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So I pretty much just didn't feel like adding yet another board to the endless turmoil that has become the SF boards, I decided to speak my own mind here instead.

These are sad times for Gaia. I remember coming here years ago and just being overblown by the promise and anticipated fun; avatars to dress, mangas to read, plots to participate in, and RP everywhere that didn't need to be overly censored if one didn't wish it. I was lured here from Neopets by a user who said it was so much better here, and for the longest time, this became my home away from reality. Hell I've spent so much time on here that it actually started a fight or two in my house.

Now just look at it.

Nearly all of the staffers who breathed life into this place are gone, the upgrades requiring their expertise all but abandoned. The manga has ground to a halt (how long has Edmund been up there in that airship heading for the Isle of Gambino; about a year now? And I'm sure the Don has pretty much bled out in his summoning circle if he didn't get any help by now), and the storekeepers are more symbolic now than anything remotely interactive; remember when people used to go apeshit when an NPC posted in their boards or sent them a friend request? I remember being so excited I lost a little breath when one of the aliens asked to be my friend. Now they're all tending shops that are mostly ignored and probably much less frequented except by frantic newbies looking to make a decent avatar on a budget. Maybe it's a good thing that Edmund is still stuck up in that airship; he would be appalled by the way this virtual world has become.

And of course now, it's all about the money. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. We're constantly badgered with reminders of the next big, super-duper awesome sale, which usually consists of items with a mediocre amount of poses and prices that seem more fitting for filling up my car. And of course, those of us unable to forego a bill or the monthly rent in favor of a nice pair of wings are still reminded via pop-up ads (and now PMs!) of the wonderful sales that we cannot participate in; a cheap shot considering they stand as proof that those who had paid to keep ads away would still be bombarded with them. But of course, what's a little sleazy underhandedness when the business can make a few extra dollars?

Yes, somehow Gaia went from being a top-notch interactive hangout to a business (the term used as loosely as possible here), where the goal is to treat loyal players (now ironically dubbed 'users') like they poop money and demand that they fork over insane amounts because they are a business and they need to make lots of money because that's what a business does, and if the loyal little users fuss, well they'll just have to deal with it, because they obviously don't know the concept of the valuable and important business that Gaia obviously is.



But at what cost is this business apparently thriving? So many users have left, more are on their way out, and it's just a matter of time before the ones pumping money into the site will run dry, and with veteran users out there warning potential newbies to stay away, before too long there won't be anything left. I see people lament on the boards, post their heartfelt stories of their wonderful years here; the friends they've made and the countless happy hours staring at the computer screen and yakking with their buddies halfway across the continent. They plead, they beg, and they offer solutions to the worst of the problems, talking to what was once a thriving think tank of brilliant minds, and is now nothing but a row of zombies with dollar coins implanted in their eye sockets. I sometimes find it hard to believe that this place is being run by a legitimate CEO when I see rookie mistake after rookie mistake being made with the 'merchandise' and the customer service. Some of us as kids were taught by an obscure Looney Tunes cartoon involving a little German mouse visiting America about the concept of competitive pricing (By Word of Mouse); it makes no sense to choose a few people buying a pricey item over a buttload of people buying a more reasonably priced item. That coupled with the other worst blow; taking down Ask the Admin. Gone is the way for staffers to interact and formally address the issues their loyal players (sorry, USERS) are having; replaced by robotic mass PMs and announcements that have all the sincerity and feeling of a cheese sandwich. To make a business thrive, you must keep your customer base and ensure that they consistently feel as though they matter, and that they are appreciated. This is the most basic of business sense, and something that I've seen practiced in something as small as a lemonade stand; charge cheaper than the kid down the block, and thank your buyers with a smile. Odd that a big, important business (that word again!) like Gaia can't seem to pick up on that.

