In an attempt to motivate myself to write more, I'm dusting off an old story that won't be finished until it's epic-length. I'll post it in chunks. Feedback, especially concrit, would be appreciated. Feel free to throw out speculation. I may even respond to some of it. It's not fanfic per se, but it does make side-references.
EDIT: sorry about that, folks. I ran afoul of some bizarre nonprinting termination characters.
First block as follows:
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It had been a long bloody day at the office. I work security for transdimensional customs in this little metaplane I call home, and while we don't have as many folks coming through as, say, Deva, we are something of a nexus for a number of the anime worlds. On the good side, that means that we have enough traffic to give a serious boost to our economy, technospiritual development and reality factor without our culture being utterly consumed by outside influences. On the bad side, it's anime. The vast majority of anime planar travelers are either prone to violence or downright evil. That's where I come in. Customs separates the good from the bad, gets people adjusted to working on our terms, and tries to make sure that we don't get overwhelmed by any one thing all at one go. I'm one of the folks providing the much needed muscle for those efforts.
In any case, enough digression. As I said, it had been a long bloody day at the office. We had to repel not one but two attacks by tentacle monsters from two entirely different dimensions, and the second one spawned a bunch of parasitic larvae that took over an hour to clean up even after we finished banishing it. I had to break up a fight between a little pig-tailed girl and some feral guy with burning purple hands, and go straight from that to reasoning gently with a squad of moronic katana bishonen who had challenged one of the inspectors to a duel of honor. Finally, just to cap the day off, some blasted backwater's idea of a supervillain managed to sleaze the mystic wards long enough to teleport into the city at large. That last one involved some serious paperwork for the boss, and he expressed exactly how he felt about it at the after-action review. I hate it when we let the boss down - it's not like his job doesn't suck enough by itself. A long bloody day.
So yeah, I get out to my car at about 7. It's a nice set of wheels - dark blue Saturn. It's not too expensive, it looks nice, it handles great, and gets good mileage. A few years old, but still hanging in there. Does what I tell it to, without fuss. Nice car. I pat it in a friendly fashion and murmur a few appreciative words to the inhabiting spirit, settle into the driver's seat, and head off down the road. The radio is playing Leonard Cohen, the traffic is moving at a fair clip, and for a brief, shining moment I start to unwind.
Then everything comes to a screeching halt, I nearly crash into the car in front of me, and I wind right back up again. Curses enough to curdle the blood of the unborn roll through my mind. I spin the dial over to news, and my day gets that much worse. The nice lady on the radio is talking about some freak that looks like a supervillain. He's running rampant through a few of the major interchanges, tossing bolts of chaos lightning. He's done a ton of property damage, shot the commute all to hell, and given a few elected officials headaches with his telepathic demands. Literally. Apparently he isn't good friends with the concept of fine control in his psionic powers. The best part about it is that apparently he's the guy who sleazed through Customs just a few hours ago. Wonderful! What a glorious cap to a glorious day. I hate being the thin black line some times. He doesn't seem to have killed anyone yet, but still.... I hate being the thin black line and failing.
So one of the superforce strike teams gets called in, and they manage to send the guy running and then give the highways makeshift repairs. They tried to run him down, but apparently his stealth powers are pretty good and he gave them the slip. With that mostly dealt with, the traffic mostly clears up, and It only takes me about two hours more than normal to get home. By the time I pull into the driveway, I'm done with the ugly little cycle of frustration, depression and self recrimination this sort of thing always sends me into, and now I'm just tired. I perform the parting ritual with my car - not well, but I'm sure she understands, and make my way up to my house. My hearth spirit greets me, and I ask for her report.
"Well, Domitor, there are the traditional monthly bills come in. Nothing out of the ordinary, and everything seems to be accurate. I can deal with those myself, if you would will it"
I nod and gesture assent-with-thanks
"You have a number of neighbors who have contacted you with respect to some disturbance at the highway interchanges earlier today." She notes my reaction. "I can appear to have lost those, if you would will it."
I wince, and gesture assent-with-thanks. It's nice to have an assistant who's willing to look incompetent from time to time. I already feel bad enough about the whole thing. I don't need anyone else jumping on my back about it.
"Finally as per your standing orders, I have given sanctuary to a young lady, who is now asleep on the couch."
Huh. Well, that's unusual. I give her formal dismissal, bow, remove my shoes, and enter. I figure that anyone sleeping on the couch isn't all that time critical, so I take a while to change out of the traditional plain black suit and thin black tie into a somewhat more comfortable worn blue jeans and flannel. I don't do well with normal social interaction while in uniform. It always makes me feel like I should be intimidating someone.
Once I've taken care of that, splashed some water on my face, and in general made myself feel a little less official and a little more human, I head down to deal with the new waif on the couch. I detour through the kitchen and snag some cheese and crackers, then into the living room...
...where I do my best pole-axed steer impression for a few moments before finding my way to a chair and remembering to breathe again.
She's not just any young lady, she's a mahou shouju. She's one of those cute little girls with mystic powers, who wear magical sailor suits with thematically appropriate accessories and fight against evil and wrong. She's maybe all of seventeen, and right now she's sleeping on my couch.
I just sit there and watch her for a while. Her chest rises and falls gently with each breath. Her face is angelic in slumber, and for a short while she seems to have found peace. That can't be common in her line of work.
"Hearth spirit."
"Yes, Domitor?"
"If anyone troubles her, destroy them utterly. Contact me regardless of success."
"Yes, Domitor."
"Dismissed."
I get up, carrying the miraculously unspilled cheese and crackers, and go back into the kitchen. No need to wake her. It's been a long and tiring day, after all. I'll just eat my snack and make an early night of it.

Came up with this one while giving this year's AC-Cubed Fanfiction panel. I may use her somewhere, but if anyone wants to grab her first, feel free...
Her family name is Suu. She's a top achiever in school; she's consistently in the top 5% on test scores and in athletics. She's kind, pretty, and witty. She's got a secret, but it's one that complements the secrets of the protagonists rather than putting her in conflict with them. Her given name is Mariko, but her friends - and everyone wants to be her friend - call her "Mari".
Now, the challenge is to (a) keep the readers from realizing for as long as possible that you've literally added a Mari Suu character to your story, and (b) get rid of her without it looking like an obvious set-up...

-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

The legendary is Full Up again. As per an earlier message, I kicked Frankie Fallout so we have 1 space. And I have removed Fae Wree Tail. She now runs Cross Roads - The Legendary - Beta Team. It's avaialble for Alts.
Should we be changing the 120 days to something shorter? Should we be restricting the number of toons a person has in The Legendary? Is there an easy way to solve this? I realize there is talk of the 75 aqccounts in stead of toons thing, but is there a date for it?
Anyway, Beta Team is available. All I wanted to say. Next time one of the Triumverate is on we should talk coalition.

-Cindy

Well, I did get permission from Drenivian first, but I 'kicked' Onyx Razor, inactive 118 days, from The Legendary.
BUT......
Please welcome our latest addition, Stephnie Jenova, played by @ Horned Dragon. Great RPer and you should meet Horned Dragon on Infinity. Really Cool Toon.
Welcome!
-Cindy

My Muse must have gotten into the amphetamines again, or something.
Over in the Recommendations thread, someone mentioned the post-EW Gundam Wing fic "Manifestations", here at www.fanfiction.net/s/2226187/1/
Which I opened up and began reading. Barely halfway through the first *page*, I hit this bit:

Quote:

---

The sight of the dead machine had been enough to make her feel sick. The thought of Heero climbing out of that, and making it back to the underground safe house was all she could take this morning. The search had been on for nearly thirteen hours now and no other survivors or bodies had been recovered. They had sketchy reports of around twenty-five people unaccounted for, but Relena was beginning to suspect that perhaps those few people had managed to sneak off during the confusion and had chose to avoid relating to the world that they were still alive. Part of her could understand that, and empathize with those who wished to move away from war as someone else entirely
The young man in front of her had made a declaration last night that would no doubt end his life, as he had known it. Heero had sworn that he would never be forced to kill again.

---

I knew this was coming, but now that I'm out of training classes at my job, my schedule has gone from a normal 9-5 Mon-Fri schedule to a 3 PM - 12 AM Wednesday through Sunday schedule. So other than on Mondays and Tuesdays I'm going to be more or less completely unavailable except for the graveyard schedulers.-Logan
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"This kind of thing tends invariably to devolve into the kind of "No, Nakajima, THIS is true power!!" argument that only really works if you're yelling it from the cockpit of a giant robot . . ."
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This sounds like a bunch of fun.
The Death Badger 500
Join the first ever Death Badger 500 race next week!
Next Wednesday, 22 November, we will be holding the first ever Death Badger 500 across all the European City of Heroes servers. A variation on the classic Death Race concept that sees Level 1 characters racing across Paragon City, the Death Badger 500 also requires you to pick up some exploration badges along the way.
To take part in the race, youll need to create a new character and be at Back Alley Brawler in Galaxy City on the evening of Wednesday 22 November. The Death Badger 500 will start promptly at 7pm GMT on Union or Zukunft and 8pm GMT on Defiant or Vigilance, so we would recommend that Death Badgers arrive at least 15 minutes before those times. This race is for Heroes only, but if all goes to plan, the next Death Badger 500 will take place in the Rogue Isles.
There are some strict rules to taking part, so if you are going to come and face the challenge please make sure you abide by them, as we (and our GMs) will be watching! Read on for the full rules and details of the route that the race will be taking
The Rules

All Death Badgers must be Level 1.
Kheldians are not allowed to enter.
The Force Field power set is not allowed.
All travel must be done on foot - trains, Supergroup bases, and other such shortcuts are not allowed.
Pocket D may be used, but it must be entered on foot - see below.
Death Badgers are not allowed to make use of the Good vs. Evil jetpack or Pocket D Gold Card teleport power during the race.
Enhancements and Inspirations are allowed.
Death Badgers may not have any Exploration badges before the event.
Death Badgers may not receive any aid from characters not taking part in the race. This means no heals, no buffs, no debuffs on enemies, no tanking or herding of enemies, no teleports, and no aid of any other kind. Death Badgers are not allowed to join groups before or during the race.
Please note that we will check the logs of the winner and we will be able to see if he cheated or not.
If you get buffed by someone else shout it out loud in the broadcast channel and send a /tell to the character that overviews the event (Bridger, Amboss or Midoh, depending on the server).
Spectators are welcome, but please do not interfere in the race in any manner.
The Route
The Death Badger 500 will begin at Back Alley Brawler in Galaxy City and end inside the Icon store in Founders Falls. Players will have to collect a specific Exploration badge in every zone along the way, apart from Galaxy City itself, as follows:
Back Alley Brawler, Galaxy City (start)
Kings Row (must collect the Smokey Exploration badge)
Skyway City (must collect the Solace Exporation badge)
Talos Island (must collect the Minotaur Exploration badge)
Founders Falls (must collect the Chaotician Exploration badge)
Founders Falls Icon store (finish)
The first Death Badger to arrive inside the Founders Falls Icon store with all four Exploration badges will win the race!
The Prizes
As well as fame, fortune and the admiration of their fellow Death Badgers, The winner of the Death Badger 500 will receive a special in-game title for the character of their choice, a special title for their message board account, and an exclusive first edition of Issue #1 of the City of Heroes comic from Top Cow, signed by none other than Statesman, Positron and Manticore!
If you have any questions about the Death Badger 500, let us know in the announcement thread on the official message boards.

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Posted by Bridger at 15:00
Global: @Jimmy Amp
"Broad-minded is just another way of saying a fellow's too lazy to form an opinion." -- Will Rogers

Hey, I was wondering what you guys use to get screenshots in the character selection screen? I can never get good shots of my toons in-game.
Global: @Jimmy Amp
"Broad-minded is just another way of saying a fellow's too lazy to form an opinion." -- Will Rogers

Once again I'm probably too curious for my own good.
I was on Pinnacle this morning and was checking out the toons around me. One of them in his Powers list had Items_Of_Power: Anger Monument blah blah blah....
So, what's an Item_Of_Power?
-Cindy

Because my bunny's multiplied.
I've been working on an Amelia Goes to School segment when it occured to me: why not give Amelia some friends that can perform on her level?
Of course, the government would know about them all - in fact, they placed tham all in the same setting so as to keep a better eye on them.
Matilda Honey and her best friend, Lavender. Matilda is a moderate-to-high level telekinetic with extraordinary control over her abilities while her friend, Lavender, can somehow bend light around her in the manner of Active Camoflage.
Amanda Beal has an unusual talent that focuses entirely on paper. She is currently mentoring under Yomiko Readman.
Jeffery "Maniac" McGee is quite possibly the fastest human alive. He is capable of even outrunning a Manticore.
The Utonium Sisters were an accidental product of a metagene research program. They are currently under the care of Professor Utonium, one of the project's heads.
San Mononoke is the youngest known case of Lycanthropy. She is in the care of Moro Mononoke, a renown biologist who also has Lycanthropy.
Ashitaka is a boy who suffers from a strange disease that he calls a Demon's Curse. While it seems to pose no real threat to his well being, his condition does flare up in times of great anger, endowing him with inhuman strength that is only rivaled by a Spartan or a Manticore.
Lain Iwakura is, quite possibly, the most powerful AI ever created - so powerful in fact that she is in an all new class of her own: an Evolving AI. At this time, she makes use of a remodeled Manticore prototype body and is under the care of her creator, Yasuro Iwakura.
Dairine Callahan is one of several "passengers" picked up at one point who claims to be a Wizard. While the Officials find that difficult to believe, they do not dispute her abilities and have placed her in the same group.
Lenore is the most unusual person in this group because she is already dead. Even though she is border-line psychotic, she has been responding well to therapy and is allowed to attend school only under strict supervision.
These children are inelligable for the Spartan/Manticore program for one reason or another. It is the hope of the Government that these children will grow to work together so that they may become useful in another capacity altogether.
So, does it sound too over the top?