Allamorph

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink]Although I would still argue that a mod can backseat mod if they're trying to mod an area that they don't usually mod, like say [I]Gavin's private property![/I'][/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Oh, like [I][COLOR=DarkRed]Sandy[/COLOR][/I] was going to do anything. And [COLOR=DarkRed]Ezekiel[/COLOR] seems to be good at keeping her mouth shut. I might have thought about taking action if I'd ever felt threatened . . . but that would only support you, wouldn't it? =P Although, If you wanna take your claims up with [COLOR=DarkRed]SunfallE[/COLOR], be my guest. She drove a semi for a living. I think she could take you.[/FONT]

[CENTER][IMG]http://www.marriedtothesea.com/062908/internet-cop.gif[/IMG] [FONT=Arial]Dude. I'm not kidding.[/FONT][/CENTER]

[quote name='Nerdsy][color=deeppink]Not to [i]mention[/i'] that vigilanteism (colloquially known as "Backseat Moderating") is illegal anyway....[/color][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Given that both suspects are moderators already, how is backseat modding possible? Seems to me like a simple over-extension of professional reach.[/FONT]

[quote name='CrimsonKnight][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Why do I think Wal-mart and other stores should do this? I truly don't know. I'm just brainstorming, ya'know[/COLOR'].[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Believe it or not, that's exactly what I thought you'd say. Word for word, almost. The reason I asked you to tell me why was to see if you knew what you were talking about. I'm afraid you heard this story somewhere, heard one opinion about it, and decided that 'yeah, banning those color bandannas will help stop gang activity' without really considering why or how that would be accomplished. Never just blindly follow an idea. That's how terrible governments are allowed into power, and that's how religions lose their credibility.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Oh jays, I almost forgot. Tenses. [QUOTE][I][FONT="Times New Roman"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Quiet once more without her laughter, her younger brother [B]watches[/B] her again from a safer distance.[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] Now, yes, I did tell you that that's how it wants to read?and obviously you agreed?but now you've gone and shifted tenses for no real reason. Remember, consistency is the bigger concern: if you don't want to write the narrative in past tense, then don't interject present tense [I]regardless[/I] of how it wants to read. If you've got something that feels awkward in past and you're working in past, rephrase. Never randomly include a different tense, no matter how well it's disguised. Sorry about that; I kinda got distracted by something else.[/FONT]