Or it could be because they just don't want to. I reached the conclusion a long time ago that the reason users are getting ignored, the reason this place is being likened to a bullet train heading out to the ocean on an unfinished track, is that the new people in charge of this site just don't care. They don't care that this place was doing well with thousands of boards to post on, and people more than happy to spend a few dollars here and there on special items, or even donating to a cause when the admins asked nicely. Now all that they see are hordes of users, many of them no longer teens and preteens, but adults with incomes, that with the right amount of nudging, can be frivolously spent on their fabulously awesome 'insert cool name for item here' products. But of course they conclude that adults would no longer want to spend their time (and money) on a site full of kiddie things to do and childish topics of discussions. They must make a new place, an adult place, where those who have already been happy to spend so much could now spend even more, with the benefits of being included in a site meant only for grown-ups, where people can cheerfully gawk at a woman's figure and snidely remark about how much like a whale she looks, while throwing more money away in a black hole of gambling that sucks away both money and soul. They wouldn't give a ghost of a thought to the site that they left in ruins, that they used as a foundation to create their new, glorious place. Why should they? There's good money to be made in gambling and sex. They're just using this place as a launchpad for getting there.

All this awful goings on has caused me to look back, not at the good old times of Gaia as everyone else is, but even further back, to my roots as an Internet junkie. I still wanted a place to spend money, believe it or not; my husband has a subscription to another place, and I always felt the pull of having something good waiting for you during each paycheck; some little reward for bringing home the bacon. Of course I make a modest sum, but nowhere near enough to afford a $1000 pair of silly wings or a $50 set of clothes with less than 5 poses. It didn't take me long to realize just where to spend it.

Two days ago, I returned to Neopets and signed up for premium; for around $7 a month ($5 a month if you pay for a year's worth), I can have a fifth pet (doesn't compare here, but hey, pets are cool), free gold and items, (as opposed to Club Verge and their 'privileged' buying), REAL ad-free access to the site (no pop-ups here!), and best of all, I know I'm supporting a site that cares about it's userbase and knows that were it not for them, they would still be a tiny little site for bored college students instead of the gigantic family-friendly site it is now. It's still a business, but somehow it manages to stay well in the black by offering their cash items for cheap (anywhere from 25 cents for a hair bow to $18 for a 25 pack of special parcels that grant an item each; still less than $2 an item!) and not making it absolutely vital to have these items in order to enjoy the world, yet everyone just keeps on buying them! Somehow I have more faith in that site's staying power than this one. AND they still have the weekly editorial every Friday for those burning questions and scathing complaints. No site is perfect, and that place has no shortage of problems, but it managed to keep my interest for 12 years and counting, with more to do than just buy cash items and deck out your pets (or avatars!). They know how to make their prices reasonable and ALL of their players (owners) feel as though they can get somewhere on the site. Instead of going around deleting posts that talk mean about the powers behind the site, they actually have a GAME where you can have a go at the various popular staff members whack-a-mole style, with no hard feelings all around. They have more heart than this place now has, and that's why I choose to spend my money there instead; they may brag about having a bowl of jelly beans in every office room, but that's still a whole lot better than bragging about how much money you can bleed from your users and how fast it can be used to smash hundreds of nostalgic players' dreams and hopes and building something trashy from the bones of a great site.

So you can keep your 18+ site with your gambling and your smut; when it happens, THIS adult will be taking her money and heading to greener, albeit G-rated pastures. emotion_yatta

Last night I got to experience something very, very special, and not just because last night was the opening night of Star Wars, Episode One; The Phantom Menace in 3-D, the first of all of the iconic and much-loved Star Wars movies to be made this way. I'm sure countless fans around the world were joining us in midnight vigils at their local movie theatres, brandishing their prop lightsabers in anticipation and discussing which scenes they were most looking forward to, coming to life in a way they have always wanted to see. There were doubtless those who gathered in large groups, entirely in costumes so lifelike that they seem to have jumped right out of the screen itself, posing for pictures before setting themselves to the task of sitting in a theatre seat in full Imperial gear. I'm sure everyone had a fantastic time enjoying themselves. But let me take a moment to just tell you what made my particular night so special.

