DDG

[color=navy]Will [b]Body Bags[/b] be posted here in the Underground or in the Community Events forum? Can't wait until it starts...I'm eager for the pace to pick up.[/color]

[color=navy][spoiler]The only time you really see Shikamaru fight are the Chuunin Exams and the fight against the Sound Four. At least, those are the only two I can recall.[/spoiler] Naruto [i]was[/i] on last night. I watched it. The Batman movie ended at 9:30 PM(EST), then Naruto came on, then IGPX, then Bobobo. -DDG[/color]

[color=navy]Yes, Haku is still a boy in the American Naruto. The latest episode was, in fact, [spoiler]the one where Haku tells Naruto that he's a boy.[/spoiler] He's been referred to as a boy since he was first introduced, so, anyone who says they haven't been referring to Haku as male is really delusional. -DDG[/color]

[quote name='KKC][size=1']I've only seen 5 episodes of the anime *cry* I was gone almost every Saturday due to Marching Band. I was going to watch it tonight, but they canceled to show some stupid batman movie! Curse you batman! Do you watch the show on TV or download it?[/size][/quote][COLOR=Navy]Hey, don't curse Batman...Batman rocks, haha. And they're still showing it. I'm watching the Batman movie right now and I know that earlier they said they were going to show Naruto after the Batman movie. I finally downloaded the translated version of 283...[spoiler]God, I really, [i]really[/i] hate Sai. Chouji looks awesome, though. I wonder what other new techniques Shikamaru has learned...hmm. So many unanswered questions. And I really hope that Kakashi won't be out of commission for too long...then I won't have anyone to drool over XD Not to mention I want to know how he got his Mangekyou Sharingan.[/spoiler] -DDG[/COLOR]

[color=navy]I don't think Sai has a connection to Sasuke at all...that's just me though. I also don't think Sai looks anything like Sasuke. The only similarity I see is the black hair... No. Tobi's in the manga. A picture of him is attached to one of my above posts. He came in during chapter 280, the very last few pages. By the way, has anyone browsed(I say browsed because it seems wrong to say "read", seeing as I don't think many of us here can read kanji) chapter 283 yet? If so, how was it? I plan on downloading it tonight and I'll be keeping a look out for translations of it over the next few days.[/color]

[color=navy][spoiler]Zetsu, the venus flytrap guy, would have been the one to eat Sasori.[/spoiler] Women usually do the voice-overs for adolescent boys in anime, if I'm not mistaken.[/color]

[QUOTE=KKC][size=1]Your brothers lucky and so are you cause i've only seen up to episode 5 (I seem to be busy or gone every Saturday! I need to start taping them)! Tobi? I thought his name was Chouji (thats what it is in the manga). Oh well, maybe they changed his name in the American version or something.[/size][/QUOTE] [color=navy]No, no. Tobi is a new character, he was introduced in chapter 280. Check my attachments for a picture of him if you still don't know who he is. Chouji is still Chouji, I believe, in the American version(both the anime and manga).[/color]

[COLOR=Navy]Just when you thought Shino couldn't get any cooler, chapter 282 comes along. Naruto Central has a low quality, downloadable version of 282. I mention this merely for the fact that no matter what I do, I cannot read anything on NMR(the images never load ;_;). Anyway, onto the last few chapters. [spoiler]I'm very happy that we're finally beginning to see everyone else from the rookie nine. Shino and Kiba have gone even farther up on the "Naruto characters who are smexy" list, and they were already pretty high before. Sai is a very intriguing character. I can't wait to see what all he has to do with the plot. Something devious, I suppose, as you would expect. I'm curious as to how Kakashi got his Mange Kyou Sharingan. Extremely curious. I think if Kishimoto-sensei doesn't reveal it soon, I might just die... And thank God that Gaara is alive. I don't know what I'd do if he was gone for good. Cry and sulk, I guess. Just like I did when Zabuza died lol. I have a bad habit of getting attached to characters who die(I swear to God, it's a proven fact. Almost every single one of my favorite characters has ended up dying.). But I digress. I don't think I would have even noticed the sand if you guys hadn't of pointed it out. That is pretty interesting. Maybe there are certain powers that Gaara still retained, even with Shukaku gone. If he can really still control sand, its probably more limited than it used to be. It'll be interesting to see how strong Gaara is without Shukaku. Sympathy for Gaara: he can SLEEP now lol! Or maybe since he's been an insomniac for so long, he'll continue to be one. I don't know. I'm just curious as to whether or not the black around his eyes will be gone the next time we see him(meaning that he would in fact be sleeping). Having seen six of the rookie nine, the only three remaining are Ino, Chouji and Sasuke. I think Ino and Chouji will make an appearance next chapter, or at least some time soon. We probably won't see Sasuke for awhile yet. Even though I don't like Sasuke all that much, it'll be interesting to see how much he's changed. I like Tobi. He's cool XD[/spoiler] Can't wait for the next chapter. -DDG[/COLOR]

[quote name='Sage']And what on earth is "Hero Patrol"?! (Check the first post of this thread if you haven't see the title before.)[/quote][COLOR=Navy]Shy is quite the sneaky one, isn't he? I just checked it out a moment ago. Sounds like this already awesome event is about to get even better. Can't help but applaud Shy for his ingenuity. [QUOTE][size=1]No. But be aware that Body Bags is done more by committee than member voting. Players will have a significant impact on who lives and who dies, but the final verdict is left with several players in particular.[/size][/QUOTE]That little instinct in the back of my mind and the larger one in my gut have both banded together and given me quite a few speculations as to who these "several players in particular" are. However, I must digress and return to my earlier statement of your magnificent ingenuity, Shy. I've been enjoying reading the current mission threads, as well as posts within The Arbiter(Shy's and Baron's posts in particular. They were quite masterfully crafted. Kudos.), though I'm now itching to write in a mission involving my character(no matter how many little side stories I write about her and no matter how many I scrap because I've grown to dislike them, it just cannot quench this thirst that I have). Even though it shall be sad to lose a fellow Legionnaire as Body Bags finally roll around, I can't help but anticipate their arrival. The mystery of the Hero Patrol is at the top of my priorities list(next to my homework, that is...gah.). Guessing, second-guessing, possible deductions, conclusions, theories, the ever-so-obvious and the not-so-obvious will plague me until I come to my final idea of what it may be, though I have a substantial idea at the moment. [i]"It's a story thread, of sorts, but probably not the kind you were expecting. Hero Patrol will require an entirely seperate sign-up thread."[/i] I'm thinking it may possibly be a subordinate group to the Legionnaires, something along the lines of civilians fighting for the overall cause? Or mayhaps a league of civilians in opposition to the Legionnaires, as has been illustrated by Shy's first post in the Arbiter that not everyone has the same feelings for our band of [strike]misfits[/strike] the gifted. Just speculating. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm completely wrong here, heh.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]A little something I wrote as a requested writing sample for the Language Arts club at school. [center][u]The Chasm[/u] by Kayla a.k.a. DDG[/center] Complete, impenetrable darkness. I reached my hand out and felt the wet, slimy rock of the wall. Gingerly, I put pressure on my right ankle. ?Only a sprain,? I muttered. The words echoed off the walls before fading away into the darkness. It was some kind of underground cavern, far beneath the surface. I had been exploring a cave when the floor gave way. The drop seemed endless and I was sure the impact(that was, of course, considering there would eventually be something to land on) would kill me. It had been so dark I never saw the ground coming. When I came to, I realized I would die down here. The cavern had a rock floor that covered a little more than half of the cavern?s general area. The remaining part was open to a chasm, at the very bottom of which was a lake. I had almost fallen into the chasm while I was feeling around the walls for a way out?any way out?when my hands had groped at the wall, only to come up with nothing but air. I leaned against the wall in defeat, sliding down it and wincing as something snapped beneath my buttocks. I reached down and pulled a smooth piece of . . . something from under me. Feeling the splintered end, I tried to identify the familiar substance. The outside was smooth and the inside porous, almost spongy. My fingers moved across the object, to its other end. It was rounded with a crack through the middle. ?Oh my . . .? I threw the object to the ground in horror. A bone. It was a bone, a human bone. ?No,? I said in defiance. ?It could be an animal bone.? That still didn?t change the fact that there was a bone down here, of all places. How could something else have fallen down here? The dirt covering the hole I had fallen through looked as if it had been there for years yet the bone didn?t feel to be decaying at all; it was fresh. More importantly, who had covered up the hole in the first place(and so shoddily at that)? What had been their method of keeping the thin layer of dirt in place? It was mind boggling, physics defying. I felt around beside me and came upon more bones. A pile of bones, actually. Crawling forward on my hands and knees, bones, bones, and more bones littered my path. They crunched under knee and hand as I crawled continuously forward. The entire floor was lined with bones. My stomach growled angrily. I glared into the never ending blackness as hunger pains shot through my complaining stomach. I had felt around for my backpack and upon finding it, discovered it was empty. Someone was playing a dirty trick on me. There was no way the items I had in my backpack could have fallen out. It had been zipped up, each and every pocket. As I felt the sides of the backpack, I could find no holes from which the items could have slipped out during the fall. Three sandwiches, two canteens of water, a line of rope and a cell phone. All of it was gone. It was an absolute nightmare. A game. It had to be. Someone was playing some sick, cruel game on me. Some sadistic bastard . . . but the question still remained: how did he steal everything in my backpack? ?There has to be a way out,? I murmured. If he could get in and out, then I could just as easily do the same. But where was it? I had searched all three of the walls surrounding the floored part of the cavern . . . unless . . . ?That?s it! There has to be a way in here from the wall on the other side!? That left the question of how he got across the deep chasm and to this side. I crawled back to the wall I had leaned against earlier and felt my way across the ground until I reached the chasm. My fingers found their way to the bottom of the wall before moving forward along the ground again. I smiled. A thin ledge, just wide enough for someone to sidle across, ran along the edge of the chasm. I blinked. Something was on the other side of the chasm. I could feel it, its presence. It was getting closer . . . I could hear its breathing. Slow and shallow. A pungent smell suddenly wafted through the cavern. I backed away from the chasm as my eyes began to droop. Slumping against the wall, I spotted two bright red orbs moving on the other side of the chasm before consciousness left me. Its presence was closer now. Much closer than before. It wasn?t a game. It wasn?t someone?s idea of a joke. It was real. No one was playing a trick on me. No one would eventually come to save me after I had gone stark, raving mad. No. I wouldn?t make it that far. It wasn?t a matter of someone. It was a matter of [i]something[/i]. Something was down here and this something was hungry. The darkness that enveloped the surrounding area somehow seemed lighter. I could make out where the ground dropped off into the chasm. My backpack was visible nearby. A loud crunch and snap brought my gaze to the far corner. My eyes made contact with the something that would be my demise. The blissful land of unconsciousness had greeted me with open arms shortly after I had laid eyes upon the monster currently occupying the space of the cavern with myself. A hulking beast, it seemed to be. It was hunched over, chomping on bones and wasn?t much more than a dark shape in the steadily lighter darkness that reigned supreme here. A hazy aura of light surrounded the beast. It outlined its shape which became more defined as the minutes slowly passed. I made out a long muzzle, flashes of teeth and thick, matted fur. More crunching from the corner as the beast devoured another bone. [i]A pre-dinner snack,[/i] I mused. It hit me then, at that precise moment. I lifted my left arm up and spotted the metal watch encircling my wrist. If the beast lived in the dark, then light would be its folly. I sought the small button on the side of the watch that would light up the face. Blue light sprang forth from the watch. I released the button and rubbed my eyes. The light was blinding, even to me, and especially after having seen nothing but darkness for the past few hours. I looked over at the monster and watched as the aura glowed around it grew another notch brighter. The cave grew lighter in synchrony. What kind of a monster was this? It was controlling the darkness of the cave, seemingly absorbing said darkness and turning it into the odd aura surrounding it. But how? Why? The