oshi

This is one of those shows that is only interesting because of the fact that everyone in it is so [i]incredibly[/i] messed up, and it takes cheap shots by using violence and sex to lure viewers into it . . . but no matter how much I tell myself all of this, I always end up watching it anyway. ^^;; [spoiler]I don't think Christian is dead. I think that they have done far too much in building up his character and the growth of his personality to kill him off now . . . and let's face it: without him, Sean is a very uninteresting person. I doubt that the Carver would have done away with him so quickly, anyhow. If he was able to sit with Sean in the guy's own bathroom for more time than it would have taken for the drugs to wear off, he would have definitely taken his time in exacting revenge using Christian.[/spoiler] Oi. I don't post for a million years, and [i]this[/i] is what draws me back . . . lol [spoiler]Besides, then the whole rest of the next season would be all about how sad everyone is that Christian is dead and how guilty Sean feels for letting it happen. But Sean can feel guilty even if Christian isn't dead: if he gets his "beautiful" face torn up, who's going to feel like an asshole for not seeing it coming?[/spoiler] To me, it just wouldn't make sense for the producers, or for the storyline. And sorry, I don't know what that song was. I've never heard it before, and I can't even think of the melody now.

Metalicon doesn't seem to have any sort of actual plotline . . . just "an adventure through space." Perhaps if you stated a goal and a purpose for the space-travels, more people would be interested. Why are you going into space? What are you trying to accomplish? You may have commented on these things, but the presentation of your idea is fairly unclear. I might have missed them.

"Experimentation." That's all it is. It doesn't dictate anything. If it's experimentation to you, then that means that you are a willing participant in something that you can control. So, you control which way you go. Male, or female? It's just about sex and what you want. But when it becomes something bigger than just what you want, then you can gauge it as something that really matters. That's when it becomes a part of who you are, and you can't really even measure who you are against other people. If you are one way, that's just you. It doesn't make you straight, and it doesn't make you gay. If you want to say you're bisexual because you've fooled around with both men and women, nobody can stop you. Just go with the flow. Once you really can't control who you're attracted to, keep track of the trends. If you keep falling in love with the same kind of person, acknowledge the pattern and take it from there. It's really not all that different from a girl falling for tall guys with glasses over and over again. It's just viewed differently by society.

Derelict Destiny, the child would not be restructured in the womb from male to female, or vice versa. It would actually have to do with the sperm, which dictates the child's gender, and which sperm were allowed to inseminate the egg. Thus, aside from letting nature take its course to be randomly male or female, the fetus' traits are not changed.

I would like to choose, actually. Over the years I've sort of gotten my heart set on a son. I think that, by now, if I ended up having a girl, it would feel to me like her whole life would be shadowed by the fact that I desperately wanted her to be a boy. And I don't want anything like that to come between the love I give to my child. Also . . . if I ended up having a girl and then a boy, I cannot say for sure that I would not play favorites. I know it sounds terrible, and I'm not saying that I know for sure that I would--I just want to make sure that I don't have a child that I've got some mental block against loving. If that makes sense. -_-;; I wouldn't advocate that people [i]should[/i] choose their babies' genders. I'm just saying that for me, personally, it seems like a safer avenue. And I do not intend at all to engineer any other traits. I'm stopping at the gender, and letting my child become who he will be. There is also the idea, however, that scientists will be able to isolate the genes that cause diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, and others, prolly, that I'm not aware of. As a parent, the best interest of the child dictates that these would be good to eliminate and ensure the health and longevity of the child--but on a larger scale, I hesitate. Humans just aren't supposed to live forever, are we? What's going to happen if we keep pushing back the expiration date of our own mortality? Scares me, little bit. But if it were possible, chances are I'd want to do it for my child. Nothing could hurt a loving parent more than seeing their children suffer.

