Xander Harris

Well, I've had some cool ideas for stories and novels lately... I need some creative writing practice to get me jumpstarted. Therefore, I've decided to try my hand at making an rpg here again... Qualifications: You must have posted in an adventure thread here before. You must have decent spelling and grammer. You must be older than 14 Story: Since the dawn of time, humanity has warred within itself. Humans continued to more effective ways of killing other humans. In the year 2008, someone finally got it right. The human race was obliterated in nuclear fire, and life can no longer exist on terra firma. Colonists on the moon watched the events of the Third World War unfold with dread. The colony was not yet self-sufficient, and depended upon the earth for vital food and medicine. They have small hydroponics gardens to provide some food, and machines that create oxygen from minerals found in moon rocks. Without support from Earth, perhaps half the colonists could be supported for a few more years before resources ran out. The chief technocrats struggle to try and find ways to create enough food, water and medicine to sustain the colonists, but in the meantime the people are growing hungry. Tensions are high. Riots break out in the streets of the Lunar colony. Some people advocate the elimination of others in order to increase their own chance for survival. There is one hope, the Technocrats tell the people: Project Neolith. An experimental spacecraft capable of travelling through hyperspace. If an inhabitable world could be found by the crew of this small vessel, perhaps the last remnants of the human race could be relocated there. There's only one problem: The vessel isn't finished yet. Some think that those working on the Neolith Project have humanities best interests at heart. Others think the Technocrats intend to steal the spacecraft and save themselves, leaving the rest of their fellow humans to die. Some have that plan themselves. Still others think the Project is a waste of time, and that the resources could be better spent otherwise. What are the Technocrats truly planning to do with the Project that so many resources have been allocated to? Meanwhile, strange, hostile alien beings known only as The Triocs, have arrived in the Sol system to investigate the cataclysm that destroyed the Earth... so that they can recreate their own doomsday weapon! And they have just discovered the Luna colony.... Sign ups: Name: Appearance/clothing: Age: Gender: Function within Colonist society: View on the Neolith Project: Skills, talents, abilities: Interesting Personality traits/quirks: Possessions: Background: Anything else you think we should know:

[QUOTE=Kane][SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well I've only seen a few trailers for the film and read a review in one of the daily papers, however it seems good and I'll probably go see it either tomorrow or Thursday. When I first saw the trailer in my local cinema I actually thought it was a kids movie but from what you guys are saying it actually sounds pretty alright. Honestly I don't think it would take much effort to out do the current run of Marvel Films though Spiderman 2 was actually really enjoyable. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] The great thing about most pixar films is that they aren't just for kids. (although I think 'Cars' will be... the preview looked like something only a five year old could love... blech) I liked the marvel films, but I just thought The Incredibles did a much better job of things. Plus, it's funny and has groundbreaking animation. Go see it.

Meh. I didn't think the movie or the music was all that great. It was an o.k. way to spend cheap movie night at our college, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for a movie about a bunch of celebrities pretending to be fish and telling us about how great it is to be poor. Right, Will Smith, right.

Just heard the song from this... I must know more. What is this Anime about? Is it any good? Where/when can I see it? Thanks!

[QUOTE=eternity][color=darkred][size=1] Right. Here we go. Rise I don't know if [b]Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex[/b] is obscure enough (methinks it's not). The song is, though. Anyways, it's a great song. If you don't like it, I suggest you go scouring for other Yoko Kanno compositions. Love and Peace! [/size][/color][/QUOTE] Dang. That is a sweet song. (goes to make thread inquiring about the anime that inspired such a cool song) I think I might use it as a finisher, though, instead of an opener. Any more suggestions?

What is your favorite Star Wars movie, and why? My favorite is The Empire Strikes back, because it is darker than the others and the Hoth battle is still fun to watch today. And the lightsaber with Luke and Vader is the best duel, IMHO.

Discovered this group recently on a CD mix I got cheap from Pamida.. Who here likes Candlebox, and what are their best songs?

So, who's seen The Incredibles? I thought it did a better job of being a 'Marvel movie' than most of the live action adaptations. I have no need to see the Fantastic Four movie now, The Incredibles dealt with all the themes and cool stuff that a good FF movie would have...

I'd have to put the Who, Aerosmith, and Gunds + Roses pretty high up there...

To have a successful relationship with a GF you need to do several thing... 1. Place gothic love poetry in her locker every day. Y'know, stuff like "Your lips cut my soul and my agony bleeds out upon the dark black rose of my existential angst..." 2. Mock her friends and family. Chicks dig a bad boy. 3. Drive REALLY, REALLY fast with alcohol on display, and when the cops pull you over, tell them she was helping you drive. That way you can spend a touching night in the slammer together. 4. Kiss her frequently in public, in between bouts of yelling "I love you so much I'd paint myself green for you!!!" at the top of your lungs. 5. Steal things from her, and refuse to give them back once you break up. 6. Make sure you forget everything you read here...

LOL!!! Deathbug, you rock my socks off... This thread was so darn funny. I'm a Freshman in college and I never kissed a girl or even had a regular girlfriend, for that matter. But if I were going to kiss a girl the first thing I'd do is try really hard to forget everything I read here... (swollow lots of her spit, suck on ice, kiss her head first, her HEAD!) yah, definately my first move would be to forget all of this, as entertaining as it was to read. The only thing hickeys seem to be good for is comedic value.

When the world ends, it will be because I have at long last convinced everyone to abandon it in favor of my paper-mache earth by offering them free T-shirts. I will rejoice in my newfound dominance over this sphere we call earth right before a meteor hits and eradicates all life, and the people on the paper-mache earth are the ones who survive... A cookie to whoever can tell me where I got that from...

[quote name='...']I don?t believe in Fate. I don?t believe that everyone?s future is determined before they can even make a decision. What?s the use of having free choice, if it?s all predestined anyway? Why do we even live if there is nothing we can do that isn?t already planned? Seems like a big waste of time to me. I think Fate was something people made up as an excuse for some pretty bad mistakes they have made or whatever. And as far as God hating people, that doesn?t fly with me either. God is responsible for all the life here on earth (of course this is my religious belief, so I know there will be those who disagree ;) ) If he *hated* someone, why would he give that person life in the first place? :laugh: Again, unfortunately, your story, like Xander said, is very common. Been there, done that. Love can be something great, or destructive. But what puzzles me, is that this was only a simple attraction? believe me, things can be a lot worse. So don?t worry about it. You?ll find that person someday. I do believe everyone sometime in their life finds the person that they could or may love for the rest of their life. You just need to be upfront, and ready for it. Because it can slip by pretty easily.[/quote] Ahhh. Free will. How I love to hear it spoken of, after that dreadful lecture in determinism I had in philosophy class the other day....

I'm looking for a good song for my new rpg campaign... I want it to be a Japanese song, since several members of the group would really like this, but it needs to be from an obscure enough anime that they won't recognize it. I'm looking for something fast and epic sounding. None of the plodding, easy listening six year old girl singing music that clutters up so many anime soundtracks. I'm looking for a real gem. Anyone want to help me out? (as well as hopefully provide a link to the MP3?)

True love has nothing to do with wether or not you get to date some cute guy at band camp. True love that lasts only works when two people make a commitment to each other, and do what is necessary to ensure that that love will last. True love doesn't happen over night. You can fall in love in an instant, but 'true love' is a work in progress. It takes work. If more people understood this, the divorce rate in this nation would be a heck of a lot lower than it is.

That would have to be 'bannana phone' [url]http://www.ebaumsworld.com/bananaphone.html[/url] edit: it has swear words and violence, so young children probably shouldn't watch it...

[QUOTE=Inari][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]You're right. (As I dig out my old notes.) I didn't fully explain Descartes. He did say that you exist because you can imagine yourself. He was talking about the possibility that you are the only person that exists, and that you imagine everyone else. He rules out this possibility by saying that because you can recognize your own faults, other people must exist. He also said that God exists because we can imagine him. With his theory in mind, do dragons exist? We are able to imagine them now, but this could be because we have been influenced by other historical/mythical accounts of dragons. Were the first people to write or speak about dragons imagining them or did they really exist? I disagree with Descartes on the thought that God exists because we can imagine him. There?s more to it than that. Believing in God is more of a leap of faith. His existence can neither be proved nor disproved. Just because we can think of things doesn?t mean that they are real. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] Yeah, like I said, Descartes is famous, but his arguements are full of holes. It's interesting that you should use a dragon in your example, since that's what we used in class too. That and a flying horse. I guess part of the arguement is that since he knows what imperfection is, then it follows that perfection exists, and since perfection exists God must exist. Another problem with the arguement is that Descartes already knew about the concept of God before he started his meditations. Would someone doing these meditations who had never had any religious idea given to him by another arive at the same conclusion? I personally believe that God exists in part because throughout the world in so many civillizations there are people who believe in a higher power (but that's an arguement/discussion for another time). However, not all of them believe that the higher power is the epitome of perfection. Far from it, some people imagine the gods to be little more than giant humans. So they could go through the same thought processes as Descartes and never arrive at the conclusion of an omniscient and omnipotent God existing. So, anyhow, we spent like a week studying the dude, and then one day ripping his theories to shreds. Fun. (Wow, I'm actually spending my free time discussing philosophy on the web... college must be getting into my bloodstream... ;) )

[QUOTE=Inari][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue] As far as philosophers go here are a few good (and not so good) ones that you missed, and a few random facts I can remember about them: Socrates- The gadfly! He said that everyone has an innate sense of justice. Descrtes- He said "I think therefore I am," and believed that just by thinking of something it made it real. COLOR][/QUOTE] Nice list, Inari! Very impressive! I would just like to say, though, that I just got out of philosophy class fifteen minutes ago, and we were talking about Descartes. He didn't believe that by thinking of something he made it real. That idea is sort of like phenomenalism, which is what he believes in the first meditation. In the first meditation he decides to doubt the existence of all reality, thinking himself to be in a dream or decieved by a powerful demon (ala the Matrix). He comes to the conclusion that one thing he can be certain of is that he exists. Hence "I think therefore I am". Throughout the next three meditations, he eventually builds off of that to a belief in the existence of God and the existence of the things around him. Reality is real, is the ultimate conclusion. He doesn't believe that whatever he thinks is made real. (Actually, there are a lot of holes in Descartes arguement, but I figured I'd just give the readers digest version :p ) I want to say that Socrates is also important because of the "Socratic Method" in which philosophy is accomplished by questioning. Most of his stuff (written down by Plato) is in the form of dialogues. This could be an interesting thread!

Well, if I was like Xander, I'd be dating an ex-vengeance demon, which is dangerous to your health ;) Actually, now that I think about it, I guess I do sort of share a few of his traits: a love of pop culture and a somewhat bizarre, sarcastic sense of humor. Other than that, no, I just pulled the name of the first fictional character that came to mind :-)

Glad to be of service :)

Yeah for people being mad at one another, it certainly keeps threads active... I go to edit in the rest of my earlier post, and when I'm done there are already five more posts! I agree with dposse and James. A president deserves respect simply because of the amount of work and personal sacrifice they have given for the country. I even respect Clinton as a president (even though he was slime-bag in his personal life), and as time goes on and history judges him, I gain more respect. There are probably a few presidents that were so horrible that we should be glad when they die, but by and large presidents are the ultimate civil servants, dealing with incredible pressure and strain upon their families in the hopes of leaving the country a little better than how they found it. Not that they are saints, or don't want to be pres. for selfish reasons as well, they are still human. Remember that you respect the office, not the man. This is something my grandfather says about his days in the navy. There was one officer who was a real jerk (the censor won't let me use a stronger word ;) ), and the sailors really didn't want to salute him. One of the other officers, who was nicer, explained to them that you don't salute him because he himself is a great person, rather you salute the rank. You salute the institution of the U.S. navy, and you salute his achievment in obtaining his rank. You salute the office, not the man. I think the same thing goes for the President. You salute freedom. You honor the Constitution. You honor the office of the president of the United States, not the man. For my thoughts on Reagan specifically, see my earlier post.

Alrighty then, since no one here seems to know a thing about Reagan's policies, here's the Reader's Digest version: When Reagan took office, Iranian terrorists had been holding American hostages, and Jimmy Carter had been unable to resolve the situation. He tried a military operation, but the helicopters crashed. Reagan had the hostages released within a few days of taking office. Reagan was the origionator of the tax-cut approach to the economy. Some say his policies worked, since the economy boomed in the eighties and then roared through the 90's, but others would say he ran up too big a deficit and the economic success can be attributed to other sources. Modern relevance: Reagan's economic policies were very similar to Bush's. Reagan believed in an ideological view of the world, and had strong religious faith. Modern relevance: Again, Bush follows in his footsteps. Reagan was 'the great communicator'. He was skilled in conversation and comprimise, and could get along with people on both sides of the aisle. He was one of those people who was just very likeable. His persistant dialogues with Gorbachev (the leader of Russia at the time) helped break down the iron curtain between the USSR and the U.S. Reagan believed in aggressive military spending, pitting the U.S's ability to produce weapons against Russia's ability to produce. Capitalism was put against Communism, and many would say that Reagan hastened the fall of the Soviet Union. They simply could not out-produce capitalism, and they collapsed. Reagan was commited to ending communism. The Iran-Contra affair involved the Reagan administration selling arms to Iran in order to fund the anti-communist contras in Nicaragua. That's the only thing really approaching a scandal in his admin. The cold war had been dragging on for decades, and Reagan was the man who finally put the pieces in motion for the fall of the Berlin wall. At long last, America no longer lived in fear of the Soviet powers. Modern Relevance: With the fall of the Soviet Union, communism is no longer the main threat to Western civillization. China is becoming more democratic. Our only seriously threatening communist opponent now is North Korea. Reagan was the one who created, in many ways, the modern Republican party. Tax cuts, defense spending, and the ideological philosophy all started with Reagan. He was the president who presided over the decline of the Soviet Union, and a period of time that was both one of the best and worst, economically. Reagan also worked to create a quality cabinet and administration, hiring smart and highly qualified people to run the government. A quote of Reagan's that a former speechwriter shared on the news yesterday really sticks in my mind: Reagan was flying over a town or city (I can't remember where), and he said (I might not have the quote perfectly right, but this is the gist of it) "look at all those homes, owned by free working Americans. This is what I have to show Gorbachev." And later on, he did take Gorbachev over that stretch of land, and explain to him the merits of capitalism and how much happier his people could be if they too could be working people that owned their own land. It really is a blessing to his family that he died, though. His quality of life was not good, due to his long struggle with Alzheimers. Even in that, however, he was beneficial to the country. He and his wife helped bring Alzheimers sufferers 'out of the closet', and much of the support we now have for them and their families, as well as a greatly increased public awareness and understanding of the disease, comes from the Reagans' inspiring example. That, in a nutshell, is who Reagan was, what his policies were, and why you should care. Hope that clears some things up for people.

Alright, as I assume you are fairly young, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Congrats on writing something and posting it for the whole world to see... I'm always glad to see someone doing creative writing in their spare time. That said, here's some hints to make better stories in the future: Describe the scene. What does the area the exchange take place in look like? Engage the senses. Perhaps give some of the characters thoughts, and some of their emotions. Describe any unusual events. 'A meteor hit him' would be fine for a humor piece, but for a serious piece, describe it more. Make it dramatic. Try to create a mood/atmosphere. Hope that helps you a little when you go to write your next story. Also, the best way to learn how to write is to read. Read some fantasy novels (or some other type of novel that interests you), and you will become a better writer. :cool:

First of all, fizz, let me say I love your use of smilies :cool: Second of all... [QUOTE=the_fizz][font=Comic Sans MS][size=4][color=royalblue] [font=Comic Sans MS][size=4][color=royalblue] I like to think I got a head when it comes to things like this, but I must have lost it this time, because I just don?t see how I missed this in him. I knew he was a ?bad boy? and a dog (no other word for it) when I meet him through my older sis and long time family friend. That is one of the things that attracted him to me (he poured a glass of water over my head, because I dared him too! It was love at first drop. LOL) But, he is just down right shocking:wow: and scandalous:devil:! [/color][/size][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS][size=4][color=royalblue] [/color][/size][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS][size=4][color=royalblue]THANKS[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] Well, if 'bad boys' is what you are attracted to, than guess what: They will be bad. This may have left you confused and mad about males, but your post has made me mad and confused about females. Again and again I see this trend, of girls going out with bad people who just want to exploit them. They know at the outset that the person is 'bad'. They know at the outset that the guy has 'been around' and had sex and sexual favors. And then when the girl gets burned she acts shocked and scandalized. Here's a novel idea: if you don't want to be exploited, don't date exploitative people. But no; some girls just don't feel excited enough (or somesuch) by nice guys, so they go after the 'bad boys' and the next thing they know they have lost their virginity and have diseases and emotional devestation. I sort of feel bad for girls like that,but on the other hand I feel like they get what they deserve. Also, there are some guys who act nice, but are really exploitative (some girls, too. I sat with a guy at lunch this year who was perplexed because he had sex with his girfriend, and she was acting like 'it was some big deal'. This girl gave everything she could give to him, and he thought of her the way he would view a car, or a kleenex. Newsflash: sex is a big deal. So what's the point of everything I've said? Be wise when deciding who to give your heart to. Remember that true love requires commitment, not just sex. Be careful, girls, and think with your brains (not your hormones), and your likelihood of being burned is greatly lessened. All that said, my advice to you, Fizz, is to go punch that SOB's lights out ;)

Wow. That was touching (no pun intended). Great job conveying an emotional thought. This didn't feel overstructured and forced like so many other poems do, but rather it felt like it came from the heart. I really liked it.