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 Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:13 pm
Café talk
- by P. Volkhausen
"Where am I?"
"Oh, you're alive!"
"Of course..."
"Don't look like that. I was really worried."
"You were?"
"You were dead."
"I was?"
"At least I thought so. And you surely were at the edge of meeting your Maker."
"How poetic."
"That's not funny! Don't you remember how much you suffered?"
"No."
"Can you sit up? Wait, I help you."
"Thanks. - What's that?"
"What?"
"This stuff."
"Blood. Your blood."
"Gross."
"But it's yours, a part of your body."
"It no longer is, I dare to say. Look, all dried and brown."
"Yeah, but here on the border, when you touch it - like this - it becomes liquid again."
"Blood isn't supposed to react like this."
"It's your blood. It's up to you how it reacts."
"I don't want it to react at all. I don't want it to be there - I don't want it back! ... I think I'm better off without it."
"Its loss almost made you die."
"Yet, I didn't die. - We should clean up this mess."
"I call the waitress."
"And let's take a seat."
"This table here okay?"
"Sure."
"I have a Coke."
"Cappuccino for me. No, espresso, please."
"Nice here, isn't it? - What's wrong?"
"Don't know. I feel an unpleasant pressure, but I can't locate where it's coming from."
"No wonder. Look at this."
"What?"
"Here, in your hand."
"Oh, my heart. It is...stitched?"
"It'll be fine soon."
"Sure?"
"Yes. You're strong."
"I don't feel strong."
"You will, after you had your espresso."
"How comes you're so confident in me?"
"Well, you're a good person."
"Ugh, I'm no ******** saint, you know?"
"Haha, I didn't mean to make it sound like that. And I know you can be
some spoiled b***h if you only want to. - What? Wrong answer again?"
"Ahh...iunno. I guess I just don't want to..."
"...?"
"Do you think it's my fault, recent events, I mean?"
"I didn't get the impression you wanted to die."
"Right. Even more so, I could've prevented myself from ending here. I willingly risked my heart. What if I created this accident just to be able to say my life's got a trace of drama and not everything is so straight, so successful."
"So like, self-inflicted torture to make your life more interesting?"
"Does that make any sense to you?"
"Yes. And no. - Ah, our drinks are coming. Can you hold that for a sec, please?"
"I already wondered what's with your arm. How did it come off?"
"Here you go, your espresso. Huh? Well, they argued about me. Turned
into a fight, so both of'em kept tugging and tugging until..."
"Uh. I see. - Hmm, tastes good. Excellent blend."
"Almost ripped off the other, too. Look, it's a little torn at the joint. But, you see, they didn't really mean to... - I don't like coffee and that stuff."
"I see. ? Ever tried to change that?"
"No, after trying it once I don't think I'll ever have another sip of it, hehe."
"Your arm! Why didn't you fix it?"
"Ever tried sewing with one hand?"
"...could be difficult indeed. Then why don't ask for help?"
"Fine, let me try this..."
"Oy, watch out! Hot espresso on your pants is no fun, someone told me."
"Eww, drinking it either."
"You just don't know what's good for you."
"Hahaha! You've got a point!"
"Yet...we tend to repeat our mistakes."
"Sorry?"
"There and there. And there. All these scars on your body. Maybe it's an artist's syndrome: we need the pain for the sake of deep art. ...pathetic. - So many scars. Even...here."
"Hey, don't make me squint! - Hmm, it's good to see you laughing again. Missed that."
"I didn't stop to."
"C'mon, you aren't talking about those fake smiles, are you?"
"..."
"..."
"I lied."
"Hm?"
"..."
"...?"
"Ah geez, this is looking so stupid! Lemme fix it."
"But...what are you do...why do you rip your shirt?"
"Idiot, I need a thread. And it's full of blood stains anyway, wouldn't get it clean anymore. - Waiter!"
"Wait a minute. Just tell me...oy, my arm!"
"Thank you. - See, needle and thread. Let's get started! You really can't run around with just one arm, imbecile."
"You like calling me names, hm?"
"You need to take care of yourself. Here, hold my heart while I'm busy attaching that."
"Uh, sure. - Do you have, err, any experiences with sewing?"
"I often made my own stuffed animals when I was a kid. Once, I created a little teddy, but unfortunately it ended as a shrunken head. Still, all limbs were on the right place..."
"Well, I must say I'm quite relieved now."
"...three arms, four legs and..."
"Okay, stop it!! - Don't laugh. I'm not some toy!"
"Calm down, I know that. - Does it hurt? They don't have any anaesthetics here. Maybe I should've given you some booze before."
"No, no. It's okay. Just pricking a little."
"..."
"..."
"I lied when I said I couldn't remember. I remember everything. Every minute. Every ******** second. But thinking of it, is..."
"I know. ... I know. - Your heart's all warm. During the last days, I feared that tiny ice flowers would appear on its surface at any moment, that it might turn into a lump of frozen meat and finally explode into thousand splinters. But it simply tore and the blood welled up like lava. And..."
"Thank you. For holding my hand."
"Ah, that. S'okay, not worth mentioning."
"Don't say that. Maybe I'd still lie there on the floor if you hadn't been there."
"Heh, nonsense. I?I didn't know what to do! I couldn't offer any real help."
"Damn it, just accept my gratitude!"
"Ouch! Okay, okay, haha. - Hey, looks quite good. See, I can move my fingers."
"Call me master. Now on to your other shoulder. - Let?s not talk about me anymore. This here isn't my place. ... I used to say things like, "What's life without some scars?", but being here, looking at these people?such remarks would be fairly uncalled-for. We shouldn't make such a fuss about my?problems."
"You say that as if it was only a scratched knee from tripping over - after you've just admitted that in fact it was quite serious?!"
"Ah, don't get me wrong. It was serious. I was hurting like hell and grinning to hide it. However, it shouldn't have been enough to bring me into this...caf鬠or whatever this is. You understand me? I delivered the final blow! I could've stopped myself from going this far - I?! There're some things I can never allow myself to commit and...but I wanted to stop talking about myself. I don't deserve to be here, me with my blown-up issues. Bet the others find it ridiculous to see me here."
"But you simply want to be l--"
"I know."
"That's nothing to shrug off just like that."
"Maybe. - There, done."
"Thanks. I'm as good as new, huh?"
"And you look like some Tim Burton figure now."
"Was that a compliment? - So, you mean I deserve to be here?"
"Ah, well. Nobody should be here. Yet, I suppose it's only necessary for a place like this to exist. And in your case...I think...it's understandable, though I really don't like to see you here."
"Hey, that's no reason to cry."
"What? Oh, I didn't notice. Must be the atmosphere in here. The air...so thick, as if the room's full of smoking people. But you can't see any smoke. Has been bothering me all the time."
"You'll get used to it. - Hey, your espresso must be cold by now."
"What do you mean? How long have you been here? And yes, it is cold..."
"Uhh, I...I don?t know."
"Then it's definitely time to leave."
"Okay, but don't you think we should put back your heart first? Not that you're the only one with an open thorax here, but I don't think people outside would like this sight."
"Heh, no bad idea. Help me?"
"Yup, lemme see. - O...kay. How does it feel?"
"Good. Perfect. I close it then. - Your fingerprints are on my heart now..."
"Do you fear it might cause an infection? Well, they don't have any disinfectants here. Besides from alcohol--you're laughing again. I'm serious!"
"Sorry, I'm sorry! I'm not laughing at you. It's just...nothing. It's fine, don't worry. - So, let's go then! - What's wrong? What are you waiting for?"
"I can't."
"I don't understand."
"I cannot leave this place."
"Eh? Why's that?"
"You wish to leave this caf鬠which shows me you really don't belong in here. But I - until you mentioned it just now, it has never even occurred to me I could leave. And I don't know what to do outside. I fear I've forgotten how living outside this caf頷orks."
"That doesn't mean you've gotta stay here. I can help you. Come on! There's the door."
"I dunno. ... I can't leave just like that."
"Fine. ... Fine! Then, we leave like this!"
"What...that's...the window?"
"Away with these dark curtains and - it's sunny outside! And now..."
"Hey, hey! You can't force me...stop dragging!"
"..."
"..."
"...you want to stay here?"
"..."
"You want to stay here?"
"No."
"Okay. Good. - Here, gimme your hand."
"Coming. - Oh s**t, it's really bright out here!"
"You'll get used to it."
"Look at this. The caf鮮."
"My, my."
"It's almost completely dark in there. You can barely see the others through this grey waft of mist..."
"Weird...eerie. - Let's not look back, okay?"
"Okay. What now?"
"Shopping."
"Shopping??"
"Shopping."
"All right. You're wish is my command!"
"Ahahaha, baka."
"See, I'm good at it."
"Huh?"
"Making you laugh."
"Tss. Let's go."
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You know what?"
"Hm?"
"It's good to be back."
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:48 pm
The Laws of Anime
Law of Metaphysical Irregularity
The normal laws of physics do not apply.
Law of Differentiated Gravitation
Whenever someone or something jumps, is thrown, or otherwise is rendered airborn, gravity is reduced by a factor of 4.
Law of Sonic Amplification, First Law of Anime Acoustics
In space, loud sounds, like explosions, are even louder because there is no air to get in the way.
Law of Constant Thrust, First Law of Anime Motion
In space, constant thrust equals constant velocity.
Law of Mechanical Mobility, Second Law of Anime Motion
The larger a mechanical device is, the faster it moves. Armored Mecha are the fastest objects known to human science.
Law of Temporal Variability
Time is not a constant. Time stops for the hero whenever he does something 'cool' or 'impressive'. Time slows down when friends and lovers are being killed and speeds up whenever there is a fight.
First Law of Temporal Mortality
'Good Guys' and 'Bad Guys' both die in one of two ways. Either so quick they don't even see it coming, OR it's a long drawn out affair where the character gains much insight to the workings of society, human existence or why the toast always lands butter side down.
Second Law of Temporal Mortality
It takes some time for bad guys to die... regardless of physical damage. Even when the 'Bad Guys' are killed so quickly they didn't even see it coming, it takes them a while to realize they are dead. This is attributed to the belief that being evil damages the Reality Lobe of the brain.
Law of Dramatic Emphasis
Scenes involving extreme amounts of action are depicted with either still-frames or black screens with a slash of bright color (usually red or white).
Law of Dramatic Multiplicity
Scenes that only happen once, for instance, a 'Good Guy' kicks the 'Bad Guy' in the face, are seen at least 3 times from 3 different angles.
Law of Inherent Combustability
Everything explodes. Everything.
First Corollary - Anything that explodes bulges first.
Second Corollary - Large cities are the most explosive substances known to human science. Tokyo in particular seems to be the most unstable of these cities, sometimes referred to as "The Matchstick City".
Law of Phlogistatic Emission
Nearly all things emit light from fatal wounds.
Law of Energetic Emission
There is alway an energy build up (commonly referred to as an energy 'bulge') before Mecha or space craft weapons fire. Because of the explosive qualities of weapons, it is believed that this is related to the Law of Inherent Combustability.
Law of Inverse Lethal Magnitude
The destructive potential of a weapon is inversly proportional to its size.
First Corollary - Small and cute will always overcome big and ugly. Also know as the A-Ko phenomenon.
Law of Inexhaustability
No one *EVER* runs out of ammunition. That is of course unless they are cornered, out-numbered, out-classed, and unconscious.
Law of Inverse Accuracy
The accuracy of a 'Good Guy' when operating any form of fire-arm increases as the difficulty of the shot increases. The accuracy of the 'Bad Guys' when operating fire-arms decreases when the difficulty of the shot decreases. (Also known as the Stormtrooper Effect)
Example: A 'Good Guy' in a drunken stupor being held upside down from a moving vehicle will always hit, and several battalions of 'Bad Guys' firing on a 'Good Guy' standing alone in the middle of an open field will always miss.
First Corollary - The more 'Bad Guys' there are, the less likely they will hit anyone or do any real damage.
Second Corollary - Whenever a 'Good Guy' is faced with insurmountable odds, the 'Bad Guys' line up in neat rows, allowing the hero to take them all out with a single burst of automatic fire and then escape.
Third Corollary - Whenever a 'Good Guy' is actually hit by enemy fire, it is in a designated 'Good Guy Area', usually a flesh wound in the shoulder or arm, which restricts the 'Good Guy' from doing anything more strenuous than driving, firing weaponry, using melee weapons, operating heavy machinery, or doing complex martial arts maneuvres.
Law of Transient Romantic Unreliability
Minmei is a bimbo.
Law of Hemoglobin Capacity
The human body contains over 12 gallons of blood, sometimes more, under high pressure.
Law of Demonic Consistency
Demons and other supernatural creatures have at least three eyes, loads of fangs, tend to be yellow-green or brown (but black is not unknown), and can only be hurt by bladed weapons.
Law of Militaristic Unreliability
Huge galaxy-wide armadas, entire armies, and large war-machines full of cruel, heartless, bloodthirsty warriors can be stopped and defeated with a single insignificant example of a caring/loving emotion or a song.
Law of Tactical Unreliability
Tactical geniuses aren't....
Law of Inconsequential Undetectability
People never notice the little things... Like missing body parts, or wounds the size of Seattle.
Law of Juvenile Intellectuality
Children are smarter than adults. And almost always twice as annoying.
Law of Americanthropomorphism
Americans in Anime appear in one of two roles, either as a really nasty skinny 'Bad Guy' or a big stupid 'Good Guy'.
First Corollary - The only people who are more stupid than the big dumb Americans are the American translators. (Sometimes referred to as the Green Line Effect.)
Second Corollary - The only people who are more stupid than the American translators are the American editors and censors.
Law of Mandibular Proportionality
The size of a person's mouth is directly proportional to the volume at which they are speaking or eating.
Law of Feline Mutation
Any half-cat/half-human mutation will invariably:
1. be female,
2. will possess ears and sometimes a tail as a genetic mutation,
3. and wear as little clothing as possible, if any.
Law of Conservation of Firepower
Any powerful weapon capable of destroying/defeating an opponent in a single shot will invariably be reserved and used only as a last resort.
Law of Technological User-Benevolence
The formal training required to operate a spaceship or mecha is inversely proportional to its complexity.
Law of Melee Luminescence
Any being displaying extremely high levels of martial arts prowess and/or violent emotions emits light in the form of a glowing aura. This aura is usually blue for 'good guys' and red for 'bad guys'. This is attributed to Good being higher in the electromagnetic spectrum than Evil.
Law of Non-anthropomorphic Antagonism
All ugly, non-humanoid alien races are hostile, and usually hell-bent on destroying humanity for some obscure reason.
Law of Follicular Chroma Variability
Any color in the visible spectrum is considered a natural hair color. This color can change without warning or explanation.
Law of Follicular Permanence
Hair in anime is pretty much indestructable, and can resist any amount of meteorological conditions, energy emissions, physical abuse, or explosive effects and still look perfect. The only way to hurt someone's hair is the same way you deal with demons... with bladed weapons!
Law of Topological Aerodynamics, First Law of Anime Aero-Dynamics
*ANY* shape, no matter how convoluted or odd-looking, is automatically aerodynamic.
Law of Probable Attire
Clothing in anime follows certain predictable guidelines.
Female characters wear as little clothing as possible, regardless of whether it is socially or meteorologically appropriate. Any female with an excessive amount of clothing will invariably have her clothes ripped to shreds or torn off somehow. If there is no opportunity to tear off the afore-mentioned female's clothes, then she will inexplicably take a shower for no apparent reason (also known as the Gratuitous Shower Scene).
Whenever there is a headwind, a Male characters will invariably wear a long cloak which doesn't hamper movement and billows out dramatically behind him.
First Corollary (Cryo-Adaptability) - All anime characters are resistant to extremely cold temperatures, and do not need to wear heavy or warm clothing in snow.
Second Corollary (Indecent Invulnerability) - Bikinis render the wearer invulnerable to any form of damage.
Law of Musical Omnipotence
Any character capable of musical talent (singing, playing an instrument, etc.) is automatically capable of doing much more "simple" things like piloting mecha, fighting crime, stopping an intergalactic war, and so on... especially if they have never attempted these things before.
Law of Quitupular Aggultination
Also called "The Five-man Rule," when "Good Guys" group together, it tends to be in groups of five. There are five basic positions, which are:
1. The Hero/Leader
2. His girlfriend
3. His Best Friend/Rival
4. A Hulking Brute
5. A Dwarf/Kid
Between these basic positions are distributed several attributes, which include:
1. Extreme Coolness
2. Amazing intelligence
3. Incredible Irritation
Law of Extradimensional Capacitance
All anime females have an extradimensional storage space of variable volume somewhere on their person from which they can instantly retrieve any object at a moment's notice.
First Corollary (The Hammer Rule) - The most common item stored is a heavy mallet, which can be used with unerring accuracy on any male who deserves it. Other common items include costumes/uniforms, power suits/armor, and large bazookas.
Law of Hydrostatic Emission
Eyes tend to be rather large in Anime. This is because they contain several gallons of water, which may be instantaneously released at high pressure through large tear ducts. The actual volume of water contained in the eyes is unknown, as there is no evidence to suggest that these reservoirs are actually capable of running out. The reason water tends to collect in the eyes is because Anime characters only have one large sweat gland, which is located at the back of the head. When extremely stressed, embarrassed, or worried, this sweat gland exudes a single but very large drop of sebaceous fluid.
Law of Inverse Attraction
Success at finding suitable mates is inversely proportionate to how desperately you want to be successful. The more you want, the less you get.
First Corollary Unfortunately, this law seems to apply to Otaku in the real world...
Law of Nasal Sanguination
When sexually aroused, males in Anime don't get erections, they get nosebleeds. No one's sure why this is, though... the current theory suggests that larger eyes means smaller sinuses and thinner sinus tissue (see Law #38 above). Females don't get nosebleeds, but invariably get one heck of a blush along the cheeks and across the nose, suggesting a lot of bloodflow to that region.
Law of Xylolaceration
Wooden or bamboo swords are just as sharp as metal swords, if not sharper.
Law of Juvenile Omnipotence
Always send a boy to do a man's job. He'll get it done in half the time and twice the angst.
Law of Quadrotriscadecophobia
There is no Law #43.
Law of Nominative Clamovocation
The likelihood of success and damage done by a martial arts attack is directly proportional to the volume at which the full name of the attack is announced.
Law of Uninteruptable Metamorphosis
Regardless of how long or involved the transformation sequence or how many times they've seen it before, any 'Bad Guys' witnessing a mecha/hero/heroine transforming are too stunned to do anything to interrupt it.
Law of Flimsy Incognition
Simply changing into a costume or wearing a teensy mask can make you utterly unrecognizable to even your closest friends and relatives.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:38 am
This... is the first thing I've written and actually FINISHED in over a year...
6:15 Inferno
My watch reads 6-fifteen as I watch
The flames from a fire roar about the wood
The passionate tendrils of heat stay conservative
On their path
They hesistate for a moment
As they contemplate the ideas of new wood
They dance around the possibility of their new thought
Until they suddenly burst into a passionate inferno as if
Consumed by a new, overwhelming inspiration
It only makes me ponder to myself
Is this how I've been?
Have I been pondering new ideas
But have been too hesistant so that the wood
Of my new ideas falls from my fire?
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:20 pm
The Lonely Dream
Walking along the fridged snow, soft snow white flakes upon my cheeks
There is nothing...
Looking to the path of soft white I see you there a blue blure in its breasts,
You are always there along my side...
The cold emptiness that wanders through the mist makes it all if seem,
as if I wander the lonely dream...
Pillows of white softly melt away benieth my feet,
As I see you silvery form wander always at my side...
Wandering further down this frozen path, the soft blizard of snow blows,
as I wander the Lonely dream...
soft white snow, that is never cold, I keep on walking
I see your form always beside me,
As I wander the lonely dream...
The flakes slowly begin to calm,
as I look at you beside me...
Soon the sky clears up to a silvery blue,
As I walk the lonely dream...
I look to you beside me and see, a reflection there of me,
As I wander the lonely dream...
Were you ever really there, or was it just me...
Were you always there beside me?
I could have sworn I felt you there
As I wander the lonely dream...
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 12:05 am
A dull thud echoed in the darkness, followed by another, and another, each time shaking dust that was settled against the small surfaces around the heavy oak door to fall to the floor; A floor which was also covered in dust.
The thudding sound would continue for a couple moments more until it would stop entirely, once again leaving the dark room silent. And then, ever so slowly, metal ground against itself, cutting through the silence before the oaken door was pulled open, spilling golden light down a set of stone steps, silhouetting a slender female figure which stood in the now open doorway.
Behind the doorway, behind the woman, were bodies strewn all across the floor, making a trail which reached back through the hallway and even around the corner. Just how many bodies were left was unclear, but it did not seem that anyone would be coming by anytime soon by the looks of it.
She turned her head to her side and glanced over the shoulder, observing the aftermath before she tossed the ring of keys in her hand carelesly over her shoulder, and took a step into the darkness, down the first set of stairs. Tsk-ing audibly as she noticed the amount of dust in the area, a visible layer as the room haven been disturbed for a long while, she continued moving down the steps, black robes flowing around her legs, black shirt over her torso, silver hair gleaming in the light.
Down into the dark abandoned pit, the little torchlight which flickered through the still open doorway barely shed light into the large chamber. The woman stopped at the bottom of the stone steps and took a look around, unhindered by the dim lights, looking for something. Yet, it didnt take her long to find it.
She walked over to the far wall and grabbed the taught heavy chain, rusted and filthy as it was left in this environment, and slowly began to feed it through a locking mechanism. As she did this, the sound of chains gently rattling together filled the room as something was lowered from the high ceiling, even higher than the steps into the dank dungeon.
When she was finished, she turned around and strode towards a tall figure which stood in the center of the room. Two large hooks were embedded in the figure's back right beneath the shoulder blades, attached to the large chain which hung up against the ceiling. She pulled the large hooks out gently as there weren't even wounds to mark their passing, no blood. A small smile pulled at the corner of her thin lips as she noticed these, tossing the hooks aside.
"A pity," she began to muse, "that they would fear you so much that they would not want anything to do with you." commenting on the layers of dust in the room. She stepped around to the man's front as she brushed long strands of hair similar to her own away from his face. "But now I've finally found you, Providence."
There was but one who called him by that name. "Grace." he returned her name softly, unfazed by the ordeal of being suspended on the air by a pair of large hooks in his back and then being left alone for who knows how long.
"Come along now, we have things to do." the woman said as her lips parted into a mischivous smile as she took his hand in hers and began leading him up the steps out of the dungeon...
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 8:28 am
(W.I.P)
In a nightmare world where there are monsters with charred wings and horned ears and masks with which they hide their face. Their face which is hidden by a mask, a mask that hides a face that delivers unfathomable evil when those that shee the face put on a mask. The fly and swoop and smile, smile beneath that fearsome mask, with which they hide behind and smile when they're hiding. Their wings in which you might think there some angelic goodness to seek refuge in is marred be the mask which they use to contain their goodness and hide behind it whilst smiling the evermore.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 11:43 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 1:49 am
My Bad Luck: Based on a true story.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Starring: My friends Josh, Adam, Alex, Andrew, Katie, Chantelle, and of course myself. Alright. So I shut off the comp and get in the shower and get ready. I grab a small backpack, put my drawing supplies in it and an X-Box controler, and hop on my bike to ride to my friend's house. That part is fine, I do that all the time. Anyways, I get to his house and we hang for a while. Then our friend Adam shows up, followed by our friend Alex. Adam wants to go to some local music show, and he's the ONLY one out of us four that want to go. So, we all decide we're hungry, and drive to McDonald's for some eats. While in the car, Adam decides he's driving us to the concert whether we want to go or not. So, we get to the concert, and Adam seems to be ok while the other three of us are like wanting to leave. Then we notice that the music sucks a** (punk or some gay crap like that), there are drugged out punkers dancing around in a circle with smokes and beers going around, and all three of us REALLY want to leave because it just sucks that damn bad. So, I've had about enough of the torture, and it WAS torture, so I faked like I got a phone call and bailed out, planning to sit near the car and wait for them to come out. Lucky for me, they show up 10 seconds later, having decided enough was enough. We then go to pick up our friend Katie, and hang at her place for a while before heading to our friend Chantelle's house where we sit and chill for a couple hours watching tv and such. Now, it wouldn't have been so bad if my friends seemed to accknowledge my presence, but of course, I was practically invisible to them, except Katie, who I was sitting next to for most of the time and chatted with for a bit. Then my mother calls me on my cell phone wanting to know what my plan is for the night and whether or not I'm coming home or spending the night. I ask my friend Josh, who gives me the normal dumbass answer, "I dunno." And doesn't even bother to think about it, and goes back to watching the movie and goofing off. So, I then have to tell my mother that I don't know, and have to explain to her WHY I don't know. She then replies that if I don't know, soon, she'd like me home at midnight. The problem is that I couldn't be home at midnight. She asks why and I have to explain that my bike is at Josh's house, and I am not. And I have to say it doesn't fit into a possible timeframe. So, now she's frustrated, and I'm about ready to kill Josh, who STILL rufuses to think about the matter. So she says she'll call me back in 20-30 minutes. Within that time, I attempt to bug Josh about what the ******** he's supposedly planning, to which he replies, "Excuse me for not having a plan." So, now I'm quite frustrated. But, a small ray of hope arrives with my friend Alex, who happens to have a truck. I supposedly work out with him that we'll go to Josh's house, pick up my bike, load it into the truck, and he'll give me a lift back home before he drives home himself. So, we get to Josh's house and I go inside to get the bike. I head outside to see Alex driving off in his truck. So, I then ask my friends if they have Alex's cell phone number so I can call him and see what the ******** he was thinking. They respond that they don't know it by memmory, and are apparently too dumb to check their phones. So, I call my mother and inform her of my current situation. She tells me to ride my bike home quickly...at ******** ten past midnight. So, now I'm ready to kill something, and very VERY frustrated.So, I get on my bike and start riding to hear my friends call to me and ask, "SO, are you riding your bike home?" to which I reply, "******** you." So, I've been riding for a good 15 minutes or so, and I'm probably about halfway home. I'm pissed so I'm making good time. Then lo and behold who should drive by but my friends in their car, who stop long enough to mock me and taunt me before heading off to get slurpees or something. So, now I'm REALLY just angry, pissed, frustrated, and really conflicted. Now I arrive home and get ready to put my bike in, when I realize that not only did everything go wrong, but I left my backpack at Josh's. So now I feel like yelling all the obcenitiesn I can think of at the top of my lungs, but decide against it because it would wake the neighbors. So, I then try to call Josh to ask him a favor, but he doesn't answer his cell phone. So, I call my friend Andrew's cell phone, and ask to talk to Josh. I ask him if he'd be willing to bring it up to my house sometime tomorrow, and the call gets cut off 3 times. By the last time I call, Josh is being a b***h, and says in the background, "Tell him I'm busy." and proceeds to laugh his a** off. Andrew says to me on the phone, "He says he's busy, I'll try again." So, I hear Joshyell, half giggling, "I'm still busy!" At this point, I've had enough, and just hang up.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:28 am
Well, I'll contribute my own little something then... Knowledge
Sometimes we think we know it all.
Sometimes we think we’re wrong.
The important thing is to keep on moving,
Keeping up, and staying strong.
Petty arguments and little fights
Shouldn’t be enough to sway
Other enjoyable events
Of a nice December day.
Friends that will leave you in the dust
After a few mad words aren’t true.
In the end they didn’t care enough
To make things right with you.
Worries are the worst of us,
They make life full of strife.
One can only look ahead
And get on with his life.
I do not resent you for your
Actions now or then,
Nor do I plan to dig up problems
To bring to life again.
My final words are that I’m here
To be a silent, listening ear.
Talk to me without your fears,
So we can smile, and shed no tears.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:30 am
And another one, as well. Red and Blue
A blue, wooden piece slides across an off-white table.
An aged hand, shaky and knowledgeable, moves it.
It represents something, somewhere else.
A red, wooden piece meets with the blue, and they stop.
The shaky hand picks up the phone, and spins the dial.
A gruff, commanding voice is carried over the line.
Information is being collected about the blues and the reds.
Names, faces, places, things… All are determined.
The phone is returned to its original resting place.
Soon after, the one red piece is joined by seven others.
Together, they form a circle around the blue piece.
The shaky hand trembles, and clenches into a fist.
Far, far away, in the midst of a once-beautiful landscape, carnage has erupted.
What was before one blue is now twenty men with weapons in hand.
What were before eight reds are now one hundred fifty other men, also armed.
After a short hour’s time, the shaky hand removes the blue piece.
Attached to the hand is a body, pensive and worrying, but not yet lost.
A wry smile crosses the body’s face as thirteen blue pieces are placed around the reds.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:32 am
And, finally, the last one I want to share for now. Secrets
What is it?
Is something wrong?
What unsettles you so?
Why does your body tremble and your face cringe?
Your actions do not seem… normal…
Your words seem unfitting…
as if someone were speaking for you…
It is really you?
Why do you hide your troubles?
Am I not deserving of your trust?
What is it that you fear?
Or, do you fear anything at all?
Your image is… blurring…
You move strangely…
As if someone were controlling you…
Are you not yourself?
Will you deceive me forever?
Have I lost my value?
Is this dilemma too difficult to speak of?
Or can words not describe its nature?
Your eyes are… darkening…
Your aura dissipates…
As if your very essence were dying…
Can you survive another night?
No, of course not, nothing is wrong.
You have nothing to fear.
If something were not right, you would tell me.
…wouldn’t you?
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:15 pm
This is a WIP of a song I wrote last night. S'the first draft so it needs tweaking still >_<;; First time ever writing lyrics =o
'BOUNDARIES'
(c) Erinn Ashworth '07
Boundaries
They're being crossed
(And she's got to be stopped)
These lines
She's erasing
(What's right and wrong)
With these Liberties she's taking
(chorus?)
And I won't stand by
Turn a blind eye
I see right through your game
You
Should be ashamed.
Boundaries
Still you're tryin'
How long?!
Til you stop your ******** you're trying
(My patience)
My sympathy ran out
a long time ago
When I saw in your face
No intent
Of letting go.
(chorus?)
And I won't stand by
Turn a blind eye
I see right through your game
You
Should be ashamed.
Boundaries
They WONT be crossed
You've got to be stopped
'Cause I won't let you
Erase these lines
The lines that seperate
What's yours
And what is Mine
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:44 am
Who I am... who am I? well that is a question that can be summed up easily, and yet it is a question that I can not answer at all... the best way to start is by introducing myself... “My name is Hono'oRaven... just call me Raven...” wink How many times have I said that over the years now? I really can’t tell anymore. Raven isn’t really my name, heck it isn’t even close to my real name! But at the same time, Raven is more me than that other person... that other person is too quiet, too shy, too afraid of the world to let anyone in... That other person doesn’t want anything to do with people unless it is as Raven! Raven is my key to the world, like a magic spell! All I have to say is “My name is Hono’oRaven.” and all my bad traits suddenly melt away. I am a new person, a friendly, fun, happy person! I have friends and people that are much closer to me than my real family could ever be... But why Raven, what is it about this scavenger and carrion bird that can make me into a completely different person? For one, I identify with the notion of being a bird brain, and for another I had an amazing encounter with a real raven once... it was late spring, the leaves were almost all up to the right size on the trees and all the houses had green shoots sticking up out of their gardens that promised to become flowers within the week, and the chance of snow was almost nil now... In fact it had just stopped raining when I got to meet my first raven. I had seen plenty of crows, there was a pair of them that had a nest outside my friends bedroom window in fact, noisy birds ^_^’, so I know what a crow looks like! I was headed to the store, to pick up more milk for my mother, and candy for my own idea of dinner XP. It had just finished pouring buckets, the wet scent was still heavy in the air and the side walks were covered in leaf litter. I was just walking down the street, the same street I had walked down a million times before, when I saw a black lump on one of the lawns. It was nothing special at first, in fact I almost walked right past it! Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glimmer of color, blue in a place that was all green of grass, and the black and brown of wet earth and trees. I stopped and looked again at the black lump on the grass, being young and curious I walked up on the lawn to get a closer look! I found a bird, a raven, with feathers black as night that glimmered blue and green when I actually bothered to look closely at the bird. I did the unthinkable, I reached out and touched the still creature...The feathers were soft as silk, and dry to the touch, when my shoes were getting soaked just standing in the wet grass! The raven never moved, never twitched with the stir of breathing...the bird was dead from what I could see! I left the bird and walked two houses back to my best friends house, I wanted to show her my discovery! She was not home and I quickly went back to the bird, having decided that I would take it home, and get in trouble for bringing home a dead animal, rather than just leave it there for the neighborhood animals to destroy! The raven was gone... I had been away less than two minutes, there had been no sign of cats or dogs around, and I had been certain that the raven was dead... or was I really certain? That encounter started my love affair with ravens, but I didn’t actually name myself a raven for many years after that, and for all that time I never really tried to change myself....
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:42 pm
Hey guys, just an unaltered version of my Sociology paper for you guys to read. The topic is Violence in Videogames. Enjoy. Abstract Hello reader. I am Sean Finkle, and I will be leading you through this research paper. What follows is a brief look into the popular media debate over violence in videogames, and whether or not it can be linked to a rise in violent behavior in children and young adults, causing them to commit violent acts such as the shootings that took place at Columbine, and the more recent acts of violence at Virginia Tech. Now, I can’t say I’m going into this with a completely unbiased opinion, but I have done everything I can to show a fair representation on both sides of the issue. I am a video and computer gamer, and as such, this topic is extremely important to me. Background I have four different sources for this paper, and each has its own spin on the issue at hand. One talks about how violet games seem to have a clear and definite impact on increased violence, another states how there is no conclusive evidence to heavily support games cause a rise in violent behavior, and the last article shows how video gaming can have a wide range of effects on young adults and can possibly help to explain why results in these studies are often inconclusive or opposite in other sets of prolonged testing. The fourth and final piece of evidence I use in this paper is a video clip from G4 Television, a video game and technology network, that shows a talk between well known Anti-Videogame Activist, Jack Thompson, the network’s resident gaming expert, Adam Sessler, and Mark Friedler, the CEO of the leading industry newsletter, Game Daily. The debate becomes quite heated in this small clip, but all parties present points about how videogame violence affects young adults and children. Method of Research As a video gamer, I’ve been playing games since I was very young, and my personal experience became valuable information in this area. Along with my personal experiences, I also went about gathering articles from the Internet that balanced the issue, and presented both sides. I didn’t want to be accused of leaning either way, and so, when picking out a paper opposing my own view, I tried to pick one out that would make me the most irritated. Once I thought I had enough material to thoroughly cover the issue, I read each article, and watched the movie clip once more to look for anything that might lean the case one way or the other. From what I can see, most studies only post findings of what they believe to be the majority, claiming that their research proves that the violent images from games has a direct link to increased violence or other physical reactions, or that their research shows that violence in games has no significant effect on children one way or the other. Now, it comes as no surprise when most of the articles that claim game violence has no real effect on children appear most frequently on videogame sites. But, I did find some papers in my searching that opposed that view appearing on game sites as well. However, I have come to two main conclusions after reading through the articles and looking on the Internet for information. First, the playing of violent and or graphic video games does indeed create an emotional response for most players, HOWEVER, the emotional response is not always a violent one, and different individuals can get different responses when playing the same game. Second, I believe that parental supervision and parental responsibility play an important role in what kinds of games go to their children, and it is the parent’s job to KNOW what their kids are playing, and know how their children will react to the images portrayed on screen. Discussion Videogames create an emotional response in most players; however, the response can vary greatly from person to person. For example, in one of the articles, it states that “Crunching the numbers indicated that there were three clear groups. The anger levels of 77 of the [[125]] subjects remained unchanged after the gaming session. In 22 of the subjects, anger levels nearly doubled from a starting point similar to that of the unaffected children. But 8 of the test subjects started out at this high anger level; for them, 20 minutes of gaming dropped them down to levels similar to those seen in the unaffected group. The research team then correlated these groups with the personality profiles, and a clear pattern emerged. Those with personalities that were scored as stable largely wound up in the unaffected group, while the remaining two groups were populated by personalities that were considered less stable. The authors propose that gamers fall into two groups: stable personalities, and those with emotional states that are susceptible to being influenced by game play. Within the latter group, the response to violent games largely depends on the emotional states of the gamers when they begin play. Angry gamers will cool off, calm gamers will get agitated. They also note that only two of the cases of rising anger reached levels that would be considered cause for concern, suggesting that dangerous levels of anger were rarely triggered by gaming. “ These findings are incredibly important, showing that groups of gamers can vary greatly depending on their mental stability, their beginning emotional state, and other mental or physical factors that come into play while playing a game. This also helps to explain how a mentally unstable group of people could play a game, and then commit a violent crime. In the end, it is not the fault of the game or the game developer that something like this would happen, and the blame rests with whoever allowed the individual in question to play such a game. In several circumstances, this can come down to the parents for not recognizing their children as a threat, and trying to seek psychiatric or medical help for them. If a person has been identified as one of these unstable individuals, they should be prohibited from buying or playing these sorts of games in order to lessen the chances of such an event occurring. This test shows that a large majority of people are mostly unaffected by playing a videogame, and, even if they are, only a small portion of angry outbursts could be considered cause for alarm. Also, the age of the individual in question could greatly affect the impact the game has on them. In the same study above, the individuals had a mean age of 14.6, placing them in a hot spot for teenage emotions and outbursts. Many people grow out of these as they get older, which could theoretically point to a lower level of these concerning outbursts as the children get older and gain more control over their actions. This conclusion links parental awareness directly to the issue of violent outbursts from game playing. If the unstable child does not play the game, he or she has a much smaller chance of committing a violent act, and it is the parent’s job to make sure they do not allow their child to play these sorts of games. Stable individuals should not be prohibited from playing these sorts of games if they so desire, since, for some, these types of games can be a way to relieve stress gained from regular daily activities. Most people do not want to blame themselves as the cause of problems in everyday society, and as such, they look for something else to take the blame for them. In earlier years, it was rock and roll. More recently, it was rap music and its lyrics. Today, parents want to believe their children are perfect, and that they are model parents, so, instead of opening their mind to the possibility that they could have prevented a violent crime being committed by their children, they point to the mature game as the cause for their child’s violent behavior, when in fact, it was the child’s own personality and mental instability that caused them to perform the violent act, and not the game. I do not believe that a child or young adult that is thinking rationally would ever pick up a game like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and think to themselves, “Gee, killing people sure looks fun. I should grab my dad’s gun and shoot everyone I can find at my school.” While the statement is colorful, it proves my point. It takes a certain kind of person to think along those lines, and most people would never dream of doing such a thing in a real setting. References PhysOrg.com : Latest Science and Technology News, http://www.physorg.com/news5758.htmlArs Technica : The Art of Technology, HereAmerican Psychological Association, http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html YouTube.com (Clip from G4 Television) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkHtgRxBfKA
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 3:30 pm
Quote: Death By Sparkles
An Essay
“A quick final lash at the stomach and he was down very much like his attacker, causing his fellow team members to rush to his side. Death was beginning to take over. As his voice began to stammer on his last few breaths, his words are inspiring as he speaks to his fellow companions whose eyes are full of tears. Finally his spirit finally disappears living a limp lifeless body in their arms, only to have a majestic sight to occur before their very eyes. Sparkles, very much like snowflakes begin to shed off from the body into the heavens, one by one till he is nothing. A hero had finally died to save the life of another.” This scene is rather common to come by in video games, movies, anime, and many other things, the classic heroic death. With these scenes there are two things that generally follow with them, an exciting fight, and more importantly a sparkly death to clean up the corpse. Both are very thrilling and amazing, but often the sparkles are remembered. Why is that? What is the logic behind it? Those small specks have many reasons to be there such as gifts from spiritual figures, simple heroic deeds, and pleasure for the viewer which all leaves behind very powerful messages for them, no matter who the character maybe. Many would argue that this theory of dieing would not suit their character at all, but those sparkles are definitely not something that is simply handed out. Oh no, for in order for it to happen a heroic deed is often required, accompanied by a good deed. And yet, villains too even have a chance at this moment of glory. A prime example is from the video game series Kingdom Hearts where the monsters are simply turning into sparkles with one quick smack with a keyblade. Of course, wouldn’t you if you were whacked with a giant key? But even though that does play a large factor, the creators are often playing a large heroic role themselves. Since they are trying to stop the protagonist they are heroic in their own mindset. Another common villain sparkle attack is a revolution occurs before their death for the good. TMNT provides a good example of such as the main antagonist Winters, after living for more than two thousand years and realising the deeds he had done is given a rather sparkly ending. See, even the darkest of characters have their opportunities. Often it is wondered why it occurs for science cannot explain it. Well, unfortunately if this was actually attempted it would only result in blood splatter and a big mess due to the fact that this is the real world. This is something that should not be taken to that extreme for this essay is directed only for the fictional world with fictional characters. And within a factual world with factual characters often a religion is given to the land with many Gods or Goddesses each obtaining their own individual gifts. Thus for living such a wonderful (or painful life) a reward is giving for their courage. A series known as Digimon had many deaths within it, one of which was the death of Wizardmon as he tried to save his dear friend and trainer. Though most digital matter was known to be saved, he was deleted into sparkles for he was in the human world. Sailor Moon is also full of many sparkles including many deaths, such as the death of Fiore from the film Sailor Moon R: Promise Of The Rose as he touched the gem that Sailor Moon was holding. A revelation occurred, but more importantly the beautiful soldier saved him. Many viewers believe that she can be represented in the Wicca religion as The Goddess, who is the mother of all. Thus religion plays a huge factor on deciding the end of a character. Of course there is one very simple and logical answer to it all, it’s just plain cool looking. Even the most bad a** of characters deserve a moment like this so they are able to be remembered as well as many other characters. After all when Yoda died in the film Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi he didn’t get those sparkles and so he isn’t as cool as such characters like Darth Vader who had turned into sparkles from his ashes in the fire. But for a more full effect the sparkles generally have to wait like in V for Vendetta, where even the masked caper was promised his fate to sparkles with fireworks and explosives, which in this case works. A cool affect is always a good way to go at your end. Many beloved characters come and go, but the ones the ones that touch us the most are the ones who shine afterwards. They suffer through heroic deeds such as saving a damsel in distress, they have been rewarded by their religious beliefs for a hard job that they have successfully completed, and hell they even just do it to look cool. And so we remember them for it, as the heroic character will always be known to have a death by sparkles. It's a big inside joke between myself and Sierra. xd
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