Ben

Whenever I try to do Basic Brawl or Team Brawl with anybody other than friends, like, when I just enter a queue for Brawling, I never get any matches going. I'll wait five minutes, and there will still be no opponents. Pounding Sandbag is amusing for a bit, but it's getting old fast. :p Is this normal? Does anybody else get ridiculous wait times also? Or is there something that makes this happen such as slow connection speed?

Terribly sorry, everyone! I've had work and school back to back every day this week and didn't have a moment to get online. >_< How embarrassing....to be disqualified even before writing a poem. -.-

Note to the community: Just got Brawl. :D Don't know my friend code yet, though, and haven't tried online play yet. Still battling my way through the Subspace Emissary. I'll be sure to comment plenty in this thread on my progress (or lack thereof) and let you all know when I figure out my online play situation. :p

[QUOTE]What is your opinion on military service? Would you ever serve in your military? What's your opinion on the military?[/QUOTE] I'm all for military service, as a means of protecting our own country and our allies' countries. I'm not a big fan of pre-emptive strikes against other nations except where the threat is open and obvious. I'd serve in my military, but solely for the educational and monetary benefits. Military service doesn't really appeal to me in any other way. I don't have an especially strong sense of patriotism (ethnocentrism maybe, but not patriotism) to make me believe that it's a worthwhile thing to do, but the thought of free education and pay while I'm learning is very appealing. My parents have three children in college at the moment (me being the 3rd) another in a private high school, and a 5th child with special needs. That's a lot of money to be shelling out. Obviously, we three oldest work to help pay for school, but it's still difficult to make ends meet. I have no desire to kill anybody, either. I'd very much prefer a job such as the one Zen has: necessary, but not combat-related. Maybe if I were to get an assignment like that, my girlfriend wouldn't be so dead-set against ANY thoughts of me joining the military. :p

I'll participate also. =) No guarantees on anything spectacular, though. :p

This next poem doesn't have a title as of yet, and it's a very. [I]very[/I] rough draft. I'm not even sure what I was thinking with the placement of some of the lines and stuff. :p As before, feel free to comment and criticize and...whatever else you want to do. But above all, please post something! =D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The curl of your lips With your hands on your hips. I can't understand Just why you can't see It's perfect. It lights up your face. Features fall into place. To display all the best Featured above your chest It's perfect. When you smile it's a sign That things are just fine It's what I like to see It's what I want you to be No others compare When I see it I stare I don't even realize Until I see your eyes staring back at me. You look and say "What?" I say "Nothing" but What I mean is "Wow" 'Cause when you smile you look perfect.

[CENTER]Marionette Full of evil Swinging your hammer Energetic and proud Puppetmon[/CENTER]

I don't mind the input at all! In fact, I appreciate it! ^__^ I think they're great suggestions, and I will definitely consider them. You're completely right about "or around," it really doesn't need to be there, and it does flow nicer without it. I'm [I]not[/I] as comfortable getting rid of "on," though, in the second part. I agree that it seems superfluous, but I don't think it would read as well rhythmically. "The river may grow smaller It may float up from the ground. But rest assured, with some time, It will rain back down." It just seems like it's too short at the end. The other three lines have 7 syllables, and with "on" the last is 6, but without it's only 5. I'm not huge on counting syllables and meter and stuff, but the 6 just sounds better than the 5 to me. Maybe I could use another word there instead, or rephrase it a bit... I also agree that "toe" was VERY awkward there. I [I]wanted[/I] "toes," but as you noticed, it makes the last line awkward. And I'd like to change the last line to sync up better with "toes," but I'm not sure your suggestion is the way to do it..."just" seems too sharp a sound to put in there. What do you think of "It seems your lover glows?" in place of that line? As for the last suggestion you made, I think "for you" fits just fine. In the fourth and final verses, there are references to multiple fires, and I think the "for you" makes it clearer what fire exactly the speaker is talking about. Hmmm...actually, I think a few other adjustments would make dropping the "for you" work without sacrificing understanding. I could just get rid of the references to multiple fires. :p I'ma go edit the post with the revisions. Thanks a LOT for the input! :D

