Shinmaru

I'm half Mexican, and that's where most of my looks come from. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and whatnot. I can also do a sexy accent. Ooh baby. I'm also part English, German, Dutch, and Native American...though if you asked me what tribe, or whatever, I wouldn't be able to answer, because I don't know. It's such a miniscule part of my heritage that I've never paid much heed to it, anyway.

As undeniably gritty as it is, I've always loved the video for "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. First off, "Closer" is a great song. Second, there's just so much craziness going on in the video that I can't adequately describe it lol. It's just so bizarre, but it's really a great, great video. Pick and choose any of Weird Al Yankovic's videos, and I'll undoubtedly love any of them. In my opinion his videos are just genius, and actually make his songs funnier than they already are. I honestly don't think I could choose my favorite video of his.

Backwards compatibility is nice, but I don't particularly think that it should be a requirement for a company who has an older system with a large library of games. None of Nintendo's home consoles have had backwards compatibility from the start, and I don't really miss it all too much. So, if Microsoft decided not to include backwards compatibility in their next console, I won't mind. Maybe if I didn't already own an XBox I might care a bit more, but I don't know. For some reason, though, it's more of an issue in handheld systems. I certainly make extensive use of the backwards compatibility in my GBA and DS a lot of the time. EDIT: Yeah, I agree with Des and Morpheus, actually. Early in the morning, obvious reasons don't pop into my head, and whatnot.

[quote name='Siren']Trivial Pursuit: Star Wars edition is downstairs, and my family refuses to let me play with it when we all play Trivial Pursuit.[/quote] I need this in my life. I've got large collections of various things. Star Wars memorabilia (figures, posters, books, movies, board games, etc.), video game memorabilia (actual games, Nintendo Power posters, magazines, figures, plushies and whatnot), and books. I've got lots of books in my house lol. I tend to go for classic literature and poetry more often than not. I'm not a real serious collector, though, in that I just tend to go for regular copies of books. Dollar value doesn't really concern me, I'll buy a somewhat ratty copy of a good book from a thrift store if I want to read it, for example. Yeah. I actually [i]do[/i] stuff with my collections, I don't just collect them for the hell of it. That would be weird. :p

Yeah, members can't change thread titles. However, I don't think it's that harsh at all, really. All you would have to do in that sort of situation is to PM Arcadia, inform her about what rating you'd like for your RPG, and she can edit the title and re-open the thread. Threads that are closed don't have to stay closed forever, after all. That way if a lot of people have already signed up for the RPG it won't have to be halted because of a simple lapse of memory, or whatever. It takes a bit more initiative from both members and mods, but I think it's a decent system. It doesn't take a lot of time at all for a mod to edit a thread title (I edit them occasionally in Play It), so it's hardly an inconvenience, or anything.

So, do you want to talk about Tales of Symphonia, or game endings that disappointed you? Your thread title is extremely misleading o_O; I'll edit the title and keep the thread going in case people would like to post about this subject. Be forewarned that [i]everyone[/i] should use spoiler tags when discussing crucial points of a game, especially the ending. [*spoiler]text[*/spoiler]

[quote name='Blinky']As far as MGS2 goes. It was the exact opposite for me. I loved the gameplay, but I wanted to kill myself everytime a cutscene came on. I guess that's just me though, lol.[/quote] Well, not just you. There are plenty of people who cringed whenever a cutscene or conversation for MGS2 came up. Not me, really, as I was curious about everything, and willing to sit through it all, but I guess I'm weird like that. lol I like looking at a particularly beautiful game, but that doesn't make up the entire experience for me. Rather, it's just one part of everything that comes together for a game to make the experience great as a whole. The graphics, the sound, the gameplay, and whatever else you would like to toss in there work together to make the game what it is. With that said, I see gameplay as the most important part by far. Bad graphics/sound/etc. can make a game bad, but only if they interfere with the gameplay (i.e. horrible slowdown, distracting sound effects).

Blinky's right. The coming of the DS does [i]not[/i] mean the end of the GBA, by any means. The GBA is still being supported by Nintendo, and I assume that they'll keep releasing new games for the system for a while. It's not like you're being forced to buy a DS right away, anyway. If anything, I'd say to hold out on buying it for a while until more great games come out for the system. And the GBA has been out for a few years, too. I don't know how long it takes you to 'enjoy' a system, but a few years is quite a while in the gaming industry lol.

