Belen made a surprising discovery just before. She directed me to Steel Canyons north war wall, where a massive construction project is underway, and the site
foreman makes references to a secret project, and actually removing (at least) a portion of the war wall!

EDIT: And it proves how new I am... as I'm now told it's been there two issues or so No one mind the dumbass noob, just move along

is patching right now Expect servers to be up at approx. Noon or so.

My bane spider will be made this evening See you all there!
There is no coincidence, only necessity....
- Clow Reed

...to individual forum areas this morning (5/19/08) at around 8 AM Eastern? I could see the top page of the forums, but kept getting "this page is not
available" errors when I tried to go look at anything.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

...but I can't find it at all. Did someone post a link to a pic of two Gundams tricked out like Nanoha and Fate?

--Sam

"An object at rest -- CANNOT BE STOPPED!!!!!"

... no animation (in the sense of drawn pictures moving around) at all, in fact. But it's Portal related and kinda cute.

girl-robot with fiber optic hair and holding a cat-fish-thing sings "I'm Alive".
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Heuristic Engramic Autonomous Tactical unit, attached Paragon Special Investigations division, operational log excerpt 17-05-08-2345:

I'm happy. 'Cause a this.
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

Longbow Interrogation Session 139100012

Subject: Liscensed Hero "Sell-Sword"

Potential Infraction: Unauthorized use of force against another liscensed hero

Begin recording....

My name? Not really important. You'd never have heard of me before I put on this getup and you'd never find me even if you looked. I don't really
socialize, and my old line of work preferred no nasty loose threads that could be traced back to our employers. Fun fact: burning off ones fingerprints is
rather painful. Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes...that little dust up. Well, I'd say that he started it, and physically he did, but I imagine that you could
say I provoked him. What over? Well, that's an interesting story....

Riot Force 6.1: A Conflict of Interests

It all started over a job. Now, I make no pretensions. I'm as mercenary as they come in this hero business. If you can't make a buck, it doesn't
interest me and there's probably someone that'll get a warm fuzzy feeling in their chest when they pound some Hellion that just stole some lady's
purse. Me, I know the salvage laws, and there's a thriving market for the stuff. Especially since they created that Invention, Inc. atomic reorganizer. Put
in the right stuff, mess around with it a little, and you can get something new. If it's dropped off thugs that'd only misuse it, all the better, no?
Well, I know people that'll pay the big bucks for certain things. One man's trash, y'know? So anyway, I'm on an impromptue team to take out a
rather large Thorns gig. I really like taking out Thorns. No one ever complains about fatalities because there's no way an ancient spirit from beyond
possessing a stolen body is going to press legal charges or have a family to do so. It was me, a martial arts guy named Tseng Fook, and an acquaintance of mine
named Fire Bomber. Cute girl, and she thinks like I do, so we team up occasionally.

Anyway, standard mission. I got a few odd looks from Fook, usually when putting a bullet through a Mage's head, but generally nothing to write home about.
Bomber and I were comparing notes, trying to get a fair take for both. That is, each of us trying to get the other to accept getting a lesser take than
ourselves. Only fair, right? Fook didn't seem to interested, and I've seen his type before. Honorable samurai wannabes. Like the Tsoo, with morals.
Which actually makes them almost as annoying, really. Anyway, eventually we took down the Circle force there. Set a few people free from being soul sucked,
started divvying up the proceeds. That's really when it hit the fan.

Fire Bomber's a nice gal, but her appreciation for the concept of....tact...can be lacking at times. She made the mistake of mentioning a few gray legal
zones she could sell some of the stuff. Apparently Fook had dealt with them before and knew that they also might or might not sell that same stuff back to the
crooks on the street. Apparently Fook decided that made Bomber an accomplice. Funny, right? Comedy of errors. Honestly, I probably know more about superhero
law than most spandex heads on the street, so I knew his stated intent to arrest Bomber was....dubiously legal at best. That's why I hate samurai. So white
and black. On average. Not to offend any samurai who recognize moral grays that may be listening here.

Anyway, Fook was good, but he's just a norm, and not a particularly well equipped one at that. Bomber, on the other hand, can generate flames that can
roast a Council Mekman in under a minute. And while not as savvy as me, she certainly wasn't going to let herself be arrested for something that she was
pretty sure she couldn't be prosecuted for. A girl has to have standards. Anyway, I step between them, trying to break this up before we have a fatality on
our hands that the cops won't ignore. He accuses me of being no better than her.

I still remember the speech. Really, I toggled my radio to record it. I knew it was coming, and they're always good for a laugh. You guys mind playing that
back? I imagine it's still in my suit which you have, of course, not quite yet returned to me. Yeah, that's the one. Just put it in.

(crackle of static)

"-fend her! You're just like her, the most dishonorable kind of scum. You pretend at being heroes, but you're causing the problem! Every gun,
knife, or magical ingredient you sell off has a fifty fifty chance of winding up in the hands of the same lot, and hurting even more innocent people. You make
me sick, you bastards. I should bring you both in, and I'm sure it'd bring enough evidence to light if investigated."

(Soft 'heh') "Really now? We're part of the problem?"

"Of course. If it weren't for people like you, there'd be half as much crime as there is now."

"Okay, so let me ask you this. You take on Arachnos that often?"

"Yeah..."

"Any of them ever get out?"

"A couple."

"Sworn vengeance?"

"They always do."

"So...let me give you a little hypothetical. Say, hypothetically, Bomber and I go and sell this stuff off. And every bit of it winds up in the Thorns'
hands again. Now, the Thorns will go out and, as you said, try to hurt innocent people again. The word gets out, and a hero or two swoop down, like we did, and
rescue them. Mary Sue and Marty Stu have a story to tell their workmates about around the water cooler, public opinion of heroes goes up, and the little people
feel safe. If it's not a hero like me, maybe the stuff ends up confiscated entirely. Who knows?"

"That's rather optimistic."

"True. Worst case scenario, someone ends up soul sucked. Crime rates go up. Crying family. Etcetera. Now, let's consider your worst case
scenario."

"Huh?"

"The worst case scenario if someone using your methods goes about hauling guys in, spouting justice, and smiting evil. Now, say your guy serves his term.
Gets out on good behavior. Joins up with his old gang. He's angry, and he'll come after you. But that's normal. However, worst case scenario, your
guy is smart. He goes out, realizes getting back at you with the same old tactics won't work. So he decides its worthwhile to bring you down. Makes him
seem important. He talks to a bigger group. The Family. Tsoo. Maybe even the Council, if he's crazy. Gets some REAL muscle behind him. And he's smart
enough to remember your face. You got family? They're targets now. You come back after a night of roof jumping, find a teddy bear in your niece's bed
with a note informing you that you have until the next day to give yourself up. You call the cops. City wide APB. They don't find anything, and the
deadline comes up. You come home to body bags instead. By now, that original thug's gotten some infamy. He showed up the hero that jailed him. Maybe he
gets patron'd by a supervillain. Becomes a real threat. Maybe he's even one of those Destined Ones I hear Recluse is gathering. Training. Honing into a
weapon. He takes you down. Makes a name for himself. Gets further training. Becomes one of Arachnos' or the Council's big names. Soon he takes down
someone important. Let's say....Manticore. He's normal. Killable. Like you and me. This causes a chain reaction. The morale blow alone would be
catastrophic to the city. And it'd nudge both camps onto a war footing. Soon, before you know it, it's outright war between the Rogue Isles and
Longbow. If that isn't bad enough, what if the Rikti swoop in like a lot of vultures? So we're either under a supervillian bootheel, drove them off
with heavy casualties, or the Rikti have vaporized us all. Worst case scenario, of course."

(soft, feminine snickering)

"That's...that's impossible."

"No, just highly improbable. And you'd be the one to blame....or rather, you wouldn't. It's all part of the system, right? Could be you. Could
be Statesman. All it takes is a powder keg. If my guys get their stuff back, they're more likely to do the same dumb crimes and get caught the same dumb
way. Yours, however, could blow up. Is it likely? Maybe, maybe not. But I don't really well see my way potentially causing the end of the world as we know
it, right?"

(radio static)

That's about the point where he got so damn angry at me that he attacked me. I was nice. Just tazed him gently, then pumped a couple beanbags into his
stomach. Let him down nice and easy. Then you Longbow guys got a call about a super fight, came in, and found the whole situation as it was. So, I suppose you
could say I started it....if we're locking up people for having opinions now. Truth and justice for all, right?

Session Terminated

End result: Liscensed Hero "Sell-Sword" full acquittal, Licensed Hero "Tseng Fook" sentenced to six
months community service, hard labor

File Ends.

*****

This's been bouncing around in my head ever since I made Sell-Sword in an attempt to make a non-standard hero. It really illustrates his
worldview rather well, I think. For those playing at home, Sell-Sword is, of course, my first character on Virtue, while Fire Bomber belongs to Sky
Reiko/Matrix Dragon, more well known to you probably as Knight of the Peace. Tseng Fook, my errant fall guy, is a generic put together for the purposes of this
story.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

"Look at you all! Mere sheep, following through the motions of your lives, because you know nothing else!" It was a sadly familiar sight in Steel
Canyon. A Vortex Adjutant and a squad of Nebulas standing on a street corner, harassing those that passed by with the propaganda of the council, insults, and
even outright threats. The modern day version of a press gang. The fact that an organization born from the Nazis and the second world war could openly walk the
streets of Paragon City was depressing, yet all too common in a world still healing from the Rikti Invasion.

People didn't look at the Council soldiers as they walked past as fast as possible without drawing attention. While mere cannon fodder by the standards of
the Council, the Nebulas were still deadly to the everyday citizen. With so few police officers left in Paragon City, it was safer to keep your head down and
not get noticed. After all, what if they decided you'd make a good addition to the Council and there wasn't a hero nearby?

The Adjutant stepped off his box suddenly, marching towards a slightly overweight man in his late twenties. "You are exactly the kind of failure I speak
of," the Council solder said, voice nearly dripping with disgust. "You have wasted your life. Your body has been neglected, mistreated. Now it slowly
rots away, just like your mind," he said as the man backed up, visibly terrified by the Nazi, but at the same time, drawn in by the sheer force of his
words.

"It is not your fault. It is the fault of a society that teaches the lesson that 'close enough is good enough.' They tell you not to try, not to
find your limits. Just sit back, watch television, and buy things that make you feel better." The disgust seemed to fade as he placed a hand on the mans
shoulder. "I was the same way once, before the Council opened my eyes. They helped me to rediscover who I was meant to be. They could do it for you
also..."

"After the invasive surgery, mind-altering drugs and mental reprogramming," added a new voice. "Then you'll be all set for life as a Nazi
henchman, threatening people, shooting innocents, and generally being the scum of society."

The Adjutant scowled, turning, then paled at the sight of a trio of heroes standing there. Well, two heroes and what looked like a Lost Headman, mutated
features hidden in the hood of his jumper and a face mask. The voice had to belong to the man in green power armor, as it obviously didn't belong to the
fairy girl in rather decorative formal wear.

"Kill them!" the Adjutant ordered, grabbing his flamethrower and pulling it up. The trio scattered instantly as the Council squad moved to obey. As
he opened fire on the fairy, the squad leader identified two of them. Lady of the Peace and Sell-Sword, founding members of the new supergroup Riot Force 6.1.
Low ranking heroes, but against the 'children' he was leading...

Lady jumped into the air, wings lifting her even higher as flames appeared around her hands. Smirking, she threw the flames like a baseball into the Nebulas,
scattering them across the street. One didn't have a chance to get up before Sell-Sword nailed him in the chest with a short burst.

Ignoring the seeming death of one of his men (The death of a mere Nebula was the Councils 'survival of the fittest' at work' ethic after all), the
Adjutant unhooked a grenade from his belt and tossed it at Sword. He leapt clear, but was stunned for a moment as he caught the very edge of the blast. The
Nazi smirked coldly, stepping forward, only to find himself lifting into the air, feet danging a foot off the ground as his whole body felt like it was being
held in a vice. Forcing his head to the side, he saw the 'Lost' standing back, a hand held out in front of him.

Seconds later, Lady dropped, fists glowing with arcane energy as she slammed them down on his head. The world seemed to explode for a moment, then spun as he
tried to get his bearings. "He's a durable one," Lady mused.

"Boss, move please," the 'Lost' said in a surprisingly normal voice. Lady stepped clear, then the Vortex saw a trash can pick itself up and
fly towards him at high speed.

Lady of the Peace winced as the Nazis body made a rather nasty sounding crunch at the impact, bouncing along the ground. "He's not getting up
soon," she said, pulling a teleport tag from out of nowhere and walking over to him.

"This one is," Sword noted as a Nebula tried to get up. Raising his rifle, he took aim.

"Sword, alive."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"He's easier to question then Vortex boy."

"Good point," he agreed, walking over and punching the Council goon in the face. He dropped back to the ground, out cold.

As Lady secured the Council goons and teleported all but the one Nebula away, the 'Lost' walked over to the man the Vortex had been harassing. "My
apologies for that sir," he said, nodding his head respectfully. "A few minutes sooner, and you wouldn't have had to deal with their abuse."

"That's quite alright," he managed. "I... I thought you were a Lost at first," he admitted, embarrassed.

The giant chuckled. "Understandable," he said. "Sadly, there are very few clothing options for a man of my size. It's made for some..
interesting encounters." The friendly tone in his voice made the man smile, despite the situation.

As Sword walked up, he paused, looking at the armored hero. "Invasive surgery?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Sell-Sword replied. "They pump you full of combat drugs, tweak your DNA and thought patterns, and suject you to brainwashing until all
you can think of is serving the Council and their quest for world conquest and Fourth Reich." The man looked slightly horrified. "Scary, isn't
it?"

"...yes," he said after a moment. "Very. He made it sound so... appealing..."

"He's a fanatic that knows the right thing to say," Lady of the Peace said. "Blame everything on things outside your control and tell you he
could make it all better. He had a lot more stuff to feed you," she added. "Not your fault. He's trained to mess with peoples heads." The
man looked thoughtful as he thanked them again and went on his way. Lady watched him for a moment, then turned to Sell-Sword. "You know a bit about the
Council."

The armored hero nodded. "They gave me a job offer back before I got this gear," he admitted. "Had potential, then it fell apart when I took a
closer look. I'm a mercenary, not a fanatic. Turns out they don't do contractors." He glanced over at the giants snicker. "What's so
funny Horizon?"

Iridium Horizon shrugged. "Just love the fact you dislike villain groups based off their hiring practices," he commented, drawing a giggle from Lady.

"Whatever," he said, going over and picking up the one Nebula they hadn't teleported. "Lets get started on questioning this guy
already."

Acme catalogue

Needs more description, but amusing if you know the films.