[quote name='Axel Alloy']To be honest, it doesn't matter if you can't get the hang of wording and grammar etc. As long as the concept is there, it doesn't really matter. (Unless its for professional purposes, of course.)[/quote] [FONT=Arial]I feel I should point out that this statement is only true if all you aim to get out of the time spent is your own personal satisfaction, and hang whatever anyone else thinks. This is fine in and of itself, but I think you're missing something. Half the fun of writing is to entertain other people. If you push yourself to do the best you possibly can by learning concepts you don't know, then you can look back later and feel even more satisfaction at how much better you've become at what you do. Also, when people unanimously recognize that you have talent because you decided to make the most of it instead of settling for merely saying the concept, if you go for the Art Form of what you do and nail it, then you get even more pleasure than if you'd simply gone for getting the concept down and nothing else. And also, I'm someone who not only wants to see people get progressively better as they go, but I also like giving praise. If you merely go for your own satisfaction, that's all well and good, but it means you've essentially shut me out of being able to tell you you did a good job. So be careful how you apply relativism to the written medium. It could very well be backfiring on you without you realizing it.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][I]*chuckle*[/I] Milady, the reason I told you not to edit yet was because now no one else will have the slightest idea what we're talking about. But eh. At any rate, I still have a few more remarks to make, so it's all good. I already told you this privately, but what strikes me most about this piece is its atmosphere. It comes across to me as very calm, but in a distant manner without understanding. I suppose ?timeless? might work also, but then I hate generic coverall descriptions like that unless they?re completely true. (Here the standard English teacher might say something utterly useless like ?it really felt like lying under the ice?. Yes, that?s what Linnett was doing. Gee thanks.) But yeah, a sense of both peace and incomprehension, if that makes sense. I'm pretty sure now that you did shift, at least in part, to her brother's point of view there near the end. It feels better than it did before, less nebulous and more like the camera just changed sides of the ice. Nicely done. Good title, too. Now, I didn't remark on this last time, but the first sentence should probably have that appositive set off. [INDENT][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][I]In the deep sleep she waited patiently[COLOR="Red"][B],[/B][/COLOR] as any good girl would.[/I][/COLOR][/INDENT] There are naturally ways to rephrase it without the comma there, but I'm sure you can see those without me playing Captain Redundant. :p Point is, those last five words are a clarifier to the manner in which Linnett is waiting, so they need to be separated or the reader might just breeze on by without registering important info. Speaking of redundant, I think you took my suggestion about the next sentence a little too quickly: [QUOTE][I][FONT="Times New Roman"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Cold and ice [B]companions were her very own friends[/B], with numb solitude that told her nothing.[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] Now, that could actually work if read right, but if I read it that way I get that 'Cold' and 'ice companions' were her friends, and that conjures images of little frozen doll sculptures resting beside her. I think what you meant to communicate was that cold and ice were her only company. In that case, the entire paragraph might want more building. Not [I]changing[/I], really, just additions. But AIM would be an easier venue for that. Better back-and-forth. Now, I remember remarking about this next one already, and I think to the general idea you said something to the effect that you wanted the disjointed effect to remain. But that can be done just as well?and even better?with paragraph management instead of fragments. [QUOTE][I][FONT="Times New Roman"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Running in rivulets down the melting ice as the seasons changed, streaking the gray and white with red.[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] Read that alone and tell me it doesn't feel brain-frazzling. And then, since you'll say so regardless, tell me again honestly. :p Yes, fragments are perfectly acceptable in fiction, but only under certain conditions, and I [I]really[/I] don't think this is one of them. It literally reads as an afterthought, as [U]your[/U] afterthought, and I feel pretty confident that you've put enough thought into this short for that to be a wrong conclusion to draw. Keep in mind that other people might just see it and say "hunh; odd", but because of my nature the statement is glaring, like about twenty mental klaxons going off at once. Or it could be the perfectionist. Either way. Please fix it. (^_^) [QUOTE][FONT="Times New Roman"][I][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Wide open and staring all unseeing in the same glazed yellow glow.[/COLOR][/I][/FONT][/QUOTE] Same thing here. You added a few words from before, but it's still the same disassociated feel that jerks the reader out of the image and returns them to the effort of making sense of the words. That was my real gripe, I think; the images you were painting were clear enough that one little inconsistency gave me whiplash. Yes, I recognize the effect the previous sentence is supposed to invoke, but this one is still jerky and disruptive?and not so much like gaps in consciousness like you told me you're going for, but more like skips on a CD. It just pisses you off, you know? :p [QUOTE][I][FONT="Times New Roman"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Maybe if Linnett dreamed her way into the unforeseeable future she would awaken with a more stable mind. Capable of holding her own against the myriad of ancient vampires that would be sure to rise around her.[/COLOR][/FONT][/I][/QUOTE] I finally figured out the problem with this one. Yeah, you've got a fragment there, but it would be acceptable under certain circumstances, so the immediate reaction would be to say "whatever" and move on. The problem here is you're implying a verb that is useful to imply with fragments, but which has no antecedent. Verb breakdown: [INDENT][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][I]". . . she would awaken . . . . (She would be) Capable . . . ."[/I][/COLOR][/INDENT] The conditional form of "is" there is very good with fragments. The problem is that your preceding verb isn't 'would be capable', so confusion results. For that kind of fragmentation to function, you have to set up repetition so the idea gets drilled into the audience?who then typically cry "Wow! That was so [I]intense!!!!1![/I]" or sommat like that. You know. Things that make you feel good inside. Other than that, possibly add another thought after the bit about the unsteady truce, to make it seem less . . . I don't know . . . out of the blue? (^_^) All-in-all, a very nicely-painted scene.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'm sorry, but I have to say this. That is an alto saxophone. Thank you, and have a nice day. (^_^)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Unsweetened orange pekoe (generally called 'iced tea') is rather startling, and still makes me cough and shudder when I drink it by accident. Adding about two cups of sugar per gallon makes it easier on the pallete, I think. I have yet to be introduced to any other kinds, unfortunately. Unless you count Green Tea, which I think is okay in shot glass servings.[/FONT]

[quote name='CrimsonKnight][COLOR="DarkOrange"']to be serious, though. i honestly think reducing the seling of red or blue bandanas would reduce the gang activity.[/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Please explain what makes you think so.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Ichigo Kurosaki is The Walking Very Impractical Battle Tactic. Yet still he wins.[/FONT] [CENTER][IMG]http://alysu.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/ichigo36ed.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

