Sere Tuscumbia

[left][font=Times New Roman]When I first got ahold of a manga? (actually, it was a manwha, but I just refer to it all as manga) Actually, I don't really know. Young, though. My first manga was the third volume of Sailor Moon. I'm not really sure why I bought it, or where I bought it, but I do know collecting the whole series became my [i]obsession[/i]. Any bookstore I went to, I searched for the Sailor Moon books that I didn't have. Heck, I didn't even care if I didn't buy them in order! But I've got them all now (all 18!) and my poor 3rd book has been read so many times that all the pages have broken away from the spine. ^^;;[/font][/left] [left][font=Times New Roman]I guess what really drives me in my gigantic quest for manga is the art. A lot of the times, I buy books because they're pretty. I read a lot of web-mangas because they're pretty. I'm a pretty-oriented kind of person, I guess. ^^;;[/font][/left] [left][font=Times New Roman]But right now, I'm trying to buy less manga, because I've got so many series that I've started to buy, but I've never finished buying all of them. So I'm going to refrain from buying any more new mangas (unless something from Natsumi Ando pops up, and then it's bought automatically) until I finish collecting all of my other series. Heck, I live within walking distance of one of the most extensive manga collection stores I've ever seen, so I don't really have to worry about a new manga I'm planning on buying disappearing before I get to buy it any time soon.[/font][/left] [left][font=Times New Roman]Haha, I guess all-in-all, I like manga because it's so unique. And it's also easier to relate to. I mean, normal people (mainly teenagers) thrust into abnormal situations, and they have to figure out how to deal. They're a whole lot human than some alien that wears spandex, and can make people not recognise him by putting on some freaking glasses. (although Sailor Moon comes pretty darn close. O_o;;)[/font][/left] [left][font=Times New Roman]--Sere[/font][/left]

[size=1]Ok, apparently I posted a post without posting that post, so that post has been deleted. Thus the post is posted no more. Just updating, so on with the story. O_o;; --Sere[/size]

[size=1]It's Kano! *glompage* Okay, I realise that made no sense to most everyone here, but if you're just dying to know, check [URL=http://www.electric-manga.com]this[/URL] out. And since it looks all nice and Kano-ish (except for the eyes . . . O_o;;), it's a guy. ^_^ Mmm, Kano. Me likes. ^_^ 'Cause for a random, odd, what-in-the-heck, 3-in-the-morning drawing, it's better than what I could do. My drawings that early are normally evil stick-figure deaths. o_o;; --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Hmm, I remember Serge. Or the commercials for it, at least. I don't think I ever drank it though, because of the fact that I've always been on a strict (parent-enforced) caffeine diet until a few years ago. I'm sure I had it once or twice, but most of my caffeine-high induced memories are from Mountain Dew (mmmmm, so yummy) so I can't be sure. I do remember the commercials though . . . O_o;; --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Eve locked Zharra with a lazy stare, her eyes half-closed and her pose nonchalant, but if anyone looked closer, the underlying emotions would become clear. "Put the gun away, Zharra," she said, her voice slightly chilly. Zharra looked over at the little guide, but did nothing as Liam sat there dumbfounded on the floor. "Put the gun away, Zharra," Eve repeated sternly, her eyes cold. "That's an order." "You're only our guide." "I'm also your superior in this mission, so put that goddamned gun away before I decide to add another hole to your head." Eve pulled out her gun and levelled it at Zharra, her face livid. Zharra slid her gun back into it's holster, but her lips were a thin, hard line and her eyes were wrathful as she look at Eve and stalked away to flop herself into a chair and give Eve the evil eye. Eve shoved her gun back into it's holster like it repulsed her, eyed it for a moment, then turned and silently walked out of the room. She didn't go far before Liam caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "What was that about?" Eve wrenched her arm away from Liam and looked away. "What was what about?" "Unless I'm stupid Eve, you were standing up for me in there. You've been avoiding me like the Black Plague ever since we first met, and I want to know what's up with this sudden change of heart." "I was telling Zharra to back off and stand down because she was out of line, Liam, and I have neither the energy nor the will to bother with protecting my