James

[color=royalblue]Yeah, this is definitely an example of a person who puts their conscience first...which is a good thing. I don't know how anyone with a conscience can bash a gay person...I actually saw a movie on showtime recently and it was about some kid who was gay (I didn't watch the entire movie tho), but it was so sad. He was in the changing rooms at his school and all these guys came in and bashed the hell outta him...it makes me so angry when people can be so nasty and hateful...[/color]

[color=royalblue]Hm, I think that happens sometimes. Some people think I'm weird because I loved playing Yoshi's Story...which even a four year old could beat. lol Still, for me...I prefer more "adult orientated" anime. DB is too kiddie/silly for me...that's why I like Teknoman and quite a few anime movies. Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell and Battle Angel Alita are my favourites. :)[/color]

[i]Satoru and Denki walk as casually as possible behind the rest of the Shinra troops. Satoru notices Denki awkwardly fiddling with his unform, to which he responds with a sharp nudge in the ribs. After an hour of marching, the pair began to feel drowsy. Satoru looked around and noticed that they were straying from their path. He turned a little more and looked behind them. And there he was, a strange looking man... Satoru turned back and continued walking. He suspected that the man had been following them ever since the beginning of the parade. He suspected that they were being followed. He looked around again and saw the man walking closer and closer with each step. Satoru walked a little closer to Denki and poked him in the side.[/i] [b]Satoru:[/b] Psst...Denki...I think the man behind us is following us... [b]Denki:[/b] What ma... [b]Satoru:[/b] Sshh! Don't turn around!! [b]Denki:[/b] Sorry. :( [b]Satoru:[/b] Shinra must have hired him to capture me...I think he recognizes my face...c'mon, let's walk faster and get lost amongst the soldiers up ahead...

[color=royalblue]Hm, I'm playing around with some ideas. Though I have nothing final just yet. Here's a quick sample of how the header for Watermelon may look. As I said, it's still quite early...and just an idea. But this is mainly an idea of colours. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]If false info is being given out, you should probably PM a Moderator with the user's name. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]Okay, based on the great response from OBv5's default skin, I'm going to begin working on alternative designs. My intention is to create different "flavours" of OB. Also, I'm considering making "themed" skins (Final Fantasy, Dragonball, Pokemon, etc etc). Of course, doing this takes a lot of work and fine tuning. So I want to know, which flavour do you want to see first?[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Elfin_Girl [/i] [B] *laughs* Well, that's just Velvet Paws for ya. And I have to put up with it at school... Bleh. Velvet Paws, I'm just kidding! *hugs Velvet Paws* Uh, yeah, but anyway, back on topic. I sadly have to agree with her. It's really, really, really plain... Hm? Different flavours, you say? *licks the screen* Nope. Don't taste like watermelon... :whoops: :D Uh, yeah... Anyway... [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Well, this style has a lot more "personality" than the standard V3 style. So I guess I find it hard to call it "plain". I mean, what does she want? Pink polka dots? lol In any case...yeah, I'm planning to do this style in different colours. Not only that, but for each "flavour", I think I'm going to do a different header image (that big image up the top with all the links). That way, people can find a variation which they really like. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]Teknoman was utterly brilliant for its time. I loved it...[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Bluewizard [/i] [B]Are you sure sexuality can not be influenced? I thought I heard somewhere that you could choose your own sexuality if you really wanted to, or that your conditions while growing up would influence sexuality. Does this mean there is nothing around the stereotype of people going to "all boys schools", and coming out gay? And as for the bit about the only people who are uncomfortable around gay men being uncomfortable about their own sexuality; I am not sure whether to take that personaly or not. I am reletively secure in my own sexuality, and I feel uncomfortable changing or sleeping near (not just being around, I'm cool with that), anyone who is sexually attracted to my gender, and I don't return the feelings. Good points! I am still not completely convinced either way but thanx!:) [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]No, your sexuality can't be influenced. Tell me, no matter how hard I try, can I teach you to enjoy having sex with men more than women? Of course I can't. A lot of the religious-right try to maintain that sexuality is chosen, so that they can inforce their zero-tolerance of alternative sexuality. But this idea has no basis in reality. Also, with regard to being uncomfortable changing or sleeping near someone who is attracted to your gender, you must remember one very important thing. If you sleep near a girl, do you assume that she is attracted to you? Or that she will run up and sleep with you given the chance? Nope. Same goes for anyone else. I think it's kind of offensive when people assume that homosexuals are somehow crazed pedophiles or sexual deviots...and that's just not the case. Just as you don't fall for every girl you see, a gay man doesn't fall for every guy he sees. :) I hope I'm not sounding condescending or whatever...I mean, you seem to be a pretty "open to education" person, which is really good. I guess I am just sick of people being intolerant for what are essentially such small differences...people always love focusing on the differences between people, but they never focus on the similarities...which are far greater. We're all human beings. If gay people want to have children, or be involved in the military, or get married...who cares. If they are truly good people who do the right thing, then I think that's all that matters. All of this "gays shouldn't do this 'cuz it's not moral, blah blah blah" stuff is just a waste of time. We're all human beings, let's start treating each other with some basic dignity.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Bluewizard [/i] [B] -If a gay couple adopts, the child is raised in a family without a mother, and mothers play an important role in a childs mind, and also the kid (if male), is then going to grow up to be gay and this deprives them of right of choice. -In the military, gays are liable to violence from other army members, and cause great uncomfortability among straight military men. Segregation of the armed forces would only cause (like in all segregation of schools), an inherent feeling of inferiority among the gay men. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue] Okay, I'll answer both points. First point: I see what you're saying, and I agree that any child should have the influence of a male and female. But... There are many single parent families in the world. And I have seen countless single parent families which are actually less dysfunctional than "traditional" families. Moreover, if you have a mother and a really involved uncle/grandparent for example, the same effect is created. It's no different to having a father -- as long as there is that male influence. As for "growing up to be gay", that's utterly ridiculous. You can't [i]teach or instill[/i] sexuality on [i]anyone[/i]. This is a common misconception that annoys me. Sexuality is something you are born with -- regardless of your parentage, you can turn out either way. If growing up with gay parents made you gay, then why do most gay people grow up with straight parents? (and sometimes very conservative straight parents). This single example ultimately disproves that above point. As for gays in the military, your view is rather unique. Most people who oppose gays in the military do so because they think that they will "fall in love" with their comrades and that will make them "weaker" in battle. Of course, that's also a pretty ridiculous point. If that were the case, then what would be the situation between males and females in the armed forces? You could use that argument to deny women from entering the defence force, but of course...most people understand that those in the forces are professionals who understand these issues. If a woman isn't going to fall in love with every man in the defence force, neither is a gay man. As for straight men feeling uncomfortable...well, the only straight men who feel uncomfy about homosexuality are those who are unsure of their own sexuality. So my message would be "get over it". :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i] [B] you are mistaken, my friend, the other one was the sign up, I never wrote "sign up" on it, it was an accident, I moved the sign up thread in the sign up forum, a few people started the rpg in the sign up thread for some reason, lol.... but this is the proper rpg, the sign up I moved myself.... [/B][/QUOTE] [size=1]Hm, this one (despite not being a sign-up), was in the Sign Up forum. So it [i]was[/i] infact in the wrong forum. I didn't seen see the sign up thread itself. Anyway, I don't want to interrupt...feel free to continue...[/size]

