Gavin

[QUOTE=Dragon Warrior]Well, thank you, Mr. Star Wars XD I don't think I'll bother reading that, but I am curious about the Han Solo/Chewy series. But we'll say that for discussion in Star Wars 411. Don't wanna get off topic ;^D [img]http://img131.exs.cx/img131/8930/dwwashere9rz.gif[/img][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Indeed, we can talk about such things in the 411, but for now just get to work and write another story about you and Chewbacca for us all to enjoy. And perhaps add in a Jedi character who resembles a person with the same name as yourself ;) .[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well the Knights of the Old Republic games to fully complete take about 100 hours each, although since I haven't beaten KOTOR 2 fully yet it could be more. Apart from the KOTOR series there's also he Final Fantasy games which take a good 40 hours to complete just going through the game at an average pace without searching for all the side-quests, completing most of the games with all the trimmings takes up to and over 100 hours each. So take a chance at that if you want longer games. I don't play many RPGs apart from KOTOR and Final Fantasy but I hope I've been a help.[/SIZE] [quote name='x kakashi x']theres also the KOTOR series which offers some pretty good gaming, I can't promise it'll be over 40, but its well worth checking out, and if you do a good bit of gaming it should be close to 40[/quote] [SIZE=1]My first game of Knights of the Old Republic took me roughly 27 hours in total to complete, although that was on the Light Side and it does skip certain side-quests. However to get everything out of KOTOR would take a full four games, one for each gender and side, which at about 23 hours a go would take about 92 hours, give or take a few minutes. Although really all you're doing there is exploring character relationships and storylines.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Annie][color=#161414']I am for and against this. There were times where I had made some outrageous, and embarrassing, posts. And if the option of deleting them myself were available, I would have used it. But it's just simple to find out which moderator/team leader is on line and send them a PM. They don't have a problem, as long as you give them a valid reason. [/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]I had something of a similar experience with a thread a while after posting my first reply here, and at first I was rather embarrassed that I'd posted a thread by accident [testing code] but after a quick polite PM to Dagger it was fixed. You get over the embarrassment, after all life is really just the sum of your experiences, good and bad.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=jblessing]It is not currently possible, nor was I able to find a current modification that does what was suggested. I think it would be a good idea to let the thread starter delete their topic within [I]x[\I] minutes of creation. If it is something James would want, I would be willing to invest time in to making it.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to give people the ability to delete a thread if there were no other posts apart from the original, this would both safeguard against people deleting large threads but also allow people who post a thread by accident to erase it without needed to ask.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. It's definitely something that would be fantastic if it could be done, but many of OB's members live in different countries to one another and the travelling costs would be pretty high. There are a load of people from OB I'd love to meet in real life, Annie, Corey, Jordan, Bill, Alex, Craig, Andrew, James, Jamie, Sean, the list is a fair distance in length. I like the idea but financially it probably wouldn't be feasible for many members. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well my family has had a good dozen pets over the course of my childhood so I can't really remember all their names. Still I'll try and make a go of it. [B]Jessie [Dog]:[/B] Well as I implied, Jessie was a dog, a black cross-breed sheepdog/ Labrador to be exact, and she was the first dog I ever owned. She had five or six pups if I remember correctly, although this is going back probably seven or eight years so I can't really remember. She got hit by a car on the road a while after having the pups and had to be put down. [B]Snowie [Dog]:[/B] One of the pups from Jessie, he was a white Labrador, at least he had more Labrador in him that sheepdog. He was probably my favourite pet because he showed me a lot of affection during a bad part of my childhood, he used to always run up to meet me after school. Like Jessie he was hit by a car and had to be put down, although I didn't learn that for a number of years. [B]Max [Dog]:[/B] One of my most recent pets, Max was no relation of the other two dogs because we got him from a cousin. Max, or Maximus to give him his proper name was a cross breed Springer Spaniel/Red Setter, and he was as loony as a... very loony creature. Good hearted dog, but he was hard to keep because he like the other dogs used to chase cars, a few years ago he was also hit by a car. I really need to put up a fence in the garden for our dogs. [B]Biggs [Cat]:[/B] A cat, and the farthest back cat who's name I can still remember. His name came from the character in Star Wars, although as I later learned he was a she, although I still referred to her as him. A normal tabby cat, he was got along with four others to catch mice around the house, although my siblings and I took to them immediately and made pets out of them. A nice cat, but not very friendly, he wanted things on his terms or not at all, he also had a nasty tendency to stick his claws in your back. Went missing when we went on holidays. [b]Des [Cat]:[/b] Or Dirty Essio to give him his proper name, he was Bigg's bigger brother and although not actually my pet I developed a great soft spot for him. Des used to lay out on the ground most of the day either resting or waiting to be fed, he was a very friendly cat and would always be looking to be petted when you were around him. Like Biggs, Des went missing one year when we were on holidays. [b]Tony [Cat]:[/b] Called after my departed granduncle, Tony was probably my favourite cat, and second favourite pet overall. I found Tony in a ditch near the cow crush one evening a few years ago, he had been meowing for a few hours before I could find him. When I actually went and got him he barely fit in my hand he was so small, he was an orange, very furry tabby and took a while to tame as he was one of the wild cat's kittens. Tony was always more fur than cat, but he was also a very friendly and nice cat, in ways he was like a smaller, furrier version of Des, although slightly more energetic. He disappeared a few months back and most of my family believes he was stolen, although I reckon he could have wandered off somewhere and been accidentally hit. Those are pretty much all my pets, at least the ones I'm old enough to remember.