Aaryanna_Mom

Daniel was about to leave the apartment he shared with Kim when a beeping noise came from his long-range communicator. Surprised he opened it up to see who was attempting to contact him; he wasn?t due for another update or check in for at least another week. Cleverly disguised as a portable DVD player Daniel opened it up and inserted the disk that would bring up the prompt for him to enter the password. A minute later the screen came to life. It was William, the one who was responsible for saving him from being executed and then recruited him to work for the resistance. ?[B]Ah Daniel, I?m glad I caught you. I will be arriving at Earth in less than an hour.[/B]? William said. ?[B]What?s happened?[/B]? Daniel asked. ?[B]I have it from a reliable source that the Military is finished with the upgrade on the their encryption programs. Just the other day they placed sector 13 under a restricted status. Also, the battleship Crimson and the Tempest are both being sent to Earth even as we speak.[/B]? William explained. ?[B]I see[/B],? Daniel replied. ?[B]There?s more, the High Council has issued a bounty for Jason?s sister Sara as well.[/B]? Daniel swore. ?[B]Damn! We have to get her out of here before the ships get here.[/B]? ?[B]Agreed, for now I?ve delayed the Crimson by hacking the approval system and giving clearance to an independent merchant ship on its way to sector twelve. At the moment it looks like they have taken the bait as they have stopped them for being in a restricted area. But it won?t take them very long to realize what?s happened.[/B]? William explained. ?[B]I?ll go and get both Kim and Sara immediately,[/B]? Daniel replied. ?[B]No, wait there for me, I?m bringing some help.[/B]? William ordered. ?[B]Help? Help for what?[/B]? Daniel asked, puzzled as to what William meant. William smiled, ?[B]Apparently Sara?s a bit of a spitfire and is more likely to make a scene and attempt to beat the crap out of you if she doesn?t feel like coming along. So I?ve brought some people with me who will convince her to come with us. So stay put and once we arrive we?ll go and pick her up.[/B]? The transmission shut down. Daniel removed the disk and turned the power off. Just who was the help that William was referring to?

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Probably the only thing I?m good at is playing the Cello.[/quote]I am good at music stuff as well. ;) Before my health changed I was working on becoming a concert pianist. I took classes at Brigham Young University and though I still had a ways to go I studied hard at it. I also studied playing the organ. I?ve been doing both since I was a young girl. I?m good enough that I can sit down and take a piece like the moonlight sonata by Beethoven and sight read and play any of the three movements. Not well enough to perform them as it takes time and countless hours of practice to get ready for that. But still pretty much any basic piano or organ music I could play without any need to practice. Now due to my vision issues making it hard to read the music and when the other aspect of my health is acting up I can?t play it either. But I still give piano and organ lessons to younger members in the church ward I belong to. I may not have the ability to play like I could anymore, but I can still at least teach others to do so. I like to think I?m a good mother as well, but to be honest in some area?s I certainly could have done a better job.

[QUOTE=di.fm][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Of course working at EB Games doesn't make me the authority on HD movies and Blu-Ray but because the store is in a mall and the PS3 plays Blu-Ray and the Xbox 360 has an HD DVD add-on and because the 'average consumer' goes to the mall on a regular basis, see's my store and must think; 'Well, he must know about it.', it does in fact make me the 'authority' in their eyes. Although this time I'm in the wrong for not saying it was located in the mall where 'average consumers' buy from. (see: Old Navy, Sears, Verizon and, oh yeah, EB Games.) [/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]I think you missed DeadSeraphim's point. The mall isn't the average consumer's choice for shopping unless they are looking for something more specific. As a parent I along with other parents I know, avoid the mall because it's usually more expensive than places like Best Buy and WalMart or even Amazon who ships it right to your door. If you think malls are the in thing, stop and think about how there are more WalMarts around than malls. Because people will often go there first. And another thing I've also learned as a parent. Stores do not hire people based on their actual knowledge of the products they sell. I've run into employees more ignorant about games than I am. I never take the word of any employee when getting stuff to give my children. I've spent to much time having to turn around and then go back to get the correct item since often I've been told the wrong thing. As for the actual topic itself, as a parent I was deeply disappointed in what Sony did, their price along with including things I understand are not needed to play games, they've effectivly put it beyond my ability to buy for my daughter as it's far to costly. Even if they did have them in stock I couldn't afford it. By making everything all inclusive they've effectively ruled out anyone who doesn't make more money than the average person. Over the years, the cost of items has not gone hand in hand with what a person makes. A decent car costs as much as a house did when I got married. There's nothing great about a company or any other one that claims they are passing the cost on to the consumer when they've made sure you have costs that aren't needed for your kids to play games. I never had faith in Sony to begin with, but I remember when people use to look more favorably on the name as it meant you were getting a good product. Now it's more of a what idiotic thing have they done now instead of being impressed by their latest gadget.

