Rachmaninoff

[IMG]http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4939/513910mu0.jpg[/IMG] Ironically, Adam recently redid how the links on the main page to theOtaku work so the link to OtakuBoards is actually more visible than it used to be. It only happened a few days ago so it's too soon to see if it will make a difference or not. As for noticing, since I joined it's always seemed to come and go. Busy vs slow. I figure people move on or get busy or simply don't see anything they want to post in. Though the cure for that is to post something you would want to be a part of. =P

[IMG]http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6601/lolconserveratives1.png[/IMG]

[quote name='Darren']Yes, I would imagine... But what about Leonhart and Cole??? They won't even know who took it to begin with. Oh, this is interesting.[/quote]I love the irony of how [I]all[/I] of them will be wondering what the hell happened to the compass. Victoria, getting into assisted mischief sounds about right. Especially when Fonty's involved. =P Anyway, I meant to get that post up sooner so, sorry for the delay on the church side of the rp. =P If either one of you want to skip ahead to them all being on board the ship and heading for the Vosper summit, I'm done with the Citadel. I'll wait for one of you to post again before I add anything to it.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Elaine_Waltier.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Felix_Achard.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Juste_Achard.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] If he hadn?t heard it straight from the Sief, Juste wasn?t sure if he would have believed anyone telling him he was to go with a group to retrieve artifacts built by the Xear. It just seemed too unbelievable to be true and yet he couldn?t imagine the Sief sending them on a fool?s errand. ?[B]You look a little green cousin,[/B]? Felix commented, his voice just loud enough for the two of them to hear over their footsteps echoing down the hallway. Juste laughed nervously, ?[B]I feel it. It?s just that, studying the language is one thing, actually going to ruins?[/B]? He trailed off, not sure how to put it. If there were still artifacts around, considering what he had overheard at the wedding, others would be searching for it as well. He wasn?t so naïve that he didn?t understand the inherent dangers in something like that. People would kill for artifacts left behind by the mysterious Xear. As if reading his thoughts Priestess Waltier smiled reassuringly, [B]?I?m sure that Captain Achard will see to the necessary security and safety of all who come.[/B]? A statement he merely nodded at. ?[B]And since I can?t read the language or do much else,[/B]? She paused at the split in the hallway, the others doing the same, ?[B]I?ll go and see to arranging proper medical supplies once I?ve gathered my things.[/B]? She smiled slightly, ?[B]I can at least make sure we have everything necessary should anyone get hurt.[/B]? She bowed her head slightly. ?[B]Unless you need something,[/B]? Felix shook his head indicating he did not. She continued, ?[B]I?ll go and get that done immediately, I?ll meet both of you on board the[I] Ibert[/I].[/B]? With another slight nod of her head she turned and headed down the corridor to the left. Juste watched her go for a moment and then turned back to Felix who was still waiting. ?[B]I guess I?ll do the same.[/B]? He shrugged. ?[B]I won?t need anything from the library.[/B]? He grinned. ?[B]I have a good memory for that kind stuff. That and I doubt they?d let me walk off with some of the books.[/B]? ?[B]Probably not,[/B]? Felix agreed. ?[B]Gather what you need and wait at the [I]Ibert[/I]. Once we have everything we?ll get going.[/B]? [B]?Right, it shouldn?t take me all that long to collect what I need.[/B]? Juste continued with Felix for a bit longer until they both took separate paths when the hallway split again. It didn?t take him long to get to his quarters. It was a tiny little affair with nothing more than a bed, small desk and bookcase, along with a chest at the foot of the bed. The only concession he had to material wealth were some colorful rugs in Earth tones that his parents had insisted on sending him. Combined with the quilts and pillows in similar colors, when it got chilly, it was easy for him to curl up and get cozy while he worked on whatever he was currently studying. He fished under the bed for his travel bag that he had stuffed under there after unpacking it earlier that morning. Then he packed up his remaining cleric uniforms along with some extra boots and other odds and ends. Then he finally finished wrapping it up with his extra set of notes for translating text written in the Xear language. He had been studying it long enough that most of it he could simply read, but it was possible they would run into new symbols or other aspects never seen before. If that were the case, his notes would come in handy. Well at least for him they would. His shorthand was anything but standard. It was a mix of many languages and a few things he had unintentionally made up over the years. It made it unreadable for others, but no one but him would be using it. Juste hefted the bag over his shoulder and then grabbed the other small one he had prepared. He looked around the room briefly to make sure he hadn?t missed anything and then left for where the air ship would be docked.

