I've had this faved for some time. But I'm just now getting around to posting a link to it here. This is the Mario theme music from the classic game
done on a steel drum band. My good friend Kirsten was in the band and posted this. She's the girl in the black shirt approximately in the center of the
group here.

This is just amazing fun to listen to. ^_^

Invincible Reichsman? O RLY?
Screenshot posted on the Official Forums
(It apparently took them 40 minutes, and they did post a bug report. =P)
EDIT 3: Initially folks were assuming that what they did was zorchgun Reichsman with leftover temps from a previous run. Apparently this is NOT the case - according to the folks who were on that team, they didn't zorchgun him, they just tried to beat him down really really hard. As demonstrated, it is possible - but look at their buff bars. They've got multiple stacked leadership buffs, an emp, a kin, and a sonic/sonic. And of course a crapload of blasters. And it still took 'em 40 minutes to do it.
But they DID do it. Hilarious.    
-- Acyl

Just an interesting exercise I went through: essentially finding quotes that break down a villian group's concept into its essence, for the most part.

They'll come at you sideways. It's how they think. It's how they move. Sidle up and smile. Hit you where
you're weak.

(Nemesis)

The truest evil is not achieved by the men who think themselves
the villain. The truest evil is done by the good man who
does what he feels he must, and thus he does it without hesitation.

(Malta Group)

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

(Carnival of Shadows)

Peace through Power!

(Arachnos)

Our methods have not differed as much as you pretend. I am but a shadowy reflection of you. It would take only a nudge to
make you like me. To push you out of the light.

(Praetorians)

Of course, it's not true, but the world only believes what the media tells them to believe... and I tell the media what to believe; it's really
quite simple.

(Crey)

For I do not intend to toil beneath another forever. The seeds of my victory have been carefully sowed, and will one day
bear a full harvest. I cannot say that you will have gained my respect, but I will acknowledge that you fought well. Drink deeply of your success. Bask in the
adulation of your peers. Savor this victory. Know that you have saved your world and this moment from the shadow of history. But you have only saved it for
now. Do not think that you have saved the world for your future. Know that you have saved this world for my coming dominion.

(5th Column/Council)

Mother Earth is here...and she's pissed!

(Devouring Earth)

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a
placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own
direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of
our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

(Rularuu)

As long as there is man, there will be violence.

As long as there is violence, there will be war.

And as long as there is war... we will always have a job.

(Sky Raiders)
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

They're running a restaurant in New York!

http://www.ninjanewyork.com/index.html

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

I Can't Get Next to You, by The Temptations

Hold it everybody

Hold it, hold it, listen

I can turn the gray sky blue

I can make it rain

Whenever I want it to

Oh, I can build a castle

From a single grain of sand

I can make a ship sail

Huh, on dry land

But my life is incomplete

And I'm so blue

'Cause I can't get next to you

I can't get next to you, babe

(Next to you)

I can't get next to you

(I just can't get next you)

I can't get next to you, babe

I can't get next to you

I can fly like a bird in the sky

Hey, and I can buy anything

That money can buy

Oh, I can turn a river into a raging fire

I can live forever if I so desire

Unimportant are all the things I can do

'Cause I can't get next to you

I can't get next to you, babe

(No matter what I do)

I can't get next to you, uh-yeah

Ooh, woo, ooh, woo

Ooh, woo, ooh, woo

Chicka boom, chicka boom

Chicka boom, boom, boom

I can turn back the hands of time

You better believe I can

I can make the seasons change

Just by waving my hand

Oh, I can change anything from old to new

The things I want to do the most

I'm unable to do

Unhappy am I with all the powers I possess

'Cause girl you're the key to my happiness

And I can't get next to you

Girl, you're blowing my mind

'cause I can't get (Next to you)

Can't you see these tears I'm crying?

I can't get (Next to you)

Girl, it's you that I need

I gotta get (Next to you)

Can't you see these tears I'm crying?

I can't get (Next to you)

I, I, I, I

I can't get (Next to you)

I, I, I, I

I can't get (Next to you)

Girl, you're blowing my mind

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

Effect: Doug gains reality control powers in a small bubble centered upon himself (similar to the power of the character Twilight from X-Nation 2099 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(Marvel_Comics), but everyone else is hedged out of the area
and cannot enter.
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

Summons 1 can of soda of random flavor.

I took a day off work yesterday, and decided to visit Toronto to do some shopping. (Left at 09:30, got back at 00:30 this morning) I filled more than a few
holes in my music collection thanks to the used-CD stores, so that was a "win".

As long as I was in town, I decided to see what was available in the way of anime collectables, so I went to Kikiwai -- to discover the store closed and up for
sale. Aargh!

Now where the heck am I going to get pencilboards? The Anime Stop (the anime store in Ottawa) doesn't sell them.

Maybe the collective knows: Anyone know of any good anime-collectable stores in Toronto or Montréal? Montréal would be better, since it's half as far from
Ottawa as Toronto. (I suspect the Montréal stores will advertise at Worldcon next month, but I can't go to Worldcon... )
--
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

I'm thinking she's a dark/invuln scrapper. Dunno. Open to suggestions on that and on the costume.

I'm not entirely happy with the look -- for starters, can't do the one-handed large glove while still keeping the jacket; for another, can't do a
trenchcoat-style buttcape or even use the valkyrie items to fake it and still keep the mini-vest top.

But still. I'm rather pleased with some of the look. Thoughts?



(Not exactly thrilled with the way the boots look, either, but the Valky w/ wings look at least approximates the exhaust pipes on her rollerblades...)

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

There's one out there, where Dick Grayson's put on trial before the Justice League for murder. I thought I'd originally gotten the link from here,
but I was wondering if anyone knows the one I speak of and if they happen to have a link handy?

Never mind, I found it.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1897125/1/Court_Martial
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power. Its burning grip tells me to defeat you....
Shining FINGER!" -Domon Kashuu, Mobile Fighter G Gundam

Question: I just pretty much want to know anything and everything there is about Blue Steel, such as
how did he come by his powers, why is he not a registered super hero (instead of working for the police)? I would like to know how Blue Steel came to work with
the police and whether such an option is open for other heroes who do not want to operate under the Citizens Crime Fighting Act but who would rather be true
Police Officers.

Is Blue Steel both a registered superhero and a member of the PPD, and in what capacity?

Answer: For those not completely satisfied with last weeks answers... here are some more details.

Josh Young's father was a stalwart member of the Paragon Police Department. Josh spent his youth on the streets of Kings Row, feeling safe and proud
because his dad was a cop. Josh's world turned upside down when his father was shot and killed in the line the week before Josh's High School
graduation. That day Josh put aside his plans for college and enrolled in the Police Academy. His father's sterling reputation and untimely death assured
Josh of a spot with no questions asked. He excelled in his courses and completed his studies in record time. He was a man possessed, studying and preparing
every day practically round the clock. With what little spare time he had, he built a dream. Forging himself a shield with his father's badge melted into
it, Josh crafted the identity of Blue Steel.

Josh went to his Captain with the idea of patrolling the Row in his Blue Steel Identity. His notion was met with skepticism at first but after he went straight
to the PPD Commissioner (who was a friend of his fathers) and told him that Blue Steel would be patrolling the streets of Paragon with or without sanction, a
compromise was made. Josh registered himself as a super-powered individual but was made a special deputy in the PPD. This solution received some resistance but
enough high ranking officers spoke on Josh's behalf it was implemented despite any objections.

Blue Steel adopted Kings Row as his primary beat, after asking the Back Alley Brawler to set up shop in Galaxy City as a personal favor. He is known to let his
still simmering anger over his father's death boil over on occasion (such as his encounter with the Clockwork King) but so far no disciplinary action has
been leveled against him.

Blue Steel has a special rank in the PPD and is also registered as a super-powered hero. Any hero in Paragon City is welcome to join the PPD. They must receive
training like any other police officer but it does not excuse them from registration.

Question: Does Arachnos exist in Praetorian Earth?

Answer: I'm going to use this question to rain check on all Praetorian questions for right now. I'm compiling them
all into a big Canon Fodder update for posting closer to the release of the Going Rogue expansion.

Question: Are we ever going to learn more about Red Widow?

Answer: Red Widow is one of those characters who people either love or hate. Although there aren't immediate plans to
explore her background, she is clearly the subject of a great deal of curiosity. Just like all the threads we've dangled over the years, I'd like to
think she'll be woven into the story more completely at some point in the future.

Question: Did Positron use his power armor to fight crime before or after developing the ability to generate anti-matter?

Answer: A lab accident early in his career granted Dr. Raymond Keyes the ability to generate small, insignificant amounts
of anti-matter material. So small that if it wasn't for his scientific mind he probably would have lived the rest of his life without realizing he had the
ability. Fortunately for us, Dr. Keyes traced a pattern of "weirdness" occurring around him to this innocuous ability. He and his colleague Dr.
Rudolph Bein built the original Positron suit as a way to harness the anti-matter he naturally generated, and could then use that harnessed energy to project
his anti-matter beams and power his rocket boots for flight.

During one of the last battles of the first Rikti War, Positron was severely injured, and lost any sort of control he had over his anti-matter generation
ability. Since the suit was specifically designed to harness and store anti-matter, he locked himself inside of it for the safety of those around him. Events
surrounding the return of Hero-1 to Primal Earth saw him "cured" of this condition, and he can now enjoy a life outside the armor.

Question: Of all the zones in the Rogue Isles that Longbow could have established in a base in, what the hell possessed
them to choose NERVA?! Grandville, I could see... Cap, I could see... but NERVA?!

Answer: Although Nerva might not have been their first choice geographically, it keeps them from going too far over
political and legal lines. Nerva is not clearly part of Lord Recluse's sovereign territory and so Ms. Liberty can justify the actions of her people there
when called out on the carpet by government oversight committees and the like. She definitely thinks that Statesman is too passive when it comes to Arachnos
but she generally leaves the black bag stuff to Wyvern.

Question: In Scirocco's patron arc, he may as well have a giant neon sign saying "I have a crush on Ghost
Widow." Does she know about it?

Answer: Although Ghost Widow knows that Scirocco is unfailingly polite to her she is not completely certain why. She
suspects he has some sort of feelings for her but attributes it to some sort of misplaced chivalry. In the constant jockeying that goes on in Arachnos she is
more than willing to exploit his naivety.

The truth is that the mantle of Scirocco, normally bestowed by the Monks of the Four Winds, weighs heavily upon Imad Malak. When he stole Serafina's bottle
and the scimitar wielded by the hero Scirocco, he insured himself a difficult path. Serafina cursed him to wield the power of a hero in the name of evil and be
hunted for all his days. He fights against the curse and hopes to have it lifted someday. He believes that "rescuing" Ghost Widow from the clutches
of Lord Recluse (for so he perceives the situation) might be his road to redemption