Heaven's Cloud

[color=indigo]I thought that [b]Identity Crisis[/b] was a brilliant mini-series. The comic was interesting and intricate and gave the reader a good glimpse at the personalities of the lesser known heroes and how their ideals are much more realistic than the heavy hitters like Superman and Batman. The story was full of twists and turns and heartaches ([spoiler]I was on the edge of my seat when Batman was rushing Robin back home to save his father[/spoiler]) and the ending caught me completely off guard. As well written as the plot was, the artwork is what truly made this comic special. Rags Morales did a beautiful job of capturing the expressions and body language of all the characters. The common posturing and posing was omitted from this magazine and it definitely added to the sense of humanity and vulnerability that Brad Metzler?s story was angling for.[/color] [quote] though I don't really see what got Batman so angry in the first place [/quote] [color=indigo]Really? I thought one of the most captivating angles of this story was the relationship between Superman and Batman with the rest of the heroes. Both Superman and Batman are uncompromising heroes, [spoiler]Batman would have never willingly allow the group to mind wipe Dr. Light. The others knew that the Justice League would be finished if Batman and Superman both knew what had occurred, so they made sure he wouldn?t remember. However, like Ollie stated, Batman could have figured out what had happened if he wanted to. He is Batman. But, if you really look at the character of Bruce Wayne, a man whose surrogate family is the super hero community, you know that he would remain in denial. I think that is why Metzler made Bruce so angry. His denial directly contributed to the death of Tim Drake?s father. Speaking of Tim Drake, his character now has so much potential it is amazing. The successive deaths of Spoiler and his father really leave a grey cloud over what path Tim Drake will take, especially with the inevitable re-emergence of Jason Todd.[/spoiler][/color]

[quote name='Drix D'Zanth'] I still think that Sevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy, and Clapton were closer to the epitomy of Blues.. .[/quote] [color=indigo]I don?t disagree with you I love SRV and Mr. Slow Hand, actually [i]Mary Had a Little Lamb[/i] and [i]Signe[/i] get played on my guitar more than any other songs (I still can?t play the damn fill on Mary Had a Little Lamb well enough to do it justice, by the way get Me and Mr. Johnson and ignore this horrible run on sentence). To continue? R&B- Although there are more influential R&B artists then [b]Prince[/b], I think that he has been a direct influence everything good in R&B today. I can?t listen to an Alicia Keys or Andre 3000 song without hearing Prince under tones. Prince is great on so many levels that I know (yeah, this kind of morbid) that when he does die he will be immortalized as one of the most gifted musicians of his time. Rap- Again, [b]the Roots[/b] might not be as influential as NWA or Tupac, but I love their music and they have profoundly impacted artists that I tend to enjoy. With all the ?Bling Bling I want so desperately to be street? rappers out there it is nice that some groups still care about the music. I think that the Roots creativity and jazz influence paved the way for guys like Big Boi, Kanye West, and even the Neptunes. Percussion- Every rock drummer owes [b]Keith Moon[/b] a debt of gratitude. Moon made it cool to have a talented drummer in a band. Up until that point rock drummers more or less were used for keeping the beat. Moon?s performance on the My Generation album was just phenomenal and so far ahead of its time. The version of ?TheKids are Alright? that was edited out of the original US release is mind blowing. [/color]

[color=indigo]This week is pretty sparse when it comes to comics. Like you, I will definitely pick up Life During Wartime. I had a horrible time finding this comic initially, however, since I get one of the clerks at my comic shops to pull my books every week, I am guaranteed a copy (I also have to give eBay a shout out for issues and 2). Sean Phillips is doing the artwork in this issue and I dig his stuff so it should be quite nifty. Madrox #5 is also on my list for this week. I really like how this mini-series is panning out. It is nice to see how Marvel has revamped the character of Multiple Man. I guess this issue should wrap up the series, which is nice. I think Pablo Raimondi?s artwork really fit this comic, although I could have done without the Rahne subplot (although maybe it will wrap together with the main plot in this issue). I think that is it for this week. There are a ton of other books that I am picking through, though the staple comics haven?t really changed since the last comic thread was made. I am still getting Marvel Knights: Spiderman, Astonishing X-Men, and a few other books quite regularly. One comic that you should take a look at is the Intimates. It is kind of like the Real World meets the New Mutants and it is a pretty fun read. The books design and artwork are really interesting and modern and the characters are really bizarre and well thought out. [/color] edit [quote] My local Borders stopped carrying Runaways, so I might have to have a few words with them about that. In other words, I'll see if I can order it.[/quote] [color=indigo]Runaways ended when the previous story arc ended. They are starting over with Runaways #1 in February. It looks like it will include the same cast and they are still using the fabulous painted covers. Hopefully your Borders will start carrying it once it comes back out.[/color]

