Congrats to the Gods!

This year a few members reached the pinnacle of the RAF Ranks: God.

Congratulations to the following members who crossed the 5000 post mark in 2009:

1. Gaz
2. estrid
3. Estelore
5. Russell
6. Goom
7. Phoenix
8. Faerie Larka
9. TobSie
10. Liz
11. Anna
12. DinosaurNothlit

Thanks to all our doners in 2009

2009 saw the most amount of donations made by members (and non-members) of Richard's Animorphs Forum. In fact 42 donations were made, ranging from $1 to $75 in a single donation. Of course a few chose to donate more than once, and we surely must applaud those who thought it beneficial to. .

The top 10 donors of 2009 are as follows:

1. Jess
2. Adam
3. Russell
4. Wildweathel
5. Ash
6. Nine out of ten vissers
7. AniDragon
8. Spartan 281
9. Marie
10. Myitt

So here's to the donators of 2009, I hope you continue to support RAF, nit only through monetary donations, but through activity on the forum.

*some donors did not want their donation(s) published

Happy NEW YEAR!

Happy new year to all our Animorphs fans, and RAFians alike. How will you ring in the new year? How did it go?

Post here!

DYK 39: Did You Know?

That it took Richard 6 years and two months to post his picture? 


Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to Truth for his donation!

Hirac Delest founder, Issam/ Truth has donated for a second time. Thanks Truth!

To donate, visit RAF Donate.

Animorphs Audiobook - Megamorphs 1 - Chapter 1

If you missed the announcement, you would not know that Jess & Mr.Guy have been working on the RAF Animorphs Audiobook Project recently. More specifically Megamorphs 01.

Here is the first installment of Megamorphs... in audiobook (mp3) format.

Download here.

Audiobook Announcement

Click here to listen to an announcement regarding the audiobooks

DYK 38: Did You Know?

That as of December 2009 over 11,000 personal messages have been sent on RAF Forum?


Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Will Animorphs re-released? Yes!

Although it has already been speculated by Hirac Delest, popular Animorphs archive website; there seems to have been a confirmation on the issue of Animorphs being re-released.



Animorphs co-author, Michael Grant has tweeted saying that Animorphs will be re-released "in about a year".

UPDATE: Here's an update from Michael Grant. He says that the re-release of Animorphs will be edited with "elaborate new covers".




Happy? Sad? Discuss on Richard's Animorphs Forum

DYK 37: Did You Know?

That the first RAF Party was held on November 15, 2008?


Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

1700 Members - again

Looks like there is no shortage of Animorphs fans. Why? Because Richard's Animorphs Forum has once again crossed the 1700 member mark.

Thanks to Marie/kitsunemarie for her donation!

Newcomer to the wonderful world of RAF, Marie or kitsunemarie, has joined the list of donators. In fact, she moves right on up to the Gold Member position after just 8 days registered on Richard's Animorphs Forum.

Again, I (and of course on behalf of everyone who cannot donate) wish to thank you for your contribution.

Thanks to Shanker for his donation!

Well, I just woke up to see an email from our partner PayPal, telling me RAF received a donation from one of our members. Coming up on his second RAF birthday, Shanker has decided to do what many have been doing since I set up the account: donate.

If you didn't know already, donating to RAF helps paying the bills.

Anyway, back to Shanker: yes he donated, and now his pennies are in the RAF Fund jar* along with the others. Did you know that donating isn't only cool, but you get stuff for doing so? Indeed, for his contribution, Shanker received +10 Karma, and some brand new stars below his name, along with the fancy title of Donator. In addition, he now gets to show off that he has access to the D-Lounge.

So if you haven't donated before, or just want to show your love for our great Animorphs community, head on over to RAF Donate: and make sure you have a PayPal account.

Thanks Shanker!


*Not a literal jar... there's just a page on PayPal that tells me how much is the in account: that's all :(.

Thanks to Myitt for her 2nd donation!

Generation 3 member Myitt has yet again donated. Since she has already donated, and enjoys the perks donors receive, but she also receives +10 karma for her contribution.

Thanks again Myitt!

DYK 36: Did You Know?

That the posts on RAF exceeded 100 megabytes on July 18, 2009?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAF Awards 2009 - RESULTS!!!

The winners of the 2009 RAF Awards have now been posted in the first post of the linked thread. Congrats again to all the winners and nominees! :)

RAF Awards 2009 - Announcement

The polls will all be locked at 12am GMT tomorrow night (it's currently just gone 7pm GMT at time of posting) so you all have just under 29 hours to do any last minute voting. The results of the polls will be posted in this thread shortly afterwards.

Thanks to Spartan 281 for his donation!

There is a new Gold Member on RAF. Spartan 281 also known as Parker has donated to RAF. Not only has he given the well needed funds, but he received in return +50 karma, access to the D-Lounge and all the other advantages Gold Members have.

Thank you Parker. From all those who use RAF, and her services.

DYK 35: Did You Know?

That when you report a post all members of staff get an email immediately notifying them?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Want to Know What the D-Lounge is?

Easy, go to RAF Donate, and donate $5 or more. Not only will you access this ultra-exclusive lounge, but you will also help RAF out.

This Saturday is the Meet & Greet!

Just wanted to send a reminder that the next Meet & Greet is scheduled for this Saturday.

DATE: Saturday the 28th (November)
START TIME: 6:30 pm EST/ 5:30 Central
END TIME: Around 10:30 pm EST/ 9:30 Central. Though it can go longer.
PURPOSE: Encourage new members to come into chat to meet with each other and current members.
WHO'S INVITED: Everyone!!
WHERE: RAFchat

DYK 34: Did You Know?

That new RAF overtook RAF Classic in terms of posts after one year and a month (back in July 2009)?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

9 Million Hits on RAF Forum

Today RAF Forum passed the 9,000,000 hit mark.

To see more stats, visit the RAF Forum Statistics Page.

Huray!

DYK 33: Did You Know?

That when you send Richard a personal message he gets the message immediately anywhere he is in the world?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to Genies9 for her donation!

It has been a while since I thanked someone for donating to RAF. Well, thanks to Genies9, I have someone to thank :)

She will now have access to all the perks Donators have, which include an additional +10 karma and access to the D-Lounge.

Thanks again Steph!

DYK 32: Did You Know?

That you can collapse the categories on RAF Forum so that they are hidden by clicking on the minus sign ()?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

DYK 31: Did You Know?

That you can view full statistics of RAF by typing in: http://blog.animorphsforum.com/stats/Month%year.pdf?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

...You're Crazier in Person

I just got back from hanging out with Jess (Kit Cloudkicker), Tara (Myitt) and Dave (Pez) in Boston. It seems like RAFians meeting in person has been going on a lot more lately. Jess, Tara, Dave, Estrid and Liz met up in California, then Jess, Tara, Dave and I met up in Hampton Beach, and now Claire’s world trip is causing RAFians from around the world to finally meet. Personally, I think it’s fantastic.

Meeting in person really brings us together as a community. I consider many of you on the forum to be close friends and I’d love the chance to hang out with all of you. Hopefully some day I’ll get to do a world trip of my own. I guess the message of this post is not to be afraid to get out there.

That being said, be careful guys. I’ve been talking a lot about community and close friends and family…hmm I don’t think I mentioned family. But…I have in the past, so yea…RAF is like a family. BUT it is still a group of random internet people. Treat them as such. Don’t put personal information on the site. If you want to share information do so only with the members you really know and trust. And be sure that you really know and trust them. The three members I have met I knew for almost a year before I’d even admit my name wasn’t Duff McCain (hmm, Duff McCain, got a nice ring to it)

If you do feel you have built up the trust and comfort to actually meet a few RAFians then do so very carefully. Don’t meet anyone one on one, invite a few of your friends or a few different RAFians. Meet in a public place and keep the general plan for the day/night to mostly public things. Don’t just head up to a hotel room (haha oops). Tell a few people where you are going and who you’ll be with. If your parents know about RAF then tell them about the meeting. Don't do anything you aren't comfortable with or meet anyone you aren't comfortable with.

And to the younger RAFians…maybe just not do any meetings for a few years. Its just not responsible. You wait a little while and get to know your RAF friends a little better and when you are old enough to do a proper meeting you’ll have a lot more fun.

So…lets organize some RAFcons! Responsibly, safely, and obviously full of insanity. And don't forget to take pictures, especially when someone is doing something stupid.

The 2009 RAF Awards Has Started!

See who is nominated, and vote!

Promote RAF

I am finally bringing over our old initiative from RAF Classic where I ask everyone to show your support for RAF and place an image in your signatures on other communities.

Here is the code in BBC code:

[url=http://animorphsforum.com][img]http://animorphsforum.com/images/pbanner.gif[/img][/url]

The image that will be displyed is:

DYK 30: Did You Know?

That whenever you create a thread on RAF you get applauded (+1 Karma)?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAF Chat Issues

For the past few days many were not able to access the RAF Chat. This was caused by subdomain issues which did not redirect users to the right host.

This caused the RAF Chat to point to the old host which does not have the updated member database. Because of this all users who tried to log in that registered or changed their password after September 2009 received an error.

This has been resolved and now our proper database is being used to feed the Chat. In other words things should be fine now.

In addition to this fix, I have decided to make the registration process more simple. So if you haven't registered for the RAF Chat has of yet, feel free to do so now.

Happy RAF Chatting.

DYK 29: Did You Know?

That between January and May 2009 RAF Downloads (primarily our Animorphs ebooks and television show) has used over a terabyte of data?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAFchat Meet & Greet Tonight!

DATE: Saturday the 17th (October) - TONIGHT!!!
START TIME: 6:30 pm EST/ 5:30 Central
END TIME: Around 10:30 pm EST/ 9:30 Central. Though it can go longer.
PURPOSE: Encourage new members to come into chat to meet with each other and current members.
WHO'S INVITED: Everyone!!
WHERE: RAFchat

DYK 28: Did You Know?

That the name Richard's Animorphs was chosen for the website after Richard visited Jake's Animorphs Site?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

1500 Members - again

RAF Forum has today reached 1500 members... again. The last milestone reached came on May 20 of this year when we reached 1000 members.

It therefore took us a whopping 5 months to attract 500 members.

The last time RAF reached 1500 members was on February 24, 2008 on RAF Classic (old RAF).

If I haven't personally welcomed our last 500 members-here's to you. Welcome to the Ultimate Animorphs Forum: remember to leave your sanity at the door.

Thanks to Nine Out of Ten Vissers for his donation!

Greatfully, our member Nine out of Ten Vissers has donated. This donation will go a far way as this is domain renewal time.

He will now enjoy the benefits of GOLD Members; which of course includes the very popular D-Lounge.

Thanks again NOOTV!

DYK 27: Did You Know?

That "The Invasion", the first book from the Animorphs Series has sold over 2 million copies?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to Duff for his donation!

Longtime member Duff has given us our first donation in over a month. This is to thank him for his contribution.

He will now enjoy the benifits given to donators.

New SMF Mod - notify mod

Here are a few of the perks this new notification mod that we added will provide for the forum:

Users may now effectively 'bump' old topics simply by editing their last post. Double posting is no longer required to revive it.

Users will also receive their usual email for subscribed threads in such an instance.

Enjoy!

RAF Store

That's right, RAFians, the RAF store is now up and running. If you look at the store (http://www.cafepress.com/rafians), there are a few different designs, and there are still more to come. They all feature a unique RAF Logo design, consisting of all the member's names, along with the forum's URL underneath.

Now, if you wish to have a different design, let me know, and I can try and make it so, so you can buy just the exact one you want (or the closest you can get). PM me, or post a suggestion here.

DYK 26: Did You Know?

That Richard's online handle / screen-name was Ani_Head back in 2001 when he created 'Richard's Animorphs'?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

2009 RAFawards!

I (esplin) will start taking nominations for the 2009 RAFawards on October first!
As the end of 2009 is drawing near, I figured now was a great time to start up the awards again. Maybe this year we can be a little more planned and organized eh?

Click the title of the of this blog to suggest new awards and help me get the ball rolling!

New Member Position.

Goom has come up with an awesome solution to the "God Rank Problem." Any member who has or obtains the position of "God," and does not like that position (for whatever reason), now has an option to have it changed! An alternate rank, "Elite," has been created for this situation.

If you wish to change your rank to "Elite" once you have reached 5000 posts, please contact any one of our staff members via PM (such as Richard).

Member Ranks:

• Lurker | 0-9 Posts
  

1 Star - Can't applaud or smite. Allowed 10 personal messages.

• Newbie | 1-9 Posts
  

1 Star - Can't applaud or smite. Allowed 10 personal messages.

• Jr. Member | 10-49 Posts
  

2 Stars - Can applaud or smite. Allowed 50 personal messages & Can attach files.

• Full Member | 50-249 Posts
  

3 Stars - Same as Jr. Member. + Allowed 100 personal messages.

• Sr. Member | 250-499 Posts
  

4 Stars - Same as Full Member + Can edit display name.

• Hero Member | 500-999 Posts
  

5 Stars - Same as Sr. Member

• Jr. Xtreme Member | 1000-1999 Posts
  

6 Stars - Same as Sr. Member

• Xtreme Member | 2000-4999 Posts
  

7 Stars - Same as Sr. Member + Can modify custom title

• God | 5000+ Posts (black color)
  

8 Stars - Same as Xtreme Member + 500 personal messages + Can move & lock own posts.

• Elite | 5000+ Posts (black color) -Alternate to God-
  

8 Stars - Same as God Member

• Donators (position lasts for 1 year)
  

9 Stars - Same as Gods + 1000 personal messages + 10 Karma Points + access to D-Lounge

• Gold Member ($50+ in donations - gold color - lasts forever)
  

10 Stars - Same as Donators + unlimited personal messages + 50 Karma Points

RAF: The Animated Series

One of our members, BlueBoi!!!!, Has created an animated series for RAF!

This original series is based on RAF and its members, it revolves around what the forum would be like if it was a virtual world.

It's very funny and cool, other members are even getting involved with it! So check it out by clicking the title of this blog.

-esplin

DYK 25: Did You Know?

At the time of this authoring (April 6 09), Russell, RAF's most active member posted 13406 times?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

The Opinionated Animorphs Book Guide

A member (poparena) recently joined RAF; shortly after doing so, he posted a thread in the RAF Projects board promoting his project: The Opinionated Animorphs Book Guide.

Here's the premise:

Hopefully about once a week (though I can't promise anything with the way my work schedule is) I'll post a detailed look at an Animorphs book with a healthy dose of analysis and an extremly unhealthy dose of bad jokes.

