SunfallE

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Papa Smurf]No, it would be poetic justice if the pedophile ended up getting gang-raped by corrupt police officers. If the pedophile was abused sexually when he arrived in the house? THAT is poetic justice. He goes there to have sex--to take advantage of a minor? So then he gets taken advantage of instead. That is poetic justice. A pedophile getting arrested isn't...because there's no symmetry there. If he gets gang-raped in the shower while in prison? That's better. It's closer to poetic justice. But then that's not justice, really. It's just gang-rape in the shower. Nothing about the show is poetic justice, mate.[/QUOTE]I already said I don't consider the show itself to be poetic justice. ^_~ And seeing that your idea of poetic justice is far more ruthless than mine, I'll consider myself smurfed as far as this thread goes. That far outdoes what I was thinking. Considering the nature of such people, it would be more poetic if what they had planned to do to the kids happened to them instead as you just stated. I definately agree with you on that point. Not that I wish it would happen, but it would be rather ironic if it did. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]I'm not sure if everyone has been following the news as of late, but the US Congress just passed a bill that redefines Common Article 3. I must say, I'm slightly shocked someone hasn't posted a thread on it. Personally, I think this a disgusting move made by the President. The passing of this legislation speaks volumes about our President -- immunity from the War Crimes Act, as well as the ability to basically torture detainees to obtain confessions.[/size][/QUOTE]Yeah I know about it and I?m not thrilled about it. Quite frankly it disgusts me that they did it. I just can?t see a reason for torturing prisoners. As for it speaking volumes about our President, I was already less than thrilled with his performance. I didn?t vote for him and the longer he?s been the president, the more I?ve been disappointed in his performance. I just hope the next president has the sense to undo some of the damage the fool has done. [quote name='only1specialed']im sorry but i dont agree with that. im glad that some of those detanees were tortured do you think they care about me and my men when we get captured in iraq. remeber the beheading videos they sent out. so what if some of them get torture. that way we get the information we need to help get key people and help us survive. now if these "terrorist" were to follow the geneva conventions like we are forced then yes thats wrong but they dont and thats why its easier for them to attack us than it is for us to attack them. what really pisses me off is that news of those secret holding cells became public cause now the terrorist can use that for their recruiting campaign... you guys probably wont see it from my oint of view but after being in the military for a while you look at things differently.....sorry im just ranting now[/quote]Other?s have already mentioned this, but you are overlooking one critical factor here, many of the people detained have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism. I can guarantee you that if it was you or someone you know being held and tortured you would not feel the same. It?s easy to think that when they grab someone and detain them that they didn?t make a mistake and grab someone innocent. To give you an example, there is a list of people who they won?t allow to fly on airplanes just because some dumb terrorist has used that name as an alias. Net result, one of my friends, who by the way has lived in Utah his whole life, can?t fly because every time he tries his name pulls up a red flag and they refuse to let him on the plane because he just might be a terrorist. o_O By passing this law, next they are saying it?s okay to take him and torture him just because he might be a terrorist because he has the same name as an alias of one. My point is that this law is full of holes that will hurt innocent people and not just terrorists. The Geneva convention exists for a reason, and part of that reason I would imagine is to protect those who are innocent of wrong doing. As for claiming being in the military gives you a different point of view, for some perhaps, but I too have members and relatives of my family in the military, and like me and others, they are disgusted by what the president has done. They don?t see it as right but rather as a sign that the government has too much control. And if you want to talk about being in the military affecting you, several of my relatives, based on the age you posted in your profile, have served longer than you have even been alive. So they?ve been around for quite a while and seen a lot while serving in the military and yet they still think what the president has done is wrong. Anyway, I too am glad that this moron will soon be out of office. In my opinion, he?s one of the worst presidents we?ve ever had. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Papa Smurf']I'm sorry, did I just see someone describe this show as "poetic justice"? lol. Sorry, but the idea of the show is noble (catching online predators) but I can't see how anyone could ever describe it as "justice" let alone some weird highly romanticized distorted notion of the idea of justice. [/quote]It is poetic justice in the sense that the predator brought it upon themselves. Not that the show itself is any form of justice. I?ll clarify my opinion for you here, do I think the show it?s self is poetic justice? No, it?s a sensationalism piece of garbage in that like you already mentioned there are better things they could be covering instead of humiliating predators to get ratings. Do they deserve to be humiliated on national TV? Not really, I would imagine being caught is more than enough humiliation in itself. But in the end, as I stated before, it?s a self inflicted problem that the predator brought upon themselves and in that respect I don?t feel sorry for them at all. Whether they are caught on this show or by the police without all the media nonsense, it is still in my opinion poetic justice when they find the police waiting for them instead of the minor they thought they were going to get their hands on. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Retribution][size=1']Perhaps after killing several people driving drunk, life without parole might (barely) be considered an option. However, you're basically calling for the permanent jailing of any kid who gets drunk and by really crappy chance, happens to kill someone. I guess what I mean to say is that in this case, the death is not malicious and entirely accidental, and while that person should certainly get jailtime, I think life without parole is too harsh.[/size][/quote]The person who killed my brother and another woman in the car had already caused three previous accidents that killed people when driving drunk. So at that point it seemed to me that something should have been done as it brought the total death count to 5 people, and yet that moron is out again still driving drunk. >_< So I think we should have a law that after so many offenses the penalty becomes more severe. Not the death penalty, but other methods. And yeah, I know it's not the same, I just understand a bit why people feel like the law is not doing as good a job as it could. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']Anyway, keep up the good work, it definitely is starting to get more interesting. I'm tempted to demand the other source as now you have me curious as to how Jason reacts to Jared's return. ;)[/quote]Well if you really want it just let me know. ^_~ And thanks for the comments I appreciate it. [B]Chapter fourteen: [/B] Nathan sighed. Now that Jared had finished tracking down all the relay transmitters he had set up and destroyed them it had become extremely difficult to keep in contact with the resistance as it was far more dangerous to use the ships transmitters. It had been a fine line to walk, as he had been required to assist Jared in the calculations to actually trace the transmissions being relayed from the transmitters on Earth. Nathan had finally incorporated the calculations into part of the testing for Celestia. It had amazed him at how quickly she had managed to find them. Using her skill had kept Jared from realizing he had originally set up the transmitters, but unless something was done her ability could be a serious problem for the resistance. Somehow he had to get both her and Jason to the resistance! Even if it meant he had to reveal that he was a member himself. Nathan had already received orders from the Commander regarding the next mission. He was to begin searching for a base built by the resistance. Although he didn?t actually know the location of the base he did know the exact frequencies to hunt for. He hated to do it but he would have to use Celestia again. He had already sent the request for a ship to be waiting for them in the next system. If things went according to plan he hoped to escape with both Celestia and Jason. Jason wondered how much longer they were going to keep him in the sick bay. Crystal had already told him that he would make a full recovery and yet they kept him here. It wasn?t like he had anything better to do but at least when he was working with Nathan he could concentrate on trying to understand their technology. He could even forget his predicament for a short time while he was working. It frustrated him to be stuck here. Jason knew that he had to work hard. If it was just him he wouldn?t care what happened, but if he didn?t work hard and Celestia needed him he would never be able to forgive himself. He adjusted the bed so he was in a sitting position.[I] How much longer are they going to keep me here?[/I] He wondered. The door to the room Jason was in opened and the ship?s doctor Crystal walked in. ?[B]Ah, good you?re awake,[/B]? She said. ?[B]I think you are ready to be released from sick bay. But before that I have a surprise for you.[/B]? Crystal stepped aside and motioned to someone outside the door. When Celestia walked into the room he couldn?t tell who was more speechless, him or her. The doctor smiled, ?[B]I?ll leave you two alone as I?m sure you have a lot to discuss.[/B]? With that she left the room, the door closing automatically behind her. Celestia and Jason stared at each other as if they both couldn?t believe what they saw. Jason started to get up but Celestia beat him to it by flying across the room and into his arms. To his surprise Celestia was crying. Jason wrapped his arms around her and held her close while she cried. At that moment Jason knew he cared for her and would do anything he could for her. Before he would have been embarrassed to cry in front of anyone but now he couldn?t stop the tears and didn?t want to, he no longer cared. After a while Celestia pulled away from Jason and composed herself, ?[B]I?ve been so worried about you, the doctor told me what happened, are you okay??[/B] She asked. Jason smiled, ?[B]Yes, but more importantly how are you doing?[/B]? He asked. Celestia sighed, ?[B]Better now that I know you are okay. I was worried that they were going to kill you.[/B]? She paused for a minute and continued, ?[B]I?m really sorry I got you into this mess.[/B]? Jason replied, ?[B]It?s not your fault, there?s no way you could have known this would happen[/B].? Celestia sighed, ?[B]I?m still sorry anyway.[/B]? Jason hugged Celestia close again and said, ?[B]As long as you are alright nothing else matters.[/B]? Jared watched through the observation window as Jason and Celestia met again for the first time since they had been brought on board the ship. He smiled as he saw how emotional they both were, his instincts about how they felt towards another was correct. Crystal walked up to where Jared was standing. ?[B]Here?s the report you requested, it will require further study but humans appear to be compatible with genetic enhancements. I may even be able to change their aging cycle to match ours as humans only live seventy to one hundred years compared to our three hundred,[/B]? the doctor said. She handed the data pad to Jared. He looked at it briefly and then copied the report into his own handheld device before handing it back to the doctor. Crystal continued, ?