Ryo the Tactician

[size="1"][B]Journal of Hedryn Darrell, December 20, 2007[/B] I'm so tired. Well, some interesting things have happened in the last few weeks. We barely survived a mass attack by the Zombies. We had maintained almost complete quietude outside, never wanting to attract too many to our location. Long story short, a few girls completely lost it and started screaming to God to save us. Before we could quiet them, we had zombies masses. Attracted by the zombies on the move, more came. Amazing how about 15 seconds of screaming could spell our downfall - at least, that's what it looked like. It was 5AM, and we had been fighting them off for hours. Everything we had, from limited artillery to pieces of stone, was being hurled to try to stop them. But they kept coming - they have a bad habit of doing that. Honestly, it looked like the game was over. Our barriers were starting to push inwards, as hundreds - thousands - of the living dead pushed in on them. I saw my life, and the lives of the friends I had made here, vanishing under an onslaught of the most garish and macabre monsters that one had ever seen, tearing them open alive and eating their living flesh. That's when I got pissed. I left the fight and sprinted (more like lightspeed-ed) to the labs in the Engineering quad. I remembered something - oh man, it had been a long time - that a boy scout friend had recounted to me a long time ago. A funny story, that might be able to do some damage. I ran into the nearest bathroom and emptied all the urinals of those little freshener thingies in the closets - forget their exact name, quartzsomething. Then, I grabbed the bleach from the janitors closet. Plastic cylinders, in abundance in the lab. Handy because, for experiments, there are tons of different sizes. Take a big one. Two little ones. Poor bleach in one little one, urinal cleaners in the other. Put them in the bigger cylinder and added some rather unstable chemicals for good measure. I made about six, then light speed dashed back to the northern wall, where the mass was taking place. I thought about the people these monsters had once become. The innocent kids, the adults, the adolescents still trying to find themselves, unwitting turned into monsters. I knew that not a one wanted to stay living in the state they were in then. Then I chucked the first one. Nothing happened at first. Then I heard the first explosion - thank God, it wasn't enough to break the larger cylinder the two smaller ones were entrapped in (following? good.). Long story short again, when bleach and urinal cleaner combine, mustard gas is formed. With the rest of the chemicals and the pressure inside the cylinder growing from the reaction, the second explosion sent a small cloud coming down over the dead. Mustard gas burns. Badly. Though I knew they didn't have lungs to really stop them (well, it was a decent inference), the mustard gas destroyed the little senses they had left. Eyes, nose, ears, all badly burned or destroyed in the class of unrefined, toxic gas. Without any type of way to sense their prey, they seemed to more or less shut down. They rather slumped in circle, some even attacking others around them. Within a few minutes, some simply stopped moving and fell over - I don't want to say dead, but at least incapacitated. I had already thrown the rest by this point. Minutes after I had, the advanced engineers had taken my idea back to the lab and were creating better versions, and tossing them out. Within two hours, the mustard gas had staved off the largest offensive Columbia had fought off. And guess what? I was something of a hero. Honestly, I never saw myself in the spotlight. I was more like that loyal sidekick to the cool protagonist type of guy. But after this, I found myself representing the underclassmen in the ruling Oligarchy board. A ruling leader, trying to decide how to save several thousand lives. I hadn't realized how desperate our situation was until I was in the Board. Food dwindling, more zombies appearing, weapons running low, it wasn't good. We work around the clock, trying to figure out what to do, where to go, how to survive. One thing they had already realized long before I arrived - we can't stay at Columbia University, aka the Great Fortress, much longer. Tired. The Rulers don't sleep. Exeunt.[/size]

[size="1"] [[//real life. Sorry everyone, my internet has been down for the past two days. Gah, look at all I missed! I'll try to catch up.] [B] Journal of Hedryn Darrell October 20th.[/B] I wasn't wrong. I was right. And it's a good thing I've been training so hard. Because it looks like it's the apocalypse. Please God, keep my friends, my family, and I safe. I know we can get through this. We'll just need a [i]lot[/i] of divine help, Okay? More later, I just can't talk now. [B] Journal of Hedryn Darrell November 17th.[/B] I won't die. That's what I keep telling myself. Sorry everyone, for being away when everything has hit the fan. I didn't feel like writing for a while, and when Alex left, I tucked it away. Very hard on me, honestly. So let me fill you in. When I was younger, pre-college in high school, I would wander the labyrinthian streets of Cheverly (a D.C. suburb), with Alex, my brother, and several other friends of mine. Being the standard nerdish teens we were, the subject of zombies came up all the time. I remember the last time I went trick-or-treating, when I was 15. Hahah, we laughed about how awesome it would be if zombies starting coming down the dark streets we patrolled, and we all picked up weapons and went into RPG-action mode. How little we know. The government released the truth severeal months ago. The drug they had been giving us, Phalanx, was nothing more than a lie to keep the people at bay. And the infected were some type of zombie. Yes, freaking zombie. It's strange, but I wasn't as afraid as I should have been. Those last months of preparing - Crew to make myself stronger, robotics, archery, martial arts, sucking up everything Columbia had to offer - I think I knew it was coming. So I was preparing myself, mentally as well as physically. There's so much I could write about - barricading ourselves in, saying goodbye to Alexander. Well, I'll write about that one. Alex left. He, and several others, went off-campus and took fortifications somewhere in Lower Manhattan. Is it sad to say I cried? Well, get over it. I did. But I couldn't leave Columbia. It was the only place in the world right now I felt safe. My classmates and I are some of the most ingenous, ingenuitive kids in the world maybe, and we were ready to protect our one-square-block city campus. These days, I sometimes considering using it. But that is for later. We barricaded Columbia. Sent teams into all the safer regions of Manhattan, brought back tons - literally, tons - of food, weapons, and materials. I wanted to get back home, but all interstate transport had been shut down a long time ago. We were stuck. The first thing we did was reinforce the gates. They went from majestic looking whatnots to something out of a medieval graveyard. Plus the added explosives, security cameras, and whatnot. We've massively defensed the entire school. Take that poli-sci majors. The SEAS school has been ruling the place, designing, building, etc. Most of the teachers were able to vacate and just...left us. Many of them lived in other parts of the state and were able to get back to families. Some are still here with us. They, and a good deal of upperclassmen, have become a sort of ruling body, while underclassmen like myself more or less follow their orders. It's less military and more extreme crisis oligarchy or something. It's actually amazing, in a way. We've become a city-state, and we're an incredibly strong community. Besides the reason that we're being attacked by zombies, it's awe-inspiring. Dark, terrifying, but awe-inspiring. I've been assigned to a team creating robots to go out and survey the surrounding neighborhoods. Trying to keep one step ahead of our attackers. Other teams have created a massive defense rig around the campus, complete with guns, explosives, fire, and lots and lots of electricity. Believe me, this school is protected. The problem is that when you're in one of the most populous cities in the nation, the zombie situation is analagous to a fire striking in Oregon or wherever they're always burning. There's just too much fuel. Long story short, there are now millions of zombies. And only a couple thousand of us. I worry that if we are hit en-masse, no matter our defenses we simply will not be able to keep them away. Actually, I know it. But what other choice do we have but to protect ourselves and pray? [B]Journal of Hedryn Darrell December 1st.[/B] [I] -My December-[/I] After a full day of robotics, training, and racing to turn our campus of Columbia into the Great Fortress - a nickname for the transformation our school is undergoing - it's hard to fall asleep. My friends have lost family, friends. Over the internet, which is miraculously still up, I've heard of the dying. Of people watching their relatives turn, having to kill them. I'm so lucky my family is safe. My sister, always the smart one, came back home two weeks before everything got shut down. She's always had an amazing inner sense, and she was more aware of what was coming than she was. She, along with my mother, brother, and father, are as safe as you can be in Andrew's Air Force Base now. Luckily, my dad is good friends with the CO. I know at least I don't have to worry about them. I worry a lot about my other friends, then. Ben, holed up in the mountains of Pitt at college; Tim, somewhere in D.C., and my friends at Cornell University. Hope they're all right. Sometimes it doesn't seem real. Then you hear the moans, and our defense system activating in the middle of the night. It's dumb, but we usually all sleep on the floor of our suite together. When you hear that, it's nice to be able to be able to see everyone around you, not just the darkness. So much darkness. It's like we're back in medieval Europe or something. I'm going to stop now, I'm just going on. Trying to make you understand what my world has become. In a way, it's something I've always dreamed of. Being pulled together with a bunch of people to become unstoppable friends, fighting, I don't know what. But reality makes it much more of a nightmare than a dream. I just hope Alex is all right. He was right. Columbia is immobile, and we're dealing with thousands, millions of zombies. More later. Exeunt. [/size]

[size="1"][B]Journal of Hedryn Darrell September 22, 2007 [/B] Has it really been this long since I've written? I honestly can't believe it, almost a month. Christ (sorry God!), I never thought it possible. I've got good excuses. For one thing, school is amazing. Columbia, on eof the most reknowned schools in possibly the world. My classmates are literally from all corners of the Earth, and the professors are the best in their fields. It's amazing. And the crowd is great too. I've already got an amazing group of friends who I know I'll be sticking with for the whole four years. I'm taking karate and I'm actually naturally talented - and that doesn't usually happen to me. I'm making major progress, and luckily, I'm able to balance it and my studies. My knowledge of engineering has spiked too - doing robotics team and my studies. I feel like I can do everything; I'm sucking up everything this school and this City has to offer. Because I feel like I don't have much time left. Paranoia? Yeah, that's me. But somethings in the air and I won't ignore it. Why does it always seem dark? There hasn't been a sunny day in weeks. It doesn't make sense. These riots aren't stopping, and everyone is starting to get scared. It's pulled CU together as a community. While we used to rampage across the City on the weekends, we prefer to stay in our square block campus and learn, train, and become stronger. It's like there's an unspoken aura in the air. We need to become stronger, because something is coming. We'll need to be ready. I don't know how I know this, but I swear I do, and I'm not crazy. Things aren't getting back to normal. They're getting worse. And whatever the hell is going on, it's going to blow it's top, and we don't have much time left. Don't get me wrong, we still laugh, talk, eat, whatever. But we also know something is out there. We're going to be ready for it. I've been talking with other people across the country. Facebook is good for that. People in South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, Cali, you name it. At least I know I'm not the only crazy one, the only person worried that what we know is about to change. I'll end now, I know I'm creeping you out. I'll laugh if this is all just me, and the sun comes out, the riots stop, and life goes on. But I don't think so.[/size]

[SIZE="1"]Journal of Hedryn Darrell August 26th, 2007 [I]Christmas break of '98 just flipped me upside down, one coast now to the other, followin' the sound. Headed west to get the best of what we all knew then...[/I] Yellowcard - Rock Star Land. Though Key was on his way to California to start Yellowcard's career when he wrote this song, it completely understand the emotion of this song as I sit on the train, looking out at the blinding landscape, on my way to New York City to start my college career. At least Xander's with me, I'd hate to be thrown into NYC without anyone I could count on. It's overcast outside. Heh, I do love it, must be some weird personality quirk. Everything's so strange. These riots aren't stopping, and unlike what seems like 95 percent of the population, I'm not oblivious enough to let it go. Maybe it's the combination of what seems like weeks of dark weather and this strange news, but I have the very bad feeling that something is going down. Something that just can't be good. I hope it's just my usual paranoia, but this seems weird. The whole world seems on edge, if that makes sense at all. It's like the whole world has gone Linkin Park (Meteora style, of course) on me. Don't get me wrong, I love Linkin Park. But it's getting a little Linkin Park + MCR, which isn't so good, you know? I think Columbia will be great. I already met a ton of people there, and I'm glad there are plenty of other straightedges kids. Can't wait, orientation week'll be great. Plus NYC is rock-concert central, heck yes! I'll have to keep my eye on Xander, don't want him to kill himself. Teenagers these days, hah. Well, I'm still worried about what's happening to good old Earth, but at least I'll have another thousand supersmart Columbians to back me up if Manhattan gets locked-down or something psycho like that. Exuent Escalus.[/SIZE]

