The Big Pointy One

It wasn't until nightfall that Dierden and the ever-mysterious Deltradiel caught sight of the first signs of civilization in the distance. Torchlights glimmered through the clear night air; they were near a farm, it seemed. It also seemed as if it were a time for celebration, for the sounds of festivity and merriment could be heard faintly echoing across the plains. It must have been a good harvest season, by the once small town dweller's reasoning. Dierden looked eagerly on towards the direction of the farm, his intentions obvious. "No." said Deltradiel firmly, her gaze intently set upon the torchlight, "I do not trust the people in these parts... We shall wait 'til dawn, when they are asleep to pass. Rest now, and I'll take the first watch." Deciding he was still out of his element, Dierden figured it'd be best if he took Deltradiel's advice. Even though they seemed like farmers, Deltradiel probably had a better idea as to what was going on. Not worried about the colder night air, the slightly hardened warrior just picked a random spot on the ground, stretched out and tried to fall asleep. After an hour, he finally drifted off, a familiar tune dancing through the air... Flash He was younger, back in his earliest days as a man. The atmosphere was rife with cheer and pleasure. Previously in the day, the army he had just joined in had won a final coupe in a too long leg of campaigns against the nastiest horde of goblins in the mountainside. He was in the foothills now, his friends at his side, Tayne, Aidan, Rocoss and Roxxia. Everyone was cheering, singing and just having a jolly good time. He couldn't imagine things getting any better when all of the sudden the door to the tavern opened up and... FLASH ...the air was dark and heavy with ash. Fresh smoke hung low in the sky, and blood littered the ground around him. A burning sensation ran through his entire body, and he was thrown to his knees. With whatever will he had left, he tried to pull himself up. He had just witnessed all of his remaining friends perish at the hands of that terrible beast, and he was sure he was next. Looking up, a dark shadow loomed over him and... FLASH ...fire raged in the distance. This time, the pain was real and Dierden was no longer sleeping. There was a flame-scarred patch of earth next to where Dierden was lying down, and Deltradiel was nowhere to be seen. Any sounds of merriment and joy had been replaced by the crackling of embers under a bloody sky while the sun slowly rose to greet the gloomful morn.

You tag -Aardvark on to the end of their name, then throw a pie in their face! (What, you didn't see that coming... with me lurking around these parts? ...but I kid because I love! ^.^ )

Peredhil, you cheater! You have to give us something we don't know already! ;p The fact that you are a (great) Member of The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, that (we are proudly) your friends, and that you are alive (for a long time to come!) aren't things anyone would take for granted or anything... but give us some news! Did you see a penny? Did you pick it up? Did you give it to someone for good luck? ...c'mon! ;p

I really gotta stop working Fridays, because, I really want to listen to your show Wyvie ^.^" It sounds really good, and I just got this computer, so it'd (literally) sound really good, and dangit, I really gotta stop working fridays. Yay for run-on sentences! I like grammar! Yay! (sorry, I'm addicted to junk posts)

So it was that Dierden and Deltradiel walked onwards. Deltradiel was focused on the road ahead. Dierden was trying to take in his surroundings. He was starting to get a suspicion of what was going on. He was pretty sure he knew what was going on now, but he just needed something to confirm it. Still, he remained silent. He was certain he'd find out in due time. In a matter of hours they came upon what appeared to be a burned and broken town. There was something about the air that seemed to keep the sun's light from fully touching the ground, which was ashen and grey. Soot covered just about everything, and there were dark stains on the walls and on the ground, suggesting a battle had once been fought here. A bloody and horrible battle. Dierden could feel it without even opening his eyes. Stepping over broken stones, Deltradiel continued northward at a normal pace. Something seemed to be pulling Dierden though. It was if there was something here that he needed to see. It wasn't until Deltradiel was out of visible range that Dierden noticed a faint glint of light from the shadows beneath a crumbled doorway. Hopping over a large rock and scooping away some smaller ones, Dierden was shocked to find something that wasn't completely covered in ash and dust. It was a stuffed bear, with tiny glass button eyes. It was nearly torn apart, the eyes hanging on by the skinniest of threads and its stuffing hanging out all over the place. Still, it was if Dierden could feel the warmth and comfort that the bear was meant to convey to the child it was originally meant for. For some reason he felt as if he should keep it, so he removed a kerchief from his pocket, carefully wrapped it up and tied it to his belt. Unfortunately, Dierden was without equip aside from a few small pocket belongings and his clothes. He wasn't even armed with any of his trusty kunai. He figured, however, that once they found a town, Dierden could find a way to get some equipment and some money. He looked around the town again, and could feel a great aura of sorrow and grief. But there was something beneath that. It was like a solitary ray of sunlight, shining into the gloominess of the dust and char. Somewhere inside him, he knew that light was shining elsewhere, as well. It was as if this ruined place still had a last hope, even though it was no more than a pile of rubble. Sighing, he continued on, and caught up with Deltradiel who was silent as ever. Onwards they went, into the north, towards some answers. That's what Dierden hoped anyways. Flash

So, as a few of you may know, at one point last year, I did indeed own my own house. As you may also know, I was trying to sell said house. As less may know, said house has been sold, and I have been since waiting to get my portion of the dough. Well, the other day, which next to none know, I got said money. WOOO! Yep, it's not a large sum (of which I will leave a mystery) but it works for me. I've been considering different things I can do with it, but the important thing is, yes, that's right, I bought my own computer! FINALLY! What does this mean for anyone who's actually reading this? Well, it means I will probably be posting more? Why? Because I'll always have this computer with 'net access *and* I no longer have to worry about an affliction known as 'pornogrpahic-popup'. It really sucks when you're trying to write out a decent post when all of the sudden your window disappears and is replaced with @*$(*&@(*&@)(#*#!(& and... well, I'll leave it to the imagination. Heh... did I get you to imagine dirty things? Ha! I'm so sneaky. Anyways, I just thought I'd share, 'cause that's what I do when something good happens. In fact, why don't we all share? Yes, how about everyone who reads this posts something good that happenned to them recently. Or, if you can't think of anything that happenned recently, try writing about something good that happenned to you in your life that you can remember with ease, and that makes you smile. Or something like that ^.^ Why you say? Because I like to imagine something like this would, as mentioned above, make people smile. Feeling all happy and mooshy-gooshy sometimes is a good thing. ^.^ Write on!

You dedicated a song to me and my rag-tag little group? And I missed it? Awwww..... that was still really awesome! Thanks for the shout-out! I'm really sorry I missed the show, but work... sucks... I'm gonna make sure I don't miss it this week though! hehehe, I feel all silly now, anyways, peace out and such ^.^

I've kept a scant eye on this topic, and like so many other discussions on human nature through and throughout, there is but a simple answer. Everyone is different. There are common trends from person to group to person to infinite. Or something like that. Lot's of people may feel in the same position, but for so many, it's so different. I am one of those many people who are depressed out of their gourd, but don't exactly know why (well, aside from stark loneliness) Discussions could go on forever, and well, so long as we know that we won't ever accomplish anything on the matter, I suppose it's fine. So what have I done here? Aside from point out what I hope is obvious? Nothing, really. That's me ^.^

Sadly, I'll miss your debut show, but hopefully I'll catch it next week. Best of luck with it though! I hope it goes really well for you ^.^ ~Substance~

