angrydurf

Your a point over on the enhanced feats you just want to spend one of the five from this month?

I'll burn an HP with leadership to clear Fulcrums stun If Darius wants to take the offer that is.

Ace had sat back and observed through most of the ringside banter. He cheered as the blows were exchanged along with the rest of the crowd but didn't want to detract from the titanic battle before them. He smirked at Grimalkins chimerical antics, and Jack Of All Blades rapier wit, though he also took note of the young mans hollow expression at a particularly savage blow. Perhaps there was more then met the eye with the agile fencer. As Atlas landed what He was certain to be a knock out he ducked his head and absently grasped the brim of his hat to keep it from flying away, "Well thats all she..." He said before he looked up to see the staggered but still standing Fulcrum, "Or not. GOOD SHOW, Give him what for Fulcrum."

There is a thread in the character bank forum here to request any edits you want made to your character(s)

Attributes: good Combat: defense +20? it looks like you mean +10 (+5 flatfooted) Saves: Good Skills: good Feats: Good. On question however. the wise fools are not thralls correct? Powers: the paralyze on the suit is capped at rank 12 unless its a targeted burst. If it is a targeted burst just note that in the write up (Area: Targeted (burst))

Havoc's madness Havoc is insane suffering from severe paranoid delusions. His background describes the limited amount that can be discovered through normal means though even that is hazy and convoluted. His belief is that his grade school injury resulted in subtle neurological damage that cause him to twitch at an inopportune moment leading to the lab explosion that killed his parents and more importantly (To him) paralyzed him. The cover-ups of both instances by the government and other authorities have led him to believe that there is a conspiracy in place. As his paranoia has grown it has shifted from a conspiracy of government support for even dangerous supers to one targeted at him (and his "genius") in particular. The Truth Andrew Welsley is the boy Phalanx hurt in second grade. He suffered a concussion and bruising but the whole indecent is highly restricted. Andrew does not remember the specifics of the day with vague memories of a fight but not who against. His parents never got answers other than that the child in question was powered and the government was stepping in to ensure the safety of the community. He had full recovery with no diagnosable after effects. His parents home-schooled him after that point however. The lab incident was the result of Andrew breaking in to use their lab for his own experiment. He made a mistake and the volatility of the chemicals he was dealing with resulted in an explosion. He was blown clear though severely injured. His parents were coming to retrieve him and were caught in the security checkpoint and died when the building collapsed. the DoD stepped in along with the university to cover up what the Welsleys were working on as the research should not have been being done in so populated a location if a similar accident had happened during normal hours it would have been disastrous. Plot Ideas Basically I'm intending Havoc to be or grow into Phalanx's Nemesis. Eventually he'll discover who Phalanx is and begin to target him in retaliation for his part in the "conspiracy". this leads into the final closure on Phalanx's guilt over the incident once the truth is discovered. However he will still have his general goals of stealing technology and materials for further upgrades to the Havoc Suit that any number of heroes would have an interest in thwarting. As time progresses it is possible that those with an interest in the scientific community might begin to piece together where all of the tech for the Havoc suit has come from leading to a Science! showdown down the road. Due to the Havoc bot replacement he has a continuous manner to be recurring as well as challenge a wide variety of power levels and types of heroes with assorted schemes.

