Flashlight

Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't quite flow. Too many words in some places. What type of song is it supposed to be? Genre wise.

So BeCool came out yesterday. I myself only saw it just a few hours ago. Let me say I loved Get Shorty. John Travolta as Chili Palmer should go down as one of the coolest characters in movie history. I never read the novel for Get Shorty (though I'm looking to pick it up soon, and I was told the conversion from book to film wasn't too too bad), but I did read BeCool only a few days ago. Good Book, the movie on the otherhand turned out to be a huge letdown (which is even more dissapointed due to the enourmous advertising it got). First let's start with how it butchered the book. Characters where changed (Some in personality and age, some in skin colour, others not even in the movie at all). In some cases this just really pissed me off, maybe because I had already falled so much in love with the other characters, or because the changes made the characters useless and mundane, only there for comedic value which, in the cases of these characters, often failed. Don't get me wrong, the movie was incrediably funny, especially Vince Vaughn. I didn't really mind him as Raji so much simply because his performance was just so amazing. Then there were the scenes. The book wasn't based on BeCool the novel so it loosely took the concept of the book and tried to turn it into a carbin copy of Get Shorty. The script honestly just took characters and bits of conversations and placed them into scenes lifted directly from Get Shorty. It's like they where trying to create the exact same movie. "Hey, the formula worked last time, let's do it again!". Entire scenes and situations where added just because there was something similar in Get Shorty. Unfortunately the execution is all wrong and the scenes really have no weight. Many of the actors themselves, though putting on ok performances, had little to no chemistry on the screen. Chili Palmer's ultimate line, his schtick that makes him so cool, is "Look at me". Saying that to the character shows how powerful Chili Palmer is and how confident in himself. In Get Shorty he would say this two or three times to a character, and everyone knew how to react. They didn't want to at first, but them gave in, and there was just an excellent chemistry between the actors because everyone knew what the line meant. In BeCool, I honestly doubt anyone who hasn't seen Get Shorty or read the books will have any idea why he says that. Chili says look at me, but the characters are already looking at him. There's no action-reaction. The actors know they're blocking and simply carry it out, in conversations as well. Nobody really listens to each other, they just jump from line to line. In the first scene, Tommy Athens (I can't remember the name of the actor) says something to the affect of, "I have an idea for a movie." Chili: "What?" Tommy: "Me!" Chili: "I couldn't get your mother to watch that movie." Tommy Athen's character then reads his next line. Chili Palmer just told him it was a horrible idea, and the actor acts like he never said anything. Now the character could just be ignoring the comment, but you gotta at least show you heard the guy say something to you. But we get no reaction. Nothing. And this happens many many more times. Uma Thermon and John Travolta had a great chemistry in Pulp Fiction. They really worked well toghether. BeCool, there's nothing. Really, just nothing. It seems as if Uma Thermon was just kind put into the movie, and John Travolta is simply reprising his role the character simply not to dissapoint his fans. Christina Millian isn't anything special, but that may not be entirely her fault. The character in the book had a lot of backstory for her and a lot of growth and change throughout. It seems in the movie they wanted all information about her out of the way in the first few minutes of her introduction, and from there she's a pretty static character. There's really nothing to go on, and you really don't give a damn about her at the end. Steven Tyler's appearence should have been nothing more that a special appearence, as he really can't act (even though he was portraying himself), and it seems the scenes he's in where written specifically because they actually got him. The scenes with him where given way to much attention, because they were really unecessary and boring, really subtracting from the main plot of the movie. In fact, the movie seems to be riding on it's celebrity cast. There are a lot (a lot) of special appearences in the movie. While a bit fun on it's own, the amount of attention they are given really detracts from the experience. The blatant advertising throughout the movie really put me off. It was everywhere. The director really didn't know how to work the camera as well as he could have all the time, and he couldn't quite get down what he needed the actors to do in order to get a good picture, but one thing he did very well was get the product placement in there. Honestly, it's annoying. There is never a time you forget it's just a movie. Just fluff. The actual mainstay's of the movie do a somewhat good job. Uma Thermon and John Travolta were alright, nothing exceptional, but still a cut above average as usual. Andre 3000 and Cedric the Entertainer where (not surprisingly)very funny, and everyone did a fairly good job in general. Vince Vaughn and The Rock really stole the show however. Both worked toghether amazingly well, and knew their parts. Incrediably funny, they knew exactly what they were doing. As for actually being cool, the movie really does try. Infact it tries so hard I think it might have broke something in the process. Also, there's so many really akwardly placed musical scenes that really don't fit in with anything. It's like the flick was thinking of becoming a musical, but couldn't quite make up it's mind. If just for the comediac elements of the movie (many of which included Vince Vaughn and The Rock, though Andre 3000 and Cedric had their share of Gut Busters), you should really check this movie out. If you're expecting a good sequel to Get Shorty, or anything remotely cool, I reccomend you look elsewhere. In short, the movie's entertaining (Vince Vaughn and The Rock are easily worth the admission price), and if not comparing it to the book, a margin above mediocre, but you really shouldn't be in a rush to check it out. Unless you want a few good laughs, wait until rental. But that may be just me, so if anyone agree's with me, speak up, and if you disagree, speak louder.

Anything inspires me. Everything. Much of it depends on the genre of music and what emotion you want to carry across. Whatever you're feeling, just put it down. It doesn't even have to make sense most of the time. Just work on getting an emotion down. Actually, scratch that, work on getting anything at all down. Think of a cool line? Put it down. I have tons and tons of pages with only a line or two on them, and maybe one day I'll go back and use one of those lines in a song, or maybe not. Perform them aloud to yourself and figure out which ones sound good and which ones don't. Maybe there's an awesome line in one song that sounds really really good, but the rest of the song is absolutely pathetic. Happens to me a lot. You just gotta figure out why you like that line so much. By a little notebook, doesn't have to be anything expensive, just as long as it has paper and it's fairly small so your can carry it around places (mine is about 5 1/2' by 3 1/2' or 13.9cm by 8.9cm, but choose whatever size is comfortable for you). Everytime you have something, anything, just put it down. Doesn't even have to be a song. Don't try to think of it like one. Just put it down, then do some reformatting afterwords. After a while, you'll get the hang of it. The best advice I can give though, both in writing and performing songs, listen to as much as possible. Try to pick out why you like your favorite songs, but also branch out, into as many different songs and as many different genre's as your can. Try foreign languages, and even if your can't understand the words, you may still find yourself loving the song. Some songs just give off a certain vibe. In the end it's all just music. Rap, country, pop, metal, listen to it all. Even if you don't like it, other people like it for a reason. I hope that helps. Out of curiousity, what kind of songs are you trying to write? What genre, maybe this'll help with the advice giving a bit (but, as I said, in the end it's all still just music). :D

Well, I'd just like to say that though this was an MTV concoction, it was originally only intended to be only one song. Mike Shinoda thought that it would be fun to do more, and the others agreed I guess. The cd is basically just a mix of Linkin Park and Jay-Z songs, and I love both of them, and the CD turned out really really well. I loved it. I admit there were moments were the songs didn't quite mesh entirely, but I still enjoyed every track. Oh and Omar Harris, I have to really disagree with you on Reanimation, considering most of the artists featured are really unknown underground guys. I see it more as Linkin Park (well, mostly Mike Shinoda and Joseph Hahn) expressing their appreciation and fondness for hip-hip. I'm totally with you on the Live In Texas thing though.

I like. It really had me intrigued and at the end I was honestly wondering what happened next, and that's no small feat considering the short length of the story. I do hope you continue it. One thing I didn't like though: "His eyes flashed up towards the dark rafters of his downtown loft as he came back from the kitchen." His his he. Repetition is never a good thing. Use other small words like 'the' to avoid this in circumstances like these, or if you can leave out 'he' or whatever small word it is altoghether. I love the mystery. What was up there? Why did it want her to eat the eggs? What kind of eggs are those, or are they even eggs? Oh wait, are they spider eggs, and she's going to birth hundereds of spiders now!?! It's been a while since I've been interested in a story like this, a long while, so great job! Will you be continuing this work?

