I've recently found myself lacking in RPs so I thought I'd put up a few ideas and see if anyone would be interested. I have a few plots along with a few fandoms that I might be interested in playing. Before I get into that, though, I'll just lay down a few rules first.
1) Post length. I'm not too much of a stickler here. I'll match what I'm given and I understand that you can't always pump out paragraphs of content every time. All I ask is that it's at least a paragraph.
2) Absences. I understand that we all have our own lives going on. I myself have a full time job along with a part time job and a few side projects. It's hard to find consistent times to RP for long periods of time and that's fine. I would prefer at least to see something once a day, but that is also depending on schedule, I'm sure. All I ask in this regard is that if you are going to be gone for a long period of time, let me know so I don't think you just ditched the RP. And speaking of that...please, don't just ditch the RP. I'm sure it'll happen. Seems inevitable most of the time. But I would like to at least put it here. Tell me if you're bored or don't think we mesh in writing style. I'd rather know and drop it than be waiting for a post that never comes.
3) Limitations. I have none. I have a few things I'm uncomfortable with, but I'm willing to push my own boundaries if the RP calls for it. If you have any limitations, just let me know and we can work around it.
If you're still with me after all that, I can get on to the plots I have in mind! I have only a few and will add more as I think of them. They are primarily centered around fantasy settings, but I am open to suggestions. So, if you don't like my ideas, feel free to pitch your own ideas.
War between gods has been common since the dawn of man. In the modern era, gods do not wage war any longer. At least, not in the public eye. The age of mythological heroes is done with. In order to solve disputes, gods choose champions to carry their name. In return for vast gifts, they are granted a portion of the god’s might to fight in battles against other champions. The winner decides the dispute between the gods in place of the gods themselves.
The largest of these battles takes place once a year, a tournament between all the gods and their champions. The winner grants their god glory while also receiving what was promised to them by that god.
For this, there are a two ways I can see this going, either GodxChampion or ChampionxChampion. I personally lean towards the latter, but either could be interesting, I suppose. I will also open this up to a small group, if anyone is interested in doing that.
The gods are absolute. The gods decide who lives and who dies. Humans have seemed to forget this fact. In recent years, a resurgence of gods coming to the mortal realm has occurred, asserting their power upon the mortals that have seemed to forget about them. In order to survive, the gods make them remember, laying claim to the world once more.
Man does not sit quietly this time. Rebellions spring up across the world, fighting against this insurmountable might. However, mortals cannot kill a god. At least, that is the thought of man...until one ordinary mortal achieves the impossible. Stealing a god’s power, turning it into his own...and killing a god. The rebellion is on the move with this God Slayer at the forefront.
Again, this could go a few ways. I picture several different factions depending on the gods they are dealing with. It could be two rebels. It could be supporters of the gods. Maybe a mix of both. We can discuss the way we want this one to go.
In a world where martial arts is a central part of daily life, there exists five dojos. The Crown City dojo, in the center of the land, a strict formula of defense and offense, is the true visage of a balanced style. The western mountainous dojo, building sturdy bodies and powerful strikes to break their enemies, is a truly aggressive style. The eastern oriental dojo, emphasizing fluid movements and a mastery of weapons, is a versatile style. The southern dojo hidden amongst the swamp, training their disciples within those harsh environments, builds a stout style. Lastly, there is the northern dojo, a shadow of its former self despite being the first dojo to exist.
Each dojo holds its own secrets, magical techniques only passed down within the dojo in question. However, with such strict guard over these techniques and powers, each one is secretly coveted by those who are weak. The dojos are the perfect targets for those types of people. The dojo heads are arrogant, though. They do not see the threat. They remain focused on each other, ignoring the squabbling and scheming of the weak.
It seems that these five dojos would constantly be at odds, taking part in the yearly tournament to decide which dojo trained the best students. A tournament the north never even hoped to rank in, until an unknown visitor arrives, seeking to learn.
Again, multiple ways we can run this one. My character would be the new student at the northern dojo. We can be rivals of the same dojo or rivals from different dojos. Perhaps enemies, if we bring in the thieves alluded to in the description. We can discuss this one as well. Another one I'm willing to open into a small group setting, since it might be interesting to have a player from each dojo.
What if you could go through time to fix your past mistakes? Broader than that, what if you could right the mistakes in the world itself?
In the not so distant future, a brilliant scientist achieves a scientific breakthrough. He creates the first functioning time machine. At first, this research was kept secret. It would be bad if it became common among the human race. For that reason, he maintains secrecy, only revealing the secret to the select few who helped him design this machine. However, inevitably, his research is leaked and copies began to show up. To this end, individuals were able to traverse time for their own ends. This would not stand for long. An organization sprung up, directly under the thumb of this scientist.
The Time Patrol.
There are many who would do just that. It is the job of the Time Patrol to ensure that those changes don't happen. While it may seem a good idea to take out a ruthless dictator before he can come into power, it may also have unforeseen consequences on the timeline itself. For that reason, the Time Patrol exists and continues to ensure that these consequences never come to pass.
So, being perfectly honest, this idea came about while I was playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse. The idea of changes in time being made interested me and I enjoy the idea of alternate histories. So, the idea would be that there are rival organizations traveling through time to push their own agenda. That could mean anything. Stopping the rise of an evil dictator or simply sabotaging a business rival before they can truly start up. Our characters would be part of the Time Patrol to stop those types of events.
For fandoms, I have a pretty big list, but I'm also open to suggestions here. So if there is anything you'd like to do, run it by me and we can try. I do prefer to do OCs, so if that's a deal breaker for you, might be better to avoid this section.
Flame of Recca
Campione
Highschool DxD
Naruto
Bleach
One Piece
Fairy Tail
Hajime no Ippo
Eyeshield 21
Food Wars
My Hero Academia
Rave Master
Rurouni Kenshin
Yu Yu Hakusho
Sekirei
Dragon Ball Z
Assassin's Creed
Fallout
Final Fantasy
Kingdom Hearts
Fire Emblem
Pokemon
Alan Wake
Dark Souls
That is all I can think of for the moment. If you're interested, post here or shoot me a PM. More likely to see the PM, though I will try to remember to check this thread periodically. I hope to hear from you guys soon! ^^
Hikari watched helplessly as Nagisa was handcuffed and taken away in one of the police cars. He went along, requesting the same car as the "criminal" in this situation, to the many odd looks from the officers present. He had seen the hesitation when they told her to step away. He still didn't understand why she was "drawn" to him or whatever she had said, but she had only used that gun in protection of him. There was no point in making her worry further by being separated from each other.
As the officers began to drive off, talking amongst themselves in the front seat, the boy bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry for all of this," he murmured quietly, too soft for the officers to hear. He really didn't know what to say, but that seemed like a good place to start. She had protected him and all.
Nagisa shook her head. "This is not your fault, Hikari - on the contrary, I should be the one apologizing." She then looked down at the handcuffs. "I am sorry that I do not have enough power to fulfill my promise to you - to protect you."
"No, you protected me just fine," Hikari protested, scratching the back of his head. "These people are only here to protect as well. That's why I asked you not to fight. We'll figure a way out of this once we get to the station."
That put a small smile on Nagisa's face. "I am certain that you will be fine. I think you are right - it appears that rifles are not a common sight in this part of the country."
The driver, who had been listening to the conversation, finally spoke up, "This ain't America, missy. We're probably one of the safest countries in this whole damned world, so who needs a nasty piece of metal like that?" He then narrowed his eyes at the reflection of Nagisa in his rear-view mirror. "What's more...a military-grade gun that even we can't get our hands on. Where d'you get that thing?"
"...That is classified information," was Nagisa's deadpan reply.
"You little---!"
Before the driver could swear at her, something heavy smashed down the front of the car, forcing the vehicle to spin and veer off the road, finally skidding to a sudden stop. He gaped at the sight of a huge silver blade that was stuck in the smoking hood...and the slim figure of a female with long twintails standing before them.
She pulled out the blade rather effortlessly; the driver was even more stunned that it was actually a freaking scythe - at least a foot taller than the girl - that had attacked them. She raised the weapon in the air, a sharp glint reflected off the curved metal, ready to bring it down on them the second time.
The cop who sat beside Nagisa was the first to react. "Everyone! Get out!" He grabbed the Sekirei and dragged her out before she could go with the boy.
Hikari stumbled out the other door, ducking down quickly and running to the back of the police car. He had seen the cops put her gun in there. Hoping it wasn't locked, he tried to open it up. He saw how strong Sekirei were. It was painfully obvious that they were stronger than the ordinary humans. Doubled up with their weapons, he knew he'd be no help here. He knew the cops likely wouldn't be either. Nagisa, though, could fight them on even ground.
At least, that was his hope here.
Luckily for him, the impact and damage to the car was severe. The trunk was torn open. At least, the lock was broken. It was enough for him to open it the rest of the way and dig into the back, grabbing the rifle.
"Nagisa! Back here! Hurry!" he shouted, holding the rifle awkwardly until his Sekirei could relieve him of the weapon.
Nagisa didn't need to be told twice. She whipped around and kicked the cop beside her in the balls, who doubled over and his mouth hung open stupidly in a silent scream, the agony pretty much stunned the old man to even fight back. She bent down and plucked off the key from his belt before putting it to her mouth, expertly unlocking the handcuffs, which she threw it down next to the policeman.
In a quick flash she was back to Hikari's side, and stretched out her freed hands for the weapon. "Thank you," she said softly. Now that the rifle was back in her possession, it's time for her to fulfill her oath to her master - it's time to return these people the favors.
Four. That's all she had left in the magazine. She had already used up one on reflex against the blond male Sekirei previously and the cops had confiscated the rest of her spare ammos, so she would have to make the remaining rounds left in this gun count.
"Hikari," she began, her eyes still trained on the new opponent. "Get away from here as fast - and far - as possible. Bring those men with you also. I will stall that Sekirei here and then regroup with you once I have defeated her."
"Oh?" A male voice rang out from the shadows, then a slim figure stepped out of the dark into the light of a streetlamp. A high-school boy with unkempt red hair and black-framed glasses over his brown eyes, wearing a plain green tee and faded blue jeans with sandals. "You? Defeating my sweet little Sae? Now we can't have that, right?" He stopped next to the scythe Sekirei - and flipped up her pleated skirt, much to everyone's surprise. "Tch, not that I don't like sexy black laced panties, but I swear hot pink would clash so much better with your beautiful hair."
The Sekirei called Sae didn't even flinch at the fact that the people on site had a full view of her underwear (what's more, that she had quite an adult taste for a young, innocent-looking girl). "Shohei-sama," she replied coolly, her grip on the scythe tightened as she narrowed her eyes at Nagisa. "We can renegotiate about the bikini you wish to get for me after I bring that bitch's head back home." With that, she made her stance: she swiped her scythe - cleanly cutting a lampost nearby into two - and crouched forward, bloodlust gleaming in her sea-green eyes.
Hikari's eyes widened in shock at the man's blatant disregard for his Sekirei's privacy. His face flushed in embarassment, but more than that, he felt anger boiling up inside him. He wasn't good around women. He was surprised Nagisa put up with him as long as she had already. Guys like this Shohei, though...he hated them. He wasn't going to let someone like that get away with having Sekirei at his side. "No," he said softly. "I'm not leaving you alone against them. If you feel the need to protect me, she'll feel the need to protect him."
Nagisa raised an eyebrow - she half-expected him to do as told given his timid personality, but she couldn't help curling her lips into a small smile, the thought of her Ashikabi's kindness warmed her heart...and resonated with her Core.
"Very well," she said as she detached the eye scope from the top of her rifle and passed it to Hikari, switching to laser sight. "I will not stop you from your desire to watch our fight, but please go to somewhere with a safe distance away from us. This is so that you will not get hurt by accident from the battle." She then turned her attention back to Sae, pointing the gun barrel at the twintail Sekirei, her fingers poised ready on the trigger. "Shall we begin?"
Shohei was already getting bored. "Seriously, you guys sure take your own sweet time to decide whether you want to chicken out - or just drop dead, right here...and right now!"
Sae dashed forward and raised her scythe, slamming the huge blade down at the spot where Nagisa was standing. The sniper jumped back before the metal could slice her into half, where it missed her front by a few inches. She was forced down on her knees to brace herself from the shockwave of the impact when the blade met the ground. Readjusting her aim, Nagisa got the red dot to land on the opponent's left thigh. She narrowed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.
The .300 Win Mag that burst out from the barrel and tore through Sae's leg all happened in a blink of an eye. The twintail stumbled, grabbing onto the snath to steady herself. Nagisa exhaled slowly and stood up, counting off in her head. Three.
Before she could take another shot at the enemy Sekirei, Sae suddenly began to laugh mirthlessly. "How dare you... How dare you ruin this gorgeous black leggings that Shohei-sama got for me!" With a scream of fury, the twintail pulled out her scythe and lashed at the gun girl one more time.
Nagisa gritted her teeth - instead of incapacitating her movement, the leg wound did the complete opposite: it had made the twintail snap into berserk mode, now hellbent to shred her to bits with that nasty curved blade. She turned around and started to run, lowering herself to dodge the scythe that made a threatening 'whoosh' sound when it cut the air above her head.
She stopped when she had put enough distance between herself and the crazed Sekirei. She then raised the rifle and tried to take aim again - this time at the redhead Ashikabi. Sae, in the midst of her madness, was still smart enough to guess what Nagisa was trying to do. "As if I'd let you, bitch!" she screeched and lunged at the sniper, forcing Nagisa to roll out of the way to dodge another attack from her.
Unfortunately, this time Nagisa wasn't fast enough. The blade managed to slash her back, and a sharp searing pain began to spread throughout her whole body. She wobbled as she got back to her feet, her body shook and she closed her eyes briefly to mentally supress the feeling of pain. The wet sensation of her own blood trickling down her spine was now the only reminder of the wound on her back. "And...we are even."
"Even? Who are you kidding?" Sae glowered at her. "What I want - is you to die. Whirling Slash!"
Nagisa pumped her legs to get away from the enemy Sekirei again. When she turned her head and looked over her shoulder, Sae was no longer behind her; the twintail had leapt into the air and was coming down from above the sniper, a triumphant grin on her face as she was about to bring the scythe down with full force.
At the same time, watching the battle commence, Hikari darted after her, already seeing he wouldn't make it in time to reach her. Yet, he felt like he needed to after the deadly wound that Nagisa had received. Luckily for him, the other Sekirei wouldn't make it to his own.
"Not so fast, lil' brat - Strength!"
A card shot towards Sae and hit her hard in the middle, sending her flying backwards before slamming her down onto the ground. A willowy figure hopped down next to the fallen Sekirei and clucked her tongue. "I can't have you kill my precious toys now - not when the real show has yet to begin!"
A pinkette with brilliant blue eyes and a red heart-shaped mark on her left cheek; wearing a costume that made her look like a gothic jester. She spread her arms and spoke again in the same sing-song voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's put our hands together - for No.77 Orinami's graceful entrance!"
Hikari all but ignored her, running past the new Sekirei and making a beeline for Nagisa. "Shit, are you okay?" he asked, eyes clear with worry over the girl. His earlier hesitance was forgotten, seeing the deep cut she had received. However, as he saw the cut, he glanced back at the other girl who had made her appearance. "Thank you...Orinami-san." He didn't offer more than that, though, clearly still worried over Nagisa's condition.
Orinami's smile was turned upside down when she was blatantly ignored by the boy. How could he not be mesmerized by her beauty - her cuteness? Her perfection? He had just ruined her grand entrance! She placed both her hands on her hips and was about to give him a piece of her mind when he suddenly thanked her.
Hmph, that's a start, but she couldn't help feeling irritated at how the guy was oh-so worried about that weak gun-girl Sekirei. She shook her head at the thought of jealousy - why would she feel that way for her playthings?
"Calm down, boy. She isn't so useless that she would just die from a single cut like that," the pinkette said, rolling her eyes. "I can't afford you two to be out of the script yet, so let's get out of here first..and then I can heal her with my power."
Yuki Kaguya, & No.11 Houkatori.
Houkatori returned to the apartment with the little scene dying down. She had watched from afar as the cops arrested the Sekirei and confiscated her gun. She'd be an easy target for others now, being unarmed as she was. Luckily, it seemed the two hadn't even tried to mention the other two Sekirei. Not like the cops would believe them. These secrets were held by the higher ups within the government.
She turned away from the scene, heading back inside the apartment. The main living area was empty now, Yuki having moved on to whatever it was she had wanted to do with her roommate gone. "Yuki, are you still here? The situation's died down, it seems," she called into the apartment, walking further inside.
"In here," Yuki's voice came out from the bathroom. "Glad to hear that whatever's going on downstairs had been taken care of, but it sure took longer than expected."
The girl found her companion in the bathroom, already undressed for her bath. Despite herself, Houka's face gained some color, seeing her friend completely naked like this. Though the reaction was not as reserved as friends would normally be. She had had to strip a few times for Yuki to do checkups on her, but this was the first time she had seen the positions reversed. Despite herself, she couldn't deny that she liked the view. "A-Ah, sorry." She turned away quickly, hiding the blush that had developed across her features. "I didn't realize you were already in there..."
Houka's embarrassed reaction was responded with a raised eyebrow from the silver-haired lady. "Hmm? Don't tell me you plan to bathe with your clothes on," Yuki joked lightly, flicking a stray lock away from her dark eyes before she entered the filled bathtub.
That felt much better.
She then beckoned Houka over with a wink. "Come here - and we can wash each other's back."
"R-right," Houka responded, slowly turning back around to enter the bathroom. She hesitated a moment, but shut the door behind her. They didn't really want Yajuu walking in on them when he returned, after all. Slowly, she began to strip off her clothing as well, placing them into a pile in the corner of the room.
Once ready, she moved towards Yuki, stepping into the bath with her, clearly more hesitant than she usually had been at the facility. The red hue of her face had faded, but only slightly, still trying to keep her attention off Yuki's body.
It had finally dawned on Yuki why the Sekirei was acting weird and fidgety. "I guess this is the first time you've seen me like this - it's normally the other way round, back at...that goddamned place," she said the last few words with a slight digust. "I don't mind you looking at me - besides, we're both women, aren't we? And you have a better figure than I do."
She reached out a hand, and it slid down the brunette's shoulder. "I still find it hard to believe that you're someone who looks human - and even feels like one - but there's something inside of you that says otherwise."
Houka slowly shook her head. "I...don't think that's true," she said. Despite her normally fiery personality, she bowed her head to hide her face as it heated up further. "I'm nothing special. You're the one who took me away from that place. I don't think I would have had to courage to leave if you hadn't helped me."
Yuki's face fell at Houka's words. "No," she said, the warmth in her tone replaced by bitterness. "Courage doesn't matter - it's the least of those bastards' worries when they don't even treat you all like---" Humans...which they weren't, causing her to stopped herself before the word tumbled out of her mouth. She coughed hastily to covered up the awkward pause, and continued, "Anyway, while I get the gist of this whole 'Sekirei' stuff...from the file I know that each of you have a certain power, ability, or even weaponry skill. I've a feeling that the higher-ups are still holding back some info, which I'll probably learn once this project officially begins.
"Or, if my guess is correct, it has already begun." Yuki raised a hand and rubbed her chin. "That gunshot just now - it was from an enemy Sekirei, wasn't it?"
Houka's look darkened at the mention, but she shrugged. "I cannot tell," she replied. "She meant us no harm until the blond assaulted her Ashikabi. The two have to live close by, though. They were outside our complex. A Sekirei with a sniper rifle. I'd advise you to stay out of it for the time being...let me scout it out. No one needs to know you're an Ashikabi yet. And, that way, only I will be in danger." And she could protect herself. That was the most important part. Sure, she was positive Yuki wasn't entirely defenseless...but it wasn't like she could spout flames from her hands.
Part of Yuki wanted to shout "No!" at Houka, but she knew the Sekirei was right - even if she had some sharpshooting skills, her pistol was confiscated before she was sent here. Her rash involvement might cause more unnecessary troubles later on, especially to Houka. "Alright," she finally said, not bothering to hide her reluctance. "Just...be careful. You must promise me this."
With that, she got up from the bathtub and stretched her arms. "Ah, that's refreshing. Better get out before Yajuu is back - and I still need to cook dinner for everyone." After she got out of the tub, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, before turning back to Houka. "Don't stay inside too long, okay?" With that, she left the bathroom.
"I won't," Houka replied, bowing her head to Yuki as she left. She'd have to be careful going forward with this. She was strong. She knew she was one of the stronger Sekirei if she released her full power. She wasn't at full power, though, and if she was gone, who would protect Yuki? She had to be around for that. This Sekirei Project wasn't the only danger to her Ashikabi. The government had it out for her. She had already sworn to herself that she wouldn't let anyone else touch her.
Putting her head back, she let herself relax, soaking in the heat for the moment.
Hey, I'm sorry for the delay to the RP. Some things have come up and I'm having trouble finding time or even focusing on my post. I'm going to try to get to it this weekend, but I can't make any promises. I'm unsure if the personal issues are gonna resolve themselves enough to let me focus on this again that quickly. I apologize for the inconvenience, I just wanted to let you know so you know I didn't just ditch you or anything.
Leo glanced towards Ricard skeptically. "We don't need her help to do this," he argued again. "I can take the bandits myself if need be."
Ricard waved it off. "I know we can, but it doesn't hurt to have a beautiful woman along, now does it?" he asked with a small grin, though it was more tame than his usual ones. Not that anyone could tell the difference on the face of this bandit. "Okay, here's our plan then. You guys will hide a fair distance from us. I'll wake them up and they'll lead me right to the bandit hideout. You two will trail me. Once you get there, we rout them completely. I'll aim for the bandit leader while you guys take care of his followers." He crossed his arms, smiling a bit at Saya. "You have every reason to not trust us. I'll make sure you don't regret giving us a chance, though."
"This is a waste of our time," Leo grumbled, passing this off as another one of Ricard's fancies interfering with the mission. "Just don't slow us down. I want to be done with these bastards as soon as possible." He started to walk away, pausing only to lift the bandit up again, dragging the body away. He kept his eyes averted from the rest of the group. He didn't trust the woman, just as she didn't trust them.
Ricard let out a small sigh. Leo was too protective sometimes, but it wasn't always a bad trait. "Try not to fight with him too much," the man said softly. "He's abrasive and argumentative, but he means well. You don't trust us. He doesn't trust you. He'll warm up to you if you hang around long enough." He offered a small shrug, moving to sit where the bandit had been laying before. "He's just being protective."
Leo's frown deepened. "No way," he replied. "First of all, you have no way of finding the bandit leader unless he seeks you out. Secondly, I refuse to do this for free. Our guild can't live on charity, as much as I want to help these-"
Ricard's hand came up in front of Leo, causing him to pause in his tirade. With a small sigh, he bowed his head to Saya. "What my friend is trying to say, miss, is that our guild needs money to function. If we did this kind of stuff for free, our guild would collapse. Especially when faced against these larger, more prestigious guilds that do things for extravagant payments." He paused a moment, glancing at Leo before regarding Saya again, his look softer than it had been when he flirted with her more openly. His over the top antics had been shelved for this purpose. He couldn't have their guild defamed for this incident and he didn't want Leo to start a fight with the girl who more than likely had the most experience with the bandits and this village. "The villagers only stooped low enough to request our help a week ago. They were overcharged by other guilds in the area and didn't even request our help until they were out of options. Leo and I were returning from a mission two days later and accepted the job immediately. They are offering a very small sum, considering the number of bandits we're up against. Our intention was to take half of the bandits' earnings for ourselves and give the rest of the village to make up for the payments. We have no intention of overcharging the village for our services. However, we simply cannot do this for free if we hope to continue to thrive as a guild."
Leo looked over Ricard, a mixture of confusion and surprise in his eyes. However, the heat died down within them as he turned away, crossing his arms and not adding to the explanation. He was getting too frustrated. Ricard was in the better position to negotiate here.
Okay. That makes a lot more sense to me. I know Leo was kind of writing her off, but he figured she was only doing it because guilds refused to accept the requests. He saw it as her getting let off the hook to let the guild deal with it. That and he's supposed to be the foil to Ricard. Ricard doesn't care that her magic is dark and Leo is hesitant precisely because of her magic. I'll get working on my response.
Just one thing I do want to mention. I realize that my response, upon reading it again, was kinda short and aggressive on that point. I apologize for that. Pretty sure I had just woken up and was not in a great mood, on top of being concerned about where this was going. Usually, if I make a point like that, I am only trying to clarify concerns with how the RP is going and open up communication so that neither of us are trying to corral the plot to only our specific characters. I've had partners in the past who would do that and then lash out very badly when I tried to steer it a separate way for both of our characters. So, I do apologize for this incident, I just ask that you have some patience with it in the future. I understand why you responded more aggressively to me, but my response was going to be entirely different until I let it sit for a while and thought through what I wanted to get at.