beast whirled around suddenly, its red eyes blazing. I scrabbled around nervously, my fingers searching the ground for a weapon. A large bone found my attention. I grasped it and warily watched as the monster began to approach. It was standing now, at its full height. The thing had to be at least eight feet tall and two feet wide. The aura around it was growing and the darkness receding at a faster pace than before. The darkness was giving it strength, the strength for the first challenging kill its probably had in ages. I quickly stood, lifting the bone up with me and holding it as one would hold a baseball bat. The cave grew lighter and lighter while the beast?s aura grew? ?I braced myself for the swing? ?and then the beast lunged. I swung the bone with all the strength I could muster. The bone, a femur bone I realized as the cave continued to lighten, made contact with the beast?s skull and snapped in two. The beast stopped mid-lunge and shook its head a few times. I lifted my left arm and tore off my watch, aiming it toward the beast. I pressed the light button and prayed to God it was still dark enough in the cavern for the watch to have double its usual effects. The beast gazed at the blue light of the watch and blinked before turning its head and screaming. The scream rang through the cavern, echoing and echoing. I clapped my hands over my ears to block out the shrill sound but to no avail. My eardrums popped and I was introduced to the world of silence. The beast was still screaming but I couldn?t hear it. I could hear nothing now and probably would never hear anything ever again. Even if I survived? (Something I doubted) ?I?d never get out of here. It would be my graveyard, my final resting place. I limped around the beast, holding the watch up again and turning the light on to keep it at bay. I needed a weapon, a stronger weapon than a bone. My eyes frantically searched the ground for anything that would be remotely helpful. A large rock caught my eye. Quickly, I bent down and hefted it into my arms. Turning back to the beast, I moved a little closer and lifted the rock above my head. ?Die you miserable . . .? my voice trailed off as three more sets of red eyes appeared over the edge of the chasm. The beast hadn?t been screaming because of the light? (Well, at least not near the end) ?but for help. There was no way I could take on four of the horrible beasts. I dropped the rock to the ground and threw myself at the beast, figuring hell, I was going to die anyway . . . . . . so why not at least get a few punches in?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][center][size=3]FOXHOUND A Metal Gear Solid RPG[/size] Rated M for [b]V[/b]iolence, [b]L[/b]anguage, and possible [b]S[/b]exual situations.[/center] I do highly recommend that if you?ve never played anything in the Metal Gear Solid video game series you turn back now. --- [b]1964[/b] Force Operations X(FOX) is created. Naked Snake(Big Boss) becomes it?s first official agent. [b]1970[/b] FOX is disbanded. [b]1971[/b] Big Boss establishes FOXHOUND, carrying on the traditions of Major Zero and the FOX unit. [b]1995[/b] The existence of FOXHOUND becomes public knowledge. Big Boss is ?killed? in Outer Heaven by rookie FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake. Colonel Roy Campbell takes over leadership of FOXHOUND. [b]1999[/b] FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake infiltrates Zanzibar Land and kills Big Boss. [b]2000[/b] Liquid Snake becomes the leader of FOXHOUND. [b]2005[/b] The Shadow Moses incident. FOXHOUND is disbanded after their involvement in the terrorist plot. [b]2009[/b] Rookie FOXHOUND agent Raiden infiltrates the Big Shell. --- January, 2010. A facility deep in the Alaskan wilderness is alive with activity. Recruits perform various exercises over the wide expanse of land around the hidden facility as officers overlook them. Nothing escapes the training officers? eyes as they evaluate each and every recruit. "I said eighty push-ups, damnit!" One officer screams at a recruit as his pace begins to slow. "Uninterrupted! You stop, you fail, rookie!" The recruit's pace picks up at the threats of failing. Four more recruits are doing sit-ups as another officer watches over them. The officer eyes the third recruit suspiciously before grinning with malice. "Number nineteen. Stand up, gather your stuff and get out. You're not fit for FOXHOUND," she commands, writing "FAILED" in bright red ink beside the recruit's name and number. Number nineteen stares at the officer incredulously. "But, how, why --- " "Stop arguing and get out. You paused in between your fifty-ninth and sixtieth push-up." The recruit solemnly stands and heads toward the facility to gather his things. A third officer passes the officer overlooking the recruits doing sit-ups. ?They?ve gotta be kidding. These pantywaists are the new recruits? They won?t last two seconds against Snake,? he mutters to his female comrade as he passes her. --- FOXHOUND, a covert operations unit, was disbanded in 2005 after the Shadow Moses incident. In 2010, it was secretly re-established after the success of the S3 plan by The Patriots. As The Patriots move on to bigger and better things than controlling the United States populace, Philanthropy continues to be a thorn in their side. Re-establishing FOXHOUND is only the beginning for The Patriots . . . [i]?Solid Snake . . . you will stop him at all costs.? ?Of course . . . Mr. Director.? ?Remember . . . we do not tolerate failure. FOXHOUND was established to preserve the United States as a world superpower.[/i] You [i]were put in charge to keep the quality in FOXHOUND up to par.? ?I know, sir. We will not fail. Solid Snake will be dead within the month.? ?Two weeks. There is a very important operation coming up and he must not interfere.? ?Yes, of course.?[/i] --- This is going to be a fairly large RPG. If every position is filled, there will be at least twenty people participating. The minimum amount of people required for this RPG to work will be around twelve. Please refer to the information below for characters and positions needed within FOXHOUND and Philanthropy. Missions will be issued regularly and mission briefs will be posted within the Arena thread by the members playing the FOXHOUND and Philanthropy commanders. Posts made in between missions will take place at FOXHOUND or Philanthropy headquarters(depending on which side your character is on), unless your character is a sleeper agent for FOXHOUND or Philanthropy*. Missions will almost ALWAYS integrate the members of both FOXHOUND and Philanthropy in some way. It will be stated beforehand if they do not include one or the other opposing forces. The mission briefs for Philanthropy and FOXHOUND will differ depending on the mission at hand(each organizations objectives being on opposite ends of the spectrum usually). The ultimate goal of Philanthropy is to eradicate FOXHOUND and to expose The Patriots. FOXHOUND?s ultimate goal is to kill Solid Snake and to destroy Philanthropy. [u]CHARACTERS NEEDED - FOXHOUND[/u] [b]Special Forces:[/b] 4(Minimum is 3) [b]Sleeper Agents:[/b] 1(Has successfully infiltrated Philanthropy) [b]Commanders:[/b] 1 OC** and Revolver Ocelot - IMPORTANT CHARACTERS****(as the original character is being played by myself, only the position of Ocelot needs to be filled) [b]Recruits:[/b] 3(2 are necessary, 1 may be an NPC***) [u]CHARACTERS NEEDED - PHILANTHROPY[/u] David ?Solid Snake? - IMPORTANT CHARACTER Hal ?Otacon? Emmerich - IMPORTANT CHARACTER Jack ?Raiden? - IMPORTANT CHARACTER Meryl Silverburgh Rosemary ?Rose? Mei Ling 1 sleeper agent(Has infiltrated FOXHOUND as a promising new recruit) 1 OC *Sleeper agents will always be outside of their respective headquarters. **OC: Original character ***NPC: Non-playable character. NPC?s are mentioned but not actually played by a member. ****Any character with ?Important character(s)? next to their name(s) are characters that MUST be played. Within Philanthropy, anyone without an ?Important character? next to their name can be an NPC and does not absolutely have to be played. --- [u]POSITIONS[/u] [b]INTEL:[/b] Intelligence agents are mentioned and seen around the FOXHOUND facility. They collect information on foreign nations, Metal Gear?s currently in assembly all over the world and put together the missions that FOXHOUND agents perform among other things. NOTE: ALL INTEL CHARACTERS ARE NON-PLAYABLE CHARACTERS! YOU CANNOT SIGN UP TO PLAY A CHARACTER WHO IS AN INTELLIGENCE AGENT! [b]SPECIAL FORCES:[/b] The special forces unit of FOXHOUND is basically the ?gifted? soldiers. Some have supernatural powers like Psycho Mantis while some are extremely talented with weapons, such as Sniper Wolf or Revolver Ocelot. [b]SLEEPER AGENTS:[/b] At the moment, only one FOXHOUND sleeper agent is active. Said sleeper agent has currently infiltrated the ranks of Philanthropy. Philanthropy?s sleeper agent has infiltrated FOXHOUND as a promising recruit. The two sleeper agents are currently collecting data on FOXHOUND or Philanthropy for their respective organization. For more information on sleeper agents go [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_agent]here[/url]. [b]COMMANDERS:[/b] Philanthropy?s commander is currently Solid Snake. FOXHOUND currently has two commanders, one being Revolver Ocelot. [b]RECRUITS:[/b] FOXHOUND?s recruits have all currently passed the initial training courses. Due to shortage in the ranks, the recruits may be called upon to participate in missions before their training has finished. --- [u]PLAYABLE CANON CHARACTERS[/u] [b]DAVID ?SOLID SNAKE?:[/b] Head of Philanthropy. Ex-FOXHOUND agent. The legendary hero who brought down Outer Heaven, Zanzibar Land, Shadow Moses, was blamed for the Tanker incident of 2007 and who infiltrated the Big Shell before it?s initial destruction. [b]HAL ?OTACON? EMMERICH:[/b] Intelligence. Hal collects information necessary for Philanthropy to continue to function. He creates the basis for missions and is in charge of keeping Philanthropy properly funded. [b]JACK ?RAIDEN?:[/b] Ex-pawn of The Patriots. Trained extensively in VR. Successfully infiltrated the Big Shell facility unknowingly under The Patriots? orders. [b]MERYL SILVERBURGH:[/b] Ex-FOXHOUND agent. Currently doing infiltration work for Philanthropy. [b]ROSEMARY ?ROSE?:[/b] Girlfriend of Jack. Collects intelligence on The Patriots and their activities via her sources within the government(said sources having come from working with The Patriots. The Patriots are never directly mentioned, but decisions having recently been made within the government are clues to The Patriots current activities and plans). [b]MEI LING:[/b] Works intelligence with Hal. Secretly and illegally appropriates equipment from the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center. --- [u]SIGN-UP - FOXHOUND[/u] [b]NAME:[/b] Character?s real name. Forename must be provided; surname is not necessary. [b]CODENAME:[/b] See notes below for more information on codenames. [b]POSITION:[/b] Recruit, sleeper agent, special forces or commander. [b]AGE:[/b] As young as twenty. No older than early forties, unless you are playing Ocelot. Ocelot?s age at this time(January 2010) is sixty-five(he will turn sixty-six on June 6th, 2010). [b]SEX:[/b] You know the drill. [b]DESCRIPTION:[/b] Detailed description or image. Both, if possible. [b]PERSONALITY:[/b] How your character acts. [b]BIOGRAPHY:[/b] Your character?s background information. To be an agent of FOXHOUND, your character must have had a military background. The biography is not necessary for canon characters(i.e. Ocelot) [b]WEAPON:[/b] Your characters preferred weapon. --- [u]SIGN-UP - Philanthropy[/u] [b]NAME:[/b] Character?s real name. Hal, David, Jack, etc. Forename must be provided if an original character. Surname not necessary. [b]CODENAME:[/b] See notes below for more information on codenames if character is not canon. If playing a canon character, only David, Hal and Jack would have codenames. [b]POSITION:[/b] Snake, Raiden, Meryl and one of the original characters are infiltration agents. Rosemary, Mei Ling, and Otacon collect intelligence and new weaponry. The sleeper agent is posing as a new recruit for FOXHOUND. [b]AGE:[/b] Snake (38) Otacon (Late 30's) Meryl (Mid to late 20's) Mei Ling (Mid to late 20's) Raiden (Late 20's to early 30's) Rosemary (Late 20's to early 30's) Original characters ages should be from early twenties to early forties. [b]SEX:[/b] You know the drill. [b]DESCRIPTION:[/b] Detailed description or image. Both, if possible. [b]PERSONALITY:[/b] How your character acts. [b]BIOGRAPHY:[/b] Your character?s background information. If possible, include why they joined Philanthropy and how they learned about The Patriots. The biography is not necessary for canon characters. [b]WEAPON:[/b] Your characters preferred weapon. Not necessary for Mei Ling, Rosemary or Otacon. --- [u]HOW TO CHOOSE A CODENAME[/u] To properly choose your character?s codename, you must know that a FOXHOUND codename consists of two parts: the first part being something personal about the agent and the second being the animal the agent identifies with. [u]FINAL NOTES[/u] An underground thread will be created shortly before the RPG begins. It will provide more information on things such as recruit training, missions, etc. Much of the information stated here will also be there for reference. If you are planning to play Ocelot or Snake, please keep in mind that these integral roles will require much communication between myself and you. Many PM?s will be exchanged as well as information that is integral to the plot. The two characters are very important to the story and you must be able to put your full effort into playing them. In playing Ocelot and Snake, you will be responsible for posting mission briefings and the beginning to each mission(whomever plays Ocelot will rotate the posting of mission briefings with myself). Also, please remember that this RPG will require you to have exceptional post quality. With so many players, it will be necessary for everyone to know what is going on. If someone?s post is unreadable to other members and they are unaware of what is currently going on, it may throw the entire RPG off. I will ask you via PM to please edit your post if it cannot be deciphered. Continuing problems may result in your character being killed off(i.e. you no longer being able to post) or your character being replaced by another member who signed up for that position or character. [u]MY SIGN-UP - FOXHOUND[/u] [b]NAME:[/b] Kayla [b]CODENAME:[/b] Night Fox [b]POSITION:[/b] Commander [b]AGE:[/b] 34 [b]DESCRIPTION:[/b] Around 5'6 in height, Night Fox wears all black at all times. She usually sports a black trench coat over a completely black skull suit with black combat boots. She has long, brown hair that cascades down her back and completely black eyes. [b]PERSONALITY:[/b] Just like a fox, Night Fox is sneaky, crafty and intelligent. Her demeanor has a way of demanding authority and it's impossible to say if anyone has ever refused her demands. Night Fox will not back down from a challenge, no matter how bad it looks for her and she always has a backup plan whenever things go wrong. She has a very good sense of humor and enjoys playing tricks on the new recruits. [b]BIOGRAPHY:[/b] Night Fox's background is quite sketchy. Anything before her service in the military as a black op agent is mostly unknown. It is known that her father and mother both served in the military and were killed in action when Night Fox sill only a small child. She was sent to live with an uncle soon after. She joined the military at twenty-one in hopes to learn more about her parents and ended up becoming what they both had been at one time: a secret black op agent undergoing clandestine and covert operations. She performed various operations involving sabotage, assassinations and numerous other illegal and morally wrong actions. At twenty-seven, she attracted the attention of The Patriots and was immediately recruited to become one of their sleeper agents. She continued to perform well in her duties under The Patriots and in late 2009 when The Patriots secretly re-established FOXHOUND, she was put into command alongside Revolver Ocelot. [b]WEAPON:[/b] Silent as the night, knives and silenced weapons of all kinds are her forte. [size=1](I congratulate you for making it this far. Kudos.) -DDG[/size][/color]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium][b]A) Which aspect of OtakuBoards do you find to be the most negative/confusing?[/b'][/font][/quote][color=navy]I personally find nothing negative or confusing about Otakuboards. Especially since the upgrade to v7. During v6, when I signed up, I was [i]extremely[/i] confused and had a horrible time finding my way around. By the time v7 neared I was getting used to navigating around the boards and since v7, navigating has been that much simpler. I love the Otakuboards community. It's more like one big family rather than an online forum, you know?[/color] [quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium][b]B) What is your favorite aspect of OtakuBoards?[/b'][/font][/quote][color=navy]My favorite aspect of Otakuboards has to be The Arena. The Arena is the reason I signed up here at Otakuboards and The Arena is the reason I shall stay. Oh, and I can't forget dear Kenneth. Sometimes I wonder where we'd all be without him.(Nowhere, I suppose)[/color]

[COLOR=Navy]"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal alchemist," something of a smile played on Pliskin's lips, but the smile never completely formed. Grasping the messily scrawled notes on the Fullmetal alchemist, Pliskin returned the file, "Elric, Edward", to its place in the drawer of Military personnel files. "Well, hello, Pliskin! Fancy meeting you here!" Pliskin whirled around and came face to face with Maes Hughes. "Hughes," he grumbled, not in the mood to speak with his highly exhuberant, fellow Lieutenant. "Did you hear about my daughter's birthday party this weekend?" ". . . and if I did?" "Well, you're coming aren't you?" Pliskin's usual glare became even icier. "Why would I waste my time going to a little girl's birthday party?" "Why wouldn't you?" "What do you mean, why wouldn't I?" "Well," Hughes smiled, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a handful of pictures, "for one, ISN'T SHE JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE GIRL YOU'VE EVER SEEN? HUH? HUH?" Pliskin retreated back a few steps as Hughes jumped forward, shoving the pictures into his face. "There's no way you can tell me she's n . . . " Hughes trailed off, looking around the room. "Now where did he get off to?" Scratching the back of his head, Hughes shrugged and opened a drawer of the file cabinet. --- "Did you get the information?" said a voice through the earpiece of the phone. "Would I be calling if I hadn't?" Pliskin answered dryly. "Well, um---" "It was a hypothetical question." "Oh." "The information will be arriving soon. Lyra should find it satisfactory." ". . . you didn't hand write it again, did you?" ". . . and if I did?" "You did, didn't you?" The voice sighed. "You have such horrible handwriting, you know . . ." it murmured. Pliskin gritted his teeth, wishing he was back at headquarters so he could strangle the analyst on the other end. How come whenever he called Lyra wasn't in? ". . . what's the next assignment?" "I, um, don't know. You'll have to wait until Lyra returns." "You reallly are thick, aren't you?" "Huh?" Pliskin was making the analyst uncomfortable and he knew it. "You're thick. You mean to tell me that you can't operate without Lyra there to hold your hand?" "No, it's not that. Its---" "Tell Lyra to call me with the next assignment later." With a click, Pliskin placed the phone back into its place and walked down the hall.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]The series -- .hack//SIGN -- ends where the games -- INFECTION, MUTATION, OUTBREAK, QUARANTINE -- begin. Following the games is the .hack//Legend of the Twilight manga and anime(though they are both different from one another. The manga turns from the direction the anime went near the beginning of manga volume two.) The similar character models is just as has already been mentioned. It is, in fact, made fun of and mentioned quite a bit in the .hack//LIMINALITY 4 DVD extra, .hack//GIFT.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][b]Name:[/b] Lieutenant Iroquois Pliskin [b]Age:[/b] 25 [b]Side:[/b] Corruption's Demise [b]Division:[/b] Intelligence [b]Weapon:[/b] A Colt Single Action Army Revolver. Also quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat and ice alchemy. [b]Personality:[/b] Just like the kind of alchemy he specializes in, Pliskin is ice cold. His replies tend to be cold and insulting, unless he's speaking with his commanding officer or someone higher ranked than himself. He's quiet and reserved, preferring not to talk unless he's spoken to and his icy exterior has a way of imposing fear on those around him. Highly respected by those lower than him in the chain of command(and even a few higher than him), Pliskin isn't one to gloat about such things. He shares nothing of his past, saying to any who ask that its, "Not worth knowing." [b]Bio:[/b] No one really knows, though many assumptions have been made. Due to his coldness and hostility around most people, it is believed that he was abused as a child. Some say that he has amnesia, thus the reason he doesn't talk about his past. Still others believe he lived a normal life, with normal parents, in a small town and went to a normal school but was bullied constantly, explaining his tendency to insult others(the bullying having given him a case of inferiority complex). He denies none of the rumors about his past and gives no hints as to whether or not any of them are true. Some have tried to become closer to him by chance he might eventually tell them his history, but so far none have succeeded. What is known about his past is that he once had a relationship with a fellow officer within the Military, though he's never mentioned who she was and the said female officer has never mentioned the relationship to anyone. [size=1]-DDG[/size][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]She wasn't quite sure how to say it. She'd thought it over since finding out, but there really wasn't any particular way to go about telling them. There was no way to sugar coat it. The facts were the facts. Wait -- of course there was no way to sugar coat it! It didn't [i]need[/i] any sugar coating. Kayla almost smacked herself on the head for being an idiot, but she resisted and took in a slow, deep breath, then almost froze and didn't say anything -- we all know public speaking is harder than it looks -- but calmly informed the other five the startling news.[/COLOR] [COLOR=Gray]"Mia . . . isn't listed in the access logs. And hasn't been. For a long time."[/COLOR] [COLOR=Navy]Sakura opened her mouth to ask a question, but Kayla cut her off.[/COLOR] [COLOR=Gray]"Yes, of course AI's are listed in the access logs."[/COLOR] [COLOR=Navy]There was silence. Then . . .[/COLOR] [COLOR=Gray]"So, was she . . . deleted then?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=Navy]Kayla turned to Kia.[/COLOR] [color=gray]"If she was, she'd still be listed in the access logs. I think . . . she really [i]did[/i] just disappear into thin air." "So, she disappeared, hasn't been recorded as using the World in the access logs for . . . awhile . . . what the hell is going on?"[/color] [color=navy]Sora was stating the question that everyone had wondered, but hadn't asked.[/color] [color=gray]"I . . . I don't know. I really don't frickin' know. It's just getting . . . confusing. Even to me."[/color] [color=navy]Kayla shook her head and leaned against the side of the boat, closing her eyes to think. The other occupants of the boat proceeded to do the same.[/color] --- Short, sweet and to the point...

[COLOR=navy][b]Code Name / Call Sign-[/b] Vinovka [b]Gender (If Applicable)-[/b] Female [b]Location-[/b] United States of America [b]Age-[/b] 28 [b]Personal Appearance (Images are acceptable)-[/b] [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Sniperwolf.jpg]Click.[/url] 176 centimeters tall. Blond hair and blue eyes. The sniper rifle in the picture is a Heckler & Koch PSG-1. Picture is an artist's rendition of what Vinovka is assumed to look like. She has never been caught on camera and eye witnesses can never give an accurate or consistent description of her. While "hunting" she has been known to wear the very attire featured in the picture, however when she is hanging out with her friends or otherwise socializing, she wears t-shirts and jeans, along with a black trench coat on particularly cold nights. [b]Personality/Behavior-[/b] ?There?s nothing wrong with killing someone. After all, animals do it everyday and when it comes down to it, aren?t we just highly intelligent animals? It?s not murder unless it?s unjustified.? ?I?m not a killer, I?m just a protector of the people.? Vinovka is revered as a self-proclaimed, ?protector of the people?. Her morals justify the act of killing another human being. She targets only those who she says are ?wholly deserving of the wonderful embrace of death.? Anyone whose actions have harmed ?her people? will end up on her hit list, scrutinized and carefully studied before ultimately being killed. Once a person has made her hit list, in her eyes, there can be no redemption. Nothing that person does in an attempt to get in her good graces can stop her from taking them out. In her words, ?The damage has already been done. May Death be your savior.? Vinovka will kill even a child, if that child is truly a danger to ?her people?. She tends to be reserved and, if not for her attractiveness, would go completely unnoticed by everyone around her. Despite her looks, she is oddly capable of blending in with a crowd when she wants to and is known to disappear into the shadows unexpectedly. Though her morals justify murder, she is highly against torture, preferring to give her targets a quick and painless death. However, if her target has inflicted torturous acts upon ?her people?, she will not hesitate to create a slow, painful death for her target. She keeps her social life as far away as possible from her ?work? and isn?t fond of dating. On a side note, Vinovka hates to be called Vin or Vinny. "I am Vinovka. Not Vin. Not Vinny. Vinovka." [b]Personal History-[/b] ?You see that man, sweetie?? ?Yes, Daddy.? ?It?s men like him who made Mommy die.? The young girl stares up at her father with round, blue eyes. ?How Daddy? What did he do?? ?He raised the insurance rates.? ?But what does that have to do with Mommy?? A small smile finds its way onto the father?s lips as he stares through the barrel of a sniper rifle. ?Mommy and Daddy couldn?t afford health insurance anymore, so the insurance company stopped covering us.? His pointer finger inches onto the trigger. ?Then Mommy got into that accident and Daddy couldn?t afford to pay for the operation Mommy needed.? He pulls back the trigger and watches as a bullet slams into the forehead of the man. The girl stands patiently off to the side as her father carefully disassembles the rifle. ?That man is the reason that Mommy?s heart stopped working?? The father places each piece of the rifle inside a black case resembling an ordinary briefcase. ?Yes. And now he has been given the death he deserves. An eye for an eye, a life for a life.? Her father had liked saying that. ?An eye for an eye, a life for a life.? It was his catchphrase. He said it was what justified his killing and maiming. That if he didn?t say it after every kill or every handicapping, God would punish him and send him to Hell. Vinovka didn?t believe in God. She tried to, for her father, but she just didn?t believe there was such a thing as ?God?. Her father had understood and told her it was okay, that not everyone believed in God. She still tried to believe anyway to be just like her father. Her mother had died while Vinovka was young; almost too young to remember her death. The most she actually remembered of her mother was what her father told her, every night before Vinovka went to sleep. Vinovka went to school for a few years reluctantly. She finally convinced her father to home school her around the time Vinovka was going into third grade. She was seven at the time. Her learning began with her father?s story of how they came from a long line of ?liberators?. ?From the day we?re born ?till the day we die, we?ll protect the people. It?s our family?s destiny.? It went on to her father explaining exactly how what their family did wasn?t murder, that they weren?t criminals. All the deaths at their hands were justified in the eyes of God. When she was nine, she shot her first sniper rifle. She was a natural; her aim was perfect and her tactics flawless. Camouflage was next on her father?s list of teaching subjects. It didn?t take long before Vinovka knew how to blend in with any environment and could go unnoticed by even the sharpest, most trained eye. Her father had praised her saying that she was going to be ?the best damn sniper this family?s ever seen.? At ten, a massive inheritance became hers. The money belonged to Vinovka?s grandfather, her mother?s father. He had been ill ever since the death of his daughter and when he finally died, he gave his fortune to his one and only granddaughter. Vinovka knew that she and her father had been poor, but she?d never minded. Now they had more money than they could have ever imagined. Her father knew the kinds of things that money did to people; he killed those kinds of people every day. So he made the inheritance into another lesson: he told Vinovka all about how money corrupted great minds and that ?the greedy pigs in today?s world are going to be the downfall of us all.? Vinovka opted to put the money into a savings account. She said that ?I would rather we remain poor than become like the men we hunt.? Her father had agreed; it was a wise decision. ?Father?? The house was eerily quiet. It was six o?clock in the evening; her father should have been making dinner but there were no sounds coming from the kitchen. Vinovka walked lightly down the hall and peered around the doorway, into the kitchen. Empty. No Father cooking their dinner. She walked a few more paces and stopped at her father?s bedroom door. It was open slightly, a bad sign. Her father never left his bedroom door open. Vinovka pushed the thin wooden door open just enough for her to slip inside. The room was completely dark but Vinovka could still see the limp body of her father, sprawled across the floor. The red trail of blood from the center of his forehead told Vinovka more than she needed to know. Her father was dead. ?An eye for an eye, a life for a life,? she murmured, tears welling up in her eyes. She kneeled next to the bed, clasping her hands together and praying for the first time in her life. Praying with all her might that her father had made it to Heaven. Vinovka could not begin to guess who had found out about her father?s ?business? and had ultimately came to kill him. She knew it wasn?t suicide. If he had committed suicide, he would have made dinner for Vinovka first, then went into his bedroom and shut his door to commit suicide before his pride and joy came home. No, her father had been mur . . . [i]Was it justified?[/i] She asked herself. [i]It could have been . . . but it might not have been.[/i] She decided to just leave her father?s death at ?killed?. Not murdered, not whacked, not slain, not polished off . . . just killed. She?d written her will that night. Immediately after burying her father?s body in the backyard and constructing a tombstone from nearby rocks. It had been a short will, but it was all she wanted done after her death. [i]I wish for my body to be cremated and the ashes spread all over the land. I wish for my sniper rifle to be placed on display in a museum. I wish for the money in my savings account to be given to funds to help the people.[/i] Wanting it to be official, the twelve year-old had traveled into the city and visited a law firm, paid for a lawyer and gotten the lawyer to finalize her will. The lawyer had been a little baffled that a twelve year-old was worried about her will at that age, but he didn?t question her, didn?t ask about why a twelve year-old was shooting a sniper rifle and didn?t ask how much money there was in the savings account. ?And she?s been traveling the country ever since then, upholding her family?s ?business?.? ?Wow, just . . . wow,? the reporter was shocked. ?Why did she tell you this?? The interviewee shrugged. ?I asked, she told. We were pretty close at that time. I wanted to know more about her. I didn?t realize . . . how much there was under her exterior.? The reporter was in the middle of writing another line in his notepad when he stopped. He shook his head and pushed the notepad across the table to the other man. ?No, I?m sorry. Hearing all about her and . . . her ?business? . . . I can?t publish this.? ?Why not? You?ll be famous.? The reporter smiled. ?Exactly. I?ll become rich and greedy.? The other man smiled back. ?I get it. You think you?ll become the exact kind of person she?s put her entire life into exterminating.? ?Yes . . . and I finally understand . . . why she does it. Why her entire family has done it their entire lives. I thought it was for personal gain . . . that maybe she just wanted to be famous, a little attention. No, she really is protecting the people as she?s written the papers.? The reporter stood and nodded his head at the other man. ?Me and you. It?ll be our secret. No one else should ever know.? The other man nodded back. ?Right.? [b]Special Skills or Abilities-[/b] Sniper rifle expert. Specializes in using the [url=http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn20-e.htm]Vinovka Snaiperskaja Spetsialnaya[/url] or the [url=http://www.enemyforces.com/firearms/vss.htm]VSS[/url], a Russian-made silenced sniper rifle. The VSS becomes less effective in hitting its target beyond 400 meters, requiring Vinovka to stay close to her target when ?hunting?. The range has never been a problem for her however, as its limited range is made up for by its silencer. She was rumored to have originally used a Heckler & Koch PSG-1(featured in the above picture), but is said to have switched to the VSS, preferring it for its silenced capabilities. [b]Player?s Availability (How often will you be able to post? There is no such thing as too much or too little)-[/b] School starts on the 29th for me, but I expect I?ll be able to post at least one to three times a week. [b]Which Otaku Thread Rating Do You Expect Your Posts To Fall Under? (E - Everyone, PG - Parental Guidance, M - Mature)-[/b] PG to M. They?ll probably fall under M a majority of the time. Swearing and violence mostly, but probably very little sex(if any at all). [size=1]I've never had so much fun writing a sign-up before. I'd love to have the chance to participate; there's so much more behind her character for me to flesh out. -DDG[/size][/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Dagger]I stumbled across what I believe was a Naruto re-run earlier today, and I was wondering if someone could tell me which episode I watched. It couldn't have been a new episode, as the time slot was all wrong. The OP sequence had a brief segment of Naruto & Sasuke nostalgia; most of the episode was a very drawn-out fight between (the spoiler tags are just in case) [spoiler]a bishounen-ish guy with silver eyes & the swirly leaf insignia and a rather icky guy with six arms & the sound insignia. It looked like things would turn out rather badly for the former, but it ended on a cliffhanger.[/spoiler] Yeah, I'm just curious. :animesmil ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] [FONT=Times New Roman][color=#666666]I don't know the exact episode number(somewhere in the early 100's, maybe?), but the episode is one from the fight between [spoiler]Neji(guy with the silver eyes) and Kidoumaru(icky, icky spider dude *shudders*).[/spoiler][/FONT][/color]

