Solo Tremaine

[COLOR=#503F86]Remember your post quality, guys! Domon- I understand being annoyed at the rule changes but try and make your posts more coherent, please. That was rather difficult to read, and having been here so long I know you can present yourself better than that. Kuyaka- Try and put more thought into your posts- that was bordering on spam as it has litle relevance to the topic at hand save for it actually mentioning Yu-Gi-Oh. Anyway, the information about the banned cards was from Japan's Shounen Jump. I doubt they'd be lying to millions of Yu-Gi-Oh fans for a laugh. I can understand their reasoning, but to me cards like the Chaos Emperor Dragon seem far more dangerous than those. But as I'm not a tournament duelist I don't see the abuse these cards get so much. With the Dark Magician of Chaos, all you need to do is bring back Raigeki from your Graveyard and you can deal 2800 Direct Damage; Cyber Jar makes Chaos Emperor Dragon duels last only one turn and Fiber Jar's just plain annoying. Imperial Order doesn't seem too bad to me, though, but there's not anything much I can do about it by complaining. Besides, these rules won't come into force in the English CCG for ages yet.[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]I changed the title of the thread to make it more universal- there's no actual Yu-Gi-Oh forum anymore, so the fewer threads the easier they are to organise. This is a complete list of everything in the new Evolution Decks: [size=1][color=blue]Yugi: SYE-001 Dark Magician [Spellcaster] The ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense. ATK/2500 DEF/2100 (SUPER RARE) SYE-002 Mystical Elf [Spellcaster] A delicate elf that lacks offense, but has a terrific defense backed by mystical power. ATK/800 DEF/2000 SYE-003 Feral Imp [Fiend] A playful little fiend that lurks in the dark, waiting to attack an unwary enemy. ATK/1300 DEF/1400 SYE-004 Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 [Dragon] A dragon commonly found guarding mountain fortresses. Its signature attack is a sweeping dive from out of the blue. ATK/1400 DEF/1200 SYE-005 Summoned Skull [Fiend] A fiend with dark powers for confusing the enemy. Among the Fiend Type monsters, this monster boasts considerable force. ATK/2500 DEF/1200 SYE-006 Beaver Warrior [Beast-Warrior] What this creature lacks in size it makes up for in defense when battling in the prairie. ATK/1200 DEF/1500 SYE-007 Gaia the Fierce Knight [Warrior] A knight whose horse travels faster than the wind. His battle-charge is a force to be reckoned with. ATK/2300 DEF/2100 SYE-008 Celtic Guardian [Warrior] An elf who learned to wield a sword, he baffles enemies with lightning-swift attacks. ATK/1400 DEF/1200 SYE-009 Great White [Fish] A giant white shark with razor sharp teeth. ATK/1600 DEF/800 SYE-010 Giant Soldier of Stone [Rock] A giant warrior made of stone. A punch from this creature has earth shaking results. ATK/1300 DEF/2000 SYE-011 Mystic Clown [Fiend] Nothing can stop the mad attack of this powerful creature. ATK/1500 DEF/1000 SYE-012 Neo the Magic Swordsman [Spellcaster] A dimensional drifter who not only practices sorcery, but is also a sword and martial arts master. ATK/1700 DEF/1000 SYE-013 Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts [Beast] This monster moves so fast that it looks like an illusion to mortal eyes. ATK/1500 DEF/1200 SYE-014 Warrior Dai Grepher [Warrior] The warrior who can manipulate dragons. Nobody knows his mysterious past. ATK/1700 DEF/1600 SYE-015 Dark Blade [Warrior] They say he is a dragon manipulating warrior from the dark world. His attack is tremendous, using his great swords with vicious power. SYE-016 Wall of Illusion [Fiend/Effect] The monster attacking this monster is returned to its owner?s hand. The damage calculation is applied normally. ATK/1000 DEF/1850 SYE-017 Man-Eating Bug [Insect/Effect] FLIP: Destroy 1 monster on the field. ATK/450 DEF/600 SYE-018 Sangan [Fiend/Effect] When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, select 1 monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from your Deck, show it to your opponent, and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your Deck. ATK/1000 DEF/600 SYE-019 Kuriboh [Fiend/Effect] Discard this card from your hand to make the Battle Damage inflict to your Life Points by 1 of your opponent?s monsters 0. This effect can only be activated during your opponent?s Battle Phase. ATK/300 DEF/200 SYE-020 Giant Rat [Beast/ Effect] When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can Special Summon 1 EARTH monster with an ATK of 1500 or less in face up Attack Position from your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck. ATK/1400 DEF/1450 SYE-021 Sonic Bird [Winged Beast/Effect] When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, you can select 1 ritual spell card from your deck and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your Deck. ATK/1400 DEF/1000 SYE-022 Zombyra the Dark [Warrior/Effect] This card cannot attack a player directly. Each time this card destroys 1 monster as a result of battle, decrease the ATK of this card by 200 points. ATK/2100 DEF/500 SYE-023 Royal Magical Library [Spellcaster/Effect] Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Spell Card, put 1 Spell counter on this card (max.3). Remove 3 spell counters from this card to draw 1 card from your Deck. ATK/0 DEF/200 SYE-024 Black Luster Soldier [Warrior/Ritual] This monster can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, ?Black Luster Ritual?. You must also offer monsters whose total level stars equal 8 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand. ATK/3000 DEF/2500 (ULTRA RARE) SYE-025 Black Luster Ritual [Spell Card] This card is used to Ritual Summon ?Black Luster Soldier?. You must also offer monsters whose total level stars equal 8 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand. (SUPER RARE) SYE-026 Dark Hole [Spell Card] Destroy all monsters on the field. SYE-027 Dian Keto the Cure Master [Spell Card] Increase your Life Points by 1000 points. SYE-028 Fissure [Spell Card] Destroy 1 face up monster with the lowest ATK on your opponent?s side of the field. SYE-029 Monster Reborn [Spell Card] Select 1 monster from either you or your opponent?s Graveyard. Special Summon the selected monster on your side of the field. SYE-030 Change of Heart [Spell Card] Select 1 monster on your opponent?s side of the field. Take control of the selected monster until the End Phase of this turn. SYE-031 Last Will [Spell Card] You can only use this card?s effect once, and only during this turn. When a monster on your side of the field is sent to your Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 monster with an ATK of 1500 points or less from your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck. SYE-032 Card Destruction [Spell Card] You and your opponent discard your entire hands and draw the same number of cards from your respective Decks that you discarded. SYE-033 Remove Trap [Spell Card] Select 1 face-up Trap Card on the field and destroy it. SYE-034 The Reliable Guardian [Spell Card] Increase 1 face-up monster?s DEF by 700 points until the end of this turn. SYE-035 Axe of Despair [Spell Card] A monster equipped with this card increases its ATK by 1000 points. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, if you offer 1 monster on your side of the field as a Tribute, this card returns to the top of your deck. SYE-036 Malevolent Nuzzler [Spell Card] A monster equipped with this card increases its ATK by 700 points. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, if you pay 500 life points, this card returns to the top of your Deck. SYE-037 Mystical Space Typhoon [Spell Card] Destroy 1 spell or Trap Card on the field. SYE-038 Mystic Plasma Zone [Spell Card] Increase the ATK of all DARK monsters by 500 points and decrease their DEF by 400 points. SYE-039 Swords of Revealing Light [Spell Card] Flip all face down monsters on your opponent?s side of the field face up. This card remains face up on the field for 3 of your opponent?s turns. As long as this card remains face up on the field, your opponent cannot declare an attack SYE-040 Pot of Greed [Spell Card] Draw 2 cards from your Deck. SYE-041 Trap Hole [Trap Card] When your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster with an ATK of 1000 points or more, destroy the monster. SYE-042 Waboku [Trap Card] Make all Battle Damage inflicted by monsters on your opponent?s side of the field 0 during this turn. SYE-043 Magic Jammer [Trap Card] Discard 1 card from your hand to negate the activation of a Spell Card and destroy it. SYE-044 Seven Tools of the Bandit [Trap Card] Pay 1000 of your Life points to negate the activation of a Trap Card and destroy it. SYE-045 Spellbinding Circle [Trap Card] Select 1 monster. As long as this card remains face up on the field, the selected monster cannot attack or change its battle position. When the selected monster is destroyed, this card is also destroyed. SYE-046 The Eye of Truth [Trap Card] As long as this card remains face up on the field, your opponent must show his/her hand. Your opponent increases his/her life points by 1000 points during each of his/her standby phases if he/she has a spell card in his/her hand. SYE-047 Backup Soldier [Trap Card] You can activate this card when there are 5 or more Monster Cards in your Graveyard. Select up to 3 monster cards with an ATK of 1500 points or less (except Effect Monster Cards) from your Graveyard and add them to your hand. SYE-048 Shift [Trap Card] You can activate this card when your opponent designates 1 monster on your side of the field as a target of a spell, trap, or battle attack. Switch the target to another monster on your side of the field. SYE-049 Disappear [Trap Card] Select 1 card from your opponent?s Graveyard and remove it from display. SYE-050 Raigeki Break [Trap Card] Discard 1 card from your hand to destroy 1 card on the field.[/color] [color=red]Kaiba: SKE-001 Blue-Eyes White Dragon [Dragon] This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale. ATK/3000 DEF/2500 (SUPER RARE) SKE-002 Battle Ox [Beast-Warrior] A monster with tremendous power, it destroys enemies with a swing of its axe. ATK/1700 DEF/1000 SKE-003 Koumori Dragon [Dragon] A vicious, fire-breathing dragon whose wicked flame corrupts the souls of its victims. ATK/1500 DEF/1200 SKE-004 Rogue Doll [Spellcaster] A deadly doll gifted with mystical power, it is particularly powerful when attacking against dark forces. ATK/1600 DEF/1000 SKE-005 Kojikocy [Warrior] A man-hunter with powerful arms that can crush boulders. ATK/1500 DEF/1200 SKE-006 Uraby [Dinosaur] Fast on its feet, this dinosaur rips enemies to shreds with its sharp claws. ATK/1500 DEF/800 SKE-007 Mystic Horseman [Beast] Half man and half horse, this monster is known for its extreme speed. ATK/1300 DEF/1550 SKE-008 Ryu-Kishin Powered [Fiend] A gargoyle enhanced by the powers of darkness. Very sharp talons make it a worthy opponent. ATK/1600 DEF/1200 SKE-009 La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp [Fiend] A genie of the lam that?s at the beck and call of its master. ATK/1800 DEF/1000 SKE-010 Skull Red Bird [Winged Beast] This monster swoops down and attacks with a rain of knives stored in its wings. ATK/1550 DEF/1200 SKE-011 Hyozanryu [Dragon] A dragon created from a massive diamond that sparkles with blinding light. ATK/2100 DEF/2800 SKE-012 Opticlops [Fiend] A one-eyed giant that serves the ?Dark Ruler Ha Des?, it skewers its enemies with its sharp horn, shattering them to pieces. ATK/1800 DEF/1700 SKE-013 The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave [Dragon] A huge dragon dwelling in a cave. It is horrible when it gets angry, although it is usually quiet. It is said to preserve certain treasures. ATK/1300 DEF/2000 SKE-014 Luster Dragon #2 [Dragon] This dragon feeds on emerald. Enchanted by this monster even when attacked, few people live to tell of its beauty. ATK/2400 DEF/1400 SKE-015 Kaiser Sea Horse [Sea Serpent/ Effect] If you Tribute Summon a LIGHT monster, you can treat this 1 monster as 2 Tribute Monsters for the Tribute Summon. ATK/1700 DEF/1650 (ULTRA RARE) SKE-016 Lord of D. [Spellcaster/ Effect] As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all Dragon-Type monsters cannot be targeted by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, or effects of monsters that designate a target. ATK/1200 DEF/1100 SKE-017 Mysterious Puppeteer [Warrior Effect] Each time you or your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster, increase your Life Points by 500 points. ATK/1000 DEF/1500 SKE-018 Trap Master [Warrior/Effect] FLIP: Select 1 Trap Card on the field and destroy it. If the selected card is Set, pick up and see the card. If it is a Trap Card, it is destroyed. If it is a Spell Card, return it to its original position. ATK/500 DEF/1100 SKE-019 Hane-Hane [Beast/Effect] FLIP: Select 1 monster on the field and return it to its owner?s hand. ATK/450 DEF/500 SKE-020 Witch of the Black Forest [SpellcasterEffect] When thiscard is sent from the field to the Graveyard, select 1 monster with a DEF of 1500 or less from your Deck, show it to your opponent, and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your Deck. ATK/1100 DEF/1200 SKE-021 Mystic Tomato [Plant/Effect] When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can Special Summon 1 DARK monster with an ATK of 1500 or less in face-up Attack Position from your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck. ATK/1400 DEF/1100 SKE-022 Mad Sword Beast [Dinosaur/Effect] When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent?s Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent?s Life Points. ATK/1400 DEF/1200 SKE-023 Spirit Ryu [Dragon/Effect] You can only activate this effect during your Battle Step if this card battles during your turn. Discard 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard to increase the ATK and DEF of this card by 1000 points until the End Step. ATK/1000 DEF/1000 SKE-024 Paladin of White Dragon [Dragon/Ritual/Effect] This monster can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, ?White Dragon Ritual.: You must also offer monsters whose total Level Stars equal 4 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand. When this monster attacks a face-down Defense Position monster, destroy the face-down monster immediately with this card?s effect without flipping it face-up or damage calculation. You can Special Summon 1 ?Blue eyes White Dragon? from your hand or your Deck by offering this card as a Tribute during your Main Phase. (Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot attack during that turn.) ATK/1900 DEF/1200 SKE-025 White Dragon Ritual [Spell Card] This card is used to Ritual Summon ?Paladin of White Dragon?. You must also offer monsters whose total Level Stars equal 4 or more as a Tribute from the field or your hand. SKE-026 Ookazi [Spell Card] Inflict 800 points of Damage to your opponent?s Life Points. SKE-027 Fissure [Spell Card] Destroy 1 face up monster with the lowest ATK on your opponent?s side of the field. SKE-028 De-Spell [Spell Card] Select 1 Spell Card on the field and destroy it. If the selected card is Set, pick up and see the card. If it is a Spell Card, it is destroyed. If it is a Trap Card, return it to its original position. SKE-029 Monster Reborn [Spell Card] Select 1 monster from either you or your opponent?s Graveyard. Special Summon the selected monster on your side of the field. SKE-030 The Inexperienced Spy [Spell Card] Select and see 1 card in your opponent?s hand. SKE-031 The Flute of Summoning Dragon [Spell Card] You can only activate this card when ?Lord of D.? is face-up on the field. Special Summon up to 2 dragon-type monsters from your hand to your side of the field. SKE-032 Change of Heart [Spell Card] Select 1 monster on your opponent?s side of the field. Take control of the selected monster until the End Phase of this turn. SKE-033 Soul Exchange [Spell Card] Select 1 monster on your opponent?s side of the field. When you offer your monster as a Tribute, offer the selected monster in place of 1 of your monsters. During this turn, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase. SKE-034 Mountain [Spell Card] Increase the ATK and DEF of all Dragon, Winged Beast, and Thunder-Type monsters by 200 points. SKE-035 Tribute to The Doomed [Spell Card] Discard 1 card from your hand. Select 1 monster on the field and destroy it. SKE-036 Rush Recklessly [Spell Card] Increase 1 face-up monster?s ATK by 700 points until the end of this turn. SKE-037 Megamorph [Spell Card] While your Life Points are lower than your opponent?s, double the original ATK of a monster equipped with this card. While your Life Points are higher, halve the original ATK. SKE-038 Nobleman of Crossout [Spell Card] Destroy 1 face-down monster and remove it from play. If the monster is a