I'm kind of curious too, to see how Shino will handle an opponent like that. Maybe he has some new kind of bugs, or some sort of new technique that will force Tobi into tangibility. Regardless of how he does it, I'm sure it will be a fine read. Shino plans his moves very carefully and very well in advance. Like Shikamaru, he can find many unanticipated ways to defeat opponents. He's also one of my favorite characters, so I'm hoping to see some fireworks, and not a signed death warrant. :p

Tomorrow I'll probably sleep in and go to the 11:00 Mass (I normally go at 8:30, to have more time to do stuff during the day) with my family. Afterwards, family and friends will stick around to attend my nephew's Baptism, which will take place after the Mass. After that, we'll all head to my grandparents' house for a reception that will probably last most of the rest of the day. :p My girlfriend isn't Catholic, so she won't be around for the Mass or the Baptism, but she'll be coming over for the reception afterwards to spend time with me. ^__^

Over the past few months I've written a few poems. Most of them are written for, or to, my girlfriend, or about love in general. They're really sappy, for the most part, so if you're into that sort of thing, enjoy. If not, feel free to mock me without measure. :p I'm only going to post a couple at a time, so as not to create too gigantic a post, but also so I can get feedback on each as I post them. And by all means, please leave feedback, positive or constructive. I'm always glad to receive help. :animeswea [B]Water[/B] Our love is like a river, Peaceful and deep Though it winds and it eddies, To a course it keeps. No matter the obstacle, No matter the foil, We make it through, Our love still unspoiled. Rivers change as they flow, They widen and shrink, Grow deeper, get shallow, Love's like that, I think. As time goes on, Like the river love flows. Though things may change, On and on it still goes. The river may grow smaller It may float up from the ground. But rest assured, with some time, It will rain back on down. (Yes, the first line is paraphrased from N'sync's [I]God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You[/I]. So sue me. Or...um...don't. >_>") I'm not as pleased with this next one. It seems inconsistent. Like some of it is pure cheesiness and some of it is trying to be an actual poem. [B]Fire[/B] Love is like a fire, It can comfort, it can burn. Provide warmth for the heart, Or make you writhe and yearn. Love can make you warm, Right down to your toes, It fills you up with joy; It seems your lover glows. But fire also burns, As love can scar the heart. It's like something in your chest, An ever-flaming dart. To find the fire that's right, To find the love that's true, You need to find a person, Who's comfortable with you. If you're too hot for them, Or they're too cool for you, Things may not work out. Be sure to think it through! The fire of love is tricky, Sort of like the weather. But if you find the fire, You'll treasure it forever.

"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished."

I went to see this movie twice in theaters, once with my cousin, and another time with my girlfriend. Then I went and downloaded the soundtrack on my Ruckus player and listened to it a few dozen times. Needless to say, I enjoyed the movie. :p I had seen trailers online long before it actually came out, and each one made me want to see the movie more and more. I'd only heard the briefest of comments about the play before seeing the trailer, but a number of things drew me to the movie: [LIST] [*]Johnny Depp [*]Tim Burton [*]Musical [*]Dark themes [/LIST] I find myself singing "A Little Priest" to myself when I'm at work, and I feel a surge of delight inside whenever I hear the lyrics about the actor arriving overdone. :D

I'm in the midst of several different animes right now. I've [strike]downloaded[/strike] obtained in a perfectly legal manner 20-something episodes of Code Geass and Escaflowne, both of which I enjoyed thoroughly. I've watched a few more of each on youtube, but I'd like to have them in my possession for continued viewing later on. I'm also watching Naruto Shippuden when it updates, but my feelings on it are kind of here and there. I think it's better watched one episode after another, as scenes sometimes have a tendency to drag on. :p With Code Geass and Escaflowne, though, each episode has its own merits; it's not just building up towards a big finish down the line.

My friend bought me the [URL="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31TmYsNLqzL._AA280_.jpg"]head-eating cap[/URL] that Naruto wears when he sleeps. ^_^ I was surprised to find that it was actually quite fuzzy and comfortable. I'd expected it to be itchy. :p

Well, the only match I can conceive of is Pikachu vs. Agumon, because I've never even HEARD of those other Pokemon (I've been out of the loop for a bit. >.>) Of that match, though, I'd have to say Agumon would take Pikachu out. Pikachu is undoubtedly faster, but I think Agumon's strength and resilience would make that factor pretty much null. Pikachu's electricity might be a factor, though, but I don't see it being worse than three Gazimon's Electric Stun Blasts taken all at once, which has happened to Agumon. I don't think Pikachu would react well to Agumon's Pepper Breath attack either, personally... :p Sooooo, Agumon for the win.

[QUOTE=Dagger][url=http://www.funimationfilms.com/theaters.html][u]FMA movie theater list[/u][/url] I [i]may[/i] be able to see this, but I'm not too sure about which theater I'll end up going to--much less which city! The timing will be quite tricky for me, but I'll try to work something out anyway. :animesigh ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] It's not playing.....anywhere near me. :animecry: This is the first I've heard of the movie. Any idea of what the plot is? And, is it meant to be like...the end of the series, or a turning point, or just a stand-alone sort of thing?

[quote name='Aceburner']Also, Ben, In your argument, you forget the elite of One Piece, while bringing up Kakashi. There's Mihawk (world's greatest swordsman, count the other seven warlords, as well,) Shanks (missing an arm, but still kicks butt in Grand Battle,) Smoker (face it, he is just too awesome,) and, of course, Ace (I would pay money to see him and Kakashi go at it.)[/quote] I didn't [I]forget[/I] the elite of One-Piece, I simply [B]know nothing about them[/B]. Whereas I've watched Naruto extensively, I've only seen about...three...episodes of One-Piece. Until you just mentioned them, I really didn't know about Mihawk and Ace (although I do have Grand Battle, and Smoker does rawk. Have yet to unlock Shanks. >.

[quote name='Raiyuu][font=trebuchet ms'] But then, a famous ninja would be a pretty crappy ninja, right?[/font][/quote] Hang on, first you establish Batman as being a ninja, and then say a famous ninja would be a crappy ninja? Isn't Batman rather well-known? Not only a pseudo-hero of his city, but even in our world, rather well-known. Did you just call Batman [I]crappy?[/I] :animeangr Heh, seriously, though. I am a ridiculous Naruto fan, and almost instantly support ninjas on that basis. Taking into account that they DO have extraordinary "powers" there, though, I'll discount it from serious discussion. Well, no I won't. I'll present two opinions. >_> In anime, where all things are possible, I'd say ninjas win on the basis of Naruto vs. One-Piece (those being the only animes I've seen relvent to this :p). Both have characters with abilities that are quite outside the ordinary. In Naruto, they have the various jutsus that require chakra and such, and in One-Piece they have the characters with Cursed Fruit powers, and then otherlings such as Arlong and the fishmen. As godmodded as it is, though, I'd like to see Luffy take a Rasengan to the face and straighten himself out in under a week. Or see Zolo try and take Kakashi. In terms of more respectable literature, cinema, and such, I'd have to go with what Sara said: [QUOTE]Whereas we have The Dread Pirate Roberts (greatest swordsman in the world), Captain James Hook (the only man the sea-cook ever feared), Keira Knightly (face it, she's a pirate and she's hot), and Long John Silver (the sea-cook in question), among others.[/QUOTE] Pirates rock the hizzouse. They may seem like a bunch of drunken rabble sometimes (quite possibly because they ARE at times) but they're a hell of a lot tougher than they may seem. As for ninjas sneaking up on them and stabbing them in the face/neck/vital organs....I just don't see it happening. If nothing else, DUMB LUCK would save the pirate. The ship would lean, or something, and he'd fall out of his chair, or a drunken stumble on land would put him out of the way of a kunai strike. Whereby, of course, he turns and shoots the ninja. Or bashes him with a bottle of rum. Yo ho ho for the win. :D

I'm a fan of English Muffin Pizzas, myself. (I've kind of been...living off of them in the past week, actually. >.>) [B]Ingredients[/B]: English muffin(s) Marinara sauce (red sauce :p) Shredded cheese Other toppings Firstly, you separate the English Muffin into halves, then dole out enough sauce to cover the top of each half. This point, before applying the cheese, is a good time to add such things as hot sauce or other flavoring that you'd like cooked right into the pizza. Okay, so. Then you apply the cheese, and whatever other topping(s) you'd like. Oven times will vary, but 350-380 degrees for about 7-10 minutes has worked well for me. Basically, you want to wait until the cheese is melted together, but depending on when you take it out will determine how soft or crispy the muffin part is. Enjoy. =D (Oh, incidentally, this can also be made with a Toaster Oven; you don't necessarily need a regular oven)

Hatake Kakashi from Naruto. Not only is he "badass," but he knows it, and he doesn't make a big deal out of it. [SPOILER]He's one of the few remaining ninjas with the Sharingan, and of them, he is probably the most well-known for it, even though he's not from the clan from whence it originated.[/SPOILER] Of the Jounin of Konoha, I'd say he's the most respected, and for good reason. [SPOILER]The second time the gang meets up with Zabuza, after Haku dies, Kakashi simply becomes [I]untouchable[/I]. If you think of that in context....maybe he simply allowed Zabuza to hit him earlier. (Well, we all know that he did, so that his Nin-Dogs could trap him, but I mean, maybe he could have avoided getting hit AT ALL) And the way he defeats Zabuza: systematically disabling both arms while scornfully retaliating against any other attacks, that's just....awesome. :p Oooooh, ooooh! He also invented the Chidori (or Lightning Edge, whatever you prefer to call it). What kind of character creates a one-hit-kill jutsu? A BADASS one. :P[/SPOILER] Okay, I think I'm done for now. ^_^

[B]Code Name / Call Sign:[/B] Super Absorbent [B]Gender:[/B] ? [B]Location:[/B] Gatorville, Florida. [B]Age:[/B] ? [B]Personal Appearance:[/B] [IMG]http://www.stepex.com/chi/0197_generic_images/Spongeman_blue_193.jpg[/IMG] [B]Personality/Behavior:[/B] Remarkably headstrong, Super Absorbent is the first one into any fray, be it against super villains or women in line at the grocery store. Super Absorbent lets nothing get in the way of his duty of fighting crime. He is not deterred in the least by being hurled halfway across the city by a massive death ray, nor does he flinch from duty when thrown into a brick wall by a muscle-bound super villain. He is completely unshakeable in his resolve to fight crime. Super Absorbent's wish is to contribute more to the team. True, he has often been literally thrown into the literal line of literal fire and has taken [I]8,974[/I] (and counting) for the team, he hasn't ever "taken down" a villain. He'd like to. A lot. [B]Personal History:[/B] Super Absorbent was created by the Hero Patrol as a means of cutting down their extremely high casualty rate. His unpatented spandex-teflon-jello-sponge-fruitcake-polyester-cotton-titanium-kitchen sink-etc. composition was built to withstand anything that could feasibly be of harm to the Hero Patrol. The standard Hero Patrol tactic is to throw (or any other means of projection) Super Absorbent at an enemy as a distraction or counter so that the other Heroes can enact some unnecessarily elaborate plan of attack. [B]Special Skills or Abilities:[/B] Impervious to physical/magical/energy-based damage, Super Absorbent can withstand [I]vast[/I] amounts of punishment from the best...err.....[I]worst[/I] of super villains.

[I]Dog picture:[/I] How Chibihorsewoman spends her [I]spare[/I] spare time. [I]Chair Picture:[/I] "Not wanting to be left out in what is truly the greatest conflict of our time, the U.S. Navy has provided American ground troops with special "Flotation Chairs", which they note as being extremely useful in the event of a shipwreck or a flood."

Obviously, I've posted my first piece in Paranoia. I'm sorry about the delay, and I'm sorry about all the nagging I've done about the Nexus. You were right, I don't really need to know about it at this point. I just had an idea and wanted to go somewhere with it. (Un)Fortunately, I couldn't, and I came up with another idea that I liked somewhat better. Which, of course, is what I've posted. On with the show, I guess. :p Any thoughts, opinions, suggestions, flames etc. about my post would be muchly appreciated. ^_^

"Now, this spell is a bit more powerful than you?re likely to come across in any of those other villages you?ve been to. I learned [I]this[/I] spell secretly from a high mage in the Victorian academy of magic." Macros waited patiently as the brown-toothed old hermit told him of his brief stay in the Victorian Minor Academy. He'd heard the story already, but the man had a failing memory, and was prone to repeating himself. Macros would have liked to simply tell the man that he'd heard the story already, but knew the man didn't like to be interrupted, and he didn't like to hear that he'd forgotten something. The memory of [I]that[/I] instance was still fresh. Macros rubbed the somewhat charred cloth of his shoulder. The old man's black fireball hadn't been particularly powerful, but it caught him off-guard. "And that?s when I moved here." The hermit blew his nose loudly into his hands, and then transferred the mucus onto the seat of his pants. "Sad, isn't it?" "Truly, a great tragedy, Andronius." Macros replied gently. "Now, that spell you used to escape....you said it made your shadow solid?" "Escape..." the wrinkled old-timer repeated, squinting. "Ah, right you are. It made my shadow firm enough to grasp and climb upon." Macros silently exulted; he'd finally guided the man past the story! He'd been there since midmorning, and had heard the story six times already. It was inspiring to have made progress. "Could you show me how to use it?" Macros inquired. "Use what?" The hermit looked at Macros suddenly, as if just realizing that he was there. "Have we met?" And so, Macros was forced to introduce himself again to the old man and listen to his entire story of love, lies, and despair. Andronius had risen from a modest merchant?s job to become a respectable student of magic and he?d won the heart of the Academy's brightest and most beautiful female pupil. Everyone adored her for her charm, her wit, and her great beauty. She was the daughter, or sister, it seemed, of the academy itself. The two were set to be married just after graduation, and no happier couple could be found. Not far into their final year of study, she had walked in on one of his experiments with some various elements of black magic; strictly forbidden at this particular Academy. She screamed, and Andronius panicked. The spell went awry and caused a loud detonation, hurling its chaotic energies about the room and utterly mutilating and disfiguring her now-dead body. At this point in the story, the hermit would always briefly close his eyes and shed a tear. "You were such a fool, Andronius." he would reprimand himself. Knowing what would inevitably event from his crime and the resulting accident, Andronius had decided to leave the school and run away, to never be heard from again. He could hear the academy's guards dashing through the hallways outside. He went to his window, and looked downwards at his shadow. His room was located a lower floor of the Academy; the street was not too far below it. Andronius willed his shadow to take form; to take dimension. Slowly, it rose up off of the surface of the wall. With a brightly burning torch behind him, and the full moon up above, Andronius's shadow was greatly elongated, and cast down the side of the castle. He slid gently down the silk-like length of his shadow, and fled the city, never to be heard there again. "A touching tale." said Macros, upon the end of the eighth recital. "But how exactly did you make your shadow solid?" "Oh, er...." Andronius paused for a moment, tapping his forehead. "You have to sort of will [I]your[/I] solidity into the shadow. Now, you don't actually want to transfer anything to it, but instead just...eh...let it know what it's like to be solid." He produced a rough scroll from his back pocket, and handed it to Macros. "Hmm. I think I see what you're saying." Andronius shrugged, and then left Macros standing at the edge of the woods, studying the spell?s properties that were written on the scroll. Macros squinted. It was early afternoon, and his shadow lay like a dark, dark oval upon the ground. He was emotionally close to his shadow, as absurd as it may sound. It was just the result of light shining upon him, after all. It had been the instrument through which he'd escaped many a predicament, though, and it was his only true companion in the darkness. Macros's dark magic relied a good part upon his shadow, and so this odd affection grew. Macros nodded slightly to his shadow and proceeded to attempt the spell. "You, Drairthrak!" a voice called out suddenly from behind him. "Just Macros, friend." He kept his concentration on his shadow. Interrupted spells did not make for good situations. "I've been sent here to take you to Memoria." Macros could not see the individual who made the declaration, but he was not inclined to leave and go to Memoria. "I'm busy, please leave." "I'm afraid I can't do that. You are one of the Innocence, and I have been ordered to take you to Memoria." Macros cast a swift glance back at his would-be companion. A Draconian. No way he could overpower him physically, and it was too bright out for most of his shadow spells to be useful. He?d have to get to the forest. His shadow was now almost fully phased into existence. A few moments more, and it would be like stone. "Prove that I am one of these 'Innocence.' " he challenged, turning to face the winged entity. The Draconian looked at him sternly, but responded with another question. "Why do you study dark magic?" "That is my own affair." Macros replied shortly. With a sudden ripple of his arm, Macros struck his hardened shadow at the Draconian's face with his staff and ran towards the thick foliage of the forest. The Draconian warded off the attack with his armored forearm, and flapped his wings in pursuit of the mage. Macros' shadow lost its new solid form and flowed swiftly back to its owner, quickly outstripping the Draconian. Macros looked back quickly over his shoulder. The Draconian was quickly gaining on him, his polished armor gleaming in the sunlight. ?Nearly there, so very close now....? he thought. The Draconian dived, and so did Macros. Casting one of his more powerful spells, Macros joined with his shadow just as they entered into the shade of the trees. The Draconian grasped empty air, and then halted himself with practiced ability. He settled roughly upon the ground. "Come out, mage. You know you must come to Memoria." Macros eyed the Draconian through a dark veil. He was seated on a slender branch, the spell making his size indefinite and his weight nonexistent. There was no way the Draconian could see him; he was the shadow of the branch. He could have easily escaped into the darkened forest, forever leaving behind this bothersome messenger. Even so, Macros did not leave. Something within nagged at him. He felt the need to make his intentions known. [I]"I study the darkness so that I can know it, and one day defeat it. It is the [B]great[/B] darkness that has made the people suffer."[/I] The voice sounded within the Draconian's mind like the mouthings of some blighted chorus of forgotten souls. It caused him unease, but he had been trained not to show it. Something stirred, too, in him. Something more powerful than this dark magician; something much older. Suddenly, he could see Macros as clear as the sunrise. "Follow me, Macros, or I will come and get you." Macros turned the idea over in his mind. It was an empty threat, he thought, but he was no longer opposed to going to Memoria. He stayed still and as a shadow, silently contemplating. [I]Crack.[/I] [I]SLAM.[/I] In one smooth and remarkably swift instant, the Draconian had cast a dagger at the branch Macros had been perched on, causing him to fall and startling him out of his enchanted state. The Draconian had rushed forward after throwing the dagger and had then pinned Macro?s physical form stiffly against the trunk of the tree. Macros took a few short breaths, and shook his head to clear it. "To Memoria, then." Macros nodded.