SunfallE

[color="#4169E1"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Well I'm not a fan of orange so I'm using basic. I'd like the other better if it was say blue or indigo. lol[/font][/color]

[color="#4169E1"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I'll save the bug issues for later. Just one suggestion for you all. The new name "Soapbox" for this section of the boards... Please to keep. kthxbai[/font][/color]

[color="#4169E1"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Can't say I'm surprised to see Laura spazzing over it being back up. She only came into chat and was: [b]Japan86: YAY OB IS UP [/spazz][/b] lol[/font][/color]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]^Certainly more fun than other stuff one can do... so... ┌(=^‥^=)┘♪└(=^‥^=)┐♪┌(=^‥^=)┘♪└(=^‥^=)┐[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Well I guess since I go with diet soda (issues with low blood sugar and all) guess a tax won't matter to me at all. That and it's absurdly easy to stop drinking it. There are plenty of things like herbal tea that give one the same energy boost. Overall, I don't take people like that seriously, just the manner of how the [CENTER][I]article/editorial/whatever [/I][/CENTER] was written, tells me it's not meant to be taken as, to be blunt, real news. I read stuff like that for entertainment and get my news from other sources. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]And now... back to dancing... ♪♪┌(∵)┘♪└(∵)┐♪┌(∵)┘♪└(∵)┐♪♪[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium]Wow, it's funny you say that...because it's only just turning into winter here and it already feels like it's been winter for months! I'm not a huge fan of winter in Melbourne, mostly because it's just sort of uncommitted. We have really freezing almost-horizontal winds and a bit of drizzly rain, but that's usually it - no massive storms and the only snow is up in the mountains, usually. So it's kind of depressing. I'd much prefer spring/summer. :\[/font][/QUOTE]We've had very non-spring weather since the first of April. Cold wet rain with some snow mixed in. But gosh, it's freakin May already... x_X And to top it off, we have freeze warnings tonight. So if you have a garden planted you have to do something to keep the plants from dying. It's been cold enough that fortunately I haven't bothered to plant anything yet. I kept waiting for this spell of cold rain to end. Now it's just as well or I'd be scrambling to find a way to get everything covered. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]We finally make it to May and what does it do? Snow. ._.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][quote name='CaNz;851782]okay... i am actually quite happy that you can cope with stress better than the majority of the world, however some people do drink for temporary relief, so i consider you different, not better.[/QUOTE]Did I say I was better than you or others who drink? No.[quote name='CaNz'']likewise i consider myself and everyone else who has done this different, not worse and should not be looked down upon.[/quote]Did I say I look down on you or anyone else who does? No. You asked a question, I answered it truthfully. I said that there was nothing that made me want to drink. And I was serious. It has nothing to do with you, it has to do with the painful memory of losing an older brother to a drunk driver. When I am upset or having a bad day, drinking isn't what comes to mind when I look for a way to cope with stress. That's all there is to it. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nothing makes me feel like drinking. No, really. [I]Nothing.[/I][/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Cheese and apple slices is actually quite tasty. Potato chips with Ketchup... BLECH. As for cornbread, I can't stand sweet cornbread because then it's corn[U]cake[/U] not cornbread. lol [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I just went ahead and moved the posts over into a new thread here. I personally don't know what the idle time is but I'm sure Desbreko or someone else can answer that question for you akiodie.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]That would be more a tournament license, equivalent to, say, a NASCAR driver or something. But that still doesn't necessitate a license for people who simply want them for pets or for personal use. I don't really think equating pokémon to guns is an appropriate correlation. :p[/FONT][/QUOTE]I'm not sure how you got the correlation to guns in there. I was aiming more at what you first mentioned, like the NASCAR deal. :p Pokemon are intelligent so for general house use you probably wouldn't need to register them or have a license. I imagine that either parents or even a class while in grade school would acquaint kids with the 'basics' of how to work with Pokemon. I think the idea of a license would only come in if you were going to do more, like battling or even guiding one for construction work. So only then would you need something. After all there is the issue of safety concerns, even if Pokemon are vastly more intelligent than cars or construction vehicles. That also fits neatly into the concept of being required to have more in-depth training and licensing requirements in order to compete at the higher levels. A person who didn't take the time to really develop a working bond with their Pokemon or to understand their limits, would run the risk of serious injury to the Pokemon, themselves, and possibly bystanders. Kind of like how I had to go through special training in order to drive a Semi. Since that's way more than the other simple basic stuff for regular driving that doesn't require such attention to detail. Screwing up at that level can be downright lethal.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][CENTER][B]One of the Hunted[/B][/CENTER] Lucia’s contact had been flabbergasted to learn that she had skipped out on her new work assignment. She had no way to properly explain it when she notified him that she couldn’t accept it after all. The best she had been able to offer was that the location was completely unworkable for her. Since he couldn’t possibly understand why, mainly because she could not explain, he had gotten the wrong impression entirely. Her contact made some offhanded remark that lead her to believe he thought she didn’t like who she would be required to work with. Lucia knew she had what the humans considered rivals. She just didn’t care. Any other time she would have corrected him but since it served her purpose well enough, she didn’t bother to set him straight. It was better that way. The only real setback was now she’d have to wait for him to find something else for her, unless she wanted to do her own job hunting. Lucia hated doing that. It was such a complete waste of time, spending hours and hours talking to different people and filling out form after form. She liked letting someone else handle that part. Lucia sighed and put it out of mind. He’d find her something soon enough. She turned her mind back to other more important matters, the black blades. It had taken a couple of days, but Alex had finally found the time to stop by and check the dirks that Lucia had kept for testing. She had been deeply disappointed that they hadn’t seemed any different to him. Though after they had discussed it a bit and he had left, she put that feeling aside. Upon reflection, she realized that it was irrelevant which one it was, at least not yet anyway. In order for her scans to be of any use, she would need data from both types to see if there was anything different. So for now she could work on analyzing what she had and perhaps find a way to identify traces of a reapers essence. Lucia’s only regret was that Alex had handed the blade in question over to Nathan. She sent Nathan a message asking if he still had the blade, and if so, could she have it for testing. But she hadn’t heard back from him yet, and since he would have no reason that she knew of for keeping it, Lucia figured that Nathan had probably destroyed it. At least she assumed there was a way to destroy them. “[B]I wish I could go back and check the records on the black blades.[/B]” She mused. “[B]Why don’t you?[/B]” Karl asked. Startled she turned in her seat till the computer screen was behind her. Lucia hadn’t even realized that she had spoken out loud until Karl answered her. He was so quiet when they weren’t training that it was easy to forget he was around, especially since he didn't hover around her when she was working. She started to snap at him for eavesdropping when a glance at the clock on the wall showed her that she was late for the next training session. She flushed with embarrassment and quickly cut off the angry retort, biting her lower lip in consternation. Lucia had already learned that snapping at Karl when she was in the wrong, only led to another one of his lectures. It irked her how he would, politely and calmly, point out that she was being an idiot. Before he could press the matter she quickly turned and started turning everything that didn’t need to run, off. She ignored Ruby’s look of amusement since she had probably reminded her about the training. It wouldn’t be the first time she had unintentionally tuned Ruby out. “[B]I’m sorry,[/B]” Lucia said as calmly as she could manage. “[B]I wasn’t watching the time.[/B]” She turned back to face Karl once she was done. “[B]We’re still using the empty fairgrounds, right?[/B]” Karl’s right eyebrow shot up and for a moment she wondered if he was going to remind her that she hadn’t answered his question. To her great relief he merely nodded. She didn’t give him a second chance. Lucia turned and made for the fairgrounds at top speed. The last thing she wanted was him asking her why any request for her to return to the other side was always denied. [CENTER]*************************[/CENTER] Lucia could feel sweat trickling down her back between her shoulder blades. She was certain her hair was damp as well since her scalp had started to itch. It didn’t seem to matter how much she improved, Karl never seemed tired at all, ever. The further they got into the training session, the more he moved with a flowing grace that she could only envy. It didn’t help that she was already developing a painful stitch in her side. It was true that she was slowly getting better and lasting longer, but at the same time it was disheartening to see that he was unaffected by the increase in pace. At this rate it felt like it was going to take decades for her to even come close to matching him in a spar. Working with the humans had given her a false sense of security. No human could match a reaper. She had been a fool to think that it would be enough. [I]Thwack! [/I] It happened so quickly that Lucia barely saw the move before it connected with her ill guarded right side. The force of the blow sent her sprawling to land painfully on the ground. [I]Damnit![/I] She thought with exasperation. [I]That hurt![/I] She rolled onto her left side in order to get back up and then stopped, taking deep breathes instead when the stitch in her side worsened. “[B]Pay attention.[/B]” Karl reprimanded her. Lucia didn’t bother to respond. She could hear his footsteps as he approached where she had fallen. It wasn’t the first time he’d done that. Anytime she allowed her attention to wander, he’d take advantage of that to remind her of where it should be. He never hit hard enough to seriously injure her, but it still stung. With a groan she started to get back up, mindful of the pain in her side. “[B]I need a moment to catch my breath.