I didn?t want to. She kept begging-pleading with me, trying anything to get me to move. I suppose I could have?should have. But I didn?t. Just didn?t want to. She was panicked now, having accidentally discovered the gushing wound on my back. Was it critical? Would I have died from it? I don?t really know. Don?t really care. The state of mind I was in at the time?it was simply something else. Vegetative? Perhaps, but so much more and so much less at the same time. Conscious of everything going on around me, I was simply unresponsive. Maybe I really did have any idea what was going on, and I?m just fooling myself guessing at what happened, to make myself feel better. Up in the clouds, flying without wings, floating along the skyline, allowing the subtle winds to take me wherever they pleased. It was bliss, save for one thing. I was alone. Did I mind? Probably. I don?t think I liked the loneliness very much, or else why would I have come back? It was just so amazing being up there though, really, why did I come back? Something even more amazing pulled me in. Someone. Everyone had crowded around, shouting at him or her, offering suggestions?making demands. ?Take him here; take him there. Shake him; leave him. I was prodded, poked, and screamed at repeatedly. It seemed no one was in the right state of mind to handle the situation. No, that?s a lie. Everyone was simply handling it in the best way they could, just like me. Is there even such thing as the right state of mind? Someone was pushing through the crowd. She had been searching for someone to come and help, but found no one; everyone was already here. I could?[I]feel[/I] her body shaking. Was she crying? I doubt it. Just scared and confused, scared because she was so confused and helpless more than fearful of my condition. Eve?the first girl, the when who was begging me, the one who was still weeping uncontrollably?my sister, wrapped her arms around me then, supporting me on her knees, whispering in my ear, ?Leon, wake up Leon. Please, move. Just move, even a little, just a little, for me, please?? [I]But I don?t want to.[/I] She couldn?t take in anymore, anxiously setting my body down and backing away, desperately trying to breathe. The other girl stepped forward suddenly. She was still trembling, yet something compelled her forward. What? No words, she dropped to her knees and cautiously took hold of my hand. Apprehensive at first, she abruptly tightened her grip, her breathing returning to a steady rate. I still didn?t want to move. Something inside began to melt. Gradually she pulled me forward. No words. Sitting upright now, my head fell forward, my body limp for an instant. I couldn?t help but smile. Slowly I opened my eyes. Tattered jeans, a dirt road, and the afternoon sun welcomed me back. I looked up to see her smile. No words. Everything turns to water. She took me into her arms and held me close. No words. In each other?s arms we stayed for hours upon moments frozen in time. No words. For that I was glad. The bed was hard and cold, and worse yet it wasn?t mine. The joy of awaking in one?s own bed was something I had not experienced in a long time. Too long? No looking back. With much struggle I managed to position myself upright against the backboard. Gripping the blanket intensely, struggled to catch my breath. Second attempt. One foot at a time, I hauled myself off the bed and to the door, fiddling with the broken knob until it finally came loose. No it did not open, it simply fell apart and the door lightly swung open, receiving me. Somewhere from the bed to the door a stitch must have opened up, as my white hospital gown was now painted a lush red. Stumbling into the hallway, I had to shield my eyes for the intense sunlight penetrating the windows. There was no time to get hold of my bearing?I could be discovered at any moment. My eyes adjusted and I quickly turned around?the exit was the other way. Somehow I found a descending stairwell and promptly hurled myself down, bashing my skull into each step as I spiraled downwards. Reaching the bottom I calmly dusted myself off and decided I would need to locate my clothes?or anyone?s clothes for that matter. Aimlessly I wandered through the repetitive dull gray halls until I came upon an unlocked room. Plunging into the doorway I discovered a storage room littered with white and red boxes. Quickly scanning the labels I found a name on each one, and quickly came across mine. Tearing the box apart, I discovered my ragged jeans and blue and white wash t-shirt, along with a crumpled slip of paper which simply read: Let Go The handwriting seemed so incredibly familiar, but I couldn?t quite place from where. After a bit of digging, I located a bandage roll and used the entire thing in securing my chest and hopefully inclosing the open wound on my back. Putting on my clothes, I was again wandering the bleak halls of the hospital, trying to locate he exit. It was different. Nothing like I remembered it. Where were all the nurses? And the patients? I broke into more than a few rooms, and each one was as empty and desolate as the last. Where was everyone? Finally I staggered into the lobby. A few chairs strewn about, a receptions desk, and most importantly the double doors leading to the outside world, everything looked perfectly in order. Except that there were no people. This was a hospital; there are always people here. Nothing made any sense, not that it ever does anyway. ---------- Not finished, but I'm the type of person who likes to hear what other people think before he gets too far in. So, what do you think?

It makes them streamlined? I think i real agree with everyone else that it just looks cool and therefore that is the popular way of drawing characters running. :)

Easily Grave of the Fireflies. Studio Ghibli, 1988 (Not Miyazaki though), it still stands firm against even the giants of today, in both story and animation. I highly reccomend this movie to, well, everyone! :)

Thanks for the praise. I like to think of Leon as a very self conscious unsure indavidual, and this story may act as a turning point in his life. I tried to leave a lot of physical aspect vague, simply so the reader could easier relate to the story. As for the spirits/voices/things, I can't tell you because I don't rightly know myself. The description for the girl was probably the hardest part to right, and even still I don't like the fact it's really just a long run-on sentence, but I'm too afraid of screwing it up to edit it. Thanks again for the input and praise, it means a lot. :D

How do you feel Males and Females are generally depicted in the media? Are we equals, or do we still stand in the Macho Man and Damsel in Distress steriotypes. What message does this send to kids? Is this is how you should be? Of course there are many differant forms of media, Movies, Television, Literature, News Media, Theatre, and many more, so naturally you're going to see each gender represented in just about every way imaginable if you search hard enough, but generally speaking, do you feel any sex in demeened more often than not? What are the steriotypes of today? Boys still see big action stars like The Rock or Vin Diesal, like the previous generation had Arnald Schwartzaneggar and Jean Claude Van Dame, and do they feel that is how they should grow up to be? And what about little girls, seeing how today's stars dress and act in ways previously thought unfitting for society, do they feel that is what it means to be an adult? Do they themselves one day want to act like that, because of how men and woman are portrayed on television and film, and even literature? Are you happy about that? Are men and woman really portrayed like that, or do you have a different opinion. Again, I'm talking in a general sense, as everyone will be able to find an example of where men and woman or portrayed very differantly from what I feel. And even in the news, is one gender given more attention that the other? A woman and a man are both involved in a similar car accident, on the same day, in two differant locatons but still the same city. The news station only has time to report on one of the two incidents. Which do they report on? Are you happy about this? Is it right? What do you feel male and female depictions in the media are? Do you think they are accurate? Why.

I stepped down into the cold brisk air, catching myself as I touched the ground, the bus jerking to a start behind me. Without a second thought I slowly made my way up the wheelchair ramp towards the station building. In the ethereal blue morning light everything seemed to be move at an easier pace, even the traffic lazily flowed along below. I stopped for a moment, closing my eyes, turning down the volume on my headphones, and then entering the glass doors into the station. I could see the station platform from the height of the stairs ? it seemed I had some time to spare. Ignoring the escalator, I approached the stairs, holding my backpack steady as to stop my crappy discman from skipping. I was regretting spending all my money on dvds rather than a good discman with an antishock feature. My single strapped backpack slung over my shoulder, one hand holding it close, and the other thumbing my jacket pocket, I descended not even three stairs before, to my surprise, I thought someone called my name from behind. ?Leon!? it called again. A female voice, though why would any girl possibly want to pick me out of the crowd? Cautiously I turned, almost certain that this was some kind of mistake. Walking up beside me, grinning her beautiful grin, flashing me her illustrious smile, radiating in her absolutely flawless complexion, this extraordinary goddess looked up at me with an astoundingly warm face and smiled again, ?Hey Leon.? [B]Freeze [/B] Ok, now how in the world would one of the most popular girls in school learn my name, and more importantly why would she bother to remember it. ?She digs you.? Huh? The low enthusiastic guttural voice came again, ?She totally digs you.? Who are you? ?Doesn?t matter. The point is, an opportunity has shown up, and you gotta grab it while it?s here, all right! Hey, everyone?s gotta lose their virginity at some point, right? Right.? What? ?Oh just ignore him. I swear, that?s all he ever thinks of, and listening to him will only get you into trouble.? ?Well then what do you suggest toots?? ?Oh, I don?t know, say something sweet, but not as to make yourself appear weak, forward, but not too aggressive. Say something nice.? Which would be?? ?Oh, I don?t know, something nice.? The Mischievous One cut in again, ?How bout something along the lines of,? He cleared his voice and hit the masculinity up a notch, ?Hey baby, how bout? you and I get a little freaky in the bathroom, right here, right now?? The Friendly Sage quickly piped up again, ?Now that is absolutely the most arrogant, conceited, and dirtiest things you could possibly say. Don?t listen to that mongrel Leon, you?re a nice boy, and this is a nice girl, a good first impression will go a long way. Invite her out for tea and crumpets, or something of the like. That?s the type of thing a sophisticated man would do.? I haven?t even said a single word to her yet and you?re telling me to ask her out on a date! ?Oh yes, woman love men who take the initiative ? Oh, perhaps it would be best to ask her name first.? The mischievous one struck back at once, ?Wouldn?t it just be a little rude to ask her name when she clearly knows his, darlin?? ?Don?t call me darling! And yes, I suppose that would be a little rude?? Christine. ?Huh?? They exasperated in unison. Christine. Her name is Christine. She?s in one of my classes. I talked to her once during a class activity, but, then again, I talked to just about everyone that period. I don?t think I told very many people my name, not that many knew in the first place. That had to be one of the toughest acts of my life. ?Hmm, I see,? Said the Mischievous One, ?Well obviously your mask has inevitably attracted her, as it should. All right Leon, keep it up! Next you have to do her! Do her now!? The friendly sage immediately jumped up, ?No Leon, you should not trick people into thinking you?re someone you?re not. Show her your real self; I?m sure she?ll love you for you! And there?s much more to love than sex you know!? I just met this girl and your already talking about love! And besides, she couldn?t possibly be interested in me, could she? ?She?s out of your league. Forget it.? Huh? The Nonchalant Soul spoke up again, his voice barely audible through the abyss, ?She?s out of your league, forget it.? But? ?If you can?t even think of something to say now, how do you ever expect to be able to talk to her in the future?? Well? ?Don?t be so flustered. Have you no confidence at all?? The mischievous one spoke in my defense, ?Look buddy, everyone feels nervous, especially at times like this. Leon?s doing the best he can.? ?Yes,? The Sage said, ?Leon is doing an admiral job at keeping about his wits about in a situation like this?? ??Then why does he need us?? The Nonchalant Soul interrupted. Neither of the two could answer. He was right. I couldn?t even come up with a good response, any response, to a mere hello. There was no way a girl like this could possibly be interested in a guy like me. I?m shy, introverted, the complete opposite of her, I?m could never be the one to start up a conversation out of the blue like her. I?m?pathetic. The Nonchalant One rose again. I awaited the final blow. But, he simply sighed and apathetically murmured, ?Opposites attract.? Huh? ?Leon. Just keep it simple.? [B]Go[/B] Face to face with her again, I took a deep breath, shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, looked down nervously and said, ?Hi.? ---------------- I'm actually pleased with he ending for once. I plan to give this in for my English assignment (Due Thursday). I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about it. Too fast, too slow, too much/not enough discription/character, or just how you feel about it. As for myself, I have... mixed feelings for it. There are some things I really like about it, but some that I'm not too sure about. Anywho, please tell me what you think. Thanks

Anne Rice is an excellent writer, but I feel at times she tends to drag on, especially in her descriptions. As vivid and well written as they are, I can't help but think "Ok, I honestly don't care what the room looks like, take me back into the action already!". Of course I still read all of the vampire chronicles, though reading 'Interview with the Vampire' it was really hard to keep going, and I never even finished 'The Vampire Armand'. 'The Vampire Lestat' was probably my favorite, though 'Queen of the Damned' and 'Memnoch the Devil' are right up there. I absolutely devoured 'Pandora' as well. I think you can tell that Anne Rice's mind is a boggle of conflicting ideas. For the first couple of books, she left religion almost completely out of the mix (Purposefully you can tell, as she makes it clears cruxcifixes do not have any effects on her vampires), then all of a sudden BAM she decides to dedicate a whole book to the heaven and earth, god and devil concept. I really like that she's flexible like that (But don't forget, this entire post is just one opinion). I am currently in the middle of 'Blood and Gold', which started of amazingly, but has unfortunately lost it's lustre. I'm still trudging through it, hoping that some of the magic will return. I'm also thinking of reading her other series of the Mayfare Witches or something like that. Sorry, but I haven't really gotten around to reading them yet. :D

I got really excited when I heard the news too! And it's been animated by the same people who so excellently animated the movie, and naturally it's nice that all the old seiyuu are reprising their roles. I just hope that the television series has a faster pacing than the originaly OVAs, which is very likely in my mind, as all of the initial character introductions have been made in the OVAs and all new fans will need is a quick refresher, also there's that fact they want to cover more of the manga this time around. :)

One thing I usually do is put on a song, something with a good beat and doesn't much emphasis on the lyrics and more on the music. I put it on repeat, just listen until it's played through one or two times, then (With the music still playing) write down whatever I felt through the song. By just listening at first it clears your mind of everything but the song, and kind of pushes those other ideas swirling around in your head out of the way. Just write down whatever comes to you after that, and slowly your own ideas will begin to resurface all neat and organised in your story. Well, that's how it usually works out for me. But sometimes a bad day is a bad day, and all you can do is sleep and try again tommarow! :)

I hated Tekken 4 because it seemed that gameplay had been really slowed down when compared to the previous games in the series. I think this may have been to try and turn the Tekken series from a more button-mashing style gameplay into a more skill required fighter. That pretty much entirely defeats the purpose the Tekken games for me. I'm glad Tekken 5 is coming back to the more fast-paced gameplay. Visually it looks very good as well. I'm definately looking forward to this! :)

Thanks for the reply. I've added spaces between the paragraphs so that it's easier to read (Hopefully). Since it's in first-person perspective, I decided to integrate thought and description toghether, I feel it helps the story mesh more. Everything in italics is flashback, so I hope that I didn't write it so that it could be confused as Leon's conscious thought. I don't know if I'll continue this. It would be fun, but honestly it's the first story I've actually completed in a while, and I'm already losing interest in it. But, it's held up longer than others, so maybe... Anywho, thanks for your thoughts. I really appreciate it. :)

[I]Flowers. Flowers of all different shapes and sizes, from your bright red roses to the purple violets, littered the garden, enjoying the open air. So much care and devotion was put into that dirt mount, but it all paid off in the long run. It was quite possibly the most peaceful place on earth.[/I] The thunderstorm roared overhead. It would not let out anytime soon. [I]And, lying softly on a bed of grass in the center of all this glory was the most beautiful flower of all. Singing softly as it basked in the sun, it could only have been a gift from the angels.[/I] Even over the bellowing showers, the screams went out, never stopping. [I]Now what is this flower which sings Leon?[/I] I threw my scabbard aside. It was no longer needed. [I]Why you my dear. You are the only flower that can grow in my garden.[/I] [I]Get that line from book Leon?[/I] My grip on Serenade?s hand tightened. [I]Too cheesy?[/I] The rain masked her tears, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes. [I]What?ll you say next? ?Want to make love in this little piece of heaven?? I would never ask you something like that![/I] I held her close? [I]Well I?m asking you.[/I] ?and I wanted to never let go. We could no longer hear the cannons, though they still burst into the ground, taking earth and soldier alike as casualties. We could no longer here much of anything over the rain and thunder. Except the screams. They never disappeared, going on and on like a horrible chant. I could no longer discern reality and illusion from one another. A nightmare that was both dream and actuality at once without being either at the same time. I never wanted this for her. I tried so hard for her to never experience this. But, it seems Fate had another fortune in store for me. My blade in one hand, Serenade?s in the other, I ran forward through the gates of The Keep, cutting down any man who stood in my way. A horse sprinted towards us; it?s master dead on his back. I quickly took hold of it?s reigns as it passed, calming the mighty steed and removing the body from it?s mount. I pulled it hard. It flew off, crashing to the ground, the black helmet coming loose to reveal his grizzly face. I tried to pull her aside but it was too late; his cold black eyes pierced into hers like daggers, and she screamed. I heard it clear as glass, deafening it was, tearing my body and soul loose to sends such as shock through my system I could no longer hold my bearings. Flailing my arms wildly to try and find something?anything?to latch onto, I fell the muddy earth, shivering. [I]Christine! Christine, are you ok!?![/I] [I]I?I killed him Leon. I killed him. It?s all right; it?s all right Chris. You had no choice; it was either him or you. You only did what you had to. His eyes. His cold, bloodless, hating eyes! What? What about his eyes? ? What is it Chris? ? Chris? ?They hurt.[/I] Darkness. Then, a wash of purple. Swirling, joining to become one. Someone was shaking me, calling me. It suddenly stopped. I jolted upright, my eyes barely open, a mace charging me. Not fast enough, I swung aside, but it caught me in the shoulder. Tearing my muscles apart, I managed to use the force to swing my body, running my sword through his belly. Catching myself, I took another stroke at his neck, then taking two others as he fell. It caused my great pain to move my left arm, but I endured, straddling her and myself to the horse. We ran. Like the plague, we moved, swiftly passing the bloodshed and leaving it behind us. I would not risk her, not even for my kingdom. [I]When you have a child, what are you going to name him?[/I] She would not be risked. [I]Well, if it were a boy, I?d say? Damian. A typical chick answer.[/I] A small troupe of soldiers approached us from ahead, their captain mounted at their front. [I]Well, what do you got hot shot?[/I] He raised his spear. She clung tighter. [I]Well, um, Se?Sebastian.[/I] I managed to duck under his swing, then, letting go of the reigns for a moment, grabbed his spear and wrenched it from him. [I]Oh yeah, that?s a real manly name. Well, how about for a girl?[/I] Positioning it in my injured hand, I could at least fend off oncoming warriors without losing control of the horse. [I]I don?t know. You first.[/I] The fog was too thick, I couldn?t see. [I]Actually, I?ve always been in love with the name Serenade. Serenade? Yeah. If we ever have a daughter, we are not naming her Serenade. Hey! Who ever said anything about us? Trust me, you ain?t never gonnna get any from me![/I] I suddenly realized we were lost. ?Daddy? Are we going to be ok?? I turned my head. ?Don?t worry sweetie. We?ll be fine.? An arrow flew from the sky piercing my chest. ?Dad!? I wrenched it out. ?Don?t worry. It?ll be ok.? I urged the horse to go faster?the direction?the destination?it didn?t matter. As long as we were far away from here, I didn?t care. [I]~To play the piano one must stroke the keys gently, lest one is simply making noise.~ What are you talking about? Don?t you think it?s a bit dangerous to be to be playing near a cliff? Back off Christine, I think this guy?s got something up his sleeve. ~It?s only been an hour since you gave birth. How does one mere female have so much power?~ Shut the **** up! I am not going to lose my daughter to someone like you! I?m not! ~Such harsh words, little miss. Do not worry, the girl will be safe. I shall raise her as if she was my own.~ Why? ~Why? Because she is royalty. He is not worthy to rule this land; you have a very bad taste in men little miss. I, however, am fit to rule this country, as so I will use her to gain power, when the time is right and she has reached a proper age to vouch for me. She will live well though. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for you.~[/I] We hit something. The horse fell. The air was heavy. [I]Christine! ~Off the cliff she goes. Foolish girl, I?m surprised she didn?t die of exhaustion just standing there.~ [B]Death[/B].[/I] A sword drove into my backside. The world was purple again. A dark, haunting purple. Violet? [I]I understand you are upset over Christine?s death, but do not forget about your daughter! Why, you haven?t even given her a name. Will you give her Violet as planned?[/I] I reached for her hand. [I]Serenade.[/I] She grabbed hold. It was the only warmth passing through my body. Suddenly she was torn from me. The lights went out. ?Serenade, did you water the Violets yet?? ?Sorry, I?ll get right on it.? ?Your father always loved Violets.? ?That?s why we grow so many. Right Mom?? ?Yes. I?I supposed that?s right.? ---------- I don't like the ending myself, it feels rushed, but I honestly can't figure out how to fix it. Anywho, please give your thoughts. Anything (And I mean anything) that you didn't like you should tell me. I really need it. :)

