MoonlitStairway

[QUOTE=NashvilleDream]ofcourse, it could be untitled because I write the poem ant then title it and I wrote it 5 minutes ago and have yet to think of a title............. {EDIT: Oh dear! I seem to have forgotten to type a rating T_T If someone could please change it to E.........} There are days when I feel That I have a heart of stone; There are times when I feel Totally out' the zone; There are nights when I think I'm so lonely I could die; There are days when I stare At the world pass me by. I see everyone As they bass by me, "Go on ahead" I say As if it doesn't hurt me. I've spent my life Staring at backs, I just can't grow up Quite that fast. All the world spins; All the world but me. Everyone's movin'; Everyone but me. Am I doomed to stay here Out of thought and memory? Will I spend my days here Far away from me? "I can't go with you" I told them as they went; "Wait for me up there will you" I said, nearly spent. I don't know if they're there, I have a long way yet to travel; I've got my life to go through, I tread the dusty road in search of life.[/QUOTE] The poem itself has a good meaning and feel to it, Nashville. But here's some criticism. Your rhyme scheme. For the most part, your rhyme scheme is scattered and broken. When the rhymes to appear, they're basically just repeated words " here" and "here." I feel that if you were to either disregard the rhymes or improve them so as to make them an official pattern in the poem, then perhaps it would have a steady rhythm to it that would allow an easier and more enjoyable read.

I do feel that the SAT's/ACT's, etc. are indeed useful. But the degree of their usefulness is EXTREMELY limited. As another person on this post said, no one in this nation is really standardized. It is far too diverse. If you'd like to for a moment, disregard all educational standards. Then look at the "ethnicity" section in these tests. I being part Hispanic, get a little bonus on my SAT ratings for the sake of ethnicity, while someone with a Caucasian background would not. Additionally, in no way does the SAT really measure the type of student you are. This is both positive and negative. Positive wise, some people flat out, are just not good at taking tests. Yet those "A's" that they've "earned" are from the incredibly hard work into homework, projects, essays and other stuff that they've done. I know that I myself am a horrible test taker, but I work my butt off on a constant basis to satisfy myself and others to the degree that they expect. Negatively, these SAT's and other tests also classify students in a wrong way. Some students that may be excellent at taking tests and knowing "universal knowledge", while education wise in school, they could just flat out be horrible. It is indeed possible; for I can even cite an example from my own English class last year. The New SAT's also hinder a few aspects of our education. The Analogy section that the SAT committee removed from the test: WHAT!?! Look, I am aware that the Analogies were generally a difficult section, but it has been proven that Analogies are one of the most successful ways to teach and practice the English language. BAKA! Well, that is just my view.

So yeah, someone MUCH earlier in this thread mentioned the fact that in DBZ, if all the Saiyans were dead, how are there so damn many? Dude. Vegeta, Nappa and Goku originally survived the situation. Goku went with Chi Chi, Vegeta with Bulma. The result? Gohan, Goten, Trunks, etc. And the line continues with Gohan and Videl getting Pan. Anyhoo; As for Evangelion, the entire series itself was astounding and brilliant. The last two episodes, while I felt they were letdowns on the series as a whole, were still quality enough to wrap up Shinji's allready mixed up feelings on the entire event as a whole. I AGREE WITH ALL WHO SAY NEGATIVE ABOUT INUYASHA. While I still do love the series; the episodes themselves take far too long to get things done. As a friend of mine would say, " Inuyasha: Demons with ADD. " And I'm sorry, but the Naraku plot is becoming far too repetitive. Almost to the degree where he is simply an annoying encounter that I wish to simply ignore and continue moving past. Milk Chan = Grawr Trigun= Amazing series. The last episode, while to some as a let down, was to me an amazing finisher. It continued Vash's train of thought and beliefs to the end of the series, and also left me wondering, with optimism might I add, whether or not ( get a tag ready for this ) Vash would be with Meryl at the end. G Gundam was good because it added a new source of variety and creativity to the repititive Gundam Series. Yes, Gundam is repetitive, AN AMAZING ONE, but nevertheless repititive. SD Gundam kinda tried for a different approach, and simply made me blink in confusion and then dissappointment. Anyhoo, that's all.

