Leaderboard

Funny pics might not be the best place for this, but I'm not sure where else it would fit.

There are some uncited assertion in there. Where did female cast members "bash males"? The Brie Larson quote cited in the article listed upthread had nothing to do with the MCU, and was nothing close to male bashing, and it's the only thing presented so far. As Ternaugh pointed out, Captain Marvel was a blockbuster, by any reasonable definition. As to why Black Widow is doing so relatively poorly, that's really complicated. I sincerely doubt it has anything at all to do with anything Johansson has said in interviews. The movie is about a character that is already dead in the continuity of the series. It was released simultaneously to streaming and theaters, and it was released a year late due to the pandemic. All those are almost certainly bigger factors than folks caring about whatever Johansson said. Regarding Dr. Strange being cut from shows, do you have an example beyond WandaVision? Otherwise, that's one show, and I've got to say, making the decision to not have the powerful man come in and save the day at the end of that series was a solid one. Having any character show up and Deus Ex Machina the ending would have been bad, but having a man do it in a show that's otherwise been mostly centering women would have sucked. This whole panic over more diversity in the MCU makes me laugh. There was one female super hero for the entirety of phase one of the MCU, and she's the one who didn't get a solo movie (until just now), while there were four male-led solo movies. In phase two they added two more women. Wanda only became a hero at the very end of the last movie of phase 2, and Gamora was added as the one woman in a crew of five. There were once again four male-led solo movies, and zero female-led. Phase three gave us our first female-led movie, and five male-led movies. As the original lead actors retire, their characters are getting replaced. We got a black Captain America. We're going to get Iron Heart instead of Iron Man. We know we're getting a female Thor in Love and Thunder, and rumors say that Hemsworth's Thor may be going to die, but I haven't heard anything solid on the future of those two characters. A lot of fans want Shuri to be the new Black Panther, but, once again, Marvel seems to be playing their cards close to their chest, so who knows. This year we get Shang Chi, a new male lead, our first Asian lead in the MCU. Someone in one of these threads said that Dr. Strange is going to die in Multiverse of Madness, and that Hawkeye is going to die in his Disney+ series. I've seen nothing to back these up. But the thing is, if the MCU becomes no longer completely centered around white males for a while, it's not the end of the universe. White males have dominated lead roles in these movies so far (and in all of Hollywood, for that matter) for a long while, and it would take a long time of that no longer being true to reach even close to parity. It would be okay to let some other folks take the spotlight for a while.

A teacher asks: <quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote> Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice. Dean Shomshak

That was a pretty standard Captain America speech. Cap has been a social justice warrior since way back.

An acquaintance of mine did a full color Version of the old FH Background, Western Shores, as a D&D style map. I thought some of the old crowd might appreciate it. So anyone else have any neat campaign maps?

That reminds me, especially with the Yoda reaction. At a friend's memorial service over the weekend, they told this story: My friend Bill was at a con, and was at the the signing table next to Mark Hamill. As you might guess, Hamill had a huge line, and Bill had comparatively few. When there was finally a breather, Mark turned to Bill and asked his name. Bill answered, "I am Obi-Hind, Jedi Proctologist. These are not the 'roids you're looking for." Hamill fell out of his chair laughing.

I burned my mouth on hipster tacos once. I ate them before they were cool.

There was a a gathering at a Steve Petersen’s house for the old Hero Games employees. He told the story of how Champions came the be, and the mad rush to hand collate 1500 copies of that first book, and of what a disaster con registration was for Pacific Origins, and how they turned it into an opportunity, but sending their booth babe, dressed as Wonder Woman down the the lines to hand out flyers. How the had Bruce Harlick squat on the only open gaming tables inside the hotel (the rest of the open gaming was in sweaty tents around behind the Hotel.) the game was a success People would play the demo, then get up from the table and walk into the dealers room and buy their copy for $10. From there , the rest is history. The distributors that picked up whole boxes at Origins would start selling by August. And the Distrubutors asked, so when are the supplements coming out?” So upon their return from the con, they wrote Enemies, and The Island of Dr. Destroyer. Here are some artifacts from that first weekend: https://imgur.com/a/0E72NAX 40 years later it’s still going. Scott

