Imp

[color=darkorchid]That morning, Kinenda had ordered breakfast in her room, and for a while there was a brief conversation going on between the two that centred around the innkeeper apologising for bringing Kinenda a human-sized meal, and Kinenda telling him there was nothing to worry about. In the end she ended up slamming the door telekinetically in his face. At that point she took a few bites of the toast, while she called Rolf inside. Like a hero returning from a triumphant battle, the jolly sheepdog jumped right through the window, cleared the room in what seemed like a single bound, and wolfed down the ham and eggs. "That bloke has no idea of the meaning of 'extra honey'," Kinenda commented after a disdainful sip of her tea. "But no matter, Rolf. Why don't you go back outside--I shall be out shortly." "Rolf!" The dog with the sack on his back headed out through the window once more. As he left, Kinenda proceeded to gather the remainder of her belongings in her purse. She didn't know why she felt so flustered that morning--it was as if the innkeeper had put some sort of spell on the pillow she slept on that caused such a change in emotion. Yet still, she mantained her usual cheery self as she trotted down the stairs, saying brief farewells to the innkeeper and the siblings from whom she had heard about Dalmasca and his crusade. Speaking of Dalmasca, there was some sort of gathering being held just outside the inn. A large group of people listened to the words of a priest standing on a soapbox near a battered old shack. He held no holy book of any sort, preferring to speak straight from the divine sky above (even though it was still drizzling). Kinenda remained under the eaves of the inn, preferring not to get wet. "...We are now in the hands of a Lord of Death," the priest preached. "The Lord which we are all falling heed to is gathering souls then sending along a direct route to Death, one which promises a lackluster Heaven beyond it. Slavery has long since been a form of disgrace against a people, who in this case are the thousands of young boys and men in all over the Empire! With such a despicable act such as this, the Lord fails to realise the karmic consequences of his actions!" Here the priest looked around some to see that Dalmasca was nowhere within earshot. Silent applause broke out in the gathering. "Who will be next?" the priest continued. "How many more innocent souls will we lose to a war which doesn't even threaten our safety? Unnecessary action is detrimental to the self, and so there will come a time when the Lord shall suffer from the consequences of his own unnecessary actions. Let this be a warning to all of you as well. Let the Lord's actions be our way of seeing what can go amiss when we partake in any form of sin. Let the heavens show us the way to righteousness and success, to the good that shall always prevail!" There was a pause. After the awkward silence, a gnome ran out in front of the priest, holding up a sign that read "APPLAUSE". Slowly and awkwardly, applause and cheers broke out in the crowd. But the priest took no bow--by the time the gnome disappeared, the priest was already out of the street, heading to the edge of town by the looks of things. After that little episode, Kinenda looked around, only to discover the same siblings from before, having a brief chat with each other. They seemed to agree on something, and then they both vanished into thin air. [i]My word, they know Invisibility Magic,[/i] Kinenda thought. [i]That's a rare kind of magic indeed, and not one humans are usually good at. The art of making an inconspicuous escape is innate in halfling culture, and even among the elves as well, but there is a difference between that and true invisibility. Even the Cloak is not true invisibility, since it breaks upon focusing one's gaze upon someone. Ah, speaking of the Cloak, I know precisely what I feel like doing today.[/i] Just at that moment, Rolf appeared next to Kinenda. Kinenda nodded to her canine companion and then looked to a hill topped by a small wooded area, not too far away from the edge of town. "We head there for today's destination," she declared while pointing her staff at the hill. Immediately Rolf darted in Kinenda's indicated direction, as if trying to race her there. Kinenda, meanwhile, decided to practice using the Cloak now that she was thinking about it. Standing up straight and holding her arms out to her sides, she closed her eyes and focused for a moment on the presence of her own aura. Opening her eyes and detecting faint lavender blotches around her, she swung her staff around her, fluidly, as if casting a protective circle around herself. But it was not a circle--more like an amorphous field of energy enveloping her like a cloak (hence the enchantment's name). When she was done with this, she tapped the staff once on the floor and jumped, swinging her staff around and landing on it. After maneuvering the staff so that she flew on it right past the eaves of the inn, Kinenda let her feet slide off the staff so that she was more sitting on it, her hand placed near the bright cerulean crystal so as to guide the flying staff along. As Kinenda flew towards the woody area on the hill, she pondered for a moment whether it was the forces of her own