I've only seen one person mention FLCL so far ( maybe I missed others? ) From what I hear, a sequel to FLCL is allready in the works. To what the content, I don't know. Nor do I know if the rumor is actually true. Though it does come from a friend who is OBSESSED ( to a very horrifying degree ) with FLCL. If any of you have info on it, please share.

Hmm.. having joined the Gay Straight Alliance of my highschool after my brother came out of the closet admitting he was bisexual to me, it's obvious what my opinion on this is, ne? I'm a junior now, and it's the Gay Straight Alliance's third year in existance here, started by my brother and his friend Sasha back when I was a freshman. Now I am the current President of my GSA, and will be continuing throughout my senior year as well ( provided that I don't blow it.) Personally, on the arguement that " I'm fine with it so long as they don't try and ask me out" etc., I feel that saying such a thing merely proves ignorance. For those who say that, you're playing into the stereotype that gays, lesbians, whatever, are automatically promiscuous once apart of said group. I'm glad to say that it is far from the truth. And for those of you in a GSA, I feel your pains when you are straight and being a part of said group makes people associate you as a homosexual or whatever. I myself am straight and yet am my GSA's president. Some people fail to realize that it isn't Gay Alliance, but Gay-Straight Alliance, for the conception of UNITY between the two generalized groups. Well, I'm outta time here, gotta run.

Zidargh, you said "However, I do disagree with how you disqualified a point for how Emma's and Alisa's story are not as split. The fact that they refer to eachother so much is brilliant." My apologies, I must've written my opinion incorrectly, for my intention was to state that the fact that they weren't too drastically split was indeed brilliant. I agree that because they are tied together on the aspects that they are is incredibly enjoyable. ^-^ my bad

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]All in all, it's an iffy topic.... as I displayed earlier; though I may not like Eminem too greatly for the majority of his material, I do believe that a few songs here and there do deserve praise ( Stan, Lose Yourself, etc. ) But, that is simply my opinion. Another thing... everyone has good and bad, and though Eminem's "bad side" clearly is of malcontent and annoyance along with immature statements, his good side deserves respect. Maybe some of us can consider that, maybe not.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]When it comes to Full Metal Alchemist, I personally enjoy the show. But on a side note, please don't interpret all of Full Metal Alchemist of what Alchemy is all about; some of its studies are totally contrasting in comparison to FMA. o.o;; now I'm not dissing FMA, for as I said, I enjoy the show, but I've seen friends who instantly associate Alchemical studies with FMA, and I hope to have some avoid this.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]Hmm.. Eminem's validity of talent and controversial skill in culture today is pretty interesting in my opinion. While I am a HEAVY disliker of today's Rap culture, for the majority of it actually can be sadly labeled as "pimpin' " or whatever it is they wish to call running from the cops while whoring around attractive women; I find Eminem to be a powerful exception. Granted, his songs can tend to go too far, even for jokes, as ALL PEOPLE CAN. However, like any other person, he has his moments of validity and power. The songs " Lose Yourself", "Mosh", "Stan", and "Cleaning out my closet" ( if I got the title right ) are examples of this. Deathbug, while I respect your opinion, I feel you seem to be looking at this in a one sided manner. We all tend to this, but trust me, not a good thing. Before you begin hammering down upon one side, maybe you should check the other carefully to see its own points. For example, you asked "Tell me, then, what great purpose is served by singing about it?" This is a rather simple answer here my friend. One of the dating stereotypes is the badboy, an image on which a heavy amount of trends are built upon. While the image itself can tend to be despicable, it sells to people. Now that may seem irrelevant, so I'll say another: All musical artists have an image they wish to keep up, do they not? That image is what makes them money. Eminem's image is an in-your-face controversy. The reason he uses this is to not just get his occassional point across, but to sell. By constantly sending out slurs and other ridiculuous topics, the masses are naturally attracted to him, buying his albums to find the true spin on his ways. Constantly, this is done. Psychologically, when a child looks at something he is forbidden to have, a slight sense of rebelliousness comes along their mind. Naturally they either decide to follow orders, or simply go with the gut instinct of saying " ooo, what does this button do? " When put to the extreme level that Eminem sends out, we send back the same reaction at a heightened level, " Woh.. allright, I have to see this. " Remember; just because you find it particularly vulgar, etc, does not