James

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BabyGirl [/i] [B] [color=deeppink]What?! How is it out over there before over here? No fair! hehe :p [b]I'm going to the midnight show![/b] I decided to go on May 16th with some friends after the play to the midnight showing...and still go to school and do a play performance the next day :p[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]SW:Episode II comes out here May 16 too...so technically (due to time difference), it comes out here when it's May 15 in the United States. Having said that, I don't know if I'll see it right away. The crowds will be huge...o_O[/color]

[i]Satoru sat down on the couch. Drake sat in a chair nearby.[/i] [b]Satoru:[/b] So, what now? [b]Drake:[/b] We wait. [b]Satoru:[/b] Ugh... [b]Drake:[/b] What? [b]Satoru:[/b] This situation... [b]Drake:[/b] What about it? [b]Satoru:[/b] It's just so...unbelievable. I inherited Shinra from my father, Rufus. And in inherited it from President Shinra...years and years ago. I was the man who changed the face of Shinra. It's now a clean company...no dirty business, no pollution... [b]Drake:[/b] Your framing doesn't change that... [b]Satoru:[/b] I know. But the very fact that I was framed from within the company...it makes me wonder exactly how much corruption I managed to remove. [b]Drake:[/b] I still don't know what to believe. [i]Satoru stood up and faced the window. He spoke, half to himself, half to Drake.[/i] [b]Satoru:[/b] I wanted to make Shinra something better. I remember seeing those poor kids in the slums when I was little...I never understood why Shinra, with all its vast wealth, didn't do something to help. It amazes me that those in Shinra I trusted...those who said I was doing the right thing, turned around and went against me... [b]Drake:[/b] You sound like you cared about Shinra... [b]Satoru:[/b] Not Shinra. The people of Midgar. That city has such promise. Shinra was the only organization with the resources to make anything positive happen. It was through me that the city's own Government was able to be fully established. Before I came along, taxes went through the Shinra City Council office directly into Shinra's bank accounts. None of that tax went back to the city itself. I was responsible for reestablishing a City Government...and giving it 100% autonomy. [b]Drake:[/b] All these things you did with Shinra...it did make me wonder why you'd kill a fellow staff member. [b]Satoru:[/b] Yes. You'd think that the police of Midgar would use the same logic. But alas, Shinra's vast finances are powerful enough to sway even the police force...

[color=royalblue]I haven't seen the DVD. Having said that, I would own it purely for the collector value. :) Teknoman isn't as complex as some of the more "adult" anime series, but it's a hell of a lot more complex than something like Digimon or Dragonball, for example. So to answer your question, it's great that you were able to see the episodes after the point of cut off. If you want to trade it in for something else, that's your choice ultimately. But if I had the choice, I'd keep it purely as a collector's item. No anime fan should be without it. :)[/color]

[color=royalblue]I've already explained this at length. Sony aren't cutting the PS2's price. Rather, they are including the HDD in a bundle with the console at no extra cost. This is how they plan to get their online network running with newer buyers, while simultaneously avoiding a price cut. [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Cloud [/i] [B] [COLOR=indigo] A question James, if you were to make a FF theme... would the backgrounds to the posts change aswell? like there dark grey/white... would they be someting different? [/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Yep, everything would change. An FF theme would probably be darker colours though...[/color]

[b]Satoru:[/b] Fine. I guess I have no choice but to trust you for now. But I must warn you -- if you try to capture me, you'll find that I'm not just some defenceless guy in a suit. [b]Drake:[/b] Yeah, alright...let's go. [b]Denki:[/b] Where we goin'? [b]Satoru:[/b] Oh, I forgot. Drake, this is Denki. He's a friend. [b]Drake:[/b] Okay... [b]Satoru:[/b] Denki, we're going to this guy's apartment. He can hide us from the authorities. [b]Denki:[/b] Can we get somethin' to eat while we're there?! :d [b]Drake:[/b] Sure... [b]Denki:[/b] OK! What are we waitin' for?! [b]Satoru:[/b] Heh...Denki and I haven't eaten for a while, that's why he's so err..."enthusiastic". [b]Denki:[/b] Heh, alright...let's go...

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DeathKnight [/i] [B] [color=crimson]Excuse me? I'm a satanist. -.- [/color] -Ken[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]How can you be a Satanist? You believe in God, don't you? If you're unsure about what Satanism actually is, I urge you to visit the online home of [url=http://www.churchofsatan.com]the Church of Satan[/url]. And no, it's not about worshipping Satan himself...I urge you to read the High Priestess' comments. If you read what she says, you'll fully understand what it's about. I found it very interesting...if I became religious, I would probably be a Satanist (also known as "humanist" in some circles). Anyway, that's a bit beside the point. I've pretty much provided my opinion on the whole censorship issue...when you look at censorship throughout the ages (and even today in countries like China), it's really just a way of one group of society telling another how to live. And it's ridiculous. It's like when John Ashcroft covered up that naked statue where he went to give a lecture...I mean, how much more backward can you get? It's really annoying...[/color]

[color=royalblue]Just a note to ya'll, the PS2 price isn't dropping. Instead, Sony will include the HDD at no extra charge. This has already been announced and thus, this topic is redundant. :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve [/i] [B]He's a strong nationalist. But in the wrong ways. By doing what he wants to do, he'll ruin the economy of France, he'll have them hated even more than they are now, and he'll turn them back into the 18th century. If they actually vote this guy in, the French deserve all they get. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]The French are hated? By whom? lol I don't think the guy will get voted in. It's just that he received a higher-than-normal vote in the first round of national voting.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Shyness is a result of a form of self-centeredness. Basically, when you're shy...you have the feeling that everyone is looking at you and noticing what you're doing. The best way to avoid being shy (in my experience) is to think: "Nobody could care less about what I'm doing, I'm just another person in the room." It has never failed me. :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by \¤~NoodleZ~¤/ [/i] [B]What I have been noticing is most of you are going on the side with the mother/father not reading the warning etc... Well, that isn't the case sometimes. A lot of people I know buy uncensored cds without the concent of the parents. So don't give full blame to the parents, because it isn't their fault all of the time. And possibly some cd stores near you put an age restriction, but where I live there is no such thing. I am 12 for those that don't know and I could go buy an uncensored, very bad cd by my self without the workers even caring.[/b] [/quote] [color=royalblue]And there are a couple of major problems right there. First, your parents have the [i]responsibility[/i] to know what kind of content you are accessing (especially if you're in a Christian family, as you pointed out). Moreover, retailers also have a major responsibility. Sometimes parents [i]don't[/i] know what their kids are buying. And in those circumstances, it's up to the retailer to restrict young kids from purchasing materials which aren't suitable for their age.[/color][QUOTE][B] And the other is death, satanism. Yes I know there are people in this world that are like this and there is nothing that I can do about it, but society is becoming worse, and part of the problem [b]may[/b] be the music that they listen to. People [b]think[/b] that the reason for the Columbine shootings was Marilyn Manson music. There is no fact that this is true, but it is a possibility. And songs about comiting suicide is even worse. Encouraging people to comit suicide, is so revolting I can't even put it into words. Revolting is kind compared to what I think about it. [/b][/QUOTE][color=royalblue] Okay, firstly, you don't understand what Satanism is. Satanism is not actually an evil religion. Most people assume that because it has the word "Satan" in it, it's evil. That isn't the case. But I'm not going to debate that particular religion at this moment. As for the high school shootings and whatnot, there is no possibility whatsoever that music or anything else "influenced" these kids to do what they did. If they weren't listening to violent music to get their kicks, they'd play a violent game, watch a violent movie or read a violent book. The fact is, these materials are not the catalyst for such behavior -- they are the [i]symptom[/i] of behaviors and thoughts of this nature.[/color]

[i]Satoru sat down on a nearby wooden crate. He reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette. Denki just stood motionless. He didn't know what to do. Satoru lit his cigarette and took a puff. He eyed Drake suspiciously.[/i] [b]Satoru:[/b] Does it really matter why? [b]Drake:[/b] Well...yeah... [b]Satoru:[/b] But you're a mercenary. You'll capture me for the right price. Does it matter whether I did it or not? [i]Drake scratched his head. He put his gun down and walked over to Satoru. He sat on a crate near them.[/i] [b]Drake:[/b] I might be a mercenary, but I have a conscious. [b]Satoru:[/b] Well, for what it's worth, I didn't do it. I came into my office and saw one of my staff laying there...blood everywhere. Next moment, guards were pouring into the room looking for me. It was as if someone had already alerted them. [b]Drake:[/b] Perhaps someone had found the body? [b]Satoru:[/b] Unlikely. There was no sign that anyone else had been there previously. Therefore, whoever notified Shinra security [i]must[/i] have known what had happened without actually being there... [b]Drake:[/b] Perhaps they saw the body in your office via security cameras? [b]Satoru:[/b] If they did, wouldn't they also have seen the murderer? Surely they'd have noticed that I wasn't around during the time of the murder. I was only in the room for about thirty seconds before the guards came in. [b]Drake:[/b] Okay...but, why should I believe all this? [b]Satoru:[/b] Frankly, I don't expect you too. Shinra will probably pay any price to get rid of me now. Regardless of whether or not I did it, it won't stop people coming after me...

[color=royalblue]It's the same for movies/games as it is for music. You can't censor stuff like that. It goes against everything a free society stands for. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Or at least, put age restrictions on purchasing music. The parent has no excuse. She should have noticed the warning label and such...I mean, all this is doing is demonstrating her slackness.[/color]

[i]Z. Chang entered Galbadia Garden's main Flight Dock. The dock was enormous -- it was at least one kilometer in width and stretched around 1/4 of the Garden's hull. Just near the entrance was a large vessel which was hovering silently. It was completely black, with red patterns all over it. The patterns were similar to those found on the Garden's exterior. The large sliding door was open and the pilot and co-pilot of the vessel were standing there drinking cups of coffee. When they saw Z. Chang approaching with his briefcase in hand, they immediately threw their coffees away and climbed into the front cab section. Chang climbed into the rear cab of the vehicle and sat in a black leather chair in the center of the cab. The door slid shut immediately. He leaned back in his chair slightly and pressed a button on the arm. Within seconds, a large touch-screen monitor had slid down from the ceiling infront of him. He decided that if he was going to attend this function at Balamb Garden, at least he'd be able to get some work done on the way there...[/i]

[color=royalblue]I think it's likely that Rare may expand its franchises for other consoles. However, I suspect that we're more likely to see [i]new[/i] franchises popping up. You must remember that Nintendo owns a 49% controlling share of Rare Limited. And thus, it's actually Nintendo who signs off on anything. Nintendo are going to protect their interests; no doubts there. So I'd say that if Rare spreads its wings, so to speak, it will probably be in a relatively limited way. I doubt we'll see Donkey Kong or Perfect Dark on PS2 anytime soon.[/color]

[color=royalblue][size=4][font=monotype corsiva]A loud crack of thunder woke Zain the next morning. He slowly opened his eyes and looked forward. He was laying on his right side and infront of him was a small window. The window was more of an open arch with two wooden shutters. One of the shutters had opened due to the fierce wind and was squeaking on its hinges as it swayed back and forth. Zain could see the heavy rain outside. It was still raining. The wind seemed to have calmed down somewhat, but despite it being morning, the sky was still very dark. Zain sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around him and saw Lymous laying on his bed with his pillow over his head; clearly, Lymous hadn't had much sleep last night. On the bed next to Lymous was the strange man that had collapsed at their feet the night before. His wounds were patched up and he looked a little better. Though he still looked weak. Sitting next to him on a small wooden stool was Malon. She had brought a very small bowl of warm water with her, as well as a small towel. She was in the process of dipping the towel in the water, wringing it out and placing it carefully on the man's forehead. She looked up and saw that Zain had woken.[/color][/size][/font] [b]Malon:[/b] Good morning. :) [b]Zain:[/b] Mornin'... [b]Malon:[/b] Did you sleep well? [b]Zain:[/b] Not really... [b]Malon:[/b] Heh, yeah. I don't think any of us did. The horses were scared last night... [b]Zain:[/b] Where's Ralvenar? [b]Malon:[/b] You mean that man with the two wolves? [b]Zain:[/b] Yeah. [b]Malon:[/b] Oh. He was up an hour ago. He's outside, training the dark horse... [b]Zain:[/b] In the rain? Heh, good luck to him. [b]Malon:[/b] I was afraid that his wolves would attack my horses. But they didn't...they just sat together and watched him. Incredible. [b]Zain:[/b] Yeah, Ralvenar is quite a character. [b]Malon:[/b] What are you going to do next? [b]Zain:[/b] Wha? [b]Malon:[/b] Heh, I know you're on some kind of quest. Something important. [b]Zain:[/b] You're more than you seem, aren't you? [b]Malon:[/b] I guess I've had my share of adventure. Or at least, I've seen quite a few things in my time... [b]Zain:[/b] Yeah...when the King of Thieves took over... [b]Malon:[/b] Please don't mention that...I'm sorry, it's just too painful for me. My father suffered...and this ranch suffered greatly. [b]Zain:[/b] Sorry. I understand. [b]Malon:[/b] I suppose you are trying to do something about this weather? It's not normal weather...it's like someone has influenced it somehow. [b]Zain:[/b] Yeah, the Queen sent me a letter about it. In two days time, various tribal leaders and whatnot are going to be having a meeting at Hyrule Castle. We were on our way there, but the storm slowed us down. [b]Malon:[/b] Well, once you have your horses, you'll be able to travel much faster. :) [b]Zain:[/b] Definitely. [color=royalblue][size=4][font=monotype corsiva]Zain began putting on his boots and prearing his weaponry. He looked in his inventory bag to ensure that everything was there.[/color][/size][/font] [b]Malon:[/b] You know what the strangest part about this weather is? [b]Zain:[/b] What? [b]Malon:[/b] Well, before it started raining, we'd had a dry spell here. None of our crops were growing. But after the rain started...it didn't help. It's not...[i]normal[/i] water. I mean, nothing grew...it's like the water has no effect. [b]Zain:[/b] Maybe the plants are being drowned? [b]Malon:[/b] Well, we had various plants in pots outside. We left them there for a few hours in the rain and then brought them inside the stable. But still, nothing... [b]Zain:[/b] Hopefully if we can get to the bottom of this, your plants will be okay. :) [b]Malon:[/b] Thanks. Once I'm done with this Gerudo man...I'm going to go into town to buy some more food. [b]Zain:[/b] Sure. We have no rush here...we need to get our horses ready and have some lunch, then we'll be on our way. [b]Malon:[/b] I'll be cooking lunch in a few hours. At midday, come to the barnhouse with your friends for the best meal you've ever had. :) [b]Zain:[/b] Heh, thanks. :) I'm going to go check on Ralvenar now... [color=royalblue][size=4][font=monotype corsiva]Zain smiled and stood up with his belongings. He exited the room and walked down the stairs. He opened the front door of the barn and shielded his face from the rain. He pulled his cloak over his head and began to walk through the mud toward the holding pen...[/font][/size][/color]

[i]Z. Chang sat in his office, behind his desk. On the desk was a large, flat plasma screen with the rest of the year's curriculum on it. Chang had spent the last week preparing the curriculum for Galbadia Garden. Unfortunately, he was continually interrupted by Headmasters from other Gardens around the world; Chang was known as "the face of Galbadia Garden". He took it upon himself to travel to the other Gardens to survey their operations. Both his age and senior position were factors in this, but the Headmaster of Galbadia Garden had thought it a good idea to continue on this course of action. And thus, the Headmaster rarely every left the Garden. He left the travelling to Chang. Chang continued working away on his touch screen monitor, his hands moving silently over its surface as he concentrated. He heard a slight "whoosh" sound from the other side of his office. Cringing, he looked up over his monitor. Walking toward him was his secretary, Karuna.[/i] [b]Karuna:[/b] Mr. Chang, good morning. [b]Z. Chang:[/b] Morning, Karuna. What is so important that you need to disturb me while I'm working on the year's curriculum? [b]Karuna:[/b] Balamb Garden is sending a group of SeeDs to Dollet for an exercize. [b]Z. Chang:[/b] And? [b]Karuna:[/b] Headmaster Cid invited you to have dinner with him and some other senior staff from Trabia Garden. He wants you to be in attendance when all the SeeDs leave. [b]Z. Chang:[/b] Ugh. Can he not do anything without someone there to hold his hand? [b]Karuna:[/b] Just delivering the message, sir... [b]Z. Chang:[/b] Just leave it here on my desk, Karuna. I'll get to it when I can; Cid will just have to wait for a moment. [b]Karuna:[/b] Yes sir. [i]Karuna silently sat the note on Chang's desk and walked out of the room. Zian Chang was indeed considered to be a cold man by most of the students at Galbadia Garden. However, Galbadia Garden was different from the other Gardens; it was situated in Gaia's largest nation: Galbadia. And as such, it had a huge number of students. Most students had never even seen the Headmaster, and most knew that Mr. Chang spent a great deal of time at other Gardens. Z. Chang switched off his monitor. He stood up and collected his coat. Even though he really didn't want to have dinner with Headmaster Cid and other senior instructors, he knew he had no choice. He leant over and touched a keypad on his desk, which automatically turned the lights off. And then he silently exited the room and headed for the Landing Dock...[/i]

[color=royalblue]Umm...well, Satoru Shinra and Denki are now obviously trying to outrun Drake, who has been sent to capture S. Shinra. Though Desbreko should make the first move...I have no idea how to proceed. lol[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]you people must remember France only had a very small voter turn out for that 1st election thing how ever they do it, so more people will vote in the 2nd election thing and he "shouldn?t" be able to get in. and comparing him to the taliban is very unfair. you must remember that some countries expose their people to propaganda (eg America and others good and bad) so you can never really know what?s going on. but I don?t think he would be another Hitler, he doesn?t have the army and America and Briton and all the others don?t want ww3. you should be worrying about bush attacking Iraq because unlike the taliban they want be a push over! And I am in no way on the side of le pen. (in my opinion) [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Hm, I think that strays off-course somewhat. Of course Le Pen isn't [i]literally[/i] like Hitler (in terms of army/defence and whatnot). But his ideals are very similar. Being traditionally right-wing, he wishes to isolate France -- to withdraw it from the European Union and to revert back to the Franc, despite the introduction of the Euro. He also wants to put in place very strict new refugee laws and such, which would significantly prohibit access to France. So people are referring to his politics, moreso than his actual physical actions or whatever.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Desbreko [/i] [B][color=indigo]I don't know about Nintendo's [i]biggest[/i] mistake, but I think that even if they had gone through with it and it did hurt SNES sales, it wouldn't have been as bad as the PlayStation... The PS1 and PS2 have no doubt hurt Nintendo's sales a lot more than the SNES add-on could have... That, and Square most likely would have stuck with Nintendo.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]A deal between Nintendo and Sony would most likely not have killed off the PlayStation anyway. Sony would probably still have gone ahead with it. PlayStation sales haven't hurt Nintendo whatsoever -- people always look at sales numbers and assume that Sony has pushed Nintendo off its perch. I wouldn't agree with that, because if you look at [i]profitability[/i] numbers, you'll find that Nintendo is a far more profitable enterprise. And let's face it, if you're making the biggest profit ratio on your products...it doesn't really matter if you're "leading" the console war or not.[/color] :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Raiha [/i] [B][COLOR=seagreen]Yeah, and I'm sitting here, sipping my coffee, wondering why my rank has been f*cked around with......:demon:[/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE] [size=1]LOL...your rank...AHAHAHA. Ahem. Actually, your rank isn't custom. It's one of the normal ranks..."No Life" is a rank all members will get once they hit a certain posting mark. Fun, ain't it? :)[/size]

[color=royalblue]I find myself singing/humming choruses to popular music...even if I don't like the song. lol Weirdness... :drunk:[/color]

[color=royalblue]Hm, I don't think Nintendo's biggest mistake was pulling out of the deal with Sony. Had Nintendo gone through with it, it may have hurt SNES sales. But yeah, two carts is just unrealistic. The GameCube's optical disc format has more than enough memory for most games.[/color]

[color=royalblue]CWB was the Great Frying Pan Man? Whoa...I never knew. lol I looked back at v2 the other day...and really, I think some people are using rose coloured glasses. lol It was good...but not [i]that[/i] good. Infact, compared to what we have now...it was pretty damn boring. lol Perhaps we've just grown up since then...[/color]

[color=royalblue]I don't think Le Penn will be elected to the Presidency, but there was one thing I really didn't like... All those people who protested/rioted in the streets upon hearing the result. If he'd put himself there, then that's terrible...but if people have [i]freely voted[/i] for him...well, that's no reason to riot. lol Sure, I don't think many people like this guy...and I don't think people voted for him because they love his policies. They voted because they wanted the current beaurocracy to wake up and realize that it's not in touch with voters.[/color]