kalon

[SIZE=1]Cellah and Hashi joined Ceyla and her brothers at their table. Ceyla noticed Vincent, Neko, and Kacela leave, and wondered again how Dalanius was. She spaced out for a few minutes before a scream of "Fire!" broke her thinking. The tavern was comsumed in flame as the fire spread faster than a flash of lightning. Ceyla, her brothers, Cellah, and Hashi escaped through a back way, but not before Felix recieved a gash in his arm from a falling roof beam. Both girls wanted to help those still trapped within the inferno, but they were finally convinced it would be useless to venture back inside. "Our friends, they made it out, right?" Cellah wondered. "They must have. Even death would not stop them. They're too stubborn," Ceyla said with a mix of worry and hope. They walked a block or so away to the nearest cleric to treat Felix's arm. Ceyla and Isaac waited while their brother was treated by a wizened old man. Cellah and Hashi were getting restless about their comrades' condition by that time, and returned to the inn. Once Felix was fully bandaged, they started back to find out the fate of their friends. Their path led them dangerously close to the area unprotected by the truce. Isaac tried to get her spirits up, but Ceyla could not shake the feeling of gloom that had settled over her. "All of them are full-fledged warriors, Cey. They will have gotten out safely," Isaac assured. He opened his mouth to continue, but his words never came out. An arrow wizzed past Ceyla's head and pierced Isaac's throat. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound issued forth. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a hooded figure holding a crossbow standing twenty feet away just inside the unlawful section of town. Ceyla saw red and barely felt her body move as she whisked over to the bow-wielder, pulled her stiletto and slit the man's throat. She barely comprehended what had happened as she turned back to Felix and saw a man with soulless dark eyes and auburn hair plunge a knife into Felix's chest. Two black-clothed figures quickly moved in, took her brothers' bodies, and moved out. It was common in the assassin trade to bring proof of a killing, be it the head or the whole body. "Some one wants you to suffer, and I have been hired to do it," the man called and then disappeared down an alley. Numbness overtook Ceyla's body as she walked dazedly to the inn. In the back of her mind, she barely realized her friends called out to her. She moved automatically to them. Although they now stood in front of her asking questions, she could not understand their voices. [I]My brothers are dead. Because of me, my brothers are dead.[/I] The thought suddenly washed over her. Suddenly she became aware of blood from the archer on her hands, of the sickness washing over her from her sorrow, of the tears tht were running across her face. Her friends voices became clear. She felt like screaming, but her voice still refused to come out. Before exhaustion overcame her, Ceyla moved closer to Dalanius and collapsed in his arms.[/SIZE]