[QUOTE=Rachmaninoff]I'm more partial to Mannheim Steamroller as they've done a great job of blending Renaissance-flavored moods and instrumentation (strings, harpsichord, flute, French horn) with a bit of light pop instrumental music thrown in. Other types of Christmas music is tolerable I suppose, but given a chance I'll take Mannheim Steamroller any day over the rest.[/QUOTE]You have excellent taste in music hun. ;) And seeing what your user name is I'm not surprised. Rachmaninoff's music is beautiful, even more so in a live performance. Anyway, I?ve always been partial to older styled classical music and Mannheim Steamroller does an excellent job in delivering it. Even the light pop influence is well balanced and I find that I enjoy listening to it. The other type of Christmas music I like the best is vocal music along the lines of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I rather enjoy listening to them perform various Christmas songs. But my absolute favorite Christmas song is actually the Messiah by George Frideric Handel. And out of those I like Hallelujah the best. I positively adore that music and it?s one of the things I miss most since my vision began to trouble me since I often was the organist for various groups when they would perform different parts of this work for Christmas.

[quote name='Boo][size=1']Because I didn't know about the other roles being spilled, untill now.[/size][/quote]Fair enough.[QUOTE=Boo][size=1]Come on, you got a card in secret so that nobody else would know about it. Didn't it even slightly occur to people that they were ehm... 'secret'? I only mentioned it anyway. It was not meant as defense whatsoever, as it has nothing defensive about it. [/size][/QUOTE]Come on, your playing a game where the objective is to survive, everyone is going to approach that differently and that includes attempting to form alliances and telling others your stance to throw people off. Everyone approachs the game differently. You may have thought that to not reveal your postition was the best where others might be thinking, I'll try that person and see if we can't work together. Yes you take the risk that they are the Mafia, but if you sit still and do nothing you end up dead. :p Or they could be the mafia, priest, or detective trying to confuse everyone else. (we didn't know that the original rules didn't allow you to reveal your position so that doesn't factor into it here) So in the end it was a misunderstanding in regards to the rules. Which is fine, I'll ignore that part as you have now clarified that it isn't relevant to your defense.

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1]I don't really care if you disagree with me on that point or not, because it are just the rules of the original 'Mafia' game. It wasn't a point of defense, nor do I have any intention of trying to defend myself. But if you really want me to say anything in my defense... I'll take out this AIM quote (SupaLrb is White): I don't know why I never came up with the idea to prove my innocence by using quotes too. This one seems rather valid and all. :)[/size][/QUOTE]Boo, we aren?t playing the original ?Mafia? game we are playing on online version tailed to fit this format. White never said you had to know the rules of the original game. He provided the rules we are to follow and I?ve never played the original so how would I know that? I responded to your statement because quite frankly your whole attitude was coming across as we were breaking the rules and it disappointed you that we did so. As if we were too stupid to play the game right. If you really felt we were breaking the rules, why did you wait until now to say something? White never said we had to know the original rules to the game because if he had I wouldn?t have bothered to sign up. I don?t have the game and I wasn?t interested in hunting down the rules, which wasn?t necessary since he provided the rules he expected us to follow. At least the quote you provided is more along the lines of defense. But I?ll be honest here, your attitude is not only annoying, but the ?I don?t care? or ?you?re irritating me? stance is getting old. The game is no fun when the other players have expectations for the others that they don?t even know about. :animesigh

