Gavin

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. [CENTER]|Sign Up|[/CENTER] [B]Name:[/B] Neill Gratzner [B]Age:[/B] 18 [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Alignment:[/B] God [B]Appearance:[/B] [url=http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/Green.jpg]Neill[/url]. [B]Personality:[/B] Neill is your stereotypical nerd, that nice guy from class who was always too nervous to ask out any girls he liked and the ended up simply blurting it out at the most embarrassing time. A young man of surprisingly strong faith, Neill believes that while it is his duty to try and help people stay the path God has laid out for them, in the end when he faces his judgement he can only answer for his own sins. Having been bullied when he was younger, Neill is a tad too quiet for his own good, most people feel he needs to lighten up a bit and have some fun. After school Neill can be found in his local library, either doing his own homework, or if he's finished helping someone else with theirs, the good Samaritan always ready to lend a hand where needed. Perhaps Neill?s biggest flaw is that he may be a little too trusting, he always believes the best in people and a fair bit of the time they don?t live up to the trust he put in them. Neill doesn't have a huge amount of friends; in fact aside from those whom he knows via the Internet, Neill probably only has one close friend in school. In the end, he's is just one of those good guys who only comes around once in a while, who?ll grow into a gentle, kind-hearted man who lives science fiction and strives to make the world a better place one good deed at a time. [B]Reaction to Visit:[/B] ?[b]I don?t understand?[/b]? Neill shook his head slowly as Gabriel explained the proposition to him, although it wasn?t really a proposition, God was giving Neill his powers and that was all there really was to it, he could choose not to exercise those powers but in the end he would still have them. Besides deep down Neill knew that he wouldn?t be able to not use his powers, he saw so much suffering in the world and just wanted to be able to help those who needed it. Gabriel just looked at him without any visible emotion, although Neill hoped that he had some sympathy for his predicament, it wasn?t as if Gabriel was being asked to assume God?s role on Earth for a while. ?[b]You?re not.[/b]? Gabriel continued to stare. ?[b]What you?re being asked to do is prove that Man has been worth all the trouble He went to in creating and guiding you. Personally I don?t know if that?s true, I need only look at the fact that Lucifer can find three people to give his powers to who will employ them with glee, and here is one of His choices who is debating the morality of whether or not he should use those powers?[/b]? The angel broke the smallest of smiles ?[b]And that gives me some hope that you may have learned something.[/b]? Again the archangel?s face belied any emotion underneath. ?[b]However, debating whether or not it is right to use the powers you are being given is secondary to ensuring that those powers are put to good use, I don?t doubt you will make Him proud Neill.[/b]? Gabriel looked around the boy?s Spartan bedroom, noting the proclivity the boy had towards science fiction, internally he sighed, ?[B]May the Force be with you young one, you?ll certainly need it[/B].? With that thought Gabriel simply vanished from Neill?s room and left the young man to contemplate his fate. [B][Edit][/b] Finished, God in Heaven [no pun intended] I hope I can overcome this creative block that?s really starting to annoy me.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Shinjitsu][color=dodgerblue]lol! Well firstly, I wouldn't be beat up by a group of guys. Plus, that would be totally embarrassing in itself ;) Nope, I prefer to be embarrassed in front of my crush, at least I'd be able to shrug it off. If you were in a rock band and you had a choice of either of these two names; which would you pick? [b]Smacked Ewes[/b] or [b]Trialed by Fish[/b] (rotfl! Sorry, just had random thoughts and well, no idea -_-)[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'll go with Trialed by Fish,l I really have no idea why but it just sounds a little better to me than Smacked Ewes, of course both names are unlikely to ever hit the big time as rock bands. [B]Would you rather watch your worst enemy suffer the most humiliating defeat possible ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather watch your best friend attain the greatest success of his life ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=hitokiri battosai]Would you rather be eaten alive or would you rather be barried alive(you will die in both situations)[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Buried, definitely buried. Being eaten alive depending on the areas being consumed would most certainly be more painful than asphyxiation. Chances are of course that in being buried alive, your air supply would run out faster than it would take to be eaten bit by bit. [B]Would you rather be a Jedi Knight, defender of the downtrodden and doer of good deeds ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather be a Sith Lord, downtrodder of the undefended and doer of evil deeds ? [/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Raphael][FONT=Palatino Linotype]I'd live in a world without Italian cuisine. It's not that I hate them or something, I just prefer Japanese food than the Italian one. Would you rather... [i]Lost on an island that's unknown to anyone.[/i] or [i]Having someone you loved the most disappear.[/i] So it's whether you let yourself disappear into nowhere with a chance of dying or to let someone closest to you vanished just like that.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]That sounds a little too like Cast Away, except without the possibility of rescue and the company of a bloodstained football named Wilson to keep me company. I know you don't say you won't be rescued but chances are very few of us would ever be stranded on an island nobody knew about and managed to make it back home. Call me ignoble but I'd honestly rather lose someone close to me, as is the nature of life than go nuts from being isolated nowhere. [B]Would you rather feed Steven Irwin to a crocodile ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather strangle Madonna with a microphone ?[/B] The second one was a stretch as genuinely couldn't think of someone else who annoys me as much as Steve Irwin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Given the sheer effort you've poured into this Bill, I have little doubt that Excalibur wouldn't prove to be an immensely interesting RPG. We've already got the likes of the Daedalus and a few other mentioned Earth built ships, but in reality there's not all that much going on. I know there's the Orion but I haven't seen SG1 since way before the Season Finale, which you kindly reminded me the last time we spoke so I can't really comment on it. But generally there's not been that much exploration, excuse the pun. I'm just curious Bill, if the Ancients in this new galaxy weren't infected with the plague at the time of the Excalibur's mission, and went on to build the whole Gate network and start a new human race, again. Why did they ascend so quickly ? The other Alterans did it, to my knowledge, to avoid the plague's effects. Chances are they probably would have gone back to Earth and linked up with their leaders there, unless ordered to do otherwise.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]Just to elaborate a little more, the archive forums, both the anime a video game ones, are all the old pre-version 7 posts that had accumulated in the anime and video game forums. When we switched to v7, the posting system we used changed drastically, having only one thread per specific game/anime. With all the forums being merged into a single one for all anime and all game discussion, this threw together a lot of threads that wouldn't fit into the new system. So what we did was go through and pick out the most current threads that would fit into the new forums, and left all the old posts that didn't get transfered in the archive forums. This way we didn't have to delete all those old posts, keeping them preservered like the old posts in all the other forums, and we could also keep them separate from the new forums.[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Indeed, and as I recall Mike [Shinmaru] at some stage added a post to the Archives so they would always reflect he was the very last person to post in them, quite an abuse of power if I do say so myself. Just kidding Mike. The actual formation of both Archives was as Des said to merge the considerable number of separate Anime and Video Gaming foums together for easier viewing, and to also make sure that irrelevent and undesirable threads could not be resurrected as they can in other parts of the boards. In terms of promoting quality, the creation of the Video Game Archives really has done it's job admirably. I can't say about the Anime ones because it's the one part of the boards I stay the Hell away from.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"[B]I don't know which is worse, getting beaten up by a duck, or lying face down in the dirt because he's got no pants on...[/B]"[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=CoLoR_Me_EviL][FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]*laughs* easy. The first one. I'd rather be an idiot because of alcohol, not because of nature. Would you want to get a full body deep tissue massage with the whole works? You know, aromatherapy, gentle music, and just relaax. Or would you rather get a full makeover, new hair, new makeup (or you know, if you're a guy, maybe not), new outfit? I don't even know the answer to this one XD[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Seeing as I loathe the idea of anyone going near my hair with a cutting implement, I'm going to go for the first one, although my last massage left my back in such pain I don't know if I'd go through it again. [B]Would you rather be caught right in the act of having an affair by your significant others ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather be the one to catch your significant other in the act of having an affair ?[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. So old friend, you seem to be of the opinion that thinking makes people unhappy ? If such is the case it probably explains why my life over the last few months has been getting progressively better due to the fact that I'm doing less and less soul searching. Perhaps you've stumbled upon some gem of truth, although the phrase Ignorance is Bliss seems to supercede you. All kidding aside it is an intriguing little story you've written, as White said it could be satire or it may not, and that's what get's you thinking. Different people will read different things from it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. As one of the few Oldies still around from the beginning of V3, I can say without hesistation that sadly nostalgia has a nasty tendency of clouding over one's memories of the not-so-nice things from the past, as well as highlighting those things we recall fondly. The boards now are without hesistation a place of much more intelligent discussion than they were a few years ago, members on the whole are more articulate as Ken pointed out in his own signature methods. The one thing that has perhaps taken a hit is that RPGs don't seem to last as long as they used to, although again that may be nostalgia twisting my memories of events. There really can be no denying that OtakuBoards is a much better place today than it was when I joined, sure those of us who've earned the title of Oldie have lost friends but I've made as many and more new friends since, and I genuinely wouldn't trade what I have now to go back to then. [/SIZE] [QUOTE=Stuart][FONT=Trebuchet MS]YES! I remember. I think it went something like this: [list][B]Newbie [/B] [/list] [list][B]New member[/B] - 50 posts[/list] [list][B]Member[/B] - 250?[/list] [list][B]Otaku [/B] - 1,000.[/list] [list][B]Extreme Otaku[/B] - Yeah... I'm not even sure if this was one.[/list] [list][B]No Life[/B] - Like a lot...[/list] I honestly have no idea, lol. Someone wanna help me out with this one? [/FONT][/RIGHT][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Close but no cigar, as the saying goes. [B]New Member:[/B] 0 - 249 [B]Junior Member:[/B] 250 - 499 [B]Member:[/B] 500 - 999 [B]Otaku:[/B] 1000 - 1999 [B]Extreme Otaku:[/B] 2000 - 4999 [?] [B]No Life:[/B] 5000 - 9999 [B]Old Member:[/B] 10,000 - I'm certain of the order as far as after Extreme Otaku, something tells me there was a title in between than and No Life, although honestly the only No Lifer I ever recall was my dear wife Raiha. Old Member was the only title after No Life, although nobody ever reached the landmark 10,000 posts required to attain it, in fact the only reason I know of the title is I one day in an AIM conversation asked James if there was a title higher and that was his response. Old Member may not have been the exact title, but it was something along those lines. [[i]Just realises he clicked the wrong choice in the Poll[/i]] ****.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][COLOR=Green][font=lucida handwriting][size=2]Yep St Patrick's day- Time to be all Irish American (Instead of just half) and drink green beer. Tho I refuse to eat :beer:what they were making on Conan O'Brien last night. Well, seeing that I am already a complete idiot I'd want to be a complete idiot with friends because what good is being smart if you're alone- as in completely alone. Let's see I don't know what to ask except maybe if you were watching this inventor show on ABC (do they have something like that in other parts of the globe?) you'd get this: Would you rather be: [b][center]The guy who was trying to pitch the stick on national television or The guy who was trying to pitch the bag that you pee in while wearing it on national television[/b][/center] Yeah that was utter crap. Sorry :beer:Guiness... it's a great sustitute for...food[/size][/font] [/COLOR]:beer:[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Hope you had a good day Chibi, I decided to skip going out and getting wasted, as I already have a fair idea of how badly I can get intoxicated, plus it pushes that annoying "Irish drunk" stereotype. In answer to your choice, I'm forced to ask myself what the hell are pitching the stick and pitching a bag ? And what does it have to do with wearing a bad of urine on ones head on national TV ? In the interest of simply moving on, I'm going to go with pitching the stick as it sounds somewhat more pleasant than the alternative. [B]Would you rather, visit Ireland on the most pleasant day of the year weather wise, and see it's beautiful sights ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather visit Scotland on the day of the League Final, walk into a Celtic bar and declare loudly "God Save the Queen."