Imp

*hits self hard on the head* WHY did I have internet problems over the last two weeks? WHY??? I am SO sorry for being unable to post in the last two weeks, when my computer didn't have internet access and I didn't have time to go on another one. So for now I have to squeeze in an hour or two on my laptop in my college's library to post here... What I'm REALLY asking is, can I still be in this RPG? I signed up and was accepted, but did this RPG go far enough where I'd be unable to catch up? Even if that's not the case, I'm completely confused about what's going on in the RPG (unless I have the time to read two pages of posts...) It would be good if someone can summarize what went on in the RPG so far, so I can get back to posting in this RPG again, because there's no way I'm going to want to quit this RPG. Oh, and another thing: I already said this in the sign-up page, but Sondra, my character, is in the Nicodemus clan, not the Augustine. And I'll probably say it a third time in the RPG... So I will start an introduction post now, and HOPE I can catch up to this RPG...

Ummm... Sondra is in the Nicodemus clan, not the Augustine. I said that in both the first and last paragraphs of my signup...

OOC: Aha, a Pokemon RPG! This I HAVE to join. [b]Crazy Kev:[/b] Scizor only has one Z. **I know Diamond/Pearl just came out, so some of you may not be familiar with the Sinnoh Pokemon... If you see a Pokemon you don't know, [url=http://www.psypokes.com]this site[/url] has a good Pokedex on them. Nooooo... someone took my precious Mismagius! Ah well, I guess I can have a Mismagius too... except I don't really like having the same Pokemon as someone else. Oh well--I'll think of something: **I've RP'd this character on other (Pokemon-based) forums before, but never here. I know she's kind of a weird character for these purposes, but... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=darkgreen][b]Name:[/b] Suneora Ferenachi [b]Age:[/b] 20 [b]Personality:[/b] Suneora can probably be described as a nice, easy person overall. She's not someone who would really hate someone--in fact she just lets people be who they are. Also, she trusts people sort of easily, and hardly ever tries to get in someone's way of doing things. A common exception to this is if someone is doing something evil or just wrong--in which case she might set out to cease their evil actions. But she also lets karma do the work--for such is a thing she strongly believes in. In fact, there's not really anything she does not believe in--she believes anything can happen so long as fate allows it. Despite all this, Suneora's outlook on herself and her goals tends to be pessimistic--or modest in the very least. She hardly ever focuses on winning, and sees competition more as a place to show her style than a win-lose situation. Still, loss and humiliation and embarrassment hit her pretty hard. Coming from a relatively peaceful and respectful place, Suneora is hurt a lot more by words than by sticks and stones. In fact, such evil acts from other people is in fact her greatest (and possibly only) fear. As for her Pokemon... Suneora definitely holds them in high regard. She treats them more like family than anything else, and tries not to sound like their "master". She's even hesitant to put them in Pokeballs. Though she isn't that into training her Pokemon, she does believe in them. However, she won't set the stakes too high for them--she won't let them put themselves into dangerous situations unless they want to. She wouldn't consider her Pokemon "strong"--rather, more along the lines of "special". [b]Appearance:[/b] Suneora is only 4'3" tall, definitely short for her age. This makes her look younger, but her long gray hair makes her look older. And her light-coloured skin makes her look, um, neutral. Anyways, Suneora wears a blouse that has elbow-length sleeves and is a deep, vibrant green in colour--the same colour as her eyes. She also wears dark blue pants that fall just above her ankles and are so light and baggy that they sometimes look more skirt-like, and light blue sandals below that. But perhaps the most noticeable thing she wears is a necklace--one with an amethyst charm in the shape of a crescent moon, topped with three ruby stars and with a tiny black raven hanging from it. [b]Started training:[/b] When she was 16--before then she didn't even know Pokemon existed. [b]Gym Leader?[/b] No [b]Pokemon:[/b] Tesuka (Furret) --level 38 Chikamo (Piplup) --level 38 Petalet (Cherrim) --level 38 Mirumi (Castform) --level 38 Somne (Banette) --level 38 Oritali (Mismagius) --level 38 [b]Goal:[/b] Coordinator or Pokemon Master--either one would work. [b]Bio/Sample:[/b] Suneora's name means "magical elf". The elf part makes sense because her parents mistook her for one when she was born, but the magic part is a different story. She was born on Orenya, a planet where everything is magic and pretty much everyone had some sort of magical power. This was true with Suneora's parents, but when they found that Suneora herself seemed to have no magical powers, they got suspicious, and Suneora really felt out of place on that planet. She lived most of her early life in stress and fear, until she had a dream about a world where Pokemon lived. When she told her parents about this dream, they said that Pokemon might be "her key to the magic inside". However, Orenya was very far away from any other civilized planets. But luckily, on her eighteenth birthday, her parents gave her the necklace from the Appearance section--it was meant to contain some sort of magical property. Suneora was overjoyed at this, but that night after she got it, she disappeared and found herself on Earth--in Sinnoh to be exact. Anyways, she spent the next four years getting used to both a new language and a new environment... especially in the case of Pokemon. She even got her first Pokemon from Professor Rowan in Sinnoh--that's where she got her Piplup. After a couple of years, Suneora decided to explore other regions outside of Sinnoh--and ended up on Hoenn. There she caught a few more Pokemon, and more importantly, received an invitation to thwart the plans of an evil organization called Team Incarnate...[/color]

Awww... the thought of "last RPG" really saddens me... I really will miss you after this, Vicky, after four years of RPG activity. I wasn't going to join more than two RPGs at a time here, but I think this RPG convinced me otherwise. Ohh, this is going to be special! **I already posted my signup by the way. Forgive me if it seems a little... odd.

Yes, even though I'm not the most social person in the world, I, too, do think about a few OB members, some of which I've come to admire over the years at some point or another... Now, I mainly focus on the RPG section of OB, so I'll be talking about lots of RPG-related things: [b]Raiha:[/b] Nowadays known as Neuvoxraiha, but most of my experience with her happened when she was still called Raiha. Back when the Adventure Square first opened and when the sparring section of it still existed, I saw her in those places a lot. And I think she was a very popular member at the time--in fact, I'm completely surprised that nobody who posted in this thread mentioned her so far. Anyways, I've always known her for adding a nice creative touch to her high-quality RPG posts, and in many cases a wonderful touch of spirituality into her characters. And she was also this way in the Battle Arena (I think that's what it was called--the sparring zone). She really dominated that section of OB back then--really into it. There was even one time when she and I had a spar, though it never finished. She and I were also in a few RPGs together, as I remember. But I think back then, I was admittedly jealous of her, and I think she even breathed down my neck a couple of times for things such as n00bism or just being whiny... But that was the old days. Now, I really admire her more than I did for all the above things. Sadly, now she's known as Neuvoxraiha and appears to be not half as active here as she was before... The only time I've ever seen her recently is occasionally in RPGs--she joined an RPG I made, and then I joined an RPG she also joined... but anyways... [b]Box Hoy and Skitto:[/b] Rather little known-members who mainly stayed in the Adventure Square. I think they were the most well-known for a set of RPGs called the Realms series. That series was one of the very few RPGs I ever joined which actually got finished, and out of those finished ones, the Realms series was the absolute best. They and I and everyone else who joined really had fun with that RPG series--it was a true gem in all my experience with OB. I really sometimes admired Skitto for the sense of humour he often put into those RPGs, including one post that was so off-the-wall that Box Hoy said it was stupid, but I thought it funny and imaginative. (I will edit this when I find that post...) And as for Box Hoy... He wasn't a very sophisticated RPer, but I think he was very good at dealing with other people's characters and for really making things interesting. And he wasn't a very strict RPer at all. Ahh, words just cannot describe what a wonderful time I had with those two at that time. It's too bad they're no longer around... [b]Vicky:[/b] Another OB member that I'm surprised nobody mentioned yet. A very popular member in the Adventure Square, especially--one that is still active and still makes excellent RPGs, many of which I have joined out of interest. It is saddening though, that Vicky is now on the last RPG, or so we all think... I have that one last RPG, with possibly the best signup I have ever made, out of thanks for good old Vicky. EDIT: [b]Takuya:[/b] D'oh--how could have I POSSIBLY forgotten about Takuya? He, like me, picked a username that is the the same as a character from Digimon. I really enjoyed joining several RPG's he made, including one memorable one called Intersection, which never started because I was the only one who joined... :animesigh But, I think he really hit it big time with quite a few Digimon RPG's, of course. I think he was best known for those, in fact. (And may I mention that when the Digimon forum existed, he was on there a lot? Not surprising!) I wouldn't exactly consider him to be the nicest person in the world, but still very interesting in a writing sense indeed. Anyways, one of the most memorable RPG moments I had with him was when he joined an RPG I created called "Digimon: A New Evil". He and I were the most active members in the RPG, and though our characters (and even us) disagreed with each other and had several arguments, it was altogether fun, something good to look back to. And not to mention, that was the only RPG I ever made that actually got finished. Thanks Takuya! Ahh, I'm sure I'll think of more later on...

I said to myself I wasn't going to join more than two RPGs here, but... I can tell right away this is going to be great, and for that purpose I will not only join, but play a character that comes from a song I wrote--a character I have never RP'd before. **Since some of the parts of this signup blend together, I'll just blend the whole signup into one piece: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [quote][size=1][color=darkslateblue][i][center]Dressed in white I have been wandering In the night I have been pondering Thing that I have done just to get by Here I float A silent being People like you are all around You see me An apparition in the darkness Who am I to be stuck with this fate? And where am I to go? How to move on, I need to know Who will save me? This fine form You'd want to hold me But I'm cold When you touch me I give off an aura that chills the soul With these hands No, I'm mistaken With these claws I can possess you Cause you pain and make you do what I bid you to How do I sustain myself? Only by an evil deed After I make you kill yourself It's your soul I need Who am I to be stuck with this fate? And where am I to go? How to move on, I need to know Who will save me? Happiness From you I have heard of it But no matter how I try I cannot ever feel it And everything I see is in shades of gray I am one who steals souls for a living I am one whose world is bleak and empty I am one who cannot feel the love I once wished that I could be Powerful, possessing beauty They came true But they threw away my heart Who will save me from this sadness? Who'll extract me from this darkness? Make it so I can reform myself I want to be who I was before Want to feel joy and love I will abandon these powers If I could see the light Who am I to be stuck with this fate? And where am I to go? Everywhere around me's deserted No one likes me now Someone, please give me another chance Who will save me? Who?[/size][/i][/color][/center][/quote] [color=darkslateblue][size=1]Sondra sings this song with sorrow, the only powerful emotion she really knows. Sondra is a vampire of the Nicodemus clan. She just joined the clan no earlier than 1 January 2051, but she has been a vampire for 99 years. That 99 is very close to becoming a 100, though. Before joining the clan, she just wandered about the world, slowly discovering her abilities and the fact that she was a vampire, and maybe a few very rare fragments of her mortal life. For such an unfortunate creature as her has little or no memory of her life or how she died, and whatever memory she has of it is vague, as vague as a poorly made black-and-white movie. In fact, when she was fresh out of death, she had no sense of who she was nor who she had been before--sort of like a psychological disorder called "fugue" or "retrograde amnesia" in which one forgets one's past. As for her appearance... Sondra is about 5'6" tall. Her hair is gray and slightly curly, and falls down between her shoulders and waist. She usually dyes her hair black, so as to not make herself look suspicious, but even then, small specks of gray might show up. It turns out nature intended on making her look old and frail, at least as a vampire, and both her hair and her very pale skin prove it. Sondra is thin in figure, exactly as she always was since she died. And about her eyes... they are clear--in other words they have no colour at all. One can say she has "light gray" or "white" eyes. Yet despite this, she hardly ever wears sunglasses--she just avoids being out and about in the daytime for the most part. Sometimes she might be seen with a pair of transparent purple sunglasses--not that she would know they're purple anyways... Sondra usually wears at least one piece of clothing that is rather elegant in appearance--whether that be a fancy-looking top or a skirt of some sort or... But usually she wears either some sort of dress, or a long skirt and a simple blouse, and a pair of black boots that have heels that are a couple of inches high. She usually wears no colour at all, as the brightest "colours" that appear to her are black and white. Though sometimes she might happen to pick out something of a colour--mistaking it for gray--and this can make her outfit look rather tacky, especially if it's a yellow or orange or brown. Aside from that, two things that Sondra always wears are A) a necklace consisting of a silver linked chain and a large oval charm that is silver on the outside and a swirl of silver, blue, and purple in the centre; and B) a small analog watch which looks more like a bracelet because its face looks like a bluish green oval-shaped gem when seen from a distance. As far as vampires are concerned, Sondra is rather an oddball. Her fangs are still sharp, but so short that they're not even visible. And her methods of obtaining energy and life force are quite a bit different. Sure, she could use the stereotypical method of biting someone and sucking out their blood that way, but that is the "wimpy way" as far as Sondra is concerned. If she were to choose blood as her method of survival, she would obtain it by using her claws to slice the victim down the left shoulderblade, then pull out a heartstring from the back and suck out the blood that way--and a lot more of it than usual. But as this method can be troublesome as well as messy, Sondra usually uses another method. She can also be classified as a "psychic vampire", meaning that she obtains energy by stealing energy from a person's aura. This is usually done by touch or eye contact. And as it says in the song, if Sondra really feels evil, she can clasp her claws onto a person's head and control their actions, make him (sorry to be gender-discriminant, but...) kill himself, and extract his soul immediately after his death. Anyways, as far as other vampire characteristics go... Sondra is not really that physically strong, which is rather odd for a vampire. She could be a rare case in which she [i]loses[/i] physical strength upon becoming a vampire. Also, she does not show aversion to garlic or crosses, and isn't very sensitive to sunlight. However, she does largely prefer night to day. As you dive deeper into Sondra, you might see her mind as a desolate graveyard with a few ghosts occasionally wandering about the same way she does, weighed down by numerous chains of grief. Sondra is the sort of soul who blames herself for every problem that exists. She has a great deal of empathy, but as she cannot feel pleasurable feelings, this characteristic only magnifies the grief she often feels weighed down by. But another effect of that characteristic is that she cares about other people and really hopes for the best for them. She's often hesitant about killing or hurting people as she so often needs to do, but if she really needs to perform an evil act, she'll do so--ruthlessly. It is this pressure and need to do things that sparks aggression in her. That state could be called anger, except for the fact that Sondra doesn't really "lose herself" when she is angered in such a way--she remains determined and focused on her actions. And after performing such an evil act, she might feel fine immediately afterward, but somewhere down the line she'll sink into an even deeper depression that she usually feels, as karma takes its normal toll. Yet she is aware of this karma--this is one personality characteristic that was carried over from her mortal life, even though Sondra is unaware that she was that way in her mortal life. Another such characteristic is her spirituality. She is and has always been a strong believer in the supernatural, and she had always kept her mind open to anything that can ever happen, so long as fate allows it. Ah, fate... Sondra ultimately does "let her soul rest with fate", and believes everything happens for a reson. The problem is, she too often does not know what those reasons might be, and that sometimes leads to worry... Molly Aurella is a name that is buried so deep in Sondra's unconscious mind that it would take such a significant event as reincarnation, I guess you can call it, to get her to remember it. That is such of many things Sondra is unable to recall about her mortal life. The truth is that Molly was a singer and songwriter, and a modestly attractive young woman as well. She never really became famous, but she did have other things going on in her life, such as a fascination for the paranormal and a backlot of stories and characters she created. She really was a creative and humble person--ohh, if only Sondra had known about that part or any of those parts. For so it goes that all of the above things in this paragraph are things that are buried as hopelessly in her unconscious mind as her mortal name. Except for one thing though: one song she wrote entitled "Who Will Save Me?", which was actually about Sondra. (Referring to the song at the top of this signup.) It was through Sondra's memory of this song that she realized many of her characteristics and abilities. About the song... Yes, as the song said, Sondra is colour-blind, and she is incapable of feeling happiness or any kind of positive emotion like that. Almost everything else in the song is surprisingly true, but there is no evidence that the beginning of the ninth verse is true. However, Sondra does believe that part to be true--what else [i]could[/i] she believe about her mortal life? Now, Sondra is in the Nicodemus clan--she is because she wants to make a change in the world, and also to cleanse her spirit which has been suffering for all of the past century. Her half-life was enough to suffer through, so the world should be no different. That one minute left on the clock is a crucial and creepy minute... it signifies a time that transcends all times, and could mean the end of the world if not utilized wisely. Sondra would not let the world end in such a miserable way. [/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: Whoa, I think I got a little too carried away with that signup... it is unlike any signup I have ever done before... *Note: I came up with the song about six months ago, but lines 4-5 of the fourth verse are actually a little different--they originally suggested Sondra was a ghost. ("And ectoplasmic... I can't be harmed by the physical world") Obviously I had to change that for the purpose of this RPG. But oh well, details details... *Another note: The fourth paragraph of my signup explains a few other true facts about vampires, according to ancient folklore--especially the fact that most vampires don't have fangs, aren't affected by sunlight, and obtain blood with the other method I described there. Whether or not that's relevant to this RPG is beyond me...

