Sara

[quote name='wiccansamurai']"What The" the duck was shortly after eaten by a coyote. We aren't very good with birds.[/quote][size=1]I feel bad for laughing, but...that was really funny. / I had a pet fish...for a week...and he died. / Not surprising, really, nor as interesting as the fish we used to have in our newt tank who simple [i]disappeared[/i]. One day...he just wasn't there any more. We think the newt ate him. o0 Not too hot, not too cold, Sara[/size]

[QUOTE=Xander Harris]Idiotic things people say: "X and Y would make SUCH A CUTE COUPLE!!!" often said by happily dating drippy females. It's even more annoying when you are the X they are talking about. Whether you like the girl they think would be so 'cute' for you or not.[/QUOTE][size=1]If you're a guy, wouldn't you be the "Y" part of that equation? ^_~ Apparently one of my high school friends once commented that myself and my crush at the time would make a "very scary" couple. (I learned this a week or two ago from the guy I had a crush on, heh.) [quote=wiccan samurai]Well, my friend Nathan tried to put his arm around me when I was watching anime with him. I have a boyfriend, though he didn't know that, so I told him that. Today he said "I'm sorry for trying to start stuff Friday. Its just I was pissed at Melanie." Melanie is his ex. This was extremely stupid. There's only two possible reasons for him saying this I can think of. The first is that he really was pissed off at his ex, and wanted to get back at her by hitting on me in the privacy of my living room. This would have not made her jealous, as she already told me I could have him if I want. The only other reason is that maybe he DOES like me and needed a macho excuse after getting turned down. That was dumb because if he does like me, he just told me the only reason he'd hit on me is to piss off an ex.[/quote]Really? I think it's somewhat admirable that he apologized. Of course, I am rather removed from the situation. But it sounds like he felt bad and wanted to make amends. And not that "the only reason he'd hit on" you was because he was angry--if someone's flirting with you, chances are they genuinely like you, regardless of what actually inspired them to act on the feeling. takin' care of business, Sara[/size]

[QUOTE=Xander Harris]I don't mind card games and crap for lots of different Anime series. People must be buying it, or else they wouldn't make it. What I don't like is when an entire series is structured around selling cards. That's just boardering on absurdity.[/QUOTE][size=1]But at the same time, people enjoy those games as well. My brothers were (are, maybe...I haven't talked to them much over the last few months) big fans of the YuGiOh card game. Card games actually based on shows like that actually seem more legit to me. My main complaint about merchandising is how it tends to compromise the characters from whatever movie or series it's from. Shy has heard my complaints about Micky Mouse and Snoopy--fine characters, I suppose, but after years and years of merchandising, greeting cards, stationery, cartoons, and whatever else, they've been washed out. [quote name='Bill Watterson']I don't want some animation studio giving Hobbes an actor's voice, and I don't want some greeting card company using Calvin to wish people a happy anniversary.[/quote] I love Bill Watterson, heh. There are some shows and characters that I really enjoy, and I'd love for there to be more (read: any) merchandise out there featuring them. So I understand how big fans of well-commercialized things would be pleased by their accessability. But at the same time, do we really need Sully (Monsters Inc.) featured on bags of chips, or [i]the Incredibles[/i] on canisters of Pringles? Probably not. once you pop, you just can't stop, Sara[/size]

[QUOTE=Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f]I started wearing the hijab (the veil) a few months ago, just before school started in particular. Anyway, it' fun to experiment with the different hijabs, cause they usually have all sorts of pretty designs and colors! There's also a variety of ways you can wrap it around your head. In addition, the pins make a great accessory! I want to get a jilbab, which is a long, robe like outfit some muslim girls wear, and some are really pretty too. But they're so expensive here in the islamic stores in Canada! Some are over $100. Therefore, if one of your muslim friends decide to visit an arabic/muslim country, it's good to ask them to bring you back clothes, since the stores there actually sell stuff for what it's worth (the jilbab would only be $20 candadian there). Then you can pay them back. :) One of my friends agreed to bring me back loads of jilbabs and hijabs cause I'm in desperate need of them.[/COLOR][/QUOTE][size=1]Wow, that's really interesting. Since I moved to campus, I've seen a lot of girls (well, not a stunning majority or anything, but a large number compared to what I saw at home) wearing skirts, veils, etc. I'd feel odd asking them, but you're very right--many of them are just beautiful. I'm a little jealous sometimes, heh. If I were to wear something like that, I'd feel extremely awkward, but they all do it with such grace. And it had never occured to me about the price thing. Wow, I feel so informed now. *silly smile* been a fool, been a clown, Sara[/size]