I kind of suck at good criticism for stuff like this so I'm forced to rely solely on what stands out the most. For your entry Lrb I liked the childhood fairy tale possibly turned real twist. It was predictable but I still enjoyed reading it. For your entry Anomaly, I really liked the sense of outright panic that was prevalent in the entire story. The ending where things were left to your imagination as to what would happen next is what stood out the most. o_O I don't wanna know, seriously. So for that bit that stood out the most, I give my vote to[B] Anomaly[/B]. Excellent work, both of you. I enjoyed reading what you wrote.

[quote name='Allamorph][FONT="Arial"']I think I might have figured out what this thread is about. Is this kinda close?[/FONT][/quote]Hahaha, I love that group. =P Anyway, I found this fun little gem earlier today so... [CENTER][IMG]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8629/englisht.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] I may be of the opinion that for some mistakes it's no big deal, but you can't help but laugh at something like that. Heh.

Okay, it's up. =P The rest of you know what to do. That means you're up next [COLOR="Indigo"]Indi[/COLOR]. If you're unclear, just pester basement kitteh. =P I could have taken that completely forward to where he comes in... but I thought you'd enjoy doing the dodging bit. Also whether they detour to avoid vampires or not is up to you.

[CENTER][B]Light at My Feet[/B][/CENTER] ?[B]So let me get this straight, we?re going to dodge all of the cars, people and so forth?[/B]? Adrian?s eyebrow shot up. ?[B]In addition to that we can?t go inside buildings, we have to stay on the streets and we can?t fly.[/B]? Alex nodded. ?[B]Even on the ground we?re quite a bit faster than any human and dodging cars shouldn?t be all that difficult. The idea is to be mostly out of phase with this plane so if you accidentally hit something, you?ll still phase through it.[/B]? ?[B]What?s the point in that though?[/B]? ?[B]So you?ll feel it of course.[/B]? Alex explained. It wouldn?t hurt; it would only feel a little odd. ?[B]That way you?ll know if you failed to properly dodge.[/B]? Adrian leaned back into the sofa in Alex's small apartment. ?[B]No, what I mean is what?s the point beyond that.[/B]? Alex caught himself starting to walk back and forth and stopped himself. ?[B]Well in battle we?ll have unexpected things come up. The best way to dodge something unpredictable is to use something that[I] is[/I] to practice with.[/B]? ?[B]True,[/B]? Adrian stood up. ?[B]So I take it we need to move as quickly as possible?[/B]? ?[B]Yeah. It won?t be a true time goal since traffic and the path we take will vary, but it will at least give us something to work with.[/B]? ?[B]Am I supposed to dodge too?[/B]? Astera asked. Alex looked at her. ?[B]For the first couple of runs you?re welcome to simply stay put on Adrian?s shoulder, or simply follow along.[/B]? ?[B]And I suppose I shouldn?t use any magic either.[/B]? She said with a smirk. ?[B]Uh? yeah, if you do decide to join us, the idea is to not use tricks or techniques. That?s something we can consider adding in later.[/B]? Nall took off from the chair he was sitting on and landed on Alex?s shoulder. ?[B]I?ll be flying above both of you to watch your progress.[/B]? ?[B]You mean to keep a tally of when we miss,[/B]? Adrian said. Nall pulled back slightly, ?[B]Not really, I?m going to look for ways to increase the difficulty of the runs. We?re not going to keep track of how many times one fails to dodge.[/B]? ?[B]Alright,[/B]? Adrian replied. He turned to Astera, ?[B]Why don?t you go with Nall? At least for this time.[/B]? She nodded in agreement. Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of maps. He handed one to Adrian and opened up his own. There was a path clearly marked in red winding through the busiest streets of the city. ?[B]So when are we going to do this?[/B]? ?[B]In about ten minutes.[/B]? Alex answered. ?[B]In the middle of the day? There?s going to be a lot of traffic out.[/B]? Adrian pointed out. Alex grinned, ?[B]Well yeah, that?s the point. We could do it at night, but then there wouldn?t be anything to dodge.[/B]? ?[B]And you?ll get the advantage since you made the route.[/B]? Adrian twitted him. ?[B]Well I did make it, but I haven?t actually gone and physically done the run yet.[/B]? ?[B]Wait a sec,[/B]? Adrian turned his map around and faced it towards Alex. ?[B]I thought we had to stay on the streets, you have this going through some of the city parks too.[/B]? ?[B]Well I figured that would fall under dodging people since I doubt they?ll be walking down the middle of the streets.[/B]? Adrian shrugged slightly. ?[B]True.[/B]? He looked the map over again before tucking it into his tunic. ?[B]Alright, let?s get this show in the road then.[/B]? ?[B]Oh and before I forget, if we get too close to any vampires running about, I?ll signal that we need to detour down different streets.[/B]? He waited for Adrian to nod in agreement before he tucked his map away too. ?[B]That?s one thing I don?t want to run into.[/B]? He looked to the two and then turned and ghosted out of his apartment, the others close behind as he made for the starting point. He could see signs of an incoming storm off in the far distance, but for now it was bright and sunny. They would be done long before the storm arrived, not that it would matter since if they choose it, no rain would affect them.

[QUOTE=Ace][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Anyone else getting a little tired of absolutely everything going Fei Wong's way even when he gets backstabbed? It was fun and exciting for a while, but I wanna see the bastard squirm already. In other news, I hope Yuuko's okay.[/FONT][/QUOTE]No kidding, I'm ready for his plans to fall apart already. Every time it looks like the others might make a difference, he comes out ahead, [I]again. [/I] Also... now I have to go and read xxxHolic. What's that phrase [COLOR="Indigo"]Indi [/COLOR]uses?[I] pfffft![/I]

I've seen both, some people becoming more withdrawn and others becoming more outgoing when it comes to associating with others. I can't say that I see a trend around here of people becoming more cliquish like you mention Korey. The only real thing I've noticed [SIZE="1"](and yes I know this isn't about the economy but for the next point this is relevant)[/SIZE] is that people are getting out a lot less since things are just too damn expensive. They simply can't afford to get out as much anymore. Perhaps that gives an air of distancing oneself from the rest of society, when it's simply a matter of not being able to afford doing things like you used to. I know I've had to cut back. If anything, I'd have to wonder if people are merely stressing over things more. Oh and I think it goes without saying [SIZE="1"](yes I'll say it anyway)[/SIZE] there are always people who are quick to look at appearances and make assumptions. I'd be willing to say that is something that was worse before instead of getting worse now. But it could be different where you're located. I only know that for here, people are getting more accustomed to others looking different so there's less of a fuss than there used to be.

My first job was working in a grocery store, bagging stuff, retrieving carts and loading stuff into people's cars. Not even close to my chosen field of music. I kind of delivered papers too, but that was more my brothers job and I just got dragged into helping him with it. Later on I ended up working at a mall for some little shop as a cashier. That didn't last though since the place was torn down to build something else. Now I teach, though I might take this summer off since I'm getting burned out and I need to focus on other things for school.

[B]1. Would you rather be a dragon or Superman?[/B] This one is pretty easy, superpowers or not, I'd rather stay human than become a dragon. If my choice is Superman, then I'd be able to fly anyway and do a lot more than a dragon could. [B]2. Would you rather have no arms or no legs?[/B] This is pretty easy too. As much as having no legs would suck, having no arms would be worse. You can get by with no legs, but no arms would a thousand times worse. [B]3. Would you rather never be able to listen to music again, or would you rather never have sex again?[/B] Okay, this is the question that in my opinion is just downright evil. I'm a music major... How could I give up what I've spent most of my life working on? [I]*headdesk* [/I] If I had no choice at all... music would win. I can't imagine my life without it. I don't want to imagine my life without it. XP

I've kind of gotten tired of candy lately. I tend to be more interested in cakes or cookies. Though from time to time I do enjoy peanut m&m's. Seriously though, the last year has seen me buying stuff like that less and less. I do remember really loving stuff that has a sharp tangy taste to it, like some taffy does. Oh and peppermints seem to always be good. =P

I wouldn't say your overreacting since you've clarified that you're not used to having her away from you for any length of time. So long as you know she's going to be cared for, that's what really matters. Even if the time was short, at least she did call you since your daughter missed you. It may have been awkward for her, but I think that shows she at least cares about your daughter since otherwise, I don't think she would have even bothered.

Ah, I see. If you're that close, it makes it nearly impossible to keep your dog out, he does need some room to roam after all. In light of that it sounds like your neighbor is just being a jackass. In which case I'd keep an eye out since I'd hate to see anything happen to your dog.

Regardless of your neighbor being a jerk as you just mentioned, pretty much no on likes having someone else's pets running around on their property. Usually you just ignore cats since attempting to limit them doesn't work unless you have them inside, but dogs are different. In the end, whether or not his furniture is nice isn't the point, what is the point is you're obviously letting your dog run around without any form of restriction. Frankly, that's not really a bright idea period. You sound like your using the fact that cats roam to justify not being more responsible with your dog. Anyway, it could be a threat and it could get messy, it's hard to tell without actually having been there. Though it sounds like he was definitely a jerk. If it were me, I'd look into ways to keep your dog out of other people's things.

[quote name='Korey][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][COLOR="Indigo"]That's a tad bit unfair Rach, I don't judge people that badly.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]It was meant as a joke, but I edited it out just the same. [QUOTE=chibi-master']Why couldn't they just inform a park official instead of vandalizing the sign...[/quote]I kind of wonder if they actually did or not. I should look further into it since I only skimmed the article.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this article: [URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28900351/"][U]Fastidious spelling snobs pushed over the edge[/U][/URL] I did get a good laugh out of it though. Not that improving grammar and spelling isn't important, but the instances where people let it get out of control, made me feel kind of sorry for them. I mean I can understand wanting something to be correct, but deliberately vandalizing a historic hand-painted sign in Grand Canyon National Park just to fix a typo? That's taking things a bit too far in my opinion. Where do you guys think the line should be drawn? Correcting signs and other stuff is important, but personal blogs just seem like overkill in my opinion. Regardless, I'd recommend following the links in the article, some of them lead to some really fun stuff. Like this image here for the facebook group out to correct grammar infidels. [CENTER][IMG]http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/2518/n22095534786250.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

I'm currently listening to this: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyUgKf9ofU0"][U]Rick Astley - Together Forever[/U][/URL] And since this is not music that I normally listen to... I blame reading this article here: [URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29279297/?pg=11#Tech_RickrollAlternatives"][U]Ten alternatives to the Rickroll[/U][/URL] o_O

[quote name='2009DigitalBoy']I didn't read the whole thread, but I'm very surprised that this is considered surprising. A lot of very young, very pregnant girls go to my school, and when i lived inner-city in 9th grade half of my damn class was pregnant. It's pretty common these days... sadly.[/quote]It is pretty common as you say, young girls getting pregnant, but hearing about the father being that young isn't. At least not here. Usually they're a few years older, like the mother is. =P That and you know the only reason there is much of a fuss at all is because the kid looks like he's eight.

I know this is old news, but when Beth showed me this link (she got it from Des) I just died laughing at it. It's hilarious. [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572168/The-new-face-of-Britain-Flag-poll-results.html"][U]The new face of Britain?[/U][/URL] Honestly, that would crack me up to no end if they had actually used it. =P Oh well, at least the article was entertaining to read. Heh. And since I just know some of you will also get a kick out of it, I had to post it. That and the comments on it are equally as entertaining.

I have some boxes with DVD's, music and books from previous semesters under my bed. I'm sure if I were to look I'd find some socks or other stuff that's managed to get under there.

I've never done anything for this holiday. So other than to do stuff for school, and other every day stuff, I have no plans.

You all can blame Allamorph for this one. I ran across it at his world over at theO. [URL="http://www.jesterball.com/Animations/animeplotgenerator.html"][U]Anime Plot Generator[/U][/URL] First time I click on this and I get: Shinji-esque navel commanders make passionate love to hentai kabuki actors for the good of Japan. o_O Anyway... have fun! =P

[quote name='chibi-master]EEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o H-he really [B]does[/B'] look like he's 8! I didn't read the article (Rach's explanation was good enough.), so I assumed you guys were blowing his appearance out of proportion! But, GAWD! That picture looks like two siblings posed with their new baby cousin or something![/quote]Or siblings posing for a picture with the newest younger sib. =P But yeah, if the DNA tests come back indicating he really is the father... o_O @Dagger: Nicely put. I'd say calling it dumb **** sums it up perfectly.