Arcadia

[size=1]When I was in high school, I was really involved in the crew aspect of theatre, especially the moving of furniture and set pieces and stuff like that during the actual shows. And I was so special and good, they made me "Crew Leader." That, and I look good in black. Whee! It's a lot of fun, though. I always had a blast, and my crew would always come up with weird nicknames and all that for each show. Not to mention that having a headset on equates you to God backstage. Feel the power. I thought about persuing some sort of film production job for a while, in set design or photography or something like that, but I'd rather be a teacher. I miss it though, so I might join up with a local community theatre or something. The one thing I never did was direct, and I really wish I would have. I always end up looking at all the plays I read and think about how I would stage it, how'd I'd interpret it, what sort of themes I'd stick to, things like that. I think it could have been a lot of fun. But alas, maybe I'll have the opportunity sometime in the future.[/size]

[size=1]Leile was holding her head in her hands, trying to gain some sort of control over her breathing. Her heart was still fluttering madly in her chest, and her hands were cold and clammy. "Yes," she murmured a tad hoarsely, and then shuddered when she thought about how close they'd come to being locked in that awful room forever. Exhaling slowly, she sat back and glanced over her two companions before asking, "Are.. are you both okay?" Aissa rolled over stiffly and coughed, then pushed herself to her knees. "..yeah. Nothing broken." The black mage nodded once, but said nothing. That worried Leile slightly, but there wasn't much to be done there. She glanced over her shoulder, towards the book she'd brought out with them. When she'd fallen onto the hard marble, it skidded a few feet away, and sat there still. Crawling towards it, she sat back on her haunches as she flipped it open, carefully turning the pages until she came to the one she'd been looking for. "Here," she tapped the page with her finger, "It's a map. D'Ianii Ilaen." She scooted closer to them, creating a sort of triangle as she sat, and then pushed the leather bound book in the middle. "Now we know how to get there. It's even got cities marked on it, different points named." Aissa rubbed her forehead, trying to ward off the headache that was slowly beginning to form, then blinked her eyes open. "We're going to be taking another trip?" Anubis glanced at her, a little spark of amusement in his eyes. "By boat, undoubtedly," he informed her coolly. "Not magic." After the little episode in the secret library, neither one of them would probably use their magic right away. Slightly afraid that the two might start squabbling or something, Leile cleared her throat and started again. "Yes, well, there's more. I think this was used as some sort of journal or log book or something. It's got all sorts of information about the island," she said, her eyes scanning the pages slowly. After a moment they closed and Aissa leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Leile?" The girl just shook her head, causing her charms to sing out softly. "It keeps track of the attack on the island. Stats about people, weapons, deaths." Her eyes were on the pages again, squinting as she read the small, scripted handwriting. "It's awful." Anubis passed a hand over his face. "What about the curse?" Leile hesitated, glancing at him. "There's talk of power sources. They destroyed a lot of them, apparently. Someone from the island told them where they all were, how important they were, and how to effectively destroy everything. Most of the main attack points are these temples and that where the power was said to gather. All the notes about it are here." "A traitor, maybe?" Aissa suggested. Shrugging, Leile turned another old, stained page. "It doesn't really say, although I think maybe you're right. They keep calling her the 'Winged-One', so she must have been a D'Ianii." "She?" "Yeah. It was a woman who gave them all the information. She didn't attack with them, though - it specifically says here that the D'Ianii were surprised until the very end; they never found out." Leile sighed, frowning. "How horrible." Anubis pulled the book towards him a bit, his eyes quickly moving across the pages. After a moment, he murmured, "We need to find these 'power sources'. If that's the sort of magic they used, then perhaps the curse stems from it." "We could learn to counter it, then," Aissa added, nodding at the idea. "Maybe even use it against the curse." Leile put her arms around her knees and leaned back, her eyes looking distant. "Then we just need to find a boat.." Her voice dropped off and she frowned, though didn't voice the rest of her thoughts. Easy as it sounded, Leile wasn't quite sure how the next part of their little adventure was going to pan out. How where they going to find a boat in Ma'Uriith? [color=gray]Now, to let you all in on how some of this is going to unfold, all the groups are going to meet before anything else happens. There they can share what information they've all come across so far, have some tea and cakes or whatever, before setting out [i]together[/i] for D'Ianii Ilaen. Also, if you guys ever read something and get confused, go ahead and ask about it. I've got just about everything planned out, so no worries. o_O;;[/color][/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Hey Lexy. I'm happy that you'll be participating in the arena, but before you get started, I suggest reading over the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=30059]rules[/url] and Harlequin's sticky, which is at the top of both the Adventure Arena and it's Recruitment forum. This post is considered spam and you don't need to post it here, or anywhere else, for that matter, so I'll be closing it. Also, when you do start one of your RPGs, make sure you post it in the Recruitment forum first. This and more is all explained in the rules, but if you have any more questions about it, don't be afraid to PM myself, terra, or The Harlequin. You'll get the hang of it all soon enough, so don't worry. Welcome to the boards. Thanks, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]Anya watched Naomi leave the hanger, sighing quietly. The girl looked a little tired, she thought. Stressed out. Although she really couldn't blame her. Honestly, Anya was a bit furious at Alex for pulling a stunt like that, and at Raul for letting him, though she guess he probably didn't have much a choice in the matter. And she was furious with Gen for being the bad guy, and at the buster rifle he'd somehow acquired that nearly ruined everything. She hid it well, however. The mask she wore was one she'd been working on for years, always sliding it on when the boarding schools were less then kind. It was easy to retreat back into her own thoughts and let the world spin by, though she was beginning to realize that with Shenlong before, and now Altron, it was becoming less and less of an option. She leaned back on the rails of the catwalk, closing her eyes as she let her mind drift for a moment. Try and find some inner peace before running off to deal with the briefings and plannings and probable arguments that undoubtedly waited for her. There [i]was[/i] a moment of silence granted to her before the sound of steps on the steel drifted towards her and she glanced up, somewhat hazily. Tanya stopped a few feet away and just shrugged, looking a bit out of it herself. "Alex requests your presense at this time," she said formally. However Anya noted the strained look to the pilot's eyes, the forced smirk (something Anya herself wore occasionally), and vaguely recalled hearing something regarding the girl's grandfather and his untimely end. The infamous Duo Maxwell. She doubted very much that Tanya would want to talk about it at all, and Anya certainly wasn't the girl to lend out her shoulder, but even that couldn't stop her from showing some sort of condolence. She put a hand on Tanya's shoulder, albeit a bit awkwardly, and gave her a tired smile before trudging up the catwalk towards the medic ward. Thoughts of Alex only miffed her again, however, and she had to pause outside the door to collect herself. [i]This is so stupid,[/i] she thought to herself, before stepping up to the door. It slid open just as it's occupant let out a rather heartfelt curse, and Anya just quirked up an eyebrow before asking lightly, "Aren't you supposed to be unconscious?"[/size]

