Such a Restrospective


Black Pebble

 

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What?


There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.

 

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Its a retrospective that wants to take its time and just enjoy being read.


American Dawg, Starblaze, Neanderthal Joe, Shining Dawn, Tokamak Dragon, Stinger Incarnate, Burning Tyger, Dover Tornado, Big Roach, Dark Paladin, Archmage Wylde, Kings Row Hornet, Prancing Deer
Avogadro, Science Lord
Edgar Nightcraft, Doc Cicada, Chupa Macabre, Dr Forchtenstein, Blood Shrew

 

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Clearly, it's looking back on Statesman's life by all the guys who aren't Statesman!


 

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It's obvious that the grief was so overwhelming, even the spellchecker was affected.


-Hosun "Black Pebble" Lee
Help me beat Dr. Aeon! Follow me on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/hosunl

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Pebble View Post
It's obvious that the grief was so overwhelming, even the spellchecker was affected.
The extra S is for sobbing.

First after President SK red text.


There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.

 

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It's times like this when we need a video of things like this.


 

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I am so reapplying now for an Editor job, and including that as proof they need me.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite


Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)

 

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C'mon guys! Obviously they meant it was a retrospective upon Statesman resting in peace. It was an intentional portmanteau. Obviously.


AE Arcs: #10482 N00b Rescue Duty, #164100 The Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Dannan

 

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We are all certainly being flip and irreverent about a eulogy, but a number of thoughts also struck me (and pretty hard, too! ) as I read it, so here is some color commentary on the eulogy, done with a wink and overall affection for Positron and CoH.


Some ***SPOILERS*** ahead for some things, so proceed accordingly.





"He was a beacon of strength, moral fiber, and inner will, a bastion of strength that protected Paragon City."

Of course, around Issue 4, he had to change that to being a CITADEL of strength, but we blame that on Marvel's lawyers.

"He led the Alpha Team of heroes, fighting off the Rikti from our side of the Rikti dimensional portals while Hero 1 led the Omega Team and sealed off the portals from the Rikti side. Thousands of heroes died in that battle, but Statesman's team, due to his bravery and unfailing mental and physical strength, came through relatively unscathed."

Yo, Positron, for someone so scientific, you sure are lousy at math. This is from the CoH official history:

"They then split into two teams, one led by Statesman, named Alpha Team, and one led by Hero 1, named Omega Team. Alpha Team was much larger, consisting of over 1000 heroes from across the globe. They launched a full frontal assault on the Rikti main troop concentrations, drawing as many alien troops into the fray as possible. This was a dangerous ploy, and it proved costly. In the ensuing titanic battle, 800 of 1000 heroes died, along with some 50,000 Rikti soldiers."

800 heroes is not "thousands," but 80% fatalities on the Alpha Team sure doesn't sound like "relatively unscathed," either. You sound like another armored guy, the Black Knight, talking about his "mere flesh wound."

"Maria enlisted a young, trustworthy, but experienced hero who looked up to Statesman. That hero uncovered a plot by Tyrant, a Statesman from an alternate Earth, to kidnap and steal our Statesman's power to augment his. It was only due to the valiant efforts of the hero Maria recruited that was Statesman was able to be with us in the years that followed"

Yeah, yeah, good ol' "What's His Name" saved Statesman, we are so grateful to "What's His Name," we will never forget the courage of "What's His Name," yadda yadda yadda. You are making me bloody well blush here. This is what I get for using Ascendant's agent, Uncle Saul.

"We may never know exactly how Statesman died."

Gee, thanks for blowing my report completely off, Positron. I was only there and saw the whole thing. How clearly do I have to I have to spell it out? Okay, here it is in "CLUE" terms: It was Darrin Wade, in the Cut Scene, with the Obvious Trap.

Positron, I keep telling you, bro, get Samuraiko to do this stuff for you!


"How do you know you are on the side of good?" a Paragon citizen asked him. "How can we even know what is 'good'?"

"The Most High has spoken, even with His own blood," Melancton replied. "Surely we know."

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Melancton View Post
Gee, thanks for blowing my report completely off, Positron. I was only there and saw the whole thing. How clearly do I have to I have to spell it out? Okay, here it is in "CLUE" terms: It was Darrin Wade, in the Cut Scene, with the Obvious Trap.
I like that the Melancton eulogy ends with Positron inciting mass panic at the prospect of Rularuu eating this dimension.


There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by DumpleBerry View Post
I like that the Melancton eulogy ends with Positron inciting mass panic at the prospect of Rularuu eating this dimension.
Sure! Hordes of panicked civilians running everywhere are a staple of many missions, right?


"How do you know you are on the side of good?" a Paragon citizen asked him. "How can we even know what is 'good'?"

"The Most High has spoken, even with His own blood," Melancton replied. "Surely we know."

 

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"Yes, Statesman is dead, as one day we all must die.

I mean sooner rather than later. Probably tomorrow. Not sure yet. Thanks for coming, everybody; snacks amd punch in the foyer!"


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Melancton View Post
This is what I get for using Ascendant's agent, Uncle Saul.
Better call Saul!


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Melancton View Post
Positron, I keep telling you, bro, get Samuraiko to do this stuff for you!
Since I actually started tinkering with the idea of Positron giving Statesman's eulogy for later in the TCOSR series...

Quote:
"Today we gather to pay tribute to a man who shaped countless lives. Today, we honor Statesman, one of the greatest heroes in our continuing struggle for justice, freedom, and peace.

He leaves behind him an undeniable legacy - the Freedom Phalanx, and the countless heroes who hold reserve membership in our ranks. His late daughter, Alexis Cole-Duncan, whom we so recently lost, co-founded the Freedom Corps. His granddaughter, Megan Jessica Duncan, Atlas Park's esteemed Ms. Liberty and the leader of Longbow, is no less devoted to carrying the standard of freedom against those who would darken the world.

His deeds as a hero are well-known and well-documented, so instead, I want to tell you about the man.

I have personally known Marcus Cole since 1986, when I was a rookie in the hero business. I had a spiffy suit of armor, a headful of statistics, a heart in the right place... and not the first real clue of what it meant to be a hero.

So I went in search of someone who did... I went looking for Statesman.

I found Marcus Cole.

There he was, sitting in a hospital cafeteria, eating Jello. Tired, depressed, in need of a shave. Looking for all the world like many of us have looked as we've sat and waited for word from a doctor about a loved one - part hope, part despair, and part quiet determination, no matter what that word might be. He was there at that hospital keeping watch over his wife, Monica - the heroine we all knew and loved as Maiden Justice.

I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him - to have fought some of the most terrible supervillains in history, to have survived attack after attack... only to be helpless against the struggle going on inside his wife's body for her very survival. He could have hidden from that truth, going out to fight crime. And yet... he fought the hardest struggle of all - to give Monica the support and love and strength to face her end with dignity, and the knowledge that she would be cherished and missed.

From him, I learned that being a hero isn't always about the great battles against insurmountable odds. The most noble acts of heroism can be found in our everyday lives, both superhero and civilian.

The courage to change one's ways from the wrong path to the right one... the strength of will to see the right thing done, regardless of personal cost... the willingness to help others, and to allow them to help us in turn... these acts better us as human beings.

These acts make us heroes.

Just like Marcus.

Rest in peace, my friend."
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite


Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
Since I actually started tinkering with the idea of Positron giving Statesman's eulogy for later in the TCOSR series...



Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Someone's cutting onions.


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by minimalist_NA View Post
"Yes, Statesman is dead, as one day we all must die.

I mean sooner rather than later. Probably tomorrow. Not sure yet. Thanks for coming, everybody; snacks amd punch in the foyer!"
"..Oh God... please don't let me die today! Tomorrow would be so much better!"
-Spathi Morning Prayer
Star Control 2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
Since I actually started tinkering with the idea of Positron giving Statesman's eulogy for later in the TCOSR series...



Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
*hangs head and weeps quietly*


I sit in my zen of not being able to do anything right while simultaniously not being able to do anything wrong. Om. -CuppaJo
It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by DumpleBerry View Post
Thanks for reminding me I never receive those emails!


Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991

 

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I don't get these emails... what gives?! I should be signed up for them.


COMING SOON: A new Epic that will change the way you see Arachnos...
Brought to you by @Equation

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Equation View Post
I don't get these emails... what gives?! I should be signed up for them.

No idea; I've been "signed up" for them for a long time (3+ years at least). Never get those promotional emails.

Yes, I've un-checked, applied, re-checked the box and applied the change to the master ncsoft account...still nothing.


Grrr

And yes I get bug/petition emails and survey emails but nothing else...


Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Energizing_Ion View Post
No idea; I've been "signed up" for them for a long time (3+ years at least). Never get those promotional emails.

Yes, I've un-checked, applied, re-checked the box and applied the change to the master ncsoft account...still nothing.


Grrr

And yes I get bug/petition emails and survey emails but nothing else...
I'm in the same boat. The funny thing is, I used to get the emails, but they stopped, without my having changed anything. I verified that they are not getting flagged as spam. And, just like you, I get the bug, petition, and survey emails with no problems...


I find your lack of signature disturbing.

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
Since I actually started tinkering with the idea of Positron giving Statesman's eulogy for later in the TCOSR series...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoltenSlowa View Post
Someone's cutting onions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KianaZero View Post
*hangs head and weeps quietly*
I just have people crying their eyes out lately. First the vid, now this. Not sure if I like this trend or not...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite


Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)

 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
I just have people crying their eyes out lately. First the vid, now this. Not sure if I like this trend or not...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Take it as a mark of respect towards good writing and an understanding of the characters, Michelle.

The irony of having been through the experience of having lost a loved one in real life (my mother in this case) makes me feel the genuine emotions in that passage you wrote. That is no small thing to take forgranted.

I hope we get to see that video at some point, and I would just say now I would like to be a background character mourning. Because as far as I'm concerned, we owe him that much.

I like to think of that lovely bit from Gladiator when Derek Jacobi's character looks around the gathered people looking at the fallen Marcus (ah, the irony) and asks: 'Who will help me carry the body?' ...and everyone steps forward.

To paraphrase the next line: He was a hero of Paragon City. Honor him.



S.


Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse