Solo Tremaine

[COLOR=#503F86]Conspiracy theories are all very interesting, but I just about wet myself while watching that video. I found it quite hilarious, heh ^_^; I've no doubt that there are aspects of all major events that the US covers up for whatever (or perhaps no) reason, but I don't really think it was an event perpetrated by their own government, or whatever. I read [URL=http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blflight77.htm]Urban Legend.com's 'Hunt the Boeing!'[/URL] article and [URL=http://paulboutin.weblogger.com/2002/03/14]this page linked from it[/URL], and I thought those were more informative, personally.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]I didn't get any votes, heh... but either way we've already cast ours, so by rules of teh game it should be the [COLOR=red]winning team[/COLOR] deciding who chould go.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]Well, that trailer's really got my excitement going. It looks great, and I'm glad to see it doesn't look as if it's lost anything from the second movie. I only wish the first one was better, now ^_^; I didn't know this was going to be the last one, though... in a way I'm kind of satisfied, as it shouldn't run into the same problems that the cartoon series did. There's only so much you can do effectively without drawing it out, after all. Three's a good number. Still no Gambit, though...[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Ah... okay. I think the fact that we were up against Bowser put too many connotations in our heads. I know I certainly focused on Mario-esque elements a lot *shrugs* Just force of habit, I guess. Still, in terms of writing, that was probably my favourite challenge. Nice one, Bravers ^_~[/color]

[color=#503f86]The massive red door slammed shut behind them, dissolving the room into darkness. They could feel a cold, metal surface underneath their feet which had a disturbingly hollow ring to it, and up ahead was a thin shaft of pink light, illuminating half of a doorframe. "That must be where the Princess is," Fox gripped his sword tightly, straining his eyes to see through the inky blackness surrounding them. Suddenly, the pink light disappeared with a 'boom'. Torches of fire burst into life along the sides of the walls, casting the room into a brilliant fiery glow. Suddenly the room was revealed to them. They were standing on a network of metal hatches, all of which looked to open up to various perils. All the way around the edge were Bowser gargoyles, which Bowser's kids ran behind, sniggering with mischeivous intent. With a hefty and resounding 'BOOM', the megalomaniac Bowser landed in front of the door which led to Peach, on a (relatively safe, but rather cracked) piece of stone flooring. "Bwa ha ha!" he roared. "So you've made it this far, have you? Well, we'll make sure your stay here is as short and uncomfortable as possible, ha ha! You'll never take Peach from me!" He threw his arms out to the ceiling in a massive signal to the Bowser kids, who all burst into fits and giggles while the machinery activated. The metal pits below them began to open in sequence; Bob-Ombs began crawling around the floor aimlessly, unaware of their imminent explosion from within; giant geysers of fire erupted from the grates, narrowly avoiding turning Krystal's tail into a kebab stick. Crash leapt forwards as he felt the platform underneath him give way. He glanced quickly down to observe a vicious fifty-foot drop to a pit of lava filled with deadly-looking spikes. "Lava [i]and spikes[/i]!?" Lara launched a barrage of arrows at the Bowser kids, who were piling Bullet Blls into the gargoyles and cackling insanely as the maniac missiles thundered around the arena. They ducked underneath the stone structures just in time. "Hey!" Bowser yelled, stamping his feet in rage. "You're not supposed to have those weapons! I wasn't expecting that! Where's that blasted plumber?" "He's rescuing another princess!" Fax yelled, batting a Bullet Bill from the air with his sword. Krystal plucked frantically at her harp; a burst of sound shot from its frame and hit one of the gargoyles, which exploded in a shower of granite and brimstone. Crash picked up one of the Bob-Ombs and lobbed it at Bowser. He dodged, but the explosion sent a crack along the brickwork where the creature had been standing. One of Lara's arrows pierced a blue-shelled Bowser kid in the tail. He yelped and hopped away, clutching his backside in agony. She then turned her attention to the other kids with a satisfied glare and a confident grin, loading up another arrow. The remaining Bowser trins looked at each other and gulped. Krystal liked this spell. she's already exploded three gargoyles, trying to provide as much cover as possible for Fox and Crash, who were busy dealing with an array of Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills. Suddenly, the hatch behind her dropped away; she stumbled and lost her balance, dropping her harp mid-pluck. The destructive soundwave flew along the floor, ripping away the metal plating in a diagonal line across the platform. A shower of flame from a misplaced geyser square pointed directly at Bowser, who leapt back to his original place in front of the door. The brickwork underneath him began to crumble, and in a flash Crash saw a window of opportunity. "Lara, Fox!" he hissed. "We need to keep Bowser where he is. Don't let him move!"[/color]

