a corporation that is using your financial information or something like that. It doesn't work that way.[/color][quote][b] So really what is different in this case? [spoiler]Or is it because the word government is in there the word conspiracy is mentioned by some automatically to take its real importance away?[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]There really is no difference, in the sense that the people who send email are ultimately making the decision about what information they choose to include within the body of their email. If you include your personal details in an email, you're taking a certain level of risk. I'm not saying that the Government is in the right, because they clearly aren't. They should have delayed the publication of comments in order to clear this issue up. I'm just telling you that there is a certain level of common sense and responsibility on the part of the complainant as well as the Government iself.[/color][quote][b] Then you don't know slashdot.[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]Really? It's funny that SlashDot is one of your primary sources for information and at the same time, your information is often filtered or framed by some kind of leftist/conspiracy angle. So if SlashDot isn't doing it, then you're doing it yourself. You tell me who I should blame for it. ~_^[/color][quote][b] Yeah, those damn hippies attacking Patriot 2 leading to it being dropped in the light of public pressure! What a bad thing to happen!Yes it is absurd, though possible, but it was only a few peoples response, many others had logical reasoning to be annoyed.[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]What the hell are you talking about? Did I ever imply that these people had no right to complain about a Government proposal? No, I didn't. I'm quite happy for people to make their voices heard on an issue like this. You're now sitting there, quite happily portraying me as saying something that I didn't. I'm quite sure that if the Government told me that they would not publish my personal details -- and then they did -- that I'd be pretty unhappy about that too. I'm simply pointing out that at the same time, people should be taking responsibility for this sort of thing. And moreover, it's very easy to jump to the automatic conclusion that there is a Government conspiracy. Oh yes, the Government is so annoyed at people's complaints that they deliberately published all of their personal details, so that spammers would get 'em! How ridiculous. The Government explained [i]why[/i] this happened and I find it to be a completely reasonable explanation. That doesn't mean that I think they did the [i]right[/i] thing. Of course they didn't. I never suggested that they were doing the right thing, nor did I suggest that people have no right to complain. The Government clearly did the [i]stupid[/i] thing -- but that doesn't make it a deliberate attack on those who complained, as you would apparently like to believe.[/color][quote][b] I agree completely and they should fix their practises in light of it.Or they would have a public spokesperson come out and say; "comments for this proposal have been forced to be withheld for a short time more because of sheer volume and our privacy agreement to those people and as such our finial decision on this matter will be delayed accordingly.? [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Yes, exactly. They should have taken the more conservative/cautious approach, rather than hurriedly throwing the results out there. However, as I pointed out earlier, you and I both know how that kind of thing would be taken. Again, I can imagine headlines like "Government Refuses to Publish Complaints Over Policy!" or something stupid like that. Of course, that should not be a reason for the Government to avoid doing the right thing. I'm just saying that in some situations, they'll never win, even if they do the correct thing. [/color]

[color=#707875]I think that basically, what we want to do is create broader forums that cover more potential topics, rather than have lots and lots of smaller forums with very little activity. Again, if you want to discuss manga at the current time, you will have to use the Poetry/Literature forum. The forum description tells you that you can also discuss manga there. There should be no problem with that whatsoever; having a manga-specific forum at the current time would really achieve nothing. You'd be posting the same conversations with the same thread titles, just in a different location. At the moment, I realize that things are a bit cumbersome. And that's because I'm not making any forum changes until the next version of the site. At that point, you'll find that everything is nicely integrated and more functional than it is now. In the meantime, however, manga must be discussed in its designated area. That shouldn't be too difficult.[/color]

[color=#707875]I really don't want to get into any of those v7 details at the moment. But, needless to say, this is something I'm looking at. As I've mentioned in previous comments here, I will not be adding [i]any[/i] new forums to OtakuBoards during the current version. So I recommend that people hold these suggestions over until that time, because some of you may find that your suggestions are already fulfilled by the next version itself.[/color]

[color=#707875]When the new myOtaku features go up (changing your styles and so on), we'll also be linking to a full colour list. However, I'm not sure if all that stuff is up yet or what. However, it's also worth reminding you that HTML colours can be used. If you have a program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop, you can actually choose a colour and you can check its HTML value. These colours can also be used on OtakuBoards with vB code. So for instance, you could use a colour code like this for your posts: [/color][*color=#778995][/color][color=#707875], sans the "*". I don't even know what colour that makes, but it's just an example of the six digit colour code system. So, I recommend playing around with actual HTML code colours as well. You can pretty much create any colour you want for your text, especially if you have image software that will tell you the code for the selected colour.[/color]