My wonderful husband, Jamie, has been a fan of Star Wars since he was a little kid. He has box after box of figurines, comic books, paperback and hardbound novels, both vintage and modern movie posters, and no fewer than 10 lightsabers, half of which are sans the blade so they can be worn on the belt as part of a costume. He was the first in his home town to get the Star Wars set on DVD, and on the subject of Star Wars was found to be the third most knowledgeable in the entire state of South Carolina, with the prize of a giant R2D2 cooler to prove it. He has pictures of himself with Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker (Chewie and R2 to you), and can tell you at the drop of a hat what the name of the stormtrooper was who said 'Look sir; droids!' Hell, I didn't even know they HAD names, outside of TK-something-or-other.

But ever since he had moved out here to be with me, and sought the company of other Star Wars fans, he had found himself continually exposed to, pun intended, the dark side of the Star Wars fandom. Suddenly it didn't matter how much you loved your hand-crafted costume; if it did not meet their standards, then you could not be a part of their group. It didn't matter if you thought it'd be funny to wear a Vader helmet with a trench coat to a Star Wars get-together; you would be less demonized if you had decided to wear a slave Leia ensemble to a church service.....as a man. If you were a part of one group, then they saw no reason for you to be a part of theirs, and with all the snobbery of the most prestigious country club, they would turn their backs to you and make sure that you knew about all of the fun you were not privileged to join in on. Between people who should have been sharing a common interest, he saw fights exploding, friendships ending, and battles fought with all of the maturity of a scrap on the kindergarten playground; all that was missing was the exchange of raspberries.

This constant bickering and standardizing slowly begin to drain him of all of that which he had come to love. It wasn't any fun to be in a club where all they cared about was how well they looked for pictures, and with all of the other places arguing among themselves to where they couldn't even have a drama-free Star Wars movie night, there weren't many options left to him. His vision of Star Wars grew tainted; it only reminded him of all the bullshit he went through just to find a peer group after he had left all of his old friends behind to come and be with me. Last night, he was almost reluctant to go, and it made me feel sick inside as I remembered how passionate he had been about Star Wars when we had first met, and make no mistake I knew just who to blame.

We ourselves had not dressed particularly to the letter; Jamie only had a prop light saber and a Sith robe, and I had my hair in a long Leia braid with a baby Wookiee backpack that looked like I was carrying him piggy-back style, and a T-shirt that said 'Let the Wookiee win.' But we were met by people in similar outfits; one girl had just a Darth Vader helmet with plain clothes, and her friend beside her had home made armor made of real metal. And there was no talk of how shoddy anyone's costume was, only excitement in seeing the movie in 3-D. We all walked in together and roamed the lobby, talking and laughing and menacing people with our sabers until we could go inside our theatre. We had a wonderfully noisy crowd, when you could hear them at all above the buzzing of saber blades and the people imitating Wookiee calls to each other from across the room. People with their cell phones on were shouting out the time every 5 minutes, and everyone was preparing to enjoy themselves.

Less than 5 minutes before the movie was scheduled to start, an usher came in and said that the projector in our theatre and two others had just broken. They were getting someone out to fix them, but he assured us we WOULD see our movie and to please wait for about 10 minutes. You would think people would start complaining loudly or demanding compensation or that they have to work in the morning. But here at last we had found.....fans. People turned their phones to the flashlight app and used it in unison to make shadow puppets on the blank screen, large enough for just about anyone to bring up their hand and add to the fun. There were people calling each other out for saber battles, people trying to reenact the movie itself, people starting up chants of 'You say Jar Jar; I say Binks!'. which was rapidly followed by someone yelling 'sucks' instead of 'Binks', and then a short, good-natured hazing of the only outspoken Jar Jar fan present in the theatre (yours truly). Before any of us knew it, 45 minutes had gone by, and the usher reappeared to lead us all to another room, where the movie began in earnest and we all sat down where we had been in the previous one, and had one of the best nights a fan could have. At the end, everyone got a rain check ticket for their trouble, but all I ever did hear was how much everyone had loved the impromptu pre-movie show.

We both left in much higher spirits than we had when we had pulled into the parking lot, and I realized just why that was. We had gotten to spend our time with people who knew what it meant to be a real fan. A person with the most intricately detailed costume or even a part of the 501st Legion itself, is in the end no better a fan then the little boy who painstakingly carves his very own 'Dark Vader' helmet out of a bucket and uses a black towel for a cape. Dressing up and being part of a group may be fun, but when your entire scope of Star Wars becomes entangled with the worry that a little skin might show past your glove when you pose for a photo, or in the case of my husband, making a costume that he doesn't want just so his potential peer group will even consider him, then you begin to lose sight of what made you a fan in the first place. It's never about the costumes, or that you're with the group that gets the most publicity. When you enjoy Star Wars so much that you come for the MOVIE, not picture-taking or social status, but to surround yourself with more nerds who also risked coming out on a work night looking like they all got dressed in the dark in a Halloween store closet, just so they can see what they love so much, then you just might realize that your peer group is right in front of you; wherever the movie is. We might have missed out on some more prestigious costumed events, but last night we sat in the presence of the very SPIRIT of Star Wars.

We both can't wait for the next one to come out in 3-D. I've already made plans with our new metal-armored friend to show up in my full Jawa costume; between him and I, we're going to have all sorts of fun next time. Because that's what it's all about; having fun. And standing up for yourself; JAR JAR BINKS LIVES!!!!!

Rainey
a.k.a. Tinimee the Jawa

Just think, if I had waited a few more days to post my story, it might have counted in the bunny hunt. xd

Alternative Christian (n)- One who considers themself part of the general faith of Christianity, but at the same time refuses to be assimilated into the overall concept of 'religion', seeing it as a binding of free spirit and a means to turn good feeling into hate and fear of the unknown or unusual. These individuals love the Lord with all their heart, but see no need or feel no want for practices such as and not limited to the following: preaching that God hates anyone not conforming to their views in exact detail, condemning gays, bis, transvestites, Muslims, etc, burning or destroying Harry Potter books, denying the existance of or condemning those who believe in such magical entities as faeries, Peter Pan, Santa Claus, The Great Pumpkin, etc. Rather, it is not unheard of for these to actually embrace what would be rejected by their more close-minded kin; that magic could exist, that things such as animals can and do have spirits, that a child's book is a wonderful read and not a gateway to Hell, and that those who are often treated as pariahs ought to be warmly welcomed and accepted for who they are. The resulting balance of such thinking is rare, and often leaves the individual unable to fit fully into either side, resulting in them being their own self-made kind of Christian.
Footnote: Our kind has a guild. If you relate, please drop us a line. We would love to know that there are more of us out there.

: biggrin ANGER: Child Thief spoilers ahead::

How long has it been since I last wrote something in here? Too long I know. XD I usually don't have a need to dump in my journal, but when something causes me to lose sleep and be up and about at the unholy hour of 9 in the morning (on a weekend xd ), I need to cleanse my mind and bare my soul a bit. And I don't know a soul who subscribes to my journal anyway. XP

Yesterday I finished a book; The Child Thief, by an author called Brom. I had begged my fiance to get it for me when I saw it on his website, and I eagerly dug into it feuled by the promise that things that were unclear in the original Peter Pan might be made a bit more clearer in this novel; that possible answers would be put forth to burning questions that I confess I had been curious about. What DID Peter do with the children who 'outgrew' Neverland? How WAS he able to make such young boys able to kill grown men without a second thought to the horror of their actions? I knew the answers this novel provided would be dark, and I was prepared.

What I was not prepared for were the true villains of the story: Christians. According to the story, the true villains, these 'Flesh Eaters', were none other than Old World Christians who sought to cleanse the land of evil and slaughter everything that looked magical or was thought of to be possessed, like the 'Lost Boys' (called the Devils in this novel). Granted, back then the ones who called theselves Christians had a high level of intolerance and hate, but after reading so far and coming to love Peter and his Lady, to hear the Lady say such things as 'this God of peace and love does like to bathe the land in blood'; it cut me deep.

You might think that I'm making a big deal over a mere book, but to me, this story has always been something more. When I was a little girl, I adored Peter Pan. I would leap off of chairs and couches trying to fly, and I would sit up in bed listening for any sign of light feet upon my roof. As I got older, I would leave thimbles on my windowsill and various other symbolic items from the book, in the hope that it would catch Peter's eye and let him know that a believer resided there. I got up on Sundays before the rest of my family to watch Peter Pan and the Pirates, alone and with the volume way down, and for half an hour, it seemed as though it was just me and that magical world. I was a child, happy to stay that way, and Peter Pan was my hero.

Even to this very day, I have clung ever so stubbornly to that one last bit of my childhood. I have the original Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Scarlet (the true-blue official sequel), The Barry/Pearson Trilogy, Capt. Hook, all the Disney Fairies books I can find, and now finally, The Child Thief. I have seen all of the movies and renditions, and could probably bore the average person stupid with Peter Pan trivia. I have heard footsteps on my roof at night when I was in junior high, and in high school, I took a picture of a child's bootprint in the snow on my neighbor's roof, a single print leading nowhere, coming from nowhere, and on the roof of a person whom I knew had no little children. I've never spoken aloud the phrase that is said to kill faeries, and when we saw Peter Pan in the theatres at Christmas, I took advantage of the booming acoustics to enthusiastically join the chant of, "I do believe in faeries! I do! I do!"

Call me odd or sick or what have you; it doesn't matter to me. But I believe. For as long as I can remember, I believe. I think that somewhere out there, in a place that can only be reached by either a hard and circumstantial voyage or an invitation from one of the inhabitants, there lies an island where time stands still, where the last remnants of magical creatures gather to live in peace, where natives who disliked the coming of the pilgrims sought refuge, knowing of the dark days to follow should they stay. And I believe that somewhere out there, there is an elusive, impish little boy who somehow beat the odds and remained forever young, bringing a select few along for the ride, for as long as they could hold on.

But how does a Christian take such a belief and be able to cling to it so? Are not all forms of magic evil? What about faeries, the devil's little butterflies? Furthermore, how can someone believe in such an impossible thing? Well, is not the very essence of faith believeing in something that cannot be proven? Is it so wrong to believe that a certain aura exists within all living things, be they trees or animals or even rocks, that could be defined as magic? Can you deny that there is magic in a child's laugh, in a field of vibrant and fragrant wildflowers, or in the feeling that comes from knowing true friendship and love? And that it just might exist in droves on an island where those who seek refuge from an unkind world gather? I find myself believeing that the early Indians, the ones that 'civilized' people called savages, were far closer to all things spiritual than we could ever hope to be, because they had that harmony, that belief that everything had a soul and should be treated with honor and respect. I count myself infinitely fortunate to have Cherokee blood, be it ever so small a percentage.

That was why it grieved me so to have us be the villains of the story, to kill and eat pixies, perform exorcisms on 'posessed' children by drowning and burning them, and roping the Lady herself, the very heartbeat of the magical island, in order to take her to 'holy ground' and sacrifice her to 'the good Lord'. In the end she lived, and I cried happy tears, but they turned to sad tears when she left to restore the island, telling Peter coldly that there was nothing more any of them could do for our kind. It saddened me to think that we behaved so badly, even in a storybook, that this creature who governed a paradise and before welcomed those Peter brought in, would give us all up as intolerant beings left to stew in our own muck.

