Blog Competition

[Shining Raichu]

Contents

[alink id=event]What Is?[/alink id] [alink id=instructions]Instructions[/alink id] [alink id=instructions]Judging[/alink id] [alink id=prize]Prizes[/alink id]

Participants

Charizard★ Scarf Drakow Zero Avenged Impo Tomandgreen LightofTruth moments. Meganium90 vaporeon7 Mr. Waltzie Elite Overlord LeSabre™ Gymnotide Arcaray Destiny Demon Osha_say_wott?! Hybrid Trainer Buttered Coat Warrior Rapter smithtism (=Nemesis=) Penatrait Blue Nocturne [Imaginative]:[Clockwork] Anglican cbd98

Judges

Shining Raichu Forever Toujours

The PokéCommunity Blog Contest

Hosted by Shining Raichu

Judged by Forever, Toujours

[a id]intro[/a id]What is the Blog Competition?

This competition is basically a chance for all those writers out there to try their hand at something a little different from fiction. It is an open-ended competition which allows you to write about anything at all – whether it be an interesting anecdote, a frustrated rant, a lament to a lost love or even your thoughts about a movie or book; the entire world is open to you. All you have to remember is that this is still, above all, a creative writing contest – and of course, to have fun!

[a id]instructions[/a id]Instructions

Entries may be submitted at any point from 12:00AM EST on July 15 until 11:59PM EST on July 18 21. Only one entry may be submitted per person. I'm not going to set a word minimum or maximum because that can be creatively stifling, but if you could keep the entries shorter than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, that would be much appreciated :) It's simple: Write your rant entry and post it in this thread. While I realise it would make sense to host a blogging contest in the blogs themselves, a lot of members do not have a PokeCommunity blog and this is the simplest and most organised way to include everyone.

[a id]instructions[/a id]Judging

We will be looking for original thought, humour, wit, emotion or just a general 'X-factor' in your content and writing style. We will each rate your entry out of ten and the person with the highest score out of thirty will be the winner!

[a id]prize[/a id]Prizes

First and second prize emblems will be awarded, and everybody gets one for giving it a shot! The Golden Keyboard

This user won the Blog Competition in the Get-Together 8! Congratulations! The Silver Stylograph

This user placed second in the Blog Competition in the Get-Together 8! Congratulations! The Broken Pencil

You didn't win, but now you have something else to rant about! [Get-Together 8 Blog Competition Participant] Also, a PokeCommunity blog will be granted to the highest-scoring blog written by a member who does not already have one! ______________________________________________________________________________ OK guys, that's it! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to PM me!

Posted in The PokéCommunity Get Together

 

[Charizard★]

Love, who needs it?

Love. A word that most of us (Okay, not most, but a good amount.) are familiar with. Some of us spend a lot of time looking for it, others will wait for it to come to them. Either way it can be a good or bad experience. I, myself, haven't gone through love, at least I think. My past relationship was only a week long, but I was 'infatuated' (I think that's the right word to use.) with her for a year. We started out as friends, which was nice, and it made me feel good to know I was friends with her. Then, we got closer, which is a good and bad thing. It was a bad thing at the time since she would always come to me and tell me about the boy she liked at the time. It was pretty painful to be honest. I still can remember her saying 'So who do you like? I'm betting that she's a nice and trustworthy girl with good morals.' I kind of laughed when she said that, because it defines her. Okay, kind of side tracked, back on topic, the good part was that you will know about their life, not the creepy way, but the way he/she feels and what they like and stuff. It helps you know them more and get closer to them at the same time. Then comes the 'hanging out' with them part. For me, this happened this year. She invited me last year, but after knowing the guy she liked would be there too, I avoided it. But, this year I thought I had a chance so I went. The first time we hung out it was with her two other friends, a boy and a girl. My first concern was that 'boy' friend of hers was also infatuated with her, which he wasn't after some investigation. (He was infatuated with her sister, who was about 3 years older than us.) Back on topic, it was good to see how she acted after school, which was a bit different. After that, we got closer and closer to the point where I thought it was safe to tell her my feelings, which she then said she wasn't ready or didn't want a relationship. That was a blow to me, because the way she acted while we hung out suggested to me that she liked me. After that, I was still friend with her, then one day we were supposed to hang out, but we didn't because of her parents, but anyways, she asked me out over Facebook, and I was in shock. I didn't know what to say, I remember one of my friends said about 'playing hard to get' but I thought that only applied to girls, and I'm not the kind of person that does that so I just ended up saying yes. I thought it was a great way to start the week, I walked her to her classes the next two days, but then she got sick. I sent her messages via Facebook (Because I didn't have texting at the time) and sh replied back. But on Sunday, she decided to send me a message. The message stated that she wanted to talk about our relationship, I then replied back 'You want to break up right?' and she said possibly. Back on topic, to break it down in a shorter sentence, she felt too anxious around me. (I can still picture it. The funny thing was I was about to send her a message about that I was in the hospital and I was going to ask for some support from her hoping the doctors figuring out what's wrong with me. Kind of ironic, I wanted to ask for support, she didn't want me anymore.) I was honestly struck by that, she's the one who asked me out, she's the one who said she liked me first, she's the one who always wanted me to be around, but now this? After that, I avoided her for a few months, and I'm still trying to do so now. She still messages me every now and then about the boy she likes currently, which still hurts. (I can't tell if she's doing it to mock me, or just because she thinks that I have no feelings for her anymore, but from what I know, I think it's the first.) I know that some relationships turn out like that. One person left in pain, while the other still happy not knowing what they caused. Teen love/love almost always turns to heartbreak. Why go through the trouble of looking for someone then? I don't know. Maybe I will never know. If all love brings is pain in the end, then who needs it?

 

[Esper]

The Midnight Harry Potter Disaster

tags: rant, harry potter, great expectations, great disappointment

There was a full moon last night. I remember thinking it was kind of appropriate. I was probably right, but not in the way I thought.

For the last couple of Harry Potter book and movie premiers I've gone to the midnight showings with a few friends. It's something we all know is going to happen even if we don't plan it together. Spending 8 hours with your friends waiting anxiously for something you all want to see is one of the best things you can do. With this being the last movie we were especially motivated. Previous years had been pretty chaotic with lots of people cutting in line, throwing trash everywhere, standing right next to you and smoking in your face, and generally being horrible experiences for anyone who wasn't made of very stern stuff. Well, my friends and I had weathered those trials and were prepared for this final showing. Nothing was going to ruin our awesome night of nerdiness.

Or so we thought.

Originally one of us was going to stake out a spot early Thursday morning so we'd get in sooner and get good seats, but when he heard that one of his coworkers was already going to be in line the night before he decided he'd better not take any chances and do the same so he pitched a tent and stayed through Wednesday night and all of Thursday before the movie started. Rough for him, yes, but was the most dedicated of us all. Plus the rest of us had to work. Some time Thursday evening after we'd all gathered and were waiting we learned that they were going to change the way they did things for this showing and instead of sending us in on a first-come-first-in basis they started giving out numbers. The numbers weren't given out to everyone based on where they were in line, but just by whoever went to the window and showed their ticket first. So we could have just showed up, grabbed numbers and not had to wait in line at all. On top of this they had different color numbers and it ended up that our group was going to be split up into different theatres because we'd bought tickets at different times.

Since we'd already staked a spot in line we didn't really feel like leaving even though we had numbers. That would have felt wrong. We probably should have though. I mentioned that people liked to smoke practically in your face while waiting in line, but new this time was the disgusting smell of cigar smoke (which is nastier than regular cigarettes) and marijuana. On top of this, the line kept getting condensed every hour or so as people packed up their tents and chairs and we had to keep moving a couple of feet forward to make space for the increasingly large line behind us. That also meant we kept having to park our own spot in line on top of the used gum, spilled soda, and pizza boxes the people ahead of us hadn't bothered to clean up.

