GinnyLyn

My only complaint's the sickle in his left hand that "disappears" between hair strands. ^.~ And for some frelling reason, I keep thinking there's a color missing somewhere...maybe the scars? *shrugs* I dunno. 9.6/1o.

Dude. I can see something in there. [i]Seriously.[/i] One moment it looks like some guy stretching his hands above his head, the next, it looks like some hell hound reaching out at you. Dude. *stares with Juu* You should make a few more like this one. The little white things look too pixelating to be in there...that's the only thing bothering me. 9.8/1o.

It depends on your definition of love. Love, in and of itself, cannot exist without friendship, and vice versa. But I assume you mean the type of love that makes you giddy around your forever soul mate and whatnot. Well, heh, don't ask me--I tend to confuse the two myself. Believe it or not, it's hard to tell (for me) when a guy is being nice out of friendship, and when he is doing it because of a deeper feeling.

OoC: Done and done, Brek. ^_~ ~~~~~~~~~~ [color=red]"Awwwwwwww...."[/color] [color=orange]"Oh please..."[/color] The baby Blue and Green Chocobos peeked their heads out of their eggshells, and chirped in high pitched voices. Auron held a Green above their heads, and the babies, though not able to eat it yet, nonetheless attempted to chew on it. Woeby was sitting quietly in her stall, warbling forlornly to herself. Zidane, a little disgusted by the image of Freya gushing ove the babies, joined her. [color=orange]"What's wrong, ol' girl?"[/color] Woeby warked sadly, tilting her head toward the empty stalls next to her. The other Chocobos the Tantalus team had caught were outside in the free range area. Pretty soon, they would be released back into the wild. [color=orange]"Ah, you miss them, doncha?"[/color] Woeby lowered her great head sadly in response. [color=purple]"You--!"[/color] Zidane looked up at the sudden yell from Sephiroth, which was followed by laughter from Freya and Auron. The two new chicks had mistaken Sephiroth's bangs for Greens, and had attempted to nibble them, rendering Sephiroth's reputation as a cold hearted killer nearly null and void. In a last ditch effort to maintain dignity, he scraped the pair off and glared at them. With heartfelt peeps, the pair quickly waddled their way to the stalls...and next to Woeby's large, scaly feet. "Wark?" "[size=1]Wark Wark![/size]" "WARK!" Sephiroth raced over, whether to check on the birds or threaten them more, no one knew. He stopped at the sight of the babies by Woeby's feet. Freya and Auron joined him; Zidane looked at Woeby and noted her motherly look. [color=orange]"Whaddaya think, Woeby? They'll need you for a tad bit, you know, show 'em the ropes and all. Still lonely?"[/color] Woeby took a Green and offered it to the Green (Reald) and Blue (Saffa) chicks. [color=red]"Heh, Cecil'll get a kick out of this when he returns,"[/color] Freya commented. Zidane just traded a grin with Woeby. It was all good.

It wasn't long before Cecil and Freya's mounts fell behind. [color=darkblue]"Don't worry!"[/color] Auron called behind him. [color=darkblue]"As long as one of us makes it, it's all--OOOMMPPF!"[/color] Auron had fallen off of his mount. With his dignity far more injured than his body, he hoisted himself off the ground with his sword, and walked his mount off the track and out of the way of the other racers. Joe tipped his hat to the remaining two, then threw it at Sephiroth's mount. With an ear piercing WARK! she snapped and hissed, then faltered...and tripped, her momentum carrying her far before she hit the ground. [color=orange]"HEY! That's CHEATING!"[/color] "What e'er it takes ta win, mate!" On the ground, Sephiroth's Great Female hissed again, a deadly warning to the Black Chocobo if she ever met it alone in a dark alley. It was coming down to the finish line. Zidane was pushing Woeby dangerously hard, and she began to gulp air and stretch her strides. Joe smirked again, and chuckled to Teioh, who WARKed and picked up speed. [color=orange]"Woeby, don't slow down!"[/color] Zidane urged. It was no use...Woeby was tiring out. [color=orange]"Woeby, come [i]on![/i] We need you to win!"[/color] Zidane pleaded. "Warrrrk..." Zidane crumbled his reins in helpless rage at Joe, then tugged at them. [color=orange]"Are you going to let a cheater win, Woeby?"[/color] "Wark...?" [color=orange]"Of COURSE not! And when we win, not only will you eat Greens every day for the rest of your life, but your children's children will happily be beating up on that loser! Now is that something to shoot for or what?"[/color] At first, Woeby still dragged. Then her head shot up, her eyes sparkled, and with a tremendous "WARK!", she shot ahead, caught up with Teioh, [i]passed him,[/i] and won! Joe and Teioh were a split second behind them, and Joe gaped. "Ain't never seen that before." [color=orange]"Well, you have now."[/color]

OoC: I'm just going to assume Domon got his. :) And one race can't hurt--they were sometimes the best part of Chocobo breeding. Someone else can breed the birds in their post--this one got too long for me to do so. :D ~~~~~~~ Auron was about to comment on the Greens when the door flew open, and his team rushed in with five large birds. The males pranced about, WARKing and flapping their flightless wings, while the smaller females (more noticeable because of their crestless heads) milled around quietly. [color=darkblue]"All right, children--"[/color] (The noise in the room was getting deafening, and Rinoa slipped outside to avoid being trampled.) A loud, crowd sized WARK from all the birds. Cecil passed out the Greens and everyone stuffed the birds full. [color=orange]"Time to RACE!" [/color] Zidane cheered. [center]~~~~~S Rank Races later~~~~~[/center] [color=orange]"Last race, Woeby,"[/color] Zidane told his mount. The Wonderful female let out a shaky wark, as if to convey her sadness. [color=orange]"Hey, don't get me wrong--you've been excellent! We haven't lost a bet yet!"[/color] [color=teal]"Zidaaaaane!"[/color] [color=orange]"What the--?"[/color] His team was riding up on the Chocobos that they had caught. Sephiroth's Great Female preened itself, while Freya's Good Male arched his crest. Cecil was sitting astride the Good Female, and it was to Zidane's surprise that he saw Auron sitting on the Great Male. [color=orange]"You know, I [i]was[/i] gonna say something about Freya being on a Chocobo, but..."[/color] Auron narrowed his eye. [color=darkblue]"Be glad they take all weapons at the gate, monkey boy."[/color] Zidane burst into laughter. [color=orange]"You [i]do[/i] have a sense of humor!"[/color] [color=purple]"There should be six racers all together--who's the other one?"[/color] A deep throated WARK caught their attention, and Tantalus stared at the newcomer. It was an ebony Chocobo, obviously built for speed and stamina. Its rider, Joe, tilted his hat to them. "G'day." [color=red]"A Black Chocobo!"[/color] Freya gasped softly. [color=orange]"Can we beat 'em, Woeby?"[/color] Woeby WARKed her challenge loudly to Joe and his Chocobo Teioh. And the starting bell rang.

OoC: Seph, I believe you are catching the --ah, um...*blinks* You know, I dunno. Desbreko does, though, he'd be the best one to ask. (Or Sakuramon--go, girl. :)) Also, where the heck is Rinoa? When I first read Tasis' post, I thought she was at the Chocobo Farm, but then I read she was at the Chocobo Sage's, and then back at the farm? Oh well, my last post had her at the Farm, so I hope that's where she was.

[color=darkblue]"Hello, Rinoa."[/color] [color=blue]"Oh...uh...hi, Auron..."[/color] The Crimson Warrior smiled kindly. [color=darkblue]"If you're worried about being deemed a Tantalus member, don't worry. It's neutral ground here."[/color] Rinoa still sat tentatively across the room from him. [color=blue]"I hope you don't mind, Auron, but I am going to stay over here."[/color] [color=darkblue]"All right. Just don't expect to hear anything out of me. I'm the old man, and my memory tends to lack as of late."[/color] Rinoa giggled softly, then cleared her throat and frowned. [color=blue]"Don't expect me to talk, either."[/color] "Where's the fun in that? It wouldn't be fair to either team," Chocobo Bill butted in. "'Sides, I'm Cid's tattletale on this world, so watch yourselves." He winked broadly at Rinoa. [color=blue]"So all we do is sit around and wait?"[/color] [color=darkblue]"That's about the size of it."[/color] [color=blue]"But waiting's boring."[/color] [color=darkblue]"Heh. You're starting to remind me of a certain Al Bhed."[/color] [color=blue]"Auroooon!"[/color] Rinoa nearly whined pityingly. [color=darkblue]"Sorry. Shall we eat while we wait?"[/color] [color=blue]"OK. Mr. Bill, what are we having?"[/color] "Raw greens, mmm MMMM!" Both Rinoa and Auron stared at him with disbelief. [color=blue]"You know, I'm not really that hungry after all..."[/color]

*huggles both of them* Sillies. Thanks.

OoC: That's fair. ~~~~~~~~~~ Auron chuckled to himself. "What's so funny?" Chocobo Bill asked him. [color=darkblue]"The young ones left the old man with the most interesting task."[/color] Chocobo Bill raised an eyebrow. "How's that?" The Crimson Warrior leaned over to the other man. [color=darkblue]"What's the most embarrassing thing possible for someone in his late teens, early twenties?"[/color] Chocobo Bill laughed heartily. "That's why they are bringing the raced up, powered up birds back to you." Auron's good eye crinkled in amusement. "But all you really got to do is take 'em to that private room, toss the nut in, and don't look back." [color=darkblue]"But they don't know that."[/color] "Whaddaya driving at? That they left you with the most embarrassing job 'cause you're the oldest?" Auron's eye crinkled further, with fond amusement. [color=darkblue]"Hmph."[/color] It was all Auron would respond with.

*is blinded* Remind me not to tell you to lighten up...:rotflmao: All in all, the third's got a nice watercolor effect to it, especially in the background.

Yeah, well, technically, my monsters aren't Digimon anymore. The bare stomach thing also bothers me, =\ but I'm having a hard time finding any markings I like that would fit on there appropriately.

I despair of life right now. I feel either unwelcome or ignored wherever I go. HOME: Because of taxes, we are going to lose our house. Essentially, in order for my family to be able to live in any house now, I have to move out. Which means I need to get an apartment. I only make enough money each month to cover my car payments and gas bill. College is difficult to cover. So an apartment is out of the question. I'll could be on the streets this summer... SCHOOL: I worked hard to get into the art show and failed. I applied for an art scholarship, and it went to someone else. I've turned to abstract art and like it a bit, though no one else does. I wonder if my one true talent isn't one at all, and where I could possibly go in life without any road to follow. WORK: Sure, I got a raise, but that results in less hours for me (which means I'm losing money instead of gaining it). I used to be the pride and joy of the ToGo business, until this other girl, who's cuter and flirts shamelessly with the managers, showed up. So naturally, I've fallen into the shadows. My excellence in my work has only produced customers who demand the excellence as the norm now, which I can't do 24/7. My favorite boss is being transferred, one of my closed friends ignored me for no reason yesterday (I thought we were getting along great, and now I won't see her anymore--she's on leave), and the other one is on maternity leave. SOCIALLY: I'm dangerously depressive and as such, a chore to be around. I have little to no self-esteem ever since my uncle "took advantage" of me when I was little, I'm losing motivation, and I've broken more relationships that I can count because of my illness. Don't tell me depressed people aren't aware of what they are doing--I am, and it hurts all the more. I continue to alienate myself for no good reason, I suspect everyone and trust no one, and in the end, I'm just all alone. HEALTH WISE: Because of my failure to take care of myself, I've got a very good chance of getting blood poisoning when I am 30 and dying. Lucky me. RELIGIOUSLY: What really hurts in all this is that I am in no way being a Christian when I am like this. I'm failing to promote the Kingdom, and making all Christians look bad in the process. "Eloi, Eloi..." So, what do you think? Am I justified in taking my own life? [spoiler]I am not going to commit suicide, but I'm providing a very real example of how much it hurts to be in depression.[/spoiler]

I'm in the midst of losing people myself right now...it just feels like the whole world has shattered around me. Time heals all wounds, but it still leaves scars. And in the meantime, it aches like all get out for the time to pass. I know I sobbed my heart out last night; it felt like hours, but only minutes had passed. Incredibly painful... Something I find that helps is immersing myself deeply into some activity. When my uncle had passed away last year, I went to work and I worked hard. I only cried for a minute, the silent, shedding tears type. I've done the same today--pushing myself hard so I don't have to think about what's going on. Don't ignore the pain, and don't run away from it 24/7. Do recognize the pain, and allow your brain a chance to sort what your heart has difficulty to. Don't dwell on it 24/7, either, though. That's just as dangerous. Do talk. Out of everything you can do that will help you, talk. And for the rest of you, even silence helps. Just knowing someone's there, even if they feel uncomfortable about what's going on, helps incredibly much so. Don't be ashamed, afraid, or upset if the person in pain begins to cry--it's just a healing process. I need someone myself right about now...

*giggles hysterically* I always take Runner Up, bwee hee hee! *is thwapped and shuts up*

OoC: All right, I've stay and breed, but I have knowledge about where all the Chocobos are--here, I'll PM the stuff to you, heh. ~~~~~~ Auron walked into the Chocobo Farm and tossed some money out. [color=darkblue]"I'd like to buy all your stables out."[/color] Chocobo Bill fixed him with a gaze. "You can only rent half of them out; gotta be fair to Avalanche." [color=red]"Cid's been here already, I see."[/color] Auron looked to Zidane. [color=darkblue]"Racing's involved in breeding, isn't it?"[/color] The Monkey Boy, who had looked sulky at being left behind, suddenly perked up. [color=orange]"YEAH!"[/color] [color=teal]"Which means he gets to bet at Gold Saucer,"[/color] Cecil chuckled. [color=darkblue]"We'll need him to win so we can keep buying Greens and Nuts, though."[/color] The four turned to Zidane. Cecil looked to Freya. [color=teal]"Does that mean everything depends on him?"[/color] [color=red]"Just about..."[/color] Auron did some quick scribbling (OoC: Your PMs I just sent you), then handed them out to Cecil, Freya, and Sephiroth. [color=darkblue]"I'll stay here and take care of our birds. I don't have the speed and youth of you four, so you'll need to do all my running."[/color] [color=teal]"Uh...did we just give Auron the easy job?"[/color] Sephiroth just smirked back at Cecil.

Since I'm short on time at the moment, I will answer all your questions when I get back from work. I'm sorry. ^.^ [i]My[/i] big question is, are we going to keep our post counts and User ID numbers? Right now, I've [i]just[/i] gotten to No Life rank after all this time, and it'd steam me to lose it all over again, just like the last time, when we first switched to VB. The User IDs aren't as big a problem--I'm hosting a website for one of our RPGs, and there are links that take visitors directly to the contestants' Profile via the User ID number. If this all changes, though, I'd need to know, please, James. :)

*applauds Cyke* That wins my vote. ^_______^ Now to see what Mei thinks.

I do believe that, in order for an image hosted off site to show, it needs to be a .gif. I've had this problem myself. Don't bother hosting it on the Boards. The Mods will be on your butt faster than you know.

Whoa...urks...the shadows are too dark. @_@ I like the texture thing you have going on the left side of the crystals, though--keep going with that.

OoC: I left that open for you all. sage is having us get to know each other better in the teams for a few days (re: he needs a day or two to figure out the next challenge. ;)).

[color=orange]"Fid wmma hurr 'bonn niss!"[/color] Sephiroth raised a questioning glance at Zidane. Freya walked over, bent down in front of Zidane, and smiled calmly. [color=red]"'Cid will hear about this', huh? And?"[/color] [color=orange]"Niss n' moway n'reet dor hapmm!"[/color] [color=teal]"What?"[/color] [color=red]"'This is no way to treat your captain,"[/color] Freya translated. She shook her head and chuckled. [color=red]"Don't you ever get tired of saying that?"[/color] [color=orange]"M' fadf ojgdsf kjed!"[/color] Sephiroth looked at Freya. [color=purple]"Translation?"[/color] Freya glared at the rope bound monkey boy. [color=red]"Let me put it this way--he didn't learn that language from me."[/color] [color=darkblue]"Set him free,"[/color] Auron suddenly commanded. His sharp tone caught everyone's attention. [color=purple]"Why?"[/color] Auron pointed with his right arm. [color=darkblue]"Because we have company."[/color] The monster's battle scream confirmed it.

OK, first of all, let me apologize with tonight's installation. I've been having some problems the last few days, and it's sorta showing in my drawings. These coulda been better, but then again, they coulda been worse. Tyger is colored in now. I loved the suggestions you made, but her color scheme has existed for three years now (yeah, she's been around that long, heh--I've been making characters for forever). The part I don't like is the peach underbelly, but it seems to have turned out ok, scanner wise. Do you have a barf bucket ready for this next one? ^_^ Anyone who hates chibi kawaii stuff better have one, because "True Halo" pushes those boundaries. Her tail and head jewels are not done perfectly (see first para. again), so other than that, comment away. (Expect something liken to FF9's Cereberus showing up tomorrow. Kawaii isn't the only thing I do, heh.)

Dude. If I was into Gundam, I'd be wearing these banners with anime show pride. You encapsulized both images well, and the effects only enhance it. Most, if not all the text, is easy to see and read. Kudos. BTW, I prefer the second. Just 'cause. ^_^ 9.7/1o.

Dude, nice, crisp, clean, clear. *applauds* Maybe make the three words on the left a little darker. If there was a way you could...*winces*...rebuild the banner, using the same background, but finding someway to make it look more ancient treasure map-ish, I think you'd have a definite winner. Booteefull. I can see me using this banner next to Des' most recent Wind Waker one. 9.2/1o.