Gavin

[SIZE=1]I posted in this thread before, but in the last week I'm after getting addicted to the multiplayer portion of [B]Episode III: Revenge of the Sith[/B]. The game itself is alright, though the graphics are nowhere near as polished as they might be, at times they're downright ugly and the voice-overs are at best a good attempt to sound like the person they're mimicking. The game itself lacks a huge amount of polish and work that might have made it a great game/movie tie-in, only by playing it will you actually get what I'm saying but the multiplayer to me made it worth the weeks rental. The multiplayer, though more specifically the [I]Versus Mode[/I] is simply the ability to use two characters from the game out of an eight or nine character line out and duke it out with lightsabers and Force powers. The battle environments are specifics areas from the game that are unlocked like the characters through progression, using the Force you can literally tear off parts of the environments and hurl them at your enemy or failing that hurl them at those destructible parts. The lightsaber combat in this case is more polished and fluidic than say the [B]Jedi Knight[/B] series but that's down the fact it's limited to lightsabers only. The lightsaber combat can be frustrating given the fact that sometimes moves won?t work properly or your blocking move won?t work or some other glitches but most of the time it?s a heck of a lot of fun. Playing with another person is better than against an AI character who even on Hard is surprisingly easy to beat given enough experience, my brother is a Dooku user and has a terribly annoying habit of strafing to avoid my Darth Vader?s unmercifully strong blows and then hitting back with mild ferocity, but it all adds up. I had the game damn near 100% beaten, including secrets and full experience in under a day but playing the multiplayer is the golden part of the game, even if there?s not a huge difference between characters.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I never knew anything like this was on Otakuboards, imagine that, the fact that it's there, not me not knowing, never mind. I knew there was something going on with Bravenet because of the files I'd find in my Temporary Internet Files folder, as well as the fact that my Ad-Aware software repeatedly deems Bravenet cookies to be a security risk. But I never knew there was any kind of stuff like this, I use Internet Explorer so perhaps that why I've never seen it, still it's an interesting little catch by Corey. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Your grandmother sounds very much like my late maternal great-grandmother, and I'm going to say right now that you're very wrong in the way you're treating her. My great-grandmother lived with us for the last few years of her life, I was much younger at the time maybe sever or eight, and at the time I found her constant demands, requests and aches & pains to be annoying because I was small and I didn't realise that her being old meant that certain pains and aches were in her mind only. One of my most vivid memories of my great-grandmother is her telling me stories of her encounters with the British soldiers known as the Black and Tans, and being absolutely enthralled with the story and how she seemed much younger, I suppose would be the best word, in telling her stories. Many of the pains old people have are in their mind, because simply their mind begins to fail them and every pain and ache in their mind seems absolutely real to them, my great-grandmother was a perfect example of this, she'd swear her legs hurt when there was nothing wrong with them as confirmed by a doctor, she'd swear she had pains in her chest, again nothing physically wrong with her as confirmed by a doctor. My great-grandmother was convinced by her mother at a young age that she had a bad heart and for her whole life she was sure she was going to die because of it, she had a perfectly good heart but it was all in her mind and not a specialist in all of Ireland could convince her otherwise. I'm not saying it isn't annoying, at times you'll be just grinding your teeth over the constant barrage of requests, but until we are elderly ourselves we will have no idea what it is like. I think Charles is almost certainly right, your grandmother could be absolutely terrified of being on her own in case something happens to her, she could be afraid of dying along, a death I'm sure none of us would want for ourselves. His example in Japan is very accurate in pointing out the differences between the treatment of the elderly there and in the "west", in Ireland most grandparents and great-grandparents if there are any live with their eldest child but there is a growing trend of just stuffing them into some old folk's home where they won't interrupt our busy lives or irritate us. Perhaps it is all a facade and your grandmother is a manipulator, but perhaps it isn't a facade and she's a lonely sad old woman who uses her pains as excuses to get some attention from her family and feel like you haven't forgotten about her and swept her under the carpet. She's an elderly person and deserves respect not only because she is but also because she's your grandmother, without her you wouldn't be around. She may be annoying, I've got a really annoying (a fair bit of the time) sister who drives me up the walls but as part of my family she deserves respect and compassion. Imagine how you'll feel in seventy years when you're in your mid-eighties and your grandchildren/great-grandchildren are thinking the exact same things about you. [/SIZE] [quote name='Bloodseeker']The moral to this story? Never complain about a false threat, because when it actually happens, people might not take you seriously.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Or if I was to quote Garak from Deep Space 9, the moral would be "[I]Never tell the same lie twice.