Gavin

[SIZE="1"]Typed "Parody" into Google Images and this is one of the first things that came up. [CENTER][IMG]http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/7/y/c/1/obama_borat_parody.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Gave me a laugh anyway.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Raiyuu']But look at it from the Arrancar point of view - these sinister guys in black just rock up in your private dimension to slaughter you 'for the greater good'. They didn't help you when you were a plus, just left you to turn into this monster that wantonly slaughters your living family and friends. You pulled yourself out of that, going through a long and arduous process of hybridisation to regain your reason, restraint and emotional range and now here they are finally; now you're a rival to them in terms of power, [i]now[/i] they've got the time to come deal with you, except it's the pointy end of the sword they're using this time. You're absolutely right that neither of us can really prove or disprove anything without a direct line to KT, but it's fun to debate anyway.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Raiyuu, are you the new Hueco Mundo propaganda minister or something ? My biggest problem about looking at things from the Arrancar's point of view is that they're really a pretty new addition to the denizens of Hueco Mundo, at least, the complete ones that Aizen has been creating. That, and actually entering Hueco Mundo directly is apparently something that Soul Society has never done before, discounting how Aizen obviously made contact with them to arrange his little plan. I completely agree with you that from an Arrancar's POV, having regained their humanity so to speak, or at least portions of it, that the Shinigami mission to wipe them out may look akin to genocide. However, for the countless other non-Arrancar-ed Hollow in Hueco Mundo, who're still operating off their baser instincts, I think it has to be argued they at least are fair game. That said, if we look back, Hollow like Grand Fisher were pretty articulate, even with their masks on, so it's hard to say. Guess that would make me Soul Society's propaganda minister then wouldn't it ? Heh.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Raiyuu']I just feel like, if Hueco Mundo is that well populated - and a good portion of its population contains thousands or tens of thousands of souls - then the balance really should have started shifting by now. But what effects have we seen in the real world? In Soul Society? Nothing, zip, nada. It makes me wonder whether that 'cosmic balancer' schtick is just an excuse to go a-hunting things they don't like - like Hollows and Quincy.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Well that's the big problem, we have no real frame of reference to compare the balance between the three worlds now with the balances established in the past. What I'm going on is the fact the Quincy were apparently, and I use the word intentionally, wiped out over the fact they were disturbing the balance so much that it threatened to destroy all three worlds. Now, seeing as we know actually rather little about the Quincy themselves, aside from the fact that they had individuals who had Captain level strength, and under certain circumstances could exceed that strength, means that they were very likely capable of dispatching Adjuchas, and even Vasto Lorde level Hollow. If you think about it, going on your line of thought Raiyuu about how many souls one of them could possible consume, you're talking about the destruction of millions if not more souls. In the end, neither of us has enough overall evidence to prove our theories, I just feel that it's unlikely Shinigami assumed their task simply because they hate Hollow like Quincy do. As far as we've seen, Soul Society has never been directly attacked by Hollow, so if that's the case, it had to be for the protection of the real world.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Revelation'][size=1][color=#8B008B]So is Neil part of some underground Saiya-jin mafia or something? I mean, clearly that's how he sounds right about now.[/size][/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Seems more like vigilante-ism to me. What intrigues me though is that Gavin seems to know already what's happened, same for Neil.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Sorry guys, I really have been keeping you waiting over this thing. The good news is that by tomorrow I should be finished one of the first major exams of my final year exams, which means I should have some down time coming pretty soon. Honestly I can't say exactly when I'll have the thread up, but hopefully, it should be soon, you've all been very patient and I appreciate it a lot.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Well now, how's Joe going to get out of this ? Seeing as I've effectively ripped off the eye-patch and decided I can have some fun with him. OK, well maybe not get out of it, but at least not die straight away. And get to the girl-on-girl action damn it Mike.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Chaos']Get to the blood, damnit.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Seems you got your wish Neil. Heh. And poor Billy, you've got me curious as to what could actually drain ki D, and what could actually match our boy's strength to give him those knife wounds.[/SIZE]

