Lady Asphyxia

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Right, so I may be one of the few here who a) have not read the comics (in fact I hadn't so much as [I]heard[/I] of the comic until this movie came out) and b) has no intention to read the comics. Ergo, I am truly a Watchman Layperson. That said, it was [I]brilliant. [/I]I have a general distaste for all comic movies because I just don't understand them, but this one wasn't so much a comic-movie as it was just wonderful in its own right. Yes, it was complex. Yes, the only reason I got the beginning was because I read a premise before I went. Yes, it was [B][I]long[/I][/B][I] -- [/I]but I was prepared. I [I]deliberately dehydrated myself[/I] that day so as not to need to go to the bathroom during a break, as that inevitably leads to missing the best bits of the movie -- I am ingenious, it's true. But it was also wonderful. I left the movie feeling as if I knew all the characters. I loved inkblot face (can't spell the name), and Silky, both I and II. They filled in all the stories enough that I [I]got[/I] it...sometimes you had to put 2 and 2 together to get it, but not all audiences need to be led around like a shetland pony. By the end of the movie, I was so invested in the characters that I almost cried when R. refused to give up his principles and...you know. I've heard from my friend about some sort of Alien at the end, instead of the movie ending -- but frankly, I would have been completely (excuse the pun) alienated by such an ending. This one tied it all in, made it all part of this amazing world... Will absolutely buy it on DVD. [B]EDIT -- [/B]Also, I LOVED Ozy's look. He looked just angular and weird enough that he very much gave out this 'comicy' vibe, that he wasn't quite realistic looking. Wonderful. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial Narrow][I]Why won't somebody think of the children? [/I] And I was going to mention something similar to Shy's post, but he did it better and with much more adept conveyance of superiority. :p[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Solo! Long time no see. Hope all has been well for you? (I'm living in your neck of the woods now, kind of. Scotland, anyway) Checked out the website; it really is quite good indeed. One thing I will say is that there is a [I]lot[/I] of blue, which at first I wasn't sure if it was a good thing. But I think that's perhaps simply because of the first background -- the complexity of it means that the blue is emphasised. While I understand what you mean about the change in backgrounds being choppy, I don't think that that detracts from the overall effect. And the alternative backgrounds (the prologue background, for example) are wonderful. The simplicity of the background makes it easy to read the story, which is what you ultimately want. The only thing is that it can take some time to load the pages (particularly the lower ones -- contact, etc) and because there's already a background it seems as if there's nothing there. I'm not sure what you'd do about that, though. My other recommendation is that you include an option somewhere to read the story as, perhaps, one big text document for people who have bad eyes. The white text on dark background could make it harder for people to read -- having the option of downloading a prologue word document, or moving to another black-text-white page may just make it more user friendly (as a just-in-case.) Otherwise, everything is marvelous. It really is a great website. EDIT: I just went to check the site on IE, and because I don't use IE all that often I don't have the requirements for it. The text-only version of the website is fantastic, too, and the automatic swap is a great idea. (Perhaps you can include a link to the text only for the poor-eyesight people, rather than a document.) Excellent work, and I hope you're published soon! [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]What Is It? [/B]Post Counts and Member Titles [/SIZE][/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]Why Is It Nifty? [/B][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Perhaps it's the Newbie Lounge Forum Patrol in me, but just seeing the number makes me want to post [I]more[/I], [I]longer, better[/I]... ahem. I have an insatiable urge to join an RPG, to welcome people to the fold, to post unhelpful comments in silly 'controversial' threads and to critique posts in the Anthology. My [I]God, [/I]the incentive is so small -- the reward non-existant. The compulsion? Almost impossible to resist. [B]What Is It? [/B]The Graphic Worm. [B]Why Is It Nifty?[/B] Because it's been going for years. It's a tradition that's stood the test of time through sheer force of will and dedication of it's members. Some artists come and go, but time and time again you see the same people popping up to put their brush onto that canvas. It's OB history in pictures. [B]What Is It? [/B]Desbreko [B]Why Is It Nifty?[/B] It's Nifty because it gave me a Gold Star. Hee. For now, that is all I think is immediately spring-to-the-mind Nifty. [/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[quote name='Shy'][SIZE=1]I also said no. I'll say it again if you'd like, Boo. No. It certainly won't ruin the boards or anything, but I certainly don't see what benefit post counts or a rep system have. The only one here who should have any gold stars is Lady Asphyxia. -Shy[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Is it selfish to agree? Also, rep system? Is it like a "Pimp My Post" Thing? Ignoring the fun play on words, I think it's a little unnecessary.And my vote = yes for post counts. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Still here, just not technically in Qld anymore, ha. Currently in Scotland, but definately Aussie to the core. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=1][SIZE=1][B]Username:[/B] Lady Asphyxia [B]Age:[/B] 20 [B]Location:[/B] Australia [B]How long I've been on OB: [/B]6 and a half years. (7 on the 17th of June 2009) [B]Submission:[/B] So, me. I'm very rarely here anymore -- mostly just pop in every now and then to see if I can drive-by post in an event...conveniently, just like this one. I think in some ways that I have been here far, far too long. I still like the people, I still browse and sometimes I even get so far as to click the 'post reply' button -- but I very rarely actually make the effort to write and submit. If we're looking at intentions, I'd be a very active member, I swear. I just lack follow through. So, things about me that I'd like to remember: [/SIZE][/SIZE][LIST] [*][IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/images/goldstar.gif[/IMG] [SIZE=1]Makes me the coolest person ever. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]I am the 78th highest poster on OB. Yeah, I counted. And surprisingly, Raiha is no longer el honcho. Less surprisingly, James is. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]The Newbie Lounge, despite what everyone thinks, was brilliant. Evil, but brilliant. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]I was originally one of Liamc2's 'flock'. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]My favourite RPG to date is SYF. I swear one day I will finish it. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]Closely followed by a random one where I ended up a mind-reader accidentally because my character commented on something that another poster 'said to himself'. The writer intended to mean 'thought', I thought it was 'said out loud to himself'. I love misunderstandings. [/SIZE] [*][SIZE=1]Viva la super secret yaoi lounge. Does it exist? Doesn't it? Who will ever know?[/SIZE][/LIST][SIZE=1]Um, I just realised this post was about the past, not aspirations for the future. Maybe that's all deep or something? Or perhaps I'm just in the middle of uni exams (p.s. I'm really sorry if I fail French) and don't want to think. Oh! And enjoy Edinburgh. I hope it's the time of my life. J'ai fini. [/SIZE][SIZE=1][/SIZE]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]Date Movie. [/B]Worst 110 minutes of my life. And I had to pay $12 for it, too. So I basically paid at least $1 for every 10 minutes of ****. Never again. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[CENTER][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]Songs I Enjoy [/B][/SIZE][/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]I Hear the Bells by Mike Doughty [/B]I love this song because of the drums in the background. I walk along the footpath with this song on my iPod and it's so lovely and vibrant and makes me cheerful. It's upbeat and uplifting without being ridiculously perky. [B]Music Box by Regina Spektor [/B]One word: Quirky. I love the absolutely quirkiness of this song, and the highs and lows of the register, and the changes in rhythm and sudden pauses and changes. It's lovely. [B]Umbrella by Biffy Clyro [/B]Yes, this is a cover of [I]Rhianna's [/I]song, but the guy who sings it just makes it fantastic. His voice is quite husky and sounds mature, and instead of being ridiculously poppy, the song takes on a new meaning. [B]Same Jeans by The View [/B]Ignoring the hygiene issues raised by wearing the same jeans for four days, the song is wonderful. It's upbeat and full of a 'I don't care what other people think' sentiment. Definately a new favourite. Also, if you like the bottom two songs and you can find the album on iTunes (I've never used it so I wouldn't know), I'd recommend checking out Radio 1's Live Lounge CDs. They have well known bands come in and do covers of other hits (the Arctic Monkeys redid 'Love Machine'...which if you know the words, is quite funny and silly). [/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT] [/CENTER]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]You know that what you do is good and I've told you all that already, so this is really just a lazy post about aesthetics. You need to make the background lighter, particularly in the last two posts. Half the time I have to highlight it to be able to read it, which kind of defeats the point of the pretty background. It's just too busy to be that dark.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][SIZE=1] Now, we can make anything right? [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]Yes. If you want to turn 'don't fall in love' into some wierd picasso-esque materpiece, or into a single dot -- feel free. [/SIZE][B][SIZE=1] Are these like the Graphic Challenges we had some time ago where you make a piece with a theme provided by the previous poster, then when you post your own piece you then choose a theme for the next artist to do? [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]I have no idea. I'm not an artist and I never took part in it. [/SIZE][B][SIZE=1] Or is this going to be along the lines of a contest. Or will you be the sole person to decide whos is best or what theme will be next? [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]It's not a contest. It's just a random, one-off, I'd-like-to-see-what-people-come-up-with, please-be-as-creative-as-you-want thing. You aren't going to get a prize because no one will win. Consider it a prompt. And art me something. It's my birthday. [/SIZE]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]So, I'm artistically challenged. Seriously. But I love seeing what other people can do. So I thought I'd see if anyone would reply with something mind-blowingly abstract/good/entertaining/funny/whatever. Soo...the 'theme' or 'idea' is "Don't Fall In Love". Do [I]anything[/I] with it. I'd love to see what you guys have -- I know how talented you all are. [SIZE=1][...And it's my birthday in 12 days. Pwease?] [Also, yes, "Don't Fall In Love" was taken from that song about Lola, who was a showgirl. :p] [/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I wish I knew. I've tried everything to become a moderator...I even tried to bribe Desbreko with sex, and it still didn't work. I did get this gold star, though. :p[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][strike]Idiocy[/strike] I joke, I joke. As an outsider looking at it, I guess what would concern me most is your economy, because it links to so much of what you have to deal with everyday -- and because it affects me, too. From what I've read, you guys are staring down the face of a recession -- apparently 60% of Americans already believe you're in one. Unless the government has some wonder-fix up its sleeve, this is going to hit, and pretty hard. You've been sailing pretty for years but your country is in debt. America is no longer the economic powerhouse you once were -- I'm not saying that it doesn't have huge amounts of impact, I'm just saying that the economy is running out of steam. And when it does, it won't be nice, because it seems like a lot of American policies when it comes to people are based on a good economic climate. Like minimum wage, for example. Take the case of being a waiter. They earn, what, $3 an hour and then tips, which can be tough at the best of times. As the economy takes a turn for the worse, people eat out less in order to save money. The waiter earns less tips, and has to try to live off something close to $3 an hour. Once upon a time, I was comparing with a friend and our wages kind of worked out the same. Not so much now. For me to work as a banquets waitress, I get at least $17 an hour [no tips]. I work from 5 till 2am, and I earn $153. In the past, it would have been equivalent to 80 bucks or so American. Now? Now we're 95c to the dollar. And I feel sorry for waiters in America. Your cost of living has gone up, which means that your income has technically decreased [regardless if it's stayed the same in reality. You have less money to spend on other things.], and it's hard. Of course, I'm paying what is equivalent to $6.5 a gallon for petrol, which sucks. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR=RoyalBlue][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode]Well everyone knows that Lucida Sans Unicode pwns [FONT=Arial]skinny Arial[/FONT]. =P[/FONT][/COLOR][/quote] [LEFT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Shut your mouth. Skinny arial is king. :p I guess for me the biggest change has been that a lot of the people I originally connected with here have left, and it happened so gradually that I never really replaced them properly with new, fun people...so I lost interest. That and...I don't post in the Newbie Lounge anymore. [Also, I miss Literati] [/SIZE][/FONT][/LEFT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][I]I [/I]remember what it was. But if I tell, [I]everyone [/I]would know. And then, no doubt, everyone would want to get one. And that is just not fair. Because I am awesome. /discussion[/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Or in favor of being [I]less vague[/I], until she recently retired she was a staff member herself, the star was in her custom title and I assume that Desbreko moved it to her member title when she retired. [/quote] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] Heh, it was always in my member title. It replaced 'of'. I never had it in my custom title. I don't think I ever had a custom title. :p The basic reason for it is that I am, of course, the coolest person ever, no? As for Teh Silly Circus -- I miss OB chats. Do they not happen any more or am I just not involved? [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Well, damn. I was about to protest indignantly that I was involved and not listed, and now have no proof. But those were the days, weren't they?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Why not throw eggs and flour like everybody else?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Oooh, hey, I think I went through one of those scatter things flying from Amsterdam to England! Granted, I didn't know what it was, but I'm pretty sure it was the same thing. It really wasn't a big deal. You go, you stand on the feet, two seconds later you're on your way. As for the security...it's not too bad. Yes, it can be tedious to have to pull liquids out but really -- does one [I]need[/I] to have your liquids with them? Just put them in checked luggage. Even the longest flights aren't long enough to be unable to survive without your mascara -- and they do provide toothbrushes [and paste] on the long flights.The security has gotten more efficient and less scary than they used to be. Although, I grant you, the waiting in airports is not fun. I swear i spent half of my around-the-world trip in airports. There's just not much to do. Oh, for an airport theme park. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]IIiiii...have to make a confession. My attention span is tiny and poetry makes my eyes cross. [Partly because I get eye strain from reading vast amounts of things on the computer]. So I didn't read the second poem fully, I'm afraid. From what I did read, I could see that it was much better than the first poem, in terms of consistance, style and rhyme, and so I figured I'd turn my attention to the first poem instead. I love the first stanza. The opening line is fantastic, powerful and, well, [I]awesome[/I]. My only nitpick is the 4th line, and it's just because on first read I felt the rhyme was too obvious. When I read it aloud, though, it does still work, so it's not really necessary to change it. The second stanza is the weak link for me. All the others have five lines and a subtle rhyming pattern -- this one is four lines long and is basically an aabb pattern, which just sort of pulls you out of the poem. I'd strongly advise you to either revise the entire stanza or pull it completely. The third and fourth stanzas are fantastic, although the 2nd line of the fourth stanza doesn't quite fit. The rest of it, though, is good, and I'm impressed that there's such a talented poet in OB's midst.