Rachmaninoff

Or you could translate that into what you do when you are bored. I just never find myself with enough spare time to actually [I]be[/I] bored. I always have too much that needs to be done it seems. Anyway, the whole idea here is to talk about the kinds of things you like to do for fun when you have the time. Like play video games, read or listen to music. I tend to be pretty picky about how I spend my leisure time since I have so little of it at times. Take last month, I was doing additional work for school so I literally had several days a week where I didn?t even have time to log into OB. So now that I do have time with it being between semesters and all and I?ll also have time since I?ll only be taking classes half time during the summer, I?m finding that if I really don?t like something, I just won?t do it. It?s like I don?t want to spend that free time doing things unless it?s something I really enjoy. Anyway, my favorite thing to do when I have the time is to spend it with friends. As well as playing video games and heading out to go on hikes now that it?s warm out again. I also love getting together with friends just to watch movies or talk about various subjects just for the hell of it.

I'm on break between semesters and I just started playing this game: [B]Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King[/B] If I'd known just how gorgeous the cell shaded look was and how good the voice acting and overall story is... I would have picked this up a long time ago. I'm completely addicted to this game at the moment.

More [B]Rachmaninoff[/B]! This time his [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtuMVBLEWJU"][U][B]Prelude No. 2 In C Sharp Minor[/B][/U][/URL] I just love how beautiful and expressive this piece is. And since it's only about four minutes long, click on that link and check it out! Or if you're curious to hear the composer play it, check this link out instead: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wddtne7KSs"][U][B]Rachmaninoff[/B][/U][/URL] Nothing like hearing the creator playing their own composition. :catgirl:

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]So yeah, thanks for the feedback guys. We are not far away from auditions now, I think.[/font][/QUOTE]That's good to know... I haven't said anything yet but I have been keeping my eye on this. After all, where else can you find an rpg where you could potentially sign up as crew or rather crew that does something you already do in real life? Like being a musician who is part of a group of entertainers for the passengers. ;) I could easily see something like this employing real musicians for special balls or events during the actual voyage. It would make a nice touch to have real people instead of recorded music only. Plus it would open up the possibility for citizens to actually audition for the position. Making it possible for someone who couldn't afford a ticket to get on board that way.

It will be at theaters both here in SLC and where Beth lives... the only thing I'm wondering is whether or not one needs to be familiar with the show to actually see it. Otherwise, it seems pointless to go if it won't make any sense at all, or if doing so would spoil seeing the anime later on. XP

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Tahoma"]I OBJECT! My lawyer was defective! Seriously! Come on! You could've done so much better protecting me from...a heavy fine. *facepalm*[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]*bonks Raiha, Objection Overruled!* :D I'm sure Aceburner will figure it out, after all your character's statement that you did it for a Klondike bar is probably not even true. So drag Raiha to the stand to find out the real reason! I mean that's one possible outcome and true to how the game this seems to be based on ends up running. The accused pretty much [I]always[/I] has another reason besides the one they initially cough up. Heh.

[quote name='Dagger']If controversy = infighting among fans, or between fans and the creator(s), or perhaps the presence of the kind of anti-Show X sentiment that stems as much from mob mentality as pro-Show X sentiment, then I guess Evangelion would be pretty high up there. At least in the English-speaking anime fandom.[/QUOTE]I'll definitely agree with that. One of my friends is a die hard fan of this show and has been insisting that I watch it, so I finally did. Sure it could be considered great, but I found it extremely irritating and elements of it did not appeal to me at all. But to say that to my friend who loaned me the dvd's in the first place? Good grief! It was absolutely ridiculous how he expected me to recognize how great he thought the show was. XP It was such a headache, the stupid argument that him and his other fanatical fans of the series attempted to start, that I'll never watch anything he recommends ever again. All they did was make me dislike the show even more with their pointless ranting and glorifying of it.

[quote name='Aceburner']I know the feeling. They tell ou to write whatever you feel like and that you have total creative reign, then they're all like "no, you need to have this many words, your story needs to have a moral, paragraphs must be this long, no run-on sentences (irony:p,) etc.[/QUOTE]That's the whole point though, if you have creativity, then you'll have no problem doing it. It's easy to confuse guidelines as restrictions when learning that - will later on make putting those creative ideas you have into a solid format that your readers will enjoy[I] easier[/I]. Something you're already learning about with the story you are currently working on. :p As in notepad is evil and all that Jazz. Just like all those silly exercises for playing the cello made it possible for me to do so much more. I certainly would have never gotten to where I am now without all those countless hours spent practicing those rules that are often mistaken as a restriction.

