Zortel

1: Midnight Grasp - Because Tentacle Molestation is fun, and a suitable punishment for many forms of criminal behaviour. Add in Critical for extra fun.

2: Propel - You can quip so many things to yourself as you launch various objects at high speeds.

3: Eclipse - Purple Fortress Mode. 'nuff said.

4: Explosive Arrow - Find a low level mob, launch arrow, watch them flyyyyy!

5: Any of the Disembowling, Eviscerating, Head-breaking moves. - Reasonable force be damned, you're going to dish out some mortal justice.

6: Dual Wield - Bang bang, she shot me down...

7: Thunderous Blast - Energy conservation, screw that! Someone's gonna fry!

This is the kind of Microtransaction I agree with, unlike Exteel's where getting Credit is quite hard work, you need to repair your mechanaught by paying with credit or purchasing NC coins, and paint schemes run out after 30 days requiring you to buy more, thus spending credit.

Respec for that price is fine, I plan all my builds, have freespecs, so won't use it. For those who do want to spend the money, they can.

I doubt they'll force us to pay for them, nor will the button glitter and sparkle to draw you in and force you to pay. It'd be real funky if it could do that though.

"RISE UP FROM YOUR GRAAAAVE!"

My living imapired Dark/Dark Defender is going to have fun with this, RP wise. Looking forwards to it!

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Kerensky is caaaaaaaaaraaaaasy!

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Ha, quick on the uptake that one is!

I thought you realised that months ago! *wiggle wiggle*

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We thought it was only a temporary thing because you had to run this place for a bit - now we see it's permanent

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It's all the headbanging ... bound to knock a few wires loose here and there.

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We've seen the bruises to prove it. So that's how you really hit your head, K.

Rockjaw:

Due to the somewhat amazing fact that I don't entirely trust you to split that money and instead blow it on coffee, I'll arrange some kind of alternate payment for some point in the future. Possibly baked goods.

You can get a great deal if you look for Laptops that have HD DVD drives in. Because they lost out in the format wars, Laptops with them can be picked up fairly cheaply.

If you'll have me, you can have Arrow Azure, the 31 year old property developer/owner and second generation hero, fresh from LA. Shay Bennet has a bow, a quiver, a selection of special arrows, and a nice little place in Founders Falls with his 'lab' in. Mostly consists of a PC, records, things to prepare, make, tune and fix his arsenal.

More webisodes please, I'd pay for them!
Sounds like you're all really, really gearing up for this one. I'd be interested to know if any of the promotional footage and the like will be online after the convention.

I decided not to enter mine, seeing as I wasn't happy with the writing. >< Good luck to everyone else though!

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Before breaking out a extra large can of melodrama I have to ask: how many people will this affect?

. Under 18s that can't get credit cards
. People with bad credit ratings that can't get credit cards
. People that do not want credit cards
. People that cannot get time cards

I don't disagree that it looks like poor service by not issuing any sort of warning after Maestro announced the new policy a year ago, but how large a cross section of the player populace is the above?

It's not an ideal situation that could lose a few subscribers, but is it Dooom[tm]?

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1: I don't earn enough money to get a credit card.

2: Changing my bank details is a lot of hassle for me. I mean, a lot. Plus switching bank would be a lot of hassle too, considering they tend to ask for driving licenses or passports as ID (which I don't have. Whatever happened to the day you could go into a bank with a pound coin and open an account?), or birth certificates.

3: I don't particularly want a credit card after seeing my brothers get into debt with them. I don't even have an overdraft for that reason. While I'm sure I could resist temptation to overspend, not having to means to overspend is a good preventative measure.

4. In order to get time-cards I either have to find a website that sells them and risk the postal service, find a shop which sells them, which means paying an extra £5 to get there thanks to train fares and living in a tiny town with no stores (With no actual hope of finding one. Gamestation, GAME and HMV, I've seen WoW time cards, but no NCSoft ones.)

5. I don't particularly want PayPal. The only thing I have set up like that is ClickandBuy, and I'm happy with that for getting games from Steam. I'd rather not set up another one.

6. Non-recurring billing is a perfectly sensible option, or digital timecard payments from the PlayNC site with Maestro.

Does the word count include the title?

