Zen

[color=royalblue][size=1] Adding to the actual intrument arguement, a freind of mine is an actual drummer for a rather popular band. He went to a Best Buy one day and beat Rock Band's drum career in two hours on expert the first time through, five starring every song. He also clued me in on that if you thought of a drum set as the controller, you could more or less play the songs as shown on the screen (except for fills of course). Also, GH is what made me want to start playing a guitar, and thus I have started to learn. Before it I was primarily concerned with creating Hip Hop, but now I'm slowing turning into one of those omni-musician types like Beck. As far as GH4 is concerned, I'm excited. I understand there will be some draw backs and what have you, but I read a full article this week in Game Informer on it, and I'm very interested. Several things that made me hate both GH and Rock Band are being fixed apparently, such as the ability to play whatever you wish through out your career without obligations to songs that you don't want to play, not because you can't, but because you think they suck (i.e. The first two set lists on GH3). You can start a career and beat one song on easy, and the next on expert if you wish, without having to start on a whole new career setting. You don't have to replay the same songs thirty times (I'm looking at you, Rock Band...) though you can if you want. The idea of custom-built intruments is cool, and an improvement on Rock Band's color-changing thing. The create-a-character is, admittedly, a rip off of Rock Band, but who cares? It's cool, and I think Neversoft would've been foolish NOT to steal that. Are you going to say that the NFL 2K series was ripping off Madden for having a create-a-team feature? The same applies for the multi-instrument scheme. I own both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and I play both and I enjoy both. They provide different atmospheres I believe and each has it's own spirit. I think I'm going to very much enjoy Neversoft's over-the-top version, just like I enjoyed Rock Band's realistic band life. I personally think the drum-set is cool looking, and I'm sure that the current model is not the final product (so, 8bit, if it's not collapsable by ship, then I guess the joke's me, and I'll be investing in a swivel chair that I already own). The guitar is supposed to be re-modeled soon, though it will be backwards compatible, and I'm excited about that. The reason the drum set will be non-compatible with the Rock Band one is obvious, because there's an extra pad. I think the create-a-song will be interesting, though I'm no composer. I may not give this a whole lot of time, but I'll probably download one's that are up on the net. I'm just generally excited about the game. I'll buy it, just like I'll undoubtedly buy Rock Band 2 when and if that rolls around. I'm a fan of both series, 'til the end. Just like Tekken and Virtua Fighter or Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell (though Snake would so pwn Sam Fisher, any day of the week).[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] [b]Batman[/b]. [b]Death[/b] and [b]Dream[/b] from the Sandman. [b]Beatrix[/b] from Kill Bill. [b]Abe Lincoln[/b] (for background noise). [/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Mountain Dew Amp runs through my veins at most times. It is my life nectar and possibly the reason I suffer bouts of lethargy when I am unable to consume it. Addiction![/color][/size]

[quote name='Drix D'Zanth'] 1. If you believe in God, why do [i]you[/i] believe? 2. Why do you think [i]others[/i] believe in God? 3. The most popular conflict between faith and reason is usually on the evolution/creationism controversy. What’s your take on the issue? Can science be compatible with belief? Do you accept evolutionary theory? 4. What do you think are the most compelling arguments to [i]not[/i] believe in God? Or, what do you think are the greatest challenges to peoples’ faith. [i]for instance; some people think the existence of evil, in light of an all-powerful, all-good God, is a tough question that theologians don’t have a clear answer to and may lead people to non-belief[/i] 5. Do you think there is such thing as “reasonable faith”? Or, do you think they are in conflict? 6. Lastly, if you believe in God. What evidence do you have in favor of your belief? Let’s start off with these. I’m interested in your replies?[/QUOTE] [color=royalblue][size=1] [b]1.[/b] I do believe in God, but my perception of God is more of the collective spirit of all things which live. I believe in God because of the presence of life, life forms, the presence of Earth within the universe, and the presence of the universe to begin with. I believe in the God that I suppose Einstein believed in, and I am what I consider a Zen Buddhist. I am a deep believer in Karma and reincarnation aswell. [b]2.[/b] As simple means to understand the world and universe around them, and as a way of explaining the good and bad aspects of fate and life. [b]3.[/b] I don't believe in the Garden of Eden or anything like that. I'm a firm believer in evolution by scientific means. I simply beleive that, since life forms exist to begin with and due to the advanced nature of humans (art, spirituality, philosphy) that God guided evolution by some means. God isn't so much a reason of why we are here, but how we are here. [b]4.[/b] I suppose science is a pretty viable reason. Evolution, the big bang, etc. If I haven't experienced things that are seemingly 'impossible' by scientific explanation, then maybe I'd be more skeptical. However, human achievements in art, self-expression, athleticism, and simply pushing the boundaries of what the body is capable of have pushed me to believe in the spirit, soul, and the collective soul of all which is in my definition, God. [b]5.[/b] I believe my faith is reasonable. When our bodies die, our biological make-up and energies return to Earth and become something new. Nutrients for plants which become nutrients to animals, which become nutrients to humans, who go on to have more children. The circle of life, as the Lion King put it. I believe that based on the good and bad we do on Earth dictates how our souls, our conciousness, is reincarnated back onto Earth. I suppose our conciousness is the closest to a soul we have, I beleive that since energy cannot be destroyed, only changed, that our mental or spiritual energies, simply move on as well. That seems rather logical to me. I believe that God is inherit in all things, and isn't some omnipotent being who watches from above. I believe God is part of me, and the people and things around me. So I respect fellow humans and nature, and thus, I respect God. This incurs good karma, which then allows me to have good things occur to me, or be reincarnated into a positive life. If I were to dedicate my life completely to serving my fellow man and attaining good karma, then I think I will reach nirvana, and end my reincarnation cycle, and be one with the collective spirit of God. I believe in the Four Noble truths and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. That all makes perfect sense to me. [b]6.[/b] There is reason for all things in science. I'm a scientific person I believe. So the Big Bang could not simply have always been. Something must have preceded it. The universe, I believe, wasn't a random occurence, nor do I believe Earth is random. I believe that the presence of unefficient life forms such as human beings is proof of God. The spirit, that which feels, emotes, grows, develops conciousness, mentality, wisdom, and expresses, that is the presence of God. Life forms are God, Earth is God, me and you are God, or parts of God. Why harm you if I am part of you? That would be harming me and God. I don't believe in random, I believe in reasons. Karma dictates the events that befall us. God allowed for the Big Bang to occur, and dictated the laws of the universe that guide us scientifically. I believe whole heartedly in science and the laws of science. I simply believe that the reason these laws even exist is because God created the universe and inhabits it with us. Art and science have developed to the point where humans can achieve wonders beyond comprehension. Masterpieces of vision and sound, because God manifests within us and we are able, we are drived, to express ourselves not for survival, but just for the feeling. We think, therefore we feel, and we express because we feel. I believe that the artist is the closest thing to a true medium with God. Scientists, I believe, study what God has created, and are the truely closest things to theologists. I guess its because I think on metaphysical terms. We couldn't exist without a cause. We are the effects of God's actions and will, I think. The universe and laws of science are no different. Existance itself is cause enough for me to believe in a higher power. Wow. I think me and Aberinkula are the only people who aren't athiest/agnostic on OBs, haha. As he said, I'm not afraid of death either. I don't want to die painfully now, but I'm not afraid of death due to my beliefs. I believe that I'll just move on along, somewhere else as someone else like a memory-wiped witness protection program. I just feel like if I died I'd have wasted the life that I had going, in the same way that I'd be pissed if I was playing a video game and I got really far in it only to have my game disc broken and memory card erased. That's a fun way to look at things. And if I'm wrong, oh well... I haven't wasted much time on religion anyways. I don't attend a temple, though I wish to, and as far as I go with meditation is sitting down for a few seconds and thinking to myself. So yeah, all my spirituality has done for me is made me a more pleasant person to be around. I'm nice to people, I'm optimisitic, and I'm generally calm and relaxed about most things. I find comfort in my beliefs and I am pretty confident that what I believe is true.