Source - Richard's Animorphs Forum

Watch the video below, and comment either on the video, or on RAF (here).

DYK 24: Did You Know?

That you have to register for the RAF Chat, even though you registered for the RAF Forum?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAF is #3 on bing!

Apparently Google has forsaken us; our new favourite search engine is none other than Microsoft's bing.

When searching for "animorphs", RAF is the third entry; only behind the official Animorphs website, and Wikipedia's Animorphs entry. Not to shabby.

September RAF Party is tomorrow!

Hey guys, remember that the RAF Party for September will be on Saturday (12th of September) and Sunday (13th of September).

That's in the next 5 hours.

Be there!

ATTN: Audiobook Actors

If you are an Actor in the Audiobook project, I'm letting you know that chapters 1-10 of Megamorphs #1 are up and prepared for you to upload your audio files. Go here if you don't remember how to do that. The people at the Audiobook project need these files uploaded so they can start putting together the first couple of chapters.

Also, if you aren't involved in the Audiobooks, but would like to be, and you are willing to commit, please visit this Sub-Forum of the RAFprojects board.

P.S. If you have lost or misplaced your copy of Megamorphs #1, you can download it from the eBooks here.

DYK 23: Did You Know?

The Bored Board only counts to your post count on RAF during RAF Parties?


Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

DYK 22: Did You Know?

That at the time of this post (April 6) there were 816 members on RAF Forum?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAFchat Meet and Greet on now!!

The RAFchat Meet and Greet is on Now!! Go there and talk if you are a new or old member!

DYK 21: Did You Know?

That the first post on new RAF was created by Duff on May 30, 2008?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Are you a New Member?

I am making out this blog post to all the newer members out there (older members are allowed to use this too)! First I would like to Welcome you to RAF! This is the Ultimate Animorphs Forum.

I have composed a short list of helpful things that you may want to look at and/or use and/or do, so here we go!

1. Introductions and Departures Sub-Forum

This is probably the first place you should go if you have recently joined, or just want the other forum members to get to know you better! You make your own thread, talking about yourself and who you are! This is really the only way to make sure that all the members have a chance to get to know you. This is a "Sub-Forum" of the "RAF Social" board.

2. Member Profiles Sub-Forum

After you have created your Introduction, you may want to create a 'Member Profile' for yourself. This is your own topic where you can basically make blog posts, post pictures for the forum, answer questions asked by other RAFians in your thread, and more! This is also a "Sub-Forum" of the "RAF Social" board. NOTE: A good example is Richard's Member Profile.

3. Attend a RAF Chat Meet & Greet

This is a great idea for any member, new or old! A RAF Chat Meet & Greet is basically what i see as sort of "Dinner Party" at which the members of RAF can mingle and talk with other RAFians and get to know everyone better. Held in the RAF Chat, it allows New members to meet Veteran members and vice versa. Also, Richard has shown up on occasion so you can get to know the Creator of RAF a little better.

4. Read the rest of the Animorphs Series

If you haven't finished the series (missing books, pages, etc.), then I would STRONGLY recommend that you DON'T enter the Animorphs Discussions yet. You may ruin the ending for yourself and that isn't fun at all. But have no fear, for the eBooks are here! RAF, the original uploaders of the eBooks, has them available for download here. Best part: they are FREE!! Every Animorphs book (also has the Vegemorph book, a parody) is available for download either as PDF or in a ZIP file.

5. Get involved in a RAF Project

There is no easier way to feel included, than to become involved. RAF has many projects on the go, from recording the Audiobooks, fixing the eBook errors, creating Smilies/Emoticons, creating the Animorphs Graphic Novel, and many more. Go here to see the RAF Projects board and get involved in one!

5. GET OUT AND POST

While we do allow lurkers (and have created a member class for such people), we much prefer posters. There are may topics on RAF spanning a very wide range of subjects, so it's very easy to find something to suit your fancy.


Well I do hope this little guide (that isn't finished I bet, and i'll probably come out with a 2nd Edition in the near future) has helped you figure out what to do next, and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to PM me, and ask me!

- Adam

One More for the Road

Soo... it's 1:42 AM and thus technically Saturday where I am...
...but two timezones west of me, it's only 11:42, so I am redeemed. ;)

This Sunday evening I'll be taking my computer up to my dorm, where it will stay the better part of the year.
There's no telling what speed my internet will run there.

That being said, anybody interested in reading banned and censored books needs to check out this website:
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

Banned Books Week isn't too far away, and I've found myself reading more and more Bradbury as it approaches (and if you get the reference to him in the title of this post, you win a free hypothetical cookie!!), and I've found a few teen books like "The Libyrinth" by Pearl North that address the subject of bookburning in new and intensely interesting ways.