Fight scenes, for me at least, are hard to write. I cannot judge myself accurately. This is the start of a story I am trying to write, and I believe it has potential. Please helpfully criticize any part of my writing that you do not like so I can improve in the area. Seriously, tell me any little thing that bugs you. [CENTER]Prologue[/CENTER] Everyone on the continent of Beltrin knew the story of the Scion and the Descendants; it was both legend and fact. A hero called Seio once defeated a great and powerful evil. The hero met the nameless demon on a battlefield which later became cursed land. Wielding his shining blade for the side of good, the hero vanquished all evil. Malignant wills crumbled before his gaze. No one could match him in strength, mind, or heart. After a long and treacherous journey, this champion of justice had one final clash with his longtime foe where he should have defeated his most hated adversary. Unfortunately, the nameless demon overcame the nameless adventurer. With his dying breath, the hero cast a forbidden spell?the Exphoros? to seal his foe?s life force. The spell, however, did not act as intended. This was where events strayed away from a fairytale ending. Instead of locking his adversary?s power, the incantation stripped both fighters of their power and life force. Both warriors died from this decisive clash, but the spell ensured that their skills lived on. While the natural races of magic remained unaffected, the abilities that the legendary enemies had possessed came to inhabit the humans of Beltrin. Children born after the fateful battle began to show five distinct types of power. Humans, as they always do, labeled these people. Four classes became known as Descendants, and one became the Scion. Of the Descendants, Hunters exceeded all classes in raw physical prowess. Their often beast-like appearance made them seem more animal than man. The Hunters? senses exceeded those of any animal in sight or hearing. Hunters were the only Descendants able to recognize the Scion. Dreamers acquired enhanced strength and perception as well, but to a much lesser extent than the Hunters. Dreamers? primary gifts lay in the ability to see and manipulate dreams. They could cause those weaker than themselves to fall asleep and lock them in a world of nightmares. Summoners formed bonds with spirits and creatures who served as their loyal familiars. The bonds made with these familiars lasted until a Summoner?s death. Beings gifted with amazing endowments?controlling the elements, creating things from thin air? pledged themselves to worthy Summoners. In addition, they had the unique ability to leave their bodies and walk the land as spirits. The last members of the Descendants were known as Revivers. They healed life-threatening maladies with the touch of a hand. Revivers? bodies resisted all forms of sickness and poison, seemingly victim only to old age. However, they died as easily as any other mortal from wounds to the flesh, because their own healing powers would not work on themselves. All Revivers could speak directly to others minds. Whether they were celebrated or feared, people depended upon Descendants. Soon after the death of Seio, a prophesy was made. The calamitous being who destroyed Seio would be reborn to impose vengeance on all human kind. Only the Descendants could find this being. Only they could seal his malevolence. This being born into the human race to seek vengeance on his brothers came to be known as the Scion. Only one lived at a time, and humans made every effort to kill the Scion before he or she reached adulthood. Each country formed its own special squad to hunt him. Although the Scion rarely reached the age of two, many humans feared that one would escape and unleash the sleeping power within his or herself, although none knew the true extent of that power. Most Descendants joined an arcane society dedicated to the Scion?s eradication. They occupied all five countries, seeking the Scion and mercilessly destroying those who obstructed their path. Humans easily forgot the truth that lay hidden in Seio?s legend. Truth is nothing more than individual perception within an ill-defined reality. Time passed. Many humans still believed in slaying the Scion. Some openly objected to killing a child based only on an ancient augury, and a few were merely apathetic. The other races put no value in this self-centered tale?as long as the humans left them alone. People forget all too easily that legends are based off truth, and that nothing is true in any legend. [CENTER]Chapter 1[/CENTER] The sun?s first tendrils of light seeped through the eastern sky. All around the birds? aubade echoed through the otherwise quiet wood. Newly reawakened vegetation displayed the greenery won after the war winter had raged. Light breezes barely whispered through the spring air. It was a serene setting, but it would not remain so. Peace is broken quickly, and