[color=#707875]I attended my grandfather's funeral last year...and I was very close to him. It was really the first time that someone very close to me had died. I mean, a friend of mine from school died several years ago and I went to his funeral as well...but he wasn't as close to me as my grandfather. Generally, I don't like funerals. I don't like them because they upset me. Being surrounded by such obvious pain isn't an easy thing to deal with. It makes me feel very overwhelmed at times. And to add to that, funerals don't give me any kind of closure. I don't know who invented that word...but whoever invented it is an idiot, in my opinion. lol I almost feel like it's some silly tabloid saying that everyone uses now. "Closure" -- as if it's that simple. It's not. While there are events that will help you to settle with the reality of what has happened, "closure" in a black and white sense does not exist. At least, in my experience it doesn't. That word is thrown around so much and it's become some stupid catchphrase -- it's something that demeans the depth and complexity of emotion, in my view. At my grandfather's funeral, I felt upset. When I heard that he'd died in hospital and up until the funeral, I felt completely numb. It was only at the funeral itself that I actually [i]realized[/i] that he was truly dead. My mother asked me if I wanted to see him (his casket was open before the proceedings; it wasn't open during them) and I immediately said no. The very thought of that made me want to be violently ill. Having the possibility in front of me felt alien and bizarre and awful. And I didn't want to put myself through that. If it had been an open casket ceremony, there is no way I could have handled it. The whole idea of seeing a loved one laying at the front of the room dead, is just a really gruesome idea to me. So I'm glad that it isn't really a tradition in this country. Having said all of that...when the service ended and I walked outside for some fresh air, I felt a [i]lot[/i] better. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It wasn't just because I'd gotten out of there, either. It was because I had felt "closure" in a tangible way, I guess. The funeral had been depressing and upsetting, yeah. But it had also been a celebration of my grandfather's life and achievements. And to me, that was the most important part of the entire thing. So, I don't see death as some on/off, black/white issue. How can I? I'm a human being with emotions. If someone close to me died and I said "Yeah, whatever, just throw 'em in the dirt"...I would have to question what kind of human being I really am. It's not because death is some mystical thing that everyone should cower over. It's that the death of somebody is a significant event in itself; it [i]always[/i] deeply affects somebody, whether it's me or someone else. I am sure that if the funeral had never happened, I would still feel numb today. Maybe I'd have a nagging feeling at the back of my mind about it. I don't know. But I do know that the funeral was a catalyst for me personally. It allowed me to absorb the gravity of what had taken place...and it also allowed me to both face the reality that someone close to me had died and also that their life is something that should be remembered. So, I guess that's a pretty garbled/random response...but I think that anyone who has ever had a close family member die cannot possibly be completely apathetic about funerals or the whole process that surrounds death. If you have any sense of emotion or humanity, I don't know how you can remain unaffected by it.[/color]

[color=#707875]Everyone has basically expressed my viewpoint on this anyway. OtakuBoards is a place that kids should be visiting [i]after[/i] they do their homework, I think. This place is really here so that you can wind down and relax. Trying to provide any kind of "official" homework help would be a huge responsibility and it's not something that I'd want to do. But more importantly, I don't think you'd necessarily want to trust your homework advice to random people out there. It's best to get help from your parents and/or friends and teachers.[/color]

