Scarlet Shocker

the kind you summoned with your incorrect incantation of that "powerful love spell" Don't deny it... we all heard you.

How can it take? Mostly I genuinely think RNG hates me... but it remembers me sometimes and pops it's pustule-infested, lice-ridden, wart-covered face into my game just to go "Ha! I still hate you!" There used to a be a quiz game on British TV in the 70s and 80s where they'd take losing contestants and say "come and see what you could've won!" There'd be a speedboat, or a caravan (trailer) or a luxury car or some such... stuff people would have to either save or borrow to own in the real world. So not only did they lose the game, salt was rubbed in their wounded emotions on national TV too. That's what RNG thinks of me.

oh dear you made me do it then didn't you? Your fault But it's better in the original Klingon

but what is the question?

I got two yesterday just twitting about which is extraordinary. Made me wonder if there's something different.

No! I am the Count Vampyre Overlord of Evil!😈 #spartacus

is that like snorting tiny amounts of nictus?

I think there's another issue that hasn't necessarily been considered when looking at silver-age heroes as far as their origins go. One of the biggest bugbears in this context is how radically they've changed over the decades. Batman (and to a lesser extent Daredevil) both got major reworkings by Frank Miller. Batman was originally the Detective. He was a pure science guy, using the scientific method to track down criminals and put them behind bars. He was born in an era where people thought reason would trump chaos (the Joker) and so wasn't necessarily super-powered per se, but had a ton of cool stuff allowing him to thwart the evil schemes of the most nefarious. Similarly Daredevil who in his earliest iteration was little more than a poor-man's Spidey, his loss of sight compensated with a radar sense and a billy club held together with magical string (something never really explained.) Miller took both of those and effectively turned them into ninja warriors, honing their bodies into ultimate fighting machines, supreme athletes to compliment their existing back storied powers. It's hard to see how those latter iterations can be anything other than natural origin - so do we take the above examples as science, augmented by natural ability, or do we take them as natural characters who uses science to get the job done? If we take a snapshot of the characters in their history we might end up with something very different to our common perception. This last year's Olympics gives another interesting example: Yusuf Dikec. in a field where most contestants had all kinds of tech, the best pistol, eye glasses that blanked out an eye, visors to block distractions, he rocks up with nothing, shoves a hand in his pocket and wins a silver medal. The other contestants used tech for their advantage and he is clearly natural origin. Origins, like the alignment system in D&D is a great mechanic but it can be limiting and pigeon-hole characters - it has a great advantage in terms of RP and back story, it rounds the character out wonderfully, but in terms of actual game play it's rarely useful, and it can be a bit more constraining rather than a benefit at times.

Well you got mine! It's however I feel it fits in the moment. I often go for Science - I am drawn to it because I believe it's one of the least common origins, and also it allows a lot of leeway.

Announcing the new DESKTOP POOL POWER - hit your opponents with a computer tower, smash a flat screen monitor over their head, roundhouse them with an actual desk and then throw the debris that is actually on your desk* in their eyes to blind them! I want! *guarantee of messy desk void if you recently took a pic for your social media of choice.

I read the title of this thread and was expecting "When pit crews get bolshy" I has disappoint. I think some mechanics are good, some less so. A lot depends on the imaginations of the dev/writers responsible. Like any mechanic, it can be over-used and often under use is the real trick. But when trying to influence almost 50 players to acct in coordination ther are few better tools

There are questions we can get hung up on that actually don't mean a great deal to game play or mechanics. As one man once said "Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law" but I doubt he'd ever thought of City of Heroes when he said it. But it's applicable in the sense that it would be more damaging to deny a character because "the origin didn't fit the concept." Origin is a tool, a guide, a way to give your character flavour and resonance. Take for example a mercenaries MM: Are those NPC mercenaries followers who love their leader and will serve through thick and thin? Are they somehow enchanted, and compelled to serve via magic bindings. Perhaps they've been hard wired with neural nets that force them to do their master's bidding or injected with explosive nanites that the MM can use to dominate them. It's your story, it's how you want to play it and it shouldn't make a blind bit of difference what anyone else might think of your character. It's on you. Enjoy your own story and the devil take the naysayers.

Fun fact: For about 236 years, @Snarkywas Mother Theresa's understudy. that's right folks, he was second to nun! #tydydk

So should we refer to players on this shard as "Victorians", and will there be sponge cake?

I have two very important takeaways from this: Only just over half a million toons created in an entire year, and @Snarky was 2nd highest poster on the forums. The only conclusion I can draw from those two facts is that the game is doomed.

So it could just as easily be spelled Ptsoo

Then how do they hold their beer?

bitch! I didn't ever tell you to blow did I? #Fangsforthememory

Vampire car in reverse! Are you unalive now?

A very excellent pairing. I have a couple of them too I think a lot can be learned playing the same powers across ATs and also with different pools, and slotting. It's potentially a lot of fun but for me the power sets have to be ones I really enjoy regardless.

Inflatable vampires? There's bound to be a market for that... somewhere.

As the song says: "Jingle bell jingle bell, jingle bell rock Jingle bell swing and STFU" Whatever the OP's creative hobby is I can say fairly certainly it's not creative writing.

is it sideways?

I would love to see Marcus Cole, formerly Statesman come back but a powerless version. A city leader, a representative of Paragon, a diplomat, a statesman if you will. His years of experience would be invaluable, even without his powers. Perhaps the Well of the Furies, realising he was no longer alive took its power back from him leaving him with minimal powers but he would still be a titular figure to guide and mentor younger (player) characters - and occasionally need rescuing.