The City Scoop! July 6,2007

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:41 AM

The City Scoop

The Steel 70 Take Flight

Vol I, Issue VIII

JUly 6th, 2007

This Issue:

Advice

Paragon's Cullinary Delights

POINT / COUNTERPOINT

Horoscopes

Interview with Pepsiman

Ask Athy

IMHO

Behind the Mask

Interviews with:

ValkyrieRising

Azrhiaz

Lacuna Furlong

Lohr

Arts

The Week in Art

Collecting Character Art

Featured Artist - syrusb

Arena

Offical Duelist Ladder!

From the Editor

Classifieds

Puzzles & Games

The City Scoop Staff
Editors-in-Chief
Marcian Tobay	Hertz
Lemur Lad - Assistant
Editors
Teldon - Behind the Mask
LadyK - Food and Restaurant, Classifieds
Protea - Business and Market
Thors Assassin - Arts and Entertainment
Snow Globe - Puzzles
Advice
Lady Athyna	LiquidX
PvP Correspondents
Dumok	Excentric
Layout
Mantid	Frost
Additional Staff
Bowfling	Preternatural
Empress	Boudicia Dark
Guy Perfect	Captain Amazing
TonyV	Evitron
The City Scoop is always seeking comments, suggestions, and articles from our readers. Just send them to the corresponding department or one of our Editors-in-Chief.

To be e-mailed a printer friendly copy of this edition, send a
blank e-mail to: CityScoop8@the-swarm.org

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By Mofeta

The Citys largest band of flying heroes dismantle the first Rikti Drop Ship.

It doesnt take a meteorologist to tell you when the Rikti are
flying overhead. When the Rikti made their violent return several weeks ago,
they brought with them a deadly new type of weapon: pitch-black bombers with
enough firepower to level entire neighborhoods. These Drop Ships swiftly became
the bane of every living thing, super-powered or otherwise, that has
encountered them. Such is their power that even the most heroic (or fearsome)
have been forced into hiding when the raid sirens start blaring.

On July 1st, that all changed. Task Force Vendetta, organized by
the Heroine called Sylph Knight, managed to gather over seventy of Paragon
Citys finest in Steel Canyon and lead a successful ambush against an
entire squadron of the Riktis latest aerial weapons. When the smoke cleared,
nine Drop Ships lay in ruins on the tattered highways of the citys center of
commerce.

We brought down nine Rikti Drop Ships in total, which was far
beyond everybody's wildest expectations. One of the Heroes, Argent Amber,
exclaimed after the battle, Initially, we were crossing our fingers just to be
able to bring down one!

I asked Sylph Knight why and how she managed to organize such an
ambush. The Drop Ships have shaken the city to its core over the past few
weeks and the people desperately needed to know that there was still hope. She
replied, After studying the Drop Ships flight paths, I sent out a large-scale
recruitment notice with a mere twenty-four hour deadline for the assembly so
that the Rikti would not catch wind of our plan.

Two Heroes, Star Lancer and Bellflower, made video recordings of
the incident. While the authorities were working to gather the alien wreckage
for research, I asked Bellflower what she did with the footage. Currently, we
are distributing copies to the press, all Longbow and Vanguard members, and
several other Heroes for analysis. The current videos being distributed were
hastily produced to expedite the process, but we hope to be able to soon
provide them with clearer footage.

We encourage widespread distribution to Heroes as well as
non-combatants. She continued, We want everyone to know that, although the
Rikti have returned, that we are prepared to take on anything they can muster
against us. Perhaps none will appreciate the video more than those whom have
lost loved ones to the Rikti. In light of this, we hope the video will
encourage the development of appropriate protection and countermeasures against
the Riktis bombing raids.

The Heroes of Task Force Vendetta, now calling themselves the
Steel 70 in reference to the number of participants and the place where the
ambush occurred, reported that the use of powers which have been used to slow,
weaken, or otherwise debilitate ordinary criminals worked especially well when
coordinated against the Drop Ships. They have strongly advised the use of such
abilities to all brave enough to mimic this astonishing success.

BAB Congratulates the 70

Back Alley Brawler left his post at the Freedom Corps Headquarters
after the battle to personally thank the Steel 70 and assist with the recovery
effort. We figured you guys would figure out some way to take down a Drop
Ship He exclaimed on behalf of the Freedom Phalanx, adding, But NINE?!

Researchers from Vanguard, the special UN organized sent in to aid
the city, have expressed much excitement since the wreckage was brought into
their laboratory the following morning. Though there is little left in
functioning order, we are confident that we should begin to uncover the
mysteries surrounding these new ships soon. The salvage we collected has
already given us some insight as to their operation. Its only a matter of time
before we can better train our own soldiers to better combat these new
threats.

As one of the Heroes that belong to the coalition now known as
Steel 70, I can honestly say that I have never felt as heroic as I do today. We
took the dramatic first step forwards in discovering a way to destroy these
Drop Ships -- perhaps once and for all. It wont be long before others learn
from our success and give the Rikti some proper payback!

My newfound comrade, Dark Ether, had this to say: Now that it has
been shown to be possible, I hope that others rally and form up to take the
attack to the ships, instead of reacting to them.

So Rikti, you better watch out! We are the Steel 70 and if you
think that we are the key to Earth's defenses then tough luck! The knowledge is
already out. Where us 70 have gone before, another 70,000 will follow in our
footsteps. Everywhere in Paragon City and on Earth you go, we will follow!

Editor's note:

Raid Guide for Rikti
Dropships

The Steel 70
Dropship Raid discussion

An upcoming Villain
raid

Upcoming Events:

Ending July 7th:

All Servers

*Breast Cancer
Awareness Week

July 7th:

Orgins Game Expo

*Heroes &
Villains Costume Contest

Champion

*Sister Psyche TF

Freedom

*Breast Cancer
Awareness Event

Infinity

*Hamidon Raid,
Villain-side

Liberty

*Sisterhood 3rd
Anniversary

*TF Race!

Pinnacle

*Pinnacle's Super
Summer Jump!

Test Server

*Villain Pentad
Tourney

Virtue

*3rd Annual Ms
Independence Day Party

July 8th:

Protector

*Team Debt Cap
Presents...

Victory

*Summer Sunday
Nights - Siren's Call

July 14th:

Champion

*PvP All Day

Test Server

*TIMEFORCE II

July 15th:

Champion

*Virgil Tarikoss is
DOOMed

Make sure to list your event threads in the
forum calendar to be listed in the Scoop!

Leather Weather Report

By Boudicia_Dark

Looks like a storm be a brewin' both in Paragon as well as the
Rogue Isles! Reports of massive, greenish-grey storm clouds have been
confirmed. I'd say find something sturdy to take cover under, and hurry because
that hail just doesn't look quite right!

Market Report

Predicting the Wartime Economy

War with the Rikti: for some the thought conjures images of
citizens screaming, running for cover as the bombs rain onto our fair city. For
others it holds a challenge and a call to battle. On the market, the question
on everyone's mind is:
How can I profit?

There are many opinions, but one thing is certain: the Rikti are a
technological race. While the magnitude of the effect may be debatable,
increased Rikti activity seems poised to exaggerate, to some extent,
the already-apparent salvage type disparity. Arcane salvage is a highly
prized keystone in many inventions; with hero and villain activity shifting to
Rikti defense, strategies for rationing and storage are already in focus.

Meanwhile, the fact that the Rikti threat crosses faction lines
has not gone unnoticed. Supers from both sides have been discussing the idea of
merging the Black Market with Wentworth's, and recent developments have
only increased the urgency of those talks. Still, City officials have so far
remained mum on the idea of legitimizing the Black Market, saying only that
there are no firm plans at this time. The Blue and the Red may well find
themselves fighting side by side, but for the foreseeable future, trade between
factions remains taboo.

Top sellers in both markets as of the morning of 7/5/2007:

WentWorth's
RHA	Pangean Soil	5,000,000	+7%
RHA	Prophecy	3,540,000	-23%
RMA	Deific Weapon	3,360,000	-11%
RHA	Magical Conspiracy	3,000,000	-3%
RHA	Essence of the Furies	2,940,000	-13%
RMA	Enchanted Impervium	2,540,000	-6%
RMA	Empowered Sigil	2,420,000	-5%
RHA	Hamidon Goo	2,300,000	-14%
RMA	Soul Trapped Gem	1,870,000	-8%
RMA	Mu Vestment	1,750,000	-18%
Black Market
RHA	Pangean Soil	2,440,000	-3%
RHA	Prophecy	2,400,000	-7%
RHA	Deific Weapon	1,860,000	+35%
RHA	Hamidon Goo	1,670,000	-3%
RHA	Essence of the Furies	810,000	-18%
RMA	Soul Trapped Gem	760,000	+42%
RMA	Empowered Sigil	730,000	-1%
RMA	Mu Vestment	480,000	+26%
RHA	Magical Conspiracy	308,000	-26%
RMA	Enchanted Impervium	283,000	-26%

~ Protea

[/color]

CRUELTY OF THE WEEK!

By Evitron

Hey, sorry about last weeks thing. Arachnos has been going crazy
about editing possible smash articles about the Isles. But, I got a new
security thing and all is good.

Moving onwards to the topic! Thanks to my SG, this week I
interviewed a high level villain, Fire-Lizard(Infinity, 50). Fire-Lizard had
some very choice(but no less interesting) things to say about the Rogue Isles
and villainy in general. It went a little something like this:

Evitron: How do you feel about the Rogue Isles,
in general?

Fire-Lizard: Hm. Good question. I like how they
are varied from dingy factories in Sharkhead, to ancient temples in Nerva, to a
technological nightmare in Grandville. However, I think its a bit ironic how
villains kill more Arachnos minions than the capes do. Lord Recluse really
needs to clamp down on all the in-fighting and focus on crushing the blueside,
spiritually and physically.

Ev: Thats my next question: what do you hate the
most about the Rogue Isles?

FL: The constant backstabbing- it is to the point
that a civilization cannot exist with any more of this. A little survival of
the fittest is good, but this is just too much.

Ev: Anything else to add?

FL: For an evil empire to really function there
has to be a few things. The leaders cannot just destroy their own followers for
no reason, and people have to have something to gain by serving an evil lord.
We cant just keep betraying each other for no reason, it puts us back in the
effort against the capes. Lastly, the villains have to be stronger than the
heroes or else there is nothing heroic about what the blue side is doing.
Anyone can pick on someone weaker than themselves, but only a hero can face
someone stronger. Although, in this case they would still lose (laughs), but at
least they would die heroically.

Ev: Very interesting standpoint. Thanks for your
time.

FL: No problem.

Lord Recluse, I hope youre reading this so you can improve the
Isles a teeny bit.

Okay, thats enough redside ranting for now, and remember-
witnesses always come back to bite you in the end, like that burrito you had
for lunch.

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:42 AM

Advice

Back to front page

Point / Counterpoint

By Bowfling

This is the seventh in a series of point-counterpoint articles,
which will review commonly requested player suggestions, and review the pros
and cons of those suggestions.

This weeks subject Respecs

POINT:

There are certain advantages to increasing the ease with which
players can respecify the powers on their characters. Players that find powers
and power selection to be a major part of the fun of the game would be able to
try out powers without having to go to the Test Server. In addition, with the
inclusion of the invention system, there are now more ways to slot a character,
and more varied enhancements with which to slot powers. This makes it harder to
find a build that best fits a players style. Sometimes when there are power
changes the devs consider to be minor, a free respec is not provided. Easier
access to respecification would allow players that have found these power
changes to have significantly reduced the enjoyment they find with such powers
to change those powers more readily. Options for allowing easier respecing
include offering repeatable content that can be used to earn a respec, respecs
that are buyable, either with inf or exp, or outright allowing of
respecification at anytime. The most dramatic form of a respecification would
be to allow players to change power sets, or even Archetype. Other ideas
include adding "smaller" respecs, such as allowing players to move enhancements
around, or perhaps just moving slots and enhancements.

COUNTERPOINT:

But there are also certain disadvantages associated with
increasing the ease with which players can respecify the powers on their
characters. The current format of 3 earnable respecs via TF/SFs would
potentially see diminished interest. Much of the games content is "gated",
meaning certain rewards are achieved only be completing a series of tasks. The
current respec TF/SFs are a form of this. Making respecs buyable would change
them from a content-based reward to a treasury-based reward, thus favoring only
rich characters. Allowing players to respec frequently would also allow players
to swap powers in and out of builds suited to the critters they intend to face,
perhaps decreasing the difficulty critters at higher levels are intended to
provide. Most of all, the AT or sets respecs would allow players to select
characters less for the challenge they pose from 1-50, and instead select sets
that are "easy" at certain levels, then swap in a different set for other
levels. This would also break down the fundamental concept of what a character
represents, instead making it more of a shell for storing certain numbers (exp
and inf gained, enhancements owned, etc.)

CoX Chibis by syrusb

(Click for full view)

Sampling Paragon's Culinary Delights... for justice!

By
Preternatural

Let's take a look at the greasy spoon joints in our fair city. You
know, the mom and pop shops tucked away between the superstores and other large
and rather threatening architectural megaliths in our metropolis.

This time it's City of Gyros, once a smalltime kiosk selling
spicey lamb and beef delights to the pedestrians, now a successful chain in
town thanks to good marketing and a sharp business sense on the parts of owners
Lou Dicrous and "Ri" Diculous.

Tell me, heroes, is there anything more satisfying than a hot,
fresh gyro, topped with cool yogurt sauce? If there are those among you who
have yet to sample such a pleasure, I counsel you to rush out to City of Gyros
now and do so; there you are sure to experience not only a fresh take on
mediterranean cuisine, but also an unrivaled ambiance reminiscent of a coastal
town in the isles themselves.

I happily give them a 8 out of 10 "Statesman Stars"- even my
refined pallete was briefly disoriented for eight to twelve seconds as the
clash of cucumber and lamb assaulted my senses with fully slotted IOs of savory
goodness.

Here's a somewhat simplified version of the owner's signature
dish. They wouldn't share every vagary of the recipe - it being a closely
guarded family secret - but this should get you through your jones for good
greek food:

Quick and Easy Yogurt Sauce:

2/3 cup grated cucumbers

1 cup plain yogurt

2/3 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbspn fresh dill

1 tspn black pepper

A pinch of salt to taste

Grate the cucumbers finely - squeeze to drain and place in a bowl. Add the
yogurt and spices, mix uniformly and chill for fifteen minutes.

Quick and Easy Gyro Meat: (serves two)

2 pounds ground lamb or beef or a mixture of the two.

1 tbspn minced garlic

1 tbspn dried marjoram

1 tbspn dried ground thyme

1 1/2 tspns salt

1/2 tspn black pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix ingredients in a bowl, press mixture into bread
or loaf pan and place bread or loaf pan in water bath in oven for around an
hour or until done.

The Perfect Homemade Gyro

1 fresh onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

Gyro meat

1 package fresh pita

Yogurt Sauce

Heat your pita in the manner of your choice, slice in half to open. Place in
gyro meat first, add yogurt sauce, then sliced onions and tomatoes to taste.

Enjoy!

Ladies of Thor by syrusb

(Click for full view)

Horoscopes

Sun is in Cancer/Defender, Moon is in Pisces/Warshade moving into
Aries/Brute.

Julian Day 2454287.75

Heroscopes

Controller
- Mars square Neptune lowers your drive to actively seek the company of friends
in a social setting.

Defender
- Mars square Neptune indicates an excellent time to sit back and reflect on
past accomplishments and failures relating to your professional life.

Scrapper
- Mars square Sun challenges you to prove yourself to others. This is the time
to use your energy constructively.

Blaster
- Saturn opposite Uranus accents your desire for self expression and
originality. If you are living true to your ideals, then this is a time of
satisfaction.

Tanker
- Venus opposite Uranus is a transit which marks your desire to take part in
different and perhaps unusual activities. You may have many chances for meeting
someone new under this transit, though you should take it slow and steady.

Peacebringer - With Pluto transiting the Fourth House, you may
experience a gradual dissolution of the ties that bind the family together.

Warshade
- Saturn in the Seventh House brings an air of seriousness to all your dealings
with partners.

Villainscopes

Brute
- You may have many chances for meeting someone new under this transit, though
you should take it slow and steady.

Corruptor
- Pluto sextile Mars energizes you to accomplish much, both at home and the
office. Physical activity of any kind is both stimulating and rewarding.

Dominator
- Mars transiting the First House invigorates your body, making you feel ready
to "conquer the world".

Mastermind
- Communal activities which take place at this time should be both
well-attended and successful.

