At least, that's what http://www.pvponline.com/2008/08/25/int ... t-returns/]today's PVP is promising...
--
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

So, having hit the writer's block again for whatever reason, I decided to randomly challenge myself to write something. Using a stopwatch, I took the
concept "how to improve a neglected zone" and gave myself twenty minutes. The following is the result:

Quote:

Perez Park Revamp:




Gang War




The Skulls and the Hellions have been muscling into each other's territory for years, and Perez Park in particular has been the frontlines of the
conflict. Unfortunately, this limbo enforced by heroic measures has been shattered by the intervention of the Circle of Thorns.




Enacting many rituals in Perez, the Circle has long been aware of both gangs, and even poached some of their higher members whose Mu blood would appease
their demonic masters. However, with setbacks elsewhere, the Circle's methods have grown to subtle recruitment. Offering both gangs the means to become
stronger and crush their "mutual enemy", the Circle intended to thin out both gangs and recruit those with the highest potential power into the
Circle itself, as powerful hosts for new Oranbangan spirits.




They miscalculated.




Already experienced with demonic contracts, all the Circle was able to offer the Hellions was greater control. Able to secure greater power, the Hellions now
were able to summon true demons to serve their bidding, and greater flame powers than any Damned had dreamed of. In the southwest of the park, a massive
summoning ritual created a volcanic fortress for the Hellions, surrounded by a flaming wasteland. The Hellmouth serves as the gang's central base of
operations and is patrolled by various demons that the upper echelons of the gang have summoned to do their will.




For the Skulls, they were unaware that the original founders of the gang, the Petrovic brothers, already knew much about necromantic death power through
their own experimentation. The dark tomes the Circle offered found their way to them, and the Petrovices decided it was time to make a bold move. The
northeast corner of Perez is now a blighted wasteland full of dead trees that're shriveled and dry, as the dust the soil has become is blown by a chill
wind. The Dead Zone is the new domain of the Skulls, and the dead members of the gang now serve as mindless sentinels, their reanimated corpses called from
beyond the grave to destroy the enemies of the gang.




Where before the two gangs were a minor nuisance, now the Skulls and Hellions' new power threatens to overrun Perez entirely. Heroes are needed to put
these once lowly gangs back in their place.




- Two new neighborhoods, the Dead Zone and the Hellmouth, spawn higher level Skulls and Hellions mobs, with new enemy types(zombified Skulls and Hellion
demonic minions).


- New contacts the Wanderer and Tanya Richardson introduce new story arcs, leading heroes to confront the founders of the Skulls gang Marrow Snap and Marrow
Drinker, and the new hotshot running the local Hellions, Legion...and his infernal backers.

Getting sick of not being able to go into Grandville without crashing my PC.

So, I currently have two PCs. Here's the specs:

#1: AMD Athlon XP2000+ CPU, 1 gig of RAM, Radeon 9200 (128 meg) graphics card, Windows 2000.

#2: AMD Athlon XP2800+ CPU, 1 gig RAM, Radeon 9550 (256 meg) graphics card, Windows XP.

My budget for parts is... minimal.

Suggestions are welcome.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

How is this - I could not find any screen shots of Gamma.

http://www.magma.ca/~revdark/Gamma_Emerald.jpg

Today's http://userfriendly.org/]User Friendly Link of the Day is to a RedBubble gallery/shop,which the UFies called http://www.redbubble.com/people/balakov/art]Classics in Lego Many classic photos, re-done with Lego people, all available as prints in various media.

Yes, the artist has re-created "VJ Day Times Square", "Iwo Jima", and "Tiananmen Square"... but he's also done "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper", "4 Minute Mile", and "Hand of God". (I still can't see all the wires in that last one.)

If you like Lego, art photography, or both, the site's well-worth a look...
--
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

OpMegs and Matrix,

I told you I would produce a pic with the 4 Sabres together... well here it is:



Direct link

All this was basically inserting the Sabres into an existing demo, so it didn't take long to do... to produce the image I am working on will take a little
longer.

Now the call goes out however to the other Sabres and anyone else that wants to appear in the above pic... if they want to appear in it, I'll need a demo
of them, and their costume.

The command is /demorecord where is some unique name. After a you do what you want/change
outfits/move/complete a mission/want to stop recording use the command /demostop. You will find a text file with a
.cohdemo extension in the /client_demo directory in you games directory. Send me the fiile and I'll put you in the above pic. Send the demos to either my
box here or to microshade at yahoo dot com dot au.

Or you could get someone that knows how to record the demo for you.

That is if its ok with OpMegs and co.

Shader

The last time I did a picture of Terrance someone commented that I'd made him too tall. In an attempt to fix that I drew this.



--

50 Things Hexane has learned since joining the Infamous

#17. Locking Fae Wee Trail, several hundred pounds of sugar, and a Crey executive in the same room is not an effective assassination technique

[SCENE: Atlas Park Regional High School]

[Musical Cue: "Sam At the Lake" Transformers Movie: 2008 Original Score]

[TEACHER thwaps ruler against RAYE LANGLEY's desk, causing her to jerk upwards from dozing off]

TEACHER: Miss Langely, DO pay attention.

RAYE: Sorry, sir....long night.

[CUT: RAYE standing before the teacher's desk, after class]

TEACHER: I simply do not understand this. You were always such a good student, especially for the cheerleading squad, but of late, you've been...slipping.

RAYE: I'll try harder, sir.

TEACHER: Please do, because the last few times you've assured me of that, I've yet to see any improvement.

RAYE: This time will be different. Promise.

TEACHER: I'd hope so. Your fellow cheerleaders may leave you with the impression that being one of them makes the rules of this school's academics
inapplicable to you, because you are a special case. That is incorrect. Your situation is no different than any other student in this school.

[CUT: Exterior high school hallway, RAYE is walking with ADRIANNE down the hallways]

ADRIANNE: He actually said that? Oh man, I'm surprised you kept your cool.

RAYE: I have to, Adi. Honestly, what was I supposed to do? Blow up and hope I didn't get suspended?

ADRIANNE: Better self-control than me, Raye. I'm tellin' ya.

[CUT: The pair walk out into the track and field tarmac, where WILLIAM BISHOP III is holding a demonstration for the Archery Club. The PE TEACHER walks up to
RAYE]

PE TEACHER: Miss Langely, I *must* thank you so much. Mister Bishop is amazing, and his guest instruction has been so worthwhile to our group.

RAYE: Happy to help, sir. Really.

PE TEACHER: That, and...well, I do believe he's increased recruitment with his...demonstrations.

[Behind them, BISHOP proceeds to quick draw and split three arrows lengthwise one after the other, dead center in the bullseye, to chears from the watching
group. He looks over, noticing RAYE and ADRIANNE and waves. RAYE waves back cheerfully.]

[CUT: RAYE entering her home, finding a series of notes sitting about the table indicating her parents are away. Again. Long suffering sigh. Her cell rings.]

RAYE: Hello?

ADRIANNE: Time to move, girlfriend. We just got a tip. It's a big one.

RAYE: What is it?

ADRIANNE: Someone found a lead on what happened to the people who hired you.

[RAYE's eyes sharpen into focus almost immediately. When she speaks, there's a slight "military like" clip.]

[Music Cue: "Autobots" Transformers Movie: 2008 Original Score]

RAYE: I'll be right there.

[CUT: A rooftop. SPACE MAGE, clearly ADRIANNE, and TERRENCE KNIGHT are standing around waiting. GAMMA EMISSION is sitting atop a chimney.]

TERRENCE: She got homework or something?

SPACE MAGE: She'll be here.

GAMMA: Honestly, Terrence, so impatient. [impish grin]

TERRENCE: [grunt] I just don't want these jerks to get away if they are who we think they are.

EVANGELIA: [Landing beside SPACE MAGE] Oh believe me, no one feels that way better than me.

[CUT: The four heroes conferring on the roof.]

[Music Cue: "Deciphering the Signal" Transformers Movie: 2008 Original Score]

GAMMA: The scoop came through MAGI. Before now, the previous group of the Legendary's deaths were believed to be unconnected, with their spread out dates
seemingly reinforcing that. However, MAGI recently acquired a piece of evidence suggesting that their being taken was part of an organized vendetta by a
villian group that'd managed to thusfar stay mostly anonymous. Presumably, your inactivity, Eva, was why you weren't targeted. The group calls
themselves the Infamous.