Straight Up â??Well,â? said Nathan, rubbing his hands together, â??now that weâ??re all here, we can get started on the important things.â? He moved to retrieve something from the kitchen. â??Whereâ??s Isen?â? Nall queried from Alexâ??s knee. â??Busy,â? came the muffled reply; Nathan had stuck his head inside his refrigerator and was rummaging around. â??I needed her to get some information confirmed for me, and . . . aha! There you are.â? He straightened, with a large cake pan covered in plastic wrap held between his hands. Chris snickered. â??Oh, hush. At any rate,â? he continued, returning to the living area, â??she already knows everything Iâ??m about to tell you, so she wonâ??t be missing much aside from this.â? He placed the dish on the table beside the chess stand and whisked off the covering, then paused. â??Wait, I almost forgot the introductions. Everyone, this is Chris, my sisterâ??â? â??Twin sister,â? Chris corrected smugly. â??â??my twin sisterâ??â? â??Older twin sister.â? â??Oh, for Peteâ??s sake.â? Nathan grinned and shook his head. â??Chris, this is Lucia and her dragon Ruby, Phaidra and her fox Sarvel, and of course you already know the young man whoâ??s about to get his hand smacked.â? Alex snatched his fingers away from the pan. â??But I thoughtâ??â? â??Be polite; ladies first.â? Nall laughed rudely until Nathan told him to put a sock in it. â??And to complete the round of introductions, this,â? said the blue man, gesturing to the tray on the table, â??is a cherry dump cake, which Phaidra was kind enough to bring with her.â? â??A what cake?â? said Chris. â??A dump cake,â? her brother repeated. â??Itâ??s like a regular cake, except you take all the ingredients and dump them in before baking.â? â??Ah.â? Nathan shook his head. â??â??This is a cake.â?? â??A what?â?? â??A cake.â?? â??A what?â?? â??A cake.â?? â??Oh, a cake,â??â? he sing-songed mockingly. â??Now get me a knife.â? â??You have knives?â? â??Weâ??re never going to get anywhere,â? Nathan mourned to Phaidra. Lucia snorted. --------------------------------- The knife retrieved and the cake divided, the shinigami spent the next several minutes in casual conversation. Chris was filled in on the specialties of the two Reapers to whom she had just been introduced, and her familiar joined the meeting, giving her common discussion ground with Phaidra and her Elemental. Having polished off his fourth helpingâ??it was a large cakeâ??Nathan wiped his lips and called the meeting to some semblance of order. â??Dearly beloved, we are gathered her todayâ??ungh!â? â??Be serious,â? said Chris, removing her elbow from his ribs. â??Owwie,â? Nathan remarked petulantly. â??So mean.â? â??Queue-queue, Nathan.â? Chris cleared her throat. â??We called you here to talk about the deal at the mansion a while back, with that would-be coup leader vampire.â? Phaidra sat up. â??Vampire?â? she exclaimed. â??I thought they no longer existed.â? â??They donâ??t, officially,â? Chris replied drily. Nathan mumbled something incoherent about the Council. â??But . . . so . . . weâ??ve been lied to?â? â??Pretty much,â? said Nathan. â??After we won the War there were a lot of vampire-hunter search parties deployed to eradicate those that remained, but the records of their success are grossly exaggerated. Besides, we all know that vampires evolved naturally to begin with, so there very well could have been repeat instances of a random vampire birth that flew under the Councilâ??s radar, so to speak.â? The others nodded. â??So yes, Phaidra, weâ??re dealing with vampires. We almost lost people during the incident, and we did lose two afterwards: the girl you replaced and the girl Patrickâ??ehh, Alexâ??s old instructor is filling in for until we get another assigned here.â? â??And Adrian?â? inquired Lucia. â??The technique Adrian used to kill the Count almost got him killed in the process. Heâ??s gone somewhere else to recuperate and get stronger. Chris is filling in for him.â? â??Oh, okay.â? â??Which brings me to the point, actually.â? Nathan sat up and rested his arms on his knees, folding his hands together. â??According to Chris, that wasnâ??t an isolated incident.â? â??What?!â? Alexâ??s eyes grew visibly wider. Chris nodded. â??The shinigami in my area were called to deal with a similar situation, and like you, we werenâ??t prepared for it. It was a death trap from the beginning.â? She sighed. â??I tried to salvage what I could, but none of my colleagues trusted each other or me, so I was the only one who escaped. Everyone else was killed.â? Her words caught in her throat, and she placed a tense fist against her mouth. Nathan gave the group a level stare. â??All the others were just as inexperienced as you, and just as ill-informed as all of us were, she told me. One had only been in the field for a decade.â? Lucia started to speak, but Nathan held up a hand. â??I have another source who confirms that our narrow squeak and Chrisâ??s disaster arenâ??t the only ones. He knows of possibly five other incidents like them, in various places around the world. He also thinks the Council is still sending orders to other groups, which means that more of us will be lost for no reason at all.â? â??The people back home donâ??t know anything about this,â? Chris added. â??As far as they know, vampires have been extinct since the War.â? Phaidra nodded. â??Thatâ??s what weâ??re taught.â? â??Obviously this makes no sense,â? Nathan continued. â??But people, even us, rarely do things that make no sense, so there must be a reason why the Council is sending squad after squad of Reapers on suicide missions.â? â??But what do you propose we do?â? asked Lucia. Nathan met her gaze. â??I want to start by investigating the hold Chrisâ??s team attempted to assault, see what we can learn.â? Lucia stared back. â??You have got to be kidding,â? she said. â??You want us to walk into another death trap, knowing how we barely escaped the last one?â? â??Believe it or not, thatâ??s what gives us the advantage,â? answered Nathan. â??Youâ??ve been steadily improving your crystal technology, which means youâ??ll be able to give us data more quickly and more accurately than before. Iâ??ve been training Alex personally, and I can assure you that his combat skills are improving steadily.â? Alex suppressed a grin. â??We did lose our two weakest members, and we donâ??t have Adrian, but one of the ones we lost didnâ??t even contribute to our victory, and the holes left by Adrian and Aeru have been filled by Phaidra and my sister. And sheâ??s also a War veteran.â? â??Fat lot of good that did me last time,â? the blonde woman commented. â??You had a bum crew,â? Nathan told her. â??These guys will perform, and work together. I can attest to that without hesitation.â? â??So,â? started Phaidra, â??whoâ??s going to be going?â? â??This first time Iâ??d prefer if we all went,â? Nathan said. Phaidra looked relieved. So did Alex. â??I donâ??t know if the vampires there will have fled for fear of exposure or if theyâ??ll have dug in their defenses, and I donâ??t want to take any chances. Plus, thisâ??ll be your first time dealing with them, so I donâ??t want you exposed needlessly without having any experience beforehand. â??And besides,â? he added, grinning conspiratorially at Lucia, â??two little scanner thingies are better than one, eh?â?

