Neko

November 3, 2008 [B]User Name:[/B] Neko (Formerly Wave_of_Death) [B]Age:[/B] 18 [B]OB member since: [/B]01-10-2004 [B]Favorite Hangout:[/B] Cultural District, Theatre, Auditions, etc. [B]Submission:[/B] I joined OB back when I was fangirling over the .hack series and stumbled onto this as an extension of MyOtaku, and subsequentially finding a .hack adventure with some fellow OBers who have become close friends of mine since then. Since I started posting in the Theatre, I've been striving to improve my writing skills and storytelling abilities in general. It's been rough, but it's been a fun time, and we're not done yet. [B]Final Note:[/B] If .hack//TRUTH isn't done by the time this capsule is re-opened, HEADS WILL ROLL! XD

[B]Nasuverse[/B] (M - VLS) A TYPE-MOON crossover adventure The Holy Grail. An ancient relic that grants one?s wishes. The manifestation of dreams made real, a catalyst for the working of miracles beyond mortal comprehension. For hundreds of years the Holy Grail War, a cataclysmic battle traditionally fought between seven ?masters? and their respective ?servants? for the right to approach the grail and command its awesome power for their deepest desire, has taken place in Fuyuki city, a relatively small and inconspicuous town in Japan, hidden away from the eyes of normal humans. A battle in secret, a war between a mere seven individuals that could never be witnessed by anyone not taking place in the event. A once in a lifetime opportunity. The product of an unusual arrangement between the Mage?s association and the Vatican, the actual ?war? has traditionally been strictly regulated, a clear outline of rules laid out before the participants; Seven masters, all from a family of magical lineage, or with some Magus-related proficiency, and seven servants, one each, of the seven classes, Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Berserker, Assassin, and Rider. The servants themselves, legendary heroes and monsters from ages past, controlled by mere humans to try to obtain that ultimate power. By laying down these, among other rules, the Mage?s association and the Vatican were able to for once work together to keep this powerful artifact under control. At least, that was the idea. The past few wars have taken disastrous tolls on Fuyuki city and, even worse, on the Holy Grail itself. The incident in the fourth Holy Grail War, which left much of the city in ruins, and a mere ten years later, the calamity of the fifth Holy Grail War, where the Grail itself was contaminated by [B]Angra Mainyu[/B], and had to be destroyed and replaced. Many lives were lost. The destruction was irreparable. Much of what had once been legend, had faded back into mythology. In a rare move, the Vatican made a proposition to the Mage?s association that all effort be made to push the next War as soon as possible, before the damage became permanent. The Mage?s association, a longtime nemesis of the Vatican, only agreeing to work with them in the first place because they needed a mediator, naturally objected the idea. A representative was sent, and the outline of the plan was explained. The idea was simple: summon the newly made Holy Grail to initiate the next War, and control all seven of the ?Masters?. Once a victor was decided, have them wish for ?everything to return to the way it was before?. A sound plan, right? Initiate the new war, force a victor, decide the outcome of the wish. Fools, each and every one of them. The eventual winner of the sixth Holy Grail War was none other than Emiya Shirou, a victim of the fourth War and the hero of the fifth. But, when the Grail appeared before him, he refused the wish that had been scripted to him. Who would?ve known? Out of all the contestants, Shirou was thought to be the one that would most want to ?reset? the War in the first place. But what he ended up wishing for was even more calamitous than the previous two wars combined. [I]He wished for another War.[/I] Moreover, he created an entirely new set of rules for the Grail to follow. And, even [I]further[/I], he wished for all of those who had died and were involved in the previous Wars to come back to life. The new rules he outlined were, in fact, even simpler than the rules that had been in place before. There practically were none. The seven servant limit was still in place, but the seven master limit was removed. The Holy Grail War was now open to anyone that wished to participate. Both the Mage?s association and the Vatican were outraged, partially because of this fundamental destruction of the system they had carefully put in place for what they felt was the protection of humanity, but mostly because [I]there was simply nothing they could do about it[/I]. There was no choice but to participate in the next Holy Grail War and attempt to emerge victorious, and use their wish to reverse the damage that Shirou had caused. It?s been a mere two years since that wish was granted, and already the Grail has shown signs of reappearing. A wise woman once said that unusual objects attract one another. And surely enough, as the day draws near when the Grail reappears again, humans, mages, and vampires are all gathering towards Fuyuki city to compete in the new War, now that the Seven-mage-only rule has been lifted. The time has come for the Seventh Holy Grail War.   Welcome, welcome, to the TYPE-MOON crossover adventure! Following the general mechanics of Fate/Stay Night, this story will be bringing in characters and concepts from both Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime, both of famed novelist Kinoko Nasu?s finest and most well-known achievements. The rules for this adventure are going to be, out of necessity, somewhat strict, but hopefully they should provide an outline for all potential participants to thoroughly enjoy themselves over the course of the adventure. [U]Rules:[/U] 1. At the very least, fundamental knowledge of the backstory and terminology of Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime is a requirement. If you are completely unfamiliar with either of these, it is [U]highly recommended[/U] that you don?t join this adventure, or, at the very least, do some serious research before signing up. Thoroughly examining both main Wikipedia articles should be sufficient, but it is encouraged that one researches even further if necessary. 2. Both Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime are, by an admittedly large stretch of the term, eroge visual novels. This adventure is rated M ? VLS [B][U][I]for a reason[/I][/U][/B]. If you are uncomfortable with graphic violence or mild-to-strong sexual themes, and you still choose to sign up, just remember that you had fair warning. 3. This adventure should be viewed as a collective effort to create a story that is as fun to read for the casual forum-goer as it is to write for the participants. As a group, the participants should strive for quality of storytelling, [I]not[/I] quantity of posts per day. If more time is spent on each post, then not only will it be easier to keep track of the story but the end product will be far more enjoyable to read. Quality of posting will be a minor factor in the ?group meetings?, which will be discussed in rule four. 4. As a collective, participants will periodically discuss, via a sub-thread in the backstage, all significant changes in the story?s direction, such as character deaths, outcomes of any battles in progress, and ideas for new directions in the general plotline. These discussions will generally be held in a voting-style fashion (i.e. voting on whether a character should be killed, or the outcome of a present battle). 