RPG OtakuBoards: Enter the Game [M-LV]

[Jokopoko]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=CRIMSON][CENTER][B][U]OtakuBoards: Enter the Game[/U][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1] ??You were prepared for us to be sucked into the Boards by a freak accident, start a virtual community and deal with an army of spam-throwing hackers?" ? Desbreko, Enter the Net -=============- About a year ago a freak accident involving some coffee, lighting and a clumsy Australian resulted in the un-imaginable happening. An entire community of people were transported into the Internet and started a virtual island which was modelled after the place they had all come from, a place called OtakuBoards. In the beginning all was calm and peaceful; the RPGs went on [Albeit with some difficulty] the discussions were of a relatively high-standard for all, Play It was always full of loud bangs and triumphant yelps or disappointed squeals and of course the Yu-Yu-Hakusho forum was just there and nothing much could be done about it. And for a time things were good, the moderators were much more daunting in the ?flesh? so people mostly kept to the rules and everyone got on well that was until IT happened. A rogue hacker program known as H4XX0r came to the boards with an army of Spam-Throwers known as the l33t with the idea of conquering the boards. But James, Adam, Charles and the rest of the team weren?t going down without a fight. With the super spiffy Mod-Suits and the equally spiffy Mod-Zords they were able to eradicate H4XX0r and the majority of his spam throwers. The conflict had destroyed most of the Island as well as the OtakuBuilding itself so the task of re-building the Island into version.7 was begun and that?s pretty much where we are now, though the Island is a lot different. Instead of having all the forums and sub-forums squashed into one building it was decided to expand across the Island and each Forum and Sub-Forum would have its own little piece of OB-Island to call home. So everyone is happy and no one really has a care in the world but the gentle members of OB do not realise that the remains of H4XX0r are re-building themselves into H4XX0r v.2 with a mission of vengeance on his mind. -=============- [U][I]Chapter One: Riddles in the dark...[/U][/I] [B]Participants ? Everyone[/B] ?The purpose of this Chapter is really to introduce your character and how you live/work/enjoy yourself on the island. You can use members from the Boards as NPCs if you wish. At the end of the Chapter I?ll make a post from H4XX0r v.2?s point of view. I hope you all enjoy yourselves with this RP and that this is the start of something special.? -=============-[/CENTER] The digital sun rose over the quiet suburban estate of RPG Boulevard and the members began to wake from their peaceful slumber, Jokopoko on the other hand had been up for a few hours now seeing as he hadn?t been able to sleep for a good while he?d become the epitome of a morning person much to the annoyance of his neighbours. Though this lifestyle didn?t suit him he found it to his advantage to wake early seeing as it gave him a head start on the day thus allowing him to get more work done down at JP Studios. After a full English breakfast Joko stepped out onto his front porch and took in a large breath of the digital air. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Ah, I love the smell of freshly programmed HTML in the morning. Casting his eyes to the sky he took in the usual site that greeted him each morning; the sun glinting off the Adventure Arena, the distant sea lapping up against the shore and the perfectly blue sky with equally perfect clouds floating high in the air. It never rained on the Island, there was never bad weather for that matter, Joko did sometimes wish for a difference because knowing what the Island would look like every day was a tad monotonous. Choosing to walk to Adventure Recruitment today instead of the tube ride Joko locked his myOtaku home behind him and went off down the street greeting his neighbours as he passed their front gardens or passed them in the street. No question, life was good on the Island. [CENTER]~*~[/CENTER] Before getting to Recruitment Joko decided to take a walk through the Underground instead, thinking it would get his creative juices flowing. Everywhere he looked their were posters advertising the ?Coming Attractions? to the Adventure Arena and promising sneak peaks at the plot lines or an interview with the creator. The members around him were all chattering amongst themselves, some wanting to trade old Adventure equipment for the latest thing to hit the stores. These days members could equip their characters with weapons they?d purchased in the Underground which was akin to ?Upgrading? your characters which added more complexity to the RPG experience on the Island, which of course was a good thing. [B]Stall Owner:[/B] ?Scuse me! Could I interest you in the latest upgrade for your Arena weaponry? Guaranteed to revolutionise your RPGing experience! [B]Jokopoko:[/B] No thank you, I?m fine. Joko smiled a little and placed his hand on the Lightsabre attached to his belt, where it had been for roughly a year an a half now. [I]?Best weapon I?ve ever brought, for sure?[/I] He thought as he made his way through the throng of members. Eventually he found himself in front of the Adventure Arena which had a steady stream of members going in and out as the RPGs started and finished. Casting his eyes skyward Joko could just make out the Team Hanzo Headquarters atop the Dome. Thinking for a few moments he returned his gaze to Recruitment and made his way to what could be considered work. Joko finally found himself in front of JP Studios and was greeted with a line of hopefuls queuing up to be in his next RPG. He gave them all a smile before walking in and setting things straight before he could let them in. Within a few moments he was ready to let them in but the phone began ringing, sighing a little he went over a picked it up. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Hello?[/SIZE]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]This early in the morning, the Manga Workshop was dark and quiet. There was a window open somewhere, and a light, cool breeze gently stirred the odd sheet of paper and the odd strand of ... spiky hair?

The movement of air against Blackjack's face stirred him awake from his position slumped over a desk in one of the Workshop's private side rooms. The desk and floor were covered in sheets of paper, which in turn were covered with spider diagrams, hesitant character sketches and lists of names.

Blackjack rubbed his eyes, straightened the creased front of his yellow uniform and looked at his watch. He jumped up with a start.

[i][b]Oh, great, I fell asleep here again ... Lady Katana's warned me before about staying logged in overnight. I'd probably better get home before she finds out...[/b]

[/i]After a groggy attempt at tidying up the room while making the minimum of paper-rustling noises, Blackjack poked his head out of the door, peering both ways to make sure the Workshop's Moderator wasn't lurking in the shadow of one of the aisles upon aisles of manga. Satisfied he'd gotten away with it, he crept out of the Workshop into the bright morning sunshine.

[/size][/color] [center][color=DarkGreen]~~~~~~~~~~~~

[/color] [left][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Back in the warmth of his myOtaku, Blackjack refreshed his avatar, removing the creases and inkstains, and checked his mail. There were the usual couple of comment notes from Leofski and yukare129, and a PM from an artist interested in his latest webcomic project. Nothing out of the ordinary.

[i][b]This guy's no good,[/b][/i] he thought, looking at the scrawls the artist had sent him. They were scrappily coloured in with coloured pencils. [i][b]Who else might be interested in this...?

[/b][/i]With a sinking feeling Blackjack realised his artist list was still in his room in the Manga Workshop. He'd intended to lay low from the Workshop for a while, just in case Lady Katana did somehow know he'd spent the night there again ... but he needed that list. With some trepidation, he stepped out the door and started making his way through the windy streets of Tokyo 3.
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[/center]

[Kei]

Lady Katana, otherwise known as Kei, mumbled incoherently as she roused from her slumber, raising her head off her desk in the Acquisitions Office of the MW Library and pulling off a receipt copy from her cheek. A quick check in in her computer monitor that faintly cast her reflection told her that she hadn?t caught on ink stains on her face like she did last time. She yawned audibly and went into her daily routine of cat-like stretching, minding not to lean back to far in her chair, lest she tip backward like she had done so many times in the past. Finding herself properly limber enough to get out of the chair, she did just that, making her way over to one of the windows in the room, looking down at the paper that she still held in her hand and smiling. She?d finally managed to get hold of one manga that had been eluding her grasp for so long, Naruto Vol.2, the previous night, much to her pleasure. So many members had been requesting the title, but every time she went to the various bookstore sites online, they were always sold out. Even her most trusted store, B. Dalton, didn?t have the comic in. But finally, after months of searching and waiting, Amazon had finally gotten a fresh batch, so Kei jumped on the chance. ?Well, that?s one item off my list,? she thought to herself. Glancing over at the stack of request PMs, she sighed and shrugged. ?Only a thousand more to go...? Returning to her view of the city, she looked over the wide expanse of Tokyo 3 and sighed. It hadn?t been that long since everyone had been sent to this virtual world, but she?d already grown accustomed to the new, anime-like surroundings and somewhat tolerant of the new people she found herself around often. She still, however, couldn?t shake the feeling of longing for the real world in some ways, but she knew she just had to make due with what she had. ?Hm... It?s a nice day out. Maybe I?ll go for a walk before I start working on these new requests. Maybe I can catch up with a few people while I?m out.? She returned to her desk briefly to file the receipt in its proper folder in the large drawer cabinet in her desk. Getting in one last stretch, she strode across the room and out the door, entering the main part of the Workshop. Shelves upon shelves of manga lined the walls, making oddly-colored patterns on them from all the different artwork they had on their spines. Members walked quietly among the stacks, eager to find the latest volume of their favorites, or already reading one they had picked up off the shelves. Kei smiled as she saw some of the younger members sprawled out on the floor with the latest Beyblade or Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist Kingdom, flipping the pages with wide-eyed enjoyment. It didn?t take her long before she reached the exit. Stepping outside, she had to stop short as a very large Strike Gundam passed by, apparently being chased by a Buster Gundam. ?Hey, you two! Be more considerate of the people down here!? Both stopped and looked down, sweatdropping to see the small, gothic looking girl scowling up at them, but did as she said, once they recognized her as a Moderator. ?Sorry, ma?am,? they said in unison, and tromped off to who knows where, leaving Kei with a dark shadow covering her face and a sweatdrop on the side of her head. ?Ma?am...?? was the only thing she said before everything went red.

