Nubisbully

The Battle of the Obelisk had achievements and some random challenges .. that can be a good idea for the Altador Cup !

I couldn't agree more. I really want to support my team and play a lot of games because I love Maraqua, but knowing that there's not a chance we'll win unless we're backed by an ASG group is really demotivating. It's not that I don't like to play if we won't win, but just knowing that what I'm doing doesn't really count for anything and the prizes are so difficult to acquire makes the cup even harder to have the will to participate in. It's a really good idea to change the games every year - or at least have several that are switched around from year to year to spice things up a little.
 
I also think that it shouldn't be a month long - young kids play this site and it's stopping them from going outside and enjoying their summers and getting sunshine! Two weeks, max.

1. Firstly, the number of all-star groups / cheat groups that band together and join one particular team is making the AC beyond ridiculous. The AC is now exclusively a competition between these groups and while playing to compete has its own joys, playing while knowing you have no chance of winning is frustrating to say the least. I mean, Faerieland is actually topping the chart right now for heaven's sake. With all due respect to fellow TDN members and guests who are genuine supporters of this team, we all know that the team is getting some type of external help. Why bother if it's going to be rigged anyway?
 
2. The games are repetitious and boring. From year to year the format hardly changes - the brackets system made things worse instead of better, as I know that most of you agree. There should be new games every year, some type of achievement unlocking scheme, and generally something to look forward to every year. The same 4 games a bajillion times a day are hardly a motivation to anyone I know. If anything, people play DESPITE how boring this whole thing is.
 
3. The prizes are insanely out of reach. I am not an All-Star player myself (mainly because of the reason above). But if I were, what would be the point if All Star doesn't even get me the highest prize possible? The fact that Double All-Star exists as a concept is understandable - yes some people will want to play their fingers to the bone - but I hardly think this should be a requirement to get the best prize once a player has supposedly maxed out. Does TDN really expect players to spend 8+ hours a day playing the same 4 games? The prize to effort ratio is highly out of balance and in this day and age, kids are NOT willing to do so much for so little.

Is there anything you guys are frustrated with? Please add!

Voted for ya as well, I'll try to remember in a few hours to do it again.

When I first looked at that Maraquan, I thought it was a Plushie! Still cute, tho.
Those clothes made me think of only one thing: LIZZIE BORDEN!

The reason I am so adamant about attempting to be gender-neutral is that I was never interested in dolls, pink, or any other "girl" things as a child (and I'm still not). Dinosaurs were always my favorite, and Legos! I was always SO jealous of the neighbor boy's Tonka trucks, too. Dump trucks are so much fun! But whenever gift-giving occasions rolled around, I always seemed to receive mostly dolls, dress-up clothes, princess wands, and other things that ended up in my little sister's room. I did have an aunt who always gave me books, though. <3 When somebody would see fit to give me a jigsaw puzzle, book, game, even a stuffed animal, it was SO EXCITING!! XD
 
Since this will be the spawn of my husband and I, regardless of gender, the child will be a geek. :glasses: I believe all children should be free to explore their own interests and discover their own path in life.
 
I am pretty sure my husband will keep the gender secret from me, but he'll keep teasing me about it! :P
 
I understand that the baby will grow quickly, and that any clothes that fit them at birth won't a few short weeks later. I also understand that a couple dresses or little suits won't cause my child to feel locked into a predetermined gender role. But I have seen people dress their girls in nothing but pink at all ever, and I admit, it bothers me. I got to wear red overalls and blue shirts and green shorts and yellow PJs and purple swimsuits. There is an entire rainbow, it's such a shame to limit the portion of it that gets worn! Cute outfits I have no problem with, it's more the monochromatic wardrobes I see.
 
Okay, that wound up being more of a rant post than I intended, sorry! :*

I have an almost eleven month old and voted "yes" on the finding out but it was pretty much a given. I didn't want any ultrasounds but was deemed a "high risk" pregnancy so I found out at 5 months. We had already been talking about boy names, had already gotten boy clothes and I generally knew it was a boy (instinct and the high prevalence of males on my partners side.)
 
We've been talking about our next one and because we went the natural route with our first a little late, and we're more aware of the happening of having a baby, I think we'll have it be a surprise. I tend to like gender neutral items more and I'm hoping for a girl and also like the surprise/suspense.
 
After that ramble, I think, since it's your first, you should not find out. It's more fun, less worry and you won't be expecting one way or another hopefully. I worry with our second, that I will be a tad disappointed if it's another boy (he has a brother and a sister but his brother has two boys.)
 