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Well pig squeals are the ONLY time I do inhale screams, the rest are exhales. I agree about the inhale growls, they usually sound bad, or like pig squeals, and when I do squeals, thats the only time I do inhales. I guess I'll just keep practicing, and see where I go. If I end up doing the band thing, then I'm probably going to stick with lows and aggressive 'rapping' of sorts until I can attain a proper mid and high.[/color][/size]

[quote name='boothten'][size=1] Pig squeels are a different story, I honestly don't have a good way to describe them. You're gonna have to realize that you're not gonna start pig queels the first time doing vocals. PIG SQUEELS TAKE TIME TO LEARN AND DO. Don't even try these unless you have a good-sounding growl down, cause if you don't it's gonna sound like complete *****, I guarantee it. I guess the best way to explain how to do them, is that you have to go from a growl, but go up an octave? I dunno, they way I described them to my girlfriend is that "I have to go to a certain low note that it starts to sound almost like a high note [b]in my head[/b]." It's wierd to be honest, and it's takes time and patience to get it to sound even kind of good. Listen to Job For A Cowboys album titled "DOOM." Really take a hard listen at his pig squeels and you'll notice that you can hear both a high and low note.[/size][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue][size=1] I've actually been listening to alot of them lately. I've learned to do my pig squeals off of an inhale scream, atleast, that's how I first learned them from the various videos I've watched on YouTube. I understand that exhales are also possible, but I think my inhales are not only easier, but also put less strain on my voice. However, every other piece of advoce is helping and I'm taking into account. I'm still a newbie at this, but I was (and still am) a bit worried that maybe my voice wasn't meant to do highs (my tonsels and adnoids are gone, and I'm afraid that might effect such things). My voice is naturally deep, so I feel like I'm forcing myself to do highs, and when I do, they probably sound really, really, really awful. But alot of people have told me that I'm going to sound really bad for a while, and that I just have to practice and get used to it over time, it never comes immediately. Is this true?[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] I'm trying to develop deathcore/death metal vocals myself. I'm having a difficult time with midrange and highs because I have a generally deep voice. My deeps and gutturals are good (I can even sound like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget, funny enough) and I'm trying to work out the pig squeal also. But I'd really like to get high, I'm just having a hard time. Anyone got any suggestions?[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] If you're looking for Death Metal/Deathcore (my favorite metal genres), then I suggest... [b]Through The Eyes of the Dead Born of Osiris My Black Dahlia Murder Bury Your Dead With Dead Hands Rising WhiteChapel Job for a Cowboy Tales of the Black Freighter[/b] (relatively new and underground, look on MySpace)[b] Despised Icon[/b] (some) [b]Maximum The Hormone[/b] I prefer breakdown-oriented and technical deathcore/death metal, and that's mostly what these bands offer. Progressive, fast playing, deep vocals, blast-beat drums, technical riffs, palm-mutes, heavy distortion in some cases, and general awesome, especially if you like to throwdown. There are more bands, but those are just some of my favorites, and the ones that I currently listen to.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Alrighty. I'll bite. My name is Michael, and I have several interests and hobbies. My interests include literature, art, film, video games, music, philosophy, theology, psychology, metaphysics, mixed martial arts, and the opposite sex. My hobby is expressing myself through whatever medium available. This includes drawing, writing, martial arts, dancing, and music. I've been drawing since I was big enough to hold a crayon in my hand, and I love it still, though recently, my skills have regressed due to lack of time and inspiration. I've been writing since I was around... 