BlueMoon

[QUOTE=xmystic_silverx]Same here. At times I felt like banging my head against my monitor. [/spoiler] You said hopefull smiles? This sounds like it's just going to get worse ;.; [spoiler]Atleast I can look forward to some Kuro/Fai. I can't imagine Syaoran getting mad at Fai but I can definitely see Kurogane being less than pleased about his behavior. Tube of doom, eh? Why does CLAMP continue to confuse the TRC fandom? I had to read the chapter with Syaoran clone a couple dozen times before I could get a gist of what the heck was going on and now I have a feeling I'm going to have to do that again.[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] I know, I really don't want it to get worse, though. All of Acid Tokyo and Infinity arc has been a giant angst fest. And granted, this is after many chapters of fun and cuteness and general fluff with the angst thrown in via foreshadowing but geeeez. Come on, CLAMP, throw us a few happy panels. I'd be happy with just one right now. And you're right, I still have no idea what's going on with [SPOILER]clone!Syaoran and real!Syaoran. I mean, one of them is bound to die, I bet, or merge or something. And is clone!Syaoran just mindless now or what? Argh[/SPOILER] [QUOTE=xmystic_silverx] Beats me! [spoiler]I thought the only reason he attacked Sakura was because the curse said he had to kill the person who's magical power was greater than his (or something like that) and I doubt Kurogane or Syaoran possess that kind of magical power. No CLAMP! Don't make me hate Fai. I love Fai, and if he does something as bad as CLAMP is making it sound I will be angry. Why does he have to be such a complex character?[/spoiler][/QUOTE] Oh, I definitely think that [SPOILER] the curse is still mostly the kill stronger person thing. But I think Fei Wong Reed made that curse very specifically for Sakura. I mean so far he's messed in everyone's lives, all just to get Sakura dead. Apparently he's been referring to Sakura as a corpse and she's close to it, now. So it's possible Fai's curse was meant for Sakura. And I'm very worried about what that interview meant. But I seriously can't imagine anything at this point that Fai could do to make me hate him. He just stabbed my favorite CLAMP character and I still don't hate him. Granted he didn't want to but still. The only thing that's making me mad with him is how he pushes Kurogane away and that's it. [/SPOILER] Oh and CLAMP has said that, at this point, we're only 65% through the manga *laughs* So, I'm happy things still have time to get better for everyone. I'm hoping for a happy ending.

[QUOTE=xmystic_silverx]I'm glad that we finally get to see his past and the real reason why he was running away.[spoiler]I thought Fai left Ceres because he commited some horrible crime. Now I can breathe a bit since he didn't turn out to be evil. However, now I think he's going to be more than a little emotionally traumatized from stabbing Sakura even if she isn't really dead (everyone should have seen that coming).[/spoiler] Amen! The gloomy atmosphere was getting really old. A manga series should not be that depressing.[/QUOTE] Tell me about it! Here's hoping there's at least a few hopeful smiles coming soon. I can't take non-stop angst for too long. The new spoilers came out for Wednesday's chapter! [SPOILER]It sounds like Kurogane stops Fai from stabbing himself or something. That makes my inner Kuro/Fai shipper happy. But Syaoran and Kurogane don't sound happy. And that Sakura's soul ends up in that tube of doom from the beginning of Tsubasa. This makes me wonder what's going on in that scene from the beginning. Maybe Syaoran couldn't save her soul? Also, apparently Sakura's vision was of Fai killing Kuro and Syaoran. I wonder why he would have done that, though? I'm seriously not nderstanding it. But, next up we finally see what went wrong between Ashura-ou and Fai. I do wonder why Fai fears Ashura-ou, you know? But I'm also glad, yet still worried. A recent CLAMP interview said "We wonder how many people will still like Fai when they find out about his past?" So I guess we're not out of the woods yet...[/SPOILER]

Right now I'm pretty stressed, actually. I admit, I've always been lazy. But I'm the type that can be lazy about anything and still pull out ahead *ducks rocks* But this time...well, I think I've honestly met my match. I just spent two years in community college. It was wonderful. Amazing, even. I had wonderful teachers, wonderful classes, I decided more or less what I wanted to do. So now time to transfer to a university to finish education. I want to go to Windsor University, as a friend of mine lives there. But that is in Canada. I am in Michigan. This is turning into a much bigger problem than I thought it would. They need a thousand pieces of paperwork, it seems. They need proof I can pay for college, a visa, a passport, my course descriptions, other things I can't remember. And my college isn't willing to help, because apparently America doesn't like funding international students. Or the loan I took out doesn't. Or something. And Windsor thinks they do and argh. And I don't want my two years of college to go to waste, so I'm scared that they'll reject my classes. And I can't stand dorms but there is one building that I could probably love but it's limited and I need to get all this done first before I can apply. I've been in tears over this. I'm not even worried about my classes right now. I'm just scared my only plan for the future might be screwed. I don't have a back-up at all. ...As for personal life, eh, I ranted enough ^^;; But it felt nice to get it out.

[QUOTE=James][font=arial]I don't think socialism is the answer really. It's just about having the right healthcare system. Australia's Medicare system is pretty much the only one of its kind in the world, as far as I know. Various countries have tried (and failed) to mimmick our system (including Canada). Our system pretty much delivers the best of both worlds - access to low-cost healthcare services/drugs while also being economically sustainable (ie: it isn't a massive drain on our economy, like it is in Canada). It also ties into our private healthcare system in several meaningful (and sustainable) ways. [/font][/QUOTE] Really? That sounds very interesting. It's always interesting how some systems can work so well in some countries and cripple others. I wish I understood this topic better so I could see why it didn't work as well in Canada. Maybe part of the problem is that overhauling programs can be really taxing on a country. And I do agree. I certainly don't expect drug companies to simply give away medicine. In an ideal world, sure, but not here. And I remember learning somewhere that one reason America has good quaility health care is because it is such a big business. But I just wish there was a way to level the playing field a bit more. Sometimes it feels like a lose-lose situation. And this is a bit of a side note but Aaryanna_Mom mentioned a lot of money goes into ads. It certainly does feel like every other commercial is for some new pill. I do wonder, in some ways, if at least a bit of that money could be better spent. This really is one of those topics where I wished I understood economics better.

[QUOTE](And what's up with the aforementioned order and a diet soda? Seems kind of a silly place to get your "diet" from....)[/QUOTE] Actually, about the diet soda thing, I'm fairly certain that too much diet pop is bad for you. Now I can't remember why but my mom's doctor told her it was unhealthy to drink it and not just for the normal soda reasons. What annoys me is how so many people today go on diets. I remember a survey down on middle school girls that found at least half of them were on a diet or planned on starting a diet. To me, it's another cultural problem. We don't need diets as a people. There are individuals who may need a specialized diet but for most people, really, eating a healthy balance of foods and being active is all that is needed. Diets also sort of feed into my pet peeve of how everyone wants everything now. It's like people can't stand for things to take one minute now, it has to take a few seconds. No one even wants to work for anything. Yay pet peeves.

Actually, I remember this happening to me often in Xenogears, though my other games worked perfectly fine. It might be a Xenogears related glitch.

I'm not entirely sure. I know that usually the co-pay is pretty small, like $10. I'm in Michigan and my dad works for the state, so we get our health care through that. It's not the best, honestly, as the company keep trying to find ways to kick me off the insurance. I'm be leaving for Canada in the fall though (hopefully) so we'll see what changes. As far as my take on it, I wish we were more of a socialist society. The more I study capitalism, the more frustrated I get with it. If what I've read is correct, then Scandinavian countries are more socialist leaning and they're doing much better with these things. And of course, I really hate the Bush Administration so there's that. Although it's not just because of the way medical things are handled but still.

[QUOTE=Lunox][color=dimgray] But above all: [size=4]HARRY POTTER[/size].[/color][/QUOTE] Yeah! I had nearly forgotten about this. I'll be locking myself in my room, shutting off the internet and unplugging the phone while I read it, haha. I hate spoilers. I'm even looking forward to the movie, just so I can finally tell my dad book 5 spoilers (he only follows the movies, so I'm not allowed to tell him what happens in the books until the movies come out). Aside from gaming and movies, I'll mostly be finishing up transfering to university. I've finished my two years at community college, so now the fun part. But mostly I plan on writing. I want to get at least one of my novels done by the end of the year, so hopefully summer will give me the time to do that.

THREAD REVIVE, I CHOOSE YOU! All right, so, has anyone been keeping up with the chapters in Japan? We've been given more of Fai's background and I must say, I feel bad for him. Not to mention Sakura. And Syaoran. And Kuro. And, well, everyone. Prepare for [STRIKE]the fight scene[/STRIKE] spoilers: [SPOILER]Wow, so, Fai and the twin who died so he could live? Or the clone. Any thoughts on that? I personally think it was a twin sister. And I still don't understand how that person died. They fell but...somehow, to me, it seemed like there was nothing Fai could do to stop it. I've heard people say he was selfish but doesn't seem like it. And then, flash to now and we learn that as long as Fai lives, he's cursed and now he's stabbed Sakura. I think the curse is interesting but confusing. How can he kill those who surpass him? Unless the curse was aimed for Sakura only. And at least Ashura-ou is turning out nice[/SPOILER] I'm also surprised wikipedia has already been updated with this information. Fans work in mysterious ways. I have to say, though, I'm glad this arc is finally picking up. I was getting tired of the moping. Someone needed to do something. Aside from this stuff, I'm enjoying the less angsty spot we are at stateside. It was fun to see Tomoyo and Sakura together finally. And I appreciated the Kuro and Fai stuff. I forget what would is next. I rather want the one with the Victorian look but I can't remember now ^^;;

*pouts at RiflesAtRecess* Aw, c'mon. Don't I make up for any bad KH fans? Ahh, now then. Nothing like talking about the things that urk you. James Dobson (and Focus on the Family in general), Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Chick Tracts, George Bush, the guy who wrote the Left Behind series?Intelligent Design supporters. Can you tell what annoys me yet? *laughs* I also hate people who drive and use their cell phone at the same time. And although this one is a bit vague, just people who are uninformed in general. My country (America) would be so much better if people would just be informed and not spew out the first thing they hear. I?m also gaining a growing dislike of capitalism? Or maybe it?s just American society in general. On an ending note, do we really need spiders? My phobia is annoying. *ends bitterness*

Oh, I definitely think they used Serge better than Crono. I mean, even when [SPOILER]Crono died[/SPOILER] and everyone was freaking out, I still only cared because I liked using his attacks. I'm still not sure if that Lynx revelation would have been as good but you both do have a point. Serge did manage to actually feel like a person. I think a lot of the characters did, though, actually. Serge is special because he's mostly indirect and doesn't speak. I think, and this might have just been how I played it, but there was also something about Serge that made him easier to be "the player" without being a complete blank slate. But I think that many of the characters had good development.

I can't say it's happened with entire CDs but it's definitely happened with songs. Not just the overplayed sort but just ones that I used to love and gradually, even though I still think they're good, I can't listen to them. Actually, it's happened with a band.[B] Better than Ezra[/B] is one of my favorite bands and yet...I can't listen to their stuff anymore. I still their they're great but I've been burnt out on them for awhile now. Oddly enough, it hasn't happened to some CDs that I listen to a lot. For example, I can still listen to Yasunori Mitsuda's "Kirite" CD over and over on repeat. I don't know what it is that can make some bands, songs, etc get annoying and others not. It's interesting. But I think it happens to everyone at some point.

Ahhh, Chrono Cross, how I love thee. Prepare for rambling. I think that, on the topic of Lynx's identity, it might have sounded weird if he came out and said [SPOILER]"Serge, I am your father"[/SPOILER] but at the same time, I think that would have been really trippy and that CC could have pulled it off. On the other hand, Serge was sort of...lacking a personality and such a plot twist would have only worked if we could see how badly it affected him. I really found the game easy. Way too easy, actually. But it was a game that I found myself very involved in. I didn't play it because the battles were engaging. Rather, the world was very interesting to me. Like Shinmaru said, the different time lines and dimensions and the could have beens...I think when I first went into Another World, seeing all the differences, now [I]that[/I] was fascinating. I must be one of the only people that really liked the good ending gained with the Chrono Cross, then? I thought it was sad that [SPOILER]everyone forgot each other and their adventures[/SPOILER] but overall, I thought it gave hope and I was interested with how it left off with Kid. I think there was just something that touched me about the game. It was all the "another you" stuff. It made me think about possible other "me"s. Plus, it was pretty well used in the game. But it just got to me in some way that hooked me completely. Oh and the Developer's Room was so much fun! I loved the alternate endings. My favorite is the one where [SPOILER]Dark Serge, Kid and Harle go to the bar, Dark Serge is too young to drink even though he's actually not and they end up having to wash dishes because they couldn't pay the bill[/SPOILER] Chrono Trigger is definitely great too, though. I do wish it had been more clearly connected. I loved Magus and I agree that you cared a lot more about the characters. It actually reminds me of a different series, the Lunar series. There's a point in the second game where you, as a player, realize that time has passed and the heroes of the first game are dead and it's a sobering moment. When I played Chrono Cross and it mentioned that [SPOILER]Lucca had died and then when FATE killed Robo[/SPOILER] I just felt really sad. Especially in the Dead Sea and Nadia's Bell. Oh and as wrap up note, Yasunori Mitsuda writes such beautiful music in general and CC was definitely no different. Radical Dreamers is still my favorite song.

After watching some anime today, I've grown fond of two voices. Specifically, I watched the D.Gray-Man anime. Allen's seiyuu took a bit of getting used to but I fell in love with his voice. He's done by [B]Sanae Kobayashi[/B] who has a very sweet, pure sounding voice. Very girly but she is a girl, so *laughs* She's also apparently done Pi in .hack//G.U. and I love the .hack series, so I'm all for that. The second is also D.Gray-Man. Lavi's seiyuu, [B]Kenichi Suzumura[/B], has actually done a lot of popular voices it seems. He's got a goofy fun voice and it totally fits Lavi. He's also done Hikaru from Ouran Host Club and Demyx from Kingdom Hearts 2. He's done a lot of dramas, too, and I swear I saw some BL ones listed, which would make me a happy girl (Silver Chaos, at least, was listed). I really loved both of these voices and want to hear more of their work.

[QUOTE]I mean, you could argue against that with other atrocities like the Indian removals and the Japanese encampments and etc., but none of them come close to the scale slavery impacted the US.[/QUOTE] I would argue this point, actually. I don't think it's right to say that the crimes against the American Indian population "didn't come close." I would argue that it was equally tragic. Just read up on any given tribe and look at their current status. It's truly disgusting. The problem is that US history really is full of horrible acts, like any nation. And when it comes down to it, that's what the civil rights movements were about. Not just the movement for equal rights for blacks but during this time there were many groups, including the American Indians, taking up the fight. Okay, sorry, had to get that out. It seems to come up in a lot of slavery debates and it annoys me. The point is, I think we should be apologizing to at least several groups. African-Americans are one of them, for sure. A formal apology would be great but I would hope that, along with it, we'll see people doing more than just saying "Well, that's done now." But that's another rant for another time. And to answer the question in the title of the thread, I think it's something that never really went away, personally. So I suppose now is as good a time as any.