~Character Chat~

((I am willing to try paragraphs. Ok. Lets do this.))

Riddle tilted her head curiously. "Public school? Are those like public restrooms?"
August rolled his eyes for what felt like the 10th time that night before answering her. "No. Public schools are where you go to get a free standard education...public restrooms are just... sketchy." He attempted to explain to both T.Mor and Riddle.
"Free education? We used to have that...Before the new government took hold..." T.Mor muttered, somewhat unhappily.

"Not exactly free...taxes take care of them," said Ezra. "It's like a public restroom sometimes...it sucks." said Ezra frowning.

"Yeah and Andrew gave you a warm welcome on your first day!" said Liz laughing.

"Taxes? I don'---" Riddle was cut off by a fairly irritated T.Mor.
"I know YOU don't do taxes...Living with the dictator and all...but the rest of us pay through the nose for the basic necessities of life." He told Riddle seriously. "You KNOW that. I told you that. You've seen it in action. DUCT TAPE RIOTS? HELLO?"
"Oh...Yeah. Yeah....No of course I know about the riots. We were THERE. What do you think I am? Blonde?" Riddle asked, lightening the mood.
"Forget it."
((Hey guys...Just a question- do we have any goals right now? I mean, August wants to get home, And everyone was planning on going to A-3. s there a different plan now? It's wierd to me not having a goal...))

(Idk just let see where it goes)

"Andrew sometimes goes to school with me." said Liz.

"Sometimes?! It's like every day!" said Ezra.

"Not on test days," said Liz.

((Grammar tip: When you're writing dialogue, you use a comma either just before the unquote (when the text comes after the dialogue--unless you're using a question mark or exclamation mark in the dialogue) or before the quote (when the text comes before the dialogue).

For example:

"I don't think so," he said gravely, shaking his head.

"You get back here!" she shouted.

Smiling wryly, he said, "Rookies make this job so much more interesting."

When text is in the middle of a sentence in the dialogue, you use a comma before the first unquote and a comma after the text; the dialogue that follows will not start with a capital letter (unless, of course, it's a proper noun...or if the whole word is in capitals). When the text is in the middle of the dialogue but not the middle of the sentence, you put a comma before the first unquote and a period at the end of the text. The next dialogue will start with a capital letter.

Observe:

"When it comes down to it," she began, "that's what we have to do."

"That's what we have to do," she said. "Do you agree?"

I hope that helps!))


"Test days are interesting in bonder schools," Nike said with a small smile. "Since everyone there can speak with their souls, it would be pretty easy for the bonder's soul to glance at someone else's test and relay the information back. It would be just as easy for a few souls to make contact and have the bonders share their answers. Teachers and their souls have to be vigilant if they want to keep students from cheating. Souls often act as conciences, but plenty of them aren't above cheating if the soulbonder is getting desperate. On the other hand, there are plenty more souls who don't like comparing answers, and who will defend their lives' papers from prying eyes, either by standing in front of a soul trying to take a peek or simply batting the offending soul away."
"That sounds complicated," said Sarah.
"Complicated to explain it," Nike spoke with a shrug, "but not to do it."
"Still makes me glad I came from a C Plane."
"I wish I could've gone to highschool," Peter thought aloud. "Middle school, even." Then, he quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea or anything--I don't mean I wish I could've gone because it would be easier to cheat! I just want to know what it's like."
"Me too," said Senet.
"Senet and I learned pretty much everything from the researchers and scientists at the research center," Peter explained. "Since the research center was our home, I guess you could say we were homeschooled. The lessons were pretty unconventional, though."
"Zehre wehre some extras on ze side as well. We might 'ave taken a maz couhrse befohre eemmediately goeeng to ze traineeng hrooms fohr lessons een 'and to 'and combat and powehr combat. We wehre trained to be Scouts from ze moment we came to A-3, seence zjoineeng ze Ohrganizazion was ze only opzion fohr us."
"Free food, clothing, and housing as long as you don't desert," said Peter.
"Only, the free food and housing don't really apply when you're on a mission," Sarah spoke dryly.

"Freak. I get called it alot. School is almost like a class system," said Liz, dryly.

"I could have handled it..." Andrew mumbled.

"Your way of handling it is givimg everyonea black eye who calls me a freak...that's the whole school...that's not handling it."

" I don't actually remember much of public school..." T.Mor said pensively. "But I do remember guard training. Those were the most horrifying 9 months of my life." He shuddered involuntarily.
"I actually miss school- my friend George was there and she would do crazy things at lunch." August reminisced. "I really just want to go back to my home plane..."

"I din't go to school long," said Andrew.

The four Scouts stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.
"The Sybek are gone," Peter announced. "We'll wait just a little bit longer, though, to be sure that they aren't coming back. That would be a disaster."