[/B] Hey, nobody said they had to be difficult choices...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. The easiest thing to do in this situation would be to contact jblessing, the forum's technical staff, funny to think one man can be counted as an entire staff, but such is life. Get him or really any of the Administrators to resend the e-mail and hopefully this time you will recieve it, as far as I know even if you don't there is still a way of reactivating your account, as I had a similar problem the last time I changed my e-mail address, though I did get the second e-mail.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]There are certain things in life that decent people shouldn't be exposed to, one of them just happens to be an eight year old PC using Lotus, which is unfortunately what I'm posting off of now. My cries for help and salvation aside, I've finally finished the finale post of Red Team's current mission, Assassination Vacation. Those of you who are off to read said post are forewarned, in terms of length she's a biggun. I actually wrote that post twice in two days, well that's a wee exaggeration, the first post was only about 60% when my Aunt's PC decided it was time to test the limited of my patience and close the program just as I was saving it, erasing one of the finest pieces of literary work I have ever written. Today being beyond vexed at this technological bastard, I used a plain Text Document instead and attempted to reconstruct the post with limited success, and although I'm happy with the end result, I still lament not being able to have finished my inspirational first piece. Anyway, it's down and now I just look forward to seeing the next round of Body Bags start when Green, Gold and Blue Teams cross the finish line. ;) Just out of curiosity, what's the word count for the post ? It's definitely in the running for longest reply, the only challenger being that [B]Star Wars: Knights of the Galactic Alliance[/B] RPG I did a while back. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=bradley hand ITC][size=3]I'd rather date the ugly guy. As long as he treats me nice who am I to judge? Besides it's not like I'm America's next top model myself. [size=1]plus if you drink enough anyone's cute[/size] Ok here I go again Would you rather [b][center]Be really nice, smart and fun to be around, but be so ugly that the opposite (same if you go that way) Has to get drunk to get physical with you) or Be as rude as all get out, dumb as a rock and boring as anything but be really hot so people don't mind that you lack personality?[/b][/center] I couldn't think of anything better.[/color][/font][/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'll go with the first one, I'd much, much rather have my current personality and be ugly than be very attractive and a complete bastard. Seeing as tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day, chances are my luck would probably be good. [B]Would you rather understand everything there was to understand, meaning of life and all that, if it meant an existance of quiet solitute to avoid annoying people asking you questions, save those who make the impressive trek to find enlightenment in your vast wisdom ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather be a complete idiot and be surrounded by friends who are only mildly bothered by the fact that you're a complete idiot ?[/B][/SIZE]

[quote name='Athena][size=1']Your votes, plus everyone elses DID count. I personally sifted through everyone's posts to help gather the final 50. Just because you weren't quoted doesn't mean it didn't count. So, simmer down.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]Now that you mention quotes sweet-pea, I'm quoting for having nominated Lady K, something I am nearly certain I didn't do. [[I]Go to check his Nominations list[/i]]. Yep certain, so someone isn't getting their due credit, so if someone wants to fix that, for the sake of accuracy... [B][Edit][/b] Just to make the life of whoever decides to change the quote easier, I had a look through the nominations thread and tracked down the quoter, it was JJ.[/SIZE]

[center][b]Mission #103: Assassination Vacation |Finale|[/b][/center] [size=1]The British Museum shook as the full fury of it's superhuman inhabitants was released, the once blackened building, illuminated by the faint light of the ritual torches now gave way to technological explosions and magical flames. Two of the figures had not yet engaged in their deathly duel, they stood in the same positions they had taken in their original encounter and merely stared at one another. In so many ways these two men were exactly alike, and is as many ways they were completely different, Augur knew this, his doppelganger knew this and they stayed observing one another silently as chaos, death and destruction reigned about them. The polished marble floors were scarred and broken in several places not far from them, but here in their circle of influence the dark sheen flashed with an almost sinister gleam. Augur surveyed his otherworldly self, his cape swayed gently against his form, a mask covered all emotion that would be read upon his face, but underneath Augur knew there was no emotion, that even if he chose to cast off the mask what lay beneath would be features born of ice. But inside these two men were one in the same, he felt exactly the same as Augur did, because he was Augur, despite all his motives, despite any of his actions at their core they were one in the same. In each of their eyes, the other saw all that they hated utterly, all that they feared completely, and all that they might one day become. In looking at this man Augur saw what he would be if he simply stopped fighting his darker impulses, if he gave into his fear, his anger, his sense of retribution against those who deserved it, in short what Augur saw filled him with a sense of loathing and terror, but some small part of him was also filled with curiosity, what would it feel like to give in ? What would it feel like to be able to simply stop fighting and know the power of his own darkness as this being knew ? He felt beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead, his heartbeat began to steadily increase, his breathing became heavier, he willed them to stop, he would not show fear, he would not give in. Slowly his heart returned to it's normal pattern, his breathing slowed and became more relaxed, but a single bead of sweat ran down cheek and struck the floor. "[b]You fear me, don't you ?[/b]" Five simple words, and internally Augur knew they were true. "[b]I do not fear the darkness, for where there is darkness there is also light, darkness cannot exist without the light, it may smother it but it can never destroy it. I do not fear you, what I fear is what I might become if I give in as you have.