OMNOMNOMALY

[font="Garamond"]Alright so I bet I'm just overlooking something RIDICULOUSLY simple, but for the love of all that is good, why do my posts appear under my side info, rather than in an actual post? Halp :C So confused, haha. I'm no good with change![/font]

[FONT="Garamond"]I'm personally hoping for not too heavy a focus on performances, being that this is the case with a lot of players. I don't mind them, but I love building stories and interacting with them in an IC environment, y'know.[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Ness sat perched on a giant decorated swing, high above the audience. She hummed to herself quietly, smiling as she gently swung herself back and forward. The show was going to start soon, and she had to be ready to switch her mic on the second Anya came out and did her part. Ness was a bio-android, and not a very fancy one at that. She was light but she wasn't built to be super agile or acrobatic, and so Ness took on the role of the Voice of the Circus. Sure, sometimes she'd be lowered down during slow numbers, to move around amongst the other performers, but usually she stayed up high somewhere, singing or narrating if the show required as such. Ness loved singing. Or at least, she thought the way she felt about it must have been akin to some sort of emotion equated with love. It made her happier than anything else. Her voice gently floating over the crowd as they were drawn further and further into the story, she loved it and she felt valued, like an integral part of the team, even though she couldn't be as fancy as the others out there. She especially loved when they did musical. But she didn't mind Cinderella, there was still enough music material for her to learn that she thoroughly enjoyed practicing it. Ness snapped to attention as Anya's booming voice filled the amphitheatre. It was show time. [I]"Welcome one and all to the Scrapmetal Circus! At the beginning of every show, we hold a special performance just for our esteemed guests. Join us in our delight as we bring to life the tale of Cinderella, a girl with dreams as big as her heart."[/I] The other performers sprang into life as Anya moved off the stage. A backflip here, a much too high jump there, as the main characters were introduced. [I]Cinderella...[/I] Ness' voice chirped lightly over the sound system [I]In the sweetest story ever told...[/I] [B]Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a tiny kingdom...[/B] Ness loved this part, letting her voice ebb and flow and embellish. Everyone on stage moved into their second positions. Ness took a deep breath, steadying herself for the song, calming her 'nerves'. [I]A dream is a wish your heart makes...[/I] They began to swirl and dance, here and there, columns of colour erupted from the floor in fantastic pinks and blues, greens and reds. And as the characters filtered down to just one, Cinderella, the story began.[/FONT]