I also like the surprise gender cake idea but I would be wicked and have it green on the inside (as to tell that you don't even know the gender!)
 
I think your family will go crazy either way! My family and friends did and I have quite a few very "girly" items from early on that I will hold onto for the future. My son is in a tye-dyed pink/green/blue/purple cloth diaper right now and has worn a pink monkey outfit, so I guess it doesn't matter all that much!
 
Sorry for the length but I just reread the previous and YES if it's a boy or even a girl probably, opt out of newborn clothing. Super cute but lasted less than a month on our little guy (he was also 22in and 10lbs at birth however)

Does smelling of baked goods count as a signature scent? I've had puppies and small children chase after me because I always smell like cookies. That's the best I can give you :P
 
My dad did give me Be Delicious - Fresh Blossom by DKNY. I do smell delicious whenever I have it on! Which isn't often - baked goods is my signature smell, haha.

I always like to think that all four of my pets root for different teams. My shoyru is the LD fan since he's pained desert, my korbat is painted fire and she's a HUGE Zo Junior fan so she roots for HW, my eyrie is painted tyrannian and roots for them now (though she used to root for Roo Island before she was painted), and my "kacheek" who started life as a scorchio likes to cheer for all kinds of teams, mostly DC or KD. So, even when I play for LD my other pets cheer for the other teams just fine. :D

I think the idea of a Desert Koi is hilarious.

Maaaan I'm a sucker for NC events :( I need that wig in my life! If the prizes continue to be awesome, I might just cave D: *flails*

Yay! I have 3 of my pets ready for the AC. One is supporting my team (Maraqua), one is earning her keep working at the Slushie Slinger Cafe, and the other is just generally into the AC spirit:
 

AWW GAWD! Why must you do this to me, TNT?! :crying_blow: My poor wallet is crying!

The Senshi were my heroes growing up, and now, they are BACK.
 
My inner fangirl is so excited! Yay!
 
Digitally remastered, uncut, and with better audio than before... Hulu is streaming the Japanese version of Sailor Moon right now! The English dubs will be out in the fall, but for now, we can see the magic all over again and watch Queen Beryl and the Negaverse get stomped!
 
The entire series is being redone (all 200 episodes in the 5 arcs) and it will be seen as it was meant to be seen (in Japanese of course) and the icing on this Senshi cake is a brand new Sailor Moon anime called Sailor Moon Crystal.
 
This really makes me happy. It gives the new generation the chance to fall in love with the Senshi, and even the enemies (I'm looking at you Prince Diamond and Sapphire) and appreciate what us older folks grew up with and loved.
 
I'm also really glad to see so many people, young and old super excited that this is finally happening!

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Which past player was a female? I started playing the AC just 2 or 3 years ago, so I don't know much about our team's past players.
And it's actually not a matter of "sorry, ladies", but a matter of more equality on AC teams. There are way too few female players :P
 
By the way, I feel stupid now. I always thought Krell Vitor was a Halloween Lupe. Just found out he's a Kyrii *facepalm*

And me without much NC left. I didn't even think about it and went a bit crazy with all the spring NC items and new wonderclaw machine :(

My parents grew up in New York City; my dad in a mostly Irish neighborhood with his French-Canadian father (who grew up speaking French) and Irish-born mother, my mother in a mostly Jewish neighborhood with her Polish-American mother (who was also raised in New York, but in a Polish neighborhood by monolingual Polish-speaking parents) and German-American father. And I was raised in Virginia (mostly in areas with a lot of military families, since my dad worked for the Navy), then moved to North Carolina and Georgia. So I've got quite an eclectic mix of cultures!
 
Some interesting things, in random order:
My mom is superstitious about putting shoes on a table -- even if the shoes are inside a bag, or brand new, inside their box. She says this is a Polish superstition. People put different things on their hot dogs. My dad will only put black pepper on his; my mom thinks mustard is acceptable (and sometimes sauerkraut). In Virginia, people often put catsup, sometimes mustard, and sometimes pickle relish. In North Carolina, they put chili, cole slaw, mustard, and onions on their hot dogs. Barbecue also varies considerably based on where you go. To my New York relatives, a "barbecue" is what we would call a "cookout" in the South (hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. on a grill). In Virginia, we usually ate East Caroline style barbecue, which is pulled pork with a vinegar-based sauce (not too sweet), and served on a bun with hot sauce and cole slaw on the sandwich (not on the side). Putting the slaw on the sandwich gets me funny looks in Georgia. My dad would tell us ghost stories about the Loup-Garou, which bears some similarities to the werewolf. My dad cooks the best breakfasts: scrambled eggs, fried eggs (though not my thing), omelets, and French toast. Our family's French toast recipe is very different than any other I've had, so I never ever order it out (it's milk, eggs, and lots of sugar mixed together; soak the bread really well in it, and fry it in a pan on low heat in a ton of butter until both sides are golden; then serve with more butter -- don't add cinnamon or syrup). In New York, you don't put ranch dressing (or garlic-butter) on your pizza, and you eat it with your hands (you can fold it in half longways). My parents being from New York has made me a bit of a food snob regarding pizza, bagels, and various ethnic foods. In the South, most people seem to prefer fluffy, bread-like bagels, but there's a Jewish deli near me whose owners moved here from NY City, and that's where I get my bagels (except I usually get a knish, because those are impossible to get anywhere else). They also make amazing rugelach. Some of my other favorite foods from childhood include pierogi, halvah, and latkes. My mom used a Polish word for "rear end" when we were little. Apparently in modern-day Polish it is now considered a mildly offensive word, but I've met several other Polish-Americans whose family used that word, so I suspect its meaning was less offensive when our forefathers immigrated. When I moved to North Carolina, I was always getting caught at doors and elevators. In Virginia, whoever gets there first goes through. In NC, if a man gets there slightly ahead of a woman, he'll stop and let her through first (even if he's carrying something and she's not) -- and by stop, I mean literally, all he does is stop walking and wait, usually with just enough room for her to squeeze in front of him. It took me several years, but I eventually adapted to that, and now I look rude when I go up north and "push" my way through the door before a man who doesn't stop (sometimes they will, but they usually stop further back and accompany it with a gesture, an "After you," and/or a smile). Where I live in Georgia, most men follow the Southern custom, but it's not quite as ingrained since I'm in a metro area with people from all over the world. Men in the South tend to get really confused when I try to be nice by letting them through first when I open a door; some will completely refuse to go through before me. My Irish dance class has "hoolies" or "sessions" a few times a year, with music, dancing, singing, story-telling, food, and drink -- mighty craic. The merriment unfolds organically, as the mood strikes. It's so cool to see a musician pick up a new tune right as they're playing it, and anyone interested is encouraged to try, whatever their age or skill level (be it in dancing, singing, or playing).

Corvo is a beautiful name! Very unusual, which I love :wub_anim:
 
I'm glad you like my names ^^ Leif and Rune are actually my top favourites :P Rhett and Rip are awweeesome and Gaige is also very lovely, I've never heard of that as a name before. Have more babies immediately!! Haha

Wow. I feel kinda bad that I actually have a baby but never really thought about baby names until I was about 5 months pregnant. I'm not expecting to have another one for another couple years but I'd like to find something that matches my first. His name is Corvo meaning "raven."
 
 
I'm a big fan of many of your names Saxen. I debated "Leif" and "Rune" myself but they didn't fit properly. Also like "Rhett" and "Rip".
 
I'm rooting for a girl so I can call her "Gaige" possibly.

Oh gosh... I have a list as long as my arm xD I hope to have three children. In a perfect world I'd have a boy and two girls. The boy would be named Leif (or possibly Roscoe), but I can never properly settle on the two girls names. I like Lillith & Lyra, but I have a whole bunch of names somewhere in my room that for the life of me I can't remember any more of at the moment as it's 3.30 in the morning xD
 
.... I'll be back *fades menacingly into the darkness*
 
EDIT: And Root & Rune1!!! How did I forget about those D: (for girls)
Although.... Leif and Root O.o haha

I need all three, but I'm going with Order because they were my original faction (before my account was frozen).
 
And this time, I'm setting a timer so I know when to battle!

Because I have ABSOLUTELY no life, here are the rest of the wigs if anyone wanted a preview in advance.
 
(in Alphabetical order - NOT including the released wigs listed above)
 

 
Blarg so many beautiful bows on them. Altador, Faerieland, Kreludor, Maraqua, Roo Island, Shenkuu, Terror Mountain! SO pretty.

DAT WRAITH
 
Okay, remember when I said I probably wouldn't participate in this year's AC? FORGET IT. HAUNTED WOODS FOR THE CUP!!!! :dance: :happydance:
 
Wan Dirx was ok but I never cared for Techos. Also it annoyed me that his legs didn't move while playing, it always felt like he was ice-skating, lol :D

I would be one of those individuals who ruined it for everyone by eating a whole tube out of it when I was bored and hungry one day. XD