Some graphics doodling today, and I'm quite proud of this one:



The official flag of the Soviet Air Force-In-Exile, adopted 2009 just before the Soviets' mission to Mercury. This flag has flown on all Soviet expeditions, and has been carried into battle by X-COM forces during the Boskone conflict (most famously flown from the steeple of the Church of the White Martyrs after the capture of Asteroid 1488).

The flag is based off the classic socialist/communist red flag, with the major changes being the device in the right third of the flag and the purple cross in the white canton.

The device is the Seal of the Soviet Air Force, also adopted in 2009. The Seal is composed of a rose - another socialist symbol - with the stem branching off into a double helix wrapped around a hammer, representing Science (possibly Mad Science) and Industry.

The cross in the canton defies general explanation, though it is believed to hold great significance to the Central Committee. Those in the know have called it St. Grimace's Cross, but what *that* means nobody's quite sure.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

Just got back from seeing Transformers 2. One of the preview trailers was for a live action film of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now I'm not an avid fan
of the series, but I know enough to be certain that there is no way to condense the whole thing down to 3hrs or less. (maybe they plan to make a trilogy?)
More off putting is that the director is M. Night Shamalan.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

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