[size="1"][COLOR="black"][COLOR="black"][B]Name: [/B]Hedryn Darrell [B]Age: [/B]17 [B]Gender:[/B] Male. [B]Body:[/B] African American, 6 feet tall, lean and fairly strong, but not particularly athletic. Hair kept short, but not shaped (aka "shape up" lines in the front or back). Brown, often described as intelligent, and serious eyes. 160 pounds. Usual clothing style leans more towards that of the typical caucasian teenage male than that of the stereotypical African-American. Long, somewhat loose jeans, and a fitted tee, black 3" cloth wristband and rubber cause-wristbands on right arm, silver watch on right arm. Silver-chained, small cross usually worn around the neck, on the inside of the clothing. [B]Background:[/B] A highly intelligent, motivated youth who just graduated High School in the Washington, D.C. Area. I'm not the most social of types, and usually abstain from drinking and crazy parties, labeling myself as straightedge. That being said, I have a close group of great friends, and am generally viewed as a "cool guy" by people, even if I don't smoke/drink with them. I can be a random generation of emotions. Though I like very much hanging out, talking and laughing with my friends, I can also be real introverted. A serious streak as hard as diamond runs through me as well, probably conditioned by years of leadership in scouts and the like. I work hard, too hard, and still combat an inferiority complex. My work in high school managed to get me into Columbia University, an ivy league school in NY. Everything started on my train ride to my new life in the City. Everything that would make all my goals, my Hopes and Fears for the future disappear in a puff of smoke. Everything may have changed. I may never be a NASA engineer, or a musician. But there is something I still do want out of this life, and that is, well...Life. That is what I am fighting for, in this Hell. [B]Skills: [/B] 1. Very basic knowledge of Karate/self-defense (relatively useless against hoardes of zombies). 2. A level of skill in archery (yes, really). 3. The mind of a tactician/strategist, and high intelligence. 4. Moderate physical strength and endurance. 5. Leadership ability and a serious streak, years of working with peers and youngers in scouts. [B]Deficiencies:[/B] 1. Can not run for long/aerobically speaking, is out of shape. 2. A highly developed conscience/compassion. For instance, would have to try and save others, especially friends, in the way of the zombie invasion. Would be almost impossible to leave others, for instance the injured, to die. [B]Notable Possessions.[/B] 1. Also possesses a copy of Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide (yes, really), along with hundreds of other books on different subjects. 2. Posses a standard, Indian style bow and arrow, a wooden bat, and several long poles/shovels. 3. Carries a green, artsy messenger bag which fits a good deal of stuff, including my journal. 4. Ipod Video, digital camera and digital camcorder. 5. Hewlett Packard Laptop. 6. Cell phone w/ charger.[/COLOR][/COLOR] I love the rain. It falls from the sky, cascading from dark clouds, painting the terrain in a brillaintly dark, obscure landscape. Inspiring, completely captivating. It takes me away. Away from what? you might ask. Well, a pretty average, but good life. Right now, I work at a daycamp, taking all the kiddies out to play kickball on the field, field trips, etcetera. It's nice enough. Summer rolls by. Really, this entire summer just seems like a mindless lead-up to college, like it shouldn't exist at all. Maybe it shouldn't. I was never sure about my college choice. Columbia, NYC. I've never been one for the city and here I am being thrown into one of the most grandiose on Earth. I probably really should have ended up at Notre Dame in semirural South Bend, Indiana. Well, financially things just didn't work out that way. My mother always says things work out for the best. Maybe, I was meant to be thrown into the city. Maybe, I wasn't supposed to be at Notre Dame, I was destined to find my destiny and grow at Columbia in the blinding lights and sounds of the City. At least, that's what I tell myself. It's a strange summer. Riots springing up in little clusters all over the country. It doesn't make sense. The news never even says what the riots are about. Protesting the War in Iraq? Foreign policy? Rising taxes? Something. As little emphasis is put on the riots in the news, that's what ironically enough makes them more strange and emphatic than ever. Whatever. Maybe nobody cares. Forgive me, reader, for being so random in the entry. It happens when it rains. My thoughts seem to go everywhere, into everything, to loop and intertwine until they're one giant knot of organized chaos. Says I now as I stare out the window into the darkness and the rain. Exeunt. [/siZe]