mind holding the staff up, or a power emanating from the staff itself. Her wizard father used to tell her that a magic staff had plenty of powers of its own, and that it was often up to a young wizard to discover them. Even though Kinenda wasn't a wizard, she felt as if she had been doing just that ever since she first crafted the staff--bonding with it, learning of its powers and distinguishing them from her own. When Kinenda reached the hill, she noticed that it had stopped raining completely, and that there was a tiny patch of blue sky in the clouds above. Seeing this patch, Kinenda smiled and raised her staff once more after landing on a patch of grass. She felt the usual surge of energy flow through her, from the ground and her own heart up through her arm, through the top of her staff, and up like a rocket towards the sky. As the near-invisible beam of energy rose higher, she made a small circular motion with the staff, expanding the beam outwards. As she did so, the clouds around the blue patch parted, until there was a near-perfect circle of blue in the sky, bathing the hill in sunshine (while leaving Rensing in the shadow of the clouds). Satisfied with this outcome and taking a moment to relish in the sun's powerful warmth, Kinenda looked around for other things to do. Summoning a nearby stick, about the size of her staff, to her side, she held it straight for a while without touching it. Moving her hand over the top of this stick while spinning it around, she concentrated on the aura surrounding the stick, left over from the tree it had fallen from, and compressing it near the top. Slowly the top of the stick hardened, and started to look like the tip of a pencil. A different kind of small gesture caused small chips of wood to fly off the end as if it was being chiseled, sharpening its edge to the point where it could be used as a spear. It was in this manner that Kinenda continued to tinker with her abilities, as she so often had a habit of doing. And she did precisely that for most of the day, though there came a time in the afternoon when she had to rest for a while, settling down for a nap in a vacant hole inside a tree. She curled up right next to Rolf, who had a habit of waking up and barking loudly whenever danger approached. Fortunately, no danger approached that afternoon. By the time Kinenda woke up again, it was late afternoon--the sun would set in an hour or so. It was at that time that Kinenda started to head back to Rensing, continuing her previous routine of stealing food from the marketplace once she got there. Meanwhile, she looked around for signs of the priest from before--or Dalmasca, even worse--but neither of the two showed up by the time the day advanced into twilight.[/color]

Ah, you're talking about Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver? I've been debating on whether or not to get that game... the issue is whether I'd have time and money for it. (Hmm, there's a thought... I'll ask for it for my birthday.) I'd probably pick Heart Gold with Chikorita as my starter. As for the flyswatter... yeah, my dad has one as well. It's useful, but the fact that it seems like you're tasering the poor flies is kind of creepy... Anyway, today while walking around in the forest near my college, I found this den that was also a burial site for some cats. It was cute--there were little cat sculptures all over the place, and a journal where people could write about their cats as well as their magical occurrences in life. I believe I have found paradise.

Oh, how I love Easter, it being one of my favourite holidays. I always used to enjoy egg hunts as a child--my mum and I would hide a whole bunch of plastic eggs around the house and see if we could find each other's. In recent years I've been helping with the egg hunts at the church I sometimes go to, including hiding the eggs. I don't celebrate Passover, me not being Jewish. But even though I'm not Christian, I celebrate Easter. I guess this is because Easter's one of those Christian holidays that's imposed on a pagan holiday (Chrstmas being the other). In fact, Easter eggs and even the Easter Bunny originally came from those pagan traditions corresponding with the celebration of the Spring Equinox. Of course, it's kind of weird because Easter is always after the first day of spring... Nowadays I celebrate Easter on two days--its proper day and the Spring Equinox. However, I no longer go to the aforementioned church, and my mum's egg hunt tradition ended long ago, so... Well, there's hope. On my college campus are a whole bunch of dens made of tree branches out in the forest--so I'll probably leave a few eggs in some of those and see if people discover them. It's too bad I'll be out of town for the actual equinox, but... oh well.

About a year ago, I decided I should stop celebrating St. Patrick's day. This is because I heard he sought to convert the pagans living in Ireland to Christianity, and as a pagan myself, I feel betrayed. However, I don't think I can fight the urge to celebrate anyway, even if I won't convert. Now that I'm 21 I can legally drink, so this becomes even more tempting. And I'm 1/8 Irish, in case you were wondering--and that's the ethnicity of mine I'm the most proud of, in fact, even if it's a very small part.

