Phantom Orchid

This realm is made up of all kinds... for better and for worse. As a dreamer once recently discovered, the balance is there - but it needs shifting/adjustment sometimes. How will -you- incorporate- what you perceive to be happening in this realm into your character's actions? Use your imagination, for it may be your greatest ally in the battle against vindictiveness. My advice - take account of those you care about (or hate, or are indifferent to - whatever suits your character) and actualize your dreams. And, don't let other people's crap stick to you... And know this: that action is, and will forever be, the antidote for despair.

[b]Karak:[/b] *[i]smiles at the assembly[/i]* Friends, august company and those new to the realm. Welcome to this the inaugural White Service of the Children of the Eclipse. White Service? I hear you say. Yes, white. In the future, you may hear of the Red, but today it is white in recognition of the Goddess in her gentler moods, calling for peace. When the Red moon calls bloodletting shall be permitted during the service to honor the Goddess with sacrifice. But for now let us rest in the arms of the white goddess. For those of you who don\'t know me my name is Karak and I stand as Captain of the Knights of the Moon But also this day I stand before you has priest of the Moon and one of her representatives here in the realm. Today I am joined by Meru Chi, high priestess, who shall perform the benedictions to the Goddess to call her to join us here. [b]*meru chi*:[/b]This day we ask the Goddess to hear us and be present in our offerings to Her and the community of this realm. [b]Karak:[/b]We are honored so many have come this day to hear our words. Meru, if you will call the Goddess to join us? *[i]steps aside[/i]* [b]*meru chi*:[/b]We ask to be guided by Her wisdom, to be taught Her knowledge, and be reminded of our hearts so we may lead as an example to our brethren. [b]*meru chi*:[/b]Goddess of the Moon’s Light we ask your presence and blessing in our service. [b]:[/b][i]*meru chi* smiles and nods at Karak[/i] [b].Tarquinus.:[/b]Amen. [b]Karak:[/b]Amen. *[i]resumes his place[/i]* [b]*meru chi*:[/b]Amen [b]*SageWoman*:[/b]Aho [b]Priestess Aia:[/b]Amen. [b]Dark Mystic:[/b]Amen [i]Leucretia is entranced[/i] S[b]parrhawk:[/b]amen [b]SilverBlades:[/b]Amen *[i]whispers something to his egg[/i]* [b]Leucretia:[/b]Amen [b]Karak:[/b]Today I want to share with you a dream I had, and talk about community and fellowship. But first the dream. [b]LunarGoddess:[/b]amen [i]Peace nods in silence[/i] [b]Karak: [/b]I found myself walking alone, a barren landscape to my right and a prosperous, fertile land to my left. As I walked that border, I pondered on the lives we choose to expend our energies in pursuit of. On the one hand, enriching the lives of others and ourselves. Planting many seeds that bear life and prosper under our careful, tender attention. And the other, a wasteland: devoid of sharing, bent on destruction, leaving an empty space where life may have grown. And I, one foot in the green pastures of prosperity and one in the shriveled wastes of destruction, each one roiling through my soul as I lifted the other foot, calling with the siren song of that chosen path, only quieting when both feet touched the earth. I wondered what would happen if I faltered in my walk and chose one path over the other. Many nights I had this dream, many nights I looked out over the respective plains, looking for a sign that might sway me to prefer one over another, yet none came until one night a tree stood in my path, requiring me to either go around it or go back. To go around I would have to choose to visit the pastures of prosperity or the wasteland. Which path did I choose? Did I make it back to path of balance, or was I seduced by the chosen path\'s siren call? I cannot tell you that, for each being must choose their own path, unaffected by the choice of another, since neither is wrong or right, just different. *[i]smiles[/i]* "But what of community," I hear you grumble from your place in the crowd. "That's a nice dream, but how does it help me?" *[i]raises his hand in acknowledgement[/i]* I say to you, which path are you going to choose? There will be turmoil ahead that will test our hearts. Many among us will lose their connection to loved ones, dear friends, or devoted enemies. The lands begin to rumble once more with voices of war; people hear more about the cube from the traveler and wonder what it means. If I steal my neighbor’s cube, will it make me powerful? Perhaps if I open another's cube I can extinguish them forever? I do not know the answers to these questions, but I know that if we allow it, the fabric of our community will be torn asunder. The traveler is sewing discord and intrigue amongst us. As children of the goddess, we can be confident we will be nurtured and protected. Yet temptations will be put in our path to destroy that which we love or hate and take war to the lands. Some will grow strong and prosper only to be torn down, while others will lie hidden, seemingly dormant, until a tipping point is reached, and will rise up. I say, now is the time to look into your heart and the hearts of those you trust and strengthen the bonds of community that bind you. Be each other’s anchor against the turmoil that may sweep the land, so that when the cycle of calm is restored once more, there will stand the familiar faces of friend and foe alike like guiding stars in the night sky. And from those faces, you will be able to count the missing and mourn their passing, and live for their sacrifice. They will feel your life in their spirits and rejoice. So the land will experience new beginnings, and we will know the value of community and build ourselves stronger bonds against the next breaking. We cannot hold back the winds of change, but we can build ourselves shelters through our bonds of community and fellowship. Meru if you would please close the time of worship? [b]*meru chi*:[/b] *[i]smiles and nods[/i]* Of course. We thank the Goddess for the blessing of this service. Our devotion to Her teachings and the guidance of Her wisdom will allow us to nurture and cultivate our community. The awareness of our hearts and minds remind us of our duties to each other. O Goddess of the Moon we thank you for your presence and your departure. [i]Phantom Orchid bows down and kisses the earth[/i] [b]*meru chi*:[/b]Amen [b]SilverBlades:[/b]Amen. [b]Karak:[/b]Amen. [b]Dark Mystic:[/b]Amen [b]*SageWoman*:[/b]~Aho~ [b]Leucretia:[/b]Amen [b]LunarGoddess:[/b]amen [b].Tarquinus.:[/b]Amen. [i]Peace nods in silence[/i] [b]Priestess Aia:[/b]Amen. [b]*SageWoman*:[/b]I am pleasantly surprised of this service, Karak. [b]*SageWoman*:[/b]It has touched my Heart. [i]Leucretia sighs deeply[/i]

[center][center][size=5][b]WTT Roleplay[/b][/size] [i]Looking for players who will[/i][/center][/center] [list] [*]treat each other with respect, even if their characters' interactions are far from congenial [*]use roleplay language in a way that doesn't control another person's character without permission [*]give their character depth with history [*]focus on being original, while keeping their character's actions plausible [*]keep their character consistent, yet not static, and also allow space for change/growth/decay/renewal [*]stay in-character unless properly using () [*]treat others as they wish to be treated [/list] [i]... and most importantly ...[/i][list] [*]have fun! [/list]

So close! I wish I could have made it to the last round. Thanks Burns, it was quite a fun event!

Welcome back, and thank you for the work that you do.

Yes! Thank you all so much. I had a ball! May this event provide oodles of inspiration for the rest of us.

When I was telling a story under the influence of the 'drunk' spell, twice it created multiple error messages that kept coming up (for everyone there) until someone cleared chat completely. I was using the (*) character before and after each sentence, which was fine, but then when I threw in apostrophes (") also it caused several errors. I didn't get a chance to copy the error message, but perhaps someone can figure it out (in a remote location please).

You are in our thoughts and prayers, Phantasm.

Given that a lot of time is spent clicking, then waiting for refresh, then clicking again, over and over, etc. to "pray (give heat)" to protector - and also given the release of heat jars - I suggest that either a slider bar or an option to allow the giving of fixed quantities, or certain percentages, of heat be implemented to improve the "pray (give heat)" to protector button.

I am auctioning 6 Cups of Aromatic Tea, consumable items with 3 uses per item. If the reserve price is not met (bidding does not go as high as I'd like) I will withdraw the auction. [edit: I will break up the items to auction if no one bids satisfactorily for all of them]

What about a spiral, such as the one seen by new players when they encounter the wall shades?

I will donate:[list] [*]1 gold [*]8 lumber [*]BP Archer (age 539) [*]Pimped Grasan (age 151) [*]2 Angiens (age 506) [*]2 Tormented Souls (age 286) [/list]

5sc

1 silver coin for each imperial aramor 1 silver coin for angien

I understand the idea presented by Mur for resources, but I do not believe that this idea is being implemented in the way it was intended to. For example, I know at least 2 out of 3 of those who are able to collect memory stones are using multiple alts to deposit gathered stones so that they do not accumulate/stack in their main account. So these resources are being divided in a way that was not intended.

I will offer to help from Loreroot, however this idea might/will play out.

The Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian mountains... 2 out of 3 of my favorite places in the U.$.

81)[list] [*]8 + 1 = 9 [*]9 × 9 = 81 [/list] 82)[list] [*](82, 44, 40, 50, 43, 1, 0) [/list]

[url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/7444-item-swapping/page__view__findpost__p__64913"]http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/7444-item-swapping/page__view__findpost__p__64913[/url] [quote] [i]"gathering coins and items from alts and moving them on a main (or backwards) wont be considered alt abuse. Gaining coins for free and using more accounts to do that , is abuse and will be punished accordingly. At this point there should not be possible to get coins for free, please correct me if i am wrong!"[/i][/quote] So, in the above post Mur speaks of [i]gathering[/i] items, but what about using WPs from an alt to [i]create[/i] items to benefit main account? Item transfer from alt-main seems acceptable by Mur, as it stands, despite being scorned by many, but the issue I'm trying to clarify is using WP from alt to benefit main - specifically through item creation. WPs seem to be relatively 'free' because of active days reward, but I'm not sure if they apply to the 'free' gathering of coins point that he made.

[quote] Do some brains share the same shape? If so, why do they not share the same thoughts? Just because of the way they develop? Affected by upbringing? Or, does everyone have a different brain shape? [/quote] A rough 'shape' might be considered the same on a macro level (ie for identical twins); however, on the micro level the brain is host to a trillion (give or take ) of neurons which have grown and been pruned into their unique shape by their owner's unique upbringing. Take, for instance, the aboveground growth of a tree. It may have the same 'shape' as others of its species, but its environment (weather, soil contents, amount of water available, etc) shapes its particular branching patterns. A memory is an experience stored, and since no two people can share the exact same experience, no two people can have the exact same memory. [quote]And does this affect the way our brain develops and the way we learn? [/quote] For the brain, genetics provide the form from which it will develop, but most of its development comes from environmental influence. Form feeds function, sure - but function feeds form to a much greater extent. [quote]Some people have better memory than others, is this because of brain shape? Or are some people just using less of their brain than others?[/quote] Memories are formed between neurons and synapses, so the myth of science says; however, do not rocks have memories? Do they not provide a glimpse of Time in the past? Think of fossils found in rock. It is a memory of sorts. But getting back to your question, some people, due to genetic malfunction of environmental stressors, have less memory function. Neurons grow like muscles - the more they are used, the more connections are made. If they are not used (ie, if the memories aren't accessed, if the practice of storing memories is weak), they atrophy as well. (just a few thoughts, I might elaborate more later if i get the time)

Is it alt abuse - a punishable offense - to create an item using WP from an alt and then give that same item to main character? I am asking because obviously because of active-day WPs there are now lots of item requests going to Crafters, some from alts requesting items which would be created specifically for their main. I would prefer to know what rules, if any, this would violate - instead of opinions. If it is not clear, then please open this up for discussion of opinions. [sup][edit - Paste from Rules and Restrictions][/sup] [quote][list] [*]You can have multiple accounts, to try out story, to experince new ways of play etc ..., however if you are detected that you are using them just to help one of your main accounts , all of them including the main will get banned. [/list] [/quote]

My dear, Happy Birthday!!!

I forgot about this old avatar in my vault. Whoever wants it can bid with coin or give me reason/s why I should give it to them for free! ID: 48 [url="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/avatar4e3c84900e326.gif/"][img]http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3324/avatar4e3c84900e326.gif[/img][/url]

[quote] Living observers are gates to reality, repeating and recreating observed reality over and over in what is called Mind. [/quote] This statement turned the cranks in my Mind quite heavily Here are a few regurgitated thoughts... [font=courier new,courier,monospace]Living observers experience objects of their experience as [i]there [/i]in the outside world. The source of their experience appears to be outside of themselves. Even with creativity/imagination, the observers experience the source of images, sounds, patterns as within but still beyond themselves. But the [i]reality [/i]resides, for instance, in color that comes from a source of pre-light not yet lit, sounds from silence, patterns from nothing of yet of form - all of these things, [i]nothing[/i], yet the Source of all things created.[/font] [font=courier new,courier,monospace]The observer and observed are seperate but related to one another, as embodied beings through the medium of viscosity. The "things" that unite them, if stripped away, become a naked presence. The observer and observed with first, and finally, nothing between them. No thing. That which is apparently "between" cannot be named by the things that come between, for it is no-thing (ie void).[/font] The view for one who is aliented from its Source of creation is stuck in despair and doomed for failure, for their path has not been walked to the end of time, nor space, nor darkness, nor light - for one does not know that where it all ends, there it all begins.

happy happy birthday !!!