Crimson IrisGaia’s hottest fighting game comes

to life...with users like you!

Nom Nom NomablesMake your own 2011 Gaian Birthday Cupcake!

Girl’s FashionWhat’s the hottest Gaian items for women right now? GOM users talk

about their favorites!

Otakon 2011Conventions, Gaia, and Cosplay.

Oh my!

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GAIA ONLINE MAGAZINE ISSUE 5

TAKES TO THE

SKIES

Introduction

““Rufus, I don’t think we’re in Barton any-more,” said Ian as he exited the shop.

The hurricane had come from nowhere, and having grown in size, ripped the store from its founda-tions – lifting it high into the air. Within minutes, the storm had carried Ian, Rufus and Barton Boutique out of Gaia and dropped it square into a distant land that, from inside the safety of the shop had looked all too real. “I’ve heard of storms changing the look of the land, but this is just too much. Okay, let’s see if we can find someone and ask directions back home.” Walking out of the Boutique and into this new world, the shopkeeper found himself and his pet cat located in the middle of what looked like a small colorful city that had been abandoned. Newspapers blew around his feet as Ian walked circles around his store. “Rufus, how am I going to get this back to Barton? Wow, doesn’t this feel familiar? It’s like we’re in that one movie with the little dog and the- ACK!” Turning a corner, he almost tripped over two orange legs sticking out from under the store. On these oddly orange legs were the tackiest shoes he’d ever seen – and that was saying something considering some of the shoes in his own inventory. “Insurance will cover that... right, Ian?” Trying not to disturb the chubby orange legs of the recently deceased, Ian turned and looked down the street. Suddenly, from over the top of the clock tower, a giant blue bubble floated down from the sky directly at him. As it neared Ian, he began to run in the opposite direction, scared for his life. The faster he ran, the closer the bubble got – and suddenly it was too close. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a man in a big hat trying to steer the bubble away from the inevitable collision – but it was too late. The bubble hit with the impact of bouncing on a trampoline, and just before Ian felt like he was going to be thrown in the opposite direction, the bubble popped, sending the man in the big feathery hat flying into Ian. The two of them fell to the ground, rolling a few feet and then laying sprawled on the ground. “Sorry about that. I just can’t get the hang of traveling by magic bubble. They don’t corner worth a darn, and they only come in two colors – Pink & Powder Blue. I’ll tell you, it’s not the manliest means of transportation.” The man in the big feathery hat helped Ian to his feet and dusted himself off. Adjusting his coat and smacking the dirt off his hat, he smiled at Ian. “I came here to welcome you to GOM Headquarters. You came just in time! We’re releasing a new issue of our magazine today, and we love it when new people drop in to visit! Makes us feel important, to say nothing of giving me an excuse to unchain everyone from their desks, and make them clean their cubicles. You wouldn’t believe how dirty they let their desks get – ugh, and all the snack wrappers.” Shuddering, the man in the big feathery hat led Ian and Rufus down into the heart of town. “If I’m not wrong this time – and I’ll tell you, after five shops falling into the square, our casualties are growing – you’re the one we’ve been looking for! Well, I think so anyway. You do work for Action 9 News, right? No? Ah, well… you’ll do.

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“ ””

Cover Contest WinnerWoah! Thank you so much! This is a wonder-ful surprise!

-Sira_Black

We’ve been conjuring up hurricanes with our steam-powered weather control apparatus so that we could bring you here to help us make the magazine bet-ter! Sure, we’ve made a few mistakes along the way – one or two rogue storms here and there – but the more Gaians that get involved with GOM, the better, and I’m willing to go to any lengths to get the news out there.’ ‘This month, our magazine is chalk full of material, but we need help distributing! So, now that you’re here, take this wagon full of newly printed GOM issues and go home. You’ll need to travel all the way to the end of this yellow brick road - why it’s yellow, we’re not certain. Something about the bricks being poisonous… so, um... walk fast. Once you arrive at the end, you should be at the airport. Just go to the booth labeled WizAir’d, and they’ll have your tickets waiting for you. I’ll see about getting your shop back to you as soon as we can. Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy your flight! There’s no inflight movie, but you’ll have reading material… so…yeah.” Before an obviously pissed off Ian could lay him out flat, the man in the big feathery hat put a piece of gum in his mouth, and huffed and puffed until he had a big enough bubble to ride in, and floated away as fast as he could.

“You know what?’ said Rufus looking up at Ian. ‘That guy’s a jerk.”

Here’s GOM Issue #5 – Enjoy.

“”

Birthdays!GOM wishes all of you a happy birthday!

Blue Feather Wings on August 29thAdmiral Lord Cochrane on August 30thOtakuKat & AiriKimi on September 2ndRicocheted Hopes on September 3rdCandyLou & Astraea Pandora on September 5thKats_anime_ilove on September 7thMellow Wings on September 23rdPuddingCow & Nyx Avalon on September 25th

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The Crew Admiral Lord Cochrane Co-Captain/Lead Journalist & Editor

Nymph of Spring Co-Captain/Lead Community & Feedback

Samurai Takeo Digital Graphics Dept. Head

Meia15 Journalist/Editor/Artist/Assistant/Human Resources/Archivist

-Candii_Sweet- Finacial Lead/Human Resources

jzmajor zOMG! Specialists Lead

Shinigami_ANBU Assistant/Artist

slothiiiey Lead Human Resources/Community & User Feedback/Digital Graphics Assistant Lead

theMeji Digital Graphics

Aileeya Journalist/zOMG! Specialist

AiriKimi* Journalist/Editor

Alkalune* Journalist

Beau Obsidian** Artist

bgSkully* Artist

Captain Kibbles* Community & User Feedback

Chandaleria* Editor

Chaos Beaver* Journalist

cmoverkitty* Editor

Djlanful Editor

D_S-Tarheels* Journalist

While you waited patiently for Issue 5, GOM underwent HUGE crew member changes. As you can see, there are a lot of new faces, each marked with one asterisk.

Members who will be leaving the GOM crew after this issue are marked with two asterisks. You will be missed!

5

ecopper12** Journalist

Fayrouza* Journalist

Glass of Orange Juice* Journalist

Illyncia* Tutorials & Guides

Jamie Ranai* Artist

Josephine the Harpist* Editor

KisKis* Journalist

Kyona zOMG! Specialist

le c l o u d** Journalist

Lewpy Von Cakes* Journalist/Editor

Luni Lulu* Journalist

lXl_Soka_lXl* Advertiser

Morwen Whiinch* Digital Graphics

Mousse Chocolat* Journalist

Mrs Ectascy Editor

Mrs Preinz* Artist

neehole* Advertiser

Nyx Avalon* Journalist

Renlio* Journalist

Siorraidh

Digital Graphics

The Devotion

Editor

The Lonely Donut* Editor

The Masked Musketteer** Journalist

Transient Sanity* Journalist

Version Five* Digital Graphics

Guest Writer(s) LilChibiusa User-Run Ball Mod

Intro ............................................................................................2Cover Contest Winner Interview ................................................3Crew List ...............................................................................4 & 5Shop Updates ..................................................................8, 9 & 10GOM’s Millionaire Contest Winners Interview ..........................11Two Years and Still Going? .........................................................12Evolving Item$ ...........................................................................13Steampunkery ...........................................................................14Manga Updates .........................................................................15The Daffodil Movement ....................................................16 & 17The “New” Daily Chance ...........................................................18The User Run Ball ......................................................................19Crimson Iris .......................................................................20 & 21The Gaia Spirit Week ...................................................22, 23 & 24Advertisement ...........................................................................25

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GAIA ONLINEMAGAZINE 5

CONTENTS

16The Daffodil

Movement

18The “New”

Daily Chance

12The Case of

Pietro item

Girls Fashion..................................... 26, 27, 28 & 29Featured ...................................................... 30 & 31Contributions ................................... 32, 33, 34 & 35Otakon 2011 ......................... 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 & 41St. Patricks Tektek Contest ........................... 42 & 43

Nom Nom Nomables ................................... 44 & 45The Lost Smile .............................................. 46 & 47E3 2011 ................................................................ 48Samurai 7 ............................................................. 49Monster Galaxy .................................................... 50

OMGPOP! ............................................................ 51zOMG! ......................................................... 52 & 53Alchemy Crossword Puzzle .......................... 54 & 55Win/Fail List ......................................................... 56Sudoku Puzzle Answers ........................................ 57

48E3 2011

36Gaians at

Otakon 2011

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19The User Run

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50Monster

Galaxy

51OMGPOP!

52zOMG!

Contents Continued

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“ ”Shop UpdatesSimilarities, Color Theme, and More

Written by Fayrouza GOM Reporter

Gold Shop Updates The newest addition to the gold shop is the sock hop styles at Durem Depot; we have:

Ace’s Wild Leather: Okay, but those in love with the biker style would love it, though there are lots of similar items scattered all around Gaia.

Varsity Letterman Jackets: Gaia feels bad for the horrible high school memories you’re still stuck with because of the jocks in these jackets. That’s why they gave you a chance to be one and make other people feel like you were back in the good ole days. But, you also get to see those jocks again and remember those horrid days of high school.

Black Diamond Jackets: Remember that jacket you used to wear that made you look like you had some attitude? Which also made you look fat at the same time? And was all the rage at that time? Yeah that’s it, Gaia made it for you to wear again

Tight Jeans: Remember those jeans that whenever you saw them, you’d wonder how the person wearing them is going to get out of them? More importantly, how did they get into them in the first place?! Now you get to figure it out for yourself!

The Sock Hop Collection: Poodles, puffed up skirts, weirdly cut shirts… Yeah, it’s that 80’s outfit you saw and thought to yourself that you’re never going to wear it even if they paid you to do so. You know, the ones you thought you’d never get to see again. Well, guess what? Thanks to Gaia now you get to pay to wear it and you’re going to see it again!!!

The Vintage Collection: Do you remember that outfit you used to love so much? The one you saw your mom wearing most of the time? Remember the hat that went with it that you used to think was for keeping bugs away? You remember when you sneaked into her room to try it on and it didn’t fit at all and you got caught by your mom? Well you get to wear it, but be careful not to get caught by your mom again; she might worry about you if she saw you in it.

And finally Saddleboy Shoes: I’d say a nice addition to your fancy wardrobe.

Another new set for gold shops is the tropical summer collection, distributed among Gambino outfitters and Buttercup Café. Most of the new additions are repeated and aren’t original, just new coloring scheme, but you may find the new beach tunics and the flower bunch set interesting though.

You might also notice a relatively recent update to Gambino outfitters which is the pop fashion collection, with similar items again found around Gaia, except for the new color schemes and patterns. If you are into bright colors and catchy designs, then this collection is for you.

And speaking of the relatively recent gold shop updates, I’ll have to tell you about Jock Strap’s newest additions for the hardworking Gaians, with the focus being on construction workers, chefs, and mailmen.

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The construction man outfit is a completely new addition to the Jock Strap. If, as a kid, you were one of those peo-ple that liked to carry around a toy hammer and play with toy tool kits, then this outfit is the perfect thing for you.

The professional chef outfit that was produced mainly brings some of the items around Gaia into one outfit. You can find most of the items as separate items all around Gaia shops. For example the “checkered apron” or the “floral apron” can be found at Junk in the Trunk. Or, you can use the “meido’s deluxe apron” from Durem Depot. Basically you can find similar items at different shops as a separate item.

This same thing happened with the mailman apparel, except it brought the semi-revival of the Starter Khaki outfits (only available in the marketplace). This outfit also comes with a mailbag that looks like Gambino Outfitters “messenger bag”, except for the fact that it’s full of letters.