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Oh it's getting interesting, more of Roger's mannerisms are being exposed and it's rather chilling. I have to admit that reading this would probably make certain people question getting a cab on a late night, especially if the driver's name was Roger. Hopefully you won't leave us dangling for much longer, I'd like to see what kind of mentality drives the driver.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]My brother recently finished Dan Brown's [B]Digital Fortress[/B] and decided in the spirit of celebrating the reading of his first book in months he'd give me the nickname "[I]Jabba[/I]" after the character in the book [who is himself named after the Hutt]. I'm not sure whether I like the name or not because on the one hand Jabba is a giant gastropod in the book, but on the other he is a very intelligent, quick-witted and resourceful character.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'd agree with Desbreko and Satan, the tone of the article makes it sound much more like Gamestop is buying out EB. Gamestop bought out Irish videogame retailers GameStore about twelve months ago and the only real change to my knowledge was the name. That said GameStore was a relatively small chain and was Gamestop's first entrance into the Irish market. I don't know of any Electronics Boutique stores in Ireland so it's probably not going to make any difference here, they'll just change the name over the shop again.[/SIZE] [quote name='Silpheed][COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]Personally, I'd rather not see them merge because I'm an avid fan of EB (And friends with the whole crew here in our EB), and our GameStop here is over-priced and the staff is just plain dumb about games, honestly, I mean, I hate to admit a videogame store staff being stupid but they are. The staff at *our* GameStop has no clue what a videogame is, not literally but you know what I mean. Whenever I go in there and ask questions about videogames, more just to see if they've improved than anything else, I get retarded responses pointing me towards getting rather horrible games, but when I go to EB I get competent responses and they tell me what I need to hear rather than what I want to hear, besides, EB just has better customer base. That just my personal opinion.[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]The joys of Internet shopping, I bought a few console games from Gamestop but eventually their overpricing and mainly gaming-retarded staff made me stop in favour of buying from Play.com. I have to admit however that in recent times they seem to have got in one fellow who is quite knowledgeable about the latest releases as well as genuinely helpful. Their PC games in my recent experience however are quite well priced and save me waiting two weeks for delivery over the net. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']The Anime Archives and Video Game Archives forums were created to store all the pre-version 7 threads that weren't current, and thus didn't get transfered over to the new Anime Lounge and Play It forums. Since the current thread system used in the Anime Lounge and Play It wasn't implemented until v7, all of those old threads would've created quite a mess when doing searches from anime/game specific threads. Hence they were moved into the archive forums for read-only storage.[/color][/quote] [quote name='Charles']Well, there's also the fact that certain forums had been exhausted. The DragonBall Z forum, along with several other series specific anime forums, were revisiting the same discussions over and over again. So, rather than delete those forums, or leave them open to continue that boring cycle, they were archived so that people could search through the information and find what they're looking for.[/quote] [quote name='Siren']Spam problems.[/quote] [SIZE=1]These three comments pretty much sum up the whole thing, as Desbreko pointed out, it saved the trouble of having to organise them into the new forums. As Charles pointed out some of older Games and Anime forums didn't have enough activity to warrant their continued activity separately. And as Siren kindly pointed out many of the Anime threads [and certain Gaming ones] were riddled with spam and as such did little but promote the reposting of the same thread over and over. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I have to admit that I've not played many fighting games apart from the Tekken series, however I will take a crack at this. [B]Paul Phoenix [Tekken]:[/B] Paul has been my favourite character in Tekken Four, mainly because of his interesting look and back-story [though his ending movie in Tag Team was priceless]. That said his fighting style in Tekken 4 was more than a match for many other characters, and was most certainly not Judo as his claims it is. [B]Marshal Law/Forest Law [Tekken]:[/b] For a long time I used the Laws because they were easily enough to get to grips with once you had enough experience, as well as this they were one of the few characters with whom you could juggle opponents. [b]Jin Kazama [Tekken]:[/b] When I first played Tekken Tag Team, I used to use Jin about as much as I'd use the Forest, mainly because I found his fighting style to be a good mix of speed and power [Even though he was basically a clone of Kazuya and Heihatchi]. When I beat Tekken 4 and unlocked Jin I decided to play through it to see how he had changed, and I thought they had really made him quite a good and original character. [b]Heihatchi Mishima [Tekken]:[/b] The devil-incarnate of the Tekken series, well not literally as he lacks the Devil Gene. Heihatchi has always been a fascinating character from a psychological point of view, he gets what he wants, how he wants and damn those caught in the crossfire. His haircut has to be rather unique even for that game, and I thought he fought rather well once you got the hang of him. Heh all Tekken, imagine that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I could have swore I replied to a topic like this not to long ago. Anyway I have always believed that Michael Jackson is innocent, I've been watching Sky One UK's reconstructions on television most afternoons and from the testimony being given I have only strengthened by belief in his innocence. Many of the newspapers who cover the issue, such as The Mirror and The Sun seem dead set against him yet they only reveal tiny amounts of the overall facts of the case. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I'd definitely like to see this progressing Annie, it has an almost Jaws like effect to it, in the beginning everything seems calm but queue the music and suddenly all Hell breaks loose.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Dragon Warrior]And maybe there's a book on Han Solo and Chewy's past. I bet someone would know in the Star Wars 411 thread :P [img]http://img131.exs.cx/img131/8930/dwwashere9rz.gif[/img][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]There's actually a trilogy of books on Han Solo set 10 years before A New Hope, called [B]The Han Solo Trilogy[/B], believe it or not. There's also another series of books called [B]The Han Solo Adventures[/B] set between three and five years before A New Hope. Whether Chewie is in the first set of books I don't know, we do know that Han was originally an Imperial Officer, possibly a Captain, as he is referred to as [I]Captain[/I] Solo by a good number of Imperials and Vader himself. I remember reading on SW.com that Han was stationed somewhere when Chewie was brought in by Imperial Troops, I don't remember exactly what happened but Han ended up freeing Chewie and deserting his post. He then became a Smuggler and Chewie honoured his sacrifice with a Life Debt, I'll check SW.com and quote what's said. [/SIZE] [quote][size=1]There is much rumor, speculation, and all-out falsehoods in records of Solo's past. He is the subject of several exploitative holofilms, false documentaries, and at least two bogus autobiographies. According to one account, Han Solo was abandoned by his parents who were rogue travelers and was raised by Wookiees from age seven to twelve. In truth, Han spent most of his childhood in the service of Garris Shrike, the leader of a trading clan that used abandoned street urchins as beggars and petty thieves. Solo grew up on Shrike's ship, the Trader's Luck, often returning to Corellia for stopovers. Solo was mostly raised by a kindly female Wookiee named Dewlanna, who taught Han compassion as well as the Wookiee language. Solo longed to learn more about his parents, but Shrike kept all information from him. The only tie to his family Han found was an unscrupulous cousin named Thrackan Sal-Solo, a cruel bully that Solo wanted little to do with. Young Solo earned his keep for Shrike doing a variety of unsavory jobs. He once joined a pirate group operated by cutthroats Lemo and Sanda. He made a name for himself racing dangerous repulsorlift swoops professionally and on the independent circuit. In these days, Solo made a blood enemy out of a young Corellian swoop jockey named Dengar. At 19, Solo ran away from Shrike's group of brigands and began working for the Hutts. At the Hutt spice-processing center on the paradise world of Ylesia, Solo fell in love with an enslaved worker named Bria Tharen. Solo rescued Tharen, and destroyed much of the Ylesian operation. The fact that Solo was using an alias at the time -- Vyyk Drago -- spared him the ire of the enraged Hutts. Solo eventually joined the Imperial Academy, to better himself and his piloting skills. Solo's mentor during his Academy days was Badure, or "Trooper" as he was known. During a training drill, Han performed a daring landing maneuver with an aged U-33 transport that earned him the nickname "Slick." Sometime during his military career Han Solo earned the right to wear the Corellian Bloodstripe. Despite promising skills, Solo was drummed out of the service when he defied orders and rescued a Wookiee slave, Chewbacca. Solo freed Chewbacca from his captors, and from that day on Chewbacca served as Han's protector and friend. His military career in shambles, Solo returned to the fringe, joining a smuggling gang run by Roa. It was here that Solo had his first Kessel Run. He traveled with such notorious fringers as Shug Ninx, Mako Spince, Salla Zend, Katya M'Buele, Silver Fyre, Rik Duel and Lando Calrissian. After winning the Millennium Falcon from Calrissian, Solo and Chewie worked in the Corporate Sector for some time, for crime-bosses like Big Bunji and Ploovo Two-For-One. It was on these assignments that Han often tangled with the Corporate Sector Authority. Han was responsible for destroying the secret Authority prison installation, Star's End, as well as helping expose a slave trade ring that extended to some very prominent Authority execs. Han then joined Badure on an ill-fated search for the lost treasure of Xim the Despot. During this search, Han sustained a knife injury that resulted in the signature scar on his chin. After a falling out with many of his fellow smugglers, Solo was left stuck on Tatooine with a hefty debt and hunters on his tail. It was then that he took on the charter to Alderaan that resulted in him being inextricably tangled with the Rebellion. After the Death Star crisis, Han and Chewbacca left the Rebel base at Yavin to pay off his debt to Jabba the Hutt. En route to Tatooine, the Millennium Falcon was waylaid by a pirate force commanded by Crimson Jack. The pirate robbed Solo of his reward money, leaving the two spacers destitute. The pair returned to the Rebel fold, having few options left. During the Alliance's evacuation of the Yavin Base, Solo and Chewbacca helped the Alliance obtain a power gem from the space pirate Raskar. This power gem was instrumental in getting past the Imperial blockade of Yavin. Solo had some trouble adjusting to life after the Battle of Endor. He nonetheless aided the fledgling Alliance of Free Planets by visiting worlds, petitioning them for membership in the Galactic Congress, an important meeting that would determine the future of galactic government. As the New Republic emerged, Solo continued to be an important contact in the smuggler community, even though many had thought he had gone "respectable" and was no longer one of them. Solo finally found time to openly express his love for Princess Leia. When Prince Isolder of Hapes appeared on Coruscant, proposing marriage to Leia to better both their governments, Solo sprang into action in typically reckless style. He eloped -- some would say absconded -- with Leia to the planet Dathomir, a world he won in an amazing game of sabacc. Proving his love for her, Han and Leia were wed shortly thereafter, and the couple started a family that would grow to include three children, all powerful in the Force: the twins Jaina and Jacen and the younger Anakin. [/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]Han Solo, what a guy.[/SIZE]