sanity at this moment. I've got more important things to worry about, mainly getting you guys out of here alive." Liam peered at Eve, and she refused to meet his gaze. "I got you in, I'm going to get you out," she said, answering his unspoken question, then grabbed Liam's shirt sleeve and dragged him back to the room as inspiration struck. She found Ryan standing against the wall, glancing nervously at his watch, and let go of Liam to approach Ryan. "What's the General like?" Ryan jumped, startled at Eve's sudden question. "Why'd you ask?" "Look, Ryan, we all already know that the General's probably ordered the F1-11's to move," Eve sighed. "But would the zealot be nuts enough to sacrifice his own men at any cost just to kill the enemy?" "So you're saying . . .?" "If we can invade the General's HQ, then there's a chance for us to save our skins." */-/* Meh, posty posty posty. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]OOC: Look, I post! I post at 6:26 in the morning but I post! */-/* Eve crouched down, tapping Rae in her un-injured shoulder a couple times, then remarked, "Wow, that's some damn strong stuff. Nifty." She turned to Bailey. "Get her back to home base, will you? They're still back there with no information, and Rae isn't doing us much good here." She started off, but stopped when Bailey called out to her. "Where are you going?" Baily, with Rae hefted on her back, looked after her. Eve turned around and started walking backwards. "I'm gonna go find Liam and see if he knows why in the hell we had Marines on our asses," she said, jerking a thumb behind her. Bailey nodded, then turned and headed back the way she and Eve had come. Eve turned back around also, and jogged around a couple corners and down several stairs before she found the exact spot she wanted. She paced up to an innocent wall panel and paused for a moment, checking her position against the map in her head, then nodded and tapped the wall panel. She liked what she heard. "Note to self: Buy hammer," Eve grumbled as she hefted up a piece of concrete and started making holes in the wall. After a few minutes, she chunked the concrete to the side and slipped through the hole she had made in the wall, letting her eyes adjust to the dimness inside. Only a few paces forward, and Eve felt the slight change in the air. Turning backwards, she clambered down the rungs until she hit the last safe one, stopped, and looked over her shoulder. As luck would have it, Liam was right where Eve had hoped he would be. "'Ey, Liam! Move or this thing's coming down on your pumpkin!" Liam scrambled up, looking startled. "What the hell?!" "I said [b]move[/b], or this damned thing is coming down on your head!" Liam moved out of Eve's sight, and she put her foot on the next rung below her and pushed down. The ladder extended perfectly, and Eve */-/* Sorry for dropping off right in the middle of a sentence, but I've got to get going to school. Will finish when get back. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]OOC: Just a note from me, I'm still alive (don't consider this as spam, please!!), and, yes, I am going to post, but I might not be on for the next couple of days. School just started back off (for a lot of other people too) and my mum's starting to get picky about me getting on the computer after 7:00 PM again. ¬¬;; In layman terms: I'M INCREDIBLY BUSY. --;; Keep my lovely Eve alive for me, will you? */-/*[/size]

[size=1]Look, I'm alive! . . . I just don't post much . . . O_o;; Anyway, onto the topic at hand. I've thought about what I want to do after high school, but, then again, I haven't. Because what I'd really love to be is a novelist (a.k.a. someone who writes novels) but most of the time you have to work second or third jobs to keep a regular cash flow going and I just don't want to have to deal with all the strain. ^^;; But I still hope to get a novel I've been writing (since 7th grade, hee) published. *shrugs* But it's just a goal, not really a job choice. So I think I've settled on something that I'd like to do: psychology. More specifically, art therapy. But therein lies the problem: College. Or University, if you so prefer. Really, I'd like to go to a college that isn't anywhere [b]near[/b] Oklahoma, but my choice of colleges really depends on if I manage to snag a scholarship or not. Getting a scholarship would really help to ensure I get to a good college, but, if I don't, then I'll just probably try somehting that majors in psychology but is still affordable. *shrugs* Mum and Da said I really shouldn't worry about college just yet and just concentrate on my grades for the rest of the year, because if I don't get good grades, then college is a very far-away dream. But, oh well. I'll probably really start thinking about college next year (when I'm a 2nd semester junior). But until then [i]c'est la vie[/i], I guess. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]OOC: I have been busy. Very, almost crazily busy. Also, it snowed, so I went romping around in the snow, and watched [I]The Nightmare Before Christmas[/I] for the first time in my 16 odd years. But fun news: I HAVE GOT THE COOLEST SHOES EVER. My shoes mock your shoes. =P */-/* Eve sat on the ground, her knees drawn up with her arms sticking straight out and her elbows resting on her knees, and her back resting very lightly against the side of the truck ([which seems to have appeared out of nowhere, hmm]). Her head was tilted down, her chin resting on her chest, but it didn't matter, she wasn't looking anyway. Her eyes fluttered open at the shouts, and Eve looked up to see Liam and Bailey heading across the sand (toward the temporary camp that Matt had established in their absence), supporting a worn out Karen between them. Eve smiled, and pushed herself up tenderly before starting to slowly make her way over to the group of five. She knew that Matt would be ecstatic to see Karen again, and she didn't want to interrupt their renuion. But at least she could be handy at last. She grinned. [I]Handy. Handy dandy. Handy dandy mandy. Handy dandy candy mandy.[/I] She reached the group of once seven, now five again, and stood slightly aloof of the group. Although there were only five others there, Eve still felt a little crowded, more thinking of other's space than her own. Matt met her eyes, and Eve reached out a gentle and and softly touched Karen's upper arm. "Hey," she murmured soothingly. "Let's go get you fixed up and changed, okay?" Karen, although hesitant to let go of Matt, bit her lip and nodded. Eve smiled, and took Karen's hand, supporting her 'til Karen found a chair to collapse into. */-/* And these: ([]) symbolise writer comments. Just little comments I felt like making during the production of this darned post. Ugh, I'm getting to a point where I'm all written out. Or maybe I'm just getting Writer's Cramp (also called Writer's Block). It's eating my brain. Also, if you're a bit confused, when I'm talking about the group, and the numbers of the group, it's Liam, Bailey, Malania, Katarina, Karen first, then Liam, Bailey, Karen, Matt, Rae, (Malania and Katarina, but they quickly leave (thus the 7 then 5 comment), then Liam, Bailey, Matt, Rae, Karen, Eve, with Karen and Eve breaking off. . . . if that make any sense at all. My shoes still mock your shoes. ^_~ --Sere P.S. -- There's more to this (because it's horribly short) but it's late and Dad's all, "Get off the internet! It's [b]eeevvvviiillll[/b]!!" so I'll finish it tomorrow. Yay me, see? I'm still alive and kicking.[/size]

[size=1]OOC: Nah, she's just . . . you know, [b]blind[/b]. Both her right eye and her left eye focus on the same thing (because your eyes work in conjunction with each ozzer) but she just doesn't see anything out of her right eye. Which, (yes, I know) leads to a lack of depth perception, but Eve's lived (and dealt, and trained) with being partially blind for almost 9 years, so she's been able to make up for it. Also, her blind eye isn't that noticeable, because she tries to hide it beneath her hair. And hey, we all could just make really short posts for a while to make you feel better. ^_^ Mine'll be short anyway, I'm running short on time. */-/* Eve was silent for a moment, then wrapped her arms around her stomach as if she was hugging herself, and laughed a little. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at Bradley. "It's -- it's just hard." She waved a hand at the various crowds. "It's hard being here. Doing this." She looked down at the ground and shook her head. Bradley shifted from foot to foot, slightly uncomfortable but still willing to talk. "Why's it . . . hard?" he asked, hesitating a little. He didn't want to barge in and scare Eve away. Eve smiled a little, a sarcastic, "the-would-could-be-damned-now-but-I-can't-feel-enough-to-care" smile, and replied, "Because it hurts. I . . . I lost someone. The only person I had ever cared about in a long time. They're gone, and it's hard." "A . . . family member?" Eve looked up at the light shifting through the branches of the tree above her. "I guess, in a way. I haven't had any real family in a long time, but Hall could have been called my family . . . " She looked down at the sand again, and laughed softly. "I'm sorry, again. You must think I'm terribly strange." "No, no. I'm sure it's very normal to be a bit reclused." "Yeah, sure." Eve spotted Matt weaving through the tents, talking animatedly to someone following behind him, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! They're here [b]already[/b]?! Ohmygosh!" She started to run off, but then turned towards Bradley. "Oh, I'm sorry to cut you off so soon, but Matt wanted me to talk to the Colombians! I'll see you later!" She waved a little and then turned and continued running in Matt's direction, only allowing herself to wince with each step when Bradley could no longer see her. */-/* Bleh. I had to finish this quick. I'm absolutely trashed. *yawn* To bed, to bed, to bed. (to quote Lady Macbeth ^-^) 'Night, ya'll. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Eve sat in her tent, fitfully adjusting and re-adjusting her black three-quarter sleeve shirt, hoping to find a way to make it [b]not[/b] hurt. But it didn't matter, the pain never stopped anyway. She brushed her bangs to the side with one hand absentmindedly, standing up, and Eve felt her throat tighten as she walked (a bit wobbly) to the small black bag on her equally small cot. No, she told herself. She wouldn't let the tears come. Not now. Holly would have never approved. Holly . . . A single tear hit the course fabric of the black bag, making a small dark stain before fading away, and Eve quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand. Matt popped his head into her tent, and Eve looked up as he spotted her. "'Ey!" he said, and Eve brightened a little at his jovial mood. "You're all ready then?" "Yeah." Matt looked around outside the tent for a moment before stepping fully inside. He looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure you're ready for this Eve? I mean, can you go back?" Eve didn't look at him. There was a pause, then Eve nodded, slowly, deliberately, zipping shut her mostly empty bag. It wasn't like she had much to own in the first place . . . "I'll do it. It wouldn't be right to back down, run away. Holly would have told me to 'turn my ass around and quit hiding my head in the sand'." Eve took a deep, shuddering breath, and then let it out. "I'll do it for Holly. She deserved better. She deserved [B]more[/B]." Eve was trembling, but didn't realise it until Matt laid a gentle hand on her arm. "I know, Eve, I know. Holly would be proud of you, she really would." "Proud," Eve echoed in a hollow voice, then buckled her pack and turned to Matt, a bright smile on her face. "Mingle 'til dinner, then?" Matt saw through the smile, but spared Eve and decided to play along. "Mingle," he chuckled, patting her arm and heading out. "And Eve," Matt looked over his shoulder at her as he held the tent flap up, "I know how much you're going to hate it, but sooner or later you're going to have to talk to Liam. Yes, he may be a trigger-happy psycho, but he's one of the best agents we have and being able to work with him is important." Eve nodded, her face set, and she waited a moment before following Matt out. She passed Liam on the way to the camp, and he waved before slipping into his tent. Eve froze. She couldn't help it. Forcing herself to relax, Eve finished the walk and quickly headed for some shade. Just because she had spent tons of time out in the Colombian air didn't mean she didn't hate the heat. */-/* Yes, I'm playing the part of Eve, it's all been planned out and such, blah, blah, blah. Have any complaints? No? Good, I wasn't going to listen to them anyway. And if you're wondering, my sign-up is currently residing in my myOtaku journal, and will be staying there a long, long time. Feel free to check it out. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]O__O They have Gemstone Barbies?! . . . must resist urge to go out and buy pretty Barbies!!! Yeah, I was really nice to my Barbies. I still play with them frequently, because I have a container underneath my bed and I can keep them there, so I have all of my Barbies underneath my bed and ready to be played with. *shrug* What can I say, Barbies are just fun to play with. Most of the time all I'll do is change their clothes and change their hair styles because I have an Aladdin (Ken doll) and his head pops off anytime I try to do anything with him, and so I tend to be careful with my Barbies, but I've never cut their hair (because it can't grow back! It would be horrible to cut off my Barbie's hair!) and most of them are in good shape. I even still have my very first Barbie. I got it when I "graduated" from Pre-School, and it was the first "Totally Hair Barbie". And I even still have her dress. O_o;; Does that make me a dated child? --Sere[/size]

