NigaiAmaiYume

http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

A selection of clips from Improv Everywhere, which is pretty much what it sounds like. A bunch of people go into real-world situations, and do stuff. Usually funny. Oh, and they don't tell anyone what they're doing.

I LOVE the Slo-Mo Home Depot.

The website has DVDs of missions for sale, I'm actually tempted to see what else they've pulled off!

That is LITERALLY as bad as this: American Style Sailor Moon by Saban. I'm not joking, they almost did this.

Even if you don't like Sailor Moon, can you imagine what COULD have happened to bringing Anime to North America if this had gone through?

So 80s - and I can't understand most of the theme song, but I'm GLAD about that.

I've recently started trying to use DAZ|Studio, a "3d figure posing and animation studio". Basically, I'm looking for ways to get around my lack of proportion and spatial sense. ^-^

Of course, I'm looking up tutorials, but I generally don't take the time to actually READ stuff before I want to mess around with things. I was wondering if anyone else has any experience with DAZ|Studio and can help me get started?

I'm looking to purchase a digital voice recorder to try and take advantage of story plotting that occurs at work while I'm cleaning. (Step 2: Voice Recognition Software. Step 3: ... Step 4: WORLD DOMINATION!!!!)Right now, I'm looking for as good a balance between quality and price that I can. Decent storage is always nice, although I'm not sure how much I'd use - anywhere from 1 hour to 6, knowing me. o_OExtra features aren't necessary, although the ability to save a few MP3s on a tiny little flash player I'm carting around anyway is a nice bonus.Durability is another issue - I tend to be TOUGH on things, as well as a little accident prone. Anyone aware of particularly fragile products I should avoid, feel free to mention.Any suggestions, overall?

I suspected it was a hoax when NONE of the images on the website showed the gen-pet OUTSIDE the packaging.I mean, come on, if it's supposed to be alive, a serious advertiser would be showing this very quality, having video of it moving and interacting with people.After checking out the Museum of Hoaxes link, I almost have to admire the artist and his message. But then I think he's creepy. Then I admire him again. ^-^And if these ever ACTUALLY happened - I'd want a violet one. ^-^ Yes, they're creepy, I miss having a pet!!! *Whimpers*

Welcome, jmpearso. I hope you find plenty to think about, plenty to learn, and plently to talk about here at Trap 17.I've only been here a little while myself, and have yet to actually put up my web site, but I am definitely enjoying my time here in the forums. ^-^

Albus Dumbledore: 1Mich: 0Turefusion: 0randomdood: 0idle: 0The shaded background is very professional looking, and the animation is useful without being distracting.

I recognize very few people actually care. I'm doing this anyway. ^-^My "longer works", which refers to something that's going to be a novel, tv series, comic series, or RPG setting.Anything with *** means I need to talk with someone about getting permissions for ideas/characters, but I still consider the series mostly mine.1. Phoenix Flair, Dragon Descent - Fantasy novel trilogy about gods, love, and destroying the world2. Vampire Hymn - Supernatural drama tv series that would take WAY too long to explain3. Vampire Hymn: SCI - spin off of above, slightly different universe with a crime show theme4. RPG setting on both versions of Vampire Hymn in BESM d205. Legends of Regnum - Fantasy series I'm trying to rework from a Legend of Zelda fanfic w/ Self Insert character6. RPG suppliment featuring the LoR setting and the classes developed around a group of people in it.7. Fool Me Once - Harlequin-romance style, although hopefully not formulaic, as the story starts half-way through the relationship with the commitment-fearful heroine catching the hero getting kissed by another girl (NOT HIS FAULT! LOL)8. In Time Things Come - Depressing sci-fi story about immortality and alienation. I really like this one. :)9. I Call her Kali - Action/comedy thing set in the near future. Basically, Kali's a girl prophicized to destroy the world, and therefore not well liked by anyone. Daniel's one of the many hit men hired against her. He's also the only one that's lasted longer than a month, and is the closest thing she has to a friend. Basically just some plot strung around random quotes that pop into my head, such as "That's it, I'm going to kill the next person that asks what's going on!".10. Blood of the Rose - Fantasy/Horror comic series about high school and a reality thats "kinda like Lord of the Rings, if Sauron won and made everything necromantic."11. Falling Angels - Superhero comic series about what happens when you're supposed to protect people that paid to have you tortured (LONG story...)12. Battle Ballet - kinda a sport anime about what happens when you mix rollerball, dancing, and discrimination o_O13. Currently Unnamed - Romantic comedy movie featuring mixed up identities, and the heroine trying to get the hero a date on a cruise ship without realizing he's an old crush14. Epiphany - Horror movie that I'm keeping closed mouthed about. ^-^15. Siren Song - Fantasy, an episodic about a band that travels to different magical dimensions, currently has great characters but lacking a great deal in PLOT...16. Need Title - A fantasy d20 RPG setting featuring mixed races (Half Elf, half Gnome, for example...) loosely based on concepts from Discworld17. *** - Mecha/space anime some friends and I started in high school and I've since added to18. *** - Romantic comedy fairytale/myth about a trickster demi-god and a moon goddess, who also happens to be a trickster archetype despite the rest of the pantheon actively ignoring that fact...19. *** - Modern spy setting with psionics that takes themes from the story above20. *** - Cyberpunk story with dead girlfriends in your head and a "patchwork" hacker stuck online, may drop to get rights to Moon myth story.

Two short stories from a series I'm trying to put together for a book.

 

Not ALL the stories will end up being horror - but seriously, most of the original fairy tales were, anyway.

 

I'd like each story to feature a piece of artwork, if you get inspired, by the way.. ^-^

 

Fear the Hunter

 

It was supposed to be a simple visit to my grandmothers house I have done it so often in the past, Id come to stop thinking of them as special. Truth be told, Id come to think of them as mostly a chore.

 

Grandma lives outside of town, deep in the woods. Shes far from the only person around here that does it what we call the town is little more than the two roads crossing and the houses that line them. But it was far enough out of the way to be an annoyance, and Grandma is too old to make the trip herself.

 

So I, as her eldest grandchild, have to carry food for her from the town, listen to her stories, and make sure she hasnt gone and died on us while we werent watching. Mama always says she should move into town, in case theres ever any trouble. But she hasnt offered our house to her mother-in-law, and Grandma doesnt see any reason to leave the woods her husband had worked. Besides, theres still enough men cutting wood or hunting each day in the forest that shes never really alone.

 

It was the wolf that first told me today was not a simple day. Mama told me often enough never to leave the trail while walking through the woods, since night happens almost before you know it here in the mountains, and to be lost in the woods is to die. But I didnt leave the trail I didnt have to. The wolf was there, plain as day, waiting for me.

 

Ive seen wolves before, of course. Furs for the things you use furs for. A snarling head one winter to pleasantly frighten children. Some dead bodies, legs tied, hanging off the backs of horses as the hunters went to the tavern to celebrate. A few eyes in the darkness of the woods, once, to hurry me home to the light. But never one like this.

 

Never one that had been massacred so utterly.

 

Its head was the first thing I really noticed. Twisted up and to the side so I saw it in profile against the trail, eyes rolled slightly inside the sockets, tongue dangling out of the open mouth. It didnt look anything like a dog, but neither did it look dangerous.

 

The fur was matted, unhealthy. I guessed it hadnt eaten, or at least eaten properly, in quite some time. What was there was a reddish brown, sickly. No hunter would seek it out to make a rug or a blanket, let alone a cloak and hood for a sweetheart.

 

Its stomach, though it took a while, even for me, to look at it properly. Its body was slit, throat to crotch, and everything was pouring out. Blood. Lungs. Intestines. And the stomach itself, split as neatly as the chest which is to say, not at all and almost pulled out of the body.

 

I felt I was going to be sick; I honestly wanted to throw up. But even though Im grown Im almost 12, no child and had helped my Mama prepare animals for food before, part of me was frightened that if I did throw up, what would come out would be what was in the wolfs stomach. There, in the blood and the bile, were three stones, bulging the stomach into an awful shape. I distinctly remember thinking that if Id throw up, Id die, because the stones would cut my throat on the way up, and maybe break my mouth, they were so big. There was no way the wolf itself could have swallowed them, but there they were, inside the stomach, peeking out of the hole. It didnt occur to me at the time that they had been put in, that the hole had been made for them they were so covered in blood. I was sure they had to have been in there while the wolf was still alive.

 

And the wolf hadnt been dead long. Its tongue was still damp, the blood still glistened around the wound and on the ground, bugs hadnt started eating the carcass yet.

 

It was just there, violated, on the trail to my grandmothers house, waiting for me.

 

I dont know when it occurred to me to be frightened for Grandma. I was in shock, first, then the fear came. And besides, her house was much closer than the town, and I promised myself that the body wouldnt seem so frightening within the warm walls and close to the cozy fire. Maybe it wasnt even real, and I could forget about it, there.

 

I ran the rest of the way I lost a lot of the food in the basket. I had to step over the body first, though. Please remember, I was in shock, and my Mamas warnings about leaving the trail seemed as important as the question of what could have done this to a wolf. Part of me must have been scared that if I stepped off the safety of the trail, the monster would leap out of the trees and kill me, too. So I had to step over the body, and the wolf was large. The edge of my cloak got sticky with blood, still red, like roses. I almost imagined it seeping into the wool, dying the entire cloak red to the hood, until it wrapped around my face, smelling of dead wolf.

 

So much thoughts, for such a little time. It felt like forever. Then I was running, basket knocking against my side, my lungs ready to burst. Part of me wanted to drop the cloak, get rid of the bloody thing, but part of me was also scared of the chill in the almost-winter air.

 

When I got to Grandmas house, the open door didnt frighten me at first it comforted me. I felt like I was being welcomed. And it meant that I didnt have to stop running to get into the one room cabin. Which meant there was no time at all before I saw my grandmother on the down-stuffed bed.

 

There was no question it was her her face was whole, like the wolfs. Whole, eyes rolled back in fear, tongue dangling slightly from a screaming mouth. Her hands were curled into helpless claws by her face. I will never know why.

 

The death of the wolf was clean, though, compared to her. The blanket had been pulled up to her chin, but then torn through, to the frail body beneath. Blood was everywhere, and flesh, and organs I didnt take time to identify them all. All I could see was her stomach, lying almost beside her, and the bite wounds on it.

 

I screamed, of course. Thats how he found me, standing staring at my dead grandmother, wine pouring from the broken bottle and the dropped basket at my feet, screaming wordlessly. I heard a sound, and turned around, and there he was, in the door way, a silhouette of shoulders and chest and a large axe.

 

I cannot tell you what he said, just that he gruffly apologized, stating that he had found my grandmother, much as I had, and the wolf responsible. He said he killed the wolf, just down the trail, and had gone to get more help. But he was alone, so there must not have been any to find.

 

I nodded, thankful to see him. Thankful for an explanation to everything that had happened. But as he stepped into the cabin, I could see the blood staining the black beard around his mouth. And the blood covering my grandmother was even fresher than the blood of the wolf. And while his axe was covered stained a messy red, in the blood was not just red fur, but soft down feathers as well.

 

I could see in my mind my gray cloak dyed red, and wondered why I had started screaming again

 

- Mary-Melissa Wilzewski

 

Blood Dreams

 

I lie here in my castle, asleep, dreaming. Outside the stone walls a bramble of thorns and vines encase my home like the embrace of a jealous and vengeful lover. Flowers, the colour of fresh-spilt blood, bloom full and voluptuously from the vines, turning their faces to the sun. But their real beauty comes at night, when they are stained silver by the moonlight, when their petals open to their limit, their intoxicating fragrance filling the air. The scent calls out for brave young men to come free me, so that the vines and thorns may feed.

