Gavin

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations]United Nations[/url]. Pretty much everything you need to know about the United Nations, it's history and seemingly most importantly it's methods of finance. Personally I've always viewed the U.N. as a very good thing, as often it's attempts to settle conflicts through peaceful diplomacy are successful. As Raiyuu pointed out, the very fact that it attempts to settle conflict through words rather than some other nations more war-like attitudes is enough to deserve existence in the modern world. Sure the United Nations isn't perfect, but I don't think there's a single organisation of it's size and scope that's perfect and at the end of the day it's just trying to make the world a better place for everyone. If the United States were to pull out of the U.N., while it would cause financial problems I'm sure they could be overcome eventually. I think it's rather foolish for any one nation to think that they are the sole source of power in the U.N. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]It's sad to think there'll only be a maximum of four chapters more to Enter the Net, although given the phenomenal effect it's had on fan fiction on OtakuBoards as a whole it is safe to say that the legacy of EtN will continue on for a long time. Still if the next four chapters are as good as the ones that have preceded them, then we should be very satisfied with the end result.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. In the current situation, I genuinely don't know if running away will solve the problem, or just make it a hell of a lot worse. One curious thing that stuck out at me is that you don't want the police to find you, is there any particular reason for that ? I know you might think they'll just throw you back in with your father but if you explain your reasons to them, they might allow you to speak to social worker and perhaps even put you in touch with someone who could help you. When I read the original post I admit I thought this was just some fifteen year old who was overreacting and going through the typical "I have my father" period. However given you say he's been physically abusive to you, then running away might not be the most efficient option, you could always report him to the police and look to be emancipated under the law, though certain states will only grant emancipation when you're sixteen. Either way I'm not going to give you advice on running away as I've never believed it to be a suitable solution to the situation. Go to the police and see what you can do from there.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Given that I'm a traditionalist at heart, I'd generally see it as more natural if the guy asked the girl out, that said I've only ever been in the situation where I'm the one doing the asking out as generally I prefer the shyer, intellectual girls. However given I'm a shy intellectual myself, it typically takes me a while to actually ask a girl out. I wouldn't have anything against a girl suggesting a date, but when it comes to the whole process as I said it seems more natural if the male is in the lead role, as courting would be traditional. I don't have any problems with a girl asking a guy out, and if it happened to me I'd probably accept if she were my type, so yeah, why not ? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well given that Sharon recently created Kadima party looks set to win the next election, I would say that his absence will not have a hugely detrimental effect on the Middle East. I say that because Kadima itself is based upon Sharon's new views on how Israeli-Palestinian relations ought to be, which can been read [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadima]here[/url]. However a figure as politically influential as Ariel Sharon would no doubt have been the driving force behind Kadima and it's policies, and while it shares his outlook now it may not be so in the future. On whether or not his illness is a good thing or a bad thing, a person falling ill is always a bad thing and a stroke is not something I would wish upon any person regardless of my feelings towards them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.[/SIZE] [quote name='SunfallE][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen']Since she thinks God is telling her that I should be giving her my pay checks and coming over to her house every week to clean it for her, I no longer even call or visit her. I simply got tired of trying to get her to follow the doctors advise and take the medication she needs.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Not to be offensive SunfallE, but I find that to be a wee bit suspicious, if an aunt of mine said she wanted my pay check, and that "God" told her I was to clean her house for her then I'd want fairly damning proof that's she's not just lazy and after my money. I'm not doubting what you say, I'm just doubting whether or not your aunt is genuinely schizophrenic. As for the second person, I think the argument may be a little trivial, but the other person seems to be making a huge deal of it and being selfish in only considering her wants. In my own experience most disagreements can be solved either immediately after the transgression has occurred, if people are willing to be civil about it, or after a period of time when everyone has settle down. I have more than a few arguments with my mother over very trivial things, generally stupid things that we really shouldn't be arguing over but it can get very frustrating when neither side is willing to accept the other's point of view. I don't think there's really an unsolvable argument, the kind of argument that would set people against one another for the rest of their lives, it just takes time and eventually both parties have to let bygones be bygones.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]A fascinating little RPG Trevor, I look forward to taking part should I make the grade. [B]Name:[/B] W-902, chosen designation, Boland. [B]Gender:[/B] Male. [B]Age:[/B] 34 years, 5 months and 3 days. [B]Gang:[/B] The Experiment. [B]Weapon of Choice:[/B] [URL=http://www.heckler-koch.de/media/Produkte/psg1.jpg]Heckler & Koch PSG-1[/URL]. Some say there's no honour in the way Boland kills, that unless he can see the fear in the eyes of his enemy up close before he dies then he is no different from a murderer, and thus he has no honour. Boland disagrees however, it's his belief that true fear is not exposed in close quarters combat, that when you slide a knife into your foe's jugular he's already resigned himself to his fate, and what you see is not his fear of you, but his fear of the beyond. For Boland killing is different, he is the personification of death itself, cold, silent and utterly final, when the round leaves the chamber he doesn't even blink, and when that bullet cuts through his enemy's heart then you see true fear, the fear of a man who hasn't even realised he's dead. [B]Specialty:[/B] Like each super soldier created, Boland was forged to be the perfect weapon, a weapon capable of hitter harder, faster and more lethally than any soldier that came before him. But each member of The Experiment was not intended to become an army of one, each would compensate the weaknesses of the unit with the strengths of the one, thus Boland was trained to be the greatest marksman the Earth had ever seen, to kill from such great distances that he might as well be God. However where he is truly different from his brothers lies in the absolute control he wields over his bodily functions, his ability to increase the accuracy of his sight to near telescopic levels, to control his heart-rate and pulse to simulate death, to slow down his metabolism as to go days without food and water if necessary without suffering ill effects. Combined with his training, he is the perfect sniper. [B]Appearance:[/B] [url=http://adventkane.250free.com/Pearce.jpg]Boland[/url]. [B]Personality:[/B] It is said that the greatest marksmen on Earth are those comfortable with spending long periods of time in isolation, those capable of extreme patience, and finally and most obviously, those who are very self reliant. What is not said, is that the best snipers in the world have to be utterly devoid of emotions, a sniper cannot hate his target, cannot feel remorse for having eliminated his target and most certainly not become angry should the target manage to evade the shot. While undergoing his genetic enhancement, Boland was also trained to suppress every natural emotion he had ever felt, fear, joy, sadness, lust, wrath, all completely blocked out, and all done completely voluntarily. Subject W-902 now demonstrates extreme tranquillity with his surroundings, polygraph analysis of his reactions to arousing, amusing, distressing, pleasant and saddening images are nil. [B]Bio:[/B] "[B]Who are you ? How did I get here ?[/B]" Most people would have been terrified to ask those two questions, maybe I should have been too. He looked down on me with a kind of humoured expression, as though he was entirely too pleased with himself, it was obvious I was in some kind of military facility, as it was also obvious that this man was some kind of military scientist. "[B]You don't remember coming here ?[/B]" His accent was Austrian, but his pronunciation indicated his English had been picked up outside his native land, I decided to play along, see exactly what he knew and then work my way from there. "[B]No, perhaps you'd be kind enough to refresh my memory.[/B]" The statement was genuine, I just hoped he'd answer. "[B]Well you were recommended for the program by your commanding officer, and when we approached you about it you seemed eager, and volunteered. From there it was a simple journey to this facility, where we have been conducting medical tests to gauge your suitability for this endeavour.[/B]" He snapped his fingers, as the answer to my memory problems had hit him. "[B]Ah ! I just remembered, that tranquilliser we gave you may have caused some short term memory loss, my apologies for the inconvenience.[/B]" I exhaled slowly, as if yawning. "[B]And what endeavour would that be doctor ?[/B]" He gave me a toothy smile, a smile that set off every alarm in my head. "[B]Well your government is conducting this research to create the next generation of soldier, conventional training, combined with gene therapy will hopefully provide troops highly superior to even the most specialised veterans. Sadly there may be some memory loss, however given the potential gains one would have to look at this as a great opportunity, think about it, from you perhaps the next generation of super soldier, that is, the generation after you, may be created.[/B]" One by one the alarms in my head began to quieten, I didn't trust this doctor, but I couldn't sense he was lying, and if what he was saying was try then I agreed with him. I thought about what I might be giving up, mom, dad, my childhood, the memories of my service, and the more I thought about it, the more my doubts got smaller and smaller. "[B]When do we begin ?[/B]" He looked at me somewhat baffled, as though I was the first person to actually not give a **** about potentially losing my entire life up until this moment. After a moment however he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled happily, "[B]We can begin immediately...[/B]" "[B]Subject W-902, are you fully aware of your mission ?[/B]" I knew this voice, I just couldn't place from where or when, but I did know what he was talking about. Bolest City, Epidemic, and my mission to kill them and anyone else who threatened the mission. "[B]Yes sir.[/B]" I couldn't see him through the glass, and his voice had been put through a synthesiser to mask whoever might have actually been speaking, but it was something in the pronunciation that seemed familiar. The rest of the conversation involved my own specifics in the mission, each subject had been assigned a particular target, one that most suited their particular talents, my target was Errol Bola, AKA King Blood. Forty-eight hours later I found myself staring at the desolation that was Bolest City, I didn't concern myself with the expressions of the other operatives, we had a mission to do complete and that was my only concern. [B]Writing Sample:[/B] Bolest City, Day 67, Judgment Day. I found an abandoned church this morning, in truth I?d stumbled upon it by accident while scouting potential vantage points or perhaps I didn?t stumble upon it at all, and was in fact guided to this sacred ground for a reason. The doors hadn?t been opened in months, perhaps years, and the stench of decay was so well preserved you?d think the killing inside had only occurred hours previously. I waded through so many dead bodies, men, women, children, the elderly and newborns, it had been a massacre, a massacre committed no doubt at the behest of some leader and carried out by his willing lackeys, how many families had died here in the sight of God ? By the time I reached the alter, the tears had already started to roll down my cheeks, I can?t say I was sad however, I don?t know what sad is anymore, maybe my heart just felt what I couldn?t. Poor bastard, he?d had his throat slit from ear to ear, and what was left of him wasn?t a pretty sight, but it was enough to help me make up my mind. ?[B]I?m out.[/B]? I was probably the last to actually decide to desert but the first to voice my decision out loud. ?[B]What the **** d?you mean ?[/B]" D had been the first to respond, as I?d expected, that lunatic was more concerned with her eventual glorious death than she was with the mission, with eliminating the Epidemic. ?[B]I mean I?m done, done with taking orders on who to kill, and done with killing altogether.[/B]? Most people would try to mask their blunt confession with some kind of intimidating expression on their face, but genuinely I wasn?t concerned with what they thought of me, in the end I had to justify my sins to God and God alone, and I wasn?t prepared to continue killing people for any cause other than his. ?[B]I know the rest of you have experienced the same doubts I have, doubts about why we?re doing this, all I ask is that you be honest with yourselves.[/B]" ?[B]So you?re out, that mean you?re out of the unit too ?[/B]? A long time ago I became wary of G, underneath all that cool exterior was a furnace or rage, or insanity, but today was just another day in his books, and the question was just another question. ?[B]No, I?m in until the mission is completed, until E. Bola and Epidemic lie dead at our feet.[/B]? I held his gaze unflinching, we just stared at one another for what appeared to be hours, until finally his nodded his head ?[B]Thought so.[/B]? B and D just looked on, probably assessing their own decisions, but whatever their thoughts I wasn?t really concerned, Bolest City was an easy place to disappear in, even for a super soldier. ?[B]I?m off for a while, anyone want anything brought back ?[/B]? They shook their heads, our hideout wasn?t the most glamorous of places, but abandoned military property had the advantage of being left abandoned, at least most of the time, and it gave us a place to plan out exactly what we were going to do. The rain outside was angry, pelting down against man, animal, anything that dared walk the streets in this weather. I kick-started the motorbike, and headed back to the church...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Wonderful, not only to we have the return of the Bikini Bandit, but we also have Alex and Alan narrating the whole thing, this is going to go so far beyond safe levels of humour. But without DW as the main villain, I sense this is no longer Bay Watch for OB, perhaps we shall have a genuinely dangerous nemesis this time around.[/SIZE] [quote name='Goddess][size=1']She missed the Bandits, missed the adventures; she even missed seeing Corey in a speedo. Well?maybe not, but it was still amusing to see Gavin?s reaction each time they were in the same room together. [/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]Heh yeah, I remember reading that and thinking my reaction was exactly like it would be in the real world.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. As I said when we spoke over AIM last Jamie, I really am gob-smacked about how little you've had to change this from the original version, aside from the odd sentence and the newer usernames it's exactly as it was the first time around, and it was fantastic back then. I know I'll only be repeating what everyone else has said, but this really is excellent and so much more visceral than the normal OB fanfic, it has edge, which you just don't normally see and I'm really excited to see where it'll lead.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Goddess][size=1][b]?This is war, Alan,?[/b] -Alex rocks himself on the cold floor, [b]"No one threatens my mustache's life. NO ONE!"[/b'][/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]That sounds so nearly exactly like a statement I made to my brother recently it's scary, well except his name is David and it was a threat against my hair, but really it is a little too close to the mark. [[i]Watches window suspiciously[/i]][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Sweet-pea, that had to be the funniest damn thing I've read in a long, long time. The depiction of Alex is so life-like that I had to actually hold my breath for a few seconds to stop laughing, I mean you read it and it just sounds so right and so hilarious. The clipboard/penis-doodle was definitely the most amusing line in the whole thing, I can just imagine Alex scheming away a plot of utter vengeance which will probably turn out to be something along the lines of him gluing a pair of comically oversized breasts to Alan while he's asleep/unconscious. I eagerly await the next instalment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Hugo, I have but three words to describe my feelings on the last two-parter chapter: [I]it kicked ass[/I]. Bill and Vicky's wedding was exactly as I'd imagined, well actually I'd never imagined it before, but this does sufficient justice to how I believe it would have been conducted. Being a hopeless romantic at heart, the idea of the married/dating residents of OtakuBoards having a little shindig for themselves was very groovy. If not for the untimely and downright rude interference of Sonic Blaster I believe the prom's night of romance would have resulted in a lot of taskbar rocking unsuitable to be printed in a PG rated thread. [/SIZE] [quote name='Solo Tremaine][font=Verdana][size=2][color=#503f86]Neuvoxraiha and Gavin drew a fair amount of attention on their entrance, though? and the less said about that the better.[/font][/size'][/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]You've made my very curious as to what kind of an entrance my dear wife and I could have made, perhaps you would be kind enough to elaborate old friend.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Poor Shy and his eggs, first they're ruined by Sarah's complete lack of consideration, then he gets shot while he's in mourning for his lost poultry product and finally his gay TV show is a flop, though in my mind he should have hosted a cooking programme. Eagerly looking forward to the next instalment old friend. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I don't believe a person has to have actually died to be declared legally dead, in cases where the body cannot be found or the person has simply disappeared and is believed to be dead, then said individual can be declared legally dead. As for what would happen with your life insurance policy, I assume the company would look for the payment back off the beneficiary, though legally as you were declared dead they might not have that right. I must admit I did find it funny thinking of someone having to buy your second life insurance policy, that conversation would be interesting. I've never heard of such an incident before, so honestly I have no idea what would be involved in trying to get another policy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well I've both stayed and worked in hospitals, so I've been fortunate enough to see both sides of the coin. Like Retri and Drix I have great respect for those who work in hospitals as well as what life would be like without them, I mean as bad as people may feel in hospitals, society would be a heck of a lot worse without them. I've had the privilege of never losing a relative in a hospital, so perhaps I've never experienced the kind of dislike that might fester because of it, but I still maintain that hospitals themselves, while not being nice places to visits, are vital in their own right and people ought to be thankful they have decent hospital services[/SIZE].

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. The weirdest dream I have ever had, and strangely enough I was only thinking of it a few hours ago involved a herd of cattle, a copy of Red Alert II and a number of phaser wielding Ferengi from Star Trek, I kid you not. I have no real memory as to be proper sequence of the dream, but I found myself leading said herd of cattle inexorably through the HMV in Limerick City, after which I purchased a copy of C&C Red Alert II, odd considering I already own the game, and then being fired upon as I moved down a deserted mountain pass towards a hoard of angry Ferengi. Why I was leading them there I have no idea, why I bought a copy of RA II, I have to idea, why the heck I was walking toward a bunch of angry neo-capitalists, I have no idea. Thus it earns the title of my weirdest dream. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I admit I never thought citizen's arrests occurred, though seeing as nobody has actually witnessed such an event perhaps they don't occur all that often, once in a blue moon comes to mind. Still I agree it must be an exceptionally amusing scenario to see someone who is not a police officer, arrest a law breaker and then view the resulting sparks. Personally thought, I prefer to leave matters of law and the arresting of criminals to those trained to do so. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"Alright, alright, a foot massage is neither the same ballpark, league nor sport.." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. In honest reflection, 2005 started off pretty damn badly for me but improved significantly as time wore on. In all honesty while it wasn't the best year of my life it gave me some important time to think, to reflect on my situation and to try and move on with my life. I also started going to the gym which has been a big hit with the ladies, and done wonders for my own confidence outside of OtakuBoards. Since I can't go back and change anything I did, or happened to me from the last twelve month I'm just going to focus on the good and keep working towards those last hurdles. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Drix D'Zanth]It actually means this: [IMG]http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/8118/builder16bb.jpg[/IMG] Think about it? bear arms. That would be ******* awesome.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Indeed it would, at least until the point where Star Wars fans, myself included probably, would grow out the hair all over their body and claim to be vertically challenged Wookies. Still the right to bear arms sounds a hell of a lot funnier that way.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. In answer to the title question, I believe life as we know it starts at conception, when that which will eventually form a full human being begins. Self awareness and cogniscent functions are simply the next stage in development of the foetus, of the human being, obviously you have to exist before you can be aware. Those are my two cents anyway. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Sandy']I still have to call donkeys 'donkeys', though. :P[/quote] [SIZE=1]You could call them mules, or jennets or some other variety of the donkey family.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. What do I do when I have nothing to do ? In all honesty I prepare myself to have some ridiculously tedious task be asked of me, because my younger siblings have managed to make deft exits from the house and my parents are too lazy to do it themselves. Now that's in the evening when everyone is home, during the day I often just either plant myself in front of the TV, that or I write away at some RPG idea that's come into my head and that's generally it.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Shy][size=1]Um, yeah. I expected more activity during the holiday (historically the boards are slightly more active thanusual during the break, at least in my personal experience...) but I'm going to [b]extend the deadline for current Red, Green and Blue mission threads by two weeks[/b]. I've been out of town myself, I apologize for the confusion. I'll try to get a PM out to everyone ASAP, since it appears not everyone reads this thread. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Red Team is really going to have the get the lead out to be finished by then, as we've had a couple of unforeseen setbacks. Anyway knock on wood everything should get moving fairly soon. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. From my own viewpoint, pornography is nothing more than the basest form of romantic expression, and I use the term romantic because calling pornography a form of expression would be to insult art in a very grave manner indeed. Whether it's the woman or man involved, I note that often those men involved in pornography are deemed either complicit or lucky, pornography is a debasement of dignity. [/SIZE] [quote name='Boba Fett][color=green']If you don't like it you can, as you did, look away.[/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]Even though I'd look forward to a day without such moral atrocities, Dave is right, if you don't like what you see, just look away.[/SIZE]