Hermit

Or maybe not, if I can decide on a couple of interesting potential Leaders. A couple, of course, for snipe-proofing.
 
I've already got a decent set of potential Lancers, and the rest of my hero choices are odd enough that sniping is unlikely.
 
But location...
 
OK, I guess I'm in.

He could run as a leftist Democrat.  After all, he invented Obamacare.

The results of the New Hampshire Primary are in.  
 
They'll be announced after the votes are cast.
 
 

It's clear from the clip that he was having fun.
 
Making Spartacus was as heroic a deed as any of his fictional characters did. The blacklist needed to be broken, because too many careers were ruined -- the innocent among the guilty. I was hoping we would never see such a feeding frenzy again.
 
He was also one of the few actors who could tolerate working with Stanley Kubrick.

Sam, God of Identifying Weirdos, has spoken
 

I lean that way myself. The phrase that comes to mind is "light a fire under their asses" ..inelegant, but I think it fits when it comes to motivating voters.
 
 

Guide to the Gods, by Marjorie Leach, might be useful to FH GMs in designing gods for settings. Or at least the table of contents might be, as a source of divine types you might not have thought of:
 
I Cosmogonical Deities
1  Primordial Beings
2 Male/Female Principle, Angdrogynous
3  Deities of the Universe, Space
4/5  Supreme Being, Great Spirit, High God/Creator Deities
 
II  Celestial Deities
6  Sky and Heaven Gods
7  Solar Gods: Dawn, Day, Light, Twilight, Eclipses
8  Lunar Gods: Eclipses
9 Gods of Night, Darkness
10  Stellar Gods: Constellations, Planets, Stars
 
III  Atmospheric Deities
11  Weather Gods: Thunder, Lightning, Rain, Wind, Rainbow, Drought
 
IV Terrestrial Deities
12  Animal/Bird Gods
13  Earth Gods: Land, Soil, Earthquakes
14  Fire Gods: Elemental, Domestic
15  Fresh Water Gods: Rivers, Lakes, Irrigation, Curative Waters
16  Metals: Mines, Minerals, Treasures
17  Nature Gods: Forest, Hills, Mountains, Stones, Trees
18  Sea Gods: Surf and Coastline, Seafarers and Navigation
 
V Life/Death Cycle Deities
19  Life: Birth, Procreation, Soul (in life). Longevity
20 Mankind: Men, Women, Children, Youth, Age
21  Fertility: Animal, Vegetable, Phallic
22  Disease Gods: Accident
23  Death Gods: The Dead, Soul (in death). Funereal, Embalming, Cemeteries
24  Afterworld/Underworld: Judgment, Soul (in death)
25  Resurrection/Rejuvination Deities
 
VI Economic Activities
26  Agriculture/Vegetation Gods
27  Deities of Domesticated Animals
28  Fishing: Fish Gods, Water Animals
29  Household Gods: Doors, Hearth, Home, etc.
30  Hunting: Gods of Wild Animals
31  Roads and Locations: Crossroads, Boundaries, Gates, Travelers
32  Trades and Crafts: Merchants, Markets, Artisans
33  Gods of Wealth: Abundance, Plenty, Prosperity
34  Gods of Non-Wealth: Famine, Hunger, Poverty
 
VII Socio-cultural Concepts
35  Abstract Deities
36  Arts: Music, Dancing, Poetry, Theater
37  Gods of the Cardinal Points
38  Culture: Teachers/Givers of, Lesser Creator Gods
39  Gods of Evil, Destructiveness
40 Gods of Destiny, Fate
41  Fortune: Luck, Good or Bad
42 Intellectual: Wisdom, Learning, Teaching, Scribes, Records, History
43  Justice: Law, Judgment, Equity, Government, Order, Morals, Oaths, Curses, Thieves
44 Love: Lust, Sexuality, Phallic, Lovers
45  Gods of Marriage
46 Medicine and Health: Body, Healing, Herbs, Senses
47 Pleasures: Happiness, Revelry, Festivals, Games
48  Gods of Time and Seasons: Calendar
49  Gods of War: Victory
50  Gods of Wine: Intoxicants, Narcotics, Drunkenness
 
VIII Religion
51  Religious Activities: Rituals, Initiation, Ceremonials
52  Divination, Prophecy
53  Magic, Sorcery
 
Okay, so you won't get detailed information about gods that you can crib. Even at more than 800 pages, there are so many gods the book can't give much more than a name and a source for more information, from the bibliography in the back. Here's an example, from a random page -- fire deities, as it happens.
 
