Brasil

Which names are we talking about? Our real names? Or the OB personas? Since I'm not sure which one, I'll do both. PoisonTongue - I'm sarcastic and...poisonous in most of my online endeavors. I really dig epic poetry, and PoisonTongue had an epic feel...a sneaky, evil reptillian warrior mercenary. I like that vibe. My secret identity means "Helper Of Mankind." ::chuckles:: Yeah, right! "Helper" my ***. lol. I take a hands-off approach to the world. I figure, we're gonna blow ourselves up, nothing I can do about it, so why fight it. I'd much prefer that we avoid reducing our planet to the apple core, but with our leaders around the world...haha...oh yeah, we're gone. Not to put a damper on anyone's day, but it's in our nature to destroy ourselves.

I'm finicky, I suppose, when it come to genres. I don't have too much fun with sports games, except when the gaming involves Mutant League Hockey style gameplay (kill or score). My favorite sports games are Mutant League Hockey, NFL Blitz, NBA On NBC (an archaic N64 NBA Jam clone), Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey (archaic N64 game), NHL Hitz, and Deathrow. For those of you who don't know of Deathrow, it is simply one of the greatest deathmatch party sports games ever made. Picture Mutant League Hockey 3000-X. That's what Deathrow is. For me, reason enough to get an Xbox. I shy away from platformers because they're too repetitive, especially 3D ones. Jump, collect [insert item here], unlock the gate, defeat the boss, repeat. The only 3D platformer that I was able to totally get into was Mario 64 because it was exciting and fun to play. RPGs bore me for the same reason as platformers. They're repetitive and feature the same thing over and over, no matter how many times you go through the game. I suppose I'm an FPS and fighting game kind of guy. Smash Melee and Timesplitters 2 occupy my Gamecube more than any of my other games. They have immense replay value, especially Melee. No battle is ever the same. I lost my train of thought here, so if I can remember what I wanted to say, I'll edit the post. Otherwise, primarily fighting and FPS.

Night Of The Living Dead. After finishing it at 2:30 am, and having to walk past a sliding glass door to go to bed, I was totally freaked. Night Of The Living Dead, for those of you who are not classically-inclined, is THE definitive horror movie. It's got a creep factor that I've never experienced in any other movie. My other top horrors are... F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu - Because it is simply the greatest vampire film ever made and actually takes itself seriously, as opposed to camp like Blade. The Wolf Man - One of the very first werewolf movies, and one of the very best. The character progression (or REGRESSION) is so poignant. The main character begins as a smug and pompous ***, but after being bitten, develops into a scared child with a demonic alter-ego. Spectacular stuff.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by AzureWolf [/i] [B]Haha, everyone, feel free to laugh at my dream, but the ultimate goal in my life is to become a legend! I know it sounds silly, but I want to have been able to have made a difference in this world, a good difference. People remember you for that kind of stuff! My more realistic dream is to become a doctor and search for new, revolutionary medical techniques/solutions to handle problems that appear to be impossible to overcome in our current state. Haha, maybe that's a little far-fetched too... :D I guess my immediate goal is to kick butt in college and get into medical school. Haha, my parents are complaining that I'm taking too darn long (I just finished my first year of college)! I hope it's worth it, since it looks like I'll be around 25 by the time I'm finally able to do that "resident" thingy-the name eludes me for the moment. Haha, far-fetched? What's so far-fetched about that? I guess I feel better that I'm not the only person with crazy dreams! That's a very nice idea. I hope everything works out for the better for you. I mean, checking out the Far East would be interesting, but 1. I'm not airplane friendly, even though I've never thrown up; and 2. I'm lazy as hell. :) [/B][/QUOTE] Haha! Rock on Azurewolf! Legendary status is an excellent goal. This sounds odd, but my goal is to get an entire section of The Norton Anthology Of World Literature published with my writing. I find that's how I write now...envisioning my story on that page, with a half-page of Norton footnotes. It helps me create more intricate phrasing and terminology. I picture myself reading this story in the Norton and ask myself, what would require an explanation of meaning? The desired passage then comes to me. While I write, I'm going to teach college level English courses. I quote Donald Sutherland from Animal House: "Oh, I'm only doing this until I finish my novel." A student says, "I'm sure it's very good." Sutherland replies, "It's a piece of ****." Should be fun.

Seems to me that people get "intuition" and "psychic ability" confused. Such is the case with Jon Edwards. He has no psychic ability, just a very good intuition. He's been doing his act for a good couple of years now, and if he has any sense at all, I'm quite positive he'd take note of patterns in his subjects. He isn't psychic or mystical; he just can read people really well. When you've got someone going and believing what you do, you can get them to tell you ANYTHING. It's a matter of trust--or gullibility, I'm not sure which yet. Regarding predicting the future...stock analysts. They can very accurately predict what the market will do, but they aren't considered psychic. Just because someone makes a prediction about the end of the world of a war breaking out doesn't make them gifted. Predicting the end of the world...the village idiot becoming king...they're simple entertainment tricks. Basically, there is no living medium between the world of the living and the dead--if the world of the dead even exists, and I could predict in the next 150 years, the world will be destroyed in a massive nuclear war. Chances are, that's what will happen but that doesn't make me psychic.