"And that means we'll be one step closer to getting me home. Right?" August asked hopefully.
"Yeah- You know how to write right? Cos they're going to have you fill in information about your plane on a computer...and you need to be able to spell to do that." Riddle informed him. " They've also got REALLY SHINY BUILDINGS. It's amazing."
"Of course I can write...Who can't?" August chuckled.
Riddle and T.Mor exchanged somewhat guilty glances. "Well...Spelling isn't my strongpoint..." T.Mor mumbled.
"Once I wrote a story about the history of the world and it had tornadoes. Even though I didn't put the word tornadoes in it..." Riddle added.
"Oh. Oops... I didn't know..." August seemed a bit taken aback by that information. "How do you go about life back home then? Isn't it hard?"
"Did you READ any of the signs in SInk Pump? It's not just us. The whole language is transient. You can spell it whatever way you want, basically...and that's what sucks. It's sort of the IDEA of the thing- not the word itself...I mean...there's like 5 different ways to spell LULZ." T.Mor rattled on a bit about the entymology of the word LULZ, and the general degredation of the language that they spoke but scarcely wrote.
"So who makes all the signs then?" August asked.
"The Internet. DUH." Riddle rolled her eyes.

"I can't write very well," said Andrew. *liz translates*

T.Mor realised that he was experiencing hunger again...It was odd for him to be so hungry. He could normally go for days without eating. "Erm...I don't mean to be rude...but do you have anything else to eat? I mean...If you all are rationing I completely understand...but...Yeah...Food?"
"Why are you doing that hungry thing again? That almost never happens. I should have never forced you to eat that food that one time..." Riddle whined. "But if there's more tupperware involved...I'd be willing to overlook your...food needyness."

"No rations," said Liz. "I'll go get more." Before she left she turned around to Andrew and Ezra, "Behave."

((Just so everyone knows, I'm going to be out of town this weekend...I'm going to a wedding. I think I'll be back on monday.))
"So..." T.Mor wasn't entirely sure what to say now. "What is your favourite programming language?" He asked off the top of his head.
"Seriously? You're going to talk about religion? Sometimes you don't make ANY sense T.Mor." Riddle reprimanded him.
"You're one to talk..." August cut in, smiling.

(Have fun)

"Huh?" asked Andrew and Ezra at the same time.

((I would say "have fun," but you likely won't see this until you get back, soo...))

"Well, think about it," Peter said. "They worship the Internet, so it only makes sense that programming languages would be their religions."
"You know, aside from the whole issue they have with making sense," Sarah added.

"Us or them?" asked Ezra.a

"Them," Sarah answered. "You didn't see SInk Pump..."

"Sink pump?"

((I'M BAAACCCKKK!!!!))

"Technically programming languages aren't religions...well, I mean...eh. Depending on what you use you'e more likely to get a response. C++ is standard, pretty much everyone uses that-- but, the government interacts with the internet solely through binary- which takes a crap-ton of time but it's more efficient. You're more likely to get what you wanted...I mean-yeah... if you wanted another religion COMPLETELY...look at cats. Cats are worshipped like deitys." T.Mor rattled off quickly.
"SInk Pump looks kinda like Japan...if Japan and every single gaming website in the world had a baby." August informed Ezra. "It could scar you for life."
"I thought it was beautiful." Riddle defended the city adamantly.
"You think chainsaws are beautiful." T.Mor replied quickly. Something said earlier finally catches up with him. "Wait... you think we don't make sense? What doesn't make sense?"
"I don't make sense." Riddle said happily.
"Seconded" T.Mor answered nonchalantly, before turning back to the group, awaiting an answer.

((Lol welcome back))


"I'm going to third that...from the "toast"," Andrew grinned.

"Just kinda confused," said Ezra.

"I'M BAAAACCCCKKKKK!!!!!" Liz sing songed, handing T. Morr a sandwich and Riddle tubware.

"OMG. Tupperware. MY NEW FAVOURITE EDIBLE!" She nommed delightedly.
T.Mor stared momentarily at the sandwich now in his hand. He had never seen one of these before, and the interaction between bread, meat and cheese was somewhat perplexing...if not downright scary. "Uhm...what is this?" He asked hesitantly.
"IT'S FOOD. GET OVER IT." Riddle told him, through a mouthful of plastic.
"Oh...Ok..." He continued scrutinizing it. "How does it work?"
"LIKE ALL FOOD. You shove it in your face. DUH." Riddle continued, easily ripping apart another section of the tupperware and eating it like a chip.

"It's a sandwich, T.Mor," Sarah explained. "You just take a bite out of it, chew, and swallow. Simple as that!" She paused for a moment before adding, "I never thought I would ever have to tell someone how to eat a sandwich."
"Well, you saw the world they came from," Peter said. "They didn't really have this stuff, so it was unfamiliar to them. A vreshnik would feel just as odd telling someone how to ride a zovutja."
"What?"
"Exactly."

T.Mor chewed experimentally, before peeling the sandwich apart and consuming each layer individually. " I don't think I like stacked foods..." he decided.
"You're wierd..." August muttered. "It's just a sandwich. Not a stacked food..."
"Tupperware trumps ALL FOODSTUFFS! FEEL IT'S NUTRITIONAL VALUE!" Riddle shouted, oblivious to the conversation.

"You've never heard of a sandwich?" asked Ezra.