James

[font=franklin gothic medium]I still don't really know enough about the sub-plot with the Underdogs to comment much on it. This is why, in my posts, the RPG are really only moving around the periphery of the issue. I assume Gadget will be attending the Cup with Vincent? Maybe they can discuss the note or something. *shrug* It's an excuse for you to give me some leads. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Haha, yeah just as I went to edit I suddenly realized. *sigh* I am not getting off to a good start today! :catgirl: [/font]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Isn't Catherine at the hospital watching over Fonty? -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Sorry, I didn't notice that. The last thing I read was her comments while at Rosengard itself. I can change my post if needed. Edit: I [i]did[/i] just notice that she was in the carriage on the way there. Oops. I will edit my post as soon as possible - realistically I could substitute another character for Catherine.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Oops, just posted at the same time as Rach. Hopefully nothing conflicts (with an early glance it all looks okay).[/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/catherinesaraavatar.jpg[/img][/center] Several Guard members entered the Great Hall with a rusty-looking stretcher. Luckily they carried various medical equipment within their steamtrucks just in case any officers required assistance in the field. 'This is exactly why we need to be here,' remarked Lieutenant Connel as he watched several officers delicately lay Daedalus onto the stretcher. One of the officers was a field paramedic; he fitted a small breathing apparatus to Daedalus's face. It emitted soft puffs of steam as a small clockwork gear churned nearby. 'It's a shame you weren't here earlier,' said Vincent without looking at Connel. 'Nevertheless, you're here now and Daedalus is badly injured. You're to take him to the Royal Czenovia hospital at once.' 'What about our perimeter at Rosengard?' Connel seemed almost confused by Vincent's order. 'What about it?' retorted Vincent. 'You can leave a handful of officers here. The damage has been done; when you take Daedalus I want you to make sure you have a fully armed escort with you. He must not face any danger in transit.' 'But--' Vincent flashed a dark glance at Connel. 'Do not question my orders, Lieutenant. If Daedalus passes away before reaching the hospital, I will hold you personally responsible. So will Commander Rosier. You don't want to be responsible for the death of one of the greatest figures in this country, do you?' Connel paused for a moment and then saluted. 'Of course not, Sir!' And with that, he ushered the officers out of the hall. 'Thank you.' Vincent heard a soft, familiar voice from behind him. It was Catherine. She looked exhausted. 'Vincent,' she put her hand on his arm. 'I am glad you came back. I don't know what we would have done if...' 'No,' Vincent shook his head. 'Don't even entertain that thought, my lady. Daedalus is in good hands now, believe it or not. And the Royal Czenovia is the best hospital in this country; I am sure he will be fine. We will sort this out.' Catherine simply nodded. She was such a strong woman, thought Vincent. She was obviously shaken, but did not shed a tear. Vincent wondered how he was going to invite the Almagests to the Chimaera Cup after yet another tragedy. On the other hand, it might be enough to get their minds off the situation, even if only for a couple of hours.