[quote name='That Godel chixx0r']Eating chocolate makes your body release endorphins, the body's natural "feel good" supplement.[/quote][size=1]I feel so...manipulated. Flowers and chocolates, heh. I think the primary appeal here is that you're letting the gal know that you're thinking of her. Girls tend to like that, heh. Particularly if they are attracted to you. Not so much if they're trying to avoid you...heh. One February 14th, after several months of unwanted attentions from a certain member of the male gender, I was absolutely terrified of going to school. I did not want to go--I didn't want to have to deal with him on Valentine's Day. I dressed all in black, and (after a quick Google search) found a different holiday that took place on the fourteenth....Ferris Wheel Day. My sister and I made little 'Ferrintines' and a couple "Happy Ferris Wheel Day" signs. I braced myself and went to school. It wasn't...that bad. He did approach me and give me a rose (with attached poem), which freaked me out quite a bit. It was a sweet gesture, though. I guess. I hung the flower up in my room to dry, so I still have that somewhere...for what that's worth. Anyway, I think I had a point to this, and it was...Hm. Intimidation is bad. If you like a girl, please, don't stalk her and freak her out. Showing up with gourmet chocolate and her favorite flower, while [i]tres[/i] romantic, is going to scare most sane gals to death. Be casual, heh. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups work just as well as any other kind of chocolate. (Unless said person is allergic to peanut butter. That's something you should try and be aware of. heh.) Roses are generally very "serious" flowers. Either you're good friends and you can both handle some teasing, or you're actually dating. I know my high school used to sell carnations for Valentine's Day, and those worked very well. all you need is love, Sara[/size]

[size=1]The animals at my house reside rather consistantly within glass tanks, so none of them has any special part of a Christmas tradition. On the other hand, we did get one of our newts (and the whole aquarium/terrarium/newtonarium ensemble for Christmas several years back. I suppose that counts for something, heh. Actually, there's a rather funny little story about that. My brother and sister had been wanting a pet newt for some time, but we didn't have a place for it to live, and whatnot. Well, one day they were fooling around in the storage room, opened a box and--behold! An aquarium, filters, heat light, bags of rocks....just about anything you could think of to need for a pet newt. Besides water and maybe food. Well, they came to me (because, you know, I'm such a sage), asking what they should do. Did our parents even [i]know[/i] about this stuff? Maybe we should tell them, and then we could have a newt! I reasoned that it was probably a gift, and they stashed it back away. Now, the way our family Christmas works (or did, when we were younger) was this: On Christmas eve, we would go to church, perhaps meet some relatives, and then come home. Once home, we would snack on various cheeses, meats, crackers, and vegetables as the adults talked and we kids got increasingly impatient. Finally, we'd get to open the presents under the tree. Then, Christmas morning, we would go downstairs to discover another gift, and our stockings mysteriously full of candy. Santa Claus and whatnot, heh. Well, this Christmas eve came and went quite aquarium-less, and the next morning, direct from Santa, was an entourage of everything a little newt could possibly need to be happy. I was about ten, and had been fighting for several years to [spoiler]hang onto the belief that Santa was real[/spoiler], and I was quite bitterly disappointed by the whole ordeal. So that was probably the worst present I ever got. Nothing against the newt itself, I suppose, as it wasn't really his fault (although adding to my personal misery was the fact that only my siblings, not I, had wanted the creature) and he's rather endearing. You know, as far as amphibians go. But anyway, heh. rockin' around the Christmas tree, Sara[/size]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud']I classify my clothing style as "cooler than yours" because I am an arrogant egomaniac that is exceedingly shallow and has a revolving wardrobe.[/quote][size=1]Damn you and your ability to be so arrogantly succint! Fine, I classify my clothing style as "infinitely more comfortable than yours." So [i]there. [/i] chased by a green-eyed monster, Sara[/size]

[QUOTE=DeathBug]An electric shaver. I'm so @#$@%#$^$ing tired of cutting myself in the morning.[/QUOTE][size=1]That was pretty giggletastic. ^_^ My family has online gift-lists, heh. I can't decide whether that's cool or just really lame... in any case, my list (made up quickly so I had something posted there, heh) can be found [url=https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/johnmartin/web/giftlist/familylists.html]here[/url] for those parties lame enough to actually click the link. I don' tknow what my best gift ever would be, but I got some stickers last Christmas that I [i]loved[/i], though. Pretty awesome. When I was seven or so, I got a particular Barbie Doll that I really loved. It was a Therasa doll, and she had copper-streaked hair...that's really all I remember, but I liked her an awful lot. (Anyone else (Tori?) notice that when we were were little, Barbie always had huge eighties hair? Heh.) Other gifts I really loved were a big stuffed wolf (creatively named 'Holly'), my Bear (still my favorite stuffed animal; I was probably about eight when I got him, although I could be wrong.) I also got [i]The Princess Bride[/i] book and [i]The Tenth Kingdom[/i] movie when I was 14, and I was just [i]laughing[/i], I was so happy. Oh, you know what? The best Christmas present I ever got was my dictionary. Christmas 1997, from my dad's two brothers. It's sitting next to me right now, and you have never seen a dictionary so well-used and loved. ^_^ any way the wind blows, Sara[/size]

[QUOTE=Altron] Old Navy Quiksilver Adida ...How's that for generic?[/QUOTE][size=1]Not so good. ^_~ I wear comfy clothes. Jeans and T-shirts, really...every once in a while I'll dress up a bit, but that's only worth doing when the weather is warm. Right now it's snowing...and I'd much rather be warm and comfortable in my sweatshirt and giant jacket, than stylish and considerably less warm wearing some nicer clothes. Not that it isn't fun to dress up every now and then, but it's not worth freezing while I walk to class. Most of my clothes are from Kohl's department store, that I've accumulated over years and years of back-to-school shopping with my mom. In for a penny, Sara[/size]

[size=1]I guess I was a little ambiguous. It's perfectly fine to call it Forboding Twilight...but when you start the sign up thread, I would suggest titling the [i]thread[/i] something like Forboding Twilight (Science Fiction) ...and don't forget to include the rating, heh. That way, people interested in Science Fiction (who might skip over a more fantasy-sounding thread) are more likely to notice it and take part. Once people have signed up, there's no need to include the genre tag in the actual RPG thread. Unless you want to, I suppose. Anyway, it's just a suggestion, heh.[/size]

[size=1]Carrot cake? Are you serious? Wow, that sounds really...lame. Vegetables just aren't something I normally associate with a rockin' time, heh. It's cute, though, heh. ^_^ I turned eighteen this past spring...I can't really remember doing anything special, 18-wise. My family and I went to see a Newsboys concert (they were in town on my birthday! They sang my favorite song! It was awesome!) My friend decorated my locker. I still grin, thinking about it. I really like koi (for some reason?), and she got all sorts of fish (Fishy crackers, swedish fish, fish toys, fish necklaces) and filled my locker with them. It kicked seven levels of butt. So, yeah, heh. Nothing too spectacular, 18-wise, but as birthdays go in general, it was pretty great.[/size]

[QUOTE=Mithos]Anyways, I was referring to their titles. Since they had 1000 posts. I miss hypershadow and Ginnylyn :(.[/QUOTE][size=1]It was actually IM_GENGAR, I do believe. I remember HyperShadow, heh...Digipeeps. Ginny is still a good friend of mine. Mm...nostalgia. Tastes like hot cocoa and buttered toast. Lore. Hm. What kind of a dumb name is that, anyway? [/size]

[size=1]It sounds fine. My only real advice would be to avoid sTickY CaPs, heh. When you start off an RPG, you want to get as many people interested as possible. WriTiNg LikE thIS will make a lot of people (who might have actually been interested in participating) skip the thread entirely. And when you make your sign-up thread, I would include in the title that it's rather science fiction based... "Foreboding Twilight" doesn't convey a lot of what your story is actually about, and your thread title is the first thing (and unless it works, the ONLY thing) you have to picque potential players' interest.[/size]

[size=1]I have long, thick, dark brown hair. It was very straight when I was young, heh. It started getting wavy/curly when I was 13 or so. I've never had any horrible experiences with my hair, heh. Then again, I don't do much with it. I've never dyed it, and it's been past shoulder length since I was twelve years old. My mom trims it for me occasionally, and I cut a bunch off every couple summers...but people don't really notice, since it's still long. I'm thinking about getting it cut short again, but I don't know. I'm pretty chicken when it comes to messing with my hair, heh. Although I might go for bangs/fringe. Oh, well. if I do want to "experiment," I guess now would be the time...what is college for, if not doing scary things to your body while you can still claim to be "finding yourself"?[/size]

[size=1]I love your style Tori. Everything you draw is just so [i]pretty[/i]. I love her hair, and the pose is just darling. (Good job on the hands, too, heh.) This is going to sound odd too, heh, but I especially like her feet. o_0 It's lovely. I can't wait to see it masterpieceafied.[/size]

[size=1][color=#ff6600]That was crude and unnecessary. I've deleted the offending post and the replies.[/color][/size]

[QUOTE=Meggido]Religion...Hmmmm... Well I'm supposed to be a Catholic but in truth I'm a self proclaimed atheist. I believe that Religion is a thing constructed by a number of powerful people to control the masses. You look at all the major religious problems in the world over the centuries, e.g. the Crusades. Each one has been a leader controlling people through religion or against a religion to do their bidding. In summing up. Religion is one of the most dangerous weapons we have.[/QUOTE][size=1]You're supposed to be Catholic? Interesting choice of words. "I believe that Religion is a thing constructed by a number of powerful people to control the masses." I'd like to think the world is a better place than that. I'm sure there's some saying about the most dangerous people being the ones who believe God supports their cause. But at the same time, you have to see that religion--or [b]faith[/b], which doesn't have any negative connotation--helps so many people in so many ways. Regardless of whether or not you believe what they believe is true, the fact that they do have faith is a part of their lives. Having that to hang on to, and being with others who believe the same way, can get people through extremely harrowing situations emotionally intact. I can't agree that religion is nothing more than a tool to manipulate people.[/size]

[size=1]Read our rules, please. This belongs in the [i]art request[/i] section. Thread moved. [/size]

[quote name='Adahn][font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff]If you want my opinion on what is natural for humans, I would point you in the direction of native tribes. You may call them undeveloped people, but I would say that we are overdeveloped. People were not meant to exist like we do. It is we who exist in the chaotic environment.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote][size=1]If anyone is interested in this point, I suggest they read [i]Ishmael[/i], by Daniel Quinn. I found it to be quite engaging when I read it a few years ago, and it talks quite a bit about different levels of "civilization." Interesting stuff.[/size]

[quote name='Lady_Rin']I don't think I need the blessing of a rabbi to tell me if I'm jewish or not or what my beliefs should be.[/quote][size=1]Aside: I thought your post was very interesting. This quote sums up a great deal of what I believe...about belief, I guess. I spent ten years of my life (ages 8 through 18) going to small Lutheran schools. I don't know if I'm happy about that or not, but it's certainly made me who I am, so I suppose I wouldn't change it. I learned a great deal about Christianity (well, Lutheranism. The differences between Lutheran and other Christian denominations were heavily emphasized) during that time, and it's shaped a lot of what I do and do not believe. I definitely grew up in a very Christian (again, Lutheran) environment. And I consider myself Christian. I can't [i]not[/i] believe the basic tenets of Christianity. I learned them right next to addition and subtraction. I could say "Christianity is all a load of nonsense," but I would be saying it with the same conviction as if I said "Seven plus eight is twelve." (It's fifteen, by the way. ;)) However, having said that...there are a lot of things on which I don't agree with the Lutheran church. Especially during high school Theology classes, I found myself disagreeing with certain things that were being said. I had many questions that were only answered with "Read the Bible, Sara." or "This is what the Bible says." I suppose it's an admirable answer, but I've read the Bible, and I simply don't agree with certain beliefs that have been derived from it. I don't see where they come from...or if I do, I personally believe that something else outweighs it. Particularly my senior year, I took issue with several things covered in Theology class. I disliked the callous, patronizing way the teacher (and the students) spoke of other beliefs. ("You won't believe the crazy stuff the Morons--whoops, I mean [i]Mormons[/i]--believe.") Putting it mildly, it pissed me off. And turned me off of many things I had previously just "gone along with." In the end, I am still Christian. That's part of the core of who I am, and whever I become unsure of that, I become very upset and depressed. I don't necessarily consider myself Lutheran, and I'm much happier for it. And here's the point of my post. [b]Before you commit yourself to any specific religion or set of beliefs, you need to think about what [i]you[/i], personally, believe. Don't try to shape your beliefs to fit into someone else's set of standards. [i]Know what you believe[/i], and find a religion that fits you. It should not be the other way around.[/b] [I realize this whole "Lutheran" thing probably seems very petty to whoever bothered to read my entire post, heh. I guess, you have to understand that whenever we were taught about anything religious, it was always with the understanding that these were [i]Lutheran[/i] beliefs. Even more specifically, a certain sect of Lutheranism. Whenever other beliefs/denominations were brought up, it was always with a sense of "So we're right, but here's what some of the wrong people think; aren't they dumb?" For a kid who didn't know what else to believe, those ideas were pretty hard to shake.][/size]

[size=1]To be quite honest, I often don't have [i]strong[/i] opinions on most things. I don't think I really can on most issues--I'm largely uninformed, and make decisions based on what little information I have, and my own thoughts on the issue. I obviously have feelings about most things one way or another (it's hard to have [i]no[/i] opinion on something), but I don't claim that my view is the right one, or that I know what I'm talking about--often, I don't. I won't defend my stance in a debate, because I don't have facts to back myself up. I can explain how I feel about facts presented to me by another, but I'm very wary of taking a strong stance about something I feel uninformed on. In a rather humorous example, I've always disliked Tinkerbell. The sudden abundance of Tinkerbell merchandise rather ticked me off this fall. I wanted to say I hated her, but I realized I didn't really know her entire story. So I rewatched [i]Peter Pan[/i], and read J.M. Barrie's book. I can now honestly say that Tinkerbell is a little wench. (Although even knowing that she's the same jealous fairy everywhere she appears, I do have somethng of a fondness for her after reading the book.) If you asked me to defend my stance on why Tink is a little wench, I could do that. I have information on that, heh. But becoming informed on most topics is far more complicated than reading a novel, and I don't feel comfortable saying I know what I'm talking about, especially with regards to current events. I really can't keep up with them, heh.[/size]

[size=1]I'm comfortable with myself, and I'm happy about that. I've never been on a diet to lose weight, heh. I generally eat healthily, simply because I feel better when I do. There was one girl in particular I went to school with for several years. She probably weighed about what I did, and was a bit taller than me. She talked about her weight a lot, and she was [i]never[/i] happy with it. She was always complaining. (It got very annoying.) She honestly believed she was overweight. She wasn't. [i]I'm[/i] not overweight, and like I said, we probably weighed about the same. It was interesting, and frustrating, to see what happened as a result of her complaining. A couple girls in my class (also not overweight, and otherwise intelligent) became convinced they were fat...I don't know if it was just that time of adolescence, or what, heh. But I honestly believe it had to do with the original girl mentioned. "If [i]she's[/i] fat...I am too." And then (on a note of purely personal annoyance) I had to listen to all of them whine about it. That aside, looking back at middle school, I'm very happy that I was comfortable with myself. If I had a bit less self-esteem, it's likely that the other weight-conscious (read: obsessive) girls in my class would have convinced me I was overweight. Not that it would have been intentional, but kids learn a lot about "what they are supposed to be" from their friends and classmates. I believe (I hope) most kids know they aren't supposed to look like the people on TV. First of all, for goodness sakes, they're in middle school--it's [i]not[/i] healthy. And I think most kids know that. They can draw a line between hollywood and real life. But when you have even one or two girls in a class who [i]can't[/i] make that decision, or hold themselves to ridiculous (and unhealthy) standards, they can easily "infect" others. Even when an adolescent girl can look at the women in television and magazines and know she isn't required (or even supposed) to look like that, when her peers give her the same message, it is far more difficult to refute.[/size]

[size=1]Agreeing with what has already been said here, this is enough. Thread closed.[/size]

[font=trebuchet ms][center][size=3][b]Issue #6: [i]Crossing[/i][/b][/size][/center] Key City in winter. The air is crisp, the sky is dark, and scores of people are bustling up and down Main Street with arms full of Christmas packages. Animatronic Santas and reindeer* make happy motions in cotton-padded picture window landscapes. There's a sort of cheerfulness in the air one only notices at the height of the Christmas season--some time after Thanksgiving, but before the first big snow. When even here in the city, people are polite to complete strangers. We take a long view of the street, taking in the happy shop-goers, most on their way home after a lighthearted day of shopping. Doorways and awnings begin to sparkle as colored strings of Christmas lights are turned on. Dressed warmly by their parents against the mid-December air, children laugh with delight as snowflakes begin to fall. It's a picture-perfect Christmas shopping scene. We begin to scan the faces of the crowd, finally focusing on one woman. She is perhaps middle-aged, her hair styled in a way that was fashionable five years ago. Like those around her, she is dressed in her drab winter coat, carrying packages. But her face is bright, and on her coat is a colorful pin--possibly homemade, the sort children give their teachers for Christmas. A snowman, perhaps, or an oversized Christmas tree. In fact, she is a school teacher. Her students know her as Miss Richards, in the quaint way children have. Even into the fourth grade (and further), students are sometimes unaware that their teachers have lives outside the classroom. Her colleagues call her Elizabeth, because that is her name. Elizabeth Richards, Fourth Grade Teacher. It was a Thursday afternoon when she left to go shopping after school. As we have noted, it is now evening, and the crowds are slowly thinning as people make their separate ways homeward. She herself is slowly heading toward the Franklin Bridge bus stop. Elizabeth smiles as she passes people on the street. She knows some of them..some, not. It doesn't really matter--it's Christmas, after all. Everyone is smiling. Voices, music, and laughter mingle in the air, forming an odd sort of Christmassy sound. It's contagious--Elizabeth throws back her head and laughs happily. The ambience of the scene suddenly shifts. The mood of the "Christmassy sound" has changed. Elizabeth closes her mouth abruptly, eyes wide. No, the change in tone wasn't her fault--somewhere ahead of her, the sound of laughter has turned to that of alarm...or even fear. There is a horrible, shaking sound further up the bridge, and people are running past her now, away from the noises. Young children, laughing only a few moments before, scream and cry. Women run desperately away, tugging their children behind them. Men stand aghast, some ushering people off the bridge, others yelling, accomplishing nothing. Her heart racing, Elizabeth pushes her way against the flow of people, toward the source of the panic. [i]What is going on?[/i] A man grabs her shoulder--"Ma'am, you can't go over there, it's--" She wrenches herself out of his grip, running onto the bridge, dropping her bags and packages. Behind her, the man stares after her in amazement, finally bending down to collect her things. She doesn't care. Another awful sound, and bits of shattered concrete ricochet of the bridge. The chorus of screams grows with renewed terror. The bridge shudders, and Elizabeth jumps, catching her balance. She looks up. A bright spot of fire twists and dances in the clouds above her. Warm raindrops touch her face. There's a loud scream from somewhere above, and an angry yell. A jet of colored fire burns brightly through the clouds above. Elizabeth's heart stops. Colored fire means only one thing--the Guardian Incendia. Whatever is going on up there, one thing is suddenly very clear: It's a superhuman battle--and dangerous. As if on cue, a blast of force hits Franklin Bridge. The entire structure shakes, and Elizabeth falls to her hands and knees. Again, the sound of screaming takes on new urgency. "Incendia, what are you [i]doing?[/i]" Elizabeth breathes, forcing herself back up. The Guardians would never put bystanders in danger...if this battle is really taking place [i]here[/i]--and there's no denying it is--something has gone terribly wrong. "Who is she fighting?" No, it doesn't matter. Elizabeth looks around. The bridge is still full of people--drawn by morbid fascination, perhaps. More likely, they are somehow convinced that everything will end up being alright. "After all," Elizabeth thinks bitterly, as she tries desperately to think of something to do, "they live in Key City. Nothing every [i]really[/i] goes wrong when you have a legion of superheroes to protect you." Somewhere above, Incendia shrieks and flares up, lighting the dark sky for a moment, then almost disappearing into the clouds. There is a crazed cheer from the people who have stayed to watch--fireworks. [i]Fireworks[/i]. Elizabeth feels sick. "She's losing," she realizes numbly. "Incendia is losing. Something bad is happening. And no one realizes it." [i]I have to do something.[/i] But what? What can she do? She has [i]strength[/i], for goodness sake. She can lift things, push things--she can't fly. Superstrength can't help anything right now. She winces as another blast hits the side of the bridge, jarring everyone there, and sending her back to the ground. She waits for a second, then rises, only to find she is still off balance--the bridge has not righted itself. [i]Bad.[/i] She stands, adjusts, takes a step, then breaks into a run, something she has not done for well over ten years. She reaches the largest cluster of people. "We have--" she gasps--"We have to get off the bridge. Incendia's losing--something's wrong." A few of the bystanders exchange worried glances. A murmur runs through them. [i]Losing? Is it possible?[/i] A big man laughs, suddenly dispelling any doubt Elizabeth had raised. "What's wrong, Ma'am?," he laughs. "Don't you worry; the Guardians always take care of their own." "You don't understand--" she begins again. She is cut off by a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" as Incendia flares up again, brighter this time. "See?" the man says. "Everything's just fine." He smiles self-importantly. Elizabeth stares at him in disbelief. Above them, Incendia's light fades, completely lost in the cloud cover. "We have to get off the bridge," she repeats desperately. A handful of people, seeded with doubt, make their ways off the bridge. The already foolhardy majority, however, make no move to leave. The air [i]screams.[/i] So do the people. A bright, glowing figure hurtles down from the sky, crashing with great force into the bridge. The concrete cracks around her, and people, yelling, run, crawl, [i]flee[/i] the opposite way. Elizabeth feels a desperate, sinking relief--they're leaving the bridge. She pulls herself up, again, one last time, and runs to the burning figure, kneeling beside her. Incendia is a recent recruit to the Guardians. Less than twenty years old, she is very pretty--a young woman with a fire for justice. Contrary to stereotype, she is known to have a very calm personality...not that it is important right now. Elizabeth cradles the young woman's head, putting her hand to the hero's forehead. Her skin is feverish...but somehow, Elizabeth doubts that that means much. Incendia looks up at her, eyes dull. "Ouch," she says weakly. Whether it was meant to be humorous or not, Elizabeth has no idea. "Shush, Peggy," Elizabeth says softly, brushing the Incendia's hair from her eyes. Confused recognition flares in the young womans' eyes for a moment. "Miss--" Elizabeth shakes her head, gently, pressing against Incendia's head to keep her from trying to rise. "I said shush." The superhero moans weakly, her body broken against the concrete. "[i]Shush,[/i]" Elizabeth repeats, more gently, her heart breaking. "Go to sleep." She strokes the young woman's hair. "You'll be okay," she lies. "Just...rest." [i]Morning. We look in on a small first-floor classroom in Mount Pleasant, one of Key City's many neighboring towns. Paper Christmas trees and snowflakes cover the windows. Morning sunlight slants in between them, pooling on desks and onto the floor. Twenty-seven nine and ten year olds fill the classroom, talking and goofing off before school starts. The bell rings, and a few of the meeker students make their way immediately to their desks. There is no sign of a teacher, however, and most still mill around the room, laughing and playing. There is a sound at the door, and the classroom falls silent. A tall, well groomed man enters. Confusion, then anticipation, sweeps the classroom. "Hello, Class," the man says. "My name is Mr. Brown." He turns to write it on the blackboard, then turns again to face the fourth graders. He smiles in a firm way, dashing the hopes of some that he would be easy to torment or fool. "I'll be your teacher today."[/i] [size=1]* It occured to me afterward that this was probably anachronistic. / So pretend it isn't there.[/size][/font]

[size=1]Yeah, don't worry about it. As it happened,[i] he[/i] set his custom title to "banned," which kinda threw me off at first, as well. Anyway, he's actually banned now.[/size]