James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Dagger, I think you may have to decide this one. Too many great suggestions for me to choose a single one, haha. Plus you know FMA, which helps. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The FMA forum is now live, guys. Thanks so much for your votes. And don't worry, even if your favourite series isn't up there yet, this likely won't be the only sub-forum we'll add over time. You can access the FMA forum from the main page (the link will be under Anime Central) and you can also see the forum at the top of Anime Central when you visit it. At the moment it only has the one general thread, but please feel free to create new threads on anything related to the franchise. Also I want to look at putting little blurbs or quotes for the franchise-specific forum descriptions (rather than the boring old "Discuss FMA here!" type stuff). Perhaps a notable quote from each franchise would be a good idea as we add these forums. Any suggestions?[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]My post just covers the moment prior to landing... and I've left it a bit open at the end for Darren to do what he likes. So I hope that's ok. If there's anything you guys want changed, just let me know.[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Victoria_Ann.jpg[/img] [img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Liana_Prideux.jpg[/img] [/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]The Wooden Chimaera[/B][/right][/font][/size][font=palatino linotype]Gustave loosened his collar as he walked down a long flight of wooden stairs into the heart of the [i]Alaina[/i]. The chimaera stables, among other things, were found underneath the lower deck. Gustave decided to spend a few moments down there before the ship docked at Brigit Town to release the guests. The night’s events had been emotionally intense for a number of guests and Gustave felt tired having only watched it. As he made his way down the staircase, an enormous wooden room opened out before him. It was divided down the center with a long aisle. On either side, simple wooden stables housed a number of chimaera – or at least, they usually did. On this occasion, Gustave had left the chimaera at his private stables within the Chimaera Junction, with the sole exception of Lucy. He worried that the noise and music from above might distress them and, given the night’s drama as a result of Dawlish’s arrival, he was even more relieved that they hadn’t been subjected to it. The stables were cool, dark and quiet. Dim lights punctuated the thick wooden columns, which stood at the front of each stable. Gustave wandered down the aisle, the clack-clack of his shoes being the only sound to pierce the emptiness. ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ said a young female voice nearby. It startled Gustave. He looked around but saw nobody. The stables gently curved to one side – perhaps the voice was just around the corner? As he approached the end of the aisle, Gustave saw something most unexpected: the end stable was occupied by none other than Lucy, the chimaera which he had given to the Almagest family as a gift years earlier. Its default owner had become Victoria Ann, who seemed fascinated by the creature and who had since become interested in all things chimaera-related. Standing next to the stable were two young girls, Victoria and Liana. Gustave recognised both immediately, despite the dim light surrounding them (he already knew Victoria Ann well of course, but he was also well-acquainted with Liana’s grandfather, who was now president of Cobalt Silveworks). Apparently both girls had not yet seen him. ‘So,’ said Victoria excitedly, ‘Uncle Gustave taught me how to ride Lucy really early on and now I’m a natural!’ Liana grinned widely. She was holding a handful of chimaera greens, which Lucy snapped up in her beak eagerly. ‘Is Gustave really your uncle? I thought he was an Achard?’ ‘Well, he’s not exactly my uncle,’ replied Victoria slightly defensively, ‘but he is as close to an uncle as I can imagine. And that’s what counts, right?’ Liana shrugged. She seemed too busy feeding Lucy to think much about the subject. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’ ‘Ahem,’ Gustave coughed. The two girls jumped and spun around. ‘Oh, er, hello!’ said Liana with a large grin. She still had tufts of chimaera greens in both hands. ‘Uncle Gustave!’ Victoria smiled broadly and ran towards him and they embraced warmly. ‘I hadn’t seen you all night; I was starting to wonder if you were here!’ ‘Oh, of course I’m here,’ laughed Gustave, ‘do you really think I’d let those other grumpy adults on here by themselves?’ ‘Grumpy is right!’ huffed Liana. ‘We came down here to get away from the commotion upstairs.’ Gustave nodded. ‘Yes, so did I to tell you the truth.’ ‘Silly adults and their ridiculous drama,’ chuckled Victoria. ‘I just don’t understand it. This is a wedding, it should be happy!’ ‘I suppose the world can be a bit more complicated for adults,’ said Gustave. ‘Only because they make it complicated,’ replied Victoria with a wink. ‘Very true,’ acknowledged Gustave. ‘Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you.’ He reached into his pocket and came across the little wooden chimaera. When he held it up in the dim light, Victoria squealed with glee. ‘That’s so pretty! Thank you so much!’ She hugged him again and inspected the little chimaera more closely. ‘I haven’t seen this type before,’ said Victoria as she squinted in the light. ‘What kind is it?’ Gustave scratched his head. ‘I [i]think[/i] it’s a Western Diamond Tail. They’re usually almost twice as big as the native ones from our continent.’ Liana looked over Victoria’s shoulder, her eyes also transfixed on the little wooden carving. ‘So if it’s not from Anova or Czenovia, where is it from?’ she asked. ‘Al Ahmar,’ replied Gustave. ‘I believe this species is quite rare, only found in the jungles to the far south of the western continent. I saw this carving in a market back in Le Monde and thought it looked interesting. Not many people know about the western chimaera, except for the most famous ones that race in the Chimaera Cup.’ The [i]Alaina’s[/i] engines suddenly became audible somewhere outside the stables. ‘Looks like we are about to dock, we must already be close to Brigit Town,’ murmured Gustave. ‘Speaking of which, Victoria, what will you do once we land?’ Victoria tucked the wooden chimaera away and looked around. ‘Mother’s honeymoon will start soon,’ she said, ‘so I am not sure. I suppose I’ll return home and wait for their return…’ ‘How about coming to Le Monde with me?’ asked Gustave, with a mischievous glint in his eye. ‘I’ve been invited to the Grimoire Fashion Show and I’d hate to go all by myself.’ ‘Oh! A fashion show?’ Victoria giggled. ‘That sounds like fun; I’ve always wondered what they would be like. Those funny adults and their strange clothes…’ ‘I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,’ beamed Gustave, ‘besides, it’ll give us a chance to see the city.’ Victoria smiled. ‘Thank you for the offer,’ she said warmly. ‘It sounds better than staying in Rosengard for the next few weeks.’ Gustave suddenly realized he had offered the trip right in front of Liana. He felt bad – perhaps she wanted to go too. ‘Liana, what about you? If you’re going to be in Le Monde over the next few days I’d be happy to get a ticket to the show for you. Lots of other young ladies from around the world will be there, I’m sure!’[/font][/indent]

[quote]Part of the reason there doesn't seem to be much emphasis on the contributions of the Negro community to US history is that the US is a still relatively new. We haven't had time for our history to develop to such an extent to be able to include everyone fairly?and even then, at the formation of our country we were still basically European (didn't identify ourselves as US Citizens until some point after the Revolution), and Europe at that time was still plagued with the mindset that black people were inferior, so quite obviously nothing given by Negroes at that point would be taken seriously.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think your country's youth is a reason for neglecting aspects of its own history though. My country is incredibly young - Australia was first settled in the 1770's and the different colonies (which were rather like independent countries) did not federate until 1901. And yet you'll find that fairly large segments of both primary (elementary) and secondary school curriculum deal with studies of aborigines and aboriginal culture/history. In some respects the situation is not comparable to African-Americans, because the circumstances surrounding white relations with both of these groups is very different. Having said that, we are certainly very far off having an aboriginal Prime Minister - so the United States has taken another leap forward in equality yet again. As far as a white history month, or whatever it's being referred to as here... I agree that such a suggestion could only be made in a facetious way. Surely the answer as to why you wouldn't have a white history month is blatantly obvious. Without really knowing, I suspect that a lot of black people may value Black History Month for the very reason that they feel neglected within the general history curriculum. I really can't fault that as a motivation. Moreover, I would guess that for those people who are descendants of slaves, history and a sense of identity are even [i]more[/i] important. And thus, Black History Month probably serves a significant purpose there. At the end of the day it's obviously a non-issue for me because I'm not American, but just as an intellectual issue, I really have no objection to Black History Month or the idea behind it. I mean as others have pointed out, there are a million days or months dedicated to one cause or another. If that doesn't interest the rest of us, then fine - and perhaps that's the point anyway. But if a group of people feel that such a celebration is important, then I really can't complain about it. To each his own is the bottom line for me, I guess.[/font]

[quote name='Retribution'][font=Arial]It's a problem that transcends individual teachers, because this problem is nationwide. It's not a few select racist teachers or anything. It's not a few mean people. It's just everyone doesn't bother with African history for whatever reason. So to suggest we "replace them with someone else" is a suggestion that misses the enormity of the problem. Rather, we have to change the academic curricula that exist in schools across the nation. [/font][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Actually I'd say that describing the problem as racism is really a mischaracterization. The American education system is renouned globally for largely ignoring anything that isn't American. I'm sure there's some study of Greek or Roman history for example, but there seems to be very little emphasis on global issues generally. This then extends to the American media, which is generally painfully ignorant and utterly disinterested about global affairs. So I'd say one issue compounds the other. It's why so many Americans can't even seem to point to Australia on a map - never mind that it's an entire continent. lol This is why I'd suggest that it's not necessarily a racist issue, it's actually bigger than that. Also just as a side point, if you look at education through that lense - in other words, if you think about making all education American-centric - then the skew makes a lot of sense. I mean, if history classes are American-centric then it makes sense to only really discuss Rome or Greece when talking about ancient civilizations. Why? Because these civilizations are directly linked with modern western democracies in a variety of ways. I'd submit that it's not only Africa being ignored, but also the Middle East, Asia and pretty much everywhere else.[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/olivier_achard.jpg[/img] [/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]Xear Who?[/B][/right][/font][/size][font=palatino linotype]Gustave stood next to Olivier on the upper deck, just behind a large group of people. Dawlish Almagest's arrival had caused quite a stir. 'Uncle Olivier, what is this map Dawlish is talking about?' asked Gustave, his eyebrows furrowed. Olivier rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'He mentioned the Xear. You know who they are, don't you?' Gustave remembered vague stories about the Xear from his school years. He had never been the most adept student, mostly due to tardiness and disinterest more than raw intelligence. By far the most interesting topic in high school, though, was the Xear. Surprisingly his history class spent only a short time on the ancient culture, although perhaps this was because so little was known about them. 'I think everybody knows the word "Xear",' muttered Gustave. 'But I thought there were very few traces of them left in the world now. I know there are some ancient buildings in Al Ahmar...the Sky Pyramid comes to mind.' Olivier nodded. He crossed his arms as they watched several more onlookers divert their attention to Dawlish and Leonhart. 'The Xear are a great mystery,' said Olivier. 'Many years ago a famous archaeologist from Czenovia declared that he had the definitive answer as to how the culture ended - the theory is that they simply destroyed themselves. Their society had become so advanced that it fell under the weight of its own technology.' Olivier's comments struck a chord with Gustave. Was this why the Church of the Pheonix was largely anti-magitechnology? Gustave was no expert on the Church, but he wondered if their opposition to magitechnology was centered partly around the idea that it could eventually destroy mankind - that the New Globe had learned nothing from the Xear's experience. Gustave removed his pocket watch and glanced down. It was getting late. 'So,' he continued, 'why would Dawlish be talking about a Xear map?' For a moment Olivier said nothing. The cool evening breeze swept over the deck. At this stage, various people were starting to go back to their tables to finish their dessert. It seemed that the commotion had ended as quickly as it had started. Nonetheless, both men could hear hushed whispering around the deck; "Xear" was on everyone's lips. Olivier turned to Gustave. 'I must show you something, but not here. When are we due to dock back at Brigit Town?' 'Not long now,' replied Gustave. 'The crew should be preparing to turn the ship around within minutes.' 'Once we return to Brigit Town, I must head straight to Le Monde. We should meet there so we can discuss this further.' Olivier straightened his jacket. He seemed somehow irritated or on edge. 'Er, well, I was [i]hoping[/i] to take Victoria Ann to the Grimoire Fashion Show...the first day of the show is tomorrow. I have to find her before the ship lands.' Olivier smiled warmly. 'You really care about Victoria Ann, don't you?' 'I suppose she's like the daughter I never had,' replied Gustave earnestly. 'Perhaps she will be able to stay in Le Monde while her mother and step father are on their honeymoon.' Olivier put his hand on Gustave's shoulder. 'Now, she's a young woman, she may have plans of her own. You can always ask her though.'[/font][/indent]

[font=franklin gothic medium]We have only recently (as in, within the last few months) updated the registration security for OB, but these bots are obviously something new. I'll have a chat with Petie and Desbreko about this to see if we have any other options to block them out. It may be, if worst comes to worst, that we have to incorporate a more complex registration system - hopefully not though.[/font]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1] James I also mentioned in my post that the House of Grimoire will be holding a fashion show throughout the week. Perhaps this is something you want to touch on; it's a good excuse for Edith to interact with some of the other characters. And Dawlish spoiled the surprise of the Xear artifacts to the crowd. I trust the Church of the Phoenix, and many others will find out about this soon enough. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]That sounds great - a fashion show is a good idea. Maybe this is where Edith will debut emerald thread? :smirk: In my next post I might introduce the fashion show and yeah, that should provide an opportunity for people to join in if they want. Aaryanna, I'm not sure what your plans are, but would Victoria be interested in a fashion show or is that a bit too adult for her? I figured it was something Gustave could take her to, if interested - I haven't had the chance to write about him giving her the little wooden chimaera yet! :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Your explanation is appreciated, Gavin, but honestly I think everyone is over it now - they certainly should be, anyway. As I mentioned to you when we chatted, in the end this is just an RPG...I would hate to think that anyone got seriously upset over one post. My attitude is simple: your last post was really problematic due to the hijacking and now that you've removed that, the post is fine. I just knew that the hijack could potentially kill the RPG if it had remained there, because it was just so nonsencial and jarring. You've managed to edit your post and remove that part without killing the spirit of your post. That takes some skill and I think you've done a great job with it. As far as you degenerating into a god-modder... no. That one post contained god-modding, but that's all. I'm sure everybody knows that, at least, anyone who's been paying attention. If everyone judged me by my worst post rather than all my posts, I'd never get into any RPGs ever! :catgirl: So yeah, don't be too hard on yourself. We all have our shockers (I can remember one of mine in particular from years ago). Now that this is past us, we can continue on and look forward to that next Landmark. I'm pretty excited about where this second Landmark will lead us, too.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Ah yes, thank you. I read it but I was a bit confused at first - now it all makes sense. I suppose the guests on the upper deck will have a very interesting view, seeing the Meridia floating alongside them in the sky. :catgirl: Anyway great job. I may post later today or tomorrow... we'll see how it goes. I have a lot to do here at home so I may not get the chance. But I'd definitely like to get a post or two in before the next landmark![/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Thanks for that Gavin, you've handled it well. Very appreciated. Just for my own purposes, did Dawlish's ship land on/within the Alaina? I mean is it small enough to land in a docking bay? Or would it just be hovering next to it? Your post looked as though it landed inside the Alaina, but somehow I thought Dawlish's ship was much larger or something. But yeah, that was a good edit. It's a bit more sympathetic to what's happening around Dawlish. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It's cool. At the end of the day it really isn't a huge deal, but you know, it's just very jarring. So I think if Gavin would remove the hijacking aspect and try to keep everything in the context of the RPG, we'd all appreciate that. Sometimes we do have to edit our posts and stuff, so it does happen. Once that edit is done the rest of us can continue posting.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Ah, no worries Ace. Sorry. I guess a few of us just figured it was better to deal with this now rather than later - I mean this post really causes a lot of potential issues. In the end I'll leave it up to Gavin and Shy to decide how to proceed... but I would personally recommend a [i]complete[/i] re-write of the post. I don't think there's a great deal of it that could be salvaged, except maybe the internal stuff on Dawlish's vessel prior to the hijack. But the actual hijack is the biggest problem and really shouldn't be there. The other stuff is relatively minor and we can probably work with it. I would just hate to set this kind of precedent now because it would kill the RPG.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I figured I wasn't crazy, haha. Looks like we interpreted it the same way. I mean regardless of families, the Anovan Government could never tolerate such an act - you rightly point this out. Plus if Dawlish is trying to sell arms around the world, why would he choose to perform such an outrageous act in full public view, which could be interpreted as some sort of nationalistic bias? I mean the whole thing just doesn't make any sense. Unfortunately also, even if Gavin reverses the post and puts something else together... that'll render Ace's subsequent post void as well, because he's just tried to follow on from it. Yuck, messy. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Wow, that post was just... well, confusing. Apart from some inconsistencies with the original RPG (nobody else having irreplaceable losses? Really? Quite a few people died, not to mention other issues), I think my biggest concern is that a lot of this just comes out of nowhere. I mean, a ship is literally hijacked in what is essentially an act of war. The Alaina is sailing in Anovan territory - if a ship were to hijack it from within the country, that would be a criminal act. But certainly if it were to be hijacked by a foreign vessel, that could spark a war. What kind of expert weapons dealer and military tactician would make such an irrational, presumptive move? It doesn't compute. Moreover, just as a courtesy... I'm sure we would like to know when a game-changing event like this will happen. I mean for me personally, this was just totally unexpected - but not in a good way. There wasn't any consultation about it. And secondly, a Grimoire original? Huh? Did anyone forget that she is my character? Mr. Blonde respectfully held off from the "Grimoire original" because he had read my sign-up about her being a recluse. I mean sure, people can buy Grimoire outfits... but yeah, seriously, there's a fair bit of godmodding going on with that latest post Gavin. Also just a final point - although we'll never always get it 100% right, we must try to read other characters and situations true to nature. What I mean is... does anyone think that the wedding party would willingly move into Dawlish's vessel after being forcibly hijacked without warning? Hell no. I know if someone did that at my wedding, I'd have to be held back from physically injuring them. I'm sure Cole and Beatriste would be the same. So yeah... I'm not even sure how the post can be edited to make it more palatable, because it's just so far out there in terms of what we've already established and the normal courtesies/conventions of an RPG. Sorry to say all of that Gavin, but really, someone had to. I really hope you'll take a bit more care next time. >_>;;[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/edith_grimoire.jpg[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]The Emerald Gown[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]If viewed from the city at night, Bourgade looked something like a sparkling diamond nestled among rolling ebony hills. Those who were lucky enough to live in the exclusive district had commanding views of the entire greater Le Monde area from their homes. The houses were each alight with large fireplaces and sprinklings of fairy lights throughout their expansive gardens. As airships passed quietly overhead in the night, the enormous estates were sketched out on the landscape below by these lights. However, one corner of the Bourgade estates was perpetually dark at night - Grimoire Manor. At the same time as Beatriste and Cole's wedding ceremony commenced, a solitary light appeared somewhere within the mansion. The light came from a window on a turret at the building's rear. A single room occupied the turret's highest point. It was Edith Grimoire's sewing room and it contained a number of unique and secret tools used to create some of her most remarkable outfits. Edith sat at a desk facing the window. Dressed in her favorite silk nightgown, she placed a small cup of tea to one side. A dusty gramophone occupied the far corner of the desk. Edith leaned over and flicked a brass switch on its side. The stylus dropped and sat delicately against a circular piece of parchment underneath. As Edith spoke, the stylus etched her words into the parchment; when these discs of parchment were re-played at a later time, they read the words back in the subject's own voice. The gramophone was useful for many reasons. For one, Edith occasionally sent her recordings to the House of Grimoire's main offices in the city, where her detailed instructions were followed by the designers. At other times, her recordings were used for instructional purposes at Lumière Academy's design department. Aside from these purposes, however, Edith liked to record her progress. She would spend some nights in her study by herself, listening to her earlier recordings, in an attempt to pick up on imperfections. She believed that "perfection" could never be achieved, but each design must be better than the last - taking a step backwards was unacceptable. 'The Emerald Gown,' said Edith slowly as she looked over the dress carefully. 'This is quite possibly one of my most complex pieces. It is made from emerald thread, a substance that does not exist anywhere else in the world. I do not want to specify how we achieved this, in case this recording is ever stolen by a competitor, but I can say that we have invented a wonderful machine to make this all possible.' Edith took a sip of her tea. It was warm and flowery. A faint smile appeared. Memories of her childhood near Cobalt Bay flooded into her mind. 'This machine,' she continued, 'has one very unique quality. It processes raw emeralds and turns them into a light thread, suitable for sewing.' The gramophone obediently scribbled her words onto the circular parchment. If she spoke for too long, a new parchment would be needed, as it was only possible to record so many tracks. 'While I am sure that the true possibilities of emerald thread will not be revealed for some time, we have already discovered some remarkable qualities inherent to the material.' Edith propped her glasses on her nose and produced a small notepad, which she flicked open. 'For example,' she said, 'we have discovered that emerald threaded clothing can maintain a constant temperature no matter what the outside influence. In one of our tests, we fitted an emerald tunic to one of our designers, who we then placed into a temperature-controlled room. Even as we simulated snowfall and ice, his body temperature remained unchanged. Unfortunately he was not wearing gloves, however, which caused severe frostbite on one hand. This did delay our testing by several days, which was most frustrating.' The tea up was empty. Edith poured another cup from a nearby pot. The floral aroma filled the little study. 'We also discovered that the amount of thread layers determines the maximum and minimum temperatures. Theoretically we could produce an emerald suit of armor that could withstand direct contact with fire - of course, we are not in the habit of producing military attire, but it is nice to know that this is one other invention we have exclusive rights to. Perhaps Dawlish Almagest would pay to license the material?' Edith laughed at the thought. 'High fashion on the battlefield,' she murmured. Her thoughts shifted to Beatriste's wedding, which she estimated would be in full swing at this very moment. 'I think this will be a fitting gift for Beatriste Almagest, who has always been one of my biggest customers,' said Edith with an air of satisfaction. 'This unique gown will not only be a wonderful gesture, but it will ensure her further loyalty as a customer. Nobody else in the New Globe - or the Old Globe, for that matter - is capable of producing such a garment.' And with that, Edith flicked the brass switch on the gramophone back to its original position. The machine fell silent.[/font][/indent]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Just FYI, I've left it open as to whether or not Felix and Frederic meet up with Gustave. So that is up to you guys to approach as you like. :catgirl:[/font]

[indent][center][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/IMG] [img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Belmonda_Achard.jpg[/img] [/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]Reunion on the Queenâ??s Deck[/B][/right][/font][/size][font=palatino linotype] Gustave stood at the edge of the [i]Alainaâ??s[/i] deck. The bright sun was starting to warm the air and he enjoyed the slight breeze. Brigit Town was situated in Czenoviaâ??s temperate north, where the land tapered off before the Anovan border. The narrow plains were an ideal location for a city; in the summer, cool breezes from the Sea of Sorrows swept over the entire area. And the town was far enough south of Anova in winter, which allowed it to avoid heavy snowfall and cooler temperatures. As Gustave looked back across the expansive decks of the [i]Alaina[/i], he noticed that the ship was starting to fill up with guests rapidly. Fewer and fewer guests were arriving far below, as the last few made their way up an extensive ramp to the main deck. The enormous, old-globe-style airship hovered obediently in place for the most part, although several thick ropes anchored it to the aerodrome as a back-up; as an older style ship, devoid of much modern magitechnology, effective piloting required slightly greater finesse and intuition. Gustave appreciated this. As an occasional airship pilot himself, he preferred the old-globe ships. It was akin to driving a manual steamcar rather than an automatic. The magitech-based Czenovian models were full of expensive automated parts. Many of them did not even bear sails, but instead relied on powerful magitech engines. They certainly had their place â?? especially militarily â?? but Gustave preferred the quieter and more serene sensation of the old-globe airships. The [i]Alaina[/i] itself was Gustaveâ??s most prized vessel. It was primarily wooden, although it contained a steel interior frame. The exterior was adorned with many carved wooden and silver accents, which gave the entire ship a slightly feminine touch. Combined with its long nose and sleek body shape, the [i]Alaina[/i] exuded elegance. The three decks cascaded downwards from the rear (with deck three being the highest and containing the most luxurious quarters). A tall mast sat in the center of each deck, with extensive white sails billowing from each. Large curved sails also protruded from the shipâ??s rear quarter panels â?? these could be adjusted for manoeuvring. The lower hull also contained two modest steam engines, which were used to add speed or to combat strong opposing winds. Mostly, however, the engines were disengaged; the [i]Queen of Anova[/i] (as she was often referred) generally sailed the skies silently and gracefully. Several large tables had been set up across the third deck and various guests were already seated. The largest table at one end was to sit the bride, groom and immediate family. Several Achards had been invited to sit there, however, including Olivier and Gustave. Given that they were not part of Coleâ??s family, Gustave felt somewhat awkward; it was an obvious political move. Just near the table, Gustave saw Olivier and Leonhart engaged in an intimate discussion. Olivier was holding an old piece of paper â?? perhaps the one heâ??d taken from the drawer earlier â?? and both men were looking over it with great interest. â??Cousin!â?? Gustave heard a familiar voice nearby. When he turned, he saw his cousin Belmonda, approaching him with a large grin on her face. â??Bell! I almost wondered if you were coming!â?? Gustave smiled broadly and embraced her. As he looked over her shoulder he saw two other familiar faces walking their way: Frederic and Felix. Partly due to his travels, Gustave had not seen either in some time. Now that they had all grown up, theyâ??d gone their own ways. Gustave felt a sudden sting of pain as he realized how much he missed his extended family. Belmonda rolled her eyes. â??Well, hey, itâ??s not every day I get to visit the [i]Alaina[/i], is it?â?? â??Very true. Itâ??s so good to see you,â?? beamed Gustave. â??I must admit, my travels in recent years had faded the memory of familyâ?¦but being here with your father makes me realize what Iâ??ve been missing all this time.â?? Belmondaâ??s smile faded slightly. It appeared that she was making great effort to appear cheerful. â??Family has a new meaning now,â?? replied Belmonda flatly, â??I mean, with Vincent and my mother, Iâ?¦â?? She paused momentarily and looked over the edge of the deck. Gustave put a hand on her shoulder. â??I know,â?? he whispered. â??Believe me, I know. I saw him not long before he died andâ?¦I canâ??t forget what happened to him. But we have to stay strong and stay [i]together[/i]. We all need it, but your fatherâ?¦â?? Belmonda nodded. â??My father needs it more than anyone, I know. Ever since mother passed away, he hasnâ??t been the same. Heâ??s growing so [i]tired[/i], I am worried about him.â?? Gustave gestured towards Olivier, who was still engaged in heavy discussion with Leonhart. â??Looks like heâ??s still got a few tricks up his sleeve though. Heâ??s a cheeky old chap.â?? They both laughed and Belmonda smiled again. â??I guess he has some life left in him yet.â?? [/font][/indent]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I assume that the actual ceremony won't be posted in any detail? I was thinking about that and realized it could possibly be too boring to actually post. So I'm guessing that once we've all posted a couple of times before/after the ceremony, we will possibly move on from there?[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Ultimately I think what this boils down to is the idea of rewarding good contributors. So that would be the intention behind it. Post counts will give you new titles, but that's really not very discriminating in terms of quality contribution. It may be that we will never "reward" quality contributions outside events like Nifty Fifty (which is apparently dwindling anyway). One thing I like about theOtaku, for instance, is trophies - although these are admittedly just like post counts, with a slightly different presentation. Instead of this type of system I think there are other things we can do to allow for a level of reward and/or customization.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Dagger is essentially right - I think we are all sort of coming at this with way too my cynicism. Ultimately any kind of positive rep system (i.e. where you [i]can't[/i] make negative votes) would really just be a fun little thing that people can use to acknowledge specific posts. Having said that, I'm still fairly convinced that we don't need anything like reps.. I think post counts are enough. But still, Dagger is fundamentally right I think. It's easy to sort of come at it from a slightly elitist and overly-serious angle, but that sort of misunderstands the lighthearted nature of the whole thing. Anyway, the votes are in and I'm comfortable with that. It's something we won't look at further for now. And I'm pleased that at least we've been able to satisfy both sides of the fence when it comes to post counts. So that worked well. :catgirl:[/font]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Well, as far as everyone on the Archard side of the family universally hating Macey Ellen, I can safely say that everyone's loathing for her is a bit annoying considering that if it were their sister's wedding, they'd want everything to be perfect. But I'm sure it's just me. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Really, it's just you. Hate and loathing are very strong words. All I've seen so far really is a reference to Macey by Gustave, which half-jokingly wondered if there'd be an argument between her and Belmonda (largely because Belmonda has such strong views and Macey is strong-willed enough not to back down from a debate). I wouldn't exaggerate that and interpret it as "hate", by any stretch. Plus, Macey [i]did[/i] get quite upset about the flowers, according to your own post. So she's obviously pretty strong-willed. I think all of that has been reflected pretty accurately. I doubt any Almagests outright hate or loathe her.[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/edith_grimoire.jpg[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]Edith's Lair[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]A nervous young man stood at the foot of several stone steps, which led towards a heavy, black double-door. It was adorned with two silver knockers, one on each side. An older man waited impatiently at the top of the stairs. He wore an elegant gray tailcoat with matching gloves. He glared down at the young man with a piercing stare. 'Why you?' The servant in gray raised an eyebrow. The young man fumbled with a large leather portfolio, which he held under his arm. Several pieces of parchment had come loose and he was unsuccessfully trying to stuff them back into their original positions. 'I-I don't know,' stammered the young man. 'I was chosen at the last minute.' The servant rolled his eyes. 'I see. I suppose none of the regulars were prepared to make the trek to Bourgade today - it is [i]such[/i] a long way from the office, after all.' A bead of sweat rolled off the young man's forehead and plopped audibly against the elaborate leather portfolio. The front cover contained a large, embossed "G". The servant glanced down at his watch slowly, ensuring that the full weight of his disapproval was noticed. 'Your name, then?' The young man looked up briefly. 'Frederic, sir. I only started a week ago, I'm still study--' The servant raised a gloved hand. 'An [i]intern?[/i] Oh, you must be joking, my boy. There's obviously been an error.' Frederic shook his head slowly. 'I don't believe so, sir. I was given specific instructions to--' The servant held his hand up again. 'I do not need your explanations, we are wasting precious time. In case you hadn't noticed, it is now five minutes past nine. Madam expected these layouts five minutes ago. And since Madam sits down at her desk ten minutes early, that means you have kept her waiting for fifteen minutes. I suggest we head straight to her office, otherwise the spring season will have ended by the time you're finished organizing that portfolio.' In an instant, one side of the double doors swung open. The servant did not gesture Frederic through, but simply walked inside and followed with a quiet "follow me". Frederic closed the portfolio and fluttered up the stone steps - he somehow felt that if he walked too loudly, he may get in trouble for upsetting [i]Madam[/i]. As the door closed behind him, Frederic's eyes adjusted. The foyer was spacious, but dark. The curtains were drawn everywhere. Slim threads of sunlight flitted through the curtains now and then, revealing columns of dust sitting densely in the air. The servant was further ahead and seemed to have quickly rounded the first corner. Frederic picked up pace; he did not want to get lost in the mansion on his very first visit. Frederic did not get much opportunity to examine the mansion's interior, however, he could not help but notice several unique sights from the corner of his eyes. He noticed numerous rooms branching off the corridor he was following. One room seemed to contain the head of some kind of enormous beast - it sat on the far wall and glared into the room with a menacing stare. Yet another room contained several mannequins with various elaborate gowns. The mannequins all bore joyous expressions, but several had deep cracks running across their faces. A shiver ran down Frederic's spine. The servant abruptly stopped. Frederic nearly ran into him. 'Here,' muttered the servant quietly. He gestured towards a wooden door, which was not unlike any other door Frederic had seen so far. He had imagined Madam's office to be some kind of fantastical place that he and other design students could only have dreamed of. Instead, he came upon a very average, slightly dusty door, which looked identical to its many siblings along the hallway. As he came closer, however, Frederic noticed a small "G" carved into the door at eye level. The famous G logo was circled with a silver ring. Long silver wings extended from either side. 'Wait,' said the servant abruptly. He opened the door without a sound and disappeared inside. All Frederic could hear was his own heartbeat and the tick of a grandfather clock at the end of the hall. The door promptly opened. 'Come in. Do not take too much of her time. When you're finished, I will lead you out. You'll find me back in the foyer.' And with that, the servant swept off down the hall. Frederic gulped. He gripped the portfolio tightly under one arm, took a deep breath and turned the shiny silver door handle. The inconspicuous door certainly gave a false impression. Beyond it, Frederic found himself enveloped in a cavernous office - it was easily larger than his own home. At least two floors high, the east and western walls were completely hidden by enormous wooden bookshelves. Each wall had a long stepladder attached, which seemed to stretch far into the air. As he looked up, he noticed that the distant ceiling was adorned with stunning paintings - at a brief glance, they seemed to depict historical Anovan scenes, particularly the Mine War. The office's rear wall was largely made of glass, with an enormous Anovan window stretching from floor to ceiling. It was divided into many hundreds of smaller panes by elaborately carved wooden beams. Frederic could barely see this detail, as the windows were mostly covered by heavy curtains, which billowed out onto the floor. And there, near the back of the room, sat a modest wooden desk. Several mannequins mingled on either side, some only half-clothed, others with rolls of fabric draped over their shoulders. In the center of the chaos, Frederic finally saw her; a lone figure sitting at the desk, leaning down over a heavy book. She wore a detailed indigo suit, which seemed to be made from a blend of exotic fibers - as best Frederic could tell from such a distance. Her hair seemed to stretch from her scalp like a thick bundle of black lightning bolts - they intertwined like courting snakes. The long purple cuffs of her shirt draped off her hands. She held a fountain pen in her right hand - as it scribbled away, it seemed to be the only noise in the room. Frederic was so entranced by his surroundings that at first, he did not notice the time. 'I'm sorry, do you have something better to do? Somewhere else you should be?' Edith Grimoire's voice was light and airy, yet her precise Anovanique betrayed her obvious intellect. Frederic gripped the portfolio tightly and approached her desk. Edith did not look at him, but instead continued to pour over the large book in front of her. As he came closer to her desk, he saw that the giant book was actually a thick sketchbook. Edith seemed to spend much of her time simply examining a few lines, occasionally pausing to add a stroke here or there. She finally looked up at him over her narrow glasses. Her large gray eyes did not blink. Instead, they slowly moved from Frederic's face downward, before settling on the portfolio under his arm. Edith twisted the pen in her fingertips. 'Show me,' she said flatly. Frederic took the portfolio from under his arm and opened it. As he went to place it on her desk, a piece of parchment fell out and landed on the floor. The edge was crumpled slightly, as a result of Frederic's earlier attempt to stuff it back into place. 'Oh! I'm sorry,' he stuttered as he leaned down to grab the parchment. Edith pursed her lips. 'You're studying, aren't you? Fashion, I presume?' Frederic nodded. He placed the crumpled parchment on her desk. Her eyes seemed to avoid it. 'Tell me, would you ever submit a class project to a tutor in this condition? I assume you take your studies seriously.' 'Oh, well...no, of course I--' A faint smile crept across Edith's lips. She leaned forward slightly on her elbows. 'You take your studies seriously,' her eyes briefly glanced at the paper, 'but you apparently think your internship is a joke.' 'A joke? No, of course not, I take it very seriously, Madam and I'm sorr--' Edith's eyes shifted back to her book. 'It may interest you to know,' she began coolly, 'that the design you so carelessly dropped onto the floor is a very important gift. It is a new, completely customized design for Beatriste Almagest. I'm sure I don't have to tell you who the Almagests are.' 'No, I know who they--' 'I did design Beatriste's wedding gown,' Edith continued as she flicked the page on her book, 'but we consulted on that for months. This design is secret, she is not even aware it is being developed. It will be an important gift to symbolize strengthening ties between our nations. Even the Anovan Prime Minister has agreed to pay for half of its cost - it is [i]that[/i] expensive.' Frederic felt himself sinking. It was as though he were about to sink right into the carpet beneath his feet. 'So, the only master copy of the design we are working on has been crumpled as if it were, well, a piece of garbage. Yet this is perhaps the most important piece of clothing the House has ever produced. Do you understand?' Frederic nodded slowly. 'Yes, Madam. I'm very sorry, it won't happen again.' 'See that it doesn't,' replied Edith calmly. 'Dismissed.' When Frederic emerged into the daylight again, he realized that there were two large patches of sweat under his arms. He looked back at the servant, who was returning to the front door. 'Is every visitor so welcome?' The servant paused but did not turn around. 'Only the lucky ones,' he replied. Frederic sighed. 'And, if I can ask, how much [i]is[/i] that dress going to be worth? Do you know?' 'Four times as much as the wedding gown,' replied the servant. 'Good day. I suggest you don't loiter.' And with that, the front door closed. Frederic strained his memory. [i]How much was Beatriste Almagest's wedding gown?[/i] He vividly remembered several staff discussing it over a lunch break. Edith Grimoire had made several rare trips from her mansion to her city office to view the progress. It was unprecedented. And then, it came to him. [i]Sixty-thousand Crownes, I think...[/i] Frederic's eyes widened and he nearly choked as the large wrought iron gates at the front of the estate closed behind him.[/font][/indent]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Ah, so Natalia is Gustave's sister? That'll be a bit weird, given that Collette seems not to be happy with Natalia's lifestyle (perhaps Collette can be a bit uptight... but that does admittedly make her nothing like Olivier). And I suppose it'd make sense for Collette to attend with Natalia and not with Gustave... I dunno. Somehow it seems a bit awkward. I'm sure we'll work it out though. I might have to talk to Hinata about how Collette fits in as we go, so that I know how that'll affect her relationship with Gustave. Also, given that Gustave is a famous chimaera jockey and given that chimaera racing is a bit like horse racing (often associated with the aristocracy), you'd think Collette wouldn't have such disdain for the creatures. If anything, having someone working with champion chimaera would be a mark of honor. Having said that, it may have more to do with Hinata's perception of what chimaera are versus it being to do with them being Achards. Wow, that all sounded horribly anal, but hey... I figure better to mention it now than later! Family trees are a headache![/font]