[color=indigo]I was going to start this post off stating how I don?t really buy boxed sets I just tend to get them as gifts. However, I realized that in my hay day I bought quite a few anime sets and since they came in collector?s boxes I guess I should consider them boxed sets. [b]Non-Anime Series[/b]- All of these were gifts and, fortunately, I really enjoy all of the shows. - Family Guy Vol. 1 and 2- I really enjoy Family Guy, I think it is smart, funny and vulgar, but, since it is in constant rerun on Cartoon Network the only reason to buy this would be for the deleted scenes and the episode ?When You Wish Upon a Weinstein?. - Neverwhere- I got this out of the blue for Christmas and I still have not gotten a chance to watch it. If it is anything like the novel (which was actually an extrapolation of the BBC series) I am sure it will be quite good. - The Simpsons (Seasons 1-5)- My Grandmother buys these and sends them to me whenever they are released. Yeah, my granny rocks, she even bought me a pair of Homer Simpson head slippers. I don?t have the heart (or the conscious) to tell her I already have every episode of every season up to 2002 on VHS (gotta love ebay). - Futurama Volumes 1 & 2- Oh, I am a liar. I did buy the Futurama DVDs for myself because they are just too cool for words. Hopefully I can get Volume 3 & 4 next week when I get paid. [b]Anime Series[/b]- I am not going into any explanation on most of these because I bought most of these just too initially watch the series. - Hellsing - Trigun - Cowboy Bebop- I could do without all of the other anime sets that I have with the exception of this one. - Vandread (Stage 1 & 2) - Noir - Berserk - Record of Lodoss War - Neon Genesis Evangelion Anyway, that is my collection of boxed sets. To be honest most of them are very un-used and just tend to collect dust. Maybe when they make the iPod large enough for mass DVD storage I can compile them all into a 5? by 2? piece of plastic and silicon.[/color]

[color=indigo] -[b]Lone toddler crying in a shopping mall.[/b] Like Wrist Cutter, I doubt I would be a lone person in this situation. If I were I would probably stand near the child then flag someone else down and have the contact Mall Security. I wouldn?t walk out of eye sight of the child and I wouldn?t get within an arm distance of the child so I could avoid any links of physical contact. -[b]First person at the scene of a car accident.[/b] It depends. If it was a little fender bender I wouldn?t bat an eye. If it was a bad accident I would find out if the people involved needed help, then I would call the police and jot down both license plate numbers. -[b]Person drowning.[/b] I am an incredibly strong swimmer and I used to be a certified life guard, so I guess I would follow the old credo of ?reach, throw, go?. Unless the person was ugly, then I would just let them sink. -[b]Obviously upset person running down the street.[/b] I would throw water balloons at them. If they pulled out a gat and went hostile I would then probably wet myself. -[b]Injured animal.[/b] Depends what kind of animal it is and it depends how injured it is. If it is obviously someone?s pet then I would probably get it to a vet and contact the owner or at least call animal control. If it was a small animal like a rabbit or a bird, and it looked badly hurt, I would probably just break the poor things neck so it doesn?t suffer. Edit: -[b]Elderly person having trouble crossing a busy street.[/b] Eh, although I would love to say that I would ask them if they needed help, elderly people tend to get real bitchy about needing and wanting help. I guess I would just keep my eye on them to make sure they are okay. -[b]Person shoplifting.[/b] Nothing. If I worked at the store I might do something but I really don?t care if someone steals something from a store, although I might rat them out if I don?t like the way they look. I am an elitist, y?know. -[b]Smoke coming from the upper windows of an apartment building.[/b] I would go up there and demand that they puff, puff, pass. I swear I have glaucoma officer. -[b]Drunk fumbling to get his car keys into the door of his car.[/b] I would sneak up behind the guy and steal his wallet. Hey, he is drunk, he won?t remember the next morning. [/color]