[quote name='Lady_Rin']Edited after reading a post from Panda: Don't ever bury your inner child for that is the freedom that everyone craves. *sticks toungue out* *skips off*[/quote] I'd hope that wasting people's time with petty insults isn't a part of releasing your inner child. I act about my age, I'd say (I'm nineteen). Most of the time I just like having fun, and not worrying about things. I'm only nineteen, I really have nothing to worry about at the moment, anyway. So, I just act the way that feels right at the moment. Most of the time I'm rather silly, except at school, where I'm a bit more serious. Because school is supposed to be serious, you know? :rolleyes: Yeah, I probably act a bit too seriously at school. If I saw myself at school, I'd probably snicker a bit to myself. Makes me wonder if other people do the same :p

[b][center]"A Voice In Your Head I"[/center][/b] He dabbles in time, he delights in manipulation and titters with pleasure at the chaos he?s created. A voice in your ear, a well-dressed friend, a conscience. He?s the shoulder that?s always ready to be leaned on, and has been since the beginning of life. Can you feel him leaning back? Whispering in your ear? [b][center]"A Voice In Your Head II"[/center][/b] He?s slow-witted and dull. His heart is in the right place, but he can?t make it right. He?s pushy, holier-than-thou, and everything else that people hate. He does not whisper; he yells, struggles to make his voice heard, convinced that what he is saying is of the utmost importance. It is right, but he?s wrong.

*looks back at previous posts* Hm, it's been a while since I've been here. I used to say 'heh' way too damn much for my liking. I finished [i]The Dark Tower[/i] about an hour ago. I got [i]Song of Susannah[/i] and [i]The Dark Tower[/i] for Christmas, and I used most of the remaining days of Winter Break to read [i]Song of Susannah[/i]. I got about 140-odd pages in to [i]The Dark Tower[/i], but then schoolwork distracted me too much to continue. But much like Roland, the pull of the Dark Tower proved too much for me, and I started my journey up once again on Tuesday, and it's come to a conclusion, after almost two years of reading the series. In all honestly, I feel ridiculously happy and sad right now. The series is undoubtedly my favorite series of books (moreso than [i]Lord of the Rings[/i], [i]Harry Potter[/i], or whatever other book series you're likely to think up), and the hours I've spent reading them have been an absolute joy. From the bleak beginnings of [i]The Gunslinger[/i], to the dreary (but oh so [i]right[/i]) ending of [i]The Dark Tower[/i], I can't think of a single moment where I wasn't utterly enthralled with the Dark Tower novels, completely engrossed in thoughts of what would be coming next, what would ultimately be waiting for Roland of Gilead in the Dark Tower, and the adventures that he and his ka-tet would have along the way. It's been a real treat. If I could, I'd walk up to Stephen King and thank him for every word of the series that he's written. As for the actual novels themselves...I'd heard that a few people were disappointed about [i]Song of Susannah[/i]. I wasn't one of those people. I really liked the book. One of the shorter novels in the series, yes, and not quite as fantastic as the final book in the series ended up being...but it's still great. The writing is nice and tight, the story is good (even if the slight lack of focus on Jake and [spoiler]Pere Callahan[/spoiler] is a bit disappointing), and the reader is given more of a reason to sympathize with Susannah, to draw closer to her. Eddie and Jake have given plenty of reason to sympathize with them, both based on their personality and what they've gone through during the course of the novels. This novel was Susannah's major trial, and I'll be damned if [spoiler]the whole ordeal with Susannah and Mia[/spoiler] doesn't draw people closer to Susannah. The cliffhanger ending is par for the course for the Dark Tower series, but it didn't bother me much, since I had the last novel of the series ready and waiting for me to read it. [spoiler]I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention how cool I thought everything with Stephen King was. It just [i]fits[/i], you know? It's [i]ka[/i], is all I can say.[/spoiler] [i]The Dark Tower[/i] - what can I say, it's brilliant, haunting, and beautifully written. The tale twists, turns, and weaves, and when you think it's going to fall off the track and unravel in an unruly mess, it picks itself back up again with the utmost grace. Just damn near everything is fantastic, and it's easily the best novel in the series - which really says something, because the rest of the novels are no slouches in the least. [spoiler]Everything from the high-octane rescue of Susannah, to the freeing of the Breakers (and Eddie's death - that one hit me hard, because Eddie is my favorite character in the series; I love the guy), and saving Stephen King from his death in a car accident (and Jake's death - that hit me hard, as well). It's all done so damn well, and that's barely over half of the book![/spoiler] Stephen King's handling of [spoiler]Mordred, the son of Mia and the Crimson King, and Roland and Susannah is quite interesting. In the beginning of the novel, he's ruthless, but as everything goes on, you begin to sympathize with him a bit, because he lets his human emotions out, as much as he hates them. Mordred can't help but feel bitter jealousy over Roland's ka-tet, and his own loneliness hits him hard. You don't mourn his death, as he's one of the main villains of the series, but you feel a bit sorry for him, as he's burning on the ground, another victim of Roland's sandalwood-gripped revolvers.[/spoiler] And the ending. Magnificent. I'd like to know how many people King pissed off with that, because it would amuse me greatly. I wasn't pissed off, but I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit disappointed, at first. All of that wondering, all of the speculation that had gone into what exactly was at the top floor of the Dark Tower. What, or who, would it be? God? The ends of the universe? Another dark enemy for Roland to defeat? And it ends up that [spoiler]in the end is the beginning. When Roland reaches the top of the Dark Tower, he finds that he must start over, he is yanked from his when to the when of [i]The Gunslinger[/i]. When he gets to the end, he goes back to the beginning.[/spoiler] Doesn't seem like a very good ending, seems very anti-climatic at first glance. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was [i]the perfect ending[/i], the ending that nary a person would have seen coming, yet seemed as plain as day. The ending that [i]fits[/i]. [spoiler]What good would having God up there have done? The ends of the universe? Anything else? The very object at the top of the Dark Tower happens to be Roland's obsession manifested. It makes perfect sense that Roland's quest is cyclical, that he barely realizes it before he enters the door at the top floor of the tower - Roland's never been the most imaginative person, has he? It also makes sense, because Roland literally has nothing else left to go back to. His family and friends were dead at the beginning of [i]The Gunslinger[/i]. All he had left was his obsession with the Dark Tower, it's all he had to live for. When he draws Eddie, Susannah and Jake into his world, he finds friendship and love once again. But by the time he reaches the Tower, it's all gone. Eddie and Jake are dead. Susannah is back in her world. Oy is dead. Father Callahan is dead. Patrick leaves Roland at his request. All Roland has left is his obession with the Dark Tower. Consider what Walter told Roland during their palaver when he drew the Death card in [i]The Gunslinger[/i]: "Death, yet not for you." Roland can't die, it is the will of ka. Yet, after he reaches the Dark Tower he will have nothing left to live for. His obsession with the Dark Tower is the only thing keeping him going. So, in a way, he's getting what he's been longing for. He still has his only reason to live.[/spoiler] Any other ending would have been faker than the fleshy masks that the can-toi don. It's the only ending that works, the only ending that feels [i]right[/i], and that is why it's the perfect way to end the series. Besides, didn't sai King warn you all not to read on after the epilogue if you wanted a happy ending? To anyone who complains about the ending of [i]The Dark Tower[/i], I say tough luck to you. :) Whew. That was a long post, but I swear that this series has been totally worth it since the day I started it. I would encourage anyone and everyone to experience this series, and if you love it as much as I do, well, that's just a bonus.

