Messages

31

Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: Want a new Chrono game?

« on: April 17, 2011, 05:43:49 pm »

I personally don't want a new Chrono game if Kato's the only one writing the script. I no longer trust him with the original Chrono Trigger cast after Chrono Cross.

The purpose of Chrono Cross was not to be an actual sequel to Chrono Trigger. As such, the cast was different, and Kato was simply handling different characters. I'd still trust him with a new Chrono game.

Getting back in touch with your creative roots is like riding a bike: you never forget.

32

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: April 17, 2011, 05:41:43 pm »

Hey, Lucca. You just missed Sajainta. You won't believe what color her hair is--

Oops. Sorry, Saj. You two look so much alike, I need ID cards just to tell the difference. 

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General Discussion / Re: Video Game Discussion Thread

« on: April 17, 2011, 05:35:37 pm »

*Sigh* I seriously wish these modern first-person shooters would get away from the tired old cliches that they've grown in and of themselves. Those cliches include, but aren't limited to:

- Overblown, emotional storylines and character deaths
- Linear levels
- Arbitrary ranking systems and unlocks 

Naturally, every new FPS out there will claim that they'll buck the trends of previous FPS games out there. But one publicity stunt later, they'll merrily rip off of Call Of Duty. Now, this isn't to say that every FPS out there is lame for copying each other. No, my true complaint is how these games fail to deliver on their promises and mission statements, despite the fact that they literally promised to do exactly the opposite and instead turned out to be just another gritty, overblown shooter that takes itself far too seriously.

Finally, it’s worth making one last point. Labelling other games as “pretentious” and going out of the way to ridicule them is – in itself – the highest form of pretentiousness. And when you fail to actually shake off those tired cliches, it’s also the highest form of hypocrisy.

@Developers of these games: I'm as tired of the same old cliches as you are. But if you fail to break free from them – and fail to deliver a viable alternative - you’re part of the problem, not the solution.

Promises are like pie crusts. Easily made, easily broken.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: April 17, 2011, 05:19:02 pm »

Yeah, I kind of hate it when police abuse their authority just to get their point across. What I hate even more is how the police can take a simple offense or violation and send in more personnel than is necessary in order to seem like they're not slacking on the job.

True story: I got pulled over for going 15 mph above the limit. The usual litany of procedures aside, two other cops in their cruisers showed up minutes afterwards, and all they did was stand around and survey the scene. Nothing beyond that. To this day, I still wonder why.

Either way, I got my court summons and paid my dues to society, but still. Why send three cops to pull someone over for a traffic violation? I could think of hundreds of better ways to spend my tax dollars on local law enforcement than pay cops to stand around. It's ridiculous.

35

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: April 15, 2011, 05:56:42 pm »

Very interesting story, tushantin, and an equally interesting question.

Judging from the reaction of the Alpha to the puppies' protestst, he I conclusion that I arrive at is that dogs (or at least, the dogs you witnessed in your account of the incident) have a sense of social propriety, if not morality. There is however, scientific evidence which points to domesticated dogs having developed their own morality from their human guardians. Notice how I use the word "guardian" instead of "owner," because owner implies an inequal relationship between (wo)man and dog.

But yeah, it sounds more like respect for familial boundaries. I postuale because of a thought-experiment I had while perusing your story: would the Alpha have reacted differently if the puppies weren't there to stand up for the trespasser? In contrast, would the Alpha have continued to attack the trespasser regardless of the puppies' presence? One can only speculate. Me personally, I do believe dogs do have a sense of morality, albeit it is slightly more challenging to discern that human morality.

For your consideration: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-ethical-dog

36

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: April 15, 2011, 05:35:58 pm »

I gotta shake hands with whoever invented the water cooler. If s/he's dead, then I salute, anyway.

In terms of investment, it's got the highest power-to-weight ratio of any domestic product I've bought yet.

Instant hot water and cold water and the press of a lever.

Science rules!! 

37

Welcome / Birthday / Seeya! Forum / Re: Today is my birthday!

« on: April 14, 2011, 01:06:29 pm »

38

General Discussion / Re: The Chrono Compendium Poets Bakery

« on: April 10, 2011, 05:58:26 pm »

I took one look at this thread and thought to myself "Oh, no. My Chrono Trigger by Dr. Seuss days will soon be resurfacing. Must... resist... temptation..."

  Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!

But alas, I shall restrain. Instead, I present this poem

"Stained Glass Masquerade" by Casting Crowns

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the heart again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

And yeah, way to shut down the poetry thread, Zeality. How the hell are any of us supposed to follow up Keats?!

I present in the blue corner... T.S. Eliot.

After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,
Guides us by vanities. Think now
She gives when our attention is distracted
And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions
That the giving famishes the craving. Gives too late
What's not believed in, or if still believed,
In memory only, reconsidered passion. Gives too soon
Into weak hands, what's thought can be dispensed with
Till the refusal propagates a fear. Think
Neither fear nor courage saves us. Unnatural vices
Are fathered by our heroism. Virtues
Are forced upon us by our impudent crimes.
These tears are shaken from the wrath-bearing tree.

I'll come around to present my own poetry, but  first, I must draw inspiration from the great poets of yesteryear.

39

General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: April 07, 2011, 01:21:49 pm »

That is such a tragic story, tushantin. It's so painful to read how family dynamics crumble away like that when the going gets tough, and you're left to pick up the pieces of those who wouldn't give a shit if their lives depended on it.

If it's any consolation, can you post a picture of your uncle and your brother? That way when I see them, I'll know exactly who I'm pushing down a flight of stairs. Though really, I'd never repay violence with violence.

Update: The American adaptation of the anime movie "Akira" is now worse than ever.

Selfish American producers.

40

General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: April 07, 2011, 12:40:56 pm »

I just love the piano recital I'm going to play in sometime in May.

The piece I'm playing is a duet version of the Finale to Camille Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals."

(aka Flamingos and Yo-Yos)

Here's a video of it being performed.

I'm not in it, but it should give you a good idea of what it sounds like, and let me tell you: practice is no picnic.

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General Discussion / Re: The Thread for Writers

« on: April 07, 2011, 04:01:23 am »

This invitation of writing poetry in this thread has inspired me with an idea:

Let's start an official Compendium poetry thread.

Unleash your inner muse in verse and rhyme, in a manner of speaking.

Who's up for it?

42

General Discussion / Re: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!

« on: April 07, 2011, 03:53:08 am »

I don't know about Maleficent. Yes, she's an awesome Disney villain, but IMHO, I find her to be highly overrated. She has minions that couldn't follow a simple order, and when she caught Prince Phillip, she didn't finish him off; she just dangles the proverbial carrot in front of him and snatches it away.

To me, the best Disney villains engaged in what I believe the best trait a villain can obtain: psychological warfare. Lady Tremaine and Mother Goethel are perfect examples of this type of villainy. They are, as deep as my knowledge of everything Disney is, the most effective of the Disney villains.

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General Discussion / Re: Stuff you hate

« on: April 06, 2011, 02:55:19 am »

Sorry such a thing happened to you, Kodo.

Trust is a most difficult thing to forge in a friendship, platonic or otherwise. In fact, one could say that it's one of the basest elements of any friendship. Without it, there's simply no way you can ever believe anything that person promises/commits him- or herself to doing with you ever again. This is probably one of the reasons why it's hard to make new friends. Mostly because it's not only an investment of one's time (you're never going to get those years of good memories), but also an emotional investment (all the good times you both had isn't going to erase the fact that you were betrayed).

Depending on who it was that you separated yourself from, may I recommend this little music video?

I find it to be the perfect tongue-in-cheek breakup song.

44

General Discussion / Re: Park Your Amusements Here

« on: April 05, 2011, 01:03:19 pm »

http://www.cracked.com/article_19121_7-basic-things-you-wont-believe-youre-all-doing-wrong.html

All these years, I've been sitting, sleeping, and even breathing wrong, too.

What is wrong with me!? 

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General Discussion / Re: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!

« on: April 05, 2011, 12:50:32 pm »

Hmm...

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Producers

and...

It's a Wonderful Life