Okay, so every religion has their own different deity, and some have more than one. But many different people follow their own "gods", some of which sound either ridiculous or hilarious. I'm just wondering how many of these "wacky gods" you heard about (or even worship!). For example, I've heard of people whose god is a purple hippopotamus, or even a dragon. And I bet you there's a cult somewhere that worships the flying spaghetti monster. One wacky god I admit to kind of worshipping is the little pink elephant in the sky. This cute little elephant showers happiness on the world, usually in the form of gumdrops. When the gumdrops fall, they sugar-coat people's worries and problems, to the point that those problems are practically non-existent. He treats randomness as one of the highest virtues in the world, that which defies logic and reason. He's very elusive, not always being present, but when he smiles down on you, warm fuzzies are imminent. So yeah... what are some others you've heard of? This just might be the silliest "What is God" discussion in the universe.

[b]Who:[/b] I joined OB back in 2003, when the separate Nintendo forums still existed. I was known as Nefertimon up until a few months ago. [b]Where:[/b] Whaddaya know, I'm also in Northern California. I had no idea I was so close to (at least) two other members. [b]What:[/b] I'm currently going to college and majoring in biology (I'm going for a career as a pharmacist). But I'm still writing, and still composing music, and taking programming classes that will hopefully help me design a video game I want to make. [b]When:[/b] While the Pokemon and Digimon forums existed, I spent most of my time there. In fact, I first joined OB through the Digimon section of the Otaku website. Then of course, those died... But then I saw the Adventure Arena, and I got interested in that, even though I was a n00b at it for a while. From then on I spent most of the time in the Adventure Arena, now known as the Theatre. That is true even to this day, which is probably why I'm not as well-known as some of the other members. [b]Why:[/b] I'm really into written RPG's now, and since this is the first place I was introduced to them, OB holds a special place in my heart. I also RP on two other sites, but this site has the best community, and is the least stuck-up with the rules. One of the other sites makes such a big deal of the rules that it gets annoying at times. This is a nice friendly (at least for the most part) community I kind of wish I was more a part of. [b]Favourite Things about OB:[/b] --The theatre, of course --The lovely randomness and wit that goes on in the Lounge--specifically the Padded Room. --The smileys!!! OB has the best smileys of any forum I've ever been on. Smileys like the ones below are just... too epic for words. :modrod: :freak: :angry2: :help: :hippy: :lecture: :bdance: :twitch: :stfu: :bash: :faint: :flush: --The Caramelldansen skin, a.k.a. epic win. That also goes for the April Fools prank that went with it, and the fact that I got Rick Rolled when trying to download the song. --Though it seems a bit odd to call it my favourite, my rivalry with Raiha in the Arena, especially during my n00b phase. It reminds me so much of a petty sibling rivalry, and I laugh and shake my head when I think about it.

[color=darkorchid]That afternoon in a small village called Batherton, there in the small farmhouse nestled beneath the barren apple trees, a young elf hastily checked her rucksack, making sure she had everything. Wait a minute, did I just say elf? Upon closer look, the neighbours tilling their gardens would have seen that she was too small to be an elf. Rather, she was a halfling. This became evident when a sheepdog tall as her shoulders walked up to sniff her face. He was as shaggy as shaggy could be, and was mostly white though with dark grey blotches on parts of his fur. Kinenda's mother had loved this dog ever since she raised him as a puppy a few years ago--she named him Rolf because that's what his bark sounded like. "I can't possibly have you come with me, Rolf," Kinenda said to the sheepdog, rubbing the back of his neck as she spoke. She had donned her usual outfit that day, the simple mauve dress with the little shawl over it. Since the day was rather chilly, she had her traveling cloak on as well--it was made of a soft and snuggly material and a deep green in colour. But she didn't decide to put the hood up yet, so one could easily see the rosy headband she wore in her light brown hair, and the brilliant deep purple colour of her eyes became even more apparent. As usual when she was in a hurry, her face was a bit pinker than usual, deviating from the the normally light tan hue of her skin. Kinenda's mother stepped outside the front door just as she was slipping her gloves on. This was Nuthatch the Bard, named so because of her peppy nature and peculiar ability to serenade the birds when out in the forest. As usual, she wore her patchwork-quilt dress of many summery colours, and she had a sunny smile on her face despite the cloudy weather. "Well, my little songbird, are you just about ready?" Nuthatch asked her. "[i]You're[/i] the songbird," Kinenda replied with a snicker. "I think I got everything all set. Now all I have to do is convince Rolf to stay behind." "Aww, Rolf..." Nuthatch glided over to Rolf, petting him on the head. Unlike Kinenda, she was tall enough to see over the top of his head. As she did so, Rolf whimpered, rubbing his face against the top of Kinenda's head. "Aww, it seems he wants to come with you," Nuthatch continued. "I know I'm gonna miss him, but you know Rolf. Always daring to go on an adventure. 'Tis a shame I have to stay here for now to prepare for the festival, but perhaps our paths will cross one of these days. Perhaps we can send correspondence through one of my feathery friends. I'm sure Mortimer would love to visit you especially." Out of all the birds Nuthatch was friends with, the one Kinenda liked the most was an owl named Mortimer. He was usually grouchy and impatient and liked to hive hoots of complaint about various owl matters, and for some reason he vented to Kinenda the most, probably because she was more his size. Plus Kinenda enjoyed watching him scare off other small birds. He played the part perfectly, given his large and gruff appearance, the horned gray feathers atop his head, his dark brown plumage, and his piercing golden eyes. "That would be rather nice," Kinenda commented as she stuffed the last medicine bottle into her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. When she did so, she uttered a cry of surprise and fell to the ground. "Rolf!" Rolf barked. "Gee, this bag's a bit heavier than it usually is," Kinenda moaned as she checked the bag to see if nothing was broken. In her final haste she moved some of her less valuable items to the larger sack she was taking. When that was done, using her telekinetic powers, she lifted the bag onto Rolf's back. Then she stood up and proceeded to tie it around him like a saddle. "If you really want to come with me," she said to him, "you'll be responsible for this. Now, do you remember where Rensing is?" "Rolf!" Of course Rolf knew. Rensing was the place Nuthatch always performed at for the seasonal festivals held there, and Rolf always tagged along. She often performed at a few taverns there as well, knowing she would get a good audience. Kinenda, however, have only been there once or twice a few years ago. Hopefully she too would still recognise the place. So with a sharp whistle by Kinenda, Rolf ran off, darting down the path away from home and toward the village of Rensing. Soon after, Nuthatch gave Kinenda a hug--no matter how old she was, she was still her precious daughter. As Nuthatch re-entered the house, Kinenda grabbed the last item she needed: her staff. Giving it a playful toss, she stepped off the patio and walked a little ways down the path that led towards the edge of town. Trees lined up all along the winding path, which skirted a hillside and sloped upward much of the way. Though the path was short, Kinenda was already out of breath when she reached the top of the hill. At that present moment she stood facing a modestly sized mountain with smooth, rocky slopes. This was part of a mountain range that isolated places like Batherton from the main part of the Empire. Presently Rolf was running along a narrow trail that wound between two of these mountains, ending in the plains on the other side, but that was not the trail Kinenda was about to take. Instead, Kinenda tapped her staff once on the ground, then flung it to the side, holding it parallel to the ground. At the same time, she hopped onto it, landing with her toes resting on its woody shaft. The staff, however, didn't fall--it hovered in the exact same spot. But not for long--with the blue crystal sparkling in the sunset, it rose up