Bad as that was probably the most outrageous thing that happened that night though was when two guys on bicycles rode by and threw firecrackers about five feet away from where I was sitting. I saw it happen and in the back of my mind there was a very rational part saying: those are dangerous, move away, cover yourself up. Outwardly I was a little stunned and I can just say that I'm lucky that they weren't closer and that I didn't get hurt except for the huge cloud of smoke I ended up breathing in.

A little later someone from the theatre came out and said they were going to start seating people with blue tickets first. Alright, that was what some of us had. And we had low numbers so we'd get in before most people. So we said bye to our other half of friends and lined up. We ended up with great seats, but as more people came in and started to fill the theatre we noticed that about 75% of them were 14 year old girls. That was a little odd since every other midnight showing I'd been too had a very mixed group of people. I didn't think much of it at the time and just waited for the previews to start. When they did I started to realize that my movie experience might be very different from what I was expecting.

We saw the Batman teaser, a couple of other previews I can't remember now, and the preview for the next Twilight movie. When that came up the volume of the theatre went up by about 10 times. When the shirts came off all of Team Jacob started cheering and I nearly lost hearing in one ear. This was a clue to how the whole movie was going to be.

At no point in the movie was there ever someone near me not talking. That's the thing about going to the movies with large groups of friends. You want to talk to them, and when they're three seats over you have to talk loud enough for them to hear or you can just not talk to them and respect the people in the threatre. Haha, silly me. Being quiet and respecting others, what was I thinking? I wasn't bothered at the cheering when the titles came up, when Neville first appeared (I love Neville) and those kind of responses that I'm used to, but when every single scene made someone laugh, when every line caused someone to gasp and babble about it for the next minute, when they started to laugh at the way other people were laughing I knew that I wasn't going to get into this movie like I wanted to.

When our group finally got back together we learned that it had been no different in their theatre and we all agreed to see the movie again together. Whatever ends up being the next big thing I'm not going to see it at midnight and definitely not if there's a full moon.

 

[Overlord Drakow]

Dear Sir/Madam

The intention of writing this letter is to apply for the postgraduate Astrophysics and Cosmology MSc at your university. Your course satisfies my growing hunger for knowledge and I hold great interest in what you have to offer me. I also feel that I have the ability necessary to take your course after completing a BSc in Mathematics and achieving a First Class mark (70%).

I have always had a great interest in Physics in general, even at a young age. This interest stemmed from my eagerness to learn why the world works the way it does. I had intended to do a BSc in Physics but as I attained such an excellent A-level result in Mathematics, I opted to focus on Mathematics instead. During my A-level studies, the area of Astrophysics intrigued me greatly and stood out from other aspects of Physics I studied. I have planned on returning to studying Astrophysics someday, and that time has now come.

The main motivation for taking this course is that I intend to astound this world someday and to that end, I seek ultimate power. They say that knowledge is equivalent to power. As a mathematician, I embrace logic. I analyse things logically and suppress emotions when dealing with situations and making decisions, rather than being impulsive and acting recklessly on emotions. For the heart is easily manipulated, confounded and deceived. The mind when trained sees things truly for what they are. A powerful mind will not miss even the faintest of details but at the same time, can analyse the bigger picture, which opens new possibilities to explore and consider. For only with such a frame of mind, can the world move forward towards a greater future.

I have also completed a large mathematical physics dissertation based on Dark Matter this year, for which I practically obtained a first class mark for (69%). This has provided me with a strong astronomical foundation of knowledge which will prove to be invaluable for this course. Ideally, I would be able to continue on my work in this area. While there is still quite a lot of theory I need to learn, my mathematical ability should ideally, more than compensate. I have become fairly proficient at using the engineering software known as MATLAB which I used to plot some rotation curves of galaxies for the aforementioned dissertation. I am also extremely skilled at using the mathematical writing package LATEX for writing up mathematical reports such as the dissertation. At request, I can send a PDF file of my dissertation for your viewing discretion.

During my second year of undergraduate study, I became a student proctor for the SIGMA Mathematics support centre. I was the primary source of contact for students who required help with mathematics. I was able to either deal with the problems students gave me directly, or I would refer the student to a specialist professor who would certainly be able to handle the problem. I also did a few other basic jobs as a proctor, such as compiling data for the university.

I play several different types of strategy based games, which simultaneously provide entertainment and exercise for my mind. Some of these games involve teamwork but generally I stick to solo games. I prefer it when I have more parameters under my control. The game I play competitively is the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game which I have played for a few years now. During this time I have experienced some success. My greatest achievement was winning a regional tournament in 2010 and qualifying for the 2010 United Kingdom Nationals, which unfortunately I did not perform so well in. Also, I just missed out on qualifying for the 2011 European Championships, losing the final duel. This card game has helped me reform my basic probability skills as well as calculating risk. It has also taught me how crucial the psychological battle with my opponent is. The most important lesson of all I have learnt is this. If you know what move your opponent will make, then you definitely know what move you will make. Such philosophy is what I try to apply in battles.

I do Karate as a means of fitness for my body and I am currently a Black belt. Karate has enforced discipline, respect, sharpened focus and drastically increased my mental awareness. I have taken Karate lessons since I was aged 7, so I have been doing Karate for roughly 14 years now. I also play other sports such as cricket, basketball, football and tennis although not on a regular basis – though I am quite keen in taking up new sports for leisure. I train regularly at my local club and whenever I could while I was at Coventry University. While training at my local club, I sometimes assisted my Sensei in training the younger students with great pleasure. It does genuinely feel good to help other people improve in certain aspects of their lives. There have been chances for me to enter competitions but unfortunately due to academic reasons, I have had to decline these opportunities. I have undertaken the necessary training to fight competitively and I do have the desire and intention to take part in such competitions in the future to further my own abilities.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this personal statement.

 

[Zero Avenged]

Another Shade of Red


Peace. That was a word we had only wished we could know. On the battle field we knew no peace. Peace. Our only hope of obtaining it was in death. For in death we need no longer fear dying. That was the peace we dreamnt of. Laying awake at night,scared to sleep,scared to breath,scared that the next time you closed your eyes would be the last. I don't know how we survived as long as we did. I could only hope and pray that others made it out.

The cry of soldiers and gunfire filled the air. Screams of protest as men were dragged away. Our friends,our enemies it mattered not. In the heat of battle all was lost. Point,shoot,run. That was what we were trained to do. What I was told to do. Time seemed to fade away. Melted into the blood soaked earth,along with my sanity,hopes and dreams.

I remember a soldier crying and beggin to go home. Home. A place so long gone it rarely crossed my mind. I belonged to the war. Fighting,screaming,laughing. This was what I had become. Some called me a hero. I called myself a monster. Living with what I had become.

War. War had changed. War was no longer fighting over something important. It was fighting to keep the rich man rich. War had become home. I was no longer the person I once knew. I felt as if each time a soldier died i died with them. A part of me lay there. Lifeless eyes gazing into the sky waiting. Waiting for a sign. A sign of hope. A sign of relief. A sign that we could be taken away and given back to the world that had sent us here. But by being here. Would we be willing to take them back? Willing to love,willing to risk lossing more loved ones? I couldn't. I couldn't. I just couldn't. War. War had changed me.