[font=franklin gothic medium]I figured now would be a good time to introduce Gustave's images. I can provide a more detailed profile if needed (some info is in the upcoming Chronicle about Anovan airships anyway though). Basically he's Vincent's cousin and is ten years younger (30-ish). [center][img]http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6439/gustaveid6.gif[/img] [img]http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/1487/gustaveportraitwr5.jpg[/img][/center][/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/img][/center] Vincent and Gadget sat in the rear of Vincent’s luxurious steamcar. His previous car had been destroyed almost beyond recognition by the recent attack, so the Royal Police Guard had issued him with a replacement vehicle. It was a newer model and had been updated with a thicker metal skin in a vain attempt to make it more secure. The streets of High Czenoble were bathed in golden light from overhanging street lamps and although some people were still out enjoying the nightlife, most had returned home to the comfort of their beds. Vincent felt bad for falling asleep with Gadget; he didn’t intend to return him to Rosengard so late – and certainly not under these circumstances. ‘I don’t know if Macey will have much to tell you about your condition tonight,’ said Vincent. ‘She will be investing all her energy on trying to diffuse the bomb.’ Gadget sighed. ‘That’s understandable. But if that’s the case, why are we headed back to Rosengard so late?’ ‘Well,’ Vincent turned to look at Gadget, ‘for one thing, I promised Macey I’d have you back tonight in one piece. I didn’t want to break that promise. She still wants to see you. [i]If[/i] this bomb can be dealt with tonight and without further hassle, I’m sure she will stay up a little while longer to tell you if she has discovered anything. Secondly, I have a job to do; I need to be there. This has become a matter for senior representatives of the Guard and I’m the logical choice. I need to see the crime scene and we need to start making security plans for Rosengard.’ Gadget looked to be in deep thought for a moment. ‘Rosengard isn’t safe. Maybe it’s better if I do stay with you after all.’ Vincent smiled. ‘When the Guard come in, Rosengard will be safe. I promise. You can stay with me if you want, but it’s up to you. Have a think about it.’ Gadget simply grinned and looked out the window at the passing buildings. Vincent wondered what he was thinking at that moment. Would he really want to live with an older lover? Would he be happy to settle like that? Vincent had many questions in the back of his mind and he wondered where life was taking him. At the very least, he knew that things would change dramatically for him sooner rather than later. As the car pulled up to Rosengard’s front gate (which was open, oddly enough), Vincent immediately noticed a large group of heavy steamcars lining the road. These cars were unmistakable; they carried the RPG logo on their sides and were somewhat like small, squat trucks. They each carried a small deployment of Guard officers. The officers were milling around the street out the front of the estate. Vincent and Gadget stepped out of the car and approached the gate. Vincent saw a man he recognized; it was Lieutenant Connel. He was a man with wide shoulders and a thick neck – a true military man, loyal only to Gaul Rosier. Although Vincent didn’t much like him, they still got along quite well. He had already spotted Vincent. ‘Sir!’ he shouted, with a wave of his hand. ‘Sir, what are you doing here at this time of night?’ Vincent scowled. ‘You should salute when you are in the presence of a commanding officer, Lieutenant.’ A large bead of sweat rolled down Connel’s forehead. ‘Oh, sorry Sir.’ He promptly saluted Vincent. ‘If you beg my pardon, Sir, we were not told that you would be arriving tonight.’ ‘Understandable,’ said Vincent. ‘Can you tell me why [i]you[/i] are here?’ ‘Direct orders from Commander Rosier, Sir,’ said Connel. ‘This is now a high security zone. Commander Rosier has instructed us to patrol the perimeter of Rosengard Estate twenty-four hours per day. We must not allow undesirables to pass this point, Sir.’ Vincent rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘I see. I will speak with you again soon, Lieutenant.’ Connel nodded and saluted once again. He stood to one side and allowed Vincent and Gadget to pass through Rosengard’s entry gate. Given that the Guard deployment had only just arrived, it was likely that the Almagests did not yet know about these new security measures. Vincent thought it best to tell Daedalus as soon as possible.

