opnet [OpNet] Gotta question for y'all....

[Vile Bill]

Hey there people. Thought this might be an okay place to get some answers. Y'all seem willing to put up with a shitload of touch feely 'getting in touch with your inner Nova' crap, so mebbe you might have some answers for 'ol Bill.

Now, I've always been friendly kind of guy. I know, my current job has me doin' some not so nice things, but under it all I'm just a good ol boy hankerin' for good times and good women.

But, like I was sayin, I'm a good guy. Before I went all nova I always had a good sized posse of buddies to hang out with. We'd go huntin' and fishin'. We'd get thrown out of good bars and run up tabs in bad ones. I loved going to shaker bars with mah buddies and trying to pick up the dancers, didn't work much, but like most sports the trying is half the fun.

But now, I don't have no buddies like that. I mean, hell, I thought I'd have to beat em off with a stick. I pull down a couple mil easier'n most folks pull in 20k and I'm famous to boot. I can pay for pretty much anything we used to talk about doin'. Nascar tickets, Las Vegas weekends, hookers, hell, pretty much anything, I can get it. But, in just a short time my pals, and I've known some of these guys for years, just stopped being around. It's like I gave em' the creeps or something.

Now, I ain't too put out. I still get a lot of tail and the Amp Room is a pretty nice party joint, but a lot of novas just ain't like me.

So, tell me people, what the hells wrong with my friends? I know the black eyes and tongue and gums and shit is kinda creepy, but it ain't like I'm eatin my boogers or nothing.

[Guest]

I think everyone has faced similar problems. After I erupted all my friends just vaporised. I mean, I don't even have black gums, and the only power I have is the ability to dissassociate molecules (disintegration for the layman).

I work in hazardous waste disposal (nothing like complete molecular destruction to render something harmless) so its not like my job was killing folks or anything. I think they left because they didn't like the idea of what I could do if I got mad, the fact that I never would was irrelevent. I suppose its like having a drink with someone who has a shotgun in their hands; you just never know what might happen.

[Vile Bill]

Yeah, I coulda understood that if I hung out with a buncha pussies. But man, we met inside for christ'sake. We figured that between the buncha us we had done over a hundred years total in lockup. I didn't hang with guys that were scared too easy. And I figure that black eyes and all I am still better lookin than Jimmy Crag, you ain't never seen so many scars on one guys face.

So, any other possibilities or should I just think that I am too much of a dick to hang around wit?

[Prof. Sydney 'Photon' Holland]

Vile Bill, I wouldn't say that you're "too much of a dick".

I think you underestimate the non-physical changes that occur to a person post-eruption. At the very lowest level, Your personality will have changed somewhat now that you've found yourself with a new set of capabilities. Whereas you may have once backed off from a person who may have seemed far superior to you, your powers now give you more than enough confidence to take the opponent. It's a minor change, but a lot of minor changes do add up.

It's not that these things only occur during eruption. It's a naturally occuring thing. Experience changes people, it's an undeniable fact. It's usually a gradual thing that your friends don't really notice. But the instance of eruption is a major event, and it does create a large personality shift, even if it's not immediately apparent. The abrupt change in normal habits can be unsettling for people. They may find it easier to just not be a friend than try and reconcile their view of you, with the new view they see now.

And of course, there are the social changes. Novas tend to gravitate towards the higher levels of society, due to the high pay rates and media coverage of most novas. While you may not have felt any real problem with this, It's still a change that baseline friends are likely to notice. The money may mean that you constantly start paying the tab at the bar, or find it difficult to worry about their financial hardships. And god forbid you try and solve their hardships by giving your excess money to them - They're quite likely to find the gesture quite patronising.

So really, you have two options. You can leave those friends behind and try and make a new ties in your new social circle, or you could try and stick it out with your friends. It's possible that eventually they'll "get used" to you again, and find it far easier to interact with you.

But once the Eruption occurs, you can't expect your life to be the same. Most of the time it's just not possible.

[ 03-15-2002: Message edited by: Prof. Sydney 'Photon' Holland ]

[Guest]

Don't forget that as a nova you don't have the same interests you had when you were a norm. You probibly used to get boozed up with your mates and talk about robbing the local store, now you can't get drunk so easily and robbing the store is chicken feed.

Also you spend loads of time doing your merc stuff, something they have no experience of. Sometimes people just drift away from each other too; it happened to me and my friends from college after we started working.

[Dr. Arcturus]

I used to have a lot of friends myself before I erupted, and even immediately after. I found the big problem was the adjustment my erruption made to my life: Baselines are SLOW. As slow as they come, in fact. In the time it took my buddies to finish a bottle of beer, I could field strip a hypercombustion engine. When I took the job as a mercenary though, that really drove my friends away from me. Long story short (I hate long stories), its probably not a good idea to hang out with baselines to begin with, and old "blood n' spears" doesnt make very good company either.

Drop by sometime Bill, we'll have a beer.

P.S.: Butfinishthebeerquickly

[Vile Bill]

Hey there Strobe, I've heard o' yah, some good n' some bad. Don't think you'd like me as a drinkin buddy. I like takin mah time when it comes to the pleasant things in life. Ol slow n' steady. Tank's tho.

[Dr. Arcturus]

Offer still stands.

Ive been known to dorm once or twice since my eruption, but its hard. Like asking a zip to drag his knuckles across the ground when he walks.

And as for my rep.....well, I try to keep on the up and up, but you know how hard that can be.

[Prof. Sydney 'Photon' Holland]

Quote:

Originally posted by Strobe:
Long story short (I hate long stories), its probably not a good idea to hang out with baselines to begin with

I don't know about that. Admittedly, I'm still for the most part mentally baseline, but I've found baselines pleasant company. Alex in particular is a fantastic friend to me.

However, keeping friends from your baseline life tends to take a bit of effort. Some people don't mind the effort, but I was never a social creature to begin with. Most of the people I still meet with from my baseline life were people that didn't know me all that well in the first place (Like professors at other universities).

Besides, a bit of mundanity can do a nova a lot of good. Gives you an appreciation of what you actually have.

[Dr. Arcturus]

If I were anyone else, I might agree with you Prof. Holland. Bill and I , however, arent just any Novas: we are elites. Thats not something a hell of a lot of my baseline friends wanted to be around, and with good reason. I mean, Im a hired mercenary for god's sakes, someone paid to kill others. Granted, Im not as into the job as certain spear weilding psychopaths, and I do tend to take jobs that sit well on my conscience (insomuch as I am able), but I still kill for money. Its a different lifestyle than any baseline could understand, and quite frankly, I just dont have the patience to try to aclimate my friends to it anymore.

[Fortune's Son]

Now that's something I've never quite understood. What the hell is the allure of going out and offing somebody for a wad of cash?

I mean, my handler's been trying to push me in that direction ever since Annie D. picked up the option on my contracts but I understand his perspective. He's just looking at the bottom line and me taking a merc contract in Africa guarantees him a bonus plus his miniscule percentage of a relatively big pile of money.

So what?

It takes him three jobs on my part to make the same amount and the merchandizing angle is a little slower but otherwise I'm still a cash cow for the little tick. What the hell is the great big hairy deal over slugging it out with a bunch of yahoos whose names I'll never know? Or even better; slugging it out with a couple of novas?

Is it the money? Fame? Lack of anything better to do? A whole lotta anger looking for an outlet now that you're one of god's chosen in the gene lottery?

What the hell is the point of it? Strobe, with some decent training, is an outstanding infiltration expert waiting for an opportunity. Shit, the amount he'd get paid just for legitimate courier service is awesome and that doesn't even touch the idea of the under the table stuff.

And just so no one says that I'm highjacking a thread...

Bill, what the hell do you have in common with the good ol' boys now? Seriously? You face off against the most powerful and dangerous gaggle of misfits and ne'er do wells that the world has ever seen. You make more money than god. Your perks for working with Annie D. are better than most people on the planet are ever going to see with they worked a life time just to get the opportunity of having them.

