Villains continued...

I said I might do another, so in the interest of killing time until I get to go home- here is my list of adored villains. Seriously- either I think these guys are awesome or someone I know does.

Reno - Final Fantasy VII
Now here’s a character that was boosted to sudden popularity! He’s benefited greatly from the release of Advent Children- though I thought he was pretty cool in the game too. Reno is a Turk- (an organization, not the country) Turks specialize in dirty deeds, such as murder, extortion, kidnapping and espionage, though they also find candidates for SOLDIER. You fight Reno several times during the course of the game- he’s not too tough, but is a respectable opponent. Reno is noticeably the most laid back of the Turks- just look at the way he dresses!

“A pro isn't someone who sacrifices themselves for a job. That's just a fool.”

Seifer Almasy – Final Fantasy VIII
Ah yes, the “Sorceress’ Knight” and eternal rival of Squall in FF8, the cocky blond bombshell, Seifer. I always thought that Seifer was kind of interesting- he’s the mirror opposite of Squall after all, and how often do you get to see that? I loved his friends Fujin and Raijin, but in the end, wound up hating him. I mean, seriously, being brainwashed or “entranced” only buys you so much leeway in my book. The guy tortured Squall and enjoyed it. Hmph.

Quistis Trepe: You're the squad leader. Good luck to you.

Seifer: ...Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck. Save those words for a bad student that needs them, eh?

Belleza- Skies of Arcadia
Whoo-boy… I’ve got a love-hate relationship with Belleza, I love her because she’s incredibly strong, incredibly smart and refuses to let her people die unnecessarily. I hate her because she’s incredibly strong, incredibly smart, and in love with the villain. The first time you meet Belleza, you as the player should know that something is up- because there is just no way that that beautiful obviously-not-from-Nsar- bellydancing girl is interested in nobody like Vyse. At this point in the game you haven’t really done to much in the way of serious ship fighting, you fought Baltor and learned that if you shoot a ship from behind, good things happen. Then you fight Belleza. BELLEZA IS SMARTER THAN YOU. You are given options while fighting her, if you choose the wrong one, such as, trying to get behind her she will decimate you. The only way to beat her with minimal pain is to choose all the right answers, which is impossible on your first try unless you are cheating.
Nevertheless, I salute Belleza, because she had the guts to kill the man she loved for the sake of the world. ‘Course, she died too.

Vyse: They say that only one who has walked the desert can know its true size. (Belleza told him this)
Belleza: I never thought I would truly know the desert’s size…

Harle- Chrono Cross
One of my three favorite characters in the game, Harle, who is more mysterious than evil. Harle is constantly covered in thick jester’s paint, so you never get to see what she looks like, though some fans of the game have pointed out the resemblance in her facial structure to that of Kid, the heroine. Harle serves “Monseiur Lynx” with a strong French accent and a flirtatious personality toward Serge. Throughout the game you see that despite the side she is on, she does not wish for Serge’s death. Harle has no happy ending, which fails in my opinion, she simply disappears at one point in the game and you never see her again. I understand why this is so, but she’s such a great character!

“Pleaze dream of moi, Serge!”

Millenia- Grandia II
I suppose if you want to get technical in one direction Millenia isn’t really a villain. But if you get technical in the other direction… Millenia is the “The Wings of Valmar” who is, for all purposes of the game, the devil. The only reason that she has physical form is that she has infested the body of Elena, and is in fact supposed to take over Elena’s body and eat her soul. Reasons why she doesn’t do this are unknown. Millenia loves chaos, and has a habit of exploding when provoked- fans of the game will remember the “rage meter” for Millenia which had a habit of exploding in boss fights, effectively stealing control away from you. Millenia is an amazing character who I find hilarious.

“AHHH! The cursed light of the sun! It burns, it BURNS! Ha! Fooled ya!”

Riku- Kingdom Hearts
Simultaneously best friend and worst enemy of Sora in the first game. Riku was always the leader of their group of friends, the leader, the best fighter, the most adventurous, in short, he is the perfect hero character. Which also makes him a perfect villain. First clue that something isn’t right- Riku willingly steps into the darkness with little regard for what is happening to his island, and where his friends are. Through the course of the game, Riku loses control of himself to the one called “Ansem,” though he regains it before the end, forcibly restraining the beast within himself from attacking Sora.

“Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!”

Football Madness

Okay, so anyone who knows me is well aware that I've never liked football. As of today that has changed. Yes, I now like football. I never really gave it a chance until today. It was all my Papa's fault. LOL! xD

Basically, after church my Granny, Papa, and myself went to eat then afterwards we went to their house. The Dallas Cowboys were playing against San Fransisco today so naturally my Papa wanted to watch the game. I wasn't too thrilled but I decided to go ahead and attempt to watch a game for once in my life, just so that I could say I had, though I wasn't expecting much from it. Well, I got into. Sadly. I was yelling and I actually chose a side for once. I usually don't pick sides but today I did. I rooted for the Cowboys. After half time commercials came on and I was asleep within a few minutes. When I woke up I was annoyed that I had fallen asleep and missed part of the game (curse you commercials!). I didn't miss much though. LOL! I've become part of the football madness crowd.

*sniff* So sad...ah well, I love it!!!! :D

heh...I can't wait to tell my dad. He'll be ecstatic, as well as some of my friends. Some of my friends won't be but I don't care. It's my decision. xD

Oh, and if you haven't heard the Dallas Cowboys won!!! YAY!!!!

Riverside Adventure

Yesterday and today Vulpecula and myself went to the river. The first time we walked and the second drove. Anyways, we went to the river to feed the ducks and geese. It was totally awesome!!! We started feeding the ducks and then the geese noticed.

They came running over to eat the bread we were tossing out for them. The nasty things chased off the cute ducks. I loved the ducks! They acted like dogs, and they weren't rude either. The geese, especially the males, were very demanding about the food. They wanted it immediately. I have to admit that the geese were cute in their own way though. The main male goose got right next to Vul and me. His head came up to my hip. He would try snagging some food from our hands while we were busy feeding one of the other geese or ducks. Sneaky brat! He even tried to bite us! I posted a video of him at the top of the blog if you wish to see it.

We also saw some strange birds that dove under the water. I'm not sure what they were but they were quite skittish of us.

On our way back Friday, we came across two dogs; a Basset Hound and a Husky. They were adorable! The Husky kept sticking his head through the fence, and she licked our faces. The Basset Hound was under weight which we weren't too happy about. He was cute too! He had that trademark sad droopy face. *pet pet* SO SWEET!!! :D

I Hope you Dance

I recieved this email a few days ago. I hope you dance.

Will You Dance With Me?

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY.... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to be parted from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthus iasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord...
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butter fly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?

Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.....

Life is not a race Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship Week.. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do.
'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!

How about it? Even those of us with two left feet should be allowed to dance.

Pain!

... Guess what!

I have shingles! And not the kind that sit on your roof.

The painful itchy rash thing that hovers over your nerves. That old people get commonly. Not young people. Of which I am one. One being young. And I have shingles. And they hurt. And they itch when they don't hurt. And if you scratch them they hurt again.

Although I did learn that my pain tolerance must be much higher than I thought it was- I had the shingles for a full week before I went to the clinic to see what was up.

And what was up last night was me- at four in the morning, because it hurt too much to sleep. So I'm taking medicine that makes me drowsy and I didn't get enough sleep last night- so I slept through my first two classes of the day... whooohooo.

I say slept- drowsed is more like, I could hear every word my teachers said, I just could not for the life of me keep my eyes open. So my notes look worse than ususal.... but it's okay, it was sorta like review, so I have a pretty good idea of what went on.

Also! Look at the picture and cower in awe! Seriously, that picture took me at least six hours to do. Probably more- I wasn't keeping track of time, I was watching Airwolf. Props to akewataru of DeviantART who did the lineart- I just colored it.

I'm sure that you've read from the Fruit Bat's posts, but she and I have been watching a lot of movies recently- last night I felt duty-bound to introduce her to Robin Hood: Men in Tights. If you haven't seen this movie, do so. If laughter is medicine for the soul, this movie should be an over-the-counter drug.

No Soap Needed

<------My room-mate holding a coffee pot.

<------Note the murky water.

On a side note, my room mate was making coffee a few nights ago, and when she filled up the coffee pot the water came out a murky grey/white. Yeah, it was gross. Here are some pictures of it. Strangely, only the hot water does that, and if you let it sit for a few minutes it goes back to being clear. Weird.


By the way, there is no soap in the coffee pot. LOL! xD


<-----Can't see bottom of coffee pot.

<-----At least the water is drinkable. It could be worse.



Though that doesn't change the fact that it's not normal. Tis' odd.

I've never seen water do this before. Kind of gross. I wonder what it means...

Heh. Our finger nails were still painted black from Halloween. :D

Eventful Weekend

This weekend my family came up here to see me, and they brought Toboe-chan! I was extremely happy that they came because I was missing home.


Anyways, they came Friday night, so after Vulpecula and I finished watching a movie I headed over to my Granny and Papa's. By the way, Vul knows random facts about death. I discovered this during our movie when I inquired as to why a man fired his gun when he was killed. I wasn't really expecting an answer because I didn't think that Vul knew about things like that. Well, she does.

"It's a death reflex," she told me.

That creeped me out. I was totally NOT expecting that from her. She thought it was pretty amusing that I was so weirded out by that. LOL! I love you Vul!!!
Back to my family now. So Saturday morning I was allowed to take Toby to the river. He loved everything about it! Except the geese. He was sort of scared of the noise they made. The ducks didn't bother him though. Silly pup.

After that I went to eat with my family, then I went for a walk on campus with Vulpecula and Toby. Poor squirrels. I let Toboe-chan chase and terrify them. Heh.
Later, we hung out and had a birthday party for my Papa which Vulpecula was invited to. We gorged ourselves on sandwiches, chips, chocolate cake, chocolate pretzels, and hot chocolate. YUMMY!!!! xD Before the party, Vulpecula and myself ended up giving Toby a bath. She was quite surprised at how well behaved he was during the bath, and even after. LOL! He may not like having a bath but he DOES like to please me, so therefore, he endures it. I love my puppy! :D


Sunday, I finally got the nerve up to go ask the people across the street from my Granny and Papa's house if I could brush their dog. She has mats and what not because they never brush her. Long-haired dog + not getting brushed + burrs = major mats. They let me brush her and I quickly found out why they never took the time to; she won't hold still. She jumps, claws, and runs circles around you. Understandable, but they could take her to a dog groomer or something. They actually asked me if I would help them trim her nails sometime, and I told them I would. YAY! I'm going to help them train her too. That way she'll hopefully be more manageable.


Sunday, my family and me went to church, ate lunch, and then rearranged my Granny and Papa's house. Sadly, at 3pm they left. *sigh* I wanted to go with them. Oh well, Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and then I'll be able to go home for five days! I can't wait!!! We get out next Wednesday! Yippy!!!! :D

Okay, on with the rest of my Sunday. Let's see, Sunday night (last night) Vul and me went to this gathering for the Chi-Alpha, a Christian organization at our college. They were serving pancakes and had the football game on a HUGE screen. It was great! We didn't stay for the game though, we went back to her dorm and watched a movie. We went for the pancakes. What can I say? LOL!


This was probably the most active weekend I've had here so far.


P.S. Sorry, no pictures of my family, friend, or myself. What we look like is not the whole world's business.

Angels among us

Say hello to my new roommate, Archangel!

Courtesy the great dexerity of Fruit Bat, I now have a Beta fish, isn't he handsome?

We got him at a fall festival of sorts, you had to throw a ping pong ball into a fishbowl to win a fish (I, sadly couldn't do it. Fruit Bat claims that the trick is to throw it underhand- everyone else tried overhand)

For anyone who's curious, he is called Archangel after my favorite character off of an old TV show called Airwolf. (It's slightly inappropritate, because the character wears all white...) Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III, codename, Archangel. Unlike his namesake, he seems to be quite the social fish!

A Vegetarian's Horror

Now for the Fruit Bat's worst adventure. Yes, that's right. I'd rather be horse stepping-stones one more time then ever go on this little exploration EVER again!

Yesterday my animal science lab class met at the MIR center. We went over the red meat section in our notes. Yippy. Joy. For a vegetarian against all cruelty and needless pain to animals, I was not thrilled. Oh, but here's the best part! Get ready! We toured the slaughter operation at the MIR center. Bleh. Gross! I got to see the knock-box where the animals are stunned with a captive-bolt gun which drives a four-inch spike into their skull, or electrocuted. They had just finished cleaning the area so it smelled of antiseptics and blood. It was weird to be standing on solid white floor knowing that blood had been spilled MANY times beneath my feet. I'm curious to know how they hide what they do so well. Anyways, I expected as much but I didn't think he'd take us to see the slaughtered animals. Yeah. He did.


He opened the freezer safe door to another room and, all I saw was the head of an animal, skin gone, teeth and eyes bulging. I froze causing my classmates to go around me. When he ushered us in I had to grind my teeth before joining them. I even thought about refusing but it was part of the grade so I forced myself to remember that. I stuck close to the door, about three feet away from a lama head that was hanging at my breast height. Hanging all around us were slaughtered cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and of course the lama head. Why it was in there I still don't quite understand. Aside from the picture forever engraved in my mind the smell was horrid. I didn't want to breath but unfortunately my teacher kept us in there for too long. I had no choice.

When we finally left a girl met us on our way out. She had a white shirt on that had blood stains.

"Did you see my lama head? Pretty cool, huh?!"

The guys laughed and said yeah while us girls just kind of looked at each other like they were nuts.

More like disgusting. Yeah. That's cool alright. Killing animals. I want to feel proud about taking a life. Uh-huh. Baka ningen. If you want to kill an animal for food, fine. Do it but please keep in mind that some of us may not like you boasting about it.

Eh. I NEVER want to experience that again. Don't get me wrong. I accept the fact that people want, and some actually need to eat meat but that does not mean that I have to like it or EVER want to see it again. As a matter of fact I didn't want to see it to begin with.

Heroes

Well, you voted for it! Heaven knows why… So here’s a list of heroes from games I’ve played. I might do another villain’s page- secondary villains or something. Also I’ve changed this up a bit, I’ll have favorite quotes from these characters. So that my villains don’t feel left out I’ll put their quotes up with their corresponding heroes.

Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy VII
The adorable chocobo headed boy from Nimbelhiem. Cloud starts off brash and confident, and ends up quiet and introspective. His arch nemesis is the indestructible Sephiroth. It really makes me mad when people portray Cloud as some sort of indecisive weakling. Just because he acts crazy… He has issues undoubtedly- voices in his head, the death of his entire hometown, a childhood that wasn’t very happy, etc. But he’s not weak. For pity’s sake, the kid took on Sephiroth at age 16 and WON.

Cloud- "I came here by my own free will... or so I thought. The truth is I am afraid of myself... there is a part of me I don't understand... there's something inside of me, a person who is not really me."

Sephiroth- "How can there be any meaning in the memory of such a being? What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion."

Squall Leonhart- Final Fantasy VIII
The angsty teen from Blamb Garden. Squall bugs me a little- at the beginning of the game he’s cool- because he just doesn’t care. You can be horribly rude and they’ll think it’s just his personality. But of course he has to become responsible, and he doesn’t want to be a leader so- enter angst. I do sympathize though. Really. No one even asked if he wanted to- they just made him. He can’t complain too much though, he seems to be one of the few in video games who get to stay with their love at the end.

Squall- “I dreamt I was a moron…”

Zidane Tribal- Final Fantasy IX
The happy-go-lucky, monkey-tailed thief of Final Fantasy! Really, he was a strange choice for the hero, his personality is quite different from his predecessors Squall and Cloud, as well as his profession. While Cloud and Squall were mercenaries, Zidane is a thief/actor! His disregard for authority is refreshing, though his womanizing traits can be annoying. It’s amazing that with his carefree nature his past is actually twisted- the villain of the piece is Kuja, his brother.

Zidane-"Whoever pulled this off had to be highly skilled, like me."

Kuja- "It really isn't my kind of place. You see, there's an anti-magic barrier around the place. And I want to send you because you're too stupid to use magic."

Vyse- Skies of Arcadia
A pirate! Look at that eyepatch! Although Ramirez is my favorite character, Vyse is my second favorite, and I’m happy to have had him. Vyse is a Blue Rogue- a pirate that only steals from armed ships- usually the Imperial Armada, and avoids killing/ kidnapping. It’s really cool in the game, you start off as a nobody, but as you go on, you gain fame, until you can become the King of the Rogues- and people will talk to you differently too!

Vyse-"Impossible is a word that people use so they don't feel bad when they quit."

Ramirez- “Where there is light, there is darkness…”

Serge- Chrono Cross
This was the first video game I ever beat- or was serious about playing. Serge is just so innocent- you feel that you have to protect him! His life kinda sucks, the world is split into two realities, one that’s false and one that’s real. In the false reality, he lives at home with his mother, and is constantly badgered by his self-proclaimed girlfriend Leena (hiss), in the other world; he died at age ten, and therefore does not exist. Serge has no speaking role in the game. If it looks like Serge but it’s talking, it’s not Serge.

Lynx- “Now, let love bleed! Deeper and Darker than the flames of hell!”

Crono- Chrono Trigger
I only played this game once- but Crono was alright. This game is sort of the predecessor to Chrono Cross, while the same characters aren’t used, it helps to know what’s going on. Crono lives at home with his mom, and winds up time traveling. He goes from era to era righting wrongs and generally screwing up the continuum. This did come in handy when he died fighting Lavos, as he was easily resurrected by going back to the moment it happened and replacing the body with a doll. Crono has no speaking role in the game.

Ryudo- Grandia II
A “bloodthirsty geohound” (mercenary) who winds up saving the world. Ryudo starts off not caring about anything unless there is money involved- but things get personal as the game progresses until he’s finally ticked enough to take action. He’s got a cute voice in the game (in my humble opinion) and some nice attacks.

Ryudo- But, if I listened to every piece of good advice I heard, I'd have killed all of you already and run off with your gold.

Zera- “I shall reveal the power of god!”

Sora- Kingdom Hearts
The young boy from Destiny Islands. Sora is cute, straight forward and honest. Therefore, he must be protected. Sometimes he gets an overblown idea of his own strength and you are left begging him to not antagonize those you know that you aren’t ready for yet. There is a lot that he doesn’t understand, and a lot of things he shouldn’t, but does anyway.

Riku: What? You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?
Sora: Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience.

Riku: Conscience?

Sora: You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!

Ansem- “This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn. You understand so little.”

I Found Jesus There

The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed; the boy's parents sat across from him.

"Tomorrow morning," the surgeon began, "I'll open up your heart..."

"You'll find Jesus there," the boy interrupted.

The surgeon looked up, annoyed.

"I'll cut your heart open," he continued, "to see how much damage has been done..."

"But when you open up my heart, you'll find Jesus in there."

The surgeon looked to the parents, who sat quietly.

"When I see how much damage has been done, I'll sew your heart and chest back up and I'll plan what to do next."

"But you'll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. The hymns all say He lives there. You'll find Him in my heart."

The surgeon had had enough.

"I'll tell you what I'll find in your heart. I'll find damaged muscle, low blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I'll find out if I can make you well."

"You'll find Jesus there too. He lives there."

The surgeon left.

The surgeon sat in his office, recording his notes from the surgery: "...damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed rest. Prognosis:" here he paused, "death within one year."

He stopped the recorder, but there was more to be said.

"Why?" he asked aloud.

"Why did You do this? You've put him here; You've put him in this pain; and You've cursed him to an early death. Why?"

The Lord answered and said, "The boy, My lamb, was not meant for your flock for long, for he is a part of My flock, and will forever be. Here, in My flock, he will feel no pain, and will be comforted as you cannot imagine. His parents will one day join him here, and they will know peace, and My flock will continue to grow."

The surgeon's tears were hot, but his anger was hotter.

"You created that boy, and You created that heart. He'll be dead in months. Why?"

The Lord answered,"The boy, My lamb, shall come home to My flock, for he has done his duty: I did not put My lamb with your flock to lose him, but to retrieve another lost lamb."

The surgeon wept.

The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed; the boy's parents sat across from him.

The boy awoke and whispered, "Did you cut open my heart?"

"Yes," said the surgeon."

"What did you find?" asked the boy.

"I found Jesus there," said the surgeon.

~Author Unknown

Pictures!!!

Random picture time!!! YAY!!

Why use a trampoline for anything but sleeping? Exercise is overrated. According to Nala that is. xD

Ying-Yang. Where have I seen this before? :D

Salutations to the sun! Silly Shooter.

Never mow a lawn in church shoes... X_X

Ants! Really, there are ants.

I wonder what would happen if we all took sleeping lessons from cats?

Do I have to move?

Thanks for looking! xD

Shooter

Alright, I've been saying that I would post pictures of Shooter out at EquQuest so that you people could see how much Bella and him look a like. So, here ya go!