Cambrian_Explosion

I was going to say option one or three, seeing as I'd have a hard time believing we could undertake a counterstrike against the Ori in their own galaxy, with the first wave of the armada breathing down our necks. The first idea would require a huge amount of thought and planning, but would be in my opinion the most rewarding and fun, seeing as we could invent our own society. Idea #3 kinda threw me when you said it would be a bit like Star Trek, but could definitely work. That was before you gave us that wonderful synopsis. Now my vote is unoquivically for the Excalibur story. I love the idea of taking the Alteran's latest and greatest toy and testing it against the Ori (and possibly the Wraith). That would be so cool. I'd hang onto the first idea though, and save it for a future date when you have nothing better to do, or have a sudden inspiration. Or both (it happens sometimes).

[quote name='Athena][size=1']Right. Moving on, I just want to inform everyone in Cell #3 that Shogo is taking a turn for his true personality. His sudden attitude and personality change isn't anything personal against the three Genin. But if anyone feels that I might be belittling their character, or feel something I write may be too far out there, please PM me or catch me on AIM and discuss it with me.[/size][/quote] Athena, you've been doing great with my character. And I mean it, just about perfectly in character. And, hey, c'mon guys, let's not let this one die. I [I]refuse[/I] to let this die. It has too much potential.

[COLOR=White]Daisuke activated the Byakugan as Ginmaru made his boast. He normally wouldn?t do this, but in a case like this he needed the added insight of his bloodline limit. What he saw didn?t necessarily surprise him, but did unsettle him. Imi opened her mouth to lampoon her rival, but Daisuke cut her off, ?No Imi-chan, he means what he says. He is seriously capable of killing his father, and anyone who gets in his way. He can kill intentionally.? As soon as Daisuke mentioned Ginmaru?s father, Ginmaru whipped his head around to face him, though the katana remained trained on Shogo?s heart. Daisuke saw in his eyes, just as surely as if he had told him, that the only reason Ginmaru didn?t immediately attack him was he?d leave an opening for Shogo to attack. Imi glanced nervously between the two pale-eyed companions, wondering at the sudden murderous intent from Ginmaru. After a few heartbeats Daisuke broke direct eye contact, and seemed to draw into himself. ?But then again,? he said quietly, but still loud enough to hear, ?so can I.? Shogo laughed outright, and shaking his head said, ?Now this is too much. You Dai-chan? Kill? I don?t think so. Gin-kun, maybe in time, but certainly not you.? Daisuke saw in his periphery vision Imi staring at him with wide eyes. So she had never heard? ?Shogo-sensei, with all due respect, you may be blind, but you aren?t that blind,? Daisuke stated, ignoring the sudden threatening ?stare? from his sensei. ?You know that I got in a fight with a fellow student late in my second year. He was hospitalized with a ruptured spleen, from my jyuken (Gentle Fist). I forced chakra from the palm of my hand into his inner coil system, thus damaging his internal organs. If Yamanaka-sensei hadn?t intervened, I would have killed him. But everyone assumed that I hadn?t meant to hurt him that badly, that I would have stopped, because I?m a nice guy. But you know sensei,? he said, walking towards him, stopping off to Ginmaru?s left, equidistant from his sensei, ?I cease being ?nice? when I get angry.? He reached behind his shoulder, and took one of his two sais from its harness. He?s picked them up soon after becoming a genin, spurred on by Shogo?s subtle hint at their first meeting as a team. They?d proved invaluable, especially when sparring Ginmaru. He held it in an offensive position, fingers between the three prongs, thumb hooked around the handle, and pointed it at his sensei?s heart.[/COLOR]

I've been having a great time so far. And Ezekiel, love the Cell 3 picture.

