Posts by victoriana

[fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 50px; margin-bottom: -17px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-align: center; color: #c12e65; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black; margin-top: -15px;](ANNIE LANNING)[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; margin-top: 15px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: center; color: WHITE; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black;]FEMALE -- VAMPIRE -- EIGHTEEN[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; overflow: auto; height: 215px; width: 400px; color: white; line-height: 100%; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;]OOC:
Hey, I just wanted you to know that I'm really sorry about my inactivity lately! Like, I know I keep apologizing, and it just seems like a bunch of lame excuses, but I really am super busy lately. And it's weird, because I've never actually been busy for weeks at a time before, but there's so much I have to do- especially since we're nearing the end of the school year and whatnot. I've been applying for summer jobs all around town and have been studying for the gajillion upcoming tests I have. The ACT in June, in particular. I go to the gym every morning before school to workout (I'm waiting for my grandmother to pick me up and take me right now, actually.) and sometimes pop in there after school, too.

So if you feel like I'm trying to abandon the thread, I swear that's not my goal at the moment. I'm just super busy and wish I had more time for roleplaying! Seriously, thank you for being patient with me!

ALSO. I think April and Lily's templates are my favorites... But they're all so GORGEOUS!

IC:
Seven P.M.? Annie felt the knot in her chest loosen a little. Thank goodness; she had thought the lady in the office meant they opened at seven A.M. the next morning. That knot tightened right back up when it donned on her just how much time she was looking at between then and now; how many hours there were until she returned home and could splurge on blood. She sucked in her cheeks, exhaling through her nose.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost didn't notice the arm extending out before her face and setting a perspiring glass on the coaster in front of her. Spring green eyes narrowed into paper thin slits as the smooth, sun-browned skin glinted in the warm glow of the overhead lamp. It was almost teasing, the way the dark veins of the waitress' wrist moved before her face. Like a cat eyeballing a lazer, she followed the waitress' every movement until she parted from the table, leaving Annie disorientated and more desperate than before she had come over.

She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. Suddenly grateful she had ordered water, she took a long sip from her straw before speaking.

"Mhm, can do. What did you say he teaches again? Quantum physics?" In all honesty, Annie had no idea what quantum physics even was. Some sort of science, no doubt, but she couldn't have told you the meaning of 'quantum' or what it had to do with physics.

It was with a curious glance at the partner Maddie assigned her to that she wondered, not for the first time, just how Kelly went about getting blood. Did she somehow have her own access to bags of blood or did she drink from the vein? Maybe she was like Darren and went for animals instead. It wasn't something they had ever discussed. It certainly wasn't something Annie was too keen on bringing into her day to day conversation.

[/fancypost]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black]HOLY CRAP BELGIUM X ENGLAND?? THAT WAS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER READ. CONSIDER ME SWAYED INTO THE DARK SIDE.

I ship Prussia and Poland for angst reasons so

[fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 50px; margin-bottom: -17px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-align: center; color: #c12e65; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black; margin-top: -15px;](ANNIE LANNING)[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; margin-top: 15px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: center; color: WHITE; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black;]FEMALE -- VAMPIRE -- EIGHTEEN[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; overflow: auto; height: 215px; width: 400px; color: white; line-height: 100%; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;]As the waitress situated everybody with their dishes, Annie pretended to absorb herself in the observation of her quesadillas. With her fork, she poked absently at the corner of one as the waitress dished the other orders out, then was off.

Thank goodness. She breathed an extensive sigh of relief. Once the waitress was gone, it wasn't too hard to zero back in on her friends and sister. After all, her thirst wasn't exactly overwhelming. Not at the moment, at least. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since her last blood bag, but with the way her body made her feel each time the thought weaseled into the front of her brain, it may as well have been a century and a half since she had caught so much as a glimpse of one.

"Yeah?" With stiff, robotic movements, she turned her head to look at Lily. As she did, an amused half-smile sparked like electricity dancing on a telephone wire across her lips. "Oh, it's not, is it? Eat your Mac N'Cheese. With all the studying you're gonna have to do tomorrow, it sounds like you're gong to need all the food you can get."

With that, she spliced off a corner of the soft tortilla shell with the edge of her fork, then stabbed it onto the pointed prongs. While her appetite wasn't necessarily large, certainly not now, she knew that not eating would both be rude and arouse suspicion that something was askew in her mind. So, peeling her attention away from her sister, she took a quick bite of her quesadilla.

Not exactly what she had been craving, but not bad nevertheless.

[/fancypost]

[fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 50px; margin-bottom: -17px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-align: center; color: #c12e65; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black; margin-top: -15px;](ANNIE LANNING)[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; margin-top: 15px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: center; color: WHITE; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black;]FEMALE -- VAMPIRE -- EIGHTEEN[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; overflow: auto; height: 215px; width: 400px; color: white; line-height: 100%; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;]Annie leaned back, allowing her sister easy access to her plate. "Go for it. I don't think I can finish this on my own anyway."

She glanced guiltily up at Maddie's words. Right. Paying. As luck would have it, she didn't have a penny to her name. What could she say? Jesse and Darren paid for everything she could ask for; she had no use for money of her own.

"Yeah, about that," Her tone in itself was more than enough to give her away, but it should have been apparent that the responsibility of finances had never fallen on her shoulders. She had lived under the same roof as Jesse and Darren since she was sixteen, which was right around the same age that most kids took on such responsibilities. "I'm broke." She hastened to her own defense. "But I can just get Jesse to pay you back for anything. He didn't exactly think to send me off with money."

I didn't exactly think to ask. The longer this day went on, the more irresponsible she felt. First it was blood, and now this.

Holding pockets of air in both cheeks, she shoveled another piece of quesadilla onto her fork.

[/fancypost]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 24pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black]— BRYNNE WILDE[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: 220px; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=white]are you going to age with grace ?[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black][i]yes, please!

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 24pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black]— BRYNNE WILDE[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: 220px; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=white]are you going to age with grace ?[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black][i]brynne gazed out of her window at the lights of the city. they bled together and rushed past the car in various shades of red, green, and yellow. the neon digits on the car radio read half past nine. the night was still young, its inhabitants wide awake.

in the driver's seat, narrow eyes focused on the highway ahead, sat allistor kirkland. upon daring a brief one-over in his direction, a rush of warmth pulsed through brynne's veins. allistor was as he had always been; his pale pink lips were twisted around the fat cigar wedged into the corner of his mouth, their delicate ridges forming what could be seen as nothing more and nothing less than a scowl.

"yer lookin' at me," he grunted after a few moments, his expression unchanging. "stop ogling and spit it out. whadd'ye want from me?"

"a conversation would be nice," unfazed, brynne shifted to face forward. "maybe an explanation as to what on earth we're doing here."

allistor took one hand off of the wheel and ran it through his wild, golden-red hair. "i told ye. just a friendly visit to our dear friend, england."

brynne scowled at the sarcasm in his tone. she had a suspicion that something was awry, and the fact that he wouldn't tell her what they were doing on the streets of london, four hundred miles away from their own home, only confirmed it.

by the same token, she knew better than to push him when he was in this kind of mood.

"he's not yer friend, he's yer brother."

allistor's jaw locked. several seconds passed, and when there came no reply, brynne took a deep, exasperated breath. it tasted sweet, like the smoke that came billowing from his nostrils every few seconds.

gently, she continued. "and ye love him; whether you're willing to admit it is another story. but i'm straying from the point of my question. all i'm asking is what we're doing here. i think my curiosity is... justifiable, given the circumstances."

allistor sighed and pulled his cigar from his mouth. "it's for a meeting, alright? there was another shootout between some english and some russians that they ain't quite ready to call a battle. i didn't want ye to start worrying, because it really is probably nothin' worth worrying about. not for you, at least."

an icy chill trembled down brynne's spinal cord. a collision between the english and russians? she had been keeping up with the news long enough to know that another battle like that might just have been the breaking point to finally drag england by the collar into the world wide war that had been waging for almost an entire year now.

"we're here because you know that if england gets dragged in, yer going to be sucked into it right along with him," she murmured, bringing a hand up to massage her temple. allistor's eyes remained fixed on the darkened street. they had veered off of the main freeway and onto a road with sparse light. the car was laden with shadows, but she knew allistor well enough to know that he was glowering through the darkness, irked at how she had figured out what he had been trying so hard to keep from her.

"we're here because yer gonna try to talk him out of it..."

"don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, brynne." she turned back to him with a start of surprise.

"what are you talking-"

"we're here because i think it's time i finally did something to help end this war... we're here because i want to help england fight."

[spoiler=Plot][color=black][i]countries from every nook and cranny of the world have turned against each other. it all began with something as simple as an argument between america and russia... then there came the threat of nuclear warfare. with that threat arose high tension all around the world, and countries began taking sides and preparing for the worst.

there is no solid foundation on which to base this plot. there is, however, a foundation, and it gives freedom to turn the thread into whatever we want.

brynne and allistor [representing an oc island country known as hanson, and scotland] have traveled to london to attend a meeting of the alliance known as the mid powers. it's made up of your basic central/allied powers, save for a few countries who have taken to the opposing team. in this alliance is your character, another oc island nation who represents brynne's brother or sister. brynne and her sibling used to be "joined at the hip." they were inseparable until a disagreement broke loose between some of their politicians. the result? a fallout that has lasted almost a century.

they, along with scotland, england, and a few other select nations, will be sent to a remote area of some country where they will be stuck under one roof together for a few weeks. there, they will not only command their military generals from afar, but will be expected to get along until it is considered safe for them to move locations.

the plan is, if i play a few countries, you pitch in and play a few yourself. they will interact and cause their drama, but the main focus of the thread will be our oc's. there may be romance, bitter disputes, and even deadly secrets kept from one another.

to join, no form is required. jump in with an introductory post similar to mine in the passage above. your character can be on his/her way to the meeting, or even newly arrived. you don't have to ask me if you want to play a canon character; simply jump in with them.

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! especially right now, as the thread is kicking off. i would hate for their to be any confusion as the roleplay progresses!

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 24pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black]— BRYNNE WILDE[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: 220px; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=white]are you going to age with grace ?[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=black][i]brynne gazed out of her window at the lights of the city. they bled together and rushed past the car in various shades of red, green, and yellow. the neon digits on the car radio read half past nine. the night was still young, its inhabitants wide awake.

in the driver's seat, narrow eyes focused on the highway ahead, sat allistor kirkland. upon daring a brief one-over in his direction, a rush of warmth pulsed through brynne's veins. allistor was as he had always been; his pale pink lips were twisted around the fat cigar wedged into the corner of his mouth, their delicate ridges forming what could be seen as nothing more and nothing less than a scowl.

"yer lookin' at me," he grunted after a few moments, his expression unchanging. "stop ogling and spit it out. whadd'ye want from me?"

"a conversation would be nice," unfazed, brynne shifted to face forward. "maybe an explanation as to what on earth we're doing here."

allistor took one hand off of the wheel and ran it through his wild, golden-red hair. "i told ye. just a friendly visit to our dear friend, england."

brynne scowled at the sarcasm in his tone. she had a suspicion that something was awry, and the fact that he wouldn't tell her what they were doing on the streets of london, four hundred miles away from their own home, only confirmed it.

by the same token, she knew better than to push him when he was in this kind of mood.

"he's not yer friend, he's yer brother."

allistor's jaw locked. several seconds passed, and when there came no reply, brynne took a deep, exasperated breath. it tasted sweet, like the smoke that came billowing from his nostrils every few seconds.

gently, she continued. "and ye love him; whether you're willing to admit it is another story. but i'm straying from the point of my question. all i'm asking is what we're doing here. i think my curiosity is... justifiable, given the circumstances."

allistor sighed and pulled his cigar from his mouth. "it's for a meeting, alright? there was another shootout between some english and some russians that they ain't quite ready to call a battle. i didn't want ye to start worrying, because it really is probably nothin' worth worrying about. not for you, at least."

an icy chill trembled down brynne's spinal cord. a collision between the english and russians? she had been keeping up with the news long enough to know that another battle like that might just have been the breaking point to finally drag england by the collar into the world wide war that had been waging for almost an entire year now.

"we're here because you know that if england gets dragged in, yer going to be sucked into it right along with him," she murmured, bringing a hand up to massage her temple. allistor's eyes remained fixed on the darkened street. they had veered off of the main freeway and onto a road with sparse light. the car was laden with shadows, but she knew allistor well enough to know that he was glowering through the darkness, irked at how she had figured out what he had been trying so hard to keep from her.

"we're here because yer gonna try to talk him out of it..."

"don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, brynne." she turned back to him with a start of surprise.

"what are you talking-"

"we're here because i think it's time i finally did something to help end this war... we're here because i want to help england fight."

[spoiler=Plot][color=black][i]countries from every nook and cranny of the world have turned against each other. it all began with something as simple as an argument between america and russia... then there came the threat of nuclear warfare. with that threat arose high tension all around the world, and countries began taking sides and preparing for the worst.

there is no solid foundation on which to base this plot. there is, however, a foundation, and it gives freedom to turn the thread into whatever we want.

brynne and allistor [representing an oc island country known as hanson, and scotland] have traveled to london to attend a meeting of the alliance known as the mid powers. it's made up of your basic central/allied powers, save for a few countries who have taken to the opposing team. in this alliance is your character, another oc island nation who represents brynne's brother or sister. brynne and her sibling used to be "joined at the hip." they were inseparable until a disagreement broke loose between some of their politicians. the result? a fallout that has lasted almost a century.

they, along with scotland, england, and a few other select nations, will be sent to a remote area of some country where they will be stuck under one roof together for a few weeks. there, they will not only command their military generals from afar, but will be expected to get along until it is considered safe for them to move locations.

the plan is, if i play a few countries, you pitch in and play a few yourself. they will interact and cause their drama, but the main focus of the thread will be our oc's. there may be romance, bitter disputes, and even deadly secrets kept from one another.

to join, no form is required. jump in with an introductory post similar to mine in the passage above. your character can be on his/her way to the meeting, or even newly arrived. you don't have to ask me if you want to play a canon character; simply jump in with them.

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! especially right now, as the thread is kicking off. i would hate for their to be any confusion as the roleplay progresses!

[fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 50px; margin-bottom: -17px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-align: center; color: #c12e65; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black; margin-top: -15px;](ANNIE LANNING)[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; margin-top: 15px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: center; color: WHITE; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black;]FEMALE -- VAMPIRE -- EIGHTEEN[/fancypost][fancypost bgcolor=; bordercolor=; borderwidth=0px; overflow: auto; height: 215px; width: 400px; color: white; line-height: 100%; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;]With a mischievous smile, Annie gave a small nod of assent. "Gotcha. He's gonna love hearing from me." Her voice oozed with playful sarcasm.

Speaking of Jesse, she knew that, with the right combination of words, bribing him into taking the two hour trip down there to bring her a few bags of blood would be a piece of cake... But that was just the problem. His motives would no doubt deviate from simply delivering her some blood and then leaving. He still wanted the ascendant from Maddie. She feared that inviting him over, even in secrecy, would result in something along the lines of him harassing the poor witch... And for a device that had caused more trouble than it was worth for all of them!

Without thinking, she stabbed her fork down into her one remaining quesadilla. So that definitely ruled Jesse out of that equation. Still, she did intend to ask him to pay up, but that was more of a later problem. But Darren... Now Darren was a possibility that she could consider, and was becoming wary enough of her own thirst to do so.

"Mm, but seriously, Maddie," Having swallowed the last of her food, Annie spoke up. "Thanks for taking us out to eat. Sometimes, it's easy for me to forget how much I love food."

[/fancypost]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: CENTER; font-family: TIMES NEW ROMAN; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px]WORLD ACADEMY☆ [/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]THIS IS A FINAL NOTICE.
IT IS WITH GREAT URGENCY THAT WORLD HIGH FACULTY MEMBERS IMPLORE YOU TO EITHER ACCEPT OR DENY THE PREVIOUSLY INSTATED OFFER. REFUSAL TO COMPLY TO ALL GIVEN CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN PUNISHMENT. THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLE ARE AT STAKE. YOU AS A COUNTRY MUST ADAPT AND LEARN TO SEEK PEACE AMONG EACH OTHER IN ONE OF HUMANITY'S DARKEST HOURS.[/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]Welcome to World Academy. Dark days have befallen the world, and this is the last resort of some of the world's most powerful leaders. Between innumerable wars and political disarray, the nations are deteriorating in willpower and strength with every given day. Trust dwindles among even the closest of allies. Relations are volatile, and peace seems like a concept of the distant past. This school is meant to rekindle and refresh the wary minds of the personification of each nation in the hopes that it will lead the world into an era of political, economic, and other means of stability.[/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]Parlors:

[color=white]Dining:

Living Arrangements:

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: CENTER; font-family: TIMES NEW ROMAN; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px]WORLD ACADEMY☆ [/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px]THIS IS A FINAL NOTICE.
IT IS WITH GREAT URGENCY THAT WORLD HIGH FACULTY MEMBERS IMPLORE YOU TO EITHER ACCEPT OR DENY THE PREVIOUSLY INSTATED OFFER. REFUSAL TO COMPLY TO ALL GIVEN CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN PUNISHMENT. THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLE ARE AT STAKE. YOU AS A COUNTRY MUST ADAPT AND LEARN TO SEEK PEACE AMONG EACH OTHER IN ONE OF HUMANITY'S DARKEST HOURS.[/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]Welcome to World Academy. Dark days have befallen the world, and this is the last resort of some of the world's most powerful leaders. Between innumerable wars and political disarray, the nations are deteriorating in willpower and strength with every given day. Trust dwindles among even the closest of allies. Relations are volatile, and peace seems like a concept of the distant past. This school is meant to rekindle and refresh the wary minds of the personification of each nation in the hopes that it will lead the world into an era of political, economic, and other means of stability.[/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=white]Exterior:

[color=WHITE]Parlors:

[color=white]Dining:

[color=white]Living Arrangements:

[/fancypost]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: right; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]Residents/Students:
North Italy / Feliciano Vargas
South Italy (Romano) / Lovino Vargas
Germany / Ludwig Beilschmidt
America / Alfred F. Jones
Belarus / Natalia Arlovskaya
Belgium / Laura
Canada / Matthew Williams
Denmark / Mathias Kohler
Finland / Tino Väinämöinen
Hong Kong / Leon
Iceland / Emil Steilsson
Latvia / Raivis Galante
Liechtenstein / Erika Vogel
Lithuania / Toris Laurinaitis
Norway / Lukas Bondevik
Poland / Feliks Łukasiewicz
Romania / Vlad
Russia / Ivan Braginski
Seychelles / "Chelles"
South Korea / Im Yong Soo
Switzerland / Vash Zwingli
Taiwan / Lin Yi Ling
Scotland / Allistor Kirkland
Faroe Islands / Selinda Kohler
Hansen / Brynne Wilde

Faculty:
Spain / Antonio Carriedo... Happiness and Self-Preservation
Prussia / Gilbert Beilschmidt... Sociology
Ancient Rome / "Roma"... Ancient Civilizations / Administration
Greece / Heracles Karpusi... Domestic Animal Science
France / Francis Bonnefoy... Psychology
Austria / Roderich Edelstein... Music and its History
Cuba / Coach "C."... Team Sports
England / Arthur Kirkland... English Literature
Hungary / Elizabeta Héderváry... Culinary Arts
Japan / Kiku Honda... Yoga & Self Improvement
Germania... Administration
Sweden / Berwald Oxenstierna... Woodwork
Turkey / Sadiq Annan... Nobody knows; not even him.
Ukraine / Yekaterina... Gardening[/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]- So as to avoid disputes between foreign adversaries, there will be no idle hands. Time spent in this academy will be time wisely spent.
- You are to memorize your schedule and stick to it. Your schedule is your life. It will be the thing to keep you afloat in the coming months.
- Each individual gets their own quarters. There is no bunking with one another. Twenty-four hours surveillance cameras are in place to ensure that no one enters or exits their personal quarters after the eleven O'clock curfew.
- Assuming that nobody attends classes in their underwear, a dress code is unnecessary. Wear what you are the most comfortable in. [/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 400px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: -1px][color=WHITE]NEWS CENTER:
As students approach the end of their first week, preparations are being made for the first day of class. Teachers and pupils alike scramble to tie up loose ends before the next morning. [/FANCYPOST]

[fancypost borderwidth=0px; background:url(http://data.whicdn.com/images/33870641/large.gif); width:470px; height:200px; border: 1px solid black;][fancypost borderwidth=0px; text-shadow: 0px 0px 5px red; color:red; font-family:georgia; font-size:24pt; text-align: center; width:450px]ALFRED F. JONES[/fancypost]
[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:420px; background-color:white; opacity:0.8; text-align:justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; color:black; padding:7px; line-height:96%; height:150px; overflow:auto][fancypost borderwidth=0px; background:url(http://pa1.narvii.com/5580/850…613440042151d81b1_128.gif) center; width:80px; height:80px; float:left; padding:4px; margin-right:4px][/fancypost]"I mean, I'm already sick of the place, and it's only been a week. How am I gonna last an entire year? Without blowing a fuse or something, I mean."

From across the lunch table, Brynne was immersed in a book. The cover was plain blue, and there was no text to designate what she may have been reading; not even on the spine. Her glossy lips pulled into a gentle, amused smile. Without taking her eyes off of the page, she spoke up.

"Try reading. Maybe some yoga would help?"

At this, Alfred scoffed reproachfully. "Did you just recommend yoga to me? Earth to Hansen, look up from your book at who you're talking to."

With a sigh of resignation, she dog-eared her page and then lowered the book into her lap. "Think of it as rehab, Alfred. Nobody wants this, but we all need it."

"It's true," From where he sat between the two conversing nations, Matthew spoke up at last. Alfred's brother stabbed his empty Styrofoam plate with the plastic prongs of his fork. With his free hand, he brushed a honey blonde lock of hair from his forehead, then continued. "I mean, maybe the officials were right to send all of us here. If nothing else, at least nobody is fighting."

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[size=6pt]★ trek

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: 1px][color=black]Replying as soon as possible! Either tonight or tomorrow! Again, sorry. I can't wait for Summertime; hopefully, I'll be able to get back on my game! My journalism teacher happened to glance over while I was writing something on my laptop a few weeks ago, and he asked to read it. I'm gonna be shamelessly honest: It was Hetalia fanfiction, but he doesn't have to know that. SO ANYWAY. He offered to let me write the introduction to next year's yearbook, and ALSO, he gave me a different final exam from everybody else. I guess he noticed I was embarrassed to have him read over my personal writing, so he's mostly been leaving me alone lately, but he sat down next to me today and offered to let me write something for him. He told me that he was curious about what I'm "always doing" We have the option to do whatever we want in that class since we finished the yearbook, so I spend most of my time trying to get back into my game since I've, of course, felt like my writing is crap lately. He told me it can be anything I want, and I agreed, but here's the thing: I feel like I can't write lately. SO I MADE THIS HUGE MISTAKE AND NOW ALL I CAN DO IS BRAINSTORM. Not that I was doing very well on the other final exam option either. Like, it isn't due until the end of the school year, but THIS IS LEGITIMATELY ALL I HAVE:

[color=black]I'M GONNA FAIL THIS KILL ME PLS.

AND I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD STUDY BACK UP ON WRITING LIKE CRAZY, BUT I'VE HAD A HARD TIME RETAINING INFORMATION LATELY. I'm just so burnt out from school and lack of sleep, and REALLY hope that this makes me feel better about my writing.

This really wasn't supposed to turn into a giant rant, I swear. I just got excited, and my thoughts sorta spiraled out of control whoops. I'm so sorry! cx

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size:10 ppt; opacity: 0.95; letter-spacing: 1px][color=black]It's gonna be a short story. Nothing relationshippy or anything. Probably. Chances are, Ingrid will only be a kid. And since I've been studying Julius Caesar a lot lately, I was thinking about an egotistical emperor stumbling across her in a valley. I have more of this planned out than what I give myself credit for. But no. She wants to see if what one of her friends said was true: that the soldiers of the Empire burn send villages into flames after killing and/or enslaving its inhabitants. Ingrid intentionally falls behind after evacuating the village with the rest of the women and children, but ends up dozing off, exhausted, in the middle of the valley. When she wakes up, she finds this big, bad emperor guy next to her, just chilling in the grass... Annnd that's as much as I have. I was thinking he could teach her some kind of brutal life lesson, and he receives one in return. You know, a revelation-for-revelation kind of thing. "Like, hey. Your brother and father are probably dead or imprisoned, but that's what they get for tussling with the big boys." Again, I've not gotten too into depth on this.

BUT THE THING IS, I HAVE TO WRITE THAT OUT IN STORY FORM. And I've never had a problem with that before. I've not stopped writing since the THIRD grade. But I'm just so weary lately, and even though I'm always trying to write, I seldom get anything down. The only thing I ever even write on anymore is this thread, and I've even been falling slack in that. But you're probably right. Once I get going, hopefully I'll just take right off. I mean, I sort of do have almost an entire month to write it. Only SIXTEEN more days of school though, so I'd better get my act together.

But do you have any suggestions or comments on my short story? Again, you are, without a doubt, one of the best plotters on this site. You know how to keep things interesting. Obviously, if we're still here three years later.

[fancypost borderwidth=0; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 24pt; margin-top: 5px; letter-spacing: 1px]ANNIE LANNING[/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: -5PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px]♔[color=WHITE] OOH, I get what you're saying. Because, despite his emotional abuse towards her (and perhaps after it's faltered a little), Edis realizes that he has grown to think of Ingrid as his own child. So when she finds out, maybe I can have her come into his chambers to confront him, AND THEN MAYBE ATTACK HIM WITH SOME MOVE THAT HE TAUGHT HER YES. Except she's smol, and here's this huge Roman-soldier-looking guy pinned to, like, a chair or something with a twelve-or-so year old girl holding a knife to his throat.

[COLOR=#c12e65]♔ Maddie's suggestion that they take their business to the movie theater was enough to lift the pensive cloak from Annie's expression. That was a perfect idea! Already, against her own will, she had begun to develop a plan what she was to do about her irrepressible thirst.

Despite the guilt churning in her belly, she knew that it was better- safer- that she get some blood as soon as possible. She'd yet to experience overpowering thirst since her recent transformation, but common sense told her that it wouldn't be pretty. Even now, she was growing more and more restless as paranoia swept over her senses.

"I second that," she announced, sliding from the leather-cushioned booth and joining Maddie at her side.

First thing's first. Phone. Leave it to Annie not to know whether or not she had her phone on her. She reached around and felt her back pockets, discovering it almost immediately. She didn't recall how or when it had gotten there, but she was infinitely grateful for its presence. In fact, now that she was mostly certain of what she planned to do, it lifted her spirits sevenfold. Of course, she would be damned if it wasn't dead by that point.

Without taking it from her pocket, she peeked over at Maddie. Next step: seek isolation. That could wait until they reached the theater, she decided after a moment. Perhaps she could duck away into the ladies' room, just long enough to make a quick phone call. "Do you even know what's playing? Or are we just hoping for the best here?" Her voice was laced with wry amusement, as she hadn't the slightest idea of what was out. She never could find enough time to indulge in pop culture, if you could believe it.

It wasn't that she was afraid of what Maddie would do if she found out that Annie was trying to get blood. In fact, she even figured that the witch would understand her predicament. It was more that she didn't want to disclose it to everybody. To her, drinking blood was a personal thing, like taking a shower or plucking your eyebrows. Nothing that the people around her cared to know about, and most certainly nothing she cared to share with them.

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white]Annie shrugged, her lips entertaining a puckish smile. As if she could do anything but agree when Lily seemed so passionate about her choice. Besides, all the rest of the movie titles Kelly listed off were already beginning to evade her thoughts, slipping into the cracks of her mind and faltering away into oblivion.

"Divergent it is."

Hoping to appear nonchalant, she took the moment to slide her own phone out of her pocket. When she pressed the home button, feelings of relief and gratitude mingled inside of her as the screen lit up, revealing the default iPhone wallpaper the phone had been given to her with. She unlocked the screen and it opened immediately to the messaging app.

She suppressed a snort as her eyes grazed over the messages Maddie had sent her. One glance at the top right corner of the screen said that she had nine percent battery remaining. If the phone managed to persevere until then on such little charge, then she was almost certain that it would last a single phone call with Darren.

"Hey, actually, you know what?" Lowering her phone, Annie lifted her eyes to meet Maddie's. This couldn't wait; as much was obvious by her sudden awareness of the people moving around her. The motion, twitches, bursts of uproarious laughter hailing from a nearby group of friends... It all struck a nerve in her brain, and nothing about it sat well with her. "You guys can go ahead. I'm sure I can find my way to the theater on my own." Her eyes fell to the phone in her hand. "I actually need to make a quick call to Darren, but I'll be right behind you."

As if she needed to specify who she was calling. There were six people she ever talked to- give or take a few here and there- and three of them were standing around her now, their thoughts already enraptured in the prospect of warm, butter-laden popcorn and the intimate gloom of a movie theater.

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white]Left to watch as the backsides of her friends and sister receded ever further, Annie merely stood there a moment. To be honest, she wasn't actually sure she would be able to find the theater on her own. A slanted frown melted across her face, but dispersed as she peered down at her phone. How large could the campus really be?

She opened up the contact screen, whereupon Darren's name, the first on her pitifully tiny list, caught her immediate attention. She pressed her thumb to his contact, but found herself frozen as a wave of hesitation caused even her previous, desperation-fueled confidence to stagger.

What if he refused? Or was off doing something, and she was interrupting him to ask if he would do something for her? Knowing Darren, he would feel inclined to drop what he was doing to help her out.

You're digging too deep into this, An. You're not being selfish. If anything, you're trying to keep yourself from hurting any- Her thoughts were cut short as there came a soft tickle upon her arm. At the same time, a girl with cropped, blonde hair brushed past her, not stopping, but uttering a hasty apology as she trekked onward. And where else did Annie's eyes go but straight to her exposed, sun-browned throat?

To compel somebody here, at a place where everybody was absorbed in their own ordeals, would have been so easy. Nobody would hear... Nobody would know. Momentarily forgetting about the phone in her hand, she started forward at a slow pace. Her green eyes were intent on their target, tearing through the girls throat as she wanted so badly to do with her fangs.

No... No! You're only making it worse. Call Darren, and he'll help you. So, after forcibly prying her stare away from the girl, she pressed Darren's name on her phone screen, and withdrew herself from the paved path.

A ring or two later, his answer enkindled within her inconceivable feelings of solace.

"Darren?" His name was a sigh of relief rolling off of her tongue. Having wiped her thoughts clear of guilt, she continued, "I really need you to do me a huge favor." She paused, leaning against the thick trunk of an oak. "And maybe keep it from Jesse, if you can."

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white]"Keep it from Jesse huh? Why..?"

It was like somebody punched her in the throat. "Jesse!" Annie straightened up off of the tree, her mind already reeling for an explanation that would excuse her shady greeting. "I really did not mean for you to hear that." She cringed at her own words. Not exactly what she would consider an "award-worthy" excuse. "It's just- Where's Darren?"

A brief moment of silence. Oh, God. Talk about digging her own grave. She brushed a hand over the top of her hair while her other hand fell to her hip. "Jesse, seriously. I'm not-"

"Uh. Huh!? Annie? Annie! It's Darren now..I promise."

She upturned her face to the darkening sky. "You're a little late. Your brother's probably gonna kill me, just so you know," came her exasperated reply. Still, hearing his voice was the breath of fresh air to alleviate the choking sensation she'd gotten when she heard Jesse's voice on the other end of the receiver.

"Are you busy? I kinda have a bit of a favor to ask you."

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white] "You have no clue how much I hate asking you this."

She enfolded her free arm across her chest and lowered her eyes to the flattened, dead grass at her feet. She felt the presence of the people around her with uncomfortable intensity. They moved to the pace of their busy little schedules, oblivious to the predator looming on the outskirts; she who masqueraded as a crimeless teenage girl.

"It's almost like I'm... God. It's like I'm hitting you up for drugs or something. But if it wasn't important, I wouldn't be asking. I wasn't thinking before I left the house... And I forgot to bring any blood with me." Without giving him the chance to wiggle in so much as a breath, she hastily continued. "I can't bite anyone, Darren. If I let myself do that, I'm worried..." That I might lose control? Give in? Kill again?

"that I might not be able to stop," she concluded at last.

Annie pursed her lips. As much as she hated for Jesse to not just think, but to know for certain that she was keeping something from him, she couldn't have him tagging along with Darren. It was for everybody's good that he not be given the opportunity to harass Maddie. She was still healing, and for Jesse to show up, urging her to hand over that damn ascendant... She couldn't risk her relationship with Maddie like that.

"I would have asked Jesse to bring me some, but he still wants the ascendant from Maddie, and she's only just starting to get used to me again... I think. Okay, more like I hope, but you get why I can't have him coming out here, right?" Her voice was more a plea for agreement than an actual question; she wanted his clarification that she was doing what was right.

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; opacity: 0.75; margin-top: -13px; letter-spacing: 2px][shadow=black,left]female | vampire [color=#c12e65]| eighteen[/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white]Annie almost couldn't believe her own ears. True, she had expected his answer, but hearing the confirmation straight out of his mouth was just what she needed to alleviate the greater chunk of her anxieties.

"Have I ever told you that you're my hero?" Pushing herself once more off the side of the tree, Annie started migrating back towards the trail.

"In an hour, my guess is that we'll still be at the theater. We're trying to kill a bit of time since the office isn't open until tomorrow evening." She snorted and shook her head. "This place apparently has outrageous hours, even for a college. But, uh. The theater. Maddie said it's somewhere on campus, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find. Just text me when you get here." She would leave her phone on vibrate.

Without even thinking about it, she found herself strolling along in the direction Maddie, Kelly, and Lily had gone. She stuffed her free hand down into her back pocket. She met Darren's parting words with an unexpected smile. "An hour?" she echoed, plainly skeptical.

Giving a short laugh, she paused as she found herself approaching a crosswalk. On the opposite side of the road, businesses lined every available space of a tidy little strip mall, and it all seemed to center around an enormous, flickering, firetruck red sign hovering above it all. "Whitmore Cinema". Bingo.

"It probably took us, like, two to get here. Drive carefully, huh?"

No reply. She looked down to find that the call had ended. She wasn't too concerned. After all, she'd never known Darren to be a reckless driver.

Still, with the call gone dead, Annie was left to surrender to the lonely noises of the night. The gentle buzz of traffic lights; the revving of car engines; distant laughter and the grating songs of early crickets.

Suddenly, she wished Darren had stayed on the phone with her. At least until she'd gotten to the theater, where she would have more stimulating noises to occupy the empty places in her head where darker thoughts might creep through. She frowned down at the blank screen of her phone, contemplating for a moment whether or not to redial his number and make him talk to her.

She privately scolded herself. Don't be childish. You can actually see the theater from here.

Even so, that uncanny sense of loneliness remained even as she slipped her phone back into her pocket and trudged past the crosswalk to the other side of the road.

[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 32pt; margin-top: -20px; letter-spacing: -1px][shadow=black,left]ANNIE LANNING[/shadow][/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; margin-top: 5px; width: 450px; text-align: center; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; opacity: 0.75; margin-top: -13px; letter-spacing: 2px][shadow=black,left]female | vampire [color=#c12e65]| eighteen[/FANCYPOST]
[fancypost borderwidth=0; overflow: auto; height: 200px; width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; MARGIN-TOP: 4PX; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 1px][COLOR=#c12e65]♔ [color=white]Once Annie approached the theater, tracking down her small posse was a breeze. Perched on the curb, she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her vision, and almost immediately thereafter caught wind of her younger sister's voice: a sound that, even now, she fought to adjust to.

With her hands shoved into the back pockets of her jeans, an unusual habit she recently seemed to have picked up on, she trailed them over to a table on the outside of the building.

Coming up from behind Lily and Kelly, she raised her eyebrows in greeting. "And I'm back. What did I miss?" She pulled the chair beside Maddie out from under the table and sunk down into it as if she had been waiting her entire life to do so. Folding her hands on the table in front of her, she let a long breath hiss from her lips.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure everything is, you know, smooth sailing back at the house. You guys know how things can get." If she wasn't already teeming with anxiety at the thought of having Darren deliver her blood in secrecy, she might have reprimanded herself more for being such a competent liar. This was one that she let slide. After all, a person could only beat themselves up so much in one day.

Speaking of which, it was probably in her best interest that she call Jesse at some point. It was probably better that she didn't leave their earlier snippet of a conversation unexplained. Just guessing at what he probably thought when he'd heard her on the phone was enough to make her stomach churn with guilt. Granted, it would probably have to be wait until they were back at the apartment and she could borrow somebody's charger.

A battery life could only last so long, and hers had more than exceeded what she'd expected out of it.