Well, the romance in it is that sort of convoluted, I-can't-have-you-but-I-want-you kind of stuff. (Yuu Watase does that all the time. Really, in just about every one of her stories.) There's the dark stranger, the young girl, and then craziness, Watase-style ensues. It's really hard to describe. The plot goes deeper than it appears to, crossing lines between mythologically-based and scientifically-based, but the ending is anything that can logically be explained. It makes sense for the story, but it's one of those reaches from reality, I think. If you do decide to go after this series, do it manga-wise. Do NOT bother getting the anime, unless you love the story enough to be able to see past the anime's terrible set-up, animation, voice-acting (even the Japanese voices are poorly-timed and annoying). The manga at least is well drawn, and you don't have to wait forever to hear Toya finally say the words that are being spelled out in the subs on the bottom of the screen . . . >

We're baaaack. Sorry for the wait, Dag. ^^ --------------------------------- The granules of metal inched through his flesh, causing a great deal of discomfort and pain; although not quite enough to break his train of thought. Reid Archer raised a brow and grinned, tensing his muscles to slow their progress. "Certainly," he replied, delighted by her confidence. "But for one such as yourself, my name is the least of what I have to offer." The interesting female narrowed her eyes cynically. "I have no intentions of taking up the noble's [i]leavings.[/i]" Reid nodded, unfazed. "My name is Ciel Audric. Ciel Audric Lovell. Your brother's companion and I simply had a . . . heart-to-heart." She gave him a sneer, and muttered, "Mouth-to-mouth, I'd say." His smile widened. He chuckled, murmuring softly, "Close enough . . . ." ~~~~~~ Long since having wandered far from her safe chambers, Rani made her way through the halls of the palace. The flawless instincts of a child guided her, ensuring that every turn she made was for the best; although it was dark and lonesome in the strange hallways, she was unafraid. Assured as she was in her own abilities, she searched the grounds for the being she knew could protect her. Lee had left her in Reid's care, and while Rani was aware that Reid would not harm her, the male with the striped face made her nervous. Lee treated her with the care given to a living being. Reid moved in her presence with the same regard one gives to a tiny, poorly-made doll. As if she could not see nor hear, was in danger of falling apart; and always with a cold quality that gave her the impression that he fully resented her. Her small feet, clever on the floors that were unfamiliar to her, seemed to be leading her along a more definite path. Throughout most of the palace, the halls were simply made to confuse and distort one's sense of direction; however, there were those hallways that were difficult enough to find that they led to an actual destination. She lifted her head as she realized that this was one of them. Blinking in the darkness, she noticed a shape moving cautiously toward her. Unsure of whether or not to be alarmed, Rani froze, and darted against the wall. She flattened herself the way she had seen Lee do many times, squatting down to make herself as small as possible. The shape continued on its way to her, and finally stopped upon spotting her tiny form. She was lit from underneath by a row of oscillating lights; in retrospect, she admitted to herself, it probably would have been a better idea to crouch in the middle of the hallway and bite the stranger in the calf as he passed overhead. Suddenly she recognized the being before her, taking in a sharp breath. She then pulled a face; she had expected for this particular male to have been gotten rid of quite some time ago. The noble, Lee's target, gave her an equally surprised look, and stopped in his approach. Rani cocked her head to one side. She was hardly frightened; the noble smelled quite oddly of almonds, which told her that he was probably not particularly dangerous. Beings whose scent was reminiscent of Reid rarely were, as his choice of companions seldom strayed from a trend of those possessing few self-defense skills. She straightened and crossed her arms, and decided on an action that would encompass her emotions entirely. Rani stuck out her tongue at him. ------------------------------------------- Hey--I finally found Rani! ^^;; Only took me . . . a few months . . . .

OOC: Basically nothing is too far-fetched for spars, I've found. By the way, I've decided to "up the anty" a bit. We're in Adventure Square now; no more kiddie stuff. That's right, I'm going to make it tougher than incurable poison! Ain't I a card? :p My next post shall contain Attack of the Lai: "Teach [i]You[/i] to Misquote [i]Me![/i]" ------------------------------------ His body was nearly numb. Lee Gavin opened his eyes slowly, unsure of how much time had passed. By the dust still settling around him, he surmised that it had only been a matter of minutes since Sung had pulled his [i]tora[/i] trick. His gaze slid to his right arm, and a jolt of alarm forced him into alertness. Dragging himself upright, he repositioned his elbow out of its nauseating angle. Lee's back was raw from the impact of the wall; blood flowed freely down his legs and arms from its newly-opened skin, as well as from countless cuts and scrapes upon all of his limbs. No bones were broken, but his flesh and muscles were beginning to regain their feeling--and with feeling, came pain. Lee Gavin crouched on his haunches, watching carefully the next room through the hole created by his own body. He licked his lips, finding blood, and realized that it was all he could smell. Touching his face, he could feel a set of slashes in the flesh of his cheek: the swipe of a tiger's claws. Luckily, they hadn't cut too deeply. Brushing a stray lock of hair from his face, Lee extracted his feet from the rubble and broken wood. There was no movement from the next room; only a lingering sense of an ethereal presence. He breathed slowly and deeply. Venturing closer to the cavity, he ran his left hand over the suface of his skin, slippery as it was with his blood. He glanced at the scythe he had hidden in one corner of the room; it would be useless now, with his arm in such a state. The handle was too long to be wielded one-handedly. However, Lee thought as he spied the inert being on the floor of the temple, with the breaking of his skin, Sung had practically done him a favor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Standing noislessly, he observed the actions of the Miyotji as they came and left. For the past few days, the atmosphere around them had been tense. He had been with them since Lee had begun to draw them apart, and was so far undetected. Invisible, silent, and discreet. Reid Archer stepped out of the way of a passing ninja, his slippered feet creating no tattletale sound. He was waiting, taking note; absorbing all he could until it was his time to perform. The air was thick and heavy, and he reveled in it. Silence hung upon it, decorated with whispers and the occasional, frowned-upon scoff or outburst. His entire being had been reduced to only sound, and so he became it gladly. His movements were masked by the Miyotji's own, and all he needed do was be sure that none touched his form. A warm langor was suffused throughout his body; Reid had been dozing only lightly for the past few days, staying the whole time in his invisible state. It was rather against orders to be there at all; he was supposed to have come only after receiving notice that Lee had completed his task. The Spyrit smiled faintly. It was much more interesting to see the ninjas as they fretted over the whereabouts and health of their comrade. He would have been quite bored, waiting with the others for Lee to be done. His eyes drifted to the leader of the group, Sorashima. The male's entire body was rigid, the stature of an uneasy warrior. Reid Archer's smile grew stronger as he focused on this being; his reason for being among the Miyotji, his current entertainment. And his target.

Oh, poor Yuki. Like he hasn't been through enough already. ;_; I usually dislike fanfics of Gravi, but this one I'm finding interesting. (Mostly they're just about Tatsuha sexin' his brother and stuff like that ...>>;; ) This one has set up an actual plot! And it is in an interesting one. Shuuichi is so dependant on Yuki; I'm awfully curious to know how he got the idea to leave him. You're using a definite style of writing; with longer, descriptive sentences and sparse commas. Enough for it to be grammatically correct, just not generous. It gives the piece a more tense tone, which is good for the flow of the read. The only thing I would suggest is to break your paragraphs up a bit more. You can make it more dramatic that way by saving certain sentences for the next paragraph; also, it makes for a slightly less-daunting reader's first glance. Scanning this would tell me that there are four huge paragraphs, two one-liners, and two lines of dialogue. I'm just saying that I think you ought to mix it up a bit. Presentation counts, too. But I really like the idea, and if you are going to continue with it, I will make sure to read it. I could never bring myself to write it happening, so I'm glad I can let you explore this possibility for me. :)

I think that if you were to start this as an RPG, one thing that you would really need is a map. That way people can see where the boundaries are, and who owns what, and where everything is inrelation to everything else. Otherwise, you'll just have people friggin' everywhere, forgetting all the time what goes where. :) This sounds like an incredibly interesting idea, although I'm very interested in what the actual plot is going to be. Please, tell us more. ^^

I've noticed that they toned everything down in the anime. Sick, twisted individual that I am, I suppose I prefer the manga. [spoiler]Maki Murakami's unfiltered mind is much more interesting to me than the anime director's representation of their "first time together" . . . . I wouldn't have minded them showing a little more of that . . . . :D[/spoiler] But I did buy the first DVD and Gravi box, out of this sickness that is my addiction . . . . And I got a neato "backstage pass." :)

I lose my teeth all the time in dreams. It's incredibly unpleasant. Losing your teeth is interpreted as your subconscious acting out to express your feelings of losing control over something. (Long sentence

I hate Sailor Moon, and have never watched the entire show, so I have no opinion on the ending. Stop assuming all things are one way. Just because you think I'm a girl doesn't mean I am one, and just because I might be doesn't mean I like Sailor Moon. I'm sure that plenty of 11 year old boys were quite satisfied with the ending to the Pokémon movie. If you weren't, then that's your opinion and I'd suggest being more sensitive to those of other people. Sounds like somebody needs to be taught some lessons about making friends . . . . Anywho. I saw the entire anime of Gravitation by way of fansub, and I might just not have picked up on things, but there are still a few things I've got questions about. [spoiler]What relationship does Tohma actually have with Yuki? I mean, I got the whole married-to-Mika thing and all that, but it seems to me like there might have been something more there.[/spoiler] This might just be because I'm reading the manga during and after the anime, but the manga hints at stuff that might have happened in their past . . . it even uses the new Bad Luck keyboard player (I forget his name) to do it. [spoiler]He says something about having the same taste in men as his cousin, Tohma . . . .[/spoiler] But the only anime I've seen that has had an ending that really bothered me was Berserk. I don't even count the BlackJack movie, because I just found myself glad that it was over when it ended.

Haha! Well, Dave, I'm guessing that you must be a disgruntled adolescent boy with no real grasp on artist conception or the attachment to creative products. Perhaps men with your kind of manliness prefer to watch an action-packed finish, but oftentimes, that sort of thing does not resolve the conflicts formed during the realization of the plot. Try not to make such all-encompassing comments about things that usually have many and obvious exceptions.

You seem awfully concerned about manliness, there. Sometimes wrapping things up and seeing one's own characters at peace is more important to a creator than whether or not they went out with a bang.

werebear

OOC: You know what I think is kind of ironic? Lee is, and has always been (I swear :)), left-handed. IC: ------------------------------------------------ Hot pain flowed through his right arm, shooting through his shoulders and down to his fingertips. Sung released him as soon as he heard the joint give way, not wanting to prolong his contact with the poison; Lee Gavin relaxed his muscles immediately, dropping down to the ground. His stance was that of a wounded animal; defenseless to the passerby. Sung withdrew, wringing his hands as they grew red and pocketed. Lee let his right arm lie useless at his side, maneuvering his body away from his opponent. The pain was nearly paralyzing his thoughts, and he was only able to mute it slightly with tense mantras ingrained in him during training. Using his arm would only damage it further; it was difficult to move anyway because of the joint. Wincing, Lee grudgingly put forward his left index and middle fingers, holding them at the left side of his arm. Hovering above the elbow joint, Lee Gavin moved his fingers across the injury. He felt a flicker of discomfort; blackness swarmed alarmingly against the backs of his eyes; and then he felt nothing from his arm any longer. His thoughts cleared as the pain was eradicated. He looked up to see Sung approaching him, having wrapped extra cloth from his sleeves over his hands. Lee reached to his calf, pulling free a thin, sharp dagger and flinging it straight at his foe. Sung heard a sickening [I]chok[/I]; the sound of the dagger lodging itself into his left thigh. He appropriately halted in his approach. Lee Gavin glared at him, righting himself and gaining his footing. His arm still hung at his side, and he tried not to move it; though he could not feel the pain, the injury remained as Sung had dealt it. However, his target would now have to deal with the staggering effects of a potent batrachotoxin.

The Berserk anime. That doesn't even qualify as an "ending." [spoiler]Everyone you grew to love over the 25 episodes ended up dying a horrible death, or being possessed by evil. Except Guts.[/spoiler] And that was it. It only goes to the 17th volume of the manga. So they just took what happened in that one (or something; I'm only on the second volume--I had to start buying them after I watched the anime), and tried to wrap it all up that way. But . . . that . . . doesn't work . . . *twitchtwitchnecksnap* The rest of the anime is awesome, though. Everything about it, basically; the animation, the presentation, and the plot and characters. But if you watch it, you will have to get the manga. There is more story than in the anime. And the manga is presented differently; they completely edited out Puck in the anime. Which is okay.

Dolore O'Riordan w/the Cranberries. You can't go wrong with her. She's got the type of voice that can be very soft and sad, and rise magically into a burst of strength. And it's not even as hokey as I described it. It's actually much, much better than I described it. I don't know what's wrong with me. And an Irish accent. That's just neato. lol

I'm in Wisconsin 'o the oo ess ah. Here, cows do not run rampant (but pretty close, you know, like usual), "diversity" is a thing unknown despite the recent increase in just that--most people won't acknowledge that it's happening, of course--and it has RAINED almost all of this summer. I freak out when there are bad storms, so this has not been the best season for me, personally. However, there are days when I go outside and think, "Yes, this is why we endure 9 months of freezing cold and 3 more of incessant dampness. Because this is beautiful." Despite my cynicism for this state, I have no intentions of leaving here. I'm planning on just changing it slowly to suit my needs, without anyone else noticing. I think it's working so far. I'll be going to NY in about a week for a wedding. Rochester, though, so we won't be getting near any of that nasty stuff :). (most certainly kidding, NYkers.) And if we contort our travel route nicely enough, we'll be going to the mysterious land mass hovering o'er the head of the U.S. known as "Canadia." Just for the Medieval Times show, however. We're not interested in anything else you have to offer. :p Canada holds for me the terrifying memory of almost being backed over by a truck while camping in a tent in my aunt's backyard--by my uncle. That place is craaaaaaaazy. I spend my time sitting on tiny, human-like creatures. I mean, babysitting children. I forget sometimes that that's what they are.

Right on schedule. Lee Gavin waited silently inside the temple. He grimaced as the bell rang out with discordant clamor; there was a force most heated approaching him. He made little effort to greet this being, sitting as he was at the center of a circle of dormant monks. Sleeping they were not; while their bodies laid still and peaceful, their eyes gazed out upon their demise, dull and disbelieving. Watching their motionless forms in anticipation, Lee spotted one yet struggling. His breath was slow and shallow; exactly the way one breathes to avoid attention. Resting his chin on one careless wrist, Lee imitated the helpless monk. His breath became calm, more quiet than any human ears could hear. He stopped himself from the exercise as the monk ceased breathing altogether. Rather detrimental to continue with that example; Lee Gavin maintained his breath at its shallow and undetectable level. Horse's hooves clapped against the steps as they came closer. Lee knew who followed him, and was pleased with how things were going. Divert. Distract. Eliminate. His orders were clear and for once, he was fairly sure that he was aware of all the reasons for his performing this task. Kwung Yei Sung would play a moving part in this complex theatrical operation--if all went well, the Miyotji would fall completely in a short time. His breath came to him with more difficulty as he thought upon this. He had already completed most of his assignment; drawing him out with apparently meaningless deaths and leading him far from the rest of the Miyotji . . . and from their leader, Sorashima. The same Sorashima who would be left with at least a good portion of his spirit shattered by the loss of his dear friend. As for those faceless citizens lost before him, Lee Gavin rolled his head to one side and smiled, as no one was there to see it. His voice floated, thin as his breath: "Those were all for you, Sung. All of them, bait for your conscience . . . ."

I've been trying to learn Japanese on my own since they cancelled it at the Tech . . . . It's not going particularly well, and I keep forgetting things that I learned. I took it for a year and a half basically as a college course, so I learned quite a bit. Two straight hours every week, taught by a genuine Japanese person; that'll do it. The thing about learning other languages is that you just have to acknowledge that there will always be a wall between you and total fluency. It's possible to get almost to the top of that wall, but it always seems like you'll never get over it. Not unless you surround yourself completely with it until it feels like home. It's like learning your own language through another person's eyes. Every word has a different meaning to everybody else. That's why even learning swearwords in another language is pretty much a waste of time. In English, the words "dork" and "jerk" mean different things, even though they are both insults and sound almost the same. How will you ever be aware of the specific connotations of these words if you have not been raised with them? Sure, you'll be able to get the basics. But that doesn't mean that you'll sound cool to anybody who knows Japanese. I'm not saying foreign languages are a waste of time. Everyone should know at least one other language. But it'll take more than watching TV and listening to music to conquer the verbal communication of an entire people. Right now I can read and write in hiragana and read some katakana, and I can speak and translate basic to beginner sentences. I have no one to reference any of it with, so I pretty much just take anything I say as possibly and probably incorrect, and dare not try to speak it around people who know what they're doing.

Sorry if this sounds a little funny/is a bit long, it's my bio from MS. And I won't use Reid unless you want me to add him in sometime. Somehow he usually does find his way into Lee's battles . . . .:sweat: Name: Lee Gavin Fleuretty Age: 23 Gender: Male Birthday: July 22 Species: basically human; it?s not particularly important Choice: Daemon (part of religion and culture; almost compared to choosing a gender) Appearance: 5?5?; his muscles are lean and sinewy, more for stealth and silence than physical, hand-to-hand combat. His face is wide and smooth, with thin, pale blue eyes set relatively far apart. He has dark hair, high-lighted with the hues of green and azure, and keeps it pulled tightly out of his face with a string of leather?except for one shock that falls across his right eye. His lips are thin; his teeth are small and white. Lee?s nails are hard and black, and come to a quick point at the tips of his fingers. On the palm of his left hand there is a tattoo of a small, ornate symbol, though his clothing usually includes gloves which make this invisible. Apparel: Is inclined to wear very little clothing; it inhibits his movements and most fabrics make too much noise as they shift. Because of this he usually wears only a short, loose cloth around his waist and tight wraps that cover his arms and legs. His gloves are thin, and serve only as a layer between others and his skin. The fingertips are open to allow him to feel, and also to let him use his nails. In better company, he will wear his formal uniform; this consists of black boots, a white tunic, white pants, and red sash. Personality: Is driven to constant self-improvement by an intense self-loathing. His weaknesses are unacceptable to him, and he does his best to hide them and eliminate them?even if he is the only one who knows they exist. He has absolutely zero interpersonal skills; he very much prefers to be alone than in the company of others. He is loyal only to his lifelong cause, and also grudgingly to Reid Archer Sargatanas.* His loyalty will not be broken, and he will go so far as to lose his life for it?but it?s not likely to happen. He is extremely patient in his work, but not in dealing with his personal life. His way of solving problems is often through force, or by letting Reid Archer handle them. He is traditional in that religion is important to him, and also in believing that worldly pleasures are fleeting and meaningless. He is aggressive and easily angered, but will not lose his head under pressure. Lee Gavin is cold, has little guilt about killing anyone, and has the capacity to be quite sadistic. In his position as an underling, he resents taking orders from anyone he doesn?t respect, and those who do hold his respect are few and far between. Throughout all aspects of his life, he dislikes prolonging activities and would rather simply end them successfully and move on to the next. Abilities: Can understand all spoken languages and speak Japanese (cannot speak any other); has perfect night-vision; has been trained to be very fast and stealthy. His entire body is poisonous to the touch: sustained contact with his skin, spit, blood (or other) can cause death; even momentary contact can cause a painful rash. His bones, due to the atmosphere of his homeland, are nearly unbreakable, although it is possible with enough force to break the smaller ones of the hands and feet. Even this is not very easy, however. Weapons: Main weapon of choice is a long balanced scythe. The pole is about the same height as Lee, with a hard, smooth protrusion from the back of the blade. This weapon serves a dual purpose in this way; as one side is sharp, and the other is blunt. Both are equally lethal in Lee?s hands. He also uses a multitude of small throwing knives, several daggers, poisons in the form of liquid and powder (usually not used in battle, but rather in his work). History: As far as Lee knows, his family was killed in a revolt waged against a noble named Lucifer (it might sound tacky, but the original set-up was a bit different). He himself was spared for whatever reason, and the noble was gracious enough to take him in. What he remembers of his childhood is mixed between the mundane and curious: a rivalry with the noble?s son, an odd darkness that hovers in his peripheral vision, feelings of pain that he cannot place, exploring the noble?s grounds and lands. However, a disturbing amount of his childhood seems to be unavailable to him. He tries not to dwell on this, as the noble looks down upon it and dismisses it as some kind of hereditary disorder. He was trained by one of the noble?s counsel, Astarot, to be the noble?s assassin, which is where he learned his skills in this area. The fact that his body is toxic is something known only to him; if it were discovered that he has such a dangerous weapon at his disposal he would certainly be imprisoned and isolated. He was not aware of this ability for quite some time; it did not seem to assert itself until he was twenty years old. It took the deaths of three lovers to wholly convince him that it was his own body that offended their souls, as they were beings he had no intention of killing and did not want to believe their deaths were his fault. During his time under the noble?s hand, he was introduced to Reid Archer Sargatanas, with whom he was eventually told he would be partnered. He and Reid Archer disagree on nearly every issue, and only function as partners because they realize that they are individually crafted to depend upon each other. Lee and Reid are both in debt to Lucifer, and perform under his command through Astarot. It is somewhat difficult to get them to work together, and so there usually needs to be great incentive (such as the danger of one losing his life) before the other will interfere. Both of them have a trigger weakness ingrained in them that they cannot overcome, and that will obviously not be mentioned here. If either of them do happen to come across it in their travels, they will shutdown and need several days to recuperate.

OOC: May I suggest something for all of the writers to do? As there are obviously many of us, and thus many, many characters, how about if we all added their names and locations into our signatures? Just a little note in our sigs whenever our main characters change their positions, so that none of us have to search through all of the posts to figure out where everyone else is. I think it would make things a little easier for everyone to keep straight. How about it? IC: -------------------------------------------- Sascha Marchosias blinked as he realized someone had spoken to him. He turned his head to stare blankly at this person, another held in the dungeon same as he. Perhaps, however, with better and more clearly-explained reasons. Sascha gave him a weak smile, though was not particularly interested in summoning the energy to respond further. Catching the transaction, Pavel Halpas crossed his arms and ordered in his hoarse voice, "Leave him be. He's not feeling well, thanks to this pit." The man who had approached made a slightly irritated expression, but decided not to press the matter further. Pavel scowled at him as he returned to his former position, even as the Jauza's feathery brown hair floated about his head disarmingly. Vassili Andromalius sighed from where he sat on the dirty floor. His eyes, thin like a reptile's, scanned the cell and narrowed. "There's another anamoly headed this way. These things are unnatural," he murmured, referring to the recent events of weather that had afflicted the kingdom of late. Sliding his back down the wall to sit beside him, Sascha put his head in his hands. "Do you think they ate all of that bread already?" he inquired, the question muffled by his palms. "Even if they hadn't, it would only make you feel worse," Vassili told him. "Tonight's was growing a multicolored mold." With a groan, Sascha rubbed one eye. "Maybe it was medicinal." Vassili cracked a rare smile. "Perhaps. But you'd have to gut one of these fellows for it now." "Don't you have a sword hidden in your belly, or something, that you could do that with?" Pavel asked, yawning, and sat with them. Sascha scoffed. "I don't swallow them, though right now I wish I did. And they took my powder, so I can't even start up a fire to get us out of here." Pavel grinned lopsidedly. "If we could get ourselves one of those torches, I could have this whole place burning like a king for his concubines," he whispered in the gleeful tone that comes from being confined indefinitely. Under normal circumstances, Pavel's companions would have disregarded the idea. However, their growing claustrophobia was beginning to pull some strings, and both pondered the thought seriously. "No . . . ." Sascha shook his head finally. "There are too many people here who could get hurt if we do that. We'll have to think of something else." Pavel pulled a face and laid himself down on the floor, disappointed. Nodding in agreement, Vassili leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "A fire would spread too quickly here, anyway. We would cause enough trouble to deserve being here." "It might as well be worth it," Pavel retorted. Sascha let out a deep breath. "Well, we have to get out soon. I can't take this much longer."

Well, whether you like them or not, barring incidents listed in insurance policies as "Acts of God," one of these people is going to be your president. If you don't vote for the lesser of two evils, you'll have no right to complain afterward about how it turns out when your side didn't win. I realize, vanna, that you're too young to vote . . . but I think this applies to everyone. I'll be voting for Kerry to win. We don't know everything he can do yet. But Bush . . . we've seen what he's done. And me, I want him to stop doing it. And for a little perspective, as you stated, InuyashaLvr: Bush is taking lives, however indirectly. Kerry is going to make you pay more for gas. I know which one I'm going to choose. That's my much-diluted opinion.