♥ In The Name Of The Moon! ♥ Schoolkid RESULTS! PG 57!

[Ice Queen]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!


Name: Serstine Silva Masters

Nicknames: Silva

Gender: male

Age: 17

School: Hillworth, he was busted for stealing a motorcycle outside of a bar. Well, actually, he wasn’t outside the bar when he was busted, he was four blocks away, with a crashed bike burning in a pile of destruction next to the wall he’d ran into. He was fourteen at the time, and juvie had already had him twice.

Fav. Food: cherries, steak, wine – the wine he tried when he was ten, about the same time his father’s job went down the drain and he turned to the bottle for solace. Of course, his father couldn’t afford it for long, and soon after Silva was caught for stealing a dirtbike from a neighbor in their trailer park. Yes, Silva is a redneck.

Hated Food: milk, fish, coconut

Virtues:

Fast & Coordinated – From running away from the cops, or his younger years with his professional stunt man father, Silva’s got speed like a snake. He’s been in fights before, and never hesitates when it comes to moving. It also comes in handy with his speed addiction, he knows when to dodge and when to jump off (most of the time). It isn’t just running in this case, his hands move at faster than average speed. It comes as even more of a surprise after watching him for a bit. Most of his regular movements are slow and calculated, almost lethargic.

Canny – So many years being tossed through the system has taught Silva how to deal with the situations at hand. It’s downright brutal, often enough. This has nothing to do with intelligence, and everything to do with street smarts.

Determined – This goes with the canny thing. He doesn’t let problems stop him. If he can’t slam through the problem in front of him, he’ll figure out a way to work around it. His mind gets set on a certain thing, and neither hell nor heaven will stop him from doing it. Or so he likes to think. The obsession with bikes is an excellent example of that. That’s actually related to his father, as well. His father broke his spine during a bike stunt, and it ended his career. Silva’s determined to prove that he’s better than his father ever was by mastering bike stunts. Only problem is, he needs a bike for that.

Caustic – He has a biting sense of humor. His words are aimed like barbs at weaknesses or faults, and he lacks the empathy to pull them or soften the blow. Sometimes it’s quite funny, but for the person he’s talking to, he often goes too far. That, of course, is if you can get him to stand still or pay attention long enough to talk to you.

Flaws:

Thrill Seeker – Motorcycles, which have already been mentioned, bikes, skateboards, he’s constantly scamming or borrowing people’s modes of transportation. Fighting is also one of his hobbies, even if he’s skinny as hell, he’s fast. Speed makes up for weight if you use it correctly. He wants to learn to surf, he wants to learn to snowboard. He’s even run off to the ocean a few times to try surfing. The adrenaline rush must make up for emotional ones, because he’s always chasing after it.

Inferiority/Father Complex – Before he broke his spine, Silva’s father was a famous stunt man. Not quite as big as Evil Kenieval, or anything, but big enough that people recognize the name Serstine Masters still, and always wonder whatever happened to the guy. When people compare him to his old man it makes Silva do stupid things. He’s out to prove he’s twice the man his old man was, and if it kills him along the way, oh well. He hates the fact that he carries the same name. One plot line I’d use is when Silva finds out that his father has committed suicide. It will cause him to do a lot more stupid things than usual, not because he mourns the old man, but because now he’ll never be able to compare, since you can’t really compare to a dead man.

Gullible – If it makes sense to him when you first explain it, he’ll believe it. He doesn’t tend to think too deeply into things, and as a result all that natural ability of his can easily be turned against him. He also tends to overestimate people by putting them at the same level as he puts himself, which makes him even more likely to believe when they say they can do something outrageous. It’s because he puts himself at a very high level, because he’s too stupid to back down when the challenge is outrageous. Even if he winds up with broken bones along the way, he will eventually accomplish it. Everyone else has had about the same time as he has to do it, right? So they’ve done the same thing. Or maybe better. That goes back to his inferiority/father complex.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: narrow, yellow

Hair: Think redneck, silver with streaks of red, maybe?

Face: sharp, angles, long nose, full lips, thicker eyebrows, he isn’t to be considered “pretty” in any form of the word.

THE STORY ENTRY

There was a lot of weird a** s**t that went on in Destiny City. To be honest, when Silva had heard about a simple meteorite about to hit, he had figured it was just another day, hell, if they got hit and died it couldn’t be worse than things were already. Hillworth was as good as being in juvie. Actually, if you asked him, the food was better in juvie. But anything was better than being stuck with his old man.

He gripped the handle of his flashlight a bit tighter as he started up the hill. It was chilly out, but he ignored it. Sleep had failed to come and sneaking out of the dorms was always something he enjoyed, so the idea of going to see the meteorite before it killed them like Porky said it would seemed like a good way to waste the night. A rock slipped out from under his foot and he shifted to catch his balance, looking down at the ground to make sure where he was stepping was better than his last choice. This hill was practically falling apart after the last rain. All the dirt under the rocks had been washed away.

“Omph.” Something, or someone, heavy slammed into Silva’s chest, throwing him off balance completely and sending both him and his assailant backwards head first down the hill. The flashlight flew from his hand as his head hit the ground, rolling a bit before laying there, lighting up the dirt. For a moment Silva and the person on top of him just laid like that, both stunned by the impact.

“What the ********, man?” Silva said once he got his breath back. He shoved the person laying on top of him off, cursing as he reached up to rub the back of his head. That dirt was hard, damn it!

“Get… away,” the male said as he tried to push himself to his feet again.

“Porky?” Silva asked. “Porky, what in the hell is—“

“Get away, you—“

The ground trembled and the flashlight rolled a bit more, bumping against what looked to be a gigantic foot. Silva stared at the foot, slowly looking up to see what was connected to it. It was somewhat like a man, but far larger, with fur covered skin and strange clothing. It looked like something straight out of a B-rated movie, but it didn’t move like one. “What in the hell is that??” he asked, hating the way his voice went up with the question. But seriously, that thing was freaky!

“It’s why you need to go,” Porky said breathlessly, finally getting to his feet only to sway there. The solid as a rock male looked pathetically small in front of the monster, and for a second Silva enjoyed the sight. He and Porky hadn’t gotten along ever since that bike competition that Silva had been disqualified from because of the other boy.

“So I should leave while it kills you, huh?” Silva asked, still sitting there on the ground. He smelt something coppery in the air. “You bleeding?”

“Not as much as he is,” Porky said, reaching down and grabbing a metal pole. It gleamed with blood even in the moonlight, dripping to the ground in a fascinating display. But the hand holding it wasn’t doing too great of a job. It looked as if the pole would fall out of his fist at any moment.

“I could help, you know,” Silva said. “For a small fee.”

“******** off, Silva,” Porky said, grabbing the pole with his other hand as well and lifting it above his head. He let out a gargled bellow and raced forward, only to get slammed by a gigantic fist. The larger boy went flying, his pole dropping from his hand and bouncing twice with the sound of metal hitting rock.

Silva stood, glancing over at where Porky lay, inert. “I’ll collect my fee later,” he said, racing for the pole and skidding like a baseball player into home as the large fist came out once again. He twisted, aiming his blow for the side with the gash and earning a wail of pain in return as he stood.

“Hey!” he said, brandying the pole like a baseball bat. “You’re making me miss my ******** meteorite, you son of a b***h!” he snarled, dodging a blow from the furry hand of the monster. He came up with the pole, hitting the monster’s arm as hard as he could. The monster lashed out in return, slamming his other fist wildly at Silva’s head. Silva managed to duck, but the wild hand came back unexpectedly, hitting him upside the back of his head. He had never fought something with this long of a reach before, he thought as the pain slammed through him. Stupid.

As he fell, though, he saw the gaping wound in the monster’s side and took advantage, slamming the pole into the hole as hard as he could.

Its scream of agony was the last thing he heard as he fell unconscious to the ground.

[Silent Spy]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: William Bailey

Nicknames: Will

Gender: Male

Age: 20

School: Sovereign Heights

Fav. Food: Mac and cheese, hot dogs, ice cream, junk food

Hated Food: Salads

Virtues:

Attractive: There’s something about Mary Will that’s very attractive. Its not just his looks (although he is a very attractive young man), its his confidence and attitude as well. He’s always smiling, which benefits his appeal. He’s a charmer, for sure. Men and women alike tend to be charmed by him to some degree. This helps him in several situations, whether it be weaseling himself out of trouble or pursuing company of the opposite sex.

Athletic: As a valuable and talented basketball player, Will keeps in top shape. He has great endurance and stamina, which may proves to be useful when he needs to push himself physically, as he won’t exhaust easily. This also means he’s very strong. Basketball is his passion and he needs to keep in shape in order to advance his career in the sport.

Nurturing: Although he may be a bit of a jock, Will is definitely not a bully. He’s one to defend the innocent and takes care of those who are weaker or need help. However, when his reputation or masculinity is in question, he will quickly take the macho route and save his nurturing and intimate behavior for a more private time or space.

Quick Thinker: He may not be at all book smart, but he’s very street smart and think quickly on his feet. After years of experience on the basketball court, he knows how to manage his adrenaline to plan a course of action in seconds time. In a situation where he faces danger, he’ll surely be able to think of a way to protect himself or others if needed.

Flaws:

Conflicting Ideology/Hypocrite: Will is in the process of really reevaluating his faith. For example, on one hand, he loves to live out his sex life. On the other hand, his religion preaches against sex before marriage. He loves to get wasted, but his religion tells him not to over-indulge. Because of this, he can be a bit of a hypocrite. He will preach to his friends they shouldn’t have sex, but he constantly is seeking sex, or he will say he is firmly against a certain act because of moral thought, but will perform that act when given the opportunity. He’s a very confused man, torn between faith and pleasure.

Cocky: Being a celebrated basketball star can get to your head. So can almost always being in the company of a girl seeking his attention. As a result, Will can get really cocky. He’s not arrogant to the point where he’d cut down someone else’s self-esteem, but he thinks of himself as invincible or a superstar, and thinks everyone wants to be his friend or that every girl wants to sleep with him. You’d think he’d learn after several rejections, but he doesn’t. The number of rejections don’t compare to the number of acceptances.

Over-Compensating: Will is over-compensating for something. Maybe he’s compensating because he is embarrassed being raised by two dads, or perhaps he has a small p***s. Who knows. But he’s very concerned about keeping a masculine image. The worst insults he can receive are “woman”, “little b***h”, “p***y”, “chicken” or “coward” – he must show that he is a strong, brave, confident, manly man. As such, he is very susceptible and can be tricked into doing anything if it means defending his honor as a man.

Party Animal: Will is always looking for excitement in his life. He wants booze and he wants sex. A weekend without at least one of these two things is a disappointing weekend in his book. He’s living his young life to the fullest, and quite irresponsibly. He gets easily distracted by anyone with breasts, and does horribly in school (he isn’t very bright, which also is a problem). He wants to do better, but he can’t resist the pleasures that tempt him away.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Light blue-green almond eyes.

Hair: Short blonde hair.

Face: Strong jaw and chin, strong cheekbones, dimples, almost always smiling.

THE STORY ENTRY

It was Saturday night, so naturally, William Bailey was drunk. It had been a fun night, but his roommate had passed out at the party and Will was in no shape to take care of him or carry him home. He’d have to pick him up in the morning. Halfway through his stumbling journey back to the dorms, Will stopped for a moment to break the seal on some closed bakery. And that’s when Will’s night was took a downturn as a patrolling officer-buzz-kill ordered him to freeze.

********. Will had never been arrested before and an arrest would completely ******** over his chances of getting picked up by a university team and might lead to some disciplinary action at Sovereign Heights as well. Not wanting to screw over his entire life for one night of sinful over-indulgence, Will ran from the officer as quickly as he could, clutching onto what was left of his bottle of Jack.

He was in far better shape than the officer, but Will’s drunkenness did make things quite difficult. Not to mention Will hadn’t managed to finish getting ‘closed up’ after his public urination, so there was a cool breeze in an area that fits him best not being cold. He bolted into the central park of the city, thinking he may be able to lose the officer in the wooded area. After about five minutes of running, Will felt he finally escaped the cop.

He buttoned up his pants and heeled over, a bit out of breath and feeling slightly faint and dizzy – a poor mixture of the drunkenness, cold, running, and fear of getting caught. He took a few moments to recover and looked up, praising the Lord for giving him the ability to get out of that situation, a second chance to redeem himself. A chance, he knew deep down, he would most likely ******** up next weekend.

As he looked up at the night sky, he noticed bolts of light streaming past the few stars visible in this night polluted city. Thinking back, he had heard rumors there would be a meteor shower tonight; Will just never cared enough to pay attention. But witnessing the beautiful event – it was breathtaking.

“HELP!” A woman’s screams for help echoed throughout the park. Not one to pass up an opportunity to be a hero and prove his belief in his own manliness, he rushed towards the screams to see what the situation was.

The sight was very sobering. He nearly shat his pants. Some wretched beast was chasing some poor and helpless teenage girl through the park. He was petrified – the beast was nothing like anything he had ever seen before. What was it? Some spawn of the devil or some exotic animal? He didn’t know what to do. He stood there, watching as the beast that was getting closer and closer towards her hunted down this woman. She wouldn’t be able to survive an attack from this creature. He looked at her, and she looked back at him.

It was Jennifer Perry – an ex-girlfriend of Will’s from high school. Things were going great in their relationship, until he discovered that Will wasn’t the only man in her life. It was a discovery that had shattered him, and they had fought for years after their break up. Secretly, however, Will had always wanted a chance to be with her one more time. She may have been a horrible girlfriend, but she was one hell of a lay.

And there she was, backed the girl into a corner, right up against the iron fence of the park. Will watched in horror as the creature pinned her completely against the wall while she screamed for his aid. “Will! Don’t just stand there you coward, do something!”

She didn’t need to say anything more. Nobody will ever call William Bailey a coward and be proven correct. A brave fool may be accurate, but a coward? No. ’Please God, let me survive this,’ he thought as he charged at the beast, wielding the nearly emptied bottle of whiskey.

“Hey, ********!” Will bellowed as he charged towards the beast. The beast’s attention quickly shifted to Will – who clearly seemed to be a more immediate threat. The beast and Will charged at each other, but Will made the first move as he swung the bottle of whiskey at the beast as soon as they got in range, cracking the glass bottle over the creatures skull. The creature limped around for a few more steps before collapsing to the ground.

He may be a brave fool, but he wasn’t completely stupid. He knew he couldn’t sit around and wait for the thing to wake up. “Lets run,” he said to Jennifer, as he grabbed her by the wrist and ran out of the park with her. When they got to a distance they felt was safe, she stopped.

