Claire

[FONT=Arial]My two short stories are both on OB; [U][thread=56337]Valentines for Vampires[/thread][/U] (my favorite of all of them) and [U][thread=56294]Zero[/thread][/U] (which is narrated by Amelia). The unfinished stories are [U][thread=56530]Skin I Can't See Through[/thread][/U] and [U][thread=56656]Cinematic[/thread][/U]. Midnight Eyes isn't my premiere first person story--all but one of the above stories are in first person. I've never written in present tense before, but I think I might continue doing so. Here's what I have of the continued story. I actually have much more than this written but I'm struggling to tie it all together. --- ?You see that guy over there?? Christina points to the corner of the coffeehouse, peering through the glass, half-empty pastry cabinet. I lean over the counter to look with her. Sitting all alone is a deathly pale man with a white laptop computer and tiny styrofoam coffee cup. He looks as if he?s been stretched out by a torture rack, so much that he has too much height and almost no body. His hair is like a subdued lion?s mane, and his jaw looks like its clenching something that doesn?t quite fit in his mouth. I don?t take my eyes off him. ?Yeah, what about him?? ?He comes in here every night and orders the cheapest thing on the menu, pays in quarters, hides himself in a corner, and never even drinks it,? Christina says. The usual thought crosses my mind, but I only shrug. ?Maybe he needs the free internet.? Or maybe he?s a vampire. But Christina isn?t into my kind of morbid humor. ?Well, it?s a waste of resources,? she scoffs. ?The internet may be unlimited but coffee beans are not.? ?So go talk to him,? I suggest. She glances nervously in his direction. ?No.? The guy turns his head our way and we quickly pop back into our stations. With the never-ending rain deterring any customers it?s impossible to look innocently busy. I look towards him through the pastry cabinet, but return to my cash register anxiously. He?s watching us. ?He looks famous,? she says, her voice barely audible. ?Not really anyone recognizable, but maybe some kind of rock star.? ?Maybe he?s in some underground indie band,? I say. Another glance toward him and he?s finally focusing on his computer. He grasps the coffee cup and lifts it to his lips. I nudge Christina and she stares, surprised. The guy tips his head back and swallows, then sets the cup down. His face is wearing a smile both sour and smug. ?Well,? I say, resigning to my register, ?problem solved.? She looks slightly worried, leaning against the counter. ?Do you think he heard us?? ?No,? I grin. He?d have to be a vampire to have hearing that keen. But Christina isn?t into my kind of morbid humor. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Welcome to Otakuboards, Snake'sLover18. When you post, please try to do so with good quality. This means proper puncuation, capitalization, and grammar. Imagine you're writing paragraph for an english class - you would get a horrible grade if you didn't use what I mentioned. If you need help improving your post quality, try typing your post into a program like Microsoft Word first so it can automatically fix your errors. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or any other mod.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I only know of a couple local bands around here because I can't really go to shows. [URL=http://www.myspace.com/domesticbeerselections ]A Dying Breed[/URL] - I guess they're considered a metal band. I did see them live at the Battle of the Bands and they're amazing. I don't know what else to say about them, though. [URL=http://www.myspace.com/mourningwaitsfl]Mourning Waits[/URL] - This is the screamo band that beat ADB at the Battle of the Bands and came in first. I love them a lot, and they're all in their freshman year of high school or younger. [URL=http://www.myspace.com/thepantsband]The Pants[/URL] - I've never seen this band live, but one of my friends used to play keyboard for them before they had a brass section (which means they're ska). [/FONT]

[quote name='nekoconeko']Today musical artists? Hmmm...well, I like Ken Hirai, Utada Hikaru, Ali-Project and Koda Kumi...[/quote] [FONT=Arial]I repeat: [quote name='Myself']Please put just a little more thought into explaining why you like those artists. We can't really generate discussion if all we know is that they "kick ***," or nothing at all.[/quote] [U]Please.[/U] [/font] [quote name='Jakehammaren']As far as their "old" stuff goes, Oceanborn is probably the best album.[/quote] [FONT=Arial] In my opinion, Century Child is the best (but I don't know if you're considering that old). I was crazy obsessed with Nightwish when I was in the eighth grade but I drifted so far away from them that I didn't listen to any of their music for at least a year. Now I've been listening to their stuff again and my love for them has been revived.