Aaryanna_Mom

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']Uh, folks. I think the menstruation point is beating a dead horse.[/size][/quote]Maybe in terms that it's already been said, but not in that people's views on the issue are valid. ;) And since I echo the sentiment of how menstruation is an unnecessary burden I'll leave it at that. I do have one question that seems to be missing here, how many of you even have kids? I know that most of you don't, but your understanding of this would be different if you understood just how much work goes into raising a [B]normal healthy child[/B]. And a very important factor people miss as well, insurance and state assistance are pathetic in these cases. Insurance won't pay for most of their treatment and qualifying for the state to help requires a poverty level on the part of the parents. Which means any family that makes some money, won't qualify for anything and yet will be far from capable of affording to care for their own child. I'm not sure where I stand on this decision, because not one of us here has enough information to truly make an informed choice. Only her parents did and they have made it to the best of their ability. And whether or not I agree with it is irrelevant. The interests of the child are the priority here and it sounds like that's exactly what they are trying to do, put her needs first.

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed]I was referring to this discussion in regards to making RPG's more friendly by encouraging members to not use longer posts. [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=54561]Word Count?[/URL] I've been enjoying writing them but if people felt like I was making them too long it would be fairly easy for me to break them up into separate posts. ;) [/COLOR][/QUOTE]Ah! I see. Thanks for the clarification then. Well I see no need to break them apart as they've been fine for me so far. :catgirl: [QUOTE=Rachmaninoff']And I have to say Beth, your last post?Damn! You had me hook line and sinker for a moment there. Jason?s nightmare experiance was well written and creeped me out! ;)[/quote]You and me both hun. I knew the story would have sexual harrasement between people of the same sex, but it still creeps me out just the same! But what gets me the most is it's interesting to read! :animeblus

[B]1.[/B] [B]What name would you like to be used for you during this competition?[/B] Kathy or my user name or Mom, whatever people feel comfortable with. [B]2.[/B] [B]What is your age and gender?[/B] 59/Female [B]3.[/B] [B]What country do you come from?[/B] USA [B]4.[/B] [B]What areas of OtakuBoards you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses? [/B] Strengths? I feel too new for strengths, but I suppose I could say Discussion/Debates as that area of the board interests me the most, though recently I?ve become more interested in the RPG aspect, though It?s not really a strength. Weakness, that?s easier, pretty much the entire boards, mostly computers and art/graphics. [B]5.[/B][B] Name one member of OtakuBoards that you consider your friend here.[/B] I?m assuming you want me to list someone I don?t know in real life. There are a couple of people I?ve chatted with via the pm system and if I were to meet them in real life I believe they would make great friends. The one that stands out the most for me would be Shy. He?s very approachable and a great kid. [B]6.[/B][B] What one thing would you take with you to a deserted island?[/B] Putting aside actual physical needs, I?d take some music with me. If you can?t have people or other things around then music is definitely something that would help you to stay sane. [B]7.[/B] [B]Why do you want to participate to OtakuBoards Survivor 4?[/B] Because Mafia was fun to be a part of. Participating in Silver One is turning out to be very enjoyable as well. But mostly because it surprises the heck out of me that people actually nominated me in the nifty fifty event. I don?t feel nifty! But the whole thing has me wanting to get to know all the (pardon the pun) nifty people here and being a part of something like this is a good way to do it in my opinion.

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DarkRed']I hope no one minds that my posts end up being so long.[/COLOR][/quote]You've kind of lost me on that one. Other than to meet the requirements in the rules that the posts need to be at least a couple of paragraphs, is there another one saying they can't be long? Though to tell the truth I wouldn't consider your posts as being long. ;) Fun to read, but definitely not too long. If anyone could clarify that statement for me I'd appreciate it.