He felt something change. It was like he was moving, yet he was perfectly still. He didn't feel anything move around him, but still, he knew he had moved. Opening his eyes, and looking up, he gasped at his surroundings. Instead of being surrounded by gloriously living trees and plants, he was surrounded by ash and char. The air was clear, suggesting that these woods had been burned down ages ago. Something felt familiar, as if something inside him had been turned on. Shrugging, Dierden left that for the future to discover. He still felt weak inside, and wanted to weep like a child some more, but he was beginning to feel stupid about it. Thinking of nothing else to do, Dierden simply screamed at the top of his lungs. He did this repeatedly until he was out of breath and panting. He was hunched over with his hands on his knees when he started laughing. It was so ridiculous, the way he was acting. Everyone on the world, everyone he had encountered in all his life, had some sort of problem that plagued them their whole life. He was no different, or no more special than any of them. To be worked up so often over such little nonsense was pointless. The road would be tough, but he'd survive. He couldn't let his friends down, or anyone else for that matter. Examining his surroundings again, Dierden couldn't help but feel that he had been here before. Something was nagging at him, as if something was horribly wrong, but he just couldn't place it. "Something wrong?" an unfamiliar female voice asked from behind him. Dierden jumped, startled slightly, "Huh? Oh, um nothing." he said as he turned around. It was a young woman who was standing behind him. She was fairly tall, just about as tall as Dierden. She had wavy black hair that cascaded almost to her waist that was only held back slightly at her neck. There was something to the look in her eyes, that almost made her seem vicious, but Dierden discarded it to a far-off corner of his mind. She was wearing clothes that mostly seemed dark red and gold-coloured, covered by a deep purple travelling cloak that seemed to be made out of a light leather. Dierden was guessing she was a mage or a sorceress of some sort. "I just... don't exactly know where I am right now. Heh." She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh? That's... weird. You can't be *that* hung over, seeing as how the nearest tavern is over a day's walk away, and I'm not seeing any signs of a horse with you." "Yeah, actually, I don't know how I got here either." he was lying slightly, he had a feeling how he got here, he just didn't feel like mentioning it. She blinked, eyed the tall man up and down then smelled the air, "You're *not* hung over, are you?" "No! ...I don't even drink..." "Huh. So... let me get this straight, you don't know where you are, you don't know how you got here. Do you at least know who you are? Or where you're from?" "Well, the name's Dierden Samshae, and currently I'm residing at The Mighty Pen Keep." "The Mighty Pen? Can't say I've heard of it." she sighed, "I guess though, since I'm on my way out, I can let you follow me to the next town. Maybe someone there will know about your keep." "Fine by me. I suppose it couldn't hurt to know your name, either." "You can call me Deltradiel. Now, let's make haste, I don't really like to talk that much, and it's a long walk from here." "Very well, lead on." The woman started walking in one direction, Dierden eventually gained some form of a bearing and discovered they were heading due north. He still had no clue where he was, but he couldn't eliminate the whole feeling of something being horribly wrong, yet all-too familiar at the same time.

For a second there, it gave me an error saying I wasn't logged in, but then I realised I recently deleted all my cookies. ^.^" So, so far everything's fine. Wee! (PS, how do I accumulate some of this 'nakie time' ...I don't care... well, I kinda care who... but, I wouldn't mind some. Please mail me info. Or pictures. ;p )

As soon as I figure out how that applies to my current location, I'll be tuning in for sure! Go Wyv! Woo!

Flash The dreams were always the same. They had been absent up until recently. That sense of fear, that sense of inneptitude. He didn't know what had triggered it. Fire. Death. Destruction. It was everywhere, and he was left powerless to deal with it. He had watched his closest friends die within the blink of an eye. Thankfully, things had resolved, almost years later, but the memories remained. He had his friends again, but not even time could hold back the pain. Twisting and turning until finally he pulled himself out of bed, the warrior known to his friends as Stick, but to a very select few known as Dierden Samshae wandered out of his home and under the moonlit sky. He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face. This had to stop. He couldn't continue on living with these memories. There had to be some way to rid himself of them. He looked around him. The moon faintly illuminated stone wall that rose to meet the sky; the wall surrounded an area larger than any castle he had ever been to. He looked down. The dew-covered grass seemed to glitter beneath the starlight. It was beautiful, beyond words to Dierden. Slowly, he made his way down towards the ground. Away from his home in the trees, and off to wherever his feet may carry him. After some time that he hadn't realised had passed, Dierden found himself inside one of The Pen's vaunted wooded courtyards. He blinked as he found himself infront of a large, round tree stump. On top of this tree stump were the initials of himself, along with those of his friends that he had brought with him from Gaia. He slumped to his knees. Running his hand along the treestump, feeling every little line and curve of his friends' initials, he almost wept. Being here somehow increased the feelings of fear and doubt he had been recently experienced. This location, although a cheery one, reminded him of he had abandoned his home world. How he had abandoned his duties to his deity. That was it. It was such a long time since he had been connected to Nature, the Goddess of the Green Life that he had begun to need that precious connection they once shared. This time he did weep, and cry out. "I'm sorry! I wasn't ready! The challenge... it was too much. I couldn't handle it." he slumped over the treestump, and banged his fist on its surface. "I'm sorry..." Flash