[font=georgia][B]Name:[/B] Natalie Callahan [B]Age:[/B] 24 [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Role within team:[/B] Pyro [B]Abilities[/B]: Natalie is a high leveled Pyro... when she's in her right mind, that is. She cannot create fire, however at the hint of a spark, she can take control and create massive flames. But, Natalie's fine-tuning doesn't count for anything, when she's angry. When she becomes enraged, she loses her control and will fight until she exhausts herself or is talked back to normal. Natalie naturally specializes in offensive maneuvering, relying on the sheer overwhelming nature of her powers. [B]Physical Appearance:[/B] [URL="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/2007-08-18-68033.jpg"]clickity click[/URL], without the eyepatch, and more normal clothes, but alway with gloves. 5'7", athletic build. [B]Personality:[/B] Manic and neurotic, and a huge flirt. She loved her place on the team, and loves her power, always looking for an excuse to use it. She has a cold sarcastic streak and happens to be a great liar. She has little regard for people, preferring to use them to meet her own ends, with the exception of her teammates whom are the few people she is willing to risk her own life to protect. Unpredictable and more than a little unhinged, it's hard to say what will make her angry and what won't. When in battle, she is ferocious and cruel. [B]Weapons:[/B] A single handgun. [B]Other Skills:[/B] Natalie is decent at hand-to-hand combat, but because of her small size she is usually at a disadvantage. She generally has to rely on her uncanny ability to lie her way out of most situations when she is unable to use her powers, and then take people by surprise. [B]Writing Sample[/B] Natalie stood up from the table at the little Cafe and tossed the change for her coffee down. She stretched for a moment, looking up to the clear blue sky as she pulled her light pink hair into a loose bun. Rather than enjoying the Barcelona scenery, her eyes swept over the area, surveilling it. Natalie didn't sight-see - she scoped. She headed in the direction of her hotel, flip flops slapping on the cobblestones, echoing down the old alleyway. She walked slowly, ears alert, always listening, waiting. It had been months since she'd encountered any Second Sight Agents, and she had been aching for a fight. Natalie was very confident in herself though, and had no reason to believe that they even knew where she was. She may have been impulsive, but she wasn't stupid and she had kept a low profile ever since the incident in Columbia. She smiled as she thought of it. She could almost feel the warm lick of flames on her hands, the smell of smoke and smouldering twisted metal, of fire and burning flesh. [I]It's been too long.[/I] She thought, clenching her fists tightly. She missed the thrill of the fight, the rush of adrenaline when she used her powers. Natalie stepped into the elevator of the hotel, and selected her floor, while admiring the smooth lacquered floor of it. "7th floor." The elevator announced, moments later. [I]I wonder how fast it'd burn..?[/I] She wondered to herself as she stepped off and headed to her room. Natalie stopped at the door and inserted her keycard. The lock clicked and she pushed the door open, letting it slam shut behind her. She dropped her purse on the floor and kicked the sandals off her feet. "Callahan." A voice came from behind her as hands grabbed her own and wrestled them behind her back. Natalie's eyes flashed in anger and she automatically tensed her fingers as if fire would ignite from them. The voice boomed with laughter, holding her more firmly now. "There's a reason we took you by surprise, Callahan. We were briefed on you." "Oh how nice for you. Guess they had to make it a more even fight." Natalie replied. More male voices joined in the laughter, and two more agents stepped out from the shadows of her room, guns trained on her. Her wrists were roughly forced into cuffs and she was now being held by one hand on the cuffs, the other holding a knife to her throat. "I assume you know why we're here." the voice of the Knife stated, pressing it into her flesh. "You were the dumbest people Second Sight could find." She calmly replied. More pressure applied to the knife. "You don't want to fuck with us." The Knife continued. "That's my line, fucker." Natalie answered. More laughter. Although she kept perfectly still, her eyes were scanning the room for any source of a spark. They were smarter than she'd accounted for - they'd unplugged all the electrical devices in the room. "It's the end of the line, Callahan. We're under very strict orders. You are not to leave this room alive." The Knife pulled the blade away, and pushed her into the middle of the room, drawing his own gun. Three guns now pointed at her. She was running out of time. Natalie, now surrounded, grinned at her captors, as they moved in for the kill. Natalie had a trick up her own sleeve - as she felt the metal handcuffs around her wrists, she had a small flint piece in her back pocket. "Oh no, Mister Knife, don't do that!" She cried out mockingly, stalling as she slowly moved the piece of flint she always carried with her up her back pocket and closer to her wrists. "It's been fun chasing you down, girly." replied one of the soldiers. Sights of the guns were poised on her, as the stone piece moved up out of her pocket, and struck her handcuffs, creating the small spark she needed. "It certainly has." She giggled. A chain of flames formed around the handcuffs. Before The Knife could utter a single word, the chain expanded, suddenly becoming a wall that hurled itself at the agents. "Suck it." Natalie added as the flames exploded in a fury, throwing the team back. She took advantage of their surprise, kicking open the door and tearing out of the hotel room, opting to take the stairs. Even wearing protective armour, her catching them by surprise meant that they were seconds behind her, and it was too late. In her handcuffed hands, she held tiny flames. She burst out of the back door of the hotel, only moments ahead of the agents. She dashed around a corner and turned to face them, hands still cuffed behind her back. They opened fire, but the flames she held stretched out in front of her, shielding her from the bullets. She laughed without humour. Flames shaped like snakes, with blue centers, lazily wreathed around the legs of the agents, as they stood paralyzed. They called out in agony as the flames licked up the metal, melting it and leaving only vulnerable flesh. Natalie laughed more and more as the flames ate up all they came into contact with. Her powers only increased as they screamed. Natalie took a few steps backwards as the flames intensified, basking in the orange flow. She reveled in the pain, the absolute power, surrounded by rock, the soldiers had nowhere to go and had prepared no defense. Natalie grinned in the face of her inevitable victory, as the world seemed to go black around her, engulfed in her fiery retaliation. It was only the smell of charred, smouldering carcasses that brought her to her senses as the sound of the fire rescue team seemed to be coming dangerously close. A dim ember still glimmered in her hand. Quickly, she sharpened the flame to that similar to a torch, and broke apart her cuffs. "It's been a blast, gentlemen." Natalie grinned, and patronizingly bowed at the now pile of ashes sitting amongst armour and helmets on the ground of the alley. [I]You will pay for challenging my power. [/I] She reassured Second Sight. [I]Don't fuck with me.[/I][/font]

[FONT="Garamond"]beauty & the beast > cinderella. that's my only comment :3[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Military File: GX17-9957, or more commonly, Ness. [Negotiations Expert Support System] Android Age: 19 Classification: Bio Android Gender: Female height: 5'9 Weight: 185 Specialty components: Nanotek Synthesizer Levitation genodes L5 Radiator System Biomech organs 5 class Specialty class 5 synthetic plastique muscle tissue Hypnotic Wave Vocal Emitter as well as Banshee Vocals Berserker protocol (activating this mode allows the android to go ape shit, though still safely within the parameters of the combat limiter) External Weaponry: None Original usage: Negotiations android status: DESTROYED Known history: Ness was originally built by the government to use in negotiations with terrorists. She was to be sent in upon requests of 'in person' negotiations, in order to avoid loss of human life in the event of deals gone awry. Which is exactly what did happen. Ness was sent in during a particularly nasty mediation disagreement in regards to a group of earthlings held hostage by some of the Cerberus group. Their demands much too high and the agreements going nowhere, they requested to meet with a diplomat and the government obliged, with Ness. Ness did her best to deal with them, informing them that although she was unable within her instructions of her operators to give them what they wanted, she would try to find another way to give them something close to what they were asking for. As she talked to them, she was activated by a remote transmitter, to use the Hypnotic Wave Vocal emitter that she was installed with. There was an android on the side of the Cerberus immune to this, and so he informed the rest, who then swiftly killed the hostages and damaged her, causing her to go offline. After the incident, the government was extremely unhappy with her and abandoned plans to build more. Ness woke up some time later, completely fixed, and now, unbeknownst to her, equipped with Berserker protocol. She has no idea who fixed her, but she does clearly remember the incident and is filled with shame that she was unable to fulfill her duty. As such, she has the utmost respect for human life and will do almost anything to protect people, even with her limited arsenal and even if they want to harm her. Appearance: She looks very much like a human female, but with the unmistakable unnatural red android eyes. [URL="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/1262483466071.jpg"][clicky][/URL] Personality Side notes: Designed to please, nothing makes her happier than talking with people and trying to help them. Thoughtful and not one to jump to conclusions, she will always try to do her best to make everyone happy. She is sweet and demure. She is especially eager to help because of her failure that inevitably led to the deaths of the hostages she was designed to protect. Because she was built with incredible logic, she finds it difficult to think outside of the box and takes most things very literally, leading to some misunderstandings. In that sense she is almost naive. [let me know if I need to make any changes! =3 Stoked for this!][/FONT]

[true enough. Sad, but I feel like every RP I get involved with falls flat on it's ass :C ah well, I'll keep trying xD and holding out hope that maybe he'll post soonish...]

[I'll post if someone gives me directions... It's PWNED's story so if he tells me where he wants it to go, I'd be happy to oblige if it meant we could keep this going. The only reason I've waited is because I wanted to see if he'd nudge us in the direction he wanted.]

[FONT="Georgia"]Emily sat in the dampened silence of the library basement. She had gotten off work hours ago and had just meant to sit down for a moment with a big old book that had caught her eye as she had wandered through the stacks, shelving books. A moment had turned into an hour, and an hour had turned into several hours. She pored over the big volume, mumbling to herself here, making notes there. It wasn't until the vibrating of her phone to the alert of a new text message, that she realized what time it was. She looked at her watch. [I]Damnit.[/I] She thought. [I]Every time, I do this.[/i] She flipped her phone open. [B]New text message from 'Nick' Open Now Open Later[/B] She shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the very likely irritated text message. [B]'Open Now' Dearest Emily, Since you have probably lost track of time again, a gentle reminder that we are supposed to have met up an hour ago. Please don't keep us waiting much longer. Regards, Nick.[/B] She snapped her phone shut again. [I]Damnit...[/I] Emily glanced longingly at the old worn book in front of her... so much left to read! But she also knew better, and more than anything else, she hated being late. Not for any other reason, except that she hated drawing attention to herself. Especially in small groups. Especially in [I]this[/I] small group. She felt the anxiety bubble up. Emily pulled off her reading glasses and put them back into their case, before putting her light jacket on and placing the case into the breast pocket. She closed the book, deciding to leave it on the table since she was really the only one that went down there anyway. She headed upstairs, flicking off the lights as she went. She crossed the long marble foyer and made sure the front doors were locked, before heading out a small side door. Emily looked at her watch again as she hurried down the street. [I]Goddamnit![/I] She crossed the street, narrowly missing a bike rider and apologizing profusely. She zig-zagged through back alleys until the familiar old building came into view, with the worn sign out front. She quickened her pace purposely. [I]Be confident, be confident.[/I] She reminded herself. [I]You know they'll make fun of you if you enter like a scared mouse. They always do.[/I] She got to the front door, straightened out her posture, and turned the handle...[/FONT]

[FONT="Georgia"]Room for one more? :o this would be a wonderful opportunity to "get back into it" after finals are over next week! Name: Hyun Jae "Emily" Park Age: 20 Appearance: 5'6, thin, large dark Almond eyes, cropped straight black hair, pale skin. [IMG]http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6316/sonjihee.jpg[/IMG] Talents: Heightened Intuition and some defensive 'magical' powers. Character background: As a child growing up in South Korea, Emily, who still went by Hyun Jae then, knew early on that she was different. There often seemed to be visitors in her home and Emily was very friendly and always tried to help them. Emily's mother became scared and even cold towards Emily. It wasn't until much later, after endless tormenting and bullying at school, that Emily realized that these visitors were actually beings that other people couldn't see. When Emily was 14, there was a particular incident where her power's physically manifested themselves, to repel a rather unfriendly visitor. This resulted in rather extensive damage to her home, which was the last straw for her mother who then sent her off to boarding school in America. She and her Mom talk once a year on the phone, and Emily hasn't been back to Korea since. She chose the English name Emily in order to distance herself from her past. Personality: Because of the constant bullying, Emily became an introvert, instead dedicating herself to her studies, and trying to ignore the gift that she was given, seeing it more as a curse. She is extremely quiet and softspoken, and doesn't stand up for herself. She has learned how to differenciate the paranormal and those like her from the average person, and keeps to herself. After she graduated from high school, she took a job at a library, and only leaves home to go to work. She spends much of her time after hours, studying books on the paranormal as well as researching whether or not she can suppress or eliminate her abilities altogether, and become normal. Quiet and cautious, she hates doing anything without making a thorough and well thought out plan first.[/FONT] PS do you need us to put how we meet the other characters, or will you be putting that together?

[quote name='Justin']That's just disturbing. Like ketchup and potato chips...ick. [/QUOTE] [FONT="Garamond"]Ummm I think that you misspelled YUM. Ketchup chips are fantastic, and frankly, I'm surprised that the States doesn't have them. Or All Dressed. Damn, y'alls are missing out.[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]I had to take French starting in grade 6, and ended up taking it all the way through grade 9 which a little dabbling in Spanish (thanks, Canada!) I decided it wasn't for me (partly due to, I'm sure, the horrendous instructor I had for 3 years...), and opted to take other courses throughout high school that would negate the need for me to get language credits. 5 years later and I'm moderately regretting that choice. Now I don't like French, I'm not interested in starting it up again and I just plain don't like how it sounds. That being said, not having a second language through high school has now come full circle to bite me in the *** in University. I want to pursue a degree in International Relations. Said degree requires 12 additional higher level language credits, outside of those that you need for your average Arts Degree (Which, had I taken French or what have you, I would have already). Essentially, the number of credits I need is doubled at 24. By the end of second year. For those of you keeping track, that's two languages, full time, for two years. Aiyaaa. Nearing the completion of my first year, I have discovered two things: 1. that's hard 2. never take 2 Asian languages at once, especially with no prior knowledge of stuff like, oh, idk, the alphabet. I am currently finishing off Japanese 100 and Korean 102. Japanese I am entirely disenchanted with at this point, I failed it the first semester so I'd say it's more of a vendetta against the course, and Korean I am entirely enraptured with. Neither are my strong suit so it's been a struggle to stay afloat this semester. I don't know if I can do a whole other year of this, and I don't think I'm up to the challenge of Japanese anymore, at least for now. Everyone else, take Korean! ;D[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Oh boy oh boy. Some people just have no sense of boundaries. Your parent's neighbours remind me of the people that live in the house behind my parents. They found our backyard and our garage offensive so they sprayed pesticides and the like to kill the weeds, did some weed whacking and painted our garage door one day when we weren't home, even though we were in the middle of deciding on our new garage/yard. My Dad was especially mad since we have dogs and so he's worried about using pesticides in case they eat anything. They were nutty. Anyways, this year I started university and moved into first year rez. This place is a gong show, to say the least. The guy that lives above me has a penchant for loud techno music, but only when I'm having a nap. My friend a few doors down and on the floor below likes to play ridiculously loud music at night after quiet hours have started. My other friends on the floor below me always try to steal my wireless. Other floors steal chairs from our floor, we've had people throw stuff out our windows, someone broke our vent... some of the people who dick around don't even go to UBC or live in the complex for God's sakes. People are ridiculous. I've lucked out though, as my neighbours directly next to me are very quiet =) Weekends though, are another story, haha.[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Winter formal at my residence :3 too excited that I got to wear my grad dress again. We had way too much fun, I may have been a little too drunk. Good times. [IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/wformal5.jpg[/IMG][/FONT]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]I never did get around to posting my cosplay pics from Anime Evolution back in June, so here they are! I'm really happy with how our costumes turned out =) Myself as Link and my friend Gil as Tetra. [IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/linktetra.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/IMG_6119.jpg[/IMG] and now, for something completely inappropriate! [IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/animeconvention088.jpg[/IMG] (like you'd expect anything less.)[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]haha, I saw this post on Tumblr and I thought of all you guys. Take it with a grain of salt since I have NO idea where the person "found" this quote but it's something =P [I]Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite. ahhahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahaa ?Its not something that I?m ashamed of, just isn?t something that i go around telling everyone. Yes. I have both male and female genitalia, but i consider myself a female. Its just a little bit of a penis and really doesnt interfere much with my life. the reason I haven?t talked about it is that its not a big deal to me. like come on. its not like we all go around talking about our vags. I think this is a great opportunity to make other multiple gendered people feel more comfortable with their bodies. I?m sexy, I?m hot. i have both a poon and a peener. big f***ing deal.? - Lady Gaga

[FONT="Georgia"]Chibi, so much for the Holiday threads! You missed Canada Day! And you posted a 4th of July thread on the same day as Canada Day. I'm so offended =P[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Here I thought it was a holiday dedicated to the Murderer from the book turned movie Perfume by Patrick Suskind. Jean-Baptiste kills people to add their scent to what he is trying to turn into the perfect scent. It's a pretty sweet movie. And it even ends in an orgy. You just can't beat that. I don't even want to think about how you would celebrate that holiday. (in b4 giant orgy.)[/FONT]

[FONT="Georgia"]sorry guys, I'm not at home right now, I'm actually on vacation with my famjam so I'm not on the computer much. I won't get to the special thingy until I am home with my normal computer and my normal internet. Thanks Mykul, for putting the contest on, it was a lot of fun to be a part of and it made me stretch my creative boundaries on more than one occasion. Thanks everyone who participated, I read some really great entries and it was really an honour to compete with all of you. Thanks especially to Vicky, it was ridiculously close, you're an awesome adversary, had me worried the whole time, and I'll rematch you any time you'd like =P xD I wasn't trying to be a jerk by not responding ;_;[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]haha, Vicky, love the last pic, it's like my patent "smile!" face. My friends all try to look nice and I do that, but I think I look scarier when I do it xD What everyone does, I must try to outdo =P SAKURACON 2009 - ONE MONTH TOO LATE BUT STILL AWESOME. cosplay! Yin from Darker than Black :'3 [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/?action=view¤t=a5.jpg][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/th_a5.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/?action=view¤t=a4.jpg][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/th_a4.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Fuu - Samurai Champloo! (again xD) [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/?action=view¤t=IMG_7078.jpg][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/th_IMG_7078.jpg[/IMG][/URL] and here's an oldie but goodie =P my grade 12 yearbook pic & quote for your viewing pleasure. [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/?action=view¤t=yearbookasshole.jpg][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/StaticAnonymity/th_yearbookasshole.jpg[/IMG][/URL] I'm very pale. And I am [I]so[/I] sorry if I blind you with my skin colour.[/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]Sorry for the delays... twice. ANYWAYS. Here it is. I enjoyed writing it. I was stressed about it, but I enjoyed it. [B]Taciturn[/B] It smelled of fire and new life, the day we buried my stepmother. My Father and I took a walk around the park near the cemetery, still in our good suits. It was halfway between the light and dark, and the clouds sat suspended in the lighting of the dusk, perpetually frozen, perpetually perfect. “Curious,” my Father said, to nobody in particular. “What is?” I asked. He didn’t reply, as was his custom, so we walked on in silence, as was ours. My Father showed all the physical signs of grieving. He was frailer, thinner than when my stepmother was alive. But emotionally, it seemed, he was the same man. If he was sad, you’d never know it. He was still withdrawn but good natured, thoughtful but with a good sense of humour. Although I had seen it before, I still found it hard to accept that it was his way of grieving. It had seemed to empty to me, at the time. It still did. Though I finally knew better. When my Mother left us. That was the last time I’d seen him like this. I was young, so young, but I knew it was for good, when she’d walked out our front door. I was 7 years old when she left. I trailed her around the house the whole morning, as she gathered her favourite things; plate of china here, an ornament from my grandparents there. All the while she sang in her not quite pitch perfect, but sweet dulcet tone. She picked me up and swung me around, smiling and laughing and pulling me in so our noses touched. “I love you, Dylan.” She said quietly. And I believed her. She had meant it, in one way or another. Even if it was the wrong way. The way that let her walk away from us. “Love you, mama.” I had said back, and I had meant it. I stared into her dark blue eyes and the world grew still for a moment. Then she laughed and broke the spell over both of us. I grinned and she gave me a kiss on the forehead and placed me back down on the floor of her room. I sat myself down quietly to watch as she prepared the finishing touches. She checked her makeup for the third or fourth time before putting it away, and then she sprayed herself with a little perfume. “Mommy’s going to leave this here so you can always have her scent even when she’s away, okay?” I nodded gravely. She zipped up her suitcases and held them in one hand as she extended the other one out to me. “Walk Mommy to the door, sweetheart.” “Okay.” So I did. I walked my Mom to the door the day that she left my Father and I. I think even she believed that she’d come back one day. For a while we got post cards and the odd phone call. And every time we did, my Father looked alive. He held out for a long time after she left. Because it was stretched out over a long period, so were the changes in my Father. He acted the same but he was slowly wasting away and as I got older over this period, I began to resent him for never showing any outward emotions towards my Mother. While I grew up and grew rebellious and wanted more, he offered less and less. More answers, more attention, always met with what felt like indifference. I wanted him to feel what I felt and it enraged me that he seemed to feel nothing at all. I should’ve noticed that all the physical change was the manifestation of his grief. That it was destroying him in such a literal way. But I was young and stupid, so I didn’t. For years after, we lived in the same house but in different worlds. My Dad tried his best to do whatever I asked of him but it wasn’t enough because I didn’t see it. Because of his silence through it all, I took it to be acquiescence, or a peace offering. I never took his actions or gifts as an offer of love, or even thanks because I meant so much to him through it all. I always took them as face value, shallow and meaningless, like I felt I was to him. I acted out wherever I could, as often as I could. I attracted and was attracted to the wrong kinds of people for a myriad of wrong reasons. One of the things I remember most is that look he would give me when he came to bail me out of various sticky situations – it was always one of understanding. Never anger, never disappointment - only a look of seeming solidarity, even apology. I was almost an adult when he met Maureen. She was plain and kind, with a motherly quality that I sorely missed and had needed for so long. I was indifferent to her, like I was about anyone my father met. They were all the same, I told myself, over and over, and they’d never stay. And they usually didn’t. So I couldn’t see, it at first, those subtle changes that told me that yes, this was for good. My Dad slowly filled with a quiet and intense love. While I had been the love that kept him tethered to reality, my eventual stepmother filled the void that I never could. My Father’s eyes were lighter; the sorrow had ebbed away to make room for joy. And I saw it in his smile. Throughout my youth after my Mother left, when he had smiled, he knew his smile had to count for two, so though they were always sincere, they were always deeply sorrowful. Finally, my Father could smile for himself. “Do you want to head home, Dad?” I asked, as we rounded the corner and came into view of the cemetery, once again. My Father looked thoughtfully towards the little mound in the corner that marked the spot where my stepmother was. “Yes. Let’s go home.” He said as he looked at me. And he smiled a sad smile just for him. It was okay – because this time he was ready. [/FONT]

[FONT="Garamond"]I think you should quit whining =P In Canada, (I don't smoke but I see signs all the time), packs are over $15, I'm sure.[/FONT]

[quote name='Mykul']The deadline for submissions has been moved once again, this time to Friday. Any rotten fruit can be thrown at Anomaly.[/QUOTE] [FONT="Garamond"]I'M SORRY! Please forgive me D:[/FONT]

[quote name='Mr. Maul'][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Case... ...closed. [IMG]http://www.wayn.com/images/1x1transparent.gif[/IMG] [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [font="garamond"][/thread] But seriously. LOL. High five, Woody. Very nice.[/font]

[FONT="Garamond"]Dusty Gazongas. The end. No contest. For reals.[/FONT]