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Cat Burglar
Connor followed the other trainers and Pokemon while Gwyn led the way for them. As soon as they reached the top and arrived at the living room, Connor's eyes widened and whistled, "Whew, classy," was all he could say. He then spotted Marion and quickly greeted her, "Ah, Marion! It's been a while! How are you feeling?" he said with a smile as he let out four other Pokeballs. "All right then, time for you guys to come out!" he threw the four balls to reveal a Shuppet, Plusle, Pansage, and a Gligar. Foster looked around and spotted Marion, ~So we're here huh... Ah Marion, so you've recovered now? That's good to know,~ he said to her in Shuppet language. Rhett was wearing a huge smile on his face and waved both of his arms to greet her and Sylvester did the same to both her and Liliana whom he had previously fought before, ~Yo Annie, it's nice to meet ya again! How's it goin'?~ . Jacques was clinging to Connor's leg once again as he glanced around the room. He shuddered and quickly became frightened as he saw the many Ghost-types and even the portraits around him which seemed to eerily eye him. "Nothing's going to hurt you here Jacques, don't worry. We're here to have fun right?" "Gli..." After greeting Marion and everyone else, all of Connor's Pokemon that's present except for Jacques scattered around to enjoy the party.
"Ah, yeah. The past month? Well... I've most been trying to settle down a bit lately. Haven't ventured out that much since Halloween, except for that one time in Talas..." Connor trailed off while he scratched his head, "And let's see... I've also been busy with my photography work lately! Well, I'm not exactly hired by anyone yet but I'm getting there. As for my team, well..." the photographer gestured towards the Lickitung, "As you just saw a while ago, I got myself a Lickitung over there. His name's Waldemar. Apart from him, I've got a Whismur, and a Poliwag, and... oh! Remember the Shadow Lottery last Halloween? Yeah, I kind of won that one and got myself an Elgyem! I couldn't believe my luck on that one!" he grinned. "Apart from that, there's really nothing else going on about me..." he stopped as he turned around and yawned. "Ooh, sorry. Maybe I haven't been sleeping well as I used to but it's nothing you guys should be concerned about." he shrugged. "Anyway, I have to say though Marion, you look good! Kinda wish I dressed up to fit the theme of the place. I'd photograph you right now, but I bet you wouldn't want that would you?"
Waldemar meanwhile went over to the table where all the food were, eyes glistening to the sight of such delicacies and his mouth already watering. ~So many food! Waldemar eat food!~ he said as he started to eat whatever food there was on the table.
Spoiler: show
Lost Day Hour
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for a friend
Posts: 4,716
What is love? Baby don't hurt me no more...
After Jessica departed in haste, one of the boys approached Alice and spoke affably, comparing her to his own lovely Kirlia. The little Ralts smiled upon receiving the older sister's soft yellow, and curtsied politely, transmitting a cool green back. However, her color was also accompanied with words, which Hyrem could hear clearly.
Hello, nice to meet you. My name's Alice. And this is Bobble. She pointed to the Wynaut, who was somewhat preoccupied with carrying the presents up the steps but spared an ear-arm to wave. My trainer's name is Jess. What's yours?
Meanwhile, Gwyn was helping Waffle and Blueberry carry the cake up the stairs. Waffle sneaked a glance at his girlfriend over the top of the box, watching her form a fond expression as she appreciated such a kind lad's assistance. As soon as they set the container down on the table – as directed by the blue Frillish named Bedivere – the Drifloon relinquished her resistance and scooped Gwyn up in her cords, cuddling him close. Producing a cookie as if by magic, she offered it and a pat for a job well done.
Once Gwyn had toddled away with his prize, Blue noticed Waffle's pout of jealousy, and put her heart in his hand to reassure him, giving him a peck that sent warm static down his spine. She immediately illustrated that she certainly wasn't interested in dating anyone else, let alone a Liltwick – but rather that she'd love to someday have an adorable child of her own to spoil. Waffle blushed at this prospect, squeezing her strings tight. While he couldn't reciprocate such desires himself (at least not physically), there was always the option of adoption…
On the other side of the room, Minchi was admiring Marion's beautiful dress and makeup, approving of the color coordination. Kanna was growing more and more agitated though, as she kept insisting the paintings were alive, but her friend was too distracted to answer the Furret's fearful tugs. Kanna gulped, feeling eyes following her as she backed up, squeaking in terror as she suddenly encountered something. Fortunately it turned out to only be Kief. He cocked his head at the quivering Kanna, who had immediately curled up into a ball and covered her eyes in panic. Of course, Kief figured, the best way to cheer her up would be to lick her face in one long, slow motion. Kanna moaned as she felt the slobber drip down her cheeks, thinking it ectoplasm at first. But as she gradually removed her paws and saw Kief grinning down at her, she flushed and quickly straightened, flailing wildly as she thanked him for the drool in her embarrassment.
Minchi turned around upon hearing the commotion, and suppressed a laugh as she witnessed poor Kanna's predicament. Pulling on her pal's tail, she winked, having come up with a wonderful way out of the situation. Upon Marion's invitation to explore the house, Minchi dragged Kanna along into the hall without a moment's wait. Kief bounded after them, eager to scout out entertainment. Of course, unbeknownst to either of the quadrupeds, Minchi had another purpose in mind as well. Seeing Marion's striking sense of style made her wonder where the master bedroom was. A wardrobe raid was most definitely in order!
Bobble stood back with the bag still in the air, unsure where to place it as he had received no instructions. He looked to Bedivere, but the chef was busy giving his compliments to another, who beamed with pride and praised him on the magnificent spread as well, which Custard was already sampling. The Wynaut shrugged, setting the sack down in a corner of the room before joining his best bud at the feast, soon jostling for dibs on the best dishes.
Of Jessica's Pokémon, one remained hiding behind the doorway. Kristen stared at the scene with wide, wary eyes. Before her, a boy was speaking to a female Duskull. He then brought out a Poké Ball and released another member of the same kind. The Snorunt's eyes narrowed upon recognizing Peeves. What was he doing with that woman? She should know, what a wicked man he was. Kris had experienced first-hand his perversion in the heat and passion of battle. He could not be trusted. She would help, by showing just how much love can hurt… (Not to mention the human, how he had looked at the lady outside – she didn't like it.) Her SPITE seeped out, slowly draining the energy of all within range…
Last edited by lilbluecorsola; 12-23-2012 at 10:52 PM.
Weavile Pillow
The first Pokemon Laika said hi to was a Lickitung named Waldemar, and the first thing Waldemar asked was if he could lick Laika. "Yeah, sure!" Laika barked happily. "As long as I get to lick you too!" He liked the idea of licking someone just as much as Waldemar probably did. It was an easy way to make friends, and since Laika had being doing it to most everyone he met it was only fair he let someone lick him as well.
Cele had noted that because of the new capabilities of the PC, he was much more willing to get Pokemon, like the three he brought with him. He also saw that Hyrem had some new Pokemon too. "Well, I got Laika and Icarus before the new PC rules came out, but since then, I've also got two Ekans, a Sneasel, a Venipede, a Purrloin, a Turtwig, a Shuppet, and a Taillow! I've actually brought my Sneasel and Shuppet with me too. I'll bring out my Shuppet later, but now's a good time as any to show you my Sneasel! Leila, come on out!" he said as he opened a Premier Ball.
A black, catlike creature with long claws and short, red feathers in her left ear and tail appeared. "Snee~!" she said in the cutest way possible, then turned to Hyrem with cute kitty eyes. "Oh, I know that look," Hyrem chuckled as he scooped Leila up in his arms. "You may want to be careful around her, otherwise she'll have your Pokemon follow her around everywhere!"
Icarus didn't find himself alone for long as a Hoothoot followed him up to the treetop and perched close by. "Hey, nice to see someone else with feathers for wings instead of leather!" he cawed, making an indirect jab towards Sarkhan, though he wasn't out yet, so it didn't matter. "My name's Icarus, what's yours?"
Sera was happy to know that this Ralts also knew how to convey her emotions through colors. She was extremely surprised to find out that Alice could speak into someone's mind! She wasn't as confident in that ability yet even as a Kirlia, and she had only recently started reading minds on a regular basis, yet this Ralts was already a better telepath! "Wha- Very interesting, Alice," Sera nodded, trying not to make her reaction too obvious even though Alice likely already knew of it. "I do not know of many Ralts that could develop their powers so early. Perhaps you are not as young as you look? In any case, to answer your question, my trainer's name is Hyrem, and he likes Pokemon very much." She then waved back towards Bobble, who was carrying presents. "You two seem to be good friends; I can sense the emotions you have toward each other," she said to Alice.
Once Hyrem, Sera, Laika, and Leila were led up to the top, they were greeted by Icarus. "What took you guys so long?" he said almost with a sneer. Hyrem didn't need to understand his Skarmory to know what he was saying. "Not everyone can fly everywhere like you can, Icarus," he grumbled to himself. He then saw the door opened by Bedivere, Marion's Frillish. Sera curtsied, as usual, to greet the host. "Hey, Bedivere!" Hyrem greeted the Frillish. "If you've got plenty of food, we'll probably eat it!" he then said, which would probably be to Bedivere's delight.
The inside was decorated in a Victorian/Gothic style, and Marion Ette, the owner of the house, was dressed similarly. "Hey Marion, long time no see!" Hyrem greeted her. She then noticed Icarus perched outside and called out to him. "Ska~ar!" Icarus cawed back happily, flashing his wing as a sort of "thumbs up" gesture. "Oh yeah, he's really cool!" added Hyrem. "He likes flying me around and does cool tricks and everything! Though I think he does that just to get attention, but if so, it's working!" he chuckles, realizing how other trainers have complemented him on his Skarmory.
Once Marion gave her permission to let everyone explore the house, Leila was set down so she could explore too. She and Laika were going to head towards the piles of food when they saw a Furret, a Zigzagoon, and a Mincinno exploring as well. The Furret looked scared from seeing the spooky painting (and who wouldn't be), when the Zigzagoon tried to comfort her with a big, long lick, which was apparently unsettling to the Furret at first, but she eventually saw who it was and became embarrassed. Leila could see the whole thing.
