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Thank you to Laura for the beautiful flowers that were delivered this evening, and to all of you for your memories of Jonathon, or rather Desbreko. We miss him so much, and my husband and I sat here in tears ( good tears) reading all the kind things that were said about our son. We knew only a little of his activities online, but we did know that he considered so many of you his friends. A few weeks after Jon passed away I wondered how I could let you all know, but we were in such a daze that trying to get on the Otaku site never occurred to us. Laura's note made me realize that maybe we could reach her and all of his friends here. We're both in our 60's and not tech savvy at all, so I hope you all will forgive us. It's still hard to imagine our life without Jon in it, but hearing about him from you all has made it a little easier to bear. Thank you so much for sharing.

Hey all, Before this place dried up, it was the only Internet forum I frequently posted at (still don't use forums to this day). The collection of people, topics, talent, and overall vibe was fun and exciting. I loved the meaningful discussions, the RPGs, and the culture unique to this place. Sometimes we still fondly look back upon our previous days here and there, but we're rarely all here at the same time because of time zones, schedules, life. Having said that... Perhaps we could set a date aside in the upcoming months where for one day, (Call it OtakuBoards Day, Otakuboards Con, whatever) we all visit the forums like the old days and try to contribute something of value. We could celebrate this forum that we've all enjoyed so much at one time or another. I'm not saying that you have to sit at the computer and stare at the boards all day. Just check back throughout the day when time allows. Make a thread. Respond to a thread. Post some artwork. Write and share a story. We could try to be as active as our lives allow on that one day and party like it's 2001! I'll just pull a tentative date out of the air and say, January 17th (U.S). If anyone is on board (get the pun?) with the idea, we can alter that date and after we all agree, we can reflect the change either in the OP, an announcement, etc. I know it'll take a while before people see this thread--so tell your friends and direct them here. I wonder if we can spread the word and attract members who haven't posted in years. Even if you're new, it could be a good chance to have some fun. Let's set up something special! RSVP List (Jan 17th, 2016) Moi (Charles)JapanPetieBooAllamorphJCBaggeeDragon WarriorMelty CatShyGavinQueen AsukaBrasilHeaven's CloudThe Vampire: EdDeathknightAnnieBraidless BakaSaraEndymionJohn MagusSyk3ShwaSaiyaPrincessXRoxie Faye aka MistressRoxieDesbrekoJamesTheShinjeLehShinmaru

I was thinking...cancer treatments and funeral costs are expensive even with insurance. If Desbreko's Mom (or even Laura on her behalf) want to set up a gofundme page I'm sure that we could all pull together and help a bit. I know that there aren't a lot of us left around here and the total raised won't be a huge amount, but if we can help the family of a young man that meant so much to this community, then I say that we show why we are a special place and pull together!

... most interesting. I found myself saying this to a colleague of mine. For some reason he didn't think it was as funny and nostalgic as I did. Thanks, Gavin. Thanks.

I was deeply saddened to hear about Des' passing. It feels even worse to realise how long ago it happened. You just don't expect someone so young to go that way. He must've only been about the age I am now, and it seems devastatingly unfair for him to have suffered how he did. It was almost unreal to read his series of tweets and realise that this was the last people heard of him. It's been a very long time since I (or I guess, many of us) had much to do with this forum. Des was a fixture though, and a fantastic member of the community, who helped make it the welcoming, friendly and active community it was. He was the epitome of what this board represented. For someone who lived half a world away and who I haven't spoken to in probably ten years, I think he might be the closest person I know to have passed away. I think everyone's comments and memories here show how well loved he was, and I'm sure that he continued to make a positive impact in his life post-OB. Vale Desbreko.

You make it sound like we're being put out to pasture, man. :P

I like trains.

OB was the last forum-based internet community I was a part of, I think; since then, I've been involved with a small, close-knit game streaming community for several years now. And although there's something about message boards that I miss, an itch that remains unscratched, every time I find a new one that I think I might like to take part in, I'll sign up, browse the boards, look for a thread I might like to participate in, and... eh. I just kinda lose the motivation to participate. Is it because message boards used to be more or less the only way to be social online, and now that need is filled by a newer generation of shallower, more immediate social networking services? Is it because I found OB in my more vulnerable teenage years and I just don't need that kind of community in my life anymore? Is it because OB back in the day really was just a lot more lively and special than these other places I've tried out since then? I dunno.   Maybe we don't come back because observation has taught us that nostalgia is a siren song, and if we try to rebuild the special thing we once had we'll only find that we can't just reach into the ether, grab the spark of meaning that once imbued it, and shove it back in again. I'm different, you're different, the world's different, and they can't ever be the same again.   But that's just what observation has taught us, and sometimes observation is wrong. Like AmbyCakes referred to (excuse me, AmbyCakes. Almost forgot all the old post styling conventions!), the magic of forums is asynchronous communication. It's actually not a big deal for us to get back togetherâ??no commitment, no co-ordination, no planning. Just gotta hop on, make a post, and hop back off until someone else replies. We like to think that "life got in the way", but you know what? Most of us are probably twenty-somethings with ten or a hundred times better internet connections than we had back in the day, and desk jobs with plenty of hours to slack off during. And yeah, we've all changed, but guess what else: most of us have probably become way cooler and more interesting than we used to be. Because guys, I love you, but have you gone back through any old threads lately? A lot of that **** we posted back then was pretty cringe-worthy. I don't really want to be an anxious teenager talking about the Matrix again. I'd rather be an adult talking about the Matrix.   And I'd rather hear about the new things you guys are into, too, and the interesting lives you led when you were away from OB. Did you guys know Sara got married? Ok a lot of you probably did because of Facebook, but isn't that cool?! We should talk about stuff like that.   I think forums probably ended because they stopped being what we thought they had to be: our online homes. Maybe this one can live again as something else: our online neighborhood bar (yeah, you know what that is before you even click). A place that doesn't fill our deep emotional needs, it just greets us with warmth, familiar faces and good conversation whenever we feel like popping in.   And if, like Boo expressed, we wanted to do this somewhere without the ostensible focus on anime, maybe we could goad Tony into re-establishing Orange Lazarus; that was the real cool kids' club anyway.

I am fairly certain my last post here was some kind of "omg, it's been so long!!1" type of deal, and now a few years later here I am again, haha. :) It's awesome to see some names I recognise--Shy, SaiyanPrincessX, James; glad to see you are all doing well. Speaking of the old guard, I can see it's PiroMunkie's birthday as I type this, so Happy Birthday if you ever read this, old chum.   So what am I doing, like, right now? Well, I can tell you I've just been on a massive nostalgia trip trawling through what used to be the Roleplaying & Storytelling forum--So many of our old threads and games are still there, frozen in time, it's surreal. Feels like I'm walking through the empty halls of my old high school or something. (By god, I wish we had finished Maverick Hunters: Personification!)   I won't bore you with the gory details of my sordid past so here's the synopsis--worked for the tax department, got fired for being a daydreamer who did no work and spent all my time writing stories, survived an earthquake, survived another much worse earthquake, got a graphic design qualification, met my long-term girlfriend of four years, got a design job with a big media company, moved around the country, survived ANOTHER earthquake....   And now most recently, my partner and I have moved back to our home city of Christchurch, and have just bought a house together! It's a pretty grown-up thing but I am still very much just a big kid--still playing way too many video games, still watching cartoons and anime (although I just watched Eva Rebuild 3.0!), still getting lost in my own imagination writing short stories and drawing maps and pictures that no-one else is ever likely to see, hehe.   To any other oldies who might stumble across this at some point in the future--Rahia, Rico, TN, Seph, Warwick, Neil, and the many others I've no doubt forgotten... I miss you guys, and I hope you are all doing well.   -Flash

Dear reader,   I am typing this message while rebels lay siege on my client's castle in Amsterdam, the capital of Europe. My client, someone you seem to know mainly as Boo, has asked me to call for your help. He has a very large sum of money that needs to be kept safe while he finds a way to free himself of the clutches of the communists. You seem to be the only person he entrusts with this task. The number we are speaking of is just little over 610.000 EUR which roughly converts to 3.512.000.000 USD, as you may know. There are two reasons why he asked for your help in this:   1. According to DNA tests you are the closest living family member he has. 2. The money was earned by the big success of the OB Podcast, which featured many of you. ¹   I regret to inform you that due to Europe's current regulations, you would only able to give Boo back 1.000 EUR and you will have to keep the rest of the money and do with it as you see fit. Please send me your bank account number, credit card number, access codes, login codes for OtakuBoards, picture of you, picture of you naked, and a picture of your mother via private message on this website. I will transfer the money right away.   Thank you for helping my client out! Have a nice day.   Yours faithfully,   Boo's lawyer     Get it? It's a CON.  Ha.     ¹ Korey hasn't seen a single cent of it, so please do not mention it to him.

[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/2yyccxl.jpg[/img] here it is! (: hope you and Shinmaru like it..xD [b]SLOTS:[/b] 1. [s]Shinmaru's portrait![/s] --- 2. --- 3. ---

Welcome to OtakuBoards! Hello! Just because you're new to OtakuBoards doesn't mean you have to be a stranger. After all, you're part of a pretty tight community now. You're going to be learning about us and we would like to reciprocate the effort by learning about you too. Feel free to use this thread to tell us more about yourself. What are your hobbies? Why did you choose your user name? What are your favorite television shows? What kind of experience do you expect to have here at OtakuBoards? It's all up to you to decide what to tell us. Also, if you have any questions about the site in general, feel free to include them in your post. We'll be glad to help you. We look forward to hearing from you!

Honestly anyone who signs up here in 2018 and starts posting in earnest is some kind of superhuman in my eyes, but yeah, necro-ing a thread that might be as old as the poster themselves is a truly next-level move. I couldn't even attempt it.

Welcome, I've been here for over a decade, almost two decades. It isn't as active as it once was, hoping one day it will pick back up!

We should start deciding baby names. It takes a villageboards, as they say....

A few things have changed the past years like working full time, co-habitating with another human, and using a very different set of slang these days, but apparently I'm still staying up way too late when I should be sleeping. Hey guys, been a while. I was at work when Laura messaged me about Des' and my original thought was "no f--king way... holy crap." I got along with Jonathan really easily. He didn't let stupid things rile him up and couldn't be bothered by petty dramas that we tended to observe from... others. He was my never-emptying source of prime screencaps all through the many years of caption battles and still the guy I think of when I see anything Rozen Maiden. Dude was awesome and I'm sad I didn't have the chance to tell him that more sooner. That said, I won't lie, I have definitely not been broken down the same way as some of you guys have. I'm very sad that Jon is gone and that I didn't message him more before the end, but overall I'm still going on alright. I am and always will still be the old man who has seen too much. I had a friend from work pass away from complications of leukaemia some years back (Graft vs Host Disease is seriously messed up), and I actually ended up being a pallbearer during his funeral. I've had a very close friend who has been dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts for a lot of the past 3 years as well, and in a lot of ways he has put my mind into a degree of preparation for what I may have to deal with some day (though I hope to all hope that day never comes). And a lot of you may still remember that one week many, many years ago one of our closer friends here almost got away from us in a similar way. Who knows, maybe I'm running out of tears to shed? Probably not. The worst things really can happen in an instant. Sometimes we can see it coming, other times all it takes is a tree and a windstorm like what happened to one poor local boy a couple weeks ago. Things can and will happen to us and the people around us, and with technology the way it is, the world is a whole lot smaller and our groups of friends are getting wider and wider. People we know will one day not be there. This is part of the life experience. It still sucks, but that's not gonna stop this truth. That said, while a lot of us have drifted away from this site, we can't help but acknowledge that we've been shaped by it a lot, and a lot of our younger formative years as sort-of adults started here. We all grew into the people we are not thanks to the people we met here. And this is why even though the last time I threw a message back and forth with Jonathan was in 2013, I can still tell people around me now about how chill and easygoing he was, how he was probably a huge fan of at least one thing they love, and why so many people now, all around the world, will still grieve for him so much now. Let me tell you guys something kinda ridiculous: I started posting here less, more or less abandoned my duties as a team member on this site (still really sorry about that, Adam!), and overall only popped back to write an essay or two about how my life had been going about girls I took far too long to get over. Despite that, my Firefox homepage is still "theotaku.com/backroom/". Even if we don't use the site as much now, we don't have to close the connection. Des' worked hard to help code that stuff, damnit... ....okay, maybe it was actually really easy for him... Either way, even if this reunion is for the worst reason, just let it remind you all that everyone who affected your life here will continue to do so once you're well into your grown-assed adult lives now. We're all still here. And you all still mean something to everyone here... ...oh crap... ............I was supposed to have a cup of tea in Des' honour today. Oops. Sorry Des'. I'll fix that tomorrow, promise.

The site that hosted this has long since been taken down and the Stitcher link no longer works but I still have the original files. I attached the episode in question for anyone interested. OB Podcast 11 - The Real Stuff Sucks.mp3

Career path update: I got that agency job! I'm a designer at a small studio in Madison, Wisconsin now. Dessert situation: apparently on Wednesdays everyone goes and gets really good malts, so I'd peg it at "agreeable".

Look at all these familiar faces. Hi guys! I actually came back to this site for a moment because I'm writing a piece for my job, which I wouldn't have without joining these boards. I'm doing my Doctorate in English and Cultural Studies and get to work as a lecturer too - there's a big series of talks in the summer that I'm involved in around digital culture so rightfully I ended up back here. I'm only 24 now and I joined in 2003, thirteen years ago. I was the type of kid that spent a lot of time in my room and on my computer, so I was here quite a lot making RPGs. Since I've been writing from my undergrad and had a lot of success in that area, I've never come across a time where I've improved creatively and technically in my life than joining these forums - everything after was a steady climb that doesn't compare to the dive bomb of joining a random internet forum when you're eleven. It's not necessarily learning how to be a writer, but more the imaginative process that goes into what we used to do here; character and world creations, collaborations, motivation to carry on (I don't recall a finished RPG though) and the benefits of thinking big when you're working with what is essentially such a small, limited platform. You have to come up with a lot of clever solutions and most of the people I work with don't have the same base skill set I feel I've gained from my adventures online. This forum, which again explains why I'm back here right now, is also a gateway to my field of expertise in what I hope is a long career for me. I feel like I grew up here. There was, of course, the outside world, but this place is influential to my perception of my work and the cultural landscape I'm exploring. Also, I certainly was a pretty lonely and depressed kid, and I still have trouble talking to IRL people about anything that's troubling me. The friends I made here got me through to being an adult who is almost comfortable with myself, and sometimes I cherish the memories of the friends I had on here more than the ones outside. I'm actually quite upset AIM closed down and I can't stay up until 4am to chat to some of you. To be specific though, I'd list my lessons from this site as: Creative Writing;Graphic Design;Handling criticism;Never argue with Allamorph on the rules and regulations of grammar;Internet etiquette; Boo is not from England.

My god would I have gotten more sleep and studied more. haha I would have probably been a well-adjusted teenager with normal IRL friends and developed those interpersonal skills in high school earlier. How boring. :p I may also have never become as entrenched in Japanese culture, never developing the drive to learn the language and spend 2 and half amazing years living abroad, making lifelong friends in Japan and online. And my online spelling and grammar would have been atrocious. Yeah, life sure would have been different...

Starting things off with a classic:

So, I think it's worth noting that there is a FB chat that has been running since....Thursday?? It is absolutely incredible how time has passed, the reconnecting, the new friendships, and how the silly antics just DO NOT STOP (as they shouldn't). I am very much trying to check the page out each day. I looked at my old signature the other day, and could not remember what the acronym "H.O.R.N.Y" meant. But I know it was highly amusing, and I'm sure from one of the legendary chats. I do remember the Bikini Bandits, though! Thanks, Charles, for bringing us back :)

Thriving.

The last couple of weeks, I've been rewatching "The Wallflower." I love that show. I don't really think I can explain the allure it has to me, though I want to make mom watch it because she keeps bothering me that I didn't grow up to be "the lady" she wanted. I liek a frumpy girl who likes scary, macabre things. I also really like the word MACABRE. 

This girl I really like bought me chocolate, video games, and special bath stuff, so we're gonna spend some quality time in the tub playing the new Monster Hunter.   [spoiler]THE GIRL I REALLY LIKE IS MEEEEEEEEEEEEE[/spoiler]

so im not popular, i have one female friend and she is very cute and yes she is an otaku gamer type but im me, so i cannot talk to her im shy but she thinks im ignoring  i don't know how to tell her that I've "liked" her for a while help?    

[kuja] I can't help watching the news on the latest Gaza conflict, man it's so heartbreaking. Hundreds of dead Palestinians, dozens of dead Israelis. Peace looks like a pipe dream at this point. It's a tragedy that affects both sides, but you can clearly see that Gaza has paid a much higher price for this war. I think it's something like 80% dead in the Gaza strip were civilians who are counted as "collateral damage" and  all the Israeli casualties have been soldiers, occurring after the ground invasion into, and happening in, Gaza.   Do you think Israel is right to do this? Do you you think it has gone too far to defend itself? I honestly think this  has gone way beyond self defense.  With the Israeli missile defense dome, It's kinda like the big kid, who can keep is attacker at arms length, but can't resist dishing out an absolute walloping at the same time. :/   What can end this conflict? Do you think that ending the Israeli occupation of Gaza, allow the Palestinians to leave, import food and medicines more freely than they can do at present, and engage in world commerce might go some way toward it? That's my thinking. Allow the Palestinian people to live freely, have a land to call home, and they might not be so desperate that it's leadership would attack the Israelis, foolishly, as a zebra poking a lion with a stick.   Discuss. ;) [/kuja]

  Hey kuji. ;-)   I think we were all very different. Things used to seem so much bigger - and I guess they were at one stage! I remember when I'd log into OB each day and find dozens (and, at times, well over a hundred) new posts across the forums. It really did feel like OB was a big community, but not as painfully big as a 4chan or something like that.   As it is, I never really got into message boards much after OB. I post occasionally on AppleInsider, but that's about it. I used to post on Steam User Forums, but now the Half-Life area has died down so much that I don't really bother anymore.   OB was really the only place that had that really unique mix of topics (everything from political debate to video games to RPGs). :)   It's good to see some people still around. Although, there are a few people who just disappeared and I've always wondered what happened to them...

If only there was I way that I could find the perfect words necessary to respond to this topic...

Well, I keep coming back here to check up on things, sometimes I can have a quick burst of activity but I never end up staying because the forums are so quiet now.  OB has sentimental value for me, as the first online community I ever signed up for, and I'm all for any ideas that'll jolt the senses and give OB a new lease of life. So when I saw this thread adressing the issue,. I knew I had to try and remember my password and contribute a few ideas... For your consideration.   Gear the forums toward fan art. :3 The Otaku community has been focused on fan art for a long time now, while the boards are now more centered around general discussion. I suggest taking a dual-media apporach encouraging the fan art community to both discuss the series and share their art works with the community. You could spin this as a way for artists to get noticed and get a wider audience. OB then benefits from the large fan art base on TheOtaku, streamlining the memembership so their existing TheO account also works here might, already have been done, but if it hasn't, my idea! :tongue:   Kill. The. Padded. Room. Party. >.>   Why? To encourage new threads and discussions on the topics that won't just fade as pages pass and other discussion vie for space. The lounge has not been the same since that thread opened, it's the all-encompassing behemoth that takes in almost all areas of discussion and it leaves no room for other discussions, why start a new thread when you can just PRP it?  It's exactly the same reason I have not discussed much anime series after the one-thread-per-anime thing came into being. Which segues perfectly into my next idea,   Opening separate anime forums again. ^_^ The goal of the move was a good one, cut down on maintenance, but in the end, I think, a lot of the more nuanced discussion about a particular series was lost to a general thread of 'I like it' and 'the latest episode was so cool.' Those examples are paraprhased but that was the general feeling I got. We lost those insane but enjoyably fun conspiracy threads and those threads on a specific topic that woudl spiral into a whole new arena of discussion and take on a new life of it's own, or maybe that was only the Digimon thread about the pink Power Ranger toy. This works well with the idea to incorporate fan art, as each series can then have it's own little hub. The art forum can then be used as a place for all non-specific art works, the graphics worms, the banner requests etc.   Bright large logo and logo competitions O_IO This ties into the fan art focus idea. How about having a big logo at the top like we used to have, with the graphic links and intergrated anime characers? You could hold regular competitions to design them. There were some good logos that came out of those competitions, Syk3's was awesome and who knows? Perhaps something big bright and cheerful would be more inviting to some people as well. :)   These are things I believe can help stimulate the OB community and bring in the new membership base. What are your thoughts?

I might have been from 2001 :)

AHA! I madja think jes' cuz I left that I'd never back fer y'all.   Buckets. are. fer'ever.

To actually answer the question, I've been ... different. I didn't start lurking/posting here until I was about halfway through my first year of college. I'm a smart guy, and a good worker, but I suffered from a mild case of general inexperience-based-ignorance and accepting apathy (i.e., 'this kinda sucks but I'll work with it') and thought I could work through something I didn't fully understand and didn't really want. I was diligent at first, but I kinda saw a lot of my peers giving way less effort for the exact same result, and for a while I tried that and then wondered why it didn't work. And then combined with some serious disillusionment and some poor choices regarding work and finances and roommates, I ended up basically retreating from a lot of the world for about a year. But then I got sick of it. I was going absolutely nowhere, doing nothing to better myself and wasting my money (which I didn't really have), my talents (which I started to let stagnate as well), and all the time in the world. And my parents, who are good people, didn't really know what else to do besides tell their twenty-three year old son to buck up and get with the program, because although they're supportive and understanding, they're not the type of people to sit there and hold your hand through everything. They worked their own way up and had to deal with just as much stuff as I did, so they weren't going to come flying to my rescue just because I felt bad and didn't want to try. And mostly I was tired of sitting on my ass all day doing nothing but sleep and eat and ... process food. So in April '11 I enlisted with the Navy. I wasn't actually able to ship out until the end of October, but I moved back home in the interim and almost immediately found work: making biscuits at Hardee's for eight hours a day. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but it was tiring, and it paid, and it kept me from further pushing myself into thoughts of what a miserable sot I was. Funny how work does that for you. Especially work where you exert yourself. Beating down dough and slinging around biscuit trays and trash bags and scrubbing the food muck off the floor makes you break a sweat. So I did it, and did it well, and when I left everyone was let down because once I got into it I made some damn fine biscuits. (And kept a damn shiny floor.) I shipped out to Basic Training Camp (or BT Camp, hence "boot") 25OCT11. I know that date by heart; it's kinda like my second birthday, now. And that was two months of essentially group isolation while a set of sailors made us stronger and faster and less collectively stupid. It wasn't fun, but I kinda miss it now. I graduated from there in early December, and since then I've been in bar-none the longest training pipeline in the military. (Even longer now because of delays due to equipment failures and staff integrity issues.) I'm still not even a real sailor; I have yet to lay eyes on an actual steaming ship, much less be allowed inside one. But it's necessary for us. My rate (or job, for you civilian types) is a nuclear-qualified mechanic. I, along with two other rates, maintain, work on, troubleshoot, operate, and fix nuclear propulsion plants, which are installed on every one of our submarines and aircraft carriers. Nuclear propulsion is basically a keystone to our fleet strength; without it, our carriers can't travel around the world without needing to be so-close to a friendly port for refueling, and our ballistic/guided missile and fast-attack submarines wouldn't be able to stay underwater for extended periods of time without running out of food or killing their crews by diesel/gas fumes. But nuclear power is also a touchy subject to the general public. We can't afford to have nuclear disasters. Otherwise we'd lose access to basically all our allied ports (and what few neutral ones allow us in), and our strongest vessels would remain tied to port on one of our coastlines. So they train us for a minimum of a year and three months, although I'll hit my two-year mark in the Navy in just over two more months. I mean, think about it. If I were to come to San Diego and say, "Hey, I want to build a nuclear power plant to power your city, but I want to put it right about the middle, right where all the people live," I'd get shot down immediately. If I said, "Also, yeah, I wanna put wheels on it and drive it around the city," I'd be laughed out of the state. But at any given point in the year right now, there could be over half a dozen (maybe over a dozen) of those exact platforms sitting right there. And the city lets us. Heck, we even have a nuclear carrier parked in Japan's backyard. Think about that. Think about the history of that country and this country and that word. So they train the ever-loving crap out of us so when we go and operate a no-shit live plant for realsies, we don't botch it. But I'm almost done. And I just got orders this week, so provided everything goes well, I'll be moving to Seattle in October. In the meantime (with, like, the two free hours a day we're given while in this pipeline), I still read and write sometimes, goof around on game systems, have been going to the gym much more often, and have recently gotten really into Airsoft and snowboarding. I hope all the rest of you are well.

Ew.

[size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Finally got around to seeing TDKR. Overall, I found it to be pretty mediocre. My thoughts below are kind of jumbled, and some parts aren't written very well, so bear with me.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b]Miranda Tate[/b]. The Talia bit is only formally revealed in the last 10 minutes of the movie. And the entire characterization is crap, basically. There's nothing of the off-on strained romance that Bruce and Talia share in pretty much the entire LoS continuity. Nothing. At all.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]As "Miranda," she gets close to Bruce, gains his trust, etc, which fits pretty well as Talia, but a huge part of the Bruce/Talia relationship entirely exists BECAUSE Bruce knows she's Ra's' daughter, and BECAUSE Talia knows about Bruce's history with the LoS.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By saving the Talia reveal for the end, it removes a lot of that character depth, and at that point, all it does is little more than turn Talia into a completely normal comic book villain who wants to destroy Gotham out of revenge.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And Talia dies like a completely normal comic book villain. And has a mini-speech like a completely normal comic book villain as she dies.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I've always trusted Nolan's instincts, but here they completely missed the target. Talia [i]isn't[/i] a normal comic book villain, and she never was. In a lot of ways, she was actually one of Bruce/Bats' strongest allies, even though she was technically also one of his strongest enemies.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b]Bane[/b]. The whole thing reminds me of Darth Vader BEFORE James Earl Jones or ED-209. Where David Prowse's sing-songy Irish accent or whatever always sounded completely off, even if his body language was perfect.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But Vader worked, because Prowse nailed the feel of Vader's movement, and JEJ had the growl to match it. Prowse's movement and JEJ's growl synced up perfectly, and even though Vader's face was covered...you just knew he was pissed.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bane's mask looks like ED-209 but there's no ED-209 growl. There's no real visual cue to know when Bane's actually talking. I was able to understand him 95% of the time, but there never was a clear sync like there was with Darth.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]They should have gone post-production and mechanized parts of Bane's voice.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hell, the mask should have been more than just a painkiller agent. It should have also helped him speak. His throat/mouth/vocal cords should have been so damaged by whatever it was that happened (seriously, it's NEVER even explained sufficiently, and that pissed me off), that mask should have been his voicebox, basically. And it desperately, desperately needed some sort of light--something, anything--to indicate when Bane was talking.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I mean, [i]****[/i]; if a cheapo '80s TV show like Knight Rider could have a couple of crappy lightbulbs to signify when KITT was talking...why couldn't Bane's mask?[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And that's me being superficial and nitpicky, because Bane's goals throughout the film...are BACKWARDS. Seriously. He and Talia needed to swap objectives, basically. Or at least split them out better.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bane should have completely focused on just two things:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]1) Breaking Batman[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]2) Breaking Gotham[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]That's it. Talia's goals should have been:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]1) Breaking Bruce emotionally[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]2) Breaking Bruce financially[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Instead, Bane leads a ridiculous assault on a trading floor, takes the city hostage, all so Talia can detonate a nuclear bomb in the city cause she wants revenge for the death of a man she never forgave...UNTIL BATMAN KILLED HIM ZOMG. I can kind of find logic in Bane leading the financial assault a bit since it ties into what Talia was doing, but it was so awkwardly handled that I just...no. Plus, if there's a war declared on a trading floor, they should have immediately locked down the trades and prevented any trades from going through at all. It shouldn't have mattered whether Bruce's prints were verified.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]On top of that, Bane's voice suffers from the same problem Bats' voice did in TDK: during shorter dialogue, it's fine. For speeches longer than a paragraph, it sounds silly. And most of Bane's longer speeches came from the financial assault sub-plot, or football field speech. Basically, whenever he's talking into a microphone, to a crowd, it gets real stupid, real fast. When he's one-on-one with Batman, or Talia, or random execs, it's PERFECT, because the situation allows him to be short and sweet.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And ditch the nuke completely. Just...ditch it completely.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I mean, don't get me wrong. There's definitely a lot to like in TDKR. There's a lot of really solid dialogue, some decent back-and-forth between Fox and Bruce, and the first fight between Bats and Bane (the backbreak) is absolutely stunning. JGL was fantastic, and Anne Hathaway was inspired as Selina.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Though I'm kinda salty that Selina and Bruce end up together at some random cafe or something. Their relationship always seemed pretty similar to Bruce/Talia...and a lot like pretty much all of Bruce's relationships: very off-on again, very strained. Catwoman never struck me as the kind of woman willing to settle down at all. She was always pretty fiercely independent. Hathaway definitely hit a lot of those independent notes, and I think it's why I enjoyed Pfeiffer's Catwoman so much (minus the crazy and leather, obviously)...both of their portrayals really hit at a core of the character.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And I think where TDKR missed it is where Batman Returns actually got it right: Bruce and Selina wouldn't wind up together.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I guess it's like...if Bruce is damaged goods as much as he is--and really, you'd have to be severely damaged to dress up like a bat and cruise the city at night, beating criminals to a pulp with your bare hands...getting some trim is not going to fix your deep-seated emotional issues.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][u]I'd even argue it a step further, and say that the focus on Rachel in BB/TDK was always misplaced, as well: Bruce doesn't need to find acceptance/peace in other people...he needs to find it within himself. That's the irony in this trilogy. Bruce won't find meaning for his life in other people, yet he's continually chasing just that. Rachel, Harvey, Talia, Selina...he's constantly trying to find an [b]external[/b] validation of [i]internal[/i] torment and anguish.[/u][/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Can Bruce find peace? Yes. By himself. By retiring as Batman.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The rest of the movie is so uneven that it's difficult to really embrace it. Particularly with regards to superhero philosophy in the Nolan trilogy.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The way I see it, out of all of Bats' Rogues Gallery, there are maybe six characters, total, that [b]directly[/b] relate to the very core of Nolan's exploration of Batman:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]1) Ra's al Ghul[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]2) Joker[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]3) Riddler[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]4) Bane[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]5) Scarecrow[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]6) Talia al Ghul[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And really, I'd venture that those characters are the only six that directly relate to Batman's core character in the comics/graphic novels, too. The rest of the Rogues Gallery is basically C-listers that get called up into the majors so the A-listers can take a break.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But yeah.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In BB, it was all about Fear. All about Bruce overcoming his, using it against his enemies--one of my favorite exchanges in all of cinema is:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Alfred: "But why bats, sir?"[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bruce: "Bats frighten me, Alfred...it's about time my enemies shared my dread."[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It's [i]perfect[/i].[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In BB, Bruce created a persona, created a symbol, and ruled Fear. He took bits from both Ra's and Scarecrow and dominated. Hell, when Crane gets gassed with his fear toxin and sees Batman as some oily Middle Ages bat-demon? PERFECT. And when Batman's flying overhead, after the Narrows get gassed, people look up at him and just see a large black monster with burning red eyes? BRILLIANT. Fear, man. BB nailed it.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In TDK, it was all about Batman's limits. What he would and wouldn't do. How far he could and couldn't go. Both emotionally and physically. Well, mostly morally, at least. Joker kept trying to get him to break his One Rule. But even when Bats was being pushed to his limits, we still saw the physical toll. Bruises, scars, brutal injuries...and when Alfred mentioned them, what'd Bruce say?[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"Batman has no limits."[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"But you do, sir."[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Batman may have been emotionally broken in TDK, but he wasn't broken, physically.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bane does break him physically in TDKR, but that whole story arc--Knightfall, I mean--where Bane focuses on Batman for the challenge...took a complete backseat to the whole financial/football field/No Man's Land plot mess. What was arguably Bane's biggest, most important philosophical hook...ended up playing second-fiddle to generic comic book movie fodder.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And you know, the more I think about it, the stronger the film would have been--and the far more relevant it would have been--if Bane had REALLY focused on breaking Batman/Gotham, and Talia had REALLY focused on breaking Bruce emotionally/financially. Remove the entire nuke plot and make the entire conflict [i]intensely[/i] personal.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Because through Bane breaking Bats/Gotham, it continues the relationship between Batman's health and Gotham's. With Batman, Gotham is a better place. Without him, it's either a cracking mask like the 8-year peace in TDKR, OR it's a wretched hive of scum and villainy like we saw in BB/TDK.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bane focusing on Bats/Gotham emphasizes something very important:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There's gotta be a Batman.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And if Talia focused on breaking Bruce, it ties into the relationship between Batman and Wayne, in that Batman lives on even after Bruce. That you can do anything to Wayne. You can ruin him emotionally. You can stab him in the back. You can destroy his finances. But you cannot destroy the one thing you cannot touch: The Batman.[/font][/size] [indent=1][i]Bruce Wayne: You're vigilantes. [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Henri Ducard: No, no, no. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Bruce Wayne: Which is?[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Henri Ducard: A legend, Mr. Wayne.[/font][/size][/i][/indent] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Talia focusing on Bruce Wayne emphasizes something very important:[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There's gotta be a Batman.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And Blake assuming the Bat-Mantle at the end...[i]would prove that Bane and Talia LOST[/i]. Blake assuming the Bat-Mantle proves that Joker LOST. That Scarecrow LOST. That Ra's...well that's the poetry of that, isn't it? Ra's LOST because his philosophy and advice WON.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But sadly, instead of really developing and exploring that, they decided to just blow up the city. :-/[/font][/size]

[quote name='Silver Mech'] [quote name='chibi-master']Macadamia nuts are really good! They have an odd texture, but the flavor is really light. They're good alone, but are best in cookies because they get even softer when cooked that way.[/quote] I should look for ome on [u][b]Amazon[/b][/u], then.[/quote] [quote name='Silver Mech'][size=5]I should look for ome on [u][b]Amazon[/b][/u], then.[/size][/quote] [quote name='Silver Mech'] [size=6][u][b]Amazon[/b][/u][/size] [/quote] [center][img]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z158/Allamorph/Misc/lolz/reactionz/1336812246294.jpg[/img][/center]

For Boo - I hope you read this! Here is your pony..hehehe! c: [img]http://i50.tinypic.com/20fdb4j.jpg[/img]

[size=2][color=#b22222]My name is Victor Ross and the year is 2138 and everything has different. Supernatural creatures that we would dress up as for Halloween are real and here. First came the vampires trying to enslave the human race. It was hell and they were unstoppable until the wolves offered an alliance. After twenty hard years of fighting the vampires were driven from the North American continent and back to Europe and Asia, which they now control all of I have no idea what has happened to Africa or Australia. Both the werewolves and we humans suffered so much death and loss and many cities are still in ruins.[/color][/size] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]An uneasy truce was made between the wolves and us. They stayed up north having Canada all the way to the Dakotas while we went about fixing what was left of our country. The wolves helped surprisingly and some of the clans became more modernized.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Next came the Zombie outbreak in 2171 four days after my 48[sup]th[/sup] birthday in South America and a wall that was thirty feet high and went twenty feet that was twelve feet thick into the ground was built where Central America and South America meet to keep them at bay. It was hell getting it built as the werewolves formed a line stretching from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic and held them off for three years until the wall was done. They would fight for days until they could barely stand then switch out. Only a few of them fell but the zombie virus somehow took away their immortality. Instead of living forever they only live to be about five hundred years old. Granted that is still a long time but in truth I think it scares them to know that old age can now take them again. Luckily the way their biology is keeps them from reanimating too.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Lots of the older generation of wolves died because they were just too old and it has but the clans under a lot of stress as new leaders have had to be chosen. That and the constant fighting between the clans due to their inability to agree with what is best for their species. Once the wall was built we were safe once again and South America is now just a dead place with the bodies of the undead just shuffling around.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Year 2176 trouble broke out between the werewolves and us as some started feasting on humans. The taste of our blood was too much and they eventually turned from hunting animals to hunting humans. The leaders of the five oldest clans gave the order to but down any feral wolf. It must have been hard for the parents to have to put down their offspring.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Year 2185. My grandson came over today and told me that they are no teaching about werewolves in schools. They are teaching about how there are three different types of werewolves that are separated into castes in each clan. First are the Omegas, they look just like regular wolves but have the greatest speed out of the three types though they lack in power but are the third caste. The second caste is the Deltas. They are the biggest of the werewolves; they are strong powerful but slow. They walk around almost like apes because of their size and can be as tall as eight feet almost. The top of the castes is the Alphas; they were brought around after thousands of years of interbreeding between Omegas and Deltas. They stand around six feet and are more shaped like us. They are fast and powerful though their speed does not match and Omega and they are not as strong as a Delta but they outclass the other two because they have the best of both. There is another caste below the Omegas that is called half-breeds. Apparently half-breeds are any werewolves who were not born as one but were changed. It doesnâ??t matter if they take more after an Alpha, Delta, or Omega. From what my grandson said they are weaker then their pureblood counterparts.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Also it seems that the leaders of the top five clans also set in place a set of rules to keep order within. First is that no werewolf is allowed to hunt a human. Second is mating outside of your caste is forbidden. Third is you are only allowed one offspring every hundred years. Fourth, unless you are a half-breed you are not allowed to turn a human unless it has been sanctioned by one of the top five clan leaders.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Year 2190. Trade has been establiashed bewteen the wolves and us. Roadways have been cleared and our country has been turning around. Apparently a military school is about to be opened up in Montana that will have both werewolves and humans. Not only will it educate its students but also teach them how to kill vampires in case they ever come back over. Hopefully all goes well and this dark paradise doesn't get any darker.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]As you can already tell what this rp is going to be about i don't really need to go into all that much detail. any question you may have will be answered in the backstage thread i will be putting up shortly after this.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]You can play as an Alpha, Omega, Delta, Halfbreed, or Human i am not putting a cap on any but someone who chooses a different race will be chosen over others.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][color=#b22222][u][size=2]Human Signup[/size][/u][/color][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Name:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Age: Between 18 to 25[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Gender: [/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Appearance:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Personality:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Thoughts: I want this to be about if your for the human werewolf military or not or just neutral[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][color=#b22222][u][size=2]Werewolf Signup[/size][/u][/color][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Name:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Age: Between 18 to 25 as well[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Gender:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Clan: I will be putting the five oldest clans and their leaders in the backstage but feel free to create a lesser known clan though members of five older ones will be stronger.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Crest Symbol: This is only if you create your own clan.[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Race: Alpha, Delta, Omega, Halfbreed. More information will be located in the Backstage thread[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Appearance: Please also put where you clan crest is located as all werewolves have their crest burned into them at birth[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Wolf Appearance:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Personality:[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]Thoughts: I want this to be about if your for the human werewolf military or not or just neutral[/color][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=2][color=#b22222]I have purposely made it to where reading the backstage thread is almost required that away most questions might not need to be asked. I also would extremely prefer if you messaged me about creating some sort of back story between mine or another character as i do love hidden plot developments.[/color][/size][/color]

[color=#b22222][size=2][b]Name:[/b] Thane Marshell[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Age:[/b] 25[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Gender:[/b] Male[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Clan: [/b]The Obsidian Clan[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Race:[/b] Alpha[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Appearance:[/b][/size][/color] [size=2][url="http://api.ning.com/files/zFi50UIz0FlKhWOAd-dQ8A6bg2q30n7b216ViRVHWop*cAFnEze6ht5p6L*pOpwTDAkXZx7MkpZ6hFU35fE9NB93gWIFFrhv/AnimeGuy.jpg"][color=#b22222]http://api.ning.com/files/zFi50UIz0FlKhWOAd-dQ8A6bg2q30n7b216ViRVHWop*cAFnEze6ht5p6L*pOpwTDAkXZx7MkpZ6hFU35fE9NB93gWIFFrhv/AnimeGuy.jpg[/color][/url][/size] [color=#b22222][size=2]Wears a blue t-shirt and has his clans symbol burned onto the center of his back.[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Wolf Appearance:[/b][/size][/color] [size=2][url="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/078/a/e/Werewolf_2_by_el_grimlock.jpg"][color=#b22222]http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/078/a/e/Werewolf_2_by_el_grimlock.jpg[/color][/url][/size] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Personality:[/b] Wary of others and extremely hesitant towards humans. Due to his past he hasn't had much dealing with other werewolves either. Stands his ground and is always observing trying to find out more.[/size][/color] [color=#b22222][size=2][b]Thoughts:[/b] Due to an event years ago he holds a lot of distrust towards the human race.[/size][/color]

[b]Zelda[/b] taught me never, [i]ever[/i] to mess with chickens.

[quote name='The Professor' timestamp='1332413959' post='710852'] [font=comic sans ms,cursive]12345? Really? Good thing you weren't trying to get into my luggage.[/font] [/quote] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900ff]*jots this down for future reference*[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]As an aside, apparently we can Like posts now. This shall be handy.[/color][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900ff]Okay so I had made a post in here about the game when I was close to finishing it, and then literally a day later the site went BEWM and ate my post, so I'm going to make another one now that I've actually beaten it.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]This game. I wanted to love this game to pieces. I really, really did. It's chronologically the first game in the series, you can fly around, the game looked downright beautiful -- and I'm someone who barely ever puts stock into graphics -- and I just wanted to eat it all up. The entire internet seemed enamored with it, and I wanted to be one of those people.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. I mean, don't get me wrong -- it's still a good game. Great, even, when it really hits its stride. It starts off with a ton of energy and makes you so excited to jump right into the story.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]And then, for me, around Lanayru, it just slowly started to fall flat. The desert was a pain to navigate, and I was not fond of the mining facility at all. And then things after that just...got really shaky.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]I can sum up my main two problems as thus:[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][b]One:[/b] The sheer lack of places to go. I get that they were trying to cram everything onto a single-layer disc, but even then I don't really like that excuse. You're sent to the same three places each time you go down, and while they do do things to shake it up, it just gets really frustrating. I wanted to be able to explore interesting new locations, and it just kinda failed. The sky REALLY dropped the ball in this regard -- it's so limited and cramped. It didn't feel like the vast sky at all. I was hoping the thunderhead would explore more of that, but it didn't have a whole lot, either.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]That said, the third visit to each area I actually really liked...except for Faron [which I'll touch on later]. The stealth mission in Eldin was shockingly fun, and Lanayru was not that bad, probably because it was mercifully short. And I loved Skyloft itself -- it's probably my favorite hometown in any of the games.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][b]Two: [/b]FETCH. QUESTS. I don't mind them in small doses, doubly so if they're just sidequests, but the middle of the game just POUNDS you with so many of these stupid things that the game became more of a chore than anything else. I wanted story and exploration, not pointless padding in the form of "HEY GET ME THIS THING AND I'LL TELL YOU WHERE TO GO...JUST SO YOU CAN GET MORE THINGS FOR PEOPLE LOL!!!!1!111111!!!11!!1". The third and final visit to Faron with the Tadtones was the worst, which sucks because I probably actually would have liked it if there hadn't already been so freaking many beforehand. [Although the rage was doubly compounded by Fi tossing the dowsing at me when I was already 75% done, and then you can't even use the dowsing when you swim anyway, so what's the point?! GAH!][/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]NOW. With that all said, there were still good things to make it worthwhile.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][b]The story: [/b]The story managed to keep me interested all throughout, and was my main motivator throughout the whole ordeal. Catching on to all of the mythology gags was fun, too [even if I had to look a lot of them up later because I'm that dense >_>;].[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][b]The characters: [/b]This is my main selling point right here. I love, love, [i]love[/i] the cast in this game. They rank up there with Majora's Mask and Wind Waker's cast for me. The denizens of Skyloft are all unique and likeable [generally, anyway; I kind of wanted to pour more dust on Pipit's mom after her little side story when you get her gratitude crystals], the races on the surface are all interesting and fun, and then Link and Zelda themselves are probably my favorite to date. Ghirahim is a delightfully disturbing villain and a fresh change from the "GRR I'M GANON AND I'M ANGRY >:C" that we're usually used to. [spoiler]Demise is a surprisingly affably evil guy, even when you kick his face in. He's a better sport than his sword[/color][/font][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF] at any rate.[/color][/font][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][/spoiler] And then there's Groose, who is basically Mido if he had better writing/character development and played an active role in the story. His development pleasantly surprised me, and he ended up being my favorite character out of the whole thing.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]But yeah, great ragtag bunch of misfits. I really hope to see their ancestors in future games. [Especially Groose. I refuse to believe his physical similarities to the Gerudo is just a happy coincidence.][/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF][b]Gameplay: [/b]I'm...actually kind of torn on the motion controls. Generally, they work pretty good. But there's just some times when it feels tacked on -- the key things to the boss doors are a prime offender. Whoever thought that'd be a good idea needs to be slapped with a lobster.[/color][/font][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF] But I'm kind of miffed because Nintendo themselves admitted that the long development time is because of the fine-tuning of the motion controls, which means everything else just kinda took a backseat, and it shows. I actually had a similar complaint towards Pokemon Black and White, but it had the inverse problem of the story, while good for a Pokemon game, took up nearly everything, while all the other stuff got pushed off to the side, especially in the postgame.[/color][/font] [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#9900FF]I digress, though. I've rambled long enough. It's a good game. It's just deeply, deeply flawed. I'd recommend it to fellow Zelda vets, but I couldn't in good conscience recommend it to someone as their first Zelda game.[/color][/font]

[color=deeppink]So are we taking bets on when the stalking starts? I'm betting middle of page 5, and closed by page 8 out of moderator annoyance. [center][IMG]http://media.lawrence.com/img/photos/2005/04/07/inigomontoya.jpg [/IMG] [/center] That's totally me. True story. [spoiler]Actually, [URL=http://nottofifty.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c22523d659604a00c2252a3ce98fdb.html]this[/URL] is me.[/spoiler][/color]

Here are the notes I took down during the midwatch. There was an open space four rows back from the entrance. Andy pulled into it, killed the engine and cut the radio, and sat there, indulging in one last uneasy hesitation. The sudden silence, broken only by the clicking and (groaning) of the settling car, snapped around him, wrapping him in a melancholic emptiness that seemed to grow a sentience of its own, pulling his indecision out into open view and judging him for it. Introspective - he is stuck between knowing intellectually he's pursuing foolishness and knowing in his heart he's just searching for reasons to avoid seeing a lonely, probably crazy old man he's been told is his great uncle. He wavers, but remembers the children at the gas station convenience store and the woman on the roof of the train. He can't explain them, and he's starting to think the headaches are related. And he just wants to sleep again. He gets out of the car and goes inside. Brief interchange w/ receptionist â?? use full name Andrew McIlroy (mother Janie McIlroy neé Tomlinson, mother Sarah Tomlinson neé Flaherty, brother Nicholas Flaherty), maybe something about "not many visitors", or "he'll be happy to have someone to see him" â?? Andy feels a slight hint of polite deception mixed with concern and worry. He isn't sure how he knows this. A nurse, nametag Margaret, soft beauty faded with age, kind understanding face, leads him into visitation area. Commentary on people living there. She is leading him to the far side of the room to a table by the corner window. Only one man is there, obviously tall despite being seated, his gauntness stark and accentuated with age. Hands once wiry, now bony and calcified, features sharp and angular. Hair greyed/silvered but with blazes of defiant jet black, as if refusing to bow to time. Eyes similarly sharp, but softened. He is gazing out the window in the absent reverie of an old man lost in memories. "Wait here a second, honey," Margaret told him, restraining gesture, arm + shoulder pat; she goes to get his attention "Nicholas? Nick, dear, you have a guest." He doesn't respond "Oh, Nick, don't be like that!" hands on her hips. Still nothing. She sighs, exasperation showing, leans over and murmurs something to him in Latin. "Close your eyes"? He gives a small start and turns to look at her. Brief exchange; he knows he is trying to her and is both regretful and grateful. Andy senses this and is again confused. When she mentions again that he has a visitor, his expression darkens. Andy gets more confusing sensations, realises that this is the same empathy he's felt before, and it appears to be getting stronger. Awkward exchange as Andy tries to break the ice with an old man who is clearly jaded and suspicious of new faces. Possible lines: - "...I'm not sure what to call youâ??" // "'Sir' would be appropriate." - "Why are you here?" // "I wanted to talk to you." // "Talk." *scoff* "No one wants to talk to a crazy man, a black sheep." In the end words cannot reach the old man. Andy brings out a small, careworn plush dog, says it belongs to his mother. Nicholas begins to tear up. "I gave her this...." Says she never believed, even after, and Andy interrupts with even after you saved her. He says she told him about the impossible things, the monsters, and her uncle. He says she couldn't believe because she had to live in the real world with real people and a real job. She even tried to forget. But she never could, and that's why he's here. She told him Nicholas could help. Nicholas has Margaret take them both back to his room. Once there and arranged, Andy tells him all about the headaches, the dreams and visions, the train with the woman on the roof and how he was himself and yet someone else; the gas station where everything went grey and he saw children running in slow motion but backwards and forwards at the same time, and the box that kept its color so he was drawn to it, behind stuff on a shelf, and how he took it and gave it to the store owner who saw it and broke down in tears, and when he looked for the shelf again it was gone. He asks what it means. Nicholas tells him about his former life, about creatures and monsters, about people called Hunters with extraordinary powers, about the Others who gave out these powers. Andy is skeptical, even despite what he's seen and felt. Their discussion stalls, and eventually Andy leaves. Nicholas keeps the plush dog.

I loved the Otakuboards Podcast, and I still listen to it once in a while.    I miss Cory and Boo's crazy stories from Europe and all the politically incorrect jokes they had with all their guest hosts.   They also introduced me to the greatest fan-fic author ever, Hanz Von Hotzel!   They were one of the podcasts that inspired me and my friend to start our own podcast about a year ago and still going.   We're an anime podcast that record on a monthly basis (usually).   If anyone from the Otakuboards Podcast would like to chat with me on skype or be on an episode, I'd be more than super glad to hear from you guys again!   Here's my email if you want to contact me: otakubacon@gmail.com   My skype name:  wakashi_ml7   Here's a link to my podcast: http://aotpodcast.blogspot.com/   Our podcast ad that I threw together one day: http://vimeo.com/43990869

  . . . OH NO      That's really funny.

Crona from Soul Eater.[img]http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18700000/Crona-1-soul-eater-crona-18753009-1024-576.jpg[/img]