[B]Jason is completely recovered, however since I had to rebuild some of his nervous system he will be quite sensitive to outside stimulation for the next couple of weeks. I?ll release him from sickbay but without any disruptor restraints. Even with the modification made to account for his system, another incident could destroy the newly rebuilt nerves, though if you wish to continue using the restraints he should be fine after a few weeks[/B].? She paused for a moment and continued, ?[B]I?ve never questioned your requests for certain drugs sub-commander, but it is my duty to inform you that using them could also destroy his nerves, it would be better to wait just to be safe. I intend to follow up with weekly checkups which I will forward to you[/B].? Jared smiled and replied, ?[B]Understood doctor.[/B]? He continued to watch as Jason and Celestia chatted with each other. He would follow the doctor?s advice as she was like him in the respect that duty always came first. She never let her feelings come before her patient?s welfare, even when he was the patient. He would never forget the first day they met. He had been injured on a mission and when he had been brought into sick back the first thing she had done was lecture him on how the drugs he used on his diversions and himself were detrimental to his performance. At first he had been furious until she showed him the results of her scans. To his utter surprise she had then proceeded to lecture him on what combinations of drugs he could use on himself to get the same results without the side effects. She had also lectured him at length about other aspects regarding how he amused himself. Some of what she said he didn?t agree with but he had been so surprised by her blunt manner that he had come to respect her skill as a doctor. When he had been promoted to serve under Sandra he had requested that the doctor be transferred with him. Jared preferred crewmembers that were not afraid to tell him all the facts, even if they made him look foolish. Crystal spoke again, ?[B]I?m also recommending that these two be transferred to officer quarters. There are two rooms down the hall from yours, which would be ideal as they would be unable to leave without passing your door. I?ve taken the liberty of having the engineers install a lock on their doors that only you, the commander and me will be able to control. Humans don?t recover as well as we do and their recent scans show quite a bit of wear and tear from the stress. I?ve already spoken with the officers occupying those quarters and they have agreed to move to make room for the humans. I?ve made sure that although their new quarters are smaller that they have been provided with access to some of the better equipment to make up for the loss in space.[/B]? Crystal handed Jared another data pad with her recommendations in it. She continued, ?[B]I have also explained to the Commander my recommendations as well. She has left the final decision up to you. I realize giving them such quarters may seem excessive, but I?m concerned that their bodies are showing so much stress. I want to make sure the poor living conditions in the tiny cells are not contributing to the problem.[/B]? Once again the doctor paused and then continued, ?[B]Unless you object, in a little bit I intend to have them moved to their new quarters.[/B]? Jared looked up from the data pad Crystal had given him and said, ?[B]Very well doctor, finish making the preparations for the transfer.[/B]? He handed the pad back to the doctor and then turned to continue watching Jason and Celestia.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]On some level I can understand where indifference is coming from. My brother was killed in an accident by a drunk driver. It?s not quite the same, but the person had caused many accidents over the years, killed several people due to driving drunk and yet the system kept letting him back out to get drunk again and kill again. You start to feel like the system is failing you when either murderers are released and kill again or others who have repeatedly proven that they will do dangerous things like driving drunk are allowed to continue to menace society. Now I?m not saying that the drunk driver should be executed, only that after continuing to drive when they are drunk and causing accidents that kill others they too should be put away for life without any parole. It just seems that there are so many people dying because our law system is not doing a good job of protecting the people. :animesigh [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Hanabishi Recca']I still wouldn't wouldn't want to go on that penalty. I guess the thing is that I'm not going to kill anyone..[/quote]I wish the people who murder would think that way. I'm not a big supporter of the Death Penalty because the system isn't perfect (and yes I know pretty much nothing is perfect) I just don't understand why someone would murder someone. I can understand self-defense, but just because you either hate them for some reason or are taking something from them, It's just stupid to harm another human being. Makes me wish we had another way to make it impossible for them to ever hurt someone. Anyway, I agree with what Aaryanna was saying, it may not stop people from doing it in the first place, but if someone is either executed for their crimes or put away for life then it certainly keeps them from ever doing it again. It still seems like a barbaric way to deal with someone though. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well now that I have Albel I did what the guide suggested and powered up my weapons. I almost feel like a bully now as I just rip through the monsters. Makes me wish I had more money so I could upgrade them some more. Especially since I added 1000 attack bonus to each of the three main characters that I am using. Also I just realized that Crispin Freeman does the voice of Albel! It?s ever so delicious to have the voice of a character done by one of your favorite voice actors. :catgirl: And you were right indifference, he does have the funniest sayings in battle. Right now my favorite is when battle starts and he says [spoiler]I?m in the mood for a little violence.