Shinmaru

Definitely an interesting piece of art. The symbolism is pulled off well - it's done simply, yet it says a lot. The quality of the drawing is very high, as well, I can't find anything in particular that irks me about it. About the placement of the fetus, well, it's probably best off to the side. If Karmi put it in the middle, I think that would look more than a bit cluttered and take away from the piece, slightly. I think that it's best suited where it's at right now.

[quote name='Syk3']Frozone was cool, and I agree that there should be more of him, but Edna was just kind of annoying, in my opinion. :p One of those stuck-up designer ladies. ;_;[/quote] That's why I thought she was so funny. Edna is such an absurd caricature of fashion designers lol. I probably like her almost as much as I do Frozone. She's hilarious. Oh, and if you like Elastigirl's lisp, you should watch Silence of the Lambs. I swear that her lisp sounds just like Jodie Foster's lol. So much so that I thought Jodie Foster was doing the voice of Elastigirl :p

[quote name='Kane][SIZE=1']Though I am aware there was a game before Paper Mario on the Super Nintendo, it's name eludes me at this point however.[/SIZE][/quote] Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Of the Mario RPGs that have been made, this is my least favorite, which should tell you how great the Mario RPGs are, because this game rocks. It's really, really funny, the gameplay is solid and the story is fun, if more than a bit cliche. However, even when I first played it, I thought it was a bit short and easy. The somewhat short length doesn't really get to me, anymore, but outside of a few boss battles, the game really isn't that hard at all.

For me, it depends on if said remarks are humorous or not. If someone's just poking fun at stereotypes, and I know that they're not saying them with any malicious intent, then I'm okay with it. I'm half-Mexican, and I've joked around with people of various races about my own race on numerous occasions. I can take a joke, heh. I only have a problem with it if there's no humor in the statements. I think that Sciros' advice is good for the situation: If someone is spreading around bitterly racist remarks, then just ignore them. Don't try and attack them, because you're just using hate to negate more hate. That doesn't work.

*points up* I think you're looking for Anime Lounge. This is Play It. Last I heard, we posted about video games in here. I'd move this to Anime Lounge, but I don't want to give Solo and Dagger any headaches lol. Your post quality isn't really up to par, and your entire post is very confusing to read. Try and work on that a bit, and then go find the Yu Yu Hakusho thread in Anime Lounge there and post in it. Thread Closed

Yes, there is a Halo 2 thread, and it's located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=38891][b]here[/b][/url]. Next time, use the search function in order to find threads if you're not sure a thread exists for a game. Or you could've just looked on the first page, in this case :p Thread Closed

Ah, Juu, I really love your photos ^_^ You're a very talented photographer, all of your photos are extremely intriguing and eye-catching. I don't know if I'd ever be able to take photos like these lol. My favorites are 'Feels Like Home' and your beach photos. Like you, I also love rainy and cloudy sort of weather. It looks really nice, I think. Again, fantastic photos, Juu :)

I've been using this desktop for a couple of days now. I doubt many people will know who this guy is, but oh well. lol

I agree with Baron, I think that the red border should be a [i]tad[/i] skinnier (unless this is as skinny as you're able to get it), but it's not to distracting. I like the movie a lot, and I like your banner ^_^ Didn't take very long for me to load, and the animation is decently smooth. Good work.

We already have a [b][url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=27079]Halo[/url][/b] thread here, if you would like to post in there. Next time, please do a search of the forums before you decide to make a thread. Thread Closed

Yeah, I definitely think that American Pie is a satire. It's actually a far subtler (bet you never thought you'd see that word used to describe American Pie :p) satire than Not Another Teen Movie. The first American Pie was very cleverly made and it was a funny, sharp movie. Here's my question: What do you think about the other two in the series? For whatever reason, American Pie 2 just didn't click with me. I dunno, it just seemed to lack the bite of the first movie. I don't care for it too much. American Pie 3 was an improvement, but it still falls a bit short of the first movie. However, I still think it's pretty funny as a take on the insane preparations for marriage that some couples go through. It's pretty amusing.

Without a doubt, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is my big holiday game. I'm not sure if I'll be picking it up before Christmas, though. We'll have to wait and see, but I'll definitely be getting the game. I'm taking a 'wait and see' attitude with the DS. I've never been that much of a handheld gamer, so the first batch of games are going to have to be [i]really[/i] good to make me want to buy a DS, especially when I could just buy a PlayStation 2 for less money. I doubt I'll buy a DS for a while, though. I'd include Resident Evil 4 on thelist, if it weren't coming out next year :( I'm looking forward to that more than any other game.

We already have a Nintendo DS thread [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=36436][b]here[/b][/url], so if you would like to discuss the Nintendo DS, then please post in that thread. Also, next time you decide to start a thread, do a quick search of the forum before creating one, to make sure that there isn't already a thread for what you want to post about. Thread Closed

[quote name='James][color=#707875']The truth is, every single person has their own tastes -- their own idea of what they find attractive. No matter what you look like, there is a good chance that there are people out there who will find you attractive for one reason or another. I can tell you that from personal experience. I've known people to find me completely forgettable (in terms of looks) and others who have thought I was the second coming. lol And everything in between. And I've seen that with my friends and with others too.[/color][/quote] Yeah, definitely. There are some people that a few friends of mine find really attractive that don't really click with me at all lol. By the same token, I find that what I see as attractive doesn't click with other people's views, which is fine by me. If everyone on the planet found the same things to be attractive, then the world would be a pretty boring place, I think. Blaming the media for how people perceive themselves works only to an extent, I think. Of course the images that we're bombarded with every day are going to have an effect on us. Why wouldn't they? However, I think that people in general are more at fault, since we readily take the people that we see on television, movies, etc. and idolize them to such a degree that many people will accept nothing less. Like Lore said, it's not so much that people are born with the mindset that we're supposed to look like these television and movie stars, but when it's drilled into you constantly by your peers, then it becomes a lot harder to ignore it. How many guys and girls talk about their favorite celebrities [i]incessantly[/i] throughout high school? You know what I'm talking: "Oh, he/she is so hot!! *dreamy sigh*" That sort of stuff only annoyed me, rather than made me feel insecure about myself, but I'm willing to bet that these silly little conversations may influence more than a few people with insecurities about themselves. I've never been terribly insecure about my looks, though. I don't think that I'm a movie star, or anything, but I'm not ugly, either lol. I have my fair share of physical 'flaws', but I find them amusing more than anything, really. For me, I guess I'm a bit more insecure about how others perceive me based on who I am rather than what I look like. You can always change what you look like, but you can't really change who you are.