I have to agree with all r2vq's points, it simply wouldn't generate enough money/interest to put in theatres. Also there is the fact that many anime movies require some background knowledge of whatever series they are based on. People just aren't going to get it unless they've seen the series, and with so many series, the odds aren't very good except with big name titles, in which case the movie may spoil the series too. Not saying that there aren't any good stand alone movies. I have actually seen a Ghibli movie or two in small time theatres (Dubbed, but Spirited Away's dub wasn't that bad). Big time theatres are also a bit afraid to play anime films (If the idea ever comes up) because they are cartoons, and it's a general belief that cartoons are all specifically targeted at kids, yet kids won't be aloud to see these cartoons. How do they market it? Especially without upsetting parents who take their kids to see it without knowing any better. And the prospective profit isn't very large either, as anime still isn't very big (As mentioned above by r2vq).

I myself usually go for the subs. Simply because I know in every 9 out of 10 anime I watch the sub will be better. Part of it is because the Seiyuu are always just way more into it, and usually have more emotion and really bring the character to life more so than the english voice actors. But, then again, it's a bit easier for them to be good in some aspects because they usually record at the same time, so it's easier for them to feed of each other. An other advantage is that most fans over here can't understand the language, so all we pick up is the general emotion and can't tell if they stressed the wrong words and what-not. Sometimes though a dub will appeal to me though, such as the case of Cowboy Bebop (I hated Ed's Seiyuu and thought the Dub Actress just had wayy more energy, suiting the way I see Ed more) or Evangelion (Though the *** track is still better, I just like the english track). The crew for the Slayers dub was fantastic (A lot of VAs changed during/after the first season, so think NEXT), and I really wish they had all been brung back for Premium (But all we got was Crispin Freeman. One of my favorite English VAs, but I still end up putting on the sub track everytime I watch). I miss David Moo, Lisa Ortiz, Veronica Taylor, and especially Eric Stuart!:( English VAs are also just too quiet for me sometimes when they need to be louder and bigger. Or when they are supposed to be quiet, they end up sounded bored and emotionless, or it's very clear that not only do they have no idea what they're talking about, but they have no confidence in their speech either. Sometimes it's not really their fault though, as certain companies didn't bother to get professional VAs in the past and instead just used people from the company. Glad that doesn't happen very often anymore (Though it'd kind of sad when they do get proffessionals and it still sounds bad). When getting a new anime, I usually try to listen to both tracks and pick which ever I like best. I don't do it by watching an episode in one language then watching it again in another though, as you will naturally be inclined to go with whatever you heard first because you've grown used to hearing the character like with that voice. I switch every minute or two. It may detract a bit from my experience, but I always do research to find out if I'll like a series, or I do a coin toss if it's a movie and maybe I'll switch to the other track for a bit near the beginning. Overall though, I usually prefer the subs. Dubs aren't bad, and I even have a ew favorite English VAs, but rarely do I prefer the dub over the sub. :)

[quote name='aeroboy']in samurai X does he still use the reverse blade sword?[/quote] In the first four OVAs, he is still the Battousai, so he has no qualms about killing and has not chosing that particular lifestyle of semi-pacifism ([I]semi[/I] :eek: ), so he does no have a Sakabato/Reverse blade sword yet. However, in the movie and the last two OVAs (Also released under the name Samurai X, as I mentioned before), he does carry his Sakabato. :)

Yes there are only two episodes of Ninja Ressurection. Or more appropriately, there are only 2 OVAs. Many anime productions that are too short for TV (Such as this) are simply released as OVAs (Original Video Animation) or OAVs (Original Animation Video). Those two are the some thing. These anime are never shown on TV, though a series or a movie may be made to continue or expand on the OVAs if the OVAs were popular enough. Or OVAs are made to expand upon series (Usually in the form of bonus episodes and such). Ninja Resurrection, from what I've heard and seen, isn't very good. It's gained some popularity on the fact that ADV said it was related to Ninja Scroll (Though it isn't), and so some people bought it. Ninja Scroll doesn't rank high on my scales either, but that's getting off topic. So basically what I'm saying is that the company that made Ninja Ressurection (Phoenix Animation) didn't feel the OVAs maritted any expansion (Unless there is something else related to this that I don't know of), and thus no more OVAs/Movies/ect. were made.

I'd just like to say something. The OVA's and the movie aren't really called Samurai X. ADV (Much to my dismay) simply released them in North America under that name. Kenshin isn't even a Samurai, but it's just one of ADVs many bad decisions (In my opinion) in porting anime over here. They thought the name Samurai X would have more appeal than Rurouni Kenshin. I did like the subtitles though (Trust and Betrayal, Reflection), but those aren't translations either, they just thought it fit (And, lo and behold, I think they actually did). The original 4 OVAs (Which tell how Kenshin got his scar) are orginally called: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen. The movie is called: Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Ishin Patriots (Translated) The last 2 OVAs are called: Rurouni Kenshin: Seisouhen They are all official parts of the Kenshin universe, though the animation in all of them is done by a differant group. They all are taken from the manga (Except the movie. Atleast to my knowledge). The last two are simply meant to wrap up the rest of the manga and give the fans some closure. The movie drags in the middle, and there are too many reused cells for my liking. The last two OVAs are simply too fast and don't rreally do much except give you some nice fight scenes and (As I said) offer some closure. The first 4 OVAs are sheer brilliance I think. You should definately check them all out to get the most of the Kenshin universe. :)

I first played the NES at my cousin's house (And bought one a month later), and my first game was, naturally, Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt. I was only about 3 at the time (A 3 year old with a video game console back in those days! Yes, I admit, I was a bit spoiled by my parents). I still have the old thing sitting in my closet collecting dust. When I was 4 it came into contact with a soccer ball. We would have to kick it to get it to work after that. My foots gotten a lot bigger, and I'm afraid to try that now. Man, that thing was fun though!

You know, I posted that story on 3 differant message boards, and easily over two thirds of the people who replied told me how unfunny it was, but you're the only person who actually told me why, and how I can make my next better. Thank you. Thinking back, I should have edited it more. The cheese joke should have been mentioned earlier, just as you said, but I only thought of it just at that point in the story, so I guess it didn't occur to go back and mention it earlier. :)

My Anime Con Tips!: -Bring a camera to photograph other cosplayers. Not a huge deal, it's just a lot of fun! -Bring a lot of money if you plan on visiting the vendor rooms. If there's something you really want, look for it right away since the more popular stuff sells out the first day. If there's nothing you really want, feel free to browse, but I reccomend you save a good portion of your money for the last day, as most vendors would rather give huge discounts rather than lug all the stuff back to their shop. Try bargaining. :) -Pack a lunch and bring some water (Or pop or juice, but I reccomend water if you're cosplaying as it's easier to get out if something happens to spill). Be prepared. -Though you don't have to register in the Cosplay competition to cosplay, I reccomend that you do. There are usually awards for workmanship, and for the skits (If you do a skit, or else you can just do a walk-on [walk accross stage, stoping briefly to strike a pose]). If you do wish to join the competition, make sure to register as early as possible. -If cosplaying, there aren't many places you can change, so be prepared to stay in your costume the whole day. I have a lot of tips of cosplay, but that's getting off topic. -There's tons of stuff to do at a con. Of course there are your standard viewing rooms in which you can watch various anime, but there are usually panels and many other events taking place. I'm not saying you should plan the entire day before hand (That could be boring), but have some structure so you have a slight idea as to what you're going to do. If your con has a sight, visit it regularily and look for updates. If you have some sort of plan going in, it's harder to get lost. -If it's your first con and it's a big con, make sure to stick with a group, or a least one other person. It's real easy to get lost, though people at these cons are pretty nice and will probably help you out if you ask. But, it's always better to have someone with you. Ask around here or on other message boards to see who is going if you need someone to hang with (Though, don't create a new topic on it, that could be seen as spam, just ask in this topic or another anime con topic). Let's see... That's all I can think of right now. I'll edit this post with more if I think of any. If you have any questions, even the slightest insignificant ones, always ask. :) Oh yeah, and most important of all, Have Fun! :)