Welcome to all of our new members! I see that you've already posted in many threads! Kee it this way!

I'm really glad to see that you're all interested in our threads. If you have any suggestions, do not hesitate to post them!

I have to run now! Welcome once again Aaiz and Nicole!

Hey everyone!!

My name is Dayna, you can call me that if you wish, or zwillo works as well, so you can just call me whatever fits your mood.

I'm thirty years old and I live in Utah with my two beautiful little girls, ages 8 and 2.

I joined VTM shortly after Deathly Hallows was released. I only really became a die hard Harry Potter fan approximately two weeks before then. A friend of mine that I work with gave me the brilliant idea that I start listening to the HP audio books at work, because they make time go so much faster. That's all it took! By the time DH came out I had listened to 1-4 and had read 5 and 6. I was instantly hooked and couldn't believe how much better the books were than the movies and how much more the movies made sense. Especially GoF.

I applied to join the Duelling Club in January, but my acceptance email got lost somewhere in cyber space. But I'm here now. *Yay!*

I love Snape and loathe Umbridge!

I'm most like Lily.

I enjoy reading and writing fanfictions, and look forward to the challenge of each new one-shot contest. They're a great way to get my imagination moving. I also really enjoy collaborative fics.

That's about all I can think of right now. If there's anything else you'd like to know about me, feel free to ask.

~Dayna~

Hey guys and welcome to the Dueling Club!

Sorry for the short post but I'm in a hurry. I hope you all have a great time discuss issues in a more serious and mature fashion here at the Dueling Club!

Welcome once again,

Nick

P.S.- zwillo, I totally agree...

Hey, everyone! I am so happy to be a part of the Duelling Club! I applied once before when I was still relatively new, so I was not accepted. I just got accepted today, though! Yay! Well, I'm guessing I should probably say a little something about myself.

My name is Sadie, hence my screen name (sadie_urlady523). My friends all call me Smiley, Sadie my lady, or Taz (you know that little tazmanian devil from looney toones? Yeah. I can be a little hyper sometimes. ) I'm also called Duckie, for those of you who have seen the movie "Pretty in Pink". Feel free to call me any of the above! I am 13, but I'm not really as stupid as some 13-year-olds are. My teachers have me read at college level while everyone else is reading "The Giver". I've finished the Iliad (too much blood and gore! Interesting, though.), and I'm in the middle of the Odessy. I find it a very interesting book as well. It facinates me, though not as much as Harry Potter!

Ummm... What else? God has gifted me with a singing voice. I placed first at regional Solo & Ensemble in 3 events, I was selected as an alternate for the State Honors Choir (Middle Level, which is not bad, seeing as I am one of 2,000 who auditioned!) and I'm lead alto in my school choir. I also have 3 little sisters (all of them but one are the devil in disguise!), and I live in a great little small town, which I call "my Mayberry".

I am a huge Harry Potter fanatic. Right from the beginning! I have gone to every book release except the first couple, and last year's was a blast! I went to Madison (capital of Wisconsin, where I'm from!), and apparently no one but me and my 2 friends got the whole "costume party" thing. So we're walking around in cloaks and hats, while everyone else is in jeans and HP T-shirts! It was a lot of fun, though.

Ok, small stuff. I'm 5'1" (short for my age), righty, bluish greenish eyed brown-haired, lactose-intolerent, and I have a friendship like the trio! (except it's 3 girls, not 1 and two guys.)

Alright. Enough about me. Well, I'm happy that I'm in the duelling club! See ya!

-Sadie/Smiley/Duckie/Taz/Sadie Your Lady

Oh! I didn't realize there was an introduction thread in here! Cool! I've already posted, but I think only once (or twice) but I'm going to introduce myself.

My name is Maddie.You can call me Maddie, or bookworm, like sadie_urlady523 does. OH, yes, and bookworm_1918 is fine tooo, seeing as that's my username.

Um...erm...yes I am a real bookworm. Ever since second grade, Harry Potter has been my ALL TIME FAVORITE series. JKR has inspired me to be an author and write stories...which I do...and just this past year I won 3 awards for the school books I write... Sorry not trying to brag...but I'm serious about liking to write.

Unfortuantely I have no singing voice, maybe a little acting talent, so no great stuff there...um...maybe I'll just do some extras then...

Height: I hope I can reach 5 feet by September 2nd.. I'm short, OK?
I LURVE milk
I LURVE gum (chew chew chew chew chew)
I'm LURVE music!!
I"m a brown-haired brown eyed girl!

OK well this might be a little short but I'm going to post some more in here!!!

Ta-ta! ~ Maddie

Let me take the time to thank all the new-comers... that would be:
MoD or GB
Nicky or Nickers
Dayna
Sadie or Smiley
&
Maddie

I'm looking forward to seeing you around the posts... and for all of you who enjoy writing (Dayna aka Zwillo) I'm looking forward to reading your fics, as I expect you to post some good ones!

And Dayna, I have 2 boys, ages 8 & 2, so we have that in common (the age difference and stages in life of our children). It can definitely be a challenge when trying to plan family activities.

Welcome, again, to all of you!