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1] I'd still like to mention, however, that the reason I didn't say what role I was playing was because it's in the rules of the official game that you don't tell [i]anyone[/i] your role. Only the Mafia members can tell each other their role (well, they're the only ones awake so they just see each other) as they need each other to vote off members. That keeps the mysterious fun in the game. It's slightly disappointing to see that people obviously didn't keep their roles for themselves and that it's now being used as an argument as to why I would be Mafia, but oh well, what can you do about it now? [/size][/QUOTE]Actually I?m going to have to disagree with you on this point. White never once said people couldn?t reveal who they are, only as you can see here:[quote name='White][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=DimGray][b]Day 2 - 4:[/b] The most interesting part of the game. This is the time period in which the town has to "discuss" who they think is the mafia. Only the Mafia, the Priest and the Detective can [b]lie[/b]. The townsfolk [b]may not[/b] lie. Once the time limit is up, the next step begins.[/font'][/color][/quote]Those who are townsfolk cannot lie. So it never was a condition that we couldn?t tell others or even send a pm with the card we were sent as White also explained here:[QUOTE=White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Just so nobody can try and use the image URL of the cards I sent via PM to try and prove who they are, I'm posting all four images here as well. :) [center][url]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/5890/2mk0.png[/url] [url]http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/2741/aceyc3.png[/url] [url]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6003/jokerdu2.png[/url] [url]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6452/kingav5.png[/url][/center] There. Even though the URLs are a bit different, it's still the same image so if someone tries to say "But my URL is the real one!" they could have just re-uploaded it on ImageShack. :whoops: [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]He deliberately did that to point out that anyone could have just copied the image and sent it to prove they weren?t the mafia when in fact they were. So to say that using that knowledge to accuse you is breaking the rules is incorrect. So perhaps you could clarify your defense as the point you brought up is invalid and does not really prove anything.

[QUOTE=Sandy][color=DimGray]Eh, people... I had a reason I would've wanted you to post to the Town instead of here, and the reason is that I'm tired of constantly copy&pasting my posts to a new reply as I edit them because I feel that I'm the only one posting into the thread a part from the accusations. Under my rule, I would've wanted the Town to be more interactive, but if you prefer the old way, I can deal with that.[/color][/QUOTE]Well it's not so much old but rather I always got the impression that the town was more of the official going ons where the underground was the rest of us discussing it when court was not in session so to speak. Or something along those lines. So unless I want to defend Boo or give more reasons as to why they are guilty, I wouldn't post there unless I was officially saying so to the court. If that makes sense.

[quote name='SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue']You are correct. There are two more chapters. Well one after this one that is. ^_~[/COLOR][/quote]Only one? Well at least it looks like it's going to tie in nicely to when the RPG starts. Otherwise I'd have to spank you for ending it like this. Because even though they are essentially free, the story isn't finished! Overall I've really enjoyed reading it. I know I'm excited to be starting the RPG next week. :catgirl:

I may as well say it, but I've thought it all along, I've never once gotten the impression that Tekkaman was doing anything other than get into the role of the game so to speak. It's not as if any of us has really died and so getting upset is really not necessary. And though I do think you tend to be a bit over dramatic at times Tekkaman I don't have an issue with how you post. So don't feel as if you need to withdraw from the game. I'd rather you stick around and see things through. ;)

[QUOTE=Tekkaman][font=Palatino Linotype][size=2][color=gray]Man, oh man... I know this is gonna sound sarcastic as hell but:[/color][/size][/font] [font=Palatino Linotype][size=2][color=gray][color=darkred]Aaryanna_Mom[/color], what I really am is [spoiler]a human being[/spoiler].[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE]I guess I?m not good at explaining things, I mean in the context of the game itself. You claim you are not a member of the mafia and yet you dismissed the death so casually. So in that respect it makes you seem cold-hearted as a member of the mafia would be. Is that more clear? ;)