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial](Here I am again with yet another unfinished story from my vampire "series." This one is how this whole business began, so it's not a short story. I'm trying very hard to get this one written, unlike some of my previous endeavors. The style of writing I'm doing is really refreshing and I've been able to contribute to it almost every day since I started it. So, without further ado, here it is...) [B][CENTER]MIDNIGHT EYES[/CENTER][/B] It?s almost four o? clock and I haven?t moved a muscle. My bed, however lumpy and sharp, forces me to stay tucked into its cheap white sheets. I don?t feel like arguing with it - I?d lose, anyway. Outside the grey sky shoots massive drops of rain at my window as if it?s attempting a drive-by. Silly sky. The stereo finds a new track to play, one with a haunting bell intro and a techno beat. The alarm clock on my nightstand flashes a red 3:59. I really should get out of bed. Maybe after this song ends. I sing along in a whisper, covering my eyes with my arm. Then a fast drum pattern signals a new song, and my clock switches to 4:02. I?m not moving. The doorknob clicks and turns, and Lydia steps into the room. She?s singing along with the stereo. When she enters the bedroom, she asks ?Have you been there all day?? ?Have I?? I say. The next song starts at 4:05. I have been in bed all day. ?Are you alright?? she wants to know. Thunder rumbles ominously. ?Yeah. I?m just bored out of my skull.? ?No wonder,? she laughs, heading into the kitchen. ?You?ve been in bed all day.? That seems like a good reason. She comes back in the room with a bottle of chocolate soy milk. ?I finally have enough money to get my lip pierced,? she announces. ?That?s allowing for rent and food money, right?? I yawn. Lightning flashes as if the sky is trying to take pictures of its handiwork. ?Of course.? She glances out the window, singing softly. 4:09. Just five more minutes. ?Do you have to work tonight?? she asks. I?d be late if I did. She imitates the guitar solo with her voice. ?Since when do you speak guitar?? I ask. ?Since I?ve been living with you so long.? More thunder. ?Hey, you want to come to rehearsal tonight?? ?I don?t know. I?m really tired.? ?Oh, well, maybe you should rest. Isn?t your last day of school ever, like, next week?? It is, but I?ve been resting all day. ?Maybe I?m dying,? I muse. ?No. You?ve been dead.? she laughs. ?So you don?t want to go?? ?I guess not. I?d probably just get in the way.? She taps the now empty milk bottle on the wall to the beat of the music as she walks to the kitchen. ?No you won?t.? Lightning and thunder fire off in unison. I can hardly hear the stereo over the rain. ?Our show?s tomorrow, though,? she calls from the hallway. ?You?re coming to that, right?? Of course I will. ?Okay, kid, I gotta go.? She peeks at herself in the bathroom mirror, then hurries out the front door. The clock blinks 4:15. I?m considering waking up. There?s another burst of thunder, and everything stops. I can hear the electronic devices in the apartment losing their power. The clock regresses to midnight. Morrissey in the stereo is cut off mid-stanza. So much for the light that never goes out. The stillness of the room is disconcerting. I need to hear something electric buzzing. I finally push myself out of the creaky bed at 12:02. Out the window is nothing but white air. My heart aches a little at the storm?s fury. I walk into the living room, stiff from my day in bed, and stretch my legs. I?m still wearing my navy pajama shorts. After an ear-stinging yawn I grab the laptop off the coffee table and sit cross-legged on the sofa. The computer loads quickly, but the backlight is dim so to conserve the battery. The kitchen is eerily dark for the lack of windows and I have to look away. I?m way too paranoid. Instant messenger loads right away. No one is online. All my friends are at work or rehearsal or are without power or in New Jersey. All my friends have lives. The apartment groans in the wind and I whimper subconsciously. There?s a horrible shadow growing in the kitchen. And just when I fear the worst, someone signs on. The someone I want to talk to more than anyone. ?Michael Myers is in my kitchen,? I type. It?s a bad idea to have thought that. I glance anxiously at the grotesque shadow. It?s only the coffeemaker. Her bright pink font brightens up my mood. ?Beat him up!? she says. I make a laughing face with some letters and she smiles. At least an equal sign and bracket do. ?How about you come here and kill him?? I say. Charlotte laughs--her voice is small, pink, and times new roman. A chorus of thunder crescendos suddenly, but I don?t feel very nervous anymore. Even all the way from New Jersey Charlotte puts me in a good mood. ?Amelia!? she says multiple times. ?Guess what!? My own indigo text yells excitedly. ?You love me?!? She probably sighs. ?Duh, but it?s something else. Guess what!? I have no idea. ?I?m going to? she starts. The next line says ?go to...? ?YOUR GRADUATION!? In all caps. My heart stops and I nearly fly off the couch in excitement. ?Seriously?!? I?m holding down the shift button, but I can hardly type. ?Please don?t be joking. Seriously? I am way too happy about that idea.? ?I?m not joking! I?m really going to be there!? I think I want to cry. Or fly around the room. Or dive into the computer and come out through her screen and throw a party. Charlotte and I have never met, but I?ve considered her one of my best friends for a long time. The thought of her being more than pink text and a computerized ringing sound makes my stomach somersault. I release the keys and send a message, and a hysterically happy face with a thousand smiling bracket mouths appear in the IM box. I can?t think of anything else to say. ?You know, I was going to keep it a secret but I just couldn?t do it,? she laughs. Thunder rumbles again, making the building tremble. [CENTER]---[/CENTER] We talk forever. I tell her that she?s welcome to stay in my apartment while she?s here. Tonight she?s tired early for some reason and decides to go to bed. I don?t think I can sleep. But I?m worried because the power?s still out and Lydia isn?t home yet. I light candles all around the apartment and sit on the sofa, staring at the laptop screen. The storm has died down a bit but it?s still raining. With no one to talk to I can?t help but glance around the room anxiously. The door opens and scares the hell out of me. Lydia runs inside, smiling from ear to ear. Behind her is someone I recognize from her band. ?Amelia!? she screams, tackling me. ?You?ll never guess what happened!? I won?t. I