College? That's part of the job package, all the way up to multiple master degrees if that's what you want. Investments? Annie pushes it like crack dealer pushes drugs. Medical? Shit! If you're not on the sanctioned list you will never want for anything and that umbrella can be extended to loved ones with a phone call and a willingness to pump the company line asideously for a couple of months. Vacation opportunities? Part of the package and not even princes or potentates have the opportunities you've got just for being with the company.

Have you ever thought that maybe the best of that bunch of good ol' boys have their pride? That hanging out with you would be the social equivalent of jabbing themselves in the eye every couple of minutes?

V.B., it sounds like you hung with a bunch of rough riders. Cool. Now, the closet equivalent to what you are and what you can do is only found in myth and legend. You're a demon or an archangel equivalent. Some of them probably see that a little too clearly.

Sorry.

Gotta go, people.

[ 03-17-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

[Stheno]

Bill, I think Jack has somewhat hit the nail here...

Eruption changes people. You've gone from being (pardon me if I misunderstood) an ex-con who hung with a rough crowd, to being an Elite, and one who buys into the "elite" culture: the idea of being superior, better, more disciplined (in a certain sense).

Not that this means that your old friendships have to come to an end...but you can't expect things to go on exactly as before.

I feel for you, and in a certain sense, I envy you. I can't remember any of my old friends, and I only recently learned what it meant to "feel" again.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[Dr. Arcturus]

Jack,

I cant see myself with DeVries. Ive heard....things.

And I certainly cant go into the private sector now. A courier? Thats only the thousandth time Ive gotten that suggestion. Have you ever tried dodging trafic while your breaking 95,000 mph?!

Christ, Slower than that and I get antsy! Id end up taking out a sitty block in boredom!

Plus, I dont know that civilian services could thrill me like the combat. I can cut loose and kick ass, and get paid HANDSOMELY for it. IM talking seven figures. I dont stay hurt for more than a few minutes on the outside, so I cant see where medical coverage offers me anything I dont have. And college? I read 400 books last week. How many have you read in your lifetime?

[Teknokat]

Hey, Strobe, I got a career option I'll bet you've never thought about: High-speed Materials testing.

Especially with Aircraft, it's often essential to test how materials and designs fair at supersonic speeds. Even moreso in the Nova Age, It's also essential to see exactly what will happen in an aircraft in the event of a high-speed crash.

Now, Admittedly, 96Kkph is probably reaching the high end of testing speeds. But, it also has the added incentive of knowing that you're potentially destroying billions of dollars worth of hardware and effort. And they have only themselves to blame if you do.

It's not quite as exciting and glamourous as the Elite life, but I know some people who are testing materials at speeds in excess of 120Kkph... in a simulator. They'd likely pay a pretty penny to someone who could perform tests in real-life conditions.

It's a thought at least. If you wish to take a break from Elite combat for a while, this could be an excellent opportunity for you, and certainly a change of pace.

PM me if you would like to know more.

[Fortune's Son]

Strobe, I just tossed you out as the first example to come to mind, not as a personal critique. If the thrill of combat is what gets you going in the morning then nothing else is going to do it for you. If you are looking for alternate jobs...

I'd figure dodging traffic at that speed is like me running an obstacle course filled with (a lot of) stationary objects. I'm assuming you've got some way to damp your wake since I haven't heard of anyone hitting a major city with a hurricane force wind times 100. Besides, with your abilities you could easily stipulate out of city transport only and let it go from there. You pick up at the city limits and drop off at the city limits. For any decent company it's nothing to spring for helo services to start and finish the jobs. Yeah, it's boring shit but you're the one with time on his hands.

That was just the first idea off the top of my head and TK hit on another. Third? Weather manipulation stuff working with the PU environmental experts. Yeah, it's even more boring than courier work but at your speed how much time do you sit around waiting between jobs? Fourth? Construction; either the putting it together type or the taking it apart type. Fifth? Terra-forming work. It's mostly done by PU right now but either the USA or USSR (what's left of it) would love to be able to pull of some serious changes and crow about not needing PU to get it done.

The point isn't that you're wasting your life or living it immorally. Morality is a slippery slope to begin with and I'm not touching that one at all. I'm just saying that there are other things to be done and still get paid handsomely. Depending on the kind of things you accept as renumeration, money is only the beginning. Your abilities directed by someone of the mental caliber of Prodigy, Ashnod or Wizard should be able to redirect hurricanes, defuse tornados and other fun stuff. Which would get you a lot of gratitude. Shelter construction or refugee evacuation would guarantee you friends for life. Jeez, what about law enforcement contracts with specific tasks in mind like riot control or area searches? It all depends on what drives you.

Whatever it is that's driving you, get the goods on it soon Kemo Sabe. Your lifestyle is accelerating and it's going to drive you around the bend eventually. I mean, how long did it seem like you waited for me to reply to your points? To me it was a couple of hours delay while I was seeing the sightes in the Far East. To you it was... What? Four or five months? The math is a little iffy and I'm assuming your motive speed is parallel to your mental processing speed but even if I'm off a little... What are you going to do when when you can't stand the wait anymore?

[ 03-18-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

[Ashnod]

From what I gather of just how quick, precise, and good you claim to be, even combat must be boring you.

[Vile Bill]

Hey Strobe, what are these 'things' you've been hearing about DeVryes? I've been there for years and I ain't got complaint one about how I've been treated. You come across some black book shit? You gonna share?

[Dr. Arcturus]

Bill, Ive got a friend by the name of Shuriken, a guy who worked for Anna for a few years. He wasnt exactly "well behaved", and ended up blacklisted. He ended up meeting several DeVries elites in the battlefield, and was captured. He tells me, in between dribbling, that Anna lobotomized him and caurterized his node. Now, Shuriken is a bit of a bastard, but after that, IM almost gunning for this Devries whore.

[Vile Bill]

Hey Strobe, y'know there ain't but one type a people who gossip more than a buncha hookers on Hollywood n' Vine and thats a bunch a mercs, nova or baseline.

You know this, and you know something else? Ain't nobody talks about your buddy Shuriken. Kind of like whatever he did to Anna is off limits. Musta been something pretty big. And ya know what? Even if it wasn't your boy was pretty stupid for pissin the lady off.

There is a pretty good damn reason that a buncha hardcase bastards like Stryker, Pursuer and Totentaz toe the line when the Lady says to. She's as hard as steel and holds a better edge to boot. Pissin her off is just bad for the health. Sorry about your buddy but he crossed the wrong line it looks like.

Plus, DeVryes offers the best compensation packages you can find, and until you can convince me otherwise, money is where it is at Bubba.

[Dr. Arcturus]

Not trying to turn you buddy, just giving you the benefit of what I know. If what you say about Anna is true, it looks like I have a little house cleaning to do. She may find herself implaled by a twig, if you catch my drift.

[Nimrod]

HA HA HA!

This guy is even funnier than poor old, demeted QP!

Strobe: I can see where you´re coming from, friend. You´re upset because evil old mizz DeVries did a naughty thing to your friend. But don´t go there, speedo. Take it as friendly advice from a bastard to a moron; she´d chew you up and spit you out before you know it - and I know what you can do; I´ve read the file.

So just lie back , take a stress pill and relax. That bitch ain´t going to keel over for some time.

[Dr. Arcturus]

Heh, right, you speak as if I were going in on this by myself. Anna has her connections, but I have mine. To any DeVries agents on this board, Ive got a message to deliver to Anna: Stay out of the middle east, if you want to stay breathing.

[Nimrod]

Whatever, Strobe baby.

(And people accuse me of being a lunatic. Honestly.)

I bet that she´s shaking by now, feeling you breathe (or is that hyperventilate?) over her shoulder. Chest pains, headaches, nightmares; yep, I´d be in pretty poor shape too.

[Vile Bill]

Quote:

Originally posted by Strobe:
Heh, right, you speak as if I were going in on this by myself. Anna has her connections, but I have mine. To any DeVries agents on this board, Ive got a message to deliver to Anna: Stay out of the middle east, if you want to stay breathing.

Hey Strobe, Vile Bill comin at ya here. Now, I never expected us to be bosom buddies. Ya know, you just don't seem like the type a guy I wanna take long soapy showers with. But I didn't have anything agin' ya either.

But now you go and threaten my boss. Now don't get me wrong. I ain't some apple polisher looking to plant a warm wet one on the Lady's keister. Nah, that ain't me. But the lady, she pays me good, and I mean real good money to beat the hell out of people. Now, I make seven goddamn figures a year simply cuz I bust heads under contract to DeVryes and you have the fuckin' nerve to threaten her life?

YOU'RE TALKIN ABOUT MAH LIVELIHOOD HERE SON!!!

Now, you're an elite and I am sure you a tough little bastard in your own right. But I've been doing this for too many years not to have a high opinion of my own lethal capabilities. So, last word on the subject and we can all go back to friendly town.

Feel whatever you like about Anna DeVryes. Say whatever the fuck you want about the lady, ain't no skin off my ass. But, son, if you ever actually try to touch the woman, I will wrap you up in the Nasty Black until you're sweating blood and then I will turn your goddamn head into a pinata and beat you to death with my dick.

Are we clear?

[Dr. Arcturus]

Let me make something clear to you, "son":

If and when I decide to take down Anna DeVries, she WILL NOT see me coming.

Just so you dont think this is entirely a personal matter, I must warn you: the people I work for are very "interested" in Anna's activities near Bahrain of late, and I MAY end up seeing her around. Soon.

[Teknokat]

Well... It's not Anna that you have to worry about. It's the three Elite bodyguards she's been keeping around while she's been having the baby. Totentanz is still top of the Elite charts, right?

Oh, and of course, the entirety of the DeVries lineup once you've done the deed. You can outrun one, but you cannot outrun them all...

[Ashnod]

It's just not possible to have conversations here anymore without it eventually devolving into threats. It does not matter how it comes about, somebody eventually threatens someone else.

All this without, I might add, Hazzard or Father Ryan.

Is this what we have become?

There might as well be a sign attached to our nodes that reads:

Welcome to the XWF: The epitome of Nova evolution.

[Teknokat]

Ashnod,

I get a feeling this is a boy thing, personally. I mean, how often do the women threaten each other? I was just pointing out the facts.

Just goes to show that testosterone works it's wonders on nova and baseline alike...

[Nimrod]

Can I get that on a teeshirt if I threaten ten more people?

[Apep]

Don't worry Ashnod, I'll kick all their asses.

Hear that everyone: I'm going to beat you all up. Then we'll see how tough you are when your butts are handed to you by a little girl. Nothing personal folks, but I get sick of it too.

-okay, there, end of threat.

[Jordan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Strobe:
Let me make something clear to you, "son":
If and when I decide to take down Anna DeVries, she WILL NOT see me coming.
Just so you dont think this is entirely a personal matter, I must warn you: the people I work for are very "interested" in Anna's activities near Bahrain of late, and I MAY end up seeing her around. Soon.

Hehe....Ha.....haha..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA......

Man, I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Thanks guys, I needed a good gut buster! Helps put things into perspective, Know what I mean?

[Dr. Arcturus]

You all assume something cant be done because nobody has ever pulled it off. Thats fine, change of topic:

Did you see the Monday Night Massacre last week?

[Teknokat]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nimrod:
Can I get that on a teeshirt if I threaten ten more people?

Please! It's not like it costs a huge amount of money to create a one-off shirt. I happen to have several shirts in my wardrobe of quotes that seemed funny at the time.

Weird shit? I am weird shit!

[ 03-22-2002: Message edited by: Teknokat ]

[Hugin]

Quote:

Originally posted by Teknokat:
Ashnod,

I get a feeling this is a boy thing, personally. I mean, how often do the women threaten each other? I was just pointing out the facts.

Just goes to show that testosterone works it's wonders on nova and baseline alike...

I think it is more along the lines of something I've mentioned earlier. There are some social behaviors that are pre-baseline that we still adhere to. Whether or not that is acceptable is debatable.

However, to be honest, I think two feces flinging chimpanzees would have been a bit more eloquent than our two alpha males here.

[Dr. Arcturus]

Always a pleasure to hear from you James, but I take speacial offense to being called a chimp. My best friend was lobotomized by queen of the heap Anna DeVries, and I think Im entitled to a little justice.

[Hugin]

Stobe, two short points.

1. I did not call you a chimp. I stated that a chimp would have put on a more impressive, imaginitive display of alpha male behavior than either you or William. So, what I did was compare you to a chimp. There is a difference.

2. At no point did I try to invalidate your anger towards Anna. You seem to have a legitimate complaint, good for you. So do several African nations and several dozen board of directors for Fortune 500 corporations. You are in fine company. If you are upset with her I have no reason nor inclination to try to convince you otherwise.

In fact, I consider having chosen a target of such siginificant power to be quite admirable. Striving for unreachable goals can be character building.

[Fortune's Son]

Vile Bill; have you ever considered the utility of piano wire? Messy but you know what they say about the classics.

Strobe; Anna is a force of capitalism. Think merchant princes of Italy and you have the basics for her modus operandi. The person you're describing doesn't match the Anna Devries I've met and been chewed out by but then maybe your friend was a special case to her.

See, with Annie; it's not so much that you're beneath her notice as that she doesn't give a shit about anything that doesn't affect her company. Which effectively puts you beneath her notice. She also doesn't play the "pound chest and make threatening grunts" game. Your buddy is probably an example of that.

Apep; I will do the gentlemanly thing in this matter. Which is offering to hold your accessories of choice while you smite the wicked.

What can I say; back before I erupted I had your poster. Framed.

For all;

The drinks are on me in Ibiza if you're around the area in the evening, ten-ish on Friday local time. The main part of the job is done and I'm out of the jurisdiction of the PRC and drinking a cold one.

Weird shit, though. Why would anyone want to pay, and pay dearly, for the trouble of putting the PRC on military alert? Just to sneak a couple of peasants out of the sticks and trash a bullshit military garrison on the way out? Stranger still, the non-disclosure clauses were stipulated to be void as soon as the kid and his mom were out of China.

Don't get me wrong. The job is done and I'm a happy camper for having a pile of money. I just have this weird feeling, ya know? Kind of like there are all these pieces in front of me and yet I can't seem to make them fit together.

What does this have to do with the thread? VB, you're invited and I'm buying. If you're nice I may even teach you how to count without taking off your shoes. For over ten I mean...

[Ashnod]

Quote:

Originally posted by Strobe:
Let me make something clear to you, "son":
If and when I decide to take down Anna DeVries, she WILL NOT see me coming.

You do realize the possibility that either Anna herself or one of her many trusted advisors reads these forums is rather high, don't you?

Just because others don't post here doesn't mean these conversations aren't perused or watched. Jack Chance, for example, is a DeVries employee.

Not that I think you honestly care about this, Strobe, but it might be wiser in the future to not announce your targets ahead of time.

[Dr. Arcturus]

I would never post something like that unless I was entirely certain I could back up my threats

[Guest]

You know what I loved about Avenger and Hazzard? They knew exactly how screwed up they were and made no bones about it. You... You have to dance and prance for the adulation of the masses.

Okay.

Your brilliant and merely basking in the reflected glory of your spineless prose is joyous beyond compare.

Now.

Do it. Shut off your never ending stream of drivel, you twisted little sicko, and take an action. Put a twig through Anna D. at mach 50.

Whatsa matter? A sudden attack of morals? That old war wound suddenly giving you a twinge? Just get off your ass and kill her like the beastly little sociopath you really are. God knows I've got my bad days but I've never wasted the public's time and energy by screaming;

"LOOK AT ME! AREN'T I A BLOODY WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF BEAUTIFUL NOVADOM!"

God, I hate every pretending little git like you. Killings too good for you and your little club of ne'erdowells. No threats for you, Boyo. No contingency plans. You get to live a long life to reflect over the fact that nothing you ever did or thought amounted to anything. That's why you need to threaten your betters. That's why you need to pretend there's actually anything you could do that would even gain their notice.

Fah!

Enough effort's been wasted on you already.

A.