Arcadia

[size=1][b]Name:[/b] Megan [b]Age:[/b] 18 [b]DOB:[/b] 14 May 1985 [b]Location:[/b] Florida [b]One Word:[/b] Fromage [b]No, seriously. Describe yourself in one word:[/b] Delicious [b]Occupation:[/b] Spastic-ness [b]Color:[/b] Dark earthy greens, reds, and browns [b]Food:[/b] Mexican, Cajun, Chocolate, Ice Cream [b]Beverage:[/b] Cherry Coke or Chocolate Milk [b]Alter Ego:[/b] Gen :p [b]Dream Job:[/b] A teacher, except the gov't will pay me better and give me travel benefits or something. [b]Self-Proclaimed:[/b] Genius, naturally. [b]Ethnicity:[/b] Uh, well, if it's a European country, it's probably in my blood. But mostly, I'm just white. [b]Extracurricular:[/b] Air guitar [b]Hobby:[/b] Writing, reading, photography, a scrapbook [b]Dessert:[/b] Strawberry Shortcake [b]Mac or PC?[/b] Mac. [b]Blog:[/b] Yep, at mO. [b]Book:[/b] [i]Catcher in the Rye[/i], J. D. Salinger [b]Collections:[/b] Journals, hats, toe socks [b]Won't Eat:[/b] Most vegetables, nuts, tea [b]TV Show:[/b] West Wing [b]Words to live by:[/b] If you're going to regret something, make sure it's something you did, and not something you didn't do. [b]Addicted to:[/b] Caffeine [b]Comic:[/b] Calvin and Hobbes, Doonesbury, Peanuts [b]Movie:[/b] Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, The Shawshank Redemption[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Sammich, no double-posting, please. I suggest you check back over the rules thread and Harlequin's sticky and get yourself caught up so this sort of thing doesn't happen again. Thanks, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]This is fun stuff to read. :p Personally I've always thought that body language is interesting - it's amazing how much a person can say without ever really talking. Every gesture you make sends a specific sort of signal. I think the actual technical term for the study of body language and expressions is [b]Kinesis[/b], but I'm not one hundred percent sure. But if somebody winks at you or flips you off, you sure as hell know what it means. The gender differences in body language is also really cool. When a guy sits down, usually his legs are stretched out some and v-shaped.. sort of wide. They're also more likely to prop their arms up on the backs of chairs, on arm rests, and all that. Generally they're more loose and open. Girls, on the other hand, usually keep their limbs pretty close to their bodys. Legs crossed, arms folded in or held closer to the sides. When you're talking to a guy about a problem or something, he's more likely to tell you how to fix it, or respond with a "Sucks for you" sort of attitude. If you talk to a girl about the same problem, she's more likely to nod, say, "I know what you mean," and return with a similar story. We chicks also tend to say "I'm sorry" way more than we have to. We're more likely to sympathize than a guy. Of course, there are always exceptions, but you get the general idea. :p Sara, what you wrote about "internet speech" is so true. It's amazing how we find ways to get around those little obstacles. ^_~[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]The last few posts could easily be kept to PMs. Hopefully you'll all do that in the future, so as not to disrupt the story line and all that. ^_^ Thank ye kindly, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]Somewhere between landing and hauling their things (however few they might have) off the ship, being lead to their new rooms and given brief instructions as to the rest of the base and then left to fend on their own, Anya realized that she had way too much to think about. Ruffling her hair, she wandered down some random hall a bit lifelessly, not really paying much attention to the little electronic map she'd been given for the occasion. She had a feeling that the device served as a double entendre sort of deal - they could keep track of where they were, and then Raul and the top heads here could in turn keep track of them. Needless to say, she planned to lose it in the near future. Soft, simple chords wafted through the hall towards her and Anya yawned, eyeing the door with mild curiosity before venturing over to it. She hesitated outside the door, peeking around it carefully. It seemed to be some sort of recreational room for the artistical - lots of books, paints, eisles, comfy chairs and a few pianos. The current music was coming from some sort of squarish, flashy-looking machine. A man was bent over it, but he grinned at her and waved her in. "Not familiar with one of these, are you?" He asked, noting her raised eyebrows. "It's a jukebox. Really old music machine, used to play records. Of course, it's been upgraded a few times since then, but this here baby is a real antique." He patted the top of it fondly. Anya blinked, nodding slowly. "Ah." The man stuck his hand out then, scratching his head. "Eh, right. I'm a bit of a dork, heh. The name's Jared. I guess you could say I'm sort of interning here for a bit." "Uh, hello Jared," she responded nicely enough, shaking his hand. "I'm Anya. I'm also tired, grumpy, and I've got the nagging suspicion that a headache is on the way." Both his eyebrows quirked up and he coughed slightly, before gesturing towards the many cushioned chairs behind him. "Nap away." "Mm," was her intelligent reply. After a few minutes of wandering around the small room, she decided that maybe a nap might be nice. Whatever song the 'jukebox' was playing was quite lovely, and she found herself slowly getting sleepy. She eyed the room around her before settling on an especially cozy looking arm chair set back in a corner. It was there that she curled up and eventually dozed off, much to the amusement of Jared, who left the room soon after.[/size]