I ended up on [B]Nightwish[/B] again. o_O I do like the group but sometimes I feel like a stranger takes over when I start this stuff up. Anyway, this is the song I have playing at the moment. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDBD_kNs6c"][U][B]Sahara[/B][/U][/URL] I suppose that since I haven't really listened to the group in weeks it makes sense that I am now.

You know how we've talked about how big the city is where our group is assigned? It seems we answered that question a long time ago, and it was you Allamorph who determined just how large the city is.[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT="Arial"][SIZE="1"][align=justify]The city the shinigami watched over was a modest one, respectable in size, easily claiming seven-hundred thousand, its streets almost constantly bustling?choked at times, especially around noon?with its busy occupants. [/font][/align][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I'd say that just under three quarters of a million is pretty big and definitely warranted having another reaper called in. That's a lot of people. o_O Also... post Allamorph! Post! :p

[quote name='Neptune'][FONT="Palatino Linotype"][COLOR="SeaGreen"][B]Another great Lunar RPG:[/B] I have no idea what is going on with Working Designs right now, or if they're even still a company, but it would be awesome if a new Lunar rpg was made for either the PS3, Xbox360, or hell, even the Wii. I know that there was a game made for the Nintendo DS called Lunar: Dragon Song, but at the time I did not own a DS and it seemed from what I read that it didn't really have much to do with the older games anyway. Maybe someone can fill me in?[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]I'll definitely agree with this, I only just learned about this series in the last year, but it's one of the best rpg's I've ever played for it's well done story line among other things. There are other games mentioned in this thread that would be fun to see brought back, but I'd take this series over all of them.

[CENTER][B]Eden Echo[/B][/CENTER] It didn?t take Patrick too long to finish up with the assignments he had gotten. The human world may have changed since he had last been there, but the process of releasing their souls had not. Just as there was no real change in their ability to sense or manipulate their own spiritual energy. [I]That kind of growth would take far more than a few centuries. It sure has changed a lot otherwise though, [/I]he thought as he continued to sit on the edge of one of the taller buildings in the middle of the city. ?[B]Do we have to get our own place?[/B]? Terry whined a bit, still disgruntled that Patrick had told them earlier that they would be hunting for their own living space. ?[B]Of course, otherwise all you?ll do is annoy Alex and Nall to death if we stay with them for any length of time.[/B]? Patrick explained as Terry just snorted in disgust at the statement, even if it was true. ?[B]Besides, gathering the information we are supposed to will be a bit troublesome if the boy is around.[/B]? ?[B]I still don?t like it.[/B]? Terry objected once again. ?[B]Oh get over it Terry,[/B]? Fiero snipped. ?[B]Work is more important?[/B]? ?[B]Don?t you start sounding like you?re any better?[/B]? Terry interrupted. ?[B]Not now you two,[/B]? Patrick chided, heading off the argument that was beginning to start. ?[B]You?ll have plenty of time to see both of them so how about you focus on what?s different here instead?[/B]? He turned his attention back to watching the hustle in the human city, tuning out Terry and Fiero who were still semi arguing among themselves. The changes in the human world was going to make what he was supposed to do a little more challenging. It would require taking some time to learn about and understand how those changes worked for the humans and from the look of things, it was a lot. [I]It?s a pity their spiritual growth doesn?t work like this.[/I] The technological change since his last visit was almost startling. [I]I should have kept up on this. [/I] The day started to come to an end before he finally felt the presence of Alex returning from wherever it was that he had gotten off to. Considering the sheer size of the city compared to how things were the last time he had been on Earth, it would be much simpler to get Alex to help him hunt down a place to stay. It would also make things much easier if he also got him to help by explaining how things worked. He could figure it out on his own; it would just be quicker the other way. ?[B]Come on you two, time to head back,[/B]? Patrick got up to head for Alex?s apartment now that he was returning. ?[B]Schedule permitting we?ll start looking for our own place tomorrow.[/B]? ?[B]I still object.[/B]? Terry snuck in as the trio headed for Alex?s place. Patrick just smiled and said nothing. Once Terry got it into his head to object to something there was no persuading him otherwise. He was more concerned with becoming familiar with the differences to the human world in addition to taking care of what he was supposed to. If anything, at least the process would keep him from being frustrated with being on Earth.