And finally, the oldest update was the Barton Boutique with the elven apparel collection. This update was a nice one not only for the elf lovers out there, but for the high-imagination Gaians, too. This collection contained something original for the gold shops and had a wide selection of colors for everyone.

Cash Shop Updates Gaia took the liberty to release a bundle called Advance Chance, which basically gives you nine tries at the upcom-ing mystery CI hours before it’s released or the current CI in the cash shops which kinda makes you wonder how badly they want to sell it, doesn’t it?

Anyway, the current CI Gaia made is called Valefor Academy, once you buy one of these you get a chance at getting one of the new magically oriented items this item offers; if not, then you get a cash shop favorite.

Also there’re new animated items in the cash shop waiting for you to grab them the Astra X:

Astra XIII: Music in the Air: musical notes flying all around your avatar would look good with Enchanted Strings, Anthem of Hope, Nartian Rock, Underground Sound, Bass Hero and Carol of Ol’ Nick.

Astra XIV: Sakura Breeze: falling sakura leaves all around you, you shouldn’t miss it if you have Sakura Blossoms or Nihon-shu Geisha.

Astra XV: Cruising Cumulus: a moving sky background with clouds running right past you, I’d say a nice addition to your inventory

If you buy the whole bundle you’d get an item called Charcoal Curiosity. This animated item reminds you of your childhood years when you used to look at a cat’s ears as they twitched in such wonder and disbelief.

Also another new bundle in the cash shops is The Mythic Hero Bundle, which includes five items: Fraulein Marzen, Space Pirate, Lilac Finch, William the Playwright and the exclusive Comet Breaker, a new color variant of the classic Limit Breaker. Some of the bundle comes from decades ago and some of it comes from decades yet to come. Fraulin Marzen reminds you of tales of the Vikings, William the Playwright reminds you of those Venetian characters Shakespeare created, Lilac Finch reminds you of the modern history of England. Yet, Comet Breaker and Space Pirate remind you of the science-fiction films you used to like when you were a pre-teen.

Yet another bundle from our ever so productive cash loving site is Crest of the Brave, it has:

Crimson Valor: You might like Crimson Valor if you’re a fan of the Wild West like avatars with a wig that has nothing to do with the west.

Leocorn: an adorable item combining between the furious lion and the dreamy unicorn.

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The fourth annual GSW, a fun user-run event, is running from July 10-16th! Dress up your avi and

come on by to be a part of the festivities, and maybe win some prizes!

Join the Palace of Gaia, where the most amazing things happen!

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“ ”Shop Updates cont.

Radiant Courage: and for the lovely ladies, you get to look courageous and feisty while looking like a fe-male creature……that’s quite an accomplishment for Gaia.

You can buy each item separately and if you buy the bundle you get the Golden Victory shield along with these three items.

And for you zOMG fans, I think you should check out the zOMG section in the cash shops, you might like extra gold potion, since Gaia didn’t like how you got lots of gold (in attempt to control the Gaia Gold inflation).

Of course you’re wondering about Evolving Items well the current evolving items are:

ZodiacalMystery of the Stolen SapphiresLe CarouselCatastropheThe Watch MakerThe Case PietroOwlpocalypseTimmy

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“ ”GOM’s Millionaires!An Interview with the contest winners

After having to restart our Millionaire contest, we’ve finally brought the contest to a close. Even more suprising, the winner of the contest, Gio Gio Star, gave her friend, Braviary, every cent of the winnings. Here is a small interview with our lucky contestants: Who are you? Tell as a little about yourself. I’m Gio Gio Star. I have been a member of Gaia since o7. I am in a student currently studying music, but is getting into the process of switchimg majors as a Spanish Teacher or a Special Eds Teacher so I can come back to the U.S. and become a teacher. I am happily dating a user on Gaia for a bit over a year. We both met in the A/M/C where we were Regs there. I now roam around other forums on Gaia, but occasional return to my home forum.

What was your reaction when you found out you had won?

OMFG HOLY SHITAKI MUSHROOMS!!11!!!11!!! So happy for Lexi.

And just for kicks:NINJAS OR PIRATES?

Neither. Pirate Space Ninjas is where it’s at.

Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself. Well, my username comes from the new Generation V Pokemon, Braviary (pic of it on my profile). They call me Brav for short. IRL, I’m 20 years old living in sunny Florida and I’m about to finish my second year at community college. I’m a geek, anime fan, video game player, Pokefreak, Simpsons junkie, and honors student. :B I work at a shipping distribution center. I joined Gaia back in late late late October 2009. Met some cool people in my time here, and some of them are now my closest friends. And right now I’m currently dating a girl I got to know here since a year ago. Also, I just realized you asked for a little about myself. Rest on my profile~

What was your reaction when you found out Gio Gio Star had entered for you and won?Well, we were on the phone when she was gonna tell me that I won. I took a guess that it was her who nominated me when she mentioned GOM, I had a hunch for a while. Teehee~ But I really am grateful that one of my closest friends got me this recognition. I really am happy to have a friend as caring as her. :3

And just for kicks:SPOON FORK OR KNIFE? (Question submitted by GOM Reader Qyp)Hmmm... I would have to say combine the three to make a Snike. It’s like a spork, but it’s got longer tendrils with jagged edges....Ouch on your tongue, though.

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Written by Nyx Avalon GOM Reporter

Over the course of the last two years, I began worry about the fate of Pietro and thecat-run Catastrophe. Their arrival had the beginning of a somewhat dismal welcome foritems that would still be in the cash shop today. I wonder why it seems people have wanted them to finish evolving. It would seem that as much as we want new items, we tend toneglect the older ones. But who is really neglecting them? Is it the artists who aren’t updating them? Or is it the users who only vote for the newest update?

In the light of the fact, some people have noticed that their items are not receiving all of the evolutions, even after the item has been out for two years. People have also complained about the fact that nothing substantial has happened in these noted years. There have been some threads brought up by hopefuls wishing to have their items finished so they can unlock all the older poses. But are their pleas reaching the artists responsible for the items? From the look of things, the answer is no. I also believe a part of the problem is that people are failing to give them more attention in the weekly EI polls. A large percentage of Gaians are complaining that our current EIs are failing. In addition to complaining about the faster evolving items, they want more poses for finished items. It just seems that GaiaHQ isn’t giving us our money’s worth when we get EIs.

Despite that, the artists aren’t completely neglecting their items. Due to more mentioning of Ca-tastrophe in the month of June, it has finally reached its conclusion after almost two full years. Now, with any luck and maybe some progressive pleading, Pietro might soon follow in its footsteps. Without much input from the artists though, I stand unbiased on knowing where to conclude the mishaps and slow pro-gressiveness of our EIs that are still out there.

Going on to the actual poses themselves, we see Pietro has been centered upon a complex murder case. It involves gun wounds, head shots, bloody clothes, and a puzzling back story if you really think about it. Catastrophe on the other handdelves into the mind of a cat with a talent for image making. Starting out with a simple game of cat and mouse, this item then moves onto showing a cat’s love for you and their severe distaste for those silly costumes you deem him adorable in. Then after a long wait, the items finale arrives. The finale has many poses, from seeing the cat designing a Gaia EI to giant cat paws surrounding your avatar. Another pose from the finale is the ever popular “You are cat?” pose. This takes your current avatar and places it into a mask of a cat shape. Many people take advantage of this pose, making many funny cats from it. I might note that some layering problems make a couple of items that surround a normal avatar layer over the cat mask layer. Though hopefully GaiaHQ can work out these kinks and get it perfect.

Peace out from your observational nutcase.

~Nyx Avalon~

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Catastrophe

Case of Pietro

“ ”Two Years and Still Going?An observation on neglected evolving items

COMMUNITY

For Chibi anime art and much much more stop by The Royal Snuggle Hall Artshop for top of the line colored art of you’re choice.

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“ ”Evolving Item$The Price of Evolving Items

Written by KisKis GOM Reporter

Often times, on Fridays, I found myself ogling the new evolution of one of Gaia’s popular EIs, available through the cash shop. That’s when the most expensive one would be 999 Gaia cash and splurging some of my hard earned money didn’t feel dirty. But a new EI, called Zodiacal, changed everything, coming in at a whopping 1499 cash ($14.99 USD). Though it is a pretty neat little item with many different colors and different items (like hair and horns), it has been causing somewhat of an uproar.

The amount of Gaia cash spent on an item usually reflected what would be to come within; the 999 Gaia cash items have been the most impressive and their updates held the most options for a player. Though recently, Gaia has come to a decline on their EIs. Many Gaians are upset for the stalling of items like Case of Pietro and Catastrophe, while others like The Watchmaker and Zodiacal have hogged the spotlight attention. This trend shows that Gaia’s real intention is to make money--instead of serving its users. The more purchased, the more updates it will get, like The Watchmaker. Started and already finished, it was a simple 499, but it has enticing items such as cute little watches, an eye patch, and even a background. It rose to be one of the most popular items. As of June 10th it was completed with only a few added poses as Gaia’s attention switched back to the more expensive Zodiacal. It left some still awaiting an actual change to The Case of Pietro, which has not evolved since late February.

As some of the threads under discussion of the EIs suggest, maybe Gaia should slow down the production of more EIs and instead finish the old, yet active ones, which include The Case of Pietro, Catastrophe, Owlpocalypse, and Timmy. Finish those and Gaians can welcome, and buy, new and impressive items like Zodiacal and actually enjoy them without any hiccup or thought to the ones waiting their turn.

The Watchmaker

Zodiacal

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“ ”SteampunkeryA How-to Guide to Steampunk Your Avatar

Written by Alkalune GOM Reporter

Every day I see more and more Steampunk-related art and topics on Gaia. If you’re itching to give a Steampunk avatar a go, then there are a few guidelines you might want to consider before you begin. Here’s a basic outline to help you make a Steampunk avatar.

First, pick your base. The hairstyle should befit the 1800s or Victorian era, sophisticated or with curls. You could also try a punk style if you’re daring.Next, add clothing. Anything from the 19th century up until the mid-1900s would work. Try to adhere to the characteristic browns, bronzes, and gold, in order to sustain the worn, sophisticated look.

Next, add accessories like watches, guns, bullets, keys, and anything related to the Victorian style. If your outfit matches and works along with the virtually famous and overused Brass Raving Goggles, best known for Steampunk, then you’re on the right track, but any type of goggles should suffice.

At this point you might want to add some extra items such as gears, clocks, mechanical limbs, etc. Don’t worry about being too specific to the time period; anachronistic

and fantasy items add to the look and concept of Steampunkery.

From here, add or subtract anything to make your avatar look the way you want, while still sticking to the Steampunk theme. Don’t be afraid to add a bit of color other than brown. Perhaps there are items and colors others haven’t yet tapped into! Whatever you do, make it your own. Steampunk is about being unique in your own designs.

If you’re still in dire need of finding the perfect Steampunk item, then it might be time to check The Self-Proclaimed Official Item List For Steampunk.

Good luck with your avatars Gaians!

-Alkalune

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“ ”Manga UpdatesTo follow a story...

Written by KisKis GOM Reporter

I have learned you either love Gaia’s manga, or you hate it. The style is one in its own, and sometimes the story line drags along to make the chapter longer. Yet most are aware of the story line and, at the very least, its characters. The newest addition to the story, titled “Beast”, features many characters after one’s heart, including Sentinel, Overseer, Gino, Edmund, Brennivin, ‘Ladyhands’, Meili and many others!

The manga followed a release of one per weekday, which some were not happy about. The first page, which was dropped on a Friday, was a beautiful cover page. I scoured over the discussion thread Gaia had put up, and quickly many people comment on the title, “Beast”. A few Gaians in the discussion thread thought up the possibility that Meili, a god like Sentinel and Overseer once were, might have some beast powers, or turn into a beast himself! What an awesome idea! As everyone waited for the following Monday, most people admired the art or were starting to get irritated at the wait itself.

As the manga progressed, it lack solely that: progress. Most panels were filled to the brim with talking and it was mostly Sentinel, Overseer, Edmund, and Brennivin. That was the largest topic talked about in the thread, along with the want for more action. Still, the idea that the remaining pages would topple us with a powerful god or even that same god, Meili, being a possible evil character was ever apparent. Another question dawned on us all: Who would get to Gino first, and would they tell him of his father’s death? That sparked a few comments on the possibility he already knows. A fellow Gaian, Jasmin Dragon Iroh, said “Gino may learn about it from news broadcast before they catch up with him. Either that, or Meili will tell him, or mention it if he thinks that Gino already knows. Meili is hiding from something or someone…” A friend of mine, Pigy152, made a wonderful comment which entertains the estimations stemming from the title, “I think while saving Gino they are going to run into a monster…something bad is always happening to Gino. I would not be surprised if he got caught up in some trouble with a beast!” So true, that little, blonde-haired boy is a trouble magnet.

One of the stories antagonists is M.I.A. so far in the issue of “Beast”, a lot of Gaia’s users like him, evil or not. More often than not, I would read a post admiring the vampire, Zhivago, and hoping he will become a part of the current manga issue. Still we watch, patient or not, for the story update alert to show us what will happen!

Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is wait patiently for this manga to continue. Maybe Gaia’s story makers will throw us a twist none of us can fathom, or it will stop and leave us with a cliff hanger until the next chapter is dropped upon us. Either way, mostly everyone seems excited for the upcoming pages and even chapters of the adventures of the characters of Gaia Online.

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“ ”The Daffodil MovementA User-Run Cancer Awareness Movement

Written by Meia15 GOM Reporter

These past few months have been busy ones for Gaia. Various happenings have been taking place, many of them user-run. One event that I was a part of this year was The Daffodil Movement! The Daffodil Movement is a user-run event that takes place every April here on Gaia. The goal of The Daffodil Movement is to spread the awareness of every type of cancer, from breast cancer and colon cancer, even melanoma. There are many types of cancer, each and every one of them being as serious as the next.

The Daffodil Movement, or TDM for short, was originally created to show everyone’s support for VO back in 2006 and was under the name, We Care. Word had gotten out that his father was sick, and the people of Gaia came together to show their love for the admin. The next year, the leader in charge of conducting the campaign had changed, but it still held the same objective. The only difference was that it officially became known as The Daffodil Movement. But why “The Daffodil Movement,” you ask? The name is believed to have come from the American Cancer Society’s program, Daffodil Days. The daffodil has many symbolic meanings: they symbolize hope, and they also represent cancer awareness not just to ACS, but to cancer awareness societies in other countries as well. They are the first flower of spring, as well, known for their durability and ability to grow almost anywhere. It also doesn’t hurt that they first start popping up around April.

Years would pass and TDM would continue going on in April, gradually shifting from just supporting VO to supporting everyone and spreading the awareness. The first objective, support, is basically what it sounds like. TDM helps the Gaian community express all of its love and care for everyone who is going through the difficult times that cancer creates. The second goal of TDM is relatively new, but is just as important as the support itself: emphasizing the diversity in the manifestations of cancer. This new mission was implemented by their current captain, Blazekit, and it was a great way to get more of the community involved in the movement. During the event, cancer-typed teams show their spirit, and the team that is deemed the most spirited wins a real-life donation for the type they represent. Blazekit started this fun competition to help people understand that there are different forms of cancer and show why that makes cancer the problem that it is. Recognizing that each kind has its own way of surfacing, as well as its own symptoms, effects, and treatment methods convey the magnitude of the problem it poses in today’s society. “Just knowing how diverse its forms are would be a type of cancer awareness that, I think, the general population isn’t as exposed to. If I was going to make a true cancer awareness movement, I wanted it to be something beyond the Blaizekit simple thing everyone already knows: cancer exists and it is bad.”

So there you have it, Gaians! We want you to show your support and equip some daffodils next April, whether it’s just a single one or a whole bouquet! So go, run free!

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Written by Nymph of Spring GOM Co-Captain

On Tuesday April 27th, Gaia released an announcement stating we would be receiving a “New” updated to Daily chance. At first, one would be ecstatic about this! No more trash and other junk items, right? Gaia has finally listened to yet another complaint we the user-base had put forward to them. It’s rare, but it shows they really are listening to us. Wrong. Upon reading the announcement further, myself, and many other Gaians learned that in order to improve what exactly we get from the Daily Chance wagon, is determined by how many people we have referred to the website. How LAME. Here’s a breakdown of how this “point system” works:

0 invites: The standard stuff. 5-10 Gold, bugs, trash, starter items, etc. 3 invites: Payouts of 20 Gold and up, wearable items worth up to 500 Gold, no starter items, no trash/bugs/flowers (you’ll still get ink!). 10 invites: Payouts of 50 Gold and up, wearable items worth up to 2000 Gold, aquarium fish, exclusive Daily Chance items and better odds of getting the good stuff. 25 invites: Payouts of 100 Gold and up, high-end shops items, aquarium fish, the rarest Daily Chance items, new exclusives, better odds and a chance to win 1 million Gold. This is now known as “Social Daily Chance”, or in Gaia terms, “spam your friends with invitations to our website so we can make even MORE money and have less people to give a damn about!” Good job, Gaia. How is this fair to those, who have been trying to get people on Gaia, but have failed? I myself am one! None of my friends are willing to sign up for Gaia. They have lives, and are “too cool” for Gaia, ap-parently. So I’m going to be left in the gutter because my lame friends don’t want to do me a favour and sign up? Ever wonder why there are so many unused accounts? Or why Gaia is going to recycle usernames on inactive accounts? Well, this is surely a contributor. Gaia, do you really think people are going to honestly invite their friends? I don’t think so. It’s much more reliable to make 25 spam email addresses, “invite” them to join Gaia, sign up under a lame username like bettyboop123455323234, or some other obvious mule name and be done.

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“ ”The User Run Ball Written by LilChibiusa Guest Writer

Most Gaians have heard of the Annual Balls, but the majority of Gaians don’t know what they are. Read carefully, because you’re about to discover one of the most fun and exciting things about Gaia! Annual Balls are massive Gaia roleplaying events that are run and sponsored by normal users just like you. Each year thousands of people join together to dive into worlds meticulously created by the ball staff. While the ball has evolved a bit over the years since beginning in 2003 many things remain constant.

The staff is in full character for the ball when the guests arrive, making it seem as though the guests are entering an entirely new world. Guests, on the other hand, are not required to invent new characters, and most typically play as themselves. There are always people of all ages and with varying levels of roleplaying experience present, so no one should feel intimidated or discouraged when entering a ball. While balls are fun, they don’t last very long. They typically last from Friday at noon to Monday at noon, making for three intense days of roleplaying. The plot advances so quickly that guests can’t help but be glued to the rooms of their choosing; however, they can always read plot updates if they miss anything. Each ball also has lots of games, contests, and prizes. It is now a tradition to have a king and queen chosen for each ball.

While there is a cohesive theme holding each room together, each individual room has a segment of the larger plot, making the ball more accessible to a greater number of people. During the 8th Annual Ball the theme was Greek mythology. The gods and goddesses paired up and created their own parties to see who could draw in the most guests, thus determining which gods and goddesses were most loved. The 9th Annual Ball was held August 19th - August 22nd. The admins did a great job of sending out announcements and featuring it on the Gaia home page so users knew exactly when it begins even if they forgot the date. The rest of the staff and I hold the Annual Ball close to our hearts, and we all sincerely wish that you will come and enjoy it with us next year! Click on the picture below, drawn by GOM Crew member Mrs Preinz, to go to next year’s planning guild!

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Written by Glass of Orange Juice GOM Reporter

From the time that -Candii_Sweet- got his first gaming console, he knew that he wanted to de-sign and make his own games one day. Right here on Gaia Online, his dream started happening. Ideas came and went, and he started working towards making his very own game for Gaia.

In 2006, the interactive visual novel, Gaia Adventures was made. Using this for his inspira-tion, Candii decided he wanted to make something that you could play, instead of just sitting back and watching. Ideas for his game piled up, and he decided after playing many games like Guilty Gear and Street Fighter, he wanted to create a fighting game.

In 2007, he opened a small casting call, but it failed. “The whole project kinda fizzled out,” he says, “but after a while I picked up the game where I left off in 2009.” After a few long, hard months, he became more accustomed to the world of fighting games, and began another casting call in Gaia’s Fighting Game forum. The thread was slow, and even though it had rare moments where it had many people, it died out eventually.

Candii plodded through and started designing, making the first 7 characters for his game. After those were made in 2010, a playable beta was released. The cast for the first 7 was a bit different than the first two casting calls, for he decided to take half from his earlier casting and half of the regulars from his game thread. As a bonus, he asked the creator of Gaia Adventures if he could use his avatar, and he obliged.

Of course, he had to make the game somehow. To do it, he used the program Fighter Maker 2, which is a free-ware fighting game engine that allows you to make your own game. When he first made Crimson Iris, he wasn’t actually that good with the program. It took him until he made the 2nd beta to actually make the game decent enough to play, with less glitches, more combos and moves.

“If you want to be on the list for a character,” Candii explains, “it really is easier than you’d think.” There aren’t many people who stick around in his thread, and to get into the game as a play-able character, you would have to be a regular. He says that his dream is to eventually fill up the roster of characters and make Crimson Iris a widely played fighting game on Gaia.

The money situation with the game is actually more complex than you’d think. The artwork for the thread and game cost about 150,000gg, and he has to stock up on money for each new release of the game. He also uses gold for banners, buttons, and especially advertising, so that the game gets around Gaia.

Using a poll a few months ago, he counted up the votes for the most favorite characters in his game, and he’s putting them on a list for a sequel! He says that the game will not be made with Fighter Maker 2, but with Fighter Creator. He has so many ideas for his game, but Fighter Maker 2 cannot do some of those things. The reason he didn’t use Fighter Creator for the first game is because it was not out, and is coming out around Thanksgiving 2011.

So head by his thread and check out this rising game, Crimson Iris, and you’ll be in for an amaz-ing fighting game.

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“ ”Crimson IrisA Rising Star

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Written by Nyx Avalon GOM Reporter

Five years ago a spark of creativity set up the bases for an idea that would be carried through even if unknowingly for the next four years. Although there were a few changes along the way, there still was the base of the idea: a week of showing one’s spirit for Gaia Online. In other words, the Gaia Spirit Week.

The idea was started by a different person than the one or ones that carry through with it to this day. It’s an idea that has loyal participants hoping to plan events offline around the weeks happening. As I have noted in the previous year’s After Party, which notably the After Party for Gaia Spirit week is a year-long deal and probably the best way to have any warning for when the next year’s fun begins. Not that it ever seems to truly end.

During the Gaia Spirit Week I have come to know there are six days of individual contesting for winners and a final day of a class competition. This year, the individual days were:

Sunday: Music Theme day Monday: Economically Friendly day (for Richer or for Poorer) Tuesday: Techie Theme day Wednesday: Favorite Item day Thursday: Monster day Friday: Unknown day - It was voted into being Accessories Only day

The group day was to dress in the classes assigned colors which rainbows out from beginning to end making the reason for the last days “Rainbow pictures” that happened to cause a smidgen of fun for the town’s unprepared servers last years. Those assigned colors are:

For the year 2003: Red For 2004: Orange For 2005: Yellow (Gold) For 2006: Green For 2011: Black

For 2007: BlueFor 2008: PurpleFor 2009: PinkFor 2010: White

There would be no great gathering without a little bit of friendly competition. As such, during Gaia Spirit Week, the note of the people who won each day’s contest and which class had the biggest turn out I have this conclusion:

The Daily Puzzle Winners were: This event was canceled. The Raffle Winners were:

First place: cramshaft Second: Miss Mary Muffet Third: Omnom Kitty Fourth: La Lionne Fifth: Fluffy_socks

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For the Avatar Contest the winners were: Sunday: Music Theme day Winner: Runner Ups:

Monday: Techie Theme Day Winner: Runner Ups:

Thursday: Monster day Winner: Runner Ups: Honorable Mention:

Friday: Unknown day-It was voted into being Accessories Only day Winner: Runner Ups:

The Class with the most Huzzah was: First Place: The class of 2007 Second Place: The Class of 2004 Third Place: The Class of 2005 The Ultimate Winner(s) were: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

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Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself. I’m Varlot, one of the founders of GSW. I do most of the actual running of Spirit Week and I handle all the PMs and the Avatar Contest and make sure everything stays organized.

How did Gaia Spirit Week all start? Where has Gaia Spirit Week gone from there? Gaia Spirit Week got started one night when Sheiran and I were hanging out, and discovered this thread in the Memorable Threads section in the forums. I got unreasonably excited about it. We started hunting for any traces of another GSW in the forums, but couldn’t find anything. We’ve heard from many people that there have been other Spirit Weeks in the past, but we’ve never been able to find any except that one and definitely no one was doing it this year. So I said, hey! We should do this. And unlike most of my other silly ideas, this one actually happened. We made the thread, and a couple weeks before it began, we got a message from Gaia telling us they were going to spotlight the thread. It was one of the first things they ever spotlighted - back then the Community Spotlights were in actual announcements so we got a lot of publicity, which was lovely. Here we are, four years later, and GSW is still going strong. We have quite a number of regulars in the thread and dozens of people who come back year after year for GSW.

What are some of the interesting things that have happened during Gaia Spirit Week? Hmmm, interesting things... I’m not really sure what to say for this question! Once, in the first or second year, I had a power outage at my house for a number of hours, and when I came back the account’s inbox was overflowing - it had reached cap and was deleting the oldest mes-sages, none of which I read yet. That was a pretty embarrassing moment. Sometimes when I take a break during Spirit Week I’ll hop into Towns to check out what people are doing there, and a lot of times I don’t bother to switch to my main account. So sometimes people who are new to the event get really excited about seeing “I r Spirit Week” actually in Towns. I’ve had people ask me to stop for a screen-shot with them, which feels a bit weird. We’ve gotten some weird PMs over the years. Generally the PMs are nice enough, sometimes adoring, sometimes antagonistic, sometimes just begging, but every now and then I get one that’s just weird. Once, this person sent a PM asking some question, and I sent off the answer, expecting that to be the end of it, but they messaged me again, asking if I was an adult. I said, no, I’m just 16. They then responded with something along the lines of, “Oh okay, I thought you were all wrinkly and old, you know?” What do you even say to that? Speaking of strange PMs, I once got one asking us why anyone would ever want to do spirit week, when you could be out camping in real life. Camping? That’s the only other thing you could be doing with your time? It’s camping or GSW? Oh, one interesting event. Every year Shieran does her Daily Puzzles, right? And every year one of them is asking what her real name is. It’s... a bit unfair I’ll be honest, because we don’t expect anyone to be able to figure it out. And yet, every year at least one person actually does get it. It’s intensely creepy and amazing at the same time. And who are some loyal participants of Gaia Spirit Week?We have tons of super loyal people in Spirit Week! From the top of my head, here are just a couple: you (Nyx Avalon), obviously, lil4fingers, ThatOddBlonde, Silver_Cerulean, SheThoughtSheDid, Izzy Says Rawr, Misaki Blaze, QT2, Hello Neon, Le Noire, Renia goes RAWR, all of the wonderful mods for the thread of course, and there are just tons more. There are so many dedicated spirit weekers, I couldn’t possibly name them all.

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“ ”The Gaia Spirit Week cont.Had enough of the Gaia Spirit Week? No? Good.

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“ ”Girls FashionWe asked Gaian girls to tell us what were their all-time favorite items!

VD_X:“Absolutely have to have my lumiere noire and my apprentice charm.”

True Manticore:“The 3 items I want the most right now: Bunny Flop, Ring Around the Rosie, and Ilmacchiato.”

rakrose:“Items that are gorgeous: Zorya, The Sandman, Celestial Emissary, Oisin’s Blessing, and Happy Melody.”

Seirya: “The Sandman, Pale Marionette, Raging Night Jewel, La Dragonne, and Spilled Pages.”

coolioOlivia: “Tomorgenne Maid and Antique Shop. I love them together.”

FlickoFly: “The Persephone item! I wish it wasn’t so expensive, because it really is a beautiful item.”

Blue Eyed Wallflower: “I’ve wanted the Monarch Gown, forever, and that’s my number 1. It’s just fantastic, as are all of the gowns in Noel’s Gift. I also really adore the cotton candy from Cirque du Junkfood, the Celestial Monarch cape, White Swan, Royal Mariner, Aquatica, Space Channel Gaia, Mimpi the Sheep, Fruits de Mer, The Love Song, Adventures of Sailor Boy, Beach Day, and so many others.”

Kuttlez: “Masquerade. The Sandman. Hair Pins (any color).”

oGaga: “My favorite would have to be: White Russian and the best this year would have to be: White Russian.”

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Beenz:“Tomorgenne Maid (with or without Antique Shop), it’s not an item that immediately catches your eye and makes you go ‘OMG MUST HAVE’, but I have found myself using this item time and time again recently :’D Also, Checkmate. I love the hair <3” Peach-Parfait:“I’d have to say, I’m quite fond of The Sandman, its gained quite a bit of popularity among others as well it seems.”

Teunie: “I agree with the oisin blessing further i like to nominate those items; lips from Strawberry Sundae Sweets , Astra-III: Sweet Charming Blush , Lady Chimes & Princess Chimes.”

Vivian Sea: I always wear Masquerade (lips and blush), and Child of Gevaudan (hair), Angelic Pendant (it was a gift, so I always put it on and it’s pretty), Winged anklets (worked to hard to buy them), Nice Style for work (glasses), Those are the five items I love the most, since 90% of my avatar have them on.”

Abstract Invader: “I would have to say my top five picks for this season would have to be Black Swan, Great Old One, Compass of Seidh, The Mole, Stardom hair. The last one there may not be an item, but it’s a must-have for me. c:”

Aranthera:“I agree with rakrose: Zorya, The Sandman, Celestial Emissary, Oisin’s Blessing, and Happy Melody.”

Katyasha_fox:“Moon’s Watcher, Nihonshu Geisha, Houyi’s Ward, Nogitsune, Maneki Nekomata.”

Angelic iGirl: “I hope it doesn’t have to have been made this year, because I love the lunar sash! There’s so much you can do with it and if it weren’t so expensive I’d buy it. It looks just like the night sky which, this might sound cheesy, has been a big part of my life. Every night I can look at the stars. They’re so sparkly and beautiful. My dad always says how where we used to live in South Africa they looked much prettier. If they were prettier than this, how much prettier they must be! Anyway, back to the point, I desperately want to have this in real life. I know that’s not possible so the pixel version will have to do! (As soon as I scrape up the cash!) I think everyone should have one!

Tiki_San: “Oisin’s Blessing, Horns of the Demon, Nartian Star, Masquerade, and Fallen Wish.”

Nikko of the Pink Rose v2: “I love the SDPlus #267 Elpis. <3 I love the hair you can wear ~ *flails* (i love anything pink ) ^ u^;”

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“ ”Girls Fashion cont. This Isnt Sparta: “Gaia Sama~ Love this item soooo much. Gaia Tan~ Since Im a sucker for all things cute. Marionette~ Especially the pink one, since I know I can make a rockin’ avi with it. *Currently questing for it and nearly there!* Masquerade~ Since this is like a must have for everyone. Reversible bracelets and hairpins. ~ I dont know why, but I love these items soooo much. >w<”

CaliSunshine09: “After a bit of deliberation, here is my list: Summer Gardener, Rainbow Jubilee, Mana Seed, Masquerade (good for any time of the year!) and any type of cute hair piece! Side note: If you don’t like any of these times, just a suggestion: Its best to keep the colors light and happy!!”

Sagatarius677:“Can’t be without my Masquerade nose and Checkmate hair.”

RubyBlaze: “These Items Are The Ones That I Covet The Most And Want So Dearly!Persephone - I really love blue’s and reds. And this item has the best of both when it comes to the eyes. Sugarsuite - I just love anything sweet/candy themed or nutcracker themed lol ((also an item that I have been questing >. < )) Chemical Love - One of the items that I have been questing for my dream avi. I just am in love with the hat and boots :3Marionette (pale or pink) Does this item need explaining on why its so flippin awesome : O Antique shop - I love the stream punk feel to this item :3 These items are a must have for me and im going to die trying to get them lol XD I love them more than strawberries... o . o and thats saying something lmao XD”

PyroAurah: “Being an oldbie, I must say that it’s literally been years since I’ve removed the Fox Ears. I’m also fond of: Goti Clips, Demonic Anklets, Kottan Bell Reunion, and The Nightmare.”

-MiLKyy wAyy- :“Yeah, I just LOVEE Bunny Flop...... it inspires me to become a bunny.....xDD No, but it’s really cute.”

snochan15:Antique shop. It’s an essential part of my current outfit, the coat. <3

ewagan: “Court of the Elf Queen. It’s really pretty.”

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Aiyana_of_Limdule: “I really want: Mod Geisha, Playful Succubus, Zephyr Tasset, NeoGaia Hero, and Kanoko’s Dark Reflection.”

Allyanha: “Masquerade, Zodiac (the must-have EI), The Compass Of Seidh (must-have in anyones Gaia-wardrobe), Gogh Reed (Same as Seidh), Black & White Swan (For my old ballerina obsession which currently is an actual trend in real life, so it has to be too in Gaia), I’d add Noel’s gift too, because with all of these items you can create all sorts of costumes or just dress prettily your avatar.”

Kumi Uchiha:“Dying for a Mod Geisha OMFG! Why’s it gotta be so expensive?! I also want those pink things (the name of it escapes me but its on my wishlist) & wasabi, future & the dark version hair of those two that I mentioned cuz I love all things sailor moon! but again, WAY out of my league. lolz!”

Kohaku_of_Darkness:“I think the biggest item to have right now is Antique Shop. Its doing really well in the polls. I currently do not have one though, too expensive right now.”

Jennivieve: “Gogh and Seracila are nearly always on my avatar. For Zodiac, it’s fun to see what the next evolution will be, and the poses so far seem to be well done. Picolitrosso’s Urn: The differing tints of blue and red add a lightness to avis and can easily be the colors of blossoms. The Adumbral Empress: Containing a beautiful tiara-necklace pose and the sought after purples in a wonderful gown and accessories, this often overlooked item should be given a second chance.”

Gio Gio Star: “The Sandman Doll because of the eyes, and with a combo with the Rev. If you have the right items, it can REALLY look amazing.”

Rei Akira-Chan: “Hi Minna-San! Faves: Gogh Reed (Zero Hair’s cool!), Zodiacal, Loyal Jay, Vallhala’s Eternal Armour, ALL Kotan Bell! (except the doll), Cerynitians Blessing (the eyes), Seracila Pendant (Like the blue items), ALL Kanoko!”

Lottielight: “Hmm well, I am really wanting Daisy’s Dark Hair, and Sorrow’s preamble at the moment, I also would like to find a dress that shows elegance and flair that is also one that is unique-ish but thats almost impossible here on Gaia.”

Scyerline: “Oh man... I want these items do bad DDDD: Persephone, Pious Cleric, NeoGaia Hero, SDPlus #267 Elpis, and The Ringmaster.”

Phisoxa: The cutest must haves!!: Gaia Tan, Secret Retreat, Azuramella, Sweet Lunarian, and Apprentice Charm.

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The clamor in the station was deafening. Italy could barely see through the crowd of people, jostling him this way and that. It was all he could do to keep a tight hold on Germany’s elbow as he muscled his way through the crowded train station. Everyone was vying for a seat on that train, the train that would take them somewhere safe, away from all the mayhem. A train whistle blew, making Italy jump a little as he clutched even tighter to Ludwig’s sleeve. He looked over his shoulder at the other two, Romano and Gil-bert, as they all clung to each other like life lines in a tumultuous sea of bodies.

“Hurry Feliciano! The train is leaving soon!”

‘Germany sounds especially tense today...’, he thought. ‘Well, who can blame him, really? He is partially responsible for this fiasco.’

Italy cast a nervous glance at the German citizens around them. Everything was total chaos, barely being kept under control by the German Army officers on duty in the station.

‘It all started nine months ago...’, he mused. A group of American and German scientists had finally found a cure for cancer that could be turned into a vaccine. At last people could live life without the fear of con-tracting the often deadly disease.

‘Too bad they couldn’t predict that this would happen’, he thought bitterly. His gaze wandered over to the other side of the station. In the main atrium of the station, a large area had been sectioned off. People were being herded inside like zoo animals. Families were being torn apart as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons were unceremoniously shoved inside- identified under one title.

‘Darkseekers.’

About three months after the vaccines were released, reports started coming in. People were getting sick; they started acting strange- getting third degree burns from sunlight, odd skin coloration, crying tears of blood, extreme hunger, among other things. It quickly escalated to hospitalizations, attacks, and deaths.

‘Well, if you count turning into a blood-lusting, flesh-crazed monster as dying.’ Yes, Germany, with Amer-ica’s assistance, had inadvertently caused a zombie epidemic. And now it was threatening to engulf the entire world in a wave of madness. Italy felt a sharp jab in his back.

“Hey! Look alive fratello, macho man got us to the front.” Italy glared at Romano and looked at Germany, who was arguing with one of the soldiers letting healthy people on the train.

“I’m sorry sir, there’s only room for three more people in this car, any more would be too much of a safety hazard.” Gilbert stepped in.

“What about the other cars? We’ll ride in freight if we have to-”

“I’m sorry sir, but every car is full.”

In the midst of the crowds, all the sounds suddenly seemed very far away. Italy was only aware of their lit-tle rag-tag group, dressed as if they were going on a long hiking trip through the Alps; winter coats, hiking packs, and all, even though it was only September. But none of that mattered, because on that platform, all four of them came to the same, inevitable, yet no less heart-wrenching conclusion....

Read the rest at: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6700566/1/Learning_to_Stand

Hetalia Fanfiction Submission by GOM reader argella1300

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“ ”Otakon 2011A Convention Review

Written by Meia15 GOM Reporter

Gaia Online’s 2011 convention tour has long since started, and on July 29th to the 31st, they came back to visit Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland. This convention is the biggest on the East Coast, having an attendance of at least 35,000 people each year. I was ecstatic about being able to go to Otakon for a fourth year and I was counting down the days, planning cosplays, and even predicting what badges they’d have. Though, things were a little bit different now that I was a Gaia Online Magazine crew member. I now had a reason to break off from my friends and go to the Gaia Variety Hour and panel, and I was looking forward to meeting fellow Gaians there! So here it is, Meia15 reporting from the field:

On Thursday, my friends and I left at noon to go to the first ever Otakon Matsuri! The festival was quite difficult to find at first, but my friends and I eventually did after about an hour of wandering. As we were wandering, we kept thinking about all the things they’d have there, but we got our hopes up only to be disappointed. About six tents were set up; one tent had games, another handed out free bags, another sold food, and the rest were soliciting local anime clubs. There was also some decent entertainment present, but we got bored rather quickly and headed into the nearby Hilton before Johnny Yong Bosch’s band was scheduled to play. That was it for the festival. Quite sad, I know. Hopefully next year will be better!

After we rested up and cooled down (it was scorching out there!), the group of us decided to get in line for badge pick-up. Waiting in line was terrible; the city was very hot and being surrounded by people didn’t help AT ALL. Though, that hour of waiting was worth it! I was so visibly happy to see that there were badges of my favorite anime, Tiger & Bunny, at Otakon, even though the series first aired in April this year! I was literally jumping up and down. More badges they had available this year were Gundam 00, Durarara!!, Madoka Magica, and a couple others. Six badges total, the fewest amount to choose from in a long time. Many people thought that Otakon should have at least had some badges featuring anime by

Gaians participate in the Gaia Panel’s Biggest Weapon Contest

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Satoshi Kon, a famous Japanese anime director and mangaka, in honor of him passing in August of last year.

The next day was a big one. My friend’s and I were in a huge Bleach cosplay group and getting everyone ready was a challenge. Six people and one bathroom wasn’t the best idea and getting ready took longer than we thought. Once we got to Otakon, we walked around the con and observed fellow cosplayers until we decided to leave for what was first on the day’s agenda, the Johnny Yong Bosch Q&A. There were many funny moments, including a story of a 2 pound bag of quarters hitting a homeless woman in the face, as well as him singing the answers for some of the questions to the tune of his guitar. Overall, it was “morphinominal”!

After the Q&A session, I split up from my friends and made my way to the Gaia Variety Hour! Tragedy struck and the event disappeared from the printed schedule, but many people still found their way across the skyway and in the Hilton to attend. Attendees’ ages were more varied than I thought, ranging from the teens to as old as my grandmother! The hour started out with filling out feedback surveys, receiving complementary Gaia pens, and DJ Helsing pronouncing the word “pen” like “pian”. Think “piano”, but without the “o”. It was quite reassuring to hear that Lanzer and DJ Helsing actually read the surveys… But then again, every company says they read the feedback whether they do or not, so I don’t know what to expect. After a quick raffle using the surveys turned in, the contests started and prizes were handed out.

Gaians participate in a contest at The Gaia Panel

The first contest was an airplane making and throwing contest. Contestants had to make and airplane with nothing to fold them against but their legs and then throw them the farthest. Then, on to the next contest: throwing a ball into a cup. This challenge was more difficult than it sounds, and only one person from ten got it in. The rest of the Variety Hour continued on like this. Everyone who wanted to participate got into many more fun games, from pocky eating to action pose contests to shooting a can off DJ Helsing’s head! Everyone who played got a prize to take home, either a Gaia Tankoubon Vol.2, Dark Wing Pin, 2011 GaiaCon Tote, or Pink Magical Giftbox. I took a stab at the shooting one myself. For some strange reason that I can’t explain, I wanted to shoot DJ Helsing in the face so bad, but alas, he was against it for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, my shot ending up being off by a couple inches, and I went home with a Pink Gift Box. Things began to wind down, and I can safely say that everyone had a blast and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. I’m definitely going again next year! After the Variety Hour finally came to a close, I met back up with my friends and we left the convention for the day. As soon as we got to Otakon on Saturday, my friends and I parted ways. The Durarara!! panel was calling my name! The whole panel room was packed, and sitting next to someone who probably hadn’t showered since Thursday, wasn’t something I enjoyed. Once Johnny Yong Bosch and Patrick Seitz, English voice actors for Izaya and Simon respectively, came into view, my mood was lifted instantly. I soon forgot the smelly person next to me and listened and laughed to all the jokes. My favorite part was when Bosch, in Izaya’s voice, proposed to Shizuo!

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“ ”Otakon 2011 cont.A Convention Review

After the excitement of matrimony, I rushed to the Hetalia World Series premiere and East Meets West Q&A. I have to say, I normally hate English dubs, but Hetalia is one of the few where I actually prefer the dubs, mostly because of the accents and funnier jokes. The English voice actors for Germany, France, England, and Egypt were guests, along with the Japanese voice actor for Austria and the director of the series. J. Michael Tatum’s French-accented rape laugh still haunts me in my sleep! After that, I wandered around Otakon more, visiting the Artist Alley, Dealer’s Room, and Game Room. Then I caught the end of the Durarara!! 1-4 subs, only to get up 10 minutes later and leave. Bad timing on my part…

I waltz back on over to the Hilton, getting in line for the Official Gaia Panel. GOM Press Hat upon my head, pen and journal in hand, I took my place in the front row. The panel started out similarly to the Variety Hour: feedback surveys, a raffle, and “pian”. Then we got to the good part. Lanzer and DJ Helsing brought out a PowerPoint covering the past events.

First up to be discussed was the recent manga updates which had more updates than 2009 and 2010 combined! I have to say, a page a day was an impressive change, and I hope GaiaHQ can keep the updates on a similar path.

Second was the Outfit Marketplace, which by its name can explain for itself. Lanzer and DJ Helsing explained that the new feature still hasn’t had an official announcement since it’s still in a soft launch but once the development team for Gaia gets all the kinks out of it, it will follow with an announcement.

Gaians participate in a contest at The Gaia Panel

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Remember last year’s summer event? Well I’m proud to announce the addition of Frontier Skies 2.0 to the games on Gaia! Unlike a payout of badges for the event, the game version will payout in tickets, like any other game on Gaia. Also, a change for the better is that you can now buy loot for gold, helping to improve your chances in making it to the demigod and the end of the journey!

The next change they talked about was the iPhone app. They summed it up, saying that you can browse the marketplace, change your outfit, as well as access your PMs and announcement. A future change they discussed was browsing forums, as well as an app for Android phones and maybe iPads.

DJ Helsing and Lanzer continued covering things that just released, such as Friend Chat, updates to Dumpster Dive, and the addition of Sky Pigs via OMGPOP. Then they announced things planned for the future.

Bid Blast. It’s similar to the bidding in the marketplace where users can put up items for bid for a set amount of time, but here’s the catch. Users need to buy a bid ticket to gain a chance to bid an amount on an item. Lanzer said that he hopes that this new addition to site will help the Gaia economy deflate, even if just a little.

Following Bid Blast was Pie Hard part two. Well, there’s nothing much to say here besides it’s eventually second coming. Now onto Gaia’s MMO, zOMG! Lanzer announced a new area, Dead Man’s Shadow. This will feature new quests as well as a new boss to battle. Along with the new area is a future raise in the CL cap and new items. When talk of new items started, someone from the audience questioned if there was going to be any new rings, to which Lanzer answered that so far, there is only a debate for new rings. Lanzer also said that there are no plans for a player vs. player system just yet, as the zOMG team hasn’t tried discussing it.

Up next is another big game from Gaia, Monster Galaxy. Before I go on to the new updates, I just need to say that many Pokémon jokes were said during this. Unbelievable amounts. Lanzer and DJ Helsing couldn’t even finish a single sentence without someone in the audience calling out what Pokémon a new Moga looked like or how the 100% success rate Star Seed is the equilivant to Pokémon’s Master Ball. But moving on to the news. Lanzer announced that there will be a new subzone, Cave of Wonders.

A sneak preview of Bid Blast

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“ ”Otakon 2011 cont.A Convention Review

Many new Mogas are to be released, as you can see in the (low-quality) photos accompanying. Another future update for the game is customizable backgrounds for the home area. Also, just announced on the front page is a PvP system for the Moga Tamers! But this now raises a question… Since there is a PvP system planned for Monster Galaxy and not for zOMG, is Gaia truly giving up on zOMG?

Nyan Cat Cosplayers pose for a picture.

Anyways, other miscellaneous updates Lanzer and DJ Helsing have confirmed so far are home updates/revival, as well as guild updates too. Homes will be getting new items and guilds are getting new features, including the ability to delete subforums, so keep an eye out for those! An apology to those Rally lovers, as there are no updates planned yet for the cars in the future.

I have to say that, the most awkward, yet funny part of the whole panel would have to be when a girl, so passionate about having a pregnant belly item, came up to the microphone. She practically yelled at Lanzer and DJ Helsing about how they have Alruna’s Rose and its borderline R-rated poses, but won’t allow a pregnant belly item, along with how the pregnant belly item petition has been deleted 10 times and other stuff about how they’re hypocrites and what not. Honestly, I was trying hard to stifle my laughter the whole time, since they set up the microphone about two feet away from me and I didn’t want to seem rude.

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After the panel finished, myself and a couple of people stayed after to chat and take pictures with Lanzer and DJ Helsing. We also got some information about a writing opportunity with Kalamari Kastle, a blog that covers a lot of the new and hit events going on. Unfortunately, I’m not old enough to take this opportunity just yet. After spending some more time with Lanzer and DJ Helsing, I left the Hilton, crossed back over to the Baltimore Convention Center, and left for the day.

Sunday: the shortest day of Otakon. First on my agenda was to catch the Tiger & Bunny panel! This was actually the highlight of my time at Otakon this year. I can go on for hours and hours about this show, but since it’s you guys and this is a Gaia magazine, I’ll cut it short. The attendees of this panel were able to get inside the co-creator’s mind. We found out about future episodes and future ideas he would like to see happen. We also learned about a video game in the works and merchandise that was being made. Overall, it was very enjoyable for me and everyone there!

Scheduled after the Tiger & Bunny panel was the VIZ Media panel but thankfully it was scheduled in the same room , so there was no need to get up and walk! This panel was also great. The representative for VIZ showed us some upcoming releases, such as speeding up Naruto’s digital releases, art books and several 3-in-1 volumes for many different series. DVD releases for Professor Layton, Pokémon, and Naruto. The representative continued on, announcing releases for this and that. Generally, the panel was one big release announcement! Many prizes were also given out during the panel, including a 3-in-1 volume of Full Metal Alchemist and a Pokémon travel pack.

Once the VIZ Media panel finished up, my friends and I headed out and just sat down in a quiet corner of the convention center, not ready to leave behind Otakon just yet. But we couldn’t escape the fact that the last day was finally coming to a close, and it felt like just yesterday we were attending the last day of school, looking forward to Otakon later on in the summer. It’s scary how fast time blows by sometimes.

All in all, I really enjoyed Otakon 2011, and I was so very glad I didn’t get sick this year, unlike other years at Otakon.

Nintendo Princesses pose for a picture

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“ ”TekTek Contest31 users submitted tekteks in our St. Patrick’s Themed Tektek Contest. Even some users posted stories along with their avatars! We liked them all so much, we decided to feature all the tekteks and stories!

“May the road rise up to meet you.May the wind always be at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face,and rains fall soft upon your fields.And until we meet again,May Bastet hold you in the palm of His hand.” ~ Old Irish blessingSubmitted by cTheAngelofMusic

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“On how many occasions does one see tears fall on the day of Irish luck? The day o’ “Shamrock”, when on most standards is the day of fun n’ games, isn’t for one kitten. Her name be Gurin. Such a kind and gentle soul she was. Her eyes filled with intelligent spark when she’d sway ‘cross the garden, always the happiest ye would see. Until her fourth ol’ Saint Patty’s day...

Ye must know by now the Leprecháun be a mischievous creature. Gurin, the poor lad-es was born into the most despised family of leprecháuns ye could find! Her father, that wretched man, had stolen all me gold, as her mother stood close behind to keep watch. Now I was only the first! O, me boy, it never ended...

They had continued to rampage through everyone’s belongings. The little las was only a wee kitten when she had started noticing what her beloved mother and father had been stirrin’ up. The age o’ four, the las had asked, “mommy, daddy, why is it that I am so rich? Why are the rest of the leprecháuns so poor?” Ye would be wondering yourself, wouldn’t ye? They would not respond to dear Gurin. Instead, they had scowled at the kitten and immediately put her to sleep.

The day after, March 17th, young lasse had awoke to an empty cottage. She looked around every corner, opened every door, checked every crack. It was empty. She’d sat in the middle of her no-longer home. Slowly swirled her head around to check just one last time, but she knew nothing would change. She squeezed her eyes shut, curled into ‘er little knees, and wept.

“What have I done wrong Father? Mother? Why have you abandon me?” The las cried out. I had heard her from afar, such a loud cry out of such a lil’ girl... I had ran to the call, and arrived above her. Kneeling down to her small face, I asked gently “What is wrong me lasse? What has gotten you into a bunch?” She looked up to me with ‘er beautiful eyes, worn out and filled with water. “I am an orphan!” She replied, weeping harder than before. “An orphan, ye say?” I pondered for a moment... “would ye be that ol’ criminals kitten? Aye, those fools have stolen all the gold! Now they have left their kitten?!”

She glanced at me again and slowly spoke, “Criminals...kitten?” her voice had become more stern as she whipped her eyes, curi-osity in her tone. I crossed me arms and stood tall, looking down at her with one o’ me eyebrows raised. “I have seen those fools come in and out of this cottage, as well as hiding ye away from the rest of us.” I tweaked me head at her “do ye know why you are dressed in the finest clothing?” Her eyes had opened widely as her eyes fixated on to her wardrobe. “I... my parents would not tell me... they in fact left when I had asked...” Her head slumped down again, she looked bitter as before. I sat across from her with the widest grin on me face “Lasse! I have been watching you for quite some time. Your mother and father were terrible people. They deserve the worst.” I held her right hand lightly as her head shot up. “I will show ye that you are better than this!” I lifted her up and pulled her out of the cottage with me. I twirled her around as her dress flowed against the warm wind. I glanced at her once more...Her eyes had been brighter than I’d ever seen.” written by N e k o s M e l o d y

Once upon a time, there was a goddess who believed that she was the most beautiful, and most wonderful goddess in all of the land. Due to her vain outlook, she called upon the leprechauns to fetch her some gold. “Go, leprechauns!” said the goddess. “I deserve the absolute best, and gold is what I am after!” The first leprechaun came back with gold, but it did not fill her needs. The second one came back with even more gold than the first one, but it did not quench her thirst for gold. The third one, after seeing that he could never truly fufill her need for gold, decided to travel to the goddess’ mother, who gave him a bracelet. Upon getting the bracelet, the mother said, “Her vain nature will be her downfall. Wrap this bracelet in a cloth, and do not touch it when you give it to her.” The leprechaun did was she asked, and he found a small cotton cloth to wrap the bracelet in.The third leprechaun went up to the queen, bowed, and gave her the bracelet. When she put the bracelet on her wrist, she felt a tingling going up her arm. When she looked back at her arm, it was covered in gold! Her body was slowly changing into gold! Disgusted by the leprechaun for the dirty trick, she imprisoned him for eternity. The leprechaun now does tasks to for the goddess in a slow repayment, so that he may one day be free. That’s why leprechauns play dirty tricks on people for their gold, because the goddess has an everlasting need for gold. :3 The End.Written by Psychosis_Dementia

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“ ”Nom Nom NomablesMake your own 2011 Gaian Birthday Cupcake

Created by Nymph of Spring & slothiiiey GOM’s Co-Captain & Crew Member

Cupcake and Icing Ingredients:*100g (4oz) of self-raising flour*100g (4oz) of soft margarine*100g (4oz) of caster sugar*100g (4oz) of icing sugar*2 eggs*a few tablespoons of water*cupcake holders and a cupcake pan

Other Ingredients:*Pale Pink Ribbon*2 Toothpicks*1 Clothespin*Scissors*Glue*Letter “G” Printout Drawn by Meia15

DirectionsCut out Letter “G” and take a toothpick to the back (have toothpick stick out of the bottom so you can stick the “G” into cupcake). Set aside.

Make the bow. Set aside.

Place flour, margarine, caster sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes until smooth texture. Set aside. Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F. Arrange cupcake holders in a cupcake pan. Put your flour cupcake mix into the cupcake holders. Place them in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cupcakes cool. In a smaller bowl, mix together icing sugar and water to make a thick paste. Put icing on the cupcakes and top with “G” and bow.

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“ ”Leche de Ajonjolí (aka Sesame Seed Milk) A user-submitted recipe

Created by Gio Gio Star GOM Reader

Ingredients:*Three Cups of Sesame Seeds*Water*Pure Vanilla*Cinnamon Powder*Brown Sugar or Blue Agave*Lemon/Orange Juice (Optional)

DirectionsGet the three cups of Sesame Seeds and leave them out in water for 9 hours or for the entire night.After the time is done, wash the sesame seeds.Put the sesame seeds in the blender with fresh water.Add the sugar or blue agave, cinnamon, and vanilla.Blend until it is liquefied.

Optional DirectionsGet a strainer and strain the sesame seed gunk from the milk before serving.If you want to give it a tropical kick, add a bit of lemon juice or orange juice into the mix.

Side NotesSesame seeds are a very good source of calcium. If you do not strain the sesame seed gunk, it can help regularity for using the bathroom normally. If you do strain it, you can use the gunk to make breads. Cinnamon is also used to help control diabetes. And if you do use blue agave, do be careful that you do not put too much. Agave is a bit stronger than regular sugar (4 tbs of sugar is equivalent to just 1 or 2 tbs of agave). So much so, it is actually one of the ingredients for making tequila.

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“ ”The Lost SmileA Short Story

Written by Lewpy Von Cakes GOM Reporter

“No, this can’t be. I refuse to believe,” Runa shouted, her voice echoing through the hall. Runa was an average 14-year-old girl, who lived in the city of New York. She had a perfect life, lived with her divorced mom in a nice suburban house with a pretty good school life -- but it was soon about to change.

She had a German Shepherd puppy named Bullet. She got him when she was five years old. When Runa first held him, she stared into his cute, brown eyes and hugged him, vowing to never let him go. But when her mother told her that a car ran him over as he was chasing a ball across the street, all was lost.

She felt like the earth had slipped from away under her feet. Her hands started to shiver as if she was in the Antarctic. Feeling a light headed and unable to cope with the sadness, she sat down on the sofa, her emotionless face pale and colorless. She tried very hard to stop herself from crying, but she couldn’t. All those memories of him flashed through her mind. This made her more unstable and she started to blame herself.

“Why? Why did I leave him alone. Why?” she repeated over and over. She pulled out her hair in anguish. Her mother couldn’t see this, so she softly grabbed her by the arm and led her to her room, helping her lie down as she was still in a trance. Her mother sat by her for a while running her fingers through Runa’s silky, brown hair. When Runa looked a bit tired, her mother kissed her forehead and walked to the door quietly.

“It will be all right, just forget about him dear,” she said with a fake smile before leaving, knowing that she couldn’t possibly forget.

In her bed, she looked relaxed, but her eyes were still numb and her lips still chapped. Now she could think and try to understand what had happened and what she should do. As she was about to drift to sleep, memories of Bullet began to circle her mind again. At that moment she shot up, sitting in an upright position with her eyes wide. Her head started to ache like something had hit hard against her skull, but all she could do was cry. Bullet was gone and nothing could bring him back.

The next morning, she was getting ready for school. Her eyes were shrunk and dehydrated, her lips dry and peeling. The day went like any other, but there was still something new, something missing. She would still wait for Bullet at her door before leaving like she used to do, waiting for him to jump out, but this time he didn’t. After a while, realizing she was going to be late for school, she left without saying goodbye to her mother. Watching from the window as her daughter left, Runa’s mother cried until she decided she had to make her daughter happy again.

When Runa came back from school, she expected a soft welcome from her loving mother to cheer her up. Her day had not gone as smooth as usual because she had gotten herself into trouble for dazing off in class. No one understood her condition not even the teachers.

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She expected the teachers to be a little supportive and caring, but sadly they weren’t. So now she needed her mother to make her feel better, play her role, but she was surprised to see no one home.

After a housewhole search, she found a new sticky note stuck on the refridgerator. It was addressed to her from her mother. “Something came up. Food is in the fridge. Will see you soon honey, Love Mom.” She felt a little lonely read-ing this as if her mother wasn’t even there for her. She threw the note aside and jumped at the sofa crying so hard the sofa became soaked with tears. Unable to cry more, she stopped and wiped her face sitting up on the sofa with her neck hanging of the edge. Her eyes became heavy and she couldn’t resist anymore, so she closed them and dozed off.

After two hours, she woke up to the sound of the car engine. Her mother had come home.

“Oh no, it’s Mom. I better get myself together,” she said wiping her eyes and straightening her hair. She saw her mother walk in with a variety of Khaki bags indicating that she had gone shopping for supplies. Her mother noticed her sit-ting on the sofa and pointed towards the car. Runa stood up and walked out the door toward the car, but she was caught off guard by a small figure jumping straight at her making her slip to the ground.

After a series of licks from the unknown figure, she opened her eyes and sat up to find a brown colored Labrador puppy panting and yipping at her. Her eyes suddenly flashed with excitement and happiness as she grabbed the puppy in her hands and began to spin around slowly. She stopped after a while feeling dizzy, then suddenly remembered that she hadn’t named her dog.

Seeing his cheerful and active spirit she thought of naming him Sparky. “Yeah thats right, I will call you Sparky. Do you like it?” Runa addressed the dog at which he started licking her face in approval. In all this excitement, she realized that she didn’t thank her mother. At that moment, she ran inside with Sparky in the arms and jumped on her mother hug-ging her tightly.

“Thank you, Mom. Oh, thank you!” she said kissing her mother a hundred times before her mother pushed her off. “Its no problem, Dear. Now go and leave me before you kiss me to death. Hurry along, go play with your dog,” her mother said smiling, “I’ve got a lot of cooking to do.”

Runa nodded at her mother’s command and ran off toward the park with Sparky. Still thinking about Bullet, she stopped for a moment and looked at the evening sky.

“I will never forget you. You know that,” she said before Sparky interupted her with a bark. Looking at the sky again, she smiled and turned her attention to Sparky, who would always remind her of her memories of Bullet, which were imprinted in her mind forever.

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Written by Renlio GOM Reporter

This year’s E3 proved to be unique in history by the new gaming innovations and ideas it brought, along with the people that were united by a single interest: gaming. At E3 this year, many people had been expecting a lot of rumors to come true such as: a new Sony handheld, Halo 4, Nintendo’s newest console, as well as other methods of entertainment. First to start to showcase was Konami, who announced that they were going to release a High Definition Metal Gear Solid collection for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. They also introduced a new tool for their games called “Transferring” which would make a console and a handheld transfer memory from a game that was saved from either one. “Transferring” will only work on the Sony consoles. Next was EA who presented gameplay for the long awaiting Battlefield 3 powered by Frostbite 2, which proves to have outstanding graphics, making a big impact in the rivalry it has with the Call of Duty franchise. After that, E3 announced a new Insomniac game becoming multiplatform, Mass Effect 3 gameplay, and a quick view at the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic. Once EA was done, Ubisoft took the stage and gave the audience a short gameplay of the new Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Rayman Origins, and Far Cry 3 which the audience showed satisfaction to.

Later on came the big companies and the first one was Microsoft, who showed their devotion for the Kinect System by making more Kinect games, and the Kinect integration to Mass Effect 3 which seemed meaningful. Once done covering the new Kinect aspects, Microsoft gave a presentation of Gears of War 3, with special guess Ice T, to show the new features and games modes the game had. Halo fans were amazed to find that the new Halo CE remake was improved, and that 343 Industries was developing the new Halo 4 as the start of a new trilogy. Up next came Sony, which showed an amazing recovery after the hacking controversy on the PSN. They introduced their presentation with upcoming games such as: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Resistance 3, and a new God of War Collection. Towards the end, Sony presented their new handheld called PlayStation Vita. The PS Vita showed new modifications, such as touch screens, improved graphics, and cell phone capabilities. Many of the audience did show some discourage after Sony announced the provider for the PS Vita would be AT&T. (Who would blame them?) To finish their showcase, Sony also informed that the PS Vita would be at the same price as the Nintendo 3DS. At last, it was Nintendo’s turn to show what they had been working on. They first began reviewing the features of the 3DS and finally claimed that the rumors of the new Nintendo console were true, and they called it the Wii U. The Wii U showed up-to-date graphics, like other consoles, as well as their new controller, which included a High Definition Touch Screen, a camera, speakers, microphone, and trigger buttons. In the end, all the people that attended were satisfied with upcoming games, such as Bioshock: Infinity, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Devil May Cry, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Prey 2, Batman: Arkham City, Darksiders 2, and Prototype 2. Hopefully next year’s E3 will be even better and introduce to new gaming methods. Until then, head over to your console and play some games!

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“ ”E3 2011Something you may like...

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“ ”Samurai 7Anime Review

Written by Chaos Beaver GOM Reporter

There exists a lot of anime based off of historical events. There are movies based off of anime. However it is rare to see an anime based off a movie. Even rarer is it to see an anime based off a movie that is actually good. Samurai 7 is one such a case.

Samurai 7 is an anime based off of Seven Samurai a famous and great movie. One must ask however if Samurai 7 is anywhere as good as the original movie and the answer is that it comes damn close. Comparing anything to the perfection of that movie is difficult but Samurai 7 does it well not only keeping the main spirit of the movie but adding new and an interesting ideas to it. Samurai 7 is very much a what if anime; as in what if Seven Samurai was steampunk, had giant robots, and was two seasons long.

Now if you have seen Seven Samurai don’t just pass on Samurai 7. Though if you haven’t seen Seven Samurai then Samurai 7 is an interesting retelling. It holds true to the plot as it follows the same structure of the movie in how things are handled. It starts with the farmer village being pillaged by bandits. They decide to find some ronin, master-less samurai, to help defend their village. They send a small group of villagers to go see if they could purchase the aid of a few Samurai with the only payment being rice. They eventually find a few Samurai but it picks up greatly when they find Kanbe an experienced Samurai. He tells them they will require the services of six other samurai for a total of seven. Eventually they find their seven and return to the village to defend it from bandits only to find out other greater problems. However I won’t go greatly into detail as to spoil it for all of you interested in watching it.

Story wise Samurai 7 is nearly perfect, there are a few weak spots in it but overall the story is solid. The pace is pretty good but a few people could find it slow at some spots. The action is fast and very interesting, but the greatest advantage is the combat is consistent. The place where this anime shines strongly is the characters. Each of the Samurai is different and unique; I would find it nearly impossible for someone not to have a favorite character in this anime. This factor also makes the anime so much better as it also gives you a feeling of emotion for the characters. Each one has their faults and advantages; even the leader Kanbe has his own faults.

As stated before this anime has very few flaws. The few it has can pretty easily be overlooked. The story has a few points that don’t make too much sense and some of the villagers are not fleshed out to much. It diverts nicely from the original but some might find that offsetting and at times some people might find it slow.

If you like strong story and powerful character development then this is an anime I would highly recommend looking into. If you are fan of more high action anime, like Bleach or Naruto, then you could do a hell of lot worse than this anime. Younger viewers are less likely to enjoy it as it does take a bit of maturity to understand some of the plights.

Overall this anime is great; I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action.

-Chaos Beaver

Semi-lit steampunk rp, open and accepting characters..

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“ ”Monster GalaxyThe Monsterous Addition to Gaiaonline

Written by Luni Lulu GOM Reporter

As many of you more aware Gaians know, Gaia has introduced a new and colorful RPGcalled Monster Galaxy. Only playable via Facebook, it is inspired by monster collecting games, such as Pokemon and Digimon, with your entire purpose devoted to training and capturing the monsters of Sunshire.

The story starts you off as a trainer with one monster, a.k.a. Moga, where you are quickly confronted by Nova, a bright red-haired trainer, who will explain to you the concept of how the Moga came to be, your goal, and then send you off with a few quests. The Mogas are based and organized off of the zodiac signs, and have different special attacks that affect different zodiac types in different degrees.

Capturing Mogas involve probability and Starseeds. The more critical the health and rarity of an opposing Moga, the more likely you are to catch it, and the higher the rarity and fuller the health, the less likely you are to catch it. This new game is exceedingly entertaining to many, with it’s wonderful artwork, cool soundtrack, and well laid-out story, but there is certainly still a varied degree of opinions coming from the public concerning it as well.

Some of the mixed protests coming from Gaia is about privacy. Not everyone wants to intertwine their Facebook life and their Gaia life, and Monster Galaxy requires that if you wish to get the quirks and prizes from training and to have your friends from Gaia join you as neighbors. Gaia staff have guaranteed privacy over this, and in the Monster Galaxy subforum, there is a sticky thread that guides you on how to ensure that no mingling occurs between Gaia or Facebook friends, yet still allows you to interact with your Gaia folk via Monster Galaxy. Another concern is lagging and the rather excessive amount of glitches that have been popping up throughout the game. A bit of the lagging is possibly inevitable; if your computer has bad connection and is very slow, then the game might take more than a minute to load and can be a bit choppy. But a few of the reports have been due to problems with the game itself. Gaia staffs have positioned a thread in the “Monster Galaxy” subforum where you can report a glitch or problem with the game and see the glitches that have been fixed. Soon, you will also be able to view the problems that they are aware of, but have yet to fix or are currently working on. A few people have been angered at the prospect that Monster Galaxy might be the thing responsible for the declining updates of zOMG, but that had been explained and has been shown false. You see, Gaia has teams that are assigned to focus on different projects within the game. The team in charge of developing zOMG and the team in charge of Monster Galaxy are two entirely different things that are just striving for the same goal of improving Gaia.

The feelings for the game are still very mutual, going from the Gaians who adore it, to the Gaians who accept it, and then to the Gaians who are just zOMG all the way. All the same, Monster Galaxy is a refreshingly new game with much work put into it and something that is not to be ignored. Some of you may indeed wish to stick to the primal ways of zOMG, or maybe you already tried out Monster Galaxy and found it’s not to your fitting; but if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a spin. You might enjoy it, and, hey, you’ll be supporting Gaia in the process.

