Gavin

[SIZE=1]I'm with Baron on this one, your opinion on your art is really the only thing that matters. Why should you care that someone else doesn't like it when you're opinion of it is what ultimately matters ? If you go around thinking that all your stuff sucks and that everyone is out to get you you're not going to have a very good time around here, my advice is to not take other people opinions to heart but merely use them as a means to an end. [/SIZE]

[size=1]Just on a side note Corey Van is a General, not an Admiral, interesting plot twist adding Rawson to the mix. [CENTER]------------------------[/CENTER] [I]Van watched as a pair of Corbin's men pulled out a number of metallic containers from different shelves in the armoury and deposited them down infront of Van and Corbin. The other end of the room was a testing range for the guns they'd be using, holographic copies of different combat situations meant that they could train in pretty much any environment. Corbin was holding up what appeared to be a plasma pistol, Van had seen some prototype stuff like these but nothing nearly as complete or advanced. He held out the pistol to Van that he took and inspected, it looked pretty similar to a normal pistol though there were some very obvious differences. He ran a finger down the barrel before returning it to Corbin who promptly gave it back to one of his men. Different cases in the room contained different weapons, it seemed some heavy stuff, assault rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, and even a few weapons which Van didn't recognise.[/I] [b]Van:[/b] Seems pretty heavy stuff Corbin, but then again we don't want to come unprepared. [b]Corbin:[/b] Yes sir, these creatures have proven themselves to be a direct threat to the human race. [b]Van:[/b] [[I]Running his hand down his left shoulder[/I]] They certainly are... Can I give you one piece of advice Corbin ? [b]Corbin:[/b] Yes sir ? [b]Van:[/b] If you see someone who has been bitten by one of these bastards down on the Deimos don't be afraid to put a bullet in their head, trust me you'll be doing them a favour... [I]The mood shifted on that note, Van could almost sense that something was wrong on the ship, he excused himself before making his way to the sick bay where he came upon Allen and Gabriella. He shook his head for a moment before confirming that they were dragging along a man, it took a moment for him to recognise who it was but then it clicked.[/I] [b]Van:[/b] [[I]Confused[/I]] Rawson ? What the hell is he doing here ?! [b]Allen:[/b] [[I]Stoically[/I]] He was our stowaway, come on Van give us a hand, he?s headed for the Brig. [b]Van:[/b] [[I]Laughs[/I]] With pleasure.[/size]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well I'm with James, Godelsensei and Alex on this one, an overall movie rating system is in there for a reason, people may not agree with the rating for every film but it's there for the greater good. The ratings are there as a guide to help parents decide what films may be suitable or in these cases unsuitable for their children to see. I find in my own experience that the vast majority of people who want more lax cinema ratings from the Irish Film Board are young people between the ages of 14-17 who hear about [Certain Film] that has all this "cool" stuff about it but it's 18s/R. To be honest I think that's a little immature, there is a reason for films being 18s or R in American cases, take [b]Pulp Fiction[/b] for example, there is no way in hell that film didn't deserve an 18s/R rating. Why ?, think about it, how many people do we see die in that film, were are shown serious scenes of drug abuse, hell it even goes as far as showing us scenes of gang rape, now yes it is a good film but it does certainly deserve the rating it received. As for Transtic Nerve's comments about films being given too high a rating because of stuff like violent content and bad language I think that it still does deserve an 18s/R rating because it does contain such material. Yes he makes the point that it's not adult situations involving nudity but things such as violence and bad language do rub off on children and can account as to why we have such a lax attitude towards violence in the media. Heck games like Manhunt were banned for a very good reason; did they contain scenes of sexuality or nudity ? No, they just contained some of the worst scenes of violence ever scene in games. Now this is just my own opinion but I think that giving a film a high rating because of stuff like violence and language because it can have a negative impact on young people, the same way adult situations can.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well the situation in Ireland, at least the Republic is slightly different from over in the States, here it's getting the cost of your insurance every year is the pain in the ***. I have to admit that I haven't gone from my driver's license though with the average cost of insurance on an average car in Ireland for an eighteen year old guy being approximately ?4,500 per year I don't think anyone can blame me. I cousin of mine who's in his mid-twenties how got a drivers licence a few week back and he said it's not all that bad, there aren't any DMVs in Ireland, the whole system is run through County Councils. He said he just needed a few general things like his Birth Certificate, Garda Issued ID, money to pay for the licence and have it accepted by the County Council. After that it's just a case of passing the driving test and you've got your license.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][I]Van just sat quietly while Allen gave the briefing, he was too tired and too familiar with the mission to have paid full attention. If there were survivors down there it was his job to patch them up, get them to the ship and get them home, in the event that they couldn't get off this rock he supposed he'd give them and gun and hope they didn't turn it on themselves. As soon as the briefing ended he got up from the table and wondered where he should head, he'd slept long enough and there wasn't anyone on board who needed medical attention. That left him either walking around aimlessly for the next few hours before he eventually found something to do, or he could go down to the armoury and take a look at the weapons they'd been provided with, something in his army blood called for it...[/I] [b]Van:[/b] [[i]Non-plussed[/i]] Allen, I'm going to head down to the armoury for a few hours, see what kind of equipment they've shunted us with. [b]Allen:[/b] [[i]Somewhat surprised[/i]] Alright, just make sure Corbin is okay with it. [b]Van:[/b] [[i]Laughs[/i]] If he gives me any trouble I'll demote him back down to a Private. [i]The conversation pretty much ended there, Allen nodded and Van decided to take his leave nodding back. The hallways always looked the same on these ships, always the same white sterile walls that looked like they went on forever, Van really hated being out here, knowing exactly what they were facing. He got to the lift without really realising it, the armoury was on Deck 2 as far as he remembered, Corbin and his troop were probably down there right now doing the same thing. The lift hummed for a number of second before stopping, Van stepped out and continued down the hall until he reached the dark grey steel door of the armoury, after the last mission they'd installed a palm reader so that only authorised personnel had access to weapons. Without any surprise Van found himself coming face to face with Corbin, it was a bit of a tense moment, Van wondered if the Seal thought of him as a General or as a Doctor. The question was answered fairly quickly when Corbin saluted and his troops did the same, Van smiled and saluted back with a phrase he'd not used in years.[/i] [b]Van:[/b] At ease troops. [[i]Laughs[/i]] Alright now show me the shit we're expected to wipe these bastards out with ! [i]It all came back so naturally to Van, the feel of command, as if he'd never really been away from it...[/i][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well I have to say that this has definitely piqued my interest, I wouldn't be the biggest fan of the Playstation since my brother already has a PS2 and I'm pretty happy with my Gamecube. However my brother's PS2 has already packed in once before and suffers from errors from time to time so if it does pack in again I'll probably recommend this to him. Just on James' point about costs it looks roughly the same price as a normal PS2, at least here in Ireland it's priced normally at about 179.99. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well this is definitely something I'm going to look out for if the games make their wake across the Atlantic, something that always seems to take ages or never happen at all. I was too young to catch the originals on the NES and as Wingnut has said they've revamped pretty much everything about the game itself, and the fact that there are no load times makes this one sweet RPG, even for a Final Fantasy Game.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Inari][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]When my little brother was in the first grade he insisted on being call "Captain Kirk," like on [I]Star Trek[/I']. He had two friends who went by "Data" and "Spock." They even signed their homework papers with these aliases. It was kind of amusing.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Heh one of my little cousins did that for ages in Primary School, he demanded to be called Holmes and even had a friend who called himself Watson, they did a lot of the same stuff as your brother and his friends did. I remember one day I called him by his actual name and he wouldn't speak to me for about a week, it was kind of funny in a sad way.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=DeathKnight][color=crimson]*looks at username* Hmm. Well... I mean, I suppose. Eh? Nah. No, no. I don't think I often act like a Death Knight. Murder, pillage and destruction are capital offenses if I remember right. So.. of course I wouldn't do things like that. :angel: [SIZE=1][i]...muhahahaha...[/i][/SIZE][/color][/QUOTE] [size=1]Yeah sure ;), at least not in the last few years anyway. Since when have you been back Ken ?[/size]