They pried him from my arms. I screamed and cried. I ignored the bullets flying through the air. My tears washed away the dirt covering my face. I held him in my arms as he coughed his last bits of air out. Blood poured from his mouth as he smiled. I grasped his hand and still the pulled me away. I screamed. Anguish over came me and I let them drag me to cover. Dust covered the air. Bullets flew. And still all I could see was my friends smile. His war torn smile. His hopes and dreams being put into my empty shell of a body. I felt as if my grip was fading. Was he ever my friend? Or was he a soldier I has simply watched die an agonizing death,taking comfort in the fact that someone cared.

Hope. It was etched in the heart of all these people. People I told myself we were saving. Were we saving them? Or were we simply riding ourselves of competition. I couldn't be sure. Hope. That was all I had at this point. Hope that one day I could become the person I was before. Carefree,happy and full of life. Not this creature no longer human. Skin covered with dirt and the blood of my battles. I knew I would be forever haunted by the things I had seen. The things I had done. Hope. It was begining to fade. Hope. I am not sure it was ever there.

The bells rung loud and high. I could hear them. Home. I was going to go home. I had led them so far. Shed so many tears. Shed so much blood. And now I was free. They had cut my chains. Freed me from this life that had destroyed me. But it was they who gave it to me. Home. This is where they gave me the medals. The medals for killing the men and women that were our enemies. But to me. I was recieving a medal for killing young soldiers who knew not what they were fighting for.

Home. Home was on the battle field. Home was where all the soldiers cried,where the only friends I knew were the ones that ended lives. Home was War. I knew I could never rest easy. So I left. I threw myself back into the heart of War. And it welcomed me home. I knew I was where I belonged. Because everything. Everything looked like another shade of red to me.

 

[Impo]

So, I'm actually going to enter this. I'm not sure what to write about, but I saw rant in the first post and that's good enough for me... Now I just need to know how to rant. I don't have much to rant about, so I thought I'd rant about my chances of winning this blog entry. It's pretty slim. Okay, I lied. I have no hope in hell. I made the best bibliography, and that would have been perfect for this, but, of course, I can't enter something pre-written. I don't know why. I would have won it with my bio. It had everything. Chocolates, marbles, even dark magic! What could be better than that? ...Now that I think about it, the toilet story is an awesome story.

I was in the chat room, you see, and I accidentally wrote that I was a toilet. I didn't do it on purpose, and thinking back now I have no clue as to what I was first trying to type. But I did it. I said I was a toilet. Of course, I was met with pregnant pauses by the whole chat room, then laughter. I wasn't embarrassed though, you don't know how many times I've made the whole chat room so awkward the turtle dies. Then Signomi, as elegant as she is, decided to name her toilet Impo. It was an honour. For someone to name a toilet after me was such a gift, but I needed proof. So I commanded her to take a photo. She did, and the darkened Polaroid now graces my signature! She also left the identification on the toilet lid, so Signomi's mother was a little confused as to why there was an Impo on the toilet.

That nickname has graced me, and I have now moved forward in the rank of toilets to Super Toilet, and even Impo the Toilet Queen. Suffice to say, I now love toilets. Except when they have warm seats. Ew. Okay, that is an awesome story, but to make it sound more awesome imagine Signomi saying it in her British voice. That was a good Skype session. But still, I don't think I'll win. Damn. And I really wanted a golden keyboard. I'd go great with a golden toilet. On that note, I'm considering changing the laptop chair into a toilet. That way I never have to leave my screen!

Wait! I just realized! Everyone else who entered are PC Supporters and all have blogs! Yes! I might be able to scrounge a blog, and then I can grace the blogs of PC with the awesome toilet story! ... I like it. It's a plan! Wait... Crap! Some non-supporter just entered! Gasp! I have competition. I need to destroy it. But how...? Wow, I have so many ideas it quite invigorating- I'll stop there, in case the Police look here for evidence against me. On that note, I think I should stop talking altogether.


..But I'll keep talking. Oh dear. Look at everyone-elses long, detailed and descriptive blogs... And here I am over here with 4 paragraphs of short. If these things are measured in height I'm the midget. That's not normal. I'm usually the tall one. But I think I can still manage. After all, quality over quantity.
----

Wow, everyone's else is so long.... I feel short....

 

[Tomandgreen]

How I ended up with a cat

My blog will be unique. There's no Twilight references, war poems, or toilet stories filled with self-doubt. Only the story of how I got my cat. And how I named it "Amp". And how I have a scar on my left buttock. That last part was a joke. It's on my right buttock.

Imagine this, a filthy club with grime on the floor and the odorous perfume of drunken losers everywhere you go. That was where I found myself exactly 4 years ago, the summer when I moved to Massachusetts. Now, don't get the wrong picture, I was a great kid, and the only reason I was in a club was to watch my dad play some music (he's a rather famous musician) but that doesn't mean I was happy. It was almost 12:00 at night and I just wanted to be in my bed, asleep, dreaming of whatever a 13 year old dreams. But nooooooooo. I was super bored, so I went outside. It smelled even worse there, but at least it was quieter. That's when the mewing kicked in. I decided to follow it, and what a found was quite frankly disgusting.

I don't know if you have ever seen a show or something where the cops come in and arrest people who abuse animals, and sometimes they tye them up to a post with a sign that says take, but that's what I saw. It was probably the end of my
childhood. It was sad. Sadder than sad. What kind of horrible person would do that to a living creature? It looked hungry, and thirsty, and sick too. My dad had just gotten of stage, and so I rushed to him and brought him to the poor kitty. He is a lover of animals, so we both decided to take the cat to the vet right away. We made some room in the back of the car, took a blanket, and put it in between two amplifiers we had back there. We then got a plastic bag, and carried him in it, and set him down gently on the blanket. It may have just been the broken street-lamp behind us, but it looked to me as if he was saying "Thanks bro!" with his eyes. Then we took off.

In the car, my dad told me that there was a good chance the cat would die, and that even if he did have to be put to sleep, we would be doing what was right, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. That cat had a will to live, and I could tell. We finally got to the vet, and rushed the cat in. After an hour or so, the veterinarian came out and told me that the cat was going to die. I cried so hard, it felt like it was raining. Why did this innocent beast have to die? I wished the owner would die, he deserved it! I was heart-broken beyond belief. I was about to run out to the car, when the vet said "There's one last hope, but don't count on it." I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Each second was a minute, each minute an hour, each hour an eternity. Finally the vet came out with the kitty and some medicine and said, "He's yours".

To this day, Amp is my best bud. He is healthier than the neighbors cat, and one year older too, not to mention the amount he eats is insane. Amp can drive me crazy with his scratching and clawing and silly-ness, but I love him all the same.

So there's my blog, hope it wasn't to intense, and hope hope you felt as touched reading it as I was in person. See ya later, Tom.
PS: I lied. I don't have any butt scars. That's would just be gross.

 

[LightOfTruth]

The tales of the PC members

I just thought it will be nice to do a blog about this website:

There is a place called PokeCommunity, Where the members have the nice get-together's plus the normal stuff such as the Black/White forum. The get-together's is where PC members meet up in a while to do cool events such as Skype, Isketch, IRC Chat, Duelling Contest, Word Search, Map-Off and lots more,

It is the staff that make this possible due to there enjoyment of the community and the members make it possible by keep popping in to PC every day. But it doesn't stop for the staff as they even offer emblems during get-together's to show appreciation for these who take part in the events,

But there is some events that are outside get-together's that you can get a emblem from too like New Year. The New Year is where you celebrate with your fellow members and the staff, If you donate you get benefits such as a blog and PC Supporter Status which they don't have to do but do any-ways to show appreciation for these who donate.

This site is also home to many great pokemon hacks such as Liquid Crystal and Pokemon Old White in the ROM hacking section of the site, But we don't just talk about Pokemon as we have a technical forum, Other Chat Forum and Other Voting Polls.

The cool thing about PC is staff treat you all as a equal and some-times post in discussions, PC is also one of the most active forums on the net thanks to its userbase and the staff with there good attitude to keep this place are success.

Pokecommuntity, A nice place that I will never ever forget

 

[Gymnotide]

Can I... Just reblog something from my Tumblr? -___-

 

[LightOfTruth]

Can I... Just reblog something from my Tumblr? -___-

Ask the host, I would say that you do something new but that is just my option :)

 

[moments.]

Meditation, clearing ones mind completely. Tonight I became immersed completely in a figment of my imagination; my perfect relaxing place. The air is moist, as if it is constantly raining but the canopy of the many trees overhead protect the ground from getting rained upon. The ground is wet from seepage and everything is covered in tiny water droplets. Within this shield of bark and twigs, a small concrete house stands with smoke flowing from two chimneys. The windows are small semi circle holes with wooden shutters over it, and the door is incredibly thick but fairly weathered sitting in an arch shaped doorway. Inside, the fire fills the warm with a rich warmth and a slight smell of burning wood which contrasts to the fresh, crisp air outside. I go back outside and follow the hill down to a small creek where the water flows gently, but fairly quickly, being continually pushed by the falling rain. The earth is soft under my feet, sodden with water giving life to the tiny sprouts growing through the bark and rotting leaves which cover the soil.

The colours in this tranquil and picturesque place are mainly browns and greys, the colour seemingly drained away from the rain. However, I find the dull colours refreshing and relaxing, nothing which captures too much attention and allows for full contemplation and relaxation through no distractions at all. All you can hear is distant rain and sounds of insects at work. Everything is peaceful, a place I can go to escape the hustle and bustle of my real life. I hope to find this place in the future, a place I can immediate recognise and appreciate. A place I can escape.

❝ Voices inside my head
Echoes of things that you said ❞

Memro - Trick of the Tail.​

 

[Meganium]

My blog entry is in this spoiler. Good luck to the rest of the entrants!~

Spoiler:

High School Can Be So Cruel Sometimes…
By: Meganium90.

You are thirteen going on fourteen. You just graduated from middle school/junior high, and you are super excited to move on to a new school…more like a new world. Many of you who are at this stage must be thinking, "Why yes, Ana/Megan. I am excited to enter a new world". But to be honest, that new world isn't as *glamorous* as you think.

In middle school, everyone in most of your classes liked you. You had a lot of friends and you were very close to them. Even so, you had a crush on someone that you're just dying to talk to.. but can't. I'm sure you can relate to this, especially to those who have been through high school before.

But once you reach this new world, this new school, this new chapter in life…it turns out that it's not what you were expecting. You were immediately dethroned from your popularity in your class. You've made a few enemies on your first day. And the person you've had a crush on for years? He's a football quarterback, and he's going out with the popular girl that hates you for who you are. Or, she's the most popular girl in school, and she's going out with a jerk.

Classes are harder. You took Algebra, Physical Science, and High School-Prep English during 8th grade, but your counselor placed you on Honors classes because she thought you're capable of achieving. Your outlook for the rest of the year: Cloudy with a chance of unsuccessful.

I'm not saying this is the high school life you're going to get. It's just how I'm witnessing it today in real life.

Well, I wouldn't say my high school days aren't really that bad. I graduated top ½ of the class with a GPA of 3.2. Okay…I lied. They were bad. Literally. The first three years were really…really…really bad. There are a few reasons why my high school years were really bad. It's explained below.

~Fought with the popular kids
~Obsessed with the popular guy in school
~Pulled many pranks on the teachers and subs
~Ditched class
~Came late to class 10000000000 times
~Sent to the principals office for 80% of the things I didn't do.
~Flipped off the administrators

But you know what the weirdest part is? I never got suspended or expelled. xD

My high school years were ehh. Freshman year was so bad, I mean… I deserved to pay a visit to Juvenile Hall (well, not really…sorry for being a bit exaggerative). I was part of those Friday Fight days my high school had. xD But I managed to mellow down a bit during my sophomore year and join the Newspaper Staff and the Math Club…(I now wonder why the freak I joined that club…since today I despise Math with a passion). Junior year was the year of detentions. I got one almost every single day and served my hours almost every single day. Then I matured finally as a Senior…where I got a job, and graduated at top ½.

Have you ever seen those movies that take place in high school? You know, when the popular people are always the antagonists and the popular person you have a crush on is your love interest in the story. Take Mean Girls for example. To be honest, I'm getting tired of these stories already. The plot is always the same…the protagonist getting tortured and sometimes getting a bit suicidal. It's horrible, and it makes me wonder if teenagers are suffering these days. :/

If you have a teenage brother or sister that's going to high school, it's better for you to give them a talk about high school. It can give them an idea and relate to their current high school life. Now, I don't really have siblings that go to high school, but I do have cousins. But they still deserve the advice and the confidence they need.

It's part of your life for a reason: live to tell the story.

 

[vaporeon7]

Darn the Japanese and their addictive anime!
By vaporeon7

"Do you think Naruto anime is better then Sinnoh and Unova Pokemon anime?"
One question that I dread hearing, being the close-minded person I am laughed at it because I thought it could never be true. At first I was reluctant from ever watching Naruto to begin with, my friend bet me that I would eventually like it more then the current Pokemon anime, just agreeing to to be polite and not lead to any conflict. I kept making up garbage excuses why I wasn't watching it such as "I've been really busy with these challenges" or "I tried but it failed". Finally, one day to get the nagging off my back, I did. At first, I thought of it as nothing too spectacular. I only watched one episode that week.

The following week I felt pressured to watch another, I did so during class so I didn't take up any of my relaxation time at home. It was strange to me, I actually quite enjoyed it. Being one of the last days of the school term, the work slowed down a bit, which allowed me to watch a few more episodes before I was forced to in my free time. I still felt pressure by a friend to watch more and more and to enjoy it.

At the very start of the holidays my family went up to the river with a bunch of my brother's friend's. On the car trip up there I thought I'd do something different. Instead of playing Pokemon (which I had normally done for the previous ten years of my life), I decided to watch it. It was at that point I realised that I actually really liked watching Naruto. This was proven by me watching ten episodes in a row, which was something I could never see me originally doing. I found the plot a lot different from Pokemon, the plot had long story arks that after watching one episode you just had to watch the next, and the next and so on...

I continued to watch a lot of Naruto while we were staying up there. My brother and his friends were also big Naruto fans and this allowed it to more of a social watching of it. Before I knew it I was watching episodes like crazy. On the way home, I didn't stop watching it. I watched it at every opportunity at home. It was like a smaller scale of my obsession with Pokemon.

Later that week my family decided that we would go to my relative's shack. I really didn't want to go because I would be without internet for days. I acted really grumpy about it, but it got me nowhere and I was forced to go. The whole way up I watched Naruto. As a dummy spit, I didn't do anything but watch Naruto the whole time I was there. I was finishing episode after episode consecutively every day I could. Then a few days in, I finished the last episode I had with me. I acted all grumpy and did nothing for a day but sit down. I then got the opportunity to go home early with my brother, I took it instantly. The second I got home I got even more episodes and continued watching them. I continued watching it, getting more and more obsessed every day for the rest of the holidays.

When I got back to school, the friend who suggested Naruto asked me if I thought that it was better then the new Pokemon. My answer was still no, though I knew it was on par with it I said no, just to be right. I continued watching Naruto throughout the school term becoming more obsessed with it. That same question kept popping up, I kept answering no, each time becoming more a lie then the last, until finally, one day, I said that it was equal. I would still refuse to say yes even though I thought it was because I've always hated being wrong. I kept having less time to watch Naruto, and because of it, I was being nagged that I wasn't watching the 30 episodes a day like I had done before. I got asked who my favourite character was, I stalled for as long as I could, I answered with Lady Tsunade (even though I think it was probably Sakura Haruno).

The next lot of school holidays came along, I was asked if my favourite character had changed, I said that it had and after watching Sakura punch the ground in Shippuden (something that I found extremely hot by the way) that it was now Sakura. I was still trying to watch as much as I could, I planned to watch a lot but the Get Together took up a lot of my time. I even managed to cry at a point during it, which is something I don't normally do that doesn't have to do with Pokemon (and only then with really sad things like Misty leaving or Misty's Togetic being released). It had become clear and rather obvious that Naruto was far better then the Sinnoh and Unova Pokemon anime (though they aren't that bad). I enjoyed it so much that I changed my avatar to a picture of Sakura along with my Skype avatar. I finally decided today that I would try to watch as much today, I watched quite a bit. I now plan to say that it is better then the current Pokemon. Though I will say it online and then run.

I never would've thought that I could like Naruto as much as I do now...

 

[Mr. Waltzie]

A Satisfying Hangout!​

So as you know, Sunday is the last weekend of the week and might be everyone's least favourite weekend-day since Sunday is so close to Monday yet Monday is so far away from Friday. I'm sure everyone loves Friday, unless you're in love with studying or obsess to your work... And since Sunday is the last day of weekend, I just thought that I should do something before Monday starts ruining everything.

Before 17th July, which was today, 16th July, I asked for help from my dad to book the tickets for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 via E-Payment. You know when it comes to some big titles like Transformer, Harry Potter, Green Lantern etc, you don't get a chance to get a nice seat by ordering on the exact day which you planned to watch on the exact day. So my dad just booked the 3 tickets, one for me and the other two for my friends which are couples. And I've got a nice seat, which was kind of in the centre and high up and I was satisfied with my seat. Here's some evidence for my ticket booking via E-Payment:

So yeah, it's called the Golden Screen Cinema. They have got like Gold-Class and Normal-Class Theaters. And guess what? Gold-Class theater has great seats! They provide you high-quality cushioned sofa and the sofa is big enough for you to lie on it. Sounds cool? But the price will definitely intimidate you guys, or at least the people here. It cost around RM50 (16 US Dollars) per ticket. And due to the price, I couldn't afford such ticket. All I need for a cinema is to have a seat and enjoy my movie, that's the point to watch a good movie.

So the next day, which was Sunday, my friends suddenly said that they have some urgent things to do. I was shocked because I just booked the tickets and my father's credit card just paid for them. I was really panic because what should I do with the two extra tickets? I kept searching for my friends from Facebook, Twitter, MSN and all sort of communication ways to replace for the tickets. After many tries of getting other friends to watch, finally my good friends Xuan and Rechelle could make it. And they saved my day! The two tickets won't be wasted! (WHEEEEEE!!)

We just got our tickets and we hanged out around at the Entertainment Department to wait for the time to arrive, well our movie's showing time was 4:45PM and it was 4:23PM (I remember it clearly) so we thought we still have got plenty of times. But who knows, time really flies when you're not aware of it... (Geesh, Dialga... I appreciate you to make the time flow slower whenever it comes for excited or fun moment! xD) So we entered into the cinema and headed to Theater Hall 4.

The movie started after the trailers, and I was really excited because I've been waiting for the movie for like... Ages? Nah not so seriously but I still waited for so long ever since I just got the storybook! After watching the Harry Potter, all I can say is... AWESOME! Actually I would like to find a greater and better word than awesome but I couldn't, because the movie deserves more than just an awesome! About the story, I don't think it's good to tell now because it's some major spoilers for those who haven't watched or read the book. So watch the movie real quick if you're a Potter-fan!

After the movie, we went for the Thailand barbecue restaurant, BBQ Plaza! Their way of serving food is kind of unique. You just have to order the food raw like uncooked chicken meet, muttons etc and all you have to do is to place the meats on top of the cooker. You have to do it yourself, so it's basically like some self-service kind of restaurant but you'll enjoy steaming your own foods especially it's barbecue!

So yeah, after the dinner, we just went back to our home. Simple but it was indeed a fun hangout, and again, especially with your friends! I hope I'll get another hangout like this, with more fun of course!

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

5 Reasons I Really Do Not Like...

*Pikachu
1. It's EVERYWHERE. Not only that, it's usually portrayed as some special, all-powerful Pokemon. This despite it not even being a fully evolved Pokemon and having terrible base stats. Clearly Game Freak plays favorites with this thing... giving it an exclusive held item that even the rest of its evolution line can't use, giving it its own fan club in D/P/Pt (and don't even mention the creepy trainers that dress up like this abomination), it shows up on billboards in a region where it doesn't even live, and it's never, ever portrayed in a negative light in the games.

2. It's ugly. It's basically an obese rodent with a very creepy smile. The combination of its beady little black eyes, those dumb red spots on its face, and of course, that pedophile-grin somehow make it look both incredibly stupid and incredibly disturbing all at the same time.

3. It's dumb and immature. One episode of watching its stupid behavior on the anime should be more than enough evidence of that. Constantly smiling, playing around like a kid, throwing tantrums like a toddler when it *does* get mad... clearly this thing's brain isn't firing on all cylinders. And it seems to have this inexplicable and disturbing relationship with its equally dumb trainer. I mean, do you see the way those two embrace? Creepy.

4. That voice. That squeaky, high pitched voice. It's enough to drive a person insane. "Pika-Pi" is the annoying thing I have ever heard. Nails on a chalkboard are soothing compared to this freak of nature.

5. The clones. Why are there so many similar-looking Pokemon that are released every generation (electric-type rodents with those beady eyes and round spots on their faces)? Isn't one Pokemon who has these ugly features bad enough? Oddly enough, though, none of the clones are nearly as ugly as the original. Not even pre-evolved form Pichu.

*Ash
1. He uses Pikachu. See previous section.

2. He maintains creepy relationship with said Pikachu. Besides their unusual and disturbing hugging and "romantic" moments, I've seen the two SLEEP IN THE SAME BED. Who knows what filthy, inappropriate things go on behind closed Pokemon Center doors? I don't think I really want to know.

3. He's an idiot. Besides 1 and 2 above, he routinely fails to notice his antagonists in their flimsy disguises, despite the fact that (a) their hairstyles are quite distinctive, and (b) he's run into them during practically EVERY episode. He forgets, on quite a regular basis, that some Pokemon are Ground-type and his rat's primary attacks are completely useless on them. Hell, he doesn't even seem all that skilled on the battlefield, and I feel that the majority of his success is merely dumb luck.

4. He's ugly and has an annoying voice. The combination of those eyes, those eyebrows, that messy hair, and those zigzag marks under his eyes simply does not work. His fashion sense is atrocious and his whiny, nasally voice is second only to Pikachu's in terms of how much they cause my rage to build. If I ever do have to watch the anime, it always must be muted because of this, and I try to avert my eyes whenever he's on screen.

5. He's worn out his welcome. Come on, the Pokemon anime desperately needs a new main character, preferably one who isn't so ugly, who actually sounds human, and who doesn't have a disturbing rodent fetish. I gave up on watching the show because it was just this same loser kid over and over again. Is it so hard to bring in someone new to give the show a fresh reboot?