5. Out of necessity, PMs will have a wide variety of uses throughout this adventure, in the form of anything from updates from me regarding important plot information to interactions between two participants that not only can other characters not know about in the story, but the other participants writing the story themselves can also not know about. (In other words, being secretive with others is going to be not only encouraged, but at times necessary) 6. Regarding sign-ups, participants are welcome to choose almost any Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, or Melty Blood character to play as (exceptions will be listed), providing they are familiar with said character?s personality, OR, with reasonable limitations, participants are also welcome to create their own characters. More information regarding that in the sign-ups section. 7. Adventures are supposed to be [I]fun[/I]. I fully believe that it is not only possible to have fun even with all of these rules in place, but even more so than if they weren?t. I hope that anyone who chooses to participate will be able to appreciate that by attempting to control the environment a bit, I am trying to create a more accurate copy of the Nasuverse?s atmosphere. [U]Sign-ups:[/U] Did ya make it through all those rules okay? No? Ah, well, if you?re still reading, you?ll get over it. Finally, it?s just about time to get to the sign-up sheet for this adventure. There are just a few more things that I need to take care of first. First, for obvious reasons, not EVERY character is ?playable?, as several characters in Nasuverse are simply too powerful to be ?balanced?, and therefore should not be controlled by any of the participants. Please also note that even though these characters are banned from direct control, most, if not all of them, as well as just about every other character in Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime, will at the very least make an appearance. The ?Banned? list: Crimson Moon, Zelretch, Primate Murder, ORT, Zoken Matou (not overly powerful, just boring), Caubac Alcatraz (impossible to do anything with), Aoko Aozaki, Einnashe, Roa, the Dark Six, Mech Hisui (joke character), Neko-Arc (also a joke character) [B]NOTE:[/B] If you will be making your own character for this adventure, please show some self-restraint. Characters deemed overly-powerful will be rejected, or subjected to serious design makeovers. So, if you think you?re ready, without further adieu: the [B][I][U]Sign-up sheet.[/U][/I][/B] [B]Name [/B](or Class, if you are a Servant): [B]True Name [/B](if applicable): [B]Age [/B](if immortal make note of this and list apparent age): [B]Character Type[/B]: - Human - Vampire (Dead Apostle Ancestor, if applicable)(cannot be Master) - Magus - Master (limit 7) - Servant (limit 7) [B]Appearance[/B] (a picture or description will do quite nicely): [B]Personality[/B]: [B]Weapons[/B] (if applicable): [B]Powers[/B] (if applicable): - Mystic Eyes - Reality Marbles - Noble Phantasms - Vampiric Abilities - Other Abilities [B]Allegiance[/B] (Vatican, Mages association, master, parent vampire, etc.)(if applicable): [B]Wish[/B] (aka reason for being in the Holy Grail War): [B]Bio[/B]: ([U]the quality of this section will decide whether or not you qualify to participate, so get creative and pump out some quality work[/U]) [B]Please note that you still have to fill out the entirety of the sign-up if you will be controlling a pre-established character. Take the character?s personality into account when filling in any sections that aren?t explicitly obvious.[/B] Character-Specific Guidelines (only applicable if you?re playing as an existing Nasuverse character): [U]-Tsukihime:[/U] [B]Shiki Tohno[/B] ? Can temporarily activate alter ego, becomes very fast and ruthless. Suffers anemic attack upon deactivation. (Shiki Nanaya) [B]Arcueid Brunestud[/B] ? Must begin at 30% power, despite continuity issues, or else she?d be banned. Can temporarily activate alter ego, goes into a ?blood frenzy?, becomes incredibly powerful and temporarily invincible, even in daytime. Is always labeled as ?True Ancestor? in addition to ?Vampire?. (Warcueid) [B]Akiha Tohno[/B] ? Involuntarily activates ?inversion impulse? if she goes to long without feeding on Kohaku (Vermillion Akiha) [B]Elesia Ciel[/B] ? (referred to simply as ?Ciel?)Is immortal until Roa is killed. Only has access to Seventh Holy Scripture ?Nanako? during desperate situations. [B]Warakia[/B] ? will be appearing in his singular form, because otherwise he would be banned. [B]Len[/B] ? Has no alternate ?White Len? mode, so don?t worry about that. Has been given a Reality Marble that does nothing other than make the weather lightly snowy on command. [B]Satsuki Yumiduka[/B] ? Will die. Sorry, but it?s a Tsukihime tradition. [U]-Fate/Stay Night:[/U] [B]Shirou Emiya [/B]? has the advantage of being closer to his full power than any other character at the beginning of the adventure. [B]Saber[/B] (if using original)? Can only obtain Excalibur and Avalon through Shirou?s Trace ability later on in the adventure. Until then uses Caliburn. [B]Berserker[/B] (if using original)? Still has twelve lives. (Godhand) [B]Sakura Matou[/B] ? has the option to become ?the Shadow? over time as Zoken Matou becomes more powerful. If Zoken is killed, will become Dark Sakura. (aka VERY BAD for everyone else.) [B]Ilyasviel Von Einsberg[/B] ? Is the new Holy Grail?s projection of itself, for continuity?s sake. Her allegiance is ?none? and her wish is ?perpetuate the Holy Grail War?. [B]The following section is supplementary, and may not necessarily need to be read by someone who is more than just vaguely acquainted with the Nasuverse. The following section contains special guidelines for certain characters as well as a conveniently brief general terminology section for those that need it.[/B] General Character Guidelines: [B]Humans[/B] ? physically weak, in general incapable of any form of magic. Despite this, there are several fairly powerful Human characters in the Nasuverse, such as Shiki Tohno. [B]Vampires[/B] ? physically powerful, incapable of performing magic, instead having several vampiric abilities. In the Nasuverse, Vampires are required to feed on human blood (?new genetic material?) to stop their bodies from decaying unless they are True Ancestor level vampires, which includes only Arcueid Brunestud. [B]Magi[/B] ? physically weak, capable of magic. Some Nasuverse Magi have Reality Marbles which can give them an edge in combat. [B]Master[/B] ? Physically weak, able to use magic, can control ?Servant? class characters. [B]Servant[/B] ? Powerful, has access to many abilities, including powers from when they were alive. Must serve under a master at all times. Character Interactions: [U]Regarding the master/servant relationship:[/U] One advantage to being a master in this adventure is that your randomly assigned servant is required to obey you (yes, this includes if that servant happens to be another participant?s character). Each Master is given 3 Command Spells, which they can use to force their servant to do something that that servant would otherwise be incapable and/or unwilling to do. If a master uses up all the Command Spells, the servant is no longer bound to the master, and can reassign itself to another if it chooses (keep in mind that a servant can only survive about 3 days with no master to supply it mana, and this timeframe grows shorter at an incredible rate when exerting themselves in combat). This is a crossover, and all of the original relationships do not apply; the characters begin not knowing each-other as participants in the Hoy Grail War, although some characters may know each-other as neighbors or school acquaintances. There is no problem at all with, for example, Tsukihime?s Ciel having a servant, if she just happens to be assigned one (more on that in a few seconds). As all of the relationships have been effectively reset, it is [B]STRONGLY ENCOURAGED[/B] that the participants begin by casually interacting with one another to build up ?friends?, ?rivals?, and, later on, ?enemies?. The first part of the story is going to be less aggressive to provide the participants sufficient time to form their preliminary relationships. Remember, even though the eventual goal is to obtain the Holy Grail, there are no parameters set on the method of attainment, and participants may choose to form alliances to defeat each-other. If you plan on backstabbing or making extra alliances without your allies knowing, a good strategy is to vaguely ?go somewhere? in the story, and proceed to use the PM system to contact the person/people you are trying to form a new alliance with. Finally (the end, yay!), many important events that are not/cannot be decided by vote in the backstage thread will be decided by me through random chance via assigning things to numbers and running them through a random number generator. The masters of the seven servants will be decided through this method (hence the potential for Tsukihime characters to have servants assigned to them). To make things interesting, I will use the same system to give a random participant the opportunity to control, as an additional character, Shiki Ryougi from [I]Kara no Kyokai[/I], another Kinoko Nasu work. I will provide Shiki Ryougi?s character sheet along with my own, and will allow the ?winner? of the character the choice to accept or refuse control of her, at which point I will randomly choose another participant. Similar roulettes will periodically be run to control additional characters/gain additional powers throughout the story. Terminology for the newcomer: [B]Nasuverse[/B] ? Since all of the stories written by Kinoko Nasu follow the same basic abilities, powers, terminology, and indeed even some characters, it is officially recognized that all of Kinoko Nasu?s works take place in the same ?setting?, or 'world'. This collective world is commonly referred to as the ?Nasuverse?, hence the name of this adventure. [B]True Ancestor[/B] ? Those who are vampires ?from the very beginning?. True Ancestors have no need to drink blood, and are more akin to ?spirits of the world? than the traditional vampire. As of this storyline, all True Ancestors other than Arcueid Brunestud have been wiped out by the 27 Ancestors of Dead Apostles. [B]Dead Apostles[/B] ? humans who have had their blood sucked by vampires. These are closest to traditional Vampires. [B]The 27 Ancestors of Dead Apostles[/B] ? a list of 27 [U]extraordinarily powerful[/U] Dead Apostles who rival or even surpass the True Ancestors in power. One can only join the ranks of the 27 dead apostles by 1) being immortal and 2) killing off a current member. Despite being listed as a group, the 27 Ancestors of Dead Apostles are for the most part rivals or enemies with each-other. To put their power into perspective, each Kinoko Nasu work tends to revolve around only one or two of the 27, who act as the main antagonist or ?final boss?. [B]The Dead[/B] ? corpses which act as puppets or servants to Dead Apostles. The Dead have no will of their own and exist only to serve their masters. A Dead Apostle can have any number of The Dead in his/her service. [B]Demon[/B] ? Demons apparently exist in the Nasuverse, although they never appear, and the Tohno family in particular all have demonic blood, with the exception of Shiki Tohno. [B]Burial Agency[/B] ? the Vatican ?hit squad? which hunts down and executes supernatural creatures, namely vampires. The Burial Agency utilizes conceptual weapons formed by sealing away supernatural spirits, and also has many ancient religious relics at its disposal. [B]Mage?s Association[/B] ? a collection of Magi that act as administrators of all magical activity in the world. Possess many magical relics and Magi of exceptional talent and power. [B]Magic Circuit[/B] ? everyone has a certain number of magic circuits in their body, akin to ?veins? through which spiritual energy flows. Magic circuits, by default, aren?t ?activated?, and one must ?switch them on? using some means, which is usually subconscious. One only has a certain number of circuits in their body, which determines one?s ?maximum? magic potential, and under normal circumstances the number of circuits in a body cannot be changed. The average human has no magic circuits, although some may have one. [B]Magic[/B] ? the normal type of magic that one thinks about when one hears the word ?magic?. [B]Magus, mage[/B] ? a human capable of performing magic. Magi have far more Magic Circuits than normal humans. [B]Sorcery [/B]? ?true miracles? that cannot be explained by science or magic. There exist only five people capable of true sorcery, and none of them are playable. [B]Sorcerer[/B] ? a being capable of performing true magic, or ?sorcery?. [B]Reality Marble [/B]? a physical manifestation of one?s spirit. Reality Marbles come in all kinds and uses, have their own names, and any one being can only have up to one Reality Marble. Not all Reality Marbles even have combat-oriented uses, and some are even powers which are simply integral to their owner?s existence, such as Nrvnqsr?s ?[U]Lair of the Beast King[/U]? Reality Marble, which holds his body together. [B]Marble Phantasm[/B] ? exceptionally powerful beings have Marble Phantasms instead of Reality Marbles. A Marble Phantasm can manifest itself in any way the user chooses, from creating things out of nothing, to destroying enemies. The only official characters that possess Marble Phantasms are Arcueid Brunestud and Dead Apostle Ancestor #9, Altrouge Brunestud. [B]Noble Phantasm[/B] ? All servants have multiple Noble Phantasms that take on the form of abilities or weapons from their past lives as legendary heroes or monsters. Examples of this would be the original Saber?s sword, or the original Berzerker?s ?Godhand? ability. [B]Mystic Eyes[/B] ? an ability one gains through having Magic circuits open in their eyes. Commonly enable limited telecommunication and hypnosis. [B]Mystic Eyes of Death Perception[/B] ? an especially powerful kind of Mystic Eye that enables one to perceive ?death?. This skill cannot be learned, but is rather related to the presence of a very powerful circuit in the eyes, a near-death experience to activate it, and one?s capability to comprehend ?death?. The pressure of this power is extremely harmful to a normal human?s brain, and will kill them over time the more it is used. Shiki Tohno and Shiki Ryougi are the only pre-established characters with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and only Shiki Ryougi does not appear to suffer adverse effects from it. [B]Master[/B] ? one who controls a Servant through the Command Spell. [B]Servant[/B] ? a spiritual entity that fights for a Master. Servants are actually legendary heroes or monsters from ages past, but they keep their true identities secret from each-other, as the knowledge of their identity leads to the knowledge of their weaknesses. [B]Command Spell[/B] ? crystallized magic found on a Master?s backhand which links them to their Servant. The command Spell is a three-part symbol, and Masters can issue their servants ?Absolute Commands? by spending mana (the amount varies depending on the Command) and, in addition, spending one piece of the symbol. If all three parts of the symbol are used up, the Servant is no longer bound to the master. Also, a Master can accept another Master?s command symbols as well as their Servant, or conversely, forcefully take the Command Spells by killing the Master (which usually also involves killing the Servant, which is the downside of this arrangement).

[B]"I couldn't believe it wasn't butter"[/B] - random [B]"He passed away with his pride"[/B] - foolish hero stereotypes [B]"Level 9999. I guess I lose."[/B] - my response to Item God in [U]Disgaea[/U].