[COLOR=DarkRed]One moment Daisuke was rushing to his sensei?s side to help him get an irate nutcase off of his chest, the next he was hurled backwards like a rag doll by one of the said nutcase?s grenades. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and the dust that rushed into his lungs to replace the air made him gag. Someone helped him to his feet. He thought he heard someone shout something, but the ringing in his ears made it hard to hear. Then the ringing receded, and he heard Imi?s voice. ?Shogo-sensei, are you alright?!? ?I?m fine, Imi-chan,? Shogo called through the dust. Daisuke coughed on the dust, and added, ?Aside from the fact my ears were driven six feet into my skull, I?m fine too. Thanks for asking.? He felt more than heard Imi chuckle in response. She still had an arm slung underneath his shoulders, supporting his weight. Daisuke was a bit glad she did, he still felt a little bit unsteady on his feet. As the subtler nuances of hearing returned to him, he heard the sounds of blows raining down on a tough leather breastplate. Then, after some sounds of scuffling and running, a third explosion sounded to their left. Daisuke wished the dust would hurry up and settle so he could see? Imi gasped in surprise when she saw Daisuke smacking himself in the forehead repeatedly, punctuated by cries of ?Baka, baka, baka, baka.? ?What the hell?s gotten into you?? she demanded, wondering if he had somehow gotten a sip of sake while she wasn?t looking. Instead of answering her question, he stepped away from her, and began making seals with his hands, ending with hands clasped and the middle and index fingers pointing up. ?Byakugan!? he announced. He quickly located the lunatic and Ginmaru, locked in combat, Ginmaru doing rather well with Drunken Boxing. Daisuke turned to Imi, who was surprised to see her comrade smiling under these conditions. ?Imi-chan, want to make our mad bomber cry?? Then she returned the smile, and replied, ?Lead the way.? With Daisuke in the lead, they quickly found the nutcase, who had managed to lob another grenade at Ginmaru. Ginmaru dodged it, but was still thrown by the shockwave. Shogo caught him in midair, and began checking to make sure his student was still alive. Daisuke and Imi converged on the man at a sprint, and several things happened at once. The man grabbed another grenade. Daisuke made a few quick seals, and suddenly a whole platoon of Daisukes were rushing him. It was a normal Bushin no Jutsu, but the man probably didn?t realize the clones couldn?t do any damage. In a panic, the man lobbed the grenade into the midst of the Daisuke clones. And Imi and Daisuke hit him from behind, swiping his sword and all but one of his remaining grenades, plus getting in their own licks, leaving him moaning on the ground. Imi tossed the newly awakened Ginmaru the crudely made boken, which he surprisingly caught quite easily, and sank into a ready position. However, Daisuke noted with a smirk, he was holding the stupid thing by the blade. Apparently, ?wake the dead powder? couldn?t do anything for drunkenness. Daisuke gingerly handed the grenades he?d snatched from the nutcase to his sensei, and asked, ?Shogo-sensei, can we take out the trash?? Shogo looked at their eager faces, and chuckled. ?Knock yourselves out, kiddies.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Daisuke stared up at the building that hosted the party. He and his team were in full formal wear; Imi wore an attractive flower-patterned kimono, while the guys wore tuxedos. Shogo used a Henje no Jutsu to give himself the appearance of having eyes and being scar-less, but still wore a tux like his male students to conserve chakra. Daisuke glanced at Ginmaru, and noticed he still looked angry over being forced to leave his beloved katana behind. Imi still seemed a bit ill at ease, but whatever Shogo said to her earlier had apparently calmed her down a good deal. As for Daisuke himself, he found the tuxedo insufferably hot, uncomfortably tight and restrictive, and felt as though his shirt collar was attempting to suffocate him. He also wasn?t particularly impressed with their client Mr. Wantanabe, a fat, middle-aged man, who waddled along spouting gibberish about his own brilliance in the stock market. They were of course arriving ?fashionably late,? that happy medium where the party has already started, but not too much sake has been consumed. Upon entering the hall, their client began making the rounds, bowing, exchanging smiles, and conveniently following the waiter carrying sake. There really wasn?t much to do, but follow the pudgy businessman around. Shogo ordered Daisuke to activate his Byakugan and check for concealed weapons. He swept the area with heavily veined eyes, using his penetrating vision to see through clothing and bodies. Aside from some nail clippers, nothing caught his attention. However, as the evening began to progress, Daisuke noticed the level of drunkenness steadily rising. Cell 3?s first ?customer? came in the form of a stumbling, nearly cross-eyed man with a score to settle. Slurring incoherently, he threw a punch at the back of Mr. Wantanabe?s head. Although Ginmaru was closest, the punch landed in Shogo?s hand. ?You really should calm down, sir,? he told him mildly. The man responded with an even more poorly aimed punch, which the Jounin didn?t even bother to dodge, and crumpling the man with a swift fist to the gut, knocking the man cold. He then calmly carried the man to a nearby table to ?sleep it off.? Daisuke peeked at his comrades, and they both nodded. Shogo-sensei had just given them a message; beyond speed and reflexes, put down the drunkards with as little fuss as possible.[/COLOR] OOC: Sorry it's short, just wanted to get to the party and all.

Um, guys? I have no idea how to start this. Do we go meet our client straightaway, even though it's morning? Or should we loiter around a bit, then meet him in the afternoon? Thoughts please. Oh, I deleted my post to our thread because I was extremely dissatisfied with it. In case anyone was wondering.

Well, mine aren't really as interesting as some of the others, but what the hell... 1. Funny father + slippery slide = Big Hurt My dad's a really funny guy. Seriously, he should do stand-up, people would love him. Anyway, when I'm like five, maybe six years old, he takes me to my favorite playground. The thing is like a ****ing wooden castle with all kinds of crawl spaces, slides of various heights, and is just plain awesome. I go down one of the taller straight slides. And while I'm going down, dad starts making funny faces at me. So I make funny faces back. I figure they must've greased the slide recently or something, because I hit the ground pretty fast and pretty hard. While I had my front teeth over my bottom lip. Lots of blood, lots of pain. I had to be taken to the hospital and get my lip stitched back together. I still have the scar. 2. Roller skating I'm really not sure what I was doing, but I ended up falling while roller skating (not roller blading, you know those side-by-side wheel deals?) with one leg underneath my body. My tailbone slammed down on the wheel, and I had to crawl to the side of the rink, because I couldn't stand from the pain. I'm pretty sure nothing was broken, it just hurt like hell for a few hours. 3. I've broken one bone in my 19 years of life. When I was twelve, walking home from school during winter, I hit a patch of glaze ice. Both my feet zipped out from underneath me, so I reached one hand down to break my fall. I landed with all my weight on my left arm, and broke my left ulna (one of the two bones in the forearm) near the wrist.