*Red
1. He uses Pikachu. Besides the reasons noted above, what does it say about the strength of trainers in your region when your supposed "strongest" trainer doesn't even have the intelligence to evolve his Pokemon into their final forms? I'm sure Red is the one who's always mocked and ridiculed by the other champions.

2. Dude, you live in a cave. You know what kinds of people live in caves? People with something to hide, whether terrorists, fugitives from the law, or just runaways. Now, I'm not entirely sure which category Red falls under, or whatever connections to terrorist cells or organized crime he may or may not have, but he's obviously hiding from someone or something.

3. Now, I don't know if your larynx was slashed out by a wild Pokemon or by someone who got tired of your boasting, but try to find *some* way of communicating with others rather than standing there silent like a dumb brick. Try writing on a notepad or one of those Stephen Hawking voice box things. Then again, depending on how annoying he may or may not be, we may not want to hear him speak. If he's a Joey clone and brags about his "top percentage Pikachu" then maybe he's better left silent.

4. Really? You make me hike all the way through that horrendous Mt. Silver to find you, only to give me a less than satisfying battle where I OHKO or 2HOKO every single one of your Pokemon? I mean, if you're going to be that easy to beat, at least park yourself in an area where we can get to you easily. The battle with you was so NOT worth the effort of trying to reach you.

5. You stole the thunder from my favorite trainer. One of the most annoying things about HG/SS was everyone saying, "A young boy named Red broke up Team Rocket." Um, NO! Because I clearly recall when I played Leaf Green, it was a GIRL who broke up the team and I certainly didn't name her "Red." Really, there should have been some option where you could get her to replace him as top trainer. Maybe by playing as the girl in HG/SS or using the dual slot option with your own copy of FR/LG. It shouldn't have been just him.

*Pokemon Black and White
1. The girl trainer dresses like she trains Pokemon by day and turns tricks by night. Which is hardly an appropiate image, if you ask me.

2. The experience system. I've seen this sort of "diminished returns" style of experience gain in other RPG's and to put it bluntly, it sucks for me and my playing style - which is leveling up my party until they tower over the opposition. Getting fewer and fewer points per battle causes this process to drag on and on for much longer than it should.

3. Why are post-game trainers 15-20 levels higher than the Elite Four? Coupled with #2, they became nearly impossible to prepare for beforehand. And it doesn't make sense logically, either. If these guys on Route 14 and such were so strong, why wouldn't they take on the Elite Four themselves? Surely with their Lv65+ Pokemon they could have taken on the Elites who only top out at 50.

4. Trubbish, Garbodor, Stunfisk, Drudiggon. Yeah, those guys.

5. Where is the Vs. Seeker? Why couldn't the touch screen be used for something more useful than the C-Gear (which is only really useful at anime/gaming conventions and the like)? Why can't we rematch the Gym Leaders? Where are the cool apps like there were on the Poketch and PokeGear? Why were these features left out of the game?

*Pokemon Emerald
1. The retouching of May's clothes and color scheme did not work so well, Besides making her outfit look more disjointed, her now green bandanna is way too easy to lose track of, especially in the tall grass on the way to Fortree. Of course Brendan, with that weird white hair/fluffy hat/wig that makes him look geriatric, never looked good.

2. We had the luxury of the Vs. Seeker in FR/LG. Why must we revert to the inferior PokeNav system of rematches in Emerald? The ability to rematch Gym Leaders simply doesn't make up for the Vs. Seeker's superior convenience and versatility.

3. Do we really need two artsy pretty boys who use Water-type Pokemon? Wasn't having one in the form of Wallace enough? Steven was a tougher champion to defeat, anyway.

4. The Battle Frontier: Cool concept, but horrible hax luck by your CPU opponents make the place an exercise in frustration more than anything else. The place is interesting enough and the battle formats are certainly innovative, but all of that fails to matter when victory is snatched out from under you by the likes of Sheer Cold, Focus Band, Brightpowder, Quick Claw, and the infamous Critical Hit.

5. Hoenn as a region as a whole is unimpressive. We didn't need all those water routes, and the ones with the currents were especially annoying. So were all the speedo-wearing swimmers, and the fact that because of all the water, my Electrode and Bellossom ended up 7 levels higher than the rest of my team by the time I reached Victory Road. And who builds towns atop trees, floating in the sea, or inside a volcano, anyway? Those locales just struck me as odd and overdone.

 

[Gymnotide]

Screw it. If I'm not allowed to repost something, then count me out of the competition... But no way am I going to write some fake-ass blog entry just for the sake of winning something. Oookay, here's my entry guise. This is real, and something I wrote recently* about an event that happened last month.

*it has a few edits since the original.

Spoiler:

Retrospection​

A few weeks ago, I met a girl—young, perhaps a few years younger than I am. It was a strangely initiated encounter: I was walking with two friends, trying to find our way to a meet-up spot; she was headed in the same direction. She was matter-of-fact about it—without hesitation, she put her request out there, "Do you mind if I tag along?"

We obliged; it was a day to celebration (and what better day to meet a new friend?). We walked together. Around halfway, she pulled out a black plastic bag , produced two bottles—one of VitaminWater and the other of Mystic—and asked if anyone was thirsty. We politely declined, but made conversation.

On the way, we exchanged small talk—"Where are you from? What school do you go to?" kind of thing. In that, we found out that our new companion was homeless, living in a shelter, out of school, and unemployed. She was a lesbian (or bisexual) judging from the contexts. For several years now, she had been living by herself, cast away; she left school because she could not afford it. She jumped from shelter to shelter in the city.

She told us about how she tried to get a job. She told us of the difficulties in finding work as a minor without a permanent address. She told us how she went from agency to agency without avail. And she told us how she almost held a job once, how that job was short-lived—how someone close to her stole her birth certificate and working papers, and in that, stole her chance to live.

She told us that she was okay for now. She told us that she was used to it, that she knew of a lot of places to turn to if she needed. She told us that we didn't need to feel sorry for her; she didn't shed a single tear, but rather spoke matter-of-fact.

And we just sat there, in an old pizza shop, listening to her story. Her voice fluttered, softly, hardened from torments we dared not endure--and we just listened.

* * * * *

Later in the day, we lost her in the crowd. She went her way and we went ours. We didn't share our contact information; she had none—no phone, no internet, no permanent address. And that day, she got up and vanished, like she did every day—like a ghost.

But she wasn't just a ghost. To me, she was a person who had endured more than I could boast myself, and a person who must be strong to have done so. She was a reminder that each person has their own struggles, things that no other can understand the breadth of. She was a person—a person struck by misfortune—a person I could not help.

I wonder how she is.

Bookmark me
→ http://scorpaeniform.tumblr.com​

 

[Arcaray]

Can I submit more than one? I published them all on the same site, if that helps?

If I can't, just take any one as my entry. Your pick! If you think I should pick which one, then go with the Religion one. Controversy is my middle name. Actually, it's Carey. But there we are.


Twilight: A Stake In The Heart Of Literature.

Spoiler:

Reading is an excellent pastime, and I really am in my element when I am curled up under the covers with only the works of Thomas Harris or James Patterson for company. You can place any book in my hands and nine times out of ten I'll not only read it, but love every letter. I used to spend my days wondering if there'd be a time where I'd find a book which I couldn't stomach, and after many years of searching, I believe I have found one where I must draw the line.

Yes, the reason I have cracked open my trusty Laptop today is to talk to you about Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. I'm sure you've all got that friend who likes to have a rant and a rave about this massive, bestselling stain on the world of literature. If you're wise enough to be that friend, I salute you, and ask of you only this; please, spread the word, or else fear the loss of good literature forever.