11? Maybe? Coming up with anime and comic book ideas in my little brain and writing them down, thinking up plots and what not. I still do it today, though mostly on OBs. I'd like to actually get serious with it, soon. I started teaching myself how to hip hop dance around the age of 12 or so, starting with crip-walks and simple liquid moves, and progressing to where I am today with krumping, pop-locking, jooking, and all in between. I still can't breakdance, but I'm satisfied with my abilities. It's gained me a lot of recognition and I've been recognized for it in talent shows and etc. I'm in my schools latin dance ensemble (by audition) and I've continued to progress into a serious dancer. I love all forms of dance and I plan to continue improving in it. I've even picked up slam-dancing (or throwing down) recently, and I really have fun with that. I've been doing martial arts since I was 13, starting with Tae Kwon Do, which I gained a black belt in at 17. Then I picked up brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai kick boxing, and folk-style wrestling. I love the sport of mixed martial arts and I like to fool around with it whenever I can. I'd like to compete some day as an amateur, but I don't think I have the time to dedicate to full time training with all my other passions. I'm comfortable with being a good fighter amongst normal people. I started making hip hop around the age of 14, writing lyrics and what not. Recently I've begun performing with a band and creating beats. I've recorded four songs so far, though they are still rough. I'd like to go further with it, but the people around me make it difficult to take it anywhere. I've also started to learn how to do death metal vocals, growls, etc. I've fallen in love with the deathcore/death metal/metalcore genre and my friends are all very good intrumentalists. In interest of forming a band, I started to learn the vocal styles. I've also picked up playing acoustic guitar, particularly light pop songs, chord-filled stuff, and folk music. Its very, very relaxing. I enjoy that a bit also. I also share Korey's love of the ladies, and there's not alot to be said about it that he hasn't. I feel the same way. I also enjoy teh sexes though. Good stuff.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Well I suppose I didn't really go into detail in my first response. I've been writing since I was about 12 or so, and most of my pieces have to do with some form of action/adventure. I like to write things that I'd like to read myself, and usually that involves a bit of violence and very colorful characters. I write as a hobby, but I'd like to be published someday. I just have to finish something for once, heh. I've done a handful of semi-successful RPs on OBs, but really my best work in my opinion is "The Hit" series, which is an OB fic about assassins and bounty hunters, and over-the-top crime action. Its fun to write, though I don't think it'll be hitting any publishing houses in its current state. If I re-worked it and actually put in something other than "blah-blah-FIGHT SCENE-blah-blah" it might work. I also draw, though I haven't done a piece in several months. I stick to comic-book and anime style with some graffiti thrown in there. I tag small things once in a while and I plan on doing a larger set some day soon. I'm a musical artist, self trained. I compose hip hop beats and rap, pretty decently in my opinion. I'm also teaching myself how to do Death Metal/Hardcore vocals, due to my recent interest in starting a deathcore band. I'm pretty decent at writing lyrics from my Hip Hop areas, so song writing has never really been a problem. I can't actually sing very well beyond musical-grade background vocals (which I had a chance to perform last week during my school's production of 'Jekyll & Hyde'). So yeah. I'm also a dancer, self trained in Hip Hop and semi-trained in Latin Dance (salsa, paso doble, tango, etc) and what not. I'm pretty good at that also, I'm told. And I've been a martial artist since I was 13, starting with Tae Kwon Do, which I now hold a black belt in, and also cross training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and folk-style wrestling. Fun stuff. So yeah. I'm more than less an artist in every aspect of my life. But I think I've been drawing and writing longer than anything. I'm interested in doing comic books someday, writing predominately and maybe doing rough character designs (since I'm no where near a good enough drawer to do all the art).[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] [b]Born of Osiris[/b], particularly the awesome song "Bow Down" and several other. A rather hardcore, egyptian/power themed Death Metal band. Awesome stuff. Also [b]With Dead Hands Rising[/b] and [b]Bury Your Dead[/b]. I'm really getting into some heavy stuff, I'm falling in love with Death Metal and hardcore. Also I've just made a CD with some early and traditional punk on it, including [b]Dead Kennedys[/b], [b]The Sex Pistols[/b], [b]Gallows[/b], and [b]Circle Jerks[/b]. Good times.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] As for politically/socially controversial, I'd have to go with [b]Evangelion[/b] because of the several dark and daring themes it had, including psychology, philosophy, religion, suicide, teen sexuality, and many others. Good stuff, but crazy. Then in story telling terms and also social terms, I'd say [b]Paranoia Agent[/b] was pretty out there. Particularly with the split personality hooker girl and the security guard guy who turned into a crazy robber and what not. There are a few more, but those are up.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Speaking of funky beats... [url]http://www.myspace.com/zenremix[/url] I have a few of my own. [/color][/size]

[quote name='Korey'][FONT= "Franklin Gothic Medium"] As a side note, Jet Moto got more than one sequel. I think it went as far as 3. It was wicked fun. Few people know the shortcut that I know through the swamp level (psst, it's in the House, gun for the door and boost) [/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue][size=1] Which is why I stated that I owned every sequel, haha. There were three, by the way. But definetly needs to be redone. The action of that game is just awesome, and I don't think any other game could provide the same experience, not even [b]WaveRacer[/b] (which also probably could use another awesome title, because I loved that game also... who remembers that?). I also agree with the [b]Lunar[/b] statement, but Lunar 2: Eternal Blue sticks out in memory for me. Another game that I loved, which I'm sure atleast a few people remember, is [b]Monster Rancher[/b]. I owned the second one, and never got ahold of the third, but I loved the second one. Awesome game and fun concept. I actually got emotional when my monsters died of old age. It was like Pokemon meets Horse-Breeding. Good times. [b]Vampire Nights[/b]. I dunno if anyone remembers this Namco light gun game on the PS2 (and yes, I love light gun games), but it was a vampire-horror theme game where you (and a friend) acted as a duo of vampire slayers who go into a city (country maybe?) that's been decimated and conquered by a group of vampires. The boss battles were fun, the designs were cool, and the game was pretty fun. I think if they added a [b]Time Crisis[/b] ducking feature and lenghtened the game, it'd be awesome. It'd work very, very well on the Wii, being that it doesn't even need a light-gun attachment. BTW- Duel-Wielding light guns was one of the best parts of the game. They should bring that back. [/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1]I'm listening to [b]Punk Goes Crunk[/b] now, which has successfully blended my two favorite forms of music, Hip Hop and Punk Rock into a gooey ball of awesome and cool by having indie, hardcore, or pop-punk bands remix popular hip hop songs from across the ages. Awesome tracks include, but are not excluded to: [b]Still Fly[/b] by The Devil Wears Prada [b]Kryptonite[/b] by Emanuel [b]Umbrella[/b] by All Time Low and many, many more.... Oh, I'm so happy.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] There's actually a very large population of these types on Otakuboards, myself being one. It's actually almost common place here.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] [b]Cloverfield:[/b] The fear and filming was cool and interesting, but the ending was balls and the monster, while scary looking, was way to crazy looking for me to respect. If it had been a little more simpler and less goofy in design, I would've loved it. [b]Shooter:[/b] Really, really cool flick. The main character was Jason Bourne, but with more personality. The sniping action was cool and exciting (especially the dome-shot-fest in the beginning...), and I'd watch it again. And I probably will, being that I own it now.