While everyone was enjoying their lavish feast, miles away Tayne found himself in the rain. And blood. This time though, it was demon blood. He wasn't quite sure where he was, or what was going on. One minute he's strolling through another hick town, the next everything's on fire and there's demons all over the place. Not one to complain, Tayne armed himself with his prized handaxes and went to work on the nearest cluster of demons. 'Gyrfalcon must be near by, if all these demons are here. That has to be it. Ha! I'll make short work of this rubbish, and then make my way towards the prize before anyone can even get here.' he thought to himself, as he split the skull of a gibbering beast about half his size. 'Odd though, he must not yet know of any current attempts on his life, because these demons don't seem very tough. Oh well.' Tayne moved on towards the town's gate, a trail of blood following behind him. He was almost there when a pack of the unholy monsters jumped at him from inside some ravaged home. Without a moment's hesitation, he let his handaxes fly handle over blade and directly into the chests of the first two. Charging towards the rest, he pulled out a pair of wickedly carved knives and went to work on eviscerating the first in line. The other two clawed at his sides, drawing a lot of blood, but Tayne simply twisted his blades free from the demon he had just finished with then sunk a knife into the skull of his agressors. "Weaklings." Satisfied that no more of the demons were even going to bother coming near him, he retrieved his handaxes, replaced the knives after wiping them off and left the town to fate. The mercenary pulled out a small vial from inside his vest, drank the contents and within a few moments his wounds closed up and scarred.

To go along with what's already been said, and perhaps to contradict some of it, and revise what *I* said earlier, I think the most important thing to remember is that this is *your* life, so you should enjoy it as much as you can. After all, as far as we/I/you/someone knows, you only get one. (Without bunging into semantics here... no need for debate or anything...) It's a good thing to be charitable, and it's a great thing to be kind to as many people as you can, and there are people who may have to take precedence over you (family) but again, it's your life, and you should always worry about yourself first. It may sound selfish, but honestly, since you're the one living your life, you should be enjoying it. Do what's best for you. Sometimes this involves hurt feelings, but you know what? Wounds heal. It may take longer for some people than others, but that's the way it is. I know, there's always exceptions to the rule, but I think that's the most important thing you can do. Look out for you. Keep in mind that when I say this, I don't mean you should just say f* you, world! I just mean, on the list of important people, you should place yourself at number 1. That is, until you start a family, if you choose to do so some day. But I'm sure you know what I'm getting at here.

Although I've only got a couple years on ye, friend, I'd like to think I've learned so much in these past years. Here's a few tidbits that come to mind. Everyone is different, no matter how much they have in common. The best way to deal with that is by agreeing to disagree. (Because problems usually arise due to people's differences) I've found that people have a hard time accepting the fact that not everyone want to live life the same way as them. Not only that, there's a lot of people who have a hard time accepting change. People change, lives change, situations change. It's a necessary part of life that should be accepted and dealt with accordingly. Above all though, I've found that 99% of the time, the best thing to do is what your instinct tells you, (Or your heart, or your brain, or whatever it that drives you) even if no one thinks it's the right thing. They may be right, but everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes mistakes are necessary. It's easy to learn from mistakes. Oh yeah, and don't forget: Invest! Save up some money, however much you feel you can save up. Then, take it to the bank, and open some sorta long-terms saving account. It may sound stupid, or redundant, whatever, but it's a good idea! If you can manage to add a few bucks to that every month, and basically forget its there, you'll find yourself with a whole crapload of money for those tightspots down the road. I haven't had to crack my savings yet, and I hope I don't soon, but I'm glad they're there.

Normally, I'd say blue black or white, simply because they appeal to me. Green too. Heck, I like colour in general. But I think I'll actually go with clear, because clear things are usually pretty good. Except for totally clear things, like invisible monsters, or jellyfish.

Hahaha! These are all so excellent, and yet, I can't point out any, myselves. Everyone's done a good job so far, though, and I definitely agree, Salinye, I am just like Thumper. I mean, that dude's on crack! Okay, I'm not on crack, but everyone accuses me of it! Ha! He's all crazy and stuff, then he finds a chick, and goes crazy for her (eventually) and they have kids... and whoo! Wee! (I think that's how it goes... I haven't seen Bambi since I was but a wee lad.)

I'd be the fish that doesn't know how to swim!

I got it! A message to all those concerned parents out there! What with all these newfangled electronic devices, grounding your children to their room, or the house dungeon, or whatever, may not always be the answer. My solution? Ground your children outside! Give 'em a baseball bat, and let 'em run free! Free like the birds! ...well, okay, giving them a baseball bat may not be the smartest idea if they've played GTA recently, but whatever... whoo... (Okay, and for the record, I believe anyone who does something because they see/do it in video games can't be that bright. That, or they're a horrible, rotten liar!)

