Elements of Depression

Fire flicker, fire dim,
Dying through my every whim.
I cannot fan the flame so low,
Or bring back its brilliant glow.

Sturdy as a rock, I’m not.
Stability like earth- once sought.
Crumbling under every press,
I cannot see things any less.

Unlike water up and down,
You’ll always see a dreary frown.
Transparent as the waves of sea,
There’s something wrong the eye can see.

Thoughts corrupting, always are;
Any sort of bliss is far.
Trying to laugh or even care-
I may as well try seeking air.

Life is but a sorry mess.
Nothing can my way impress.
Here within lies my confession:
I’m gripped by elements of depression.

Elements of Joy

Dancing, dancing tiny flame,
Pleasant warmth remains the same.
On the candle of my heart,
I await your timely start.

Like the tides of oceans long,
 I never tire of your song.
I dip within my mind to clean-
Out comes laughter once unseen.

On the wings of blissful air,
Under daylight’s loving glare,
Blowing free like wind so true,
Sharing love is what I do.

Foundation laid upon the ground,
My own support can now be found.
Weary laden, tired, and poor,
Rest on me, and I’ll restore.

Elements of joy inside of me,
I freely give to all of thee.
Worry not of time or place;
I’ll put a smile on your face.

Parent & Child Magazine seems to fit that criteria:

“Parent & Child Magazine is a heart-felt publication that is dedicated to “the joy of family living and learning.” Every issue offers readers a plethora of articles with the goal of helping busy parents maximize the joy of their family, the success of their careers, and the growth of their children through the crucial developmental years of 0-12. Parent & Child fills its pages with content on topics including health, happiness, nutrition, fashion, travel, community and more. The editorial team hopes to offer ideas, tips, and suggestions to make the most of time spent with your family and children, with featured recipes, activities, and learning tools. Parent & Child Magazine also knows that the key to being a good parent is being a happy parent, so many of the articles focus on adults’ needs and pastimes as well. Brought to you by the well-respected and reliable Scholastic learning company, you can be sure that Parent & Child will deliver a quality product in every copy.”

A magazine that focuses on maximizing quality time with kids surely can cover topics of when parents are doing the opposite. Teaching about mistakes is excellent for preventing them.

As for a title, possible ones could be:

Hardcore gaming: A Parent’s Wall

Excessive Gaming + Busy Parents = Neglected Children

When Fun Become Neglect

Gaming Versus Parenting

Child-Free Amusement Park

The Blurred Line Between Breaks and Breaking

Gaming Hotel: The Lifetime Vacation

Fit Gamers, Unfit Parents

Sorry if that list isn’t substantial enough.

"It is a very good poem.... structured, nice rimes. I liked the first part. but then, you began to confuse me a bit.

The next part seems to talk about a dinosaur, wanting to go to the Great Valley, but is still in the mysterious beyond. However, I had the original thought that the poem would be from the perspective of dinosaurs living in the Great Valley, and saying what the valley means to them. But showing us, that it also is a tale giving hope to other dinosaurs, who haven't found the valley yet, was a nice touch.

However, the ending, I'm a bit disapproving of...
You show us, what the Great Valley means to the inhabitants and the dinosaurs in the mysterious beyond... however, you suddenly change the subject of the poem from the Greavt Valley, to instead, the education of the kids. It seemed more to me, that you tried to just get an ending that "might" work, instead of an ending that kept faith to the subject of the matter."

I will do my best to explain. Each part IS from the perspectives of dinosaurs living in the Great Vallery, and they ARE saying what it means to them, nothing more, nothing less. None of the speakers are in the Mysterious Beyond, and the Mysterious Beyond is unrelated to the poem. Each speaker was a member of the gang of five. By shifting the styles, it was designed to have readers wonder what was going on, but the ending was supposed to reveal that Mr. Thicknose was teaching the kids how to make poetry, and so each one was from a different kid. Littlefoot made the first one, then Cera, then Petrie, then Ducky, then Spike made one. The subject didn't change. It was always that Mr. Thicknose tried to:

1. Get the kids to express themselves, and

2. Teach them about poetry.

The focus was the exact same throughout; I simply didn't reveal it until the end. A member suggested in an earlier poem of mine that I shouldn't explain my poems from the start, but it looks like it would be for the best to go back to doing so.

