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1/16/08

Yes, everyone, it's a profile overhaul. Well, here's what I'll share.

12/02/08: YET ANOTHER OVERHAUL! I'M NOT SEVENTEEN ANYMORE, LOLOLOLOLOLOL!

3/27/09: I'm not eighteen anymore either.

5/24/10: I'm not nineteen either!

3/29/11: I'm not twenty anymore!

About me:

-~Name~-
John

-~Age~-
Twenty-one

-~Birthday~-
March 09, 1990

-~Occupation~-
Full-time college student at CCC
Church pianist for Bethany Presbyterian Church
Office Assistant for the Bridgeton Branch of Janney Montgomery Scott, a stockbroking firm.

-~Goals~-
Publish an original novel
Become a music composer
Become a music arranger as well

-~Hobbies~-
Writing (fanfics and original stories)
Reading (fanfics and original stories)
Signature-creation in Photoshop
Playing Video Games
Role-Playing
Playing Piano
Playing Trumpet
Playing Trombone
Playing Bass Trombone
Playing Soprano Trombone
Singing in Choir
Listening to music
Composing music
Remixing VG and Anime music

-~About Me~-
What do you want to know about me? I'm short-tempered. I'm Italian/Spanish/Hungarian/Filipino.

One thing about me is that I don't work well in groups, partnerships, or relationships. I am very ambitious and free-willed. I have a stubborn blaze and do whatever I feel without regard to conformity or society. I do not care about what's "normal" and what's "weird"; I do what I feel is "right" in MY morality and MY code. Expect me to break rules if I disagree with them. I despite conformity and those who follow without realizing that what they do is wrong. I find myself going against the grain many times, which causes me to clash with authority. I speak honestly through my mind and it takes a good, solid point backed up with evidence and experience to convince me that your point is as valid as mine if not more so.

I find myself that I'm usually a blunt person in my mannerism and I speak the truth with little regard to what implications it may hold unless there is a reason for me to hide the truth. I refuse to lie unless absolutely necessary. One of the things I can't stand which I see even in college students and adults, is greed. The sight of people taking advantage of each other, greedily hurting everyone else to achieve their goals, sickens me. There's a lack of disregard for fellow humans in our society today.

Individuality is something I embrace to the point that sometimes it puts people off. I enjoy and embrace seeing everyone's individual qualities... their pros and cons... their talents and quirks... their likes and dislikes. The variety... the diversity... all of it... that's what I love. The fact that everyone are human beings, and yet we are all so diversified that there are at least six billion different classifications of human beings.

I believe in being altruistic to a point... but in the end, Individualism should always win out against Collectivism. One should always look out for those they care for, but they shouldn't do that at the risk of their own lives.

I enjoy my role as the loner and the lone wolf. I may flirt a lot with many girls but many will find me overly hesitant when it comes to actual relationships. I very rarely click with a person enough that I'd date them. I won't hesitate to say no if I feel it won't work. Because of my personality, many of my relationships do not last long. Some may say I'm not trusting enough; others may see me as cold-hearted, distant, and unfeeling. Some feel they go nowhere with me as their partner whiles other consider my personality too erratic and chaotic to deal with.

As many of you might have probably noticed already, I think very deep on a lot of things. I like to take normal things and put them in a different light from another viewpoint. My life is very unpredictable. I always believe that chaos and unpredictability is what makes life fun. Nothing is fun if everything's easy. There's no fun in being the best, because you know you're going to win. Whenever I play a video game, after I get used to it, I always put it on the hardest setting. Why? Because I like a challenge. When my friend loaned me Elite Beat Agents, I played it for a bit until I got the hang of it and mastered ABC on the Chieftain level. My next goal? Jumpin' Jack Flash on Divas. I still don't have it yet (as of 3/27/2009) but I'm well into it.

-~Quotes~-
There are a few quotes that I find significant, either due to being hilarious or very thought provoking and profound. I think you can tell which one from which just by reading it.

"Right, because I'm worried about realism in a game with psychic powers, evil aliens, and a guy in a giant spider mecha?" ~ Rhyhon

"No matter how hopeless the situation, I really never give up. Even when I want to, my gut keeps pushing me to continue until the bitter end. To me, giving up is worse than attempting something impossible and failing humiliatingly and miserably." ~ Myself, playing as Karen Alexia Jones...

"I'll make concessions and compromises... but never a surrender." ~Myself

"Bickajickawawawa!" ~Elflord

"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints!" ~Greg B.

"Asshole!" ~Kristorpher Wright

"Who the hell nicknames their Pokemon algebra and calculus equations?!" ~Jordan Depinto
(Hey, my Tyranitar is happy to be called "sin(1/x)" and my Snorlax is content being called "ln(e)").

"Being in a relationship confirms the idea that I am dependant upon someone else for my happiness." ~Carla Crispin

"Procrastination is like masturbation. It feels good at first, then you realized you just fucked yourself." ~Nick Gish.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." ~Spock from Star Trek

"There is no necessity to separate the monarch from the mob; all authority is equally bad." ~ Wilde

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'." ~Ronald Reagan

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is both able, and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~Epicurus

"God will forgive and man may forgive, but Mother Nature never forgives." ~ Unknown (given to me by: Chris Long)

"Scientists put me together as the most advanced intelligence in existance. They specifically coded my DNA to allow me to absorb information at inhuman rates. When I was born, they attached devices to my brain, put me in a deep sleep, and allowed my brain to absorb all the information. I was force-fed information from physics to calculus up to five years old.

My brain was filled with every encyclopedia, history book, and dictionary in existance. I was well versed in everything humanity had to offer. I knew every single math equation, every piece of science, and every religion that was created. The day they flipped the switch to wake me up, they asked me one question. Is there a god?

I gave them one simple answer.

There is... now." ~Miraison

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" ~Patrick Henry

"No State shall convert a liberty into a privilege, license it, and charge a fee therefore." ~Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 US 105

"If the State converts a right (liberty) into a privilege, the citizen can ignore the license and fee and engage in the right (liberty) with impunity." ~Shuttleworth v. City of Birmingham Alabama, 373 US 262

"An unconstitutional act is not law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation as though it had never been passed." ~Norton v. Shelby County, 118 US 425

The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him? ~Chuang Tzu

"When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will know peace." ~unknown

-~Misc~-
-I enjoy a good novel. It may be considered "dainty" or "effiminate" by many for a male to admit that he likes romance novels, but they're not excluded from my list. A story of fiction, when written well, is a portal into a world which one has already experienced or wishes to experience. A well-written story allows you to enter the minds of the characters (especially first-person) and allows you to feel what they feel, share in their sorrows and victories, feel their defeats, enjoy their rewards, and so much more. I enjoy laughing with a comedy book, loving a good romance book (pun intended), racing with an action book, and flying through suspense with a thriller book.

-I love music. Cut, print, clean, done. I don't own all the instruments I can do (I do, however, own two trumpets, one trombone, one bass trombone, a clarinet, a keyboard, a guitar, and an oboe... almost all of them I paid off when I had spare money). I also enjoy composing music in my spare time. I enjoy listening to a lot of types of music. When performing, my favorite genres to work with are classical works (solo, solo with ensemble, and symphonic), jazz (big band and small jazz packages), and generally anything that somewhat resembles those two styles (including concert band, some video game music, etc.)

-I enjoy writing. As much as I enjoy reading novels and books and stories, I enjoy writing. I enjoy writing both fanfiction and original stories. I think both poses their own challenges to me as a writer. Fanfiction takes away the creativity process of creating your own character, but forces you to make sure you stick to the personality of an already created character... thus forcing you, possibly, outside the norm and work with new styles. It forces you to work outside your comfort zone and to focus on a mindset that is not yours. I enjoy creating plots and making readers think. A good novel's job is not just to entertain, but to educate. Although a music education major, I love teaching all subjects. Math, science, english, music... anything I know, I adore passing my knowledge to others. It's a passion of mine.

-I enjoy Pokemon battling competitively. You may think it's childish but hear it out. Pokemon is a game involving numbers, stats, and probability. It is between your pokemon's attack and an opponent's defense and vice versa; between finding a type-advantage while trying to not get hit with a super-effective hit by the opponent. It is the challenge of having six different pokemon, each with their own stats and movepools, and customizing them in ways as to overcome another team which has six out of four-hundred and ninety-one pokemon. It's your job to figure out which stat do you wish to amplify, which stat must be sacrificed in the Pokemon's nature, do you want recovery with "Leftovers" or an attack boost with "Life Orb" or "Choice Band"/"Choice Specs". It's up to you to crunch the numbers, calculate odds, be wary of an attack's accuracy, work with the status ailments. Sure, it's a child's video game, but taking it to it's very core... it is nothing more than a big math equation and probability.

-If not obvious from that last paragraph, I love math. I love taking chances and running risks as long as they're not unreasonable. I love a good challenge in life, because... without challenge and chance, life gets INCREDIBLY boring. Routine is good and all, but what is life without a little chaos to exercise your mind? The same thing over and over would quickly bore me, which is probably my main reason for not being able to stay in a relationship.

-At the risk of sounding egotistical, I was/am an honors student. Graduated sixth of my class in high school despite not really giving a rat's ass about it (see above). I never did the homework until the absolute last minute. Why? Thrill of the challenge. High school was boring, the work didn't really bother me... so I needed a way to make it harder. Therefore, last minute homework was the way to go. I don't procrastinate because I'm lazy. I procrastinate because homework is boring without a challenge. I'm a challenge whore, and a glutton for taking punishment in a lot of things. I'll get thrashed over and over and over in something, and I'll continue to go at it until I overcome that obstacle. My best subjects are English and Science. My best subject used to be Math until I got to Calculus, to which I got to the point of being bored with Math. I didn't care for history, and I hated gym. This is one of the reasons I LOVE college so much more than high school.

-Why I abandoned Calculus? It's not because it was stupid or hard or impossible, but because I asked "what's the point"? I'm a very realistic, hands-on person at times. If I don't see the point of doing something or if I see a better way of doing something, I'll constantly be questioning the process. Calculus is fun and all, as well as physics. After all, life is based purely on math and there's virtually nothing in this world that can't be explained away without math or science... and I'm absolutely fascinated to learn the equation of life. However, I fail to see how I can really use calculus to REALLY help with my day-to-day life.

-My stubborness and constant stream of questioning someone is why I can't work in a group. I'll spend 10 of my time working on the project and 90 of the time fixing/correcting/changing the part of the project my partner(s) worked on. I am a very distrustful person and I cannot ever rely on the "talents" or "abilities" of my partners. I'm always wary of what they do, their ideas, etc. Half of the time in groupwork, I spend it correcting their mistakes, whether it be grammar, not following instructions, etc. Oftentimes, even in group projects, I take a chance with my teacher and ask to be alone or to pick one partner whom I can stand. I get nervous when I'm not in control or anything like that. It's not necessarily that I'm a control-freak or I love control, but it's more of distrust. See next bullet.

-I am a very wary and distrustful person. It takes a VERY long time to get me to trust you enough to tell you anything truly personal. Like I said before, I'm a huge flirt and I talk about myself with a few things, but to get me to seriously talk about something is something I cannot do easily. Because of this, in group porjects, I have to take control, watch everyone carefully, etc. That's because I have trouble trusting people. To be honest, I hate power and control. I hate fame and recognition. Ironic, considering I became a writer on this site and wrote a story that some people enjoy. When I do something great or worthwhile, I tend to slink away from the spotlight. Even if I did it alone, I prefer to share or give the credit to others. I abhor responsibility on anything because I'm always afraid of making mistakes, screwing up, and hurting someone. Because of that, I rarely make mistakes. Why? Because I don't take chances. I mean, sure I love taking risks in games and stuff, but when it comes to life and making a mistake that I cannot take back... it's like a whole 'nother person.

-~Favorite Composers~-

Frederic Chopin: A truly epic composer of piano pieces, Chopin remains to this day as one of my favorite composers. His elegant, emotional, and appealing pieces manage to allow performers to entertain their audiences with a truly magnificently written song enhanced with the performer's own touch in the rubato tempos that are sometimes present. His songs are usually slow, elegant, and proper. Notably, his Death March (which is famous even to the non-classical hurr, hurr, technically it's romantic era, but most people who do not listen to much of the older music call it all "classical" listener) is one of the best-written of his pieces... a piece I truly enjoy practicing and performing when I get the time. However, he also manages to write fast, complex, but equally emotional pieces. Two that come to mind are the Revolutionary Etude (which I attempted to learn) and the Fantasie Impromptu (which I didn't even bother with seeing the 8th note triplets in the left hand and the 16th notes in the right hand).

Ludwig von Beethoven: Beethoven is a remarkable composer, both in piano and in orchestra. He is one of the few composers of the classical/romantic era that most people would recognize by name. His piano pieces Moonlight Sonata (mainly the first movement), Fur Elise, and Sonata Pathetique are some of the most popular pieces played in our modern society, although I regret to say I don't know more of his pieces off the top of my head. His orchestral works are some of the most popular in the world. Notably are his fifth symphony and his ninth symphony.

Nobuo Uematsu: Sure, he may not be as "classic" or as "great" as Chopin, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Sibelius, Brahms, Shostakovich (yes!), Schoneberg, or any of the other "oldies", but he deserves his place. I wouldn't have argued my case that he's a "twentieth-century composer" and did done a six page research paper on him for Music History if I didn't like him that much. His style in some songs is definitely reminiscent of the classical composers. His greatest works "One Winged Angel" and "Dancing Mad" have received high praise from gamers and musicians alike and many can agree that his works bridge the gap between the younger generation of today and the symphonic works of the older composers. In addition to composing in other styles, such as jazz, swing, celtic, rock, and many others, his works are all worthy of notice.

more to come

Fandoms and their favorite characters:

Anime:
Chobits: Chii...
DearS: Rin
Death Note: Kira/Light, Misa
DragonBall Trilogy: Pan (DBGT), Vegeta, Raditz...
Full Metal Alchemist (new: 12/2/08): Alphonse Elric, Lust, Rose'
Girls Bravo: Miharu, Lisa...
Love Hina: Narusegawa,
Naruto: Hinata Hyuuga, Ino Yam--darn, Shikamaru Nara...
Onegai Teacher: Mizuho Kazami...
Onegai Twins: Karen Onodera...
Speed Grapher (new: 12/2/08): Saiga...
Trigun: Vash...

Video Game:
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean: The Great Mizuti...
Earthbound: Paula, Frank...
Final Fantasy 6: Celes Chere, Terra Branford, Edgar
Final Fantasy 7: Tifa Lockhart
Final Fantasy 8: Quistis Trepe, Selphie
Fire Emblem 7 (Blazing Sword): Nino, Lyn, Rebecca, Canas
Fire Emblem 8 (Sacred Stones): Lute, Amelia, Ewan, Eirika...
Fire Emblem 9 (Path of Radiance): Jill Fizzart, Mist, Mia, Lucia, Soren, Nephenee, Ilyana...
Fire Emblem 10 (Radiant Dawn): Jill Fizzart, Mist, Mia, Lucia, Ike, Calill, Sanaki, Elincia, Sigrun, Nephenee...
Skies of Arcadia: Fina, Belleza...
Tales of Symphonia: Sheena Fujibayashi, Zelos, Lloyd Irving...
Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of a New World (new: 12/2/08): Marta Lualdi, Sheena Fujibayashi, Alice, Zelos Wilder, Regal Bryant, Presea Combatir, Emil Castigner (damn you Presea and Emil for being pseudo-french), Richter

A note to all reviewers: Please, feel free to leave any/all concrit that you want. I accept all constructive critism. But please note there's a difference between a flame and constructive critism. No one has flamed me yet, so, don't be afraid to be a little harsh in your reviews. Writing is a two-way street, and I'd be glad if you would help me become a better writer. Thank you.

~Rykua Torikana

Artist Pimpage:

Giant Brother-Fanfiction Writer:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~giantbrother
He is currently writing the other part of my fic. After a conversation, we jokingly decided to make it a collab fic, with another person inserting himself into the fic. He knows most of the plans I have for the fic (and has even helped me with some of them), so I trust him to add to the overall value to the whole Spellbinding Radiance/Pseudo Reality worlds.

Rayven-Artist:
http://morriganblack.deviantart.com/
I know her as Rayven, but on DA she has the user name of morriganblack. She's a good artist and a good friend of mine. Feel free to put her on your watch list, comment on her works, and commission her for anything you wish her to draw.

References:

I have noticed that I make a lot of weird and sometimes obscure references in my fics. I also realize that I will be making MORE obscure and weird references in my fics. So, in an attempt to help you guys understand where I'm getting my stuff from, I'll list all the source material I know and you can go crazy with it. will update the list periodically... normally, I'll make an author's note in a fic should I add something to the list

Anime:

(= denotes incomplete due to lack of time, lack of interest, or the series is not finished)

Azumanga Daioh=
Card Captor Sakura=
Cowboy Bebop=
Chobits
Death Note
DragonBall Z
Full Metal Alchemist (excluding that movie)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex=
Girls Bravo
Hellsing=
I, My, Me Strawberry Eggs
Inuyasha=
Jubei-Chan, the Ninja Girl=
Kanokon (I'm pretty sure there will be a season 2)
Love Hina
Maburaho
Naruto=
Onegai Teacher
Onegai Twins
Pokemon=
RahXephon=
Rurouni Kenshin=
Saber Marionette J
Saber Marionette J again
Sailor Moon= (guilty, I've seen the first seven-ish episodes)
Speed Grapher
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Trigun (first anime I completed too)
Yu Yu Hakusho=

Video Games:
(= denotes incomplete due to lack of time, lack of interest, or I don't own the game)
NES (yes, I actually own one):
-Castlevania: Simon's Quest
-Laser Invasion
-Legacy of the Wizard
-Legend of Zelda
-Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
-Super Mario Brothers
-Super Mario Brothers 2=
-Super Mario Brothers 3

SNES:
-Chrono Trigger
-Donkey Kong Country 3 (with Dixie and Kiddy Kong)
-DragonBall Z: Hyper Dimension
-Final Fantasy 3/6
-Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Genesis (was a friend's):
-Sonic the Hedgehog=
-Sonic 2
-Sonic 3=
-Sonic & Knuckles
-Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Nintendo 64:
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
-Mischief Makers (loved that game)
-Star Fox 64
-Super Mario 64
-Super Smash Brothers

PS1:
-Chrono Cross=
-Final Fantasy 7
-Final Fantasy 8=

GameBoy (Color/Advance):
-Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
-Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones
-Pokemon (Blue, Red, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby)

GameCube:
-Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (and yeah, baby! I did that without looking)
-Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
-Luigi's Mansion
-Metroid Prime
-Metroid Prime 2=
-Resident Evil
-Resident Evil 3=
-Resident Evil 4=
-Skies of Arcadia
-Sonic Mega Collection=(-ish)
-Super Smash Brothers Melee
-Tales of Symphonia

PS2:
-Final Fantasy 10=

X-Box:
-Halo=
-Halo 2=

Nintendo DS:
-Pokemon Diamond

Wii:
-DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
-Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
-Metroid Prime 3=
-Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles=
-Super Mario Galaxy=
-Super Smash Brothers Brawl (my favorite)
-Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of a New World

PS3:
-Halo 3=

X-Box 360:
-none-

PC:
-Age of Empires
-Age of Empires 2
-Age of Empires 3
-Descent
-Descent 2
-Descent 3=
-Novastorm