this morning was no exception. Felix held his hand-and-a-half sword parallel to the ground, his corded arm perfectly motionless. The dark blue hue of the serrated blade matched the blue encircling Felix?s gold eyes. Unusual coloring was common among Descendants, and Felix was no exception. His black hair was loosely tied back. Those traits coupled with his rough, fierce features gave him an appearance reminiscent of a wolf. He stared into the gray-violet eyes of his opponent and smiled. Neither had won a decisive match. Felix was a Dreamer and could have given himself an advantage using his inborn power, but that would make for a meaningless victory. Said opponent mirrored his position: her dark silver longsword with its vibrant red hilt and fuller positioned by her side, her lithe, lightly muscular arm perfectly straight. Her lips quirked into a small smirk; she rarely smiled and never laughed, but that smirk eternally graced her sharp features. Normally left unbound, her dark crimson hair was now kept in a severe braid reaching halfway down her back. She had dressed in pants, a short tunic, baldric, and bracers, every stitch black. Her dark appearance contradicted with her name, but she was full of contradictions. Seroth, her teacher and adoptive father, gave her the name Amaranth after the immortal, unfading flower. Amaranth thought it completely arrogant and pretentious to be named such; she loved the name. For twelve years they had known each other and trained together. At age sixteen their rivalry equaled their friendship. They were different in many ways, but they had unyielding stubbornness in common. Another common trait was that they were both, as Seroth so aptly put it, ?boring sword children,? but they made up for it by being left-handed. It should be common fact that the best sword masters are always left-handed, especially when it involves a legend. The first strike brought a harmonious ring from their swords. They switched to both hands on their weapons and struggled briefly, each trying to push the other away, before Amaranth leapt back. Using natural talent wisely is important in fighting, so while Felix outmatched her in raw strength, she relied more on quick blows. Immediately she struck again. Her sword left a silver afterimage like the tail of a falling star as she made a swift arc from the ground towards his head. Without having to think Felix avoided the blow and clashed his blade against Amaranth?s once again. Blade collided with blade creating a symphony of rings. With each slash they nearly cut each other, but they never shed a single drop of blood. By now their moves were second nature. Felix parried a blow aimed at his shoulder; Amaranth dodged a slash towards her front. Hit, evade, hit again. Felix put more force behind his actions, forcing Amaranth closer to a tree. Their swords met, and he kept pushing her backwards. Refusing to let herself be pinned, the swordswoman relaxed her arm and ducked left, hoping Felix would stumble forward. This move, however, was not unexpected. The Dreamer adjusted the direction of his momentum. Amaranth swung in an upward arc once again. Their blades simultaneously stopped an inch from each other?s necks. During their decade of practices they had learned exceptional control of their movements. For a moment they held a staring contest, the stubbornness in their veins overriding their ability to accept another stalemate. This might have gone on for a good amount of time?their record was seven minutes?had a spider not chosen to interrupt them. The spider, which measured about the size of Amaranth?s pinky nail, fell on the girl?s left cheek near her eye. Unfazed, she offered her spare right hand to the spider. The furry gray arachnid crawled timidly onto her hand. Felix broke into laughter and sheathed his sword in the belt around his waist. ?Shall we call it a draw then, Felix?? she wondered passively as she slipped her sword across her back into her baldric. Carefully she examined the spider as it moved across her hand. She placed the hand firmly against the poplar the spider had fallen from and watched the eight-legged creature crawl onto the tree. ?It?s a draw,? Felix confirmed through his laughter. ?You know, most girls would be upset if a spider landed on their cheek.? ?I think the spider is adorable,? said Amaranth. ?And I am not like most girls.? Felix laughed again softly. ?I?m glad about that. The thought of you in a dress is actually sort of frightening.? The comment earned him a light slap to the back of his head. They treaded through the forest, the sound of their steps barely audible. ?You?re still pretty, though.? He privately thought it was true but meant the words as a joke. Amaranth rolled her eyes and considered hitting him again. ?Another way I am different from the general female population: words do nothing for me. Do not become sycophantic with me. Flattery is no way to win a fight.?

