FloatingFatMan

My best advice would be to roll some "test" toons on both servers, and go check out the various venues for yourself over a few days. Really is the best way to find something you like, IMO.

Try to give each venue more than one night if you can... Everywhere has off nights!

PNN Morning News. Monday 16th May

A graphic of the Paragon News Network appeared on the screen, along with the shows serious theme tune, and as it rotated into the background, Johnathan Stiles, the stations anchorman, faded into view.
"Good morning Paragon, and here is the news."
　
"Reports are coming in this morning of a murder at the FBSA offices in Atlas Park. The victim, a security guard working the night shift, was found dead in one of the offices in the department of hero registration and checks indicate that the computer in this office was used to access the registration database at the approximate time of the murder. It is not known which records were accessed at this time, but police suspect the guard may have interrupted his killer in the act of stealing personal data on one or more of our cities defenders."
　
"Video Surveillance of the department is currently being analysed and police are hopeful that some useful information may be attained. In the meantime, they are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen anything unusual around the area of the FBSA offices in Atlas Park between the times of midnight and 6am today, to please come forward."
　
Taking a brief pause, Stiles moved on to the next time. "The cleanup of our fair city continues today after the attack by Praetorian forces last week. Reports of lone robots continue to be received by Vanguard and every effort is being made to secure the city from these roving weapons..."

Peregrine Island, Invasion +30 minutes

It all seemed to be passing in a blur. No sooner had Ellie teleported in to Peregrine, responding to the alert call from Vanguard, than she'd been attacked by a squad of huge robots, the Goliath class WarWalkers she'd read about, and dozens of heavily armed soldiers.

She wasn't alone, of course. It was difficult to tell in all the smoke and flashes of energy, but there seemed to be at least 50 other heroes in this current skirmish, and with more of the enemy arriving in a steady stream, things were starting to look grim.

An enemy trooper, wearing a cluster missile launcher like some kind of body armour, took careful aim at her as Ellie tore the head from one of the smaller WarWalkers. Data suddenly appeared on Ellie's tactical displays, warning of multiple incoming warheads and instantly she responded. Flipping into the air, Ellie's body span and twisted as her claws sprang from her fingertip. With an astonishing display of agility, she dodged every single incoming warhead, and as each passed, a clawtip or eyebeam flashed out to destroy it. Three seconds later, the missiles destroyed, Ellie's boots slammed into the trooper and drove him through the side of a building.

A moment later, Ellie crawled out of the hole and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, a trickle of blood welling up from a jagged cut. A low growl of anger rumbled in the back of her throat and she threw herself back in to the carnage.


************************************************** ****************************

Atlas Park, Invasion +40 minutes

Eloise grunted as the WarWalker fell backwards, barely having time to catch the machine before it could crush her into the pavement. Sweat, grime and blood marred her pale face as she grimaced with the strain, and with a yell of anger, threw the disabled robot at one of its fellows.

Around her, hell seemed to have come to Atlas Park. Over a dozen of the massive machines covered the entire plaza in front of the town hall, and from the sounds of it, several had appeared inside the building as well. As well as the robots, dozens upon dozens of heavily armed combat troops were sweeping across the plinth, and Eloise let out a rallying shout.

"Don't let them through, everyone! We have to push them back!" Dark energy erupted around her body and she leapt into the fray. Powers she's sworn to never use again came to her unbidden, and she use them without remorse. Ripping the life energy from several of the enemy around her, she used it to fashion dark shadows of the enemy, which immediately began to add their power to her own.


************************************************** ****************************

Skyway City, Invasion +90 minutes


Cara panted heavily as she took shelter behind the damaged building. On the other side, unimpeded by any of Paragon's defenders, a group of 3 of the giant robots stalked down the street, opening fire at anything that moved. Alongside them, a dozen or more of the armoured foot soldiers were adding to the carnage.

Keying her comlink, Cara panted into the pickup. "Burned Ice here... I've got a squad of enemy at my location.. 3 Goliaths and a load of solders heading down the street. They haven't seen me but I've been seperated from my squad..."

"Cara, this is BODICIA. Teleport grid for your location is currently offline. I am despatching reinforcements to your location, ETA 30 seconds. Do not engage, I repeat. Do not engage."

Panting heavily, Cara wiped sweat from her brow. "I ain't going nowhere, just hurry them up, 'kay?"


************************************************** ****************************

Peregrine Island, Invasion +130 minutes

Ellie was exhausted, but she didn't let that stop her. Having been forced quite some time ago to shift to her most powerful 'beast' form, she'd been unable to disengage from combat now for over an hour and the strain was beginning to take its toll. Already, she'd had to drop down to her intermediate form which, though it retained most of the power of her beast, wasn't quite as formidable, and she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold this form either.

A woman's voice suddenly sounded behind her, making Ellie spin around as she despatched one of the combat clockword androids. "Well well, what -do- we have here?"

A tall woman was stood behind Ellie, backed up by a large number of enemy troops. Purple clad, the woman had long flowing hair and a low cut bodice that only accentuated her impressive chest.

