Arasoi

[color=royal blue]Poetry-wise, I usually write best when I'm depressed. And since I'm always the most depressed at night, that's the time when my poems are better. Most of my best work is depressing, and my happier poems aren't usually that great. There are some exceptions, but that's generally the way it goes for me. For stories and essays, I usually write best during the day, when I'm not depressed. When I'm sad, I find it harder to concentrate on stories, but easier to write poetry. That seems rather odd, I know, but that's the way it works for me.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I beat FFIX quite a long time ago, so I'm not entirely sure if this is correct or not. [spoiler]I believe Necron was the controlling force behind Garland and Kuja. Or maybe it was just Garland, I don't know. I'm not sure where I heard that from, I just heard it somewhere. But yes, Necron was a very random final boss. Up until that point, he had never been incorporated into the story, and suddenly he showed up as the last boss of the game.[/spoiler][/color]

[color=royal blue]In my opinion, .hack//SIGN's theme song, Obsession, is the best opening anime song. I love the way it sounds, and it's easy for me to remember. Of course, it was a little hard for me to figure out what exactly was being sung when I first heard the song, but now that I understand, I like Obsession even more.[/color]

[color=royal blue]As it seems to be in many other people's schools, the Student Council elections for my school are based almost entirely on popularity. It really doesn't matter what you say, as long as you're popular. Plus, the more outrageous ideas seem to get you more votes. However, in my school, you actually have to work if you're on Student Council. I'm my class Secretary, but that doesn't compare to the work that the Student Council does in my school. They're in charge of setting up pretty much everything, and I noticed that those who didn't think that Student Council would be much work last year when they ran, didn't run this year because it was too much for them to handle. So, if your school's Student Council is like mine, you should try to be prepared to actually work. But, from what everyone's been saying, it doesn't seem that the Student Council of many of your schools do much, so maybe mine is just a rare exception.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Soujirou [/i] [B]What I ment by pointless is it has no story to it, which it doesn't in some hard yaoi. It's hentai, without any real plot. look at some doujinshi, alot that I've seen is PWP. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royal blue]Not all yaoi has no story to it. Take the Gravitation series for example. The main character, Shuichi, is highly developed and emotional. He has his own personality. His lover, Yuki, has his own personality as well, which is calmer and colder than Shuichi's. Not all yaoi is hentai, either. Although I think the Gravitation series may have a sex scene in it, I haven't seen it. I believe, too, that hentai is considered just to be pointless sexual acts, whereas Gravitation still has a story behind it.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by DaggerIX1[/i] [b]Hentai is something entirely separate from shonen-ai and shoujo-ai. Some of it may be m/m, but I think it's safe to say that most hentai involves heterosexual couples. Acting as though same-sex pairings are pornographic by their very nature will only reinforce the negative stereotypes that surround them, even as society continues to grow more open and tolerant.[/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]I agree entirely. Just because an anime or manga is yaoi/shonen-ai or yuri/shoujo-ai, doesn't automatically make it hentai. This opinion only makes it more difficult for society to become more accepting.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I love all languages. They fascinate me, and I love learning them. I'm currently taking French III in high school, and I'm planning on starting Spanish next year as well. I've been trying to teach myself some Japanese as well, but it's hard for me to learn. For the moment, my knowledge of the language is limited to a few select phrases and words. Je ne sais pas assez de français pour écrivez beaucoup, alors, je ne peux pas mon entier poteau en français. That was my attempt to write at least part of my post in French. I have no idea how many words or phrases that I got wrong or misused, but I'm sure it's not perfect. Plus, I didn't really know what to write. Well, I tried.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I wish to add my thoughts to this thread. When I was younger, I used to want to be a girl. I would always act like I thought girls would act, and I'd occasionally dress up as a girl. Whenever I had an opportunity to pretend to be a female character in a game I was playing, I would. Now, I don't dress up as a girl anymore. I still act feminine to a degree, though. I thought about whether or not to get a sex change when I get older, and I've decided that I'm not going to. For the first part, I don't really like the idea of it. I don't want to be a girl if I can't be a girl naturally, I don't think it would feel right to me. But, it probably does feel right for some people. I used to like the idea of it, but now I don't. However, some people probably do still want to get a sex change when they get older. I know that if I still felt like I wanted to be a girl, then it would torture me. If someone feels that he or she wants to get a sex change, I have no problem with it. I know I used to want one as well, and I can sympathize with and support anyone who wants a sex change.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I'm from a small town in Massachusetts. I really don't like it here at all, it's too small for my tastes. I've always lived here, but after going to the cities around me, it makes me want to live there more. I'm hoping to move away from this area when I get older, into a city that's not too big, but not too small either.[/color]

