Shinmaru

The updated graphics look nice. I passed over Final Fantasy Origins on the PSX, so I might think about picking this one up if the gameplay is updated a bit. Final Fantasy only interests me mildly, but I've heard some good things about Final Fantasy II. If I pick this game up, it'll be mostly for FFII. If Square is going to remake some of these games for the GBA, though, I wouldn't mind a remake of either FFIV, Chrono Trigger or both, since I still have yet to play either of them (yes, I somehow managed to avoid them both on the SNES and PSX).

Many of my favorite TV shows have been victims of cancellation over the years and it's driven me away from TV a bit...especially Fox's decisions. Tony has already pointed out how extremely dumb Fox is (unless there is some ulterior motive that is unfathomable by our puny minds as to why Fox changes around their time slots so much). I don't watch much TV, anymore. The only channel I regularly watch is Comedy Central, since they have a bevy of interesting and hilarious shows, though they're not all good. That's the best I have, since every other channel that once held my faith over the years has proved time and time again that they're not worth my attention.

I was also surprised to see Bob Hope listed this early. I enjoy both Jerry Seinfeld and George Carlin, but I think that George Carlin would make a better number one than Seinfeld. Seinfeld's stand-up routine is funny, but George Carlin is on a whole different level when it comes to stand-up. I could easily see him being the number one stand-up of all time.

Personally, like Desbreko, I enjoyed FFIX's characters. I thought they were a well-needed breath of fresh air for the series, especially in relation to the main characters. Granted, Zidane is not exactly my favorite character in IX but he's more likable than Cloud or Squall, to me, at least. I liked the way that the characters interacted, as well. Their interactions led to a lot of funny situations and reminded me a lot of FFVI, which I think had the best cast of characters of any FF game (note that I have not played FFIV). The story didn't really get interesting until [spoiler]Garland entered the picture[/spoiler]. He was a far more enjoyable villain than Kuja. Plus, he had that awesome theme music. How could you not love that? Like everyone else, I agree that an FFIX sequel would be damn near useless. What else is there for them to do? Unless you want to carry on with [spoiler]Vivi and Quina's married life (disturbing as it was, that part was hilarious)[/spoiler], then there's not really much left to do. The game's closure was pretty final.

[quote name='Desbreko][color=indigo']First off, more open-ended areas would be very much appreciated. While playing through the game a second time a while ago, I realized just how tight a path you travel. The first time I played through I didn't notice so much because I was caught up with finding secrets and scanning anything and everything, but since I already knew where pretty much everything was during my second playthrough, I found that you can just zip right through the areas in no time at all. Most of the areas in the game, when I actually look at the map, seem to be made up of a lot of small rooms connected by narrow tunnels, with not all that many large rooms/caverns. I miss the large, sprawling caverns of Super Metroid that could have tons of little nooks and crannies, with all sorts of ways in and out of it. In Metroid Prime, it seems like there's rarely more than two doors leading in/out of a room, besides the main "hub" rooms.[/color][/quote] At the same time, it wouldn't be good for Metroid Prime 2 to fall into the same trap that other First-Person games have fallen into. If Retro Studios does decide to go the route of more open-ended areas, they'd have to make sure they aren't so big that they're overwhelming. The open-ended areas work extremely well on the 2D plane but Retro would have to go the extra mile to make the areas work the same in 3D with a first-person view. I agree that it would be great if more open-ended areas were implemented, though. I agree with your sentiments about the enemies, too. A lot of the time, the enemies weren't really too tough and when you figured out the patterns of the space pirates and the Metroids, they weren't too tough, either. A wider variation of enemies in regards to enemy type and attacking patterns would be nice.

Usually, I end up going to the movies because my family takes me along. I rarely go to the movies on my own. The movie theaters around here are all pretty crappy and they don't really make me enjoy the moviegoing experience. My family usually goes to see big movies or whatever family movie is out at the time. The cool to crap ratio of movies we see pretty much evens itself out. I think the last movie I saw in a theater was Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, so that should tell you how often I go to the movies lol. Staying at home and watching a good DVD is far preferable for me.

