STORY OF THE YEAR

Oh man oh man oh man... This is big! Really, really, really big! I shouldn't be saying this and I'll probably get in big trouble if my identity is found out, but the people need to know!

Okay... The NetPolice and NetMafia are moving. I still haven't figured out just when, where, or why yet, but something's gonna happen between them. This will be their biggest confrontation since the Net War! Will it be a new, massive fight? Are they actually not enemies, faking animosity to quell upstart groups from disrupting their joint rule on the Net? Am I lying through my teeth? I have no idea! But when I find out more, I'll post it here! Stay tuned!

-Mr. Mystery
What a great way to start the year...

But I doubt this story. Ever since the Net War, we haven't seen so much friction between them. What will spark them to fight once more? What will they sacrifice this time in order to win? And finally...What are they fighting for?


-Marius Eirenikos
Wonderful, another net faction war. We should all prepare for the worst, just in case we have another war.
-Jack Magi
Personally, I think the NetMafia is the NetPolice. The government is playing both sides to sniff out dissidents and round them up in droves to be placed in their secret prisons. Fight the power guys!

- Mysterious Net Guy
Well, nothing much to say to this one. Thanks for the heads up, I suppose.

-Voltman.exe

Let the knuckle cracking begin, in preparation for the skull cracking, of course.

-Shigeru Yamada
.... I say yes to lying through your teeth.

- Harke Ezarith

Quote (Zanallen)

Personally, I think the NetMafia is the NetPolice. The government is playing both sides to sniff out dissidents and round them up in droves to be placed in their secret prisons. Fight the power guys!

- Mysterious Net Guy

"OH MY GOD, DUDE. IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. IT ALL FALLS INTO PLACE, MAN. I KNEW IT. I GOT THE MESSAGES DUDE."

DruidMan.EXE

"Wait, uh, how do make Anon posts again?"

Quote (Zanallen)

Personally, I think the NetMafia is the NetPolice. The government is playing both sides to sniff out dissidents and round them up in droves to be placed in their secret prisons. Fight the power guys!

- Mysterious Net Guy

That...actually wouldn't surprise me. I've been on the wrong side of both for a time in the past and their responses were disturbingly similar...

- Some Guy
Jeez, guess if something does happen, people'd better figure out where their aligence lies, and quickly.
-Chris Harper

Quote (Link2125)

Jeez, guess if something does happen, people'd better figure out where their aligence lies, and quickly.
-Chris Harper

No. No no no no NO. You do not need an allegiance. That's too common a mistake. If turning one's allegiance to one side occurs, it should occur because they have a notable reason to do so. Simply joining a side because it's there is a sure way to get yourself into trouble.

-Shigeru Yamada

Quote (P.A. Master)

No. No no no no NO. You do not need an allegiance. That's too common a mistake. If turning one's allegiance to one side occurs, it should occur because they have a notable reason to do so. Simply joining a side because it's there is a sure way to get yourself into trouble.

-Shigeru Yamada

Point taken, but then again, those who get caught in the thick of it could be forced to fight for either side without a choice. If anything, I say pick a side and stand back, then if you do get called to fight, you'll be ready to stand up for what you believe in, rather than being forced to fight what you think is right.

-Chris Harper
And just which side do you feel is in the right, Mr. Harper? I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

- Victor
And seriously, there's always the option of walking away. If you find yourself getting caught up in a mess. Use an Escape and scram, you don't really have to fight.

Though it may be tantalizing to join a faction if the option of escaping isn't presentable to you... like Shigeru said, "Do you really have to?"

I mean, your navi could pretty much just run away from the first signs of danger. No one is forcing you to do anything. And... I still think I've contradicted myself here somewhere.

-Ace
I think you missed a 'but' somewhere in there, Mr. Ace.

- Anon
Actually, I think the last time there was the whole war thing, I think one side put up a jack-out barrier to trap the other. Not 100% on that, since I wasn't interested in running away so I didn't pay much attention, but I think if I had chickened out, I would have been out of luck. So yeah, running is sometimes useless.

Either way, it might be hard not to pick a side. Some people have the mentality that you're either for or against them. For instance, if you see the Mafia selling DarkChips down by the docks. If you tell the Police, the Mafia will probably kick your ass for snitching. If you keep it a secret and the Police find out, then suddenly you're in trouble for withholding information. Though that example paints one side more as the bad guys than the other, I think my point remains valid. So while you can try to remain neutral, you should probably try and figure which side you'd lean towards so that if a situation does arrise where you need to choose, you don't end up standing around like a boob feeling conflicted and then get your ass kicked when one side dies and decides to come after you for not helping them. Wow, that was a long sentence!

Anyway, dispite what I just said, I plan on claiming neutrality. If a situation like the last war comes up again, I'll just kick the ass of whoever's being the bigger douche. Last time I helped out the Net Police, though I could very easily go the other way if this time they're the ones running around, beating up women while hyped up on Darkchips. And if both of them are being jerks, then I'll make sure they both go down. This might seem like I'm challenging both sides to battle, but really, I'd rather they both took it as a challenge to do what's right. Regardless, if someone does start something, I'll be there to leave my mark.

-Mr. Wouldn't-You-like-to-Know

Quote (Zanallen)

And just which side do you feel is in the right, Mr. Harper? I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

- Victor

I don't think sharing that would be wise under the present circumstances. Would you go blabbing about who your enemies are right before a major fight? If I said anything publicly, I'm sure dozens of people would jump me or my Navi at the first chance they got.

-Chris Harper
Luckily so far me and my navi have never encountered such unscrupulous people but I do get the feeling that for the average navi such an offer of allegiance to either side would seem like a dream come true, I suppose for many of the stronger navis out there it would be more of a 'what could you offer me' type of situation but for a second consider those who are without such customisation or power, normal navis for example, would they not jump at the chance to gain allies in an increasingly dangerous world?

Now I'm not saying that all weaker navis are equally weak in mind, I'm just pointing out the fact that not all have the definitive choice of standing alone and neutral and when such a situation arises such as a vulnerable navi joining a faction occurs, I would not put it past either side to bend the navi to their own will and purpose with promises of protection and power.
Just something for you to think about...

- Lexus G

(p.s my navi is part normalnavi so I do have some form of understanding in what I speak of)
Whoa whoa WHOA. Newsflash, everyone! This NetPolice/NetMafia stuff is bigger than what I've thought! Recently, I've heard some whispers that even the Global Net Admin's getting into this! We're throwing big out the window and moving into HUGE territory, now! What could be going on amongst the biggest forces of the Internet? A massive confrontation? A peace agreement? A business deal, even? Who knows? Speculation's running wild around, and it's anyone's guess as to what exactly is going on!

- Mr. Mystery
Interesting...I wonder whats going on...
-Jack Magi
Then in regards to that...

...let's see what happens next, shall we?

-Ace