SunfallE

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I just about always go up and check out the lights at Temple Square, sometimes even on the day they first light things up. Though going to the concert was more of a priority since unlike the lights they only performed once. I have been to the festival of trees but it has been a while, and I'm thinking of going this year since I do like seeing all of the decorated trees. Probably the other thing I do even though it's not necessarily an event is to attend concerts, plays or other Christmas related productions throughout the holiday. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='XeEmO;798633] Do you think marijuana should be legalized? I was just convicted for a misdemeanor of marijuana possession. I plan to take it to court to contest.[/QUOTE]No. And seeing that it's currently considered illegal... I don't see you getting out of that one. Best of luck though.[quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial']I invite those who are anti-Mary Jane to give a valid reason as to why it should remain illegal. To be honest, I have yet to hear any reasoning worth my time.[/font][/quote]Why for? It's a nasty habit much like drinking and smoking and it's already proven that it's detrimental, therefore, I see no reason to support adding yet another harmful substance to the list of 'legal' things one can purchase. And saying that the others are bad and yet are legal doesn't cut it for me. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][COLOR=RoyalBlue]How I let you talk me into this I'll never know. XP *pokes Crystia* Name: Sandra Williams Gender: Female Age: 17 Day Appearance: [URL=http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/2226/sandrawilliams027cr.jpg][COLOR=royalblue]Daytime[/COLOR][/URL] [B]Night Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/7205/sandrawilliams013ly.jpg][COLOR=royalblue]Nighttime[/COLOR][/URL] [B]Personality:[/B] She is easygoing and very kind. Sandra loves working with orphaned children and spends most of her free time assisting the various orphanages. She has a deep love of music and diligently studies how to play the flute though truthfully the ability to play just comes naturally. When she plays for the children its as if all your cares and worries are taken away and replaced with a smile. [B]IC:[/B] As the last note of music from her flute faded away, Sandra slowly lowered the flute and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw that all the orphans had fallen asleep. Every evening if she had the time she would stop by and play the children a lullaby. It warmed her heart to see their happy faces when she came to visit. Sandra got up and quietly left the room softly closing the door to the girls shared bedroom. Sandra turned to see one of the Sisters who helped run the place standing there. “[B]Thank you for playing for the children Sandra,[/B]” the sister said. “[B]They always look forward to hearing you play, as do I.[/B]” Sandra smiled and said, “[B]You’re welcome sister. I love playing for them, it’s hard enough being an orphan, I just wish I could do more for them.[/B]” The sister smiled, “[B]You do far more than you give yourself credit for Sandra[/B]” she said as they walked down the hall towards the front door. When they got there she also said, “[B]Be careful walking home, I’d feel better if you had someone to take you home when it’s already dark out.[/B]” “[B]It’s all right sister, I will not be bothered by anyone.[/B]” Sandra said. She walked out the front door and headed towards home. The sister watched her leave and said a silent prayer for her safety. Such kind and gentle girls like Sandra were difficult to find. Just her smile was enough to make one feel happy, and her music, well the sister knew she didn’t know a lot about it, but even she was positive that Sandra was gifted. It was soothing and relaxing and quite heavenly to listen too. The sister turned and went back to check on the children. Sandra was deep in thought as she walked towards home. Lately it had become increasingly difficult to hide the power that seemed to be contained in her music. Ever since she was a child she had been able to play the flute and sooth an angry dog, or heal someone who was sick and even put people to sleep. She could even create a protective barrier. Which is why she knew no one would bother her, she could easily push someone away with her power. She didn’t know why she could do it. Sandra could do so without the flute, but for some reason the music just made the ability even more powerful. It hadn’t been a problem until the last week. The ability had become so strong that she had to struggle to suppress it as it would manifest as electric arcs of power that were clearly visible, especially at night. Sandra sighed, if she didn’t figure it out soon she would have to quit playing for the children, as she somehow knew that such an ability if known would cause problems. Sandra walked up the stairs to her apartment. She reached into her purse and pulled out the keys. When she got to the top of the stairs she saw a small-unmarked package by her door. For some reason she felt drawn to the package and she picked it up and carried it inside with her. When Sandra opened the package she found a beautiful Pink Stone. It was carefully attached to a silver chain. Without a second thought she immediately put it on. “[B]Greetings Sandra.