[color=darkslateblue]Rather than making a separate thread for all my poems, I've decided to limit it to just one thread. I think it'd be easier for everyone that way.[/color] [color=darkslateblue]I have another poem that I'd like to share, as well.[/color] [b][u][color=darkslateblue]Demon Song[/color][/b][/u] [i][color=darkslateblue]You?re unreasonably heartless[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You cruel, deceitful liar[/color] [color=darkslateblue]All your actions do to me[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Is set my mind on fire[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Since you won?t seem to listen[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Let me give you a sense[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Of your heartlessness and wickedness[/color] [color=darkslateblue]And sheer malevolence[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You don?t care if you hurt others[/color] [color=darkslateblue]If it means getting what you want[/color] [color=darkslateblue]And then, since that?s just not enough[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Of your success you brag and flaunt[/color] [color=darkslateblue]If things don?t go your way[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Then you turn your tail and run[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Because if you accepted loss for once[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Well, that would be no fun[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You live amongst your falsehoods[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Not knowing what is true[/color] [color=darkslateblue]For once you should just look and see[/color] [color=darkslateblue]The awful things you do[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You think that you own everyone[/color] [color=darkslateblue]But I am not your toy[/color] [color=darkslateblue]I refuse to bow to anyone[/color] [color=darkslateblue]When cruelty brings them joy[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You torture those you wish to hurt[/color] [color=darkslateblue]And hell, you?ve nearly killed[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Just how can you take pleasure[/color] [color=darkslateblue]From all this blood that?s spilled[/color] [color=darkslateblue]But you accept no guilt either[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Pretend you?re innocent[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Maybe someday you will realize[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You?re wrong and you?ll repent[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Can?t penetrate your dark aura[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You?ll never see the light[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Until you see that you are wrong[/color] [color=darkslateblue]And accept that you?re not right[/color] [color=darkslateblue]You never could be criticized[/color] [color=darkslateblue]And forbid any contradiction[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Well seeing all the pain you?ve caused[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Let that be your conviction[/color][/i] [color=darkslateblue]Rather...angsty, I guess. I wasn't in a very good mood when I wrote this, because something that someone did was really annoying me.[/color] [color=darkslateblue]Anyway, any comments would be appreciated.[/color]

[color=royal blue]Thank you. I have other poems, as well, but I'll wait a while to post them. They're all rather depressing, seeing how I write best when I'm depressed. Of course, when I'm unhappy, I write a lot of random, pointless depressing rants as well, and I don't know if you could classify those as poems. They usually just reflect my current mood.[/color]

[color=royal blue][b][u]No Longer[/b][/u] [i]I miss those days not long ago When you?d tell me you loved me Rushing to your open arms Always filled me up with glee But now you?ve grown so distant And it?s instilling me with fear I just can?t bear the thought that you Might not always be near When I express my love for you There?s nothing in return The lack of caring from you Fills my mind with deep concern Sometimes it seems that you come back Like you love me for a while But then affection leaves again And with it goes my smile This pain is getting heavier And there?s nowhere left to hide Loneliness soon overtakes me Pressure?s building up inside It?s all getting so confusing And I don?t know what to feel It seems that you don?t love me Like this is all no longer real I need for you to tell me So I can prepare to mend If you still want me here with you Or if we?ve reached our very end No matter what the outcome There?s nothing I can do Because I?m hopelessly addicted I just can?t stop loving you[/i] This is a poem that I wrote a while ago, when I was rather depressed, and I just wanted to know what people thought of it.[/color]

[color=royal blue]Linkin Park is definitely one of my favorite bands. "In The End" was my favorite song for the longest time. I used to listen to it all the time when I was depressed, and somehow it helped me. My other favorites are "From The Inside," "One Step Closer," "Faint," and "Points Of Authority." Out of all of their CDs, I liked Hybrid Theory the best. I didn't really like Reanimation much, because a lot of it wasn't Linkin Park singing. Although, I have to say I liked the Reanimation versions of "Points Of Authority" and "Crawling" a lot. But, like Rockstar Haruko said, their music is starting to sound the same. I'm hoping they'll come out with a new album sometime in the near future, since I'm getting a little bored with their current songs, particularly since I got Meteora when it first came out.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I used to listen to Pink a lot, but I haven't for a while. "Don't Let Me Get Me" is a good song, and I'd have to say that's my favorite from her. I liked "Just Like a Pill" too, because of the way it sounded. There was another one, "18 Wheeler" I believe, that I thought was very inspirational. It used to make me feel better when I was down, and more confident as well.[/color]

