[C-Cast Segment] Beneath the ZU Spotlight

[Selah]

Would a moderator be so kind as to move this thread to the Community Works board? I don't have thread posting privileges in that part of the forums. Thank you, :3

There is not a good deal for me to say that has not already been communicated by the thread title; ergo, I shall be brief. This thread is for any questions, comments, suggestions, laudation, vituperation, etc., etc., etc. that you might have upon the community highlights segment known as Beneath the ZU Spotlight. As reported by myself.

Your comments shall make this thing great.

Cheers,
Selah

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Listen to the debut of Beneath the Spotlight...

... and read the script!

It's that ZU Highlights time again! ... though, if I must be perfectly truthful, there never was a ZU Highlights to begin with. But it's here now, alive and kicking: Beneath the ZU Spotlight, featuring the best and brightest of the ZeldaUniverse community. So let’s set aside preamble and come to the heart of this month's Highlights.

February was a month for some rather serious drama llama business. But the fun and simple posts our highlighted member contributed—unrelated comments such as "hey I had orange juice today, it was pretty nice"—helped diffuse situations and add much-needed touches of humour and lightheartedness. Props must be given him for starting the moustache fad. Here's to Future, our Member of the Month.

Next up are the Highlighted Post and Thread of Month, chosen by you, the Member. Hombre de Mundo's Salute Our Hero won for Best Thread, and its opening post won for Best Post. Salute Our Hero is dedicated to humulos – theorist, general, and an all-around awesome guy – who left last week on a mission's trip to Nevada, where he will remain for two years. Hombre organized a sweeping farewell thread to see humulos off, and thread and post remain a beautiful testament to the depths and values of friendship. You can find Salute Our Hero in the General Chit-Chat forum. You'll have to scroll a little, but it’s a search definitely worth the time.

You can help ZU Highlights on its way to world domination— eh, you can help ZU Highlights by nominating and voting for best thread and best post in the Monthly ZU Highlights: People's Choice thread, located in General Chit-Chat forum.

Our next crop of highlights are taken from ZU's creative (and perhaps a little insane) side. Our Highlighted Story comes from the fan fiction board: The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Courage, by Wrath Mania. Courage begins with a name readers don’t expect and keeps the tension high ever after with its generous helpings of a rogue Zora, a broken hero, and the shadows that lurk behind the trappings of glamor and power. With its gripping atmosphere and clarity of prose, Wrath Mania’s story A Hero’s Courage is definently worth checking out.

This month's slice of the Amphitheatre comes from the timeless Battle Arena: Demented Balls: Rise of the Mutant Peas, was started several days ago by Insaney, and so far has four active members. It's a battle open to anyone and everyone, and is a thread to keep an eye on, as it unwinds upon its deranged and giddy course, with its pokeballs, its army of peas mustering to overthrow the humans, and its lush descriptions of chocolate cake and pastries (not suggested reading for the perpetually hungry among us).

Now over to the artwork forum where our Highlighted Artist is DNLINK. Though new to the art forums, the Zelda Props he makes are top notch, the kind of works you'd pay for to hang on your walls. His portraits of various Zelda characters captures the style the original artist drew them in - regardless of which game that character came from.

We come to the Highlight's finale, with a poem from none other than Lly, a writer and critic here on our own ZU. Lly's poem, entitled "A Sonnet", comes from The Lly and Slur Emo Poetry Thread, located on the Poetry and Originals board. And now, "A Sonnet":

You, love hast told me I must live my life
But with you gone what life is there to live?
From dawn to dusk my soul is weighed with strife
For you have taken all I had to give.
In day I toil aimlessly, in daze,
With eyes half-lidded, and their drooping brims.
In nights I drink myself into a haze
Pois'ning myself with gluttony and sin.
And when my old friends pass me in the street,
Glances are fleeting, and they hurry by
For as I walk, I drag my corpse's feet
It paint them so to see me moan and sigh.
However, though I am in quite a rut,
At least I'm not with you, because you suck.

Check out Lly and Slur's thread for more emotastic poetry!

Beneath the ZU Spotlight is always searching for stories, poetry, and artwork to highlight, and our goal is to feature the greatest variety of fiction and art that ZU has ever mustered. So throw your energy into the ZeldaUniverse's Art and Writing forums; post your art and give the world a taste of your genius!

Thank you for listening.

Until next time, this is your Beneath the ZU Spotlights Reporter, Selah.

Listen to Beneath the Spotlight, Cast the Second...

... and read the script!

Many cheers and many hellos, and welcome again to Beneath the ZU Spotlight. I’m Selah, coming to you with the best and the brightest of the ZeldaUniverse community.

There’s a new face about the boards, new in terms of activity rather than of join date, and it’s a face that’s not as recognized as it should be. He gives ZU a wealth of mature and informative posts; he’s witty and sometimes cynical; and a real jewel in the feedback section. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present our Member of the Month, Duo.

The people’s choice for Best Thread of the Month was a tie between Fox McCloud’s What Made You Smile Today? and zfan121’s "Zelda the Anime, TP" Recruiting now! Zelda the Anime is an interesting study in the mechanics of drama, a battle between daring ideas and dubious critics. What Made You Smile Today? on the other hand, is a calm breath of fresh air, and full of cheer.

Best Post goes to F3, who wrote, in reference to the scholar smiley, “You need more smilies like me.” His was the post that sparked the great smiley fight in the thread entitled I, the Great Jason of Hyrule, hereby return to you your pitiful smilies.

Be sure to nominate and vote for best thread and best post in the People’s Choice thread, located in the General Chit-Chat forum.

But what’s this? Another new face? He’s dynamic, daring, fun, courageous. He’s exploded full force into the heart of the community. And his fun and outrageous photos in the Scrapbook have inspired others to step up with their own funny photos. We here at the ZUBC feel that he is on his way to becoming a real icon. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you our Newbie of the Month, Notsil.

I bring you next examples of good art and fine writing here at the ZeldaUniverse community. Our Story of the Month comes from the fan fiction board, and is titled Evil’s Bane, by Doran_Bladefist. It opens with Link’s final battle with Ganondorf, and then follows its hero through the ruins of a nation, on a quest to save a people from destruction.

Our Highlighted Piece from the Amphitheatre comes again from the Battle Arena. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was started by Sakume. It’s a battle of pure epicness, and is a battle between passions and love. There is first a wedding and finally a fight, as seven warriors combine their power and skill and fight for lowest heaven against a tyrant king.

ZU Artist Lulu brings the art of sewing to the Artwork forum with her thread, Making your own Zelda dress. Lulu created a stunning replica of Twilight Princess Zelda’s dress, and she took her presentation a step further. She posted the process it took to make her costume, so that others might be able to make their own regal ensembles.

Here we are the Spotlight’s finale. I would like to read you a poem called Standing at the Falls, by Kouten.

Bright waters sweep down,
Rushing and roaring under the soft blue sky.
The cool fog and majestic rainbow
Dance across the sun-kissed falls,
Stealing away all pain and sorrow.

Yet looking again,
Such beauty escapes my sight,
As I find no more than the bedrock below.
The empty colors, like raging waves,
Crash against my weary soul.
Drifting back,
I’m left forlorn,
Viewing a distant and faded memory.

You can find this and more poems by Kouten at his thread Reflection in the Poetry and Originals board.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is your Beneath the ZU Spotlights reporter, Selah.

[Cody]

Originally Posted by Selah

Would a moderator be so kind as to move this thread to the Community Works board? I don't have thread posting privileges in that part of the forums. Thank you, :3

K.

[Margar]

so will new nominations go here as well?

[Selah]

Many thanks, Cody.

Margar: No, I think it would be best to keep nominations to their own threads. Hosting multiple nominations as well as feedback in one thread may lead to confusion.

[Selah]

Links to the spotlight segment have been added to the opening post, along with transcripts, =)

[Margar]

where do we vote for new stuffs?
you should have that stickied either here of in GCC...

[Indy Jones]

There is not a good deal for me to say that has not already been communicated by the thread title; ergo, I shall be brief. This thread is for any questions, comments, suggestions, laudation, vituperation, etc., etc., etc. that you might have upon the community highlights segment known as Beneath the ZU Spotlight. As reported by myself.

Okay, I have a suggestion for the podcast. The masterminds behind it should think about making it shorter. About 45 minutes would be alright. Other than that, it is a perfect podcast.

[Aniday]

Originally Posted by Indy Jones

Okay, I have a suggestion for the podcast. The masterminds behind it should think about making it shorter. About 45 minutes would be alright. Other than that, it is a perfect podcast.

Thanks for the feedback!

We've thought about making it shorter, and there are always new developments. So stay tuned.

However, at this time, we do have the segments separated where you can listen to what you want without listening to the stuff you don't.

The sections are somewhere.... around here.

[Margar]

Originally Posted by Aniday

Thanks for the feedback!

We've thought about making it shorter, and there are always new developments. So stay tuned.

However, at this time, we do have the segments separated where you can listen to what you want without listening to the stuff you don't.

The sections are somewhere.... around here.

that's the main problem. for the non-forum people, navigating this place must be confusing, especially with all the "creative" thread titles Asia takes such pride in. I admit, they're cute and amusing, but very un-user-friendly for newbs and people drifting in from the main site. I think we'll have to simplify and organize this area more.

of course, with the site re-launch coming soon, I suspect there will be a much more accessable ZUBC area, so it's just a matter of time.

[Jayolorin]

It was a joy to hear your voice once again Selah. It really adds some depth to the podcast (where in comparison I was once wondering why I was listening to it at all when I could have instead been listening to the new illegally downloaded Underworld album.)