Are there any parodies in Twilight Valley, like scenes tweaked from other works to fit your story but also remind people of other ones?

Greetings, folks. We’ve had top ten characters, villains, and some more original ones, now how about another specific one? This thread is about your top ten supporting protagonists not related to a main character. (Mouthful, ah…) Anyway, I encourage people to give at least a tiny reason why they have their list the way they do (should anyone actually want to try their hand at this) but feel free to just list names if you’d prefer.

Littlefoot’s father was a character that started out ruled by logic, and that is why he hit my lowest spot. There is a saying that the lives of many outweigh the lives of few. He clearly uses his head over his heart, and that is why he took care of his large herd rather than going after his small family. I feel that his contributions to the series were very neutralized, as he answered questions but caused new ones to arise. Despite his long period without having to worry about sharpteeth, as his herd was too big for attacks to be considered, he proved to be a very proficient fighter, a great quality for a leader. At the end of movie X, we see he did begin using his heart more, as he let his son live with his grandparents even though he wanted ever so badly to have him there with him. The logical thing was to have him in the safest place with the safest company, but his love for his son allowed him to let him go, whereas it was simply doing what was best for the dinosaur world that made him stay gone before. He grew, but he takes a low spot on my list because he improved in an area that should have never been an issue for a good father.

For number nine, we get to the RPG clichÈ of a character or characters who literally do nothing to help the plot but explain how other characters should do things to help the plot- the rainbow faces. This was what made them somewhat annoying characters. Any The Legend of the Zelda: Ocarina of Time fans out there? Yeah, imagine being followed by not one, but TWO Navi’s. Ah, the image burns! Anyway, they glorify stalking, something not exactly appreciated in a movie meant for children.” Hey kids, if you find some old guy is following you, he might have food, so don’t you worry!” I understand the whole secretive thing which made them have to stay hidden, but- Wait a minute! I don’t understand the whole secretive thing that made them have to stay hidden! The common belief is that they were aliens from another planet, and if that’s correct, where they sent by the planet’s king to observe or something? Scope out their intelligence? We never find out! While some mysteries can be exciting and make us really examine logic, there is no logical answer for what those two’s story is. All they really did was turn The Land Before Time into a science fiction and make its universe a confusing mess. Other life exists outside Earth! Oooooooh! How dinosaurish that is!

Who doesn’t love Rooter? Sure, he was rude to Littlefoot at first, but upon hearing his dilemma, he softened up… And THAT is why he does NOT have a high mark on my list. He comforted Littlefoot, but only after hearing about a great tragedy. Do truly kind hearts need to see a shambling horror to reach out? “You stupid kids! Get off my lawn! /Throws rocks Never come back again. This is private property. Huh? One of them is limping? Hey, come here, and I’ll get you some lemonade and cookies.” He gave good advice that got our hero off to a great start, but Rooter needed way too much motivation to drop his rudeness. He was basically a situationally-nice character, and not so much the angelic voice of kindness and wisdom some make him out to be. Upon seeing him cry, Rooter should have been kind right then. Actually, no, he should have been nice whether Littlefoot was crying or not. I appreciated his advice, but being nice shouldn’t come at such a high price. He may have only done good in the first movie, but he should have done it much sooner and much more easily. This combination has him on my eighth position.

Whoa! Oh, sorry about that, I was sleep walking. That’s very common and highly possible. As for flying in your sleep? Uh… Guido, at number seven, certainly puts the do in weirdo. The series tried way too hard to make an original character. In fact, he is so complex that there is no way to summarize his personality. He is not shy but very shy and very brave yet very afraid and very knowledgeable while knowing very little and very sarcastic while also being very serious and good at remembering while being horrible at remembering. /Huff huff huff Couldn’t he have some defining trait rather than being a confusing mix of contradictions? He gives very generic advice and wins favor by almost saving someone. He needs a lot more than he contributes. He cheered Petrie up when the other couldn’t, and that was very impressive. He was simply there when Petrie needed it, and that strengthened him into flying well in the contest. Still, the gang went through a lot of trouble just so one of them could be a little bit more confident. What I disliked most though was his past and how it is never touched on. Sure, he probably sleep flew into the Great Valley, but why have no memory of his herd or name? Did he bump his head? He is too mysterious with an even more mysterious background for my taste. If the writers want to explain, give me a call.

Ah, Pat. A true longneck in whom there is nothing false. He is thoughtful, helpful, caring, kind, wise, and the list goes on. As for his problems- zip. And that’s his problem- he had no problem! I can picture a halo around his head as he traveled with the kids. He talks a lot, and I mean a lot, but being alone and trying to make extra conversation when the time comes is not exactly a crime. He needs that. Throw in a little arrogance, a little selfishness, a little bluntness, a little anything! He contributes a ton to movie X, but my problem is that he didn’t hinder it at all, the plot, I mean, not the characters, as he did get injured which slowed him down. It is debatable, but he might have had some pride by how he didn’t want the kids’ help when he got hurt, but it was more likely him just thinking of their safety. Also debatably, one might say he had a lack of faith by being surprised by the children’s acts of kindness, but that can also be negated by him being lonely and not used to help. Every flaw in him can be excused. He’s number six because he was too good.

A selfless character gets my number five position. What is also interesting is that she spends her movie time seeking something, so movie X was several quests, with hers being one. She also makes you feel sorry for her by doing nothing but being helpful while wanting something small she may never get. This makes her discovery of that taller male ultimately satisfying. Viewers are just going, “Yes! Now Sue can find her own happiness, not just bring it to others.” She was slightly creepy though how she joked about killing creatures. She stomps on those crocodile things often, I guess, and makes very VERY light of the matter. It would be like a giant coming home and being all like, “Hi, honey. Not much happened today. I just chopped down some bean stocks, carried some cows to our pen, and stepped on some little humans. What’s for dinner?” /Shudder I can really picture some creepy scene where she squashes one, smiles, the scene freezes, then we hear some scary music as it keeps giving sudden closer ups of her face. So she is my middle spot because she does a lot for Littlefoot, finds happiness which warms my heart, but also scares me.

Long ago on a mountain top
A might egg was laid.
If you figure out his story,
I’ll make sure that you get paid.

Just who is this guy? Is Littlefoot right about him being the lone dinosaur? He has the tail tricks. He has the long and limber neck and the shoulders broad and lean. And let’s not forget the scar. But Cera makes a good point. He couldn’t be alive after the story of him being so old. Maybe Doc is the lone dinosaur’s son. That would explain the figure and tricks, but the scar too? I’ve heard of “like father, like son,” but to get a scar in the exact same place as your father seems rather- unlikely. He’s basically a vigilante who goes about helping people, but why? Well at least his story has more logical guesses than the rainbow faces. Doc can be explained with some down to Earth explanations, but the problem remains that he brings a great mystery that is not only never explained, but is never hinted at. This is actually how the rainbow faces are BETTER. Getting beamed up strongly points to them being aliens, but Doc’s ending gives us nothing to go on when we guess about him. Maybe it isn’t necessary to understand him, but it makes viewers way too focused on his backstory when the main character of the series is actually trying to understand him! You could even go so far as to say Doc caused Littlefoot to fail big time. I mean, he spends most of the movie trying to learn about him and never gets his answer. It would be like creating a movie where the hero tries to figure out why there is ketchup on his hamburger, and near the end, we see a ketchup bottle sitting on a counter with no people around. Did he put it on while sleep walking? Did someone sneak by and put the ketchup on? Is he dreaming so there’s really no ketchup on his burger? That is how disappointing the end was when he is never explained. After saving Littlefoot three times, however, he earned spot number four.

Here I have Chomper at number three. Yes, you heard me right. I put him at number three, not one. /Ducks away from rotten tomatoes Hey, just hear me out! Sure, he is the first meat eater we see in the series that actually befriends the characters (followed by his parents and Ruby) and yeah, he enters not one but two films as a side character, but he doesn’t contribute much considering his double time in the spot light. In the second movie, it focused more on the gang’s acceptance and Littlefoot’s bond than the actual character. We don’t see any growth in movie II from him, but that’s to be expected from an infant. That only goes to make his ability to speak in movie V all the more confusing. So it’s like he grew but wasn’t able to express it until his mind could organize what he heard and saw. Confusing much? Well, yeah! He plays the saving game throughout the two which becomes sort of repetitious. They save him, he save them. While this doesn’t always happen in pairs, that’s the main impact he has and that he gets, basically neutralizing his presence. He wouldn’t have been in danger if not for them, and they wouldn’t have been in danger if not for him. It would be like spending all day tripping people then catching them before they fall. However, he does bring about some maturity in racism in the other four, as only Littlefoot was accepting after really stopping to think about Chomper. That almost made the lesson in V pointless, however, as he basically just taught them same thing, only adding how sharpteeth love their families too.  My favorite thing about him was how he tested the gang’s bond by pitting Littlefoot’s against the other four on more than one occasion. That little sharptooth really showed just how good of friends the five of them are and how quickly they can learn, so kudos, Chomper.

Littlefoot’s cousin (?) is who I place at number two. Goll-y she has a beautiful voice! /Sits and replays It Takes All Sorts ten times Huh? Oh, sorry, my review. Anyway, I love the fence she rides between causing trouble and preventing trouble. She wants to take Littlefoot alone to go faster, but that can be seen as wanting time alone with him and not having his friends there. She forgets the way and waits to tell him, but that can be seen as her hoping she’ll remember so not wanting to worry him. She never says she hasn’t seen the flower, but that can be seen as her wanting Littlefoot to have hope and that she might just figure out what they look like. There is day and night to most of her big choices, and that makes her flaw/perfection hard to determine. If I was afraid of something, I’d sure want to spend my time with my friend away from my fear. This makes her very controversial but extremely interesting at the same time. Her tolerance also is astounding, as she never gets ugly with Cera and her constant poking. Not only that, but she learns at an astounding rate. She didn’t know about being with other kinds one day, and the next, she sings a very philosophical song about it. Just- wow.

Monday: No, I’m afraid I know nothing about World of Warcraft.

Tuesday: /You all know the tune…

World of Warcraft, you are the best!
 Awesome places!
The coolest races!
You filled your pretty planet
With quests and fighting,
To keep from getting boring
And alwaaays, keep it exciting!

Who got number one as far as I’m concerned? Guess guess guess! If you guessed Strut, you are- WRONG! This is about protagonists, not, well, whatever he was. I’m talking about Mo. Sure, he should have been more serious at times. No parents want their children thinking that pretending to be in a life-threatening situation is funny. But aside from the poor example, what’s not to like about him? He is always jovial, the kind of character who really lifts your spirits and refuses to let you feel sad. What I love the most is the contrast between danger and casual scenes. When it’s fine to be so, he’s very laid back and goofy. When there is a problem, he puts on his serious face and does everything in his power to help his friends. Isn’t that the kind of friend we all want? Someone whose cheeriness puts a smile on our faces but is so serious and determined when we need it? He is also selfless, as he never ever told the gang that he saved them that first time, just like Littlefoot dropping that green food in movie I. I find his personality to be the most golden out of all of the supporting characters not related to the gang, rivaled partly by some like Ali, Chomper, and Pat. If you want a good friend who adapts to what you need, take a look at my best spot on the top ten supporting protagonists.

Thank you for reading, and feel free to agree or disagree with any of my points.

“I knew something was wrong the moment Littlefoot hugged Hyp. But it's a good short story overall.”

Perceptive as always, sir. Thank you for compliment.

“I liked the misconception in this short story.

Kind of sounds like what I do sometimes. Just nod my head and go uh-huh while talking to someone when they're talking about something I don't like. I don't really want to be rude, so I go along with the conversation until I can find a way to get away”

Thank you. Heh heh, I do the very same thing, for sure.

“I have the stupidest grin on my face right now.

