Soliel

[COLOR=GREEN]Well, now I understand :sweat: Now that I think about it, this is exactly what I've been warning my mother about concerning my brother. Though he hasn't stolen anything of this grandre, he has committed several illegal acts (and he's only 16). He tends to think he can get away with anything and can walk all over my poor mother. I keep warning her if she doesn't inflick some stick disipline on him, he'll end up getting into major trouble one day, much like your brother has. I don't know why parents are more laxed with their younger children then their older ones. Anyways, I think if this behavior isn't nipped in the bud, then I guess the only thing left to do is to use "tough love." You have to figure out some way to get him and not your parents to pay back (and then some) the money he stold from you.[/COLOR]

[quote name='Panda']All my pets have their own Christmas stockings with their names on them. They all get presents under the tree and in their stockings. Treats, new toys and sometimes new collars. [/quote] [COLOR=GREEN]Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about my pets having their own stockings and getting presents. I have a total of 4 dogs and 2 cats. of course, they're spread out between my mom's house and my dad's house. The two dogs at my mom's house (also the two oldest) have always had stockings and get presents every Christmas we've had them. The two dogs and two cats at my dad's house, until last year didn't have any stockings; for some odd reason we didn't hang stockings at my dad's house. Then last year, "Santa Claus", [SPOILER]aka- me[/SPOILER] left everyone new stockings, including the dogs, Sadie and Harley, and the cats, Sandy and Suri. Everyone was really surprised, especially my little brother.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Okay. As you can tell by the title, this thread is about any pets you guys have and any ties they might have to the holiday season. Have you ever recieved a pet as a present? Or do you do anything interesting with your pets for the holidays? I was also wandering if anyone's pets, besides mine, have any interesting querks that they display around this time of year. For me, two of my 6 pets (one of my dogs and one of my cats) have strange Christmas habits, both of which involve our Christmas tree. My dog, ever since she was a puppy, likes to think she owns the tree. She sleeps under it on the tree skirt and will even push the presents underneth it away so that she has room. My cat's habit is a bit more distructive. She will climb up in it, knocking down ornaments as she goes. To this day, the tree at my dad's house can't have lights or any fragile ornaments. Well, that's what my animals do. What about you guys?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Hum... I can see why you'd be confused about something like this. If my brother did something like that, I would feel ify about pressing charges too. I guess my opinion really depends on your brother. If he's done stuff like this before (and it sounds like he has), and doesn't seem like he'll learn his lesson unless something drastic is taken, I would take your husband's advice and press charges. But if you don't want to go to that extreme, I suggest solving the matter among your family. For example, have your brother pay back the money plus intrests and/or have him do work around your home without pay. I guess the reason I'm unsure to just jump to saying you should press charges is that he's family, and besides the whole "loving your family" deal, family disputes bring to mind episodes of Jerry Springer and some of those TV court shows; not a pretty picture :bash: [/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Well this is my first (successful) attempt at making a banner using Photoshop. I first got the software back in August and have been playing around with it in my spare time. Since it's the winter holiday season and I've been lacking in a banner for the past few weeks, I figured a holiday banner the right way to go with this one. So for my first try, what do you think?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN] Well, this year is kind of weird for me. For the first time in ages, I don't know what exactly what I'm getting. You see this year I didn't really ask for a "big" present, just a lengthy list of exact titles and volume numbers of various anime and manga. I do know my mom is getting me a subscription to New Type USA magazine, but besides that I don't know what she'll get me. As for the best present, that would have to be a Lite Brite when I was 6 years old. I remember that was the only thing I wanted that year and I swore if I didn't get it I would stop believing in Santa right then and there. Worst present; when I was 12 I got this really stupid barbi themed toy CD player, you know, the ones that don't use real CDs. This wouldn't have been so bad if I did already have a real CD player stereo which I'd gotten almost 2 years earlier for my birthday.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]This looks pretty cool; I love Christmas :D [B]Name:[/B] Amy Kennings [B]Age:[/B] 18 [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Country:[/B] United States [B]Bio:[/B] [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://images.animezone.co.uk/albums/userpics/normal_mia_winter.jpg]pic[/URL] minus the ears, tail, and wings [B]Personality:[/B] Amy can be really shy at first, but once she gets to know someone, she can be very friendly and gets along with most people. I'll fill in the bio later.[/COLOR]