higher. Kinenda balanced on this staff while in a squatting position, as she flew up and over the mountain. Though she could not see Rolf on the trail below, she trusted that he would know the way. By the time Kinenda reached Rensing, the sky had become clear, and the sun had just barely set. She landed somewhere outside the main entrance to the village, hopping gracefully off her staff and shivering a bit because of the wind. Reaching into her bag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and sprayed a bit of it on herself--this would make it easier for Rolf to find her by scent when he came. "Welcome to Rensing, child," a man standing at the entrance to the village greeted. "Running an errand, I suppose?" "I'm not a child," Kinenda replied flatly. "And I am simply visiting." As Kinenda expected, most of the folk wandering around Rensing were human, so it made sense that she was passed off as a child. Frequently she had to leap to the side to avoid people accidentally kicking her as they walked, especially when she wandered through the marketplace. Wandering through this marketplace was one of Kinenda's favourite pastimes, because she never had to buy anything, especially if she went at night. Since her size made it harder for the sellers to see her amidst the customers, Kinenda had an easy time stealing stuff. Though in this case, she didn't steal that much--a few nuts and berries, a small piece of cheese... Using her powers, she managed to pull a chunk off a loaf of bread, and a few coins out of shop tills. Hiding all the food in her bag, she exited the marketplace, heading for the inn. At the inn counter, Kinenda had to stand on top of her staff in order for the man behind it to see her. She was already holding some money in her hand as she held out the other for balance. "Ah, hello there," the man greeted. "I imagine you'd want a place to spend the night?" "Yes, please," Kinenda replied, proceeding to hand him the money. "My luggage should be arriving as soon as..." "Rolf!" Kinenda turned around and saw Rolf's face outside the window near the door. Upon seeing him, she opened the door for him, though to everyone else it looked like Rolf had somehow opened it from the outside. Immediately he came trotting up to meet Kinenda. The man behind the counter sighed. "You halflings and what peculiar animals you use to replace horses. I'm sorry, but the dog will have to stay outside." "I knew you'd say that," Kinenda commented as she let her rucksack untie itself and rise up to her hand. With a snap of her fingers and a gesture backwards, Rolf ran out the door. And so the man showed her to her room, raising an eyebrow when he saw Kinenda carrying the large sack all by herself (in reality, she was holding it up with her powers). Though it was a small room, to Kinenda it seemed spacious, and the bed nice and roomy. Kinenda sat on this bed for a while, munching on a bit of the food she had stolen. Then she heard a bark outside--Rolf was standind on his hind legs, his nose pressed against the window. Looking outside, Kinenda saw that it was raining all of a sudden. Fortunately, Rolf had a bit of roof to sit under, but he still felt kind of lonely outside. Kinenda gave him a piece of cheese, hoping that would make him feel a bit better. A while later, Kinenda was in the lobby of the inn, enjoying a glass of wine before bed, listening to the thunder outside. While doing so, she caught snippets of a conversation going on in the next table over. Something about Dalmasca and his crusade, and the mystery as to why he was so obsessed with it. Kinenda had heard about how formidable and selfish Dalmasca was, but she never heard of him going on a crusade. What for? Why so soon? Something seemed ominous about all this--the lady in the next table made it sound as if something dangerous was about to happen. [i]Hmm, I wonder if someone is threatening to attack the village or something,[/i] Kinenda thought. [i]If that's what it is, I suppose I should be on my guard. Therefore I probably shouldn't stay up too late tonight.[/i] Indeed she didn't. It wasn't long before Kinenda was back in her room, huddled under the covers after a nice warm bath. As she drifted off to sleep, the main thing on her mind was Rolf. Why did that pesky dog have to come anyway? Oh well, Kinenda thought, if anything he was a bit of company--she just hoped he wouldn't get himself killed if this village really was in danger.[/color]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]I dunno. This site always goes through ups and downs in terms of activity. At the beginning of the year there was a larger push for new members, and we actually ended up with some good ones. Part of it obviously is that our member base is aging, so the same 16 year-old kids who had nothing but free time to post about Digimon (for example) are now 25, with jobs, relationships, school, and who-knows-what-else. I know I'll be hitting ten years of OB in April... yikes. This site has always been a bit of a contradiction anyway, since we're an anime message boards that is largely occupied by people who don't care much about anime. I know what continues to drive me to the site are the RPGs, and that's pretty much been the case for the past five years. I do agree that there's more we could do to encourage activity, whether that be bringing in new members or merely encouraging old ones to post again. I'm game for anything Sara suggests. Go figure. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] I agree with everything you just said, Shy. I remember being one of those people who used to talk about Digimon all the time, and back then my username was Nefertimon as well. Now I have no job and no relationship, though, and not a lot of homework in school, so I stop by here quite often. Sadly, not much seems to be going on, so I don't know what to post. So I think the best way to make these boards better is for people to post more interesting threads... remember all those separate anime forums we used to have, for example? And all the fun fantasy RPG's? Like Shy, I'm driven to the site by the RPG's, but because the activity in that forum has significantly decreased recently, I can't join that many RPG's here. Gee, this also makes me regret being part of the "community" Pumpkin mentioned. Back when there was a community, I was a stupid n00b who got kicked out of RPG's and such. Now... well, I don't know what to say... except I wish there was something I could to to help OB out... *starts to think*

Ouch, beware the needles! I think I'm suffering from manic depression. One moment, like now, I'm feeling very gloomy, lonely and empty-hearted, like having this wonderful world but no one to share it with. Another moment, like last night, I cooked the most awesome rice, made a cup of tea, listened to Eurodance music, giggled at random times, and danced around my room for no reason. That or some ninja is slipping ecstasy into my coffee and tea. Ah, and speaking of ninjas... [youtube="Ninja music video"]OUWOMJE2nqM[/youtube]

I. HAVE. WANTED. TO. JOIN. AN. RPG. LIKE. THIS. FOR. A. LONG. TIME. Hmm, two months and only two people so far? I think I need to fix that--I hope my efforts will not be in vain. I'm kind of new to D&D, having only gotten as far as a character sheet twice... but I'm still eager for the experience. I'm notorious for creating "weird" characters who don't quite fit the RPG, it seems... If this character doesn't work, and/or if you prefer an elfin rogue (which the other character I had in mind is), please let me know. [color=purple] [b]Name:[/b] Faye "Kinenda" Greystone [b]Age:[/b] 33 [b]Race:[/b] Halfling [b]Appearance:[/b] Kinenda is small even for a halfling, being just under two feet tall and having a light figure reminiscent of an elf. In fact, she probably would look like an abnormally short elf, were it not for the slightly tanned hue of her skin, and deep amber eyes. Despite her age, she still has a youthful air about her--a characteristic of halflings and sorcerers alike. A light amount of wavy brown hair falls to just below her shoulders. She usually dons a dress that is simple in design but a brilliant mauve in colour--and a dainty little shawl to match, fastened at the chest by a charm featuring an amethyst star. For traveling, she wears a pair of dark violet gloves with boots to match, and keeps a traveling cloak in her shoulder bag just in case. [b]Class:[/b] Sorcerer [b]Specialties:[/b] Aura manipulation--magic derived from the energy fields surrounding things rather than elemental sources. This encompasses many healing and non-divinatory psychic abilities, though Kinenda is more skilled with the latter. [b]Weapons:[/b] Unless her staff counts as a weapon, she has none. [b]Magical Items:[/b] Kinenda's most powerful "magical items" are her mind and her own aura, but she does carry a staff as well to aid in spellwork and such. The staff is exactly as tall as Kinenda is, and is made of a very light and purplish wood cherished among elves and halflings alike. Near the top it curves around like a hook and holds in place a mysterious blue crystal cherished among... well who knows? [b]Biography:[/b] Once upon a time there lived a halfling bard who would travel all around the Empire, gifting all of good heart that she met with folk songs and faery tales and succinct yet sound words of wisdom. Dressed in merry colours and never without her fiddle and feathered beret, she sought to bring hope and happiness in a world under the prince's pressure. When no people were around, she would serenade the flowers and the birds and all the forest folk, or seek wisdom from the most ancient trees. And she had a husband of sorts--a wizard who did not fancy travel or simple pleasures much. Some months after he surprised her by raping her with a giant tentacle he had summoned, a small baby halfling named Faye was born. (OOC: I'm sorry... I just had to. XD) Okay, now for the serious stuff. Most of the time, Faye lived in a small settlement in the foothills, though she almost always went with her mother when she did her travels, learning of her songs and stories and acquiring a love of travel. However, Faye could never play a fiddle--whenever she tried, no matter how lightly she pressed the bow to the strings, a string or two would snap in two just as she started to play. What she did notice, though, was that she often saw a sort of transparent white light around people and trees and some objects. Also she saw the same light surrounding herself, and that she could tweak its shape at will. For a few years she thought this was how everyone saw the world, until her mother pointed out that it wasn't, of course. When Faye stayed with the other halflings, she quickly labeled herself as a runt and a weakling compared to her peers, and others often labeled her so as well. Not to mention she couldn't run as fast as most halflings could. Thus she spent most of the time there with her father--and this was also because she was fascinated by the magic he used. Her father pointed out that that "light" she kept seeing around things was the aura, but he kept pointing out that magic must be learned and studied rather than acquired