Just asking.

(Though 800 words is a little restrictive :/ I like an even thousand, but thems the breaks.)

Dang.

Looks like it's trying to buy game time cards or switching my bank account then, which means changing over all my other subscriptions, work payment details and such.

The Darkest Part of the Internet and Men

It all began when Tabitha Cole, the fanfiction writer known as Nightfire79 was browsing various adult fiction sites. A friend of Ryan 'Cindersnap' Andrews and Nightschild, she became suspicious of a set of stories posted by a man going by the online handle of Erudite1.

Doing some background research, the 26 year old woman found cause for alarm, and called the magically inclined Nightschild to her appartment to tell him what she found. Giving Nick a series of extracts from Erudite1's various stories, Nick grew grim from not only the content, but that the magical rituals described in them were -very- close to being true rituals. And purposefully altered so that they were not the correct ones.

Discussing the case further, Tabitha had used her skills to pull up a caselist from over 10 years, each woman's injuries responding to a story on the site. In order to protect Tabitha in case the writer came after her, Nick used rituals to set up defences to ward the man off, and then contacted the Unity Vigil's AI, BODICIA to get electronic assistance.

Several days later, Nick recieved the Call. BODICIA had intercepted a new story being transmitted from an IP address, and traced it back to a house belonging to a Ms. Tiffany Dalmer. Nick prepared himself and let BODICIA know to send backup if he didn't check in within a few hours. BODICIA also tried to persuade him to join the Unity Vigil, but she can get a little collective when it comes to things like that.

Arriving at 631, Silverbirch Drive in suburban Paragon, Nick began to scout out the detatched house. Sensing wards attatched to the doors and glamours at the windows, he carefully used his shadowy powers to probe deeper inside the house, finding a ritual of power being conducted, and 3 life forms. Growing wary as whoever was inside lowered the wards to the back door, he contacted BODICIA to let the AI know that 30 minutes was the check-in time now, and proceeded inside.

Finding the family dog butchered by a lightning blast, he proceeded wearily into the lounge, where Erudite1, a middle aged man with thick glasses and a receeding hairline was conducting his depraived business on the house owner and a neighbour. Keeping his wits and emotions tight about him, the pair exchanged somewhat strained verbal blows, before Erudite lead Nick outside and warded the back yard, to prevent their battle from alerting the neighbours.

Mystical and nether energy blasted from each, as the half-Incubus hero brought his skills to bare against the Mu-blooded Erudite, who in desperation soon began to sacrifice the lives of his victims to create soul servitors to aid him in battle. When Nick moved outside of the warding area, Erudite was not afraid to call down blasts of crimson lightning, and the ward was soon revealed to be a trap, designed to draw Nick in, whether to drain his powers or kill him.

With Nick putting a lot of energy into a final blast, Erudite knew the battle was lost and sacrificed the other victim and his own life energy to try and kill Nick, and while the blow connected, Nick was merely injured.

Hauling himself off the street, Nick made his way round the back to grab the just clinging to life mage, and dragged him inside. Enraged that not only had he done his crimes, but dragged and killed an innocent neighbour in who only came round to offer some home-made cooking to Ms. Dalmers, Nick drained the last of the mages life and the residual energy in the house from the ritual to ressurect her. For Ms. Dalmers, the physical and spiritual damage was already done.

The Unity Vigil arrived, headed by BODICIA in a Castille-Class Heavy Power Suit, Michael 'Storm Sapphire' Preston in a patrol car and detatchment of Vigilant guards to secure the house and deal with the authorities.

Michael gave Nick a lift home, talking to the young man on the way about various things, including girlfriends, engagements and mutual friends, before dropping him off and heading back out to deal with the aftermath.

Great work as always Dan, I love your style. There's something very traditional about it, yet still has the charms of modern comics. Nowt wront with a bit of Black and White either!

Zori'll speak as a character witness, seeing as she is his supergroup leader!

The Unity Vigil are hosting a celebration to the 232nd aniversery of secession from the British at Unity Plaza, from 6pm ICly tonight. While the event won't be taking place in game and isn't planned to be an open RP event, feel free to add anything pertinent to the thread and have your character attend.

The Location

The event will be happening at Unity Plaza, which is part of the land owned by the Unity Vigil in the Astral District of Skyway City, flanked by Unity Tower and Vigilance Tower. In the centre of the park between the towers, surrounded by road, will be a large dish with a fire on, and specially set up fireworks launchers. The road in to Unity Plaza has been blocked off, though parking is available in underground garages and nearby the towers.

On the other side of the roads, in the courtyards of the towers, are various stands selling a variety of food, from hot dogs and cotton candy to various ethnic dishes. On the plinith running up to the third, tower that is not currently in use, is a stage for various performing acts including some local and US bands, providing music and entertainment.

Toilet facilitie consist of the toilets in the lobbies of Unity and Vigilance Tower, and stalls set up to the northern, western and eastern parts of the plaza.

The Event

Along with the bands performing are street artists and performers to bring entertainment to the crowds, and the event has been set up with a 'for everyone' vibe to it. Food prices have been subsidized, so attendees won't be paying through the roof for their drinks. The fire dome will be lit at 6, at the start of the event, with fire works going every hour till midnight.

Vigilants, the android and gynoid security forces of the groups, are on visible duty to provide security, and are on hand to provide first aid and break up disturbances. Those breaking the peace and being rude will be turned away, or detained depending on the severity of the issue.

Among those giving speeches are Zorielle 'Zortel' Rolando, leader of the Unity Vigil.

Zorielle's Speech:
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I am very pleased to welcome you all here today, to celebrate the two hundred and thirty second aniversery of our countries independance. Let us just remark on that for a moment. Two hundred and thirty two years. Look at all the changes our country has gone through in that time.

Social advances, political advances, technological advances. We've fought through superstition, through tradition and through persecution of race, class, creed, gender and sex. Some of those, we still fight to irradicate the blight of prejudice. But it is just that. We fight against what is wrong, in order to make our country a better place for us to live in, and our children to grow up in.

This is not just something for the heroes of the city, or the civil workers of the city to strive for. It is something we can all work towards, we can all contribute to. America is the melting pot of culture, of religion, of race, and as long as we all pitch in to keep that pot stirring, then our country is going to come out to be better than ever.

I, and we at the Unity Vigil, are determined to keep this happening. To work across all boarders of the spectrum to make Paragon, and make America, a better place to live in, to reduce crime and protect us all from whatever disaster may try to trip us up.

But it is not just bright costumes and crime fighting that can help. By helping to build a strong community, to strengthen ties and to give Paragon support, entertainment and hope, well, I truely believe that we can forge our path ahead well into the future to make our city the pride of America, and an example for all to follow.

They call Paragon the Birthplace of Tomorrow. Well everyone, we are all midwives, so let's encourage a push for change and for new beginings.

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In Newspapers, Magazines, on posters and billboards, it's the advert for one of the top ranking teen dramas on American TV, Talos Beach. For the independance week special, Ryan 'Cindersnap' Andrews will be playing Drew's cousin Chad as the action gets explosive on the Beach!

Reasons for Male to Huge change:
Character transforms and gains mass somehow, could be mutation or accident based, or technology, or even good old fashioned magical transformation.

Reasons for Female to Huge change: Hulking out as above, or maybe wearing a suit of heavy combat armour that isn't feminine sculpted.

Reasons for Female to Male change: The classic 'Mulan' situation, disguising their ID to prevent retaliation, magical/mutation/whatever transformation, shapeshifting, et cetera.

Likewise for Male to Female change.

Being able to change height too would be pretty great.

*gives the suggestion the Zortel stamp of approval, and all prior suggestions.*

Aye, am rather pleased with it! It goes along with the other drawing of Cindersnap that CatKeeper did, and the one I got from Draw the World Together!

The clothing is pretty damn Ryan-like, especially the shirt. He wears a hell of a lot of stuff like that, and the pose is pretty good too. Kelvin's done some pretty good other stuff too, another drawing he did last night was rather... Wowsome.

Love Angel quits heroing? Spider Squishing? Archers Arrest Thieves? Evil clowns? It's Nightsparrow's Scrapbook Issue 80!