[QUOTE=BKstyles][font=tahoma]However what Aaryanna-mom was saying is that the posts can come in any order, it isn't neccesary for sakura to even post if myself or SunfallE want to post and use our death cards. There's no need for the wait, but if Sakura posted after my or SunfallE's second post, it would still be her first post and therefore she wouldn't be able to use a death card. Unless you meant it in a way of saying that nobody would be allowed to make their death card post unless all 4 had made an initial post. If that's the case, then i don't think that's it but i suppose only Sandy knew for sure when he posted it. Least that's how i understood it (sorry to Aaryanna-mom & Sandy if i misunderstood as well) [/font][/QUOTE]Thank you hun, posting order is exactly what I was trying to say. Not that everyone had to post first. Only that once say SunfallE posted, she only had to wait for someone else to post to use her death card and to avoid breaking the rules of the site by double posting. I'm sorry if my post wasn't clear on that, I knew what I was trying to say, but I don't think I said it as clearly as I wanted to. :animesigh

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Failing to notify the competitors that someone quit has nothing to do with the slow of the event in this case. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Actually I disagree. You had one member that had quit, one that hasn't posted and other members who were waiting for the last one to post. In the end they didn't know someone was out of the game or that you were waiting for the final post. Leaving them in the position of not knowing what was going on. [QUOTE=White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Duh. It wasn't even necessary to tell them until all four of them had made their posts. Besides, I was hoping that by the time the four posts were made, Eclipse would want to come back.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]And to say it's not important that one dropped out? What if the remaining players used their death card on a member who had quit? By not clearing up this matter you left it open for them to kill off someone who wasn't even in the game anymore and thus waste their death card. It's an imbalance in the event that as an event master is your job to correct. Not to just wait for the others to post and hope that the one who quits changes their mind. I?ve followed the event from the beginning and though others were waiting, once they posted without killing someone they could then turn around and post using their death card whether or not the others have posted or not. As can be seen here in this post: [quote name='Sandy]Each of you have one [B]Death Card[/B] to use this round, but [I]before[/I] you can yours you must provide [B]one more post[/B] without killing anyone.[/QUOTE]And this one: [QUOTE=White]So, the final round has begun and BKStyles, Eclipse, Sakura, and SunfallE are left fighting it out. I'm just going to remind you guys that before you can use your death card you must make one post without using it.[/QUOTE]So even though you say this here: [QUOTE=White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]The person who quit posted, therefore nobody can post anyways.*shrug* We're waiting on [b]Sakura[/b] to post before the others can post again. [b]Eclipse[/b] is the one who quit.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]This contradicts the instructions given to the members in the thread by both Sandy and then you. The players were waiting to perhaps get a feel for what the others were going to post, not because they couldn?t go ahead and use their death card once they had posted. The instructions only said they had to post without killing once. After that only one post would be required for them to turn around and use their death card. And the one post is only so they wouldn't be double posting.

Well though I?m not participating in both events I'll give some feedback for a couple of White's responses.[QUOTE=White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma][b]3.[/b] First of all was reading it. It was very boring and I got tired fast. After I did finally read through it and understand everything (with the help of Tekkaman), I was shocked to find that not only was the event almost over but there were only 4 people taking part! One of which who has now quit. [b]4.[/b] No. It's true that for some strange reason the activity has dropped drastically but I don't think that is because of me. It's a bummer to because I've got a decent twist I'd like to throw in there.[/font][/color][/QUOTE]Your answer that you found the event boring bothers me a bit as it has me wondering if you?ll only run events that you yourself actually like instead of trying to tailor them to catch the interests of all members. The second ties into the first point, the activity may have dropped because you missed that Sandy was more proactive in keeping the event together by providing their own posts to help keep the story moving. And you also failed to notify the other members that one person had quit thus leaving them unaware that things had changed. I?m not saying it?s the reason it slowed down, but I think that by allowing yourself to be bored with the event it was detrimental and on some level you failed to give it the attention it needed.

[quote name='Katana][size=1][color=royalblue]Tekkaman, you have said that you're a Townsperson, but so has Mom (is it alright if I call you this? ^^; ) and you didn't exactly believe her - and neither did Allamorph. Therefore, what have you given us that proves we should believe you? [/color][/size][/QUOTE]Definitely since I?ve been called Mom for such a long time. Though if you or anyone else would prefer using my regular name Kathy, that would be fine as well. ;) [QUOTE=Tekkaman][font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=gray]I understand what you did [color=indigo]Aaryanna_Mom[/color], with the killing of [color=indigo]Ikillion[/color]. I mean, it was [u]one[/u] thing that the majority of us - as a group - agreed on; he deserved what was coming to him by not posting in the first place and letting us know what he thought - even if it was the same argument as someone else; he problably didn't wanna play anyway.[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE]Tekkaman! Ikillion was innocent, even if he was not posting and gave the wrong impression; no one deserves to be hanged! By dismissing his death so quickly and coldly, you?re just making me wonder what you really are. [QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff]Aarayana_Mom, don't feel bad about your judgement. I'll admit that I was quite suspicious about Ikillion as well, and he hadn't done a [i]thing[/i'] to convince me otherwise. Mistakes happen, we can only hope that Ikillion's soul in the afterlife will forgive us. >_> We all just need to move on and focus on who else the mafia could be.[/color][/quote]I appreciate the sentiment, but I still feel bad. If nothing else we need to nail the real mafia for those who have died at their hands and ours so his soul really can forgive me in the end.

I sincerely hope they never go to a format of subtitles only. If they did I?d never be able to watch another anime show again. I have issues with my vision and most subtitles are too quick for me to read them, the few times I?ve tried I kept having to re-watch the same part to eventually read all of it. In the end it?s just to annoying. So for me I definitely prefer dubbing, regardless if it?s anime or anything else for that matter.

[quote name='Tekkaman][font=Century Gothic][size=2][color=gray][color=indigo]Aaryanna_Mom[/color], the longer you stay alive, the more I start to wonder if you truly are a clever Mafia. Humph. Only time will tell.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]I feel more like a crazed villager who in a panic lead a witch hunt. Especially since I really thought that Ikillion was a member of the mafia. Now, I feel uncertain and I worry that in the end they really are too clever and we will all die. :animedepr I just did what I feared most, I helped their cause by accusing an innocent townsperson. In the end Tekkaman, you will see that as I've asserted all along, I am not the mafia but a townsperson.

[quote name='Phaedrus']Well, I don't mean it in an arrogant way. I don't expect everyone to have the exact same "perspective" as I do (my perspective is to actually have as many different perspectives as possible, finding what's worth in each, and creating an amalgamation out of this, but anyway. . .) Though I might sound like some mean-spirited pompous prick, I am actually saying this all in a kind, sincere way, because so many people are not aware of their own potentials, the ways their minds work, and many things of this nature. . .so I guess this "frustration" manifests itself into this rat-tat-tat gunfire of random words, which outpour like falling rain trying to land on the right spot and hopefuly insight change into someone. [/quote]I didn't think you did and in all honesty it?s so easy to misunderstand someone online because all you have are the words, no body language or facial expressions or tone of voice to help you determine the person's intent. So in retrospect it sounds like you are trying to explain something that really needs a book instead of a few paragraphs in a thread. ;) And if I came across as rude and abrasive as well.. I'm sorry.

[quote name='Phaedrus]No, I did not. You inferred as such. In the first paragraph I begin by saying "I cannot tell you what is good," then I begin delving into his second question, which involves "why is change a good thing?" (to encompass it quickly).[/quote]I think you missed what I was saying, by explaining why change is a good thing you answered the question from your point of view. You are saying that change is good, so in that respect you just explained one thing that is good, from your point of view that is. [QUOTE=Phaedrus']When did I say wisdom was absolute? When did I say wisdom is not subjective, or say it was objective either? Is it fun pulling out my own text and then claiming I said things when I didn't even say them? [/quote]No you implied that it is what you believe. You may not have said it, but that was the impression I got. Is it fun? I was trying to understand what you meant, isn?t that the whole point of discussing things here online? [QUOTE=Phaedrus]The reason I had nothing to say is because no one would understand, which you're doing a gracious job of proving right to me. Anyway, WHERE DID I SAY NO ONE COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT GOOD IS? I never said this. YOU'RE the one who is saying it. And no one can be intimately connected to another? What is love, then? Believe what you want to, but love is possible; basically, what I'm talking about is love on a larger scale than just two individuals.[/quote]This is why I said you are talking in circles, instead of trying to meet people on equal footing, you are setting yourself up in a position of ?[I]why bother talking when none of them can understand me[/I]? It comes across as arrogant and self-important. Also, there is no need to shout, the person who said they can?t show someone what good is was you in this quote here: [quote name='Phaedrus']If you have to ask such a question, then you obviously do not know, and I cannot show you what is good by mere explanation. [/quote]You are misquoting me as well all I did was point out that you said you couldn't show them what good was even though your example of change was something you consider to be good. I didn't say[I] no one[/I] could understand what good is. Or that you said they couldn't; only that I got the impression that you were taking the stance that others weren't interested in understanding what good is. As for the being connected part, you didn?t explain that you were referring to love. I can?t read your mind. As for the last part in regards to change, it was easier to understand this time around. You can think I?m slow witted or what ever you wish, but I?m not going to sit back and pretend I understand you when before I did not. :animesigh

[B]Name:[/B] Daniel Landers and Kimberly Spencer [B]Age:[/B] Daniel is 53 and Kimberly is 47 [B]Gender: [/B] Daniel is male and Kimberly is female. [B]Race: [/B]Versilan. [B]Loyalty: [/B] Resistance [B]Description: [/B] Daniel is about 6?4, 200 lbs with redish brown hair. Kim is 5?7, 140 lbs with short brown hair. Both are in excellent shape. [B]Weapons:[/B] As a former commander in the Versilan Military, Daniel is well versed in all forms of laser and disruptor weapons. When he was still an officer he was well known for being a dead mark when it came to shooting. Kimberly (who goes by the name Kim) is also well versed in laser and disruptor weapons. During her time when she served as Daniel?s sub-commander she also trained new personal on the finer points of hand-to-hand combat. Both of them have also been trained in the various forms of special explosives that the military uses [B]Special Skills:[/B] Having served in the military before joining the resistance, both of them have field and command experience. Daniel?s kinder nature made him a natural leader before he was accused of treason and tortured by the Military. He now uses that same charisma and leading skills to aid in recruitment and the teaching of other races to defend themselves against the Versilan Empire. Though not as good as Daniel is at command, Kim excels in working with him. Together they make up for the other?s weakness. [B]Personality: [/B] Daniel tends to put on a stern front when in reality he?s always been on the kinder side. Although good at understand others in terms of command, Daniel has always been on the clueless side when it comes to more regular life. Like Daniel, Kim is also on the kinder side. She has a hard time expressing what she truly feels. She?s also very detailed and never leaves anything undone if possible. [B]Short Bio: [/B] Brown eyes stared back at her from the mirror she was standing in front of. Even after four months, it still felt like a bit of a shock, as it was if a stranger was staring at her from behind the pane of glass. [I]I liked the silver color in my eyes better[/I] she thought as she finished putting on her makeup as well. Something that she was just finally becoming good at. [I]They have such strange customs here.[/I] She thought as she finished and put the makeup away. It was hard to believe that her and Daniel had been on Earth for nearly four months now. High Command had nearly panicked over what had happened when the resistance had picked up her and the others. The resistance leaders had quickly picked up on it in a mad frenzy to get things going. It wasn?t often that they had the chance to work in complete freedom. But until the military had finished re-writing the encryption for the battleships computers they had pulled back nearly all ships from the unexplored sections. Though the last message she got indicated they had nearly finished with the upgrade to the battle ships systems. Kim sighed; it wouldn?t be long before they would be back to take over Earth. She had worked hard with Daniel, but four months just wasn?t enough to bring their level of technology up. But it had been enough time to start recruiting people from this world. It wasn?t easy to do so with the paranoid governments on Earth, but Daniel seemed to be talented at finding the right person. She glanced down at the ring on her left finger and smiled. Even if it wasn?t for real, it was fun to pretend she was married to Daniel. It certainly helped them to fit in better. The sound of someone else getting ready brought her out of her musings. Kim walked back into the main bedroom and before Daniel could say a word she gave him a quick kiss on the left cheek causing him to blush. ?[B]Kim, don?t do that[/B].? Daniel protested. ?[B]It?s not necessary to pretend when we aren?t in public.[/B]? Kim raised her eyebrow at him, ?[B]Who said I was pretending?[/B]? She chuckled, as he blushed even more. ?[B]I won?t be back until later this evening. Tonight is the dinner with all the girls remember?[/B]? ?[B]The one with those who teach different types of hand to hand combat?[/B]? he asked. ?[B]Correct, the one that Jason?s sister attends. I almost wish I could tell her that her brother still lives, but I suppose the next best thing is to just keep an eye on her.[/B]? She said. ?[B]She?ll find out soon enough when her world is taken over.[/B]? Daniel replied. ?[B]True. Well I need to go or I?ll be late.[/B]? Kim said. Daniel watched her as she left and then looked at the clock on the wall. [I]I better hurry or I?ll be late myself[/I] he thought.