[A handheld holoprojector(similar to police radio) flashes several faces. It ends on that of TECH-HEAD]

GAMMA: TechHead is the leader of the group, but for the moment, he seems to be retaining their territory in the Rogue Isles. The current field leader is one
Lord Omega. However, we've recently been tipped off to the actions of his de facto second in command. A villianess calling herself Lady Nogitsune.

[Image on hologram CUTS to LADY NOGITSUNE within the museum below them]

NOGI: Yes, yes, that one too. [considers another painting before sniffing in disgust] This one is appalled by what they will put in museums these days. Have
they no taste?

[THE LEGENDARY bursts in the front door]

EVANGELIA: That's far enough!

[The various kunoichi stop what they're doing, SHIMA in fact sitting one vase back on its stand as the rest look to NOGI. NOGI rolls her eyes.]

NOGI: Heroes....Akai, deal with them.

AKAI: Hai!

[The kunoichi makes her way across the room to the currently "ready for battle" LEGENDARY, before stopping in front of them.]

AKAI: If you would be so kind, the Lady Nogitsune would request we not engage in such brute endeavors as battle in such a place of delicate treasures.

[The heroes look confused, until EVANGELIA nods slightly.]

EVA: Uh...sure. We'll...meet you outside?

AKAI: Arigato. I will accompany you to make certain that our intentions are honorable.

[GAMMA, meanwhile, nudges TERRENCE in the ribs and whispers at him.]

GAMMA: Stop staring!

TERRENCE: Hey!

[CUT: LADY NOGITSUNE and her kunoichi outside the museum, facing the LEGENDARY]

[Music Cue: "Decepticons" Transformers Movie: 2008 Original Score]

NOGI: Ara, ara....this one does not think you heroes play fair. Outnumbering us thus.

SPACE MAGE: ...but there are seven of you.

[NOGI looks about before pursing her lips thoughtfully]

NOGI: So there are. Still, this one believes unfair numerical advantage is a villianous thing. Sutoraiku!

[LADY NOGITSUNE's hands curl with darkness as THE DUKE OF IRON and MECHANON-1 appear on the other side of the Legendary.]

NOGI: There. Now we are even.

[EVANGELIA looks at SPACE MAGE who returns a sheepish look]

[Music Cue: "Downtown Battle" Transformers Movie: 2008 Original Score]

[CUT to a street in the middle of a battle. SPACE MAGE is staying out of the DUKE's reach as GAMMA and TERRENCE attempt to fend off MECHANON-1's robots
and several of NOGITSUNE's kunoichi. EVANGELIA, however, looks behind her as AKAI and KUROI slip in from behind her, parrying their blades with her own. An
intricately choreographed fight scene erupts as EVANGELIA fights both of them to a standstill by sheer skill. NOGITSUNE watches from above, before vanishing
into the shadows. Inside the museum, several piles of loot vanish in bursts of darkness. EVANGELIA then parries an arrow in flight as NOGI sets her bow aside.]

NOGI: This one most enjoyed the show you were putting on, but we have what we came for. Duke, Mechanon-san, let us depart.

[The DUKE OF IRON gives the heroes a scowling look before leaping away, while MECHANON's robots engage thrusters and head for the sky, followed by him.
NOGITSUNE gives EVANGELIA a flirtatious smile as she and her ninja vanish in bursts of smoke. The heroes are left staring at the sky before a second arrow
embeds itself in a tree. GAMMA pulls it out, taking the note tied to it.]

GAMMA: ...it's an address. Some technology lab in Peregrine.

EVANGELIA: ...she wants us to follow her.

SPACE MAGE: It could be a trap. What do we do, Eva?

EVANGELIA: We spring it.

[TITLE CUT: TALES OF THE LEGENDARY: THE MOVIE]

****

Author's Note: Several points. One, if Nogi's Japanese is horribly out of place in context, I blame online
translation sites. I tried to keep her in English as much as possible. Two, this trailer, while long, is only the first one. I've too many ideas to not put
them all in one trailer, so expect...two or three more. Three, if anyone has suggestions for further Infamous cameos, PLEASE send them. I'm primarily going
off Virtueverse and the pic thread here on the forums, but that's all I've got.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

-7-

Usagi woke with a start, Pluto's last words reverberating in her ears. Adrenaline
surged through her as Pluto's urgency, coming so soon after the enforced lassitude of her dreams, drove her to her feet and into a whirlwind of activity
that unfortunately did very little. Packing and then unpacking then repacking a single satchel of clothing, Usagi dithered as to what to do. Seeking to calm
herself, she wrote down a quick note to her parents.