[/B]” A voice said in her head. Sandra turned around quickly, but no one was there! “[B]Don’t be afraid, look at the pink stone you just put on.[/B]” The voice said. Sandra looked at the stone she had just put on. “[B]That’s right, I am the one speaking to you. We don’t have much time. Bring your flute and a small backpack of clothes and items you will need. It’s not safe here.[/B]” The pink stone said. Sandra was stunned! As bizarre as it seemed, somehow she instinctively knew that the stone was correct and that it was connected to the changes in how her power worked. “[B]Please Sandra, you mustn’t delay! The darkness approaches and unless we leave soon even the children you love will be affected![/B]” the stone said. “[B]Where are we going and who are you?[/B]” Sandra asked while she was gathering her things. The stone replied, “[B]I’ll explain on the way, now please hurry![/B]” Sandra quickly finished packing a few items into her backpack, she opened the door to her apartment and left, closing the door behind her. [B]Current Status:[/B] It has now been many months since Sandra first joined the fight between the stones housing the ancient souls. In that time all but one from each side has fallen, leaving the fate of mankind in her hands, for should she fail to stop the final stone tainted with evil it will continue on it's path of destruction until the world is laid to waste. Anyway... prepare to be vanquished! :p [/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Sandy']Note that even though Enora comes from a future where Bellanna has won the game, it's not necessarily what will happen. Maybe Enora's arrival is the very thing that changes the flow of time. ;D[/QUOTE][IMG]http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9642/thglarerq6.gif[/IMG] Bellanna is not amused. *pokes Sandy* [spoiler][B]Kidding![/B] Or am I? XP [/spoiler] [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Since we're starting to move into advice on getting certain graphic or artistic effects, I'm going to shuffle this over to the Art Studio. ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Well, yeah. I knew there have already been pieces mentioned in the thread. I was just, you know, humoring ... umm ... her. (Her?) (This is [I]so[/I] frilling awkward.) [B]Edit:[/B] Yes. Her.[/FONT][/QUOTE]Hmmm... I didn't word that right, the recommendation is for both of you. If you haven't heard that piece, you are missing out Allamorph. ^_~ It's one of my favorite piano concertos of all times. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]I was going to say something about Brahms, but my mind just went absolutely blank on his works,[/FONT][/QUOTE]As I mentioned earlier in the thread... [U]Currently the one I enjoy listening to the most is [B]Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major[/B].[/U] One of my favorites by Brahms and most definitely one I would recommend picking up and listening to. ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='GuyYouMetOnline']Um, oops. My bad. Anyways, I also think it would be better to have them be members of the Council.[/QUOTE]Then Council members it is. Upon reflection I too think it's a better idea. It will certainly not go over well with the rest of the High Council. Hehe. Anyway, I hope everyone had a good holiday. If there are any questions or if anyone would like things tweaked just let me know. Even if I give out an objective, if you have an idea you think would work better just let me know. As those in the previous installment will tell you, I'm all for changing things around or adding in other stuff instead. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Hmmm... Aaryanna already said pretty much what I would have so I'll simply leave it at that.[quote name='Konata']I probably edited that on while you were making your post. Basically a set of nonsensical rules that make sense =P[/QUOTE]Probably and once I realized that I googled it. Big mistake, even if some of those rules make sense, some of those links led to stuff that I'd rather not see at all. Blech. I did laugh at the one stating that there were no girls on the Internet though. XP[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial]Because there are still degrees of emotional stability, my point still stands as valid. Certainly her parents aren't superheroes and they probably did the best they can. But speaking generally, if she felt emotionally hurt by this "boy" to the point where she was considering suicide, it seems like she should have stopped communication with him. Delete him as a friend, ignore him, stop using myspace altogether. The fact that she continued to have contact with someone like that (someone who intends [i]no good[/i] for you) does lend credence to the idea that maybe she shouldn't have been on myspace.