Ex_Libris

Name: The UnNaturals
Motto: "An Unnatural Superhero Team for an unnatural time"
Leader: Gammatron
Player Type: Roleplayers
Number of members: 6+
Current member levels: Up to 12 so far
Normal time of Gameplay: 6:00pm-12:00am CST
Other information: We are a mature group of gamers who like to work as a team and provide a positive environment in which to develop as players and characters. We are roleplayers and try to make roleplaying a fun experience for everyone involved.

Origin: Gammatron was happy that he found the heroes he did. Being outlandish in his style and dress, he was not sure if he would fit in anywhere. It was when Black Velveteen whispered in his ear and said, "Lead us, love" that he suddenly knew why he fit nowhere else.

He was meant to lead a group of misfits like himself in their effort to rid Paragon City of the evil, the violen, the corrupt. He was just the mutant to do it, too.

Please visit http://www.blackiceguild.com for our CoH forum.

Rook:

With his head still buried in his hands and hair, Rook barely even noticed the young girl approach him. Too many thoughts were swarming through his head.

Just as Thevshi was seemingly about to say something is when Rook noticed her. His head jerked up quickly when he saw her walking towards her. Rook gritted his teeth and flashed his glowing green eyes at her, preparing himself for her to lay an untimely, unrelenting attack on him again.

"Wait a second, I'm in a church....she's in a church...there's no way she would dare lay a finger on me in here if she has any conscious at all.", Rook thought to himself, still seated in the pew.

Thevshi looked sad for a reason, and proceeded to walk outside the church, making sure to keep an eye on Rook the whole time. She slowly walked out into the daylight sun, then disappeared from Rook's eyes.

Rook sighed heavily. What was the chances of seeing the same young girl at this church the day after they viscously fought each other?

Rook then diverted his attention to the confessional booth. He hadn't been in one of them since he was a young child. His mother made him go, much to his dislike, to confess his sins to God.

Rook cautiously stood up, glanced around the church, and made his way to the booth.

Shutting the booth's door, Rook spoke in a soft Irish accent.

"Forgive me father fer I 'ave sinned...."

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace was about to leave the both when he heard the hinges of the opposite door of the confessional open and close. He heard the normal beginnings of the confessional as he returned to relaxing himself. The man sounded restricted to his surroundings, Father Wallace always liked people relaxed before confessional.

“Well so ye ‘ave lad, otherwise ye wouldn’t be ere now would ye?”

Father Wallace’s sharp attempts at humor were usually comforting to most. He hoped this man would feel the same way regardless of the obvious pains that he may feel. Father Wallace always had a knack for telling if the person had some sort of serious problem within their voice.

He shuffled in his seat to comfort himself a bit then looked over at the small slit that went through so he could hear his misbegotten voice. He gave a slight smile as to comfort not only himself but maybe the person on the other side. Regardless of not being able to see him.

“So lad, when was last time ye ‘ad confession?" he said with a almost simple and proud voice.

Alex Young:

Alex walked down the street looking left and right for the church. He knew it was somewhere around this neighborhood, but he couldn't exactly remember where. Alex he looked around, he thought back to the night before. He was worried that Bernadette would do something irrational, though Alex was known for doing that exact thing.

When Alex looked from across the street from him to just in front of him was Bernadette. She was coming towards him and apparently didn't even notice him.

Alex slowly ran towards her, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. When he reached her, he looked down at her. "Bernadette, I... um... hi." Alex said suddenly realizing how stupid he looked now. He was only wearing what he had put on. He had forgotten his sunglasses wallet and keys at the mansion because he left in such a hurry.

Rook:

Father Wallace's voice was both comforting and painful. On one hand, his thick Irish accent reminded him of his homeland. One the other hand, the question he asked brought back tough memories.

“So lad, when was last time ye ‘ad confession?"

Rook could barely remember the last time. He was with his mother and sister...they were still very young at the time. Rook's father had just died of brain cancer, so his mother thought that confession and the church would ease their souls the most.

"It's been longer then I care te' think aboot.", said Rook with a deep sigh.

"I know you must be' gurtin lad...I kin 'ear it in yer voice. Why don't ye tell me, maybe I kin help.", said Father Wallace sincerely.

"I really doubt it.", said Rook with a tone of anger in his statement. Then, realizing that Father Wallace didn't 'have' to listen to him, he apologized.

"Things aren't goin too good fer me father...seems as if me whole life is comin te' its end.."

"What’s troubling you son?"

"....I've....done some pretty 'orrible things in me life...nuthin te go runnin te tell the parents aboot...and it seems as if everythin' is catchin up te me now...I've hidden so much from me friends, meself and the world...its 'ard te look at me face in the mirror father...", said Rook as if he was pouring everything out that he held back for so long.

"Well me boy, you've taken the right step te havin the Lord's fergiveness."

Rook only knew Father Wallace for nearly 10 minutes, but he could tell that he cared about his situation. Sitting against the back of the confessional booth in a slump, he prepared himself to disclose so much he swore he never would.

Thevshi:

Bernadette was disappointed in herself, she hadn’t been able to face Rook, she hopped that she would be able to and listen to Father Wallace’s advice. Alex suddenly appearing in front of her caught her off guard as she looked up at him with a surprised look as he stammered out a greeting.

Thing seemed to have changed so much suddenly after last night. Looking at Alex right now, she could not help but think about him holding her. She smiled at him, a slightly nervous smile that really didn’t convey what she felt as she replied. “Umm, ‘ello Alex. I’m surprised ta see ye out ‘ere.”

She looked down at the ground for a moment and then back up at him. He was so tall, it had never been something she had really thought much about until now. “Were ye lookin’ fer me?”

Alex Young:

Alex pondered that question himself. "Um, yeah. I came to see if you were ok. We didn't get a chance to talk this morning, and I hope that your service went well." Alex said as he rambled on, thinking about something to say. He looked around nervously. What if last night was a mistake? What if they weren't ready to take that next step? Bernadette seemed distant and he didn't want to destroy their relationship over it. Alex feeling for her grew stronger by the second. But did she stop?

Alex glanced down at her hoping for the best. "Bernadette, are you ok? With Rook and everything? What are you going to do?" Alex asked bluntly.

Thevshi:

Bernadette smiled warmly at Alex, the thought that he had come out in the cold and snow to make sure she was okay and to talk made her feel all the better about the night before. Taking his arm in hers, she started to walk along the sidewalk, not headed to anywhere in particular. Thoughts of Rook and her father seemed so distant right now as she looked up at Alex with a smile.

“Well, Father Wallace thinks I should seek forgiveness from ‘im, an’ maybe I should. ‘e was at the service Alex.” She said quietly. “I ‘ad the chance ta speak with ‘im after the confessional, but I didn’ take it. I just don’ know if I am quite ready yet.”

She looked back up at him and smiled. “But I don’ want ta think about that too much right now. Once again Alex, bein’ with you makes everythin’ seem less important than what I feel about ye.” She stopped and looked up into his eyes and was standing up on her toes to kiss him, when there was the sudden screeching of tires beside them.

The two young heroes turned towards the noise, tensing for danger. Bernadette shifted to her desolid state as a reflexive defense as she looked at the gray van that had pulled up beside them. The door was open and there were three men in masks in the back, one threw a small round object at their feet.

“Look out Alex! Grenade!” Bernadette shouted before there was a loud shrike as the sonic grenade went off. The sonic waves washed over the two, rendering Bernadette unconscious as she returned to her normal density and dropped to the ground. Alex fell to the ground as well, disoriented from the attack as he could barely make out the men as the jumped from the van and grabbed Bernadette and carried her into the back of the van. “Lets ‘urry up boyos!” He could vaguely make out as the door slammed shut and the van speed off down the street.

In the back of the van, the men removed their masks as one pulled out a syringe with a clear liquid in it. He went over to Bernadette’s unconscious form and pulled up one of her arms and pressed the needle to her arm, promptly breaking it. “Bugger me!” The man cried out in his think Irish accent. “The d*mn needle can’t break ‘er skin! ‘ow we goin’ keep ‘er sedated?”

One of the others just looked over at him. “Just pour it down ‘er d*mn throat.” He turned away as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and hit an autodial number. Holding the phone to his ear, he waited for the pickup. “We’ve got ‘er. On our way back.”

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Hey, while we're at it, I thought I saw a 'jagged' chat bubble (as in an exclamation). Was I mistaken or has anyone else seen it? Or better yet, does anyone know how to reproduce it?

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Team or SuperGroup chat shows up like that (to those that can see it)

The year is 1453. A small castle of hell-bound warriors who call themselves the "Brawlers"
are held up in their fort. The last castle, and the last king in Germany. The men have survived many wars and invasions in their lives which have been unusually long. This due to a sorceror who lived in the castle and protected the men. One man out of the 10, whose name was long ago forgotten, an ancient and wise ruler now only known as "Brawlking", employs the services of this sorceror one last time, as the Franks invade his kingdom. He asks the sorceror to save him and his men, to help them escape. Invoking great power the Shaman opens a swirling vortex and tells the men to go through. The city falling around them, fire burning their homes and people screaming, the aged men charge into the portal with a fearless yell, disappearing as the window closes. The 10 men float slowly through a tunnel of swirling energy for what seems like an eternity, slowly each of them disappear one at a time, until Brawlking is left alone in the vortex.

When he finally comes out he is a strange place, it seems to be underground, and all he can see is green smoke and 8 men standing around him chanting. One in a Red Robe stands and says "Oh, Great king of old, we call you now in this our darkest hour. We are beset by a great foe, one the likes of which has never been seen on this planet. Please aid us!! Destroy this force, banish it from our lair." Floating in the green mist, Brawlking looks around and wonders where he is. Then thinks better of it, this is not the time for questions, he must help these people. After all they are the ones who brought him from the Vortex. "I will help you" Brawlking said with a low gentle tone, "You have saved me from the eternal abyss, and for that I am grateful. Show me my enemy and your will shall be done." The men stand closer to Brawlking chanting and touching his armor. Suddenly it starts to glow softly, and Brawlking feels almost invulnerable. His armor tougher than any dragonscale and plate he had ever worn before, even as strong as Mythril.

He follows the men through twisting subterranean hallways and dark catacombs to the front lines of the battle. These monsters are not from this planet, but seem to be alien. Brawlking grips his Axe tightly, and begins his run into the fray. He charges head on with ghostly speed and swiftness, cirlcing his axe around taking out 3 or 4 of his foes at a time. Gashing, Chopping, Punching, Smashing the bodies of his enemy he clears a steady path. suddenly he feels inspired, his eyes glow blue and he catches a second wind. He seems more accurate and dealing more damage. He swings his axe in arches in front of him, pushing his way through more and more of the enemy, leaving a trail of death behind him. He has successfully cleared one path, but there are many more still. Brawlking continues his battles under the protection of these new sorcerors and beats back many of these alien invaders, once they are far enough back the sorcerors put up magic barriers that the foes can not cross, but in doing so they trap Brawlking outside of the barrier.