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] What old school games or franchises do you wish they'd bring back or remake? What older games do you think deserves a sequel? For me its... [b]Jet Moto:[/b] one of my favorite PlayStation titles, I had every game in the series at one point. I loved it. Hoverbike racing through the desert river valleys and canyons? Hook-turns off of waterfalls? That was a great time, even on a PS1. Imagine what they could do on current consoles? The graphics update and physics would be amazing and I'd definetly buy it. [b]SSX Tricky/SSX3:[/b] Needs to be re-done on the PS3 and X-Box 360, or atleast given a sequel in the same style. The best extreme sports games ever. Easily one of my favorites of all time, I enjoy the over the top style more so than even Tony Hawk's games. It was just so much fun, and bright. Every time you landed a trick you felt like you were freaking amazing, and catching those high flying half-pipe combos with your special going and fireworks in the air while blaring Felix Tha Housecat as Viggo wearing a bikini bottom and fedora is an unforgettable gaming experience. I want to relive that so bad. I'm aware of Blur, but it definetly can't provide the same experience as Tricky or SSX3. [b]Def Jam: Fight For NY:[/b] They did a newer X-Box 360 game with the Def Jam name, but that travesty held no comparison to the Fight for NY game. Easily the best wrestling-style/brawling game around. If they did an MMA game, it should be something like this. Its my third favorite fighting game ever behind Soul Calibur and Tekken, and for good reason. It's just such a great game, and I've only been beaten in it once by one guy. The fighting style fusion system and character creation were amazing, and the clothing was actually cool, unlike almost every other wrestling/fighting game around with the same feature. They need to bring this back, and give it a sequel. What about you? Does anyone agree with me?[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] [b]1. Samurai Champloo:[/b] I'm an anime fan. I'm a martial arts fan. I'm a hip hop fan. I'm a history fan. So it's pretty easy to see why I love Samurai Champloo so much. Mugen is easily my favorite anime character ever, and the supporting cast is just as cool. My favorite episodes include the one with the female ninja (props to Memphis), the last three episodes, and the episode with the big gay dutch guy ("It's okay, I like man better..."). Good times. The show's music, also, is worthy of listening to on its own, which I do. Nujabes is a genius. [b]2. Eureka Seven:[/b] Beautiful animation, an enthralling story line, epic in length compared to the standard anime series, and characters that I actually cared about made Eureka Seven my second favorite anime. While the show may look cutesy and pretty up front, there was still plenty of brutal violence being handed out. The romances in the show were actually realistic, and not the standard "Oh, we think we like each other but lets not talk about it just imply it for fifty episodes". And as for the music, all of its awesome. I've downloaded the soundtrack and listen to it often. And that's big, being that I'm not even that into Japanese music. [b]3. FLCL:[/b] (aka Furi Kuri, Fooly Cooly). It's one of the weirdest, craziest, funniest shows around. Good humor, great animation, fun character designs, a great voice cast make this an awesome show, not to mention the Pillows doing an amazing soundtrack. Again, I don't listen to much Japanese music, but if a show can hook me with good music, then it's likely I'll love it, which is the case for my top three. If I need to explain anymore why FLCL is awesome, then you obviously haven't seen it. [b]4. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in a Pocket:[/b] My favorite of the Gundam franchise, which I am already a huge fan of. The show really gave a realistic depiction of war and its effects on the common people while still maintaining the giant-robot coolness of Gundam. Also my two favorite Moblie Suits were in it. The Hy-Gogg and the Kampfer (that's right, screw Wing and all that mess, Hail Zeon, baby!). [b]5. Cowboy Bebop:[/b] The show that really got me hooked to [adult swim], and instantly matured my anime tastes. The combination of hard-boiled bounty hunter action and ghetto-future technology really interested me, not to mention how Bad-A Spike Spiegel was. I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan so it's obvious why I love Spike. Also for a "weekly adventure" kinda show, every episode was very interesting and the show still managed to pull together a good storyline from start to end. Love Cowboy Bebop and its music was amazing, even though I don't dig Jazz all that much. [b]6. Fullmetal Alchemist:[/b] It did a great job of introducing me to steam-punk, and also caught my attention with the change on the typical magic anime by doing something new with Alchemy (which sparked a bigger interest in ancient alchemy also). Edward was a pretty awesome main character, and while I could have done without some of the show's immature humor, I still enjoyed its very creative action scenes and fluid animation. [b]7. Bleach:[/b] Just a generaly awesome show. Cool premise, AWESOME characters, dope action and fun music. While the standard animation may not be all that, the fluid action sequences make up for it (see both Ichigo v. Grimmjaw fights for confirmation on that). Its what I think Yu Yu Hakusho could've and should've been by concept. I skip the filler, so I can't complain about it, so I like it a bit. Ichigo is a cool character, but really, I come to the show for Kenpachi Zaraki and Grimmjaw Jeagerjaques. Bad-A defined. [b]8. Death Note:[/b] the only reason this show is low ranked is because I haven't finished it yet. Awesome, AWESOME story line and psycholgical twists, it really makes for a great and smart thriller. Light is essentially the douche-bag you hate to love, and L is a cool guy on his own. And who knew death-gods could be so goofy? Alot of good times have been made with me and my friend while watching the show and commenting on how Ryuk kinda just hangs out.... all day, with Light and kinda does nothing much more than hang out and eat apples. He's pretty much a floating stoner. Also Maximum The Hormone is awesome. [b]9. Outlaw Star:[/b] It's like Cowboy Bebop-light but with some magic tossed in and awesome grappler ships. If it's animation were a little more up to par and its dialogue maybe fixed up a bit, it would've been a possible top five or even three. But some of its quality is admittedly bad. However, the characters and cool ships make it shine, not to mention the action. The first Anten Seven fight against Shimi will be remembered by me forever as one of the coolest fights in anime ever. And the McDougle brothers were genuinenly fleshed out and deep villains rather than "just being the bad guys". [b]10. Dragon Ball Z:[/b] It was my first. And also Majin Vegeta. I think everyone here understands me. [b][u]Honorable Mentions:[/b][/u] Ruroini Kenshin (for being awsome, but I just never finished it.) IGPX (for being original and having an awesome storyline for a Toonami-made show.) Avatar: The Last Airbender (if it counts, its great though.) Hellsing (Alucard v. Anderson, fight of the century.) Tenchi Muyo/Tenchi in Tokyo (come on... it's Tenchi!) Street Fighter II (for being so bad it was good). Blue Gender (for being one of the saddest things I've seen this side of Grave of the Fireflies). Neon Genesis Evangelion (....what?) [/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] I usually try to get to sleep around midnight or 12:30 am on school nights, and on drill weekends, maybe around 11:30 due to having to wake up earlier. But on weekends when I got nothing to do, my sleep schedule is usually random. Sometimes I might be asleep by 2:00 a.m., other nights I might not sleep until the sun is rising (this is usually the case when I am either writing, watching something, or hanging out with my friends). This might be why I have such a lack of energy almost always.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] [b][u][center]Reasons I Expect This To Suck[/b][/u][/center] 1. X-Men is already story-formatted like a manga. Why do they feel a need to do this? To broaden the horizen? Manga purists need to understand that American animation and comic story telling isn't all Superman saving the day and The Simpsons. Just read the regular X-Men, its amazing. All of them. Especially Ultimates, which is pretty much what this will end up being like. 2. Wolverine is not meant to be, and never should be, a pretty boy. 3. Magneto is around 55 years old, why does he look like a teenager? 4. Beast... 5. This isn't a real X-Men title, and shouldn't be. It's just an extended "What If?" story. And why do they feel the need to change the format just to reach different viewers? Are you saying that you can't have a female oriented story in a co-ed school? Why do you have to screw with something that is pretty much perfect? This is why I'm starting to hate the state of manga and anime.[/color][/size]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']If your above post is true, take out the word Black in the assuming he had a gun spiel. All you're doing is continuing the wording that makes it look like it had a racial slant when it did not.