Personally, I can usually figure out someone's gender if they role play, because a lot of people tend to play a character of their own gender. I think I might have been mistaken as a guy once, but there have not been too many occasions where people have needed to refer to me by my gender online. I find it hard to tell most people's gender unless they state it, whether they use emoticons or anything else in their sigs. I ask rather than risk offending someone by using the wrong gender. Guys can use smiley hearts in their sigs, too. My avatar and banner are kind of girly right now, but it can still be hard to determine gender with those. I am female, but my screen name seems more like a guy's to me.

[quote name='Sandy]...but in the poem there is [I]no description[/I'] what-so-ever about Jabberwocky's looks. Of course, I can be proven wrong about this too...[/quote] I just wanted to point out that there is an illustration of the Jabberwocky commonly printed along with the poem. Another one of Tenniel's (sp?) pictures, I believe. My favorite mystical creature is subject to change, but right now I am fond of the gryphon/griffin/griffon. Whichever way you prefer to spell it. The gryphon is basically a lion with wings, the beak, and sometimes legs of an eagle. It makes an appearance in [I]Alice in Wonderland[/I] and inspired the invention of another creature, the Hippogriff. It has an untameable nature and its magical properties include vigilant protection against evil, a desire to protect precious objects, and frightening away anyone who thinks about desecrating a holy place. It is associated with Greek deities, including Artemis who gained the title "Mistress of Gryphons," and the goddess of justice Nemisis, whose chariot was drawn by gryphons.

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Err.. I don't mean to be a party pooper, but it looks like it was a tie (7-7) to me... O_o[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] I think the last vote for you did not follow the guidelines so it was discounted. I really liked both pieces, but I was rooting for you. :(

[SIZE=1]Using my old character with a few tweaks. [B]Name:[/B] Kiris Oth [B]Race:[/B] Sylph. Sylph are a graceful, winged, and often beautiful race. They are creatures of the air who have the winds at their call. Sylph look close to humans, but their wings determine their body type and markings. Kiris is one of the raven-winged sylph. Sylph with raven wings are as tall as an average human male and sinewy, although they still retain slender frames. Black, curved markings twist around their arms, and back. Their hair is ebony, their irises are almost as dark as their pupils, and their skin is a dark tan. [B]Age:[/B] 36. Sylph reach maturity at 16, and usually live to be 200. [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Faction:[/B] Emerald Fist [B]Personality:[/B] Kiris prefers to have only one or two close friends with no more contact than neccessary. She is sweet around the few people she likes, but will turn vicious on the battlefield. Her strong will and sharp mind make her a good strategist. Values she holds dear are loyalty, couage, and forthrightness. [B]Weapons and Abilities:[/B] As stated in her race, Kiris can control the wind. She wields twin short swords. The one wielded in her right hand is called Judgment and has serrated, double edged, silver blade, and a black hilt. In her left hand she carries Justice, which has a black, single-edged blade and silver grip. Each has an emerald embedded in the pommel. [B]Bio:[/B] Kiris spent her younger years in peace, as her family chose to stay away from the fighting. She developed a love of nature, music, and poetry. Her clan was massacred in a fire started by the Black Falcons when Kiris was ten. This led to her joining the Emerald Fist, the faction who most hated the Black Falcons. She trained day and night to better herself in both mind and body, keeping vengeance close to her heart. Her goal is the destruction of the rival factions, specifically the Black Falcons, but she wants to win through skill and tactics. Any other means of victory would be meaningless to her. Kiris spends endless hours strategizing and reviewing the weaknesses of other factions, but still retains some of her childhood hobbies. Often she will play the flute before or after a battle, although the reason behind this is often confusing to her comrades.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Snake Eyes bounded up the stairs. Lucky Seven had slept until noon, so she had proceeded to wake him up using the best available items: her voice and a megaphone. Combined these items produced a very loud noise and she woke up a few other Lucky Devils as well. Deciding that she was in a dangerous position, she left the room as quickly as possible and went to see Soma. ?Judgement! Whatcha doing?? Snakes Eyes wondered as she burst through Soma?s unlocked door. Snake Eyes found a sober-faced Soma staring at pictures scattered on her bed. ?What?s with the bleak face, somebody die or something?? ?Bluff is dead. I found out a few minutes ago. Some guy named Dimes killed him but wants to join up. And the government has been sniffing around here lately, according to a note she wrote me. Today is not a good day,? Soma understated. Snake Eyes was stunned, but her curiosity overpowered her surprise. ?What are you going to do? You usually get rid of anyone who asks about us. Are we still going after the bounties?? Soma said nothing for a whole minute. Finally she stated, ?Every one can do what they want. I can look into the government [I]after[/I] you and I get our bounties. Food and water and electricity are fairly important, you know. All of our bills are in my name, I am better known in the crime circles than a lot of the Devils, so I can take a fall if it?s needed. You still up for some hunting?? ?I always am,? Snake Eyes replied. She was never very good at these situations, so she left Soma to think. Which was actually a smart move. Snake Eyes went to search for someone a little less depressed. ____________________ The night held an unusual chill as Soma and Snake Eyes headed to Lewis?s apartment. With people sniffing around the Devil?s business, Soma thought it too dangerous to crash the party directly. This led them to arrive at Mark Lewis?s apartment an hour before the party was supposed to start. Snake Eyes confirmed that Lewis was still there with his body guards. Luck seemed to be with them tonight, because Vennet Fjorde was there as well, probably getting in a little business before the planned festivities. They waited silently for the most part?Soma had to remind Snake Eyes every now and then to be quiet. Soma reflected upon the recent events, which were bringing up some bad memories. Garet had died on a mission, and his son Jason, Soma?s best friend, had disappeared years ago. Soma did anything necessary to keep the Devils safe since then. She would lay her life down in a second for any one of them. The dead cannot mourn themselves, so the living are left mourning the dead. Time passed quickly, and two cars pulled out the complex?s garage. Snake Eyes confirmed them as the bounties. Soma stood in the street in front of them. Both men were wanted alive. Soma pulled a half-full bottle of whiskey from one of the many pockets lining her coat. She tossed it skillfully between the cars and ignited it before it reached the ground. Snake Eyes shot out their back tires while the homemade bomb exploded, hopefully loud enough to cover the sound of the gun. The guards exited the larger black car. Both wore sleeveless shirts displaying their marks on their shoulders. Two more bottles were thrown and ignite. A tall man with a red beard and ropy muscles waved a shield of ice around himself to block the fire and glass. The other?a thin girl with a blue mullet?was able to dodge before receiving any damage. Soma took a swig of vodka and bombarded them with the volatile concoctions. Her limbs suddenly locked as the blue-haired woman?s shoulder started glowing. The man came closer to Soma. She had been left with barely enough movement to turn her head up. He formed a sword of ice around his hand. Lewis?s penchant for slow deaths apparently extended to his underlings. Soma gathered enough strength to curve her lips into a smirk as he came near. ?Threatening our boss wasn?t such a good idea, now was it?? he said as he stood five feet away from her. A gunshot rang out in the background. Snake Eyes had just shot a bullet through the woman?s skull, just as they had planned. Snake Eyes would round up the bounties while Soma finished with the iceman. She spat out the vodka she had held in her mouth and breathed flame. The muscled male shot back at her with shots of ice. Soma had some experience with ice powers; training with Jason gave her some good experience. She matched him blow for blow, fire and ice colliding into steam. As she finally backed him against a streetlight, she held her hands in front of her and blasted him with flame. Ice continually reformed around him, but he seemed to be wearing down. Soma drew closer and found her legs once again becoming immobile. Her eyes widened in surprise; Snake Eyes could not have missed. Numbness encompassed her legs and traveled up her body. The man had spread ice from himself to the street to Soma, and she had let it happen. She tried to melt the frozen crystalline water but to no avail. Her power was already weakened from the cold, and the man seemed to be getting stronger. Soma let out a string of curses and waited for him to deal a finishing blow, but it never came.[/SIZE]