Kathleen

Welcome Dayna!
I'm not sure what happened with your application. Technology always makes me wonder!
It's great having you here! I hope that I'll see you around the Great Hall!
(I hate Umbridge as well)

Welcome Sadie!
Yay, another member in the Great Hall!
Lucky you, to have a singing voice. I'm rather off tone. So, I just sing when I am on my own or at places where the music is so loud that noone can actually hear me!
Reading the Odessy, ha? Shame on me, I haven't read all of it yet. And I am Greek!
You know, you should try reading Antigone of Sophocles. It's much more interesting and not as long as Odessy.

Welcome Maddie!
It'll be a while since I'll be able to remember any names. I'm lousy at remembering names of people I meet face to face so it'll be even harder with you guys! Oh well...*sigh*
Keep on writing Maddie! It's the best thing one can do!

Hey Kathleen! *waves*

That's all from me!

I'll see you around!

Alkisti

Oh, wow! We've had quite a few new members inducted into the Great Hall lately. Shame on me for not checking into this thread sooner.

Well, without further ado, welcome Aaiz, Nicole, Dayna, Saddie, and Maddie! I've posted with some of you around the threads before. Glad to see you joined up with us.

So, Dayna has two girls ages 8 and 2; Kathleen has two boys ages 8 and 2; I have a girl and a boy ages 10 and 3. Okay, so my kids' ages don't match yours, but there's still the large gap between the two. Hee hee.

The Iliad and the Odessy? I remember reading those in high school. They were certainly interesting, but not one of my favorites. But that's awesome that your teachers recognize your abilities and give you more challenging things because of it. Have fun with them!

Maddie, you won three awards for writing at your school? That's wonderful! You must be really good and really enjoy writing. Keep it up! You might be the next JKR.

Well, I look forward to seeing everyone around the threads. Enjoy and have fun!

Laura

Welcome all new members to the Dueling Club!

Dueling Club

Enter at your own risk

The Dueling Club is not responsible for any injuries, loss of clothing or loss of sanity while in the Dueling Club threads.






Just kidding. Welcome Aaiz, Nicole, Dayna, Saddie, and Maddiel.

I have no kids to compare ages with, sorry...I'm only 18 so I don't think my parents would be too happy with me if I showed up with an 8 and 2 year-old. In fact, I wouldn't be happy if I showed up with kids.



So I see that the Iliad and the Odyssey were brought up. Well, I've read both, the Iliad for fun and the Odyssey for AP English two years ago. I really liked them. But then I got to college last year and took and English course. The professor made us read The Aeneid, and that book is long and a little bit more borish (long, mainly because it has 11 books in it or something). The really cruddy part about this whole course, is that she based your grade all around your 30-page paper you wrote after reaeding it. And the even cruddier (word maybe?) part is that her husband is the oxford translator for The Aeneid....ugh, you can imagine my growns when she told us that.

Hey Maddie! You could've given me tips on my paper, darn it...opportunity missed.

Anywho, welcome to the Dueling Club once again everybody and I hope to post with you very soon!!

Yours in the forums,

~Nick~
HJP

Thanks to all who welcomed me to the Duelling Club! I feel much more comfortable now. I would personally like to welcome Maddie/my neighbor/partner in crime. I hope her time on VTM is as fun as I hope mine will be! I brought up the Illiad and the Odessy, and I was wondering if anyone else has read them and I was also wondering if they enjoyed it.

But anyway, welcome Maddie!

Sadie/Smiley/Duckie/Taz

First of All i would like to thank All those who welcomed me warmly into the Dueling Club..This surely is a lovely place.
Then i would like to Welcome all the new members in to the dueling Club.. Hey Nicole,Dayna,Sadie and Madie.. And sorry if there is anyone else i didnt welcome..Hope all of you all enjoy here.. I would like to suggest you go to Forbidden Forest. It is my favorite place
Aaiz/Gb

Welcome to the Great Hall: Aaiz, Nicky, Dayna, Sadie, and Maddie!

Aaiz, I also really like the Forbidden Forest but I haven't had much chance to post there yet.

Nicky, I have seen you around a bit at Twilight threads and such. I am also really into sports, I am on competitive teams for basketball, volleyball, track, swimming, and water skiing. When I was younger I was also on competitive teams for softball, soccer, and gymnastics. I picked girl scouts over gymnastics, I still kinda regret that decision, it was my worst sport. I quit soccer after playing on a select indoor team and I broke my wrist, well I quit indoor soccer after that but eventually I quit regular soccer because it just wasn't fun for me anymore. I played several years of rec softball before switching to select for three seasons and I played wherever and I usually hit third or fourth. My dad was also a baseball player, he played high school and then walked on for several years of division two baseball and then played years and years of fast pitch for sponsors.

Dayna, I wish I had sweet little audio books that would be awesome. I am glad your friend brought you in to this awesome addiction of Harry Potter. I have always wanted to go to Utah. I can't wait to have children (well I can wait until im older but you know what I mean), I wish you and your daughters the best.

Sadie, God has not given me a good singing voice but I am going to be a professional opera singer with my friend Patrick it is gonna be awesome. I have a friend who is in a really amazing choir and her choir just went to Mexico. I had other friends that just went on vacation in Wisconsin. What do you think about this Brett Favre deal?

Maddie, I also love gum, love music, and I am also a brown eyed, and brown haired girl, even my skin is really tan.

That's really cool! When I was five my dad was going to put me in a soccer team but at ome point I too found it no longer fun. I have always wanted to do gymnastic, but mostly because I wanted to be flexible But thanks to dance I am getting more flexible than I thought I could be My dad starting playing baseball at the age of 8 in Cuba and continued playing in a little leauge after he arrived in America to New York in the 80's. I'm not bragging or lieing when I say thiss, BUT if my dad kept playing baseball in NY I promise you when I say that he would right now be in the Major Leauges. My dad was an AMAZING pitcher. But he came down to Florida and now we go to the park on and off at times and play a little bit of ball Father/Daughter bonding<3

Well my dad isn't nearly that good but he was alright and I was ok at softball. It would be pretty awesome if your dad was pitching in the major league but hey you get plenty of father/daughter bonding time!

I actually have some other really good baseball players who live in my neighborhood one of them played for the Red Sox for several years and another was an All-American at Nebraska and I think he went on to the pros. Apparently my grandpas brother was on his way to the pros and was going to be a franchise player but before he could he was killed in the war.

The Red Sox player taught his dog a trick he would say to his dog "Would you rather be a Yankee fan or dead?" and the dog would play dead it was awesome.

Hi everybody! I just wanted to introduce myself here, but ... well, I guess everybody knows each other here!
I'm very glad of being part of this selected group, it's very cool and the debates here are great.
I was a bit delayed since I've been at my grans all the last week, and so I missed lot of posts in my regular threads. That's the bad side of trying to take part in many things, the lack of time! I had to read a thousands of posts to catch up just with one thread!
Well, I bet I know many of the people here ... my dear Ronluver fellow is here, hi Nicky! Pst, as I 've been a bit bored, I had to think about him
So, what's what people do in this particular place, the introduction thread? Just introduce themselves and talk, like in the Younger Fans place, but more seriously?

Hello my fellow Ron Lover, DeSs And welcome to the Great Hall! Yea just introduce yourself lol no need to be serious. Just tell us who you are and breifly tel us things you'd like us to know. If you want you can follow examples from others posts here.

Yup that pretty much sums up the Introduction Thread. And let me say, welcome DeSs.

I've got to be brief because I'm about to some errands, but I hope you have a good time in here and I look forward to seeing you around.

-Nick
HJP

Ok then, here we go:

My name is Desiré, my friends call me Desi and my e-buddies, Dess, so call me whatever you like, I don't mind it. If anybody feels like calling me another way (another pleasant way), you're welcome to do it. I'm Argentinian, last year at school and looking forwards to become a translator or a journalist, the last one is closer since I'm planning to study it next year. I'm on winter holidays, yesterday was friends day here and I spent it in the park of my city with friends. That park is great, it's huge and ... green and it's by the river. Here you have a pic of one of its parts.
Well, I'm not a sportive girl at all: I've only played volleyball, softball and sometimes handball, football and basketball at school, in p.e. classes, but I've always hated p.e., really. Then I've done athletics for a good time, and now swimming (that reminds me, it's been a long since the last time I attended :s, because of personal problems). I have spin problems, so I must do it.
I love reading and writing. I've written lots of fics, but most are in notebooks and since I don't have much spare time on the computer, it's more likely I'll never post them. Bah, I have to be optimistic!
I also love making pictures too, I'm obssesed with RHr and strongly believe that I'll find my true love in other part of the world (wait me, Rupe! ). And I love travelling, despite I've never been off my country.
Ok, as I love lots of things, I'll list them:
*nature
*animals
*weather (rain, clouds, sun, thunders, everything about weather)
*spring
*books
*movies
*love (yes, I love love itself)
*music
*lyrics of songs
and ... well, many things more.
And I'm not crazy, I'm just ... different.
And my sister is already moaning because I'm here, so I'll leave.

Welcome to The Great Hall, Dess! Wow, Argentina? Judging by the looks of the pic you linked, it looks really gorgeous where you live. I could spend all day at that park and not get bored.

We have an Around the World thread if you haven't found it yet. I'd love for you to post some info about where you live and maybe provide a few more pics... Please? It's always interesting to see other places. And if all of Argentina looks like that pic, I might just have to add it to my list of places I want to visit some day!

I hope you get a chance to post some more of your fan fics because I've really enjoyed the ones that I have read so far. You seem to have a way with words. Guess that'll help you attain your journalist degree. Good luck with that, by the way.

Hope you enjoy your holiday!

Laura

Well, I thought I introduced myself here, but I think I might have been on a ten-track mind that day and forgot, oops!

Well, I'm Samantha, but please call me Sam, and I'm sixteen from the U.S. I have a lot of goals set up for myself in the next two years before I graduate, one becoming a proffesional photographer or to get in a great college for teaching. I guess you could say I march to the beat of my own drum, and I've never been one to follow the "trends". I say whats on my mind, and respect other peoples opionoins and decisions, which is why I decided to join the dueling club.
You'll most likely see my posts in the Severly Obessed with Severus Snape thread, I'm a huge Snape/Alan Rickman fan,and I'm also a Snape/Hermione fan. Call me crazy, but I think it's fine. I cannot wait to graduate High School and move on to bigger things in my life, but at the same time I'm in no hurry to grow up!

We seem to be getting more and more new members these days, it's hard for me to keep up!

Welcome Desire! What a great name! Desired...wow! French is one of the foreign languages I know and it is one I like very much!
Another fellow wannabe journalist. Cool!
I'm currently studying journalism and communication (I'm heading to my third year of studies; I can't believe how quickly years go by when you're having fun) and I'm planning on getting my first job (ever and in journalism) when the new semester begins. I can't wait to be behind the scenes, looking up information, preparing articles, having my own radio show... *daydreaming*
I wish you the best of luck!
I don't know how things work in your country, but journalism is a very tough profession. You wouldn't believe how far people go to get one's job!
Anyways, welcome once again!


Welcome to another member as well: Samantha! (I like your full name )
Professional photography; this is awesome! Among the (many many many) things I want to do, photography is one of them. I really want to take classes for artistic photography. I don't think I could ever make a job out of it, but I'd love it to be one of my hobbies!
Welcome to you as well!

I hope we'll see you around the Great Hall!

~Alkisti

Oh, thanks for the welcome Alkisti and Laura, and welcome Samantha!
Oh, yes, of course I'll be glad to post pics of my country! i'll do it soon, I promise Well, thanks for the encourage to become journalist, I hope I'll do it well. And I share with you, Samantha, I'm eager to start bigger things but that keeps me quite nervous.
Oh, I'm becoming part of the staff, as a translator!!! I'm very excited!

A great, warm welcome to Sadie, Maddie, Desire and Samantha!

Explore the variety of topics the Great Hall has to offer, toss in your opinions on any or all of them. Glad to see all the new members exploring around in here.

Welcome, again!

Hello,
Thanks for welcoming me HJP/HJG_TrueLove, (I do not know your name .) Hey we have something in common. I love real life issues.
Hi Dess. Welcome to The Dueling Club. Its awesome to see more and more people becoming Dueling Club members. And its nice to see an Argentinian here. I have never met one even though it is my favorite football team. Nice picture you've got there. It looks very enjoyable.
And also a very warm welcome to You Sam.. So you are a fellow snapite rite.. from SOSS
Nice to meet you all
Aaiz

My name is Hannah but you can also call me Nana (if you want to know the story behind that go to the nicknames thread in the Just Get Away From Life section.

Welcome to the Great Hall Desire and Sam (I also prefer Samantha but hey if that is what you prefer that is cool).

Desire, I kinda want to be a journalist as well. I am into traveling as well but I have been fortunate enough to leave the United States. I wish I could go to Argentina! For now the pictures you have put here and in the Around the World section are going to have to do. Thanks again for the signatures you made for me.

Sam, I hope you do well in teaching or photography. I am also in no hurry to grow up I am going to hold onto my youth as long as I possibly can.

Hello there!

I've recently been accepted into the Duelling Club and I thought I should introduce myself properly. My name is Lauren but I'm also known as Laur or Dot or one of my many other nicknames. There's a story behind all of my nicknames, but you’re welcome to call me anything you like really. I come from Canada, the land of Tim Hortons and maple syrup.

I love reading and writing, and I have over 12 square feet of books in my room alone. I have varied reading interests, I can’t say that I like one specific genre because it’s just a random selection, but I can say that I’m not a huge fan of the sci-fi section. My guilty pleasure when it comes to reading are the chick lit style books. As for writing, I just write random things when I’m bored and sometimes they turn into something worth reading. I write fan fictions occasionally though I have to admit that by the time I get a couple chapters into it, I’m no longer trying my hardest. I have commitment issues I guess you could say to characters that aren’t my own.

You know the phrase “music is my anti-drug”? Well that basically describes me. I live for music, and it’s been a part of my life ever since I was a little tyke. I started taking a music course for toddlers at the age of 3 and at the age of about 5 I started taking piano lessons. 10 years later and I’m still playing piano and doing exams and all that fun stuff. I also play the guitar, and have been for a few years. I’ve learnt to play about 6 different instruments in my life so far, though I never really stuck with them- it was more of being forced into it for a year and then deciding not to do it anymore. Some of my other interests are sketching, cars, NASCAR, volleyball, camping, and cooking.

As for Harry Potter, I first read the books right before the first HP movie came out. We had the books a couple years earlier but my mother wouldn’t let me read for a long time, probably because I was only 8. But then I finally got to read them and I have been hooked ever since. My favourite book is probably GoF because I really enjoyed the Triwizard Tournament, and my least favourite would be OotP because even though it was the longest, the mood of the story and the death of Sirius just didn’t appeal to me. I’m a fan of the happy endings.

Some of my future goals- though I’m only in high school at the moment I’ve been taking my future into great consideration. I really want to escape the middle of nowhere that I call home and I have some pretty weird dreams. I’m thinking about studying psychology because I like helping people (though sometimes I’m sure that must get annoying), and I’m thinking of specializing as a sports psychologist. After that, I want to work for NASCAR. Yes, I am the crazy motorhead who loves cars. I also want to travel the world and see all the amazing places I’ve only heard about and never seen. Australia is a priority on that agenda. I've always wanted to go there.