"To their Divine Majesties, Serenity and Endymion, celestial rulers of the Holy
Empire of Humanity, lords of all creation, beloved of heaven, et cetera, greetings," it began, "I have been sent on a singular mission of universal
importance by the unseen, silent one, the daughter of Chronos, Dis Mater. Unfortunately I have been informed by her that neither of your Majesties nor the
guardian deities should assist me. Further, the importance of this mission was such that I have only time enough to write this brief missive. Please accept my
apologies. I am now on my way to Nemesis, that planet which once made blasphemous war against your rightful supreme dominion. Where I am to go from there is
unknown, as is my time of return.

"It is my fondest wish that I shall be able to return to your empyrean realm
anon.

"From her highness, Serenity, Crown Princess of the Holy Empire of Humanity, Heir
to the Iron Throne of Crystal Tokyo, Princess of the Moon, Duchess of Asia and Marchioness of the Asteroid Belt of the Solar System.

"Post-Script: Please keep Mamoru out of my room as he is horrible."

Enclosing the letter in an envelope and sealing it, she left it on her table above her
unfinished papers and stopped. What to do next, what to do next. Suddenly, inspiration struck, followed by a knuckle to her skull. Idiot that she was, she had
forgotten two of the most important things she would need. Usagi closed her eyes and searched her soul. Light flowed between her hands and her chest, forming a
ball of light that condensed quickly into a golden brooch inscribed with a crescent moon within a heart. This was the fetish of her identity, the outward and
physical manifestation of the sacrifice of self to self that empowered her and recast her into her war aspect. If she were to look within, she would find it
empty except for a silver glow that shifted into a rose red, pregnant with promise.

Nodding with satisfaction, glad that she hadn't forgotten how to do that, Usagi
hooked her brooch onto her shirt. She then called up the second thing she had thought of. "Luna-P, come!"

From the depths of her closet there was a terrible crash, as something barreled its way
out from behind piles of dresses, shoes and boxes of forgotten knick-knacks. A black blur zoomed towards Usagi and then suddenly stopped, hovering inches away
from her face. It was a black sphere, about the size of a basketball and shaped like a cat's head, complete with triangle ears on top and a golden crescent
moon on its forehead. This was Luna-P, a device capable of transforming into nearly anything, from an umbrella that could rewrite memories to a house and
anything in between. She had had it with her on previous adventures, particularly when she was very young, but for the last few years had kept it inside her
closet. A rush of fondness and nostalgia filled Usagi as she looked at her old friend.

"Luna-P, follow," she commanded, even as she made her way out of her room,
Luna-P trailing behind her, hovering silently. Taking a quick peak into the hallway, Usagi found it empty. Quietly walking on her tip-toes, she walked down the
hall and up three flights of stairs. Stopping and massaging her feet, Usagi decided that going en pointe all that way was a really bad idea. Walking, or rather
hobbling, up more stairs, she finally made it to the royal transport terminal.

The terminal was quite small, as it was purely for the personal use of the royal family.
Only about a square mile, it held the many vehicles that they used on a daily basis. Replicas of ancient vehicles, chariots, helicopters, things of that
nature, stood next to more modern means of transport. As speed was the essence, she decided to take the fastest space-capable ship there was in the hangar: a
Swan. It took only a minute or so for the terminal director to bring the Swan over to her, driven by one of the orange-clad servants that worked to maintain
the vehicles.

The Swan was one of the newest model space vehicles, made just in the last year. Shaped
similarly to its avian namesake, if stylized, the Swan was an iridescent pearl white, reflecting even the slightest bit of light with a cocky glint. Its long,
red-tipped wings were kept folded in the atmosphere but came free in the vacuum of space. There was room for only three people, if that, in the Swan. Its small
interior space meant that, despite the speeds it could attain it was pushing it to go interplanetary, let alone interstellar as there was little room for
provender. As the bubble shimmered into place, sealing her in, Usagi settled for a moment, twiddling with the controls and settings until she had it to her
satisfaction. Submitting a flight plan and a request for a launch window, both of which were approved summarily, Usagi launched out of the Crystal Palace with
a jaunty wave to the terminal director.