Alone in the tunnels with his enemies he sees no other way out than forward. Eyes glowing Red, Blue, then Yellow he begins to tear through his enemies once again, clearing a way for himself, provoking more and more anger inside himself to drive him on. He clears a path to where he can see a faint light above him. It must be the surface, so he jumps up, bursting through the manhole cover. A flood of aliens behind him, he runs until he sees a huge force of others, they begin rooting and blasting the aliens back under the surface, and into hiding in their tunnels. Totally worn and out of life to keep living on Brawlking collapses on the ground in front of the line of heroes. They take him to the hospital where the captured alien technology instantly restores him to perfect health.

After living the day to day life and helping to deafeat the Rikti invasion he begins to think about what had happened with his brethren, and where they are now. It seemed to him that the abyss was some type of time Vortex, so they must have been lost somewhere in time as well. Or maybe they were also called to aid the underground sorcerers. After hanging around for a while Brawlking learned that the men that summoned him were evil sorcerors called the "Circle of Thorns" and the aliens he had been fighting were called the "Rikti".

Now Brawlking finds himself living in a strange new age, struggling to adapt, he finds that he is best appreciated by helping others in danger. He roams the streets hoping to find some clue as to what happened to his Brawler brothers, and when he may see them again. Maybe some day soon he will join them, and they will fight glorious battles again. Until then he remains ever vigilant, to protect those in need in Paragon City.

Derakan(Scrapper)
Powersark Melee/Battle Swiftness(I think that's what it's called)
Team:N/A
Brief Origin: A man born with the powers of the underworld, he uses his dark powers to protect teh weak.

mental note, add to favorites.

Jessamin(Tanker) - Virtue
Powers: Invulnerability/War Mace
Team: The Defiant (though currently she's the only one )

Brief Origin: Raised an only child by affluent parents, Jess has always had a hard time looking the other way when any sort of injustice occurs. Through several years of dedication, will, and rigorous training she became a force to be reckoned with though her career as a "hero" did not begin until the untimely death of her family and many of her loved ones. She lives as contentedly as she can manage in a dingy Gish apartment, resting there only when she's too exhaused to continue her quest for vengeance.

((There's a lot of background that I'm leaving out here .. but I like it that way.))

Jess frowned and shook her head, still somewhat baffled at how she had been sitting, quite pleasantly, between a pair of grassy hills in the `Park, encased in a calming opalescent light .. and moments later found herself atop the type of building that could only be found in Steel Canyon (a very tall building, at that.)

'Maybe I should save the meditation for my apartment,' she mused, a soft self-mocking laugh slipping from between her lips before she could stop it.

Of course, it didn't take her long to realize who had 'ported her here since she'd made few powerful friends thus far; everyone else was either back home .. or dead. The Incomparable N-Demoness would taste her ire before too much longer (she despised practical jokes, especially ones that landed her atop tall buildings she had no way off of .. that did not involve a good deal of broken bones and a LOT of cursing.) With a soft sigh she unfolded her crossed legs and rose to her feet just in time to see a pair of women on one side of the building, while a half-dozen Outcasts charged towards them. A small smile (and the hint of a dimple) peeked from the corner of her mouth as a ferocious gust of wind shoved them all to their backs though that smile faded when it seemed that they would rise any moment.

Jessamin took a deep breath and jogged back a few steps, the light of the setting sun reflecting off the paper thin plate armor that covered her from neck to toe. Loosing a wicked looking war mace, she prepared to jump into the middle of the fray with her sights set on one of the rear combatants .. hopefully, she planned for a good many of the attacks to find her instead of the other two women, giving them a crucial moment to prepare themselves and (again, hopefully) join her.

This was going to hurt. A LOT.

Thursday, May 27th, 2004

A frustrating day to say the least. Every time I tried doing something, it seemed to go wrong, or things got in my way.

-Started my day off by tackling that Sewer mission, and I was faring pretty well on my own. I cleared out the sewer out, except out of the corner of my eye I saw one last spectral follower dissappear into the wall, and I couldn't get at him. So I left the dungeon and came back, and even more had appeared! It was like I had to do the damn mission all over. I told Aureon about that, he thought it was hilarious. He can be a sick man sometimes....

-Remembered why I don't like teaming with random people. I got invited to hunt with a group, that just kept getting bigger and dumber. I found a dark alley and slipped away. It's a shame, some of my operatives are MIA, maybe they were kidnapped. Oh well, gotta get new recruits, I guess.

-Took out some Tsoo for freaky art chick contact. But I swear 20 people must have been hunting them too because I kept bumping into so many other who were moving in on my game. Strange considering it was rather late at night.

All in all a rather slow night, not very much progression at all. I really need to start some heavy recruiting. My members seem to keep dissappearing. Unfortunatly it's very hard to find good, talented members.

Chapter 6

Back at the Avengers' base
Cellest paced back and forth in her room, trying to figure out a way out of the room, she wanted to tell Allen she was sorry. Eventually she gave up trying to find anything to stuff inside the keyhole; she simply took a chair and threw it on the window. The chair shattered the wooden blinds.
The window was very narrow, but Cellest managed to slip through it. She found herself holding a drainpipe 50 feet in the air. Swiftly she slid down it, thinking what to do next. Cellest didn't want to be controlled again by the professor, so she decided she would go over to Frusciate Inc. and bring them down. She wasn't positive on how she is intending on doing that, but she went on anyway.

