Shinmaru

[quote name='Dagger']Tonight's going to be a Charlie episode, no?[/quote] Yep. I'm betting [spoiler]it will turn about to be another one of those episodes where a Charlie death is teased but doesn't actually happen. If Charlie dies, it will definitely happen in the season finale, I think.[/spoiler] The amount of people posting spoilers around the 'net is frightening. STOP TEMPTING ME. EDIT: Also, [spoiler]Locke definitely isn't dead. Carlton Cuse has been teasing a showdown between Locke and Jack, and it'd be a bit difficult for that to go down if Locke were six feet under.[/spoiler]

You know, after watching the Death Note anime so much, I can't read the manga now without hearing music from the anime playing in my head. It especially seems to come up during L and Light's internal monologues...

Hiro from Heroes is my hero.

I have to work today while my family celebrates Mother's Day by playing poker and my siblings play video games. Oh, the life of a journalist. :(

I wonder how many dead bodies in a movie = 1 cigarette?

I saw [i]Spider-Man[/i] 3 this afternoon, and I have to say [spoiler]Emo Asshole Peter is pretty much worth the price of admission alone. It wasn't true to the comics at all, but whatever, entertainment is entertainment. I mean, come on, the dancing, the popped collar, the winking at and pointing to random women, the thrusting... AND HE SWISHED HIS HAIR. I swear to God I was rolling when I saw that. The only way it could've possibly been better is if he brushed his hand through his bangs and then they fell back into place. Then again, I probably would've died of laughter like the weasel gang from [i]Who Framed Roger Rabbit[/i] had that happened, so it's probably a good thing my wishes went unfulfilled there. EDIT: I forgot about Peter making his landlord's daughter bake him cookies. Hahaha. So ****ing over the top and silly but so damn funny. "Go make me some nuts." Also really funny in that scene is when Dr. Connors talks about the symbiote being very aggressive, and then it cuts to the symbiote cell being a total bastard and beating the **** out of the other cells. Hilarious.[/spoiler] The rest of the movie was just fine... they tried to do too much, a bit too much action, the butler sucked, blah blah blah. Still entertaining enough, though.

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']Is it tacky to write your an article about yourself? Hm.[/size][/quote] Well, who [i]else[/i] would write about you? :p

Death Lists, yay! (I wish I had a Death [i]Note[/i] for Kate. :|) Spoiler tags for no particular reason: [spoiler]1. Ben 2. Charlie 3. Mikhail 4. Juliet 5. Naomi 6. Tom 7. Desmond 8. Kate 9. Alex 10. Claire My reasoning for putting Ben and Charlie high on the list hasn't changed. Dagger mentioning Mikhail in an earlier post reminded me someone [i]other[/i] than a main character could die (:p), and I think a second Mikhail death would actually take this time. Juliet... someone's going to be angry about her, on one side or the (O)ther. Naomi, I keep going back and forth on, but I put her up somewhat high just in case. Tom loves him some Ben, so I think he'll follow his leader to the grave. Desmond is on here if, for whatever reason, Charlie somehow survives his fate. Kate is on here because I want her to die, and I'm taking the rumor Ozy posted into account, but I don't think she'll die. Alex is someone who I think might get caught in the crossfire between the Survivors and the Others. Claire is on there as someone who will die if somehow both Charlie [i]and[/i] Desmond survive.[/spoiler]

[QUOTE=Matt]Okay, Friday has passed, the day NarutoFan releases the next chapter... However, something is missing. There's no chapter today. There wasn't even a RAW posted. What the heck happened? Did we miss a memo or something?[/QUOTE] It's Golden Week in Japan. They're having a week of holidays, basically.

[quote name='DeadSeraphim][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial]It's been like this for millennia. Except now we have TV. If anything, humanities gotten better. Do you see slavery? Do you see widespread accepted pedophilia? We've got rid of all these things in the last hundred years or so.[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] Alan is correct. People have pretty much always sucked.