“Thank you so much, you saved my life,” Jennifer said, still visibly shaken. “Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

Will certainly was able to think of one thing she could do. Maybe tonight will turn out to be a good night after all.

[400bunny]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Ginny Westbrook

Nicknames: Gingerbread

Gender: Female

Age: 16

School: Crystal Academy

Fav. Food: Strawberries with Ice Cream

Hated Food: Brussel Sprouts

Virtues:
Intelligent -- Ginny Westbrook always makes sure that her assignments are in on time and starts working on projects a month early. Her friends always come to her for study advice and loves helping them with homework.

Selfless -- Ginny spends her Sundays working at the local animal shelter and makes sure every animal gets their special time to play and eat. Every month she donates to her charity of the month and always makes time for her friends special events (such as a speech).

Athletic -- Even with Ginny's busy lifestyle she makes time to play on her Volleyball team and keep in shape. She especially likes to make workouts for her and her friends to work three times a week.

Flaws:
Gullible -- Ginny always believes what people say so is often tricked. She does bot mind but gets annoyed often being 'weak' because of it.

Self-concious -- Ginny is very selfless but is always nervous about her looks. She never knows what people think of her appearance and thinks that she could always look better or wishes to disappear.


DO NOT MISS OUT THE ABOVE BECAUSE YOU'RE C&PING FROM YOUR QUEST OR WE WILL BE MAD

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Almond shaped green-purple eyes

Hair: Red-head, super straight, waist lenght, and a purple hairband if it looks nice.

Face: Heart-shaped, freckles

THE STORY ENTRY
Ginny had finally got the guts to sneak out of her window to go to the park. There was a 80 percent chance of meteors today, odds that she liked. Her window opened silently and she jumped down with a thud, her trusty flashlight her only companion.

Her hair blew across her face as a warm breeze came by and she flicked on her flashlight, revealing a racoon searching her garbage cans. Ginny jumped back startled at the little creature but sustained a yelp. As her heart slowed down she carried on toward the park.

The air got chillier and her fuzzy sweater was begging to let cold in. Luckliy, the park was a block from Ginny's house. Her flashlight was starting to flicker a bit but she wouldn't turn around now. The sidewalk finally began to stop and the finely cut grass of the park revealed itself. Ginnny's steps began to slow as the hike up a huge hill seeped her energy away.

This was her favorite spot to go star gazing, but she did little now because of volleyball and school clubs, but that was not the case now. As the ascend began to stop, Ginny sat down for a quick break. Taking a deep sigh, she closed her eyes for a second.

When she finally opened them again her flashlight was showing something odd. It was as big as an ogre but had the fur of a husky, one form the deep north. But there was something about it familiar, and it was not alone.

Ginny's archrival, Brian, was on the other end of the stick. He was bleeding, hard. The monster had cut wounds in his arms and upper stomache. Sweat covered his brow and the familiar frown covered his face. Ginny's heart race started to speed again. This was her enemy, but he was still a person and if something was not done soon, he would end up...

It would be too long for the police to show up and she didn't have her phone or money for a payphone, so she jumped.

Just as the monster slashed once again.

The last thing she heard before she went unconcious was Brian yelling 'No!' and seeing him pulling out something with the outline of a... sword?

[Mouse Pachinkorelli]

Name: Nora Merlin

Nicknames: N/A

Age: 16

Favourite Food: Red velvet cake, loaded potatoes

Hated Food: Liver

School: Meadowview

Hobbies:
Band - Nora has notable skill in playing the bass, both classic and electric. Her capacity to read sheet music is a bit below par, but she more than makes up for it with her ear and instinct for improv, which is often showcased in rehearsals and performances with Meadowview's jazz band.

Reading You the Phone Book - Nora is gifted with a lovely, incredibly soothing speaking voice that ranks right up there with Carl Sagan and Morgan Freeman in terms of its captivating quality, and it's made her a bit of a celebrity for a few of the denizens of Destiny City who aren't completely glued to their iPods. Her voice has been immortalized on a few books-on-tape that can be rented at the public library and a smattering of ads for local businesses on the radio, as well as a single, mostly obscure relaxation CD that can be found in stores that carry that sort of thing. When she has the spare time for it she's often involved in some recording project or another, and to this day she's still holding out on her childhood dream of someday becoming a radio personality.

Stage Magic - Still a fan of magic tricks long after many people her age have grown out of it, Nora has recently bought a few magic kits and started trying to learn some herself. She's only at Find Your Card and other restaurant-table displays, but loves demonstrating her sleight of hand whenever she feels an opportunity.

Bird Raising - There have been small flocks of doves and pigeons hopping and fluttering around the Merlin household for as long as Nora can remember, and once she reached a proper age she started learning to handle and breed them herself. She usually has a few perched on her person or freely roaming about the house when she's at home, and treats them with all the care she would give to humans. She's always wanted to set up a carrier pigeon network with her friends for no reason other than the novelty of it.

Hats - Nora likes hats. Nora really likes hats. She has a very extensive hat collection and is always on the hunt for more, and by the way she picked up a derby the other day she thinks would look fantastic on you, would you like to see? Nothing brings an outfit together quite like a nice hat, you know.

Virtues:
Warm - Nora is a near-unconditionally friendly face to the people around her. She's always full of kind words and gestures, carrying herself in a way that makes her an inviting and approachable presence. She tries to fashion herself as a "safe" individual one can talk to without fear of being judged or berated - she's very "love the sinner, hate the sin," and does what she can to have some love available for everybody. It's in short supply these days, after all. She's one of those types who is very hospitable whether at her own home or someone else's, making tea and bringing treats and random presents.

Resourceful - Nora's a good friend to have around on a rainy day - she's optimistic and imaginative enough to usually be able to work with what she has, be it a melodramatic situation or a dire one. With some experience, her ability to save people from boredom has the potential to translate into an ability to save people from an untimely demise. This trait also gives her a decent capacity to cheer herself up when she's feeling blue.

Diplomatic - Or, at least, she's a good bet if there's a situation at hand in need of a mediator. Nora doesn't like to demean people's opinions by taking sides in a conflict, and as such can always be counted on to lend her full attention to everyone's version of the story before forming an opinion herself. She is always willing to be a neutral party no matter how ridiculous the situation is.

Lovely Assistant - She's probably not your best bet if you want a good leader, but it's a completely different story when it comes to following. She's comfortable and efficient at fulfilling a subordinate or advisory role - her strength lies in how she's not a submissive yes-girl who will obey everything unquestioningly, but will actively work with whoever she's associated with and has a good sense of where, when and how she will be useful. Provide her with a set of expectations and she'll fulfill them beautifully.

Flaws:
Sickeningly Sweet - Nora's warmth gets to be a bit smothering sometimes. She's the type who will unabashedly refer to complete strangers as terms of endearment like "hon" and "sweetie" and "darling," and has no qualms invading personal space to provide what she thinks would be a comforting touch to other parties who might not be so receptive. Her attempts at being approachable and comforting can end up looping right around and making her a bit unsettling to be around because of this - or worse yet, her touchy-feely sugarcoating of absolutely everything will end up making someone think she's their girlfriend.

Blinded by the Light* - In this girl's world, there is good to be found in everyone, no exceptions. It isn't unlike her to take on troubled individuals as personal projects in some attempt to "improve" them, and when faced with a conflict, she'll try to appeal to the Good Person She Knows Exists Deep Within Your Heart - she thinks salvation is possible for even the most hopeless of cases if she just gives them enough compassion. There's an infinite supply of second chances you can get from her if you ask, and that's even if you're guilty of hurting her repeatedly; unfortunately, she gets so personally invested in her humanism that it upsets or discourages her when she can't make people see their (sometimes nonexistent) inner light. When she witnesses a serious fight that doesn't end up getting peacefully resolved in some way, it can put her in the emotional slums for a little while, and if any of the participants know her personally they can expect a heartfelt talking-to later.

Morning Person - Nora tends to be in a generally uplifted mood all the time, which is all fine and good, except for the fact that a lot of other people aren't in a generally uplifted mood all the time. She is always full of bubbly cheery optimism, even during times when everyone else is weary and grumpy, and it gets a bit grating to deal with her when it's the crack of dawn and she's talking about what a fantastic day it's going to be and you just want to groan, roll over and go back to sleep. She's a genuinely happy person in a sea of disgruntled teenagers, and it can create problems. Really, just take a hopeless romantic and extend the "romantic" part to all other aspects of life, and you have Nora Merlin.

Plays it Too Safe* - Nora is probably a supporter of the recent trend of self-esteem-obsessed education where everybody wins and nobody gets left out: she gets so overly concerned with creating stress-free, conflict-free environments that it can make her a bit controlling and almost aggressive in her desire to ensure that nobody gets hurt or offended. She's sort of riding on a niceness high horse she uses to try and herd people into a pen of fairness, and can end up ruining people's fun with her agenda to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. This tendency counts as one of her weaknesses, since hanging around with a wannabe helicopter mom can be a bit of a killjoy.

Physical Description:
Eyes: Some people wear rose-tinted shades, but Nora takes things just one step further: she was born with rose-tinted eyes. They're a cheery carnation pink, very round and expressive.

Hair: Wine red. Wavy/curly, but the curls are gentle and very large; frames her face well and grows down to the small of her back. Wears a blush-colored lace headband.

Face: Heart-shaped, slightly upturned nose, smooth cheekbones and high forehead. Her expressions are usually sprightly and gratuitously cheerful; healthy Caucasian complexion with just a touch of rosiness.


THE STORY ENTRY
It was far, far too late at night for Nora Merlin to even toy with the idea to be awake when the phone rang. It was a cheery, weighty ring that was more in place in the 1970's than in the 21st century -- despite telephone and cellphone technology offering ringtones of every variety and devices smaller than one's hand, her family had never been able to give up the familiar weight and sound of the pearly-white phone on their kitchen wall, with the curly springy cord and buttons bigger than their thumbs. It lent some pleasantry to the atmosphere of the house; however, whenever it rang during the graveyard hours it created a bit of a cacophonous chain reaction.

First, the merry grinding bells started up... and then, like a domino effect of sound, the dozens of slumbering pigeons and doves throughout the house started up their own chorus of irritation, fluttering and flapping in their cages and generally creating a ruckus that did more to announce that someone was trying to call the house than the ringing of the actual phone did. This carried on for several minutes, metronomic jingling in the background of shuffled, scattered birdcalls, until the light of the kitchen clicked on and Nora sleepily picked her way to the reciever, the large curls of her hair matted and tangled together in a nightmare of a bedhead.

"Hello. I'm sorry, but it's awfully late," she started, once she had the phone cradled under her cheek. "Is this an emergency? If it isn't I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to call back in the morni--"

Before she could finish, her eyes snapped wide in surprise when the earpiece crackled back at her in a barrage of babbling from one of her friends from school. Nora really wanted to get back to sleep as soon as possible, but this seemed important from the urgency in her classmate's voice: meteor sightings, everyone's been talking about it, and the other girl just had to get a scoop on it before anyone else in her astronomy class did; her teacher was offering extra credit to anyone who could bring in more information on whether or not the whole thing was genuine. Also, she needed to borrow a flashlight from Nora for this, could she bring it to her at the city park?

"You know this would be breaking city curfew, Jessica..."

Jessica pleaded.

"Well... fine. But just this once, okay? I don't want anyone to get in trouble, especially over a little rumor like this."

Another half an hour saw Nora waiting at the park, having hastily thrown on some clothes but her hair still a tragic mess. Admittedly, she'd been a bit curious about the whole meteor thing herself, and wondered whether the sightings were true or a story produced to draw attention away from the sailor senshi and tabloid-paper questions that had been raised about Barren Pines (Janice was always so vague when talking about Barren Pines, the poor girl). It was almost enough to let her think that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to come out here and check things out -- and so, when ten minutes passed and there was no Jessica in sight to retrieve the flashlight, she found her foosteps not taking her back to her house, but further into the park, towards a larger hill she particularly liked to go to for picnics and cloud watching.

Just a few more minutes out here couldn't hurt, she thought. Those few more minutes should have been up by the time she'd reached the edge of the hill, but completely giving in to curiosity had made her less concerned about what time it was. That, and the fact a chance craning of her neck up the grassy incline made her notice something that made what time it was the very last thing on her mind.

Nora's carnation-pink eyes narrowed in befuddlement at the sight, all of the concepts in her memory bank she could affix it to doing no good to help her sudden confusion. This was because they were all monsters from old horror movies, creatures from the black lagoons and giant mountain ape-men, all of which she enjoyed for their storytelling value but didn't believe existed in the real world. It was almost as if she expected this self-affirmation that Sasquatch Didn't Exist would magically make the monster vanish back into the plane of imagination from whence it came -- but, of course, it didn't, and instead the girl's continued staring at the creature made her notice other choice things about its appearance.

Such as the fact whatever it was, it was injured. From where she had been standing and was now tentatively and slowly climbing the hill, she could see a large wound running down its side, and the creature was still trying to fend off whatever it was that had hurt it. It was a bit of a struggle to wrench her gaze off of it due to how strange and foreign the sight was, but after another second Nora's eyes canted a bit to the side, and was met with a much more familiar figure who facing off against the monster. Immediately, in spite of her self and her situation, her jaw set into a disapproving scowl and her eyebrows dipped downwards to meet with the bridge of her nose.

For a brief instant she'd thought it was Jessica, the girl who'd called her out here, but that thought was violently extinguished when she noticed the pair of frizzy, revoltingly enormous pigtails the girl had her hair up in. This was not Jessica Smith, it was--

"Robin Ingrid Minch, just what do you think you are doing?!" Nora shouted up the hill, arms ramrod straight down her sides and clenched into an empty fist and a deathgrip around her flashlight. Robin was one of the extremely few on Nora's list of people she could never forgive - they'd hated each other for years, ever since Robin became a notorious bully in middle school and Nora tried a little too hard to set things right.

She stalked further towards them, moving her arms back up to cross them over her chest, frowning with all the disappointment and disdain the universe could ever channel into her. "This is just like you, don't you know that? Trying to hurt this poor, misunderstood creature, I just can't believe you! Why is it that you can never leave anyone alone?"

There was a loud, frustrated growl before Nora got a proper response, the other girl trying to find a break in the struggle before managing to yell back, "BECAUSE THIS THING IS SORT OF TRYING TO KILL ME. Jesus christ, Earth to Nora Merlin, I'm being attacked by a ******** monster over here!" Robin narrowly dodged another swipe from the creature, trying to get some distance.