[/QUOTE] [color=royalblue][size=1] I wasn't trying to racially charge my post by using black, nor do I think the officers involved were racists. I was just saying that I think the reason Al Sharpton was using the man's race was because HE believed it was a racial thing, though not a "white-on-black" hate crime, but a case of the Police brutalizing the black community. Though I still have a slight feeling that it COULD be some of that, I'm not 100%, I'm just saying that there's an inkling of that feeling in my heart, and I can't do much to get rid of it. This isn't the first time something like this has happened to a young black man, unarmed, and at the mercy of the police. But I'm not going to just assume it was that, even though there is some feeling of that in my opinion.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] See, I eat breakfast and everything, but I'm still a very unenergetic person. I need atleast one glass of tea in the morning otherwise I just don't feel good. And even then I'm still pretty lethargic most of the time. Usually the only real boost I get is making feeling a bit more alert, but the only thing that truely 'wakes me up' is an adrenaline rush, which is why alot of people say I look like a different person when I'm doing something physical, like playing basketball or doing martial arts. But still, I love the taste of a good original flavor Amp and some tea. I love the stuff. I do agree that most energy drinks smell horrible (and most taste horrible, i.e. Red Bull or G-Force) but some are pretty good, like NAS and Amp. But maybe its an acquired taste, because over time, I've grown to like it more and more. [/color][/size]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial] Can we not have [I]one[/I] violent tragedy in this damned country without some stark-raving [I]lunatic[/I] dragging it through the racism mud?? I am tired of hearing all this crap about white hating blacks and blacks hating whites because they think whites hate blacks and ... !!!! I grew up in the damned South, people. I grew up where the entire [I]culture[/I] was subtly telling me to be racist, and not only did my parents (one of whom was a SC [I]native[/I]) have the good sense not to be bigoted idiots while raising me, but [I]I was the only white kid on my street and I saw no problem!!! Neither did anyone else!!![/I] We need these frilling idiots in this country to grow the hell up and get over themselves. Skin color no longer matters (it shouldn't have in the first place) and no one hates their brother any more. Stop pissing me off.[/rant][/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue][size=1] It's not a racism thing in the sense of White-on-Black, because one (correction, two) of the firing officers was a black man himself, the issue is police brutality and, what I believe is, the general 'criminalization' of black men, seeing as how this isn't the first time the cops just assumed that a young black male was packing heat. I live in SC right now and I fully understand your frustration towards the whole "white people are racist" thing, even though I've fully proven otherwise, at least for myself, being that I've taken several black girlfriends and friends in general. But at the same time, I see it in clear view everyday, so I'm not going to fully dismiss it as something that is still an issue. However, this isn't the main concern here, its the "Police Brutality" and "Assuming the black guy had a gun" scenario.[/color][/size]

[color=royalblue][size=1] Well, as unhealthy as it is, most people have a fix of caffeine to get them through the day, or atleast to jump start them. For some it's coffee or tea, others its soda and energy drinks. What's your favorite caffeine fix? For me, I'm partial to the occasional Mocha Cappucino for when I want to be fancy and warm myself up. Other times, I'll settle on a simple soda, like my favorite, a can of Pepsi cola. It's gotta be cold though, otherwise I just can't do it. Warm soda = chalky mouth. I drink southern sweet ice tea more than anything else. Orange Pekoe boiled in a large pot, put in two gallon jugs, filled with water and a cup of sugar per jug, then placed to cool in the fridge. Usually served with ice, I drink it like water nearly everyday of my life. Its like Kool-Aid to me. Love it. But my favorite, over all else, is a cool can of [b][COLOR="Green"]Mountain Dew Amp[/COLOR][/b]. Preferably in Tall Boy (or Big Rig if I'm feeling frisky). It contains B-Vitamins, Maltodextrin, Panex Ginseng, and Guarana (which contains over two times more caffeine than coffee beans, apparently). I'm aware that it will probably end up failing my kidneys, but the stuff is just so good, and it works. Its definetly the closest thing I have to a substance addiction. I love the stuff. It's easily my favorite energy drink (though I do enjoy the occasional NAS or Vault) and probably my favorite beverage period. What about you?[/color][/size]