"Aw, you two look so cute together!" Leila said happily. "Oh, I guess I should introduce myself first. I'm Leila, and this is Laika!"
"Hi, hi! Nice to meet you!" barked Laika, seeing these Pokemon would be great to have as friends. Then the Mincinno dragged the Furret towards the bedroom, likely in an effort to play there, while the Zigzagoon followed.
"Hey, wait up! We want to play too!" Leila called out to them.
"Actually, I wanted to eat first," Laika said hesitantly.
"Come on, Laika, it'll be fun! The food'll probably still be here when you get back!"
Laika paused for a moment. Who was he to turn down a fun game? "Okay, let's have fun first! Yay!" barked Laika as he bounded after the Normal-types.
"That's more like you!" Leila said as she followed behind him.
Sera noticed a feeling of anger and figured it might be Minerva, Marion's Banette. However, when she turned around, she saw a Snorunt wearing a beret instead. Why would a Snorunt have so much Spite? She looked into the Ice-type's mind and found the reason for it was the pair of Duskull together. Apparently, having lost to one of the Duskull, she had a terrible dislike for the Skull Pokemon. She flashed a red color of warning to both Duskull's minds, plus a yellow cone to signify the Snorunt in question.
Hyrem, meanwhile, was looking for one certain Pokemon of Marion's. "Hey, I don't see Aislyn anywhere. Do you know where she might be?" he asked Marion. Aislyn was a very good factor in Hyrem becoming friends with Marion in the first place... maybe she hadn't yet realized he was here?
Avatar made by din-of-hyrule
Battlecut made by the crazy Daisy! *happy snek sounds*
Tumblr | Hyrem's Ask Blog | Wild Future
Last edited by Gemini Spark; 12-08-2012 at 10:24 PM.
ADCs in 2017 LUL
OOC: Sorry for taking so long to reply.
Hyrem explain to Cele that he had already gotten those Pokemon before the PC Laws, and then tells him all the Pokemon that he has gotten since the Laws came into place. "Wow, that is a lot of Pokemon." Cele says as Hyrem releases a Sneasel from her Pokeball. The Sneasel gives Hyrem a cute face, and he scoops her up. Hyrem warns Cele that his Sneasel is a seductress, so his Pokemon should be careful.
Gwyn the Litwick lit the way up the staircase for Cele and Lepido, as Hecate could already see in the dark, being a Duskull. The staircase is a bit crowded, as the cake carries, Hyrem, Connor and Keith along with their Pokemon climb up the stairs. Soon, they enter the living room, which is decorated with Victorian-style wallpaper, with various portraits lined across the walls. "Wurmple..." Lepido mutters, seemingly mesmerized by a portrait. "Lepido, it's just a picture. It's not like they're alive or anything." Cele says as he gives another leaf to the gluttonous Wurmple.
Outside, Soren is still perched next to the much bigger Skarmory, as he is greeted, the Armor Bird Pokemon introducing himself as Icarus. "I'm Soren, a Hoothoot as you can see." Soren replies.
Back inside, Cele notices a woman dressed in a similar fashion to the house. Even though she's wearing different clothes, the face remains the same, if a little paler. "Hey Marion. So you're better now, are you? That's great!" Cele says, before noticing food set out. "Okay, I think I should let out my other Pokemon now." he says, pulling three Pokeballs. In three flashes of light, a Wartortle, an Emolga and an Eevee appear. Immediately, the Emolga rushes off to play, while the Eevee jumps on Cele, who strokes his fur. The Wartortle decides to get some grub, moving towards the food.
Spoiler: show
Thanks to Pengyzu for the UserBar!
PASBL Record
Trainer Level: 5
Referee Grade: B
Wins (DQ): 51 (5) Losses (DQ): 27 (6) Draws: 3
KOs: 135 TP: 294 SP (Earned): 0 (0)
Anime Style Battling | Fizzy Bubbles | Wild Future
Perpetual Masquerade
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 2,249
Bedivere is quite pleased by Hyrem's statement that he will eat whatever he is served; consequently, as Hyrem joins the group, Bedivere wheels a cart full of food behind him, and sets it beside him as he finds a spot in the living room. "Whenever you are ready," Bedivere chuckles, implying that the entire cart is meant for him. The blue jellyfish floats away with a ghostly chuckle, apparently intent on making even more food. He is soon joined by a familiar face; Myrtle, who always seemed happy to see him, eagerly expresses her delight in seeing him after a month of absence. Bedivere bows gracefully, a grin clear on his face.
"The pleasure is all mine, my dear," he responds with a warm, yet elegant tone. "Praytell, have you eaten yet? Oh, you must certainly be hungry to have floated straight towards the kitchen, ohohoho~!"
Meanwhile, in the living room, Marion grins at Icarus' enthusiasm, and listens as Hyrem describes the bird's antics. "Loves attention, huh? Reminds me of a certain Ninetales I know..."
As if on cue, Hyrem asks Marion about the very fire-type she had alluded to. Marion chuckles a bit, shaking her head. "Aislyn is in the bathroom getting ready. Poor thing fell face-first into some casserole, so she needed to start the whole process over. Murmur is helping with the grooming at the moment-" Marion turns to Connor as she says this, as if suddenly reminded of something. "Murmur should be delighted to see you when he's done helping Aislyn! He remembers you fondly, for sure. How is Rhett doing, by the way?"
Marion is then introduced to Helena, Keith's new Shuppet. Though the Shuppet has a cheerful, kind aura radiating from it, Marion is pleased to sense the undercurrent of darkness and rage typical of a healthy Shuppet. No matter how happy this little one was, she was at least being raised to foster her grudge, and Marion could sense a grudge better than anyone. An odd little smirk forms on Marion's face as she turns back to Keith. "Really taken a liking to Shuppet, haven't you, Keith? Never knew you looooved Shuppet so much. Had I known, I would have let you spend more quality time with Minerva." Marion laughs heartily, as if there was an odd little joke implied in her statement. Marion then turns to Foster, and gives him a grin, asking in Shuppet: Have you met Helena yet?
Among the trainers, the discussion takes a turn towards the mysterious events and giveaways on Halloween. The "curse" that Keith's Venipede had received from the spirits of was a blessing in disguise; grey skin, which may have looked dismal on some Pokemon, looked wonderful on Salazar. Connor frecounted his own luck with the spooky raffle, receiving a shadow Elgyem. Both events seem to intrigue Marion greatly, and the ghostly trainer takes a long look at Salazar, taking mental notes.
"What a strange phenomenon... I have heard the spirits coloring Pokemon orange as a joke, but never grey! That's a new one... I wonder why they would choose grey, or if it is different from the orange recolor. Does your Venipede still have the same level of energy as before?"
As Marion speaks, a little cone-shaped head pops up from behind Marion's couch, and climbs up onto Marion's shoulder.
Are we talking about the mirror, the creature squeaks in Snorunt language.
"Oh, speaking of the Haunted Mirror..." Marion adds with a grin, picking up her Snorunt and placing her in her lap. "The spirits looked kindly on Taran and gave him a rare egg house pass. It had strange writing on it; even Coselle was not able to decode it. Anyway, Coselle gave the pass to the Egg House attendants, and fortunately they let me hatch the egg when I was well enough... and out came this little one! She's an interesting little gift, for sure.
I am a blessing from the Mirror, Chione adds in Snorunt language. The luckiest blessing there is! You better believe it.
As Chione says this, she suddenly an inexplicably falls from Marion's lap, landing with a thud. Marion immediately picks her up and dusts her off; fortunately, Chione seems fine despite her tumble.
I didn't get hurt! See how lucky I am? Chione beams from ear to ear. Marion gives her Pokemon an odd look, while turning back up to the trainers.
"She seems convinced that she's a very lucky girl... Perhaps she is." Marion shrugs and gently lets Chione down to play with the other Pokemon. She then turns to Connor, a grin clear on her face. "So, you won the Shadow Raffle, huh? Congratulations! Oh, what is your Shadow Elgyem like? What kind of personality does it have? I've never met a Shadow Pokemon before!!"
Meanwhile, as Lepido the Wurmple admires the strange portraits, one of the portraits, which happens to be of a little girl in a lace dress similar to Marion's, begins to smile... the smile grows wider, and wider, and wider, until it engulfs the little girl's face! Eventually, the smile detaches from the painting, ever expanding, until a Gastly eventually appears attached to the smile. The ghostly Pokemon laughs heartily, his smile quite genuine.
"Art is alive in its own right... Perhaps not walking and talking, but breathing in its own way..." The Gastly chuckles. "I am the one called Cheshire. It is such a pleasure to have some company here after the dreadful month we have had. Do you either of you play chess, by any chance...?"
Meanwhile, Liliana gleefully returns Peeves' hug, similarly excited to see her boyfriend after such a long time. "PEEVES! I SO HAPPY~" Liliana grins widely. "I ask Bedivere make biiiiiig cookie for you. He say he bring it out for dessert. Meanwhile, you like cookie shake?" Liliana giggles at the thought of the large shake. Soon, she is approached by Sylvester, a former opponent of hers. Though it had been a grueling battle, which Liliana had lost, she seems to bear no hard feelings toward the Pansage; in fact, she greets him with a wide grin.
"Good see you too, Sylvester! Life much better now that Marion feeling better... How things going with you?"
Suddenly, Liliana appears to shield Peeves from something, her attention directed toward a Snorunt with a beret in the corner of the room. Her spite was powerful, especially for such a small ice type... Liliana already had an idea of how Snorunt behave from Marion's notes and from observing Chione, and while her teammate could potentially be an unintentional source of bad luck, she was a rather happy-go-lucky sort. This kind of anger... There was something going on underneath the surface not typical of the Snorunt species. What was that darkness she sensed...?
Liliana cautiously floats towards the Snorunt, not wanting to appear threatening. She decides to switch to Duskull language, in order to refine her communication ability. She gives the Snorunt a genuine, soft smile, to try and show her benevolent intentions. Hello there, Miss... I do not believe we have met. My name is Liliana, but you can call me Ana. Ana knew better than to ask "What's wrong" and put the Snorunt on the spot. Perhaps she would be more receptive to a simple, non-threatening introduction.
In another part of the cottage, the adorable Minchi leads Kanna and Kief in the direction of Marion's room. Unbeknownst to Minchi, however, she has attracted the attention of a small, black puffball, who floats after the group with silent curiosity. The expression in the cotton-covered creature's orange-yellow eyes is one of amusement as she floats along, wondering when (and if) she will be noticed.
Outside the treehouse, Coselle is distracted suddenly by a phone call. The mysterious young woman gives a few orders to Gadget before heading out to address whatever she discussed on the phone. Meanwhile, Gadget runs in tight circles around the Treehouse, apparently guarding it in Coselle's stead.
Poison-type Trainer
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Virbank City
Posts: 4,816
Myrtle smiled as Bedivere greeted her, as warm and polite as she remembered. The Frillish then asked if she was hungry, reasoning that it must be the case if Myrtle had floated right to the kitchen. Myrtle blushed slightly. Though she had indeed made a Combeeline right for the kitchen, food was about the last thing on her mind at the moment. However, it was common knowledge that Bedivere was an excellent cook, so Myrtle had no problem with the idea of eating. Especially anything Bedivere had prepared.
"I was not all that hun-gry," Myrtle stated. "I... I was... ra-ther... ea-ger... to-to see you a-gain," she stammered, blushing a little more as she said this. "But I sup-pose I am a lit-tle hun-gry," she conceded, eyeing the large quantities of food the Frillish had prepared. "You have made a lot of food, I have no i-de-a what I should try first," she added. She looked at Bedivere, hoping he would recommend a dish for her to taste first.
Back in the living room, Marion seemed to be glad to meet Helena. She looked at Keith with an odd smirk on her face, and commented on how much he must love Shuppet, stating that had she known, she'd have let him spend more quality time with Minerva. She then laughed, and indeed, Keith had to resist the urge to chuckle himself, as he had a pretty good idea as to what she was implying in her statement. The discussion then turned to the various events and giveaways on Halloween, which included Salazar. Marion seemed most intrigued by the Venipede's grey coloration, and stated that she had heard of the spirits turning Pokemon orange as a joke, but grey was a new one on her. She asked Keith if Salazar had the same levels of energy as he had previously.
"He seems to, yeah," Keith replied. "Aside from the color change, he's the same Salazar. Heck, after he was turned grey, the biggest thing he was worried about was how his girlfriend would react. Turns out he didn't need to worry. If anything, she loves him even more now." At this point, the Snorunt known as Chione approached. Keith was a little wary of the Snorunt, knowing that she wasn't exactly the good luck charm she was so convinced she was. Sure enough, she managed to somehow fall out of Marion's arms.
Salazar then started to walk around, searching the Secret Base for Taran. It had been a while since the Venipede had seen his friend.
Pomona, meanwhile, seemed to make up her mind as to what to do first, and dashed over to where the Gastly had materialized. "Hiii!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Hi, Cheshire, it's me, Pomona, remember me, from the bar?" she said in one breath, excited to see the Gastly again. Though she had only talked to him for a few moments before being distracted by something else, the Gastly's apparent liking for fun and games had stuck in the Ivysaur's mind.
Peeves was beyond happy as Liliana eagerly hugged him back, but his happiness turned to concern as Liliana seemed to shield him from something. Then, Peeves saw... her. That Snorunt. That... that Snorunt he had battled before. He couldn't help but think that something was off about that Snorunt, and the very sight of her made him shiver in fear. And then he started to feel the effects of Spite, felt the anger. To his horror, Liliana started to float directly towards the Snorunt, and addressed her courteously. Peeves followed her, almost hesitantly, keeping a wary and fearful eye on the Snorunt the whole time. He intended to simply observe the conversation, but was intent on defending Liliana if the Snorunt tried any funny business.
My Shiny Pokémon (not up for trade, I don't do requests for Shiny banners or recolored Pokken artwork). FB team banners like the one above, however, those I do requests for.
Last edited by Missingno. Master; 12-24-2012 at 09:01 AM.
Lost Day Hour
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for a friend
Posts: 4,716
I'm dreaming of a red and white Christmas...
Upon hearing Sera sing praises to her premature power, Alice smiled softly.
Part of the reason for that is I was originally under the service of the Sphinx in The Lost City of Sobek. She trained me rigorously, as I was required to face challengers who came seeking riddles almost every day. I wasnt Mistreated, but it was hard work with hardly any rest, and no reward.
Then one day, a girl arrived with her Gulpin, and as I quickly gained the upper hand in the battle, she suddenly conceded and returned him to his Ball. It wasnt because of the Type disadvantage though. She said she didnt want to put either of us through more pain, since she only came here to solve puzzles. She bowed respectfully to my master and left, but not before leaving a Potion for me to heal my injuries I was so surprised and touched by this gesture. Something like that had never happened to me before.
I requested a leave to follow the trainer and thank her, which my master granted. I had never been outside before The harsh desert sun almost blinded me, and our pale skin is sensitive, you know, especially when its been in darkness for so long The heat practically burned. But I had to find her. I used my Psychic abilities to track her presence through the stormy sand, as the wind had already wiped away any footprints. When I finally caught up, I struggled to mentally express my gratitude. It was the first time I had spoken to a human. At the time I could not formulate words telepathically either; I spoke only in images and feelings. But she could understand me somehow. It was like we formed an instant connection.
However, at that moment, a helicopter appeared and three rings dropped from the sky, ensnaring me. The men in the machine outstretched a long metal pole and started to lift me away The girl tried to defend me by sending her Delibird after them, but they got away. She followed us to their hideout though, and managed to sneak in and free myself as well as others whom theyd kidnapped. However, she got caught and we were thrown in a cell. We managed to escape with the help of a man and his Alakazam, who TELEPORTed us to a secret underground facility in Atrea. He explained about Team Magmas plan to turn us into Shadow Pokémon, and asked for help from the girl, who had proven her power by battling Maxie, the leader of Team Magma. He begged her to find the Tears of Pure, which were rumored to be able to bring a blackened soul back to the light.
After she agreed, she realized at that point that she should send me home first But I didnt want to leave her. I requested to become a member of her team, to travel with her and see the world. I was afraid she might say no, since she seemed concerned for my safety, but she happily accepted. Ive been together with Jess ever since. Shes been wonderful to me, and helped me study to become stronger than ever. Our bond has also enhanced my talents of empathy, to the point where we can even sense each others emotional and physical states.
When Sera noted a similar sense of union between her and Bobble, Alice blushed a bit as she moved to take his hand. As for Bobble and myself, lets just say that after he came to save me, and all the ordeals we went through together Were inseparable.
Minchi, where are we going?
Sh Youll find out when we get there!
As the chinchilla led her furry friends through the twisted halls of the tree, it seemed they had also attracted two followers. A Poochyena and Sneasel chased after them, eager to join in on the fun. Minchi grinned and motioned for them to come on then, but keep quiet. She paused first to make introductions.
Hey there! My names Mint Mocha Chip, or Minchi for short. This here is Kanna and Kief.
Kanna nodded timidly. H-hello.
As the one called Leila remarked on how cute Kanna and Kief looked together, the Furret flushed and immediately began to flail again. Minchi rolled her gaze and forcefully pushed Kanna ahead before she got too caught up in her denial, while Kief carried on after them, oblivious. He barked loudly in greeting to the Poochyena though (wincing as the females turned around and shushed him), for he was glad to have another four-legged
Unbeknownst to them, they had accumulated another curious fan this time a shadowy puff of cotton. Minchi was too excited to notice, especially upon sighting a grand doorway towards the top of the staircase, carved in the side of the trunk.
That must be it! she exclaimed as she raced to the top of the steps Only to find she wasnt tall enough to reach the knob.
Kanna, lend me your shoulders. The rest of you, help support us.
Eh- eh? Kanna squeaked in confusion as Minchi clambered onto her back, pushing her ears into her eyes. Though standing on tiptoes, the chinchilla still couldnt quite reach, so she convinced Kief to come up as well and give an extra boost. Not only was Kanna growing weary from carrying so much weight, but she became dizzy from embarrassment of feeling the Zigzagoons warmth pressed so close to her head
Just as Minchi exclaimed Got it! and pressed down on the lever, swinging the door open, the Furret fainted. The totem pole collapsed in a heap within the room, except for Minchi who managed to hang on to the handle.
Kan, you okay? Quick, someone get her some water or something! As Kief tried licking Kanna again to no avail, she quickly cast about the chamber, searching for anything that might revive her companion. She soon spotted a vase full of violet flowers (which looked familiar for some reason she seemed to recall Jess making a purchase of a similar bouquet to send to someone a few weeks ago along with a card oddly, they still looked fresh despite the deadness of the surrounding environment) sitting pretty on a dresser
(OoC Leaving it up to ME if she wants to describe the rest of her bedroom, as well as either Elysia or Leila/Laika if they wish to do the honors of dumping the urns contents on Kanna. XP)
As Peeves and Liliana became aware of Kristen, the latter advanced to shield her partner. The Snorunt blinked as her sight of the target, and subsequently spell, severed. Liliana approached gingerly and presented herself in a non-threatening manner, prompting the stranger to give her name. Kristen cocked her head, glare narrowing as she remained silent in response. A beat. Then she fished around inside her cloak, and when she removed her mitts they were clutching a small sketchbook. Setting it down on the floor, she sat on the boards as well and opened to a blank page before starting to scribble with a crimson crayon. Raising the book up, it read in scratchy letters, red streaks on white as snow:
Her head snapped up all of a sudden, seeming to return to reality. Blood-rubies subsided to clear crystal as they stared about in puzzlement.
As Jessica shook hands with Miss Coselle once again at the Cable Club, the girl mustered as warm a reception as she could to the womans icy grip. The accusation earlier that Jess had attempted to cheat Miss Coselles sister rang clearly in her mind, and the expression on the dolls face still scared her somewhat. She had thought Miss Coselle seemed different back at the Base, but perhaps she maintained a certain level of mistrust towards Jessica or people in general. Jess stammered as she assured she would never attempt to take advantage of Marion or Miss Coselle, for that matter. They were friends, werent they? Though she didnt dare to add the last part. Privately, Jess couldnt stand the thought of (indirectly) hurting both though, or that they would end up hating her for it.
Miss Coselles sincere apology made up for the momentary terror however, and afterwards she mused strangely as she spun the Spiritombs festive orb in her fingers, watching its sparkles capture the light. She then latched the ball onto her belt, mysteriously mentioning a whisper to Jessica that she should sleep with the lights on at night. The girl made to question the meaning of the warning, but Miss Coselle merely cackled darkly and slipped once more into the crowd. Jessica shuddered as she witnessed her melt away like frost, leaning against the tree to wait for a while (despite a velvet rope and several signs advising against touch or
There was one who appeared less than enthused by the falling flakes though, and Jessica frowned as she perceived Hoshikos shivering. Of course, how could she be so stupid? While the Johto starters species could withstand the chill better than most other Grass-Types (such as Sewaddle), she would still prefer warmer weather. Glancing at Eevee, who was trying her best not to be trampled by more last-minute holiday shoppers, Jess wasnt sure it would be such a good idea to take her straight to a social event so soon either. While Link might be fine (despite his apparent lack of loquaciousness), the little fox didnt seem to want to separate from her hero, whom she was mostly hiding behind to avoid the masses.
Pulling out all three housing containers, Jessica bent down and spoke to them.
Hey, Im gonna send you guys home now, where you can meet some of my other pals. Hoshi, look after them and show them around, will you? You can even go hang out on the beach, its really beautiful. Plus its not as cold, should be a lot nicer there than here at least.
The Chikorita nodded, as did her charges. Jess tapped their foreheads to recall each, then pressed a few buttons on her Pokédex to transfer the trio to her hidden cove. Figuring enough time had passed by now for all doubt to be alleviated, she brushed slush from her jeans (as well as pine and tinsel and bark off her bum), then straightened and began walking off towards the Haunted Mansion.
Last edited by lilbluecorsola; 12-24-2012 at 10:50 PM.
Weavile Pillow
Icarus was happy to meet the owl, who introduced himself as Soren. "Nice to meet you, Soren! So, I saw your trainer, he looks like a pretty cool guy!"
As everybody starts coming inside, Cele takes three more Pokemon out of their Pokeballs: an Emolga, an Eevee, and a Wartortle. Hyrem took interest in the Eevee. "Aw, you have an Eevee too? I still don't have one yet, and it seems like everybody else has one. I hear somebody might still be selling off his Eevee litter, so I still have a chance to get one! Can I pet your Eevee though?" he asked Cele.
Then Hyrem suddenly finds a cart full of food delivered right next to him by Bedivere, then Bedivere just leaves the cart there, thinking that the kid was going to eat all the food on the cart. What was he thinking, that Hyrem would just gorge himself on this and get fat? Uh, well, considering his past life, he just might be intending that. Still, the food smelled delicious, and he didn't have to eat all of it, just some of it, then he'd be able to leave the rest for other people, right? So he took the dish off the top, which conveniently was a couple of pizza slices, and would occasionally take a bite of the pizza as he talked with Marion.
"Aw, that's too bad!" Hyrem said when Marion said Aislyn needed some time to clean up again before she would come out and visit with everyone. "I hope she comes out soon!" Then Keith introduced Helena, his second Shuppet, to the group, and Hyrem knew now was a good time for another of his Pokemon to join the group. "You know, while I'm waiting for Aislyn, maybe you'd like meeting this guy." He then took out a Ghost Ball and said, "Michael, come on out!"
Another Shuppet appeared from the Ghost Ball with a sullen look. He glanced over at Helena and promptly looked away in shame. "Are ... you sure I'm going to like visiting this place?" Michael asked Hyrem.
"Well, you're a Ghost-type, right? This whole place is pretty much catered to Ghost-types, and Marion is an expert on them!"
"Oh, hello there," says Michael as he recognizes Marion's presence, still trying to avoid looking at Helena. "I'm Michael, great to meet you."
Alice explained to Sera how her powers were developed by the Sphinx in Sobek, one of many archaeological sites in the island of Talas. She then went on a journey to find the trainer who showed kindness to her and had to be rescued by Team Magma before she joined her current trainer. Thanks to her bond, her powers have developed even further, even though she hadn't evolved yet. Sera is reminded of Aislyn's words that evolution was not meant as a solution to control someone's powers, though with Sera, she hasn't been able to develop her powers, except for when she evolved into a Kirlia, only how to control them. She was able to gain quite a few moves soon after evolution, but she hasn't developed telepathy just yet. All in due time, she figured, but she still couldn't resist feeling slightly envious of Alice's early development of her powers. "A very interesting life you have," mused Sera. Alice also talked about how she and Bobble are very close, and Sera once again looked on her own life. While she certainly had a few Pokemon express interest in her, the feeling wasn't mutual. She just wasn't interested in love at the moment, and she really didn't want to fall into the whole "love at first sight" trap like her teammates did. "I can see that. Bobble looks cute, you are fortunate to have someone like him!"
Sera was also witness to the Snorunt that wanted malice towards the Duskull. Now it made sense, Kristen had an inner demon inside her, one so powerful that Sera cringed just from sensing such a powerful hatred. She hoped Peeves and Liliana were careful in their approach, but something told her even approaching such an evil may provoke it regardless of how much tact was put into it. Fortunately, all that came from it was some creepy painting that revealed the demon's true identity to be Lilith. Hopefully, this "Lilith" wouldn't resurface too many times, or things may end up getting out of hand.
Leila and Laika enjoyed meeting the three Normal-types, and Laika's tail wagged as a reaction to Kief's barking hello. As they approached the bedroom door, they had to work together to reach the doorknob. Leila worked to try to support Kanna so she wouldn't have to lift the others on her own while Laika climbed on top of Kief to give Minchi the boost she needed to open the door. Unfortunately, Leila couldn't support Kanna enough, and Kanna fainted, almost landing on top of Leila, but she was able to react fast enough to get out of the way. Minchi hoped to find some water and looked toward a vase of black roses. "I got it!" Leila said since she too saw the vase and quickly climbed up the dresser to get it, being careful not to spill anything on the way down until she got back to the Furret and hurriedly poured the water on her face.
Laika's sense of smell suddenly picked up someone else, and he turned around to find a black Cottonee floating above the staircase. "Hey, do you live here?" Laika asked. "Can you help us to find some more water to help our friend?"
Thunder Badge
Alex shuddered slightly as he followed the path towards his destination. This place was giving him the creeps and was bringing back memories of his time on Phantom Isle. But he continued on, because who he was going to meet would most likely be a great aid to his research.
He eyed his Bronzor hovering over his left shoulder, mirrored by his Magnemite on the right. It was why this meeting was important. His studies on non-biological pokemon included the study of spiritual non-biological pokemon, which Echo was a member of. While it was important for his research, he himself was curious about the spirits. He had already did some research into Aura which was a major part of spirituality, as well as he was hoping to write up about Sinnohist and Johtoian religion. But who he was going to meet was an expert on ghosts, which oddly enough was parallel to his own research. He studied pokemon that technically weren't living, but did, and she studied pokemon that were once alive, but aren't anymore. A very interesting premise.
He soon saw the house. The bright tree house looked a little out of place considering the surrounding area, but Alex somehow sensed that it fit right in somehow. It was a little disturbing, but he knew that if something jumped out at them his twin steel types could handle it. Hopefully. He shook his head to focus himself and knocked on the door. "Marion? It's me, Alex Morgan." He heard that Marion was a little eccentric, but what good scientist isn't? Especially one who hung out with ghosts all the time. It couldn't be too bad, right?
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As Alex approaches the strange treetop cottage which serves as Marion's secret base, the young mistress of the house prepares a table and chairs in the main room for her guest, as she carefully organizes stacks of research papers for Alex to review at his leisure. In the kitchen, the Frillish known as Bedivere works diligently on a glorious spread of tea sandwiches, cookies, small cakes and other delicious-looking pastries to accompany a large, ornate tray laden with a vast selection of coffees and teas. Bedivere chuckles as he works, eager to have someone new to try his incredible cooking. Of course, with Bedivere in the kitchen, it's a safe bet that most of Marion's Pokemon are in the kitchen as well, sneaking stray sandwiches and offering to help "taste test" everything. After all, Bedivere had a habit of cooking way too much food for the occasion, and Marion's Pokemon wouldn't want all that excess food going to waste, now, would they?
As Marion organizes the papers and starts up her laptop in order to have access to some of her more recent works, a small Axew nips at the trainer's heels, looking for attention. Though Marion gives the Axew a loving smile, she shakes her head a bit. "Not now, honey. My guest is coming in a couple of minutes and I need to get this done. I'll pick you up in a minute, okay?" Lizzie immediately frowns, and visibly pouts in reaction to Marion's statement. Knowing better than to give in, Marion ignores the pouting, and continues her last minute cleaning and organizing. Recognizing quickly that it would take more to get to Marion than big, red puppy-eyes, Lizzie looks around and immediately sets her eyes on a stack of research papers that Marion seems to have forgotten to place on the table. Darting towards the stack with as much speed as she can muster, Lizzie dives in, sending papers everywhere.
"Lizzie?! Lizzie, NO!!" The frazzled young woman rushes toward her Axew as the red-eyed creature gleefully tears through the stack of documents, creating a snow-like spray of torn white paper in her wake. Rather than give the Axew the attention that she craves, she immediately pulls out her Pokeball and gives the Axew a stern expression.
"If you continue to act this way, you're going back in the ball and you won't get to play with any new friends. Is that what you want?"
Lizzie immediately puts her tail between her legs and gives Marion a teary-eyed expression. The young trainer sighs and hooks the Pokeball back on her belt. "Behave now, Lizzie," she reiterates as she begins cleaning up the mess that Lizzie made. At that very moment, however, Marion can hear a knock on the door, indicating that Marion's guest has already arrived. In a panicked state, Marion calls out, "Hey, Alex! I'll be there in a second!" The young woman quickly hides the torn papers under the Sparkle Mat she was gifted on Valentine's Day, not having the time to appropriately clean the mess up. Lizzie, still looking apologetic, follows right at Marion's feet, hoping that her trainer will forgive her and pick her up.
"Have you decided to be a good girl today, Lizzie?" Marion tilts her head, giving the Axew a curious look. The Axew nods vigorously, and after a long pause, Marion gently picks the little dragon-type up, much to her delight. Lizzie cuddles up to Marion immediately, while a strange, rock-like creature with a giant nose waddles toward the door before Marion can so much as attempt to open it herself.
The Nosepass opens the door, and seems incredibly shocked at the fact that there's a man standing on the other side. It's hard to say exactly what he was expecting, but apparently a trainer was not one of those things. In his native language, the Nosepass muses to himself; Is this a pizza man? While the sun is still high in the sky? Mr. Nose thought the pizza men only came after the sun sets, when Miss Marion can summon them from the netherworld with the magic wand with the numbers on it... PIZZA WIZARDRY!!
Marion soon appears in the doorway behind Mr. Nose, with her Axew balanced carefully on her right arm. She uses the left to open the door all the way, and gently encourage Mr. Nose to step backward to let their guest inside. "Please, come in!" Marion flashes Alex a warm and friendly smile as she encourages him to enter her abode. Lizzie seems... a bit less enthused at the prospect of a stranger entering their home, but she limits the expression of her displeasure to an intimidating stare. After all, it was hard for her to be angry and be cuddled at the same time.
"Alex, have you met Lizzie and Mr. Nose? Lizzie is my Axew, and Mr. Nose is the Nosepass you see here." Marion uses her stray hand to pat Mr. Nose on the head, which seems to please the odd creature. "Ah, but I'm sure you want to meet some of my ghost Pokemon, right? I've got quite the variety at this point... Lampent, Rotom, Dusclops, Spiritomb, Frillish, Gastly, Midreavus and Drifloon, plus a Nincada and female Snorunt who will eventually become ghost-types upon evolution... Are there any in particular you would like to take a look at first?"
Thunder Badge
Alex was a little surprised that when the door opened, a Nosepass stood in front of him. Coming from a ghost typed trainer, it didn't really seem her type. While the species was non-biological, Nosepass weren't high on his list of non-biological pokemon that he needed to get. Then Marion appeared holding an Axew in her arm and welcomed him in. He gave a grin and a nod in return, though the small dragon type didn't seem impressed with him being on her territory. Marion introduced her two pokemon as Mr. Nose and Lizzie. "Ah, I don't think I really have met them. I don't socialize much. This is Theta and Echo," he said indicating the Magnemite, then the Bronzor. Theta looked at the Nosepass and hovered over to him. "It looks like Theta and Mr. Nose are hitting it off quite well. It must be their magnetic personalities." He grinned at the joke. "Their two species have a lot in common, I should get my hands on a Nosepass of my own at some point..."
Then Marion mentioned that she also had a wide assortment of ghost type pokemon and offered if he wanted to take a closer look at any of them. "You said you had a Rotom? I'm interested in the species, but I've kinda heard that yours is a little...uh..." he broke off trying to think of a word he could use not to insult his host. "...a little too energetic? Anyways..." He paused for a moment and sniffed the air. "Is that freshly baked cookies I smell?" A grin came to his face. "Jackpot." He followed his nose towards the kitchen and peered in and saw the large gathering of ghosts.
It was a little unnerving at first sight. Ghost types were known for being tricksters but he was sure that Marion could keep a good handle on them. "Ah, this is where all of your guys are. Hey!" He paused at the doorway. Was it proper manners to got into your host's kitchen, especially when it's filled with ghosts? He glanced over to Marion. "Well, it looks like quite a feast here. My guys can't be too much help, half of them can't eat at all." He chuckled.
Meanwhile Theta struck up a conversation with Mr. Nose. "The magnetic field around you is strong. I can barely keep from flying towards you." The Magnemite found some leverage from Echo who supported itself with its psychic powers to prevent the electric type from losing control of its electro-levitation. "Just curious, do you know if your trainer has plans to evolve you soon? Mine says that he is trying to get a bunch of other trainers with Magnemite together so we can evolve together. The problem seems to be that there are few places it can happen and not everyone can get there."
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((Sorry for making you wait so long, man... T_T I'm hoping I'll be posting more now that my creative juices are flowing again~))
Marion smiles and bows to Theta and Echo as the pair are introduced. It was rather unsurprising that the two non-biological Pokemon would be out and about with their trainer; in fact, though Marion had not met with Alex often, in the times that she had seen him around, it always seemed as if these two were by his side. She chuckles a bit at Alex's little joke regarding the magnetic personalities of Theta and Mr. Nose, before nodding in agreement. "They do have quite a few similarities, don't they? I imagine they'll have a lot to talk about." Marion grins. "I heard that you and some others were planning on doing a Magnemite evolution spree. If you all decide to go to Mt. Coronet together afterward, maybe you can give me a call, huh?"
In response to Marion's invitation to meet some of her infamous ghost Pokemon, Alex does seem to briefly consider meeting her Rotom, though he remarks that perhaps Gadget might be a bit too... energetic for his tastes. Marion nods knowingly, as she is only too aware of the behavioral tendencies that Alex carefully attempts to reference. He then sniffs the air, intrigued by the smell of fresh baked cookies.
"Oh, yes! Help yourself," Marion says encouragingly, following Alex as he makes his way to the kitchen. "Mm... Gadget is a handful, especially when he's in his mow form. It seems to be the form he likes best because of the mobility, but it also means that he can cause a lot of inadvertent destruction." Marion chuckles. "Believe it or not, I've been told that I'm lucky. Gadget's a terror, but he generally does not mean to be. He mows the Mansion grounds and that makes him happy. I've heard that there are some Rotom out there who use the form to be... well, intentionally destructive, and that can be incredibly dangerous." Marion shakes her head, trying not to imagine what would happen if Gadget actually realized and attempted to focus his own destructive powers. "...At any rate, I have his mow card with me. He may be bouncing off the walls, but at least he won't be mowing over anyone's feet!"
The moment Alex reaches the kitchen, he is overwhelmed by the sheer number of ghosts gathered in one place; thankfully for Alex, most seem distracted by the blenders lining the kitchen counter, which are filled to the brim with berry smoothies. Each ghost appears to be pouring their own glass, and greedily slurping down the delicious beverage. While the others are pouring their drinks, a grinning male Frillish turns from the stove to greet Alex, a freshly-baked tray of cookies held carefully in his tentacles. It appears that he has had oven mitts specially made for his appendages, which allow him to handle the baked goods as they come out of the oven. Surprisingly, the Frillish speaks in perfect human English, with a posh, melodious tone of voice that seems strongly reminiscent of British royalty.
"Ohohohoho~! You must be Sir Alex, the expert on non-biological Pokemon that I have heard so much about from my Lady. How do you do? I am Bedivere, the beloved servant of Lady Marion." The Frillish sets aside his cookies a moment to bow respectfully to the trainer before him. "I do hope you enjoy the pastries that I have baked in honor of your arrival. Please do let me know if you require more of me, and I shall do whatever I can to ensure your comfort."
"Bedivere is a marvelous cook," Marion adds with a grin. "Just eat and drink as much as you can. I assure you, there won't be leftovers. You can even take some home with you in boxes, if you like." Alex comments that half of his team will likely be unable to partake in the feast, and Marion seems struck by an odd thought. "Say, Alex... I know that your Pokemon generally do not eat, but... How do they consume berries, poffins and rare candies? I know that has been a question of mine for certain ghost types such as Misdreavus, since their primary food sources are often incorporeal, much as they are." Marion shrugs. "Then again, poffins, berries and rare candies provide a sustenance that seems to be very different from that of regular Pokefood... Perhaps there is some connection there. Perhaps they are able to process these types of foods even when lacking a proper digestive system." The lavender-haired trainer chuckles a bit. "Anyway... Don't let me keep you from eating. Dig in!" As if to further reassure him, Marion picks up a petit four from one of the trays and carefully bites into it, her eyes lighting up at the flavor. Popping the other half into her mouth, she eyes the rest of the platter, attempting to gauge how many she should eat, before shrugging her shoulders, picking up a plate and loading it with the little desserts.
"Heh... These are my favorite," she admits, with a bit of color in her cheeks to signify a slight bit of embarrassment.
Mr. Nose looks up at Theta with a gleeful expression, clearly feeling the magnetic pull on his nose. Mr. Nose is reminded of the Klinks from his home, when he was but a mini-nose. Mr. Nose remembers how the Klinks would stick to his Lady Nose, and how all the mini-noses would help them get unstuck. Mr. Nose attempts to cover his nose with his stubby little arms, but to no avail. One day, Mr. Nose will have mini-noses, and they will help us.
In relation to that very statement, Theta asks Mr. Nose if his trainer has any plans for evolving him, before explaining his own trainer's attempts at gathering a group of trainers with Magnemite together in order to encourage their evolution. Mr. Nose listens intently, and when Theta is finally done speaking, he gives a solemn nod.
Mr. Nose wonders if it makes the magnetic one anxious... To spend the rest of the life with two who developed separate minds from its own. Mr. Nose sighs. The magnetic ones live in union. Responsibility is shared... The noses do not evolve this way. A nose takes on all responsibility for its mini-noses. The mini-noses are born of them, are a part of them, think with the mind of their nose inside of them. Mr. Nose is a part of his Lady Nose forever... and so will his mini-noses forever be a part of him. They will share in his mind and follow that mind wherever it leads. Mr. Nose is not ready for this responsibility yet. When he is ready... He will know.
Thunder Badge
(Eh, no problem with the speed Marion. Im in no rush.)
Alex nodded in agreement to call her soon after evolving Theta. A quest to Mt. Cornet to have a second stage evolution for the Magnemite would be great and he assumed that the other trainers who would join wouldnt be in rush to evolve again so soon. And while he himself was somewhat of a loner, going on an adventure with someone else would be an interesting experience.
As he made his way to the kitchen, Marion reassured him that her Rotom wouldnt be in its Mow form so it wouldnt be able to cause much havoc. Alex was glad, out of all the injures he could get while journeying; getting his feet turned into hamburger would rank up there as one of the worse. With that unsettling image now in his head, he scoped out the kitchen trying to get the thought of food to cover it up. Out of all the ghosts in the kitchen, a blue Frillish made his way from the stove carrying a tray of fresh baked cookies. Alex had to force himself not to drool. Alex was surprised when he spoke up to introduce himself, not just the fact that he was speaking was unusualnone of his own Pokémon spoke out loud, though his Porygon could text stuff on the computer and his Abra and Metang had telepathybut the manner of which he spoke was even more so. Sir Alex. Baked in honour of your arrival. Do whatever I can to ensure your comfort. He didnt even get anywhere close this much respect from his own teammates. While it was obvious that this Frillish must have been some sort of English butler in some former life, it felt rather absurd for him to be in this position. He was getting absolutely spoiled here.