Flip Effect Monster, both players must check their respective Decks and remove all monsters of the same name from play. Then shuffle the Decks. SKE-039 Premature Burial [Spell Card] Pay 800 Life points. Select 1 Monster Card from your Graveyard, Special Summon it on the field in face-up Attack Position, and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, the monster is also destroyed. SKE-040 Fairy Meteor Crush [Spell Card] When a monster equipped with this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent?s Life Points. SKE-041 Shadow Spell [Trap Card] Select 1 face-up monster on your opponent?s side of the field. Decrease the ATK of the selected monster by 700 points. The monster cannot attack or change its battle position. When the selected monster is destroyed or removed from the field, this card is also destroyed. (SUPER RARE) SKE-042 Trap Hole [Trap Card] When your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster with an ATK of 1000 points or more, destroy the monster. SKE-043 Just Desserts [Trap Card] Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent?s Life Points for each monster on your opponent?s side of the field. SKE-044 Gift of the Mystical Elf [ Trap Card] Increase your Life points by 300 points for each monster on the field. SKE-045 Dust Tornado [Trap Card] Destroy 1 spell or Trap Card on your opponent?s side of the field. You can then Set 1 Spell or Trap Card from your hand. SKE-046 Light of Intervention [Trap Card] Monster Cards cannot be Set face down. Monsters Set in Defense Position are Normal Summoned in face up Defense position. SKE-047 Jar of Greed [Trap Card] Draw 1 card from your Deck. SKE-048 Riryoku Field [Trap Card] Negate the activation of a Spell Card that designates 1 monster on the field as a target and destroy the Spell Card. SKE-049 Burst Breath [Trap Card] Offer 1 Dragon-Type monster on your side of the field as a Tribute to destroy all face-up monsters on the field whose DEF is equal to or lower than the ATK of the Tribute monster. SKE-050 D. Tribe [Trap Card] All monsters on your side of the field are treated as Dragon Types until the End Phase of this turn.[/color][/size] As you can see, there's not a huge amount of difference between these and the original Starter Decks, with the exeption of better support and offense Spells/Traps/Monsters. The more interesting and controversial news I found out today is that from March 1st in the Japanese CCG, the following cards will be banned from play (i.e. zero per Deck, as with the God Cards): Injection Fairy Lily Cyber Jar Fiber Jar Yata-Garasu Delinquent Duo Painful Choice Change of Heart Raigeki Harpie's Feather Duster Imperial Order So lots of developments in the game, then. The new sets should add a little diversity, although the Evolution Decks don't seem to add very much more than Kaiser Seahorse to the game: The Black Luster Soldier is great as a Ritual Monster on its own, but you'd be better off with the Chaos Soldier for its summon requirements and effect anyway.[/color]

[color=#503f86]Well, to each their own. There are a whole slew of fetishes/attractions around, especially on the internet; it's not really a surprise to me. Anyway, I don't think much discussion can come from this so I'm going to close the thread. Generally, 'favourite'-style threads (i.e. 'I like this character/species- what do you think etc') aren't allowed on OB because they tend to generate poor discussion, and not least ones without much solid thought behind them. Try and keep your posts longer and more detailed- it makes it much nicer and more interesting to read for everyone. As it stands, if you really wanted to you could put this in your signature. Welcome to OtakuBoards, HeadShotOmega. Be sure to read the [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?"]Rules[/url] and have fun ^_~[/color]

[COLOR=#503F86]The Secret Rares are [spoiler]Chaos Emperor Dragon and Dark Invader, in case anyone's interested. Chaos Emperor Dragon -Envoy of the End- Dark/Dragon/8/3000/2500 This card can only be Special Summoned by removing 1 LIGHT and DARK monster in your Graveyard from play. Pay 1000 Life Points to place all cards in each player's hand and on the Field into the Graveyard. Do 300 damage to your opponent for each card placed into the Graveyard by this effect. Dark Invader Dark/Fiend/8/2900/2500 As long as this card remains face-up on the field, your opponent cannot activate Quick-Play Spell cards.[/spoiler] I'm really looking forward to this next set, perhaps more than any of the others I've been waiting for The Dark Magician of Chaos for some time- he's been a favourite card of mine for ages and it's great to finally get him translated into English. It'll be more interesting when some cards are made to counter the two most powerful Chaos monsters, though. I expect they'll be dominating playing fields for some time...[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]Sorry I'm late, heh Name: Aidian Jackson Age: 18 Rarest Card: Vampire Lord Bio: Aidian competed in the original Battle Cruise tournament alongside Ryan. Although he was runner-up in the competition and gained a fair prize for his winnings, he still felt he could improve his skills more greatly. Since the end of that tournament, he has been practicing his skills and refining his Deck as much as possible. Although he is determined to win, he is not spiteful or dislikeable in many ways- he just gets very passionate about the game. In effect, he has two different personalities- one hard, cold persona for fighting and another, completely soft and fun-loving persona for another. His seriousness in duels tends to annoy his close friends, though, and he is almost oblivious to the way he acts in the Duels. Description: [URL=http://www.fybishounen.net/cels/fullsize/lostuniverse03.jpg]Aidian[/URL] Deck Theme: Chaos/Disruption [i]Tribute Monsters[/i] Vampire Lord Chaos Soldier- Emissary of the Beginning Black Magician of Chaos Dark Magician Dark Magician Girl Mirage Knight x2 [i]Non-Tribute Monsters[/i] Nimble Momonga x3 Sangan Witch of the Black Forest Apprentice Magician Old Vindictive Magician x2 Magician of Faith Cyber Jar Mask of Darkness Archfiend Soldier x2 Breaker the Magical Warrior Sinister Serpent Skilled Dark Magician x2 Neo the Magic Swordsman x2 Magical Scientist Helping Robo for Combat Reflect Bounder [i]Fusion Monsters[/i] Dark Flare Knight x2 [i]Spell Cards[/i] Monster Reborn Seeds of the Beginning United We Stand Gravekeeper's Servant Swords of Revealing Light Nobleman of Crossout Horn of the Unicorn Raigeki Cost Down Tribute to the Doomed Dark Hole Pot of Greed Graceful Charity Change of Heart Baptism of Light and Darkness Mystic Plasma Zone Yami Mystical Space Typhoon Harpie's Feather Duster [i]Trap Cards[/i] Judgement of Anubis Magic Jammer Seven Tools of the Bandit Mirror Force Magic Cylinder Waboku Sakuretsu Armour And there we go. So much for refining Decks, heh ^_^;[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]For me, it really depends on how the character's portrayed. In most children's anime it's very clear-cut: you have a good guy who, not necessarily being infallible, is always true to the heroic cause, moral and just. The bad guys are almost consistently evil and enjoy torturing their opposers as often as possible. With animes like Gundam Wing, it's very hard to tell who is actually evil. At least, when I first started watching it about half-way through the series I couldn't tell what was going on. I was sure Heero was actually the bad guy and the war was just a backdrop to the rest of the Gundams trying to bring him down. But all of the characters are seen as being honourable and fighting for a just cause- whether their ideas seem right or not in context of the show is the only way of actually telling. For example, [spoiler]Heero destroyed that plane full of world leaders even though he didn't mean to; while Sechs and Treize are trying to fight for the good of their world.[/spoiler] It's a very well-written series because it really emphasises that there's little difference between the sides when it comes to war. Good or evil, both have their reasons and it almost never ends until one or both sides are completely destroyed. Generally, I'll side with the good guys. I find I can identify more with them and their personalities rather than those of the baddies. Mind you, if a baddie is written really well and has a decent amount of depth to their personality (turncoats from either side tend to be a great balance) then they can be a favourite character. I prefer happy endings though, so if all of the characters I like make it to the end regardless of which side they're on, I'm happy.[/COLOR]

[quote name='Inuyasha7271']Ultimate Muscles not that bad why are we trashing the muscle its funny in its own stupid way and I dont understand this dubbed thing whats wrong with dubs I dont know much about most anime ive lived on anime dubs on t.v. im only 14 can't get a job so I can't buy the dvds and compare the dub to original I plan to take Japanese so I wont need to listen to dubs anymore its a four course class at our school.[/quote][color=#503f86][b]Inuyasha, please stick to the topic at hand. Not only is this post difficult to make out it doesn't make any sense. Try working on your quality for the future.[/b] Anyway, I like Sonic X simply to look at the characters. The plot, voices and music all annoy me rather intensely, but I find it even more enjoyable than the original series simply because characters like Tails aren't moronic no-brainers who constantly get into trouble and have to have Sonic help them out. But the animation of the Sonic crew I really like. Tails looks especially cute ^_^. But then I am biased towards foxes. Cream's never looked quite right in my opinion, possibly even more so in Sonic X than the games. But it's generally on at a time when I can never see it; I don't consider it that great a loss. The music annoys me the most- I heard snippets of the Japanese theme and it sounded... alright, but the orchestral plays right the way through the dub and it is really dire. It annoys me when they can't even compose music for the right scene mood. If you want a half-decent Sonic anime, watch the movie. It's not brilliant, but it's better than X.[/color]

[quote name='Dagger IX1'] The dub is also rather good; there were some awkward scenes in the episodes that I've watched, but nothing which made me want to turn off the TV and cry.[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]I always tend to watch dubs with the Japanese-version translation subtitles running along the bottom so I can compare the two, and I was pleased with BGC too. There's not much that's been missed out or changed, and at one point in one of the last episodes I think the dub version's actually better. The character interactions are written very well. Scenes with Leon and Nene in them always make me smile.[/COLOR] [quote name='Dagger IX1']BGC may be interesting, but it hasn't really gone anywhere yet. Hopefully its storyline will start to take off soon, now that most of the main characters have been introduced.[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]It does take a while to get into, yeah. For the first half it's pretty much 'Boomer of the day' style episodes with few revelational stories or complicated arcs, but it does change. Since I've not seen Big O I can't really compare (but I will soon, thanks to Toonami UK), but it is definately worth seeing through.[/COLOR] [quote name='Dagger IX1']Okay, I'll admit it--I love BGC's shoujo-ai overtones and subtle fanservice. It manages to incorporate plenty of eye candy without becoming trashy in the slightest. Besides, Priss and Lina would make a fantastic couple. ^_~[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Heh, they do. But there is scope for Lina and Nene too, though...[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]I really don't think any decent discussion can come from this, and judging by the length of the posts so far I'm probably right. There are only so many hairdos and outfits that can be designed, and with so many anime characters around they will inevitably start to look like ones made before. Characters are owned by their respective animation companies/show creators, but subtle differences can be enough to stop them from being sued. Thread closed.[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]I wouldn't call myself a fanfic obsessive, but I am particular about what I like, heh. As for posting my fanfics, I've only shown them on OB so far. I've signed up with fanfiction.net to put my Digimon story up there but I've not gotten round to it yet. The way it all goes up seems far too complicated for me. You upload the document to the site, and then put it up to be posted? The way the site explains it doesn't really help me much I just need plain, simple, easy-to-understand English instructions. But anyway, so far I've only confidently written a Digimon fanfic (aside from Enter the Net, but that's not strictly a fanfic), although I wrote drafts and exerpts for Starfox and Pokemon ones as well. I've considered hundreds, though- Titan AE, Outlaw Star, Beast Machines, Smash Bros... you name it, I've probably tried to think of a fanfic for it. I don't have any favourite pairings as such- out of the characters I take from the series I write about, I tend not to muck about with what's canon unless there's a specific reason to. In Digimon, I keep Matt with Sora, Ken with Yolei etc. Pet peeves: Um... I don't tend to read many fanfics, because I find they interfere with my ideas and prevent me from writing things as I want them to happen- I'm always trying to take their ideas into account in case the audience might think theirs is better. Self-esteem problems there, I guess ^_^; But anyway, one of my pet peeves is when people write dialogue that characters would never ever say. If they are going to use series characters, they can at least try to make the dialogue accurate. Another is when things happen for [i]no reason whatsoever[/i]. Like, this big baddie arrives, threatens to destroy the world and no explanation is given to it at all, other than the fact that he/she is evil. It might not even need to be that big a thing. I've read things where characters get angry without any decent build-up. I think the problem there lies in what the writer's thinking isn't quite brought to the forfront of the narrative- i.e. they know what's going on, so don't bother to explain it very well to everyone else. I used to do that. I don't like fanfics in which the chapters are less than a page long, and the dialogue's all in script form. It just frustrates me. On average my chapters are about seven pages long with no double-spacing, and I don't see any problems with separation. With regards to Mary-Sues, I don't think they're always the troll demon things they're made out to be. I don't always use series characters in my stories because I believe the series has already written for them everything that can develop their character. Trying to write more about Rika in Digimon Tamers might not be as good as writing about someone new because Rika's pretty much gone as far as she can go in terms of character development. My favourite of my own pieces is Dark Conflict, which I guess you could consider a Mary-Sue in that it stars mostly my own characters in the backdrop of the series world and with some of the original characters. But if it's well-written and works well, what's the harm in it? After all, if no-one made up their own characters it'd get very boring. There are only so many couple combinations ^_~. And it's not as if I have any of my characters fall in love with series ones anyway *shrugs* They aren't immortal or infallible as far as I can see; at least, I try not to write them 'perfectly'. But since not many others have read DC I wouldn't know how much of a Mary-Sue it actually is. But as with anything, if it's written badly, it won't be good. Simple as that.[/color]