[COLOR=White]Daisuke wasn?t sure what to make of his new jounin. He was obviously blind, yet had sensed out his assigned pupils from among 23 students without trouble, and had thrown those shuriken with great accuracy. He was tall, very lean, and covered with bandages. He did lend an air of danger and excitement. And he seemed able to keep Imi and Ginmaru in their places. Still, Daisuke wasn?t one to tempt fate and deliberately sat between his new comrades. ?Well, I like a lot of things,? Daisuke said, beginning to count on his fingers, ?Long walks, reading, strategy games like chess, the night sky, sweets, practicing with ? Neji-sensei,? he remembered Meiko helping him with target practice, and felt his cheeks grow warm, ?and um?? ?OK, OK, I think we get the point,? the jounin interrupted, who mentally chalked up ?varied interests? and ?in love? next to the other personality traits this genin possessed. ?I really hate taking written exams,? Daisuke continued. ?I wondered why you were chosen to round out my group,? Ginmaru snickered, ?The Hokage must?ve decided it took two idiots to make this group fair.? ?You?!? Imi began, but stopped when she saw the jounin twirling a pair of shuriken on his fingers. ?Anyway, my hobby is collecting acorn caps.? Everyone stared at him while crickets chirped. ?No, seriously, they make great whistles. Here I?ll show you.? He began rummaging around in his utility pack. Before anyone could stop him, he placed his thumbs in a V-shape over the open side of the cap and blew. An ear-piercing, shrieking whistle came forth from the little brown circle, scaring off the crickets. ?Thanks for the demonstration,? the jounin said, ?how about your dreams?? ?I want to become the strongest ninja I possibly can, so I can protect Konoha and the Hyuuga blood.?[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Ezekiel][SIZE=1]Just for that Jounin comment, KKC. You guys have already passed, but I guess the Jounin will have their own ways of determining whether they actually [I]like[/I] you or not, heh. [COLOR=DarkRed]And for my Cell...black, grey or dark purple seems like it would be a suitable colour, considering our dark Jounin? ^_~[/SIZE][/QUOTE] I vote black. *gets strange looks* What? I like black, it goes well with any color.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=White]Daisuke rested his forehead on his hand and groaned. He wasn?t in the same Cell as Meiko. Not only that, but his other Cell-mates were his greatest rival?s best friend Imi, and that insufferably superior Ginmaru. Although he could probably work side-by-side with either one of them with some success, the same couldn't be said for those two. They were huge rivals, they could hardly sit close together without coming to blows! Daisuke sat up straight again and looked at his two teammates, who were both glaring daggers at each other. Junko had a hand on Imi's shoulder, ready to restrain her if necessary. Then he turned and stared at Daisuke. ?Any minute now, one of those three are going to protest this match-up. And none of them are afraid of speaking their minds.? Daisuke muttered to himself. [I]Oh, well, might as well make the best of a bad situation,[/I] he added privately.[/COLOR]

[B]Project A[/B], a movie directed by Jackie Chan. He also plays the main character. That movie used so much humor based on the fact everyone's an utter moron that it [I]wasn't[/I] funny. And humor was the only good thing about it! Well, the stunts were pretty good. WORST. MOVIE. EVER. PERIOD.

