So you want to brag, eh??? (page 3)

2SYN

LDH: HEHE, America is the only place you can be born a black boy and grow up to be a rich white woman!

I'm a pretty good C++ programmer.

And when I corner some of the babes on this board between a pair o' sheets, you'll know how good I am at that too

[SYN], UADA - Unseen Apostate Directorate of Africa - For Great Justice!

WildTurkey

I can throw a football 65 yards, and Im real good in bed, I never fall out

Patriot

I play a mean Sax.

I have not picked it up in a while but I'm sure I still "got it".

I used to play night and day until the elders "showed" me how to use my time more productively.

Ironically, they wanted me to play at every friggin' wedding and "gathering"!

Mav.- To the tune of Misty

bitter mango

ana (ladonna) is an awesome painter! http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=19448&site=3#240492

naeblis is a wicked writer (check ANYTHING he's posted)!

frenchy, philo and QCA1 are really good poets!

noidea makes cool jewelery.. but i can't find her webpage

there's more, but this is all i can think of now.

me??! i'm good at handing out compliments

(¯`·.¸the agents of oblivion descend upon the sane¸.·´¯)

Reborn2002

Well, while Dave does his art with computer graphic software, I am a sketch artist with pencil and pad. I mostly do science fiction art, but I have also done people from time to time.

Apparently the pics are having difficulty loading directly into this post, but if you want to check out a few pics from my portfolio you can go to my site at

http://www.geocities.com/latinloverchicago/JasonArtwork1.html

I am also a novelist. I am currently seeking licensure from LucasFilm Limited to compose an Alternate Expanded Universe Novel for hopefully one of the StarWars Comic Books.

This material I am posting I DO have copyrighted, so thieves beware, I will pursue litigation to the highest extent of the law should you feel the urge to steal.

That said, if anyone would like to indulge themselves with a short blurb, Ive added it here so maybe it would pique any local JWBoard StarWars fan's interest.

Excerpt From Chapter 3 of

The Darkest Hour - A Prophecy Foretold

Violent spasms tore into his limbs even at rest. There was no sanctuary in his mind, for this was the burden a Jedi Master accepted.

The images in the dreams etched into his memory bore pain not witnessed since the Great Jedi Purge led by Darth Vader.
A history long forgotten.

Vader.

The lost Prodigal Son carried the bloodguilt of billions on his shoulders, and this was of one who would eventually be restored to the Light.

That Prophecy was fulfilled in its entirety.

What of this? What now?

He had failed.

The Jedi were no more.

The Old Republic did not confront the perils which faced those now. In that era, there were clear sides, the Jedi and the Sith, engaging in an ongoing war that had transpired over countless millenia.

Even in the emergence of young Luke Skywalker, there was a dedication and trust with the New Republic, who fought to end the tyranny forged by Palpatine.

Now there was no clear side. An incomprehensible menace devoid of Force had cut a swath in the entire galaxy, and what remained in the decades long struggle were mere remnants of what once were strongholds of peace and prosperity. The political factions remaining held no loyalty to the Jedi, for in fear they succumbed to the people who conveniently blamed the Force-users for whatever dire circumstances occurred.

Master Ryn Mikaia sent his proteges to Dathomir, for at least temporarily, they would be safe. He regretted not being able to tell them the full implications of what was to come, but it was the way it must be.

It was a two-edged sword, the arrival of the Dark Jedi Apprentice foreshadowed that this location was compromised, and perhaps their journeying together would incite them to grow as a group.

But he had much worse issues to contend with.

Long ago, in the corner of his mind, he had been told it would one day come to this. He just had difficulty believing it truly would be so.

Alone, and isolated, the Jedi Master meditated for three days nonstop, probing and searching for an answer. Attuning to the Force for insight, he now did what he feared most.

He stepped inside his stone-walled chamber, the small room where he had once greeted the entire Jedi party. The room seemed so barren. The void of lost loved ones and friends was more troublesome than he had anticipated.

On the ledge behind his own bunk was an artifact he had hoped to one day share with his pupils.

The Great Holocron.

Throughout time, the Jedi stored lifetimes of information into various Holocrons, to be passed down from generation to generation, from Master to Padawan, to continue the ever-increasing understanding of the Force, and to provide guidance to those who would follow the Code.

It is not known how many Holocrons are in existence, or how many are still functioning to this day. It is known, that in the highest tapestries of the Jedi Temple which once stood on Coruscant, the Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu presided over the collection of well over 10,000 individual Holocrons, and for the explicit usage of the Jedi Council, provided one Great Holocron which housed all the information of the Jedi Knights since their inception.

During the Dark Times of the Purge, when Jedi were being systematically exterminated, the Archive of Knowledge proved far too valuable to be allowed to fall in the hands of the Empire.

It was then that this storehouse of information was entrusted to the Force Dragons, mythical creatures who often were discounted as legend. Over one and a half centuries have passed, and this Great Holocron is what Master Ryn Mikaia opened now...

"I wish to speak to Jedi Master Mace Windu, and Jedi Master Yoda" Ryn said.

The ghostly images of the green, stunted Jedi Master and the tall, brown-skinned humanoid Jedi Master appeared.

They spoke in harmony, the Force present within them.

"I am the gatekeeper, I am Master Mace Windu." the image said.

"Jedi Master Yoda you seek, found him have you." the other replied.

Mikaia squatted in front of the interactive holographic image.

"I need information from you, Master Windu and Master Yoda. You were Jedi Masters who headed the Jedi Council during the time of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, the fulfilling of the Prophecy of One who would bring Balance to the Force. You have told us of the accounts of how all took place, and even beyond your deaths the occurrences which restored the Jedi Order under the tutelage of his son, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. It is a closely guarded secret, but as the Force flows two directions, so do prophecies. If One was to come who would restore Balance to the Force, one would also come with the capability to forever destroy it."

Hesitantly, the images nodded, confirming the other half of a centuries old prophecy no one dared speak of before.

Mikaia continued.

"It is well over 150 years since your deaths. Luke Skywalker is dead. A species unlike anything ever previously encountered has ravaged the galaxy unchecked, the Yuuzhan Vong. They do not exist within the realm of the Force, and worse yet, my fears are the Sith have returned."

Shock and dread overcame the holographic images of the Masters of Old.

"The Darkest Hour this is... face it.. you must." Yoda murmured.

"My fears are all too real. I have felt the presence of my past student overwhelm me. Long have I thought he was dead, but it now appears that he has given himself completely to the Dark Side, with the intentions of some UnHoly Alliance with the Yuuzhan Vong. Jedi are hunted, only a scattered handful remain alive. Only the memories of grander times remain."

"Give up already you have?" Yoda interjected.

"As long as the Force flows through one righteous individual, hope is not lost." Master Windu added.

"Your faith strengthens me my old friends, oh how I wish you were here in physical form to fight this battle with me!" Mikaia pleaded, tiring of feeling so alone.

The holographic images of the Jedi Masters seemed so real, for even in memory they were able to ascertain emotion, so great their union with the Force was.

"Never alone are you as long as Jedi you are." Yoda said.

"Faith alone in the hands of a brazen, young boy saved this Galaxy once, your faith should be just as strong." Mace Windu interceded.

"You are right, and I thank you for your time and insight. I must go and find the answers to these riddles. The Other Half of the Prophecy is being fulfillled. It is up to Jedi who remain to stop it."

Nodding, the translucent images of the Jedi Masters of the Old Republic faded.

Thinking to himself, Ryn Mikaia must take action. He would find Khane, and he would stop him...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt From Chapter 5 of

The Darkest Hour - A Prophecy Foretold

The Dark Side.

Fear, anger, hatred, aggression, suffering...

Never in this galaxy's history were those emotions more prevalent than now.

That should have served as warning.

It was long thought that the Brotherhood of the Sith and their Black Arts perished once and for all with the death of Emperor Palpatine and the subsequent atonement of Anakin Skywalker from the depths of its grasp.

It was thought, but they were wrong.

Never would a mistake prove more deadly, for in the darkness loomed a greater threat.

-----------------------------

Night blanketed the vast cityscape of the Grand Republic capital, cloaking the endless horizon of newly erected architecture in deep velvet layers.

For thousands of years Coruscant had served as the centerpiece of Galactic politics and activity. The Senate and even the Jedi Academy of the Old Republic both functioned there.

Time has a way of changing things.

With the Yuuzhan Vong onslaught, and the Imperial Remnant ever squabbling for scraps with the Grand Republic Fleet, all that remained of the once beautiful planet and the other Core Worlds was a shadow of its former self.

Now the Senate gathered on the more remote planet of Corellia, even as the Galaxy remains in the worst conflict in its history.

During the Dawn of the Empire, Senator Palpatine laid the foundation for dictatorial rule right under the noses of the Jedi Masters.

That course of action set a precedence for how to accomplish tasks undetected. A student of history learns from the successes and failures of his predecessors. This would be no different.

To commit your actions in the very place no one would look gave ample time to prepare, and to crush your foes with full force before the enemy even knew you were present.

The Senate recently reconvened to discuss important matters such as the illegal distribution of Kashyyyk wood, military action on the planet of Tynna, and the allocation of assets within the entire Grand Republic hierarchy.

Ambassador Tobias Thebes had just finished debating with the Senate on these matters, and retired to his private quarters in solitude for the evening.

Night was his ally, for in the blackness he could reveal his true self.

------------------

To the naked eye the apartment appeared simple, yet regal. Any sensible being would appreciate the taste befitted a politician.

Expensive rare statues, carpeting, and ornaments adorned the room. It was tactful yet serene.

But there was more here than meets the eye.

Thebes retired to his den, where he counseled with forces forbidden since the First Age.

----------------

The Sith had come into being over two thousand years ago. They were a cult given over to the Dark Side of the Force, embracing fully the concept that power denied was power wasted. A rogue Jedi Knight had founded the Sith, a singular dissident in an Order of harmonious followers, a rebel who understood from the beginning that the real power of the Force lay not in the light, but in the darkness.

Failure to gain approval for his beliefs from the Council, he had broken with the Order, departing with his knowledge and skills, swearing in secret that he could bring down those who dismissed him.

He was alone at first, but others from the Jedi Order who believed as he did and who had followed him in his study of the Dark Side soon came over. Others were recruited, and soon the ranks of the Sith swelled to a few hundred in number. Disdaining the concepts of cooperation, relying on the belief that acquisition of power in any form lends strength and yields control, the Sith began their cult in opposition to the Jedi. Theirs was not an order created to serve; theirs was an order created to dominate.

The war with the Jedi was vengeful and furious and ultimately doomed. In the end, the Sith destroyed themselves. Conspiring against one another, this was the final result in several eras, including Ulic Qel Droma in the Golden Age, Exar Kun at the Massassi Temple on Yavin 4, and Darth Vader betraying his Master just over a century and a half prior.

With their deaths.. the legacy of the Sith perished.

Or so it seemed.

Tobias Thebes was a historian. He revered the past. Masking his identity to the public eye and even his Apprentice, in reality he was Sith Lord Darth Khane.

After the second annihilation of the cloned form of Palpatine by the combined forces of Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa Solo, the quantum amount of information stored in Palpatine's private chamber was placed in quarantine.

One wonders why it was not destroyed, but for fear of accidentally unleashing some Sith curse by disturbing the ancient heirlooms, it was decided by the majority in the Senate that it simply be preserved and heavily guarded. One prerequisite to even accessing this information was that any individual be screened as Non-Force sensitive, so as to avoid even the temptation of probing for darker ideals.

Thebes was a Senator, and an Ambassador. Heading the SubCommittee on Jedi Preservation, he maintained access to all the Force-related documents, and it was thought he was absent in Force potential. Alas, possessing a talisman given him long ago by an authority who shall remain unnamed, he was able to mask his presence within the Gift.

Consulting the Holocrons at his disposal, this was the dawn of a New Era. A resurrection of the Sith Empire.

Never had a Dark Lord enjoyed the general sentiment of the people and the environment he relished now. Powerful creatures from beyond the Outer Rim were capable of refuting lightsabers and existed outside of the realm of the Force.

If only their abilites and DNA could be harvested...

Ancient Sith artifacts begged to be opened, and with the years and years of daily probing into these forbidden arts, Khane discovered the latter portion of a Prophecy that for millenia instilled fear in any who dared contemplate it.

-------------------

Jedi Master Ryn Mikaia piloted the Jedi Starfighter which accomodated one occupant.

Lightsaber on his hip, the silver gleam of the handle sparkled against the radiant white clarity of his Jedi robe.

Ignoring the astrogation mechanical console, he instead relied on the Force to guide his direction.

He had delegated his Apprentices to Dathomir, where they would grow in the Force and perhaps even learn from some of the Witches who remained.

This quest was far too dangerous for them as of now. He would need their assistance in time, but they were not ready for the burden to be placed upon their young, inexperienced shoulders.

Mikaia would discover the true nature of this disturbance. He had willingly released the Dark Apprentice to escape, using him as bait to lure the Ones who would Rule by fear out into the open...

Corellia was his destination, he had to consult with Supreme Chancellor Gunam, and learn more about the new SubCommittee on Jedi Preservation, and its Lead Representative, Tobias Thebes.

And so it begins..

Life is so much better after leaving the JW.

PERSONAL WEBPAGE-
http://www.geocities.com/latinloverchicago/Jason1.html
FREELANCE ARTWORK FOR SALE-
http://www.geocities.com/latinloverchicago/JasonArtwork1.html

Solace

Well according to my J.W. family Im "good as dead".
Seriously, Im not sure if Im good at these things but people have complimented me on my floral arranging, interior decorating and baking, not to be confused with cooking, I am not skilled in the cooking dsepartment. I guess Im just not into the raw meat thing.

DanTheMan

I can play a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar solos note for note. That isn't really creative though, when I think about it. I've never been able to come up with a single good note of my own. *sigh* Maybe someday creative inspiration will strike and I'll come up with something really good.

So you want to brag, eh???

Fredhall