I really shouldn't care; after all, she is not part of the story that I believe in wholeheartedly, but I would like to think that when it comes to knowing and understanding others who are different, who do things differently and sometimes in ways we may not agree on, we might still be able to learn to live together in relative peace, even us 'intolerant' Christians. I cannot help but think, as young Nick did in the book, how differently things might have been if both the faerie folk and the humans had just been willing to sit down and talk things through. We all have so much to learn, and I refuse to let rules of religion govern what I can and cannot learn from others. I say this as a passionate statement to any who might be listening. Not all of us see devils behind every bush or think anything that has horns or pointy ears is a demon. We don't all shy away from the concept of magic or see that concept as an absolute evil. We don't all seek to burn enchanted gardens, slaughter magical creatures, or rejoice in the death of those deemed ungodly. Some of us remember that the One we follow is truly a God of love, and he accepts anyone and everyone, and just might have, all those long years ago, created little beings with wings. Some of His messengers have just forgotten, the way Peter so often forgets.

I still think it's a wonderful book; it's a great fantasy novel, and quite graphic in a Lord of the Flies kind of way, but as a Peter Pan story.... One of the writers who praised it said it made you want to believe, but I had that already from the original tale. And I stand firm when I say that despite the author's end notes, Peter Pan is no child of the Devil. The original even says that when children die, he goes with them part of the way, so they will not be frightened. Even with his dark undertones, a devil would certainly not be given such a task.

Nevertheless, I am glad to have experienced it, and to me Peter was, is, and always will be, that impish child who I looked up to and was able to do what I had always wanted to do; stay young forever. I believe in you. I believe.

Raine has decided to make a Christmas wish list. Ja. 3nodding


Pets

Audio Rhetoric

A female with an Ave Maria song? This guys kick. whee


http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/breedable-changing-pets/tears-of-evelos-secret-santas-premades-on-dec-11/t.34797559_1/

These are so cute. blaugh I love the Holly one.

Items

Unicorn Horn
WTF Hat

Well, I had planned to put a summary of the '07 Halloween event here, then I discovered that fanfiction.net has thoughtfully provided a Gaia Online section. They're so sweet. =3

A Splash of Red- A Vampire Halloween

Remind me again why I have a journal? *Looks at the date of the last entry* eek

Well, after no success whatsoever in putting up the links to all the wonderful Breedable Pet Shops I like to haunt (and buy from wink ) in my profile, I figured my journal would be the next best place. Voila! Visit 'em!


Legacy of Namir

Kimera Den

Einklang (Nekowa)

Odds & Ends Depot

Hou Li Tain Tang

Jinx of Virtue

Luminarium

My Little Martian

The Hjortmenn

*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*



This message is being broadcasted to the best of my ability as far out to space as it can go; hopefully it is destined to reach the ears of a few Gaians as well.

It seems but a few days have gone by since the first of our alien visitors showed themselves, that fateful Halloween night that will forever be set apart from the others. I don't think any of us knew exactly WHAT to think; was it all a dream, the influence of too much to drink? Was it some silly prank of our host, Johnny Gambino? Or was it suddenly, shockingly real?




As the past few months have shown, it was...and is...very real. At first the reactions were mixed; were they here to make friends, or here to threaten our way of life? Befriend, or enslave? Make peace, or make war? Before long it was discovered that our visitors, the Zurg, were just as divided as we were. Some were friendly, and happily mingled with the Gaians; trying on clothes, communicating with us through PMs and Town chats. Others were hostile, and threatened violence, even going so far as to harass their fellow Zurg for being too friendly with the Gaians, whom they considered to be beneath them.

And so it went on for months; the Gaians and the Zurg against each other and themselves. Fights broke out everywhere; Gaians were lashing each other verbally, slinging more mud than is thrown at a political campaign. Zurg were chasing each other, and threatening the gentler ones with weapons and harsh words. Blueprints with strange symbols and pictures were discovered; each side claiming to know the true purpose of the blueprints, attempting to prove that their side was in the right.




Yet among the seething, quivering turmoil, there were pockets of beings, both Zurg and Gaian, who understood each other and strived for peace. They knew it was possible, and were grieved that many others did not or would not accept the idea of peace, but continued to cling to the overpowering thought of 'It's either me or him." Some peace-strivers massed together like an island in a sea of negativity; others remained branched out, like small boats in a hurricane of hatred. They all clung to each other for support, and continued to send their messages of hope and goodwill. Some listened. Others did not. And so it went on.