Well, somehow I ended up getting pretty motivated this morning, and I started on my post after I got home from school about seven or so hours ago. The finished product is up in the RPG right now, and I would greatly appreciate it if a few people took the time to read it and give me some feedback in the thread :) But, of course, I understand that you must first give to receive, and so I thought it would be nice if I took the time to give some feedback to all of the people who have posted issues thus far. It's only fair, I think. Issue #1: Great post to start off the RPG. It delves very well into the whole superhero aspect of the RPG, and you're left with a very clear reason as to exactly [i]why[/i] Marque has the power that she does. I also like how the racism was dealt with; it was overt, as it would have been at the time, but it wasn't over the top. It didn't feel like it was screaming "Racism!" at the top of its lungs, which I feel is fairly important. If you try to force-feed someone a certain theme too much, they'll like ignore it and/or reject it. It's important to be a bit subtle when it comes to these things. Issue #2: I quite like this post. You're not only given background on Larry's character, but his family members are also fleshed out, as well. You get the sense that you know them as well as you know Larry, which is very crucial; if you do no sympathize with Larry's plight, then you will not sympathize with Larry himself. This is obviously very important to Larry's parts in hero, especially with his dealings with the mob. The second half of the post is especially well done, I think, and does a good job at capturing Larry's horror and confusion over what he had just witnessed. Issue #3: The first word that pops into my head when I read your posts is [i]unique[/i]; your writing style is a lot different from what I usually read, and I really enjoy it. I don't think that it's something that a person could hope to emulate very easily. This lends itself very well to the ideas and thoughts that you present during your posts, too, because it gives them a sort of unique feel, as well. When you're reading it, you know it's something different, something outside of the box. I think I especially like this post, because you really feel like you're [i]becoming[/i] Elizabeth (even though it's all told in the third-person, heh) rather than sitting idly by and watching everything develop. Issue #4: I have to say that I wasn't really all that familiar with your writing before the RPG, but I liked this post. The theme here is a familiar one - would people prefer a life of luxury in the spotlight, or a life of security and privacy? The old cliche 'money cannot buy happiness' fits well here. Viveca says differently, but we know that inside she is struggling over what she really wants. I think that this all comes across very well in your post; you're able to adequately describe these feelings that Viveca is going through, without making them overly contrived or dramatic. Good post. Issue #5: Just about everything that Shy said earlier in the thread I agree with. Your first post was very good, but this one was pretty phenomenal, in my opinion. Larry continues to be pulled in different directions, both inside and out. His internal agonization over his own powers is making him feel extremely guilty about even the little things that have happened in his life, and the Mafia wants to make use of these powers against his will. I think that it's pretty strong stuff. After reading the post again, though, I think that the racetrack portion was kind of just there. The rest of the post is excellent, though. Issue #6: You could probably take everything I said about Issue #3 earlier and apply it to this. I really enjoy reading your work, I could only hope that mine is as fluid and enjoyable to read ^_^ Also, you've done something that I find extremely difficult to do, and that is making the action portion of the post fun to read. I'm more of a dialogue person, myself, so I sort of think my more action-oriented stuff is a bit lackluster. And with the way that the Issue ended, I'm very interested in seeing what happens next with Elizabeth. I think that's something everyone who's posted so far has done a good job with - you're really interested to see what happens next with these characters. Issue #7 (Part I): I like your writing style a lot, too, Zidargh. Like Lore's, it's a lot different from what I'm normally accustomed to reading, which is good. Like Shy, I particularly enjoyed the dream sequence with the saxophonist. That part is an instance where you really have the reader eating out of the palm of your hand. I like the rest of the post, especially how jarring the end is, like a really bad head trip. I enjoy reading the kinds of things that really toy with your mind. I'm definitely looking forward to reading your next post. Whew, that took quite a while lol. I hope that my analysis will help a few people out in the future :) EDIT: Okay, I think I made my analysis a bit better now. lol

