Alexander

*When* The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon comes out, the De-Fusion trick you are suggesting for the Black Skull Dragon will become very interesting. Use Painful Choice could be used to drop the BEWDs, and a Summoner of Illusions to bring out the BEUD. Activate De-Fusion, and all three Blue Eyes are ready to go. Drop Dragon's Rage and you should be set.

Hmmm...I hadn't ever thought of Skiil Drain negating BAD effects...shadowfire's got a very good point. Except that I think it won't affect the Dark Elf. It's effect isn't as much of an effect as it is a COST. Costs aren't negated when the cards are. It's like Messenger of Peace/Imperial Order. The Messenger is negated, but the price has to be paid to keep it out. Ditto-Ditto Imperial Order to Jinzo. The Way I see it, Skill Drain should be in the SideBoards of almost any Beatdown deck, and a few others. Some decks will just curl up and die if they see this card coming...

Judgement of Anubis looks like it could be a great new counter-trap! 305-052 JUDGEMENT OF ANUBIS Counter Trap Discard 1 card from your hand. Negate and destroy a Magic card activation and effect that has a [Destroy Magic/Trap cards on the Field] effect controlled by your opponent. Afterward, you can destroy 1 of your opponent's face-up Monsters on the Field and do damage to your opponent equal to that Monster's attack strength. Secret Rare (Both in Japan and here, if the latest Shonen Jump is accurate) At first I was leery about the card, because it can only target cards like Mystical Space Typhoon, Harpy's Feather Duster, and Heavy Storm. The key to using the card, I think, is MAKING your opponent want to use one of those cards, and to punish him if he DOESN'T. (*cough* Wave-Motion Cannon *cough*) I believe that a whole new deck sub-type could pop up: Effect-Low Beatdown. What's that? A deck with BIG monsters that have no effects. Why do I say so? 304-043 WARD OF ABSOLUTE MAGIC PROHIBITION Permanent Magic All face-up non-Effect Monsters on the Field can't be affected by the effects of Magic. 304-049 SKILL DRAIN Permanent Trap Pay 1000 Life Points. While this card is on the Field, all effects of face-up Effects Monsters on the Field are negated. Skill drain in particular will give me nightmares. In my eyes, Skill Drain is almost as dangerous as Jinzo... One last thing... FINAL ASSAULT ORDER Permanent Trap While this card is on the Field, all face-up Monsters on the Field change to attack mode, and cannot change their modes while face-up. I am reminded of Defence Paralysis, from the show.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Snodin [/i] [B]Okay, I'm heling a friend of mine build a deck, and I want to make for him a creative and possibly Tournament-worthy Gradius Deck. [Crickets chirping] ...Yes, I said Gradius Deck. Not something you think about every day, I know, but I wanna make a list here of a deck that Gradius can actually fit in. I'll need comments on this, guys. Monsters: x1 Sangan x1 Witch of The Black Forest x1 Penguin Soldier x3 Gradius x3 Gradius's Option x3 Guardian of The Throne Room x3 Ryu-Kishin Clown Tributes: x1 Airknight Parshath x1 Barrel Dragon Magic/Spells: x1 Monster Reborn x1 Change of Heart x1 Dark Hole x1 Raigeki x1 Pot of Greed x1 Graceful Charity x1 Bait Doll x1 Harpies Feather Duster x3 MST x3 Block Attack/ Book of Moon/ Windstorm of Etaqua x3 Cyclon Laser x3 Limiter Removal Traps: x3 Snake Fang x1 Imperial Order x2 Waboku x1 Magic Jammer x1 Seven Tools of The Bandit [/B][/QUOTE] Okay, I've done Gradius before, so I'll drop you a few hints. 1) You HAVE to compensate for Gradius's low abilities if you want it to have any chance *at all*. On it's own, Gradius is a HORRIBLE monster. Look for Luminous Sparks, United We Stand, Mage Power, and Mirror Wall. Chuck the Cyclon Lasers and Snake Fangs for them. The point of Gradius's options is to either summon out a big monster fast, or to take advantage of Equip cards. Slap a United we Stand/Mage Power on the primary Gradius, and your whole force gets the boost. That's the key to making Gradius dangerous. 2) TOO MANY MAGIC CARDS! You have 28 M/T cards, but only 19 Monsters. That's terribly unbalanced. At least cut the Bait Doll and the Block Attacks. 3) Replace the Ryu-Kishin Clowns with x3 X-Head Cannon. They are light Machines, like Gradius, so they use all of the powerups that Gradius can. Also search for the Cyber and Fiber Jars. Those two cards are very imporant cards in case things go badly. After all, once the Gradius cards are destroyed, you have a problem. Use Fiber Jar to reset the duel and get back those key cards can save your neck. There are lost of other things...but I'm tired and you really should figure out the rest by yourself, anyway. -------------------------------- My Gravekeeper's deck! Deck Name: Keepers of the Dead Version 2 Type: Gravekeeper/Graveyard Control Monsters (22): x3 Gravekeeper's Spy x3 Gravekeeper's Guard x3 Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier x2 Gravekeeper's Assailant x3 Gravekeeper's Chief x1 An Owl of Luck x1 Don Zaloog x1 Guardian Sphinx x1 Jinzo x1 Witch of the Black Forest x1 Magician of Faith x1 Cyber Jar Magic (14): x3 Necrovalley x2 Royal Tribute x1 Pot of Greed x1 Monster Reborn x1 Change of Heart x1 Snatch Steal x1 Dark Hole x1 Raigeki x1 Mystical Space Typhoon x1 Harpy's Feather Duster x1 United We Stand Traps (7): x1 Imperial Order x1 Ring of Destruction x1 Mirror Force x1 Solemn Judgement x1 Dust Tornado x2 Rite of Spirit This deck takes control of the game by limiting and restricting graveyard access, and by pooling the talents of the Gravekeepers to overrun the opponent. Use Royal Tribute to empty both hands of monsters to eliminate competition, and keep them eliminated using Necrovalley. There are many ways to find monsters to tribute normally (Gravekeeper's Spy's flip effect, Snatch Steal, Change of Heart, Rite of Passage) so getting out a Chief , the Guardian Sphinx, or Jinzo shouldn't be much of a problem.

My thoughts on the game are mixed. I like the game, but [spoiler]Zero's sudden and unheralded appearance right at the start ticks me off. Are they ignoring the events of X6 or what? If Zero does not re-enter a capsule at the end of this game FOR SURE, the plot-line of the series will be SO messed up...[/spoiler] As cool as the series and characters are, Capcom seems to enjoy tearing up its plot like swiss cheese...

For what it's worth, I've heard that those four become availiable after you beat the plotline of Quarantine, though I've also heard that Sora, Tsukasa, and Subaru are also dependent on completing the Flashback quest in Mutation and the Phantom quest in Outbreak... And thinking about it, it wouldn't matter if Helba has Max HP or whatever, because if you get her at the end of the game, THERE'S NOTHING worthwhile you can use her against! XD But it's all just rumor. I'm not holding my breath, because I'm *expecting* to be disapointed. Who can know for sure until it comes out here?

I really like it, actually...though I am irked by the storyline and by Orca. I actually hoped there would be no more need of the bracelet after Quarantine. It's cool and all, but do I really want to read a re-telling of the tale I've played three games for almost a hundred hours to learn? And Orca....ugh. She shouldn't have that name. And by all that's sane, that girl should put on some pants! Or SOMETHING more than what she's got! @_@ Anyway, that irk aside...I love Balmung! About time he got a sense of humor! "Those fashions were popular in the magazines I read..." *laughs madly* Why is Balmung refered to as 'FORMERLY known as a Decendent of Fianna', anyway? Sense when do legends die like that in the World?

I've heard that rumor too. While I'm not certain of it, because it can't be confirmed (so don't quote me on this), but it seems that...[spoiler] 'copies' of Tsukasa, Subaru and Mimiru (Some sources say Helba instead of Mimiru) will join your party as some point if you've seen all of the flashbacks in Mutation and found all of the Phantoms in Outbreak. ASSUMING that it's true, *I'd* bet that there's a final special quest involved and that the 'echoes' of the three aren't availiable until you've beaten the game. Kind've a reward for a job well done, I suppose.[/spoiler]

[B]Guardian Sphinx + Royal Tribute[/B] : A lovely combo that lets you say to your opponent: "No monsters for you!" ^-^ Add in [I]Yata-Garasu[/I] to taste, and the game may well be over. (No card draws + No monsters availiable = a reliable Yata-Lock.) Note that [I]Royal Tribute[/I] requires [I]Necrovalley[/I] to work. [B]Dark Designator + Exchange[/B]: Use the designator to search out any one of your opponent's monsters, then use [I]Exhange[/I] to ensure that they can't have it! It's great to use this to steal [I]Jinzo, Cyber Jar, Exodia the Forbidden One[/I] or [I]Yata-Garasu[/I]...though in the latter case, it'd probably behoove you NOT to play it, unless you can kill in on that turn, too!

Okay...Here's a new themed deck I put together based around the Gravekeepers set of monsters from Pharonic Guardian, and Egyption Mythology. Consider it 'Shadi's Character Deck', if you want. Keepers of the Dead Type: Gravekeeper/Graveyard Control Monsters (22): x3 Gravekeeper's Spy x3 Gravekeeper's Guard x3 Gravekeeper's Assailant x3 Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier x2 Gravekeeper's Chief x1 Gravekeeper's Cannonholder x1 Charm of Shabti x2 Mystical Knight of Jackal x1 Guardian Sphinx x1 Witch of the Black Forest x1 Magician of Faith x1 Cyber Jar Magic (13): x3 Necrovalley x1 Dark Hole x1 Dark Designator x1 Change of Heart x1 Snatch Steal x1 Pot of Greed x1 Monster Reborn x1 Royal Tribute x1 Mystical Space Typhoon x1 Exchange x1 Mage Power Traps (7): x1 Imperial Order x1 Ring of Destruction x1 Mirror Force x1 Solemn Judgement x1 Call of the Haunted x1 Dust Tornado x1 Rite of Spirit This deck attempts to take control of the game by limiting and restricting monster use. Necrovalley changes any card involving the graveyard to useless trash, making revival impossible. Once you have a G. Chief out, however, your graveyard is no longer affected, letting you use cards normally. Beware that the opponent doesn't pull a Monster Reborn on you from your own graveyard, however! Using Royal Tribute to discard all in-hand monsters is very useful because the opponent can't get them back in any way so long as Necrovalley remains on the field. The many gravekeepers all gain a sweet 500 point boost to both stats while Necrovalley is out, giving your monsters a dicidedly large edge. the Assailant will tear through monsters with a large difference between their attack and defence scores, the Spy and Guards act as walls, the spear soldier will take care of small monsters, and the Charm of Shabti can keep that crucial monster alive long enough to do it's dirty work. And of course, what gravekeeper deck would be complete without the Mystical Knight of Jackal, Anubis, the ancient egyptian god whose purpose was to preserve and glorify the dead? Lacking a heavy-hitter, that's what! What's more, this monster's effect can 'wrap-up' your opponent's deck in useless monsters, stopping him from drawing the key cards he may need! By the same token, The Guardian Sphinx guards your lifepoints as it's real self would guard the dead, using it's housed energies to clear a path for Shadi's Faithful to attack unimpeded! Dark Designator and Exchange can be used to swipe any monster of your choosing from your opponent's deck, letting you remove the threat of Exodia, Yatagarasu, Cyber Jar, Jinzo, or whatever. There are many ways to find monsters to tribute normally (Gravekeeper's Spy's flip effect, Snatch Steal, Change of Heart, Rite of Passage) so getting out some of the deck's several Tribute Monsters shouldn't be a problem. Eliminate thier monsters, sieze control of the graveyard, and show them the honor of Shadi's clan!

He's in 4th grade? Whoa...I thought he was much older, and acting like a child simply to mock those he considers inferior (AKA everybody >_

I've never played Xenosaga, but it's top on my list of must-gets for when I get my PS2. I can't see the link myself...all I hope is that MOMO is still in the series. I spent a good *two years* trying to figure out who she was from a random, unmarked image, darnit, and I will be damned if she vanishes! I was interested in the series before I even knew she was in it, but now that I know, I MUST SEE THE TRUE MOMO! ^_^; (To say that I am an obsessed fanboy would be an understatement ^_^;)

This is the revised prologue for a fanfiction I'm writing, 'The Nightmare Bridge', which I'm posting at Fanfiction.net. Only the un-revised version is up at Fanfiction.net, however. It's a Megaman.EXE fanfiction, but it has traces of influence from shows like .hack, Lain, and a few other sources, *and* it was written with the intention of being understandable by both fans of the series and other people alike. (So if anyone whom is unfamiliar with the series reads this, and would like to tell me if I succeeded or not, I'd be really grateful!) you can check out the un-revised (currently at chapter 6) version at: [url]http://www.fanfiction.net/Alexander2/[/url] -- The Nightmare Bridge -- -- Prologue - The Search -- Yuzori grinned as he logged onto the Internet. Typing in the resquisite security codes and seeing his computer's confirmation on-screen, he picked up the virtual reality headset and placed it on his head, a small smile on his face. With a twist of his gloved wrist, the headset began to lightly hum in activation. Data flew over his eyes, rushing by almost too fast for Yuzori to keep track. The text ended seconds later, fading away and revealing the illusionary marvel of the Internet. Beside him, his Navi guardian program 'Mule' stood ready, glancing around the area to make sure it was corruption-free and clear. "The home server looks great," Mule reported with a satisfied nod. "What are today's plans, sir?" "We've got some investigating to do," Yuzori replied. "There are more rumors about Navi-Hunters afoot. Map!" At Yuzori's keyword, Mule nodded and a huge graphical map of the Internet appeared. It was anything but conclusive - it was slimmed down to detail only major servers directly accessable from thier location - but it was a good start for any journey. Yuzori quickly picked out his server-of-choice, whic caused the map to re-draw itself around the new location. This repeated itsef several times as Yuzori's choises narrowed down location after location, until at last the final destination was chosen. "That's it." Yuzori said, pointing his finger at that spot on the map. "That's where the strange attacks began." With a confident nod, Yuzori signaled Mule to dispel the map. "Take me there. Prepare for anything." Mule nodded, and the two of them vanished. Moving through the intermeshed web of hard servers and the invisible links between them all, it took only a few short seconds before Mule landed them both at the target server and a new world appeared around them. Yuzori's first impression was that the place had seen better days. It was a basic data storage server and one that took on the appearance of a dark, gloomy field of metal. Hundreds upon hundreds of black spires shot into the air in regular intervals, creating a landscape forever lit up by electricity and light. Each spire was a storage spot, where information sat, waiting to be accessed by those who needed it, and those who could retreive it. While enormous and still mostly intact, Yuzori couldn't help but notice the debris floating around him. Bits of loose data flowed freely from over a hundred cracked spires, little chimneys of smoke filling the sky. "What on earth hit this place?" Yuzori wondered aloud, trying to assess the damage. "It looks like a tornado went through this place..." "Accessing...." Mule's self slumped for a second as he tried accessing the server's own records. When he straightened out again, Mule's expression was far from jovial. "The server control system is down. The entire place is unmonitored." Mule reported. A suit of combat armor formed around Mule. "Entering combat mode due to high-risk zone. Arm or Steady?" "Steady." Yuzori replied, not wanting his guardian to arm himself just yet. Such an action might provoke an attack if someone was watching....It was common knowledge that if someone expected you to jump them, it was likely they'd try to jump you first. And the last thing he wanted to be jumped by whatever...or whomever...that caused the mess here in the first place. 'He who stikes first, rarely end last' was a cautionary saying amung his group of friends. "Can you scan the area yourself for viruses?" "Yes...." Yuzori looked around, trying to see past the useless data floating about. "The area is actually very quiet. I can only find a few viruses nearby, though some of the random data appears to be the remnants of several different virus types....and some Navis, too." Mule shook his head. "Whatever hit this place looks like it hit the virus population, too. I only can find some minor things like Mettool viruses amung the debris. I think the random data might be preventing me from making accurate scans, though." "Lovely. I can see how so many Navis can go missing in an area like this...huge, obstructed vision, and to top it off, it can't even be scanned properly." Yuzori made a sound of disgust. "Let's get out of here, Mule. We need to alert the Officials about this. Map!" Mule nodded and brought up the map again. Yuzori gave a few more cursory glances around the area. A sudden gust of wind blew past the two. Spooked, Yuzori brought his attention back to Mule just in time to hear him cry out. "What's wrong?" Yuzori asked, only to see it for himself as the arm Mule had been using to project the Map fell to the ground and vanished in a burst of light. "Oh, no..." Another gust of wind blew by, this time accompanied by a brown blur of movement and the ripping sound of Mule going to pieces before his Yuzori's very eyes. At third and final gust of wind shredded the remains reducing Mule to bit data, just like the junk that now floated through the server. "One..." Following the voice, Yuzori turned to find Mule's killer rushing straight at him, brown cloak billowing around as it charged in, sword ready. "Two..." Yuzori swore as the assailant's blade cut through him, logging him out of the net and shutting down the VR system. Pulling the gear off of his head, he turned to the screen to check the damage. He frowned, errores popping up left and right on his computer screen. As he tried to quell the chaos, his VR gear burst to life again, drawing Yuzori's confused attention. "Three..." The assailant spoke from the headset. Seconds later, every system Yuzori had cooling the computer stopped, even as the computer itself lurched into overdrive, trapped in stasis and refusing even to turn off. Only by ripping the power cable from the power socket did he manage to save the computer from a complete meltdown. "Who...was that?" ***** One last note: Yuzori himself is a minor character in the story. The real focus of the story is on Yuzori's *assailant*, and on whom he shall soon meet. =)

I enjoy Megatokyo, too...great humor, unique characters, and lots of gaming! What can go wrong? Fellow fans that over-use l33t. Never, ever, overuse l33t, or bad things will come...

I'm beginning feel that signatures are being abused around here at the Otakuboards. The sheer size of the signatures some people have here are ridiculus. I like signatures and have no problem with them, but some have signatures that take up well over my whole screen, and I'm running at my computer's maximum: 1024x860. I spend more time scrolling past signatures than on the actual posts themselves. Would someone please limit the signature sizes? Huge signatures *are* *not* *needed*: I have been to message boards where two simple lines express more individuality than what I'm seeing here. I'm *not* suggesting that they be restricted down that low or anything like that, but there must be a reasonable limit set *somewhere*. Or maybe change the system so that your signature only appears automatically on your first post-per-topic, and then if you *really* want it to appear again you can turn it on again when you reply. All that being said, there are many, many people whom keep thier signatures reasonable. I do not frequent all of the Otakuboards, so I do not know if this applies to all areas, either. I apologize if I've offended anyone, but I feel something must be done.

I've always been partial to spellcasters, so I'd be a Wavemaster. My friend thinks I'm crazy because I insist on putting Elk in my party. He thinks Wavemasters suck. >_<

Deathbug: Thanks for the pointers, but though testing I have determined only Kycoo and Prohibition to be problems. Remember, the point of Phase 1 is to remove defences and threats that could get in your way. If used properly, the deck should have Soul Realeased Mirror Force and the like LONG before you attack. This won't always happed, I know, BUT it works most of the time. The awesome part about the deck is that is that you could run into a Mirror Force and LAUGH IT OFF. Losing cards to the graveyard means NOTHING so long as the cycle continues.

DECK NAME: 'Vee-Three' AKA Vic-Viper's-Victory! DECK STYLE: DECK STRATEGY: DECK SIZE: : 50 Cards SIDEBOARD: None yet. Revision Number: None. Original Design. Monsters: (25) x3 Gradius x3 Gradius's Option x1 Island Turtle x1 Giant Soldier of Stone x1 Spirit of the Harp x1 Humanoid Slime x1 Aqua Madoor x1 The Dragon Dwelling Within The Cave x3 Spear Cretin x2 Man-Eater Bug x2 Four-Starred Ladybug of Doom, Death, and General Unhappiness x1 Magician of Faith x1 Sangan x1 Witch of The Black Forest x1 Fiber Jar AKA "The Tree" x1 Cyber Jar x1 Sinister Serpent Magic: (15) x1 Pot of Greed x1 Raigeki x1 Harpie's Feather Duster x1 Change of Heart x1 Monster Reborn x1 Card of Safe Return x1 United We Stand x1 The Shallow Grave x1 Limiter Removal x2 Malevolent Nuzzler x2 Mystical Space Typhoon x3 Soul Release Traps: (9) x1 Mirror Force x1 Magic Cylinder x1 Imperial Order x1 Backup Soldier x1 Dust Tornado x1 Call of The Haunted x1 Torrential Tribute x2 Mirror Wall This deck, inspired by the one seen at Edo's site yet not designed from it, plays very specifically. You must be very patient with this deck, and not make rash attacks. Phase 1: Contain. In this first phase, the deck mimics a stall deck. Keeping the opponent away from LP and the graveyard is crucial. Don't be afraid to lose cards to a Card Destruction or whatever, but DON'T LET FIBER POD, GRADIUS, OR OPTION GET REMOVED FROM PLAY! If you can't bring them back, BAD THINGS happen. Use Soul Release like CRAZY, Fiber Pod everything but the Soul Released cards back into the decks, blow up more of the opponent's cards, and then Soul Release some MORE. Repeat AD INFINITUM until the opponent DECKS himself OR you draw the cards required for a One-Turn... Phase 2: CRUSH! In this phase, use a Gradius + United We Stand combo to summon up an army of 3600+ Attack Options and CLOBBER the opponent. Overkill fans unite, because this deck has it by the CARTLOAD. In this phase, Gradius can reach INSANE levels of attack strength. In one turn, you can summon a Gradius (1200), play United we stand on it (2000), Summon two or more of Gradius's Options (3x3600 or 4x4400), and if you're REALLY insane, slap the Limiter Removal down for three 7200 or four 8800 Attack Point monsters. All of this, in one turn. The opponent may never see it coming. It is a VERY risky strategy, but that is what the comtainment phase is for. To eliminate all of the opponent's good defensive cards and leave him with a crappy deck that can't defend itself.

I saw the show when it premiered on the WB and was hooked. Not long after, a friend showed me that he had some Japanese cards, and my dueling days began.

Whaaazis? I thought the Sinister Serpent effect returned it to your hand during your standby phase if it's in your graveyard. It'd be restricted because of it's sheer usage: Blocking attacks, Tributing, Discarding for Tribute of the Doomed/Magic Jammer/Graceful Charity, Share the Pain, Cannon Soldier, and generally annoying the opponent... EDIT: The "Bubonic Vermin" Card lets you search for another copy of it when flipped. Is that what you meant?

Favorite Combos: Graceful Charity (I love discarding high-level monsters, especially..) Barrel Dragon (My favorite Machine. I usually bring him back with...) Call Of The Haunted (Pop! Barrel Dragon's ready to roll!) This next one I just use to annoy my sister and opposing newbies... Turn 1 of Combo: Play Swords of Revealing Light. Play Magician of Faith face down. Turn 2 of Combo: Play Penguin Soldier face down. Turn 3 of Combo: Play whatever. Enemy Turn 3: Swords of Revealing Light destroyed. Turn 4 of Combo: Flip Magician of Faith, Recover Swords. Flip Penguin Soldier, send Magician of Faith and Penguin Soldier back to hand. Continue from Turn 1. I KNOW this isn't a very good combo, because a single monster/magic destruction card will ruin it and it's tough to set up. That's why it's simply to annoy inexperienced players during tournaments...when I get luck and draw the cards.

I have the feeling they haven't restricted cards like Graceful Charity and Penguin Soldier because the current restricted list if for LON, NOT the starter decks. They need time for them to circulate. Same with the New promos. I smell "Limit 1 Per Deck" all over Harpy's Feather Duster and Sinister Serpent.

I own only one peice: The right leg. Which is disturbing, because I know only two other people with exodia parts, one with a Right Leg, and a third with the head, the Left Arm, and THREE Right legs. D'oh!