Great story, I liked it. Although, I kinda thought Cera was acting a bit out-of-character, or maybe that's just me. Also, I love that Littlefoot stuck up for his friend in THAT way. For, as they say, violence is never the answer, it's the solution. Either way, I really liked it.

Oh look, the grin's still there.”

You are correct, miss. I am glad you noticed that Cera’s character was different here; you thought right. I was hoping that that would be seen besides just saying that they were teenagers now. I wanted to show also in this story how some characters CAN be different as they get older, and to show that, as a teen, Cera is more emotional (yes, the great p word ) and less aggressive (some extra self-control). So if I wrote a story where they all acted exactly like usual after becoming teenagers, I could be doing a better job there, if you ask me. So changes were made to show growth. Thank you for showing that I was successful in that regard.

“Nice twist at the end there. I do admit I can relate to Cera in here. I do my best to not take things the wrong way, but sometimes do unfortunately.”

Why thank you. Yes, same here. I have a high tendency to take things the wrong way myself.

This is more of a serious game, not so goofy like some other ones (but goofiness is awesome). It works by stating a scene or conversation from the series (movies and episodes) then the next person says what he or she would do or say in that situation, followed by a new scene/conversation. This isn’t randomness, but what you’d really do if you were there. In fact, this thread is even a good way to get to know people better, you know, seeing how they handle things. If you’re a humorous person, you may handle things in a silly way. If you’re more serious, well, you get the point. I will make an example of each one to start, followed by an actual one to use. Oh, and the person must also pick what character the following person plays.

Scene:
Strut just lost the egg he was carrying after the rock slide. You’re Ozzie. What do you do/say instead of the canon version?

/Inhales deeply “It’s- fine. Don’t worry about it, just be more careful. If it happens again, I will smack you.”

Or:
Conversation:
“So, you live around here?”
“Yup. Me and my mommy and daddy.”
You’re Cera. What would you do/say at that point?

“We- are going- to die…”

Don’t forget, it’s not about adding anything. This isn’t random. It’s what you’d really do or say there. That’s pretty simple, right?

So here goes:
The swarming leaf gobblers just finished off the food in the Great Valley. You’re Littlefoot's grandfather. What are you going to do/say?

I started playing World of Warcraft during The Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and that is when they introduced the hero class Death Knights, servants of the mighty, you guessed it, Lich King. Their lives are quite sad, and I wrote this to reflect the lifestyle the were forced into.

A Death Knight’s Creed

A death knight’s life is not to see,
Nor will their ways so cherished be.
Unholy souls, they plague your dreams,
With chilling frost, insight your screams.
Through tainted blood, they make their way,
And killing foes brings joy each day.
Necrotic power their source of pain,
To kill them off is an act in vain.
Their search for power shall never wane.
Victory for the scourge!

Against the forces of divinest light,
These soldiers wage an endless fight.
Though some may leave the Lich King’s grip,
The path ahead will still rend and rip.
A life of love never they shall see,
As deeds of old- oh hatred be.
Though sympathy onlookers choose,
Their energy, they only lose.
A joyous future is just a ruse.
Woe to the lives that were lost.

Heroes of virtue asked not for this.
Before the darkness, there was a bliss.
Many helped this world so free,
And brought to justice great victory.
Still, their feelings are long gone.
They will barely taste the waking dawn.
Those of greatness and even more,
Have thus succumbed to darkest lore.
Gone were they when their souls tore.
May they all rest in peace.

Oh yes, that's perfectly fine with me. You asked some good questions which I enjoyed answering. Feel free to ask anything you like any way you'd like.

"Not interesting enough? Kay, here goes another one:

"Are you crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""

I'm sorry. Your last one was interesting. I just forgot to look here for a few days, and I'll answer that one too shortly. This one was said by Cera to Petrie when they were riding on that log in the ocean in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. The irony is that she was calling him crazy for the very same thing that knocked her off WHILE she was calling him that.

As for the last one, Ducky said it to Littlefoot in The Land Before Time VI: Secret of Saurus Rock. When he asked about her injury to her, then to her about Spike's, to avoid retelling the story, she simply said, "Same thing," indicating their wound was from the same source.