Havoc Bots Stats: -14pp Str: 20 (+5) Dex: 16 (+3) Con: -- Int: -- Wis: 10 (+0) Cha: -- Combat: 24pp Attack: +6 Grapple: +10 Defense: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Knockback: -5 Initiative: +3 Saves: 0pp Toughness: +10 (+10 Protection) Fortitude: -- Reflex: +3 (+3 Dex, +0) Will: +0 (+0 Wis, +0) Skills: 12r = 3pp Notice 12 (+12) Feats: 13pp Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 4 Interpose Move-by-Action Power Attack Teamwork 3 Powers: 108pp Blast 10 (Auto-laser/Energy, Laser; Extras: Auto-fire; Flaws: whatever; PFs: Accurate 2, Alternate Power) [33] AP: Stun 10 (Neural Scrambler/Energy; Extras: Range: Ranged; Power Feats: Accurate2) Damage 10 (Self Destruct/Explosive; Extras: Area: General {Burst}, Action: Free +2; Flaws: Side Effect: Always {Corrosion 20} -2, Uncontrolled) [10] Flight 5 (Repulsorlift) [10] Immunity 30 (Robot Immunities; Fortitude 30) [30] Morph 10 (Holofield and Vocal Scrambler; Any Humanoid; Flaws: Limited: Visual and Auditory only, Duration: Concentration; PFs: Quick Change 2) [7] Protection 10 (Armor Plating) [10] Super Senses 8 (Sensor Suite; Radar [Radio Sense, Extras: Accurate 2, Extended], Radio, Time Sense, Direction sense, Distance Sense) [8] Drawbacks: 0pp DC Block: ATTACKS: SAVE DC: DAMAGE TYPE: (Name of Attack) (Save DC/Type) (Type of Damage: Bruise/Injury, or other) Auto-laser -------------- 25/Toughness ------- Bruise Neural Scrambler ------ 20/Will ------------- Stun Self Destruct ----------- 25/Toughness ------ Bruise Unarmed --------------- 20/Toughness ------ Bruise Costs: Abilities (-14) + Combat (24) + Saves (00) + Skills (3) + Feats (13) + Powers (108) - Drawbacks (00) = 134 :arrow: Havoc does not have the minions feet so these are really just add to taste as is needed for the thread. They also make a credible threat on their own and certainly can be used as full villains in their own right rather than minions as needed. :arrow: Their morph effect allows them to take on the form of normal civilians, mostly. They lack any personality so their responses to conversation is exceptionally canned. They are programmed to try and minimize conversation for this reason. :arrow: Classic setback is that as needed anytime the PC's capture Havoc it can turn out to be a prototype Havoc Bot, and detonate if appropriate Also if the fight is turning out to be too easy for the PC's having some of the "bystanders" reveal themselves as Havoc Bots is a suitable setback as well.

Players Name: AngryDurf Power Level: 12 Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 0 Characters Name: Havok Alternate Identity: Andrew Welsley Height: 6'2" in suit, 5'9" out of suit Weight: 600 Lbs. in suit, 100 Lbs. out of suit Hair: Light Brown Eyes: Brown Description: Andrew Welsley is a frail youth. He has the frame of a much larger person and its hard to say if his disability or some other malady is the cause of his underfed and almost sickly appearance. Within his sunken eyes however lies the spark of a keen mind constantly assessing the world around him. While his face is normally turned into a sneer or frown and his hair constantly unkempt and usually dirty his disability does often afford him some sympathy at least for a time. His powered wheel chair is personalized with his laptop on a swing-arm and a small array of mechanized arms to both hold objects for him or more often burdened with backpacks full of engineering journals or textbooks. The Havoc suit however is tall and bristling with advanced weaponry. The primary systems are encased in a small heavily armored backpack unit which feeds both power and control data to the electric blue Myomer sheath beneath the glossy black Articulated armor plates of the suit. Both the hands and feet of the suit are substantially built up to house the repulsorlift devices and some of the suits many weapon systems. Over the back of each hand is a retractable diamond tipped titanium chainsaw. The hardened teeth of the high speed saw can cut through nearly anything and with startling precision. Slung under one wrist is a small particle accelerator cannon and the other houses the output for a flame thrower. The real hardware is housed more centrally however, with twin Auto-cannon mounted over each shoulder allowing for a withering barrage of fire and miniaturized smart missiles clustered in cases over upper arm chest and back. The entire suit is designed both utilitarianly as well as with intimidation in mind thus at all times the weapons are on display. The helm is almost featureless with twin sensor bundles framing the blank face of the mask. History: Andrew was born to privilege in the suburban community of Hanover. His parents were both tenured professors at HIT thier work in materials development for the defense department brought a great deal of tax dollars to the university and they were happy to take advantage of the 'perks' their work earned them. His childhood was largely uneventful but for the accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He constantly lies about the time and circumstances of his injury. His outrage at the super powered community seems to stem from this injury and he has been heard to claim that he was injured by the child of some reckless Hero who had passed on their power to the child. The truth is harder to substantiate, there are highly restricted government files regarding an indecent between A. Welsley and an individual simply listed as Project Phalanx in 1999. However it is reported that A. Welsley was expected to have a full recovery from all injuries. An exhaustive search of hospital records shows no record of any A. Welsley being hospitalized in that time frame. However there are records of an A. Welsley enduring an extensive hospital stay when his parents laboratory and office exploded. It was a major embarrassment to HIT and while no direct findings were ever released to the public it is believed that the two researchers violated testing protocols and something went wrong on one of their many Defense Department contracts. Regardless by age twelve Andrew Welsley was an orphan, a paraplegic and, after a court battle nearly as long as his convalescence, independent. His families money as well as substantial life insurance and settlements from the university and Defense Department also left him very well off. Turning his attention to his studies kept his mind off his losses, and his well above average intellect and financial backing, along with his parents reputation, got him fast tracked to college and eventually graduate studies where he continues to this day to work with several highly respected Researchers across a variety of disciplines from electronics to robotics to chemistry and materials studies. What is not known is that Andrew has been stealing and perfecting as well as integrating the research of these great minds as well as that of his parents (which is widely believed to have been lost in the lab accident). He has managed through a variety of fronts to acquire an abandoned military facility and has retrofitted it with top of the line production and research facilities that he uses to further improve and integrate his stolen ideas. The greatest of his achievements in this regard is the Havoc Suit utilizing advanced construction from his parents research as well as top of the line robotics and neural controls stolen from HIT researchers. He has not stopped there however and has stolen or purchased advanced weaponry from scientists on both sides of the law in his pursuit of mechanical perfection. To aid him in these endeavors he has created the Havoc Bots, robotic servitors and combatants of exceptional complexity. Along with small bands of Havoc Bots he has made many daring thefts but has yet to step up to large scale mayhem. However he has recently completed a new round of upgrades to his Havoc Suit and it can't be long before he steps out to strike against one of the many forces he feels has wronged him over the years. Personality & Motivation: Andrew is a bully, the fact that his disability and frailty disallows the more obvious physical practice of such behavior has fallen by the wayside in favor of casual cruelty to those he has any power over. He uses his superior intellect to put down any who don't match his excesive standards and delights in putting those less gifted them himself in their place. As Havoc all his twisted power fantasies come to life and he engineers his every encounter with the authorities to highlight his mental and technological superiority. He will relentlessly taunt his opponents mistakes and any advantage they gain is quickly dismissed as unsporting before he flees or reveals that the Heroes have only captured a Havoc Bot. Andrew is driven to punish a world he feels has done him wrong, deep down he knows even his valued intellect is no match for the likes of Daedalus, or Doctor Archeville, or any number of other genius' heroic or otherwise. He has internalized his feelings on the matter and drawn into a paranoid fantasy world where he must strive to prove his dominance over those who have so much more than himself. Andrew has also been lying about the circumstances of his disability for so long that he believes his own stories fabricating an elaborate conspiracy that has doomed him to his current existence. Those who he plugs into the roles of his victimizers he will zealously attack, though the instant the battle turns sour he will flee for at heart he is a coward. If not for that cowardice and his true goal being to show up so called heroes as the frauds he believes them to be, he would doubtless be far more dangerous. If he turned his abilities and focus to terror or world domination he would undoubtedly bring much more harm. His secondary motivation is to get his hands on more advanced technology. Anything that can be used to improve his suit or the Havoc bots is sought out. He knows he lacks the resources (Not to mention the skill and talent) to legitimately construct such marvels and is quick to assimilate whatever technology he gets his hands on into the Havoc suit. Powers & Tactics: Andrew can do very little on his own, with a short amount of time he can generally assemble a variety of short lived but potent devices. However effective use of such devices is limited by his physical short comings. He does however have a keen mind and is never without a plan and likely several back up plans. He tries to use misdirection as much as possible only facing heroes when he knows he has the upper hand and often after he has already acquired the item he was looking for. He tends to send forth Havoc bots to first engage heroes, to buy him time to flee or to soften them up before he enters the battle himself. Once he joins the fray he will open up with a heavy assault upon whoever he deems to be the biggest threat, usually from range with his shoulder mounted auto-cannons, particularly if he can catch and opponent unawares. Once the battle is well and truly joined he tries to keep himself in the most advantageous position and rain down automatic fire or missiles from there. If forced into melee he will try to dispatch his opponent with the wrist mounted chain saws. His particle cannon and flame thrower are usually used to try and distract the heroes while he makes his escape, either by threatening civilians or damaging some portion of the environment enough to give him cover to flee. Complications: Paranoid Delusions: Havoc feels the world is out to get him. The conspiracy that is behind his defeats is easily filled in by anyone who catches his eye. Inferiority Complex: Andrew knows deep down that he's not smart enough or skilled enough and certainly not strong enough to compete with most heroes. This drives him to take more risks (such as donning the Havoc suit at all) than a person of his intellect normally would. Stats: 16pp Str: 8/20 (-1/+5) Dex: 8 (-1) Con: 10 (+0) Int: 22 (+6) Wis: 18 (+4) Cha: 10 (+0) Combat: 6pp Attack: +1 (+4 Suit, +12 weapon systems) Grapple: +0 (+9 Suit/+12 Suit w/ SS) Defense: +2/+12 (+1/+3 flat-footed) Knockback: -0/-12 Initiative: +6 Saves: 7pp Toughness: +0/+12 Impervious (+0 Con, +12 Suit) Fortitude: +0 (+0 Con, +0) Reflex: -1 (-1 Dex, +0) Will: +11 (+4 Wis, +7) Skills: 104r = 26pp Computers 9 (+15) Concentration 6 (+10) Craft(Electronic) 14 (+20) Craft(Mechanical) 14 (+20) Disable Device 9 (+15) Knowledge(Current Events) 2 (+8) Knowledge(Physical Sciences) 14 (+20) Knowledge(Pop Culture) 1 (+7) Knowledge(Tactics) 9 (+15) Knowledge(Technology) 14 (+20) Notice 6 (+10)/ 16 (+20)(With sensor array) Search 0 (+4)/ 10 (+14)(With sensor array) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Feats: 21pp Assessment Benefit 3 (Wealth 2, Use Knowledge Tactics for Master Plan) Eidetic Memory Equipment 10 Improvised Tools Inventor Jack-of-all-Trades Master Plan Skill Mastery (Craft(Electronic), Craft(Mechanical), Knowledge(Physical Sciences), Knowledge(Technology)) Speed of Thought Powers: 110pp Device 28 (Havoc Suit; 140pp High Tech Battle Suit; Flaws: Hard to lose -1; PFs: Restricted 2) [114] Drawbacks: -10pp Paraplegic [-5] Normal Identity: Need Access to battle suit full minute to put on suit; Major, Very Common [-5] DC Block: ATTACKS: SAVE DC: DAMAGE TYPE: (Name of Attack) (Save DC/Type) (Type of Damage: Bruise/Injury, or other) Particle Cannon ------ 27/Toughness ------- Bruise Auto-cannon ---------- 27/Toughness ------- Bruise Mini Missile Barrage - 27/Toughness ------- Bruise Flame Thrower ------- 27/Toughness ------- Bruise Chainsaw Gauntlet -- 27/Fort/Toughness - Drain Toughness/Bruise Suit Punch ------------ 20/Toughness ------- Bruise Light Pistol ----------- 18/Toughness ------- Bruise Unarmed ------------- 14/Toughness ------- Bruise Costs: Abilities (16) + Combat (6) + Saves (07) + Skills (26) + Feats (21) + Powers (114) - Drawbacks (-10) = 180 :arrow: Personnel HQ feature from Book of Magic; Interrogation Chamber and Self Destruct from Agents of Freedom

So am I dead or disabled?

No. You can already make a reactive pop culture check to know about anyone who you would know about with pop culture.

Phalanx 7pp Available Add 1 rank of extended to Super Senses (extended: Hearing) 1pp This will bring the total to extended 2 (1000' increment); Super-Strength 1 (Power Feats: Shockwave, Super-Breath) 4pp [b]Super-Strength 1[/b] ([i]Power Feats[/i]: Shockwave, Super-Breath) [4] This will also add 1 to his grapple check making it a +23, and 1 to his grapple check with full SS making it a +32; New DAP for Paragon Array; Immovable 9 (Extras: Unstoppable) 2pp [b]Paragon Array 9[/b] ([i]PFs:[/i] Alternate Power 4, Dynamic 5) [27] [u]BE:[/u] [b]Flight 9[/b] [u]DAP:[/u] [b]Quickness 9[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Linked [b]Speed 9[/b]) [u]DAP:[/u] [b]Space Travel 18[/b] [u]DAP:[/u] [b]Super Strength 9[/b] [u]DAP:[/u] [b]Immovable 9[/b] ([i]Extras[/i]: Unstoppable) ; Changes Switch the primary power on the Super Sight Array [b]Super Senses 4[/b] (Ultravision, Infravision, Extended Vision 2 (1000' Increment); [i]Power Feat:[/i] Alternate Power 1) [5] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Super Senses 4[/b] (Vision Penetrates Concealment) No Cost Total cost 7pp; 0pp remain Ace Danger 5pp Available Add 5 ranks regen applied to resurection 5pp Regeneration 6 (True Resurrection 6 [Five minutes]; PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [8pp] Change Also the Quote tag on his equipment section is broken needs to have the end tag (

Toughness save 1 (1d20+9=27) Erm thats actually a +8 due to the bruise I forgot so a 26 but still no further damage. Toughness save part duex (1d20+5=17) hmm Staggered and disabled Well i'm getting HP like its going out of style lets try that again: HP Reroll (1d20+5=8) +10 = 18 Wooooooo that was a waste of time/HP Ace is Staggered and Disabled anyway

There is not I'll try to get this moved forward tomorrow morning

Initiative (1d20=5)

I think your mistaking our disdain for you as disdain for your characters :D

Fort save (1d20+16=18) Yea IC can suck it. Why would it do any damage if we break the bubble? its absorbing the impact.

And the Results Colt Breakdown Atlas Phalanx MadCap Tempest Grimalkin Fluer De Joie Phantom Avenger Wander Edge Ace Danger Dark Star Hellion Divine Psyche Jack Of All Blades Fulcrum

Fulcrum loved New Years. The reality of the calender reset aside, the idea of exchanging the old for the new was one that really appealed to her sensibilities. For a few hours the entire world felt fresh and pregnant with possibilities. Anything seemed possible. That particular New Year’s day, 2010, Mona sat watching her mother and sister. Fatima was less than three weeks away from sweet sixteen and going completely insane. Piles of magazines covered the kitchen table of her parents’ West End home, topics ranging from cakes to dresses to hair styles. Like a kid in a candy store, everything just looked so great that, even with Mom helping, she just couldn’t decide what to do for her party. Their folks promised Fatima a big one if her grades were good, and with that level of encouragement, she had worked her butt off for those straight As and wanted to celebrate. Fatima was the daughter Mom always wanted. Mona never doubted Mom loved her, but she couldn’t help but notice how their mother’s eyes lit up when little sister wanted girl talk. Yes, Fatima was a girly girl, the more traditional daughter of a conservative woman. Mona felt no jealousy though, more like happy that Mom had a daughter interested in all that subtle communication that bored the elder child. Mona had her fair share of mother-daughter moments, but Fatima really turned into Mom’s confidant. Her mood turned more melancholy when she thought about her own situation. She had meet a number of heroes over the last few weeks. The heroes of Freedom City seemed more than willing to give her a chance, but on the other hand, most seemed to be keeping her at arm’s length. None appeared particularly interested in getting to know her. At first blush she supposed it was because of her costume change, but on greater consideration maybe she was taking things too personally. They weren’t out to snub her. Maybe. In any case a pity party was the last thing Mona wanted. She may be lonely for peer companionship, but that could be remedied. If things were going to improve, then she had to work at it like Fatima. All you could do was your best. Resolutions weren’t normally her style, but this one had good intentions and motivation behind it. Finding a balance between sappiness, specificity and practicality was the tough part. My New Years resolution is to make some super hero friends. “Mona, what do you think of this dress?†Snapping back to reality, Mona smiled contentedly

New Years 2010 Vingette Though it was the middle of a winter night, Pyramid Plaza was filled with the warmth of New Year’s celebrators, bundled against the cold and crowded together to welcome a new beginning amid the noise and spectacle of Freedom City’s annual festivities. With so many super geniuses and enhanced intelligences living together, Freedom was able to do much better than a simple ball drop. This year Daedalus had devised a carefully timed light show, designed to reach its climax as the clock struck midnight. As one of the spotlights arced its beam across the city’s skyline, it caught the silhouettes of a pair of figures atop the Rhodes Foundation building. The night breeze lifted Jack of all Blades’ great coat, spreading it out behind him and blurring the definition of his lithe outline against the night sky. Across from the swordsman, a blonde pixie cut, bright red top and pale skin flushed with cold ensured that Jaci o’ Cups stood out in the darkness like a beacon. Her only concession to the winter chill was a bomber jacket, unzipped with the sleeves rolled up. If the temperature bothered her, her broad smirk gave no such indication. "What’s the game, Rose?" Jack asked cooly. "Why tip me off that you were going to try to pull something here tonight? Why’d you want me here?" The scion of the House of Cups put on an exaggerated pout. "Aw, how’d you know it was me?" The swashbuckler snorted and crossed his arms. "Please. Subtlety has never been your... strong suit." "Argh, a card pun?" Rose rolled her eyes. "I thought we’d agreed to avoid those. They’re just too easy." Far below them the crowd began the final count down to the new year. 10... 9... 8... The corner of Jack’s mouth quirked upward. "I‘m serious, Rose. What’s this about?" 6... 5... Tapping her chin, Rose set her mouth in a thin line of mock earnestness. "Well, I guess a gal’s just gotta stop trying to be subtle, then." With that, she leaped toward the hero. 2... 1... Caught off guard, Jack hastily reached for his lighter but it was too late. Before he could defend himself, Rose’s arms here around his neck and he lips were planted firmly on his own. Surprise gave way to thoughtless pleasure, as the hand thrown out to block her lunge snaked around her waist and he returned the kiss. Happy New Year! A kaleidoscope of multihued lasers rebounded off of mirrors, criss-crossing across the sky like futuristic fireworks. The heirs of rival houses atop the Rhodes building were oblivious to it all. Finally breaking the kiss, Rose leapt back as quickly as she’d advanced, balancing on the edge of the rooftop. She offered the stunned Jack a sloppy salute. "See you soon, lover," she smirked before stepping off into the night air. Jack rushed forward just in time to see Jaci o’ Cups punch a fist into the side of the building, tearing a gutter down the skyscraper to slow her fall before creating a small crater as she landed in the street. Her superhuman powers shrugged off the impact, and squinting the swashbuckler could just barely make out the woman disappearing into the crowd. Stepping back, Jack shook his head. "Gotta get me a grappling hook..." he grinned.

Alex sat down at her desk, flipping open the day-glo-bright journal on its desk. Picking out a sparkly pen that had a big glittery puff on its end that was as rediculous looking as it was beloved, Alex frowned and started on the first journal entry of a new year, new journal. Dear Diary, So starts another year. It's 2010 which is a fun date to write. Its all future-y. Still no flying cars. Well, except for Astro Labs of course. But its not like they're in full production yet. Boy, will the sky be (more) crowded then. The state of the Alex is... pretty darn good. Got in a real high school. Got Mike as a boyfriend as well as best friend. Have a best female friend for the first time. Have a group of friends that happens to double as a super hero team. Thus far, the life of a teenage super hero is pretty sweet. Of course, it also has its difficulties. Like a 'back-from-the-future' teenage daughter who occasionally refers to me as nasty names to my friends. That's been... weird? rough? sweet? All of the above and more. This year, I resolve to help my future-daughter get her head on straight. In a way that hopefully doesn't bring out her rebellious tendencies at me. Even if what it takes to do that is getting her back home. I am also not going to dictate what I know about that future from chosing the path that I think is best in the moment. I am going to live outside of my head, and learn to live in the moment. I am going to laugh, I am going to love and I am going to enjoy being sixteen without trying to over define what 'sixteen' is. I am going to embrace my oddities and do what makes me happy. I am going to leave the world a better place than I found it. I embrace my destiny as I define it. I will not be bound, controlled or made small by small minds. And I will figure out where I left my favorite pen. Hello, 2010. We're in for one heck of a ride. ~A.A. Smiling, Alex signed her initials with a final flourish and closed the journal, pushing it to the side of her desk. She stuck her head out the window and sent a thought winging to Mike as she noticed the boys trouping out into the snow for yet another snow-ball fight. Hey, wait for me! Alex bolted out of the room, leaving a trail of laughter in her wake.

It had been a wild night. Moira spent her New Year's Eve with Ace Danger at the Pyramid Plaza penthouse. By the time she woke up he was already gone. She looked over at the clock. No wonder he was gone, it was noon already! She only hoped she gave him what he and she wanted. Speaking of wants, it was New Year's Day... time for New Years resolutions! Yeah, those silly little things that were either dirt easy to keep or that she never followed through on. Still it was fun to have goals, no matter how easy or hard they were. She thought for a bit; was there anything she wanted to do this year? Might a well start off with the easy ones first... 1) I will follow my deams. That was simple enough! Now to expound. What were her dreams at the moment? Did she have any aspirations? What would she accomplish in 2010? 2) I will do something creative. She had really got the idea to sing or write or something within the past month or so. If it were writing it'd have to be fiction. based off her life. Her real life was already fantastic as it was. Why would anyone want to read about a boring ivincible heroine? Starting sometime within the next month or so she would sit down and think about it. 3) I will be a better superhero. Her meeting with Captain Knievel and The Emissary last year taught her a few things. Anyone couldfall off the wagon. She didn't want to believe what Captain Knievel did was real. He was just a fun guy... then to fall so far? She went to The Emissary for some counselling. It helped some, but she learned you can only count on yourself. The hero inside. Her hero inside needed a jumpstart. 4) I will get more friends. Another no-brainer. Her phone list was still growing. It was almost at the point where she thought she was going to have to cross-index. 5) I will be a better friend to my current friends Last year she did a few rotten things in the name of friendship and love. While it was good for some, it hurt others. She only hoped that she would make the right decisions this time around. If she followed her heart, she knew she would make the right choices. Then again... 6) I will try to be a better person HA! Now she was just musing. She wasn't going to be a worse person, but she was grasping at straws now. She got up and walked towards the bathroom. She had things to do today. Things to do this year.

Hellion: Accept responsibility and become Phantom’s partner/equal as guardian James walked over to the large bookshelf and slid the old volume back onto the shelf. Learning and studying was not something he’d ever really done a lot of. He just hadn’t cared really. It simply didn’t interest him. Now he was actually applying himself. He was become an expert in occult and arcane matter. Several months of tutoring combined with spending maybe a couple years (he wasn’t exactly sure how long) in hell had certainly helped get him there, in addition to his actually applying himself. He still wasn’t at Phantom’s level, but he was working on it. He turned back to the long table to start gathering up his notes. Six months ago, he’d have never even considered working like this. Six months ago, he was really only concerned about the next day, the next fun thing to do. That was it really. Just having fun. Yeah, he had powers; they were cool. He knew his history and past and all that, but it wasn’t really a big deal. Almost an abstract thing once he really accepted it and started to relax. Not at first, but still. A lot had changed in a pretty short time though. He had started at Claremont Academy. Mainly as a way to get out of the house, but it still worked out all the same. There he had met friends. Like actual friends, not just people he pretended to be friends with and used. It was a novel thing and they meant a lot to him. They were his real family. He had started on the whole super hero thing with them too. It wasn’t really something he cared a lot about, but he went along with it. Yeah, it was fun, but a big chunk of it was simply because his friends wanted to do it. He still needed a costume, but whatever, he’d get there. There had been the colossal screw up and all that. His training with Phantom. Up until then, he really didn’t have a direction. He was just kind of drifting through life, enjoying things as they happened. He never really cared about where he was going or what was coming (as long as it didn’t involve going to hell). But now… Now he knew what he wanted. It was so obvious and fit so well, he just couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before. But his training and the mistakes and all of it had coalesced and flipped a switch in him. He knew where was going and what he wanted to do with his life. Now he just needed to focus and get ready. If he wanted to really become Phantom’s partner in guarding the dimensional borders and everything that entail, he needed to be more than her student/apprentice. Hence the work and effort he was putting in. But he finally knew that was what he wanted. And he was going to focus and get it done. Not that he was going to stop having fun and everything that entailed. Far, far from it. He smiled to himself as he stacked the papers, thinking about the evening and the date he’d lined up. Definitely, not going to be skipping out on the fun. He shook his head and focused on cleaning up so he could go out on said evening. He’d still have fun but he now had a purpose and a task. Taylor was good but it was a big job. She was stretched thin as it was, and it was only going to get harder for her now. It was time for him to step up and shoulder his share of the burden. Maybe even more than his share for a little while, while she got her life together.

Dark Star: Ask Stesha’s hand in marriage! Dark Star gestured, moving the last one into place carefully. This wasn’t easy, far from it. But anything worthwhile was suppose to take effort. He’d been at this project for…well, a few weeks now. An hour here, an hour there. It would still take him another twenty or thirty hours probably. He paused, measuring and checking the math for the twelfth time. He’d have to check it many more times, just to be sure. And he wanted to do this right. He wanted it to be perfect and special. The timing would just need to work out just right of course... It was just something he was going to have to work on now that he’d made the decision. Because it was going to happen once the rest of it came together. He didn’t think this would ever really happen; not since he had become Dark Star. He kind of assumed that he’d never find someone to truly be with or would accept his…devotion to his beliefs. He had just pushed aside that concern and accepted who he was. Moved on so to speak. And he’d been ok with that. His powers, the freedom and opportunities they presented seemed like a great tradeoff. But now? Now things were different. He’d found a wonderful, amazing woman. Before, he had doubted that he’d ever find true love and be with someone. Now? Now he couldn’t imagine life without her. He became human almost every day now, for a few hours anyway, just to be with her as much possible. He practically lived with her now; doing everything he could to make sure he made it back to her every evening. Admittedly, yes, they really hadn’t been seeing each other that long. 5 month. Well, 6 according to her. And who was he to argue with her? He couldn’t help but think things were moving a little fast. Was 4 months too soon to be spending practically every night with her, basically living together? And was 6 months to make the next big step? To be ready for such a massive commitment? Maybe, but he didn’t really care. Just being around her made him happier than he’d have believed. They’d talked about it too; marriage and kids. It had come up after his He didn’t know exactly how much time he’d have with her. But he wanted to be with her as much as he could for as long as possible. The next step was obvious. He was going to ask her to marry him. But there were so many things to get ready before then, which is why he was working on this now, a little at a time. He still needed to meet her family and talk to her father. It’d be great for all that to work out well. Even if it didn’t though, Derrick was still going to ask her to marry him. Sooner rather than later if he had his way. Still, there was a lot of things to do to make sure everything went perfectly. He turned back to his figures again, checking them one last time before moving the next piece.

Ace stepped out into the chill winter air of the observation deck. The noise of the celebration muted by the double paned glass door and even the traffic noise and revelries in the street nearly silenced by the sheer height of the building. He walked to the railing his gloved hands slowly folding around the icy metal as he stared off into the night. Another year gone, the endless cavalcade of the immortal. Behind him the vibrant celebration of Freedom City's elite. Below him the city of Freedom, the streets and homes filled with those joyously ringing in the coming New Year. Ace took a deep breath of the icy air and looked out over the city he loved, thinking back over another year gone. Criminals captured, Villains vanquished, Friends made and Friends lost. Times unerring march forward. Ace had greeted the new year in many places and many ways, from posh parties like this to silent and alone hidden in the loft of a resistance supporter. He had partaken in the Dakanan rituals of the suns rebirth and prayed forgiveness of the Holy See for his many sins. None of it however really mattered in the end. Ace had seen the malaise of the ageless in his travels. Ancient powers lost in their dreams of forgotten times. Obsessed immortals seeking some glimmer of meaning in their unending existence. He had even done so himself for a time. Lost himself among the celebrations of a thousand lands, warmed himself in the embrace of companions unnumbered. He had hoped to stave off the inevitable realization of his extended life. But even comparatively young as he was he knew, for the likes of him a year was no more meaningful than a decade, a century, or a day. So why mark a new one with such fanfare? “Because it is life.†He intoned to himself. A life that continued where others may not was not to be regretted it was to be put to use. He had sworn to put the immortal terror behind him years ago. To live each day to its fullest. For all of those who didn't get the chance he would live his life for all of them. And so he came to it, his resolution. Not the ones he would share with those inside, but the same he had made every year. Live life and never forget for all of them, and he silently listed them all; For Rex, Raj, Ace, The Colonel, … Ten minutes later Ace returned to the party eyes dried and a smile on his face, joining in the revel, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot ...â€

Memories It's one of the most iconic images of the Golden Age: the assembled members of the Liberty League standing together against the Eisenmech, the Aryan Ape roaring defiance as his great iron contraption wrestled with the Centurion and Lady Liberty simultaneously. The League never did catch the Ape; the super-genius albino Nazi gorilla escaping into Latin American exile in the latter years of the war. But not everyone in the picture is a full member of the League, at least, not all the way. In one corner of the picture, carrying away an unconscious Secret Service agent, is the teenage James Lucas. Mark remembered clutching the sepia reprint avidly, staring with big eyes as his father told him the story of the heroic grandfather he'd never met. "Your grandfather loved the Centurion like a father and a brother," said Rick, holding his small son his lap. "His parents were busy with their social life, so they never did pay much attention to him. That's how he was able to get away from school so often to go away on his adventures." Jimmy Lucas is best-known to most people today for his role as a full member of the League, but his family and scholars of the Centurion's early history remember those early days when he was just the Centurion's Pal. "He was a senior in high school when the Centurion debuted. That'll be you in about ten years," Rick added a few years later, sitting with Mark as they watched the Fourth of July fireworks overhead. "He was right there, you know? He was right there at the bank when the Centurion broke up that robbery." Together, father and son recited the events of the Centurion's public debut almost in unison, something that always got a big laugh from Rick at his son's cleverness. Mark wasn't a terribly smart kid, but he knew his superheroes. "And so he stood alongside the Centurion, against the Nazis, the fifth columnists, and the gangsters," said Mark proudly as he spoke to his class for not the first time about his family's career. "He didn't have any special training or special powers, he just had courage. He...he believed in himself." And I believe in you, Grandpa The revelation of his true parentage, or true grandparentage, rather, had been a blow to Mark, one he'd quietly nursed alone even after his friends had lifted him out of the depths of despair. The knowledge that the simple, rock-steady truths about his family weren't all he'd been taught had been a terrible blow, even though he'd rationally known that it certainly didn't change anything about his parents or how much they loved him. Mark was a believer in the truth, in the basic reliability and trustworthy nature of the universe itself. Some people thought alien invasions, time travelers, and other dimensions were crazy, or at least one of the stranger parts of the wide world of being a superhero. But Mark believed in those things with every fiber of his being, and the discovery that something might come along to overturn those sacred beliefs, especially when it came to his family had been a horror. But not anymore,[/] Mark vowed, looking again over that faded old sepia photograph. He knew who his grandfather was; he knew what his family was all about. "And I know who I am. I'm a superhero."