[color=indigo]I really don?t think I want to see anymore mainstream comic movies. So many of them have been poor because they have tried to cram several months worth of story arcs into a single two hour movie. There are a few comics that may be able to launch compelling movies that aren?t that wouldn?t quite fit the cookie cutter hero mold. The first would be Supreme Powers. Done right a director could easily capture the whole first story arc and have the type of gritty darkness that hasn?t been seen since the first Batman movie. Another good comic premise would be a movie based on the Intimates. The comic deals with super powered youngsters going to a school specifically designed to teach heroes how to be heroes. It is a much more humorous series than New Mutants but it also tends to be a bit more realistic. The reason this movie could be so good is that the hero/villain conflict would be a subplot while the interaction of the young heroes and their schooling could be the main plot. [/color]

[QUOTE=Semjaza Azazel] For me the greatest is David Bowie. [/QUOTE] [color=indigo]Yeah, I ran out of time this morning before I could get to Bowie. I agree with your reasoning, especially the gimmick/theatrical aspect of his music. This was a trend that was snatched right up by Genesis and just kept on rolling through the years. Rock- Although their music is excellent, the Doors make my list for one reason, Jim Morrison. Jim Morrison was the original ?rock star? when it comes to attitude. When you think of a rock star you think of an artistic, poetical, charismatic person that tends to be very egotistical and (more than likely) have some sort of addiction. That defines jim Morrison, he gave rise to that stereotype, be it good or bad.[/color] edit: By the way, some of you guys have some really bizarre choices.

[color=indigo] I'll just comment on the genres I am knowledgeable of. Classical: I have always been a George Fredric Handel fan. Growing up playing symphonic music, I always loved playing the Water Music Suites, I still find them incredibly expressive. His hornpipes and fugues are elegantly pure Baroque, a true reflection of the times, and he truly was a master of the keyboard. On top of all that his Messiah is a gorgeous piece of music. Jazz: The Birth of Cool is an incredible album, perhaps the best jazz album ever recorded. That is why I would have to say Miles Davis is not only the greatest jazz musician, but also maybe the most influential. The great thing about Miles Davis is that he not only could flat out jam, but he could write simple melodies that were like pieces of a jig saw puzzle. Alone they were nice, but when they were intertwined in his odd whimsical way they just popped and allowed for so much improvisation. Blues/Rock: Muddy Waters is by far the most influential musician in rock history. Lennon and McCartney had a passion for Muddy Waters and Elvis. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards named their band after one of his earlier songs, actually Jagger and Richards formed their initial friendship out of mutual love for Muddy Waters. It is easy to understand their infatuation. Muddy Waters' bottleneck guitar style is the basis for every rock/pop guitar riff you hear today. more to come...[/color]

[color=indigo]1. [i]The [b]Trifecta[/b] consisting of [b]James[/b], [b]Justin Blessing[/b], and [b]Charles[/b][/i] The effort that members put into this site is a reflection of the effort that these three exert around here. A good example of this is the excitement that James has when he is about to launch a new feature or aspect for the Otaku community, it tends to be infectious (and sometimes a wee bit hokey, but that is James for ya, gotta love him). 2. [i]Obviously [b]Adam[/b][/i] If you had asked me three years ago if I would still be visiting this site I would have laughed at you. If you had told me that this site would still be surprising and fun I would have probably thought you were insane. Sometimes being proven wrong is a good thing. Adam proved me wrong 3. [i][b]55 Fiction[/b][/i] Hands down this is the thread of the year. Every bit as enjoyable as last year?s ?Kill Adam? or the Charles? and I ?Rap Battle? from two years ago. 4. [i]Onto the members?[b]Whatever the hell Alex wants to be called this week[/b][/i] For Pete(y)?s sake pick a name and stick with it. Anyways, even his [b]stupid[/b] opinions are well thought and eloquently written. 5. [i][b]Sara[/b][/i] Another member that needs to pick a name and stick to it (what is [b]with[/b] you fickle, fickle people?). Sara has always been a great member, and I think longevity also counts for quite a bit. 6. [I][b]Shinmaru[/b][/I] He posts well, everywhere. I also think that his posts tend to be more interesting than most. 7. [i][b]Mimmi[/b][/I] Mimmi is the one of the nicest people I have ever known. She [I]always[/I] seems nice (I say ?seems? because I?ll piss her off one day and she will probably rip my head off) 8. [I][b]Semjaza Azazel[/b][/i] I bought a lot of music before I met Tony, I have bought even more since I met him. He also introduced me to one of the most addictive video games ever, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. I am not an avid gamer anymore so I doubt I would have ever picked this up if his recommendations hadn?t been so glowing. Like eveyone else here has stated Tony just rocks. 9. [I] and some miscellaneous awards go to [b]the Post Styles[/b] option on myO.[/I] Best. Option. Ever. 10. [I]and, finally [b]me[/b][/I] Because I rule. I am so awesome that everyday you should you take some time and reflect on how grateful you are that I continue gracing you with my presence. [/color]