[SIZE=1]I was also shocked to see Dir en Grey on the list with popular rock/metal bands American bands. I had only heard of them from my anime/japanese-enthused Otaku friends, and I had tried to listen to their music once, out of mild curiosity. Don't think I made it thirty seconds in. Interesting indeed, I can only wonder what the American fans think.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]This is...hilarious. A leaving member made a borderline incoherent post, and everyone has completely forgotten the original topic to actually pay attention, talking on and on about their shoes. And I find it infectious as well. Shouldn't someone go ahead and make a topic about the shoes so that this thread may die in peace, since BlueEyedAngel seems to have fled the scene and there is no debate with only one side. Honestly...hilarious. Personally, I find Vans to be an [B]excellent[/B] brand of shoes, that are still holding up after a year of wear and tear. However, due to their fine work yet long career as my casual shoes, I now where a very awesome pair of NSS Skate Shoes. Redundant, since NSS stands for Nice Skate Shoes. I don't think they'll last long, but I like them quite a bit. Most of the year though, it's my school shoes. Yeeap. Uniform. ~Ryo[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Hm. This debate is now so far ranging, I'll just focus my debate on what facets particularly reach out to me. [QUOTE]I prefer the company of people of my own race. This does not mean that I have no friends of other races, it merely means that I am more comfortable amongst my own kinsmen.[/QUOTE] Your stereotypes very much annoy me, BlueEyedAngel. Your kinsmen, or peers, are not defined by their race. This type of nepotistic, essentially facist viewpoint was a favorite of Hitler's. Your kinsmen [I]should be[/I] defined by a range of common interests and personality, who you can talk to and trust because he/she/they understand you, [I]not[/I] by whether their skin tone matches your own. I believe the same thing when it comes to relationships. [QUOTE]5. The immigrants coming into our country today are not of the same stock as the people who founded this country and who have been the majority of the population for the last 230 years. Immigration is contributing to the balkanization of America.[/QUOTE] Not of the same "stock"? Just [I]how[/I] white elitist can you sound, because seriously, you're amazing me. This is supposed to be a land of opportunity, and while I realize pragmatically we cannot let everyone in, your speaking of not letting immigrants in because they don't match your standards of "the right stock" to let into, what in your eyes seems to be a giant country club for white aristocracy, very much annoys me. Just because you were probably raised in an at least middle class family with plenty of opportunities for a great education so - like myself - you could be a straight A student, doesn't mean everyone was. A flip of the coin of fate and you could just as easily not be of "the right stock". [QUOTE]Did you know that the average IQ for Asians is 120; for whites,100; for blacks, 80? That's not a racist remark, that's statistics. If you disagree with me, I encourage you to do your own research on the correlation between race and IQ. I believe my IQ is about 124.[/QUOTE] You leave out an important step. There is no direct correlation between race and intelligence; lest you desire to sound like the whites of one hundred years ago, trying to prove that blacks were genetically inferior to whites. There is a direct correlation (statistically) between race and [B]economic status[/B]. Meaning, that statistically, more whites get to grow up in nurturing households where they can grow, learn, etc, than blacks. If anything, economic status would correlate with IQ because of the educational opportunities available to children of a higher economic class, versus less opportunities to children of a lower. Please don't quote your stats out of context, or dare try to sound like whites are naturally more intelligent than blacks. I'm certain I'll have more to say later. ~Ryo [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Rather be, because if I realize I am unwanted company, I can and would just leave the situation, or try to fix it somehow. Having unwanted company is simply annoying. Personally I really can't stand it. Would you rather work outside in the blazing sun and burning weather for 3 hours? or Work inside doing monotonous paperwork for five?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Pagan has a point. Yes, myspace and otakuboards are different, but there are many young, naive kids on here as well. Now, I've never seen anyone give out more than their A/S/L on OB, and honestly, how many 16 year old "Alex" or "John"s are living in a given state or even city? The problem with myspace is that it has pictures, schools, and generally, enough information to [i]find[/i] the person, if some pedophile were so driven. Hopefully no innocent newbie would give out enough personal information on OB for someone to pinpoint them, like on myspace. However, people really should watch out and really not give any personal info out on the 'net in general. Then there's online relationships and the like, but that's a whole new can of worms. As for the molestation, I don't remember anyone telling me that it's not smart to give out lots of personal information the internet. I suppose some kids can be a bit dense, but to me it seems fairly obvious. However, some children are young, naive, and trusting, and it is the parents job to let them know that it's dumb to give out personal info on the 'net. It isn't fair to blame the children for the manipulations of adults, but it is also elementary not to give out personal information to strangers. Kids may not be where the blame lies, but that's no excuse for them to be stupid. That's why so many kids these days are setting their myspaces to private, and only friend-ing IRL friends, eliminating the possibility of a predator stumbling across their page. My two cents.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I posted in this topic earlier, but now my most recent purchase is Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper. To be honest, this is one of the best CD's I've ever heard, which by the way, says very little considering my very small musical experience. Regardless, I have never heard more captivating melodies than these. A combination of the synthy + vocals + modern rock, brilliant lyrics. I've listened to this CD more than any other in the few weeks I've had it, and I can't believe that I'm not sick of every song on it yet. Their music is awe-inspiring. ~Ryo[/size]

[SIZE=1]Angels and Airwaves, as my more nerdy friends would say, is "teh uber swag". From the first time I heard "The Adventure" I was completely hooked. I listened to all the songs I could find on their site (I don't do that pirate thing). What got me was, the four songs I listened to were all perfectly fine. I rush to get their CD, We Don't Need to Whisper, and what do I see? Parental Advisory? Deus ex machina! What's up with that? Needless to say I was annoyed, because sadly, I'm underage (though not by much), and if I asked my parents..wouldn't be fun. Can anyone tell me [I]why[/I] it is parental advisory? I've gotta get that CD soon. ~Ryo[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Busch Gardens. Water Ride. Fifty Degrees. Yeah. Momentary lapse of judgement, I got too caught up in the moment and went along with my friends. I made a personal promise to never, ever lose my judgement or get too caught up in being with friends to do something stupid. Though it was harmless - and miserable afterwards - who knows when it could be more serious next time? As for the suicide, that's kinda creepy. Glad you decided you didn't want to die. ~Ryo[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I recently bought four CDs: The Fray - How to Save a Life: Soaring vocals and brilliant lyrics make this CD for me. I love the tracks "Over my Head", "All at Once", and "Trust Me". Quite nice, I'm glad I found out about this band. I don't think there's any song I honestly don't like. All American Rejects - All American Rejects: Yeah, I'm making up for lost time, I only got into contemporary music recently. Gotta love "Swing, Swing" and "The Last Song" which I had been listening to on the official site. I was pleasantly surprised that all the rest of the songs on the CD were quite good too, especially "Why Worry", "Don't Leave me", "Drive Away", and just about all the rest ^_^. Falling Up - Crashings: Christian rock, good stuff. "Escalates". Enough said. Nice music, I bought their second CD first, and though this one has some good songs, such as New Hope Generation and Falling in Love, I probably enjoy Dawn Escapes a bit more. A little tired of both though. Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself: A big fan of hers after first hearing "Must Be Dreaming" which was on her CD of her previous band Frou Frou. Had to follow up. I don't listen to it as much as the others, but it's nice to finally own the songs I do listen to. "The Moment I Said It" and "The Walk". Nice. I'm broke, so these four will have to hold me for quite a long time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Pachelbel's Canon is definetly high on my list, and I definetly like Moonlight Sonata too. But the less classical side is more interesting, and if we're speaking in terms of beautiful, it would probably be [I]The Song Of Mana[/I]. Such melody. Oh, there's so many other beautiful songs. "Pure Snow" and especially "Wishing for an Eternal Sky" are also very high on my list. There are others, but to try to order them would be a horrid task. And Tyler, you sound like a hardcore band geek. Awesomeness! I play