Note: Ezekiel, if you're sick and tired of almost all Genin sign-ups, I'll sign up as one of the original crew. Also, Sakura, if you don't want Daisuke involved with Meiko, just say the word and it will be gone. Note 2: Thanks Sakura. [COLOR=DarkRed][B]Name:[/B] Hyuuga Daisuke - given name means "great tree" [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Age:[/B] 12 [B]Rank:[/B] Rookie Genin [B]Appearance:[/B] Looks remarkably like Hiashi, even though his parents are just his cousins. Strange how genetics work, ne? He prefers dark green loose-fitting pants but also wears a long-sleeved shirt similar to Neji?s. He wears the Konoha forehead protector on his forehead (he can?t conceive why anyone would wear it any other way, but keeps this to himself). [B]Personality:[/B] Although the shinobi tend to be a reclusive bunch (especially those with secrets to keep), Daisuke seems to have no trouble striking up small talk with his classmates. By no means the most popular kid in the class, he nonetheless has a sort of quiet charm, which combined with his openness and willingness to lend an ear to anyone who wants someone to talk to has endeared him to a majority of the class body. However, there are some people he personally dislikes. He and Junko have a heated rivalry going, each seeking Neji-sensei?s recognition. Although he and Kazuko are technically rivals, their personalities jive well enough for them to get along. He likes Meiko a lot, partly because he thinks she looks good in black, but mostly because she?s a very smart and skillful ninja and he respects her. Plus, she gave him a few good pointers on improving his aim with needles. Aside from this, Daisuke is fairly intelligent and possesses an excellent memory, but in fights he sometimes over thinks things, a weakness Junko rarely passes up a chance to point out. He always takes training and missions very seriously, sometimes practicing well into the night. Mild-mannered though he may normally be, if someone were to push him beyond a certain point and made him angry, they very well might not live to regret it. He doesn?t fly into a blind bloodlust; he just coldly calculates in a split second who he will kill and how, without any compunction about killing until afterwards. A good way to make him angry is to threaten his life, or the life of someone he cares about. [B]Equipment:[/B] Daisuke carries his kunai holster on his right hip and shuriken in a holster on his right thigh. He is also experimenting with using needles and carries a number of them on his person, some up his sleeves and many more stuck in his belt; he needs to work on his accuracy with them, but Meiko has helped him a few times. He may or may not eventually discard kunai and shuriken altogether in favor of carrying more needles. In a pouch on his left hip, he has several exploding tags, a length of strong yet thin wire, and a couple smoke bombs. He has scroll pouches for maps and jutsu scrolls as well (mostly empty for now). [B]Main Weapon/Technique:[/B] As a Hyuuga, Daisuke possesses his clan?s bloodline limit, an eye jutsu called the Byakugan. It gives the user a combination of 360 degree vision (except for the blind spot behind the thoracic vertebra), telescopic vision, and penetrating vision. He can also use chakra to detect anything within a 50-foot radius. The aspect that makes the Byakugan the most dangerous however is the ability to see the inner coil system, a system that channels chakra throughout the body like blood vessels, as well as the chakra opening points, places where chakra leaves the body to perform jutsus. Combined with the juken (Gentle Fist) style of fighting allows Daisuke to damage internal organs with his chakra, as well as possibly shutting off the chakra opening points, preventing the opponent from using jutsus requiring chakra. Like Junko, his skills are quite deadly, but still not up to par with Neji?s when he was 12. He is also experimenting with using needles to strike the chakra opening points from a distance. Like Junko, he has yet to master the Hakkesho Kaiten (Eight Trigram Palms Heavenly Spin); however it seems Junko is closer to achieving it than Daisuke, simply because Daisuke takes more time out of practice to experiment with his needles, and practice ninjutsu and genjutsu. [B]Bio:[/B] Daisuke was born into the Branch House to loving parents. Although neither were particularly skilled with the Byakugan, their son soon showed signs of greater potential. As with most Hyuugas he has had the capability to use the White Eyes since the age of three. He picked up the basics of Gentle Fist quickly but not quite as fast as Junko, so it wasn?t until age six that Hinata became his teacher. Daisuke threw himself into his training, determined not to be outdone so completely again. He succeeded, but only because both of them graduated to the school of Neji at the same time. Around this time Daisuke began working with needles. He wondered if needles could close the chakra opening points. However, he found his accuracy with them was terribly poor. Instead of giving it up as a lost cause, he began devoting more and more time to practicing with them. He soon began running into Meiko, who was also working on her aim. The first few practices, he greeted her, but largely left her alone. But when he saw that her aim was improving much faster than his own, he asked her for advice. She seemed skeptical at first but gave him some pointers. In the last few practices, Daisuke?s accuracy has markedly increased. Extra Info: -Cousins to Hinata, Neji, Junko, and Nariko -Rivals with Junko and Kazuko, but friendlier with Kazuko -Really likes Meiko -Mixed feelings for Nariko. Pities her somewhat, wishes to help, yet feels alienated, and not just because she avoids him.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Don't be sorry UXL, I ought to appologize. It wasn't until I re-read my post I realized it sounded rather... petulant. I was just trying to say I wasn't sure if I was allowed to post here or not yet. Anywho, I'll just concur with Bolt and Sakura; ditto on PMing our absentee gladiators.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]I posted a sign-up on the Inn thread, but I haven't heard from anyone yet, so sorry if this question is a bit premature (or stupid). The impartial judges judge matches by post quality, right?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][B]Name:[/B] My name is William Thatcher, but my fellow inmates have nicknamed me ?Beatdown Bill.? Try and guess why. [B]Age:[/B] 34 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Appearance:[/B][/COLOR] [IMG]http://www.soulcalibur.com/images/history/raphael_concept.jpg[/IMG] [COLOR=DarkRed]This picture is from awhile back, when I ambushed some well-off merchant on his way home. He made it home alright, just buck-naked and penniless. I won?t be using the sword but I happened to like the threads, so I?ll have a tailor reproduce them if I?m accepted. When I activate my ace, my eyes become scarlet, the whites disappear, and my pupils become vertical slits, like a cat?s or a snake?s. [B]Fighting Style:[/B] I guess you could say I?m a mid-range fighter; I like to keep my options open and to keep my opponent from getting into his groove. I do have my own groove that I like, but I?ll gladly substitute it for a strategy that makes my opponent growl in frustration (i.e. keep my distance from opponents who like fighting up close and personal, and swarm opponents who like their personal space). My personal preference is to lurk just out of my opponent?s reach, attack a few times using plenty of acceleration (speeding up in the middle of a strike to throw off your opponent?s timing), counter his attacks with acceleration, make him break his stance, and then break him with swift, powerful strikes. I follow a couple ?rules of thumb? in my fights; ?If it takes you 25 hits to take out your opponent, something was wrong with the first 24. A clean hit should at least kill him,? and ?When on the attack, think about defending; when on the defense, think about attacking. If you fail to do either one, your opponent will hit you.? See first rule of thumb for why that is bad. I also get a kick out of taunting my opponent and messing with his head. [B]Weapon:[/B] My primary weapon will be a retractable metal staff, six feet long fully extended, two feet long when retracted. I can also partially extend it to five or four feet as needed. My secondary weapon will be a [URL=http://www.tinkers-emporium.com/newpage19.htm][B]Bowie knife[/B][/URL]. [B]Ace:[/B] One of the jobs I took involved stealing a particular rare gemstone from an art exhibit for a very strange man. The stone turned out to be magical, and the man a sorcerer. He cast some sort of curse at me, probably to kill me, but purely out of instinct I raised my hands in front of me to block it, red gemstone still in hand. A bright flash of light blew me across the room, the sorcerer withered into dust, and the gemstone sank into the flesh of my hand. I still have no idea why it happened, but I did gain my ace. I have the ability to see a few seconds into the future. This makes objects seem to extend and blur in the direction they will move. I found it disorienting at first, but have since gotten used to it, however I still get the mother of all headaches when I use it for too long. My ace does not extend to the ability to foresee mental attacks or hallucinations. My eyesight, especially my night vision, improves however in total darkness I am as blind as the next guy. [B]Why Are You Here:[/B] I grew up among mercenaries, thus I became a mercenary. But then I fell in love when I was 23, married and had a daughter. I made a go of the straight path, but couldn?t make enough money, so I went back to my old ways, burglary mostly, but some assassinations on the side, anything to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. I got caught at the age of 29, was tried for a past assassination of a nobleman and his family, found guilty, and slated for execution when I reached 40. Nice birthday present. After spending five years cooling my heels in a Federal Penitentiary and mixing it up in a few heated discussions, waiting for my turn in the smoking room, I got a surprise visit from a neighbor. He was the bearer of bad tidings; the authorities had rounded up my beloved wife and beautiful daughter in the middle of the night and shipped them to a leper colony, and they weren?t there to provide for the lepers. I know they say not to kill the messenger, but I was a little upset, okay? Well, I didn?t actually kill him, but I did mess him up pretty bad, and the guards threw me in solitary for a fortnight. During my alone time, I realized I have absolutely nothing to lose. My family is long dead, so are most of my friends, and my neighbors don?t want anything to do with me anymore. I don?t want to die, but escape is out of the question; once caught, either in the attempt or recapture, they throw you straight into the nearest smoking room, without even a formality trial. Choking to death on cyanide gas isn?t as pleasant as it?s cracked up to be. I?ll take getting hacked to death over it any day; at least I have a chance in the Dead End Cup, I have no chance sitting here on my hands. [B]Personality:[/B] I?m an introvert who?s picked up on the tricks extroverts use to be the life of the party. I don?t mind being alone (so solitary confinement doesn?t bother me too much), but I also don?t mind company. I can be quite charismatic when I want to, but I save it for people I like. There?s no one in this prison I like (there?s something about imminent death that does that to you), so I?m not that popular. In a fight, I put on a real performance to psych my opponent out, while keeping my cool to avoid psyching myself out. I don?t like killing but I have done it many times in the past. Besides, they were all bad.[/COLOR] OOC: First time at sparring, but it looks like fun. As always, let me know if something needs work.

I vote: [QUOTE=Bloodseeker][size=3][B] D. I?ll just turn the heater up and watch some TV. It?s obviously my imagination. Mom?s just messing around. (I hope?) [/B][/size][/QUOTE] Also, when writing dialog, when one character stops speaking and another starts speaking, you should start a new paragraph. For example, instead of this; [quote name='Bloodseeker][I']It was great to finally have a chance to relax after so many weeks of being on the move. True safe havens like this one had become a rare find since this whole mess started. It was a nice mansion? the walls and much of the furniture was made of obviously old yet very well kept wood (looked like mahogany). Many things were made of marble, including the kitchen and bathroom floors. The extremely powerful incantations on the walls and gates kept the average individual from even perceiving the mansion, and kept the stronger-than-average individuals out. You sunk comfortably into a black leather couch that formed a crescent moon around a big, round, wooden table.. ?So what?s your deal anyways?? You looked up across the table at Tessa, who looked quiet comfortable sitting on her end of the couch. ?You really are an odd case. You?re obviously pretty strong, yet I was unable to find any information on you? not even a brief mention in the Paladin database! And they have information on everyone and everything related to the supernatural! Honestly, I?ve never seen any group or individual of any significance that didn?t have a full file in the Paladin database!? ?Well I?m relatively new to the game, and I?ve been trying to stay under the radar for obvious reasons. Add the two together, and they probably haven?t had enough time to collect any worthwhile information on me, much less file a full report.? A maid sat a cheeseburger and a Dr. Pepper on the table. You laughed. ?I would have thought that such a nice place would serve rich people food!? ?The young mistress informed me that you prefer this cheap food over expensive food, so I assumed that this would be along the lines of what you wanted. But I can use some dinner if you don?t want it.? ?Nah, you assumed right. I would have turned down dinner if it were that expensive crap. Honestly, how can people make a diet out of expensive alcohol and fish eggs? ?Speaking of ?the young mistress?, where is she exactly? Or Yusuke for that matter?? ?Yusuke seems to be enjoying the arcade and the young mistress has secluded herself in her room. She?s probably resting.? ?Yeah, that?s probably it.? More like hopefully it?[/I][/quote] try this; [QUOTE=Bloodseeker][I]It was great to finally have a chance to relax after so many weeks of being on the move. True safe havens like this one had become a rare find since this whole mess started. It was a nice mansion? the walls and much of the furniture was made of obviously old yet very well kept wood (looked like mahogany). Many things were made of marble, including the kitchen and bathroom floors. The extremely powerful incantations on the walls and gates kept the average individual from even perceiving the mansion, and kept the stronger-than-average individuals out. You sunk comfortably into a black leather couch that formed a crescent moon around a big, round, wooden table.. ?So what?s your deal anyways?? You looked up across the table at Tessa, who looked quiet comfortable sitting on her end of the couch. ?You really are an odd case. You?re obviously pretty strong, yet I was unable to find any information on you? not even a brief mention in the Paladin database! And they have information on everyone and everything related to the supernatural! Honestly, I?ve never seen any group or individual of any significance that didn?t have a full file in the Paladin database!? ?Well I?m relatively new to the game, and I?ve been trying to stay under the radar for obvious reasons. Add the two together, and they probably haven?t had enough time to collect any worthwhile information on me, much less file a full report.? A maid sat a cheeseburger and a Dr. Pepper on the table. You laughed. ?I would have thought that such a nice place would serve rich people food!? ?The young mistress informed me that you prefer this cheap food over expensive food, so I assumed that this would be along the lines of what you wanted. But I can use some dinner if you don?t want it.? ?Nah, you assumed right. I would have turned down dinner if it were that expensive crap. Honestly, how can people make a diet out of expensive alcohol and fish eggs? ?Speaking of ?the young mistress?, where is she exactly? Or Yusuke for that matter?? ?Yusuke seems to be enjoying the arcade and the young mistress has secluded herself in her room. She?s probably resting.? ?Yeah, that?s probably it.? More like hopefully it?[/I][/QUOTE] It helps to break it up a bit, make it easier to read. Other than that, it's great. Nice use of description, the characters seem interesting, and you seem to be drawing on characters and story elements from several anime and/or manga. And major kudos for introducing a cool concept to the Anthology.