Quite apart from your scenario as to what might have led up to this "joke" being pure speculation, anyone directing KKK symbology at a black American is evoking generations of American history when that was tantamount to a death threat. Assuming the police chief didn't mean it as a death threat, he either knew that fact but didn't take it seriously because it never impacted his white experience, or he's colossally ignorant of what it means to be black in America. Neither case is an excuse for what he did, especially for a person in a position of authority and leadership, who literally needs to know better. This is practically on the level of someone trying to make a joke to a woman about sexual abuse. EDIT: I'm sorry if I came across as harsh to you, Archer. You're not who I'm angry with. I'm neither black nor a woman, but I'm close to enough people in both categories that I have some idea of how raw those wounds remain.

Unlike comic book characters who can remain the same age for decades, actors get older, they want to move on to other things, or they social-media their way out of a job. Clearing the decks of one set of characters to make room for the next generation of characters is an unfortunate necessity of live action cinema. Until we perfect digital actors who look 100% real, with no uncanny valley effect, and can be performance-captured and voiced by numerous actors over time, we won't have superhero characters that continue on for two, three, or more decades. The Iron Mans will have to give way to the Ironhearts, and one Captain America (or Black Panther) will be replaced by another, and then another, etc. All we can hope for is that Kevin Feige does a good job of this. I, for one, have no problem with Kate Bishop taking over for Hawkeye, to take just one example. As long as they do a good job with these new characters, I'm still all in on the MCU.

Eating too much cake is the sin of gluttony. But eating too much pie is okay, because the sin of pi is zero.

Saw this on the Book of Face earlier. -- "i'm not proud of this but i just made a scene in public for the first time in my life. I walked into Starbucks and they asked me to put a mask on. I yelled this is BS. I turned around and walked out. I know what you’re thinking… My first mistake was walking into a Starbucks!" - Kevin Sorbo "So where did you end up applying instead?" - Rob Dean

In a hundred years, I think that people will remember the conservatives who deny the existence of the virus and oppose taking the reasonable steps against it, in the same way as the high commands of the armies in World War 1 are remembered now: Robert Nivelle, Douglas Haig, Erich Falkenhayn, Grand Duke Nicholas, etc., as heavy-handed, incompetent, status-conscious obstinate butchers incapable of adapting to a new environment, and seeing only their own status as important, and spending the lives of millions of their countrymen as valueless tickets, and indeed putting the survival of their countries beneath their own pride of command.

I've got a few more ideas that will probably never get used by me because my TT game days are over, but I'm still brainstorming so I thought I'd spill this out there and see what others thought was doable and which THEY thought would be most fun/interesting. I got stuck on the theme of 'a new start to a new super life'. Take a look, go to the poll, and pick your favorite. If you want to be extra kind, also post here why you liked which ever most or even rank them! Much appreciated. The Price of Dreams (Teen Champions)- Maybe you came to the USA's southern border from Honduras after a harrowing trip through Mexico with your family. Maybe your father sided with the Americans in Afghanistan as a guide and now his life is on the line if you can't get him haven in. Perhaps you want to escape a war torn nation in Africa. If you were ordinary, there would be a good chance you'd be refused. But you're not ordinary, you have gifts, super powers. And thanks to you, your family is going to a fast track to citizenship. Of course, there's a price. The government has a program for super teens that they hope to make into useful supers of American society. This isn't some super secret school for the gifted. It's a trade. You want a chance to save your family. Uncle Sam wants you... to eventually wear a cape. You're going to learn to control and develop your abilities (Which maybe a relief if they were getting wild) And you have no idea going in if this is a boot camp to turn you into a living weapon for the system, or maybe a true hero looking out for your new fellow citizens. Maybe nothing is that clear. Turncape: The Defectors (Cold War period Champions)- It's the early 70s, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has a relentless grip on it's superheroes, including you. Do you have family? Of course you do. How is your son anyway? Your mother? One hopes they are in good health. The Party takes good care of them, and you. You should be grateful, da? In some ways, it's even worse for you than it is the average Soviet citizen. After all, the Kremlin made sure that there is a telepathic handler for your team, to ensure no slips in loyalty. Your nonpowered peers at least have their thoughts. In a team of 13 supers, you're pretty sure you're not the only one who wants to defect to the West but some, maybe even most, are diehard loyalists. Then, you get a lucky break. That damn telepath ends up in a car accident of all things. He'll be out of operation for weeks. This maybe your chance for you (And your fellow PCs) to get your family and yourself out of the USSR. All you have to do is find a way to remove the tracker they've implanted (Did you really think they counted just on the telepath?) , avoid the suspicion of your Party Loyal team mates until you can either elude or over power them, then transport your family safely, and get in contact with the Western Government of your choice. Maybe not in that order. You hear Canada is very beautiful. Universal Rejection (Champions)- It was a losing battle against Istvatha V'han, but that didn't mean you didn't fight her conquest of your Earth. She called you terrorists, you preferred the term superhero. There were times you thought you might have crossed the line but you always tried to spare innocent lives even those who welcomed V'han with open arms. More and more governments in your world cut deals with the Empress, surrendering their freedom for security or profit. You destroyed Imperial communication grids, you broke political prisoners out of confinement, you did what you could to stop her soldiers from abusing citizens in the shadows. Then it happened, one of V'han's top scientists lured you into a trap and infused your very quantum matrixes so that your universe's frequency was toxic to you. There was no time for a cure, so you did what you could and fled to a new Earth, THIS Earth. Your old world is death to you now. So like it or not, you're out of the fight for it. Now you have to make a home for yourself in a world filled with superheroes like yours used to be. They seem noble, they play by rules you yourself had to abandon. You can't decide if you think they're naïve, or if seeing them makes you feel ashamed.. Of course, that's only the tip of the ice berg. The people you knew have doubles here, with slight or extreme changes. Villains you fought there are heroes here, and those you called allies have taken a dark path. Some are different in age, or backgrounds, others are so exact to those you knew that it's alarming. You yourself may have a double here. You might have never been born here but have duplicates of loved ones who do not know you here. Welcome to Earth whatever number it is. You have a new life to make. Wrongfully Convicted, Divinely Conscripted (Champions)- Perhaps before you were empowered, you didn't know much about Mesopotamian mythology. Not like a lot of people really study up on it. No, all you knew before Utu (aka Shamash) came into your life that you were in jail for a crime you didn't commit. Maybe you were set up by enemies, maybe the local police in your area needed a fall guy, maybe the prosecuting attorney with held evidence but you couldn't prove it. It didn't change the fact that even in a world with superheroes, sometimes innocent people get screwed. And you weren't alone. Assigned at a big prison to serve time for a crime you didn't commit, you found many who claimed to be innocent, and you later learned that a group of them weren't lying. Long story slightly shorter? Some mystical villain tried to open a path for Tiamat (yeah, not just for Dungeons and Dragons? Who knew?) to create destruction on his behalf and was going to use all the folks in the prison facility as a sacrifice. Fortunately, there are heroes in the world. This incredibly attractive superhero lady was also a mystic used the open portal to call on any god of good for aid. Utu peeked past 'the barrier', saw you and others who had been screwed over by the 'Justice System' and bestowed powers on you! It felt great! Suddenly you were young, powerful, and most importantly free! Even the most bitter of you didn't want a whole city nearby to DIE so you fought and turned the tide. Then the Sun God of Justice or whatever said 'Fight for True Justice, never become the villains they claimed you were, or I Shall take back what I have given" and he withdrew! Now you're barely recognizable (Or maybe not even that) but you're also a free man and out of the system. As far as the authorities know, you were killed by the supervillain. If you had religious convictions to monotheism before, this is HELLA awkward. But you're free, and you're going to do Justice right.

Given the potential benefits of space industrialization, such as nigh-limitless solar energy, minerals from the asteroids, and microgravity industrial processes... No, it's not clear to me that Branson could spend his money on any worthier cause. Sure, space tourism is a junket for the ultra-rich. But it's an indulgence that builds capacity for other things. Dean Shomshak

Florida Man sues Facebook, Twitter, YouTube for account ban

That can’t be true because....”In space, no one can hear you theme”. I’m way too proud of that.

Real people whose counterparts would be supers in a supers world. Charles Lindbergh 1. Traumatized by a terrible crime, the kidnap and murder of his child. 2. Had the best cutting edge aviation technology of the time 3. Had a flashy nickname "The Lone Eagle" 4. Eugenicist who allegedly also worked with Alexis Carrel a French surgeon who dreamed of improving humanity both through genetic improvement and cyborg replacement of body parts. Helped him invented a mechanical heart valve. 5. Denied the opportunity to join the military due to his Isolationist history, actually flew a few combat missions as a civilian. Aleister Crowley 1. Notorious occultist. 2. Sometimes called himself "Master Therion", identifying himself with the Beast of Revelation. 3. Allegedly tried to summon a god into himself. "Babe" Dedrikson 1. Fantastically versatile female athlete driven to prove herself the best at everything. 2. Capability almost as great as her ego. Unity Mitford 1. Wealthy British socialite. 2. Nazi sympathiser 3. Inflicted severe brain injury on herself in failed suicide attempt after the outbreak of war, allowed to return to Britain. Princess Lamia bint Majid AlSaud 1. Wealthy philanthropist 2. Her name is Princess Lamia

People are finally starting to socialize more now that they're vaccinated, and nice as it is, I am already hearing people complain about $7 beers, $10 parking, and $20 cover charge. All I have to say is that if you don't like those prices, stop coming to my house.

This is, to put it politely, somewhat overwrought, and entirely inaccurate. Is the Falcon (now Captain America) nerdy or gay, submissive, or an idiot? No. Sure, the Winter Soldier is a reformed villain, but, then again, so was the Black Widow. Black Panther? None of those things. And if the actor hadn't died, he'd be back for another movie soon. The Vision died again recently, but we may well see him again. Spider-man is nerdy, I'll give you that but what's wrong with that? Dr. Strange doesn't fit this categories either, although he is a bit of a pompous ass. I won't include Hawkeye, since he's a serial killer (but other than that he's an okay guy), or Starlord, because I'd say he does tend to fall in the idiot bucket (and is also an arrogant, insecure jerk). I've seen Ant-Man criticized because Wasp is a better fighter than him, but there's a lot more to being a positive role model than being able to kick ass (which he still often manages). There are also a ton of supporting characters who are good role models. And, guess what, a gay character can be just as much of a positive male role model as a straight character, not that we see many of them in the MCU or other action movies (The Old Guard is a nice exception there). And Terry Crews is, this very year, playing a badass character on Brooklyn 99. A smart, accomplished bad ass. He just happens to also be a dad, and a caring person. It's a sitcom, so of course they give him an amusing tic (he tends to refer to himself in third person), but he looks like a pretty positive role model to me.

CM is a mythological movie but it is not a hero’s journey mythological movie. It is more a ‘amnesic goddess that falls to earth and later remembers she is in fact a goddess’ movie. Goddess is symbolic of the divine feminine archetype/symbol. That this goddess is an earth woman makes it even more impactful, as symbolically, it is that the divine feminine that has been reawakened on Earth.

Pasta Carbonara

Wow. That's so utterly different from my experience. When you include direct to streaming content, I think we're in a golden age of video content. There is so amazingly much good stuff out there. That's not to says that there isn't a lot of amazing stuff from the past, too, of course. It's just that there's more of it now. Is there a lot of crap being made? Sure. But that's always been true. Sturgeon's law and all. The thing is, even the stuff that isn't all that great in a critical sense is often a lot of fun.

(Arise, dead thread) The flash drive was easy enough to install, it was a matter of what did I want to play it on? I'm a simple man in some ways, there was a screen in Hussar's own room and since we were here, I set it up. I thought about making a joke about getting the popcorn, but Hussar's focus on the screen made me realize that my humor would not be considered fitting or appropriate. Not that I'm normally knocking my team mates dead in the aisles with my pithy banter. I can hold my own, but that's self defense in the world of super-teams. Some superhero groups are rumored to have borderline hazing like some Frat stereotype. If that's the case, I don't even want to think of the supervillain teams. Now come corporate owned and government teams have to abide by some very strict rules of behavior regarding interaction; rumors there indicate it can get tight and uncomfortable. The New Samaritans? I'd like to think we're in a healthy center ground. But even here, I had to find my niche in the group, and get with the program, make friends where I could, without losing my individuality while doing it. In the first month or so I felt like I put my foot in my mouth so often I had athlete's tongue. After awhile, they felt out my boundaries, I theirs and the rest, as they say is history. Being Co-Captain had hurled me back a bit. It wasn't just new people, it was a new position with folks I did not know. And Hussar and I were not getting along. I won't lie, a part of me had been tempted to tell him have a nice life, inform Lady Obsidian he just wasn't a team player, and let it go. But I don't like failing. I know, no one does, but pride, that selfish barbed sin that grooves into you and somehow you treasure it anyway, was telling me that I could do better than just waving goodbye to any rookie who annoyed me. It reflected on me, and how Lady Obsidian would look on me. Like I said, selfish pride. The more noble reason, and just behind it, was that the world needed superheroes. It needed people with power to try to do the right thing and make a positive difference. If Hussar could shape up, and (literally) fly right, he could help save lives not just in the case of supervillain attack but natural disasters, rescue of those lost on hiking trails, and a dozen other ways that I knew. So, pride be damned, I owed it to the hero he could be to get to know the man, jerk or not, that he was. I'd been handed something that definitely registered with him. So, I quelled the humor and tried to turn on the attention and maybe even rev up the old empathy a bit. I was a rookie too, once- A nobler, more earnest and dare I say? more lovable rookie, but that's neither here nor there. "You got this set up yet or not? It's a flash drive, not rocket science," Hussar groused. Okay, definitely more lovable. Then again, the only reason he was hanging around instead of leaving was that I had pushed for him to watch this one more time so I guess impatience is forgivable. "Starting it up," I said giving it a dramatic pause "now." The footage that unfolded was not smooth and continuous, it was three scenes back to back but quality and style varied. I watched as a group of four black men in costumes gathered about a table. Their costumes, varied, but had two things in common, The outfits leaned towards the period, a bit more fringe for some, bold colors; less super fabric back then. Each had a stylized word, not large, on their shoulder costume, be it as a belt buckle, shoulder patch, the name Luke was on it, and a date or something? Given the grain and angle of the footage I was lucky to get that. Hussar piped up "Notice that none of them have a full face mask? Heck some of them bared their arms. They wanted folks to notice they were black or was the term African American then? I don't know." I had indeed noticed that and didn't mention that the guy with the rather bold afro over his mask was also a clue. Then they began talking. "So we just hover around city hall?" One with a sunburst symbol on his chest asked, "Surely more than that's needed?" "And we get ready to protect the protesters. No attacking the cops, but if they break out the hose, we bust the hose. If they send out the dogs again, we incapacitate the dogs..." A taller man started to elaborate, his costume's chest had a symbol that looked like a black shield design. "And when the cops start beating on little girls and old women? " The third, no chest logo on his dark costume but bronze zig zag patterns on its upper arms and legs, bristled with ire, "Brothers you know we're all good Christians here, but I have a problem with this." "Then we take the hits" The fourth man in a purple cape says "We don't give the hits. Much as they deserve it. You all know damn well as soon as one super involves himself, blame, we're labeled villains. And it's not us who pays the price for that" "I hear you," the third man answered with a sour look, "See you at the march" I knew these guys, or more accurately I knew of them. Super history was a hobby of mine long before I went in a college and that tip of your tongue feeling where you're sure you should have the answers you're searching for was jangling in my brain pan like you wouldn't believe. Fortunately, I didn't need to come up with it myself as the scene flicked to its second part. Cigarette smoke rose in spirals around a different table, better light with folders spread on out it. The images were clearer. Men in ill fitting suits, many of them with guns under jackets, the whole thing screamed government agents circa old school, "Footage of this meeting gives us nothing on the Widow's Sons. How are we going to keep these super-@##$ off the street?" The word the guy was used wasn't the worst racial slur you could use, but he said it so casually, with such practiced ease, that yes, it caught me off guard. I suppose it shouldn't have, given the time period. "Their presence is going to embolden the non powered activists," Said another, and I realized that every guy around this table was of the Caucasian persuasion, "So yeah, we kind of need to." "We could escalate, provoke a violent reaction?" Another said after putting his coffee down, "We saw on the footage, at least one of them might not be hard to press." "Too big a risk, sure we could spin it as a peaceful protest being total bull and this proves it, but a violent protest if the ones without powers join leads to it's own complications in the short term," a cigarette was snuffed, I wondered if it was meant to be symbolic as the guy stated at the same time, "We need to bust them first, and make sure they're caught dead to rights." There was an emphasis on the word evidence that I did not like. In fact I didn't like any of these guys. I'm not a detective like Tornado, but I could read between the lines well enough. They were talking set up. "Please, like anyone is going to believe that it wasn't planted?" said the scrawniest man of the bunch confirmed my suspicions, "or whatever?" "Relax," The guy who was taking lead dog position said, "We got an angel in our corner." And I groaned "Oh sweet mother of mercy you've got to be kidding me. That son of a -" "Oh wait, wait, you'll miss the star of our show, the gallant Angelman himself," Hussar said cutting me off, and it was wise that he did because the final section played. This was the blurriest of all, staticky at points, images of a street scene, a winged figure who could be no other but Angel Man, beseeching and imploring someone "A hostage situation with..." The sound was lost for a moment as the same four black supers from before came out, some more reluctantly than others and followed him. Once they were gone, a group of non descript men moved with uniform precision, slipping into the building they had left. For just one moment, I saw the satchel one was carrying open up. Within it, a brief glimpse of something I thought I recognized, mostly from old war and espionage movies. "They set them up," The history coming back to me now, "This is how the Widow's Sons ended up charged with a plot to blow up a police station, Angelman worked with those agents to plant the evidence." "That's not all he did, but you won't find it on this tape," Hussar snorted but still, he looked impressed, "You actually researched this?" "It was mentioned in Lady Obsidian's memoirs as a major influence on her life," And it was sinking in, hard, on why Hussar was of interest to her when others in the group were Partials now getting their boost "In the investigation, one superhero came forth claiming he had heard the Sons plotting it. The superhero was never identified, because he never had to bear witness. The trial was one of those guilty until proven innocent farces, but most of the country didn't realize that until years later. Years where four innocent men rotted in jail." I didn't mention that I also knew how that protest the Widow's Sons were going to attend went down without superheroes. With their heroes accused, the protesters found the sympathy they might have gotten great reduced. Some backed out, the diehard went out. Water hoses, dogs, and night clubs used heavily, two people died; had the Widow's Sons been there? The Sons would have been a living barrier to all that. Two lives saved. "But he would have," Hussar cursed and snapped, anger in very brief burst of body language, "That hypocritical ass would have put his hand on a bible, sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and then repeated the lies they wanted him to say. Angelman was a racist, and not even an honest one. So you see why I won't be taking that name, it's not because it's a cheesy ass name, which it is. It's because I hate the guy, and clone or not, I don't want to be anything like him." Hussar looked like he wanted to drop kick the screen we had just watched through the wall. Then again, I thought as I looked down at my own hands which had tightened to fists, he wasn't the only that had angered. This so much wasn't about me, it was about four superheroes betrayed and wrongfully imprisoned for years. It was about a clone being told to be a hero like his genetic donor, but who knew the evil that donor had done. It was about a young black girl, a genius, who I suspect was related to one of those four innocent men, stepping up to take on a mantle of justice in an unjust moment in history. It was in no way about me. So how come I felt utterly betrayed? Cheesy as he was, I had thought Angel Man was a good man. He and I claimed the same faith, and while I suspected superheroes would always have our share of folks turning to a religion for clarity and spiritual assurance, he was one who was open about it. Heck, the guy was a role model for the longest time to many of the most devout heroes. And it turned out he didn't just have feet of clay, he had deliberately chosen evil while lecturing others on virtue. I took a breath, and shoved that selfish child like anger away and remembered, The Widow's Sons also had faith. After all, they had taken their name from the Parable of the Unjust Judge and the Widow. I looked over at Hussar, "You were right." His head turned, "About?" "You're ten times the person Angel Man was," I told Hussar, "But that's a much lower bar than I thought it was. Stick around, work with us, we'll work with you." Hussar was in a grown body, and despite assurances that he was mentally mature as well, it didn't change the fact he had a monkey on his back, a winged monkey at that, in the form of resentment that he had been cast in the image of a fallen angel. "Why?" Hussar's eyes look at my face as if he were trying to get some clue into my thoughts from my expression, which I hoped was one of sincere confidence. "So the world will know you're not just the better person, but the better superhero," I smiled a bit, "Wouldn't you like to overshadow Angel Man so much folks go.. 'Angel Man who?'" I held out my hand. His anger slipped as a smile escaped onto his lips at that, "Okay, that's …. petty, I'm tempted mind you, but it's petty. Got a non petty reason? And don't tell me you believe in me, we both know you've still got doubts." Ouch. He was right, here I was with my hand out when I still wasn't sure. I looked down at my still outstretched hand, then looked Hussar straight in the eye, "Do it for the other guy. Do it for Mister Dirkly, you heard him on the TV: HE believes in you. He knows how you screwed up, and he still believes. I think that is worth a try. People like him putting their trust in people like us." Hussar broke eye contact with me, a mix of emotions I didn't need to be an empath to guess at. Shame, introspection, rallying, and then finally resolve, "Fine, for Mister Dirkly." And Hussar took my hand, we shook. Then, of course, he had to ruin the moment "I still don't like you." "That's okay," I told him, just as prone to excessive honesty in times like these, "I still think you're a jackass, but now I know more of your reasons." The hand clasp broke and I patted him on the back to motion him to return to the group. "Yeah?" He said as we walked down the hall, "What's YOUR Excuse?" "You've heard of luck? You're pushing it" I told him, but I smiled a bit to ease up the warning rather than answer something like 'a teaching job', "Come on," I told him, "The others are worried about you- believe it or not." He snorted but more tension drained out of him as we made our way back to the others.

Hubble Space Telescope is operational again ... fifteen years after its design lifetime. I have said before ... that when our descendants look back on this era, they may judge that our truly superheroic creations have been things we sent to space.

Does anybody know where a guy can find a person to hang out with, talk to, and enjoy spending time with? Asking for a friend.

While I voted for Mr. Incredible, perhaps you could also consider this Crusader--

Well, finally broke down and got first shot yesterday. (Worked morning and had a short schedule) Everything went fine until i went to get lunch. Went to nearest Bojangles, after ordering while waiting, felt a sudden weak, empty feeling in my stomach, and next thing i am aware of, i am looking up at the guy who ordered behind telling me to stay down because i had hit my head hard when i fell. Luckily, i was pretty aware, and the rescue squad, got me worked out. Once, i ate, i was pretty much alright. Only problem i am having beyond bruises, is a slightly stiff neck muscles which i assume was from the fall rather than the shot. Though, i am keeping an eye on for next couple of days. All around fun day, and i am making sure i eat before my 2nd shot.😁

Science in action!