OCC~ Hum.. I've noticed that recently in the RPGs that I'm in, other people seem to be using my characters in the plotlines of their post. Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended by this in any way. On the contrary, I'm flatered that people are achknoledging my characters when in past RPGs I've been in, both on and off of OB, people kind of ignored my characters. Sorry, I just thought I'd share my obsevation before I continue :D ------------------ [COLOR=GREEN]"Go!" Joe slammed his foot on the gas petal as soon as Azufe had shouted the order. The two vehicals immediately took off across the baren terrain, and not a moment too soon, since a hail of fire from the ememy digimon had just desimated the growd the vehicals had been on seconds earlier. "Come on guys!" Joe shouted from the driver's seat, "Feel free to fire away anytime now!" Paul, Zeke, and Tairu didn't need to be told twice. Paul began firing at them with his machine gun from the front seat. Meanwhile, Tairu fired the rocket launcher while Zeke fired her gun at the onslaught of digimon. All seemed to be going well with the group staying just out of reach of their attacks. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a Birdramon swooped down on them for a surprise attack. Paul quickly took it out, but not before it could create a firey blockade directly in their path, and they were going much too fast to stop. [I]Hope this works,[/I] Joe thought to himself, biting his lower lip. He grabbed the streaing wheel and turned sharply to the left. The sudden turn in the loose dirt caused it to go flying onto the flames before them, dowsing them just enough for them to drive through. After completeing the donut manuvare, Joe quickly drove through the gap in the flames and spead up quickly to rejoin the other group.[/COLOR] ------------- OCC~ I hope that wasn't too bad :sweat:

[COLOR=GREEN]Well, I just saw Full Metal Alchemist for the first time Sat night on AS. (I know, pretty pathetic :sweat: ) The only reason I hadn't seen it yet up to this point was first contributed to lack of interest, when I first heard about FMA, I didn't even know what the word "alchemist" meant, plus the title just didn't seem interesting to me. Then about six months ago, I had the opertunity to get the first volume subbed, but I didn't have the money to shell out at the time. After seeing so much promotion for the series in the past few months, it began to draw my interest, since from the promos, it looked like a pretty good show. When I finally got to see the first ep on sat, FMA was quickly put on my favorite anime list; mind you, this is a pretty long list, but FMA is on the top ten. It takes a pretty amazing series to hook me in the first episode since not many have succeeded (at this point, only Wolf's Rain and Angel Sanctuary). I'm sorry I can't post more about the series itself just yet, since I've only seen the first ep, but so far Al would have to be one of my favorite characters. I don't know, but I always seem to favor the really inocent ones or the ones borderlining on evil, Alphonse obviously being to former of the two. I also find it amusing how his small voice can come from that menising suit of armor. Winry also seems like an interesting character (from what I've read about her in character bios), though I'll probibly get a better opinion of her once I've seen her introduced in the show. Well, I guess I'll post more on this thread once I've seen more of the series :D [/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]The group was silent for a few moments before Arora finally spoke up. "Well," she started off, "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I think we should talk more about this whole thing somewhere else, perhaps a place a bit more privet." She looked at the other girls for any signs of feedback. "What about your place?" suggested Sarah, "I mean, there's a lot of space and not many people visit the shrine." "Shrine?" asked Ailiyah, looking puzzled. "Yeah, Arora's family takes care of the Shinto temple shrine near my house," Sarah answered then turning back to Arora, "Well, Arora, would that be okay?" "Um, I guess so," she said thinking, "I'll have to call my mom, though, and let her know we're coming. She kind of gets upset if I bring over guests without telling her." She then looked to the rest of the group, "Does that sound alright with everyone?"[/COLOR]

[quote name='Pumpkin][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Wow obviously you've never visited a factory or known someone who works with them. You think they say they do everything they state? No. Many bend the rules in so many ways. You should go to where they slaughter cows, half the time they arnt all the way sedated, sheep too, if you heard the screams i have you would think twice about that. But anyways, I think its wrong to blame PETA or anyone who is passionate about the way food is processed. First of all, its because the animals are treated like garbage and not handled with any proper care, which is secondly can be bad for your health because they dont even make the chicken properly. I don't think any animal should be throw around or slaughtered while being alive like that. I have to say I get everything Baron was saying, would if someone slaughtered your cat and just said "Well it was going to die anyway?" and ate it. Yeah you'd feel pretty disgusted right. I dont have anything against meat products either and not trying to encourage everyone to go vegetarian or anything, I think its more of the fact they want the horrible way of slaughtering to stop, cause in a way we are more like animals ourselves. We treat them in a in-humane way. [/FONT'][/SIZE][/quote] [COLOR=GREEN]Um, actually I have witnessed slaughters before. There is a meat production plant right on my university's campus, and witnessing how they work is required by my major. I'm sorry if I come off sounding arrogant, but maybe you misunderstood my last post on this thread. I was not trying to demean PETA or any other such organizations. And I'm not one of those backwards country hicks who finds the HSA a nusance. In a way, it gives me peace of mind knowing that an animal shouldn't suffer before it's killed. All I was saying was that people shouldn't see extreme situations such as animal abuse as a norm for meat production. Yes, abuse does happen, I'm not saying it doesn't, but these situations are rare and illegal and should be reported to organizations such as USDA. Okay, sorry I had to get that ranting out of my system.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Joe hung back as the other agents and their digimon partners lept into action. With his speed and stelth, his strangths lied more in a surprise attack. "Let's save you energy for when it's needed, Terriermon," he said turning to his partner. He looked over to where Tairu and Angewomon were fighting. Joe pulled out his own gun and adjusted the setting to a higher level. Just then a huge blast shook the area. Aurora had let Myotismon get a little too careless with deflecting an attack by one of the Lilymon. Joe went to join Tairu a few yards away. "Are they nuts?" he mumbled to her, "They're being way to reckless." "They're probibly trying to show off," Tairu repsonded not turning to face Joe, but keeping her eyes on the remaining Lilymon, waiting for one of them to fly within firing range. He could see that Tairu was getting drawn into her work again. She often did this as a way of not letting herself show any sort of emotion. Joe shugged off this everyday sort of obsevation and put his focus back on the battle.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Okay, I've definately been there with the whole parents feeling like you could do better and crap. My mother would always push me to try harder in school, and it would always make me so mad that she wouldn't push my brother as hard as she pushed me. It drove me to the point that I wanted to go to a school five hours away from where I live (that's the furthest I could go without leaving the state). Now that I've been away from my family for over two months, I've relized the only reason that my mom pushed me harder is because she knew I had more potential (I took all honors classes in hs and my brother is in mostly basic classes). Now I'm not saying that all parents completely understand the troubles their teenage kids face; I'm not willing to give middle-aged adults that much credit, but this may help to explain why they give you so much grief about school work and stuff. As for the whole 'is high school/college easier?' argument, college can go at your own pace and all schools are different as far as how much help is offered, this usually has something to do with student population size: smaller schools tend to offer more help. Another factor is the quality of your high school. The United States has some of the best public colleges in the world, but also some of the worst public schools. If you came out of a public high school as opposed to a privet school, you're more likely to feel like college is harder. Of course this is only on average, I've seen some public schools that are better than some privet ones.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Hum... Maybe something along the lines of how a plant reacts to certain chemicals such as soap, salt, or fertilizer. Bugs work for this kind of thing too. On a side note, if I submit any other ideas, they'll most likely be Biology related as well, since that is the field of my major. If it has to be something else, like Chemistry of Physics, let me know.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Okay, I'm currently taking an Animal Science class and have been learning about food animal production. First off, chickens are going to make a fuss, even if you just walk up to them in a hen house (my friend lives on a farm and I've helped her collect eggs before). Also there is a legal document known as the Humane Slauter Act. I don't think many people know about this, especially some extremist animal rights supporters (no offence to the vegitarians out there). I'm not sure how this applies to poultry, but it states that unless an animal is being used in a sacrafical slauter, it must be rendered unconcious prior to death. In no case can an animal be skinned or ripped open alive. So try not to believe the stories that say that all meat packing plants just stick a cow on a convaer belt and start hacking away at its flesh. Just thought I'd lay that myth to rest. As for your story, chobit, nothing can be done about chickens making noise, that is not considered lines for abuse. But the rest of it, if it's true, would be in violation of the HSA and should not be seen as a typical poultry processing plant.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]"Where are you Mr. Hankey?" Sorry, tired from classes, couldn't think of anything better :sleep: [/COLOR]

OCC~ Arg! The internet went out in my dorm room again. I had to go to the student center to get acess and post. Sorry I haven't been around in a while. :sweat: --------------- [COLOR=GREEN]Arora picked herself off the floor after the explosion. She watched in awe as the other girls quickly sprung into action, fighting off this strange, new enemy. She began to fell a great want to help them; she wanted to fight. Suddenly, the symbol for Mars which had been steadily growing brighter on her forehead, began to burn with a siering pain. It was at that very moment that her own transforming pendant, a gold tag with the symbol for Mars imblazened in red on it, appeared before her. Without hesitation, Arora grabbed it and was instantly ingulfed in a flaming red glow. When it finally disapated, she had become Sailor Mars. A golden bow appeared in her left hand. Confidant and eagar to fight, she quickly jumed into the street to help the others.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]It's kind of wierd with me and the schools I went to. When I was younger (high school freshman), the only groups that fit their streotypical profile were the jocks and cheerleaders. The guys on the football team always acted like they ruled the school (even though the team sucked and never won a game), and the cheerleaders always acted really snobby and mean to everyone else. All of the other social groups got along fine with each other. Now at the school I graduated from about five months ago, no one really fell into a stereotypical group. Well, there were social classes to an extent, but I guess by the time I got settled at that school, I sort of reached the point where it didn't matter anymore, because I was good friends with a whole lot of different people. I guess the only thing that really served as a divider for people was inteligence level. What I mean by this is that I had mostly honors level classes so I mostly hung out with other people who were in honors classes. I usually didn't see too many people in basic or speical ed level classes.[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Epitome][size=1]My mom just told me that I could most likely get a permanent one that I wouldnt have to worry about putting it in and out. So Im thinking about doing that because I will be able to talk regularly(sp?) all the time, and plus I wont have to worry about losing it or breaking it, etc. But for now, I have to wear this thing called a Pre-Finisher. Its basically a Mouth Guard that makes sure my teeth dont shift from now until I get my actual retainer. Its really annoying because you cant talk at all with it in your mouth, so. But I only have to wear this for 2 months and I dont have to wear it all the time which is good. Only 4 hours in the day after school and when I sleep. So its not too bad... yet.[/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR=GREEN]Yeah, the perminant one is less of a hassle than the removable ones. At this point, I sometimes even forget I have it on. I just gets kind of annoying since I can't floss the teeth that it's attached to and my dentist always gets on my case about it :mad: [/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Tairu waisted no time in hesitation as she grabbed her digivice from her vest pocket. She looked down at Salamon. "You ready," she said with a slight smerk on her face. Salamon returned the grin, "Oh, yeah." And with that, Tairu pressed the left button on her digivice. Salamon instantly became inveloped in a bright light and as it faded, a figure that was much different from Salamon came into view. She was an angelic digimon that radiated a soft, pale-pink light. "Let's do this, Angewomon," she nodded at Tairu, who had already pulled out her gun just in case she needed back up, but that seemed unlikely at this point. They turned to face the enemy, only to see that one of the Lilymon was already swooping in for an attack. Angewomon pulled back the golden twine attached to the bow on her arm and a glowing arrow of light appeared on it. "Celestial Arrow!" she shouted, firing the arrow at the oncoming digimon. It made a direct hit, pushing the Lilymon back several feet. Tairu stood to the side, watching the action, ready to jump in as soon as her digimon needed her help.[/COLOR] ----------------- OCC~ Sorry, I couldn't think of anything to write; I hope this isn't too bad :sweat:

[COLOR=GREEN]I'd go with a character who has similar features to yours. For example, if you have dark hair, then Misao or [SPOILER]Blue[/SPOILER] would be a good choice. However, if your hair is lighter, then [SPOILER]Kagali[/SPOILER] from Gundum Seed would be better. I find it best to go with your natural hair color, or at least close to it, for your first cos-play attemt. Well, I hope this helps, and good luck with your costume.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]I symathise with you about your brothers, I also have two younger ones and also one older one. Hum... let me see. What else gets me POed. Well I have to go with stupid people in general, espeically the ones who think they're smart or know what's going on, but really don't. I seem to encounter a lot of people like this, espeically, among my brothers' friends, but maybe I just have high standards for people :p Oh, and also, people who take the Bible at face value, who think everythingwritten in it should be taken literally. I think that's about it for me... :D [/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]Okay, I say, "YES", gay marrages should be allowed. First, I want to reinerate what Lalaith Ril said about seporation of church and state. We should never, under any circumstances let religious preferences get in the way of making disissions about our government and fellow citizens. The First Amendment guarentee's the American people the freedom of religion; and I also believe this includes the freedom of lifestyle choice. What I saying here, is that regardless of your personal opinion, a choice should never be made to regulate someone else's rights unless their rights infringe upon your own, and I don't see anyone getting hurt by a gay couple getting married. I hate the fact that the president seems to back up some of his actions with religious ideals and the people praise him. Yet, when a judge wants to keep a statue of the Ten Commandments in his court house, we all start sceaming about "seporation of church and state." The bad thing is, the president's actions affect us a whole lot more than some lame statue. Second, I have always seen marrage, in this day and age, as a bond between two people who love each other, whether they be man and woman, two men, or two women. I believe this is a very good way to view the term "marrage" in this day and age, and to look at it in a more traditional sense would only inhibit progress, but hey, this is only my opinion. Third, I think most of the oposision to gay marrage stems from an oposision to homosexuality in general. Many view it as a sin that God looks down upon and that proof of this is in the Bible. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that it is a sin to love someone of the same sex. Now, before you accuse me of being an Atheist and denouncing the Bible, let me just say that I'm a Roman Catholic and I believe in my religion (most of it at least). Now it was actually my 11th grade religion teacher who pointed this out to me, and he was the campus minister of the catholic school I went to. There is a portion of the Bible that tells a story of a group of stangers who come to visit Abraham (I think), and he takes them in. Then some of the men of the town come knocking on Abraham's door, demanding that they take the stangers away to go sleep with them. Now time was a LOT different back then. Back then, men would sleep with other men to show dominance. This is a simple animal instint, and the purpose of this story was to show that we, as humans, are above lower animals in that we are gifted with reason, and it also condenms lecherous gread. The only reason that it may say that men sleeping with other men is a sin is that they believed their was no other reason then this for two men to partake in such an act. Now my fouth and final point I want to make is about right infringment. Some of you may think that marrage is a religious act, but in today's society, it is a legal contract. Now, I live in Louisiana, a state where an amendment was passed just last month, banning same-sex marrages. I was absolutly apaled by the fact that not only did it pass, but with an overwelming majority. For one thing, saying that a certain group of people are forbidon from doing something that really doesn't hurt anyone else looks really bad. Second, this perticular amendment banned civil unions as well and also has some things about tax exempt status. Basicly if a same-sex couple wanted to start a family, tax wise they wouldn't be treated the same because the state wouldn't recognise their marrage. So basically, this whole thing boils down to my final opinion: That banning gay marrage will only lead to further persicution of homosexuals and causes us to take several steps backwards on the way to having true equality and freedom.[/COLOR]

OCC~ Arg... sorry for taking so long again, school's been like hell this week. Thank goodness for weekends though... ------------------- [COLOR=GREEN]Tairu began to investigate a distant part of the ruins. Nothing apeared to be too out of place, but her experience had taught her that not everything is as it seems on the surface. Just then she heard a small rock fall and tumble across the rough ground. On inpulse she pulled out her gun and pointed it in the direction of the sound. It was only Joe, who happened to be nearby, and mearly kicked a stone out of shear bordom. "You seem a bit high-strung today," remarked Salamon. "Sorry," Tairu said in a withdrawn tone, "I just feel like something big is going to happen. I've been on edge since we go here. You really can't blame me for that." "Yeah, but I can blame you for nearly blasting my head off," yelled Joe, who had seen her whip the gun out at him and was now walking over towards her. Tairu turned to him, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry," she turn back away, "We should get back to looking for clues." Joe looked again at the worn expression she always seemed to wear. The smile was gone. [I]Did she just smile?[/I] he asked himself as she walked away. Just then, he heard Halkmon telling everyone that Azufe has found something in the chamber. Joe would have to contemplate Tairu's state of mind later, as he and Terriermon headed towards the chamber entrance with the others.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREEN]The bell had finally rung and Arora quickly gathered her books and started to head out the classroom door when her teacher stopped her. "Arora, hold on for a moment," she turned to face her teacher, Ms. Kizaka. "Are you sure you're alright?" She sighed; she felt greatful that she cared about her well being, but this wasn't the best time. She was eager to get over to Angel's Cafe and talk to Chloe and the others. Arora smiled, "I'm fine, ma'am, really." The look on Ms. Kizaka's face told her that she wasn't convinced, but Arora couldn't stay. "Well, I've got to go. I'm meeting some friends of mine and I can't be late." She bowed slightly and rushed out of the room and down the hall. She dashed out of the building to see that not many people were still there. [I]It can't be that late already,[/I] she thought as she glanced down at her watch. She shuged, [I]Guess everyone wanted to head home early today.[/I] and with that she started down the street to the cafe. As she walked she saw a black cat dart out in front of her and stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Arora stopped and looked down at the stange animal. All it did was sit there and stare at her forehead. After about a minute of this little "staring contest" Arora walked around the cat and continued on her way. "Well, if it ain't the firey red-head," remarked Jacob as Arora walked through the door of Angel's Cafe a few minutes later. "Shut Up, Jake!" she snapped back, walking up to the counter, "And can you get me my usual." "Say please," he said with a smerk on his face. She rolled her eyes at him, "Fine then, 'Please'." Jacob handed her a mocha-frape, and she turned to find where Chloe and the others were. It didn't take Arora long to spot her and another girl sitting at the usual table. "Hey, Chloe," she said taking a seat at the table. She didn't take much notice to the glowing symbols on the girls' foreheads. "Hey there," said Chloe, looking up, "Oh, Arora, this is Ailiyah. Ailiyah, this is Arora." she said, introducing the two. "Hi, it's nice to meet you," Arora finally caught a glimps of Ailiyah's forehead, "Uh... you have the symbol..." she was cut off by Chloe. "We, know about that already," Arora looked over to see the the symbol for Saturn glowing on her's. "So I take it this is what this whole meeting thing is about," Arora asked. Chloe nodded, "Yeah, but let's wait for the others to get here first."[/COLOR]