 

When the perfume or the legend surrounding my castle and myself plants itself into the heart of a man like a seed, it may take years, or it may take days, but it will grow and consume him until he can think of nothing else but me. And then he comes, to face the endless maze of vine and thorn. Though logic states that it is impossible to pass, and indeed none that try have ever returned, he will brave the tangle, until he reaches so far that the sun no longer touches him. There, the vines have full power. They wrap the hapless man, thorns piercing his skin, drawing out the rich blood within.

 

I dream of them, these would-be rescuers, when the sun sets and all light fades. I dream I come to each like a ghost, embrace them, as they speak of their undying love for me. I touch their lips and wounds, feeling and tasting their life blood, as the vines feed off of it to build their roots and grow their blooms.

 

By sunrise, all that remains is the dry husk that was once a vital man, who was loved and loved others, now gone forever more. Inside my castle, I sleep, smiling in remembrance of their spirit and strength, and the feel of it coiled within me like the weight of a warm, delicious supper.

 

The brambles were once my protection against the world, a close friend that thought only to care for me as I lived and ruled behind their impenetrable walls. But it is impossible to live completely closed off from the world, as I have discovered, and the store of supplies and people within my realm grew steadily less.

 

Now, I am dreaming of another man, who as come to free me of my home. There is something of a dark magic around him, a magic that resonates against the power of my vines. Maybe this is the reason he has come to my kingdom at night, under a new, empty moon and starless sky. The thorns hold still, only quivering slightly as he passes, dormant in their own sleep as I draw the energy I need to survive from them. In this way he reaches the heavy door of my castle, pulled ajar by a hundred years of my pet trying to come closer to a master that, for no reason it can comprehend, has fallen silent.

 

He passes my servants, fallen as though asleep under a powerful sleep where they worked, not seeing in the faint light that they are dried mummies, preserved because there is nothing left in their bodies to rot. Each served me faithfully until I had need of a greater service from them, and none complained, held by my magic. But after a while, there were too few of them left to carry away the bodies of their companions, and only then did I realize the depth of my mistake.

 

He has found me now, in my high tower room, with the heavy velvet curtains pulled tight against the windows, allowing no light to enter my bower save the soothing rays of the moon. Overcome by my beauty, which has held in crystal perfection through my years of endless slumber, he pulls in a breath, then bends down to brush my lips with his own.

 

I may be too weak to awaken, kept alive and sane only by the feedings of my vines that they gladly give me, but the warmth he radiates is enough to give me the strength to move the tiny bit I need. I pull back my lips, caressing his as though returning his kiss, and then fasten my teeth to his tender skin, feeling the searing warmth, coppery taste of his blood fill my mouth. He may have cried out, but I do not hear, intent upon fulfilling my need for his life.

 

When I am recovered enough, I rise and fasten myself to his throat, where I can draw out his blood more easily, quenching a hunger that has existed too long. As his body falls to the floor, I go to the window, and draw back the curtain to gaze again at my domain.

 

My pet, feeling my return, awakes as well, flowers tipped towards me in delight. I hold out my wrist, and a tendril wraps around it like a bracelet, thorns biting in to feed off of my blood and the blood of my savior as I had fed off the energy of its own kills. The rest of the bramble fades into dust, satisfied that its purpose has been completed.

 

I lovingly stroke the flower blooming from the vine around my wrist as I turn again to the man who has freed me of my hunger and sleep. He had courage, and strength; I will allow him to arise, and be my mate for a while. He should interest me for half a century, at least, and it would do good for the citizens of the lands around my castle to see us together, so they believe everything is good with their world.

 

I have slept long enough. Never again shall I hide myself away against those that would kill me.

 

It is time for me to spread my roots throughout my kingdom again, and feed from the life that has grown up in my absence.

 

- Mary-Melissa Wilzewski

 

If you want to be confident, it helps to know what you have to be confident ABOUT.Write down a list of all the good qualities you think you have. Are you a good listener? An artist? Can you stuff 10 marshmellows in your mouth without choking? Everyone has something they're good at.Then, ask your friends and family to come up with stuff for your list. You'll probably be surprised at what they believe your strengths are.Very little builds confidence than discovering new reasons why people like you. ^-^

[And don't show any signs of disappointment if you get the wrong answer. There will be other opportunities come around. Of course, jump up and down like it's the best thing to happen to you in a million years if she answers 'yes'. She'll like that.]

Very true, haslip. ^-^

You don't want to make her feel you can't still be friends. But if she likes you, enthusiasm is rarely a bad thing. ^-^

Ask her out on a "non-date". Just something you two can go do, possibly with friends, that you both enjoy. Don't put any pressure on her, and just see how things go.Or, you can use the "grapevine" approach. Have a mutual friend "casually" mention you kinda like her, to test her opinion.

I like my sig quote, but I'm still trying to balance conveying my intended meaning with minimal words (Being brief is NOT my strong suit. ^-^)The quote is based off of one of my characters, Daphi'indi. Since she's pretty much a self-insert, though, it works for me, too. ^-^On a scale of 1-100 of evil to good, Daphi'indi rates in the 90s. ^-^ Her primary concern is the good of people, sacrificing her own needs without a thought for strangers, let alone her friends.She's also a great study of human nature, however, and recognizes that nothing worthwhile comes easy. Therefore, she has absolutely no problem manipulating situations, putting obstacles and problems in the path of her nearest and dearest to try and guide them towards being better people. She's EXCEPTIONALLY good at it (having some fate and empathic magic), and usually so subtle that it takes a while for people to recognize what she's doing.Her motives and concerns are always for the good of others, but her methods can be preceived as cruel, especially since she almost never explains herself, trusting in her own experience and judgement.Hence, she's like a nice/good but evil/devious fairygodmother. ^-^I just want to get some opinions on synonyms so I can best capture that paradox and diconomy.PS: The poll's helpful, of course, but posts explaining your thoughts are good, too. ^-^

Happy birthday! Congrats on being a Libra, one of the most interesting signs of the zodiac!I'm serious. Libra has (ok, IS) something no other sign is. ^-^Here's to many more years of you being (off)balance! ^-^

Ok, now, the Link sequence was SO fabulous..... Just - perfect.And the Tetris pieces...Now I wish I could sing and take part in this group. ^-^

Everyone here seems so willing to give their gorgeous artwork.

 

Me, I hate my drawing (Although I'm slowly recognizing this is due more to perfectionism that me being honestly HORRIBLE; I'm still only average, though.) and I've just started image modification, so sigs are still in the future.

 

But one thing I can do: WRITE! ^-^

 

So, here's my offer! You want something poetic written, PM me or drop a request in this topic. Replies will be given in the same manner, unless requested otherwise.

 

For my personal stuff, I tend towards a freeform style. However, I've experimented with formal styles (Including Sestinas and Haiku) with generally well recieved results, so I'm willing to work within requested guidelines! ^-^

 

Short (1-2 lines) can be requested if you want to have something to add to a sig. I'm not 100% great at quotes, per say, but I can be interestingly obsure. ^-^

 

My personal favorite is currently what I call "image poems", for lack of a better term. It's pretty much a parapragh of prose, but written in a poetic style, focusing on a specific image to describe a person, feeling, or thing. I'll include one below to let you see what I mean.

 

As for credit, I only ask that I be recognized on my longer works. Short stuff (defined by me) can be presented without reference to me, although it would be appriciated. I would PREFER you don't go saying you've created the shorter stuff, but I'm pretty much willing to give it up if you want it that bad. ^-^

 

I wonder if anyone will be interested in this... ^-^

 

An image poem for Koiugen, one of the main characters for my story Phoenix Flair, Dragon Descent. Not all image poems become a series of questions like this; it just suited Koiugen's longing and confusion.

 

Incidently, with some images changed, this could also work nicely for Deliruim of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Might look into that version someday...

 

 

From Different Eyes

 

Who can say what is seen, when it is seen through different coloured eyes? For one cursed with eyes of blue and gold, can they ever see things as a normal person does? Burdened with things no other mortal can see, could they ever appriciate the ordinary sight of a stream, the flight of a bird? Or must they always see things with multiple meanings, see in the stream the caress of a lost lover, the bird the stolen freedom of power?

Do they see things differently, from each eye? A world long forgotten, a world yet to be destroyed? The glorious madness of a fire unrestrained, the bitter loneliness of a breeze that has been everywhere?

Can a girl with such a gift ever see beyond what lies within others? Can a girl with such ill favor ever see the truth within herself?

What do you see, from behind your mismatched eyes?

 

If it weren't for Saturn, Jupiter would have to be my favorite of all the planets for coolness. I just LOVE the lines the gases develop, the permenant red storm - and now, another one!

 

Saturn only wins because of the rings AND having stripes. ^-^

 

One thing, though. Since Big Red has been relatively stable as long as we've been monitoring it (As far as I know...), perhaps Red Jr will also stablize once it reaches a certain size. After all, while it produces a lot of energy, there are also a lot of forces working AGAINST Red Jr (AKA all the gases surrounding it! ^-^)

 

And even though these storms are HUGE by just about any scale we can think of - just look how TINY they are in comparison to Jupiter itself (Especially when you remember all pictures are only showing us half the planet). I'd be a little more worried if there were more storms, but at the moment, two of this scale strikes me as safe.

 

Am I just naive?

 

@husker - Honestly, I doubt Jupiter could make ANYTHING worse than the SUN in terms of poisons, since stars are pretty much balanced nuclear reactions. As well, the Sun is a lot closer to Earth than Jupiter (See below), and anything would have to travel the vacuum of space THROUGH the astroid belt. I think Earth is safe. ^-^ Could have an effect on nearby stuff, though...

 

@AD - It's not as far as you're thinking, actually. This is true of starts, hundreds of lightyears away. Nasa.gov reveals the following stats (All distances average because the orbits are not perfect circles):

 

Jupiter's distance from Sun: 778,412,020 km

Earth's distance from Sun: 149,597,890 km

 

Therefore, estimate an average of (778,412,020 - 149,597,890) 628,814,130 km distance between Earth and Jupiter.

 

A light year is 9,500,000,000,000 km, which makes Jupiter an estimated (628,814,130/9,500,000,000,000) 0.0000661 light years away. Therefore, it takes about (365*6.61X10-5) 0.024 days or only 34.56 MINUTES for light from Jupiter to reach us here on Earth.

 

I assume. I might have screwed up somewhere.... But I think my calculations are correct.

 

Edit: Actually, there IS a problem somewhere in my calculations - or more precisely, an incorrect assumption. I figured it out afterwards. ^-^ Can anyone catch it? Does anyone care? LOL

While I like GIMP (Largely because it's free. ^-^), it can be a LITTLE confusing. Plus, my searches regarding this question have managed to only confuse me more. So, I decided to risk looking like a fool in exchange for credits and quality help. ^-^What I want to do:- Take an existing render (the one in my sig, actually, kindly donated by truefusion) and create a mask over the face.- "Mask" as in "Phantom of the Opera", and not in the sense of any graphic program. ^-^ Actually, the PofO reference is apt, since I'll be wanting it cut to show some of the original face...How I've been planning to go about this:- Create a selection over the area of the face I want to be "masked", not including the hair (FUN...).- Use some of the Color Tools to change the colors to porceline/white, while taking advantage of existing shading to keep depth.- Create an outline at the edge of the selection to define the mask.Problems thus far:- Using Select tools. I can't seem to get my head around how GIMP does selecting. Mostly since my experience is largly in MS Paint. ^-^;- What Color Tools would be best to change the flesh tones to a less realistic white/washed out pink.Any specific suggestions? Anyone know any existing tutorials that may be useful for me? Anyone kind enough to explain exactly what I need to do? ^-^Thanks!

That is more gorgeous that I could have ever dreamed possible.Thank you, truefusion! ^-^

One of my psych textbooks had this quote in it, and I can't seem to find who to attribute it to. But it makes so much sense, the more you study about Freud:

Freud mistook a mirror for a window.

The basici idea is that Freud, in his research, found a lot of things that were true for him. Instead of assuming they were unique to his experiences, he attributed them to all people. (BIG simplification, but you get the idea)

Case in point, Oedipus Complex. Pretty much perfectly describes his OWN relationship with his mother and father.

On the other hand, another quote from a different text., paraphrased due to memory...

Freud was obsessed with what was taboo. In the Victorian era, that was sex. If he were theorizing today, he would be concerned with spirituality [or similar themes uncomfortable for modern society].

That's just to be fair, though. IMHO, Freud was a perv that messed things up - including with his own patients, literally - ten times more often than he was correct.

Sorry if this got off topic; Freud's a pet peeve of mine. ^-^

Thanks for the input and explinations. Nice to know I wasn't going insane, thinking noone used Frames... ^-^

Ok, I will make EVERYONE feel better.This is one of my top 10 scariest dreams EVER. It happened when I was about five years old.There's this playground, which is the coolest thing ever, because it not only has slides and swings and stuff, but there's this HUGE pile of junk (clean and quasi-usuable) that kids can dig around in and get things.Well, I'm standing in line with a few kids and this woman, and she says me and two other kids can go to the playground. Suddenly, she's Mama Bear (or whatever) from the Burnstein Bears, and the last two kids are Cub Scouts from the same. She tells them they can't go play "until [they] by a pay-pa." I can still remember they way she said paper...That's not the scary part. It's coming up.Anyway, I'm at the playground with the other kids. They go play on the swings, but I head over to the junk pile. I'm looking for something, I don't remember what, but I can't find it. So I tell C3P0 to go digging for it in the ground.He digs this tunnel, arms like a windmill (You know, cartoon style), until he finds it. I think it's a piece of costume jewelry or something. Anyway, he turns around and heads back.But in the path, that he just dug, and therefore already crossed, is now a pool of lava. C3P0 steps into it, and starts melting.I cannot begin to explain how much this troubled and scared me as a child.In order to get over the dream, I told myself C3P0 was really make of foil-covered CHOCOLATE, and that's why he melted. For some reason, that worked.Ok, I have OFFICIALLY established my complete and utter insanity. ^-^

For me, it depends. I like spending time with friends; mostly, however, I'm a loner. To be perfectly honest, there have been times my friends have been over, (including my kinda boyfriend!) and they've sat and watched tv while I play on the computer in another room. Granted, our conversations keep going despite the multiple rooms... LOLIn dining rooms, however, 99 times out of 100, I sit by myself with a book. I have to have gone IN with someone to sit with them. Otherwise, I don't seek anyone out.On the other hand, don't mind if people sit beside me - if they can find room around all my stuff. ^-^;

I got lucky - while making sure I knew what I was talking about, I found a page that explains frames AND demonstrates the design I'm thinking about. ^-^

http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

The page shows what I mean about "mock" frames - using tables (I'm assuming?) to arrange the title and the menu, but scrolls with the rest of the text. I have no idea how else to describe it. ^-^

The first poll is just to see if a trend I've noticed actually exists, or I'm just crazy. ^-^

I know I'm officially "in" to something when I start dreaming about it. My dreams tend to go in the same directions yours does (Step 1 and 2 make sense together, and Step 2 and 3 make sense, but you really don't get how you got to Step 3 from 1... o_O) but I can generally figure out what inspired important sections.

On the other hand, I'm not always SURE why the dream is inspired by the material. My best example is wandering around this quasi-haunted house kinda RPG style - which I KNOW is inspired by Phil Folio's Girl Genius, but for the life of me I can't figure out HOW.

I guess that's what I get for being an Obsessive-Compulsive Gamer/Reader/Writer. ^-^