Olantern

Let's not forget the Tauntaun sleeping bag, with special intestines-patterned lining, the joke product so ridiculous that it generated enough demand for its actual manufacture.

Anyone who has ever built a house knows that "two weeks" actually means "some indeterminate time in the future, possibly several months from now." For a very realistic example of this, see the movie The Money Pit (now chiefly remembered for being made back when Tom Hanks made comedies).

Compared to "two weeks," "soon" is practically imminent.

(bolding mine)

That's another point. She's long been a fan and developer favorite, and she may not really be gone completely. We've had Sister Psyche move to different host bodies more than once before, and I could see her disembodied spirit ending up inside some existing (or new) character, as either a hero or a villain (though a villain kinda steps on the conceptual toes of Mother Mayhem).

I'd like to see this too, for a variety of reasons. First, it would be interesting to see a Mastermind-like character (in terms of powers) as a clearly defined hero. Second, it would be a nice counterpoint to the constant complaints that such powersets as Beast Mastery aren't "superhero-y" enough. Third, we have yet to see an NPC with one of the "frills" powers, like Coyote Travel, and that would be an interesting touch. (It might even be a handy marketing gimmick.) Fourth, I've always felt that Coyote was a great example of a "standard" four-color hero, something that a character like Penelope Yin, despite the character's interesting points, is not. We need such characters in a new Freedom Phalanx, lest it become a muddled grouping of "characters with superpowers" like Vanguard or the Praetorian Archvillains, rather than "superheroes." (While some have argued against including such a group in the game, I don't think it's too far out of line to have one or two classic "superhero" groups in a game that ostenibly has "superheroes" as its default protagonists.)

In the same vein, I think it's most likely that the Freedom Phalanx will fade into the background, to be replaced by Vanguard as the default "defenders of all that is good" group. This flies in the face of Vanguard's being an amoral group simply designed to fight Rikti and other extra-Earthly threats. But it falls into the pattern many forumites and some developers seem to think in, that any blatantly "heroic" group is automatically suspect. Oddly, this tends to have the effect of making the "good" groups "evil" and the "neutral" groups "good."

Here's how I expect the i0 Task Forces and other Freedom Phalanx content to break down:

Positron TF's: Unchanged from their present state.

Synapse: TF substantially revamped and given out by a different, possibly new, character. Penelope Yin, with her association with the Clockwork, seems most likely, though there are other possibilities. The emphasis will probably be more on the Clockwork King himself than on fighting warehouse after warehouse of his minions.

Sister Psyche: Completely revamped, given out by a different, possibly new character. Penelope seems like the obvious choice as the new all-knowing-psychic-type, but note that at present, there isn't any connection between Sister Psyche and a Freakshow plot to blow up the Zig. Back Alley Brawler might end up with this TF.

Citadel: Totally revamped but sticking with the same character. A while back, I recall reading that this would be the next TF to be revamped.

Manticore: Revamped, probably only slightly, and given by Synapse, the hero most connected with Crey.

Numina: Slightly revamped and given out by the same character.

Statesman: Revamped fairly extensively and given out by a Vanguard character, probably a semi-recovered Honoree.

I suspect there might be a new TF for the new, player-created character. It'll be interesting to see whether that character reflects more of a forumite or a developer conception of what makes a hero (remember, the devs make the selection), and if it's the latter, what that conception is.

Lord Recluse's Strike Force: Extensively revamped due to characters being slain, but probably still given out by Recluse for the time being.

This leads me to my final point. I suspect that the next round of Signature Story Arcs will give us as many shakeups among the signature villains as this round did among the heroes. My current theory is that Arachnos will end up as a more Praetorian-like organization (friendly face, evil machinations behind the scenes), since this seems to be a pet theme of some the writing devs, but we'll have to see.

Quoted for mega-agreement.

The part that bothers me is that I get the impression from these fora that most players do feel like the players should make all the nonmechanical development decisions. I can understand why forumites feel this way, but it doesn't mean I agree with them.

I'm unsure as to whether I should be frightened or pleased at my familiarity with this game that my first thought when I saw The Outfit in this thread was, "Wow, that looks just like a City of Heroes costume."

I'm also unsure as to whether I should be frightened or pleased that the main reason I considered the Pocket D pack was to use the hair for a Dr. Detroit homage. The Doctor holds a special place in my heart. I have many occasion in my working life when I'm reminded of his meeting to determine whether a fruit cup would be offered at the reception to present the Harold Robbins Chair in Literature. (Okay, now I've really dated myself.)

