and morning is broken as you mourn your life

[Zone #6] Spellbinder@mijj: What the hell? Isn't ever mob supposed to drop anniversary stuff? I cannot get them to drop

So, there was an anniversary party going on in Champions. If you killed enemies--or objects--then there was a chance of anniversary presents dropping. You had to be killing enemies around your level, or objects in zones where you hadn't outleveled, to get them to drop at all, though.

[Zone #6] Russian Spetsnaz@weewoozesty: not every mob
[Zone #6] Russian Spetsnaz@weewoozesty: if ur farming mobs for it i feel sorry for u

Trying not to twitch at the use of "ur" and "u", here, too. Then again, it's yet another goddamn game where they refer to their characters as "toons". Gods, I loathe people who do that.

[Zone #3] Celus@macarondebiscuit: you kiding me ?
[Zone #3] Celus@macarondebiscuit: go %$#( your mom

Random hostility, the gift of the internet to we, the fortunate few.

[Zone #6] Russian Spetsnaz@weewoozesty: aaaand you just showed us all that your some 10 year old

To be fair, I'd make the same assumption.

[Zone #7] Bane@TalenaGrimz: looking for ninja based sg to join
[Zone] Annika Ember@EmillyOrr: Wau, I put those last two statements together--ten years old, AND looking for a ninja SG :p
[Zone #6] Jewel Lemon@monaahiru6: me too :D

Also, there seems to be far more roleplay supergroups on Champions than there were on City of Heroes. Not sure why.

[Zone] Tristan@CaptainBrumast: Is Sapphire gonna sing again?
[Zone #3] Cat Baptiste@alli210: no idea, I hope not
[Zone #2] Mandate@mlmii: It is my understanding that she sings every hour.
[Zone #1] Manik@embermclain01: yes... one an hour...for the next 10 days
[Zone #1] Manik@embermclain01: the same song
[Zone #3] Cat Baptiste@alli210: OH DEAR GOD
[Zone #6] Vanquish@rap: The rest of the time she's 'back stage' 'entertaining' VIPs
[Zone #3] Cat Baptiste@alli210: FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY *sobs uncontrollably*

[Zone #1] Manik@embermclain01: you seem upset about singing
[Zone #1] Manik@embermclain01: I had no idea the bluenette was a frenchy

See, I've mentioned this before. I think Sapphire's supposed to be Hispanic. Which isn't a problem, except in both her singing voice, and her speaking voice in the loop, her accent is all over the place. Just listening to her, knowing nothing about the character, I'd have guessed Spanish, French, and possibly Malaysian at different points in the recorded loop--and I still don't know what she's supposed to be going for.

[Zone] Annika Ember@EmillyOrr: I swear, I'm putting "I don't duel" in my bio.
[Zone] Tirados@DZPlayer122: Nobody reads bios unless RP is involved...
[Zone] Tirados@DZPlayer122: and even then only rarely.
[Zone] Kage@kagetsuwamono: Won't do you any good, Annika. No one reads bios around here.
[Zone #1] Angry Bear@twg042370: Annika: Hit the O key. Under privacy you can block duels
[Zone] Annika Ember@EmillyOrr: Yeah, I persist in the delusion that people read.

I thought this was just random posturing, but I've spent the past several nights running around in Champions checking bios. I'd say--based on the completely spurious, entirely subjective analysis of the people I managed to click on before they flew off--that that's an accurate statement. Forget reading the bios; based on what I saw, only 25% of players seem to have bios at all!

How'ver, back to the Champions anniversary thing--around midnight two nights back, Cryptic did a hot patch, kicking everyone off their servers for about five minutes. When they came back up, the anniversary coding was gone from the game.

Well...almost:

(from the Champions album; part of the anniversary concert stage, just hanging around in midair)

This is half the anniversary party stage from the top of the walking ring around the center of New Detroit, or whatever it is they call it in Champions.

(from the Champions album; the concert screens)

A closer look. The stage itself is gone, all the NPCs that populated the stage itself and the dance floor in front of it are gone; the cake's gone, the fireworks are gone (most of the time; ghostly pastel shadows still manifest from time to time if you look up). But the panel screens showing...I guess that's supposed to be Sapphire, screaming at the audience? They're still there.

(from the Champions album; Holo-Sapphire dancing)

And here's one of the hologram Sapphires, dancing on what used to be a holo-display platform at her feet. The platform itself--and the stage it was on--are completely removed.

We're hoping a future patch removes these remnants, as well.