At long last, the 2021 International Animalia Convention had begun. Everyone was looking forward to it, and not just the IAC Games. There were actually a large number of special events going on, but a few events had been moved to other colonies to both promote said colonies and introduce a bit of variety.
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Speaking of variety, the Opening Ceremony certainly had something new when the Punk-a-Sauruses had a kind of "inaugural concert". What made them different from other rock bands was not only the fact that they all had Stone Age-themed musical instruments, nor was the fact that all of them were obscure species of Dinotopians, but the fact that all of them were wearing what could effectively be called speedos and little else. Fortunately, Polly had been instructed not to call out to Jeremy, who had been introduced via a stage name as the keyboard player, not only to keep her from distracting him but also to keep her from disrupting the opening ceremony.
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After the official lighting of the 2021 IAC Flame, and the "March of the Kingdoms", there was a large number of division as athletes began traveling to where the events were taking place. Dino City, for example, was hosting its own version of the 2021 IAC Bodybuilding Competition, Hunter Games, Flyer Games, and similar Track and Field Events.
Mieni Atoll, however, was the colony that was hosting the main 2021 Bodybuilding Competition alongside its own events. It was both a publicity stunt for Mieni Atoll as well as a celebration of the Coronavirus finally drawing to a close. Mieni also had its own vaccination program, despite what some internet idiots claimed about it (ranging from not being effective at all, to controlling people's behavior).
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Similarly, Heiya Island was the location of the IAC Martial Arts Tournament. One thing that was different was that there was also going to be something similar to a Renaissance Fair, but was more along the line of "East meets West". Partially it was a cultural showcase of what the "Western world" during the late 16th-early 17th centuries, just before Japan withdrew from the world; partially it was a showcase/comparison on how European knights and Japanese samurai (whether human or Animalian) were the same and different; and partially it was a chance for historical/mythological figures to interact with each other. This third one was generating a lot of interest on the website, since there were some who were interested in seeing a meeting between King Arthur and Oda Nobunga.
Heiya Island was also hosting a few events of its own such as the Obon Festival, as well as Nate and Shuixing's wedding. It would be something to see a Buddhist wedding as well as a Christian one, even if there were those who got certain wedding traditions mixed up, even if the sentiments were justifiable.
Mr._S@f3tY: If there's going to be a circle of dancing men haphazardly firing guns, shotguns or otherwise, you can count me out.
Solar_Wolf_Goddess: That's a commendable attitude, though that's not how it goes in Buddhism, so you won't have to worry about that.
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While Animalia Ambassadoria would be doing coverage of the IAC Events at the other colonies, there was a small group that would be doing something a little different. Miles and a few others would be doing coverage of Juliet's mansion as well as looking over the plans for the French/EU Animalia Colony. A deal had been reached between Juliet and the French Government over what the casino/nightclub should entail, but it hadn't taken long for the rest of the European Union to want to take part, much to Juliet and the French Government's annoyance, though Juliet's was less so since she had nailed down a deal, as well as talking with someone who was part of Mercy's "Criminal Trash Recycling" Program.