James

[i]Later that evening, Denki led Satoru along a thin pathway by the Junon Harbour. The pathway began to spiral down into the darkness. It appeared to lead underneath the harbour itself. Satoru reached into his pocket and removed a Sense Materia orb. He held it up in the air and it began to glow -- allowing him to see the area directly around them. They were in some sort of tunnel under the harbour.[/i] Satoru: Denki, are you [i]sure[/i] this is the right way? Denki: Yea...just another couple 'o' hundred metres that way... [i]Denki pointed into the darkness[/i]. Satoru: Oh...well, okay. Denki: Heh, dun worry...I know this guy, he's a friend of mine. He's good with disguises and all that. Satoru: Okay then. I'm trusting you. :) Denki: :D

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SolidSnake2 [/i] [B]You've really chnged now BulmaVegeta1!:angry2: Calling me every time I make a statement something nasty.:( What's next!? A combo of fruitBasket and Stupid!? Well!?:flaming: [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]I do believe he said it was a joke. :rolleyes: Anyhoo...let's try and remail civil here folks...[/color]

[size=1]OOC: My god, I don't think I can keep up with this...lol[/size]

[color=royalblue]Hmm yeah, I don't think Denzel really deserved the award for the specific movie he was in...but I think that he has done so many fantastic performances in his life...he deserved recognition. I mean, he was awesome in The Bone Collector...and I just think that in general, he should be acknowledged. But I also agree about Will Smith...he was very good -- he would have deserved the award just as much. I am really dissappointed that Lord of the Rings didn't win more...but I am glad that Moulin Rouge didn't win best picture or whatever. I mean, it was a cool movie in terms of visual design and direction...but Nicole's voice absolutely sucked...and the story was terrible (I had to stop watching halfway through because I didn't enjoy it). [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i] [B] oh dear god.... this can be very, very, bad, gulp.... [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]WHAT?! Geez...[i]excuuuse[/i] me for participating...:flaming: [/color]

[color=royalblue]Hm, we've had a lot of movie-related topics in GD lately lol. Anyway, I didn't watch the entire Oscar awards...they were just too long and boring for me. However, I did watch the highlights. I was amazed to see some of the results, though I agree with most of them. Halle Berry (sp?) [b]really[/b] deserved her award...and when she got up there, I felt incredibly happy for her. The same is true for Denzel Washington -- he's one of my all time favourite actors. :) The only thing I disagreed with was best movie -- it should have gone to Lord of the Rings. I'm amazed that LotR didn't win more...it was such a fantastic movie -- a great combination of Australian & New Zealand talent. Just shows what the two countries can achieve when they put their heads together. ;) I'm just wondering what everyone else thought of the awards. Which ones did you agree and disagree with?[/color]

[color=royalblue]I loved Ice Age. :) It was so much better than Monsters Inc...in my opinion, Monsters Inc. was actually pretty crappy...by the second half of the movie, I was getting really bored...I wanted it to end lol But Ice Age was good -- it didn't have any decent storyline...but there were just a lot of funny gags throughout the movie lol So yeah, I enjoyed it. And I saw the extended Star Wars: Episode II trailer as well...so this is the next movie I really want to see. I'm very excited about Episode II...it's looking fantastic. [/color]

[i]Satoru and Denki walked along Junon's main street. On their left, they could see the enormous Junon Canon. And on their right, they could see giant apartment buildings running along the street. Junon's Harbour was completely full of Shinra vessels. There were four very large Shinra Frieghters, which had been used to evacuate the city's population when the Mako Reactor had begun to leak. However, most of the inhabitants of Junon seemed to be going about their business as usual -- even if they were somewhat hesitant to go anywhere near the Mako Reactor area. Satoru and Denki walked along the pier, alongside on of the large black frieghters. They sat down with their lengs dangling over the edge -- the pair had arrived in Junon wearing prison uniforms, but they had both quickly bought a change of clothes as soon as the train had stopped. Satoru looked up at the frieghter. Several Shinra guards were carrying large boxes with strange symbols on them. It appeared that they were carrying the boxes onto the ship from a nearby warehouse.[/i] Satoru: Hmm... Denki: Wha? Satoru: I wonder what they're loading onto the frieghters... Denki: Yea... Satoru: I guess it's nothing to worry about. Denki: Do you know how you're gonna clear your name yet? Satoru: No...I have no idea. How can I prove who killed those two men? And besides, if I go to the authorities, I will just be arrested. Denki: Yea :( Satoru: There [i]must[/i] be some way of finding out what is really going on here. Denki: Well, I'm not that smart...but I reckon that the best thing we can do is buy some weapons and materia before we do anythin' else. Satoru: Heh, yeah, maybe you're right. Denki: I mean, maybe you should get some evade materia...or somethin' to cut your encounter rate. That'll be useful if ya come across any trouble. Satoru: You're right. Do you know of any materia stores in Junon? Denki: Oh yea, there are dozens of 'em. Shouldn't be hard to find good materia aroun' here. In fact, there's one little place I know of...it's kinda hard to find and it's only open at night. But it's a really good store...you'd definitely find what ya want there. Satoru: Okay then. Well, I guess now it's just a matter of waiting. Perhaps we should do some shoppping? ;) Denki: Heh...you mean buy up some supplies eh? Satoru: Yep! Denki: Oh but...I got no money. :( Satoru: Hey, it's fine...I have money. I'll buy whatever you need. Denki: Really?! Satoru: Sure! Denki: Aw thanks!! :D Satoru: No problem. Now...I need a better disguise for my face. I've already had a few people looking at me weirdly...

[color=royalblue]Ahh, I must take a photo of my pet birdy...called [i]Bob[/i]. He's utterly insane -- when I put water in his cage, he attacks the water dish thingy and then realizes that it's actually good for him lol. And my sister's bird is much smaller...it's called Muttski. lol It is REALLY insane...it makes out with its own mirror lol. And it tries to eat the paint off the bars on the cage...:rolleyes: [/color]

[color=royalblue]I'll join...[/color]

[color=royalblue]I think that astronomy is an incredibly interesting subject. It is also a very philosophical subject -- focusing on the Universe around us...and what makes humans as a species unique. I am particularly hopeful that I will see mankind land on Mars in my lifetime...and I hope that in my lifetime, space travel will become much cheaper and more accessible. Other than that, it's interesting to learn about the Universe -- to discover more about our own planet...and more about the evolution of Earth and how it relates to the rest of the Universe. I think it's hard [i]not[/i] to be interested in astronomy, at least on some level. :)[/color]

