Raiha

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]James has given me the green light to start up the party in a few. So it should be pretty pretty with dancing sparkly lights and good times. And probably music.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar16_guest.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] [left][FONT="Times New Roman"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][i]The walkway leading up to the Von Braun was slightly crowded, but manageable, and weaving carefully enough, the latest employee to arrive made her way up the steps without tripping. Two suitcases on either arm and a purse slung over one shoulder, Ilona Montenegro L'Marcelle virtually skipped past the checkpoint towards her cabin. New business ventures always excited her.[/i] "Welcome aboard Ms. Montenegro." [i]The cabin wasn't spacious but it was functional and not cramped in the least. Ilona hug a few of folds of fabric she'd brought with her to lessen the stark metal panels on the walls and add a bit of warmth. Her things were put away quickly enough, the dresses hung on the hangers she'd been careful enough to bring, and the two suitcases stowed underneath the bed where they'd be completely out of sight. On the desk she set her M.D. player and popped one of the small discs in while she finished cleaning up for the evening ahead. The shower was ridiculously small, but being diminutive in size, Ilona wasn't too worried about that. The water was warm, and the steam was a delicious addition to the rather dry atmosphere. In front of the mirror, wrapped in a towel, the entertainer sat, applying just enough makeup to her face to suggest artificial without being overdone. Her dress was thrown across the neatly made bed, shoes nearby. Pulling back her dark brown hair in a neat coil, she gazed at her reflection and smiled to herself. The curves of her red dress slunk across her shoulders in a sweeping cowl, and the heels added three inches to her stature, enough to make people pay attention to her without too much effort. Ilona pushed back the loose strands of her hair from her face and opened her door, turning off her player as she went. Crew members were scattered sparsely throughout the hall, one pointing her in the direction of the Kimera and another staring for perhaps a few moments too long. Ilona smiled at him as she passed, perhaps too flirtatiously herself, and continued on her way, noticing a few passengers every now and then, standing out in their civilian dress almost as much as she did. Eventually she reached Kimera lounge, with only the title spread out across the entrance in stylized red and black letters. What looked like gas lamps burned in sconces on either side of the doorway and cast flickering shadows across the hall. Ilona flicked her eyes to either side, and then pushed the charcoal black doors open.[/i] "Kimera. ...I knew I liked that name." [i]The interior was cool and dimly lit, red chaise lounges spread across the walls, the wooden bar curving around the wall elegantly. Nobody there, but enough alcohol on the shelves to capsize the ship. Ilona looked over at the stage, the piano in one corner, and the microphone stand nearer to the center. She eyed it all, took a mental picture of the entire establishment, and then backed out again, headed for the casino this time.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT][/left]

[quote name='Lethargy'] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=darkgreen]So I take it you've done speed before?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]My friend's room mate did it before. And it's even possible he was more hyper than I remember because I fell asleep halfway through the night.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Morpheus']5 Hour Energy is the only one that's really worthwhile, and it really has none of the crap that Raiha was talking about except taurine, which isn't harmful as long as you don't take it all the time, just like just about any other substance.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I'm not sure if you mean sugar [sucralose] or caffeine. Did you ever read the label? It has both. Oh yes, and taurine too. Unless their website is lying to me. If it says "high fructose corn syrup" that's sugar for most other drinks. I'm pretty sure water and tea aren't going to be harmful to me. [URL="http://www.productwiki.com/chaser-5-hour-energy-shot/"]Behold.[/URL] And since someone else has already confessed to being composed mostly of energy drink I'm pretty sure that was my target audience. Sorry.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]That's technically 11 suggestions. : P[/color][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well there are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand bi- Nevermind. I beat my spear against my shield and call for [b]King Leonidas[/b] of 300 fame and [b]Nick Naylor[/b] of "Thank You For Smoking." Although that might be mildly obscure. Oh psh. Whatever. I'm going to go cry now.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][center]Linnet: Before The War[/center] [i]Under the gravid moon, she trails her fingers in blood. Breathless gurgle of immortal death. Stars vault overhead while madness gnaws her soul.[/i] "I wish you had loved me Father." [i]That liquid note of regret, strummed on the strings of her hair. Endless rings in pools of rainwater from lives forever vanished. Empty night.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]My favorite energy drink is SmartWater. Yes, that's right. I drink water. Tea. Unsweetened fruit juice. Soy milk. Unlike most of America, I don't want my heart to stop beating before it's scheduled to because I downed drink after drink that contained Taurine. Also known as artificial adrenaline. That and the caffeine it contains provides a jolt to your system that could be faithfully recreated if you downed half a pound of sugar in five minutes and then followed it up with some Speed. Oh wait, these drinks typically also contain massive amounts of sugar. Never mind. And since the FDA doesn't regulate the amount of caffeine contained in 'energy' drinks, you're getting way more than what's healthy for you and all in the name of giving yourself enough energy to get out of bed because you stayed up all night playing video games or chatting on OB. But since I figure everyone here is young and thus immortal, nobody cares and will continue to drink their drinks and plan on living forever.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I'd just like to point out Sandy actually killed Helen, not me... Can't really dodge responsibility on the others though, heh, at least he still has family though. And just remember, Harry was going to end up with Macey and Gustave and [i]someone[/i] objected to that. ^_~[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]That totally wasn't me. I just wanted everyone to know that. Half of me is sad to see this rpg is over and the other half is dancing a merry jig. Now board thee the Von Braun.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Panache'] So does that make it fair to call all the people who believe in love at first sight delusional fools?[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The temptation to say "yes, most definitely" here is very strong, but instead I'll just reiterate. No. But it is fair to say that love isn't something that you can instnatly know without getting to know someone. That "connection" may turn out to be just a passing fancy when it turns out that person has habbits you find utterly loathsome. Like leaving the cap off of the toothpaste, or leaving the toilet seat up.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='DeLarge'][SIZE=1] But then again, I'm British and as such incredibly cynical when it comes to love. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]And I'm German. We don't need love. It makes us start wars and crap. I think it's very cute to see 13 year olds tell me about love. Honestly. But then again, everyone is trying to quantify a chemical response in the brain that makes your eyelashes go up and down and little hearts fly out of you. Or so my 7 year old sister told me. Don't get me wrong, I think love is a beautiful thing, but as far as Insta-Lurve... It just doesn't happen. You might genuinely believe that you've found "The One" and that everything from this point forward will be chocolate hearts and candy canes but give it time. March in lock step with me Nerdsy and DeLarge.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well I had set my 11 [b]Depeche Mode[/b] albums to endlessly randomize themselves and loop until I was done cleaning my room, when suddenly they started playing "Stripped." This naturally led me to go wander into the youtube realm to find their music video which didn't exist, but then I found that [b]Shiny Toy Guns[/b] had done an exquisite cover. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQyb_zV51HM"]Right Here[/URL] Infinitely better than the horror show of [b]Rammstein's[/b] version. Which is not worth linking anyone to. Ever.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='amibasuki'][FONT=Arial] because it's totally easy to discern what someone is [I]actually [/I]saying when you don't have a clue who's actually talking. [I]expect [/I]it to happen; this medium of communication allows for multiple levels of interpretation, especially coming from strangers. [I]get over it [/I]already.[/FONT][/quote] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I seem to recall confirming that I was in fact being sarcastic more than once here. I also recall several others doing much the same. But for your sake I'll do it again. SARCASM![/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='amibasuki'][FONT=Arial]what wall was I arguing with again?[/quote] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The name's Raiha. I believe we've met before.[/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='amibasuki'][/FONT][FONT=Arial]she can be totally unaffected by whatever's being talked about, and I say whoopy for her (and calling someone a wall isn't exactly the best way to stick up for someone -- it's implying she can't/doesn't listen to logic when it's put in front of her, whether or not that's what you were trying to say -- that's how it comes across, which believe it or not, [I]does [/I]count for something on a message board).[/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]If I'm not bothered by Allamorph's twisted and cute way of standing up for me, I don't think it's your job to comment on it. And yes, I don't listen to "logic" when it's a: fundamentally flawed and b: something I can simply dismiss as unrealistic/idealistic/narcissistic/yougetheidea. Oh yes, and Sandy? The opinion still won't take effect for another 26 days and it may very well be stuck down by the voters in November. So this celebration may be a bit premature.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]ADDENDUM: In office hours with my political science professor today, I had a huge tome thumped on my desk. 200 pages of court opinion. Including the indexes. 200!! HOW MANY BASES DO THEY NEED TO COVER?! I slogged through the introduction until he handed me the typed page of notes which summed it all up neatly. Neater than CNN. [Yes. The California Supreme Court took a trillion pages to say that you can marry whoever you want.] The long and short of it is that in 30, or 29, days or so, you can no longer prohibit same sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses. Of course it doesn't make too much sense in light of the fact that California already has a domestic partnership law that ensures all the same legal rights are given to gay and lesbian couples. Which makes me think that this was just about the word 'marriage' and nothing else. Of course on the other hand....the opinion is based on a 1940's court case on gay marriage and then the Initiative on the matter on the ballot this November may overturn this court opinion entirely. And then the voters might not. Of course now the Governator can wash his hands of the situation: "The Supreme Court of California has spoken. Who wants cake?" But since the U.S. Supreme Court hasn't said this was alright, we might find it struck down that way like I mentioned before, but now there's some juicy background. After all, states laws have to match up loosely with federal law. Recall a couple years past when San Francisco was handing out marriage licenses for gay couples but the court had them all rendered null and void. This may turn out that way as well.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]If you want time and the confusions of reincarnation I recommend Katharine Kerr and her series that begin with [b]"Daggerspell."[/b] She took a break from writing the now 10 plus book series when her heart looked like it was about to stop beating but fortunately she's back. And now we can all look forward to her next installment in a rather fascinating serries like a bunch of claping walruses. Of course if you crave another series that paints dragons in a decidedly less sympathetic role, I suggest the [b]Dragon Weather Series[/b] by Lawrance Watt-Evans. It's only three books, appropriately morbid, and has footless prostitutes. Wohoo. AND FURTHERMORE: I require you all to read the thus far 3 book series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson staring Peter of Peter Pan fame. [b]"Peter and the Starcatchers."[/b] Not only is the series wittly executed with drama, adventure, pirates, shadows, stars, and bilgerats... It's also engaging enough to hold the attention of both a 7 year old girl and a 22 year old college educated student.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='amibasuki'][FONT=Arial]wow, that wasn't just a little offensive, that was [I]immensely [/I]offensive. it's sad you think marriage implies misery, but at least same-sex couples now have a [I]choice [/I]in how they can be 'miserable.' I say it's about ****ing time that more is being done to give gays and bisexuals more rights (at least somewhere). this shouldn't even be an issue in the first place, you know, an adult wanting to marry another adult in a church-separated-from-state country. [/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]That was sarcasm at it's finest dear. And let's consider your response. Youbelieve me to be sincere in my belief that marriage will lead to unhappiness. You have no idea what I really believe and look around you, turn on a tv. How many happily married couples do you see? I see Bill and Hillary. A divorce rate going through the roof. On and on and on until you could puke. Sure, marriage sometimes leads to true happiness but the point is that I was being both facetious and ironic. But that's my choice. And seriously folks, let's think about it. What makes you think gay couples that are married will be any happier than same sex couples that are married? As for why you mentioned bisexuals in an article that didn't mention them anywhere is utterly beyond me. An adult wanting to marry another adult? Marriage was originally a construct of the church. And while the church is separated from the state, you've conveniently forgotten the free exercise clause. The government can not limit the free exercise of any religion. The glib "separation of church and state" line might get you somewhere with stupids, but it won't fly with everyone. Save that line for later. But on the other hand, I, like Shy, believe it is a state's rights issue and as such, the Supreme Court will most likely not lift a finger to do a thing about it. And considering the way the court is tilted at this particular moment, we'll be waiting for awhile for the conservative justices to die before any legislation is passed on a federal level.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Congratulations. Now all homosexuals can be just as miserable as the rest of us poor straight people. On the other hand, I argue semantically against gay marriage. Of course this is moderately meaningless because until the Supreme Court of the United States makes a ruling to this effect, it isn't the law of the land. Get married, but stay in California. Or Massachusetts.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times]Aside from the musk glands on a ferret, they're totally completely illegal in California. Something about ...something. Kinda like how it's now illegal to own venomous snakes in California unless you have ALL the antivenin in stock to deal with the occasional nip. My favorite pet was hands down was my gorgeous 4 foot ball python. It shed in one piece. It was utterly silent. It ate once a week. It never needed shots. I wasn't allergic to it and didn't go into sneezing fits after it touched me with its tongue. ...his name was Kitty. MOMMY WILL NEVER FORGET YOU![/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Aceburner'] ?Oh, never mind,? sighed Odin, turning to leave, ?I?ll just be in my office downtown, losing faith in humanity.?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Now that's the spirit! With luck there'll be a suicide or something to spice things up. Just kidding. Nice to see I'm kind of innocent.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Wrong place for this. Try the Auditions or Backstage forums. Oh yeah, and probably longer sentences and an actual plot. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Ah you must be so very new Decay. Welcome. Don't look like the weak member in a herd. They pick you off first. But back to this. It appears that moral relativism has sunk it's claws firmly into the populace. Oh goodie. 1. I'm tempted to say something like "it seemed like a good idea at the time," but it's a personal choice. 2. People search for meaning all the time in their lives, and while some are doing it for selfish reasons, others do it because they believe it to be the right thing to believe. I've seen people convert in hospitals before dying of cancer a few months later, and I've seen people healed inexplicably from cancer who had enough faith to pray. Or perhaps had the right body capable of healing itself. Who knows? 3. I believe there is no real point in debating intelligent design vs. evolution. I believe that evolution is a form of intelligent design. And I'd like to believe that God is intelligent. 4. The greatest challenge to people's faith might be the self, but I also think it's other people. I will admit. Going to church and seeing some of the hypocritical ******** was pretty depressing and very difficult to take after spending time with people who are upfront about being evil, or lying, or just being criminals in general. But to trot out a mildly pithy statement, "Keep your eyes on Christians and you'll always be disappointed. Keep your eyes on God and you won't be." 5. See: Thomas Aquinas. 6. My evidence is the faith in things unseen. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='DeLarge'][SIZE=1]Right now I'm reading [B]White Night [/B]by Jim Butcher, the 9th in the series of the Dresden Files, which, as you could probably work out by the fact that this is the 9th one, I am a huge fan of.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]But then Jim Butcher continued to be a glorious writer, not dying before the end of the series and came out with his next book, [b]Small Favors[/b] which was not only deliciously wicked and convoluted as one might expect, but unlike White Night, HAD BIG FAERIES! Angry ones! With big sticks! ...and sometimes box cutters.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Quietly in the traces of the dark, I lay very still. Empty eyes, vacant stare, feeling exhaustion set in with that painful pressure behind the eyes. One yawn, then two, and I felt tears welling in my eyes. My nose tingled and I felt the pangs of hunger lance through me. Once, twice, and the twisting in my gut became wrenching. The hotel room was so quiet. With nobody there I almost felt lonely. The hiss of traffic was hardly noticeable, and while the "Travelodge" was hardly my idea of an upstanding establishment. On the other hand, the sheets still smelled like bleach and I didn't touch the floor with my bare feet if I could help it. My friend had left for the night after a long and only somewhat productive photo shoot. Weariness in every bone, my back sore from the consistent demands of "arch further!" I decided to sit in the shower for several hours, until the hot water ran out anyway. Scorning the badly bleached towels I stood dripping in front of the fogged up mirror. Bored in every way possible, I extended a finger to the obscured surface and wrote with just the nails.[/i] "Do you like that bitch?" [i]For good measure I slammed my palm against the surface and dragged the tips of my fingers downwards. It felt good. Because if I really had done what I wanted to do today, I wouldn't have been taking off my clothes for money. At least I didn't have to do more than that, but it's a cold consolation when your sleeping in a bed that's several sizes too large for you. The view outside the window was the bare wall of the establishment next door. The pool, two stories down, had no furniture, no rails to help you walk in, and no lock on the gate. But on the other hand there was free WiFi and HBO2. So theoretically I could've been watching something unrated but to be fair I didn't care.[/i] "Wrung and hung to dry." [i]Air Force One can only drag you so far before you're worn down by the bloody commercials. So instead I sat down on the edge of the bed and breathed for awhile. Then I turned and hugged one of three pillows on a bed made for two but inhabited by one. The front door locked and the fan droning quietly in the background.[/i] "Empty empty empathy empty gone gone gone go away." [i]I muttered to myself until I felt like sleeping. And with the lights out, I might as well have been the only person on earth. The door opened with a hiss and a click, and I would've sat up but fear held me down with one massive hand. Pressed into the sheets by my own strangulating terror, I saw as someone clearly not my boss walked the short distance from the now shut door to my bed. He leaned down and brushed my hair from my face. My eyes screwed tightly shut. I couldn't look. The pain in my arm was sharp, sudden, and a pinprick of agony. Tears smarted in my eyes No more tears tears tearing tearing the flesh. It would've woken up anyone asleep, so I opened my eyes and stared straight into the face of the person who had come to kill me. Dimly, I was aware that in the space of walking to the bed he'd turned on the video camera set in the corner. The red light bloomed softly in my vision. And I knew that this was it. The end. The going time. And as I felt his fingers clamp down around my throat, crushing my windpipe, I reached for the phone. The remote. My dead cell phone. Anything. But nothing. The sound of his breathing now. In my ears, in my chest. The beating of my heart wildly thumping against my ribs out of control now. Wrench the chest and make the breathing quicken like nicotine in the system. Feel the hollow rattle. Under threat no more. Just an axe. Cutting cutting curbing crushing caring can't take the blow. Done now. The light went green. One arm outstretched towards the phone, the cord tangled uselessly against the wall. Going, going, going, dead.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Morpheus']My first question to someone that said some of the things that Wright has said would be "Could you explain these quotes to me?", not completely shun the man for having opinions.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]See, it's all well and good to have opinions, but when they're blatantly anti-America, anti-white, anti-anybody who has ever earned money in their lifetime through honest work, it's really REALLY hard to cough up any sort of ability to like him. Let's see, among his more interesting "opinions": *White people created the AIDS virus to kill black people. We'll just overlook the millions people of all colors that AIDS has killed. *If you're white, you hate black people. So he's racist against white people because clearly all white people are racist. That's so sweet. Sure, it's just a great big laugh. That whacky Reverend Wright! He says the darndest things. As I recall Obama tried to call him the "crazy uncle" but that implies that he can't get rid of him. I mean you can pick your friends, but not your uncles. Too bad for Obama. Perhaps he should've picked better. But now he's got the Reverend Otis Moss. Who has upgraded from "God Damn America" to "God F--- America." What an improvement.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Since I didn't really describe my lounge, I'm going to blatantly rip off the one I've spent some time in and enjoyed immensely. Only it's IN SPACE! Kimera Lounge: Rather enforced dress code: smart casual to formal. Full service bar: specializing in designer martinis. Live music: Yes. [IMG]http://foodfrenzy.freedomblogging.com/files/2007/11/kimera-lounge-patio.jpg[/IMG] Oh yes, I appear to have mentioned to Crystia and not you that she'll be singing in whichever bar she's assigned to. I figure her contract is probably more flexible than most, if only for efficacy and whatnot.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Morpheus']Not trying to hate, but would Obama saying "Middle Class Americans" somewhere in a speech make your vote a deadlock?[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Why should he? Come to think of it, could he possibly say anything about the middle class without sounding disingenuous? For starters, his pastor has apparently thumped into his brain the fact that "Middle Class "ness"" is supposed to be avoided. Which makes sense considering the Reverend Wright jumped from wherever the hell he lived in to a 10,000 square foot house in a private white neighborhood. But anyway, we should probably look into the fact that you're just picking an argument here for no good reason.[/FONT][/COLOR]