elfpirate

[b]I was just going off about this in the "Lots of Killing" thread.[/b] [b]This shooting/massacre happened in my little community of Red Lake (the aforementioned reservation). I couldn't go to ER last night (and I REALLY needed to) because it was entirely filled with the victims of that shooting. [/b] [b]And my mom, who is an RN at the hospital here was busting her *** all night last night because so many of her colleagues and support staff were busy as hell with those victims.[/b] [b]Eight are confirmed dead at this time, and several more are not expected to make it.[/b] [b]Now our community is [i]flooded[/i] with national media... grrrr. Where were they several months ago when friends of mine and my family were being brutally murdered? Oh, right-- they weren't murdered inside the school, so it doesn't matter to anyone else, right?[/b] [b]When I said, a few days ago that violence is on the rise, I wasn't just talking out of my arse. It has nothing to do with the media coverage.[/b] [b]Red Lake and this whole area in general has always been violent, but over the last several years, the violence all around here has grown in both the frequency of occurances and in the intensity of the violences committed.[/b] [b]So how about a moment of silence or prayer from everyone that reads this for the victims and their families?[/b] [color=darkred]edit: I just found out that I knew the shooter and some of the victims...nice.[/color]

[b]I strongly disagree with the fact that it is our media's attention to the violence that makes it appear that violence has increased. [/b] [b]I can see for myself-- without watching the media-- that violence has indeed increased.[/b] [b]Apparently, my community is going to be flooded with national media... (MTV is already here...they were staying at one of our local hotels last night...) but the only reason that the media is here is because THIS time, the violence here took place within one of the local schools. For some reason, it ain't national news unless it happens at school.[/b] [b]This shooting is really no more violent than this community was last week or the week before that, but now, because it has happened within school walls-- suddenly this community is tragically violent. Screw that.[/b] [b]In the words of Slim Shady "now it's a tragedy--now it's so sad to see"...[/b] [b]I think that it's the media's [i][u]INattention[/u][/i] to the violence that occurs everyday that makes people say that the levels of violence have not increased.[/b] [b]I mean-- come on, people-- it can't just be[i] my[/i] community that is becoming more and more violent. If you're not seeing it, then you're not paying attention... because I certainly don't need to watch the news to see it happening right in front of my face.[/b]

[b]I guess today there was a school shooting in my community in which 15 or so people were shot (6 are dead already, including the shooter's grandparents, whom he shot before going to school and going on his rampage).[/b] [b]I probably would have heard about it tonight on the news, but instead, I heard about it because my mom is a nurse and had called in to ER to let her co-workers know that she was going to bring me in (I'm in a helluva lot of pain right at this moment) and her nurse friends told her not to even try to take me to ER right now because they were dealing with so many gunshot wounds that I probably wouldn't be seen any time today.[/b] [b]So-- when your local hospital can't even see patients in its emergency room because of the number of violent crime victims, you tend to roll your eyes a bit at the people who are trying to claim that it's just the media coverage that's increased.[/b] [b]And f_ing ouch! I need a doctor right now, damnit. I'm only online at this time to distract myself from pain... and it ain't working...[/b]

[quote name='Bloodseeker']Quit feeling sorry for yourself. He's rich because he used to have talent, and he put that talent to good use. Its not like he was born a billionare. Despite the piece of trash that he's turned into, he at least deserves the recognition that he's gotten over the years, because he used to be great.[/quote] [b]heh- I wasn't feeling sorry for myself-- I was feeling sorry for a nation that pays no attention to the child rapist living right next door but whose attention is turned to a jack*** like MJ just because he was born with a talent and became a superstar-- and may be a child molester.[/b] [b]Honestly, do you know the names of the sexual predators in your own community? I doubt it-- but MJ is worth all this attention WHY?[/b] [b]And by the way-- he was like 5 years old when he recorded the first songs with his family-- he didn't go out and make it on his own-- other people did that for him.[/b] [COLOR=DarkRed]Edit: Second time in this thread I have edited out inappropriate language. Please use more caution when writing your posts. Remember that swearing is against the rules of the site and considered spam. Thanks. -Panda[/COLOR]

[b]I've got to admit, though it proves nothing but what a jerk I am, that this thread has had me laughing my *** off, and I can't believe that the following quote wasn't responded to:[/b] [b][QUOTE=Morpheus] [/b] [b][color=darkred]Originally Posted by [b]angst01[/b][/color] [i][color=darkred]And to go to heaven you must read atleast a portion of the Quaran.[/color][/i] That is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard. What happens to babies that die young? Are they coondemed to hell for eternity? Also, wouldn't that mean Muhamed went to hell? He was illiterate, so he could never read the quran.[/QUOTE][b]Or this one--ha ha ha...[/b] [b][quote name='Heaven's Cloud][color=indigo']I?d say that you really haven?t proven anything except that Mohammed was a cunning linguist. [/color][/quote] [b](Thank you, HC for brightening my day:animesmil )[/b] [/b] [b]With all the sarcastic insults and metaphorical mayhem (not to mention Siren's cleverly and sneakily thrown in random chess references-- which I'm still lmao about), this really is one of the most entertaining threads I've read in a while. [/b] [b]Alright...now, back to the original [i]purpose[/i] of this thread... *composes self a bit*...[/b] [QUOTE=Chabichou][color=#004a6f] However, the point of my thread is only to try to convince you that the Quran is the word of God. There is no "proof" that it is the word of God, and there is no "proof" either for the other two scriptures. But, let's take a look at the facts shall we[color=black]?[/color] I'd say that there's enough evidence here that show the Quran is indeed the word of God. What do you make of it?[/color][/QUOTE][b]Oh, boy, Chabi... though this has been an extremely fascinating, educational, and (at least for an a**hole like me) side-splittingly hilarious read, I'd have to say that [i]this[/i] is what I make of it:[/b] [b][u]No proof. No fact. No evidence.[/u] [/b] [b]You haven't convinced anybody that wasn't already on the same page as you that there is "proof" of the Quran being the word of God.[/b] [b]What you have done is to parrot the text of the Quran and to link it to the thread... and to state your opinions of the meanings behind ancient metaphores.[/b] [b]To me, this thread is like those creepy televangelists that smack people on the head and knock them over in order to "heal" them or to remove the evil spirits... they babble, smack, and when the person is lying on the floor, they turn to the camara and say "Behold! Proof that the Almighty is within me..."[/b] [b]*ahem*-- proof that [i]something[/i] is within, but I'm thinking it has a "Do not drive or operate machinery..." sticker on it's bottle.;) [/b] [b]What I'm trying to say is that showing people metaphores and educating them on ...um... the myths and legends (which may or may not be history) is simply not "proving" that something is what you claim it to be. [/b] [b]Just because it exists within your faith doesn't automatically qualify it as "evidence". You can point at it and shout "Behold!" as many times as you'd like, and as loudly as you like, but it doesn't change the nature of what you're pointing at... just as the creepy televangelist only proves to me that he can get away with smacking people.[/b] [b]And Chabi-- did you ever stop to think that maybe every text that carries within its pages the love of God and brings people to have faith IS the word of God?[/b] [b]I mean, what if God is a thousand times greater than your Quran, the Christians' Bible, and the Torah, and all the other books of faith even touch upon and that He/She/It sent [i]all these texts[/i] to the people in various forms so that the general ideals of faith, love, devotion, etc... would be accepted by all kinds of peoples from all nations ...because they speak to those different nations in a way that its people can relate to?[/b] [b]I personally don't subscribe to any organised religion, because of things like this thread.[/b] [b]How many pages have been filled with argument and insult over which book is the true word of God? This is utterly ridiculous to me.[/b] [b]If God gave "his" teachings to the people, as most religions believe that God did, why can't it be accepted that God put his teachings within everything we see, as I'm pretty sure every one of these texts clearly states.[/b] [b]Why are you trying to force a god between the covers of a dusty old book? [/b] [b]Don't you see your God in the praying faces of your Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, etc... brothers and sisters? Don't you hear your God's teachings in the laughter of a child?[/b] [b]I really do think this organized religion crap is exactly that-- a bunch of crap.[/b] [b]I don't need an ancient text to tell me what a God would want of "his children"... and I can find enough pointless arguments about things that can't be proven [i]without[/i] trying to cram something as omnipotent as a deity into something that fits in a drawer.[/b] [b]I think that people of all faiths will agree that there are things more important at the roots of their souls than who's got the better book on how things went down thousands of years ago.[/b] [center][b]****Screw "two cents"-- that was like a buck fiddy, damnit!****[/b][/center] [/b]