mean that others will always find it in the same viewpoint. Get the idea, Deathbug? Remember, one of the beauties of art, poetry, and ESPECIALLY RAP, is that controversy can run thick in the blood, lacing the words with its effects. Being a poet myself, I have a personal understanding to this. For those of you who say "I don't think he is an artist because in my eyes he has no talent.....he is a rapper", I sadly laugh at you. That is one of the most one-sided arguements in existance. Now naturally, this is your opinion, and for that, I will go no further than stating a counter arguement to such a belief. Look... I believe that generally, rap as a whole can tend to go right off the edge of tasteful. HOWEVER, like anyone else in their own field, it-requires-talent. For example, often, Soccer is looked at as a crappy sport. Yet, the players within the game require a certain degree of running speed, handling upon the ball, and more in order to effectively play the game. Just as a football player can often rely upon a certain degree of resilience to hold off from injuries long enough to score a tackle or make the touchdown. Pop artists such as N'Sync, while I despise them for one of the cheesiest marketed images ever, still have talent in THEIR FIELD. So, to you especially Demented5051; be careful how you word your points, for the idea you presented was heavily flawed. Back to you one more time, Deathbug. I apologize if you feel that I'm backing you into a corner, but I'm trying to get a point across. On the topic of Eminem being garbage and such, one must remember that times change and so does the interpretation of art and talent. While a person does not have to enjoy the change or the result thereof, it is undeniable, that in some way, the one thing they do not like, someone else could. I do not like rap artists like Fat Joe, however, others do, because they are partial to his ways, as opposed to my own enjoyment of Progressive Rock's Coheed and Cambria. So, I hope that I wasn't merely droning on, and maybe this is enlightening. Ja-ne.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]To me, it seems to be an interesting factor of interpretation. Having been deeply anti-religious for the majority of my life, I was heavily skeptical to the existance of chi/ki, especially since one of the prime conceptions of it is in relation to Budhism. However, because of a close friend of mine, I've reinterpreted chi and ki, or whatever you wish to call it, and have begun to do meditation along with a method known as Chi Manipulation. In my personal belief, the actual manifestation of chi into a physically controlled form in order to release in a concentrated blast ( if you need reference, any type of energy blast. ), is too far from control to a normal human. The power we can control at our fingertips is limited at best.. However, I do believe that eventually, there will be a time in which a human will be able to unlock that certain degree of control, it is even conceivable as a matter of evolutionary process. As for what Chobit said about her experiance.. er... I'm going to have to disagree with that. The Gravol might have been what influenced your "experiance." As for the manifestation of your chi in blue form, I think that is merely an interpretation. Having never been proven to be true, it is often seen that one can imagine chi as a certain color comforting to them in some way in order to properly channel it. For example, via color association during Chi Manipulation, I interpret my positive chi as a light blue shade, while the negative chi is more of a murky black color. This is merely a method in which we can associate ourselves to the chi, similar to how we apply certain labels to people in order to properly identify them in a way we are comfortable with. Often the idea of chi manifestation comes up in physical contact, or otherwise combat. However, it is an interesting topic when one finally decides to try and apply it. The best I have been capable of doing, would be to simply use briefly fast chi manipulation to heighten my senses by relaxing my body. NOW, one will say that it is crap for me to state such a thing. Is it? Consider this, the scientific proof that if focused correctly, our brains can induce a slight sense of different perspectives can occur, often relaxing our bodies. In addition to this, breathing exercises are used to calm a person, allowing them to respond in a clear way to the situation around them. This of course could be something else, but I naturally associate it with the control of your own chi to a certain degree. As a result, in combat, one could use Chi Manipulation as a method of beginning the fighting styles such as Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. Even the development of resilience for things such as Russian Sambo, or Marine style tactics, revolves around the heightening of senses and application of your own adjustment to pain and suffering. The chi in your body has to adjust itself by your control for such a thing to occur. Wounds, injuries and violent markings are another intriguing topic for the matter. Often, it is believed that by using meditation to calm one's self, the wound can be healed faster. Scientifically, if