by talent. To Faye, he was oddly grumpy, and always seemed as if he was trying to hide something from her. Not to mention he spent lots of time showing her some of his books, and although they talked about interesting magical topics, they were frustratingly complicated to understand and master. After frequent visits back and forth between her mother and father, Faye thought of something, something her mother had said to her: "But history can always be tweaked, and even re-written." Now what if her father's old spellbooks could be "tweaked and re-written"? This sparked Faye's interest in creating her own ways of using magic. And from then on she did just that, utilising the energy known as the aura to do all sorts of fascinating things, like fire simple energy pulses, repel smoke and thunder, and even shape fire. And then one day she made a worm fly into her face. But that last feat, moving things around through aura manipulation (sometimes called psychokinesis), was what Faye became known for in the years afterward. In fact, she wasn't even called Faye in the years afterward--she gave herself a new "magical name": Kinenda. "Ah, but an esteemed magic user must have a staff," her father said there afterward. "Every wizard aspires to have one." Even though Kinenda was clearly a sorceress, her father still adamantly called her a "wizard", figuring she must have been studying magic with her mother (a false assumption of course). Still, Kinenda ended up with a staff, built with items found in the forest or pilfered from craft and toy shops. Though her father said that a staff must be "like part of one's body", Kinenda saw it mainly as an aid and a decoration, especially while she traveled around with her mother and by herself. She did quite a bit of that in the latter part of her life, as halflings are so inclined to do.[/color]

I totally agree with the minty feeling. Except when it's cold outside. Then there's what happens when you squeeze a cotton ball in your hands. That odd tingly feeling is creeeeepy. Just a few days ago, I bought a pair of classy-looking black boots for under $20. I just tested them in the snow, and it turns out they have good traction there. My aunt on the other hand, who was wearing hiking boots, had such a hard time with slipping on the icy ground that we couldn't go on any long walks. Haha, so much for hiking boots.

Yay, my protests and puppy eyes have succeeded! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to find a picture of my character... so is it okay if I just work his appearance into my first post or something? I promise I won't make him unusually tall or give him red or golden eyes (*coughtwilightcough*) or anything like that. Wait... are signups still being accepted? I didn't see the RPG posted yet, so... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=purple]Dear whomever it concerns: Although I am probably younger and shorter and more peculiar-looking than most of your applicants, I do presume I am qualified for this position of investigating the strange phenomena in this city. I too have heard about these occurrences, and the subjects interests me dearly. Ah, but first I must introduce myself formally. My real name is Vincent Estrel, but most folk around town know me by the name of Merlin. No, I did not time-travel here nor appear out of a dream world. I am just a humble 22-year-old man who is struggling with the business world. Presently I own a shop called Merlin's Mystic Sanctuary. Perhaps you have heard of it, or perhaps I keep it more secret than I thought. I am experienced with five different methods of divination, aural and pranic healing, aura reading, and curse-breaking. Additionally, I am very well-read in the field of psychic phenomena. Ever since I was very young, I have been a member of a paranormal research group called the Ravenesque Council, which as you know gets frequent visits by the Grey Council and other such groups dedicated to psychic phenomena and magical workings. If it matters, I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry. The reason why I am applying for this position is because my shop has not been receiving too much business lately, with the increase in the muggle population as the likely cause. (My definition of muggle, to put it briefly, is a person who does not believe in magic.) Plus, I have never gotten the chance to investigate such an occurrence as this, and I crave the experience. I enjoy talking to people and offering advice, and I carefully listen to people's concerns. I treat people with a respectful and friendly attitude, and am not easily offended. Modern technology is neither foreign nor confusing to me--otherwise I would not know how to create and send this email, would I? By no means am I a slow typist, and I learn processes on the computer very quickly. I have a Facebook account and am experienced with the forum and blog systems, even though I do not have a blog of my own. Lastly, in case you were wondering, I do have my own transportation, and in fact know my way well around the city. I hope you will consider me for this position, and thank you in advance if you do. Even if you do not, feel free to contact me by the means listed on my website, [url]www.mysticsanctuary.ravenesque.org[/url], if you are in a tight spot regarding this pressing phenomenon threatening to engulf reality. Ask and I will answer. Merry meet, Merlin[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh, and the website listed in this letter is not an actual website, of course. Clicking on the link will lead you nowhere... at least I hope so.

Aww... I personally thought the concept was rather interesting, especially the internet aspects and investigation of an evl undermining of a city. And I had just the perfect character for this... Great, now I have no RPG to join. :(

And now for the shortest signup I've done in a long time... I know it's an odd character, but hopefully she'll work... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [COLOR=green][B]Name:[/B] Suneora Ferenachi [B]Age:[/B] 22 [B]Gender:[/B] Female [B]Appearance:[/B] Suneora's a little on the short side, at just under five feet tall. Her raven hair cascades down to below her shoulders in loose curls, her face resembling a blushing pearl underneath. her eyes the colour of emerald. Her clothes are light and flowy to complement her curvy figure and to make traveling a bit more comfortable. The green shirt she usually wears has a tie in the back and sleeves that go down to her elbows; her skirt shows colours of white and rose. On her feet are pair of beige-coloured boots, and she carries a large maroon shoulder bag for holding all her possessions. [B]Allegiance:[/B] Protester [B]Status:[/B] Another freelancer under Claire [B]Bio:[/B] Suneora's past is rather interesting: she comes from another planet! (But don't worry, she's still human.) I could go into much detail about the planet of Orenya, but the main things to keep in mind are that there the sun never moves across the sky, and many magicians and wizards dwell there. Unfortunately, Suneora was neither, which dimmed her chances of belonging to a society dedicated to protecting the peace of the planet. However, that all changed on Suneora's twentieth birthday, when she suddenly found herself in Johto by way of a mysterious portal. The first place Suneora came across was the Dragon's Den, where she saw Claire training with her Dragonair. However, at the time, Suneora knew nothing about Pokemon, and her English was still quite poor. To make a long story short, Claire spotted her and greeted her, and eventually coaxed Suneora into telling her where she was from. Claire didn't completely believe her, but at least she didn't laugh at her, and even let her watch one of her gym battles. After that, Claire had a meeting with the visiting Professor Oak, who Suneora later talked to and learned all about Pokemon. The Professor even gate her her first Pokemon after all was done. When Suneora left on her Pokemon journey, Claire told her to come back to Blackthorn when she got stronger as a trainer. But she did get to do a lot of traveling, and training... but there was also bad news. News of a League formed by some of the gym leaders broke out, and war started. So when Suneora returned to Blackthorn two years later, instead of facing a friendly battle with Claire, she faced a summoning of military forces, for Claire was leading an army to fight this league. However, Claire did tell her about what the League was up to, and recruited her when she expressed her opinions on how evil this league sounded. [B]Personality:[/B] Wisdom is Suneora's strongest suit. She's one of the most respectful people anyone will ever meet, and is careful to act out of good judgment. However, she's still naive about some things, and because she lived in a totally different culture for twenty years, her views of the world are a bit different. And although she's excellent at being amiable and courteus to people, she's terrible with computers and other technology. This even includes a Pokedex and Pokeballs, which she usually doesn't believe in using. [B]Pokemon:[/B] [IMG]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/dpicon/dpicon006.png[/IMG] Morna was Suneora's first Pokemon, and she has definitely grown a lot from the little Charmander she once was. She is Suneora's main battler and also a good means of transportation, and special in Suneora's eyes because she reminds her of a pet dragon the Ferenachi family had. [IMG]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/dpicon/dpicon053.png[/IMG] The first and only Pokemon Suneora captured was a Meowth, who she named Runai. Now she's a Persian, thanks to much traveling and battling. [IMG]http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/dpicon/dpicon152.png[/IMG] Midori is a small Chikorita, and he's not that fond of battling, but Suneora loves him anyway. She hatched him from a mystery egg bought at some festival.[/COLOR]

Ah yes, I remember this RPG. It's too bad it died the last time... what is it with Pokemon RPG's on this site? If you remember me from the last version of this RPG, you know that I played as five characters last time, which got to be a hassle. This time I'll only sign up as one character, though, as that will be a whole lot easier for both of us and whoever else would like to sign up. I will post my signup as soon as I am done with it.