"That being is clearly confused and scared, Robin, and you are doing no good trying to--"

"IT'S. TRYING. TO. KILL. ME," she repeated, a staggered breath in between each raggedly emphasized words. "Merlin, I swear to god, get your hair out of your ears for two ******** seconds and just ******** listen to me, here!" Another too-close-for-comfort dodge, and as Nora pointed her flashlight at Robin she could see the glint of a pocketknife, as well as a series of gashes and already-forming bruises running up and down her arms. Her clothes were more tattered than usual, and her face had taken some hits that made her hair aesthetically pleasing in comparison. "I was just out here minding my own damn business when this thing ******** jumped me! It's not confused, it's not scared, it WANTS ME TO DIE."

It was around this time that Nora realized the strained tone in Robin's voice wasn't from her unique brand of malice, but from desperation. She was honestly and completely terrified, and -- if she was to be believed, would be going down fast.

"I ******** swear to Christ, Nora -- if you keep standing there like a damn rock I am going to haunt you for the rest of your ******** days, you hear me?"

Nora immensely disliked, intensely disapproved of Robin Minch. But that didn't change the fact some part of her still saw the other girl as a human being, and the thought of any human, even one so vile, ending up as a mysterious tragic death in the newspaper the next morning, was something that filled her with preemptive grief and regret. This feeling was what spurred her to take her sudden, and in hindsight extremely silly action: her arm flung out, chucking her flashlight at the supposed beast.

"Run!"

They were lucky that the flashlight was both on and hit the monster square in the eye -- it granted them just enough spare time to dash down the hill and through the tame rows of trees in the park, jumping its low fence to the streets outside. Breathlessly, Robin and Nora kept running down an aimless series of roads for quite some time, for a small part of the evening acting not as enemies, but two immensely terrified schoolgirls who very much wanted to not die and were helping each other out of mutual interest in survival.

Finally, they reached the point where not even adrenalin could keep them running anymore, and they were forced to slow to a weary walk when they hit a suburban district in an unfamiliar part of down.

"Well, Merlin," Robin sighed, "you better have a ******** plan to get us home..."

"Let's just go..."

And on they went in search of a familiar street they could use to get back to their houses, swearing and lecturing at each other the whole way.

[NeoBunni]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Amarantha (unfading) Canicus (born of fire)

Nicknames: Amara, Mara, "Graceful" (a sarcastic nickname)

Gender: Female

Age: 15

School: Meadowview

Fav. Food: Strawberries and cucumber rolls

Hated Food: Anything overly spicy and most vegetables.

Virtues: Curiosity: If something sparks her attention you can bet she'll be heading to the library to get books, articles, anything she can about it. Staying ahead in History is one thing, but if she gets interested in something, she'll pore over everything she can find about it until she's good and satisfied, unless it proves less nifty a topic than she thought it was. This also tends to extend to the world around her and the people and subjects that catch her interest. Because she's shy, she has a habit of simply quietly observing what goes on around her, the little never-seen tag-a-long that you're never quite sure was there or not. Which makes her a reservoir of information, if you can get her to open up.

Forgiveness: Have you picked on her? Made fun of her and her clumsiness or have done something to hurt her or some one she cares about in anyway? Don't worry, she's forgiven you all ready. She doesn't like to hold grudges or ill feelings towards others, it never sits well with her and she'd rather just forgive them then continue to dwell on the matter.

Trustworthiness: She's reliable, overall. She might not always make that class deadline she was supposed to, but she will never 'kiss and tell' or betray someone's secrets. She makes an excellent babysitter, as she recognizes there are things more important than her need to know, and little kids are some of those. Also, she will NOT miss choir even in Hell or high waters, and will be there unless she is so sick her mother won't let her blink. If she promises you she'll do something, by god she'll do it or so help her, she'll die trying (not literally of course).

Flaws: Introversion (weakness): Amarantha tries to avoid as many people as she can through out the day, preferring to keep to herself. She doesn't answer questions in class unless she has to, and, when talking to other students, she speaks in very short, concise sentences spoken very softly. In fact, you're often forced to ask her to speak up and repeat herself. She will talk to strangers to the point where it gets her what she needs, but beyond that is a hopeless venture. In relationships, it's usually the other person that makes the first step.

Curiosity: Curiosity did kill the cat you know, and her mother swears it will one day get her too. Not that she pays attention to that. When she isn't singing her nose is stuck in some sort of book and she hardly ever pulls away from it. Which has often lead to missed assignments (sorry mom) and staying up late. She also tends to blow her allowance on the next manga in whatever shojou series she's into just so she knows what's going to happen next. Also, more often than not, when just books aren't enough to sate her need to know, she'll go out to places of interest, often by herself, often losing track of time. Following ten feet (discreetly, of course!) behind people sometimes takes her places she never really wanted to go. Alleys are bad and she's ended up silent, unknown, brief witness to more than one intensely awkward situation. Those two may or may not be related.

Nosiness: Curiosity on a social level has lead her to be too nosy for her own good. Often times she can be seen sneaking around the halls and lunch room in search of conversations that pique her interest. She often stays only long enough to see if it's worth her time and if not she moves on to the next group. If or when she finds something that does catch her interest she attempts to hide herself and remains silent to gather all the information she can, after all one can only do so much research with a tiny bit of information. If she happens to be caught or noticed, Amarantha will quickly run off in embarrassment.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Ice/pale blue, almond shaped.

Hair: Light pink and kept long. She prefers to wear her hair in a long ponytail that hits the back of her knees and held in place with a golden clip and stick combination hair thing. Her bangs are long and frame her face, though she keeps most of it swept to one side.

Face: Heart shaped, very baby faced with pudgy cheeks. Round nose, almost button like nose. Skin color is often a light golden tan. She lithe with an average chest and hips. She's 5'2" in height. .

THE STORY ENTRY

A meteorite in the skies of Destiny City! To say that Amarantha was thrilled as such a chance was a total understatement. Having finished the book on Ancient China she'd been reading, astronomy was the next book on her list to read and boy did she get hooked. Bad too, because there was just so much one could learn about the universe around them! That and it tended to lead back into her ancient civilizations reading so who was she to turn down such a delightful read! Of course it had taken the second book she had picked up to get into the study but-

Shaking her head, the Latina girl dismissed the straying thoughts and continued on her way to the big grassy hill where it would be perfect to see the meteorite. She just wished that she could have seen it better from her back yard, but the light pollution was much worse by her home. iPod blaring music into her ears, she was blissfully unaware of what was going on around her until a scream could be heard between the shifting of music. Pale blue eyes blinked and immediately she tore her earphones from her ears to look around. Another scream helped her locate the source and, for some reason, she wasn't surprised to find one of the cheerleaders having beat her to the spot.

Amarantha did not have an arch nemesis, well... Okay, to be specific Amarantha did not hate people, did not make it a point to make enemies of other students. She wasn't that type of person. She was, however, the quiet; clumsy; bookworm-ish type who preferred to keep to herself. Which made her the perfect target for teasing from several people. The popular types were quick to take advantage of this and the cheerleaders and she did not get along that well. Okay so they didn't get along well at all, to the point where Amarantha often wished she had the guts to pick fights back, stand up for herself or just give them a good ol' fashioned a** kicking for the trouble.

But what she was having trouble understanding was why the cheerleader, one Michelle Abernathy, was screaming like death was upon her. And then, as she moved her flash light just so, Amarantha found the source. A vaguely human shaped creature, that was too big to be human really, with... fur? Okay, this was too weird for her. But... what if it was one of those monsters she read about in the paper, the ones that the Sailor Senshi were fighting against and killed people? Could she really live with herself if she let this thing take out an innocent?

Her stomach lurched as it moved to attack Michelle, her flash light highlighting a nasty wound down it's side and she wondered how the cheerleader managed to attempt such a feat. What to do, what to do? Oh the guilt she'd be left with should she run off would kill her... But she couldn't fight to save her own damn life! What to do, whattodo, whattodo!?

Sucking in her breath she threw caution to the wind, shoved aside thought and charged with a battle cry that screamed her doom. The monster turned, Michelle stopped screaming, and she was still charging the stupid beast. The monster decided that this moving target was a much better meal and dropped the cheerleader, making it's way for the pink haired Hispanic who was deciding that now she had the beast's attention it would be best to lure it away and pray she could make it out of this dumb-a** situation she had put herself in. It was quickly gaining but she didn't scream, just kept pushing herself until she tripped and sent herself falling face first into the gravel covered grass.

"Way to go, Graceful," she murmured to herself as she moved to pick herself up off of the ground. She had help in doing so though, as the monster's large hand wrapped itself around her middle and lifted her up. Oh gods above did it have quite the horrid breath! Amarantha gagged and turned her head. With a roar the monster decided to bring her closer to make the teen it's midnight snack when voices rung clear in the night.

"Stop right there!"

Again the monster found it's attention pulled and it dropped the girl to lumber after the Sailor Senshi that had shown up to defeat the creature and save the world for another night in a row. Amarantha landed harshly on the ground, again, and let out a soft moan. Ice blue found themselves staring up at the sky as she lay on her back and, for a moment, she could have sworn she saw the meteorite in the sky.

Several minutes later found the pink haired girl pulling herself from the ground and making her way slowly for home where her mother was waiting to hear all about the meteorite she rushed out to see. Of course she'd leave out all about the monster she'd had the pleasure of running at, not wanting her mother to worry herself more about letting her one and only baby girl out and about Destiny City.

The next day at school the hallways were buzzing with chatter and excitement, "Did you hear? Michelle ran into a monster!" "I heard she saved some one from the monster before the "terrorists" showed up to dispose of the monster!" another murmured in reply. Ice blue closed a moment, wanting to bash her head into her locker door and end up sent home early. It was all she had heard about and the day wasn't even half over!

Heading to the cafeteria she could hear the cheerleader retelling the events of the night before over the hushed silence that had befallen the room. "She was totally screaming in fear, like she was going to die or something! I, being such a good Samaritan, couldn't just leave her to be eaten so I totally charged at it to get it's attention!" Some one beside Michelle murmured out "You are so brave!" and it took all Amarantha had to not yak up her breakfast.

"What happened when you charged it?"

"It so totally dropped her and came chasing after me! I ran as fast as I could and even managed to trip it so it injured itself. I thought I was going to die saving her! But the Sailor Senshi totally showed up to, like, save me and stuff so it was totally okay. They praised me for my efforts!"

Rolling her eyes, the pink haired girl turned to leave the cafeteria before she could be seen and opted to go spend lunch in the nurse's office instead. It wasn't like she'd been expecting to be thanked or anything but really? Ugh, the lengths some people would go to be popular...

"Never again."

[Asahi Kumoru]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Jia Chen

Nicknames: He tells his teachers and other people at school to call him Ian, but he does not protest if friends want to call him by his Chinese name.

Gender: Male

Age: 16

School: Meadowview

Fav. Food: Coffee. That's a food, right? Oh, also, his father's twice-cooked pork.

Hated Food: Anything dairy. Milk does not agree with him, so he hates it right back.

Virtues:
Peacekeeper - When people start getting upset with each other, Ian does his best to step in and smooth things over. He likes to see the good in others, and has found that, if altercations come up between members in a club or a group project, his keen eye for his friends' strengths proves quite helpful - separate the two with problems and praise them for their respective skills, then outline some compromise aimed to allow them both to shine while keeping each out of the other's way. Ian is loathe to have to throw himself into a physical confrontation, but he has done so on a few occasions, when he felt he had no other choice.

Let me help you with that - Ian tries to be outgoing and reach out to people when he can, but mostly in a helpful sense. As stated below, he is quite shy, but tries to deal with that by being helpful. He has just found that, in social interactions, he prefers offering help and doing things for others over trying to find other ways to fill that awkward silence. It works pretty well: he makes friends, and he feels good about himself for lending a hand, but he has trouble going beyond this first step. As a result, he is distant and nervous but polite. He does his best not to be rude to anyone, even if they have been hurtful to him in the past. Ian would prefer avoiding someone entirely over actively antagonizing him.

Strategist - Though he is too shy a person to step up in a leadership role, Ian surprises himself sometimes when he is in a position to act as a strategist. He does his best to learn about his teammates, even if he is fearful of reaching out and actually befriending them, but still puts what information he gathers to good use when it comes to meting out tasks to a group. This sort of interaction is alright for the ordinarily-shy boy because he feels he is not dealing with people directly on a personal level, but is more keeping them out at arm's length while he points out who should work on what. As a result, in spite of his politeness, Ian may come across as bossy, telling people what to do and pretending he knows them but being unwilling to actually befriend his comrades.

---

Flaws:
High-strung - Ian is a bit of a worrier. While he feels he does his best work under pressure, he tends to fret about little things, as well. While some people enjoy adrenaline rushes, Ian prefers not to seeking them, and avoids things like roller coasters. When stress gets to him as well, he can get anxious, and has been known to miss school occasionally with stomach aches or headaches. He also tends to fidget; sitting in class, he will always be twirling a pen, tapping his fingers a little, wiggling his foot. Harmless to many, but still drives some people crazy.

Shy - Perhaps he believes the stereotypes too much, but Ian is somewhat shy when meeting others, particularly girls. He has never really dated before, partly from worry at his lack of experience and partly because he knows he is a nerd and is not sure if any girl would want to date him. Self-defeating and self-perpetuating, he knows, but the poor boy has yet to steel himself up and actually make the first move himself. As far as friendships go, he is charming enough that he can keep many of the friends he makes, but still worries and tends to let people come to him. In groups of friends or just acquaintances working on a project, Ian will often only speak up if no one else does, or if people ask him directly for his opinion. His New Year's resolution is to work on being more assertive, but it should also be noted that this the third year in a row that he has tried this.

At face value - Though he is quite book-smart, Ian almost always takes literally what people tell him. He has no more problems than the average high schooler at reading emotional cues from others, but, perhaps because he himself does his best to be very genuine, it often simply does not occur to him to suspect that someone might be lying. Ian also gets nervous around people of the sarcastic sort, as he never knows when they are kidding; as a result, those who toss playful insults often risk inadvertently wounding the young man. Of course, he is not wholly blind - Ian will catch lies if he has enough reason to doubt someone's words, and he will also become mistrustful of those who repeatedly lie to him (though if they wish to regain his trust, they may have great difficulty getting him to believe anything they say!). He may read all day into your chess moves, but if you tell him that you are crying because you got something in your eye to avoid having to talk about your dog who just died, Ian will probably never suspect otherwise. This is a weakness, as it hampers his ability to judge character.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Medium-dark red, single-eyelid, and behind a pair of narrow squarish glasses.

