Rachmaninoff

After grabbing something to eat and carefully cleaning up and putting everything away when he was done, Michael stopped by his quarters to grab his own personal CCB, with all his programs and other information on different languages. Now that he'd had a break he wanted to get back to working on his theory that the language was a warning. He still needed to talk to Brianna but she had indicated that she was working on something else and told him to ask her again about the settings of how the gate was found later. Michael was lost in thought as he absent mindedly checked some information on his own CCB and he was almost to the bridge before he glanced up and realized that the Argo Navis had dropped out of hyperspace. [I]What? Are we at the Creid's Capitol City already?[/I] He was thinking it would take a couple more hours at least. With a shrug he used his IDT tag to gain entry and entered the bridge. He was just in time to catch the end of Dr. Rhodes saying something to Kendra Erickson. "[B]Who was the fool who charted this course, anyway?[/B]" Michael winced. [I]That's not good. [/I] With the pilot Alex chuckling and Kendra's angry expression... He moved to his seat at the communications terminal to avoid wandering into the crossfire. Wincing again as he heard the two of them going at it a bit. [I]Dr. Rhodes really needs to learn to think before she speaks up.[/I] He thought to himself as he pulled up the view of what they were facing on his screen. He ignored the talk about anomalies and gravity wells in favor of studying the strange object. It appeared to be made of some type of metal and a quick look at the sensors confirmed that it was, just as it also confirmed that there was no known record of it in the CIF's database. It was oddly shaped like a cylinder and yet there were bizarre protrusions all over the place, most of them making no sense whatsoever. He studied it as the object was slowly rotating and there seemed to be something on one section, but unless they got closer he couldn't zoom in enough to make out what it was. But then his attention was pulled back to the others when the Argo Navis's system alerted them to an incoming frequency. All of them listened as Alex put it on the main speakers, but the transmission made no sense whatsoever. Once it was finished a few minutes later it repeated itself. When it started to do again for the third time, Alex muted it. "[B]Well Dr. Travis, do you recognize it?[/B]" Kendra asked him. Michael felt a little uncomfortable as all eyes turned towards him. "[B]Uh, I'm not sure, give me a moment to analyze it.[/B]" He turned back to his terminal and connected his own CCB and then downloaded the transmission to quickly run it through his recognition program. A moment later several possibilities shot back. "[B]It's not one of the known languages, however, based on the duration of the transmission and how it repeats itself every few minutes. It's most likely a distress beacon.[/B]" "[B]If you don't recognize it then how can you assume it's a distress beacon?[/B]" Nakeisha asked. "[B]Dr. Rhodes.[/B]" Kendra said warningly. "[B]It's simple Dr. Rhodes,[/B]" Michael answered her. "[B]Even if I do not recognize the language, standard distress beacons are similar in length and duration. And though I have not had a chance to analyze it completely yet, my language program indicates that there is a ninety percent probability that it is an ancient Creid's language. Based on that it's likely that it really is a distress beacon.[/B]" "[B]Wait, if it's unknown then how can you say it's likely an ancient Creid's language?[/B]" Nakeisha observed. "[B]It's only unknown in that we've yet to encounter it, but according to my recognition program there are similarities to several ancient dialects.[/B]" Michael explained. He turned his attention back to Kendra. "[B]I was observing the object as it turns and it appears that one section has writing on it, but at this distance I could not zoom in enough to get a clear picture. Is it possible to move a little closer? If it is some type of ship, or considering it's size perhaps a space station, then being able to see what that writing is would help me determine if it really is another ancient language among the Creid's people.[/B]" "[B]We'll need to wait on the Colonel before we get any closer, continue to analyze the transmission in the mean time.[/B]" Kendra turned back to what she was doing. Michael turned back to his own terminal, and started pulling up something else from his CCB. There were still a few other things he could do without needing to see the section of the object he had mentioned to Kendra.

[quote name='Darren;789042]Also, there's the money issue. Out of state tuition is crazy!!! Do you think I should go to a junior college for a year, set up my residency, and then transfer?[/QUOTE]That's a definite yes. It was never an issue for me since the University where I live has an excellent music program but still It's worth waiting on that residency since paying extra like that is not worth it.[QUOTE=Lunox'][font="trebuchet ms"] I'm still a senior in high school, but from what I've heard from most everybody (teachers, college students, etc.) is that SAT IIs aren't incredibly important. Colleges don't really care which subjects you choose to take them in, and if you break 600 on them you're fine. SAT IIs are usually used for placement purposes, and they're never going to make or break you when it comes to applications. And just remember financial aid. A lot of people I know don't put any faith in it, but sometimes it works. lol But anyways, I have a question. Do colleges care about AP exam scores? I've heard they do, and I've heard they couldn't give a rat's *** about them. [/font][/QUOTE]I think it depends on what college you go to since even though it's been a while, nearly six years since I started College, I had yet to take those tests and even marked on my application indicating that I would and yet I got my acceptance letter before the actual test date. I also didn't take any AP/Honors classes when I was in High School and that didn't matter either. I'm sure plenty of colleges are picky about it, but since the one I choose had an excellent program for what I wanted and they were not picky about it, that ended up not making any difference at all. Also, you are correct, financial aid, is useful, even if filling out all the forms is a royal pain in the rear. It's still definately worth checking into.

Like Aaryanna_Mom, I too thought it was another alteration. XP I swear! I never get anything right! lol Also, I'm thinking that you are right GuyYouMetOnline, at least about the love part. After what SunfallE just said I would imagine that by the time they found out, they loved their families too much to get rid of those who had mixed blood, so instead they worked on slowly getting rid of any traces of it. And considering how the families of the High Council do their own genetics, what with them having their own storage facility for their genetic code and all, it probably was pretty easy for them to do. And if I'm getting this correctly, it sounds like indepth testing like Crystal did is not the norm so chances of them being discovered was pretty slim. Though once the High Council was put under house arrest that left them in the position of someone finding out. So I'm guessing that one of the four faction leaders has information about that in their data vault that they won't give the access code for. Anyway, I swear SunfallE! I don't know how I managed to figure out who's character was who's in the final round of the Panopticon! I seem to be utterly clueless when it comes to figuring things out here. lol

Well just like others, my friends like to send me jokes via e-mail, so here's one I got last week. [B]Hillbilly Mirror [/B] After living in the remote wilderness of Kentucky all his life, an old hillbilly decided it was time to visit the big city. In one of the stores he picks up a mirror and looks in it. Not knowing what it was, he remarked, "How about that! Here's a picture of my daddy." He bought the 'picture,' but on the way home he remembered his wife, Lizzy, didn't like his father. So he hung it in the barn, and every morning before leaving for the fields, he would go there and look at it. Lizzy began to get suspicious of these many trips to the barn. One day after her husband left, she searched the barn and found the mirror. As she looked into the glass, she fumed, "So that's the ugly heifer he's runnin' around with."

I should have done this last week before school started. XP Sorry about that Crystia, I just kept getting sidetracked. Anyway... Since you haven't posted a reminder yet I'm gonna assume I can still get changed back. Heh. [CENTER]*******************************[/CENTER] It was not funny, there was just no getting around it. And the more offended Rachmaninoff, now known as Romona, looked as the other contestants who were a part of the Bermuda Triangle Mystery laughed at what had happened, the [I]harder [/I]they laughed. "[B]It's not funny![/B]" She said angrily as she stomped her foot on the floor. But her now feminine voice only caused both Gavin and BKstyles to collapse, laughing hard enough for a tear or two to run down their faces. "[B]Crystia![/B]" Rachmaninoff/Romona yelled. "[B]Just what the heck have you done! And how could you lose the antidote?[/B]" She threw her hands up into the air in disgust. indifference just held back a snicker, clearly amused over the situation. "[B]Now Romona,[/B]" she said as she barely kept the laughter in. "[B]You have a whole week to search for the antidote so there's no need to get worked up.[/B]" "[B]That's easy for you to say! You haven't been turned into a girl![/B]" indifference started to respond but Romona cut her off. "[B]Don't you dare remind me that you are a girl, you know what I mean.[/B]" She sighed, "[B]Please tell me you have some clue for me to go on? There are over 38,000 threads and over 600,000 posts. Even I couldn't go through each and every one in just a single week![/B]" "[B]Relax, Aaryanna and I do have a clue for you to go on. The antidote has apparently landed in something to do with your beginnings here at OtakuBoards. I would imagine that like Aaryanna_Mom it's probably in one of your own posts. Though we can't be certain.[/B]" Romona shot an irritated glance at indifference as well as glaring at Gavin and BKstyles who were still laughing and stalked out of the thread and back into the rest of OtakuBoards. "[B]Great,[/B]" she muttered to herself. "[B]I'm gonna need to check all of my own posts and hope it's there. Otherwise..."[/B] She looked at the sheer amount of threads and posts. "[B]This is gonna take forever.[/B]" Thinking it was best to start from the very beginning she went back to the first post she/he ever made, ignoring the glances and looks she was getting from other members. Including the ones greeting her like she was a new member. Which was understandable, after all she/he no longer looked like the guy she really was. [I]This is embarrassing. [/I] She thought as a few guys even whistled at her. [I]I've got to get changed back immediately![/I] The next couple of days she hunted frantically and yet as she got to the end of her posts, not one of them had the antidote. [I]Great! Now what? I don't know where else to look! [/I] Romona started pacing back and forth in the Otaku Lounge, trying to think of where else she could look. [I]It has to be here somewhere! [/I] Rachmaninoff/Romona was considering what to do next when suddenly it hit her! [I]Of course! That has to be it! [/I] Minutes later she was hunting through her pm's searching for the one that she had gotten just a few days before she had been turned into a girl. And sure enough, in the one where she had started as a moderator, the antidote was there. She/he breathed a sigh of relief as merely opening the pm up resulted in her changing back to Rachmaninoff. He closed the pm and went back over to the Community Events area. "[B]Note to self,[/B]" He said as he entered the area, still annoyed over what had happened. "[B]Never, [I]ever[/I]! Join an event hosted by Crystia again.[/B]"

[B]1.) Long or short[/B] Kind of in between actually. My hair isn't truly long, but it's not quite short either. Though most of the time it's short. I just need to go and get a haircut since it's been a while. [B]2.) Color[/B] Medium to dark brown. [B]3.) Have you dyed it?[/B] No. I've used temporary stuff that washes out for dressing up for things like Halloween. But I've never used something that was more permanent. I've just never seen the appeal to dying one's hair. [B]4.) If you have dyed it, what colors has it been?[/B] Well even though it wasn't a true dye I've had orange, blue, green, gray, etc. Just what ever worked for the costume I was wearing. And it wasn't even on for more than a day. [B]5.) What length do you prefer on the opposite sex?[/B] No preference really. I do like the look were it's somewhere between just past their shoulders to about half-way down their back. I like how it looks. But short is fine too. About the only thing I don't care for is the shaved look, it just looks odd on a woman.

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]I just love how you do her Shy, with her know it all attitude and making assumptions about what people are doing as well as their abilities. I can see that those two, her and Kendra, are going to be at odds for quite some time. lol :catgirl: [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]You and me both, I get the biggest kick out of Nakeisha. As well as how hyper Teresa is, I'm thinking she's just a grown up version of you Bethany. :p Anyway, now that I've been rpging longer it's easier for me to be creative, but I do like having objectives to a certain extent. And since I've got an idea in regards to that transmission Shy mentioned in his post I'll shoot off a pm to you Beth to see what you think. If you like it I'll work it in with my next post. Though that brings up another question, should I pm both you and BKstyles? [[SIZE="1"]or Matt if you don't mind me calling you that[/SIZE]] I've just got an idea as to the nature of what they have encountered, but knowing what it is would be necessary for what I have in mind. Regardless, I've sent you that pm Beth.