"Some kind of catgirl robot, perhaps? I don't sense a mind within you, so you must be... Neuron -will- be interested, though I -don't- imagine Bobcat will like you -at- -all-..."

Snarling, Ellie fired back a quick retort. "I'm no robot, *****... But I've heard about YOU... You're that psycho they call Mother, the one that likes to screw with people's heads. Well, that's not going to work with ME!" With that last yell, Ellie sprang forwards, her claws sliding from her fingertips as she threw herself at Tilman, intending to tear her to pieces.

WHAM!

The blow felt like a truck had slammed into her, but if it had, it might have hurt a little less than the reality. Ellie didn't even have a chance to register what the impact had been though, as another powerful blow smashed her falling body face first into the sidewalk, cracking the concrete slabs from the force of her impact. Dazed, Ellie shook her heard and peered up at her attacker. A Goliath class WarWalker, and the barrel of its huge cannon was pointed right at her head.

Laughing, Tilman turned on her heal and headed towards a nearby group of heroes. As she left, she called out over her shoulder. "I -really- can't be bothered to play with the local wildlife just now... Kill it."

Energy began to build in the massive robot's weapon, and Ellie knew she had no chance of surviving a direct hit. Rolling on to her back, she looked straight into the barrel of the huge weapon, and uttered a prayer as the light in her eyes flared brighter than it ever had. Thrusting her hands into the air, she used everything she had to pull in energy from the very air around her, ripping power from the very fabric of space as she readied the deadliest weapon she had. An instant later, a thick beam of energy burst from her outstretched hands and slammed into the machine, burning a hole straight through its chest and frying the circuitry inside beyond repair. No sooner had it hit, than the beam jumped to dozens of nearby targets, hitting one after another and blasting them off their feet.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the beam winked out and Ellie lay panting up at the evening sky for several seconds before she rolled over on to her front and surveyed the scene around her. The Goliath that had been about to kill her was smashed, and more than a dozen enemy soldiers lay dead and smoking around her. Others, injured by the blast but still alive, were groaning as they tried and failed to stand, but of Tilman there was no sign and further down the street, more enemy soldiers had arrived to engage the city's defenders.

Pushing herself to her feet, Ellie groaned softly and started to head towards them, her feet stumbling slightly from fatigue. Muttering to herself, she headed back into the fight. "I hope you're having more fun then me, Jess..."

^ This is the OOC thread, dude.

I survived! I guess they just couldn't get that rename past my.... ego.

Shame by account name got hit, but I can live with that... Just about.

Annoyingly though, my best friend lost BOTH his global names...

I am still me! It was just my account name that got changed, fortunately. Not that that's not annoying, because it is. Just not as annoying as losing my global would have been!

Preparations

Cara lay awake in her bed, listening to the soft, muffled voice of her foster dad Ryan as he spoke to his dead family. It had been a long time since she'd heard him doing that, and to hear it now just increased her worry at the coming battle. The words were too muffled for her to make out what he was saying, but she suspected he was probably asking them to look after her and forgetting that he needed looking after as well.
　
Quietly, Cara slipped from her bed and padded over towards the bedroom door, listening carefully before padding over to the window and opening the curtain. Outside, the city was starting to wake up as the sun crept over the horizon. Staring at the bright sun, Cara muttered her own prayer.
　
"I don't know if you're listening... I don't even know if you care about us anymore. But if you do, please help me keep Ryan safe? He cares so much for everyone else, and never asks for anything in return, so I'm asking for him. Help me to make sure he comes through this okay, help me to protect him and all of our friends from what gonna happen. I couldn't bear to lose anyone else..."
　
Bowing her head, she closed her eyes briefly before opening them wide and glared straight into the morning sun with a wild look of determination on her face. "But if you won't help us, then to hell with you, I'll do it myself!"
　
***********************************
　
In the apartment she shared with her husband, Eloise was just finishing pulling her new armour on. Ellie had only just delivered it last night, a near duplicate of her own new armour, and the fit was snug to say the least.
　
Across the small apartment, Mike stepped out of the bathroom, a short towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes wandering up Eloise's slender body and he grinned cheekily. "I do love your sister's outfits... They bring out the best in you."
　
Grinning back, Eloise finished securing the armoured chest plate and then snatched a cushion up from the sofa. Throwing it at Mike, she replied. "Quit oggling me and get dressed, you! We've got a busy day!"
　
Laughing, he ducked the thrown cushion. "Did I say best? I meant beast!"
　
Throwing a glare at him, Eloise stalked over, only to squeak as he grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her into a deep kiss. It was several long minutes before he finally came up for air. "We've still got time... How long does it take to get out of that getup?"
　
***********************************
Several thousand miles above Paragon City, Ellie floating in the darkness of space, her eyes closed as she absorbed the higher concentration of cosmic radiation outside the Earth's natural magnetic shield. Energy crackled around her body only to be reabsorbed again as, within the bubble of energy that protected her human form from the ravages of vacuum, she pushed her capacity as far as she could, storing enough undiluted energy to hopefully see her through the coming battles.
　
Thoughts flitted through her mind as she orbited her home. Images of Jess, Hannah, Yoko, Louise and all the others she cared about, crossed her awareness and her expression hardened with her resolve. She was not going to lose anyone today, no matter what.
　
Simultaneously, dozens of tactical scenarios passed through another part of her mind. The ability to segment her mind had come with the completion of her bonding with Mikoshi, and it was something she had never revealed to anyone, even Jess. Using it scared her as it caused her to detach from her humanity and become something other than just herself; something she'd always fought hard to prevent.
　
Now though, she didn't have the luxury of being human, emotional, vulnerable. Now, she had to be as strong as she could be if she was going to not only survive what was coming, but keep those she loved safe as well.
　
Opening her eyes, she gazed down at the curve of Earth far below her feet and her vision focussed on the towers of Paragon City, made tiny by the distance. As long as she'd known them, the streets of her adoptive home had never been truly peaceful. The wail of sirens often shattered the gentle hum of life as emergency after emergency threatened the citizens, and not for the first time, she wondered why people still chose to live in such a dangerous place.
　
Finally, her body charged almost beyond its capacity, she began to drift downwards; descending rapidly through the various layers of the Earth's atmosphere until finally, she landed softly in the plaza before Unity Tower and crossed her arms, waiting.