[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"]When they returned, Kia was gazing absentmindedly out at the world around her, watching the people run busily this way and that. She had decided that rather than go off adventuring on her own while they were away, she would sit right there and wait for them to come back. It would be awkward, after all, if they came back only to find that she wasn't there, and then went off looking for her on their own. No, that wouldn't do at all. She would just sit right here in front of this 'chaos gate' thing until they came back - whoever 'they' were. She was growing increasingly more frustrated at her lack of anything resembling short or long term memory, and found that this was aggravating her mightily. A blue-haired boy wearing a funny hat and holding a staff stopped in front of her. He glared down at her with a fury that didn't seem to suit his gentle face. [B]"You,"[/B] he muttered simply. [B]"I'm sorry, what?"[/B] Kia asked politely, perking her head up slightly. At his first point in the conversation, she was feeling a bit confused, and was hoping that some sort of explanation would present itself. The boy shook his head. [B]"...You..."[/B] he mumbled again. This wasn't fair at all on Kia, who had not the slightest inclination of what this boy could possibly be upset at her for. Several thoughts formed themselves in her head and tried to take control of her mouth, resulting in something that sounded a bit like an [B]"Erm, um, erp...?"[/B] The boy suddenly kneeled down, grabbed her by the shoulders, and slammed her back up against the wall. He looked up at her face, and a tear was streaking one of his cheeks. [B]"Why?!"[/B] he demanded, anger unmistakeable in his voice. [B]"W-Why are [I]you[/I] here?! Why [I]you[/I]?!"[/B] His voice rose as he stifled a cry. [B]"If y-you're still here, th-that means [I]she[/I] should be back, too...! [I]Why isn't she[/I]?!"[/B] His tiny fingers clenched on her shoulders as he sunk miserably, his voice cracking. [B]"[I]Why[/I], Mia...why won't you come back...why...[I]why[/I]..."[/B] He was sad. She could sense this. And for some reason, it was her fault. Something she had done. She didn't know who he was, or how he knew her, but here he was, and she had done something to him. She tried to rest her hand on his head, tried to comfort him. He batted her hand away and stood up suddenly, fury and grief mixing in his eyes. [B]"D-don't [I]touch[/I] me,"[/B] he growled. He took one last hateful look at her face, all helplessness and confusion, and turned away. [B]"Where did you go, Mia...?"[/B] she heard him whimper as he walked away, [B]"...Please don't leave me..."[/B] Kia stared after the boy, a tear welling up in her eye. What had she done? Was that deep sorrow her fault? [I]Why couldn't she remember anything[/I]?! She screamed in frustration, hitting her head on the wall once. She cried for a few seconds before wiping away the tears. There was a buzzing sound behind her. She turned to find those two girls that she still remembered materializing by the chaos gate. She ran up to them excitedly, throwing her arms around one of them. [B]"You're back!"[/B] she cheered happily. [B]"I waited for you right here, um..."[/B] [B]"Kayla,"[/B] the one girl offered. [B]"S-Sakura,"[/B] the other replied, trying to get Kia off of her. Kia stepped back as some more recognizable faces materialized behind Kayla and Sakura. [B]"Hey, Sora, Kite, Subaru..."[/B] Sakura greeted, from left to right, [B]"...Knighty..."[/B] she finished with a giggle. [B]"You...two..."[/B] the scary-looking guy growled angrily. [B]"Hey, what?"[/B] Kayla laughed airily. [B]"You can't prove [I]anything[/I]."[/B] 'Knighty' began to say something, but the boy in the bright red outfit waved him off. [B]"Anyways,"[/B] the boy, Kite, said, clearing his throat. [B]"...you had something important to discuss with us?"[/B] [B]"Yes,"[/B] Kayla nodded, [B]"...but I want everyone to be here before we begin."[/B] Kite nodded, pausing for a moment. [B]"Balmung says he's on his way, he just wrapped up a dungeon."[/B] [B]"Where's Elk?"[/B] Sakura asked. There was a general shift as everyone glanced around. [B]"Nobody's...been able to contact him..."[/B] Subaru said timidly. [B]"We've all PM'ed him, but he hasn't returned any of our messages, even though he seems to be online right now..."[/B] [B]"Is that so?"[/B] Sora shrugged, an air of irritation in his voice, [B]"Awww, then we're going to have to wait for everyone, aren't we?"[/B] He sounded vaguely displeased at the notion. Kayla nodded. [B]"Yeah, I guess we'll just wait here for a few minutes..."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Y'know, I think the genre in general gets way too much heat from critics. Well, perhaps not ero-games as a matter of fact, but more specifically, Japanese visual novels at least are really interesting games. As a female gamer, I've even taken the liberty of playing Tsukihime and Fate/Stay night (playing Melty Blood ReACT and wanting to know who the characters are will do that), which, although they have some sex scenes in them, really aren't driven by it, and in fact have pretty amazing, deep storylines and character concepts. It just happens to have sex in it. Surprisingly, it's no different than in real life, if you think about it. You're driven by the story, the sex just happens to be in it.;) When it gets right down to the technical stuff, most games like that use sex as a tool to achieve one of a few effects, in which case it serves to actually enhance the storyline. Like if it's consensual, as a method to demonstrate the bond that the characters have with each-other. It can really help drive that emotional attachment into you while you're watching the story unfold. Or, if it's non-consensual, to help demonstrate how much of a jerk character A is to do something like [I]that[/I] to character B. Although, that one scene that was seemingly randomly stuck in the middle of [U]Darkwatch[/U] has always confused me...

