Thursday, October 31, 2019

INAUGURAL LEAGUE WAR Round #1 Score Recap


By Mark DoktorVon Rickter (aka the Vanguardian)

The First Round of our Inaugural League War has finished, so let's look at the Final Tally of each division.

DIVISION ONE
1) W- [♦ The Avengers ♦] 243 wins;
2) W- [TᕼE ᑕOᒪOᑎY .5¹] 135 wins;
3) L- [TᕼE ᑕOᒪOᑎY .5¹] 25 wins;
4) L- [Legacy of Spawn] 0 wins.

DIVISION TWO
1) W- [₳NGꬲLⱾ OF ƮHΣ ₳P๏CคLYPSΣ] 259 wins;
2) W- [♦️ The Avengers 2 ♦️] 202 wins;
3) L- [5th Precinct S.W.A.T.] 109 wins
4) L- [Seraphim Angels] 79 wins.

DIVISION THREE
1) W- [♢ ♧ШilD[5¹]CaЯDs ♡♤] 207 wins;
2) W- [Ⓦⓞⓡⓜⓗⓞⓛⓔ5¹] 164 wins;
3) W- [~ƝMĐŞ~┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐] 131 wins;
4) W- [Realm Defenders, United] 129 wins;
5) L- [6th Precinct] 66 wins;
6) L- [Tygger’s Freak Show] 47 wins;
7) L- [Cargo Cult] 24 wins;
8) L- [5th Precinct Night Shift] 0 wins.

DIVISION FOUR
1) W- [Total[5¹]Vengeance] 258 wins;
2) W- [~\\\\ PAIN inc. ////~] 124 wins;
3) W- [5th Precinct Buddy Cops] 102 wins;
4) W- [Red Guard] 58 wins;
5) L- [101st Spacerangers] 68 wins;
6) L- [5th Precinct Police Academy] 54 wins;
7) L- [The Purple Onion] 10 wins;
8) L- [5th Precinct Space Force] 0 wins.

ROUND TWO placements will be critical, as always, and at time of posting, have not been announced.

May Fortune favor you...
the Vanguardian
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Halloween Contest fiction: Rainbow Legacy Halloween Special


And the winners is, Powerbottoms entry. Thanks for entering the contest, here is their story:

___

(Original Story prompt by Dan Peyton)

  The elevator doors slid open and Director Nova stepped out into BADGE HQ. He hated that two mile ride down, but this was the most secure location on Earth. The headquarters of the most advanced base on the planet were surprisingly vacant, but this was normal. Most of the work conducted here was done by robots along with the most sophisticated AI system in the world.

After a short walk down the corridor, Nova came into a large room filled with computer consoles and a massive set of screens. Two robots worked at the consoles as the only crew today.
“Let’s check in on the teams.” He stated. “Call up the world maps, I want to see where these leagues are?”

“Understood Director.” The computer answered and the screens filled with maps of the world. Each map had the location of the various teams of superheroes that worked for BADGE. They organized themselves into leagues so they could fight crime locally as well as more easily respond to a call for international emergencies.

“Unit 10915, contact the leagues around the Detroit area. I want to know why the crime rate there has doubled this week.” The robot at the computer stopped moving and nothing happened, “10915 respond.” Nova approached the rigid robot.

Before he could find out what was wrong both robots stood up and started dancing around, their bodies acting like puppets on strings.

“What the hell is going on?” Nova struck a fighting stance.

Just then the computer monitors buzzed and the lights flickered. The screens began to run through map after map, and then it all became fuzz. The two dancing robots flung themselves at Nova. He was pummeled to the ground, pinned down. He shoved on them, unhurt but furious. “GET OFF OF ME!”


One turned it’s head all the way around and then cackled at him. In a high, cracking voice it screeched, “Having fun yet?” and then laughed.

Nova finally shoved them off of him and backed away, “Okay, that’s creepy.”

A green energy streamed out of the robots and formed a sinister looking Jack-o-lantern in the air. It laughed in that same horrible voice and then flew around the room, passing in and out of the computers like they weren’t there. When it went through something, the already crazy machine went even more haywire. Computers exploded, the lights shut down, and the fuzz on the main screens became the only light in the room.


Nova pulled out a communicator and pressed a switch, “Nova to...” suddenly that Jack-o-lantern flew right into his body and he felt it filling him. He lost control of his left arm, his head twitched erratically, and his mind was slowly fading as if he were falling asleep. It didn’t take much to realize this creature was taking over his body. He managed to hold that communicator up, “To...any...heroes who can hear...me. BADGE has been compromised….help...”

(original story by Powerbottom)

PB came out of the closet, and entered BADGE HQ. taking a moment to orient himself as he had just “switched” places with his Twin.

They had recently discovered that the rings worked into their costumes allowed them to “speak” over any distance (Twin chat) even into other realities; It also allowed them to perceive and experience what the other twin did (Double up); and finally it allowed them to trade places with each other.

Which was convenient, PB thought. His ability to travel instantly between gay bars was great if you needed to travel to major metropolitan areas, but his brothers ability to travel between closets was more versatile, everywhere has a closet. Since this was an emergency he let Underwatch “drive.”

Making sure that his brother had returned safely and that they were Doubled Up, he proceeded deeper into the facility.

He activated the sight, the sense used by some magic users to perceive the non-mundane. He noticed a green haze seemed to permeate the facility.

:Definitely a power then.: He commented to Underwatch.