------------------------------------------------

Allen certainly was not in position to think of a way out of this jam, mostly because the jam was actually falling from a very high altitude. He slightly relied on Aeroman to come pick him up, like the time he jumped out of the Frusciate building.

Aeroman, as expected, was a no-show. But something else occurred the moment Allen was 5 feet off the ground – he stopped.
Allen simply stopped mid-air. At first he thought he was dead, but the sight of Vulcan laughing like a maniac – who still didn't get the fact Allen was no longer plundering to his ultimate death – brought Allen back to his senses.
At first he didn't try to do anything, but after a few seconds he tried to straighten himself up (he was laying in the air, facing upwards). After a few rolls he managed to look like he was standing (only he was hovering 5 feet above the ground.

By then, Wayne realized Allen had not been splattered all over the sidewalk, and took a wild expression of amazement and anger over his face.
Allen understood he was actually flying, and was thrilled about it – he had always wanted to be able to fly.

Allen lifted himself higher, familiarizing himself with the basic maneuvers of his newly discovered capability. After a short while of flying in circles around a few buildings he managed to control his flying.

Allen looked up towards Vulcan – who was still astonished by the fact Allen was not dead – and flew upwards at great velocity. It didn't take Vulcan much time before he came to his senses and tried to escape the incoming teenager, though it did not do him much good. Allen had punched Wayne in the stomach, making him lose his focus and plunging down.

Vulcan landed straight on a rooftop of a high building. He laid there for a minute or so holding his stomach in great pain, and then got up and flew away slowly.
Allen could have easily gotten him, but he decided to fly over to Blackspade and see if he was ok.

"Holy moly!" yelled David in amazement, "what was that?"

"What was what?" asked Allen, as if he didn't know what David was talking about.

"How did you fly like that?"

"I don't know… I just did"

"They probably added your genetic structure gravity corrective builder controlled by the brain" David said.

Allen nodded affirmatively, though he had no idea what David was talking about.

"Let's head back; we need to tell the guys what went on. And besides, I'm starving…"


To be continued…

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Thanks for reading (If you have)

tried it....it worked sort of.

I ran in a pretty wide circle on top of some hotel. It was a rather amusing 'eureka!' moment.

evidently when you're in close combat with a feller and you have follow on, all movement controls are interpreted as camera movements...I got dizzy just watching.

also it doesn't turn off easily...hitting the bound key just turns off the LAST part of it.

so the best way to do this IMO is:

/bind q "+left$$+turnleft"
/bind e "+right$$+turnright"

now you too can run in circles!!!

Paragon Times
Appearing in Section B Paragon Politics

Special Events and Notices

Congressman Victor Hathaway Speaks out on Supergroups.

The Chair of the Taskforce on National Superhero and Security Coordination and liaison with the Special Council on Super Human Activities will be speaking at City Hall in Atlas Park Saturday, May 29, at 9pm EST/8pm CST/7pm MST/6pm PST.

Draftsman for much of the recent legislation on Supergroups, Rep. Victor Hathaway will unveil the plans for future federal legislation that will no doubt impact Paragon greatly.

The speech is free and open to the public and if time permits the Congressman will entertain questions by the press and public.

-Emilio Rodriguez

Jacobs Ladder:
Jacob's Grandfather was a researcher on the ill-fated Philadelphia Experiment, a project where (during WWII) the Navy tried to conceal a ship from radar by using electromagnetism. Jacob’s Grandfather was accidentally exposed to high levels of the powerful electromagnetic fields and became sick. After recovering he discovered an odd side effect to his exposure, he shorted out electronic equipment just by getting near them. He kept this a secret because he just learned his wife was pregnant with their first child and he did not want to be separated from her during her pregnancy. Shortly after his son was born, Jacob’s Grandfather grew very ill and died of cancer, but his son (Jacob’s Father) had inherited his “Gift” for shorting out electrical devices, it was not until later in life that he discovered he could also manipulate electricity. When his Wife and he had their first child (Jacob) watched and waited to see if Jacob would have this same gift, and when it did appear he began training his son how to use it. He went to the every best mutant training facility to learn how to control and use his gift for the good oh mankind.

<Paragon After Dark Blog>:
From: Knight Wolf
When I was a kid I read a story about a Dark Knight that, as a child, after watching "The Mask of Zorro" at the Monarch Theater, witnessed the murder of his family. Lucky *******, whereabouts of my family is still unknown.<End Blog Entry>
My Grandfather always called me the Lone Wolf of the family, he said it was because I was such a gifted athlete and did not really understand why no one else could play like I did. The family had me tested to see if maybe I was a mutant, but I wasn’t. When I told my teacher my family was gone, he seemed to act as if he expected that, told me the story about how my Grandfather and he thwarted many of the 5th Columns plans back in WW2. I told him I was going to become a Hero when I grew up and call myself The Lone Wolf, he told me that might scare the bad guys and the good guys so I settled for “Knight Wolf”. I know, not much of a story, but then, I’m not much of a Hero. My teacher was killed 6 months after I came to Paragon city, so I continue my study of the Martial Arts on my own, in his honor. In his retirement he was just Coach Ed, but as a Freedom Fighter in the War, he was Primal Escrema. He was the only family I had for 10 years, now I really am the Lone Wolf (But I could not get that registered).

Old School Honor
web is in the works
Dr. Detroit, Ziggy Stardust contact in game or at oldschoolhonor@ yahoo.com
OLD Farts with Attitudes , That would be us. A small group of friends and would be friends that enjoy playing together. No high pressure got to do this, got to run there , got to reach lv 40 by day after tomorrow. Playing alot of different toons at different lv's and having a ball doing it. Only thing we ask is not to have 8 different toon's in 8 different guilds , not really fair to the other guilds or us. If you're looking for a Mega guild skip on by this is a small group.
Dr. Detroit, aka
Major Tong
Mozart
Fossil
Iron Mike
Ancients

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What are you going to do with the entires? Post them on this site?

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Haven't you heard, they are writing a comic book.

[ QUOTE ]
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oh I think you're wrong... you can teach someone to roleplay, in fact you should... it will cut down on the people who have no freaking clue how to rp... and the butchering they do to open topics... learn things like... ogjectivity and... courtesy... @!%&

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You can tell someone the courtesies and the ins and outs of RPing, but you can't teach them how to do it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate to sound all carebearish but, you are both right... you can't really teach someone to roleplay but you can explain that they need to figure out WHO their character is and WHY he is a Hero and WHAT his/her motivations are...etc They need to figure that out, then like an actor they need to flesh out the character and start to play in character. A good back story is a great place to start:
<Paragon AfterDark Blog>: Knight Wolf
When I was a kid I read a story about a DarkKnight that, as a child, while leaving a theater after watching "The Mask of Zorro", witnessed the murder of his family. Lucky *******, they still haven't found my families bodies (the 5th Colomn is far to thorough for that).<End Blog Entry>
Back stories help you shape your characters personality, from that point on you will know why your character is doing what they are doing.

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i wonder if using a bind to do a /screenshot (dont know if thats the correct slash or not) to build a libary of .jpeg's consecutively would work. then use a movie editor to build a .mpg out of the .jpeg's.

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No it wouldn't work. Well, technically it would, but the way the program has to pause a bit while it writes the screenshot file would result in a movie with horrible FPS.

Use the demodump and forced FPS options of the demo function for making actual movies.

Rook:

Kross stood high above the C.A.S.T. mansion, remaining completely quiet in a dense tree. The place was rather large and ornate for a superhero group, nothing like the places in Ireland.

Kross, an IRA assassin, listened intently to the young woman's conversations. Honing his super hearing made him an invaluable asset to the IRA. The young girl definitely knew Rook, or what he got out of it, she was trying to find out more about him.

Kross smiled underneath his mask.

"Ye definately don't wanna be messin' with em' lass...ee'll take ye oot befoor ye hev a chance te breathe."

It was cold out as the snow was slowly drifting from the sky. Kross was dressed for the occasion though.

He enjoyed listening in on his prey. This young girl was a bit boring for him though....too lovey dovey. He did enjoy the whole love making part the night earlier though. Had they kept the blinds open, his super sight would have made for a true show.

Kross figured he would follow her for a while and see what turned up. Maybe she would lead him to his target, the deadly ex-IRA assassin.....Rook.

Thevshi:

Bernadette made her way through the cold late morning air, her breath hanging around her. There were dark clouds looming towards the city, the storm that had been forecasted. But to her, the storm had already taken place, and she had found shelter from it. Now she needed one final release to put it all behind her.

The slowly falling snow continued to blanket the city in a soft cushion of white. Bernadette wished the beauty of it all was enough to make everything seem right, but things were not that simple for her. She stopped across the block from the church were she attended mass on Wednesday nights and Sundays, the golden cross on the steeple shone like a beacon to her soul. Her hand reached up and grasped the small cross at her neck, and the comforting feeling of the cold metal strengthened her resolve.

As she made her way to the church entrance, she could hear the sermon from inside. She quietly made her way into the building and remained in the back to avoid attention. Making a sign of a cross as she entered, she looked for a place to sit where she could be inconspicuous and spotted someone she would never have expected. Sitting there alone in on of the back rows of pews was Rook.

What is ‘e bloody doin’ ‘ere? Bernadette wondered as she frowned slightly. Does ‘e really want ta seek redemption fer ‘is soul? She quickly pushed away such thoughts, realizing that this was the last place to be making such judgments. She moved over to another isle of pews and took a seat, bowing her head as the priest began a prayer.

She glanced over at Rook again and tried to remember what Alex had said to her, your past is your past. She wanted to believe those words, that they might hold true for her and even someone like Rook. Looking back down, she started to search for the strength to allow for such forgiveness.

Lang-Chi:

The priest gave the sign of the cross to those within the church as he walked behind the altar once more. He looked at the large gospel laid across the beautiful wooden altar. Behind him hanged a large cross with Jesus perched upon it. It was one of the larger ones made of wood and had roses bordering it. The priest, known as Father Wallace, said several words from the scripture but was thinking a totally different thing.

((~Where is that girl? She should ave’ been ere’ for choir e’ long time ego. Well I will forgive er’, but she better ave’ a good reason, otherwise she’ll be in choir practice for another hour she ill’….~))

His face was weathered and wrinkled, with very little gray hair covering his head. He had on his long black robe with gold lining today. He was hunched over as usual as he slowly waddled over to a casing on the side of the altar. One of the two altar boys in white and purple walked to his side to help him gather the contents. He pulled out a small gold chalice swirling with a red fruit juice.

((~I still wish the church ould’ give e’ some real wine I do…~))

He placed it slowly on the altar as the altar boy grabbed a small basket with several small oval pieces of unleavened bread in it. Father Wallace scanned his hands over the crowds as it came to a halt over the chalice of juice.

“This is the blood of the son of God, Jesus Christ,” his voiced echoed over the quiet church as he turned to the basket.

“And tis’ be the body of Christ, come and receive e’ as a gift from is’ holy Lord, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

He waited for the pews of people to form a line down the aisle. There was fewer than usual today. He offered the cup and bread as after every drink he wiped the rim with a fine white cloth. The line finally came to an end when Bernadette came up to him as the last person. A serene old smile came over his face as he gave her the bread and sip of juice. He also noticed she was a bit down, regardless he slowly returned up the small steps back to the altar. He gave a final prayer then stood above them all while giving the sign of the cross.

“Now go in peace me children, and may the word of e’ Lord go with ye,” he said whole heartily.

He stood at the door way as he gave a nod to the well wishes and good byes. He then saw two people left sitting solemnly far apart. A man he had not seen before and Bernadette. He figured they were here for confession so he waited at the altar putting away the large gospel and other essentials.

Thevshi:

Bernadette’s thoughts had be a massive jumble through out the service. She had completely forgotten that she was to sing today, she had been so wrapped up in finding out about Rook. As she went up to receive the Sacrament, she felt a sharp feeling of guilt as she looked at Father Wallace. He would be upset that she had not been there, hopefully he would understand. The smile he gave her as she came up to him helped relieve her worry some, but she still felt bad.

As the service ended, she remained seated as the small number, most likely due to the heavy snows, of worshippers made their way back out into the cold. She looked over at Rook as he sat alone in his corner, she still couldn’t figure out why he was here. Father Wallace then made his way back up to the altar and was putting things away. It was only him, her and Rook left in the church. Breathing in deeply, she stood up and made her way over towards Father Wallace.

As she neared the alter, she stopped looked up at the large cross with Jesus on it and made the sign of the cross. She then continued over to the alter. She stopped a short distance from the elderly priest. “Father, will you take me confession?” She looked at him with a sense of pleading in her eyes, her heart was pounding, but she needed to receive forgiveness.

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace gave a smile and subtle nod to her. He wondered about what problems she might be having that made it so detrimental that she enters confession at this point in time. He shrugged in his mind to it, figuring she just wanted to do her monthly confession; she never had much to say before.

“Well me girl, ye can ave’ ye way, just let me finish putting this rubbish away,” he said while picking up the chalice.

He slowly made his way to the left side of the altar. His black robe dragged across the ground at an even slower rate. He looked at the small box that resided there with the cross perched on top and engraved at the small door that opened it. He grabbed the small handle and proceeded to put the chalice away. His old wrinkled face and stubble across his chin made him look even more determined when he was just putting the small pieces away.

“Well, what be that took so long? The choir as’ wonderin where ye was this mornin’,” he finally got the cup away as he stood up and looked at the remaining basket.

He gave a slight sigh as he again slowly made his way to the remainder of the sacramental objects and made sure they were clean and ready to go back in the cabinet.

“I know ye father can’t be holdin ya back. So what be that kept e’ from getting ere’ in time?” he said with a raised brow.

He sometimes worried about Bernadette and why she was so stressed all the time. Though this particular time her face showed anguish he hadn’t seen before. He looked behind her to eye the man still there. He also wondered if he wanted confession too.

Thevshi:

Bernadette had watched Father Wallace as patiently as she could while he finished putting things away after the service. She felts pangs of guilt as he asked what had made her late for the service and choir. Just more things on the list of what she had ignored during her obsession with Rook. Looking away, she quietly replied, “Well..I..I sorta overslept.” She slightly shuffled her feet as if impatient and looked back at the priest.

“But there is a lot more ta it than that. I will be able ta explain it more durin’ confession,” she said meekly, “as the reasons are what I want ta confess.” Her heart was still pounding, not since she that mission to Kosovo, had she had such serious sins to confess.

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace wrinkled his nose in a little amusing way. He gave a smile and put the basket into the small cabinet and closed the door. He slowly rose up and put his hands on the altar as if he was using it as support.

“Well me dear, let’s get this goin’,” he said happily.

He gave a smile as to hope it would make her feel better. He moved slowly across the stage of where the altar was down three small steps. He saw the confessional booth, larger than usual ones, set at the other end of the room. He took a slight gaze at the small tub with holy water pouring in it. It had the mother Mary engraved on all sides.

He walked up to the booth unlocking the door on his side and opening hers. He waddled in slowly on his side and closed the door waiting for whenever she was ready. He wanted to know what the problem was, if there was any that was so heart breaking at all.

“Come now lass, let’s get e’ sins forgiven,” he said with a little humor in his voice.

He looked at the small sliding box in the booth, waiting for her to enter and ask for her sins to be forgiven.

Thevshi:

Bernadette nodded slowly as Father Wallace made his way into the confessional booth. Her heart was still beating hard, but she knew that she had to do this. She walked up to her booth and stepped inside, closing the door. Sitting down on the bench, she heard Father Wallace’s lighthearted remark and she wished that things were so simple for her this time.

Making the sign of the cross, she opened the sliding box in the booth. “Forgive me father fer I ‘ave sinned.” She let out a deep sigh, she didn’t even know how to start, so she just started talking. “Me sins ‘ave been many since me last confession father, I don’ even know where ta begin, so perhaps I should just start ta work me way backwards.”

Her cheeks blushed slightly as she thought of what she must talk about first, but there was no way around it. “Last night father, I..I was, intimate with me boyfriend. I truly love ‘im, but I gave in ta temptation o’ the flesh.” She ready herself for what ever lecture she would receive on the subject, though she couldn’t really feel to much shame about this particular sin, as the others weighed more heavily on her heart at the moment.

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace listened to the usual things said while he nodded with his eyes closed. He then heard her mention Alex and giving in to her temptation. His eyes shot open with a surprised type face. He then looked at the small sliding box.

“Well lass…er…ye know ‘e church looks down upon at’, but I know e’ somethin’ the Lord ill’ forgive if it felt as if true love….”

He looked at the ground then back at the small opening in the booth.

“I also trust ye, and know ye choose the right man, ye may ave’ gave in to ye emotions, but It as’ happen to the best of us.”

He blinked with a little of sorrow felt for her, but knew she probably loved the boy. He let his hands lay on his knees as he looked through the small box at her darkened face. Waiting to hear what else pulled her mind with agony. He wanted to help, it was not only his calling but something he was almost meant to do. Bernadette was like a granddaughter to him. He wanted to help in the best he could.

“Is a wee thing lass, tell me, what is that makes ye still feel urt’?”

Thevshi:

Bernadette felt some relief at Father Wallace’s words, but then she had known that it was among the least of her sins she needed to get forgiveness for. There was still more to gain forgiveness for, breathing in deep again, she answered.

“I do love ‘im father, being with ‘im ‘elped me forget much o’ what was troubling me. Being there with ‘im just felt so…right.” She looked over at the small box, wondering how hard it was for him to hear about things like this on a regular basis.

She then looked forward again as she thought about the other things that troubled her from the night before. “There are many things that are troublin’ me right now father, one o’ them is that last night I raised me ‘and against me father and didn’ show ‘im the proper respect that is mentioned in the bible.”

She did feel bad about what had happened between her and her father last night, but she also found it a little difficult to not be mad at him for how little he had to do with her life, now and for the past five years. She tried to explain a bit better for Father Wallace.

“Me father was pissed, as ‘e often is, an’ tried ta ‘it me. I kinda shoved ‘im against the wall an’ was a little ‘arsh with ‘im about ‘is role in me life over the last five years. That is why I left ‘ome last night.”

"But that isn' the biggest sin I 'ave ta confess either."

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace nodded. He knew her father, and understood why anger came over her. He had to act like an adult figure for her for the last couple of months. Father Wallace didn’t like her father all that much, so he understood the pain she felt, but also understood it might have been something that needed to be done.

“Well lass, may ave’ een’ the thing that needed to be said and done. Fathers and mothers aren’t always right. That is what makes the world go ound’. People make mistakes, big an’ small. It is forgiven them, that is what ould’ be done. May be your father needs to think about it….”

He then regarded that she said she had worst to say. Well at this point he was ready for anything, and was sure that however bad it may have been, that she could be forgiven. He knew some of her past and what happened to her, but not a lot, and from what he heard she had probably been through rough times in both her professional and personal life.

“Ow’ ever bad it may be lass, you can tell em, I won’t think a ye any differently…”

He looked straight ahead at the door of the booth. Wondering and thinking about how bad it could really get for a girl her age….

Thevshi:

Bernadette listened to Father Wallace’s words, taking some comfort in them, but still troubled by the last bit of her soul she had to bare. She breathed deep and then looked over at the small box in the booth and began.

“Well, ye know about me, an’ that I am a supre’ero, well, recently I found out some things about another o’ Paragon Cities heros, an’ some terrible things ‘e did in the past.” She thought of when she saw that newscast a few nights ago and how it had come to haunt her so. “I didn’ know what to do, I became obsessed with provin’ that this man was the killer that I thought ‘im ta be. I got proof from me ol’ teammates in England, but instead o’ tryin’ to go the authorities or anything, I..”

She thought back to the battle last night and how out of control her emotions were. “I tried ta take matters inta me own ‘ands. I went an’ confronted ‘im alone, I attacked ‘im, an’ in a rage, I almost killed ‘im.”

She looked down at the ground as she was speaking, ashamed that she had let things get so out of control in regards to Rook, it had been just like Rome, all over again. “That is me sin father, I tried ta take the law an’ the Lord’s vengeance inta me own ‘ands.” She waited to hear what Father Wallace’s response would be.

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace listened to every word intently and it was starting to become more and more worrisome on him as much as on Bernadette. It would probably be best to confront the man after what she did. He didn’t know what kind of character this man must have been, but he might forgive for such things. He knew that Bernadette must have done it on impulse, like every teen usually does. It was just her emotions and instinct if anything, easily forgivable by the Lord.

“My dear, if ye did such a thing, I think that e best way is by askin’ for forgiveness from im’. Ye may be against the Lord with what ye did, but God is great and forgiving, an’ I know deep down inside e’ Lord, that e can forgive what ye did. Now ye ave’ to ask it from the one ye accused…it is the best course of action lass…”

He folded his hands in his lap while looking at the wooden door. He hoped she wasn’t being too hard on herself; it would make things easier for those around her. Yet what she was doing with her life could be forgiven by God, all she had to do was seek it within her heart. It wasn’t too difficult.

Thevshi:

Bernadette listened to Father Wallace’s words very intently. She had known that the Lord would forgive her, that was his way, as long as you accepted them and realized your sins. But asking forgiveness from Rook? Why should she do that? She had be right about him, only the way she tried to deal with it had been wrong.

But what had Alex said? That the past was the past, and it was never to late to seek forgiveness according to the Bible. Wasn’t Rook sitting in this church right now? Hadn’t he spent the last several years protecting the people of Paragon City? Maybe Rook was seeking to make amends for his crimes.

She looked back over at the box over to where Father Wallace was sitting quietly. “Ye are right Father, of course. I’m thank full the Lord can forgive me, an’ I will seek forgiveness from the man I attacked.”

She looked at the wooden door to the booth. Rook was only about a hundred feet away, she was not sure if she was ready to do this at this time, but the opportunity was here.

Lang-Chi:

Father Wallace gave an approving nod regardless of her not being able to see her. His face seemed to turn into a peaceful and tranquil one. He glanced over at the box then looked straight ahead again while brushing his fingers along his robe to smooth it out.

“I am glad ye made the right decision. I knew ye would do the right thing. I just ope’ that I won’t have to do this over an’ over again an’ that you will learn in the future that what is right in ye heart is what can guide ye.”

He looked at the ground for a second remembering the proper procedures for such forgiveness. Reciting several Hail Mary’s and an Our Father would do nicely. He would also have her try and relax for a change; he could tell that this super hero business was putting a strain on her from time to time. Otherwise he wouldn’t be sitting her right now, but he knew that deep down she was ultimately doing something right for the world. He began to make the sign of the cross on the other side with his hand.

“Then I forgive ye in the ame’ of thee Father, thee Son, and thee Holy Spirit…Amen. Now go child and recite several prayers for your forgiveness as well lass. Let’s make it five Hail Mary’s and an Our Father. And I ope’ that you will forgive whoever you ave’ urt’ as well.”

Thevshi:

Bernadette made the sign of the cross in front of herself as Father Wallace gave her forgiveness. She felt some of the burden on her heart lifted, but knew that before it could fully be so, she would have to face Rook again. “Thank ye Father. Amen.”

She then stood up and left the confessional and headed over to the altar, glancing towards the back of the church, and seeing Rook still sitting glumly in the back row of pews. Making the sign of the cross in front of herself again as she knelt down.

She then began to recite the prayers that Father Wallace had instructed her too give. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

She repeated the prayer four more times as had been instructed before she went on to the next one. “Our Father, how are n heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.” She again made the sign of the cross as she stood back up.

Turning back towards the exit of the church, she saw Rook still seated in the pews. Her heart was beating quickly as she took a deep breath and started back towards where he was seated.

1: Judgementor
Tanker
Earth melee / invulnerability
Team : Scales of Justice (Leader / Supreme Judge)
Server : Victory
History: A judge who was currupted by some missused Superdyne giving him strange powers but also gave him the urge to judge everyone he sees.....Ye shall be judged!

[ QUOTE ]
oh I think you're wrong... you can teach someone to roleplay, in fact you should... it will cut down on the people who have no freaking clue how to rp... and the butchering they do to open topics... learn things like... ogjectivity and... courtesy... @!%&

[/ QUOTE ]

You can tell someone the courtesies and the ins and outs of RPing, but you can't teach them how to do it.

Ok, silly pointless true story...but hey.

Was fiddling around on a lil baby alt blaster and I was staying mostly in character even though most of the team I was on didn't RP at all (which can be pretty funny at times actually), but they didn't seem to mind. Except for this one guy who started to comment about it. Asking what I was talking about, what does that mean, etc, etc. After a few minutes I realized that he really didn't know that I was RPing, so I calmly explained what I was doing. I think the term I used most was "I'm just being the hero..not myself."

Anyway, after a few minutes the kid (not assuming his age...he said his age at some point) decides that it looks fun and asks me to "teach" him how to RP. Which lead to the whole "Can't really teach someone to RP" thing....but I digress. He kept asking me to group with him later so he could practice, I was flabbergasted...but happy.

Just goes to show, sometimes it is worth it.

Wednesday, May 26th, 2004

Gonna keep this one real short, because it was a rather uneventful day. I made it up to Level 16 finally. Spent most of the day in Skyway slapping around Trolls and Lost. Tried to find a team for that mission in the sweres but had no luck, so I tried at it on my own but I think the task still might be too hard even now that I have more training under my belt. Tommorow's another day and I hope to get everything done then. Along with a more detailed entry for my loyal readers, but for now, I'm out of here...

I was wondering if I can get yahoo groups to make a directory for it if people would be willing to make specific yahoo groups as places for rp about City Of Heroes. After we make the specific rooms I can make a page with all of the groups on it and put it on the fansite portal for anyone who wants to go and have rp threads on their character. I could also try and make rules for the forum basically only requireing needed information for character. (IE: Mutant Blaster , etc) and the rules being basic rules (Keep in character powers (which would require updated information), no abusive language, harrassment. If you all in tell me cause then I'll make sure it'll be ok with NcSoft (Doubt they'll care we get no profit and in ways being accessible to everyone is its own advertisement.)

She's my level 6 natural scrapper. An old pirate (first mate abord the ship The Boochin' Beagle) swept overboard during a freak storm at sea. Washing ashore in Paragon City she takes advantage of modern technology to replace a lost arm (no curved hooks here!) and finds herself in the role of swashbuckling adventurer, all the while trying to figure out how to get back to her own time and place.

That's the backstory.

Here're some screenshots:
Here's she is.
Here's Mae acting her age. Achtung baby!.
Here's she is doing that Trinity thing.

And this is a brief little comic I drew up.

Heehaw

<border xxx> doesn't change the extension of the chat bubble, makes it look goofy.