Allamorph

[quote name='Clurr][FONT="Arial"']I do have a lot of plans for such dreams, and they often keep me awake because I continually expound upon them as I try to fall asleep, and most of the time my mind seems to do it on it's own.[/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Hunh. Yeah, thinking always keeps me awake, too. I don't really make any efforts to plan out lucid dreams, though ? I prefer to make everything up as I go. Besides, once you're lucid, you should be able to think just as clearly as if you were awake, so trying to retain a list of goals into the dream state seems a little odd, to me. [QUOTE][FONT="Arial"][I]It's sort of strange, since a lot of sources I've read claim one must record all their dreams in a journal for at least a month in order to attain lucidity, but I definitely haven't done this. In fact, the many times I woke up early I couldn't even remember having any dreams the previous night. Then when I went back to sleep an hour later I was so close to having a lucid dream (and one morning I actually did, albeit a very very short one).[/I][/FONT][/QUOTE] I think the purpose of the recording bit is so that you can etch into your head all the dreams you've had. I'm not sure where I'm going with that, but.... Supposedly we dream every night as part of the regular sleep cycle. I think I've heard that one only remembers the dreams one had right before waking up. I couldn't cite you anyone on that, though. [QUOTE][FONT="Arial"][I]I've also found out that experience sleep paralysis makes a person extremely tired. I hardly had the energy to move the entire day after I was paralyzed. My mom is really skeptical of this whole thing and didn't seem to believe that I really had experienced any of it, and blamed my excessive sleepiness on being vegetarian. Psssh.[/I][/FONT][/QUOTE] I was actually talking with one of my coworkers about this subject recently, and apparently your brain sends out a paralysis signal to the rest of your body when you enter the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep ? the one where dreams actually occur. (Just general info there.) To be a little more specific, here's what Wiki said: [QUOTE][I][FONT=Arial]Originally posted as [B]"Sleep Paralysis"; Wikipedia[/B] (yeah, yeah; it was quick.) [SIZE="3"][U]Possible causes[/U][/SIZE] Sleep paralysis occurs during REM sleep in order to prevent the body from manifesting movements made in the subject's dreams. Very little is known about the physiology of sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post-synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarization current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles, to prevent the body from enacting the dreamt activity (e.g. preventing a sleeper from flailing his legs when dreaming about running). Many people who commonly enter sleep paralysis also suffer from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sleep paralysis at least once or twice in their lives. Some reports read that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include: [list][*] Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards) [*] Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation [*] Increased stress [*] Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes [*] [B]A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode[/B]. Also, conscious induction of sleep paralysis is a common technique to enter a state of lucid dreams, also known as WILD. [*] Artificial sleeping aids, ADD medications and/or antihistamines[/list][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] From what my coworker told me, sleep paralysis ? and, from the opposite side, sleepwalking or such similar activities ? occurs when the mechanism that controls the paralysis fails to operate properly; either not shutting off the signal, or failing to actually induce it, etc., etc. I found that fifth bullet kind of interesting, given the topic.... [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Hey. Just a quick note, really. [QUOTE][SIZE=1][B][PG could become M - possible VLS][/B][/SIZE][/QUOTE] I like that you set your rating up as a safety net, so to speak. I'd personally have said [PG (V) - could become M (poss LS)], since you're quite obviously going to have some violence here...what with guns and all. Unless you're just going around to various schools doing Army recruitment or somesuch blather, which I doubt. :p It works just the same, though. I'll probably follow along to see how well you stick to it. I'll also be curious to see whether you keep it as a safety net (in case that kind of thing happens, which it does) or whether you fall back on it as a crutch, so you can throw in whatever you want. It takes more skill, I think, to make a violent situation appear only PG....[/FONT]

[quote name='Copycatalyst']I love pasta.[/quote] [FONT=Arial][I]Oh. My. Gosh.[/I] We agree. Pasta is the Shizz. Especially Beef Manicotti. [I]Especially[/I] Beef Manicotti.[/FONT]