Gwelldyon fumbled with the top button of his shirt, vainly trying to recall the latest fashion trend. As he contemplated clasping the button for a third time (for fairy folk tend to be both fickle and vain) a bellowing voice startled him from behind. ?Porterale!? boomed the voice. Gwelldyon swiveled around and found himself face to face with a dirty, disheveled boy. ?Pardon me?? The dirty boy sighed an anxious sigh, ?I said ?do you want port or ale??. Gwelldyon smiled at the boy, half-heartedly trying to recall if he was ever that young. ?So which is it, port or ale? I have other customers to tend to y?know.? Gwelldyon chuckled. He did remember being that young, he also recalled being that impetuous?maybe more so. The fairy looked the young boy in the eyes and said, ?you must be the boy that thinks the Gobblesnout is the ?biggest pile of manure that Jacob Baum ever shoveled in here, and he has shoveled quite a few piles of manure??. The boy looked abashed, ?how did you hear me say that? I was clear across the room and I only muttered it under my breath. Even my grandfather doesn?t have hearing like that.? The fairy lightly tapped the tip-top point of his right ear. ?You didn?t think these were for show did you?? The boy looked far too embarrassed to reply so Gwelldyon continued. ?Did you not like the man?s story? I myself thought it to be very entertaining, though I have heard it many times before.? ?Heard it before?? questioned the boy. ?So you mean the Gobblesnout is real.? ?Well, sort of real. Like so many stories, the ?Gobblesnout? was an exaggeration that grew out of an event that really occurred. The real story, one far more dark and sinister, goes like this?. The All The Little Pigs Along time ago there was an old woman that was particularly fond of her hogs. Although she was a bit eccentric (much like the old ladies you see today that fret and dote upon their cats) she was well liked by the townspeople, and the men of the village often took turns helping her tend to her hogs. One summer a duke and his men road past the old woman?s house. They rode into the village and gathered up all of the men and many of the young boys making bold proclamations of ?sovereignty? and ?duty? and ?war in the north? and marched them out of the city to fight in some foreign land or another. The war brought hard times upon the village. Women and children now had to hunt and build and farm, the people were no longer prosperous enough to help the old woman tend to the hogs. The old woman was quite despondent and it didn?t take too long for her farm to dilapidate and her hogs to grow grimy and restless. One day several of her pigs broke free of their pen and dashed into a nearby wood. The old woman chased after the swine and became hopelessly lost in the process. She stumbled through brambles and bogs and finally found herself in a small glade. Sitting on a tree stump in front of a quaint cottage was a small person playing a pan flute. Lined up in front of her were eight happy hogs, entranced by the music. The old woman approached the flute player and found it almost impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman. Regardless, the tall slender character, with its flowing silver hair and golden cat colored eyes, was one of the most beautiful figures the old lady had ever seen. Noticing that he/she was no longer alone, the flute player halted his tune and glanced kindly at the old woman. ?I hope you don?t mind that I am playing to your pigs. I haven?t had an audience so captivated in years. Please, sit down and join us, I will play you a song.? Despite the flute player?s androgynistic look his voice was decisively soft and masculine. Bewildered and somewhat charmed the old woman took a seat. The man put his flute away and picked up a lute off the ground. He plucked a few melancholy chords and then began his ballad. His resonating timbre told of a thousand ships and of the woman who launched them. He sang of how she grew old and fell out of the favor of men, and died old and alone. He ended by singing of the seasons, of singing about how even the warmest summer?s heat is stifled by the winter?s first frost. ?Thank you for listening to my song, I hope you enjoyed it,? remarked the man. The old woman assured him that she was truly moved by his song, than she asked him a question. ?No,? laughed the man in reply, ?I am not Pan. Fortunately for me my lower extremities are not that of a goat. My name is Flewelln, come on, I will help you get you hogs back home.? The Man led the old woman through the perilous wood and back to her house in a surprisingly short period of time. When she turned to thank him, she saw that he was staring at her home with some interest. ?I was wondering,? said Flewelln, ?if you needed some help tending to your hogs. They seem to be fine, noble animals.? The old woman agreed that she could use some help tending them, however, she told the musician that she wouldn?t be able to pay him. ?That doesn?t matter, I don?t require money. The only thing I require is that you allow me to feed them. I promise that I will do them no injustice.? Begrudgingly the old woman agreed. The following several months were some of the happiest the woman had ever known. Flewelln was an immense help tending to the hogs, all of which had grown exceedingly fat and seemed to be the most content. After the morning chores were finished he would often sit and play songs for the old woman and her hogs. At night he would disappear quietly back into the woods (which had grown quite dense and increasingly wild since the old woman first met Flewelln). While the months happy ones for the old woman, the nearby village had fallen upon dark and miserable times. Since most of the men left the town fell into disrepair, the crops slowly withered, and everyone was over worked. To compound their problems, several of the town?s children had disappeared. Most of the town guessed that they ran away to avoid the hard labor that they had subjected to in the fields recently. One evening several hungry townspeople decided to take one of the old woman?s hogs. They crept to her home in the middle of the night and stole the fattest of the hogs. Once the villagers brought the hog home they slit its throat, salivating greedily at the thought of ham and pork roast. Their gluttony was replaced with horror when inside the pigs belly they found a small bone with a ring around the finger. The ring belonged to one of the missing village children. The hog thieves rounded up the town and marched to the old woman?s cottage with torches glaring. Pulling the old woman out of bed they shouted accusations of ?murder? and ?demon? and ?evil?. The woman barely had an opportunity to protest before she was lashed to a stake and set a blaze. The townspeople didn?t stop there. They set the small farm on fire and slaughtered all of the hogs; all save one. One hog, the smallest of the lot, managed to escape the mob and darted off into the wood. A year or so later the town woodcutter, returning from the war, cut through the wood. During his shortcut he was accosted by a giant beast, an animal that resembled a wild boar but was as large as a bear and three times as mean as a hornet. The woodcutter managed to sink his axe into the beasts stomach, just enough to slow it down allowing him to escape. When he arrived home he told the townspeople his story and that is how the tale of the ?Gobblesnout? began. ?Cor, but whatever happened to the evil magician?? asked the young barkeep. ?Oh I suspect Flewelln went back to Faerie when Oberon closed his gates,? Gwelldyon replied. ?Now, to answer your original question, I would like an ale.?

[color=indigo]I have a similar mindset as Charles in that I love my internet friends?on the internet. I like the sense perspective that I get through the internet. That isn?t to say I would be opposed to meeting [i]anyone[/i] from the OB. Hell, most of you are more than welcome to come and visit anytime you?d like. I?ll have a cook out, and we can eat and drink beer (or soda, or water, or whatever) and shoot the proverbial ****, you can even crash on my couch if are to drunk to drive home. There are a few [i]situations[/i] that would possibly be entertaining with certain people. For instance, I wouldn?t mind going to a concert with [b]Semjaza[/b] and [b]Shinmaru[/b]. They tend to like the same type of music that I do for the similar (and, might I add, very well found) reasons that I do, so a venue like a concert would be pretty cool and fairly chill. If I was dumped, I think that [b]Mitch[/b] might be my first choice to go bar hopping with. This is because I really tend to enjoy talking about dark, bizarre things when I am drunk and Mitch kind of has that bizarre, dark thing down pretty pat when it comes to conversations. Because he is fairly strong in his ?I won?t drink alcohol? conviction he could also give me a lift home when I get plastered. It would be cool to hang out with [b]Charles[/b] because he reminds me of some of my friends from high school. I could see Charles running right beside my friends and me when we darted through Wal Mart one early morning wearing cheap Zorro hats, masks, capes, and Speedo bathing suits. However, if I were to hang out with Charles, I think I would want either [b]Sara[/b] (Lore) or [b]Aliea[/b] (or both) around as well. Not because they would benefit from our company, but because I think it would put them far out of their comfort zones (you two both peg me as people that are initially very reserved)?which would be funny. Obviously, if I was ever in Melbourne, I?d follow the herd and try to track down [b]James[/b]. I?d do this simply because it would seem odd not to at least try. Kind of like how if I ever go to Sidney I promised that I would visit [b]Delian[/b] (although who knows what happened to her). I feel kind of bad stopping here because I am leaving out quite a few people, but I have to run some errands. Maybe I?ll throw up some more situations later.[/color]

[quote][color=indigo]We didn?t think she was a witch. Most of us just didn?t for her care all that much. When we led her out to the burning stake, she came willingly, which was a bit unnerving. Not nearly as unnerving, however, as it was when she shrugged away the flames and turned us all into newts.[/color][/quote] [size=1]I had to write something here in order to place my story in a quote. I was going to rip off one of Sara?s signature endings but then I remembered that old saying, ?hell hath no fury like Sara when her trademarks are pilfered?, and I quickly changed my mind. So I wrote another story.[/size]

[QUOTE=Lore][color=#4b4b79]I don't think so. Sometimes it really helps to have an official "start date" to something...and January first is pretty noticeable, heh. I've kept resolutions...it's just easier to say "from now on...." if you've got a definitive "now." at the sound of the beep, the time will be... Sara[/color][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I agree, I?ve always found New Years to be a great time to fulfill promises to your self. Last year I resolved to go back to school and to lose twenty pounds of fat, and both of those resolutions went swimmingly. This year I have two resolutions, one social and one physical. My social resolution is to stop being so fickle in my relationships with people. This tends to be a problem not only in my love life, but also with friends and relatives. I am horrible about keeping in touch with people. My physical resolution is simply to sacrifice time to go to the gym. I know it sounds simple but I am usually at school from 8am to 10pm, then I go to work from 11am-8pm (sometimes much later) and then I come home and study/piss around for a few hours until it is time for sleep. [/color]

[quote][color=indigo]Scott grinned from ear to ear. It wasn?t the sly fox like grin that he had used to charm and twist so many to his whims. No, this was the grin of a puppy dog that knew he had pleased his master and was ready to receive his reward. Sometimes negatives made the sweetest positives.[/color][/quote] [size=1]And sometimes two fifty five word stories can make a one hundred and ten word story. And so on and so forth, one could write a novel in this format (though it would probably become a tedious read).[/size]

[QUOTE][COLOR=INDIGO]It took him a moment to realize his hand was burning. He tossed the cigarette across the waiting room and watched it skitter along the weathered linoleum tiles. A tear rolled down his pale cheek. ?Damn Scott for making me love him,? he sobbingly cursed. ?Damn him for not loving me enough to get tested sooner.?[/COLOR] [/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]This is kind of addicting[/size]

If her parents knew what she was about to do they would be disappointed in her. They would say things like ?you should wait until you are older?, ?I don?t think you are mature enough yet?, and ?you?ll just get yourself hurt?. She didn?t care. Her friends all did it and raved about how enjoyable it was. Shoot, it was everywhere on television, even on Nickelodeon. It had to be fun, it had to be [i]pleasurable[/i]. She still could change her mind, but then, what would her friends think about her? She didn?t want people to call her a baby and a coward. She hated when people treated her like a little kid. So she swung her leg over until she was straddling it and eased herself down. The pressure was a little uncomfortable and it felt hard and unforgiving between her legs. She wiggled her hips a bit, searching for comfort, and nearly lost her balance. A rosy flush heated her cheeks as nervousness and embarrassment engulfed her. Part of her wanted to jump off and run into the comforting arms of her parents, apologizing for ever thinking she was ready for this. But it was too late to stop now. She flexed her thighs, pumping them slightly, trying to build up a rhythm. For a little while it felt awkward and tipsy, and at times she thought she would fall or get hurt or just embarrass herself. But she became more accustomed to the motion, and soon it felt smooth. It felt like a ride. Her pulse quickened and she began panting. She was slick and sweaty and her hair was damp. The rosy glow of embarrassment that danced at her cheeks moments earlier was replaced by a crimson fire of passion. Her hands clenched tightly and she lost herself in the motion, in the repetition, in the [i]pleasure[/i]. When she finally couldn?t take anymore, when her legs and lungs were burning, she screamed [i]?yes! Yes, yes, yes!?[/i] and just let go. And it flooded every single one of her senses. Suddenly she was rocketed through the world and she felt more alive then she ever felt before. Wind ripped at her skin as she tossed her head back in ecstasy. Although it only lasted a moment the pleasure was so overwhelming that she knew it would be forever etched into her psyche. She sighed a contented sigh and stopped. It was over. A thousand emotions rushed through her but mostly she felt excited because she knew that now that she had done it she could do it again and again and again. Her fear was shrugged away with one brief experience. And she looked down between her legs with loving exhaustion. She looked down, smiled and thought ?now I just have to get daddy to take off the training wheels?.

[quote][color=indigo][B][CENTER]Cereal Artist[/center][/b] Art can be a frustrating endeavor. It takes patience adjusting a little girl?s face to fit the canvas, perseverance to bring out the blue in an eye, and precision to make little fingers look just so. It is all worthwhile, however, just to see their warm crooked smiles. And of course their screams delight me. [/color][/quote] [size=1]For the record, I think this is a horrible idea for a thread. Actually I don't, I just enjoy being contrary.[/size]

[QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff] Foreign Policy? I'm not quite as knowledgable about the economy as Heaven's Cloud (I will be soon - I just have to read that damned stuff on Economics again; I'm so lazy). All I know is that we used to have more money, and now we're in a 4 trillion dollar debt, and growing... I was just a child during the Clinton administration, but I would really like to know, where the hell that surplus went? Did we spend it all, and what did we spend it on? I'm lost over here. X_x [/color][/QUOTE] [COLOR=INDIGO]Just to clear up some general misunderstandings on America?s yearly deficit. Our projected deficit this year is very high, however, it isn?t bad to carry a deficit, however, it is odd as to why you would ever have a surplus. The deficit is more or less America?s credit card, which we as a nation pay off. Therefore, if you ever have a surplus it means that the American people were billed for more money than they charged (in other words, the tax man is fleecing you). While I do think America?s deficit is unusually high due to poor management, I think you also have to remember how much money we loan to other countries as ?forgettable? debts. In other words, we have chosen to ignore collecting money that we are owed by other countries. This has been an ongoing American policy since the end of WW2.[/color] [quote name='Baron']As for their appearance to most of the world, their foreign popularity is taking it hard. Not too many people like America, regardless of what the facts behind it all may be.[/quote] [color=indigo] I definitely agree with the foreign ?popularity? outlook. I also tend to be a little leary when it comes to the media?s foreign opinion polls because you never know exactly what questions were asked to form said poll. [/color]

[color=indigo]?Foreign Affairs? and ?Foreign Policy? are pretty broad and subjective terms, so I find it terribly difficult to comment on whether or not this administration is doing a good or bad job. If you really want to break it down to the simplest form I guess you could say the American dollar is weaker on the world market then it has been in a long time, therefore our foreign economic policy is weak; the unpopularity of the war in Iraq amongst other nations is quite rampant and America?s attitude towards the situations in East Timor lost us some respect amongst our hardiest allies, therefore our foreign military policy isn?t as strong as it should be; however, America still spends more money and donates more time on non-militaristic humanitarian efforts both per capita and on a whole than any other nation, in that respect our nation has been strong for eighty years. I guess my biggest problem with ?Foreign Policy? is that the American media (even in the Clinton years) is constantly emphasizing how such and such bill pissed off such and such country, but (and this is a big ?but?) they rarely discuss how that bill is simultaneously helping the United State?s own interior dilemmas. Now I am by no means stating that the United States government is ineffable (or even adequate), I guess I am saying that the US government should be much more concerned about doing the right thing for the people that reside within its borders than being homecoming queen.[/color]

[quote name='Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f]Heaven's Cloud, if you haven't read the poll title, it says "[B]restrict muslim's rights[/B']", that's different than simply investigating suspicious circumstances. They want all muslims to have to register their names so the governments can track thier movements. Where have we seen this befor? Hmmm... let me think...The Haulocaust?[/COLOR][/quote] [color=indigo]I don't know why anyone here cares what your opinions are, after all you seem to be attempting to include me in a debate which I never entered. This means one of the following: a) you don't read people's posts carefully, b) you can't read, or c) a mixture of both. However, since you brought up my name, I will give you my thoughts on the poll you are reffering to. Forty-four percent of the seven-hundred and fifteen people that took that pole show racist tendancies (although, since one of the questions was dealt with racial profiling at airports (of course they should have racial profiling at airports) it is probably slightly fewer people than that). Of those 314.6 people (how the hell did that happen?) half of them are probably racist. However, I have a hard time trusting a poll that gathered information from only 715 people. That is ridiculous.[/color]

[color=indigo]I don't favor the death penalty ever. It costs us (Americans) way too much money. I think that it would be a much more fitting punishment if Peterson was locked in a maximum security prison and allowed to mingle mith the general population. A pretty boy like him wouldn't last too long mingling with the rest of the prison. Maybe thirty or fourty years of that kind of treatment would be a fair punishment.[/color]

I have always had an odd way to correlate music to colors. When I was younger I used to play quite a bit of symphonic music and I always visualized that the music had its own grey scale. My imagination would run wild during a movement, maybe a fox would be chased by a hunter and hounds maybe a war waged a cannons fired. What ever the picture was it always varied in shades of blacks, whites, and grays that were determined by the tone, the volume, and the pace of the music. I also tend to visualize jazz in reds and blues, shades of reds representing the more upbeat free flowing style of music and shades of blue characterizing the smoother more melodic ballads. I never did associate any particular colors with rock or hip-hop.

That is why I refuse to sign petitions that people I don't know hand me, no matter how good the cause. I have almost as little desire to become a statistic for someone's psychology class as I do for reading a boring petition. Anyway, it is a very well written report but hardly surprising.

[QUOTE=doukeshi03] I'm not really a big fan of the Teen Titan series, I suppsoe the only reason I sometimes watch it is because it has dear Tim Drake jiving along as Robin (who I think does a better Robin than even Dick Grayson to tell you the truth). All well and good as a tv series I suppose. I find it too cartoony though...if I can say that about a cartoon. I know what I mean.[/QUOTE] [COLOR=INDIGO]Eh, even though the costume and the caricature resemble Tim Drake?s Robin, subtle hints have been made in Teen Titans pointing to Robin being Dick Grayson. In the episode where ?Larry? showed up as a duplicate of Robin his name was Dick Grayson spelled backward.[/COLOR]

[quote name='DeathBug']I think world peace will be achieved when the entire worldwide neighborhood is so economically, technologically and socially connected that to start war would be destructive for all parties, for no gain.[/quote] [color=indigo]I agree, actually, I think that first world countries are already ebbing towards that point of peace amongst our selves. However, I think that any peace that man attains would be fleeting. I honestly think that conflict, greed, and, most of all, desire are all too real character traits (don?t get me wrong, they all have beneficial aspects to them) to avoid war for a terribly long time. Unification to allow for temporary peace could be achieved by any number of ways. I think a huge empire could achieve it for a period of time if it was governed correctly. I also think that a horrible war that devastates society may be able to influence peace. Perhaps and alien invasion would also stave off any internal wars and promote peace throughout humanity. I still think that all of those scenarios would last temporarily. The only permanent solution I could imagine is the emergence of a deity of immense power. If there was an un-doubtable God then I think humanity may be able to live at peace with each other?although I am sure someone would try and attack the deity. [/color]