Arcadia

[size=1]Blenders are cool, and they make nifty noises, too. Milkshakes for everybody!! Really, though, despite the lightness of the picture, the shading looks good, especially around all the angles, the lines are pretty straight and the entire thing looks well proportioned. Good stuff![/size]

[size=1]I absolutely love both Sara's song and Amibasuki's.. both have some gorgeous lyrics, and both I can [i]definitely[/i] relate to. I end up loving a lot of Sister Hazel's music, as well as Vertical Horizon's. Both bands sort of have the same sound, and they both write incredible songs. The Vertical Horizon song I was thinking of is "Forever", and strangely enough, it really helped me to clear out my head while I was going through some tough times regarding my grandmother. I have yet to see VH in concert (but I [i]will[/i], I tell you!), but I have seen Sister Hazel numerous times and I'm pretty much in love with them. This song by them seems to be a fairly decent explanation for my life. [quote][b]"Hopeless" by Sister Hazel[/b] [i]A grand empty canvas creating my life A strange situation - there's no wrong or right And I'm learning - along the way From the first time I met you, what could I do But pray for the strength to see this one through And I'm tryin' it slips away A hopeless romantic but nothing feels right A ship full of lovers that sails out of sight I wait for the answers to fall from the sky I'm walkin' through trees where the path has been worn Where hearts have been ripped out trampled and torn And I'm sorry - I'm sorry once again A hopeless romantic but nothing feels right A ship full of lovers that sails out of sight I wait for the answers to fall from the sky - to fall from the sky A perfect beginning but why does it end And when will I learn to let someone in I wait for the answers to fall from the sky A hopeless romantic but nothing feels right A ship full of lovers that sails out of sight I wait for the answers to fall from the sky - to fall from the sky A perfect beginning but why does it end And when will I learn to let someone in I wait for the answers to fall from the sky[/i][/quote] This next one by Bruce Springsteen has more meaning in it to me than I will ever be able to explain to anybody, and it has and always will be a sort of life reminder to me of who I am and where I come from. Anyway, I love this song. Heh. [quote][b]"Thunder Road"[/b] [i]The screen door slams Mary's dress sways Like a vision she dances across the porch As the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely Hey that's me and I want you only Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again Don't run back inside darling you know just what I'm here for So you're scared and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore Show a little faith, there's magic in the night You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright Oh and that's alright with me You can hide `neath your covers And study your pain Make crosses from your lovers Throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a savior to rise from these streets Well now I'm no hero That's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl Is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now? Except roll down the window And let the wind blow Back your hair Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back Heaven's waiting on down the tracks Oh-oh come take my hand Riding out tonight to case the promised land Oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road Lying out there like a killer in the sun Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold Thunder Road Well I got this guitar And I learned how to make it talk And my car's out back If you're ready to take that long walk From your front porch to my front seat The door's open but the ride it ain't free And I know you're lonely For words that I ain't spoken But tonight we'll be free All the promises'll be broken There were ghosts in the eyes Of all the boys you sent away They haunt this dusty beach road In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets They scream your name at night in the street Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet And in the lonely cool before dawn You hear their engines roaring on But when you get to the porch they're gone On the wind, so Mary climb in It's a town full of losers And I'm pulling out of here to win. [/i][/quote][/size]

[size=1][color=darkslateblue]foreverinfinity, I'm glad that you're trying to help out, but in the future please leave this sort of thing to the mods. You can let us know about erring threads by pressing the exclamation point in the top right corner. Coolmon, expanding upon what has been previously said, you do need to flesh out the background if you want to continue your RPG. All RPGs should be well-thought out and a general plot should be present. In your case, you might want to explain [i]why[/i] the scientists are being abducted by aliens and what the purpose of the story is - i.e., will you just be rescuing the scientists, or is there something deeper going on? If you can flesh out the background story some more, as well as work on strengthening your own sign-up, that would be great. I suggest you read Harlequin's sticky at the top of the thread, and also OB's main rules, in case you haven't already. Both will help you out. If you have any more questions regarding the forum's rules, PM any one of the mods and we'll do our best to help you out. Thanks, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[QUOTE=Sara][SIZE=1] And of course I loved [i]Maniac Magee[/i]. Maniac (did you say his name was Jeffrey, or was that a different character? I really can't remeber...) was great. I also really liked [b]Stargirl[/b] from the book....wait for it....[i]Stargirl[/i] (also by Spinelli.)[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1]Ah, I [i]loved[/i] [b]Stargirl[/b] (the book)! Both she and Leo were wonderful characters, I thought. Especially Stargirl because she was just so [i]cool[/i] and unafraid. After I read that, I told my mom I'd found a new role model and that I'd soon be changing my name. She just rolled her eyes. But as said, I really like Leo, too. (We're back to the male thing.) He had this sort of boyish charm thing going on, and the way his character progressed throughout the novel was really fun to watch. Yay for Spinelli![/size]