[/spoiler] The first time I heard that I just died laughing! And when he?s getting clobbered it?s too funny how he gets furious and starts calling the enemy [spoiler]Worms![/spoiler] I can see that he?s going to be one of my main fighters from now on. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]Boo:[/B] What I like best about your piece is the dark background with the sharp contrast from the abstract colors. I also like the japanese character and how you shadowed it. Very nicely done. The thing I don?t care for is the glow around Gaara as it?s distracting from the overall dark feel to the piece. [B] Ezekiel: [/B] What I like best about your piece is the wonderful background. It?s got a nice messy abstract feel to it and it goes with Gaara really well. What I don?t care for is the color of the font at the top or the bottom. Although the one at the bottom shows up well it just seems out of place instead of blending and the one at the top, the color almost fades into the picture a little. Excellent work both of you. In the end my vote goes to [B]Boo[/B]. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]Retribution:[/B] What I like best about yours is the background. I also love the placement of the words and the outline around Naruto, it all fits together so nicely. The thing I don?t care for is the images seem to me like the could have been cleaned up a little. It could just be my monitor but they seem to have a little graininess that?s a little distracting. I also don?t care for how the word strength overlaps with the orange bar underneath it. [B] Katana:[/B] What I like best about your piece is the background. It?s nice and whimsical and really fits with the image. Especially the little clouds, great job on those. What I don?t care for is the glow around Naruto as it?s kind of distracting, also I think the image could have used some work as it?s a bit dull compared to the rest of the piece. Excellent work both of you. In the end my vote goes to [B]Retribution[/B]. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]Aaryanna:[/B] What I like best about yours is the use of vivid bright oranges and the abstract background. It makes Naruto stand out well instead of being distracting. I also like your choice of font as well. What I don?t care for is the color outline around the words, the edge and Naruto, it?s a nice effect but it?s a bit overpowering to the entire piece. [B] Kitty: [/B] What I like best about yours is the muted colors in the background as the way you have done them really makes the placement of the text work well. I also like the bubble with the characters even though I can?t read it. What I don?t care for is the lines in the background. They seem distracting as the rest of the piece is a little more messy where it has a much more structured feel to it. Both of you did an excellent job, in the end, my vote goes to[B] Aaryanna[/B]. Good luck to both of you! ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='visualkei]I watched this show for the first time last night, and man, seeing those men realize they're caught on national television for child molestation charges was excruciating. Now I don't feel sorry for them, more like embarassed for them. It was so embarassing watching some of them cry or beg on tv. But, they were really out to get these girls. I mean, just listening to some of the graphic chat logs and seeing the stuff they brought to the girl's home.... One of them even mentioned he was afraid of NBC's Dateline catching him, but he still risked it anyway.[/QUOTE]I can?t say that I feel embarrassed for them, after all just think about how horrible it would have been for the minors once they realized that they were in the hands of a predator. There?s no telling what they had in mind for them. I would think that for those who are attacked, it?s a far worse experience than simply being humiliated on national TV. It?s poetic justice if you ask me.[QUOTE=visualkei']If you've watched it, tell me what you think. Do you think these guys deserve to be caught on national television? Or did they get what they deserved?[/quote]I haven?t watched it but it?s easy to tell you what I think. If they weren?t so stupid to be preying on minors in the first place they wouldn?t get caught and they wouldn?t be humiliated on national TV. I would imagine that most of the evidence against them is in how they solicited a minor online and even with the television broadcast they would still get in trouble. Usually once they actually go to meet the kid it?s enough that they get busted whether or not it?s aired on TV. It?s rather ironic if you think about it. In the end it?s a self inflicted problem brought on by the predator?s foolish behavior in attempting to take advantage of a minor. I don?t feel sorry for them at all. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well my geekiest purchase would be my ceramic Dr. Who bank. I don't have the button in the picture here: [URL=http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9315/tardsbnkhu7.jpg][B][COLOR=RoyalBlue]Tardis[/COLOR][/B][/URL] Just the ceramic bank. I also have some figurines from Ninja Scroll, but I don't know which ones, they just came with the box set. It's not something I would have purchased separately.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Thanks Aaryanna, I hadn?t noticed it but you?re right the statements did contradict each other. So I changed it to what you suggested. ^_~ [B]Chapter thirteen:[/B] Jared maneuvered the shuttlecraft into the hanger bay and landed the craft with his usual skill and preciseness; he began shutting the systems down while the bay doors shut and the bay finished pressurizing. His teams had found abandoned transmitters left by the resistance cell that had been on Earth. Jared had never imagined it would take him an entire month to track down the location of the relay transmitters set up on other planets in this solar system. Who ever had set them up was one of the best resistance operators Jared had ever tracked. Now that the relay transmitters had been destroyed he had sent the order for the one?s on Earth to be destroyed as well. Jared turned his attention to the report on Jason and Celestia?s testing and further interrogations. Other than the mishap with Jason and the disruptor devices the biological testing, educational testing and