Clarinet and some very basic piano, so it's all good. I would love to play Canon, but it would probably be too difficult for our high school band. I'll be darned if I don't continue into highschool, though. ~RtT[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I don't really know any goths/emos. The closest - and I don't realy want to label him an emo - is a good friend of mine who complains about his life alot. I mean, alot (I'm just too lazy to bold the word). Almost everyone else relatively close to him has complained at one time or another about how much he complains. I don't really mind though. See, the thing that separates him from emos is that he actually has a fair deal in his life to complain about, most emos. I guess I complain too much myself, so I don't mind. ~I think he just needs someone to listen to him.~ RtT[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm a junior, so I have about 2 years of High School too, and I think I can safely say that when I leave my high school [graduate] I'm going to be [B]broken up.[/B] Four years of friends, good/bad times, tests, quizzes, lunch, study hall, and most of all the people again, and to lose that in one ceremony really sucks. I mean, we all have to move on eventually, but you know that you'll never, ever, be together with all those people again. Even the people you don't know really well, but who's presence you're just used to being there, day after day. And then sayonara, you all go your separate ways. It makes me feel sad just thinking about it. Like Retribution, I'm trying to do what I want to do in high school - I don't want to live with regrets. Even if that means playing soccer again after breaking m y leg doing it a few months ago...heh heh^_^ I'm not trying to rush my life - I'm not desperately awaiting graduation, that's for sure. ~RtT[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]The friend option is definetly the best, I believe at this point. Of course she's going to still have some girlfriends at that school, and with AIM/MSN and the wonders of the internet, you could at least get in contact with her. Let things go where they will from there. And don't foget to chill out a bit...suicide..c'mon, really. Poor Retri, that does suck. Girls...can't live with them, can't seem to live without them. Eh..^_^ ~RtT[/SIZE]

I've never had quite that situation, but fairly analagous. Sometimes there are stories I find so excellent and immersive I just wish they wouldn't end, and I wish I could be part of them. And that I could meet with the Protagonists and all, 'tis pretty sad. But as that Seed song goes "Life Goes On". You get over it, eventually. Live your real life and eventually the tie begins to fade and you just get over it. I would have to definetly say to lay off anime and try to connect more with people in/ just the real world. It sucks, but this situation is temporary. ~Ryo

[SIZE=1]This is very, very difficult, so I'll split it up like others. Retri: I like your style, you know that. However, I think the meaning wasn't clear enough - it was pretty vague. i liked the pink highlit family with the words inside, but it seemed like you were setting that family aside from all the rest, not using that to show what it was like for all the families. Also, at the end of your picture it said Nuclear Society - what? Nuclear Family might have been a little clearer if that's what you meant. Some parts of your picture were a bit difficult to understand. Kitty: I like the message - unconventional family doesn't matter, it's all about the unconditional love. However, common to everyone else's critiques, I think the picture aspect could have been better represented. I can't really say what I think you could have done - maybe a smoother transition between the two parts of the picture. Finally, what should we grade? The expression of family, or the coolness and simplicity of the picture? In the end, I'll have to go with [B]Retribution[/B], only because when it comes down to it, I like his picture more. I'm not big on the anime official art, I guess. I still think your picture was an excellent work, Kitty - best of luck to both of you. ~Ryo[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]My Christmas is very special, but not one of surprise. My parents don't really go through the whole hints thing. I've written a Christmas list ever since I was writing it to Santa (hey, who says I'm not still?), and my parents do their thing with it. They even ask me to edit it if it's got too much stuff on it it - which it certainly did this year. I put less pricey stuff on specifically designated for my siblings, and they I. The surprise presents are the most fun though, but we all still have a very nice Christmas. I hope to get a really good digital-camcorder, but they're all so expensive it's annoying. That'll probably be about my only present, but I'm also hoping for some combination of Final Fantasy IV Advance, a new battery for my laptop, and a new mouthpiece for my clarinet. Funny, those three things really some up a lot about me. Final Fantasy 4, because I'm a Video Gamer all the way, battery for my lappie because I love tech and computers, and finally, my uber-clari-mouthpieice because I'm a self-proclaimed band geek in my school's highest band. (I) Rock on. ~Ryo[/SIZE]

How'd I get my username? There's a fairly interesting story behind that. It starts with Ronin Warriors, and me a young preteen watching it. Ryo of the WildFire was the protagonist. I thought the name was pretty cool, and decided to name my character on my very first RPG (*sighs nostalgically*), Dragon Warrior III on the GBC, Ryo. For many months, I was infatuated with Dragon Warrior III. I remember it as being exceedlingly long. I battled through caves and grasslands, pyramids and oceans, in search of my long lost father. Then, I lost the game. I found it months later. Apparently, after too much of something, it had burnt out, and my save files were corrupted and I could not save a new game. Teh sadness/10. Years later, I bought another game that would become one of the staple series in my life: Fire Emblem: Rekka No Ken (Blazing Sword), for the Game Boy Advance. In homage to my long lost Ryo of Dragon Warrior III, I named my Tactician (coming together now, eh?) Ryo. I was completely absorbed into FE7, the way it made it so you were a character, and Lyn and Eliwood were talking to you. Ryo the Tactician became more than just my save file on that, he became my alternate identity of fantasial, gaming worlds. Slowly, he expanded to encompass many other things. After another year or so, I gradually gave him a full name, pulled from various sources throughout the years - Ryo H. Escalus, the Tactician. A Short Synopsis on my Fantasy Identity. ~RHE

I'm going to have to agree with the general consensus here: Porn is nasty. It degrades a natural, essential human act. As much as many of us dislike it, it is a legal form of expression between adults. Illegalizing it is taking away a right of expression. Forive my slippery slope here, but something such as this could easily lead to censorship of other basics rights, 'till we're staring at George Orwell's [I]1984.[/I] Hurricane victims without water, medical attention, and bathrooms. People whose lives have literally been destroyed. All the possessions that meant so much, from photo albums and precious laptops to their houses, and everything they own inside them. Relatives still missing, presumed dead. Don't get me started on the economic black hole that the War in Iraq is. And here we go, on another crusade, before we've finished the first. Bush, finish what you've started. If you want to crusade against Porn, have fun (though I don't believe you can), but you'd better do it after you've cleaned up the mess you've made of Iraq. That's my opinion. Back to homework... ~Ryo

I agree, Kikyo. It's so great to really appreciate the show. I was captivated by it's atomosphere, and became a .HACK fan right away, but now I appreciate the series far more. ~RE

Much later... .Hack//SIGN just ended for me, a few minutes ago. I just watched the last episode on Demand. Now, I'd actually seen the end of the series before, but..it was a long time ago. I hadn't been keeping up with the series, just randomly watching. I was a complete newb. Now, I am far, far closer to understanding the ending of .Hack//SIGN. But not there, yet. I don't know if these questions can be answered, but I'd like everyone to try. So, here are my questions: Let's see if I can piece together the shards of the ending of Tsukasa's journey. [SPOILER]It seems Tsukasa almost logged out, right when Aura awakened. I guess she awakened by him demonstrating that he could log out. Then, Sora's ending. I can't believe they told us nothing as to what happened to the enigmatic bladesman. I can only guess that when Helba said "Extreme Caution" and that she was "Abandoning the area" she deleted either part of the slums or the entire thing, in order to take out Skafe, or whatever "the enemy" called what Sora was turned into. I can also, only assume that, when the area was deleted, Tsukasa and the rest were automatically logged out. But, what about Sora? Is he still in a coma...I guess there's no way for us to know. What happened to Aura too? Still more musings.. And finally, the very ending. This time around, I understood Tsukasa and Subaru's meeting in the real world. And, I was more able to accept that Tsukasa was a girl than in my first time seeing the show. But what on Earth was that final part? It showed some kind of huge dagger like thing in what looked like a sea in The World, an then it said, 'I've been waiting for you...for so long" and it lit red. Are we supposed to have any idea what that was? Or was it some strange ending teaser? [/SPOILER] ~Ryo Escalus