[quote name='Lilt][font=Comic Sans MS][size=2][color=#00bfff]Actually, this is the last thing. :animeswea What should the guys change into, if anything? Maybe samurais? What do you guys think?[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] I thought of samurais too :wow:. Scary. But another option would be ancestor Budhist monks. Or they could be just ordinary guys suddenly caught up in these weird happenings. I don't know, just throwing ideas around. BTW, I might not be able to sign up for this RP, I got a lot on my plate as is. Sorry.

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Sato Setsuko stood rooted to the spot, horror and icy fear freezing him in place. This was the first time he had seen the Hollow One kill with his own eyes. And the laugh indicated it wouldn't be the last this day. Setsuko had sneaked out of the training hall when he heard the news of the battle. He wasn't alone; a large crowd representing all the squads had gathered. And now, the silent crowd watched as yet another brother-in-arms, the indomitable Sado-fukutaicho, fell to the abomination. He glanced down at his hands. They were pale and shaking like leaves in a gale. He clenched his hands into tight fists, wincing as fingernails bit into his palms and thin streams of blood flowed off his hands, washed away by the rain. At least they stopped shaking. Then he heard it. Over the steady drumroll of rain on rock. Over the chilling, inhuman laugh of the Hollow One. Between crashes of thunder. The ring of steel on steel, katana drawn from their saya. Setsuko and Denkou Yaiba joined in the music. Nobody would face the Hollow-Faced Shinigami one-on-one now, not as long as he had a say.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Setsuko ran down a side alley, heart hammering, and breath coming in gasps. [I]I don?t know what?s going on,[/I] he thought, [I]but it can?t be good.[/I] He veered left, feet pounding out a desperate drum roll, leaped over a wall, dashed along a main road, didn?t matter what section of the Court, just get to the training hall. Flash of movement. Setsuko stopped dead and looked down a connecting alley. Lightning flashed, revealing nothing but a blank wall and an empty alley. He dashed off again; cold rain and colder fear numbing any pain left in his mild injuries, legs pumping like pistons, took a sharp right and almost collided with one of his own squad. He?d arrived at the training hall without realizing it. The whole squad was abuzz. Setsuko soon found out the impossible truth. The Hollow-Faced One had killed the Guardian of the Court, the undefeatable Jidanbou. [I]Dead.[/I] That one word echoed in his mind. [I]Dead.[/I] ??and he?s in the Court of Pure Souls now, who knows when he?ll strike.? ?He?ll slaughter us all!? wailed Suzuki, a young Shinigami. ?No he won?t!? Setsuko shouted with equal volume. He wouldn?t let himself or anyone else give in to panic. He couldn?t. ?How do you know? He slaughtered an entire battalion of warriors from the 11th Squad?? Setsuko cut him off. ?And how many battalions are in the Court of Pure Souls now? Mark my words, this time the bastard?s bitten off more than he can chew.? ?Nice bravado,? whispered Chieko in his ear, ?but numbers aren?t everything.? ?You?re right. The rest is hope.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Sato Setsuko approached the hot springs with a few misgivings. He knew his taicho was in the hot spring, having seen his things in the changing area, and Utamuro would probably ask about the scrapes and bruises. Setsuko, however, would have to face his taicho sooner or later, and sooner seemed more preferable, with the taicho relaxing and (hopefully) in a good mood. So Setsuko stepped out to the spring confidently, and addressed him. ?Ah, Yakuta-taicho?? he began, but stopped, ?er, what are you doing?? Utamuro was crouched down near the wooden divider that separated the men?s and women?s sides of the hot spring, face almost pressed against something that looked suspiciously like glass. ?Is that a window!?? Setsuko exclaimed without thinking. Everything went deathly silent. Setsuko felt the bloodlust radiating from the women on the other side. Utamuro turned very slowly to face him, took in the younger Shinigami?s condition with a glance, and growled, ?Kono baka na?? He. Was. Not. Happy. Before Setsuko could even babble an apology, the lecherous taicho flew past him to the changing room, where he heard him simultaneously swearing and wrestling into his kimono. Setsuko sighed, walked over to the window and forcefully slid the plank shut. [I]This has definitely not been my day for impressing Yakuta-taicho.[/I] Setsuko slid into the water, the heat relaxing overworked and aching muscles, melting the pain of the bruises away. After awhile, he heard voices on the other side, but didn?t pay much attention. But then he found his eyes looking back to the well-concealed window again and again, as though magnetically attracted, and even found himself approaching it slowly. [I]Ina![/I] he thought, striking himself round the head, [I]Impure, dangerous thoughts!!![/I] Setsuko quickly left the spring, donned his clothes, and wandered aimlessly down a lane, Denkou Yaiba swinging at his side. [I]Kuso, Yakuta-taicho has polluted my mind. I oughta destroy that window.[/I] Then he stopped dead in his tracks. [I]Ina, he?d know, he?d kill me for it, then install a new window.[/I] He smiled at that last thought, the grin widening as it started to rain. He privately enjoyed rain, especially storms? Up ahead, there was apparently a storm in progress, two Shinigami locked in battle, Akuma and Orihime by the looks of it. He knew both in passing, but not very well. At that moment, Setsuko felt the taicho channel a lot of spiritual energy into his Zanpakutoh and knocked Orihime flying. He helped her up, said something, and then left. Orihime seemed a bit cut up, so he approached, and asked, ?Sumimasen, do you need help??[/COLOR] OOC: Just wanted to strike up a conversation with someone, hope you don?t mind, ^.^.

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Several minutes ago- Sato Setsuko hurried along the path, clutching several bokken to his chest, and silently cursing his luck that he happened to be the most junior Shinigami present at the training hall, thus the appointment to fetch the wooden practice swords. But this task had to be performed, and he would complete it in record time if it killed him. On the home stretch to the training hall, his sandal caught the hem of his robe, sending him sprawling. ?Daijobou, Sato-kun?? called a confident and all too familiar voice from an upper-story window. Sure enough, it was the Captain of his Squad. Needless to say, Setsuko didn?t feel too proud of himself at that moment. [I]The curse of having such distinctive hair,[/I] he thought in his pink-haired head, [I]everyone knows it?s you from a mile away.[/I] ?Hai, Yakuta-taicho!? he called back, doing his best to keep the sheepishness out of his smile. He gathered the scattered bokken as quickly as he dared, not wanting to make a fool of himself in front of his Captain twice in five seconds, and dashed headlong to his destination, now cursing out the one responsible for his pink hair. Inside, Setsuko skidded to a stop in front of the Vice-Captain of his Squad. ?Ohayo, Hiwatari-fukutaicho,? he said, ?I brought the bokken.? ?You ran the whole way?? Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow as she selected a bokken. ?Hai.? ?And the Energizer Bunny isn?t even out of breath,? commented Sanada Chieko. Setsuko shrugged modestly, ?Well, I keep going and going and ?? ?So get going,? Chieko suggested, enforcing it with a whack across the rump. [CENTER]***[/CENTER] Shortly thereafter, Setsuko was treated to a display of his Captain?s skill; as Utamuro left, steering Sakura along with him, the younger Shinigami could only shake his head in admiration. [I]If I can get as good as him, without the ego, I?d be perfectly happy,[/I] he thought. ?Hey, Energizer Bunny,? called Chieko, tossing him Sakura?s discarded bokken, ?let?s spar.? Setsuko glanced around, realizing too late that everyone else was [B]very[/B] busy sparring and he had no one else to partner. [I]Damn it all, she outranks me by five seats AND she?s pissed off. This is not going to end well. Got to think, how did Yakuta-taicho beat her?[/I] He pissed her off? ?Gomen ne, Sanada-sama,? he said, ?I only spar pretty girls.? [I]That oughta spike her blood pressure.[/I] His ?plan? worked well. A bit too well. ?How would you know the difference, you queer?? she shrieked back. The next interval of time was a bit of a blur to the younger Shinigami, mostly the strident clack of bokken, cries of pain, grunts of effort, and everything suddenly taking on a red hue. It took him a moment after he regained a true sense of space and time that he could stop swinging his bokken. Chieko was down, sporting some prominent bruises and lumps. [I]Now I?ve done it,[/I] he thought. Setsuko slung Chieko over his shoulder and headed to the healer. The healer took one look at him and immediately insisted on treating him, too. After enduring treatment he didn't think necessary, Setsuko headed for the hot springs, both on the healer's advice and his own desire to relax. Even the Energizer Bunny had its limits. On the way there, he stopped at his quarters, and continued on his way, Denkou Yaiba swaying at his hip. The young Shinigami wasn't entirely sure why he bothered to pick up his Zanpakutoh, but the thought that Chieko might recover quickly and seek a rematch seemed a good enough reason to him. But then as he came into view of the hot springs, he found other things to divert his attention. Such as the fact adrenaline had stopped circulating through his blood and he was now painfully aware of how hard Chieko had beat on him.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Name: Sato Setsuko (Surname, Given name) Gender: Male Rank: 10th Squad, 10th Seat Appearance: Setsuko is a youngish-looking man of about average height, skinny build, and is also a bit long-limbed. He has a long, but remarkably cheerful face. His shocking pink hair grows every which-way and sticks out at odd angles, so in an attempt to exert some control over it he wears it short. The spiky bangs hang down over his high brow, but don?t hang in front of his eyes. His gray eyes are very expressive and actually change color with his mood; they turn a lighter shade when he?s in good spirits, but darken when in the grip of negative emotions. His nose is straight and narrow. He has full lips that are usually pulled back in a wide smile, revealing straight white teeth. He wears the usual Shinigami robes and wears his Zanpakutoh on his left hip. Zanpakutoh - Appearance: Saya is lacquered blue with a yellow lightning design running the whole length. The tsuba is an ordinary oval. The blade is a non-reflective black, the hilt is wrapped with blue cloth, and a bright yellow tassel hangs off of the end of the hilt. Name: Denkou Yaiba (Lightning Blade) Shikai Call-Out: Sutoraiku (Strike) Shikai Appearance: Denkou Yaiba becomes a double-edged broadsword with serrated edges. The blade is silver in color, the crossguard is a rod (also silvery), the hilt is wrapped with black leather, and the tassel is gone. The blade is usually surrounded by electrical energy. Shikai Power: The blade carries an electric current, and can also fire electric discharges at targets. Bankai: Yeah, riiiiight. Personality: Setsuko is fiercely loyal to his squad, desperate to rise, and performs all his tasks with boundless energy and enthusiasm. That plus his hair have earned him the nickname ?Energizer Bunny.? He does find his captain?s habit of chasing women as though they were going out of style a bit disturbing, however he likes women as much as the next straight man. Anyone saying otherwise gets beaten senseless. Character Snippit: Sato Setsuko was cornered. He faced a giant praying mantis Hollow, which had followed him down an alleyway. The plan had been to lead it into an ambush, with him as bait, however he had taken a wrong turn and ended up facing a brick wall. [I]This won?t be easy[/I], Setsuko thought. ?You?re all by yourself But you?re not alone.? He drew Denkou Yaiba, but held his ground, waiting for the Hollow to make the first move. He didn?t have to wait long. The Hollow charged straight at him, intending to subdue him before he could put up a fight. Setsuko spun the sword arround, making the tassel dance. There was a function for even this decoration. Since human eyes (and thus Hollow eyes) are attracted to movement and bright colors, it served as a distraction, even if a momentary one. The mantis swung one foreleg at Setsuko, who just managed to deflect the blow, then swung right at its skull-like mask. The Hollow blocked with its other foreleg, and pushed back. Setsuko scuttled back, leaving the Hollow temporarily off-balance. ?Sutoraiku!? shouted Setsuko, and launched a concentrated blast of electricity at the Hollow. The Hollow leaped over Setsuko?s head, and before he could turn around, struck downward with both forelegs. He just barely blocked with his sword, right hand on the hilt, the left supporting the other side of the sword on the flat. Electricity sparked off the hard chitin exoskeleton of the mantis Hollow. It laughed wickedly, a sound unpleasantly like a sword being sharpened. ?You can?t stop [I]me[/I] from feeding on your soul!? it shouted triumphantly. The Hollow slowly forced Setsuko into a crouch, and also caused the serration of the sword to cut into his hand. ?You don?t have the strength to hold me off you, let alone cut me,? it gloated. ?I don?t need to!? Setsuko shot back as a thin stream of blood trickled down his arm. He let his left hand drop, spun around, and used the momentum of the spin and the mantis?s own strength to stab the blade deep into its thorax, sending electricity flowing throughout its body. After a few screams, the mantis collapsed, smoking. But it didn't dissapate, it didn't even lose consciousness. Setsuko stood over the mantis Hollowfor a long moment , just staring into its livid eyes, maddened with rage. ?Driven by hate, Consumed by fear.? In that split second, he pitied the monster. Then he drew the sword back and leveled it right between the monster?s eyes. ?Let the bodies hit the floor.? After the body disintigrated and the purified soul left for Soul Society, Setsuko dropped to his knees, utterly spent. His comrades found him just before he passed out, and he told them, ?One more Hollow purified.? OOC: Hope this is acceptable, and as always let me know if I need something changed. Oh, and the quotes I snuck in the Character Snippit are from [U]Bodies[/U] by ?Drowning Pool.?[/COLOR]

Sorry I haven't replied in an age. But Nebackenezzer's back... as Cambrian_Explosion! Yeah I got my username changed. Nebackenezzer died and from the ashes I was born anew, like that glorified flaming chicken called the Phoenix (in my defence, I think the Phoenix is cool just as much as the next person). And I have improved upon... nothing! Ha! Anyways, you still want feedback on Scene Switchers? I was thinking you could do something with [I]Inuyasha[/I], with Kevin appearing in the Feudal Era. But he can't find the Rip he has to repair. He only finds it near the end of the story, when he finds out that Kagome regularly travels to her own time, and discovers the Rip is in present-day Tokyo. Problem is, I can't think of a good place for Kevin to unobtrusively jump into the story. Do you think this idea might work? C_E

Yes! Octopi are my favorite invertabrates (though I do like cepholopods in general because they are all so friggin COOL!!!!). And yeah, all octopi have eight arms, that's why they've got the prefix octo- (eight) in front of their names. There are horror stories of both giant octopi and giant squids. Oh, and Deathbug, there is more evidence that octopi can learn. Someone did an experiment, where a bunch of small octopi were isolated in their own aquariums so they couldn't see each other. The octopi were given a clear, sealed jar with a crab inside. Some discovered how to open the jar and get at the prey inside, but some were stumped. Then our scientist put one octopus who learned how to open the jar next to one who couldn't figure it out (still separate aquariums, but they can see each other easily). He then put another jarred crab in with the octopus who knew how to open the jar. With a rival watching, he took it to the most distant corner he could, and proceded to open the jar. The other octopus moved around to get a good vantage point of the procedings, and watched how the other octopus opened the jar. Finally, the scientist gave the octopus who couldn't figure out how to open the jar himself, and he opened it easily. The scientist did this a few times, and results were consistent. Saw it on PBS once, and thought I'd tell you.