Here is what my ideal afterlife would be: If you are good, you get into a place like heaven or something of that nature, regardless of whether you were Christian or Buddhist or atheist or anything else. If you are bad, maybe go to a hellish place and possibly get reformed. I do not actually believe in anything for certain, nor do I disbelieve anything. I am full agnostic. Which is usually seen as a horrible thing where I live because I am in the middle of the Bible Belt in Tennessee. My friends have tried to convert me on more than one occassion. If death is truly the end of existence, it would not bother me. I would be dead and therefore unable to care any longer. I also would not mind a limbo-type place, where souls gather in sort of a void of nothingness. You would have a lot of time to think in limbo, and that's all I really want: the freedom to think all the time and nothing else.

[QUOTE=Sara][size=1][color=#b0000b]Well, they do...ride...[i]dragons[/i]. :p [/color][/size][/QUOTE] I forgot to say why I hate him calling his people "Dragon Riders." It is because Anne McCaffrey has had her [I]Dragonriders of Pern[/I] series out for a few decades and to call them Dragon Riders is a blatant rip off, even though he usually refers to them only as Riders. He could at least have called them Dragon Knights or something of that sort. But most of his stuff is just a rip off of other, better books anyway. And yet he is still on the best sellers list...

I'll help with anything you need. I made up my first RP recently and it's doing pretty well, so I know a little about making/running one. In one RP I've been in called Enclave, we all got to come up with our own quests, so maybe we could run it like that and have each member take part in making the story? Perhaps we should start another Underground thread for this?

It started a while ago, but no one's posted since Ozymandius Jones put in a warning about posting quality. I was not sure whether to post or not since everyone let it lie there. Plus, one of the other players said something about the room being locked and they said that they were the only people in the room. I was not sure if I should contradict what they said or what.

For fantasy, any of the [B]Dragonriders of Pern[/B] books by Anne McCaffrey are good reads, but they are geared more towards older teens. She is a great author with a few other series, but my favorite book of hers is a historical fiction called [B]Black Horses for the King[/B]. It is about a young boy who ends up helping a realistic version of King Arthur to find and breed the best horses for battle.

I've read both books and I will still read the third, but overall the series just rips too much from other books. Anne McCaffrey actually complimented the series, but I found it just copied too much from other series. He calls the people in his book Dragon Riders for goodness' sake. The whole thing about [SPOILER]Morzan being his father[/SPOILER] has just lost impact since Star Wars. I can see a teenager having more mature thoughts, but I do not like the fact that he mastered the sword within just a few months of training. So, I agree with pretty much everything Dagger said. I find Eragon to be annoying as a character. Why do all the popular books nowadays seem to be about some teen who has to sacrifice everything to defeat the evil warlord/dictator/crazy person?

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1] But that second part of this paragraph is absolute rubbish. I've never even heard of those words, and I read a lot of material. I'd go so far as to suggest that whatever those are, the knowledge of their names is unimportant. You don't need to be taught about infinitives or gerunds to be able to speak 'proper' English. Grammar skills can't be formed by ROTE learning some ridiculous rules. You pick up the necessary abilities by reading. That's all you need to do. Read.[/size][/QUOTE] Umm... We had to know what they were in order to learn Latin. The names are not the important thing, but as Retrubution pointed out, you have to know what it is. It is neccessary to know what they do in order to translate and learn a new language. I realized how little I knew about English when I took Latin. And my point about literacy rates... Yes, you could say we are all literate, but at what level are we literate? There is a good number of Americans who can read but at a low level.

[SPOILER]Alleged Child Molestation Charges Super-Attack![/SPOILER] Teach you ABC 123. You know, Michael Jackson does have his own video game with moonwalking where he saves little children. Seriously, though, I would love to see Riku hit on Sora. KH deserves a parody. Although, you might want to be careful about what you do with Disney characters. I can see the mouse in a suit suing over it. It has a good shot at being a great role play. I would now like to suggest that all the villains be stars in desperate need of being made fun of. There are a lot of them.

[QUOTE=visualkei]I'm not trying to disregard your point, silver_blade, I just think that it's not sound blaming the president for our country's literacy using some grammar mistakes. :cool:[/QUOTE] Yeah, I am being a little harsh. I've been reading too many Bushisms. It isn't that I blame the President for our country's literacy; I just find it... interesting, I suppose, when he says comments on literacy while speaking incorrectly. I make mistakes too. I speak with an accent. Accents are not the problem. And my point is not that a few grammar mistakes make us illiterate. It is that our country has many severe problems were our national language is concerned. What bothers me is not mainly the fact that we cannot speak English, but that we cannot read and write it. There are many adults who find themselves unable to comprehend documents, bills, forms, etc. America as a whole has lower literacy rates than we should considering the priveleges we have. Sorry if it seemed like I was bashing President Bush or anything. It takes a while for me to get my thoughts really clear. I like hearing what everyone else thinks, though.

[quote name='YoukaiAlchemist']I wish I knew why I can't color very well.[/quote] Congratulations. You know why you cannot color well. Knowing why does not mean you get any better at coloring, though. In fact, your coloring obsession leads you down the path of madness, meaning you know have to do artwork with your arms strapped down in one of those nice, snuggly straight-jackets. I wish I had a non-toxic, normal, regular-sized chocolate milkshake made with vanilla ice cream.