[size=1]I usually always manage to find a song that suits how I'm feeling at any particular moment. Even if it doesn't necessarily 'define me', as Tony said, I can at least sort of agree with it and the feeling it gives me. Matchbox Twenty again, and it's freakin' long, but it works for me. [quote][i]Yes I am I hope you think you beat me Hope I start talking crazy Before you understand me Are we through You think that I'm beneath you But you like the things that I do Wrap em up and take em with you I'm alright Hope I can sleep for one night If not to cool my insides Maybe to calm my backside Rain on me I got a weakness in me I think that weakness feeds me I don't think you think you need me Sunshine, you're the best time I ever, ever had But I think I made you feel bad A black fly on your necktie Time after time But when the sun starts sinking On your beautiful soul Make you cry, cry baby Make you feel so cold Don't you know it's alright Sometimes you just got to show how you feel Cause that's you baby Hell, you're so real Run this round in your head Like you don't know what's on the inside You don't know me too well You ain't seen my bad side Shame on me, shame on the things that I be If you could complicate me If you could get inside me Sometimes, you're the best time I've ever, ever known A pretty girl with a wicked smile on But I've cried for the last time Something just don't feel right But when the sun starts sinking On your beautiful soul Make you cry, cry baby Make you feel so cold Don't you know it's alright Sometimes you just got to show how you feel Cause that's you baby Hell, you're so real You always know just who you are You never needed someone else To realize yourself How when the sun starts sinking On your beautiful soul Make you cry, cry baby Make you feel so cold Don't you know it's alright Sometimes you just got to show how you feel Cause that's you baby Hell, you're so real Yeah baby, you're so real Yeah baby, you're so real So real, so real Oh god, yeah Yeah, yeah[/i][/quote][/size]

[size=1]Um. I sort of went crazy with the bio, I think. Hopefully it'll work, though. ^_^;; [b]Name:[/b] Ascencia Cadence; House of the White Rose [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Age:[/b] 22 [b]Appearance:[/b] Ascencia has the dark scarlet curls of her family and she wears them long, though while she?s on the job her hair is more often than not pulled back into a complicated plait. Her eyes are a deep charcoal gray, often as vague and unclear as the mists that surround Rosaria?s moors, and her skin is pale and unblemished. Like her mother and sister, Ascencia is widely known for her beauty, but unlike the other women, she is more known for her reserved manner of dressing. As a member and Liaison of the House of the White Rose, she wears mostly uniform black or white, with longs skirts and fitted tunic wraps that conceal her womanly curves. [b]Homeland/Town:[/b] Avalot, Aristocracy of Rosaria [b]Biography:[/b] Ascencia is the youngest daughter of the noble House of the White Rose; she has two older brothers and one older sister before her and parents who currently sit on one of the Three Thrones. Because of her family?s position, Ascencia quickly learned to guard her thoughts and emotions carefully and studied vigorously throughout her youth with some of the regions best tutors so that she would be a strong force within the House and a woman of respect and honor outside of it. When she wasn?t learning the art of fencing (with swords or with words), praying to the goddess, or pouring through her books, she was more often than not outside exploring and getting herself into trouble (without ever really trying, mind you). Another thing Ascencia learned quickly was to never trust a man?s words, but only his actions. The rivalry between her House and the House of the Red Rose is a notorious one and she?d grown up with the stories of the hate and bloodshed that inevitably came to be being drilled into her. Unlike many in her family, however, she?d come to believe that the rivalry ? no matter how long or how ugly it could become ? was a petty one, and even as a younger girl she tried her best to make ties between all the Houses by befriending the other children. It didn?t always work; promises and pacts were broken and Ascencia found herself in scuffles a number of different times. The fights only fueled her fire, however, and she vowed to one day end them all. When she got older, she set her sights on the position of Liaison. Here was a way, she thought, to bring the Houses together and stop these bitter, meaningless rivalries. So she worked hard to prove her mettle and traveled around Avalot and other nearby cities, creating alliances with other Houses where there previously where none. One particular incident earned her a lot of fame and interest, though it?s one she utterly hates ? a duel. A woman from another House, one close to the House of the Blue Rose, challenged her motives, and that was something that Ascencia would not stand for. Thus, to defend her honor, a duel was arranged; the first to draw blood was the victor. Both women were skilled, but Ascencia proved the better and left her opponent with a mark so that she would always remember the incident. Ascencia hates the memory only because she prefers using words to swords, and a duel was not how she wanted people to recognize her. Nevertheless, she earned a great respect because of the duel (as all of Rosaria held honor and its protection thereof very highly) and a few months later, was granted the position of Liaison for the House of the White Rose. A year has passed and Ascencia has amassed herself great amounts of respect among the people and has become a leader for many, especially among the youths. The House of the White Rose has also benefited as support for them ? and Ascencia ? has grown. Naturally, this doesn?t sit well with the House of the Red Rose, and talk of a rebellion has her working harder than ever. [b]Alignment:[/b] Orderly [b]Job:[/b] Fencer [b]Abilities:[/b] [u]Action:[/u] [i]Lunge Art[/i] ? Allows for special moves with the rapier (i.e. Rose's Edge) [u]Action:[/u] [i]Fervor[/i] ? Ascencia is a religious woman, and this allows her to pray to the goddess for strength and in essence, heal herself (though not completely). [u]Support:[/u] [i]Parry[/i] ? Allows Ascencia to ?parry? or dodge an attack, physical or magical. [b]Weapon:[/b] A thin, sturdy rapier, made especially for the position of Liaison. Ascencia has been known to call it Briar Rose from time to time. The sword is rumored to have been blessed, and has been passed through the line for ages. It's ivory hilt is painstakingly crafted, with etchings of roses and vines blossoming about it. The blade itself has the same designs; each twine and bloom stretches all the way to the tip of the sword.[/size]