As far as I'm concerned, combat levels are nothing but an OOC game mechanic and can safely be ignored as far as RP is concerned. You don't suddenly get NPC heroes giving you new powers! New powers are either something you've just learned to do, or some new tech you've built or been given etc.

Security level, on the other hand, is different. I *do* use that ICly for the most part, and I see it as a measure of the level of trust the city places in your ability.

Suck it and see, that's my motto!

Paragon Times. Monday Edition

Refugees Found Dead

Clive Anton, a refugee from the alternate dimension known as Praetoria, was found dead last night in his apartment, along with his wife Marie and their teenage daughter, Alison. Neighbours reported hearing screams shortly after 10pm, and on getting no response from repeated knocks, forced their way into the apartment only to discover their bodies.

The Anton family, residents of a community housing project in the Gish area of Kings Row, were well liked despite coming from a world whos current relationship with our own can only be described as difficult, and officials have so far been unable to explain why someone would wish to harm them.

Local rumours however, indicate that Alison Anton was gifted with telepathic abilities, and was the reason why the family had originally fled their homeland. The FBSA have so far refused to comment on whether any member of the Anton family had registered with them.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward, and have setup an incident hotline on 555-85654. The local residents committee are offering a reward of $5000 (five thousand dollars) for any information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Also, don't forget that hero groups would be pretty unlikely to sanction or take part in retaliatory strikes. Same would apply to any pre-emptive strikes too.

Of course, that wouldn't apply to villain or mercenary groups, but proper hero groups? Unlikely at best!

Somewhere in Nutropolis

"BlackOut standing by." The womans' voice was as tightly controlled her body; held stiff and erect in her black armour as the white suited man carefully circled her, examining her closely. When he spoke, his voice held a deep, imperious tone.

"You're sure this... operative, will be able to function on the other side of the rift?"

"Absolutely, sire. We've got her in standby right now, but the implants and the AI controlling her are absoutely capable of operating autonomously. We've been running extensive tests over the past few months... She's become very much a media darling."

Nodding, the suited man continued his examination, walking around her slowly. "Capabilties?"

"Of course, sire... She was born a mutant, obviously; latent abilities in energy manipulation as well as metaphorphic potential. We've managed to enhance these somewhat, increasing her potential significantly at the cost of a somewhat reduced operational span."

"How long?" The question was abrupt, a raise eyebrow on his face.

"Five years, six at the maximum."

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he came to a stop. "Continue."

"Of course. As well as her natural abilities, we have implanted a full endoskeleton cyber-frame utilising an unstable alloy of our own device, capable of mimicing her metamorphic abilities, which enhances her strength and durability siginifantly. She's also capable of full stealth, accelerated healing, and has been programmed with the bio-graphical data of every single citizen currently known to be operating in the Primal's world without consent."

Nodding, Cole looked over at the scientist. "Demonstrate this metamorphic potential."

"At once, sire." Tapping the console before him, he leaned forward and spoke into a microphone. "BlackOut, deploy weapon three baker."

Immediately, BlackOut dropped into a combat stance and her right arm began to bubble and peel. A few seconds later, her lower arm had been replaced with a half meter bar, with a chain and spiked ball hanging loosely from the end. "Ready."

Leaning down to examine her again, Cole rubbed his chin. "Hmm, isn't a morning star somewhat... low tech?"

"Unfortunately, her metaphorphic ability precludes complex transformations. Originally she was only able to do fully biological shifts in her genetic structure. It took several years of experimentation with the endoskeleton alloy before she was able to achieve metals like this; it takes a considerable amount of energy."

Nodding, Cole finally turned and started towards the door. "I want her deployed immediately. The invasion is scheduled to begin in three days, and I want her in place and ready to execute her instructions as soon as we breach the rifts, understood?"

"Yes sire, of course sire."