[FONT=Times New Roman][color=#666666]Thanks, Petie. Yeah, I tried a few things and looked all over and I couldn't find any place to actually remove the avatar. The code removed the avatar for me though, so I'm happy about that ^^ -DDG[/FONT][/color]

[font=times new roman][color=#666666]Okay, I have a quick question...how do you remove the avatar on your myO? Because I just redesigned my site today and for this layout I don't want an avatar...but I can't remove the one that I've got now. I'm sure its something simple that I'm just overlooking, but I can't figure it out ^_^;; -DDG[/font][/color]

[QUOTE=Morpheus]Since I haven't read this last page in it's entirety, it might seem that I'm jumping in, but bear with me: [b]I find it odd that, in a book series that has a wonderful, twisted plot, that most assume that Harry will just kill Voldemort and that will be the end of it.[/b] Seriously, these books go a lot deeper than comic book endings. A final showdown would be pointless, as we've seen that Harry just lacks the abilities to just kill a man that has masses of henchmen trained to spot and kill. Remember [spoiler]Cedric[/spoiler] in GoF? He was killed off in an instant.[/QUOTE] [FONT=Tahoma][color=#666666]I've been thinking about that a lot myself since I finished the book(I finally got it yesterday and finished it today ^^). It does seem quite odd how most jump to the conclusion that Harry will triumph over Voldy and everyone lives happily ever after. I mean, Harry already doubts that he can really kill a man such as Voldy, who with two words and a flick of his wand can instantly kill someone. Not to mention he's got henchmen willing to risk their necks for ol' Voldy just so that ol' Voldy doesn't come after them when he dominates the wizarding world. Mrs. Rowling definitely has something devious up her sleeve. There's not much more I can say that hasn't already been said by others, but I might as well state a few of my opinions: [spoiler]There really wasn't as much of Snape as I wished their could have been. It was interesting to see how he made that "Unbreakable Vow" in the beginning though and I do think that he's really good but was forced to kill Dumbledore so that he didn't die. I've also got some kind of belief that Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him and it was all planned out anyway. Maybe to convince other Death Eaters just how "loyal" he really is to Voldemort, you know? So he can continue playing the double agent. Or something like that. Concerning R.A.B., around four pages after I read the note from inside the locket, I was thinking about the people with a last name that started with the letter B. The only one that actually popped into my head was "Black", but I knew it couldn't be Sirius because, well, obviously Sirius' name starts with an "S". Then I remembered that he had a younger brother named Regulus and that Regulus was a Death Eater who was killed after leaving their ranks or something like that. I really don't know his middle name(and I'm going to look it up sooner or later) but he's the only person I really believe R.A.B. to be.[/spoiler] And here's something I was thankful for: [spoiler]THERE WAS ONLY ONE MENTION OF S.P.E.W. IN THE ENTIRE BOOK! I was getting so sick of Hermione constantly going on and on and on about how House Elves needed liberated...God, it was just annoying. Dumbledore dying definitely wasn't as traumatic for me as Sirius' death was. Immediately after Sirius died I burst into tears, but for Dumbledore's death...well, I probably shed about two tears before I was over it and I didn't even shed those tears until Lupin broke down and started crying(*hugs the poor Werewolf*). The romance in the book...actually kind of started getting on my nerves. After reading page after page about Ron "snogging' Lavendar all day long and Ginny and Dean's rocky relationship and Hermione blushing and Ron not noticing...I was just like, "Alright already. I get it. Move on with the plot already! I want more Snape and Tom Riddle!"[/spoiler] The book was good, though not the best if you ask me. It does feel like it was kind of rushed in certain areas...a lot of things that are usually written about(like Easter and the first classes after Christmas break) were either not even mentioned or merely glanced at. And I am wondering, [spoiler]was the fact that Lily was good at Potions and that she was one of Slughorn's favorite pupils really the "you're going to learn more about Lily Potter in book six" that Jo mentioned on her website? I mean, seriously...those bits of information were kind of...nothing at all. I thought maybe we'd learn about why its important that Lily's wand was good for charms or something.[/spoiler] One other thing that I kind of thought about...[spoiler]you know on the binding of the books how they put "Year 5" or "Year 4"? Well, if Harry isn't going to be attending his final year at Hogwartz, can they really put "Year 7" on the binding? I mean, he's not actually going to be attending school so...its not really his seventh year at Hogwartz.[/spoiler] *shrugs* Here's to another two years waiting for book seven(which is undoubtedly going to be massive).[/FONT][/color]

[QUOTE=SilentSecurity][spoiler] that area with skeith's wand is it something that you see on the board or something you have to find yourself?[/spoiler] Thanks for all your answers ~Rod~[/QUOTE] [FONT=Tahoma][color=#666666][spoiler]There's a post about it on the board. I'm sure of that. I think it might be in the third game because I remember I went there to level up(the area level was 70 or around there and I was in the 60's when I finally went in and beat it. They give it to you when you're definitely not ready to go there and fight yet).[/spoiler] No problem.[/FONT][/color]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=#666666]The past month the only thing that's been on my mind, in big, red, flashing letters is:[/color] [SIZE=4][COLOR=Red]HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE[/SIZE][/COLOR] [color=#666666]*coughs slightly* But yeah, I've read all the stuff on Rowling's site and lately I've been reading through editorials on various things from the series(though mostly focusing on predictions for the Half-Blood Prince and the seventh book). I'm not going to any midnight parties(though I would if I could ^^). My grandma reads the Harry Potter books, too, and she said she'd pick me up a copy when she got her copy. Where would I be without my grandma, eh? Nowhere. It'd probably be months before I got Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. My grandma bought me my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, too(and it was real fun trying to read that huge book with a cast on my arm >>). I thought about reading the first five books over again, though I never really did it. Sort of. I haven't reread them recently. I read all five of them again around October - November 2004 for AR points at school. If I have all day with nobody bothering me and nothing planned, I can read both the Soceror's Stone and Chamber of Secrets in one day, then start Prisoner of Azkaban the next day, finish it that same day and start Goblet of Fire. The first time I read Goblet of Fire it took me three days to read, and I think I can read it in around two, depending on whether or not people are bothering me while I'm reading. Order of the Phoenix took me three days to complete the first time and usually takes me about three to four to reread. Half-Blood Prince is supposed to 600-some pages, right? I can't remember the exact number, but I know the number's been released. I think two days is an accurate number for me to finish it in(though if I start it on a day where any I'm asked to do a babillion things around the house, I'm sure it'll take me longer. If the day I start it on is a good day and I'm blessed with either: no chores or chores that can be done with one hand while reading at the same time, it'll take me less time to read it). I think the Half-Blood Prince is someone we've already been introduced to . . . the theory that it's [spoiler]Tom Riddle[/spoiler] is a new one to me, and I kind of agree with it more than other theories I've heard. [quote name='Lady Asphyxia]What I'm interested about for the next book is [spoiler]the excerpt from HPB that JKR posted on her site; you know, the description of the man who 'looked like an old lion'? I'm inclined to think that it might be the new DADA teacher, which could be interesting; has anyone noticed how the DADA teachers always play a big part in the books? I mean, you have Quirrel in PS, Lockhart in CoS [he's sort of the exception], Lupin in PoA, Moody/Crouch in GoF, and Umbridge in OotP. In each of the books they play quite a significant part, in plot terms if not actual screen time.[/spoiler'] [/quote] *nods* I agree. Ever since I read the [spoiler]excerpt that Rowling released, I've been in the belief that it's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. If it is, he sounds like an interesting character(it was a "he", right? I can't quite remember.). Yeah, I've noticed how the DADA teachers play a pretty important role in either that particular book or later in the story(Lupin and Lockhart, though Lockhart doesn't really play all too important a part, but in OotP he [i]did[/i] show Harry, Hermione(she was there, right? Er...bad memory.), and Ron back to his room where, 'lo and behold, his roommates were Neville's parents and a character who was murdered by a plant sent by one of the Death Eaters(if I remember correctly).) I'm sure the new DADA teacher will be no different. I'm excited that Snape may play a more important role in HBP. I'm a Snape fangirl all the way and I want to know more about that tortured past of his ~_^[/spoiler] By the way, has anyone read the back cover of HBP that was officially released? I did. I couldn't resist >> Only 1 day and five minutes left until HBP is released(by my clock). I can't wait.[/FONT][/color]

[quote name='SilentSecurity][spoiler]OK so in the last episode of dot hack//sign [spoiler]Sora is data drained into Skeith, why?. Did Skieth need Sora for some reason? When Kite (The end of INFECTION) Data Drained Skieth did sora wake up from his coma? Was Sora even in a Coma? Mia is also one of the eight phases, so does that mean each of the eight phases has part of a character in them? How was the net slum created? Helba isn't a created file and from what I've seen doesn't have data drain capabilities so for her to have that much knowledge and access in 'The World' is she an ex-CC corp worker or something?[/spoiler'] :animesigh[/quote] [FONT=Tahoma][color=#666666]*cracks fingers* I haven't tried explaining stuff as complex as the .hack universe in awhile . . . I might be rusty >> [spoiler]Its my own deduction that Morganna had Skeith Data Drain Sora as punishment for Sora disobeying Morganna(but I swear I read somewhere that that's what it was *scratches head* I don't remember...). Sora is not in Skeith itself, but Skeith's red wand. There's an area in one of the games(I'm not sure which) where you encounter Skeith's wand and upon making contact with Kite, Sora is set free from the confines of the wand and awakened from his coma in the real world. Yes, Mia is also one of the eight phases, but no, that does not mean that each of the eight phases has part of a character in them. From the moment Mia is born, she is destined to become Macha. Mia forms a relationship with Elk to collect data on love and such(because that's what the eight phases were for: they collected the data on human emotions necessary for the birth of Aura). Aromatic Grass is a very important item in the sense that Aromatic Grass contains the data of Macha and thus, Mia is compelled to search for Aromatic Grass and collect it. Mia is the only NPC that turns into a phase(Sora doesn't count because he's a real player and he didn't actually become Skeith, he just became trapped within Skeith's wand). Net Slum . . . eh, let me think here. Net Slum is, of course, the hacker's Paradise. Net Slum is basically the place where "trash data" is stored. Failed attempts at creating NPC's are seen in Net Slum in the games. In SIGN, you see a bunch of versions of Tsukasa, I believe(I haven't seen SIGN in awhile) and in the Legend of the Twilight manga you see many different versions of Zefie running around. I don't think Helba created Net Slum. I think it was the game itself that created it as a sort of "dump" to store all of the failed versions of NPC's and the likes. Helba's a hacker. She could(in theory) gain access to any information available, anywhere, from anyone computer and any given time. She IS a legendary hacker, so its plausible that she broke into a lot of different places to get all of the information she did and of course, she would have busted through a lot of codes and locks when hacking into certain parts of "The World".[/spoiler] :animesigh Whew. I know if you surf around the web you can probably find better explanations about all of that stuff. Keep in mind that what I've written is only what I can remember(I haven't seen either anime in ages, played the games in months and I haven't read anything of the manga since I bought the third volume. Not to mention I haven't been browsing around any of the .hack sites I've got bookmarked lately).[/FONT][/color]

[font=tahoma][color=gray]Having volunteered to search for Mia in the newly reopened Omega server, it having been closed to be repaired after a glitch had caused half the server to completely disappear, Kayla wasn?t sure how long she?d take to search the entire server for the mysterious catlike player. She knew from Helba that a few years ago the regular Omega server had been too unstable for anyone to use, thus, Helba had used a small part of Net Slum to be turned into Omega Server for as long as it was necessary. Needless to say, soon after ?the World? was once again safe from Morganna and all areas were stable again, the old Omega server replaced Helba?s Omega server. Kayla had only been to the Omega server once and that was only to talk with players and exchange information. She definitely hadn?t seen a majority of the server, as it was certainly the largest of the servers. Thinking about the events that had happened three years ago made her remember what Kite and Helba had said about Macha: Mia was Macha. But that had been three years ago and the two were pretty sure that Mia could not become Macha again. Those were the keywords, though: pretty sure. Not positively sure, not absolutely, completely sure, only: pretty sure. It could be someone else . . . a different AI or . . . a trapped player . . . but it could always be Mia again. She was acting oddly, but maybe that was just a reaction from something that was happening within the internal workings of ?the World?. Was it better to be suspicious of Mia being Macha or of someone else being Macha . . . someone like Kia? Neither were good options and both were probable. [i]Mia isn?t a real player . . . she was an AI . . . but even AI?s show up in the access logs, right? That?s one way Administrators track them down. So, if we can check the access logs we should be able to find her . . . but, like Sora said, she could have changed her name so . . . we don?t search for her name, but . . . Well, if she was a regular player, you?d use their IP address but what do you use to find an AI? On the access logs and in their user profiles, they?d have a ?hidden IP address? like someone who was behind a router. So . . . . . . you search for all the users with hidden IP addresses! Of course! While the others are scouring the servers, looking for her, I?ll check the access logs and see if she might be in a field or something.[/i] Kayla glanced around and casually walked into a small alley behind a shop. She leaned against the wall, hiding in the shadows and set to work. Fifteen minutes later she?d managed to open the access logs and was waiting as a list of all the users with hidden IP addresses was compiled. A small beep informed her of the search being finished and she looked at the list. One hundred eight users currently had hidden IP addresses. Nineteen of them had accessed using a regular IP address lately, ruling them out. That left eighty-nine users who were either behind a router, an AI or a trapped player. Not a player who was currently in a comatose, but a player who was no longer living on the outside. Comatose players [i]had[/i] an IP address. Their IP address was the IP address of the main computer at the hospital they were checked in at. Kayla scrolled through the list, removing any names that were sharing the same IP address(the comatose players), leaving her with approximately thirty users. Of the thirty, she recognized twenty-one had AI?s. Which meant that eight users [i]had[/i] to be accessing behind a router, with the remaining ninth person being Mia. Clicking on the link to each person?s profile in turn, Kayla looked at the head shot of each player, then at what was listed in their profile, just in case Mia?s character data had been altered somehow. A realization set in as Kayla reached the end of the list.[/color] [center][color=blue]-Delta-Aqua-Capital-Mac-Anu-[/color][/center] [color=gray]Wandering around Mac Anu allowed Kayla to think. The server wasn?t as busy as it usually was. Well, actually, it was busy, just not where Kayla was wandering. Some kind of contest or prize give away was happening near Elf?s Haven and Kayla was over by the Magic Shop. She stopped walking and leaned against the wall, watching the river. A small envelope appeared in front of her.[/color] [color=indigo]?New mail,?[/color][color=gray] she muttered and quickly accessed it.[/color][/font] [font=verdana][color=royalblue][size=1]To:[i] Kayla, Sakura, Sora, *****, Elk, Kite[/i] From: [i]Kia[/i] Subject: [i]No luck... I've searched all over Mac Anu, and I got[/i] nada.[i] It's been a half hour, and we agreed that if nobody found her in a half hour, something was going on. You guys find anything? I'll be in one of the boats in Mac Anu. If I'm sleeping when you get here, hit me, or something. Not too hard![/i][/color][/font][/size] [color=indigo][font=tahoma]?I wonder what everyone will think when I tell them. . . .?[/color] [color=gray]Kayla murmured, before replying to the email.[/color][/font] [font=verdana][color=royalblue][size=1]To: [i]Kia, Sakura, Sora, *****, Elk, Kite[/i] From: [i]Kayla[/i] Subject: [i]Omega = all clear I didn?t find a single trace of Mia in Omega Server . . . and everyone, if you?re still searching, hurry up and get over here to Mac Anu, all right? I?ve got something to tell everyone. I?ll be in the boat with Kia, but I?m not going to tell what I?ve discovered until everyone?s there.[/i][/color][/font][/size] [color=gray][font=tahoma]She sent the message and looked back at the water to find the boat with Kia in it floating by. Walking up to the water?s edge, she reached out and grabbed the boat and pulled it up to the shore. Kia remained motionless, sleeping seemingly peacefully as Kayla hopped in the boat and pushed off from the shore. Kayla sat on the complete opposite side of the boat and stared out at Mac Anu, thinking as she waited.[/color][/font] - - - [font=tahoma]OOC: You?re all going to have to wait until my next post to find out what happens =P And by the way, who's ***** supposed to be? Or was that just a mistake? Because I was reading back a few pages and noticed that the first email Kia sent was addressed to "Kayla, Sakura, Sora, Elk and Kite" (and Che and I both forgot to include Kite in our posts, eheh >>). *shrugs* Or maybe its a secret, eh?[/font]