[color=#503f86]Actually, although I can identify with a lot of the stuff in the text, and as much as I'd not like to admit it (in terms of how I'm almost always looking and hoping for some sort of relationship), as a guy I think I agree with Imi. If I'm honest with myself, friendship is more important to me than anything else. Of course, if you can remain friends with the person you're going out with it shouldn't be too much of a problem in any case. I think that 'Nice' guys will probably be more likely to maintain friendly contact after a relationship's ended anyway, simply because of who they are. I've never had any trouble, really. In a weird 'I hate chain e-mails like this' kind of way, it's nice to be appreciated.[/color]

[color=#503f86]It was like being in a weird CG rendition of a classic Western... starring two anthropomorphic foxes, a bandicoot, a very unorthadox archeologist... and turtles. Hundreds of turtles. This time they were fully rendered, and giving the group of Adventurers very xenophobic looks as they strode through the village. "Don't pay any attention," Lara cautioned. "They aren't essential to the mission, and we're running out of time." Crash frowned. They'd walked halfway through the small village and he'd already managed to swipe six wallets, a pair of detachable wings and a tennis racket. He was enjoying his Thief attributes, and hoped he'd get another chance to show them off before long. Krystal inspected her harp- the strings she'd plunged her arm through were loose now, and instead of making a pleasant '[i]thrum[/i]' upon plucking, they'd been reduced to more of a '[i]plop[/i]'. They still glowed a bit, but not nearly as brightly as they had before. Up on the mountainside they could see the eerie silhouette of Bowser's Castle, a sinister-looking structure with the grizzly reptilian's face plastered all over it. Either his architect fancied him, or he was an incredibly narcissistic dinosaur. As they left the village, a sigh of relief was breathed by both the Adventurers and the villagers. the koopas continued with whatever they were doing before the group arrived, and the Adventurers hurried ahead, Crash hoping nobody would notice their missing change before they were well out of sight. Their pace slowed as they neared the castle, each one looking out for potential threats. As it happened Bowser's Castle was surrounded by a massive moat of lava, from which giant fire geysers burst, illuminating the valley and providing a very hot shower for anyone who dangered to venture too close. The castle itself was a fairly disproportionate building, with towers stretching right up into the sky, the highest of which had a pink light shining from its solitary window. Shy Guys circled around it like drones, doing nothing except fly dilligently in circles around their charge. Lara's Hunter eyes scanned the castle from top to bottom. Aside from the Shy Guys at the top, the only guards appeared to be two burly-looking goombas either side of the portcullis. They didn't hold spears or anything. They just sat there, looking miserable. Fox readied his sword in anticipation. He'd been looking forward to this. Crash pulled a knife from his belt pouch. It wasn't much, but it was a weapon. "Right," Lara began. I think we should-" "LET'S GO!" Crash yelled, thundering ahead across the drawbridge. Fox followed on with an enthusiastic yell, while Lara and Krystal trailed behind, Lara drawing her bow. Crash grapped hold of the first goombas and threw it into the lava, where it sunk beneath the surface and disappeared. He turned round to see Fox's sword crashing down on the second Goomba's head, flattening it into oblivion and sending out a shower of gold coins. The bandicoot eagerly scooped them up and shoved them into his pouch. "Thief habits!" he cackled, noticing Fox's puzzled expression. Suddenly, the portcullis shot open and an army of goombas marched out, each looking as miserable as the last, all of them with murderous intent in their fungusy eyes. The iron gate clattered shut behind them. "[i]Right![/i]" Fox yelled, twirling his sword with glee before launching himself into a frenzy of sword slashes and wild armoured punches. Krystal stepped away from the main fray, plucking the strings on her harp as quickly as she could. They began glowing with a high intensity, a deep huming noise slowly becoming louder with each note she played. Before she knew what she was saying, her mouth opened. "Eternal Blessing!" she yelled. A white glow appeared in the air, then covered the Adventurers' weapons. Lara felt her arms strengthening as her arrow split a goomba clean in two and crashed into the wall; their combat stats had increased. Not much further now...[/color]

[color=#503f86]Krystal trudged alongside Crash down the muddy trail leading them (apparently) West towards Bowser's Evil Lair. She plucked a few strings on her small harp idly; the strings seemed to glow when plucked, and depending on the sequence of notes she played, they would increase or fade in intensity; an obvious sign of the harp's enchanted magic coming into play. She guessed that each different note she could start a piece on would cast a different spell; she'd have to pluck the strings in the right sequence in order to get the strings glowing at their best and bring about the most powerful incantations. Which reminded her... was there an activation song, or could she get away with just the music? She didn't particularly fancy singing [i]songs[/i], although continued notes would be alright. It's not like she had ever had an inclination to follow Peppy to any of his karaoke bars... Suddenly, Crash spoke. "You know, Lake Viscera doesn't sound too bad a name..." Krystal coughed politely. "Viscera, as in eviscerate, maybe?" "Oh..." "Shh!" Lara's harsh warning stunned them to a halt. Behind them, Krystal could hear Fox struggling with his armour. Ahead of them lay a long wooden bridge laid with rotten-looking planks, flanked by ancient support ropes. Below them the canyon it crossed descended into an eerie mist, illuminated only by the dim light seeping through the clouds above them. Lara pulled one of her arrows from her quiver and hurled it ahead. The point sunk into one of the planks of wood, leaving the projectile pointing out at a fifty-degree angle. They watched, and waited. "Looks safe enough," Krystal hazarded, ready to step forwards. Lara outstretched an arm to block her as the piece of wood tore in two, sending the arrow plummetting into the abyss. "This wood will only support us for so long," the Hunter said in a grave and militant tone, taking it upon herself to act as leader for this situation. "We'll need to be quick getting across. Any ideas?" Krystal scratched her neck in thought. "Well... if we went in pairs, either one of us could help the other up if a plank broke. Or we could go in single file at regular intervals to help distribute the weight across the entire bridge." Lara assessed the quality of the bridge with her eyes, then turned to the other three. "I think you should go first, Krystal. You're the lightest, so you should be able to tell us if one of the planks is unstable. I'll follow with Fox, so I can grab him if he falls through. Then Crash should follow on. You should easily be able to watch our steps for a safe journey, right?" Crash nodded affirmatively. With a determined chorus of "Right!", the four Adventurers began their crossing. Krystal placed her steps with utmost care, watching planks for signs of decay. She could feel a strong wind rising up the canyon which began tilting the bridge at difficult angles; typically clicheed. At the end of the bridge, she saw a small, shadowy figure with a spiny green shell fiddling around with a paintbrush. It looked at Krystal for a fleeting moment, then vanished into the bushes beyond. "Say," she called back apprehensively. "Bowser doesn't have any kids, does he?"[/color]

[COLOR=#503F86]I really like these two trees, a lot. I think the colour contrast in the second one works well; I don't think not having the branches or leaves loses anything in particular (although it might look pretty nifty with some leaves, and perhaps a little more foliage). Diode symbols might be quite cool to have as hanging flowers or something if you wanted more happening on the top half. I love the circuitry on the roots... I think they work better on the second one because the lines are the same width as those of the tree'd outline; on the first it's all filled in, so they look a bit thin and wispy. They'd need to be longer or more spread out to balance the image, I think. Anyways, they're really cool ^___^[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503F86]"Which are you going to take?" Krystal asked Fox as the two of them stared into the depths of the caskets which held their slightly less-than-desirable attires. "I don't know..." Fox bared his teeth in an anxious grimace. Lara had already taken the role of Hunter, and he wasn't particularly confident with his swordsmanship. He'd used a Beam Sword way back when a whole group of people had been brought together for the Smash bros Melee- an interdimensional sparring match puppeteered by a race of deadly giant hands. "Well, I'm good with a staff," Krystal began. "Perhaps I should take the Wizard's role?" Fox said nothing, but continued to wrack his brains for solutions. Krystal looked at him for a few seconds. She knew he could use her staff proficiently enough (if a little wastefully), perhaps if he had the potential to use magic items so weel them maybe he'd be better off in that role, if he chose it. But then, she quite fancied seeing him in a suit of armour. "Bard, eh?" she mused, inspecting the cavalier-style hat in the cart. "Can you play a harp?" Fox asked, genuinely puzzled. Krystal blushed and kept her eyes fixed on the clothes inside the cart. "When I was eight I was in a concert at one of the ceremonies on Cerinia... it didn't have a huge audience, but I practiced like crazy on an instrument similar to it. I haven't had a chance top play it on ages..." "This isn't really about [i]chances[/i], Krystal. If there's something you know you can do, then I'd choose what you're best at. We can't afford to lose at this stage." Krystal looked to Fox, who was counter-looking with quite an intensity. She blushed further, and thrust her gaze back into the basket. "I know I can do it," she said firmly. With that, she plunged her hand into the cart and pulled the Bard's gaudy uniform from its dusty woodwork, then ran behind a screen to get changed. The costume itself was a colour combination of red, white and a violently eye-damaging shade of red on the demicloak and leather thigh-length bucket boots. Krystal had to stare at the CPU's flowing walls for a few seconds after wrestling with them to regain her eyesight. After everything was in place, the clothes sucked themselves in to a comfortable fit. Grinning widely, she placed her hat on and strode free from the chamber, her excited expression meeting Lara's smile of approval. "Are we ready?" Krystal beamed.[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Just to properly confirm, the four of the [color=blue]Adventurers[/color] taking part will be Krystal (myself), Lara (Doukeshi), Crash (Baron) and Fox (KKC). I know Baron mentioned it in teh thread already, but I thought it'd be courteous just to say so anyway, heh. Sorry for taking so long ^_^; EDIT: By the way, despite the fact it's a poor model and has been painted even worse, [URL=http://hurva.org/Docs/images/figs/humans/bards/bard_with_harp_&_spear.jpg]this[/URL] was the basis of the idea I had for Krystal's bard outfit. I thought it was cool ^_^;[/color]

[quote name='Lore][font=trebuchet ms][color=#333333]You know, it really is amazing how much better something looks when you've been working on it and all you want is to be [i]done[/i]. I can't tell you the number of times I've thought this dino was "perfect!" only to come back later and be frustrated as all.[/color'][/font][/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Someone once said that the best pieces of art are never finished- you're always adding bits to them. Makes it harder to display in a gallery if you're always doing stuff to them, but I suppose there's always something that can be tweaked :p My sister thought this was amazing, and I love it, too ^____^ The hair, the collar... it just fits together so well ^_^ He actually looks almost exactly like someone I know who works at a local video store, heh. The arm does look a little small, but to be honest I wouldn't have noticed it. The eyes almost look as if they need to be bigger, but that's only if you wanted to make it look more cartoony. Similarly, if you wanted it more 'emo' you could get rid of them (well, it, seeing as there's only one in view) altogether. I think this strikes the right balance, though ^_^ Nicely nice. I'd wear it.[/COLOR]

[quote name='AzureWolf][color=teal']This is the problem I'm getting at. You are saying you cannot know anything about an animal: it's feelings, ideas, and thoughts. Yet at the same time, you are saying it is not capable of experiencing the same things as humans do merely because it cannot communicate them in the same manner - but how do you know if we don't know? If you do believe animals can feel love and/or affection, you are saying it's not on the same level, which is contradictory. You can't "not know anything" and "know it's not the same" at the same time.[/color][/quote][color=#503f86]I really feel like you're splitting hairs hairs here, but fair enough. But if [i]you[/i] can't tell how an animal's reacting to the situation it's being put in either, how exactly can you be comparing it to a homosexual human relationship where the feelings on both sides are obvious? The whole argument grinds to a stalemate on both sides if you look at it that way.[/color] [color=teal] [/color][QUOTE][color=teal]You are becoming very teleological, which is fine. However, you can't stop halfway. Ok, so you are saying beastiality is below homosexual love, but since you are saying that, what gives you the right to arbitarily assign value when you were (basically) saying only those in love can determine what the weight of their relationship is? Worse, let's make an exaggerated hierarchery: why can't homosexual love be lower than heterosexual love? How do you know otherwise?[/color][/QUOTE][color=#503f86]The fact that bestialists can and do often form long-term human relationships as well as engage in sexual intercourse with animals proves the difference in levels- they gain something from one relationship on one hand, and something else on another. Hence, the 'sexuality' you're indicating towards animals in this case appears to be only as a sex aid (albeit a living one) rather than a life partner. It's exactly the same as pedophilia- perhaps that'd be a better comparison for me to argue against your reasoning, but I don't particularly want to. While you can compare the sex in a homosexual relationship to that conducted by bestialists, the relationship is fundamentally different simply because they are members of different species, in the same way that homosexual relationships are different to heterosexual ones because the genders of each partner vary. As much as you can pick holes and assign morals and scientific logic to it all, in a bestial relationship the partners [i]are not equal[/i] and as such can never be seen to be, whether the physical interactions between them and their humans appears to be or not. It's an irrational concept trying to be defined by logical terms, which doesn't work.[/color] [QUOTE][color=teal]I don't mean to be rude, but you are making arguments and substance out of nothing. Many scientists see homosexuality as a disorder/abnormality, and some of those that believe so also believe its a disorder that's not life-threatening so it's ok to have. But even then, labelling something as a disorder or natural (or whatever you want to classify it as) is merely being politically correct and doesn't get to the core of why it's right. It's all relative, afterall. You can say something is to the right, or something is left, depending on your reference point. Likewise, something can be abnormal or normal depending on what your reference for "normal" is. But again, which category you want to toss it in for the sake of being politically correct is weightless. We have the contradiction from the beginning again. You have to admit wrong on one side: we don't know or we do know - not both. Pleroma is an abstract concept that has NOT been proven, so unless you have proven it, you have to admit wrong somewhere.[/color][/QUOTE][color=#503f86]You're reading too much into my arguments, heh. While I'm honoured to have had this much time spent on me (and to be honest, this is the best debate I've ever had), all I'm trying to say is that comparing a homosexual relationship to a bestial one is an unbalanced equation. I don't have scientific evidence for animal emotions during bestial sex with humans, and I don't mean to sound rude but asking for it is being rather anal. I don't know how they react, but unless you do you can't say that I'm unequivocally wrong. Besides, it's not something you can easily quantify even on a human scale. You're a scientist, though, and a good one, so I can understand why you want to know. I never said homosexuality was natural, anyway. But the fact that humans in homosexual relationships can appreciate the choice that either they made or has been made for them should hold it above those who just want physical satiation with anything. But I'm not admitting I'm wrong. 'Nuff said ^_~[/color]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][color=teal]It's funny how many people's opinions and facts arise only from questionable propaganda, lol. Always question facts and sources that you only hear of (and yes, that can go for what I'm saying here too). This makes no sense. So just because - say - a dog can't speak, he has no ability to show approval or disapproval? I'd say initiating the act with a human is consent, but that's just me. There is a double standard. A big one. If you are going to say "what is wrong with letting any two people regardless of gender love," why does that not extend out to other species? Why are you restricting love when some people believe it is an abstraction that transcends even species? It's the same reasoning, really. Solo, I don't understand what you mean about forming stable relationships with other species. I'd argue otherwise, but I'm not sure if you mean what I think you mean.[/color][/QUOTE][color=#503f86]What I mean is that you can't form a meaningful, successful or even beneficial relationship with an animal. The most you can get is physical comfort and you might be able to delude yourself into thinking that the animal can communicate and understand what you're saying, but the actual state of the relationship is far below the levels of a homosexual relationship, where partners can converse on equal terms and gain emotional security and support each other in a beneficial relationship. Bestiality is a [b]Paraphilia- [/b]a mental health term used to indicate sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations which may interfere with the capacity for [i]reciprocal affectionate sexual activity[/i], which is why it is separated from homosexuality. They're fetishes and mental disorders, and include exhibitionism, pedophilia, masochism and sadism, among other things. The fact that most bestialists often have long-term relationships with humans as well should prove this well enough. What you're ignoring is the fact that even if an animal did object to the treatment it's being given, a human could easily overpower it anyway (depending on the animal). What you're effectively comparing homosexual sex to, which is usually consencsal and has a deeper emotional understanding behind it on a two-way level, is bestiality whereby the animal doesn't fully comprehend the situation it's in. The vast majority of animals don't even have sex for pleasure, and males will often hump each other as a sign of dominance. [i]That[/i] is the difference. Loving someone is one aspect of sexual preference, sex is another. While they're both intertwined and intrinsically connected, you're trying to use the same argument to confuse the two which are still fundamentally different.[/color]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][color=teal]Because the reasoning also supports beastiality as well as autosexuality (getting turned on by yourself or preferring masturbation). And that's a double standard - well, unless you actually find those as ok (which brings a whole array of other problems). Double standards indicate a flaw in fundamental reasoning (i.e., something is wrong with your conclusion and/or rationale). Just to play devil's advocate. ^^ *throws wood into fire and runs like hell*[/color][/QUOTE][color=#503f86]You're applying a double-standard to two very different situations. There's no doubt in saying that if you enjoy getting it off with something not of your own species then there's something wrong with you. Even at the most basic instinctive level it's wrong because it's not as if anything other than sexual satisfaction can be gained from it. And even though the same thing can be said for homosexual sex you're implying that people can form stable relationships with animals, which isn't true. Besides, homosexual sex in a relationship would be consensual; bestiality's as good as rape. And autosexuality's just someone being classically conditioned to finding their own masturbation arousing. They masturbate and find it arousing (obviously), and because they get positive reinforcement from masturbating, they associate sensations they get at orgasm with themselves masturbating, and hence they develop sexual feelings for themselves. It's cyclicar, and constantly being reinforced. Getting turned on by something isn't the same as a sexual preference. It's not as if you can even properly have sex with yourself, which in my opinion'd be a true definition of autosexuality. Sexuality isn't [i]just about sex[/i]. While by definition it plays a large role, there's more complexity to it, certainly in humans.[/color]

[color=#503f86]I gather a fair amount of people feel it's neccesarry to be gay or bisexual (or at least be labelled as being so) to be fashionable. I've certainly seen this a few times, and it doesn't help issues any. [/color] [QUOTE=Hug Monster][color=purple]But why, why do people get so... emotional about these things? If your regretting it or freaked out by it why the hell are you... it? People act like they have no choice or power over their sexuality but I think thats total bull. We have control over everything we do. Also I want the thread to die so no more bullcrap gets started, though I guess I started some in that same desire... oh well.[/color][/QUOTE][color=#503f86]Excuse me for being blunt, but you're forgetting how closely linked the mind and body are. If your hormones are out of whack (a physical symptom), then it's going to affect your emotions. Similarly, being depressed is going to affect the way your body reacts to certain situations. There's an intangible explanation as to why not being near someone else makes you feel lonely, and there's a physical element to that as well as an emotional one, and both of those will be affected (to varying extents) by everything that happens to you. Feelings aren't rational, and you can't often rationalise them. Whether discovering your homosexuality means you've a genetic inconsistency or have just made the cognitive decision to feel that way, it's always going to create emotional situations. And likewise for that very reason, if something feels right (so to speak...) then because of our rational thought we should be able to understand why people feel the way they do. You can rationalise decisions made on feelings, but not the feelings themselves. Since when were sex and relationships not an emotional matter anyway?[/color] [quote name='Attimus331']The only difference between the animals and the humans is rational thought[/quote][color=#503f86]And yet as far as I know, you don't see animals being chided for homosexuality. Funny, that. I guess rational thought isn't all it's cracked up to be.[/color] [color=#503f86]Unfortunately the arguments towards homosexuality in the animal kingdom have many conclusions drawn from them for publicity and propaganda purposes when perhaps they shouldn't be (e.g., that it's beneficial to a species- I know no-one here's actually saying that, but a lot of people do). That said, I found one website to do with family science research that pinned 'gay life' down as some kind of evil decadence that tries to ensnare your children into its drug-addled clutches, lol.[/color] [color=#503f86][/color] [color=#503f86]Which it isn't. It's not a cult, or a sect or anything like that. It's a life decision.[/color] [color=#503f86]What research does show is that homosexuality occurs in many instances across the entire mammal kingdom. That's it. Considering our intellectual advancement in comparison to any other creature on the planet, our emotions are far more developed and as such it's difficult to compare the two objectively when looking at causes for the behaviour and its acceptance into societies. However, physical patterns are much easier to identify and apply to our own bodies since the evolutionary lines and adaptations are much easier to trace. The problem is that we can actually think about it, where other animals can't. If they could, I'm sure you'd find similar prejudices and segregations developing between animal communities.[/color] [color=#503f86]Of course, looking at it on a wider scale, there's little to no point getting aggrovated about it in the first place. What [i]actual[/i] harm is it going to do if someone else is gay and justifying their feelings for it? Why does it matter so much that someone has fallen in love with someone else of the same sex?[/color]

[COLOR=#503F86]As the CPU faded to white and the Adventurers' island lodgings made their way into view, there was an insurmountable feeling that disbelief was wearing a large pair of suspenders. "YEAH!" Shadow yelled at the top of his lungs. "We [i]rock[/i]!" The other members of the team couldn't help but laugh, relief flooding through their bodies and sending them almost into a stupor of relaxation. Krystal plunged her staff into the ground and sighed. Three challenges won? It seemed almost unreal to have gotten this far and still have the entire team in tact. She wondered how the other teams were handling the situation; if she'd have to be careful if she somehow stumbled across one of them who insisted upon a vendetta, or something. Still, she could worry about that if and when she came to it. For the moment, she was happy to still have everyone here. Even Shadow, who despite his crude brashness and his brash abrasiveness, still retained a certain charm about him when he showed his happiness. Fox was bounding around happily, after a few seconds turning his attention to the still half-full table of food on the beach. The sun was beginning to set now- a golden orange sunset blanketed the horizon; around its edges, darker shades of blue and turquoise blended into a slowly darkening sky. Clouds glided serenely overhead, each with a golden hue. Krystal stepped into her hut and placed her staff against the doorframe. On the shelf next to her bed, the mirror the team had won caught her eye. They still hadn't used it yet...[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Wraith and I are both English too. For our part, Doukeshi, Wraith and I are more likely to be around when Sandy begins and ends the challenges, but there shouldn't be anything that actually inhibits the amount you can post. It's not as if head starts mean a great deal when it comes to cumulative posts.[/color] [color=#503f86][/color] [color=#503f86]I can see your point, though- if half of us are writing our posts at around the same time it means that we're effectively getting through a round more quickly, especially if other team members are available at the same time. But if everyone on all teams posted at least once a day it wouldn't make any difference. But we'll get split up and moved around after the next challenge anyway, heh, so that should dissipate any advantage we could have in that respect.[/color]

[quote name='Wraith][size=1]Well done, [color=navy]Adventurers[color=black]! Hat-trick, nicely done. I think in the next challenge, however, we need to keep track of each other's posts, and make sure we are checking the consistency, and possibly communicating a little more, either in here or through PM.[/color][/color'][/size][/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Yeah, I'd agree with that ^_^; I was panicking because I couldn't get to a computer that would let me onto the 'Boards this afternoon... well done, guys! I suppose this means we'll be two members down each for the next challenge?[/COLOR]

[color=#503f86]Yeah, I was having horrible trouble trying to follow where the heck everyone was. Holes appeared, a river happened, there were ceilings outside...[/color] [color=#503f86][/color] [color=#503f86]Seeing as the last post I read ended up in Mario World, I decided it'd be best to stick with whichever Mario incarnation everyone else was in. Before we know it we'll be on Delphino Plaza. Des must think we're really unprofessional :p[/color]

[strike][color=#503f86]It depends. The Anime Lounge has a Threads Directory for specific series that's supposed to be used instead of everyone creating new ones, and some of the ones there haven't been active for months. If threads locked after a set amount of time, all of those links would need to be updated on a regular basis depending if a new thread was created or not.[/strike] Ah, you said that ^_^; I really don't think it's that big a problem, to be honest. It happens every now and then and will probably keep happening, but it's not unmanageable. People just need to read the rules.[/color]

[color=#503f86]Krystal [i]was[/i] following closely behind Lara. Until she was swept away by a errant and rather panicked Fox, that is. "He never does that to me," she grumbled to herself, giving some yellow blocks a hefty whack with her staff. Some disintegrated into nothing- others oozed pixellated coins. She had no idea where Crash, Pac-Man and Shadow had got to, and the suspicion that she was being left behind started to creep into her veins again. While Lara had ascended the vine with great skill and precision, then subsequently disappeared with significantly less grace, Krystal was scounting around the ground, raking the bushes and using her Staff's Ground Quake ability to shake enemies off their feet and eject the tortoises from their shells. She found some amusement in watching them run for their lives in their little vests and running shoes. Before she had time to question where the tortoises would have been able to buy running shoes, a bulky figure stood on a rocky platform above her. "What the hell are [URL=http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/mariopedia/c.shtml#Chargin'_Chuck]you[/URL]?" The figure said nothing, but tipped its football helmet and cracked its shoulders into place, guarded by big metal pads. Although Krystal was about twice its size now, it still looked as if it could break her kneecaps. She liked her kneecaps. It charged forwards, Krystal barely managing to avoid it by leaping onto and over its back as it ground to a halt. She bounced nimbly from it and turned to face it again as she landed. That shell was [i]hard[/i]. The pseudo-rugby player charged again, this time missing her leg by inches and she leapt over it again. She gave it a swift crack over the head with her staff as she flew, causing its head to fly three inches into the air, swivel and then right itself again. The rugby player shook his head. "Great," Krystal growled, with as much malice as she could muster. The end of her staff began to glow bright blue. The rugby-players' beady eyes fixed her with an 8-Bit glare. She tightened her grip on her staff, staring back and baring her teeth. It charged again. This time, she didn't move but instead rammed the end of her staff directly through the gap in its visor. An Ice Blast burst from the business end of the stave and the rugby-player turned into solide ice. With a vicious swing from the staff's wider end, it shattered and disappeared. A familiar, grating voice called out smugly from ahead of her. "Not bad for a short-ass." Shadow's sarcastic grin was almost too much for her to stand, especially as he was now taller than her. She was so very close to forcefully inserting her staff somewhere of Shadow's that even 8-Bit detail couldn't hide. Instead, she bit her tongue and walked quietly past, looking directly ahead. After a few seconds, she felt herself beginning to calm down. "Are the others about?" she asked quietly. "Somewhere. They'll be fine, though. We're rocking!" Krystal continued forwards, with Shadow in tow. She kept looking around for more mushrooms, the sinking feeling that the current supply of fungi had been all but exhausted for this stage. As she approached the edge of a green pipe, she batted her staff on its metal rim in frustration. A small red and white object floated effortlessly up its edge and dripped down the other side. Krystal threw herself onto it- she heard a hollow 'poof' as it disappeared somewhere underneath her stomach and she began growing in size. She gave a quick sigh of reluef, picked herself up and beckoned for Shadow to keep going. She wasn't going to be left behind.[/color]

[quote name='kuroinuyoukai']Look you guys my situation is childs play compared to all of yours.I didn't really know my dad.It was just the point that I wouldn't get the chance to and well he WAS my father.[/quote][color=#503f86]I wouldn't say that. Emotions are relative to the experiences [i]you've[/i] had previously. So if you haven't experienced anything like that before, then it's obviously the hardest thing you've had to deal with. Regardless of whether someone else has been through something comparatively worse, what you face can still have exactly the same emotional effect even though from an outside point of view, it may be a 'lesser' problem. I mean, it's easy to tell if someone's being a drama queen about something insignificant, but when it comes to things like this is's a bit different. I still get pangs of unhappiness when I see children breaking their favourite toys. I know it seems stupid, but if you think about the love and appreciation they can show their toys, the emotions they show could be compared to something more serious in later life. Thankfully, people tend to learn that material things can be replaced far more easily than anything else, so it doesn't serve as a lifetime's worth of trauma, heh. I suppose I've been pretty lucky so far. The only people I've known die are old relatives who I was never that close to; I know they affected my parents, though. I was really upset when my dog Cirrus died. He was six, and I was in my last year of primary school. He was a big dog, and the problem with big dogs is that they tend to develop problems later in life. He'd always 'talk' to you whenever you came through the door; I loved that, and that's what I knew I'd miss most about him. There've been other things, but I don't really want to go into them, and I'm sure people won't want to read them. There's only so much you can take in when it comes to threads like these.[/color]

[color=#503f86]Krystal bounded down the block staircase and after the others, who one by one were filing into the tiny castle door in front of them. She wondered if, once they'd reached a certain height, they'd actually be able to fit inside anything they were meant to walk through. Ignoring it for the time being, she followed them through and emerged from the other side to be greeted by a large green warp pipe, with no other lanscape in sight. "I guess we have to crawl through there, then." Lara sounded less-than-overjoyed at the prospect. Shadow carefully began smoothing his spines down as they made their way inside, tenuously making sure he touched as little of the inside of the pipes as possible. "And they need this plumbing system, why?" he groaned. "They don't seem to provide any useful service aside from letting things crawl through," Krystal commented, playfully batting Fox's tail out of her way. "It seems like a gigantic ant farm." Lara halted in her tracks- her foot hovered over thin air. "Guys, I think we might have taken a wrong turning. There's nothing up ahead but a very long drop." "Can we make it?" Fox craned his neck to try and see ahead, to no avail. Shadow folded his arms. "Why don't we send Pac-Man down first? He can act as a cushion." "Ha-ha," Pac-Man's sarcastic laugh reverberated through the pipe walls. Lara sighed again, feeling frought. "Let's just go. I don't think real physics played much of a part in early adventures like this anyway. If I'm wrong, you can take it up with me at the bottom." With that, she disappeared. Giving each other nervous looks, the rest of the Adventurers followed suit and plunged into the darkness. Krystal gripped her staff tightly as she fell, closing her eyes and trying to forget everything she knew about gravity. Considering she was now a space pilot, that was a very hard thing to do in what little time she had. At least she could die in dignity now her clothes had changed back to normal. Before she knew it, though, she felt something solid underneath her feet, with no ill effects whatsoever. She opened her eyes and smiled with relief. "We're safe! Thank goodness." "Yeah..." she could hear Fox's voice, although it was distinctly muffled. "Get off me, please." "Oh, sorry Fox!" Ahead of them lay a long, dark and dank tunnel with angry-looking creatures walking back and forth along their path, opening and closing their mouths in a repetitive motion. Like fish, with shells and legs and beaks... They brandished their various weapons and marched forwards. As they did so, Krystal's staff bashed into a piece of stone floating overhead; it flashed briefly, then changed to a dull brown colour. Thinking nothing of it, they continued at a steady pace. At the forefront, Lara quickly managed to dispatch the two viscious-looking walking potatoes that were trudging towards them and they began clambering over the rocks on their path. Krystal looked to the ceiling. Oddly for a cave, it didn't seem to have any features to it- it all looked pre-constructed, to the point that the roof looked like brickwork. Suddenly, she was aware of a shadowy object floating down to the ground just behind her head. She whirled round just in time to catch a glimpse of a mushroom, which butted into her leg. She grabbed it and felt that same sickening feeling of increasing in size and mass. "I've found another one," she grimaced.[/color]

[color=#503f86]A blinding flash of light indicated the[/color] [color=blue]Adventurers[/color] [color=#503f86]had just entered the Mushroom Kingdom. Looking around them, they saw fields and pathways covered in bright green leaves. The sun was shining, and the clouds gazed at them with blank, gormless smiles plastered over their fluffy vapour. "This place is creepier than the dungeon," Shadow shuddered, trying to ignore a bush that had just winked at him. "I dunno. Somehow I feel strangely at home," Pac-Man mused, noticing the 8-bit texture of the ground. Fox stepped forwards and began sniffing along the path ahead of them, searching for mushrooms. "We should get on with this, guys. I don't want to see anyone here get deleted." Everyone nodded in reply and began scanning the ground. It all looked the same after a few feet, and scanning over it too quickly had a tendency to induce dizziness. Every so often a small red, white and orange flower would spring out of the ground, glowing furiously. [i]"Ah, a power-up for my staff!"[/i] she thought excitedly. It needed a recharge after the previous challenge, where it had been used to blast rather fruitless Lemming-holds in the walls. She grabbed it, and as she did she felt her entire body becoming warm. What felt like fire surged down her arms and erupted into two perfectly round fireballs which flew from her fingertips and bounced into a creature that looked like a small, triangular potato with legs. As she recovered from the shock, she noticed something even more peculiar- her clothes had been changed into a set of red and white, badly-fitting dungarees, complete with huge brown loafers. "What [i]is[/i] this?" she cried, holding the straps over her shoulders in an effort to try and secure the overly-loose garment and looking to the others in distress. "I wouldn't worry about it," Fox tried to suppress a laugh. "It'll probably wear off before long." Krystal frowned and turned back to her mushroom hunt. Suddenly, a speck of red underneath a bush caught her eye. She moved aside some leaves and lent forwards- a pair of slit eyes gazed blankly back. "Mushroom?" she asked it. The mushroom didn't reply. It was, after all, a mushroom, and didn't have any kind of vocal capacity. She picked it, and immediately felt herself growing taller. It was a horrible, disorientating feeling that left her unbalanced. But now she was slightly taller than Lara. "I hate the vegetation here..." she growled.[/color]