A New Goddess? Miss Delinquent blogs about bad men? Death of a sadistic pervert? Islands of Hope? 'Demon' helping out? It's Nightsparrow's Scrapbook issue 81!

Ahoy from your friendly neighbourhood Mod!

I've been in contact with some of the staff of the Virtueverse Wiki, or more to the point, they've been in contact with me about some changes on their end that may, will and could affect us. It can be summed up really in three points.

Point the first!

The servers sorely need upgrades, and possibly standardization of the maintenance windows for the sites. Also purges of redundant data and bots to make some of the menial tasks that have to get done easier. Typo rectifying, spam removal and so forth.

Point the second!
Making the install for VV and UV identical, different appearances as before but the extensions and features being identical so upgrading is easier.

Point the Third!

There has been discussion about a possible merger or linking with Paragonwiki or a cross server fan wiki. There's been discussions already on the Virtue Wiki site, so discussion can take place here. Also the back-end team are looking to place interwiki links between VV, UV and Paragonwiki.

Now, this last point is a major one, so I'd like to see people's views on the matter, and I can send them back to the other team.

Also, if people want to step up and do admin and mod work for the wiki, we can discuss something. I'm not that active any more, but considering the hours I keep, I'm willing to stay on to provide correspondance between the US and EU sides, passing on notes and so forth.

With the arrival of Issue 12 and a 10 global channel max, it might be nice to have a Looking For RP channel set up, where RP'ers could request RP teams, missions, or just general IC meet ups somewhere in the city. As said, GGOOC can get a bit weird, and it's mostly just a social chat room instead of something as a tool for RPing.

Ideas for Missions:

The Overclocked Arc -
A new 'drug' on the street, in the form of cybernetic chips inserted into the back of the neck to induce 'highs' or grant people the ability to go beyond their limits floods onto the streets of Paragon, and it's up for the Heroes to investigate, before people get hurt.

Flashback Arc - Breaking Free
A temporal disturbance has occured, and is threatening to try and cancel out the event that caused Nene MacAllister to break free of her programming and become a fully fledged AI. Heroes have to go back and assist the prgogrammer in breaking her AI locks and then help Nene escape.

Last Show on Stage Ends With Bang!
Steel Canyon
A group of Outcasts known as the Four Corners Five attacked one of the stars of the Apollo Theatres Youth Production of 'Romeo And Juliet' on its last night of showing.
The five strong gang of mutants, recently escaped from prison, stormed the stage in the final act and quickly attacked Ryan Andrews, who played Romeo and is one of the heroes in the Unity Vigil.
During a barrage of homophobic taunts and insults to the young actor, the five quickly overpowered him with their combined abilities, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to the stage and equipment, and resulting in several cast and backstage technicians injured, including Andrews.
Escaping with only minor injuries, the real damage came to Cindersnap's pride, from his apparent ineffectiveness and ineptude in the opening attack, and the disasterous end to what was considered a great run of plays. Andrews, 17, declined to comment to reporters.

The latest issue of Nightsparrow's Scrapbook, #79! Teen magazines, missing ears, danger in the Liberty Isles and... strip club escapades?!

Oh, and don't forget uh, the other issues I've forgotten to plug!

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Zorielle Rolando speaks several languages, including her second tongue of Spanish, but very rarely and when she is speaking in other languages, I use <Language> as a prefix. So for example:

Zortel bows her head politely. "<Mandarin Chinese> Welcome to Unity Tower, Long."

Several of my characters are bi- or multi-lingual, and I'd go insane if I had to memorize words for each of them, I have enough trouble with English at times!

Fusebox speaks English, Spanish and l33t w/ m4d 5k1llz, j0, conversational Japanese (Seeing as she's a games journalist, it always comes in handy.)

Zortel speaks fluent English, Spanish, French, Italian, Conversational Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German and basic Dutch.

Ryan sometimes speaks English, fluent Teen :P and American Sign Language. (Which to sign in game, I use the prefix <ASL> and when writing the 'dialogue' I drop contractions to try and make the 'speech' sound a little more formal.)

Uh, to list them all would be pretty long, but anyway!

I for one enjoy Jean-Luc's way of speech, it sounds nice in mental sounds, y'know? And that sucks to hear about the others trying to correct you :<