The End of an Era (Good-bye City of Heroes)

Tonight I fought my way through an alien invader's mighty defenses and struck at the heart of their stronghold on Earth. I traveled back to ancient Rome to defeat time-traveling Nazis from launching an all-out assault on history itself. I stopped a mugging. I flew through a donut. And I shared it all with a group of strangers who, collectively, make up the greatest online gaming community I have ever known. I'll never do any of these things again, and it makes me sad... but also glad. Tonight was an amazing end to a fantastic gaming experience. Thank you to everyone who worked with me tonight or in the past; thank you especially to dear friends, whom I miss all the more tonight.

"We built this city... we built this city..."

Back to Base X

I want to share another City of Heroes story: One of my most cherished memories of CoH was working with my (small but tight-knit) super group to create a (small but functional) super group base that we could all be proud of, and enjoy hanging out in. As a lapsed player stuck at free status for these final months, I've been incredibly disappointed that I would never be able to see the base again... my friends are long gone from the game, and I had no way to pay the rent.

I should have known better, though! Tonight I logged in and asked in Help Chat if anyone could help, and I was almost immediately flooded with replies from friendly VIPs. I had access to my base again in minutes, with a new friend running over from across the city to join my Super Group and pay the rent for me. It might have seemed like a small thing to that person, or to any of the MANY other people who quickly offered to help, but it means so much to me. THIS is what I will miss most about CoH, this community of fun-loving, helpful, heroic people. Sure, it was a small thing, but it was indicative of the experience I've only been able to find in the City of Heroes.

Expectations Be DARNED

 Today's XKCD comic hit my brain like a TRUCK. Every once in awhile the creator, Randall Munroe, experiments with different storytelling styles or far-out ideas, but today's "Click and Drag" really surprised me. Reminiscent of the Infinite Canvas described by Scott McCloud, today's comic went on... well, nigh-infinitely, it seemed to me. I spent quite a long time exploring and letting my mind wander as I marveled at the sheer scale of what he'd done. I thought to myself:

• How long did this take? He must've been working on this (in addition to the regular strips) for MONTHS
• Does it end? Does it loop? How many directions does it travel off into?
•  Is there a perfect way to "read" this, to see everything in one sweep?
• Is this a commentary on life, and how there is no single, ideal linear progression? Just opportunities to explore and discover?
• Are those Warp Pipes?

If that all sounds ridiculous and heavy, well... XKCD frequently is. Today's was extra special, though (as even Comics Alliance noted) so I had to share. Be sure you click and drag it.

Is This The End of Paragon City?

On this, the One Year Anniversary of the last time I properly updated this blog, I thought I'd write about something that's been hitting me a lot harder than maybe it ought to: the end of City of Heroes. For those who are unfamiliar, CoH is a super hero themed MMORPG, and the first online game of its type that I ever explored. The characters I created, the friends I made, and the adventures I had still mean so much to me... more than some of the other nonsense I've played since. Back when I was actually properly updating this blog, I did a sketch or two of my favorite characters (and my friends'). Wozar still appears in the banner for this blog.