Gavin

[SIZE=1]Well if people are determined to have the member population decide who should get the awarded titles, I agree with the general consensus that the Staff should forward a list of candidates from which the winners would be picked, no more than three per forum because at the end of the day there can be only one winner. Another consideration for the voting process might be to have a relatively short period for votes to be cast, maybe forty-eight hours in total, that way the whole thing can be done and wrapped up relatively quickly. Perhaps an additional way to speed it up even further would be to have the nominations set as a Poll, making counting a hell of a lot easier and more clear, it would also yield results far quicker than traditional counting. All in all I think we've hammered this out pretty well.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=fan ati cal][font=Fixedsys][color=darkorange]I definately would rather fail at something I do best at even if I continue to fail at it. What is the point of doing something to the best of your abilities and succeeding only to never do so again. If in the end I became famous for it, I would do so as long as it didn't harm me or kill me. yes, I know I'm a little selfish.[/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00]Okay, Consider this situation:[/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00]If you were going to die, Would you rather:[/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00]Know you are going to die and have to question when it will happen[/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00]OR[/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Fixedsys][color=#ff8c00]Not know when it will happen, like it is just sudden and unexpected?[/color][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Personally I'd rather know when I'm going to die as it would give me a basis on which to get certain things done, like getting mass, confession and last rites, make sure I go before Saint Peter with a clean slate. It'd also give me the chance to get everything else I wanted to do done before the big finale. [B]Would you rather be a benevolent dictator with no intention of giving up power ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather be a be an elected political leader that nobody particularly likes or dislikes ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Tical]You are awesome eenough to be nifty, but someone gets jealous of your niftyness and assassinates you in your sleep. I wish I was Clint Eastwood reincarnated.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Bam, you are now Clint Eastwood reincarnated, unfortunately that means that the original Clint Eastwood is now dead leaving hundreds of thousands without their favourite actor. In retribution for your heinous act against them, they track you down and have you brainwashed into thinking you're the real Clint Eastwood and are forced into doing underground conventions for the rest of your days. I wish fans of Star Trek: The Original Series would just admit The Next Generation is better.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=DeGHead]I MUST have this game. Does anyone know the system requirements for PC?[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1][B]MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:[/B] - Windows XP - 512MB System RAM - 2 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor - 128MB Direct 3D compatible video card and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver - 8x DVD-ROM drive - 4.6 GB free hard drive space - DirectX 9.0c (included) - DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card - Keyboard - Mouse [B]RECOMMENDED:[/B] - 3 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor - 1GB System RAM - ATI X800 series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card There you go DeGHead, right from the back of the cover.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=tanukioh]o.o ^_^ ZAKAZA BOOOM!!! You are the luckiest man alive, not because you got luckier, but because everyone else's luck got worse! O.o too bad. you stay the same luck and everyone else is falling and getting robbed and hurt all because they are unlucky. AND IT'S YOUR FAULT! I wish I was Abe No Seimei! [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_no_Seimei[/url]

[SIZE=1]"[B]Oh great, the jackass mistook a phonebooth for a suicide booth, again.[/B]"[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=fan ati cal][font=Fixedsys][size=2][color=darkorange]Congrats! you are now spiderman. Too bad though, because before you managed to master your skills, a group of scientists captured you and you were unable to escape. The scientists ran tests to see what made you what you are. you die after about the 20th test when they perform a live autopsy test.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Fixedsys][size=2][color=darkorange][/color][/size][/font] [font=Fixedsys][size=2][color=darkorange][/color][/size][/font] [font=Fixedsys][size=2][color=darkorange]I wish I lived out in Montana.[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Bam, you now live in Montana, unfortunately it's Montana circa the Jurassic Age and you're promptly eaten by a voracious dinosaur. I wish all health foods tasted as good as they are supposed to be for you, i.e. Taste = Goodness. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OK, seeing as the required five days have passed since I posted my caption, and yes before anyone points it out I know it's been six, it's time to announce the winners. In third place...[/SIZE] [QUOTE=SkyBlu][SIZE=1][b]Guy with torch:[/b] "Hello? Someone call for a doctor?" [b]Zombie:[/b] "You took your time!"[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]In second place...[/SIZE] [quote name='The Boss][color=dimgray][size=1][B]The year was 1982, and the young adventurer Michael Jackson was on the hunt for back up dancers in what would be his greatest hit to date...[/B][/color'][/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]And the caption that left me in stitches...[/SIZE] [quote name='Swedish Chef']*man with torch* OH MY GOD! what is that smell! (checks self) Oh....[/quote] [SIZE=1]All great captions guys. Oh if anyone was wondering, my caption was "[B]For the last damn time no I don't have a light ![/B]" The Swedish Chef is up.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Obesepanda']I wish i was in the matrix[/quote] [SIZE=1]Bam, you now reside in the Matrix, unfortunately you're one of the handful of Exiles to still exist before the coming of Neo. Desperately seeking to survive deletion you make a hasty deal with the Frenchman, who after getting what he wants simply turns you over to Smith. Despite putting up a brave half-nanosecond fight you are returned to the central core and promptly deleted for good. I wish all health foods tasted as good as they are supposed to be for you, i.e. Taste = Goodness. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Dbzman26 after giving your choice and explaining it, you're supposed to post two more to allow the next person to continue the game. Since you didn't pose a set of choices, I'll answer the last ones offered, personally I'd rather give away all my possessions and live a life of charity for the sake of my own self-respect and conscience than have all my personal possessions and be despised for it. [B]Would you rather take a high powered job out of need ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather take a low level job that you love ?[/B][/SIZE]

[quote name='Cygnus X-1][COLOR=Sienna']Same old fear... How I wish... how I wish you were here.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Bam, I'm here and unfortunately for you, you interrupted my in the middle of exceptionally important work that would have made the rest of my life a roaring success. Furious I bludgeon you to death with the monitor and call it a day. I wish there was a function to allow all OB members to play Guild Wars together, regardless of internet speed. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=fan ati cal][font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][b]Woiuld you rather:[/b][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][b]A) Be on a plane that is about to blow up because of some maniac guy with a bomb,[/b][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][b]-OR-[/b][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][b]B)Have all your guts fall out on the floor in the middle of the desert...[/b][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][/color][/size][/font] [font=Garamond][size=2][color=#ff8c00][b]Have fun![/b][/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]My first question would be how could your guts fall onto the floor in the middle of the desert ? There are no floors and having your guts fall out would require surgical removal of your skin and ribs. Anyway my choice is the first one, dying in an explosion on board a plane sounds like a far less painful death than dying in the desert from organ loss. [B]Would you rather have your faith stripped from you through indisputable proof ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather find indisputable proof that your faith is wrong but have the chance to destroy it so nobody else loses theirs ?[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I had expected there to be a thread on the film by now, or at least one discussing it before it's release, still I suppose it is my fortune to be able to not only launch this thread but also decry the film in a single breath. Unfortunately it is rather late in the night at the moment, so I fear I may have to be rather brief and potentially add to my thoughts at a later stage. On to the film, like many I awaited the films release in the hope that the suspense thriller had been well translated to the big screen. Unfortunately it had been several months if not years since I had read the book version so I was trying to refresh my mind to the plot and characters going in. The opening of the film heightened the tension already building before the trailers had even finished, [spoiler]Paul Bettany as the Albino Silas proved superb over the entire film, and I found myself with a great well of pity for him, mostly for how he was being twisted not to do the will of God but the will of one who had no love for God or His Church.[/spoiler] The graphic nature of the beginning really did set the tone of the film for those who may not have read the books, although personally I think there were relatively few in the cinema who fit in that category. Some of the many complaints levelled against the cast were Tom Hanks rather wooden performance, something I must actually agree with for the most part. His and Audrey Tautou's complete lack of chemistry and her miscasting for the role, or possible Hanks' due to the almost comic difference in their appearances. Ian McKellen's performance was something quite similar in my mind to Brendan Gleeson's Reynald de Chatillon from Kingdom of Heaven, overzealous to the point of pantomime. [Spoiler]Even before watching the film I questioned his motives for taking the part of Leigh.[/spoiler] The actual movie itself to me felt at times rather jumpy, almost trying to move too quickly in step with the plot of the book. Granted of course the book had far more time to develop the characters and the actual plotline, thus allowing the reader to truly immerse one's self into the plot. Here director Ron Howard seems to be more concerned with fitting the film in it's allowed 145 minute running than streamlining the plot to allow it to be properly translated onto the screen. That complaint of course could be levelled at the party responsible for converting the novel to a screenplay but really Howard at the end of the day was responsible for working with the finished product. Now that the film critic is done, I'm afraid it's time for the Catholic to come out. I recall being rather offended several times while reading the book, and sadly not only is this continued in the movie, it is actually increased upon in severity. [spoiler]Silas who while being guilty of several murders at least partially redeemed himself in the book by carrying the injured Bishop to receive medical aid before dying himself from his injuries, in the movie to add insult to injury Silas is killed before being able to do so and whispering his final realisation "I am a ghost".Bishop Aringarosa while surviving being shot by Silas is later shown no mercy by Bezu who merely states bluntly that the Bishop's "Silas is dead", leaving him to merely lament the loss of his "son". Many of the actual actors appear rather sinister in the film, from Jean Reno to Alfred Molina and the other Bishops to Paul Bettany all seem to have been made to look even more sinister for the purpose of the film, to almost differentiate the "good guys" from the "bad guys".[/spoiler] Whether or not this truly is the case I suppose is really up for debate but personally I left the film with a rather foul taste in my mouth.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][[B]Edit[/B]] Done and dusted. [B]Name:[/B] Fr. Neil Edmund Gratzner [B]Age:[/B] 27 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Place of Origin:[/B] Waterford City, Republic of Ireland [B]Known History:[/B] In the seventy-ninth year of the nineteenth century, Neil Edmund Gratzner has the wondrous fortune of being born into a country that was for all intents and purposes third world, but this country wasn?t to be found in Africa, or Asia, or anywhere one would expect to find it, no, Neil was born in the Republic of Ireland. A sorry sight compared to it?s economic revitalization a decade later, Neil grew up in conditions of high interest rates, inflation and unemployment, even worse, Neil didn?t exactly come about through the most reputable of circumstances, his mother being the teenage victim of clerical sex abuse. What his mother?s real name was, like so many other things he craves to know is simply beyond him, he was found on the doorstep of Waterford General Hospital wrapped in a dirty, bloodstained blanket at the mercy of whoever came upon him. By chance or miracle, Neil was found by Dr Edmund Gratzner, a GP in Waterford General who in one of his many acts of simple kindness brought the tiny child into the hospital and had him placed in the infant care ward. After several weeks in the ward, Neil was judged strong enough to leave and be cared for outside the hospital, his mother remained missing but assumed potentially safe, which left the baby with nowhere to go. Again but for his finder?s mercy, Neil?s life may have turned out so differently, he was taken home by this kind man and raised as his son. His infant and childhood years passed quickly for Neil, as thankfully did Ireland?s severe economic depression, in the early 90s as Neil entered his teen years and Secondary Education, the Celtic Tiger was born. However Edmund unlike so many other Irish citizens had never been badly off, his being a medical practitioner meant that there was never a shortage of money when it was required and had been able to invest moderately into the blooming property market. By the time Neil?s fifteenth birthday rolled around his father had moved into a private practice and had made considerable financial gains from his investments. Of course for anyone who had money in Ireland at the time this is not an uncommon story, in fact the Celtic Tiger was really built and sustained by people like Edmund Gratzner. If there really is such a thing as irony in the world, it?s that in spite his biological father, Neil always had an intensely deep spiritual faith, something that would decline in the overall Irish population as he grew older. With his father?s resources and his own high intelligence, Neil could have quite easily entered Trinity College and studied medicine, following in Edmund?s footsteps. Instead, perhaps more directly due to his father?s own influence he chose to forgo that life of prestige and wealth to follow his heart and enter the seminary in Kildare, opting for a life of simple fulfilment. Many would question his reasons for doing so, barely eighteen, Neil could have been accused of never having lived life, never having loved, never having done the stupid childish things that so many people later look back on and laugh at. However his choices were made to the best of his ability at that time, and he does not for one moment regret it. The study of theology was a particular interest he acquired while a deacon, impressing several of the seminary with his dedication. Two and a half years ago Neil was fully ordained a member of the Catholic Church, three days ago he fell into a coma and woke up in a city he didn't recognise with no idea of how he got there. [B]Personality:[/B] A generally quiet and pleasant man, Neil's beginnings, that mystery surrounding who he really is and where he comes from have imbued him with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, to learn all that can be learned of himself, the world around him, and God's plan for those dwelling there in. Underneath Neil's quiet exterior lies a heart of great intensities, more often that not this focus is centred on his flock and their spiritual needs, but sometimes, just sometimes this focus is turned inwards on how he can improve himself as a person, and as a servant of God. How he can take all those questions that gnaw away at him and just be free for a moment, to seek the peace and clarity that comes with a settled mind. His normally silent mannerisms are odd to some people, the heart of which traced back to his early teens when he developed an odd habit of allowing his body language to take over basic parts of conversation. As he grew older and entered the seminary, this tendency lessened somewhat, but still retains a certain subconscious hold on Neil's conversational skills. Some have said that Neil is a young man with an old head on his shoulders, translated this means that Neil has wisdom not normally attributed to a person of his age, of course that is only when one can draw him into conversation, the surest method being to engage him in a theological debate. At his core Fr Neil is just a kind young man trying to bring his own deep faith to others under his watch and to kindle the light of Christ that burns in the soul of everyone on Earth. [B]Appearance:[/B] [url=http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/Cillian.jpg][B]Neil[/B][/url]. As a member of the clergy, Neil is most often seen in his clerical cassock, the bishop's version of which can see [url=http://www.dwc.org/bransfield/images/choir_cassock.jpg][B]here[/B][/url]. However seeing as he has not yet risen to the position of bishop, Neil's cassock lacks the sash and red piping. Standing just under six feet tall and attired completely in black, save for his collar of course, one could be excused for thinking Neil somewhat sinister and severe looking, that is if one were completely unaware of his vocation. [B]Animal Genes:[/B] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret][b]Ferret[/b][/url] [Mustela putorius furo] [B]Hybrid Abilities:[/B] [U]Hyper Awareness[/U] [Primary] - The most instinctive of all his abilities, Neil is acutely aware of anything going on around him within a six meter radius. Be it a stray look or potentially something much more threatening, subconsciously Neil catalogues everything he sees, hears and smells for possible future reference. If someone were to drop a pin in a busy bar, chances are Neil would not only be aware of it, but would be the first to react to it. [U]Enhanced Litheness[/U] [Secondary] - The second, and perhaps most useful of his hybrid capabilities is Neil?s greatly enhanced dexterit. This, coupled with his hyper awareness makes him next to impossible to strike physically as he simply dodges the blows too quickly. In slightly more practical uses, or perhaps more accurately uses that are more commonly occurring, it means Neil is capable of moving more quickly and more deftly than a normal human. [U]Scent Marking[/U] [Tertiary] - One of the more well known traits of the ferret and other similar carnivores is their ability to secrete a trace odour from a sac near the anus. Fortunately for Neil, his own secretion system is slightly different, being located in the nasal cavity and under his direct conscious control, thus when he wishes to mark a target, be it a person or object, he must merely run his thumb and forefinger against the nostril, as though wiping his nose, and then apply the scent to the intended target. The smell is not strong enough for a normal human to pick up, and does not attract the attention of animals out of it?s particular aroma. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Lord of Spirits']I wish I was a Pokemon trainer.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Bam, wish granted, you're now an official Pokémon trainer, at least you are in your head. Wishing to become a Pokémon trainer has caused you to commit acts to near unspeakable cruelty to small animals so that they might "battle" one another. Arrested and thrown into the deepest, darkest cell they could find, you now look forward to playing "Don't drop the soap" with Big Jim down the hall. I wish the liberals and so called "open-minded" masses would simply allow those of us faithful to live in peace.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Leon Fury][COLOR=DarkRed]Hey look, who squirrel dude ran into....Wish Granted, you now have overcome your acrophobia. Next Tuesday, you'll go on a roller coaster, in Vegas.....Unfortunately it's the Manhattan Express At New York New York, the longest roller coaster in Vegas, the ride starts and when you hit the loop, all of the other passengers around you are all anorexic, so the gravity has nothing to push down on, the car falls and......Ow.....Death By Roller Coaster.....Good tribute to Final Destination III, though.... I wish I wasnt a guardian demon. Leon[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Bam, you are no longer a Guardian Demon, unfortunately for you that means you're just like the rest of us mortals around here, weak, pathetic and utterly alone. Having experienced such great power you now find yourself unable to continue such a bland existence and promptly commit suicide, being sent to Hell for doing so and now tortured for the rest of eternity by your old work colleagues. I wish Humanity ruled the stars.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. As OtakuBoards' most vocal Roman Catholic I suppose a lot of people expect me to condemn the book right off the mark, which would be a bit of a contradiction as I'm writing this while waiting to go see the movie version in an hour or so. To those who are going to point out the fact that the Church has asked Catholics not to go see the film, personally, as I consider the book to be nothing more than an interesting work of fiction, and complete fiction at that, I'm rather excited to see how well they've managed to convert it from the leaf to the screen. I found the actual book itself to be captivating when I read it, much more so than his other novels with the exception perhaps of Angels and Demons, although really Dan Brown's greatest skill as an author arises out of the fact that he can weave an excellent and mystery driven plot, keeping you guessing right until the end. I'll admit that I was rather perturbed by many of the characterisations of the books towards Catholics, that somehow people like me are somehow continuing a myth generated by a Roman Emperor to better control the masses. It's been a good few months since I've read the book, and I'll probably go back and read it again after seeing the film tonight. As I said however I found it to be a compelling thriller, but no more shaking to my faith than any of Robert Ludlum's books. A small note to Mister Brown for his next novel The Solomon Key, he might as Robert Ludlum did so religiously, excuse the pun, ensure that his geographical locations and descriptions are in fact correct.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. You have me really at war with myself over which faction to be a part of Jamie, I hope you're happy :-P, I'll probably end up going with either a character from Lei-Su or Yul-Kash as those are the ones that currently appeal to me. Just out of curiosity, does any race favour heavy armour in battle ?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Thanks for the feedback everyone, I honestly didn't expect to get quite so much and from exactly the people who really needed to respond. To Des, I do actually agree with your Tri-Monthly idea, as effectively you are making people work much harder for the honour of a title as there are only four to be given in a year, You could also modify the name of the title to [Season] [Title] to better distinguish them. As for having members ultimately decide, well I've already said I disagree with it but really I suppose it's down to whoever chooses how best to implement the system, though as James has said there are other tasks that need to be down before then. By having it as a seasonal Event controlled by the Moderators but effectively decided by the member population you're introducing an unpredictable element into it, by having the Staff decide you're having people who know the forum inside and out making the final and most logical decision. However as James feels there are other more pressing concerns at the moment which I know to be true, as James is not one to idly feel the need to change something, then I hope eventually we can come back and hammer this out some more.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Blayze][size=1]To coin a phrase: Interesting, most interesting... Sorry, I've just always wanted to say that. Anyway, it just about sums up this little tale so far.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]You're more than welcome to use it Blayze, although too often and it becomes addictive.[/SIZE] [quote][Size=1]However, my only tiny little niggle is whether or not Red Templar is going to be this cold-hearted killer all the way through, because characters like that kind of annoy me. I like to be able to relate to the central character, and for them to have some basic human flaws and the like. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the brief backstory of the plot. It really seems like the OB is in trouble in your universe. I am eagerly awaiting the next part of this story. (Also, was it intentional that "The Firestorm Directive" was supposed to sound a little like the title of a Robert Ludlum book?) [/size][/QUOTE] [size=1]Ah, I'm trying not to give away anything here but Templar isn't as cold blooded as he seems, this will be explained over the course of the story, but rest assured he is a genuinely human character. As for the troubles of OB, well if 3000 young people were transported into a completely alien environment I think it would be the logical outcome, plus I prefer the setting to be a darker, grittier version of the OB: ETN universe. As for the Robert Ludlum reference, honestly it's probably subconscious as I was reading that kind of genre when I came up with the idea, I believe it was [B]The Prometheus Deception[/B] at the time, preceded by Dan Brown's [B]Digital Fortress[/B]. Honestly though that's about where the homages end, the rest of the story is all original, except for the setting which is borrowed from Hugo's ETN of course.[/size]

[SIZE=1]OK, I was really not expecting I'd win but it just goes to show how my trip to Melbourne came to some use in the outside world. This is a big one but the honestly I got a pretty funny caption for it right off the mark. [IMG]http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/5585/obliv27b5cg.jpg[/IMG] Best of luck to everyone.[/SIZE] [color=#4B0082]Holy crap that stretches the page out. *resizes* - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]

[QUOTE=tanukioh]O.o BOOM! you hava jet with stealth capabilities, but the mafia rigged it to go boom after 300 miles. >.> Too bad. It already had 299 miles on it when you got it. O.o I WISH I HAD BAT WINGS!!![/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Bam, you now have bat wings, unfortunately to have bat wings means you're now a bat and have to suffer all the annoying bat drawbacks like crap eye-sight in favour of sonar. Even worse one day you accidentally fly into the house of a PETA member who feels that you're not fairing well in the wild due to being underweight and builds you a dark little box where you're now to exist forever without any contact. [B]I wish HD virtual reality games existed.[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Snowcat]I'd have my legs ripped off. So atleast I can still play my videogames. Now time for the personal hard one. You get a hard one choose... Scarifice your [B]Entire Family[/B] for the safety of the world or...... Sacrifice your[B]ONLY TRUE LOVE[/B] :animecry:[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'll go with only true love for the basic reason that while losing one person you truly deeply love to save six billion is bad, to lose a group of people you love for six billion is even worse. [B]Have a first year Med student perform a complex operation you need ?[/B] Or [B]Have to perform the operation yourself under the supervision of a veteran doctor ?[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Sorry about being so late to post, I've been working on a bunch of other projects lately. Templar Lord Tiber Excellon Braska had no particular feelings about the being standing next to him, that is to say that he didn't at this moment feel a particular need to remove his head from his shoulders for his insolence. For four hundred seventy two years, Lord Tiber Braska had fought injustice in the Universe, now it seemed he was barely entitled to a normal manners. The view of Terra from the Temple's Great Spire was magnificent, though in reality there really was no word to truly do the vista justice, at nearly three kilometres above the ground, the tallest non-natural point on the planet, one could see for hundreds of kilometres in any direction. Currently he found himself gazing steadily at the Atlantic Ocean, great waves far off to the horizon moved in tandem with the heart-beat of the planet itself. "[b]We must leave now.[/b]" The cowled figure's lifeless tone made Tiber seem positively enthusiastic, a difficult feat indeed. His arms rested heavily on the banister, another decade of war seemed likely, a decade being an optimistic appraisal, and long ago Tiber had shed optimism for a grim but genuine look at the Universe. The other being simply continued to stand motionless, he couldn't tell if he was appreciating the view too, or just waiting for Braska to move, perhaps he was doing neither. "[B]Alright.[/B]" Terra was a world beyond all pecuniary value, it was the heart and conscience of the Universe itself, the bright soul in the otherwise dark heavens. Only once had conflict touched Terra?s surface in Tiber?s living memory, once over three hundred years ago when he?d been barely a man of one hundred fifty, and the ferocity of the counter-assault had told him exactly how much people valued Terra, and above all else how ready they were to die for it. The pair moved through the expansive halls of the Temple, now well into the night there was complete silence, thousands of beings from hundreds of species enjoying some much needed rest, for while their dream were pleasant the universe could not be so completely further from it. Braska knew the halls of the Temple intimately, as intimately as his own body, it felt like an extension of himself, a greater shell he could wrap around himself. Their footfalls echoed lightly in the low illumination, for hours they seemed to walk, and it was entirely possible, the Temple was a massive structure, thousands upon thousand of rooms linked by tens of thousands of steps, and now the Templar Lord and this mysterious being were walking toward the very heart of the complex. ?[b]We are here.[/b]? They stopped outside a room he recognised as a sparring room for younger students, the doors were sealed this late into the night, not even those who were primarily of a nocturnal proclivity would have access to it. With barely a thought he unsealed the doors, what lay within was distinctly alien to the Temple and it?s occupants, a great swirling horizon of light. The aperture stood centimetres above the ground without any projective equipment near-by, now after nearly five centuries it seemed that Tiber Braska could be surprised. ?[b]I?m to go through ?[/b]? The hooded being nodded, there was very little he could discern about his compatriot, his abilities as a Promethean to him relatively little, his talents as a Templar even less, yet there was a haste about him, as well as power, great ancient power. Steeling himself, Tiber stepped through the opening, he felt disoriented for a moment, as though he were being pulled in a hundred different directions, before he could perform any technique that would limit his discomfort he found himself kneeling on a platform in an unknown structure. The structure bore a semblance to Terran style but an older one, one nearly eighteen centuries old if he was correct. He rose steadily from the platform, the discomfort had subsided, now he wished to find out where here was.[/SIZE]

[CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/Firestorm.jpg[/IMG] [FONT=IMPACT][SIZE=4]Chapter One: Initiation[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [size=1]A single dirty beam of light permeates the pitch black of an unknown room deep in the heart of the City?s industrial plaza. Two figures reside in this small, damp room, one of them sits tied to a metallic chair while the other stands opposite asking questions, questions that determine whether or not the man in the chair will ever see daylight again. The man standing is Red Templar, he is part of an organisation that safeguards the lives of every citizen in the city , his accomplishments and those of his colleagues are measured by the fact that the city still exists, his failures are marked by the grieving families and the unmerited dead. The name of the man in the chair doesn?t matter, what does matter is that at some point in the last seventy-two hours he planted an explosive device somewhere in the city. Three hours ago he was captured by two other members of the Initiative and brought to this room, the very fact that he was careless enough to be captured gives Templar hope, not much, but enough. ?[B]Where is the bomb ?[/B]? Shadow obscures all but his mouth and upper chest, the light shines down against the face of the subject, an antiquated interrogation technique, and done so mostly for effect rather than effectiveness. His tone is even, cold, machine-like, he wants the answer to the question and will do whatever it takes to get it. ?[B]Do you have a family Agent ? Wife ? Kids ? Because if you do, I?m going to find them, and I?m going to kill them. I?ll kill them one by one and use it as a message to you, and every other agent out there.[/B]? Wrong move. The all-too-pleased with himself smile that sat on his face nanoseconds ago is now gone, replaced by blood, bruised flesh and the indentation marks of Templar?s right fist. ?[B]I will make one thing very clear to you, either you tell me where the bomb is, and you spend the rest of your life in a room no bigger than this, or you don?t, and I torture you until you change your mind.[/B]? He paused, moving off into the shadow to remove something from a nearby cabinet. ?[B]Honestly I would have been surprised if you didn?t make some kind of threat against my family, your kind usually do, make the threat, get me off-balance and then the score turns ever so subtly in your favour. Unfortunately for you, I don?t have a family, it?s just me, so let?s get back to the task at hand, where is the bomb ?[/B]? The man in the chair scowls, his face aches from the impact of Templar?s fist, and now it seems that the agent is not above unsavoury methods of obtaining information. He tries to guess what Templar could have removed from the cabinet, any number of poisons in a syringe, a weapon, a surgeon?s scalpel ? Of course he still has the advantage, he knows where the bomb is, why shouldn?t he, he?s the very one who put it there, and as long as he knows then the agent can?t risk killing him. Even if he were to give up the information it would still be a death sentence, the organisation would not tolerate his failure, they never tolerated any failure. His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill chime of a cellular phone, Templar merely smiled and once again moved off into the distance, obscured by the darkness. ?[B]Yes ?[/B]? Anticipation was almost at breaking point, had the bomb gone off ? Had they found it ? ?[B]We?ve found it.[/B]? Relief, utter relief. The soft female voice was tingled with pride, they?d done it, he could almost picture the wonderful smile on her face, soon enough he?d see it for real. He was snapped back to conscious thought by the sound of the seated man hurling a profanity in his direction. He smiled again, endgame. ?[B]The subject ?[/B]? Moving slowly back into the light, the reflective coating of Templar?s weapon cast a harsh gleamed, the man in the chair paled visibly, it was over. ?[B]I?ll tell you ! I?ll tell y..[/B]? The newly discharged bullet from the agent?s firearm buried itself into the seated man?s chest, his head flopped down against his chest, blood pooling at his feet on the dirty cement floor. ?[B]Terminated. Returning to base.[/B]? [CENTER]|||||||||||||||[/CENTER] Forget what you think you know, seven years ago in November 2003 the member population of OtakuBoards was digitised and transported onto the Web. From there, those who survived built Otaku[B]Boards[/B] City, or just The City as it became known to it?s denizens, and more than three thousand scared teenagers had somewhere safe to call home. Unfortunately law and order were not easy to establish in the beginning, building a the city was one thing, getting it to work was a completely different enterprise. Many called for the then Moderators and older members to take charge, others called for political system based on experience and policy, mostly people wanted someone else to just tell them what to do and make everything OK. The city?s first two years were marked by bloodshed and atrocity on an unbelievable scale, today the death-toll stands at 729, including OtakuBoards Site Director James. The Renaissance Monument in Concordia Square is forever a memorial to those who lost their lives in the conflict. In the aftermath of the bloodshed member and moderator alike realised one simple truth, there was no leaving the City. Real life was a dream gone by, you either existed online or you logged out, permanently. Before the end of the two year war that would claim the lives of so many people, then member Gavin approached James with a simple proposal, the creation of an organisation that would safeguard the lives of ordinary citizens by any and all means necessary, that group would become the Initiative, or shortened down to it's working codename OB1. In the beginning OB1 was made up of only a handful of codenamed associates, all of whom would be recorded among the death in Concordia Square. Now ?dead?, Gavin took up the title of OB1 Director and codename Red Templar King, often abridged to simply Red Templar. In the beginning the five core members of the Initiative were able to accomplish relatively little in the surging tide of violence, the city had become a war zone and five individuals striking at individual targets were simply unable to stem the bloodshed. By late 2005, with the death toll now having reached nearly seven hundred, drastic action was taken, where before Red Templar and the Initiative had tried to avoid casualties on any side a new directive was introduced, Firestorm. All those who posed a threat to security were to be terminated, no compromise, no mercy. Lessons learned over the previous eighteen months allowed Initiative agents to penetrate different factional group eliminating those who posed a threat to the cease-fire. 29 members and 2 Moderators were terminated before Firestorm was rescinded. Now safe from anarchist hazards the nascent peace treaty The James Accords, in tribute to the murdered Site Director were ratified and a shaky government was founded. In aftermath of Accords being sanctioned, OB1 went off the grid, effectively becoming a non-partisan agency, it protocols still mandating the protection of The City but not answering to any arm or echelon of the government. Now 2010, the Initiative is comprised of twelve agents, each of whom are recorded as having died during the Founding War. In the past five years they have averted an estimated 210 separate assaults on the city ranging from crude explosives to highly complex viral infections, unfortunately in that same period of time six attacks were successful claiming approximately 52 lives. Often these attacks were the work of rogue and dissatisfied elements of the populace, recently however certain attacks appear far more co-ordinated, and for the first time in nearly six years the Firestorm Directive is about to be reimplemented. War is about to approach the City of OtakuBoards, and only twelve individuals and seven days stand between it and complete destruction. [/SIZE]