can?t breathe because she?s crushing me. Her band friend, Geoff, opens the refrigerator and steals three bottles of chocolate soy milk. ?This is the best night of my life,? he shouts. ?What happened?? I want to know. Geoff appears in front of me, his cherry red hair hiding his eyes. ?Okay, we were just rehearsing, right?? Lydia begins, grabbing a milk bottle. ?We practiced some of our own songs first, but then we played ?Vampire Cocktail? by Riffraff,? Geoff says. ?Guess who knocked on our door just then,? Lydia holds me by my shoulders and squeezes tight. ?Just guess!? Geoff is almost rocking back and forth enthusiastically. I have absolutely no idea. Lydia screams and shakes me. ?Sally Fucking Moloko! Riffraff?s tour manager!? ?Really?? I gasp. ?She said she recognized the song and wanted to hear us play something of our own.? Geoff stands up and starts pacing, chugging his soy milk. ?So we played something and she liked it. Then she called Riffraff and they came to our rehearsal space!? Lydia bounces, still sitting on my legs. ?Riffraff was at my fucking house!? Geoff exclaims. He doesn?t believe it, so I don?t know if I do. ?We played for them and they loved us. You should?ve been there.? Lydia shakes me again. I probably should have. The excitement is rushing through my head and making my brain hurt. ?That?s not the best part though,? Geoff says. His voice is shaking. ?Oh my fucking god.? ?Guess who is going to open up for Riffraff on tour!? Lydia screams. My jaw drops in amazement. ?No way.? ?Seriously!? Lydia and Geoff burst into the air and embrace each other, laughing like maniacs. I stand up, smiling. ?That?s awesome! I?m so glad for you guys, it?s like you have a career now!? ?I know, and we have to be out of here by tomorrow night.? Geoff throws his empty milk bottle at the ceiling. That idea is a little nerve wracking. ?So you guys are leaving right away?? I ask, trying not to let my smile fade. ?We have to. Riffraff has to be in Chicago, like, tomorrow.? Lydia dashes into the bedroom and throws open the closet. My heart sinks. ?That?s really short notice.? I can?t help but frown now. ?It?s okay,? she says, tossing all her clothes into a suitcase. ?The rent for this month is taken care of, and I?ll leave you some extra money.? I doubt she?d leave enough to keep me in this apartment for very long. A light bulb seems to go off over her head. ?Or you can come with us! You could be our guitar tech.? I definitely can?t. ?I graduate next week. My friend Charlotte is coming from New Jersey to visit. I have to stay here.? Lydia sighs and hugs me quickly, then goes back to packing up. ?I promise I?ll call every day, alright? I?ll send you some money every time we get paid, too. Maybe you can find a new roommate to help pay the bills? Or maybe you could go live with Charlotte when school is over.? That?s not a bad idea. I grin at the thought. Geoff is standing in the doorway, bouncing his knees. ?We have to go pack up our stuff, hurry up.? Lydia tries to turn on the closet light to see better, but the electricity is still shut down. ?What the--the power?s out?? No, I just like sitting in the dark by myself. ?You?re not even going to spend one more night here?? I ask. ?I don?t think I can. It?s going to take a while to get our shit together. I?m probably going to have to spend the night at Geoff?s,? Lydia says, zipping her suitcase. The impending night alone scares me more than anything. I?m probably still afraid of the dark. Geoff reaches for Lydia?s suitcase and takes it for her. She turns to me and gives me one last humongous hug. ?Sorry, Amelia. I?ll try to stop by tomorrow morning before we have to leave but I might not be able to.? ?It?s alright,? I insist, refusing to let go. ?We?ll talk on the phone.? She smiles, then looks at Geoff. His mouth is almost stretching off his face. ?Alright, let?s go!? ?Bye, Amelia!? she shouts as they run out the front door. It slams shut behind them. ?Bye.? I whisper, then collapse on the bed dejectedly. [CENTER]---[/CENTER] ?Did you hear that?? Rain pummels the windows, hitting so had it sounds like they could shatter. My seventh period English classroom is full of people, so I don?t feel very nervous. I?m too amused to care, anyway. Amy glances at me with curious eyes. ?What?? I grip the edges of my desk and grin psychotically, then look at Ms. Diavolo. She?s clipping papers into a gigantic binder, and one of her arms is wrapped with brown gauze. ?What happened to your arm?? a passing student asks. My face hurts from smiling so widely. ?I got bit by something,? Ms. D. says. ?I don?t know what.? My head snaps back to Amy, who is watching the teacher absentmindedly. My eyes are so maniacal that Amy almost shrieks when she notices me staring at her. I begin to call to her but the bell rings. Lots of students flock to their desks and continue whispering to each other. I pull my book from my bag and try to focus on the story until class starts, but it takes all my will power to keep from laughing. Ten minutes pass and Ms. D. tells us to read for the rest of the period. She doesn?t have any work for us to do since we graduate at the end of the week. But she knows better than to let us have forty minutes of free time. After all, seniors think they own the world and are liable to throw a spur of the moment party. Those forty minutes go by slowly as I?m aching to talk to Amy. It doesn?t help that my book is about a cult of crazy people who believe they?re vampires--I have an irrepressible urge to giggle like mad. When the dismissal bell finally rings I throw the book into my bag and hurriedly zip it up. Amy rushes out of the room in an attempt to escape me. The other students cram through the door, laughing and bursting with last-week-of-school adrenaline. Soon