BlueMoon

Truly, in battle, there is no greater weapon than something ridiculous. Then you can kill your enemies with laughter. Failing that, there's always the mighty Thor but I say that should remain under wraps. Although in all seriousness, my favorite weapon has always been the swallow from Chrono Cross. Anything flashy and awesome. Or a cane. Someone mentioned a cane gun but really, nothing like beating down an attacker with a cane, old man style. No one messes with old people. [SIZE=1]Except in comic books, where they make a handy plot device[/SIZE]

This year, without a doubt, I'm psyched about Youmacon. It's a convention in Detroit and this is going to be its third year. It's not very big yet but it's already attracted some big names as far as voice actors and guests go. It was my first con and still the only one I've gone to (both years) but it's wonderful. Actually, I really love this convention. It's been nothing but fun, with great panels, good choices on the video rooms, an artist alley, nice dealer's room...but I'd have to say the best thing is that overall, there's not much drama and the staff is great. One of my favorite moments of that convention was sitting in the lounge with my friends, listening to the Spoony Bards play music and watching the cosplayers walk around happily. I really don't have anything negative to say about it. And what can I say? Last year they had a live MSTing and it was a blast. This year I'm actually thinking of cosplaying. As much as I would love to go to Anime North or ACEN, it's just too much money. I'd rather put all my efforts towards this con. So Youmacon is it for me. As a sort of sentimental side note, this year's Youmacon will be my first away from home. (University in the fall and all) So it'll also be nice to gather with my friends again somewhere familiar and just relax.

So, I was listening to some music last night and it occured to me that some areas (be it a local region or a country in particular) seem to produce music that I'm more likely to gravitate towards. Whether it's the language or something about the sound, I'm not sure. But I do seem to gather music by regions. So what regions do you find produce the best bands? Or at least ones you love the most. It could be your hometown or a nation in general or anything in between. For me, I noticed that there's something about bands from Finland that draw me in. Loituma, PMMP, CMX, Apocalyptica, Sunrise Avenue, Värttinä, The Rasmus... They're all pretty different, too. Loituma and Värttinä being folk bands and PMMP a girl band while Sunrise Avenue is normal, pop-ish stuff. Although it seems like a lot of Scandinavian music in general is pretty awesome (Leaves' Eyes and Garmarna being good examples).

Ahh, why not? Name: Mama Real Name: Sheryal Age: I always guess too low but I know it's 40's Height: Shorter than me, mwhahaha Hair: Constantly changing shades of brown-blond-red Eyes: Brown Wow, let's see. My mama works at the local hospital. She's a supervisor in the kitchen, so she's the one making sure everyone is getting the proper food for their diets and watching the staff. She really dislikes her job because there's a lot of drama and they don't pay her enough. She was born in Detroit somewhere and moved around a lot when she was a kid. I'm pretty sure she stayed in Dearborn the longest. She has three sisters, I think, and a brother. This shows you how close we are to the extended family. Her mom is also my only living grandparent and lives in Lansing (Michigan as well). They weren't close until recently. Mama was much closer to my dad's mom but she died a few years ago. She married my dad pretty young but they didn't have me for awhile. Up until a few years ago, they've always had to work several jobs to make ends meet but things about much more stable since we moved. Um, nifty facts! I got most of my looks from my dad, Irish/German heritage. My mom, meanwhile, is often asked if she has any Mexican in her because of her complexion. Actually, it's Apache. We're pretty proud of that and before my grandparents died, we used to celebrate it. Mama is also really good at cooking and very friendly, to the point where usually my friends end up adopting her. She likes taking care of people and although she has her pitfalls, she tries to correct them. She's also pretty supportive of me.

Personally, while I think prostitution should be legalized, I think it would need to be regulated just like any other job. It's like what r2vq said. So long as the brothels were treated as any other work place, with safety guidelines and protection measures, then I don't see a problem. What I do have a problem with is the street walking variety. I think in my idealized little image of this, with the legalization of brothel prostitution, street walking would be illegal. Street walking, to me, presents far more problems and risks of sex trafficking and the like. So when I say I'm for the legalization of prostitution, I mean something like what the brothels of Nevada have.

I don't think the problem is that the joke was offensive, just that it was incorrect. The joke could have been funnier if it played more off facts. At any rate, I enjoy Dane Cook. I don't like all his stuff and I think the HBO special he did was pretty weak. I think the fame is going to his head a bit, since his older stuff just seems funnier. But I must say, there's something about the Heist/Monkey skit that kills me every time. I do agree with a few other posters, though, about Mitch Hedberg being better. His delivery was something else.

[U][B]Character Information:[/B][/U] [B]Name:[/B] Shay-Aksel Kavanagh [B]Age:[/B] 27 [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/sagekaley/_b_o_m_b_e_r__c_a_r_d__by_nairchan.jpg]Picture here[/URL] (Belongs to Nairchan on deviantart) [B]Resistance:[/B] Validus [B]Weapon: [/B] Twin dirks for fighting, although he keeps a stiletto hidden Spells: [I]Tantus Fluctus [Attack]- [/I] Wind Based. Sends out a fast waves of cutting wind that slam into enemies with great force. [I]Durus Depulso [Defense]- [/I] Wind Based. Creates small, relatively harmless whirlwinds to blow back enemies or objects. [I]Fluo Sensus [Support]- [/I] Wind Based. Brings in sounds and smells from great distances on the breeze. Can warn of incoming people, fires, towns, and so forth. [B]Personality: [/B] Shay isn?t exactly the friendliest guy around, although it?s not always easy to tell. When he?s in ?business? mode, he can be charming and kind, a perfect gentleman. But if he feels he has nothing to gain by winning someone over, he?ll happily revert to his usual selfish ways. This selfish side of him is his true self. Arrogant, snarky and rude, Shay treats others as simply means to an end. Ideas like ?love? and ?friendship? are foreign to him, although dig a little deeper and you?ll find that he can be fiercely loyal if someone manages to get past the cool exterior. In fact, he has one simple rule: Don?t mess with Emer or else. Even so, he doesn?t like direct confrontations and would rather use cheating or ambushes instead of direct conflict. Shay is also a gambling man, enjoying bets over even the most trivial of things. He also has an oral fixation and can be seen smoking rolled leaves or chewing on hay or thin twigs at all times. Sometimes he's a bit of a flirt, too, but he claims it's all part of his charm. [U][B]Dragon Information:[/B][/U] [B]Name: [/B] Emer [B]Color: [/B] Blue [B]Appearance: [/B] [URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/sagekaley/Ubiquitous_Light_by_Nambroth.jpg]Picture here[/URL] The top blue dragon; Belongs to Nambroth on Deviantart [B]Personality:[/B] Emer, unlike Shay, is openly friendly. Emer is articulate and easy-going, although she isn?t afraid to voice her opinion and won?t back down if she feels something is wrong. She can be talkative, although she is shy at first but quickly loosens up. Emer is also very close to Shay, probably the one person who is. She knows that most of him, from the gentleman routine to the arrogance, is for show and is the only one able to tell him to shut up and get away with it. She enjoys poking fun at him and sometimes takes on an almost motherly role of scolding him and trying to keep him on the right path. She?s mildly disappointed that the ?right path? in his mind is usually immoral. Aside from bothering Shay, she also enjoys food and considers herself knowledgeable in the art of cooking, even if she?s never done it. [B]Bio/Snippet: [/B] Recon. It was both right up Shay?s alley and a chore that he despised. Oh, sure, he preferred hanging back in the shadows and watching to getting his hands bloody in battle but unless something was happening, it was boring. This mission wasn?t changing his mind, either. Today Shay and Emer were in just inside a thick forest outside of one of the biggest Legion camps of the east. Sabian Deimos himself was inspecting the troops this week and it was Shay?s job to gather information from the visit. So far, all he had gathered was that the troops were morons. Watching them practice, he idly thought it?d be easy to simply stab a few in the back. They wouldn?t notice. ?Do you sense anything, Shay?? he heard Emer ask. Emer, being a rather large dragon, had to hide farther in the forest when the shadows blended with her scales. With a sigh, he stretched out his hand. His bond with Emer pulsed in his blood, touching the wind magic within him. ?Fluo Sensus,? muttered Shay. Instantly, breezes from all across the valley came to him. Voices and smells assaulted his senses but he?d gotten used to this part. It only took a moment to confirm that all the data was useless. Shay stepped away from the cliff and shrugged. ?All I can tell is that there are a bunch of idiots who can?t tell which end of the sword faces the enemy. But the head moron hasn?t shown his face yet.? ?Then we wait,? Emer said simply. ?Might as well just sit down and relax until Deimos arrives.? Shay ran a hand through messy blond hair and shook his head. He sat down on a stump under Emer and pulled some leaves and herbs from a pocket in his tunic. As he rolled them tightly together, his thoughts drifted to the valley below them. It was a lot like the one back home, if you could call that place a home. Dumped off to fend for himself, the green grass plains looked a lot less nice to a lonely child. It was always just him. Shay by himself, Shay abandoned, Shay sent away. Hell, he was pretty sure he was picked for recon so the others could take a break from him. He paused, looking down at the rolled leaves. He held them up to Emer with a sigh. ?You know, it figures. I forgot to bring something to light them with.? Shay groaned, giving a small laugh. ?Just figures, you know? We?re out in the middle of nowhere and I don?t-? Shay was interrupted by a short stream of fire knocking the roll from his fingers. He glanced up at Emer and caught a grin on her scaly face. ?What are you talking about? You have me around,? she said with a smirk. ?I won?t let you forget it.? ?How can I forget the big blue serpent?? Shay rolled his eyes, scooping up the charred remains of the herbs. But his lips had to resist twitching into a smile. It wasn?t just Shay by himself anymore. Emer wouldn?t let him forget that and, for once, Shay was happy to be reminded.