[QUOTE=Phaedrus]If you have to ask such a question, then you obviously do not know, and I cannot show you what is good by mere explanation. You must find it for yourself. And also, your final question is absolutely ridiculous. The benefits of change are readily apparent. . . If you want examples of "dynamic changes for the 'better'," simply look at this thing you're typing at right now, or the house you live in, the car you drive, the stove you cook on--these are all IDEAS actualized into REALITY. Even, perhaps, look at yourself. You are an organism which has reached its current level of consciousness via CHANGES. In fact, I would go so far as to call you "technology" just like we call what we create "technology.".[/QUOTE]Your talking in circles, first you tell them that you cannot show them what is good and yet then you turn around and show an example of things that can be seen as good depending on your own point of view. [QUOTE=Phaedrus]What I seek is NOT perfection, though that's one possible actuality to seek. What I seek is what man has been given--WISDOM--and the product of wisdom, which is love and adoration of all things. Eventually, we shall be able to be individual yet multiple. That is, we will still live our individual existences, but at that same moment we will have the trust in each other and all things which allows us to be all connected to an intimate degree. This internet, right here, is a hint at something like that; like a prototype of the possibilities. [/QUOTE]Wisdom? Man has not been given anything. He has taken his environment and interpreted things and then declared them to be wise. Your talking about the love of learning not wisdom as an absolute. What you may consider wise another would not, and depending on the surrounding environment, both of you would be right. There is no denying that we are dependant on each other to a certain degree, but the Internet connection is far from being what you described. It is connection but far from intimate. Saying it?s a prototype is accurate, even if that prototype is full of holes. [QUOTE=Phaedrus] Anyway, nevermind. I have nothing more to say, and never did, anyway, because this language is like trying to transfer my understanding into you by using such primitive tools. If you truly want to understand what's good, and what the point of change is, then you will find your answers.[/QUOTE]For someone who supposedly has nothing to say, you?re not only long winded but confusing as well. There is no point in dragging out a few points or in implying that others don?t truly want to understand what good is. In the end we all see things from our own viewpoint and unless we change radically, I nor anyone else will ever truly be intimately connected to another person. And what the point of change is? Usually it?s because you are not satisfied with what you have, like your home, if a window is broken you want to fix it to keep the rain out, and often when problems occur someone starts to wonder if there is a more efficient or better way of dealing with it. Thus the never-ending change, on some level mankind is almost driven to change things even if the change isn?t good. Now as for the actual topic, yes its clichéd but it?s all too true, my biggest conflict is the process of improving myself. And if you want to get worldlier, then it?s my health issues as they limit my physical activities.

