Beastyle
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Posts
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Joined
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New items are available in the Paragon Market!
Signature Story Arc, "Who Will Die?" Volume 5 - New!
Statesman faces off against Darrin Wade in the greatest fight of his life! This titanic struggle will forever change the landscape of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Signature Story Arc, "Who Will Die?" Episode 5 is part of a 7 part story arc in our episodic Signature Story content. This story contains 1 hero and 1 villain story arc for characters that are Level 40+. This content is free for VIP players!
Market Location: Content > Story Arcs
400 Paragon Points
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Carnival of Light Costume Bundle - New!
Dress in the fanciful costumes of the Carnival of Light, Praetoria's underground group of magic-users! This bundle is an account-wide item that contains a collection of 10 costume pieces for Female characters PLUS 3 weapons for Male, Huge and Female War Mace characters at a cumulative discount!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Bundles
400 Paragon Points
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Who Will Die? : Volume 1
Soon the Freedom Phalanx will change forever with the Death of Statesman! Get up to date on the first Signature Story Arc, "Who Will Die?" with this Signature Story Arc bundle, featuring SSA issues 1 through 4! The "Who Will Die" bundle is 50% off for Premium players, and comes free with a City of Heroes Freedom VIP subscription! This sale is available until January 31, 2012!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Bundles
Regular Price: 1600 Paragon Points - 50% off
Sale Price: 800 Paragon Points
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Costume Slot
Get an additional costume slot to create an alternative look! Unlocks the slot for all characters on your account.
Market Location: Costumes > Tailor > Costume Slots
800 Paragon Points -
The Death of a Statesman
by Matt "Positron" Miller
Killing Statesman off in the world of City of Heroes was never something we took lightly. Veterans of the game know that the character was the namesake of Jack Emmert, who was the lead designer who originally launched City of Heroes in 2004. Jack posted as Statesman in the forums, came up with his backstory, and was instrumental in the character becoming the original poster-boy for the game's marketing. Killing off the character meant a lot of things to a lot of people, but for me it was the ultimate declaration that City of Heroes has grown up and left the nest from which it was born.
Many players thought we would "do the deed" when Paragon Studios was formed and Cryptic ended its relationship with the title to work on other endeavors. It seemed simple, to kill off the character and remove them from the game, but it was anything but. Statesman, as I previously said, was the poster-boy, the guy-on-the-box, and mentioned all over the place in the game lore. He was an enemy in villain missions, an ally in hero ones, an objective in others, and even handed out his own chunk of content in the Statesman Task Force. When Paragon was first founded, we discussed the idea of a story of killing off Statesman, but ultimately decided that the timing wasn't right.
Then along came Freedom.
Early on in Freedom's development we had a meeting where everyone got free reign to pitch their ideas for what could be in the massive update. At the very end of the meeting someone said "can we kill off Statesman?" At first I was shocked that this was even being brought up again; I had considered it case-closed. Too much work, not enough time, especially with all the other things that were going into Issue 21 and the Freedom launch at that point. Still, wasn't the point of the Incarnate system to let the players out-power even the powerhouses of the City of Heroes universe?
It wasn't a terrible idea. We had pondered on this puzzle for days when I came up with the idea of a monthly story arc, like a comic book, that could extend out our time of actually killing off the character. Then I had the idea of making it a countdown of sorts, hinting that someone from the "Surviving Eight" would perish before the end of the arc.
This was exactly what we needed in order to pull off the feat of killing an iconic figure like Statesman. It gave us the time to launch Freedom as it was originally designed, without throwing a big monkey-wrench into the game world right off the bat. In addition, it allowed us to tell a better story, with a mysterious, yet familiar, villain finally pulling off the "impossible". We were able to establish how Darren Wade was able to pull off the feat over the course of several mini-story arcs spanning the first few months of the main arc. We were able to craft both a hero and villain angle to the first few stories, so that everyone got to play the arc for their own motives.
Now we have said in the past that the character killed will be removed from the game, and this is mostly true. With the launch of issue 23 later this year, the character will no longer be in the game world handing out his Task Force (that duty will fall to someone else), and will have references to them removed as well. We didn't do this for Issue 22 because the story arc will still be in the midst of being released when that is launched, and we want the game to reflect the state at the end of the story, not the point five-sevenths of the way in.
One place you might be surprised to still see Statesman's visage will be the marketing material and load-screens for the game. There is a conscious effort for us to not radically change our branding for people not intimately familiar with the inner machinations of the game. Our login screen will still carry his image, but it will be done as sort of a memorial to the man who shaped a City of Heroes. We kept these images of Statesman around not for the die-hard forum goers but for the new players who City of Heroes Freedom continues to attract. We have used Statesman in the marketing of the game for many years and it would be a misstep to completely remove that image from City of Heroes, and I think you'll agree.
I'd love to see your thoughts on this twist in the storyline. If you'd like, you can use the hashtag #Statesman on Twitter to express yourself. Tell us what you think, and where you think the story can or should go in the future.
You can also join the community discussion hhere. -
The Death of a Statesman
by Matt "Positron" Miller
Killing Statesman off in the world of City of Heroes was never something we took lightly. Veterans of the game know that the character was the namesake of Jack Emmert, who was the lead designer who originally launched City of Heroes in 2004. Jack posted as Statesman in the forums, came up with his backstory, and was instrumental in the character becoming the original poster-boy for the game's marketing. Killing off the character meant a lot of things to a lot of people, but for me it was the ultimate declaration that City of Heroes has grown up and left the nest from which it was born.
Many players thought we would "do the deed" when Paragon Studios was formed and Cryptic ended its relationship with the title to work on other endeavors. It seemed simple, to kill off the character and remove them from the game, but it was anything but. Statesman, as I previously said, was the poster-boy, the guy-on-the-box, and mentioned all over the place in the game lore. He was an enemy in villain missions, an ally in hero ones, an objective in others, and even handed out his own chunk of content in the Statesman Task Force. When Paragon was first founded, we discussed the idea of a story of killing off Statesman, but ultimately decided that the timing wasn't right.
Then along came Freedom.
Early on in Freedom's development we had a meeting where everyone got free reign to pitch their ideas for what could be in the massive update. At the very end of the meeting someone said "can we kill off Statesman?" At first I was shocked that this was even being brought up again; I had considered it case-closed. Too much work, not enough time, especially with all the other things that were going into Issue 21 and the Freedom launch at that point. Still, wasn't the point of the Incarnate system to let the players out-power even the powerhouses of the City of Heroes universe?
It wasn't a terrible idea. We had pondered on this puzzle for days when I came up with the idea of a monthly story arc, like a comic book, that could extend out our time of actually killing off the character. Then I had the idea of making it a countdown of sorts, hinting that someone from the "Surviving Eight" would perish before the end of the arc.
This was exactly what we needed in order to pull off the feat of killing an iconic figure like Statesman. It gave us the time to launch Freedom as it was originally designed, without throwing a big monkey-wrench into the game world right off the bat. In addition, it allowed us to tell a better story, with a mysterious, yet familiar, villain finally pulling off the "impossible". We were able to establish how Darren Wade was able to pull off the feat over the course of several mini-story arcs spanning the first few months of the main arc. We were able to craft both a hero and villain angle to the first few stories, so that everyone got to play the arc for their own motives.
Now we have said in the past that the character killed will be removed from the game, and this is mostly true. With the launch of issue 23 later this year, the character will no longer be in the game world handing out his Task Force (that duty will fall to someone else), and will have references to them removed as well. We didn't do this for Issue 22 because the story arc will still be in the midst of being released when that is launched, and we want the game to reflect the state at the end of the story, not the point five-sevenths of the way in.
One place you might be surprised to still see Statesman's visage will be the marketing material and load-screens for the game. There is a conscious effort for us to not radically change our branding for people not intimately familiar with the inner machinations of the game. Our login screen will still carry his image, but it will be done as sort of a memorial to the man who shaped a City of Heroes. We kept these images of Statesman around not for the die-hard forum goers but for the new players who City of Heroes Freedom continues to attract. We have used Statesman in the marketing of the game for many years and it would be a misstep to completely remove that image from City of Heroes, and I think you'll agree.
I'd love to see your thoughts on this twist in the storyline. If you'd like, you can use the hashtag #Statesman on Twitter to express yourself. Tell us what you think, and where you think the story can or should go in the future. -
Hi folks, the fix for the Character Copy Tool is ETC (estimated time to complete) 3 hours. This will also push all of the queued characters from last night. Thanks for your patience!
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A change has come over Dark Astoria. Twisted, organic structures rise from the earth. The moon hangs red in the sky. The fog lifts, revealing the emerging horrors of the city in crystal clarity for the first time in years. For the dark god Mot, imprisoned in ages past, is now free of the bindings that sealed his power! The streets crawl with Mot's minions, eager and slavering as the dark god attempts to devour all life on Primal Earth! The call goes out for Heroes and Villains alike to put an end to Mot's designs (or turn them to your own ends!), using the awesome powers tapped from the Well of the Furies!
Issue 22: Death Incarnate is now on VIP Beta! Play, test, and leave feedback for new features and content in this upcoming Issue! Explore a completely revamped Dark Astoria, now a co-op zone for Heroes and Villains! Fight against the Banished Pantheon, the Tsoo, Talons of Vengeance, Circle of Thorns, the new Knives of Vengeance, and more! Experience new Incarnate missions, including the long-awaited Solo Incarnate Path!
Issue 22: Death Incarnate includes two new Trials: Shivans in Bloody Bay collide with the recently-arrived Shivans that destroyed Galaxy City, in the "Drowning in Blood" Trial for low level characters; meanwhile, Diabolique schemes to steal Mot's powers for herself in the "Dilemma Diabolique" Incarnate Trial! Death Incarnate also brings new mid-level storyarcs to Steel Canyon and Cap au Diable.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Check out tweaks made to Power Sets and Archetypes to make them more effective! Death Incarnate brings numerous updates and fixes to Supergroup bases, Enhancements, the Team-Up Teleporter, Mission Architect, and general Missions. Please read the patch notes for full details, and we'll see you in the VIP Beta!
Discuss Issue 22: Death Incarnate in the VIP Beta forum! -
New items are available in the Paragon Market™!
Who Will Die? : Volume 1 - New!
Soon the Freedom Phalanx will change forever with the Death of Statesman! Get up to date on the first Signature Story Arc, "Who Will Die?" with this Signature Story Arc bundle, featuring SSA issues 1 through 4! The "Who Will Die" bundle is 50% off for Premium players, and comes <i>free</i> with a City of Heroes Freedom™ VIP subscription!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Bundles
Regular Price: 1600 Paragon Points - 50% off
Sale Price: 800 Paragon Points
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Weapon Pack: Titan Weapons #1
Purchase the Weapon Pack: Titan Weapons #1 to obtain contains four (4) additional Titan Weapons (in-game models) for the Titan Weapons Power Set:
- Atomic Smasher
- Demonic Axe
- Plasma Sword
- Purgatory Sword
Market Location: Costumes > Weapons
240 Paragon Points
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Titan Weapons Power Set
Decimate your enemies with a variety of COLOSSAL weapons using the Titan Weapons melee damage power set. For Brutes, Scrappers, and Tankers. Purchase unlocks this power set for your entire account.
Market Location: Powers > Power Sets > Melee
800 Paragon Points
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Barbarian Costume Pack
Exact justice or loot liberally at the edge of your savage sword. Includes new costume parts and weapons for Male, Female, and Huge characters.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets
Regular Price: 400 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 300 Paragon Points
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Flying Carpet Travel Power
Activate this Persian-type carpet with its own golden magic lantern and soar across the skies! All characters in your account can access this fantastic power. It's usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
600 Paragon Points -
New items are available in the Paragon Market™!
Who Will Die? : Volume 1 - New!
Soon the Freedom Phalanx will change forever with the Death of Statesman! Get up to date on the first Signature Story Arc, "Who Will Die?" with this Signature Story Arc bundle, featuring SSA issues 1 through 4! The "Who Will Die" bundle is 50% off for Premium players, and comes free with a City of Heroes Freedom™ VIP subscription!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Bundles
Regular Price: 1600 Paragon Points - 50% off
Sale Price: 800 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Weapon Pack: Titan Weapons #1
Purchase the Weapon Pack: Titan Weapons #1 to obtain contains four (4) additional Titan Weapons (in-game models) for the Titan Weapons Power Set:
- Atomic Smasher
- Demonic Axe
- Plasma Sword
- Purgatory Sword
Market Location: Costumes > Weapons
240 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Titan Weapons Power Set
Decimate your enemies with a variety of COLOSSAL weapons using the Titan Weapons melee damage power set. For Brutes, Scrappers, and Tankers. Purchase unlocks this power set for your entire account.
Market Location: Powers > Power Sets > Melee
800 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Barbarian Costume Pack
Exact justice or loot liberally at the edge of your savage sword. Includes new costume parts and weapons for Male, Female, and Huge characters.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets
Regular Price: 400 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 300 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Flying Carpet Travel Power
Activate this Persian-type carpet with its own golden magic lantern and soar across the skies! All characters in your account can access this fantastic power. It's usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
600 Paragon Points
Discuss these items with the community here! -
Take an in-depth look at the signature characters of the Freedom Phalanx, Primal Earth's mightiest heroes, in this exclusive ViDoc: "The Heroes of the Freedom Phalanx." Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller and writer Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann give the bios on seven members of Paragon City's premier Super Group, with lots of insights into the characters behind the costumes. Whether you're well-versed in the lore or new to the story of City of Heroes Freedom, give this ViDoc a look!
Discuss this ViDoc with the community! -
Take an in-depth look at the signature characters of the Freedom Phalanx, Primal Earth's mightiest heroes, in this exclusive ViDoc: "The Heroes of the Freedom Phalanx." Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller and writer Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann give the bios on seven members of Paragon City's premier Super Group, with lots of insights into the characters behind the costumes. Whether you're well-versed in the lore or new to the story of City of Heroes Freedom, give this ViDoc a look!
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Harness the primal elements with the new Tier 9 VIP Paragon Reward, the Fire and Ice Costume Set! VIP players who have reached Tier 9 on the Paragon Rewards Tree can unlock this set of 38 brand new costume options! Create a body of volcanic rock and animated roiling magma, or become a living ice floe with crystalline armor jutting from your arms and legs! Wield mighty weapons such as the Fire and Ice Swords, Elemental Sword, and Fire and Ice Mace! You can sprout flaming Phoenix Wings from your back, or have a waterfall cascade down it!
Tier 9 VIPs, use your Paragon Rewards Tokens to unlock the Fire and Ice Costume Set in Boxes 4, 5, and 6 of the Tier 9 VIP Rewards.
Those of you who have yet to acquire all of the Celestial Armor Pieces--the previous Tier 9 VIP Reward--have no fear: these pieces will still be available for a limited time before being cycled out of rotation! (To return at a later date)
Join the community discussion here! -
Harness the primal elements with the new Tier 9 VIP Paragon Reward, the Fire and Ice Costume Set! VIP players who have reached Tier 9 on the Paragon Rewards Tree can unlock this set of 38 brand new costume options! Create a body of volcanic rock and animated roiling magma, or become a living ice floe with crystalline armor jutting from your arms and legs! Wield mighty weapons such as the Fire and Ice Swords, Elemental Sword, and Fire and Ice Mace! You can sprout flaming Phoenix Wings from your back, or have a waterfall cascade down it!
Tier 9 VIPs, use your Paragon Rewards Tokens to unlock the Fire and Ice Costume Set in Boxes 4, 5, and 6 of the Tier 9 VIP Rewards.
Those of you who have yet to acquire all of the Celestial Armor Pieces--the previous Tier 9 VIP Reward--have no fear: these pieces will still be available for a limited time before being cycled out of rotation! (To return at a later date) -
Quote:Doesn't help speed-wise, but I always find going backwards helps me navigate the course better.Originally Posted by nytflyr
and just as I was getting good on the ski courses
for next year, what are the tricks to getting better/faster runs?
You need to allow a few days for adjusting!Quote:Originally Posted by Golden Girl
How? You must know it's 2012 by now
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Take a magic carpet ride with this week's featured items at the Paragon Market™!
Flying Carpet Travel Power - New!
Activate this Persian-type carpet with its own golden magic lantern and soar across the skies! All characters in your account can access this fantastic power. It's usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
600 Paragon Points
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New Year's Pack
Add sizzle to your celebration with the fireworks aura, confetti costume change emote, and three emotes that allow your characters to shoot fireworks! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Featured
160 Paragon Points
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Winter Holiday Pack
Out-elf Santa in this 11-piece bundle, including a stocking cap, ear muffs, red gloves, boots, naughty aura, nice aura, gifting emotes, and the power to sling snowballs! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets > Costume Bundles
400 Paragon Points
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Rocket Board Travel Power
Fly faster than the Fly power on a sleek, high-tech rocket board. For all characters in your account. Usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
Regular Price: 600 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 450 Paragon Points
Join the community discussion here! -
Take a magic carpet ride with this week's featured items at the Paragon Market™!
Flying Carpet Travel Power - New!
Activate this Persian-type carpet with its own golden magic lantern and soar across the skies! All characters in your account can access this fantastic power. It's usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
600 Paragon Points
*********************************************
New Year's Pack
Add sizzle to your celebration with the fireworks aura, confetti costume change emote, and three emotes that allow your characters to shoot fireworks! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Featured
160 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Winter Holiday Pack
Out-elf Santa in this 11-piece bundle, including a stocking cap, ear muffs, red gloves, boots, naughty aura, nice aura, gifting emotes, and the power to sling snowballs! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets > Costume Bundles
400 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Rocket Board Travel Power
Fly faster than the Fly power on a sleek, high-tech rocket board. For all characters in your account. Usable at Level 2.
Market Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel
Regular Price: 600 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 450 Paragon Points -
Quote:Hi folks, just wanted to confirm that we are aware the Character Copy Tool is experiencing some issues. We've passed the issue along and it's being looked at. We apologize for any inconvenience.Originally Posted by Texas Justice
The OCR team is aware of the problem.
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Ring in the new year with new featured items in the Paragon Market™!
New Year's Pack - New!
Add sizzle to your celebration with the fireworks aura, confetti costume change emote, and three emotes that allow your characters to shoot fireworks!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Featured
160 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Winter Holiday Pack
Out-elf Santa in this 11-piece bundle, including a stocking cap, ear muffs, red gloves, boots, naughty aura, nice aura, gifting emotes, and the power to sling snowballs! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets > Costume Bundles
400 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Windfall Temporary Power (5 Charges)
Each charge increases Influence, Infamy and Information gain and the drop rates for certain rewards.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Sales
Regular Price: 450 Paragon Points - 50% off
Sale Price: 225 Paragon Points
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Super Tailor Access
Allows the cosmetic surgeon to modify a character's height, build, and gender.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Sales
Regular Price: 800 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 600 Paragon Points -
Ring in the new year with new featured items in the Paragon Market™!
New Year's Pack - New!
Add sizzle to your celebration with the fireworks aura, confetti costume change emote, and three emotes that allow your characters to shoot fireworks!
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Featured
160 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Winter Holiday Pack
Out-elf Santa in this 11-piece bundle, including a stocking cap, ear muffs, red gloves, boots, naughty aura, nice aura, gifting emotes, and the power to sling snowballs! NOTE: THIS IS A ONE-TIME PURCHASE, AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012.
Market Location: Costumes > Costume Sets > Costume Bundles
400 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Windfall Temporary Power (5 Charges)
Each charge increases Influence, Infamy and Information gain and the drop rates for certain rewards.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Sales
Regular Price: 450 Paragon Points - 50% off
Sale Price: 225 Paragon Points
*********************************************
Super Tailor Access
Allows the cosmetic surgeon to modify a character's height, build, and gender.
Market Location: Paragon Picks > Sales
Regular Price: 800 Paragon Points - 25% off
Sale Price: 600 Paragon Points
Discuss the new featured items here! -
Quote:Space Jockey!Originally Posted by Arnabas
At the 0:44 mark, you see the pilot seat for the giant elephant-like alien seen in the original Alien.
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Quote:The Events page is mainly for large, multiple-server events that run for a few days/weeks, such as Spring Fling, Halloween, and the Winter Event. For smaller events, like costume contests, we post to the main site, the forums, and social media.Originally Posted by Shogoo
Thing that gets me is the Events page was never updated? Instead it was in forums? And I hardly visit the forums. So spent hour's unlocking costume pieces for an event that didn't happen where it said it was going to happen? Why not just I don't know update the EVENTS PAGE?
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Quote:Originally Posted by Mr_Morbid
Poor Beastyle, forced to work at keeping the crowds happy while everyone else ditches the office for the Christmas holiday.
(Nah, just kidding. I'd hang out with you all even if I were on vacation too.)
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We've updated our Media section with some brand new wallpapers in standard and widescreen resolutions, so make your desktop super today!
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We've updated our Media section with some brand new wallpapers in standard and widescreen resolutions, so make your desktop super today!
You can discuss these new wallpapers here! -
Quote:Just goes to show, you shouldn't take language for granite. For all intensive purposes, this thread should be taken with a grain assault.Originally Posted by Tenzhi
No harm. We've been egregiously (and purposefully) abusing the english language in this thread. I'm sure it might look awful strange (or just awful) to a non-native speaker.
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That's a nice piece! Happy holidays!
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Quote:Not yet, but feel free to send me a PM about it.Originally Posted by Blackleviathan
Beastyle!!!!!! Have you ever checked out the Dark Kingdom groups on villain side??? (freedom that is)