[font=times][color=purple][size=3]"Throughout history, mankind has used his grasp of technology to systematically destroy the environment around him. Polluting cars, heavy industry and logging are factors which have continually served mankind, yet destroyed the natural world. The machines were the pinnacle of this destructive attitude. Not only did they pollute the Earth, but they turned on their very creators. They destroyed mankind it self. Such a painful irony, yet perhaps justified by our own actions in the past. But the destruction of the machines and the rebirth of human society may finally allow us to right the wrongs of our past. We can reverse our parasitic ways and bring sunlight back to the world. We can replace the fields of human embryos, born into slavery, with fields of corn and wheat. Only we can save the future. We are Earth's final hope." [b]Our Future[/b] - Morpheus (01.01.2101)[/color][/size][/font] [i]Syth removed his handscanner from his belt. He flipped the lid open and the small LCD screen lit-up, illuminating his environment suit with a dull blue glow.[/i] Syth: Hmm...there are some titanium scraps here... Rico: Oh? Syth: Yeah, titanium is the strongest metal in existence. I'm actually amazed that the machines would dump such metal here...rather than recycling it. [color=green]Flash: Yeah, those machines just don't have a social conscience![/color] Syth: Heh, if you didn't have the ship's turret guarding us, Flash...I don't know if I'd be in the mood for jokes. [i]Syth continued waving his scanner over the rubble. As he scanned, he pulled out any scraps of titanium that he could find.[/i] Syth: Hey guys...I found a big piece...come and help me lift it will you? Rico & Warlock: Sure! [i]Rico and Warlock walked over and grabbed either side of the large metal sheet. The three men began pulling the sheet from the rest of the junk.[/i] Rico: Ugh! It's so heavy! Syth: Yeah, it's too big. We've got to cut it up. Warlock, did you bring a portable laser cutter with you? Warlock: Yep. Hang on, lemme cut it down the middle.[i] Warlock leaned over the metal sheet and aimed his small laser cutter at it. A thin red beam emerged from the tip of the device and began to slice the metal. Due to the strength of the metal, it took Warlock fifteen minutes to slice it apart.[/i] Warlock: Phew, thank god it was thin...otherwise it would have taken an hour. Syth: Okay, let's take this back to the ship. It should be plenty -- I didn't expect to find such a big sheet of raw titanium out here. [i]Syth and Warlock began pulling the sheet of metal from the rubble, and each agreed to carry one half. As the two began to walk back towards the ship, Rico yelled out...[/i] Rico: Hey! Wait a sec! Syth & Warlock: ?! Rico: I found something...come see! [i]Syth and Warlock glanced at each other and dropped the metal sheets. They ran over to Rico.[/i] Syth: What is it? Rico: Look... [i]Rico pointed to the gap in the rubble, which had been left by the large titanium sheet. Sitting neatly in the middle of the gap was a very strange object -- a chunk of metal in the shape of a four-sided pyramid.[/i] Warlock: *scratches head* What do you think it is? Syth: I have no idea... Rico: Why would the machines make something like this? It looks like some sort of weird sculpture... Syth: Hmm... [i]Syth ran his hand scanner over the metal. The scanner zoomed in several fold and Syth noticed that the surface of the pyramid contained tiny inscriptions.[/i] Syth: Wow...it looks like it has some kind of writing on it. Although I don't recongize the words... Rico: Hmm, should we take it? Syth: Definitely. We can have it analyzed a little further using better tools...nothing I am carrying on me will be thorough enough. Warlock: Yeah, maybe Salalia can take a look. She might know more about it. [i]Syth and Rico nodded. Rico leaned down to pick up the small pyramid, while Syth and Warlock walked back to the metal sheets and lifted them up. The three began to make their way back to the Zephyr...[/i]

[color=royalblue]I think that the art style lends itself to characters looking similar. I mean really...most anime-styled characters have some sort of similarity in design. I think that the main characters in the Final Fantsay games look different enough (I believe that Tifa was more secondary to Aeris in FFVII...since the story revolved around Aeris quite a lot)...but yeah, I think that the art style lends itself to minor similarities at times. [/color]

[color=royalblue]On an interesting side note, there were thousands of year old documents dug up a while back...which basically said that a church is blasphemous...and that the "church" is actually the spiritual center inside each human being. Of course, the church instantly called this a fake...and said that it had no relevance. I don't know whether it was fake or not, but it does not surprise me that the church would try to dismiss such a thing. I personally consider myself quite a spiritual person...and others (like Ginny Lyn) will point at me and say that I am anti-God etc etc etc... But it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not anti-God. I'm anti-religion. It is my belief that if God indeed exists...he is a bringer of wisdom and knowledge...and I think that he would not be arrogant enough to accept people bowing down to him in an organized fashion. I think God is above such a human desire. My rather long-winded point is simply that this issue of rape and the church doesn't at all surprise me. The church itself is a farse -- it is merely an establishment created to push political and social agendas...and to continually provide misinformation. Therefore, the idea that many in the church would actually be ignoring the very vows that the swore to their creator, does not seem so strange. These people aren't truly interested in honoring God -- if they were, they would do everything in their power to avoid acting on their compulsions. Thus, it is a great circle; the hypocracy of organized religion continues. It's there in the name of God...and yet in so many ways, it degrades everything that God should stand for. And it only further proves human selfishness -- which this issue of molestation in the church is a prime example of. Ugh, sorry if that was a bit long...but I guess you can see where I'm coming from on the issue. :)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Solid Snake [/i] [B][COLOR=teal] But then again, GameCube is short on fighting games at the moment. Though it is releasing Soul Calibur 2, I, for one, would like to see their few fighting games kicked off strong, and not edited to a childish atmosphere. If they are to send their company name to a system, they should atleast try to make that system look good.[/COLOR] :blah: [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Well, Virtua Fighter Kids is much more of a "Smash Bros." type of game. Meaning, it's not watered down for kids as such...it's just more of a non-serious fighting game. So I think if you look at the game from that aspect, you won't be dissappointed. GameCube will have Soul Calibur 2 engineered primarily for its own hardware...but moreover, Bloody Roar 3 (I think it's 3, anyway) will be exclusive to Nintendo Gamecube. I think that the PlayStation 2 will end up being the console of choice for fighting game fanatics...but I believe that GameCube will come in second in terms of the kind of fighters it receives in general.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Kenshiro [/i] [B]Yeah it is a bit raunchy...and btw..you dont know who george michael is? how old are you? [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]Heh, yeah...he must be pretty young not to know how George Michael is. :drunk: Anyway, your parents actually change the channel when the song comes on? Er...:rolleyes: I can't say I see anything really adult about the song...I mean, I [i]guess[/i] the video clip isn't good for those under five years of age lol...but really, I don't see the big deal. I personally don't really like the song though...so I guess it kinda doesn't matter lol.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Well, the original Virtua Fighter Kids was released on the Sega Saturn. And at that time, it was regarded as a somewhat unique fighting game. As far as I'm concerned, the GameCube will already be getting Soul Calibur 2 (which is said to originally be running on the Triforce technology)...so I don't really feel that Nintendo has anything to prove when it comes to engineering "mature" games. I think it would be a shame to see VFK and not Virtua Fighter 4 or whatever, but at the same time, if VFK were exclusive to GameCube, I think it could potentially be one of those quirky titles which actually hides quite a lot of depth. And of course, it could potentially look fantastic as well.[/color]

[color=royalblue]Can we please have some semi-intelligent discussions in General Discussion...pleeeeaaase? Ugh. Topic closed. :rolleyes: [/color]

[i]Finally, the train stopped. Denki led Satoru off the platform and onto the street opposite. The city was still under pressure, though things were starting to return to normal. Most of the citizens had returned to their homes and most businesses had reopened.[/i] Denki: We'd better get off the street with these uniforms...we need to buy us some real clothes... Satoru: I have money I think...I kept it with me. Denki: You think of everythin'! Satoru: :blush: [i]Satoru led Denki down a small alleyway toward a clothing shop. Satoru purchased a suit, while Denki stood there for more than an hour trying to decide what color shirt to buy. Eventually he just bought jeans and a t-shirt.[/i] Denki: So what now? Satoru: Well, we're going to need a place to stay... Denki: Aw yeah.. :( Satoru: Don't worry, I have cash. We'll have to find some quiet, out of the way place to spend the night...I don't want anyone to recognize me. Denki: Hm, I got an idea! [i]Denki sprinted out of the store and went to the store across the street, which had a sign out the front saying "Novelty Party Items". Almost instantly he rushed back with a small paper back in his hand.[/i] Satoru: What's this? [i]Denki reached into the bag and produced a rubber nose and glasses.[/i] Satoru: Whaaat?! You want me to wear that!! Denki: Hehe...dun worry, we'll make it look normal. Satoru: Normal?! Are you kidding? Denki: Heyy, I'm sure it'll be fine. Better than bein' recognized isn't it? Satoru: *sigh* Yeah you're right... [i]Denki put the fake nose and glasses on Satoru, making sure to sit them correctly on his face.[/i] Denki: There! All done! :D Satoru: Ugh...how humiliating...

[i]Syth eyed Flash thoughtfully.[/i] Syth: You take this stuff really seriously, don't you? Flash: Yeah. :blush: Syth: Heh, well...I'm glad you do. Once our systems are operational, we can send out another team for scrap. I'm not going out there again without support from the Zephyr...

[i]The set of factories located on the outskirts of Yokohama were nothing unusual. Or at least, they didn't appear to be unusual to the average passer-by. However, they hid deadly secrets...they were the world headquarters of the White Raven gang -- an infamous gang which had spent the last eight years dealing in illegal arms and which was now attempting to secure nuclear weapons for terrorist groups...[/i] [font=arial][i][color=green][b]CODEC MESSAGE...[/b] Raven: So, our one man at the airport failed... ???: Bwahahah...I knew he would! He was a fool...I don't know why you keep havin' such morons working for you... Raven: I chose you, didn't I? ???: Heh... Raven: I want you to find out what those Russians are doing. They think they can have their little weapons deal going on right under my nose...well, they can think again... ???: Are FOXHOUND involved? Raven: Goliath...you should know. Is FOXHOUND ever [/i]not[i] involved? Goliath: Heh...yeah, guess you're right boss. Raven: Yeah, well...I want you to gather more information. Get to JFK airport as soon as you can... Goliath: Will do. [b]TRANSMISSION ENDED[/b][/font][/color][/i]