[size=1][color=gray]OOC: Yeah, sorry for the lateness. I deserve to be shot or something. [i]To the gallows!![/i][/color] As the veiled woman rode carefully down the mountain trail to [i]Govad Ithilmir[/i], the last of the gossamer strands of fog trailing behind her, a small, thin smile curved her lips up. It was a smile full of secrets - much like the fog that concealed her world behind her. Inwë Helyanwë turned to look back at the large shadow behind her, letting her hood fall back for the moment as she eyed the twisting path that she'd just come down. The whispy fog that had followed her down wasn't entirely natural, though it [i]was[/i] completely normal. It acted as a sort of safeguard, and the [i]Elenath Tawaraith[/i] were always a very cautious people. Gently clicking her tongue, whispering something quiet to the speckled stallion, she started forward once again, leaving [i]Istoara Aegas[/i] to tower magestically behind her. She thought back to the small council that had been held in [i]Minuial Amru[/i], prior to her departure. The elders had made their goodbyes then, and imparted her with a few gifts and much to think about. The journey ahead would be a dangerous one, she knew. She could feel it in her bones; they all did. But it was one that had to be made, and Inwë hadn't studied and planned and trained all those long years for nothing. However that wasn't - and never really had been - a concern of the elders. They knew Inwë, like a mother knows her child. Instead, their thoughts and fears were focused on the others that she would be traveling with. [i]"Don't let them forget,"[/i] they told her, quiet but fervent. [i]"Push and pull as you will, child of the stars, for the strength is in you. But do [b]not[/b] forget!"[/i] The elves in Dôr Edhellen had been much lighter in comparison with the sages who resided in the secretive mountain city. She reflected on their goodbyes, and the trust and determination they had shown. They gave her a different sort of strength, and Inwë only hoped that she could in time return that to them. Grunting softly, the stallion (known to her as Elensar) beneath her shook its mane out and whinnied his disapproval at the fog, which was now many paces behind them. Inwë smiled slowly once again, scratching Elensar's neck gently. "Spoiled," she murmured affectionately, and then began to whistle. Her tune was a hauntingly beautiful one, sad and wistful. Elensar breathed deeply, calmed. [i]Soon, now,[/i] she thought to herself, closing her eyes. [i]The stones of Govad Ithilmir will appear, wise and tall as they have always been.[/i] Sure enough, the dirt and weeds beneath Elensar gave way to stone and pillars began to rise up as he and his mistress continued down around the bend. The first few stones were small, faces sitting parallel to one another from across the path. They grew in size steadily, however, forming elegant arches overhead. Slowly, the hard ground beneath them turned into a soft, spiraling stone staircase and Inwë paused then, pulling back lightly on the reins. She dismounted then, and walked the rest of the way down, Elensar close behind. The stairs were decorated with jewels and ancient spells, so that despite the twinkling of each precious gem in the full light of day or the glistening night sky, the staircase remained unseen to those who did not know how to see it properly. Eventually it took leveled out and Inwë and Elensar found themselves on sturdy ground again, but this time, they were not alone. She remained quiet, watching the three elves some odd number of yards before her for a few moments. Elensar snorted impatiently, earning a quiet smile from the star elf, and the sudden attention of those before her. "Merry meet, friends," she said quietly, bowing her head. "I trust your journeys to Govad Ithilmir all went well?"[/size]