Sakhadai  The god of fire of the Buriats. Also SakhidaiNoin, whose wife is Sakhala-Khatun. Siberia. (MacCulloch, 1964: 454; Klementz, 1925, 3: 4, II)
 
Sakhala, Sakhala-Khatun  The goddess and ruler of the fire with her husband Sakhadai (Sakhidai-Noin). The Buriats, Siberia. (MacCulloch, 1964: 454; Klementz, 1925,3:4)
 
Sakhri nad, Chulahi nad  The spirit of the hearth. The Oraon, India. (Roy, 1928: 72)
 
Savul  The fire-stick was deified as an individual god. Babylonia, Near East. (Sayce, 1898: 181)
 
Setcheti  An Egyptian fire god. (Budge, 1969, 1: 347)
 
Sethlans  Etruscan god of fire, god .of smiths—the artificer of the gods. Same as Vulcan, Hephaestus. Italy. (Rawlinson, 1885: 123;vonVacano, 1960: 19, 110;Pallottino, 1975: 142; Roscher, 1965, 4: 785)
 
Shahli milo  The god of fire, identified with the sun which is not addressed except as fire. The Choctaw Indians, Mississippi. (Spence, 1925, 3: 567-568)
 
Shulawitsi  The youthful god of fire and also of maize and hunting. He is a messenger for the sun. The Zuni, New Mexico. (Parsons, 1939: 175, 205; Tyier, 1964: 25; Stevenson, 1901/02: 33; Waters, 1950: 283-284)
 
Best if you can find it in a library, but really, the table of contents is probably enough unless you're really into obscure anthropology.
 
Dean Shomshak

I like a couple John Wayne movies such as Rio Bravo and True Grit.  Clint Eastwood is much more my style when it comes to Westerns though with The Outlaw Josey Wales being one of my favorite movies of any genre.
 
PS:  Although, I actually like the True Grit remake better than the original.

Take the most brilliant scientists of fiction (They all fit Smart Guy but at least one can also be big , or a lancer etc)  the professors, the doctors.... the best of the brainiest and then...
an evil cosmic force traps them in hellscape that can only be escaped by them working together on a paper , but they must put their egos side. They must PUBLISH OR PERISH!
 
Adversaries include the evil cosmic being , and students who keep intruding because they refused to get their own projects done until the last week
 
 

Bean-counting administrators Imbecile deans who demand Annual Performance Review forms by Friday, even though they'll ignore them for three months until they're sure there's not even enough money to give COLA raises to anyone but themselves this year Service committee chairs who ask for edits on some d----d draft of a new rule proposal which has no relevance to you or anyone you know Utterly clueless lumps of nonsapient fecal protoplasm that overflowed some toilet over in Liberal Arts and have taken up residence in rhe Grants and Contracts Office who cannot understand that no matter how many degrees in English or Philosophy they have, they DO NOT get to send the mandatory official grant forms back to the National Science Foundation and demand a more aesthetically pleasing grammatical construction  Physical Plant, who seem to think that it's OK to have the offices on one side of the hall be 89 F at all times, and the offices on the other side of the hall be 47 F at all times, because the hallway then is a nice 69 F at all times DFUA IT support cretins, who ram "upgrades" into your working machine that break all kinds of important functionality that IT support didn't take into account because they can't understand it Bean-counting administrators again, who want to increase all class sizes to 38 students per so they can lay off one poor part-time adjunct making $7000 a quarter, even though there are no classrooms on campus that can actually seat 38 students at the same time The Fire Marshal, who barges in without warning and declares the lab unsafe because there's too much stuff in it Los Federales, who send you a nastygram requiring you to do the re-up FERPA regulation training before the end of the month DFUA IT support cretins again, since the nearest printer that actually works is over in the East Camelhumping Building, to which you have no access Did I mention bean-counting administrators who think they can solve the $8 million per year deficit in the budget they have f-----d up by cutting off all six scientific support staff, each of whom makes $22,000 a year or less? Some reptile-sodomizing textbook publisher rep who wants you adopt a new edition of their crap book, when the changes made in it are (1) dumbing it down, (2) pushing some utterly unworkable on-line homework system onto students for no justifyable pedagogical benefit, and (3) bumping the price up another $55 a copy Idiot drone underlings of bean-counting administrators who send you crap emails to get you to contribute to the Annual Fund Drive Campaign For Fatter Administration Paychecks Imbecile deans again who want you to serve on the Performance Review Form Revision Committee because imbecile deans can't admit it's all a F------ WASTE OF EVERYONE'S TIME AND ALWAYS WILL BE ... Sigh, too many adversaries for one draft, I'm afraid.

Of course ,superheroing being what it is, at least one bit of advice was sprinkled liberally during a fight. Superheroes, and heck, supervillains, can be a talkative bunch. Banter is part and parcel of the exchange. There were strong silent types to be sure, but try as I might, I never ascended to those stoic ranks.
 
My grandpappy had once advised that it was better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. Good advice.
Wish I could bring myself to follow it.
 
"Can you believe this guy?" I asked on the com as I traded blows with XTC. The villain hadn't taken his name based on some drug craze, the initials actually stood for 'Extreme Terror and Carnage', "And when we met, you thought Eel was a bad name."
 
Viewpoint and I were not friends actually, though I liked who he had become, I just hadn't put in the time to really befriend him like I did the original team. That said, it had occurred to me that if I was going to be a co-captain for him and the others, I might want to start being a bit more social with him; so when a standard patrol came up for Viewpoint, I went with him.
 