probing of their memories was pretty much complete. He had been carefully following each report as it was sent to him even though there had been very little in the way of clues to help him track down information on the resistance cell that had been on Earth. Other than Celestia there was no one on Earth who understood his type of technology. Or at least not on a level that indicated that they too had been educated by the resistance at one time. If the resistance had put her through enhanced learning they had made sure to erase her memory of them teaching her, the fact that she had built a game that was so accurate probably meant that part of her memory had not been erased as the resistance had thought. The lack of other people on her world who understood his technology indicated to him that the resistance had probably given up on educating the people there. Jared had seen this done before on other worlds as well, not all races were able to absorb enhanced learning. It wasn?t the first time the resistance had tried this particular tactic. Jared shut the screen down and left the shuttle. He pulled out his hand held device and continued to review the reports. According to Nathan, Celestia had the potential to outshine even some of the greatest minds on Versilan. Nathan also indicated that although Jason clearly lacked Celestia?s skills he was well matched to work as her assistant and still smart enough to actually be useful. Jared smiled at that. It didn?t really matter one way or the other, but he found it more enjoyable when those who interested him were smart. Jared felt a thrill of excitement, he was glad to be back. Duty always came first, but he was really looking forward to Jason?s reaction when he realized he had returned. According to the doctor Jason had completely recovered. Nathan?s quick reaction in moving Jason had saved him from permanent nerve damage. According to the doctor she had made modifications to the disruptor restraints to account for the humans different nervous system structure, but when the assistant went to put the restraints on them he had taken the wrong ones. It wasn?t until the incident with Jason that anyone realized a mistake had been made. Jared saw in the notes that the assistant had been properly disciplined for his mistake. If Jason had not recovered, well, Jared would have made sure he never made another mistake again. Sandra turned to look when Jared entered the bridge, ?[B]Ah Jared, welcome back.[/B]? She said. ?[B]I trust you have reviewed all the reports regarding Celestia and Jason?[/B]? ?[B]Yes commander, I have. I was just thinking that now that all the testing and memory probing is complete that it would prove informative to finally allow the two of them to see each other.[/B]? Sandra got up and started walking back and forth in front of her chair; ?[B]Agreed, I was just thinking along the same lines. I?ve received orders to make use of Celestia?s ability and keeping Jason alive will help insure her cooperation. We could use other techniques, but the doctor has advised me that we would run the risk of damaging her mind.[/B]? Sandra paused for a moment and then continued, ?[B]Nathan has been quite effective in getting their cooperation. He may be too soft, but he has managed to gain a small measure of their trust.[/B]? Jared frowned a bit, ?[B]Nathan is a fool, though I won?t argue that his methods can be effective. I assume you wish for me to make the arrangements regarding Celestia and Jason?[/B]? ?[B]Yes, as of now they will be your responsibility again. Once the reality sets in that they will never be returning to Earth, your methods of insuring cooperation will be far more effective than anything Nathan could do[/B].? Sandra sat back down, smiled at Jared and said, ?[B]Besides, I told you that you could have Jason when I was finished. And I always keep my word. Think of it as a bonus for all the hard work you have done lately. Nathan did say that Jason would be a good assistant for Celestia, but frankly I see no reason to keep him alive just for that.[/B]? Sandra tilted her head to the left for a moment thinking on how to phrase what she wanted to say; she leaned forward a bit and continued, ?[B]I won?t dictate how you choose to amuse yourself, other than I want you to be careful as I do want him to remain alive as an incentive for Celestia?s continued cooperation.[/B]? Jared smiled, ?[B]Of course Commander.[/B]? He turned to leave the bridge to go to his quarters but stopped at the door and turned back to speak with the Commander again. ?[B]I forwarded my recommendations to you about the investigation regarding a resistance cell here on Earth.[/B]? Sandra turned her chair until she was facing him and replied, ?[B]Yes, I?ve read through the report and I agree. The probability of a cell still being in operation here is quite slim. Now that you have destroyed their communication?s network I agree with you that it would be wise to stick around for a few weeks and watch for any changes that would indicate they are still here. I?ve received orders from High Command that the invasion here is being postponed for the moment, as there are some disturbing developments on other less developed worlds. They have decided to split the fleet into squads and send them to crush the resistance cells that have been springing up in quite a few places. Our orders are to investigate this area of space further as it looks like they may have actually set up a base on one of the planets in the system just after this one. You have two weeks to finish the investigation here and then we are to move on and investigate the next system.[/B]? Jared bowed and said, ?[B]Understood commander, I?ll add a few more teams to the investigation to make sure we are finished by the deadline.[/B]? Jared left the bridge and pulled out his hand-held device. He input the changes to the current investigation and then turned it off and put it back into his pocket. Now that the changes had been issued he could clean up and get some rest. Although their shuttles were quite comfortable, compared to the main ship it was almost primitive. He preferred his spacious quarters on the main ship, as there were so many comforts that there just wasn?t room for on a shuttle. Jared was looking forward to a long hot soak in a real bathtub instead of a quick shower and sleeping on a bed big enough for two was a luxury he greatly missed. Not to mention the other devices he kept for when he had company. Jared smiled when he thought about what the Commander said regarding keeping Jason alive. He had been too hard on his diversions in the past, but he now found it more useful to keep them alive instead of killing them when he grew bored with them. And he had been pleasantly surprised to realize that after being away for a while the same desire and interest would return. It gave him more pleasure to see people avoid him, as they didn?t know when they would catch his interest again, than killing them ever had. No the Commander didn?t have to worry about him killing Jason. He was the first alien Jared had ever been attracted to. He was going to take his time with this one. Being gone for a month had been extremely difficult as he constantly found himself thinking about Jason, something that had never happened before with any of his previous captives. Jared smiled to himself; he would never let Jason go, [I]ever[/I].[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Report the wallpaper. In the expanded information area just below it there is a link that says Report Wallpaper. Fill out the information it requests, be sure to provide the link to your wallpaper (just like you did here) as proof and it will be dealt with. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]The only issue I have with the Death Penalty is that the legal system is flawed. You could be sentencing someone to death who is innocent of wrongdoing. Once someone is dead you can?t undo that fact if you find out later that they are innocent. On the other side, if it is provable and that can be difficult to do, then if the crime is severe enough I am not bothered by the idea of someone being executed for their crimes. But since proving something can be difficult I think the Death Penalty is outdated and needs to be done away with. Personally I?m more in favor of criminals who have committed acts severe enough to qualify for the Death Penalty being put in prison for life without Parole options. Then if it turns out the system was wrong and an innocent person was put in jail, we don?t have to worry about having killed someone who did nothing wrong. And if they are guilty, they won?t be released and given the opportunity to commit even more crimes. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]I primarily use Firefox. It works well and I like the tabbing system as it?s very handy for when I?m visiting lots of different sites. As for this question: [quote name='Morpheus][B][I][SIZE=4]Why On Earth Do People Use Internet Explorer Or AOL Explorer?[/SIZE][/I'][/B][/quote]For a while (before many tech jobs were outsourced to India) I worked for Microsoft Tech support. So it was only natural that I used IE as it was required for my job. In spite of people?s complaints, I never had any issues with IE and I still use it on occasion because as DeadSeraphim put it.. ?it works? I started using Firefox for the tabbing features, but now IE has that as well. But I?ve grown use to Firefox so I continue to use it as I like it. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue]My favorite classes have always been Science and Math. Ever since I took a class that touched a bit on different sciences I?ve always wanted more. So when I got my college degree I filled out a lot of my extra credits that I needed with different Science classes. They were always fun since most of the classes here would work in some type of field trip to one of the National Parks here in Utah to study some aspect of the actual park that related to the studies in class. Math was fun mostly due to a couple of great teachers I had. One would always include an extra credit question on all of the tests and I loved finishing the test and then spending the rest of the time figuring out the extra credit question. It was fun because the problems made sense and I liked the order and structure of how math problems worked. My least favorite subject would be English and History. English frustrated me because though I had no difficulty reading and understanding the texts, grammar frustrated me. To this day I still rely on my Word program to help with grammar and spelling issues. History frustrated me because I disliked how the text books were often written. Many of the books were excessively wordy, taking entire paragraphs to say that this person was the king of this country in this time frame. So I hated reading the books as it felt like I was swimming through a lot of nonsense just to get the facts. I enjoy learning about what happened, but the way the books were presented frustrated me to no end. One class that I never took and I?ve thought about taking if I return to school to get another degree is photography. There are five National Parks here in Utah and I?ve been to Yellowstone National Park many times and I?d love to learn how to do more when it comes to taking pictures. There are so many things I would love to go back and get a better picture of. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well the story I?ll never forget in regards to birthdays is for one of my older brothers. For what ever reason he and some friends decided to buy several cartons of eggs on his birthday and go driving on Brigham Young University campus and throw eggs at the students. I?m sure you can imagine my parents surprise when instead of coming home for his birthday party, instead they got a call from campus police as my brother and his friends got arrested! My mom was so mad and my dad was doing his best to not laugh. In the end they went down and picked him up and as a result his party was canceled. And my parents made him wait for a while before he could have his presents too. I think he also got his driving privileges revoked for several months due to that incident. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Well if you change your mind just let me know okay? As for your comment about Nathan, only time will tell. As for my banner and avatar, you are correct they are from the game that Aaryanna?s been playing. ^_~ [B]Chapter twelve:[/B] The next three weeks seemed like an eternity to Jason. Day after day he was run through test after test. And some days after working with Nathan he was then put through additional interrogations. Sometimes it was just simple questions, other times they injected him with drugs that had him remembering every little detail of his life from when he was just a child. It was like they were looking for something but he didn?t know what. They were gathering information that made no sense to him. Some of the drugs even made it possible for him to recite conversations that happened years ago word for word! Jason was also puzzled, as Jared seemed to disappear. At first every time his cell door opened he had expected to see him. Yet for the past three weeks he hadn?t seen him at all. Jason was relieved that he seemed to have lost interest in him, yet the memories of Jared from his first two days of captivity haunted him and he couldn?t shake the feeling that one day he find himself at his mercy again. Jason wondered if his sister felt the same way about the man who had been stalking her. Did she still feel such fear even though it had been a long time since he had bothered her? Jason tried to put it out of his mind but he found he couldn?t. It was especially bothersome during some of the interrogations as there was one particular drug they used on him that had side effects that he would rather die than be experiencing around Jared. Those sessions were the worst as the whole time the drug was affecting him he was terrified Jared would show up to take advantage of the situation. The only thing that kept Jason from feeling like he would go mad was Nathan. The alien had turned out to be more like a father figure than someone trying to enslave his planet. Jason still wasn?t allowed to see Celestia and Nathan had made a point of telling Jason every time he saw him how she was doing. Jason was wary of him being friendly at first but he did something the other day that convinced him Nathan sincerely cared about Celestia?s and his welfare. A few days after he had been brought on board the aliens had placed a metal band one inch wide around his neck, wrists, and ankles. Apparently they were some type of disruptor device similar to the one that had been used to torture Celestia the very first day they had been captured. He had been informed that they were programmed to turn on if he wandered into areas of the ship he didn?t have clearance to be in. He was still escorted around the ship and his cell door was kept locked, but they no longer bound his hands when he was escorted from one area to another area of the ship. He found out one day just how effective the devices were. Jason had been taken to another session of testing with Nathan, but he hadn?t arrived yet. The guards left him in the computer control room and ordered him to go to a side room to wait for Nathan. Other than to watch him enter as the door would automatically lock once it closed the guards didn?t stay as they had other things to attend to. Unfortunately the side room had not been cleared for Jason to be in, he had taken only two steps in when the door closed behind him, locking him in. A split second later he collapsed from the excruciating pain caused by the electrical energy from the disruptors. He found he couldn?t even move or cry out for help. It seemed like an eternity before Nathan opened the door and found him there. Jason knew Nathan couldn?t turn the devices off so he was surprised when Nathan quickly picked him up and carried him back into the other room causing the pain to stop immediately. He vaguely remembered Nathan cursing as he called the doctor down to the control room before he passed out. Later when he came too he found himself in a bed in the medical bay. Celestia couldn?t believe that four weeks had already passed. She would have thought by now that the testing and interrogations would have finished. Several things bothered her, as they didn?t seem right. Although Nathan was kind enough to tell her how Jason was doing she still had not been allowed to see him. It just didn?t make sense that they wouldn?t allow her to see him She wasn?t too happy about the disruptor devices they had put on her either, as she couldn?t remove them. Then one week ago they removed them only to replace them with new ones, no explanation was given as to why they switched them. Jared was strangely absent and some of the drugs they used during the interrogations caused side effects that really bothered her. Celestia had heard of drugs that could stimulate a person in that manner, though she had never experienced it before. Just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable. But what really bothered her most was about a week ago Nathan quit telling her about how Jason was doing and though she really wanted to know what had happened she didn?t want to ask him. Part of her was afraid that something had happened to Jason and she was afraid to find out. What really bothered her was the nature of the interrogations led her to believe that they were searching for a resistance cell down on Earth. If her dreams were accurate then if there wasn?t one there now, there had been one in the past. Celestia even got the impression that they were making sure there wasn?t a resistance cell operating on the ship. If there were inconsistencies in their stories it would give them a place to start investigating. Perhaps that was why her and Jason had been kept apart since they were captured. Celestia sighed to herself, the only bit of information she had managed to keep to herself was how she got the information to be able to write her programs. Somehow she got the impression that she didn?t want them to know she got it from her dreams. She found that even with the drugs she could phrase it along the lines that she saw the images in her mind of what to do. Celestia didn?t know why, but she got the impression that if they knew it came from dreams she would regret it. She had also been able to honestly say that almost everyone on the ship resembled the images in her mind. Celestia still had the nagging feeling that she knew Nathan from somewhere and she didn?t want them to know about it. Nathan