[/b]" The statement rang with conviction, he would not be intimidated, too many people counted on him to succeed, he would not allow his planet to be consumed in fire, to see all that was good expire and allow the shadow to expand unmet by the light. "[b]You do fear me, what I am is what you could become, and you fear that, thus you fear me. But you do not just fear your darkness, you fear the superiority of that darkness, I am superior to you Augur, I always have been because I have no fears. You claim the darkness cannot exist without the light and yet even when the light is strongest there is darkness to match it, and when night falls only the pin-pricks stars dare to challenge it's power. Darkness came first and darkness shall always be more powerful.[/b]" His words carried the same power as Augur's earlier ones had, he had fallen so far from the light, given himself so fully to the darkness that it twisted him into something that was not fully human. He did not know fear, but neither did he know compassion, mercy, true joy or love, he was a shell of hatred, malevolence and cruelty, and eventually it would destroy him. "[b]You are not superior to me, you who have committed such grievous sins could never be my better, to be superior to me you would have to be human and you are not human, not any more. The shadow and the light dance today and every day, the dawn, the dusk, the waning and the waxing of each others powers. But where the darkness fills the voids of mens' hearts, the light shall give them strength and they shall always know it. For the light does not twist as the darkness does, it raises a man to something higher, something greater, something closer to God. So long as I walk path that has been laid before me, you cannot defeat me.[/b]" Augur stood now again merely staring at his opponent, this wraith who's words would not sway Augur, who's power would not overcome him, who would fall against him. It was the way of the universe, the darkness may rise to great and terrible heights, but the light shall always burn brighter. A deathly shriek brought more words to Augur's lips, soon it would be finished, one way or another. "[b]Your allies have fallen, I give you this choice: Leave now and you shall do so unharmed, return to you world that you have condemned to pain and suffering. Challenge me here and you shall fall before my feet, your blackened soul will come before God Almighty and he shall cast you into the deepest regions of Hell.[/b]" "[b]I have no allies, what your pathetic comrades have extinguished were nothing more than those wretched underlings who I found most unworthy of their holdings, who's demise I had long planned and served to them now in the most painful method. Those who have died here are those who quaked at my fury, those who's very will was at my command, those upon who my power was greater than any. You speak of God, to those I brought here, and those I saw fit to spare from my cleansing of the Earth itself I AM GOD, my power is everlasting, imperishable and indomitable.[/b]" Fear crawled into Augur's very heart now, his mind's eye formed the image of the billions who lay slain by his malice, nausea welled up in him, he felt their blood on his hands and their screams in his ears. "[b]Join me.[/b]" Two words that brought his unbridled fury to banish the fear, the sickness and the guilt, he would end this creature of evil here and now, he would return freedom to those he had taken it from, this would be his penance. But his dark half continued, nonplussed by Augur's rising anger. "[b]I shall give you power as you have never known Augur, power to destroy those who would rebel against the order of law, to remake the world in your own image, to make things as they should be. With my power you would be capable of anything that you desired, you would compel fear unrelenting in the hearts of your enemies, and love unending in the hearts of those you fought for. Know my power and you shall never know fear again.[/b]" "[b]Never, I will NEVER join you, I will end your evil here and now. If I takes my last breath I will see you die and know that I have brought light back to the world you took it from.[/b]" The rifle that had lain lowered against his side was brought with lightning speed against his shoulder, without thinking he released the first volley of bullets, then a second, his finger stayed steady against the trigger until finally the clip rattled empty. But faster than Augur had raised his rifle, faster than he had even accepted that he had to slay this anathema, his parallel self had cast back his cloak and removed the pair of swords that lay beneath. As fast as the bullets had left the barrel of Augur's rifle, his doppelganger had blocked them, to the untrained eye it might have seemed like magic, something taken from science fiction. The navy blades looked as though they had been crafted from the night sky itself, and as Augur's clip professed itself empty he understood how badly he had underestimated his opponent. His shadowy nemesis returned the two blades back beneath the cape and with a stroke of his right hand, Augur felt the rifle wrenched from his grip by some unseen force of immense power, it hung in the air for a moment before being cast far into the darkness. Driving his other arm forward, Augur was raised off his feet and slammed against one of the many pillars keeping the structure supporter, all wind left his lungs and he felt himself unable to move, he was pinned with his arms spread and his legs forced together, the pose of Christ at the Crucifixion, obviously his other half wanted what he was about to do to have some greater meaning. Again he removed one of the blades from beneath his cloak, Augur wanted to call out to his comrades, but none were in sight and he knew that as easily as this enemy had dealt with him, he would do the same to them. Another three steps and Augur found himself staring directly into the mask that covered his parallel's features, it held all the presence of a death mask and again Augur felt fear creep up his spine. "[b]I am sorry that I must do this, I had hoped your power would prove sufficiently developed that this might be avoided but you leave me only one option. I must free you from this physical dependency and let you know your true potential.[/b]" There was genuine sorrow in his voice, but Augur did not understand what he had meant, slowly he raised the sword horizontally and as the blade passed above his neck Augur let out a sharp gasp, comprehension came too late, and before he could struggle the blade passed with ease across his face, across his eyes and all Augur could do was roar out his pain. Blood spilled down his face, he could smell it, he could taste it, but his sight was now lost to him, his arms tried to flail against the force that held him in place but he was unable to do so. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt, it was like fire and ice at the same time, he could feel tears mixed in with the blood and he knew that this was his end. He hung his head, he knew he was defeated, at first he merely groaned but slowly as the tears continued to fall he merely sobbed, he had failed and the Earth would now pay his debt in full. The unseen grip that held him in place softened, and he felt his form collapse against the floor. His vision was completely dark, truly his parallel self had been correct, here the shadow had cast out the light completely, his fingers felt with hesitation across the floor, trying to find some way of gaining his bearing again, so that if he was to die, he would at least die on his feet. But even as Augur writhed on the floor, his parallel self merely watched him, his expression beneath the mask was one of anticipation, he felt nothing more, either Augur would understand his power and provide a true challenge, or he would lie there waiting for his end like a wretched coward. Slowly Augur raised himself from the ground, after all he had gone through in South Africa it seemed unfitting that he meet his end here, in this manner, to this creature. Inside Augur saw his parallel self for what he really was, he was Augur who's heart had turned cold, who had been as emotionless as Augur's had before the Temple, who had never experienced that profound sense of personal loss that Augur had, the guilt that there should have been some way to warn his friends. The loss and the guilt that had forced him to accept that he was merely human, that for all his power, he was as susceptible to suffering as anyone else, that knowledge had torn down all the barriers Augur had placed around his heart and he was better for it. Hope was the quintessential human emotion, it was the light that fueled so many dreams and aspirations, Augur aspired to be a better man that he was, he was flawed but anything that was flawed could be improved upon and that was what it was to be human. But his parallel self had never come to this self-reckoning, never acknowledged that his power did not separate him from anyone else, that at his core he was still just a man, he did not aspire to be better, he pandered to his darkness and it had consumed him. In that moment Augur not only understood that he could defeat this double, he understood why he could defeat him. "[b]Dum Spiro Spero.[/b]" The words passed through his blood-stained lips like a whisper, but it was loud enough for his opposite to hear them, "[b]While I breathe, I hope[/b]". Shakily he passed his hand down to his side, from the pouch he removed a small roll of antiseptic bandage, again his parallel self merely watched him, but beneath the mask, the smallest smile of satisfaction had formed upon his lips, perhaps he would prove worthy after all. Carefully Augur wrapped the bandage around his damaged eyes, the blood flow had lessened significantly, but he felt weaker for his blood loss, after a moment the flow had stopped entirely. He passed a hand over his face, but saw nothing, not even the slightest hint of light or form. "[b]Do not try to see Augur, that drawback is gone from you now, holding you back from knowing your true power. You have felt it before, like a great surging energy ready to envelop you completely, you merely need to acknowledge it's existence.[/b]" There was no malice in his voice, it was simply stated fact as he knew it, but the statement sounded entirely like Tech's from their conversation, "[b]...you have a great inner strength, all you need to do is acknowledge it's there.[/b]" For a moment Augur felt as though he was floating, as though he had entered a dream, in his dream mist surrounded him, and from that mist forms began to take shape. His hands passed before his eyes, but they did not look like his hands, they were pale and entirely without colour, his arms and legs were the same, finally objects around him became clearer through the mist, the pillar behind him, the floor beneath him and his enemy before him. From that moment Augur saw his enemy as he truly was, it were as though he were made of the darkness itself and in this form he was terrible to behold. He did not look human, his figure was sharp and angular, demonic almost. But now to his doppelganger, Augur also looked different, gone was the frightened being who had dared to stand against him, gradually the power was filling into him and it filled the shadow with pleasure. He was different of course to the shadow, the light that emanated from him was almost heavenly, as though the sunlight and pure snow were his garments and his features. But this is what the shadow had wanted, he had wanted this contest because in the core of his being he doubted himself, was the dark truly stronger ? Now he would have his answer. Augur felt different, stronger now than he had ever felt before in his entire life, the pain of his eyes had evaporated like steam, power coursed through his veins like a great raging body of water. The shadow had been right, his sight had held him back, how else could be ever have come to know his power if he had continued to believe only as his eyes showed him ? But that still left him asking why, why would this creature allow Augur to unlock such power when he knew full well that with it Augur intended to end him ? Slowly the word formed upon his lips, tentatively as though it was precious to him. "[b]Why ?[/b]" The shadow merely smiled at him, and it was horrible, jagged teeth and cruel dark eyes filled with a sick joy. "[b]I told you the dark was stronger than the light Augur, now I will be presented with the opportunity to prove it.[/b]" Again he smiled, and again Augur felt a sense of revulsion rise up in him, but he saw something in the shadow's face, something he would not have seen if he still relied on his eyes, he saw fear. The shadow was not sure the dark was stronger than the light, for all his words he was right, the light and the dark had never been personified like this and he could not be certain he would prove victorious. "[b]Quicker, easier, more seductive.[/b]" Now it was Augur's turn to smile, four words, four simple words that he saw made the shadow quiver ever so slightly. The energy between them was almost tangible, like opposite forces of a magnet drawn together, for one final battle. The shadow's face now drew into an incensed fury, fueled not only by his anger and his pride, but by the gnawing doubt that he might fall before the light. He removed the second sword from under his cape and threw it forward to Augur with distain, Augur caught it in mid spin, feeling the hilt smooth and yet firm in his grip, the craftsmanship was magnificent but perhaps now was not the time to admire the weapon. The blades sang through the air as light and dark assaulted one another, had both Augur's comrades and the shadow's servants been present, only Era and Eva would have seen the true display. To those who could not see on that level, the two men were dueling with such ferocity and speed that they were nearly a blur, the sparks as their swords collided was like lightning, the sound was like the rumbling thunder. To Era and Eva, it would have been a much greater display, the darkness striking with all it's wrath at the light, only to have the light return the blow with equal force, like angels and demons locked in an eternal struggle. The battle seemed to last for hours, their speed was matched only by their power, each drawing into the reservoirs of their power for all they were worth, because one would meet their end in this battle, and either the dark would consume two worlds, or the light would be restored to one. The shadow had known it's powers for longer, had known the depths to which he could draw his strength from, anger fed it, pride restored it, and hate increased it's potency, but the seed of doubt which had formed was preventing him from drawing command of all his strength. Augur who had just begun to discover his power did not know how far his power went, but his hope and his dedication seemed unending, he fought no just for himself but for the greater good, "[b]dum spero spero[/b]" he repeated silently and he knew he could win. Their blades had only touched one another one in the encounter, Augur's first strike would have decapitated the shadow had he not moved to deflect it, sheering straight through his cloak, but even a deathly blow to the flesh would not ending the fight, only when one will was broken would it finally be decided. The large but shallow gash along Augur's chest had occurred soon after he had struck too far too quickly, the pain had been forced back down and the fight had continued. The shadow and the light matched one another blow for blow, thrust for thrust, parry for parry and block for block, they were physically identical, their footwork was exactly alike. The only true difference between them now was their will, it was all that mattered and it would decide who would fall before the other. The security shutters were locked in place against the windows, but they were a physical barrier and they could not prevent the first rays of dawn from reaching both the light and the shadow's attention. "[b]Your power has waned Shadow, it is time the full power of the light was cast upon you.[/b]" The voice speaking wasn't truly Augur any more, part of it was but part of it was of something greater, a force inside Augur he hadn't known existed until now. The rays of the sun touched deep into Augur's spirit and he readied himself to complete their battle, the doubt that had once gnawed at the shadow now exploded into terror, the light knew it was stronger and the shadow would meet it's end here. The final exchange blazed hotter and faster than any before it, the shadow lurched forward to remove Augur's head with unmatched fury, but Augur had already rolled forward driving his own blade behind him with as much force as he could summon. First the blade broke against the armor surrounding the shadow, next it passed through the flesh until finally it struck home into the blackness of the shadow's heart. The shriek was worse than anything Augur had ever heard before in his life, it was pain, anger, sorrow and hate rolled into one terrible noise. The shadow knew it had been defeated, he fell back upon the sword now driving it through the front of his chest, but something kept his lungs filled and his mind sharp even as his life-force bled out through him. Augur sensed the other members of Red Team watching, had they watched the entire exchange or just arrived now ? The look on Era's face was a mixture of joy and amazement, she saw Augur as he fully was at that moment. Her fingers were covered with something, blood he could only assume, he could not see the colour but it seemed the most logical assumption. Tech looked worse for wear, her grimace was no doubt part of her own pain from the exchange mixed with her vision of Augur, blind with blood covered cheeks. Pygmalion's transformation brought a smile to his face, the archaeologist looked far younger and better than he had at the beginning of the mission, the sparkle in his eyes indicated he felt a renewed sense of purpose, having faced his own demons as Augur had, as each of them had. Saturn looked different to the others, something her features that he couldn't place, she simply grinned at him and he nodded back. The four members descended the marble stairs from which they had originally observed their parallel serves emerge, now Augur returned his attention to the shadow, but he merely laughed at Augur, it was cold, cold enough to send a shiver down his spine. "[b]Well, it looks like we failed then...[/b]" He coughed, spewing up a mixture of phlegm and blood, before spitting it towards Augur. "[b]...funny really, it was never my intention to rule this pathetic little world, of course my minions thought it was, their greedy little eyes carving up portions of the Earth for their future seats of power.[/b]" He laughed again, a series of dark cackles, he would be dead soon, so he might as well let them in on the little secret. "[b]But they've met their ends at your fine fellows' hands, pity really, I was hoping at least one of them might kill one of you, just show me they were worth bringing in the first place.[/b]" Again he coughed bringing up more blood, time was running short, he didn't want to miss the punch line. "[b]I knew I'd encounter Legionnaires when I arrived, or at least something akin to them, and while my minions engaged whatever resistance we met, I would search out my parallel self, in this case you.[/b]" His index finger rose pointing to Augur. "[b]I know my own power better than anyone, before I cleansed the Earth of the unworthy, I took control of the Legionnaires, like those swords ? The Arbiter was quite partial to them before I beheaded him with one. After that it was easy, the Legionnaires had already control of the planet, so I just frightened people enough to give me even more power, it wasn't long before I controlled everything and everyone, people will do such stupid things when frightened enough.[/b]" Another laugh echoed forth. "[b]Eventually I began the cleansing of all those unworthy to share my Utopia, by the time I was finished it was so perfect, I'll rather miss to being able to see it again.[/b]" Augur hadn't wanted to interrupt, he wanted to know why his parallel self had come, but the idea of five and three-quarter billion people dying and the world being a paradise because of it warranted one. "[b]Your puppet in 10 Downing St seems to think otherwise, he said the States was a wasteland and people lived in terror and oppression, I get the feeling that's only the beginning of your crimes.[/b]" His eyes narrowed again in anger. "[b]That fool would say that, America a wasteland, bah, wasteland of morality, of law perhaps, and just because there are only thirty million of them there now doesn't make it a wasteland. I did them a favour, there's no poverty, no crime and everyone knows their place in life.[/b]" Again Augur felt like interrupting, knowing their place and being oppressed were one in the same. "[b]I came here to find you, to convert you to my way of thinking, but you were too idealistic, too weak to understand. I wanted you to understand, even if you think my tactics are too heavy-handed there is merit to the philosophy. But you were blind in one sense of the word, so the only way I knew you could understand was to make you see things as they really are, see people are they really are, you see that now. Perhaps in time you'll recognise the wisdom I've imparted to you, perhaps not. But with your power you now could remake the world into order, and you could then use the carpets to down the same to another Earth, even if I only convert a small number of worlds to my way of thinking, they will still travel to other worlds in the multiverse to do the same. It's like that numerical joke about privacy, if one many has a secret and he tells two friends, and they tell two friend, and nobody tells the same two friends, then the day after everyone knows the secret. You may have killed me, by you are not the first Earth I've visited, the time will come when others will come here and continue my Crusade...[/b]" He burst ito a fit of cackles now, until they became more forced and finally his last breath escaped his wretched lungs. Augur looked at the form now, the darkness dissipated and all that was left was the shell of a broken man. Augur began to turn away from the body, but Tech's wide eyes caused him to sharply return his focus to the corpse, the clothing around the body had begun to... liquefy. At first it retained the deep blue colour it originally possessed as a fabric, but as it drew closer to Augur it's colour shimmered and emerged as a pure white. Augur took a number of steps back, but the liquid continued to gain on him, it slithered it's way up his leg, up onto his chest before expanding out. It flowed along his arms, down along his legs, across his back until finally it settled and moved no more, he stared fascinated as the material once again took fabric form as a set of snow white robes. He ran his fingers along the material, it's texture was like a smooth cotton, he couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, by the look on Tech's face she was obvious to examine it as soon as possible. He went to climb the first step before he realised exactly how exhausted he was, the adrenaline that had fueled his battle, at first he felt he would simply collapse into a heap on the ground, but gingerly he made his way up the stairs, the sweat trickled down his forehead and eventually he chose to sat with his back against the railing where he and Sam had first observed their parallel selves' arrival. His breathing was deep, he felt as though he'd sleep for a week after this, "[b]so long as I don't get any more nightmares[/b]" he added ruefully. Finally it hit him that they weren't finished yet. "[b]Did by any chance, one of you come across the Prime Minister in your travels ? Or at least get any indication where he might have been stashed ? No ? ****. Someone help me up, I get the feeling Director-General Phillips would like him rescued before we decided to leave the building.[/b]" He smiled, his first one for quite some time before grabbing hold of Sam's outstretched hand and hauling himself to his feet yet again. At first he had been tempted to send Tech and Era out to give the all-clear, but he realised given their situation the all-clear couldn't be given until they brought out the kidnapped political leader. He tried to get some sense of the Prime Minister's whereabouts, but the silvery mist that now made up his field of vision relayed nothing, again he cursed under his breathe. "[b]Tech I don't suppose you brought along some variety of lifesign scanner that would help shorten our search.[/b]" He watched as Tech's cheeks flushed, either she had and she forgot to bring it, or she had and she forgot to turn it on, Augur more certainly hoped it was the latter. Reaching into her pocket, the young woman produced a small device that looked curiously similar to a PDA, it made several bleeping sounds before finally going quite, they all surveyed the device for a moment, five dots showed their position, and as the device began to zoom out from it's current resolution they held their breath. Three seconds later the device let out what Augur could have sworn was a friendly chirp, about a hundred metres from their current position was one unconscious lifesign, chances were it was Cameron. Augur let out a loud sigh of relief, he really hadn't wanted to have to search the entire building for one man. With their flashlights now active again, the five-person squad made quick progress to where the "Mini" was being he'd. Before they could reach him however they were confronted by something that definitely didn't belong in a museum, the door was probably a steel construct and would no doubt be blast resistant. Augur rubbed his forehead for a moment, before looking to Pygmalion, hopefully underneath that flesh was some of that rock-hard strength he'd gained after the Temple. Looking dubiously Sam pulled back his fist and collided it with the door, as quickly as he'd hit it, Sam drew his hand back and rubbed it vigorously. There wasn't even a scratch mark from the impact, Augur might have been able to pry the door upon with his newly acquired power but his exhaustion told him otherwise. "[b]Tech ?[/b]" It didn't make sense to look to Era or Saturn, neither of them possessed either the technical prowess or brute strength to access the chamber. Tech rooted about in her belt for a moment before withdrawing a small boxy looking device which she promptly sealed against the door. Augur's and the rest of the team who didn't understand the purpose of the device scrutinised it for a moment before it let forth a loud whine and the caused the door to disintegrate. Pulling his head back in surprise he merely looked at Tech and she flashed him a grin, he shook his head in exhaustion and moved through the now open doorway. Inside lay a man in his early forties dressed in a ruffled suit, he looked nearly exactly like the Cameron they had met in 10 Downing Street except for the fact that this one had grown some rather rough looking facial hair. He took one look at Augur and his team before relaxing in relief. "[b]Mr Cameron, I presume ? Although I'm afraid you wouldn't be the first I've met today.[/b]" The remark with met with Cameron's eyebrows knitted in confusion, he'd understand soon enough. He rose under his own power, which was more than Augur had been able to accomplish, after which the team lead him triumphantly out of the now partial destroyed museum. "[b]Prime Minister, are you alright ?[/b]" Director Phillips sounded a much more pleasant woman when she actually cared for the well-being of someone, but at this stage Augur didn't really care. The Prime Minister sounded exhausted from his ordeal but replied calmly. "[b]I am Elizabeth, thanks to these five individuals, though no doubt you've been giving them your full support, and you usual cheer.[/b]" Augur couldn't tell whether the last part was supposed to be sarcastic or not. "[b]Director Phillips, if you wouldn't mind we have one final piece of business to attend to, I'd like the other Cameron brought to the jet we arrived in. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, sent a team in to retrieve the five Arabesks, and a pair of swords from the museum, one of those swords will be found thrust through a body which I will also need delivered to us, as well as the other three you'll find therein.[/b]" Even as Augur spoke his words, a group of shadow covered individuals were busy loading the remains of the cyborg Tech into several cases. By the time the MI agents had reached the location of the remains, there was nothing to be found and no sign of any of the intruders. Two hours later, have bade the Prime Minister goodbye, Augur and the rest of Red Team found themselves back on their jet returning to Legionnaire HQ. Augur had informed the Arbiter of their success and he waited to debrief them personally when they arrived, the group comprised of five exhausted superheroes merely relaxed back into their seats and allowed hours of much needed rest to finally catch up with them. [center]----------[/center] Mother of God, that has to be the longest post I have ever written.[/size]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=bradley hand ITC][size=3]Would you rather.... [b][center]Be tied to a chair and forced to watch CATS non stop for a week or Be tied to a chair and be forced to watch Billy Graham Specials non stop for a week?[/b][/center] Heh Take that![/color][/font][/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Seeing as I have no idea who Billy Graham is, I'm going to go with watching CATS for a week. This is going to sound terribly concieted but given CATS composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is in fact a neighbour of mine about three or four houses down, I could with a fair bit of effort simply complain to him in person and ask for an apology. [B]Would you rather smell the absolute worst smell there could ever possibly exist ?[/B] Or [B]Would you taste the absolute worst taste there could ever possibly exist ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Ikillion][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1][FONT=Comic Sans MS]would you die by.... Decapitation or Disembowlment simple yet bloody any way around it.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'd definitely go with decapitation rather than disembowlment, a good clean beheading is both quick and painless for the victim, which in this case would be me, so easy decision. [B]Would you rather be blind and hear the most beautiful music ever composed ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather be deaf and see the most beautiful sight ever beheld ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=SlowChemical][SIZE=1]Would you rather: Get beat to death by Winnie the Pooh or Locked in a room with Micheal Jackson and R.Kelly combined (No matter if you are a boy or a girl X3) [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Pooh, definitely Pooh, I'd rather be beaten to death by that little bear than be locked into a room with that abomination to human nature. Chances are Pooh would finish you off quick and painlessly given his nature. [B]Would you rather be perfectly relaxed and content for a whole year if it meant you'd never feel that way again ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather feel exhausted, depressed and unhappy for a year if it meant never feeling that way again ?[/B][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=harlow solid italic][size=3]How is killing Barney and the Teletubbies sadistic Gavin? I'd pick Barney being killed... though if I could I'd choose both. Now who's sadistic? I think I have a good one. Would you rather: [b][center]Get your nether regions tattooed or Get your nether regions pierced.[/b][/center] Both are painful but only one is permanent[/color][/font][/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Heh well I was the one to come up with their methods of demise, so I guess it's a tie. But as for whether or not I'd enjoy getting my groin pierced or tattooed, that really does push you over and above my level of masochism. Given the choice, or perhaps forced into the choice I'd go with having it tattooed with some very witty motto, rather than have a nail driven through one of my testes. Neither is particularly pleasant, but really I hope to God I'm never in the position. [b][Edit][/b] Crap, Colour beat me to the punch but in all reality better to put her in that position than me. I answer to his choice, personally I'd rather live where I am now and have everyone ignore me as opposed to living out of some cave, at least at home I'd have access to a few human comforts to keep my spirit up. [B]Would you rather have a world where all religions are accepted equally ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather have a world where no religions existed ?[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. How did I miss this thread for so long, though I reality I suppose my lack of a reliable broadband connection until recently is the most obvious answer. Fair play to Sandy for all his excellent work and the same to everyone else, and in answer to his question from a few posts back, yes blue was the appropraite colour for Augur for all those reasons and more given that blue is my own favourite colour.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. This has to be one of the coolest graphics projects I have ever seen, life really is going to be crap when I go back home in a month and start using my old 26.4 kbps dial-up connection. Still my complaining aside, it really is amazing to see how proficient you guys are with Photoshop to be able to do this kind of word, I'll definitely try and keep an eye on this to see how it grows.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Whew, I can't imagine having thirty-one pages of PMs, but then again I'm a bit of neat freak and having any more than a handful of relevant necessary private messages is too much for me. Still it boggles the mind to think that you could look through five hundred PMs per page and have it not being enough for searching purposes, such is one of the disadvantages of hoarding them I suppose.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. What a amusingly fascinating little concept, I wonder has there ever been an instance where pirates have fought melee duels with ninjas and samurai or where the above have engaged in large scale sea battles. I would certainly pay money to see it, as I'm sure would many of the same people who enjoyed the coliseum fights. Anyway most of the arguments as to who would win have already been made, but I think what people are forgetting to mention in relation to pirates is that they like ninjas will fight dirty if the opportunity presents itself, and they unlike ninjas and samurai always carry pistols. So against a samurai chances are that Blackbeard is just going to blow him without too much trouble, and then cut the ninja down with the cutlass if he can corner him. Either that or all he has to do is reload and then shoot the ninja, either way my money is on the pirate over the others. As for who's toughest, Blackbeard himself endured five pistol shots and more than twenty sword wounds before finally going down, so again my money is definitely on the pirate rather than the ninja and samurai.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=NekoSama101]hanged because it's quick and easy. now: would you rather be eaten alive by maggots or dress up in a frilly pink dress with a lot of lace and bows?[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Actually unless your neck is broken by the drop, by hanging you'll eventually strangle to death, which depending on how much you lash out to try and free yourself is probably a minute or so. So choosing hanging may not be quick or easy but having experienced both temporarily I'd definitely go with hanging above drowning. As for the newer choice, it doesn't specify whether or not you're seen by anyone, and besides looking gay for a few minutes/hours by oneself is a hell of a lot better than being eaten alive by maggots. [B]Would you watch Barney being eaten by a T-Rex ?[/B] Or [B]Would you rather watch the Teletubbies suffer the Aliens treatment ? [/B] Yes I am a wee bit sadistic. [/SIZE]