[FONT=Arial]Yeah, small change of plans regarding the investigation. Logic being here that even with Lucia and Chris along with her, Phaidra might still be prone to freezing up, or Sarvel might go all self-righteous Elemental vigilante. =P Plus this'll give Alex a chance to test his wings. [COLOR=DarkRed]Rach[/COLOR], we'll go over the latest developments on that front.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I feel I should point out, even though I'm sure most people got this, that the array deployed by the [I]Chevalier[/I] self-destructed completely, so no traces of it have been left behind. I think it would be slightly out of character for a division as dedicated to precision as Sauvage's to leave little pieces of themselves laying about for anyone to find. Well, okay, [I]more[/I] than slightly. :p[/FONT]

[quote name='chibi-master]No, [I]you've[/I'] got it all wrong!The real culprit is,...SASUKE!!![/quote] [FONT=Arial]Oh, now that just hurts me. We were all having a stupid-fun old time, and then you had to go and drag [I]Naruto[/I] into it. Have you no decency? Have you no respect for the cartoons of our youth that you must defile them with dattebayo? Oh, I am sad.[/FONT]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium']He's probably twirling his moustache and saying "Excellent, excellent."[/font][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Wouldn't that be "Interesting. Most interesting."...? [I]I[/I] think it's a better line.[/FONT]

[quote name='CrimsonKnight][COLOR="DarkOrange"']We all know the two most popular gangs in America. The Bloods and the Crips, right? Should places like Wal-Mart sell blue or red bandanas considering the fact that these gangs use these colors?[/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Actually we [I]don't[/I] all know. But thanks for telling me. Along the same lines, should public venues stop selling certain types of sunglasses because gangs happen to wear them? Of course not, because that's an absolutely idiotic idea. Simply wearing a red or blue bandanna does not automatically affiliate you with either the Blood or the Crisps, so censorship of those items is beyond ludicrous.[/FONT]

[quote name='CrimsonKnight][COLOR="DarkOrange"']oh, ok. another question. can moderators check your pm's? [/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Good gosh, no. We haven't installed Big Brother [I]yet[/I]. They're called Private Messages for a reason. =P[/FONT]

[quote name='WickedDreams']T_T this confuses me even more.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]In that case, tell us what we said that doesn't make sense. We can't help you until then. We'd like to, really, but without you saying anything besides "tee-underscore-tee" all we'll be doing is bombarding you with information, and that's just not going to work for anyone.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Sure. It's really simple, actually, so lemme walk you through it. (^_^) When you log in, head to your [B]Backroom[/B]?it should be linked in a box on the right?and click on [B]Worlds Editor[/B] up at the top. Once there, select the world you want to change the image for from the drop down box and press the [B]Edit World[/B] button. Now you should see a screen where you can fiddle with pretty much any aspect of the world. Under [B]Step Two[/B], make sure the box beside [B]Use Customizations Below[/B] is checked, and then right under that is an option to upload images from your computer to your world. Click [B]Browse[/B], find the image you want from your computer files, and then click [B]Edit Design[/B] down at the bottom. As of now, I'm pretty sure that the only images you can use are ones you have on your computer. TheOtaku probably won't read images linked from other sites, so don't put a web address in the box and expect it to work. I also think that right now TheO only supports .jpg files, but I can't remember exactly. Hope that get's ya set.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=DarkRed]Rach[/COLOR], I seriously do not believe you. Your foolishness has summoned the Patron Saint of Lechers. L[SIZE=1]ORD[/SIZE] have mercy on our women.[/FONT] [CENTER][IMG]http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa145/misslam2/inuyasha/miroku/miroku-pose1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[FONT="Arial"]Excerpt drawn from [I]A Study of the Vampire and its History[/I], an essay.[/FONT] [SIZE="1"][CENTER]----------------------[/CENTER] [align=justify]The exact date that the vampire emerged into being is unknown. Since the evolutionary process that resulted in their species was originally deemed freak accident, no detailed reports exist that document their rise. That they are, or were, human is certain: it was humanity’s craving for eternal life combined with a small innate sense of the so-called ‘spiritual’ realm which allowed for the species’ evolution. Furthermore, though both shinigami and vampire may mask their presence to normal humans through the manipulation and control of spiritual energies, the act is not natural for the vampire and requires some small degree of effort, indicating that the vampire is fundamentally tied to the mortal realm, and not the spiritual. By contrast, the shinigami is required to expend a similar effort in order to become corporeal and interact with mortals, and thus the conclusion is drawn. Further difficulty in determining the vampire’s origins arises when examining their records and lore, for though the vampire can boast one of the most extensively recorded histories known to exist on Earth—second only to the shinigami and perhaps the Hebrews—no two sets of records or journals can agree on a single common ancestor. Rather, the vampire as a species appears to have begun as multiple isolated incidents within the span of around thirty years, with sporadic repeat occurrences every few centuries, followed by a gradual but steady proliferation. Also of note is the singular failure of the shinigami in catching and preventing the vampire’s evolution. Certainly the error is due in part to the encasement of the vampire’s soul, which would have prevented any shinigami from sensing the human’s approaching death; but even so, death is the business of the shinigami, so it follows that some sort of advance knowledge of death must have been present. Any speculation on the reason for the oversight is ultimately futile, however. With so many different instances, it is highly unlikely that any more than two or three occurred under similar circumstances. Whatever the case, the first vampires managed to escape the eye of the shinigami for long enough to ensure their continued survival, allowing their bodies to slowly adapt to their newfound attunement. Not being true creatures of the spiritual, the first vampires underwent several major physiological changes shortly after turning, as it came to be called—the most prominent being a marked increase in strength, speed, and endurance. In most cases, this change was accompanied by a period of intense physical pain, either in a single excruciating session or as a series of sporadic fits. The few who escaped this side effect were instead subjected to severe psychological torture, invariably rendering them insane madmen or in the worst cases psychotic masterminds. The journal of one such person noted briefly that several of his comrades did not survive the torture; those who suffered physically commonly died from organ failure or internal bleeding, and those who suffered mentally became brain-dead. Those who survived the transition, as stated above, became stronger and faster, with noticeably superior reflexes. Early on, these changes only manifested openly as instinct, in circumstances when the vampire might be under mild stress or other cases which require thoughtless reaction, but as the vampire aged the difference became decidedly more pronounced. Vampires as young as a decade can achieve an average running speed of twenty-five miles per hour and can sustain these speeds for nearly twenty minutes. They are also easily able in a single leap to clear horizontal distances of over thirty feet starting from an easy jog, and can generally jump over twice their height from a standing position. All vampires continue to grow stronger as they age, though the rate at which they mature gradually decreases over time, meaning that the difference in strength between vampires of twenty-five and fifty years is more pronounced than is the difference between vampires of seventy-five and one hundred years, though the age difference is the same. Other changes to the species were much less beneficial. The vampire almost immediately developed an extraordinary allergic sensitivity to sunlight, for reasons that even now remain unclear. The initial reaction was, in fact, so violent that direct exposure for even a few seconds would cause the vampire’s internal body temperature to literally skyrocket, often resulting in spontaneous immolation. Even indirect exposure was extremely painful—especially, it appears, to the eye and the sinus regions, for if light were streaming into a darkened room the vampire would not be able to even look near the source without their eyes watering. Because of this side effect of the evolution, vampires naturally became nocturnal in habit, transitioning to their new lifestyle within a matter of decades. Their still-adapting physiology allowed their night vision to adapt rapidly in individual cases, and the traits were cemented and enhanced into the species by successive generations. The vision of modern vampires rivals and in some cases surpasses that of most predatory felines for distance and clarity, and they are only truly blind in the complete absence of light. Interestingly, vampires seem to suffer no ill effects from exposure to moonlight, though it is