[size=1]Diadem of Lerion swept into the private library, his black robes billowing about his legs as he paused in the doorway, dark eyes searching the room. This is where he'd left his candidate - a red mage called Iara Iolanthe. Only, the soft-haired woman didn't seem to be [i]in[/i] the room. His brow furrowed for a moment, the look softening his normally hard appearance, before he noticed the open doors leading to the balcony. The curtains had been swept back some, an automatic gesture anyone would do as they passed through the doorway. He stepped towards the open glass doors then, one eyebrow quirking up slightly. "Miss Iolanthe?" She was standing on the ledge of the balcony, looking impeccable in her odd dress, with her hands clasped behind her back. Her face turned towards him discreetly, a small smirk curving her lips up. "Greetings, Sorceror. I trust your meeting with the royal head went well?" Diadem paled slightly, quickly moving forward onto the stone balcony. "Lady, please, don't stand there," he muttered gently, offering his hand up to her as support. "It isn't safe." Iara rolled her eyes and sighed, shrugging in compliance before hopping backwards off the railing. Her grayish slippers made hardly any noise at all on the smooth stone work, just a soft little [i]pat.[/i] "If I'm going to be saving the world or whatever, you're going to have to learn to trust me." That was easy for her to say, Diadem thought absently, before offering her a smile in place of his hand. "I'm afraid you won't be getting to that quite yet, as one of the candidates is still missing. A witch, from Rivera. The three of you here will need to locate him first." "The three of us?" Iara repeated, wandering back into the little library. It smelled of old books and age and it was a welcome sense; very calming. "So they're actually here, then?" "Of course," Diadem replied effortlessly, crossing his arms as he remained behind her, lurking in the doorway. "If you're ready, lady, we may go and speak with them. I believe you shall be setting out almost immediately." She did turn to face him then, raising her eyebrows. "Trying to get rid of me, are you? And so quickly, too." He just smiled again. "You have little more than a day to find him, Iara. I suggest you start right away." Diadem moved towards the door then and held it open for her, bowing gently. Iara just stared at him, and then adjusted a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. "Well then." They moved down the pristine halls, the Sorceror tall and intimidating despite his true nature, Iara significantly smaller, but no less prouder. It was sort of an unusual sight, with her in light colors and odd clothes and him in the dark, formal robes. But no one really seemed to notice, and if they did, they cared even less. Maybe they just knew not to question the Innocence and their ways. Eventually they entered a grand parlor, though for the moment it was quite empty of any visitors. Iara took a look around, poking gently at a nearby statue before remarking off-handedly, "The King sure does know how to throw a party." Diadem chuckled quietly, and was perhaps going to respond, but a noise at the door alerted them to a new presence - another duo of the small group had entered. So the parlor would have visitors, after all. [color=gray]Crazy-boy Leh, your post was fine. A good opening. :P[/color][/size]