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Written by Lewpy Von Cakes GOM Reporter

OMGPOP! A revolution in itself has come to Gaia to rock the people. After zOMG!s slow decline, people’s interest in Gaia started to sink like the Titanic. People often were seen complaining about nothing to do - myself included. Of course, there was Booty Grab, but majority of the Gaian nation criticized of lagging computers, huge consumption of time towards scoping out a glowing tank, and downright boredom. I also experienced these problems from time to time when playing Booty grab, not to mention the prices of the aquarium fish gave me the creeps and still do. Seeing these problems escalating, the higher ups of Gaia HQ were quite concerned. They knew that Gaia’s popularity is at an all-time low and was now dying fast. They needed a good boost to get it running again. After much brain storming, they decided to introduce the fun filled world of OMGPOP! into their vast Gaian family and what happened afterwards is indescribable. The pixelated world of Gaia experienced a new transformation and, if you ask me, it was a very good addition – one that was desperately needed.

This new feature gives Gaia a whole new face-lift. The days when Gaia had nothing more than towns, rallies, forums, and those boring puzzle and pinball games are gone. It gave depth to the Gaia arsenal with the introduction of games like those of “Balloono”, “Hover Kart Racing”, “Pool”, and my personal favourite, “Draw My Thing”. This certain fea-ture attracted people like bees on honey – personally, I was attracted to it like a bear.

Gaia has become an addiction; it has now become glue to our hands, glue which doesn’t seem to wear off by time. The entertainment that it provides is simply stupendous. Also, it doesn’t require any sort of “rocket science”; these are simple games with simple rules which guarantee whole lots of fun and excitement but, for those who are still not familiar to it, it is my pleasure to introduce to you some of the games that are a part of the OMGPOP!’s cache. First up is “Draw My Thing”. It is a very simple game which requires only your drawing skills and tests your decision making, not to men-tion your fast typing skills. In this game, players, one by one, try to draw their given word and the other players guess this word. It sounds like a piece of cake, but trust me it is not that easy as it sounds. Drawing a word and also making the people guess within a time-frame is no walk in the park, not to mention writing that word or even giving clues is cheating (even though it’s common at the end). The person to guess the word first obtains “+3” points while the drawer gets “+2” points. It is simple, no?

Balloono, to me, resembles very much to the ancient legend “Bomber-man” but with monkeys, and instead of bombs, it has balloons. Like bomber- man, you have to “bomb” your way through the obstacles and eradicate your op-ponents until you become the last man standing. A funny little game which makes you nostalgic about those times when “Bomber-man” existed and swept the world with it’s cute little character’s and it’s bombastic adventures.

Having said that, OMGPOP! is in its initial days and there seems to be not much gaming options for us. As there are only four OMGPOP! games available on Gaia right now, people will eventually get tired of these as well; they are not enough to fulfill our gaming needs. One idea that would probably help keep people around would be increasing the gold loot, but it is up to them so we will just have to keep a close watch and hope for more changes. For now, you’ll just have to go on over to the OMGPOP! website for more games to play.

Well, with this small little description, I can surely tell that OMGPOP! was a well-recieved addition to everyone on Gaia which not only entertains people, but also is a lag-less and easy way to earn gold, unlike Booty Grab. I hope that you feel the same way after experiencing it yourself and feel no doubt that, without it, Gaia seemed empty, and it is a great uplift to the site as a whole. Best of luck OMGPOP! and cheers to all.

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“ ”zOMG!Newest Developments Bring Users Back?

Written by jzmajor GOM’s zOMG! Specialist

We all know of zOMG!’s slow decline-everybody’s talking about it. But let’s try to be positive. zOMG! has had some good developments in the past few months; the addition of two new areas was a miracle. I must say that the Coliseum and Buccaneer Boardwalk looked better than I had ever expected, even though Buccaneer Boardwalk isn’t quite fully finished. Additionally, we even got a new power-up: Cure; removing all crowd control effects. However, zOMG! has come up against many problems, that, quite frankly, aren’t the best for zOMG!. The removal of some of the last remaining full-time developers is a heavy setback for zOMG!. Especially so, because the last remaining full-time developer is an artist, [ JK ]. Even though zOMG! does have two programmers, they are both working on other projects and are not always able to be working on zOMG!. You can see how this leads to problems when new content is released, like how 2011’s Easter Event was released late because of technical difficulties.

So where does this leave zOMG! right now?[and] what do the users expect from zOMG! in the coming future? Besides the obvious, “more developers” and, “Gaia paying attention to us”.

Undeniably, most users would like to see a Player against Player system. Even users that wouldn’t use it would like it, claiming that it would “help bring people in”. Personally, I wouldn’t use the player vs player system, but I do acknowledge that it would bring more users in. Though, if PvP were to be implemented, there would be many challenges in getting it there. A PvP project would have to be long term and would require lots of testing and coding. zOMG! has a limited amount of rings at the moment, so implementing PvP in the current state would possibly make it repetitive and predictable. Not to mention; the rings we do have, would need to be balanced further for PvP to be fair. In my opinion, implementing PvP would be a waste of resources at this stage of development.

Another popular request for features to zOMG! is the addition of new areas, or at least that the developers finish those that are still needing to be completed. Many users have suggested finishing up Buccaneer Boardwalk first, and then onto adding new places such as Undermountain, Durem & Aekea. Finishing Buccaneer Boardwalk would involve adding quests, NPCs and even a boss. Of course, adding quests would add to the story line, so that’s another positive. Buccaneer Boardwalk has huge potential of being a new area as there are a number of side areas (such as the Ferris wheel and the ships) and with those areas are a whole new load of sub-missions. Some users have even suggested being able to ride these.

Of course, with new areas, comes the want for raising the Charge Level cap. This is currently at CL10.0. The finishing of Buccaneer Boardwalk (which already have Animated at CL10.5) and the possible addition of Undermountain could potentially mean that new higher-CL Animated could be released. This would mean that higher CL players would be required to defeat them; so they don’t keep dying. The raise of the CL cap has been suggested time and time again, so implementing this would be a great idea for the developers to consider.

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Lately, you’ve all been seeing announcements for the zOMG! Summons. These are basically just pets that you can equip. They follow you around zOMG!, and occasionally display emotes. Such as the “stare” emote when they’re bored and the “crying” emote when you’re Dazed. However, currently, they are only there to look cute. It is the developer team’s intention to give these Summons some abilities. Such alibies could include, small damage to the Animated the user is attacking; buffs to the user or the user’s crew; debuffs to the Animated the user is attacking, and so forth. Many users believe this will be beneficial to having Summons and support this intention. Some users have even suggested the ability of being able to name the pet. But that brings up issues pertaining to the possible offensive content.

Crafting recipes has always been the unique thing that sets zOMG! apart from other games at Gaia. There has been talk about the addition of Epic Recipes. These recipes would take copious amount of loot, gold and time to make (and even the possibility of being able to use orbs instead of loot). The final product would be an amazing item with multiple amazing poses. However, these Epics wouldn’t be that easy to find, making them rare. Also, the loot that went into making the recipe would sometimes be rare. Additionally, there you would have to have hundreds and hundreds of pieces of loot to create the item. All of this would make the Epics extremely expensive, but it would increase the replay-ability of zOMG!. Of course, these are only a few of the things users would like to see from zOMG! The zOMG! forum has a few good threads which have lots of suggestions put forward by the users. Though it is awfully concerning that most of the sugges-tions won’t ever be into place due to the current state the development team is in. Not having any resources available to the “one artist team”, the project has seen better days! Never the less, keep up the good work you’ve been doing! and Happy zOMG!ing.

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Across3. The primary objective of alchemy is to create the ____________.4. He was the first known alchemist in England.5. The best known goals of the alchemists were the __________ of common metals into gold or silver.8. Alchemy is an ancient branch of natural philosophy that eventually evolved into chemistry and _____________.11. A very popular anime about alchemy.13. The rise of _________ brought about the demise of Western alchemy.15. This EI is about an aspiring student that finds a scroll containing arcane recipes.16. Was a means to transform the human soul from its base (lead) state to its Enlightened and eternal state (gold).17. European alchemy continued in this way through the dawning of the _____________.19. Valefor Academy’s resident zombie and teacher of the Forensics class.21. During which century was alchemy often a no-go area for scholars?22. Studies of alchemy also influenced _________’s theory of gravity.24. A French alchemist and esoteric author in the late 19th century whose identity is still debated.

In celebration of your acceptance into Valefor Academy and Gaia’s newly released Alchemy shop, run by Cresento, we’ve made a crossword puzzle

full of information about alchemy as well as Gaia’s recent RIG! Enjoy~

25. The third year student substituting for the Dark Magic Professor in Valefor Acad-emy.26. A very popular series about witchcraft and sorcery.27. He teaches Alchemy at Valefor Academy.28. A remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.29. The philosopher’s stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection, enlightenment, and ____________.

Down1. In Valefor Academy, you’re used as a seat when you’re sent to detention with this teacher.2. The first man to teach the chemistry of the human body and to declare that the true purpose of alchemy was the preparation of medicine for the treatment of disease.6. He is considered to be the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages.7. Most people who take an interest in alchemy use it as a source of ___________ and esoteric ideas, to support the particular belief system to which they have attached themselves.

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“ ”Alchemy Crossword Puzzle

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9. The pet for the Valefor Academy RIG.10. The philosopher’s stone can turn __________ into gold or silver.12. Efforts to discover the philosopher’s stone were known as this.14. A hermetic alchemist and a member of the Frères d’Heliopolis.15. “Dreamless dorm, ticking clock. I walk away from the soundless room...to burn my bread.” This item can be obtained from the Valefor Academy RIG.18. The ______ laid many of the foundations for later alchemists, as well as devising many of the mathematical, geometric and scientific concepts that still hold sway in the scientific world today.20. A prestigious institution for sorcerers and magical beings; also a RIG for Gaia.23. To escape from accusations of _________, alchemists devised a system of classification which divided magic into two categories, light and dark, good and evil.

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Win:

New emoticons - Great additions that were welcomed by all. Hopefully they’re here to stay!OMGPOP add on - Fun games that you can enjoy playing with fellow Gaians.

Frontier Skies 2.0 - A tremendous return of a favorite summer event!Cookies - Will be used to vote for changes to Gaia

In between:

Pixton comic - Poor prizes, but many hilarious comics came about from it.Thread voting - Great to voice an anonymous opinion, but has been exploited to mass downvoting of

threads.Friends Chat - No trolls, but for a price.

BG Captcha - Removed bots, but irritating if you’re just a simple human being wanting gold.

Fail:

Piehard Part 1 - Wasn’t really fun and just a huge gold sink.Anime player - Not that many good anime, and doesn’t even work in some countries

Controversial:Alchemy

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“ ”Win/Fail List

Join T A G “The Anything Guild”

Brings you a Fagot’s Critique thread. Want the truth? Click on the banner above.

zOMG / GAMES

Join Gaia-zine today: a magazine guild fairly new to the world of Gaia! Founded by Amensu Saje, this guild brings you the news you want!

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds-home/gaia-zine-publishing-inc/g.304183/

Read or post poetry, art, or just talkhttp://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds-home/emo-santanic-souls/g.365829/

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Here are the answers to last issue’s sudoku puzzle!“ ”Sudoku

THE GAME