in essence merely sunlight reflected off the moon’s surface. Cause for the selective photosensitivity could be certain types of direct radiation that is absorbed by the moon’s surface, but very little significant testing has been done to ascertain the truth of this supposition—though it has been consistently observed that light from the full moon seems to have a pronounced euphoric, almost drug-like effect on the vampire. Human myth mentions that the vampire is also susceptible to various other items, including such disassociated objects as crosses and wooden stakes and even venturing to such absurd lengths as garlic and “holy” wafers. However, most of these myths are merely that, and only one or two hold any real truth. The wooden stake, for example, is believed to be fatal to the vampire once plunged through its heart—but the same outcome would naturally be expected if one stabbed any living creature in the same location. Likewise, legends that an arbitrary herb or other foodstuff possesses the ability to subdue a creature for no discernable reason are almost certainly derived only from pagan rituals and lore; the concept of crosses, or “holy” water or wafers, bringing the vampire harm is also pagan in root, having become inextricably entwined with Judeo-Christian beliefs during the Catholic empire in the millennia following the fall of Rome. The myth of the vampire’s aversion to crosses does hold a kernel of truth. Numerous cases of vampires recoiling from or being burned by certain crucifixes have been documented and verified, but the reason does not lie with the notion of divine blessing or the power of faith since there have also been recorded instances where such objects elicited no reaction at all. Instead, the truth in the myth is held in the material which makes up the item: silver. Vampires are essentially humans who have partially crossed into the dimension inhabited by the shinigami—also dubbed the ‘spiritual’ realm—and because this state is unnatural their core being draws heavily on the energies of that realm in order to sustain them. Silver seems to act as a ground for this draw of energy, causing it to be dispersed back into its natural environment without being absorbed by the vampire, should a vampire come into contact with it. This siphoning-away of energy is harmful to the vampire, and manifests outwardly in severe burns at the point of contact, even occasionally through articles of clothing, and prolonged exposure is thought to be fatal. Silver also seems to react violently with the vampire’s blood, disintegrating and oxidizing within seconds of exposure and preventing the vampire’s blood from carrying oxygen to the rest of its body while still acting as an energy ground. The reason for this reaction remains unclear; perhaps the transfer of ‘spiritual’ energy acts as a catalyst for the chemical process, but again, no significant studies have been done concerning the matter. The last of the vampire’s physiological changes were the canines, or fangs. Contrary to popular culture, a vampire’s canines are not obviously lengthened, but merely sharpened to fine points that extrude a few millimeters beyond the normal plane of the teeth. The difference is almost imperceptible, and only those who know what they are looking for may see it—and sometimes the change escapes even them. The purpose of the unique canines is, naturally, the means to satisfy the mythical bloodlust. As has been mentioned before, the vampire’s body draws heavily upon the energies of the ‘spiritual’ realm for sustenance; however, the relationship is more akin to breathing than actual feeding. To continue its survival, the vampire requires another form of ‘spiritual’ energy: one found almost exclusively in the blood of humans. A vampire may be able to go a span of some years without ‘feeding’, as they call it, but unless its hunger is at some point satisfied it will gradually become more sluggish, and its body will weaken to a degree. As of now, no records exist of any vampire succumbing to starvation from blood, but the possibility has not been ruled out. In the process of feeding, a vampire possesses the ability to pass its nature on to its victim, like a sort of spiritual seeding. Every vampire while feeding enters a state of moderately heightened spiritual attunement to which their victims are exposed through direct contact, and this exposure begins to prepare the human for the transition to vampire via the gradual formation of the soul sac unique to the species. The sac, which exists in the same plane as the soul, effectively compensates for its loosening connection to the body and prevents the shinigami from sensing when the connection is weakest, when death would normally occur. After the brief window of weakness the connection gradually becomes stronger again, making the separation of the soul from the body of a mature vampire a more arduous task than the separation from a vampire of merely a few decades. This change, though never immediate, can occur under one of several circumstances, all of which require a feeding to occur. First, a vampire may turn its victim after a succession of feedings, in which the victim’s soul is gradually encased in the singular spiritual sac while they are still alive. Younger vampires must engage in multiple feedings to achieve a live turn, and mature vampires may only need as little as three for the same result; it is also rumored that vampires of a sufficient age may be able to turn a victim in a single feeding, but this rumor is unconfirmed. The other two methods share the common factor of the victim’s physical death. In the more common case, a vampire can turn its victim by feeding just before the human’s death, its own spiritual aura combined with the trauma of death amplifying the seeding effect to the point that only the single feeding is required—although in most instances of this case the human has been the subject of at least one prior feeding. In the absence of another vampire, however, an infected human will only turn if they have been fed upon sufficiently for the shock of dying to serve as sufficient impetus, and in this alternative scenario the human was typically one or two feedings away from turning anyway. Once the soul is completely encased, the fledgling vampire will experience the same torment described above, but the harsh effects are softened to a degree by the gradual turning process, and dying partially prepares the vampire to endure the ensuing pain. Because of this difference, the survival rate of turned vampires is much higher than that of the natural vampire, and it is commonly viewed with some small measure of contempt or disdain which manifests on a social level. Natural vampires, who are rarely found living in the modern era, hold higher stations in the vampiric social strata than turned vampires, almost without exception. Additionally, born vampires—humans who are the offspring of at least one vampire, and who go through their transitionary ordeals during adolescence—typically hold themselves in higher regard than turned vampires, though this social stigma has long been under dispute. One final change that accompanied the vampire’s shift to the ‘supernatural’ spectrum was the ability to employ forces known as magic, forces which humans have the capacity to merely sense....[/align] [CENTER]----------------------[/CENTER][/SIZE]