[size=1]I was actually really nice to my Barbies. O_o;; Ok, so I had one of those Barbie corvettes, and so I would run over the Barbies and make the Corvette flip over and so my Doctor Barbie would have to fix them all up but I really never [I]wanted[/I] to put my Barbies through torture. O_o;; I did have them in a concentration camp one time, and so they had to live off of sunscreen. o_o;; And they had to get tattoos because they were in some weird foreign tribe . . . Oh, and some of them were slaves. o_O;; And my poor Barbies (and Kens). There were (and still are) only two guys my little colony, so no one ever had any chance of getting married. I did inventive things like tie a string to my fan and tie Barbie to the string and then pretend it was a swing (and laugh like a maniac when Barbie went flying off). And I had built them a zip line once. Wow. Am I the only person who still has (and takes good care of) their Barbies? ¬¬;; Yes, I'm sixteen and I still play with Barbies. Shut up, its fun. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]While I have no patience for reading all 4 pages and a couple of extra posts, I'm pretty sure the difference between yaoi and shounen-ai (also yuri and shoujo-ai) hasn't been explained. Because that small little difference is one of the reasons that I really don't tolerate yaoi. And before any of ya'll go off on me, I'll explain. Yaoi, as explained in the monthly comic [I]Animerica[/I], is a sexual situation between two men. And yes, I know quite fully that sexual situations in anime/manga is an intergral part of the Japanese lifestyle, but yaoi is, as described by [I]Animerica[/I], pointless, plotless sex between two males. I may be quoting this wrong, because that was last month's issue, and it's been proven that the memory can be corrupted quite easily, but I'm fairly sure that was the main gist of the whole explanation. Shounen-ai is lesser stuff, you know, cuddling and snuggling and hugging and holding hands and everything. And while I am purely non-tolerant about yaoi (because I think it hentai between males o_o;;), I do support shounen-ai, as long as it's part of the original written plotline. I feel that people take too many liberties when it comes to off-plotline couples, and I like my characters to stay in character. O_o;; OTT, I don't really think I could submit any more on the subject, because I don't watch a lot of anime, and I mainly read heterosexual mangas. *shrugs* I'm just not the kind of gal who gets turned on by seeing two guys together. Something to do with brain chemistry, I'm sure . . . o_o;; --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Race: Angel Name: Thaurnovwen Age: older than dirt, that's for sure. Sex: Female (although angels are androgneous) Appearance: Picture, picture! (looks like that both angelic and disguised. . . . except with different clothing. yeah.) Location: . . . depends? Weapons: Only the sword, and a few backup knives and the sort. (The sword is a soul-eater, don't mock the pretty sword.) Skills\Powers\Spells: Soul's Terror: A nice blowy-upy spell. Works well in small, kill-them-and-be-done situations. Esp. if you don't want to leave evidence behind. Heart's Blood: The chosen victim(s) bleed to death from every opening in their body. As in even pores. It's slow, painful, and really messy. Soul's Frenzy: Almost a confusion attack. Everyone in the aformentioned attack turn on each other and hack away until only one if left. And then that one kills itself. Heart?s Ache: An unknown attack. Only used if the situation is dead ended. One who casts the spell will die. (Unknown because no one's lived to tell about it. Hee hee.) Other skills: Being an angel, she's normally faster, smarter, more agile, has better hearing and sight, and has more powers than a human, but since she pissed God off and got kicked out (or is on the brink of that), she's down a few pegs. But she's still got the basics. */-/* Rae threatened me with death if I didn't get off my arse and get involved more. Including this. So one the price of saving my tushie or dying, I chose to save my tush and join. Go me. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Wow, I never thought about the fact that there weren't songs in Disney movies anymore. I guess when I watch movies my mind numbs and I don't think about it. But now that I've actually thought about it, you know, I liked the movies with the songs better. Just because it amused me that they would break out into song. And I liked it even better when the song would correspond with what they were actually doing (like in Aladdin, when he's avoiding the guards). Plus, I just feel that Disney songs should be kinda goofy, and they wouldn't be so goofy if they didn't have the random music. And hey, I admit it. I was (and am still) one of those kids that would jump up and start singing and dancing along to the movies. Having songs is a great way to set the mood in a movie. *shrug* I don't watch movies much, but right now I have a weird urge to pop either [i]Beauty and the Beast[/i] or [i]Aladdin[/i] in and start singing along (however horribly, because I'm 1) sick and 2) still getting used to having a retainer and not having braces) at the top of my lungs. Ahhh, good times. Good times. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Mnph. I have what one would call the "hick" accent. However, it's quite refined. If you want to hear "true" hick, go out to some po-dunk little town in the middle of Oklahoma. Tulsa isn't for the hicks. However, I've got a smidge of a Brit accent, because I watch way too much BBC America, but it only shows up when I'm really tired or really mad. I've also got a southern accent from my mother. Since she lived most of her young childhood in Georgia, she picked up the accent, and I picked it up from her. However, I can keep it under control, so there'll only be brief spurts of southern belle. ^_^ But I really confuse people sometimes with all of my different little names and everything. I've picked up slang from so many different places, and they've just stayed with me, so people think that I'm from somewhere else even though I have an Oklahoman accent. Whoo, go hicks! (I honestly don't mean that. The country is T3H 3B1L . . . ¬¬;;) --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Oh wow. The wonders of things you find when you stay away from OB for a couple days. O_o;; And scarily how many stories I have that I don't think I'll ever get finished. I'll post a couple things of mine that I haven't worked on in a couple years (I think!) */-/* [center][b]Voices in the Dark[/b][/center] Sere Tuscumbia walked in and slowly looked around the dingy classroom. It was dark; electricity had been cut off from this part of the building a long time ago. Paint was peeling from the walls, and blinds were closed to keep the heat from pouring in the open windows. There were only an elite few in the classroom, and they were arranged in small cliques. She stared, trying to decide which to choose, all the while flicking her fan in agitation. It snapped shut quite loudly, and two of the groups turned and looked at the new arrival to the classroom. They were dressed exactly opposite, and Sere noted that in the groups were some members of the well-known gangs, the Light and the Dark. A certain fire light up in their eyes, and their heads snapped from Sere, to each other. Sere flicked her fan open again, and pulled out a chair. The groups glared at each other, then smiled at Sere, beckoning with their eyes for her to join them. Sere responded by calmly plunking down the chair right in-between the two groups. She sat, with an expression of, 'Don't like where I'm sitting? Come and change it if you dare.' Automatically, two members of the Dark group came waltzing over to Sere. "Hey there babe," one said, trying to catch a glance down Sere's low-cut shirt. The other just stared at Sere with a resentful expression. She could understand why. Even though her boots and pants were black, her shirt and hair-tie were white. However, she played a little more favoritism with the black trenchcoat and ( . . . ) */-/* Yep, horrible, horrible me. I left off right in the middle of a sentence. However, I think there's a good reason for that. Since most of my stuff that's never been finished is on a Zip Disk, there's a chance that the disk can become corrupted. And that's what happened to my Zip disk. So I think this was one of the files that was corrupted, and I lost some of the story. O_o;; */-/* "It could be something with the words: 'bathtub', 'phone battery', and . . . possibly, 'racquetball'? I can't be sure." He squinted at the scorched scrap once more. "It'll take a while to decipher all of the way." */-/* This one was the inspiration for my CSI-ish story. I've actually started the story, but, you know, since it's kinda on my main computer and I'm too lazy (and rushed for time) to acutally get my butt up and start transferring files from my computer to the main computer, you won't get to see that. I've also got another story that I have (ok, I've got like, 50), but it's one of the longest that I have, and I'm posting (at least) the beginning in my livejournal, so you guys can read it [URL=http://www.livejournal.com/users/summerstclaire]here[/URL]. (And, of course, me and my bad self don't have it up yet.) And, oh, for the first story, there are probably grammatical errors galore, but I was copying it from the original, and I'm not going to bother to change it. More when I decide I actually want to get up and transfer files. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Nyah, I've been gone, and I haven't had access to the internet. So sue me for being a couple days late. */-/* Nina sat, arms curled around her knees, blanket on her shoulders, staring blankly at the tent walls. Time ticked by, but she didn't move. She couldn't sleep. Again. She could never find a way to fall asleep when she was in the Load. She'd lay back and relax, close her eyes, and the nightmares would start. They were never about any specific thing. Always a jumble of images flashing through her head, random, frightening. None of it would ever make any sense, and all that Nina could remember was that she would wake up screaming, sobbing frantically every time. It never happened out of the Load, she was sure of it. She refused to let anyone know about it. She couldn't. Word would get to the head of the Loaded program, and Nina was afraid that they would blame the nightmares on some mental problem relating to her being in the Load, and retire her from the Loaded program. She wouldn't allow that to happen. The Loaded program meant too much to her for them to do that. Nina sighed, putting her hands down and pushing herself up, letting the blanket fall to the floor at her feet. When she walked past Leona (who was snuggled deeply down in her blankets), a sleepy mumble emerged from under the sheets. "Where you goin?" Nina crouched down next to Leona. "Out." "Uh huh. Be good, you." Nina rolled her eyes, stood, and lightly tapped Leona with her foot. "Like you're one to tell me [B]that[/B]." She walked out of the tent and into the crisp air of early morning, shivering as the cold air washed over her. Rubbing her arms, she looked up at the sky. There were stars in the night sky, but they weren't ones she recognized. [I]"Kinda depressing,"[/I] she thought, but shook it off. It was just the dreams getting to her. That and the fact that all she wanted was to be in her own bed again. The thought nagged at her. To be in her own bed again. To never have to worry about keeping up personalities, worry about whether or not she was going to die that day. To never have the weight of keeping history intact on her shoulders ever again. To just live a normal life. What would she do if she had a normal life? Who would she be? Nina shivered again. She didn't like those thoughts. Even though the psychologists at that stupid lecture she had to sit through when she was in the training program said that everyone working on or in the Loaded program would have those kind of thoughts at least once, Nina still felt uneasy. To not know anyone from the Loaded program . . . Jonathon . . . She wrapped her arms around herself to warm up, and looked over in the direction of Jonathon's tent. "Okay, Nina, stop trying to lie to yourself. You're incredibly bad at it," she said after a bit. "You know that they don't need anyone to make sure they're okay. It doesn't work and you know that." She paused for a bit, then sighed. "I know that you're lying, but if you [b]really[/b] want to go over there, then fine. If you get caught, don't get mad at me for saying 'I told you so'." She started walking in the direction of the tent. "They're probably all asleep, you know. No, I [b]don't[/b] care just how much you want to curl up in a corner and bawl like a baby, I think that a big chill pill would help you out. Nina, it doesn't matter. No, I'm not going to listen. Period, end of statement." When she reached the tent flap, she paused. "Ok, I could just turn around now, and be gone, or, or . . . ugh. Just get it over and done with already. You'll feel better in the morning." She flipped the flap up, and slipped into the tent's warmth. After letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she looked around. And she didn't need her HUD to know that it was Jonathon who was sitting up a few feet away from her. He didn't notice her. "You're up too, huh?" she asked, breaking the silence. */-/* Would go on for more, but Mum's all like, "Nah, it's late. You have school. Get off." So, yeah. --Sere[/size]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]She is quitting because she wanted more money and Disney wouldn't pay it, despite all the money they're making off of her.