[/B]” She told Karl. Karl merely nodded in response and extended a hand to help her up. Lucia accepted it and then let go the moment she was on her feet. She glanced over at Ruby, who was sitting on one of the fences. She had an odd expression on her face and she wasn’t even looking at Lucia. Puzzled she turned around to see what Ruby was looking at. To her surprise, Isen was casually strolling across the open fairgrounds. “[B]You need more than a moment to catch your breath, Lucia,[/B]” Isen said without glancing in her direction. “[B]Go and have a seat for a while, I insist.[/B]” Her gaze never left Karl. Puzzled, Lucia turned to Karl but his expression was unreadable. He looked in her direction to nod, indicating she should do as Isen directed, and then turned back to the other werecat. She wondered what Isen wanted, but part of her was too tired to care. Lucia walked over to the fence and sat down, leaning back against it. A moment later Ruby floated down and settled in her lap. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Perhaps people who take the time to earn certifications are considered actual trainers where the others do it as a hobby or for personal reasons. I mean doesn't the game have some sort of badge system? You could even say that there are different types of certifications people can earn depending on what they plan on doing with their Pokemon. Like a very broad simple one for domestic use, or a type of battle one for people who are involved in tournaments. And another one for those who take it further and specialize in being good enough to teach others about how to work with their Pokemon in addition to battling in tournaments. Applying that system to Allan that would mean he would have some for participating in tournaments but not for training others how to use their Pokemon. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I love daylight savings and I love having semi decent sunny weather again. :catgirl:[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Like the others, I too was already under the assumption that the cities were much larger than the simple game graphics. It's just part and parcel of the realistic approach you two advocated when the sign up was originally posted. So I'm fine with it as well since that's how I already see it.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]By the time they were done asking him questions about his Pokémon and what they could do, Allan felt like his mind had been turned inside out. He thought he knew his way around battles but now he knew he had barely scratched the surface. He understood why his parents pushed for him to learn more but he didn?t like the underlying feeling of rigid control. The League was worse, or so he had thought. It was hard to put it into words, it just felt wrong to him. Allan tried to pay attention as one of the aides took him on a very short tour of the compound as he pointed out where everything was located. But his mind kept wandering back to his decision to join. ?[B]These should fit you just fine. If not we?ll get you something else.[/B]? A voice cut through his thoughts. Allan came back to where he was with a start when the aide shoved a bundle of clothing into his arms. The brown and green fatigues were made of a sturdy yet rough material. Allan stifled a sigh and tried to keep his disappointment from showing. It wasn?t necessary; the man was already on his way down the corridor towards yet another part of the complex. ?[B]You?ll find the mess hall down that direction,[/B]? he gestured with his right hand. ?[B]Up ahead is where all of you sleep.[/B]? It took Allan a moment to realize that they wouldn?t be giving him his own room. An open door showed a double set of metal bunk beds in the small room. There were small narrow lockers along the back wall. Unless another room had larger ones, there was no way his stuff would fit in just one. ?[B]Here we are.[/B]? Allan followed him into one of the rooms. It was easy to tell which bed would be his. The bottom bunk on the right as they entered was the only one with nothing on it but a set of sheets and blankets and a pillow, waiting for him to make the bed with. He set his duffle bag on the floor and accepted the small piece of paper the man handed him. ?[B]I?m sure I don?t have to tell you to keep your combination to yourself[/B].? Allan shook his head. ?[B]Once you get things settled, bring the rest with you to the mess hall and we?ll get it sent back to your home.[/B]? He smiled kindly. Allan nodded. ?[B]Thank you.[/B]? He waited for him to leave before he turned with a sigh and got started. Like most lockers there was a little shelf at the top. He placed his personal items like soap and shampoo up there along with other basic necessities. There were some hangers on a bar just below that and he hung up his t-shirts and fatigues. The pants, jeans, underwear and socks went on one of the little shelves at the bottom, along with his extra shoes under that. There was barely enough room left for his over jacket and supplies for his Pokémon. Just like he?d been told, there was no room for his nicer clothing. He had hoped there would be but the small locker was too narrow for that. With another resigned sigh he changed into one of the new sets of clothing he had been given and then stuffed his pants and shirt into the duffle bag. It was nice with all of the pockets for carrying stuff but the material was rough, unlike what he was used to. Allan wasn?t going to let them know he didn?t like it though. He had told that imposing woman that he would pull his own weight. He wasn?t going to back out now over something as silly as clothing. Allan closed the duffle bag and hefted the strap over his shoulder before he left the room to find the aide.[/COLOR][/FONT]