Solo Tremaine

No matter how many people say it's inner beauty that matters, first impressions are always on outer beauty. It happens to everyone, and I'm not excuding myself. Like amiboshi said- physical attraction is important. After all, how can you love someone who you can't stand to look at? It sounds really superficial and disgusting, but it's basic human nature. If you say which is more important, then it's inner beauty full stop. It's good to get a balance, but you can't have everything. In my case, at least [I]something[/I] would be nice... :P

Fine print? What do you mean? I'm confused!

I know lots of people into Wicca. I think it's okay- people are allowed to believe what the want to believe. In reality, I think it may be growing in popularity due to changes in society. Basically (and sorry if I offend anyone), from what I've seen here, people don't really believe in it and just use it as an excuse to dress in black and be depressed. Kind of a fashion that follows teenage Gothism. With witchcraft- I'm not sure about that. Most of the Wiccans I know go into witchcraft too, and to use it for destructive or material purposes is wrong. YYH- I don't think she'd have been able to 'magic' herself $50. It doesn't work like that. You can cast spells on people (supposedly), but that sounds a little false to me. It's when I hear 'I'm going to cast a spell on her to get revenge' style conversations that I wonder whether it's really a good thing. Using whatever power they have shouldn't be used for revenge. If anything, Christian-Wiccans should know and respect this. Most round here don't. I think they find the power more enlightening than the beliefs.

[B]**SPOILERS! ANYONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO KNOW LOOK AWAY NOW!**[/B] Okay... Basically, you've come in at the beginning of the second Japanese season (known as Guardian Force) which had been annexed into Chaotic Century. Um, actually... which three guards are they? I don't remember them. Were they Silver/Gold ZaberFangs or grey ones? The gold/silver ones were in CC, the grey-blue ones in GF. Here's a run-down of the last few episodes of CC. Anyway, near the end of CC, Van and co drew nearer and nearer to the Guylos (sp?) capital. On the way there, they met Minister Homalev, and Van made a really funny comment upon his reunion with Rudolph. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I think Van decided to head out to Guygolos(sp?) ahead of them. He gets intercepted by Raven who challenges him in the Geno Saurer. Back at Homalev's place, Irvine, Moonbay and Rudolph find themselves under seige by Imperial forces, led by Prozen's lacky, the woman with the crazy fringe. They escape and high-tail it to the capital. Rudolph requests reinforcement form the Republican forces. Meanwhile, Van's battling with Raven and is losing pretty badly. Just as things are about to get worse, we cut back to Rudolph's troop. They're surrounded by Rev Raptors, and it takes Viola and Rosso (if you didn't know it was them, it's not my fault- it's so flaming obvious!) in the Storm Sworders to rescue them. In the city, Prozen is addressing the citizens. The Death Saurer rises out of the ground and fires a massive Charged Particle Cannon at the Storm Sworders, which have just landed, dropping off Rudolph. Schubalz (YAAY!) appears as Prozen turns his attention to destroying the city. Raven is enjoying beating up Van and manages to make Zeke jump out, and Fiona gets thrown out too. Just when he's about to give up, Zeke 'fuses' (i.e. wraps her up and takes her into his chest cavity) with her and they jump into the Liger. The damage done to the Liger regenerates into healthy parts and Raven isn't impressed. Fiona notices that the Geno Saurer can't turn and fire at the same time, so the Liger avoids Raven's shot, breaking the Geno Saurer's foot. Van activates the Liger's shield and points the blades forwards, charging straight at Raven. The Charged Particle Beam splits in two and he destroys the Geno Saurer. By now, the Republican forces have arrived and a whole column of Sheild Ligers is destroyed by the Death Saurer. Vann arrives and together, Rosso, Schubaltz, Van, Irvine and more or less everyone destroys the Death Saurer. Rudolph takes his rightful place as Emperor. At the end, we see the Blade Liger running off into the sunset. Guardian Force- The Guardian Force is a group of elite soldiers (i.e. Van and Scubaltz's brother Thomas) who run around protecting the world from bandits and terrorism. In the first episode, Van, having finished his Zoid Pilot training, goes back home to the Wind Colony. On the way, he comes across a wrecked Gustav, which has Dr D and Fiona in it (they've been studying a dig site). he takes them back home and they recover. There, a strange red organoid tries to attack him and a Stealth Viper arrives to blow up buildings. Van manages to stop him, and he is chosen by a council (headed by Colonel Kreuger) to be a member of the elite Guardian Force. That's pretty much everything. Irvine does come back a little later (one of my favourite episodes), as do Moonbay and Raven. [B]**END SPOILERS**[/B] I hope that was alright. ---------------------------------- I think it's great. The dialogue, the characters, the music, the Zoids themselves. I love it all. Especially Major Scubaltz. He's really cool. It's a really well-done series. It's a lot more adult than a lot of other kids' anime series. The dialogue's clever and funny, the voice acting's good- it's great to listen to, especially with Robert Etoll's score. Granted, the plot's a little cliche, but it still keeps throwing things at you that you wouldn't expect. It's very exciting.

Hmm. At least that gives me a little time to work out what I'm going to assist c_l in making. Big Auron and Daikari statues with roses all over them? Everyone: :bluesweat: Or maybe not. Sorry it's late Shaun, but: Happy Birthday! Hope you have (or, er, had) some good fun. Best wishes to you.

Okay, I'm in. Well, I hope, anyways. Name: Aidan Phoenix Age: 17 Location: Bristol, England Description: Fairly tall, thin boy with long white hair which sometimes has black streaks running through them if he can be bothered to put them in. Wears black jeans, a blue and white T-shirt, a black sleeveless jacket and a red bandanna around his head, 'holding his hair in', as he says. Around his neck he wears a sword-shaped pendant. Personality: generally quiet and shy, he's often afraid to get involved in case he does something wrong. He enjoys helping anyone who'll come and talk to him. He can come off as being a bit strange and dreamy, which is why he hasn't got many people to look out for him and why he looks depressed a lot of the time- he's 'just thinking'. He comes from a well-off family and feels guilty that he's never really had any huge psychological problems because everyone else around him seems to. Digivice: Silver and Red Digimon: MetalArmadillomon Level: Champion (although not experienced at all, so more like a Rookie. really I don't have a Rookie form or any evolutions, so I have to improvise a little.) Type: Virus Evolutions: TitanTriceramon, BlackWarGreymon Attacks: Blade Strike, Tornado Scythe TitanTriceramon: Mercury Flare, Blade Charge BlackWarGreymon: Dark Claw, Terra Destroyer Appearance: Bigger, black/silver version of Amadillomon with large scythe-like spines on its back and purple eyes.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Shyguy [/i] [B][size=1]Something could be done to help the community aspect of the boards, maybe a special chatroom, A new personality quiz could be written up (want to help Mnemolth?) in addition to some general historical information about Otaku Boards' history. I know that Nerdsy has been dying to work on something involving Otaku History, and I would be more than willing to help in whatever way I can. But those are just suggestions, everyone should put in their ideas. :p -Shy[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] These are really good ideas. I support them whole-heartedly. I've never really had any inclination to go back to the Newbie Lounge after I joined. But, like everyone's said, it is really popular. A suggestion- if the Newbie Lounge were scrapped, people could be encouraged to use their forum profiles more productively so they won't have to use an introductory post or whatever. I often look at them, but they don't tend to have that much detail. Maybe adding more features to it would make it more than just something that's occasionally looked at by random people. If more room were added they could write a paragraph or so about themselves there. Like a post that they have in their profile, in which they can write whatever they want (within reason). Essentially, what the Newbie Lounge has become is a chatroom in thread form. I don't know what Shy's proposed chatroom would be about or for, but maybe having a general one for everyone else could keep Newbie addicts entertained.