[/B][/QUOTE] [size=1]That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. She's only 16, and already making oodles and gobs of money, and she wants [b]more[/b]? *sighs* And such is the way of showbusiness. Myself, I don't like Duff. Show, movie, or singer. As most Disney shows, Lizzy McGuire drives me completely and totally nuts. *shrugs* But, oh well, you know, if she wants to pursue other things than acting, then fine. Just as long as no one forces it on me. --Sere[/size]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by RPCrazy [/i] [B]And I was gonna say...a dream in Furabian Nights when you're against Yiff? Grand Central Station for all Mature Furcadia players? -shrugs- But whatever. [/B][/QUOTE] [size=1]Well [b]excuse[/b] me if I'm a [b]prude[/b], but if I'm a virgin [b]offline[/b], I'd like to be a virgin [b]online[/b] also. For God's sake, I'm only 16 (ok, so I rounded it). While most other members of my generation are yiffing on the fuggin first date, I'm a bit more mature about that matter. Having sex online is as real as having sex offline. It holds the same consequences. Just because I don't f**k every single person I see is no reason to take that tone with me. And [b]also[/b], the reason that the Township of Avalon is in FurN (the R-rated area) is because it is a DS guild, and it enforces strict roleplay. As they feel that DS (taken seriously) is not something that should be allowed to the minors, so they are in the area for 18+ years old only. For more information on the Township of Avalon, see [URL=http://www.geocities.com/township_of_avalon/index.html]here.[/URL] *sigh* --Sere P.S. And, [b]yes[/b], me being 16 in an 18+ only guild means that I lied about my age. But God knows that I'm good at acting older than my age.[/size]

[size=1]Well, I'm one of those people who can't stand the sight of blood. Except when it's my own blood. Then it's not that bad, but otherwise, I think I'd faint if I really saw someone bleeding. Or throw up. Or maybe just run away screaming. Or something of the panicky sort. o_o;; I'm just not good with real blood. If it's games, then it's, "heheheheh. Blooooooooddddd . . ." but in real life I'm normally like, "Don't make me look at it!! [b]Get that blood away from meeeee!!![/B]" Come on, I couldn't even (and still can't) stand it when a kid would walk up to me and wiggle a loose tooth. The conversation would follow, "'Ey 'ooie!" "No, no lookie! Go show someone else!" So . . . yeah. Blood is bad. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]And hey, if you any of you furrie lovers join Furcadia, look me up! My name is (what else?) Sere Tuscumbia, although you might have to look for me in FurN (Furrabian Nights) and find the "Township of Avalon" dream. (And you might have to be careful in FurN, because it's an R-rated world and some of the dreams are clustered pretty tightly) Hey, I'd love to chat some of you guys up sometime! ^_^ --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Well, I'm an anthro fan, but not the biggest one in the world. Furries are hard for me to draw. But, however, if you're into the furrie roleplaying, Furcadia is the place to go. I used to be on Furcadia, but then I quit because I'd be accosted by random people and then when I'd try to find something, I'd always get lost. But, basically, has anyone played the Sims online thing? Or anything like it? Because that's what I think of when Furcadia comes to mind. You have your own little character (called a furre) that you can personalize (colours and what you want it species to be) and then pretty much you can walk around this world (Furcadia) and roleplay and meet people. It's a very simple system, really, but I found it to be a lot of fun. And yes, Furcadia does have a visual system. You get to see your little furre walk around and run into people and stuff. Although signing up can be a real pain in the butt (because sometimes I'd have to uninstall Furcadia and restart my computer before it would let me become part of the Furcadia nation) I really think that if you like furries, roleplaying, and spending incredibly long amounts of time on the internet, then Furcadia is really worth it. [URL=http://www.furcadia.com]This is where you can find information on Furcadia.[/URL] But I don't think I'd go to a con for furries. O_o;; No offense, but more often than not people who roleplay furries are pretty yiffy. It gets scary. --Sere[/size]

[size=1]Actually, the quote comes from a banner that I found on DeviantArt. I fell in love with the banner and the quote, and when I saw this picture, I just had to use the quote. And also, the gray text is actually in the foregroud, with the scarlet text being a drop shadow. I'm quite a fan of drop shadows. ^_^ I also go for the plain banners, because I only have PSP 4 (and still don't know how to use all of it!), I don't work on making fancy things. I use what I have to make banners I like. ^_^ --Sere[/size]