A great name will take you a long way. Reginald Dwight knows it. Rodolfo Alfonzo Raffaelo Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla knew it. Thomas C. Mapother IV knows it.

A good name will take you places. Do you think that Elton John, Rudolph Valentino and Tom Cruise would have gotten to where they are today if they'd stuck to their real names?

This is no different for superheroes. Perhaps it is even more important for you costumed types - often it is the only name by which the public identifies you. A simple catchy name can lead to you getting a fan club, merchandising deals with your fizzy drink of choice and mucho privileges when you spend a night on the town. Poorly chosen or offensive names will see you laughed at publicly and privately, regardless of what you do for Paragon City.

I'm sure we've all seen the promotional brochure from Paragon City's tourism department that shows rookie hero Thunderclap arriving in Paragon City and mixing it up with Freakshow and the Fifth Column under Statesman's watchful gaze. While the brochure may have started to bring in tourists following the Rikti's attack, I'm sure many a snigger has been had at Thuderclap's unfortunate choice of abbreviation: T-Clap.

T-Clap? Sounds like a nasty social disease to me. While the villains groups may fear T-Clap, it's not for the reasons he wants and he's going to need a very thick skin for every "penicillin" joke that is bound to come his way.

Let's have a look at what you should consider when choosing a name for yourself:

• The bad guys are going to make fun of you in some way or another, so get over that right now. You want to choose a name that makes it hard for them to be funny at your expense. If can choose a name that makes the bad guys sound really lame when they mock you, even better!

• Calling yourself "The Magnificent" or "The Astounding" only works if you are a cheap stage magician. It's a little like saying "I'm cool! I'm cool!" and we all know that just makes you pathetic. Let other people call you "Fantastic", but don't go around using it yourself.

• Avoid word associations. You may call yourself "Waterloo" because you are a master of tactics and will always triumph against the odds. Other people will just think you are calling yourself after a toilet.

• Before calling yourself anything, run it past a bunch of teenagers. Ask them what they think about it. They will mangle and abuse your name so badly that the mere thought of calling yourself "Da K3wl D00d" will make you feel ill. You will face that same kind of abuse from villains, so if you can take all that the cynical teenage market can dish out and more your name might be okay.

• Don't violate copyright. A lack of imagination will get you sued.

• Don't copy established names. Unless you want people to assume that you are just a cheap knockoff or some kind of deranged stalker, be as original as you can.

• Your name doesn't have to reflect your powers, but don't call yourself "Icey Magic" if you are a firebreathing gadgeteer. Confusing people is a sure way to keep your fame low.

• A thesaurus will help you no end if you find your preferred name has been taken. There are a hundred types of different swords - you may not be able to be called Katana, but you might be able to be Cutlass or Nodachi or Epee. Hmmm, maybe not Epee, but you get my point.

• As a general rule the best hero names are three syllables or less. Having to scream, "Save me, Justice Defender UltraMan!" is a sure way to keep yourself unneeded in Paragon City.

• No 1337 sp33k names. Not now. Not ever.

• Don't follow fads. Calling yourself "N'Zinc" because you have earth control powers (as stupid as that already is) is only made worse when the pop group in question crashes and burns out of popular opinion. Then you'll just look extra stupid.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to naming yourself. You have to put real thought into it, unless you plan to be laughed at all through your hero career. So choose carefully, or else! Ciao!

The greatest teams work not because they have the most powerful members, but because the members they have compliment each other and work together. They share the challenges they face on an equal basis and know that the most important aspect of teamwork is being part of the team.

Once such group whose members strongly compliment each other are the Children of the Elements (CotE). Each team member of CotE specialises in one power area (such as fire, water or light) that allows the team to function more strongly as a unit than many of the other teams whose members have non-complimentary or generalised powers. Yin, leader of CotE, has agreed to let himself and some of his team be interviewed on their history, aims and experiences.

Beholder: Yin, please tell us about how and why the CotE were founded?

Yin: The Children of the Elements were founded at the rancorous conclusion of the Rikti invasion. Because the city was in turmoil and heavily bruised by the invasion, I took the responsibility in forming a team of novices who possessed the powers of the elements, ranging from the element of fire to light. Our purpose is to protect our city, keep perpetual watch, and to make sure that what happened in the past would never occur again. Now why did I form a team who specialized in the elements? Well, it is quite simple. I’m not originally from this planet. I come from the planet called Cyrotakk, and in our language the means “The Land of Elements.” All my life, even when I came to this planet, I’ve been studying the elements and made it my obligation to know everything there was to know about them. I guess you could say that I have a certain unknown “thing” for elements, hence the team.

Beholder: As a xeno-citizen have you received much backlash about your origin after the Rikti invasion? There are reports that Paragon citizens are starting to react in a hostile manner to non-Earth born heroes.

Yin: Good question and I'll entertain it with an interesting reply. Yes and no. The majority of the kind souls that inhabit this vast terrain know much about my existance and where I stand today. Those were the ones who first witnessed my arrival, and through trial and error, have gotten to know who I am and what I stand for. Those in this generation who have not seen the invasion, but have read about it are a little skeptical of my origin and how trust worthy I can be. The point is, I stand at a 50-50% balance in between a good hero and a bad.

Beholder: Team politics can often get a little problematic. How does CotE handle both intra-team and inter-team politics?

S.Y.R. (Mind Element): Although we haven't formed many alliances or worked along side different teams, working along with The Justice Force, our first ally, has proven that we can be pliable with other teams in the CoH Universe while keeping intact our team virtues. We do have one rival team, whose name I would prefer to leave unmentioned, but I believe we will have many more allies when the time comes.

As for the team dynamic within The Children of the Elements, that's a different story. We do have the occasional conflict of interests, which I think all teams have, but we do get through it by a very important virtue. The ability to Compromise. With this, team problems are often solved in a way that all views in the matter are satisfied, leaving our very diverse members utterly complacent. But as far as the group dynamic on the streets of Paragon City goes, we're all business. We know our mission and we'll do whatever it takes to accomplish it. It's just the CotE way.

Beholder: CotE are a team of specialists. There must be times when you run into situations where the most appropriate member isn't available, making completing a mission that much harder. How do you handle these situations? Does this specialisation hinder you often? Are you still looking for members?

Frost (Ice Element): Of course we can never really predict when and which member will be needed in a specific situation. However, those that are on the mission can normally make do with what the skills available at hand. If we need Sky to heal an injured S.Y.R, instead of using Sky's healing powers, either Vulcan or I could create a wall around S.Y.R., protecting him from further harm. It hinders us, yes, but most of the time we can find a way around it.

And yes, recruiting is closed .

Beholder: Are there any villain groups that the CotE specifically targets?

Vulcan (Fire Element): Not as a team, no, but some of us tend to have particularly bad feelings towards one group or another. I know Yin isn't particularly fond of the Circle of Thorns, i myself target Crey Industries more than any other group. But, it works out to where each teammate's hated rival covers all of the known groups out there.

Aries: (March 21—April 19)
You will find a new love as you save a member of the opposite sex from a gruesome death.

Taurus: (April. 20—May 20)
Watch out! You are going to be attacked by a pack of evil ninjas.

Gemini: (May 21—June 21)
You'll feel a greater sense of security until you find out that an enemy that you thought you had defeated somehow comes back.

Cancer: (June 22—July 22)
You'll have to make a tough decision today: red wire or green wire.

Leo: (July 23—Aug. 22)
Careful, that dark seducer of the opposite sex who turns you away from your more homely love-interest may actually be evil.

Virgo: (Aug. 23—Sept. 22)
The position of the stars indicate that your evil clone will somehow make your milled-mannered way of life more hectic.

Libra: (Sept. 23—Oct. 23)
The members of your team my be evil Rikti pods, watch for a dull tone in their voice or high pitched squeals.

Scorpio: (Oct. 24—Nov. 21)
You will learn that the person who killed your family/friend(s) was actually only a pawn in an even more fiendish plot that is way over your head.

Sagittarius: (Nov. 22—Dec. 21)
You will find yourself in a interesting situation, when you discover that your long lost parents were actually K.G.B. spies.

Capricorn: (Dec. 22—Jan. 19)
Don't feel bad, villains only call you a super zero and other insulting twists on your own name because they are jealous.

Aquarius: (Jan. 20—Feb. 18)
Someone has found out your secret identity!.. but who?

Pisces: (Feb. 19—March 20)
You after destroying legions of his/her goons, you realize that if you kill your arch nemesis you will become like him/her.

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