[quote name='Panda']I usually buy the Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon. It's my favorite scent to use during the warm months. It just smells "summery" to me. In the winter I like using their Warm Vanilla Sugar scent since it makes me think of baking for the holidays. As for hair product I usually use KMS products. [/QUOTE]My mom loves stuff from Bath & Body Works. I think she even has that Cucumber Melon one you're talking about. Anyway, for the most part I really don't care. So long as I'm clean I'm pretty indifferent to what type of soap or shampoo that I use. Though I don't like ones that have a more flowery scent. If it's going to have a smell to it I prefer that it be spices instead, or just a simple clean scent. As guy I just don't care for something that smells like roses or other flowers. For myself that is on a girl it's just fine. In the end I usually get something neutral like Dove and the same goes from shampoo. I think it's called Pantene Pro-V or something like that. Just their basic two in one type of deal where the conditioner is mixed in with the shampoo. It's what my parents used before I moved out on my own and since it works I stick with it. Deodorant is obviously a must, seriously that's kind of a big step in keeping that sweaty smell away. Especially when it's warm out. I use one called Sure. It doesn't have a heavy smell and it works well enough.

Dragonmanm2, first of all you really need to use something like word to double check your posts. Following what you were trying to say was a bit of a chore due to the grammar and spelling issues. Remember, use of proper spelling and grammar is important here at OtakuBoards. Doing so makes it easier for other members to understand what you are trying to say. So work on improving your posts please. Also, since this is really geared more towards anime I will be moving it to the Anime Lounge once I am done here. As for having a bad convention experience I couldn't say. I've yet to actually attend one, I'll be going to my first convention at the end of this month, so I'll find out what it's like soon enough.

I tried listening to the podcast over at theOtaku and truth be known, I didn't really care for it. Though since it's the only one I've listened to I'm sure there are some out there that are fun. In general though I usually don't listen to talk shows or radio shows either. So I'd probably have to really like the content to actually listen to one on a regular basis. Since in the end, I'd rather just read the content instead of listening to someone talking.

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman'][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]So now I have to ask the rest of you all. What do you think? Can you have a cultural heritage without being able to speak your ancestral tongue?[/color][/font][/QUOTE]Why not? Even though language is important, as you said later in the thread, there's a lot more to it than the language. Since things change, especially language, it's kind of pointless to say one has to maintain it in order to preserve their culture. By that reasoning, it's already long gone since the language is most likely not what it use to be. So though it's important, language isn't the end all when it comes to maintaining one's culture.

Heh, yeah, I'm curious about whether or not Kiva overheard that exchange or not too. Just as I'm also curious as to what's got Crystal so annoyed. Well besides the obvious results of the tests. XP Anyway, even Darren is confused and semi picking a fight with Sandra. Seeing how it's upsetting Kerstin is making him feel more charitable towards Daniel even though originally he didn't care about what happened.

Darren didn't know what else to do. Even though nothing was going to happen to Kerstin, it still didn't change how upset she was, especially once the news of Daniel's capture became official. He had not expected it to bother her so much and yet, considering what had happened, he could sort of understand, at least a little. The whole thing was irritating and confusing. On the one hand, Daniel was a Commander in the Resistance, he was responsible for what happened at Earth. Including the fact that a fair number of people had died. And yet his actions where Blaine were concerned were consistent with someone who cared about the welfare of others. And though he wished he had never found out, Darren knew exactly what had happened to Daniel when his father had been found out and his mother executed. Even he would be tempted to join the Resistance if something like that had happened to him. It just made what he was about to do next even harder. Talking to Sandra would not change anything, but it would feel rather strange since part of him did not care what happened and part of him did if only because of Kerstin. With a sigh, Darren pulled his thoughts together and finally pressed the panel to let Sandra know he was outside her quarters. He entered immediately and took the seat across from her desk when she motioned to it. "[B]I'd ask you why you wished to see me Darren, but Jared already explained what happened the other day. I hope you realize that regardless of what Daniel did on behalf of your sister, that does not change the fact that he has been part of the Resistance for well over a year, if not longer.[/B]" Darren just looked down at his hands and wondered why he bothered to come. "[B]I know that Sandra, just as I also know the details surrounding how his father was discovered, his mother executed and more than I care to know about his interrogation.[/B]" He looked back up. "[B]I guess I just don't understand why someone who had nothing to do with the resistance was executed in such a horrible manner and why such cruelty was allowed in the first place.[/B]" "[B]You mean his mother? Yes that is true, she was not connected, she only suspected that Daniel's father was involved. Though we've lightened up on that, or else Kerstin would be in trouble for keeping what she found to herself.[/B]" Sandra held up a hand to silence Darren when he started to speak. "[B]I can imagine what you are going to say and the answer must be no. Just as we will no longer be so strict with family members or others who are not truly involved, we will not hold people responsible for past interrogations or use what happened to them as a leverage for leniency towards those involved.[/B]" Darren just sighed, he knew this was what she would say, but still, some tiny part of him wished otherwise.[I] I'm such an idiot. Here I am, attempting to request leniency towards the one responsible for holding me against my will. [/I] "[B]I guess I just don't understand Sandra. People like Blaine have been getting away with stuff for decades if not centuries and yet until recently, nothing was done to put a stop to him. And yet people like Daniel and other Resistance members who got caught in the middle are instantly punished, even if they are innocent.[/B]" Darren stood up, intent on leaving. "[B]It's part of why I tried to stay neutral all these years, our government is corrupt and I hate it. Even if I've been able to help change a small part of that with my work as the Shipping Expert, we're still rotten to the core and you know it. If not for the recent changes even you would have been put to death.[/B]" Sandra stood up as well, walking around the desk until she was but a few feet from Darren. "[B]I'm well aware of that Darren,[/B]" She snapped at him. "[B]Don't you think I'd like to correct past injustices? It's just not that simple! It's hard enough getting people to accept letting someone like myself or Kerstin go free. They are use to punishing others, regardless if they deserve it or not and there are some who object to it.[/B]" Sandra leaned forward clearly becoming angry, "[B]You can't change how things are done so easily. If I were to try and force the issue and make a cry for leniency, it just won't work. You can't make too many changes at the same time, you have to wait for people to get use to the first change before you toss another one in there, and right now we've got far to many being pushed forward.[/B]" "[B]I know! I know![/B]" Darren exclaimed, and then he sighed. "[B]I already figured you couldn't do anything, but I had to say something.[/B]" He turned to leave but not before saying one last thing. "[B]Besides, what kind of brother would I be if I didn't try?[/B]" Whether or not Sandra said anything else, he didn't know. Darren just left her quarters and went back to his own. [I]What a waste of time.[/I] He thought as he fixed himself a drink. Later once he had calmed down a bit, he would go and check on Kerstin.

Heh, same here, though since I also teach... I'm just as guilty since I was handing out assignments the other day too. XP Though to be fair I was also getting them as well. Anyway, I'm not too worried about them getting the article up quickly. I'm sure Sandy will make sure to give us enough time to do the review if it's close to the deadline. Though I hope it's sooner than that. If only because I want to see how this challenge finally turns out.

For this I would have to say the [B]Harlock Saga[/B]. It's the only anime that had me hooked withing thirty seconds of the opening starting. As it says at wiki: [I]Harlock Saga is a six-part anime miniseries (three hours in total length) by Leiji Matsumoto. An adaptation of Der Ring des Nibelungen, it tells the story of space pirate Captain Harlock and his crew as they try to stop a man who has stolen gold from the center of the galaxy and forged it into a powerful ring.[/I] The part that pulled me into this was the music, I love how it uses the music from the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen written by Richard Wagner. They even used the performance of the music done by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra for the show. It really sets the mood for the anime perfectly. Obviously the anime doesn't even come close to being as rich as the original opera is, but I was fun to watch and though it's isn't my favorite it was still great. :)

The biggest thing I do for money is teach music lessons. It's not to bad since it is what I like to do. The only problem is that it's through the music program at my school since it's required for my education. So I don't get paid a lot and I have no choice over who my students are. It does pay well enough for me to live on, so I rarely keep a separate job since I really don't need it. But sometimes I wish I could choose who I teach, at least for the private lessons. There are a few stuck up brats who think an expensive instrument automatically makes you a good musician somehow and it gets old having them tell the faculty that it's your fault they aren't making as much progress as they think they should. It seems that the realization that one needs to actually practice is beyond those few brats.

Op. 1. Accelerando Alex was not expecting to find anything nor was he surprised when Lucia contacted him to let him know what Adrian had found out so far. And though neither one had said anything he was leaning towards thinking it was Aeru who was missing. Why he couldn't say, it was just a feeling. He ignored the coming of night since he was not affected by it. Unlike humans he did not require sleep. "I've been thinking Nall," Alex said as he suddenly came to a halt, hovering just above the pavement in front of the same school for children that Lucia had been in front of earlier that day. "Vampires have cheated death, so just how do we kill them? I'm assuming that like any human a scythe will do the job, but what if it doesn't? What then?" Nall just took off from his right shoulder to hover right in front of him, fixing him with a look as if it should be obvious. "I'll purify them myself, I'm a dragon remember?" Nall pointed out. Alex laughed, "Right, you never change out of your smaller form so I kind of forgot about that." Nall just rolled his eyes. "I swear Alex, sometimes you're as stupid as the humans are." "Hey! No need to be rude Nall!" Alex started to protest until he saw that Nall was laughing at him. "All right, all right! I get it. Still it's going to be a problem if I can't send them on their way." "I don't see that as a problem," Nall asserted. "I'd be more worried about them catching you like they did the missing Shinigami. If they can touch us, it stands to reason that they can hurt us as well." Alex didn't bother to answer that, it had already occurred to him. He wasn't about to say anything to Nall, but it made him nervous just to think about it. With a shrug he dismissed the feeling and started to take off, but then an odd sensation caught his attention. What the? He froze, turning towards the empty school, Nall doing the same. "Alex!" Nall hissed. "I know." Alex responded, still unsure as to what he was sensing. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. In a small way it reminded him of how another Shinigami felt. A sensation of being between two worlds. But at the same time it was clearly different. It took him a minute to realize what that difference was. And when he did... So Ruby was right, they do have an aura of something that has cheated death. He couldn't sense when their time to die was like he could with other humans. "Vampires." Alex said softly, he couldn't see where they were but it was clear that at least one was nearby. Without giving it much thought he went right through the closed gate to the school grounds, his scythe appearing in his right hand. "What are you doing Alex?" Nall cried out in alarm as he followed him. "We should tell the others! It's too dangerous to confront them alone." Alex came to a halt, turning to face Nall, "We need to learn more Nall, or we'll never find the missing Shinigami!" "I know that Alex, but if we can sense them..." "Then they can sense us as well." Alex nodded. "You're right we need to join the others." With a thought, he banished his scythe back to where it rested, waiting for him to call it forth. Then as Nall landed on his right shoulder he took off, heading at top speed towards where he was suppose to meet Lucia, moments later the aura he had felt faded as he left it behind.

Okay indifference, my post is up. Even if Kerstin isn't going to be arrested, I'm sure Jared will still be mean. It's what he does best right? :p Though if you manage to toss in the one option that SunfallE mentioned to me at the beginning of this part... I'm gonna smack you. [[SIZE="1"]Heh, I kid![/SIZE]]

Darren didn't know if he should be concerned or not. Kerstin had not shown up for dinner and though it was unlike her to miss something he wondered if she just needed a little more space to think about whatever was bothering her. He waited for a while, uncertain as to what to do and then he made up his mind to go and check on her. It just wasn't like her to not show up without saying a word. It didn't take Darren long to get to her quarters, she was in the same section as he was after all. But when he pressed the panel to let her know someone was there, no one responded. He was about to take out his hand held computer to request her location from the system when the door finally opened. Darren stepped inside to find Kerstin sitting on the sofa crying. Alarmed he rushed over to her side, taking a seat next to her. But before he could ask her what was wrong she started saying something about it being her fault. "[B]What are you talking about Kerstin?[/B]" Darren asked as he grasped her shoulders with his hands, getting her to turn and face him. "[B]What happened?[/B]" But she wasn't listening, "[B]It's my fault! I should have left it alone. I shouldn't have tried to find out who she was.[/B]" "[B]Kerstin! Who are you talking about?[/B]" Darren looked at her, wondering if he should call the doctor since it was apparent she wasn't listening to him. [I]What in the world is going on here?[/I] But then Kerstin looked at him as if she finally realized he was there. With a sob she threw herself into his arms and cried even harder. Confused Darren just held her until she calmed down a little and finally pulled away. "[B]They're going to arrest Daniel,[/B]" She finally explained. "[B]What? Why?[/B]" "[B]Because he's really Daniel Landers.[/B]" Kerstin said miserably. Darren just froze at the name. Daniel Timbers was really Daniel Landers? [I]Hell! [/I] No wonder Kerstin was so upset, but why did she think it was her fault? Surely she knew he was on the top of the most wanted list in the Versilan Empire. Hell, he was the one who had been responsible for what had happened on Earth. He would still be locked up in that tiny room if not for the Elite Specialist Kiva Salqarian. Darren started to speak and then stopped at Kerstin's pained expression. "[B]I don't understand,[/B]" Darren finally said. "[B]Why is it your fault? He is a member of the Resistance, that's not your fault.[/B]" But Kerstin just gave him a hurt look. "[B]I don't care if he's a member of the Resistance! Don't you see Darren? If he was really such a bad person why did he help me when Blaine was holding us prisoner?[/B]" "[B]I don't know, but that still doesn't explain why you think it's your fault they are going to arrest him.[/B]" Darren said, still confused. Kerstin just gave him an odd look and then told him what she had told Kiva, about the locket and the picture of Anna Landers, finishing with how Kiva had found out and confronted her earlier. "[B]I see,[/B]" Darren finally said. "[B]I'm sorry Kerstin. I don't know what to say.[/B]" Kerstin just looked away, "[B]It's not right Darren. I know he's a member of the Resistance, but it's still not right. They executed his mother just because her family was mixed up in the Resistance. They didn't care that she wasn't involved.[/B]" He didn't have an answer for that; everyone knew what happened to the family of Resistance members. Even if the policy was changing, it couldn't bring back those who had been killed. [I]No wonder she's been avoiding Jared[/I], he thought. After all that Daniel had done to protect her when Blaine was holding them... Darren shook his head, even if he didn't like the guy, once he had been taken to the Resistance's base on Earth, true to his word, nothing had happened to him. He had not been mistreated like Kerstin and Daniel had. "[B]I'm sorry.[/B]" He said again, not knowing what else to say. Personally he could care less if the guy was caught, but at the same time, after what he did to protect Kerstin. He could see why she was so upset. [I]What a mess.[/I]

[quote name='Sirius'][COLOR=#35425e][FONT="Palatino Linotype"]I'm pretty sure Sandy deleted his account. I just deleted mine and the link now displays the same message.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Interesting, but then then I've gotten the message that [B]no such user exists[/B] when someone has deleted their account before. Instead of the one indicating their profile is turned off.

People, this has been pretty civil so far, so lets not derail the thread by tossing in insults of, I hate you, your argument is stupid, your being equally as stupid or calling someone a hypocrite. It's not necessary, you can get your point across without that kind of stuff in there, so please do.

[quote name='Flagg'][SIZE="1"][B]I lost the argument to indifference and agreed that if sexual education is goin to be taught in school then homosexuality should be covered because we will never know if it will do any good unless we try. I bowed out and intended to stay out of this but I've seen some things that just made me think wow. I really can't believe that some of you think the majority of people who hate homosexuals hate them because they fear the unknown as humanity often does. I'll make it clear for you I guess. People don't like homosexuals because they personally think it is sick. You can't teach someone in school to get over that fact thus I think it would'nt make much difference to teach about it in school. Like I said before though indifference beat me with a simple statement. You never know until you try, doing nothing will get nothing done. I just don't understand how some of you can try to mask the problem though and say that it will all be solved with understanding. I look forward to the kinda responses I get from this lol :animeswea[/B][/SIZE][/QUOTE]Oh there's no need to stay out of it if you see another point that you want to discuss. ;) And part of what I'm going to say will tie into what indifference is talking about. Even if people think homosexuality is sick, learning more about it can help to foster tolerance instead of outright hatred, and that's really what school is about, giving people more than word of mouth or hearsay to go on. And yes, more than religious beliefs since we live in a world with lots of different views in that respect. I don't think people are expecting them to get over it or somehow start thinking it's normal. And rest assured it's not meant to mask it or think understanding will make it go away, but like Aaryanna mentioned, in Utah, the misconception that people learn to be gay is common. So until you try to get people to think that it might be the way they are, nothing will change. And its sad to see them shunning a part of society over their sexual preference. It's all about having all the possibilities out there and letting people decide for themselves what they choose to believe. Right now the usual move is to not discuss it, to not teach about it and to preach that it's a sin. Well at least here that's the case and though I no longer attend church, the one I was born and raised in would even cast you out if you didn't change and become straight. >_< So just as you find it hard to believe that some of us think more understanding will help, I don't understand why people think it's useless to even try. I mean, I could understand that statement if we did teach it, but we don't. And in my opinion if that education helps even just a little, to cut down on the hatred or misunderstandings, it's worth it.

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]....did you... read the ch 2 underground post.... at all? O_o......[/COLOR][/QUOTE]Of course, but the amount of lyrics in your actual post seemed a bit short so I wanted to make sure there wasn't more to the song that you hadn't woven into the post. ;)

They're still a metal band though, and sorry...I didn't like it. >_< I did look up the lyrics though since it seems knowing them is suppose to be a clue. Besides, if you're curious as to what I do like, go and check out my post on what one is listening to. I added a link to the piece I listed. It's not the full performance, but it has the parts I listed as being my favorites. Though if that sort of thing doesn't interest you, you probably won't like it.

At this moment I'm listening to the [B]Vltava[/B] from [B]Ma vlast[/B] by[B] Smetana[/B]. It's a fantastic short piece that is written like a symphonic poem or rather is one of six that was written to represent aspects of Bohemia's landscape and history. In this piece, Smetana uses tone painting to evoke the sounds of one of Bohemia's great rivers. In his own words: The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St. John's Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Elbe. The piece contains Smetana's most famous tune. It is an adaptation of an ancient folk song of indeterminate origin, which is also the basis for the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva. Smetana probably adapted the melody from a Swedish version called Ack, Värmeland. [[SIZE="1"]thanks to wiki for the information since I'm too lazy to go and get it out of my music history books XP[/SIZE]] Basically it's just one of those pieces that I never get tired of listening to. My favorite parts are where the two smaller streams join together, it's expressive and moving to listen to as it really does sound like one is standing next to a river. I also love the part where it's supposedly going past a wedding as well, the flavor of a wedding march playing is beautifully woven into the overall piece. [B]EDIT:[/B] This isn't the entire piece, but it's enough to give you an idea of what it's like. If you haven't heard this before that is. [URL="http://youtube.com/watch?v=LlLPLO90fSk"][U]Link[/U][/URL]