As big a dry spell we'd had recently, neither of us was expecting an actual supervillain, not even one with dubious taste in code names.
"Still not crazy about it, Eel," Viewpoint lowered his shades needlessly to blast the villain with beams of pure energy, "But yeah, XTC does smack of trying way too hard. Though I give the guy credit for one thing. He does not want to stay down."
 
XTC was strong, not as strong as me, but strong, fairly tough. His real power seemed to be hyper-recuperation. No sooner did you think you had him on the ropes, when the guy would spring up ready to go again. I had punched him a distance of at least twenty feet three times now and each time he got up like some weird Scrappy-Doo with the body of a Pro Wrestler throw away to come up again.
Viewpoint's powers were proving about as effective as my muscle. Which is to say, quite handy to knocking him down, frustrating for keeping him down. 
 
"Yeah, this is getting farcical," I said, "Mind Shearing this George?" George was not Viewpoint's name, and in fact, had I said that loud enough to be heard, it wouldn't have betrayed much of anything. A lot of Lady Obsidian's battle commands were based on famous Jazz Musicians. Okay, famous in jazz circles. I had to look some of these guys up, but in a nutshell George Shears was a blind jazz pianist of English birth. The code ward was a clue to neutralize your foe's senses, if you could.
Viewpoint? Viewpoint could!
 
"On it," And he motioned XTC towards him in the universal gesture of 'come get some'. XTC needed no prompting!
"You think I'm a joke? You will respect me!" And he charged towards Viewpoint. 
 
If it seemed like we were taking XTC lightly and that he might have a right to protest, well, not really. I learned long ago that even rookie villains could get lucky, pulling stunts not in their best interest where a pro would  show a bit more savvy.  Viewpoint was taking a chance here, and unlike myself, he was not blessed with enhanced durability against physical trauma. This didn't go right, XTC could get a lucky slam into him and cave in a rib at the very least.
 
Once again, Viewpoint's eyes flared, this time with an immense brightness I knew better than to look into myself. XTC didn't realize he should take similar precautions, and he clutched at his face!
 
"Mother @#$#er, I'm blind!" He snarled.
 
See, this is how I knew XTC wasn't a professional villain. Not the cursing, that varies a lot. It was the announcing his new vulnerability for both of us to hear. I mean, I knew that was the case anyway, that was the plan after all, but calling your weaknesses out is a very rookie move.
The blinding only caused XTC to veer a little off course, but with his arms out stretched like that he still might clip Viewpoint with all the power of a runaway pickcup truck. Fortunately, I wasn't slacking on my side of the job.
 
I had already started moving towards him even as the blast went off, and interposing myself between XTC and Viewpoint, I tackled the former to the ground. Not only am I stronger, XTC had no proper balance when I collided into him. He went down like a sack of wet cement from a hard drop! 
 
"Cheating son of a -" He grunted as I put him in a full nelson and pinned his unseeing face into the street. 

"Careful now," I warned as I held him, "You really want to insult the mother of the man who's got you in this kind of grip?" 
 
Not really caring what his answer was, I said to Viewpoint "We got an ETA on when the Authorities with the suppressors will be here?"
Viewpoint looked at me startled, "You didn't call it in?"

"No," I said surprised, "I figured it would be a given with-" And I realized my mistake. Mabel wasn't on the Com. She was not the omnipresent, ever reliant and always on the clock A.I. anymore. She was now sporting a new body and plugged into our coms when she wanted to be. In short, she had a life.

"Damn," I muttered, "Sorry, Viewpoint."
 
"Don't apologize to me, feel sorry for yourself. It can take up to an hour for folks to get here with the right gear and ah, I ain't holding him, you are," Viewpoint pointed out.
 
I made a face, "Well, sloppy of me. Talk about rookie moves." Even as I made the call.
 
"It's not a rookie move at all," Viewpoint corrected me, "It's habit, and that's a sign of established patterns. It's your experience actually working against you."
 
"Yeah," I said pondering exactly how long I could hold onto XTC. I was stronger, but given this guy's near inexhaustible stamina, I could be feeling a bit tired before the authorities showed. Then again, I once held up a building long enough to evacuate, so I'd probably be okay, "I suppose you have a point." I grunted.
 
Mind you, despite being so close to XTC, at most he was hearing a mumble. Our com systems had a sub harmonic thing going for security reasons.
 
Viewpoint re-positioned himself, getting a clear shot to blast the contained villain without hitting me if he need to, and continued, "You mind if I give you my viewpoint?" A weak smile. His play on his own hero name had been used in numerous commercials. He'd cut down on it when he became a legit hero, but the fact he used it now was kind of guy code for guiding me into something more serious. A little self depreciation as a way to soften what might be hard words.
 
I spocked a brow at him, "Go ahead."
 
"You're gonna have to change things up," He advised me, "You've got a new team forming under you, not just Slime, Pogo and me either."
"I know that," I started to say, when abruptly XTC tried to flip me off! No, not a rude gesture, he bucked trying to break my grip on him hoping I got distracted.
 
I made some cracks in the granite by whamming his head against it delicately, "Stop that," I told him out loud, "or I'm going to get annoyed."
XTC groaned, then cursed, but he held still.
 