Eh, that does seem to be the case, doesn't it? People have to have things one way or another. It seems they have a hard time understanding the concept of moderation. (Among others which I have currently forgotten the words to. Blessed Irony!) If someone doesn't love something, it seems they have to hate it. And of course, if someone disagrees with you, they're wrong. Etc. etc. etc. Oh, but how I've strayed from the topic. Woo! Backing up ever-so-slightly, I also need to go to the gym, for I am indeed growing a belly bit by bit, and that's not cool. Unfortunately, I don't like doing that stuff on my own (or I'm too lazy) and I don't have anyone to go with. Oh well. It'll change sooner or later I'm sure. For now I'll stick with the occassional game of laser tag or Dance Dance revolution....

Elsewhere in the countryside, Tayne Demeron rode at an easy pace through open fields. The smell of char in the air hung heavy behind him, and smoke veiled the starlight night sky. The mercenary had wanted a horse, so he went to a farm he saw from the road towards the country which housed The Pen's keep. The farmer did not want to give him a horse, so Tayne killed him and his family, and set his farm ablaze. When Tayne wanted something, he got it. Usually by using overly unnecessary acts of violence and rage, which happened to be effective to the heartless warrior. A grim look of confidence hung on his face. Soon, the bounty on Gyrfalcon no'Dessu would be his, and he could finally put some of his plans into action. He'd probably kill Ugarte and the other bounty hunters, if they showed up, if he felt like it. That's the way he was; most of the time completely mad and insanely evil. The next afternoon, after Tayne had finally decided to stop and rest, he changed his course slightly to head into a smaller province of the land. On the outskirts of a tiny farming community, the madman had set up a storehouse for some of his own equipment. He was sure to any degree that what had must be ultimately better than anything this Ugarte fellow had. And if not, well, he'd probably acquire all of that anyways. Kicking in his heels, Tayne rode along beneath the afternoon sun. There was that sweet taste of blood his memory seemed to keep conjuring up for him.

Oh yeah, that's what I was going to add. About those kids- I kinda agree some of the stuff they say seems a bit more intelligent than you'd expect, and a bit more vulgar... but at the same time, isn't it a little, well, stupid to overgeneralize them just because of their age? It is possible that a few kids here and there are a bit smarter than kids of that age from how we'd know them. Especially if they're nerds. ;p And I totally agree Madoka; kids should spend more time doing stuff outside. Hell, *I* should spend more time doing stuff outside, but then I'd die because it's so damn cold here. Yay for video games!

Y'know, I was just gonna say, I think FFVII was the FF that really brought most of the gamers into the series. And while everyone has their own opinion on which one is best, I think it was kind of a landmark in the series (Although I like most of the ones before seven better...) In a generation of gamers concerned about graphics, FFVII was a real stepping stone for the series. Not only that, it almost set a precedent for other games at the time (If I remember correctly, it was one of the best, graphics-wise, and one of the first games with FMVs, at least FMVs done as nicely.) All that aside, I think the defining point of all the FF games for me is the music. Sure, it's kind of gone downhill since X, and I haven't really given VIII a chance, but every other game in the series I've played has had *awesome* music. Favourite songs of mine include the original battle music, FF6's opera music, FF7's Boss theme and FF9's 'You're not alone' Yepyep.

Ha! I read that article in the magazine it came with... I thought that was hillarious. Whether it's stuff that they actually said or not, I don't know, don't care, but it seems possible. Stuff changes, people are different. I'm a big fan of classic games; back when we didn't have all these shnazzy graphics, games were *supposed* to be about good play, good challenge and failing those, a story? Well, maybe not the last one. Regardless, lots of the classic games rule, and I could play them for hours. Of course, lots of them sucked, too. (E.T., for example, is the worst paperweight I've *ever* seen.) All in all though, I'm not going to say what I like better. I enjoy many new games, and I enjoy many old ones. I rate them on a game-to-game basis. So many people forget that it's all about the play. As for the new generation of gamers? So what?! So they don't like classic games. They start on what's relatively new, so they have no choice but to compare the old stuff to the new stuff, as the new stuff being better. That's the way it's always going to be. For just about everyone, the first is always the best. Ultimately, that doesn't affect anything as far as I'm concerned. So what if those stupid little kids don't know what they're missing. We do! And by the way, FFX is *not* hard!! It has some challenging moments, but it's not hard! ...in fact, no FF is hard... they're all too easy!!! Mwuhahaha! ( I mean, they all have the odd difficult enemy or boss, but that's it! In all the games, there's a point where you get so powerful, or you can exploit something in the game, where nothing is a challenge anymore.)