[SIZE=1]I just heard American Idiot a few hours ago on MTV and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed, I'll admit it was the first Green Day song I've ever heard (to my knowledge) and the electric guitar to it was good but it just seemed a bit generic to me. Now perhaps I wasn't listening intently enough but that was just my opinion of it.[/SIZE] [quote name='Boba Fett][color=green']Looks like they sold out to the liberal media, to me.[/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]Damn those hippies to Hell... ;).[/SIZE]

[size=1]Welcome one and all to The Treasures of Monkey Island, an RPG created because I felt like it, but also because I've become a bit addicted to DragonWarrior's new forums, which I'd advise anyone to go have a look at. Back to the RPG... This be as ye might have guessed a Monkey Island RPG, based on the long runnin' adventures of the Pirate-in-Training Guybrush Threepwood and his often eccentric crews. If ye haven't played the games and are unfamiliar with the locations of Monkey Island, then I would suggest that ye do so now or ye could be a bit lost in the RPG to come. It will be set about thirty or so years after the end of [I]Escape from Monkey Island[/I] and will feature some of the cast and locations from the previous games. Welcome one and all to [I]The Treasures of Monkey Island[/I]. Now this be a Monkey Island RPG with a bit difference, not big differences but just some expandin' for the RPG. They be as follows: This be havin' a much more piratey feel to it than a traditional Monkey Island RPG, think of it as a slightly more mature Monkey Island game, still havin' the same humour, think Pirates of the Caribbean and Monkey Island mixed, aye that be the exact metaphor. This be a long voyage we're shoving off on so if ye be serious about this then ye really better be. The RPG will be conducted mainly on locations from Monkey Island series, so character knowledge won't be that important, the excepts be a few, Voodoo Lady, Murry, Elaine Marley-Threepwood, Guybrush Threepwood, and Le Chuck may make appearances from time to time, however it will be brief. [CENTER]------------------[/CENTER] [I]In a dingy, dark, grog filled bar on a certain Island known as Melee in Caribbean a young man sat in a corner listening to the stories of a particularly weather beaten seaman. The sailor was regaling his young friend with fancy tales about swashbucklin', sword fightin' and mounds of booty, more than any man could spend in a lifetime. The boy was listening intently to the stories, desperately wishing to quench his thirst for adventure as this old sea dog had. He had grown up in the Caribbean hearing such stories, granted he'd had a bit of bad luck lately but that still didn't stop his dream to be a pirate, to feel the wind and foam on his face and sun on his back, to fight off other pirates for booty, to pillage and plunder and have hearty adventures. The older man chuckled and called for another round of grogs so he could quench his parched tongue, after-which he pulled a grotty looking map from inside the red coat he'd been wearing and placed it down on the wooden table. Carefully he pulled off the piece of string, which held the parchment in a roll and unfurled it. The map was clearly years old and had passed from hand to hand, grog stains covered its outer edges and dirty finger marks were clearly visible on several points of the map. The man smiled as he gazed at the map; no doubt he'd used it on many adventures, thought the young man. The map seemed to detail the entire Tri-Island area and even parts beyond it's outer borders, such as the pirate build port of Puerto Pollo. The old man ran his fingers along the map as he traced over every route he'd travelled on his adventures from Melee to Phat, and from Dinky to Monkey. His finger lingered on the latter as if he wished to regale his young companion with another tale of high seas adventures, but he let it be. The old man looked up, his grey hair was tied back in a ponytail with a few blond hairs here and there, a scruffy beard covered most of his lower face, it'd been a while since he'd got it trimmed. He called gruffly for the grog and signalled for his young friend to come closer, he drew in the boy's hand using his own and placed his companion's fingers over Monkey Island and then spoke. "Legends speak of the dangers of Monkey Island, and of the marvellous treasures it keeps within the vaults of its borders". His eyes twinkled as he spoke but there was also a hint of something else, sadness, loss, the boy couldn't be sure what, either way the old Corsair continued. "But there's many a good Pirate better than ye has gone to his grave, [b]or worse[/b] seeking that which is not of this world". He lowered his voice to an almost whisper, "and I would warn you boy, do not seek this if ye value yer life in more than silver 'n gold". His breath reeked of grog and the young man pulled away in either fear or disgust at the smell, the old sea dog let loose a great laugh and called once again for his grog, cursing the bar wench for her lack of speed. He rolled the map together and pushed it towards his young companion how hesitated slightly, the old man slammed his fist on the table and laughed heartily as if a wave of nostalgia had hit his port side. "Ye'll be havin' great adventures laddie, as I have had in my many years", he sniffed hard and rubbed his eyes and spoke again "but beware for even the men in greatest favour with Lady Luck always have to pay some dues". He drew his pistol forth and shot towards the bar, yelling that he wanted his grog NOW, the serving girl ran forward at great pace almost tripping to get the pirate his drink. He drank it slowly but deeply, enjoying every last drop before getting up from his chair and tossing her a leather bag that jingled with the sound of money, continuing he handed the map to his young companion and wished his luck on his travels as he walked out the door. "Sir... SIR ?" the young man enquired as the pirate went to leave, "Who is it that I may thank for this map and a fine ship ?". The old man chucked before turning to respond "Ye may mostly thank the powers of Lady Luck, but ye could also thank an old sea-dog named Threepwood." He turned again on his heels and walked out the door without further word to anyone... The young man sat in his chair and thought back on an earlier segment of their conversation, the old man's voice echoed in his head... "For any high seas adventure ye'll be needing three things, a [b]ship[/b], a [b]map[/b], and a [b]good crew[/b]." The young man could scratch two items off the list but he'd still need a crew of sailors preferably ones with some experience, he finished his grog and walked out of the bar in search of his final necessity...[/I] [CENTER]------------------[/CENTER] Aye now my friends and fellow corsairs, that be the story set. I have left it purposefully open for the ability to allow the story to flow easily from one part to another. As ye'd expect I'd not be a good storywriter without setting out some rules to the RPG, but they be as much from ye'r good as mine, and will help with the running of the story. [b][u]Rules:[/u][/b] [b]1] Post Quality and Post Quantity:[/b] Aye these be simple in reality, and I feel should require no further explanation other than: Posts are to be of good quality, i.e. that you have correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Posts are also to be of sufficient quantity, i.e. they are to be more than three paragraphs or at least 21 lines, and in reality that be not that much. Failure to comply with these rules with result in a keelhauling. [b]2] Character Speech and Mannerisms:[/b] Remember ye bilge-rats that this be a piratey forum and since this be a piratey RPG based on a piratey game this shouldn't need all that much explaining. Ye'll be a pirate so act like on, now ye can either be a murderous scoundrel or a heroic scallywag, I meself will be the latter rather than the former. [b][u]Details:[/u][/b] [b]1] The Crew:[/b] Aye ye landlubbers ye guessed it, that's you guys. You'll be the main driving force in this RPG and will participate and share in the adventures. You can meet with the main character who'll be an NPC and I'll give his details later. [b]2] The Ship:[/b] The ship, aye here returns the [I]Sea Cucumber[/I] [Monkey Island III] to her former glory and power. I wanted to flog the idiot who decided on the Dainty Lady [Monkey Island IV], so I be decidin' to bring back this ship. She's a fast little creature but not that well armed, at least at the start... [b]3] The Mission:[/b] That be secret at the moment, but I'll be lettin' ye in on it later. [b]4] Locations and Characters:[/b] As I said before mateys some of the characters from previous games will feature here, some will be NPC or you can sign up as them as crew for the ship like I'll be doin'. As for locations I plan to visit quite a few as with any other Monkey Island adventure. [b]5] Most Importantly:[/b] Avast and remember to have fun, this be a Monkey Island adventure with the same kinds of humour and comic events, like insult sword fighting and sea combat for booty. [CENTER]------------------[/CENTER] Aye this be the most important part of the RPG because it's where you guys come in, now there be a limit the number of people I can accept and Commodore Rapskallion has got his name down for this. I've given ye a description of what's required for each part of the sign up, so I'll flog anyone who doesn't understand and doesn't ask me a question. [b][u]Character Sign Up[/u][/b] [There will only be 7] [b]Name:[/b] [Ye'r Name, ye can add a catchy nickname if it be to ye'r fancy] [b]Age:[/b] [Ye'r age, try to keep it above 25] [b]Gender:[/b] [Male or Female] [b]Home Island:[/b] [What Island are you from] [b]Previous Job:[/b] [What ye did before you were recruited] [b]Position*:[/b] [What position will you hold in the voyage] [b]Weapon:[/b] [Only one, try to keep it to a cutlass, pistol etc, something from the period] [b]Personal Belongings:[/b] [Any personal items ye carry] [b]Description:[/b] [What ye look like, if ye want a picture that's fine] [b]History:[/b] [Ye'r life until this moment] [b]Personality:[/b] [What ye're like to others] [CENTER]------------------[/CENTER] * Aye, for this part there be different positions ye'll be able to fill on the ship, they're outlined below so pick the one ye think your character is best suited for. [I]First Mate[/I] - This be already taken by me. [I]Helmsman[/I] - This be the Helmsman, the guy who set sails the ship. [I]Ship's Gunner[/I] - This fellow be the gunner, a sharp eye and a sharper shot. [I]Cook[/I] - The one responsible for keepin' our bellies full. [I]Navigator[/I] - Works with the Helmsman to plot the course of the ship. [I]Cabin Boy[/I] - A young lad or lass just starting out in the Pirate way of life. [I]Quartermaster[/I] - He be charged with mindin' supplies, such as our booty, food and weapons. [I]Deck Hand[/I] - A step up from Cabin Boy this be just an all around man with no speciality. Gar I'll have me own Sign Up posted later if this be a success.[/size]

[QUOTE=Boba Fett][color=green]Yeah, for the original release of ESB the Emperor was played by an old woman with prosthetics and looked rather silly. In fact, every time I watch it now I?m paying more attention to Palpatine than to the dialogue. Just one of those random bits of trivia.[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Yeah I remember rewatching The Empire Strikes Back a while ago and just thinking how stupid Episode V Palpatine looked, then we see McDiarmid as Palpatine in Return of the Jedi and he fits the part to a tee. I think at times it can be unfortunate to have seen the Original Original Trilogy as it often leaves you nit-picking the stuff you don't like about the Special Editions.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I really like the new version of this, fair play to you MistressRoxie. Makes it much easier for me to see who I am actually related to through other people on OB, and there are a hell of a lot of them. If you think you have it bad Lady A just try and think how my mind is trying to work out exactly how I'm related to Juuthena and Raiha's other ex-wives. As for you cousin Solo I look forward to the next chapter of [b]Enter the Net[/b] as long as you make sure to include lots about our family, just don't make us look like a crowd of inbred Red-Neck heh heh ;).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. To be honest I'm with Alex on this one, there appears to be a lot of potential to this machine but I'd be a pretty wary about the whole set up of the system. The specs are pretty up-to-date but the whole method of paying for it and playing games just seems a little too far out for my tastes. I've just worked out the over-all cost for the machine and it's dampened my interest in the Phantom by quite a bit, the price will be $718.80 so I'd be a little wary about spending that much on a machine that'll be out of date by the time I have it paid for. Interesting idea but I'd wait to see how it pans out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I heard similar rumours a while ago though like Wingnut here I was rather sceptical about it, I was a massive fan of the first Golden Sun game, though I never got around to play the second. But the thought of a Gamecube version of such an excellent RPG had me foaming at the mouth. To be honest though I'm not expecting anything to come of the rumours, at least not in the near future, if there was to be a Gamecube version of Golden Sun Nintendo would be shouting it from the roof tops.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][i]Van chuckled at the thought of Allen in a dress but decided he was better off not knowing, he cleared off what was left of the meal and took his place at the briefing table. "And now we see but through a glass darkly", a line from a book he'd read once. Allen announced over the intercom about the meeting which left just the three of them in the room, three of the original survivors, Van sighed before relaxing back into his seat.[/i] [b]Van:[/b] [[i]Jokingly[/i]] Who's up for a few hundred litres of whiskey before we do this ? [b]Allen:[/b] [[i]Smiles[/i]] Any other day I mightn't passed that up... [[i]More seriously[/i]] But you know as well as I do Van that this has to be stopped here and now. [b]Van:[/b] [[i]Sighs again[/i]] Yeah I know Allen, we have to finish these [B]things[/B] off once and for all. [b]Trini:[/b] I was just thinking about Satell and Ruben... [i]The room went quiet, comrades lost in the name of the mission, Van had prayed for each of them everyday for the last month, but it made little difference, he was a Doctor and they were dead. Which one of them would be the next to go, he had not answers, "Damn it Allen I'm a Doctor not a Fortune Teller", he often wondered would it have been easier just to drink himself to death all those years ago. The doors of the Mess opened and in strode most of the others, save one of two, but he guessed they had all the time in the world.[/i][/SIZE]

[quote name='Zeta']In Empire, when Vader is talking to the Emperor. Have you always been able to see his face like that? And has he always said all that he says? I seem to remember that his face was kind of hidden behind the shadow of his hood in the other ones.[/quote] [SIZE=1]As far as I know Zeta that was one the changes in the DVD Editions, they decided to redo the old version of the Holo-transmitions with new ones using Ian McDiarmid, who played both New Trilogy Palpatine and Palpatine in ROTJ. Seems logical enough to me.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]James has pretty much hit the nail on the head, I remember going through the exact same experience a few years ago with one of the girls in my year. I used to get really shy around her and end up getting really embarrassed but eventually I worked up a bit of courage and asked her out. Just try and stay calm and you'll be surprised how easily you'll be able to talk to him without going all "jelloid". As James said if he actually does have an interest in you, and you have an interest in him then go for it, if you don't you may regret it for a while but you'll get over it. To be honest I don't actually think you're in love, to me anyway this seems like a textbook case of simple infatuation, and you'll be surprised in a few years how silly it all seems. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Wingnut Ninja][color=darkred']That's probably it then. I never played the game long enough to get to the parts that you refer to as good. It must be me going wild on my rough first impressions.[/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]Hmm well there might be some personal bias in my impression of the game because Jedi Outcast was the first game I ever had on my Gamecube, and so I may give it higher praise than it's due. To be honest though I really to think it's a great game and once you get your lightsaber and a few high level Force powers you really can have a lot a fun.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. To be honest I don't know a huge amount of annoying people, I kind of stay away from people who annoy me for fear I might end up strangling them. If I had to pick somebody though there is one name that sort of sticks out from the rest, actually now that I think about it he's fairly far ahead of anyone else I would have dubbed "The Most Annoying Person I Know". His name is Gerard and he used to hang around in the group I was in, think of him as a 17 year old fat child with red hair and you get the idea, I doubt he'd ever even heard of the word maturity. He used to talk in this really kind of high pitched voice, as if his voice hadn't broken yet (it probably hadn't), and he used to just spend his time making stupid jokes about people and generally being a prick. He used to just take things too far, for example one of the lads came in one day with two different shoes on, we had a bit of a laugh at his expense but it was all in good fun. Gerry comes along and decides that he's going to spend the whole day taking the piss out of him over his shoes and just being a prat. It was funny the first time but after about 40 minutes of non-stop "Hey look at his stupid shoes" it wasn't funny anymore. I think I used the right words to describe him earlier, a fat, red headed, 17-year-old child, a complete and utter dick. Then if he has the piss taken out of him he just says stuff like "Oh yeah how funny, NOT" so he really does deserve the title.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Boba Fett][color=green]I?m also really looking forward to Episode III, and hoping that Hayden won?t screw up the powerful mystique and general badass-ness that?s come to surround Vader. In other words, nothing resembling extensive dialogue or emotion while behind the mask. That?d kill me.[/color][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Yeah I know what you mean Dave, Vader has that whole "eerily quiet and yet deadly" persona about him that makes him such a classic villain. To be honest though I think young Vader, as in Anakin when he's just turned to the Dark Side may have to deal with the recourse of his actions and as such we may see some emotional outbursts and dialogue. Old Trilogy Vader has already dealt with almost everything of his past, and as such has to deal with very little that may cause him to react emotionally, as for the dialogue I guess that's just Vader's style. [/SIZE]

[size=1]Interesting, most interesting. My son (Alex) has again pretty much already summed up what I was going to say, with enough time you could make it seem that Osama Bin-Laden and Bill Gates had similar characteristics. Yes there are similarities in their personal traits but it's a little difficult to prove that Guiliani was a Fascist dictator like Mussolini. I recently found out that Mussolini was once shot in the nose but an Irish woman during one of his speeches in Rome, and they say the Irish had no involvement in WW2. As for Sciros's comments they are entirely too funny, I nearly died laughing when I read the final point, excellent stuff.[/size]

[size=1]I basically agree with everything Alex has said, I know it hurts, I've gone through the same situation before and it's going to hurt like hell for a while more but my only piece of consolation is that it will get better. If you're really having a hard time getting over this girl then I'd advise you to possibly get some professional help, if you feel you're really in a dark place. As for the phone consider it a little reminder never to get taken around the bend like that again.[/size]

[SIZE=1][I]Van watched as Allen sat down beside him, Van's meal must have gone cold at this stage so he decided to leave it with the two fork embedded in what was left of the meal. The smile on Allen's face told him that he hadn't heard their conversation before Van kissed Trini which made him a little less anxious, he wondered if he should tell Allen, he owed him an explanation but he didn't really feel ready to give one just yet. Van looked out the window on the mess hall onto the bleak rock that was Deimos, several metallic structures could be seen on the surface, it sent a chill down Van's spine.[/I] [b]Allen:[/b] [[I]Off-handedly[/I]] You OK Van, or does Trini have this effect on all guys ? [b]Van:[/b] [[I]Chuckles weakly[/I]] Enjoyed the show did you ? [b]Allen:[/b] [[I]Laughs[/I]] I didn't know you and Trini were that close, a working relationship I get, but I don't want to walk in on you giving her a "check-up". [I]Van laughed a more loudly at Allen's last joke, he didn't really care for it's context but it had been a while since he felt like laughing if Deimos was to be his grave then at least he'd have had a laugh before he went. His stomach rumbled and he actually gave a second thought to his dinner, scooping it up in his hand he brought it back over to the oven and set it to be reheated. Allen engaged him in a minute of so of idle talk while his meal was reheating, stuff about what they were going to do back when they got home. A few seconds later the oven chimed and he removed the meal one again, however in err this time Van forgot that it was quite hot and ended up burning the tips of his fingers. Cursing he took out an oven glove and removed the meal within causing himself further injury, Van could hear Allen routing at something in one of the presses nearby but he gave it little consideration. Sitting back down he was just about to take a bite when another fork descended into the meal, "Damn you Allen" he thought happily as the two of them ate away.[/I][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I've always played videogames for the sheer pleasure involved in doing so, and to be honest I don't think there's any other reason for playing them. I agree with James point that there are of course different levels of satisfaction when you play a videogame. For myself the sheer sense of accomplishment when I finished [b]Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time[/b] was one of the most fun gaming moments I've had in a long time, even if the ending was a little dodgy. Other games such as [b]GoldenEye 64[/b] are just a kind of a hectic mad kind of fun that you look back on and laugh in nostalgia, at least I do. When it comes to tournaments or games where you're playing over the Internet I think fun departs a little, not a huge amount but you're playing to beat someone else and that's what you focused on. Before I used to play [B]Age of Empire II[/B] over the Internet and I can safely saw that I was so consumed with annihilating my enemy it wasn't all that fun an activity. However I did feel great satisfaction in destroying a particularly resilient enemy as well as a sense of respect for them. When it's boiled down I think games are played to be fun even if it's not fun in the traditional sense, there's a difference between enjoying a game while your playing it and the sense of accomplishment when you finish it.[/size]

[SIZE=1]Well well we finally get our fist look at Vader before he dons that living life support machine, I must saw Hayden does look that part and gives off the whole "aura" of a Sith warrior much better than Christopher Lee did as Dooku. Though perhaps Dooku represented a different part of the Sith philosophy, the more devious and underhanded part where as Vader and Maul represented the "warrior fuelled by anger and hate" side of it. Either way it's an interesting look and the young man who became Vader.[/SIZE]