?[B]Is that what I think it is?[/B]? Kim asked Daniel as she entered the command center and took a seat next to Daniel. Quickly she turned on the workstation to pull up the information to verify what she was seeing. ?[B]If you are thinking that it is the Crimson, you are correct.[/B]? Daniel answered her. ?[B]Still no word from William?[/B]? Kim asked. ?[B]Just a short message. he?s been delayed; the merchant he was supposed to meet didn?t show up. Apparently the military got word of what was going on in sector twelve and executed several of our agents along with the citizens that had been recruited. Some of them escape the initial sweep and were suppose to be brought here, but they?ve vanished and he doesn?t know if they?ve gone into hiding or if the military got to them[/B].? Daniel said. ?[B]Damn,[/B]? Kim swore. ?[B]So we?re on our own for a bit while he looks into things I take it.[/B]? ?[B]Correct, there aren?t any other ships close enough to come and pick up Jason and Celestia at the moment and with the new shielding on these bases, it?s highly unlikely that any ship of the Empire could detect them. And unless the military brings in a lot of ships, William will be able to get close enough with his own ship to quickly transport them out and make a run for it. Even the messenger ships used by the Elite Specialists can?t catch our ships[/B].? Daniel sighed. ?[B]It?s a pity that speed is our only advantage.[/B]? ?[B]Should I inform the others?[/B]? Kim asked. ?[B]No, at least not until morning. If we tell them now they won?t get any sleep and stressing over the Crimson won?t do them any good.[/B]? Daniel replied. ?[B]At least we got to Sara before they arrived. If I hadn?t lied about letting her transport back she would have been an easy target for them to get to in her home.[/B]? Kim shivered at the thought. ?[B]Even though she?s quite skilled at hand-to-hand combat she would have been no match for our people?s strength let alone being stunned by a disruptor blast. I really wish she would just get over being angry, as I?d like to start on getting her modified like Jason is in addition to training her in our style of combat.[/B]? Kim shut down the terminal in front of her and got up to leave. ?[B]I?m heading back to the transport controls. I need to finish the calibration so the doctor can come tomorrow to start on Sara if she's calmed down. And so we can get out of her as well should we need to.[/B]? Daniel watched her leave and then turned back to the main screen, if only he could verify whether or not Jared still served on the Crimson. Now that he was no longer a Commander he didn?t have access to military records. He couldn?t think of a single reason why he would have moved elsewhere, especially since the High Council announced the promotion of Sandra to a candidate for taking a place on the Council. Jared would be a fool to move from a position of serving under her. But that didn?t really matter to Daniel, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the old fashioned picture he had of his mother. Something he had made when they arrived at Earth, as carrying around a holographic one wouldn?t have fit the technology here. He held it carefully as he always did and then put it back into his pocket. She had been such a kind woman and though he knew she would not approve of his desire to kill Jared for making the arrangements for her execution, arrangements that even to this day still haunted him. Daniel would gladly trade his life for the chance to put an end to Jared?s life. He put his hand over the pocket the picture was in. ?[B]I know you don?t understand mother,[/B]? he whispered and then he got up and left the command center when the night crew came in. He explained what had happened and left instructions to contact him if needed and then he headed for his quarters to get some rest.

[quote name='Rachmaninoff'] But the way I was taught before I moved away from religion was that yes we should fear no evil, but if Satan did not exist there would be no evil to even fear in the first place. Perhaps I misunderstood what they were saying. But that is how I interpreted it. [/quote]I don't believe that is how it is meant to be taken, but I can certainly see how you would come to that conclusion. Because it is a common theme, among those I know, that a lot of the downfalls are due to people being tempted and that Satan is one of those who would make sure you were being tempted in order to secure your fall from grace. I'm going to offend a lot of those who are Mormon with this statement, but nonetheless I believe it to be true based on my own experiences. But a huge percent of the discussions and teachings in the Mormon Church are about a mile wide but only an inch deep. They rarely go into any in depth in any theological discussions and for the most part the bible is treated as a document that is almost worthless due it being corrupted by repeated translations. All of the real discussions tend to revolve around the Book of Mormon and dismisses a lot of the other things out there as being irrelevant as it is not part of the restored teachings. So the fact that you would be so confused as to how others see it is no surprise to me as very little effort is put into studying the bible at all. Or in getting our children to see it as a document worthy of studying. I've attended the few classes that are offered and being a convert and not from Utah, I can comfortably say that they are very shallow and lacking in terms of teaching our children. And to get back on topic, I agree with what both you and Drix D?Zanth are saying. Fears are far more complex than a simple statement of they are caused by Satan, rather I think if Satan were to be involved at all, he would be taking advantage of that process to make our fears worse instead of being the actual cause. And children due to the nature of how they lack the ability to tell what?s real and what isn?t are far more vulnerable to developing irrational fears.

I hope you don?t mind Beth that I worked in a little more before the change. ;) I didn?t put what both Daniel and Kim were looking at though since I don?t know what you have in mind. And if what I was thinking doesn?t match, I?m sure someone will think of something that would have both of them concerned. After all the Crimson is almost at Earth so it could just be that they?ve noticed that they?ve arrived. Which from my standpoint would be a problem. I love how you did your part Crystia it will certainly make it more lively for your character and Darren?s character.

The sounds of even more arguing and temper?s flaring reached Kim?s ears even where she was in the main control room for the transport door. She sighed inwardly. Even though she had told Daniel to be more patient, she was starting to feel like they might never come to a resolution. It was annoying. She liked Sara and could even understand why she felt upset. And being told she couldn?t leave was certainly something to be annoyed over. Kim put down the tools she was using and walked over to close the door. She had left it open since the main control room would get a little stuffy, but she?d rather sweat than listen to them going at it again. Kim continued to work on the calibrations in peaceful silence. She was nearly finished when her communicator beeped. She stopped what she was doing to answer it. It was Daniel. ?[B]I need you to come to the command center Kim. We?ve got a problem.[/B]? He said. And before she could ask what it was he closed the communication. Kim carefully set everything down and left to see just what Daniel was talking about. She passed Celestia, Jason and Sara who were in the main eating area. The conversation died when she entered the room and as she passed Sara she paused for a moment. Sara was leaning against one of the counters, with her arms folded across her chest, a sullen expression on her face. Where Jason and Celestia were sitting at a table facing her. ?[B]Sara,[/B]? Kim said looking at her eye to eye, ?[B]don?t you think it?s time you quit behaving like a child?[/B]? She ignored the hurt and anger in Sara?s eyes and continued before she could respond. ?[B]There?s more at stake here than whether or not your feelings were hurt and we don?t have the time to keep babying you.[/B]? Kim said angrily. ?[B]You need to decide what you want to do and do it.[/B]? And with that she left for the command center, ignoring Celestia?s and Jason?s look of surprise. She was half-way to where Daniel was and already regretting what she had said, even if she felt it was true. [I]Was I too hard on her?[/I] She thought. The practical side of her said no where the more emotional side felt she was. She sighed. [I]Well I can?t exactly take it back.[/I] But then as she entered the command center and saw what Daniel had up on the main viewer all thoughts of Sara were forgotten at what she saw.

All right my last bit before the change is up. If I got any of the details mixed up in regards to Mariskah?s character and the plans you said the High Council had for her, just let me know okay? :catgirl:

It had been close to a week since Sara had been brought to the underground base. For the most part other than to answer a few questions, both Jason and Celestia had been fielding any concerns or questions she had. Daniel, along with Kim had simply focused on finishing putting together some of the final touches on the other two bases that had been built. Especially the shielding that would keep battleships and others from the Empire being able to detect them. Daniel leaned back in his chair in the command center, reached up with both arms to stretch a bit and then with a sigh lowered his arms. If only Sara would stop being so stubborn, he had stayed out of it but a couple of times he had overheard the heated discussions she was having with both Jason and Celestia. ?[B]Why the long face?[/B]? Kim asked from her seat next to Daniel?s. Daniel turned to face Kim. ?[B]I?m concerned that William hasn?t checked in and I?m beginning to wonder if Sara?s ever going to get over feeling left out. I can understand how she felt betrayed by that, but we don?t have the time to discuss it. Even though Jason explained to her that there is a bounty on her head as well, she just won?t get past that idiotic stage of being mad at Jason.[/B]? ?[B]You?re being to hard on her Daniel.[/B]? Kim accused. ?[B]She?s not really angry over being left out, she?s still coming to terms with how much it hurt her that he was suppose to be dead. She missed him more that she thought she would. Do you know what fraternal twins are Daniel?[/B]? Puzzled by the question he shook his head indicating that he did not. ?[B]Humans don?t use genetics to reproduce and as a result they occasionally end up with a case where more than one child is born at the same time. Sometimes it?s due to the egg in the woman splitting and creating two babies that look alike. And other times it?s due to the woman releasing two or more eggs and thus having more than one kid that doesn?t look alike.[/B]? Kim explained. ?[B]When that happens it?s referred to as fraternal twins like Jason and Sara. They look different, but they are often quite close due to being born at the same time and growing up together.[/B]? ?[B]I still don?t understand Kim, how does that make a difference?[/B]? Daniel asked. ?[B]Sara was born first and based on what she?s told me over the past couple of months, she was fiercely protective of Jason once their parents died even though he was capable of taking care of himself. When she thought he had died, she was cast adrift with no family to call her own. Some people never recover from that type of shock.?[/B] Kim paused wondering if she should say what she was thinking. Especially since Daniel had never spoken about his own mother since she was murdered. But she could see that Daniel was still having trouble grasping what she meant. Kim sighed inwardly, as much as she didn?t want to drag up painful memories she needed him to see what she meant. ?[B]You of all people should understand this Daniel. How long did it take you to actually respond to others after learning about your mother?s murder?[/B]? Kim said ignoring Daniel?s initial response of pulling away and going pale. ?[B]Celestia told me what happened and how you were tortured by Jared. The circumstance is not quite the same, but losing someone you care for is not easy and to find out that they were alive all along and didn?t say anything, even if they couldn?t. Well it?s just going to take time for her to sort out her emotions. She?s a good kid and given time she?ll not only sort things out but she?ll make a good ally.[/B]? Daniel looked away, uncomfortable with how the conversation had turned. ?[B]I understand what you are saying Kim, I really do. The problem lies with my orders in regards to Sara.[/B]? ?[B]What orders?[/B]? Kim asked. ?[B]William got wind of plans by the High Council to do research on humans. Since research has already been done on Jason when he was genetically modified, they wish to do the same to Sara only they intend to withhold any pain suppressants to test the limits of human endurance.[/B]? He ignored Kim?s swift intake of breath turning back to look her straight in the eyes. ?[B]Regardless of what Sara or Jason wished my orders were to bring her along even if I have to drug her to do so. Even if William had not ordered it there is no way I?d let the High Council do that to her, I would have brought her along whether he suggested it or not.[/B]? Kim swore, ?[B]Damn! I had no idea! That?s just sick! What possible reason could the High Council have for that type of research?[/B]? Daniel shrugged his shoulders, ?[B]I don?t know. The only thing I?m sure on is that since Sara is Jason?s sister they wanted her because her genetic profile is similar to Jason?s. I?m not into genetics so I don?t understand how that would make a difference. Not that I approve of such experiments regardless of who the person is.[/B]? ?[B]Alright, you have my support in this. If it comes to it I?ll help you subdue her. And though I don?t think Jason or Celestia would interfere, I?ll run interference should either one of them object as well. I assume you are going to at least explain this to her?[/B]? Kim asked. ?[B]Only if necessary, I wanted her to join of her own will first. Since such information would look like a scare tactic instead of the threat it really is.[/B]? Daniel replied. Kim reluctantly agreed, ?[B]You?re right, that would have been taken as a poor attempt to frighten her into joining. In the mean time, I?ll tell the others that the transportation door has a small glitch and that I can?t return her to our apartment or her house. And since I actually do need to finish calibrating it to shift frequencies to keep it from being traced it won?t be a lie.[/B]? She got up and left the command center to do just that.

I?ve been trying to follow this and the part about restructuring the actual sections kind of confuses me, not that it?s a bad idea, just that it?s best left up to those who understand how doing such a thing would help. Anyway so I?ll simply go with what I do understand and that is that the ratings are horribly misunderstood. There have been several suggestions on changing them, but they look to me as if they will just put us back in the same position of having things rated incorrectly. Since unlike the OB Anthology where the creator of the thread is the only one putting stuff in, RPG?s suffer from the creator not knowing what will be done and the M rating is being used to cover eventualities instead of giving a true indication of what?s going to be in the RPG. So my suggestion, and yes it?s yet another one on revamping the ratings, is to do away with the E, PG and M altogether. All RPG?s will have a default rating that is either E or considered PG if they use any of the letters for Language, Violence and Sex. And when creating the thread they would only use the letters L V S if there is going to be either language or violence or sexual innuendos in it. Then, if the RPG starts to become more mature and only then, an additional rating of Mature could be put on it. Something that for the most part would be done by a moderator as I remember someone saying in this thread that it was easy to do. That would simplify things and do away with the misleading idea of what?s a PG or what?s considered Mature as there is quite a bit of language and violence and even sex that is considered acceptable these days. Anyway, if someone has already suggested this, then I guess I missed it. [quote name='Shy][size=1']I'm Shy. I'm a 21 year-old college student who has been living on my own for almost a year. I created Thread Ratings while also participating in one of the most graphic RPGs to date. More to the point, I regularly consume alcoholic beverages and have engaged in irresponsible sex countless times. I DON'T WANT CURSING IN MY GODDAMN ARENA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT IT OFFENDS 8 YEAR OLDS.[/size][/quote]You my dear, can consider yourself adopted anytime you wish. ;)

?[B]Just what is going on here?[/B]? Daniel took that as his cue to take over, as he was the one who usually explained things to anyone who was being recruited to join the resistance. Though for Sara he included a short summary explaining how both Jason and Celestia had initially been imprisoned by the military and how the reports of their deaths was inaccurate as they had not been in the building when it was destroyed. He went on further to explain how they had been forced to cooperate with the Versilan Military until they were later rescued by one of the key leaders of the resistance. It took a while as he also explained just what the Versilan Empire was and how they had been expanding their influence throughout the galaxy by literally taking over other worlds and turning the inhabitants into slaves to serve them. It took a while and to Daniel?s surprise Sara was quiet the whole time. That is until he asked her if she had any questions. ?[B]Questions? I have quite a few of them, not including the more obvious one of why I should believe this isn?t some stupid military getup instead of an alien invasion threat.[/B]? Sara narrowed her eyes, as she was still annoyed at Jason. ?[B]But what I want to know is if you were all rescued over six months ago, why wait until now to tell me?[/B]? Darren saw the spark of anger in her eyes and having been forewarned by Jason at how stubborn and willful his sister could be he moved to nip that line of thinking immediately. ?[B]It?s because you have failed to grasp just how serious this situation really is,[/B]? he said with a hint of steel in his voice. ?[B]Both Celestia and Jason are listed as wanted criminals by the Versilan Empire and the bounty on their heads is enough to tempt any would be bounty hunter to search for them. Before you jump to conclusions over any perceived lack of consideration on our part you would do well to actually give us the time to properly explain everything that is going on. I can?t condense the history of my people and everything that has happened to your brother over the last year into a few hours so easily.[/B]? Darren paused for a moment watching Sara to gauge her reaction to his implication that she was expecting too much to quickly. ?[B]Then how long is this explanation going to take?[/B]? Sara finally asked. Darren pulled out a small hand held device and tossed it to Sara who deftly caught it. ?[B]Everything you need to know is listed there. I?ve even programmed it to display things as if they were files listed on the main desktop of a computer here on Earth so you won?t have any trouble accessing it. However, since that contains technology that is not of your world, it cannot leave this base. I would recommend calling in to your work and staying here for a couple of days to read through it and address any questions you might have to Celestia or Jason as they will be staying here until they leave Earth in about a week.[/B]? He told her. Sara, who had been checking out the handheld device that Daniel had tossed her stopped to look back up at him over what he had just said. ?[B]What do you mean?[/B]? She turned to address Jason, ?[B]You?re not staying?[/B]? He shook his head, ?[B]I can?t. Whether or not you believe me Sara, I have no choice.[/B]? He looked away before continuing. ?[B]It?s in one of the files Daniel wants you to read, but before Celestia and I were rescued, we were both genetically modified to better match the Versilan people. If Earth?s government were ever to find out, and in time they would since both Celestia and I will not age like everyone else. At that point they would be after us as well in order to do experiments to find out why we haven?t aged like everyone else.[/B]? ?[B]What do you mean when say you won?t age like everyone else?[/B]? Sara asked clearly confused. ?[B]Versilans live closer to three hundred years,[/B]? Jason replied. ?[B]Take Daniel, he may look like he?s in his early twenties, but he?s actually 53 years old.[/B]? Sara started to reply but Jason cut her off. ?[B]Please do as Daniel asks and take the time to at least read through everything before deciding whether or not you believe us. I don?t want to leave without taking you with us[/B].? Sara just stood there, not sure what to think of all that she had been told.

As a parent my first thought is to get rid of all swearing, but then I remember when you pretty much never ran across it in any media. But the other side of me feels that the issue isn?t so much a matter of swearing but one of people throwing in language and violence instead of trying to develop their characters. They are using shock tactics to gain an audience instead of really creating a good solid RPG. I also think a huge part of the problem boils down to what SunfallE said in relation to what some consider mature and others do not. Even Gavin as you can see here has noticed that there is a horrible gap between PG and M ratings:[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]In terms of the rating themselves, I have always been a proponent of adding new ratings to cover the absolutely abhorrent gap between the "PG" and "M" ratings. I think many people would be surprised by the effect of adding something as simple as a "T/Teen" rating to the Arena. Personally I've found, and I know this is true of other writers in the Arena, that I've had to give RPGs an M rating because I've felt the proposed content was beyond the realm of a PG rating. Those are just my few cents anyway.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]I?m going to use SunfallE?s RPG as an example for the simple reason it?s the only one I?ve been in other than the Event Mafia that was similar to an RPG. Anyway, when she slapped the rating on her RPG, I already knew that what she considers mature content is not the same as what the kids and teenagers today consider mature. So I know that for the most part it will not have what many members would consider mature content. Perhaps PG-13, but not mature. And today most PG and PG-13 shows these days are shocking to me in that they include content you would have never seen outside an R movie just fifteen years ago. However when someone else slaps a rating on their story/RPG, there were stories in the OB Anthology that I immediately withdrew since the content was more of what I would consider borderline porn instead of one that would fit in a mature rating. I can see how swearing would be the easiest thing to modify to help with quality issues, and I'm sure it will help reign in those who really do use it just to be able to swear, but I voice the same concern SunfallE does in that what one person considers tasteful adult content, others will think is pure trash. And removing the ability to swear won?t really change that aspect. So trying to moderate the content based on what one considers tasteful is something I think would be a huge headache. It?s a job I would not want, as my idea of tasteful is outdated compared to today?s standards.

[B]What is it?[/B] Shy [person] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] Shy is an incredibly dedicated staff member and is always professional when dealing with members. Their tireless devotion to running and maintaining events is definitely quite nifty. [B]What is it?[/B] Mafia [event] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] It was the first event I had seen that didn?t require lengthy signups or even a previous knowledge of a show or game in order to play. Making it a fun event that anyone could just jump right into. [B]What is it? [/B]Tekkaman [person] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] Tekkaman is one of those members who makes everything more fun when they are part of it. The way they just jump right in without hesitation is not only inspiring but also contagious in the sense that you just want to be a part of what ever they are doing. [B]What is it?[/B] Allamorph [person] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] Allamorph was one of the key members of the event mafia, drawing everyone into the game by his inventive posts, which were not only intelligent but also down to earth and easy to understand. [B]What is it?[/B] Charles [person] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] Charles is one of the most down to earth members on the boards who is not only open and friendly to all members, but has a fun if not questionable sense of humor. From those silly cats playing ping-pong to the more questionable would you like to buy a vowel avatar, to his tireless devotion to Otakupedia Charles is definitely quite nifty. [B]What is it?[/B] Members [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] There?s no doubt that the members are what truly make OtakuBoards nifty. For without them there isn?t an OtakuBoards. [B]What is it?[/B] Rachmaninoff [person] [B]Why is it nifty?[/B] The very name Rachmaninoff is nifty and the person behind the name is as well. For someone who has yet to even be a member for a month, their posts are insightful, witty and downright fun to read. Making them one of the niftiest new people I?ve met since I joined.

[quote name='Hanabishi Recca']I'm sure that at the age of 13 you are at the age where you can choose who you are going to live with. You don't need any proof of your rights, most sites lie anyway.[/quote]Actually, the idea that once you are older you can choose which parent you live with is a myth. I am divorced myself and I have many friends who are divorced as well. The thing is that once a kid is over 16 often the judge will actually listen to why they would prefer one parent over another and even then the judge still makes the final decision. I would follow the advice about talking to a lawyer; a few questions would at least let you know where you stand. For example, ask them, how old do I have to be to make my own decision as to where I live? Secondly, if you have to be eighteen, ask what can I do to have it changed so I can live with the other parent? At that point you'll know what you need to do and can act accordingly.

[quote name='Katana][size=1][color=royalblue]I guess what I get angry with the most with this game is the fact that people have built these networks of allies, so if you're not in on it (half of you guys aren't on AIM that much), you're screwed. That's how I felt when Tekkaman revealed he and John were allies. [b]I am just saying[/b], but in the original Mafia, it was you all by yourself. It made things more exciting and interesting, too.[/color'][/size][/quote]I had the exact opposite feeling when I found out that others were expecting me to follow the rules of a game I had never played. I can understand how you found that irritating but on the other end I found it equally as annoying when the signup did not require knowledge of the game this was based on. So to find out that others expected it on some level, I actually wanted to just throw my hands up and give up. I didn't but I found it that annoying. As for the alliances, I didn't have one until after John was killed and at that point it made the game a lot more fun than before because being off on my own was to be blunt, boring. Unless people were active in the town it felt like we weren't even playing a game at all. I've said it before in the game and I'd say it again, on some level it's not really suited for being a community event because so much of it was expected to be played out in the shadows. Now if White were to run another Mafia in the RPG area of the boards and the rules were clarified, [B]for example if people want others to follow the original rules more closely then the opening thread would need to have those rules posted[/B], well in the end especially if there were more townspeople and the idea of alliances were still allowed, I know I'd want to play it again. :catgirl:

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']My thought is solely that the title of this thread isn't funny on any level.[/quote]I agree, is it really that hard to just simply say Happy New Year? Perhaps its funny to those who use the Internet more, but to the rest of us it just looks like gibberish. :rolleyes: As for the actual holiday, I was suppose to go and spend time with some relatives, but one of them has become quite sick with pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital today so that ended any plans we had. I'll be spending my first day of the year going to visit them briefly since they live within an hours drive. Beyond that, my goal is to continue working on some photo albums and then another project I started of putting a dry stream in my back yard with various types of rocks and such. I've already drawn up the plans and I'm looking forward to when the weather will be agreeable enough for me to really get started.

Actually a turn of events means I won't be going anywhere after all. But I'll hold off just the same since Mariskah was telling me she wanted to handle the post where Jason and his sister see each other for the first time since she thought Jason was dead.

