James

[quote name='John'] [B]Flag:[/B] You know this to be true.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Well, we're already talking about leeks. Why not alligators?[/font]

[quote]You know what, you're absolutely right. Your brilliance is blinding, your logic impeccable. Don't bother actually replying, you've won me over with your unparalleled powers of persuasion.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]What do they say? Sarcasm is anger's ugly cousin? Or something like that. In any case, surely we can do better.[/font] [quote]But, as long as he can speak, he can be an encouragement to those around him, brightening their lives, and that alone is reason enough for him to still be alive in this world. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]In other words, John's only reason to remain alive at this stage is to keep those around him happy. Believe me, I understand what it's like to be the family member of a person who is suffering so terribly. And no matter how much we hate their suffering, we just can't bear to let them go. However, when do we ask the question "What are the patient's needs?" I am absolutely certain that if a patient hangs in there, he or she is helping to serve the needs of his/her family. No question about that. But at what point do family and friends have to sit back and put the needs of the patient first? At what point does the patient's pain quality of life become more important than the selfishness of the family? I am not suggesting that euthanasia is even an option here, because I think only the patient and family could even consider that sort of thing. But in very broad terms, I sometimes think the best thing a family can do is put the patient's quality of life issues before their own desire to be "encouraged". If my comfort and encouragement depends on a suffering relative staying alive just for me... well, frankly, I'd suffer some guilt from that. I know everyone is different in this regard, but that's probably how I'd personally feel. [b]Edit:[/b] Nerdsy expressed this far more clearly and succinctly than I did, haha. :catgirl:[/font] [quote]Running away from life when so many people are rooting for you and are there to support you is cowardly. You don't have the strength to fight through difficulty to save your own life? Fine, fight for the lives of those that love you. Fight for their happiness.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]But in reality, do you really think it's just that simple? As I said earlier, you can't always use rational arguments for people who are suicidal - people who have deep psychological problems, which require more than a slogan to fix. And which, in many cases, can not be fixed - only [i]managed[/i]. When we talk about cowardice, we often assume that every person has equal amounts of strength - [i]why don't you have the strength to fight?[/i] - but that isn't so. We are all different and we all view the world differently. As cliche as it sounds, I think quite often we can't make these judgments about people without walking in their shoes or experiencing things that push us to (and beyond) our own limits. After all, how do you know where the limit is if you've never reached your own?[/font]

[quote]Right. And for that reason I said nothing about "ultimate forms" of anything. I will not call it more or less than any other act; it is cowardice, and there are no degrees?because to imply degrees is to begin to despise, and while I cannot excuse cowardice, I will not look down on it.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I think Retri pretty much covered this point. Regardless of any semantics/degrees involved, the bottom line is that you've made a value judgment about suicide - that it is cowardly. And what I'm saying is that if you simply label all suicide as fundamentally cowardly, you are oversimplifying the problem.[/font] [quote] The reasonings and cause/effects and decisions that lead to suicide are all individual, all specific to the person. The only part I'm generalising is the attempt to escape.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Right, but you can't really have one without the other. I mean you can't on the one hand acknowledge that all circumstances are different and unique and then say that all suicide is cowardly. I know where you're coming from, but I would even say that not all suicide is about "escape" as such. There's regularly a lot more to it than that.[/font] [quote]On the other hand, suicide to me is a serious enough issue that I believe all cases should be treated as genuine issues regardless of whether the person is attempting to manipulate or not.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Good point. I think that if someone is regularly threatening suicide to gain attention - or if they're even performing fake attempts - then clearly there is some sort of problem with that person. It may not be that they're suicidal, but it could be that they have some other type of social disorder. So I agree - all cases must be taken seriously.[/font] [quote]If you feel I am looking down on the person, please do not misunderstand me, for I mean no such thing. I'm certain you are familiar with the expression "hate the sin, love the sinner". It is the act I find inexcusable, not the person. So long as the person lives I believe they can and should be helped (i.e., drawn back, not urged onward). Once the deed is done, the person is gone, so nothing is left but the act, and the surviving relatives who'll need comfort at that point.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]You know, I've never been a fan of the term "hate the sin, love the sinner". It somehow feels like having a bet both ways. Anyway. I do think you can probably dislike an act but like the person themselves (although there's no escaping the fact that it isn't a clear-cut division - disliking what someone does inherently colours our view of that person to some degree). Nevertheless, this is why I say that suicide must be dealt with in the context of its real complexity. Families who lose loved ones unnecessarily suffer unimaginable ongoing pain - suicide obviously has far reaching consequences.[/font] [quote]I am. But we're defining the idea differently; I am not speaking of a person who is suicidal, but of suicide itself. The act, not the person.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I think the problem is that the language you are using doesn't express your idea. An "act" - a verb - can't itself have an emotion. The person who commits the act must have the emotion. Therefore, equating suicide to cowardice automatically equates suicidal people with cowards. I mentioned this earlier, but I think it's sort of the core point here. Anyway, even those people who have encountered suicide in their own lives often fail to understand it. Luckily it seems that suicide is more understood now than it was years ago (like many forms of mental illness I suppose). So if more people are getting treatment, this is a good thing.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Describing suicide as the ultimate form of cowardice is a massive over-simplification. I also think that it misunderstands the mindset of a genuinely suicidal person. It is often tempting to look at suicide through the prism of logic, but I think we have to realize that being suicidal - to the point where one actually commits the act - is to be in a severe state of mental illness. A suicidal person does not apply the same rationale as the rest of us. My own feeling is that many people use "suicide" to manipulate others. Quite often people who regularly talk about suicide - or use it as a form of emotional blackmail - are not actually suicidal as such. I think those examples tend to colour our perception of suicide. I tend to feel that genuinely suicidal people need help rather than derision. As for assisted suicide, my feelings are mixed. If I had a loved one who was terminally ill and suffering from untreatable pain, I can imagine seeing euthanasia as a way of relieving them. And in my own case, I am sure I would rather die with dignity than remain alive as a drooling vegetable. Having said that, I think it is just too difficult to legalize euthanasia; that path is frought with too much peril. Of course, I believe my body (and life) are my own domain and I would always object to the idea that someone else can determine my fate based on their personal beliefs. Still, as I said earlier, I think that moving down the legalized euthanasia path is just too difficult - I don't know how you could ever effectively regulate something like that. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Try to keep &nyaaaaaa to YouTube stuffs only, please. :catgirl: For some reason I've had trouble posting YouTube videos in general, even though everyone else's display correctly for me. *shrug* I'm not sure what that's about. Anyway I hope this solution helps, even though it's kind of awkward.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I wasn't entirely sure what to put in my last post... so I've opened it up a bit for Fonty to call Gustave at some point in the morning. Also Aaryanna, if you have any ideas on where you want to take things, feel free to go with it. I've put a few options in my post, but I also don't want to stifle your plans. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I don't know that anything you put in a post is exempt. I don't think vB can differentiate between actual post contents and other stuff. But we'll have a look and see if there's a way around it.[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]Breakfast on the Terrace[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]Thick bands of golden light poured into Gustave?s bedroom. The curtains billowed carelessly, as a mild breeze swept past them, carrying the faint scent of lavender and freshly-cut grass. Gustave sat up in the middle of his four-poster bed. ?Must have left the windows open,? he muttered to himself with a yawn. His bedroom was on the second floor of Achard Hall and it faced the eastern gardens at the rear of the property. The double Anovan windows were underscored by a sizeable balcony. The room itself was quite large, with the bed at one end and a writing desk at the other end. Between the two sat two lounges with a small coffee table between them. As he approached the open windows, Gustave felt the warm air against his bare chest. Simply wandering around his room dressed only in cotton pants felt wonderful after the events of the previous two days. As he passed a large mirror hanging on a nearby wall, he noticed a long scar under his collar bone. It meandered diagonally across his chest. He traced it with two fingers; it was a lasting mark from the [i]Alaina[/i] crash. When Gustave stepped out onto the balcony, the warm Anovan sun embraced him. The gardens were surprisingly busy; he counted at least a dozen workers tending to the rose bushes, collecting lawn trimmings, watering and performing other odd chores. An elaborate fountain perched in the center of the east lawn. Jets of water rocketed up into the air in a mysterious, perpetual dance. The base of the fountain was also unique, as it contained a large sun dial, which shimmered under the cool water. The serene atmosphere was interrupted by the shrill ringing of a phone at Gustave?s writing desk. He closed the double doors and pushed the curtains open before sitting down at the desk. ?Gustave?s room,? he said with a slight yawn. ?Sir, breakfast is to be served in half an hour on the Eastern Terrace. Your guests will be waiting for you.? The voice was immediately familiar; it was Elona. She had been a servant in Achard Hall for just over twenty years. It felt good to hear her voice again. Her unique accent, which seemed to roll off her tongue sharply, reminded Gustave of the many dinners his family had had where she spoke of her homeland in the Old Globe ? the far north western nation of Vostok. ?Yes, thank you Elona, I will be down in a few minutes.? ?Also, Sir, we received a phone message for you earlier. It was from Fauntleroy Almagest; he would like you to return his call at your earliest convenience.? Gustave chuckled to himself. Fauntleroy calling so early in the day? Things truly [i]were[/i] odd at the moment. ?Thank you, Elona.? As Gustave opened his wardrobe and considered what he was going to wear for the day, he began thinking of the challenges that lay ahead. For one thing, he had to find out more about Berthold Black and the Black family?s involvement with the Mine War. He also had to pursue Edith?s request; he hoped that the library assistant?s contact in High Czenoble could come through with the goods. And then, finally, he had to arrange the final sale of his airship business to Crank & Coyle, whose elusive owners had been difficult to contact. The proceeds of the sale would help him to finalise work on his secret project, which he hoped to complete soon. The big question was where to start? Gustave was honestly not sure. Although part of him suspected that some answers may lie in Brigit Town, the scene of the decisive battle during the war, he also began thinking about his uncle?s parting comment: ?Keep an eye on Leonhart.? Maybe it would be a good idea to take Victoria Ann back to Rosengard for a visit before continuing any onward journey. After all, it would give him a chance to see what the Almagests were up to, but it would also allow Victoria to visit with Lucy ? she had been transported back to Rosengard and they had not seen her in a couple of days. Gustave knew that Victoria didn?t like to be away from Lucy for too long. It was also possible that Gustave could ask Leonhart about Olivier?s story. He assumed the story was true, but he also wanted to see if Leonhart knew anything more about Berthold Black and the Black family. As Gustave looked at his pocket watch, he realised that breakfast was fast approaching. ?Better get dressed and head down to the terrace,? he said to himself.[/indent][/font]

[quote]I haven't read many other religious scriptures, but most religion's messages are that of peace, love and understanding. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Actually that's not entirely true. Most mainstream religions also contain specific tenants that involve persecution of their perceived enemies. I know the Quran definitely does, but the Bible also contains many areas that specifically refer to acts of aggression in a positive light. Having said that, I think this is almost irrelevant. You have to distinguish arguments about religion and its articles of faith - or its practices as an organization - from discussions about every day religious people themselves (the vast majority of whom are both compassionate and make real attempts to live up to the highest standards of their respective faiths). As far as Paganism goes, it is definitely true that Christianity "borrowed" most of that religion's holidays. As has been pointed out in this thread, these borrowed holidays were a tactic that helped to smooth out the transition from one religion to another. After all, if you are trying to implement a new religious order in a society, you can't just change all of the long-standing ceremonies/dates/etc and expect people to come along for the ride. So in a purely functional sense, that was the aim. In addition, this process is part of the reason why we now view witches as inherently evil in modern society - the term "witch" (or "wiccan") literally had its meaning changed over time. You only have to look at witch hunts as a further example. The same is true for a variety of terms. For instance, the word "villain" comes from "village" or "villager" - during early Christian times, the rural areas within Europe contained the most ardent Pagans who wouldn't change their beliefs easily. So the word "villain" further helped early Christian leaders to define and target their enemies. I think that it is important to acknowledge this for several reasons, especially for modern Pagans (and simply for the sake of history). With that said, I don't view intellectual honesty of this sort as necessarily being an attack on the Christian religions. Instead I think it's just an honest assessment of where we began and how we arrived at where we are today. Unfortunately the nature of religion often puts it beyond legitimate criticism - and unfairly so, I think. Still, there's a difference between honest assessments and simply baiting Christians or Muslims or whoever else. As Nerdsy pointed out, you can't criticise people for defending a particular religion if you are outright attacking it. This is especially true if you're emotionally baiting people, rather than making factual and pragmatic comments about history. While I don't think that any religion should be beyond criticism - after all, religion is part of the core of humanity and we [i]should[/i] be able to reflect on ourselves and our history - I also don't think it's fair to snidely joke about incurring wrath or whatever. Frankly, that just makes you look foolish.[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master']Not all of us are as tedious and willing to work as much as you, Allamorph... I'm personally just too lazy...[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Well, here's another little hint: if I'm writing a long post in the postbox on OB, I tend to highlight the entire thing and copy it once it's ready to go. Either that or as I finish each paragraph, I highlight the whole thing and copy it. I just keep repeating that. This way, if the browser dies or there's a net problem, I at least have the text on the clipboard and I can paste it somewhere else to store it. Or I can just open a window when the net is working again and paste it back in there. So there are a few little things you can do to minimise your risk of losing a big post.[/font]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]So 2 and a half hours of laying in bed doing nothing last night. I hate insomnia. [/color][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Sometimes I get a bit like this, where I'm really tired... but my body just refuses to let me sleep. It's horribly frustrating, especially when I have to be on the ball at work the next day! Do you have anything you can do that helps? Reading, for instance? Sometimes if I physically get up, sit in another room and read... that helps a bit. But I guess actual insomnia is more difficult to deal with (I think my sleep issues are more to do with anxiety than anything else). On a totally unrelated note, I loaded my sister's iPod stuff onto my computer the other day (she has seemingly billions of songs - far more than me). And I've been going through and picking out stuff I want. Most of it I've junked, but there are some real gems in there. I'm finding a few tracks by Deftones that I really adore. Oddly enough I've only ever owned one of their tracks before and while I liked it, I never really thought of investigating their stuff further. Weird. Also I'm warming to Oracular Spectacular. I had only liked a few tracks, but now I'm really loving the entire album. Shame I missed MGMT when they were in Melbourne.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]So I played this for several hours last night with my brother. He came over and we decided to do co-op locally. Although RE5 is fundamentally the same as RE4 in terms of gameplay (things like movement, general pacing, etc)... it does have quite a different feel due to the co-op nature. I must admit, I would hate to play this thing single player - I couldn't stand being forced to co-op with the computer, especially when you're sharing ammo and such. For me that would almost ruin the game. But playing the entire thing with a friend? Far better. You can really take advantage of the many cooperative scenarios that permeate the entire game. It's a lot of fun to fight bosses with two people and there are a million areas where you need to work with your partner to move on. It's a lot of fun. The controls are actually a little bit clunky at times - they aren't aging well. Not being able to aim while you move can be a big problem too. Also the game can be incredibly tight with ammo - moreso, it seems, than RE4. Nevertheless, I've loved it so far. But as I said, I wouldn't have been interested in the single player mode at all. Cooperatively though, it's a blast. Graphics are gorgeous, sound is wonderful and there is quite a lot of variety in terms of scenarios. I love all of the mini-challenges that you come across as you progress. As far as story goes...well, I kind of stopped paying attention to RE stories a while ago. They seem to be getting more and more ridiculous. I mean, Wesker is like some weird Matrix character rip-off now? And the founder of Umbrella lives in a giant foreboding castle on a cliff? Lame. I kind of miss the simplicity and creepiness of the RE plots from RE to RE3. Now it seems like Capcom is building in lots and lots of random crap and it's increasingly uninteresting. Anyway, I'm hoping we can finish RE5 next weekend. I'm looking forward to jumping back in - my brother and I work really well together and it's been awesome to have an intelligent and reliable in-game partner...rather than a clumsy, ammo-wasting computer player.[/font]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well, I hate to say this but I have some bad news in that regard...[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Well now I'm actually curious to see what he would say if you just asked him. I have this image of him being in bed with another man and you standing there saying "Do you guys think he's gay?"[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Maybe he's bisexual? Or maybe he just likes a wide variety of anime/manga? Who knows? I wouldn't automatically say that he's gay because he reads that stuff... there are plenty of gay guys who wouldn't go near it and I'm sure there are plenty of straight girls who couldn't care less either. So it's not quite that simple. I guess it only really matters if you think he's more interested in men than you. If that's the case, don't make a judgment based on the books he reads - ask him. In a healthy relationship, you need to be honest.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Phew, another mega-post from me. I don't think this contradicts anything historical that we've established, but if anyone has any concerns, just let me know. This is sort of a sub-plot aspect that might help to explain some aspects of the relationship between the two families at this point. Also... it'll give us more to uncover. Should be interesting. :catgirl: (Oh, also, Aaryanna and Darren...the next post should probably take place the following day, so that we're in lock-step with the explorers in Vosper. Feel free to take this where you like!)[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Victoria_Ann.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Liana_Prideux.jpg[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]Call for Help[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]Liana smiled widely. 'Victoria! Gustave! What are [i]you[/i] doing here?' 'We're investigating something,' replied Victoria. She had only met Liana once before, at the wedding. Although Victoria was already very fond of Liana, she did not know whether Edith would like her secret symbols being discussed with strangers. The thought of Edith's reaction was enough for Victoria to remain vague. Liana looked around the expansive room. 'I haven't been here in a long time. Actually I'm here because of my locket.' She held it out to show them. 'A man came into the store where I work today and... he was most insistent that he wanted to buy this.' Gustave examined the locket under the library's dim light. 'Oh I see,' he said thoughtfully. 'Perhaps you are here for the same reason as us.' He looked down at Victoria and nodded. She produced the envelope with Edith's symbols inside. As it turned out, they almost matched those on Liana's locket. Liana covered her mouth. 'Oh,' she gasped, 'I don't understand...what's going on?' 'That's what we're trying to work out,' replied Victoria. 'We had a look in the aisle covering ancient civilizations, but most of the books we found on the Xear had nothing to do with these symbols.' 'Xear? Oh! You think this has something to do with Xear?' Liana seemed startled. Like most Anovans, she had learned about the Xear in her history classes. However, Xear studies were incomplete at best. Very few people in the world had any understanding of the Xear language. Gustave nodded. 'These are definitely Xear symbols. They seem to be turning up everywhere lately. But the lack of information in this library is frustrating.' 'I think we should go back downstairs,' said Liana. 'Did you speak to the attendant down there?' Victoria shook her head. 'Er, no, she did not seem very helpful...' 'She is a little eccentric,' said Liana with a chuckle, 'and mostly she's only concerned with punishing people who talk too loudly down there. But she is actually very helpful. I have met her a few times on field trips to the library.' A lamp crouched over the desk, casting its yellow light across Liana's locket. The library attendant - an elderly lady with white hair and enormous glasses - blinked inquisitively as she examined the locket. Her eyes appeared many times larger through her lenses. The effect made it difficult for Victoria to avoid giggling to herself. 'Well,' she sighed, 'even I can not determine the meaning of these symbols. They are indeed Xear, but...' Gustave raised an eyebrow. 'But?' 'Er, well, they seem to be a dialect that I am not familiar with.' Victoria and Liana looked at each other. Neither could believe that their search for answers could end so abruptly. 'However,' muttered the attendant, 'I do have a friend in High Czenoble who might be able to help. I'll tell you what: how about I photograph these and send them off to her? She can have a look herself and get back to you directly.' Gustave, Victoria and Liana stood at the entrance to the State Library. The sky was a deep indigo and the street lamps had just sprung to life. Somewhere nearby, a man was playing an accordion and people were clapping. Gustave looked at his pocket watch. 'It's getting late,' he said. 'The steamcar should be here any moment.' Prior to exiting the library, Gustave had given the attendant his address at Achard Hall. The attendant had promised that they would receive an answer by mail within days, but the whole endeavor somehow felt unsatisfactory. His experience with the Xear in previous years had not been a pleasant one and it was largely the result of one man that absolute disaster had been averted. Gustave's emotions towards that man were still confused and convoluted. The man had been his cousin's only lover after the divorce from Macey Ellen and, in the end, none of the Achards [i]really[/i] came to know him. Gustave was almost as close to Vincent as Belmonda had been and he wondered why Vincent had said nothing of his lover for all that time. Perhaps he did not want to embarrass Macey? More likely, the relationship was still young and he simply didn't have the opportunity to let his family know - after all, Czenovia had begun to fall apart around him. It was not exactly the best time for a family meet-and-greet. Nevertheless, Gustave could not shake the feeling that he had not truly known his cousin and this upset him. Losing a family member without having truly known them can be a person's biggest regret. Victoria and Liana were talking quietly between themselves as everybody waited for the steamcar. Over dinner, Victoria explained what had happened three years earlier with the Xear cannon to Liana, who seemed so absorbed by the story that she barely ate anything. As the steamcar finally rolled around the corner, Gustave gestured towards it. 'Liana, will you be going home or would you like to stay with us?' Liana suddenly remembered that if she went with Gustave and Victoria, she would be staying in the home of her grandfather's boss. This idea seemed somewhat intimidating, but on the other hand, Achard Hall was one of the most legendary buildings in all of Anova - what young girl wouldn't want to see it? She could not pass up the opportunity. 'I would love to stay with you,' said Liana with a smile. 'Thank you for your offer.' As the driver opened the rear door, all three disappeared into the steamcar's cosy leather confines. The moon had risen high into the night sky by the time they reached Bourgade. The entire district was quite separate from Le Monde proper. As the city faded from view behind them, their steamcar had become surrounded by lush green fields, which seemed to roll on and on forever into the distance. Bourgade sat among them, elevated from its surroundings. Bourgade was dotted with enormous chateaus, most of which were surrounded by expansive gardens and tall iron fences. As the steamcar slowly prowled through the lamp-lit streets, Liana and Victoria did not know where to focus their attention; one chateau gave way to another and each was more grand than the last. The sidewalks were a fine cobblestone and even the road seemed impossibly smooth. It was a place Victoria had visited before and it was not entirely dissimilar from the district surrounding Rosengard in High Czenoble. But for Liana, it was truly remarkable. As well-paid as her grandfather was, her family had not come steeped in old money - Bourgade was so exclusive that even many of Anova's rich could not have dreamed of living there. Gustave eyed the passing homes as he propped his chin against his hand. He was tired; it had been a long day. While he was happy to be home, something about Bourgade bothered him. Perhaps it was that he was able to compare it to what he had seen abroad, especially in New Czenoble, where hundreds of people lived in skinny metal spires, many of which appeared to be close to collapse. The quietness and luxury of Bourgade was a world away from those people. The steamcar began to slow as it rounded a final corner. 'Oh!' exclaimed Liana, 'is this it? Are we here?' [center][img]http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2567/achardhall.jpg[/img][/center] Gustave grinned. 'Yes, this is it.' He glanced at his watch. 'Dinner will be ready for us upon our arrival...please feel free to go on ahead of me, as I must meet with my uncle as soon as possible.' The two girls nodded excitedly. While the experience was completely new for Liana, it felt like a familiar holiday for Victoria - she loved spending time at Achard Hall. It was now much like a home away from home. [center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/olivier_achard.jpg[/img][/center] [/font] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]The Legend of Berthold Black[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]As Victoria and Liana date dinner in the guest dining room, Gustave made his way to the private wing, where his uncle's office was located. Although late evening had arrived, it was not uncommon for Olivier to still be sitting in his office. It was a grand room, at the far western end of the Achard Hall complex. Sure enough, when Gustave entered, he saw Olivier sitting behind a large desk, puffing on a wooden pipe. Clouds of smoke billowed over his head as he sifted through papers on his desk. The office was like a sanctuary for Olivier. Here, he could shut out the rest of the world. Gustave often suspected that Olivier kept himself so busy in order to avoid thinking about Evangeline. 'I thought you were due to be back hours ago,' said Olivier, peering over his glasses. Gustave collapsed into a large armchair near the fireplace, which sat against the office's opposite wall. He rubbed his forehead. 'I've had a long day, to put it mildly.' He had not told Olivier about the Alaina. He would explain that in the morning - it was probably best that Olivier was unaware of it, for the worry might be too much to handle. 'Well,' Olivier looked at the grandfather clock near his desk, 'I suppose late is better than never.' He rose from behind the desk and opened its top drawer with an old silver key. The document he produced was the same one that Gustave had seen during the wedding. Olivier sat in the armchair opposite Gustave and handed the document to him. 'Have a look and tell me what you think.' The document was clearly very old and it looked like it had been written on some kind of parchment. The upper half contained several lines of writing and the lower half contained what looked like a rough map. The map itself was very unclear; it appeared that someone had quickly scribbled it based on only vague memories. And the upper portion was written in a language that Gustave did not immediately recognize. Some of the characters looked oddly familiar, nevertheless. 'A map? And... some kind of writing,' mumbled Gustave as he looked over it. 'Xear,' replied Olivier. Thick rings of gray smoke billowed into the air around him. Gustave sighed deeply. '[i]Another[/i] Xear artifact...' Olivier looked confused, which prompted Gustave to explain most of what had happened that day: the Alaina, meeting Edith, Edith's symbols and finally, Liana's locket. There was just no way to explain it without revealing the Alaina's crash. Olivier simply fell silent, still puffing on his pipe. 'I am worried,' he said finally. 'Don't worry,' replied Gustave, 'she'll be as good as new and--' 'No, not about the ship,' said Olivier flatly. 'The Alaina is unimportant now. I am worried about these events - they can not simply be coincidence. Only a year ago, we would never have heard mention of the Xear - at least, nowhere outside history classes. Now they are everywhere, their symbols permeate everything...' Gustave cleared his throat. 'Uncle, this map... are you trying to tell me it was written by the Xear themselves?' Olivier shook his head. 'No, not by the Xear. The language is Xear, but the parchment is not nearly that old. I would say this is, well... it's possibly eighty or ninety years old. It is hard to tell exactly. There are no dates on it.' 'So where did this come from?' 'Turn it over and you will see,' replied Olivier. Gustave turned the parchment over. The rear contained no text or images, except for one small notation in the bottom corner. It was a signature, but not a full name: [center][size=5][i]Black[/i][/size][/center] 'Black?' Olivier nodded. 'Yes. Berthold Black, to be precise.' 'How do you know?' 'It is a long story,' said Olivier. The fire was almost spent, reduced to deep orange embers. Their reflection danced in Olivier's glasses. 'You need to tell me,' said Gustave firmly. 'I need to know what is happening. Whatever this sudden Xear phenomenon is... I doubt it will bring anything good to Anova.' 'Well,' sighed Olivier, 'I know you are aware of the Black family.' Gustave cringed. 'Of course. Hugo Black nearly killed me at the Chimaera Circuit three years ago. He's a cheat of the lowest kind...' Olivier nodded. 'Yes, well, I am afraid to say that this trait runs through his entire family. The apple never falls far from the tree, as the saying goes. If I had to guess, I would say that his cheating ways come directly from his father.' 'I never considered his father,' said Gustave. 'Did you know him?' 'Oh yes, his father is very well known to me. I mentioned Berthold Black earlier. He is Hugo's father. He founded the Chimaera Junction here in Anova many years ago.' 'But the Junction is very old... it began before you were born, Uncle. Wouldn't that mean Hugo is too young to be Berthold's son?' Olivier shook his head slowly. 'Berthold may be old enough to be Hugo's grandfather, but if you knew him like I knew him, well... he was popular with many young ladies in this country. It was well known in some circles that Hugo is is illegitimate child. One of several, no doubt.' 'Okay,' said Gustave, 'so what does Berthold Black have to do with this map?' 'Berthold Black was an explorer,' replied Olivier. 'Long before he founded the Junction, he traveled the globe in search of fame and fortune. The Black family are offended by the suggestion that he was, in fact, a pirate... but I would say he was not far off. Much of the fortune he acquired in order to start the Chimaera Junction came from ill-gotten means.' Olivier emptied his pipe and stuffed it with fresh tobacco. It sparked up as he lit it with a match. 'And before he was an explorer, Berthold was a soldier in the Anovan Army. He fought during the mine war. He did most of his fighting in the early years, before myself or Leonhart Almagest became involved. You must remember that the Mine War lasted for many, many years. Some families lost two entire generations of men in that conflict.' Gustave had never heard this story from his Uncle. That he was hearing it now worried him slightly - why would Olivier choose to be so honest about his past now? 'In fact, Berthold was a good friend of my father, Laurent. Laurent Achard was Berthold's commander on the battlefield. They fought in many conflicts together. Several of the largest battles that took place in and around Brigit Town were commanded by Laurent on the Anovan side and Reuben on the Czenovian side...' 'Reuben? That name sounds very familiar,' said Gustave thoughtfully. Olivier nodded. 'Yes, Reuben Almagest...Leonhart's father. It is probably fair to say that both Leonhart and I became involved as young soldiers because we admired our fathers so much. I might be Anovan, but I am not afraid to say that Reuben Almagest was a brave soldier and a master tactician. Many on the Anovan side feared any confrontations with his battalion on the field.' The embers in the fireplace died down further. Olivier's face became shrouded in shadow. As he breathed, the end of his pipe flared up. 'At some stage during the war, Laurent and Reuben confronted each other directly in battle. Records from the time say that their battle lasted many hours, with each man giving everything he had. Neither appeared to come out on top and it was as though they were equal and opposite forces - neither were willing to give in, nor could they over power their opponent. After many hours, the battle around them waned. Many soldiers had died and many more had become exhausted. The heavens opened up and rain began to fall. It was a stalemate.' 'A stalemate? But the Mine War did not end there?' 'It should have,' said Olivier. Gustave detected a hint of emotion in his voice. His regret was obvious. 'It should have ended there and it almost did. Laurent and Reuben lowered their swords. They were badly injured, but both willing to fight on. Perhaps when they noticed that they were the only two left on that battlefield, still fighting to the end, the sheer absurdity of it became apparent. They lowered their swords and acknowledged that they were equals. And with that, they turned their backs on one another and returned to their encampments.' 'For a while,' continued Olivier, 'it seemed that the war might end. For several days afterward, the fighting calmed and the battlefields began to fall silent. However there was one person who just couldn't tolerate it - one man who could not tolerate the idea that the war had been in vein: Berthold Black. In my father's journals, he spoke of his many arguments with Berthold. I suppose Berthold could simply not accept a truce. He could not accept that Brigit Town should be neutral, controlled by neither country. I am not entirely sure why - some suggest that the Black family had business interests there. But whatever the reason, it was clear that he was determined for the war to continue.' Gustave looked at the map again. He ran his finger over the signature. What did Berthold Black's map have to do with the Mine War? Olivier's eyes seemed heavy. As he spoke, the pain in his voice seemed to weigh on him. Gustave thought it must have been exhausting to be the custodian of such knowledge, especially where it concerned the Achard family. 'Several days later, most of Brigit Town was on fire,' said Olivier. His heavy eyes welled with tears. 'The Czenovians had raised a back-up force from New Czenoble within a very short time. It was a surprise attack. And it was this attack that caused me to join the army at such a young age.' 'But if the war looked to be over, why would the Czenovians suddenly attack Brigit Town with such force? I always thought them to be an honorable people.' Olivier smiled weakly, emptying his pipe. 'They are an honorable people, Gustave. They are. What they did that day was a [i]reaction[/i] to a terrible crime. Just as I began my first duties in the Anovan Army, we all heard the news that Reuben Almagest had been killed. Not only that, but he had been killed in his sleep. Poisoned.' Gustave's eyes widened. 'But...' Olivier coughed wearily. 'To kill a man of his greatness and stature in such a cowardly way,' he muttered, 'it is a crime of the highest order. It is a sign of absolute distrust and humiliation. The murder did not just kill Reuben Almagest - it raised the anger and wrath of an entire nation. It was not just the Czenovian soldiers who wanted vengeance, but also the people themselves. Had their national hero died in battle, it would have been a glorious honor. But for him to die in his sleep at the hands of a cowardly dog? Such an act of disrespect is unfathomable and could not go unpunished.' 'So this is why the war continued for so long,' sighed Gustave. 'Did they think it was an Anovan plot?' At this question, Olivier sat back further in his armchair. He breathed heavily. 'They thought it was Laurent Achard,' he replied. Gustave stood up, almost dropping the map. 'What?! Why on Earth would Laurent kill Reuben in his sleep like that? He is a soldier...a man of honor! Uncle, surely this can't be true!' Olivier's eyes did not meet Gustave's. 'I don't know,' he said earnestly. 'But, in my heart, I do not believe it to be true. Laurent retired and as the war ended, he founded Achard & Co. Even then, he was barely seen in public. The rumors and accusations stuck like glue... and ever since, relations between the Almagests and Achards have been strained. This, nephew, is why even now, the two families are suspicious of each other. I suspect that the younger members are unaware of it, but the older members know all too well.' 'Why have you not told the younger members, then? Why are you telling me now?' 'Because,' Olivier sat forward in his chair, 'many years ago, Leonhart and I decided to put an end to the bitterness. We became friends despite it all. And although we may never call ourselves brothers... we made every attempt to ensure that the hatred of the past could not continue with our children and grandchildren. We kept this story quiet for their sake and for the sake of our countries.' Olivier stood up and approached the office door. 'I am telling you now because I believe that Berthold Black had something to do with Reuben's death. I believe he killed Reuben to perpetuate the war.' He pointed to the map, which Gustave was still holding. 'And that map,' said Olivier, 'may help to explain exactly [i]why[/i] he wanted the war to continue. I came into possession of this map quite by accident more than a decade ago. I fear that everything we are witnessing now is somehow related.' 'You think the Xear have some relationship with the Mine War?' asked Gustave, his eyebrow raised. Olivier opened the door. 'Not exactly,' said Olivier, 'but I do think that Berthold Black discovered something about the Xear during his travels before and after the war. He had a [i]reason[/i] to keep it going and I'm not sure why. All I know is, we must discover the nature of this map soon. I do not like where things are going.' Gustave had to agree, but he could not understand the link between the Black family, the Mine War and the Xear. Perhaps this map was a treasure map of some kind? Did Berthold want to keep the war going as a distraction? Or perhaps he and Laurent had discovered something together and they'd had a falling out - that might explain why Berthold had betrayed him. It all seemed so outlandish that Gustave was tempted to dismiss the possibilities completely. But his uncle was not prone to wild speculation. The fact that Olivier was so concerned only caused Gustave to worry even further. 'You can keep that map,' said Olivier as he and Gustave walked down the hallway. 'I have no use for it now. Whatever you are looking for, I hope you find answers.' Gustave nodded. 'Good night, Uncle.' 'Good night,' said Olivier with a yawn. 'Thank you for listening to an old man's stories.' Gustave smiled and headed towards the staircase. He would sleep in one of the guest rooms, just near Victoria and Liana. As he began to descend, he saw Olivier pause. 'Oh and Gustave... keep an eye on Leonhart, won't you?' With that, Olivier disappeared down the darkened hallway.[/font][/indent]

[quote name='Flyvapnet']I'd certainly appreciate less attitude and more collegiality from moderators. Asking for the rationale behind a censoring decision should produce a thoughtful response, not an arrogant "that's the rules, period" cliche followed by even more bossy malarkey. We're not employed here, but we choose to spend time here; hence, a modicum of respect should be forthcoming from those who represent the Web site. :cool: [B][COLOR="Red"]=^..^=[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Flyvapnet, I have not personally seen Mods dismiss a censoring decision on the basis of "that's the rules, period" - if you [i]do[/i] feel that someone has dismissed your question/complaint, please feel free to send me a PM. I absolutely expect all Members to be respected by staff (and the opposite should be true as well). If something is censored or blocked or whatever, that Member has the right to know why and to ask about it. Having said that, we [i]do[/i] have a pretty clear rules page and membership on OB is based around those rules. Checking the rules and FAQ pages may help a little in terms of understanding why some decisions are made. Anyway, this seems to be the only legitimate complaint in this thread. Botar, I'm not really sure what the purpose is here... it almost seems like a joke thread or something. Rather than just having a catch-all thread where people whine about the state of things, I'd rather see people raise specific issues in their own threads where possible. It just makes things a lot easier to track and resolve. [/font]:catgirl:

[font=franklin gothic medium]MP stands for Member of Parliament. An MP is the equivalent to your Congressman, pretty much. In Australia, MPs reside in the House of Representatives. The upper house here is called the Senate. So those members tend to just be called Senators rather than MPs (although I think "MP" is just sort of a catch-all term). Where in Britain you have the House of Commons (lower house) and House of Lords (upper house).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]So I may [i]not[/i] have this job after all. There are a few parts of the contract that I want them to amend and I'm not sure that they are so willing! :nervous: I'm not too worried though. It'd be a nice job, but I'm pretty happy with my current one too. And in this current climate... I'd rather that than no job at all![/font]

[quote name='Lunox'][font=trebuchet ms]I have a question about Austrailia- I've been thinking about studying abroad there. How do people there feel about Americans in general/how are tourists treated?[/font][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Americans are pretty warmly welcomed here, as are all tourists really. So I don't think there would be any problem.[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Well there's your problem. I leaned back, I didn't press backwards. :p I think you're right about the involuntary thing, though. It's natural instinct to tense up when you're constantly feeling like you're about to crash spectacularly into the ground at ninety miles an hour in a ball of fire. I actually make a [I]conscious effort[/I] to relax. And really, there's so little space between the sides of the coaster and your head's natural position that a bit of flopping around isn't going to cause any serious pain. At the worst, it's about as annoying as skinning your knee. Get off the ride and give yourself a good shake, and you should be perfectly fine. [/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I wish I could have leaned back actually. The seat was pretty much on a ninety degree angle. Ouch. In any case, they do ask you to relax, but apart from the whole involuntary thing (which makes their recommendation redundant), there's quite a bit of space between your head and the restraints. Not to mention the fact that the restraints are about as soft as concrete. That doesn't make a great deal of sense to me (wouldn't you have hard restraints coated in something soft?) Anyway, my neck/shoulders were very sore for about three days afterwards. But now they feel a lot better. I figured it was just a simple muscle strain thing. In any case, it didn't stop the ride from being fun! :animeswea I haven't read that book Lunox, but it sounds interesting. There are many terrible things that happened in the name of colonialism/imperialism. In Australia I think we are still living with the remnants of this even today.[/font]

[quote name='Athena'][size=1][color=indigo][b]James[/b]- The Superman? I didn't find that one all that great...then again, I waited in line for that ride nearly 2 1/2 hours after I had already taken a ride on The Batman (which was way cool) so Superman was kinda a flop for me. [/size][/color][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Wait... you went on Superman Escape at Movieworld in Queensland? :confused: There's a bit of a rivalry between Movieworld and Dreamworld too. Dreamworld had the Giant Drop (one of those big towers with a bench seat that lifts you up and then drops down really fast). Now Movieworld has Batman Spaceshot, which is the same type of thing... except the seat lifts up a bit, hovers (with steam jets shooting out underneath)...and then fires you upward really fast. It sort of goes up and down and then hovers back to the ground. It's kind of fun. It even makes a sonic boom noise when you get high enough.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Lunox, you could totally pull off the cool Asian girl look - you must get those shoes. :catgirl: Now I want something similar. Bah. Anyway yeah about the rollercoaster thing...this one was a bit of a pain, because even when your head is pressed back against the seat, it still moves left and right on turns. And since you don't have much room, I think you probably risk bashing it against those big plastic brace things that hold you in. It's lose lose! Plus I think it's sort of an involuntary thing anyway - I wasn't even consciously thinking about it at the time. I just felt very sore afterwards. I would love to go to a theme park in America... we just have nothing like it here. Really these days the only theme parks are in Queensland and none of them are terribly great. There used to be a few more in Sydney and Melbourne but those have long-since shut down. There was a proposal to turn the Werribee Zoo (basically it's an open-range safari type zoo) into a theme park (kind of like Sea World in Queensland). This was really shouted down by a lot of people because they were worried about the welfare of the animals. But the owners of the proposed theme park would be the same people who own Sea World. And let me tell you... a large amount of the money they make from admissions up there goes directly into marine research and rehabilitation for injured marine animals. So I was disappointed that the Werribee Zoo/theme park idea was rejected so quickly. There's a little insight into recent goings-on here in Australia. Haha. I've sometimes thought of making an Australia blog on theOtaku, which would just include every day stuff about living here. I'm not sure how interesting that'd be though.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Those shoes are brilliant! :bdance: I actually have a question for anyone here who has been on a rollercoaster - especially a very fast one: Have you felt discomfort afterwards because the whole time you were trying to hold your head still to avoid it moving side to side? I was on the Superman rollercoaster at Warner Bros. Movieworld last weekend (I can't be bothered linking to this, but please feel free to Wikipedia it) and I felt a lot of strain in my neck/shoulders. It's gone now luckily, but I vaguely remember having this same feeling when I went on the 'coaster a couple of years ago. The only difference this time was that we went on it twice. Ouch. There aren't many rollercoasters in Australia, so I don't know how common this type of thing is. Also... random side note, I have a new job. I received the offer today. It's scary. :nervous:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Awesome, I'll be able to read this post later on tonight. I should hopefully have another post up soon! (Aaryanna, your suggestion sounds good to me ~_^)[/font] :catgirl: