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Have you tried simply telling him straight out that you don't like him that way? That usually works, sort of. A conversation that says "Stop following me; I'm not going out with you," is more effective than "I'm not going to do anything w/you now, but I haven't actually closed myself off to you in a way you understand." Adolescent boy language is different than girl. Be blunt if you have to, but try first to be nice. Stop it at the source before it becomes more of a problem. You're young and so is he; if you let him continue this and add it to his methods of problem-solving and girl-handling, it will follow you as long as he does. This is not saying that it is completely your responsibility to deal with him. But if it's at a stage where it is not yet dangerous and only mildly creepy and a bit entertaining, then it is still safe to confront him. If it is past this stage and you feel threatened, don't try to deal with it yourself. Take steps toward protection, like telling your friends that you are sincerely uncomfortable and making this clear to your parents, as well. And look at it this way . . . at least you don't have a stalker who is known in two schools as "the kid who climbs trees and falls asleep outside of girls' windows." Like I do. :(

*a-bump* I just wanted to make sure we all realize that Bally's edited his last post somewhat extensively. If I weren't an obsessive freak checking this thread even though it outwardly shows no activity, I wouldn't have known. And I think it sounds like a good idea. Complicated, but good. We'll all get to practice being in character! Won't that be fun for our families and friends? :)

I loved the Rescue Rangers! They even had a cult episode . . . the Fizzy Cola one, or whatever. My mom is a Disney nut, so I watched Talespin and Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck (which I actually hated, but for some reason now recall fondly . . .). And Marsupilami, that thing with the long tail and leopard spots. Woody the Woodpecker I would try to get up really early for, and Felix the Cat I only saw a few episodes and the crazy movie. I own that movie now. People really shouldn't watch it. And I watched the Chipmunks, Sporks, Smurfs; the Animaniacs were great and so was Pinky and the Brain. Samurai Pizza Cats was one that I could never figure out when it was on. But I thought it was really funny when I could catch it. I liked My Little Ponies, too, but they irritated me because in one episode they would be like horses, but in the next they would be like people. There was one were some of the ponies got married, and baked cookies and stuff like that. And in another, they ate berries and helped that blonde girl find her little brother. And did not use their hooves to pick up ungraspable-if-you-are-a-pony objects.

This looks like it should be a lot of fun to do. I hope that this submission is sufficient. Name: Sascha Marchosias Age: 19 Sex: Male Kingdom: Gunvyle (presently) Role in Kingdom: is a traveling performer in a band of Jauza, currently serving time in a Gunvyle jail with two other members of his band, supposedly for performing on private property. Description: tall and lean, built like a young wolf, Sascha has built up a reputation as a talented fire-breather and sword dancer. Because of this, he ususally has these items or their components somewhere on his body at all times. The symbol for his band is a pair of griffin's wings and a dragon's tail, which is tattooed on his left shoulderblade. His hair is a silvery-brown, his eyes are grey, and his skin is a brown tan. He has a small mole on his face, underneath and slightly to the side of his right eye. Personality: Sascha is normally fairly easy-going. He is able to stay calm in most high-pressure situations, but if members of his band are in danger, he tends to lose his composure more quickly. He is intensely loyal to them, as they are the only family he can remember ever having. He also tries very hard to tell the truth at all times, partially simply because he is terrible at lying, but mostly because honesty is extremely important to him. He would be greatly offended if he were lied to, and it would take a long time for him to forgive such an event. However, he does not usually hold grudges for very long, and prefers to look at the larger picture before judging anyone's actions either positively or negatively. All in all, he is a pleasant person to be around, but if his band is threatened, he will do anything in his powers to bring them to safety. Background: was raised among the Jauza since he was born; his mother passed as he came into the world, and his father had died of disease months before. He has traveled to all of the kingdoms at some point or another, but has never stayed in one place for very long. His travels, interesting as they might have been, were never anything particularly special to him. It is what he is used to and he expects it, but it is only because it is all he has known. However, at the moment, he and two other Jauza, Pavel Halpas and Vassili Andromalius, are stuck in a cell that has more or less been forgotten to the citizens of Gunvyle. The details on exactly why they are being held are shaky, but they're not as concerned with that so much as just getting out. Seeing as how they have much more important things to deal with than a few minor criminals, the three are being rather neglected. They can see the odd weather from their tiny cell window, and are painfully aware of the drought. They know basically nothing of the political situations going on; they were not planning on staying as long as they already have . . . . Their biggest priority is getting themselves out of this mess, whatever it takes.

Your name is a summary of everything that you are. When someone mentions your name in conversation, everyone who hears it brings up their own impressions of you and what you are to them. It is how you are known, and therefore very important. You can take your name apart and look at the letters in it; numerically and symbolically, and it can usually pinpoint certain aspects of your personality--much like astrology. I'm not sure how it works; either you become your name, or your name becomes you. I would think that it depends. But there is truth to the power that a name supposedly holds. With Wicca, there is no name for any great evil as there is in Christianity--because to give something a name is to admit fear of it; to acknowledge its existence and give it power over you. Much like simply saying the name "Amanda", the name "Satan" conjures countless images and memories, all unique for every person. It does seem to be a literature thing, though. In [U]The Iron Dragon's Daughter[/U] by Micheal Swenson, the main character, Jane, claims control of numerous males through acts of seduction in which she acheives and exploits their true names for the dragon's benefit. At least, I think that's how it goes. I read the book in seventh grade, so I'm probably a little fuzzy on the details. :)

When you use the markers, you have to scan it in and print it out. Yeah, it's not tones. But it's cheaper in the long run, looks fine, and is a much-needed solution for my Empty-Pocket syndrome. :) They're easier to control on paper, too. But doing it on a copy of your original might be a good idea; markers won't peel off if you don't like them, obviously.

Has anyone here listened to any of their music? They have some stuff on the radio, like "If You Could Only See" and "You Wanted More," but the songs on their CDs are pretty good. I think they're worth hearing at least once. I've heard two of their CDs: Sugar and Lemon Parade, and personally, I like Lemon Parade better. On Sugar, all of the songs seem to be less refined and written for the radio, but Lemon Parade is their first and more original one. I love the song "Thick." This is it, but it's much better when he sings it with music. :) THICK Oh my sugar she won't bend Fly with me On your love she will depend Fly with me, my Love When you're down, feeling low Not quite paid for not quite sold And they all have got you tricked And the world has made you thick My love she dreams And she sleeps with broken faces inside Cold water runs deep When she sleeps with broken faces I can wonder, she can see I roll over, she will breathe All the others make you smile Just lay back girl don't drive for a while My love she dreams And she sleeps with broken faces inside Cold water runs deep When she sleeps with broken faces Oh my sugar she won't bend Fly with me On my love she will depend Fly with me My love she dreams And she sleeps with broken faces inside Cold water runs deep When she sleeps with broken faces

I don't get out until next Thursday . . . and I still have homework. 12 pages of German left to translate . . . and I actually have a 25-50 page report due for psychology. I've had [I]teachers [/I] who have never had to do a paper this huge! Pavlov is just not that interesting to me. I'll be looking forward to graduating and never having to fight all of my family for the bathroom (six of us, plus cat, plus one bathroom = I never get in) at 6:30 in the morning again. Hopefully. And presents. Graduation gifts. But I don't want things like laundry detergent. I want manga. (I'm going to make a bad adult. :o )

I think that a lot of people listen to music that fits a certain style that they are going for. Either that, or the music influences them and changes their own style. They become the typical listener of a certain genre: a punk with safety pins hanging from ever inch of fabric on their body, a rocker with hardcore tattoos decorating their skin, or a self-absorbed whiner who sits around and mopes after listening to too much Staind. (Sorry.) This isn't true for some people, though, and it's probably only partially true for most. I am attracted to listen to music that has intriguing, open-to-interpretation lyrics, and a lot going on in the actual music. I can't listen to stuff that has only one instrument playing (unless that one instrument is making hella noise), and I like it when I can listen to something over and over again and find new sounds within it each time. I don't really know what this says about my habits/personality. I think that [I]letting other people know[/I] about what kind of music you like to listen to is the way that people identify themselves [I]to [/I] other people. The music you listen to without necessarily telling others is the stuff that really makes up who you are.

I found this book at my school's library, too, and most of all it just made me want to write. That's what good stories do to me. I want to see if I can top them. But this one's style escapes me. I can barely put it into words. It's just too good. The whole tone is so oppressive and melancholy; you can't get away from this book after you've read it, but I didn't really want to. My favorite character was Patrick. [spoiler]Everything that happened to him always made me so sad. I hated that jock (even though I get it, I get it.).[/spoiler]

I like the Spice Girls . . . . *hide* My mom orders CD's from those buy-four-get-some-free-but-not-really magazines, so for a while I actually had one of The Calling's CD's in my possession. I only liked one song on it, which I now just can't listen to anymore, so that's gone. Shwoop! Out the window! And I have one Savage Garden CD, which I do like--and they used to be popular, too. It's just not particularly like me to own music like that, I guess. A friend and I Moon Tiara Magicked "The Craft" soundtrack against her living room wall. Then we played frisbee with her Ricky Martin one, and her Brittany Spears one. (I honestly don't know why she had these.) We later regretted destroying the Craft soundtrack (the only good thing about that movie at all), and she bought it again at a used CD store. Go figure.

I entered the last contest. I was disappointed. *sigh* But now I have all of this experience, and I'm at it again. My partner and I got notice that there was going to be another one way back in April when we were notified that we didn't win, and we've been working on our next one since then. I'm a little hesitant to post my story, but I can give tips. We've just recently found a really, really good substitute for tones: marker. They use it in Planet Ladder, and it looks really cool. All you need to do is buy a couple of grey-scale markers (those prisma-color ones would probably be best; that's what we have), and you don't have to use nearly as many sticker tones. Cheap as all getout! And it looks better than computer tones. Those don't really look very good; they're very choppy and impossible to etch. I think it takes away from the point of the artwork if it's not done by hand. As for my plot . . . all I'll say is that it's going really well; I'm actually writing it like a story before we draw it out. The only thing that worries me is that it might turn into one of those on and on and on plotlines that don't seem to have any defining moments . . . and I'm trying my hardest to make that go away. All of my other stories have a huge amount of substance to them; but that's harder to convey through pictures--and I'm not letting TokyoPop have them. ;)

Aaaaghh! Sailor Moon! I can't stand that one! That was the first anime/manga I was ever introduced to, and it took an infuriatingly long time to rid my mind of its influences. Actually, I have more complaints about the manga than the anime. Takeuchi just sort of gave up on things like "form" and "effort" after a while, so that everyone makes the exact same face, everyone is stick-thin and evidently requires no shading, and since most of them seem to be ethereally transparent, it is not necessary to finish the lines of their hands/legs. (Which are grossly thin and would be less likely to support their weight than a Barbie doll's.) I say all of this as someone who has experience in storywriting and manga-creating; it's all hard to do, but you should always put your best work into it. Takeuchi did for a while, but once she got popular, it didn't even matter how repetitive the plot/slapped together the artwork. People bought it anyway. I don't get that.

I have now watched all 25 episodes . . . I want to hurt someone. I just read the first volume of the manga, and it's got the same tone--but it's got a new character. Puck the Elf (which I'm assuming is a poor translation; Puck is about five inches tall and has wings, so I'm thinking he's a pixie/sprite); he's cute in a weird, always naked way. They edited him out in the anime, and I understand why, but he doesn't bring down the quality of the manga at all. There's not that much humor in the show, but Puck brings a little funny into the story. I can't tell when Griffith and the others are even going to come into this. The Black Swordsman seems to carry on with kick-butt slaughter for about the first three books, un-Griffithed. (I haven't seen any mention in the back-of-the-book plot summaries of the Band of the Hawk.)

I liked George. I don't really know why; he was kind of one of those characters that I want to get close enough to to hug--but I have absolutely no idea how. Maybe I could lure him with expensive fabrics . . . but he's so picky, I'd have to have Isabella help me pick them out. And I don't know if she'd go for that, really. Media Play doesn't really have a very good selection of manga. They've got a lot of titles, but very few actual volumes. They will special order it for you at a discount, though. (I think that's what they do around here.) The Waldenbooks at our mall has everything out way before the other stores--I can barely keep up, money-wise. Honestly, my favorites can't come out soon enough.

Oh, Queen Asuka, I definitely did not mean to insult your Ranma intelligence. I just find it humorous that it is possible for a teenage boy to have so very many promises to keep. :) Ryoga is my favorite character by far, although I do rather like Ranma. I just wish he'd get over himself and give poor Akane (uncute as she might be) a chance. There's obviously a connection between them, but they're both so ungodly stubborn that they won't admit it. It's the same kind of thing as in Inuyasha, but there are more mature reasons for Inuyasha to be the way he is toward Kagome. I don't really like Happosai. He's just a dirty old man, and he looks like Myoga the flea. (They're almost the same size. *heehee*) I do think it's awfully funny that Ranma and Akane's father are so whipped by him that they'll allow him to destroy their home just to avoid his "wrath" . . . . And Shampoo does rock. Even her cat form is cute!

Of course you were completely different. You're different people! If you want to get all into it, there are countless factors that make you who you are, and not just mystical ones. Unless you looked exactly the same, talked exactly the same, had the same name, and went through the same experiences, [I]you're going to turn out differently than your friends.[/I] That's just common sense. It's ridiculous to assume that your star sign would have total control over your personality, and thus you can't really use this arguement logically to disprove astrology. The stars are way up there; they can't guide you through everything that happens down here. Everything you go through in your life culminates and results in who you are. And if you're not going to get more specific and do your own star chart or something, you can't dispute astrology by saying that it's all generalizations. It [I]has[/I] to generalize, on the outermost level. Otherwise, you would look into a book that describes Aries and see a person completely sculpted out of the description--which will probably not fit you perfectly. But if you did the work/paid the money to get your own individual profile, it would probably fit you better than you think it would.

Oh, Ranma has many more than three fiances. His father's been working that angle since he was a baby. I love Ranma, not for it's deep and subtle plot (ha!)--but for it's obvious, classically Takahashi humor. I've seen a bunch of the episodes (I can't keep track), mostly from the Hard Battle--I think that's what it's called--season. I love Ryoga, even though he's a bit . . . off, and I've been looking for a yellow headcloth just like his for the longest time. We share an acute sense of direction. :)

Of course not all of the generalizations are true. None are, about anything. Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you like pink, that sort of thing. The anomalies between what your astrological sign says you are and how you think you are can be explained by the complexity of the practice: to get a totally specific, on-the-nose description of yourself would mean to go way in-depth. You'd need to analyze your date of birth, year of birth, moment of birth, and the positions of all the planets at this time in order to do this. The deeper you dig, the further they go. And psychology rocks. Try combining components of it with astrology; it'll give you thousands of different venues to try: why do I always have trouble making decision? Because I'm afraid that people won't like what I decide . . . and it's amplified by my Libraness. Why do I keep little things like what color my socks are as secrets? Because I don't like having my privacy invaded due to having nosy siblings . . . and I'm a secretive, possessive Scorpio. Why do I always daydream about my growing foot fetish? Because . . . well, you'll have to answer that one on your own, but I'd say it's because you're a Pisces. :) It's fun to know things about other people. If you know about astrology, you can get a feel for the outlines of someone's personality as you get to know them. Do not, however, assume that simply because they are one sign, they will act a certain way. It's all just structured, old-fashioned fun. (Sort of.)

Horoscopes are not accurate at all. Basing your life on them would be a terrible thing to do, not to mention that you would end up living a very, weird, boring life. "You're going to meet some sexy special someone!" "Miss Leo, you'd better unlock your heart and give a big [I]roar[/I] for love!" Teen magazines; blah. But astrology is just interesting. One shouldn't base their lives on this, either, or how they percieve others, but it can be useful. I use it to create characters in my stories; pick out a birthday and see what fits--then I can use astrology as a guidelines for fleshing out a character. It's fun, and it makes things easier. And yes, DerelictDestiny; you're probably same as me. A Libra-Scorpio! We make for fun . . . . If you want to know specifically what you are, you need to get actually specific--go to a day-by-day analysis and see what day you're born on. Cusp people have a mixture of traits from both signs. So you're a super-special combination of Libra and Scorpio . . . stellar! ;)

Name: Toshimi Sasuga Occupation: student; his parents wouldn't let him get a job Age: 17 Gender: male Appearance: large, dark eyes; shiny, longish hair. Slight, active-looking, but not particularly athletic. Wears a variety of eclectic clothing styles outside of school--it usually depends on the weather. Weapon(s): amazing interpersonal intuition--he's good at figuring out what people are thinking. Since the murders started he's been wary about going around unprotected, so he bought a cool-looking letter opener and sharpened the edges a bit. (It's a good thing he can also run pretty fast.) Personality: If you couldn't already tell, he's not the best of the best--but he's charming, eccentric, and really does want to help. Toshimi's a bit flaky when it comes to following things through, but this whole situation should probably be enough to keep his attention long enough to actually accomplish something. Bio: his parents are clinging to him with everything they have; they're both hoping that he'll stay near home after high school and help around the house--he's been a gopher his whole life because his parents have problems communicating. Because of his knack for sorting out other people's feelings, they've come to rely on him to talk to each other about the problems between them. Thus, he's a little peculiar, having heard his entire life (and having to say) that his parents' sex life is not what it used to be. He's not daunted by talking about anything, so many people do feel free to use him as a personal therapist. His mother is terrified of having him go out while the city is so unsafe--but Toshimi finds investigating it a good excuse as to not being home. Yikes. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post anything until next Tuesday--I've got politically incorrect "Easter Break." But I really want to be in this, so don't forget me! You don't have to wait to start it, but is it all right if I just pop in when I get back?

Ugh . . . Black Jack. Or is it BlackJack? Whatever. Not really worth it. It's supposed to be a classic or something, but it's just . . . ugh. I don't know if there are more of these things (I saw the movie with "the surgeon with the hands of god" on it), but I don't want to see any more. Movies should be pretty much self-contained for the uninformed, but they off no explanation anywhere in the plot for where Blackie got his multi-colored [I]face[/I]--it's got stitches going down the middle of it. Why wouldn't you explain this? He's the only character in the entire movie that looks unique, and when I say unique, I mean it in a very bad way. [I]He's got skunk hair[/I]. The plot was really stupid, too. It might have been a good idea at one point, but it was ruined. Boring. Blah. It actually rivaled a live-action (haha, action, right) movie that I saw on Turner Classics; titled: "Frogs." Guess what it was about, right? Well, there wasn't a frog in it. Ever. It was about "frogs" (which were actually toads--they couldn't convince frogs to do anything this stupid) taking over a southern manor and scaring and/or killing everyone there. Spooky . . . not. They really managed to murder an old guy. How? By jumping on him, of course. Oh, and croaking. Can't forget the deadly croaking. Anyway, I also really can't stand those shows like Digimon/Yu-gi-oh/whatever. I do like Pokemon from time to time--because it's silly enough so that you aren't expected to take it seriously. The other shows, they really think you're going to have a heartfelt connection with these characters, and there's little real humor. Pokemon can be funny. (Jesse and James are hilarious. Wobbuffet.)

I don't know if saying that protests are a waste of time is entirely correct. Propaganda can be somewhat useful: if you want people to know about your cause and agree with you on it, you need to get people aware of it somehow. Protesting might not be the most effective way to actually get things done, but it plants a seed in peoples' minds that there might be something that needs doing. Then the next steps can be taken.

This is in Graten. Just so you know. ------------------------------------------------- Ban Shabriri watched the tiny ripples expand from their origin in the puddle. It had formed days before, supplied by the condensation of droplets decorating a musty wall. The alley was empty but for him, and the occasional noise made by a falling liquid orb. [I]Plip[/I]. The ripples move with frantic grace. Ban observed them with his glassy eyes; he gripped the handle of his athame tightly. There was no sound, the next droplet forming and preparing itself for the fatal drop, with which it would cease to exist as an individual entity. It would become a part of the whole, spread throughout the puddle until it was entirely one with it. Ban was sure there was meaning behind it. His goddess Diluvia still yearned for him, still tempted him to return. But it was fruitless. He would not bend to her will, nor become a victim of her deceit and carelessness. The scent of smoke dulled his senses to his surroundings. There was the vacant gaze of the woman he called mother, her mouth tilted open. She was lying prone on the ground, her hair spilling out of its harsh confines and darkened. He peered at the darkness with a curiosity that seemed inappropriate for the circumstances; though he knew he should do otherwise, Ban stopped and studied her. His fingers touched lightly the darkness in her hair. Blood. [I]Plip[/I]. The ceiling was aflame; it threatened to collapse. Voices called to him, were cut off from outside, and faded into the clamor. The heat was agonizing. Ban's attention shifted to the crackling beams. Light raced upon them, devouring them with neither malice nor kind intent. A part of the ceiling heaved, then began to fall. Ban dropped to his knees as the heavy ceiling beams crashed to the floor about him. Diluvia preserved his body; the flames licked up the corpse of the woman called mother, forgotten. [I]Plip[/I]. The alley was cold and dark. The droplets cried out with the voices of those lost in the attack; in the flames, the teeth, the blood. His hand was warmed by the blade of his athame. It was the only thing he had managed to save. Diluvia called to him as his mother. She begged him, warned him. [I]"It must not touch the blood of mortals."[/I] He watched the forming droplet on the edge of the wall. It wavered, intimidated, and did not fall. It would not join the puddle below. Ban narrowed his eyes, answering the goddess. "You will do your part to end the Recrudescence. Through me."

I've wondered about Latin sentence structure, too. It confuses me (like French), because I can never figure out exactly how it gets to be the sentence that the translation says it is. Mitch, you say the verb usually goes to the end. Would it be easier to understand if one tries to look at it in comparison with German?