[/I]"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. My most common experience with taking care of small children is when my mothers cousins arrive to visit us with their children, there's usually about four of them, Amy, Jack, Sam and Rebecca. Amy is absolutely doted upon by my younger sister, the second she arrives Sinead whisks her away and they spend most of the day watching videos, Jack is about three or four at this stage, I think, and has taken on the slightly irritating habit of calling me Uncle Gavin despite the fact that I'm 18 and not actually his uncle. He was introduced into this habit by his uncle Alan who has been dubbed Badger due to his greying/grey hair at 35, as revenge for me getting Jack to call him Uncle Badger. Still myself and my brother David basically entertain Jack the whole day by either watching movies or Tv or playing some sport, I get to be nice Uncle Gavin to him because any discipline comes from his mother or father though I have on occasion shown him some slightly discipline in his manners, all I'll say is "nostril gourmet" . I really enjoy taking care of young children, they're immensely entertaining and keep you sharp on your wits.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. [quote name='Lore][color=#6699cc]And the real problem, in my experience, isn't that the food you eat is necessarily unhealthy. You just eat [i]too much[/i'] of it. I'm sure everyone here has heard some one go on about how a Big Mac or Whopper meal contains, like, quadruple your recommended daily calorie intake. Once in a while, your body can take that in stride. But even once a week? You're gonna gain weight. [/color][/quote] Exactly, it?s not entirely what you eat but the quantity you eat as well, it?s all well and good changing to healthier foods so long as you make an effort to cut down the portions of what you eat and add some moderate exercise to the mix. I personally think eating healthy is a good thing, you don?t have to eat like a rabbit or a supermodel to stay healthy but eating packets of crisps/potato chips and orders of fast food everyday and washing it down with litres of soda is not a healthy way to live. It?s all about moderation really, having a portion of fries and a burger is OK once a week or so, but you have to have the exercise to balance it out and burn it off. Drinking plenty of water is enormously important too, most of the time you?re actually thirsty when you think you?re hungry. As for whether brown bread is better for you than white bread, I don?t know, I?ve heard it?s better for you but I honestly prefer white in a sandwich purely for taste reasons.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. A most interesting piece of work you have here Manic, as a fairly informal fan of the X-Men series I'm not familiar with Excalibur and as such I probably won't catch the fan-based subtlety of some of this. Perhaps you might kind a kind of character list with descriptions for those of us who mightn't be familiar with some characters. Overall it's very enjoyable though I'll agree with Retri when he says a bit more information is needed as to the whole affair.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Like everyone else here the prospect of Autumn and then Winter coming haven't put me in a hugely cheery mood lately, though the difference for me can really be measured in the fact in a few weeks it's going to be dark by five-thirty PM where as about a fortnight ago it was bright until well after nine-thirty PM. We got a few good days of weather here and there, which I thoroughly enjoyed though back in July we got two great weeks of weather in the high twenties with a kind of cool breeze that made it really enjoyable. I spent most of the summer indoors I'm sorry too say, though much of that time was either spent reading new books I've bought or got from the library, or working on new RPGs and story ideas for Otakuboards, or when I can find a spare bit of time between those two I'd do a bit of videogaming to relieve stress and help come up with some new ideas or augment others. Of course much of that would be later in the afternoon and evening as I wouldn't be up until about ten-thirty, eleven o'clock and after that I'd dally around and watch some TV and then go and spent two or so hours outside with my brother and after that come back inside and watch some more TV, so all terribly intriguing stuff. One new thing I started doing this summer, well mid/late spring is to do an hour or so in the gym most evenings, I find it beats spending an hour sitting in front of either the TV or PC vegetating to quote an old teacher. That and we went on holiday to Turkey again, which meant I spent a fortnight in forty degree weather sitting inside all day in the air conditions and went outside at night to eat with my family, on the plus side I went on a really great boat trip on our second last day and met a guy called Don/Dom Rice who looked and sounded very much like The Truth from San Andreas. Real nice guy, and a daredevil of a diver. My summer went pretty much the way I?d expected, though I can?t complain as it was very relaxing given recent stresses. As for what I?ll be doing in the coming months, aside from studying to complete high school (hopefully anyway) I really don?t know, I suppose I?ll play it by ear like I usually do.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I enjoyed Sin City a heck of a lot more than I thought I would, when I first heard about the film I was expecting some absolute gore-fest with plot sacrificed for the sake of not interrupting the violence. As you might guess when I actually did see the film I was more than pleasantly surprised, riveted being the best word to use. I thought using the black and white with dashes of colour for blood was an excellent touch a more proper homage to it's graphic novel background. The cast pleasantly surprised me as well, I wasn't expecting quite so many well-known actors and they performed their roles superbly. I'm looking forward to buying the DVD when it comes out in the next while.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']Calling Keanu Reeves a "good" actor is beyond anything I can imagine. He's actually got some good sense when it comes to picking films (as of late anyway), but come on, he was basically the same character in the Matrix and Constantine (making your voice slightly gruff does not do much at all)... which is really a shame since he was very little like John Constantine is in the comics.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Indeed, I would be absolutely horrified if someone like Keanu or Orlando Bloom, who was at one stage mention as a possible replacement God help us, was cast for the role of Bond. I'm not saying that either of those gentlemen aren't fine actors, so long as they're kept to movies that suit them or movies that I will never ever see, but there are certain requirements for to be Bond. The accent is part of it, though Pierce actually spoke with his normal accent rather than putting one on, but also it's the whole look of the character that seals the deal, and Keanu as Bond would make me want to scream for mercy.[/SIZE] [quote name='Generic NPC #3']No freaking thanks. I kind of would like them to at least get someone who can pull of a decent English accent, which is completely out of Keanu's grasp. He has nothing going for him for the character's requirements (and yes I'm aware that Connery is not English).[/quote] [SIZE=1]Actually Tony to my knowledge and just a moment ago confirmed by Wiki, there's only been a single English actor who's played Bond. Pierce Brosnan is Irish, George Lazenby is Australian, Timothy Dalton is of mixed Italian and Welsh descent though born in Wales, Sean Connery is Scottish and finally the Englishman Roger Moore. So really it doesn't matter hugely what nationality the actor who plays Bond is so long as he fits the defined Bond image.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Most of the questions I had have already been asked and answered already but I was wondering how exactly [B]Body Bags[/B] will work ? Will it be all the people on one particular team voting, i.e. Gold Team voting for who dies on Gold Team or will it be everyone having a vote on who dies out of each team ? That really the only question I have at the moment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I first started using the Internet back in last 1999, just after my family bought our first Internet-capable computer to replace one my uncle had sent us a few years previously to allow my father do typing and the like. My core interest on the Internet was one subject, Dragonball Z, which I'd become intrigued by from watching Cartoon Network and the pursuit of knowledge relating to that subject and though my time wasn't limited to DBZ sites, it was where I'd predominantly surf. I'd spend three of four hours a week surfing the net visiting sites to try and increase my knowledge of the show so that when I say an episode and a new character was introduced, or at least a character I'd never seen before I'd know who he was and what his story was. After a bit of time, a year approximately I came across a little website called TheOtaku with a fairly decent DBZ section and stayed around, and eventually I signed up to it's message board Otakuboards when TheOtaku went down for revamping and really the rest from there is history. Apart from OB I actually don't visit a great deal of other sites, and 90% of those are linked to stuff I'm doing on OB, so it this place were to shut down I wouldn't really have any reason to keep surfing, though with a connection speed of 28.8 kbps there?s not much else on the Internet to do.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. At heart I'm a writer first and foremost, though my writing is more so limited to stories and fiction rather than poetry, which I find much trickier and tougher to write than the other two. I don't know what it is but poetry just seems to be a section of creative writing which escapes me completely, I can write some yes but it just never seems right. Nowadays all my creative writing is done here on Otakuboards, though before that which wasn't done here was consigned to school work and not of the same calibre which I find I can write here. Back when I was younger I had an innate talent for drawing and sketching, something brought over from my father who when he does paint is a very accomplished painter. However as I got older I lost touch with drawing as a hobby and my skill eventually faded to an extent where I wouldn't be keen to show anything I doodle or draw to anyone. Still given enough time I suppose I could build it back up again, though seemingly drawing is linked to the right side of the brain where as I'm predominantly a left-brainer. [/SIZE]

[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=1]A damn fascinating little RPG/Event Josh. [b]Code Name / Call Sign:[/b] Augur [b]Gender (If Applicable):[/b] Male [b]Location:[/b] Dublin, Republic of Ireland [b]Age:[/b] 32 as of July 2nd [b]Personal Appearance (Images are acceptable):[/b] [url=http://adventkane.250free.com/Fraser.jpg][b]Augur[/b][/url] Standing 1.85 meters Jack?s a big enough fellow by most people?s standards, his body is athletic but more focussed towards strength than agility due to the nature of his powers, hardened developed muscles run across most of his body though not built to an extent as to prove a disadvantage. Put simply he?s built enough to for someone to see them from a short distance but not enough that anyone would think he?s some kind of bodybuilder. In terms of clothing during his normal hours as Jack Griffin he?ll wear pretty much what comes to hand as long as it?s clean and decent looking, though he has a penchant for cream or navy coloured t-shirts. After hours as Augur he uses what has become his ?costume? for the lack of a better word, a worn but still dark pair of black jeans along with a worn black leather full length overcoat over dark grey t-shirt covering a kind of Kevlar weave he wears underneath. [b]Personality/Behavior:[/b] Jack's a quiet guy most of the time, not that "tough guy in the corner" quiet but more of a "guy who prefers to listen and then speak when necessary" quiet. If at all possible he prefers to let his body language do his talking for him, some people find this off-putting in terms of dealing with him, some others see it as a sign of rudeness, but it's not, it's just Jack's way and it's not meant to be rude or off-putting, he's just a quiet person by nature. His quietness has lead to him being labelled as cold and distant, an emotional iceberg with no concept of human feelings, in truth though it's a very different story but Jack rarely speaks and so that story isn't all that well known. Those who do know the story know that Jack is an immensely deep person, genuine, loyal, courageous and as compassionate a person you're likely to find, but riddled with enough self doubt and insecurities to break a normal person. His silence is his way of bottling up these insecurities, from letting people see them and thus understanding that the difference between a hero and a normal person beyond powers is a very thin line. When someone does manage to break through all the self-doubt that gnaws away at Jack he almost seems to become a different person, he has a wonderful sense of humour and is more than willing to make a joke to try and lift the mood, he is very kind and in a naive kind of way charming. At times he'll damn near talk your head off if you let him, the release of his bottled-up feelings and the joy that comes with driving his demons away even for a few minutes at a time. Other times he's willing to just sit back and listen to another person and share a simple conversation, the things normal civilians consider "the norm" in life are the things that Jack rarely has the opportunity to experience and the things he desires most. Being a hero is a lonely life most of the time, something people just don't realise when normal people hold them up as examples of what a person should be, but that's the side of heroes people don't see, the part Augur works desperately to cover up to give normal people simple hope and a feeling of safety in a dangerous and complicated world. [b]Personal History:[/b] Augur was born John Edward Griffin, though nicknamed Jack by his mother May mere moments after his birth for fear she'd be referring to her husband and son as John for the rest of her life. Born the eldest into what would be a family of four Jack knew about the concept of responsibility before he learned to walk and talk. One of the biggest worries most parents face with a new child is that nagging feeling that they need to be watching their children twenty-four hours a day just in case something would happen to them, whether it be falling as they learn to walk, or getting their hands on something they might put into their mouth or God forbid swallowing bleach or something like it from the kitchen or garage. That high-pitched screeching wail of a child when they've scraped their knee or bumped their head is something Jack's parents heard all to infrequently from Jack, he never made a peep unless it was when he was with someone else, whether it be sitting or moving around he would do it in complete and utter silence. When he grew old enough to talk it was the same story, he'd say a few words sure, as if to let people know that he could actually communicate but beyond that he was silent, and when asked why he was so quiet he'd just respond with a kind of nervous shrug without meeting the other person's gaze. While it wasn't normal neither was it so abnormal that Jack's parents felt that it required anything more than time, "it's just a phase" his mother assured his father "it'll pass given enough time". By three and a half Jack's mother had his manic twin siblings Anton and Marie to keep her sharp and her time spent with Jack outside his bedtime story was near minimal, his father however doted on Jack spending all his available time with his first-born son, and with his father the reluctant, nervous Jack cracked a smile and learned to laugh like a normal person. It was at that tender age that John Griffin saw something in his son, he couldn't explain it but he knew, just knew that someday his son would go on and do great things. School was both a interesting and frustrating experience for Jack, he loved to learn regardless of whether he was good at a subject or not, he just wanted to learn about and understand damn near every subject there was out there. His teachers found him to be a polite, hardworking but ultimately shy boy, who although interacting with others his age never really seemed to belong and often just sat by watching as if to try and discern the difference between himself and them. Something his teachers noted, perhaps something even hinted at earlier in his childhood was that he seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing when something was going to happen, when watching a game of hurling Jack was seen more than once cheering before the sliotar had even been struck. Most of the time it was dismissed as simple exuberance from a introverted child, but some of his teachers had suspicions otherwise, that like his father had suspected something wasn?t quite normal about this boy. By his final years of secondary school Jack had become known for his ability to pick winners in sporting matches, horse races, anything. Those elderly gamblers who?d spent their life looking for that one big score in grotty betting ?establishments? either regarded him with a sense of envy and contempt or crept up behind looking for tips with a lopsided, toothy smile. Jack made most of his money this way, at seventeen he had few other options, while his father had continued working after the birth of his youngest daughter Elsie his parents had decided for the benefit of their children that May should stay at home with the children rather than them raised by strangers hired for money. As such there wasn?t huge amounts of money to go round, but Jack always had a few quid in his back pocket and was willing to contribute as much as he could to the family coffers. However Jack?s days spent in a bookies? wasn?t without it?s dangers, Dublin like most major cities had a seedy underworld that just required the one misstep to fall headfirst into. Jack?s misstep was to go beyond the ?fair winnings threshold? of his local bookies, one of the ?legitimate? businesses of one of Dublin?s many drug gangs, this threshold simply stated that anyone who won more times than could be considered ?fair? should be dealt with, and dealt with extreme prejudice. Late one night coming home from work Jack got a sick feeling in his stomach, that something was terribly wrong or perhaps that something was going to go terribly wrong. Gunning his car for all it was worth he arrived back home, his head aching, his heart pounding hoping that it was all in his mind. Pushing the door open he found himself staring into the kitchen exactly as it had been left, his siblings school books strewn about the table, the wafting smell of a hot dinner, it all seemed normal. Silently he drew open the cutlery drawn and withdrew a small but razor sharp knife his mother used for cutting up small portions of meat, he slid the knife into his pocket and moved on into the next room. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and his headache was getting worse in intensity, but as he moved throughout the house it became apparent that nobody was home. Checking around the hall to the front door Jack found a freshly written note sitting on the telephone stand, to his intense relief it stated that his family had gone to the pictures for an evening out and that they would be back later that night. Before he replaced the letter on the stand Jack heard the unmistakable click of a pistol hammer, his mind blazed, he could here a kind of silent nasal breathing. His elbow lashed back but met only air, turning round he found himself completely on his own. Sighing heavily he threw the note back on the stand and moved into the dining room to get himself a drink to try and calm his nerves, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach remained, he sighed again and drank from the tumbler liberally before pouring himself a second and a third helping. He rubbed his forehead in confusion, trying to work out what was going on, but all his questions were met only with a silence, was it the whiskey ? Fumes from the car ? Some kind of virus ? He didn?t understand, but it didn?t matter, his chain of thought was interrupted as the front door was violently smashed in and right then and there it all made sense. A pair of vicious looking skin-headed thugs moved in the door, their faces plastered with a kind of malignant smile that indicated just what they were here for, behind them moved a third man, tall and somewhat thin, his face belayed no emotion or intention, merely focus. Jack?s stomach hit the floor, the feeling in his stomach went away only to be replaced with butterflies that felt more like jumbo jets, there were three of them and one of him and he knew the tall man had a gun, which put him at a decided disadvantage. He moved carefully from the dining room to the kitchen, Jack was no superhero but he wasn?t going to let these punks wreck up his father?s house to satisfy some drug-pushing son of a *****, he?d get to the phone and call the police, with any luck they?d be here before anything nasty happened. The three men had spread out moving to different sections of the house, one of the two thugs a small, fat man with a tire-iron smacking off his palm had moved into the room adjacent to the kitchen, his breathing was heavy but rhythmic as his lumbered from room to room looking for something or someone. As he moved in the kitchen double doors Jack struck, the rolling pin in his hand he collided it with the rotund intruder?s midsection, the squat thug exhaled sharply winded before falling to his knees, Jack raised the rolling pin again and struck the back of his head just hard enough to knock him out. ?One down, two to go? he whispered damn near terrified. The second of the two thugs had moved in before Jack even realised a sharp growl exited the taller man throat as he lunged, a twelve inch army blade moving down in a quick stabbing motion. Before the knife could connect Jack moved, he didn?t know how he could have but he did, his left leg collided with the man?s groin, the ruffian screamed in pain and anger but managed a quick slashing motion with the knife before going down, Jack felt a searing pain across his chest and felt blood begin to flow from the wound. ?Definitely not good? he thought gasping, his attention returned to the thug who?d begun to rise again, he lashed out with his leg solidly hitting the man in the chest before moving in and punching hard into his face. Right as the man head hit the floor Jack heard the distinctive click of the gun?s hammer, the exact sound he?s heard minutes before along with the same nasal breathing,. His hand moved slowly down to his pocket, trying desperately to retrieve the knife before a bullet from that gun lodged in the back of his head. The knife slid quickly of his pocket, faster than he expected, he knew the man?s finger was just about to squeeze the trigger, he rolled his right shoulder as the gunshot sounded, the bullet lodged itself in the kitchen floor and Jack drove the knife into his assailant's triceps. The taller man bellowed in agony, his gun arm useless, the pistol dropped with a clatter to the ground, Jack?s hand slipped over it feeling it?s contours but keep his eyes on the injured man. He was tempted to shoot him, along with the other two men unconscious on the ground, but he was no murderer, he?d call the police and they?d deal with it. He kept his eye on the third man, the knife was still in the wound and his eyes told Jack that if he got the opportunity he was going to gut him with it, the voice of a young woman finally gave Jack the chance to relax his guard a small bit, he relayed his story and was informed that the police would be there in minutes. He sat back in the chair, the gun still pointing squarely at the gangly man?s forehead, he?d wait here and soon it would all be over, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach knew it wouldn?t be, and the acrid smell of smoke told him he was right. The next few minutes are a blur for Jack, and even after fourteen years it?s an uncomfortable memory for him to recall, he knows the smoke and fire in the house started into the kitchen , while the three men on the group still lay silent, the sounds of a siren in the distance reassured him that everything would be OK. The third man said something that Jack can?t recall, an insult ? A threat ? At this stage it doesn?t matter, Jack remembers the gunshot only, and then being pulled out by the fire-fighters, but nothing else. Later he remembers being told that that the third man must have jumped at him before he shot him, but as much as Jack would like to know that?s what happened he just can?t recall it, but he believes he didn?t kill the man and so do the police. That was fourteen years ago and in the advent of that event Augur was born, and like Spiderman and those other comic-book heroes that Jack read about as a child he took a mask and vowed to make the city a safer place one scumbag at a time, but is he really a hero or just a vigilante ? In Jack?s mind it doesn?t really matter. His eyes open slowly and he stops recalling the memory, the noise of traffic around him and the screams of those yet to scream [b]Special Skills or Abilities:[/b] As his name implies Jack has the ability to see into the future, though see is merely the closest word to describe it, he can sense things before they happen, movements, words and faces. He?ll see his enemy try to pull the trigger before they?ve even removed their gun from the holster, he?ll know the answer to the question he asks before he?s even asked it, he?ll see the faces of those he?s too late to save before he?s even met them. For most people it?s a sense of deja vu when they think they?ve seen or done something before, for Jack it?s just another feeling he?s learned to mingle in with the fear of being a normal man other people consider a hero. Directly related to this ability to see into the future, Jack?s reflexes are much faster than that of a normal human, and even if he?s not seeing the future consciously his reactions are still dictated by his subconscious and thus are always ?on?. In terms of weaponry Augur sticks to either small four inch throwing knifes he has lining his waist, or tranquilliser darts he has lining his wrists and thighs, given the opportunity he prefers to use the tranqs rather than having to kill someone but if it calls for it then he?s willing to meet force with force. While Jack has damn near 100% accuracy with the darts and throwing knives, he?s not as proficient in close combat as he?d like to be, he?s a big enough guy and can throw a fairly hard punch but on the scale of things he?d rather stick with his knives and darts. [b]Player?s Availability (How often will you be able to post?:[/b] Every day if necessary [b]Which Otaku Thread Rating Do You Expect Your Posts To Fall Under?:[/b] Somewhere between PG and M depending on the level of violence involved.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. From my own understanding of it, Pierce decided to retire as James Bond rather than continue on with the role, as Manic said he'd found the role to have become tiresome and almost a caricature of what Bond was supposed to be. The next Bond film was supposed to be a remake of [B]Casino Royale[/B] starring Pierce in his last 007 role but he turned it down in favour is simply retiring as James Bond for the above reasons. The latest actor to supposedly be the likely candidate in the running is Scottish actor Ewan McGregor who like Hugh Jackman was tipped by Pierce to replace him. Personally I'd like to see Ewan take a crack at the role as he's already proven himself to be a very capable actor with roles like Trainspotting and the New Star Wars Trilogy, and for those of you who didn't like the New Trilogy just try and imagine how much worse Obi-Wan could have been if portrayed by a lesser actor. I'm not hugely bothered who gets the next Bond role so long as it's actually someone who can do the job well and could actually pass for being a Bond. I'd prefer to see the role kept among British and Irish actors, or those of British and Irish descent just to keep it close to the Bond roster but again if they can play the role and fit the "image" then again I'm not at all bothered. What they really need to do is improve the script and bring it back to something like GoldenEye.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Morpheus]The pull out is the stupidest thing the Israeli government could do. Here comes war. People are going to start rebelling all over the place now, because they think that they can do the same as the Palestinians. Israel is a middle eastern military powerhouse, and a string of suicide bombings has defeated them. Everyone that thinks there own country would make their life better (even the ones that really have no clue just how complicated it is to run a country) will join in this "Me too" mentality. The truth is, as "oppressed" as Palestinians say they were, Israel won the land that they live on. The Palestinians being angry would be like a house being foreclosed and sold to a wealthy person. The former owner has no claim in the house. If you don't like where you live, then by all means, leave. The truth is, not everyone needs a separate country to live peacefully. Why can't people just skip the bloodshed and work at something? Have the leader try to get into the current government. People are much more willing to negotiate when they aren't being blow to pieces.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Put simply Morpheus there have only ever been two sides in this conflict, the Israelis and the Palestinians, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are Palestinian territory, as recognised by the European Union, the United States and is recognised by nearly half the world's governments. First off, there are no and have never been any other sides in this conflict other than them so saying that because the Jewish settlements and settlers in the Gaza Strip are being removed there are going to be a further bunch of people looking to found their own countries because of this is utter folly. Secondly it?s not as if a ?string? of suicide bombings has brought about this pull-out, this has been the result of the Palestinian and Israeli peace talks that have been going on for years, this a politically motivated decision by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and is not the result of a successful campaign of suicide bombings. There of course may have been concern for Jewish settlers which may have influenced Prime Minister Sharon and his government, but it's not as if this is a full-scale retreat against insurmountable Palestinian guerrilla tactics. Perhaps not everyone needs a separate country in order to live in peace, but in this case the Palestinians have a right to their own country under their own government, that isn't subject to invasion by the Israeli military at will. Your comparison of a foreclosed house is at best flawed, the Gaza Strip and West back and recognised Palestinian territories and as such the Palestinians are not the "former owners" with Israel as the "wealthy person". As such the Palestinians have every right to stay in an area of land that has a massive Palestinian majority, which is recognised as being theirs. Of course people are willing to work together more closely if there's no threat of violence, but you have to ask why the violence is happening in the first place. The Palestinians feel that what was their nation up to about sixty years ago has been erased by Israeli attacks, their settlements have been repeatedly occupied by Israelis and as they don't have a proper standing army this is the only way some extremists find they can fight to achieve Palestine's independence. I disagree with their methods but as an Irish person who knows exactly what invasion and occupation by a foreign power feels like, well I can sympathise with them, well the moderate ones. And as I said before the leadership of both "nations" seeing as how Palestine isn't fully recognised by the U.N. have been working together, President Mahmoud Abbas has been working far more closely than his predecessor in order to achieve a peaceful resolution to this conflict. [/SIZE] [quote name='Morpheus']As true as that may be, was all of the bloodshed necessary? Why not just ask for more control? After years of war (even victory after victory) a country needs time to rest, and sacrificing some power would have been a possible action.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Yes of course a country needs a rest from violence, but when one group feels that it won't ever be represented fairly then you're going to have violence whether you like it or not. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I have to agree with Alex, there are times when you have to express interest in a subject you have absolutely no interest in, it's simple courtesy. However what you're talking about Azure is quite different, as you said this is about people going against their normal nature in a vain attempt to win favour and popularity. Personally I think people should stick to their true nature, though if pretending to be something you're not brings you some measure of happiness and doesn't cause misery to anyone else, well I guess there's not really anything wrong with it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]This really is just sickening, to steal toys from a child's grave is the lowest of the low, it really is hard to imagine someone could be so depraved as to do something like this. While I don't support capital punishment, I think corporal punishment would be justified in this case, catch the excuses-for-human-beings who did this and give them twenty lashes each. I might seem a bit extreme I know but acts like this shouldn't be tolerated or those involved shown any mercy. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. What a fascinating little thing, looking over Ireland really does make you realise what a small country it is compared to so many other nations in the world. Pity you have to be in an internet cafe to be able to see it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. The item most valued in terms of sentiment to me is definitely the ring left to me by my deceased granduncle Anton, the ring has huge significance to me because Anton wore it the whole time when he was alive and it was something he took great pride in. Put simply Anton was like a grandfather to me, because my actual grandfathers are dead, he and I shared my interests and had very similar personalities and we got on well most of the time. When he died for him to leave me his ring in his will was something huge to me, given that he wouldn't even take the ring off his finger when he was alive. It's probably worth a fair bit, but I wouldn't part with it for all the money in the world. In terms of childhood toys, I have a huge blue stuffed bear who I never gave a name to. He's about four foot tall and has many bursts in him which for the love of me I can't keep closed, any time he's stitched another tear opens or the stitching doesn't hold. I keep him in a closet along with a giant stuffed dog named Bruce, who belongs to my brother, but he's always taken out every once in a while and given a good look over to make sure he's intact. Another childhood toy would be a Boba Fett figurine I bought in London over six years ago, it's about five/six inches tall with a swivel base that says [I]Boba Fett[/I]. I keep him near my Star Wars books for the simple sake of keeping like with like. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I've never had any problems with the current spoiler tag, though I can see how people would regard it as a bit of an eye-sore given enough exposure. The spoiler box is an interesting solution, though personally I think the little box that would appear using Dagger's example could be just as irritating as the black box we normally use. Having the spoiler the same colour as the background might generate some problems, such as Raiyuu's example but why not have it a colour which blends in with the current colour scheme of the site ? A darker grey like on the Reply Button for instance would blend in well but also give away that there is a spoiler. As I said I'm not really bothered about the issue, a spoiler is a spoiler and it's aesthetic quality isn't really a huge issue.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1]If this was implemented I can see somebody stumbling into this forum in a few months time, saying something along the lines of "why do u have wierd spoilers they al look silly and orang and red r bad colors for spoiler tagz why do u have them like that it looks silly u should change it!" But hey, whatever, lol.[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I was just thinking about that actually, I can just imagine some individual complaining that his/her eyes hurt from the multitude of coloured spoilers people used in a particularly spoiler-ridded thread.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Lore][color=#6699cc]We're in somewhat of a transitional period, staffing-wise, right now. Hopefully everything will settle into place shortly. Solo stepped down fairly recently, at the beginning of this month. [/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I never even noticed that, though as I don't spent any time in the Anime forums there's not really a reason I should have. Still it's sad to hear Hugo's stepped down, whoever succeeds him will have some large, wolf-sized boots to fill.[/SIZE] [quote name='Generic NPC #3']No more teams, eh? So much for my little icons lol.[/quote] [size=1]That was actually the first thing I was disappointed to know was gone. Those little icons had a devilish little charm to them, though Hanzo's dragon was my own favourite, had a very medieval feel to it.[/size]

[SIZE=1]I'm sorry to say this ^.^ but I feel that this new chapter doesn't gel well with the last one, while the last chapter had a sense of obscurity and urgency to it, this one seems to relaxed as though it isn't at all linked to the last one. Personally I think you should stick to the style of the previous chapter, but again we still don't really know what's going on so I might be off in my judgement, but I feel the previous chapter had a better feel. [/SIZE] [QUOTE=^.^][Font=Arial][b][B]Na Ceisteanna[/B] [B]1][/B] Is Information Always Vital? [B]2][/B] I do have a question for you all for this chapter, do you guys think putting in a "Random Ober hit by a truck" into the story would take away from the atmosphere? I must know![/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1][b]Na Freagra[/b] A small bit of [I]Gaeilge[/I] for you all. [B]1][/B] No, not always vital, though it this case it wouldn't have hurt unless it would have been detrimental to the story. [b]2][/b] Yes, a definite yes on that one. While the cameos are nice I think the "Random Ober hit by a truck" would detract quite a lot from the mood of the story, unless that's the mood you're going for. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1][b]Neuvoxraiha[/b]: We used to message each other regularly. In fact, around 1000 of my PMs are from her, lol. Plus she'd make it...interesting ~_^ [b]Corey[/b]: Couldn't leave Captain Chubb behind. [b]Gavin[/b]: Yeah, the Irish one. We have some very different views on things like religion, but it'd be good to have him anyway.[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Heh get part of the original Black Horizon crew back together, though we'd probably end up spending half the time working on yet another sequel or prequel to Black Horizon for the sake of keeping the series alive. I can just imagine our leaving the house we'd end up doing stuff like Star Trek conventions with you and me being ignored while D'Ann and Corey get all the attention. Still it's be great fun, despite all the weird craziness we'd go through.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. My personal host of choice is [b]250Free[/b], though after using Angelfire for a long period of time any provider would be more preferable. Still I've always found 250Free to be reliable, for the most part, easy to use and just all-round user friendly, and best of it doesn't change the size of the image after you upload it. Though I'll admit my use of ImageShack and Photobucket, at least I think it was Photobucket, was limited as it occurred when 250Free went down for renovation. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. The subject of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have been the topic of debate and news coverage for the last few months. Personally I'm rather pleased Prime Minister Sharon has been able to implement the pull out with a decent level of success, though I don't think anyone really expected all the Israeli settlers to leave Gaza right away. For those who defy the order to leave, well I can only hope that when they are removed they'll go along peacefully. Gaza and the West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory and the occupation has been hardest on them, I can only hope the Palestinians achieve some measure of peace from the move, and the violence decreases.[/SIZE]