Stalker
- Mars trine Sun marks a period of increased self confidence and dynamic
action.

Horoscopes provided by
Lady Athyna

~Handwritten page found laying atop the Horoscope submission~

Sun is Do you really care about this part?

Too bad. I do not.

Hello again my naughty little primates and monkey descendants. How
are you. No, that is not a question; its a rhetorical statement as I dont
really care.

I do, however, hope you enjoyed my little rouse last week. But I
must confess. Ive discovered a few things about this Athyna person and no
person who is that happy and nice should be dictating horoscopes or even
breathing. She must be a mutant. No human is that happy. Not for long anyway.

Now I shall peer into the nether realms for your pathetic little
futures.

Villainscopes

Brute
- You my dear, still smash many things. Though it wouldnt hurt you to look at
what youre smashing first once in awhile.

Corruptor
- Oh dear you arent very inspired are you perhaps you should try it once in
a while.

Dominator
- Your chaos shall rain down upon your foes. Try to keep them there for a few
minutes at least.

Mastermind
- Oh my, arent you the life of the party. It helps that youve raised or
programmed all the party guests but we wont let that little detail stand in
the way.

Stalker
- Darling, be wary of water.

Heroscopes

Controller
- I see a villain whos had a bad day in your future.

Defender
- You were recently involved in arresting someone whos been released. Hes
not happy.

Scrapper
- How lovely. Face down looks good on you!

Blaster
- I didnt know you had that in you. Such a beautiful finishing move. Why not
use it to finish

Tanker
- How could one person anger so many villains It would be a shame if they all
coordinated their efforts, wouldnt it dear?

Peacebringer
- Such light and love. Blech.

Warshade
- So much unrealized potential for darkness. Pity.

~Love and Kisses

~Scorn

Advice From the X

"Due to the increased threat by KOMPLEX, LiquidX has been drafted
by S.P.A.C.E. to serve onboard the The Righteous Indignation and thus
was unavailable to answer questions this week."

Ask
the X for advice!

Pepsiman

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Interview by
Kahlan D'Rane

(lv 50 Rad/Kin Corruptor, Guardian)

The other day, I was wandering around the Pocket D, drink in hand,
just chillin like the villain I am. I toss back my Bloody Caaser, and head up
onto the dance floor, and Lo and behold...I spy...no It can't be! He's a total
myth! He just CANNOT EXIST! Yet he does. He was there, in front of me in the
flesh. THE PEPSIMAN!

I go "OMG SQUEEEE it's PEPSIMAN!" and bashfully asked for an
interview. Seriously why would he give a villain like me the time of day? He'd
more then likely to smoosh me in PVP than grant me an interview, but, to my
great suprise, he did! Pepsiman! Granted me an interview. During the interview,
I snapped a few screenshots of this elusive hero, and noted which supergroup he
belonged to: "Miracle Force". We always see him chatting in Guardian Channel,
poking people with his Wiimote...reacting to various Mistells with the classic
"Buh?" or "o.o" Yet hardly anyone sees him. So here is the following interview
with the ever elusive Pepsiman.

His Bio States: He got hit by a pepsi truck, which is how he got
his powers. Interesting. So, I go on to ask him some questions. I was rather
blindsided by the sudden-nes of his appearance but I did the best I could.

Kahlan D'Rane: "Ok First question: What brought
you to Paragon city? (oh yeah if you can list your powersets here that would be
great too. You know to round out the whole interview n stuff)"

Pepsi: Powersets: Ice/Ice/Elec Blaster

I tried SWG for about a week, then a coworker told me about a
superhero MMO, so I jumped ship, so to speak, from Tatooine to Paragon City.
Haven't looked back ever since.

Kahlan D'Rane: Which villain group is your
favorite to beat up? Come on, I know we all have them. Who's yours????

Pepsi: Villain group.... I'd have to say Malta,
just because they look cool, and have giant robots, and it's fun freezing
sappers before they can react to me.

Kahlan D'Rane: PVP: Do you? Don't you? or does it
make you feel a little dirty on the inside when you have to go into one of
those zones??

Pepsi: PvP: occasionally with the Sunday night
arena folks on Guardian, not lately though. I enter the PvP zones very rarely.

Kahlan D'Rane : Ok, something all us Guardianites
are seriously wondering here:What is your favorite type of cookie?

And also, why did you pick Guardian as your home? Is it for Noire's toasty warm
homemade cookies??

Pepsi: Cookie: toss up between Nutter Butters and
Oreos. Mostly any with a creme filling in between.

Why Guardian: was the first one on the list the first time I
logged on.

Kahlan D'Rane: Do you have a secret Guardian
crush..come on, you can tell me..I wont tell anyone >.>

I promise..umm...yeah...

Pepsi: Heh....

another toss up between ******* and *******

Kahlan D'Rane: So, what are the names of your
alts? if you care to divulge them that is...

Pepsi: How about just the ones over 30, and on
Guardian?

Spy Guy

Agnt Bristow

John Elway

Mutant Pooh

US Angel

Tonkatsu

Kahlan D'Rane: Thanks for everything. In
conclusion: Why Pepsi? There has to be a reason

Pepsi: The story in my family is that I was
weened from breast milk to Pepsi Cola when I was a baby.

Seriously though, I drink anything (even Coke) but prefer Pepsi. I
find that it has less of a 'kick' to it than Coke, though.

So there you go. Some dirt on the ever elusive, Legendary
Pepsiman!

Dear
Athy,

Dear Athy,

My brother and I both have super powers but my brothers older so
he acts like he's better and even though I am quite skilled he still treats me
like Im the sad little kid I was when our parents died. What should I do to
make him realize I am not that same weak little kid?

-Signed Smitty

Frustrating, isnt it dear. I bet since the loss of your parents,
your older brother has been trying to fill in for them. Knowing when to let
go isnt easy for parents, its less so for older siblings who they need to
take care of you.

I see a few things you can do here. You could have a talk with
him, let him know youd rather he was a brother than a parent, be gentle. If
that seems too confrontational, you could leave the newspaper open to a story
about your latest deeds. Or you could wait a bit and see if he comes to the
realization himself of your abilities.

With whatever you do, remember thats love that motivates him. Let
that be your motivation for how you broach this subject with him and everything
should turn out fine.

~Athy

Send
Athy your questions!

IMHO part 2

By LadyK

The first question I asked of them was had they ever been a target
of a Chris Jenkins law suit. Most said that they had not, but had known or
known of some on who had.

Electro Fists, mother of the 13 year old hero, TechBot (level 16
Champion), stated that her daughters school was sued. Jenkin's frivolous and
irresponsible lawsuit against the Hero Academy negatively impacted her
experience there. The Academy had to divert resources to pay for increased
legal support, and that meant reductions in other areas affecting the students.
She went on to say that the students took it upon themselves to help with the
recooping of funds. The students got together and reviewed their projects from
several semesters, and identified several items they were able to patent and
sell to Crey. Which Crey Industries was quick to offer to purchase. Then,
She continued, the students used the proceeds from the sales to fund two lab
assistant salaries. These lab assistants, who were about to be let go due to
budget cutbacks, are retired heroes, using their free time to teach and train
the next generation.

The Burning Brawler, (level 50, Guardian) remembered a time when
he was the target of Jenkins. Some Hellions were making an arson attempt. I
not only put the fires out, but rounded them up. ... while I was doing that
some old lady's cat ran out of the building and got singed by a fireball. He
continued, The vet said the hair would grow back, but she still called
Jenkins. When asked how the suit was resolved, all Burning Brawler would say
was, Luckily the judge supports heroes.

NarcolepticGirl (level 31, Champion) commented, It seems that
every other week someone I know is having a law suit levied againts them, I
asked her aobut her own lawsuit, I am a doctor, a hero, and the patron of
three teenaged heroes. I don't have time to spend all day in a court house
explaining why this Hellion's mother or that Skull's friend have no need of my
money.

Another hero who has been personally effected by Jenkins and his
law firm is Jinx the LDB (level 1, Gaurdian). Jinx is in a very unique
situation, as he died during the intial attack on Paragon City. ... currently
I'm in a court case against Jenkins. I'm trying to get my inheritance and he
[was] retained by some of my relatives Jenkins current position is, Jinx is
biologicaly dead and the dead cannot inherit. When asked what his position is ,
Jinx stated My arguement is, since I'm walking and talking I should. The
young man is keeping his spirits high, saying, We'll see how it goes. It does
appear that Jenkins is willing to do what ever it takes to close down this
city, one hero at a time.

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:43 AM

Behind the Mask

Interviews by
Teldon

Back to front
page

ValkyrieRising

Freedom Server

What is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your
home server?

Freedom, for the most part. I joined the game to play with people
I knew from other games (Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat). Freedom was their
server, so Freedom became my home server. Victory is my second home though, due
to my supergroup over there. The Repeat Offenders SGs keep me pretty active on
Freedom.

Where do you live?

Central Illinois

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

Mostly spend time with my husband and our families. Movies,
various addicting TV shows, and books take up the rest of my free time. I do a
little writing, but not too much lately.

What are your favorite movies?

Amelie, The Incredibles, and Band of Brothers (okay, that one's a
mini-series, but I still love it)

What are your favorite Books and authors?

I will freely admit that I am a big Harry Potter and Harry Dresden
fan. Other favorite authors are Anne Perry and Eoin Colfer. Of course, I'm
forever looking for new great books! Or even old ones for that matter.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

Is too much an answer? My current TV show addictions: The 4400,
The Dead Zone, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate: Atlantis, The Dresden Files,
Heroes, The Sopranos, Burn Notice

Shows I mourn: Stargate: SG1, Farscape

Other favs: The Daily Show, CSI, Law and Order, Voyager, Bravo reality shows

Do you have any pets?

Two awesome cats: Herman, my silver and black tabby, and Amelia,
my hubby's calico-tabby

How did you get drawn to this game?

It was easy to pick up and it was fun to boot. I had never been
interested in the grindy, fantasy MMOs, so I will say that CoH surprised me. It
wasn't such a stretch to go from my FPS games to CoH. It took a lot to get me
here, but here I've stayed, even though most of the people who dragged me in
are no longer playing.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

It's a toss up between the combat and the costumes. I love playing
with the costume generator, but the combat system is just a lot of fun for me.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

ValkyrieRising is my first character and my first 50. She is a
Fire/Fire/Flame Blaster and a member of the Legends of RO. Her evil twin,
Valkyrie's Bane, is an Ice/Dark Corrupter, my highest villain at level 38.

Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

My favorite AT is a toss up between Kheldians and Defenders.
Favorite powerset would have to be Kinetics. Nothing like bouncing around like
a pinball!

Your least favorites?

Tanks and Stalkers are my least favorites. I don't have any
powersets in the other ATs that I don't like.

Do
you prefer Heroside or villain side?

Heroside mostly. My computer isn't the greatest, and Paragon City
agrees with it a lot more than the Rogue Isles. And the teaming synergy is just
a lot easier with heroes. I play my villains when I'm in the mood to solo.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

Fearlessness

Your greatest weakness in the game?

Fearlessness. That and I don't like to stand still for long, which
frequently gets me in trouble.

What zone is your favorite?

Probably Striga Island, especially knowing the secret of that
volcano! The zone is just full of life and story.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

CoH would have to be the Revenant Hero Project. CoV would have to
be Strange Memories, Timothy Raymond's arc. The Hess TF is my favorite TF/Trial
story.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

Shared SG storage for Invention salvage and recipes

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

The forums are a crazy place, but honestly the best place to find
out just about everything. Read the stickies before posting, figure out the
weirdness that is Search, and be prepared for silliness or people that won't
like what you have to say.

Azrhiaz

Triumph Server

What is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your
home server?

I live mainly on Triumph. I think I chose Triumph because I liked
the word the best.

Where do you live?

I currently live in Los Angeles, CA.

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

It varies! I like to get out and be active and am currently doing
quite a bit of roller blading in Santa Monica, some volleyball, and a bit of
Jeet Kune Do. I also am really into music and hit a lot of shows on the Sunset
Strip. I lean towards hard rock and heavy metal mostly.

What are your favorite movies?

Favorite of all time: The Terminator. I also loved the LOTR
trilogy, Pitch Black, and just about anything with Al Pacino in it.

What are your favorite Books and authors?

Love Tanith Lee and Sara Douglass. I love the writings of Kahlil
Gibran, especially his poetry. I sometimes get into financial books cause who
*doesn't want to know how to make more money? I thought "Retire Young, Retire
Rich" was awesome!

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I don't watch TV much. I'm in visual effects for movies and
staring at a screen for 8-12 hours a day gets to be a little much. So if I'm
gonna stare at one, I'll be on COH!! However, I have been known to tune in to
Oprah on my days off, Myth Busters, and lest we forget "Who's Line is it
Anyway?" What a riot!

Do you have any pets?

I currently have some tropical fish.

How did you get drawn to this game?

I was a fan of The Mighty Thor and the X-Men for many years, so
heroic characters were much beloved. I also loved console games and got lost in
many a Lara Croft adventure. So I remember going back to New Jersey to visit my
dad for Christmas one year and we stopped in the local Best Buy. It just kinda
leapt off the shelf at me! "Oooo, this looks like fun!" It seemed to fit me
like a glove. I'd never played a MMORPG before and it was extremely addicting!
So much so that I swore I'd never buy another! (and I haven't)

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

Initially, it was the creative process of designing a character,
getting through the levels, and learning all there was to known about the CoX
world. Now it's more about teaming with the friends I've made in this universe
and the laughs we share.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

My namesake is Azrhiaz and she's a fire/energy melee blaster. I
still love to play her!

Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I play a brute for the
pure SMASH and survivability of them, other times I just want to stand back and
blast away! I enjoy playing most of them! My favorite powersets? Well the
controllers have a lot of great ones. I especially like earth/storm! Super
Strength too on a brute!

Your least favorites?

I really don't like Khelds and defenders frustrate me. I hate
Sonic attacks. The noise is awful.

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

Hero. Less lag and a lot more to do. But villains have great
content and it's nice to play on maps I haven't done a bazillion times.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

My willingness to help others. I also always try to keep things
interesting for my SG and coalition by getting them involved in group events.

Your greatest weakness in the game?

I'm not very good at zone PvP. I just can't stand chasing people
around.

What zone is your favorite?

Probably Croatoa. I love the atmosphere there.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

I guess one of my favorite arcs was the one where you go through
the destroyed Crey lab and follow the flaming footprints to find the Behemoth
AV at the end. I tiptoed through that on the edge of my seat!

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

I would love the ability to purchase extra server slots or move
ones from other servers over to the one I prefer most! I'd also love to see
IoPs brought back.

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

My best advice is to not be in such a hurry to reach 50. That and
team with experienced players, take the time to make friends, and come visit
the boards to learn or get involved.

Stay tuned for the next PvP Event Committee announcement, coming soon!

Lacuna Furlong

Infinity Server

What
is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your home server?

I chose Infinity because I thought it was the coolest name on the
list, and a couple of my friends were already there when I first started
playing.

Where do you live?

I live in Augusta, GA, home of the Masters Tournament.

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

I play basketball and tennis, but mostly its studying, being a
full-time college student. I play a few console games every now and then,
currently working on Oblivion on the 360, and some old school games such as
Super Metroid and Chrono Trigger.

What are your favorite movies?

Just saw 1408, and immediately went to the top. My favorite is The
Boondock Saints. Other favorites include Cowboy Bebop the movie, Fight Club,
Dogma, The Departed, The Prestige, and 28 Weeks later.

What are your favorite Books and authors?

Stephen King is by far my favorite. Currently workin on the Dark
Tower Series, haven't had much time to read it, so I'm stuck on Book 4 at the
moment.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I don't watch too much TV; most of the time it's Sportscenter and
any sports.

Do you have any pets?

I have a pure bred Basset who is 10 years old this November.
Always loved dogs since I was a kid.

How did you get drawn to this game?

To be honest, this is my first MMO I've ever played. My brother
and his friends were playing it and I liked how the character creater was so
dynamic. I stopped playing around I2 I think, and came back in I4 and been
playing ever since. Funny thing is, I never stopped paying for the account, so
I currently have the 36 month badge .

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

The character creater and the numerous powersets. Although the PvE
can get repetative rather quickly, I love going through the game with a new
powerset combination. Most of my builds are the dreaded FoTM, but I do have
some unique builds, ironically they are both doms. I have a mind/fire at 50 and
currently working a 42 ice/thorn.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

My main character is Lacuna Furlong, which started out as a
fire/fire tanker during the I4 hype. But after ED, I never played it, and
wanted to reuse the name. At the time, I was into villains, so it became an
ice/cold corrupter. The same thing happened to that character, never playing it
for a while, so I reused the name again. Lacuna Furlong is now my ice/thorn
dominator on Pinnacle.

Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

My first favorite was blasters. I loved just going out on full
offense, and taking energy manipulation gave me a lot of control with my
offense. But around I6, I fell in love with dominators. I never got into
controllers; I always leaned toward being a soloist most of the time, but I
loved playing a control set. Having a lot of experience on blasters, the
dominator AT just seemed to fit me perfectly, a balance of control and damage.
And I just love domination, critical control and the ability to easily mez
bosses and some EBs is just too much fun for me.

Your least favorites?

I was never a fan of scrappers. I only made one, a spine/sr, but I
hardly play it. Also not a fan of peacebringers and warshades. I tried out a
peacebringer to lvl 35, and never really had any fun with it. Shapeshifting was
cool and all, but I mostly played in nova, which is kinda like a blasting form.
Thats when I started playing blasters, I'd rather have their full offensive
power than the pseudo-blaster nova form of Peacebringers/Warshades.

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

I love playing villain side more than heroes, somehow I find the
grind a little easier. But hero side, I'll admit, has more powerful ATs for PvP
(which I participate in regularly), and the numerous TFs starting at lvl 10 can
help level quickly. But I just love mayhem missions. I always lean toward the
evil side in games, so villain side usually fits me. Plus, the zones are more
easily connected in villains, and plenty of contacts to do missions, especially
in the 30-40 range.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

I have a pretty good knowledge on how to play every role in the
game in the PvE side. I know what to do in teams with every AT and powersets,
and I can solo pretty well with any combination. I know a lot about accolades,
badges, and powersets, so I can be very helpful to anyone that needs answers.

Your greatest weakness in the game?

Sometimes I level too fast, and I kind of leave my friends behind.
It's mostly due to my solo nature, I tend to solo more than team. Also, I can't
play support at all in PvP, so I am grateful for having my good support when I
PvP. Also, I'm always looking for a unique PvP build, and sometimes I can spend
a lot of time planning one out but never make it, or perhaps finish it.

What zone is your favorite?

I don't really have a true favorite, but I always loved the Shadow
Shards. Such a shame how it was designed to be a pain to travel in it, but I
love the atmosphere there. My favorite zone then would be the Storm Palace. The
battles going outside the Palace and the mystic Lanaruu are always a visual
pleasure.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

I don't necessarily have a favorite storyline in terms of story
arcs, but my favorite would have to be the Faathim SF. Going inside the Storm
Palace at the end was a fun experience, and the fact that your slaying a god is
just awesome.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

A couple of hazard zones in CoV would be nice. I was pleased to
see the pool for a new melee/defense set, I hope that psionic weaponry or dual
blades won. More SFs in CoV, perhaps a SF for each patron and more low level
ones is something else I would like to see added. And of course, not to be
redundant, but respecable patrons is something just about everyone wants (but
of course, Positron already said that won't happen, but we can always hope).

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

Don't play stalkers, we already have enough.

But seriously, just play whatever you find is fun. Don't be afraid
to ask people how to play your role on teams, usually most people will help you
out. Just be aware of arena chat when asking for help

Any closing comments?

I would like more people to try out PvP in this game. It's pretty
harsh, as most people just see it as an inbalanced wreck, but it can be really
fun in big team battles. The PvPEC was a nice addition to help, and the recent
arena patch is something all the PvPers have been waiting for since the arena
was released. I would love to see more influence form the devs on PvP; more
in-game rewards would be a nice addition, perhaps more zones (RV was a disaster
in my opinion), a co-op zone would be nice, another zone like Sirens with a
bounty system to get phat loot (maybe unique recipes or just influence), and
more PvP SGs on test! Not to be redundant, but a PvP server is always something
to think about.

Ladies of Frost by syrusb

(Click for full view)

Lohr

Protector Server

What
is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your home server?

My home server is Protector. When I first logged into the game, I
thought well, I am a superhero and superheros protect, so I naturally
gravitated towards that. I am so glad I did too, I absolutely adore the people
on there.

Where do you live?

I live in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, PA. Though the
city can be not so brotherly when youre a New Yorker who wears their Giants
jersey on game day. I was born and raised in New York and am a die hard sports
fan!

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

Well I spend a little too much time working so that does not
always leave me a lot of time for other things. When I can, I love to cook. I
love having people over just to cook for them. I am a very creative person, so
I spend some time drawing and writing, doing very artistic things. As of late,
I have been putting my time into the Protector Server Website. It is a lot of
fun and a way for me to give back to some of the people that I play with. I
also volunteer with my dog, Mira. I rescued her about 2 years ago, we do
volunteer work for the organization I got her from, and she makes visits to the
elderly. When I am not doing any of that stuff, I am usually at the gym or
doing something outside, camping, hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, you
name it.

What are your favorite movies?

You will probably laugh, but Top Gun and Robin Hood: Prince of
Thieves are in my top 5. Any movie that has John Cusack in it is also a
favorite. I have a massive collection of his movies; Better of Dead, One Crazy
Summer, Gross Pointe Blank, Ice Harvest, to name but a few. I am so stoked
about seeing the new movie he is in, 1408. My favorite horror movies, and I
guess by favorite I mean they scare the crap out of me are Aliens and The
Thing. Not the old version of the The Thing with the carroty looking guy, but
the John Carpenter version with Kurt Russell. Man I was scared of my pound
puppy for weeks after I saw that movie!

What are your favorite Books and authors?

Aye, I have an extremely long list. I spend a lot of time reading.
Classics would have to be Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway and T.S.Eliot. I
absolutely adore reading Shakespeare and think A Midsummers Night Dream is
one of his best. More current, I would have to say anything by Tom Robbins,
Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams or Robert Heinlein. Some
favorite books would have to be The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and
Last Chance to See both by Douglas Adams, Enders Game by Orson Scott Card,
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and Still Life with Woodpecker by
Tom Robbins. The last book two books I finished were Falling Sideways by Tom
Holt and Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I used to watch Lost all the time, but then they started getting
weird with the story lines and they took that really long break last year and
bumped it back to 10pm so I stopped watching it. Plus, it was cutting into my
CoX time! Loved Heroes! Couldnt get enough of that. Lately though I have been
watching a lot of stuff on DVD since I do not have time for TV. I have been
watching Scrubs and Voltron. I

Do you have any pets?

Answer Yes I do. I have rescued Great Dane named Mira and a
kitty named Squishy. Yes, I got her after I started playing City of Heroes.
Sadly though, she is not a blaster, she is a claws/regen scrapper. Her ankle
attack is painful! She needs to be nerfed!!!!

How did you get drawn to this game?

I had been switching between Civ 4 and Dungeon Siege 2 and was
starting to get a little bored. I cannot remember whether it was a vacation day
or holiday, but I went to EB Games to check some games out. I ended up walking
up to the counter with CoV, Ultima Online and one other game and proceeded to
ask questions. The girl said she ended up taking 3 hours to create her
character on CoV and said that the game was not all the bad either. She made
some comment about the other two that did not sound very positive, so I put
them back. I have always enjoyed comic books and wanted to be a comic book
illustrator when I was in high school, so I thought it was kind of cool. Now
mind you, I originally purchased CoV, so when I got home, I could not follow
the instructions and ended up making a hero. I was like, what the heck? I ended
up thinking well this sucks and pushed the game aside. I decided to try it
again a week later and have been hooked ever since.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

That is a tough one. I would have to say the PvP aspect of the
game. I love getting a group of people together and cutting lose in Warburg. I
love hosting events. It is a tough thing to do, but very worth the effort for
it. The adrenaline rush is also really nice. It takes me 30 minutes to calm
down before I can settle into a nice little grove. The other aspect that keeps
me coming back is the social aspect. I have met so many great people. I have
made many friends and had some very stimulating relationships with them. You
never know what kind of people you will meet in an MMO.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

My namesake character is Lohr and she is an Electrical
Armor/Energy Melee Brute. I have an absolute blast smashing things with her.
However, many people know me as Lady Cieslak (Electrical Blast/Energy
Manipulation Blaster) or Maran (Katana/Regeneration Scrapper).

Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

Powersets is tough, it would be a toss up between Brute, Blaster
and Scrapper. As far as powersets go, I love energy and electricity. Yes, I am
patiently waiting for my Electrical Controller and my Energy Melee Scrapper!

Your least favorites?

Least favorite AT would have to be a Tanker, I have tried it and
hated it! I do not think I have a least favorite powerset. Most of my
characters are geared for PvP, so I used to dislike being a Defender, but now I
am trying out the support roles, Emps and Kins are a lot of fun, but they sure
are a lot of work!

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

I prefer purple! Is that a valid answer? I love being a hero, I
love the sets they have on hero side, but I think Villain side is a lot richer
and better laid out, so as of late I have been playing over there. I am so
excited about I10 and the co-op missions. That is going to be so much fun!!!

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

Greatest strength in game would have to be either my leadership or
my ability to get groups of people together that normally would not. I have a
lot of different groups of people that I play with who do not necessarily run
in the same circles, so when I host PvP events, I can get a good mix of PvPers
and non-PvPers out to an event, or at least try to! I also founded both my VG
and SG and have been leading them for over a year. Best group of people ever.

Your greatest weakness in the game?

Oh that one is easy, my extremely poor ability to chat in game and
actually play at the same time. I am very bad at that, too many tells and too
many chat channels, sometimes I get easily distracted, hey is that a
shiney*wanders off*

What zone is your favorite?

WARBURG! Such a versatile zone. Now if we could just get hero and
villain team ups!

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

Carnies! It was so nice to finally get to beat up Vanessa Devore.
Though I have to admit, I am not sure if it was all the beatings I got from the
carnies as a blaster or having this strong desire to want to steal their
clothes after I knocked them unconscious.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

Does it have to be one? I would love to see Heroes and Villains
being able to team up in Warburg. I would love to be able to choose which map I
want when we go to the arena. I would love to see more goal oriented PvP added
(capture the flag for one). SG limits fixed! Oh and to be able to move around
my enhancements or some type of trial for enhancement respecification, with
IOs, the current system just does not work.

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

If you dont know something ask, there are some great people that
play this game who are more then willing to help. Get involved in the
community, get on the forums, go out and do! There are so many great people out
there, embrace the fact that it is an MMO and run with it!

Any closing comments?

Yes, only one, PROTECTOR SERVER FTW!

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:44 AM

Arts

Back
to front page

The 2 Weeks in Art

By Thor's Assassin

I'm back after an absence last week due to personal reasons. I
thought since i missed last week i'd throw up my top ten favorites of the past
couple of weeks. Since i know there is so much great art that comes from the
fanart section! so here we go:

First off a couple pieces by a new member of the fanart section -
The Kaiserin in a rather ragged outfit and
Seth, Egyptian God of Chaos both by Kaiserin. Great job on these man!!

Heres another great comic cover based on Fantastic Four #107 by
LadyJudgement -
KILO Classic Comic Cover

Another Kilotonnage piece but a great work of art by Grave_Enigma -
Raging Fury

Rarely do i get to post something from _darque_ but this was a nice treat to
see! Great job that lineart my friend -
Storm of the Century

Just another gorgeous piece by Graver. Not coh art but worthy of your view!
Just amazing brother -
Dragon Hunters

Wow check this freaking awesome piece by Rocinate -
Guerrilla Gorilla

Another promising render by Dursagon meant as a gift for Phoenix_Serenity -
Sinfernal

A sexy piece done for Dark-Ether by Ebony-Chan -
Tanks

Another Rowr gifty gift. This time as a present by Obsidi_Anne for her
engagement to Juteboxhero -
Sketchy Gift for Rowrsie

Finally Sayterra has a new masterpiece in the works of White Peregrine, this is
where shes at on it so far -
White Peregrine WIP

Theres my top 10. Looks like i missed some great stuff guys! You never cease to
amaze me with your talent! Keep em comin and i'll keep em linked

Finally heres the last two segments of Bayani's submissions into Collecting
Character Art. First how to handle Networking and the final submission to wrap
it up Preservation of your commissioned pieces. Bayani thank you so much for
submitting these. I look forward to your future submissions and I'm sure the
community can benefit greatly from this information.

CCA

Written by
Bayani

Networking

Welcome to another installment of CCA. Last week, I offered some
advice on art hunting at conventions. Good communication at conventions is
important because it establishes opportunities for networking, which are far
more valuable than anything else you can get a convention. Its difficult to
obtain
cover-quality commissions at a convention because they involve more
detailed linework as well as inks and digital coloring. Your best bet for
detailed work is commissioning outside of a convention. This presents a
challenge as well because commissions are considered side jobs for professional
artists and more famous an artist is, the less time they have for requests from
unscreened sources. This is where networking comes in handy. Artists are more
likely to make exceptions if the request is linked to someone they know
personally. Networking provides this link, and can lead to getting in touch
with some really great talents in the comic book industry. Best of all,
networking is very simple to do.

Networking starts with good contact information. If you sense that
an artist is comfortable with you at the convention, ask for a business card.
Mention that you have some friends who would pay top dollar for a commission.
You could also say that you know some businesses that are looking for some
graphic design work. The job market can be unpredictable for freelance artists
so the wiser ones will, in the very least, not outright reject opportunities
for work. The worst the artist can do is say no or that they are too busy. If
an artist says their workload is too much, ask if you could stay in touch and
say you dont mind waiting for a lull in their activity.

If an artist asks to take your commission home, he or she just saved you a
step. Maintain communication through email. Save the phone numbers only for
instances where your art is unreasonably late (ie. three to four weeks after
the estimated ETA without any communication). E-Mail once a week or once every
other week should suffice but be sure to include some small talk in your
correspondence. Ask about the artists influences, favorite comic book titles,
and the artists theyve collaborated with. You could even ask the artist to
critique a friends portfolio. Lead into asking the artist about others who
will take commissions. This tactic works exceptionally well if you only had
pencils done, since you can ask them to refer you to an inker. Inking is
time-consuming and difficult, so professional inkers are in very high demand in
an industry riddled with strict deadlines. Almost every comic book artist I
know has a go-to inker and that inker will know plenty of people to refer you
to. Keep pursuing those leads and you will surprise yourself with just how far
your connections will reach.

Networking takes a little practice and sometimes will lead to dead
ends. Minimize dead ends by establishing yourself as a prompt payer and a low
maintenance customer. Treat and deal with each contact professionally. The
artist who referred you is vouching for you so his or her reputation is on the
line. One mistake can cause rifts in your networking relationships and make it
more difficult to obtain future commissions.

Preservation

So far I discussed three keys to gathering commissions:
screenshots, conventions, and networking. In the final installment of the CCA
series, I'm going to cover maintaining your art. You invested alot of time and
money into your collection and it should be a point of pride. The last thing
you would want is to lose any pieces, especially since they are unique and
practically irreplaceable.

I own most of the physical originals in my collection and I highly
encourage collectors to make the same effort. While it may be more expensive,
physical art has more life to it than digital pieces and having an agreement
for the physical original will protect payments made through PayPal. If you
pre-pay for art and get screwed over by the artist, you can still use Paypals
Buyer Complaint Process and try to recoup some losses. Paypal does not does not
protect exchanges for digital art, however. When commissioning art, you also
need to decide between pencils and inks. Unlike most inks, pencils smudge and
will fade over time unless you take extra measures. Inked work is also easier
to have colored than pencils are. On the other hand, if you commission an
artist renowned for a unique style of linework (ie.
Gene Colan), request tight pencils.
Tight Pencils have more texture and depth to the lines and are much
neater than regular pencils. Regular pencils are less time consuming but rely
on the inker to provide finer detail and shading.

Art storage and preservation varies according to the mediums.
There are three different methods I use: art portfolios, mylar sleeves, and
framing. The cheapest option is the
portfolio presentation book. These books are portable and great for
convention art, since convention art tends to be on the smaller side(8x11 to
11x14 sized paper). I keep two portfolios, one with my originals and another
containing screenshots and prints made from the originals. I take the latter
with me to conventions as artists like to see previous interpretations of my
character, and the competitive ones like to "one up" the rest. For art in sizes
greater than 11x14 however (such as full comic book pages), I recommend mylar
sleeves with an acid free backboard. You can purchase them from
Blueline Art. This option is great for shipping penciled work to inkers
and colorists. The best (and most expensive) option is a
custom frame. There are plenty of stores where you can get a custom
frame fitted to your piece. Usually, the sales associates are well-trained in
their job and will help you pick out colored mats and frames to match your art
and make it really eye-catching. If a custom frame is out of your price range,
pick up a commercial frame from retail shelves and have them fit mats for it. I
highly recommend framing penciled work, since the modern glass used in the
frame filters out ultraviolet light, preventing the original from fading.

That wraps up "Collecting Character Art" series, so thank you for
reading these articles. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by
the Forums or through my
DeviantArt Page. Remember to be prepared, be professional, and above
all else, stay out of my convention lines.

Featured Artist

syrusb

Interview by Thor's
Assassin

Liz Chesterman (aka syrusb) is the special featured artist this
week and I took some time to sit down with her to ask some questions. You can
find more information about Liz @
http://imaginatorcentral.com/ . Heres how it went:

Heya liz thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! Could
ya start by telling us why and how you became an artist?

Despite most of my family's feelings, I was always interested in
being an artist. Though, it took me until high school to take any formal art
classes, because I was quite against the idea of being told what to draw, how
to draw it, what to draw it with, and to have it done by specific deadline.

Funny how things change.

But since I always loved art, animation and comics, and felt
passionate about creating my own works, I had the desire to learn more, to try
out different styles and mediums, and do what I could to improve myself. So the
how was all about perserverance, practice and exploration.

Once I was nearing college graduation my family had 'turned
around' in their feelings toward me being an artist (since I had aquired real
skill), so they're cool about it now.

Could you tell us about your recent paintings? What were the
challenges and what tools you used for them?

Most of my works lately have revolved around super
heroes/villains.. go figure, right?
Since everyone likes deviantArt, I'll include links to images there.

One of the most complicated recent pieces was the 'Ladies of Thor'
fiasco. And I mention this because of all the black I had to render out. Black
is a real... pain in the hiney to render out well so you get texture, form and
depth without it all just bleeding together. I rendered the whole thing in
Painter, then took it to Photoshop to adjust a handful of things (to better
separate the blacks) and add special effects.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/58057498/

I've been working on a series of chibis for my supergroup on
Victory, the Rage of Aquarius. All the toons are fish/aquatic based so doing
their portraits has been a blast, because I get to tweak their designs on
canvas so they more resemble the creature their toon is based on. One of my
favourites is of Ghost Shrimp, who I had to design a real shrimp-like head for
(he wears a helmet in game), including feelers and mandibles. Finding good
references for that one was a challenge in itself, but rendering his colors in
Photoshop was easy.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/59104555/

And recently I've painted a few of a friend's sketches, including
one of our trio on Protector server. Originally I was going to render them out
fully, but the background turned out extremely bright and saturated, so instead
I ended up painting them in greyed hues of their archetype's colors to balance
out the piece. It's a bit more difficult (for me) to paint in monotone, because
figures can turn out looking like plastic. Painted in Painter, with special
effects for the Singularity done in Photoshop.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/54328750/[/I]

Whats your perferred medium and why?

As far as the ever-popular digital medium goes, I prefer to work
in Painter X because of its vast range of 'real media' tools and the ability to
manipulate them. Erase oil paint? You got it! Pastels combining seamlessly with
the liquid tools? Can do. Plus it blends colors together like paint would, more
or less. I don't have to manually adjust the color selections or use the smudge
tool to blend things like Photoshop.

As far as real media goes, I adore my Copic Sketch markers, which
are alcohol-based ink with brush nibs. They act like paint brushes, but with
less mess. The tapered nib gives me massive amounts of freedom and control over
how thick or thin my color application is. So I can cover broad areas of paper
or do fine detail work with the same tool.

What artists have influenced you, and how?[/i]

I think when it comes down to influence, the sources are
different, but many of the reasons behind them blend together. I could sit here
all night listing out artists well known and not, and my reasons for admiring
them, their style or their techniques, so instead I'll focus on an artist I
respect not so much for his art, but for his attitude, the classic Manet.

When other artists were painting "nymphs of inspiration," he was
calling them out for it. "They're naked women and you know it." Manet would
have nothing of the thinly veiled excuse to make 'erotic' paintings 'acceptable
in the open' (like a dirty little secret everyone knows but no one speaks
aloud), and instead referenced classic pieces in his works, represented and
satired in his own style in a way that was in your face calling out the bluffs
of the other artists and patrons.

"His pants are made of paint," said one critic of Manet's work of
a gentleman sitting in a chair. (As opposed to the paints looking more like
fabric and less like paint on canvas.)

Manet basically replied, "Why yes, the whole image is made of
paint, including the pants." I admire the idea of Manet trying to keep the art
community somewhat grounded.

You can read more about Manet here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manet

EoJ: Happy Holloween by syrusb

(Click for full view)

What other interests do you have (besides painting)?

I enjoy travelling, tho' I haven't done so much it this year. I
tend to spend a few weeks in another state every year, but I have also been to
Canada and Japan.

What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when
things get tough in the studio?

I enjoy trying out new tools and new effects, as well as finding
ways of working more effeciently or more quickly. I doubt I'll ever discover or
utilize all the assorted tools and options that Painter or Photoshop offer me.
Mostly I enjoy color and seeing what will happen with I combine this hue with
that hue, or how color can affect the mood or depth of a piece.

If I get really bored or frustrated with a piece, I take a break
from it and work on something else. Usually I find challenge and interest in
every piece I do, but sometimes I just need to step away and try something
else. . Even when I'm under deadlines it can give me a real boost to step back
and rest that artsy area of my mind.

And sometimes the bathroom just needs to be scrubbed.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

I think one of the most important things to working with people is
communication, so I try to keep in touch with those I work for. I keep a status
page with the queue updated regularly, so if someone wanted to get a quick
update on what was going on with their piece they could flip to that page and
know without delay. I try to reassure my clients that if they have a problem or
concern with their piece they shouldn't hesitate to say something or make a
suggestion. On the other hand, it's also important to be firm with clients,
because every once in a while I'll get a micro-manager that wants to control
every aspect and detail of a piece, leaving me in a vice-grip of little
freedom. Or I'll get one that just doesn't know what they want, and will ask
for change after change after change, in essence wasting time. It's... quite a
balancing act. But it's a good idea to remain positive, because most people are
fairly good-natured and not consciously trying to be a thorn in the side.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years artistically?

Hopefully as a well-established illustrator. I always wanted to do
book covers.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

You can't count on others to support you, or things to fall into
your lap. To learn what you want to know you will have to take the initiative
to seek out information, to sign up for classes or lectures, and to visit
conventions or portfolio reviews to get advice from those in the business. It's
also a good idea to try out a wide variety of styles and mediums to discover
what you're most interested in, and to give you a bit of broadened knowledge in
the art market.

And it's fine if you discover you have no interest in one genre or
style, and you're fantastic in one medium and terrible in another. Shoot, I
love working with clay but I am absolutely terrible at it. It's not a strength,
but its lots of fun.

Pick out 4 of your favorite pieces that you have worked on and tell
us a little bit about the process, what came up for you in doing them and how
the end result left you satisfied.

Ooh just four, eh?

No
Truer Words

This one was done in Painter 6 with the Oil Pastel tool. I was trying to create
a soft, romantic mood, so it was imporant to paint out the background first, so
the images color scheme would remain consistent. Actually, it's a good idea to
establish backgrounds first whenever possible, so colors and light sources
remain consistent, and so you don't end up 'cheating' out of them once you're
finished with the main source of attention (usually a figure).

Weather'd
Watcher

For this piece I used a small gargoyle statue as a basic reference for the
figure's position and deviated from there. I rendered out most of this piece
with one of the Chalk Pastel tools in Painter 6, and am still quite proud of
the rocky, weathered texture on the architecture. I remember having to mess
with the canvas and the brush texture settings as I worked so I could get a
believable amount of wear on the stone without it becoming uniform.

What Goes Around

I wanted to give the feel of an 'old timey' photograph for this one. I had a
blast taking my friend's characters and playing with their designs, switching
their roles, then rendering them out using a very limited selection of assorted
grey markers. This was before I aquired a full set of Copics, so I was still
working with ginormous nibs, even for detail work.

Captain
Crash Jupiter

And something really recent; I had nothing but fun with Crash. Rendering out
hair has become much easier since I made my own set of brushes in Photoshop for
hair textures. The moons were wonderfully easy to render and came out looking
great... I created a large texture map in greys using assorted brushes then
used the handy Spherize filter, then added a bit of color with the adjustment
tools. I normally add a bit of blue into shaded skin tones, but didn't feel
that was particularly necessary here.

Anything else you'd like to add Liz?

Artists can be just as jealous of the talents of others as a
non-artist can be jealous of a painter's skill. Actually I'm quite jealous of
those with culinary knowledge and craft. But anyone with talent has had to work
for it in some way or another, and should be proud of their aptitude no matter
their profession.

Thanks so much for that insight into your art Liz! You know i'll
be right there when your next piece comes out! Keep up the great work!

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:44 AM

The
Arena

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Official Duelist Ladder!

By
Excentric

For all you duelists out there, do you think youre tough! Think
youre one of the best? Bring it to the big leagues and find out where you rank
within the CoH Duelist Ladder! This ladder puts every one signed up in it on a
rating compared to everyone else in the league. This ladder was created by
Terpman of Hellraisers.

To join this Ladder, go to the
official guild portal website.

From there go to Join The Ladder!, and then to the Join the
Ladder Here thread. As soon as you sign up you may start doing ranked matches
with other members, however until you do your first ranked match, you will be
put down as unranked. When you win your first match, you will move up half of
the distance between you and the person you defeated.

For example lets say you just became ranked, so you were placed at
the bottom of the ladder at #100. If you beat the #1 person, you would become
#50. Your rank on the Ladder does not go down if you lose a match unless your
opponent is ranked directly below you, such as #5 and #6. When other players
beat people above you and jump over you in rank you will slide down. Those
people in the Top 10 have special rules associated with them which can be found
on the Official Duelist Ladder GuildPortal website.

You can only play the same person 2 times each day. You can play
as many different people as you'd like on any given day. The recommend that you
make sure potential opponents belong to the Ladder before starting your match.
This way if you have a problem you will have all of the information you need to
resolve it quickly. It is suggested that if you have multiple people
challenging you at once you should play the person with the highest rank. The
priority rule for accepting challenges only applies when you have multiple
challenges at the same time. If you are challenged by someone you should not go
to chat and actively seek someone higher in rank to challenge you, rather you
need to accept the first challenger. It is illegal to refuse matches based on
Ladder rank. You may request a specific rank or range when advertising for a
challenge, but you may not refuse a valid challenge simply because the
challenger is not the rank you are wanting to play.

There are no illegal settings for a map, unless both members of
the duel agree upon it. The standard match is 10 minutes long, with no extra
settings. Once you start a match, you must complete it. If you must leave the
match it will count as a loss and you should report it as soon as possible. In
the case of a disconnect, if there was a clear winner at the time then that
person should be declared the winner. If not the match should be restarted.
When the match is over, the loser is the one who should report the loss, on the
official GuildPortal forums, in the Report Losses forums.

For more information, go to their
GuildPortal website, or contact
Terpman.

To our loyal readers,

Hello. Marcian Tobay, Co-Editor in Chief of the City Scoop, here!
Starting this week, Hertz, my Co-Editor, and I will be posting a Letter From
the Editor. Whats going to be in this letter, you may ask? Well, to be honest,
whatever comes to mind. This will be our section for addressing the fans of
City Scoop regarding the topics that are important to us and, we hope, to you.
Our ambition is that by doing this, we will give you a clearer understanding of
what the City Scoop is, what goes into it, and where it is going.

Now, theres been a lot of discussion regarding our Interviews.
Mainly, these are conducted in Teldons section, Behind the Mask. From the
beginning, this section had pressure on it from two directions. The first was
popularity: it got the best reader response, by far, over all other sections..
The second was that the section is very dear to our team, because it is the
embodiment of our overall goal: Get the fans of City of Heroes and Villains
involved with the community.

We love this project. For the most part, so does our fan base. All
has not been peaches and cream, however, and there has been a lot of concern
over this specific section as of late. So, we decided to clear up some
negativity thats been swarming around it. This piece is not meant to cover the
celebrities of City of Heroes or Villains. Nor is it meant to cover the
veterans, or the newcomers, or any other type of player. This piece is meant to
highlight the wide variety of people that we have in our game. We have older
fans. We have younger fans. We have married couples. We have the less than
beloved. We have those that receive fabulous fan fare every time they join the
heroic (or villainous) cause. More than almost any game Ive ever seen, City of
Heroes and Villains has a widely multi-faceted demographic.

We are entering an age in the game industry in which such games
arent for The Gamer Type anymore, and thats part of the point Behind the
Mask was intended to make. Its a celebration of the vast variety this game
welcomes. Will we always run the famous people? No, but we certainly wont
ignore them. Will you have heard of every person we interview? I certainly hope
not! If you knew it all, already, then what would be the point of running the
story? We do promise, though, that every once in a while you will be surprised
at what you see there (I personally have a soft spot for
the married couple that was shown on June 1st).

So, thats the concept. We hope that you see the humanity and
diversity of our wide community when you look Behind the Mask (had to get that
in there). Its a fantastic article, and we all hold it dear to our hearts.

In closing, a letter like this one is going to appear weekly now,
written by either Hertz or myself. If you have questions about the City Scoop
that you want answered, feel free to send us a PM, and well do our best to
help you. Give us feedback! Good, bad, and attractively challenged, we want to
know. This is for you, the fans, and we hope to keep getting better.

Sincerely,

Marcian Tobay,
Co-Editor in Chief of the City Scoop

Classifieds

THE CITY SCOOP seeks staff writers to contribute articles, columns, or HTML
layout on a biweekly schedule. We want helpful, positive and motivated people!
Send a PM to Marcian_Tobay
or Hertz.

Smiling Lemur's Kora Fruit Smoothie Stand is open for the Summer!
Fresh Kora Fruit shipped in daily. Come down and relax with some cool
refreshment that's out of this world! Located on Spanky's Boardwalk, Talos
Island.

B4RB3R5HOP. Why g0 to H4ir Cu7s? Tra1ned b4rbzz0rz 24/7. We dy3
hair 2! Colorz av41L n3on gr33n + m4gent4. Call SSS-ITZO.

PL MEH. Level 1 hero looking for PL to 50 and mad XPs. Inquire at
Portal Corp courtyard, ask for Fy-ir-Goddd. Will pay as much as 50 Influence.

What's small friendly and gets the job done? Classifieds in The
City Scoop. Sell, find, trade, or buy anything from salvage to Supergroups.
Send a PM to
LadyK today.

MISSING. Mission door, about 8 feet by 4 feet, wooden, with frame.
Last seen in area of Perez Park.

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 11:44 AM

Puzzles
and Games

Black and White Version

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Answers to last week's crossword:

Across	Down
02 Penelope Yin 06 Thorn Tree Vine 08 Detective Croquette 10 Precipice 11 Arachnos Flier 13 Globetrotter 14 Rikti Plasma Turret 15 Red Terror 17 Jurassik 19 Ghost Slaying Axe	01 Tundra 03 Shivan Decimator 04 Widdershins 05 Rock 07 Venice 09 Quantum Array Gun 12 Opportunity 16 Jaeger 18 Caleb

Ex_Libris · 07-06-2007 12:09 PM

This is the eighth weekly edition of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers. Just looking back at the first publication here! I have to say "you've come a long way baby!"

Thank you for helping to make City of Heroes/City of Villains one of the best player communities out there.

Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" is located here.

If you would like to do a feature article, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Hertz or Marcian_Tobay

If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind The Mask please contact Teldon

For a printable version of "The City Scoop" please send an email to the following
CityScoop8@the-swarm.org

Ex

The City Scoop! July 6,2007

The City Scoop

The Steel 70 Take Flight

This Issue:

The City Scoop Staff

Upcoming Events:

Leather Weather Report

Market Report

Predicting the Wartime Economy

CRUELTY OF THE WEEK!

Advice

Point / Counterpoint

Sampling Paragon's Culinary Delights... for justice!

Horoscopes

Heroscopes

Villainscopes

Villainscopes

Heroscopes

Advice From the X

Pepsiman

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Dear Athy,

IMHO part 2

Behind the Mask

ValkyrieRising

Freedom Server

Azrhiaz

Triumph Server

Lacuna Furlong

Infinity Server

Lohr

Protector Server

Arts

The 2 Weeks in Art

CCA

Networking

Preservation

Featured Artist

syrusb

The Arena

Official Duelist Ladder!

To our loyal readers,

Classifieds

Puzzles and Games

Dear
Athy,

The
Arena

Puzzles
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