the body is relaxed ,it is guaranteed that the wound upon said victim, will heal faster. If you think about a broken bone for example, the usage of the part of your body with the bone will cause improper healing or even a lack thereof. However, if your body relaxes and you cease usage of that particular part of your body, the bone will heal effectively. So really, I use meditation to allow my body to relax and become fluently tranquil, clearing my mind to allow certain reactions at heightened senses. This is capable for all people, if they simply show the patience necessary to do so. On another note, and my apologies for this lengthy post, I do believe it is possible to eventually use methods known as telekenesis and such. Currently, not so much, due to the lack of power applied in our brain usage. Meditation and Chi control, in my view, are essential to such evolutionary forces. And with that, I'll end this post, hopefully this was somewhat enlightening to those who bothered to read it.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]Having started with Front Mission 3, I instantly became a fan of the game. The usage of Wanzers, along with the customization options keeping me occupied for hours on end, made the non battle parts intensely captivating. The storyline of Front Mission 3 was bountiful with interesting twists and little facts to gently intwine both storylines carefully. However, the storyline differences of the Alisa and Emma missions ( They being the two different choices for missions ) for not too drastically split. In Front Mission 3, the Final Fantasy Tactics like manuevering system and otherwise interesting battle system was highly enjoyable, the battle scenes depicted having been well designed. When it comes to Front Mission 3, I gave it a 9.0 out of 10 Front Mission 4, which I just got recently, was definantly worth the money. The motion picture scenes far outdid those of Front Mission 3, showing excellent graphics to reinforce breathtaking scenes. The battle system was practically the same as in Front Mission 3, or so I thought until I discovered Link features. Because of these, the battles I fought in became more realistically died to the motion picture scenes, depicting a fight scene that was slightly more sensible. Afterall, I love watching my main character's partner fire a sniper shot into a Wanzer's leg before the protagonist leaps up, taking advantage of the distraction to impale the torso.. Anyway! Having only gotten into the storyline slightly, for I've only had the game for several days, so far so good. The storyline seems rich with twists like in Front Mission 3. Instead of Japan, the Phillipines and the United States, Front Mission 4 seems to take place in Europe ( primarily so far in Germany, France, Denmark and Belgium ) and also in South America ( primarily Venezeula. ) I can hardly wait to see more. The customization options given are even more excessive than in Front Mission 3, having kept me occupied for a good solid half an hour merely choosing the color and design of the Wanzers' appearances. That, and of course, the fun of changing parts and readying weaponry was pleasing. Front Mission 4, I'd give a 9.5 out of 10. So now I ask for your opinions.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Allrighty, I do agree that Chrono Trigger was probably ONE of the best games ever made by RPG standards. As for those of you talking about certain attributes that should've changed... [spoiler]Chrono's death - an ending where he stays dead Schala's life or death status proven[/spoiler] Allright, fair enough, I can see where the brooding on this exists, however, consider this. The makers of Chrono Trigger allready had the ideas for Chrono Cross in the making. Of course it took them a long time of breaks and such, and legal mumbo jumbo with Akira Toriyama, but regardless.. Think about this: [spoiler]Chrono Cross's series of final bosses INCLUDES LAVOS WITH SCHALA ON TOP! Clearly this is indicitive of the time cross ( hint ) in the game. Schala stayed alive because Lavos kept her for power, her being the only living source that matched the power of Queen Zeal after you chop the old hag in half. Okay.. as for Chrono. His "meaningless death" may seem trivial, but he needed to come back in order for the situation of Fate to occur in Chrono Cross.[/spoiler] [color=#4B0082]Added spoiler tags again. Please remember to use them in the future. You can find instructions on how to use them [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40627][u]here[/u][/url]. - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=1][FONT=Times New Roman]I figured I may as well toss my fare share into this topic. I personally enjoy DDR, having taught several friends to do it tediously, and then of course go from six month breaks to instantly playing 9 Foot difficulty songs, but hey. Anyhoo, I currently just came off of one of my six month breaks and comboed Paranoia Rebirth on Heavy after realizing that once you drop the idea that playing DDR is all about showing off, you can master it. Kinda sad, considering how the majority of the DDR playing world does it SOULY for that reason. The songlist I generally do on the Extreme Mix at the mall near by my house would be either: A for warmup or Seniorta for warmup, then Dead End, then Paranoia Rebirth. That is what I do for the first list, ALWAYS, then of course, I variate it. But doing it on Heavy can be a tedious adventure, especially when you suicidally decide to do Rebirth on Shuffle and Hidden, then Dead End on Sudden, then Max 300 on Sudden. Key tips: Water, lots of it. Stamina, without it, kiss your DDR playing career goodbye. Oh yeah, and legs strong enough to carry you. You could range from 1000 Pounds to 80 Pounds so long as you have powerful legs to keep ya going.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Times New Roman]Ah, thanks for the tip, Debresko ( I probably spelled that incorrectly. )[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=1][FONT=Times New Roman]Hmm.. we've all been judging our favorite characters of Final Fantasy games, which to me, is a very difficult agenda, considering the wide array of great appearances and storylines, along with the combat style. So, with hope that this doesn't get deleted, I'd rather just name the favorite characters ( with explainations as to why ) of each of the FF games I've actually played and enjoyed. FF6 ( FFIII by SNES ) - Shadow. My reasons for choosing Shadow are rather simple actually. Aside from the given, although sometimes cliche' aspects of his loner mystique, his style of combat is very enjoyable. I've always loved the idea of chucking katanas at people for the sake of not having anything else to do. And the moments in which his dog runs in and does more damage than him for like, half the game, is simply amusing. In addition, his storyline that is hidden through a large amount of sleeping in different inns, is great. Shadow has always been a reoccuring favorite of mine, even in the final moments of the game [spoiler]in which he told Interceptor to run along without him as he stayed behind, clearly to die in repentence for what he has done in his past.[/spoiler] Plus, I love how he looks. FF7 - A tough call, but I'd have to say Vincent. The vampiric gun flinger has some interesting storyline tossed into the mix, especially for an optional character. [spoiler]Having been Lucrecia's love prior to her time with Hojo, he naturally had some conflict with the scientist in addition to the mutation conspiracy applied to him.[/spoiler] Apart from that, his looks are astounding. The way the appearance was designed to match his character's mysterious attitude was perfect. While his limit breaks were sometimes frustrating, they still complemented his storyline rather well. I also found that if for nothing else, he was quite good at handling materia. FF8 - Hmm..I'd have to stick with Zell. Everyone is probably right in that his Overdrive's with Dual are simply fun. Plus, his comic relief aspect are something that the other games fail to capture in comparison. Who doesn't love someone who is CRAZY for hotdogs? Plus, anyone who has a mom that can beat their kids in cards is just amusing, if nothing else. His character design is rather interesting and compliments his attitude well. Plus I've always found that tatoo to be nifty. FF9 - I'll be honest in that I never played MUCH of FF9. However, what I did enjoy was the character design for Zidane. At first he comes off as a thug, even though I know that by reading through bits and pieces of information, that he of course has a tragic destiny, he is still a good character. Plus, I greatly thank Square for not using a sword with Zidane this time around. While swords naturally display an importance with most protagonists, Zidane's use of a swallow ( like Serge from Chrono Cross ) was a nice choice. FFX - Allright, with all scowls and moans aside for Tidus, I did enjoy the next two the most: Auron and Kimarhi ( I so probably spelled that incorrectly. ) In Auron's case, the tough guy wielding a massive Katana was indeed a cliche, but the way they pieced together his importance to the storyline, and his fighting style, were still excellent. His theme music was uncanny, and his attire was excellent. In Kimahri's case, the Ronso warrior was a favorite for his enemy skill fighting style. In addition, I was immediatly pleased with his attitude towards Tidus and his protective nature for Yuna. His ties to his own clan, including the fools that shattered part of his horn, were emotional if not else. He immediatly became a personal favorite when he [spoiler]impaled Seymour[/spoiler] ( rrr... ) in Bevelle and told everyone else to escape for their lives. And of course, his character design of near Native American memorbelia was very complementing to his character's way of speech and attitude. Final Fantasy Tactics - I've always found the protagonist, Ramza, to be great. His character design to complement the many job options we were capable of presenting him was always fun, and in addition to this, his storyline was great. His fighting style wasn't much to work with, considering how Tactics kind of pre-set it. But hey, whatever.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR] Jay [color=#4B0082]Added spoiler tags. Please use them the next time you talk about significant parts of a game's story. - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]