Yay, more people posting in the Lost thread! Good to see you back, Megan. :) [quote name='Arcadia']For some reason I kept thinking he was going to start beating Locke with his little cane...[/quote] He's not House, you silly person. :p [quote][spoiler]The parallels between Locke and Juliette are interesting, considering that they are both in very similar situations. They're both from different camps, and they both seem to have some ulterior motives - Locke says that he's not infiltrating, but I don't think he's much of a team player, either. At this point I think Juliette is also just waiting for the right opportunity to screw Ben over. The difference is that she wants off the island and Locke wants everybody to stay. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.[/spoiler][/quote] You know, I never thought about this before. In a way, they're already being set against each other, since [spoiler]Locke gave Sawyer the evidence that will incriminate Juliet.[/spoiler] [quote name='Dagger]I skim the spoiler thread at the TWOP forums from time to time, but all I've gleaned from it lately is the [spoiler]five deaths[/spoiler] hint that Shin mentioned. I was under the impression that it was [spoiler']"five deaths in May," though, so I'm counting Anthony Cooper as the first of the deaths. Here's a cursory list--not necessarily what I'll be showing my friends when we start our betting pool, but it reflects my thoughts at the moment.[/spoiler][/quote] Hm, I never considered the [spoiler]five deaths[/spoiler] in that way. Doesn't really change my list much, though, since I wasn't really sure about [spoiler]who the fifth person to die would be...[/spoiler] By the way, it's great that you're actually putting together a betting pool for this. We should put together one of our own and play for bragging rights. :animesmil [quote][spoiler]- Naomi. I have a feeling that she's not going to be long for the island.[/spoiler][/quote] That's a possibility. [spoiler]Considering the death toll is going to be so high, I suppose it would make sense for "upper-tier" characters to be one or two of the deaths, whereas the other deaths would be a level or two below them.[/spoiler] [quote][spoiler]- Mikhail. Second time's the charm? Alternatives: Cindy, Tom.[/spoiler][/quote] [spoiler]I hadn't thought about Mikhail dying; actually, I'm getting the feeling he'd be more likely to die than Naomi or Cindy. But I think Tom would be about as likely as Mikhail to bite the dust. Of the two, I'd rather Mikhail die, if only because Tom has become a hilarious parody of his former self ever since it was revealed that Ben is higher up in the food chain than he is.[/spoiler] [quote][spoiler]I just don't think they'll kill off more than one of the core survivors. If I had my druthers, Jack would be a goner, plus Kate Blabby McBlabber Austen. But if I had to guess, I'd say that Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer will be basically untouchable until near the end of the series.[/spoiler][/QUOTE] [spoiler]I still think Sawyer is the most likely to die out of these four, but if he survives, I think the chances of these four surviving intact until close to the end of the series go up quite a bit.[/spoiler] We'll see. :P

Oh, ho, ho. A very interesting episode. [spoiler]Things are going down in the Others' camp, indeed. Now we know that unhappiness with how Ben runs the show isn't limited to Juliet; at least a few people besides Richard Alpert are looking to Locke as someone who can achieve great things. Wouldn't it be interesting if Locke were to be thrust into Ben's position and suddenly he was in total opposition to the Survivors? In any case, these power struggles don't exactly make me confident that Ben will make it through the season... And once again... Sawyer conned. Anthony Cooper's death scene was intense as hell; the flashes of anger in Sawyer's eyes when Cooper ripped up his letter were practically lightning bolts, haha. A nice, violent, chokey death is pretty much what Cooper deserved, though, again, this doesn't exactly make me confident that Sawyer will live to see Season 4. His central issue is resolved (at least partially... there's no way vengeance can magically heal years of maladjustment lol), he's oh so happy right now with Kate... he's ripe for a death, though maybe not before shooting another billion sperm or whatever through Kate again. Most of the rumors I've been reading have the death toll before season's end pegged at five. That means it's time for speculation! Here's who I think might die: - Charlie or Desmond: I thought that announcing Charlie's impending doom would actually work to keep him alive, but now I'm not so sure. I'm thinking he gets a noble death in the inevitable Survivor/Other confrontation. If Charlie doesn't die, however, I think Desmond bites the dust for working against fate a few too many times. Of the two, I'd rather see Charlie go. - Ben: I think Ben will be the biggest casualty in the season finale. People are scorning his fertility work, Locke is definitely going to be butting heads with him, and if Ben's plot to snatch the pregnant women of the island falls through, then perhaps the unforgiving Jacob won't grant mercy to Ben. - Sawyer: As much as it pains me to list him, I think there's at least a decent possibility he's a goner. :( With the tape in his hands, Sawyer will probably lead the charge against the Others along with Sayid, who never really trusted Juliet ever. Maybe Kate, too, but I hope not, because she sucks and she ****ing blabbed about the radio to Jack like 0.0000005 seconds after Sayid told her not to. The most perfect description of Kate I've read is that she's like a junior high gossip queen. Hahaha. Lord, I wish I could put Kate on this list instead. Anyway, one of our intrepid leaders will die, and I seriously doubt it will be Sayid. - Jack or Juliet: I'm interested to know what secret Jack and Juliet are sharing, but for now I'm thinking Juliet's status as a mole and Jack's undying trust in her will put both their lives at risk. To me, Juliet seems more likely to die than Jack, and then Jack can mope about losing yet another woman. I like Jack and all, but man, that's getting a bit tiring. Just stop trying to make any connections at all, Jack; you and relationships just don't work out. - I don't know who the fifth person could be. Tom? Jin? Sun? Uh... Tom instead of Jin or Sun? lol Also, I can't post without mentioning that once again Hurley has topped himself with, "What the hell are [i]you[/i] doing?" and then trying to look cool after Sawyer says he's taking a leak by saying that's what he and Jin are doing, too. In a tent. Hahaha. Oh Hurley.[/spoiler] I

It's funny how loud the [spoiler]purgatory[/spoiler] people got after the ending to this episode. Besides the fact that the [spoiler]purgatory[/spoiler] theory has been discounted several times by the show's producers, the ending of the Season 2 finale outright disproves it (unless [spoiler]Penny and the two scientists are [i]also[/i] dead, which, frankly, would be beyond retarded[/spoiler]). Right now, I'm leaning toward the whole deal being a [spoiler]massive cover-up by The Others - it's been shown throughout Lost that they clearly have the means and influence to execute something like this; it's to their benefit if the outside world thinks everyone on Oceanic Flight 815 is dead, anyway.[/spoiler] Also, if what I'm reading is correct, the last thing Naomi (the parachutist) said to Mikhail was, [spoiler]"I am not alone." Mikhail dashed off in a nice little hurry after that... doesn't bode well for anyone besides Naomi who might have survived.[/spoiler] Other random things: - Hurley's always been funny, but, man, he's been on fire the last few weeks. The "Oops" after he fired the flare was funny, and his, "Like I'd tell you" to Mikhail after he blabbed about the radio transmitter cracked me up. - Jin's dad is a great, great man. [spoiler]Jin's mom - not so much.[/spoiler] - Watching Jin bust out the martial arts moves was fantastic. - The episode's flashback is very interesting - [spoiler]in a way, Sun is responsible for Jin becoming one of her father's hired thugs, and Sun is clearly aware of what her father does, but when Jin came home a bloody mess in earlier (later, I guess lol) flashbacks, she seemed pretty upset, as if she had no idea what Jin was doing. One of the most subtle things the writers have done throughout Lost is introducing shades of grey to Sun.[/spoiler] - Everything with Sun and Juliet was wonderful, especially when it was revealed that [spoiler]Jin is the father. YAY.[/spoiler]

[QUOTE=Japan_86][COLOR=DarkRed]elite dragon0 (Red) abob Ttef otaku (Boba Fett) darkordernighto (Corey) el kazuko (Kazuko) nintendo heretic (Me) luzesybelitas (I think this was Sarah (future girl is her current OB screen name, I believe), but I'm not 100% sure.) kaisuke xero (Kenji... apparently he goes by 'Syn' now though)[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Those are the names I remember. I recognize dramatic zach, as well, but I can't remember the name of that particular person.

Last night's episode was solid. I really liked Juliet's flashback. It did a fantastic job of illustrating the slow emotional breakdown that's led her to being the cold person she is now; Juliet in Miami and Juliet on the island are [i]worlds[/i] apart. Especially effective were [spoiler]the scenes with Ben in the kitchen (Ben looked amazingly shaken up; he really was on the verge of panic after he found out about his spinal tumor) and in The Flame (Juliet's reaction to seeing her sister onscreen and the aftermath to that was heartbreaking... also interesting to finally know for sure the outside world is [i]well[/i] aware of the plane's disappearance).[/spoiler] The main story was good too. The tension between [spoiler]Juliet and everyone else is great; I expect she'll eventually be accepted by everyone except Sawyer, Sayid, and Kate. (Sayid is, what, 4-0 now in betrayal predictions? I'm not so sure I wouldn't believe what Jack believes if I were him, but, still, Sayid's opinion has got to count for something at this point.) The twist was well executed as well - I definitely suspected that Juliet was working against the Tailies, but that didn't make the revelation any less impactful. The fact that it came after Jack said he saw it in Juliet's eyes that she wants to get off the island more than anything else is no coincidence to me - I don't doubt Juliet believes doing this is her ticket off the island.[/spoiler] The little bit with the [spoiler]implant in Claire[/spoiler] is interesting, as well. I'm wondering if that implies [spoiler]Claire would have been completely cured of whatever affliction the island brings upon pregnant women were it not for that implant.[/spoiler] Hm. It's nice to get an answer to the questions of [spoiler]child stealing and why Claire was taken from the camp.[/spoiler] Also: [spoiler]You know poor Sun is going to be affected at some point; what makes it even more interesting is that the Others have no way of knowing about Sun's pregnancy. Sun isn't showing, and it certainly wasn't common knowledge before the plane crash - hell, [i]Sun[/i] didn't even know about it! Juliet will be getting a nice shock when she hears of this, I'm sure... it might even throw a monkey wrench into her plans, though if she helps Sun, she'll practically be a saint to Jin, haha.[/spoiler] What say the rest of you?

[QUOTE=DeadSeraphim][font=arial][size=1][color=indigo]Addendum: Allamorph[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] It grinds my gears that I don't see the word 'addendum' pop up every day. What a great word. EDIT: I also hate Kate from [i]Lost[/i]. If she lives through the entire series, I will lose all faith in mankind.

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink']Shinmaru: Nintendo (Jul 30 ~ Aug 08, 2003 to ???)[/color][/quote] To make my date a tad more exact, I became Nintendo mod September 22, 2003. :) EDIT: And, yeah, I guess Des has my retirement date correct... I don't have access to the mod forum anymore, so I can't say for sure. :p

[quote name='Sara][color=#b0000b][size=1]Or perhaps a pointed stick.[/size'][/color][/quote] Yes. The more harmless, the better. Especially when taking on humans, because they are impervious to our most powerful magnetic fields. double reference lol

[b]Name:[/b] Michael [b]Screen Name:[/b] Shinmaru [b]Age:[/b] 21 NO TEN PARAGRAPHS ABOUT 3RD GRADE BECUZ IM WORKING RIGHT NOW LAWL

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']I found CC to be way easier than CT though. I don't think I ever died in CC, and only came close a few times. Being able to load up all three characters with healing elements, plus being able to use leftover stamina for free heals at the end of battle, meant I was running around with full health nearly all the time.[/color][/quote] Eh, it's not as though there's any shortage of healing items or magic replenishing items in Chrono Trigger, or even money with which to buy either. I died maybe once or twice the first time I went through CT, and I really had no problems healing myself at any time. [quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink']Perhaps it's just me, but I really felt that, despite being mostly mute, Serge's character really spoke volumes. It was mainly how the other characters responded to him, and it's the absolute best indirect character development I've ever seen in a game. Certainly better than with Crono.[/color][/quote] It's not just you; when it comes to Serge vs. Lynx, Serge certainly held up his end of the battle just fine. I never felt especially attached to Crono (though I did like him more than Marle and a bit more than Ayla), but there's something about the way Serge carries himself that makes him different.

[QUOTE=Nerdsy][color=deeppink]Say [i]what[/i]? I've played through the game at least a dozen times, and I somehow missed that [i]every time.[/i][/color][/QUOTE] Haha, really? [spoiler]You just talk with Crono and his buddies on Opassa Beach before you use the Time Egg and fight the Time Devourer and they'll spill the beans. They also reveal some other interesting plot tidbits that I wish were actually revealed during the course of the plot rather than as part of an "OH BY THE WAY" kind of thing.[/spoiler] But, yeah, it's pretty wild and it definitely gives Lynx more depth as a villain; it certainly changed the way I look at him lol.

[quote name='Molleta][COLOR=Teal']As the High Priest of Molly-ism, Shinmaru pledged to build a temple to glorify his Lord, and personally finance it himself. Well, I co-signed for funding. Having a congregation of worshippers does wonders for the credit rating, you know. Anyway, 23 million in loans and 13 million in real estate later... he may lead the movement, but I still haven't seen a cent[/COLOR][/quote] Haha, Mollyism, wow does [i]that[/i] ever bring back some memories! I am such a horrible High Priest. I am shamed. :( Also, yeah, my awful original username. Ugh. I can't imagine the pain and torment it caused; I can only hope it was like [i]Raiders of the Lost Ark[/i] with lots of melting faces and exploding Nazis.

GINORMOUS BUMP POWER Anyway, I've had some decent time on my hands lately, so I finally beat Chrono Cross. Good times, I had a hell of a time playing the game, especially once I got my head out of my *** and mustered up some decent battle strategy. The only boss who gave me any trouble once I started battling intelligently was [spoiler]Miguel[/spoiler] - he killed me a couple of times even though I pummeled the crap out of him with everything I had. [spoiler]Garai[/spoiler] and [spoiler]Luxator (the white dragon in Terra Tower)[/spoiler] both gave me a bit of a scare, but I beat them both the first time I fought them. Even if some of the battles could've been a bit tougher, though, they were still fun. As for how Chrono Cross compares to Chrono Trigger... I'm actually not sure which game I prefer. My gut says Chrono Trigger for now; however, there are definitely some elements where I think Chrono Cross clearly bests Chrono Trigger. Storywise, well, it's a bit weird. For sure I think Chrono Trigger has better characters - there are less of them, so they all get more attention and more opportunity for the player to make a connection with them, whereas in Chrono Cross there are a ton of characters, but the proportion of them where you can say, "Wow, I [i]really[/i] cared about what happened to *insert name here*" is a lot lower. Also, I don't think anything in Chrono Cross beats Magus' story in Chrono Trigger - [i]so[/i] friggin' cool. However, when it comes to overall plot, I actually prefer Chrono Cross. The stuff between Serge and Lynx is so interesting to me, though it's a bit anticlimactic how the loose ends are wrapped up. I mean, I know it's strongly hinted at throughout the game that Lynx is [spoiler]Wazuki, Serge's father[/spoiler], and I suppose it [i]is[/i] essentially all but confirmed if you connect the dots with [spoiler]Miguel guarding the Dead Sea for FATE and Lynx's status as FATE's human incarnation[/spoiler], but I think it would've been stronger to have Lynx himself confirm rather than have [spoiler]Chrono's ghost (or whatever the hell it is)[/spoiler] throw it out there at the end like, "Oh, by the way, [spoiler]Lynx is your dad, Wazuki, BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING LOL[/spoiler]" But, yeah, despite my misgivings about the way that plot thread was handled near the end, I loved how strongly it hammered home the story's theme of the corrupting influence of power and how far over the edge it makes people go. I mean, you hear so much about how good a guy [spoiler]Wazuki[/spoiler] was, and once you realize how far [spoiler]FATE and the Frozen Flame eroded and warped his mind until he became essentially pure evil as Lynx[/spoiler], well, it hit pretty hard with me, anyway. I also [i]really[/i] enjoyed the idea of [spoiler]entire dimensions splitting off and becoming destroyed by the decisions we make, as evidenced by the Dead Sea (the first visual of the Dead Sea is chilling, by the way)[/spoiler]. In fact, the whole dual dimension thing in Chrono Cross I enjoy about as much as the time traveling in Chrono Trigger. Another World and Home World don't feel as big as Chrono Trigger's multiple timeframes, but the differences between the two make them just as interesting, I think. Getting to other parts of the game... battles are kind of weird, too. I prefer Chrono Trigger's battle system (easier to get a handle on and I like the multitude of double/triple techs), but battles are tougher and more fun in Chrono Cross. I never felt very challenged with any of CT's bosses (not even Lavos), and Chrono Cross does have the same problem to a large extent once you figure out the ins and outs of the battle system, but CC's challenges are tougher, I think. (Well, until you get the [spoiler]Mastermune[/spoiler], anyway - Serge is a ****ing BEAST with that thing lol.) That also extends to the stuff outside battles; it's not too difficult to figure out where to go and what to do in CT, whereas CC doesn't hold your hand [i]quite[/i] as much. Music-wise, they're about even, though any piece featuring the violin in CC is killer. I love "Time's Scar" and I love the battle theme.

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Personally like Sandy I'd let off a good phlegmy one right on top of Hanabishi Recca purely because he judges people based off of their appearance rather than their personality.[/SIZE][/quote] Damn right, you've got to [i]know[/i] someone before you can judge 'em. Otherwise it's a no go. And, Des, I didn't resign - I [i]retired[/i]. Those sex scandals had nothing to do with me giving up the modship, I swear...

Besides the $40 million I clearly owe myself now, I also owe the U.S. Border Patrol about $25 million in hush money for all the times I crossed the border doing various... things. I suppose they're not pleased about all the I.O.U.s I've given them, but hey, it's not [i]my[/i] fault they'll take anything with even a semblance of money attached to it.