I really would like to sit here and walk you through each individual step of the book, but I really do not have the time or the patience. However, for those of you who live blissfully unaware of this atrocity, I will make it my mission to condense the simple plot which Meyer managed to stretch into a grand total of 483 pages.

If you can sense a sarcastic or exasperated tone, please do not adjust your set.

Meyer's Twilight is your basic love story. Protagonist Bella Swan (who, oddly enough, bears an uncanny resemblance our dear author) moves to a new school and falls in love with mysterious heart-throb Edward Cullen, who is secretly a vampire, along with all his dashing family members. I know what you're thinking; the plot really isn't that bad, is it? There is no wonder why it attracts pubescent adolescents over the world.
Please, I urge you to think again. Yes, the plot, in the hands of a good writer, has potential. For that reason, it is unfortunate that Twilight was born in the jumbled mind of a woman desperately trying to break into the all-time great authors; a woman who, sadly, fails to understand the concept of a character with depth. An author, who has the writing ability of a beaver, who's sentences are made with big words and no meanings, who's stories only have beginnings and ends. If you look carefully, you will be certain to find words that she has made up, and I've been told the first chapter alone has more than 100 grammatical errors.
You wouldn't find that in a Harry Potter book. Anybody who even puts Twilight on the same shelf as Harry Potter insults me to the core; Harry Potter, a book about loyalty, friendship, trust, and good triumphing over evil, next to Twilight, a book about the importance of having a boyfriend?

Forgive me, for when in the depth of my rants, I tend to steer off-topic.
Yes, Bella Swan. I know us teens have a reputation for complaining, but I can honestly say I have never met anyone with as much to moan about as Bella. For the entire first chapter, our darling protagonist whines and grumbles and pouts in her truck, making for a very boring read indeed. Meyer, I mean, Bella, arrives at her new school, becomes instantly popular, is asked out by three guys, and still manages to cycle into a dark depression (her words, not mine) when her biology partner, Edward Cullen, isn't at lunch one day.

After reading small extracts of the book, I have come to the conclusion that Meyer never knew what it was like to be a teenager. Her 'Little Miss Perfect' Bella, new arrival at the school, is immediately in the eye of every guy, and being befriended by every girl (except for some girl named Lauren, who, as far as I can see, has no purpose in the story whatsoever). Is it just me, or should all good characters have some flaws? It seems to me that Miss Swan's biggest flaw is being too perfect, which is something to hate, on top of everything else that is going wrong in her life.
Bella hates being in Forks; she hates snow; she hates boys asking her out, yet she hates that she's never had a boyfriend; she hates it when Edward is there, yet she hates it when he's not. The girl is a giant oxymoron, and I'm fairly certain that the reader is supposed to hate her; otherwise it wouldn't be quite so important that she's a whiney little fart who talks like an old woman caught in a Dickens novel.

I think I'll move on, as this is fast becoming an article on why the world should hate Bella Swan. I'll try to tone it down a tad.

Next on the agenda is our dark, handsome, and somewhat perverted male role. Edward Cullen, Mr Perfect, has found his other half. This is hardly surprising, as they are the only two perfect people in the whole of existence. Cullen protects his lovely mortal crush, by being a big meanie and making her cry in her truck. This all ends when Bella finds out he's a vampire, which she just seems to accept. You know, because you meet vampires every day in this day and age. He then proceeds to tell her he likes to creep into her house and watch her sleep every night. Rather than freaking her out, this seems to impress our Bella, for reasons completely unknown to me. Maybe that's just because I'm not perfect enough to understand their world?

Then that's pretty much where I got bored. I know there's a dog in there somewhere, as I was foolish enough to be tricked into watching New Moon; the film where nothing happens, and ends with Cullen trying to kill himself by, wait for it, sparkling. Your eyes aren't failing you, vampires do sparkle now.
Well, this is a new addition to the Vampire stories we all know and love. Somebody let Bram Stoker know, he missed out that important detail when writing one of the greatest gothic novels of all time.

Basically, by writing this book, Meyer has taken all of the great Vampire stories to have graced our shelves, and vomited all over them. Now, whenever anybody hears the word 'vampire', they think of the hottie Edward Cullen, with his colour-changing eyes, sparkling body, and ability to avoid the temptation of ripping his love to shreds. I'm sure the writers of Dracula, An Interview with A Vampire, The Lost Boys and Let the Right One In would be spinning in their graves. You better watch your back, Meyer; these vampires aren't nearly as tolerant as your beloved Edward, and to any reader with an ounce of respect, they'll live a lot longer too.

The Inevitable Rant On Religion.

Spoiler:

Gather round children, for it is circle time. Today I will be sharing with you some of my personal views on religion. I can already smell the Disclaimer's Notice as it creeps onto the top of my article, but it can stay there. These are my views, and I do not expect to persuade anyone that anything I say or believe is correct. In fact, consider this to be my own Disclaimer's. I'm not trying to say any particular belief is wrong. I am merely stating what I believe is a valid point when considering philosophy and religion. If you don't agree, I encourage you to leave a comment. I haven't had a religious debate in a very long time.

I'm guessing that 9/10 of you think that I'm atheist after saying that, right? Well yeah, I am. But the reason you assumed that I was is because I attempted to cover my ass before going any further. If I'd written an article from a very Christian point of view, you wouldn't expect me to need a Disclaimer's would you? And why's that? Chew on that for a while. I might readdress it later. Or not. Eh.

I have two friends. Actually, I have more than two, but for the purpose of this article the others can be described as redundant. Not to offend, if any of you are reading this. Darn my digression, I'll try my best to stay on track. Two friends. One of them is painfully atheist, the ignorant kind where any sort of faith in humanity is considered a weakness. The other is very much the opposite, a heavy duty Christian with a naive and unwavering faith, considering anything other than this to be a downfall. The two continuously butt heads, as to be expected. The Christian has the awfully frustrating habit of thrusting religion down people's throats, while the Atheist has the terribly ignorant habit of putting his hand down people's throats to remove any faith that they might have. The two of them are fierce towards each other, like a present day Christ vs. Anti-Christ. Slight sacrilege there. I'm sure the afterlife will forgive me.

Now understand me, dear public. I told you of my two friends to show you that I am not completely one-sided. I will not stand here and tell you that everything about religion is what is wrong with the world. Neither will I tell you that it is the be all and end all, and that to dismiss religion is about as sensible as dismissing oxygen. I acknowledge that for some, the world is a much nicer place when there is someone to have constant faith in. I understand that without the promise of reward after death, some people would rid themselves of all their morals and live without consequence. Some people need the faith of God to get through the day, and a part of me used to envy the sweet ignorance that comes with believing that everything happens for a reason. More power to you, really. There's no doubt that without religion some aspects of the world would crumble and havoc would run amok.
HOWEVER. (Acknowledge before you read on that I am an atheist who has that ability to see the good in people. You needn't be religious to follow the general rules which should really define civilised society, and that is the policy I strongly stand by.) However. Religion is a fickle thing. There are so many rules and regulations that someone down the line is bound to read it wrong. And unfortunately, the whole concept of religion is based on speculation and assumption. If I were to pretend that the Bible is actually the scribblings of some all-powerful deity for a second, then I would have come to the conclusion that the dude had a serious case of multiple-personality disorder. It just doesn't make sense! No wonder religion causes so many problems. I'd like to outline a few basic conclusions I've made here. Please don't take offense, this is my opinion on religion and it isn't really one that I think should be silenced.

