James

[color=#707875]My mum watches Spongebob more than I do. o_O But yeah, I don't really watch it at all...only sometimes if I catch it when it's on. I remember having conversations with people and Spongebob has come on in the background...lol...and while you're talking and the sound is low, you just see the visuals. And based on that, you have no idea what's going on...it's just so crazy. lol But yeah, I'm a kid at heart...and my parents are like that too. I mean, my mother in particular likes a lot of that stuff. She really loves The Animatrix and she is also a Spirited Away fan. My dad is less into anime and all of that stuff, but he likes cartoons like Ren & Stimpy. o_O Anyway, enough rambling from me. [/color]

[color=#707875]The anime isn't evil...these issues that you raise are problems with will power and so forth. I think we all have something that we'd rather be doing than schoolwork. It's mostly just a question of choosing to put those things aside for a moment and focus on the work. It's the same with anything, really...whether it's movies or video games or whatever.[/color]

[color=#707875]MaceDavis...please, you're not trying very hard here. Firstly, we do have an Art & Design forum if you'd cared to look. And secondly...your use of OB as a host is ridiculous here. Don't double post just to attach images. Host them yourself and link to them from your host. I recommend that you read through our rules (in the OB Information Center) to make sure that you understand them.[/color]

[color=#707875]We've had this debate before. And the last big abortion thread was pretty much a joke...few people seem interested in a true debate, but rather, we get people arguing from one side or another. It's a never ending discussion that is full of anger and it's one with no real resolution. I don't think it's appropriate at this point, Shinji. I don't mean to say that serious debates can't be had...but let's try and avoid clinging to these "outrageous" threads, even when things move slowly. I want people to carefully consider what they post in this forum and I want to encourage new types of discussion. People always fall back on abortion or religion to spice things up. I think there are better ways of generating activity here.[/color]

(Note: Nobody is heading to Sygnosis X yet. Take a look at the end of my original post. This post should help to define things more clearly. ~_^) [color=#707875]An sleek transport vessel touched down on the Defense Department's VIP tarmac. Its engines were virtually silent, a result of its high-density fusion-powered engine. The side door folded open and several men emerged onto the tarmac. One of them, General Bertone, was a gruff and impatient man. The ring of hair around his head was a sign of his humanity -- Reploids aren't prone to baldness, afterall. The two men behind him were senior military officials, as they liked to be called. In reality, they were little more than paper-pushers. They'd been brought along for the ride due only to protocol. There was really no need for them to be present. The final man to exit the vessel was Cyan. He was wearing his usual clothing and his usual facial expression; quietly reserved. Cyan didn't know what to expect from the day's test. It was unknown territory in many ways. But he did know that some of the individuals he'd meet today would be instrumental in his future -- and possibly the future of mankind itself. [center]| | |[/center] The double doors opened and several recruits stepped into an expansive white room. In the center of the room stood Cyan, grasping the handle of his katana. He smiled at the recruits and gestured for them to stand closer. "Welcome," he said, "It seems that not everyone has arrived yet. But no matter. Those of you who are here now can be briefed on what you face." Cyan examined the Reploids who stood before him. None of them seemed to be particularly special upon first glance. A total of twelve were standing in the room on that day, but Cyan knew that only a small handful would succeed. "The rooms behind me contain several challenges. These challenges primarily consist of Drone-based opposition. But even if you succeed with the Drones, you'll come across one final challenge...a group challenge," said Cyan. Cyan then produced a thin file from him pocket. He opened it and handed around several very thin microfiber cards. The Reploids in the room promptly held the tiny cards up to their eyes and scanned them via an infra-red connection. The cards contained slightly more detailed information on the Drones that they'd be fighting, including various weak points. Cyan unsheathed his katana and began swinging it through the air gracefully. He spoke as he sparred. "I recommend that you prepare yourselves as best you can. The test will begin soon." And on those words, the various Reploids produced their hand-weapons and commenced a limited practice session. Some Reploids were more aggressive than others. And some Reploids were more interested in sitting in the corner quietly, contemplating what was about to come. Meanwhile, the entrance to the testing chamber began to light up. Cyan hoped that all of the recruits would be there before the test commenced.[/color]