[font=franklin gothic medium]I've edited my previous post in several places; Gadget and Vincent are arriving at Rosengard very [i]late[/i] in the evening (probably 1 or 2am or whatever works). The idea is that they had dinner and just fell asleep, but didn't sleep the whole night. Gustave rang Vincent late at night (as he isn't nearly as responsible as Vincent and tends to be up incredibly late). This all should fit in a bit better. This way I also haven't moved time forward artificially. It's still the night time, albeit very late. Edit: I've posted again. They arrived back at Rosengard late at night, where something is happening outside the front gates...[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I prefer the first image for Macey, personally. The back of the dress is a bit too revealing, but otherwise everything suits. The third picture is good, but the dress isn't really appropriate for everyday use. It's more a gown that Macey would wear when going out, I'd imagine. Although if you crop it, the third version would be the best (where you can show face and a little bit of the torso).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think that cheating is something that each couple really makes a determination on. I mean, some people consider flirting to be cheating. Others believe it needs to be nothing short of sex to be cheating. Personally, I have a pretty dim view of any kind of infidelity. I personally don't have any desire or need for anything else when I'm in a relationship - I guess the only thing I really insist on is occasionally having time to myself. I think if you live out of the other person's pocket 24/7, things can become too claustrophobic. Although I pretty much don't tolerate any form of cheating, I don't really judge other couples if they have different rules. After all, it comes down to what you are comfortable with. In terms of changing attitudes, I can say that my youngest sister's friends have few cares about cheating. And that really saddens me. On the other hand, this may change if they grow up and mature a bit.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well I suppose with everything that's happening right now, people's minds will be more on their safety than a race. Having said that, it might also be a good escape for some family members. I still don't know much about what Chimaera can actually be though, so I've got to work that out a bit. Although I probably won't need to go into much detail there, because Gustave is an owner rather than a jockey.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay, I've taken the liberty of moving things to the next morning (albeit very [i]early[/i] on the next morning). Vincent will tell Gadget about the incidents of the prior night as they travel to Rosengard. Also I've semi-introduced Gustave by way of a phone call. He is inviting any Almagests who want to go to the Chimaera Cup in a couple of days - so you guys can decide who wants to go and who doesn't. There will be a big marquee in a private area for the Achards and Almagests. When Gustave lands at the Aerodrome, I will formally introduce him with a picture and everything.[/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/img][/center] Vincent's eyes opened slowly and he looked down. He was naked. Gadget's legs were tangled amongst his own and his head was on Vincent's chest; Gadget's vivid blonde hair fanned across Vincent's skin. It was late evening and the pair had fallen asleep. Vincent remembered that he still had to return Gadget to Rosengard. It wasn't long before Gadget stirred. He raised his head and looked into Vincent's eyes. Vincent smiled. 'You made love to me last night,' he said quietly, still staring intently into Vincent's eyes. Vincent nodded. 'I hope you have no regrets...' Gadget shook his head. 'No, but...' 'But what?' 'I've always been alone. I've moved between adopted families in one way or another...and I don't want this to end like that.' Vincent ran one of his hands down Gadget's slender back. 'You have nothing to worry about. You are here and I think that's how it should stay. If I have to leave, I want you to come with me.' Gadget sat up on Vincent and pulled the sheets up around his waist. He looked somehow shocked or surprised. 'Why would you ever leave? You're the Assistant Commander of the Guard...' Vincent traced Gadget's thigh underneath the sheets. 'I do not plan to leave anytime soon. But things are changing here. I am losing confidence in the Guard and without Leonhart...everything seems uncertain. And back in Anova, my mother is ill. She may not live for very long. I may reach a point soon where I will have outlasted my stay in High Czenoble.' Gadget seemed to be in thought for a moment. 'I understand,' he said finally. 'This is where I'm going to find the solution to my problem, though. So...' Gadget leaned forward, his hands on Vincent's chest. '...can we at least stay until a cure is found for me? Then I can go anywhere in the world with you. At least then I can focus on being happy and living my life.' Vincent sat up and embraced Gadget. 'Of course. And in the meantime, I'm going to try to find out as much as I can about what's happening here. I still have a job to do.' Vincent was now dressed in a fine suit. He sat at a small desk in his bedroom and leafed through his messages. During the night he had received a number of messages from his office. Vincent was shocked to discover that a serious incident had occurred only hours ago at Rosengard. He wondered why his phone hadn't rung all night; surely the Guard were on top of it? In the back of his mind, Vincent felt guilty. He had expected to return Gadget to Rosengard just after dinner. Instead, the pair had remained at Vincent's apartment had enjoyed each other in a way that had made both completely forget about the outside world. Vincent turned to look at the ensuite. The ensuite door was just near his bed and it was open. He could hear water running. From where he was sitting, he could see half of the ensuite mirror. In the mirror, he saw Gadget. Only half of his body was visible - the left side. He was standing with his back to the mirror. He was facing the shower head with his eyes closed, as water streamed down his body. Vincent admired his stunning physical beauty; the way his shoulders and torso gently tapered down to his hips and his utterly smooth, flawless skin. Gadget was, in almost every sense, a wake-up call for Vincent. Ever since his divorce, he had buried himself in his work - nothing else had mattered. He acknowledged that he had probably neglected his family to some extent as well. The reminders of his married past were often too painful to bear. But now, as he watched the young man standing in his shower, he realized that perhaps he had been looking at the world the wrong way. Perhaps he needed to let go and simply be himself. Without warning, the phone interrupted Vincent's thoughts. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. 'Vincent speaking.' 'Vincent!' Immediately, Vincent knew the voice. A younger voice than his own, with a stronger Anovan accent. 'Vincent? Are you there?' 'Yes, I'm here. I just didn't expect to hear from you, that's all. It's very late.' The voice on the other end gave a hearty laugh. 'What a greeting for your cousin! You should be glad that I remembered your number! Besides, it's never too late to talk to me!' Vincent rubbed his forehead. His cousin, Gustave, had always been a rival of sorts. On the surface, the pair didn't always get along particularly well - although this was mostly the result of playful taunting more than anything else. In truth, Gustave viewed Vincent as an older brother. It was Vincent who had convinced his father to help Gustave start his own airship company in Le Monde, after all. 'So what do I owe the pleasure?' asked Vincent sarcastically. He heard a chuckle on the end of the line. 'Well, I will be in town in two days' time for the Chimaera Cup. It's the largest event on the racing calendar. I have several Chimaera in the race this year and I was [i]hoping[/i] you'd join me. I've booked a corporate marquee and everything!' Gustave sounded excited; he loved Chimaera races, especially when his own purebreds were participating. No doubt he was already having the the Chimaera and jockeys herded aboard some elaborate airship, bound for High Czenoble. 'I'm sure I'll be free. Are you inviting anyone else?' asked Vincent. 'Well,' said Gustave, 'I would be honored if the Almagests would come. I have already sent an official invitation to Rosengard by mail. It should arrive today. I know it's short notice, but I guarantee, they'll love the show!' 'I'm headed out to Rosengard now,' said Vincent, 'so I will speak to them about it. I'm sure you'll have quite an audience once you arrive at the Aerodrome anyway.' Gustave chuckled again. 'We'll see, Vincent. Anyway, keep yourself out of trouble, won't you? I'll see you soon!' And with that, Gustave hung up. Vincent replaced the phone on the receiver. He turned around and saw Gadget standing by the bed. He was wearing a silk shirt with a deep v-neck and a form fitting grey jacket over the top. 'How do I look?' Vincent simply growled. Gadget laughed and gathered his things. 'Back to Rosengard, then?' 'Yeah,' sighed Vincent. 'What's the matter?' 'Well, I enjoyed having you here so much...are you sure you don't want to stay?' Gadget's eyes widened. 'You mean, live here? With you?' Vincent nodded. 'Yeah, if you want.' 'I will think about it,' said Gadget. 'I still need to see Macey today anyway; she may have some answers for me. But...' Gadget walked over to Vincent and sat on his knee. 'I [i]did[/i] have a wonderful time last night. You can be sure of that.' He leaned forward and kissed Vincent softly. Vincent's head was swimming. He was not looking forward to the talk they would have to have on the way to Rosengard. Vincent had decided it would be best to tell Gadget about tonight's incident before they arrived.

[font=franklin gothic medium]I loved this movie; I just saw it yesterday. The sense of humor suited me down to the ground. In fact, Juno herself is a lot like my sister in the way she talks and her sense of humor (sans pregnancy, of course). I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in quite a while, really. In my view this was sort of like a much wittier version of Napoleon Dynamite. Kind of. Beautifully written, incredibly funny...and the characters were all wondeful. I loved Juno's parents (especially her mother). I'd definitely recommend this to everyone.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Made this one nice and easy to follow. :catgirl: [center][URL=http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=graphicwormjokerfa3.jpg][IMG]http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8581/graphicwormjokerfa3.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/center] (Yes, I love my dark psychotic characters. ~_^)[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yep, I think the best/biggest element is the idea that everything seems plausible in terms of the military and police response - this movie really gives you an idea of what might happen if this were real. And I think it does that more effectively than any other monster movie I've ever seen. The shaky cam can be a bit of a pain, but you get used to it after about fifteen minutes. Your eyes do need to adjust. Once you adjust, you'll find that the director does keep things pretty consistent, in the sense that you do see what you need to - it's far better than Blair Witch in that sense. I found that in this movie, I had a much better sense of my bearings than in Blair Witch. This movie is definitely a good start to 2008. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Although I'm still waiting for a post, I think Shy's was great. The story is starting to get quite a bit more interesting...[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I just saw Cloverfield today. Most movies premiere on Thursday but I am not sure if it's actually the law, lol. I don't really know though. Anyway, I'd read a little bit about Cloverfield before I saw it, which actually helped quite a lot. [spoiler]The film itself essentially has no plot - or at least, not much of one. If you want to know anything about the story you really have to view the various related web sites and reading the tie-in manga would probably help (though it's not necessary I'd say). The movie starts pretty slowly but this helps to set everything up. The [i]entire[/i] film is like Blair Witch, in that it's all filmed on someone's handycam or whatever. I typically dislike this style because it's pretty nauseating and often, the camera does not show critical things - in Blair Witch I felt like I was missing out half the time. Although it was deliberate, it was frustrating at times. Cloverfield is like a far better version of Blair Witch - it takes the concept of typical digital camera footage and amplifies it with incredible visual effects. Basically this film is Godzilla. Not [i]the[/i] Godzilla, of course. But essentially, it's a movie about a monster invading New York. That pretty much sums it up. Where it excels is in its uncompromising reality. It may sound harsh to say this but watching Cloverfield is like watching September 11th from the perspective of a typical New Yorker. At one point the statue of liberty's head goes rolling down the street. When it stops, people crowd around it and take pictures on their phones. Something about this is eerily realistic. The sound of sirens in the distance, the echoes of the monster's roar and dull thud of its feet is depicted in an incredibly tangible way. The reality of the film also serves to make it fairly emotional - despite having no real story to speak of, I think Cloverfield manages to be emotional because the characters are all pretty believeable; they are all regular people in an extraordinary situation. I guess what makes this different to Godzilla and King Kong is that it doesn't have the campy quality of those two films. And because you aren't viewing things from a polished third person perspective, everything somehow seems more weighty and realistic. Also the creature itself is far more scary and interesting than either Godzilla or King Kong. This creature is truly horrific and it has a couple of little surprises that serve to make the film even scarier. I don't really know what else to say about Cloverfield; it is something that has a way of making you feel uneasy due to its realism. It is definitely like watching a September 11 video, I think. The director has used techniques throughout the film to further support this, while still making sure that the camera shows what it needs to. And you [i]do[/i] see the creature quite a few times, with several very clear shots. This doesn't detract from the film; you see the creature at the appropriate times and in ways that support the atmosphere. Also refreshing is the fact that the ending is essentially bad. I won't go any further than that - but yes, it's not a good ending. And I'm actually happy to see a movie that doesn't try to suger-coat things. This isn't a glossy Hollywood Godzilla rip-off - it's intended to almost be a pseudo-documentary and, just as in real life, there is often not a silver lining.[/spoiler] I'm not sure what score I'd give this one. As I said, it really has a very thin story (pretty much no story) and the shaky cam footage might really turn off some (although you get used to it after a little while). All I can say is that this movie is obviously a work of great talent. It has a visceral quality that is removed from many movies these days. In an age of incredibly realistic special effects, this movie still manages to shock and surprise. So it's very worth seeing. And it does show that monster movies of this type [i]can[/i] be both realistic and scary.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think this concept is a solid start, but it's more a setting than a story. What you'd have to do now is inject some kind of plot/situation into this environment. I think there is a lot of potential here, but you probably need to look at how you can create a unique situation or problem in this environment. For instance, what if some people can't stand being stuck in the dome and they escape? Maybe the polluted air mutates them into horrible monsters or something and they try to break back into the domed city. I know that probably sounds lame, but you know, it sort of sets up the beginnings of a plot for you. From there, your participants can craft characters and situations of their own.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm really looking forward to this, especially considering how horrible Godzilla was. lol Even by the trailer this looks pretty interesting. It'll be good to see a monster film that is actually frightening.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well, as you can see, Kill Adam: Volume 2 is live yet again. At this point I don't know if any original participants are still around. If you are, please drop in and say hello! Since I don't believe we can bring together even most of the original writers (and since we've had such a massive gap), I'm going to attempt to wrap up Volume 2 shortly. At most I only expect another couple of chapters. So it'll be shorter than Volume 1, but it'll at least be wrapped up. Also, despite the lack of posts, there's still quite a lot of content there. So yeah, anyone still around? Having two complete volumes would be great.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Congratulations for finishing this RPG, guys. Very few RPGs have proper endings at OB and I'm really happy to see that this one does. Looks like we might have a few endings coming up, which is great. It feels good to complete an RPG.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The only problem with that idea is that whenever you create the "flavor of the month" forum, someone has to migrate the relevant threads out of Anime Lounge...and then back again later. It could be a bit too complex. And it might confuse newer members. I believe that the safest way to go is probably to begin migrating specific franchises out of Anime Lounge and into their own sub-forums. We could have a lot of member involvement though - for instance, each month or two we could have a poll and the most popular franchise could receive its own forum. The best part is that none of this is irreversible. We can try it...and forums that don't pick up can be relegated back to AL. I would like to tie this in with stronger promotion on theOtaku.com, which is necessary to boost our anime community.[/font] [quote]So what would happen as a franchise lost popularity? Would that basically mean a semi-constant forum rotation? I don't know; seems kind of ... meh, to me. I can't really put it into real words, though.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]It would mean nothing. Either a) the forum just stays where it is or b) we archive it. The difference between this and the flavor of the month idea is that the former is not only easier to do, but it provides for the possibility of more growth because people aren't going to be worried that their new forum is going to be removed after a month. In the past we haven't had much of a problem with anime going out of style. Dragon Ball was by far our most popular forum, but even in its "dying days", it still had decent activity levels. If nothing else, people could use it as an archive/information resource. The alternative idea of dividing by genre just won't work in my view. There are going to be too many disagreements about what anime goes where. It's too cumbersome and unintuitive. The only other concept I can imagine is simply doing what some forums do and having an "A-K" and "L-Z" division in Anime Lounge, while simultaneously allowing multiple threads for each franchise. This is still too difficult though, in my opinion. At least separate forums keep things clean and organized.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]One option would be to start migrating franchises. So for argument's sake, let's say the most popular anime on OB right now was Gundam. What you'd do is create a Gundam forum, but all other anime would be relegated to Anime Lounge. Then as the site grows and as interest grows, you migrate [i]another[/i] franchise across to its own forum. And so on. This way the most active anime franchises have due attention and the smaller ones aren't left out.[/font]

[center]Chapter 17: Birth of the Midnight Butterfly[/center] Summary: This chapter tracks Hattori Hanzo's beginnings, prior to his days as a famous swordsman (and salesman). Characters: Hattori Hanzo. Setting: Japan. Notes: Rebirth of Kill Adam! Hattori Hanzo is going through a radical change and this chapter will reflect his humble beginnings, as well as his re-emergence as an icon of the Japanese underground.