Then tragedy struck. The threats of the hostile Zurg were carried out, and they turned on their brother 09, mercilessly shooting him down for daring to befriend the Gaians that they despised. Both sides were shocked; the anti-Zurg were further conviced of treachery; if they would kill one of their own, why not all of us? The peace lovers were grieved and attempted to communicate with the angry Zurg, to deter them from their dark and now bloody path. Many thought that this was truly the end of 09.

But then it was discovered that Mother, the leader of the Zurg, had rescued 09 from the twisted wreckage of his ship, and was being cared for by her. Those 09 had befriended rejoiced, and as the violent turmoil continued, many waited anxiously for word of their fallen friend. They were in for a surprise.



For the 09 that they had known seemed gone forever. In his place was a stranger, with slitted eyes that gleamed with malice, strange pale skin, and a shock of white hair that looked all the more strange even with his not quite human features. He no longer spoke words of friendship, but malice and anger, thick and concentrated. Many tried to reason with him, remind him that they were his friends, and still wished to be, if he was willing to make it so. The words seemed to go unheeded, and all of Gaia waited once more, for things must surely come to a head.



And surely it seemed that things had come to a head at last, when an accident involving a Zurg beam left the beloved Santa Claus with the mind of a cow. Just when it seemed like the holiday season was to be given a raincheck, gentle naive 02 stepped forward, volunteering to shoulder the duties of the jolly old elf and hand out presents to all of the Gaians. Many were outraged at the accident, but many more thought that the Zurg helping to set it right was more than adequate, and it seemed as though this new Zurg Santa was widely accepted (based on number of packages delivered).



It was only a few days ago when things finally reached their tragic climax. 02, seeming not to notice that Christmas had been over for nearly two months, was handing out presents when he was confronted by his brother, 11, who had not only been one of the ones to threaten the gentler of their kind, but had also been one of the very Zurg who had shot down 09. He had approached 02 in a state of repentance, aplogizing for his deeds and trying to warn 02 that 09 had changed for the worse. 02, who had long since admired and looked up to his brother 09, refused to heed him. 09 himself then appeared, and shot down 02 in a single moment of rage. Upon realizing what he had done, 09 was devastated, and it was in this state that Mother found them.



She told all who were present that her people's time on Gaia had come to an end; they could not survive in such a place, where emotions were so strong and expressed so freely. She had hoped to show us a new way of living akin to their own. But she now saw that just as the Zurg could not adapt entirely to our ways, neither could we adapt to theirs. To each other, we were simply........incompatible. With these words, the Zurg reentered their ships, and flew away from Gaia, perhaps never to return.





Thus was our experience with the Zurg. It can easily be called both wonderful and terrible. It ended so abruptly and so tragically, that at first one would think that it all ended in vain, that nothing was truly accomplished, and all that came of it was pain and sorrow.
And yet, when the ashes of tragedy are brushed aside, new things come to light. It has been revealed recently by one of the Zurg that Mother had indeed had plans to take over Gaia, as the anti-Zurg had feared, but a meeting of peace had opened her eyes and made her realize how much we cherished our freedom and how strong the desire was for us to live together in harmony. The two Zurg who had committed the deed that nearly killed 09 had come to see that they were wrong, and both strived to make things right again as best they could. And when the Zurg did depart, it was peaceful, and without ill feelings.

We may, as Mother has said, be 'incompatible'. But that doesn't mean that we cannot learn from each other. It is our differences that make us who we are, and there is no shame or dishonor in fighting to preserve that. We don't know if they will ever come back, or if we will ever see them again, but if they should chance to come back, we will know that we have nothing to fear from them, and hopefully by then, they will have nothing to fear from us. And in time who knows; with all the Zurg children that have remained behind; maybe they will be the ones to finally decide just how compatible Zurg and Gaians can be.

Safe journey to you, Mother and the rest. We hope to see you all again, if only as a flash of light to mark the heavens and cause us all to look up.


*END TRANSMISSION*