[color=#707875]After reading the actual original CNET article, it seems to me that the number of responses the Treasury Department received was enough that they were not able to edit every single email comment before posting it up. So there are two points I'd make about that. Firstly, they're talking about what was in the content of the email. If you are emailing the Government to protest or to make your opinion about a particular proposal known, why would you put your personal details within the body of the email? To me, that comes across as being rather unnecessary. Secondly, if the Treasury Department decided to wait and edit every single one of these emails, to ensure that nothing personal got through, can you imagine what'd happen? People would start saying things like "Treasury Department withholds thousands of email comments!" I can definitely imagine SlashDot posting an article with [i]that[/i] headline, if it were the other way around. Of course, having said all of the above, I don't think it's appropriate for the Government to be publishing personal information -- I'd rather that they delay the process of publishing emailed comments, just so that they can make sure to uphold their original promise. Regardless, this will be used as further ammunition to attack the Government about privacy issues, conspiracy theories and whatnot. Saying that this was a [i]deliberate[/i] way to "silence" future comments on proposed legislation is absurd. I think it's simply a question of poor judgement on behalf of some stupid public official.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, funnily enough, the rules kind of mandate me to close this thread as it is. But certainly, I'll leave it here. If you really [i]are[/i] thimoc, your apology is definitely accepted. And if you'd like to remain on the boards and participate, that's fine too.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by CB Shin [/i] [B]My god...every sentence makes up another statement from you. Some even being a part of the sentence. I'm getting tired just reading your post, your arguement is always the same, while I have proven different facts. Your being very narrow-minded from this, though I'm not surprised. Here's to sum it all up. I DON'T AGREE WITH COMMUNISM, I ACCEPT THE PHILOSOPHIES OF MARX AND ENGELS. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I think you should be honored that you are being respected enough to warrant someone's time and energy. DeathBug is quoting each of your points, in an attempt to provide a rebuttal. He's not calling you names and he doesn't seem to be directly insulting you. He's just trying to answer your points with his own reasoning. For you to sit there and call him "narrow-minded" and then say "though I'm not surprised"...to me, as an observer, that comes off as incredibly dismissive. You yourself are behaving in a narrow minded fashion. You've basically ignored all of DeathBug's points and responded with what equates to "you're narrow minded, I'm not going to bother answering you, so I'll just restate my belief again because I'm lazy". I think it's worth noting that if you're going to start a discussion like this -- and especially if you're going to insult people's intelligence early on (with your comments about not knowing who Karl Marx is), then you had better be prepared when people [i]do[/i] call you to task and question your beliefs. It would be nice to actually see you respond to DeathBug's points in an intelligent way, so that you can answer his questions and provide examples that were previously missing. Somehow though, I'm not really expecting that you'll extend that courtesy to DeathBug.[/color]

[color=#707875]There is a manga section. The Poetry/Literature forum can be used to discuss comics and/or manga. It's in the forum description. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]At the moment, my house really has no theme. I'm thinking of using the modern theme upstairs (the entire upstairs is my lavish bedroom -- or love nest, as you may want to put it -- while the downstairs is sort of in transition. That's a nice way of saying "it has half a million mixed themes and makes little sense". However, I'm not focusing on house decoration until I've got all my loan paid off. I haven't been playing much lately, so I haven't been harvesting fruit and so on. I should get back into it though, because it would only take a few days of hard fruit-picking to pay off that debt.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dreamerspiritt [/i] [B]It's true. I've always been spoiled, and as much as I want all my greed to go away it won't. I'm greedy, greedy, and the econmy is basically based on greed and disire, like Posion Toung said. The real meaning of Christmas has been lost, it's not about gifts, it's about family and firends, and giving, not receiving. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]For the first point, I'd say that I disagree. Having some level of ambition, or desire to achieve, does not make you greedy. And if you do have some kind of materialistic desire (as all human beings do), there's no automatic natural law that makes you more greedy over time or something. Quite often it's the reverse of that, I think. Captialism is definitely based on a desire to have more than what we currently have, for both ourselves and society as a whole. But that isn't at all a bad thing. It [i]can[/i] be a bad thing, but why paint everybody with the same brush? It doesn't work. Capitalism is something that drives innovation. And innovation is important, in terms of the environment, healthcare and so on. So, like all things, there are negatives and positives...but I'd personally suggest that the positives are overwhelming. On the second point...again, I disagree. If Christmas is all about giving, then [i]someone[/i] is going to recieve what is given. So obviously, it's also about receiving. But that doesn't mean that it has to be a greedy affair at all. Receiving a special gift from a loved one (whether it's some big expensive thing, or a heartfelt christmas card) is a great feeling and not necessarily for materialistic reasons. I know that gifts given from people tend to remind me of those people; so it's great to always keep a card from someone that you care about. But moreover, if you are receiving gifts, then someone is giving them to you. And giving gifts is a great feeling, because in some small way, it tends to be a token of affection for the person receiving it. So I don't see any of that as a bad thing. And I'm tired of hearing this "the true meaning of Christmas has been lost" line. I think it's old. Christmas itself is based upon a Pagan event and there are various interpretations of the event, in different nations around the world. So I think that point is kind of moot -- and regardless of your religious affiliation, I think it's fair to say that [i]most[/i] people see Christmas a time for family and friends. In other words, a time to celebrate relationships and love. I don't think that is too far from being at the "heart" of Christmas.[/color]

[color=#707875]You're right, wrist cutter, except that Baron's basic analysis is also pretty much correct, despite his specific wording. A metaphor is a figure of speech, where one thing is used to refer to another, to create/suggest a similarity between the two. And a simile suggests a direct comparison between two very different things. Also, a metaphor can mean that one thing is symbolic of another. So I think both are probably correct. In any case, I think that the comparison between a box of chocolates and life is an appropriate one. At least, it's correct in the sense that you often don't know what the consequences of your actions will be down the road. But also, a lot of things come up at you that you didn't expect or weren't prepared for. I must say though...a lot of the posts in this thread totally miss the point. Half of this thread seems to be discussing confectionary itself, rather than the randomness of life. Oh well.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by TheFameof_Dying [/i] [B]When a member is banned, Why do their threads stay? Sorry if this is short but I dont know who to ask. Also, are pictures containg Gore, such as guts. blood or severed heads against the rules?? Would this pic be acceptable, for the boards, or for theotaku.com??? [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]To answer your first question...there are a variety of reasons. Sometimes the threads stay because they are closed and are used as an example of a rule violation. Sometimes we use the threads as evidence to demonstrate why someone was banned. So it's not always necessary to remove the threads. For the second point, why don't you just read our rules page? Your picture seems alright, because the gore isn't realistic/extreme. Obviously, if something is very extreme (as far as violence/gore), we won't allow it. [/color]

The two vehicles zig-zagged the autostrada, as though a small black feline were being chased by an enormous grey wolf. In the serene comfort of the grey SUV, it was as though Jamie and Joshua were experiencing a leisurely Sunday drive through the Italian countryside. At least, it would seem that way, if it weren't for the occasional violent lateral thumps; at times, the SUV appeared to be in danger of rolling over completely. However, both Jamie and Joshua didn't appear worried. They knew that if the SUV [i]had[/i] to be rolled, in order to get at Jeanette, then it'd be done without question. And as they weaved in and out of the traffic, they could hear shouts of "stolto mandriano!" above the roaring of the SUV engine. "I think we're upsetting our fellow drivers," said Josh quietly and with a mild smirk. Soon enough, the pair could hear the faint sound of sirens. "Great," said Jamie, as he carefully guided the SUV closer to Jeanette's BMW, "now the cops are on us. I think we'd better deal with them before we deal with Jeanette." Jamie looked over at Joshua and smiled. "You know what to do, my love," he said. Joshua didn't need any prompting. He turned around and reached into the middle bench seat. A long, thin compartment sat just underneath the cushion. Joshua pulled the cushion up and tore it away from the compartment. Several weapons, along with their ammunition, had been placed inside. Joshua rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What to use," he murmured. "Something fun," said Jamie, another smile forming on his face. Joshua grinned and reached into the compartment. He pulled out a small sub-machine gun, which he carefully slung over his shoulder with a heavy strap. He looked in the side mirror and saw the flash of red and blue; it was closer than ever. "Okay, here I go," said Joshua with a deep breath. He opened the window on the passenger side and removed his belt. He then climbed up and sat on the sill, with his feet jammed down between door and seat. He was locked in place. As Jamie continued to swerve between lanes of traffic, Joshua pulled the sub-machine gun up by his shoulder. He lowered his gaze to follow the barrel, aiming his sight at the hood of the nearest police cruiser. Joshua was too focused to notice the expression of disbelief on the police officers' faces. But it was too late, anyway. Joshua held to the door tightly with his legs and squeezed the trigger. Immediately, the weapon began bucking heavily in Joshua's arms, as a stream of heavy ammunition effortlessly sliced through the cruiser's hood. And again, moments later, the SUV swerved violently to its left, as the nearest police cruiser's nose exploded forcefully. Pieces of rubber and metal were thrown across the SUV and Joshua turned away briefly, covering his face. The second cruiser approached, sirens blaring. This time, it came up closer to the SUV, only a couple of metres away from Joshua. The officer driving the vehicle lowered his window and began yelling hoarsely, though Joshua couldn't hear his voice above the roar of the wind. It didn't matter, though. Joshua knew that the cruiser was too close for him to fire at the engine, so instead, he aimed his barrel squarely at the driver. As soon as the police officer realized what Joshua was doing, he attempted to swerve the cruiser into a lane further away. But it was too late. Joshua squeezed the trigger again and unleashed a volley of heavy fire on the driver's side of the cruiser. The bullets almost seemed to pin the driver to his seat, as deep crimson liquid splashed over the steering wheel and blanketed the interior. The cruiser wobbled dangerously on its wheels and then veered sideways into a concrete embankment, simultaneously rolling a full three hundred and sixty degrees as it did so. It was completely obscured by black smoke and flames. Joshua carefully sunk back into the passenger seat. He kept the sub-machine gun in his lap, for safe keeping. "Great job," said Jamie. He almost seemed amused by Joshua's performance. Joshua leaned across and kissed Jamie on the cheek. "You know I never miss," he said. Jeanette's BMW moved several lanes over, suddenly. "She must be trying to exit," said Joshua. "But where is she going?" "I don't know," Jamie replied, "but we'll follow her. That bitch owes us and she's not getting away this easily."

[color=#707875]My first kiss was...wet. That's the best way to describe it. It was sloppy and...everywhere. lol So yeah. It wasn't particularly nice. Again, at the time, I really didn't know any better. I wasn't the slobbery one, either, just for the record. ~_^ Since then, I've experienced far, far nicer kisses. In fact, I think I'm addicted to kissing. Therefore, I'm suffering through withdrawal at the moment. lol[/color]

[color=#707875][b][u]General Awards[/b][/u] [b]Overall Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Male Otaku of the Year:[/b] Shy [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Semjaza Azazel [b]Female Otaku of the Year:[/b] Dagger IX1 [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] terra [b]Staff Member of the Year:[/b] jblessing (Justin Blessing, our awesome programmer!) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Charles [b]Funniest Member:[/b] Charles [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] wrist cutter [b]Most Opinionated Otaku:[/b] Cloricus [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] PoisonTongue [b]Member most likely to be here in two years:[/b] Adam [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Shy (You know I won't let you leave, not even for a holiday!) [b]Best Newbie:[/b] Dagger IX1 [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Arcadia [b]Best Oldie:[/b] Shy [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Warlock [b]Most likely to become a Staff Member:[/b] Dagger IX1 [strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Favorite Banned Member:[/b] kuja [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] thimoc (the classics never die) [b]Most improved Member of the Year:[/b] Dan (ie: Shroom/Cyko) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] SaiyanPrincessX [b]Thread of the Year:[/b] [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24820"]The Shy One[/url] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34258"]Care Bears: Quest for Care-a-Lot [Rated G for intense cuteness][/url] [b]Silliest Thread of the Year:[/b] [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33546"]I.....am Lone....[/url] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32771"]Anyone interested in purchasing a used heart?[/url] [b][u]Random Awards[/u][/b] [b]Avatar Award: (Best Avatars Overall)[/b] Charles [strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Signature Award: (Best Signatures Overall)[/b] Charles [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Sara [strike][b]Best Location: (Best Specific Location)[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Best Otaku Couple:[/b] James & Shy (c'mon, I'm sure most of you know about little Soju) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] James & Queen Asuka (she's the First Wife, afterall) [b]Best looking Otaku:[/b] BabyGirl [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Juuthena [strike][b]Otaku clique of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Best MyOtaku:[/b] Charles (yeah, [i]again[/i] -- it's those darn Daily Otakus and funny poems that do it, I tell you) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Semjaza Azazel (always stylish is always good) [b][u]Otaku Writers[/u][/b] [b]Poet Laureate:[/b] Charles (read the poetry on his myOtaku...it's all gold) [strike][size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Writer of the Year:[/b] Shy (this was a really hard one to award, [i]but[/i], have you seen Shy's posts in Kill Adam? The detail in his backstory is really amazing) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Queen Asuka (again, for Kill Adam. I'd have rated BabyGirl and Queen Asuka as equal...but since I already voted for BabyGirl elsewhere, I thought it'd be wise to vote for Torisuki here.) [b]Orginal Story of the Year:[/b]OtakuBoards: Enter the Net [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Maverick Hunters: Personification [b]Role-Player of the Year:[/b] terra [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Final Flash, wherever he is. [strike][b]Brawler of the Year (sparring):[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Role-Playing Game of the Year[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b][u]Social Otakus[/u][/b] [b]Otaku Social member of the year:[/b] wrist cutter (too many great one-liners for him not to be nominated by me) [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] SSJWolfGirl...I think that is/was her name, anyway. [color=teal]Mei? ^_^; -Syk3[/color] [b]Entertainment Otaku of the Year:[/b] wrist cutter [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Semjaza Azazel [b][u]Anime Otakus[/u][/b] [b]Otaku of the Year: (Best Anime member overall)[/b] Dagger IX1 [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] AzureWolf[strike] [b].hack//SIGN Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]DragonBall Guru:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Digipeep of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Gundam Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Yu-Gi-Oh Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Least Disappointing Yu Yu Hakusho Member:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b][u]Otaku Gamers[/u][/b] [b]Gamer of the Year:[/b] Semjaza Azazel [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Shinmaru [b]Nintendo "Mario" Award:[/b] Shinmaru [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Desbreko[strike] [b]The Sony Award:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Xbox Gamer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]PC Gamer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b][u]Otaku Artists[/u][/b] [b]Best Graphic Designer (Banners, wallpapers, etc.):[/b] Semjaza Azazel [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Hittokiri Zero (for his site layouts, moreso than his banners)[strike] [b]Best "Traditional" Artist (Drawings, paintings, etc.):[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [b]Best Spriter:[/b] Dragon Warrior [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] Dragonballzman[strike] [b][u]Series Otakus[/u][/b] [b]Series Otaku Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]Square/Enix Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]PokéPlaque (Pokemon):[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size] [b]The Triforce Award (Zelda):[/b] [size=1]Honorable Mention:[/size][/strike] [/color] Okay, done. I didn't vote in a lot of categories, though. I'll leave that to everyone else. ^_^

[color=#707875]I think that this article is generally on the money, in the sense that it's kind of stating the obvious. I do not believe that Sony will talk about PS3 this coming May, although they may provide [i]some[/i] new details, we won't see physical hardware or anything like that. PSP -- and its final design and initial games -- will be the big focus I'd say. And I'd be willing to bet that Sony might want to talk a bit more about PS2 online stuff as well. As for Microsoft...I don't know what they're going to do. They did unveil Xbox as a kind of "phantom console" and as a result, it ended up being something quite different to their original projections. But who knows. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Microsoft saying something about Xbox 2 early in the year...but I think it's more likely that MS will be talking about it later in the year. Still, it's really not all that far away. If they plan to launch in late 2005, they're going to have to reveal something more about it this year -- and they'll probably have to get development kits out by the fourth quarter, or the first quarter of next year. Some are even saying that Nintendo has begun to talk about emulators for its next generation hardware. So who knows at this point.[/color]

[color=#707875]If you like Enya, I'd also recommend Deep Forest, Delerium and a group that I cannot remember the name of right now...ugh. If I remember, I'll tell you. ^_^ I like Enya, but I guess that's mostly because she's easy to like. Her stuff is pretty easy on the ears I suppose. But having said that, I wouldn't call myself an Enya fan as such. Now and then, I can listen to her and enjoy it...but not all the time.[/color]

[color=#707875]I don't think that it would really be possible to stereotype people here so easily. I know a lot of OBers, who I talk to regularly...and I know that despite their obvious common interests (anime, gaming), they are all quite unique and individual people. In terms of whether I like it better or worse...I am satisfied with the way things are now, compared to previous versions. Things are always improving, always progressing and always developing. The community is more relaxed, more respectful of one another and more "mature" than it used to be -- particularly during the v2 era. People who believe otherwise are probably looking at the site's past through rose-coloured glasses. In general though, little has changed between the fifth and sixth versions...other than the fact that there are many more members here. There are a couple of thousand new members this year and several hundred of those have become quite regular in their visiting habits. So that has changed the dynamics a bit too. But things still move along nicely. I like the fact that we've grown larger than before, but that we still feel like a community...and not some enormous hub with no sense of personality.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is very nice, Dagger. The only thing to do now, really, is to do a bit of clean up on the stray pencil marks. But you've done a great job here. Everything looks pretty clean and softened. Nice job. ^_^[/color]