[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]This is...the most bizarre story I've read in a long time. I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. It's vaguely clever but also sort of the lowest common denominator, and it's not really a story so much as a narrative... One thing I will point out, though, is that I doubt the Panda could have gotten a shark pregnant by 'arse raping' it. I don't know a lot about anatomy of sharks, but I'm pretty confident here. I guess I just think that this is sort of grizzly and unlikely and a little crude. I'm guessing you came up with the idea where killer whales began, and worked backwards, and it's a clever idea [kind of] but I'm not really sure I like it, per se. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Actually, yeah, I'd be interested. I'm not the best writer of articles, but I'll see what I can do. Uhm...yeah. Let me know what I can do to help? [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Japan, that's not quite the way this thread works. Each person posts their version of the character belonging to the person above them, and then posts their own character for people to redraw. For instance, [B]Lunox[/B] posted their version of Konata's character, and then posted their own character for someone to redraw, which [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Chikara Kokoro has claimed the right to redraw. If you want to join in, your best bet would be to claim [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Chikara Kokoro's character to draw, once it's put up, and [I]then[/I] either give the description or a sketch of your character. :) [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]So, for those of you who have been around a while, you may remember my failed attempt at starting an RPG, way back when. This idea runs on a similar concept, however, it requires less commitment, less planning, and the ability to drive-by post. Which, frankly, is all I'm looking for [strike]in a man[/strike] in a game at the moment. :p Basically, the idea is this; [/SIZE][/FONT] [LIST] [*][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] Each person posts their story. [/SIZE][/FONT] [*][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]The length does not matter. [/SIZE][/FONT] [*][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]You post, you write your character's scene. They speak, they think, whatever. [/SIZE][/FONT] [*][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][B]They must somehow interact with someone[/B]. [/SIZE][/FONT] [*][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]The next writer to come along will pick up that other 'someone' and write their story. If there's more than one person there, feel free to choose which new character to develop. [/SIZE][/FONT] [/LIST] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] It's just an easy game to play to have some fun writing, some character development and to see where it leads us, without the pressure of a lot of commitment that a full length story would bring. [/SIZE][/FONT] [center][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] [hr=grey]20[/hr][/SIZE][/FONT] [/center] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] The hot, stifling day was getting to Elizabeth. Her clothes were sticking to her, beads of swear slowly made trails along her skin, and her hair was plastered to her face. She hated this weather, hated the humidity and the stillness. She was the type to much rather go to Alaska in winter than to willingly choose to go to the beach -- at any time of the year that '15 and above' was the general temperature. Still, at least the beach had [I]water[/I]. It would have been better than here. There was no wind in the building, and sitting in the classroom, listening to the 'mediator' speak, she wondered why they didn't just [I]cancel[/I] 'sessions' when the air-conditioner broke. It wasn't as if this was the mild-climes of New Zealand. This was Australia, it was the middle of [I]no where[/I] and it was [B]hot. [/B]Why in god's name were they making them do a 'retreat' to this place when she was perfectly happy 'retreating' to a good movie, somewhere near the bottom of Victoria, where it was a decent temperature? She sighed, shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried not to look like she didn't care about 'how to maximise team cohesion'. She wasn't the only one. Two rows in front of her, a couple of women who had been so eager when the talk first started were now giggling and trying not to be obnoxious about it. The man to their left was shooting peeved glances their way, giving them angry huffs and loud sighs. She grinned at his subtlety. The mediator droned on, his passion for the subject obviously lacking now that his audience was losing attention and he was gaining body heat. The stickiness and sweat was horrid, and the lack of wind, the lack of [I]movement[/I] of their air was the slicing on the cake. Elizabeth sighed and leaned back in her seat. Another few minutes and she could go back to the hotel room, blast the airconditioning and have a lukewarm shower and a glass of ice-cold water. She smiled. It sounded like heaven. [/SIZE][/FONT]