[size=1]Ah Seph, this belongs in the Games/RPG main forum...not in Sign Ups. :) I'll just move it for you...[/size]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i] [B] besides, if I'm not mistaken, the shenmue series will go to number 5.... [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Yeah, but bear in mind that SEGA didn't anticipate the demise of Dreamcast, either. So anything can happen. They are [i]planning[/i] on making 16 "Chapters" of the game...amounting to five or six games. But if Shenmue 2 isn't successful on Xbox, I suspect they'll either port the game to multiple systems...or move the series to another console. Either way, it doesn't seem likely that they'll abandon the series. Though, I have yet to see [i]anything[/i] of Shenmue 2 for Xbox, despite the game being in development for quite some time. Hopefully E3 will shed some light on the subject.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i] [B] yes.....yes it does I LOVED shenmue 2, much better than the first one, and I was over the moon to find out that they kept the original japanese dialogue and had english subtitles, can't wait for shenmue 3, hopefully by the time it is released the xbox would have dropped in price.....again [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Shenmue 2 is still a long time coming for Xbox. So [i]if[/i] Shenmue 3 arrives on Xbox...I think it may become a multiplatform release. Still, I can't wait. It's an awesome series.[/color]

[color=royablue]I like virtually any genre except sport. For me, sports games are about as boring as they come...unless it's some kind of weird sports game, like Athlete Kings for Saturn...*sigh*, it was a fun game, but too short. :( I like new, innovative games and concepts. Stuff like Pikmin and Luigi's Mansion -- they're what gaming is all about. I also [i]loved[/i] ICO. Absolutely brilliant. I'm not a huge fighter fan...I usually only buy one or two fighting games per "generation" of consoles. Those games are just too repetitive for me these days. I particularly love games like Zelda and ICO...though they're both quite different, they are both unique...and both are just overflowing with atmosphere. I guess that's why I also like the Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. Both games are just filled with atmosphere and detail...you can tell that their creators worked lovingly on them to get them exactly right. I also like Real Time Strategy games -- I play Red Alert 2 on PC at least once a day. lol It's wonderful...I never get tired of it. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I liked V2 a lot. Ahh the memories... But V2 ended in a nasty way. V3 was a fresh start for all...and a big change in software too. V4 was a personal dissappointment. Sure, I liked it...but not enough went into it. Overall, I'm personally most pleased with V5. V5 is definitely my redemption for V4...lol But V2 holds the fondest memories for me so far. It's where I really started becoming more involved with our boards (prior to V2, I was only working for theOtaku...I never got involved on the boards). It's always good to look back on the different versions though. For a mere message board...OtakuBoards has quite a colourful history. I think that's a pretty unique thing. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I moved this here because the Shenmue series is now moving to Xbox (with Shenmue 2). Shenmue was released in Japan, Australia and Europe...but never made it to US shores. This is primarily because SEGA wasn't profitable with the series and they decided to produce Shenmue 2 for Xbox in the USA (and possibly in other territories too). So you can expect the Xbox version to have a whole host of improvements.[/color] :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by ShadowGohan [/i] [B][SIZE=1]Really, you were born at the same time? Cool! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Adeh and Jeh :) have lots of funnings.[/SIZE] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Heh, due to the time difference, I was actually born on the 29th (for you in the USA). So I'm only a day older :) Anyway, thanks to everyone for the kind comments. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]You thought the extra avatars we'd added for V5 were good? There's plenty more to come! I have just added a further [b]132[/b] avatars to OtakuBoards, giving us a total of [b]341[/b] avatars. BabyGirl sent in 27 avatars from various animes (some of which we hadn't had avatars for previously). And Desbreko sent in 100 avatars -- all of them are from the Zelda series. So Zelda fans are lucky today. ;) He sent me avatars from A Link to the Past, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Seasons/Ages and Ocarina of Time. He even sent a few misc. avatars in for good measure. Furthermore, I added five of my own Mario Sunshine avatars. This is merely the beginning though. I'm hoping to put up more avatars soon. :) Thanks again to BabyGirl and Desbreko for their great work.[/color] :)

[color=royalblue]Hm, you should have put this info in a quote...but other than that, I'm sure many will be happy to see his info. :)[/color]