I?m alone with Ms. D., and there?s no telling what could happen. She quietly marks in her grade book as I slowly head towards the door. The corners of my mouth are pushing up on their own. ?I went to the Spring Fever show last night,? she says as I reach for the door handle. ?I was surprised Lydia?s band didn?t play. Did something happen?? Ms. D. is very involved in the local music scene, which sets her apart from every other teacher I?ve had and fills me with pride. I turn around to answer, and she?s still writing in her binder. ?Yeah, something happened,? I say. ?They got invited to open for Riffraff on tour and had to leave right away.? She finally looks up, surprised. ?Wow, that?s amazing.? ?Tell me about it.? I set my bag down on a desk. ?Lydia called at two AM this morning to regale me with stories of their first show in a venue that packed.? The door creaks open and Amy pokes her head in. ?Are you coming?? she asks. ?Yeah,? I reply, then glance at Ms. D. ?See you tomorrow.? ?Bye you two.? She returns her attention to her grade book. In the hallway Amy keeps her voice in a whisper. ?What was so funny earlier?? I burst out laughing and she stares at me incredulously. We walk outside and it?s still pouring buckets of rain. ?Didn?t you hear what she said?? I manage through my laughter. She doesn?t seem to understand. ?Something bit her. Her arm is wrapped in a bandage.? Amy rolls her eyes but starts laughing with me. ?Oh my god, Amelia.? We hurry under the shelter and enter another hallway. An ominous streak of lightning lights up the sky as we get inside. ?This is just more evidence,? I say. ?Ms. D. is a vampire!? ?Seriously,? Amy pauses at a locker and twists open the lock. ?Remember when she told us she was a hundred and five?? ?Duh. But I think she wasn?t telling the truth.? Amy?s face calls me Captain Obvious. I smile as she finishes stuffing books in her locker. ?She?s the queen of the damned. She has to be more than a hundred and five.? Giggling, we run out of the hallway and towards the student parking lot. I duck my head so as to ward off any stray bolts of lightning. Amy is so small she doesn?t have to think about that kind of thing. I grab my keys out of my pocket as we approach my beaten-up old car, unlocking it in a rush to get out of the violent weather. [CENTER]---[/CENTER] Okay, a couple of little footnotes so to speak. 1) Amelia (the narrator) is the same Amelia as in my first story, Zero. 2) Every character (except Geoff) has a real life counterpart; like the english teacher is based on my current english teacher. Her part of the story is based on something that really happened, too. =P 3) Amy's name is subject to change since I've used every female name that I like at this point. Her real life counterpart is going to help me pick a final name sometime soon. 4) This is my first time writing in present tense, so please excuse any slipups in continuity and stuff. It's reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk (which makes sense; I'm reading a book of his at the moment) and at times I thought it sounded a little like Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (which isn't really what I'm going for :/). Maybe I'm just delusional. =P So, yeah. To be continued (fingers crossed). :][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Right now I can only think of [B]An American Paradox[/B] and [B]Exile in Oblivion[/B], both by [B]Strung Out[/B]. I first heard this band on Punk Goes Acoustic, and after hearing the original version of Velvet Alley I decided to hear some more. I've only heard three different songs but I already really like this band.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I have a couple of new songs that I've been listening to more than usually lately. Since I neglected to do this a couple weeks ago, here is what I was obsessed with a couple weeks ago: [B]The Human Face, Divine[/B] by [B]Norma Jean[/B] - This is my favorite song off of Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child, and I'm not all that sure why. I really really love the guitar and metalcore in general. [B]Love You Dead[/B] by [B]Keating[/B] - This song is by an indie band that my friend put on a CD for me. It's pretty catchy and accurately describes some of the characters in my vampire stories. [B]Beware the Jubjub Bird and Shun the Frumious Bandersnatch[/B] by [B]Forgive Durden[/B] - This song has obvious vampire references. I'm such a sucker (no pun intended) for those. Now for recently: [B]Infra-Red[/B] by [B]Placebo[/B] - I just love it. Placebo is one of my favorite bands and this song has been my recent favorite by them. [b]Iris[/B] by the [b]Goo Goo Dolls[/B] - Another song that reminds me of some of my vampire characters. For some reason it makes me want to cry. I also found a video on YouTube that paired this song with scenes from Titanic. That was amaaaazing. [b]Under the Milky Way[/B] by [b]The Church[/B] (and as covered by [B]Kill Hannah[/B]) - Both versions are pretty haunting, and yet another song reminding me of those vampires. [b]Phenomena[/B] by the [b]Yeah Yeah Yeah's[/B] - The same friend that gave me Keating and Forgive Durden showed me this song, and I just adore it. [B]3 Libras[/B] by [B]A Perfect Circle[/B] - Another one from that friend. I'm in love with it, plain and simple. (Speaking of which, I just finished one song on my ipod and while waiting for the next one to start I imagined this one coming on...and it did!) [b]On the Arrow[/b] by [b]AFI[/B] - Of course, what would any of my lists be without my most favorite band of all time? I've been figuring out the harmony for it this week, which has definitely drawn me closer to it. It's one of my most favorite songs by them, and made me cry the first time I heard it.

[FONT=Arial]I don't have a big enough attention span to play most board games. The only one I really love is [B]Clue[/B], and that's partly because of how much I love the movie based on it. Pretty much the only fond memory I have of playing it is when two of my friends were at my house after having a fun outing with them. After we watched the movie, I whipped out the board game and we sped through it. One of my friends, who is very interested in logic and that sort of thing, guessed the right answer fairly quickly. I would love to have a lot of friends over on a dark and stormy night that knocks the power out. Perfect Clue atmosphere.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]We had a thread for people to post about their bands, but that turned into more of a "what kind of instrument can you play" type of ordeal, so this thread can serve the former purpose instead. My band consists of two people at the moment because we're having an extremely hard time finding other people who are interested or can help us out. We call ourselves Nectar of the Gods, and the myspace is found [U][URL=http://myspace.com/nogband]here.[/URL][/U] In this musical arrangement I play guitar. I've written five or so songs and they're all midis, which can be heard [U][URL=http://putfile.com/nogband]here.[/URL][/U] They all differ greatly, which is why it's difficult to place this band in any one genre.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]My preference of seasons goes in reverse order. Winter is my favorite: I love the cold (as much of that as we get in Florida, anyway) and it's generally a lot more pleasant. Sometimes it rains during the winter, and wet weather mixed with cold air is the most inspiring thing to me. I look forward to winter pretty much all year long, not only for the cooler temperatures but for the general traditions everyone seems to have. Christmas songs come on the radio, we get a few weeks off from school (although our break is being shortened to a couple of days this year), and then Christmas itself arrives. Fall comes second to me, and that's only because it gets a little cooler outside. There's basically no such thing as autumn otherwise--our leaves don't change color or even fall off the trees. Of course, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so it makes up for the lack of natural attractiveness. Summer is okay because of the long break off from school, my birthday, and the occasional hurricane. Otherwise I can't stand the heat. Spring pretty much just sucks.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][strike]I became a mod April 12, 2006, if that helps. I feel kind of bad that I missed my one year anniversary. It doesn't really feel like it's been that long. :/[/strike] Definitely didn't see those dates there. :P EDIT - WAIT A MINUTE. April 12 is today! I feel dumb. :/ Anyway, throw me a party.[/font]

[FONT=Arial]I'm most excited for the remake of Halloween, even though chances are I won't go to see it. I've been dying to see the original movie for quite some time now, though when I did get the chance to I decided it would be better if I didn't--I have to walk to my bus stop all by myself in the creepy darkness and I'm too paranoid already. [/FONT]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']With this in mind, I propose a Moderator Timeline of Succession. This would probably start out better as textual, chronicling the transition of power for each moderating position. Of course, it would be done by forum (included those discontinued and renamed, which would be noted as such). I envision a more graphical representation eventually, probably in the form of a family tree or hierarchy or ... you know what I mean.[/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial] Hear, hear! I might be able to help with one such project but I don't have too much knowledge about past moderators and I totally suck in the graphics department.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]This is almost but not quite that What Grinds Your Gears thread...:P Anyway, the only things I can think of are frogs. I've fortunately avoided them since this summer, which is when my strange phobia started. Somehow a frog ended up in my bedroom--on my foot, even--and stayed in the house for two days. I got stuck in the bathroom with it the second night and had the biggest anxiety attack of my life. I'm scared to death of frogs now. It's weird, because I had never really been SCARED of them before. My biology class had to dissect some pretty huge ones last year. Now I can't go outside when it's rainy because frogs just appear in the puddles. I'm also pretty nervous that one could fall from the sky in a rainstorm (it HAS happened).[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][strike]Hairstyle 6 is [B]Ed from Cowboy Bebop[/B]. :][/strike][/FONT] *grumblegrumble*

[quote name='Sara][color=#b0000b][size=1]Why on earth do you hate sunlight?[/color'][/size][/quote] [FONT=Arial]He/she's obviously a vampire! ...I'm not very fond of sunlight myself but I wouldn't go so far as to saying that I hate it. I just have ultraviolet pale skin and I burn really easily. [quote name='Allamorph']And what's up with the aforementioned order and a diet soda? Seems kind of a silly place to get your "diet" from....[/quote] Once I was at a fast food place and I heard the order of the guy behind me in line. It was something like "Two large double bacon cheeseburgers, a large chili cheese fry, a large Big Buford (some huge burger, I think), a large spicy chicken sandwich, and [B]a small strawberry milkshake.[/B]" I lol'd.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Please put just a little more thought into explaining why you like those artists. We can't really generate discussion if all we know is that they "kick ***," or nothing at all. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and say that to me, AFI is the best band in the world. (No one has to agree with me, of course). They've been my absolute favorite band since I was in the seventh grade in 2004, and I finally got to seem them January of this year. Both their entire repetoire of music and the band themselves are amazing; I haven't heard instrumentation or lyrics that come anywhere close to being as awesome. Plus, I adore those girly men, and Davey Havok is pretty much the King/Queen of all of them. They have great personalities, of course...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I changed the title of the thread, just so people will know what the thread is about before looking into it. Desertphoenix, if you don't really have anything to contribute to the thread, please don't post. It's best if you leave moderation (no matter how subtle) to the actual mods. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Haha, I came up with a Bottom 10 awhile ago...unfortunately I only posted it as a bulletin on myspace and it seems to be lost forever now. I usually don't get irritated very easily, but some things make me really mad...usually very tiny things that nobody else really notices or feels the same way about. One of my biggest pet peeves are those hella annoying shoes, heelies. Y'know, the ones with the wheels built in? I swear, everywhere I go almost every young child I see is wearing those damn shoes. When they run, skate, and jump to a stop, all I want to do is run over to them and trip them. I have no idea why it bothers me so badly, but I pretty much hate heelies with a passion. There are a couple food items I love to hate; sunchips and pepsi. Now, sunchips taste pretty horrible and have a longlasting, disgusting aftertaste. Whenever someone at my lunch table has a bag of those things I scream "I HATE SUNCHIPS!" One day, someone was like "Hey Claire, do you want these sunchips?" And I reached over and grabbed the bag, and brought my fist down on it so that it exploded in every direction. The other consumable product I despise is pepsi. I've never really liked it--back when I liked "brown sodas" I always prefered coke. I mean, it's not that bad tastewise, but I have a personal vendetta against pepsi. One morning I went to school with only one dollar, with which I was going to buy a bag of chips or something from the vending machine for lunch. Instead, I decided to buy a bottle of code red mountain dew. My friend got one out of the machine before me, then I put in my solitary dollar and hit the button. I reached into grab my prize, and... "WTF!" Pepsi. "That is not Code Red," my friend said. I looked at his bottle. "...neither is that." He noticed that he had also been wrongfully given a pepsi. So for the next ten minutes we were complaining about how we hated pepsi. I didn't drink very much of it, and I still had it at the end of the day. I was planning on dropkicking it very hard as soon as I got home, but I forgot it on the bus. :/ There are plenty of other generic things that annoy me, like homework and bugs, but those are pretty much givens. :P[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]My idea isn't really one concert, but something more akin to the Warped Tour...only it happens at night and indoors, and the bands come on one after the other. In no particular order, Placebo, Smashing Pumpkins, and Rasputina would each play my favorites of their songs. This is preferably a sit-down concert, but I suppose a stand up one could be fun if the crowd isn't full of drunk idiots. Anyway, I can't decide which of the next two bands performs last. AFI is there, of course, and they likely have the longest set so far, which will include my absolute favorite songs by them; "Now the World," "Synesthesia," "This Celluloid Dream," "Endlessly She Said," and "Of Greetings and Goodbyes." I have a feeling AFI should be the last band at this concert, because with a set like that I'd probably have a heart attack or fall into a coma or something really horrible like that. The reason I can't really settle on AFI as last on the bill is that Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also playing at this show. Their set would be the same as the one I've seen them play (twice; it was about the same both times) minus the slightly boring, not as awesome songs they have. Of the several concerts I've been to, both TSO performances have been my favorite--even over AFI--so they'd be an amazing end to an amazing show. And of course, afterwards I'd have more than enough money to buy all the merchandise I want. I also get to met each of the bands and have them (and all sixteen members of TSO) sign my guitar or something. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Hooray, Edward returns! And as an extra treat, this story is from his perspective. I really hate to post things unfinished, but I'm really excited about this one. I plan on continuing it tomorrow during school and whatnot, and whenever I get the chance. So, without further ado... [B][CENTER]CINEMATIC[/CENTER][/B] Rain dotted the windshield, creating hundreds of microscopic, convex reflections of the dashboard. I sat in the driver?s seat leaning all the way back, my hands behind my head and my eyes shut. My favorite acoustic CD played softly, and the gentle steel sound mixed with the hush of the rain to create a pleasant relaxing ambience. The atmosphere was so perfect that the comfort even warmed my empty veins. I often came to this place at twilight, when the sun brightened the lake like a bucket of red paint pooling in a puddle of dark blue. On drier nights I would open the moon-roof to let in the lake?s breeze, but I didn?t mind having to keep it closed. Everything is much more serene when caught in the rain. The next track began as thunder sounded in the distance. I smiled at the oncoming storm?light showers were pleasant, but the fury of a storm is inspiring, almost poetic. However, the night was fast arriving, and I had too many other responsibilities to stay at the lake. I sat the seat upright, adjusting my purely decorative glasses, and ignited the engine. The rain was coming down harder as I pulled away from the bank and crept on to the nearby cement parking lot. By the time I merged with the scarce traffic on the main road, the storm had barreled in like a lion with a god complex. The wet roads weren?t difficult for me to navigate, and most drivers had already abandoned the streets at the first drop of rain. I soon pulled into my driveway, cued the car port to open, and parked the car inside it. The storm was slowly gaining power as I tapped a button on the wall to shut the car port, and then stepped through the door leading into the house. I headed up the stairs to my bedroom, quietly turned the knob, and peeked inside. The room was pitch black due to the absence of windows, but I could easily see into the darkness. On the bed was a figure who had been sleeping all day, waiting. He was awake now, smiling excitedly as I walked into the room. ?Cara mia,? Vincent purred, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. ?Good morning, sunshine,? I grinned. He stood up and stretched, his form-fitting black shirt rising over his navel, then approached me with outstretched arms. ?Where did you go? I was lonely all day.? I let him hug me, as he usually did upon waking up, then every hour on the hour. I didn?t mind it so much after over five hundred years of living with him. ?This morning I ran up to the castle to make sure everything was in order,? I explained as he began to go through his closet. ?When I got back around three, I decided to go to that acoustic show at the coffeehouse.? ?That sounded like it was going to be spectacular,? he sighed. ?I wish I could?ve gone.? ?It was very good,? I reassured him. ?I think the band?s planning a night show in a few weeks.? ?I hope so. I?d love to go.? ?It was rather long, though. It didn?t end until around five. I went to the lake after that, and I left shortly after sundown.? ?So you had a calm day. Are you up for something fun tonight?? He asked, pulling out a white long-sleeved shirt and dropping it on the bed. ?Sure,? I said, sitting on the edge of the bed to untie my shoes. ?What did you have in mind?? Vincent pulled off his polka dotted pajama pants and stepped into tight black jeans. He made an inquisitive noise in thought as he changed into the white shirt, which had a spindly, leafless tree design printed on the front. He obviously wasn?t planning on doing anything flashy. ?We could go see a movie,? he suggested. ?Sounds good. Let me change into something more comfortable.? He floated out of the room and down the stairs, presumably to find the newspaper and check the local movie times. I slipped out of my jade blazer and unbuttoned my shirt as I looked in my separate closet. Although Vincent and I shared similar tastes in clothing, it would be impossible to share a closet with his ridiculously massive accumulation of clothes. ?Edward,? he exclaimed from downstairs, ?that new vampire movie opens at midnight. ?Nettare Degli Dei.?? I took a pair of red pants off their hangar and draped them over my arm to find a complimentary shirt. ?So, you want to see that?? I called, grabbing a black shirt with crimson lettering and stepping out of the closet to get dressed. Vincent glided into the doorway, holding the newspaper in front of him. ?The name alone exudes exhilaration. Imagine the kind of people that are going to be at the theatre,? he side, drifting into the bathroom to put on his face. I frowned, thinking of a mob of chalky adolescents wearing dark, lacy outfits, plastic fangs, and gobs of makeup. He sang happily under another clap of thunder. ?Is it raining?? he asked, making plastic noises with his cosmetics. ?Very hard,? I warned. He sighed wistfully and reappeared in the doorway, his now shadowed eyes accentuating the pallor of his skin. ?Horrible hunting weather. Maybe it will let up sometime soon.? ?We have about four hours ?til the movie, though. It may not stop storming for a long while.? Vincent suddenly grinned so widely that his sharp teeth seemed to be growing. His orange eyes glinted deviously, a look I knew all too well. ?Let?s go shopping, then!? he exclaimed. It wasn?t just a suggestion?once the thought of browsing expensive stores entered his mind, nothing could change Vincent?s plan. We went to the carport after grabbing jackets and umbrellas and climbed into the car. Vincent fiddled with the stereo, coaxing a blast of electronic beats out of it. We reversed into the heavy rain and headed from the driveway to the main street.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I don't own any CDs I feel the need to hide if I have company. I believe you shouldn't feel guilty about listening to any kind of music or artist as long as you enjoy listening to it. I try to be really open to people's musical tastes, so I'm open with my own. ...also, I'm too poor to be able to buy any embarassing CDs. :[[/FONT] [quote name='2007DigitalBoy']If he comes over, AFI's Decemberunderground goes in the closet. I feel embarassed every time I see it in my collection. Franz Ferdnand is bad enough, but I think AFI could warrant a smack in te face XD.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]Tsssk. For shaaame.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Right now I've got "Lucio" by rufiomercutiopistachioadagio. I think he's a myspace only musician, because I haven't been able to find him anywhere else. Nonetheless, it's an amazing indie acoustic song that I fell in love with pretty fast. (I originally listened to it because Lucio is the name of one of main characters in my vampire story).

[FONT=Arial]Hooray (?), another vampire story. This one is much longer than my others - this is only the first part. Hopefully I'll have the second finished by tomorrow so I can post it. In the meantime, here is what I've written so far. (And yes, there will be more Edward). --- Selena scrambled through her house, leaving a disaster scene in her wake. She turned couches upside down, knocked a wide array of books off their shelves, and accidentally opened a door so desperately that it flew from the hinges as if a tornado had sucked it up. Selena had all the power of a cyclone, at least, as she turned her entire house inside out. After yanking the mattress from her bed and tossing it into the closet doors, she fell to her knees in complete frustration and readied for a scream. ?Where in hell is that damned library book?!? She burst to her feet to continue her furious ransacking, beginning to blindly rip clothing from within the drawers. The noise was akin to a freight train thundering by, and was so great that she didn?t notice the figure in her doorway. ?It?s surely in hell if it?s damned,? he called when she ran out of things to destroy. She quickly turned to greet the man, too deep in her own frantic searching to be startled. He was no stranger to her, anyway. ?Vincent,? she said, her attention slipping from him. She scanned the room for something else to break open. ?Selena, caro,? he began as she flew into the adjoining bathroom and nearly pulled the empty medicine cabinet off the wall. He stepped over the wreckage in his way and into the spacious bathroom, where Selena thrust the shower curtain aside so hard that the rod came crashing down. ?Selena,? Vincent repeated, his hand flashing out to grab the rod before it landed on her. ?Did a freak cyclone pass through the area? Your house is in shambles.? She pushed past him and dove down the stairs, avoiding CD cases and pieces of clothing that had somehow landed there. Vincent followed closely behind, meticulously gathering the misplaced objects as he came to them. She sped into the living room to find everything in perfect disarray. Enraged that there was no possible hiding place for a book to occupy, she blazed down the hallway and burst into every room along the way. Each scene was the same: a disheartening mess seemingly left by some natural disaster or thieving intruder. Selena?s angry desperation turned to angry hopelessness as she realized that she had managed to upturn her entire house without finding the lost book. Vincent dumped his collection, which now included plenty other books and a mangled lampshade, in a corner that had surprisingly not become a landing pad for any flying household objects. He carefully avoided the debris on the floor and made his way down the hall, where Selena was staring absently at an empty bookshelf. ?I hope you won?t expect me to clean any of this up,? he said, clearing the doorway with his foot. ?Edward is waiting for me in the car.? Selena turned around, suddenly surprised. ?When did you get here, Vincent?? He made an irritated noise and nearly hit his head on the doorframe. ?I?ve been here for at least ten minutes. You even acknowledged me when I came in.? Vincent pushed up his sleeve to read a silver watch on his wrist. ?I really need to be going.? ?Wait!? Selena called as he turned to leave. ?Why did you come by in the first place?? When he made an indignant face, she added, ?Not that I don?t enjoy your company!? ?I tried calling, but the connection wouldn?t hold.? He eyed a telephone that had been forcefully removed from the jack in the wall. ?Really, Selena, what in the world inspired you to demolish your house?? ?Just tell me why you?re here!? Her gleaming orange eyes widened dramatically as she tensely reached for the nearest potential projectile. ?I just came to tell you that I returned the book I borrowed from you to the library. I noticed that it was due tonight.? Vincent thought that, having one less thing to worry about, Selena would calm down. Instead, she grabbed an alarm clock that had fallen on the floor in the ruckus and thrust it at him. He dodged it with ease, but the next missile, a picture frame, hit it?s target square in the jaw. ?Selena, what is it now?!? he screamed, bracing to duck under whatever she threw at him next. She paused and glared with hell in her eyes. ?You borrowed ?Dante?s Inferno??? Vincent gulped and nodded hesitantly. Selena exploded violently. ?That?s the book I was looking for, dammit! Jesus Christ, Vincent, goddammit!? She continued to pelt him with everything her hands touched, swearing so fluidly that even a sailor couldn?t compare. Vincent ran down the hall towards the front door, trying to escape Selena?s furious wrath. She attempted to follow, but only managed to trip over the layers of mess on the floor. She remained on the ground, silently fuming. Vincent watched her fearfully, crouched by the door, ready to flee through it if she revived in a rampage. There came a soft knock, followed by a gentle sigh. Vincent rose to his feet and opened the door just enough to see who was there. ?Are you quite finished yet?? the man asked, his English accent tinged with both patience and frustration. Vincent lifted a finger to his lips and shushed him, glancing fretfully at the dormant Selena. Edward peeked in and gasped, shocked at the war zone the house resembled. ?What happened?? he exclaimed, pushing through the crack to get inside and further assess the damage. ?I?ll tell you later. Just go back to the car, I?ll be there soon.? Vincent quickly slammed the door and turned the lock. He heard a muffled groan, but ignored it and returned his attention to Selena. She was slowly rising, the ominous shadows over her face making it difficult for Vincent to read her expression. She was no longer tense, but previous experience with her short fuse kept Vincent ready to run. Finally, she grinned like a Cheshire cat, her face lighting up with excitement. ?This is wonderful news, then!? She sang, approaching Vincent. Regardless of her better mood, he braced himself for an attack. Selena let out an airy laugh and turned to climb the stairs. Vincent took on a look of complete bamboozlement. ?Where are you going? There?s a mess here that begs your attention,? he called. She only laughed again. ?I?ll get to that later! This really is very good news. I appreciate your turning in that book for me; now I don?t have to worry about finding it.? She continued up the stairs, bouncing on each one. ?I?m off to make plans. We?re going to have a party!? Vincent nearly fell over, astounded at Selena?s vivacity.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I decided to make a thread for my random little sketches. They're nothing special of course, because most of them (if not all) were done during spanish class or church. And most of them are of characters from my vampire series, including those from [thread=56294][u]Zero[/u][/thread] and [thread=56337][u]Valentines for Vampires[/u][/thread]. Some of them are just kind of cutely drawn inside jokes that will most definitely not be any bit amusing to anyone here. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/luciodrawing.png?t=1171685237[/IMG] This is one of the least doodly ones, so I'm starting with it. This is Lucio, who is one of the main characters in the main storyline. [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/doodlez1.jpg[/url] [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/luciosketcha.png[/url] This is another sketchy one. It started out okay (in spanish class), but as I kept drawin' the body kept losing it's proportions. It's Lucio again, but dressed as a gypsy. There's a segment of "his story," because I was bored enough. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/jadewardblack.png[/IMG] Here's another sketchy one that lost it's proportions as the drawing progressed. This one is of Edward Black (from VfV)/Jade Puget (who Edward is physically based off of). [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/mathcontest.png[/url] This is one of my favorite doodles. It has absolutely no meaning or motive whatsoever, except that I was unreasonably bored in homeroom and felt like being spontaneous. This spurred my homeroom teacher to be all, "I wish Claire would use her awesome drawing skills to make a poster for the math competition!" (Which is why "math contest" is in the picture). Then I was like "wtf, are you kidding me?" [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/somedoodlez.png[/url] That's another of my favorites. It's where my avatar came from; the vampire eating the marshmallow is Nils (from Zero), the angry looking vested one is Will, "Nectar of the Gods!" is Julian, and Charlotte is dragging Amelia (Zero) to the beach. [url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ShikyoKasu/cuppincakes.png[/url] This one is my FAVORITE out of all of them. It's a comic that explains why cupcakes aren't for eating, staring Charlotte, Amelia, and Lucio. The cupcake thing is a big gimmick in my band. :] Don't worry about constructive criticism, because I'm not really looking to improve my doodles at all. And drawing has become something I just do when I'm bored in class or church. I'll probably upload one or two more later, but I think I left my most recent algebra drawing in my locker. Oh well. >:[ [/FONT]