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"][B]Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced[/B] - I've done everything there is to do in this game, gotten all 5 hidden characters, gotten at least one copy of every weapon, and have all 24 characters at level 50. 450 hours. [B]Starcraft: Brood War[/B] - Blizzard has this funny way of making games that can suck hours upon endless hours of your life into them without really having a specific goal to reach. Brood War was one such game. (My favorite custom map was the Raccoon City scenario maps that were really popular for a while...I'm sad that I lost them when I reformatted my PC.) [B]Diablo II: Lord of Destruction[/B] - Quote paragraph. When they reset the ladder, I lost a level 76 Bone Necromancer that just couldn't be stopped. Now I'm making an Auradin that focuses on Zeal and Smite, using 2 copies of the runeword "Dream", one copy of "Dragon", and the Unique Phase Blade "Azurewrath", and of course the Fanaticism aura. So far there is very little that he can't kill, especially since he deals every different kind of damage in the game, so nothing is completely immune to him. [B]La Pucelle Tactics[/B] - As my first Nippon Icchi game, I spent endless hours on the game, first running through it, then running through the game again, this time levelling up Priere to level 500 so she could purify Boss characters, therefore allowing me to have multiple copies of [spoiler]Eclair[/spoiler] and [spoiler]Croix[/spoiler] on my team. [B]Disgaea: Hour of Darkness[/B] - This is the big one for me. With hands down the most opportunity to be totally, ridiculously busted, I have poured countless days into my file, and am currently on my 7th cycle, with a completely maxed out Divine Majin (By completely, get a load of this: level 9999 with a total level of 180,000 - That's the max transmigration bonus of 200 - , equipped with a level 100 Yoshitsuna and 3 level 100 Super Robo Suits, all using all 13 specialist slots with one of each stat modifier specialist and one of each bonus specialist, all at the highest possible stat bonus) and a maxed-out Space Pirate (similarly decorated), along with 6 level 9999 Surts. Total game time - 967 hours, 46 minutes, 23 seconds. My pride and joy. (What the hell do I need any of this for, anyways?! You only need to be at level 80 or 90 to beat the game!) [B]Phantom Brave[/B] - Another Nippon Icchi game. While I haven't gone very far into the ways to break this game yet, I've still racked up 113 hours in it. [B]Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories[/B] - Ah, Disgaea...so happy when they made a sequel...This is my current work in progress, and while it's nowhere near the level of absurdity that my Disgaea: HoD file is, it's still more than sufficient to one-hit kill almost every enemy in the game (with some notable exceptions in the Dark World). 223 hours. So, umm...yeah, I have a thing for strategy RPGs. I can stop any time I want, really. Really, I can. (is an addict)[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"]As Domsu drew his twin keyblades, Nephilim felt a pang of hesitation inside her. How could she hope to combat a warrior with two keyblades with only her one, especially since she didn't regularly practice her fighting skills? If anything good could be said of the situation, it was that Domsu had fallen for her illusion; he didn't know who he was dealing with. Her lips perked into a dangerous smile. Though she was worried inside, everything about her body displayed absolute confidence. Domsu charged her, rushing with twin blade to draw the first blow. An offensive fighter. Her black keyblade hung limply in her hand, unresponsive. She felt numb, not knowing what to do. Within moments, Domsu was right there. He drew both blades upward, and brought them both down in a crosswise arc to strike. Nephilim forced her blade upward to intercept the blow while at the same time spinning off to one side to avoid the impact. Domsu's attack came down with more force than she had expected. Both blades struck her blade uselessly aside, the shock of the recoil sending Nephilim to the ground. She quickly regained her footing, holding her keyblade firmly in a defensive stance. [B]"Better than I expected,"[/B] she purred, still exuding self-confidence, trying not to show weakness. [B]"I try,"[/B] Domsu replied with a smirk, returning his blades to their positions in his own offensive stance. [B]"Well then, give me your best shot, honey,"[/B] she laughed with a seductive smile. Domsu laughed, shaking his head. He was having none of that. He charged again, if anything even more aggressively than before. Nephilim prepared to counter his attack again, just as she had before. But when he was upon her again, as she drew her blade upwards, he turned aside at the last second and came in with a horizontal slash. Nephilim quickly drew her blade back down to intercept, and his blade and hers clashed, the sound ringing throughout the training arena. Again, the force of Domsu's blow forced her own blade upwards, pressing the cold steel up against her arm. Before she could even react, Domsu pivoted again, keeping his blade firm on hers. He pressed his body up behind her, and his other keyblade glinted briefly in her eyes as it leveled itself to her exposed collar. She was pinned, unable to move. This fight was over. [B]"Sorry, baby, but I win this round,"[/B] Domsu smiled. His off-hand blade drew slowly closer to her neck, waiting for her to admit defeat. [B]"Now would you please just surrender already? I still have somebody I have to fight here."[/B] [I]There it was.[/I] There was her chance to get out of this. She reverted back to her normal body, losing her curvaceous figure back into eternal youth. She grew shorter, and Domsu's blades lowered themselves slightly to keep their locking position. She turned her head to glance behind her at him. [B]"Domsu...?"[/B] she whispered, feigning utter helplessness. [B]"Nephilim...?! W-what the-..."[/B] Domsu stammered, and for just a moment, his iron grip on his blades faltered, and Nephilim could feel the pressure on the blade at her throat relax. She took advantage of that one instant of weakness to push back, knocking the blade at her throat out of the way, and spun to face him, a comfortable five feet between them. She drew up her blade again in a defensive position. [B]"I'm sorry, Domsu,"[/B] she said in that same airy, barely there voice of hers, [B]"...but I [I]can't[/I] allow you to beat me here."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"][B]"So, I'm inside some kind of game..."[/B] she muttered quietly to herself, not wanting to seem odd in front of so many people. She had done a bit of asking around, done some information gathering while waiting for those other players to return, and while she didn't understand most of the details, she had been able to conclude that the world she was now looking at - [I]through her own two eyes[/I] - was not the real world. Some kind of online game. for some reason, this concept made perfect sense to her, and she didn't question it. She also didn't question why, then, she couldn't 'log out' of this world. That particular question, when she did any amount of thinking on it, set her mind on fire with the pain of thousands of memories she wasn't ready to remember yet. At any rate, she was getting bored. Well, if this world was really a game, then she would just have to play it. She walked up to this 'chaos gate' thing that one of the friendlier players had told her about, and selected three keywords from the screen that appeared in the blue-ish field inside the revolving circle. The field was outlined for her, along with a bunch of numbers she didn't really understand. Dungeon type, monster type...area level 27...didn't make any sense to her, so she simply nodded and stepped into the blue haze, disappearing instantly. She reappeared in a sunny field with beautiful scenery. [B]"Wow..."[/B] she sighed, admiring the view. She took a deep breath, taking in the sweet air, basking in the cool breeze against the warm sun. This was some game. She set out in search of a portal. It didn't take her long to find one. The portal dissolved in front of her, leaving six rather scrawny-looking goblin-ish creatures. [B]"Small fry,"[/B] Kia smirked. The entire concept that there were twenty-six levels between her own and this area simply did not register with her. The goblins all turned to face her, brandishing little knives. [B]"That's kinda cute,"[/B] she laughed. She reached back and unsheathed her own weapons - two ornate, deep-blue blades, about a foot and a half long each, and held them out in an offensive stance. She briefly wondered where exactly she had gotten the weapons from, but she shook her head, realizing that she really didn't care. Within moments, the six enemies had surrounded her, and drew in for the kill. Kia smiled as one drew closer a bit quicker than the rest and lunged in for a quick stab. She easily whirled off to the side, bringing one of her own blades down in a braining arc. The blade cleaved through the beast's skull and followed through down to the chest. The thing fell, lifeless, to the ground. The others seemed to halt for a moment, considering. [B]"Not so tough, are ya?"[/B] she laughed, exuding infinite self-confidence. She dashed nimbly forward and swung both her blades crosswise across another goblin. It fell, minus it's head, and disappeared. She giggled with excitement. [I]This is too easy[/I], she thought. She dispatched the rest of the enemies in similar fashion. With her opponents defeated, she took a moment to catch her breath, and looked down at her body. She was certainly built for this kind of game; her limbs were lithe and nimble, her figure thin and wiry, better suited to evade-and-retaliate tactics. She got the impression she wouldn't take too well to being hit, but she wasn't even worried about that, with how agile she was. The next portal hummed as it left, and out emerged an enormous, hulking creature completely covered in armor, with a giant spikeball attached to its right arm. [I]This seems more like it[/I], she thought to herself as she lunged forward. She dashed in and swung her blades. The strike clanged uselessly against the heavy plating the creature wore, and the wavering of the air beside her announced that huge spikeball as it swiftly came in from the side in a wide sweep. She reacted just in time, jumping nimbly over the thing's arm before it struck her. She drew back for a moment, considering. How could she combat a creature that was fully clad in impenetrable armor? She glanced up at the thing's head, where one big, red eye glinted evilly at her, exposed by a parting in the helm so that the monster could see. [I]That[/I] was its weakness. Go for the eye. But how to get up there? An answer presented itself to her as the massive creature lumbered over to her, bringing its mace-like arm down in a deadly smash. She jumped to the side nimbly, and the ball fell with hammer-like force to the ground, sending up a spray of grass and dirt shooting outwards from the shock of impact. In an instant, she sprang up onto the spikeball and sprinted up the thing's arm, scaling the beast. She smiled to herself, her blades glinting in her eyes. As the thing broughs its arm up, she leapt up again, drew back a blade, and plunged it deep into that red orb that was the beast's eye. There was an otherworldly moan as the creature fell back, bringing its arm up to smash her against it. She vaulted nimbly off of its shoulder and landed safely on the ground as the Tetra Armor fell to the ground, crushing its own head with its arm. [B]"Whew..."[/B] She sighed, catching her breath. "Now [I]that[/I] was a fun one. She felt a bit tired, so she decided to return to the town she had been at. The mere thought of returning was enough to trigger the gate-out, and within seconds, she was back. She smiled to herself. This truly was a fun game. She ran off to the central plaza, hoping to find the others there, but, to her dismay, they still weren't there. That was a shame; she'd like to go on another adventure, but have someone else there with her. It'd be more fun that way. So, she picked a corner to lean up against, and she waited.[/SIZE][/COLOR] Kia's new personality is incredibly cheerful and somewhat reckless, no? Those are bugged weapons that she got from Kite, by the way. Aside from the fact that she deals 'real' damage to enemies (like if you stab it's head, it'll probably die), this helps to account for how strong she is.:catgirl:

[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"]Nephilim's cheeks burned as she gently brushed her fingers across the place that Domsu had dared to touch her with his lips. She wanted to hate him for it, she wanted to just pretend that he had never even done it, but...but some part of her wished he would do it again. Stupid. Her tears continued to fall, reflecting the raindrops that still beat mercilessly against her parasol. One without a heart can have no emotions. One who can't feel sadness can't have tears. How, then? Why was she still crying? Stupid tears! She closed her eyes furiously and pretended they didn't exist; like her. Lightning cracked overhead, and was chased away by a furious roar of thunder. A challenge, Domsu had said. To decide the truth. To decide how better to spend their eternal anti-existence - through competition or affection. Nephilim sighed. It was pointless, she knew. What could a spar between her and him prove? Even by deciding to determine who was right through combat, he was proving her right. And even if he [I]was[/I] right, and he was actually capable of such feelings for her, then he would never be able to land the final blow that would determine the winner: he would not want to harm her. Still, as an extra precaution... Nephilim's eyes glinted in the darkness as she was shrouded in black mist. Her body peeled away and reformed itself simultaneously. The figure that emerged from the black mist was that of a young woman of about eighteen, curvaceous and beautiful. Nephilim smiled at her new body, her disguise. Fair fights were not her style; her ablility to fight straightout was fairly limited compared to the other students. And she didn't know enough about Domsu yet to know how to corner his mind with her illusions. So, she decided to take advantage of that one weakness shared by all young men: a lust of a beautiful body. Nephilim's lips perked into a seductive smile, for practice, as she slowly made her way back to the training grounds, her hips swaying sensually in the darkness. Domsu would have to be clever indeed, to see past this new body fast enough to stop her before she defeated him.[/SIZE][/COLOR] Nephilim really must like to play dirty, to bump her age up by about eight years in an attempt to sneak-attack Domsu like that, huh? Well, that's her style. And she doesn't have a whole ton to work with, concerning who she could impersonate to catch him the most off-guard with, emotionally, so, well...she's trying the straight-forward approach. x.x

Omigosh I have missed this! Agh! But I was left at a point where I couldn't really do anything, even though it was my 'turn'. Sorry bout that. Hopefully, we can get this story kicking again, it's sooo much fun to do!:catgirl: [COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="1"][B]"Kia. Kia. Kia."[/B] No problems there. [B]"Kayla. Sakura."[/B] Fine. [B]"Sora. Kite. Subaru. Silver Knight."[/B] All good. A snicker at that last one, but she didn't know why. Whatever. [B]"My name is 'Kia',"[/B] she told herself, walking through Mac Anu. [B]"K-i-a. Kia. This is 'the World'."[/B] Well that seemed silly, of [I]course[/I] this was the world. Otherwise where would it be? But the others - this 'Kayla', and this 'Sakura' - had played up that fact to great importance. Like it was a word play, or a double-meaning. They called themselves her friends. She thought that took a lot of nerve on their part, calling themselves someone who didn't even know them's friends. If she'd had friends as lively as that bunch, she figured she'd've probably remembered something about them. But on that account, shouldn't she know something about [I]herself[/I]? Ah, too much thinking again. Thinking too hard made her head hurt. She thought. Did it? She didn't know. Best not to think about it. Hmmm. Who was she again? Kia. Oh, yeah, that was it. She'd have to focus harder. It'd be kinda silly to keep forgetting things as simple as your own name, wouldn't it? Most inconvenient. [B]"Kia, Kia, Kiaaaa~..."[/B] she repeated the word over and over again until it lost its meaning and just floated around meaninglessly in her head. A few people gave her an interesting look as she passsed them by, randomly weaving throughout the vast network of streets. [B]"Well,"[/B] she finally stated to herself, having nobody else in particular to state it to, [B]"I guess there's really no point in worrying over any of it. I mean, I'm here, right? That'll work for now."[/B] There. That oughtta keep those wierd questions in her head from bugging her for a bit. Sure, she was completely clueless as to what exactly was going on, and what her circumstances for being here were, but whatever. As soon as her...what was it again? ... ...ah, yes, 'friends'... got back from...wherever they had gone, they'd explain things to her more clearly. At least, that's what they'd said. Although, admittedly, when they said that, they seemed almost as confused as she was. Disturbing. She suddenly found herself looking down into an alley that appeared to be a dead end. There was this strange feeling of...familiarity...to this place. So she decided to investigate. She followed the alley, made a short turn, and, sure enough, dead end. Boring. She sighed, and began to turn around. [B]"Kia."[/B] Hmmm...? She turned back around. [B]"Kia. A word to define an individual."[/B] She had looked at herself in reflections in the water before, but this was a bit different. What was talking to her appeared to be...herself. Only there was something a bit different about her. Tight black leather for her clothes. Her hair was longer, and seemed a bit more silver-ish than her own bright pink. Her eyes also, deviated from her usual pink, and appeared slightly reddish. In her hands she held two wicked, curved scyth-like objects. It was like looking into a mirror, only with some of the features changed around. The girl extended her hand to her and spoke. [B]"Are you...'Kia'?"[/B] She shook her head. [B]"I...I'm not sure yet."[/B] The girl almost seemed to smirk cockily, like she was making fun of her. [B]"Maybe, but [I]I[/I] am."[/B] And with that, the girl turned away, walked a few steps, and vanished into the wall, logic be damned. And for a second, she remembered something. Just for an instant. She couldn't even fully grasp what it was before it slipped away again, but it must've been terrible. Her head exploded in pain. It sounded like a large bomb-powered chainsaw grinding away at her skull. She clamped her hands down on her ears so hard her fingernails drew blood, but the shrieking noise didn't stop. Kia, Mia, Phase, Kite, Bracelet. Kayla. Sakura. Friends enemies WorldgameMorgannaSkeithrippleCubiadraindataTwilight! [B]Aura[/B]. She passed out from the pain. And later, when she woke up... [B]"Kia. K-i-a. Kiaaaa~."[/B] Playing around with these sounds she could make with her mouth was so amusing, that she completely forgot about everything again, only wondering when those people that she could already only vaguely remember would return.[/SIZE][/COLOR] Hmmm. I kinda like doing the 'confused Kia' writing style. It's funny, but retains a sense of seriousness. This could be fun.

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Nephilim gazed vacantly at the mark on Domsu's hand. She was briefly confused by that he was trying to tell her something that was so obvious anyways, but then she remembered that he was still new as a Nobody. His senses still probably weren't very well-developed yet. [B] "Well...?"[/B] Domsu began, trying to get her to say something, anything to break the silence. So he had feelings for her. Of course she knew that already; human emotions were so easily read that even his attempts to hide his affection for her were painfully obvious, though nobody else seemed to notice. [B]"What do you expect from me?"[/B] Nephilim asked, perhaps a bit more coldly than she intended. Domsu fumbled for words for a moment before she continued. [B]"I already knew that you were a Nobody since before I even saw you out here."[/B] [B]"I-...uh...wha-..."[/B] [B]"Do you wish to know how it is that I knew...?"[/B] Nephilim pressed on. She didn't wish to sound unnecessarily harsh, but Domsu was going to have to get himself sorted out fast if he was going to survive as a nobody. [B]"It's because..."[/B] her voice grew hushed and she almost stopped, feeling a slight pang of...something, deep down. [B] "...It's because I'm a Nobody as well."[/B] Dead silence. [B]"Are you...you can't be seriou-..."[/B] Domsu began, but he stopped short. The look in Nephilim's eyes told all too clearly that she was dead serious. Nephilim shook her head. Why was this so difficult to say? [B] "Look, Domsu..."[/B] [B]"...Yes...?" "You can say you like me. You can even say you love me. But..."[/B] Nephilim choked for a moment. Stupid, why was she getting like this?! This should be simple! [B]"But you'd be lying."[/B] [B]"I...I don't get it-"[/B] [B]"C'mon, you[I] idiot[/I], think about it!"[/B] Nephilim burst out. [B]"We're Nobodies! We don't have hearts! And without hearts, we can't feel anything! We can't have love! Don't you get it?!"[/B] A tear welled up in her eye before sliding silently down her cheek. This was a painful truth that even she had not gotten comfortable with. She clutched at her chest, where a heart should be. [B]"You have no heart to give me, and I have none to give to you! There's nothing left for people like you and me!"[/B] She collapsed to her knees, overpowered by some strange emotion that she hadn't even known possible for Nobodies to experience. Sorrow. Regret. Fear. Resentment. Guilt. Longing. [B]"There's...Nothing...Nothing at all...but to get stronger, a-and...and t-to fight..."[/B] Domsu looked down at her apprehensively. was that really how she felt? Was that really what it meant to be a Nobody? No. That was impossible. He picked Nephilim up and placed her squarely on her feet in front of him. She looked up at him, her eyes illuminated brightly in the darkness. [B]"I don't know where you're coming from with all this,"[/B] Domsu began, taking a deep breath, [B]"...but what you're saying has nothing to do with how I feel."[/B] [B]"Prove it then,"[/B] Nephilim replied angrily, batting his hand away from her shoulders. [B]"Prove me wrong."[/B] And as much as she hated to admit it, a tiny part of her wished that he could.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]The events of the day were lost in a haze in the back of Nephilim's mind. She remembered watching Domsu, Kenso, and Galien sparring in the training grounds. She remembered being disappointed when an unexpected announcement had cut the battle short with no clear victor. She remembered skipping the assembly, having better things to do with her time. She remembered the panic, the frantic fear that had gripped her when the Heartless had attacked. That He might be there. She had been worried, on the verge of hysteria, even. But as soon as she had confirmed that He was not here, she lost interest in the whole situation. She remembered making her way back up to her room. She was of course not attacked; the Heartless took no interest in her - There was nothing there for them to steal. It was raining again outside. Her black parasol announced the arrival of each drop of rain over her head with a dull thud. It wasn't a heavy rain, but it was still rain. The moon would not show through the clouds tonight, to fall on her, illuminate her with its pallid light. There would be no light to pierce through her empty shell of an existence. The weather was perfect. As she walked through the school grounds, she almost felt as though there was something else out here. It was strange, but...it felt so...familiar. Like a presence that she had always known, had always carried with her. Except it wasn't her own. [B]"Another Nobody...?"[/B] she wondered to herself. [B]"Someone like...me...?"[/B] She followed the presence, that feeling that there was someone nearby that shouldn't be there; a person that doesn't exist. As she approached the training ground, she felt the presence growing stronger. Her keen eyes could make out the vague outline of a young man. Drawing closer, she could make out the figure of Domsu, leaning up against the wall. Normally, she would be able to sense that subtle something, the telltale [I]thump, thump[/I] of a beating heart, that Nobodies were so keenly able to hear, longing only to be able to hear it in themselves. Normally she would be able to feel her dark Keyblade, hungry for a heart, aching for her to summon it. But there was nothing there. It was like Domsu suddenly didn't have a heart. [I]Like he didn't even exist...[/I] Domsu didn't notice her approaching until she was very close to him. She silently seated herself on the bench about three feet away from him, propping her parasol up on her shoulder to keep the rain off her. She stared up at him intently, those big, empty eyes gleaming up at him in the way that a cat's eyes do when there's no light. He almost seemed to shy away from her a bit, but reconsidered, and stood perfectly still. Her gaze didn't change, she made no attempt at a smile. She looked completely devoid of emotion. Which was perfect, because as a Nobody, that's exactly what she was. After about a half minute of total silence, she finally opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was so quiet it barely reached him. [B]"You have something that you want to tell me."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] And before anyone asks, Yes, Nephilim IS the kind of person that can totally ignore a Heartless invasion. She's THAT apathetic.

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]I'm gonna have to second that statement, though I have [B]absolutely no intention[/B] of dropping. And while I actually do have time to check the Otakuboards pretty much every day, that still doesn't help the fact that either we're pulling about 8 posts a day or we've just been feeling really hyper over the past few days. Might I request that we take things down a notch? Like put a limit on how many posts can be added to the story in a day? That way we (or at least I) won't get lost as much, and we can put more thought into constructing well-thought-out posts than trying to get in the next add. (Which is not to say, of course, that we're [I]not[/I] putting thought into our posts, because I know we are.) Oh, and by the way yes, I actually AM typing up an add for the story as I'm typing this. So Nephilim will be back in the story soon. :catgirl: [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]And also, for the record, I was completely absent from my comp over the past few days, and now there are about twenty posts here that weren't before. Is it safe for me to assume that Nephilim hasn't been very involved with anybody else's characters, and re-insert myself into the storyline without taking much into account aside from that Heartless attack?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]100 posts? Settling yourself for so little? lol Well at any rate, I'm glad we're finally getting a move on. Banners would be good.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Have the academy bell ring or something, to end class? I dunno how the Academy works...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[quote name='Fasteriskhead]I know I'm probably not going to change any lives here. But to anyone reading this, I urge you: if you [i]must[/i'] use your hadouken, please do so responsibly! Educate yourselves on the risks. There are now 1-2 week seminars on proper hadouken handling available in 36 states, and at reasonable prices. There is also an abundance of information available on the internet. Hadouken smart, and hadouken safe![/quote] Oh, well if you're looking for practical, responsible hadouken use, um...well, my dad doesn't need to worry about paying to have a sun roof installed in his ferarri? Of course, he might need to get a new [I]roof[/I] sometime... I know I don't exactly know proper hadouken use, but I know the risks involved pretty well. Every time you Hadouken, God kills a kitten, right?

[IMG]http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/images/9-11%20%203.jpg[/IMG] Perhaps not as powerful as yours, but more well-executed.

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Basically. so far, all of the characters have gathered to watch Kenso, Galien, and Domsu spar off against each other. That's about it so far.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]In regard to this whole confusion regarding what style of fighting we're each used to, perhaps it would be prudent to provide a link to another RP we've participated in, to demonstrate what each of our ideas of fighting is? As far as me, the most successful RP I've ever been in was .hack//TRUTH, which is still going (albeit really slowly), and that posting style offered each of us considerable (read: almost unlimited) control over each-others' characters. Here's an example: [url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=36602&page=21&pp=15[/url] My character is Kia, DDG's is Kayla, and Che's is Sakura.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]She had been growing somewhat irate as Galien had thrown his keyblade up into the air for a seemingly random attack, but her bored expression quickly changed as she gazed at Kenso's bold counter. It was a small victory, and much to hard-won to be worth the effort Kenso had put forth, but as Galien was tossed back through the air by the blast from one of Kenso's blades, Nephilim couldn't help but give an appreciative clap. The boy had style and a sense of bravado, if nothing else. The vague smile that had settled onto her lips widened just a bit as Galien retaliated by using his remote-control abilities to send his keyblade off behind Kenso in a feigned attack, giving just enough time to cause distraction before hurtling off towards Domsu as he charged Kenso himself. It was an immensly entertaining battle, but one key element was lacking. Her empty eyes shifted back to Domsu, who was baring his blade as if trying to anticipate the next attack. It was almost a pity, really; one fighter caught between two keyblade wielders capable of long-range combat. Not a particularly fair fight. Yet still, he had managed up to this point. But that wasn't enough. He had to win, if he was to be worth examining. [B]"You can do it, Domsu-kun."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]After a slight grounding extension, I'm back. Premonition, did you ever get my submission for my second character? When I sent it last week, something...interesting happened, and my computer rebooted itself while it sent the PM.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]I got my dumb butt grounded until Monday, just as a head's up. But don't worry, I'm still here! :catgirl: [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[QUOTE=DJayysaurus!,][font=Century Gothic][size=1]Guys I have really bad news...........[/size][/font] [font=Century Gothic][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Century Gothic][size=1]I can't stay in the RP....[/size][/font] [font=Century Gothic][size=1][/size][/font] [font=Century Gothic][size=1]My grandma died and there's a lot of stuff we have to do for the funeral.[/size][/font] [font=Century Gothic][size=1]And i'm gonna have to travel outta state - more outta country - I know I haven't made my first post either, but I couldn't. The day I was going to post it is when my aunt called. I'm really sorry I let you all down....:animecry: [/size][/font][/QUOTE] [COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Wow. Just...wow. Jeeze, I'm sorry to hear about that. You have my sincere condolences. I wish I could say more, but it doesn't really help that much... :( [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[QUOTE=MoyakuKeramushe][size=1]I'm just trying to get a better grasp on how things are handled around here, as this RPing is in a style I'm not 100% used to. [/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Quoted for [U]great truth[/U]. I've never actually sparred before, so I don't know how this would turn out either. As far as I'm concerned, or at least by my style of RPing, you're always going to have to accept other people having a certain level of character control being in other peoples' hands (otherwise there would never be any character interaction.) Then again, typical RPs for me involve three-page-plus posts, so there might be a difference in RP style going on there. I'm not seeing exactly where Ushima 'screwed up' on your character, though. Unless there's some glaring error he made right at the beginning that I didn't notice, because the rest of his post pretty much focused on Premonition's character. And as for blocking attacks with your eyes closed...well, that's a little something called 'style factor', and it is crucial in most anime-themed writing, regardless of how unlikely it actually is in real life. ;) I guess ultimately sparring comes down to how well OTHER people can pull off your character's battle style. There are some things you'll just have to accept, otherwise it's unfair.[/SIZE][/COLOR]