Allamorph

[QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think that's what Sandy is saying. He's saying that for a discussion or debate to progress, there usually needs to be differing points of view. I think that's totally reasonable.[/font][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]:animesigh Yes. It is. The concepts [I]usually needs to be[/I] and [I]does not need to be[/I] are not mutually exclusive. If one was asked "does there need to be differing opinions for a discussion to occur", the answer is No. If one was asked "how often are there differing opinions in a discussion", the answer is Most Of The Time. I have no beef with someone injecting a stance in opposition to the norm. To hold such a contention would be completely illogical. My problem is with those who do so merely for the sake of causing a "discussion". In the vast majority of those cases, the person who takes the opposing stance does not hold with it, and is only arguing for the sake of arguing; i.e., Devil's Advocate. In others, the person who takes the opposing stance does actually believe what they say, but only under certain conditions; i.e., the debate equivalent of a fair-weather friend. I view neither of these motivations with high regard, and the former tends to attract a large degree of animosity from me. Since I know [COLOR="DarkRed"]Sandy[/COLOR]'s intent, I have made a point not to become anywhere near volatile. And if we actually go back to the opening post, the presented object of discussion was not whether you are for or against the military, but what your views were (much more broad), and whether you had or you would ever consider serving. The answers up until a certain point were "yes, I would" or "no, I wouldn't", with reasons for the latter running from [I]Not my choice of career[/I] to [I]I don't like the strictness and massive relocating potential[/I] to [I]I have asthma[/I]. And I [I]certainly[/I] wouldn't have minded Sandy's contribution if it he hadn't openly declared that the only reason he shared it was to "provide discussion"?which draws me back again to Discussion vs. Debate. Discussion can just be people sitting around talking. And that's what people were doing. Debate is when sides are taken deliberately and explicitly for the purpose of exploring opposing or differing viewpoints; the potential for heated arguments runs extremely high, and so trying to start a debate for little or no reason seem to me the equivalent of looking for a fight. So yeah, it ain't the stance I'm nit-picking at. It's the intent. (And I [I]still[/I] love the irony of a pacifist looking for an argument. :p)[/FONT]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082'](i.e. the English pronunciation rather than the Japanese as I had thought it would be[/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Since Path of Radiance was released Stateside, it makes completely logical sense that Ike would be dubbed in English. :p Marth had to stay Japanese, or his charm would be ruined. But Ike was known to speak English, and so I expected he was going to.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'm really enjoying the new crowd cheer sections. I especially like how there's one person howling in Wolf's cheer, but Ike's absolutely floored me: [IMG]http://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/south_dakota_politics/images/2007/10/31/ike.jpg[/IMG] I couldn't believe my ears. :D[/FONT]

[CENTER][IMG]http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/funny-pictures-anime-conversion-cat.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT=Arial]I laughed greatly.[/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy']I dare say I'm not the only one in this thread - let alone on this forum - who has used exaggeration as a means to get the discussion a kick. As long as people don't go personal insults, I'd say there's nothing wrong with a little provocation. ;D[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Debate for the purpose of debate seems to me, again, a rather large waste of time. Plus, I don't take well to Devil's Advocates. But that's a personal problem, and I'm working on that. By which I mean, I'm trying not to torture them for quite so long. I mean, it's just cruel, when you come down to it. [QUOTE][I]And to Allamorph: yes, that smiley was one. ;P[/I][/QUOTE] [I]You were still winking!![/I] :p [B]Edit:[/B] Hah! First![/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy']Well, why don't we all just shut up, then, with our poor discussion skills. That'll turn this board into a fun place. ;D[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Naw, ain't that. Just, discussion can also be people discussing how they agree about things. [I]Debate[/I] requires opposing viewpoints. And I just don't feel like a debate on this subject is worthwhile. [quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium']Edit: And I, for one, do view this as a legitimate discussion.[/font][/quote] Far as I can tell, it always has been. (^_^) [B]Edit:[/B] [COLOR=Indigo]Indi[/COLOR]!! For cryin' out loud! :p [[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Then get the hell out of my mind already![/SIZE][/COLOR]] I mean, jays.[/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy']At least I got some real discussion going on after all those posts that basically repeated the same arguments over and over again. ;D[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Meh; you see real discussion, I see pointless bickering over minor differences and unnecessarily constructed hypothetical situations?again, on both sides. To-may-to, to-mah-to. Oh, and you wink far too much, buddy-boy. You should try a good Cheshire grin once in a while. Feels great.[/more ribbing] [B]Edit:[/B] I swear, [COLOR=Indigo]Indi[/COLOR], we must be telepathically linked. [COLOR="Indigo"][[SIZE="1"]indeed[/SIZE][/COLOR]] Probably explains the sigs.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]One small thing. [B]Aaryanna:[/B] Not sure I like the repetition of "dust" in the second line. "Dusted with dust" just sounds ... well, what else would it be dusted with? :p [COLOR="DarkRed"]Aber[/COLOR], I think you just tried too dang hard, man. (^_^) I laud the effort, but it just seems like you were going miles out of your way to cram as much philosophy and spirituality into your poem as you possibly could, and it was just too much. I tell you what, though: if you put that much effort into your fiction, you'll improve tremendously. (^_^) I vote [B]Aaryanna.[/B][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Coupl'a minor things before I say anything important. [B]A_M:[/B] [I]"...sing [COLOR="Red"]its[/COLOR] song/"[/I]       (also, [I]"Oh, the adventure...."[/I] or even [I]"Oh! the adventure...."[/I] for style,         and to make the pacing more obvious to the reader.) [B]Darren:[/B] [I]"Or [COLOR="Red"]rappel[/COLOR] down...."[/I] [I]*shrug*[/I] Little stuff. I like how both of you had slightly different takes on the same aspect of vacationing: one with the desire to go; and the other urging at first, and then doing so yourself. I also like the listing of the variety. What decided me was simplicity. The beauty of poetry, to me, is it ability to tell a story, or convey an emotion or a concept, without the same intense level of description as prose. That's part of the reason I rarely engage it writing it; I find it difficult to be as precise as I need to, sometimes, and prose allows me more room, more time. A difficult call to make, objectively, but I'll shut up and cast my vote for [B]Darren[/B]. [B]Edit:[/B] [COLOR=DarkRed]A_M[/COLOR]? Rhyming "something grand" with "Dixieland" made me smile a lot. Nicely done.[/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy']I'm sorry, Crystia, but who said I was referring to the US when I talked about a "country in war"?[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Well, considering the massive amount of lunacy embroiling the country over our presence in Iraq?on both sides?I'd say her assumption was understandable. Don't get huffy. (^_^) [QUOTE][I]but I'm really not trying to make this about the differences of nations, just about the differences of individual people living in different places and situations.[/I][/QUOTE] Unfortunately, the individual aspect is rather irrelevant?at least, in the more argumentative sense you seem to be trying to drum up. (^_^) With such a broad range of individual opinions on the subject, becoming vehement on the topic seems to be rather a waste of time, wouldn't you say? Also, why do you make such a fuss over your beliefs, when you admit that they might change with changing circumstances? If they are so (potentially) transient, why bother defending them? Why not just point them out and have done? Ironically, this thread was far more peaceful until a "pacifist" showed up.[/good-humored ribbing][/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy]Ideals [I]are[/I'] naïve, otherwise they wouldn't be ideals.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Ehh, not all the time. Ideals are not dependent upon one's experience or lack thereof, they are abstract concepts one chooses to hold onto and/or strive for. What's amusing to [I]me[/I] in this thread is the rather extreme stances taken on military establishments. So far I see two views: fight, or don't fight. I take more of a progressive line of thought. I am also a peaceful-natured person; I hate conflict and avoid it at all cost. But I also have lines I will not allow to be crossed. They are difficult to cross, so I have lots of room to simply laugh and pass stuff by; but when I am pressed, I will not yield. There is a large difference between violence for pleasure or retaliation, and violence when necessary. Not too many can see it, though.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Minus twenty points for showing off. >_> This week was slain by three concerts; two my own, and one required (not that I minded, even if it was two hours). And one or two again tomorrow. Yishe.[/FONT]

[FONT="Arial"] A warm September night; the city sleeps In silence, save the solitary souls Who stand, from dusk ?til dawn, their thankless roles: We rest, and they the city running keep. [INDENT]A hound begins to bay; above, the Moon Is overswept by rolling clouds of grey That come with rain to cool the heat of day And cleanse the sidewalks with its hushing tune.[/INDENT] Swift the rain across the city sweeps, And hastens on. Again the night air stills, Broke only by the moistened rush of wheels. A warm September night; the city sleeps. [/FONT]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine][COLOR=#503F86']Is his sword slightly shorter as well, do you think?[/COLOR][/quote] [quote name='Me][FONT="Arial"']Oh, and before I forget, Marth's sword is shorter. I thought it was just my skills and the game's newness that caused me to suffer while playing him, but it is definitely shorter, and it frills with one's head. I retract my earlier opinion that it doesn't make a difference; it does. It feels like you're striking with his wrist, almost, instead of his rapier.[/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]After experimentation, it's not shorter by a whole lot. Just enough to matter.[/FONT]