[color=royal blue]Any mix CD by me would be very varied, I can tell you that much. There would be some songs by Linkin Park, like "Faint," to rock out to. I'd put some Evanescence songs on there as well because they're my favorite band, and I think that Amy's voice is great. I've recently gotten into music from the .hack anime series, and even though many of the songs are Japanese, I love the way they sound. I'd definitely put those on the CD as well, especially "A Thousand and One Nights" and "Your Legacy." To fill up the rest of the CD, I'd put on Michelle Branch because her songs tend to relax me. Like I said, very varied.[/color]

[color=royal blue]Ah, so "Numb" is finally on the radio? I'd heard that it was, but I didn't know for sure. I don't listen to the radio much, just my CDs. I like that song a lot. I used to listen to it all the time when I first got Meteora, but now not so much. I could kind of relate to the lyrics, because of certain situations I was going through in my life at that time. However, now there are other songs by Linkin Park that I like more. If you're looking for lyrics, as long as you have the name of the song ("Numb" in this case), you should be able to easily find them on any of the major lyric sites. Good luck![/color]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Transtic_Nerve[/i] [b]Ok, tell me what I'm feeling right now or on a daily basis. As a gay man, how am I feeling right now? And also, tell me how my black co-workers are feeling on a daily basis. Tell me what it's like to be oppressed for who you are. Tell me what it's like not to have the same rights as you because of who I am. Tell me what it's like to watch people sit here and tell you how you live your life when they have NO idea who you even are. You seem to know what everyone is feeling, so tell me. [/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]I would like to know as well. I've only recently been open about my homosexuality, and things have been different since then. I thought I knew about oppression when I was in the closet, but now I really do know. Living in a small town, homosexuality isn't really accepted, and I don't feel like I have the same rights as the straight people anymore. I'm afraid to go into the boys' bathroom now. It's impossible to know what everyone's feeling. You can try to understand and sympathize, but you can never truly know. One of the things that I cannot stand is when people tell me how I'm feeling, and that happens to me very frequently. I have people tell me constantly that they know how I feel, but they don't. Unless they're gay themselves, they won't know.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Vegitto4[/i] [b]I find it interesting when our society has to classify a person that wants to look good with a sexuality. Dont mistake me for this new classification, I dont generally care what most others think about me. To me, our society needs to get off the high horse with the classifications everywhere.[/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]I agree. Though I think metrosexuals could help the gay community, I don't understand the "sexual" part of it. Just because a straight man is feminine, why should the "sexual" be a part of the term? I would like to say I don't use classifications, but I can't. Being gay in itself is a classification, as are many other things. I don't think it's really possible to avoid classifications, but it is possible to limit them.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by AzureWolf [/i] [B]Connected to the brain? O_o You realize .hack takes place only a few years after our time (2003)? There's no connection to the brain. If there was, .hack's primary mystery would be pretty self-explanatory, don't you think? I mean, coma victims would be pretty easy to figure out, and doctors would not be so blind as to rule out "The World" as a possible cause of the coma victims' condition. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royal blue]Errm...yeah. Sorry about that, I forgot. That kind of made me sound like an idiot. The idea of a connection to the brain had come up before, and somehow I came to think that the helmets in .hack were, in fact, connected to the brain. I remember now that they were using controllers while playing the game in .hack//SIGN and .hack//LIMINALITY. Well, that brings up another point, though. If the helmets in .hack were only for vision purposes, and the character was controlled only by a controller like the typical PS2 one, then how were the characters' movements so realistic?[/color]