I pretty much agree with Petey. It's kind of sickening to think that [i]Joan Rivers[/i] of all people was ranked ahead of people like Denis Leary, Lewis Black, Norm MacDonald, Wanda Sykes, Dana Carvey and just about every other comic on that list that is infinitely funnier than Joan Rivers could ever hope to be (and, for the record, I've seen some of her older stuff, too - that's not funny, either). And Dave Chappelle was only one spot above her. Ick. It was only a matter of time before this list managed to screw itself.

[quote name='DeathBug][color=indigo][size=1][font=comic sans ms]One of my favorite villains was Hank Scorpio from [i]The Simpsons[/i]. Sure, he was evil, but he ws a very likable person.[/color][/font'][/size][/quote] I don't really have a viewpoint on what makes a great villain, since I'm of the opinion that a great villain could have just about any makeup and can't really be defined by one set of rules, but I will say that Hank Scorpio was awesome. Definitely one of the better Bond villain parodies I've ever seen lol. That whole Simpsons episode was hilarious.

I think I was about 4'10" when I was 11. I don't really remember. I've been about average height all my life. I'm 5'9" right now and I'm not sure how much growing I have left. Maybe a couple inches, I don't know. I can only really echo what Charles said, though. Height is just one characteristic that makes up a person. It's not even a really important characteristic, it just makes people notice you more. That can be a bad thing, too, sometimes. I'm a pretty soft-spoken person offline. I don't talk very much and I don't join in conversation very often. People [i]do[/i] notice me, however, because I'm an active writer. Writing has become my niche, so to speak. I didn't really become truly active with my writing until last year, though. When I was 11, I vaguely remember doing nothing but playing video games all day. lol So, no worries. 11 isn't really an age where people should be too preoccupied with what others think of them, in my opinion. Just try and go out and have fun. Find something you enjoy and do that. The sky's the limit when you're that young, heh.

By the way, if someone gets shots, it would be nice if they were sans cheesy captions lol. The multiplayer should be a blast if it's really taken advantage of. Playing as Samus, the Space Pirates...even as a Metroid (though, you'd be pretty easy to kill as a Metroid lol). I'm interested to see if Samus's weaponry will be fully integrated into the multiplayer experience, as well. That would be pretty damn awesome. I really enjoyed Metroid Prime, so I'll end up getting this one, too.

I found out about this yesterday from a friend of mine and I was plenty surprised, to say the least. I hadn't heard much speculation of any possible breakup of Silicon Knights from Nintendo, which is pretty much the opposite of what the rumor bin was like when Rare split from Nintendo (though, admittedly, Rare was obviously way more high-profile than SK was). Personally, I can't see why Eternal Darkness [i]hasn't[/i] sold well. I think it's an amazing game and one of my favorite, if not my favorite, GameCube games. But that sort of thing just happens, I guess. I tend to agree more with what Tony said, in that this was more about sales, than anything, sort of like when Sega went third-party. I certainly hope that SK becomes a very profitable developer, because they're a talented company that would really deserve it. And if those brochure pictures are fake, they're nice pictures, at least.

Idea just popped in my head right now, decided to let it develop itself into a story. I hope you enjoy it. I had been running after him for god knows how long. He led me through streets, through alleyways, through parks and everywhere else in between. He almost knew this city better than I did. But who would have thought it? My best friend is a wanted man, by the F.B.I., no less, and I'm the one who's supposed to catch him. Life works in strange ways, sometimes. "Stop!" I shouted, though I knew that I was shouting in vain. "Stop, or I'll gun you down, Peter!" I fired my gun nonchalantly, I didn't want to actually [i]hit[/i] the guy unless I had to, and the bullet ricocheted off a brick wall, closer to his head than I would have liked. I turned the corner and saw no trace of Peter in the alley. "Where the hell are you, Peter?" I yelled. "Up here," he replied. I looked up and he was standing on a brick wall, separating two different parts of the alley. "You're never going to catch me, but I urge you to follow me." Peter hopped down to the other side and I gave chase again. I scrambled up the brick wall, as quick as I could, and leaped down to the other side, bending my knees to absorb the impact that came as I hit the ground. I looked ahead and spotted an old apartment building in the distance. Peter had undoubtedly gone in there; there would be plenty of hiding spaces in which he would be able to escape. I walked forward slowly, inch by inch, gripping my gun tightly, my nerves bundled up, ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of an ambush. I knew that Peter would most likely not ambush me, he was unarmed, after all, but that did not stop me from being very suspicious of his actions. I entered the apartment building and was soon overwhelmed with the stench of degradation. Everything in this building, couches, television, phones, was caked with dust. The place seemed older than time, even. As if it had been around far longer than even the entire human race. I walked to the end of the room and grasped the doorknob of the door leading to the next room. I turned it and the door opened with the loudest creak I had ever heard in my life. Obviously, this place had not been used in a very long time. I walked into the next room, the floorboards groaning with every step I took; the very sound of it gave me goosebumps. It was like I was stepping on someone and they were screaming with pain and misery. I looked around the room. Even in the darkness, I could ascertain that there was only one door leading out of this room. I was getting closer and closer to Peter...I could feel it. But I wasn't so sure that I actually [i]wanted[/i] to catch up to him. I was genuinely [i]afraid[/i] of what I might find when I finally did manage to apprehend him. I opened the door and walked into the next room. The door slammed shut behind me and the room was thrown into darkness; nothing but pitch black as far as the eye could see, which wasn't very much at all. I heard some movement in the middle of the room, followed by a small click. A bright light pervaded the room and I had to shield my eyes for a second or two, in order to allow my pupils to adjust to this newfound light. I uncovered my eyes and saw Peter standing in the middle of the room. "Glad you could make it," he said. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked him. "What is this all about?" "It's about the truth, my friend," Peter replied. He gestured over to two doors that were on each side of the room. On his left, there was a door labeled "Truth". On his right, there was a door labeled "Fiction". "Truth?" I asked, puzzled. "Yes," Peter said, nodding his head. "This door leads to the truth, obviously." He gestured over to the Truth door. "And this door leads back to your world of pomp, circumstance and fairy-tale fiction." He pointed over to the Fiction door. I raised my eyebrow and looked at Peter with a skeptical look on my face. He had obviously gone insane. "I can see that you do not believe me," he said, frowning. "People rarely do. I know that I did not accept the truth for quite a while. Hell, I'm not sure that I even [i]want[/i] to accept it, even now. But I would rather have the truth, than live a lie." "I still don't know what you are talking about," I said. "Of course you don't," Peter said. "Because you are unaware, just like everyone else is. Unaware of what's [i]really[/i] happening, unaware that whatever mindless war is being fought is a figment of your imagination, unaware that the food you eat, the people you love and your entire life are nothing but a hoax." "Look, I can get you help," I said, my voice wavering slightly. "You're a sick man, but you can be cured!" "I already [i]am[/i] cured!" he yelled. We stared at each other for a few tense moments, the only sound in the room being our heavy, rhythmic breathing. Peter turned his back to me and walked slowly to the Truth door. "I'll give you one last chance, but that's all I can offer. Either you follow me and you see the truth for yourself, or you go on and live your lie. It's your choice." Peter opened the Truth door, walked through it and closed it. I stood in the middle of the room, transfixed at the door. I wanted to go through it so badly, but I was afraid. Afraid that I would end up just like Peter. Hopeless. With a deep sigh, I turned around and walked through the Fiction door. I snapped awake and looked at my alarm clock. Three in the morning. I convinced myself that everything that had happened was just a dream...in fact, everything in that dream never seemed to be real at all. Was there ever a person named Peter? Did we really go to that old apartment building? Did that apartment building even [i]exist[/i]? I don't know and I'm not sure I ever want to find out.

Thanks for putting up the list as it is so far, Transtic ^_^ [quote name='Transtic Nerve']It seems they don't soley focus on the stand up of the comedians as much as just them and what they've done.[/quote] Yeah, I was thinking that, too, while I was watching Part Two yesterday. I've never even [i]seen[/i] Eddie Griffin do standup, though that's probably how he got his start. I was also glad to see Louis C.K. on the list, though I wish he were a bit higher. He's a funny guy. Sinbad was pretty much the big disappointment for me...he's funny, at times, but he's not funny enough to even [i]be on this list[/i], much less be ranked #65. And I could live with George Carlin being ranked #1 - he's hilarious every time I see him. EDIT: And, from what I saw yesterday, Denis Leary is only going to be in Part Three...blah. He's top 25 material, [i]at least[/i].

Tajiri is wrestling The Coach and Ric Flair will be wrestling Shelton Benjamin. As is usually the case with RAW, they've done a good job in promoting the matches and getting you interested in them, but none of them really seem like they're going to turn out really well. I have high hopes for the Flair/Benjamin and Jericho/Christian & Trish, but none of the matches are really going to step above all of the others as being really good, I think.

Eh, why fight it? Oldest to most recent makes sense. NES - I still bring out the NES every once in a while to play the games that I have that aren't included as extras in any GameCube games. I actually still have quite a few good games for it and I finally got around to replacing the crappy wires that my brother chewed and ruined oh so long ago. I don't play it [i]too[/i] often, though, because I have limited space and I have to tinker with my regular setup to play it. Game Boy - Bought one at a garage for a couple bucks just to have it, heh. I don't really play any games on it. Super NES - Bought this the first day it came out; I was looking forward to it for so long and it never disappointed me (well, the good games, at least). It's getting on in years and it's not in the best of shape, but I still play it more often than my NES. I'd say I have about 30 or so SNES games, most of which are pretty good. PlayStation - I play it occasionally, usually just to re-experience all the great shooters that were on the system. Maybe play some Final Fantasy IX or FF Anthology every once in a while. I have a lot of PSX games, but most of them are the "play once and never touch them again" variety. N64 - My N64 is pretty much collecting dust, unfortunately. This was when I went through a dry spell, gaming wise, and rented far more than I bought. I maybe have nine or so games for the N64, only half of which are any good. When you include the remakes that I have for the GameCube, StarFox 64 and Super Mario 64 are the only reasons I have for playing the N64, anymore. Game Boy Color - I only had a couple GBC games. I usually play using the Game Boy Player and even if I'm going on a trip or something, I just use my Game Boy Advance. Game Boy Advance - I play it a bit more than my GBC, but most of my GB games are played on my Game Boy Player. I don't really have many GBA games worth playing, though. GameCube - This is the console that receives the bulk of my playing time. I have plenty of great GameCube games that are begging to be played over and over again, plus I have a bevy of remakes and extras (the stuff in Animal Crossing, Zelda: Collector's Edition, etc.) that I pull out and play quite frequently, as well. Also, the GameCube is really my first console that I've been able to really take advantage of, multiplayer wise, so I have lots of fun with that, too. When I play them, all of my consoles are hooked up in my brother and sister's room, because my room is far too small to provide a good gaming experience.

I watched most of the first part of this ongoing list yesterday, but I missed some in the beginning and some at the ending, so if someone knows the list so far or is able to track down the list from Part One (because I wasn't able to do so), then I'd be very appreciative. If you don't know by now, Comedy Central has started one of those "top 100" list shows that everyone loves so much. This list, however, if I am understanding correctly, was chosen [i]entirely[/i] by comedians and not in conjunction with some lame magazine. Just like any other list, there will probably be people that we're glad to see on the list, people we wish were higher up on the list and people that we're left wondering how the hell [i]anyone[/i] can find them funny. From what I saw, there weren't any of the last option, since pretty much everyone that was on the list from what I saw I found to be funny. My favorite from yesterday was definitely Norm MacDonald, who I think should actually be a bit higher up on the list (Part Two, at least). He has the Christopher Walken effect - he can make you laugh by saying just about anything. Plus, he has that really, really dry humor and I find that to be pretty funny. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the parts because I actually think that this could turn out to be a decent top 100 list and, believe me, that's a very rare occurance. The middle is what I'm most curious to see, since you know comedians like Bob Hope, George Carlin and Richard Pryor are going to be near the top (and deservedly so). The middle of the list is the real question mark, heh. So, if you're watching this five-part series, who are you looking forward to seeing make the list? Did you think Part One's list was good or just a load of garbage? And who do you think will be ranked as the number one stand-up of all time?

Although I pick out just about everything I wear, my parents buy it all for me...but I don't really have any expensive clothing or anything. My most expensive shirt was probably bought for $5, my most expensive shorts and pants for maybe $15 or $20. I tend to wear everything I have until I outgrow them or they get so worn down that I can't wear them anymore (which is the case with my shoes a lot of the time lol). Shoes, I maybe buy a new pair once a year. I don't spend more than $30 on a pair of shoes and they last just as long as the expensive shoes some of my friends buy. Spending a ton of money on a pair of shoes seems a bit ridiculous to me. Then again, I spend quite a bit of money on video games, so I probably shouldn't talk lol. Any extra stuff, like hair-care products (outside of shampoo) and other stuff like that, I just don't buy. I don't really have a use for it.

I graduate in about a couple months, I think. Senior year has been decent enough, I suppose. A lot of people I know have been wracking their brains over college and going absolutely nuts. I only applied to a few colleges, two of which I knew I could get into easily enough and one that I figured I would have a tough time getting into. Everyone else was going crazy and applying to just about every college in the state lol. I thought that was pretty funny. This year has probably been the best of my high school years so far. I have classes I enjoy, despite the amount of work that I need to put into them, and my sister started high school this year, so I've been showing her the ropes and training her to dislike high school as much as I have. She'll turn out good, that one, especially seeing as she's not lazy like me :p All that other stuff like dances, rings, pictures, I have no real interest in, because they're so expensive. I only bought a yearbook, because I figured it would be nice to be able to at least have a [i]few[/i] memories of high school to look back on when I'm old and senile. I am looking forward to graduation week, surprisngly, because it actually sounds like it'll be a fun time. Honestly, there are a lot of people that I'm not really going to miss, but there are a couple people that I'd like to say goodbye to and let them know what kickass friends they've been. So, yeah, Senior year has been alright. As good as high school can be, I guess.

There was really no need to bring back this topic, especially since you made a Halo 2 thread, yourself. Thread Closed

I'm all over the place when I read books, but the genre I read most is Science-Fiction. With a good Sci-Fi novel, I just enjoy the mix of technology and good, old-fashioned storytelling. It's a mixture that appeals to me on so many levels, especially considering that I'm one of those dorks who wishes he were in a universe akin to the Star Wars universe. ...a guy can dream, can't he? But I find it a bit strange, considering how much I love Sci-Fi, that my favorite novel is [i]Invisible Man[/i] by Ralph Ellison. But maybe it's not so strange...the novel is amazing, heh. It delivers an extremely powerful message in a very unique way, without sounding preachy or anything. The overall story is very good, the quality of writing is way up there and I really enjoy the narrator; he's one of my favorite literary characters, in fact. That's getting a bit off-topic, though. Darn these tangents. I enjoy Stephen King novels, but they're a bit "off and on" for me. Some of his novels, like The Shining and The Dark Tower series, for example, are simply fantastic and a pure joy to read. Others...not so much. Overall, however, I'd say that Stephen King has written more good novels than bad ones. His short story collections, in particular, are well worth reading. I'll just throw in one more genre because I have time to burn: Mysteries. I love a good mystery novel. I remember that my Sophomore English teacher had a nice collection of Sherlock Holmes novels that I read for her class. Cool stuff...Sherlock Holmes is the man. It's fun to try and solve the mysteries, too, though I don't think I ever solved any of the mysteries that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dreamed up lol.

There are so many different trends, past and present, in gaming that it's interesting, to me, at least, to wonder which ones will fizzle out and which ones will become the new standards of gaming. In today's gaming market, especially, there are TONS of different directions the future of gaming can go in. There is the world of online gaming, of course, which has steadily gained more followers since the first major advent of online gaming on consoles with the Dreamcast (I don't really count X-Band or anything like that as a major contribution to online gaming, since it was ignored by a lot of people). Also, there is connectivity, which Nintendo is sticking with in lieu of online gaming. And handheld gaming is going through an evolution of sorts with Sony gearing up to release the PSP and with Nintendo working on the DS, though that isn't meant to be a direct competitor with the GBA SP. My question is, what do you think will be the future of gaming and why? Which of these, or perhaps something I haven't mentioned, do you feel will become the #1 priority for just about everyone involved with gaming?

[i]How long have you been using myOtaku?[/i] Like Azure, I was one of the first to sign up. I signed up on July 31, 2003 and I've been using it ever since, though the first month was pretty much off and on, with me making crappy posts and saving the good stuff for me now-defunct piece of crap Blogger blog. I was even in the top twenty for a short time when I signed up :D Of course, others signed up after me and I immediately fell to the 100s. lol [i]How frequently do you work with myOtaku?[/i] Posting wise, I post every day, if I can. I rarely tinker with the design of my site, except for the music, which I change quite often. Personally, I like the colors of my site and they'll never change lol. The stuff like the shoutbox and the buttons are extra stuff that I add from time to time. [i]What do all of you do with myOtaku?[/i] I just try to use it to make entertaining posts about me, my life and what I think about stuff. Really, some people's myOtakus are pretty interesting and funny to read. I can think of a few people off the top of my head ([url=www.myotaku.com/otakusennen]OtakuSennen[/url], [url=www.myotaku.com/maladjusted]maladjusted[/url], [url=www.myotaku.com/sara]Sara[/url] and [url=www.myotaku.com/godel]Godel[/url] come to mind) whose myOtakus are just really awesome to read. So, yeah, I just try and have a good time with my myOtaku and try to make it as strange and odd as humanly possible.

I apologize for bringing back an old topic, but this was preferable to making an entirely new thread, I think. Anyway, I was finally able to buy [i]Absolution[/i] yesterday for about $11.95, which, I must say, was an absolute steal, heh. [i]Absolution[/i] is fantastic. From top to bottom, every song is very good, and I can't think of any one song in particular that I thought of as disappointing or anything like that. And, frankly, that is akin to a miracle, considering that my expectations for this album were sky high. I've not heard any of the other Muse albums, but on [i]Absolution[/i], I'm not really seeing the whole Radiohead comparisons. I guess Matthew Bellamy sounds [i]somewhat[/i] like Thom Yorke when he hits the high notes, but that's about it. Muse is a different sound from Radiohead, at least I think so. I really love how Muse uses instruments other than the basic guitar, drums and bass and integrates them so seamlessly into their songs. The use of the grand piano and cello add a lot to the songs (the piano, along with the organ, is just one of those instruments that's practically [i]begging[/i] to be used more often in music today). So, yeah, [i]Absolution[/i] kicks major *** and if you don't own the album, you need to buy it immediately. One of the best albums I've heard in quite a while.

Great job on all the stories so far. I especially enjoyed Zidargh's entry and Petey's second entry. Great stuff. Taking the bus home is a drag, sometimes. The people around you are strange as hell, the place smells like someone died in there and the bus drivers never really give you the feeling that they're all there in the head. If I could afford a car, I'd use it, but photojournalism isn't exactly the most profitable of careers. Sure, there are some people that make it big, but I'm not one of them. The bus stopped a couple blocks from my apartment building, like always. There wasn't a bus stop near where I lived, so I had to make due with what I could. I walked through the thick crowd of people, bumping into everyone every which way, without a word of apology from anyone. Nobody cared enough to really say anything of the sort in New York. I walked about a block, when I realized that I did not want to go home. In fact, home was the [i]last[/i] place I was supposed to be. I crossed the street, walking perpendicular to the path that went to my house, with my camera gripped tightly in my hands. I was shaking a bit. I had no idea where I was going or why I was going there. I just knew that I was going somewhere. I continued walking fervently, with less and less people getting in my way. I crossed streets without the slightest regard as to whether or not a car would be heading into my route. I turned corners without paying heed to the fact that there may have been another person turning that same corner at that exact moment. Why? Because I knew that there would not be anyone or anything in my way. I was truly frightened now. It had just dawned upon me that I was the only one who would be going to wherever I would be going. I was the only one taking the path to the unknown. It's a miracle that I didn't shatter my camera, my hands were gripping it so tightly. It almost slipped out of my palms a few times, because they were soaking with the perspiration of fear. The fear of walking the walk that nobody else wants to walk. Suddenly, I was there. Central Park. The vast expanse of green was still visible, even in the darkness of night. I slowly walked forward, my heart pounding a mile a minute, my legs quivering with every step that I took. I stopped in front of a small pond, not knowing why exactly I chose that particular spot to stop. And then, it happened. The sun rose. The light was the most beautiful and fulfilling sight I had ever seen in my life. The bright yellow gleam of the light pervaded my entire being, lifting me, calming my fear, soothing my body. It did not even occur to me until much later that it had been nighttime and the sun should not have risen until much later. Or, perhaps it [i]did[/i] occur to me, subconscially, and that is why I regarded this light as such a divine miracle. My arm, still holding my camera, raised to my eye, the only part of my body that was still shaking; not with fear, but with excitement. The spot on which I was standing was in perfect view of this glorious monument of light. I clicked once and took a perfect shot of the sunrise. That photo still remains with me to this day. To anyone else, it would be worthless, but, to me, it is the most cherished item I have ever come to possess in my life. That light meant something to me. Hope, divinity, purity...there was one word, one feeling, that rose above them all, however. Freedom.

Shinmaru Charlie Charlie stepped out of the classroom, totally bored. He had cruised through another day of school. Another day of little to no effort, of looking ahead to what was coming after school. He walked down the hall, past the endless stream of lockers, and passed by one of his best friends, Peter. "What's up?" Peter asked. "Heading over to Steve's house," Charlie answered. "Got some practice to do." "You don't do anything [i]but[/i] practice anymore," Peter said. "When are you guys actually going to make your own music?" "Hey, you have to start somewhere," Charlie retorted. Charlie was the lead singer of a Pixies cover band that he dubbed Motorway to Roswell, after his favorite Pixies song. "I guess that's true," Peter said. "And at least you're playing better music than all of the other bands around here, even if it's not your own." "Har har," Charlie replied sarcastically. "How about giving me a ride to Steve's house? Then, maybe you could hear some [i]real[/i] music." "Sure, why not?" Peter said, not really a question. "I've got nothing else to do with my time." Peter and Charlie walked out of the school and shielded themselves momentarily from the bright glare of the sun. It was another extremely hot day, as usual. Charlie took a moment to remind himself to thank Steve for having an air conditioner. Charlie and Peter approached Peter's car and Peter unlocked the door and climbed inside. Charlie climbed into the passenger seat and they both buckled up their seat belts. "Ready?" Peter asked. "Ready," Charlie replied. Peter started up the car, which replied with a loud sputter. "Christ, what the hell is wrong with this thing?" Peter said, his voice thick with irritability. He began to pound hard on the steering wheel, sounding off the horn several times in a row. "Crap," Charlile said simply. Peter sighed heavily. "Damn thing's been pretty unreliable lately," he said. "I'll have to take it into the shop sometime." "Right," Charlie said. "In the meantime, how are we going to get to Steve's house?" "We'll have to walk, I guess," Peter replied. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Charlie said. "It's hot as hell outside." "Do you have a better idea?" Peter asked. Charlie frowned, mostly because he [i]didn't[/i] have a better idea. He and Peter unbuckled their seat belts, climbed out of the car and began the slow march through the heat to Steve's house. --- Heh, hope that's good enough ^_^;