If you've done all you can do then there isn't really much left to say, then. It may always be something that lingers. Not prominently, but just in the backs of their minds, and it's possible it'll be thrown out in moments of tension. Like you said, you'll just have to wait and see what happens. I wouldn't advise trying to stop being friends with Dee, but if you think she's going to be trouble then it may be an idea to distance yourself from her for a while to let her fully cool down, and if things persist then just to increase the distance. If needs be talk to her about it, but the best thing to do is to keep your cool and not try and apologise too much- keeping it in their minds only prolongs bad feelings. It was a mistake and they should know that. Being forced into a blazing row won't help anyone to let it pass.

I've never really liked any of that music, and I've never wanted to label myself as anything through my clothes or music (like Grunger/Townie or whatever), not that I've ever worn anything that could be considered as either. So I'm definately not a Mod. If anything, I'm an Anti-Mod. And I agree with Deus- most of the ones I've seen have been destrcuctive, and petty and annoying to boot, which is not something I'd particularly want to be attributed to even if I was a Mod. Which I ain't. But it's up to you what you choose to be. If you don't mind being labelled as a Mod then that's fine, providing it's just the music and clothes that make you a Mod, not the stereotypical destructiveness.

If IMing doesn't work, try and see them in person, or at least try and talk to one of their friends about how they feel. They're the ones who you'll get the most accurate answer out of, most likely, providing you don't find one who stirs things up. Once you've done that, ask them to pass them a message. I wouldn't rely on IM- it's too impersonal and it's easy to hide what you really feel. Maybe try a hand-written note. It's more theraputic to get your feelings really down on paper, and they may be more likely to accept it. But the thing to do is not to go looking for Mr Random Guy as fighting him even with good intentions would you look worse. Good luck, and remember- no-one can bear a grudge forever. The main reson they may be upset is the shock of hearing it, and it didn't help that this guy pumped things up nastily. Make sure they know how you feel, not how someone else says you feel.

And what time we should start. I hate time zones. It's 8:57am on the 5th already here, so I'll either be a little late for the start, very early or very tired to catch it. :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Elite [/i] [B]Marijuana is not mentally addictive in any way. The more you smoke, the more smoking it takes for you to get a high, so people who want a high smoke more each time. You are not physically compelled to smoking weed all the time. [/B][/QUOTE] That's what an addiction [I]is[/I]. Yeah, it's no more compulsory than doing your teeth, but people with tendencies for addiction (weak personality) will take it anyway because they think they need it because their body wants some, and they have to take more. It's very open to individual differences, though, as no two people are the same and some people have higher tolerance levels can give up more readily than others. But some people are physically compelled to take it, or at least they feel they are because 'it's what gets them through the day'. It's a dependence on something you shouldn't be having in the first place.

It can be a fairly addictive substance. True, it's not as bad as some, but it all depends on how it's taken and prepared. My dad's been a consultant psychiatrist dealing with drug addictions for around 15 years now. If it gets to a stage when they can't work without it, it's an addiction. You can become addicted to the caffeine, sugar, anything. If it has a good feeling, then it's going to be something you repeat. But the thing is, you tend to need more and more of it to get the same boost you did the time before as your body becomes more accustomed to it. That's when the addiction starts.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BabyGirl [/i] [B]Heh, the thing is, weed really [i]isn't[/i] that big of a deal. [/B][/QUOTE] I disagree with that entirely. Anything that starts off an addiction isn't good. And what it does to your body is frightening. You can find out about it anywhere. just look. I had a friend who smoked weed. The main reason I objected to it was that he always said drugs was something he was never going to do, and promised me he wouldn't. I felt betrayed by that, and I told him this. Him being him, he stopped because he didn't want to lose me as a friend. I had nothing against him doing it really, but I was scared he was going to hurt himself- he enjoys cutting himself fairly regularly. His brother was worse, but I won't go into that. It ended up in a lot of problems. But anyway, it's up to you. If you've got nothing against him doing weed, then don't object. If you don't want to do it, then don't, and tell him if you feel you're being pushed into something you don't want to do. Be honest. If you do object, then tell him how you feel. Don't try and get him to stop, just tell him how you feel about it. He should respect that. If he doesn't then he isn't a good friend.

No problem! Glad to be of service. I like Paradise Lost! That's a good title! Ooh! Do you think Coleridge would mind?

I don't know. I've not seen enough of Yu-Gi-Oh to properly decide. Most likely... Celtic Guardian. I like swords and swooshy cloaks and I'm good and loyal... but not that powerful.

Well, it's his game. I doubt many duellists can transport the arena to the shadow realm, so there'd be nought in the rules against it. But I think making Yugi collapse is probably against the rules.

They've never needed them, really. The arenas themselves sort of referee the match, displaying life-points and such. But I see why you might need them- it must be hard to stop people who lose from just running off without handing over their star chips (a la Mokuba). But, Pegasus was sort of refereeing the semi-finals and finals, even though he didn't disqualify Bandit Keith on the spot for nicking Joey's entrance card, and for cheating. Nasty man BK!

Seriously, Pyro, you've been a great help. And I'm glad you did the paragraph nit-picky bit. Graphology can make a big difference to the impact of certain sentences. Here's the second half of Chapter 2: Paradise Lost. [EDIT: 14th Nov] Changed title and changed first scene [/EDIT] P.S. Sorry if I sounded rude earlier when asking for views. I was feeling quite down then. But anyway, I digress... ---------------------------------------------------------------- The wind turned cold. Matt, his thin shirt flapping about in the breeze, shivered slightly. It moved the trees all around him, giving the feeling that he wasn?t alone. He wouldn?t be surprised if he wasn?t. Using the gun to move a large leaf out of his way, he came to a steep bank. The gun cocked, he crept up it. It was hard work, and he was exhausted already. When he reached the top, he was standing on the edge of a circular valley. Down below was a steep drop down a tall cliff- at the bottom was a large lake, at the centre of which was a tall fountain of water, spewing the clear liquid at least twenty feet up in the air. Matt looked at it curiously. It definitely didn?t seem natural. He leaned over the edge slightly and saw several black shapes- the human?s stealth boats. Floating sinisterly on the water, soldiers were packing large crates into them. ?I wonder what they?re planning?? he thought out loud. Matt shuffled closer to the edge to try and get a better look. Suddenly, a series of mechanical clicks broke the silence. A sentry turret shot out of the ground and pointed at him, whirling it barrels in preparation to fire. Bullets exploded from it wildly- Matt dived down the bank to avoid getting hit. He could hear the bullets thudding into the ground on the other side. ?Damn!? he growled. ?They?ll be out to find me soon. That?s bound to have raised some alarm.? Jumping to his feet, he ran down the bank to find the others. As he came past a small waterfall, he heard a mechanical whirring noise. He hid behind a large moss-covered rock above it. Several quiet, angry voices were barely audible above the waterfall?s loud splashing. ??where he went?? he heard one say ?Either we?ve got to pick up a body or he?s run somewhere into Epsilon quadrant. We?ll find him. It?s not like he?s got anywhere to hide?? Matt waited until they were out of sight, and then swung himself underneath the waterfall. He landed smartly in front of a large metal door. A swipe-card panel was loosely attached to the wall next to it- the moisture had corroded it slightly. He gave it a hard hit with his gun and it burst open, spilling degraded plastic over the floor. He immediately regretted it. The swipe-card mechanism fell off, leaving him with a forest of wires. ?Izzy, what I would do for your knowledge right now?? Elsewhere, Gabumon was searching for Matt. It was hard to see through the thick undergrowth, and the growing winds made the leaves of the trees rustle noisily, blurring sounds together. Getting a little frustrated, he barged through a thick mesh of leaves? and came face to face with two angry-looking human guards dressed in camouflage gear. They yelped in shock and charged at him, holding out two frightening-looking electric prods. Gabumon dived between them and shot backwards with his Blue Blaster attack. They collapsed to the ground, stunned, as he sprinted away. He dashed through the undergrowth, branches scratching his arms and whipping his face. As he passed through a clearing, something grabbed him forcefully by the shoulder. He swiped at it with his claws, causing it to give out a horrific howl of pain. It dropped him and he chanced a glance back at what it was. He?d clawed Aidan?s nose. He held it painfully, eyes watering. ?That hurt.? He growled. ?But at least we found you.? MetalArmadillomon was smirking. ?Why were you in such a hurry?? Gabumon pulled them down behind the bushes. ?Human guards are out. I think they might have Matt.?, he panted. Aidan and MetalArmadillomon looked at each other with equal looks of concern. ?We?ll have to find a way inside.? Aidan suggested, his nose still stinging. MetalArmadillomon nodded. ?Follow me.? He curled up into a spiked ball and charged off through the undergrowth. Aidan and Gabumon followed in hot pursuit, Aidan hacking down intervening branches. They pelted through the trees, knocking over two guards and setting off numerous digimon traps as they went. They stopped at a waterfall. Gabumon sniffed the air curiously. ?Matt was here.? He said quickly. A way off behind them, they could hear angry shouts drawing nearer. Aidan looked back and threw up his Light Shield. ?Get into the waterfall.? He said firmly. Obediently, they jumped down through the wall of water and landed in the concrete entrance. A rancid smell of smoking plastic and blood burned their nostrils. The swipe-card mechanism hung, fried, on the wall. The floor was sticky with partly-dried blood. The door stood half-open, bullets half-embedded in its thick frame. Gabumon was frozen in fear. Was it Matt?s blood spilled on the floor? Was he still alive? His claws shook nervously. MetalArmadillomon swallowed down his stomach and called to Aidan. ?Aidan, get down here!? He grabbed Gabumon, still paralysed with worry, and hurled him underneath the door. Bullets whizzed through the water and pounded into the walls with loud cracks, sending bits of concrete flying everywhere. More soldiers in camouflage gear appeared from behind the trees opposite and fired their guns at where Aidan was standing. As the bullets ricocheted from his shield, he hovered over the waterfall entrance. This would take perfect timing. The soldiers kept firing relentlessly as more appeared from all directions. Growling, Aidan drew his sword. Over the gunfire, he heard MetalArmadillomon?s concerned cries. He was glad the humans didn?t have his acute hearing, otherwise the digimon would be dead. He could feel his energy failing him as the shield began to flicker. ?Three?? The bullets kept coming. ?Two?? Two more guards appeared from behind him and opened fire. ?One?? Summoning up his strength, he launched his sword in a spinning flight at a tall tree opposite him. It cut through the trunk with ease and flew right into the next one. The first tree toppled over onto two of the guards. The others stopped firing in surprise. As the sword travelled in an arc, it cut down the trees behind the soldiers. They scattered, frightened for their lives. His sword returned, like a boomerang, into his waiting claw. Immediately, he dived into the waterfall and under the door. MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon were waiting inside, looking deathly concerned. Aidan threw them a quizzical frown. Shakily, Gabumon pointed over to a bloody mass in the corner of the room. Aidan edged over to it slowly and poked it with his sword. It rolled over and groaned- a human soldier. In a state of semi-consciousness, he looked up at Aidan and wailed in fright. Aidan took a deep breath and hit him squarely on the head with the hilt of his sword. ?It?s not Matt. He?ll live.? MetalArmadillomon was filled with a feeling of disgust. ?How could you do that? He?s a living creature!? Aidan glared at him sternly. ?I didn?t kill him. He?ll be knocked out for a while. When the other humans find him he?ll be easier to deal with. And besides, do you really want him to be attracting attention to us?? MetalArmadillomon looked away, anger stinging his eyes. Aidan looked around. The room was fairly dark- the light had been shot out. Light beamed in from the corridor opposite them. At the end was a lift. Aidan nodded forwards. ?This way.? Reluctantly, MetalArmadillomon followed him. Gabumon felt terrible. Plunged into the sea, they?d been thrown onto an island where they were being hunted like game. Matt had disappeared. He could be lost, injured, or worse. He shook his head, trying to erase those thoughts from his mind. But what if he never saw him again? They stepped into the lift, not saying anything to each other. It was a surprisingly large lift for a human base. Obviously for transporting relatively large digimon to the research labs, Aidan thought. He jabbed the ?door close? button and looked won to MetalArmadillomon. ?Can you remember where everything is in this building?? MetalArmadillomon gritted his teeth. He was trying to think of something to say that wouldn?t result in him yelling at Aidan. He didn?t have to hit that soldier. He hated humans, but he hated unnecessary cruelty even more. Aidan kneeled down, his wings almost knocking Gabumon over. ?Look?? he started, rubbing his neck. He didn?t know what to say. He knew he didn?t have to hit the soldier. He hated the ones who hated digimon, and the ones who were too cowardly to step forwards for them, lying to themselves about their friends. He wasn?t Matt. Although he didn?t want to see Matt lying bleeding on the floor, he wanted to know that he was safe, even if he was hurt. He?d rather have seen Matt than a faceless drone of human hatred. But he was hurt? like he was? A slight lump in his throat, he stood back up again and opened the doors. He ran back down the corridor and picked up the man carefully. Behind him, the other soldiers had recovered and were climbing over the trees. He strode into the lift and shut the doors. MetalArmadillomon looked up at him, relieved and happy that Aidan wasn?t completely cold. ?The hospital and scientific research labs are on sub-floor 5,? ?Thanks.? Aidan jabbed the button and the lift clunked into life. That strange floating feeling flowed over them. He smiled weakly at MetalArmadillomon, who smiled weakly back. Gabumon watched the buttons light up as the lift passed the corresponding floor. ?Which floor do you think Matt?s on?? he asked. MetalArmadillomon scratched his chin. ?I think? if he?s been captured, he?ll be on sub-floor 7- the prison. Or, he?ll be on sub-floor 11. That?s the armoury.? Aidan contemplated his scratched nose. ?I could do with some of that.? The man in his arms twitched slightly. Aidan looked at his name tag. ?Jones, Lance?, it read. He had a name. Aidan thought about his own name. It didn?t suit him. It was too noble. Aidan Phoenix. He hated himself sometimes, for having a name that shouldn?t exist any more. He would have thought further into it, but the lift jerked to a stop, disorientating them. He almost dropped Lance. ?No. Not Lance,?, he thought. ?The human.?. It was best to think of things that way, otherwise it was impossible to fight wars. It was easier for humans to do that because they had an almost innate ability to hurt each other effectively. The doors shuddered open. The lift was on the side of a corridor. Hauling Lance onto his shoulder, he used his sword as a mirror to see what was either side of the door. No-one. Good. He gestured with his head to the others, who exited the lift quickly. MetalArmadillomon ran ahead and pointed round a corner. Aidan was apprehensive. ?Won?t we get seen?? The corridors were much smaller than the lift. His wings were closed tightly. MetalArmadillomon shook his head. ?Guards don?t tend to patrol here because it?s a humans-only section. The doors are too small for most digimon they capture to get through. It?s the most secure place for a human to be.? He crawled round the corner, Aidan and Gabumon following closely behind. Desperately trying to avoid contact with nurses, they sneaked into a private cubicle. Aidan lay Lance down on the gurney and unzipped his jacket. ?Come on? you must have one.? He mumbled, routing through the pockets. The other digimon looked at each other, equally confused. ?What?? they chorused. ?A card thingy. You know, for doors.? He said, pulling out a grenade from a zip pocket and putting it back very quickly. He froze as a hand caked in blood rose from the other side of the gurney. It slipped into a trouser pocket and pulled out an identity card with a metal strip running down the side. Aidan looked at Lance?s face. His eyes were alight with hope. ?Take this? and go. It?s not? it?s not safe? for you.? Aidan took the card and shook Lance?s hand. ?Thanks, Lance,? he whispered. He gave a sharp tug on the ?Help? cord and they left swiftly. A few seconds later, a nurse entered the room and gasped in shock at the soldier on the bed. She ran off and called for help? In a dark room, Hiroshi Danaki paced up and down while the experiment down below carried on cautiously. Programming a digimon was a lengthy and risky progress. This was the first time he?d felt truly nervous in his life. This task may be the most important in the history of the survival of the human race. If this was successful, he?d be known as the saviour of the humans? he licked his dry lips. In the science lab below, he could scientists and computer programmers hurriedly sorting code and preparing equipment. The digimon in the tube stayed motionless, the only indication of any life being the monotone ping of the electrocardiogram. One of the scientists picked up a radio communications device and clicked it on nervously. ?We?re ready to begin, sir,? his voice shook as he spoke. Danaki nodded in approval. ?Good. Initiate data download on my mark.? He stared at the digimon in the tank in awe. ?Soon,? he thought, ?You will be alive.? The scientists readied two huge cables, each attached to a supercomputer. ?NOW!? he yelled. The two teams of scientists holding the cables launched themselves forwards. The ends of the cables slammed into two huge ports underneath the cryogenics tube. Smaller cables shot inside the tube from the underneath and attached to the creature. It convulsed violently for a few seconds, then settled down. Danaki wiped sweat from his forehead. ?Data transfer five percent complete.? The scientist announced nervously. Danaki sat on his desk and breathed out heavily. All he could do now was wait? ?It?s been three years since I was last year! Sorry I don?t know it like the back of my claw!? MetalArmadillomon hissed at Gabumon, his spines rising in anger. Gabumon shied back. ?Sorry. I? I just want to find Matt and get out of here as quickly as possible.? Aidan silenced them with a wave of his claw. He was looking round a corner at two solid-looking doors. Next to them was a key-card mechanism. He looked at Lance?s identity card and then back at MetalArmadillomon. ?Is there a lift through there?? he called back quietly. MetalArmadillomon crawled under Aidan?s legs (making Aidan feel rather nervous) and studied the door carefully. ?That?s the door to the research facility. There?s lots of lifts down to the prison section there.? Aidan, doing his best to avoid the metal digimon?s dangerous spines, stepped forwards and held the card above the key-card reader. Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon followed him nervously. You alright about going in here?? He asked MetalArmadillomon, who didn?t look alright about it at all. He nodded, gulping loudly. Aidan held his breath and slid the card through the slit. The reader beeped loudly and the door slowly glided open. The corridor ahead of them was covered in burns, scratches and strange stains. MetalArmadillomon was shaking slightly as they stepped forwards. Gabumon could feel his body tensing up as he heard strange noises echoing from other rooms. Eerie cries, moans and whirring came from rooms they passed. Aidan put away his sword and held down a small cyan-coloured button on his crossbow. The arc thickened and lengthened into a huge steel longbow. Its smooth surface glinted in the dim light. He didn?t feel safe here. The thick doors behind them glided shut as they crept forwards. Behind them, another door opened silently? Danaki grew more nervous as the download progressed. ?Combat data download complete. Initiating objective protocol download.,? the scientist announced, watching a computer screen intently. ?No power surges detected.? A shrill beep made Danaki jump. He looked behind him at the phone on his desk. He ripped the receiver from its stand. ?What is it?? he yelled. ?Sir, we?ve detected three Digimon intruders in the research section. What should we do?? Danaki?s eyes widened in fright. ?Stop them, you idiot! Don?t let them get to Research Chamber Three at all costs!? he screamed, pulling a sword from the wall. He ran his finger along the blade and watched the protocol status slowly move along. ?Not yet? not yet!? he snarled as the digimon began to stir? In the dim corridors of the research facility, Aidan, MetalArmadillomon and Gabumon were trapped. They reached a maintenance access door and ran through it, slamming it shut behind them. Aidan threw himself against the door as the human guards crashed into it to get at them. He looked to Gabumon and MetalArmadillomon. ?Run now! Go, get out!? he yelled as more humans arrived to break down the door. MetalArmadillomon frantically looked around for an alternative. He wasn?t leaving Aidan. On the wall was a metal box labelled ?Power?. He pulled Gabumon over. ?Get on my back!? he ordered. Gabumon jumped onto MetalArmadillomon, careful to avoid his spines and drew back his fists. ?Time for a distraction!? he shouted, plunging his fists into the box. It sparked wildly, throwing them both back into Aidan. Suddenly, everything went black. Danaki watched as the status bar moved up to forty-five percent. ?Not much longer now?? he snarled, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, the status bar disappeared. The lights flickered out and the room was plunged into total darkness. ?No?? he choked, frozen in shock. Below, through the thick glass, he heard confused shouts and screams of terror. He ran up to the window to see what was happening. ?Status report?? he said quietly, his voice shaky with fear. ?Status report?? he said more loudly. Clawing at the glass with his fingers, he yelled at the scientists. More screams. This time, he heard a new voice. A softer, louder voice. It groaned like someone waking up in the morning. A groggy, confused groan. ?NO!? he screamed, pounding at the glass with his fingers. ?DON?T LET HER BREAK FREE! STOP HER!? In the cryogenics tube, the creature looked at its hand. ?Break free?? she whispered. She clenched her scaly fists in rage. ?Break free!? A huge bony spike shot from the top of her hand and pierced the glass. It slashed its hand around and the container smashed, sending glass all over the floor. The scientists fled in panic, screaming. She looked at the cables attached to her body and ripped them off in frustration. The bony lance retracted into her hand and she looked for an exit. The small amount of cryogenics fluid left in the tube drained slowly from it. She looked back at it quizzically, then tore open a massive hole on the floor and dived through. Having fallen to his knees, Danaki could only watch as his beloved creation escaped into the lower levels of the facility? TO BE CONTINUED?

Thanks, Devi! And to everyone else who's perservering through it. Pyro's been helping me lots with editing it (she's very very knowledgeable when it comes to writing things), so bits'll change. Not enough to warrant reading through again- just the odd word or two, and paragraph spacing. Lots of paragraph spacing. I'll keep you posted. Literally.

Pegasus looked almost nicer than Bakura when he was younger. I feel sorry for him too, but essentially he was the bad guy, and they have to get their just-desserts or...erm... they won't. I hope we'll see him again. I doubt it, though. I'm not sure an eyepatch would suit Pegasus. What's wrong with his original eye? Would that still be there?

What's with Pegasus stabbing himself? That's a bit morbid. I think he'd just be in a coma indefinately, or until the plotline sees it fit for him to come back.

I'd never heard of it before, saw it on the shelf in the shop and bought it, watched it and took it back. I think it was misrated as a PG. Some of the stuff made me feel physically sick (but I'm a lightweight when it comes to things like that- I can't remember much about Laputa but I remember I felt bad). I think that's the first proper anime I've seen. I did really like it. Great story, great characters and great music, and fantastic animation. But the wolf's head... eurgh.

I think it unlikely that there are no other life forms in space, and that's actually untrue- they've found bacteria on Mars and they think they might on Europa -so I think there must be something with at least the intelligence of a dog out there. But don't you think if aliens were investigating Earth they'd actually be around us and would try communicating? Loitering around crazy people for a few seconds shouldn't warrant a nmany light-year long space journey.

Pfft. I got 2- [IMG]http://falkor.anu.edu.au/~ely/animequiz/otaku_parent.gif[/IMG] Bleargh! I watch Evangelion, Digimon, Zoids, Nadesico, Mononoke, and I'd like to watch Lost Universe, Generator Gawl and various others. Most of the others I've never seen in my life, and probably never will- Akira's not one I particularly want to see. I like anime lots, so I'd call myself a fan, but I just don't know all the nitty-gritty about it. So there. It was quite good fun, though.