[quote name='BKstyles'][FONT="Tahoma"]But yeah, Allamorph I had voted for you for best overall player, but SunfallE totally ate you up it seems ;P.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]Hey, I didn't mind. She and I were playing with different objectives in mind, and she deserves it. And I got most unexpected, which is what I wanted. :D I really had fun with that idea. [quote name='Rachmaninoff']Also... 600th post! *snags*[/quote] [center][IMG]http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/117/7/2/_telekinese_2__by_Conuyaku.gif[/IMG][/center] [quote name='SunfallE][COLOR=Goldenrod']Or rather that would have been my first thought since letting a part of the Panopticon escape is just so meh. It just reeks of the standard cliched sequel so many horror flicks follow.[/COLOR][/quote] Well, yeah. But ending with Mary would have been much too depressing. Actually, I never thought of the EO as a part of the Panopticon. It occurred to me that she (which is what it ended up being) might have had an experience similar to Satasha's, and just been pulled from her body to wander the maze until further notice. That would have allowed æons for her to be trapped there, and by proxy she would have become intimately familiar with the Panopticon's inner workings and would have conceivably lost her original identity as well. The fact that she kept referring to the ESP entities as sentients ([I]"What does Inertiatic think it's doing?"[/I]) would thus have been a by-product of her having spent so many years/decades/centuries/millennia alone, with no one else to talk to; it's almost like the relationship between Tom Hanks' character and the volleyball "Wilson" in [I][U]Castaway[/U][/I], if you think about it. Essentially, it's not so much that a part of the Panopticon escaped, but that the EO's story extended much father back than the scope of this game, and all of our characters aided a forgotten character from some game long past to finally escape. Does that make sense? And while I'm on the subject of the mind, I'd like to request a response from [COLOR=DarkRed]DB[/COLOR]. Also, I'd like to broach the same subject to the rest of you. I have one last inspiration remaining. It hit me during the fourth "chapter", and is essentially an footnote, not really connected to the game. The only thing I will say about it now is that it involves me directly, alongside that creepy guy who always speaks in Freefrm721 Blk BT, and whom [COLOR=DarkRed]DB[/COLOR] mistakenly assumed [I]was[/I] me. I would like your collective permission (preferably unanimous) to post it here in the Underground as a kind of bonus. If you all would rather I didn't, then that's fine, and I'll abandon the concept; but I'd really like to show it to you. ...right.[/FONT]

[quote name='r2vq'][color=#007520]I can't drink tea in any form. I've tried [color=black]Black[/color], [color=green]Green[/color], [color=red]Red[/color], [color=brown]Iced[/color], or even [color=purple]Bu[color=black]b[/color]b[color=black]l[/color]e [color=black]T[/color]ea[/color] are all disgusting. I don't know why I don't like them, most of my friends drink the stuff like it's water... -r2[/color][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]You really must come South and try our variant. No one can say no to sugar. :p (For the record, no Southern state makes sweet tea quite like good ole' SC.) I haven't really started drinking hot coffee yet, so I can't really say much about the taste or what-have-you. I [I]do[/I] enjoy it iced, though, with milk/cream and a little sugar. It's a fairly nice summer morning treat.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]So, has anybody else noticed the nifty new PM deal, where you type out a part of a name and the site provides you with possibles to choose from? It's durn cool.[/FONT]

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"]I also think it would be awesome to take control of a dream in progress.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]I do this quite frequently, mainly because I am able, for some odd reason, to catalogue and retain each and every dream I have had, so that if I ever have it or a variant again I realize that it is the same. (That sentence was ridiculous.) I can't recall all of them while waking, of course, but they're all on sort of an "instant recall" notice for whatever neuron I had stored them in. :p But, yeah. Once you realize you're dreaming, you can have some serious fun with what's going on. I love mixing things up; almost godmodding from behind the scenes, so to speak. I've never tried to initiate a lucid dream, though. I might have to try that sometime. See if it works, and what.[/FONT]

[quote name='Ezekiel][SIZE="1"']fried courgettes, mushrooms, bacon and potato squares on toasted ciabata bread, sometimes with Brussels’s Pate.[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Holy Moses. I think I'm addicted already.[/FONT]

[quote name='Felix Santiago][SIZE=1] 1. get soaked in water to become a person of the opposite sex [if your a guy, you turn into a girl; and if you are a girl you turn into a guy'] and everyone knew about it, so they could make fun of you every time it happened?[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Arial]I'll take #1, 'cause I've always wondered how oysters manage it. Showers would be awkward, though.... I'd also probably develop a healthy dislike of Super Soakers. Would you rather... [center]...spill steaming hot coffee all over your shirt? OR ...trip and fall face-first down a short flight of stairs – say, four steps?[/center][/FONT]

[quote name='The Boss'][color=darkred][size=1]I'm from the American south, and down here we have a special delicacy called Southern Sweet Tea.[/color][/size][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]Quoted for truth, superiority, and emphasis. Also, please note that the sugar measurement is usually general, and that by [I]cup[/I] we usually mean [I]coffee mug[/I]. Darn Yankees don't have a clue what they're missing. :p[/FONT]

[quote name='Darren'](Or rather, Allamorph liked Delita better than Mary)[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Bull crap. At that point, I liked the [U]EO[/U] better than Mary. And I'd never like Mary all that much, anyway. I was really annoyed when she came back and ended up developing a little. :p Actually, I would rather have let Oromis win, and of course I felt protective of Brittany and then Delilah, though [COLOR=DarkRed]Darren[/COLOR] had to go and be a turd about the switch. (I kid. But then again, I wasn't going to kill Brittany, either, unless I'd had to.) Speaking of [spoiler]spoiler, so no dice. ha.[/spoiler], I have need of conversation with you, [COLOR=DarkRed]DB[/COLOR]. To the PM-mobile! [COLOR=DarkRed]BK[/COLOR], I had you pegged from day One. I don't know why, but I knew who you had. Just had to get that off my chest. And, dad-[I]gum[/I] it, guys, Alcuin was [I]French!![/I] Or he was supposed to have been, anyway. (Reference from Jacqueline Carey's [I][U]Kushiel's Dart[/U][/I] trilogy: Alcuin nó Delauney, adopted by Anafiel Delauney, and surrogate brother to main character Phèdre [[B]fay[/B]-dra; flip the 'r', like Kirara] nó Delauney...also adopted.) He didn't turn out half bad, but he still kinda ended up being generic, too. I killed all the generic people. Except for Penny. I mean, come on. A schoolgirl with a [I]pince-nez[/I]? Jays. I'm glad [COLOR=DarkRed]Rach[/COLOR] made her a twerp so it was easy to bust her. :D [COLOR=DarkRed]Rach[/COLOR] seemed to do a lot of aggravating things.... I'm kidding. I thought he did a great job with Meredith. [quote name='Darren']Etamet was meant to be a hunter in the wild, killing wild boars for his family and village...[/quote] Yeah, sorry. I couldn't get ahold of him fast enough. [I]I[/I] thought the picture was self-explanatory.... [quote name='Rachmaninoff']Damn I would have been cringing if indifference had gotten her hands on one of my characters.[/quote] Actually, my expression each time went something like this: :animesigh ...except with one hand on my forehead. And then I geeked over the creativity. [quote name='BKstyles][FONT=Tahoma']Oh, and you forgot Cameron, DB. Who was mine anyway, but figure he should have his picture up there with the rest of the crew :p.[/FONT][/quote] Cameron was a freak. I mean, that guy didn't get beat with the ugly stick; he got hit with a big ole' bag of [I]"Uh-uhh!"[/I] He was so ugly, he might have actually won The Game (I lost The Game) on a sympathy ruling. Jeez. Just for the sake of sportsmanship, I think that future hosts should not be allowed to introduce characters, since they can't kill; additionally, to avoid bias, personality development on their part should be kept to a minimum. I really think that that's why Kayrel sucked. (No offense, [COLOR=DarkRed]DB[/COLOR].) Time to cast my ballot. [B]Edit:[/B] Apparently, I suck at math, because it seems that 585 is, in fact, divisible by fifteen.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'll be honest: I am not really sure what I can say about what you've got here. The fact that you really only have about a half-page of content, composed of three almost completely separate scenes, hampers my ability to appreciate your concept; with what you have so far, I have only a vague idea of what all is happening, to say nothing of where you appear to be going. I can see that you've had some thoughts about the story's background, setting, and mythos (the Norse bit, and the snippet of plot), but I can tell you have many gaps to fill. I think you would be well-served to get into the what and why of your story much, much more than you have at this point. Additionally, don't just put details in as footnotes. Footnotes really don't do much besides say [I]"...and, oh yeah, [U]this[/U] is what I was talking about..."[/I]. Find a way to work them into the main body of text, so you can keep your reader interested. Your dialogue is confusing, at best. As a writer, you are [I]required[/I] to start a new paragraph with a change of speaker; if you don't, things like your first paragraph will happen, where it is quite hard to make out who is actually saying what ? and your speech tags aren't much help. Notice: [QUOTE][COLOR=Navy][I][B]?Master Æsir, are we ready to leave for Overworld??[/B] A man asked. [B]?Yes Loki, soon we?ll be able to find that relic once and for all.?[/B] Loki, a servant of this man nodded. [B]?Good, but are you sure we won?t attract any attention from those humans??[/B] Loki asked. [B]?If we ever hope to find that relic we will have to trudge through human territory. Alas, it will be hard. But it won?t be all for nought either, that relic will allow us to open the gateway, and that prize is worth anything for us!?[/B][/I][/COLOR][/QUOTE] This is better-feeling. (Actually, at first glance it seems as though the same speaker utters the first and second spoken sentences, which made the speaker seem schizoid for a half-second, what with answering his own question, calling himself "master", and all.) But I got the general gist of the scene, and here's what I have for you. Right off the bat, we have a man asking a question. But that's all we know. He's a man. I realize that you were going for an effect of obscurity, but you forgot to even give him a shape. Is he tall? stooped? chunky? suspicious (and yes, that [I]is[/I] a shape; think about it)? Is he cowering under the gaze of his master, or leaning lazily on whatever it is he might be leaning on? What else is there about him? Is his voice raspy, or pleasant, or whining? You give us a name later, but that's pretty much all we have about the poor guy. Æsir at least has a chin, and a hand that he's holding up to it. (Is he touching his chin, by the way, or cradling it, or is he just kind of doing the "not touching you!!" deal?) :p Your second scene is, quite bluntly, just not well constructed. You open with a bit of a cliché, and then you throw in barely any detail. I have two specific places I want to pick on you about. [QUOTE][I][COLOR=Navy]They made new objects, gods, and other things among them. As well as a [B][COLOR=Red]legendry[/COLOR][/B] item.[/COLOR][/I][/QUOTE] First: legendary. "Legendry" is how Patrick Stewart pronounces it. Second: bad sentence structure. Either use commas and make them one sentence, or change the lead-in to the second part. If you don't want to rewrite it, then I'd opt for the first part, but I think it'd be better for you to rewrite it. Basically ? and I see a lot of people doing this ? "as well as _________" is often misused as a separate thought, even though it quite obviously subordinate. It even [I]feels[/I] incomplete. You might as well just walk into someone's conversation and interject "As well as a biscuit." It makes very little sense, even taken in context. Third: you're still suffering from being too vague. E.g.: "new objects,...and other things...." That bit basically says Jack Bupkus. Elaborate, if only for your own amusement. [QUOTE][I][COLOR=Navy]But recently the ruins have become old and creaky, now the walls and ceilings of the ruins are crashing, making it closed to the public.[/COLOR][/I][/QUOTE] Again, bad sentence structure. This one definitely needs a rewrite. Also, [I]"...making it closed to the public,"[/I] isn't the way you want to say that. I'd try and offer some options for you on that one, but I can't do it without completely rewriting you paragraph, and I will not do that to you. It's far too presumptuous, and a bit insulting, I think. Concerning your third scene, you fell into the speaker-change trap once more; and, yet again, we have absolutely no idea who these people are, aside from names and corresponding gender. Overall, you might have some merit with [U]Gates of Ruin[/U] if you'll sit down and thresh the story out in detail for yourself, but right now it is rather lackluster.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Aww, heck, I'm just being silly is all. And of course I'm being too literal. That's the fun part. As for getting back at teachers, I've always disdained the physycal retaliation aspect...though it obviously did the trick there. :P Instead, I tend to go for more of the psychological torture. If I feel any of my figures of authority are out of line, I'll publicly strip them of it, piece by piece, just to show them I can, and then I'll give it right back and move on with the day. It's great because not only do I not have to move to do it (which adds to the effect), but, though they know I did it, they can never figure out how. I find people remember humiliation better than a kickball to the face. Crystia, you should have taken a picture. :demon: [/FONT]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman'][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Sorry about the lack of info- 11.25 hours of work- thanks Allamorph for trying to search for the stuff.[/color][/font][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]No problem. I already knew where it was, so it wasn't really that difficult for me. (I tend to retain stuff like that....) So, what was up with that ten-page paper you mentioned earlier?[/FONT]

[QUOTE=Rachmaninoff]Anyway... I wanna know just why she whacked me! [[SIZE="1"]seriously, she actually did! Out of no where she smacked me on the back and when I asked her what the hell that was for she just smiled and said... Allamorph o_O[/SIZE]] That one thing had been the most confusing and surprising event out of this entire RPG. Admittedly she didn't hit me very hard, but still! Since when did the violence of an RPG extend to the real world! :animestun[/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]And you guys call [COLOR=DarkRed]SunfallE[/COLOR] ruthless? My vengeance extends across the continent. ...plus, I have good people skills, apparently, which never hurts.[/FONT]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Especially since she whacked me for Allamorph and refused to explain why. >_< [/quote] [FONT=Arial]So, you got that, did you? :smirk: Thanks, Crystia. You're a doll.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]To everybody so far: From what CHw has posted in other threads, the situation doesn't fall under Texas jurisdiction: [quote name='ChibiHorsewoman'][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]So I call my lawyer and find out what everyone's known all along that [U]the Texas divorce (Long involved story) has no jurisdiction over our daughter since she's a resident of New York and has never LIVED in Texas[/U]. [center]-----------[/center] He called the town police and tells them I'm being neglectful of our daughter. Long story short the cops come and tell him that [U]the Texas decree has no jurisdiction over our daughter[/U] and he can't take her if I won't let him take her....[/color][/font][/QUOTE] She's already told us more than she was required to, which I find very generous. The information is there guys. You just have to look for a bit. I assume you're going to be put on the stand, then? In that case, constantly assume that the lawyer from the other side will be searching for a way to warp anything you say. Stick to clear answers, think about everything you say, and [U]do[/U] [U]not[/U] let him/her rush you. Pay attention to the questions you're asked, and try to listen for when he/she is leading you into a particular answer. Other than that, I'd say take some good instrumental music to listen to, to clear your head beforehand. No sense in going into a stressful environment while you're already stressed. (If you can manage to keep a hint of resentment simmering beneath your surface without letting it affect your head, then by all means do so.) Good luck.[/FONT]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]shiiiiiit, nigga, you ain't gotta be goin' out gettin' shot an shita be a black man, ain't all of us no gangsta, son. Don't be comin up in here wit no racist **** fore i get irate in dis *****.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]Yep. Definitely a white boy talkin'. (For the record, I take racism very seriously, what with spending five years of my life as the only white boy on my street. The concept aggravates me to no end.) It [I]has[/I] been insane. Or were you talking about the game thread? :P On the bright side, [COLOR=DarkRed]DB[/COLOR]'s gonna have to work to pull any sex out of this post.... (I am [I]never[/I] gonna let you hear the end of that, you know.)[/FONT]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]man, yall chill! I'm workin on it! It's been troublesome since my DivX trial ended, but I got it covered after much work, so I got this **** now, man. Just chill, yall gettin all up on me aint making **** go no fasta...[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]You ain't no gangsta, son. [I]Pull yo' pants UP![/I] :animesmil[/FONT]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR="Indigo"][CENTER]*points to the announcement by James*[/CENTER'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Yeah, it's back. Small world.[/FONT]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Also: Alt+0151 on the number pad makes an em dash.[/color][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]Funny. As big as an ALT+number pad nerd as I am, you'd think I would have figured that out....[/FONT]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff]After all, part of the Panopticon escaping in a mortal body? That just [I]begs[/I'] bizarre sequel in some manner.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Well, yeah. I mean, if Mary got out, what'd we do? Ya know? [QUOTE][I]Oh and four easy payments? You'd be shooting for approximately $80.00 not $60.00. I feel cheated. :p[/I][/QUOTE] That's the joke, along with the $1.298 S&H. At least you're not buying a box of air.[/FONT]

[quote name='Lunox'][color=dimgray] There should be a word that for situations that aren't actually ironic, but you need a better term than 'coincidentally' to describe it.[/color][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]I think that word is "convenient".[/FONT]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']And yet...I kind of expected it to crumble like that.[/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]What, you saw my totally ripped-off whirling geometric blender w/ free gravity well (a $60.00 value, now for only four easy payments of $19.95) coming? I feel cheated. Note: S&H is a dollar two-ninety-eight. Call now and we'll send you, absolutely free, . . . the packaging it comes in. :p[/FONT]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="goldenrod"]When you try to do a text link it doesn't give you the option to type in a word for the link: [URL="http://www.myotaku.com/"]http://www.myotaku.com/[/URL] It automatically puts the link in the same spot where you would normally put a word instead. It doesn't even give you the option to enter text. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [FONT=Arial]Actually, I've been doing that a bit lately, and when you enter the url and it does that "paste into the display slot" thing, it also keeps the displayed text highlighted so you can easily change it. You just have to remember to move past the [/URL] tag; unless you want, for some odd reason, to tag your entire post. :p Also, it seems that the filter for swearing has been applied indeed. But really, if you want to use context to figure out the word, it ain't that hard. So I'm not concerned. A question occurred to me just now. Will there ever be a tag set for an em dash (?), so those who use them don't have to keep opening Word up or searching their previous posts to plug it in? I mean, my current method isn't all that strenuous ? I just think it'd be nice to have. You know, just like pie is nice to have.[/FONT]