[i]The train made its way through the forest and snaked through the valleys toward the city of Junon. Satoru stared blankly out the window. He wondered what was going on back at the Shinra Inc. headquarters. And moreover, he wondered what was happening at Corel Prison... Denki, however, seemed to be enjoying his new found freedom. He was taste-testing every kind of dessert that the train offered. And while the desserts weren't up to Satoru's taste, Denki was overwhelmed and excited by the sheer selection.[/i] Satoru: Heh...I'm guessing you don't get much dessert at the prison... [i]Denki shook his head. His mouth was stuffed full of cake. He may have been a prisoner, but he took his table manners very seriously.[/i] Satoru: I wonder how Midgar is doing without me... [i]Denki swallowed hard, nearly choking on the cake.[/i] Denki: I'm sure they miss you. Satoru: I don't know...this all just seems wrong. I mean, there is the reactor leak in Junon...and then our base in the Icicle Area is totally evacuated. And now here I am, on a train bound for Junon...having just left Corel Prison. Denki: You still have your health... Satoru: Heh, yeah I guess. Denki: So what's the matter? Satoru: Well, I wonder if someone within Shinra had been planning all of this. Scarlet could have done some of it I guess, but the military wouldn't just do everything she says... Denki: What 'bout the general? Satoru: Nah. The general is loyal to me... Denki: Maybe they arrested 'im too? Satoru: I hope not. Denki: Want some cake? I left some over for ya. Satoru: Yeah, thanks. It might keep my mind off things.[i] Satoru began to eat his cake as he continued looking out the window, watching the hills roll past. In the distance, he could see the great cannon of Junon...as well as several large Shinra Freighters docked in the city's scenic port. Junon had become such a beautiful city -- full of tall white buildings and expansive gardens. Satoru was happy to be going there, but he knew he'd have to watch for Shinra guards...[/i]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i] [B] gosh jamesey, no need to flatter me like that in public, lol :blush: :smooch: [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]I was almost going to get make a Cloud/Seph Yaoi banner [i]just[/i] for you... But then I thought that people may really question my sanity...so I decided not to. (Actually, I just couldn't find any good images...oh well). Hehe. :blush: Anyway erm...now, back to the subject at hand...[/color]

[color=royalblue]We already have an active topic which discusses when it is appropriate to discuss drugs/alcohol/sex etc with kids...I don't think we need a repeat of that...[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by mystfalcon25 [/i] [B] And kuja, it isn't violence that solely attracts gamers to the villains, Sephiroth is my second-favorite character in ff7 after cid, and it isn't just because he was the bad and violent take-over-the-world kinda guy. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=royalblue]This is why I wasn't particularly impressed by Kuja (the character, not the OtakuBoards member ;)). The core reason behind that is that he was a very bland character. He didn't come across to me as having any feelings or history...he was just kinda...[i]there[/i]. Moreover, his goals were always very transparent -- they were obvious and he never seemed to deviate from his main objectives. I preferred Sephiroth for a few reasons. He was unpredictable...violent...and very self absorbed. Sephiroth felt threatening because he actually had a history...and his violence and evil were deeper and more disturbing than other video game villains I've seen. I mean, sometimes he would talk kind of blankly...without any human feeling...and then all of a sudden, he'd go completely psycho and murder an entire village. It was this strange indifference becoming extreme violence which made Sephiroth dangerous. And whenever I knew Sephiroth was near (based on his musical score), I always felt a slight sense of doom...as if something bad were going to happen. I never felt threatened by Kuja...at all. I also thought that Edea was a pretty good villain, although the way she kind of changed her tune toward the end of the game really ruined it for me. Her replacement wasn't nearly as scary -- simply because the game didn't give players enough time to truly understand her successor...there was no history or feeling toward Ultemicia... That is why I think that the ultimate villain must be represented throughout the entire game...so that by the end, there is a real sense of who or what the villain is.[/color]