[size=1]I thought I should point out that if you haven't yet read [i]The Chronicles of Narnia[/i] by C. S. Lewis, then you really, really need to go and find them, as soon as you can. Those books were like every kid's dream come true, I think. I know I had a whole lot of fun jumping in and out of closets after that. >.> Gregory Maguire is a good author to look up, as well. He's writing a series of books based off of everybody's favorite fairy tales, only a little twisted. Right now I'm reading [i]Mirror Mirror[/i] and the beginning is fantastic. He paints a picture with his words. ^_~[/size]

[size=1]Anya marched down the corridor to the pilots rooms, her thoughts as dark as the expression on her face. She couldn't [i]believe[/i] he'd even think about pulling a stunt like that, let alone actually doing it. It infuriated her, and what made it worse was that up until that point, she'd really thoroughly been enjoying herself. She'd always had a bit of an inferiority complex. It was sort of drilled into her when she was younger, as if it was the only way to explain her reclusive tendencies. And throughout boarding school, the other students only seemed to prove the theory. Then she met Wufei that one fateful day, and after that it was impossible to think that anyone was normal when their every waking minute was spent dedicating themselves to training and to a future life, piloting a gundam. Frankly, Anya had grown used to it. It may not have been the greatest life ever, but it was her life, and despite what others may have thought, she did enjoy it. But for some reason, that little fencing match, no matter how much fun and relaxing it might have been, really set her off. It took her a long moment but Anya soon realized she'd walked well past her room. She gave up on that idea and found herself heading back up towards the bridge, muttering things that would have made a sailor blush. Eventually she stalked through the automatic sliding doors and glared at everyone in the room. Raul turned and raised an eyebrow at her, noting warily that she was indeed in a foul mood. "... Anya?" Realizing that she had no idea why she came [i]here[/i], either, she somehow managed to exhale slowly and then asked, "Any word from Tanya?" He nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah, she's being a little stubborn right now. I don't think she's hurt too seriously, and Heavy Arms is out of the picture now. We're just going to wait for now." He paused, eyeing her sweaty, rugged form and then asked with some bewilderment, "What have you been doing for the past half an hour or so?" "Fencing," she muttered, running a hand through her sweat soaked hair a bit self-consciously. "By yourself?" "No, with Alex." And then she added haughtily, "And I kicked his ass, thank you very much." Raul just gave a nod, smirking a bit. "Oh." There was a pause, before Anya made an annoyed little noise and turned out of the bridge, Raul just watching after her in amusement before going back to his own business. [/size]

[size=1]Whoa, there's a sequel to The Green Rider out now? Must.. go... find!! Right. You might be interested in Sara Douglass. She's a really great fantasy writer as well, and actually incorporates quite a bit of history and mythology into her books. Usually they're pretty fun. If you're interested in Arthur Pendragon and all of that, there are a [i]lot[/i] of books out there about that. Currently I'm in awe of Nancy McKenzie. It's impossible to put her books down. So far I've read The Grail Prince, and now I'll be tackling The Queen of Camelot. Roger Zelazney is a fantasy [i]god.[/i] The Amber Chronicles are fantastic - definitely worth checking out. The characters are wonderful and diverse, the plots are original and he's created one of the coolest forms of magic ever. A really, really great story, if you ever get the chance to read it.[/size]

[size=1]You should go do something exciting. I always thought that the best first date would be well spent at a bowling alley or putter golf place, heh. Somewhere fun, where you can still talk to the person instead of staring at a movie screen for two and a half hours. Maybe that's just me, though. :p[/size]

[size=1]Miss Julianne Stone hummed cheerfully to herself as she walked down the fairly crowded streets of her beloved city. Both hands were filled with groceries and tucked under her arm was a small, worn in leather-bound journal, which basically went with her everywhere she went. And at that particular moment, the little journal and its owner were headed to an older widow's house to deliver the many goods in her arms. "Oh, this is getting heavy," she murmured under her breath, carefully shifting some of the packages into an easier carrying position. An odd number of children hurried by about that, shouting and laughing at one another playfully as they hurried down the sidewalk, swerving in and out of traffic. Julianne heard their approach and quickly moved to the side as they flew by. Her skirts billowed after them as she sighed in slight relief, before glancing up at the buildings next to her. One of the smaller one caught her eye - a flower basket in one of the window was most familiar to her. "Ah, here we are.." Somehow she made it into the building and down the small, tight corridor without much trouble, and then used her foot to knock at the appropriate door. After a few seconds she heard footfalls within and she prepared a smile. The door opened hesitantly at first, before being swung open widely and a thin, tired-looking woman grinned toothily at her. "Julianne! Come in, dear, come in. My gracious woman, did you carry those all the way here?" Julianne laughed and moved inside, heading towards the table so that she might deposit the many groceries. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm getting rather good at it, though," she added, straightening up once her arms were free again. "Didn't drop any today." "I look forward to the day when a young gentleman goes out of his way to help you," the widow Elise told her then, giving her a wink, "And you both show up at my door." Fixing her bonnet, Julianne just gave her a demure smile. "Maybe one day," she agreed, but in all honesty, she really didn't count on it. The brunette wasn't exactly the marrying type, it seemed. Elise took her elbow then and led her away from the table towards the window, where the flower she'd seen outside sat peacefully. Underneath it was an old but well-kept piano, and was the widow's obvious destination. "Here, Julianne, won't you play for this old woman?" She couldn't say no. Adjusting her skits, tucking her legs under the piano as she sat at the bench, Julianne fingered the keyboards with familiarity as she asked, "Elise, your lilies look very healthy, today." The old widow beamed at her. "Yes, I'm very happy with them. I expect that I'm getting some extra help, though." Julianne bowed her head in understanding, returning the secretive smile. Elise had it on firm belief that a guardian angel was watching over her. She always said she was a lucky woman to live so long, and by herself. Though sometimes Julianne wasn't quite sure about the latter part of that. After a moment of silence, the brunette pressed down tenderly on the keys and began to play. It was a short, whistful melody - full of sweet notes and a loving drop, accompanied by a deep, velvety chorus. That was always Elise's favorite part. When it was finished, the widow pat Julianne on the shoulder, sighing contently. "You are an angel yourself, girl." Julianne blushed prettily, bowing her head in thanks. "Perhaps I shall stop by again tomorrow, Elise?" She suggested, rising from the wooden bench carefully. "That would be lovely," the widow agreed, her eyes focused out the window rather than on the woman before her. The brunette squeezed Elise's shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before collecting her journal and heading back out into the bustling streets, feeling a little happier than she'd been when she first entered.[/size]

[size=1]Anya stared blankly at the blinking lights and switches in the bridge, lost in her thoughts. Everything had happened so fast - she'd barely made it five steps down the corridor after leaving Alex's room when the alarms went off and chaos errupted. And now, there were too many things to think about, it seemed. Especially when she didn't want to think about it all. With a damaged ship, damaged gundams, and two pilots down now.. well, things just weren't looking good. The mission being pushed behind schedule was bad enough, but what worried her more was Gen himself - what sort of information would he be taking back to Une, presuming that's where he went? Just how many weaknesses would they have now? And now, there was nothing Anya could do but fret and dwell on it, something she was definitely not prepared for and certainly wasn't happy with. She found a wall and leaned against it, sliding down until she sat on her heels, and then buried her head in her arms. On top of all that, she could feel the beginnings of a headache and it didn't help her mood in the slightest. "God damn it." Naomi glanced at her and sighed, but decided that it might be better to leave well enough alone for the moment - she had no wish to bring out any foul tempers. Things were bad enough already. After a long moment of silence, Anya raised her head and exhaled slowly, her eyes still closed. "What about gorilla tactics? Even without the gundams, we can still slip into smaller compounds and set off detonators and whatever..." She suggested slowly, as if picturing it in her head as she went. "And then when the gundams are fixed, we'll upgrade the attack." Raul glanced at her, frowning slightly. "We'll see. We can't act on anything right now until Tanya gets back..." [i]If she gets back.[/i] They all thought it, but not another word was spoken. There just wasn't a whole lot that could be said, and Anya was sure that she couldn't find the proper words for it, even if she tried.[/size]

[size=1]Well now, I don't know about the 'children' part of this, but I know I'm always thinking up names for stories and invisible friends and stuff. Usually I'll like one name for awhile, then drop that one and find a new one. Right now though, here's what I can think of.. [b]Girls:[/b] Lyn, Rachel, June, Elizabeth, Guinevere (that's all because of King Arthur, right there), Julia, Iara (pronounced with a Y)... yeah. [b]Guys:[/b] Joshua, Jacob, Aiden, Holden, Caine, Corwin, Coriander, Kevin, Julian, Brandon. I've never bothered to think about middle names. That's a little too much right now, heh. Too scary. :p[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Hey guys, welcome to the boards. A few things. First of all, I'd ask you all to put a little more effort into your posts. If you could step up a bit on proper grammar and spelling, that would be wonderful. We try to keep a certain standard of quality here in the arena and these don't quite cut it yet. Also, your sign-ups could use some work as well. The RPG is nothing without its characters, and characters are nothing until you give them a good, detailed, thought-out background. If you want to make the story more interesting, you might try and improve on your character's stats some more. For more information about all this, please check out Harlequin's sticky at the top of the forum - you might find it to be very useful. Any more questions or comments, feel free to PM myself or one of the other mods for further help. Thanks, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]They're bloody wonderful. Heh. Somehow I [i]magically[/i] have all three of the ones mentioned, though Showbiz is the only actual, tangible CD that I got legally. And it's beautiful. Eventually I will break down and buy all the others. But if they'll be making contracts with US companies and all that, then I might hold out a bit longer. It would be great if they released Origin of Symmetry and Absolution over here. It would be great if they just [i]came[/i] over here. >.> I hear that they're up for Best British Rock Band, too. For the awards thing coming up. Don't know much else past that, though. :p [/size]

[size=1]Look at all the pretty colors. Heh, I think I said this in Miss Asuka's thread too, but I'm a big fan of watercolors. They're so much fun to play with. ^_^ All the different little fishies look very cool, though - nice, simple details. Especially that green one on the left. They all look so playful and happy. This vaguely reminds me of Dr. Seuss, heh. [i]One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. [/i] Very fun. [/size]

[size=1]"[i]Mon dieu[/i]," Vedette sighed and began limping after the girl, ignoring the pain that seized her ankle. Running on it probably wasn't one of the most brilliant things she'd done in her life, but when compared with what might have happened, she was willing to make the small sacrifice of comfort now. After all, it only meant more comfort later on - if things went according to plan. "Just how do we get to Tokyo? We can't very well [i]walk[/i] there.." "Between the three of us, we'll figure something out," Zsuzsanna whispered back encouragingly. "Perhaps Schwarz will even come find us. Either way, we're safest in Tokyo." "Schwarz. Do I know these 'Schwarz' people?" The Telekinetic asked, twisting her hair back over her shoulder. Kala nodded, glancing at Zsu. "I'm sure you do. They were former students.." Her voice trailed off quietly and then she shrugged, carefully stepping over an overgrown root. Vedette continued to play with her hair as she thought about that, before cursing a few times in French when she failed to raise her injured leg high enough over the same mischievous root. Her ankle throbbed in response and she paused, gritting her teeth before exhaling slowly. "[i]Zut..[/i]" Kala glanced back at her, frowning slightly. "Vedette, don't push it - you'll only make it worse." "I'll stop pushing once we get to Tokyo," Vedette replied, and then abruptly switched back to that conversation. "Is there anyway we can get in touch with them? Let them know?" The Precog paused. "Well.." Vedette added somberly, "We won't be the only ones in these woods for long. They're bound to send someone after us." Glancing back at Kala, Zsuzsanna replied firmly, "We'll find a way. And if we run into any problems.. we'll take care of them." They trudged forward in silence then, each girl probably shifting through her own thoughts of the evening so far. Vedette knew for one that she had quite a few misgivings about what lay ahead. Granted, anything was better than being back at Rosenkreuz. But she needed a plan. Something definite and reliable - not a [i]'I know a guy..'[/i] scenario. Vedette trusted her friends, no doubt about it. She just didn't trust anyone else, however, and that was where her problem began. That was where her problems [i]always[/i] began.[/size]

[size=1]Anya's little trip to the bridge was short lived. She and Raul hadn't been in there ten minutes when a technician from the hanger began screaming for Raul through the communication line - something about a pilot convulsing. He took one look at Anya before he sprinted out of the main control room and down towards the lift. She followed quickly, a sort of morbid curiousity gnawing at her insides. The scene they met in the medic wing, however, was not one they were prepared for. Remotely. And here Anya was, thinking that Alex was probably the most sane out of them all. As Raul tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with him, Anya just sort of stared, listening half-heartedly. She was feeling guilty again. Pulling a chair to the side of his bed, glancing briefly at the nurse who fretted about the room, she ran a hand through her hair and tried to ignore the shadows in her mind. Instead, she focused on what this did to their battle front - they lost a man, and they lost Wing. That would mean less force than before, and possibly a drop in morale. It didn't look good either way. Raul sat down about then and sighed, his head in his hands. "And today had started out so good, too..." "What will happen to the game plan? Australia?" Anya presented him with a calm, strong front. Her eyes were clouded over, impossible to read. Raul just shrugged, and took a glance at Alex as another small spasm took his body. "The show must go on." Anya nodded firmly. "Then it will. And so will Alex. You'll give yourself a hernia if you worry so much." He smiled grimly at her. "It might be too late for that. Well then," he passed his hand over his face and then took a look at his watch, sighing once again. "We ought to hold some sort of revisional briefing, then. This changes everything, and we'll have to devise up another plan of attack--" "One thing at a time, hm?" Anya raised an eyebrow at him. He stopped and fell into a grin, before shaking his head. [/size]

[size=1] Anya went to the hanger where Shenlong and the other gundams were and hung around the technicians for a bit, tinkering with random mechanical things. Eventually her persistant questions and occasional sarcastic barbs got on their nerves and they made her stay on the catwalk. So she sat there and watched them tinker around with various objects, fixing up the gundams or putting together some weird thing that somehow went with the ship. After a long moment of such mind-numbing entertainment, she sighed and pressed her forehead against the cold, metal railing that guarded the catwalk. It felt refreshing against her warm skin, and she decided to stay there a minute longer and enjoy it before escaping to some other part of the ship. That part of the ship turned out to be no further than the lift. As it opened up on the level where all the pilots' rooms were located, Raul stepped and gave her a nod before sighing loudly. Anya just raised an eyebrow at him, before crossing her arms and whining softly, "Raul, I'm bored." He chuckled slightly, and pressed the button that would take them to the bridge. "Well, I'm going to check and see how far along we are. Quatre might have sent some information, as well." "Making your rounds?" She questioned, smiling slightly. "Indeed," he nodded. There was a pause as the lift jerked a little, passing a floor, before he started again, "Have you been up here before?" Anya shook her head, "Nope." He paused again. "...Do you want to see it?" "Sure." Raul sighed again, and shook his head. These pilots were going to drive him mad.[/size]

[size=1]I likes it. Especially since it kind of begins and ends with autumn and the rustling leaves and all that. It sets a very appropriate mood for a trip down memory lane. Anyhow, these particular paragraphs caught my attention. [QUOTE]Dan also likes the rustle sound leaves make. On his swing that sound is what he hears. It gives him the feeling that someone's watching him, maybe. Or maybe there's something crawling on the ground. It even reminds him in a vague way of ghosts. He wonders if it's ghosts that make the leaves blow, if they're the wind. [/quote] This one, because I love the idea presented, especially the notion that the sound of the leaves makes you feel as though you're being watched. Perhaps it's just that time of the year that does it - halloween, and all that - and people just start to associate the two together. Either way, it's so true. [quote]Every night Dan would sit in his room on his bed, his hands cupped in prayer. "Dear God," he'd say, "please bless my Momma and my Daddy and my Grandpa and Grandma and my dogs Itsy and Spud. And bless all the people that are sickened and don't have a home." Then he'd stop for a second, glaring around his dark room, looking especially close at his door. No one would ever be there and so he'd continue on. This time he'd shut his eyes tight, thinking deeply. He would feel out what he was saying. "Dear God," he'd begin again. "Please make me just like LT. I want to be fat like him, I want to have good parents like his. Please I pray that I become fat like LT, and I get a computer like him and that he likes me." Maybe Dan would add more, maybe less. But he always ended his prayers with that prayer-he thought that's what prayers were for. It was what he Daddy and Mommy had told him. They'd said that praying was "asking for something to happen, something good." And little Dan thought being like LT was even more than good. It was something that needed to be done.[/quote] This part was just funny. The child-like mentality is done really, really well. Particularly, the first few lines of the second paragraph where Mr. Dan is a tad paranoid that somebody might hear his prayer. Very well described and easy to imagine. Good story, Mitch. It was personal, yet fun, and very thoughtful. Kudos.[/size]

[size=1]Right, this is not supposed to be the Policidal. Just another random human - permission from Mr. Dragon Warrior. I?ll have you know that this has made me feel very.. Charles Dickens-ish. [b]Name:[/b] Julianne Stone [b]Age:[/b] 26 [b]Appearance:[/b] A slender, lithe woman, Julianne may be shorter than just the average woman but she keeps her chip up. Creamy skin, smoky-green eyes, and you can almost always expect to see a smile on her face. Her dark brown curls are thick and wild and are usually pulled back in a tight plait of some kind. After a couple hours, though little pieces start to fall out, so very often she?ll be wearing some sort of cap or bonnet. Her dresses are always dark in color, and her fingers are often smudged in ink. [b]Personality:[/b] Above all else, Julianne is an extremely optimistic person. She believes that there is good everywhere, and in everyone, and tries her best to always see that. Extremely supportive and protective of her friends, she often puts their well-being in front of hers, which isn?t always a good thing. She also has quite a fanciful imagination, and likes to keep an open mind about things. Occasionally she?ll pretend to have a conversation with an Angel, as it?s always slightly amusing and it makes her feel better. She does believe in them, and joking aside, is pretty devout about it. Julianne loves all things artistic as well, especially writing. [b]History:[/b] She grew up with her Aunt because of a shady accident that killed her parents, and spent most of her life away at boarding school. Julianne was very young when her parents were killed, so she?s not entirely sure what happened ? usually she just made something up. That was the start of her wild imagination, and also her writing career. She enjoyed writing very much, and found that not only could she explain things, she could also find solace through it. Eventually she finished school, and began taking on a number of odd jobs to help her Aunt out, including delivering groceries to old ladies, tutoring children, cleaning, and whatnot(and there was that one time she tried the tavern job but that didn?t work out so well). On the side, she writes and sells what she can so that it may be published. Eventually. Meh, short.[/size]

[size=1]While the idea of a Zelda anime would be really cool, and I'd love to see that OOT thing you guys are talking about, I'm not so sure I want my Link to have an actual personality. That's one of the things I really enjoyed about the games - I had so much fun narrating every step the guy took in Ocarina of Time and making him up myself. Turned out to be a really, [i]really[/i] weird story, but it was still a blast. The idea of Link being a flirt is kind of hot, although I think I'd still prefer the game Link. He's just cooler when he's all mysterious and you have to decide for yourself what to make of him. Heh.[/size]

[size=1]The University was probably one of the only major spots in Ma'Uriith that Leile had never visited - her father had never liked it much because of something that happened to him in his past. She'd always had the nagging suspicion it had to do with her mother, but that was something she didn't dare to bring up. Even so, she was slightly mystified by all the grand, marble columns and exquisite architecture. It was an amazing sight to behold, awe-inspiring indeed, but also a tad foreboding. Especially in the dark. She suspected that the buildings were just as infused with magic as the students had been, which explained why they were all still standing, and also why the doors to the great library seemed insistant that they should not get in. Anubis took care of that well enough, and Leile watched, though not completely understanding, as the door creaked open slowly. She stared ahead into the darkness for a few seconds before starting forward, only stopping again when she realized they weren't following. Anubis lifted his hand and Leile gasped as he told her bitterly, "Go on in. Oh, Don't worry. It won't hurt [i]you.[/i]" Leile stared at his hand in shock, her feet effectively glued to the spot. "Anubis, what.. how... I don't understand.." If he had planned to say anything at all, Aissa beat him to it, taking a good look at his bloody hand. "Just what sort of spell was [i]on[/i] that door?" Her tone was a bit testy, but her expression was a little harder to read as she switched back and forth between his hand and the door. Leile watched for a moment, before turning and stepping into the library. Immediately a sense of huge-ness washed over her - even in the dark, she could see that the ceiling towered above them. She could barely make out the books ahead, but she could smell them - it seemed as though even books on magic retained that old, musty quality. Letting her eyes adjust to the dark before starting in any one direction, Leile began to wonder how exactly they were going to find anything about the curse. There must have been thousands upon thousands of books... [i]And I don't even know where to begin![/i][/size]

[size=1]This is like the fourth time I've posted something after Shin, and I wasn't even stalking him this time! It's [i]crazy![/i] But yes, time to focus on Syk. 2. Final Fantasy X is probably the one and only FF I'll ever know all the way through. >.>;; It's a great picture of Auron, though, and I love how you put the Japanese characters under your name. It's not so obnoxious that way. That, and the grid thing is cool. 13. That's my favorite one out of the OtakuBoard series, and probably out of all the ones ever made. Too bad I missed it. :p 18. It looks very professional - like an actual character profile. The lines and squares and other odd shapes are also great details. Much fun. 24. Heh, that's essentially my banner, just a different picture. Simple is the way to go. ^_~ 27. Snatch: Brad Pitt. Blood. Half Naked Men. How can you not like it? Right, seriously, the images are well-chosen and it's all put together seamlessly (is that a word?). The fuzzy, TV quality is a great effect, and gives it a darker feel. Probably one of my favorites of yours. Overall, everything you make is top quality - even if it is really simple - and for that you rock. Definitely one of the best on the boards, if not [i]the[/i] best. I've praised you enough. :p[/size]

[size=1]My favorite is the Angel one - [i]I love the wings[/i]. I think I kind of have an obssession over wings, and I'm really pleased that the girl's wings look the way they do. The kind of broken and odd looking pieces are just lovely, and in black and white the entire picture is gorgeous. This last picture is adorable. They all are, but I really like this one because of the flowers. Pretty-ness. It's like she's holding on to innocence or something, especially with those shiny, round doe eyes. Heh. Fantastico![/size]