I wonder how many books you all read have been banned somewhere.
Have you ever enjoyed Harry Potter, The Giver, or Where is Waldo?
Have you sat down with your older relatives to hear about Red Riding Hood?
Maybe Judy Blume, Jane Yolen, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Bruce Coville delighted you as a tyke... but I bet you have no IDEA how much of their art has been removed from libraries for reasons that most free-thinking people would regard as perfectly ridiculous.
To Kill a Mockingbird... required reading at my high school: banned.
Fahrenheit 451... suggested reading at my high school, and addressing bookburning: banned.

It's really a sick irony, but books that defend books are most frequently the books removed from public libraries and recommended reading lists.

Oh, and if you've ever enjoyed Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov, Eoin Colfer, Herbie Brennan, J.K. Rowling,
or K.A. Applegate...
...then you are automatically a reader of banned books. Those four authors hold rather an interesting distinction in that somewhere on Earth, every last one of their books written under those names (non-pseudonymous) has been banned.
Sometimes people take it so far that they ignore the genre, plot, and quality of a book, and they want it gone simply because of the name printed on the front.

Why, you may as, is Estelore suddenly championing banned books?
Well, two reasons:
1. I spent these past two summers doing volunteer work at the local library. It's impossible for me not to love those books and the knowledge in them.
2. There is enough stupid in the world. Rather, there is far too MUCH stupid in the world, and by removing books, we are removing chances to lose some of that stupid.

Little Scout Finch in Harper Lee's much-contested classic said it about right:
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."

I don't know about you, but I love breathing. I love reading. Heaven help the fool that tries to take that away from me or the people who feel the same as me about this.

Well, it's late. I wish you all a lovely weekend, sweet dreams, and a superabundance of quality reading materials.

Read on.
-Estelore

Thanks to Ash & Nina for their donations!

Both Ash and Nina's donations went through today. I'd like to use this opportunity to thank them for their contributions toward RAF.


Ash is now a Gold Member, and is just shy of #5 on the Donator leader board.

DYK 20: Did You Know?

That there was a board dedicated just to the Animorphs characters on RAF Classic?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

So Begins the End of the Beginning.

Well, folks, here it is: University season (and just plain school for most of the rest of you).
Thursday next I move into what will be my residence for the duration of the coming year, and Monday after begins my semester.

Also, today my router died twice, and tomorrow I'm away with family for a few days, so my communication before I leave is likely to be not-much-at-all. I should have web at the dormitory, but I make no promises.

So, in the event that I am kept from you overlong:
I love you all. You are wonderful to me, and I cannot thank you enough for it.

Blessings and much fondness to you all,
Estelore

Meet & Greet 2

Tonight is the second Meet & Greet. So Everyone get in the RAF Chat from 8:30 to 10:30 pm EST.

DYK 19: Did You Know?

That Richard's Animorphs (defunct) was created in 2001?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to AniDragon for her donation!

Long time I haven't made a donation post. Well thanks to AniDragon, I can finally publicly thank an individual for his/her contribution.

She will now enjoy the benefits GOLD MEMBERS enjoy, which now includes access to the Donator Lounge.

Thanks again AniDragon.

RAF Shortcuts

Because I am lazy, I've created these shortcuts for me (and you) to easily access certain pages on Richard's Animorphs Forum.

animorphsforum.com/animorphs
- Takes you to the Animorphs Board

animorphsforum.com/audiobooks
- Takes you to the Audiobooks Board

animorphsforum.com/classic
- Takes you to RAF Classic

animorphsforum.com/digg
- Digg RAF

animorphsforum.com/everworld
- Takes you to the Everworld Board

animorphsforum.com/facebook
- Takes you to the Facebook Page

animorphsforum.com/gone
- Takes you to the Gone Board

animorphsforum.com/login
- Takes you to the login page

animorphsforum.com/members
- Takes you to the member list

animorphsforum.com/party
- Takes you to the RAF Party main thread

animorphsforum.com/passwordreminder
- Takes you to the password reminder feature

animorphsforum.com/register
- Register with the forum

animorphsforum.com/remnants
- Takes you to the Remnants Board

animorphsforum.com/rules
- Takes you to the Rules thread

animorphsforum.com/social
- Takes you to RAF Social

animorphsforum.com/staff
- Takes you to the Staff list

animorphsforum.com/support
- Takes you to the Support Board

animorphsforum.com/twitter
- Takes you to Richard's twitter page

animorphsforum.com/wap
- Takes you Mobile RAF

RAFrecommended Reading Lists

For those of you not in-the-know regarding my day-to-day life, you might like to know that I move into university on 20 August, a Thursday.
That means that after this post and maybe another one next week, it is very probable that I won't be keeping up with my weekly article segments.
All that being said, I've decided that this penultimate (and possibly last) Friday blog post will be about books, since that's what brought me to RAF in the first place.
Specifically, it will be about the books on my nightstand and overhead shelf. I think of them as my Required Reading, since they've spent the whole summer within arm's reach of my bed.
To you, they are my Recommended Reading. There is not a book on this list that I haven't loved in some way. Some of them aren't for everybody, but here they are, just the same:

Ray Bradbury - R is for Rocket ; S is for Space ; The Martian Chronicles ; Fahrenheit 451
Isaac Asimov - The Martian Way ; Nightfall and Other Stories
Jeffrey Deaver - Twisted
Margo Lanagan - Black Juice ; Red Spikes ; White Time
Voltaire - Candide and The Maid of Orleans (one volume)
Herbie Brennan - Faerie Wars (whole series)
Scott Westerfeld - Peeps ; The Last Days
Marcus Zusak - I am the Messenger
Cornelia Funke - The Thief Lord
Sun Tzu - The Art of War
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next
Alyson Noel - Evermore ; Blue Moon (it's not vampires, so don't write it off as a Twilight-mimic, even if the plot is a little hard to believe)
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game/Shadow ; Xenocide/Speaker for the Dead ; Ender in Exile ; Shadow of the Giant ; First Meetings in Ender's Universe
Lois Lowry - The Giver ; Gathering Blue ; Messenger
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Jane Langton - Fledgling
Mitch Albom - Tuesdays with Morrie
Katherine Paterson - Bridge to Terabithia
Rodman Philbrick - Freak the Mighty
Conrad Richter - A Light in the Forest
Caleb Carr - The Italian Secretary
Caroline B. Cooney - Code Orange
John Barnes - Orbital Resonance

Well, I've made this post too long as it is. Like I said, these books individually aren't for everybody, but trust me: there IS something here, at least one book, for every member of RAF to enjoy.
G'day, my dearlings!

-Estelore

DYK 18: Did You Know?

That there was a Birthday Board on RAF Classic?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Year 1 With Google Analytics

So our first year with Google Analytics passed on the 14th of July.

Here's the breakdown:



Click to download PDF

Are you an Audiobook actor?

If you have expressed interest in acting in the Animorphs Audiobooks, please check your PM inboxes (click here). Jess, who is helping to restart the project, has sent out an important message!!

If you have any questions regarding the Audiobooks, please talk to Jess, or any of the other project leaders: Mr. Guy 36, Morfowt, and WildWeathel.

I look forward to hearing you all very soon.

-Adam

Sakki Deleted Upon Request

'Sakki De Roxea''s request for their account to be removed has been granted.

Animorphs 2.0? - RUMOR

Very interesting stuff:

Some new info on a rumor we posted a few months back, our source (who still wishes to remain unnamed) says that Scholastic seems to be on board with making an Animorphs 2.0 happen. They supposedly had a recent discussion on how to handle the continuity from 1.0, which is the series we left off at.

Please note that we, at Hirac Delest, don’t post every rumor (or any rumor, for that matter) that is given to us (and there are a LOT), unless we feel that the source is legitimate in some way. Saying that, we’re not posting this as an official announcement either, as no official news has been released by Scholastic to confirm this. More updates from our source on this matter will be posted on Hirac Delest as they come.

Of course none of this has been independently verified.

Source - Hirac Delest

Short and Early this week: RAFmusic exchange

In the time I've been a RAFian, other RAFians have recommended to me much music and many bands for my listening enjoyment.
I feel like paying it forward, so to speak, by making a shortlist of bands that, pre-RAF, I'd not even heard-of. Feel free to do the same in comments, if you like.

Lordi - Awesomesauce on cheese fries in the back of a humvee on the moon. Metal.
Basshunter - this music is HAPPY distilled into longitudinal compressions and rarefactions of air.
Nightwish - I do not have the words for how awesome they are. Symphonic metal.
Ayreon - Coolidge. End of story.
Infected Mushroom - I'm still getting used to the idea... :D
Dredg - twenty-seven kinds of epic, whether it's the album or the live-acoustic version.
Freedom Call - where Triumph and Happy meet and spend the rest of their lives riding off into the sunset. Power metal.

I know many of these may not be to your individual taste, but please don't write off one band just because you disliked another band on this list, because none of these really even fall into the same genres as the others.

Have a happy weekend, dearlings! I'll see you about. :)

-Estelore

DYK 17: Did You Know?

That there was a Harry Potter board on RAF Classic that lasted between 2003 and 2006?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Know the Secret - Animorphs Game - Full Download

I just realized that the Animorphs Game - Know the Secret that is on RAF Downloads, never got the full direct download treatment in all its 500mb glory.


Here it is - Download Here.

Feel free to visit Hirac Delest.

Just a heads-up to anybody who actually reads me. ;)

Folks, just a little heads-up, school is starting fairly soon for me, and I'm not going to promise that I'll make a blog post every week like I have all summer.
At the very least, I'll keep it up to the end of July, as long as my internet stays functional. :)

*hugs* to all of you lovely RAFians. I hope what's left of the year is seriously great for you.

-Estelore

The Fountain

Digressing from RAF stuff. I just finished watching The Fountain (2006) for the 5th or so time. This time I watched it on HiDef 720p.

For those who like a good visual movie a si-fi movie, a good thought provoking movie, and a love story all bundled into one. I recommend The Fountain.

Here are some more images of the movie below.

DYK 16: Did You Know?

That Richard made 10,000 posts back in 2007?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

RAF Audiobook Project needs you!

The site is pretty much ready for work, but we're missing one piece of the puzzle: everyone who doesn't act!

What we need are:
Timers - These are the people who cut together the multiple parts into one single audio stream.
Directors - You direct. More? Fine. These people will be reviewing the actor's work before sending it to the timers.
Managers - Responsible for directing the "flow of traffic" of various tasks to various roles. I can do some of this to start, but eventually we will need others.

I don't think I missed any jobs, but I might add something if I forget it.

If you can do any of these, post with what job you want, and (if you aren't signed up yet) your username for the site. Weathel will get people signed up when he has the chance, but we can start assigning jobs right away.

Thanks for any help you guys can give.

SEE THREAD - >

Thanks to Russell for his sixth donation!

It's customary to thank those who help out. This is the 6th time we are thanking Russell for his donation.

Twitter in your Profile

That's right folks, the option to put a Twitter username in your profile has been added. Click here and then click on "Forum Profile Information" on the left hand side of the screen. Go halfway down the page and there the box will be.

Remember, you can also put in information for others such as:

• ICQ
• AIM
• MSN
• YIM
• Twitter
• Skype

I look forward to seeing people's tweets! For a list of Twitter usernames, or to post yours, there is this thread.

If you are new to Twitter, here are a few usernames you can follow to get you started.

richardonraf - Richard obviously. He usually uses his tweets to tell us about the forum (problems, etc.)
xeroxedfool - Russell AKA Esplin 9466.
cprailfreak - This is me!

Remember, getting started on Twitter is very easy. But if you have any problems, that thread mentioned above would be the place to ask your questions! So lets get your tweets a-tweetn'!!

-Adam

AlothAssassin Banned

Just letting you all know, the member AlothAssassin has been banned from RAF.

AlothAssassin has been banned for constantly disregarding RAF's rules and its staff members, and repetitively making new accounts to bypass bans.

Make sure to follow the rules.

Harry Potter VI

Hey, RAF!
Well, I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight with some people, and I'll preface the article by saying that I've only read the third book. Books tend to be better than their movies, so I decided at the beginning of it all to refrain from reading the series until after the movie cycle is complete. This way, I'll be able to appreciate fully the movies as they are, without interference of my opinion of the plot.

For this week's article, I'm going to offer a question for you: If you had never read the books, how do you think you would have received the movies?

Please answer in comments, avoiding spoilers if at all possible. (Yes, I know who dies and who doesn't die in the 6th book. There's no avoiding that knowledge. *chuckle* Just please no intimate gory details, okey?)

All my love to you, dearlings. Have a brilliant weekend!
-Estelore

Thanks to Jess for her 2nd donation!

Noticing a lot of donation blog posts lately? I certainly am, and it's great to see our members contributing.

This time it's Jess (now Kit Cloudkicker) who has given us the single biggest donation yet, who has donated once more.

She will get an additional 50 Karma points.

Thanks Jess!

Thanks to Slushie Man for 3rd donation!

Jeff / Slushie Man has once again donated. This is his third time.

Thanks to Jeff!

Thanks to Adam for his 6th donation!

This is the 6th time you're hearing from me saying thanks to Adam for his donation. Yes, our top donator has yet again ensured that RAF won't shut down any time soon.

Thanks Adam!

Thanks to Kelly for her 5th donation!

With her 5th donation, Kelly has been upgraded to Gold Member, and is now firmly #5 on the donator leader-board.

Thanks Kelly!

DYK 15: Did You Know?

That 453 members from RAF Classic were removed between November 28 2003 and November 7 2007?


Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to Claire for her donation!

Thanks to long-time member, and Sr. Staff member Claire for her donation. We know how hard earned it is, and on behalf of everyone on RAF: thank you for contributing!

She will receive an additional 10 karma points and all the other perks donators receive.

Donators & Gold Members

In an overdue move, those who donate have been split into two groups: Donators & Gold Members.

Essentially those who donate:
-less than $50 will fall into the "Donators" category. This position will last for a year.
-more than $49 will fall into the "Gold Member" category. This position lasts forever.

Both groups will also have access to a special board on RAF.

• Donators (position lasts for 1 year)
  

9 Stars - Same as Gods + 1000 personal messages + 10 Karma Points + access to D-Lounge

• Gold Member ($50+ in donations - gold color - lasts forever)
  

10 Stars - Same as Donators + unlimited personal messages + 50 Karma Points

-Member groups / Member positions in detail

REMINDER - RAF Party Tomorrow!

We haven't had a proper RAF Party in months because we keep forgetting. Now we won't!

Come out tomorrow July 11 and party like it's 1999.

Oh, how nice!

I've noticed that lately several of our early-RAFgeneration members have been returning and posting, and that the Animorphs boards are getting a bit more action in recent weeks.
If this is a trend as much as the streak of absences and departures was, then RAF may start seeing more and more old and fairly familiar faces on a regular basis.

Oh, and on another, slightly less pleasant note, a few RAFians who email me regularly are having computer issues (not because of me, ha ha very funny), so if you see somebody pretty much drop off the map, that may be why.

Have a great weekend, everybody! ^_^

-Estelore

DYK 14: Did You Know?

That there was an Animorphs Pictures board on RAF Classic?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

View all your topics - new feature!

SMF doesn't have this option by default, but thanks to Goom, we now have that option. If you want to find all the topics a member created, just visit their profile and click on "Show Topics".

To see yours, click here.

Thanks to Aliciania for her donation!

Again I am here to express thanks to fellow RAFian Aliciania for her donation to RAF.

She will now enjoy the benefits that donators do.

Independence Day approaches!

So... is everybody ready to combat the approaching invasion of 17-mile-long alien spacecraft? I know I am!

I'm curious if anybody remembers the worldwide panic and hype that resulted back when the Will Smith movie "Independence Day" went to theatres. A bunch of people thought that the advertisements were public-service-announcements, and they freaked out severely.
The same thing happened again when "The Day After Tomorrow" (by the same director, just so y'know) came out and everybody saw the Statue of Liberty get taken out by an uber-tsunami.
Now there's this "2012" movie coming out... again, the same director... I'm curious whether or not the same thing is going to happen yet again.

Anyway, I just hope you all are ready with your fighter planes, crazy drunk crop dusters, cigars, and malfunctioning missiles. :)

In the immortal words of Jeff Goldbloom, "Must go faster MUST GO FASTER!!!"

Have a great weekend, folks. To those of you celebrating this American holiday, I hope you stay safe and alien-free. To the rest of you, I hope you find our pyrotechnic antics amusing, at least. ;)

G'day, dearlings!

-Estelore

Thanks to Terenia for her donation!

Here's to Terenia for her donation to RAF. As usual I, and subsequently all members and users of RAF wishes to applaud the efforts of our members in coming forward to contribute (monetarily).

Thanks again!

DYK 13: Did You Know?

That RAF's name changed a number of times; including to Richard's Absolute Forum, RAF: Animorphs Forum, RAF: The Animorphs Forum and Animorphs Forum.com?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Thanks to Cerulean for his second donation!

Hello again fellow RAFians, I would like to thank Cerulean for his most recent donation. This is actually his second time donating and on behalf of everyone who participates on RAF, I would like to thank him for his contribution.

As usual, he will enjoy an additional +50 karma. It's just a small token of appreciation.

I know it's already been said,

but I think it's worth saying again.

http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php/topic,3345.msg221063/topicseen.html#new

Anna is right.

I know, this en't the most fawesome blog post in the history of RAF, but... I think maybe we need to have it on a nice, easy-to-access record the fact that there has been a problem.
This is the sorta' problem that doesn't really get fixed without collective co-operation.

*shrug*
All there is to say has been said.
Have a great weekend, dearlings.

-Estelore

RIP Michael Jackson

My idol just died. RIP.

RAF Spam Police Thread Locked

The RAF Spam Police thread has been officially locked. I'm sure many of you will agree with the decision, but even if you don't I hope you can realise the amount of trouble it was causing on our normally peaceful forum. I assure you the decision was not made lightly.

super_sonic receives temporary ban

The user super_sonic has been given a 3 day ban for inappropriate behaviour (and blatantly sexist comments) shown in the link provided. This isn't something I enjoy doing, as most of our members are very nice people. I truly hope super_sonic learns from his mistake when he returns.

Thanks to Adam for his 5th donation!

Adam has donated again! He will enjoy the additional +50 karma for his donation.

Thanks Adam!

DYK 12: Did You Know?

That the domain animorphsforum.com was registered on April 14 2006, but announced one week later?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum

Happy Birthday Goom

It is our friendly staff memeber's birthday today: goom. Not only would I like to wish him a happy birthday, I would like to congratulate him on his promotion to the Sr. Staff.

War! *huh yeah* What is it good for?

...Absolutely nothing!

Folks, if you aren't gonna' start an all-out RAFcivil war over something, then why argue and insult and tick off other people about it? Ice it down. We all love RAF, neh? Let's not start taking sides...

...'cause if we do, I'm gonna' take the winning side, and the losing side is gonna' feel purty foolish and self-righteous about it all, just sayin'. ;)

If you don't know what I'm talking-about, then there's no problem at all, and this isn't even necessary.

I love all you folks; I have zero animosity towards any of you. What I DISLIKE is DISCORD. If everybody is willing to just swallow his/her misplaced pride, kindly shut up, and take a nice healthy chill pill, then there won't BE any problem or discord.

Fair enough, I hope?

Have a great weekend, guys. If I'm not on the forum much, it's probably because my router is being a stinker. :P

-Estelore

DYK 11: Did You Know?

That Richard introduced himself (age included, but later removed) officially on July 24 2003?

Now you do.

Richard's Animorphs Forum - The Ultimate Animorphs Forum