[font=trebuchet MS][center][b][size=3]Issue #7-Part II: [i]Pinnacle[/i][/b][/center][/size] [i]Crack![/i] Bat against ball, the sharp crack of the bat sliced through the air like lightning as the ball ricocheted harshly off of the gleaming wood. The small, white baseball floated gracefully over the shortstop?s head, and landed softly in the fresh green grass behind him. Another pitch was thrown, a curveball, with the same result; only this time, the ball floated gently over the second baseman?s head. The coaches and managers watched from the sidelines, taking notes. Lawrence Moore Jr., Larry to his friends, was well aware of their steely gazes, though he did his best to ignore them. He tugged on his worn, gray uniform nervously before getting ready for the next pitch. The pitcher smirked obnoxiously at Larry before tossing the next pitch. Larry caught a split-second glimpse of the pitcher?s grip before he threw the ball. ?Another curveball, maybe?? Larry thought to himself, digging his cleats into the ground and rearing back to swing. Halfway through his swing, he saw the ball suddenly dip below his bat and zip to the outside of the plate. It was too late for Larry to stop swinging. He missed the pitch by a mile, and almost fell to the ground due to all of the momentum he had put into that one swing. He got up, dusting himself off sheepishly, and sighed to himself He?d hit nothing but strong, solid singles the entire practice. He felt he had been good, but not good enough to capture the attention of the coaches. Larry jogged away from home plate with his head held high, determined not to let any disappointment that he was currently feeling show on his face. He went into the clubhouse, and tossed his helmet into the equipment area. He then grabbed a cap and a glove, and ran back out onto the field. If he couldn?t show his worth at the plate, then he would have to be dazzling on the field. As he jogged out to take his normal position in centerfield, Larry noticed something very odd. ?Looks like that guy?s just getting some lazy fastballs,? Larry said to himself under his breath. ?He?s smacking them pretty well, too.? The current person at the plate collected hit after hit after hit, even hitting a home run or two for good measure. Larry felt a hint of annoyance, because he was not given any easy pitches like that to hit. His feelings subsided quickly, however, as he settled into his normal position and got his head back into the tryout. The shrill sound of another ball being hit sounded through the air. Larry?s head snapped immediately towards the noise and he spotted the ball floating in the air. He jogged underneath the ball, and caught it easily, squeezing the ball after it had landed in his glove just as his father had always taught him to do. As Larry dropped the ball onto the ground, another one was hit, this time behind him near the centerfield wall. Once again, Larry ran in the direction of the baseball, and barely caught up with it, catching it gently in his glove. He skidded to a stop at the warning track, and braced his hands against the centerfield wall in order to lessen the impact. Another loud whap filled the air, and yet another baseball floated through the sky. It was a short blooper that looked to land just in front of the spot Larry usually occupied. He peered around for a second; none of the other fielders looked as if they would even attempt to go after the ball. Gritting his teeth tightly, Larry ran as hard as he could after the ball. Larry knew he wouldn?t make it, and put out his glove in order to catch the ball as it bounced off of the ground. When the ball hit the ground, it bounced up at an odd angle, taking Larry completely by surprise. He jerked his left arm up to his face, and the ball bounced harmlessly off of the top right corner of his glove. A screaming whistle blasted through Larry?s ears. Coach Hatfield, the head coach whose voice was as thick and drawling as ever, ordered the players to fall in. Larry got up, dusted off his pants, and jogged over to the dugout. This was what he had been waiting for all day. His heart was beating quicker and quicker by the second, and his stomach was fluttering with butterflies. ?Now, I?m sure that y?all know that most of the roster spots were locked,? Coach Hatfield said loudly. ?And we only had a few roster spots available. If you didn?t get in, you can try again next year.? Larry only paid slight attention to what Coach Hatfield was saying; he was really waiting for Coach Maroon, who would be reading off the numbers of the players who were picked for the team. ?Coach Maroon, the numbers, please.? ?Okay,? Coach Maroon drawled. ?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.? Larry stared duly at Coach Maroon as he ambled back into the dugout, and then he glanced down at his own gray uniform. The number had faded off of the uniform long ago, so Coach Hatfield had provided Lawrence with a large ?#33? sticker to put on the back of his uniform. Larry blinked a few times, and then walked hesitantly up to Coach Hatfield. ?Coach??? Larry asked. ?Hmm?? Coach Hatfield said, turning to face Larry. ?Oh, it?s you, Moore. What do you want?? ?Er,? Larry stammered. ?If it?s not too much to ask, why didn?t I make the team?? ?Well,? Coach Hatfield said, rubbing his chin. ?It definitely wasn?t an easy decision, Moore. You?re a solid player, and I wish that there were more guys like you. But there just isn?t room on the team for a player like you, I?m sorry ? there were just too many other guys I felt a bit more comfortable taking ahead of you.? ??I see,? Larry muttered, sighing regretfully. ?Maybe next year, Moore,? Coach Hatfield said. ?Yeah,? Larry said, turning around and walking away from the field. ?Maybe next year.? As he walked off the field, Larry glanced back at the people still playing happily on the field, and he felt a twinge of bitterness. He felt that he?d played better than at least half of the people that had made the team, yet he was left off. Larry stopped by the chain link fence that surrounded the baseball field and peered through it; everyone on the team was hitting balls, and fielding balls like a professional team, like a well-oiled unit. ?Maybe next year,? Larry sighed. ?I guess I?m just not good enough for it.? ?What?s going on?? someone asked from behind Larry, spooking him slightly. Larry turned around sharply and found himself glaring at the face of his best friend, Joseph Nava. Joseph was tall, dark haired and handsome like Larry, but unlike Larry he was light-skinned and a full Latino, which Larry found more than a bit odd, though amusing at the same time; more so, because Joseph took every opportunity imaginable to poke fun at his own light skin. Joseph found appearances rather amusing most of the time. ?You scared me, man,? Larry said. ?Oh, sorry about that,? Joseph replied. ?If I knew I was going to scare you, I might not have snuck up on you.? ?Yeah, real funny,? Larry said. ?Heh,? Joseph said. ?You seem down. I guess the tryout didn?t go as well as planned, huh?? ?No,? Larry said distantly. ?I didn?t make the team.? ?That?s a bummer,? Joseph said. ?Especially considering how hard you worked for this. You seemed to be ready for the tryouts to me.? ?I guess that I wasn?t,? Larry said offhandedly. ?Or maybe I just wasn?t good enough.? ?Don?t beat yourself up over it,? Joseph said. ?So, who ended up making the team, anyway?? Joseph started walking in the direction of the boy?s dormitory and Larry followed alongside of him. ?A few decent players,? Larry said. ?Marcus, Greg, Joey?? ?[i]Joey[/i]?? Joseph asked, an odd expression on his face. ?[i]Joey Maroon[/i]?? ?Yeah,? Larry answered. ?The one and the same.? ?How did he manage to weasel his way onto the team?? Joseph asked. ?He?s not a good ballplayer at all!? ?He?s not bad?? Larry said. ?You?re being too nice,? Joseph replied. ?He wouldn?t know a good hit if I whacked him upside the head with a baseball bat.? Joseph glanced back over at the field, and he saw Joey engaged in a game of catch with Coach Maroon. ?Hey, isn?t that Joey?s old man?? ?Yeah,? Larry said. ?He?s a bench coach.? ?I knew it!? Joseph shouted. ?It?s gotta be nepotism! Well, that explains one of the travesties, anyway.? Joseph looked over at Larry. ?I?m sure I can guess the motivation behind the others.? ?Just drop it,? Larry requested. ?I?d just like to let it go right now, if that?s okay with you.? ?Fine,? Joseph said. ?You?re right, it?s just baseball, no need to go nuts over it. I just wish that there wasn?t so much seediness involved with it, you know?? ?Yeah,? Larry said. ?I definitely know.? Joseph and Larry continued walking, chatting about various happenings around the school, and the potential amusement that could be derived from playing pranks on their professors (mostly Joseph?s ideas, mind). When they were about halfway to their dorm, Joseph spotted a familiar face approaching from the horizon. ?Is that Jen?? Joseph asked, glancing slyly over at Larry. ?Yeah, that?s Jenny, all right,? Larry replied, ignoring the look Joseph was giving him. Jenny and Larry were friends from way back when; in fact, she was one of the few friends that Larry had during his pre-college school years, and the only one to stick around with him for more than a year or two. Larry had a deep respect for Jenny, and likewise she had a deep respect for him. Also, and he would never admit to this to anyone, Larry enjoyed the kind aura that emanated from Jenny. She made him feel as if he could just be himself, and that she would like him just as much as she liked anyone else. ?Go talk to her, you know you want to,? Joseph teased, grinning. ?I swear I won?t embarrass you in front of her.? ?What are you talking about?? Larry asked, his face reddening very slightly. ?Stop talking crazy.? Before Joseph could get a word out, Jenny stepped up to them, smiling gently and holding her books against her chest. ?Are you two arguing again?? Jenny asked, cradling her books in her right arm for a moment while she moved her long, black hair from in front of her eyes. ?Of course not!? Joseph said indignantly. ?Scout?s honor!? Jenny laughed and rolled her eyes at him. ?How did the tryout go?? Jenny asked Larry. ?I?I didn?t make the team,? Larry said, a bit ashamed of himself at the moment. ?That?s too bad,? Jenny said, frowning. ?As long as you tried your hardest, I?m sure that?s all anyone could really ask of you?? She trailed off, half-convinced that her own words were the truth. Like Joseph, she was well aware of the circumstances of their lives, but she did not wish to bring any more onto Larry?s plate than what was already there. ?I suppose so,? Larry replied. ?You?re still free to help us study for our History exam tomorrow, right?? ?Oh, definitely!? Jenny said brightly. ?After I?m finished with you two, you?ll definitely ace that quiz!? ?Glad to hear it,? Joseph said. ?An ?A? would be nice to get, for once. I don?t know if Larry could handle any more of those, though.? Jenny laughed again, and Larry even cracked a smile at Joseph; when he wanted to, Joseph could really lighten the mood. ?Well, I should get going right now,? Jenny said. ?I?ve got a class I have to get to really quickly. I?ll talk to you two tomorrow!? She waved and walked off, her long skirt swishing with the wind. Joseph watched her leave, and patted Larry on the shoulder. ?You?re too somber,? Joseph said. ?You should make a move one of these days.? Larry looked over at Joseph as if he had turned into Frankenstein?s creature right before his very eyes. ?What are you talking about?? Larry asked. ?Deny if you wish,? Joseph said wisely. ?But that will get you nowhere in life.? ?Whatever,? Larry replied. ?Brighten up, man,? Joseph said. ?We all have our days where nothing goes our way, but you can?t beat yourself up about it too much.? ?I just have a lot of things on my mind,? Larry said. ?Too many things if you ask me,? Joseph replied. ?You?re in college, man, just have some fun, go with the flow. It?s okay to think about things, but if you?re thinking all the time, you?re gonna miss out on a lot of things.? Larry stayed silent, since he could not think of an adequate response to this. He and Joseph continued walking, and they both felt a few droplets of water fall onto their hair. ?Great,? Larry said. ?It?s gonna rain soon.? ?Yeah,? Joseph replied, peering up into the quickly graying clouds. ?We?d better hustle on over to the dorms.? Joseph and Larry hurried as quickly as they could over to the dormitories, and made it under the awning before the rain began pouring down. Several students ran under the awning after Joseph and Larry, their shoes covered in mud, holding their folders and binders above their heads in order to avoid getting their heads wet. Joseph and Larry walked inside of the building. There were a few students lounging around, though that number would likely increase within a few moments. ?I?m gonna head up to my room,? Joseph said, walking towards the stairs. ?I need a nice shower. I?ll talk to you later.? ?Yeah,? Larry said. ?Later on, Joseph.? Larry walked out of the room, though he did not head straight to his first-floor room. Instead he walked over to the mailroom in order to pick up his mail. Luckily, the room was empty, except for the one woman who was always at the desk, no matter what time of day it was. ?You want your mail, right, Larry?? the woman asked. ?That?s right, ma?am,? Larry replied. The woman went to the back of the room, dug around a bit, and plucked out a few letters. She looked at them very quickly, and handed them all to Larry. ?Hope you got something nice in the mail,? the woman said. ?Yeah, me too,? Larry said. ?I could use it.? Larry trudged over to his room, opened the door, and then closed it as he walked inside. His room was dark; the lights were off, and the blinds were drawn, only letting a very minimal amount of natural sunlight into the room. Larry flopped onto his bed and sifted through a few of the letters. Most of them were junk letters that he tossed onto the floor. However, there was one letter that piqued Larry?s interest at least very slightly. It was a letter from the Dean. [quote]Dear [Mr. Moore], We are pleased to inform you that you have once again qualified for the Dean?s List! Thusly, your exceptional G.P.A. has qualified you for a number of different scholarships that Fairbanks State University offers its most gifted students. We at Fairbanks State University are proud of our diverse and highly intelligent students, and we wish you all the best in your upcoming years at the university. Shoot for the stars! Sincerely, Dr. Dean Fairbanks[/quote] Larry looked at the short letter halfheartedly, and placed it onto his desk. Part of him was pleased that his good grades had once again enabled him to pay for his classes, but the other part of him was still bitterly disappointed. Larry wanted to do well in his classes, but he felt he was overachieving for nothing; he had yet to even declare a major. Yet, when he really applied himself to something that meant the world to him, baseball, he had failed. A wave of guilt spread through Larry as lightning cracked and the rain poured outside. He had told his mother that he was studying to be an architect, when all along he was planning to play baseball. His dreams of playing in the big leagues were just a dream, but it seemed so [i]attainable[/i] when he first got to college. Now, he wasn?t so sure what to think. He wanted to make his parents and his neighbors proud of him, but at the same time there was this part of Larry screaming out from inside of him that demanded he be his own person. He wanted to grow up on his own terms, do things for himself, and not have to worry about pleasing others. Was this wrong? Was it really bad to have these sorts of selfish thoughts? The more Larry thought about it, the more he realized that Joseph was right; he really did have far too much on his mind. But it wasn?t as easy as letting all of these thoughts go, because they simply [i]would not go away[/i]. However, Larry was now tired, and he decided to let himself drift off to sleep. There would be plenty of time in the coming days to worry about his own petty problems. Right now, Larry just wanted to rest his body and hope that things might be a bit better in the morning. The dreams would come later, and the darkness and fear after that, but for now Larry slept in peace and tranquility.[/font]

Empire is my favorite of the Star Wars movies, basically because of the reasons that Boba mentioned. I also love the fight between Luke and Darth Vader, because it's so well-paced and suspenseful. The all-out action of RotJ's and the prequels' lightsaber fights are pretty cool, but nothing will beat the duel in Cloud City, for me. Anyway, I'll assume that some of you guys have seen the Episode III trailer by now. What did you guys think of it? Personally, I liked it, and it did what any movie trailer sets out to do: it intrigues you and gets you interested in the movie. I'm hoping beyond all hope that Episode III is where Lucas gets all of the pieces of the puzzle right, and comes out with a great film. Hell, I'll even accept a solid film, after the last two lol.

[QUOTE=Mitch]I've been wanting to get this game since it came out, though. What I'm wondering is, is it hard to find? If I just go up to my local Gamestop, will they have it? Perhaps I will just buy it now. . .I don't know. I do have the money.[/QUOTE] From most accounts I've heard, the game will be tough to find. Atlus only released a certain number of copies, and individual stores didn't get too many of them (I forget what the exact number was, but I think someone mentioned it in the thread earlier). But, yeah, you might have a hard time finding it, though I don't know how many people where you live would be buying Nocturne lol.

Tony can't post in this area of the boards, so he wanted me to relay this idea here for him. He wants to suggest a section that shows the last five or so comments on your myOtaku. His reasoning is that sometimes people comment on older entries, and unless you actually took the time to look through your archives, which isn't very likely, there would be no way you'd know about them.

I got back from it just now. Very solid, funny movie. The writing was sharp, and the nonstop action during the latter half of the movie was very well done. Frozone is the man, I wish there was more of him in the movie. He's such a badass. His fight with his wife near the end of the movie was awesome, too. I'd quote it for you, but it's a line that's best heard within the movie lol. Edna 'E' Mode was so hilarious, too. She and Frozone are my favorite characters. "No cape!" Haha, she rules :D

Gee, I hope someone besides me is still playing this :( Anyway, I've been at the final boss of the game for a while, but I got my *** handed to me the first time I fought it, and I've been busy with schoolwork most of the week. I'll probably beat the game sometime tonight, or perhaps tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. Overall, the game has been fantastic. There are a couple of tiny flaws that I'll address later on in the post, but for the most part Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is extremely fun and fresh. There really aren't enough great things I could say about the game, really. It's easily my favorite GameCube release of the year thus far, with only perhaps Metroid Prime 2: Echoes giving it some stiff competition in a few days. The only real complaint I have with the game is what a lot of people choose to complain about, and that is the backtracking you have to go through, especially later on in the game. However, I don't think I found this to be as big a problem as a lot of people did. It was a minor annoyance, but the game still found ways to keep my interest. [spoiler]I might be singing a different tune if it weren't for the warp pipes in Underground Rogueport, though lol.[/spoiler] Also, I don't think that the bosses present much of a challenge until very late in the game. It's not really so bad, though, because the levels themselves provide a nice challenge; some of the puzzles you run into are pretty tricky. Even though I'm close to beating the game, I'll likely be playing through it again, because I know that I haven't gotten anywhere near everything you can get lol. [spoiler]I've still got to explore the 100 Level Pipe thing in Underground Rogueport, I've got to buy all of the copies of the Super Luigi story, there are some rare badges I'd like to get, and I want to help out all of the people in Rogueport.[/spoiler] There are tons of things to do apart from the main quest, so I have plenty of incentive to go through the game once more. I can't really say it enough, if you own a GameCube, and you're starving for RPGs, you have absolutely no reason (unless you're flat broke) to not buy this game. Go out and get it right now.

They're both pretty bad right now. Overall, SNL has been funnier, for longer, but the past few years, SNL has just [i]tanked[/i]. Mad TV has never really been funny enough to really get me to want to watch it regularly. I'd say SNL is funnier, mostly based on the older seasons, which are just hilarious.

Wow, it took four people to answer the question? lol Anyway, as Sciros said, that screen capture is from Mario Bros., which I believe was an arcade game before it was released on the NES. I actually have a copy of the NES game, though I can't really play it much anymore, since my NES doesn't work that well these days. It's still a fun little game if you need an hour or two to kill.

Hello, my name is Joseph, and I hate all of the ugliness that the world has to offer. There is so much ugliness in the world that I can?t stand to look at it, sometimes. It?s not just the world that is ugly; the people are ugly, as well. There are so many people in the world that sicken me when I glance at them. They are not ugly on the outside, but who they are, what they do, what they stand for, that is what is ugly about them. I wish I could do something about it, I [i]want[/i] to do something about it. I walk down the concrete path during my break and look all around me. All I see is ugliness, the drab, dead leaves strewn all over the ground, the darkened, wilted petals of flowers lying all across the dirt. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, yet nothing is vitalized, nothing is given [i]life[/i]. The sun tries its best to beautify the world, and it is met with the apathy of the general populace, myself included. I do not care for the sun, it is much too bright and hot for my liking. I wish that I could change the weather, make it the way that I want it to be whenever I please, but I can?t. I have no control over such things. I sit down in the far end of the arcade to eat my lunch, on the fringe of the area which is the center of my disgust. This is the only place that I can be alone, the only part of campus where I can remain relatively unbothered by people, yet I am still bothered. The darkened, dingy room is a feeding ground for the debaucheries of teenaged kind. The smokers congregate around the corners of the room, grouping together for one of the various chain-smoking sessions they will partake in during the day. They are either already addicted to the deadly nicotine, or are just beginning to feel the warm, venomous flow of addiction through their veins. The members of the group cough harshly from time to time, their lungs already beginning to shrivel and blacken. With every puff of nicotine, with every cigarette that they light, they are dying slowly, their inner being growing uglier and uglier by the day until nothing will be left but a deformed caricature of what they used to be. Men and women are scattered around the room, not in love, but engaging in sensual pleasures nonetheless. A few tables down from me, a couple kiss each other, grope each other, barely holding back from fucking each other right then and there. The man slides his tongue in and out of the woman?s mouth over and over again, stroking her cheek with one hand and caressing her right breast softly with the other. She does not seem to mind; she enjoys the attention lavished upon her by her male suitor. She repays him in kind by inching her right hand slowly down his waistline. I grow bored of them. The activity is the same every day, except with new couples doing the deed. Across the room, two men are talking. I imagine what they are talking about, and I am likely correct, since it is what half of the conversations on campus consist of. ?Hey, man,? one of the men would say. ?Did you get the shit for the party tonight?? ?Of course I did,? the other one would answer. ?I wouldn?t fuckin? let you down, you know that, dude.? They both smile, knowing that it is true, neither of them would let the other one down. ?You need to borrow my truck, then?? the first man would ask. ?That?s a lot of shit you have, I bet you won?t get the kegs down to the house real easily.? ?I?ll manage,? the other man would answer. ?I?ve got a couple pals who?ll help me bring ?em over to the party.? ?Awesome fucking news,? the first one would exclaim. ?Well, I?d better get to class now, I?m neck deep in shit as it is. Don?t want my bitch teacher dropping my fucking grade even more because I?m late again.? ?Yeah,? the other one would answer. ?That would fucking suck. Later on, dude.? ?Later,? the first one would say, leaving the room. The other one would then join the smokers, perhaps spreading the good word about the massive quantities of alcohol that would be available at the party later on. The group of people cheer loudly. It disgusts me. People willingly throw away the beauty of the world only to make themselves ugly. They throw away their lives for meaningless activities that they will not even remember in a few days. They can?t appreciate the blooming of a newborn flower, the rolling gray clouds, or the crisp brown leaves they apathetically crunch through everyday. They are too wrapped up in their ugliness, their debauchery, and their petty activities that make up their ugly, petty lives. I am not one of them, but I fear I will be eventually. I fear that I will join their ranks and lose what precious little beauty remains inside of me. I do not want that. I want to do something about it. I take the bus home. I try to stay in the middle of the bus, because that is the area that I am most comfortable with. All manners of people use public transportation, so no matter what time I take it, or where I sit, I will always be surrounded by those that I dislike while I am riding the bus. A thick cloud of gray smoke hovers over us, settling a couple of feet below the roof. There are signs scattered throughout the bus that discourage the act of smoking, but the bus driver has no control over the rowdy citizens that ride the bus everyday. They spread their poisonous pollution inside of the bus, just as the bus spreads its pollution onto the outside world. The bus slows to a stop and I get off. I walk home, passing by the clean, pristine houses with the white picket fences and the perfectly trimmed green lawns. My neighbors would like to think that their outward appearances are fooling the world, and perhaps they even are, but I can see through them very clearly because I know what they do. Mr. Jenkins from down the street has cheated on his wife seven times without her knowing; ten times after she caught him for the first time. Mr. Wallace institutionalized his son, because he couldn?t do well in school. Mr. Jones has a shrine made up of Nazi memorabilia. Mrs. Christie gets off on the screams of her children as her husband beats them. They try to hide these facts behind well-groomed facades, but I know the truth. They are all as filthy, disgusting and ugly as the next person. I hate them. I want to do something to rid the world of their ugliness, to rid the world of the despair that their existence brings upon everyone. But I do not know what I should do. I arrive home and walk in through the door. My father is watching television. He greets me as I walk inside, and I greet him back. He is a good person, for the most part. He works hard to earn the money that we both need to live, and I do not feel disgusted to be around him. At the same time, we do not interact very much. We only speak when we happen upon each other around the house; we never really go out of our way to see each other. I do not mind this, because I like to be alone most of the time. I walk into my room and close the door behind me. I lie down upon my bed, and look over to the side. There are two small pictures sitting on the small shelf to the side of my bed, standing just in front of my lamp. The first picture is of my deceased mother. My father says that she was a good person, and I believe him. I stare at her picture, look deep into her eyes, and I do not see a person that is fake like so many other people are. My father tells me that she died a year after giving birth to me. My father does not speak about her very often, because when he remembers her he is both sad and happy at once. I feel a twinge of sadness, because I would have liked to have known her, to have met her and spoken with her at least once. The other picture is of a girl I knew in high school, Maria. She was a very good person, and I liked her a lot. I think what I liked most about her was how honest and forthright she was. Maria was never afraid to speak her mind, even if it potentially hurt someone?s feelings. She never did hurt anyone?s feelings, though, she always spoke in a way that made you want to listen, that made you believe that what she was telling you was the truth and nothing more, nothing less. She helped me out a lot, helped me through many tough situations, and I helped her when she needed help. I had, and still have, a great deal of respect for her, because she was genuinely good. She moved away a couple of years ago. I sent an application to the college I?m currently attending, because Maria always mentioned that she had wanted to go here. She hasn?t come, though, but I am not very disappointed, because I knew that there wasn?t a great chance of her attending this school in the first place. I never knew where exactly she moved to; she could be on the other side of the country for all I knew. The college is still decent, though. I like my classes, and I have learned quite a bit from them. The campus is rife with ugliness, but so was every other campus that I visited. None of them were really any different from each other, in that regard. Wherever I go, there will be ugliness. I feel very tired, and I close my eyes for a short nap. When I fall asleep, I wake up in a dream. I am back in the arcade. It is still the same as always, the smokers are hanging out in their corners, the drunks in theirs. The same couple from today is still kissing away, one step away from engaging in an all-out fuckfest. I am gripping a sleek, aluminum bat in my hands. I see a smoker walking across the arcade and heading towards the bathroom. I follow him, because I know what I have to do. When I walk inside of the bathroom, he is washing his hands. His used cigarette is on the ground by his feet. I stand a couple of feet behind him, waiting for him to turn around. He looks up and sees my reflection in the mirror. He turns around, confused, and I swing the bat as hard as I can, connecting against the left side of his body, around the ribs. He crumples to the floor in a heap; the pain is so intense that he cannot even scream. I do not let up with my attack. I swing the bat down forcefully into his spine, and hear a loud crunch. My next target is the back of his head, and I smash it with the bat repeatedly, until his face is an unrecognizable, bloody mass. In a few minutes, he is dead. I am still not satisfied. I go out into the arcade and kill another person, and another, and another, and so on. After a while, everyone in the room is dead, except for me. I am still unsatisfied. I have killed all remnants of ugliness in the room, but there is still so much more in the world that can be destroyed. I know that I must do all that I can to get rid of it all. But there is a feeling deep down inside of me, a feeling that tells me that I cannot possibly get rid of all of the world?s ugliness, and to attempt such a thing is a hopeless endeavor. I ignore this feeling, I know what is right, and I know what I should do. I sleep the rest of the day, and wake up the next morning. I go to school that day, weaponless. I do not have an aluminum bat or anything else that would prove sufficient, except for my bare hands. I walk into the Student Center, and I see a person hanging around near the computer terminals, smoking a cigarette. He is very big and muscular, and I am considerably smaller than he is. I walk up to him, and stand in front of him for a few moments. After he takes a few puffs of his cigarette, he appears to be annoyed at my presence. ?What the fuck do you want?? he asks. ?I don?t like smoking,? I say. ?Please stop.? ?And just what the fuck are you going to do if I don?t stop?? he asks. When he finishes his question, I punch him in the face. He reels slightly, and I rub my knuckles because they hurt. He looks back in my direction, glaring at me and rubbing his jaw. ?You?re going to regret ever doing that, you motherfucker,? he says. He punches me in the face very quickly, right above my left eye, and I fall to the ground. A cut opens above my eye, and blood starts trickling slowly down the left side of my face. The skin around my left eye is puffy and bruised. A small crowd gathers around us, and the young man now looks apprehensive about finishing what he started. He grumbles about me being lucky that he doesn?t want to get thrown out of school, and he leaves the room. Two guys help me to my feet and take me over to the Health Services Center. My cut is cleaned and bandaged up. They give me an ice pack to stop the swelling above my left eye, but it is already swelled up quite a bit by this time. I stand by the bus stop after my classes are finished. The cut above my eye has scabbed over, and I have removed my bandage. The swelling around my eye has stopped, but it is still bruised and purple. The bus arrives and I step on, paying the driver my daily fare. I start my walk towards my regular seat, then I stop, surprised. I try to focus more, but it is difficult since my eye is so bruised. However, after a few moments, there is no mistaking it; Maria is sitting in my seat. I walk up to her, confused, happy and nervous all at once. I have not seen her in over two years. She does not look much different from how I remember her. I am suddenly self-conscious about my appearance. My hand touches my left eye gently; the skin is still very tender and puffy. I?m almost ashamed that I have to face Maria with a black eye. I do not have much time to dwell on this thought, as Maria spots me walking slowly down the bus aisle. She peers at me for a few seconds before brightening up considerably. ?Joseph?? Maria asks. ?Is that you?? ?Yeah,? I answer. ?Is that you, Maria?? She laughs and smiles, genuinely pleased. ?How are you doing these days?? Maria asks. ?I haven?t seen you in years!? ?Um,? I say. ?I?m doing well. And you?? ?I?m doing well,? Maria replies. ?I just transferred in from out of state.? ?Really?? I ask. ?So, you finally get to go to the school you wanted to go to, huh?? ?Yeah,? Maria answers, smiling again. ?Hey!? the bus driver shouts, turning around to face us. ?Would you mind sitting the hell down already?!? ?Oh,? I stammer. ?Erm, sorry about that.? ?Here, I?ll scoot over a bit,? Maria says, scooting over to the window seat. ?Thanks,? I reply, sitting down. Maria?s smile vanishes as she notices my black eye. ?What happened to your eye?? Maria asks, pointing to my bruised left eye. ?Er,? I say, stalling for a few seconds. ?I got into a fight earlier today.? ?A fight?? Maria questions. ?What about?? ?Someone was smoking,? I answer. ?I don?t like smoking very much, so I wanted them to stop. I ended up fighting him.? ?So, you fought some random smoker?? Maria asked. ?Yeah,? I answer. ?Why?? Maria asks. Her question does not sound accusatory. There is something about her voice that makes the question sound as if it is asked merely out of curiosity. ?I told you, I don?t like smoking,? I reply. ?It?s ugly, filthy, and disgusting. I hate it, so I tried to get rid of it.? ?Get rid of it?? Maria prods. ?But how would beating up one smoker get rid of smoking?? Again her voice is more curious than accusatory. ?Well,? I say. ?I guess that it wouldn?t if I only got rid of just one person?? ?So, you?d need to go after more people, right?? Maria asks. ?Yeah,? I answer. ?I guess so.? ?And suppose that you could somehow manage to get rid of all smokers,? Maria says. ?I don?t think that?s the only vice you?re not fond of, eh?? ?No,? I say. ?Not exactly.? ?You?d want to go after more people and kill them off, too,? Maria says. ?You?d keep killing and killing until there is nothing left.? I keep silent out of embarrassment. I did not want to come off the wrong way to Maria, but she now thinks I am a killer. And, in a way, I already am. Did I not have thoughts of killing those people in the arcade? As ridiculous as it now seems, did I not go into the Student Center with intentions of at least beating that man who was smoking? The bus comes to my stop, and I tell Maria that I have to get going. She says that she will be coming with me, because she has a place that she?ll be staying at near here. I?m still embarrassed, but I?m glad that she still wants to walk with me. We both get off of the bus and begin walking down the sidewalk. Maria starts up the conversation once again. "You've changed since the last time I saw you," Maria says. "No I haven't," I reply. "Yes, you have," Maria says. "Your ideas are different." "How?" I say. ?Do you really think that there is so much ugliness in the world that you have to destroy it all?? Maria asks. ?What good is it?? I ask. ?Ugliness, I mean.? ?Well, how would we recognize what we see as good and beautiful without the bad and ugly?? Maria asks. ??what do you mean?? I question in reply. ?Look at it this way,? Maria says. ?Without ugliness, without ?bad?, how would we recognize what we find to be good and beautiful? It?s like yin and yang, good can?t exist without bad, beauty can?t exist without ugliness. If all we had was a singular entity of beauty, then beauty would just be normal, ordinary, and people would take it for granted.? ?People already take real beauty for granted,? I reply. ?Or maybe they just see different things as beautiful,? Maria says. ?Different things?? I ask. ?The beauty of the world is that different people have different ideas of what they consider good or beautiful or whatever,? Maria says. ?Someone might think a clear, blue sky is beautiful and I might hate it. I might think these dead rose petals on the sidewalk are beautiful, and someone else might think they?re ugly.? ?But some things,? I say. ?I can?t see how anyone would consider them beautiful.? ?And it?s the same for me,? Maria replied. ?There are things that happen in the world, things people do that I can?t really understand, that I don?t know how anyone can enjoy it. But that?s how life is. You deal with it, and you try to look past it.? ?But how can we just ignore the bad and not do anything about it?? I ask. ?It?s not like that,? Maria says. ?I?m not ignorant of the bad, I know what happens; I?m more than aware of it. I guess what it boils down to is?I?m aware of the ugliness of the world, but I live within the confines of the beauty. Or I try to, anyway.? ?That?s a bit too idealistic for me,? I note. ?But it?s not idealistic,? Maria says. ?I don?t know?bad things happen, we can?t change that, but to focus on just that when there really is a lot of good and beauty around is now how I?d like to live.? ?Where is the beauty, though?? I question. ?Beauty is everywhere, you just have to look for it,? Maria says. ?You can find beauty in just about anything you want to, I think. Not just physical beauty, but some things are just really interesting, you know?? ?Like how?? I ask. ?Well,? Maria says. ?Sometimes an idea is really interesting and beautiful, words can be beautiful, images can be beautiful, and concepts can be beautiful. It?s really up to you what you find beautiful; it?s kind of cheesy, but it?s the truth.? ?Yeah, I kind of see what you?re saying,? I reply. ?Well, we?re getting close to my house now,? Maria says. ?Would you like to come over?? ?No thanks,? I reply. ?I think I?ll head home, myself.? ?Okay then,? Maria says. ?I guess I?ll see you tomorrow.? ?Yeah,? I say. ?Tomorrow.? Maria crosses the street, and is soon out of sight. I continue walking home. The clouds in the sky are bunched together and horribly grey; I think they look nice. I also like the blood red roses in bloom in my neighbor?s garden. They are beautiful, even if my neighbor really isn?t. I crunch through the wilted, dead leaves that have fallen through the trees. The sound is pleasant to my ears. I walk into my house, greet my dad, and flop onto my bed, eager to take a long nap. I still hate all of the ugliness the world has to offer, but I think that I can learn to love the beauty just as much. EDIT: Changed a part relating to Joseph's mother that I meant to change before I posted this. EDIT2: After re-reading the dream sequence transition, it sort of bothered me, as well, so I changed it up a bit. Hopefully, it is clearer now. EDIT3: Noticed that the silly censoring thing had been taken away from the Literature forum, and I edited back in the censored words accordingly.

A thread about favorite Final Fantasy games already exists in Play It. If you wish to say what your favorite Final Fantasy game is (and please provide some detail about [i]why[/i] whichever game you choose is your favorite), the post about it in [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=41741][b]this thread[/b][/url]. Thread Closed