Here’s a little hint for those of you who play City of Heroes and are excited about the prospect of equipping a new character with bow and arrow:

Please, do not name your character some variant of “Robin Hood.” Really. If you can’t summon forth the slightest bit of creativity, if all you can do is use a mangled rendition of, oh, the most famous bowslinger in all literature, then you need to get out of the game right now. Yes, right now.

Thank you.

This public service message brought to you by all of ten minutes on the Test server, puttering around Atlas Park with my TA/Archery Defender. Who is not, I’ll have you know, at all named anything like the aforementioned character. This is more than I can say for the half dozen clones I saw… Sheesh.

We don’t know if she has much to say, but we know that Mute Aunt is proving effective and useful as a contributing hero in Paragon City. Her mutant abilities are manifested as kinetic powers and radiation blasts, and she’s currently at Security Level 23.

Here we see her metallic skin…

…and here, her chitinous skin with insect-style cape.

ProPaine is a young man who enjoys lighting a fire under evildoers. This Controller is currently only at Security Level 8.

Big and conspicuous, this costume reads “Danger” to even the most clueless of criminals.

Another somewhat mysterious personage is the man who calls himself Ragnaroq. The Q, apparently, is significant. He’s an elementalist magician who specializes in manipulating weather-like phenomenon; he also dabbles in dark magics for offensive use. Ragnaroq is at Security Level 20.

He started out with a fairly simple, if ornately decorated, suit of clothes.

The cape doesn’t change the fact that his overall look isn’t much different from before. Consistency isn’t a bad thing, of course.

Little is known about this oddly-deformed martial artist with the quick reflexes. He’s merely at Security Level 11, and hasn’t been seen in Paragon City very often of late.

At least we can guess where his name comes from.

One day, quite some time ago, a swordslinger trained in the deadliest oriental traditions arrived in our fair city, his body trained to a razor’s edge much like that of his weapon. Going by the name Woods Cutter, he immediately forged a reputation and came to the attention of gang bosses and fellow heroes alike.

In particular, the electrifying StormVyxen caught his eye, and he hers. Their partnership endured and even resulted in a child who, indeed, followed her parents’ superheroic path. Tragedy struck this crimefighting family, however, when a freak accident deprived StormVyxen of life force and memory; in fact all that stood between her and complete oblivion was the intervention of a Kheldian, with whom she was reborn as StarVyxen.

Woods Cutter, currently cleared for Security Level 31, fights on, even alongside a half-alien woman who has no working memory of her life with him. With sharpened steel, nearly paranormal recuperative ability and dogged determination, he fights the forces of darkness wherever they appear.

Here we see his original garb, stylish yet straightforward in concept.

By this point, fame (and romance) had perhaps gone to his head. Many of his fans still consider this to be “Woodsie’s” best look.

After the tragedy involving StormVyxen, Woods is often seen in this more traditional robe and trouser set, bespeaking his newfound humility.