[quote name='Semjaza Azazel']Despite very, very minor issues (and really, you have to search for these so you have something to fault it for), it is better than I expected and absolutely slaughters every other game in the series in really every last respect.[/quote] Most definitely. RE4 absolutely mauls the other RE games, as far as I'm concerned. Getting rid of the more static camera angles in form of a more ballistic system helps out [i]a lot[/i]. As freaky as it sounds, I'm actually enjoying the control scheme of a Resident Evil game. I'm expecting hell to freeze over at any moment. I've run into a couple of clipping issues, but they're not so bad, overall. A villagers pitchfork went right through a door, without any impact, or anything, for example. Maybe slightly annoying, but not nearly enough to put a huge damper on my enjoyment of the game. I love how unrelentingly gory it is. Make no bones about it, RE4 definitely [i]earns[/i] its M rating. A good head shot can cause a villager's skull to explode into bloody, fractured pieces and sometimes you'll see a nice fountain of blood shoot up out of the bodies when you kick the heads off of villagers. The game's not for the weak of heart, at all lol. The graphics, as expected, are astounding. It's one thing to watch videos of the game online, and it's quite another to see it in motion on your television. The level of detail is very nice, and I love the bleakness of the graphics. It just fits the overall theme of the game so well. I'm not actually that far into the game as of yet, so I know that I'll have more to say on it as I progress. I do know that if you own a GameCube, you [i]need[/i] this in your life. [i]Need[/i] it.

Hm. I don't think that we're going to get much else out of this thread. If anyone feels inclined to do so, you can contact this person, and help them out with their situation in Silent Hill 4. Otherwise, I think that this thread has run its course, or will do so very soon. [b][url=http://www.gamefaqs.com]GameFAQs[/url][/b] really is the best place to go, though, honestly. Even if you don't read English particularly well, they have FAQs in alternate languages. If you [i]can[/i] understand English, then, well, I don't see why they would be difficult to read lol. All of the FAQs I've read off of that site are usually direct and to the point, in regards to the language that they use. Thread Closed

Changed my wallpaper recently. Eternal Darkness owns all of your lame wallpapers. Believe that. EDIT: That icon is there out of pure laziness, Justin >_>

[font=trebuchet MS][center][b][size=3]Issue #7-Part IV: [i]Pinnacle[/i][/b][/center][/size] The time Larry had spent in the bar had seemed so tangible, so [i]real[/i]. It couldn?t have been just a dream, could it? It was snowing outside. Larry trudged through the snow, bundled up in his winter clothing: a long black overcoat, black wool gloves, black pants and a pair of thick black boots. The snow was falling in a flurry of white powder, covering everything in sight. A sharp gust of wind blew past Larry, spreading the numbness that had already begun to settle in his face. He raised his gloved hands to his newly reddened face and coughed harshly. A few moments more in that cold, dreary weather and he would have likely caught his death of cold. Larry made it to the door of a bar, and collapsed against it. He was quickly running out of energy, and he didn?t really know where he was at the moment. He tried twisting the doorknob to open the door, but the melted snow flecked all over his gloves made his hands too slippery to open the door. Muttering softly, he pulled off his right glove, grasped the doorknob and opened the door. The bell hanging above the door jingled and jangled, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Larry stepped inside of the bar, putting his glove back onto his right hand. A warm blast of air heated up Larry?s face upon his entry into the bar. Groups of people were scattered about the room, chattering excitedly at the tables in one smooth, pleasant murmur. Lights appeared periodically on the roof of the room, casting a dim orange glow throughout the area. The atmosphere made Larry feel exceptionally comfortable. He walked over to the bartender?s table and stood around for a bit. There was a man sitting in a stool next to where Larry was standing. The first thing Larry noticed about him was the purple Fedora he wore on his head, with a large purple feather stuck into the bold violet band encircling the hat. He wore a purple pin-striped suit, with a white dress shirt and purple tie. His black dress shoes danced around on the floor, shining dully as the soft glow of the fading bar room lights bounced off of them. His face was very average looking, except for the wide swath of long, black hair that covered the right side of his pale face. His left eye was red, and seemed to glow with an unrelenting curiosity. His thin mouth was stretched into a smirk as he peered slowly around the room, his neck craned to its fullest height. Larry thought that the man looked very curious. He didn?t see just what was so interesting about the people sitting at the tables, but he decided not to bother this stranger. [i]To each his own[/i], Larry thought to himself. The man turned his head over to Larry and he smiled over at him warmly. ?Why don?t you sit down for a while?? the man invited, his voice low and smooth. Larry hesitated for a moment. ?Don?t worry, I?m not waiting for anyone at the moment. Go ahead, have a seat.? ?Thanks,? Larry replied, and he sat down. He leaned back against the table. It felt nice to sit down, to take a load off of his feet. He?d been walking through the snow for most of the day, and he still felt a tad off-kilter. ?Have you ever been to this bar?? the man asked. ?I don?t think that I?ve ever seen you here before.? ?No, I?ve never been here before, actually,? Larry replied. ?Well,? the man said. ?Let me be the first to welcome you here. How about a drink?? ?Sure,? Larry smiled. ?I?d like that very much.? ?Whiskey okay for you?? the man asked. Larry nodded in reply. ?Two whiskeys, bartender.? The bartender hobbled over to the far end of the table to prepare the drinks. The man propped his elbows up against the table and leaned back against it. ?This place is very nice,? Larry said. ?Yes, it is,? the man replied. ?I enjoy coming here. The atmosphere is quite relaxing. You usually see a nice assortment of people in here, as well. Always more than a bit classy.? ?It definitely seems that way,? Larry nodded. ?So, how are you doing today??? the man trailed off. ?Lawrence,? Larry said. ?But everyone just calls me Larry. I?m doing well, I suppose. How about you??? ?Vincent will do just fine,? the man said. ?I go by many names, but I think that I like Vincent the most.? Larry laughed. ?What?s so funny?? ?Well,? Larry said, still chuckling a bit. ?It?s just that you really look like a Vincent.? ?Oh?? Vincent said. ?I?m curious, just what do you think a ?Vincent? is supposed to look like?? ?I don?t know,? Larry said. The bartender came back over to them, and placed the drinks onto the table. Vincent reached into his pocket, took out some money, and paid the bartender. ?Come now,? Vincent said, his left eye visibly glinting. ?Don?t be shy. I?m really rather curious about this. I?m sure that it will be very?interesting.? ?I guess that a ?Vincent? would look pretty mysterious,? Larry said. ?Sort of enigmatic, really. Maybe a bit handsome, a smooth talker, good with people. Yeah, people would enjoy sitting down and chatting with him.? ?If only I could live up to that description,? Vincent replied with a chuckle. He took a sip of his whiskey, and Larry did the same. ?How about you?? ?What about me?? Larry asked, putting his drink back onto the table. ?What do you think a ?Larry? should look like?? Vincent asked. ?I don?t really know, to be honest,? Larry admitted. ?I?m not really sure if [i]I[/i] look like a Larry should, really.? ?Why is that?? Vincent asked. ?You are yourself, after all. Wouldn?t you look like yourself?? ?I?m not certain,? Larry replied. ?I haven?t felt like myself lately. I?ve been feeling really conflicted inside.? ?About what?? Vincent asked. ?Just forget it,? Larry said, taking another long drink of whiskey. ?I don?t want to bore you with my sob stories.? He looked away from Vincent. ?No,? Vincent said. ?You seem like a good person, and I?d like to help you, if I can. Believe me, I?ve listened to my fair share of stories. Now, go ahead, speak.? Larry looked back at Vincent. The way he spoke was so calming, and Vincent?s red eye seemed to bore its way into Larry?s soul?but not in a bad way, not in a way that made Larry feel uncomfortable. It made him want to open up to him. ?It might seem silly,? Larry started. ?But I?ve sort of been in a funk since I tried out for the baseball team at my school.? ?Ah,? Vincent said. ?You?re a college kid, then?? ?Yeah,? Larry replied. He cleared his throat and continued. ?I didn?t make the team. Normally that wouldn?t disappoint me too much, but?? ?But what?? Vincent asked. ?Having the opportunity to play baseball was the only reason I wanted to go to college in the first place,? Larry said. ?And not being able to do that?it just doesn?t feel right. I don?t know, it?s hard to explain. It must sound stupid.? ?No, it doesn?t,? Vincent said. ?But what about your classes?? ?Well,? Larry said. ?I?m doing well in my classes?but I just don?t care about them, honestly. I don?t even have a declared major. I?m just taking whatever classes I feel like taking. Nobody knows about that, though. I?ve told my family that I?m an Architecture major, and I?ve told my friends the same thing. So, I?m doing well in my classes, but I?m [i]not[/i] doing well, if that makes any sense. My family thinks I?m doing great. My mom especially wants me to become a famous architect, or something. She and her friends are really turning on the pressure. I don?t want to disappoint my family, but I don?t want to disappoint myself, either?and it just seems that what everyone else wants and what I want are in completely opposite directions right now.? ?That?s a lot to chew on,? Vincent mused. He took a sip of his whiskey, and twirled his right index and middle fingers. [i]Keep going, Larry[/i], that twirling said. [i]Don?t stop now[/i]. ?Yeah,? Larry said. ?The worst part is that I let it get this bad. I should?ve just told everyone the truth. Maybe I would?ve avoided all of this if I had done that.? Vincent clapped his hand onto Larry?s shoulder. Larry looked up at Vincent, who was staring out at the people eating at the tables around the bar. ?Look over there,? Vincent said. Larry looked where Vincent told him to. He saw all of the people in the bar, eating, laughing, making conversation, and having fun. ?Do you see those people out there?? ?Yeah,? Larry said. ?I see them.? ?They look like they?re having fun, don?t they?? Vincent asked. ?They do,? Larry replied. ?And how do you know that they all don?t have problems of their own?? Vincent asked. ?Everyone has problems of their own, whether big or small. And, yet, here they are, having a good time, not letting their problems affect their enjoyment of life.? ?I wish I could do that,? Larry said. ?Oh, but you can,? Vincent replied, a broad smile on his face. ?Things happen all of the time, but people can always pull through them. It?s quite easy, actually. You see, from what you are telling me, I think that you worry too much about what others think you should do. You let other people rule your life too much. Your enjoyment of life is hampered by the expectations that other people burden you with. Wouldn?t you agree?? ?I guess so,? Larry murmured. ?Other people are important,? Vincent continued. ?But only to an extent, you see. If you spend too much time pleasing others, then what kind of life are you living? A life based entirely on involuntary altruism is not a life at all. It?s more like slavery. You?re enslaved to the wishes of others, without regard to what [i]you[/i] want! What [i]you[/i] desire!? ?That?s not good,? Larry said, taking in another gulp of whiskey. ?No it isn?t,? Vincent said. ?It?s not a life worth living at all. The self is always the most important thing for a person to take care of. If we ourselves are not fulfilled, then why should we be expected to fulfill the desires of others? Why should any person be pressured into living a life that others want, in lieu of the life that the [i]individual[/i] wants? Ultimately, a person must look after themselves, must make sure that their needs are taken care of.? ?Isn?t that a bit selfish?? Larry asked. ?It depends on what you see as selfish,? Vincent shrugged. ?Is it really so selfish to want to live the life that you desire? Is it really so selfish to want to look after yourself, instead of having to bend to the wishes of others? Is it really so selfish to cast aside a life of involuntary altruism to live the life that every human being should be entitled to? Perhaps it is, but I do not see that as a negative. No, I think that everyone could afford to be a little more selfish.? ?Yeah,? Larry said, finishing off his whiskey. ?Yeah, I think you?re right!? He slammed his glass down upon the table. ?Of course I am,? Vincent said, grinning. ?Soon, you?ll be going on the right path, yourself.? ?You really think so?? Larry asked. ?I know so,? Vincent replied. ?You?ve already started, as a matter of fact. Trying out for the baseball team was a good first step, even if the results were not as good as they could have been. However, life gives us plenty of stumbling blocks - you just have to be able to pick yourself back up, that?s all.? ?How will I do that?? Larry asked. ?I can?t tell you that,? Vincent said. ?To each his own. That?s what I was taught. Everyone has their own path through life, you just have to find it, and take it. Some friendly advice, though: Always listen to yourself first. Advice from friends and family is nice, but you should go through situations as you see fit. Don?t be afraid to go after what you want, what you desire. If nobody else is willing to take the same risks that you are, then it?s their loss. Those who do not look to fulfill their needs simply lack the spine to do so.? ?Well, thanks,? Larry said. ?I?ll keep all of that in mind. But I think I should head off now. I?ve got some thinking to do.? Larry stood up and dusted off his coat. ?I understand,? Vincent said. ?It was great meeting you, Larry.? Vincent stuck his right hand out at Larry. ?It was great meeting you, too, Vincent,? Larry replied, grasping Vincent?s hand and shaking it. Vincent?s grip was very firm, yet friendly at the same time; exactly how Larry had always envisioned a good handshake would be. ?Good luck in your future,? Vincent smiled. ?If you ever need another chat, you know where to find me.? ?Thanks,? Larry said. ?I?ll definitely come back and see you again, sometime.? Larry turned around and walked to the front entrance of the bar. He opened the front door, and the bells sounded off above his head once again. He walked outside and was overtaken by a bright white light. He shielded his eyes, but the action was futile; he was blinded before he even got a chance to see. Voices buzzed all around him in a cacophonous roar that blazed through his ears. [center][i]?Why do you wear that ridiculous man suit??[/center] ?These are the guys who made it onto the team: #24, #32, #45, #21, #34, #48, #17, #8 and #15. Everyone else, better luck next year.? [right]?I swear I won?t embarrass you in front of her.?[/right] ?Shoot for the stars!? [center] swirling whirling through the city of ages you sink a bit whenever angels fly do you have a feeling for their fuzzy faces? are you close enough to see into their eyes?[/i]*[/center] Larry sprang awake in his bed, sweating profusely. His heart was beating much faster than it normally did. He ran his hand through his hair. It was very damp and messy and it stuck out everywhere in thick clumps. He looked outside. The night was eerily calm and silent. There was no hint of life anywhere, save for the slight breeze that was making its way through the trees. Larry moaned under his breath, and rubbed his eyes listlessly. His watch was missing, and he had no clock, so he didn?t know what time it was. All he knew was that he had to use the restroom. He swung his bare feet off of his bed. The floor was very cold, so Larry felt around for his slippers with his feet. He found them hiding a bit under his bed, and he slipped them onto his feet. He got off of his bed, and went over to his door, grabbing the keys to his room as he went along. He opened the door, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him, locking it with his key. He put the key into the right pocket of his pajamas and started walking down the hallway. Larry opened the restroom door at the end of the hallway, and stepped inside. He turned on the light before he closed the door. The bright white light filled the room. The light burned Larry?s eyes, and he shielded them for a few moments until they adjusted to the influx of light. Even when he could see again, though, he could barely open his eyes. He knew that he had slept for a few hours, but he still felt unbelievably tired. He gathered enough energy to sneak a quick look into the mirror; his eyes were bloodshot. A dull pain made its presence felt in Larry?s temple. He felt it gingerly, and then decided that he would not be able to make the pain recede. ?God,? Larry croaked. ?I feel terrible. I don?t remember doing anything bad yesterday, and I don?t feel like I have a cold or anything. What the hell happened to me?? He would have thought about this a bit more, but the ache in his head intensified and laid to rest any impulses about thinking he had at the moment. Larry pulled down his pajama bottoms and urinated into the toilet. After he was finished, he pulled his pants back up and washed his hands. He dried them off on the towel that hung on the towel rack, and left the bathroom. ?This whole night has been too bizarre,? Larry said to himself. ?I just wish I?wait a minute.? Larry peered over at his room from across the hall. His door was opened about halfway. He walked hurriedly over to his room and walked inside. His bed was messed up - all of his sheets were crumpled up, and his pillows were strewn about the floor. His drawers were broken, and his clothes were scattered all around the room. His books had been opened and laid on the floor in various positions. The window by his bed was broken. ?Who did this??? Larry asked himself. He heard a few people shuffling around outside of his room. He walked closer to the door and heard a few angry voices muttering to themselves. He felt like staying put inside of his room, but he knew that he would not be safe in there very long from whoever had ripped apart his room. He opened his door slowly. The door did not creak, as Larry had been expecting it to do in the back of his mind. He snuck out of his room and went into the hall. Larry tiptoed down the hall. The door at the front of the dorm was slightly ajar, so some moonlight was pouring into the dorm. The hall was completely silent. Any movement that Larry made could potentially warn the mysterious people of his presence. He crept as slowly as he possibly could, thinking to himself how glad he was that the new wooden floor panels had not been built into the dorm yet. He was halfway to the door, when he tripped over his feet and his left foot accidentally grazed the wall. ?Who?s there?!? a voice yelled. ?It?s the kid!? another voice yelled. ?Don?t let him escape!? A shot rang through the air. A bullet flew by Larry?s face and lodged itself into the wall. Larry could feel the hot air of the bullet trail burning against his skin. He forced himself to keep moving, and he ran towards the door. ?You idiot!? a voice yelled from behind him. ?Don?t shoot at him, we?re supposed to take him in alive!? Larry rushed towards the door, and threw it open when he reached it. He ran outside, onto the grass. The grass was very wet at the moment, and his feet got covered with water as he ran through it. There was nothing but open land as far as Larry could see; no trees to hide behind, no signs to dart to. ?There he is!? a voice shouted. Larry looked quickly to his right. There was a man in a black suit rushing towards him. ?Shit!? Larry yelled out. He turned and tried to run, but lost his footing momentarily. He fell down onto the grass. His pajamas soaked up the water that was on the grass. He got to his feet, but by then he was surrounded by men in suits. Larry?s eyes darted from person to person, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. He couldn?t think of a thing. ?Put your hands into the air,? one of the suited men said, pointing a gun at him. ?Raise them up.? Larry raised his arms into the air. He felt a sharp pain in his temple. One of the suited men had pistol whipped him. Larry blacked out as he hit the soft earth. The last thing he heard before blacking out completely was a song in his head. He didn?t know who sung it, and the words were pure gibberish, but the woman who sung it had a beautiful voice, and it made him feel better. It really made him think. Better things were to come; you just had to hope that they would find you first.[/font] *[size=1]These lyrics are actually from a song, "Saucer-Like", on Sonic Youth's [i]Washing Machine[/i], which was released in 1995, presumably over thirty years after this whole story is supposed to have taken place. But I like the lyrics, and I think they fit well with what I was going for, so...[/size]

Good god, that picture in my signature is [i]Hilarious[/i]! Yes, with a captial H [i]and[/i] italics. It's just that damn funny. Might I also mention that [spoiler]One Night In Yoshi's Island is the greatest porno name in the history of mankind?[/spoiler] Looks like you girls showed me what's up. :)

[quote name='Siren']How many of you hope to get published in the future, and what type of material?[/quote] Nice job of tacking some discussion into your thread at the last moment. ;) I keed, I keed. Once again, good job, old chum. :) About getting published...don't know about that. I'd like to get a short story or two published somewhere, actually, that would be pretty fun. I'd like to write a cool essay like our good buddy Alex for publishing someday, too, but my essay writing skills need a bit of polishing, I'd say (as do my short story skills, but that's an ongoing process :p).

I played the original Xenosaga for five minutes, maybe, so I'm not really that familiar with it, honestly lol. My knowledge on Xenosaga: Episode II is limited, but I do know that it's known as Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose at the moment (loosely translated as Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond Good and Evil). The IGN page for the game is [url=http://ps2.ign.com/objects/545/545819.html][b]here[/b][/url] if you want to look at that. I'd guess that most of the information that's known about it at the moment is on there lol. *goes off to change title of thread*

They're talking about the next Xenosaga game. Namco changed the faces of the characters from more anime-esque faces to more realistic faces, ala the change in character design from Final Fantasy VII to Final Fantasy VIII. This topic's fine in Play It, as long as it remains a discussion thread on the next Xenosaga game. I don't know if there's already a thread on it, so I'll search it out, and if there is, I'll merge the two threads. EDIT: Quick search, no Xenosaga II thread, so this thread's okay. Though it may get closed if it continues on its current path...lol.

I remember going to theOtaku in search of anime pictures...but I don't remember exactly why I decided to come to OB lol. I suppose that I was just curious about the message board for one reason or another. And I clicked on the link, and registered. What an amazing story. However, I [i]stayed[/i] at OB because of the video game conversation. I'd never been to a place where the people who posted about games had been so damned [i]informed[/i]. There were several people on my level and above, and it continues to be that way, even today. As I've stayed here, the Adventure Arena/Inn and OB Anthology have received a lot of interest from me, too. So, yeah, OB appeals both to the dorky gamer and wannabe writer in me.

That's funny, because I was feeling so very bored right now, and I was kind of hoping that I'd have some work to do around here to, you know, relieve my boredom. And now I have a thread to close! Yay! [size=1](that was for you, Drix :))[/size] Anyway, you should take some time to read the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][b]rules[/b][/url] before you start posting threads. Basically, your thread needs a real topic to spur on some discussion, and you should look to start some yourself. Just keep that in mind. [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=37270][b]This[/b][/url] should help clear up some confusion, as well. Thread Closed

Excellent start to the story, very well written. I like that while the tone of the piece was definitely serious, there were a few moments of clever humor sprinkled throughout. There was definitely some laugh-out-loud moments in here; I'd highlight them all, but you know, laziness. The characters were introduced about as well as could be expected, too. Nice, short vignettes that help you get the gist of them, and leave you wanting a bit more. Excellent work, I'm looking forward to the next part. :)

I likely won't be able to think of ten different things at the moment. I foresee a lot of editing and re-editing of this post in the future lol. [B]What is it?[/B] Bombu [member] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] I often heard people describe my arrival as 'a kick in the balls for the Nintendo forum', because I started a lot of discussion and whatnot. I can only hope that my arrival was as impactful as Bombu's was, because he was just plain awesome in Play It. I was so sad when he disappeared for a while :( And then he came back!! He rules. [B]What is it?[/B] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=44373]55 Fiction [PG] [Anthology][/url] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] Very unique idea that's brought a lot of new writers to Anthology. The whole thread has been nothing but fun so far. I encourage as many people as possible to join in on it. [B]What is it?[/B] Play It [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] My favorite forum, hands down. There's a fantastic range of gaming discussion going on, with a lot of serious debates that actually don't end up with people flaming each other back and forth! It's amazing, honestly. There are a lot of knowledgable people taking part in discussion there. I just wish that more people would post. *eyes the lurkers* :p [B]What is it?[/B] OB Anthology [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] My second favorite forum. I really enjoy posting stories in here, and reading and replying to the works of others (which is something I've felt that I needed to do more often, and I've made some strides with that, as of late). There's a lot of really creative stuff going on in there, you just have to take the time to read it. The only thing I wish is that people would take the time to read [i]everything[/i] even a little bit instead of just flocking to certain stories or authors. Everyone deserves a chance to have their work read. [B]What is it?[/B] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=41246]hero [PG-LV][/url] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] The RPG is going along slowly, but masterfully, in my opinion. Honestly, I'm so excited about this that I've pledged to avoid [i]all[/i] other RPGs (except for Rebel Scum, of course :p) so that I can concentrate on hero. The pace is a bit too slow (this is out of people's control, more often than not), but each post has been a fantastic read thus far. I'm extremely interested to see where it all ends up, and I'd hope that a lot of other people are, as well. [B]What is it?[/B] Desbreko [member] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] Despite his penchant for kicking me below the belt, Desbreko is a cool guy. His posts are always informative, and he always amazes me with just how deeply he's able to look into the gameplay of certain games. He really does add a lot to Play It, whether he's my fellow Moderator, or giving out the orders as my Team Leader. Also, he's way better at closing threads than I am. [B]What is it?[/B] Team Hanzo Staff [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] I was originally going to honor Arcadia here...but I'd feel guilty if I didn't recognize Team Hanzo as a whole. They've done a fantastic job both in public and behind the scenes in making their area of the boards as great as it can possibly be. They're just...wow. A bunch of really hard workers, they are. [B]What is it?[/B] Semjaza Azazel [member] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] Because he's freaking [i]Tony[/i], you don't need any more reason than that. He always makes great posts wherever he goes, he's knowledgable on a whole load of things, and he's just ultra-cool in general. Tony = personifcation of nifty. [B]What is it?[/B] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=30684]Most Overrated Game [Play It][/url] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] A lot of it came last year, but it continued on into 2004. To me, this thread really represents what Play It is about. We all have our opinions on what games stink, and we aren't afraid to bring up some that might be a bit controversial, but the discussion is always civil, and isn't littered with mindless fanboyism. I love this thread. [B]What is it?[/B] Manic Webb [member] [B]Why was it nifty?[/B] Just because he's Manic. I remember one or two people mentioning before that Manic was one of the members here who sort of flies under the radar, for whatever reason. But, yeah, Manic is cool. His myOtaku is a fun read, he takes great care of the Music, Movies and TV forum, and he seems like a great guy in general. There should be a Manic Appreciation Day. That's all I've got for now. I'll come back here with four more later on. EDIT: Added a couple more...gonna search out a really good thread in Play It to highlight here. Don't know what the hell I'll do with the last spot, though. EDIT2: Filled in the last two spots. If people think of others that I would want to put in here, well, tough for me, I guess. I'm not changing this for anything. EDIT3: Sciros kind of left OB, so I had to substitute someone else in there...yeah.

[b][center]"Folk Singer"[/center][/b] There was a folk singer near the subway. He would play songs all day long. I was the only person who ever gave him any money. I liked his music. He became famous, and everyone bought his albums, except for me. I didn?t need to buy them. He played music for me all day long.

[quote name='Arcadia][size=1']For a long time I thought meeting people from the internet was stupid, but then I joined a message board, so that idea kind of went up in flames. Anyway, I've only ever met Shinmaru before, but that was fun and not quite as creepy as you might think (especially considering who I met). :p[/size][/quote] Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I think my meeting with you will probably be as comfortable as I'll ever be meeting someone I knew on the internet for the first time lol. I think it was because you're not threatining at all, I could have squashed you because you're like one foot, two inches tall or something*. Your laundry list of people you want to meet is kind of creepy, though. I knew that you were crazy, but I didn't think that you were [i]crazy[/i]. *This is not an accurate measurement, her height is actually officially recorded as "much shorter than you are". ...yes, this is just me giving back to the community. :D