++ STARRY BEGINNINGS

Welcome to Nova Sponge Cakes' guild scrapbook. :) Documented here is the entire history of our guild - the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that came along the journey. Why the space theme, you ask? Well, a long, long time ago (in guild terms, at least =P), NSC gave the item Wishing On A Star to each new member. The significance of its item description was one we didn't notice until now - a phrase that echoes the magnitude of Nova Sponge Cakes, and the inner strength of all who are proud to call it their guild.


A tale of hope and friendship
when all else seemed lost.

++ SKIP AROUND

Starry Beginnings
Team Rocket
A Star is Born
Alien Invasion
Atmosphere
The Black Hole
Blasting Off

++TEAM ROCKET

Sanctuary
Sanctuary had been playing Neo on and off for a few years, mostly in times of boredom. She made weak attempts at restocking. Of course, they were good enough to earn her 11 million. ;D -is slapped- She'd also lurk the Help Chat once in a while, often witnessing groups of friends chatting together. Who seriously makes friends online_ she'd think. Of course, she didn't realize she'd be completely eating her words in just a few months...

Misa
Misa was a casual Neopets player as well. She would occasionally try and fail at collecting avatars and earning neopoints like most. However, much of her time was spent creating guilds and inviting a couple of friends just to chat and hang out once in a while. Misa also waded into the waters of graphics and coding by experimenting with guild layouts on MS Paint, as well as coding small pages. Little did she realize how handy and developed those skills were soon to become...

++ASTARISBORN

July 18th, 2007. Another hot, lazy summer day with nothing better to do but lie around. Misa, after creating some fun guilds solely to chat with a couple friends on Neopets, needed some inspiration for the name of another guild! She wanted something kind of cute and neo-related, and her imagination cast her in the direction of stars. She figured novas were the closest thing there were on Neopets. Then on to another obsession - baked goods! Misa was on the brink of choosing "Strawberry Nova Waffles," but she decided against it and created a new guild by the name of Nova Sponge Cakes... a name that will go down in guildly history as THE GUILD THAT LIVED.

Okay, we're kidding. Even we're not leet enough for Harry Potter.

Misa recruited her cousin Sanctuary to come help out. Sanct had never been into Neopets that much, but she figured she'd give it a shot when she was seriously bored during the summer. They decided to officially go public on August 1st, while Misa created a petpage webbie using Spiddi's petpage layouts.

++ALIENINVASION

Though the pair had no clue in space how to run guilds, NSC was fairly successful! Somewhere along the way, Misa became too busy in real life to lead a guild, so she handed the leader position to Sanctuary, who accepted.

However, in October of 2007, Sanctuary also became too overwhelmed with real life. She and Misa decided to temporarily close down NSC while they caught up with life and created a new, offsite website. They also made a few key changes. Firstly, they stopped giving out items as rewards; that seemed to draw in the wrong crowd. To take it a step further, they also made NSC private and literate, with an application process. With a spiffy webbie layout by third council Danielle, they recreated the guild on October 21st, 2007.

Nova Sponge Cakes v. 2.0 was a hit. Carefully chosen members flooded in and events were set up as NSC began to garner a name for itself around the guild community. The webbie got a makeover in December, but Nova Sponge Cakes remained the close, tight-knit guild we are known for, as well as being extremely active and literate. ;D

++ATMOSPHERE

Atmosphere: a surrounding mood or environment.

Nova Sponge Cakes was embraced in an ever-changing atmosphere. We could be exciting and hilarious one moment, or chill and relaxed the next. One thing was for sure, we always had each other.

In addition to chatting, NSC had a multitude of defining events, such as our Tea Party and Misa Appreciation Week. ;D Such events were filled with even faster-paced boards, special daily activities, and board games galore - they were always a time to take a break from the stresses of life, be it on Neopets or real, and just let loose with the guild.

Another way we went crazy on the boards: Mafia. This addicting, high-energy game started way back in the day and continues its spirited tradition of causing mayhem and mysteria to this day. One only had to say, "Mafia?" to a score of members jumping to play.

Thus was NSC's golden age, where faint solar winds frolicked and the star-filled sky was just outside our doorstep.

++THEBLACKHOLE

Then came the storm. NSC first began to get warnings from TNT about linking to the offsite webbie, but Sanctuary and Misa chose to risk it, despite their accounts being warned or suspended as well. When the guild was first deleted on April 7th, NSC rebuilt immediately and was supported warmly by NSCers and non-NSCers alike - members were even more active and high-spirited than ever! We regained around 40 members and 1500 posts in the next 24 hours. The second - and third - deletions followed in the same week. Morale began to lower as spirits dropped… then Sanctuary was IP banned. Two weeks later, NSC would have turned six months old.

NSC hung in as a physical body, floating in space. Misa and Sanctuary were always in contact, but they really couldn't find a logical way around the ban. Sanctuary wrote in to TNT, but as swamped as they constantly are, she received no immediate answer. Weeks later, however, Sanct realized she was no longer banned for whatever reason! She and Misa immediately began to plan NSC's comeback.

++BLASTINGOFF

Not willing to sacrifice guild stability, and therefore member happiness, for anything, Sanctuary and Misa started working on a new, onsite webbie, as well as making over the guild information page for an entirely new look. They also raised their application standards practically to the sky, to ensure a close-knit, literate community.

Now where are we? Nova Sponge Cakes is a highly respected guild and well-known around the guild community. We have a well-established webbie full of features and activities. Our guild constantly strives for excellence. But more importantly, we have become a truly tight-knit group of friends. We know the strength of our friendships can overcome whatever harsh meteor comes blasting towards us, we walk around with our eyes turned skyward, and we can rocket off towards whatever we wish on a star.