Test of Friendship

Episode 24: Better Left Unsaid(aka the beach trip from hell)
So this past week has really been quite a test of our friendship. But if you think about it, friendships are being tested all the time, we're no different then anyone else. I could list a number of examples, but this one for our beach trip is most fresh in my memory. One thing I've always wondered though, do friends benifit from talking behind each others back and/or keeping things that need to be said to themselves?

I think it would be interesting, after something happened with a group of friends, to find out what would change if they knew everything that happened and everything that was said. Although I'm far from not talking trash myself, I would still like to know. I would probably laugh off the insults and still be friends with everyone because it happens. I just think it would be interesting to hear what is said. It would be an interesting social experiment.

So, I'm going to show you guys how much of a mess this little 1.5day has caused us. It has stressed the hell out of me, that's for sure. I don't have any insults against myself if there have been any, because they would go behind my back of course xD I really enjoy analysing situations, and I'm hoping this will prove how ridiculous this has been. But yeah, it's on a person by person basis. Enjoy!

Key:
--: Minor Event
**: Major Event
?: Opinion/Trash Talking

Andrew/Parents:
--: Andrew likes Loris idea and takes control of the planning for the trip.
--: Andrews parents don't like the idea; Daniel gets mad he can't come. Andrew can still go.
**: Andrew books 2 rooms instead of one since Lori's mom is coming.
--: Andrew figures how much it is going to cost for everyone.
**: Andrew is upset that the "Cancel Reservation" deadline has passed; Loris mom left them with an extra room.
?: Andrew asks Andy if he thinks Lori has been Dan the appropriate space or not. Andrew says: "I think she's giving him too much space actually, we don't really see her anymore."
**: Andrew asks Andy to lie to his mom and say "Someone dropped out" so we can use the van.
**: Andrew doesn't want to ask him mom if he can drive people because "There's a 75% chance they would say I couldn't go on the trip."

Dan:
?: "I want Joe and I to ride in the Van because I really want him to meet those people." (This is around what he when he didn't want to be in the car with Lori's mom)
--: Dan and Lori talk, he apologizes, agrees to ride with Loris mom.
--: Dan tries to obtain one of his parents cars for the trip. He hopes it will be easier with his mom not being there. The party agrees to pay for Gas and even put a deposit on the car if necessary in order to get the car.

Lori/Parents:
--: Lori comes up with the idea of going to the beach.
**: Lori doesn't think she can come; Mom isn't down for an overnight trip.
--: Lori and Andy agree a day trip couldn't be done
**: Lori's mom is concerned I might be the only driver, so she decides to come with us.
**: Lori's mom is under the impression that the girls will be in there own room, so we have to buy another room.
?: Lori gets angry at Dan for ditching her on the ride down; because Dan doesn't want to ride with Loris mom.
**: Lori's mom cancels and isn't paying her share. It's too late to cancel the reservations, so she effectively doubled the cost of the trip for everyone. But Lori can still go.
**: Lori's mom canceling means Andy is the only one driving.


Andy/Parents:
--: Andy agrees with Lori that a daytrip isn't happening.
?: Andy is annoyed that Loris parents are putting a burden on the trip, considers going around the "it was her idea" problem and considers asking her to sit this one out.
--: Andy's mom doesn't really like the 8 people in one room idea, but still lets him go.
**: Andy finds a hotel that allows 18+ to book a room. (All the others are 21+)
?: Agrees with a few statements J9 and Sean have made about the trip and the people on it while shopping with them for a bathing suit.
?: Andrew asks Andy if he thinks Lori is giving Dan enough space or not. "I still don't think she's giving him enough. I don't think we've seen her enough lately, but she still ruins our evening plans sometimes." (Talks about examples where Dan has planned to chill with us and then ditches us to chill with her, and how he wishes Dan would say "I can't, I'm doing something with Lori" instead of ditching us.)
**: Andys mom says there's no way I can use the van unless we get another driver or have a seatbelt for everyone. (8 people, 7 seatbelts) So we have no car to get to the beach.
**: Andy refuses to lie to his mom about how many people he would be driving; is frustrated that everyone is putting pressure on him to drive 8 people(1 with no seatbelt) 3.5hrs to the beach, when no one else would be willing to do the same, let alone drive 4 people.

J9/Parents:
--: J9 gets put in charge of finding a hotel.
--: J9's parents wont let her use her car to take people to the beach.
?: "The only reason Dan is mad [that Lori's mom is coming] is because he can't bang her on the beach now.(jokingly)"
**: J9 attempts to ask her parents to drive her car again. "My parents wont let me take it now because there concerned I would get to tired so my driving wouldn't be as good. But it's the opposite, I get upbeat and awake when I drive; I hope we can convince them."


Sean G:
?: "Dan only used that Joe excuse because he can't grow a pair and ride with Lori's mom. We have the beach and the rest of the week to meet Joe."
?: "We should make Lori's mom pay her damn share. She has effectively doubled the cost of the trip for everyone."
?: "If we have to lose someone for the trip, it should be Lori or Kit."
?: Sean explodes on Andrew about how everyone would have to throw 50 bucks away on the hotel if the trip is canceled.

