Stark

They were there. Sirius knew there would be trouble as soon as he heard the news, and rushed to the phone he had used earlier. It was risky, attempting another call so soon, but he knew he had to try. "It's me," He said as soon as a communications officer picked up the reciever. "Is Lyra there?" "No," came the reply. "She went out." Sirius cursed under his breath. "Well," He exhaled,keeping his voice calm and steady. "Tell her that the big cats are on the hunt, and that it's best to stay put." "That all?" "Yes. Over and out." He returned the reciever to its stand, and cursed again. The one time he needed to talk to Lyra, and she wan't there. Typical. [I] Koregaten, Mustang, Armstrong, and Hawkeye...[/I] The names played over and over in his head. [I] Well, at least Hughes is still here.[/I]

A character with deep internal conflict, huh? I have a couple of ideas that may help you... Kougaiji, from Saiyuki, clearly has issues dealing in where his loyalties lie and what he wants to do. Even though he has to fight and annihilate the Sanzo Ikkou, he probably would't do that if given the choice. His main goal is [spoiler] to revive his mother and to protect his little sister as best as he can.[/spoiler] However, he clearly is being black mailed into fighting by the real enemy in the series. To make matters worse, [spoiler] the Kougaiji as we know him is essentially lost by the end of the first season of Saiyuki, essentially turned into a shell of his former self.[/spoiler] Last I saw of him, I found little hope for his character. About your comment on X...did you watch the movie, or the series? I understand that they are quite different in their portrayal of the original manga. For different protrayals of Good and Evil...that's in the plot, right? I think that Full Metal Alchemist may fit the bill. Not only does the main character, Ed, suffer through bouts of what I call psychological torture, there also several moments when you question the motives behind the actions of nearly every character. Plot in a sentence; two brothers attempt a forbidden usage of Alchemy, and now seek out the Philosopher's Stone to repair the damage. Besides that, Evil is clearly depicted by the presence of the Sins. They are, essentially,[spoiler] personifications of each of the seven sins mentioned in Christian Texts.[/spoiler] And everyone seems to want the Philosopher's Stone for some reason or another, usuallly for reasons more destructive than immortality.

Having seen the series, and played the games, I can safely say that they are part of the same universe. The whole issue behind your question about Black Rose and Mimuri is that they have a similar character model--understandable, considering that it is an online RPG. Same goes for Bear and Orca. However, Tsukasa and Kite aren't even in the same class--Tsukasa is a Wavemaster, whereas Kite is a Twin blade. If anything, I noticed more of a similarity between Tsukasa and Elk. Or, an analogy that actually exists. Ever hear of Gaia Online? Well, on that forum you can make your own avatar. Male or Female, naturally, but there is a limited number of facial designs, hair styles, skin tones, hair and eye colors, etc. It's just natural that there'd be more than a few avatars that look alike. Roughly, the .hack games are the events that follow Aura's awakening almost immediately--you do meet Tsukasa and other characters from SIGN later on in the game series, but they are not essential to the plot. Then after the game comes the manga--.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet. And before the series is .hack//FRAGMENT. Hope that clears a few things up for you, Ryo!

Name: Raz Crichton Age: 17 Gender: Male Personality: Quiet, analytical, and a bit of a scholar at heart. He's the sort who can one moment say that religion is for the weak, and the next go around quoting the musical 'Godspell'. Description: [URL=http://animepa.csusm.edu/galleries/T-Z/WildAdapter/sm/freeze.jpg]Don't mind the text at the bottom.[/URL] Angel: None--named after the angel Raziel as part of a family tradition. Element: None (OOC: Don't worry--I talked it over with Lyuann-San)

Wow. I'm glad I caught this. Vilearchangemon brought up a valid point in her post; when in the series IS this taking place? Pre episode 25 or Post? I'm rather curious myself; It would be nice to know what characters we're working with NPC wise at the moment, as well as the events we're workinng with.

Finally! someone else who likes ASTRAY a lot! You don't know how happy this makes me feel , Angelwing. You really don't. Ahem...pardon the rant there. I couldn't resist. I like the ASTRAY side of the SEED universe because it isn't as black and white as the main story is. For one thing, you see Coordinators and Naturals working together--a concept that was all but unknown to those who haven't read ASTRAY, plus the Junk Guild really adds variety for the RP addicts out there, and keeps life interesting. On the flip side, it also clears up some of the confusion the main story may leave its viewers in. I suppose you could say that I like them both; they just show the story from different viewpoints and reveals that not everything is set in stone with the Cosmic Era. After all, we all need a Natural who can handle a Gundam well enough to make a Coordinator sweat.

Sirius stared at the reciever for a moment, and suppressed a chuckle at his leader's parting words. "Get serious, huh?" Even if there was no laughter, he felt like it would burst forth from him some how. "I'll show you 'serious'..." But the first part of 'getting serious' would be finding Pliskin; the man had seemed distant as of late, even for him. Just locating him would prove to be a task, but Sirius was never one who would stay left in the dark for long. He remembered seeing Pliskin in the library once, pouring over a heavy tome of unknown origin. It was perhaps the only hint of warmth he had ever seen from his icy comrade, and it was a heartening sight to see. It just proved that the man was human. Thus Sirius made his way to the library, was glad that his dubious connection with the Military was enough to grant him entrance, and sought his 'partner' out among the myriads of aisles. If Pliskin was reading, he didn't seem likely to be out in the open. Perhaps he was in some dark and dusty corner? "Ah. There you are." Sirius said as he found the Lieutenant. Pliskin didn't even look up. "What now?" "You know?" Sirius crouched in front of him, and pulled the book down just enough to get a look at his comrade's face. "I like you." There was no discernable reaction, so he opted to continue. "I like to think of us as comrades...partners even..." He paused a moment. "Maybe...friends?" A reaction from Pliskin, in the form of a look that could freeze any other person to the bone. Sirius laughed. "I knew that was asking too much." "What are you getting at?" Pliskin closed the book abruptly. "Do you remember...?" Sirius lowered his voice and leaned toward Pliskin's ear. "Do you remember that favor I asked of you the other day?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't lie!" He feigned horror, backing away and rocking on his heels. "Anyway...I reccommend you hop to it, cousin. 'Mother' is gettng a little impatient." "Fine..." "Well?" Sirius asked when Pliskin made no attempt to move. "I'll do it, if you get out of my way." "Oops!" Sirius got up, and mock-saluted the lieutenant as he stalked away.

Honestly, I don't think anime ever will die out. It may lose popularity as our generation grows older, but it dying out? That's like asking what the Trekkies would do if Star Trek ever died out. Maybe that's a bad analogy. (Closet Trekkie) :animeswea Besides, anime isn't just going to be gone one day--like poof!-- but it'll probably be a long process if it does 'die' so to speak. Then again, if an Anthropology class at some university in the US is using Samurai Champloo as part of its curriculum, then there's no worries. I have to admit though, a world without anime? I'd enter myself into the funny farm. Or go full blown Trek, which ever comes first.

My list is a toss up between two very different characters; Gren from Cowboy Bebop, and Rain from Immortal Rain. Gren, my reason is simple; he's a man with a story, just like all the other characters in Bebop, and he also has a connection to Vicious, Julia, and Spike, no matter how dubious it is. Beyond that, he's not your typical bounty head. I like to think that he wanted to live, and genuinely wanted to stay out of prison, but overall didn't really care any more. Bluntly, he did more in 2 episodes than Ed or Ein during their whole run. As for Rain, well, there's a touch of sorrow to his character mixed in with his spastic personality. He's also not your typical bounty head; he's a man tied to a fate he didn't ask for, and it causes him more suffering than anyone can really concieve. After all, who'd really want to be immortal? I wouldn't. There's a reason why he's the protagonist. Immortal Rain is his story, no matter how much people like Machika.

TokyoPop is one of the most well known out there, and most of my limited collection is from them. However, Shojo Beat does a good job too, even though I've only read Ouran High School Host Club. DelRey is great too, thanks to them we have xxxHOLIC and Tsubasa. Viz is fine by my book too. I haven't read much from Shonen Jump, but they did a great job with Naruto. No complaints over here. Yu Yu Hakusho too, no complaints.

(OOC: I take it I'm the brave one...) Name: Sirius Reeves Age: 23 Side: Corruption's Demise Division: Intelligence (If not possible, I can to Communications.) Weapon: Daggers or other small blades that are good for throwing. Or kicking, because he's terrible at hand to hand combat. Personality: Bluntly, Sirius is anything but serious. However, he's very clever once you get past his spastic nature. Generally, he's a quiet yet friendly guy who laughs and smiles too much for his own good. But behind that smile is a person who won't back down from completing his mission. He always sees and knows whats going on around him, a handy attribute when acting as a spy in enemy strongholds. Don't make a mistake, he'd rather not hurt anyone. But, he sees Alchemy as a violation of his moral principals, and doesn't want it to continue. Appearance: (I know, not necessary, but I think it'll make more sense.) Sirius is a tall young man who carries himself with a quiet confidence. His eyes are green, hair blond and falling about half way down his back. Clothes; classy, the sort of outfit that will look good in all settings. The only flaw with the entire get up would be the fact that his right arm was severed when he was younger, and he refused a replacement. Bio: To say the least, Sirius is a person without a real home. He's a wanderer who came from the south, and at a young age he became attached to another group of travelers. Said travelers came from the east, and brought with them several skills that many didn't know about. Among these skills was a form of Alchemy, one that didn't require transmutation circles as much as it required a specific balance of certain compounds. With these skills he created explosives, and became known in some circles as the Explosion Artist. Later in his life he was seperated from these travelers, and found himself stranded in a sea of blinding sand and a white hot sky. A desert, so to speak, only he didn't know it then. It was by Ishbal, and the people found him on the verge of dehydration. They took the stranger in, and nursed him back to health. And, over time, Sirius came to like the people so much that he didn't want to leave. Then the Military came to Ishbal, and he tried to stop them. After all, the Ishbalans weren't a bad people, they didn't deserve that kind of treatment. The Explosion artist came to fore, and inevitably faced off against a very volitile State Alchemist--The Flame Alchemist, to be exact. They fought, but the explosives on Sirius' person combined with the alchemic flames inevitably lead to his defeat. He barely came out alive, and he was badly burned. His right arm was the worst, comsidering that he tried to protect himself with it, and it had to be amputated when gangrene set in. After he recovered, he became attached to Corruption's Demise. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I have to agree with the people who are saying 'the pillows'. If you want something light and fun, anything from FLCL definently fits. For anime themes, I must say 'Through the Night' from Outlaw Star and 'Just Communication' from Gundam Wing. And, has anybody mentioned Witch Hunter Robin? 'Shell' and 'Half-Pain' are phenomenal--the former having a bit of an edge and the latter sounding very moody. Also, 'Lilium' from Elfen Lied. It sounds like something out of a hymnal to me, and you don't hear that often in an anime. You can't ge wrong with anything by Yoko Kanno. My personal favorite from her happens to be 'The Real Folk Blues',however, 'Gravity' from Wolf's Rain is also nice.

Name: Rosslyn Atwell 'Ross' Race: Human Weapon: Prefers using a small hand gun (Smith & Wesson M 10), but also knows how to knives and daggers. Gender: Female Age:18 Heght: 5'0" Weight: 99 lbs Birthday: June 17 1987 Appearance: A slender young woman with sharp honey colored eyes and straight, reddish brown locks clipped short. Seeing that she forgets to trim her hair, it falls over her face and down the nape of her neck. She prefers wearing black, but doesn't really care how she dresses as long as she is wearing something. Skills: She's a thief; she can easily steal things that are in plain sight and have no one notice. Lip reading is among her skills, as is making sense of the little details that most people over look. Beyond that, she has a standard high school education, save the diploma. Bio: Ross is an anarchist by nature, meaning that she doesn't appreciate being forced to follow the laws of a government that she sees as corrupt. Because of this, she took to the streets at a young age, and essentially dropped out of society. Before all this, she lived a semi-decent life. She was one of the kids involved in the foster care system and, even though she was fed and clothed, never stayed in one place for too long. It was a combination of her quick wit, flippant attitude toward authority, and her fast hands that landed her in prison a few times, and by the last time her foster family wanted nothing to do with her. She didn't care. In fact, she was glad to be relieved of the burden of fitting in with people she thought were useless anyway. She hit the streets, and became a business person of sorts. She'll do anything to make a few bucks, save violate her body, and will always get the job done. However, in spite of the way she acts, Ross is a bit of a scholar at heart. She knows a lot more than a person in her situation should, a clear piece of evidence that she is on the street out of choice. Though she may hide it, she has a softer side. She's wary of making lasting connections, but wants to find someone she can connect to. In her pursuit of this connection she found out about the hidden world of magic and sorcery that had been hidden to her before. Though most of this world is invisible to her, she can see one thing clearly: She's been bound by her dealings with these people, and she can't break the bonds by herself.

Chobits IS a great manga, but I can't say I've seen the anime. Then again, as in cases before, I think I prefer sticking with the manga. I mean, well, look at Trigun. Look at Saiyuki. Look at Getbackers. The manga seems to allow an edge that anime doesn't in most cases. Still, other CLAMP works? Legal Drug, if you don't mind severe shonen ai references, and Card Captor Sakura for a series as cute as Chobits. Then again, I've yet to see a CLAMP series I haven't liked.

No mentions of Saiyuki? So sad... Anyway, Saiyuki is my top favorite. Its a combination of the art style and the deep characters that draw me in. Plus the humor. Art style is fabulous in the shading technique, and the characters express every emotion. Heck, you can see the anger flare up in their eyes..that's raw skill. The characters are multi faceted as well, and I enjoy the fact that I can't predict them. There is also a refreshing lack of explanatory dialogue--a peeve of mine-- and it's replaced with Sanzo's ideals and the awsome phrase 'Muichimotsu'. "If you meet the Buddah, kill him. If you meet the Patriarchs, kill them. Free of all, bound by nothing, you live your life simply as it is." Thank you for introducing me to such a concept, Minekura-San. I'm in your debt.

Hm, there aren't too many out there I would want to date. Okay, so there I one... Jin, from Samurai Champloo. There is something oddly magnetic about this man, a peculiar combination of his silence and his aloof-ness. It's almost like he's afraid of people. But he's sincere, and the sort of person I would trust. You don't necessarily need to talk to this man--at least I may not find the need--but the long stretches of silence with him don't seem so awkward, and there seems to be a certain warmth to his character if you pay enough attention. It makes a person want to know more. There is also the element of physical attraction, but that's not necessary.

For a dark, broody anime movie, I reccommend both of the Vampire Hunter D flicks, especially the second one, Blood Lust. I'll also agree with Dagger; anything by Kazuya Minekura is pretty good for violence and mature themes. Would Samurai Deeper Kyo fit in this genre? I'm only asking because there seems to be an exceptional amound of violence and blood shed, not to mention Kyo's whole attitude and the way he comes across. For a web comic, I'll have to admit that Nihilism: The Pandora Project fits in. I just hope the artist updates it soon. Edit: I just remembered, Tokyo Babylon and X could fit this genre too. Yes, they are by CLAMP, and yes, there are underlying themes of shonen-ai, but if you can get past that then you can enjoy the profound distress on Subaru's (Tokyo Babylon) and Kamui's (X) parts. There is an edge to these two that Card Captor Sakura and CLAMP Campus Detectives will never have.

Gundam Seed Destiny is considered a sequel series of Gundam Seed. From what I understand, a lot of familiar characters show up, and there are several new ones. For info concerning this branch of the CE timeline, go to [url]http://www.gundams.net/[/url] The site and the forum with it has info on all things Gundam Seed, including Astray and Destiny. I won't reveal what little I do know--I haven't even finished watching Gundam Seed (And I'm cursing CN for changing the times), therefore I have little right talking about GSD. If the above link doesn't work, I'll give you the link to the forum as well: [url]http://www.seed-forum.com/[/url]