Will Michael Jackson be an actual enemy within the RP? I think it would be hilarious if he was. Also, do you sign up as an original character or can you play as one of the KH characters (only in parody)?

[quote name='Caine']When it comes down to it, the president didn't go to Yale and Harvard because he was smart, he went there because he was rich. Ther rich can buy there way in and many of the poor don't care and don't have any decent education offered to them.[/quote] True, Bush senior paid for his son to get into school, but you would think he would absorb some learning. I am extremely disappointed by him not speaking proper English. Although they usually have a big influence on each other, money and grades are not always related. I think it is what you are exposed to. My mother loves to read and is very intelligent, so I grew up learning lots of random facts from her. Your environment impacts much of what you learn. My mother only makes $15,000 a year, and she is a single parent. Meaning if I do not get a scholarship, there is no way I am getting into a really good college. Personally, though, it has not made my learning ability decrease. I took Advanced English and made 103. I have a right to expect the President to speak his language correctly.

I didn't know the best title to give this thread, so that's what I came up with. To quote the President of these United States:[QUOTE=President Bush]?The illiteracy [B]level[/B] of our children [B]are[/B] appalling.? ?And when we find children trapped in schools which will not teach and will not change, as a society we must demand something better, because there [B]is[/B] [sic] no second-rate [B]children[/B] in America.? [/QUOTE] Why are there so many illiterates in the US? I adore the English language; English and Latin are the only subjects I like. I know that makes me a biased, but I can admit it is a weird language with many awkward rules. I can completely understand why someone who has to learn it from scratch has trouble with it. That being said, I still don't understand why people who speak English all their lives have so much trouble with it as adults. No offense to the teachers, but I think some of the problem lies with them. My eighth grade teacher spent the entire year teaching us what nouns and verbs were. My Latin teacher had to spend most of her time teaching us our own language so we could do the Latin. Few teachers have ever mentioned infinitives, gerunds, or proper formation of verb tenses, and if they touched on those subjects it was not at all in-depth. To quote the President again:[quote name='President Bush']?To those of you who receive honors, awards and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students, I say: you too can be president.? [/quote] He went to Yale and received an MBA from Harvard, yet he himself cannot speak proper English. That scares me a little. I would like to know your thoughts on this subject. Why can't the Americans who haved lived here all their lives read, write, and speak properly in English? I'm not trying to pick on anyone; I just want to know what the problem is. EDIT: I just realized, the fact that there is not one single bookstore selling new books in Columbia, TN, may be part of the problem. Walmart *shudders* is our biggest source for reading material. That depresses me.

You have great artwork, but there are a few points I would like to bring up. Why does Jiro wear an eyepatch? Is he actually blind, or does he just like it? Why are the rich kids "bored with their meek existence"? Sure, Asuka's boyfriend ignores her, but they sound like they have a pretty sweet life. I find that sometimes it is harder to relate to main characters with such great lives. I mean, if they are rich and bored, can they not just go somewhere besides school, home, and baseball with their money? One more thing: Yoshio looks in no way like a turtle to me. His character design is good, but it might be even better if he had a few turtle-like qualities, considering the fact that he is really a turtle spirit. I'm not trying to be harsh or anything, I just wondered about that stuff. Your art is solid and the story sounds pretty interesting, so keep working at it. I look forward to anything else you post about this story.

[SIZE=1]Soma watched with half amusement and half distaste as Joshua downed the bottle and passed out on the table. "He shouldn't drink like that," Snake Eyes huffed. "The mission's getting closer." She poked the drunk man in the head a couple of times. "Seven can do what he wants. It is pretty bad judgment to do that, though," Soma agreed. She looked appreciatively at the bottles Snake Eyes had found for her. Whiskey seemed to be prevalent, with a couple of bottles of vodka thrown in. Very flammable. "You did really well finding the liquor." "Well, sometimes the other Devils forget where they hide stuff and I find it. I'm guessing I blame you if anyone asks for alcohol, right? Is this enough for those Molotov cocktails?" "Plenty," Soma smiled. "I'm taking the bottles up to my room. No one else should drink it before I can light it." "Do they e'splode well?" Snake Eyes asked. Soma nodded. "So we get to bomb the bad guys! Yes!" "Of course. I'm heading to bed again, so goodnight." Soma put her dishes in the sink and gathered the bottles. Before heading to her room, she gave Seven a soft pat on the cheek. He did not stir at all from his liquor induced state. With a mischievous gleam in her eye she started up the stairs calling back, "Snake Eyes, if Seven isn't awake by noon, feel free to wake him yourself." Soma left the now-gleeful Snake Eyes, wondering just how the girl would wake Joshua. Snake Eyes came up with some pretty interesting ways of doing things. While going to her room, she heard Bust coming in. She tapped at the older girl's door. A few of the team were a little put off by Bust's killing streak, but Soma did not mind as long as the Lucky Devils were safe. "I just thought I'd wish you a good night," Soma said as Bust opened the door. "We can train together or something if you're ever in the mood. I'm not a bad fighter." She did not know what Bust liked to do aside from killing guys, so training seemed like a safe bet. Bust seemed surprised but wished her a good night in return. Soma entered her bedroom and stashed the liquor under her bed. She usually felt at peace in the blue-hued room, but restlessness still kept her from sleep. After lying awake for about an hour, she finally fell into an uneasy doze. Bounties and icicles ran through her dreams. OoC: Include my character in anything you might need, but wrap up your posts. My next post's setting should be on the night they crash the party with their bounties, just so we can get things moving a little quicker.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Caine]I heard somewhere that one guy was signed on through X-5, I'll try to find the link EDIT here it is, Vinnie Jones [URL=http://www.superherohype.com/news/x-mennews.php?id=3776]signed for X-Men 3, 4,5[/URL][/QUOTE] The thing is, they may not be making any more, contract or no. It's just common practice in the movie industry to sign on for more movies if it is part of a series, whether more are planned or not. I wish they would make more, though. They did pretty well considering the X-Men comics have been around for over forty years. That's a lot to fit into a couple of hours. [quote name='Bláse][size=1][color=slategray]But I thought it was only supposed to be a trilogy. (By the way, what is it with trilogies, anyway? XP)[/color'][/size][/quote] Well, there isn't such a thing as a quadrology or quintology to my knowledge. They have to limit it to what they have a word for. Actually, I think those would make good words.

I never heard that Cerak (the girl who is still alive) gave the wrong name. She was in a coma for about two weeks. The dead young woman (VanRyn) looked similar to her, and I think it was just a mix-up in the IDs. The really odd thing is, the family stayed by Cerak for two weeks thinking it was their own relative. When asked her name after waking from the coma, Cerak gave her own name and not the VanRyn girl's. That was one of the ways they knew it was the wrong person. The two young women looked very similar, but I don't see how the parents and boyfriend took two weeks to realize they had the wrong girl. They say it was because her face was swollen and she had cuts and bruises. For the whole article, click [B][URL=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/wireStory?id=2026681&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312]here[/URL] [/B].

Sorry for the early vote. First off, I admire anyone who can do art on the computer, and every Handicap Battles participant does good work. Now then... I liked both pieces, but my vote is for [B]White[/B]. I love the text you put in your piece (the actual message, not the font face). The gray pixel outlines do make it seem to glow, so that shows good ingenuity within the limitations you had to work in. I love the leaf motif for its natural simplicity, and the gray leaves right under the text are clear against the black font. Like Delta, though, I think you should have cut down on the white leaves. They make it look too jumbled. Boo, your work is clear cut without too much going on. I like the way the "C" in "Clockwork" is slightly cut off. However, the arrows distract me when I look at it. I do not think the piece needed them. A gray or white outline inside the gears would have looked better in my opinion.