[b][color=navy]After several nights of sleepless wanderings, my mind once again engaged in the state of caffeine-induced quasi-consciousness, I got the idea to spew my fleeting thoughts into this little poem.[/color][/b] [b][color=navy]And since I remain unrested, it still seems like an acceptable idea to subject the members of OB to my retarded ranting... and, thus- this thread is born.[/color][/b] [center][b][size=1]I was in my heart deceiving that my hope to end my grieving[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Lay in numbing all my feelings one by one[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Though no sorrow's left to haunt me and no fear remains to daunt me[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]O'er all emotions numbness won[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Now with every breath that I have taken, I've known I was mistaken[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]For no longer can I see nor feel the sun[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=4][color=navy]~[/color][/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]A wraith within the midst of an anesthetised abyss[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Shall I remain forever drowning in its depths?[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]For I long to reach my spirit's core and teach my soul to feel once more[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]To regain the voice that once lingered on my breath[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]To speak again of joy and pain~to sing once more in sweet refrain[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Have I doomed myself to dwell within my spirit's death?[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=4][color=navy]~[/color][/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]For I'm rotting in this darkness~in this chill and lonely starkness[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]Waiting for a spark of hope to set me free[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]But no wanderer's ever been to the emptiness within[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]To bring the light of life to one like me[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]So I remain but a ghost within this hollow, fleshy host[/size][/b][/center] [center][b][size=1]And I fear that I'll be numb for all eternity[/size][/b][/center] [center][color=navy](A sleep-deprived psychological incontinence by: Jenea McClary)[/color][/center] [left][color=#000080][b]I hope at least one of you gets something out of it~ even if it [i]is[/i] just a hearty laugh...[/b][/color][/left]

[b]I, too, was really excited at the prospect of playing this game, but was pretty disappointed by the text scenes and the gameplay.[/b] [b]It strikes me as reminiscent of Paper Mario-- which I thoroughly detested..[/b] [b]The most frustrating thing about it is that FMA has such great potential to be a kick-*** game, but it just [i]isn't[/i].[/b] [b]The idea of transmuting random objects that are lying about and having a choice in the object that you end up creating is simply brilliant, in my opinion, but the sluggish story-telling, the still-screen character dialogues, and the awkward/crappy gameplay just keeps me from liking this game as I had anticipated I would.[/b] [b]I hope that they try again with an FMA game, and actually succeed in making it enjoyable to play.[/b] [b]O' course, I'm just geeky enough that I continue to play it, even though it frustrates me so terribly-- just because I have to finish out the story and because I like FMA so much...:animeshy: [/b]

[b]My newest obsession as far as fighting games go is Soul Caliber (I & II).[/b] [b]I get so into 'em that I scream obscenities at my opponents whether I'm winning or losing --and I jump up and down in celebration or stomp/punch the floor in the frustration of defeat... totally immature, I know, but I don't care, because I enjoy it so...[/b] [b]Needless to say, my family is greatly annoyed with my gaming habits...:animesmil [/b]

[b]You know-- my own life is so very full of my own major problems... problems that actually affect my life and the lives of the people around me-- and I couldn't possibly care any freaking less about some scrawny, trans-racial, quasi-faced billionaire stranger and his court plea.[/b] [b]I may be an ***hole for not sugar-coating this post, but I get really sick of constantly hearing about the problems facing the people who live in the lap of luxery while I watch the people I love struggle and toil and [i]still[/i] have to worry about providing for themselves and their loved ones.[/b] [b]The guy has a private amusement park on his ranch-house property and he flies hither and yon in his own private jet while my mom busts her *** all week and still can't afford the medications that she [i]needs[/i]. And she's a college graduate... there's no reason for the outrageous pay discrepancies in this country... priorities are seriously f***ed up in this country.[/b] [b]Boo freakin' hoo for Mr. Plasticised Billionaire. [/b]

[b]My brother and I and our two best friends were obsessed with having our own Ewok village community for a while.[/b] [b]We even went as far as beginning the construction of it out in the boondocks of the Hawai'ian Acres subdivision-- complete with rope swings to separate platforms and stuff-- though shoddy and kid-constructed.[/b] [b]It never really became much of anything, though, since we were only like 8 and 9 years old and our carpentry skills were a bit lacking back then.[/b] [b]These days, I would still build an Ewok villiage for myself and my brother if I had land, but I'm not so sure that I'd invite anyone to join us, since I'm pretty pissed off at people in general these days and am finding it difficult not to loathe everyone. [/b] [b]Maybe I could deal with a community when I get over my little emotional crisis, but for now, I'd rather I had my own private village up in the canopy.[/b]

[QUOTE=Xy GGu]Multiple personalities are common, everyday placement. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, I talk to lately has this "feature" about them. Unfortunately for me, I don't have alternate personalities that I am aware of. [/QUOTE][b]I [i]had[/i] to comment on your post, Xy GGu... I tried to resist the urge to click that damnable, beckoning reply button, but didn't have the fortitude to suppress it.[/b] [b]Multiple personalities are [i]not[/i] common. In fact, it is quite rare to come across a person that truly is inflicted with Multiple Personality Disorder. It is a devastating disorder that is almost always born of severe emotional and physical trauma in early childhood.[/b] [b]People with this disorder are often unaware that they even have it, as their personalities exist independently of one another (though this isn't true of all cases, it is true of most).[/b] [b]I don't understand why you would say it is [i]unfortunate[/i] that you don't have alternate/multiple personalities.[/b] [b]It is one thing to have mood swings and to behave differently at times than you typically do, and it's even normal for people to have [i]instable [/i]personalties (ie: the passive/aggressive types), but to wish that you had a severe mental illness that disrupts every relationship and activity in your life ...to the point of not being able to properly function as a human being? Why would it be [i]unfortunate[/i] that you don't suffer from this illness?[/b] [b]And... *takes a deep breath* ... Here's some (really) general information on Schizophrenia-- which is [u]not[/u] the same thing as MPD by any means.[/b] [b]Schizophrenia does not mean multiple personalities. This myth and mistake is perpetuated everywhere outside of the psychology profession. [/b] [b]I see reference to it at least once a week on the telly or in the papers, but it is a load o' crap. And it all began with grammatical misunderstanding... *sigh*... but that doesn't matter now...[/b] [b]What she described in the start of this thread was imagination... and then it became psychoses and auditory hallucinations after several others had posted.[/b] [b]Assuming that she was not simply filling an immature need for attention, and that she truly experiences these things and has a psychological disorder, her symptoms would suggest early-onset schizophrenia... [i]really early[/i]... (maybe childhood schizophrenia would best cover it...)[/b] [b]Which would be [i]most [/i]unfortunate, because it is an organic brain disorder (essentially, what that means is that it's not just in the person's psyche, but the brain itself is diseased/disfigured/damaged), and the prognosis is not good for schizophrenic patients, even with the available treatments-- and it is [i]especially[/i] poor for early-onset and childhood-onset schizophrenics. They tend to get worse faster, respond to treatment less, etc...[/b] [b]There is no cure for schizophrenia yet, and (as with all psychological, emotional, and behavioral disorders) little is known about it's causes.[/b] [b]*heh*-- it's only the super-quick-extremely-general info summary of chapters and chapters of fascinating study...[/b] Don't mind me-- I'm deleriously sleep-deprived once again... and although I know I should just shut the hell up-- I'm babbling anyhow...

[b]As all powerful visual elements soon become a representative symbol of some sort, so has the Nazi uniform (and Nazi symbols) come to be a representation of dark power, malevolence, force, and intimidation.[/b] [b] [b]The images of the Nazi regime (and even images that are simply similar in style to the symbols of the Nazi regime) invoke many dark and negative emotions-- (or rather- for sane, rational, intelligent people the emotions invoked are negative...)[/b] [/b][b]This symbolism is [i]not[/i] anime-specific but has been used in countless artworks, movies, theater, etc... since WWII took place.[/b] [b]Even Cobra Commander sports a Gestapo-esque uniform... and I highly doubt that the writers and artists of [u]GI Joe[/u] are Nazi sympathisers.[/b] [b]I wouldn't worry about it having any meaning but for visual reference to something repelling... unless it's obvious that what you're watching is some kind of demented, neo-Nazi, goose-stepping bull****:animeangr ... in which case, feel free to throw it in the nearest river or under the tires of an 18-wheeler. [/b]

[b]Well, hmmm... there are so very many good books... where do I begin?[/b] [b]JRR Tolkien's books-- naturally...[/b] [b]Anything by CS Lewis-- [u]The Chronicles of Narnia[/u], his space/sci fi trilogy, [u]Princess and the Goblin[/u], [u]Till We Have Faces[/u], and on and on...(fantasy/sci-fi and fiction, for the most part)[/b] [b][u]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[/u] series (comedy sci fi)[/b] [b]This may be a no-brainer, but:[/b] [b][u]1984 [/u]and [u]Animal Farm[/u] (not-so-fiction-type of fiction- social messages)[/b] [b]If you're mature enough to handle some (okay-- lots and lots of) adult language, situations, etc... and don't mind reading in thick dialect, I suggest you read some of Irvine Welsh's works. His most well-known book in America is probably [u]Trainspotting.[/u] I warn you, though, that the man commits to paper things that most people wouldn't even admit to just thinking about. His works will disturb you as much as they delight you...;) [/b] [b]But if you're looking for some non-fiction or true story types of books, check these out if you haven't already:[/b] [b][u]Night[/u] by Elie Wiesel (I may have misspelled his name) Don't read this unless you like books that seriously manipulate your emotions, because it is the memoirs of a holocaust survivor-- beautiful and hideous all at once... It's a very powerful book.[/b] [b][u]Angela's Ashes[/u] by Frank McCourt (memoirs-- the excellently written comic tragedy of McCourt's youth in Ireland)[/b] [b]I could fill pages and pages on this thread with recommendations, but I'll leave it at that for now.[/b]

[quote name='gundampali23']DONT THINK IM CRAZY BUT roaming through school i imagine over body i see as a anime character . [/quote] [b]Heh- you're not crazy-- a lot of us do that. I even sketch the people I come into contact with as anime.[/b]

[size=2][quote name='Kane'] Patrick himself actually never advocated violence in his conversion of the Irish people from Paganism to Catholicism. Catholicism spread like wildfire in Ireland after that and the Druids as a faith were extinguished. [/quote][/size] [b][size=1]That was what I was protesting- the mass conversion and the extincting of a faith.[/size][/b] [size=1][size=1][/size] [/size] [size=2][quote name='Kane'] As per his driving of the snakes from Ireland, I'm not sure how accurate that is, perhaps like wolves in Ireland the climate changed and they could no longer survive. [/quote][/size] [b][size=1]The "snakes" of Ireland were the Druids, as their world's spirit (similar to "mother earth") was depicted as a giant snake... thus, they were referred to as "snakes".[/size][/b] [b][size=1]It had nothing to do with the actual reptile.[/size][/b]

[b]This one's easy--no contest--it's [u]Jester on Socom[/u]. [/b] [b]That freakin' bastard is [i]always[/i] doing something retarded and screwing up the missions. [/b] [b]You tell your team to stay put, and that jerk goes running out and gives away your position... or he runs right up to the C4 you've just set and blows himself to smithereens.[/b] [b]It's always [i]something[/i] with that stupid clown ( *smirk*)... running into walls, firing his weapon when you're making an attempt at stealth, just generally being an idiotic bastard... and doing everything you need him NOT to do if you want to accomplish your mission.[/b] [b]It's [i]beyond [/i]"most annoying" with Jester-- he straight up pisses me off. I'd like to go into the game and shoot him myself...[/b] [b]Although... I would also like to make soup out of that irritating, stuffy-nosed ****ing turtle on Sly Cooper... [/b] [b]But, no-- Jester wins the "Most Irritating Dumbass" award in the video game characters catagory-- hands down.[/b]

[quote name='shadowmatrix']Casual Gamers are what keep the industry afloat. Casual gamers have the money instead of you hobbit nerds who buy one game, spend 6 months on it and be no better at it than day 1.i hate hardcore hobbits who think theyre so great just cause they made an arcade machine. i took my game boy apart and parted the oceans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its because of smart people like us who buy the hyped games. we buy hype games. they make money. we get more hype games. and if i had an online connection or something, i'd kick anyone's *** who disagrees with me in a hardcore game of Tekken 5. now deal![/quote] [b]I'm thinking you're one of those people I was talking about that doesn't re-read good books or re-watch brilliant films... *shrugs*[/b] [b]Heh heh... we hobbit nerds [i]don't[/i] spend six months on just one game, we buy a lot more games than you realise, including the hyped ones-- we just tend to appreciate things that are worth appreciating... and some of those hyped ones can be, but a lot of them [i]aren't[/i]... so deal.[/b] [b]You [i][u]hate[/u][/i] us, huh? Thanks for putting so much energy into your feelings for us...:animesmil [/b]

[b]I have been missing the ocean so freaking badly lately, and it somehow got me thinking about elements and personality.[/b] [b]I'm sure that most of you have stumbled across those quizzes like "What element represents you?" at some point, or have seen the question as part of another quiz, so I'm going to take it just a little further.[/b] [b]Because I can't choose just one element to identify with, I'm assuming that people usually identify with several, so I think it would be cool to find out which elements you identify with and why.[/b] [b]And I will use the standard four (earth, air, fire, and water)-- plus light and shadow-- to choose from.[/b] [b]I'm looking forward to reading your responses, and I'll post mine once the thread gets going a little.[/b]

[quote name='Ozymandius Jones][color=darkorange']I'm not quite sure what you're complaining about. The OB is one of the best quality boards out there, and it's because of the mods... they're the reason these boards aren't the streams of random gibberish that every other anime message board out there seems to be. [/color][/quote] [b]That's pretty much what I was going to say. [/b] [b]The cool thing about the mods here at OB is that they don't act like the Gestapo about issues such as that-- they are willing to offer advice and allow you to get settled in here. "Strict"? Yeah, but "strict" is something I'm quite thankful for.[/b] [b]I hope you can appreciate their suggestions and don't see it as a source of frustration, because they [i]are[/i] trying to help-- not to irritate you.[/b] [b]As was said before, if you stick around, you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, and you'll be really grateful to the mods for keeping the OB tidy...[/b]

[b]I agree that there is more violence, and also that we are exposed to it more often than we were in the past.[/b] [b]In the area that I live, there is constant violence. Even 10 years ago, it was estimated that this area had more violent crimes committed each day (per capita) than New York City... and it has increased enormously since then.[/b] [b]I had two friends brutally murdered within 2 months of eachother at the end of last year... and two of my sister's friends were murdered within a two-week period just a couple of months before that--one of them was shot in the head as he lay with his baby son in his arms.[/b] [b]Every female I know in this community has been raped at least once, and people get beaten all the time. [/b] [b]A young man who was out celebrating his 21st birthday was beaten to death under my mentor's window about a month ago.[/b] [b]This community is pretty small, and there are about 5 murders a night in the area-- and the number of murder/suicides has been on a nauseating incline all over the nation. It is actually statistically catching up to the number of (straight) homocides and is expected to surpass it... a frightening trend.[/b] [b][b]It's not that these crimes didn't occur in the past, it's that the number of incidents is on a sharp rise.[/b] [/b]

[QUOTE=Dagger]In part I think this mindset is just a function of fully maturing/growing up. When I look back on my childhood, it seems as though everything was perfect then. Of course now I know that all sorts of horrible events were taking place all over the world at that time; there isn't much more tragedy or apathy now than there was then. But one tends to regard one's own loss of innocence as the entire world's loss of innocence, I think. *shrugs* ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] [b]I can say with utmost confidence that this is not the case with me, as I grew up without the luxery of innocence. It is not the disillusionment of a naive soul... merely an observation of my world. I never had the chance to fall for the illusion of innocence in the world... so it was never there to lose. [/b] [b]And I do see that things have become gradually worse-- not that I think there is more tragedy in the world now than there was before-- I'd never try to claim that-- but in the growing amount of apathy I see consuming the nation's people.[/b]

[b][b]This makes me laugh to post this, because these are the characters that a lot of you listed as being the worst possible anime characters to have as room-mates.[/b] [b]I'd say Tsume from Wolf's Rain or Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha during my down swings --which occur [i]most [/i]frequently--[/b] [/b][b]simply because I am most often the quiet, distanced, intellectual, lone wolf type (and yes, often that includes being cold-hearted and shadowy). [/b] [b]On my manic days I'd say Inuyasha, or Ryoko from Tenchi, because I can be short-tempered, loud-mouthed, and just plain rude sometimes, when I find my manic voice. But I also become very protective of my loved ones and I find a certain sense of duty to them (like Inuyasha) that I lack when I'm in my down state.[/b] [b]Otherwise, when I get [i]hypermanic[/i], I disintegrate into some sort of Ed-type- person... (yeah, the Cowboy Bebop one...) ...giggling, freakin' insane... though I don't typically speak in the third person like Ed does.[/b] [b]*heh*- I just realised that the majority of those characters I chose were at least half demon. Hmmm... and one of them is ...insane? Wait--what the hell [i]IS[/i] Ed? Is she brilliant or insane or both?[/b] [b]So I apparently identify with being at least partially demon and with being simultaneously intelligent and completely out of my freaking head...[/b] [b]So-- anyone need a room-mate?[/b] [b]*shrug* whatever... [/b]

[quote name='Dagger']While having an active imagination is a good thing, paying attention in class might not be a bad idea either. [/quote][b]Heh- a quoteworthy comment...[/b] [b]Anyhow, I think it's odd that anyone would want anime characters coming into our world and becoming real. It would ruin the magic of anime for me if they became real in any way.[/b] [b]What about daydreaming of going into the wonderful worlds of anime and imagination and meeting them there?[/b] [b]I would personally much rather enter the world of imagination than to subject my favorite characters to this one.[/b]

[quote name='Corey][size=1] I hope everyone that took to the drink is feeling ok. [/size'][size=2][/quote][/size] [size=2][b]Thanks- and the same well wishes to you...[/b][/size] [size=1][size=2][quote name='Corey][/size']I abstained.[/size][/quote][b]Uh huh... sure ya did...:smirk: ... and my name's Wallace.[/b] [b]@ MistressRoxie--[/b] [b]Hey, no prob-- I'm glad your mom wasn't lying, as well...:animesmil [/b]

[quote name='Morpheus']I'd say that minorities are a lot more accepted. If you don't agree, I invite you to read(or watch) To Kill A Mockingbird. Please get back to me on that.[/quote][b]I never said that progress hadn't been made as far as minorities being accepted. I was stating that they still struggle with being denied the freedoms that should have been theirs to begin with. If you don't agree, I invite you to come spend a week in my neighborhoods, and meet some of my neighbors. Hell, come hang out with me for a bit and listen to my stories.[/b] [b]Or stop in to your local battered women's shelter or sexual assault crisis centre and listen to those women's stories. Then get back to me on how much progress has actually been made.[/b] [quote name='Morpheus']When did we start to accept things we don't like? I've seen demonstrations about abortion and gay marriage lately in the hundreds of thousands.[/quote][b]Yeah, okay... but in comparison with the population of our nations, how many people actually care enough to make their voices heard and [i]take action to change[/i] the things that are wrong in our society?[/b] [b]And your next paragraph blatantly illustrates my point. It states that we have [u]indeed[/u] begun to "accept the things we don't like" :[/b] [quote name='Morpheus']I think that people are more laid back to violence because that is the way it is. There's no point in getting all hyped up about it anymore, because it won't do you any good.[/quote] [b]This is a [i]prime[/i] example of the apathy I was talking about... and the acceptance of things that we know are wrong... an acceptance that you deny is even real. [/b] [b]"There's no point... it won't do you any good... because that's just the way it is"-- [/b][b]What if people like MLK Jr. had adopted this attitude instead of making a stand?[/b] [b]What if I, as a woman, were unwilling to take a stand against the brutalities committed against females all over the world? What if everyone accepted atrocities because "there's no point" in fighting for what you feel is right?[/b] [quote name='Morpheus']So we should go back to having to fight for everything?[/quote] [b]Go back to [u][i]having[/i][/u] to fight for everything? So far, we're damned lucky that we still have the [i]right[/i] to fight for what we believe in. [/b] [b]Believe me, I would rather "have to fight for" everything that is important to me than to turn away from a worthwhile struggle out of apathy--[u][i]anyday[/i][/u]. The problem lies with people no longer caring enough to listen or to take action to bring positive changes. In other words--the problem [i]does[/i] lie in apathy.[/b] [quote name='Morpheus']Sure, our lives have gotten easier, but is that a bad thing?? Is always having food right down the road in case we run out bad?[/quote] [b]Yes, I [u]do[/u] think that it's a bad thing that our lives have become full of convenience and ease. And I also think it's a bad idea to rely on the fact that food is readily available right down the street.[/b] [b]You know why? Because as the generations pass, we become less and less self-sufficient, and we become weaker as a species- especially in countries like America.[/b] [b]Yeah-- I think convenience makes us weak ...and it gradually waters down our willpower. I mean, why learn how to survive when everything you need is provided to you by the corporations of America, eh? [/b] [b]But that is an issue that belongs in another thread, so I won't get into it any more than I already have--not on this one, at any rate.[/b]