[b]Name:[/b] Assistant Headmaster Chang (aka: Zian Chang) [b]Age:[/b] 38 [b]Height:[/b] 6'2" [b]Occupation:[/b] Assistant Headmaster, Galbadia Garden [b]Location:[/b] Galbadia Garden [b]Description:[/b] Z. Chang has short, black hair. He wairs a black and gold Chinese-like suit (I'll try and find a pic if I can find one -_-). Z. Chang is particularly distinctive due to his bright green eyes, contrasting against his dark hair. [b]Bio:[/b] Due to the fact that many who join the Garden do so at such a young age (sometimes under the age of 10), Chang is relatively old. The Headmaster of the Galbadia Garden is only 42 -- and he's the oldest member of the academy. Chang trained at the garden since he was merely 8 years old. He became a lead trainer, then a SeeD trainer and finally, he was promoted to Asst. Headmaster. The recent events in Dollet and other areas of the world have concerned Z. Chang, but some see him as a slightly dark/unknown figure who is somewhat power hungry. Though Chang doesn't see himself in this way, his persona is still somewhat mystified and hidden. Ultimately, his true intentions are unknown. However, he works well with those whom he respects -- he often travels to other Gardens to observe training programs and student performances/presentations. However, he makes no secret of the fact that he is unhappy with the leadership of Galbadia Garden and that he would be more than happy to take over. [b]Weapon:[/b] Silver Flight - a very light, rapier-like sword which is made of a powerful titanium blade and covered with light silver. Despite its light weight, it is an incredibly powerful blade. [b]Magic:[/b] Demi, Lightning, Blizzard [b]Limit:[/b] Dark Gravity - Gives Chang the ability to use his gravitational powers to change the fundamental properties of gravity around him. The attack is particularly devistating -- it gives Chang the ability to turn enemies inside out, warp and twist their bodies, or even break their bones with a simple thought. It is most effective against human opponents, while not particularly effective against undead or water-based enemies.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Final_Flash [/i] [B] Well heck, that doesn't matter. Look at the original NES MM games... They had 4 buttons. A, B, Start, Select, and the D-Pad... And they were good during their time. The MM games and the X series on SNES were awesome, and they had A, B, Y, Z, Left, Right, Start, Select, and a D-pad... And two of those weren't really used much... (A and B, I think..) The number of buttons on a console doesn't really mean anything. Just as much can be accomplished with the GBA's A, B, Left, Right, Start, Select and the D-pad... Just look at Tekken Advance. So yeah, I think MM Zero will rip, and as much as I would like to see closure to the original series, this new game will be a must-buy. :) [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Well, even the X series didn't exactly use the SNES pad for all it was worth...I remember playing it (vaguely) and at least two of the buttons brought up menus/weapon changes. So it wasn't exactly a huge evolution over the NES series. Mega Man Zero is looking awesome though...the dramatic shift in storyline seems interesting. I might buy it. [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Nerdsy [/i] [B][COLOR=deeppink]Make sure to wear a sign that's advertising the boards. ;) Oh, and good luck![/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Yes! Advertise the boards! lol Ahem...and...good luck. :blush: [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Cera [/i] [B]James, the problem isn't the boards, it's you. You have no character whatsoever. Can't you see that?! Anything you do, you just suck all the life out of it! You're like a personality vampire!! ^_^; Some people don't like change. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Lucky you're so cheerful all the time Cera, or I'd take offense to that. :laugh: I just think it's kind of weird. I mean, this board is the exact opposite of V4 -- bright colours, soft buttons...even colour coordination. lol I honestly don't mind if people dislike it -- I can't please everyone. I just find it weird that she made the exact same complaint about this board...I mean, unless we totally edit the vB software...there isn't much more we can do, other than change buttons/icons and colours. And yes, as Adam said...I'm planning to create different "flavors" of this theme. Cherry, Apple, Watermelon etc. :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by velvet paws [/i] [B]Who are all these crazy people saying it's the best yet??! :bawl: I think it's UGLY! It looks like the kind of thing you'd expect a Bank to set up..it's just got no character AT ALL this time. Can we have the option for a different version again instead of just the default??? This new one just doesn't agree with me at all....:( [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Sorry to say this, but you're utterly insane. lol You said the [i]exact[/i] same thing about V4. So, V4 had no character...yet the total opposite has no character either? lol...I find that really funny. Heh. :drunk: [/color]