Beepbeepbeep-beep! Beepbeepbeep-beep! Beepbeepbeep-beep! Beepbeepbeep-be-

Nene grumbled as she struggled over the warm mass of Ifrit to shut off the PDA's alarm, shutting it down as she again made a note to relocate the charger
to her side of the bed. Noting the clock advertising it as being a truly obscene hour of the late night/early morning, Nene considered putting off looking into
what'd triggered one of her sniffer programs but shrugged it off as she sat up in bed, glancing at the screen.

A personnel profile access by Superball ? What's that nutjob looking for in our
database? Or maybe more accurately, who got ahold of his password?

A cursory examination showed he'd accessed information on Decay...and accessed information on her past activities? Technically, that was
perfectly allowable. Hardly hacking the system, but to dig into those kind of program files showed more intuitive search capability than she'd thought
Superball capable of doing at a grocery store, let alone a computer network.

Her curiousity piqued, Nene set the PDA aside and got out of bed to grab her laptop, which was properly networked with her other machines and didn't have a
finicky touch screen. Getting her programs in order, she began examining the various stages of the contact. Superball'd made a bee-line for Decay's
file. Specifically, her recent activity on the database. She'd done a wide search within a given array of metahuman abilities. Poor girl, using the powers
log for a dating service, it seemed. And she'd picked Superball as her first attempt. For anyone else, that'd explain the inquisition of files, but
with Superball, he was a wacky nutcase...wasn't he? Of course, if that's what he wanted everyone to believe....something inside Nene's mind perked
up as she smelled a secret that she didn't know, and immediately began sending out more sniffers.

They traced the IP address fairly easily, though no normal back-check would've brought it up. The machine was well put together and guarded. A quick
analysis of the security routines suggested Mag's work. He had a given profile of anti-hacking and pursuit programs that he preferred, especially when
building for someone else that wouldn't have him on hand immediately for tech support if anything went wrong. And this had his signature all over it.
Unfortunately, Mag was an engineer, not a software genius, and in Nene's probably-not-too-humble opinion, he was up against a virtuoso in the field.

Having detailed the masked signature and its scrambling protocol from backtracking it(the machine was turned off, and thus inaccessible to her, but Riot's
logs worked well enough), Nene went to step two. Sylia would probably officially disapprove of her having a back door into the root code of the Legendary
base's computer systems, but unofficially, she'd only call Nene on that if she got caught. And, frankly, if anyone called her on it, she could just
claim she was bored one day and wanted to see if she could do it and people'd accept that explanation hook, line, and sinker. Letting loose her sniffers
again, they tracked the oddly masked IP signature shortly before Riot's base had been accessed, this time utilizing Terrence's account. Nene giggled
slightly at that, imagining poor Terrence running up against a 12th generation supercomputer that made the common home PC look like an abacus in
comparison...and calling up someone slightly more tech savvy to help him with it. Not her, of course. He'd probably think he'd never live it down(and
he wouldn't have, had he asked), but Superball? Hmph. No accounting for taste.

Once again, queries about Decay, specifically a rather amusing video of her and Terrence and her activities in tracking him down. Clearly, he'd been
wondering if she'd specifically come looking for him or just randomly picked him up for the date that the camera's audio feed clearly portrayed her
inviting him to.

The question, again, was why he cared. And why'd he gone as roundabout as to use Terr's access to find out? If it were just confirming how the hell
that had happened, an officer level account like his could've found all this without using Terr's...

So what was Superball hiding?

Absently, Nene realized she'd begun thinking of Superball as far closer to her own level of intelligence and sneakiness than the insane goofball that
she'd initially considered him. And simply put, this pattern of activity didn't fit Superball's public persona at all. It was too directed. Too
sneaky. It acted too much like someone with something to hide. Which meant finding out Superball's real background.

A cursory search brought up the two Superballs on record. Superball I's file ended abruptly with the standoff with the Outcasts. That was obvious enough,
but the FBSA had sealed the file on the investigation. The lock was a bit harder than she could probably legally chip at just yet, so Nene went around. Police
reports for the day of the incident filled her computer's screen as she narrowed them down to arrests of known thugs, then Outcasts, then when the gangs
themselves had been turned in. The datedness of the files worked for her here, with very few of them having any sort of security.

It seemed that the gang Superball I had taken on had a bit of a reputation. In fact, it might not be too big a leap to say they had an on-again, off-again
rivalry with Superball. Enough that the gang's names were available in the arrest logs. Calling up a list of known members for that particular Outcast
crew, she cross-referenced them. First, she scratched off names that were already in jail that day. Second, those that'd been arrested when the hostages
had been saved. Finally scratching off those confirmed as dead by one of the variety of ways it could happen in Paragon City, Nene blinked when only a handful
files remained open...and one whose powers didn't fit the typical Outcast kitsch at all was among them. The Outcasts had a theme, and most of them shot
fire, ice, lightning, or conjured rock. This one, though....he had powers that she'd never seen in the Outcasts, precisely. However, she had seen them
somewhere else....

She picked up the phone, dialing quickly as she glanced over at where Ifrit was still asleep. She knew now, but she didn't know what to do with what she
knew. However... "Sylia? I've dug up something I think you should know."

***

A couple days later, a letter was slipped into the mailbox of a given apartment. In fact, it wasn't a letter at all, really. It was a card, address written
on one side in plain, blocky print, and on the other, a short set of directions to a rather high class cafe on the far side of Independence Port. That and a
short note, written in a woman's elegant, flowing handwriting.

We need to talk. Date and time is in the usual drop-off point

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

From the Times

What turns women on.

Genuine not spam - in case you're worried, but possibly not safe for work.

Okay, I was just thinking about what kind of adventures Mayonaka would be having and I realized that she wouldn't always be looking for trouble. I then
realized that an arch-nemesis would be the perfect thing. I know that Fenspace is not a dystopia, but it's not a perfect utopia either. I also know that
Ebony already has an arch nemesis for the Blue Blazer Irregulars.

So, with that in mind, I'm working on a re-occuring villain that would have an unhealthy interest in Mayonaka - she is, afterall fairly unique. Possibly
Helen as well. Any ideas?

This particular creation of the Jason's came about after his first meeting with Wire Geek, and was also heavily influenced by the need for the Vitamin Man.
The human body can manufacture vitamin D on its own...but requires sunlight to do so. Sunlight is also needed anywhere people want to grow plants...which can
be a problem depending on where you are in Fenspace, and how your habitable space is set up. Grow bulbs aren't exactly self-sustaining, and are fairly
expensive as well. The Jason came up with this to adress the problem.

Sunflowers:



These plants resemble regular sunflowers to some extent, but with extensive modifications. They are everblooming, with usually two or three blossoms present at
any one time. The flowers are crystalline in nature, the petals resembling thin pieces of faintly milky quartz. At the base of the plant, the stem expands into
a bulb; wiring can be inserted here to supply the plant with electricity. When powered, the flowers actually emit full-spectrum sunlight, suitable for growing
other plants...and supplementing their own growth as well. There are both tall and dwarf versions of the plant, the taller one reaching around six feet, while
the dwarf can fit neatly into a small flower pot and reaches only a foot or so in height. There are currently four varieties of sunflowers, all of them
available in tall and dwarf versions.

Turning Seasons - This version exhibits a temperate zone day/night cycle if continuously powered, with changing day lengths. The starting point can be
manipulated, but the default is winter solstice.

Tropical Days - This sunflower has an equatorial day/night cycle, with days and nights of roughly equal lengths.

Midnight Sun - This version simulates the day/night exremes seen in polar regions - generally around the same area as Alaska. One of the first
successful plantings of this type was given as a gift to Wire Geek.

British Empire - As the name suggests, this sunflower will continue to supply sunlight as long as power is applied.

I went by the warehouse 23 website yesterday and they are renovating thier warehouse WITH PICTURES!

Sadly someone possibly the IllumiNOTS must have redirected the link or substituted pictures and/or Censored all the important stuff out of the pictures.

All they are showing is bare concrete and mostly empty shelving and boxes.

It could be any normal warehouse anywhere else in the world.

I mean we all KNOW that the stuff in Warehouse 23 must be stored behind specially warded and electrified 30 foot thick titanium reinforced concrete walls that
is at least 7 stories underground, but one of the pictures shows a truck entrance with SUNLIGHT shining in.

Where are the specially warded Hazmat suits? They actually expect us to believe thier workers can run around in Jeans and light Jackets?

Even the bare concrete proves it can't be Warehouse 23.

Where are the acid stains?

Where are all the bite gouges or at least the patched concrete?

I mean I know of at least six un-nameable and un-imaginable things that have escaped containment.

Where are the bullet holes and craters from anti-tank round and laser or lightning strike burns needed to drive some of the weaker un-nameables back into
containment.

Also where are all the warning placards, wards and titanium cover plates closing off all those dimensional doorways that are scattered throughout the REAL
warehouse 23.

I've never explored much of Warehouse 23, but even I can tell this can't be pictures from Warehouse 23.

http://www.warehouse23.com/closed/

howard melton

In the wake of the winter storm that hit New Jersey last night, Peggy's got the whole day off (an amazing thing, she notes, as her boss never closes for inclement weather), and I have a delay until 10 AM (with a "call back at 8:30 to make sure we're not
actually closed all day" caveat).

I hear the snow hit as far south (in the US) as Alabama, who get significant snow maybe once every ten or fifteen years. So, anyone else get inconvenienced by
the white stuff?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

While impatiently not really waiting for Elec Melee to make its way blueside, I rolled an Elec/Shields Brute in the meantime, while Uni rolled her own
SS/Shields Brute to complement it in a pact.

These two are the most amusing team I've ever seen. We don't go from location to location. We go from spawn to spawn, wiping them out as we build Fury.
It's an ongoing attempt to keep the Fury at the highest it can be as we go to the mish, and there were paths of beaten, broken opponents in our wake. :lol:

We were doing Burke's arc, and I believe I discovered Brutelock when, confronted with the hatchery level, I charged right up the middle to attack the boss,
aggroing everything in the room at once, and then proceeded to kick all of its ass with Uni's Brute's help. And KO'd the hatchlings as well, which
we let hatch and THEN beat up.

I already have one Brute, but BU-55 isn't NEAR this fun. :lol
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

Scraps is fast approaching 50 -- a week away, tops, at this rate. Since she just got her last power slot, now seems as good a time as any to respec her.
Especially since I know what I'm after. Simply put, I want a kitty who can tank Rommy. *grin*

Okay then! Here's the current setup:

Archetype: Scrapper

Powersets: Claws/Willpower

Level: 50

Primary playstyle: Shred the spawn quickly, from the middle; survive.

Primary powers: all except Shockwave and Confront. Confront is optional as a late-game filler power if nothing else is better; I despise Shockwave (for the
KB) and do NOT want it at all.

Secondary powers: All of them.

Key items:

* Quick Recovery should be six-slotted, as soon as feasible -- I have the Perf. Shifter set for it already.

* Follow Up is going to be six-slotted with Touch of Lady Grey, for that lovely 11% Acc global bonus (and the 2% damage isn't bad either)

* Swipe is five-slotted with Kinetic Combat at the moment; this is malleable, but I want to keep the Knockdown proc at least.

* Strike should keep the Kinetic Combat knockdown proc as well (it is slotted in both)

* RttC is fully slotted with Dampened Spirits; if there's a better set I'm good with it, but otherwise, I'll keep it

* Slash is slotted with Scirocco's Dervish. Want to keep this one, it's nice.

At present, Sammy cranks out about 40% S/L resist *before* triggering Strength of Will; after SoW, she's up to 66% or so; a single Tier 1 orange is enough
to hit the 75% cap. With all toggles active she burns about 0.8 end / sec, and recovers 3.38; there's room for more toggles there.

My plan was to drop the epic pool (Weapon Master), drop Whirlwind (which is useless), and juggle power selections until I could keep all the secondaries, all
the primaries (except Confront and Shockwave), keep her Hasten and Superspeed powers, and fit Combat Jumping, Tough, and Weave into the build -- preferably
early enough to fit some slots in there (so, pre-49).

Anyone want to take a stab at it? I suck at Mids, I've been trying to figure out her build for a while now and am seriously considering just winging it.

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

Quote: (CNN) -- Paul Harvey, the legendary radio host whose career sharing "the rest of the story" with listeners spanned
more than 70 years, has died, according to ABC Radio Networks.




He was 90.




Harvey died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he kept a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for the networks. He was surrounded by family
members when he died, Adams said.




Known for his deliberate delivery and pregnant pauses, Harvey's broadcasts were heard on more than 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces networks and
his commentaries appeared in 300 newspapers, according to his Web site.

...because, okay, there's no way this is gonna look good.
Background for everyone else:- Spud's looking at trying to fake up a 'female' appearance for a male body character. I see the point. And since it's unlikely we'll get the ability to do full model swaps between costume slots anytime soon... my guess is the devs simply don't consider it a high priority request, or figure it's something most players don't care about. Which is true, I suppose. Anyway.
This is ugly, but then, enh, not every female in Paragon is a supermodel, right?


The face structure should be pretty obvious - choose the most feminine-looking face and play with the sliders to emphasise those attributes - eye/face size ratio, curve of the cheeks, chin, jawline, nose size and placement, so on. The hair...I think you basically have a choice between Long and Barbaric as your options. I opted for Long as it has locks that frame the face; your milage may vary. Hair is shaded black and blue as an accent colour, following conventions regarding black hair and the depiction thereof in anime.
Clothing-wise...what I'm doing here is taking advantage of the fact that the new vest 'jacket' option has something of a pronounced curve to it, which can at least give the SUGGESTION of something going down in the chesticular regions. Combined with the bow-tie and kilt...I'm ruthlessly using standard female school uniform imagery - Catholic rather than Japanese. 's by no means perfect, but the visual cue might be enough to point the viewer in the female direction rather than male as it were.
I'm not, however, entirely pleased with this, nor can I say it's incredibly original. Does anyone have any alternative suggestions for Sofa? This is the best I've got.


EDIT: (yeah, I used the kilt vetreward, but I believe Sofa has that?)
-- Acyl