The Swan was new, it was fast, it was magic, but that didn't mean that it was
perfect. It handled like an iron brick in the atmosphere, despite the only demands put on it were to go near-on straight up. The wind outside swirled and
screamed at her, and the pressure of her speed was painful. Yet the Swan soon adjusted, especially once they left behind the gravity well of the planet. Its
wings unfurled, spreading wide. Usagi wasn't sure what the wings actually did but they sure looked nice. Switching over to autopilot, she settled back into
her seat. It would take a few hours to get to Nemesis, which was time enough to take a much needed, uneventful nap.

Changing the interiors so that the seats reconfigured into a bed, Usagi lay against the
newly produced pillow and closed her eyes. This time she dreamt of nothing in particular.

-8-

Hours later, Usagi woke to the sound of beeping; someone from Nemesis was calling her.
Rubbing her face and looking in a mirror with distaste, she woke herself up as properly as she could and readjusted her bed back into seats before
answering.

"H-hello?" she said, trying to talk through a very dry throat and acidic
mouth.

"This is Nemesis Orbital Traffic to incoming Swan, please identify," said a
melodious voice that still managed to sound officious.

"Ah, this is Vehicle Registry . . . ." And here Usagi glanced quickly at the
dash of the Swan, looking for its ID. "Delta nine one seven three nine one three mu; request permission for landing as soon as possible."

"Okay, Delta nine one seven three nine one three mu," said the same voice.
"I see you're registered under the Royal family. Do you request honors?"

"No, no, goodness no," said Usagi hastily. It was her right, and occasional
burden, to have parades and fanfare and local leaders come give her honors whenever she left Earth. People seemed to genuinely enjoy it, if only because it
made for a good excuse for a street party, but having to spend hours with a smile plastered on her face and her neck aching from all the regally superior nods
that she had to give were almost enough to make her regret her status. It would be doubly disastrous here, as she needed to move with speed and freedom on
Nemesis, not be hampered by diplomacy and fanfare.

"Very well, Delta Nine One." The melodious voice paused for a moment, and then
said, "I have a descent window opening up in five minutes over Mohs City."

"Thank you, Nemesis Orbital," said Usagi, seeing the specific data come up on
her dashboard.

"Good day, Delta Nine One."

As she approached Nemesis, she appreciated it anew. The picture that Pluto had shown was
accurate, in its way. It was indeed an irregular rock, much like an asteroid. Yet its size was greater than that of any other object outside of Neptune's
orbit. Its own orbit took it from into the range of Pluto and then deep into the Oort cloud. Long before, when it had been used as the planet of exile, it had
been nearly impossible to track save for set times when its orbit took it closer, relatively, to Earth. Then, with the rise of the Black Moon Clan, it had
disappeared completely, under the dark power of the malevolent being that lived deep within it and permeated it. Now, with the defeat of the Wiseman, it was
possible to find it much like any other planet. The electric lines of its cities glowed like cold fire across the face of the planet, making it magical and
mysterious as well as welcoming.

As Usagi took her Swan closer, the details of Mohs City,
the capital of Nemesis, became clearer. The architecture of Mohs was very traditional Nemesis, given over to smooth skyscrapers that would have seemed almost
organic if not for their cruciform shapes. When not jutting into the air, the buildings were low and fluting. It all made it seem as if the entire city had
been made from one giant piece of blown glass and then lit by fireflies, laid out on grids of similarly glowing giant panes of glass. However, breaking this
were grasslands and forests, vibrant and living even in the night light, that were spreading outward from the city's center. Instead of marveling at this,
however, Usagi drafted a message to an old friend and sent it, before taking manual control of her ship and bringing it safely down to cruising
height.

The first step of her quest had begun.

The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/21 ... i_monster/]Scientists unravel galactic spaghetti monster

As one of the comments says, it's scientific vindication of the Pastafarian faith...
--
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