:Yup. Does “reality” Feel stretched thin to you?: was the reply :I think this Event is playing out in an untold amount of different ways:

PB snorted and thought :Wouldn’t surprise me. Director Nova’s distress call was open not private, and yet we seem to be the only agents on site. Whatever we’re facing has enough juice to create enough alternates to face the responders one on one.:

:Oh, I’ve more than enough power to do that.: A voice interrupted, :You two aren’t nearly as sneaky and clever as you think:

:And you’d better hurry and guess the magic word. You’re running out of time, and oxygen.:

The closet door behind them vanished leaving only the door in front of them. It was of course impervious to brute force, magic, and lock picks.

:Any chance the magic word is Klpzyxm?:

:NO, and that’s rather insulting, I’m so much more than a “fifth Dimensional imp.”:

A third of the air in the room vanished.

:How is he doing that Underwatch, our costumes have life support?:

:Heck if I know, but I’m having problems breathing too.:

:That’s inconvenient. Is it “Open Sesame?”:

:Not likely. Only enough air for one more guess kids.:

It was then that PB noticed the doorbell, of all things, next to the door. “FFS” he thought to himself as he and Leon both “spoke” at the same time. :Trick or Treat:

:Good Guess, I choose trick:

The air returned and the door opened.

PB entered the command center.

Director Nova sat in his command chair surrounded by the green glow. To PB’s sight a Jack O'Lantern appeared over the directors head. :What do I call you?: he asked as he slipped his hand into his belt pouch to retrieve the test kit. While verbalising the word “Christo…”

:My dear boy, call me whatever you like, and don’t waste our time, I’m not a Demon, Shifter, Fae, or a Tulpa.:


“Okay, Gourdy Mc Pumkinface, what are you then? My worst nightmare?” PB asked.

:Oh, good one, if not an original one. I did promise you a trick, however:

Music started playing. Anyone who survived the ‘90’s could tell you the name of the song.

:OMG He’s Mask-ing us to the Macarena: PB whined.

At the same time Underwatch whinged :He’s Beetle Juice-ing us to the Macarena.:

PB had a thought. :Cartoon or live action?:

:Oh. Definitely Tooney. Good call Brother mine. Go nuts:

Gourdy made a gesture and mimed pulling a zipper in the air. A hole unzipped and Underwatch fell out. “If You're going to ignore me and talk to each other you can both play.”


Gourdy, spun around in a quick change tornado and became a drag version of himself and began lip syncing…

When I dance they call me Macarena
And the boys they say que soy buena
They all want me
They can't have me
So they all come and dance beside me
Move with me
Chant with me
And if you're good, I'll take you home with me

The song continued and brothers danced along. Unlike Mask, Unlike Beetlejuice the twins choose to dance, thus keeping their free will.

PB had intuited that Gourdy was overlapping “reality” and the astral plane. The twins had been trained to think of the astral plane as a “cartoon universe” and were able to create havoc of their own towards their host.


Thus instead of doing the song’s eponymous dance into a bubbling vat labeled “acme acid” PB pulled an anvil out of his pocket, dropping it into the acid at the last minute sending the acid splashing skyward.

Underwatch pulled a fan out of his pocket and sent the stream towards Gourdy.

Move with me
Chant with me
And if you're good, I'll take you home with me


Gourdy pulled a paintbrush out of thin air and created a hole beneath his feet, which he vanished into.

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría why cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena
Hey Macarena


PB Grabbed a conveniently placed trampoline and put it where he and his brother were dancing.

Whilst Underwatch applied wall paper paste to a wall that was coincidentally being redecorated.

But don't you worry about my boyfriend
He's a boy who's name is Victorino
I don't want him
Couldn't stand him

Gourdy fell from above, as he fell PB swung a baseball bat that had been carelessly left out and sent Gourdy flying into the paste.

Now come on, what was I supposed to do?
He was out of town and his two friends were so fine

Before Gourdy could escape Underwatch slid a candy bar into each of Gordy’s hands, Full-size national brand candy not the fun size crap.

PB arrived at Underwatch’s side and they both said “Gee,ain't I a stinker” grabbed Gourdy’s face and gave him a cartoon kiss ala Bugsminster Bunny.

The Music stopped.

Gourdy Turned bright red, and laughed. “Well played. As you’ve given me a treat and are exempt from further tricks, I shall take my leave until next year.”

The Twins joined in the laughter. “Thank you. Until then Lord Mc Pumpkinface.”

The green glow faded, everything returned to normal. The Twins ran for the closet before they had to explain things. “Every Holiday”, PB Groused.

“I know.” Underwatch agreed. “I can’t wait for Thanksgiving, Even if it does get an anthropomorphic personification all you need to fight a giant turkey is a giant axe and 50 pounds of stuffing.”

“I hope those aren’t famous last words Bro.”

Continue the Story

LEAGUE WARS: An interview with Weezerd from Oz

By Todd Goode (AKA Donald Blake MD)

Hello everyone, this is Ray Stevens, your Action News Reporter at round one of the premier of Heroes Rising League Wars. There were some interesting developments earlier on in round one with the Weezerd from Oz. Let’s see if we can catch up to Weezerd and ask him about his first round. There he is.

“Mr. Weezerd from Oz! Mr. Weezerd from Oz! Hey, I’m Ray Stevens, can I get an interview for Action News?”

“You sure can but just call me Weezerd okay.”

“Weezerd, now that we are coming to the end of round one, tell us how you feel about your first round?"

“Well, we knew it was going to be a tough first round. We got paired up against The Avengers’ Varsity team. They are a very strong team but I didn’t let that bother me. I was gonna give it all I had. Too early to give up, there are others rounds after this one.”

“Excellent answer. Tell us about some of your fights.”

“They were all hard-fought rounds. Early on I was able to defeat Vapor’s elemental powers with my mind numbing mental strength for two wins and used the Magical arts to take down the PhantomAmongPhantom’s Supernatural abilities also for two wins. I got to admit those fights were close but they just didn’t have the strength to overtake me on those matches.”

“Yes, those were some great fights Weezerd.”

“I took a whoopin’ by Fiero, Island, Hanzo and just missed taking Mack Stallion for two wins but one was good enough for me considering I was a Colony Junior Varsity team member getting wins against The Avengers’ Varsity team.”

“Those were some hard loses Weezard, but you must have gotten a boost of hope with the Mack Stallion win?”

“I did feel good about that win and was hopeful but I didn’t have a lot of luck with Rakly either until later on when he underestimated the strength I had left in my tank after taking all those beat downs and I got a defensive win. I was really tickled about that win. Vapor took another loss also which gave me another defensive win but you know what they say, “A win is a win.” To say the least I was drained pretty well at this point but I still had more opponents to face so I sucked it up and had to move forward.”

“You don’t give up do you Weezerd?”

“No! Giving up is not in The Colony’s vocabulary but after the severe beating I took at the hands of The Fallen and Crossbones, I really thought about adding it back to our vocabulary, but no, I couldn’t give up. I still had two more fighters to face and the odds were slim but I summoned my last remaining energy and stepped up.

“You sure did Weezerd. You were the underdog but you handed out a couple of huge upsets. Tell us about them, they were the highlights of the night.”

“Sure thing Ray. I had two bouts left and I was determined to win. I stepped up to Heretic and took a deep breath and let it out slow and summoned up my best magic and to my surprise, I won. I had pushed through him like he was paper. He took me down on the second round. His magic was much stronger that round. It was like his power doubled. There wasn’t much I could do though I gave it another try since I’m a glutton for punishment. To no avail, I was defeated yet again and I had to regroup my thoughts and prepare for my last battle.”

“Yes, but score one more for the junior varsity team though, right Weezerd?” 


“Heck yeah Ray, it was an awesome victory and although I was beaten and bruised I was positive that I could get one more win in my last battle of round one against The Avengers’ varsity team.” That match is coming up next Ray.”

“Weezerd, your final battle was against Strange Quark and he was definitely strange. He seemed to phase in and out. How in the world were you able to beat him?”

“Well, my best guess Ray, it was my magic hat. I just got lucky but you know every dog has his day and today was mine, at least for that first round. I thought to myself, if I can beat him once I can beat him again. That didn’t happen and I tried several times to get that second win but it wasn’t to be. I threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it didn’t do any good. I couldn’t get that elusive second win this day.”


“Look Weezerd, I know you’re tired and wanting to get cleaned up and takeoff but one last question.  How are you going to prepare for the next round?”

“Ray, after a long soak in the hot tub to ease the pain of a few bruises I’m going to eat a great big meal, get a good night’s sleep, wake up and meditate about the round one fights and learn from them and apply that knowledge to the round two fights and hopefully get a greater amount of wins.”

“Thanks for a great interview and those great highlights Weezerd. I hope you have continued success in round two.”

“You’re very welcome Ray, anytime.”

‘This has been Ray Stevens, your Action News Reporter with all the news that is the news across the nation at round one of the premier of Heroes Rising League Wars. Good night and tune in for round two battles of the premier of Heroes Rising League Wars.

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LW1 Participant Interviews (II)


LW1 is well underway, and Round 1 is over. The Sentinel reporters continue the participant interviews with several league spokespersons.


Captain Bob of Seraphim Angels 

Div 2: SERAPHIM ANGELS vs The Avengers 2

"It was a rough first round draw for the Angels,
but we came to fight. After having the big 1 - 0 lead in the first minute of fighting, the Avengers advantage soon came into play, and they never looked back. Despite some valiant efforts, the d-wins were far and few to be had, and at the end of the day, it appears the Avengers have the fight - current score is 65 - 192. Well fought Avengers. But this is no time to be weary. Time to brush ourselves off and get back up as Round 2 is quickly approaching..."

*The final score is 79 - 202 in favor of The Avengers.


Aflima of Realm Defenders, United

"Is This Mic on? It's pretty cool to be back in the battle arena. In another time and place, we had these kick-ass stadiums, all kinds of field conditions, and the battles were brutal... Nova's gone all out here. Man's clearly got some dinero. Yeah so in that other place, I've been part of Legion of Superheroes, great bunch of guys... then Phoenix is where I found a place to really thrive. Even got some medals in duel events. I'm proud to have been one of the fastest guys out there... but this arena here, there are colossal heavyweights around. Just glad we're not in that particular bracket. Div 3 is fine with me. The swag on offer is nice but we're probably not going to land the big prize, I mean have you seen who's in freaking Wild Cards? Shoot, their lowest ranked member is that zombie woman who's somehow gotten her... self... enhanced... Battling is great, even that old stiff Tri-blade enjoys these things. Anyway we're in a good position tonight, may kick back and hang around for a while. In another time and place I'd have gone and looked for a Zig raid... what's a Zig raid you ask? Well that's another tale for another day. *whispers in mic* Yes Kennie I know I've gone over my alloted time... come on dude this isn't the Emmys... Thanks for having me, SSA team. *makes hang-ten sign with hand*"


Captain Aim Eric Ah of 5th Precinct S.W.A.T.

League Wars 2nd Division. The Law versus the Apocalypse

"We encouraged each other, gave out high fives, pumped ourselves with steroids and flashed our SWAT badges as we fought. But to no avail, we couldn't surpass those gosh darn Angels. They must have been sucking on some type of health beverage (like kale and mango juice??), because they all had massive health. So hats off to you Angels. However, don't become too sure of yourselves. After we have a few beers (and donuts), soaked our wounds, and thought, we will return stronger than ever."

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

HR Inaugural League Wars: Participant Interviews


LW1 is well underway, with the first battle past the halfway point. The Sentinel reporters have talked with a few participants to see what they have to say about the historic event. 

Here are a few of the interviews, with more to come over to next few days.

The Closer of 5th Precinct S.W.A.T.

"The Precinct looks a little over matched against Angels of The Apocalypse. However, the Closer does get all but one in his dt run."

*The updated score is 228 - 74 in favor of Angels.


Drift of The Colony

"I was at work when the war started, finish work then departed, took the train line, and made it home in time. After viewing the score, I walked down to the store. It was very clear that I was thirsty for beer. Then I took another look at the war, and was thirsty to drink more."

*The updated score is 237 - 24 in favor of The Avengers.

The Island of The Avengers


"I reported for duty a little late to the party this morning after the fun had begun. Didn't get greedy. Took the low hanging fruit and barely beat Shakaal by 1 hit so why press your luck. Score in Div 1 was 200-20. And I like even numbers. So I'll chime in here and there to keep numbers even."

*The updated score is 237 - 24 in favor of The Avengers.

Vol Kana of 5th Precinct Night Shift

"DON’T PANIC:
Waking up to a 0-157 LW score brought the immortal words of Douglas Adams racing through my head.  Last night I knew Round 1 had the makings of a lopsided rout but that did not prevent me from buying another MP gear and powering up to a -$4606/hour deficit. You are never really prepared for reality.
It’s always good to look before you leap, so I took some time to review the replays, especially their lower level players that attacked me and won, recording their hit points, equipment, and abilities.  In the end I decided not to attack. There will be another day for attacking.
Nothing left to do so I went back to my normal day’s play.  Since I’m powered up, maybe I could beat the Crooked Man or score higher in the Fight Club.  Of course, I have to milk those Ca$h Cow$ to support my spending habit."

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SuperSportsAction Team Live Update: League Wars Round 1


"...and the cat limped away with only non-life threatening injuries..."

Now it's back to the SuperSportsAction Team Live at the League Wars first round. The half time show is in full swing... Taylor Swift and Nickelback... How's it going guys"

"Kill me now Kennie, please for kill me now!"

"Heretic's a lot to answer for!?!"

"Damn straight Kennie."

"And have you had a chance to speak to any of the competitors?"

"Well, most of the teams have been sheltering outside the arena, wearing earplugs or sound cancelling headphones and quite a few bandaids."

"Well over to you guys for the lowdown..."

"Thanks Kennie .... "

"The first half of the first round is now at an end,  competitors are regrouping, refuelling, re-attaching limbs. The arena has been cleared and the stage was levitated in."

"Quite an imposing structure."

"It is... Shame about the acts inhabiting it as we speak."

"Who would have put Nickelback and Taylor Swift together?"

"Nova... He's a..."

"I think we all know your opinion."

"Its not a combo I ever expected to have to endure."

"Well someone seems to be enjoying it."

"Yeah one lone figure in an arena built for 250,000 plus."

"Well Nickelback opened with Rockstar, the... can we call it a crowd?"

"We have to contractually ..."

"Well the crowd was singing along."

"Now they are moving up a gear to their anthem... Burn It To The Ground."

"Is there another fan in the crowd?"

"I think there may be, she looks familiar, is that? Yes! It's Fiero. One time AEGIS and WMD now an Avenger."

"And Taylor Swift is now on the stage."

"Can it get worse?"

"I'm not sure it can"

"What's Fiero doing?"

"I think she's taking the lyrics literally."

"Holy... Yeah she's shooting flames straight at the stage."

"Don't think Taylor's gonna shake that off ..."

"You can say what you like but those are some impressive pyrotechnics."

"That's one way to describe Chad burning to death."

"It's certainly an improvement on his singing."

"You're not wrong."

"It's starting to get a bit graphically disturbing. Think its time to go back to the studio."

"Probably... Kennie... What have you got?"

"Thanks guys... Coming up we have a story about a former pop star who has suffered some horrific burns and is unlikely to survive another two weeks, and a crappy Canadian rock band that have decided to turn themselves into candles. More on these stories after these messages from our sponsors."

Transcription courtesy of Ben Roberts (aka PhantomAmongPhantoms)
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Inaugural League War 1st Round HIGH NOON HALFWAY Scores

By Mark DoktorVon Rickter (aka the Vanguardian)

It's noon here in New Amsterdam and halfway through our Inaugural League War Round #1 and scores across all Divisions have increased in every Division, including a Major Lead Change in Division 3.

Here are the updated scores:

Division 1

The Avengers continue to add to the total over THE COLONY who are proving their mettle:
♦ The Avengers ♦ = 236
TᕼE ᑕOᒪOᑎY .5¹ =23

THE COLONY has added a few dozen wins to their Credit, while Legacy of Spawn has yet to take the field:
TᕼE ᑕOᒪOᑎY .5¹  =123
Legacy of Spawn =0

Division 2

The Avengers continue their lead, while the Seraphim Angels are proving they came to play, adding to their score:
♦️ The Avengers 2 ♦️ =179
Seraphim Angels =53

Angels of the Apocalypse continue their scoring lead for this Division, with 5th Precinct SWAT fighting back, having the 3rd highest division win total so far:
₳NGꬲLⱾ OF ƮHΣ ₳P๏CคLYPSΣ =227
5th Precinct S.W.A.T. =74

Division 3

Wild Cards continue to add to their lead, while the 5th Precinct Night Shift are napping after a busy night(?):
♢ ♧ШilD[5¹]CaЯDs ♡♤ = 203
5th Precinct Night Shift = 0

Wormhole5¹ continues their dominance in this match, yet 6th Precinct are proving they're here to fight:
Ⓦⓞⓡⓜⓗⓞⓛⓔ5¹ =125
6th Precinct =52

NMDS continues their rout of Cargo Cult, who has finally scored their first victory:
~ƝMĐŞ~┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐= 37
Cargo Cult = 1

LEAD CHANGE- Realm Defenders, United hero Quantum Meruit stepped onto the field & went 24-1, sparking that league's score turnaround over Tygger's Freak Show, but the first round is not over:
Realm Defenders, United =73
Tygger’s Freak Show =39

Division 4

Total[5¹]Vengeance continues their lead this round, yet the 101st Spacerangers have nearly triple their wins since the 2 o'clock hour:
Total[5¹]Vengeance =193
101st Spacerangers =63

Red Guard continues to press 5th Precinct Police Academy, who have put up some wins:
5th Precinct Police Academy =20
Red Guard =43

Pain Inc. continues their lead in this round, while the 5th Precinct Space Force seems to have stagefright:
~\\\\ PAIN inc. ////~ =105
5th Precinct Space Force =0

5th Precinct Buddy Cops are top dogs in this round, while The Purple Onion has finally scored some victories for themselves:
5th Precinct Buddy Cops =71
The Purple Onion =8

Good Luck to All Heroes!

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Halloween Fiction Contest

I know everyone has been busy getting ready for League Wars, but we also had a couple fun contests for the players. Nick is running a costume contest, which you can still enter for some great prizes. We also had a Halloween fiction contest going.

I am pleased to say that I have finished judging the entries and found they were all delightful and made it extremely hard to choose the winners. I was pleased with the fact that those who chose to enter followed the rules well, wrote some original stuff that was really good. Most went for humor, some went for the superhero action, both styles were executed masterfully.

Prizes will be sent out and the top winners story will be posted on Halloween. I hope you can take a moment away from the League War battling and Halloween madness to enjoy the posted story.

Thanks for entering and I look forward to the next contest, coming Christmas.

About the next one, I plan on giving you the info about it sooner, to give you time to think and write up something, but the actual entry time will be just a short period so not a full month. I am working on making these contests as inviting as possible. I want people to contribute, both new writers and old contributors. If you have any suggestions on how these are run, leave me a comment.
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SuperActionSports Live Update



"We're going back to the SuperActionSports Team Live at League Wars... Slightly over six hours down, how we looking guys?"

"...and then I shoved my banana right up her exhaust pipe..."

"Ahem... We're live with the SuperActionSports Team at League Wars!"

"Sorry Kennie, yes six hours down and there is still a steady flow of action from this round's matches."

"Moments ago we witnessed Bloody Mary from PAIN Inc bloody the noses of two unlucky Space Force members."

"You had nothing better there did you!?!"

"No thats my limit."

"Any other stunning one liners you'd like to share?"

"I'm good... for now... so Division's 1 and 2 matches are still going with the pundits' early predictions."

"Yes, and in Division 3 it's really heating up in the Realm Defenders Utd vs Tyggers Freak Show."

"Really?"

"Yes we've had a flurry of attacks from the defender's and the defense of the Freak Show hasn't held. It's currently 35 to 14, still everything to play for."

"Its a game of two halves and we're a quarter of the way in."

"Talking of half time... who is doing the half time show today?"

"Let me check... Well it should be special... Taylor Swift and Nickelback."

"That's a performance I don't want to have to watch or remember."

"Well if Nova hadn't let Heretic lose on the creative team nobody would be suffering with it."

"He sure is a dick"

"Which one? Nova or Heretic?"

"Yes ... And back to the action ... Bloody Mary continues to wreak havoc on the Space Force."

"Lets watch that replay in slow mo..."

"GameyGil, all 102 health points finds himself up against the winged bringer of suffering, she releases a laughing gas attack and thats fully 266 damage dealt."

"Beat him up twice over in one shot."

"No sign of breaking a sweat."

"And what's this, talking of gas attacks ... Urania of The Purple Onion has fumigated her way to 8 wins. They're only 32 behind."

"Just goes to show no matter how bad you think you are you can usually find someone worse ... back to you Kennie."

"Thanks guys. We'll be back with you at half-time... Now coming up we've got a story about a used car salesman who's started a new career as a heart surgeon. Janice..."

"Yes Kennie... John is hoping to become a cardealologist..."

(Transcription by Ben Roberts aka PhantomAmongPhantoms)

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SuperActionSports Exclusive on the League Wars

"We're going over to put SuperActionSports team at the Heroes Rising League Wars Arena ... so guys how's it going?"

"Well firstly I'd like to thank Director Nova and the BADGE team for putting in this event."

"You would?"

"No ... "

"Thought so"

"But seriously, let's look at the teams in action today. Four hours in and Division One and Two its looking like the obvious picks are all leading."

"5th Precinct SWAT aren't done against AoA"

"That's a controversial opinion..."

"You can't overlook an late comeback upset"

"Would you put your money on that?"

"Well ..."

"Division Three ... Night Shift look to have decided that hiding behind the bleachers may be the best tactic."

"Lets look at some action from that match ... here we can see Sevon Beaver lining up against ... is that RedHeaded Stepchild? First shot from Sevon rocks Stepchild."

"That ginger kid is reeling, out on his feet. Someone throw in the towel!"

"No towels here ... but Devon wraps it up, look at that Electro Man finishes. Not seen one like that since ..."

"Fallen vs Quark July '19"

"Yes! That Electro was Fallen-esque."

"I bet Fallens forgotten about that move."

"He'll be watching the highlights ..."

"So Wildcards 156-0 are we calling that match."

"Its done."

"WORMHOLE vs 6th Precinct."

"That early lead from Wormhole"

"Yes we saw the big hitters take lead off."

"NMDS not clowning about in the match with Cargo Cult"

"You can say that again!"

"I'd rather not ..."

"Realm Defenders Utd vs Tyggers Freak Show ... this is looking epic."

"Scored 11-13 after 4 hours, it's either to close to call or too dull to watch, either way let's look at Division Four."

"Total Vengeance vs Pain Inc is everyone's call for a final showdown."

"You'd think. But there's three 5th Precinct teams all in the huntnfor a medal."

"And there they are The Purple Onion..."

"People say that they made their biggest mistake when they entered!"

"I doubt that will be the biggest mistake that team will make."

"I think you may be right there."

"Anyway back to Kennie in the studio."

"Thanks guys ... we'll be back with the SuperActionSports Team in an hour or so... coming up we meet a woman who claims that she wasn't impregnated by Super Rakly, and a dog that thinks he's a sausage. We'll be back after these messages"

(Transcription courtesy of Ben Roberts aka PhantomAmongPhantoms)

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STRANGE QUARK: "I forgot to phase my body"

In an exclusive interview with The Sentinel, Strange Quark revealed why he lost a battle to The Weezerd of Oz in the first round of the League Wars tournament.

"Weezerd came at me so quickly, I phased my head out of way but forgot my body," Quark explained. "That knocked me out temporarily."

Weezerd, who was relentless in the first round of the tournament, garnered an offensive win against Heretic and Quark, and a defensive win from Super Rakly.

Although Weezerd and his team are losing, commentators find these three wins noteworthy.

"It goes to show that there is always hope if you try hard enough," battle analyst (and proprietor of The Blue Oyster Male Revue Club) Mr Late remarked.

When asked how he could possibly forget to phase his own body, Quark replied, "I blame Super Rakly. He forbade us from having any drinks the night before. Well, everyone knows that when I get sober my sanity walks out the door..."


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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

LEAGUE WARS Breaking News: Underdog defeats Strange Quark and Heretic

By Jeremy McGee (aka The Fallen)

In a unexpected turn of events both Strange Quark and Heretic (of The Avengers) lose to the under dog WEEZERD FROM OZ from league Colony!!!



What can only be explained as getting caught during gear changes so be careful out there heroes.

This must have built Weezard's confidence because he continued to attack Quark five more times but lost.

Heretic returned the attack to beat Weezard to remind him he should have prepared for that comeback with a better defense build.

We are waiting to interview Quark and Heretic for their response, so keep tuned!

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Monday, October 28, 2019

The League Wars


A large stadium hovered over the ocean, anti-grav lifters blazing beneath it. Around the enormous competition field were over 250,000 spectator seats, protected by a shimmering forcefield.
Director Nova stepped out onto a platform overlooking the huge field, a podium waited for him.
“Director? Does it meet with your approval?” A robot, Unit 10915, in workers uniform stepped out.
Nova smiled as he observed the arena, “Are the stands protected?”
“With the best forcefield technology available.”
“What about the field of combat?”
The bot held up a tablet with the specs on it, “The field has the best simulation technology ever constructed. We can recreate any natural or urban environment, in fact we can even create a full water field if necessary.”
“Good work.” Nova approached the podium and found a special set of controls. “I think it’s time.” He punched in a command code and the controls activated. The whole platform detached from the side of the stadium and flew out to the middle of the field. Holographic screens appeared in the air around him, connecting to various networks across the planet.
Superheroes appeared in the partially transparent screens, all watching Nova. Pressing a single button, Nova began to speak,
“Heroes and Heroines of Earth. We have been fighting the good fight for a long time. There were days when all hope seemed lost, that all the heroes were gone. However, when the threats to Earth returned, threats that no ordinary human could face, you stood for those in need. For this, I commend you! Now, the time has come, the time to prove to the world who is the greatest! You have gathered in clubs, clans, groups, and that one knitting circle….now, you are all leagues. Each League is invited to come and prove themselves against other heroes. The Earth will witness this and cheer on their favorite leagues. Many will compete, but only a select few will rise to the final rounds and only one shall leave the victors. And, to the victors go the spoils.”
Beside Nova a holographic image of a metal mechanical gauntlet appeared.
“The Cybernetic Knuckles are a new piece of powerful technology designed by the BADGE engineers. This special gauntlet will not only grant the wearer strength and endurance, it will be a sign of victory for all to see. Now, the rules have been sent to all of the heroes of Earth that BADGE has registered. Follow them and come to the Arenam Maximus, currently located over the Atlantic Ocean, before October the 29th and prove to the world that your League is the strongest, that you deserve the praise and endless glory of victory over all, that the world should look to you first as the greatest heroes of Earth. For all heroes and spectators, the games will begin October 30th. Come see which league shall reign supreme!” Fireworks exploded up from behind the massive stands and showered the skies in bright lights.

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League Wars: Teamwork prize

Hello one and all and welcome to League Wars season. The time has come to test your mettle against other heroes and help your league climb to the top of the ladder. Sign up is underway, divisions will soon be announced and then the fight for superiority begins!

What do you win? Bragging rights for a start, but there is more, a lot more. Medals, powers, and even special equipment are all up for grabs.

Say hello to TEAMWORK! A new power card designed specifically for the League Wars. The only way to get this card is to place in the wars.


  • Gold winners will receive 4 copies
  • Silver winners will receive 2 copies
  • Bronze winners will receive 1 copy



You want this card, I know you do. So get your league involved today and prepare your hero for victory. 
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Saturday, October 26, 2019

Editorial: A Guide to Fight Club

Contributed by Nick Lorenzen (aka Magnificent Marvel) 

New Fight Clubs seem to be popping up every single day, so you may wonder what they are and why you should spend your time and energy joining them.  If you don’t know, fight clubs are a place where supers can test their mettle against each other in an organized fashion and get rewarded for doing so.

You should at least join a Fight Club every single day, just joining them rewards you with an additional 2 Morphon Particles and 10 crystals.  You don’t need to fight or do anything else, just join. So, make sure you hop into a Fight Club at least, and don’t worry about losing it doesn’t do anything bad to you at all.

Additionally when you fight and win in a Fight Club you get more bonuses.  You get an additional Morphon Particle for your 1st, 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 15th win.  Also, you get crystals for every single win. If you manage to place #1 in the Fight cClub, you get the movement power of Crafty Dodge and 10 Morphon Particles,  2nd place nets you the defensive power As the Mountain and 5 Morphon Particles, and 3rd through 5th nets you the attack power Pure Force. As a side note, these powers unique to Fight Club and are not available elsewhere.

So, when you are looking to join and compete in a Fight Club you need to decide on your goal.  You could be fighting to be one of the top five for the powers or Morphon Particles or you may be playing to maximize the amount of crystals earned each day.  The strategy is slightly different for each of these methods, but there are some common tips through all of Fight Club.

Don’t join in the first group, often times the most powerful supers will be in there and your rewards will be limited.

Get yourself more energy.  The amount of energy needed for the next fight increases each time. So, you need a fair amount.

The more energy you use for a battle, the more crystals you will get as a reward.  So, the more battles you fight, the bigger the crystal reward.

Morphon Particles rewards are based on overall wins, so if you lose your 6th battle you don’t lose out on the chance to get the MP.

The Fight Club page lists the core of the super.  Make sure you have gear equipped to resist damage from that core.

Scout out to see if you can win before you waste the energy and lose in Fight Club.  You can do this by hitting their name and going into the profile page, then dueling them. That will give you an idea of how well you will do against them.  Of course things could be different in the Fight Club battle, but it’s an idea at least.

Watch the cores of the people in each Fight Club and check in often. Often times supers will remove all their gear to be knocked down the rankings of the King of the Mountain.  If you time it well and get lucky, you can beat some very high powered supers that you wouldn’t normally beat because they are gearless.

A total of 19 supers can be in a Fight Club, use this for planning which group in a Fight Club to join.


Playing to win

Unless you are spending a lot of money on the game, you are going to struggle to metal in the Fight Clubs.  So, you need to use proper timing and sneakiness to get in there.

Watch the members in the group carefully, you can see this by clicking on the highest number group in each Fight Club.  Look for one that has lower level people in it (and doesn’t have names of people you know you can’t beat). If you find one that looks good, hop in and go for it.  Alternatively, you can wait until right before the end of the day in the heroes rising world and hope to be able to get into a Fight Club that is nearly empty. If you get lucky, you may be able to hop into an empty fight club and get Gold without any effort at all.

If you are fighting, the highest ranking super will be the super with the most wins.  In the case of a tie it will be whoever got their first. So, it can sometimes be a race to get to a high number of wins first.  Have a full set of energy before you enter the Fight Club and hit it hard and fast to jump past other people. You should also have small and large more fun bars sitting around to be able to attack repeatedly.  You can jump very fast in the ranks using this method.

Playing for Crystals

This method is used to maximize the amount of crystals you get each day.  As I said earlier, the amount of crystals you earn from a victory is dependent on the amount of energy spent in a Fight Club battle, and the amount of energy required increases with each battle.  So, when you are playing for crystals you fight the supers that you have no chance against (ahem Avengers) first and then lose. That means the battles that give you the least amount of crystals are the ones you would lose on.  Then, you move to the battles where you will likely win and finally the ones you will definitely win.

This means that when you are spending more than 20 energy per Fight Club battle, you will win and you will get massive amounts of crystals each day.  This can be a huge boon once you hit the levels where you can buy crystal powers and let you use that income on only the best bux powers.



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Art Post: Time Travel

The maniacal Master Diviso strolls through New York in one of his recent creations. This new giant robot suit is designed to thwart all superpowers, he is impervious to defeat. Now, he can finally conquer the world, staring right here. Wait, that leg seems sluggish, needs oil...not oil, it needs a full fluxor kneejoint pin. This isn't possible! He's going down, knee first. Not to worry, he can still transform the whole robot into a tank,....wait, where's the lever? Who is that? A woman stands in the street with a lever in one hand, the pin in the other. She has just dismantled two tiny, but crucial parts of his robot, it is useless now. How is this possible? How is she so fast? Where did she learn how to do this? Tossing aside the parts she looks at a watch on her wrist, "Oh, must not be late for tea with Queen Victoria, I must tell her all about that novel Capote gave me. Toodaloo!" She vanishes just as the support teams from BADGE arrive to arrest him. All he can do is slam his fists into the worthless machinery and scream "NOT FAIR!" 

I love this piece of art. I was inspired by my mother, who happens to be a fan of steampunk. For the uninformed, steampunk is an alternate historical genre set in the Victorian age with steam technology being more science fiction than fact. It is a large, and diverse sub-genre with cool outfits and designs, look it up. After painting so many heroes, especially male heroes, I wanted something completely different. Nick had been encouraging me to stretch a little. With some help from my mother, I went all in to design a steam punk figure. Why time travel? This is a super power not a character, the character on the card is merely representing the power. So, what power would this be? I had a few ideas, from engineering to some kind of metal power. Then I remembered the fact that steampunk is based on an alternate history genre, so I decided this person is a time traveler. This influenced the art a bit more, as I gave her hints of H.G. Wells central character in The Time Machine.