[QUOTE=Queen Asuka][color=hotpink][size=1]*Shudders violently* Star Wars in space is highly missing the mark. Lost Universe is probably the most lame anime series I've ever seen, even worse than Ultimate Muscle. There is not emotion, the action is completely nonexistant, and the voices are dull. It's one of those anime shows that can easily put you to sleep. What I suggest is that you borrow the first volume from someone before you waste your money. That's why I did. And I couldn't even get through the second episode of three before giving it back.[/size][/color][/QUOTE][COLOR=#503F86]Ah, just as well I got an opinion first, then ^_^; Like I said, I've only seen the trailer, so I can't draw that much as to what the show's really like. I might give it a miss until it's broadcast on TV in that case. Thanks, Tori. To copy Lady Katana, I want to see [b]Magic Knight Rayearth[/b] too. I've seen the three-episode long special and I'd love to see more of the characters in it.[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Wow, Gravitation sounds popular. I've only ever seen pictures from it on an online quiz on Quizilla. You can never go wrong with bishounen, though ^_^ That and Weiss Kreuz I've heard only good things about. As for the rest: [b]Lost Universe:[/b] Anime Star Wars in Space, pretty much. With toilets and chickens. I'm not too hot on the storyline, but it stars Kain Blueriver (someone who owns a starship called the Swordbreaker that can blow up planets), Millie something-or-another, an investigator and a girl called Canal who is the embodiment of the ship's computer. Together they run around the universe trying to seek revenge on the man who killed Kain's grandmother. I've only actually seen the trailer and listened to the themes, but it really does intruige me. It's a light-hearted comedy anime set in space with lightsaber esque weapons and space ships. The animation looks pretty decent, but I've no idea if the series as a whole will have as much depth as something like Outlaw Star. I'd be very interested to find out, but it's probably not going to be out in the UK for some time, if at all. [b]RahXephon:[/b] From Volume 3 upwards. I've not seen past the last episode on DVD Volume 2 and it annoys me that I can't afford the next two yet >.> [b]Arc the Lad:[/b] Again' I've only seen a trailer for this, but magic, fantasy and escaflowne-like technology is always good in my book, heh. [b].hack//SIGN:[/b]I'd like to get the soundtrack for the series; it might be nice to know what actually happens in it as well. Animes I've been recommended: My Neighbour Totoro Trigun Cowboy Bebop Zone of the Enders Excel Saga Even though I've not seen Akira I'm really not that interested in watching it. I know it's highly acclaimed, but I just don't like the look of the animation. It's a shallow reason, I know, but I can't enjoy an animation as much if I don't like how it looks.[/color]

[quote name='Zanarkand Abes']The thirty minutes episode you guys are refrencing is not the movie I am refering to. The movie is coming out in America the 13th as I have said earlier, and it is a full-length one, not a half-hour special. But I also disagree with y'all saying the fad is dying out. They keep coming out with games left and right and is just beginning in America. In fact, they nearly have more games than the Pokemon does.[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Ah, a completely new one. I hadn't heard anything about a full-length animated film. Hopefully it won't be as heavily edited as the US dub when it finally gets here, whatever its relation to the series. As for the fad- no-one said it was dying out, it's just dying down. And I'd agree with that too- just because more merchandise is being released doesn't necessarily mean it's becoming more popular as such. It just means there's more stuff being made. Five booster sets have been discontinued in the US already, and people tend to be talking about it less *shrugs* The latest episodes have lost their novelty value for me, so even though I still watch it it doesn't interest me quite as much as it used to. The film would be something to see though, if it's decent.[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Maladjusted's pretty much got it down, unless it's a new one being made. There was talk of a live-action one, but I hope nothing comes of that. The only Yu-Gi-Oh movie I know about is a rather badly animated half-hour long special in which [spoiler]Yugi uses his Red-Eyes to form the Meteor Black Dragon in a competition.[/spoiler] I don't know much more than that, but as I gather it bears little relevance to the current story arc, save for the fact that Yugi has the Red-Eyes. Lelola did have screenshots from it up on her site if you want to take a look at the animation quality. I doubt it'll ever be as big as the Pokemon movies- Pokemon had huge amounts of hype and merchandising everywhere, so it was hard to escape pretty much wherever you went. Seeing as that was the first anime that really made it big in the West, everything else pales in comparison in terms of its following.[/color]

[COLOR=#503F86][font=Tahoma][color=#503f86]I would say something about that Yu-Gi-Oh comment, but I won't ^_~ I'm too tired.[/color] As has been said already- anime is animated, like traditional American cartoons which most people think of when 'cartoons' are mentioned. The thing is that anime tends to be a lot deeper and have a lot more in it. Even the most basic children's anime will have more morals than an episode of Inspector Gadget. But the cultures they arose from are different, and as such the writing is too. It's just that the word 'cartoon' carries a fairly childish and immature stigma, whereas anime can be very mature in content and theology. Despite them being much the same thing, I still prefer 'anime' to 'cartoons' not just because of the difference in presentation, but because of its general style anyway. But some people don't want to get caught up in the deeper sense of things and see it from an outsider's point of view. And if they don't want to get into anime it's fine. I'm not going to get worked up about it. It's only if they started directly insulting me for liking it that I'd get riled up.[/COLOR][/font]

[color=#503f86][b]"The Black Box has been opened." A cold feeling gripped the room bathed in darkness; by the glass wall stood a huge bulk of a man who grinned upon hearing his subservient's snivelling voice. "Good. Begin the extraction of the data files and start transporting them to The Machine. The Kei Pirates may have failed in their mission, but the Tempa Empire will not stand alone any longer." The man ran his clawed fingers along the glass, streaks of ice trailing behind them along its surface. Behind the panel, floating in space was the key to his ascension. The red ship to one side, gutted by Ban Pirate technicians; and the second- a massive half-completed bulk of metal soon to be a ship housing the most devastating power in the universe. He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, shaking the room with each step. "Akahito, reactivate Gilliam I and prepare it for integration into the Nemesis. I want it ready as soon as it's finished." "Yes, Master Goro."[/b][/color]

[COLOR=#503F86][SIZE=1][b]Thanks for answering the question, Circéus. Since there's not much more discussion that can come from this, I'm going to close the thread. In future, GoldenOne, questions about individual cards should go in the Yu-Gi-Oh CARD Advice Thread, the Sticky topic located at the top of the page.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/b]

[COLOR=#503F86]"Colt, get me a communication line to Fred Luo. I want a word with him." Trace barked. [i]"Certainly."[/i] A few seconds later, a slightly dishevelled-looking Fred appeared on a screen in front of them. He forced his eyes into a more awake-looking position and glared dwn the viewscreen. "This is Fred Luo, and I don't really apprec- Trace, is that you?" Trace nodded. "Yeah Fred, it's me. You never told me the Ban Pirates would be involved in this." Fred scratched his chin. "Well, this is news to me. I know Gene was last heading towards the Arasean system but I fail to see why the Ban Pirates would be so interested..." Trace folded his arms impatiently. "Perhaps for the same reason the Kei Pirates were after him a few months ago?" Fred smiled. "My, you are thorough. Yes, it's true that the Kei Pirates were after the Outlaw Star and Melfina. But the information I've been given about recent Ban Pirate activity suggests they're mainly focussing on mercenary work for the Tendo King. I've had to break a few arms to get even that much information on it." "So you knew they were after Gene?" "No, I just like to keep in with the competition." Fred yawned, twirling a long strand of his hair around his finger. "It does sound serious, though. You'll still take the job?" Trace rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm taking it. But I'm getting danger money on top of my fee, alright?" "Of course. Bye now." Trace leant back in his chair and gulped down the last of his drink. Ban Pirates. It would make sense that they were after the technology the Kei had wanted, but... this could get serious. [i]"Trace, would you inspect the damage to the Gravity Generator? The Maintenance Drone is not responding."