My own skills at rooting out a member of the Mafia have proven to be fairly useless, but after Boo was found out due to John?s detective work and Tekkaman?s daring accusation, I am inclined to follow in their footsteps as to who the killer is. As you can see here in this bit by John that Tekkaman posted after John was killed: [QUOTE=John] [list=1][*]I'd be willing to bet good money that Roxie is innocent. I've been around her and the boards long enough that I can judge her caliber for something like this, and for her to be Mafia she'd be stretching quite a bit beyond her capabilities for subtlety and wit (not trying to put the kid down lol). Not certain, of course, but I feel pretty good about this. [*]Just to reaffirm, I'd put just as much money on the possibility that Boo is Mafia. And Katana along with him, as well. They've both been giving me increasingly bad vibes from the beginning, and, well, they're too congruent. They post the same amount, say pretty much the same things (usually just their own defense), hell, they even say it the same way usually. I think they're easily our most likely candidates, despite any uneasiness I have about A_M just from not knowing her long enough to judge her.[/list][/QUOTE] He believed that both Boo and Katana were members of the mafia. And in this bit from one of Tekkaman?s final pm?s to me before they too were taken out: [quote name='Tekkaman']Follow John's report first: He said that MistressRoxie wasn't a good enough player to be Mafia, plus, I've talked with her during the beggining; she was the one that backed me up in 'Boo vs. Tekkaman', thus, causing me not to get hanged. No, I believe Katana is the culprit and there's no stopping my reasoning.[/quote]I think his firmness in believing who the remaining member was is what got him killed. If he was wrong, the mafia would have had no reason to kill him. In fact leaving him alive to go after an innocent person would have been the smartest move since he was convincing the rest of us to follow his lead, especially after his success in revealing Boo as a member of the mafia. At that point he would have been helping the remaining mafia member to win. But since he was immediately silenced tells me that the mafia is getting desperate, they had no choice but to silence him. If they did not he would be coming after them. And his death still had the slight possibility of throwing the rest of us into confusion over who the mafia really was. So based on John?s and Tekkaman?s last words and my own reasoning as to why Tekkaman was silenced, I believe that Katana is the remaining member of the Mafia.

I just realized what this was for. I even put it in my subscribed threads, but I must have been in a daze when I did so! Anyway, you already know this but I thought I'd mention it here anyway, tomorrow and Monday and part of Tuesday there's a good chance I'll be away from any computer access as I plan on spending time with relatives who don't have access to the Internet. So I just wanted to let everyone know I hadn't disappeared. ;) Especially since I'm having far to much fun to even think of stepping down. It's one thing to read the story, but another to be part of it. I'm glad you mentioned it to me SunfallE. :catgirl: No wonder people enjoy doing RPG's!

When William had said he was sending Daniel some help he would have never guessed that the help would be none other than Jason himself and Celestia. It took him a moment to recognize them since Celestia now had waist length light brown hair instead of strawberry blonde and brown eyes instead of the mixture of silver and blue eyes she had gotten when she had been genetically changed along with Jason. Jason even had his hair changed to a light brown instead of the black hair he once had, it was a bit longer and pulled back into a ponytail. They looked more like a young not quite hippy couple instead of the sleeker professional look they had when he had first met them. He wanted to be happy to see them, especially his daughter Celestia, but damnit! William should have known better than to let them come here. It was far too dangerous! ?[B]What the hell are you two doing here?[/B]? He demanded once the transportation door had closed. ?[B]And where the hell is William?[/B]? Celestia let go of Jason?s hand and wrinkled her nose at Daniel and then laughed. ?[B]It?s good to see you too father.[/B]? She said as walked over and reached up to give him a kiss on his left cheek. ?[B]William had to leave and didn?t tell us why. He said he would be back in about a week.[/B]? Celestia finally answered him. ?[B]That damn idiot![/B]? Daniel snapped. He pulled out his smaller communicator and contacted Kim, ignoring both Jason and Celestia for the moment. ?[B]What is it Daniel?[/B]? Kim?s voice could clearly be heard by everyone in the room. ?[B]Can you get Sara to come to our place? Both Celestia and Jason are here.[/B]? He explained. ?[B]Ah, so that was the help he told you about[/B],? Kim laughed. ?[B]I understand, it would be better if they stayed put, I haven?t spotted any agents of the Empire here, but if they are keeping their distance I wouldn?t see them. I?m about to go meet her for going to dinner with the girls, I?ll call you back to let you know if I can convince her to come to our place instead.[/B]? Kim broke the connection. Celestia giggled, ?[B]You really are a worry wart. Besides, Jason and I decided to come and though William wasn?t happy about it he finally agreed to let us come.[/B]? Daniel started to object yet again, but Jason interrupted him. ?[B]You don?t know my sister, she may seem harmless but she can be quite interesting if she feels threatened in any way.[/B]? He looked away, ?[B]Besides I don?t want her to experience anything that I did, being taken somewhere against your will is something I hope she never experiences, she?s already had plenty of bad things happen to her. I don?t intend to add to it even if it means sacrificing my own safety[/B].? Daniel's protests died at the intensity of Jason's voice and he gave in. ? [B]I understand.?[/B] A beeping noise interrupted them. It was Kim. ?[B]She?s agreed to come with me, Sara thinks she?s coming to meet a cute guy,[/B]? Kim said with a giggle. ?[B]Kim![/B]? Daniel protested. ?[B]It was her assumption, I said I had someone I wanted her to meet, it?s not my fault she assumed it was a guy! Anyway, we?ll be there in just a little bit.[/B]? Kim closed the connection. ?[B]I?m surrounded by idiots.[/B]? Daniel said to himself.

[QUOTE=Sandy][color=DimGray]And so the long, grueling night was over, and the Town woke up to yet another death - that of [B]Tekkaman[/B]. With their prominent spokesman brutally murdered, the townsfolk gathered to discuss about the killer. Besides asking who did it, they also pondered who would have the guts to make an accusation?[/color][/QUOTE]I will make that accusation and I have already sent it to Sandy (the judge?) As I believe that I know who the final killer is, based on our Detective?s last message and one I recieved from Tekkaman. I believe I am right as the deductions of those two good people exposed the first member of the mafia who was none other than Boo. So I will continue following that line of reasoning and do my best to help them rest in peace by rooting out the remaining member of the mafia.

[QUOTE=DeadSeraphim][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial] She actually [i]asked you for permission[/i]? Man, I'd sooner [I]slit my wrists[/I] and [B]bleed myself dry[/B] than let my Mum know about my online dealings. I have new respect for your relationship with your daughter, as well as a vague sense of incomprehension that, holy ****, she actually asked. On the list of things that are blown right now, my world is pretty high up there.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]To tell you the truth, it kind of surprises me as well, my older children were never one to ask permission for anything. It is nice that she does, but some times that little imp just outright tells me she's doing something whether or not I like it. :animesigh Still I can't complain, she's a good kid. ;) And now I'll stop embarrassing her and be on my way. And so I'm not totally off topic, I agree with Rachmaninoff on the question directed towards White about his event. I don't think he killed it either, just more of a bad timing issue like it had at the beginning when the first week fell on the Thanksgiving holiday. Now the remaining person just needs to post so the rest of us can see who finally makes it out. The only problem, I want both of the remaining characters to survive.

I never thought I?d see the day where I would actually defend someone using pictures with humor that I find a bit questionable even if they are funny. But I do feel the need to say this as I think people take a look at the pictures and unique brand of humor Charles has instead of actually paying attention to how he posts. When my daughter asked me if it was okay to become a moderator at this site I began to watch it on a regular basis out of curiosity and a parental concern over her online interests. I had no trouble seeing that there was no need to be concerned and after a while I eventually joined. I guess it is my own experience in alienating one of my own children who has a similar type of humor and I allowed it to overshadow my judgment of someone who overall is a good kind kid. It reminds me of those in my religion who judge smokers without bothering to find out what type of person they are. Like a witch-hunt to find faults instead of truly seeing what they are like. This is easier for me since my non-religious brother smokes and he too has a rough sense of humor, but at the same time he also is a kind and caring person as well. Something many people never see since they only focus on what they perceive as a negative aspect. And quite frankly, I?ve seen enough that anyone who really takes a look at how Charles posts and deals with members will see that they are anything but rude and offensive. In many ways Charles is every bit as polite and nice if not more in dealing with members both new and old as any other moderator who doesn?t use more interesting pictures. I can understand why the question was asked as I?m sure the member in question wanted to see how they would deal with such a question, but at the same time on some level I think it?s irrelevant to try and drag up dirt on one of the staff members in public. I can think of far better examples of a member who is weaker in their position than the ones that were mentioned, but such an observation is better done through pm?s instead of out in public. I am reminded of the complaint thread and how many of the members who were dragged through the mud even though they did an excellent job and those who were also brought to light but were actually in the process of stepping down, something a simple pm would have gotten a better response to than that blatant witch-hunt. Just to be clear this is more of an objection to the actual question since both contestants are answering them as they were instructed to. I'm more interested in pointing out how such questions do nothing but sow distrust and issues between members instead of actually making any positive changes. :animesigh

The DVD with the first five episodes was loaned to my daughter over the holidays and out of curiosity I sat down and watched it. I have to agree with the statement that it?s a bit more balanced for a vampire series. Admittedly I haven?t watched other anime vampire shows, but a fair number of vampire movies and shows lately have focused more on the bloodletting instead of developing the characters. Which is a disappointment as I grew up enjoying vampire flicks until they became more centered on violence. The thing I like most about this one is the approach that [spoiler]paranormal/spiritual powers are for real [/spoiler] and the way Kouhei and Hazuki [spoiler] banter back and forth due to her vampire kiss not having the intended effect of making Kouhei her slave. [/spoiler] is delightfully funny. It does have a nice dark feel to it in how they?ve kept the state of being required to [spoiler] avoid the sunlight.[/spoiler] thus maintaining the balance of how vampires are creatures of the night. I?m curious to see more of it as I?m hoping they can maintain the dark yet fun atmosphere they?ve created so far with the first five episodes.