Do you remember the email addy? What does it say in the emails? What name is in the Sent By field? I've got a feeling I know who it is.

First of all, awesome avatar, Xeemo. Clockwork Orange is a great film. Now, I prefer the NES original over any of the sequels, but if I had to choose between the recents... WW over OOT, simply because it has more of a feel of the original Zeldas. The item selections in OOT really turned me off. I mean, Golden Gloves? Power Bracelet is the only strength-enhancer that's worth having. Golden Gloves just gave the game too much of a superheroey feel. I half expected to see a Silver Cape that could deflect bullets. Another negative for OOT was the restriction. I didn't feel like I was in a vast world when playing it. The game didn't feel epic. LoZ, though, the world was huge. The world in WW was huge, too. OOT made me feel stuck. I remember in the original, to get from one side of Hyrule to the other took around 25 minutes, fighting a whole slew of enemies on the way. In OOT, it took 5 minutes with minimal baddie encounters. In this comparison, WW is closer to OOT, but the freedom of environment in WW takes the cake. I do not mean to open up a tired argument with my next point and I hope nobody does, but here goes. The look of WW fit in more easily with the series. OOT's portrayal was too serious and dark. LoZ was all about cartoons. Link, Zelda, Ganon, Zora...cartoons and caricatures, no proportionate bodies or realistic features. We were playing a cartoon in the original and it was very nice to see WW come back to that cartoon.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Shinji Ikari [/i] [B][size=1] I think the point you're trying to get across, and correct me if I'm wrong, is the tradgedy of youth suicide, a very common thing these days. If that was your intention, then you did a great job crwating the emotion. The poetry of the lyrics worked together to paint a picture of, almost despair at the loss of youth I guess. Well done, it was entertaining and insightful, even if I missed the point somewhat. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] VERY CLOSE! I recently learned of an old classmate's car accident death. She wasn't always the most...logical with her life. The song was written out of the disgust of youth throwing away their lives, whether accidental or not, but in a certain sense, suicide regardless. So many children and teens are throwing their lives away with irresponsible actions, and that really is disturbing.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by dayday [/i] [B]*twitches* I got 3 quotes basically all saying the same thing. HOW COME NO ONE EVER UNDERSTANDS WHAT I MEAN!!! I didn't mean you could be 2 or 4. I didn't see that in the post. And no you didn't have to be so rude to me. I don't talk much so I have a problem getting words straight. If you got something to say to me say it now, because my thing is starting to get my head hot. And I don't need that right now. Anyone else have something rude to say to me or something to say about what I do. And just because someone is older than you doesn't mean they know more. And let's see you called me stupid. Maybe if someone sees how you were at my age they'd say you were stupid too. You don't know anything about me at all. So don't just say things that you don't know about. I've had a rough life and I'm mature enough to know how to handle everything that comes at me and how to control myself. If I didn't a lot of people wouldn't be around. I have trouble holding in my temper and it starting to let lose right now. So if you got something else to say, then say it. [/B][/QUOTE] [QUOTE][B]See once again you didn't get what I said. If you took the time and read my post carefully you would have saw what I meant. And relationships aren't about sex and nothing else. I don't see why anyone even pays me any mind. They never get what I mean when I say it. No one gets anything about me. No one understands me. None of you probably get why I write poems. It's all just words and such to you, but I actually wrote it for a reason. See and now I'm so mad I'm about to cry. That's how angry I am right now. You need to all just leave me alone and ignore what I say since you don't get it anyway. [/B][/QUOTE] Now now, child. Don't get your panties in a twist. You're obviously not mature at all if you're reacting this way on a simple message board. Also, perhaps if you knew what you were saying to begin with, then there wouldn't be confusion, would there? For instance, you just said, "I didn't mean you could be 2 or 4. I didn't see that in the post." Did you not say in your initial post, "I'm really getting tired of people always saying you're too young. You're never too young." Dayday, that's most certainly NOT saying 2 years old or 4 years old is too young, effectively saying 2 or 4 is an adequate age to be in a relationship. --- "If you got something to say to me say it now, because my thing is starting to get my head hot. And I don't need that right now." Again, childish tantrums are not needed. --- "And just because someone is older than you doesn't mean they know more." Actually, that's the way it works. Remember the Premarital Sex discussion? We are older than you, and knew more than you, too. You only present your view in a one-sided opinion, then over-react when someone disagrees. That is already showing your lack of knowledge and lack of maturity regarding the subject, thus confirming that an older person does know more than you. --- "And let's see you called me stupid. Maybe if someone sees how you were at my age they'd say you were stupid too." Yes. I did call you stupid. But, considering your posts, there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Also, when I was 12, I was not concerned with dating, as 12 is most certainly not an appropriate age for relationships. When I was 12, I played Sega Genesis, had fun with my friends, and watched Goldfinger and Jason And The Argonauts. --- "You don't know anything about me at all. So don't just say things that you don't know about." Believe it or not, Dayday, I was once very much like you. But I learned how to deal with frustration in a mature and sensible manner when I was about your age. --- "I've had a rough life and I'm mature enough to know how to handle everything that comes at me and how to control myself. If I didn't a lot of people wouldn't be around. I have trouble holding in my temper and it starting to let lose right now." Obviously, you aren't mature enough to know how to handle yourself, after all, you're getting worked up on a message board. Who hasn't had a rough life? As one already mentioned, trying to draw the sympathy card will get you nowhere; it will only further show people just how immature and irresponsible you are. Oh, and you're 12, right? I'm sure you'd be very dangerous when angry. No offence, of course. "If I didn't a lot of people wouldn't be around" is all hot air and chest-puffing. Trust me, I've used that line before. --- "I don't see why anyone even pays me any mind. They never get what I mean when I say it. No one gets anything about me. No one understands me. None of you probably get why I write poems. It's all just words and such to you, but I actually wrote it for a reason. See and now I'm so mad I'm about to cry. That's how angry I am right now. You need to all just leave me alone and ignore what I say since you don't get it anyway." Spare us the melodrama, please. I don't read your poems because well frankly, they're substandard and dull. Teen angst died out in 1995. Also, if you want us to ignore you, then might I suggest silence? If you don't post, then we can't respond. Simple as that. --- Are you happy now that I've said what I was holding back? Regards, PoisonTongue

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by dayday [/i] [B]I'm really getting tired of people always saying you're too young. You're never too young. Can't any of you get that through those little puny things you call a brain!! Sorry, about that. Got a little carried away. But I have seen over half the people I know have been in relationships for months. Maybe it just wasn't working out with you and her. Did you even know why she dumped you. If you told me what she said I guarantee I can figure it out. I've done it plenty of times to people. [/B][/QUOTE] Dayday, no offence, but blow it out your ***. I suppose then, by your train of thought, that 5 year olds are mature enough to date? Hell, why not 2 year olds...then again, newborns seem to know enough about relationships to get it on right out of the womb. 12 is too young. That's the bottom line. Hell, 14 is too young--16 is too young to seriously date. Generally, high school age and younger lack the maturity and relationship tools to manage an interpersonal involvement. Most college people lack those fundamental people skills. And you're trying to tell us about your middle school friends knowing more about relationships than someone who's twice their age and has been in twice as many relationships, relationships dealing with much more serious matters than--as one poster expressed--"meeting by the monkey bars"? Dayday, your logic is as clumsy as you are stupid.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by RPCrazy [/i] [B] What my friends, family, and coworkers (and perhaps even yourself) wonder is: why? Do I suffer from insomnia? No. It is not because I want to sleep, but can't. I don't want to sleep. My brain is not tired. Eventually it is not my mind that gives out but my body that says "Forget you, I need to recharge," and forces me into a nearly comatose sleep. And let me tell you, I have some of the [I]freakiest[/I] dreams after staying up 50+ hours. [/B][/QUOTE] Hey, you fall asleep easily over here. I guess my bed is comfy. That sounded quite wrong but oh well. I'm a bit of a night owl myself, not to the extent of Jenn here, but given the right nocturnal parameters (friends, Gamecube, beer) I can stay up for a while over a weekend.

I'm strictly FictionPress. I've written one true fanfic, a poem about a Smash Bros. Tourney. All of my other works, while incorporating outside characters, still reside within my own subconscial world. My stories involving pre-made characters are often parodies but I've since changed my approach to writing satire/parody after my very first few posts on FictionPress or FanFiction. If you check out my early stuff, specifically 2nd Greatest Story Ever Told, you'll see it's abysmal. It was really my first attempt at an all-encompassing parody work, and is often quite bad. The only parts of 2nd Greatest Story with redeeming value seem to be the scenes that were birthed completely out of my imagination, with no inclusion of copyrighted characters. No offence to anyone here, but I find much FanFic to be utterly dull and often unnecessary, as the characters being used are often fully developed before the FanFic is even conceived. Because the characters are already interpreted, it's extremely difficult to do anything fresh with them, and I always find the FanFic to disintegrate into a muddled pool of incoherent dialogue, narration, and generally immature development.