[size=1]Yeah, I might very well give my left arm to go see that. Especially because of Muse, since I don't think they've ever even been over here. I'm not sure. But damn, what a concert. The DVDs are usually pretty cool. I don't know that much about the Pixies, unfortunately, but from the stuff I have heard, it sounds worth buying. That, and I sort of like getting these DVD things, since I will probably never see a number of bands in concert. T.T[/size]

[size=1]As she waited for the other pilot to appear, Anya sat back in the cockpit of Altron and tried to relax. Her nerves were acting up - everything felt like it was short-circuiting in her. The others would be watching, sitting back in the bridge. It was Zero's first test run, and Alex's first time with the powerful gundam - all the pilots were just as curious as she was to see how the big machine would turn out. But still, as curious as she was, there was still this foreboding sense in her and Anya didn't like it at all. They were floating over an ocean again, out in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't surprising, since three quarters of the planet was covered in water, but for once Anya was secretly thankful for their location here. While falling into the ocean wasn't exactly ideal, it was certainly a hell of a lot better than becoming a crater on hard land. More than that, though, it was serene. It stretched out foever in front of her eyes, and it lent her some inner peace. Which was especially good since she was having a hard time finding her own. Raul was beginning to broadcast over the radio line, and Anya realized that Alex must have been in Zero now. Pushing away all her thoughts and anxieties, Anya reached for her trident slowly and waited. Before long, she heard the tell-tale signs of departure and not a second later Wing Zero rocketed out of the hanger. For a brief moment, Anya just stared at the gundam. She didn't understand her sudden reservations about the gundam, but it was too late in the game to turn back now. Though, as she pushed the thrusters forward and sped towards Zero, she told herself quietly, "It's not like you would have, anyway, you prideful girl." She brought the beam trident down swiftly over the top of Zero, where it met the other suit's beam saber. [i]Fast[/i], she noted to herself, raising her eyebrows slightly as she kicked Zero away. The gundam didn't get that far, and Alex brought his saber down fiercely to stop his backwards momentum completely before launching forward to attack. She met him stroke for stroke, her eyes narrowing in thought as she slowly picked up the new suit's movements. Each new thrust foward was stronger and more direct than the last, and he seemed to be reading her movements ahead of time. It was like a game of chess. [i]Alex may be a good pilot, but he's not that good,[/i] she thought to herself, just barely blocking a particularly wicked stab from Zero. The strength of the movement was more than she could handle in that position, and she twisted her trident down against the saber in a circular parrying motion to soften the attack. The other end of the trident swung back up in a vicious arc towards the shoulder of Zero. It should have been a sure hit, but Alex managed to swivel out of the way just enough so that the trident left only a few meager scratches across the metal shielding. Anya pushed herself away, half shocked. He [i]shouldn't[/i] have gotten out of that; she couldn't believe he'd reacted to it at all, let alone actually avoid the danger from it all together. Something wasn't right here. But more thoughts on it were interrupted as Wing Zero thrusted forward again, giving Altron just enough time to block each attack. Each stab was stronger than the last, it's aim more deadly, to the point where Anya's confusion was beginning to fringe on fear. [i]He's not playing. What the hell is this?[/i] Raul's voice sounded in both gundams. "All right, Alex, back off," He said, a note of concern in his voice. However the other pilot continued forward, and Anya swore rather ungracefully as one of his jabs knocked her backwards. [i]"Jesus Christ,[/i] Alex, are you trying to kill me?" She hissed at him, wincing as lurched sideways, recieving a nasty bump on the head. As the blood began to trickle down her temple, She brought both dragon fangs up as a last resort and turned the flamethrowers on target. A shower of fire engulfed the other gundam, and she could hear the sizzle of the metal against the flames. Through the flames Zero appeared, a slow, metallic nightmare bathed in hellfire. Anya's breath caught in her throat and her blood ran cold, and she realized the answer to her own question: he [i]was[/i].[/size]

[size=1]I, like others, name just about everything I own. Especially if it's electronic in any way, shape, or form. For instance, my beloved laptop is Charles Williams, or "Chucky Wills" for short, named after the guy who actually sold it to me. He was the coolest computer tech guy ever. iPod = [i]Squirtle[/i] Stereo = [i]Pikachu[/i] Printer = [i]Steve[/i] Cellphone = [i]Pippin[/i] (This is also the name of my roommate's computer - she finally broke down and let me name it.) Alarm clock = [i]the banshee[/i] the TV = [i]Terrence[/i] (A mutual agreement between me and the roomie, since it's technically hers, after all.) I also enjoy coming up with random pet names, or adopting really old ones from movies and that. Like "Ducky" and "Sweetness Heart". It's all good fun. Kid names, meh. Screw the kids. My stories benefit from that for now; we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Or is it cross? Eh, same difference.[/size]

[quote name='Sara][size=1']You should get get someone to eat a goldfish. [/size][/quote] [size=1]I concur. Actually, Prom was really overrated. I had fun, but then again, it could have been a whole lot better. We had it at the Grand Floridian in Orlando, and it was quite lovely and all, although the best part about it was probably riding the monorail between all the Disney hotels. My prom dress was black and it had this huge slit up the front of my thigh, and I have a picture of me perched up in one of the cars looking like a huge hooker. It's one of my favorite. ^_~ Besides that, the music was horrible, the dance floor was small and cramped and [i]really[/i] slippery and disgusting, and naturally, most of my peers were completely trashed. It's not exactly what I'd call the best evening of my life, but when you're with friends, it makes it worth it. Oh, don't drink the punch.[/size]

[size=1][i]Catcher in the Rye[/i] is one of my favorite books ever, and that's definitely because of Mr. Holden Caulfield. He was the book, basically, and I think that so many of his thoughts and opinions are something that a lot of teenagers can relate to. He was also just so adorable, in that really lost, confused, "I have no idea why the hell I'm here" sort of way. After him, I'm completely in love with Arthur Pendragon and anything having to do with Arthurian legend. If anybody's ever read Roger Zelazney's [i]The Amber Chronicles[/i], you'll also know that Corwin kicks a lot of bootay. He's amazingly clever and witty and he can talk his way out of any situation. And to many of the other characters' dismay, he's also got this nasty habit of not dying when he's supposed to. Robert Langdon (a Dan Brown creation) is another fun character; very relaxed, very intelligent, and incredibly funny in a really understated way. He's also a college professor (of symbology) and that's just darn spiffy. Yeah. I need to find some good she-characters before my obsession with men really starts to show.[/size]

[size=1]I don't think I quite understand why stability within families is even being called into question here. A family can be "stable" or "unstable", regardless of any person's sexual orientation within that family. While there are cases where a man or woman might want a divorce because somebody within the relationship admits to being gay, there are also [i]many[/i] other reasons for divorce that can be just as turbulent to the family group, if not more. And as someone previously mentioned, 50% of marriages don't make it. I think we have bigger problems to worry about when it comes to family values than somebody being gay. I'm of the belief that being gay doesn't make somebody any less of a person, or their family any less of a family, and on that basis alone, they should at least be granted the same rights and privileges that the rest of us already have.[/size]

[size=1]I'll let you know when it happens in a few months. Though I can sort of see what you mean - I'm not really looking forward to it all, and I doubt I'll actually do anything for it. It's just another candle on the cake for me. Although I don't even think I'm going to get a cake this year. I'd rather have pie. But let's be optimistic, shall we? For my 19th birthday, I think I'll do something 19 times. Maybe I'll [i]purloin[/i] something small from 19 people - like a pen, or a sticker, or something silly like that. And then at the end of the day I can rejoice over all my new eclectic acquisitions. Sort of like my birthday gift to me. That's one idea, anyway. Although I'm always open to suggestions. :p[/size]

[size=1]Anya scowled, splashing water back at him before swimming towards the edge of the pool. "No recess for you, especially now, you little bastard." Pulling herself up on the side, she shook out her wet hair as she scolded him lightly, "You really need to start taking this seriously, Alex. Gen almost destroyed the entire ship last time because of our carelessness - he could have destroyed [i]everything[/i]." Subdued by her sudden change in temper, not quite sure what brought on this new, mellowed out Anya, Alex drifted over to her. "But he didn't," he pointed out, wincing slightly as he pushed his injured leg towards its limit. "Only Wing blew up, and although it sort of screwed up my plans, it's not like this little.. eh, muscle cramp.. is going to stop me." She smirked slightly at his choice of words, but her eyes were still very far off. "The point," she finally said after a long silence, "Is that he should have never had the opportunity in the first place. We can't give him another perfect chance like that. If we underestimate him again, we're going to die." Somehow Alex managed to hoist himself up on the side as well and was now contemplating his next move - whether to try and comfort her or admit everything or just change the subject - when the door to the pool opened again. Both Raul and Tanya wandered in, decked out in their own swim suits. Looking slightly perturbed, Anya stood and put a hand on her hip. "What's all this?" Raul gave her a boyish grin, and gestured towards the crystal blue waters of the pool. "What does it look like? We're going to take a little swim." Tanya managed to keep a fairly straight face, though there was a decided curve to her lips. "Maybe you two should take a break and just relax for a bit. Even though it seems like you've been doing that already.." Anya looked testy, and Raul interceded before she could reply to that. "Hey, where's Naomi? She might as well get down here and join us. It'll be like a [i]party[/i], minus.. all the things that make a party." Alex shrugged. "We saw her earlier. Who knows where she got to now." Raul made a thoughtful noise, before tossing his towel on a nearby chair. "I'll just get her myself, then," he told them, and waved before jogging back out the door. [/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Aloha, foreverinfinity. While I'm pleased that you're joining in the fun here in the Recruitment forum, I have to ask you to flesh out your back story a little more. RPGs should have as detailed as possible a story behind them, as it gives them more direction and makes it easier for people to understand what's going on. It'll also show that you've really taken the time to think out what will happen as the RPG itself unfolds. Thus, more people will take interest in the story. Please check out both OB's rules, and especially the stickies on top of both this forum, and in the Adventure Arena. They should both help you out and make you a little more familiar with how things run. Thanks, and welcome to the boards! - Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]It didn't take very long at all for Alex to piss Anya off, and by the time Naomi had stepped in, she was ready to kill the Wing (and soon to be Wing Zero, if he survived long enough) pilot. Naomi's eyebrow hiked up the same moment she tugged her skirt down, before resting her hands on her hips. "Are we having fun in here or what?" Anya was in the middle of raking her fingers through her hair, but at that comment she just stopped and turned to glare at the other girl. "Shit, of course we are. Why don't you join us, it'll be a fucking blast!" Her patient wasn't quite so enthusiastic. Scowling, Alex crossed his arms and looked away. "Don't yell at her, Anya." Naturally, that led to another beautiful argument and Naomi watched in slowly growing fascination as the two spat back insults at each other as fast as their mouths could let them. She began to wonder if maybe she'd been wrong before when she'd surmised to Raul that there was something between the two. That thought swirled around in her head a bit before she realized that she'd been dead on. There [i]was[/i] something between them - it was just something really, hellishly [i]bad[/i]. She shook her head and then cleared her throat, trying to get their attention. Nothing. Naomi tried again, this time a little more annoyed. She was still a patient person, after all - certainly way more patient than any of the others. But if anything, the yelling only got louder. [i]This is just stupid[/i], she thought to herself, before stomping her foot on the ground and shouting, "HELLO-OO!!" That worked rather effectively, as neither of the other pilots had ever heard her raise her voice. Anya's eyebrows were quirked up and Alex looked positively baffled. After a second, he blinked at her, "Uh, yes?" Sighing, the pilot of Sandrock just shook her head. "You two need to grow up." Anya's spine stiffened up and she gave the other girl an indignant look. "[i]What?[/i]" "Bye bye, now," Naomi gave them a little wave of the fingers before stepping out into the corridor again, where the air was decidedly nicer and not as suffocating. The pilot of Altron stared after her, the peevish look to her eyes slowly turning muddled. After a few more seconds of silence, she asked in mild curiousity, "...was she wearing a skirt?"[/size]

[size=1]Bumper stickers are fun to read. One of my friends has one that says, "If you can read this, you're too damn close," which always makes me giggle. This is the same friend who has threatened to buy me one that says, "I talk to squirrels." I'd like to have one that says, "Martin Sheen is my president." I think that speaks for itself. Right now though, all I've got is a gorgeous little Apple sticker that's completely white. Eventually I'd like to find the older, multi-colored Apple as a bumper sticker. I might have to make it myself, since the old design is sort of hard to come by.[/size]

[size=1]I took French for three years in high school, and I'm pretty good at reading it and writing it, but speaking it is a whole different ball game. My accent needs some work, heh. This last summer I did this group trip abroad and France was one of the countries we visited. I actually got to stay with a French family for a few days, and that was definitely an interesting experience. We ate dinner with them, tried to communicate (we had a dictionary that we lugged around everywhere, lol), and went shopping for groceries and all that sort of stuff. The son of the family asked us the weirdest questions, too - they were just as curious as we were, so it was sort of refreshing. It was such a blast, though, cause it really immerses you into the culture. Way better than any class I ever took. :p[/size]

[size=1]Anya left the room in a hurry and headed straight for one of the ship's lounges. She needed to just sit down and relax. Clear her mind, forget about the battle, and let go of the stress. If she didn't get that chance, well, she was pretty sure she was going to go stark-raving mad. Minutes later she heard the familiar whooshing sound of the door sliding open and she realized that she was indeed at the lounge already. Mildly impressed with herself, since she knew her thoughts were definitely somewhere else at the moment, she wandered in and throw herself down on the couch rather haphazardly. "Tired?" The one thing she hadn't expected was to run into Heero Yuy, of all people. She craned her neck to look over at him, swinging her leg over the side of the couch to get a better angle out of it. "Define tired." He just smirked and shrugged. "It only gets worse." Anya crossed her arms and reverted her eyes to the ceiling. This wasn't a game she wanted to play right now. "I can handle it." "I know," he said mildly, "It's not you I'm worried about." She glanced at him again, briefly. She was curious, she had to admit - she respected Heero, and she respected what he had to say. Wufei had always spoken very highly of him, and the other former gundam pilots, for that matter. "What, you're just going to leave me with that?" She asked, after Heero went silent for a moment. "Alex is going to need a lot of help for the next few days, especially because of his leg. There's no way he can pilot Zero now, and there's no way any of you stand a chance without Zero," he finally said at length, locking his eyes on the younger woman. Anya noticably stiffened, but she forced herself to be rational about this. She could see the lines on his face, suddenly, and she remembered how old he was. How much he'd seen. And she believed him when they said they needed Wing Zero; after the last battle, Gen and his new little toy were proof enough of that. With a slight sigh, she rubbed her forehead and nodded once. "Yeah, okay, I'm not going to argue with that." He leaned forward and gestured to her. "That's where you come in. You need to help him get through the physical therapy, because it's going to hurt, and he's not going to like it. But he'll listen to you." She understood what he was saying, but she still didn't like where this was going, and it was obvious enough. Glaring at the ceiling once again, she muttered half-heartedly, "Why can't somebody else do it?" "Don't be stupid," Heero replied flatly. "You've got issues with him, I can see that, but you will [i]not[/i] let them get in the way of our goal here. Do not be immature, Anya. You have responsibilities as a gundam pilot and one of them is to your teammates, whether you like it or not. Is that understood?" She swung her leg off the couch then, quickly standing. "Thanks, [i]Dad[/i], but back the hell off. I know exactly what my responsibilities are and I will execute them [i]flawlessly[/i], no matter what. You can be sure of that," she spat, before turning heel and storming out of the room. Heero just watched her go, before smirking slowly. [i]Good.[/i][/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Hey guys. I'm going to ask that the quality of some of these sign-ups gets kicked up a notch. Right now, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of thought put into some of these, and that needs to change. Some of you I know I've talked to before, so please make sure you put a little more effort into your posts. Also, Marcus, posts like your very last one are unnecessary and will be considered spam in this forum. Please read over Harlequin's sticky and catch yourself up. Thanks, and happy posting! :p - Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]I've talked to you about this show before, and I forgot to mention that one of the things that appeals to me about it is her hair. o_O It's just so cool looking. So I kind of like the second banner, just for that, but I think I have to agree with you and say the first is the best. Perhaps if you put some sort of border on the second, it would look even shnazzier. (Yes, I've made up a new word, just for your banner. :p) Both avatars are very pretty, although I do like the one you have on your mO better. I think it's just because of the effect of the gold and the black/dark grays together. That, and his expression is so cool. Heh. Lovely work, Senny! ^_^[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]I wrote this the other day to basically get it out of my head. It's sort of been a common theme in my life lately, since almost everyone but me seems to be going through a similar problem. So it's almost like a huge inside joke. o_O;; Anyway, this is my advice to them, and anybody else who finds himself in John's shoes. :p I should also note that I rated it [b]M[/b] because of a few subjects brought up, so read at your own discretion. Better to be safe than sorry. ^_~[/color] "Lisa." "Hold on a second, I've got him in a corner." I stared at the screen in bemusement, wondering at the pull of blood and gore that was Mortal Kombat, before reclining back in a chair. It was made to look like one of those posh, cushiony, comfortable ones that people in the commercials fall into and then all their troubles disappear. I wriggled around a bit, and waited for relief, but instead all I got was a wicked jerking motion when I pulled back the foot rest lever. Talk about whiplash. "Oh, you fucker!" Lisa was obviously very into her game right now; her eyes were aglow and her little fingers were furiously punching away at the controller, baring her teeth in a very animal-like fashion at the characters on the screen. As scary as she was at the moment, that didn't stop me from continuing my previous train of thought. "Lisa, I haven't had sex in almost two months. It hurts. Inside." She hissed something awful, and then did an immediate 180 and let out a girlish squeal that really shouldn't ever accompany a game where the only goal was to rip out your opponent's innards. "Take that, you bloody bastard! Doesn't feel so great, does it? Does it?!" Sighing, I rubbed the bridge of my nose and thought that if I was ever going to get anywhere with her, I needed to be some sort of Japanese ninja-like studmuffin. With a sword. Or maybe nunchucks. Something shiny. Girls like shiny stuff. Leaning over the side of the chair, I pulled the lever back to its original position and let the foot thing fall. It made an awkward, creaking noise, which actually succeeded in distracting the object of my affection. "John, what the hell was that?" She blinked back at me momentarily, her cute little lips puckered up in confusion, before she realized that the game was still on and she was still getting her ass kicked. "The chair. It died. Sort of like you're going to," I gestured towards the screen gracefully. "I will not die! Scorpion is mine!" Lisa began her battle again, eyes glaring forward. Her stupid determination was one of things I liked about her most. She never stopped fighting, never gave in. It was also one of the things about her that also drove me crazy from time to time, but only she could make it endearing. You have to respect that. "Lisa," I asked, "Did you hear me before?" "Your mom is a goddamn hampster," she hissed to Scorpion, who really didn't seem to care either way. Another second went by before she then replied, "I don't know, John, something about sex." "Yes," I repeated, my tone placating, "Sex." "What about sex?" she asked, obviously trying to give me the impression that she was at least attempting to pay attention to me. Since that was the most I'd get out of her until the game ended, I went with it. "I miss it. Two and a half months. Almost three, even. I'm going through withdrawl." "You're just being a pansy," Lisa told me, although she sounded amused. "Why don't you go jerk off? Go ahead, you can even use my bathroom-- SHIT." She threw down the controller then, crossing her arms as she watched her character have the skeleton pulled out of it by Scorpion and his deadly claw thing. "That's a bunch of crap," she muttered, pouting, and then abruptly laid on her back. She was just too cute when she sulked. I leaned forward and stared down at her, clasping my hands neatly before me. "I'm not being a pansy, I'm just hormonal." She raised her eyebrows, her focus entirely on me now. It was beautiful. "Sucks to be you," she reasoned intelligently, before asking, "Why are we having this conversation, again?" "Because I have emotional needs too, you know. I may have a penis, but that doesn't make me heartless." "Pansy." She pushed herself up, and then perched on the arm rest of my chair, pushing me to the side to make room. Not that I minded. "John, darling, I think you're being a bit dramatic." I snorted, but didn't say anything. After a moment she ruffled my hair and asked, "So who's the girl who's got you all riled up, then?" I could almost hear her grinning. Craning my neck to look at her, I studied her face. "Who says there's a girl?" She quirked an eyebrow at me, resting her feet on the other arm of the chair. I would be lying if I said I didn't like it, but it did make the situation sort of awkward. "Come on. I think I know you better than that." I shook my head and kept silent. Now wasn't the time to tell her. Or maybe it was, and I was just too chicken. It amazed me how hard it was to tell the two apart, sometimes. Pouting at me, she made a disappointed sound before swinging her legs towards the front of the chair, squeezing herself in the seat with me. "Then it is a girl. You little shy-guy." The term was an affectionate one and it made me grin a little. It must have been her objective because she smiled back and quoted fondly, "If you're going to regret something, make sure it's something you've done, and not something you didn't do. Don't let the opportunity pass you by, all right?" That was like a sign from God - if that wasn't fate, then I don't know what is. "All right," I said, persuaded, and then kissed her.[/size]

[size=1]Iara only quirked an eyebrow up at the other candidate, glancing brieftly to Diadem, who looked slightly concerned. She could just imagine his thoughts; asking himself if this was really the best Zech could find in Memoria. However, if there was one thing Iara learned over the years it was that first impressions meant nothing. They were good masks, for certain, and it was the only place to start when interacting with a person, but the truth was that she'd hardly ever met a person who was as forthright and real as a first impression would have you believe. Turning her clear blue eyes back around the room, she started wandering around it again, fingering her necklace lightly. As she did so, Diadem seemed to have found himself finally and bowed to Zech and Sachiel. "Miss Iolanthe is Lerion's candidate, a red mage of great talent," he murmured, his expression falling back into one of quiet calculation. Zech nodded, glancing towards the fair-haired woman (who was currently tilting her head at a rather unusual painting), before asking Diadem, "And what of Lerigot? Has he been by with his candidate?" "Not that I know of," Diadem shook his head, smoothing down his dark, silver-lined robes out of meticulous habit. The way Sachiel kept wrinkling Zech's was beginning to make him nervous. "Though I'm sure he'll be present shortly." From further down the room, Iara suddenly remarked off-handedly, "His highness should really look into finding a new decorator." Before any of the three men could comment, however, the doors swept open one last time and Lerigot entered with his candidate - an elf.[/size]

[size=1]Heh, I remember all those little parties and stuff in elementary school. You had to buy everybody a card, and you got free chocolate all day. Some of the best days of my life right there, lol. I've never really cared about Valentine's Day either way, though. If you've got somebody to spend it with, awesome. If you don't, then it's a great excuse to get the girls together and watch chick flicks and play videogames and eat junk food all night. Can't go wrong with that. Mostly though, it's just about showing appreciation for the people you love. And for chocolate. Don't forget the chocolate.[/size]

[size=1]Building sets was a lot of fun. I felt all involved and productive, and then every time you walk into the auditorium and look at it, you think "Yep, there's my baby." Even if you only drilled a nail into the wood or something, heh. It was always something to be proud of. Maybe that's just me though, heh. But yeah, the people you work with really make or break the situation. Thankfully though they were all pretty easy-going people. One of things we did though every time we finished a set was sign one of the flats on the back. Then when set strike came, we'd save that piece of board. Although I have no idea what we did with them after that. o_O It was a fun group thing to do, though. [/size]