1. Name of Character in The World- Gear
2. Name of Real World Player- Ana Antiquity
3. Age- 17
4. Class- Heavy Axe
5. & 6. Physical Description (The World Character)- A somewhat petite frame, with facial features that suggest an oriental heritage - possibly Japanese. Her hair is shades of blond with neon green streaks throughout, long enough to touch the small of her back if let down and stretched out. Mostly, she curls it and ties it into pigtails on either side of her head with green ribbon. She keeps two long strands in the front as bangs, which frame her rather pale face. She's quite light-skinned for an Asian, about the color of tea with milk. Her slanted eyes are carefully made-up with just the right amount of mascara, the irises changing with the light from a copper tint to a light amber. Gear's arms and shoulders are firmly muscled, to allow her to wield her hefty weapon. Her right bicep has a green-gray tattoo of two branches of rose thorns twined around each other, making a circlet around her arm.
(Real World Character)- Ana is second-generation Russian. Her hair is light brown, and extremely curly. It would be frizzy, but she treats it to keep the curls kinked but smooth. It floats around her head in a cloud, but she pins it down in different shapes with bobby pins and barretts. She has strong facial features, and pretty brown eyes surrounded by eyelashes that are just too long to be natural.
7. Height- 5'2"
8. Clothing (The World Character)- Steampunk in an elegant way. The pale-yellow top is sleeveless, with a wide band around the shoulders, decorated with embroidered roses. The shale-colored straps of her sports bra show. She has a soft coral-hued scarf looped loosely around her neck. On her forehead she has brass goggles, propping her bangs up. Around her waist, a wide leather belt intricately worked with brass and rhinestone is laced at the side. From the lacing dangle odds and ends, like a pocket watch, a broken cog, and a tiny glass paperweight with a feather inside. a pair of hooks in the front hold up a long golden rope, which in turn threads through the upper loop of an enormous ivory cameo pendant. She wears a leaf-green skirt with a second skirt, rust-colored, over it, held about knee-height by golden broaches. Her feet are shod with brown leather boots capped in brass. She has delicate lace "arm tights" that reach to just below her elbow, and then thicker fingerless leather gloves padded to help fight calluses and blisters when handling a Heavy Axe weapon.
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Click for picture)
9. Personality- Ana desires attention. Particularly, she wants to know that she's attractive to the opposite sex. It amounts to something of an obsession of hers to be popular and sought-after by the guys. Unfortunately, her desperation is quite obvious, and causes those who actually are popular to condescend toward her, and everyone else to despise her. She's only ever managed to attract the wrong kind of attention, but even that she craves. She will dress and act provocatively, but down inside, she despises herself more than anyone. Highly insecure, she clings to anyone that can make her feel a little better about herself.
10.Weapon-
Hatchet (Axel Pain)
Armor-
Head – Bandanna (Repth)
Arm – Wristbands (Juk Rom)
Body – Leather Coat (Gan Zot)
Feet – Sandals
Skills-
Axel Pain (Hatchet)
Repth (Bandanna)
Juk Rom (Wristbands)
Gan Zot (Leather Coat)
11. Intro-
Ana shifted in the hard, uncomfortable seat. If they were going to force people to sit in these things for 90 minutes at a time, why couldn't they at least make them padded and comfortable? She pouted and stared at the window. She wasn't actually looking at the dreary New York day outside, but rather at her own reflection in the glass. She wanted to make sure her pout was perfect, the lower lip extended just the right amount. Hmm. It needed something. She dug some "black cherry" lip gloss out of her purse, applied it, and checked the reflection again. Yeah, that did it. Now her lips had a smooth, dark-red glisten that she thought went well with her skin tone. Last year, she'd been quite tan from regular trips to the tanning bed, but now paler skin was in style, so she'd let the winter bleach her back to a more natural color.
Speaking of pale... Ana glanced back at the desk in the corner of the room. The goth-girl passed out there was just
too pale, even for the fashion. Katie had been late to class again, and now she was asleep. Typical. Ana didn't see any worth to the classes, either, but it paid to suck up to the teacher. She could get much better grades without doing the work, whereas Katie would just bring their wrath down on her head and probably flunk.
A boy between her and Katie's desk was giving her a questioning look, wondering if she was looking at him or something else. Ana transferred her full gaze to him and winked. He stiffened and jerked his eyes down to his notebook, pretending to have not noticed. Ana rolled her long-lashed eyes in an exaggerated gesture. He wasn't a very interesting guy, anyway. A nobody. But it was still fun to toy with them, the ones who didn't matter. She guessed he'd be perturbed by that wink for the rest of the day.
Natalie checked to see if Mr. Smythe was watching and then slipped a note onto Star's desk. Natalie Spronk could be considered the "queen" of the school. Homecoming Queen, Beauty Pageant Queen... drama queen. Everyone knew that she was aiming for Prom Queen, and she was likely to win it, too. It was pretty exceptional for someone to win the "triple crown" of all three popularity contests in a year, but for a junior to do it was almost unheard of. Natalie was well-hated by most of the senior girls, and plenty of the juniors as well. But, it didn't stop people from being envious. Even if her only real friend was Star Johnson, there were always plenty of hangers-on, hoping for a share of the glory. Or hoping to outshine her next year. Ana was one of these.
She glanced at Smythe, who was writing something on the board and had his back to the class, and then scribbled a note of her own on a scrap of paper. She wrote "Natalie" on it and tossed it onto Star's desk, across the aisle from her. Natalie was right in front of her friend. Star looked at the folded paper, the paper's sender, and then pretended to be taking notes while Smythe explained something about the French Revolution. As soon as he turned around again, she handed the note to Natalie with a face that said "I have
no idea, just read it." The queen opened it and deigned to spend a half-second reading the question there. She slid it under her binder and ignored it for several minutes more. Ana was sure that it was just so that Nat could see her squirm, although the girl didn't even look in her direction. Of course, if she did look, then it would ruin the effect of forcing Ana to wonder if she would be answered, if she was even worthy of attention. Natalie was a master at this sort of thing. She must be enjoying it, but showed no outward sign. Ana could only try to be as apparently indifferent and learn from the master.
Finally, a few moments before class ended, the note returned via Star. Ana read the contents.
| QUOTE (Natalie) |
Hey, where's the party going to be this weekend?
-Ana
Star's house. Facebook u the address l8er. |
Ana smiled. She was still in on it! It had only been within the last three months that she'd been invited to any of the "cool parties". Ever since she started hanging out with Natalie. It hadn't been easy to get the more popular girl to accept her, but it looked like things were finally starting to go right.
The bell rang, and Ana left for the bus, noticing as she left that the goth-girl, Katie, was still asleep in the corner. Well, maybe she'd miss the bus. It didn't really matter to her. Ana was sure Katie never got invited to parties. In fact, she was pretty sure the girl didn't have any friends. Well, she couldn't say that she did, either, but it was different! She didn't need friends; she was on her way up the ladder, and an uncool friend would just drag her down.
She checked Facebook as soon as she got home, but there was no message yet. Well, of course Natalie needed some time to get home and get online. Ana told herself that she wouldn't hover, but she couldn't stop herself from refreshing Facebook every ten minutes. What else was there to do? Ana plugged in her ipod and tuned to her Miley Cyrus playlist. The pop idol was only a few years older than she was, but she'd been acting far older for years. Ana could remember watching Hannah Montana and wishing she was like the spunky girl, but Miley had shed that act years ago. She currently walked a fine line between family-friendly Mickey-Mouse stuff and an edgier side that appealed to older fans. Everyone knew how it would end, of course: drug abuse, rehab, 2-month marriages and a shattered life. Such was the price of childhood fame... and yet, Ana still wished she could be Miley. It was worth it.
Bored, Ana started noticing the advertising on the side of the screen. One ad that popped up frequently was for a game called The World. "Free 30-day trial!" Said one that displayed a rather scantily-dressed girl with a huge sword. Another one showed the same girl, but with ever-changing hair, skin, and face, and variations on the outfit. "Completely customizable characters!" it flashed. Ana watched it without a lot of interest. She wasn't the gaming type - video games were for weirdos with no friends. Like that Katie girl.
Finally, late in the evening, Natalie sent Ana the address of Star's house. Ana had noticed the other girl on for almost two hours before this, but hadn't quite worked up the nerve to bug her about it. Ana looked up the address she'd been given. To her surprise, it was in a very run-down part of town. Star had the general impression of being pretty well-off, but then again, she did go to public school. And maybe the party had been moved to somewhere else to avoid the Johnson parents. It would be just like Natalie to leave out that kind of information.
Ana got ready for bed, stopping to study herself in the mirror after the shower, before putting her pajamas on. Too much fat on her thighs, and her arms were flabby. The teenager wrinkled her nose. She really ought to work out more. At least her breasts were fairly full, bigger than Natalie's, actually. Probably her best feature... Her hair was atrocious, of course, but she couldn't help that. Once she was dressed, she'd rub mousse into it to keep it from frizzing into an incorrigible cloud. Her facial features were just too strong to be beautiful, but the makeup helped when it was done right. Overall... not the best package, but she could work with what she had. She got into her pajamas and did her hair and brushed her teeth, thinking about what she would wear to the party tomorrow. Something that would look flattering on her. Since it wasn't school, she could wear something more low-cut.
The next day was Saturday, and Ana woke late. 11:30 was already basically lunch time, so she just ate some yogurt and a banana. It would do for both meals. She spent the rest of the day alternating between Facebook and trying different outfit combinations. That "The World" ad flashed at her again. How handy it would be to have some sort of computer-generated outfit modifier. She could just switch between clothing items and see how they looked together without all the hassle of putting on and taking off. But, of course, the computer generation would look perfect and flawless, and in real life she'd still look, well, like Ana. While on Facebook, she confirmed that the party was at 8:00. Now she just had to ask permission over dinner. Her parents wouldn't turn down the request so long as she phrased it correctly.
The first omen that things might go badly came at 6:00, when Dad still wasn't home for dinner. He was normally home by 5:30, but unannounced overtime was common. Technically, Saturdays were already overtime, but in the banking world, there were always transactions and things happening straight through the weekend, and as Dad put it, someone had to keep an eye on them. And, they couldn't really argue. They needed the cash for Alek's medical bills. Sometimes, Ana hated her sickly little brother, but she wouldn't wish the ceasing of his treatments on him.
"мать," Ana began in Russian, since Mom's English wasn't so great, "may I go to a friend's house this evening?"
Mom frowned. "What about your studies, Anushka?" Ana cringed at the nickname, but tried not to show it.
"Oh, Mama, I have all of tomorrow to get it done. There's not much, anyway."
Mom still looked unconvinced. "How will you get there? How late will you be out? You know Pyotr has the car, so if you want to wait until your father comes home..." There was an annoyance boarding on bitterness in her mother's voice.
"I'll take the bus, Mama! Don't worry, it's safe enough. I don't know how late, but not past midnight. I'll get her parents to drive me home if it's too late." Actually, she thought it would be pretty unlikely that she could get anyone to give her a ride home - as fas as she knew, the Johnson parents were out tonight, hence the party, and finding someone who actually had a car and would be sober enough to drive it wasn't likely.
Mom sighed into her coffee, conceding defeat. "Fine. But if you are not home by midnight, there will be a punishment!"
"Thank you, мать!" Ana grabbed her dishes and hustled them to the sink before Mom could change her mind. As she left the kitchen, she thought she heard her mother muttering something about "everyone wanting to leave me alone in this home." She felt guilty, but hopefully Dad would be home before too long. Alek was in the hospital for the weekend, going through tests and things. Mom would be spending most of tomorrow over there, probably. Ana didn't care. She was going to the party!
On the bus, Ana attracted glances of admiration from several of the male passengers. She enjoyed pretending not to notice, just the way Natalie would. The low-cut shirt she wore definitely showed off her "best asset", and the tight jeans did what they could for her oversized hips. Her makeup was immaculate. Ana consulted the piece of paper on which she'd devised the bus route to Star's house. This was the last leg of the route, and her stop was coming. They'd long since rolled into one of the poorer sections of New York, and actually, this was looking like an industrial area near the docks. Just where did Star live, anyway?
Here was the stop. Hesitantly, Ana got to her feet and climbed off of the bus. It really didn't look like somewhere that a family would live. With a growing feeling of apprehension and disappointment, she walked down the street and found the corner that turned to the street of the address Natalie had given her. There was the street number... it was a warehouse.
Ana felt tears prickling at her eyes, and was tempted to just let them fall. That bitch! Ana was certain Natalie and Star would be sharing the prank with the other party-goers, and laughing their heads off. She wanted to cry so badly... there was no one around, but if she let the tears fall, it would ruin her mascara. She dug a tissue out of her purse and carefully dabbed. And just when she thought she was starting to be accepted... Ana trudged back to the bus stop. Another one would be by in half an hour. She had nothing to do now but go home.
Back in her room, Ana buried her face in her pillow and let the sobs come - but quietly, so Mom wouldn't hear. Her mother had given her a puzzled look when she came home by 9:00, but Ana had bustled past and locked her door behind her. She wasn't even sure if Dad was home, but what did it matter? Neither of them would understand. Mom would talk to her about school work and how studying is more important than friends, and Dad would tell her that friends would come with success, and success with hard work. Well, she'd been working hard! It wasn't easy to make something as ugly as her into something guys couldn't stop looking at on the bus. But it hadn't worked... none of the cool people, the ones that mattered, had accepted her after all.
Finally, Ana sat up and wiped at her face with a tissue. The blotchy blackness didn't want to come off, but simply left smears around her eyes. The pillow case, too, was probably ruined. But the despair, the self-pity of the experience was giving way to anger now. How dare they treat her like this! Who gave them the right to make a fool of her? She was just as good as them! Better!! Nursing her rage, Ana turned her computer on and opened Facebook. But looking at Natalie's smirking profile picture, Ana couldn't think of the right words to express the feelings. She'd only look like an idiot... there was no way she could match words with Natalie. That girl had a gift for trash-talk, and English wasn't even Ana's first language. And, after all, Natalie was better than her, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Natalie Spronk had everything Ana had ever wanted, and Ana was just a desperate tag-along fake.
"Become anyone you can dream of!"
It was another advertisement for The World, one Ana hadn't seen yet. Without exactly thinking it through, she clicked the banner. Becoming someone new... right now, that sounds like a really good idea. The link led her to www.theworld.cccorp.en/trial - apparently a promotional offer by the makers of this game. The entire game could be downloaded to your PC, and would work fully operational for exactly 30 days from the time of activation. After that, it would cease to work until a specific code had been entered - which one could purchase for the price of the game from their website.
Whatever, sounds good to me. At least it will be a distraction for the rest of the weekend, if nothing else.
She clicked the download.
