Mnemolth

That looks like it was from the last ep of Season 6 of Buffy, when Spike is trying to get rid of the restraints on his behaviour as a result of the chip (for non-Buffy people, I would explain but I think you'd be better off asking Sere :D). To answer the question, I'm 99.9999999% sure the word was 'audacity' but the creature in the cave spoke with a hiss so the 'd' was spat out like a 'p'. What does 'audacity' mean? Fearless or reckless daring. And in regard to the line you just quoted, opacity really makes no sense whatsoever. Putting it there would simply render the sentence meaningless, whatever the context of that line. *glances at Lady Asphyxia* ....I guess now we just have to wait for Sara. ;)

Damn stupid lucky trees! ;)

Oh the usual...I made the mistake of giving a damn...:)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][size=1]Everyone seems to be under the impression that love is the opposite of hate. That's not true. They're so close that sometimes you can't tell the difference. The opposite of love is apathy.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] Hmm...interesting but I would have to disagree. Love and hate are close, but that's not because they are the same thing. They are [i]part[/i] of the same thing, two sides of the same coin. The opposite of love is not apathy. That's because the opposite of apathy is life...

Hmm... not really. :) I think part of the point here is that this is a competition and a game. To 'win' is to come up with what your peers regard as the best piece of work. So how you 'meet' CWB or otherwise is determined by the 'winning' piece. The same goes with the naming of NPCs and locations. The fact that CWB and you don't know about each other's plans is part of the gamesmanship. There are meant to be seven independent pieces of work. Whoever wins Round One is THE set story, and Round two submissions must, as a matter of course, not do anything that blatantly disrupts the continuity, ie it must accept the parameters established by the Round One winner (but of course you can be creative within these limits, and once oyu start writing you'll find there is actually quite a lot of freedom). Then Round one and two winning submissions become the set piece and Round three works off that base, and so on. Its a linear story, not a multiple path one (as 'normal' RPGs are). You have to fight for your story to take form, and you have nothing to fight with but your writing ability and you capacity to develop characters and plot. Its direct competition. Does that make things any clearer? Or have I just confused things even more? :D

[b][color=red]Note to mods/admin: This is not a recruitment drive but constitutes part of the game. Also, due to the special nature of this game, I have permission from James to make multiple threads about this game. Thanks. :D[/color][/b] Welcome to Role-Playing Writing! :) [b]For the uninitiated and non-players:[/b] This is an experimental RPG that is unlike any other. Basically, every couple of weeks, some of the OtakuBoards best aspiring writers and finest RPGers will battle it out, and you can help to decide the winner. The players are such notables as :- Sara The Harlequin Crazy White Guy Juuthena Red XIII ShyGuy and Lady Asphyxia Its simple. Read their stories in the 'Role-Playing Writing' threads in this forum and vote for the story you like the most. That's all there is to it. Players get points for their writing and the more points they have the more power they are given. So follow your favourite authors and see who triumphs! :) There are rules and ranks and a whole lot more info at the [url=http://users.tpg.com.au/jackly/rpw/index.html]RPW website[/url]. Check it out! If you have any further questions or comments or suggestions about this game, just post them here. I've opened this thread specifically to answer any queries from both players and other members of Otakuboards. [b]For the players:[/b] At the beginning I suspect there will be plenty of questions relating to how the game is run and how it works, and deadlines and such. But once people get settled in I believe the posts will be more about writing styles and talks about each others' works and how to complete the assigned Objectives or how to further the plot and so on. This thread exists to talk about these general matters. So if you've got a question, or maybe you don't like how something is done, post it here. Any rants and raves are welcome (within the Otakuboards general rules of course).

[b][color=red]STOP! Please read the following before you do ANYTHING in this thread!![/color][/b] [b]So it begins...[/b] We are all about to embark upon an ambitious adventure. There are just a few very simple rules to ensure everything runs smoothly. Please abide by them. Good luck everyone! :) [i]For non-players:[/i] 1. If you are not one of the registered players, DO NOT post here. Period. If you wish to make a comment, laud praise or offer some criticism, please do so in the "For Everyone - RPW General Thread" which should also be in this forum. 2. In an ideal world, I would ask that you read each story by each player BEFORE voting in the poll. But I understand this is not an ideal world so I would strongly you read at least a few stories before making you decision and to NEVER vote for someone before you have read their story! Please extend the players, who have spent time and effort in crafting their submissions, this small courtesy. ;) 3. Vote for the person whose story you like the most. Thanks for dropping by. Everyone at RPW appreciates your support. :D [i]For the players:[/i] Now we'll see what you're made of. ;) Round 1 is now open for submissions. Please start working on them right away. [b][i]The deadline is midnight, Friday, 17th Jan, AEST time, ie GMT +10:00 hrs. This will be STRICTLY enforced.[/i][/b] As usual, the word limit is 300 to 3000. And yes, I will be counting the words (or at least my word processor will be). The Objectives for Round, if you did not check the RPW website and know already, is [url=http://users.tpg.com.au/jackly/rpw/Stories/objectives.html]here[/url]. Read it carefully. If you have questions or queries, post them in "For Everyone - RPW General Thread". It may be other players are also unsure. If you're a little shy, or if its personal, email or PM me. The [url=http://users.tpg.com.au/jackly/rpw/faq.html]FAQ[/url] has been updated with some writing tips for RPW. They are just my suggestions but they are worth a look. Please, PLEASE, ask questions. Even if its just to confirm some things. Don't write 3000 words of brilliant prose only to have it scraped cos it didn't fit with the Objectives or were outside the rules. I really hate having to send submission back to have players edit them. Chances are players will often be too disappointed to make the necessary changes or do not have enough time. In any case, that just robs us of a submission and we need every single one.

...and the losers are: Sara The Harlequin Crazy White Guy Juuthena Red XIII ShyGuy and Lady Asphyxia Yes, these poor souls have been unfortunate enough to have been chosen to be guinea pigs in this experimental RPG. ;) But seriously folks, I would like to thank all those who have made the effort to create a character and register for this game. To be honest, I'm not sure if I have made the best choices. I have tried, and hopefully that will be good enough. I reserved 2 slots for people that I did not personally invite to the game, and luckily, exactly 2 people applied. So Juuthena and Red XIII were in. Then I had to choose 5 from the remaining 10 candidates. It was not an easy task. For those who have missed out, I hope you don't mind if I file away your particulars, and should another game be launched or a vacancy open, I will let you know. In the meantime, you can still support RPW by reading the stories and voting for your favorite. :D Apologies for being a day late on the final list. All players and characters have been uploaded to the [url=http://users.tpg.com.au/jackly/rpw/index.html]RPW website[/url]. Please check out the Player and Character sections to make sure all the info is accurate. If there are any problems, let me know.

Its a misconception that free verse is easier to write than rhyming verse. In my opinion I believe its actually the other way round. 'Good' free verse is terribly hard to do. You have less of a structure to guide you, the meter is not as simple, and you can't bring it all together just by rhyming. Personally, I've seen very few decent free verse composed by high school students. Its extraordinarily rare. High school students really don't have the requisite sophistication and self discipline. Even university students find it difficult. That's why I used to grade an average free verse much higher than I would an average rhyming verse. I think its fair to say you're much more likely to find decent rhyming verse amongst high school students than you are free verse. But writing is often more than just about the exposition of English literature. Its about experimentation and expression. And in that vein I'm not one of those that cast their eyes down on teen poetry. Of course, 'bad' free verse is a dime a dozen.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by genkai [/i] [B]I always called Mnemloth as Mnel-moth. That's how I've always thought it was spelled until now. Meh. [/B][/QUOTE] Er...hmm...please tell me you did that on purpose...:D

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by MistressRoxie [/i] [B][color=#9933ff]Yeah, I saw your erm.. [i]banned[/i] status there, at otakuboard, with no S. Just joined yesterday, don't think I'll beh coming back. O.o[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Awww come on. Give them a chance! ;) Actually they're quite nice. Well dunno about now, but when I was there they were quite nice. But I wouldn't think anything's changed. :D As I said they're an older crowd, so the topics and tone tends to be different. In some respects tighter, in others more loose. They are asian mostly, with asian sensibilities, so that's either a plus or a minus depending upon your point of view. They are somewhat parochial in their outlooks. But hey, no one's perfect...except possibly me. ;) In contrast, OtakuboardS is essentially 'western'. You would think it doesn't matter, and perhaps it doesn't, but it does give the Boards slightly differing flavors. Now that's something you don't see everyday. A banned member give his previous forum a good rap. :D *cough*....but er....we're digressing dangerously off topic, so MistressRoxie if you want to continue this, it'll have to be via PMs. Else some staff member will yank my chain and...*scratches dog collar*...its...*cough*... rather tight as it is. :) Speaking of Boards, has anyone here tried [b]Animeboards[/b]? Now that's pretty big. I'm surprised no one brought it up cos its also run by an aussie (damn convicts are are everywhere! :D). Its about 3 times as large as this place, and if you wanna join, I'd say good luck! Cos their registration is often closed. Seems they are really popular and can't handle the demand. And this is despite the fact they only accept people with 'real' email addresses, ie no free web accounts. They actually 'manually' check each email account (just to catch the new freebie services, software filter already takes care of hotmail, yahoo and the like) Which, I would think, rules out many people in here. :) To me the layout is pretty chaotic, and even ugly. But some of the discussions are quite good. I haven't checked out many of the anime forums but the debate and discussion forums seem to populated with people, again, generally over 18. The policy there is much more loose. Free speech is fairly highly regarded, or maybe the staff are just lazy! In any case, I wouldn't suggest it if you have a faint-hearted. ;) Also I'm not sure whether anyone brought up [b]AnimeNation[/b]. It has some intelligent folk. Again its about 3 times as big as this Board, there are many adults and its quite loose as far as 'free-speech' goes, so I would not venture into either AnimeBoards or AnimeNation if I wanted some attention or cozy friendly place to hang. But both places are interesting to visit, if you wanted to see some debate/discussion about scientific or political issues, since many of the people do seem to be somewhat more informed than here. Again I think that's merely a function of age and experience. I know many of you disagree with me here, but if you're in your 40s, been married twice, divorced once, and have a couple of kids of your own, being through university, perhaps even a postgraduate qualification, and have been working for a decade or so, what you know about the world simply cannot be compared to a 16 yr old child, no matter how smart they may be. And before any of you accuse me of bagging OtakuBoards, I'm not. :) Its got its strengths. Its orderly, and usually, pretty friendly. And if you're a teenager interested in anime, you have better things to do than talk about politics anyway! ;)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Rain [/i] [B][color=blue][b]Mnemolth -[/b] I have no idea how this is pronounced, I usually pronounce it without the M...[i]please[/i] tell us how to say it properly, Mnemolth. It's driving me crazy :p [/color] [/B][/QUOTE] You've got it right. :) Its pronounced nem-moth. The M is silent. I'm still waiting for someone to figure out where my name is from... :D

Made before half of the people on this Board was merely a twinkle in someone's eyes, this is a modern classic teen movie. A disparate group of five students spend a Saturday in detention at their school. Doesn't sound very exciting or sexy does it? But it is. Featuring 80s icons like Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, and Anthony Michael Hall, the film kicks major butt. Like all John Hughes flicks, it has something intelligent to say about adolescence. It is uncompromisingly sympathetic to kids and sufficiently insightful that it is not overwhelmed by sentamentality. It is somewhat dated now, and there is a sense of nostalgia about the movie, but the problems of adolescence do not go away, nor do they change very much from generation to generation. In a sense then films like these are timeless. Go rent it at a video store near you. See it with your parents. Maybe it'll remind them about who they used to be, or about who you are.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Defcon5 [/i] [B]And the reason for them having sex is to concieve a child. Other wise they are not supposed to have sex. Since homosexual acts could never create a child they are considered a sin. [/B][/QUOTE] Somehow I thought you might say something like that. :D Don't you see that when you set up a system that is prejudicial against a group of human beings, YOU are prejudiced against that group of human beings? *glances at ShyGuy* Now I've got a headache...

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][size=1]There was ths little kid in front of my sister and me at cgurch during the PXmas service. Cutest little guy, he kept smiling at us, and you know, it was impossible not to smile back.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] You should kidnap him an keep him in your room. Or something.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Defcon5 [/i] [B]What about all the single lay people in the church? There are many of those, they too are called to remain celibate. Wouldn't you also think that if God called them to remain celibate, knowing how hard it is to do that, that he thinks highly of them? That he thinks that they are capable of it? JAMES That's exactly what i've been triyng to say. God does NOT hate homosexuals. He actually holds them in high regard. [/B][/QUOTE] Okay, just stop and think for a moment. :D The Church does not support homosexuals or their 'lifestyle'. What the Church (and by Church I'm speaking primarily of the Catholic or various strict Protestant faiths and their derivatives) is trying to do is 'save' the homosexuals. There's a little bit of hair splitting going on. The Church respects gays as people but the Church neither respects nor supports homosexual 'acts', under ANY circumstances. This is the key. Until they do so, any 'acceptance' by the Church of homosexuals rings hollow. Now I think somewhere you mentioned that the Church also requires single people to remain celibate. This is true. Premarital sex is frowned upon. But sex between a husband and wife is accepted, and really, if you think about it, it could be no other way. Else the believers will eventually all die out. But sex between people of the same sex is never accepted. It doesn't matter if they love one another, and are prepared to commit to each other for life (as in the institution of marriage). There's a big, humungous, grand canyon size difference here. I hope everyone can see it. Any acts of a sexual nature by gays are considered 'sin'. Period. And are not accepted in any shape or form. Sexual acts of heterosexual couples, on the other hand, are accepted, as long as they fall within the holy bond of matrimony, ie the couple are married. I hope that clears things up a litte. :D Now for a few more controversial matters... ;) The Crusades...atrocities were commited by both sides and there was more than one Crusade. In one instance, the crusaders butchered an entire town, men, women and children, and one of the reasons they did so was because they considered the people heathens and so sub-human. The Muslims were also not above barbarity. But what everyone has to remember is that it was a different time, with different rules and codes of conduct. So I would be hesitant to judge any side. And since I'm dealing with controversial issues anyway, let me deal with one of the biggest, the never ending evolution/creationism debate. For those in the US, there was a documentary made by PBS called 'The Monkey Trial'. Have a look at that if you can, its pretty fascinating stuff. For those in Australia there is, I think, currently a whole series on evolution on what you call the SBS. Its pretty dull though, but there's a lot of info there. The first thing to say about evolution is that its not a fact. People will say that endlessly but it doesn't make it any more true. Evolution is a THEORY. It may be a very compelling theory, but it remains a theory nonetheless. Its not a fact and its not a Law. Its isn't like gravity. That's why, surprise surprise, its referred to as the THEORY of evolution and not the LAW of evolution. The second thing to say about evolution is that, contrary to popular belief, evolution is not about the 'survival of the fittest' in the sense that 'fittest' means 'strongest' or 'best'. Evolution or the theory of natural selection is based upon the idea of randomness. RANDOM genetic anomalies give rise to advantages to certain groups of a species because their anomalous traits better 'fit' the environment in which they live. Its not a linear progression with human beings at its apex. If that's what you're thinking you have the concept of evolution completely wrong. The third thing to say about evolution is that it is generally accepted, by both evolutionists and creationists, that MICRO-evolution happens. So its not disputed that if mutations occur, and those genetic anomalies are advantages to a creature in the environment that it lives then those genetic anomalies will be passed onto to more of that kind, eg longer legs, stronger arms, better eye sight, etc. Where there's disagreement is about MACRO-evolution, that is that ENTIRELY NEW species can be 'created' this way. Creationists contend that evolution may tinker WITHIN a species but it does not breed a wholly NEW species. You also have to be careful when talking about the evolution debate. This is because it often requires some understanding of the finer points of biology. And I'm certainly not a biologist, and I doubt many of you are either. :D With regard to Ian Plimer. He is a notable geologist but he is no biologist. And he is not exactly a 'neutral' or 'objective' source of information on the topic. The very title of his book, Telling Lies for God, should be enough to warn people where he stands on the issues. I suggest if you should read his book you should also read the works of his critics, such as the Creation Science Foundation (CSF) amongst others. When speaking of evolution or the Big Bang its always good to remain calm and have a clear and precise understanding of what you speak. I, for one, do not know much, so when I debate this issue it is with what I know. I don't exaggerate what I know because I'm getting frustrated. That is a mistake. Evolution is a THEORY. The Big Bang is a THEORY. None of us were there. None of us can categorically say that that is what happened. Just like none of us can say with absolute certainty the Sun will rise tomorrow. I find it curious how people can ridicule Creationists by suggesting evolution is an incontrovertible 'fact'. It isn't. Nor is it an incontrovertible 'fact' that the earth is 4 billion years old. The latter statement probably has stronger evidence to back it up, but its still not 'fact'. Why? Because if you go through the looking glass and see it from the other point of view, you would understand God is all-powerful. If He can set the laws of nature into motion, what's to say He can't break them? That is the believers' trump card. You can't beat it. If you start sprouting about all the evidence that points to an Earth billions rather than thousands of years old, believers can always come back at you with, well God is God, he can do anything. What come back have you got to that? Nothing. Religion is about faith, its about believing. And if we are a truly tolerant society we should respect other peoples' beliefs, regardless of what we think of those beliefs. So I think its wrong to go around bashing people who believe in the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. Does that mean I support Creationism? Not really. If you are Christian, you don't need to believe in Creationism. Most mainstream Christians do not. But even if you do, I don't really have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is when people claim that Creationism is 'science'. It is not. Science is based on certain precepts, and these do not include faith. The believers' trump card of faith has no value in science. I don't know when the Earth was created. I wasn't there. It could have been thousands of years ago or billions. Now 'science' points to billions of years, but that doesn't make it 'the truth'. Its just the conclusion that is arrived at if one follows the precepts of the scientific method. I don't have a problem with Creationism per se. Its fine when its taught in Sunday school, or discussed in Bible Studies. Its a matter of faith and religion, and frankly, who am I to question what you believe in? But if you want to take Creationism into a science classroom, then that's not something I, or many others, can tolerate. For the simple fact its not science and it does not belong there. Just like science teachers or students shouldn't go around condemning religions and ridiculing them, and telling kids how science has 'proven' that their religion is 'false'. I believe its wrong for science to meddle in the affairs of religion (something many scientists have been quilty of). Equally I believe its wrong for religion to intrude into the affairs of science. The two are separate and should not be competing against each other. To the scientists I would say this, science is NOT a religion, so don't act like its one. To the Creationists I would say this, Creationism is NOT science, so don't pretend it is.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][size=1]If you'd prefer, we can continue to think of you that way. :toothy:[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] I'm sure many of you already do... :D