[quote name='doukeshi03][COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1]Actually The 'L' Word has been shown over here, not on terrestrial television but on Living TV, which is a satellite/digital channel. I have seen bits, though regrettably not a full episode and from what I have seen it seems to be a very well thought out a executed show, not cheesey or smutty at all.[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Ah well I don't have Living TV, as I don't have digital or satellite television, but it just shows that it was inevitable that the series would cross the Atlantic. I probably won't see it unless it's shown on another channel, but really I'm not bothered as I see enough soaps courtesy of my mother, grandmother and sister.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Corey][size=1]Pecisely why I found it hilarious, Gav. Poor adolescent boys. Don't they know about the internet being the pinnacle of pornography?[/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Indeed, it's sad but appears to be a rite of passage somewhat like what happens with the primate creatures in 2001: A Space Odyssey.Such knowledge comes with time or older perverted cousins who've used the Inernet to it's fullest entertainment potential. ;) [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Annie][color=indigo]Well Gavin, dear. A walk down memory lane is what I had in mind. I just never had time to gather the RPGs that meant something to me. So, if you'll take a look, you'll see I have collected some RPGs that you might remember ^_^ Enjoy seeing my terrible posting quality ^_^;[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Well that's exactly what it is Annie dearest, a true walk down memory lane, where people can look back at stuff they've written and grin in nostalgia. It's only right that your RPGs and stories mean something to you, if they didn't mean anything then there's something wrong with that you're doing. It takes a very rare person who can look back over all their work and say that that it's all got the same level of quality. As bad as anyone posts are, there's always someone worse, and in the cases of you and I, I'm afraid that honour [if you could call it that] is mine. OB is a learning experience, and we've all improved given time, and have a lot of fun in doing so, in truth just looks back at your old posts and be pleased with how good you've got since then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Annie's probably hit the nail on the head, usually stuff like that occurs because of a changed setting on your Internet Option though the cause of this could be one of a number of things, spyware for instance. The first thing you could try would be changing the Cookies settings, and if that doesn't work I'd suggest deleting your Temporary Internet files and then resetting your Internet Options to their default settings. If that doesn't work then it might be something that's occurred at TheOtaku.com but it's probably just a tripped setting. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Gamestop is a pretty reliable source for good quality used consoles, you could if you live in the UK or Ireland try Game as they stock new and used games and consoles. If your friend is making her for sortie into the world of gaming then I might suggest you consider getting her a Gamecube for a few reasons. It's probably going to be the cheapest of the three main consoles, many of it's titles are absolute gems Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Harvest Moon and those are but to name a few. The Gamecube's selection of games seem to appeal to everyone, rather than just a particular genre of people in particular, or at least that's just my feeling on the subject. As well as that the Gamecube itself has a more ergonomic controller, it just seems to sit in your hands without forcing you to shift them into awkward positions. Really it's up to you, I'd suggest going for a console that suits what she likes, and then getting the best deal you can. I'd also like to give you a pat on the back for what you're doing, not many people would do that for a friend. [/SIZE]

[COLOR=White][FONT=Eurostile][RIGHT][SIZE=2]August 17th 2002[/SIZE][/RIGHT] [LEFT][SIZE=3][B]Dear Diary...[/B] I had to see him again today, tears stung my eyes as I waited for him. I wanted to get away so badly, I've never been so afraid of anyone so much in my entire life. Why won't my father believe me ? I cry myself to sleep now, dread fills me when I know I have to see him again, why won't anyone believe me ?[/LEFT] [CENTER]---------------[/CENTER][/SIZE] [SIZE=2][RIGHT]August 31st 2002[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [LEFT][SIZE=3][B]Dear Diary...[/B] He tells me what he does makes me more mature, that everyone does it and that if I don't know what to do boys won't go out with me. I know he's lying, but I don't want to say anything, why should I say anything ? Nobody believes my anymore, Veruca the liar, Veruca the spoiled brat. I?d trade places with anyone, anywhere just to get away, but I can?t show weakness, Daddy always told me that. [/LEFT] [CENTER]---------------[/SIZE][/CENTER] [RIGHT]September 14th 2002[/RIGHT] [LEFT][SIZE=3][B]Dear Diary...[/B] He?s begun to leave marks, but I can?t show them to anyone. When he saw he?d made a mark, he changed, he got angry and told me that if I told anyone he?d come for me, he?d come and kill me. I want to tell Daddy, but he won?t believe me, so one day when I?m older I?ll get him, I?ll find him and hurt him as he hurts me. I must be strong, Daddy hates weakness, and if I?m weak he?ll hate me. [/LEFT] [CENTER]---------------[/SIZE][/CENTER] [SIZE=2][RIGHT]September 28th 2002[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [LEFT][SIZE=3][B]Dear Diary...[/B] He slipped his hand between my thighs today, the sensation made my skin crawl, I wanted to get sick. He laughed seeing my reaction, he said that there must be something wrong with me if I didn?t like it. The bastard, I swear one day I?ll get him, one day I?ll get him and I?ll kill him for all he?s done to me. [/LEFT] [CENTER]---------------[/SIZE][/CENTER] [RIGHT][SIZE=2]October 12th 2002[/SIZE][/RIGHT] [SIZE=3][LEFT]Dear Diary... His fingernails drew blood this time, but I didn?t cry, I didn?t respond. Daddy wonders why I don?t get any better at the piano, he hates spending money and seeing no return on his investment. ?Salt Industries Veruca? he said ?will one day be yours, you have to have that killer instinct if you want to survive in the world?. I swear I?ll get strong Daddy, and I?ll destroy anyone and anything that gets in my way. [/LEFT] [CENTER]---------------[/SIZE][/CENTER] [RIGHT][SIZE=2]January 9th 2003[/SIZE][/RIGHT] [SIZE=3][LEFT][B]Dear Diary...[/B][/LEFT] ?Famed Pianist Nigel Attonbury was arrested today, the musician who once performed with the London Symphony Orchestra was taken into police custody after claims emerged that the performer was a Child Molester. The police have refused to answer questions on the case, simply stating that they had been watching Mr Attonbury for some time, Attonbury?s solicitor Morris Phillips told The Independent that the charges were quote ?Frivolous? and ?Simply untrue?, Attonbury was due to perform in Prague later this month but has since decided to cancel the concert in order to fully face the accusations? [LEFT]I told him I?d get him, he laughed. Who?s laughing now ?[/LEFT] ---------------[/size] [SIZE=2][RIGHT]January 17th 2003[/RIGHT][/SIZE] [LEFT][SIZE=3][B]Dear Diary...[/B] It was my 12th birthday today, Daddy bought me loads of presents and we had all the family over for a huge meal. It was simply delicious, my cousin Pricilla got me a special edition Wonka Inc. CD, she says he?s one of the best musicians she?s ever heard. I?ll have a listen to it later and make my own decisions... [/LEFT] ---------------[/SIZE] [SIZE=5][B]Veruca Salt[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=3][LEFT][B]Parent/Guardian:[/B] Mr. Salt. [B]Age:[/B] 14 [B]Vice:[/B] Sweets. [B]Biography:[/B] Veruca Salt is the only daughter of Theodore Amadeus Salt, the billionaire industrialist and in his own words ?Peanut Baron?. Questionably named Veruca was born on January 17th 1991, her father who was overseeing the takeover of a German rival at the time said he was quote ?Quite pleased with the result?, although we cannot sure that he wasn?t talking about the successful takeover in Germany. The billionaire who is known for his ruthless subjugation of opponents flew home later that week to see his daughter in London's Portland Hospital. Veruca knew little of media attention when she was young, her father strictly declined any and all attempts for journalists to interview the family, preferring to only present them to the world on their terms. Growing up as eventual heiress to the Salt fortune she was denied very few things as a child, although her father did expect to see her make use of his money in the long run, he does not in his own words ?tolerate weakness in anyone?. From as young an age as three years old, Veruca seemed to develop a very sweet tooth, rare Paparazzi photographs almost always catch her with some form of chocolate in her petite hands. It is well known that her favourite brand of chocolate is Wonka, the brand owned and created by notorious musician and chocolateer William Wonka. As opposed to the cold, ruthless and business minded young adult she is today, Veruca as a small child seemed to lack her father?s cold exterior. She would often be found eagerly talking to members of the house staff, now retired family butler Alfred Rutherworth described the Salt heiress as a pleasant, thoughtful, young girl. Her father decided that when he came to education, he didn?t want his daughter mixing with what he described as ?riff-raff?, instead her father elected to have Veruca instructed in the family home by some of the finest educators in the world. By age 9 however, Veruca had made the decision that she wished to interact with other children, showing her now infamous tenacity. Her father eventually relented and she allowed attend a boarding school in Scotland, the same school where several other members of the Salt family were and are educated. When Veruca first began to appear in the public domain she was a quiet and polite girl, she expressed interests that went against the typical stance of her father, such as the destruction of the Rainforest, an area where her father has large investment. Many people who knew the Salt family found the young girl to be a breath of fresh air compared to her stodgy and conservative father, and are sorry to see the changes that have occurred in the teenager?s once benevolent personality. Beyond Veruca herself, no one knows the cause of these huge shifts in her personality, the cause itself can be put down to two incidents that took place between 2001 and 2002. Her mother Julianne Salt, a onetime Broadway actress and now socialite of the highest calibre has always been dogged by controversy, from allegations of drug taking to public nudity, [none of which has ever been substantiated] there has always been an idiosyncrasy about her. What is not publicly known is that Mr and Mrs Salt are swingers, and hold such parties in the family home, none of these facts however have ever reached beyond those involved as it would hugely discredit the family. Veruca herself was unaware of her parent?s activities, as she would either be at boarding school when they occurred, or would be send away. One day however Veruca was present in the family home when a party was held, unknown to her parents, who believed her to be away for the weekend. When her father learned what she had witnessed he was simply furious, a side of her father she had never seen before. She knew that her father hated people having anything to hold over him, whether this was his own daughter or a rival it didn?t matter. Veruca in a cunning that would have once seemed foreign to the young girl demanded that her father increase her access to funds in order to secure her secrecy, he father agreed but warned her that blackmail might have unpleasant consequences. It is unknown whether or not Veruca?s father was talking about her blackmailing him, or just talking about blackmailing generally, either way Veruca suddenly decided it had not been a good idea to challenge her father. In June 2002 Veruca asked her father if she could learn to play the piano, grudgingly her father agreed, but said that he wouldn?t pay for a service that did not show results. Her father hired the renowned pianist Nigel Attonbury to instruct his daughter, a choice which lead to her being sexually abused for the space of roughly four months, from between July and November. Veruca believed that this is what her father had meant by ?unpleasant consequences? and that this was his revenge, although this is not actually true as her father had no idea that the musician was a child abuser, she swore she?d take everything from her father, and bring down the man he had hired to ruin her life. From there Veruca?s personality could only change for the worse, her once amiable tendencies were replaced by hatred, obduracy and a nasty superiority complex. She feigned an interest in her father?s business practices, learning all that she could until eventually she?d be able take everything from underneath him before he realised what was happening. Veruca?s love of Wonka products continued, and after her introduction to his music in early 2003 was another leisure pursuit she still indulges. In 2005 when Wonka announced that he would be holding a competition to give away Golden Tickets that give access to his famous factory she resolved that she would have one. With her access to a now excessive inheritance she bought Wonka chocolate bars and Wonka Inc. CDs by the truck load, and after 3 days of irritation, expensive and insomnia the glimmer of gold and silver caught her eyes. A faint smirk appeared on her face, if she could attain what she wanted so easily, her father would never know what hit him. Veruca offered few words in the press conference after her find, merely stating that she was ?Looking forward to getting to see the factory?. [B]Appearance:[/B] I'll trying to find good pictures for Veruca and her father, so I should have this done soon enough.[/LEFT][/font][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Zeta]Exactly. Look at how many times the Old Order has crumbled. Yes they are able to bring themselves back from near defeat, but when they get to the height of their power, they crumble yet again. It has been seen throughout the Star Wars Universe. They are brought to their knees by the Sith/Dark Jedi. Now look at Luke's Order. How many Dark Jedi have they been through and still survived? The reborn Emperor. The Shadow Academy. C'Boath. Exar Kun's ghost. And others. And yet they are still standing, even with their very limited numbers of Jedi. They have always come out on top, with a majority of it's members still alive and breathing. It isn't the Sith/Dark Jedi that brings Luke's Order to its knees. It is the Vong. A race outside of the Force. It takes that to cripple his Order. I myself doubt that the Old Order's way of teaching would have been able to face up against the Vong[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]I'd like to point out that in 10,000 years [possibly more] the Jedi have only ever been at the brink of destruction three times. The Reborn Emperor, Brakiss and his Shadow Academy, Joruus C'baoth, Kun's disembodied spirit, the villains from the Jedi Knight series. No offence Zeta, but they don't hold a candle to the Sith and Dark Jedi faced by the Old Order, I mean guys like the Sith Lords of Korriban [Naga Sadow, Ajunta Pall, Tulak Hord and Marka Ragnos], The Danthomir Night Sisters, Revan and Malak, Darths Nihilus, Sion and Traya, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel Droma, the thousands of Dark Jedi and Sith from the Jedi Civil War [after Revan and Malak], and the Sith Wars [Kun and Qel Droma]. Heck you could even count in Palpatine there because he was killed by Anakin and Anakin is a Jedi of the Old Order. As many Dark Jedi and Sith [many of them Skywalker?s failed students] as the New Jedi Order have faced, none of them even come close to the power of the Old Sith. As for the Vong, well I think the Old Jedi Order would have been able to give them a run for their money, they had the numbers, they had the training, and they would have had the full power of the Old Republic behind them. And even then it was the Republic actively handing over Jedi to be killed, in order to stave off their own eventual destruction that brought Skywalker?s Order partially to it?s knees. Had the Empire been in full control of the Galaxy, the Vong wouldn?t have had half the victories they did, and this is even without the Sith. The Republic faltered, couldn?t agree on a plan of action and eventually turned to the Jedi, as they inevitably do in order to survive. [/SIZE] [quote name='Zeta]Which is [i]exactly[/i'] what the New Republic needed at the time. He therefore moulded his teachings to coincide with the times. The Jedi of old could have done this themselves. But they chose not to. Even after all the times their own Order crumbled.[/quote] [SIZE=1]And how many Jedi did he lose in the process, how many apprentices turned on him and became Dark Jedi, or just plain turned to the Dark Side for a while. Brakiss, Dolph [Krueller], Desaan, Kyp, the list goes on. All because Skywalker didn?t have the patience to wait, and teach them from youth, he wanted his Jedi out there ASAP because he wanted the Jedi to be seen again, and he stirred up enough hornets nests in doing so.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Zeta]You are exactly right. I was going to put more emphasis on the "others" part of my original post, but forgot. The Senators would be left to their own devices with the Senate and all the blather they do. This is how I pictured it. The people would pick who they want on the Council. Lets just say a vote. From someone outside of the political structure. They would then be placed on the council. Hell, the Senators themselves can still be placed on the council, even if they are/become corrupt. . If the Jedi and the rest do not agree with what he/she is proposing in the council, they will not do it. Corruption in a small council can be handled it. But with corruption on the scale in the Senate of the PT, it cannot. Which only strengthened the peoples belief that the Jedi were undermining them. You don't even have to read any of the Clone Wars books to tell public opinion is changing towards Jedi. The people buy into Palpatine's blather about the Jedi being the evil ones. He uses the Jedi ways and makes it seem they are undermining his and their authority. How else could he convince the people the Jedi are bad? He can't just go on the 'Net and say "The Jedi are bad" and have everyone believe him.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]In a perfect galaxy yes, the people would have elected good people to get on the Council, but the same people elect the Senators and we see exactly how corrupt and useless they are. And that?s why I object to non-Jedi on the Council [and fallen Jedi like Kyp], they don?t have the training, they don?t have the clarity of mind and more often than not, they?re Senators. If I remember correctly,a few of the non-Jedi on the Council were people who objected to reforming the Jedi in the first place. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B][CENTER]Should've gone to Specsavers [PG][/CENTER][/B] The shrill whistle of the alarm stirred him from a pleasant sleep. He groaned, rubbing his eyes and reached for his glasses, the sounds of the world echoed around him. Rising from the bed, he sat yawning and wondering what to wear, he felt a clink, one of his lenses were broken, should've gone to Specsavers.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Gelgoog Pilot']Well that article reminds me of the Everquest scandal...Did anyone hear about the guy who had been playing it for like 3 years, then he had some hacked character kill him and take all of his stuff...THey found him 3 days later after he killed himself in the basement...I'm glad I never got THAT into a game before... :animeblus[/quote] [SIZE=1]Woah, first I've heard of it but that really does seem to take the issue to the absolute excess, I mean it does raise questions over how good security is over these kinds of servers. Something along the similar lines was brought up in PCZone, a fellow playing SW Galaxies was hiring out his Jedi to eliminate people for money, I mean that just takes it well out of proportion. You're there having a nice game, accidentally annoyed someone you shouldn't have and then find a Jedi character coming along and slaying you. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Heh heh, that was simply great Gavin. Chewie was probably my favourite character in the Old Trilogy, and unlike other stories you've captured his mannerisms and his interactions with you might be akin to what he had with Han. I really enjoyed it, Han's cameo was really good, and your thoughts on Jabba reflect what most people think but wouldn't say.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Lately I found myself complete addicted to replaying a lot of my old Nintendo 64 games, I can't really explain why it happens, but it seems to occur around roughly the same period every year. I sold quite a few of my games when I was saving for my Gamecube, but the likes of FIFA 98: Road to the World Cup is still a solid favourite, along with The World is not Enough [sold GoldenEye much to my horror] are good for the odd romp. The console itself though it beginning to show it's age and sometimes games won't load but it's still something I'm completely addicted to.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I think you never really grow out of some dreams, especially those about a profession. I remember I wanted to be a [B]Fire-Fighter[/B] back when I was only about four years of age, and now any time I watch Rescue Me on TV it sends a kind of nostalgic tingle down my spine. Other than being a fire-fighter, a few more come to mind, back when I was young: [B]Astronuat:[/B] This was a big one, because I was a huge fan of looking at the stars and documentaries on space. Stuff like Star Trek and Star Wars never really influenced that, I wanted to actually be there in the suit on the moon like Armstrong, being able to look down on Earth. [b]Doctor:[/b] Still a profession I'd like to take a crack at, when I was smaller I always had an interest in being a doctor because of the whole saving lives and being a hero. As I'm older I'd like to have a go at it because I'm quite good at biology and chemistry, and because Medicine was something I quite enjoyed when doing Work Experience. [b]Lawyer:[/b] Another profession that most young boys want, I was a great believer in right and wrong and this was a natural evolution in terms of a future career. This is another career I'd consider entering if I got the point in my Leaving Cert, because I still hold that theory of right and wrong and because I'm told I can present my side of an argument well. Money's not half bad either. [b]Priest:[/b] One that struck me when I was about 11, I wanted to be a priest after learning that most of the priests in the Irish diocese were older men. I felt that it was a kind of extension of my faith, and to give something back to God for all he'd done for me.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Zeta']I never said he would return to the true path. I said he would be free to teach things his way. With the Old ways irradiated, or as close as possible to being so, he has the choice on how to teach his own pupils. lol. I never said he would return to the true path.[/quote] [SIZE=1]My apologies, I thought from your previous comments that you were implying that Luke's Order was somehow more closely attune to the true path of the Jedi than that of the Old Order.[/SIZE] [quote name='Zeta']Of course, look at the times. The Jedi have been practically destroyed. They are in a galaxy that has just went through the Clone Wars, and then through the Rebellion. Both of which left what, a handful of Jedi knights across the whole galaxy?[/quote] [SIZE=1]Actually if we're counting the entire Expanded Universe, then you'd have to include the splitting of the Order because of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel Droma. And from the KOTOR series [spoiler]you'd also have to take into account that in KOTOR 2 it's revealed the entire Jedi Order [bar about five individuals, three of whom later die] has been wiped out. So really if twice it can happen and the Order can still come back and come very close to what[/spoiler] it was before then Luke really has no excuse for coming up with such a poor Order, although granted he wasn't even a Padawan when the last two properly trained Jedi died. I just felt that Luke's Order was just too far away from the Old Jedi for my liking, perhaps it's because I'm just a die-hard fan of the Old Jedi Order, or perhaps it's because I dislike Luke. But for my Luke's Order just breaks too many of the set rules for my liking.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Zeta]Luke is a learner himself throughout the Expanded Universe. Luke basically taught himself the ways of the Jedi. I always looked at it, as he was just one step ahead of his students; sort of like what is said in Band of Brothers with how the parachute infantry trainers were one step ahead of the troops, since the parachute infantry was new. The same can be applied to this situation. Luke is learning while he teaches. So naturally he isn't going to be the [i]best[/i] of teachers. He moulded his teachings to coincide with the changing times in the New Republic, rather than following the time previous of the Old Republic. That is one reason why he doesn't just train young children. But again, look at the times. The galaxy is not a peaceful place. The New Republic needs Jedi. Imagine if Luke took on an apprentice of around five years old when he was lets say early/late thirties. And lets say he does a rush job of teaching him so that his apprentice can take on his own, lets put that at ten years. Just look at all the material in the Expanded Universe that would be with only one Jedi Master and one Padawan. They needed Jedi out there fast, or as fast as they could muster. And there would only be a handful of Jedi around at the time of the NJO. And again, this is his Order. The old Order has been wiped from existence. This is how he is going to run his Order. This is the way it has to be if the Jedi are to once more be the Protectors of Peace and Justice for the New Republic. Again, this is the [i]New[/i] Jedi Order. You can't compare it to that of the Old. These are completely different times. Changes have to be made for success. The teachings of the Old Order are what caused it to fall, in my mind. *shrug* [/quote] [SIZE=1]Yes I do take into account that Luke was basically one step ahead of his pupils for a while in terms of training, but in later years, such as the NJO for instance, Luke has hard 25 years to train himself. I mean for God's sake the Jedi have been in existence for 10,000 years if we take a generation as being about 10 years, and they must have been doing something right if their traditions stayed the same over those ten millennia, even if the face of repeated destruction. I know I'm going over old ground, and Luke never had the benefit of proper tutelage under the Jedi, but still over 25 years he had more than enough time to try and make an effort to go back to the old style of the Jedi. I do accept that he would have had to take on multiple apprentices at one time in the beginning, much like the clans seen in Episode II, but after training thirty properly he would have had enough to drop that number down significantly to maybe three per Knight. I don't accept however that Luke had to change the Order however to suit the times, the Order was something that had stood the test of time and merely saying that because he was the only Jedi he had to train adults. He trained adults and older children because it was easier than simply training infants, and because he could send them out into the galaxy faster. I accept that the Jedi are Guardians of Peace and Justice and so they had to try and be out there living up to that name, but it'd have been much better, less interesting in terms of books but better if he'd have had some fully trained Jedi out there, rather than just Padawans and apprentices.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Zeta]I myself felt that to be a great idea. Once again I bring up this is the New Jedi Order, not the Old. Look at the alienation that will be going on in Episode III between the people and the Jedi. Palpatine will be able to use the Jedi's flaws against them and turn the people of the Republic against them. I have read good deal of Clone War books that say the people are beginning to think the Jedi are taking things into their own hands and undermining the will of the Senate. Why? It is a pure Jedi council. There are no senators/others on the council to give their input on matters and keep the people informed. The Jedi of Old alienated themselves from the people they were meant to protect. With Luke's Jedi Council, the people can actually have a say in matters. Now they will actually be serving those they are meant to protect.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]No I disagree with that completely, normal people on the Council fair enough, your average person who goes through life with a normal job and responsibilities. But not bloody Senators, Senators are often more interested in what's of benefit to them rather than what's of benefit to the people. Heck in the New Trilogy it's the corruption of the Old Republic that's crippling it, so to invite that same corruption into the Jedi Council is suicide. Jedi are different to normal people, their command of the Force makes them able to see things a lot more clearly than everyone else. As for the Jedi being alienated from the people, they're the Guardians of Justice, the Republic has very little in terms of a military, and their police force was laughable. The Jedi had only certain numbers and couldn't be everywhere in force all the time, I mean I don't know how they would have gotten in touch more with the public as they just didn't go on state visits anywhere. I haven't read any of the Clone Wars books, but I still feel that there was a reason that the Jedi Masters sat on the Council among themselves. The Jedi were a law unto themselves, and they didn?t suffer the same level of corruption that other organisations did. I put this down to the fact the Jedi think of others before themselves, and because the Council knew what was right. These are just my feelings on the subject though.[/SIZE]