Baron Samedi

[size=1]I love them Gavin. They rock, seriously. If you get enough of them done, you should consider using something like [u][url=http://cafepress.com]Cafepress[/url][/u] to publish a small daily calendar of them or something. Because that would get some serious lovin'. Great work.[/size]

[size=1]The thing is, one post a reputation does not make. Developing an opinion of someone [and what follows: respect, friendship, admiration etc.] is an ongoing process. If a person generally shows themselves to be mature and intelligent, or incisively witty, then I'll most likely develop respect for them. As I've said before, I don't care about their background, or age, or sex or any of a number of other variables which don't impinge on an internet forum. An internet forum is undeniably about people: about their views, thoughts, attitudes and personalities. What else do we have cause to judge people on? I'm not sure how my view is idealistic: indeed from my side of the fence, your expressions of respect based on the 'outside' criteria seems idealistic :p In real life, people have more respect for a doctor than a truck-driver. But without the social backgrounds that we know of in real life, we can appreciate the person behind it all. As for the moderation system... it is necessary. It is a loss in freedom of laziness, for a gain in freedom of legibility. It is a part loss in freedom of expression, for a gain in freedom of security [i.e. in reference to flaming]. If you view an internet forum in the same way as you view a social forum, then you'll understand that moderation and rules are necessary to stop people from punching each other when they don't agree. Is it far more likely for a younger member to flame? Yes it is. But the point is, although blanket rulings can be acceptable, we don't know about the person on the other keyboard. So, the only judging system which is necessary is a member-by-member one. Age, creed etc. has to be irrelevant on an internet forum. You judge people on their behaviour, not their background. It's not idealistic really, though it sounds so. It is just how it needs to be, especially if you want to foster a good community. The desired etiquette for an online forum is pretty basic, as far as I can see. Nothing difficult. View these basic manners as a minimum level. People don't get respect for anything other than how they come across online. And really, common courtesy shouldn't be beyond most people. [quote name='persocomblues']While I wouldn't go so far as to call them "children," I wouldn't classify them as adults or "mature" generally speaking.[/quote] [quote name='Me']This is an anime site, whose principle target audience is teenagers. Who, as you so wilfully put it, generally 'aren't mature'.[/quote] [quote name='persocomblues']As for what I said in regards to their maturity, you took what I said entirely out of context.[/quote] Seems pretty contextual to me :p Maybe I'm wrong, but thats what it sounded like. I included the 'generally' and everything! [quote name='persocomblues']And I'll mention once again that while you might not think "free and open" has anything to do with "spammy and uncontrolled," I do. I think the idea of moderators guiding conversations at all is a form of control, control means the opposite from uncontrolled, and yet I think this control only leads to even more freedom. The freedom to express your ideas in a clear way... a quality way, if you will.[/quote] You just said that you equated free and open with spammy and uncontrolled. Then you say that control brings freedom of quality. Which I agree with, but which is at odds with what you intially said. Clarification? And I do insist on continuing this discussion. I don't think our views are that far apart. Just that yours are wrong [:p]. This is an interesting discussion, to me at least, and I think it is worthwhile having. Who knows, a resolution might yet be reached.[/size]

[size=1]I must say, some of the posts are getting rather cheap. Some of them were rather cheap a long time ago. Lift your game. Doukeshi's post may have been amusing, but it's not that far from the truth. You don't have to make the capture that interesting, because that is kinda difficult, but the chase should be a good read anyway.[/size]

[size=1]Crash mounted Suicune's back and once again raced up a mountainside, heading for the flaming cave opening, but so intense was the heat coming off the near white-hot flames, that they couldn't get within ten metres of the entrance. Crash withdrew Suicune into it's ball, for it was panting quite heavily from the heat. How the hell was he supposed to get through the flames, and capture this pokemon? And then he remembered the Poliwrath he had captured many hours ago. Fumbling through the ball in his jacket pocket, he finally found the one which the pokedex identified as Poliwrath. Holding the ball out, he depressed the white button, and Poliwrath emerged into the shimmering night-time heat. Seemingly unfazed by the heat coming off the flames, the Poliwrath looked at Crash questioningly. "Uuh, do you think you can, y'know, put that fire out, or something?" Crash asked. Nodding affirmatively, the Poliwrath turned towards the fire. A low growl rose from it's belly, and then it opened it's mouth wide, and to Crash's amazement, a massive stream of water burst forth. Probably several tonnes of water smothered the flames, which guttered and died, the cave mouth releasing huge gouts of steam. Holding one arm over his eyes protectively, Crash and Poliwrath walked into the cave. It's walls were covered in a fine sheen of coal, yet were as smooth as glass. Poliwrath walked bewhind Crash, a towering beefy figure, which to be honest, gave Crash a lot more confidence. The passageway broadened, before opening into a large underground cavern. It fell for several hundred feet, and continued into a warren of tunnels. As Crash peered over the edge, he saw a flaming figure disappearing down one of the tunnels. Withdrawing Poliwrath to it's ball, he quickly brought out Ariados. "Quick, we need to get to the bottom of this cavern, and chase that pokemon" Crash said. With practised ease, Ariados attatched a piece of webbing to a pillar on their side of the cavern, and sent another flying through the air to the other side. Picking Crash up in two of it's forelegs, it ran across the thin strand of webbing to the center of the cavern. Attaching a second piece of webbing to the first, it began to abseil down, unspooling webbing gradually. After a few minutes they were at the bottom, and Ariados cut the line, sprinting off after Crash, who was already halfway to the tunnel entrance. Just as Crash felt that he was reaching the limit of his endurance, the tunnel he was racing through opened into a small cave. At one end stood the giant dog, not flaming now, but fiercesome enough. It howled, and leapt forward, charging at Crash. Fortunately he leapt to the side as a ball of flame sizzled through the air where he had just been standing. With a grunt he threw a pokeball at the pokemon's side, as it's charge carried it into the tunnel. The red glow spread outwards, and the all at once the pokemon was captured. Crash stayed lying on the ground, breathing heavily from his exertions. "Congratulations" piped Crash's pokedex "You Have Just Captured Entei. This legenday fire pokem..." It stopped halfway through, as Crash pressed the 'Skip' button. "Damn, which I'd discovered that one before" he chuckled.[/size]

[size=1]Many made reference to it later off the forums? I'd love it if they could step forward and explain it to me then. How can an internet forum [b]not[/b] be free and open? You can restrict it to members only sending sign-up applications to people that they have met in person, and trust. And then you'll know the people who are at a forum, but aside from that [i]a person on the internet can tell you anything[/i]. For all you know I could be an eight year old spoilt brat, or a fourty year old pervert. Or I could be neither. When you come onto the internet, what you do in real life is unimportant. All that matters is your brain. Your personality, your thoughts, your ideas. There is no need for anyone to bow down to anyone else on the internet. I have met people on here who, though many years older than me, are much 'worse' members. Take online gaming for example. The guy who just flamed you, when he stepped in front of your vehicle, could well be a rich and successful lawyer. If you met this person in real life, then you'd respect them because of their background. But the internet is the ultimate equaliser, because you know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you. I'm not saying that the anonymity of the internet is an excuse for people who flame and abuse others. I'm saying that for any reason other than appreciation and respect of personality and ideas, there is no cause for anything more than basic politeness and courtesy on an internet forum. Which is hard enough to get people to do, lol. That is the thing that you're not getting. You see no distinction between a gathering in real life, and an internet forum, where there is all the difference in the world. What is the best way to simulate an internet forum.... turn off the lights, and put you in a room with people whom you know nothing about. Who have voice filters on, so that they all sound the same. Then, the only way that they deserve anything more than common courtesy is by [i]proving themselves[/i], through what they say, and how they say it. Phrasing it as 'this is an internet forum' is exactly what I meant, exactly what I still do mean, and exactly [b]what it is[/b]. And the thing is, not everybody on here is mature. You know why? This is an [i]anime[/i] site, whose principle target audience is [i]teenagers[/i]. Who, as you so wilfully put it, generally 'aren't mature'. And as for 'tight, proper moderation' to work, if I didn't enjoy and appreciate the high standards set by OB, I'd be at one of those other, numerous, internet 'forums'. Free and open has nothing to do with spammy and uncontrolled, to my mind. Maybe you're confused- I am 100% behind the censor. The original point has been addressed, and now the thread is changing direction [as they are wont to do] so, unless any of the mods see a problem with it, I think this is a good discussion to have in the open.[/size]

[size=1]A general [humorous, and blanket] assumption: 1-8: No swearing. 8-20: Medium to excessive swearing. 20-35: Appropriate swearing. 35+: Comfortability with little to no swearing. The real maturirty.[/size]

[size=1]Crash brushed himself off, and smirked at the back of Shadow's head. He was now chasing off some Umbreon or something into the dark. The guy was fucking obsessed! At least it was another pokemon for the team though. Lara's earlier confidence had kind of worried Crash. But he was confident that individually, at least, he was winning. He'd captured heaps! He set off in the opposite direction to Shadow. No use them hogging all the other guy's catches after all. He walked through the low scrub that dotted this part of the Safari Zone, but saw nothing to capture. He heard plenty, but couldn't see so well in the dark. Which was a bit of a problem. Maybe he had a pokemon which could help him.... remembering Suicune's ethereal blue glow, he pulled Suicune's pokeball out and released it. With a cry it burst forth, it's blue glow lighting up the surrounding land for an instant, before settling down. It turned to him questioningly. "Can you get me out of this lousy spot, and to where I can find some actual pokemon? This place really shuts down at night, and I can barely see a thing. Any suggestions?" With another cry, it prepared to leap forth, and once again Crash found himself racing through the plains on Suicune's back. It was the oddest experience, much like riding a rollercoaster in pitch black. He could see nothing any more than a few metres away, and that flashed by far too quickly to discern. Crash hoped that Suicune had a destination in mind. Almost as if in response to this latest thought, Suicune came to a sharp halt. Crash stared around. The landscape was lit by a dim red glow, emerging from cracks in the ground. It appeared to be a barren, stunted landscape devoide of life. "Good one" said Crash "there is S.F.A here." Suicune just ignored him, and trotted forward a few paces, before letting out a loud howl. Crash saw motion at one of the cracks, and then, with a roar, a dark shape burst forth. It was on fire, and roared ferociously. It batted a large paw at Suicune, who contemptuously ducked underneath, before leaping to the side. Now the creature's back was half-turned away from Crash, and he began to slip silently towards it. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a pokeball. He was sweating profusely from the temperature, and his grip on the ball was tenuous. He couldn't even get close enough to tap it on the pokemon, such was the heat generated by it's blazing fur. So, Crash did the next best thing. Calling forth all his experience at the Cortex Bowling League, he rolled the ball along the ground, and straight into the creature's foot. It turned, with a roar, which was cut off halfway through as it was absorbed into the pokeball. "Congratulations" chirped Crash's pokedex "You Have Just Captured A Typhlosion. If this fire pokemon's rage peaks, it becomes so hot that anything that touches it will instantly go up in flames." Crash grinned. Now, [i]this[/i] was another impressive addition to his collection. He began to do his signature victory dance, with Suicune watching amusedly, when a deafening roar echoed thrughout the barren valley. High on a hill, at a cave mouth, was a magnificent figure, silhouetted against harsh flames which rose from the cave behind it. With another roar it turned and ran through the flames, disappearing from sight. It had looked like a large dog of some sort. "Friend of yours?" Crash asked Suicune, half-jokingly. Suicune just looked back knowingly. *** OOC: Claim Entei[/size]

[size=1][quote name='persocomblues']Ah, equality! The beautiful, fair, and equal argument brought up... I'll try to remember this for all time. Unfortunately I think you'll completely agree when I say that a lot of young people tend to be more inexperienced and therefore thoughtless to rules than older people? It was merely a generalization, I said it then, and if I didn't I'm saying it now. Generalizations aren't bad so long as something useful can be derived from them... it should be considered, that's all. If I really felt so strongly about ages do you really think I'd be here to begin with? I could care less.[/quote]I'm sorry to say, but I have no idea where this is coming from. The beautiful, fair and equal argument? To me, it sounds like you were reading somebody else's post, lol. Please explain. [quote name='persocomblues']What you would call equal I'd probably call outrageous and unfair if your forum ideology extends out to other areas of the internet. There are certain considerations and exceptions which always need to be taken under advisement.[/quote]What exactly is my forum idealogy? And how would this forum idealogy of mine be outrageous and unfair if applied to othr sections of the internet? Forum-wise, OB is at the forefront of [i]large, yet quality[/i] forums. So, that wouldn't be a problem. Blogging? Nope, not seeing a problem there either. So, once again, please expand on your points as I am at a bit of a loss :p[/size]

[size=1]Decorum in addressing one's elders? This is an [i]internet forum[/i]. You should have basic respect and courtesy when posting, but it make no difference to me whether I'm abusing an eight year old school-kid, or a thirty year old teacher, for making a stupid post. The censor is in place merely because there will be people who are wont to abuse language, and flame others. Tendency to do this has little to do with their age I find. If you find something personally 'wrong' with censorship, then I'm afraid that's too bad. If people didn't swear, then you wouldn't even know that OB had a censor :p As Asphy said, the ratings are not there as a restriction of any kind, rather they're there so that people who would rather not be exposed to language, or violence, or sexual writing can avoid these things. It's out of our hands as to who participates in what. This is the internet, we know nothing about the person on the other end. It's a self-regulation thing, mainly. If you don't want to read a mature thread, or think you might feel badly about it, then you don't read it. To sum: No lines are drawn by anybody who runs this forum. And there need not be. And persocomblues, from your post 'Thought Police' is an apt title ~_^[/size]

[size=1]Err, which one should we be responding to? There was already another picture posted, lol.[/size]

[size=1]I wondered if HP was going to be something along the lines of humans as wannabe Legionnaires, but I never imagined this :p *** [B]Code Name / Call Sign[/B]: Terminator / Fedorov [B]Gender (If Applicable)[/B]: Male [B]Location[/B]: Expatriated from Russia in 1989. Now a resident of Gatorville, Florida. [B]Age[/B]: 42 [B]Personal Appearance (Images are acceptable)[/B]: [url=http://www.emediawire.com/prfiles/2004/09/15/158672/ABF0048.jpg]Here[/url]., [I]sans[/I] excessive tanning. I warn that this image may be entirely disturbing. [B]Personality/Behavior[/B]: He speaks only limited English, and rarely expresses emotions. He loves vodka and weaponry, and beyond that not much is known about him. [B]Personal History[/B]: Born Alexander Fedorov, he was an up and coming professional bodybuilder who made his breakthrough appearance winning the 1986 European Championships. Prior to becoming an absolute European champion, Fedorov placed first in the category of men over 80 kilograms (176 lb.) in the 1979 Junior World Championships, won the junior division of the 1982 German Open Championship and was victorious in numerous Russian bodybuilding contests. Despite a serious pectoral tear in September 1986, Fedorov competed in the Grand Prix of Russia on November 5, 1986. Several weeks later he was signed to Universal Nutrition, a large supplement company. Yet over the next two years they phased out their supplement production, transferring into other medicinal fields. This left Alexander without a sponsor, and with bodybuilding interest dying down, without a profession. So, it was late one night, when he had had a few too many vodkas and he saw a news article on the TV, where a superhero picked up a bus full of terrorists and hostages. The terrorists were so afraid that they immediately released all of the hostages. Without any further consideration he packed a suitcase full of clothes and boarded a plane for America, determined to become one of these Legionnaires. Unfortunately, when he reached America he found out several things. The first being that speaking only limited English restricted his actions. The second being that the Legionnaires weren't really a a group you submitted a resumè to. The third was that he had no hope of joining, and was too poor to fly back to Russia. And too proud. So, he sought out one of the numerous unofficial vigilante groups. [B]Special Skills or Abilities (If any)[/B]: Can intimidate, and shoot reasonably accurate. Useful for getting into locked doors, not so useful in small places. Without any special powers, he is more of a liability than anything, but the Hero Patrol needs everyone they can get, and whilst his strength can't match that of the legendary Arachnid of the Legionnaires, he can be useful anyway.[/size]

[size=1]Crash was walking back down the lightly forested slopes of the mountain [turns out that the eastern approach was much gentler than the northern one], when something hit him in the back of the head. He fell forward, catching himself on his elbows. He quickly rolled over, pokeball in hand, but there was nothing to be seen. Rubbing the sore spot on his head, Crash began to scout around for whatever it might have been that attacked him. He snuck behind trees, and was as stealthy as possible yet he saw nothing. He shrugged in disappointment, and continued walking down the mountain. Around the same spot where he had been accosted by some invisible opponent, he stubbed his toe on a pinecone. With a howl of rage he bent down and picked it up, preparing to hurl it into the nearest fire, or cliff, or pool of acid. None were forthcoming, but that was all hypothetical, because at that moment it growled. Crash dropped it in shock and took a step backwards. It rolled towards him and growled once more, seeming to glare at him with little spaces which if you looked just right appeared to be... eyes. Wait, they were! All of a sudden, it was as if it came into focus, and Crash found himself staring at a small pokemon which looked entirely similar to a pinecone. It growled once more, and a shower of woodchips were flung outwards. Crash wrapped himself into a ball, wincing as the occasional woodchip hit him, or stuck into his flesh. With much groaning and uncertainty he uncurled, looking around for the evil pokemon which had attacked him. There it was lying just in front of him, not paying any attention. Crash reached out with his pokeball and tapped it on the pokemon. A flash of red, and it had disappeared. "Congratulations. You Have Just Captured A Pineco. This pokemon hangs and waits for flying insect prey to come near. It does not move about much on its own." came the stoic announcement from Crash's pokedex. Sighing, Crash ruefully rubbed the back of his head "Not move much my arse" he muttered.[/size]

[size=1]The Mob have nothing on these guys...[/size]

[size=1]Crash withdrew the pokeball containing Feraligator, and looked at it thoughtfully, before returning it to his jacket pocket. Not that one... but perhaps...? Crash withdrew a different pokeball. Holding it out in his hand, he pressed the white button, and in a blast of red light Suicune appeared. Crash was unsure about asking this majestic pokemon to allow him to ride it, but no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he found himself mounted and racing off towards the distant mountain. 'He must be psychic or something' Crash thought, and immediately Suicune let out a long howl, putting on a further burst of speed. It wasn't long before the swift pokemon drew to a stop on the lower foothills of the mountain. Crash looked behind him. The distant forest was just a smudge on the horizon. It would have taken him many hours to walk that far, perhaps a whole day even. It was then that Crash realised that he hadn't actually 'caught' Suicune. If it had wanted to get away he would never have seen it after the initial encounter. "Thankyou" he said, and Suicune gravely bowed. He returned it to it's pokeball and began the long hike up the mountain. Obviously this was important, otherwise he felt sure that Suicune wouldn't have just halted for no apparent reason. Crash struggled up the steep sides of the mountain. Often he was forced to backtrack, due to a scree fall, or an un-climbable cliff. It took him three hours of hard labouring to reach the spot roughly two-thirds of the way up the mountain where he figured the black speck had landed. There was a large grassy plateau, and against the mountain cliffs which surrounded it on three of the four sides [the other side being open, and here Crash had climbed up the mountain], was a large cave mouth. Crash approached it stealthily, for surely this was where the creature he had glimpsed from afar resided. As he drew closer to the mouth of the cave he felt warm breezes emanating from the cave, as converse to the cool damp air he would have expected. Swallowing nervously, and grabbing two pokeballs from his jacket, Crash snuck into the cave. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and Crash managed to keep a reign on his fear. He came out of the tunnel and into a large hollowed out cavern. In the center, perched regally upon a long slab of rock, was a magnificent golden bird. It appaeared to be asleep, but as Crash got within throwing distance, both of the creatures golden eyes burst open, and pierced Crash, rooting him to the spot. It spread it's wing, and flapped them wildy. "Ho-oh!" it screeched, and a blinding blast of rainbow light came forth. Suddenly Crash could move again, and he desperately threw both pokeballs in the direction where the pokemon had been before. As he blinked his eyes wildly, trying to make the spots disappear, Crash heard the now familiar sound of a capture, which was confirmed when his pokedex announced the capture of 'Ho-oh'. As Crash walked over to get the two pokeballs he had thrown [one now full], he felt a chill in his bones. No sooner had he retrieved the balls from where they had fallen on the rock slab, then it iced over. As Crash watched, icicles began to form from the ceiling, and spread out from the slab. Crash ran for the entrance, frantically stuffing the balls into his pocket, racing to keep ahead of the ice sheet. He burst out onto the grassy plateau, and turned to watch as the tunnel he had just come from was filled with ice. It came no further than the cave mouth, indeed it ended suddenly as a perfectly flat wall. Crash gulped nervously. That had been too close.[/size]

[size=1]Crash clambered down from the tree, and set off through the forest again. He didn't see hide nor hair of any pokemon whilst he was walking, and eventually it began to rain. A fairly light drizzle, but miserable enough to walk in anyway. After perhaps twenty minutes of trudging through the forest Crash emerged into yet another field. 'It might be large, but the terrain is fairly monotonous' Crash thought to himself. He was about to start walking along the edge of the forest towards a large solitary mountain that was some distance away, when a sudden sparking captured his attention. Approaching cautiously, he found a very wet and miserable looking sheep trying to shelter underneath a small bush. As Crash reached out to pet it, a flurry of sparks burst out, and Crash quickly withdrew his hand. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a pokeball. As he prepared to throw it, the sheep ran around to the other side of the bush. "Oi, come back here!" Crash called, running around to the other side of the bush. It wasn't there. He heard a quiet "Baaa" from the other side of the bush, and ran back around, just in time to see the tip of the sheep's bulbous tail disappearing from sight. He began to chase it around the bush, but after five laps he gave up. "This is ridiculous.... it's a bloody sheep!" Crash muttered. With a yell he leapt straight over the bush, throwing his pokeball at the surprised sheep pokemon. A red glow enveloped it, and it disappeared. "Congratulations." Announced his pokedex "You Have Just Captured A Flaaffy. As a result of storing too much electricity,this sheep pokemon develops patches where even downy wool won't grow." At almost that exact same instant the drizzle stopped, and the clouds began to disperse. As Crash looked up at the welcome sun, a rainbow began to form. Crash squinted struggling to make out something which bothered him.... the rainbow was forming behind something, a small speck high up in the sky. It arced downwards, towards the mountain, and that was where the rainbow ended. Crash was mystified. He had to check this out. *** OOC: Claim Ho-oh for next post.[/size]

[size=1]Crash grinned rufeully at Laura as she helped him to his feet. It was good to see her again, if slightly awkward due to the fact that they were now in competition. He briefly considered getting Ariados to web her up, if for nothing but a laugh. But she was not only a former teammate, but a friend. And it wasn't fair, she could have left him there anyway. "What are you smiling about?" Laura asked him. Crash just shrugged it off with a grin. "Nothing" he said. The two of them walked through the forest for some time, talking about their new teams and the antics of their team-mates, as well as prior challenges, and how they were doing in this one. It was good to catch up with her, and a pleasant detour from the challenge. "Alas" she said "all good things come to an end, and so will this conversation because I have to go and catch myself some pokemon, so I can beat you". She grinned cheekily and playfully shoved him. "Hey, if you wanna delude yourself, it's no fur off my back. You know that you're going down" Crash returned. With a mock serious salute, Laura turned and disappeared into the forest eaves. Crash sighed and glanced around, looking for the next capture. He wandered off in the opposite direction to Laura, and as he walked further on he figured his route must have been the best. The forest was getting more and more beautiful with each step he took. He swore that he saw the flowers just sprouting out of the ground up ahead of him, and such beautiful and colourful flowers he had never seen. The air smelled pure, clean and fresh. The trees were even.... nicer, somehow. It was damn near magical. And then Crash watched in amazement, as right next to his foot, a flower burst from the ground, uncurling and rapidly growing, so that many days of growth were accomplished in mere seconds. This wasn't natural. And probably nothing to do with fertile soil either. Crash glanced over his shoulder, and scanned the forest. This was obviously the work of a pokemon. As Crash turned back, for the second time that day he found himself face to face with a pokemon. Nose to nose, even. With a wild shriek and much giggling the pokemon [again!] shot up into the air, seeking the cover of the trees. Crash grinned. Whatever this pokemon was, it was as if it was innocent and childish. It's merry laugh echoed throughout the trees. However, these trees were taller than the pines, and had no branches low enough down that Crash could hope to reach. Crash pondered his predicament, but the answer came easily enough to him. Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew Ariados' ball, and with a flash of red light the large spider pokemon stood before him. "I need to get up into that tree. Can you help me get up there?" The Ariados almost seemed to pause, as if in contemplation, before nodding. Crash hopped onto it's back, and awkwardly seated himself just beind it's head, holding onto it's spike with one hand, whilst he gripped a pokeball tightly in the other. The Ariados began climbing the tree, crawling higher and higher. "Uh, this isn't the right tree" Crash said, but the pokemon ignored him. And then it dawned on Crash. "Oh no..." he muttered, but it was too late. The Ariados pulled itself closer to the trunk, and then pushed off, flying through the air towards the tree where the mysterious pokemon had taken refuge. It made the distance, but began to slip from the unaccustomed weight on it's back. Crash quickly let go, and grabbed ahold of a branch, pulling himself safely onto it. With the impediment removed, the Ariados grabbed a firmer hold of the tree, and stopped sliding down. With a flash of red light Crash returned it to it's pokeball. A tiny giggle came from somewhere nearby, and a small pale green head poked out from around the trunk. Wide blue eyes gazed into his, and in their reflection a pokeball grew larger and larger.... "Zzzsscshrt". And it was his. "Congratulations." came the obligatory spiel from the pokedex "You Have Just Captured Celebi. This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared." Wanders across time? Crash thought to himself. He struggled internally for a moment, but then decided against it. That would be unfair. And who knows if it could be done anyway.[/size]

[size=1]At least I lost to the winner :p I think of the two pieces, that Kitty's was the most dangerous piece to attempt to make. Although she did a good job of it, it was the first use of anime in the entire competition, and not the best place to begin taking such risks, lol. There was always the chance that the change would kind of throw people a bit, so it was something of a risk. Congratulations to both of you.[/size]

[QUOTE=Charles]When I saw this thread, without clicking I immediately hoped to continue my tradition of chiming in and saying "die" for not mentioning me. So, gleefully I entered this discussion that I normally would not have. But, this time you (kind of) did mention me so that leaves me at a loss as to how I should proceed. Oh wait, you didn't take the time to write nice things about me and instead decided to cast me aside with the likes of Shinmaru, Raiha, and Heaven's Cloud, so--DIE! There. I'm happy. Thanks. Anyway, I want to make my post original. So, I'll say that I would like to meet James because he "seems really cool."[/QUOTE] [size=1]Damn, why oh why do I not learn? Always appropriately honour Charles... damnit. [b]Charles[/b]: He is incredibly awesome and one of the funniest people at OB. If not the whole world. He is the introducer of the 'Bunny Pancake' image, and numerous other amusing pictures, which serve to enlighten us poor drones in the quickest and most forthright manner possible. He is the sun that lights my way, and the moon that I romance. James should resign, and make Charles the boss of OB. And Adam should start to work for him. All of these wonderful things coalesce into the great man that we know and love - Charles. And this is why it is my life's ultimate wish to meet him in person.[/size]

[size=1][b]Alan[/b]: My web-site hoster and a fellow Australian, no less! We've been pretty solid friends [I think =P] for a fair while now, and I think we'd get along pretty good if we actually met in person. [b]Corey/Gavin[/b]: I secretly think they're the same person. But I once again, I cling onto the Black Horizon crew. It was a great amount of fun RPing with them, and I view both of them as intelligent and interesting people. It'd be interesting to meet them at any rate. [b]Annie[/b]: Another BHer, and someone who I hold a fair amount of respect for. What a muffin. [b]Shy[/b]: The Grand Joshness, heh. Where would we be without our Shyguy? [b]Sakura[/b]: West Australian, and technically, I came really close to meeting her, so yeah. It'd just be cool to catch up with another WAer, the only other one that I know of is Rain, who has left, I believe. [b]Doc[/b]: Makes me better :p [b]Tony[/b]: He rocks, seriously. He was the main cause of me actually broadening my music tastes, and whilst we don't listen to incredibly similar stuff anymore, I still respect him for that. He seems like a really good guy who lacks a lot of the ******** that other people sometimes have, so it'd be a pleasure to meet him. [b]James[/b]: Whom, whilst I'm sure has no particular wish to meet me, would be an honour to meet. If only so I could take photos of him, and spread them across the 'Net.... just kidding Jamesy =P [B]Azurewolf[/B]: Is a great guy from what I know of him, and would be a lot of fun. Maybe. It'd either be great or terrible, but I'm willing to bet it'd be great. [b]Shinji[/b]: Just because I want to test out his NZ accent. "Fush an Chups mate", lol. Also, he needs re-educating about the Wallabies vs the All-Blacks. To sum all the others I don't have the time to write about: Boo, Charles, Danethol, DDG, DeathKnight, HC, liamc2, Mitch, Raiha, Sany, Shinmaru, Solo. I'd write about you guys, but I am running out of good things to say. No, really I am. Love you all :p[/size]

[size=1]Crash backed away, heading further out onto the branch as the large red spider advanced menacingly towards him. He was terribly conscious of the increased spring in the branch the further out he got, but had had no choice. What did he have that could save him now? Experience, that's what. He quickly ripped a pine-cone from a branch hanging near his head, and threw it at the spider. It chittered, and leapt forward, to the spot where he had been mere moments before. But Crash had already dropped down, landing on the branch several metres underneath. He ran back towards the trunk, and continued to climb down the tree, only seconds ahead of the enraged Ariados. Unfortunately, Crash slipped on loose bark, and with a shrill yelp of surprise he fell through the air, clawing for a handhold of any sort. None came to hand. He hit the ground, a fall of perhaps ten metres, and lay there unmoving. With a near silent rustle he heard the giant spider land in front of him, and approach. As he felt a soft touch on the backs of his legs he rolled over, and reached out with a pokeball on his fist. A red glow enveloped the Ariados, and it was sucked into the pokeball. And as Crash went to stand up, he realised that the single 'soft touch' on the backs of his legs had been the Ariados tying him up with it's silk. He was almost completely covered up to his waist. He lay back down on the ground. "Help!?! Anyone?!?"[/size]

[size=1]I'd like to congratulate Epsilon on winning the competition. Top effort. Of all the pieces submitted here, my favourites were your winner, and Hittokiri Zero's submission. Once again, great work ^_^;[/size]

[size=1]Crash had just turned around to head back towards the field he had come from, when something moved in the corner of his eye. Turning around, he saw nothing in the depressingly silent forest. He shrugged it off as the playing of his imagination, but as he resumed his walk towards the field, he once again caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Spinning with lightning speed and reflexes, he saw what appeared to be a green bug thing disappearing behind a tree. Pokeball in hand, Crash crept silently towards the tree trunk. Jumping around the tree, he yelled triumphantly, and threw his pokeball at the pokemon which was frozen with fear... Crash blinked dumbly as he realised he had just thrown his pokeball at a pinecone. Where the hell had the creature he had seen scuttling behind the tree gone? He bent over to grab his pokeball, but as he stood back up, he felt a soft breeze on the back of his neck. Turning around slowly, he came face to face with a horrible green and black monster head! Crash yelped, and the head disappeared into the branches of the tree, whizzing up like it was on a fishing line. Crash's heart was hammering in his chest as he resolutely dug his fingers into the narrow cevices of the pine tree. With a strong leap he pushed upwards, and grabbed hold of the lowest branch on the tree, which was still a good five metres form the ground. Pulling himself up, he continued to leap higher and higher into the tree, his right hand never straying too far from the pocket of his jacket, where he had two or three balls ready for fast release. Around halfway up the tree, Crash came upon the terrible 'monster head' he had seen on the ground. It was no monster, but the markings on the back of a small green spider creature. Small being a relative term, the creature being larger than Crash's foot, but certainly not as scary as Crash had feared. It scuttled warily closer, and Crash slowly reached into his pocket, withdrawing a pokeball. Without so much as daring to breathe he crouched slowly down, and extended his hand with the pokeball in it. As the creature came closer and closer, Crash dared a quiet breath. The red glow covered the pokemon, and it was sucked into the ball. "Congratulations" intoned his pokedex, "You Have Just Captured A Spinarak. This spider pokemon spins a web using fine, but durable, thread. It then waits patiently for prey to be trapped. It's evolved form is Ariados, a much larger and more aggressive pokemon." Crash wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Thankfully he hadn't come across this Ariados thing! His relieved grin disappeared as behind him a soft rustling was heard. *** OOC: Claim Ariados for next post.[/size]

[size=1]Crash headed towards yet another forested area which bordered the field he had captured Suicune in. The trees here were much more spread out, and there was little to no ground cover. Indeed, there forest floor was bereft of bushes or saplings. There were a few straggly bushes, but they weren't looking too healthy. In fact, it definitely looked as though they'd been half-eaten, before the eater decided that they weren't really all that nice. 'At least the creature is probably a herbivore', Crash thought. Hoped. Whatever. Just then, a loud echoing roar echoed throughout the forest. Crash spun around, but couldn't see anything anywhere. There was nothing to see, unless it was hiding behind that small hill further in there, which was the only feature in this empty forest. The roar came again, but Crash choked down his worries, and with a pokeball in each white-knuckled fist, he crept bravely towards the hill. The roar came for a third time, and it was then that Crash realised that there was a pattern of sorts.... like it wasn't actually roaring so much as.... snoring? It wasn't until Crash got closer to the hill, which was dim and difficult to make out in the darkness of the forest, that he realised it wasn't a hill. More of a.... pokemon. A big one, whose snores sent vibrations throughout the entire forest. Creeping around to it's front, Crash returned one of the pokeballs to his jacket, and flipped open his Pokedex. "Snorlax: This pokemon is very lazy, just eating and sleeping. As its rotund bulk builds, it becomes steadily more slothful." At the loud voice of the Pokedex, the Snorlax opened one massive eye. "Snor... lax" it grunted with some difficulty, before rolling over the other way. Crash fell to the ground, unbalanced by the shaking. Getting back to his feet, he walked up to the back of the sleeping pokemon, and held the ball against it. The red glow was slower to spread, but with another slurping noise, Crash was onto his eighth pokemon. "Congratulations." intoned his pokedex, preparing to repeat the description it had given earlier. "Oh, shut up" said Crash, stuffing it into the depths of his jacket pocket.[/size]

[size=1]Crash heard a strange sound as he passed the branching corridor of the Unown temple. Walking a ways down the corridor, he put his ear to a small gap in the rockfall. Beyond it, he could hear the sound of flowing water. However, try as he might, Crash could not get the boulders blocking the passageway to move an inch. Or even a quarter of an inch. Cash groaned in frustration. Surely he must be able to get out of the temple this way, rather than struggling back up through the underground burrow. And then he remembered the Pokemon that he had already caught... perhaps, somehow, he could use one of them to aid him in his escape. He pulled out his Pokedex, and pointed it at each of six the pokeballs he had filled. Unown, Sentret, Feraligator, Poliwrath, Metapod, Weedle. Which one was most likely to get him out of here? Crash settled on Feraligator. It was strong enough to shift the rockfall, and could probably swim well enough to aid Crash in getting out of the river and back onto dry land. Crash was a hopeless swimmer. Give him flippers and a scuba tank and he was fine... but un-aided he would surely drown. He picked up the ball containg Feraligator, but adrenaline coursed through his veins as he prepared to recapture the creature if it turned on him, as he somehow felt it would. Crash depressed the button on the pokeball, and in the reverse of the capture process, a beam of red light emerged, and with it, Feraligator. The big reptilian glared at him, impatiently, but made no move to attack. In a low, quiet voice Crash asked it to break through the rockfall so that they could continue down the passageway. With an almost contempful ease, the pokemon swung it's massive tail, pushing the larger boulders out of the way, but disintegrating smaller ones. Crash gestured fo the Feraligator to move through the new opening first, and he followed it warily. The passageway continued for a short distance before ending in a large underground cave. Through it flowed an underground river, but it's entrance and exit was hidden from view, presumably through tunnels underwater. The reptilian Feraligator growled softly, and as if in response, a light blue glow emanated from a small grotto further along the cave. Crash walked softly towards the grotto, but stopped as a large blue dog-like creature emerged. It gazed at him intently, and then without further pause it leapt forward, diving elegantly into the river and out of sight, the blue glow fading with it. Crash leapt onto Feraligator's back, and cried "Follow that pokemon!" With a fearsome roar, Feraligator leapt into the river, and with strong, powerful strokes shot down the underground tunnel after the speedy pokemon. No more than ten seconds had passed when the tunnel abruptly ended, and Feraligator flew onto a sandy shore in pursuit of the fleeing dog pokemon. Almost from nowhere a chill wind came up, causing the already soaking Crash to shiver, yet he held on tightly as his mount bounded into the forest, gnashing it's teeth and roaring fiercely. What followed was one of the strangest rides of Crash's entire life. He had ridden polar bears through Arctic gorges, and gone back in time to ride a tiger along the Great Wall of China, yet he had never experienced anything like this. For perhaps half an hour he clung grimly to the back of Feraligator, seaching ahead for his elusive quarry, the only hint that they were on the right trial being a faintly familiar smell in the air, a smell of fresh breezes on a sunny afternoon. The woods eventually ended, and they were on a plain. Up ahead of them, none too far, was the dog pokemon they had been chasing. It's pace was slowing, but gave no indication aside from that that it was tired. Eventually, it came to a sudden stop, and turned, drawing itself up regally to confront it's pursuers. Feraligator came to a stop perhaps ten metres in front of it. Crash dismounted, and moved forward, pokeball in hand, way of any suden tricks or attacks. But the closer he got the harder he found it to move, as the wind which was battering his face increased in strength. He took a step backwards, and it abated. Kneeling down on one knee, he extended the pokeball in supplication. "Please, I am on a quest and have been sent to capture you. If my team fails I do not know what will happen to us. Those who fail disappear, and we know no more of them. I beseech you to help me by allowing me to capture you. I do not believe it to be permanent in nature, and you will soon be free to once more run the plains of this land." A gentle, yet warm, breeze blew in his face, and as Crash raied his head and opened his eyes he found himself mere inches from the stern visage of the pokemon. It stepped back, and as Crash extended his pokeball, disappeared in a flahs of red light. From his jacket his pokedex once more rumbled, and congratulated him on yet another capture. "Congratulations. You Have Just Captured Suicune. This legendary pokemon is said to be the reincarnation of north winds, it can instantly purify filthy, murky water. It is one of the three legendary dog pokemon." Crash, still damp, smiled softly to himself. A warm breeze blew from the north, and as he recalled Feraligator to it's ball, Crash felt contented, and more determined than ever.[/size]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']*skims the posts so far* ... Baron, you have way too much time on your hands. :p[/color][/quote] [size=1]School holidays, what can I say? Anyway, it's not as if I spend [b]all[/b] day on here. Just enough of it, lol. [b]Edit[/b]: A note regarding claiming - I only do it when I have set the stage for the showdown with the next pokemon, and I try to avoid doing it often. Obviously claiming doesn't mean anything as such in the context of the game, but it'd be polite if people respected the claims, especially when doing otherwise could screw with what people have already written. If you do begin to set up the next scene in the post beforehand I strongly advise issuing a claim at the bottom of the post.[/size]