[quote name='Panache']I took your recommendation and his kind of Jazz seems a lot more old school than Miles Davis. It sounds very swing like to me. I like it but it doesn't quite have the pizazz of Miles.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Hmm. Try John Coltrane, then. He did a lot of work with Miles, I think. [I]Blue Trane[/I] comes to mind as a starter album. Right now I'm hitting [I]Fantasy[/I] from The Inventions Trio, with Marvin Stamm and Bill Mays, and cellist Alisa Horn. Just bought the album today, actually, since Stamm and Mays were on campus. (^_^)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]As it stands right now, anime will remain completely scrapped from the weeknights. Sunday also is anime-less ? though that's not news to anyone. (Aside from Robot Chicken, and maybe the Venture Brothers, is there [I]anything[/I] [as] has programmed that people actually watch? :animesigh) Saturday's block has been "extended to two hours", depending on whether or not you decided to classify Crayon Shin-Chan as anime. (I really don't care either way; the style reminds me of Lupin III, but of the two I'd prefer Lupin.) Oh, and if anyone decides to be awake at 5:00 am at all, [I][B]ever[/B][/I], InuYasha is guaranteed to be playing for that hour, no matter the day. As for the only important day, here goes: [U][B]Apr. 12, 19[/B][/U] 12:00 am ? Crayon Shin Chan 12:30 am ? Bleach 1:00 am ? Death Note 1:30 am ? Cowboy Bebop (Eps. 25, 26) [U][B]Apr. 26[/B] (to whenever they change it)[/U] 12:00 am ? Crayon Shin Chan 12:30 am ? Bleach 1:00 am ? Death Note 1:30 am ? [COLOR="Red"]Code Geass[/COLOR] As always, all times Eastern.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]As long as a choice remains, I see no doom. I see mild humor, actually, and a nice option for the ... happier-natured among us. [quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']Also: I split this off into a new thread to keep it from taking over the April Fools one.[/color][/quote] In that case, the remainder of my post was irrelevant, since I was speaking to the other topic. So, deleted. :p[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Indigo for the win.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Links are always nice, too. No, really. (^_^)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Quick query, so I know how long I have. Is the deadline at the beginning or the end of the 11th?[/FONT]

As far as the myths I'm familiar with run, no werebeasts are immortal. I can't say the same about faeries; I know dragons' lifespans are so great that they might as well be, but since they were hunted extensively during the Medieval/Feudal period, their desire to preserve their species is completely understandable. If anything, werebeasts would normally have lifespans close to that of normal humans...if perhaps a decade or two longer. That of course means that becoming a familiar does grant the creature immortality, because Nathan and Isen have been together for at least three-thousand years. That reminds me: we should probably figure out how shinigami obtain their funds. You and I know what Lucia does, but it stands to reason that certain others of her kind would be more occupationally reclusive, if you guys know what I mean. So are shinigami required to find jobs in the living world; do they receive a stipend; do they or someone (involving the Council, probably) generate currency "artificially".....? Oh, most definitely. *wink wink*

[FONT=Arial]To clarify, [COLOR="indigo"]Indi[/COLOR] and I have spent a good deal of time developing the werecats, and we reason that being able to call out a weapon for their human form falls in line with the species' traits. Like the dragons, their feline form is their vulnerable form, and when human they do not have the advantages a rough hide, or even their claws or teeth, and I do not believe they take to magic, so in order to be of any use (which was kind of a prerequisite for Nathan and Isen) the werecats had to have something with which to defend themselves. You other two should be on more at night; [COLOR="indigo"]Indi[/COLOR] and I have been doing massive brainstorming without you. =P Impending finals aside, of course. This time of year gets nastie.[/FONT]

[quote name='Boo][size=1']We can't really exclude of course that maybe, just maybe, people are just really busy right now so they can't claim,....[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Well, yeah; this is about when finals start making themselves known, and any senior is probably mired in college paperwork and SAT/ACT crud. SO then. Maybe the summer will free people up. Or maybe they'll go on trips. >_> [SIZE="1"](I'm a-thinkin'....)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT="Arial"]Somebody gave this to us over at the Watercooler, and.....well, yeah. [B]Warning: Language[/B][/FONT] [CENTER][YOUTUBE="MC Pee Pants on Kindom Hearts"]3b8G8delDlk[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER]

[FONT=Arial]I know a place where I can get FFs VII and VIII; I'll be grabbing them as soon as I can. Until then, I'll finish off Legend of Dragoon and The Third Age. And maybe FFX. [I]*shot*[/I][/FONT]