Okay, who else here has problems reading cloricus's posts? Sure your new funky color scheme makes your post stand out, but gee it also makes it impossible to read, at least to me anyway. Hmm...or maybe that was the whole point? ;) And I don't know what the other people are complaining about. I'd love to be a newbie again. So people think I'm stupid, ignorant or arrogant... and what's wrong with that? :D

Your real name wouldn't be Smeagol by any chance would it? ;)

Well you people might blame TV, but actually video games and the PC are eating much more into children's leisure time. And the idea that reading is a declining past time is problematic. Why? Because more people now read than ever before in the history of the world. Don't forget you need to read to surf the net. And things like fanfiction is very popular amongst your age group. And if you say these things don't 'count'? Then I would ask who are you to decide what constitutes reading and what does not? :D Personally I don't think the problem is with reading. The problem is with time. People don't seem to have time, regardless of how little or how much they do. We're all very busy running in circles. ;) People never idle anymore. And that is a shame. Because it is often in moments of idling that we free the wings of imagination and let loose the power of creativity. But we don't idle. We don't concentrate. And books, rich rewarding books need both.

To answer Crazy White Boy's question, yes, you can name locations and people, [b]as long as its not part of the 'story'[/b]. So, you can name the kingdoms and so on, but you can't name the 'town' or the 'mayor' or the 'bartender', because that is part of the 'story', and so it is the 'winning' submission that determines these things, and if the winning work does not have such names in it then the winning one for the Round after that, and so on. I hope I haven't confused everyone. :D If anyone has any questions, as always, PM or email me, or post it here if you think it will also help others. :)

This messageboard is actually quite good at what it tries to achieve. James does well. But its not for everyone. I think each Board has its own style and culture. This Board doesn't fit very comfortably with me, but there are things and people here I find ... interesting .... And someone mentioned OtakuBoard.com? Heheheh. Its more new than this Board. I believe its about a yr and a half old, or thereabouts. Its also run differently. By admins who are family members. And the staff and regulars are generally over 18, so the attitude is different. I bring OtakuBoard.com up only because it has the honor of being the only forum to have ever banned me. ;) What's so notable about that you might say. Well, nothing, except that I've been online for a good part of a decade, and I've visited forums from the ancient dial-up BBS to the modern MessageBoard and I have never ever been banned before. So the first is always memorable. :D But I guess its a good thing. After all, if I hadn't been kicked out I would have never found this place... and then you commoners would not have been blessed with my glorious presence. :D :D :D

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wrist cutter [/i] [B]They're embarrassed being seen with you obviously :P [/B][/QUOTE] Heheheh. Always sharp. The razor's edge. Although I think you're cutting the wrong person's wrist in this case. ;) It was actually a rhetorical question, but since you've brought it up, I'd like to hear what others think. :) There are actually a couple of other reasons I can think of. One is quite similar to what Wrist Cutter said but not the same. Another is quite profound.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BabyGirl [/i] [B][color=deeppink]The funny thing about that statement is that there is also the other extreme. There are teens who dress "abnormally" so that they can go against the social grain. Granted, many people who wear clothes that are considered "not of the current popular fashion" do so because it's just their style, but I find it somewhat silly to do it just to mock popular fashion. I admittingly follow fashion trends and have no qualms about it. I've always loved popular styles so I have no problem wearing them. I do steer clear of Abercrombie and American Eagle because I don't exactly want to be wearing the same thing as 10 other people [at least in high school it was that way], I'd rather make my own statements with current fashion spiced up with Jenna flair. How many of you can honestly admit that you've never felt the need to follow fashion trends? ::realizes that people won't answer that honestly anyway:: Ah well :whoops:[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] :wave: I can honestly say that. Tho I've had girlfriends trying to dress me up by buying me stuff. What is with that anyway? Why is it girls have this irresistable need to makeover a guy?? :p

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Defcon5 [/i] [B]I don't see why it would be so hard to be gay and be a christian. A lot of people tend to get the wrong impression about the church and homosexuals. The church finds nothing wrong with them. In fact it says in the caticisum of the Catholic church that homosexuals were born that way and God calls them to be celebent (sp?) and that they should in no way be discrimanated against. [/B][/QUOTE] Celebent? If you mean celibate, well, that doesn't really work does it? ;) I mean it'd be like saying the Church accepts straight men, provided they were neutered. I'm not sure how many hetereosexual men would tolerate that kind of 'acceptance'... :D