"I know that," I repeated to Viewpoint wondering where he was going with this, "I hope to guide the rookies in easy."
"Different people, different team," Viewpoint continued, "You're not Lady Obsidian."
"Gee, thanks," I said feeling oddly challenged by the obvious statement.
 
"You try to be her, you're going to flop. More importantly, these rookies aren't the crew you're used to. It's not just the whole social dynamic that's different, it's the components that make up the whole."
 
Pretty fancy talk from a guy who used to sell burgers on TV, I thought, but I told him, "I've already gotten the every hero has their own baggage talk from Lady O."
 
He nodded, then shook his head, the later catching me off guard, "Good, but not exactly what I mean. I'm talking about your baggage and their baggage all having to share the same cargo space. You've got your character flaws, and you need to own up to yourself about them so you can compensate for their flaws that will hit those buttons. This is going make the team different, make requirements different, and I dont' mean powerwise."
 
"You know, Viewpoint, given your own past history, I'm not sure you get to judge people," I said a bit testy. I had felt unsure about teaching as it was, and this wasn't helping my concerns.

Without lifting his arms, he held up hands in a no harm no foul intended motion, "Trust me, I get the hypocrisy involved here. You got the mote, I got the beam," he said using biblical terminology which surprised me. I guess I never thought of him as religious, and maybe he wasn't, but clearly he knew enough to borrow the metaphors, "But right now, I'm responsible for me, and whatever team mate I'm with at the time, you're going to be leading and teaching 24/7 more or less, or at least on call for the same. Higher stakes, higher standards. And also, you got to consider the ego conflict of being an echo."
 
I blinked, that last part had totally thrown me, "The ego conflict of being an echo?"
 
"Sorry, went through a period of a lot of self help books," He chuckled, "You know celebrities, we go through fad enlightenment like most people go through diet plans. What I'm trying to say is-" His eyes darted to the once again squirming XTC "Pardon, mind if I chip in?"
 
"Gonna tear you apart!" XTC tried to lunge.
 
"Oh go ahead," I said, "I'm feeling a bit conflicted about slamming this moron while he's 'technically' helpless. It sends a wrong message to any kids watching."
 
Viewpoint's energy gaze hit with amazing accuracy avoiding my arms and catching XTC with a strike that dazed him. 
"Thanks," I took the brief moment to reposition, hoping that the guys would get here soon, "You were saying?"
 
"What I'm trying to say," He resumed, "is that you do well to take what you learned and observed from Lady O about being a teacher and a leader, but if you try to be her, you'll just be an echo at best, and that's gonna eat away at your ego. And like wise, if you  exepct these kids to be Pinprick, Tornado, and Arctic Fox next gen? They won't compare even when they don't screw up. They'll just be echos."
"Don't you think they should be so lucky to be half as good as some of the others that we know?" I said, kind of sticking up for my friends, but trying to keep an open mind
.
"Young bloods don't settle for that, and when they do, it can turn into a lot of self loathing fast. That's a lot of maturity to ask of anyone. When I was a kid? You think I didn't want to be the good guy? Like Mr. Mega or Tour D. Force? You don't want what happened to me happen to these rookies."
 
"You" I said cautiously, "You're a good man now, and a good superhero."
 
"yeah, but before that I deliberately confused selfishness with wisdom and cynicism with insight, largely because I grew to resent trying and failing to emulate the greats so I just told myself they were fools and I was a fresh and happening new type of hero being a rebel."
I was curious, it's hard to feel attacked when you realize someone is at least as hard on themselves as you, "Why do you think that was?"
"Because, after a time of trying to climb on the top of the pedestal to join the idol you put up there, time and time again, slipping, falling, then trying and failing again to reach it," Viewpoint looked thoughtful, "After a time you just want to knock it over instead. It's small, it's petty, but it's human."
 
It was good advice, and I get why he was saying it. Not to but in on my or Ariana's soon to be authority, but because he wanted to spare those kids the same mistakes he had fallen into. And maybe spare me as well. But the reminder I would have my own baggage, while not his emphasis, was also valued.
 
"What do you think my flaws are?" And I slipped, asking out loud feeling oddly introspective for a moment.

"You're a candy ass suck up to the authority of the status quo!" XTC managed to arch a leg up to kick me in the back, dislodging me enough to turn my full nelson into a half nelson. Half was enough for me to hang on as he tried to rise.
 
Rather than settling for reestablishing a full grip, I took my free left hand and hammered the soon to be uglier side of XTC's profile with several rapid fire punches, "SHUT THE THE HELL UP!" I said , a punch with each syllable "AND STAY THE HELL DOWN OR I WILL BEAT THE LIVING #$#$# OUT OF YOU AND SEE IF YOU REGENERATE TEETH!"
 
Finally, XTC went limp with a groan.
 
"Well, for one thing," Viewpoint observed, staring at the bruised villain in my grip, "When pushed too far for too long you have an angry mean streak."
 
I had to raise a brow, "What makes you think that?"
 
But the authorities finally arrived, and  I guess Viewpoint didn't think he had time to answer.
 

By the next day, the departing Samaritans had loaded up and prepped to go to Port Cascade, but I have to say it was nice that some of them took time to take to hang out with me. In fact, they all had something to say.
 
"Relax, you got this," Arctic Fox said, "Much as I had to admit it, your instincts are usually good. You saw through my ex," She made a face.
"Well, that might have been because he was hoping to get ride of me personally to create a spot on the team," I admitted.
 
"So was I," Fox said, "Look, you're a good guy. Annoying, but good. But the fact you and Lady Obsidian have caught the same things at the same time more than once is probably how she knows you've got the stuff. You have similarities where it counts, and enough difference that you're not some mini-she."
 
"Thanks," I said with a smile.
 
"Besides, Ariana will probably do the bulk of the work," She said.
 
"Hey? Lady Obsidian said 'co captains'," I reminded. "I'll do my share."
 
"Yes, but you and I weren't partials, we weren't always stuck at 'good enough to be a side show but not a superhero'," Arctic Fox said casually, almost callously.
 
"Ariana is a hero," I said, "She was taking risks even before-"
 
"Peace, Lover-boy," She held up a hand, "She was a friend of mine before she was your girlfriend. Of course she was a hero, but it's the super part I'm talking about. She was minor league, not because of a character flaw, but because she just didn't have the power level. But watch out, for once a government super soldier program kind of sort of didn't lead to doom, our leader improved it, and suddenly there's a way over that wall. Partials can hang with us. The one percent is now the five percent, and while none of us really think much of it, Ariana is leading that wave. She's the one who has been there in the minors, made it to the majors. She earned her spot, but she still had to work for it. You mark my words, she's going to be the hard ass, not you. "
 
"Right," I chuckled. My girlfriend was one of the most understanding, sweetest woman I'd ever met, playful sure, and brave and bad-ass, but R.Lee Emery she was not.
 
"Fine, don't believe me," Arctic Fox said with a shrug.
 
"This old foes of yours?" I said changing the subject, or trying to, "The three you said old dance partners, one of them you gave a pretty hard look at. Personal business?"
 
"Meaning you're hoping it's not so you can nose in?" She arched a brow.
 
"Yeah," I confessed.
 
"Ice Queen, not only is her name too on the nose for my liking, we're so evenly matched it can lead to some long frustrating drawn out battles. She's like evil opposite with the same shtick."
 
"She's evil but modest, open, and  non-judgmental?" I said in a surprised tone.
 
"Why Ariana likes you I am still not sure, but perhaps she just decided to bite a bullet to save the rest of womankind," Her eyes narrowed.
At least three responses came to mind, one a bit dirty, one a bit smug, and another probably not as clever as I thought it was. However, as I had already thrown myself into a hole here, socially speaking, I took the fourth option and gave a 'who knows?' shrug.
Now, Valentino giving me advice was a sure thing. He'd been the first of the team to actually befriend me, and while my dating his niece had cause some protective hackles on his part to rise, they'd smoothed over pretty quickly. To my surprise, the nature of his counsel had very little to do with Ariana. 
 
****
"You've got to get them to know the city, man," he said as we walked plains clothes through a food market of sorts, a bazaar might be a better word. With Mabel detatched, he'd volunteered for some shopping, "you need to give them an appreciation for the cultures, have them spread their patrols through the neighborhoods, meet and greet folks, get to know our fellow citizens."
 
There was a pause as he motioned to a bag of oranges and spoke in Spanish too rapid for me to follow with an older man regarding price. The haggling that followed  seemed to have the older man accusing Tino of being some kind of highwayman robbing from him, and Tino rattling off that if he wanted to be ripped off he could go to a grocery store. It was all very dramatic sounding. 
 
I wanted to cut in and tell Tino to just pay the asked for price so we could move on, but I admit I was too tickled. I'd seen Tornado bantering with supervillains with less intensity back and forth than this. Valentino gestured and make some comment about one of the oranges being oddly shaped, the gent selling it countered something about flavor and I think texture? 
 
I really do know Spanish now, but as fast as they were flying (Figuratively, not literally) I wouldn't just need subtitles, I'd need to slow down the speed of play on this particular bit.
 
Finally, it seemed Tino found a price he could abide. The transaction was made and with bag of fruit in hand, we went on.
Once I was sure no one could overhear I had to say it, "Is the world safe for reasonable rates on food produce once more, or will the dark shadow of its threat rise again should we neglect vigilance?"
 
"Macho talk from a guy who once needed help fighting poultry," He shot back good-naturedly, neglecting the part where said chicken was fifty foot tall and superpowered! Before I could think of a clever rejoinder (Hey, a minute or two and I could have come up with something) he said, "But seriously, Caleb, you need to get them in touch with the people."
 
"Tino," I said, "They're not staying in  Costa Sagrado beyond maybe a month. It's train em, then then wish them well."
 
"Don't be so sure, besides, this is an important lesson period, it's not about the city, it's about appreciating where you are and who you're fighting for. You know how it is for some supers, they live in some secret base on the moon, or at the South Pole, and have enough resources to avoid the Nine to Five rat race that swallows most folks up.  For some of those lucky bastards, it becomes all about the next fight, the next villain.  Some superheroes get so caught up in 'the struggle of good versus evil', 'us against them', 'white cape dukes it out with black mask' and so on, that they neglect being a part of who they're fighting for," Tino said, "You need to drive home to these rookies that it's not a villain hero only world."
 
"I'm pretty sure any superhero wants to protect the innocents," I raised a brow, "I mean, it's one of the reasons I'm a superhero and not an act at Sea World."
 
He smiled at that, but then shook his head, "It's not enough, man. Look, Lady Obsidian likes us to have places to live outside the base. She told you why, right?"
 
A light dawned, "Right, so we could remember we're part of the population, not above them."
 
"Exactly," He said, "Same thing. You need to get the rookies to appreciate the breadth of humanity, and hold onto it. Too many folks with power, even outside of superheroes, assume that their position as guardian excuses them acting like jackasses, or bullies. There is a danger in being so focused on protecting your fellow humans that you forget you are one."
 
As if to emphasize his last point, he spread out his free hand to the crowds in the distance, "They need to be able to relate to all this, wherever they go, not to be better crime fighters, but so they'll be better people."

It was not entirely new advice, but it was damn good advice, and timely, "Thanks, TIno," Then I thought of something, "You ever see some hero forget this lesson personally?"
 
A frown crossed his features, and he seemed ,troubled, "Angels fall, Sheep Dogs can turn on the flock, and the path from zealous do-gooder to delusional villain is not a hard one to find if your'e not looking where you're going." 
 
That was a bit more poetic an answer than I was used to, and I was tempted to ask for details if details there were, but by that time? He was already haggling for avocados..

(A bit more)

We went to that section of the base that definitely did not seem so high tech, there was a plain oak desk that no one was supposed to look through 'upon penalty of pain'. As far as I knew, no one had ever called Lady Obsidian's bluff on that one, not even Tornado who could be a bit nosy by nature. She reached into one drawer, opened it, and drew out a manila folder, then handed it to Ariana with a nod to me to join in share it with her.
 
"Wow, the technology you super-geniuses use never cease to amaze me," Ariana said as she ran her hands over the folder and spread it open.
 
"Just think of it as a zip file full of PDFs that's hack-proof from cyber attacks," Doctor Vernon said, "And spare me the sauce, young lady. I thought you, at least, would be excited by this."
 
"I am," She said, "Was, am," She blushed in response, "I just well, I think I'll feel better when I know who we're working with."
 
"This will tell you facts about them, it won't tell you who they are. No file can really do that," Lady Obsidian said, "You should see the files I have on you two. Surprisingly unhelpful at times."
 
"Wait, you have a file on us?" I asked, "In this desk, just, hard copy ready for anyone to steal?"
 
"This place doesn't get raided by outside forces," She started to say.

Both Ariana and I gave her a look.
 
"Often," Lady Obsidian finished, "And they always go for the hard drive. Besides, it's chemically treated with some fail safes that will make stealing it tricky."
 
"Chemically treated? Should I be glad I'm wearing gloves?" Valerosa asked.
 
"Relax, the ink just starts to fade without the proper elements in the air, i mix a chemical compound into our ventilation that's not quite the same composition as the air outside," Lady Obsidian explained, "The ink is set to break apart in it's absence. Nice little security option, mmm?"
 
"Wait, you're messing with our air supply?" I looked at her alarmed.

"Yeah, about that?" Valerosa added.
 
"Relax," the super scientist said again, "You two are hardly in danger of being all out of love or so lost." A chuckle.
I didn't get it.

I shot a confused look at Ariana.

She looked confused right back and shrugged.
 
Our leader noticed this, "'I'm All Out of Love, Air Supply? Very White Australian band, 1980? Sweet little ballad?"
 
"Oh," I said, "1980," And nodded slowly, "A 'classic' then, ah... never heard of it."
 
"I'm not really up on golden oldies," Ariana explained.
 
Lady Obsidian huffed, "Young people annoy me so much some days. Fine, Let's get back to the files." Then she muttered a bit more about our generation.
 
Ariana's chocolate eyes met mine and hers were dancing. I had to admit, that was fun. Wrong, but fun.
 
But our attention turned to the files and we flipped the folder. Each file had a picture of the individual in their costume, then the list of Codename, summary of powers, notations on their background and history, and then a sort of layman psychological profile. I couldn't help but wonder for a moment what my file looked like?
 
I put the vanity and insecurity into a tight little ball and buried it where it would surely arise as a full blown psychological condition later, like any guy does and focused on reading the list.
 
The first image was a guy a bit on the scrawny side, by superhero standards. To be fair, there are some athletes that are on the scrawny side by superhero standards. He had cape and cowl combo which worked nicely, but as for masks, instead of covering his eyes, he had a sort of lower mask covering his mouth and jawline. His colors were dark purple and stark white, more of the former than the latter though. 
 
I read the notes over my girlfriend's shoulder, "Aspirant, interesting name, oh no," I groaned, "his power is telepathy? That's almost as creepy as a mystic."
 
"One of your best friends is a mystic," Ariana reminded me.
 
"Yeah but I knew Mayo before he got into the heebie jeebie stuff," I countered, "And telepathy? I don't know, this kid doesn't have defenses, he'll be killed. Really, Doctor,  you decided he needed a enhancement device so he could read more minds?"
 
Lady Obsidian said "Actually I gave him the enhancer so he could turn it off. You see, while it was short range, for a time he couldn't stop picking up thoughts. The enhancer has given him the ability to wall it off, to coordinate. This poor guy has had a hard life, he couldn't be near people without drowning in their thoughts, at first folks thought he was going crazy and tried to have him committed, and he stumbled onto a murder plot which he foiled and nearly died for. Now? With the ability to wall it off, he still wants to help. That's hero material."
 
"Well," I said, "I feel petty," I admitted. Actually, now I was feeling a great deal of sympathy, "Poor guy. Anything else crappy in his life?"
 
"Well, he's from Nova Scotia, Canada," Lady Obsidian said, "So you know some folk are going to tease him there."
 
Ariana winced, "Yeah, could be worse though. Could be from one of those interchangeable Carolinas"
 
I looked at my girlfriend, letting some of the hurt show, "Did I forget an important date or something?"

 
Ariana chuckled, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Now who is next," She flipped to the next file. As it was in her hands, I was going to be moving at her speed of read.

"Hussar," I read the next, now this guy was broad shouldered, and out of those shoulders was a pair of wings of white and gold that matched the blond hair on his head. His costume had a kind of cosplay armor look, that is the sort of gear that looks impressive but isn't really chain mail? "Were his wings tinier before the enhancer?" I dared.
"Oh no, Hussar came into this world full powered more or less, he's the clone of Angel Man," she said.
 
I might have been merely an eager layman in history, but the hero stuff I had down pretty well, "Angel Man has been dead for fifty years."
"Brave new world," Lady Obsidian said, "Like Angel Man, he's superstrong, tough and flies... the flying could be useful and the rest well, both of you can teach that. He wasn't prematurely aged or anything, he's had the powers all his life, but was raised in a farm in the midwest but he's got something to prove."
"At least we're not talking about a three year old in an adult body or anything," Ariana said with relief, then "We can work with this." Her confidence was returning, and I resolved to try not to rain on her parade.
 
Me? I was glad to have someone with innate abilities he'd been used to for while.
 
The next one was a woman, who had skin that appeared to be made of bark, or maybe bark over her skin? Some of it prickly here and there, not quite even.  The overall effect made her look like a fantasy cover. From this it was hard to tell her age. There were a few petals bursting out over her left ear and I think some blackberries.

"She's human right?" I asked as I looked at the figure, "Not that we have a human only policy."

"Bramble's human, that's her battle form I guess," Lady Obsidian said, "Her powers are hard to define, Botanokinesis? She can sense plant life, and alter it in some amazing ways. Underneath that bark is a teenage girl with amazing potential. Before the enhancer, her powers were pretty weak, so this is really new to her."
"Noted," Ariana says, "Any of them have any hand to hand training?"

"Not that I know of," Lady Obsidian confessed.

"What?" Ariana scowled, "They've had powers all their lives, wanted to be superheroes for years, and they did no prep?"

"Well, I don't know about no prep," The professor said, "Some of them never thought they'd be big, they helped in small ways. Now they have a chance for the majors."
Valerosa rolled her eyes, "Wishing never got anyone anywhere. I'm going to have to build them up from the ground up."

"We still have one other," I reminded her, a bit startled at her heat.  Arianna was a sweet sympathetic person, it was one of the things I loved about her. Yet here, she was showing an almost disdain for those who just waited for the enhancers.

Lady Obsidian said, "I remind you, I picked these people. I'm not saying their perfect, but inside them, they have the stuff. How you get them to bring it out, that's between you two. Also, might as well take a look at the last one, and no she never studied karate."

The last girl was on fire. I don't mean she was attractive, though she was; sometimes in the superhero business, metaphors get lost fast. I mean her hair either was fire, or was burning enough you couldn't really see it and there were flickers of flame all over her body and costume. I wondered if she appreciated a good pun making 'hot pants' part of her costume.

Ariana glanced over this last file, "Super-speed and fire powers? That's an interesting combination."

"Probably why she's going by the handle Trailblazer," Lady Obsidian chuckled, "I agree some basic hand to hand is good, but in her case I want you to work on her accuracy. Flame throwing is the power that makes your average citizen shudder, and for good reason."

"Not just the citizens," I muttered. Fire is not my friend.  I mean, I'm not a neanderthal, I don't consider it an angry god. But it dries me out fast and my super durably becomes 'pretty nice' durability bordering on meh. If not for my regeneration abilities in a good soak later, I'd probably look like a burn ward victim.
Lady Obsidian looked at us,"Look over the files, but remember patience, and get to know them. Superheroes aren't just a listing of powers, skills, and abilities, and we each come with our own hang ups and psychological..."

    "Disadvantages?" Ariana finished glancing at the profiles.

    "I was going to say complications," I looked over the sheets.

    "Baggage, I was going to say baggage," Lady Obsidian said, "At the end of the day,  every person who is a superhero has their own insecurities and their own character flaws. It's what keeps us human."
    I looked at her and smiled, "Even you?"

    Our team leader shook her head, "Young sir, I have a bag full of cats in my brain too, they aren't that much more well behaved than yours. They're just tired and need a nap more often."

    Ariana smiled lightly at that, "Thanks for the files, Caleb and I will go study," then to emphasis her point, she kissed my cheek, "Ready to do homework and talk on this?"

    "Sure am," I smiled at her. I recognized the gesture. She was reminding me duty came before pleasure, but letting me know she also wished it weren't so, "I have to say, I actually like the code names."

    "You sound almost disappointed," Ariana raised a brow as she walked with me.

    "Well, with all the flack I catch for Eel,"  I said, "A little."

    "You can still change that superhero name, you know?" She reminded.

    "No," I said then added, "Besides, do you know what a nightmare it is to change the merch?"

    Ariana chuckled and we went to study. Sadly, JUST study.
 

Greetings, intrepid heroes! I am pleased to present this month’s Superdraft. You will draft five heroes that fit certain roles. You will also draft one support character, a couple of adversaries, and a couple of non-character options. And a location, of course. Here are the specifics:
 
Location: Choose a location for your team and your story. This is the first pick.
 
Heroes: You will draft one hero to fill each of the following roles.
The Leader: Pretty self-explanatory. This is the main protagonist. The Lancer: Second-in-command and general foil for the Leader. May be opposite in personality, temperament, and/or philosophy, or may just be an irritant in general. The main function of this character is to keep the Leader in line. The Big Guy: The team’s ‘big gun’. May be physically large and/or strong, or just very powerful. Imposing, in any case. This doesn’t preclude the character being smart or sensitive; they’re just more likely to use the direct approach when it comes down to it. The Smart Guy: This hero solves problems with brains rather than raw power. May be a scientist, gadgeteer, scholar, mystic, or general all-around know-it-all. This does not preclude the character being very powerful; they just don’t solve problems that way. The Heart: This character is the soul and conscience of the team. Often (but not necessarily) female on an otherwise all male team. ‘Heart’ should not necessarily be interpreted as underpowered, passive, or damsel-in-distress.  
Support: Draft one character to complement the heroes. Examples may include a mentor, sidekick, team pet, occasional ally, frenemy, DNPC, etc. 
 
Adversaries: Draft two adversaries for your team. Adversaries may be individuals, small groups (no more than 5 or 6 members), or organizations. See below for specifics.
 
Options: Options may be used for pretty much anything except additional heroes, support, or adversaries. You don’t need to use them if you don’t want to.
 
Eleven picks total. We will begin on Friday, February 7th at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time. We will NOT take weekends off (due to the late start of the draft); we will draft each day from February 7th to the 17th. I'll post a poll sometime around February 21st.
 
Locations, Heroes, and Support are exclusive. The usual rules on characters apply: Draft the man, not the mask. If someone drafts Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), then all other versions of Carol are of the board--Ms. Marvel, Binary, Warbird, Ultimate Carol Danvers, etc. Other versions of Captain Marvel--Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, Billy Batson, etc.--are still in play.
 
Adversaries may be drafted by no more than three different owners. An individually-drafted Adversary may be included as part of a team by subsequent owners, and members of previously-drafted teams may be used individually by other owners. As long as nobody appears in more than three stories, it’s all good. 
Example: Owner A drafts the cinematic Brotherhood of Evil Mutants--Magneto, Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth. Owner B later drafts Magneto as an individual adversary. Owner C then drafts the Hellfire Club--Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Selene, Magneto, and Tessa. Magneto is now off the board.  
This is not necessarily a Supers draft. Choose whatever genre you're comfortable with. Just make sure your heroes fit into their well-defined roles.
 
Fiction is not required, but may earn you more votes.
 
I think that’s it. If there are any questions, please let me know.
 
We kick off in less than 48 hours.
 
Who's in?

Senator Romney is going to catch seven different kinds of Hell for this, and he knows it.
 
He did it anyway.
 
That's not nothing.

Well, I still don't LIKE Romney but.. props and gratitude

First they fail to release the pre-voting poll, and then they fail to release the vote totals.  
 
"I believe in coincidence.  Coincidences happen every day.  But I don't trust coincidences."  
 
Garak, Star Trek Deep Space Nine

No, vote Cthulhu, let's just get it over with.

I confess, THIS Bernie supporter is at least feeling suspicious.
 
 
 

At last, an honest man!

I confess, THIS Bernie supporter is at least feeling suspicious.
 
 
 

New one is back up!
 
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1190.html

Fetal position dismantled! 

YES, the 49ers are denied!
 
I was a Elway Broncos fan back in the day. The petty bitterness lingers