I?m glad to see that so many people are giving out good advice. The very last thing you want to do is to become a vigilante. Nor do you want to push them to pursue legal action if they don?t feel up to it. And by no means does it mean anything if they choose to not do anything. Don?t make a big deal out of it. Be as supportive of them as you can regardless of the decision they make. Also if you think being raped is bad, it?s even worse to have others accuse of you somehow bringing it on yourself or of being a coward for not pursuing legal action. Something I?ve seen others do and it just makes me sad to see it. To often people judge the victim because they can?t get the person who hurt them. Always remember that the[I] true [/I]coward is the person who assaulted them. Take that anger you feel and use it to support them to the best of your ability.

I?m sure that several of you are now thinking, what the heck? Aaryanna_Mom is accusing Ikillion? Well I am about to explain why I am saying that Ikillion is a member of the mafia. During the course of losing two of our members to the mafia we have gone through numerous thoughts and arguments as to who the killer could be. From the more obvious outspoken Tekkaman to the quiet and polite new member, which is myself. But yet in spite of our attempts to find the killer, we have failed. I was reading this post by Ikillion and realized that we are going about it the wrong way. [QUOTE=Ikillion][color=#d2b43b][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Yeah before anyone else begins to think that I have gone AWOL for no apprent reason let [I]me[/I] explain. Just because I don't post in this thread doesn't mena that I haven't any intrest in the game. It just means that...well I don't post in the tread. I have talked to people on {Insert IM service here} about this whole thing. I've submitted my vote on was going to happen and such. Its just that I didn't post here because most of the things that were being said were my thoughs, and I just don't wnat to go and repeat something for no reason, it would sound so blah. [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Instead of wondering so much about those who are so vocal in trying to drag others out of the shadows, from their secret conversations as to who the killer is, we should be focusing on those who really have said next to nothing in regards to who the killer could be. I have to wonder why Ikillion has not taken the time to explain his thoughts on the matter, sure it might be a bit repetitive, but it puts us on the same page, it reassures us that he is concerned, but yet he asserts that repeating a similar thought would sound so blah. Blah? How can being concerned about others being killed be blah? Even if your thoughts mirror another person, by not coming forward and saying so, by voting in secret you isolate yourself. And after thinking about this I realized that the only reason one would really isolate themselves is to avoid accidentally saying something that would reveal that they are one of the mafia responsible for the killings in the first place. Perhaps Ikillion is only terrified that by speaking they will draw attention to themselves, but by hardly saying anything at all, they are instead looking like the one who is in the shadows orchestrating the entire affair, carefully planning our demise. Now it?s up to all of you to decide. Do we keep playing it safe? Or do we take a stand to finally end the reign of terror that has gripped our small town? If we don't even try, we will all die a horrible death like the two girls who have already been cruely murdered.

[quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=Red]I love this chapter. Even though Jared's such a meanie, I love how you have both Jason and Celestia starting to realize how much they care for eachother. :catgirl: [/COLOR][/QUOTE]I?ll second that, I?m a sucker for that sort of thing. Sometimes it seems like your story doesn?t have enough on exploring the relationship between those two, it?s something I hope you plan to expand on in the RPG. I know I?m already thinking on how I?m going to work on the relationship between the two characters you convinced me to play. ;)[QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue'] Kim sighed. She had left a message for William indicating she wished to chat with him, but he had not responded. It had been over three weeks since she left the initial message. She sighed again; she wasn?t even sure why she had contacted him. There was nothing he could do anyway. Kim got up and went into her room to get ready for bed.[/COLOR][/quote]As for this part, is it perhaps a foreshadowing of yet another character in the story? I get the distinct impression that William is going to be important in the next couple of chapters.

Recently I?ve been reading the Harry Potter series. I?ve watched the movie, but never read the books. But since I got a copy of the first couple of books in large print I?ve sat down and started reading them. I?ve really enjoyed it since finally reading the books has helped to put the missing pieces together in the movie. I can see why it?s done so well because it?s written on a very simple level and yet it?s entertaining for both kids and adults. It almost reminds me a bit of a fairy tale format in the way it is written. I?m sure most of you have already read the series, but if you have not, I would recommend it as it?s a nice leisurely read and yet its presented in an easy to understand format that?s fun to follow.