OOC: A slight yelp? Maverick Hunters is a military organization, you know. For shame. ~_^ [color=#707875]Everyone was sitting around the kitchen table. At first, nobody talked. Iota was gazing at the wall, Warlock was repairing the damage to his visor and Demos was mumbling angrily. Warlock paused and put his broken visor on the table. "Damn visor..." he sighed. He pulled up a chair and sat with the group. "Well," he began, "I guess I should be totally honest about the missile laun--" "No," interrupted Proteus. Everybody looked up. "That isn't important, Warlock. Nobody's here to check up on you or anything like that. We have other reasons for being here," he said. Warlock raised an eyebrow. "Maverick Hunter HQ isn't interested in monitoring me anymore?" Proteus shook his head. "They aren't worried about you right now." "Yeah, those bastards have bigger fish to fry now," grumbled Demos. "I reckon we should just bust in there and take Duke out. It's not like we don't have the support to do it." Iota looked at Demos. "I don't think we should risk injuring the civilian workers. Who knows what things are like with Duke in control," she said. Warlock now focused his attention on Iota. "Duke?" he asked. This information had seemingly come from nowhere. Proteus and Iota both nodded. "Yes, Duke. He is running things now," said Proteus with a look of dismay. "I don't know what happened, or how he came to us. But he's there now. None of the other Hunters are aware of his treachery. Even we don't know what he's planning, but we do know that he can't stay there." "I see," said Warlock quietly. He stared directly forward at the table as he spoke. "Why are you here?" Proteus looked at Warlock. Their eyes met and it was as though Proteus' sincerity was tangible. "We're here for many reasons, Warlock," he began, "we're here because we tried to save our lives...we're here because we need time to formulate a plan...and we're here to sort out the future." "Any ideas, then?" piped up Havoc, who had been listening to the conversation with great interest. Proteus shook his head slowly. "I don't know. There's no way we can just return to HQ. We'd be killed on site. I'm surprised that Duke hasn't already sent a squad after us." "I'd say that Duke doesn't want to risk sending any units to Xen. Anyone recognized as an authority figure from the capital would probably be in great danger in this place," said Warlock. "I'm surprised that you guys found my place without any resistance, especially considering that you arrived in a Hunter vehicle." Demos grinned. "Hah, you think any criminal would take on a group of Elite Hunters? I don't think so." "You're probably right," said Warlock calmly. "Of course, it didn't stop Massacre..." Iota snapped out of her still gaze again. "How can we ever hope to win? We have our own home looking for us...and Red Alert too." "Red Alert? There's [i]more[/i] I don't know?" queried Warlock. Proteus nodded. "Yes...Red Alert is a terrorist group, run by Dr. Karman." Warlock winced as he heard that name. "Oh. Her...she's alive?" Another solemn nod. "Incredible. I never trusted her...I hoped she'd be okay though..." Warlock stopped. Memories of the air strike were coming back and he didn't want to discuss it. It seemed as though everybody else automatically understood. "Well, the fact is, Karman is trying to discredit the Hunters. She's trying to make them look incompetent," said Proteus. "And she's doing a damn good job of it," said Demos indignantly. "Yeah, she is," sighed Iota. "But what can we do?" Everybody paused a moment longer. "We take her on at her source," said Warlock slowly. "We take out Karman...and then we deal with Duke." Proteus, always the voice of reason, couldn't help but interject. "Karman tried to capture me, Warlock. Her facility is enormous...full of drones and Protogen killers. How can we possibly take out that base?" "Well," began Warlock, "I know a guy near here...he's been supplying me with my own weapons, when I left the HQ. Great guy, too. He's honest; he doesn't deal with the lowlife types around Xen. He used to be a scientist for the Japanese Government, before they came under UN jurisdiction." "Can he supply us with transports and heavy guns?" asked Proteus. Warlock nodded and grinned. "Yeah, he's got some awesome stuff back there. Costly, though." Proteus frowned. "Costly?" "Yeah, but..." Warlock paused and fingered his glove for a moment, "his daughter was killed in the Nebula Heights explosion. If he knows that Karman was behind that attack, he'll surely give us some freebies." Proteus stood up. "In that case, I think everyone should get themselves prepared. Let's repair ourselves and put the supplies that we have in the HAPC. Then we'll go and find this scientist and be on our way."[/color]

[color=#707875]I am rarely bored, because aside from entertainment...I usually have something that I could be working on. When I am online, I'm usually working on something, browsing news/gaming sites and talking on AIM. So that keeps me pretty occupied on here. But when I'm not online...I do all sorts of stuff. I walk, exercise, read, play games, go out with friends, etc. And when the school year is in full steam...most of my time is spent working on projects. So, when people tell me that they are bored...I usually recommend that they do something creative (draw, paint, write a story, start an RPG, learn some HTML, etc). If you put your mind to it, there's usually always something constructive out there for you to do. ^_^[/color]