[/i] "Damn things are always crashing." Trace cursed, digging his claws into the arm of his seat. "I thought these things were designed to work constantly without a system failure?" Lex asked idly, squeezing the CQ patch on his arm. Trace snorted derisively. "Unfortunately, the modifications I made to the combat and search systems of this ship don't comply with a lot of the maintenance command units. I need a real programmer to try and sort it out. I'm more a hacker than anything else." Lex raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "A hacker? Since when?" "How do you think I found you in the first place?" the Gauros smiled wryly. "The Space Forces keep lots of interesting data on their systems." He grinned widely at the look of mild surprise on Lex's face, then waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I wiped that station's system clean. As far as they're concerned, I have no criminal record and they can't prove I stole the upgrades to this ship. So, I'm clean, as are your various..." he licked his lips thoughtfully. "...enterprises." With a confident flick of his tail, he leapt across to the hatch in the floor and slid down the ladder to the lower parts of the ship. * * * The lights hadn't been working here since the Generator blew up. He flicked the flashlight onto full power and swept its golden beam over the charred metal plates. Hurriedly connected wires lined the floor, some connections sprung apart or missing their counterpart plugs entirely- this place was a mess. Up ahead, he could see the maintenance drone. It was rotating slowly on its hinged base, emitting a low humming noise. In front of it was a large, grill-protected cylindrical structure, half of it completely melted away. He'd been lucky to have the ship still function. The ferocious creaking and splitting of the metal hull still echoed in his ears... but they didn't matter now. With a swift movement of his right leg, he gave the drone a massive kick and set it sprawling across the room. [i]"Memory checksum invalid- processing fragmented restart."[/i] The drone hissed. Trace stared at it for a few seconds, watching its various body parts hum back into action and slowly right itself. It crawled back to the control gird it had been working on previously. Sparks flew from the mess of wires and split panels as Trace turned to go back to the upper decks.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]Better late than never, I guess (for me, that is. I never actually posted after I said I was going to >.> Bad me. Anyway, I like the style of the Gackt portrait. It reminds me a lot of some of the old black-and-white animations that used to be broadcast here a few years ago. It's odd that bits of it looks almost photographic (the lower part of the leatherish clothes, his hair), while the rest are very drawn. I loves your art ^_^[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]Wow, thank you everyone -^_^-[/COLOR] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by PoisonTongue [/i] [B]Solo, you saucy and subtle fellow, you! Now, I'm no genius, but from what I've heard regarding a new edition coming out, members' self-customization options will be increased, and a radical new design will be introduced. And, I am of the understanding that the usual Moderator Forum discussions are understood to be kept between Mods, but this really sparks my interest in what you're [i]really[/i] talking about, "Amount of room" could mean how many more members they can fit, true, but it can also refer to the desire for increased server capacity, right? From what James has hinted at, V7 is going to have increased capacity for various options, right? And this idea is further supported by the extreme emphasis about keeping the recent Mod Forum discussion between Mods, and to not leak information regarding V7. Also, Solo, you have access to the Mod Forum, as you are a Mod, and it's very interesting that you write, "The details are so vitally confidential, they can?t even be explained in this narrative." Hmmm...my interest is piqued now. You obviously are aware of certain changes in V7, correct; and you are obviously a very sly, creative and subtle writer. It makes perfect sense for you to tease the "real world" OBers here with hints of V7. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course, but...my interpretive skills are pretty sharp. ~_^[/B][/QUOTE] [COLOR=#503F86]I could easily say 'Yes, I took all of this into account when I was writing it'... but then I would be lying to a certain degree. In a more subconscious way, yes, that bit was written topically. James has loads of things planned for v7- the next few chapters of Enter the Net I've deliberately written to tie in with the change of the site, assuming I can actually write in OB real-time. The confidentiality joke is part of that, certainly, but more spawned from the discussion about 'breaking down the fourth wall' we were having some days ago. Everything else is pretty much as a cause of circumstance- actually [i]living[/i] inside the Boards becomes a lot more crowded than just having people visit it normally, and with overcrowdedness comes flared tempers and such. But that is a very deep, allegorical interpretation that I didn't notice ^_^ Trivial fact: [spoiler]Most of the Agent Smith lines are actually from the Matrix films, if you look past the l33t.[/spoiler][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]Well, I did say I was writing it, and here it is ^_^ I think it's shorter than most of the previous chapters, but I can't really tell. Either way, it's the first of a two-parter, so it probably doesn't matter too much. Note about l33t translation: I deliberately used it less heavily in the later half of the story because it's hard to read at the best of times, let alone when you're writing dialogue. I'm still working on those cameos, by the way. More guest appearances in the next chapter, heh. Enjoy! ^_^ [b]Flame Wars Episode I: The Phantom Spammer[/b] A long time ago, in a forum far far away? well, actually not so far away. And not so long ago, either. FLAME WARS Episode I: The Phantom Spammer The peaceful members of OtakuBoards enjoyed years of prosperity in their forums, creating intelligent discussion and providing refuge for persecuted anime and gaming fans to discuss their fandom without fear of reprival (unless someone disagreed with their views, that is). But this was not to last. In a strange twist of fate and reality, the members of OtakuBoards were cast into a virtual world where the rules of their old forums applied less than they had previously- each had to adapt to their new surroundings in their own way. While they revelled in their ability to fully customize themselves at will, a sinister shadow lurked in a dark corner of the Boards, waiting for its moment to strike... * * * Midday- High tide for OtakuBoards? forum activity. A record number of 1500 members online at once, the rooms could hardly hold all of the members. Deep inside its interior, behind a large metal bolted door labelled ?OtakuBoards Moderators? in white New Century Gothic font surrounded by a stylish blue and grey box, the Staff were having a very important and secretive meeting about the amount of room they have left. The details are so vitally confidential, they can?t even be explained in this narrative. Meanwhile, the numerously populative members of the Boards were doing as they normally do when cast inside a virtual world with no way back home- having fun. The Adventure Arena was incredibly busy a lot of the time. Everything that happened was logged in threads that appeared on the walls, new replies were marked with small black arrows next to each subject title. If a thread hadn?t been discussed in a while it was pushed over to the far side of the wall next to a door labelled ?Archives?. Once the threads were sent in here they rarely reappeared, save for reference, or if someone was intelligent enough to be able to resurrect it and bring new, interesting discussion to the subject. Taking part in RPGs was now a much more complicated matter than it used to be. Being in more than one at a time in the same way you could be in 20 on the original, non-Tron boards was incredibly difficult, and as such a new ?Episode? system was developed. Once all the cast were present, they would embark on the adventure for a set amount of time before stopping at a suitable point and being able to leave to go into their next RPG. Members who missed their episode times formed