Happyfunshineman

Hi how are you doing today

(Can I say I love your Aoba avatar haha)

Understandable, it would not help anything if a rushed answer is done, since that may invite misunderstandings as well. ^__^
I'm still mostly using my old school desktop computer, but that's also because I don't go along with every "hip trend" and have only a normal mobile phone.

Arguments are not a bad thing as long as they remain civilized and without personal attacks. It takes some skill though to moderate your words and speech so that a statement isn't misunderstood, as only then tension can flare up. Getting vulgar with language on a regular base is a sign of mental immaturity though, so you were probably the single white sheep in a herd of blacks. You weren't the oldest in that group by chance? Lol.
Swear words can be funny, but it depends on in which tone and in what situations they are used. Some words like the famous N-word however are always a no-no.
When speaking it is also often easier to ascertain if it is meant harmful or not by listening to the tone of voice or, if possible, observe the facial expressions of the one saying it.
All this isn't possible when writing in a forum (except if you like the excessive use of smilies).

That's especially true to the written words!
People, by reading that statement without knowing your intentions or mood behind it, would often assume that you ran out of veritable arguments.

Yeah, but then I would have also gotten to near the level you used there, that's why I pointed it out since you normally can do better than that. ^__^

Well, RL isn't really generous with time on me as well, and that convo is truly already getting somewhat long, lol.
Do it when you really have time for it, there's no use in rushing stuff. Just a short notice that one hasn't forgotten already helps keeping the contact alive. ^__^

I wouldn't call it a "quarrel" yet, I just tried to point out that you're not helping your argument with this kind of wording. On the contrary, it's practically an invitation for a flame war if someone picks up on it and responds in the same manner.

If I would have been personally offended I would have said so.
"Calling differing opinions on the matter "lame" isn't really the best way to go at it." was I think a more neutral way to go at it with the intention I pointed out above.
If I would be offended I would use wordings like "way to go to call my view on the matter lame, let me tell you something about decency in debating" and then proceed to respond in harsh words instead of refusng to go into that field, and then we would probably get in a true quarrel which then could escalate quickly into a flame war.

Probably much RL stuff to manage, huh? It counts however that you still thought about the conversation after all.

Yeah, perhaps that's a reasonable approach.
I can swim fine, even crawl style since the ears are only shortly under water then (and to be totally cautious I could also use earplugs). The only things I cannot do anymore is diving.

I'm always happy to find people who are more open-minded in those topics like I am. Even the Kinsey scale is nowadays already being described as inaccurate, but in my view it's at least a big step forward from the widespread three-label clich?.
It's indeed used poorly and way too often derogatory, also since human beings do no need to be fixed into one category all the time, and there are also situational occurrences in which people behave in ways that simply do not fit one of these labels.
Human sexuality is fluid to a certain degree and as long as someone isn't truly harmed it should not be forced to be constant all time by social pressure.
I see, well, I may fall into category two myself sometimes, but it really depends almost always on the situation at hand.
Heh, well, attraction itself can also come in different layers like emotional, physical or sexual tones, although this can also vary considering who the person on the other side is.
I don't have a problem with discussing this as well, I would even decribe myself as being bi-curious to a degree, although I do have to admit that I never ever yet had any true attraction to a person of the same sex in reality.

It's nice to see that you're able to admit so easily from where your slightly "prejudiced" view of yuri comes from and that's actually more the behaviour of your pals than the actual yuri that bothers you, but this being "perverted easily" is true for yaoi as well, especially when 90% of the fans of those are girls. I know some boys who have nothing against boy/boy in general, but they are more disgusted by overly perverted fangirls, so both sides can play that game.
In the end though, at least from my observations, girls tend to be more often open minded on both fronts (yaoi and yuri) than boys do.
It's also somewhat funny though as in both cases there are people talking and drooling over stuff they haven't got real knowledge on how it really feels or how "hot" it really is. What makes a guy think that girl/girl sex is hotter than boy/girl sex or boy/boy sex or vice versa with a girl on the yaoi topic? Personal fantasies or dreams. In the end, each of the three combinations can be equally "hot" if all participants are consensual into it regardless if it's for "love" or simple satisfaction.

I also meant it more in the category that "Cute" isn't a trait that's always related to sexual topics. As I tend to actually read the more tame shonen-ai stories more than yaoi with more sex-scenes. Then there's of course also the issue of characters being affectionate towards each other (possibly even in a physical manner to a degree) which doesn't mean any romantic and/or sexual attraction from any of the participants, which people especially in the western world tend to often overlook and interpret something more in there than was actually intended.
I assume you're talking about the typical somewhat extreme seme/uke stories where the more cute and delicate features of a boy get blown out of proportion. These kind of stories I tend to view somewhat confused, as in what's the point? If you want him (in this case Riku) to make out with a girl-like character, write/draw a hetero story. Yes, Sora (as well as Roxas and Ventus) can be pretty adorable and they're the typical cute, somewhat delicate shonen boys (I think the accurate Japanese term is Bishounen), but they should still be easily identificable as boys, meaning the cuteness-level not being overdone.
There are boys who are truly looking more "feminine" (as in delicate, fragile, that's often the definition) in existence in reality, often younger ones, though.

No problem. ^__^
I'm glad there are other outside who don't fall into the two extreme categories like outright abhorring shipping or wanting it included in canon like a religion.

The question would be if it's really "cheesy" or if those people just cannot cope with/like works that lean more on the idealistic scale than the cynic one. People who like such works however often think that the real life is cynic enough and they don't need "realism" also in every fictional work.
Such highly idealistic series like KH (or i.e. Sailor Moon) are also needed in order to make people feel better. I've seen many confessions about KH around the net where depressive people thanked KH for giving them hope and show the importance of having bonds with others, even if it isn't that easy in Real Life as KH sometimes makes out to be.
On another note KH has many tragic and emotional intense moments and painful situations, some people just dismiss them because apparently emotional pain isn't that important or they don't realize how much pain there actually is because it's not permanent death or graphical torture.
One of the answers of Reagan Rayden in that thread I found also to be rather interesting, as in that at least some reasons can possibly be traced to some male fans subconsciously wanting to adhere to social gender roles and "masculinity" which apparently forbids emotional investment and more idealistic views.

Definitely.

I wouldn't actually go so far and designate myself a true fan as besides the world cup and European Cup I'm rather sparingly interested in soccer at all.
Same here, I was never good at soccer myself during schooltime.
Heh, we're more alike than the first glance seemed to show, as I am also not that good in sports in general. The only sport I did for a longer time (and somewhat successful) was swimming. Since I got several nasty Inflammations to my middle-ears in a short amount of time though my eardrums got damaged, and anymore exposition to great amounts of water (like submerging) would threaten to destroy them fully, I had to give up that one.

Another similarity between us I see, as for appreciating it, well, it's also always a matter of taste as persons tend to have different perceptions on what good art is. If you have the actual canon of the series/book/film etc. in mind while looking at such stuff it's clear that it seems out of place, it then depends if you can detach the fanwork in question from actual canon and see it's intentions and depicted situation on its own or in an alternate interpretation.
That's a good stance to go by, and shows a certain degree of open-mindedness. ^__^
Hey, there's nothing wrong with that, lol. As I said, while I'm not a yaoi-fan, I can read and appreciate such stuff just fine.
Y'know it also doesn't have to mean you're gay (or in the closet, lol), especially if you can feel attraction to females as well without any problem. It can also just be one of the several forms of (latent) bisexuality that are out there. Human sexuality isn't that easy to pinpoint just in three categories/labels (straight, bi, gay) despite it being done often for simplicity, not to mention it can even change to a certain degree over lifetime.
I don't know if you have ever heard of the Kinsey scale, but in my view this little thing helps much better in defining such interests than just three general labels. It splits up the categories into seven scales, 0 being 100% "straight" while 6 is 100% "gay". The numbers between indicate the different degrees of bisexuality (even though in some interpretations category 1 is often included with 0 together as still straight, while 5 is counted as homosexual).
That said I have no problem to confidently place myself in category 1 as I know that I am capable of attraction to the same sex, although it doesn't happen often.
To be honest I didn't find that much difference between the "pervertedness" in yaoi and yuri, it also depends much on the artist or author of the work how "hard" the work is in terms of sexual depiction.
When you're speaking of "cute" though maybe you're referring more towards shonen-ai (two boys) or shojo-ai (two girls) which is a more tame version of such works normally forgoing the extensive sexual situations focusing more on tender affection, cuddling and the like.

Exactly my stance as well, lol, we have many similarities in those areas. ;D
Understandable, as pairing-talk tends to go often overboard degrading eventually into a flame war especially if different shippers or non-shippers are involved.
That KH is mainly about the friendship aspect is furthermore a very refreshing pause from the general overabundance of romance-themed works in media nowadays. It's good to see some different variants of love besides the romance (most used) and the family-ties (second most used, as in "Luke, I am your father", lol).
I would sure hope so too, that friends outweigh lovers numerically, although if one starts to include "friends with benefits" where friends also have sexual intercourse without actually having a romantic relationship things might get complicated, roflmao. XD

Nah, it's ok, it only shows that we are still grounded and not internet-addicted, lol. Ah, I see, well, since you haven't specified an age in your profile, yet own apartment + homework I'm going to guess you're situated somewhere between 17 and 22.
Vacation and Holidays are meant (at least around here) to recuperate and have fun, so no issue with having fun for a while I'd say. ^___^

I guess, although I would imagine that German cities do have many differences from american ones. That was in the summer of 2006 then, where we hosted the world cup and again lost against Italy in the semi-finals. The male German soccer team has a certain "problem" with facing Italy in international cups. *ggg*
Nope, I haven't yet left Europe, although I did make journeys to the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, France and Luxemburg already.

When I do that I also look (at least with stories) that there's a decent storyline behind it. Sex-scenes are okay to an extent, as long as not the entire piece consists solely of that. Fanart is not much different. I don't actively look for "dirty" fanart but if I find some I don't freak out like some of the more immature "fans" out there. If I can appreciate the artistic value of the piece I might even save it. That said, I also really have not a single problem if the pairing consists of two individuals of the same sex, regardless if female/female or male/male.
Yep, not only that, as you say so pointedly after this, shippers and romance-centered stuff tends to get very passionate and polarizing which only results in more fighting (as if especially in KH or FF the fanbase isn't already divided enough!). That's why I strongly prefer to have all the romance stuff only confined to the fanon and left out of the actual work.
I am myself are absolutely a non-shipper, but I'm accepting of such stuff, including Yuri and Yaoi, as long as people acknowledge that it's only fan-dreams and nothing real and do not shove it down my throat.
So, people like you desribe here who take it personally when you don't agree with their favorite pairings and stuff and start to bitch are exactly those I do not accept and who can easily incur my wrath.
The other extreme, those who flip out and scream bloody murder when they only see some pairing stuff like fanart etc., especially in the Double-Y area, are in the same league in my eyes though as the rabid shippers.

Yeah, I jumped on that bandwagon simply because the opportunity presented itself.
And the imagination of every character, male and female alike, being there totally exhausted from non-stop sex with the whole cast was so crazy I literally got into a chuckling fit. *ggg*

When you're on your own profile-page and type in a message there, it goes to your own profile instead of the conversation with the other person you are talking with.
To post in the conversation, your can either click on "View conversation" beside the last message of the person you want to talk to, OR you change to the profile of the person you want to talk to and choose "View conversations" on the left side below the Username where also the options for finding posts and threads are.
You know if you're in the correct place if the title says "Conversation between UserX and UserY" and below the message editor should be a history of our conversation.

I see, so your Grandpa was once for longer in Germany, I would assume as part of the occupation force after WW II. Nice that you like being here though. While Germany of course can't compete with the US in terms of dimensions of land or cityscapes (except maybe Berlin and Hamburg), it's a pretty good place to live if you can afford it.

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I've also to say when looking at that "love interest"-thread again, your posts are also made of some epic win, lol.
Joking around about all that pairing-stuff (and Everyone x Everyone) was truly hilarious.
I myself am not into shipping at all, although I do can accept several pairings in fanworks and also won't mind reading such stuff once in a while, as long as it remains outside the actual canon.

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Oops, didn't get a notification for that one and therefore missed it since you posted it on your own profile instead of in the conversation. *ggg*

Now that's interesting, so your family once moved from Germany to the US or Canada? Haha, well, you can't be good in everything and I doubt you'll need German often around your place.

German grammar is consistent to a degree, but has some very sophisticated rules. Yet if I recall correctly both English and German are germanic languages, in contrast to French, Italian and Spanish who are all romanic ones.

That's cool. I have relatives who live in Germany. My grandma is form there and my dad is a fluent speaker. Then there's me, who totally fails.

I actually heard English is hard to learn because the rules to our grammar isn't really consistent.

I'd say for me "crazy" is a bit too much, but KH is definitely one of the series in the upper tier in my vast vault of interests.

I have absolutely no problem with pointing out and discussing about flaws of the series, as long as the tone remains civil. And that KH has some flaws is obvious, who says that it doesn't is lying to themselves. For instance, the time travel-stuff introduced in DDD could have done without, there could have been other, more easier explanations as to why Ansem SoD and Xemnas are back alongside Xehanort, especially in conjunction with the truth we learned about the birth of new hearts.
The dialogue and script of KH 2 is also pretty awful over quite some lengths during the middle of the game and many first visits to Disney worlds felt like plain filler disjointed with the main quest.

Yeah, I'm native German and living over here, which means that I need to go to bed soon, lol, nighttime here and tomorrow awaits my workplace. ;P
German also isn't an easy language for non-germans to speak I've heard. ;D

I'm pretty KH crazy too. I tell my roommate all the time, "Not everything in life is a Kingdom Hearts reference waiting to happen, just for me it is."

Kingdom Hearts is my favorite series ever, which is part of why I like to bash on it. The more I like something the more fun I have pointing out flaws. Of course I defend it with all my heart against pure haters as well. Its weird but I don't want to come of as a KH hater even though I wrote that thread about why I wasn't satisfied with DDD.

So your profile says you live in Germany. Is that true? I used to practice German in high school, can't say I'm great at it though.

Ah, I see. The Moogle I got from an awesome friend around here, but the two banners I made myself.
And thanks for the praise, lol, some people say I am a walking lexicon when it comes to KH, but that is true for almost all things I put my mind in.

I'm also one of the rare cases who has absolutely no hate-character. Sure, Pete and Demyx annoy me, but not enoughto actually hate them.

Hey there, going for a friend request?
Nice, what gave you the idea for this?

Hey, please don't reply to bot or spam threads/posts. That thread full of gibberish was a bot. Thank you!