[quote name='TwistedChick']How far his "goodness" goes, though, we'll have to wait and see. Were his actions still mostly selfish, even if they did happen to include protecting Konoha in one way or another? Let's see how long Kishi takes to explain himself.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Well, going by Binktopia's translation, Madara claims that Itachi "risked everything to protect the ninja world, Konoha and Sasuke", which you know funnily enough makes Sasuke look even more pathetic than he already did.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Well, well. Kubo certainly knows how to make things interesting, although admittedly, before I finished the spoilers earlier this week about the Maggot's Nest, I knew right away Kurotsuchi had to have been there at some point. Seireitei's Dr Frankenstein had to have been considered a threat, given all we've seen him do as a captain so far. I'm just curious now as to whether or not Mayuri also worked on the Hyougokyu with Kisuke, I'd say it's probably, and if I have to take a guess at who was responsible for creating the Vizard for "research purposes" to judge the Hyougokyu's capabilities, Mayuri comes straight to mind again. Remember, all that was said was that Urahara never used it, it made no mention about anyone else. On a side note, Bleach 166 ranks as the best episode of the anime ever produced. I knew it the Ichigo/Grimmjow was going to be good, but God damn, that was awesome. [b][Edit][/b] *Executes Raiyuu for his treasonous words* All kidding aside, you did make very interesting points Raiyuu, although I think the Shinigami position against the Hollow is realistic. After all, if we assume that all souls in the world are "blanked" and recycled between the two worlds, then in effect, the Hollow do actually upset that balance. God knows how many souls one Hollow consumes over it's lifetime, but it's certainly a great number. Taking that into account, if Hollow were simply allowed to go about their merry way, it would come to a point where Hollows would have consumed so many souls, recycling would be impossible and both worlds would effectively die, killing the Hollow in the process. Like all wild animals, their populations have to be controlled, making the Shinigami "balancers" for three worlds effectively, including Hueco Mundo. As for the rest of it, about the Gotei 13 as a group, and Soul Society's coldness in general, I'm can't disagree. All those who show protagonist tendencies are seen to be mavericks, or exiles. Interesting line of thought anyway.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Poor Annie and Joe, they're out-numbered and really, out-classed. I give them a chapter or two before they go the same way as 8-Bit and Retri. On a side note Mike, slim black suit for Gavin, nice choice, very mortician. Heh.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]OK, focussing on the positive aspects of the latest chapter first, if Madara isn't lying to Sasuke, and I've only mild reason to believe he actually is, then Kishi has partially made up for killing off Itachi by making him even more layered as a character. Yes, I'm one of those people who always wanted Itachi to turn out to be a good guy, and I've got my wish hopefully, but I think it actually does make him a more interesting character. Honestly, I think the whole "evil to do a greater good" actually fits better with the whole shinobi philosophy. Ninja kill people and yet they all have their own codes that prevent them from ever looking bad, unless they're villains. Even Kakashi, who definitely does have his darker elements is still firmly a good-guy on the outside. So yeah, yay for Itachi. Now, on to the negatives, and sadly, they heavily out-weigh the positives. I'm in total agreement with everyone else here that Sasuke's newest power boost absolutely sucks in terms of development for his character, although the very fact he actually apparently got the power from a source another source than emo-ism is welcome. I know we can harp on about the unoriginality of him getting the Mangekyou, especially after the Cursed Seal being ripped out of him by Itachi, but I suppose in reality, he is an Uchiha and Sharingan mastery for him is simply to be expected. Yes, it would have been better if this had come after his reflection time but Kishi is a Sasuke-fanboy and we just have to accept it. I'm seriously praying though that Kishi doesn't write it so that Sasuke actually overcomes the blindness factor of the regular Mangekyou so he can spam it like he did his CS2. That of course is assuming it's permanent, and not, God help us, an EMS. Seems like the next few chapters of the manga are probably going to be dealing with Itachi's past, which sounds like it should be cool. Shame though that Kishi has his plot move at a snail's pace.[/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Black][LEFT][SIZE="1"]Immortal. Unyielding. Insane.[/size][/left] [b][CENTER][SIZE="4"]Crusader[/SIZE] [SIZE="3"]Baptism[/SIZE][/CENTER][/b] [left][size=1]He loved it. Fucking loved it. The wait before the kill. Those precious few seconds before the door would open, before they'd spill into the room like a freshly sliced artery, and then, then adrenaline and bloodlust would overpower his fragile sanity, driving him into a frenzy of violence and death. He'd savour it for as long as he could, visualise it, try to guess what positions they'd take up, and how they'd come at him, it never mattered in the end, but it was something of a ritual he'd come to enact as much out of habit as choice. Just a few more seconds... Bang. 3. Bang. 2. He licked his lips. Bang. 1. The door gave a final pained groan of metal before collapsing down against the concrete floor with a solid, deathly thud, and with it, a hail of bullets swept the room seeking the assassin. Two of them found their mark in his upper chest, tiny rivulets of blood flowing slowly out of the open wounds, almost lazily he examined them his finger nails digging in, before plucking them out whole and allowing them to slip between his slick fingers to the floor, breaking the silence with a ding. The corners of his mouth had already been dragged into a sadistic smile, anticipation was now officially over. Two of them entered the room slowly, as if to survey their kill... they never got the chance. He caught the first by the throat with inhuman speed, a yelp the only alert to his companion before the Crusader crushed his larynx along with his windpipe, watching him drop to the ground shaking as he tried to draw in vital oxygen through the ruined passage. The gagging sound ceased after a moment, as the struggling stopped and his fingers fell away to his side. The fear in the eyes of the remaining man was absolute, his hand trembling to the point, the pistol in his hand became little more than an ornament. Crusader gave a derisive breath, slowly bridging the distance between them with deliberate footfalls watching, eyes narrowed as the weapon remained at the man's hip, rather than pointing directly at the Crusader's own heart. "[b]Pathetic...[/b]" He spat the comment, plunging his fist into the man's chest, rending open his ribs and wrapping hold around the delicate primary organ laying within. The gun clattered to the floor, the man's hands fearfully gripping around his intruding wrist. Their eyes met once again, if his fear had been absolute only moments ago, then Crusader would have to develop a new scale by which to measure the emotion. His hand felt hot and wet, the pounding sound of his own bloodlust in his ears as his fingers tensed around the heart, carefully pressuring it until the pericardium split and the muscle tore beneath his nails. The anonymous man's eyes widened as they dulled, his breathing utterly ragged, gasping in final, pointless breaths, until his body too went limp against the wraithlike contract killer's grip. Withdrawing his hand, he gazed slowly at the dribbling trail of blood, and with a flick of his wrist, allowed the majority to decorate the opposite wall. He'd hoped for a challenge and been thoroughly disappointed, still it was early days yet, plenty of security between him and the target, plenty more bodies to add to his count. Shouldering his huge wooden cross, he took two ambling steps into the corridor, casting brief glances left and right to determine his route. One of the first things that had alerted Crusader to the fact the client had been practically ignorant of his methods had been the provision of detailed schematics of the building, and of the target's probably location therein, along with the positioning of security forces. Christ, he hated it when people did that, do you give your fucking kids and X-Ray machine to put their fucking Christmas presents through before they open them huh ? No you fucking don't. This was the same fucking thing, all you had to do was tell Crusader who you wanted dead, and providing you could meet the price he named, then your part in it was done. Jesus fucking Christ. Maps ? Locations ? Where was the fucking fun in it if you tried to avoid everything like a little bitch ? If he could, he'd leave nothing in the building alive by the time he left, but that, unfortunately would give the target probably enough time to escape, and breaking the terms of his own contract was not something Crusader did. When a man gave his word, he should be prepared to die before he broke it. So, only two guards for this corridor ? Pity. Breaking into a dash, he took the passage to his left, primal instinct telling him there was more to kill that way, which meant also, without a doubt, the target, hopefully surrounded by a dozen or so highly trained bodyguards. His insides ached for the sensation of a challenge, and the sight of his own blood. Despite what most would think, his cross never felt heavy, whether that was an indication of his own demonic strength, or the fact God continually smiled on him in his mission to purge the wicked was a up for debate. It didn't matter really, those who saw just how well he could use it never lived to give their opinion on the matter, well, aside from one or two, but they were special cases. And if he ever chose to, that list would go right back to zero. Boss. He smiled at the thought of the name. A genuine challenger. An equal, almost. In time the boy might very well be the one to lay him to rest, that was a genuine possibility, and the thought of it filled him with a sense of delight at the battle they'd share... Unconsciously he traced the scar at his throat the kid had left him with, yeah, it would be fucking awesome, and this time, only one of them would walk away, and whoever did, would truly bear the title of immortal. Voices broke the silence of the hallways after a moment, short, sharp orders, short, sharp acknowledgements. Good, they didn't sound too afraid. Reaching back, he pulled one of the two six shooters concealed within the arms of the holy icon. Engraved with holy writ and loaded with silver bullets, he twirled it gently by the trigger, before cocking the hammer and waiting for something to enter his sights. Five of them rounded the corner to meet him. Perfect. Unloading the first round, one of them slammed back into the exquisite marble wall, quite dead, a large hole still smoking where his right eye used to be. Crusader's pace never slowed, if anything, he got faster. His hand barely moved as the giant weapon released it's ammunition, fresh blood spattering the walls, and leaving the quintet utterly lifeless on the ground before him. They hadn't even managed to hit him before dying. Dismal, absolutely dismal. The gun slid back into it's designated spot with ease, aside from housing the gattling gun, the cross had several other compartments hollowed within it for the remainder of his arsenal. One in particular, he truly wanted to use. Magnificent exotic timber doors provided the final barricade, he could almost hear the thunderous heartbeat of the target holed up behind God knows how many guards. With seven dead, a paltry number compared to what he?d expected, he begged for something more, either thirty or forty more like he?d already dispatched, or even a handful of men or women who knew what they were doing. With a single lunge of his foot, the hinges to the doors buckled and careened, falling uselessly down several feet in front of the hitman. The target sat there, coolly behind an enormous writing desk, gently puffing away at a cigar, before giving Crusader a single, appraising glance. ?[b]So, he sent you after all Gavin.[/b]? The Crusader?s urge to kill was almost irresistible. A howling hunger in his mind for blood. But just the sight of this man was enough to calm it for a moment. Long enough to trade pleasantries. ?[b]Nice to see you after so long, Desbreko. Sorry about your ?security?, you should?ve probably warned them I don?t exactly play nice.[/b]? He gave a wide, murderous grin at the statement. The gang-boss merely seemed to consider the statement with a few more measured drags of the nicotine product. ?[b]Perhaps.[/b]? ?[b]I hope this isn?t it Des, I?d be sorely disappointed if a man of your reputation hadn?t taken the expected levels of precaution.[/b]? ?[b]Indeed.[/b]? Snapping his fingers, Crusader leaped forward as the tiles beneath him exploded from a massive calibre round. As he went to grip the weapon lying just behind the Lord himself, Crusader felt something he hadn?t in quite a while, cold steel against his throat, and the weight of someone on his back. Her smell instantly caused his nostrils to flare, familiarity and recognition coming only moments later. ?[b]Oh. It?s been a while Crys.[/b]? He felt her breath grace his bare neck, before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and drew the short blade across his throat. ||||| To be continued of course. For those of you wondering, [url=http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs15/f/2006/359/5/b/Inquisitor_by_B13.jpg][b]here's[/b][/url] a roughish idea of what Crusader/Gavin actually looks like. Obviously from it's description and in keeping with Mike's portrayal of the character, the large wooden cross he carries is itself a lot bigger than in the picture.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Your reaction officially disappoints me. I was hoping for more along the lines of, "OMG WTF WHY?!" :animesigh [b]Edit:[/b] Nevermind, I've seen chat logs now. :catgirl:[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Damn Trillian, gah, and here I hoped I might just have been able to deny you some small pleasure. Oh well. C'est la vie je suppose. Pity about the skins, maybe as James said, the graphics package to adapt would be the best solution. It'd certainly be interesting to see what could be whipped up by our highly talented artists anyway.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]That's fine. I'll edit that bit in my post right now. I know that 1st Fleet had a clear victory, but I wasn't sure whether or not every single Underdog ship was destroyed or not. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Merci mon ami. Given how damn long my post was, I'm not surprised you missed it, so don't worry about it. I'd swear it was the last one, but I'm pretty sure my final post is going to be long as well, though hopefully not as long.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I'm terribly sorry to hear this has happened to you, I know how much it hurts to have a loved one die suddenly, and you of course have my deepest sympathies. A lot of what I was going to say has already been summed up by Aceburner and Zombie_Nash. I'm glad to hear that you've decided to wait, honestly, given the circumstances I think it's the best decision to make, at least until you have all the facts.[/SIZE]

[CENTER][SIZE="1"][YOUTUBE="Family Guy "Tie Fighter""]EH5oRJKTWuc[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER] Definitely one of the funnier scenes from Blue Harvest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]One small thing Josh, in your post you mention the Underdog fleet retreating after the battle, in my post preceeding it though, the Underdog fleet is completely destroyed by the 1st Fleet to bring the battle to a close. Given the Underdog tactics during the battle, more specifically their attempted and successful suicide runs, I'm thinking it makes sense the 1st Fleet wouldn't let any of them escape alive. On a side note, cool to see Primas is indeed cut from a different cloth to his father.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Seriously, pink is the only word that sums up that new skin. Not my cup of tea Des, but I'm sure Nerdsy isn't the only one here who'll be using it. As for my dooming OB, I prefer to put a positive spin on it and say that hopefully this will lead to other new themed skins to be developed for OB... Yeah, I'm not really buying it either to be honest... ^_^; Though in all seriousness, Justin if you happen to read this, it would be cool to create a skin making event for OB.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]This was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, having never lived in a city, trying to get the feel right was quite difficult. [INDENT]Endless horizon of glass and steel, From a peak, I strain to follow My eyes shut, my perceptions hollow, I beg, just once, for me to feel. Can you hear it on the air ? The whispered call from every street, Listen close, no time to spare, To the city's fierce heartbeat. Music formed from every sound, Above skyscrapers, beneath the ground. This is life, make no mistake, Born from every breath we take.[/INDENT][/SIZE]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]You should be happy they're getting along. When they are, your odds of survival dramatically increase.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Just what I was thinking. If you want to take out The Riot, obviously the best solution would be us, and even more deadly assassin couple. It'll be interesting to see them back in action again anyway, the Riot that is.[/SIZE]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Other than that, it looks like fun. So I'll be sure to get my poem done before the deadline. Since it seems I'll need to clobber the [I]Gaki[/I] in Gavin's place. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Believe me Beth, I'd happily swap places with you to do it myself. Depending on how things shape up victory wise though, I'll hopefully get a shot at the gaki, even if she does win.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]A little too much Disturbed to go along with a flu. [INDENT]Sickness Uninvited but here Spreading, debilitating Is there no cure ? Disease[/INDENT][/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]As Erica said, the pace of this felt a lot slower than your other works, which I think in this case worked really well to develop the atmosphere of sort of finality for the character. The last few lines, containing the dialogue and the self-destruction are probably my favourite out of the whole thing, the reflectiveness and just that final line of thought about his unknown opponent's voice. [/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Damn that was pretty gory, not that I have a problem with it, but damn, you sliced those two up pretty bad didn't you Mike. Makes me wonder what Gavin knows about all this, seeing as he arrived before all this occurred, calling himself Zen's guardian. Cool idea with the music by the way, definitely an interesting addition.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Revelation'][size=1][color=#8B008B]Well, let's just hope that Gavin can take the other half of the news well...or at least try not to blow up the house.[/size][/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I don't worry Erica, I'm pretty sure before that I'll get another little jolt of magic, or the vague threat of no more sex and that'll keep everything cool. Still, I'm sure that if Billy simply explains why he was fighting, rather than just pulling the teenage act of shouting back crap, his old man will actually develop some kind of understanding...Gah, sometimes I think we should just send them out to space until they've gone past their teens.[/SIZE]