and the ships doctor Crystal were the only two people on the ship that didn?t frighten her. She didn?t want to be reassigned to someone like Jared. Just the thought of him caused her to shudder. Celestia had only spoken with him once and although she knew it was unlikely, she hoped she never saw him again. She had seen movies and read books that spoke of people who enjoyed hurting others and how they profoundly affected the people who ran into them. Celestia had dismissed such encounters as nonsense. Now she knew better. She hated to admit it, but she knew that until now her ability and money had protected her from most of the problems other people encountered on a daily basis. The only grief she had experience before was when her mother died and she was put in an orphanage, as she had no living relatives. But she had only been four and truthfully she barely remembered her mother. So that hadn?t been too difficult as she had never experienced anything different. Celestia lay down on the bed in her cell not bothering to change into the nightgown that had been provided for her. She turned so she was facing the wall and cried herself to sleep.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Ah Sandy, it?s posts like these that just make us love you more. You know that right? ^_~ The fact that someone would be so insecure in their religion that they would feel threatened by a fictional game is just stupid in my opinion. I could write pages and pages on why I think religion attempts to take away our ability to question on all levels, but then I would need to start another thread on games that mock religion! LOL! The ironic thing is I love games that do this sort of thing. I?ve never really believed in religion so games that present a different possibility even if it?s just a game often grab my attention quicker than the simple racing games or fighting games. Stories like this draw me in. Even when it?s obviously different like Tales of Symphonia, the religious aspect is still something I find fascinating in a game. Anyway, more importantly, I am now to the point where I get to go and [spoiler]pick up Albel [/spoiler] I?m thinking that the game is going to get even more interesting from this point on. Even though I don?t completely get the religious part as other than the spoilers in this thread I?ve been avoiding reading too far ahead in my guide. But now that I?ve read about it I can?t wait to find out for myself. ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Meh, you?re more forgiving than I am. It seems wrong to want others to suffer, and yet a small part of me wishes for it just the same. Though I suppose if I had to personally cause them to suffer I don?t know if I could follow through with it. I do agree about the laws though. Crimes like that if the person survives should get the death penalty in my opinion. Unless it?s provable that they are mentally insane or something and even then they would be stuck in a mental hospital for life if that were true. I guess the whole thing just baffles me as in spite of the horrible things I?ve had happen in my life. No matter how much pain I was in, I never once felt the urge to kill others because I was unhappy. So it just makes no sense to me why others do feel that way. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]HieisDarkKitten[/B], in addition to checking out the Rules and FAQ located on the left sidebar of the forum, it?s a good idea to also check out the [I]sticky?s[/I] in each area as there are rules that apply to each section. Take the Otaku Lounge, a quick look at the sticky titled [I]Otaku Lounge Rules[/I] shows that a thread?s main topic of discussion should be something that can spark an intelligent discussion of some form, and avoid spam. Your entire post is vague as far as an actual topic goes. If you feel the rule about posting threads to advertise is unfair a good place to address that would be in the suggestions & feedback section. Also if you really want people to pm you regarding your art, you can include that in your signature. That way every time you post people will see it and if they are interested they can pm you. Since the only part of this thread that is a topic that would fit this area is the question ?how are you people?? I will be closing this thread, as there really isn?t much in the way of a discussion to be had from such a vague statement. If you have any questions feel free to pm myself or another member of the staff. ~SunfallE [B]Thread Closed[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Ah yes window shopping. It?s great fun provided you leave all your money at home so you aren?t tempted to buy what you either don?t need or really can?t afford. ^_~ My favorite thing to do is to go shopping on the days after thanksgiving. I tend to get my Christmas shopping done early so it?s great fun to go as they have all sorts of fun specials and when you don?t need gifts its fun since there is no pressure to find a good bargain. I almost always take a little money so if I do find a great item I can get it. And since I usually go with a friend we usually get some lunch while we are out and we visit and catch up on how things are going. I usually go both days with someone and it?s always a lot of fun in spite of the huge crowds of people. I also like to do the same thing the days right after Christmas when they have all of the clearance sales. Some of the best bargains can be found on those days. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]For me the invention I am grateful for is the electric blanket. I have arthritis and though its not one of the more severe types I?ve always had trouble staying warm and thus trouble falling asleep. So an electric blanket is like a gift from the gods as I use mine pretty much every single day of the year. I turn it on and get all nice and warm and toasty before I go to bed. About the only difference between the summer and winter is in the summer once I?m warm I turn it off and in the winter I leave it on at a low setting. On the same note I love central heat as well. And the heater in your car is great as well since I positively hate being cold. I love all of these wonderful devices for keeping you warm. [/COLOR] :catgirl: