Rachmaninoff

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="77656"]Hmm, I'm surprised you'd play Diablo II Rach. You just don't seem like the kind of person who would play it. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]Well it's probably one of the only games like that in my collection, and even that is because my brother gave it to me several years ago. But normally, that kind of thing isn't what I enjoy. Also, I realized that if you include the time spent on different [B]Final Fantasy[/B] games, all together they would come to 100 hours. Even if I never beat any of them since most of them just get tiring after a while. But I've played quite a few from that series. Not that I intend to ever finish any of them, especially Final Fantasy X and X-2.

Time to add [B]Diablo II Lord of Destruction[/B] to the list of games I've played for 100 hours. I've spent part of my time off playing between three characters I have for the game and now that I've gotten further along and beaten some of the different levels of difficulty. I'm pretty sure that I finally hit that 100 mark. It took me several years of playing it off and on to do it though. XP

Others have already hit on it, but anime hasn't become more childish at all. If anything, from what little I've seen, other than heavily modified shows put on channels directed towards kids, the rest is being aired in time slots for teens and adults and stuff like Naruto is being released in an uncut format as well. As others have already said, you just have to look for it. There's always going to be shows done for kids and if anything, watching that edited version is likely to have them growing up wanting more and thus keeping the demand for more anime in America or whatever country you live in high. So even those watered down versions are a good thing since they promote that type of show. And as Beth said, let the kids be kids instead of getting angry over them enjoying a milder version of an anime show. It doesn't affect you at all really.

[quote name='Neuvoxraiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Hmmm, Rach you DO realize you just listed two children's movies.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]You do realize that most if not all movies that I see are not rated R or violent? lol I prefer it that way actually, something like this movie will be an exception since I don't usually care for this type of storyline. :p

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]You're kidding, right? This thing's been all [I]over[/I] TV Guide, among other places.[/FONT][/QUOTE]:rolleyes: I do not follow TV Guide and it hasn't been previewed in the movies I've been to recently like Golden Compass and the second National Treasure. lol That and I don't really watch TV anyway unless it's something I really wish to watch. So seriously dude, I knew nothing about it and could have cared less. However, now that it's at the theater close to where I live, I'll probably go and see it.

[quote name='Korey'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"] I got to hang out with my GF all Christmas long and that was one of my favorite gifts. [/FONT][/QUOTE]Same here, at least once the time with the family in the morning and early afternoon was over with. And simply taking it easy and checking out some of the new DVD's we both got made for a nice evening. Anyway, overall my list didn't have that much to it, but then I was saving up to purchase a new Cello last year and I was given just under a $1,000 from my parents back when I got it as an early birthday/Christmas present. After that I got some classical cd's that I wanted along with the season two box set of Dr. Who. And some gift certificates that I'll probably pick something up with later this week. As soon as I decide what I actually want to get with them.

[quote name='2008DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]lol, kinda late don't you think? [/COLOR][/QUOTE]How do you figure that? New Year's Eve won't happen till next Monday. Anyway... Unless my plans change, I'll be spending it with my girlfriend and friends. We haven't really made any set plans just yet, but we will be doing something together, whether it's to have a party, watch movies, play games, etc. We just know that we will do something together next Monday to celebrate the New Year. :catgirl:

[quote name='Korey;800857][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]Ugh must I repeat myself?[/FONT][/QUOTE]Only if you enjoy the fun of banging your head against the wall when you realize that what you have said was not understood or listened to. [quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="77656"']I don't pay attention to your posts, dude. Some members, including you, I ignore becuase we don't get along.[/COLOR][/quote]Then that brings up the question of, what in the world are you doing responding to a thread, started by a member you claim to ignore? That's a bit of a contradiction there to respond to something you claim you don't pay attention to. ;) Also, I think you're not understanding what Korey meant by individualism, it's not saying you aren't an individual per se, but seriously, that's been explained enough already so I see no reason to explain it yet again.

[quote name='Chikara Kokoro']Essays (plus Christmas duties with family) are beating me to a pulp. Don't know when I can post again, by the latest it will be January 1st. So I was wondering if someone could take care of Nellie in terms of plot until I have enough time to write? I would really appreciate it.[/QUOTE]Let me know if that doesn't work for you, having Nellie run into Alexander and Alecia upon her return to the Almagest Estate. However, Nellie was the perfect person to have heard about what Beth will be including in her post once we've moved to the next day when all of Czenoble, as Shy put it, is on high alert.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/helen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alexander and Alecia hadn't gotten far from the gates to Rosengard when a steamcar pulled up and stopped next to where they were walking instead of heading into the Estate. A moment later a door opened to admit Nellie before the car pulled away and headed back into the city. "[B]Good evening,[/B]" Nellie nodded once she was facing the couple. "[B]Not staying for dinner are you? I assume that both of you already know about what happened?[/B]" "[B]Yes, we were notified earlier today.[/B]" Alecia explained. "[B]How did the meeting with the princess and the families go?[/B]" Nellie shrugged, "[B]It didn't. The car we were assigned to broke down and once news of what happened reached High Czenoble, she was taken back to the palace for her own safety.[/B]" "[B]From High Czenoble? But I thought the explosions happened in New Czenoble.[/B]" Alecia hadn't heard of anything happening in High Czenoble. "[B]They did, but there are other...[/B]" Nellie paused. "[B]I'm sorry, I thought you already knew. If you don't, I have no business saying anything further.[/B]" She turned to head into the Estate. "[B]Wait![/B]" Alexander called, causing Nellie to pause and turn. "[B]What are you talking about? What else has happened?[/B]" "[B]You'll find out soon enough. Again, I'm sorry, I really thought you knew and since you do not, I can't say anything.[/B]" She looked down and then back up again at the two of them. "[B]Please don't press me on it, you of all people Alexander know that there are things one can't disclose.[/B]" And with that she turned and left. Alecia took a step in the direction of the Estate but stopped when Alexander put his hand on her shoulder. Puzzled she turned to look at him. "[B]There's no point in following her. If it's related to work, she can't say anything. Besides, since she thought we knew about it, I would imagine that we'll find out soon enough just like she said.[/B]" "[B]But...[/B]" Alexander just steered her back towards heading to their home. "[B]No buts love, you need your rest. If there's anything new to be known in regards to Leonhart, someone will let us know.[/B]" Alecia quit resisting and followed Alexander's lead. More than anything she wanted to stick around Rosengard and wait for better news but deep down, she realized that it was best if she did not. She couldn't hang around forever, work and obligations did not stand still and wait for a better moment and those at the Eshe Rehema medical center who depended on her as well as others for their care could not be ignored. Especially since they were already short handed as it was, what with some of the staff being on leave and all. It didn't take them long to get home but if Alexander had been hoping Alecia could settle down and get some rest, it was clear once they arrived that such rest would not be possible when their housekeeper handed them the messages that had been delivered to their home earlier that day, including one from the Eshe Rehema medical center addressed to Alecia. For the briefest of moments he worried that Alecia was going to be in trouble after all, but instead it was nothing more than a cryptic note requesting that she come in well over an hour earlier than usual tomorrow. "[B]I don't like it.[/B]" Alexander finally said. "[B]Why would they want you to come in early?[/B]" Alecia took off her cloak and set it down on the small bench just inside the main door of their home. Ignoring the kitchen and heading to their bedroom instead of answering immediately, waiting until they were alone to speak. "[B]There are lots of reasons why they could be asking me to come in sooner, including the possibility that they really will dismiss me for my actions earlier today.[/B]" She looked directly at Alexander. "[B]The only way to find out will be to go in.[/B]" "[B]In that case, I'll go with you.[/B]" "[B]There's no need for you to lose sleep as well.[/B]" Alecia started to protest a bit, even though she would prefer that he did come along. Alexander answered by pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her until she was looking directly up at him from but a few inches away. "[B]There's no way I'd let you go alone, especially if they actually did dismiss you. I'd never let you face that on your own.[/B]" He leaned forward to kiss her before finally letting go, "[B]Now I know you're not hungry, but you need to try and at least eat something.[/B]" He took her hand and moved to pull her in the direction of the kitchen. "[B]I know, I'll try.[/B]" Alecia said as she followed him out of their bedroom.

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I wish I could remember the name since it showcased people's reluctance to speak out for fear of reprisal or isolation from the majority, even though others agreed in a very powerful way.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Unless I'm mistaken, you're thinking of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(book)"][U]The Wave[/U][/URL] It does make an interesting case of just how easy it can be to get caught up in following along with the majority instead of speaking out. Plus it was kind of creepy as well. No one likes to think that they could be so easily influenced.

[quote name='The Boss'][color=darkred][size=1][B]You simply misunderstood the message I was trying to convey. Or maybe I just worded it poorly.[/B][/color][/size][/QUOTE]Probably a little of both. ;) Oh and DEM, I take fake to mean not being true to your tastes and doing things to fit in. For me that would be listening to music I do not enjoy. Probably just another word for poser, someone pretending to be something they are not, regardless of what the deal is.

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="77656"]So than from what I gather, all of our opinions didn't matter and that Korey technically answered everyone's question before they asnwered it. Now I'm confused. This is like the genre battles in a way. EDIT: This question might not have a definite or indefinite answer.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]It's not that no one's opinions matter, it's that saying something like this:[quote name='The Boss'][color=darkred][size=1]People who ONLY listen to Metal or Emo are not individuals. They are more 'mainstream' or atleast, conformists, than people who listen to Akon and Ashlee Simpson. [/color][/size][/QUOTE]Doesn't equate to someone not being an individual other than in perhaps The Boss's eyes. It's not the label, or the group or what is even considered mainstream that's the issue. People get so lost in worrying over whether or not the group they like is considered mainstream that they often forget that it's just possible that the person likes the group because it appeals to them. Hell you could take that statement to mean I follow the crowd since 99% of the time I only listen to what's considered classical music. And that would be just as inaccurate as the statement I just quoted. I'm in agreement with Korey and Crystia really. Instead of trying to analyze someone based on whether or not what they like is considered mainstream or individual, which on some level is based on your perception, I'm going to go by whether or not the person themselves is being fake. Since that applies to pretending to like something just to fit in with the crowd. Individuality to me means being true to what you like and not pretending to like or dislike something just to fit in. And that applies to everything hence the bothering to label or even mention types of music/clothing, etc is really meaningless since other than to perhaps use one as an example for a specific case, in general, it's pretty inaccurate. [B]EDIT:[/B] I think the balancing act Korey might be referring to Retri is the acceptance of things that are pretty mainstream and yet individually you don't really agree with. You don't outright rebel, but you don't agree either. Hence the balancing act.

[quote name='Avenged666fold']I am trying to end an argument. What is argumentative about that?[/QUOTE]You're missing the point, you didn't have to say anything at all, other than what you did with the first paragraph of that post. The rest was just snipping and a sarcastic response over your perceived view of the other person's intent, which since you are not a mind reader, is pointless. And with that, lets get back on topic please. Further concerns can be addressed via pm.

[quote name='Avenged666fold'] In the end this is really a pointless argument you and me are having. Your not gonna stop me from giving money to the homeless directly when I feel like it. The only thing you can do really is make me look ignorant or making me look like an uncaring bastard. So I will go ahead and admit to being both. Oh look you win the fight! Can I go home now?[/QUOTE]The only thing pointless to the argument or rather differing opinions between the two of you was this bit you tacked on here. It wasn't necessary since now you're just being argumentative for no reason at all other than to argue. You stated what you thought and Neuvoxraiha pointed out that she wasn't just tossing stuff out there without some form of knowledge on the subject. So lets leave the snipping out of this.

Personally I think, and I'm sure this is pretty obvious already, but there are degrees of love and hate. Love I think is obvious and hardly needs explaining but the hate? I can't recall more than a few times in my life where I have said I hate something and I actually meant it. For the most part I think it's too strong of a word to just toss out there. The same with love as well. I think telling someone you love them shouldn't happen unless you really deeply and truly love them, instead of saying you do when it's infatuation, which isn't the same thing at all in my opinion.

[quote name='Korey'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]Hopefully I don't get beaten to the punch here, but there was already a thread for this. I know that repeat threads are ok, but I thought I'd bring it up... [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=57622&highlight=screen+names"]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=57622&highlight=screen+names[/URL][/FONT][/QUOTE]True, there's certainly nothing wrong with them, repeat threads that is. But when it hasn't been to long since the last one, it just tends to mean that people are less likely to respond, or they'll do like I'm about to do here, simply quote what they put the last time:[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Well besides the fact that my real name Darren is usually taken, [[SIZE="1"]and the fact that I rarely sign up for anything anyway[/SIZE]] I thought it would be nice to have something that reflected a bit of what I like and what is the driving force in my life. So since I play the cello and I?m into classical music, I used the last name of one of my all time favorite composers. Simple and to the point. I have no plans to change it since I doubt my love for classical music is going to change anytime soon. Though I do have to admit that when other members change theirs it does take a bit of getting use to. Because after a while, you tend to think of them as that name, much in the same way you would in real life. Like Takuya who recently changed his to GuyYouMetOnline. I'm still getting use to that after being in the same rp for seven months no less. It just seems weird! Though I'm sure so many months down the road I'll be thinking of them as that name instead of their old one.[/QUOTE]That still holds true after all. The reason for my username hasn't changed since like I said before, I have no intention of changing it to a different one. And my interest in classical music has not changed one bit. I doubt that will ever happen. lol

[quote name='Zero Sephiroth']Also, by finish, do you mean just finish the story, or finish as in get 100% completion? If you mean the second one, then I've not finished any of my games at all. It just sort of bores me trying to get 100% unless they are amazingly fun.[/QUOTE][quote name='AzureWolf']@Rach: what do you consider finish? Beating the game through once, or collecting everything there is in a game?[/QUOTE]Sorry for not being clear, by finish I mean getting through the main storyline, not getting absolutely everything or doing everything you can. Like the game [B]Star Ocean: Till The End of Time[/B]. I consider that one finished since I beat the main storyline of the game. I've only beaten two of the three bonus dungeons that beating the game unlocks and I'm nowhere close to earning all of the items or battle trophies or unlocking the harder levels to this game. Those I'm still working on from time to time just for fun since I like the game. XP It's the same with other stuff like [B]Twilight Princess[/B], I just about never find every item or unlock every secret area. But I consider it finished since I beat the main storyline. Oh and JimitheGreat11 reminded me that I too have never finished a racing game ever. They're just not fun enough nor do they hold my attention long enough for me to actually get good enough to unlock all of the levels. In fact, the few I had I traded in a few months ago for something else since all they did was sit on my shelf and never get played.

I got to thinking about this since I?m currently in the middle of a three week break between semesters. I was looking through my games to decide just what looked like it would be fun to play. It was then that I realized that I have more games that I haven?t finished than ones that I have. Some of them I have no intention of finishing, but some of the others are games that I really enjoyed so I don?t know why I got lazy and didn?t finish them. Anyway to give you an idea? Ones I haven?t finished and why? Starting with? [B]Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean[/B]? the main character Kalas just annoyed the hell out of me. I found him annoying and irritating. Plus the voice acting sounded terrible due to what seemed to be a very poor recording as it sounded all metallic. [B]Baten Kaitos Origins[/B]? Ironically, I actually liked this one better than the first one so I?m not sure why I haven?t finished it. Though it?s been long enough that I don?t even remember what I was suppose to be doing. XP [B]Chrono Trigger[/B]? I don?t know why I haven?t finished this since even with the horrible load times, it?s a fun game and I like the characters. There?s just no reason why I can?t finish this one. [B]Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King[/B]? Now this one is just a shame really. The character artwork, game style, voice acting, world and story is just gorgeous and really put together well. Even if I don?t remember what I was doing, this is one of my favorite games so it seems rather silly that I?ve never finished it. XP [B]Final Fantasy[/B]? Just about every game in the series really. Even though many of them were fun, usually about halfway through I just get tired of playing it. I haven?t finished a single one even though I like playing them and I?ve gotten pretty close to the ending for some of them. [B].hack[/B]? Once it became apparent that you?d need to buy four sections? I lost interest and never went back to it. The dungeon crawler aspect to the game was tedious, time-consuming and frankly, quite boring after a while, even though some of the characters were fun. [B]Kingdom Hearts[/B]? I am just not a fan really. It was fun, but not enough to sink the time needed to actually finish the first game let alone the others made. There are others, but since I?m currently playing them they don?t count since I haven?t lost interest in them yet. Now I?m sure I?m not the only one to not finish a game. So what games have all of you never finished and why?

As far as reading goes... nothing. Or rather nothing that is anime based. I am currently reading a very dry almost boring book called An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. I say boring since I've never been a big fan of history but this is showing just how twisted and inaccurate 'accepted' Mormon history really is so that aspect of it is keeping me interested. In small doses of course. XP Now as for what I am watching, I went back to Le Chevalier D'Eon since I kind of forgot about it for a while, long enough that I'm starting over since I don't remember most of what happened since the first episode. I'm almost up to where I left off before and I'm eagerly looking forward to watching the rest. Though I'll have to pick up the last two DVD's in order to do that since I only have the first four.

[quote name='Neuvoxraiha;800500][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"] But you see here, I don't help homeless people. I just don't. I don't give the money. Ever. If anything, I give them coupons for fast food or a bottle of water or a snack bar. But I'm from Southern California, where a favorite ploy of homeless people is to claim that they are Veterans. It's usually a lie. If I'm going to give money anywhere, I give it to foundations for terminally ill children, or to diabetes research facilities. I will buy books for book drives for improving children's literacy, but that's where my altruism ends.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]We have the same problem with people doing that here in Utah as well, pretending to be homeless, jobless or veterans just to get a hand out. It's pretty pathetic and sick since some of them were investigated and it was found out that with the money they got from being at different locations throughout the city... It was enough for them to live in luxury during the winter in the southern part of the state. I never give to people like that anyway, but still, it's pretty sad that they do it. So like you, any giving that I do is to a foundation that I know is going to actually benefit someone instead of lining the pocket of someone who doesn't need it.[quote name='Vicky'][SIZE=1']It's not the situation for me - it's the mood I'm in. [/size][/quote]XP I'll admit that if I'm having a really rotten day I'm less likely to feel charitably towards anyone. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of days like that.

I?m sure you?ve run into a situation where you can either ignore what?s happening or attempt to do something about it. And by do something I mean actually help someone who clearly needs help. Take yesterday for example, I was out with friends and on our way back there was a car to the side of the road on the freeway with a young soon to be mother attempting to change a flat tire. It was obvious that she was struggling since I would imagine being pregnant, especially once a woman is further along, makes it hard to do certain activities. And by the look of her, she wasn?t that far off from having the kid. A fact that turned out to be true once we stopped and helped her since she?s only a few weeks away from her due date. Now I?ve never changed a tire, but my friend and incidentally, owner of the car we were in did know how and he had that tire changed for her within a few minutes. Something she was very glad of since just trying to get the spare out of the trunk was giving her a lot of trouble. Now even though I?ve never done it, I certainly would attempt to help out since watching my friend do it showed that it wasn?t too difficult to actually do. Anyway, what would you do? Would you help someone out? Or would it depend on the situation? I mean what if my friend was late for work? Stopping would have made him even later, though I would imagine that he would have still stopped, that?s just what he?s like. lol Anyway, have you run into something like this? And if so, what did you do? Or if you haven?t what would you do? And to help out, here?s some possible scenarios. Someone stuck with a flat tire. A lost crying kid in a store. Someone who is drunk and trying to get into their car and drive home. Or any other situation you can think of.

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Right now I'm listening to Bach's Fugue No. 20 in A Minor. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac2tWYjMdhI"][U]Click![/U][/URL] Though I'm not listening to it at the link I provided, I'm listening to it because my mom is playing it. :catgirl: I love it when she plays stuff on the piano. I really should be more serious about letting her teach me to play. lol [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Interesting that you should mention that piece by Bach since at this moment I'm running my collection of The Well-tempered Clavier Bk I by Bach, though I'm not up to that piece yet. It's a nice disk to simply put in and listen to since for such short pieces they have a nice variety and yet still maintain a certain amount of unity. There's a lot to these works by Bach, but I'll save that for an actual thread instead of making this post insanely long. XP

[quote name='Tombstone;800454][COLOR="Navy"]Playing this game has put me in the mood to play Dragon Quest VIII. (Mainly because I like Akira's artwork and character designs) I've never played the game, although, I did have it at one point, but I got tired of RPG's and ended up trading it in. I'll get it back along with my ps2. My God brother is suppose to be giving me one of his ps2's. Lucky me =).[/COLOR][/QUOTE]Definitely play Dragon Quest VIII, I have yet to finish it since I'm playing something else at the moment, but it's fantastic. It will be easier to simply show you this instead of typing up all the reasons why you should play this game:[QUOTE=Semjaza'][list] [*]The game is absolutely gorgeous and captures Akira Toriyama's character designs well for the first time [*]A lot of people hated the first person battles of the previous titles. In this game, choices are made in first person, but the battle itself is fully animated in third person. Looks great. [*]TDungeons are large, but not needlessly mazelike. Their design makes more realworld sense than what is present in titles such as Shin Megami Tensei. [*]The battle system is very traditional, but fast paced. The addition of a new Skill system and the Psyche Up command add to the battles, as does the fact that enemy HP is slightly randomized. [*]The game has a full night/day cycle. It progresses at a slower rate than the past games, but you can stay at an Inn until evening if you wish. Some scenes, dialogue and so forth only occur at night. [*]In the US version, the music is fully orchestrated. [*]In the US version, major cutscenes have full voice overs. The Japanese version had none. The voices are great overall and suitably cartoony. [*]The menu system has been spruced up graphically and modernized for US release. [*]The game has an insane sense of scale and the world map and towns reflect this. In this sense, it's more reminiscent of Zelda than most other RPGs out there. [*]The main storyline is pretty basic fare, but the pacing is very good. The characters, in turn, are just fun and likable. They develop well over time. [/list] [/QUOTE]It's everything that says and more, which only serves to remind me that I really need to go back and actually finish this game.[quote name='Tombstone'][COLOR="Navy"]My only gripe with this game so far has to be the loading, and it's only a minor issue. Sometimes, it makes me think my game froze. (or is scratched)[/COLOR][/QUOTE]As far as I know the load time is normal, it does the same for me and for everyone I know who has the game for the ps1. After a while you just get use to it, though after playing something else for a while and coming back to it... The load time seems pathetically slow again. XP

Allamorph, she's just using a similar font, nothing else. XP Honestly that's just silly, the creator of Death Note doesn't have exclusive rights on the letter L or variations of that style of font. Seriously. lol