Hair: Medium-dark red and shoulder blade-length with no fringe, tied back in a low ponytail with a white ribbon.

Face: Round with a bit of youthful chub in his cheeks, and a high forehead.

Build: Shorter than average and actually fairly scrawny. Neither of these things bother him - he is pretty cool with how he looks.

THE STORY ENTRY
Ian and Oliver shared an unusual friendship that existed primarily online, and was based upon two things - Oliver's love for teasing Ian about how polite he was all the time, and both of their mutual love for chess.

The first time Ian and Oliver met, their conversation ran something like this:

ChessNutz GameChat #0013486

-Game Start [20:31:07]-
-Checkmate! [21:22:53]-
System: Congratulations, ParsleySage!
System: Type /stats for detailed game statistics, /replay to review moves, or /newgame to start a new game.
ParsleySage: Wow
360Ollie: wow
360Ollie: lol
ParsleySage: Good game, thank you very much!
360Ollie: lol u dont have 2 b so *** polite
360Ollie: ur the best guy i playd on thsi site
360Ollie: thx man
ParsleySage: You're welcome
360Ollie: o *** missign csi. add me and remacth 2morrow
-360Ollie has left the game. Returning to main game list....-

The two of them held extensive rematches via the online chess site, and became known in the community as VICIOUS RIVALS (the specific title at Oliver's request). Then Oliver moved to Destiny City, and, though he went to at a different school, he ended up on that school's chess team. So it was only a matter of time before the pair of them ran into each other at one of the inter-school tournaments.

And run into each other they did. Ian's coffee had gone flying from his hands, but his amazingly well-engineered thermos had retained all of the contents. When the red-haired boy then proceeded to apologize profusely to the person he assumed was a stranger, Oliver had chided him to "stop being so ******** polite", immediately identifying himself to his online adversary, and that the cup not spilling all over him was one of the most amazing things he had seen in a while. And then laughingly yelled at him for offering to pick up the papers Oliver had dropped in the near-collision.

After that, they primarily spoke online, but met occasionally at school chess competitions, since they lived on opposite sides of the city. Their conversations outside of chess were friendly and mundane, generally about school, and typically involved Oliver insisting that Ian was upsetting some sort of cosmic balance by being so damn helpful all the time. ... Ian was not quite sure how to respond to his "check-mate" all the time, but knowing him for about two years had at least taught him to expect constant sarcasm and teasing remarks.

Tonight, Ian was lamenting the dying battery in his cell phone as he entered the park, and turned off the power to prolong the life of it a bit longer in hopes of being able to get a video of the meteorites if he was fortunate enough to see them. He figured there might be a few other people around hoping for a similar view, in spite of it being rather late out, but Oliver was one of the last people he expected to find - mostly because, he realized as he heard a familiar shout, that this was the first time he had encountered his chess rival without a game board within arm's reach.

Immediately looking up at the sound, Ian stuffed his phone into his pocket and blinked to try to clear the afterimage of the glowing screen from his eyes; awesomely smart of him to remember the red cellophane over his flashlight, and then go staring at his phone to ruin his night vision instead. Two shapes quickly came into view, though - an unusually large human form, and Oliver, on his hands and knees before the thing, his wheelchair lying on its side a few feet away.

"Dude, what's with the costume? If you're rushing a frat or something, you're a total a*****e!" Oliver shouted at the bigger figure as he backed away from it, craning his head back to keep his eyes on his assailant from his unfortunate vantage point. "******** off!"

Ian froze, one hand over his pocket where he had just stowed his phone. The thought crossed his mind to call the cops - they were better equipped than he was to deal with this sort of thing - but he knew it would take his languishing phone a good thirty seconds to start up again, and he was not sure he would have enough battery power for a call. Not to mention he was not sure his VICIOUS RIVAL had thirty seconds. Oliver always refused Ian's offers to help, insisting that, in spite of his disability, he could take care of himself just fine, and Ian respected that (though it had taken a bit of getting used to; his reflex was to offer to hold doors, or pick up dropped items, or what have you, for anyone), but ... he still had to do something.

"Hey!" he called out, clicking on the flashlight and shining it at the attacker to get its attention. He ran a few yards, maintaining the distance between himself and the other, but hoping to draw it away from Oliver. "Hey, over here!"

As the person (creature?!) turned towards him, Ian felt a surge of adrenaline as he suddenly wondered what he would do next, now that the assailant was looking at him. His ponytail swung behind him as he quickly scanned surrounding area for anything that might offer him some advantage. The flashlight was a little piddly cheap one, not even big enough to require D-size batteries, and already cracked once from being dropped - it would not be a suitable weapon. There were trees, but their branches were too low for a less-athletic kid like Ian to scale them....

The large antagonist started towards him, moving quickly, and Ian had to make a decision. Cars! People his mind shouted at him, and sent him running towards one edge of the park. The monster gave chase, giving a low growl. There was a road there - perhaps the attacker would want to avoid being seen in the act of ... whatever it was planning on doing, and just call off this whole thing and leave.

-- Or, as the red-haired boy realized after a few seconds, it might just turn back on Oliver. Ian skidded to a halt when he abruptly noticed the huge person was no longer persuing him. He was starting to lose his breath even though he had not done much running, but hurried back towards where his check-mate was, waving the flashlight beam to try to get the attacker to notice him again. "Leave him alone!"

"Parsley!" came Oliver's voice; his use of Ian's internet handle was proof that he had recognized him. "Catch!" Apparently Ian had bought him enough time to sit up and recover his basketball from the dufflebag hanging on his upset wheelchair - now, he pegged the orange ball at the rushing creature.

There was a thud of impact and the assailant stopped running, staggering back from the hit. Ian saw the ball bounce off to the side, and he changed directions to go recover it. "I'll hit him again!" he shouted to Oliver. The beast tried to snatch at him as he ran past; fortunately Ian was just far enough away to avoid being grabbed, but an oversized fist caught him in the shoulder. Ian stumbled, inhaling sharply between his teeth, but managed to stay on his feet.

Oliver fumbled a water bottle out of his bag and threw that, too, as Ian bent to drop the flashlight in favor of the basketball. With considerably less force than his friendly rival's throw, he flung it at the attacker, who held up its arms to protect its face and started to back away, then turned to retreat. A powerbar sailed through the air after it, from Oliver's hand, but it landed on the grass without hitting anyone.

Then silence hung in the air for a moment, save for Ian's panting as he worked to catch his breath.

"Thanks," Oliver said after a moment. He shook his head, shoulders, and arms out and let out a somewhat high-pitched "whew!", then moved himself over beside his wheelchair to set it upright.

"I would have done it for anyone," Ian assured him with a smile as he gingerly rubbed for a moment, observing that it was just now starting to ache, then retrieved the flashlight. Then he walked over to join the other boy. "You're on your own with everything else, though."

Once the wheelchair was upright again, the dufflebag obligingly dumped its remaining contents onto Oliver's lap. He cussed at it and started stuffing the towels and jerseys back inside, but looked up at Ian after a moment and told him, "Well, if you want, you can get my water bottle and the basketball. And if you can find that powerbar, that'd be great, too. ******** hungry after that, whatever the hell that was."

"If you insist," Ian replied with a slight laugh, knowing that he would get crap for this later anyway. He peeled the cellophane off of the flashlight to make the beam brighter as he hunted down the ball, bottle, and snack; when he had located all three (thank goodness for that shiny wrapper on the powerbar), he returned them to Oliver, who had, by that point, hauled himself back up into his wheelchair.

"You know you're going to have to like, push an old lady out into traffic or something to restore balance after that one, right?" Oliver informed his favorite chess opponent with a laugh. "Too ******** nice. You are so skinny and weak, that thing would have wrecked you if it caught you."

Ian laughed nervously as well, telling himself that it was more the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush than anything else. "I think I'll have a bit of a bruise, but it didn't catch me, so I think I am fine. No heroic self-sacrifice for you this time." Sheer dumb luck that the thing had not beaten him to a pulp, really. The red-haired boy was acutely aware that he was the last guy who should be doing any fighting. "Like I said, I would have done it for anyone."

Oliver swung a fist at him playfully. "That doesn't make it any better, you know. I will corrupt you yet." He pointed at Ian emphatically. "Next time I see you, you had better've like, pushed two or three people out into traffic, you lameass."

"The Parsley Sage cannot be corrupted!" Ian replied, attempting to sound dramatic as he sidestepped the punch with ease ... and flinched and yelped, dropping the flashlight, as he took Oliver's assertive index finger poke to the stomach.

"Either way, you're not allowed to help me with anything for like, a year, okay?" Oliver told him as, with some effort, he started to turn his wheelchair away on the grassy ground. "And you have to let me kick your a** tomorrow when we play online."

"Uh, I guess on the first one, but I make no promises about the second one." He bent down to pick up the flashlight again, then watched Oliver's retreating shadow for a moment before he called after him, "You're also not allowed to get into trouble on the way home from basketball practice. For like, ever."

His shoulder was starting to throb a bit, now that the thrill of the fight was fading from him; Ian touched it again, cautiously, and hoped that nothing was broken. If nothing else, he would have a nice bruise for a week or two; he would have to make absolutely sure that his parents did not see it, or he would never get permission to come out this late again, not even for rare cosmic phenomena. But, well... after all that excitement, it would suck to have to return home without having seen any meteors. Ian could stick around for another couple minutes (looking over his shoulder constantly), but as soon as he got home, a bag of ice was in order.

He felt his cheeks warming as he realized that he had just staged a rescue, somehow. And then blushed more as he thought he heard Oliver yell something else over the growing distance between them like, "forgot to say 'please' when you told that guy to leave me alone".

... At least it was dark out.

[chirigami]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Lila Shepard

Nicknames: Lil, there might be others said behind her back.. she doesn't know.

Gender: Female

Age: 16

School: Meadowview

Fav. Food: Melons, anything dealing with bread and cheese. Soups too!

Hated Food: Mint [due to allergy], Shellfish. Otherwise she really doesn't hate most things, she's willing to try them at least once....

Virtues:

Loyalty - - Like man's best friends, Lila will stick with and up for someone - even if they really don't want her to - through thick and thin. Even if you've only muttered a word of greeting and introduction, you are on her list of important persons and thus, you must be defended and especially so if one of her small group of friends. Defense is only in the forms of words though, or in silent resolve as Lila has never been able to muster up to physical violence, there has never been a need and she tends to not like major confrontation.
It's really tough to lose her loyalty, unless of course you left her to die in a pool of her own blood or something [you had a good reason for that, right?]. She'll be upset about it for some time, not visibly but still somewhere hold that bond even though its been pushed back a little bit than anyone else's.

Organized .. with a capital O - - She's not OCD, but she's organized like your mom, like a lawyer, like a powerpoint. She has folders labeled and little post it notes on everything, books marked of where she has to read and a calendar of what she and her dad will be having for dinner for that week.. even if he's not home to eat it with her. She could be an assistant when she grows up, she's pretty reliable after all.
Organization was mandatory to make sure the house doesn't catch on fire, that her dad is taken care of when he pulls all nighters over cliental details, and especially when she has more workload than she herself is supposed to.

Always look on the bright side of life - -There is always a smile on Lila's face, even if it's a small, shy little smile. Lila is generally a good person; she means well and wants to see the good in everything and wants to reflect it back. Good things come to those who wait, what comes around goes around and Lila takes these to heart ... so she figures, if she's nice to someone they'll return the favor even if not directly to her. She's happy, even though she could be pushed around by others and she'll just keep on smiling.
Corollary - The world is also full of rainbows and happy thoughts.


Flaws:

'Would you kindly....' - - She just can't say no, too easily falls for the word 'please' and big begging eyes. She used to sigh and say 'alright' but now she just takes commands without questions. People can get her to do just about anything, in moderation - committing a serious crime or something high risk to her well being and modesty is something she can put her foot down to, though no one has ever requested her to do something extreme so who knows - but getting her to do your homework, big project or being the scapegoat over ditching a class is something easy to accomplish. She could be a walking door mat, yes.

There's a good reason for everything - - Call it naivety, call it gullibility, or count it towards her sunny disposition but Lila doesn't believe that anything is really bad or evil or things are wrong. Bad things happen, she won't deny it and claim that some good reason had to be behind it, or she'll just turn her head and choose not to listen. This leads her to be too trusting of people, not thinking that some alternative motive will come of other's actions. There can't be anything wrong with that shifty eyed guy who asked for her purse, right? He might need her money for something important.

Can be overbearing - - The lose of Ladon and her mother in her life was more of an impact than Lila realizes. If anyone talks to Lila or is nice to her, they are her instant friend and thus too clingy. She won't leave them alone for a time, willing to help in anyway she can and be at their house with cookies and a meek little smile. She becomes a shadow, unwilling to let go until actually told to stop; it hurts too, but she will just smile and nod and push back but still try to be the person's friend. It's really for the strong willed to actually stick around, to wait till she starts to act like a normal human being and act like a less annoying friend.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: wide emerald green.

Hair: Short, boy short.. it's even shorter and more boyish than her brother's [Ladon Shepard]. Black and swept to the right side. She often wears cute pins in her hair.

Face: A little squared, she ended up with the more masculine features than her brother and can often be mistaken for a boy... a cross dressing boy.
[Though, they should look similar, she has a more mature look about her]

THE STORY ENTRY

The flashlight would have easily fallen to the ground and rolled away if not for Lila holding onto it for dear life. He knuckles were draining of color as she stood their shaking, the batteries in the torch rattling around as if a bell. Shaking was what the rest of her was doing, just planted only part way up the hill, green eyes wide and frightened.

Lila had been excited to hear about the possible meteorites within the city, but had felt bad when she had slipped out of the house to make her way to the hill - her father was late at the office as it was anywho, so there was really no one to tell her no; she did leave a note though, just in case he worried. Would others be out? She wondered, the hill she had ventured to seemed like a wonderful spot ... and if meek little Lila was going to go sneaking out, others were bound to as well. But what she did stumble upon, as she pulled herself out of the bushes that lead to the perfect spot, was not what she could have ever expected [which could really be considered odd, given all the news reports going on about this sort of stuff as of late and her father's increased workload]

There, on the ground trying to fish for something in the grass, was Delia Jackson. Rival on the Golf team, the girl who she always did algebra homework for; whom her friend always told Lila to be careful of, that the blonde girl was just using her. Lila had frozen then, shocked with wide eyes. Delia was a good golfer, a classmate and always asked so nicely and thanked Lila with what seemed like sincerity. And now... a large furred creature towered over her 'rival', teeth barred and claws ready to strike as Delia continued to find that something.

What possible reason could be behind this? Lila's mind went blank, like a white haze was clouding her brain and her usual trains of thoughts could not be accessed. The why soon turned to how, how could she help Delia? She had to help Delia. The teenager changed the grip on her flashlight, her breathing hitching as he trains of thought tried to reboot. She had to do something, anything but all her body would allow her to do was shake like her thick sweater wasn't doing anything against the crisp air.

Lila inhaled, ragged breathes as her eyes traveled fast across the ground also trying to find something quickly. Her green eyes suddenly looked over her flashlight as she turned it in her hands. Without another thought, the ebon haired youth hurled her flashlight as hard as she could. At this distance and position she probably could hit it, but that would be a really stupid idea. She she directed it behind the monster, in an attempt at a distraction. There was a rustle and a few snaps of twigs before the final clang of the flashlight hitting the ground could be heard. Lila had no idea where it went, if it had even gotten close to where she had intended it to land, the light was low and obviously she had no flashlight. What she could tell was that it got the monster's attention. It's large furry head turned, growling in the direction of the new noise. It's body half turning to locate the source... but not enough to make a rescue attempt.

This always worked in stories, didn't it? Lila began to panic again, trying to find something else. Another noise might make it go after something new [where were those senshi things?!]. Hesitantly, Lila pulled the strap of her bag off where it rested on her shoulder and stared at the body of the brightly colored bag, decorated with little happy pins. This was going to happen for a good cause, she had to tell herself - no one was bound to find it in the bushes, right? ... right? As the creature sniffed the air, ears perking for anymore sound, Lila swung the bag around in a vain attempt to get it to make as much noise and fall in the general area to which her flashlight had vanished to.

If it had, she wouldn't have noticed. As soon as the creature's ears perked to the new sound, Lila was off running towards her fallen comrade, her heart pounded in her own ears as she sprinted towards the girl. In that same burst of adrenaline, she grabbed Delia's hand and pulled her along.. pulled her to safety and didn't look back. They had to be safe, she commanded herself as tears began to swell in her eyes, either from the rush of her attempt or the wind in her face she wasn' sure. It had to have worked.... they had to be safe.. they had to run, she sniffed.

"What the HELL are you doing, you dumbass?!" An angry voiced screamed at her from behind, the hand in her grip was trying to break free but Lila somehow had the strength to keep her fingers tightly wound the blonde's wrist.

"I didn't need rescue!" The other grip was suddenly stronger, Lila was losing her boost. The pair came to a halt with one final tug from Delia, this time also too much for Lila as she was pulled back and down to the ground.

".... Lila Shepard?" Delia questioned in surprise, getting her grip free and finally able to look at her rescuer. The girl who always did her homework without question was the one to grow some form of balls and dragged her from that monster? Shocked was an understatement, baffled was too.

"... you were in trouble." Came the only quiet reply Lila could muster through shaky breathes. She needed to save her, the monster was obviously going to win. She had to save her friend.

"I didn't need rescue!" Delia exclaimed again, irate. "I managed to hit it somehow and was on my way of getting out of there." She huffed.

"Thanks though," Delia sighed, defeated after a moment's pause - how could she really stay mad at the walking door mat?, "Come on.. we don't want to stay here." It was the other's turn to grab for a wrist and tug, though it was more of dead weight when she tried. "Lila, would you kindly move?! We don't want that thing to find us again."

Lila simply nodded as she allowed Delia to pull her along through further down the hill and to civilization.

[Successful Edit]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Rosaline Sarabeth Thyleman

Nicknames: Rosa (rarely)

Gender: Female

Age: 17

School: Meadowview (she'd be in Crystal but I think it helps her 'underdog' self image if she's in what she believes is the lesser school.)

Fav. Food: Delicate pastries, cream teas, expensive trendy food.

Hated Food: Junk food, fast food, anything dripping in grease.

Virtues:

Ambitious – Rosaline wants to be something, someone, big. She doesn't care how, whether it's through being beautiful or clever or whatever works. She just wants to show the dull, unfair world with it's boring horrible people just how fabulous she is. This girl is aiming for the stars! Of course she doubts that she'll ever be given a chance to reach them...she does however thirst for power and recognition and will do what it takes to reach her goals. Her self-control trait comes in handy here because she is very good at setting targets for herself and meeting them. She's an organised and focused worker who knows what she wants. She likes making lists and then ticking off her goals one by one.

Self-control - Some people can pick up on the fact Rosaline is less than enthused to be in their (to her, boring) company. Few people can pick up on just how much she disdains the general populace because she works hard not to let it show. Rosaline knows that if she is ever to get her 'chance to shine', to show all these morons just how wrong they were to prejudge her and disregard her, she can't afford to be overly rude. Social networking is a valuable tool and while she doesn't enjoy it, she is usually pleasant and polite. She just indulges in the odd daydream of you getting eaten by a shark that's all.

Confident – You may think that because Rosaline has her victim mentality, she is a whimpering ball of self-consciousness that forever worries 'oh no what will people think!'. Well she isn't entirely, she does care what people think and does thirst for their approval however two things stop her from being overly self-conscious. Firstly, Rosaline thinks people have already unfairly prejudged her, so on some level it doesn't matter about trying to please them now. Secondly because she believes she is always right, therefore, her way of doing things is already perfect. It is only because the world is so unfair that no one else can see this. These combined have given Rosaline a fantastic amount of confidence.

Generally Skilled – Jack of all trades but master of none. It is one of the reasons Rosaline has such a high opinion of herself. She's a quick study. Her general skills, knowledge and grades are all around good, and she knows that if she wants to she can be good at other things with some effort. However she is not great at anything.

Flaws:

Arrogance – This is not barefaced disdain for her fellows, however, Rosaline does feel most people are beneath her. They are dumber than rocks for the most part. People in general are so boring and so often fit into stereotypes. They fail to recognise her brilliance, they misjudge her, and with her big ego and victim mentality this is unforgivable. While she will not outright call another student an idiot while she has to listens to them prattle on during a class discussion, she is undoubtedly thinking that they are a silly little peon in her head.

Victim Mentality – A victim mentality is where you blame everyone, the entire world, for how bad your life is but never blame yourself. And Rosaline has one. Rosaline feels that she is largely unappreciated and undervalued, that if she were just given the chance that is always denied her, she'd be the star of the show. She’s just a victim you see, never given that chance to shine, that she is always prejudged. Anything bad that happens to her is because the world is an unfair place and/or nearly everyone hates her (for no reason!). For example, if she were to try to win a contest and she doesn't win, it's not because the person who did win had a better entry. It is because that person somehow bribed the judges or because the ignorant plebeian didn't see the subtle genius present in her own entry. She is the underdog!

Jaded – Rosaline feels she is a very knowledgeable person, that she understands the world and how it works entirely – and that anything she doesn't understand is not worth knowing. She thinks that no stories or characters are unique, that history repeats itself, that she has seen it all and she is not impressed with what she has seen either. It all makes her feel very bored. She is also in general very bitter (because she feels like all the best bits are being denied her by the cruel hands of fate).

Us & Them – It is ironic that someone who so often feels she is being unfairly prejudged is so judgmental herself. Rosaline finds it terribly easy to make decisions about things. She either likes something or doesn't (in which case it's not worth her time). She also finds it easy to make judgments about people. She sees things in the classic Them or Us. Most people go in the Them category, the mysterious collective Them who are stupid and unfair, who are her enemies and oppressors. Very rarely she'll class someone as like herself or worthy of admiration. If you somehow manage to win Rosaline's approval somehow, it's hard won but not easily lost. When you do you are put into the rare Us category rather than being lumped in with Them. This is usually a place in Rosaline's heart populated by those who recognise her own brilliance or do something that sets them apart from the herd. These people have won her fealty. Again this is not something she broadcasts to those masses but it underlies her every interaction with another person. She will not feel guilty misusing a person she classes as one of the dull masses because after all they misuse her.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Large, almond shaped and hooded, pink.

Hair: Long dark hair, waist length. Either braided with beads in it or a gold ornament at the end or maybe loose with lots of little Alice-bands/ribbons keeping it back from her face. She likes her accessories and jewellry. Besides from no pig-tails, just something pretty/long really.

Face: Possibly wearing some eye makeup? Pointy face and features.

THE STORY ENTRY

Something out of the ordinary had happened. Something not so boring than usual. Something that had actually caught Rosaline's interest. A meteorite had supposedly been spotted above Destiny City and she was determined to see it for herself despite most people choosing to stay inside these days because of all the things that had been happening the last year. Big yawn. She had never seen any monsters or stupid gangs running about and frankly Rosaline found it all very boring. There had been petty crimes and the odd mugging before. Why people were getting worked up these days just because some morons had decided to put on frankly idiotic costumes....

But about that meteorite. Rosaline knew of a good spot for stargazing where maybe, if it was still blazing ahead, she could get a view of it. Her head was filled with ideas of being one of the few to really get a look at it and had wandered into daydreams of it falling to earth. She'd be the one to find it and it would be an important discovery, and all those sheeple who had stayed indoors would marvel at her. That b***h Janet Harris would be so sorry she'd acted so smug about knowing her way around a star-chart the other day in Science. She was always smug about something.. Rosaline hated her for it. Horrible girl thought she was soooo much better than Rosaline and naturally, their teacher had been so impressed by her silly astronomy hobby that Science class had turned into the Janet Harris hour. Hadn't shut up the entire lesson. It'd taken all of her strength not to throw something at her head at one point.

Rosaline mentally ranted to herself about Janet Harris all the way up the hill, going up slowly as she climbed up the steep tussocky mound, her torchlight wavering as she went. As she almost reached the top, she huffed out an annoyed and tired breath, causing a little puff to appear in the cold air. Hot from the climb despite the chill night air, she started to shuck one arm of her thick jacket off when her torchlight fell on – fur? - above her.

She stopped, slipped one side of her jacket back over her shoulder and steadied the light. Peering over the crest of the hill she moved the light over the pair of figures in front of her.

Gawping, Rosaline tried to keep them in the torchlight. Curse the bloody devil and she appears. The girl looked like it might be Janet Harris. Had the same obnoxious bright yellow (not blonde, yellow) hair and the same nasally voice. Rosa was almost certain it was her. Trust her to be up here, ruining Rosaline's chances with the meteorite, that was probably why she was up here! But then what about the other person? If that was a costume it looked like a really expensive and insanely good one. It looked kind of like CGI from a film, it looked too inhumane, like even though it was bigger than a person that a person wouldn't fit inside. Not with the way the legs were so slender and bent, though powerfully built. The clothes were also so alien. If that was a costume it was so unique and looked expensive, it would have had to be tailor made – but the way the blood oozed and it growled made her shake her head in horror.

She'd been so caught up in her tirade about Janet sodding Harris she'd not heard the whimpering and the growling from what she'd assumed was some prat dressed as a werewolf and the soft pleading from the girl. It seemed so loud now. But the knowledge that that was really someone or something intending the girl harm was swift and heavy. Rosaline could tell from the way they struggled. It wasn't choreographed at all, the combatants struggling too much, it'd make it impossible to tell what was going on screen if they were being filmed. It seemed too messy and final.

No. That was real. That was something real and alien and vicious attacking Janet.

Part of that excited her, it really did but Rosaline was also concerned. Partly for the other girl but also for herself. The torchlight went off. Her mind whirled in the next few seconds, flash-thoughts going through it as she decided what she should do.

She should probably help, should probably get up there, it was hurt, maybe they could push it down this hill, it was a steep hill, might break it's neck falling down, could hit it's head with the torch, it was a heavy one, hand-held, thick plastic, that was Janet up there, why did it have to be her, why should she risk her life for such a b***h, why did the world hate her like this, it was so unfair, she just knew nothing exciting like this would ever have happened to her, and why did she have to fight, wasn't even her fight, so unfair, hated Janet and Rosaline didn't deserve this and -

“Ro-Rosa?!” The cry broke into her thoughts and she glared at the struggling pair up the hill.

That did it. She hated Janet Harris with everything she was. The stupid moron had given away her element of surprise, had let the monster know she was here AND she'd called her a nickname. Rosaline didn't recall every giving Janet I'm-so-smart Harris permission to call her that. Her pink eyes narrowed dangerously as she heard a sickening crunch as the thing managed to get a hold of Janet. No one knew Rosaline was up here and Janet hadn't even sounded sure. There'd been what, two seconds of torchlight? Besides it was unfair for Rosaline to have to risk being killed to save Janet anyway, you know, especially when she was such a gonna. It'd be a tragic waste of life for Rosaline to be hurt as well. Sometimes Rosaline wondered if she was quite right in the head but quite frankly she didn't think so. It didn't make sense for her to do anything, she wasn't a fighter and it wasn't fair, damn it.

So she turned and started back down the hill unhurriedly but quietly, thinking how it almost served Janet Harris right and how unfair it was she'd come all this way without getting to see the meteorite. By the time she reached the bottom of the hill, she couldn't even hear the crunching anymore over her self-righteous ranting thoughts.

Bloody Janet Harris.
Bloody Janet Harris.

[400bunny]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Ginny Westbrook

Nicknames: Gingerbread

Gender: Female

Age: 16

School: Crystal Academy

Fav. Food: Strawberries with Ice Cream

Hated Food: Brussel Sprouts

Virtues:
Intelligent -- Ginny Westbrook always makes sure that her assignments are in on time and starts working on projects a month early. Her friends always come to her for study advice and loves helping them with homework.

Selfless -- Ginny spends her Sundays working at the local animal shelter and makes sure every animal gets their special time to play and eat. Every month she donates to her charity of the month and always makes time for her friends special events (such as a speech).

Athletic -- Even with Ginny's busy lifestyle she makes time to play on her Volleyball team and keep in shape. She especially likes to make workouts for her and her friends to work three times a week.

Flaws:
Gullible -- Ginny always believes what people say so is often tricked. She does bot mind but gets annoyed often being 'weak' because of it.

Self-concious -- Ginny is very selfless but is always nervous about her looks. She never knows what people think of her appearance and thinks that she could always look better or wishes to disappear.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Almond shaped green-purple eyes

Hair: Red-head, super straight, waist lenght, and a purple hairband if it looks nice.

Face: Heart-shaped, freckles

THE STORY ENTRY
It had happened the week before.

Ginny was in the middle of the night on a steep hill in her local park. A meteor shower was supposed to happened.

She clutched her flashlight tightly, not knowing what was lurking in the dark. As she waited for a flick of light in the dark her ears pricked up. A growl came from the dark surronding her. A sliver of movement caught her attention. Her widened eyes moved to her right.

She stood up and flicked her flashlight on. She shone the light where she thought she saw some movement.

Nothing.

Ginny then heard heavy breathing behind her. Standing over her was a... creature. It had blood covering its decaying teeth and smelled like wet dog. It was covered with molting fur except for its face, its elongated muzzle and steel cold eyes shone down at her. Its breath was putride and Ginny gagged when she smelled. Its chest heaved in while she gazed it up and down, stunned at its mammoth size.

Then she heard a scream.

As she turned around to the huge beast she saw a wounded person. She slowly approached the person screaming in agonizing pain. His arm was slightly ripped and he had deep gouges in his stomach and legs. He was bleeding hard. She sat down beside not sure what to do.

Ginny tried to ease the person, now realizing that it was her enemy Brian (but it was still a person), but she got paralyzed by getting hit in the back. It was the most painful thing she ever felt, it was worse than being hit in the back with a poison dart. Words cannot explain. Now she was lying on the ground, getting more and more tired by the minute.

As she lifted her dirt-covered face from the ground one last time she saw the beast on its hind legs, carrying Brian on his shoulder, his head dangling.

She lifted her arm as if that would bring him back, and that was all that she was able to do before everything became dark.

[Asahi Kumoru]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Ethan Raymond Kale-Alexander

Nicknames: ERa-KA (it's his "robot name", get it?); otherwise, just Ethan, or he gets worried that he's doing something wrong again

Gender: Male

Age: 16

School: Hillworth Grammar

Fav. Food: Any and all kinds of cheese

Hated Food: Onions, especially raw. Best way to ruin a burger or a salad

Virtues:
Set the bar high - Ethan is the fourth child of five in a close-knit and competitive family. Though he is perhaps the least competitive among his siblings, Ethan still feels like he has some standards to live up to. His oldest brother was first-chair saxophone by his sophomore year of high school, and ended up assistant drum major his senior year; his elder twin sisters did really well on the school tennis team, especially in doubles with their freaky twins ESP; and Ethan's little brother is showing great promise at track-and-field. Even though his thing is math, the wiz kid still wants to excel at it, so he has something to flaunt at the dinner-table. So maybe his bragging carries over to school, too, but hey, if you ask nicely, maybe he can help you with your homework a little.

Live life to the fullest - Ethan's grandfather was from a tribe of Native Americans who did not possess a fear of heights, and also enjoyed climbing; as a result, he was recruited to help build the skyscrapers that now crown Destiny City, bringing in enough money to give his children a life that he himself had only dreamed of growing up. Ethan himself is quite familiar with his grandfather's stories, and has definitely inherited from him not only the lack of pause when it comes to high places, but also his optimism - that he can make a living doing something he enjoys, and so should never lose sight of that. ... Granted, sometimes this means that Ethan skips writing an essay in favor of doing something he loves, but if he is not having enough fun, then he is letting his grandpa down, right?

Self-propelled - Ethan is not shy or reclusive, he is just an introvert. He makes friends easily enough, though he is hardly the life of the party, or constantly surrounded by people, but when the going gets tough, he gets going off on his own. A few hours at the top of a tree, or in his room listening to music with noise-canceling headphones does wonders to lift this guy's spirits. So when he seems down and withdraws from everyone, he is not going off to wallow in angst or anything like that; Ethan is just recharging.

---

Flaws:
Livin' on the edge - Doctor Grant in the third "Jurassic Park" movie said, "I have a theory that there are two kinds of boys. There are those that want to be astronomers, and those that want to be astronauts." Ethan is a specimen of the latter variety. He is not particularly prone to stupid unnecessary risks, but he has things he likes to do, and if they happen to be a bit risky, then so be it. Unfortunately, his habits of setting off home-made model rockets and climbing anything taller than two stories are not always favorites of the police, and Ethan landed his bum at Hillworth after getting picked up for trespassing. It has not exactly stopped him from doing what he loves, though - Hillworth has some amazingly tall light posts over the sports fields with a great view, and seriously, it is not like Ethan is sneaking out at night to do drugs or anything.

If you want anything done right... - Having gotten used to doing well at a lot of things, Ethan gets frustrated easily watching someone else struggle with tasks he deems easy. If one of his classmates gets called up to the blackboard to struggle through a math problem, especially, lord knows he will be fidgeting in his seat the whole time. And the teacher standing there is about the only thing sometimes that stops him from going up to the board and finishing the problem himself anyway. While he is definitely not the best team player, though, Ethan is a desirable partner on group projects to some people, as well. Even in situations where he is set up so that he will do everyone's work himself, it never occurs to him that he is getting used ... in spite of the stress and the all-nighters he may end up pulling as a result. This is a weakness, as group projects or other needs to cooperate in general sour his mood like few other things can.

Secretly, I want a secret - Ethan is pretty good at math and all, but really, after growing up with a bunch of siblings and not having a lot of privacy, he really wishes there was something awesome about himself that was his and his alone. For a while, he got the thrill of secrecy from his late-night excursions to climb onto the roof of his house (and then the neighbors', and then the mall, and then some office building....), but coming home at 4am accompanied by a police officer sort of blew the lid on that. Now, one of his older brothers even wants to come with him, sneaking into a building sometime, and, well, Ethan wants something else to get that thrill. It is not necessarily the danger he craves, but rather just having something unique - someone who wants to talk him into doing something exciting and under the radar might not have much trouble catching Ethan's interest, but if it is something obviously dangerous, he will at least give it a second thought. And once he finds other secrets to have, he may desire on some level to share them with extremely close friends, but more often than not, the urge to keep them secret makes him shut other people away from his covert activities.

Magnetic north on my moral compass - In spite of his troubles with trespassing and the occasional noise warning for the rockets, Ethan is not the stereotypical all-out defiant teenage boy. There are just some laws and rules that he genuinely does not understand. Coming from a family where attention is something requiring some competition to get, and time must be managed carefully between all the members to avoid schedule conflicts, Ethan has become a strong preference utilitarian. Sometimes he just does not get his way because other methods work better for the whole family ... and he has learned to figure his ethics around this method in his life outside of home, too. Whatever benefits the most people and harms the fewest is the right choice; his climbing hobby harms no one, so he does not always believe that laws represent the best course of action in all cases. And, well, being a math person at heart, Ethan thinks it is very handy that Jeremy Bentham invented a "felicific calculus" to figure out what yields the most happiness for all. Perhaps fortunately for Ethan, though, he has not yet had to make any really profound choices by this method yet....

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Nearly-round and curious. You pick the color

Hair: Short, and up in a messy faux-hawk; olive green?

Face: Slightly darker complexion, but his Native American heritage is not hugely obvious. Strong-jawed and generally grinning. Forehead, cheeks, and nose are still battling with puberty and acne.

Build: Spindly, but rapidly maturing. He just hit his growth spurt and grew UP, and the other dimensions have not had a chance to catch up yet.

THE STORY ENTRY
Ethan was not out in the park to see the meteors. Or, well, it was not the only reason. He had already planned tonight as a launch night weeks ago, and the promise of interesting things in the sky only sweetened the deal. If nothing else, if he got caught being out this late, he could cite the meteor shower as an excuse, so he had nothing but thanks for the space rocks as he walked into the park with the battered leather drawstring bag that he used to carry his launch supplies on his back.

There was a little pavilion near the middle of the park that contained the restrooms and a water fountain and some vending machines. The young rocket technician headed straight for this, and dropped three quarters into one of the machines for a Mountain Dew. Then, stuffing the can awkwardly into the hip pocket of his jeans, Ethan hauled himself up straight up the side of the building using the drainpipe and onto the sloping roof. Then he opened his bag and started setting out his rocket launching supplies.

He had rigged up this particular rocket engine with a small firework, because it was such an awesome yet challenging idea - Ethan had attempted this a few times before, but his most definite success had been limited to removing his eyebrows, not getting a dramatic sparkling explosion in the sky. Still, he was using one of his unpainted rockets, since Ethan was fully expecting not to get this one back; the only decoration was where he had written "VULCAN VOLCANO" on the side in sharpie. He set up the launch pad, then put his home-modified engine into the little rocket, and was putting the rocket onto the pad for lift-off when he saw two people running towards the pavilion.

Flattening himself against the roof, Ethan watched as a man he recognized and hoped he would never see again came into view - Officer Barnes, the cop who had caught him on three separate occasions, had kept him in jail once overnight, and upon whose recommendation Ethan had ended up at Hillworth. Even though Barnes was off duty and in his plainclothes, Ethan knew that if he was caught again by the same guy, he would be beyond ********. His parents would hear about it and it would just get worse from there.

The second figure gave him even more pause, though. It looked like some guy in a gorilla suit who had just escaped from a comic convention or something, and it was chasing good old Officer Barnes. Quickly gaining on him, too.

... Maybe the cop would be distracted enough that the launch could go off as planned. Ethan slipped back from the edge and finished readying the VULCAN VOLCANO for liftoff as quietly as possible, to the sounds of exertion from the monster and the policeman down below. Maybe the epic beauty of this firework-rocket actually working would even distract the weird creature thing long enough for Officer Barnes to arrest it or whatever.

"Either way, you're too busy to come after me," Ethan whispered to himself, and grinned broadly as he flicked his lighter and lit the rocket fuse.

He stole one last quick glance over the edge of the roof - the copper was grappling with the hairy spacemonster like a sci-fi movie poster - then scurried over to the other edge of the pavilion to be out of the way if his VOLCANO backfired like the last one.

There was a hiss that quickly faded away as the rocket took off, followed a second later by a grunt of pain from the officer down below. Ethan crept back to the edge he had occupied before and saw that the creature was overpowering him. In spite of his ... well, not exactly loathing for the fuzz, but mistrust of their intent, if all they could do was harass a kid who just liked to climb things, the rocket scientist felt a twitch of concern and worry, and wondered if Officer Barnes would come out on top and be alright. A thought struck him that these nighttime excursions would not be quite as exciting without Barnes on beat to avoid.

A second later, doubt and worry were erased from Ethan's mind by a sudden loud *POP* overhead. A grin spread across the boy's face as he looked up and saw a small starburst of sparks fanning out from a single point. It had totally worked! Mission success!

"MISTER KALE-ALEXANDER?" roared Barnes, as he did not know many other people who would be out shooting off rockets at night.

More pops came from below him, forcing Ethan to realize that apparently Officer Barnes carried a gun on him even while of duty. Not sure he wanted to see what was going on now that his beautiful experimental rocket had given the cop a chance to get his firearm out, the boy dismantled his launch pad and stuffed it and the lighter into his bag again as fast as he could. Then he ran to the opposite side of the pavilion roof and shimmied down it.

"You're welcome, Officer," he said quietly, then put a hand to his mouth as a giddy giggle escaped his lips. "Enjoy the falling stars."

[NaomiNaomi]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Indria Roseleen.

Nicknames: Indy.

Gender: Female.

Age: Fifteen.

School: Meadowview.

Fav. Food: Any flavor of gumball/gum in general.

Hated Food: Steak.

Virtues:

Beauty In All - Being an artist, Indria is capable of seeing beauty in the most bizarre of scenes. From the continuous dripping of a faucet to the palpable tone of a lie, she can sense the beauty in them. Even if her own human kind, she can look straight at a person and find what truly makes them unique and an individual. Due to this, she strays away from stereotypes and the like, believing that everyone is their own person and not a tagged animal that should be forced into a group.

No Fear Of The Unknown - Indria has no fear of what exists beyond the horizon of those questionable and unknown to human knowledge. If given the chance, this firecracker will burst through with great elation to discover an answer unknown to herself. This has made her a philomath, as her seeking for knowledge is overcome by the amount of questions she asks herself. She dubs school to be her second home, claiming her actual home is only a haven for sleep and nothing more.

There Is Always A New Beginning - On the start of every new day is the start of a new story to unfold. Though Indria may be following the same usual schedule of get up and go to school, there is always something different to make that day more special than the others. Indria holds this thought close to her, never taking anything to heart and leaving whatever was said or done to that day and never continuing it with her to the next.

All It Needs Is A Deep Breath - Keeping one's cool under tense situations is what leads to strong leaders, so Indria believes. From this thought, Indria has trained herself to calm down during strained events. By taking a deep breath, filling one's lungs with much needed oxygen, and inhaling slowly, Indria finds it easier to work out a problem quickly and quietly.

Flaws:

*No Will To Go On - Indria has always suffered with low stamina and finds it to be one of her greatest weaknesses. With her art keeping her busy, she falls into slumber upon herself and wakes up in the middle of the night. Her constant ticking of sleep, wake, sleep, wake, has caused her circadian rhythm to go haywire. Indria knows no way to reset it besides going to sleep early . . . and that doesn't seem as though it is going to be happening anytime soon. She really wants to see a sunrise one day too.

Please, Tell Me No Lies - Indria is hard on herself when it comes to her artwork. Purposely, she deprives herself of self satisfaction by picking out the most smallest mistakes in her paintings and sculptures. By doing so, she makes herself a target so others can baby her and tell her what a great job she has done. She wants greatly to be known as an artist, and finds the only way to obtain that outcome is to have someone tell her she is one.

Happiness Only In Fantasy - Indria's deprivation of her own work also has another terrible affect upon her. She believes her happiness will only be found in the world of her works (which only depict fantasy images such as fairies, dragons, castles, etcetera). This thought has pushed her away from her family and some friends. She has employed in her brain, "Humanity has forgotten me because my world of perfection only exists in fantasy."

Beautiful Soul, Disgusting Shell - Indria is capable of appreciating a beautiful and free soul, but she is very judgmental towards one's bodily make-up. If one does not fit the proportions of being seven to seven and a half heads high, their pubis area is mid-height, the length of their chin is the size of their hip, the length of their arm dangles down to their mid thigh, the length of their arms is the same as their entire body length and their foot being the length of their forearms, she will certainly make a comment.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Chartreuse green. Beneath it are dark rings, showing her lack of sleep.

Hair: Lopsided and short pigtails are pulled to the top of her head. Shorter pieces of hair and her bangs froth out around her face. Two smaller pinches of hair side her face and are beaded. Her hair is deeply black. [Reference #238]

Face: A very hard, masculine jaw line matched with overly large ears in a chocolate skin tone. Her face is pretty strained and harshly splattered with small flecks of paint. Indria's face is never clean, always being smeared with charcoal and acrylic paints.

THE STORY ENTRY

Night veiled the change of day, stars dotting the sky as if they were pricked holes in the very floor of Heaven. Destiny City was quiet that evening, no living embodiments making a sound besides the the passing of a wisp of wind. Suddenly, a dash shattered the silence as hurried feet raced down the pavement. Indria was the holder of these steps, running forwards to an unknown destination. Her hands were completely full of material; paints in one hand, canvas paper in another and a mini flashlight pinned to her bosom. Her lips were curled in as she ran, making a sharp turn than to the main entrance of the park.

Indria's steps slowed as her strained eyes greeted the view of the entrance and exit of the park. A small huff of air whispered past her lips as her needed materials collapsed to the ground. Indria followed suit, landing on her knees with a rather painful thump. Her pale lips curled on into a smile while she smothered her hair down.

"Finally . . . here . . ." she muttered with satisfaction. "Now I can . . . get the scene I want."

Whispers of a meteorite crashing into Destiny City's park plagued the teen population of the city for quite some time. Indria was one of the last to hear of the event and found it in herself to paint a wondrous picture of the crash site. However, Indria was hindered by her haughty parents to ever leave the house past six.

"You're a modeled individual." they would say. "You are not fit to be running around the streets like a . . . like a . . . like a hooligan!"

She finally gained the chance when she lied to her parental units and told them she was going to a friend's house to study. Of course, it was far from the truth. Picking herself up and her materials after, Indria dragged herself through the littered ground and up a sloping hill. She glanced around at the littered items, wondering if there were others there before her who had already seen the scene of the meteorite. Whatever the case, she was just here for a picture and nothing more.

Dragging herself up the hill with one more final step, Indria collapsed again to her knees. As she readied her paints and paper, something trembled the Earth and caused her to buck down in case a tree were to fall. Peeking up, Indria saw her rival, Peter Peterson, fighting against something monstrous. She had no idea what it was . . . or what the hell was going on, but she believed whatever she was seeing was an induced hallucination from her lack of sleep.

But at that moment, inspiration hit. Throwing off her flashlight as it hindered the view in front of her, Indria began to paint. Smears of white were streaked across the top of the paper to represent the white light that erupted across the sky. Red explained the appalling and despicable scar the ogre-monster held. Grays and splatters of black told about the thunderous noise heard when the monster cried out and nearly ripped apart her eardrum. Young Indria was pulled into her work so greatly she did not realize that the male student whom she despised probably needed help.

Consequently, for her action of painting, her rival fell to defeat. But as soon as he fell, so did the vile beast. The monster was slain and the hero was too. Realizing the battle was over, Indria stepped down from her hill and brought her painting with her. She eyed the monster wearily before realizing it was not moving at all. She did the same for her rival, whose breaths had stopped. Both the monster and the male she despised were at rest . . .The fighting bringing their unfortunate end. Sighing, Indria turned the paper over and labeled the corner with its title:

"Tale of a Hero's Success To Death" she called it. It seemed befitting, as her painting was the only documentation of a story that will only be known to her. Turning, Indria slumped up the hill as flashes of red and blue sparked across the horizon from police cars.

"Be at rest, brave hero." she muttered in one last breath before heading home, tears pooling in her emerald eyes.

[chirigami]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Sheldon Hobbes

Nicknames: Hobbes [he often perfers going by his last name], Shelly [only by family], slacker

Gender: Male

Age: 19

School: Sovereign Heights

Fav. Food: anything that can be put in the microwave and nuked in seconds, instant ramen, pickles.

Hated Food: there's really nothing this guy won't eat, but he doesn't like overly complicated and prepared foods; he just likes simple things.

Virtues:

Eidetic Memory ... yeah - - Sheldon has something called Eidetic memory, something in the sorts of total recall or a perfect memory. He's able to remember anything he's heard in perfect detail, and a slight ability to remember things he's seen; but given he barely pays attention to his surroundings and isn't very observant, this ability is very untapped and unused. This is probably the only way he's able to pass any of his classes, using this ability to scrap by on tests - he never does homework - as he watches a lot of television; like game shows, playing trivial pursuit or managing to leave the television on the Discovery of History channels. Doesn't work so well in math though, no one ever has math shows or talks about math related things besides Big Bang Theory.

McGuyver without all the tools - - With all the games he plays, especially ones like chess and risk and given his should be high IQ, Sheldon is pretty quick on his feet and able to figure out how to get himself out of a pinch. Strategy is probably his strongest suit, given he's needed to get himself out of binds for as long as he's driven his life into the ground.

Pretty easy going - - On first sight, people would think he was high or stoned. They would probably be right, and would probably not either deny or agree as he has a stupid smile plastered on his face. He doesn't care about anything, let's everything roll off him like it was nothing, especially when people yell at him. He could even be a good friend to people if he wasn't such a good for nothing antisocial p***k.

'Cause sometimes he does have a heart - - He might seem like the type of guy that would want to leave you high and dry, but he isn't just going to let someone else take the fall with him if the situation calls for it; he'll get everyone else scott free and be the one the one to take all the blame or lose a limb. This is probably one of his only redeeming qualities his long list of flaws.
You are on your own if he doesn't like you though.

Flaws:

Lazy son of a b***h - - Sheldon really just doesn't care anymore, and would rather just sit all day doing nothing but stare at the walls or fill the room with the sweet aroma of a good batch of weed. He can sit, sleep and waste space all day if he was able.

A bit on the antisocial side - - The boy has major trust issues, having been burned by so many people in the past so he chooses not to even try, which also just be him lazy ... but more of the growing dislike for people. He'll speak to people if he needs to, for projects that he'll make someone else do instead, but won't tend to engage or start small talk to fill the silence. He likes to be left alone.

Such wasted potential - - He was molded since childhood to learn Physics and the natural sciences just like his parents. They figured their talents should be his, and he had a knack for it, what with his memory retaining and actual general like for it. This was until he got into a huge fight with his friends and ended up falling into the wrong crowd after their little breakup. He fell in with the slackers the dope heads who pretty much just messed him up and lead him into this current way of life; not caring, not doing anything, causing his parents problems and getting addicted to nicotine and the like.
He was honestly going to get sent to Hillworth, but his parents though guilt might set him back on the right track and stop him from his self destruction... but sadly, it didn't and he just doesn't seem to care.

The little crack that just needs a little push - - So many years of repressing the anger with his friends, his then so called friends and his parents. The guilt over what he's put his parents through and how they just keep trying, it sadly just gets pushed down by that anger and the need to just not think or care. But deep down, there is a little crack that wants to open and wants him to get back to the way he was; a loving son and the friend people would appreciate. But he just will never let it, so he pushes people away to that antisocial behavior because he doesn't want them to know that he is hurting and that perhaps he does want healing.
It comes out in small ways though, taking his tests to pass his classes so his parents' money doesn't go to waste and even small little deeds he'll do anonymously for classmates and total strangers.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Pale yellow, almond shaped.

Hair: Very pale lime green - almost white. Shoulder length, unkept, unbrushed, scruffy, like he came out of the ocean days ago and hasn't done anything about it.

Face: Oval in shape, well toned [not firm, not totally flabby but a little flab actually], no freckles and no distinguishing marks. His ears are a little on the big side.

THE STORY ENTRY

What brought him out past curfew was even a mystery to Sheldon Hobbes. The idea of a meteorite sighting in Destiny City had probably sparked that long thought dead twelve year old interest of his to see something from space, aa Physics and the makings of the universe. Perhaps he really did miss it.

"Whatever," the green haired youth sighed, flicking the filter to his cigarette to the ground, barely managing to crush the till burning butt as he stomped on past and up the hill. With his long forgotten flashlight in his back pocket, his hands went back into the pockets of his jeans, shuffling around more than trying to keep from freezing from the brisk air. They were just pulled out again, with his half empty pack and zippo lighter. The cig almost got out of the cardboard box when a low growl echoed in the cool air, snarling and angry.

********, raccoons, he thought grumbling. Though, perhaps not, a second thought came to mind. That was much to deep, too loud and not really a raccoon sound. Sheldon glanced up finally and stopped, and stared. Blinked really. What the ********? Weird. Halloween it wasn't, nor a horror movie of attack of the werewolves. Or maybe that last batch was stronger than he thought. The teenager stared dumbfounded, staring across the field near that little hill he had intended to venture towards. An angry hell bent creature was tearing through the bushes, chasing someone with killer intent. [was that one of those monster things that those sailor things kept fighting on the news or something?] It looked to be winning too, even with the big gash on its side and the blood pouring from its eye. It roared again, making the poor sap he was chasing fall to the ground.

And it dawned on him then, who the creature was going after. Richard Lorre. The son of a b***h who had stolen his girlfriend in the 7th grade, had supported Leonard Cooper over Sheldon when they fought over who had done most of the work for their science fair project, ironically, about meteorites. That ******** who forced Sheldon out of that circle of friends to the next, and had thus ruined his life. Sheldon soft yellow eyes narrowed with disdain, watched motionless as the monster tried to stomp on his once best friend.

Richard screamed. Sheldon would have smirked, but all he could do was continue to glower and frown. He simply turned around, continued with his previous action of lighting his cigarette and walked away. If Richard managed to survive, he didn't care. If the other young man managed to get the upper hand or died trying, he didn't care.

He just didn't care anymore.

[Kaze Taco]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Jonathan Khan

Nicknames: Khan (usually yelled very loudly and angrily), Johnny

Gender: Male

Age: 19

School: Sovereign Heights

Fav. Food: Fettucini Alfredo

Hated Food: Ground Beef

Virtues: Passionate - If you get Johnny talking about something that he believes in, political or even a hobby, he will talk about it with fire burning in his eyes. He is often seen at rallies for causes, like races for research or table-sitting for a certain candidate. When he has a chance to get involved in something that he's passionate about, he's up and ready to go, first in line! He's easily motivated by his passions, and works extra hard. This isn't just for political things, though. If a movie based off of one of his favorite books is coming out, he'll get up extra early to wait in line.

Decorous - Despite his flaws, Johnny doesn't have trouble speaking eloquently or rubbing elbows in high society. He knows the proper terms for higher-ups, whether they be military or nobility. While he might get made fun of for talking like a Crystal girl, he is eager to improve this trait even more so it will help him in his future, career or otherwise.

Eggheaded - Okay, okay, so that's not the most positive word. Still, it works for him. He loves to play in computer circuit boards and, while he prefers Macintosh, he knows the ins and outs of Linux. He's a walking dictionary of common technological ailments, and is often one of the first people that someone will go to when their iPod won't turn on.

Flaws: Secretive - Johnny's facade is a tough one to crack. Even a question like, "What are you up to?" is often met with an unfriendly gaze. He is a firm believer of 'mind your own business', and can easily and calmly say it to anyone, even his own family. When someone is visibly upset he will not bother them. Because of this, he is often viewed as cold. That isn't really it, he just doesn't want to 'butt in'. In his mind, he's giving the individual the same respect that he desires... well, it SOUNDS nice, anyway. If he's faced with someone who suddenly pours out their heart and past to them, he simply nods. He figures if he nods and makes the occasional noise, it will look like he is listening. However, he only does that because it will get them to stop talking to him faster.
If you want to crack his shell, the best bet is to wait until he's in the middle of one of his tantrums. He's incredibly weak, then, and easily manipulated. That, or you could always give him a drink (he's a lightweight).

Miserly - Johnny is never one to give his spare change to the poor. He's been called "Scrooge" at least once, and isn't really phased by it. He believes that he earned his own money, and has no desire to be generous. He would rather sew a thousand patches on his pants before buying a new pair, and his mother has to force him into new shoes when his are threadbare. He believes that money is important, and shouldn't be wasted on things you don't need. Nothing should be wasted.This is also annoying when you're his friend, and it's your birthday party. He'd most likely buy you a tube of chapstick, or burn you a CD. If he likes you enough, he might get you a $5 iTunes giftcard. Damn!

Bullheaded - Say Johnny had a firm believe that Neptune was the center of the universe (he doesn't). If you brought up your theories on the Sun being the center of the universe, he would listen and then abruptly shoot your theories down. It doesn't matter how ridiculous the notion is, if he believes in it, he will fight it. This gets very annoying in political discussions, which can often turn into shouting matches. He refuses to believe that his stances are wrong, and there are no exceptions. If all people whose names begin with "R" are evil Martians, there are no exceptions. Even if he dissects a girl named Rebecca and sees her inside anatomy... no. She is still an evil Martian. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Some beliefs include his position on help for the homeless (they need to work harder), the death penalty (pro), equal rights (pro), and various other political debates.
If he ever got into something involving the senshi or Negaverse, this is very bad. First impressions mean a lot to him, and if he got it into his head that someone was a bad guy when they were the GOOD guys... almost nothing could convince him otherwise, short of a knife in his back by the real villain.

Ill-Tempered and Childish - It's easy to get Johnny mad. Once you get him going, though, there's no turning back. The yelling will start, loud and passionate. If he gets even angrier (which is easy to do), he might throw something at a wall or punch the same poor, poor wall. It's better to just let him yell out his anger and then steam quietly in the corner like some small, angry child. If, after all of that, he just isn't left alone... he'll cry. Finally, he'll just break down and cry.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Large, hooded eyes. Indigo in color (the spectral color, #6F00FF , not the web color).

Hair: Dark (almost black unless you're close to him) purple hair that's neatly parted in the middle. His hair is very loosely tied in a braid that starts at around his shoulders and goes down to his chest, where it is tied very neatly.

Face: Even though Johnny is American, his grandparents were from India and he still has those strong, ethnic features and skintone. He has a jutting chin and a prominent nose.

THE STORY ENTRY

Kaze's Prompt

Johnny sat down on the soft blanket that he had set out. It was barely visible against the grass, a plush green against the real blades. Despite the rough feeling of some rocks underneath the blanket, it was comfortable. He flicked his braid over his shoulder before leaning his head back and looking up at the stars. It was a little difficult to see them, and he had to squint to notice some of the constellations. Now, he didn’t know that many constellations, but he thought he saw the Big Dipper. Was this even the right time of year to see the Big Dipper? Johnny wrapped his brown coat closer around his body and continued looking up. He wasn’t sure about the Big Dipper, so he proceeded to try to point out any other constellation that he might’ve been able to identify.

An obnoxious, high-pitched squeal ripped Johnny out of his stargazing. That sounded like Charlotte Smith, the diva from one of his English classes. She had transferred from Crystal Academy as soon as she turned eighteen, and had been in Johnny’s hair ever since. She was very good at English, and for some reason his teachers thought that it would be beneficial to pair up the Egghead with the Grammar Queen. She was almost as bull-headed as he was, and after she finished nitpicking and pulling apart everything from his conclusion to his thesis statement, she would try to rile him up. Disciplinary action had actually been taken towards him when Johnny almost threw his text book at her. You would’ve thought that the threat would cool down his rival, but no. Charlotte was on him even hotter than before.

Still, hearing her scream piqued Johnny’s curiosity. He may have disliked her, but guilt would’ve eaten him up if something bad happened to Charlotte.

“Hey, who’s out ther—oh, my god…” Johnny was staring at the back of a hulking beast, hunched over the blonde damsel. Its fur had multiple sticks stuck in it, and was slick with its own blood. It was more like a beast out of The Next Generation than something that one would find in Destiny City’s Park… hell, even Destiny City’s Zoo. Johnny never considered himself a brave man, and it wasn’t like his own mother was pinned underneath the monster. Still, it was his set of morals and his conscience that lead him to act. He didn’t have much time to plan, but he knew that if he took the monster on hand-to-hand that he would most certainly be overpowered. He wasn’t a fighter, he never had been. He could try to take advantage of the monster’s wound, but it was on his side and he would have to get awfully close to it.

So, Johnny decided to pray that the monster was unintelligent. He picked up his blanket and crept towards it, praying that even though he was slow, the monster wouldn’t finish her off right away. He got close enough to the revolting beast that he could smell the blood, and Johnny’s nose wrinkled. He gave a grunt before tossing the blanket over top of the monster’s head, momentarily blinding it. The beast howled, and Charlotte didn’t need a second invitation. She was smart enough to know when the cavalry had arrived, so she scrambled out from underneath the confused monster and ran in the direction of the city’s closest lights. Johnny didn’t run in the same direction, instead choosing to head straight for Sovereign Heights’ dormitories. He prayed that the monster didn’t catch sight of him, and that Charlotte was quick enough to get away. He had saved her once, he wasn’t going to go after her again. Besides, there was always the chance that that beast would be facing him when he turned a corner.

[Holy Blasphemy]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! CONCEPT CONTEST!

SECTION ONE

Name: Reggie *********

Nicknames:

Gender: Male

Age: 20

School: Sovereign Heights

Fav. Food: Anything with rice or pasta, eggs, chocolate, berries, mint

Hated Food: Spam, anchovies, surimi, iceberg lettuce

Hobbies:

Cooking = Reggie loves cooking! It’s the best thing ever. Stirring and kneading can be oddly peaceful, and nothing is quite as satisfying as a good, home-cooked meal. Cooking can also make other people happy. After all, who doesn’t like fresh baked cookies, or soup when they’re sick? Finally, cooking enables him to raise money for charitable causes, and if needed he could probably make a little pocket money from it too.

Soup kitchen = Reggie loves food and doesn’t like the idea of people going hungry. He volunteers some of his weekends to working at soup kitchens, checking inventory and handing out food.

Brain rot = Reggie likes watching t.v., especially the Food Network channel (food pr0n). He also likes watching movies, and some of his favorites include Julie and Julia (food!), Avatar (pretty colors), Star Wars, and Enchanted (>.> ). In general, if it includes food, fantasy, animals, or comedy he’ll like it, but if it has excessive violence, profanity, or nudity he won’t.

Scrap journal = Reggie doesn't have a bad memory, but neither does he have an especially good memory. He doesn't like forgetting things though, so he keeps a journal - journal, not diary - and occasional sticks in pictures and clippings, making it a rather plain and wordy scrapbook.

Virtues:

Happy and gay = No, not fruity-rainbow gay, though some might argue that; jovial gay. Reggie is by and large a happy, upbeat person. Even if he’s not smiling he seems happy with his chuckles and glimmering eyes. He’s a good-natured fellow that prefers to look on the bright side of life.

Empathetic = Reggie is pretty good at reading body language and being able to tell how people feel. He’s always willing to lend an ear, or a shoulder if needed. For a guy he’s very good at listening.

Chivalrous = Reggie was raised to respect ladies. He will do things like hold doors, offer to carry books, and pull out chairs. He doesn’t like to see girls cry, and will try to find out what’s wrong so he can make them feel better. He doesn’t hit girls, and just generally tries to act like a gentleman around them.

Flaws:

Couch potato = No thank you, Reggie does not feel like doing exercise or hard manual labor. He would much prefer to stay inside, in the air-conditioning, either watching t.v. or cooking. As a mater of fact, cooking can be a lot of work, so he sees no reason to go looking for extra. As a result of this Reggie is slightly overweight and out of shape.

Slob = There is a reason why Reggie’s parents hired him a servant. Reggie is somewhat spoiled in the sense that he isn’t used to having to clean up after himself, and thus he doesn’t. When he cooks he chops up the ingredients and puts them all in separate little bowls, like the chefs have on T.V. It seems like he manages to dirty ever pot and pan in his apartment when he cooks and if it were up to him they’d just sit in the sink until he needed them again. He never makes his bed and his clothes never seem to make it to the hamper.

Sheltered = Reggie’s parents sheltered him a bit while he was growing up. They raised him to be a gentleman, so he doesn’t swear, drink, or gamble. He’s a bit of a sucker for a sad story, willing to give money or help to those that seem to need it, because while he’s aware that people lie he just… prefers to ignore that fact. If it wasn’t for inappropriate Internet pop-ups Reggie wouldn’t know how nekkid females look. In fact, if it wasn’t for school Reggie probably wouldn’t know where babies come from. His first year at Sovereign Heights was quite a shock, but he’s acclimating fairly well, all things considered.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Narrow, terracotta (redish-brown)

Hair: Coral (not-quite-pink); curly, maybe a little shaggy, makes him look like a Hobbit.

Face: Round, cheerful, with fat, ruddy cheeks and a high forehead.

THE STORY ENTRY

Reggie had been hearing people talking about the meteor all day. Normally he would simply watch the news and hope that they would show it, but since he had nothing better to do – nothing was on TV and dinner had been hours ago – he decided to go ahead and venture out to see it. That was how a bundled up Reggie, clutching a flashlight and thermos of steaming hot chocolate, found himself in the park at night.

His intention had been to plop himself in the middle of a little clearing and sip his drink until the meteor made its appearance. At least, that had been his plan up until the moment that he saw that said clearing was already occupied, its inhabitants engaged in battle. For a moment Reggie wondered if it was one of those Sailor Scouts that he occasionally heard about on the news, but then he saw that one of them was Marcus, a disagreeable boy Reggie knew from school. As often seemed the case, Marcus was cussing up a storm, and although Reggie winced, he supposed that such a lack of decorum could be excused in this instance.

Reggie did not care for Marcus, but that did not mean that he was going to stand by while the lad was bludgeoned to death by some ape-man. He knew that fighting was not his strong suit, but he had to do something. As quietly as he could, Reggie slipped his fingers into his pocket and fished out his cellphone. He managed to dial the police and give a brief message - “ Monster in city park!” – before the angry ape-man was baring down on him.

Fumbling, Reggie dropped his phone, his shaking fingers landing on the lid of the thermos he was holding limply in his other hand. Inspiration struck and he pulled frantically at the top, tearing it off with the creature just feet away. He flung the scalding liquid forward, the arc of his arm sending up the monster’s battered side, across his shoulder, and in his face. The monster howled in pain as Reggie leapt, swinging his flashlight with all his might and screwing his eyes shut at the same time. The blow landed with a solid ‘Thunk’ and down the ape-man went.

Reggie panted as he stood beside the creature, trembling faintly as the adrenaline wore off. He became aware of another presence and turned to see Marcus standing beside him.

“ Damn man, thanks.”

Smiling faintly, Reggie nodded as he bent to retrieve his empty thermos, muttering,“ You’re welcome.”

Screwing the lid back on his thermos, he glanced around for his phone, only to be stopped by a tap on his back.

“ Here.”

Marcus had phone his phone, and as Reggie accepted it back his small smile turned into a full one. Putting it back in his pocket, he shook his thermos before asking, “ Would you like to go get some drinks?”

Marcus guffawed, replying, “ Nah man, you ain’t my type.” He then slapped Reggie on his back and walked away, leaving a bemused Reggie behind to deal with the police when they arrived.

[Orangeish Sherbert]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON! WRITING COMPETITION? SCHOOLKID COMP!

Name: Tobias Walker

Nicknames: Toby

Gender:Male

Age:17

School: Hillworth Grammar

Fav. Food:Red Velvet Cake, M&M’s, Skittles and Tomato Soup

Hated Food:Tofu, Plain pasta

Virtues:
I’ll do anything I can to get the color…: Tobias is very persistent and won’t stop until he gets what he wants. If he is without something he wants, be it a type of food, grades, anything, he will go well above and beyond to get it. A good example of one of the times that his persistence paid off was when his mother told him that if he managed to get an A in all of his classes he would be able to paint his room any color that he wished. That semester, Tobias got nothing less than a 95% on everything he turned in.

I’ll fight to the death to protect you and your red…: Though difficult to befriend, once you win Tobias over, you’re stuck with him for good. This almost goes beyond just loyal, Tobias will fight tooth and nail for you, not hesitating to hurt or even kill the person or threat that is against his true ‘friends’.

Flaws:
The colors told me…: Tobias…talks to colors. Rather, the ‘colors’ talk to him. This would be the reason why sometimes in class, he looks far away and sometimes a little lost, or even angry. They talk to him, they do. They’re real.

…Where’s the color…?: As he has a…personal relationship with the colors, it’s only natural that Tobias would need color in his life to be happy. Well, that is slightly an understatement. If there’s no color in a room, Tobias gets into different moods, either he starts screaming if it’s a bad day, or he grows very quiet. If there isn’t color, no matter what setting, normally the boy will do his best to try to leave the area…but, sometimes he isn’t that lucky.

Wait...Was that red?: If someone gets a cut, be it Tobias, his mother, father, anyone, time seems to stop. If ever there was a battle and someone got wounded, Tobias would be there in a moment. Whenever someone bleeds, Tobias can’t help it. Blood is the purest color in his mind. A beautiful, rich deep red. The sight of it puts the boy into euphoria and he becomes completely entranced with the sight, with the very idea of his precious ‘red’.

You wanna say that again, a*****e?: Tobias has a wicked temper, and it’s for your own good that you don’t cross him…Part of what makes his temper so bad is the fact that he jumps to conclusions far too quickly. You could be talking to someone else about something completely unrelated to him, but Tobias could still take it the wrong way and come after you for it. Beware.



DO NOT MISS OUT THE ABOVE BECAUSE YOU'RE C&PING FROM YOUR QUEST OR WE WILL BE MAD

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Ice blue, narrow, untrusting

Hair: Reddish Brown, Messy, above shoulder length, bangs hanging in his face.

Face: Oval face, freckles, pale

THE STORY ENTRY

It was late, just after one in the morning or so, and Tobias had snuck out of his room…again. He sighed, breathing in the crisp early morning air and set off for the park. He had heard something about a meteorite or whatever in the cafeteria that day and decided the park was the best place to go. Besides, even if there wasn’t anything special, no meteorite, the hill was the very best place to look up at the stars. The night sky was so much more beautiful than a daytime sky. The white clouds nearly made Tobias vomit. Besides, the void of space was magnificent, black was never the absence of color, rather the combination of each and every color put together! Besides, the night sky wasn’t even really black it was far, far more than that. The boy let out a slightly deranged giggle and continued walking.

When the boy reached the top of the hill in the park, his gaze was still towards the heavens, though he glanced down into the pitch dark park. His ice blue eyes widened at the sight before him and he blinked a few times, before reaching a hand to his eyes and rubbing hard. There was a meteorite down there…and…what looked to be…a wookie? Really, the creature was huge! It reminded him a lot of that one guy’s movies…Star Wars, right? Yeah. It was huge and hairy just like the chewy wookie thing. Tobias was fascinated in watching the thing, it looked like it was…

Yes, there was someone else there too. A kid from the looks of it, who…who was that? The boy squinted and caught the white sheen of a coat reflected in his flashlight beam. He let out a low hiss and nearly shrank away. Oh. It was him. Tommy Michelson. Ugh. What a horrible boy…he always wore that goddamned lab coat…the khaki pants, the clean pressed white shirts. The boy was always so…so devoid of the colors that Tobias needed! The colors that he loved! Tobias let out another sound, this time more of a growl. The smallest of smirks grew on his face as he saw the creature attack Tommy.

The boy on the ground screamed and there was a sharp crack which echoed through the once silent night.

Yes! Thought Tobias. That had to be his arm snapping, either that or a leg. Any way you look at it, the ******** face wouldn’t be in school for a while, right? He seemed just so giddy watching Tommy be kicked around like that. It was so…satisfying. Finally the creature left, but Tommy’s muffled sobs could still be heard long after the thing went away.

Tobias made his way to the other and looked down, shining his flashlight into his eyes. “Hey there, Tommy. What’cha up to?” Ah, it was glorious…there…there was red stains all over the boy’s awful white jacket. Oh…the blood was just so lovely.

Tommy shook with fear and seemed pale. There were gashes on his face and a large cut on one of his arms, a cut that was bleeding profusely. “T-Tobias…H-help me…” He whispered, mossy green eyes struggling to stay locked onto Tobias’s icy blue ones.

The boy only chuckled, his eyes having found the gash. He knelt down to the boy’s arm and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the blood. “Oh, oh god, it’s so beautiful, isn’t it, Tommy? The red is just so beautiful…”

Tommy took in a ragged breath, the blood was staining more and more of his jacket, and had began to pool on the ground. “H-hey…you…have to help me…” He begged, tears pooling in his eyes. He closed them for a moment and drew another breath. When he opened his eyes again, they seemed so much dimmer. “T-tobias…?”

If he heard, Tobias didn’t seem to care. He had leaned close to the wound and licked it gently. “Oh! So beautiful, such a deep, deep red…so lovely, so very absolutely lovely!
Tommy gave a soft whimper and squeezed his eyes shut, the tears escaping finally. “Tobias…” It was his final plea and then it seemed that the pain and blood loss were too much for the boy, he let out one last whimper of pain before his eyes stopped squeezing, and his breath stopped coming.

Tobias watched him then giggled once more. Oh well. One less colorless wonder to worry about. He stood up and licked his lips, the faint taste of Tommy’s blood, of the beautiful red ambrosia still remained. He laughed, then walked back up the hill, laying atop it and staring into the starlit heavens for a good while, before heading back to his dorm, shutting the window behind him with a soft thud. When he got to his bed it was with one last nearly mad chuckle. It had been a wonderful night, he got some red, and lost one of the people who most bugged him.

It had been a perfect night.