I spent the holidays and my birthday celebrating the arrival of Parlor. Giving off serious Foot Clan hideout vibes, it’s the first establishment of its kind in St. Louis to really nail the arcade bar atmosphere.
Bonus Internet Fame: me and Ms. Pac-Man via @ParlorSTL / @ChariotPhotography
As origin stories go, it's not a very exciting one:
A man with a few minutes to kill is offered a "Create A Superhero" template by his wife (part of a teen program she's planning at the library where she works). He considers the vast arrary of super powers already well represented in comic characters before landing on a capability he would appreciate in his own daily life. He cobbles together a few one-liners into something resembling a backstory and adds a dash of visual inspiration from Debbie Harry (because who wouldn't?). And then there's Harmony.
Not very exciting, but a lot of fun.
Superhero Name: Harmony
Origin Story: While attempting to rescue her mother's record collection from a nursing home fire, the melted vinyl fused with Harmony's bloodstream, giving her the uncanny ability to instantly create music at any time, which she uses to calm tensions and resolve conflicts big and small.
Tragic Flaw: MP3s sound to her like nails on a chalkboard.
Superhero Personality: Wise-crackin'
Secret Identity: Cassie Ramone, high school music teacher
Archenemy: The Auto-Tune Army
After teasing it for a couple weeks, Arcade Nation quietly crossed over the 10,000-follower threshold sometime last weekend.
I'm not sure if that holds any significance at all, other than the always-gratifying reassurance that I'm not the only person hopelessly smitten with this stuff.