Ahh, very interesting, reminds me of a story I'm planning to write in the future! Speaking of which, my first choice of character is from that story I just mentioned. However, I'm kind of worried about whether she'll be accepted or not, because she might be A) too young, or B) too weak, or even C) an unfamiliar species... She is my plan A as far as a character goes. However, I do have a plan B, and most likely C and D as well--if she doesn't work out. But for now... my tentative signup. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=teal][size=1][u]Name:[/u] Chibutakamo Surenich, often called Chibu for short [u]Age:[/u] 12 [u]Gender:[/u] Female [u]Race:[/u] [b]Fylin:[/b] [quote][size=1][color=teal]At first glance you?d probably think they were human. They sure looked that way, that is, unless one takes a closer look. Their shins and forearms may have looked like glamourous gloves and boots, but they were actually fins, with little fingers and toes attached at the ends. (The males had more human arms and legs, with small fins attached.) They had tails that matched those of various fish. If you looked very closely, you could see that their skin was covered with minuscule white scales. And on the sides of their jawbones was their method for breathing underwater: gills.[/size][/color][/quote] ^^Also, fylin can walk on land as well as swim in the water, and they can breathe out of water as well. And they often live in underwater societies, where most of the members are trained in various combat styles to protect their delicate homes. [u]Appearance:[/u] [quote][size=1][color=teal]Chibu sat there quietly in the corner, looking as cute as a little cherub and as tender as a shark?s favourite supper. She stared at Hasaitsu with those adorable big scarlet eyes, and her longish hair flowed gently around her face, matching Hasaitsu?s more scruffy hair in colour. She looked to be in her very early teens, yet seemed to be still brimming with that childlike innocence. Still, she drew many smiles with her slim figure and voluptuous aqua fins. Her tail was bundled lightly behind her like a silky gown lying on a bed.[/size][/color][/quote] ^^What the quote does not say is that Chibu is about four-and-a-half feet tall, that her hair is a light aqua in colour, and that her ears are actually fins shaped sort of like ears. [u]Bio:[/u] Chibutakamo was born into a typical fylin society just off the coast. And she and her family lived together in a big blue sandcastle. The society the Surenich were associated with was called the "Cavewater Society", as the combat instructor (a very highly respected title in any fylin community) was a half-lion named Bard who lived in a cave. The Surenich family took up most of this society, and that family was rather interesting. Most interesting of all was Chibu and her siblings. First was Hasaitsuavleun, her big brother. He was an optimistic little guy and also very friendly, but loyal as well. He took his combat training fairly well, and was also quite the experienced hunter in the family. Chibu developed a pretty close relationship with this "muscle boy" Hasaitsu--so much to the extent that foreigners often thought Chibu was Hataitsu's girlfriend... But then there was Sarundanka, her big (and adopted) sister. Saruna hated Chibu for being too obnoxiously cute and sweet. Saruna had a cold and sadistic personality, and was the most experienced fighter in the family, specialising in both magic and a unique weapon she made herself. She did very well in her combat training, but Chibu did very poorly--maybe she "just didn't have that fighting spirit". Chibu also often ventured outside (in the daytime as well--she wasn't a night person), so Saruna often feared Chibu would be kidnapped or something, thus making the entire society vulnerable. Saruna explained Chibu's problem to her parents, but all they suggested to her was that she watch over Chibu more carefully. Saruna did her best to do this (she would have great fun tormenting her), but she often found herself busy with her training, as well as the real fighting she occasionally did later on in her life. So when she wasn't watching over Chibu, either Hasaitsu or her parents were. However, she rarely trusted Hasaitsu, for he seemed to be too easy on Chibu. He would often just let her be, then go off to do other things. Hasaitsu often got in trouble for this, even though he kept saying that "it was Saruna's fault because she's too darn bloodthirsty to care about the family". Indeed, if the parents ever favored any one of them, it was Saruna for her rather impressive combat skills, or Chibu for the mere fact that she needed a little extra protection. She was like a princess, in a way. Perhaps her parents saw Chibu as eventually being queen of the Cavewater Society in the future, as she seemed to be charismatic and was good at dealing with people. (Well, it was her or Saruna that would inherit the throne next, as Mr. and Mrs. Surenich were king and queen of the society already. And Saruna was ineligible because she was adopted.) Whenever Chibu managed to escape, she would often rise to the surface and hang out in the small elven village that was on the coast. (It was true that the elves and the fylin got along well together, but let's just say they... each wanted their own personal space.) And one day while she was in the village she caught word of something called the Bounty Company, and some sort of job that needed to be done, and some voyage to some land called Moren. It turns out she found herself at a gathering where they were recruiting members of this mission, but they didn't know much about the job yet. Wait a minute... that company's name rang a bell. Ahh yes, the Surenich family had gotten a few requests for membership there in the past, but Mr. and Mrs. Surenich never really did anything with these requests... Anyways, Chibu was rather interested in this... whatever sort of mission it was... and mentioned things like her name, how she might be of help to the group, etc. etc. etc... and to make a fairly boring story simple, soon found herself on the magical marble ship bound for Moren as a first stop, along with the others. [u]Specialty:[/u] Chibu is more of a navigator and watchperson than anything else. Usually what happens on journeys the Surenich family carries out on their own is that Chibu ends up as a "guinea pig" or a "scapegoat", or even bait for the enemies. As she's pretty much innocent and not really afraid of anything, she is a perfect investigative type, especially for spying or seeing what's ahead. She's not really much of a fighter--she does have a "weapon" that is very much like a thorned whip, but she hardly ever uses it. In a battle, she would be a staller--perhaps cause a distraction by talking to the enemy or just being cute. She can confuse people pretty easily, or even persuade them to do things. One can say she has good charisma and luck (especially luck), and other characteristics such as hearing that is as good as that of an elf might help as well... [u]Personality:[/u] Chibu is quite playful and energetic. She likes to have fun and such, but she also likes to help others out. She can also be described as obedient, and she trusts others easily as well. This can make her pretty much gullible though... But the good thing is, she doesn't fret over her mistakes too badly--she even tends to either forget or completely ignore them. Leading to this, she is quite curious but also pretty naive. Often times she does things without really knowing the purpose behind them. After all, she is pretty young to start figuring all that out... Speaking of which, her judgment is fairly poor--she especially has a hard time distinguishing between a friend and a foe and often has to be told which is which. Also, she won't dare to hurt people she knows and/or trusts, but enemies and strangers are a different story, especially if they're smaller than she is--they're hard to distinguish from prey. Yet aside from the many weaknesses explained, she does rely on fate to carry her along, and partially as a result of that, she is quite intuitive as well as lucky. Also, it takes a long time for her to start being afraid of something--for example, if she were to walk into a haunted house, she might be okay for ten minutes till she starts to get nervous... She also hardly ever talks (or at least doesn't carry on full conversations that often)--which is good because she can't talk all that well given she's used to a different language unique to the fylin.[/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: I say it again, I do have plenty of other character choices if Chibu isn't accepted. She's just my first choice. **The two quotes came from the part of the story I mentioned above so far...

OOC: Oh, that's right! Wendy's not in her room! (I can't wait to get that second card...) IC: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][size=1]For the next few moments of her meditation, Wendy just let herself foccus on things around her--the quietness of the room, the aura of music that still reverberated throughout it, and things going on inside herself. Occasionally thoughts threatened to come into consciousness, but all these Wendy just told to "wait just underneath the surface" before she was done. And occasionally, she felt her spirit travel to another place. There were lots of places she went during this kind of time, often to places thought to exist on other planets. A mountaintop which for some reason had a flower garden on it, a world surrounded by water anyone can breathe in and covered wth a mass of thick blue fog, a lake around which animal messengers often wandered... There were a bunch of such places. But that is not of concern here, for within a few more minutes, Wendy smiled and began to open her eyes and stretch out her legs. [i]What time is it anyways?[/i] Wendy asked herself. Then she looked at the watch she was wearing, though she had to point it toward the moonlight in order to see it. The clock read 9:15. [i]Probably means I should go back to my room--or rather, Cecille and Mariko's room as well as mine.[/i] Wendy did hate to leave this room, but she knew she had to. So with a sigh of the faintest regret, she turned away from the moonlight, opened the heavy door, and wandered away from the circular room she had just spent about half an hour in. Then she walked down the stairs, turned left into a hall, turned left into another hall, turned right into another hall, and could then see a set of doors off to her left. When Wendy entered her room, Mariko was still asleep, but Cecille had not yet showed up. She thought this rather odd, unless Cecille was more of a night person or simply had jet lag. Whatever the reason was, Wendy was not too worried. So she just headed over to the large closet off of the hall on the opposite side of the room. After closing the closet door behind her, Wendy took off her necklace, her dress, her shoes, nearly everything she was wearing, and put them away where she originally found them. Then she reached for a set of nightclothes she recognized were brought from her house: a black T-shirt and a pair of comfortable-looking blue pants. These Wendy put on before walking out of the room and back to her bed. Before sitting down on her bed, Wendy pulled out a book that was underneath it. It was a largely familiar book, [i]Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince[/i], and judging by the bookmark placed in it, Wendy was about a quarter-way done with it. [i]Ah yes, Harry was about to meet the new--or should I say old--professor,[/i] Wendy remembered as she opened the book and began to read. A perfect way to bide time until her card arrived.[/size][/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: ...I actually finished that book last September, but... hey, I can't make [i]everything[/i] the same as me.

OOC: Yes, Neko, that's almost ecaxtly what I would have had Wendy say to Mariko. (And I can't help but be a little flattered when someone controls my characters for a while...) IC: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][size=1]Wendy's crying didn't last long. For most of her depressing thoughts at this point vanished away when Ben started speaking. "How many?" Ben laughed. "Am I supposed to count or something?" Ben went on to tell the story of his own life. He was a martial arts fighter, a rather impressive one as he said he had a bunch more wins than losses. But then he also went on to talk about his sex life. Wendy snickered at Ben's mentioning of having slept with 145 girls. [i]Wow, Mr. Play Boy,[/i] Wendy thought. [i]Those statistics are even more impressive than your fighting skills! Haha, if I wasn't so keen on remaining virgin, I would probably ask to help jump that number to 146![/i] ...And then Ben went on to say that most of those girls he let go of afterward because he only wanted them for sex. [i]...Well, I guess if the girls wanted it as well, it's not that bad,[/i] Wendy continued to think. [i]Wouldn't exactly call him unfaithful. But hey, what right do I, who have never gotten into bed with my boyfriend, have to critique his standards?[/i] Wendy sighed and calmed down a bit, then nodded happily at Ben as he sat down. Now what was she thinking about a few minutes earlier? Obviously now it didn't matter, for Ben's speech completely distracted her from whatever pessimistic feelings she had grieved about before. No thoughts stabbed at her conscious mind--it was as if her mind was in a blender that had just been turned off. Anyways, Wendy was now looking around at the other guests, particularly Sena. She still wanted to talk to him at some point--that part was definitely one she remembered. And she did remember that she had been crying, and that she had had thoughts of helplessness and greed, but she couldn't really remember how they felt at the time. It reminded her of countless times in the past when she felt depressed. During the depression, she often felt bad enough to be near suicidal, but afterward, she would not be able to imagine the extent to those feelings she felt, nor what caused them. As a result, she ever found a way to cure her occasional depression. [i]Well, it's as I said in a song I wrote,[/i] Wendy figured. [i]Mihi za tufa, kura sao telu. "Life changes--it moves up and down." Or rather up with down. The past seems like a wash of mixed feelings and experiences, yet the present is one distinct feeling. Hehheh, I can see why the Native Americans held a religious belief that man cannot possibly understand what goes on in the divine realm.[/i] It was the above thoughts that made Wendy's emotional state return to a more normal one. And it's a good thing it did, for just after that, Dante made an announcement. "Excuse me... Everyone...please relax for a moment...I need to say something." Wendy began to look Dante's way, noticing along the way that a few of the guests had yet to open their cards--and shuddered at what would happen to them. "I believe that will be all for the evening," Dante continued. "I am sorry if some of the contents that you were asked to share were...personal and private. However I must warn you, this is only the beginning of the game...and for those who have stayed true to the rules...I applaud you. But don't think that the game will get any easier. For those who refuse to follow through with their cards will be punished...this I promise. For now, let us retire to our rooms and get ready for bed...your new cards will be delivered to you before you go to sleep." And with that, Dante quickly left the room. Wendy's plan after Dante left was to rush over and talk to Sena about his life, to reassure him that things were all right. For a few moments she thought of something to say. Perhaps she would tell him that she respected him, that he only made a mistake. Perhaps she would say that she knew Sena wasn't a rapist--she couldn't even tell if he was when she had talked to him outside the mansion! So many possible things to say, yet so many butterflies in her stomach... All these plans went to waste thanks to the sound of Mariko knocking over her chair upon standing up. Wendy quickly redirected her attention to look at the young girl. Mariko wasn't crying anymore, but she looked rather upset still. Her fists were clenched, and she kept looking between the table, the chair, and a few different directions into space. Then she put the overturned chair back in its original position, and stomped out of the dining room. [i]Oh![/i] Wendy then remembered that she wanted to talk to Mariko as well, so she started to follow her, though more quietly. Apparently Mariko was headed back to her room, and would then sit on her bed and either cry or start punching her pillow. But maybe that was an exaggeration. Yet Wendy was right about one thing--for Mariko headed down hall after hall, halls she recognised because these were the exact same ones she had walked down on the way to the dining room. About halfway down one hall, Mariko paused to look at her hands, though she also seemed to be deep in thought. A few seconds later, she took a deep breath and walked a bit more slowly. Wendy did so too, trying to make as little sound as possible with her feet. Then she stopped at the staircase leading to the rooms, hiding behind a nearby statue for a while. A minute or two later, Wendy walked up the stairs into the room--and sure enough, there was Mariko, standing in a corner and gazing at her with those adorable crimson eyes. Wendy smiled at Mariko as she walked over to her bed and sat down. [i]Well, I guess I'm glad to see she's calmed down,[/i] Wendy thought as she continued to look at Mariko. After a while she found it hard to look into her eyes, but that was considered normal for her. [i]But what do I say? I don't know exactly what she might think of me now, now that she knows my odd religious identity. And she saw the way I spoke--what if she's jealous of me, or otherwise simply disgusted? I think that before she seemed to trust me, but now... now there's a feeling inside me that I broke that trust by saying what I said tonight. Maybe she thinks that I actually tried to falsely gain her trust, then just overwhelm her... sort of like what my old friend Lily did to me. But then, what...[/i] Wendy's stream of thoughts was interrupted when Mariko finally spoke. ?So, you?re a...a ?witch?...? ?Y-yes...I suppose I am...? Wendy replied, letting go of her train of thought. ?A witch, that is...? ?Interesting...? Mariko mumbled. [i]..."Interesting"?[/i] Wendy thought. [i]Gee, I wonder what her definition of a witch is... If it's the stereotypical definition I often hear about, she is a bit mistaken. Maybe I should set things straight...[/i] [i]No, I think you rather not,[/i] said a voice inside Wendy's head. Only this time, it was a male voice. Wendy had known about this other voice in her head, but he was much more quiet that the blabbermouth conscience Lenina was. [i]Oh my gosh, and I still don't know your name...[/i] Wendy thought back. Then she spoke to Mariko again, trying a different approach. ?...And you...y-you were...? Wendy struggled to find the right words to describe Mariko's relationship with her father. ?The term you are looking for is Pedophilic Rape,? Mariko finished the sentence for her, sounding coler and colder as she continued to speak. ?I looked it up on the internet once. What it means... is that the only thing my Father ever cared about me was that I was soft, warm, and felt really good to get inside.? Mariko then glared at Wendy, as if she was upset at her for bringing up the subject again. Wendy instinctively looked away, embarrassed by what she had just said. [i]I guess after she spent all that effort calming herself down, she WOULD be upset about talking about her past again.[/i] ?I?m...I?m sorry,? Mariko then apologised. At that point her gaze had shifted from Wendy to the floor. ?I-I just...it?s been so-? ?No, it?s okay,? Wendy quickly replied, trying to sound as gentle as possible. ?I...I understand what it must?ve been like for you. I?m really sorry that I brought it up...and I?m really sorry about what has happened to you...? Wendy again felt embarrassed about what she was saying, and she could tell that Mariko was disappointed based on the look on her face. [i]Why in the world are you embarrassed?[/i] said the normal, female voice of Wendy's conscience. [i]You're telling the truth, for Hera's sake! You KNOW I can read your mind--I dwell in it. Hey by the way, want to know a secret? Mariko isn't disappointed--look, her feelings brightened up like a flower opening its petals in the morning.[/i] ?Th-thank you...? Mariko finally said, sounding grateful. ?That was...the nicest thing anyone?s ever said to me.? Mariko looked up at Wendy again--and for the first time ever, she smiled. It wasn't a fake smile--it was as warm and pure as gold. And the only thing that interrupted it was her wiping any hitchhiking tears from her face. As Mariko smiled, Wendy looked at her in surprise, then smiled even more brightly. ?I...I think I?m going to go to sleep now," Mariko continued, resuming a normal tone of voice. "Please don?t mind me...? With that, Mariko grabbed the night clothes on her bed and headed for the bathroom. But Wendy didn't--she was emotionally stunned, so much that tears welled up in her eyes again. But even though they were the same tears, her reason for crying this time was completely different, if not opposite, of back in the dining room. [i]My gosh... I mean, wow... did... did she actually... thank me... for being nice to her? Well... I mean, in the recent past, I was nice to people occasionally--but none of those people ever said anything or really seemed to appreciate it. It's strange how people can get so distant when something bad happens. It's strange how respect--which just seems rather easy to me--can be looked highly upon! It's just... I fail to come up with the exact words to describe it.[/i] Yet Mariko needed a rest now, and the night was still young. So Wendy just couldn't stay cooped up in this room for an hour, trying to keep quiet. Therefore, she got up and walked out of the room. Wendy saw that the hall continued off to the right past the rooms, till it ended in complete darkness. There was a small voice inside Wendy's head that told her that exploring the mansion might anger Dante, but then the letter she got mentioned that "everything she wanted would be provided to her"... So did that mean that if she wanted to explore, then she could? After all, the only rule regarding that was to never leave the mansion. With that having been thought, Wendy walked down the dark, doorless hall. Wendy expected some sort of eerie silence to fill the hall as she walked down it, but even so, chills ran through her body as she walked. She wasn't exactly afraid of the dark--just a little more aware of her surroundings than usual. She heard her own footsteps clearly, and she waited carefully for signs that the hall might end. Finally it did--Wendy's outstretched hand bumped into a wall. Wendy looked around--only to find that to her left, there was another hall that turned right at the end. This Wendy could see because the end of the hall was touched with moonlight. Ah, moonlight, the ultimate mental relaxer. This cheered Wendy up as she walked into the moonlight... The source of the light was a large, round window directly in front of her--after turning into the other hall that is. It was clearly dark outside at this point, and the stars would be clearly seen if there wasn't the moon, positioned near the center of the window, glowing brilliantly in the night sky. It wasn't exactly full, but it was more than half-full--perhaps in a matter of days it would be full. But anyways, this window and this moon was not the only sight that beheld Wendy. There were staircases leading off in opposite directions on either side of the window. The one on the left went downward, and the one on the right headed upward. So now Wendy had to make a choice of which stairway to take. Getting a closer look, she could see that the one to her left seemed to end in another dimly lit hall. But the one on the right seemed to end in a doorway--a single room. Wendy decided to head upstairs after all. After closing the heavy metal door behind her, Wendy took a look around. She was in a circular room, and the far half of its walls was made of glass, so it offered a clear view of the outside. In this view, Wendy could make out the tops of other parts of the building--apparently this mansion was larger than she'd anticipated. Past that was an open field and parts of a forest--a view that perhaps the others could get a clear glimpse of back in their rooms. But as before, this huge window was not the only thing to see. The walls were plain and looked to be made of steel. The floor was wooden, and in the centre was a single chair--a soft, comfy-looking one. It really was a small room--no more than a few metres in diameter. But anyways, Wendy had nothing better to do at this point than to sit in the chair and admire the view. After a while, Wendy noticed a small inscription near the bottom of the metal part of the wall, a sort of sign that was put there for business purposes. The sign read "Soundproofing insulation provided by Greenswald Walling Co." [i]Huh?[/i] Wendy thought. [i]The walls of this room are... wait a minute, that does explain the heavy door. It looks like this room was designed to block out all outside noises, like a contemplation room. I have a feeling that if and when I live here, this room would be one of my favourites...[/i] The wonderful feelings that Wendy had experienced as a result of the conversation with Mariko seemed to reverberate about her mind and the room she was now in. And soon enough, something else reverberated--for Wendy then started to sing. It was, as usual, one of the songs she wrote, and seemed appropriate for the conversation and the mood. [i]"Celia, shibaraku Noroi ni sunde imashita Kowakatta kara Aitaku nakatta..."[/i] It was one of the very few songs she originally wrote in a language other than English, one which she was embarrassed to sing in public, as was any song in any language she was not fluent in. It was a song that went with a story, about a girl who lived under a curse cast upon her by her great-grandmother (Celia), and her realisation that the curse was actually a test of her character. It gave that girl such a wonderful feeling to know that, a similar feeling to what Wendy was feeling at that exact point. Yet anyways, Wendy sang this song for quite a long time, starting to sing the English version after the original. Nearly ten minutes passed before she was nearly done, smiling brightly as she got to her favourite verse. [i]"...What a wondrous night, inspiring too I have learned a lot from you Oh, thank you for all that you've done Now I can go on and accept what fate awaits me, Celia..."[/i] A while later, Wendy got to the end of the second version of the song and wondered whether the walls were really soundproof, whether anyone had heard her. [i]I hope not... I mean, the English version of that song sounds weird to me, and my Japanese is terrible...[/i] [i]It is your Spanish that is terrible,[/i] Wendy's conscience commented, [i]and it's a good thing you never wrote any songs in THAT language. There you go, being all pessimistic again. And by the way, I think you know... oh, are you trying to meditate? I see, um, very well...[/i] And soon, Wendy was met yet again with the eerie yet relaxing silence that reverberated throughout the room. Soon she let go of everything, in order to focus on herself and her surroundings. She thought she could hear some sort of soft music playing, but no physical sound was present. Perhaps if it was played by an instrument, it was played by an instrument Wendy called a [i]latria[/i], a "magical" musical instrument that produced feelings of music, but little or no actual sound. But it turns out that music is what can make sound so lovely, or feelings so lively. ...If that and/or the latria makes any sense at all. ~ ~ ~ [i]Hello, Wendy,[/i] said the male voice that was part of her conscience. [i]Oh--it's you! I know I'm not supposed to think during a meditation, but if I'm talking to a part of my inner self, then... Oh, does the subject of meditation bother you? I know you don't believe in anything supernatural, so... No, no... You learned yourself in that psychology class you took that meditation has a direct effect on brainwave activity. That evidence is purely scientific. So yes, I support he idea of meditation--but what I DON'T believe is that it is used to connect to other "spiritual" worlds. I see...[/i] Wendy replied. [i]Oh, and by the way, I truly apologise for trying to get rid of you--I guess I couldn't stand the fact that a muggle lived inside my mind... oops, sorry, "muggle" is such a rude term to use... But what I DON'T get,[/i] the male voice commented, [i]is how a tarot card, of all things, made you consider how much a part of your moral values as Lenina is. How do you explain such nonsense? Ah, so NOW do you believe in a divine spirit? A.k.a. "god"? A.k.a. "fate"? Nonsense, I tell you! NONSENSE! ...Yet all the same, something caused you to reconsider banishing me, you... ohh, I shouldn't even say the W word... ..."Witch"? Wendyyy... Anyways, I can't help but... feel grateful... for--however you managed it--for you accepting me as I am--not keeping me hidden in your unconscious mind forever. So therefore, I will let you call me... Drew. ..."Drew"? Uhh, okay... Drew, reminds me of a character in Pokemon... But I suppose that's just a coincidence. Anyways, Drew... maybe someday I will satisfy my goal of providing a scientific explanation to paranormal events. Maybe then, you will believe in magic. There you go with that quote, "There are people who believe in magic, there are people who don't believe in magic, there are people who think they don't believe in magic but actually do, yadda yadda yadda..." Anyways, I will let you continue on with the more quiet part of your meditation--I certainly hope I can take to you again at some point, Wendy. I would be honoured, felow superego member.[/i][/color][/size]

OOC: Two weeks I am gone and only three people post! I was getting worried there... I know I have already opened my card, but I feel an urge to respond to other people's cards... IC: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][size=1]Wendy spent the next few moments after she finished speaking looking down, not talking to anyone. But after a while, she couldn't stifle her smiling. She was so happy that she had told people what she told them, like she had somehow set herself free. It was among the best feelings in the world... But Wendy looked up when she heard a recognisable voice speak: one that belonged to Sena, the man she had talked to outside the mansion. Knowing that, she listened intently to what Sena had to say. Sena started talking about who he was and about his family. When he mentioned the fact that his father beat and tortured his sisters, he got a few awkward stares in his direction. These stares grew even more common while he mentioned that his father convinced him that doing what he was doing was completely proper. Wendy couldn't help but get a weird look on her face and shake her head in shame at this comment. [i]That sick little old man...[/i] Wendy thought. [i]Reminds me of Mariko's father.[/i] Then Sena was shown a video of some sort. Wendy couldn't see it because she was behind the screen, but she could tell that Sena was horrified at it. Later on, he felt almost as nervous as Mariko had been when he explained how he was arrested for beating his sisters, something that actually his father did. During this part, Wendy stared at Sena, but felt quite a bit of compassion for him. [i]He was falsely accused, for something he didn't know was wrong at the time. He really reminds me of a character in one of my stories--one who was in an evil organization yet didn't know the organization was evil. Ever since finding out it was evil, he started working secretly against that organization. Ooo, I think I might need to talk to him... I know I'm usually shy, but...[/i] Wendy put this out of her mind for a moment when Jennie started speaking. She mentioned something about beeing a loner since her teenage years, and mentioned something about people remembering those who die. She then mentioned that she wanted someone to "miss her". "Oh, well, that's..." Wendy muttered, but trailled off and shrugged afterward. Then she looked at Jennie for a while. [i]No friends? Suicidal? Ahh, reminds me of my own teenage years, sort of. I did have friends--I just didn't feel close to them. And I actually had to see a psychiatrist because of my suicidal thoughts--silly really. It's funny how she worries that nobody will care if she dies, when all the anti-suicide complaints I heard were that people will be hurt if their close friends just die suddenly. Hey, maybe I will be her fr... what am I thinking? I don't know the faintest thing to say to her... well, I'll think of something. There are too many people to feel sorry for here.[/i] Then it was Allen's turn to speak. He started talking about his life, the fact that he was a very religious boy, his father being a prominent Catholic priest. (Wendy couldn't help but scoff quietly at this statement. Then she shook her head and smiled at Allen.) Then he went on to mention that he fell in love with a guy. At this there was silence, a few people stared or giggled, but all Wendy did was get a spaced-out look on her face. [i]Oh, well... what's so bad about being gay?[/i] Allen went on to explain how he was rejected by all Catholic universities afterward and hidden by his parents from the community. He also went on to say that the thing he missed most was that one guy he really loved. He finished it all by calling himself a faggot. "Aww, you're not a faggot!" Wendy blurted. Then she bowed her head again, just like she had done after reading her own card. [i]But it's true though... What is WRONG with these Catholic priests? They just can't respect any relationship that is not between members of the opposite sex! But yet I have heard that in... maybe it was the Bible... that homosexuality was a sin. Poor him, he must still believe that. (I don't.) I believe that thievery and the seven deadly sins are definitely sins, but not something as silly as that... I think that's just as sinful as practicing a non-Catholic religion. Hey, that means I'm a sinner too Yay! Damn me to hell! Burn me at the stake! Ehheh... I'm getting carried away. Another person I partially feel I have to talk to.. yet another person to feel sorry for.[/i] In the moments afterward, Wendy started to feel a little depressed--or rather, hopeless. All these other people had such problems they were dealing with life, so many reasons why [i]they[/i] should be the ones to inherit the mansion. But what about Wendy? The young woman who was perfectly content with herself and her life--she, who had no regrets for anything that happened to her in the past? She, who loved herself for the way she was? She, who did not hate any of her family members, none of which hated her? If she inherited the mansion, if she won this game, would it be seen by the others as being "greedy"? Should she avoid a possible sin and just... give up? [i]I really surely wish that everybody could share this amazing place together,[/i] Wendy thought. [i]I hope that everyone else who has yet to speak does not have any major conflicts in their life they have yet to overcome, like most everyone else we've heard already... If there is to be one winner, I can't see how it can be me without other people absolutely hating me for it, being jealous. Moreover, if I lose, what will happen? What happened to Kuro... I haven't seen him since we all entered, I wonder if he lost...? How in the world did I get myself into this, and what will become of it?? I still put my complete trust in what fate has to offer, but...[/i] And with that, Wendy, too, started to cry.[/color][/size]