[color=#707873]Okay, Boba...you asked me to tell you why your sign-up is problematic. I want to start by saying that I love your writing. You're one of my favourite RPers. So it's not anything to do with your writing or anything being bad. It's just that you've got some inaccuracies in terms of the story. First, Maverick Hunters "died out" a couple of hundred years before this story begins. The timeline talks about its formation and the Protogen War. MH died out at the end of that war. So it's unlikely that your character would have joined up to MH and then joined SX. Moreover, "New Generation" Reploids were not around during the time of MH. Back then, they had more "Megaman-like" Reploids. NG Reploids are far more humanoid, so the two wouldn't cross over like that (at least in historical terms). Secondly, your character's name and description really don't keep in with the context of the story. Abob Ttef is just Boba Fett backwards...it doesn't seem to gel with the story/theme in any sense. And your character picture is a Star Wars based guy...not a NG Reploid. As you can see from my character picture (and Chaos/Domon's, too) you'll see that I'm going for a modern/urban anime/manga-themed style. These characters also don't wear any elaborate armor at this point. So yeah, that's something worth noting. If you want to change your sign-up, that's no problem...I'll happily re-evaluate it. I'd never say no to a great writer like yourself, when it comes to giving you more chances to get in. ~_^ Oh and Baron Samedi...you are in. I think your sign-up is good.[/color]

[color=#707875]Okay, let's get this show on the road. Those who were accepted are in the list below: Dragon Warrior The Harlequin Domon Chaos terra Wondershot FartMaster745 Now, if you didn't make it in...don't fret. ~_^ Some of you (like Boba Fett) had great sign-ups, but you made some errors that either seriously don't gel with the history... or your sign-up just isn't appropriate. If you want me to detail why you didn't get in, you can ask in this thread. And if you want to edit your sign-up or try again, you can also do that. If you've not signed up and you still want to...you can. But you have to wait until I approve your sign-up first. You may want to read the RPG a bit and then decide if you want to join.[/color]

[font=trebuchet ms][i][u]May 1, 2511[/u] Dear Mother, Thank you for your last letter. It was of great comfort to me. I only wish that my words could provide such comfort to you. I know that I should not be writing to you, but I can't help it. It just feels like the right thing to do. Although I may not be a human being, I still have feelings. And I think I have some kind of intangible link to you as many humans do to their own mothers. I just wish that you could be here now. I don't know what it is precisely, but I'm missing something. When I wake up in the morning, I feel almost completely hollow, as though I'm nothing but a mere shell. Where is my spirit? Do I even have a spirit? In any case, I read your last letter with great interest. I'm not sure that I understand you though, mother. And that bothers me. Sometimes you say things that I find confusing or illogical. But at least I feel satisfied and happy after reading one of your letters. Your words comfort me, even though I do not always understand them. You're very smart, mother; far smarter than I will ever be.[/font][/i] [color=#707875]The silence was broken by the soft patter of footsteps on a cool wooden floor. Origin to these footsteps was a young Reploid man, who stood with the unmistakable poise of an artificial lifeform. He stood still, legs slightly apart, hands clasped behind his back. His legs were spaced evenly and his feet stood parallel to one another. Everything about him was a demonstration of unparalelled symmetry; a demonstration of exquisite artistry. Every line that traced his shape was undoubtedly sublime. Could God Himself pen a better creation? Arguably doubtful. The silence was again disturbed, but not by the Reploid. A Combat Drone was the purpetrator this time. And by comparison, it was as simplistic and obsolete as one could ever imagine. Its skin was harsh and metallic -- devoid of colour and sublime surfaces. But this impression was deceptive. A series of soft clicks and humming sounds signalled the beginning of the confrontation. The Drone rose slightly from its rubber treads, on a series of thin hydraulic pistons. Its arms, a web of complex wiring and hydraulic parts, unfurled to produce two very sizeable automatic weapons. The Reploid responded by unsheathing a thin katana from a leather pouch attached to his shorts. He wore minimal clothing purely for the purpose of movement -- the Drone he had chosen to face was notoriously challenging. It had severely injured several other Reploids in recent months. As moonlight filtered in through the enormous rectangular windows, the Reploid stood before the Drone and bowed. The Drone also knelt down on its piston-filled mid-section. And within a mere fraction of a second, bursts of explosive gunfire filled the room. Flares of orange and yellow darted from the smoking barrels of the guns as thousands of projectiles snaked through the air all at once. Pieces of plaster, wood and synthetics crumbled from the ceiling and walls, pounding all over the wooden floor like giant raindrops. Whisps of dark smoke filled the air as round after round of titanium-capped bullets sped between columns and furniture. But the target was elusive. The Reploid darted between objects, leapt between verticle surfaces and deflected unavoidable projectiles with swift movements of the katana. Finally, the Drone paused. Its gun barrels cooled ever so slightly as smoke poured out of them. A single painting on the far wall collapsed in a heap on the floor, sending its shattered glass facade in all directions. The Drone began to roll over the floor slowly, while simultaneously rotating its torso and head independently. No matter where the target was, the Drone would find it. Suddenly, a gentle patter of feet became audible once more. The Drone pivoted around immediately but it was too late; the long, thin katana was already deeply lodged in the machine's torso. The Drone, gathering the last of its energy, raised a single gun and placed its barrel against the Reploid's right temple. The Reploid could hear the internal chambers initiate their rapid spinning motion with high-pitched whirring noises. At any moment, a flurry of projectiles would erupt from the barrel and escape through the opposite side of the Reploid's skull. But the barrels stopped spinning. The katana had been dragged from the lower torso to the upper torso, through the top of the head. One entire side of the Drone's body spluttered a couple of blue sparks and collapsed awkwardly onto the floor. The lights in the great room flickered momentarily before erupting in a brilliant white glow. The Reploid didn't squint, as his eyes did not require light to receive visual information. His lenses merely refocused automatically in response. He stood and resheathed the katana. "Nice redecoration," said a deep voice from behind him. It was Dr. Inoue. The Reploid turned to him and offered a restrained smile. Dr. Inoue looked around the room and finally, his eyes paused on the damaged painting. He shook his head slowly and glanced back at the Reploid. "Oh dear, Cyan. That's no good...you ruined my lovely painting. It's a famous piece, you know," he said, not without a hint of fun in his tone. Cyan cocked his head inquisitively as Dr. Inoue approached the painting and carefully pulled it from the shards of glass. He raised it and held it up to the light. "This is a painting of Mt. Fuji. It's very old...painted long before the disaster. It is one of mankind's most famous paintings," said Dr. Inoue. "Why did you keep it housed in glass?" asked Cyan after a moment's silence. "You almost cut your hand when you picked it up..." Dr. Inoue smiled warmly. "I have a certain affinity for these things, my boy. Force fields are nice, but they would hardly match the decor of this room, would they?" Cyan shrugged. He didn't know the answer to the question. But nonetheless, he was fascinated by Dr. Inoue's interest in antiquities. It was both impractical and nonsensical to him, but he understood that human beings had a greater attachment to time long past than Reploids. Dr. Inoue carefully lay the painting on a dresser nearby and walked over to Cyan. He put his arm around the Reploid and began to escort him from the room. Whenever Dr. Inoue did this, Cyan knew that he was pleased. "You did such a fine job in there, Cyan. I'm very impressed. You continue to define the benchmarks by which your peers judge themselves," he said happily. Dr. Inoue escorted Cyan through a large hall and out onto a terrace. The terrace overlooked a beautiful xen garden, with a small creek weaving through the trees beyond. It was a warm, moonlit night. Both Cyan and Inoue-san were feeling quite pleased with themselves. For his part, Dr. Inoue was the Head of R&D at the New Hokkaido branch of the Robotics Engineering Administration (or, REA). REA was a large organization, established by the United Nations several years earlier. Dr. Inoue had been chosen to head the Research & Development department as a reward for his many years of service to the Scientific Research Council, which was centered in New Hokkaido. Cyan had found his way to New Hokkaido through his career in the military. He'd always seen himself as an army man, although he never particularly enjoyed military service. The world was at peace for the most part and military service seemed almost completely redundant to him. When the opportunity to work for the REA came along, Cyan gladly accepted. He was excited by the REA's work and he felt convinced that a career in the organization would be only natural for him. For the past several months, he'd been working almost exclusively for the weapons testing staff. Although he wondered why they had taken such interest in him, he didn't question the scientists' motives. Dr. Inoue had become one of Cyan's greatest friends. He was a kind old man who had a genuine love for art and history. Cyan found him to be fascinating. He could sit for hours and listen to Inoue-san talk about 20th century history. Dr. Inoue's passion for history was almost tangible when they were in the same room. It was the strongest connection that Cyan had ever felt for a human being.[/color] [center][color=red]---------- [size=1]"I found him...he was lying there so still. The blood was covering his kimono..." "How could Sabine have done this to him? How? I spoke to her yesterday and nothing was wrong...nothing. She was so calm and her voice was so clear..." "Oh god. I wish I could go back to that day...please...just take me back. I can't stand it! I can't deal with this...not today..." "...not my dear Inoue-san..."[/size] ----------[/color][/center] [font=trebuchet ms][i][u]July 28, 2513[/u] Dear Mother, Today was a very quiet day. It hasn't been so quiet here in such a long time. Even though it will be much noisier around here from now on, I'm really looking forward to meeting the new recruits! So far, Sygnosis X only has a couple of members. But more are arriving today. I can't wait to see them fight the Drones. I'm assured that these guys are the best of the best. I hope that they can do their jobs. Poor Inoue-san. I will never forget him. Mother? Don't say that about Inoue-san. He was a great man. And that's all there is about it.[/font][/i] ------------------------- (There you go. Sygnosis X has only just been formed. If you are accepted into this RPG [check the sign-up to see if you are], you can introduce your character to the organization. You will start in the Defence Facility in Novus Concordia...unless you don't plan to join SX right away. My character will meet all of you there and everyone will fly back to New Hokkaido, where the meat of the story will start. I hope that isn't too confusing. ^_^)

[color=#707875]And we leave closed threads there as an example of what not to do, generally. We can easily point to these threads when we advise members of the rules.[/color]

[color=#707875]And if you can dismiss an F-Zero anime, you can also dismiss a Pokemon anime and countless others. There are many "popular" animes that have been based on video games. F-Zero GX seems to put much greater emphasis on the stories of characters. There's no reason to immediately dismiss an F-Zero anime series...it's better to reserve judgement until you see it.[/color]

[color=#707875]Why complain about anime merchandise? I can never get enough merchandise (if only I could afford it all X_X). Promotion can possibly go too far...but mostly it's nothing to complain about. If it makes the show more popular, great. Fans of the show will judge the show on its own merits anyway...so I don't think it's much of an issue.[/color]

[color=#707875]I once told a teacher "Can you tell me what spam is?" To which he replied "Yes. Creating threads about dumb comments could be considered spam." [i]I[/i] gave [i]him[/i] a gold star that day. (Yes, so er...I'll be closing this. No, it doesn't fall under the specific guidelines of spam, but neither did the sock discussion thread. Still, it was closed for obvious reasons.)[/color]

[color=#707875]This is really just a case of dealing with a symptom. You won't get rid of the problem until you deal with the violent people themselves. It's like with violent video games. Get rid of the games and you solve the problem...or so say various groups. But once again, it's only a symptom. It will never solve the problem.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by vegitio [/i] [B]I just have 1 question... when u make some one a banner and avitar, do you have to post 2 different posts, or can u do it in 1 post??!?! Ima noob!:worried: [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]If you make someone an banner and an avatar, my advice is to host both images yourself. Then simply link to them using the URL tag. The person you have made them for can then download them and use them in their posts. Also, I urge you to visit our OtakuBoards Information Center. Your post quality is really not up to what we expect at OB. I urge you to take a little more time with your posts and to avoid things like "u", "noob" and "??!?!". If you're patient, I think you may really enjoy OB. [/color]

[color=#707875]I would point out that all of the questions FartMaster raised were in the main history. If you're not prepared to read the history, I don't think you have the commitment level that I'm looking for, when it comes to this RPG. You can prove me wrong by writing a stellar sign-up, of course. ~_^ In any case, I'll be starting this soon. Sorry for the delay, all. I've been semi-waiting for Warlock to sign-up, but he's a slowpoke. I can start without 'im.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is a really pretty painting. I'm horrible at painting with brushes and wet media...it just doesn't go well with me. I'm much better with charcoal and stuff like that. I like it very much. The shadowing gives a great sense of volume and life to the picture...and I really like the elaborate gold pattern at the top right of the image. All-in-all, a very good effort. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Glexavier...this is really inappropriate. While I'm not going to enforce strict standards on the subject matter of your RPG, I [i]am[/i] going to ask for more post quality and structure here. You'll have to provide a framework for teh story -- a background plot or something of that nature. And a sign up sheet. If you want to just ask people to start a story, you shouldn't do it here. It should be done via PM or not at all. [/color]

[color=#707875]The short answer is that the "w/ppl" is one reason why we don't have a chat room. ~_^ The slightly longer answer is that our chatroom has never really been a major success. Yes, it did foster its own little community...but it was difficult to Moderate and I was frequently getting complaints about people's behavior in there. Adam decided to cut off the chat room completely. So we no longer have one at all. It's really not a workable thing at the moment. Right now, we're more prepared to focus on the boards and the development of a community here.[/color]

[color=#707875]As Clavat fought off hordes of low-level knights from the opposing side, he wondered why the battle wasn't taking place within the village itself. He managed to catch a brief glimpse of the village -- he could see a whisp of black smoke rising from the thatched roof of a hut. The whisp of smoke developed into blossoming clouds within moments. Clavat looked at Leo. "Leo, they're attacking the village!" he yelled over the noise. He saw Leo nod and gesture forwards, toward the village itself. Clavat nodded and began moving forward as the opposing ranks thinned down somewhat. Clavat was able to momentarily look behind him. He saw various mechanics pouring out of the caravans and assembling small and medium sized catapults. Large balls of heavy cloth were being loaded onto them and set alight. Some of the balls were tainted with magic, however. Clavat noticed that one ball had been enchanted with Demi, to make it as heavy as a block of iron. And another had been enchanted with Ice, to allow it to shatter upon impact. He felt a little relieved at this development and he knew that now, the remaining members of the force would be able to defend the caravan with the injured inside, while priests and white mages performed their important healing work. Clavat felt a large object hit him gently from behind and he spun around quickly to confront it, thinking it was an enemy soldier. But rather than see an enemy soldier's angry glare, he was met with a large beak and yellow feathers. It was a Chocobo. Arik had apparently gone back and called for several. Being the well-trained and battle-ready creatures that they were, the Chocobos immediately followed their riders into the most dangerous situations without question. These particular Chocobos were covered from head to toe in battle armor. Their headplates bore the Ramza Batallion Emblem. The mere sight of the emblem inspired the greatest of confidence in Clavat and his comrades. Clavat jumped onto the back of his Chocobo and noticed that Leo and Arik were already preparing to ride out. The Chocobos, for their part, were quite defensive creatures. If [i]any[/i] enemies came nearby, they instinctively reared up and prepared to defend their rider (one swift kick from a Chocobo's powerful talons would be enough to severely damage most soldiers in battle). Clavat's Chocobo came up alongside Leo and Arik. Leo's face was covered in sweat and he had an extremely serious expression on his face. Generally, he was quite happy to joke and poke fun. But now he was deadly serious and even though Clavat expected it, he'd never really seen it before. Leo understood the seriousness of their situation; if they weren't careful, the battle could turn very quickly indeed. Leo pointed to the village. "We need to go in there. I know what these guys are like...if they think they're loosing this battle, they'll burn down the village as they retreat. They don't care for the civilians at all. We must go in there and secure it!" Clavat and Arik both nodded. "Will they be able to hold the position out here?" asked Arik. "I sure hope so," said Leo, glancing back at the catapults. "I'm pretty sure they can handle it." Leo tapped his heels against the Chocobo gently and it obediently trotted forward toward the village. Arik and Clavat followed alongside him.[/color]

[color=#707875]Hm...I don't really think I have any weird food habits, as such. Oh, wait. Yes I do... I'm a closet Fortune Cookie lover. I actually [i]like[/i] eating Fortune Cookies more than reading my fortune. My entire family thinks I'm insane for liking the taste of them so much. But I do! I'm a Fortune Cookie Fanatic! V_V;;[/color]

[color=#707875]When you study biology, you learn about evolution by default. It's present in just about every aspect of biological study. And you [i]need[/i] to understand evolution in various forms to become any kind of doctor. So, as a part of biology, yes...of course it should be taught. Creationism is a religious theory, which should be taught in a Church or Sunday School. It's that simple. I mean, even if you are religious, I'm sure you wouldn't necessarily want your schools teaching religious education. If you don't like evolution, don't learn biology. lol Either way, you can't really complain. You're learning facts about nature/biology. So whether you like it or not, it's there and it's a biological fact. *shrug* As I said, if you dislike it or disapprove of it, don't learn biology.[/color]

[color=#707875]Yeah, this is the new 6.5 skin. I may add more skins before v7, but I'm not sure if these ones will translate over. I'm assuming they will though; it just means we'll have to develop a seperate template for them. But we can do that.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, this reminds me of people who are burning Harry Potter books because they see it as evil, or something. It's ridiculous. This comes down to the idea that your core beliefs/morals can be influenced by a fictional story (whether it's a video game, movie, music or a book). It's rubbish and I think most people are aware of that. I'm not religious, but I do sometimes come across things in movies (or anime, in this case), and I think "what was the point of that?" But it's not so much a matter of me thinking that the representation of a demon or whatever is wrong or blasphemous...it's usually related to my own critique of the story or something. It's about how I interpret the story. But yeah, I'm all for artistic freedom. If you're going to get offended by a depiction of demons or something, you should probably consider life as a nun or monk. But if you're going to live in a modern human society, you really do need to either avoid these things completely, or learn to accept them as an artist's expression.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Die Krähe [/i] [B]I love the U.S. I guess I'm not racist, I'm just prejudice. Against loud, irritating people. I dislike the french because they dislike us, and our Military could pound them into the ground, so I don't see why the keep on ranting about how bad we are. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]So you dislike the French because they hate you and your nation's military could destroy them? o_O;; Have you ever [i]been[/i] to France? Do you know anything [i]about[/i] French people in general? Probably not, I'd wager. I've never been to France either, so I'm not trying to get on some high horse with that. What I'm saying, however, is that once again, generalizations will not do you or me any favors. You might be surprised to know that there are quite a few French people who actually like the United States. But because you only hear about the "America haters" on some silly news snippet, you automatically "hate France". That is nothing if not nonsensical. Believe me, I'm not trying to defend those who hate America for being "Imperialist" (those people probably don't even know what Imperialist means), I'm just saying that, as with all things, there is usually more than one side. And there's usually a whole lot of grey between the black and white.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by PiroMunkie [/i] [B][size=1]That dealt with connotation more so than it did stereotypes. As in the word "punk" has a barbaric connotation, and a blunt object, such as a bat, is more barbaric in use. It aims to maim, not to kill (not saying you cannot kill anyone with a bat, or maim anyone with a knife). So yeah, a stereotype is not quite the same as a connotation. Though I could see where they could get confused. [color=#c0c0c0]I just felt some need to say that... >.>[/color][/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Well, I think the main point is that you were playing semantics with something that wasn't really important. And moreover, when I called Syk a punk...I was joking. lol So it's important not to get caught up on technicalities when it really isn't an issue. Moreover, I think that you might be stereotyping the word punk by your very own mention of connotations. That in itself is a blatant stereotype. If I use the word "punk" in Australia, for example, nobody is going to reprimand me for insinuating that the subject of the word is a barbarian. It's usually meant as a way of describing a rough, rebellious teenager. I mean, we could get into the whole background and origins of it and everything...but why play semantics when it was a very simple joke? lol. So, this goes back to what I was saying about an obsession with stereotypes. It's a question of wanting to fit everything into a particular box. And that's why I say that I'm amazed at how American teens in particular seem to rely on stereotypically classifying groups of students in their schools. That sort of thing happens everywhere on the planet, but not nearly to such an extreme extent. That's why I find it quite alien to see people saying "Oh, I'm a jock...mixed with x or y". It's because that really doesn't happen here, to that extent. So, in my usual longwinded way, I'm saying that it's an interesting thing to explore. In some ways, it seems to have very much become a cultural thing for American teens. EDIT: Yes, and what DeathKnight just said about goths "not accepting" the music you like and such...that's a very good example. lol I think he's illustrated the weirdness of the whole situation very well. If you step back and take a look at it...it's quite insane. lol[/color]