This brought the end of Mel Brooks' History of the World to my mind with startling suddenness, and then I realized it would make a fine addition to Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money.

I'm looking forward to Chainsawy Breath, myself.

Exactly. And as they've added more and more badges over the years, this has become more and more true.

However, some characters have one (or more) badges that just fit them perfectly. Some of mine that have worked out well include:

"Heart of Light" for Kid Eros, a cupid-like character
"Archmage" for the Sidereal Knight, a reluctant but now experienced magician
"Steamy" for Industrial Revolt, a villain who wears a steam-powered suit
"Knight Errant" for the Knight of Gears, a knight-themed tech origin hero
"Old-Fashioned" for Professor Beltane, a time traveller from the 1800's (there are lots of good badge titles for time travellers)
"Spectral" and "Ectoplasmic" for Joe Fedora, a ghost (lots of good ghost-themed badges, too)
"Weed Whacker" for the Gorseling, who's based on gorse, a thorny shrub considered an invasive weed in many areas
"Professor," "Intellectual," and "Academic" for Mr. Foudroyant, a professor in his non-hero life
"Ghost-Touched" and "Haunted" for Citizen Zombie, a Necromancy MM whose powers are described as speaking with ghosts
"Patriot" and "Freedom" for the same character, since he's also a patriotic-themed hero

On the other hand, I'm still looking for just the right badge titles for, say, Djinniman (a genie hero) and Reefwarden (an aquatic hero- "Tested the Water," maybe?). Perhaps next issue.

I agree, partly because I like them all and partly because I want to go around saying "Rocket Pack Pack." This time around, I voted for A because it looked slightly more versatile than B, but I very nearly clicked B instead.

(Incidentally, if the devs were somehow able to come up with a way to select different MM henchmen really fast and released Beastly Mastery around the same time, they could release a Pack Pack. If a new buff set were introduced to allow costume details, such as rucksacks, on the animal henchmen, they could create a Pack Pack Pack.)

Also, don't discount the possibility that it's the worst idea ever, but something good might still come of it. (I'm not sure what that would be, mind you, but it is a possibility.)

Please don't forget to do this. I know not what others may think, but I find this kind of thing endlessly fascinating.

While I've never understood the forum passion for Flower Knight or for summoning copies of oneself as pets, these could both be used to make a fairly interesting character, at least powers-wise. Perhaps her time in Ouroboros has given her Time Manipulation powers, too. Her "strange signature move" could be "summon duplicates of herself from other points in time" or something along those lines. That would make her "different" from Manticore, aside from cosmetic details and theme.

Some good observations here. Following your point about Mercedes Sheldon, her rank (not her faction) is always given as "Rogue" (in both the SSA's and the Kal SF), while Montague Castanella is a "Hero," and that Exorcist from the Kal SF ("not otherwise described") is a "Vigilante." Unlike the Freedom Phalanx and the Vindicators, the Midnight Squad seems to be part of a "Magic vs. Its Enemies" than a "Good vs. Evil" dynamic, making a crossover unlikely.

Faultline and Fusionette, though they seem some of the more "classic" superheroes left in the game post-Statesman, are already affiliated with the Vanguard. Vanguard, further, is another not-"Good vs. Evil" group, though there the conflict is "Earth vs. Other Dimensions." (I would argue that Vanguard tends to be portrayed somewhat inconsistently; often, the devs seem inclined to present it as more "heroic" than the Freedom Phalanx, but that's neither here nor there.) Given their heavy presence in the RWZ arcs, it seems unlikely that they'd be moved, despite the fact that they'd make a good fit.

I really, really, really like the idea of a Rikti on the Freedom Phalanx, though. The "token space alien" is a standby of the classic superhero group. A Kheldian could play this role, too, but I would prefer the more blatant, fish out of water alienness of the Rikti to the "I'm torn between my cosmic power and my fading humanity, plus no humans trust me any more" that seems built into the Kheldians as a group. That probably deserves its own character.

Oh, and I have long felt that Citadel should gain the ability to assume control of other machines, allowing him to switch into a body with a less unattractive color scheme. Sort of like Metronome, only cheerful and down-to-earth instead of angsty. We need more characters like that (another reason I like the Faultline crowd).