I think this episode was great. Though it ended in somewhat of a cliffhanger, it was still good. There's still 27 and 28 to come, after all, and it just makes me want to see them more. The scene when Tsukasa stood up to Morganna was wonderfully done, I thought, and it was nice to see Aura awake. The scene where Sora was Data Drained was very dramatic, like Arch said. I thought seeing Skeith was cool, as well. Overall, I give it a 10/10.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Heavyblade[/i] [b]No Maha talked it's just we can't hear it. But Tsukasa can! Also I thought they would end the episode less... to be continued style.[/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]To go back a little ways and answer this question, .hack//SIGN isn't over. At least, I don't believe so. The final two episodes, 27 and 28, are supposed to come with .hack//QUARANTINE. And yes...[spoiler]Maha is Mia. And if this is true, then why does everyone still refer to Maha as a he? I've always thought of Maha as a girl, even before I learned that Maha and Mia were one and the same. And, since Mia is a girl, I would assume that makes Maha a girl as well, correct? Since they are, after all, the same character.[/spoiler][/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Alexander [/i] [B]For what it's worth, I've heard that those four become availiable after you beat the plotline of Quarantine, though I've also heard that Sora, Tsukasa, and Subaru are also dependent on completing the Flashback quest in Mutation and the Phantom quest in Outbreak...[/B][/QUOTE] [color=royal blue]Well, going slightly off subject, Sora, Tsukasa, and Subaru are not needed to complete the flashback quest in .hack//MUTATION. [spoiler]You only need to go to Delta: Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground at certain points during the game to see the events there. You receive Memory Fragments of Tsukasa, Subaru, Sora, and I believe Crim. These are needed to find the characters in .hack//OUTBREAK's Phantom Event.[/spoiler] Anyway, back on track. I wouldn't think that you'd be able to get Helba to join you until the end of the game since her stats are most likely maxed out, unless she was needed for some role in the story. Otherwise, as has been pointed out before, the game would be too easy. The .hack//SIGN characters and Helba are probably special bonuses for completing the game, just like the secret dungeons were in past games.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Black_Phoenix[/i] [b]Well, I decided with all of the controversy over the pics to sort of break them down a bit. Here is how I see things. 1) The charcters here are most likely part of a post-storyline mission (except maybe Helba). Reasons: -- Note the background. No infection in Mac Anu. --(Big Spoiler) From what I saw on the site for the pics, Sora and the other souls/consciounesses help fight Corbenik. 2) Character may be real. If you notice the characters hold their weapons like the rest of the game characters of similar class. This means that even if it is a "cut-and-paste" job, the character most likely appear in the game. Also, the shadows match up, making it either a real picture, or a very well done fake. 3) Incomoplete Ryu Book. Anyone that has beaten Outbreak, and gotten all friendly characters knows that the Ryu Book listing friends is not full yet.[/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]Black_Phoenix's reasons seem perfectly logical to me.[/color]

[color=royal blue]I would certainly sign this petition, if I knew where it was. "The World" would be a great online game, if it were made. I know I'd buy it, and I'd be willing to pay any monthly fees as well, as long as they weren't too expensive.[/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Mai_Minase[/i] [b]I know that this may sound stupiid but if they make a "The World" game I certainly hope that it is not like .Hack//Sign's 'The World." You know with the Aura stuff...[/b][/quote] [color=royal blue]Well...if you mean getting Data Drained and stuff, I don't think that would be possible. The only way that might work is if they used the helmets that would connect to your brain...but I doubt they'd even be able to actually Data Drain you then, either. It just wouldn't be possible.[/color]

Congratulations, Mai_Minase. Skeith was a rather tough boss...I think, at least. It was a while ago when I beat him, so I can't exactly remember. Sounding like a newbie is okay, so don't worry. We were all newbies once (and I still am, actually...lol).

Yes, we know that in .hack they use helmets. Those helmets, however, are connected to the brain, and that would be even more expensive and harder to make, so the idea of motion suits was suggested instead. Motion suits would be less expensive than the helmets, but most likely still very costly.

[color=royal blue]There were actually quite a few extra things to do in .hack//OUTBREAK. Personally, I liked [spoiler]the Phantom Event, even though it did end up getting rather tedious towards the end.[/spoiler] There are a lot of extra dungeons to go to, as well. You just need to know where to look. I have to say, though, that the main storyline didn't seem as long as with the other games, nor was it as detailed. I didn't like how Elk could not be used in the this installment of the game, either, since I had used him constantly in the others. Though he did make a surprise appearance that I liked...even if it had been short. But, I know .hack//QUARANTINE is coming, and I'm definitely looking forward to that. [spoiler]Using characters from .hack//SIGN will be lots of fun.[/spoiler][/color]

[color=royal blue]Anime has changed my life in a few ways, though some of them aren't that significant. It's given me my own obsession, and it's taught me a lot of Japanese as well. Anime gives me something to read/watch when I'm bored, since it's a great source of entertainment for me. The most significant type of anime that affected me though was yaoi, because it helped me accept myself and gave me characters to relate to. So...anime did change me, slightly. Though I do think I would have accepted myself without its help, as well. Maybe not as quickly...but it wouldn't have taken that long.[/color]