[size=1]Anya took her seat in the cockpit of Altron, adjusting the visor on her helmet with one hand as she used her other hand to bring the giant metal beast to life. Little lights blinked on one after another, and the quiet, familiar hum of the gundam slowly sounded. Strange as it was, the noise helped to sooth her nerves. It was comforting, and Anya had the feeling she was going to need that comfort later. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and focused on her objectives for a moment, waiting for Raul's final order. His voice eventually crackled through the com line, sounding tight and anxious. ?All right ladies, the drop off is approaching fast. Stand by for go.? Anya pursed her lips, her eyes still shut, as she moved her hands over the controls. Time seemed to slow down then, the seconds drawing themselves out as her breathing slowed and every noise became a faint warble in the background. She focused on her heartbeat, and waited. It seemed as though she would wait forever when Raul finally breathed through the radio, ?Go.? After that time sped up again, blurring by as the three female pilots dropped out of the hanger, one after the other. Sandrock was the first to go, and she came out ready, scythes gleaming for battle as she swerved to the right. Altron came next, dropping through the night sky, veering left as twin beam trident flared to life in her hands. Deathscythe Hell was the last gundam out, and soon disappeared into the night, the cloaking devices on it immediately going to work. The first attack was swift and deadly, although the Australian base wasn?t totally unprepared. There were a number of mobile suits on guard, though their numbers dwindled quickly under the fire of the fresh and improved gundams. Anya went to work with both dragon fangs, crashing the claws into the suits and tossing them to the side before using the flame-throwers. Between the screams of the abused metal and sounds of rounds being fired off, Anya kept watch of the time ? they were on a schedule, after all, and if things were to go according to plan, they had best keep to it. Fire began to hurtle past her, just to her left. She swiveled Altron around with a snarl, whipping the beam trident down in an arc across the front of the attacking mobile suit. Sparks flew and the gnarled piece of metal stumbled back some before she neatly packed it down with a well-placed kick. Another minute later Altron?s left fang found embedded itself into another victim, and Anya wasted no time in dismembering the suit with the trident. ?Anya, new suits, 8 o?clock,? Naomi hissed then, and Anya turned to see another squadron of suits charge the two gundams. The pilot of Altron just ran her tongue over her teeth before setting both flame-throwers on them, otherwise remaining aloof to the outburst of panicked shouts that her hellfire brought on. As both she and Naomi in Sandrock caused a little chaos in the main part of the base, a few disturbances south of them alerted the suits on guard there that they were not alone. Tanya smirked grimly, wielding the giant scythe expertly as she eyed her new prize, and the mission?s main target. ?Come to momma.?[/size]

[size=1]OOC: Dagger, I'm loathe to continue with Anubis and the ladies because I don't know if you had something particular planned or not... so I'll just post instead. :p -- Maia hadn't been the only one unable to sleep that night. Luth was up much earlier, pacing along the deck, occasionally stopping to just stare out over the waters or up into the black, velvety expanse above them. Mostly, he thought about the night's discussions. About the curse, how to stop it, and the lack of any sort of real plan. It was unnerving and frustrating and Luthian wasn't used to just sitting idly by; he wanted to get up and do something. But it seemed like everytime they learned something new, it just set them back even more. Eventually he grew tired of walking back and forth - it was too boring and his body definitely needed something more stimulating than that. He took a deep breath and stood still for a few seconds before stepping into a familiar sort of dance - the [i]Lith'Rii Urii[/i]. The combination of graceful, sweeping steps and the quick, slicing movements of the hands was oddly comforting to him. Maybe it was just the idea that not [i]everything[/i] had changed on him. Not yet, anyway. A half an hour of movement went by before Luth finally stopped and took a deep breath, crossing his arms above his head. His tail swished leisurely behind him as his eyes scanned the dark horizon before him, ignoring the sweat that slowly dripped off him. He felt pretty damn good right then, although that thoughtful, silent moment was soon broken by another presence - Maia. "What was all that?" She asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere behind him. He blamed that on her stealthy thief skills.. that, and the fact that he seemed to zone out while going through that particular kata. He grinned sheepishly, and wiped his forehead. "Eh.. the Dance of the Feather. You know, the one they perform during the winter celebrations? Been learning it for awhile." He shrugged and glanced back up at the sky, almost awkwardly. "Seemed like the thing to do, since I can't sleep." She nodded, stepping towards the railing of the boat. "I know how that is." Luth eyed her curiously for a minute, his arms draped over his head again, tail twitching back and forth. He wanted to know how much of the dance she'd seen, but instead he just opted for a mild compliment. "Your hair looks nice."[/size]

[size=1]Quite frankly I was a tad surprised that [i]Pirates[/i] got as many nominations as it did. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and I thought it was very well made, but it just didn't seem the sort of movie the Academy would really pay a lot of attention to. It's good to be wrong, though. ^_^;; That said, I'm also a little ashamed because I haven't seen quite a few of the movies mentioned. I haven't even heard of [i]Girl With A Pearl Earring[/i] and [i]The House of Sand And Fog[/i]... which means I need to start hunting them down, and soon. It'll be interesting to see how everybody does, though. I can't say I always agree with the Oscars (..or appreciate them, but that's another story), but usually it's fun to watch. And I can always throw popcorn at the screen when the actor or movie I'm rooting for doesn't win. :p[/size]

[size=1]If I could be anybody, I think I'd like to be [b]Ellie[/b], because we're almost the same person anyway, except she's just more Asian. :p Then I'd have a cool, delicious-looking webpage, and I could go to New Zealand and take pretty pictures and stuff. That would be pretty sweet. [/size]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]Arcadia loves them. I know that much. [/B][/QUOTE] [size=1]Yes, yes I do. I actually got that same deal - both the CDs, with the signed booklet, heh. But yes, they're a fantastic band. One of my favorite rock bands, definitely. I'm more familiar with The Guest than with Phantom Planet, but it's been very pleasing to listen to so far. It's got a few really great songs on it, including Big Brat, as already mentioned. But I also like By The Bed - it kind of gets back to Anthem and Lonely Day; slower, softer, great lyrics. California has always been one of my favorite songs, so it kind of pisses me off that everybody likes that song now, but meh. They're definitely a band worth listening to, though, and I'm really hoping that one of these days they'll schedule some tours dates for the east coast. I'd [i]love[/i] to see them in concert. That drummer, by the way, actually quit to pursue his acting career. :p They've got a new one, and if I had a better memory, I would use their names, but alas, tis not to be. The new guy is pretty good though. [/size]

[size=1]Methinks the banner is very fitting for the Evil Dead man. I'm glad you got the chainsaw in it, heh, cause I just don't think it'd be complete without it. And I'm guessing the thing with the scanlines is just that the lighter background in the middle makes them stand out more. It doesn't bother me a whole lot, but I imagine it'd be pretty easy to just lighten them a bit if it's something you want to fix. You know, Evil Dead always sort of scared me. Not that the movies themselves are terrifying, but I just have to wonder about the guy who made it all up - I'm sure his mind is a very big, dark, and scary place. >.>;;[/size]

[size=1][b]"Next chapter," DW scoffed, "I better be in it more."[/b] Nice ending. :p Another funny chapter, DW, as always. I especially liked my cameo - for being a maid in the governor's household, I'm a rather forceful little betty. Score! Can't wait to see what happens when the pirates attack the mansion and kill everybody!! Yes!! ..erm, lovely work. Kudos, kudos.[/size]

[size=1]Finally, Leh, I have finished. T.T [b]Name:[/b] Iara Iolanthe [b]Age:[/b] 20 [b]Race:[/b] Red Mage [b]Magic/Spells:[/b] To be PMed. [b]Weapon:[/b] A coil of thin but sturdy wire that tends to come in very handy at times. Normally, though, Iara relies mostly on her magic and her scathing tongue. [b]Picture:[/b] [img]http://arcadelicious.250free.com/50n_up.jpg[/img] [b]Biography:[/b] Iara has something of a shady past, but not out of her own doing. Her mother had been a gentleman?s daughter, born and bred in society?s eye. She had been a headstrong young girl, the youngest of three. Whereas the eldest sister was quiet and compassionate, Iara?s mother tended to be very willful and outspoken, though not always in the best manner, something Iara herself eventually inherited. (The other child had been a much older son, already engaged and living in another Kingdom.) The family lived in Lerion, but often visited Memoria to stay with old friends. Upon one of these later visits, Iara?s mother was introduced to a reclusive Mage with a hidden wild side. Being the young and spirited lady she was, she immediately took to poking at that calm exterior to get to the chaos within, and the Mage gave her every opportunity to. Needless to say, things progressed to a boiling point and the two ultimately decided to runaway and elope. The secret marriage caused a huge fuss, but was nothing compared to the sudden birth of Iara some few months later. Iara?s mother was eventually disowned and no longer welcome within the family. The small family lived quietly in Memoria for a couple years, and the few memories that Iara has of them she cherishes. However the peace there did not last and Iara?s mother grew ill, and eventually passed on. Nothing is really known about what happened to the woman, and even to this day Iara claims she has no memories of it, though no one really believes her. Her father sent her back to Lerion soon after with a letter for her aunt, and then he too disappeared from her life. Her aunt, now well married and with children of her own, immediately took Iara in and gave her a proper education, as well as schooling in the arts of magic, as had been requested within the letter. Eventually it was quite obvious that Iara had adopted more from her father than just his looks, and she was enrolled full time into one of the local magical academies in Lerion. She excelled in her studies and proved herself to be a very capable young lady, though she never got along well with the other students and preferred solitude to company. Now, at twenty, Iara works in one of the more bustling cities in Lerion, using her talents as a mage to earn a living. Like her mother before her, Iara is a very proud woman and eventually took her father?s second name ? something that people still talk about, much to her amusement. Cynicism is perhaps her middle name, and most know her to be rather scathing with her opinions. She trusts no one but herself, and maybe her aunt, but her efficient and hard working nature has earned her a few admirers. Unfortunately for them, Iara has made it explicitly clear that they haven?t a snowball?s chance in hell. [b]Where From:[/b] Originally from Memoria, she?s been brought up mostly in Lerion.[/size]

[size=1]Fear and Loathing is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It's disappointing that so many people haven't even heard of it, let alone actually watched it. Everyone who reads this should go and rent it, right now. [b]James Stewart[/b] is probably my absolute favorite actor of all time. You all probably know him as the main character from [i]It's a Wonderful Life[/i]. He had a really sincere stage presence that few actors can really pull off - everything he said and did was natural and flowing. Because of that every single one of his characters always came off as very real and believable. [i]Mr. Smith Goes To Washington[/i] is one of my favorites, but he's also done a lot of other memorable roles - [i]The Philadelphia Story[/i], for which he recieved an Oscar for Best Actor, [i]Vertigo[/i] by Alfred Hitchcock, and [i]Harvey[/i], the one with the giant rabbit. Mildly interesting fact: Like a lot of actors during that time, he also served both WW2 and Vietnam as a pilot.[/size]

[size=1]This could be amusing. Meesa born May 14, 1985. How and when did you get interested in this sort of stuff, oshi?[/size]

[size=1]Anya hadn't expected an upgraded gundam. She expected repairs, maybe some new shielding, but what was before her now was better than she could have possibly dreamed. Even after Quatre came in and adressed them, her eyes continually drifted to the side, back to where Altron and Deathscythe Hell were situated. It was just so bloody beautiful. Once the others had left the hanger (well, all but Tanya, who was ogling her new toy in the same manner), Anya hurriedly got to checking out the controls, browsing through the new artillery and other little bonuses. The two girls stayed in the hanger long after they felt the ship hum with life and leave Yemen. For the most part, they stayed silent, though the occasional comment was made. Usually it went along the lines of, "Holy mother of god, it's beautiful!" or "This fucking rocks!" Sometimes words weren't even enough, and that's when the purring sounds began. A lone technition happened to walk in to retrieve a misplaced tool right about when Tanya made noise that quite possibly wasn't human at all, and Anya actually giggled. He blinked, and then slowly retraced his steps back out the sliding doors. Eventually Anya's curiousity towards her new gundam was sated and she jumped back down to the catwalk gracefully, smirking lazily. This was one of those rare moments when she could say that she was definitely [i]happy.[/i] She couldn't wait for the opportunity to really see what Altron could do, however, and so her next stop was the bridge where she figured Raul and/or Quatre would be. From there she fully planned on delving from them all the Australia information she could get her hands on. The walk to the lift was a short one, and soon enough she was sauntering down the hall, tapping an odd sort of beat against the wall. She made it about half way there before running into Naomi, who appeared out of a different door - Anya guessed it was the kitchen, since the other pilot had a half eaten apple in her hand. Naomi waved with the apple and asked, "You seem pleased. Finished visiting with the new Altron, I'm guessing?" Anya winked at her. "Oh, we're hardly finished. But it'll have to do for now, until we can actually take them out and get down to business." The pilot of Sandrock grinned. "That [i]will[/i] be fun." She took a bite of her apple, chewed, and then asked, "So where are you headed?" "To the bridge to bother the hell out of some people."[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]I'm closing your thread because it doesn't belong in here, not yet. Before you fret, however, let me explain how a few things work here so you'll understand the boards a bit more. When starting an RPG, you post an introduction to it, the story line, and your requirements for it in the Recruitment forum. That's the spot where all the stories begin; only after you have enough players for your RPG do you begin the actual story itself in the Adventure Arena. Also, for your recruitment post, we expect it to be of a certain length and quality. Check around the others so you'll see what I mean. What you had up doesn't quite fit the bill, so to speak. Make sure you explain what the general story line will be; typically, we look for a few good paragraphs. Also, if you have any specific rules or any other little tid bits you'll be looking for, you include it in the post. You'll catch on quickly enough, but I have to stress to you the importance of reading the boards' rules, and also, Harlequin's Sticky, which is at the top of both forums. Both will help you out immensely. If you have any more comments or questions about the Adventure Arena, just PM one of us Mods. Thanks, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]Very nice, Charles. ^_~ I think for the most part, I enjoy all the movies, but my favorite has always been [i]Sleeping Beauty[/i]. The art is amazing. It's gorgeous and it fits right in with the entire theme of the film. Plus, the story itself is taken from old folktales. Almost directly, I think. A lot of the older Disney films are like that, actually, which is probably why a lot of people enjoy them more. As Charles said, they were a little more complex. There was more to them than just a moral background for your kids. Though I think a lot of the songs in the movies are fun. They usually always keep me in a good mood, if nothing else.[/size]

[size=1]Definitely #2 for the avatar - that picture is great, heh. I can't wait for you to post up some sort of deep, serious story or something, and then I can finish and just look at that avatar and be like, "o.O;;" As for the banners.. Yeah, I like the first one, with the controllers and all that. But the changing one that Mimmi and Ms. Crazy thought up looks pretty cool, too. Especially with the "Flies to honey" bit, heh. So true.[/size]

[size=1]Anya had quite a good nap, though not without a few strange little dreams. Something about gundams attacking each other and explosions and a black, velvety sky, filled with stars. She wasn't sure who was in the gundams, exactly. In fact, she didn't really know anything about them at all, minus the fact that it seemed like a familiar situation to her. Perhaps what was more disturbing was that she wasn't really bothered by it. Although who could blame her, considering the circumstances? She sat up out of the chair slowly, blearily rubbing her eyes as she glanced around the room. It was empty, save for a few sullen notes floating around the room, thanks to the jukebox. She eyed it warily, stretching her limbs out a bit before pushing herself off the chair. It was as good a time as ever to check out the preparations being done on Shenlong. Maybe afterwards she'd get a snack. "My life is becoming quite dull," she muttered to herself, ruffling her hair a bit as she stepped back out into the corridor and glanced around. It took a few moments for her sense of direction to come back to her, but eventually it did, and she started the short trek to the hanger where her beloved gundam was fixed up. Compared to their tiny Constellation, the hanger in this base was huge, and quite well stocked. There were a ton of technicians crawling about, but even the crowd and the dirty looks they through her couldn't keep her from watching for a bit. She just sat herself on the metal railing and watched complacently for twenty minutes or so. Eventually, the drilling, shouting, jostling, and the heat of the place got inside her skin and she shoved off once again, wandering the ship. A wrong turn somewhere had her standing in the middle of an empty hallway some fifteen minutes later, scratching her head. She'd left the little map device thing back on the chair (accidently, of course), and she was pretty sure that she wasn't any where near the kitchen. There was a sort of metallic, scraping noise coming from some double doors aways down that just didn't speak of food and warm, healthy thoughts. Naturally, Anya went to investigate. What she found, however, came to be a bit of a surprise. It was another hanger, smaller than the first but just as busy. And before her stood Wing. Well, it had been Wing, once, but there were new additions to it, and from the looks of the technitions working on it, there were to be plenty more where that came from. She stared at it, eyebrows raised for a few minutes, before becoming acutely aware that somebody was trying to grab her attention. She turned, glancing to the side to see none other than Heero Yuy himself, stalking towards her. It wasn't exactly the most comforting picture she could think of, but her bewilderment only increased when she noticed Alex walking coolly behind him. Returning her attention to the former pilot, she got in a few words before he had the chance. "What the hell is [i]that?[/i]" "That is supposed to be a secret, and you are not supposed to know about it," Heero replied quite tersely, crossing his arms stiffly across his chest. Anya just raised an eyebrow. "Oops." There was a moment of silence, Alex shuffling uncomfortably in the background, before Heero gave a sharp nod. Anya thought she saw the briefest of smirks flit across his face, but she couldn't be sure because he turned away again and gestured to it. "Anya, Wing Zero. Zero, Anya."[/size]

[size=1][color=navyblue]Hello all. I'm going to ask that you all please try to work on fleshing this story out a bit. A paragraph isn't really an adequate story line to go off of, and so far I haven't seen anything really amazing in the posts that have followed. Also, please work on the general quality of your posts; things like spelling, punctuation, attention to details, etc. If you haven't already read through Harlequin's sticky, I suggest you do that now. Please note that it has also been recently edited, so you might want to check that out. Thankees, Arcadia[/color][/size]

[size=1]Heh, I love how my nickname for you caught on. ^_^;; Since you will be joining us once again (thank goodness for that) I'll just keep this nice and short and sweet (and probably a little corny) - you're a high quality member, especially in the Adventure Arena, but more importantly you're a [i]high quality person[/i] and we'll miss you lots. Have fun learning to kill people and whatnot, dear Annsie, and remember to play nice with the others. :p[/size]

[size=1]My mother actually works in a store entirely devoted to scrapbooking - that says enough in itself. There's a small spare room in our house that has been taken over by all her stuff. ^_^;; She's incredibly creative though, so it's been rubbing off on me for years. Most of the stuff I do isn't exactly like hers, though. I save things and then stick them in my stetchbook, and write whatever I'm thinking about them. They're sort of like half scrapbooks, half journals. And I have a few of them. >.>;; One is from my trip overseas last summer (which was actually [i]graded[/i].. weird.), one has a whole bunch of pictures of houses and gardens from a magazine I like to call [i]Better Homes And Gardens[/i], and then one has been just random things I've picked up since starting at FSU last semester. None of them are actually done, although I think the house-y one is close. It's fun to do, though. Especially since I save [i]everything[/i].[/size]

[size=1][b]Overall Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]James[/color] [b]Male Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Charles[/color] [b]Female Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Babygirl[/color] [b]Staff Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Semjaza Azazel[/color] [b]Funniest Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Charles[/color] [b]Most Opinionated Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Poison Tongue[/color] [b]Most Likely to Be Here in Two Years:[/b] [color=navyblue]Adam[/color] [b]Best Newbie:[/b] [color=navyblue]Dagger IX1 (hee hee)[/color] [b]Best Oldie:[/b] [color=navyblue]Shy[/color] [b]Most Likely to Become a Staff Member:[/b] [color=navyblue]Dagger IX1[/color] [b]Most Improved Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Vicky[/color] [b]Favorite Banned Member:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]Thread of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Kill Adam[/color] [b]Silliest Thread of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue] I?am?lone[/color] [i]Random Awards[/i] [b]Avatar Award (Best Avatars Overall):[/b] [color=navyblue]James[/color] [b]Signature Award (Best Signatures Overall):[/b] [color=navyblue]Sara[/color] [b]Best Location (Best Specific Location):[/b] [color=navyblue]Poison Tongue[/color] [b]Best Otaku Couple:[/b] [color=navyblue]Queen Asuka/Piromunkie[/color] [b]Best Looking Otaku:[/b] [color=navyblue]Babygirl[/color] [b]Otaku Clique of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]OtakuBoards? League of Not-So-Extraordinary Gentlemen[/color] [b]Best MyOtaku:[/b] [color=navyblue]Charles[/color] [i]Otaku Writers[/i] [b]Poet Laureate:[/b] [color=navyblue]Mitch[/color] [b]Writer of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Charles[/color] [b]Orginal Story of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]OB: Enter the Net[/color] [b]Role-Player of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Annie[/color] [b]Brawler of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Harlequin[/color] [b]RPG of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]SYF: Aguela[/color] [i]Social Otakus[/i] [b]Otaku Social Member:[/b] [color=navyblue]Japan_86[/color] [b]Entertainment Otaku:[/b] [color=navyblue]Semjaza Azazel[/color] [i]Otaku Anime[/i] [b]Otaku of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Dagger IX1[/color] [b].hack//SIGN Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]Dragonball Guru of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]Digipeep of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Ben[/color] [b]Gundam Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]Yu-Gi-Oh Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]Least Disappointing Yu Yu Hakusho Member:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [i]Otaku Gamers[/i] [b]Otaku Gamer of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Semjaza Azazel[/color] [b]Nintendo ?Mario? Award:[/b] [color=navyblue]Shinmaru[/color] [b]Sony Award:[/b] [color=navyblue]Dan[/color] [b]X-Box Award:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [b]PC Gamer of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [i]Otaku Artists[/i] [b]Best Graphic Designer (Banners, wallpapers, etc.):[/b] [color=navyblue]Syk3[/color] [b]Best "Traditional" Artist (Drawings, paintings, etc.):[/b] [color=navyblue]Sara[/color] [b]Best Spriter:[/b] [color=navyblue]---[/color] [i]Series Otaku[/i] [b]Series Otaku Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Desbreko[/color] [b]Square/Enix Member of the Year:[/b] [color=navyblue]Zidargh[/color] [b]PokéPlaque (Pokemon):[/b] [color=navyblue]Lady Katana[/color] [b]The Triforce Award:[/b] [color=navyblue]Desbreko[/color][/size]

[size=1]The tunnel was long and dark and at some parts, a tad narrow. The girls had to go through it one at a time, which meant that Zsuzsanna eventually had to put Vedette down. The French-American took the opportunity to pause, investigating the walls of the tunnel as she moved foward. Her fingers brushed against the hard, cold surfaces and she wondered what exactly they were made of. Perhaps a mixture of cement and something else.. "Vedette, you shouldn't really walk..." Zsu started, stepping towards her again once the tunnel had thickened out a bit. Vedette, however, didn't quite let her finish that thought. "Zsu. I can walk on my own." Zsuzsanna frowned, glanced ahead towards Kala who just shrugged, before sighing some herself. The two had both learned quickly that while Vedette was usually a very practicle girl, she also had a great deal of pride and could be extremely stubborn when it came to certain things. Obviously, this was going to be one of those things. "Alright, Vedette. Just be careful... there's a few little drops here and there, and we don't want you to get hurt any more than you already are," she said, relenting. Vedette dipped her head forward in thanks, her smile partially concealed by a few strands of dark ebony hair that had moved with her gesture. [i]"Bien merci."[/i] Kala walked ahead of them, squinting her eyes so that she might see a little farther ahead. Whether she was just looking down the tunnel, or at something completely different, was lost to the other two. "I think we're almost there, ladies." She motioned for them to hurry, but there was a definite smile creeping across her features. They were getting so close. She could feel it. And it felt good. As it came to pass, she'd been correct. A few stone steps led them further down to greet a large, wooden door with a couple rusty locks on it. Kala brushed her fingers over them, frowning slightly, before focusing on the door itself, and what it hid behind it. For a moment the only noise in the tunnel was the slow, steady breathing of the three girls. And then Kala stepped back, nodding once. "Looks safe. Vedette, if you'll do the honors.." Vedette gave them both a mock-curtsey before flicking her wrist at the door in a rather dramatic way. The locks snapped off and fell to the ground with a soft but audible thud. Zsu giggled quietly, and Kala grinned, shaking her head, before pushing the door open. [/size]