[i] Here's part 1 of a story I'm writing for Creative Writing class. I hope you like it. If you find the names familiar from, the story is inspired by the Oriental Andventures book and the world of Rokugan. [/i] Junouchi swallowed hard as he walked up to the ancient wooden structure. The old Shinto temple creaked mercilessly in the night wind, the breath of the wind giving them life in the dark. Grasping his lantern, he boldly slid one door aside and walked into the old temple home. For years, the temple had been abandoned, shunned by it's old owners. No one knew why wizened Hiroki Kitsu and Mamoru Akodo had left the Nitenshi village some thirteen years hence, leaving the temple behind. Some whispered that dark blood magic had defiled the holy temple that day, forcing the elders to flee. The less heretic attributed thier leave to some debt of honor or favor, and left it at that. No one knew for sure, however, and the temple had been left untouched by the fearful villagers since that time. Untouched - until now. Young Junouchi peered around the room, light flickering aimlessly as the lantern's flame danced. The room was barren - the fire-pit once used by the priests to read the fortunes was empty of all but ash, no protective wards hung about the room to banish evil spirits, and the floor seemed worn and cold. A few doors left the room in different directions, but it was an old ladder to the second floor that Junouchi chose to brave. Arriving at the top floor with nothing more than a few creaks of the wood, he could see the many doors line the wall at even intervals, tunneling his vision down the corridor to the far door. Junouchi stared at the plain door for a second, focusing his courage before starting forward. He stopped a few seconds later, picking up a piece of wood that had been left on the floor. He turned it over, and was suprised to see writing on the front. "Takahiro Motomori", the nameplate said, filling the boy's heart with dread. Last names were only given to a member of the noble class, and bearers of the Motomori name had not been seen in the village for many years. What business could a Motomori noble have had, living in an Kitsu family shrine? He set the piece of wood down onto the floor, before speaking a soft prayer of apology to the noble's spirit. With that, he reached over, and opened the door. Junouchi's heart stopped. Towering above him stood a single man, dressed in the great armor of a Samurai. "I'm sorry, honored samurai! I did not intend to intrude upon you!" Junouchi gasped, backing away in fear. The samurai, however, made no move. Junouchi, confused, stared back at the towering figure. The samurai smiled, but to his suprise, it was a smile of kindness, not of cruel intent. That was when Junouchi saw the haze that seemed to spread back from the samurai's feet. "H-honored samurai? Are...Are you a...spirit?" Still smiling, the samurai took a small step back and bowed down low. Junouchi's jaw dropped as fast as his blood grew cold. For a Samurai to bow to a mere comoner like this was unheard of in Nitenshi village. Samurai were above and beyond the common folk - and now the spirit of a samurai had bowed and shown respect to him, a lowly commoner boy! The samurai spirit rose from the bow, and stepped aside, as if granting Junouchi access to the room. Junouchi walked in, slowly but with growing confidence. In the center of the floor lay a suit of samurai armor - one just like the suit the spirit wore! Junouchi turned to face the samurai spirit, to find nothing. He was gone. "May your spirit rest in honorable peace, kind samurai." Junouchi chanted. That done, he turned to examine the items still lying upon the hard floor. The armor seemed untouched by the passage of time, it's colors still vivid even in the dark. Unfolding the armor, Junouchi marveled at how easily it moved and how light the cloth and steel felt. He could not even find a mark or cut on it's surface, either. Nothing to suggest that the armor had ever seen battle. Wait. On the left shoulder - a Motomori family emblem! Just as the spirit had, he now realized. "Spirit? Did you...give me your armor?" He asked out loud. He shuddered at the magnitude of such a gift. "I shall use it well!" Even as he put it on, Junouchi began to wonder the wisdom of his actions. His family would not believe him were he to come home with such a magnificent armor. No one would believe that a samurai had bowed to him - indeed, he might well be killed for suggesting it. Suddenly, the armor felt like a prison, contricting him alive as fate began to close in around him. All that remained was to put on the helm. Would this armor kill him, tear away his life like steel tore at the flesh? "No," Junouchi said, his resolve returning. For at least a second, let him rise above his birth! "The spirit believed me worthy of his armor. I shall trust his judgement, and face my fate as he did!" With that, he lifted the helm high, and placed it firmly on his head. [i]A cliffhanger. ^_^ [/i]

Certainly. I would love to help the forums with my tutorials. I think I'll work on a special one to deal with the absolute spriting basics right away. Not how to make them, but the other important stuff. Like .gifs, good programs, where to get started, etc. Heh. Eheh. First Adam, now this. I *really* need to get my butt in gear, I guess. EDIT: Finished the Starters tutorial. ^_^