?Can You Tell Me? Now another one is lost, Youngsters leaving at what cost? Can you tell me? Why?s youth in such a rush To get that final push? Can you tell me? They?re all dropping off like flies, But we all keep spinning lies, Why?s that happen? Can you tell me? Young lights are going dim, But this isn?t V.R. sim, They?re really going. Our youth is disappearing, But none are re-appearing, They?re really going. It?s a destructive epidemic, Death?s pattern is systemic, They?re really going. We can?t stop what we can?t see, Can?t tell them ?stay with me,? Oh no, it?s not possible. Such a daunting task it is, Shutting down a deathly biz, But we?ve got to. Our future is at stake, Right choices we must make Or else they?re going. Chorus: Young lights are going dim, But this isn?t V.R. sim, They?re really going. Our youth is disappearing, But none are re-appearing, They?re really going. It?s a destructive epidemic, Death?s pattern is systemic, They?re really going. The time to act is now, But some are asking how, The answer?s understanding. Death no longer will continue, If you seek the power in you, The answer?s understanding. Now we?ve almost won, This horror?s nearly done, Just be strong now. The choice is up to you, Continue like you do, Or change for the better. You?re flirting with disaster, Death will become your master, If you don?t stop this behavior? Do you understand me? You?ll add one to the count, See the bodies on the mount. Please understand what I?m saying, Don?t throw your life away, You?ll regret it soon one day, As on your back you lay, Wishing back to yesterday, A time when you could play. Chorus: Young lights are going dim, But this isn?t V.R. sim, They?re really going. Our youth is disappearing, But none are re-appearing, They?re really going. It?s a destructive epidemic, Death?s pattern is systemic, They?re really going. Why?d you go so soon, Leaving for the moon? Can you tell me? You were added to the count, A body on the mount, You dropped your silver spoon, But why?d you go so soon? Can you tell me? That isn?t your time to go, That?s not the curtain for your show, The roses, they aren?t thrown, They?re placed neatly on your home. Tears are running, falling to the earth, Can you hear the sobs of sadness? We want you to return, But you?re gone now, Never to say another word, Never loud enough to be heard In the world of the living. Now another one is lost, Youngsters leaving at what cost? Can you tell me? Why?s youth in such a rush To get that final push? Can you tell me? They?re all dropping off like flies, But we all keep spinning lies, Why?s that happen? Can you tell me? Young lights are going dim, But this isn?t V.R. sim, They?re really going. Our youth is disappearing, But none are re-appearing, They?re really going. It?s a destructive epidemic, Death?s pattern is systemic, They?re really going.

This reminds me of a very old skit on SNL. It stars Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin. Consumer Probe. Jane Curtin was concerned for the safety of the consumer, while Aykroyd played a sleazy businessman who manufactured dangerous playthings and Halloween costumes. One dangerous plaything was called "Teddy Chainsaw Bear." It looked like a normal stuffed animal, but featured a fully operational chainsaw that ripped out of its stomach. While this story is thoroughly disturbing and those at fault should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, I find the irony of a 30 year old skit very enlightening. The writers of SNL are very ahead of their time...rather, were very ahead of their time. I don't find the skits now to be prophetic. But Consumer Probe from the late 70s...dangerous weapons concealed in a teddy bear. This is an interesting interplay of fictional satire vs. reality. Perhaps, to gain a clearer understanding of society today, we should look at shows like SNL. Someone had mentioned a "don't give a ****" attitude. I've found with most comedic sketch writing that I've done, and generally the people I've worked with, that in order to logically view a situation, we must "not give a ****." Most comedy derives from this. A pinnacle of satire, Monty Python's Life Of Brian, would be very offensive to uber-religists--hell, it was banned in a few countries when it was released. It really can only be enjoyed (READ: finding the humor in it) when one learns to let go of their emotions and beliefs. This is not condoning anything that happened in that news report, of course. The world is filled with bitter ironies. The Darwin Awards are perfect examples. There is humor left in the world, but to reference Ghostbusters 2, it's getting really hard to find it. The world is filled with much more hate and disregard for human life, and finding comedy is getting more tedious. Granted, there is comedy in the movies, but we view real life much more than cinema. So many times I turn on the news and see badness. Each week, I think I see 2 or 3 positive stories. I'd say there is a 50:1 bad:good ratio. I know it's unsettling, but, while being unsettling, it provides excellent material for humor, as long as we can step back and appreciate what degenerate level of hypocrisy we as a society have become. Every news report is an example of the bitter irony that society has become. Whether it's a liberal group pushing for a ban on toy guns, or uber-religists praying for the salvation of the Supreme Court after the recent sodomy ruling, pointing fingers at everyone else when we have ourselves to blame, even accusing people of blindly following something when we have had a cover pulled over our eyes. These are bitter ironies. They're not pleasant ironies, and don't give to pleasant satire, but they're necessary ironies. A professor once told me the definition of satire. "It doesn't straight out say what's wrong with society. It holds a mirror up to society, to show them how they act, so they can admit their wrongdoings first." You see, all of these news reports, while very unpleasant, have actually benefited us all, in that those reports are bits of satire. The stories have been broadcasted, mostly with an unbiased presentation, and we've admitted society's wrongs. James Cameron once said, "Sometimes, it's what you don't say that gets people going. Sometimes it's what you don't show that drives people wild." Well, that's exactly what these headlines have done. Mostly, they haven't said anything other than what happened. A reaction has been elicited without anyone else telling us how they feel. I hate to say it, but I'm glad there are still evil news reports, because without them, I'm positive that we would lose touch with who we are and what society really is.

FictionPress. The Great Lord Of Estone

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Shinobi [/i] [B]Ah yes...good old Banzai. It has been here for ages...and is really funny to tell the truth. Although Fox must be airing a new series ro something becuase that has NEVER happened on Banzai over here. Over here Banzai really just annoys celebraties and does stupid stuff threfore humilating the contestants (who are not handicapped or elderly). Also Takeshi's Castle has been here for ages also...we kept the original name and did the exact same as the Americans...only before you lot did *sticks tounge out* lol just kiddin. But seriously...i just noticed how many programmes you people take from us, put your voice over or give it an american presenter and then air it...many people think it is a brand new AMERICAN show but it was really BRITISH. e.g. Who wants to be a millionaire Takeshi's Castle I'm a celebrity get me out of here Popstars Pop Idol (American Idol) the list goes on... But yeah...Banzai aint really like that over here, so it must be a new series or something. [/B][/QUOTE] Don't forget Whose Line Is It Anyway?

My frosh year at Rutgers, I was a 3 week Comp Sci major. I was failing the Intro To Computer Science course and quickly realised that I most certainly suck at math and science, and Comp Sci would be the death of my academic career. So, I dropped the Comp Sci and picked up my English major. I'm doing very well in that, going into my junior year, have impressed quite a few of my English professors (and made friends with many of them), and have a very good chance of getting into the Teaching Assistantship program for Grad School in 2 years. The T.A. program waives Grad School tuition provided I teach a few Comp 101 courses, which isn't hard. The English major suits me quite well, as I find I have a knack for literature theory and such. I'm going to teach (so my English degree is actually worth something lol), go for a Doctorate in post-modern lit, and write creative things all the while...I'm seeing myself more like a Phillip K. Dick, in that I write more short stories and novellas like Dick, and not full length novels like Michael Chrichton. My goal is to become a children's literature author, because that way I can get away with having fun and not get blasted by critics for childish themes. Of course, I'd still populate my work with subtle sexual innuendo and double entendres, much like Shakespeare, because he's got the subtle stuff down. I'd love to publish a few epic poems, because there aren't really enough epics these days. I long for a time where things like The Odyssey, Gilgamesh, Rape Of The Lock, Canterbury Tales are created on a regular basis. Epic novels are fine and all, but epic poetry is what it's all about for me.

Oh wow...back when I would watch Nickelodeon... I watched...Rugrats, Doug, Rocko, All That...my memory is so hazy right now. But I remember I loved Rocko because of the sheer insanity of the show. I loved the juxtaposition of the title against the actual methodology of the show. It was called Rocko's Modern Life but it really featured archaic, almost...Dark Ages sensibilities. The general oppressive neurosis of the characters and the crushing of new age ideals represented by Rocko's hopes and dreams really make me think back to a time when society was stuck in a stagnation of imbecilic thought and primitive provincial beliefs.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sage [/i] [B]In this time of sarcasm and irony I think smilies are extremely handy in preventing people from getting the wrong idea - or to prevent them from thinking what you said was a joke. Basically, the smilies replaces the tone of the voice. You simply cannot have a tone in writing, unless you use quotes, like " 'That's very smart of you', I say in sarcastic voice", but that's just weird... I don't think using smilies is a bad thing at all (especially since I use them myself ;) ), but in everything there's a limit. [/B][/QUOTE] Although I'm off-topic here, sarcasm can be detected in writing. Just wording something a certain way can make it very harsh. It is my belief that if someone feels happy when they're writing something, then you get that feeling while reading it. Conversely, if someone is angry or annoyed while typing something up, their post will sound very biting and sarcastic. Though smilies are a fun thing to have, they're not necessary to inflect tone into a work of literature or a post on a message board. In fact, in many ways, a smiley detracts from a post. It gives the writer a "backdoor" out of something he or she said. I'm not against smilies, either, but, similar to titles (newbies, for example), the post should speak for itself and not need be buffered by a happy face. In regards to the sig picture question, I imagine most offenders are more than willing to comply with the guidelines and such. One of my friends was recently notified that she was in noncompliance, and is making the necessary changes ASAP. OB is a very cool board in that it's very understanding and wishes to pursue the mutually beneficial track of handling things. Things are handled in a mature and sensible manner, which I believe leads to a smoother operation all around.

There have been movies similar to Counterstrike. They're called "Patriot Games," "The Rock," "Aliens," to name a few.

Charles gladly accepted the challenge and stepped out onto the battlefield. He wore no flashy armor, nor carried any flashy weapons. This was a duel of fists. Swords, knives and other stabbing weapons were not allowed, and it was mutually decided that projectile weapons made it no fun. Thunder boomed in the distance as dark storm clouds rolled in from the East. Charles tightened his cat bandanna and felt his black coat flutter in the wind. He saw a figure in the distance. It was his opponent. Alex neared the combat zone that was their designated arena. He wore a bright yellow jumpsuit, paying homage to the nameless henchmen in Moonraker, we suppose. He wasn?t as fit as need be for a battle, especially a battle with Charles. He stood 5-foot-10. Charles towered at 6?3?. As he set foot in the Thunderdome Arena, Charles wondered why he looked so haggard. Alex had been partying very hard over the weekend and had missed much sleep because of his video gaming tendencies. But this was no matter. The challenge had been accepted and harsh penalties would be enforced if Alex were to withdraw from the approaching battle. They both walked to the center, stopping at the designated markers. A strange face appeared on the video screen. It said, ?Welcome, combatants. You have entered Thunderdome. The rules are simple. There will be three rounds, best of three wins. Weapons are not allowed, but you have already agreed upon this parameter. This is hand-to-hand combat. There are no rules concerning what methods of physical violence are used. Hitting below the belt is allowed, as we find it funny when gonads are crushed. The first round is over when one of you screams ?uncle.? If the fighting continues beyond that point, you both shall be zapped by Bobo. He is there.? Charles and Alex turned to see a chimpanzee with an industrial strength cattle prod. The face continued, ?Do you understand the rules that I have given you?? The fighters nodded. ?Very well. Fight!? A loud gong was sounded and Charles and Alex sprung into fighting forms. Charles chose Catstance, an ancient Indian art based on the movements of the cat spider, while Alex took a decidedly different approach, using the more abstract and hyper style of Skittle. The first seconds were silent, then the combatants exploded into a hyperkinetic slugfest. Alex jumped at Charles, feet extended and eager to connect with Charles? goateed chin. Charles quickly sidestepped and brought his palm to Alex?s temple, knocking Alex to the ground. This was not detrimental to Alex, however, as he had been thoroughly trained in recovery by the great masters of Skittle and landed in a crouch. Using great speed, he swept his foot out, tripping the giant, then putting a few meters of distance between him and his foe with a series of hectic acrobatic maneuvers. Charles did not expect such a move and hit the ground with an earth-shaking thud. He growled and was back up with a handspring. They began anew, this time in a graceful aerial ballet of death. Each leap found a punch connected. Each aerial kick found a prime rib to shatter. Charles and Alex continued this exchange of hits for minutes at a time. They had mastered their individual fighting styles to the point of negating the very laws of physics. Time stood still as these brutal competitors hovered defiantly in the face of gravity. It seemed this transaction of violence would not cease. But then, Charles overextended his strike and felt an intense twinge of pain racing through his arm. He tried to move it, but twas no use. It had become paralyzed. It flopped back down to his side like an aging organ, near death. Alex saw this and made sure to take advantage of this now beneficial turn. He kicked Charles? legs clockwise, sending Charles into a spin. But then he stopped this spinning and Charles grew unsure of what was coming. Alex pulled back his arm, concentrating totally on this next action. Fire appeared in his eyes and his mouth became evil. Demons raced from his tongue as his arm flew and his punch connected with Charles? abdomen. Charles fell down onto the ground, sending up waves of dust. Alex came down and stepped on Charles? body. Though Charles did not utter the word, ?uncle,? Alex did not further the attack. Round 1 thus came to a close and neither was truly the victor.

Some of it sounds like The Rolling Stones, so I'd be interested to see if you're a fan of them. I've written poems before that have...inflections, wording and the feel of bands I listen to, even though I may not have been listening to them at the time of the poem's creation. Sometimes a writer will unknowingly come under the influence of a particular vibe of another piece of work. I helped a friend with a poem a few weeks ago. He had a good start...very good start. But he wanted to turn it into a song and needed help with the meter and rhyme scheme. When I was finished with it, you could sing it to the 3 Doors Down song, "When I'm Gone." I don't know how it happened, but it just did. That's the thing about being a writer (or generally, an entertainer) today: to create things that are different enough to get recognized, but similar enough to attract a strong fan base. Good luck, PoisonTongue

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Devidramon [/i] [B]SG-1 was an obsession of mine for the first three seasons. Lately, though, it's gotten dull, most episodes spent debating and discussing, like a sci-fi version of C-Span. I watch if an episode looks like it's going to be good, and if it has the Goa'uld in it, just because I want to know how it ends. [/B][/QUOTE] Sci-fi C-Span...::shudders:: Now, Hardball would be awesome with a sci-fi theme. Chris Matthews is a political analyst/smuggler in the 23rd century and stumbles upon an intergalactic conspiracy revolving around a Hitler-ish dictator controlling all media. I'd pay to see that.

I was just channel surfing and came across Banzai, a new TV show on Fox. From the previews, it looked hilarious. HOWEVER, I now hate it after 2 minutes. The segment they were just running featured a shoot-off between handicapped people. The kicker had one leg missing, the goalie one arm. The extremely horridly bad taste of this segment has now made sure that I hate Banzai and will never watch it again. I should hope anyone with any shred of compassion would refuse to watch it. It's...utter...shi--an utter disgrace to television. On TNN, there was some Xtreme Elimination program on a few days ago. An American production company got hold of some Xtreme Japanese sports contest (in which the contestants participated in very dangerous and hazardous competitions) and re-dubbed the entire thing, creating a demented comedy. That's so much better, because at least we're laughing at someone's stupidity (anyone who swings off of a rope trying to get stuck onto a wall deserves a laugh), and not someone's handicap (such as Banzai). Since the TNN show isn't on right now, I'm watching Terminator 2 on USA. Fox disgusts me.

And at that moment, as the fellows of Wangarang were deciding how to go about their quest, Scott appeared before them and said, ?Hey Geoff! It?s me, Scott! I hear Joe?s been talking to you guys.? And Geoff did retort with a cluck and spake, saying, ?Scott! How?s your mom?? Scott responded, ?Oh, she?s doin? good. College is great, too. How did Balloon?s Besiege 2 come out?? ?It turned out pretty good. It was really bad though.? Geoff said as he chuckled. And Scott said in his wisdom, ?Don?t worry about bad films. They don?t hurt too much. And they slowly fade from memory. Like Trial of the Witch or The Hardee Boyz. But that?s not why I?m here. Joe talked to you guys. He told you there?s a plunger that grants supreme power.? At this, Brian spoke, ?Yeah. He said we need to go out and get it.? In hearing this, Scott chastised them. ?No, you can?t go out and get it. If you take the Golden Plunger Of Presai, the world will come to an end.? Scott was all-serious when he warned them, but they took no heed of his warning. ?Sure, Scott.? they said and walked out the door, leaving Scott alone with Alex Ward. ?Don?t worry, Scott! I?ll help you!? Alex triumphantly exclaimed. ?Drat.? Scott said and kicked Alex in the groin, dropping him to the floor. And as Alex fell, he heard a familiar taunt. He heard it softly at first, as if it were a whisper. He heard it twice. ?Alexaaaanda! Alexaaaanda!? Wangarang?s members then conversed with themselves as they strolled down the hall. Twas Brian who spoke first, ?Okay, where is this plunger?? And Joe then appeared again, again clad in only his leaf. He spoke to the band, and the words flew from his mouth and he said, ?It?s in Presai! I already told you!? And with that, Joe gave Brian a swift kick in the groin and disappeared. ?OWWW!!!? Brian yelled and Geoff laughed a hearty laugh, and also clucked a hearty cluck. As Brian recomposed himself, and thought of a glorious composition, he addressed his friends and said, ?So, then, where?s Presai?? Matt, in all his good wisdom and knowledge of the shore, said, ?It?s down around Seaside Heights.? ?Guys, then we?ve got to go there! It?s not too far!? Tom exclaimed. But Geoff did doth see a problem with transportation, and replied with, ?Tom, we all can?t fit in any of our cars.? And thus the group was met with a problem. They all sat and pondered a solution. Then they all stood up and pondered a solution. Finally they just started milling about. They decided to get some fresh air and went outside. There a great light blinded them, and they shielded their eyes. Eventually, this great light dimmed, and formed an aura around a certain vehicle in the parking lot. The group heard a choir singing, they thought it was a heavenly choir blessing them, but in all reality it was just the concert choir. No offence meant to the concert choir, of course. Upon seeing a great, white school bus, they all turned to each other and exclaimed, ?Eureka!? They decided to use The Beast for their transportation and went back inside to ask for the keys. Along the way they passed Alex Ward. Alex turned to them and said something stupid, ?Bunny rabbits are white because they got scared. Do you know why they got scared? Because their ears are so long!? And as Alex laughed at his unfunny joke, a deafening thundering was heard in the sky. Storm clouds rolled in and the wind began to moan a death wail. At this, Alex ran away, down the hall, scared, and bumped into a band of ninjas. They turned to him and threatened him. ?We are the joke assassins. ?The Bleeding Smile? is our name. Our sovereign, Christopher, has bid us kill you for cracking an inhumanly dumb joke. Prepare yourself.? Alex ran upon hearing this. Some members of the guild started after him, but their leader stopped them. ?Our lord, Christopher, shall enact his vengeance against Alex Ward.? Alex continued running down the hall, and out the door. There a great wind started to blow, and Alex fell to the ground. Christopher then appeared before him, in all his grisly visage and bloody armor, and said, ?ALEX WARD, YOU HAVE TOLD AN IDIOTIC JOKE. PUNISH THEE I SHALL.? And then Christopher lifted his arms high, and beckoned to the sky. The storm clouds parted, and a great bolt of lighting came streaking down to Alex Ward. Christopher smiled as the ill-fated jokester was burned to a crisp. Christopher laughed and ascended. Back inside, the fellows were asking for the keys to The Beast. ?Mr. Cook,? they asked, ?we need to go to Seaside Heights. Can we use The Beast?? Now, Ed Cook was one of the nicest teachers around, and although it was an odd request, he trusted these friends and gave them the keys. ?Sure!? he said. The group looked at each other, and all thought of how easy that was. ?Thanks, Mr. Cook!? they said and got into The Beast. Geoff wanted to drive, and the others let him. They all needed to get supplies, however, so they went to the ACME right down the street. There they bought IBC Root Beer, HERR?S potato chips, cheeseburger Hot Pockets, Lucky Charms, donuts, and some OREO cookies for Paul. They realized they needed protection, too, so they went to Dr. Cleaver. Dr. Cleaver was in his lab when they walked in, and greeted them warmly. ?Gazoinks! Ach! What can I do for you gahntlemen?? ?We need weapons, doctor.? Geoff responded. Cleaver replied with, ?I get you weapons, no fear you shall! Ach bien!? Cleaver disappeared behind a curtain and returned with two huge suitcases. ?Egad, these are very much heavy!? he exclaimed. He set the suitcases down and turned to the Wangarang members. ?I have the best weaponry in this land, if you need axes, bows, bombs, I have it all.? he said and spread his weapons out. Geoff immediately went for the Didgeridoo of St. Aussie, which can knock down the greatest beasts of the land, and also causes them to lose their bowel controls. But this incontinence comes at a price, as adventurers have been lost to the dung. ?Right! I?ll take this!? Geoff exclaimed as he placed his hands on his weapon. Matt saw a glorious ax, and he claimed it for his own. ?I shall wed this ax, and make it mine own.? Brian found none weapons suit his needs, except that there was a magical lasso. It glowed gold, and Brian?s eye was caught by this sight. He inquired on this find. ?Dr. Cleaver,? he asked, ?by what name do you call this?? ?Ah! I call zat The Lasso of Musical Truth. If you wrap this around your enemy, zey vill succumb to ze musical powers and become your slaves.? Cleaver replied. ?I shall take it thus.? Brian said and took his newest musical acquisition. A raptor costume did suit Paul, and he did take it from the table. ?Rawr! Snarl!? he cried. But alas, Tom found no weapon that made him happy. ?There?s nothing here that suits my needs.? he sighed, and turned away. Dr. Cleaver saw this dejection, and said, ?Ah, Thomas! Why do I doth see such dejection in thine eye? Nay walk away, come come and see what I have made. For I am sure that ye? shalt find a weapon that suits thee.? And with that, Cleaver unsheathed a great stick for hockey. It was a marvelous stick, clad in gold ribbons and sparkling with silver. It was jeweled with emeralds and glistened in the fluorescent lights. Tom saw this magnificence and gasped with awe. ?Oh, Doctor Cleaver, may I partake of this stick?? he asked and Cleaver then smiled and bid Tom closer. ?Here, my son,? he said as Tom approached, ?take this from my hands, and use it well, for I see you are destined to be with it, and it with you.? Tom took this jeweled stick from Cleaver?s hands, and was engulfed in a glorious holy light. Leagues of angelic choirs sang Beethoven?s immortal Ode To Joy, and Tom felt the power within himself. There was light radiating from his pants, and he felt beckoned to see what this strange luminary event was. As he slowly parted his waistband, he saw brightness and fun. A strange symbol also made itself visible. It was as red as blood, but Tom was not scared. This letter came shooting up to his forehead and implanted itself. The rest of his fellows saw this, and saw the W on his head. They were in awe. They saw Tom was the chosen one. He was chosen to become host to the Wang. The W began to pulse, and red was streaking down Tom?s right arm, forming a supernatural gauntlet. ?Hey, guys! Check this out!? Tom exclaimed as he leapt up to the ceiling and down he came, slicing a dummy in two. The others stood there in awe, their jaws dropped, trying to fathom what they had just seen. Tom saw their bewilderment, and advised, ?Be one with the Wang.? And his friends? eyes went wide, and they said a collective ?Whoa.? Brian saw his friends were powerful for their quest, and he turned to Dr. Cleaver. This is what he spake. ?Doctor Cleaver, you have given us power. And we thank thee. But we must be on our way, for we are to retrieve a golden plunger. And we must not falter; for we would be letting Joe down if we fail. We must be off now, but we shall not forget you and your eccentric behavior. Farewell. Come, friends.? Dr. Cleaver walked them to The Beast, and bid each farewell. ?Ach! Aye, laddy, take care, now. Geoffrey, ah hope you play the didgeridoo to your hearts content?Matthew, good luck with your axe, and chop down your enemies with its bass melody. The chord combinations are deadly?Brian, use your lasso. Bind the fools in harmonies that could shatter an elephant?s prostate?Paul?? Seeing Paul was not in the best form to hug, Cleaver just said, ?Right?ah, Thomas. Be good to your newfound powers. They shall protect thee greatly in the battles to come. Now, go forth and triumph in your quest. Ach goink gonk!? The quintet all piled into The Beast and drove away, heading to Presai. In the chat room the Alumni conversed again, still confounded with the events of recently.