I think I should stop now, before I just talk way too much. I tend to write way too much, a very open book I suppose. Hope to see you around!

--x Lauren

Lauren, welcome to the Great Hall!

I love volleyball and camping. I play on the JV volleyball team at my high school and well I haven't gone camping in forever but I miss it.

Goblet of Fire was my second favorite Harry Potter book, my least favorite was Chamber of Secrets, and my favorite is Order of the Phoenix.

If you get the chance, Australia is worth a visit, I liked New Zealand more though but Australia was amazing!

Once again, Lauren, welcome to the Great Hall!

I also enjoy camping and volleyball. However, I am much better at camping than I am at volleyball.

Peruse the threads and post where your interests take you. Should you wish to take the time, we'd love to see you post in the Around The World thread, which will give all our members a taste of where you live.

Enjoy the Great Hall and have fun posting!

~Sirren

P.S.: Love your avatar and siggie. Come on Breaking Dawn.

Hey Lauren


Good to see you again. As always, welcome to the Dueling Club. Hope to see you around here a ton and around some of the other forums I've ran into you in.


-Nick
HJP

OK, I hate to do a generic welcome to anyone who has joined since mid-July (yes, I have read ALL of your posts, but I am SOOO bad with names, however I promise to learn them through the forums)... but here it is: WELCOME!

I did notice that we now have multiple Laurens and Sams. Perhaps we should come up with a way to differentiate. I'd hate for Sam(antha) to be mistaken for some of Sam's (Albus-wan) choice comments. Not that there is anything wrong with them, they are quite witty and entertaining, but if someone pokes fun at him (not that we would ) it would be bad if Sam(antha) wonders what's going on!

Did that make sense?

I do want to say to Lauren: LOVE your signature!

Anyway! Glad to see all of you in the Dueling Club and I'm looking forward to seeing you around!

Kathleen

Hey I'm new to the duelling club, but you probably all knew that allready

You can all call me by my real name - Kelly - I don't mind you using either my screen name or my real name, it's up to you what you call me I'm 17 and I'm from Wales in the UK.

Well what can I say about myself...
I'm outgoing, I love to have a laugh and have some fun with friends, and I love to take life as it comes. I can be very opinionated, but that doesn't mean I won't listen to other points and consider what other people have to say. In fact, I'm the worst opinionated person ever, because I do listen to other peoples points of view. I'm usually a positive person, or I try to be as much as I can, but I am human, and I do have my moments.

I love to read, all kinds of books - but mostly the classics like The Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar, Austen books and so on - My love for reading fuels my creative flair and my love for writing as well, and I also draw a lot. I'm a creative person I guess
I also love films, I'm a huge film fanatic and have seen wayy too many Again I love the classic films such as Cuckoo's Nest, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining as well as modern films. I love comic adaptations as well (Batman, Superman, X-Men, Spider Man etc). All in all, I'm quite an eclectic person and I'm open to try anything.

My whole view on life is that you may as well do everything at least once, at least that way you can say you tried it. And that goes the same in debates. While I'll have my opinion I'll also try and see the other side of the argument from what other people say. If I still stick to my guns, at least I can say I tried.

I have an obsession. It's called Cars. I love cars so much, a lot of my guy friends are so surprised to learn how much of a petrol head I am for a girl . I just can't get over cars, I love the way the look and they way work. The sound that the supercars make, I just love cars haha. My passion is Formula 1, I follow every race, I even got to go to the qualifying for the British race this year! I will own atleast 40 cars when I'm rich and famous

As for the rich and famous bit, I want to be an actress when I leave Uni, I've always loved drama and as I said before I'm a very creative person and drama is a way for me to put that into something so unique. It's unique because a thousand people could have the same part in a play and they'd all play the character differently. And I love being able to make something a little bit my own in that way.
I can't imagine myself doing anything other than acting. I love it so much, always have done since I was a kid and putting on plays in my garden with my friends for the adults in the street I think, if I had to have a different job there could only be three others that aren't acting - A writer, artist, or something to do with cars - maybe even car design. Ferrari, eat your heart out

I think you know enough about me to get a general idea of who I am now And I've probably bored you tears already too haha.

Kelly
x

Hullo, hullo my fellow Dueling Club debators, it is a pleasure to finally be accepted into this section of the website and I am looking forward to discussing a myriad of topics with you all !

I suppose I'll start off by introducing myself, much like everyone else has done, my name is Kristina, you may call me this or ihkny, it's no matter to me. I am nineteen years old, attend college in Florida where I have lived for the passed year now. I have a dog, Merielle, who is a mutt - stocky, butch, and yellow furred, and a cat, Merlin, who we believe is part Mainecoon, part Ragdoll. He's the cutest thing in the world, my sister and I are both obsessed with him. He has separation anxiety and we think he also fears the dark, or rather, being left alone in the dark. When we leave the house he picks up his favorite toys (dubbed Fraggle and Frompy) and proceeds to wander the house meowing at the top of his lungs with the thing hanging from his mouth.

I had originally planned to take courses for Dieticianing at my junoir college, but upon being informed that when I finished studying it I could possibly be thrust into the real world to work for so few dollars as 12-15 an hour, I nixed that idea and am instead doing General Studies before transfering to another college for Nutrition and Culinary Arts. Living in Florida is not cheap and I want to stay here, so a good job is a must ! I love cooking. It is one of my hobbies, and I mean cooking, not baking. Real food trumps sweets any day !

I was recently diagnosed with Adult ADHD - Inattentive type, which I find a bit amusing. I don't have a drivers license yet, but I will in the next few weeks, and I prefer to stay up all night and sleep all day than sleep at night and stay up all day. I enjoy drawing, reading, anime/manga, writing, and music (is my life!). I love to sing, but I fear I do not do it well, therefore I do not do it in the company of others aside from my cat, because he seems to enjoy it. He gets all snuggle-y and talkative when I sing aloud, haha. I become obsessive with things a few of which include Harry Potter, Naruto, Mythology, Calorie Counting, Apple Chips, Puzzles, Fanfiction, and Everquest2. Out of these addictions, Everquest 2 is the only one I have managed to successfully break, though I haven't felt the need to do such with the others. My nicknames are Melot (pronounced Mel-oh), Hotaru, Krissy, and Squeakers. My best friend, however, calls me Little Dragon, which is a nickname that she owns the sole rights to use, and I call her Shinigami.

My favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I found it very interesting and I loved that we were allowed glimpses into other magical schools, and the magical world outside of London. To me it is also the turning point of the series as Voldemort finally comes back into his own body and things can really begin moving with the plot and how things will change from then on.

I don't really have a favorite Harry Potter movie, but I suppose if I liked one more than the others it would be Prisoner of Azkaban.

Favorite Harry Potter word: Any that are spoken by Alan Rickman as Severus Snape ! Hahaha, goodness his voice.

Hermione Granger has to be my favorite character from the series, I find her to be hilarious and without her the boys probably wouldn't have solved a thing, much less be alive, I should think. She isn't perfect, no one is, and that makes the character even more real to me, because we can all relate to her flaws.

And that's about all I can think of to share with you all, probably a bit more than you wanted to know in any case !

~ihkny

Welcome to the Great Hall Kelly and Kristina!

Kelly, I am also a very out-going, and humorous person! I am also a big fan of comic book movies, I would say Dark Knight is the greatest comic movie ever made but I am very hopeful for Watchmen because of the trailer! I am also very open to trying things. However I am not a very big car enthusiast, except I always tell my parents when they buy a new car I won't be impressed by anything less than a Lamborghini! Good luck in your career as an actress!

Kristina, I have two dogs (Razzy and Bailey) and 3 cats (Kelly, Patty, and Baby). Music is also pretty much my life! I love staying up all night and sleeping all day I did the stay up all night part last night but I couldn't sleep all day unfortunately. Goblet of Fire is my second favorite book and Prisoner of Azkaban is also the movie I like the most. Hermione is one of my favorite characters I would say she is probably my 5th favorite character. Good luck in your career in the Culinary Arts and nutrition!

Hi Kelly Good to see you in the Dueling Club

I'll welcome you again on MSN, but it's great to see you in here too

Kristina, welcome I hope you enjoy posting in here, there are quite a few interesting topics and some good discussions going on. I have one dog (Hawk) and one cat (Stella). Music, too, is also a huge part of my life; in fact I play 5 instruments and listen to basically ever genre. Welcome once again!


-Nick
HJP

Hi guys! I just got accepted to join the dueling club (obviously), and I am very glad to join this formidible forum for dueling discussions.

The Basics: My name is Kelly, but I go by Kel here, so as not to be confused with PottyHead I am twelve years old right now, but my birthday is coming up soon. I live in a tiny town in Northern Alberta, Canada. I live with a little sister whom I usually get along with, both my parents, and a pet cat. My favorite colors are blue and green. Some words to describe me are smart, funny, friendly, shy, helpful.

The Smart part of me: I am one of the best students in my class and I have never gotten below a 'B'. I love school and I am doing junior high online this year. I know a lot of stuff, and all the things I learn stick in my head.

The Funny part of me: I am almost always laughing. I like to tell funny stories, and I can find the humor in all sorts of normal things. Part of this craziness is my family, which are all a little bit nuts. I think my sense of humor is mostly sarcastic and witty comebacks, but I can do everything from rolling on the floor, to dumb jokes.

The Friendly side of me: I love making friends, and I am courteous to everyone I meet. I am very animated when I get to know someone, and I have three very best friends. I also have many other close friends.

The Shy side of me: Although I am friendly, I take a while to get to know people. I hardly talk at gatherings, and store clearks just get quiet pleases and thank-yous from me.

The Helpful side of me: I love to help my mom and dad around the house, but I also love volunteering at the elementary school. I helped my grade three teacher in her classroom last year, and she invited be back agan. I also volunteered to help the principal with a special program this year.

Other Things about Me: I love to read and write, and I am never seen without a notebook, or a novel. My favorite authors are Gordan Korman, Carl Hiaasen, Joanne Stainbridge, Julie Campbell and of course J.K. Rowling. My favorite types of books are fantasy, mystery and Canadian History, but I will read anything. I enjoy photography; people, animals, and scenery. Cooking is another one of my favorite hobbies.

-Kel

Kel, welcome to the Dueling Club

So you're from Canada? I'm actually part French Canadian but my real connection with Canada is that I have a cottage up there about 20 miles north of Kingston (ever heard of it?). Anywho, yeah, so I love Canada. So peaceful...*begins to daydream*...whoops . I too love photography, actually I took a course in frosh year of college dealing with photography and I've recently been doing nature shots.

But yeah, It's great to have you in the Dueling Club

See you around!

-Nick
HJP

Hi Kelly, Kristina, and Kel!

Kelly, I'm obsessed with cars too as you know and though my race preference is NASCAR, Formula 1 is great to watch as well. If you ever design a car, I'll be sure to buy it!

Kel, it's nice to meet another Canadian! I personally have never been to Alberta, but I'm planning on it next summer. I understand what it's like to be shy, it takes me a while to work up the courage to even just say hello to someone. And my favourite colours are blue, green and purple too! Again, nice to meet you.

--x Lauren

First off, I would like to apologize for not introducing myself prior to this. I have been a member of the Dueling Club for almost two months and haven't posted here.
I am new to the HP world. I have only recently (since March) read all seven of the books. I finished DH last week. Nevillesgirl; who just so happens to be my wife for those of you who didn't know, has gotten me addicted to HP.
I am in my mid 30's and have a wonderful family. I really enjoy the outdoors, camping, fishing, and hunting. I have spent the last sixteen years defending the United States as a member of the Army. I will be around 40 when I retire! All types of sports interest me, especially college football. I will be more than willing to answer any questions that you may have as long as their not to personal and just bare with me I am still getting use to posting.

Wow! We've had quite a few new dueling members here lately. YAY! It's always great to get new prespectives in here. Hello and welcome to all of you!

And as for you, Gerry, your tardiness for not introducing yourself sooner should warrant a time-out or something, right Amanda? I'm just kidding. Welcome aboard to you, as well! I look forward to seeing more of your posts and viewpoints around here.

Oh, and I just have to comment on your siggie: "I love my wife." That's just soooo sweet! You must be every bit as great as Amanda says you are.

Wow, I haven't welcomed anyone in here for ages. *shame on me*

Welcome to all of the Sam's, Kelly's, Dot's, Lauren's etc, etc. It is weird because I feel like I have sorted most of your animagus results and I sort of get your personalities through your quiz results. I look forward to reading all of your views and getting to know you all better.

Hi Gerry I am glad that you finally finished the Potter Series and have made it to the Introduction Thread in the Great Hall. Lauren (Insomnia) suggests a time out, *wink wink* but I know you were in the field playing Army so I shall have mercy on you.
I know you have some fantastic views on a wide range of topics as we have discussed tons of them at home. I look forward to sharing this with you. Just play nice with others...

For those of you who don't know me I am Amanda and married to Gerry (ravensblood) We share many of the same interest as far as sports, camping and hunting. I am also an avid writer and reader. I am addictied to reality TV and the Olympics. I am originally from Hawaii but now living in the Midwest.

See You Around the Fora.

Welcome Kel, and Gerry!

Kel, you seem to have a lot of sides to you ha ha! The funny side sounds exactly like mine I can find a way to make something totally funny and have a hysterical laughing fit.

Gerry, I am glad you found your way to the wonderful world of Harry Potter. I also love the outdoors in general.

I'd like to give our new members a big warm welcome! It's nice having "fresh blood"!

I hate impersonal welcomes as well but hopefully I will soon be able to greet each one of you properly!

I hope you're having fun in the Great Hall!

Alkisti

I would first like to make a public apology on behalf of my internet service provider for failing to provide my internet service over the last three weeks. Hmmmph! Rotten cable company.

My second act here will be to catch-up on the introductions.

Kelly (Pottyhead): Personally, I find nothing what-so-ever wrong with a girl that loves car. I prefer old, American musclecars, but I also follow NASCAR. I just love all that power! Welcome to the Great Hall, Kelly.

Kristina: Reading through your introduction forces me to ask the obvious concerning TS Fay. Did you experience flooding in your area of Florida? I used to live in Virginia, so I can empathize with the voracity the storms exhibit. I hope all is well with you and yours.
Enjoy the Great Hall, Kristina!

Kel: I enjoyed reading your description of yourself. I, too, have a tendency to be quite when checking out of most stores. Sometimes I get the feeling the clerks want you to converse with them, so it is a bit uncomfortable when I'm not in the mood to do so. I wonder if they think us unfriendly? The Great Hall is a fun place to post your opinions, and there are many topics that could use some active discussions. Please, post where you are interested, and enjoy yourself.

Gerry: Good to see you introduced yourself. More importantly, good to see you home with Amanda!

Welcome to all!

~Dot

Hi everybody... I'm Anna and I'm superduper excited to be here.

I'm from America! I'm one-fourth Canadian, though, my maternal grandmother was from Toronto. Right now I live in California. My dad's in the militaary, though, so this is my... um... seventh house! I actually love moving around and being in a military family, it's great fun and gives me lots of opportunities that I wouldn't have. It's really interesting to see all the different cultures just within one's own country. And I absolutely, definitely, no doubt about it have insight into politics that most people do not have. Plus, moving around just keeps me on my toes. California is pretty nice, the weather is certainly great and I can see the ocean out my window!

I have a mom and a dad and a big brother and a little sister, all of whom I love to death. I'm really good friends with all of my family, including my extended family... we're like a pack of wolves or something. Very protective and all that. My dad's in Iraq right now, he should be home by April at the latest, though, so... big countdown!

I'm very excitable, very friendly and bubbly... a life-of-the-party type of gal. I can be moody sometimes, though, so watch out. I also hang out with the boys a lot... from the ages of seven to fourteen there were no girls my age to play with in any of our neighborhoods. So, I learned to blend in with all my big brother's friends, haha. And it lead me to a big passion for sports... I love American football, and actually regular football, too. I prefer college sports, though. Tennis is the big sport that I play, I've really come to love it.

Okay, what else...? Um, I love to laugh and a sense of humor is the biggest personality trait I look for in friends/potential boyfriends, yadayada. Other than general friendliness, of course. I love drawing/sketching, particularly portraits, and I guess I'd consider myself an artisitc kinda gal. I love really warm socks. I love the snow, and I really miss it here... I love sleep, haha... I love running. I love lemonade... I love cars, although unlike Lauren, I really really really don't like NASCAR. I also hate WWE, although I love making fun of it. I love love love books and reading... I love school. I love America... ooh, I love the Olympics! I love crying during a movie, but I hate horror movies... I love people who use good grammar (although, having said that, I've probably made twenty-three mistakes in this paragraph ). I love listening to someone speak a language I can't understand even a little tiny bit... I love waving hello to strangers, although I am quite educated on all of the Stranger Danger rules... I love, um... salad. But I love chocolate, too. I love having a controlled, respectful disagreement with someone... so here I am, I guess! I love getting my opinions out there and having people pay attention to them.

Alright, that's it. If I missed anything, I suppose you'll glean it eventually from all the other stuff I say. And, um, be warned... I love my opinions!

See you all around the forum!

Hugs,
Anna

Welcome and congrats, Anna ! I really liked your introduction, mostly because I can relate to quite a bit of it !

I love being American too, I think a lot of people have forgotten to love this country though, so it's nice to find someone who'll shout it out. I send my support and well wishes to your father and family, and hope he returns safely, and I send my thanks to him for protecting our country so that we may continue to live how we want ! I grew up hanging out with the guys too, I have two older brothers. I also enjoy drawing/sketching, I have a tendency to pick at grammar and word usage of others, and listening to other languages is something I really like to do (I've gotten so used to listening to Japanese and French that I basically know what is being said ). I can't wait to see some of your opinions, and wonder if perhaps you and I will go head-to-head on any topics !

Alannah - Congratulations dearest Cousin ! I'm so proud of you for being a fan before the movies, I wish I could say the same. I actually had one of my ticks and got obsessed with Hermione and then started reading the books... yeah I know that's weird > <. Blame me all you want ! I'm happy to be here and to have influenced someone else to come here too !

Looking forward to seeing you around the Great Hall.

~ihkny

Hello!

My name's Alannah. I'm a 17 year old high school senior. I read the first Harry Potter book almost 9 years ago, when I was 8. I'm one of the rare few who can claim they were a fan before there was a movie .

I love reading, and I've read tons of stuff and I love to talk about books so feel free to message me and ask me if I've read something. I'm a big fan of the Twilight books too, but I'm a bit skeptical about the movie.

I actually like going to school; my favorite subject is history. I'm a cat person, but my family has a dog. I have a little brother and a mom who drive me crazy.

I have two cousins that also frequent this site, ihkny and lupin<3tonks. (You can blame them for why I'm here.)

Anyway, I'm glad to be in the dueling club!

~Alannah

I just want to quickly stop by and wish a warm welcome to Anna and Alannah. I hope you find it a ton of fun here in the Dueling Club and help contribute by posting, posting and posting. I'm sure I'll see you both around:D


-Nick
HJP

A great, big welcome to Anna and Alannah. We're glad to have you aboard.

There are many threads available here in the Great Hall with a wide range of topics to choose from. Feel free to browse around and explore them all! We love new perspectives around here.

Should you have any questions or problems, don't hesitate to PM myself, Alkisti, or Dorthy (Sirren). We're always here to help.

Once again, Welcome!

Laura

Welcome Anna and Allanah!! It's always fun having new members! Hopefully, we'll see you around a lot. Feel free to post in every thread you're interested in. If you have any suggestions, please, let us know! New ideas are always welcome!

Anna, you're so cheerful! You must be the definition of optimism! Can I pm you when I'm feeling down? Lucky you to live in California. Not for the sun and the beaches (I have plenty of both here!) but for the place itself.

Allanah, I recently became fan of Twilight. I am a tad skeptical about the movie as well. However, nothing can be worse than my experience from the first HP movie. So, I guess it'll be fine!

I'd also like to welcome Laura who just became our new Inquisitorial Squad Member!
I know you'll do a great job!


~Alkisti

Members, members, and more members! I'd like to send out a welcome to Alannah and Anna! Glad to see you here in the Great Hall.

Certainly we also have our newest member to the IS Team: Laura! She comes to us with a full bag of new ideas, too.

Don't forget to make the Great Hall your first VTM post every visit! Go Great Hall!!

~Dorthy