[/font][/QUOTE]I disagree, all it shows is that she was a minor and incapable of understanding that it was better to back away. That's why they are considered underage to begin with, they lack the maturity to reach that decision. Some will and some won't. In the end, I still think the mother who initiated the harassment is at fault here. Even more so since she knew the girl, knew her history and therefore probably understood how to push her better than someone the girl had never met. After all the girl at one point was friends with the mother's own daughter after all. Also, as it says in the article: [I]Others in the online community joined in on the verbal abuse.[/I] So simply avoiding the boy would not have ended the harassment. She got others to harass the girl as well, so she would have had to leave myspace altogether or create a new account to get away from the harassment. It was more than just a case of one person bothering her. She got slammed all at once by not only the mother posing as a boy but others as well. Anyway, regardless, it's done and over with. The girl is dead and though it's unlikely that the mother will ever apologize for the harassment... I still think the whole thing is sad. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Konata']Whoa, there is a major difference between an unexpected car crash and online harassment. With online harassment, one doesn't automatically die the second someone tells him/her "lololol ------- you, im gonna --:D--- kill you, you ---- ------- !!!1111" (unless it's some[I] fear dot com[/I] and [I]Pulse[/I] stuff lol). And people shouldn't HAVE to avoid things, but they can. Why was the "Block" command implemented into AIM? Since there is a Rule 28 of the Internet!?!?!, if you aren't prepared for the worst, then don't go on the Internet. It's like alcohol. It could kill you, and if you're not going to drink responsibly, then maybe you shouldn't drink at all.[/QUOTE]I'm saying that it's unreasonable to expect kids to avoid the entire Internet just because something bad might happen. ^_~ Also, why are we trying to shift blame to the kid here? The bottom line is that an Adult, knowing she had issues harassed her. Clearly the adult is the one who has the higher level of maturity in a situation like this. It shows a complete and total lack of responsibility on the mother for even doing such a thing. Also, she had no way of knowing that this online friend would suddenly turn on her, so it's not like a case of harassment by someone unknown, it was someone she thought was her friend. Making it even more disgusting since she was probably trying to figure out what had happened. What would you do if someone you liked suddenly started saying things like the mother did? Most people try to find out and that just exposed her to even more hate messages. She was still a kid here, regardless of the situation. And to try and blame her for it is pretty sad if you ask me. Also, what are these rules of the Internet and the 28 you are referring to? Retribution: I didn't say drive, I said get into a car. I was talking about exposure to danger itself. Not the dangers of learning to actually drive. I meant in general. :p Also, the article doesn't say if the girls parents were limiting her exposure to the Internet or not, so for all we know they were. After all, if she was on medication for depression then it's obvious that they were actually doing stuff to help their daughter. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Sorry that took so long. I was understandably distracted by the holiday. :catgirl: Which by the way was just fantastic this year. I had so much fun this weekend. Anyway, the rest of you need to post! *starts poking everyone!* [[SIZE="1"]except for Rach who was stuck waiting on someone else to post[/SIZE]][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Bellanna looked around at the remaining gods and then turned back to the pool with a snort of disgust. If they were too cowardly to put an end to the game then she would. Or at the very least she would remove some of the trickery that was still in play. "[B]I've had enough of the underhanded dealings going on here.[/B]" She muttered to herself and then she readied her strike to deal with it. [CENTER][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-charlotte.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-patrick.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Patrick had left the others several hours ago, convinced that Jeanne meant to do him in. And yet uncertain as to what he should even do. At one point he had passed the remains of the Kaijin, still limp and unresponsive, indicating that it really was dead and that there was no way to bring Cho back. Leaving him with no choice but to continue hunting for a way out. Muttering to himself as he did so. "[B]I'm not cursed![/B]" He declared to himself yet again, still hurt that the others thought there was something wrong with him. "[B]You hear me![/B]" He yelled forcefully to the empty set of rooms he was in. "[B]I AM NOT CURSED![/B]" The sudden movement reminded him that his leg still hurt where Jeanne had shot him in the leg and then in the arm when he had tried to take the gun from her. With his head still pounding he flopped to the floor, putting his hands on his temples as he shut his eyes and tried to think of what to do next. "[B]Is anyone here?[/B]" Patrick looked up to see Charlotte as she entered one of the doorways to the room he was in. It didn't take her long to realize that Patrick was sitting on the floor looking at her. "[B]Patrick! What happened to you?[/B]" She rushed over and knelt in front of him fussing over the blood stained bandages on both his right leg and arm. But Patrick was not listening, he was too busy realizing just how beautiful Charlotte really was. [I]Why didn't I notice it before?[/I] Charlotte grasped both of his arms, getting him to look right at her. "[B]Patrick![/B]" He blinked a few times and then blushed a bit before responding. "[B]Jeanne shot me for trying to bring your baby to you.[/B]" He lied. Charlotte just pulled back a bit and looked away. [I]But I thought I saw...[/I] She shook her head. [I]No he was unconscious when Jachym showed me the other two talking.[/I] "[B]Charlotte![/B]" She turned back when Patrick grabbed her hands in his. "[B]We have to save your baby! Jeanne is crazy! I don't know what she's got planned, but even Marta believes her.[/B]" Charlotte just looked down, she had heard Marta speaking about how she and Kenneth and Patrick were already dead. Just thinking about it caused tears to flow down her face again. "[B]Hey![/B]" Patrick reached up to brush her tears away. "[B]Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be crying.[/B]" His expression darkened a bit as the thought that someone would deliberately hurt Charlotte just made him angry. "[B]Can you walk?[/B]" Charlotte asked as she pulled free and stood up. Patrick nodded and got up. "[B]Yeah.[/B]" He reached over to take her hand in his but Charlotte pulled it free. "[B]Patrick, don't do that please.[/B]" Charlotte shook her head. [I]What's the matter with everyone? First Naomi was strange and now Patrick? [/I] With a sigh she started searching for the others with Patrick.[I] I have to get Kenneth from them before it's too late.[/I] [CENTER][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-charlotte.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-shieldcard.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-anticard.png[/IMG] [/CENTER] [B]Anti Card:[/B] This card allows you to nullify the effect of a single card that has been played. It can be used on any card and on any soul. :p [[SIZE="1"]say good bye to the shield card mwahahahaha[/SIZE]][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='AzureWolf']Most experts (and women) would disagree with you, Rachmaninoff. I know it's counterintuitive, and I didn't think it made sense, and good lord I wish I could find that 2007 British survey they did, but something like 77% of women surveyed said they would forgive a guy for a few white lies early in the relationship if she ended up liking him, and something like a whopping 98% of at least one person in a successful relationship (i.e., one that ended in marriage) admitted to lying early on. They said the person they fell in love with wasn't the person they discovered when the lies were gone, but they were able to overlook that.[/QUOTE]As a woman, I would have to say it would depend on the white lie really. Being off on weight or height, especially when it's not that much of a difference doesn't really matter. But if those white lies run into stuff that is a little more serious then honestly, it's a huge turn off. It would have to really be totally minor stuff for me to overlook it. Otherwise, that sort of nonsense can and has ended relationships for me in the past. I'm not saying I expect them to be a saint, but still, I prefer it if a guy is more honest about who he is as well as about his past. Believe me, over the years I've heard some pretty pathetic lies from guys. XP I have to wonder what's going on in their minds when they say some of the things they do. Of course I've known some women who were equally as stupid about saying things that were total lies and then they wondered why their boyfriend broke up with them. As for the topic, for myself, I like a guy to have at least some of the same tastes in music, movies or other things that I do. Enough that we have something in common. Oh and it's a given that it can't bother him that I'm pretty independent and use to making my own decisions. I like sharing the responsibility of deciding what we are going to do and so forth when it comes to activities or anything else for that matter. I'm definitely not the type to sit back and let someone else be totally in charge. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Konata']If she can't handle the serious business that is the Internet, then she shouldn't go on it =([/QUOTE]You make me sad with that statement really. People shouldn't have to avoid things because of hateful and spiteful people around. That's as bad as saying one should never get in a car because there just might be a drunk driver around or some other potential danger/threat. Life is full of unexpected things and to shelter someone from it is silly. Besides, if that's true then all teenagers should be stripped of Internet rights since none of them are adults and can truly handle serious situations. She was a minor, regardless of the situation, it was 100% the adult's fault in this case. That parent knew what she was doing wrong, she knew the girl had issues with depression and ADD. And yet she still did it anyway. It's just sick how she's to cowardly to apologize for the pain she's caused the other family.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Lucia was attempting to focus on running the scan to determine just where the source that was feeding the unnatural spawning rate was coming from, but so far her equipment was coming up against a blank wall, though there was some sort of anomalous reading coming from within the outer walls themselves. What in the world is that? She thought even as she paused briefly to send yet another wave of purification flames out to turn the creatures that were slipping past Ruby in an effort to get her into ash. "Lucia! Have you found it yet?" Alex called out as he finally made it to her side and started taking out the wraiths that were still managing to get past Ruby and Nall. "Not yet." Lucia replied curtly as she suddenly executed a back flip to avoid a wraith that attempted to catch her by surprise by coming up through the floor where she had been standing. Before she could do anything Alex was on it. "Are you sure it will even work?" Alex asked as he sidestepped several creatures lunging straight for him and then turned in mid-step to slash the creatures in half. "After all it couldn't detect that you were caught in an illusion." "Idiot!" Lucia snapped, causing Alex to turn towards her with a startled glance on his face. He barely had time to register her look of irritation before he was forced to turn his attention back to the wraiths coming after them. "There was nothing wrong with the crystal communicator, the illusion only affected my mind. It told me that it was not getting any readings when in fact it was." "So it was working but you couldn't see the readout?" Alex was a little confused. Lucia just sighed a tiny bit. "No,? She explained in a patronizing tone of voice. "I could see it but the illusion was telling me what I was seeing instead of what was really there." Alex started to say something but Lucia cut him off. "Stop trying to figure it out Alex, we don't have time for me to explain it to you in terms you'll actually understand." "What's the matter with you Lucia? There's no need to be rude." Alex growled, becoming irritated as well. "Just figure out how to get us out of here okay?" "I'm trying to do that, so stop interrupting me!" Lucia shot back as she focused in on a new reading, one generated by whatever Nathan and Nevril were up to. She didn't even realize that she was gripping her communicator tightly until Ruby spoke up. "Not now Lucia, we don't have time for that." But Lucia was not listening, her thoughts going back to before she became a Shinigami, to when she wanted nothing to do with even them. At that time, her only interest had been in developing the technology she was using that did not pollute the surrounding environment. But those in charge were not interested in going beyond their current responsibility of maintaining the balance of life. They refused to see just what was in store? "Congratulations Lucia, you've been selected to become a Shinigami." Lucia just ignored the voice of one who was in charge of just how things were run, focusing on her work, refusing to even turn and look at him. The sound of footsteps could be heard and then an arm grasped hers pulled her around to face him. "I said congratulations." He said sternly. "No, I refuse." Lucia said flatly as she pulled free. "Lucia!" A shrill voice brought her back to where she was. "I told you we don't have time for this!" Ruby screeched. Don't have time? She thought with irritation, if my work had not been interrupted it would have progressed enough to even detect the illusion being worked on my mind! But even as she thought that, the other side of her refuted it, but if you were still doing your work, you would not have been here to be caught in the illusion. A horrible screech in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts... With a start Lucia hastily back stepped to avoid the strike of two wraiths that had nearly gotten to her, in mere moments she turned them to ash and then glanced down at her crystal communicator, her eyes going wide when she realized what she was reading. "Nall! Ruby!" She shouted, "Turn the walls into a barrier!" She pointed to the two locations where the unusual readings were coming from. "What?" Ruby and Nall said in unison. "Just do it! Don't let the creatures in the walls escape!" Both of them gave her an odd look and then did as they were told, their flames striking the walls in the locations Lucia had indicated, causing the walls to glow with an eerie light of their own. That had better hold, Lucia thought as she tracked Nathan?s progress. He was using Nevril to trigger some sort of key or means to get them out of the room. It was clear that he seemed to know where he was going and there was nothing she could do to help him at the moment. Lucia turned her attention back to the creatures coming her way now that both Ruby and Nall were unable to keep them away from her. Calmly she tucked her communicator away and then with but a thought, scythe in hand she threw herself into the fray, until Nathan found all the keys, there was nothing she could do anyway.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Another one that I really like is Johann Sebastian Bach. He just has so much music that sounds deceptively simple and yet can be so difficult to play correctly. And when someone gets it right I just love listening to it. For instance I'm currently listening to The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by Bach. No matter how many times I hear them I never get tired of them. I also love the six Brandenburg concertos as well. I've played some of those, though the orchestra I was in in High School wasn't all that good. Still it was fun. And then there's his Toccata and Fugue works for the organ which I also never get tired of. It's been a while but hearing those performed live is very enjoyable. Bach is definitely one of my favorite composers from the Baroque era. ^_^[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Rachmaninoff']And speaking of parts for cars... I'm glad you got home safely, I'm only sorry I wasn't around to help with that, even though I've never changed a tire in my life.[/QUOTE]^_~ No worries. Ironically all that time working as Truck Driver paid off. Not that I ever changed a tire for one of those since they always sent a truck out for that when you had a problem, but all the traveling I did resulted in other blowouts and flats in my own car. So I've had lots of practice and in all honesty, it's pretty easy to do. XP I'm less than thrilled at forking over $370.00 for all new tires though. :animesigh My current ones had worked so well and still had plenty of tread so I didn't realize that they were going on their seventh year since I bought them. Meh. Anyway, now that I'm utterly broke until I get my next check... my wish list, which I wasn't going to get this year anyway, would be a Wii and the new Super Mario Galaxy game. But now after spending that money on my car, I couldn't get it even if I wanted to. XP[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Andy;798228][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="2"]Woah, slow down there, dude. Why don't you read the Otakuboards Rules and learn how to post a thread first, [I]then[/I] we can figure out how to get teh girl's. ^_^[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]Retribution covered this already, but I'm also going to remind you that using the report bad post button in the top right hand corner of the post in question is the best route to take in situations like this. And once you've done that, just leave it alone and give us time to get to it. Thanks. ^_~[quote name='skullinton'']What do girls really want in a guy??Cause sometimes you seem so d**n confused:animeknow[/quote]Now as the others have said skullinton, without some form of input as to why you are asking the question we can't help you at all really. Because at this point you're the one being confusing. Are we talking about a particular girl who confuses you? Or are you talking about something more general that you've noticed? You need to explain why you think girls are confused. Also, next time put more thought into your thread when starting it. I'll leave it open to give you a chance to explain what you wish to find out, but seriously, further threads without any direction to them will just be closed.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom'] Plus I think it's fantastic how they went to the effort to use a real Harpsichord, Clavichord and Toy Piano instead of relying on modern technology to recreate it. There's just no getting around how wonderful a real Harpsichord sounds when you play it. I speak from experience on that of course. ;)[/QUOTE]I agree, especially since they had them there for the concert last night and hearing it live was just fantastic. :catgirl: They played six of the songs done in the renaissance style and I loved every minute of it. As well as loving every minute of the rest of the concert. I've been wanting to hear them perform live for quite some time so I was glad to finally get the chance to do so. And it was especially fun to hear seven of the new songs on their latest album as well. Nothing like getting a new CD and then getting to hear most of it performed live shortly after you get it. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well a short while ago I would have been able to say I already got what I want this year. A new computer, which I got two months ago. ^_^ Tickets to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert that I just got back from going to with Rachmaninoff. The last time they were in town was over six years ago and I couldn't get off from work to attend! So at that moment, I got the main things I wanted this year. That is until after I left Rach's place and headed home. XP About three miles from the freeway exit to my house my front tire blew out. So now I need tires for my car. Whee! So that's my wish list, well sort of since as soon as I've gotten some rest and the place is open, I'll be taking my car in to get the tires. XP The only good thing is that at least it happened after the concert. I would have been so annoyed if it happened before hand and made me miss it! [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Rachmaninoff']I do like the top image with a bit from The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. I actually have a decent scan of the full art image, though I don't remember if it was a woodblock painting or something else. Still I like that the best about the new theme, it really suits it well. Also, keeping the same background for the posts is perfect in my mind. I usually avoid darker themes since it always makes readability an issue, but this way... It's no issue at all.[/QUOTE]The top image was the first thing I noticed, but then I have that scan too. It's very fitting for the new theme. ^_^ And I too love how the background is the same for the posts. I hate having to highlight the text to read someone's post, that and I'd hate to have to give up using color for my posts. XP Anyway, one other thing I've noticed that seems a little off is the white section between each area's like the AV District and The Square doesn't quite line up on the right side. It's not that big of a deal though. Overall, very, very nice. So thank you James. :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Just a quick note to clear up some confusion over just what Representatives are in the Versilan Empire. Unlike High Council members they are officials elected to represent each sector to deal with the High Council on their behalf. Though politically they have a lot of power and make decisions for the sectors they represent, the High Council still has the final say in any decision that is made. I bring this up since the Representatives in sector seven that BKstyles character has been charged with capturing are not Council members. The same with those in sector thirteen. However, it is not unusual for Council members to personally make visits to a sector, especially in the case of one that is newly conquered. So Aaryanna_Mom and GuyYouMetOnline if the two of you want the members that Kiva captured to actually be Council members that's fine by me. Or they could be Representatives as well as what's known as a Council Candidate since all members who eventually become a member of the High Council are required to serve as a Candidate first. Sorry if that has caused any confusion, I've updated the first post with information on Representatives and I'll probably add a bit more on the Candidates a bit later. Also, excellent work everyone and I hope all of you are enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday. :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well many of my friends, we do a little of everything except for the playing video games bit. Most if not all of my friends who live close enough don't play video games and the ones that do, we never seem to get together alone for just that, it's always with everyone else to go to a movie or just hang around and talk about stuff. I do get online for playing Diablo II with them though, not nearly as often as I'd like since our schedules just don't leave room for that kind of stuff. In the end, the biggest get together is usually, movies, going out to dinner together and simply talking about whatever topic comes to mind. We get off on the weirdest stuff sometimes. lol The only exception to this would be another set of friends who for the most part we only get together to do scrap booking classes. Usually once a month or every other month we set up at someone's house on Saturday and literally spend all day long working on our pictures and photo albums. I always look forward to that since we share ideas on how to do pages and just spend the whole day talking about all sorts of stuff. What I need to do is get together with some of my friends from when I was truck driving... If only their job didn't have them all over the US and thus making getting together next to impossible now that I'm not driving anymore. XP[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Konata']But if you don't go, then you're not only taking away money from the school, but you are also eliminating a part of your resume =([/QUOTE]I don't know what you've been reading, but really, that's just not true. What you are talking about is a program that is an incentive for the school districts to increase attendance by offering so much per day for each kid that attends. That money is on top of what funding they already get. They get funded whether or not you show up. The article isn't recent, but this explains it a bit: [URL="http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/08/20/news/californian/22_02_058_19_05.txt"][U]Article[/U][/URL] So really, you are not taking money away from the school, not when you consider that they are actually using some of the funds to offer up prizes and such for students that qualify. XP The cost of some of those prizes would easily cover you and quite a few other students being sick, which is a perfectly acceptable reason for missing school. So to make you think you are cheating the school is just wrong. It's just a gimmick to increase attendance and in many ways it's flawed. The fact that they lose money for legitimate absences is absolutely absurd if you ask me. As well as wasting some of the money on prizes since the very same money could have been used for the schools. Also, I'm pretty sure that not all of the states are doing the same thing. [/FONT][/COLOR]