It took a week for the Chevalier to reach its initial destination. One week. One hundred and sixty-eight hours; subtract time spent asleep, eating, and walking between points and that still left almost a hundred and twenty to fill in an ongoing effort to ward off the patient ministrations of ennui. Shift duty took up another fifty-six hours, but even that became tedious after so long, its very routine soon inviting its own languor out of sheer repetition. Lâ??Arachel Salier knew thisâ??given her high station, she was perhaps more susceptible to the gradual torpor than her subordinatesâ??and to that end she made certain to schedule various drills and exercises at infrequent intervals to break up the long periods when nothing at all would happen. These activities kept her crew occupied as well as in top form, but as the current commanding officer Salier was obligated to tend to the â??necessaryâ?? evaluation paperwork submitted by each of the shipâ??s division heads. Which, of course, returned her to the basic problem. Years in the Resistanceâ??s Black Ops had accustomed her to just this situation, though, so she was not totally without recourse. She had taken to intensive reading during these long periods of inactivity and by now was well-versed in most of her cultureâ??s literature. The vast majority of it was admittedly political nonfiction, political fiction, or assorted fiction with obvious political undertones, but every now and then Salier had encountered a rare and glorious gem from an independent mind, and these she always added to her personal library after securing them in printâ??a privilege of her line of work. She liked the feel of books better, and found the turning of pages and the spaces between chapters much more engaging than simply scrolling through block after block of text. Her current distraction, Glass Wheel, was unfortunately not one of those gems, but she read it anyway. Glass Wheel marked the third book by that particular author that she had read, in fact; she viewed it more as an addition to her mental armament than a recreational pastime. Better to know the enemyâ??s mind, she reasoned, than to wallow in ignorance for the sake of principle. â??Bridge to Lieutenant Commander Salier.â? Lâ??Arachel lowered her book and cast an expectant eye to the handheld on the desk beside the couch on which she had been lounging. This was probably the interruption she had been waiting for, she thought. It was about the right time, but in truth any distraction coming from the bridge would be welcome. She reached out with her left arm and tapped the deviceâ??s surface. â??Speaking,â? she answered. â??XO Tourney, sir. You requested to be notified when we dropped out of hyperspace.â? This was it, then. â??Thank you,â? she said, nodding out of social habit though no one could see the motion. â??Iâ??m on my way.â? ----------------------- As the bridge doors hissed open, Salier saw her rugged XO turn to face her. â??Officer on deck!â? he called. The entire bridge snapped to attention. Salier waved her hand tiredly. â??At ease,â? she said, moving to stand by Tourney. â??You know I think thatâ??s a waste of time,â? she added under her breath. Tourney grinned. â??And I think itâ??s good practice for them.â? Sub-commander Gillam Tourney was not Versilan; his weather-beaten face bore evidence to the years he had spent on the surface of one of the Versilan slave facilities as part of the excavation contingent. Circumstance had seen him slowly rise to surreptitiously unite the slaves, more to control the loss of life caused by arrogant would-be heroes, and when he had accidentally become involved in an ill-fated revolt he had thrown his entire efforts to bearâ??and had been extracted by the Black Ops before the ensuing slaughter. Now the sandy-haired former slave was one of Sauvageâ??s elite and held one of the three prestigious Sub-commander titles in the unit. Lâ??Arachel had been in the same unit as Gillam, and she regarded the man as one of her closest allies and always selected him for her second whenever she was required to make independent runs; partially for his excellent skills, but mostly because he didnâ??t begrudge being outranked by someone whom he outranked. The Helm officer was speaking. â??Weâ??re approaching Threshold coordinates, sir.â? Lâ??Arachel nodded. â??Deploy the drones.â? Her command was executed instantly. One of the Chevalierâ??s forward missile tubes launched a spherical object ahead of the shipâ??s path, and after four seconds of gaining distance the objectâ??s casing blew apart and disintegrated, revealing a set of five smaller objects. The central drone was the larger than the other four, spanning just over six meters in length, and was connected to each of the smaller drones clustered around it by a long, coiled tether. After its release, it continued on a direct path away from the stern of the Chevalier. The four smaller drones did not. Barely a meter and a half in length, they looked like the corners of a box, and in fact that was the formation they clustered in. As the central drone sped away from them, they began to float outwards, the tethers extending with them until the cords pulled taut. Upon reaching a preset distance from the ship, the central drone stopped its forward motion, and the four smaller drones followed suit. They now formed a rectangle over four-hundred meters tall and over six-hundred meters wide, the central drone in the exact center of the imaginary plane they contained. â??Drones have reached their position,â? Helm announced. â??Primary drone has signaled the receiver. Ready to initiate Threshold.â? Again Lâ??Arachel nodded. Excitement flooded her, months of testing about to come to fruition before her. She shot a sideways glance to Gillam; he was as excited as her, his eagerness obvious from the glitter in his green eyes. She turned back to the viewscreen. â??Lock all forward cannons, maximum strength,â? she ordered. â??Fire.â? Blue beams of light lanced from the Chevalier and slammed into the central drone, driving it backwards fifty meters. The outline of the rectangle constricted slightly, but held steady. After the volley, there was a second of nothing, and then the absorbed power from the cannons sizzled visibly through the cables and coursed into the four corners. The stars within the rectangleâ??s borders shifted. The central drone disappeared. â??Threshold established, sir.â? A cheer came from Salierâ??s right. Glancing behind her, she saw the flushed Tactical officer sinking back into his seat, thoroughly embarrassed. Apparently he had expected to be joined in his jubilation, and the silence only intensified his chagrin; he looked as if he wanted to sink through his seat and into the next deck. Lâ??Arachel smiled. She secretly wanted to join him in his cheer, but she was on duty, and the CO never reacts. Another of the privileges of rank. â??Resume forward course,â? she told Helm. â??Sub-light engines ahead full.â? â??Aye, sir.â? In less than a minute the Chevalier had passed through the plane of the tethered drones. Sensors and Astrometrics bent industriously over their consoles, hurriedly processing the sudden burst of information flooding their screens. â??Sensors are registering navigational data!â? â??Star charts reinitializing. Ship bearing confirmation in five seconds.â? â??Passive sensors report no contacts, sir.â? â??Ship bearing confirmed. Weâ??ve emerged two point oh eight kilometers off projected coordinates.â? Two kilometers. Even considering drift, that wasnâ??t too bad. In fact, a two kilometer error after a transit of almost three sectorsâ?? distance was barely a concern at all. The central drone had withstood a full volley from the forward cannons of a Javelin, and the tethers had sent the right amount of converted power into the door generators. Even the receiver array had done its job perfectly. â??Screw rank, thought Lâ??Arachel. â??That was cool. Outwardly she betrayed nothing. â??Send the signal to terminate,â? she said aloud. â??Cut power to the door; retrieve the secondary array and prepare to resume hyperspace travel.â? She turned to leave as bridge staff jumped to obey her orders. â??XO has the conn.â? ----------------------- It would take another week for the Chevalier to reach the base; the transport receptor array had been left behind as Sauvage had shifted locations, to ensure that if someone accidentally activated it they wouldnâ??t be able to locate his cell. One week. One hundred and sixty-eight hours, minus sleeping, eating, and walking. Lâ??Arachel stared resignedly at the book she had left facedown on the couch, its spine stretching because she hadnâ??t cared enough about the author to use a bookmark. One week. â??Dammit.

[quote name='Phenom][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Episode previews kind of summed that up for me...[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]And I tend to look for the triple entendres in episode titles, so it's basically the same thing. :p Plus, [spoiler]L remarking that he was sad, just before he was killed, reminded me far too much of Gethsemane, so the resurrection parallel/metaphor was a little blatantly obvious to me.[/spoiler][/FONT]

[quote name='Phenom][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]I could laugh at everyone mentioning DBZ :p[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]You kidding? I do laugh. I've [I]been[/I] laughing. But that's just cynical ole' me. [quote name='Phenom][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Afterall, the show is about Light, is it not? You didn't really expect [spoiler]L to catch Light[/spoiler], did ya?[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [spoiler]Actually, ever since the episode titled "Revival", I [I]have[/I] been, though I confess I've only seen a few more after that.[/spoiler][/FONT]