God, the dictator. We are expected to follow his every command (regardless of how stupidly nonsensical they may be) or else we are doomed to a life of damnation. Well, an afterlife of damnation. The point stands. If one is to take a stand and say "I'm not doing that, who made you boss anyway?" then BAM, they're on the hell list. Or say, one was born a homosexual. Yes, born. A choice made by the 'all-powerful', not by themselves. Where do they get to go after life? That's right, it's hell. Not to mention the many, many contradictions within the bible. If you were to accidentally cross them, thus deeming you a sinner, you better take your sunglasses 'cause you're off to hell too. Is it me or is it getting pretty full down there?

Here's the thing that really gets to me. There are so many decent Christians, or Muslims or Jews or Hindus or whatever religion you are, who abide by the rules as much as possible and live wonderful lives as a result. Then there is always one. Always one who spoils the bunch. Much like the mouldy peach in the fruit bowl, the extremist sees something in the holy texts that nobody else does. He gets angry, and he and his mates decide to make the world a better place by violence and whatnot (let us not get into how many commandments and such are broken as a result). He's overlooked because no one would ever take him seriously. Most of those Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and other religious people are lovely, and those lot are just nutters. The crazy have been swept under the carpet, and the elephant is rampaging around the room, breaking your favourite lamp. It doesn't take long for the nutters to manifest, to grow into a bunch of nutters. Then a crowd of nutters. And eventually of course, an angry mob of nutters with weapons of mass redemption. This here is the problem with religion. The nice ones who just live their lives aren't doing anything wrong, but by accepting the extremists their passiveness has cost religion all its sanctity.

Do you get me? I've never been a lover of religion. I tried it once, but let's just say I'm not one to respond well to authority. But nonetheless, I think that without religion the world wouldn't work. We wouldn't need an afterlife; we'd be living a hell on earth. Religion is so important throughout the world that without it society would cease to exist as we know it. There will always be things to disagree on, and religion is not forever the problem. But it doesn't help.

In conclusion guys, religion is one of those things you have to live with, for all the good and bad it has to offer. Ideally, the problems would be solved if people could have morals without religion, or have religion without competition. Then we can all live in a wonderful land of rainbows and happiness.

Okay, maybe not.

Homosexuality? Pfft. That's So Gay.

Spoiler:

There are a lot of things I don't understand, and I am sure there are quite a few that you don't either. The concept of the internet, how precisely people go about inventing, and the correct use of a Rubik's Cube are a few of my favourite things to mull over. However, there are some things I understand perfectly (like the science of catching a wild Pokemon) and some I am a little hazy on (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – I missed my chemistry lesson that week).
Now, I'd like to talk about something that you may or may not understand, but is still of crucial importance: sexuality. Let's take it down to the bare bones a minute. Heterosexuality is widely considered to be the "normal" way to be is it not? And homosexuals are the oddballs, the queers. That appears to be the general opinion of today's society. Then let me ask you this: Who was it that decided that heterosexuals are better people? Who told us all that homosexuality is to be frowned upon, even illegal and punishable by death? Who said that bisexuals are those who are too scared to 'come out' as fully gay, or are finding excuses to sleep around, or just attention-starved teenagers looking for someone to notice them? World greats such as William Shakespeare, Andy Warhol and Oscar Wilde were gay, whilst the world's greatest villain, Adolf Hitler, was a straight man. Does that make heterosexuals worse people than homosexuals? No? Then why do gay people have such a bad reputation?
Here's the nitty gritty. The basis for this belief is the process of reproduction. It's important for survival, we get it, and if you're religious you will tell me that God put us on earth for said reason. However, people don't make up these feelings, you know. Our sexuality exists inside of us, and "God" wouldn't have created such variety if He thought it were wrong. Sexuality isn't a choice, it's a given. Those who say that sexuality is a choice are almost certainly straight. Who would choose to be alienated by their friends and family? Who would decide to live a life where they are constantly asked crude questions or called disrespectful names? Some are brutally beaten, mentally scarred or even murdered because they cannot choose the one they fall in love with - who would ever choose to go through that? This world, although known for a homophobic past, is coming to realise the importance, or lack thereof, of sexuality. Homosexuals and Heterosexuals aren't different beings. We're all human, are we not? Just because you've got a gay friend that doesn't mean he has a crush on you. If you're as close-minded as to think so then he almost certainly doesn't, let me tell you that. So what if you have to change for PE in the same room as a lesbian? She's not exactly gonna sit there and admire you in your sports bra, is she? Here is the truth sunshine, the only reason the world hasn't an even number of gay and straight people is because most homosexuals are afraid of admitting it. And can you blame them? The violence, terror, torture and trouble they are put through is more than enough to put anyone off.
The more perceptive readers will notice that I have yet to state my sexuality. I am making a point of not saying to prove that it is completely irrelevant to who I am as a person. I can guess that a lot of people reading this would expect me to be gay though, because why would a straight person stick up for such a cause? I'm right, aren't I? Well keep guessing, my sexuality isn't something I think people need to know when they are judging my character. I'm hardly sitting here telling you all that I'm white rather than black, because you wouldn't judge me on something so petty. Sexuality is in the same boat. You assume someone's sexuality and treat them different for it and you are discriminating. It is without a doubt, the most disgusting thing on this planet. Wars, extinction and diseases are all avoidable if the world wanted them to be. Discrimination is brushed under the carpet, ignored even in this day and age.
Sexual discrimination is the most common in people our age, as we've been taught to accept all races and religions, but society isn't quite ready for anything else. Just like we all know a racist granny who doesn't know any better, one day our generation will be looked upon as the homophobic grannies who were never taught equality. Do your best to make a difference: gay, straight or bi, they're purely labels. Make sure you rid your vocabulary of words such as '******' or 'bender', and, to put it bluntly, grow up and be nice!

 

[Shining Raichu]

Hi Arcaray! Unfortunately we can only accept one entry, so we will only judge the Religion one as per your suggestion. I will read all three though :)

 

[Arcaray]

Hi Arcaray! Unfortunately we can only accept one entry, so we will only judge the Religion one as per your suggestion. I will read all three though :)

That's perfectly all right! I just like to show off... :D

 

[Kevin]

How I Got Into Pokemon

I first never even liked Pokemon. Pokemon episodes were very boring to me, I didn't understand them and I always changed the channel whenever it came up. Oh how I regret my thoughts about Pokemon now that I love it. This entry will be about how I got into Pokemon, and how it eventually got me here at PC.

When I went to my friends house for some Church party, she had a Gameboy Advance. She let me play it, and saw that Pokemon Ruby was in it. I gave it a try, as I was super bored at the party. I battled trainers with her Pokemon, and I had to admit that it was pretty fun. But after that night I totally forgot about Pokemon and its games.

A couple years later I decided to use emulators I heard about to play NDS games on my computer. It was very fun and I thought it was awesome (I was playing some Megaman game). I then thought of Pokemon games, so I Googled a ROM for Pearl. I played it, and thought the game was amazing. So a few days later I bought a game (I believe it was Platinum).

I started to get more into Pokemon, and watched the anime (I absolutely loved it and understood it thoroughly now that I played the games and such). I eventually wanted to make my own Pokemon game. I Googled some "fanmade ones" and played the ROMs such as Bloody Platinum. I decided I wanted to learn to make my own. But first I played some more that I downloaded like Naranja and Ruby Destiny. It was fun, and those games led me to Shiny Gold.

...And yes, I joined PC to download Shiny Gold. I played it, loved it, and finally decided I was ready to make my own. I searched some stuff up at the forums, learned it was ROM hacking, and thought "hey, I'm going to stay here for a while". And then that's how I got to PC, thanks to my friend's Pokemon Ruby.