plot holes which threatened to destabilise the fabric of the entire RPG room along with the sanity of the game?s creator as he or she struggled to think of a decent explanation for why the characters were no longer where they should be. ?We had set a time, you know?? Wondershot said in a matter-of-fact way, running his fingers over the head of his AC frame as if hair were still present on his head. ?Im sorry Wondershot,? said a diminutive member with fairly poor grammar skills. ?I dident mean to be late. But there was another RPG that-? Wondershot sighed; he gritted his teeth and pretended to ignore the lack of apostrophes in the member?s speech. Behind him, Raiha was idly studying the Memberlist to find the most attractive males on the Boards. He rolled his eyes and then looked at the member as kindly as he could- he wasn?t, after all, a mean or demanding person. ?The system goes: all cast members have to be in an episode unless there?s a written reason why they?re not able to attend. I didn?t have a reason from you.? ?I was asleep.? ?Your character was about to attack the arch villain of the RPG! He just disappeared in the middle of the fight. I had to write in a double for you.? Wondershot continued, beginning to wish he?d been a bit more strict with regards to his recruitment procedures. The member- a young, oddly-drawn Vegeta ?clenchied his fists. ?it wasn?t my fault!!! I overslept, kay? Jeez, whats the bigdeal?? Wondershot folded his large metal arms in disdain. ?The ?bigdeal? is that when you join these things, you make a commitment that you have to see through to the end. People-? he said emphatically, gesturing to himself ?-get very annoyed if you don?t turn up.? The Vegeta-member?s face turned a dark red. ?It?s a stupid rpg anyway! Your just an elitist!? ?I?m not an elitist, I just don?t like crap.? Raiha sighed, closed the Memberlist and flicked her hair extravagantly over her shoulder at the same time. She walked over to the two and coughed politely. ?If you guys remember, we have an RPG to finish.? * * * The small ventilation shafts of the Boards were more a plot point than anything else. Since the air current and temperature could be formatted from inside the rooms themselves, there didn?t seem to be any practical use for them at all. But they were built in anyway. A small creature hopped along the vents, its mis-matched eyes wide with anticipation as it tried to bumble its way through to its master. It turned a corner and fell silently down a shaft, its legs helplessly flailing in the air. [I]Plop.[/I] It landed in a thick, dark green liquid. Kicking itself upright, it wiped some wayward lumps of spam from its face and continued down the tube. Suddenly, it stopped. A cold chill ran down its spine and everything around it seemed to darken. ?ur 84ck,? a mechanical voice whirred. The creature jumped round, its eyes widening even further. ?n00b,? it whispered, cowering at the site of the figure standing over it. ?wh@ d1d j00 533?? ?n00b-n00b.? A shrill, piercing laugh echoed throughout the pipes. The dark figure rubbed its metal hands together, his piercing yellow eyes glowing wickedly. ?3xc3ll3n7. 17'2 71m3 70 m4k3 my 4pp34r4nc3...? * * * PoisonTongue was bored. He twiddled the end of his Groucho Marx moustache while his mind searched for things to do. He?d already been in the Nintendo forum today- the lack of Shinmaru to try and beat frustrated him. Besides, it was impossible for anyone to play video games all day. Apart from Desbreko, maybe. But he was different. The Otaku Lounge was a nice, relaxing place to be when it was quiet and the discussion was intelligent. The comfy squishy sofas oozed warmth and cosiness when you sat on them, and the room was well-lit by bright sunlight from above. Plants and flowerbeds were spread around the room tastefully, with a large water-display in the centre of the room. Infrequently someone would fall into it or get pushed in, that was always fun to watch when it happened. It wasn?t deep water, mind. Just enough to warrant a change of socks or whatever piece of clothing was covering the part that happened to get wet. There were abnormal amounts of members around today. He figured some must be people surfing the internet and browsing the sites. They looked more casual and objective than those he knew for a fact to be sucked into cyberspace. He would berate the ideas of a few less intelligent people, but it wasn?t fun if there was no-one around to watch. Behind him, Lynx Jokopoko and Boba Fett were having a heated Star Wars debate. ?Obi-Wan Kenobi is the best character. How can you argue with Ewan MacGregor?? Boba Fett pointed to himself. ?Bounty Hunter. Jedi are cool, but they?re bound to the Force. If they misuse it, they become evil. Bounty Hunters can do whatever they want. And the jetpacks look more stylish than brown robes?? His attention logged out of their conversation when he heard a familiar voice nearby. He swivelled his chair round to spot AzureWolf, Mimmi, Ben and OtakuSennen walking along the edge of the room, trying to have a decent chat without being interrupted by borderline spam. He wandered over to them and gave them a friendly smile of greeting. ?Bedlam in here, isn?t it?? Mimmi nodded. ?Well, it?s not without its charm. It seems very empty when there?s no-one in it.? ?Lots of pants, though.? Azure said idly. Mimmi said nothing, but looked thoughtful. As they moved over to the Noticeboard, Ben let out a frustrated sigh. ?I?ve still not been voted for Best Female Member yet,? he muttered disdainfully, trying to ignore people who were voting for themselves in every category. He was above that- he was trying to convince [I]everyone else[/I] to vote for him in every single category. It took class to be able to do that. Suddenly the doors at the end of the forum burst open and a wave of silence tripped over the room. It missed a few members at the far end, who continued posting anime singles adverts on the walls on the forum and giggling, ignoring the happenings behind them. Agent Smith stood at the door and gave everyone a cold, fake smile. PoisonTongue was unimpressed. ?Drama queen,? he muttered under his breath. The Agent Smith looked around- his head movements were unnaturally jerky. It seemed a poor imitation of the character in the film, but still rather unnerving. He didn?t so much walk as float a centimetre or two from the ground like a badly-animated computer game character. He moved over to the water display in the middle of the room and took a deep, rasping breath, savouring the digital taste of the air. ?1nterest1ng?? he said coldly, snapping of a leaf from one of the plants. It fizzled away in a shower of tiny squares of data, floating up to the high glass ceiling of the Otaku Lounge. The rest of the members in the Lounge exchanged confused looks. Doukeshi03 took a tentative step towards the Agent Smith. ?Erm? who are you?? she asked. The Agent Smith slowly turned to face her, a twisted grin spreading over his face. ?Your Worst Nightmare.? Doukeshi03 looked around. Everyone else looked equally bemused. ?Well, welcome to OtakuBoards, Your Worst Nightmare,? Braidless Baka said cheerily, stepping towards him to shake his hand. ?If you need anyone to show you around, OtakuBot?s at the Information Center, and-? The Agent Smith rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see underneath his pitch-black sunglasses. Sighing in exasperation, he strode away from Doukeshi and leapt onto a table. ?Citiz3ns of 0takuB0ards!? he yelled. His voice echoed throughout every forum on the boards like a well-pronounced thunderclap, piercing and chilling. ?I hate this place. Th15 z00. Th15 pr150n. Th15 r34lity, wh@ever u w4nt to call 1t, 1 c4n't st4nd 1t 4ny l0ng3r. The t1m3 h4s c0m3 f0r th3 0ld r00lz 2 b d1sm1ss3d! Wh00?5 w1th m3?? ?What?? everyone echoed in unison. ?U!? Agent Smith pointed at a Hiei Jaganshi look-a-like next to him. ?U mu5t hate th1s pl4ce.? Hiei-member thought for a moment, then nodded. ?They dun lik how I spek. im baned if I dun spel rite, but this s me! I dun spel rihtg neway.? Several other members nodded in agreement. AzureWolf tensed slightly. He didn?t like where this was going. ?Wh@ 4b0ut th3 r3st of u?? Smith yelled again, moving his arm in a gesture that encompasses the rest of the room. Random members stepped forwards, each with a different reason for hating the Boards. ?They haven?t got a hentai forum!? ?My threads get closed!? ?People ignore my-? ?I LOVEM USHROOM PIZZA!? The whole room was buzzing with excitement. At least, the part of the room filled with excited people was buzzing with excitement. The rest was watching in apprehension, hoping the Moderators would get here soon. Agent Smith raised his hands, turning down the volume setting of the noisy members below him. ?Th3n 1t 15 d3c1d3d,? he boomed. ?W3 sh4ll d35tr0y th353 B04rds and cr34t3 a n3w 0rd3r in 0ur 1m4g3!? The crowd went wild- members cheered, others ran away, Raiha began beating up people who wanted to reduce her post count to zero; it was chaos. Chairs were hurled around the room for no reason, dislodging the threads from the walls and sending posts sprawling over the floor where people stamped and edited them in fits of anarchy. The doors at the far end burst open and James entered the room, aghast. He was closely followed by the rest of the Forum Leaders, ModRods in hand and ready to strike. ?What the hell is going on here?? James yelled angrily. His piece of Mario Graphic art had had the character?s black moustache and eyebrows taken off, making it look incredibly strange. ?Mr Administrat0r?? Agent Smith sneered. ?My name is James.? James replied, none-too-pleased. ?And I?m the Site Director. What do you want?? ?I want wh@ u want.? Agent Smith grinned wickedly, straightening his tie. ?Yes, that's it Mr. Administrat0r. L00k past th3 fl3sh, l00k thr00 th3 soft g3latin of th3s3 dull c0w 3y3s and s33 ur 3n3my.? Charles raised his hand. ?You?re wearing sunglasses, we can?t see your eyes.? Agent Smith tensed. ?R3sist4nc3 15 fut1le.? ?PEACH HEAD!? one of the members screamed at Semjaza. Immediately. Semjaza raised his ModRod and frazzled the member, who fainted. Yells of protest rumbled around the half of the room gathering behind the Agent Smith. The more sensible members of the Boards started moving to behind the Staff team. ?U s33 th31r 0pr3ss10n?? Agent Smith shrieked. ?W3 w1ll no l0ng3r b3 sl4v3s 2 u!? Members all around threw their fists into the air and cheered. ?We r l33t! We r l33t!? ?Do you h34r that, Mr Administrat0r? 1t 1s th3 s0und of 1n3v1t4b1l1ty. U w1ll f4ll 2 0ur n3w 0rdr.? ?I don?t think so.? James growled. TO BE CONTINUED?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]That "Well excuuuuuuuse [i]me[/i]!" was enough to put me off the Zelda series for life. I'm sorry, it just didn't sit well with me. I much prefer Link's present, slightly more dignified 'image', as it were- i.e. what everyone else thinks he should be like. He seems more like an honourable hero now, in my view. I never held too well with bratty, flirty heroes, even if they did have a sword. A new anime would be fantastic. I'm sure a real anime series of any of the Nintendo franchises would be great if it was written and produced properly. Two episodes of a Fire Emblem anime were made, but no more. I'd have loved to have seen all of that. Or even just the first two episodes- it's rather hard to get hold of on video.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]OOC: Okay, it's shorter than I intended, but the story explanation's coming up in the next few posts. Just keep it going, please ^_^; -------------------------------------------------------- "Rui's team has not returned, master." "Dead. I did not expect this." "It is a disappointing end, but only a minor setback. The outlaws will not survive long enough to find out anything about our plans." "Good. See that they are killed immediately, along with Luo. I've had enough of him." "Yes, Master." --------------------------------------------------------- The interior of the Midnight Wing was a cold, steely blue. Metal corridors and ladders led into darkened corners of the ship; it was running on auxiliary power for the time being, so there were few lights on. Since the ship was in an upright position, the remaining members of the group were climbing a ladder to the control deck. A crackly computer screen lit up on the walls every few feet- Colt was watching them. "I suppose a Gravity Generator would have been too costly an investment." Trace smiled. "It's been shot out since... well, for a while. If you want to try fixing it you're welcome to try." "No thanks." Lex scoffed. "I'm not an engineer." Eventually, they entered a long room that tapered to a point at the end- the Flight Deck. This was the only room that was actually the right way up- a gyroscope system changed the position of the room depending on the gravity of the planet they had landed on. In the centre of the room was a seat surrounded by a gyroscopic steel frame, on which were mounted several display screens. Lex studied it closely. There didn't seem to be any way of controlling the ship from there. As he made his way up a ladder to another gravity-aligning seat, he watched Trace slot his assault rifle into the base of the control panel in front of him with a resounding 'click'. A low booming noise rumbled through the ship. The lights flickered on and the control panels burst into life. At the front of the room appeared a small triangular console. "Welcome back, Trace," a voice called politely. The screen flashed a dark green as it spoke. "Have you been successful in retrieving a crew?" Trace nodded. "Yeah, but one's still missing. Can you run a DNA match of the area?" Colt sounded almost hurt. "You know what I'm capable of. I could run ten thousand data searches all at once if you wanted me to." "Don't get cocky, Colt. I only want one species match- Ctarl Ctarl. Raduis 6 miles." "Scanning now..." The computer screen in front of Lex flashed on- details of the search zipped up the monitor faster than he could read. What kind of computer was this? Suddenly, the results appeared on-screen. 3 Matches found, only one moving. "We have her?" Trace called. Lex poked the screen. "Yep. She's heading back towards the Wing at Ctarl-Ctarl running speed." "Let her in when she arrives." He jumped down from his seat and strode over to the wall. "Colt, send a maintenance drone to the Gravity Generator room. I want to fix as much as possible before we take off."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]The stinging scent of the poison burned Alaris' nostrils every time he took a breath. It wasn't enough to overpower him, but he could feel himself begin to slip under its intoxicating smell. He charged ahead, whirling his sword through the air and plunging it into the exoskeletons of the creatures that didn't scatter at the smell of the poison. Up ahead, he could hear more sounds of battle. He glanced over his shoulder at Ben, who was hurling his bladed projectiles into the creatures trying to intercept the line of troops following behind them- they sprang from tunnels hidden in the darkness, hoping to catch and tear the intruding prey to shreds. He looked back ahead- [i]Slash![/i] The scorpion's claw narrowly missed hitting his unarmoured flank, instead sliding over his metal breatsplate and shearing through the strap holding the poison canister. The glass capsule crashed to the ground with a piercing crack. With one fell swoop of his sword, Alaris decapitated the cave scorpion and kicked it to one side of the tunnel. "Forget it, we have to get to Rena and Crystal!" Ben shouted. Alaris pulled the canister to one side and shoved it into the space the cave scorpion had crawled from. Enraged hisses spat from the opening- they were angry, but wouldn't be able to do anything from there. "Come on, we're almost there!"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]There [i]are[/i] YVD patches made for Japanese sets, Asheron- loads of them. All you need is the right place to look. Considering it's made specfically for Yu-Gi-Oh, it's much more user-friendly for those who have no clue what things like 'tapping' is, and is much easier to get to grips with to start off. But, your personal preference is entirely up to you. Anyway, a tournament had been organised previously but didn't work because the organisers weren't able to specify a date for its start- hence people lost interest. As for challenging people- a thread wouldn't work, even if duel results were going to be posted. It would be spammy whatever the outcome. If people are interested in duelling someone in particular, I'd encourage them to go ahead and duel- it's easy enough to contact people through PM and AIM. Not to mention it's a more instant form of communication- using the forums for an instant challenge request really isn't that practical. So for now, I'm going to close this thread.[/COLOR]