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1](Side note: Thanks Joko for letting me use the HTML code!)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Everyday when the OB digital sun rose and lit up the RPG Boulevard Vicky always missed it. No argument there. She was always asleep well past noon, well past when everyone was up and about RPGing. Vicky had never been an early getter-upper; she was the exact opposite of Jokopoko, whom she lived with. While Joko was up and about creating RPG?s and role-playing his butt off, Vicky was curled up on a wooden chair, using her cloak as a quilt and something to chew on while asleep. She couldn?t help it, really. Early mornings hurt her eyes, but late nights? now that was her thing. Well, she was a rabbit? She half woke up and half fell back to sleep, if that was possible. During this time she accidentally rolled over and fell off the chair, landing on her face flat on the floor. That was her alarm clock. [B]Vicky:[/B] Wow, it?s like? noon or something, I?ve gotten up early for once! Still lay on the floor she yawned slightly and laughed to herself, more like mumbled a snigger. She wasn?t bothering to get up yet, same thing every morning. It took some kind of motivation to get herself off of wherever she was sleeping; sometimes she would even fall back asleep. Finally pushing herself up, she scratched the back of her ear with her back paw, noticing it was more irritating than usual in the morning. She stopped for a moment. [B]Vicky:[/B] Oh jeez, I hope I haven?t got fleas? It was very unlikely to catch fleas on a virtual community, but judging from what she had seen on OB in all her years anything was possible. Though the chances weren?t very high? were they? She jumped up off the floor and stood up, determined to do something fun today. For awhile she stood thinking, and then concluded she could go to the Adventure Square for a good RPG, or maybe the Underground to see what was shakin? down there. Joko had disappeared to go and do some early morning stuff, which didn?t bother Vicky too much. She?d just go and hunt him down. Cheerfully, she began to hop (yes, [I]hop[/I]) her way to through to the door, but stopped and collapsed on her face again. [B]Vicky:[/B] Now I?m hungry. Why does he always have to get up before me? I want something to eat. It?s not fair. A tiny ?;_;? symbol appeared above her head as the cloaked rabbit struggled to get herself off the floor. Now she was thinking about food, she wasn?t really hungry. A trip to the Anthology would cure hungry, anyway. It wasn?t like any lazy bunny could be bothered eating when they?ve just gotten up, anyways. After awhile of laying motionless on the floor, Vicky finally got up, sulking, and began a slow hop towards the Anthology. She knew it was her fault for not getting up, but it didn?t matter. She could wait for lunch. ~~~ Despite the fact that the long, beautiful and grassy path towards the Anthology was there for the writers Vicky didn?t see much use in it. It seemed so much longer now that the little rabbit had discovered she had actually awoken well before noon, which was a surprise to herself and probably every OB member. Waking up so early made her too tired and in the ?I can?t be bothered do diddly? attitude. Now it would take a couple of hours for her to get out of that mood. She hopped with out speaking, mumbling or falling on the floor. Silence was all around her, peaceful, hustle-bustle-free silence. A few members walked past her without saying a word, not wanting to disturb the peace. Vicky found it all freaky, yet so relaxing. [B]Random New Member:[/B] Wow! Go and see my new fic! It?s called Goku goes to Hollywood! Vicky?s ears twitched up at the sound of a random member rushing down the path, waving his/her/its hands about widely and asking other members to read the fanfiction. Though Vicky was a little paranoid about the silence towards the Anthology it was nothing compared to how angry she was at members who really upset the mood. Though she couldn?t blame the member, maybe they were new. New people would learn, so it wasn?t their fault. She decided to ignore the random member unless they came near her. Random New Member: Hi I?m new here can you read my fanfic!? Hey, you?re a bunny! Haha that?s funny! Haha that rhymed. [B]Vicky:[/B] Keep it down kid >_> [B]RNM:[/B] READ MY FIC!??? [B]Vicky:[/B] Turn the cap locks off. She suddenly leapt up high in the air and landed a kick in the RNM?s nose. It was their own fault; at least Vicky considered cap locks on all the time as spam. Well, she didn?t care. The member ran off clutching his/her/its nose, muffling out cries and running away from the Anthology. Vicky didn?t feel guilty, but she did feel like dieing. She began to hop again, but collapsed on the floor, and grumbled. [B]Vicky:[/B] I can?t go on? I?m going to die? well, okay I?m not, but? I need to go home? She was about to get up and begin and begin an ?I can?t be bothered because I?m too hungry? journey home, but she stopped when noticing something in the bush just across the grass. It was her lucky day, a phone box! She could phone Joko! Sitting on the grass with the phone against her large ear, she waited until he answered. It took awhile, but he did. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Hello? Vicky thought for a second of what to say, but all she can think of was quite pathetic. [B]Vicky:[/B] I?m hungry ;_;[/SIZE]

[Mimmsicle]

[SIZE=1]Mimmi took a large bite out of a particularly tasty bun and squeeed with delight. This batch was the perfect thing to start off the day with. But after eating a handfull of the freshly made delicacies she didn't feel right about devouring all of them by herself (even if she wouldn't have any problems doing so). Contemplating who would most benefit such a treat, at this hour, Lady K immediately came to mind.

On the rare occassions that Mimmi had woken up early and strolled the Island, she had noted that Lady K was still hard at work over at the Manga Workshop, making her wonder if the word 'sleep' was part of the diligent troopers vocabulary.

Even though she lost herself in thought while packing the picnic basket, Mimmi made sure not to include the coffee thermos. She'd learned not to ever bring that before Lady K ... Because while Poppler might be cute from a distance, you didn't want his mistress to utter the words 'glompage' with him around. Unless you were into that sort of thing. A devious smile played upon her lips as she thought about Shin and the amount of times he'd suffered the Poppler treatment.

She adjusted her red dress and stepped outside of her sleeping quarters, making her way down the street, swinging the basket to and fro while humming. Getting closer to the Manga Workshop she noticed a character sneaking up to the main entrance. It wasn't someone known to her, but then again this wasn't a part she frequented that often. Figuring now was as good a time as any to become more familiar with the regulars around here she sung as loudly as she dared without fearing singing out of key.

[SIZE=2][I]"Gooooood Morning fellow OB person!" [/I][/SIZE]

The young man leaped into the air at the sudden outburst and then spun around to stare at her bewildered, casting nervous glances at the door. His behaviour seemed a little peculiar, though who wouldn't act a little weird upon being greeted by a Little Red Riding Hood impersonator without a hood. Though more often than not she actually felt more like the Wolf. A predator constantly on the lookout for new pants. Taking into consideration that it might be overkill on the freaky factor if she stripped him right there and then, she handed him a bun and swiftly entered the Workshop.

[I]"Bossyness, I come with gifts! ... And it's [B]not [/B]Shin"[/I] she quickly added, not wanting to attract the attention of Poppler in case he was around this morning.

But there was no reply. Not even the stereotypical gust of wind or that thing that looks like a ball of branchy yarn flying by. She was beginning to feel slightly nervous by the quietness and the looming shadows along the shelves. That feeling was quickly overcome by giddyness as she spotted a huge pile of manga, thinking the newest Naruto volume might've arrived.

[I]"Hallelujaa[SIZE=2] AAAAAHHHHH!"[/SIZE][/I]

She hadn't taken more than a couple of steps towards the pile before it started to move violently and making scary noises. Mimmi swallowed hard and braced herself for the worst.[/SIZE]

[Ezekiel]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=1]Methuselah yawned and stretched, her hair a total mess from the late night she had. She sat up and sniffed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as daylight filtered through her curtains. One look outside told her it would be a terrible day. Reason why? New Members swarmed to the Recruitment area, no doubt Jokopoko would be stressed for the day.

Methuselah debated whether or not to get out of bed, but she remembered a new chapter she needed to update in her story so decided that getting up was for the best. She jumped out of bed and brushed her hair into the usual gravity defying pigtails and went about getting into her dress. Her sword hung on the wall and she smirked, fastening it tight against her back.

She opened the door and breathed in the fresh morning air, looking towards the direction of JP studios. She stepped outside and locked her door, walking towards the Arena. New Members ran past her, some staring at her pigtails and sword, making sure to stay within at least a 4-foot radius of the tired and irate looking Member.

Methuselah finally reached JP studious and peered over the head of many Members, some she recognised and waved to cheerily, blocking a yawn with the back of her right hand. She nodded to Jokopoko who was on the phone, a silly smile on his face. She mouthed, [I]'Vicky?'[/I] to him and he nodded. Methuselah laughed and walked out the back entrance to see if anyone she knew was busy with an RP.

No one she recognised, Methuselah sighed and sat down on a large sofa, wondering what she could do with the rest of her day. Now that she had almost giving up on RPing and all her stories were practically up to date, she had nothing to do with her day. Annoying Alan was out of the question; he'd just beat her if she tried anything. Reise wasn't around and was probably still in bed, Joko was on the phone.

[B]"This place is boring."[/B] Methuselah groaned, before a rather harsh poke to her side made her yelp. She turned to see small Goku from Dragonball staring up at her. Her eye twitched and she bent over to stare him in the eye, [B]"What?"[/B]

The Goku giggled and took a step back, before reaching out and tugging on one of Methuselah's pigtails. [B]"YOU HAVE FUNNY HAIR!!"[/B] he yelled before sprinting off to join more Goku's outside.

Methuselah twitched and stormed outside to confront the mass of giggling Goku's, all of which shut up as soon as she reached for her sword. Just as she was about to bring down one of the little buggers, a firm tap on her shoulder made her turn. She smiled weakly and rested her sword, [B]"Hello there, Jokopoko."[/B]

[B]"No killing New Members close to my studio, I told you before."

"Yessir...."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Jokopoko]

[B]Vicky:[/B] I?m hungry ;_;. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] [^_^;;] Heh, sorry about that. Curse my insomnia and all that business. I should be back in a few hours, yeah? While talking on the phone Joko caught sight of Methuselah out of the window looking rather menacing with that over-sized sword of hers. He could feel a head-ache coming on just as a large sweat-drop appeared on his head. Methuselah appeared out of the back door and mouthed ?Vicky?? to him, he quickly nodded. [B]Vicky:[/B] [¬_¬] You?d better be. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Heh, don?t worry. I will be. See you soon. Joko placed the phone back down on the receiver thinking it was high time he get back to his work what with the large number of members that were lined up out side waiting for the auditions. But before he could even think about working on this he heard the familiar sounds of trouble brewing at the back door. [I]?The girl and her temper?[/I] He thought before making his way to prevent Methy from attacking a poor member who may deserve what ever she was about to do that still didn?t mean she should do it. He stood behind her was she was raising her sword against a crowd of young Gokus who obviously didn?t know who they were messing with. Saving the situation Joko gave Methuselah a quick tap on the shoulder which prompted her to sheathe the sword, turn around and smile meekly at him. [B]Methuselah:[/B] Hello there, Jokopoko. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] [-__-] No killing new members close to my studio, I told you before. [B]Methuselah:[/B] Yessir. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Now seeing as you?re here you can help with the auditions for the new RPG. He smirked as he saw a sweatdrop appear on Methuselah?s face before she nodded quickly but was sure to show the annoyance on her face. Joko laughed a little and motioned for her to open the door to let the members in while he took his seat at the desk. She sat down next to him with a noticeable huff before picking up the notepad in front of and taking the members details down quickly. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Now then Ohkami, in your own time... [CENTER]~*~[/CENTER] After a few hours of stressful auditions Joko was just about ready to throw in the towel and Methuselah had a similar expression on her face. He some how managed to will himself to stand and walk to the door where only a few members remained. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Thank you all for coming, were stopping for today but be sure to come along tomorrow. They group slowly filtered away, some walking down to the Underground and others taking the tube system to another part of the Island. Joko let out a sigh of relief before closing the door and slumping onto the floor beneath him. [B]Methuselah:[/B] Heh, I feel the same way. Now that we?re done [¬_¬] you?d better get back to Vicky. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] [O__O] Uh oh....yeah I?ll see you later Jamie. And on that note Joko found new reserves of energy and ran straight out of the studio on a beeline for the tube. He quickly shut the door and garbled his address so much he had to take a minute to catch himself and say it again before he was sucked up into the vast transport system and shot through loops and other assorted shapes before arriving home to rather annoyed looking Vicky. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Well I did say a few hours... [B]Vicky:[/B] Hmm, well as long as we get some food I?ll be happy [:D] [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Alrighty then, to the Prefecture we shall go. [CENTER]~*~[/CENTER] OOC: I just like to say that can people who?ve already posted try not to move along their stories to fast so the people who have yet to post get a chance to start their own ^_^. Also once this chapter is over we?ll be posting pretty much in the same locations as opposed to spread out, any questions/comments/suggestions can be put in the Underground.

[Arcadia]

Deep within the bowls of the Team Hanzo Headquarters, Arcadia was diligently working away at her computer. Through her various connections on the island (and the fact that some things just kind of came into being the way you wanted them to) she?d managed to acquire a very top of the line, personalized machine that boasted a gratuitously large flat screen monitor. Her reasoning was that because of the monitor?s pure size, she would be able to keep her eye on a number of different things in the Arena at once. Those who had actually seen the machine, however, knew that this was a horrible, horrible lie ? Arcadia couldn?t multi-task worth crap, anyway. She [i]really[/i] only wanted the computer because it changed colors at random intervals during the day, hence it?s affectionate title Horse. Right now Horse sported a fantastically bright yellow that made Uma Thurman?s suit in Kill Bill look shoddy and dull. ?Damn it, I lost again!? Arcadia slumped back and pouted at the screen, were a game of Mahjong took precedence over everything else. Diligently working, you see. ?Ahem.? She glanced over her shoulder at Bio, who raised his eyebrow at her before stating quite casually, ?So it looks like there?s another camera down in the Underground. Coincidently, there?s also a new leveling shop in the same area that doesn?t have a proper [strike]rating[/strike] license.? When the cameras had first been implemented within the new Underground, a lot of members hadn?t taken kindly to the addition and many of the machines wound up being dismantled and broken in various ways. Team Hanzo, as well as the other moderators, realized that they would need to be a little cleverer with the building and the placement of the contraptions. Camera appearances became much more creative: some resembled stones, gargoyles, and lampposts while some were lodged in statues and other tiny crevices within shop walls. They?d even managed to pull together a couple different moving, remote controlled cameras that resembled bugs. These were usually on random (or automatic, if you prefer) and were controlled by otakubots, but if need be the controls could be turned over to a moderator and they could operate the tiny cameras manually. Camera destruction had decreased tremendously, but there were still a few members who went out of their way to locate them. Arcadia played with the ends of her hair and grinned. ?Fabulous. Have you gone to check it out yet?? Bio shook his head. ?No, I thought I?d drop in and let you know before heading over.? The computer caught his attention for a moment as it slided into a more relaxing mint green. It took a moment for him to realize that Arcadia was talking again, but it was all right because she had a tendency to ramble on anyway. ??running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But I digress.? She got up, threw on her hat, and fastened her whip at her waist before winking at the other moderator. ?If you need me, I?ll be in the O. Lounge.? He narrowed his eyes. ?Is it wise for you to be drinking caffeine right now?? She playfully shoved him out of her office, locking it behind her, and innocently asked, ?Who said anything about caffeine??

[Guest Sean]

"...so cold..." escaped Reise's lips that morning, he had slept in because of a large conversation that was held over AIM with a few of his good friends that he hadn't been in contact with for a while. He finally crawled out of the bed covers, shivering from the cold air coming in through his room from the open window, but the system read his cold-ness and up'ed the temperature of the room. Reise relaxed as the room het up almost instantly. He switched some music on, he had borrowed the new Wheatus album from a friend in the M.M.T.V area, he had to give the CD back to Manic today though so he was planning to burning it onto his computer, or maybe just putting it on a tape. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Reise thought best to have a shower before meeting up with Sonata, they hadn't talked in a while so Reise had phoned her last night and they were meeting up at the O. Lounge to have a discussion and a cup of whatever they would get. The shower woke up Reise and decided he would finally give himself an avatar change, he had been a Magna Carta character for so long, and he was in the mood for wearing black instead of cream and white. So he brought up the control panel and found a good 'Billy' avatar from Good Charlotte. So he got a black Atticus t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans from a new selection of clothes in the wardrobe and went out into the hustiling world of PHP and HTML.

[Drix D'Zanth]

Drix strode around the apartment wearing cyan scrubs; his typical sleepwear. Sweat beaded on his forehead as it furled like a discarded newspaper as he peered downward intently. His pupils dilated like grapefruit, darting back and forth through the magnifying glasses. [b]?Almost,?[/b] he sighed. The reddish light of morning catching his eye briefly as it reflected off of the glass cylinder. A quick tap and another substance dropped into the concoction. A quick hiss and cloud of steam escaped from the mixture.[b] ?Perfect.?[/b] A quick snap of latex, and he tossed his gloves into the trash. He slid the magnifying goggles off of his damp face, relieved. [b]?The perfect omelette.?[/b] He twisted the basil closed, setting it amongst the other seasonings. Carefully he sat at his table, listening to the sounds of morning traffic, the Otaku crowd trickling into the Lounge. The coffeehouses began brewing up their conversations, the whispers of which slowly drifting inside the windows of Drix?s apartment. Slowly he cut himself a moist bite, his fork quivering with anticipation, his mouth drowning in saliva just thinking of tasting the perfection. *Riiiiiiiiiiieee* *Riiiiiiiieee* The computer beeped loudly indicating an incoming PM. [img]http://www.greekboston.com/cuisine/images/omelette.jpg[/img] [b]?Damnit,?[/b] Drix cursed. He set the bite down, and with an apologetic sigh walked towards the computer, flipping on the monitor. [b]?This better be good,? [/b]Drix hissed. [center][i]-=Incoming Message: Arcadia=- [/i][/center] [b]Drix: I accept, and will view in the current window.[/b] Arcadia?s picture flashed onto the flatscreen, a wide grin upon her face. Her eyebrow rose incredulously. [b]?Hey Drix!?[/b] [b]?Well hello Arcadia, long time. To what do I owe the pleasure??[/b] he scanned her face suspiciously. Why would a moderator be calling him so early in the morning? [b]?Would you save some of that omelette for me??[/b] She continued. Drix?s eyes widened, surprised. [b]?Surprised??[/b] she chuckled, [b]?I?m a moderator, I am supposed to know what happens on this net.? [/b] [b]?Fair enough,?[/b] Drix replied with a resigned smirk, [b]?is there something in particular that you need?? [/b] [b]?We?ll talk when I get there, my place is pretty busy. Your apartment is quiet right??[/b] [b]?Yeah, usually the conversations aren?t clogging this part of town so early. The newbies start packing the streets with spam midday.?[/b] He rolled his eyes, picturing the wide eyed otakus chittering away, throwing up trite billboards; [i]?hi im forteen should I have sex?? [/i]or [i]?sometimes I brake up wit uh guy after too weeks cause my friend says hes cheating but I cant stop crying what should I do??.[[/i] Drix tried to avoid such nodes of conversation, often preferring the solitude of his own apartment. [b]?I?ll be over soon, then.? [/b]Arcadia finished. [b]?As long as you bring the coffee,?[/b] Drix winked. Arcadia smiled, noticing her mug was well out of the screen?s capture range. [b]?It?s my job to know these kinds of things, Arcadia?[/b] ;) [b]"But.."[/b] [i][center]~-PM ended.-~[/i][/center]

[Kei]

Anyone within a ten clik radius of the Manga Workshop immediately looked in its general direction after hearing an unearthly screech of anger. Kei was about to go after the two Gundams with all the rage of...a raging person..., when she suddenly caught a familiar scent wafting from inside the building. Instantly, her rage died down and all the looks of a feline on the prowl came on her face. "There's only one thing on this island that smells like that," she said grinning and nearly bounded back inside. It only took her two minutes to find her target looking amongst the stack of new books that the library had acquired. Slinking along the bookstacks, she snuck up directly behind the girl, wiggling just enough to get into proper pouncing position before launching herself at the basket and stuffing one of the buns quickly into her mouth. Mimmi nearly shrieked from fright, but she remembered she was in a library, so she calmed herself. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her friend sitting on the table looking every bit the cat that caught the canary (or bun, rather), though. "Well, nice to see you like them, Bossyness," she said smiling. "Fank ooo, Himhinks," came the bun-muffled reply. Waiting until she'd gotten the current pastry down, Kei got down off the table and hugged Mimmi tightly, nearly squeezing all the breath out of her. "And how are you this morning, Mimminx?" "I'm all right," she said, rubbing her ribs slightly. "It's a very nice day today." "Indeed. I noticed when I woke up today...in my office." "You slept here again? Bossyness... When was the last time you slept at home?" "Um...three weeks ago...?" "Need I remind you that you told me about a dream you had where you were sleeping at home but you were really asleep in your office three weeks ago?" "Oh. Then...before that," Kei said scratching the back of her head sheepishly. Mimmi sighed, grabbed Kei by the arm and half-walked, half-dragged her out of the building, leaving the rest of the buns to be attacked by the rest of the members in the library. As they got outside, Mimmi stopped and stood stern in front of her eccentric friend. "We'll be taking a walk right now. And as soon as we're done, you will go home and have a nap." Kei only mangaed to get out a small "Eh!" before getting taken firmly by the hand and led down the street to nowhere in particular.

[Dagger]

Dagger slept in a hammock. It was a very nice hammock, as a matter of fact, and saved her the trouble of clearing up sufficient space for a proper bed. In her opinion, the floor was as valid a storage area as her overflowing closet and shelves, several of which had begun to tilt in a manner suggestive of a certain tower located somewhere in Italy. Wait, was Pisa in Italy? She frowned, then decided that the point wasn't worth pursuing; last night's twenty-episode Sailor Moon marathon had probably been more than enough to permanently curdle her sense of geography.

Groaning, she slid out of her hammock, stumbled over her own Mod-Rod and went flailing into a four-foot pile of DVDs. She muttered something about punishing them in the name of the Moon, then realized she lacked the requisite magical girl scepter-type-thing. And in any case, she wasn't feeling particularly sparkly.

For her, the main disadvantage of being on the virtual island was that it made using male avatars a bit less... convenient. Nowadays she usually rotated between a few pleasantly androgynous female characters, which allowed her to keep members on their toes without creating too much confusion. Unfortunately, the character she had switched to three days ago was rather petite and childishly built, and she still hadn't grown accustomed to her new body.

Approximately fifteen cardboard boxes were piled outside of her door. She winced, realizing she simply had no place to stick any of the stuff she'd ordered yesterday. Mentally reminding herself to never again go shopping on an empty stomach, she stuck her head out into the hall. "Oi, Solo!" she yelled. "I've got a huge favor to ask, if you--"

It seemed he wasn't there, which meant he had already begun making his rounds. Dagger switched on her wrist-band--which looked suspiciously like a knock-off of the mecha-summoning watch in Big O--and spun one of several little knobs until she located Solo's signal. His face crackled onto the miniature screen. "Hey, Dagger. Is something wrong?"

"Well--there isn't anything [i]wrong[/i], per se, but I just got a new shipment of ramen, and I think the kitchen is already sort of, uh, about to explode. Oh, and I found a huge stack of artbooks in the east elevator last night. Any idea how they got there?"

"How many?" he asked.

"What, artbooks? I'm not sure--the pile was much taller than me--"

"No... How many packages of ramen did you buy?"

"Er, I can't quite remember," she said guiltily. "Probably well over a hundred. They were fifty percent off, if it helps. Any advice?"

"Try doing a give-away in one of the high-traffic forums. As for the artbooks, they should probably be taken back to the Manga Workshop."

"Yeah, I'll take care of that. Thanks!"

"No problem, " he told her, and promptly signed off.

[Corey]

[size=1][b]Corey-[/b] "What the hell..." He opened his eyes to see sunlight streaming into his window. It hit his pupils like a laser beam, causing them to retreat into pinpoints. He screamed, a sound that sounded muffled and foreign from the pillow he was nestled to, and realized that it was morning... Or noon... Or early evening... One of the times the sun was still up.

He stood up slowly, feeling the html adjust around him. It wasn't really the same, this place compared to the real world. Everything looked the same. Everything smelt and tasted the same. In some ways it was even better, but it didn't feel right. If you concentrated, hard, you could feel the code being written as you walk down the street. Or when you make a sudden movement, an unexpected one, the html rushes to write the physics of what will happen.

[b]Corey-[/b] "God..." He wavered and sat back down on the bed. One of the downsides of living in an medieval RPG was that you always got talked into a few pints of ale at the end of a night. Hangovers were hell. Corey rubbed his face and took out his old and beaten wallet from the drawer on the nightstand. It was one of the only personal things he had on him when the glitch had happened, sucking everyone into the net. Inside he still had a five dollar bill (worthless here), a picture of his family, an ATM card, a few long expired city bus passes, and an inexplicable coaster from Chiles, yes the restaurant.

Corey took out the picture of his family and looked at it, achingly. God did he miss them. Everyday he looked at the picture, wishing he could contact them some other way then e-mail or web video. As far as they knew, he had run away and was staying with some friends in New Jersey. Bitterness... That's what all their letters had an undercurrent of. Bitterness and anger is what he sensed every time he talked to them over the webcams. They were angry with him.

But they couldn't know the truth. They'd never believe it. For Gods sake, his father has problems turning on the damn computer. Something as accidental and unbelievable as this would make them think he was insane as well as a runaway. He'd lost enough of their respect. He wanted to keep what little they still had for him. Corey slipped the wallet into his back pocket.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Ugh..." He needed a shower. He needed some food. "I need to go to work..."[/size]

[Mimmsicle]

[SIZE=1]?Llama face!?

?[COLOR=Navy]The Emperor's new groove[/COLOR]?

?Excellent. Reward.? *twack* ?Now let's see if we can't make it more difficult....?

In an attempt to tire Kei out, Mimmi was herding the sleepdeprived kitt-- Moderator around the Island. Quizzing her on Disney quotes and using an ultramodern state of the art toy (which was basically a ball of yarn on a stick that she let Kei pounce on when she guessed the quotes correctly), she'd managed to waste a decent amount of time. Not to mention energy on both their parts.

?Oh ... Ehehehe... mmmm?

?[COLOR=Navy]Uh, the hyenas in The Lionking? ... Mimmi?[/COLOR]?

Kei peered over at Mimmi whose eyes were slightly glazed. At first she guessed it was because of exhaustion but then she followed her gaze and spotted a familiar face. Flinching internally she looked back at her friend with a stern expression and growled under her breath, as friendly as possible.

?[COLOR=Navy]Mimminx, I'd suggest you take a deep breath[/COLOR]---?

It was too late. Two buns had magically appeared in Mimmi's hands and she skipped with open arms over to the young man who stood at the beach. Kei sighed and lowered her head in resignation, wondering if she should bother trying to intervene. The ball of yarn caught her eye, tantalizing her kitty instincts. She weighed the importance of saving two of her friends' dignity over indulging in pawing the ball around and pretty soon she was lost in her own little world, playing with her newfound friend made out of rolled up yarn.

Meanwhile.

?Greetings, oh esteemed specimen of the male species!?

Registering the voice as Mimmi's James turned around to see the young woman walking towards him with a silly grin, arms wide open and a bun in each hand. Further up the dune he could spot Kei, assaulting some kind of toy, giggling happily without a care in the world. It pleased James to see the members of OB so relaxed and enjoying themselves. The H4XX0r War had shaken people up so he relied on his trusty staff, and some enthusiastic volunteering members, to restore the peace and tranquility to the Island.

The thought of Mimmi's famous buns and a cup of coffee to go with them, only furthered his joy at the sight of her. Extending his arms to embrace her, he could hear the faint sound of warning bells going off. Thinking it was originating from the Lounge, ?probably another heated debate involving Siren?, he decided to ignore it. Mimmi stopped an arms length away, firmly placed the two buns in his hands and relieved him of his pants with a delighted giggle.

?Always a pleasure running into your pants-- into you!?, she quickly corrected herself before giving him a beaming smile. A huge sweatdrop appeared behind James as his cheeks began to take on a shade of pink.

?I aim to please, eheh? he giggled hesitantly and returned the smile.

Satisfied with commandeering the precious loot, Mimmi turned back to skip over to Kei who had all but demolished the poor yarn ball. The now pantless Administrator shook his head somewhat bemused and accessed his menue, making a mental note to send a short PM to Adam thanking him for the Invisible option. If there was one thing he didn't want to be caught doing, it was holding Mimmi's buns without his pants on.

[/SIZE]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]Realising that he was gaping gormlessly at the disappearing figure, Blackjack pulled his jaw off the floor and shook his head violently to clear away the stupor. He?d just been accosted completely at random by a Little Red Riding Hood look-alike ? now that wasn?t something that happened to him every day.

He looked down at his hand. There was a bun in it.

He continued inspecting the random bake product as he made his way around to the Manga Workshop?s side entrance. His knowledge of HTML was rudimentary at best, but he couldn?t see anything harmful in it ?

He took a tentative bite. He chewed thoughtfully. His eyes widened and he crammed in the rest of the bun all at once.

[b]?Best ? bun ? ever!?[/b]

[/size][/color] [center][color=DarkGreen][size=1]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/size][/color]
[/center]
[color=DarkGreen][size=1]
The Manga Workshop was getting a bit busier now, as the morning wore on. There were three Pikachus gathered together in a corner, sniggering and letting off little static shocks at volume four of [i]Love Hina,[/i] and a Yu-Gi sitting on a beanbag, completely engrossed in [i]Naruto[/i] volume one. [i][b]I hope Lady K finds volume two sometime soon, or there?s going to be a fuss,[/b][/i] Blackjack thought, seeing the speed at which the Yu-Gi turned the pages.

His side room was as he?d left it. He took a few minutes to tidy it up further before folding his artist list into a pocket and leaving the Workshop again.

[/size][/color] [center][color=DarkGreen][size=1]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/size][/color]
[/center]
[color=DarkGreen][size=1]
Blackjack?s favourite eatery was a small coffee bar on the west side of Tokyo 3, not too far from the Mecha Battlefield. It had a serving bar, some high stools against one wall and a couple of round tables crushed together next to the window, all chromed, the way people in the seventies imagined the future. Blackjack liked to sit there with an espresso and a croissant and look out the window at the Team Miyazaki HQ building towering over the neo-Japanese skyscrapers.

Sipping his double shot, he scanned down his slightly crumpled artist list. [i][b]Hmm ? I think this is xXxAlucardxXx?s kind of thing,[/b][/i] he decided, taking out his mobile phone. Before he could dial a number, it rang.

[b]?Hello??

?Arr, matey!?[/b]

Blackjack couldn?t suppress a smile. [b]?Morning, Leofski.?[/b] He took a bite out of his croissant. [i][b]This isn?t nearly as good as that bun?[/b][/i]

[b]?You in your usual??

?The café, yep.?

?Get yourself over to the Mecha Battlefield, sharpish. Latest from my sources in the Underground says Dagger might be competing today.?[/b]

Blackjack relaxed and leaned back on his stool, taking another sip of espresso. He?d almost thought the call might be serious.

[b]?Leo, if your sources in the Underground were always right she?d never be [i]out [/i]of the Battlefield. Be serious. The so-called Queen of Mecha?s just a myth, an urban legend.?[/b]

[b]?I?m serious this time!?

?You?re always serious. I?ll see you around.? [/b] Blackjack hung up and took another bite of croissant. It crumbled all over his yellow jacket. He started dialling xXxAlucardxXx?s number, but his eyes weren?t focused on the phone ? [i][b]well, I fancy some mecha action anyway ? I?m NOT just going because of what he said ?

? what if he?s right?
[/b][/i]
He cancelled the dial and got up, brushing crumbs off himself. Thanking the café?s proprietor, he headed out and turned right, down the street, towards the source of the thunderous footsteps that were making the ground vibrate.[/size][/color]

[Arcadia]

There were certain members on the boards that made it their business to know everybody?s business. Arcadia had quite a few of her own connections, but the speed and efficiency at which these members gained information (and then passed it on) was remarkable. A few names came to mind: Alan, Siren, Annie, and of course, Drix. Arcadia was working on the chance that if anybody knew anything about the cameras in the Underground, it would be one of them. She decided on Drix that morning because, like he knew about her caffeine addiction, she knew he made a mean omelette. That morning breakfast had consisted of a couple oreos and that was really no way to start the day. Even if they had been delicious. So, with two portable, insulated mugs of coffee in her hands, the Hanzo leader made the walk to Drix?s lofty apartment in the Prefecture. Though she wasn?t in the Lounge as often as she wanted to be, Arcadia always enjoyed strolling around the city-like landscape. It reminded her of New York City, except that there was no pollution, and very rarely did she ever see a hobo. (Syk always reminded her of hobos.) The few times she?d actually been to New York, however, she?d seen quite a few characters so the crazy anime hair styles and vivid colors she saw as she walked now didn?t seem so far off from the real place. When she reached the building where the infamous Drix was lodged, Arcadia used her foot to hit the buzzer since her arms were full. That was the other comforting thing about the Prefecture ? it was all very natural. Apartments still looked realistic, and still employed the buzzer systems that you see in all the movies. It was these little things that made it work. Drix?s voice came through the little voice box. ?Hello? Arcadia?? ?Mais oui,? she answered, in a sing-song voice. ?Want to let me in? I come bearing gifts!? The double doors in front of her clicked audibly as Drix unlocked them for her. She grinned and hugged both mugs in one arm as she used the other to let herself in. One elevator trip later, she was wandering down the hall towards Drix?s apartment, whistling horribly and thinking that she ought to pay Team Koizumi a little visit while she was in the neighborhood. Drix was lounging in the doorway as she rounded the corner, and flashed her a dashing smile. ?Good morning!? Arcadia handed him the coffee, winking. ?It is now. Omelette?? He stepped back, gesturing her in. ?Right this way, madamoiselle.? She could already smell the mouthwatering goodness, however, and sighed happily. As she seated herself at his kitchen table, setting her mug down in favor of the delicacy before her, she remarked, ?One of these days I should learn how to cook.? Drix wasn?t so sure if that was such a good idea, given the rumors about her previous attempts in the kitchen, but he wisely kept silent about that. Instead, joining her at the table, he asked, ?So what brings you my way?? ?Why, the pleasure of your company, of course.? She paused, smirking slightly at his raised eyebrow, and then added, ?Well, that, and the omelette, and maybe a little information, if you have it.? He scoffed at that, sipping some coffee. It was liquid joy. Arcadia knew her coffee. ?[i]If I have it[/i], she says.? She grinned. ?So how well informed are you about the Underground, these days??

[Kei]

Since the both of them were showing severe signs of fatigue, Kei and Mimmi decided on heading over the Kei's myOtaku home for a nice rest, seeing as hers was closer. The small gray home looked incredibly dull compared to the lively-colored homes that sat on either side of it, but Kei thought that the silver and gray-toned house had a nice charm about it. She'd always appreciated monotone pictures and the like far more than she did color ones most times, so if it looked odd, it'd just have to be that way. The inside didn't look nearly as good as the well-kept lawn did, but that was mainly due to the fact that all those types of things were handled by the Otakubots when they wandered about on their nightly patrols cleaning up bits of scraggly HTML. Papers, CD cases, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and various other things were littered about the floor, making it hard not to step on a place that didn't rustle. Kei scratched he back of her head sheepishly while stepping over a rather large pile of unopened ramen packs, trying to clear a decent path for Mimmi, who was still clutching her latest pant trophy, to get through. "Well, I guess since I haven't been here in a while, I never did get the chance to clean up properly," she said as she began stooping to pick up random drawings she'd done, the ones that she decided were better going on a pile on what little empty space on her coffee table there was. "It's...all right," Mimmi replied, beginning to pick up things herself, lest she step on something her cat-like friend might have deemed important. "Here, I'll help." "Oh, you don't have to. I don't want to trouble you." The incredible yawn made Kei's last sentence barely even comprehendible, as she could tell by Mimmi's slightly confused look. "Sorry. Bad habit." "Well, perhaps we should just leave this for later. I'm surprised that yawn you let out didn't split your head in two." Rubbing her eyes, Kei motioned the pant thief to the back room. "I guess you're right. Here, it's this way." Being careful not to knock over any piles, Mimmi followed after, feeling like she was playing a part of Tomb Raider for some reason. Entering Kei's room made her wonder more about what her friend's true species was. Besides a few posters of Legolas and Jack Sparrow on one wall, all the others were dedicated to all things kitty. Hello Kitty, Pussyfoot, Sylvester. You name it, they were there. Besides those, there were balls of yarn and scratching posts of varying degrees of wear lying around, not to mention sqeaky toys in every shape that would strike a cat's fancy. What Mimmi noticed most, however, was an oversizedcat bed sitting in just the right position to catch most of the day's sunlight that came through the room's two windows, which Kei happened to be climbing into at the moment. "Your room is certainly...interesting," she said, swaetdropping slightly. "Yeah, I get that a lot. If you move those toys, the bed that actually was here when I first moved in is there. If you don't mind resting there, that is." "Not at all." Walking over and setting the items carefully on the floor, Mimmi climbed into the somewhat large bed and yawned loudly. "Night, Bossyness." "Night." After a bit of stretching and fidgeting, the kitty-Mod managed to shift into a rather peaceful slumber.

[Corey]

[size=1]Corey walked down the wooden stairs to the main part of the pub. He handed a few silver coins to the barkeep, and sat down at the couter.

[b]Corey-[/b] "What's goin' on Meshif?" The barkeep shrugged and handed him a pint of water and a plate of eggs with ham slices.

[b]Meshif-[/b] "Nothing much Corey. You gonna go questing today? Maybe grab me a few nice hemlock roots to brighten up the ale?" The mans grin was infectious. Corey chewed and swallowed what he had in his mouth, and looked up.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Sorry man. I'm goin' out today. Gotta go and check up on things back in my land." As far as the barman knew, Corey was a wizard from the Queendom of Motavia. He really was a wizard in the RPG, He'd been working on the character since everyone got sucked into the place. He was fairly strong, at least he hadn't failed a quest or been beaten senceless by another player. It could happen, though.

[b]Meshif-[/b] "Well if you run into anything I might like, make sure to pack it up for me. I take it off of next months rent." The barkeep winked at Corey and walked to the other end of the counter, where he began cleaning glasses and talking to a newly woken barfly. Corey finished his eggs in silence, hoping that the Adventure Inn wouldn't be so busy today. He needed a slow day. Or at least one free of arrogant Newbies. He stood and grabbed his brown duster off the hook by the door.

[b]Corey-[/b] "I'll see you tonight Meshif. Do me a favor and cut me off after three this time." The barkeep raised a hand and Corey walked out into the dazzlingly bright day. "Jesus Christ..." He donned a fedora and walked out of town , waving and smiling to the inhabitants of the false world. But who was he to say that they lived in a false world, when he lived in one himself. Maybe this was the real one and OB Island was a RPG. Corey shook his head and banished the thought. It was too early to be getting into philosophical debates with yourself. Especially when a hangover was slowly worming it's way out of your system.

He walked into the forest, knowing exactly where to go. The RPG had a changing gate system hardcoded into the very basic html. The gate to the Arena changes places once every day. He memorized the map, and the times when each appeared, very long ago. Today it was in the forest, entangled in the roots of a large redwood. He looked up, wishing they would have made summer a bit more mild, and trudged toward the tree.

The gate appeared as soon as he got within ten meters. He walked up and pressed his hand on the control pad. It slid open and Corey walked through. Instantly, the fedora and duster dissappeared. In it's place he wore faded bluejeans, a black shirt with a grey fleece overcoat, and a pair of old, beaten, beige tennis shoes. He scratched his neck and walked down the corridor that led to the Adventure Inn.

[b]Baron Samedi-[/b] "Hey, Corey!" Corey turned around only to be hit in the chest with a big lump of slime. "Guess where I've been!"

[b]Corey-[/b] "Ok, ok... I get the hint. Jesus Baron... Do you know how hard this shit is to get out?" Baron Samedi chuckled and pressed a button on a small device he had in his hand. All the slime popped out of existance. "Oh man... You better not let any of The Arena's mods catch you with a RPG exporter." RPG exporters were small html devices that you could use to take things out of RPGs. No large objects, but they're still very illegal. Corey stood and wiped at slime that wasn't there. "Why were you back in the Black Horizon RPGs? Other than to try and guilt me into starting Smoke and Mirrors up again."

[b]Baron-[/b] "I thought a good scare would do me good before I go to work today. Plus I got to see the face you made when that slime hit you. I'll see you later man. Don't tell the mods on me." Baron slapped Coreys arm as he ran past. Coreys momentary adrenaline high was over and the hangover hit him full force again. He walked to his station and relieved another member. So work had begun.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Next. RPG name. Character name, age, weapon, gender, biography, interesting traits.. Ok. Apply this html to your hand and scan it as you enter. It will expire after one month of no activity. Next."[/size]

[Gavin]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][LEFT][I]Sweat dripped down Gavin's back, his breathing was deep but controlled and adrenaline surged through his artificial veins. Although the dimensions of his avatar wouldn't change, no matter how little exercise he got Gavin still felt the need to work out. His Nietzschean avatar however meant that he could train harder than he ever could have in real life, Homo Sapiens Invictus, the Nietzschean scientific name, and Otaku Island gave him access to limitless equipment to test the limits of his body. His Force Lance sat in it?s holster by his side, it had become his primary weapon in the H4XXOR attack, High Guard design with a number of improvements, in Gavin?s hands it was absolutely deadly. His training room was styled in a mixture of Celtic and Oriental, an odd combination, but he seemed to have cracked mixing them together. Beyond his Force Lance Gavin kept few other personal weapons, most of those he used in RPGs held no lingering need for them, but some other individual items he liked to keep to remember his long stay on Otakuboards. Breathing out slowly he raised himself up to his full height, one of the focal points to his training room was a large monument, and to Gavin it held a very special meaning. There were two figures to the statue, both standing to attention as though having a photograph taken, a Jedi Master and his Padawan, Yoda and Kane, Craig and Gavin. Beneath the marble memorial were a pair of lightsabers, both personalised by their wielder, but now both lay as a testament to their friendship. Yoda had been one of Gavin?s greatest influences when he was a newbie, he had shown him the ropes and given him the drive to become the member he was today, but now Gavin was the only one of the pair on Otaku Island, and their lightsabers were little more than cenotaphs to times past. He reached down and picked up his own lightsaber, it?s silver crystal still hummed with energy when he activated it, memories of when he?d used it flooded into his mind?s eye. He sighed and placed it back down beside Yoda?s, an artefact from the past, perhaps he would carry it again one day, but now was not the time. Sighing again he strode out the room, it?s doors shutting behind him, Gavin?s home was modelled with heavy influence from his love of Science Fiction, but it still bore much of the appearance of a normal Real-World house. In many cases the Sci-Fi additions served to make his home slightly more convenient, both internally and externally Gavin had gone for his dream home, the home he had designed in his head and wanted to build for years. The sheer dimensions of the house were huge, but Otaku Boulevard was styled on it?s Hollywood counterpart, and it?s residents were in themselves counterparts to those who lived there. His kitchen was his favourite room, he loved to cook and it was the epitome of Gavin, glass, beech and polished steel were the main building materials in the house, but here Gavin had focused all his creative efforts. His stomach rumbled, he laughed considering this wasn't even his body, or the fact that it didn't really require food, just another one of James' strange new quirks to make them feel more at home. A series of knocks refocused his attention, he moved swiftly to his large, almost portcullis of a door. Opening it he found a stunning looking Annie, only then remembering that they had a meeting about a project for Kanetic Works.[/i] [b]Gavin:[/b] [[i]Sighing[/i]] If only you weren't my sister, and I wasn't married. [b]Annie:[/b] [[i]Laughs[/i]] Yeah, sure Gavin, dream on. [i]Gavin laughed as Annie moved inside, she was his closest neighbour and probably one of his closest friends on Otaku Island....[/i][/LEFT][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Vicky]

The OtakuMall was packed with people in its cafe?s, either getting a drink and whatnot. Other places were also packed, like the Social Clubs and Computer Centres. Many members were just talking or heading out to discuss some ?issues? in the Lounge. For Vicky it was off to the Arena, or the Underground. After something to eat she was sort of awake, but after drinking a few sips of the Otaku coffee she was wide-awake. Funny thing was, she didn?t even like coffee. [B]Vicky:[/B] I hate coffee... [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Why?re you drinking it then? Vicky shrugged her shoulders. She didn?t know either. Looking around from their small table she could see the mall was getting even more packed, which she didn?t like. Too much. She put her head down on the table beside the coffee and groaned, while Joko tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] What?s wrong now? [B]Vicky:[/B] Nothing. I just don?t like crowned places. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Social anxiety? [B]Vicky:[/B] >.> I?m a rabbit, not a chicken. She was feeling a little full after having something to eat. Maybe she was better off not eating, but it honestly didn?t bother her too much. She strung up from the table and stretched a little, before hopping off the chair. [B]Vicky:[/B] I think I?ll head out somewhere... like the Arena before this place gets filled with n00bs, you know? Besides I need to run off a bit of that food. [B]Jokopoko:[/B] Yeah I?ll be off too. If you want me I?ll be in the Lounge, okay? Vicky eyed him suspiciously for a moment but dismissed it. She wasn?t paranoid, just suspicious. Of what she had no idea, Joko was trustworthy. [B]Vicky:[/B] I?ll see you later then =) ~~~ The Underground wasn?t unnerving or weird. It was just full of advertisements to Vicky. She liked reading them but never giving feedback, sort of a habit she wasn?t going to lose. [B]Vicky:[/B] I wish it were night time... She found herself mumbling about how she wished it were night time so all everything would be alive again. A bunch of members talking about RPG?s wasn?t alive, just secretive. She used to make lots of RPG?s and have an Underground discussion, but everything always managed to die before it was alive. She hadn?t given up on RPG, just stopped it for a while and only joined RPG?s, she didn?t make many. Quickly she hopped around, examining the contents of the Underground and looking for some ideas she could write down and, perhaps, start them someday. [B]Vicky:[/B] Maybe I should post them in the Underground first... She mumbled to herself. Examining a piece of paper on the floor carefully, which was probably a newspaper; she scratched her ears at the title ?Environment?, which meant nothing to many people. She stood there for a while, still thinking, and then jumped in the air. [B]Vicky:[/B] w00t! I got an idea! ...And then she hopped off, again.

[Corey]

[size=1][b]Corey-[/b] "Listen man..." Corey mumbled into the small microphone that was attatched to the computer terminal in front of him. "You need to find someone to cover this spot right now... I don't know how much more of this I can take. These people are killin' me today..." He heard the faint chatter of computer connections being made.

[b]OtakuBot-[/b] "Ok, someone will be over right away. Just don't do anything drastic until they get there." Corey broke the connection and looked up at another gamer wanting to recieve their gateway html. He frowned at the avatar. A giant muscle man wearing a loincloth and carrying an extremely oversized sword.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Oh God... Next..." The man stepped up. "RPG name and character name."

[b]Muscle Man-[/b] "Þa fòrbíÞdèn |{¡/\/g|)o]\/[ of |}@ ]\[o®t|-|! ^^y nâ^^e ¡s g()rg()râth ?hê ]\/[ig|-|7ÿ!" Corey stared at the man, left eye twitching.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Jesus Christ... Doesn't anyone read the bfrickin' rules anymore?! L33t is a form of spam. Speak only English on the island!" The muscle man sagged.

[b]Muscle Man-[/b] "The Forbidden Kingdom of The North... I'm Gorgorath The Mighty." Another member tapped Corey on the back. He looked up and smiled.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Thankyou so much." He stood and hugged the member that he'd never seen, grabbed his grey overcoat and left. The sun hit his eyes making hiim wince for the second time that day. "Coffee..." He started toward the lounge, hoping to maybe catch a few winks in one of the recliners. A nice strong cup of black Kenya AA. That would be great. A few eccentric avatars walked by him. He glanced after a female member who he thought to be quite attractive. He'd lost his girlfriend when the glitch happened. He had loved her so much, and she grew to hate him. He had told her the same thing the had told his parents, he'd ran away. And she hated him for it.

Slowly, he got over her. He dated a member on the island for a while, but nothing major ever came of it. But he was always looking for a companion, someone that would make the stay a little more tolerable.

[b]Corey-[/b] "Coffee..." The Mall loomed into view, and he strolled in. It was pretty busy for the daytime, or maybe it was just that he wasn't often here during the daytime. He made his way over to the lounge and went in, hoping to just rest a bit. He pulled his MP3 player out of his pocket and brought up Pink Floyd: Obscured By Clouds, placing the headphones over his ears, and got in line for coffee.[/size]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]You had to time how you walked, this close to the Mecha Battlefield. Moping along inspecting your shoelaces wasn't an option if you wanted to stay vertical, unless your avatar was something especially heavy, like a Gundam or a RahXephon-type ... which, let's face it, most of the people's around here were anyway. You had to keep your eyes on the combatants, towering over the Battlefield's walls, and if one went down, you had to jump in the air to avoid being knocked flat by the mini-quake.

When the AIM-chat/coffee incident had first propelled everyone into Cyberspace, Blackjack had kept his current avatar of the time, a Nadesico Aestivalis mecha.

[/size][/color] [center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/SheriffMatt/pinkaestieOBavatar.jpg[/img]

[left][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Unfortunately, though, much as he had enjoyed being that imposing at first, the practicalities of life as an eight-metre robot had hit home all too soon. He'd been unable to get into the original OtakuBuilding, he'd kept accidentally stepping on unsuspecting n00bs, and ... well ... people had made fun of him for being pink. So he'd quickly switched to a construct of the machine's pilot, Akito Tenkawa, with only the horrible impracticalities of anime hair to deal with.

Except then H4XX0r had come along and stomped all over the OtakuBuilding, and James and the Mods had built the new version of the Island, and what should they include but a massive Mecha fighting arena, and then Blackjack had been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unable to resist the lure of piloting giant robots, but all too aware of how lame it was to be one twenty-four-seven, he'd decided to just stick with the human avatar and just switch whenever he was fighting. A lot of the OBers with permanent mecha avatars considered him a bit of a fairweather mecha fan. And of course, it made waiting in the queue for the Battlefield a daunting experience.

Currently he was sandwiched uncomfortably between Optimus Prime and a massive Eva Unit 001, with at least twenty minutes' queueing ahead of him. He tried to content himself watching the expansive plasma screens displaying the action inside, but it was same as every time he came: Gundams, Gundams, and more bloody Gundams. And no sign of the elusive Queen of Mecha, Dagger.

[i][b]Well, I didn't expect Leofski to be [/b][/i][/size][/color][color=DarkGreen][size=1][i][b]any more [/b][/i][/size][/color][color=DarkGreen][size=1][i][b]right this time than he is every other time.

[/b][/i]Looking glumly out through the mesh tunnel that enclosed the queue, Blackjack caught sight briefly of a furry, lupine form. He grabbed the mesh and rattled it.

[b]"Hey! Solo!"

[/b]The Team Miyazaki leader, final authority on all matters Tokyo 3, glanced towards the voice with his head on one side, then bounded over to the enclosure.

[b]"Solo, can you fast-track me in here?" [/b]He knew the likelihood was that he'd get nowhere, [/size][/color][color=DarkGreen][size=1]but it was worth a try [/size][/color][color=DarkGreen][size=1]- as a Mod Solo Tremaine was expected to set an example, but Blackjack knew he had a sense of humour, too. [b]"Come on. You know I'd be more entertaining than these idiots."[/b] On the screen, two more Gundams were just beginning a new bout.

A grin formed on Solo's face, showing a lot of very sharp, [i]very [/i]clean white teeth. [b]"Sorry, 'Jack, no deal. Stop being so impatient and just wait in line like everyone else, eh?"[/b] With a nod, the wolf loped off in the direction of his Team HQ.

Blackjack sighed and turned back to the big screen. One mecha went down in flames, smoke pouring from its empty shoulder joint. He became aware of attention focused on him.

Optimus Prime's eyes glowed an angry red at the comparatively tiny, spiky-haired youth. Far above, a low, threatening sound emanated from the Unit 001. Blackjack stared right back at Prime.

[b]"What?"[/b]
[/size][/color][/left]
[/center]

[Guest Sean]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Word was spreading quick around OB, and there was a sudden rush of people going to the mech arena?s, Reise, now known as Treno, wasn?t into giant robots, apart from his extreme obsession with Evangelion, but that was only one teeny weeny exception. So Treno kept on walking to his destination, which was meant to be Sonata?s place, but he caught glimpse of Methuselah walking down to her own area, not to far from Treno?s.

?How?d you do?? Treno shouted over at Methuselah, who was snapping her fingers and changing genders every so often. She turned up and smiled.

?I?m quite well Mr. Sean, how are you??

?Fine thanks, not seen ULX for a while?

?He?s helping out at the Arena for a while?

?Ah ok, that?s cool, wanna grab a coffee or something? I was getting Sonata but when I PM?d her I never got a reply?

?Yeah why not, over to the O. Lounge, yeah??

?Next shuttle leaves in?10 minutes? Treno said looking at his watch. They walked over to the shuttles, to see the a queue right out of the door. Sean cursed.

?Stupid rumours?

?Hm??

?You haven?t heard? Apparently Dagger is partaking in the Mecha battles today, well that?s what I?ve been told?by about a thousand people, I?m not much the mech type guy?

?Awww, you poor thing, come on, it?ll be fun to watch them anyway, we could get the drinks and get a shuttle over to the Arena, and if we catch a glimpse of Dagger fighting then we do, how about it??

Treno grumbled, but agreed because of the look on Methuselah?s face. They went and joined the queue for the shuttles.

?You?re treating me to a FF9 discussion later? Treno laughed.

?KUJA!?

Treno: >_>;;[/COLOR]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]Methuselah grinned and fwapped Treno on the back, knocking some of the air out of him. He looked at her with mock anger and she merely waved, sprinting off into the crowd with him in hot pursuit. Methuselah laughed as she almost fell over a horribly short New Member that was jumping up and down to look at what everyone else was trying to see. She spotted Siren and, making sure he didn't see her face in case of a later maiming, jumped up and used his head as a support to clear the guard rail and land just in front of a shuttle.

She smirked as both her feet made contact with the steel, a satisfying 'thud' sounding around the area, everyone having gone silent. Treno managed to scramble over the guardrail after apologising to Siren who looked ready to rip someone head off at any moment. Methuselah laughed and quickly climbed into the shuttle, Treno following behind, glaring at her. She smiled innocently as always and fixed her sizeable sword, the people around squashing up to make room for the large pigtailed member. That was the plus of travelling with Methuselah; you never had to worry about being caught in a crowd.

Treno recalled a time when the two of them had been late for an audition; Methuselah spotted a crowd and drew her sword, yelling at the top of her lungs. She never hit anyone, of course, but running at full speed swinging the sword the length of her body was enough to clear a path to the pair?s destination. Treno chuckled to himself and was quickly pinched by Methuselah who was staring at him quizzically,
[B]"What?s so funny, Scotsman?"[/B] she asked, narrowing her eyes. Treno pulled back and shook his head, [B]"Just reminiscing."[/B]

Suddenly the people in the shuttled whooped and Methuselah, using her pigtails as weapons, clearing a large enough path to get a good view. Treno, lucky enough to be a lot taller than his friend, also got a good look out of the window and noticed the huge crowd gathered around a massive, and shiny, mecha. Methuselah almost drooled at the site, [B]"Beautiful..."[/B] she muttered, smiling goofily. Treno rolled his eyes and leant against the glass window, sighing deeply as the journey went on.

[B]"We didn't get any coffee...."[/B] he moaned, Methuselah pinched him again. [B]"Mecha, Trenny, mecha...."[/B][/SIZE]

[Dagger]

"I've heard you're supposed to make an appearance at the Mecha Battlefield today," remarked Solo.

Blinking, Dagger groped about for the remote, saw it lying on the floor and tapped the pause button with her toe. "Eh?" she said with typical eloquence, twisting around in her chair. "Who told you that? I've still got about thirty Get Backers episodes to catch up with. And after that I was planning on finishing Wolf's Rain." She patted the seat beside her. "Come on, you deserve a break. Just watch this next match--it's going to be [i]amazing[/i]."

Several shouts rang across the room, and they both glanced over to see that a minor scuffle had developed between a Touya, several Kamuis and two Kenshins. Solo sighed. "No rest for the wicked, I suppose," he muttered. "To answer your question, it wasn't anyone specific. Just the buzz on the street, so to speak."

"Maybe I will go down there," Dagger mused. "It's been a while. But Gundams put me in such a bad mood... and if I have to go up against another Eva, I'll scream. What do you think?"

"Shown them how it's done," he said, idly hefting his Mod-Rod as he eyed the still-squabbling CLAMP characters. "Anyway, I'd best take care of that little mess yonder. Be sure to PM me if you do end up fighting. I'd like to see it."

She threw him a smart salute. "Roger that."

But before doing anything, she would need to go double-check the Battlefield rules. Numerous problems had arisen when the Battlefield was first created, due to the fact that certain mecha--particularly Evas and RahXephons--could, if used by an experienced member, become virtually omnipotent. So various guidelines had been implemented in order to help level the playing field and ensure that victory would depend more on skill than on your mecha of choice.

Yet for every new regulation, there was at least one mecha fiend able to sniff out some kind of loophole. The full rule-book would soon be well over three volumes long, and she wanted to make certain she was up-to-date. It really [i]had[/i] been a while... she hoped the particular mecha she had in mind (which was sentient, relatively small, and more humanoid/organic than most combat robots) was still permitted.

Whistling softly--or trying to, rather--Dagger stuck her hands in her pockets and ambled down toward the Battlefield. She could always stroll right on out if she lost interest. Assuming, of course, she wasn't noticed.