So that's all I could think of for now. It's shocking to see that people would even go as far as to almost suggest we kick someone out to go isn't it? I know this has been quite a week of hell, but we will make it through this, and we will go to the beach, and we will have fun; even though this has definitely become more trouble then it's worth. Sheesh I have been stressed this week. :P
~Andy

My Favorite Game Story...

Episode 23: E-102 Gamma
So I had to write this post eventually. E-102 Gamma is a robot from the game Sonic Adventure. Not only is he my favorite video game character of all time, but he also as an amazing story and has led me to the only time I have ever cried during a video game. Sonic Team has not had a really good Sonic game since this one and it's obvious why; they are not bringing E-102 back. This post is a tribute to the best video game character ever with a pictures, music, cutscenes, and a typed retelling of his story. R.I.P. E-102! :(

This is E-102. The music is this game is so good, and E-102 is no exception.

Here is his theme song.

The final battle against his Brother, E-101 Beta, also has an excellent Jazz style boss battle song.

(That I listen too on a regular basis! XD)

But here is his story.

His story starts out as being a robot working for Dr. Robotnik, which Robotnik created. E-102 is powered inside by a bird with an amulet containing some power of a Chaos Emerald. E-102 is put to the test by Eggman, having to fight his older brother, E-101 Beta.

Robotnik puts his money on E-102's brother Beta, the older more advanced robot, but gives E-102 a chance. He says whoever wins gets to serve him aboard his giant ship, the Egg Carrier. E-102 actually wins. His brother, E-101 Beta, wants to come along too, so instead of throwing him away, he agrees to use Beta for spare parts.....

E-102 then meets up with the other robots on Eggmans crew: E-103, E-104, and E-105. Eggman explains there mission: Obtain this special frog owned by Big the Cat, which has a chaos emerald inside.

*Watch It*

E-102 then steals the frog from Big. After that... a strange Aura surrounds him and he is teleported to the past. He can't figure out where he is and walks the shrine in front of him. There are a bunch of Chao(little guys you can take care of and grow in the game) singing. He meets Tikal, who tries to stop him from getting near the Chao. Once Tikal realizes he isn't going to hurt them, she explains that there Guardian, Chaos, is so nice and protects the Chao, but that her father wants to take there scared land(which explains why Chaos takes rampage over the world later). After that, he is teleported back. Confused, he just decides to go back to the Egg Carrier with the frog. All of the Robots are there, but they all got the wrong frog, except for Gamma. Gamma then has to watch as Robitnik calls his friends useless and teleports them all away. So he praises Gamma and gives him another mission. He's got a girl, Amy Rose, in a Jail cell. She has a bird, and he just has to take it from her. However, he goes into the wrong door.....

He walks in, and sees parts of his brother on the floor. He then looks up... and sees his brother being picked apart and rebuilt as something else.

"BETA?!" he exclaims. Terrified, he walks out.

*Watch It*

E-102 goes to get the bird from Amy... but she wont give it too him. She asks him why he wants it, but he doesn't even know. She asks him to help them instead. He is shaking, confused. He can't understand why she would want to keep the bird when it is of no use to her. The bird then flies out of Amy's hands right to E-102. He looks at it, and Amy says she feels sorry for E-102, then Robotnik didn't program E-102 with feelings. Confused but beginning to understand, he brakes starts to brake free of Eggmans programming, lets Amy go, and warns her to escape as soon as possible. Surprised, Amy tells him that he's not like the other Robots, is nice inside, and promises to be his friend. This is such a good scene.

*Watch It*

After Amy slips away, E-102 goes back to the main room of the ship. The Egg Carrier is losing altitude and Eggman tells E-102 to grab some upgraded parts for battle and meet him outside on the deck of the ship. Sonic is out there, and Robotnik commands E-102 to destroy Sonic. They fight, and getting ready to blow Sonic away, Amy stops him. She asks him to stop, and tells him how awful Eggman is and to join up with them. She tells him it's dangerous here and to escape. "Why do you help me?" He says confused. She reminded him that they are friends now. They parts ways to escape the ship. E-102 pictures Eggman, Beta, and his other E-Series friends. He realizes that Eggman is the Enemy, Beta, Amy, and the E-Series are his friends and deletes his master registry to start thinking on his own instead of for Eggman. He then decides that he must save E-103-105. But due to there programming, the only way he can save them from being Dr. Robotnik's slave is by destroying them.

*Watch It*

After "saving" E-103 and 104, he realizes 105 is probably aboard Eggmans rebuilt Egg Carrier. After saving him, he pictures his brother being destroyed from when he saw him in that room earlier, so E-102 thinks he's the only one left. All of a sudden though, he sees his brother fly over him, huge, and rebuilt. "Beta..." he says.

*Watch It*

He runs to his brother hoping to save him as well. But the brother, sadly, wants to destroy E-102 just as badly. He wants revenge for being destroyed and used as spare parts! They fight and E-102 defeats his brother. Upset, he goes to take a final look at his fallen brother, who gets up and blasts E-102 back before finally dying himself. The father bird (of the one Amy has) is release from Beta. E-102 was happy now though, putting his mission before his life and being successful. He is hurt so badly from his brothers final blast, and realizes he is going to die. He somehow gets a mysterious picture in his head of the family of birds together. After that final picture, he kneels down and dies, releasing the mother bird from himself so that the family can be together again.....

*Watch It!*

The End.

~Andy