OOC: What a big relief. I leave for a week and my character isn't... well, you know, what happens when one loses the game. I'm so excited about this post I could burst! IC: [color=indigo][size=1]Wendy stared blankly at the plate in front of her. Her expression was appropriately blank, because so was the plate! Not the tiniest morsel was on the plate--it was as if the food had been turned invisible. But the plate was beautiful at least--it was deep blue in colour, and had a purple trim that looked a lot like lace all around the edges. Wendy was a bit flattered--her favourite colours were in the plate. She looked around to see that everyone else's plates looked different--except they weren't empty like hers. What wasn't empty, however, was the glass resting next to the plate. It looked like it had been handcrafted out of crystal, and the handle looked like a blue dolphin. Inside it was a delicate, amber-coloured liquid. Steam wafted gracefully out of it. [i]Hmm, what is it...?[/i] Wendy asked herself. Then she took a sip of the drink--and smiled broadly afterward. [i]This is the absolute best tea I have ever tasted! It appears to be some sort of jasmine tea--or maybe it was a sort of green tea. Or both. It looks to have some hints of vanilla flavouring to it... Wow, I guess Dante meant it when he said our favourites would be here! The perfect flavour, the perfect balance of bitter and sweet, the perfect aroma... I could just dance in the latious* song emanating from this feeling.[/i] As Wendy drank a bit more of the tea (slowly as to savour the flavour), she thought of one of her favourite songs--a rather little-known song called "Wonderful Feeling". Wendy really thought she could relate to the song, and even began humming the melody occasionally. Moments later, Wendy's stomach growled, causing her to turn back to her empty plate. [i]Hmm...[/i] Wendy thought. [i]Wait a minute... Before dinner started, Dante mentioned all out favourite foods would be on the plate. But I am admittedly shy about my favourite, so maybe that means I don't have a favourite? Is that why my plate's empty? Well, not that I don't mind... I just hope it doesn't get to the point where I starve to death because I'm unable to make up my mind about what I want to eat.[/i] In the minutes afterward, Wendy searched her memories for any sort of meal she remembered was simply wonderful. She thought of many different things, but none of them seemed to hit the spot. She did this a few more times, finally coming upon one possibility... "Miss Fayworth?" said a voice behind Wendy. Wendy abruptly turned around to see a servant, carrying some sort of steaming bowl. The bowl was of the exact same colour and design as the empty plate in front of Wendy. "I truly apologise for the wait," the servant continued. "It seems like there was some confusion as to what we should serve you. It even got to the point where some of us servants were arguing over it... But no harm done." The servant said no more as he placed the bowl in front of Wendy. Wendy smiled a little bit at the contents of the bowl, though not nearly as excitedly as when she tasted the tea. In front of her was a bowl of noodle soup, consisting of some sort of thin, clear noodles, a few fish balls and a scallop or two, and a bunch of various vegetables, which even included mushrooms and a few strips of nori on the side. The broth all this was in was almost the exact same colour as the tea, though Wendy figured it probably had a completely different taste. [i]I've never seen scallops in this kind of soup before...[/i] Wendy thought. [i]I guess he... er, I... have weird tastes. What was I thinking? Oh, but fish balls are my favourite. And how'd he know nori was my favourite too? And look--spinach, zucchini, bean sprouts, tofu even... I love them too! And what do you know, they even gave me chopsticks as well as a spoon. And both of those are the same colours as the bowl and the plate--wow! Ohh, and this is the smallest soup bowl I've ever seen... wonderful! Most of the ones I see are way too huge for me--but it looks as if I might be able to finish this![/i] Sure enough, everything tasted as good as Wendy had predicted. Yet as she ate, she kept glancing around at the other people seated at the table, as if to check for any weird expressions directed at her. (Umm, who knew a fabulous bowl of this type of noodle soup would fall into the happy hands of an Englishwoman...?) As before, Wendy looked the most at Mariko. She felt a little bit humiliated at the question she asked her earlier, and really wanted to apologise for it. However, she could obviously see that Mariko didn't feel like talking at this point. [i]She reminds me of me... very shy and quiet as well. I think that's the first time I've ever met someone quieter than me who I actually have a fondness for.[/i] A few seconds after Wendy finished drinking the remaining broth out of her bowl (first time for everything), she noticed that Mariko was tearing apart her envelope and starting to read her card. Out of courtesy, Wendy resisted to urge to look at her--she didn't want to see what was in her card. [i]I don't know what happens if I'm caught looking at someone else's card...[/i] After that, Wendy began to take her own envelope out of her purse, when she was interrupted by Dante speaking. ?I?m terribly sorry to interrupt what, I?m sure, must be an excellent meal??? A few people cheered at this comment, and Wendy clapped a few times, though rather sheepishly. ?But, before we begin the rest of tonight?s proceedings, I believe our youngest guest has a few things she would like to say to us. Miss Mariko, if you would??? Mariko then stood up, and Wendy looked up at her, a pleasant expression on her face. Then Mariko began to speak, but she sounded awfully nervous. ?Um? M-My name is Mariko? A-and I, I was brought here be-because I have no place else t-to go in this world. I?m here now b-because I have had to struggle on the streets of my home town to survive this long, all the while asking myself if it was really worth it. The Master of Games saw this in me, and h-has brought me here because I...beause I want to find my reason to live again. I want to have a place to go that I can call home. You see?? Mariko sounded even more nervous as she continued to speak. Although she didn't notice it, Wendy's smile also faded and turned into a sort of curious gaze, backed by a little empathy. When Mariko spoke again, she mentioned that she ran away from her father. As she said this, Wendy's smile perked back up again. [i]Well gee, Mariko, I'm not at all ashamed of that! I remember wanting to run away myself.[/i] Then Dante asked Mariko why she ran away. Mariko looked like she was on the verge of crying. ?I-I ran away because every night my papa would come into my room and?and he?d take my clothess off and?he?d?he?d?do things...-!? Mariko burst into tears after this statement, covering her face in her hands and sitting back down again. Then Dante went on to thank Mariko for speaking up, but Wendy focused more of her attention on Mariko herself. She was filled with empathy at this point, and knew exactly what Mariko was talking about. "Child molestation," Wendy muttered, speaking more into space than toward Mariko. She really didn't know or care whether Mariko paid any attention. "Yes, bad things, very bad things..." Then she turned to Mariko at last. "Mariko, I..." Wendy paused. She remembered a few times when she was feeling very depressed and cried just as hard or harder than Mariko was now. During those times, she wanted above all else to be left alone. So she would not disrespect Mariko's privacy at this point--she decided she would talk to her later. Just a few seconds after Ally hid her card under the tablecloth, Wendy took out her own card and carefully tore it open. As she did, she noticed her full name (Wendy Orla Fayworth) written in fancy-looking gold letters. Anyways, finally she took out her card, held it up as close to herself as possible to prevent anyone peeking at it, and read the card to herself. ... When Wendy finished reading, she looked at the letter with a surprised stare. [i]Whoa! This is all? This is it? Why I thought... Heh, this isn't too bad! I shall tell everybody everything! (I'm even afraid of saying too much...)[/i] Wendy also saw a few other things in the envelope--some pictures in fact. There were four pictures, all of people. One of them Wendy immediately recognized, another took a few seconds to remember, and for the other two she had to flip the pictures over to find their names. Wendy then took the spoon from the soup bowl and tapped it against her half-empty glass. Heads turned in her direction as she stood up afterward. "Ah, Miss Fayworth," Dante greeted. "I suppose you, too, are ready to say a few words about yourself?" "Why yes," Wendy replied, bouncing up and down a few times out of excitement. She had too many things to say and didn't know where to start... "I have a few things to say, maybe more, time-allowing!" Then Wendy began to [i]really[/i] speak. "Fellow members of this fate-struck planet known as Earth, I truly respect your presence. My name is Wendy Orla Fayworth. ...My father calls me Orla. Anyways, family origins are really off-topic as far as I'm concerned... Now, I admit to being a crazy person--who wants to be normal?--and in fact..." Wendy paused a moment before continuing, another smile on her face. "...I am a witch." Wendy laughed to herself at what she just said. She noticed a few surprised stares coming from the audience, but nothing too disturbing. "Yes, that means I read tarot cards and brew potions and cast spells--you know... And I am very fond of it all, really. You can say my fondest interest in the universe is in the paranormal. Hee hee! You should really be honoured. You see, one of the basic rules of witchcraft is that you shouldn't tell people that you're a witch. Buuut, that just so happens to be the [i]only[/i] rule of witchcraft that I completely disagree with! After all, what wrong with expressing youself? We are all in the Age of Aquarius, where expression is important. We are not living in the seventeenth century--thank god--where people burned witches, "pagans", I guess you might say. But paganism is more of a religion, a nature-based one, than an actual craft. Now anyways, gee, I really feel like digressing tonight. I get so passionate about these things that... Anyways." Wendy took a deep breath to centre herself for a moment, to tone down a bit of her excitement. It felt like a very short meditation. When Wendy came out of it, she felt more calm and true to herself as she continued to speak. "Now, people have many perceptions about witches. It is true that they're magic users, that thy incorporate paranormal elements into everyday life. But, what they don't do is evil things, like eat children or put curses on people. Witches believe in karma, the belief that everything you do comes back to you. If you do something good or helpful, you get rewarded three-fold by the divine. But, if you do something bad, you get punished three-fold for it. And..." "Umm, Miss Fayworth?" Dante interrupted. "Look, I know how enthusiastic you are about this, but can you get to the point a little, you know...?" "I was getting there, I'm coming..." Wendy continued, with a little bit of exasperation in the first sentence. Then she spoke as confidently as before. "Now, a special rule about curses. If you put a curse on someone and they don't deserve it, it comes back to you nine times as strong. Not three. [i]Nine.[/i] Now, that is a rule I just recently learned, quite sadly. In my early teens, I didn't quite get that concept of karma, so yes, I did put curses on people, I admit." Wendy was very slightly ashamed with saying this, but she still sounded very wrm-hearted with it. It was as if she was calmly asking for forgiveness. She even had her hand over her heart. "Yes, back then there were some people I just absolutely hated so much that I actually put curses on them. Emotional problems, you know. Teenage years. Anyways, nowadays though, I look back on those curses, and you know what? They were just verbal incantations directed at people, incantations that made absolutely no sense at all! I'm really not sure whether the curses worked or not... But, another important witchcraft rule is that intent is more important than content--so maybe they did work to a degree." "Pardon my interruption again, Miss Fayworth," Dante interrupted. "Would you mind telling us about who you put curses on, specifically four of them? And what happened to them as a result of the curse, and how you feel and felt about them?" "Wow, Dante, first you tell me to say less, and now you tell me to say more," Wendy commented. "Anyways, Yes, as Mr. Lui'ci said, there were four people that my curses affected the most. And, I have pictures of all four of them right here." Wendy paused a moment to take the pictures out of the envelope, and fan the out in front of her like playing cards. "The first person was a girl by the name of Athena. She was a student in eighth grade with me. She was not in any of my classes, nor was she my friend. But we were talking once when I felt this tug at my hair. I thought she pulled my hair, so I pulled hers back. Apparently she was agitated at this and later hit me hard on the head. I was frustrated by this in return, so I put a curse on her. Now in this picture..." Wendy took out the picture of Athena. She was a Spanish woman that looked to be about Wendy's age. She was smiling, and she was standing next to a handsome-looking man wearing a tuxedo. She herself was wearing a wedding gown and holding a baby in her hands. "Now as you can see, now she's married and has a child. I think I recognise this man here too--this is José, one of my other classmates. Anyways, they look rather happy. Maybe the curse didn't affect them too much. I don't really blame Athena. The curse I cast was for a stupid reason. And judging by the intense depression I felt in the years afterward, the curse rebounded on me nine-fold." Wendy took a moment to lament this depression, as if to apologise to the divine spirit itself. [i]Well of course you forgive me, jisu-ha.[/i] "I will pass each of these pictures around," Wendy continued, as she handed the picture of Athena to Cecille, who was sitting to her left. "Now, the second person is Aaron Brown, a boy from high school. He often teased and bullied me in my first year, even to the point where I was caught picking a small fight with him one day. Because I was caught for that and he wasn't for his other misdeeds, I put a curse on him to 'set things right'. Now, this picture of him here... Hmm, he appears to be in a gang or something. But, the gang only has five members, including him, and nobody in it seems to be too confident or sure of themselves. I guess he was finally repaid after all for his putting other people down, but I guess as usual, the curse I put on him may have rebounded on me. My guess." Wendy took a moment to pass the picture of Aaron and his gang around. "Now, the third person was also from high school," Wendy continued. "I didn't know her name before, so apparently it's a Lisa Andrews. She and I tried out for a talent show in school one year. It was my first time trying out. Anyways, both of us got in to the show, and the audience loved my performance of a song I wrote. But, she won the talent show. I really didn't think her singing was exceptional, so I thought the judging was unfair and put a curse on her. Now, in this picture, Lisa is, hmm, she apparently moved to America, because she seems to be performing in some show called 'American Idol'. It's a show I'm not familiar with, being from the UK and all, but apparently it's a very big hit. Good for her--I admit that she does have a great voice, and I was just jealous. I look back on myself and see that I was not half as good a singer than as I am now, but... Anyways, so I guess the curse hit me hard as usual, another contributor to my depression. I'll pass this picture around as well." "Wendy, plase mind my third interruption," Dante cut in. "But when you say 'depression', you're being a little vague. What kinds of problems did you face in your teenage years as a result of the curses coming back to you?" "Oh, I don't know," Wendy answered. "I think the only way I can explain my depression accurately is if I feel depressed, which I obviously don't now. I just felt like I lost my sense of purpose in life, and even thought about committing suicide a number of times. Mind you, I [i]still[/i] think about suicide, but for different reasons... That would be an affinity for the dark side of life, you know, the underworld, death, etc. But anyways, I don't want to digress, important as this may be..." Wendy looked at Dante uncertainly. Dante nodded, as if to let her continue on. "Now, the fourth and final person has had the biggest impact on my life. I still think about her frequently, and even wrote a song dedicated to her. That person was Lily Mosswood. Ah, good old LM, a good friend of mine during my early teenage years. In eighth grade I had two friends: Lily and Jeanette. Jeanette was one of my best friends, and still is now. But, as for Lily... Well, she was really nice to me at first--we talked frequently and seemed to be getting along well. But, a year later, Jeanette was visiting my house, and we were chatting online with Lily, who had moved to Canada. In that conversation, Lily said that she actually hated me above all else, and was just faking our friendship. She had been expressing her hateful feelings to Jeanette behind my back, and Jeanette never told me. Lily told me that she really saw me as stupid, ugly, singing like a crow, and even 'not a proper witch'. Now, today, I see most of the things Lily thought of me as quite true. I think I was ugly and foolish back then. But, because of her admitting that, I was really crushed, heartbroken... and of course put a curse on her." Wendy paused for a moment before looking at the final picture. "In this picture... Lily is sitting alone in a dark room, holding a three-year old son. She still looks beautiful as ever, as I remember when I first met her. She looks like she's trying to throw away a cigarette--yes, I remember she was a smoker, but pretended not to be in front of me. Hmm, she doesn't seem quite happy with her life. I think she had a boyfriend, but maybe they broke up and she's left with her son. How sad, really." Wendy then passed the picture of Lily around, but continued to speak. "Ohh, sometimes I feel really bad for Lily, and I hope the two of us can be friends again, so I can help her out of that situation. Anyways, another thing to note is that later on, I removed all the curses I put on everyone, and even prayed for Lily. Still, the temporary effects of the curses may have taken their toll. It is a lesson I have learned and shall not make again. It's funny--now I know how to cast curses properly, but never have a reason to do so. There isn't anyone I absolutely hate--I respect everyone, and that includes all of you. I hope you all had a wonderful supper, and a pleasant good night." With that, Wendy sat down, bowing her head slightly. She was frowning, but still had a smile on her face--one of relief. [i]Well, I think you did a good job,[/i] said Lenina, Wendy's conscience. [i]You spoke from your heart, as you most often do. I like that in you.[/i] Wendy could faintly hear applause from elsewhere around the table. She just surreptitiously scratched the back of her left hand slowly yet forcefully, till it bled slightly. She began sucking on the back of her hand. [i]Dessert.[/i] [i]You vampire you,[/i] Lenina teased.[/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: Yep, exactly what I would do in that situation... ^_^' Anyways, I guess I got carried away... *[u]Latious:[/u] (adj) Absolutely wonderful and awe-inspiring, pertaining to the most pleasurable feeling ever. Comes from the root word [i]lati[/i], a word that comes from, umm, some language spoken on another planet...?

[color=royalblue]One such dark art that Emillie's mother taught her how to do was to possess people--to take over their actions completely. However, this was obviously a very difficult thing to master, and Emillie wasn't very good at it. The most she knew how to do was possess certain animals, and even civilized beings of a more primitive mental state. Her mother could pretty easily possess most cilivized beings, but for some reason had trouble with elves and other Bretons. But that's beside the point. At this particular point in time, Emillie was flying alongside a rabbit-ish creature with wings. It appeared to have been created by some sort of twisted mage with an affinity for creature manipulation. But this poor creature was also currently under Emillie's possessive control. Emillie and the creature were flying away from High Rock and toward the Ash Lands, which could be clearly seen up ahead. [i]Come with me, creature of the wind,[/i] Emillie commanded as she pointed her staff at the creature. Together they swooped down till they reached a spot where a Dark Elf was standing. [i]A Dark Elf I recognize as Soran.[/i] Emillie immediately had an instinct to greet Soran, but then she saw a look of concern on his face, as if he was staring at something straight ahead. So in order to not disturb whatever he was staring at, Emillie just hovered there, barely visible by Soran on the side. The rabbit-ish creature sat down abd nedagn to chew on the feathers on its wings. But it couldn't go anywhere, as it had a sort of glowing leash around its neck at that moment.[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: Yes, hope the creature thing was all right...

[color=indigo][size=1]Wendy was humming to herself at that point. While she was doing so, she checked her watch--the time was 5:40. Mariko had just left the room. [i]Yeah, so now I'm stuck with the roommate I like less.[/i] Wendy did have to admit that she found Mariko to be a sort of interesting person, and even reminded her of herself a bit. Thisd was another example of Wendy's secret social side: she sometimes had a certain fondness of a person, but was too shy to tell them. One perfect example of that was when Wendy was in high school, and she had those types of feelings towards Amy, a girl in her art class. Amy apparently seemed to be in need of a friend, and was usually in a crabby mood and complained about things. And she was struggling in her art class and most of her other classes. Yet, Wendy had an unexplainable fondness for her. But, Amy was in a grade higher than her, so by the time she graduated, Wendy lost the chance to make friends with her. [i]Gee, and will this happen to Mariko as well?[/i] Wendy thought. "Hey, what's that tune you're humming?" Cecille's question brought Wendy back to reality. "Oh... it's from a song I wrote," Wendy replied. "Oh, really?" Cecille's response was more of interest than of sarcasm. "Well, anyways, I'm going to see what I can do to get ready for the banquet--and perhaps see what's down that little hall." Wendy pointed to a shallow-looking hall at the corner of the bedroom. "Oh, and you might want to get ready as well... well, I think you look perfect enough already. Seriously, I think that dress looks cute and elegant on you. But oh well." Wendy felt kind of uncomfortable saying the compliment, but she felt a little good afterward anyway. As Wendy walked down the shallow, brightly lit hall, she thought about the upcoming dinner. [i]'Twill probably be formal... but I wonder if the outfit I'm wearing would be okay already? I really wish I brought that black dress I have back at home. But...[/i] At that point, Wendy saw a door that stood ajar to her left. She pushed it aside and turned on a light switch, only to reveal an expansive closet space. There were lots of different items of apparel in it, all rather classy-looking and well-organized. There were a series of different coats in one area, a whole wall full of dresses, a large hat rack containing at least twenty hats in the corner, a shoe rack in another corner, a large jewelry box on a table in another corner, another wall containing some slightly more casual clothing items, and... there were too many things to list. There were so many that Wendy's heart raced from the very sight of these things. "Dante's kidding me!" Wendy said aloud. "Where did all this stuff come from? I saw this coat over here in a department store once--for about two thousand pounds! This is all looking too good to be true, if he asks me..." Wendy then remembered the email she had received. It said that "everything she wished for would be granted" to her inside the mansion. [i]Come to think of it, I might want to wash the clothes I'm already wearing... Ohh, I just hope this is the right thing to do...[/i] A while later, Wendy walked into the bathroom which was right across from the closet. As with the closet, Wendy's eyes went wide when she saw the interior. The shower was huge and seemed to double as a hot spa. Along a side of it were shelves containing various shampoos, soaps, and other things. There were also three sinks in the room, apparently one for each of the girls. [i]Ohh, I wish I had time to take a shower beforehand... My hair looks a little frizzy from sleeping on the airplane.[/i] Next to one of the sinks was a wall of small shelves containing various things such as perfumes and lotions and hairsprays. Wendy looked rather surprised when she saw a familiar-looking bottle that looked to contain a gel-like substance. [i]Hey... I ran out of this stuff at home! I know this helps with frizz! Gee, I guess Dante took his word for it. His psychic abilities are seeming rather remarkable. It's almost as if he's a ghost or vampire, some sort of supernatural being. Whether that's true or not is beyond me, but...[/i] Those thoughts ran through Wendy's mind as she picked the bottle up and went back into the closet, closing and locking the door behind her. Minutes later, Wendy was walking back into the bedroom. Instead of the previous outfit, she was now wearing a long purple dress that was coated in black lace at the bottom. On top of that she wore a black velvet shawl with a silver rose pattern on it. Below that she wore a pair of black boots that looked almost exactly like the ones she wore before, but were more comfortable and looked brand-new. And, her hair didn't look frizzy at all, and she was holding a small black purse. The only thing that didn't change was her necklace--the same one she wore before. "Oh. My. GOSH!" Cecille exclaimed. "...Where'd you get that dress?" Wendy giggled and pointed behind her, to the small hall. "In the closet, silly." Wendy walked over to her bed and transferred a few things from her bag to the purse she was now carrying: her pen, notebook, and gris-gris bag. (As usual, she smiled broadly while holding the gris-gris bag.) Also she put the red envelope lying on the bed inside. When everything was ready, Wendy headed for the door leading outside the room. Wendy remembered the path she had taken from the entrance to her room, so after walking down the stairs and making a turn or two, she soon found herself at the front door. A man--possibly an assistant or servant--was standing by the door. Instead of a black man with a white suit, though, he was a white man with a black suit. "Ah, Miss Fayworth," the man greeted. "Planning to leave so soon?" The man had a sinister look on his face. "Um... no," Wendy replied. "I'm just trying to find the dining room--you know, where we're all supposed to meet. And I thought I'm not allowed to leave this place..." "Indeed you're not," the man agreed. "I was simply testing you. By the way, you should find your specified location by going down that hall over there, down to the end and turning left, then making your first right. Got that?" "Pretty easy," Wendy said as she walked off to the hall the man pointed out. Minutes later, Wendy opened the door to the dining hall. Inside was a long, fancy-looking table in the centre, surrounded by a bunch of beautifully carved and polished wooden furniture against the walls. Many of them were chairs that looked to be rather comfortable, and many were paired with round, shiny glass tables--each with a bouquet-filled vase on it. Various paintings hung above them on the walls, and the ceiling looked much like the ceiling of a cathedral, decorated with stars and angels, and a sun in the centre. Wendy didn't look around at the room itself for too long, especially when she spotted Mariko sitting at the far end of the centre table on the right, right next to what looked more like a throne than a chair at the head of the table. Wendy looked at Mariko for a while--she seemed to be deep in thought. Then, slowly, taking a deep breath beforehand, she walked towards her, and eventually sat down in the chair right next to her. But when she sat down, she instinctively looked down at the table instead of at Mariko. Maybe it was because she was shy, or maybe it was because she didn't want to disturb Mariko's "deep thought process". "Hello," Wendy said almost automatically, still not looking at Mariko. But once she caught herself greeting the girl sitting next to her, she gasped and sat up straighter, then turned her head very slightly towards her. "Oh, sorry for disturbing you..." Wendy muttered hastily. Mariko then turned her head to look at Wendy, but didn't say anything. "This really is an interesting place," Wendy commented, staring off into space, "full of interesting people. Sometimes I wonder why some of these people came here, whether for greed, victory, well... who knows... Of course, I... have no clue why I decided to come, but..." At that point Wendy was almost talking to herself. But then she quickly pointed a question at Mariko, hesitating beforehand. "...So why did you come here? What made you take up on... the offer?" Wendy paused for a moment. "...Um, if you don't want to answer... Well, it's okay to--it's not like I would take advantage of you to make you lose this--I hate to say it--competition. Of course, such evil acts would be bad karma. I'm not that keen on 'winning' myself, but I'm mainly worried about what happens to the 'losers'... But anyways." Wendy felt like she had said too much. She found it hard to look at Mariko while she awaited her response.[/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: If you don't know what a gris-gris bag is, you didn't read my previous post carefully enough.

[color=indigo][size=1]When Wendy entered her room, she noticed a girl already there, sitting on one of the beds. [i]Hmm, she doesn't look like a Mariko, so she must be Cecille,[/i] Wendy figured. She knew Mariko was a Japanese name, and the girl certainly did not look Japanese. She had blond hair that was tied in fancy-looking pigtails, sky-blue eyes, and wore a frilly red and white dress. Anyways, this girl was clearly not as shy as Wendy was--for she spoke right up. "Hello!" the girl greeted. "Why hello," Wendy replied back, but in a little less bubbly tone than the other girl. "I'm guessing you're Cecille?" "How'd you know," Cecille asked rhetorically. "And are you Mariko or Wendy?" "Wendy, of course... I don't know where..." Before Wendy could finish her sentence, another girl walked into the room, but she appeared to be a lot younger than both of them. Her hair was longer and looked bluish, her ears were kind of pointy in almost an elf-like way, and she wore a black dress that was simpler than Cecille's. Anyways, when this girl entered, Cecille was again the first to speak. "Oh, hi there!" she greeted. "Hullo," the younger girl replied as she walked over to her bed. She didn't even see Wendy. [i]I guess that must be Mariko,[/i] Wendy thought. When Mariko reached her bed, she picked up an envelope lying on it, then sat down near it and began to tear the envelope open. But she didn't make too long a tear before she remembered she wasn't supposed to open it yet, and set the envelope down where she found it. "I can't blame you for being excited," Wendy commented--at that point she was leaning against the wall opposite the three beds. Mariko jumped at what Wendy said. "Oh, I didn't even know you were there!" she exclaimed. "You nearly scared me!" Wendy giggled at this remark. "I don't know. Many people think I'm rather scary, but... Anyways, you must be Mariko. Soo desu ka?" "Erm... you're from Japan too?" Mariko was caught a little off-guard by what Wendy said. "No... I took a Japanese language class in college just recently. I do plan on traveling to Japan at some point in my life, maybe even living there. But anyways..." Wendy felt largely embarrassed by what she had just said. This feeling was frequent--she had a tendency to reveal personal information to near-strangers. [i]At least I believe in expression,[/i] Wendy thought. Wendy walked over to her bed and sat down on it. Then she pulled back her left sleeve to look at a small purple watch wrapped around her forearm. The time was 4:55. "So that means we have an hour till dinnertime, when we get to open these envelopes," Wendy said to the air. As she did, she glanced to the side where she saw an envelope lying on her bed, which had her full name on the front--including middle name. Wendy spent the next few minutes sifting through the contents of her bag. The bag itself was velvety in texture, and looked barely large enough to hold a piece of typing paper without it being folded. It was dark purple and dark blue in colour, with a design of a moon and a starry night on the front. Anyways, the first thing Wendy's hand touched in the bag was a smaller bag--one that felt silky and had a small tassle on its zipper. Wendy smiled when she touched this--for it was her "gris gris bag", containing nothing but magical items. The next thing she felt was a notepad, then a pen, then what felt like a large, thick deck of cards, then a couple of small books, then a rather large box. The box was the first thing Wendy pulled out of the bag; this she put on a small table next to her bed. Then she took out the card bag and one of the books--and immediately hid them under her skirt. Then she hid them in her arms as she slid them under her bed, quickly yet gently. Wendy then reached into her bag to take out the other book, which had a red velvet cover and a red ribbon that acted as a bookmark attached. This she placed under the box she had put on the table. Then she reached into her bag and took out a third book, a rather large hardcover one. This she placed under her bed as well, but not as surreptitiously as before. Finally, she picked up her bag again, happy that it was relieved of most of its weight. Wendy sat down on her bed again, looking to her right at Cecille and to her left at Mariko. Then she looked down at her lap. All she did afterwards was take off her boots, revealing a pair of socks with blue, purple, and gray stripes and that seemed to go all the way up past her knees. "Hei chu tea nou?" Wendy muttered to herself, in an almost inaudible voice. She seemed bored, but her legs were hanging over the edge of the bed, kicking slowly out of a subconscious feeling of nervousness. [i]Tsk tsk tsk...[/i] said a woman's voice inside Wendy's head. [i]Speaking--what is it, Latori--in the face of underlying enemies, risky risky risky...[/i] [i]What do you know about freedom of expression, Lenina?[/i] Wendy thought back. [i]As my conscience, I give you my utmost respect, but I daresay you look and sound too similar to a goddess, so it's easy for me to confuse you with a divine presence.[/i][/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: I think I presented a lot of information about Wendy that wasn't in her history... ah well, there's almost as much to say about her as there is about me.

[color=indigo][size=1]Many thoughts ran through Wendy's mind that early morning before, a morning when she was driving along the road that led to the airport. Most of those thoughts related to the "quest" she had accepted, one that involved this mansion off the coast of Australia that she was about to stay in for a while. Others were about the long trip to the mansion, and the rest were about how her parents would react to her sudden absence. Wendy had stayed up late that night, and left the house at around 1 AM the following morning. Her parents were asleep by then. And in fact one of the reasons why Wendy left at that time was so that her parents would not wonder where she was going. She never liked making up lies about that sort of thing. Going with that, Wendy had done all her packing and preparing surreptitiously as well. Another reason why Wendy was out this early in the morning was in order to make her flight to Australia, which was scheduled to leave at 6 AM. The flight was meant to last around twelve hours nonstop, and then an extra ten hours had to be added for timezones. This would mean an arrival in Australia at about 4 AM the next morning. Wendy felt a little discouraged at these times; 4 AM was a strange time to arrive at the mansion. And plus, the airline tickets she had received for the trip were for a flight from London, which was about a four-hour drive away from where she lived. [i]I suppose the closer airports don't offer long-distance flights, or require a transfer,[/i] Wendy figured. Yet fortunately, Wendy had taken a nap earlier, so she wasn't too tired that very early morning. And there was always the music playing in her car to keep her more awake--even if the song playing happened to be a lullaby. Even the weather didn't bring her down--it was a clear, starry night, and Wendy had a clear view of the Big Dipper constellation on her left. This was her favourite constellation to look at, as she believed the star in the centre of it contained a planet with life on it, one whose life she found very interesting. Anyways, as Wendy drove along, she occasionally sang along with the song that was playing in her car, or thought about the results of a tarot reading she did for her experience in the mansion. She often did such self-readings for important situations, or on magically significant days such as Halloween. In this case, the former applied. Right now, Wendy thought of one thing that came up in the reading that made sense so far: a card that indicated relaxation and ease. Yes, both of those would explain the drive here. By the time Wendy arrived at the airport in London, she was so tired that she stumbled occasionally as she walked. And in fact, all she did on the flight itself was sleep--she didn't have the energy to do anything else. She hardly even noticed that she was seated in the first-class section all the way. But it was good anyways--first-class seats meant more comfortable conditions, which yielded a more relaxing sleep. As expected, the flight arrived in Australia at 4 AM the next morning. After setting her watch to the correct time, Wendy left the airport, feeling quite refreshed after a good twelve hours' sleep. She took a few moments to admire the scenery around her, but she knew she was expecting another ride to the coast. So it was then that she walked up to the black limousine that would take her there. [i]This is the second time I've ridden in one of these,[/i] Wendy remembered. [i]The first time was this prize I won in eighth grade, and that ride was only to a restaurant and back, and with five other people. Now all I have is... me and the driver.[/i] On the way to the coast, Wendy just sat on the wide leather seat inside and thought about her upcoming experience in the mansion. [i]So the letter said that I would win the estate if I could survive for six months in there,[/i] Wendy recalled. [i]Gee, this reminds me of some sort of haunted house. It's as if I'm being presented a challenge: if I can withstand whatever lies in that estate, it becomes my permanent residence. What lies in there... Unfriendly ghosts? Vampires? Murderous servants? Or some fault of the mansion itself? Or, hmmm...[/i] Wendy thought about the letter she had received, especially the part that read "You must obey your card... You must obey whatever I say... You must sacrifice something of equal value in order for you to refuse the laws above..." [i]That part of the letter looks like it was written in blood,[/i] Wendy figured. She knew what a message written in blood looked like, having written one such message a couple of years ago. Perhaps it was this memory that explained why Wendy was now staring at the tip of her left index finger. [i]Perhaps there's something about this 'card' he mentions, and about obeying whatever he says. And of course about sacrificing something. It was that sacrifice clause that caused me not to bring most of my valuables... most notably Psybird and Mercury and Reinora.[/i] Wendy had a tendency to give names to things, such as naming her MP3 player "Psybird", her cell phone "Mercury", her laptop "Reinora", and her car "Psy Star". [i]What tasks will I need to perform in that mysterious place? What is that card? Will I die or something if I don't obey what he says... Well, if death is a consequence, I suppose this is meant to be a test of my character or something. It's strange. I feel like I was spirited away into this game, as if my destiny called for it. Right now I doubt I'm going to "win" this game, but what happens to the losers? A message written in blood often indicates the harshest of ultimatums, so I might imagine the consequence is rather severe. Yet severe as it is, I hope the losers die, or else get harmlessly transported away from the estate. I have the sneaking suspicion that the latter won't happen though. Yet the good thing is that if I lose, death comes upon me more quickly, so that I don't have to deal with whatever complicated life I live here. Of course, this is assuming death is the consequence... assuming, and sincerely hoping...[/i] These thoughts mingled with thoughts about the afterlife Wendy had thought she would live after her death--a life on the planet that orbited a star in the direction of the centre of the Big Dipper, the same location she was looking toward the night before. She thought about that planet in general, and the people and places on it. She also thought about her experiences in her life, and her fantacies about what kind of live she could have lived if it wasn't for this invitation. Yet every time she thought about these fantacies, she dismissed them as untrue or very unlikely to happen. Her future was largely uncertain at this point, and her past seemed largely irrelevant. She was left to wander through a trance, all of her awareness on the present and the qualities of herself. It was these thoughts and daydreams that kept Wendy occupied all throughout the three-hour-long land trip and hour-long sea trip, with the exception of watching the sun rise. Finally, at around eight o'clock, Wendy was walking away from the dock extending from the island on which the estate was situated. There were already nine people standing outside the building's entrance. Wendy took a quick look around at these people but was neither intimidated nor impressed by them. In fact, she just sat on a rock near the pathway leading to the entrance, a rock that was quite a distance away from the other people. She really didn't feel like conversing with these people at this stage.[/color][/size]

Much appreciated Sye. It's nice to finally release an idea that's been trapped in your mind all this time. Monipo: And sixteen is REALLY young for an elf. Unless you measured in elf years. Heh, my first character choice is an elf, but we have two elves already! Time for something different. In fact, time for a character I only RP'd once about a year ago! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=royalblue][u]Name:[/u] Emillie [u]Age:[/u] 17 [u]Gender:[/u] Female [u]Race:[/u] Originally a Breton, but has somehow been transformed into a dragon [u]Appearance:[/u] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/qingrila/pokems/xeneon.gif]-clickety-[/url] [u]Likes:[/u] Singing, swimming, exploring, and being a little evil once in a while [u]Dislikes:[/u] Hot weather, war, and asking favours of people [u]Class:[/u] Black Mage, "Ice Elemental" [u]Weapons:[/u] Emillie's only weapon is a staff for spell usage. It's about three feet long and has blue orbs on both ends (like the one on her tail) tied with tassle-like aqua ribbons. One end has a charm bearing a peculiar symbol: a seven-pointed star inscribed in a hexagon. (Well doesn't that make sense--hexagon?) [u]Abilities/Specialization:[/u] [b]Ice Abilities[/b]--Now that Emillie is a dragon (ice dragon to be exact), she has the power to make the temperature drop and freeze things just by touching them. However, this doesn't work too well with living things... She also can control people through a song (like a siren), but this is inaccurate and only works with males. And being a water element dragon, she can also breathe underwater. [b]Magic[/b]--As the backstory states, Emillie has some knowledge of black magic--she knows how to control minds, summon dead spirits, steal soul energy, etc. But she doesn't practice these spells often, so they don't always work... [u]Biography:[/u] Emillie was actually born a Breton. She lived in a large village in the hills with her parents--her dad was a cleric while her mom, well, didn't really do anything, at least not anything anyone else knew about. But one day when Emillie was about 6, her parents erupted into a fight, and then her dad was dead. It turns out that Mom had been busy studying black magic in secret, and when Dad found out she killed him. But after that, Mom started to share her magical findings with Emillie, seeing as they were safe without Dad. But the rest of the village still knew nothing of the incident or Emillie's secret training. Emillie was kind of interested in the subject, though she revealed it to no one. But one day, one of her own spells gone wrong turned her into a dragon permanently...[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: You can probably tell that most of this signup was copied-and pasted from the last RPG Emillie was in... just had to split the Personality section into likes and dislikes. EDIT: I hope the race is okay now. If not, I'll have to pick my "plan B" character, in which case we'll have, erm, a third elf in this RPG...

*searches Adventure Inn for RPGs I joined* Aha, I knew it. I signed up for the last version of this RPG. However, last time I didn't get in, and I still don't know why... Oh well, I guess it's best to try again, this time with a character almost identical to myself. I guess if I don't make it as myself, I shall never join future version of this RPG again... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][u]Name:[/u] Wendy Orla Fayworth (See bio to find out why the middle name is important.) [u]Age:[/u] 18 [u]Sex:[/u] Female [u]Location:[/u] Somewhere near the border of England and Wales [u]Appearance:[/u] Wendy is a little over five feet tall. Her skin is sort of a light tan in colour, her eyes are brown, and her hair is curly, shoulder-length, and is dark brown with reddish highlights. Her figure is pretty thin (she weighs no more than 90 pounds), but not to the point where one would think she's anorexic. Besides that, she usually likes to be fairly stylish in the way she dresses. At this particular point in the RPG, Wendy would be happening to wear one of her favourite outfits. A black, long-sleeved shirt with a design similar to a shiny silver butterfly on the side. A long, purple skirt that is darker in colour on the bottom and lighter on the top. A larger, silver necklace with a diamond-shaped charm of vibrant dark purple and blue colour. A purple hat with red stripes. And finally, black boots with two-inch heels. [u]Personality:[/u] Wendy strongly believes in freedom of expression and the pursuit of knowledge. The things she tends to hide most from others are small details such as little embarrassing moments, but it's the things she's most passionate about that she tends to express more--the stuff she wants to get out into the world. Also, Wendy is pretty much the opposite of energetic, but she'll do things with gusto if she kind of feels like it. She's also not very social, and she finds her best moments of happiness when she's alone--as in not with other people. As for her interests, her biggest passion lies in the supernatural, and its connection to the world. This is the thing she looks into the most, a matter she feels that society has forgotten about for the most part, that all people paid attention to was new technology. She never asks why something is true--she asks why not, so this leads her to believe that anything is possible so long as fate allows it. Also, Wendy has a very pronounced dark side. This means that she often thinks about things that are most undesirable or "scary" to many people--and the most common of these things is death, and anything that comes after it. She also knows of a state called draza--a state where one's soul is somehow trapped. Yet she acknowledges every one of these, however tragic or painful, so she ends up fearing them quite a bit less. The only thing she might really fear is physical pain, simply because she knows no way of controlling how it feels. But despite all this talk about a "dark side", her light side is also very pronounced, so pronounced that there is no one that she hates or holds grudges against, because she knows that nobody is all bad. Generally Wendy is generally honest, respectful, and even generous and friendly. In school, for example, if someone needs to use a pencil sharpener, she'll let the person use a sharpener she has instead of walking across the classroom to use the noisy one on the wall. And if someone asks her a personal question, she'll answer honestly (except if someone asks for legal information such as address or phone number, or for information that would be harmful to a friend). [u]Bio:[/u] Before Wendy was born, her mother and her father were in constant but not harsh or violent argument about various things. It never lead to divorce though, and many of the arguments were just back-and-forth teasing. Anyways, various issues surrounding their marriage and Wendy's birth resulted from these arguments. Both of them attended a university in Wales, but her mother was from Ireland and her father was from England, so they had a debate over where they would live together. Then when they were about to have their daughter, her mother wanted to name her Wendy, while her father wanted to name her Orla. So they came up with a compromise: they would live in the westernmost part of England so that it was closer to Ireland. Their daughter's first name would be Wendy, but her middle name would still be Orla. Despite that, Wendy's early life was generally a happy one. She didn't have any major family problems, and her parents loved her just as any ideal parent would. Their arguments slowed to a stop after Wendy (well, her father often called her Orla still) was born. However, then she was found to be very slightly autistic. The case was minor, but still recognizable. It was this condition that put a little bit of a handicap on her social life early in the years. Her friends either said she was mean or just not interested in friendship. And when she went to school and daycare, she was teased quite often by her schoolmates, most often for being ugly. She had quite a bit of a temper back then too--she often cried or hurt those who made fun of her. Back then, she was a firm believer in revenge. Around the time when she was 12, Wendy learned, however vaguely, about psychic powers, and she became interested in the subject. She was even crazy enough to want to be able to use them--everything from telekinesis to telepathy to hypnotism even. A couple of years later, she had grown to hate quite a bunch of classmates in middle school, so she often threated them or even put curses on them. (The curses were actually just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo words, mind you.) She did have a group of friends, but one of her friends turned out to actually hate her. All of a sudden her life was quite miserable. Around the time when she was 16, Wendy's personality started to change as she matured. It was a slow, gradual change, assisted by no one, but the end result was quite the opposite of what it was before, the exact same as it is listed in the Personality section. Wendy often looked over her earlier years and laughed at the things she believed then. As for the curses she put on people earlier, she regretted them and removed them. (She wasn't even sure if those curses actually worked, as she did not really understand magic then.) But there was one belief she had then that she didn't banish--her belief in the supernatural, which had only strengthened over the years. Of course she laughed the most at her desire to be able to use psychic powers from before--she didn't have that desire anymore, for she knew she--and everyone--had them all along. (But they only work on inspirational occasions, like miracles, mind you.) She did want to learn more about them, though, as well as many other supernatural aspects. It became her goal to figure out how many spiritual phenomena work, and to make it so that people would not view these things as ridiculous, but as a natural part of life. In as early as her early teens, Suminda considered a possible career in music. Her parents often said that she was very artistic as well, and often times in her teenage years she had written and composed songs. But these songs she often had to change over the years, especially as her beliefs and outlook on life changed. And occasionally she performed the songs in talent shoes or open mics. She was no band member--she just went solo. Many of her songs were considered either thoughtful, spiritual, beautiful, or just plain old wonderful. Often times her supernatural passions and artistic pursuits went hand in hand. Yet this was the life she ended with so far, and no longer did people tease her or put her down, no longer did she hate people, no longer did she put curses on people (this she was disappointed with--she felt she knew how to do them yet never found reason to), no longer did she brag about silly things as being a "space alien" or "witch" or "psychic" as she did before. [u]Greatest Desire:[/u] Fame and money (not a lot of money, just enough to have a good life and not be homeless), and also to become independent (as in not living with her parents). [u]Greatest Fear:[/u] Physical torture (or pain in general), losing body parts or senses, and asking favors of strangers.[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: I cannot stress enough that Wendy is [i]almost[/i] identical to myself. The things that make her different from me at least include her name, location, and the first paragraph or two of her bio.

I'll use a character from an RPG that sadly died... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][size=1][u]Name:[/u] Sarundanka Surenich (also called Saruna) [u]Age:[/u] 18 [u]Nationality:[/u] Some sort of European--no one's sure what (not even she knows). Some think she's Norwegian because her family lives in Norway, but... [u]Class:[/u] The Swift Individual [u]Weapon:[/u] A unique sort of weapon (hence the "individual"). It consists of a long stick that is decorated with a silver spiral that ends in a sort of holder. This holder holds one of three weapons. One is a broad blade that looks like a fan, but the edges are very sharp. Another makes it look like a scythe, because it resembles a giant cat claw. Often times this is filled with a sort of poison which is injected when the claw stabs a victim. The third looks like a row of thin pipes. These are often filled with powders or quills which are let out when the stick is swung fast enough. Saruna keeps the two unused "heads" (and a few replacement substances) in a sort of backpack, held in place with a lightweight padding. [u]Appearance:[/u] It's pretty easy to tell Saruna is a night person and even to determine her fighting style from her appearance. She has very pale skin, she's only about five feet tall, and her figure is rather thin. It would be an ideal appearance for a thief or just someone who sneaks around at night. And as if it was a contricution to night and darkness, her hair is possibly the blackest of blacks (meaning it isn't shiny) and fairly curly, and falls down to just above her waist. Going with that, her eyes are a sort of misty gray. One can judge by the clothes she wears that she's either a distant heir of a noble or a very experienced thief. As for what she wears, that would be an elegant black shirt, with sleeves that are flowy and fairly long. She also wears a long skirt with a fading blue colour. Underneath that are a pair of thick black boots made of some sort of fur, and around her neck is a necklace--a rather fancy-looking silver one (which sort of resembles the framework around a facy mirror), with a charm consisting of an amethyst oval. Surely any of these could have been either passed down or stolen... [u]Personality:[/u] Saruna is overall sadistic and cold-hearted. She can get along with other people sort of well, but she also likes to do things her own way. This doesn't mean that she won't follow orders--she might, but she'll put a giant spin of creativity on her duties. Other than that, she loves to battle, and she won't really care who she's fighting. Her main targets are various criminals or people who are severely "evil", but she'll turn against anyone she has reason to. She does believe in karma--she just pushes its limits a little occasionally. Saruna's favourite time of day is night, and if she doesn't have anything to do during the daytime, she'll usually be out and about at that time. Anyways, one of Saruna's favourite pastimes is venturing out onto the sea or into an open field, just to relax and experience the wonders of the night. In fact, she can be quite a nature lover--a nice contrast to her rather fierce attitude towards humans. She is definitely aware of a divine presence all around the world--Mother Nature's presence. So she is a firm believer in the divine, but not necessarily the God most people at the time had been led to believe in. Because of this and an also firm belief in magic, she is forced to keep a lot of her personal interests secret... For she knows well the fatal consequences of "poor faith". Especially outside of battle, Saruna isn't usually as cruel or as antisocial as one might think. She can talk quite openly with people about various issues, and she generally listens to her heart. Once she feels like she can trust someone, she can be open with that person in terms of personal issues. Believing in karma also means believing in good karma, so Saruna ultimately does things to help people or to avoid a seriously evil misdeed. (Of course, there's the favourite "slay the man who kidnaps the child" or something along those lines.) [u]Combat Tactics:[/u] You might notice that Saruna doesn't wear any armour. To make up for this, Saruna uses two other things to her advantage. For one, without any armour or heavy clothes to weigh her down, she often uses speed to her advantage, whether to dodge other weapons or sneak up behind someone and strike. For another, she prefers to fight at night, or in some dark area--in order to conceal herself better. Sometimes Saruna slightly alters her strategy after changing the head of her weapon. The broad blade could be used as a shield, but Saruna especially likes to use this head to lash out at an enemy as if it was a sword. If she changes it to the cat-claw-ish scythe, she'll dodge attacks while searching for a perfect place to stab an enemy, releasing whatever might be inside of it. If using the row of pipes, she'll usually wait till she's surrounded by enemies, then spin around to release whatever's inside of them. And, to change weapon heads, she either finds a time when nobody's attacking her or hides behind a tree or rock. Changing the head is usually pretty quick unless she needs to reload a poison or something. [u]Special Skills:[/u] Saruna's most prominent skill is night vision--she sees much better than the average person in the dark or at night. [u]Bio:[/u] Sarundanka was born into a small cult which specialized in combat with rather unusual weapons. On another side, most of its members were pagan, so his was yet another reason why the cult was kept rather secret. Because the cult's headquarters was located in a cave near the edge of the Seine river in France, it was tentatively called the "Cavewater Society". (Hey, the leader of the cult couldn't come up with much of a better name...) The Surenich family took up most of this society, and that family was rather interesting. Most interesting of all was Saruna's siblings. First was Hasaitsuavleun, her little brother. He was an optimistic little guy and also very friendly, but loyal as well. He took his training just as well as Saruna did. Saruna often ignored "Hasaitsu"--she didn't really like him or hate him. But then there was Chibutakamo, her little sister. Saruna hated "Chibu" for being too obnoxiously cute and sweet. Chibu was very gullible and naive, and in fact she seemed younger than she actually was. But she did very poorly in her combat training--maybe she "just didn't have that fighting spirit". Chibu also often ventured outside (in the daytime as well--she wasn't a night person), so Saruna often feared Chibu would be the one to get the whole cult in trouble by revealing their secrets. Saruna explained Chibu's problem to her parents, but all they suggested to her was that she watch over Chibu more carefully. Saruna did her best to do this (she would have great fun tormenting her), but she often found herself busy with her training, as well as the real fighting she occasionally did later on in her life. So when she wasn't watching over Chibu, either Hasaitsu or her parents were. However, she rarely trusted Hasaitsu, for he seemed to be too easy on Chibu. He would often just let her be, then go off to do other things. Hasaitsu often got in trouble for this, even though he kept saying that "it was Saruna's fault because she's too darn bloodthirsty to care about the family". Indeed, if the parents ever favored any one of them, it was Saruna for her rather impressive combat skills. Whenever Chibu managed to escape, she would often hang out with random people in gatherings or taverns. They were the sort of "faithful and good-natured" people that the Cavewater disliked--yet in a way she kind of favoured them, so maybe that's why she didn't have much desire to fight. As for Hasaitsu, he often ventured above ground as well, for the main purpose of hunting or relaxing. But Saruna remained a devout Cavewater member, or rather a unique individual who took many of the society's characteristics. The Surenich family itself was one who traveled a lot, especially on the sea. They would keep traveling between places like Scotland and Ireland and Germany often, and their main homeland of Scandinavia. (This was not always where their family's homeland was--with each generation they moved to a new place.) But most times they lived on a "ship" called the Merriweather, a rather small yet sturdy vessel in that. (And the reason why the ship is in quotation marks is that because it's so small, it also has a pair of oars to the side to assist in turning and such.) Aboard the Merriweather, Mr. and Mrs. Surenich often kept watch for pirates and such (Saruna did this at night), Hasaitsu manned the sails and the oars if needed, and Chibu lured enemies in with her cute appearance... Heh, more reason to hate Chibu... It wasn't too long before the Surenich family learned of the Weapon. Basically, over time they learned of the powerful changes it has brought about the world over the years. They also heard of the Seekers who searched for this weapon. They considered seeking the weapon themselves, with the possibility of the Weapon being able to end such things as racism and religious discrimination. However, the parents spent more time watching the kids than fighting, and Hasaitsu and Chibu thought seeking the Weapon was either too ridiculous or too dangerous. But Saruna talked it over with her parents--she really wanted to seek the Weapon, even if it had to be by herself. Her parents felt kind of worried about her for making this decision, but by that time they did know about Saruna's fighting skill and that she didn't mind being alone. So they helped her a little by giving her a small sack of gold and a few useful items such as a compass and the bag she now wears as a sort of backpack. And as she left, Saruna felt a glimmer of kindness, even--a feeling that she would be able to help a lot of people by finding this mysterious weapon.[/color][/size] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *pastes bio into Word* ...Okay, 810 words should be enough...

I spent ten minutes trying to see if there was a character I can play other than this... but my other choices were either too old or too fantasy-ish. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=navy][u]Real Name:[/u] Ari Hakuremu [u]Screen Name:[/u] Kuroneko666 [u]Nickname:[/u] Black Cat [u]Location:[/u] Japan [u]Age:[/u] 16 [u]Personality:[/u] All her life Ari has been a computer freak--she loves spending time on the computer above all things. Though she's not as eccentric as that stereotype is, she is as intelligent. Standing out really isn't one of her specialties, so this could possibly be a factor in her rather low charisma. However, she is quite confident in herself, and she won't accept being weak or feeling left behind. She's not extremely confident--a little modesty shows--just enough to generally feel good about herself. This does not make her very vengeful, quite oddly--if someone puts her down, she'll try to find a creative way to prove that what that person said is not true. She's pretty much concerned about her reputation a little, but she's not the type that brags about what she can do. So she tries to please herself without hurting others. As far as other things go, she is basically a loner and is not compatible with pretty much any type of relationship. She prefers to do things her own creative way and also do them herself. In general she's hard to please and doesn't trust others easily. She doesn't really express herself that much either, nor show any extreme emotion. [u]Appearance:[/u] From looking at Ari you can sort of tell that she spends more time sitting in front of some sort of screen than exercising or just spending time outside. First of all, her skin is a pale almond colour, so she doesn't really have a tan. Second, she wears glasses. Third, her figure is definitely not muscular. She's not overweight or underweight either--one could say she's just somewhere in the middle of all that. Anyways, Ari's hair is supposed to be black, but it takes on sort of a grayish or bluish tint at the strangest times. And there's really nothing special about it otherwise--it's straight, shoulder-length, and some of it falls near her eyes but not in her face. And her eyes are dark gray in colour, though in some lights they look blue or even purple. (When she's on the computer, they would definitely look purple.) Anyways, aside from that, Ari is about five feet tall. And as far as what she wears, she prefers dark colours as she looks better in them, especially blues, purples, grays, or blacks. (She thinks green is too weird-looking, as is any light colour.) Also, she never wears short-sleeved shirts except in hot weather, and she never ever wears dresses or skirts. Usually she wears a jacket in any weather, and she usually wears the same blue hat as well. [u]Bio:[/u] Ari lived in Japan (somewhere in Tokyo to be exact) all her life, with a family that was caring on some ways and not so much in other ways. Both of her parents had careers that they spent quite a bit of time in, both of which happened to be in the technological field. Her father was good at fixing computers and programming them as well, and he also taught a class at the Tokyo University in computer programming. Her mother had a job in a cell phone company, so she dealt with handling the various services that cell phone customers had. And Ari... well, let's just say she didn't spend that much time with her parents. But fortunately, she did have an older brother who called himself Gon. Gon was five years older than Ari, and the two siblings got along very well together. Often times while their parents were working, Gon and Ari went out to explore the town a bit. They would play in the park, venture into shops, and other fun stuff--but they rarely did any of this to cause mischief. They were just not the kind of kids to turn into gangsters or something at a later age. It was a happy life for the two of them, even after they both started enrolling in elementary school. Over time, Gon really got into anime, and Ari really started to like doing stuff on the computer. Ari spent much of her time on online RPG's, for she didn't like chatting with other people or researching stuff. And also, Gon was into video games, and many of his favourites were anime-based. So really, Gon and Ari had similar interests, but as they got more into these interests, they started spending less and less time with each other... Gon became his parents' favourite. When he got older, he graduated high school and attended the very university his dad taught at, and even took the class he taught. And plus, he often went either with his dad or his mom to work or just... other places, little family trips. Ari very seldom went on these family trips; she usually spent most of her time by herself, much of which was on the computer. And she never spent time with friends either, as she had none. Gon was really the only person she ever felt really comfortable with; all others just... weren't right. In high school, Ari did pretty well in most of her classes. Math and science were her absolute best subjects, and she was usually the top of her class in a math class. In her history classes though, she usually got B's, and a couple times she got a C or an A-. This was clearly her worst subject. And, there were many times when she faltered on group projects, or chose to work by herself instead of in a group. If she ever got teased by her peers, it was either in her math class for being "too smart", or in PE for looking awkward in her gym clothes or for not being so good at sports. (She never liked sports anyway.) And plus, she was never in high school with Gon at the same time. It was kind of stressful, but there would be one miraculous day in the near future that would change all that... one involving a mystery with an internet friend...[/color]

[color=indigo]Arya glanced at Angel and Aaron without making a comment. Arya was usually the one to be ignored in the group, and certainly the least social of the bunch. Anyways, now Arya was walking back and forth between the lake and the trees behind it. She was holding a bunch of thin yet leafy branches in her hands, as many as she could carry. She walked slowly across the ground with these, until she came to the lake. When she did, she dropped the branches into the lake. Then she knelt down and started moving the branches around in the water. "Arya, what are you doing?" Leon asked. The branches had landed not too far from where he was swimming. "Washing these," Arya answered. "I figured these would nicely make mattresses or blankets--or who knows, we could even build a little fort with them. But I suppose if it's only for one night, then we shouldn't bother with the fort thing..." Arya took out a couple of the wet branches and lay them on a rock to dry. Then she went back to the lake to fetch the rest. "Let's just hope we don't get attacked by wolves or something at night," Leon commented. After all the branches were laid out on the rocks, Arya started arranging a bunch of sticks for a fire. By that time, Angel and Aaron had stopped hugging and were sitting down near the lake. When Arya was done with that, she walked over to one of the trees and picked up another leafy branch. However, unlike the others, this one was dry--as it hadn't been washed. Arya shook this branch to remove any dirt or bugs from it (or at least whatever she could) and set it down next to a tree. Then she sat down on the branch and put her purse on one end of it. "Now what are you doing?" Aaron asked Arya. "Taking a nap," she replied. "Yeah, I know it sounds silly... but I think it would be better for our survival. After all, we are vulnerable while we are all asleep. I just thought someone should be awake at night to kind of keep watch on things. If that's okay with you..." Arya lay down on the bed of leaves and draped the other side of the branch over her. Then she lay her head on her purse--at least it was softer than the ground. "Besides, I'm kind of tired anyway... you know how I'm often tired in the afternoon."[/color]

Heh, I've been looking for an RPG in which this character would fit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[color=indigo][u]Name:[/u] Watihala [u]Age:[/u] Apparently 24 [u]Personality:[/u] Watihala usually tends to be calm and distant. She's something of a cynic but seems to be quite interested, so to speak, in human thought. In fact, she often atempts to read people's minds. She's also quite curious and experimental--she has a tendency to use her powers on random objects, sometimes people, but not under evil intentions. The good thing is, she doesn't have a bad temper, but she can be quite sadistic and vengeful at times. She can even be evil if she wants to be (especially when she needs blood), but she normally doesn't because she knows about karma. Besides, normally she's kind to people and respects them. As far as other things go, she usually doesn't like to hurt people directly--maybe indirectly with a curse or something in the case of enemies... If she must, her usual policy is that if there will be pain, there will be death soon after. [u]Appearance:[/u] Watihala has long, straight hair as black as the night sky. This contrasts her bright purple eyes and her quite pale skin. She stands about five feet tall and is quite thin. As for her clothes, she wears a soft purple shirt which has sleeves so long that they only reveal her fingers and a loose collar that reveals her shoulders, plus a long skirt that matches her eyes in color, and a pair of sea green sandals. She also has three rings on each finger, each bearing the crest of a different animal engraved in onyx, sapphire, or amethyst. Around her neck is a necklace with a gold ring at the end, with an aqua circle in the center. Occasionally she may be draped in a velvety silver blue cloak. [u]Weapons:[/u] Watihala's only "proper" weapon is a footlong mini-sword that is silvery blue in colour and has a crystal ball positioned in the center of its handle. The sword isn't that sharp, so it functions more like a wand. Indeed it is a magical weapon--in fact Watihala uses it in many spells, especially those that take time and precision to cast. And it is so special that Watihala gives it a name: Oritasu. [u]Side:[/u] Skye's side, since she's a vampire. [u]Sample:[/u] In a desert where the sands and the rocks scattered about it were tinted purple by the moonlight, where pearly white horses gallopped in the distance, upon a fairly large stone whose tint was darker that that of the sand below, there sat the vampire Watihala, staring at the full moon with wonder and tranquility. For she had an instinct and even an ability to divine the events to come, that which comes from the prception of fate which she personally called someru. "The sands of silver amethyst, the rocks of violet haze, the carefree horses calm and white as the moonlight, that which comes from the alabaster Luna above, contrasted by the sky which reflects my eyes, scattered with stars of diamond, ruby, sapphire, and clear enough for even mortal eyes to witness their beauty." Watihala said this quietly, just incase someone could hear her. She then held up her little sword, positioning it so that the turquoise orb was placeed right between herself and the moon, making it look like a teal-coloured solar eclipse was taking place. Carefuly holding the sword in position, Watihala let go and instead held it up with the force of her mind. After closing her eyes and not opening them until five minutes' time passed, the orb took on a shiny black aura. In the orb was the image of a phoenix, glistening brightly in its aqua color. "Ah, alas," Watihala softly and calmly cheered, "today is the day of the Phoenix, a day in which magic thrives and passion never dies..." She then held her sword in her hand again, absentmindedly giving it a little wave, causing a stream of glowing purple dust to fly from it and explode softly some ten feet above her head. Then, she held up her other hand, pointing it in a way so that the ruby ring on her left hand perfectly reflected the moonlight towards a red star to the right of it, right through the orb on her sword. "Luna, shine through Oritasu, summon holy Fire with Fire Relic..." "Give flight, sprout flame, shower Enchantment and Fear..." A beam shot up through the sword, swirling in a fog then bursting into bright blue flame, the hottest flame possible. With not even a screech, the Phoenix emerged from the flame. Though Watihala returned her sword to its container on her skirt, her left arm stayed up long enough for the bird to lift her up in its talons, without even catching its holder on fire. Watihala's other hand shot up and wrapped around the phoenix's other leg while she was being lifted up into the night. "Now, mighty Phoenix, fly west, the destination of our particular time..."[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOC: I picked the writing sample over the bio because a) Watihala doesn't really have an interesting bio after I changed her character a bit, and b) I'm kind of lazy and just copied/pasted the sample from an RPG she was in long ago. And c) the sample illustrates the most common spell Watihala uses.

Currently I am in a sort of shock because this character got refused in another RPG I signed up for... Till that RPG is restarted, this should be a good one for her to be in meanwhile. And, it seems very interesting in general! **Magneto... Ah I remember him, he's from the X-Men series. Makes sense. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [color=indigo][u]Name:[/u] Celestia Arandon [u]Age:[/u] 17 [u]Gender:[/u] Female [u]Personality:[/u] Celestia is a very spiritual person, and also very calm. She doesn't show any extreme emotions very often, but sometimes she can get depressed, whether the reason is obvious or nonexistent. Generally she keeps an open mind about things, especially divine matters such as fate. Her soul "rests with fate", as she lets it. Also she believes that anything is possible so long as fate allows it. This is even true in complex supernatural events such as the afterlife, working of magic, and psychic abilities. Anyways, Celestia is also not really the most social person in the world, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get along well with other people. She generally respects people of all ages, genders, and colours. The only people she may not respect are those who disrespect her. She really enjoys being alone, but she also likes the company of other people at times. You can see how Celestia's personality weaves in closely with the psychic abilities she has. It is true that she isn't very good at feeling very angry or even hyper without some sort of outside force, but a person's aura needs the touch of emotion just like a piece of dough needs to be kneaded. And in fact, the presence of the serenity of nature--or more importantly, the presence of her own soul and her own place in the world--keeps her pretty happy indeed when she wants to feel that way. A way to achieve this is by meditating--Celestia has done this often in the past--but Celestia often feels she doesn't need to do so for very long in order to feel true to herself and at ease. Anyways, Celestia is also a person who generally trusts her intuition. Sometimes she's a little modest about what she foresees, or even doubtful in rare cases, though. She's modest about her other powers as well--that was from growing up with a mom who was nervous around mutants. [u]Powers:[/u] Her most notable ability is telepathy--meaning she can occasionally see into a person (like reading his/her mind) and send thoughts to other people. But, she can only do this with people who are either physically close or people she knows really well (a.k.a. Mereduin and Benita--see bio). Her other ability is telekinesis. [u]Appearance:[/u] There is a picture [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/qingrila/starknights.png]here[/url] (Celestia is in the middle), but that was from three years ago... Still it's mostly accurate. In the picture, her hair looks sort of like it has blue streaks in it--in actuality it doesn't. And in the picture, the bottom of her skirt is kind of flat. In actuality, the skirt is a little longer, wavier, and is darker in colour at the bottom. Other than that, it's accurate... Oh, but one thing you cannot tell from loking at the picture is that Celestia's just under five feet tall (when she's standing up, that is). [u]Bio:[/u] Celestia never knew who her dad was--he just left her mom behind before she was born. Poor Mom--she indeed often felt tormented throughout her life. Because of one small thing she did when she was young--she teased a boy her age for having these special powers--Benita (that's her name, to make this easier to read) was visited by a mutant who had a short affair with her then left just when she was beginning to get fairly attached to him. Since Benita was an emotionally sensitive woman, you can imagine how much she was hurt by that. And, it happened again--only this time, it was a different mutant and Benita actually had a daughter with him before he left. This daughter was Celestia. Celestia lived a pretty normal life for about six years. Benita was greatly relieved that Celestia didn't have any special powers like the mutants that visited her--or it didn't seem that way when Celestia was still young. Anyways, on Celestia's seventh birthday, Benita got visited by a third mutant. (He and the other two mutants didn't seem to be actual people--just some strangers that may have even been sent by the "Karma Fairy" to pay Benita back for the way she teased the boy when she was young.) This one did the same thing the previous two mutants did, and Benita had yet another daughter. (OK, she was used to that part by then.) This daughter she named Mereduin. But, Mereduin was very different than Celestia. When she was no more than three days old, Benita saw her lying in her little bed, juggling flames! With her bare hands! And, she made the flames disappear, and made new ones! Benita was horrified by this--why, Mereduin had a special ability that allowed her to summon fire! Later on, Benita remembered that Mereduin's father was a mutant that specialized in fire magic. Also, she remembered that the second mutant that visited her (Celestia's father) could use all sorts of psychic abilities. She was dumbstruck--did this mean that Celestia could have inherited some of her father's powers as well, and just didn't know about them? Anyways, though she was very nervous about it, one day Benita took Celestia to a special sort of psychiatrist in the small town they lived in, who was supposed to check to see if she had any such powers. Sure enough, the test turned out to be positive... Mereduin loved to toy with her fire powers, even as she got a little older. However, one day she was careless and threw a flame onto the ceiling which caught on fire a small bit. Celestia jumped at the sight of this--what if she burned down the house? So, Celestia grabbed a jug of water and poured its contents onto the flames. However, for some strange reason, this made the fire grow bigger and spread more rapidly. Soon enough, it was too late--the fire burned down the whole house, and it took quite a bit of time and money to replace all the burnt stuff in the house. And, Benita was outraged at what Mereduin had done, so she grounded her until further notice... To make a long story short, Celestia just sort of experimented with her powers in the following few years. Then, one day Benita read an article in the newspaper about some school that had been notorious for starting a war between humans and mutants, and was now under new management. Now, this was the first "mutant school" Benita had ever heard of, and perhaps the only one in existence. The Arandons just happened to live nowhere near it, and their town happened to have little or no involvement in the war. And, Benita was growing tired of keeping Mereduin grounded. So, she decided that the she and her two daughters would move to a location close to this school. She would send Mereduin to this school, to learn how to better control her powers. When Celestia heard about Benita's plans, she wanted to go to the school as well. Her secret reason for that was because she felt sorry for Mereduin and wanted to spend more alone time with her to work out a cure for her misery. But, the reason she told Benita was that she would like to be a little more familiar with her powers, and would like to gain a new perspective on psychic abilities in general. It was a good thing that Celestia was the mind-reader instead of Benita, for Benita accepted this lie (well, actually, it was the truth, but not the whole truth) and let Celestia attend the school as well. Mr. Evans saw the letter Benita wrote to him as kind of awkward--for very few parents were okay with sending their kids to his school. But oh well, at least the letter wasn't more hate mail.[/color] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some notes about my signup: -I know the bio contains a lot of extra info, but most of this bio (except the last two paragraphs) is just copied-and-pasted from the other RPG I tried to join, so it was basically there anyways... -The bio makes it sound as if I will also play Mereduin and Benita in this RPG... I may give Mereduin a minor role in some of my posts, and mention Benita a few times, but I guess Mereduin will just be an NPC otherwise. Celestia will be the only real character I'm RPing. -In the picture, the girl to the left of Celestia is Mereduin, appropriately... But the woman to her right is NOT Benita--she's another person that will be of no influence in this RPG at all.

Ah yes... First of these memories came Pokemon. It was mid-1999 when I first saw it on UPN. I remember setting the alarm on my watch to 3:30 because that was when Pokemon came on. Also, that was also how I got into Sailor Moon; Sailor Moon was on right before Pokemon was. Unfortunately, I only saw ten or so episodes of that before it went off-air... When I first heard about Digimon, I first thought it was a ripoff of Pokemon... but then a year later I became a big fan of it (well duh--where do you think my username came from?) Another good old TV anime I remember is Cardcaptors. I would watch it whenever I could, but then they stopped airing it... :bawl: And, when it went off the air, Yu-Gi-Oh replaced it. Now, when Yu-Gi-Oh first came out, I thought it was a ripoff of Cardcaptors and thus boycotted it for a while. Then later I got into it, fell in love with Pegasus and the first season in general, started collecting the cards... and as I speak (err, type) I am wearing a T-shirt with Seto Kaiba and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on it. Hey, who says Fox Box and 4Kids TV sucked? I watched it all the time, and still do. I was a big fan of Fighting Foodons in the Fox Box days, but my favorite is and always has been the Kirby series. Well, I was interested in the Kirby video games before I became interested in Pokemon, so Kirby really was the start. And then there was one week ago where I saw the last episode of the Kirby season... *sniff* I hope that still airs... But oh well, if that is off the air as of now, I still have Magical DoReMi... and the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh is on 4Kids TV now! Yaaaaaaay! But my all-time favourite was always Pokemon... The Pokemon anime, especially, is not the same anymore. The first season is my favourite season, and contains all my favourite characters (except Harley--who is one reason why I sort of like the newest seasons)... And then of course I groaned when I saw the new Pokemon coming in Diamond/Pearl... (well, except Muumaaji which is my new favourite Pokemon) Things are not the same anymore...

Mine is... THE DARNED FOUR OF SWORDS. --Heh, sorry about the tarot reference... but the following are in fact characteristics of that card... My constant enemies are tiredness and depression, and/or shyness. I have a hard time demanding things from people, or asking favours, and that is one of my most common reasons why I procrastinate on things. Also, I have very low energy, so often times I just don't feel like doing the things I feel I need to do in life. It's like I'm just lying in bed, unable to get up, but I know I really want to get out and face the outside world. I want to, but I feel like I can't...

As for my username here, at the time that I joined (about four-and-a-half years ago), my favourite Digimon was Nefertimon. Even though that changed to Arukenimon later on and I became interested in many more things than Digimon, I stell kept it the same for some reason... (My username [i]was[/i] Arukenimon on another forum I joined later though.) And on two Pokemon forums, my username was my favourite Pokemon at the time I joined. Ninetales or Kiruria, for that matter. Then again, I pick other names (such as StarFlowerPixie, my IM username) because I just think they sound cool. Often times I also name usernames after characters I created. Such is the case on Neopets, but my three usernames there are waaaay outdated--the characters don't even exist anymore...