He floundered for a moment to figure out to say, then grabbed a plate. Well, uh, these treats seem to be great, so I must thank you for baking them. He knew it sounded lame, but who cared, there was food to be eaten. He started stacking his plate as he heard Marion mentioned that he could take some home. He knew his stomach was going to be hurting later, but it all looked so good. He even grabbed a cookie off the tray Bedivere just pulled out of the oven with a muttered hothothothot as he transferred it to his plate. As he finished loading the plate, Marion asked a terrific question about how non-biological Pokémon consume food-like substances, as well that it applied to her ghost types as well.
Ah, I know what you mean. It is an interesting mystery and it ties into some of my other studies, the energy of Pokémon. He paused to pick a butter tart off his plate to use as an example. We humans mainly get two things from food: nutrients to grow our body and energy to animate it. He popped the tart in his mouth and pause to swallow it. Ok, flavour comes in third, he said with a grin and shook his head. Anyways, non-biological Pokémon have fixed bodies, they dont have cells that die and regrow. So, they dont need the nutrients. Its probably the exact same as with your ghosts, though in this case, some of them dont have much of a body to speak of. However, they still need energy. Magnemite obviously live off of electricity, whereas others live off of some sort of spiritual energy like your ghosts. So that means that berries and rare candies and the like have some sort of energy that these Pokémon can use.
He paused to eat a couple of pasties that were on his plate. He was aware that he was saying a lot, but this topic was a great area of interest. If it were some other topic, chances were that he was going to duck out of the conversation. It kind of makes sense seeing as many other items contain energy that Pokémon can use, such as items like mystic water or charcoal, or even short term ones like the elemental gems. Pokémon can use the energy stored within these items in order to boost their attacks, so berries must work the same way. How exactly non-biological Pokémon can take this energy out of the berry? He shrugged his shoulders. Arceus knows. Probably the same reason Pokémon can be contained in pokeballs, or be able to evolve or use their huge range of attacks. They are naturally born that way. Or their equivalent to birth in that matter.
He paused and frowned. This kinda brings me to a question of my own. How exactly do ghost types form? What determines, uh, which spirits come back and what species they become? He glanced down on his plate. It did feel odd for him not to just dig into his food and talk. Most times he hardly talked and focused on his food so he would be first in line for seconds.
Theta bobbed a nod at the Nosepasss concern for the fact that when it evolved, it would be stuck with two other Magnemite with different personalities, even more so that it was a trainers Pokémon while the ones he would be joining with would most likely be wild. Not all Magnemite evolve by joining up with other Magnemite. Many simply create two clones of themselves for the Magneton. However, every so often there is an abundance of magnetic energy and due to that, us Magnemite come together to evolve. These gathering are where we choose our, Bzzzzt, how do I say Echo? The Electric type looked over at its partner, who until then was silent.
The Bronzor blinked and spoke in it fragmented, echoy voice. To put it into organic terms. The word you are looking for is mates. Like biological mates. Youll be with these two extra Magnemite for the rest of your lifespan.
Right. One thing is that Im a dominate Magnemite, an A variant as our trainer puts it. Ill be the central Magnemite when we evolve. The other two will follow my lead. And once we become a Magnezone, the other two Magnemite fade away some because Ill be in control of the whole body.
Meanwhile Echo was looking around the room. The spirits here are strong. Almost overwhelming. What is it like to live here?
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We're not in Kansas anymore.....
OK here it is- the full transcript of the article that appears in this week's Travel Weekly (they had to cut it down quite a lot- (honestly,physical media- limited shelf space- I don't know...) This also contains most of the presentation matter from this week's Institute of Travel and Tourism conference. I'd be particulary interested to hear feedback from anyone who was there.
Simon Ferguson
Virtual Integration and the long tail– contours on a new landscape of travel distribution
Anyone heard of Pareto's principle? Coined by an Italian economist it's the maxim that 20% of a company's products will account for 80% of their business, and basically eschews what has become a fundamental of market economics- that your big lines, will outsell your specialist/smaller ones. However in a landmark article in online magazine Wired, Editor Chris Anderson points out that this principle is being turned on its head, and replaced by the phenomenon of the long tail. Essentially, the advent of the internet and 'virtual distribution' is creating patterns where specialist/niche offerings are flourishing, and cumulatively, outselling the 'big lines'. For instance, More than 50% of Amazon's sales come from outside its top 130,000 titles, and internet music store Rhapsody streams more music tracks from outside its top 10,000. Under Pareto's principle you'd expect the 20 % of Amazon's top 10,000 titles would be regular sellers (i.e sell at least once a month), whereas in fact 99% of them sell regularly. Essentially, the combination of the internet, with its unlimited shelf space and the power of network consumers ( e.g online reviews, Amazon recommendations and the like) is turning conventional economic on it head. Online brands are able to sell products bricks and mortar couldn't stock due to the requirements of getting a commercial return on limited shelf space- thus the availability of specialist/niche items is growing significantly. Similarly, market sectors are seeing new/niche entrants occupying a bigger share of the pie, and cumulatively driving larger growth than existing players Google and e-Bay are both 'long tail' businesses- deriving revenue from a large volume of small/specialist transactions. In Google's case, the number of niche search terms entered (using multiple terms/longer strings of words) far outstrips the 'big seller' terms (e,g cheap hotels), allowing them an advertising model based around a growing long tail.
The significance? Exactly the same is happening in travel. Consider this- how many UK tour operator companies were there in 2004, licensed to carry over 4,000 passengers? Answer- 90. How many companies were there carrying less than 4,000? Answer 1,668 (Source, Travel Directory, DG&G Travel Information). Less than 4,000 is pretty specialist, and the tail is growing. In fact 2004 saw a record number of ATOLs issued, but, according to the CAA's Richard Jackson: "There has been rapid growth by online specialists and smaller operators. In fact, the proportion of total authorisations made up by the top four groups has declined to 46 per cent, compared with a peak of 57 per cent four years ago". This growing tail is likely to spawn increased choice in hotel availability- the top 90 operators contact, give or take, 15,000 hotels between them, whereas, there are some 400,000 hotels worldwide (Source Hotels magazine US). Indeed according to hotel industry site 4 hoteliers.com, over 60% of Expedia's inventory is independent hotels. Expedia can afford to stock smaller hotels that don't sell regularly, because, like Amazon, it has unlimited shelf space.
However scarier still is that, although the long tail phenomenon in travel is partly the effect of blurring in the roles of operators and agents, and the increasing ability of hotels, airlines and even tourist boards to become holiday providers, it goes way beyond 'licensed operators'. On the day I wrote this article there were 1,006 'holidays' being advertised on the UK e-bay site- consumers offering their, or their family's holiday accommodation, often packaged with pre-booked excursions, for auction: Consumers themselves are becoming holiday providers, growing the long tail even further.
This is liable to increase with the growth of consumer weblogs or 'blogs'. A blog is a website set up by an individual, usually as a forum for that individual's opinions (just like this one!). They're becoming increasingly influential- particularly in the US, where there are over 8 million such sites. Some US blogs sites now attract more traffic than regional press sites, and they generate revenue, through either advertising or e-commerce: The Drudge report, set up by ex-journalist Matt Drudge earns in excess of $1.5 million per year. A site called Blogshares lists the top blog sites in a virtual stock market- and assigns each blog a 'virtual market capitalisation', based on how many other sites a Blog has linking to it. Blogshares currently has over 750 travel blogs- a natural area as consumers like to log their holiday/travel experiences-and these are growing exponentially.
How long before blogs implement the new and growing travel 'meta search' tools, or dynamic packaging components, and become brands in their own right? Well just to show how easy it is.... at the top right of this page we've added the Kayak travel search tool, allowing this blog to compare prices across thousands of hotels, and refer through to a booking engine. With an hour's work we became the latest addition to the online travel provider community, and have grown the long tail by one!
This illustrates a key point: Many travel agents lambaste Expedia, BA or Last Minute.com for cutting them out of the equation, blissfully unaware that e-Bay is teaming with consumer-originated holidays. It is the shift in the balance of power to the customer that threatens to dis-intermediate agents- not the online providers, who are merely positioning themselves to take advantage of this. Ultimately, the long tail phenomenon is all about a shift in the balance of power from supplier/producer to the customer. The de-regulation of airspace and resulting growth of low cost carriers has provided more capacity than ever before. The advent of the internet, and free flow of information facilitated by search engines and blogs, has made price and availability transparent and given customers the ability to dictate how, when and where they buy. The long tail is an example of how low the barriers of entry are.
However new entrants have impacted the top end of the market as well as the tail: Few would argue Expedia's impact on the travel market, and yet it was Microsoft, a software company with no apparent interest in travel, that had the vision to launch it. There are currently only four travel-related entrants in the Financial Times Global 500 companies list: Carnival (107th), Cendant (225th), Interactive Corps now Expedia's owners (351st), and Marriott hotels. Of these, Cendant and Interactive are comparative new entrants to travel- neither were in the 500 list in 2001. Similar stories abound in other sectors, where new players have sprung from obscurity to dominant positions- Vodaphone in Telecoms, and Google itself, which from being virtually unheard of a few years ago is now bigger in terms of market Capitalisation than AOL/Time Warner and some of the American TV networks.
So different is the travel landscape now, that arguably, a new paradigm is needed: Traditionally the travel supply space was a classic linear chain- airline/hotel distributing through GDS to agent, or tour operator distributing through brochure or agent. In this environment vertical integration made sense, as with regulated routes to market, owning the means of production and distribution gave control of the outcome. However now, if anything, we are in an era of virtual integration, where hotels, airlines, online aggregators, consumer brands like Tesco, and even consumers themselves are all capable of becoming providers. The hotel I'm currently in can be accessed directly via the web, but also via Last Minute.com. So it also appears on the Tesco website under the Last Minute.com white label deal. And LMDC have it through their acquisition of OTC...who also supply Thomas Cook. Oh, and the same hotel is available to be dynamically packaged by a host of agents, and specialist operators. Thus the traditional integrated supply chain is replaced by a complex network of relationships. Does the customer care? Not as long as they can buy how, when and where they want. In the Virtually integrated world, owning the relationship with the customer becomes the key.
Thus online travel suppliers will have to shift from enabling transactions- arguably the industry's focus for the past few years- to building a sustainable brand relationship with the customer. By owning online aggregators (Expedia, Hotels.com); a search engine (Ask Jeeves) and trusted content (Trip Advisor), Interactive Corps have pursued virtual integration by acquisition- their scale has allowed them to acquire some of the key customer relationship points that underpin online travel.
At the heart of virtual integration is using your brand/assets/capabilities to develop new services, often by partnering with affiliates, and this is relevant to both large brands and small agents. Other sectors are embracing this strategy, in fact we increasingly live in a virtually integrated world: Supermarkets now sell 20% of petrol in the UK; Virgin has over 1 million financial services accounts; Amazon now sells more consumer electronics products than it does books. In the travel sector, 30% of Ryan Air's revenue is from ancillary services, and Last Minute.com is increasingly leveraging its brand position to generate advertising revenues as well as e-commerce. Tescos, one of the doyens of virtual integration, not content with its non-food sales is prototyping an online property website, where consumer will be able to post their houses for sale for as little as £50.
Such strategies point the way for all sectors of travel: The competitors and partners of the future are liable to be very different to those of the past: Suppliers should look to new distribution partners such as financial services companies, mobile phone operators and e-Bay, if it's the brand their customers respond to, and be prepared to position themselves as providing bullets to combatants by working with established consumer brands. Agents should take heart from the long tail phenomenon- there is clear room for them to occupy the provider role with the right mix of services and technology. They should also embrace a virtually integrated view of the world: If being dis-intermediated by a supplier is a concern, use your web brand to drive traffic to that supplier and charge a referral fee. Advertising is often easier to monetize than e-commerce- in fact Google's $44bn market value rather gives the game away!
The shift from big sellers to long tail; from producer efficient to customer effective; from vertical to virtually integrated are contours on a new landscape of virtual distribution. At the end of the 20th century manufacturing accounted for 20% of UK GDP, by 2020 this is forecast to be displaced- 20% of GDP will be IT/technology related.
As Dorothy famously said in the Wizard of Oz, when confronted with a similarly bewildering landscape: 'We're not in Kansas anymore Toto'.

subset: commoncrawl


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Everyone loves a good professional fireworks show, but sometimes it's fun to create those ohhh's and ahhh's right at home. The anticipation and the wide eyes of family and friends can take a regular spring, summer of fall evening from boring to spectacular. However, proper planning and safety is very important when planning your own fireworks show is extremely important.
Here are four tips for making fireworks magic right from your backyard:
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Looking for products to start planning your amazing fireworks show? Check out our online fireworks offerings.


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Please make use of the resources listed below. Remember to also visit the Library as a source for more resources. Library materials can be viewed both at the church as well as online.
Description: Announcing Lay Courses in Systematic Theology. Hosted by Coquitlam Presbyterian Church, Thursday nights 7:30-9:00, January 2011 through October 2012.
Pursuing study in theology is pondered by many study-minded Christians, yet most find very limited opportunities in the pursuit of lay theology course work. In their busy and committed lives, they ....
. . . read more
Description: This study attempts to draw out the rich themes of grace, freedom and promise that Paul so ardently argues for in Galatians. This study is not for the proud (or is it in fact perfect for the proud?) because it requires we relinquish our insatiable desire to earn our way. Includes 8 studies with questions probing the meaning of the text and the implications for today's Church.
Description: Nowhere is Jesus' brilliance more manifest than in the prayer he taught his disciples to pray, the prayer that has come to be known as the "Lord's Prayer." A mere fifty-seven words in the original Greek, the Lord's Prayer gathers up all of life and brings it before God. In eight stirring meditations, Darrell Johnson shows how the Lord's Prayer sums up the essence of Christian faith and, when prayed in faith, draws us into the Triune God's work of transforming the world. This 8 part study can be used to help groups or individuals read through this challenging book, which is available in the CPC library
Description: This 15 part Bible study and daily devotional guide will help you explore the Gospel according to John as it challenges you with questions like 1) What can you truthfully say about who you believe Jesus Christ to be? 2) What is one thing you can say about your life purpose? 3) What are you searching for in your own pursuit of God?
You will also have the opportunity to read through the entire book of John, using the daily devotional questions written by the pastors of First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, CA .
Description: Jonah's struggle to put his own interests above the graciousness of God toward the Ninevites lead him through a confusing time of rejecting God, then urgently praying to God, reconsidering his own motivations and finally anger with his plot and God's generosity. This study explores Jonah's tumultuous journey of faith.
Description: God wants us to be able to live in our broken world with a knowledge of His many gifts and how these can transform our lives and enable us to reach out to others with the love of our wonderful Saviour. These studies help us understand and will help us claim the gifts God graciously provides for us.
Coquitlam Presbyterian Church
948 Como Lake Avenue
Coquitlam BC V3J 7P9


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Saturday, April 8, 2017
After a month of off-and-on listening (mostly off), here's more than a dozen of the dumbest songs I heard that Seattle-area radio still insists on playing. And Michael Jackson and the Eagles aren't mentioned once!
- Elton John and Kiki Dee -- Don't Go Breakin' My Heart. Yeccch. The worst thing Sir Elton's ever done. The moment when he officially started heading downhill. Kiki had a couple good songs -- this wasn't one of them.
- Pat Benatar -- Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Yeezus, haven't we gotten over this S&M fantasy yet?
- Madonna -- Like a Virgin, Material Girl. I'll bet Madonna barely remembers being a virgin. And "Material Girl" is unfortunately perfect for the money-grubbing society we live in today. Yes, I realize it's kind of a joke. It also kind of isn't. That's why it's ... uh ... post-modern. Whatever.
- Rick Springfield -- Jessie's Girl. God, 1980 is getting so tiresome.
- Toni Basil -- Mickey. Ugh. Weirdly, Weird Al Yankovic's "Ricky" is what I remember instead....
- Devo -- Whip It. Biggest penis metaphor to make the charts since Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." And so what?
- Hall and Oates -- Maneater. Yurg. These guys had talent, but not on this. This is a big S&M/domination fantasy, too.
- Soft Cell -- Tainted Love. 1982 has always confused me....
- Human League -- Don't You Want Me? Same thing here.... But they were way better when they were only "Human"....
- John Cougar Mellencamp -- Jack and Diane. Ugh. Who wants to be told it's all downhill after 16? A mean trick to play on teenagers.
- Wham! -- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Still waiting for the George Michael nostalgia wave. You KNOW it's gonna happen....
- Kim Wilde -- You Keep Me Hangin' On. The Supremes and Vanilla Fudge got there first, so who needs this? Kim's "Kids in America" is an early-'80s classic, though. How come nobody ever plays THAT anymore....?
- Tiffany -- I Think We're Alone Now. Tommy James and the Shondells did some GREAT stuff. So there was no need for this. Or Billy Idol's "Mony Mony." Or Joan Jett's "Crimson in Clover." I can wait for a cover of "Mirage."
Sorry I couldn't find any more outrageous examples in a month of listening. I EXPECTED to. And Ghod knows I tried.... Seattle is still the worst-programmed radio-market I've ever lived in....
One thing leads to another....
I get sick of Seattle-area music-radio in less than 5 minutes. I got sick of listening to news-radio this week too, so a few days ago marked the reappearance of CD's at work for the first time in months. I use old-school soul and R&B as a soundtrack because it keeps me moving and keeps my energy up. Here's the playlist for the last few nights:
* Tower of Power -- Down to the Nightclub, You're Still a Young Man, What is Hip?, So Very Hard to Go.
* Al Green -- Tired of Being Alone, I Can't Get Next to You, Let's Stay Together, Love and Happiness, I'm Still in Love With You, You Oughta Be With Me, Call Me, Let's Get Married, Sha-La-La, Take Me to the River, Love Ritual, L-O-V-E, Full of Fire.
* Marvin Gaye -- What's Going On?, Inner City Blues, Trouble Man.
* Spinners -- I'll Be Around, I'm Coming Home.
* Dramatics -- Whatcha See is Whatcha Get.
* Timmy Thomas -- Why Can't We Live Together?
* Funkadelic -- Can You Get to That?
* Brothers Johnson -- Strawberry Letter 23.
* Sly and the Family Stone -- Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin, M'Lady, Sing a Simple Song.
* Bill Withers -- Lovely Day, Ain't No Sunshine, Grandma's Hands.
* Booker T and the MG's -- Time is Tight, Hang 'Em High.
* Gladys Knight and the Pips -- I Heard it Through the Grapevine, The End of Our Road, The Nitty Gritty.
* Earth, Wind and Fire -- Serpentine Fire, Fantasy, Getaway.
* Neville Brothers -- Hey Pocky Way, Bird on a Wire.
* Junior Walker and the All-Stars -- I'm a Road Runner, I Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Anyway You Wannta, Nothing But Soul, Shotgun, Shake and Fingerpop.
* Temptations -- Get Ready, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, I Know I'm Losing You, I Can't Get Next to You, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, My Girl (a capella).
...This will probably continue. It keeps my mood up, and customers seem to like it. One guy was thrilled to hear Tower of Power, even tho he mis-identified them as Chicago. Hey, they both had horns....
Only complaint: The Temptations' ULTIMATE COLLECTION has the studio version of "Get Ready," rather than the live hit version. The choruses still sound pretty great, tho....
PLANNED FOR TOMORROW starting around 10 a.m.:
"All the Way 2!" -- Renaissance's "transitional" 1970(?) album ILLUSION, and the first album (1972) by Stories, headed by Ian Lloyd and Michael Brown, who released the pop-rock semi-classic ABOUT US in 1973. Bonus Tracks may follow, time permitting....
|Your View:
2 comments:
- Perplexio said...
Benatar's debut album was solid but radio stations rammed "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" down our throats when it came out a few years later. It got WAY too overplayed. It's not a terrible song, but not being terrible does not = good. It's definitely one of her weaker songs. There were at least 3 covers on her debut (Smokie's "If You Think You Know How to Love Me, John Mellencamp's "I Need a Lover," and a rather bewildering cover of Alan Parsons Project's "Don't Let It Show") and any/all of those are far superior to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."
- April 14, 2017 at 1:20 PM
- TAD said...
Hi, Plex! Wasn't "We Live for Love" on Benatar's first album? I thought that was OK.... Wasn't thrilled with her second album either, though I think she did an OK "Wuthering Heights." Always liked PRECIOUS TIME, though. Have a copy here somewhere....
Thanks for dropping in!
- April 16, 2017 at 1:46 AM


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Contemplating the humor, ethics and truth of being the product of anonymous sperm donation.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Feeling Lonely With Yourself
14 comments:
I used to be terrified every time I looked in the mirror. Thank got I now know who my father is, so I know whose eyes are looking back at me.ReplyDelete
I'd be interested to hear what part of it was terrifying (I know what you mean but have had trouble articulating the fear associated with it.)ReplyDelete
All that aside, it's good to hear you know. I would love that type of closure.
Girl Concevied
"I think a lot of people with opinions on anonymous sperm donation operate under the assumption that the children are going to homes where they are wanted so very much. The typical pro-donor conception argument involves sperm being given away by one man who doesn't want to father a child, to a man that does ...a man, that will love those children like his own. Though few are willing to admit it, this isn't always the case. Some men decide on donor conception without knowing what their reaction will be and some men have reservations but feel pressured by the pleading look on the face of a wife that deeply wants to be a mother."ReplyDelete
You hit the nail on the head with this. This is the priori assumption of donor conception that has been propagated by the infertility industry for generations...that we are so "wanted" by our intended parents that will will therefore be loved. Completely missing the fact that as you pointed out many times it's a one-sided decision by the woman and her husband reluctantly agrees. And/or one (or both) of the parents realize that this child is not biologically his and there is a sense of sometimes infidelity or wrongdoing on their part creating an internal dilemma that while usually destroying the marriage also causes serious harm to the children who are oftentimes left to their own defenses in struggling with their conception.
There is also the assumption that individuals that spend money to create a child will therefore be good parents!! If money versus lack-thereof is the only defining difference between good and bad parents then why do so many wealthy people (who oftentimes use IVF to conceive anyways) leave their children in the care of nannies and cannot be bothered to spend mere minutes in their offsprings' presence?? The opposite is one of the primary fuels of adoption -- that poor unwed teenage mothers will NOT be good parents because they're poor and young.
It's completely preposterous to assume either is the case, as it is to assume that a child created through ART will be any more loved than any other child conceived naturally.
One thing I always point out is that intending parents want ANY child, not specifically us (so there goes the mentality that we were so wanted), and sometimes they do not want the child they get. Either the child looks too much "like him" or the child has mental, physical, or behavioral problems, or health issues, or some other reason. And then they get mad......
I probably should have just blogged about this myself. LOL
I think the solution is for all anonymous donors to do a Family Tree Family Finder DNA test. That way, donor conceived can find their bio dads at will. That's what I'm doing (Lindsay helped convince me) - it provides a better chance for female match than the CaBRI test I did earlier.ReplyDelete
How to do that? Family Finder makes the $ - maybe they can figure out a way to advertise it or provide an incentive.
Lindsay - I agree. Some of the backlash towards donor conceived adults dissatisfied with the status quo is rooted in assumptions and pre-conceived (pardon the pun) notions promoted by the sperm and insemination industry.ReplyDelete
To Bill's point about a solution - I think you are on the right track. Just vocalizing my sadness doesn't do much to change things. Finding a solution that is profitable to an interested party is likely the only way to combat the wrongs of an incredibly profitable industry. Since I work in Web solutions and marketing I have been thinking of contacting Family Finder and making the business case for a DNA-linked database marketed solely to the donor conniption community. With estimates in the millions of donor conceived adults their is an untapped market. Message board, blogs and home-grown solutions just aren't scalable enough.
GC - Sounds like you have the right skill set to market DNA testing to the DC community. Success would be related to participation from both the DC and donor populations. There would be two large problems to overcome: 1) So many of the DC have not been told (lack of disclosure by parents) and 2) the very high percentage of donors that are anonymous. Retroactive legislation would fix that, but it is very unlikely and would be impossible to enforce due to lost records. Ideas?ReplyDelete
I think it is a great post and that kind of things happen to everyone.ReplyDelete
Hi Bill, Coming up with a business plan which makes profitable the collection and open sharing of DNA details and information in the DC community is the best resolution I see at hand. There is no way to compete with the billion dollar infertility industry with respect to the misinformation it promotes in regards to anonymity.ReplyDelete
Regarding the large population of those who do not know: The solution would clearly have to be marketed to those donor conceived that are aware, those parents for truth and openness and donors against anonymity. The gay parenting community too would likely be highly supportive and as a market, they have incredible buying power.
With a solution like Family Finder the press the company would get for such a "DC-only" offering could drive business to their core product offering and primary market. By this I mean, even if the estimated 1 million DC population currently in teens and adulthood where not a strong enough source of revenue, the press coverage might interest the regular population in their genetic services.
Perhaps a social media campaign asking Family Finder or 23 and me to create and market (marketing is the key here) would push them to action.
I believe from there legislation could even happen. Having consulted for the federal government I can tell you not much anti-commercial legislation is passed without significant lobbying by another group or industry that seeks to profit in another way. This lobbying costs money and won't get very far unless there is a company or financial interest pushing behind it.
I have been think of reaching out to the management directly. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come across their contact details though I'm very involved in the Web development industry.
Funny this all seems tangental to my original post......but most of thinking is in sweeping tangents.
Can't be that surprised.
Girl Conceived
- AnonymousAugust 7, 2011 at 10:45 PM
I just want to assure you that your blog is immensely helpful to those of us readers who are considering conceiving using donor sperm. Your writing will undoubtedly ease the heartaches of many parents and children.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 23, 2012 at 4:35 AM
I just want to assure you that your blog is immensely helpful to those of us readers who are considering conceiving using donor sperm. Your writing will undoubtedly ease the heartaches of many parents and children.ReplyDelete
"To this day, I conceal the nature of my conception from all of my extended family members so that he doesn't suffer the pain and embarrassment of them knowing he is sterile."ReplyDelete
This. So sorry about this. It's not fair. Geez
May I ask would you feel differently had your parents selected an open donor? Had they not put the burden of keeping your conception a secret on you?ReplyDelete
My son is donor conceived, we used an open donor. My husband made the final decision on whether we would adopt or use a donor, it was very important to me that he be 100% in agreement with whatever path we choose. We tell our son now about his conception, although being only 10 mos old he doesn't understand yet. It's not a secret, we are very active in the infertility community and feel honesty and openness are the best options. Our son will never bare the burden of keeping his conception a secret and will always know the biology alone does not make a father. We are in contact with his half siblings families and will support him when he turns 18 if he wants to find his donor.
But I guess I still wonder are we making the right decisions, will he be angry with us one day because we wanted a family so much and this was the way we choose to build our family? Was there anything your parents could have done that would have changed how you feel today?
Very good post and I agree with Cindy.ReplyDelete


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Press Round- up – February 21
Lloyds rivals' executives to keep bonuses
Executives responsible for misselling loan insurance at Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays look set to keep their past bonuses, ignoring the precedent set on Monday by Lloyds Banking Group. (FT)
'Rookie' bidders head for Edinburgh Airport
A shortlist of bidders was drawn up on Monday for the 500 million pounds auction of Edinburgh airport and some have been told already that they are through to the next round, having submitted indicative offers last week.
Turkcell's owner to find $1.4 billion or lose control
The owner of Turkcell has to come up with $1.4 billion next month or lose its controlling stake in Turkey's biggest mobile group, at least for the duration of an appeal, a court has ruled. (FT)
Apple makes legal threat over China iPad dispute
Apple levelled a new legal threat on Monday against the struggling electronics company that has claimed it owns the iPad name in China, as a court in southern China ordered a large retailer to stop sales of the gadget. (FT)
U.S. corporations shy to offer guidance
U.S. companies are more uncertain about the future than at any point since the financial crisis, with just one in five of the country's biggest corporations making any predictions as they published fourth-quarter results. (FT)
Veolia chief faces boardroom coup
Antoine Frerot, chief executive of Veolia, the world's biggest water utility by sales, is facing a boardroom coup orchestrated by his former mentor, Henri Proglio, the boss of EDF. (FT)
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/


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Ryco Newton-Block is a comedy writer and stand-up comic from South Florida. And, since I'm typing this I'll stop speaking in the third person. I currently live and perform in NYC.
My writing and stand-up is a mix of personal stories, observations, hypothetical and absurdist situations and twisted commentary on life. All concepts and all writing are my own; I pride myself on writing original content and discovering unique perspectives.
I'm an avid traveler, a huge sports fan, and a wildly mediocre home brewer (although I brewed a pumpkin beer from scratch once and it was amazing. My roommate drank them all before I could).
I attended undergrad at The University of Tampa and grad school at Florida State University. I worked for a corporate healthcare company my first 3 years out of college doing international marketing and business development. I realized early on that the corporate life was not for me, but despite that early realization I stayed for 3 years enjoying the safety net.
One night I was in Trinidad for a work conference. It was my third weekend in a row in a foreign country by myself. I had a mental breakdown and bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Black (which means I'm not poor but also not rich). I got hammered, signed up for a stand-up show and have been at it ever since.


text: Health Cheating In Marriage I Everyday Health ByiTotalWellness Published on December 5, 2018 Share Tweet Comment Continue Reading You may also like... Recipe Rehab Season 1 Recipe How-To: Cheese Enchiladas With Smoky Chipotle Sauce Getting Rid Of Belly Fat Mental Illness Stigma Can Matthew Survive a Week on Cabbage Soup? ⎢Fitness Guinea Pig ⎢Everyday Health Click to comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website