And I have finally posted... XP Now that I am no longer being killed by finals and preparing grades to submit... I have free time again! o_O I'd almost forgotten what that was in the past couple of weeks. Heh. Anyway... time for Jared to get clobbered! :p

After explaining how to reverse the alterations to the shipping protocols, Darren had gone back to working on sorting the messed up data transmission. It had taken quite a bit of time but he was finally finished, though a part of him was reluctant to say so. After the fiasco with the suicidal shipping transports, the Versilan who was in charge of monitoring his progress had been far from friendly. It wasn?t so much in anything he said as he continued to be as to the point and polite as he had been before. It was more of the cold indifference he seemed to hold for him whenever they were required to talk to one another. He didn?t know what the data meant since Darren was not a genetic researcher, but he did know that it was as close to the original message as one could get. [I]Once I hand this over, they?ll have no need for me here. I can?t go back, not after doing this. Plus I can be held accountable for what happened with the protocols. I have nowhere to go.[/I] Darren finished saving the completed work on the small hand held computer he had been given and set it down on the console that was hooked up to the equipment from the relay station in sector four. [I]I can?t keep pretending I?m working either, if I do that and they find out I was lying...[/I] A quick glance to the right showed the pair of security guards still standing there, keeping watch like they always did. [I]No point in putting this off,[/I] he thought. Reluctantly he swiveled his chair around until he was facing them. ?[B]I need to talk to the Commander, it?s important.[/B]? He did not bother to explain just as they did not bother to answer. Other than to find out that whoever the man was, he commanded the ship he was being held on; Darren still had no idea what his name was. All attempts to find out had been ignored and after a while, he quit asking. One of the security contacted someone, presumably the person in question, Darren didn?t care; not anymore. Instead he just waited for him to show up, turning his back on the security, thinking about what would happen next. It felt like an eternity since he had been brought to this place and he found himself wondering how the others were doing, Kerstin and even Sandra, though why he was thinking about her made no sense. She hadn?t done anything to stop the rest of the High Council members from using the altered protocols to attack the New Alliance. The sound of the door to the area opening broke into his thoughts and he turned around to see that the blonde Versilan had arrived. He wasted no time, coming over to where Darren was immediately. ?[B]I understand you have something important to tell me?[/B]? Darren picked up the hand held computer and held it out, prompting the man to take it. ?[B]I?m done. I don?t know what the message is supposed to mean since it looks like some form of medical genetics data, but that should be close to the original message.[/B]? ?[B]Why do you say close? Was some of the data lost?[/B]? He shook his head. ?[B]No, I say close since I have no way of knowing if something is missing from a message like that. You need someone familiar with genetics to take a look. I can?t do anymore.[/B]? The man raised his right hand, signaling to the two security guards who promptly came over, ?[B]I?ll do that then. Once I have confirmation on what?s in the data, you and I will have a talk about your future here.[/B]? Darren said nothing, choosing to look down instead, nor did he say anything else when the man ordered the guards to put him back in his cell. The only question on his mind once the man had left and the guards were taking him back to his cell; was what would happen next.

[quote name='Aceburner;811753]Yeah, sorry about the formatting issues. That's just what I get for drafting with Notepad.[/QUOTE]Word is your friend, or at the very least Works if you have it. If not, pester your parents to pick up office 2007 since it's great for school use. Seriously. Though I'm thinking you're in High School... if I'm wrong... ignore me. You could check out Zoho since it has an online word processor one can use, but I'm not familiar with it and don't know if it's any good or not.[quote name='Aceburner'']Anyway, it's nice to get some positive feedback. To tell the truth, I was a bit nervous. I'll definitely be posting more before the end of the week. And not using notepad to draft anymore. And adding more speech tags. I almost got lost last time I read all that and I'm the one who wrote it.[/quote]Of course, just as it's nice to see something different in here. I mean seriously, Raiha running around with a Lion? Ha! I think that's something she would do. Also, notepad is evil! Make a mental note to never, [I]ever[/I] use it! :p

[quote name='Sakura;811668][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]1.[/B] What do you think makes up a community (or makes a community a community)? (eg. is it common interest, geographical proximity, relational ties, etc.?)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I think Sabrina covered this already. Same area, like living in the same neighborhood or city, similar interests or something in common that all of them share, so there is something that ties them together.[quote name='Sakura'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]2.[/B] Do [I]you[/I] consider OtakuBoards as a community? If so, what are you reasons for this? If not, why not?[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]Why not? Restricting community to a narrow minded view that one has to physically be in the same location is rather short sighted. Not all places are a community per se, but many of them are or have the potential to be one. It has the same potential for people to gather over common interests and to communicate and for some that even moves into meeting in real life, just like one does in a regular community. It also has the added advantage of letting you have a far more diverse community as location is no longer an issue. So potentially it can be very inclusive, even more so than a regular community.[quote name='Sakura'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]3.[/B] Do you think online communities are valid? (I ask this because I know someone who thinks they aren't and that all who do are deluded)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]I have just one thing to add to this or point to make. The question of validity is really more up to the people involved. You and I can think, oh it can't only be a real community, but if those who get together and talk and share ideas feel that way about it... then it matters not what we think. For them it has become a part of their online community and therefore it has some level of validity right there. Oh and for the friend who thinks those who believe a place like OB is a community is deluded? *laughs* I'm sure Beth would laugh at that too because the era of thinking community is only at home, is long gone.

Congratulations are definitely in order. She's wonderfully adorable and beautiful Queen Asuka. Be sure to come back with more pictures later on as we'd love to see how both of you are doing. :catgirl:

Back to my favorite composer who I never get tired of listening to, [B]Rachmaninoff[/B]. Also, time for one of my favorite pieces by him, I never get tired of this particular work, it's so beautiful. So with that in mind, here's the second movement to Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata, a work for piano and cello. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3RU3MCXs70"][U][B]Cello-Piano Sonata[/B][/U][/URL] I just love listening to this... and going o_O at the thought of playing the cello part.

Time for more of the older stuff. This time I'm listening to works by [B]Carlos Seixas[/B] In this case: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niFrFEtf3jI"][U][B]Harpsichord Sonata No. 18 in C Minor[/B][/U][/URL] If you like harpsichord music at all then you'll definitely like his music. This particular piece is very lively to listen to; something I bet even Indi would like. :p

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Stuff and nonsense. I get away with [i]murder[/i] all the time. Not that I truly mind. I'd be a GOOD judge too. No swaying of opinions here! I don't think it's about deserving so much as it's about what would make more sense. Although I can think of a couple of people who could also be the killer.... .....*cough*[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]I agree with Sabrina... you are TOO obvious since everyone knows you're a murderess. It [I]would[/I] make for fun drama for you to be crying,[I] but I'm innocent! [/I] with no one believing you because they know you are a murderess. Only... [I]shock![/I] you really are innocent! Well only for Sabrina's murder that is. :D Anyway, sounds like a fun idea, because OB fanfiction needs something [I]besides[/I] drama, killing, melodramatic fights and the usual self gratification ([SIZE="1"]and no you don't need me to explain that, [I]seriously[/I][/SIZE]) that seems to be the norm. And yes that's my way of saying I'll offer myself up to be a witness or something like that, we'll see. Also Allamorph is right, Aaryanna_Mom is perfect for playing a judge. If I were you Raiha, I wouldn't want [I]her[/I] as my judge. Haha!

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]The obvious answer would be a three-way. Quick and concise finish that way.[/FONT][/QUOTE]Just as it's obvious I shouldn't ask questions like that when I'm distracted. XP At least... I'll tell myself that since I had a lot on my mind when I posted that. I'm still curious to see how it goes and having more than one item to do sounds like a good idea. It kind of reminds me of how we had multiple tasks for the final bit in Survivor.

All the after work, the grading and getting that posted is what I was worried about in terms of having time to vote... but... I took advantage of taking a break to get that done. Even if I'm no longer in it, I am curious to see who finally wins and just how you'll handle the next round with an uneven number of contestants.

[B]Raiha:[/B] Yours is a wonderful play on irony that underneath is telling the reader, I'm not kidding - get your butt over there and vote for him. It's a little dry at times but still nicely done. [B]Allamorph: [/B]Others have said it and it's really true, the variation [B]Support Raiha Queen of Death[/B] is just too hilarious. It does suffer a little like Aaryanna mentioned, but other than that it was a clever and fun take on the competition. I give my vote to [B]Allamorph[/B]. Nicely done, both of you.

[B]Kathy:[/B] Yours is fun in that it portrays a bit of you telling others that they've missed the point. Living up to your own user name and as to why we should be taking your advice. [B]Treble: [/B]As mentioned yours is fun in that it could apply to all mothers. Its nice how it highlights why moms are so wonderful in the first place. Both of these are nicely done... And since I can only choose one... I vote for [B]Kathy[/B]

[B]Indi:[/B] The variation with the homage to Bichon's is cute and fun and very fitting for Aaryanna. That last line is awkward but still, it's a lively take and I enjoyed it. [B]Aaryanna: [/B]Your variation is also nice, it's not quite as fun but the wording makes up for it, especially the last line as it wraps things up nicely. For the play on Bichons I hand the vote to [B]Indi[/B]. ([SIZE="1"]I'm still getting use that user name of yours... haha![/SIZE])