About the art. Of course I have already explained that it is steampunk in style, but what does that mean? Well, you will find a large influence of Victorian style of wardrobe. Goggles, chains, gears, and cogs are all elements traditionally found in the steampunk designs. The colors also compliment the metals in the style, with the browns, tans, ecru, and grays.
I wanted it to have the hint of an old style photograph for the color, but still HAVE color in it. Finally, the face, I wanted the face to be obviously female, with a hint of seduction mixed with confidence and allure. Smokey eyes, clean makeup, and a look directly at the viewer. The fact that she is smoking actually was lifted from some old ads I studied from the late 19th century. Also, the light colored smoke draws out the steam part of steampunk. All in all, the whole piece had to wrap around a theme and I think it came together nicely.

Thank you, and remember, the time travelers luncheon has been moved from last Monday to a month ago, mark your calendars.

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Friday, October 25, 2019

Hero Hotline: Ask Auntie Acid

Contributed by Chris Evans (aka Krystal Fae (Acidburn)

Those of you who played SHC may remember with fondness the on-going forum feature "Ask Auntie Pink".

While I am no 'Post-modern Pugilist', I can make snarky comments and try to be funny as a 'pseudo' journalistic 'Agony Aunt'.

Place your problems, questions and comments in this space HERE and I'll get to them when I'm able... (generally when I'm bored and waiting for fights/energy to recharge)

Stay in character (more fun that way) and please remember that children / teens may be on here, so keep it PG-13, kids...


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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Editorial: League Wars are here!

Contributed by Chih Chan (aka Strange Quark)


After much anticipation, we finally have details on the upcoming League Wars.

Yes, LW1 is happening, and here are details on how to join, with dates for signing up, and the timeline of the actual event.

If you have not already noticed, your league page has instructions on how to register.

1: You need three league members to register (by clicking on the "Register" button), one of which must be the leader. Each league must have a minimum of seven members to participate.

2: Once the three members have registered, the average level of all members (except the lowest three levels) will be recorded. This will determine which division the league will compete in. It will be to your league's advantage if everyone rushes to level up *after* registration.

Note: After registration, the league's roster will be locked for the duration of the tournament. No member may be added or removed.

3: Sign up ends at 11:59 pm EST (GMT -5) on October 28.

4: Divisions will be announced the following day (October 29).

5: October 30 - First battle.

6: November 1 - Second battle.

7: November 3 - Third battle.

8: November 4 - Distribution of prizes.

Notes:

- Each battle lasts 24 hours, with a day's break in between. Start and end times are midnight to midnight EST (GMT -5).

- Each opponent can only be defeated twice a day (Beatdown Rule).

- League fights count as regular arena battles, and arena attacks count towards league war battles. **This means that you cannot "scout" your opponent in the arena during the war; it will count as a league war fight.**

- Defensive wins count as wins, but not as part of the 2x Daily Beatdown Rule.

 - Ties at the end of the 24-hour war will lead to an 8-hour extension.

- Each time an attacker makes an attack during a league war, that person cannot be attacked by others for 90 seconds. In the last hour of the battle, this duration will be reduced to 45 seconds.

Additional notes:

- Tournament divisions (brackets) and pairings will be determined by the average league level *upon registration* but the three lowest level players will not count towards the average level.

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Art Post: Blinding Speed

"Hey, Brutus, look'n for me?!" You yell at the two ton chunk of muscle terrorizing the streets of this nice town. He turns, snorts, and stomps your direction. He is only half a block away, but for such a massive dude, he can really run. However, in the time it took him to get to you, you saved a baby in a runaway stroller, checked your Myface page, ordered a new shipment of books online, stopped by the police station to register an incoming villain, and polished off a hotdog from that one really good street vendor ...no not that one, the other one with the awesome ketchup. When Brutus finally reached you, you were ready with a set of special super-handcuffs and about twenty feet of unbreakable cable. Before his face plowed into the pavement, his hands and feet were already hog-tied, cuffed, and the police were alerted. All in a days work for the fastest man on Earth. Okay, one of the fastest.

Blinding Speed was a basic card to work on. I love to try out unique ideas for powers, so the game doesn't feel generic. However, some powers are so fundamental to the superhero genre that you can't miss them. The trick is making them look cool and feel unique in their own special way. With this art I had fun playing around with different techniques to demonstrate speed. Why go with another movement power? They go so fast...oh, that was a bad pun.

About the art: First, the basic pose was important when approaching speed. I looked at dozens of shots of athletes running to find something that inspired me. However I didn't want it to seem like it's just a snapshot from a football game, or a track runner. I settled with several poses that were not from a specific sport, but just a study on running. The person looking back was actually on purpose, it portrays the idea of him moving so fast he's still thinking about what he left two miles ago. His whole form is moving, his limbs are all in various positions of balance / counter-balance for running. Then came the choice of color. So many speedster heroes are bright and flashy (pun intended), this brings home the fact that they are an energetic bunch. However, I thought about the idea of someone wanting to move with stealth as much a speed. He's blindingly fast, but does he want someone to see his every move as a bright dot whizzing by? No, he uses a touch of camouflage to aide his work. Also, I purposefully turned away from the common theme of blonde speedsters. The background was easy, not just because it was a swath of color speeding by, but because the idea of his blinding speed would make anything behind him nothing but a blur. So, instead an eye-aching blurry street scene, I just used the colors. Also, the color behind him carries the energy of the piece, replacing the bright colors that often come with speedster heroes.

I hope you enjoy the art and the card, it was fun to create.
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