"Okay, Bell, c'mon, what's this all about?" Chris demanded as
they filed into the cool dryness of the temple after breakfast.
Whatever it was, Belldandy had not taken the time to wash the
dishes first before leading them in here, and in his experience
any break that Belldandy made from her familiar routine was
something to worry about.

"And what's *he* doing here?" Chris added after his eyes had
adapted to the dim candlelight, and he realized that Doug was
kneeling at the far end of the temple, facing the door.
Belldandy shushed him and he winced; that had come out a bit more
sharply than he'd intended.

"Thank you for coming, all of you," Doug said in a firm but calm
voice, loud enough to carry through the entire temple. "Before
we can start the ritual later this morning, there's something I
need to do, if only to calm my mind before we start." One corner
of his mouth twitched almost into a half-smile, as though he were
amused at the thought. "I've always been something of an anti-
theist," he continued. "But three of my grandparents were French
Catholics, and as Chris already knows, my maternal grandmother
was a German Jew."

This time he did smile, and it was a smirking, self-deprecating
one. "So believe me when I tell you, I'm *quite* familiar with
guilt." The smirk disappeared. "Now, while I'd like to think
that I'm a good person, I know for a fact that I'm not
necessarily a *nice* one."

"Oh, Doug," Belldandy interjected, "I've told you that's not so."

He held up a hand. "No, no, hear me out, okay? You haven't seen
me in a real battle, or doing something distasteful because it's
my duty. I try my best to be ethical, but I can't always afford
to be *moral*." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "The
important thing is, I'm thinking I need to address that before I
get involved in something as inherently... well, *holy,* as what
we've got planned. Therefore, I believe it's absolutely
necessary that I do this."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then very clearly
enunciated, "Bless me, Lord and Ladies, for I have sinned. It
has been over thirty years since my last confession."
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Octopi are apparently the kinkiest creatures of the sea.

Relevant quote: "The researchers also observed smaller "sneaker" male octopuses put on feminine airs, such as swimming girlishly near the bottom
and keeping their male brown stripes hidden in order to win unsuspecting conquests."

--------------------

Epsilon

Must find brain bleach...

Bob and a few others would know me as Matrix Dragon over on the EPU forums. Last night, knowing Bob had experience with supergroups, I asked him if he knew any
willing to put up with a freaking MMORPG noob, and he promptly invited me over. Now the only issue is actually joining the group. Is anyone online at the
moment?

...had done Watchmen?

Well, it might look something like http://bp0.blogger.com/_A7D_OxH4p1A/R94 ... eanuts.jpg]this.

(More info http://explodingmoose.blogspot.com/2008 ... o-bar.html]here.)
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded as the song kicked into
gear and power started to flood me.

I spared a glance at her. "I'm going to give Riddle one hell of
a migraine."

Curiosity obviously was consuming her. "*How?*"

I raised my right hand and let it hover over the unconscious Death
Eater's Dark Mark. "You ever see 'Dr. Who', Hermione?"

"Yes, but..."

I didn't let her finish. "Well, I'm about to reverse the polarity
of the moron flow." And with that I clamped my hand around the
Mark and released the pure white power directly into it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

(details here)

I admit it: when reading it, I thought it sounded VERY cool, though I wanted to be able to turn it off as well. But hey, CoX has been good about options, so I
didn't think that'd be an issue.

Then this: "Players can optionally disable the Visual Sounds in the options menu, but are encouraged to keep them on, as all the sounds in the game are
being removed to make room on the players' hard drives for the new Visual Sound graphics."

And the penny dropped. Today's April 1st. Ya got me, guys. Sheesh.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

Spotted on a few RPG-company websites:

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/]Steve Jackson Games reports that they're being purchased by Atlas Games.
http://www.atlas-games.com/]Atlas Games reports that they're being purchased by Ronin Arts.
http://www.roninarts.com/]Ronin Arts reports that they're being purchased by Steve Jackson Games.

Not a bad start to the Foolishness, but there has to be something better out there.

(I'm not bothering this year. Nothing I can think of tops http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.arts. ... 2fabba2040]my 2003 Follishness. (For context, that was when "Freedom Fries" first appeared...))
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

And, as promised, the Beer Song:

Youtube Beer Song (NSFW)

OHhhhhhhhhhhhhh... What is the farming clicker

What gets you levelled quicker

What drains your health or your end? (KIN!)

Can't get enough of it (Kin!)

How we really love it (Kin!)

Of the Imps I'm a fan (Kin!)

I could dance and scream (Kin!)

But I'd rather team (Kin!)

Get my exp bar out to heeeere (Kin!)

I could not refuse a (Kin!)

I could really use a kin kin kin!

Kin kin kin kin kin kin, kin kiiin

I can't remember, how much I have farmed

I was level five, now I'm thirty four

Thaaat's my SK, the farming manly stud

I'm proud to be his bud!

Here have another

No I'll call it quits

My brain is on the fritz!

Farm with your family

Farm with your friends

Farm till your wallet, extends.

Farm is liquid exp, it's good for you

We like to farm till we're through! woo!

Who cares if we get debt?

I'll farm for that!

As we sing once more...

OHhhhhhhhhhhhhh... What is the farming clicker

What gets you levelled quicker

What drains your health or your end? (KIN!)

Can't get enough of it (Kin!)

How we really love it (Kin!)

Of the Imps I'm a fan (Kin!)

I could dance and scream (Kin!)

But I'd rather team (Kin!)

Get my exp bar out to heeeere (Kin!)

Golly I adore it (Kin!)

Come on, brother, score it!

Do it for me, group it for me

feed it to me, speed boost me

the most wonderful class in the world

HOO RAY!Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979

===========

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

http://www.doubleviking.com/videos/page0.html/8582.html]The Tron lightcycle sequence, remade by fans with cardboard and construction paper.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.