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Post by Celestial on Sept 17, 2016 11:52:23 GMT -5
Backstage, before her cue was due, Tabitha adjusted her hat, hair and makeup, checking everything was meticulous. Tucking a hair into her bun, she gave a bright grin to the mirror and blew a kiss towards an imaginary audience. It was hardly her first time going onstage, far from it, but the excitement still bubbled in her stomach. Oh, she could not wait! Picking up her umbrella, she pressed a few switches to make sure it worked. She had planned a magnificent entrance, far better than last season, but it would all end in tears- very literal ones- if any of her technology failed. However, her mother's engineering skills were superb, and given that she had just done repairs, the umbrella would not fail. Tabitha most definitely trusted her mother with her life. Carrying the invention in her hand, she stepped out of the dressing room and headed towards the wings, waiting to be announced. Her confident stride, however, was broken as she saw Timothy go into the makeup room. She would have thought nothing of it had she not seen the concern and worry on his face. Come to think of it, was not the last time she saw Zenith was them going into the makeup room? And they seemed to have not emerged since. The two had also had an incident with Nyx Nightshadow earlier, as Tabitha had heard. It was rude to eavesdrop but Tabitha had held a certain fondness for both heroes. Though they were powered individuals, and certainly more popular than she was, she still considered it her duty to make sure they were alright. She gave the door a soft knock. "Pardon me for intruding, but I want to check on you two dears," she called out. "May I please come inside?" Once both heroes- and there were two of them in the room, as she had suspected- had given her the okay to enter, Tabitha opened the door and poked her head around. Zenith was sitting slumped over what looked like a laptop while Timothy was beside them, his helmet off, allowing Tabitha to see that, despite some semblance of a smile on his face, his eyes were still...slightly off. "Dears, is everything alright here?" she approached the two heroes almost on tip-toe, giving them a sympathetic look. "Is it about what happened today with Nyx? As far as I heard, you both did an absolutely superb job. Yes, maybe Nyx got away but that only means you can fight her another day, perhaps even during the show. You saved the hostages and you did it without hurting yourself badly...at least not as far as I can see. Do correct me if I am wrong." Tabitha put her hands on each of their shoulders. "But now, my dears, we have a show to get to. Even if things are difficult, we owe the crowds a performance. Even if you can barely muster the energy to move, sometimes you have to convince yourself to do it. And when you convince yourself, you'll be able to convince others. You're strong enough, both of you, and sometimes, it is all part of being in the performing arts," she shot them both a bright smile. "Right now though, come on. Mr. Weisle is probably about to announce us all and you are the stars. You cannot tarry. After all, what will your darling fans think?" She kneeled down, closer to their ears. "You can both come have a nice chat with me about whatever is bothering you after the show, you know. For now though, come on," Tabitha patted them both. "No need to be nervous. Take it from me, the stage is the perfect medium to put whatever problems you have out of your mind, at least for a bit. And who knows, perhaps when you go out, all those worries will seem very insignificant indeed." Tabitha is getting ready when she spots Timothy( Dju) going into the makeup room where she last saw Zenith( Liou). Worried about the two heroes, Tabitha goes in after them and gives them a bit of a pep talk about acting and going on stage, as well as reassuring them they can come chat with her about their worries.
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Post by icon on Sept 17, 2016 12:55:29 GMT -5
From the overhead…
* * * “Io, get down here and plug in for a second!”Ionesca dropped the stack of business cards and got up out of her room, sauntering down the steps toward the lounge and the increasingly loud speaker setup. She poked her head through the door and looked around. The pulsing of bass music came up through her feet—the room was glowing with light fixtures too large to fit inside. The hundreds of people surrounding them were cheering wildly, and if she squinted, Io could just see the walls of the room faintly through them. “I’m watching the premiere upstairs, Erica,” she said as she made her way over to the couch. “I don’t really need to see everything on the VR stream.” “Aww, come on, Io!” Erica slid over next to Moss and patted the empty sofa space. “Jusen wasn’t gonna stick around because VR always gives ‘em a headache, and we need another person to fill out the couch cushions.” “It is a lot prettier in full VR,” Anthony said. “Just take in the stars overhead, the roar of the crowd! I bet we could probably even find Hana and Wax in the crowd if we tried—” “Booooooooo,” Erica interrupted, then reached over Moss to nudge Anthony in the ribs. “Let’s see if we can move closer and try to catch a closeup of Kizuna, I love that guy.” Sure, why not, Io thought as she settled in next to Erica on the couch and slid on a pair of VR lenses. Might as well live it up a little.The chats of Chitter are aflutter with chatter about the HCN premiere. The MASK studioheads are also watching the premiere via Virtual Reality headset, so if anyone else is trying to tune in digitally that’s a prime place to bump into them.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Sept 17, 2016 13:04:24 GMT -5
"...Dynamic!" As the name rang out, a yellow-suited figure bounced across the stage, springing feet over hands again and again before landing with a broad grin next to Weisle. The crowd cheered as Dynamic gave a theatrical wave. "Hello everybody!" They eyed the crowd for a moment, then took a few steps backward. Weisle only had enough time to register what they were doing before they were off, running for the edge of the stage and bounding with a flip! into a thin spot in the crowd near the front of the stage. The audience cheered, a few laughing- Dynamic had been pulling that stunt at the premieres since they joined the show. It startled Wiesle every time, though, and he took a moment to compose himself before he continued. "And there's Dynamic, everyone! Now, put your hands together for..." Dynamic handsprings onstage, does a flip into the crowd, and startles poor Mr. Wiesle!
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on Sept 17, 2016 14:54:52 GMT -5
Mattress Comet was anxiously watching the premier start from the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital of Heraclia. Surrounded by bird cages she was barely visible to the startled people who entered, and she thanked the stars they were few and far between. Because that would mean lots of pets were in need of emergency care. Completely the only reason she was glad, totally not because she looked crazy with so many bird cages. The cop that had written the up the report had left, unwilling to stay with the healthy birds and wait for the owner to come and reclaim them. She glanced at the clock. Soon, please let them come soon. "I'm here!" Mattress Comet ran into the backstage area, out of breath. Shoe marks across her front were fairly normal, but the tire mark across her boiler jacket was new. She ran up to Sinclair. "I'm sorry I'm late, but there was a robbery and two hostages were having heart attacks and I nearly got ran over!" She left out it was a robbery of exotic pets and the two hostages having heart attacks were parrots. Comet is here, sporting a new tire mark and probably has stray feathers in her hair.
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Post by June Scarlet on Sept 17, 2016 15:19:56 GMT -5
Beatrice Bizelli tried to peer around past the roped barrier she and the other reporters were waiting behind. Sure her Press Badge technically gave her backstage access, but only in the designated press area adjacent to where the heroes and celebrities exited the stage. Still, it was a good place to snag interviews of people still in their post-stage rush, she supposed. Truth be told, this was Beatrice’s least favorite part of the job. Celebrity gossip and light-hearted chatter was all good and well, but what she really craved was hard-hitting news about things that really impacted people’s lives. Covering Hero City Network was a strange mixture of both. Equal parts high-impact fights and high fashion. Robberies of stores and Royalties from stores selling licensed merchandise. Kidnapping and kids autographing – some of those heroes seemed rather young. Still, she was sure much more interesting things were going on deeper backstage. Hushed conversations, secrets kept hidden from the world. All she needed were some clues, and she could piece together answers to the mysteries of the world, or at least, the mysteries of Heraclia. If she could just get a little bit closer- A hand the size of a spade pushed her back. “Stay behind the rope, Ma’am,” commanded the gruff voice of a security guard assigned to keep the press in line. She step back from the rope as the tank of a guard watched her menacingly. Beatrice could have sworn someone in charge of the show assigned this particular guard to this job just to spite her; a few years she had written a paragraph – just one paragraph! – about how he liked to sing when he thought no one was listening. It wasn’t even a negative article, it was one of those silly entertainment articles trying to show the lighter side of the network, something she had written on a quiet newsday to fill up her column. Dimitri, however, took the article as a personal insult, and held a grudge against her ever since. Not that he was the only person to have a grudge against her. Beatrice sighed and waited with the other reporters for the next person to leave the stage. Waited for the scuffle with the other reporters to be the one who got to talk to the person (they rarely gave more than one or two interviews). Waited until the real journalism could begin. Beatrice Bizelli waits with the other Reporters backstage for the chance to interview people as they leave the stage. She prefers the hard-hitting news side of reporting HCN to the celebrity gossip side, but it's all part of the job. The Scrac that Smiles Back and Layla "Nimbus" Karimi I know were in particular looking for an interview, but I'm open for other people stopping by. If I get overwhelmed with people to interview, however, I'll give priority to those who haven't had the chance for much interaction yet.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 17, 2016 17:13:06 GMT -5
((Collaborated with Avery)*Earlier that afternoon* Sinclair stepped off the train at the station near the K-6 Catholic school where his twin daughters Natalie and Moriah were students. It was eerily quiet; unsurprising as it was well after hours. Most of the students had gone home, and it was just teachers now. Most of them, but not all… I really didn’t have time for this today, Sinclair thought with a scowl as he strode up to the front office building. The girls know the premier is tonight, they know I’m busy, why couldn’t Moriah have just behaved herself for one blasted day?If Moriah was repentant for her behavior, however, the girl didn't show it— inside the office the girl was hunched in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs beside the headmaster’s closed door, a scowl on her face, her blond brow squashed in what looked like aggravation. When she saw Sinclair she only slumped further, her lips furling into something between a frown and a sneer. “Ah, Mr. Sinclair.” Seated behind the main reception desk, the office secretary— Ms. Jones, a heavyset fifty-something woman whom Sinclair had grown to know far too well as of late— gave Bill a beleaguered smile. “There you are. I was starting to get afraid I'd have to stay overtime.” “You wouldn't have had to worry if you'd just let us leave,” Moriah grumbled. “It's so stupid you're making me get signed out—” “Will you shut up?” snapped the taller, thinner girl who sat beside the woeful tween. Although their physiques scarcely resembled one another, otherwise the two children were like slightly off-kilter mirrors of each other: blond, freckled, pert noses and oval chins. Natalie. Moriah’s twin. She went on: “I got stuck here too ‘cos of you— and I don't wanna hear your stupid voice—” “Girls, enough,” Bill cut in curtly. “I’ll discuss this with you later, Moriah, but until then I’ll thank you to keep your whining to yourself.” He raked a hand through his blond bangs, turning back to Ms. Jones. “I suppose you still have her phone?” “Mmhm.” Ms. Jones slid open one of the desk drawers and pulled out from it the aforementioned electronic device. She slid it forward. “There you go.” Moriah leapt to her feet, pivoting toward the desk, but before she could snatch up the phone Bill shot her a withering glare and took it off the desk himself, sliding it into the pocket of his suit jacket. “Come on girls,” he said. “We’re going home. And we’re going to have a very serious discussion about this on the train.” Moriah uttered not a single word as her father escorted her and Natalie to the train station. It was late enough now that rush hour had begun, and their car was standing room only; a group of tourists stood nearby, crinkled city maps protruding from their pockets, and as they not-so-subtly gawped at Bill, Natalie shrunk down and Moriah leveled them a withering glare. “Welcome to the circus,” she muttered. “Always playing.” Bill rolled his eyes, hand grasped on the rope that standing passengers were meant to hold so they could keep their balance. He was long used to this sort of thing; normally he’d have felt bad for the girls being subjected to it, but just now he was not in the mood for much pity. “Moriah, what were you thinking today?” he demanded. “I’ve told you before, the phone stays in your backpack except between classes and at lunch. You know today was the worst possible day for you to get detention!” “You're the one who texted me,” Moriah grumbled. “I assumed you would have the common sense not to actually check it until you were out of class,” Bill shot back. “I wanted to get the message to you before I was tied up with something else and forgot- and need I remind you that it was not my text that got you caught with your phone out!” No. That had been her attempt to continue writing her lusty fanfic. She pouted— and Natalie scowled. “It's not fair I have to stay late, too, just ‘cos she got in trouble,” the girl informed Bill. “I'm always getting punished for stuff I didn't even do.” Bill rubbed his temples wearily. “I don’t like you out in the city by yourself, Nat. I’m sorry, but your mom’s pulling a twelve hour shift today and I only just managed to slip away from work long enough to come get you. At least the nuns let you read and browse the internet in the library while you’re waiting, right?” Natalie shrugged, hand like iron around the rope as the train lurched to a stop at a station several before the Sinclairs’ own. “It's not fair,” she said again. “And now I get to spend the rest of the night at home with a stupid babysitter—” one of their neighbours, an elderly woman who lived alone, came over most weekday evenings to watch the girls when their parents worked late— “while you get to go to a party.” “I’ll be working, Nat,” Bill pointed out. “It’s not exactly going to be fun for me.” “It's the season premiere,” Natalie countered. “It's all anyone at school could talk about today. Marleigh Costa’s parents paid like, bazillions of dollars so they could go. And that's just for crappy balcony seats.” “Don’t say ‘crap,’” Sinclair chided the eleven year old. After a moment, he sighed. Pushing the button on his earpiece he muttered, “Compose text message- Ossie.” A smile ticked at Bill’s lips, and he looked down at his daughter. “Say Natalie… how’d you like to spend some quality time with your big brother tonight?” Over the din of the crowded car, Natalie said, “At his apartment?” The girl seemed puzzled. “Nope,” Bill replied with a slight smirk. “In the crowd. At the Hero City season premier.” Natalie blinked— then grinned like a stroked cat. “Really, Daddy?” Meanwhile, Moriah let out a sound that was partway a gasp and partway a hiss. “Not fair!” she insisted. “I've been begging to go for weeks!” “You’ve also been doing nothing in those weeks to earn it!” Bill snapped. “You’re in trouble constantly, you write things about my employees that could get me arrested if people find them on computers I own in spite of my attempts to get you to stop, and you act like I’m somehow unreasonable for asking of you the same things I ask of your sister and asked of Oswald at your age!” The CEO’s suddenly raised voice attracted no dearth of raised brows and sideways glances— to which Natalie gulped and Moriah glowered. The latter seemed as if she wanted to argue further— her face was positively glowing with white hot fury— but she wisely refrained; Natalie, meanwhile, bit down hard on her lip and glanced at the sticky ground below. “Thanks, Daddy,” she murmured. “I'll be good for Ossie. Promise.” Bill deflated and sighed, rubbing his head. He smiled at Natalie. “I know you will baby. Thank you. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun tonight.” * * * Things were progressing mostly without incident, which was a relief. There was the usual showboating from DUDE BRO, but given the things that the idiot could have said and done, this was frankly a rather restrained performance on his part. Sinclair felt his eye twitch with Mattress Comet was announced, only for her to not actually appear to cross the stage. Such wasn’t uncommon- the excuses varies from legitimate to lackadaisical- but it was still irksome. This was a huge event; not something to flat out fail to show up to. Then, a few minutes later she did finally arrive, spouting off some story about a kidnapping and hostages. He moaned softly, feeling his temples give a sharp throb. He didn’t want to deal with this today. “Just… get in the line-up please,” he muttered. Hesitating, he added, “Actually, let hair and makeup do something about those tire treads first. Then get into the lineup. Zenith, Tabitha and Glitch are all still back there anyway, what’s one more, right?” The sarcasm in the CEO’s voice was evident. Bill is not a happy camper. =C He picks his kids up from school and scolds Moriah ( Avery ), then gets Ossie to bring Natalie to the premier show. At said premier he is unamused by all the people showing up late, especially Mattress Comet ( The Scrac that Smiles Back ) who looks rather worse for the wear on top of being late. *Pats him* You need some vodka.
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Post by Liou on Sept 17, 2016 18:30:41 GMT -5
Zenith's chair swivelled to face Tim. "You made it. Thanks, mate - you'd think I'd know to say smarter things after so long on the show, and it's already all over the web because I couldn't think any better or faster, and-" They hopped to their feet while talking and stepped closer to Tim, peering down anxiously at him from their height. "- and I really shouldn't have called you this morning, I'm sorry. I'm just glad you could make it tonight." Though their tone still sounded worried, their shoulders had relaxed visibly as soon as Tim had come in. With most of his body eaten up by his dark suit, his face seemed even paler than usual. "It's good to see you here again. You've come so far since you first joined the show, you know that?" Zenith said softly. "I'm sure it can only get better if you keep going." A knock was heard and Zenith immediately sat down again, shrinking into their chair to peer at the door. "Do come in, Miss Kingsley," they called hesitantly once they'd recognised the singer's voice. They watched the lady enter in her delicate fashion, listening to her gentle voice dreamily as she reassured them. "Thank you, Miss Kingsley, I am unhurt", they mumbled. "I only wish that these people had not been in danger at all. Nyx only wanted to get back at me. I shouldn't let anyone else get caught in her schemes." Zenith gazed at Tabitha's hand on their shoulder for a few seconds, a little smile on their face. They admired the fabric of her gloves and sleeves and the light, but firm poise of her dainty fingers, before remembering to listen to her as well. With her words that flowed so smoothly into each other came the rich, silky timbre of her voice, like a breeze carrying the fragrances of a field of flowers. "Of course, Miss Kingsley," they said calmly with an approving nod. "You are a true performer." More relaxed now, Zenith listened to the distant noises from the stage. "Ah, Karo's on, aren't they. Oh, was I supposed to go soon after them?" They fumbled for their phone. "I don't even... is there... is there even an order... well I do have to go out there at some point..." They jumped to their feet abruptly, pulled off their jacket and began to stretch and warm up their arms. Their muscles rippled under their suit. "I think I will see you after the show, thanks," Zenith whispered to Tabitha - it was their turn to lean down to her height. "See you out there, Timmy." They ran a hand through his hair - trembling despite their casual tone. "Try not to upstage me too much." Then they were out of the makeup room and headed up dark stairs, the roar of the crowd and pounding music getting closer with every step. The harried stage manager gave them a brief glare and gestured to signal that they were ready. *** The spotlights flared again in a brief light show after the latest arrival on stage - even though a delayed arrival had caused a slight interruption in the rhythm of the ceremony. "All right, Heraclia!" Wulfric Weisle called, slightly breathless now. "You lovelies have been a fabulous audience so far, haven't you?" He glanced backstage during the next brief wave of cheers. "So fabulous that I bet some of you know who's coming next, don't you." A murmur rose from the crowd; various names of heroes yet to appear were shouted from different corners. Some fans, however, did know, just as Weisle had said - they knew where to look, and a few excited screams were heard. " Who's on top of the world???" Weisle shouted into the mic. The screaming escalated. Weisle simply turned his mic towards the audience. By now, most of them had understood and turned their faces skywards. At last, the spotlights themselves pivoted and threw powerful beams directly over the crowd. A silhouette appeared in midair, outlined sharply in the light. The crowd chanted their name. A few more seconds of floating in place; then they darted to the side, swooped down in a straight diagonal, reversed and flew in another horizontal line to complete the zigzag. (Gif enthusiasts would be sure to slow down this maneuver to reveal the neatly traced letter Z.) Zenith exhaled slowly as they flew in a broad circle over the crowd. The din was so loud that it had become easy to ignore, especially when so much wind was rushing by their ears. The hours of flying practice took over and they let their body guide them into a spiral. The world spun around them for a moment, shining stars blending with shining faces. Shoot. Where did they say the VR folks would be? They swerved in the direction they remembered, hoping it would be the right one. VR watchers needed attention too. Zenith fired a few bolts of energy into the sky while spinning in a half-circle, then slowed their flight, swooping gradually lower over the crowd. People were beginning to jump up and down and raise their hands. Zenith drifted almost lazily over their fans, one hand swinging just low enough to be clapped for the highest fives in those people's lives. The wonder was so obvious on their faces that Zenith managed to smile. At last, they flew back up to the stage and alighted gently among the heroes. Their legs were trembling. They did not dare glance at Sinclair. Zenith is so relieved to see their friend Dju still in the show, you have no idea. And now they're floating on a little cloud of Celestial -induced serenity. Then, encouraged by the magic of Tabitha's charming voice, they finally get their rear onto the stage. Which means far above the stage, for a super fly performance, get it, get it? And I've made a long post like in the good old days, yay.
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Post by Avery on Sept 17, 2016 18:38:01 GMT -5
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Post by Moni on Sept 17, 2016 19:10:12 GMT -5
"... Fireflyman!" Weisle said the name with a slight smirk on his face. Fireflyman stared into the blinding lights on stage and narrowed his eyes as he walked onto the stage, waving as he did so. His body lit up into bright, iridescent colors that blinked at the audience like a strobe light. The audience ooh'd and aww'd as Fireflyman effortlessly switched from one hue to the next. "Welcome to the season premier of Hero City!" Fireflyman's voice warbled. His forearms pivoted mechanically until his hands clapped together. "I hope you have a fun and educational look at the lives of us heroes, whether we be superpowered all-stars or just intelligent tinkerers." Still glowing, Fireflyman widened his stance. His golden-orange wings were liberated from their spots and spread out on either side of him. With surprising speed his wings flapped until they appeared as mere blurs, blowing Weisle's gelled hair to the side. He flew and buzzed over the crowd. As he passed by them, the sound was like as an old passenger airplane driving into the sky. He over them like a disco ball for a mere few seconds--then disappeared. "Well folks, wasn't that a light show! You don't see things like that every day," said Weisle, pushing his over-gelled lump of hair back into place. "And now, for our next hero..." -- Before Fireflyman would return to the stage, he used the fact that everybody would be too busy focused on the next hero to take a minute and fly above Heraclia. He didn't expect to be enamored by the sight of the city at night when he looked down; he'd seen many a bird's-eye picture of this place--via helicopter, a satellite image, a poorly-shot view of the city from a passenger plane where the bottom of the window took up three-fourths of the picture. But nothing could really match the tranquility of being up in the sky, cool, fresh mountain air rushing through your body, wings stretching and droning into a calm murmur. The various waterfalls under the monorail tracks glimmered as they fell through their large, hydroelectric generators; and even up here, Fireflyman could still feel some mist. Then he heard beeping. Thoughtlessly, he brought an arm over to his earpiece and slid his finger over a button to answer the call. A woman's low-quality voice transmitted to his ear: "Hey, Daniel." "Dr. Faust?" Dr. Faust was the closest thing Fireflyman had to a human family. His real family had probably died years ago. His progeny had probably gone through hundreds of generations over the years--which meant that very technically, Fireflyman was a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-etc-great grandfather. He hoped his descendants were honorable little fireflies. "Yes, Daniel, it's me," her voice snapped in and out. "I see you've finished your premiere. Do you have a few moments?" "Only a few moments." "Then it can wait," replied Faust. "When you come into work next week for our next study, I can discuss this with you. For now... just be careful with your luminescence, all right? Don't stray too far from the human visual spectrum." It isn't going to cause any trouble. "Yes, ma'am." Dr. Faust detected his sarcasm. "I know that you're not going to accidentally do it, but don't get it into your head to give the Queen cancer with X-Rays or something. I still don't know how your proteins induce radioactivity." "Don't worry, I won't do that. Besides, giving the Queen cancer would take too long and I'm pretty sure Sinclair would be miffed." "Daniel..." "I'm joking. I won't do anything of the sort." With a groan, Dr. Faust ended the call, and Fireflyman headed back to the stage a few seconds later to take his place with the other heroes. Fireflyman enters the stage, wishes everyone an educational time, and BLASTS OFF AGAIN with a lightshow. He's then called by his boss at his day-job, Dr. Faust, who gives some exposition to the tune of "btw you're also capable of releasing things outside the visual spectrum of light and don't do it because it's dangerous" BECAUSE RADIATION TRANSFORMATION.
He heads to the stage; if you want to, you can interact with him.
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Post by Reiqua on Sept 17, 2016 19:26:42 GMT -5
“And now, it's time to hear a brief word from our sponsors,” came Weisle's smiling voice, “we'll be back with you after the break.” A lively jingle started up as a voiceover merrily intoned, “Are you having difficulties with your utilities? Electricity o–” Miss Marković had muted the television and turned her attention back to the laptop that sat beside her on the couch. Its screen had gone blank from inactivity over the last few minutes. She put a finger to the touchpad and woke it up to resume looking through the emails her students had sent her. Unable to book the library that afternoon, she had instead settled upon a hastily devised art lesson. "Imagine Bill Sinclair has asked you to design a new logo for Hero City. Use any form of software to create a digital image of your logo." She'd instructed the class to email her their finished logos and was spending the evening looking over their work and providing feedback by return email. Not one to waste words, Zak had sent her an attachment as he had been asked to and nothing else. His logo was a decent attempt. Although the execution of his concept left somewhat to be desired (if she wasn't much mistaken, it looked like it had been done on MH Paint), the ideas were all there. He had abbreviated Hero City to HC, and added a cape in a nod to the classic image of a superhero. He had also picked red and yellow - excellent choices for superhero colours. She began tapping out a reply to this effect. Her next email was from Briana. Miss Marković sighed. She would have to have a word to Briana about a little thing called plagiarism. Also Briana seemed to have missed something crucial in the concept of a logo. It was meant to be a symbol that represented the important ideas in what it stood for. Then again, perhaps for Briana, DUDE BRO™ really was the only salient element in the entirety of Hero City. She heaved another sigh as she moved to close Briana's email. That was a conversation that would best be had in person. Still, she thought, her eyes straying back to the image for a moment, that smile, though!If she was honest with herself, it didn't greatly surprise her that Min's choice of software to create his logo was scanner software. To an extent, she didn't blame him. He was a reasonably good artist for his age and she could see why investigating digital art didn't appeal to him. Still, the assignment had been to create a digital logo and it was designed to stretch the students' abilities. This was another that she'd have to chat with in person, she reflected, exiting the email. Skylah's email contained another good attempt at a logo. She at least seemed to have grasped the purpose of a logo and had used some good visual elements to create symbolism. Though Miss Marković was prepared to bet that the image (minus the words) would be one of the top ten results in a Woogle Image search for "city". Just as she clicked "Reply" to send Skylah feedback on her image, the ad break ended and coverage of the premiere resumed. Miss Marković set her laptop aside and shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch to watch. "Ladies and Gentlemen," Weisle's lisping voice boomed from the TV again, "please welcome to the stage..." Miss Marković watches the Hero City season premiere from the couch in her apartment while marking some of her students' work during ad breaks. She's set her students an assignment to imagine that Sinclair has asked them to design a new logo for Hero City. One of these is basically fan art of Fireflyman, DUDE BRO™, Zenith, Tabitha and DeeDee ( Moni , Jayeee , Liou , Celestial , Ginz ❤ ) - but unfinished and done by an eight year old so I don't have to feel self-conscious about my drawing inability XD
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Post by Celestial on Sept 17, 2016 20:01:07 GMT -5
Tabitha smiled and nodded as she watched Zenith get up with renewed confidence. She stepped back as they got up, giving them space (sometimes she forgot just how tall Zenith really was) and nodded. "Good luck out there, Zenith, darling. Go out there and don't worry about Nyx, just shine like the sun!" the woman gave them a cheery wave. "We shall talk a touch later, I hope!" Once Zenith had gone, Tabitha turned to Timothy and brushed a few stray pieces of dust off his clothes, her silky gloves picking them up easily. "You too, young Master Hikes. You'll be due on stage any minute now and we cannot keep our fans waiting," her face fell into a look of concern. "And my offer stands for you too: if there is anything you want, anything at all, come to me, darling. I will do all in my power to aid you," she smiled again. "Not all things in life can be solved with superpowers." She gave off a soft laugh and patted his shoulder. "You're going to be just fine. This wll be a good season," the woman let go of him and clicked her umbrella against the floor, giving him a wave. "I should run now, however. I am afraid my presense shall be required on stage soon and I need to get ready." After checking her makeup and hair in the nearby mirrors again and grabbing her umbrella, Tabitha rushed out, heading towards the stage. She heard the crowd roar as Zenith came out, making her mouth curl upwards, but she did not stop. Nor did she head into the wings as expected but further backstage, towards the access ladders. Umbrella in hand, Tabitha began to climb. *** "...Miss Tabitha Kingsley!" Wulfric gestured towards the wings only to be met with an awkward silence. The crowd glanced around, trying to spot where the now announced hero could be. This was odd. Tabitha was not one to be late. Wulfric tugged at his collar, coughed into the microphone and gave a forced smile. "Well, as most of you know, Miss Kinglsey has a show coming up at the old threatre. Perhaps she got held up during rehearsal or even on her way here by some dastardly villain. If Mattress Comet arrived, then I am sure Miss Kingsley-" "-Would never miss her cue," called the clear, resonant voice that only came with years worth of practice right from the top of the outdoor stage. The eyes of the crowd turned upwards, in its direction, followed shortly by the spotlights lifting up to illuminate Tabitha standing on the very edge of the railings that made up the stage's roof. She tipped her hat and lifted up her hand, both to greet the crowd and feel the wind on her palm. Calm. Good; her stunt could proceed exactly as planned. It was a trick she had practiced many times, albeit sometimes the practice was rather impromptu due to the nature of the show, but this was the real thing done during the premier. She had gotten the go-ahead from Mr. Sinclair, and Mr. Weisle had been told in advance, as had most of the other staff, but the public was in the dark. And this would be a most impressive feat indeed. Closing her eyes and smiling, Tabitha lifted up her umbrella and leapt off the stage. She only had time to fall a few metres before she pressed the button upon the device, making it open. Air rushed under the reinforced fabric dome and filled it, immediately slowing her descent to something far more survivable. At this far slower speed, the woman glided down upon the stage (though perhaps it was not so much gliding as parachuting) before closing her umbrella a metre off the ground, leaping down on to the stage feet first. As she did, she curtsied to the audience before looking up at them, grinning. "As if I could ever miss the premiere of our most delightful show!" she cried. A roar erupted from the crowd and Tabitha soaked it in. She flicked her umbrella to the side and with the press of a switch closed it before twirling it a few times around her wrist and hitting it, point first against the ground. As it clicked, she pressed another switch, sending a blue current of light through the dark burgundy fabric. A tiny smile crossed her face. One of her mother's latest additions: it did nothing but it definitely looked fantastic, and to a woman who loved performing, this meant a great deal. The crowd continued to cheer as she waved and blew kisses to them, flashing bright smiles and making eye contact with individuals. Some of whom Tabitha knew and some of them she did not, instead choosing to make their day by letting them think a hero noticed them and them alone. "Thank you! Thank you, my dears! It is an honour and a joy to be here to greet all of you and to celebrate the new season of Hero City!" she called out among them. Then, plucking a rose out of her hat (a normal one she had tucked in just for the occassion) she kissed it and tossed it into the crowd before spinning on her heel and walking towards Wulfric. "And thank you, Mr. Weisle, for being a most excellent host for us, and for tolerating my tardiness," Tabitha said, before giving a clear laugh. "I hope that you and and the others have a brilliant night. Not that I need to hope, given where we are and what is happening. Cheerio for now," she waved to him before turning back to the crowd. "And cheerio to all of you fine and wonderful people of Heraclia! Enjoy the premiere and enjoy Hero City!" She blew another kiss to the crowd before heading to the back of the stage with all the other heroes, taking a space near Zenith in particular. Once there, Tabitha tapped their shoulder. "You did very well out there, Zenith. Gave the crowds a fantastic performance and a truly good show. You've come a good fair way from how you were when you started," she smiled. "Which is a given as you are one of Hero City's most celebrated All-Stars." Tabitha is happy that Zenith( Liou) is going out there and waves them goodbye, before extending the offer to talk to Tim( Dju) as well. She rushes out to not miss her cue and begins going up the access ladders. The reason for why becomes clear when the host calls her name and Tabitha leaps off the stage, slowing her descent with her umbrella. She gives a speech to the crowd and shows off, even throwing a rose which someone ( Avery, Natalie could catch it?) before bowing out and going over to Zenith, initiating a conversation.
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Post by Gelquie on Sept 17, 2016 20:44:35 GMT -5
It was a huge, noisy crowd, full of cheering fans for the celebrities--er, the heroes--on the stage. Gordan Page made sure to stay on the sidelines, both so he wouldn't get squished by the crowd or be drowned in their cheers as he tried to watch the heroes. It was a big event; nearly everyone in the city who were able had come, and if they hadn't, they were likely watching this on TV. Whatever the case, all eyes--in reality or digitally--were on the stage. Gordan would've preferred to have watched this on the TV, but there was the annoying trend of shows to focus on one small part while there were other matters going on with the other heroes. It would also give them time to look the heroes over, especially if he got bored with the actual hero on stage. He had to know who the town would be looking up to, after all. "These are the city's... role models..." he thought to himself as DUDE BRO™ jumped from the stage and began to crowd surf to the screeches of young fans. "...I have to at least know who they are."Still, after that... display... Gordan decided he needed a break. So he sulked to the corridors. If he missed anyone important, he'd probably hear about them later. Right now, he needed a break from the crowd, and ideally, something to eat. It had been hours since he'd eaten his gyro and the light meal he had before he came, but he could feel that he was low on blood sugar. He needed something. Especially when there were still a few more hours before the show would be winding down. He found himself wandering the halls in the direction of backstage. Occasionally, he saw some hero or another going through the halls. This was a lot better; this place often showed the heroes' true selves. Or the start of it. The stress of going on stage and their casual conversations didn't generally pry too much into the psyche of a hero, but it was at least more genuine than what was going on onstage. Even so, he still wandered the halls; they weren't on the forefront of his mind at the moment. At last though, he found what he was looking for. A vending machine. Some hero was using it at the moment, but she'd soon grabbed a candy bar and walked off, not giving Gordan a second look. She probably assumed that he was there to either get something to eat too or to do repair work on the vending machine. ...Repair work... He could get away with it, couldn't he? He was still in his maintenance garbs, just in case someone called him to do some work, especially if something went wrong on set. And everyone was either onstage, backstage, or in the audience being taken in at the sight of the heroes. He looked around on the ceilings, on the floor, or any nook and cranny where someone might've hidden a camera. Working in maintenance, you learned the general locations of cameras, hidden or otherwise. But he didn't see any. He looked up and down the hallway to check for anyone coming and strained his ears for footsteps before stepping into the alcove with the vending machines. He looked up and down at the machine. There was a card reader as well as well as slots for paper money and coins. Card readers would be challenging... There was a way to do it, but he didn't have the materials on hand to hack that for credit card information. If he'd thought further ahead, he would've had time to come up with one, but he hadn't. But the machine should still be full of loose money, particularly from those who are more careful about their cards. Getting to that was a simpler manner. He quickly found the keyhole meant to open the door to the vending machine. If he was going to get anywhere without making a huge mess involving, say, breaking the glass, he was going to have to open that. The rest would be easy, it was just a matter of getting through that lock. He didn't have a key with him, but it wasn't too hard to break. He took another moment to glance around him for anyone coming or any cameras he may have missed before reaching for his tools. A few minutes later, he managed to open the door to the machine, at which point, the paper money holder and coin dispenser was easy to get to. He took one more glance around to see if anyone was coming before emptying both of each, focusing more on the paper money than the coins. (He couldn't take too many of the coin tubes, lest their jangling give him away or he took so much that people who didn't get change would be suspicious. Even as is, he'd have to distribute the goods on this body carefully to ensure that the coins didn't clank together so much.) He put some in one of his bigger pockets and others he hid in his toolbag before replacing both the holder and the dispenser, quickly fitting them back into place. ...He should close it now; anyone could be coming by. But then the door was still open, there was food right there in front of him, and he was still feeling peckish. He gently lifted one of the rows and pulled it out gently so he could reach towards the back and grab a few candy bars. One of these, one of those, one of those for later-- Oh crap, crap, someone was coming this way. He quickly slid the tray back into place and stuffed the candy into his pockets. Close it, close it... He began to shut the door as quickly as possible... It was just about shut when someone walked into view, and as he finished shutting the door and looked back, he froze at the audience member staring at him. He wasn't sure what she was thinking at first. What kind of excuse could he make? Could he...? “Oh, I was going to... Nevermind, I can come back later,” the audience member said awkwardly before turning to walk away. He wasn't sure if she just didn't want to get involved and was walking away, was walking off to get a hero... Or if she looked at his garbs and took him for a maintenance worker. Gordan decided to play to the latter; even if she didn't think that, perhaps that would convince her. “...No, no wait, it's okay, I was just finishing up. There... was a malfunction in the coin depository; peoples' money was getting eaten. But it should be all fixed now.” He pushed the lock back into place. “Go on ahead.” “Ah... okay,” the girl said before slowly walking up to the machine. She looked up and down before inserting coins into the machine and pressing the code for cookies. Gordan watched with bated breath, hoping he hadn't accidentally broken the machine in the process or that he'd taken too many coins for it to give her proper change. He tried to leave some to cover his tracks, but if anything went wrong, or it wasn't enough... The machine dispensed her cookies, but there was no drop in coinage. Gordan couldn't help but tense. The girl... picked up her cookies and began to walk away. “Well, seems to work now. Thanks for fixing it!” she said, waving before moving on, heading back in the direction of the main stadium. Gordan waved, then breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she was out of sight. She must have had exact change. Stands to reason; some of the prices made sense to have exact change. He turned and took another look at the machine. The lock had signs of obvious damage, but thankfully, the girl didn't look there. But he knew that eventually, someone would. And while he did figure he could maybe further hack the machine, get even more out of it before he left... he didn't want to take his chances. Anyone else could come at any time. He pressed the door one more time to ensure that it was fully shut before taking a candy bar from his pocket and walked down the hall. And he unwrapped and munched on his candy bar, he tried to appear normal, like he'd just come back from a service job and was treating himself. ...Technically true. ”Too close,” he thought to himself. ”But this should come in handy...”He did, after all, need the money. Maintenance work alone only paid so much. Gordan Page is a Perfect Angel who totally didn't just steal from a vending machine. He originally went to take a break from the crowd and to get something to eat, but well... ideas happen. And everyone's watching the hero stuff. Now he's roaming the halls eating his ill-gotten candy bar, all his earnings concealed.
(If you're gonna ask me to elaborate on exactly what he did... Come now, I'm not going to teach you how to steal from vending machines.)
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Post by Twillie on Sept 17, 2016 22:10:16 GMT -5
“This season we have some fresh faces for you all! First up- Lady Drake!” Dazzling green scales twisted against the young woman’s form as she gracefully crouched and opened up her maw to reveal a brilliant fireshow of yellow and orange. The flames licked the air with an intense heat, lighting up the night and leaving the crowd in a sudden awe-- “Face front, open up!” Natasha mumbled through her mouthful of takeout, “Don’t you think the people stage right of you want to see, too?” Lady Drake finished her display and deftly stood upright again, taking her proper bows as the crowd welcomed her to the show. “And hair!” Dropping her food aside, Natasha pointed at the TV screen as though the two were in conversation. “Either tie that mane back or use some bobby pins-- we can’t even see your mask, let alone your face!” The red headed hero plunged herself into the crowd, and Natasha slumped back against her hotel bed. “Clearly heroics isn’t the only thing you’re new to,” she grumbled, picking at her dinner. With the conclusion of her interview earlier that afternoon, Natasha decided that her job was done for the day and that it would be appropriate to settle down and watch the heroes as they began theirs. Hero City kicked off its premiere not moments ago, and it was filled to the brim with every possible spectacle. Fireworks in the background, heavy stage lights, an enthusiastic host wearing more product than most women in the audience… Natasha chuckled as he gave a start at the motorbike hero that rolled onstage. “Not bad, guy,” she muttered, “Takes some effort to get them to break character that early.” As the show progressed, more and more heroes made their entrance. A pale, moody man who was clearly not friends with the stage… A child?... That misogynistic behemoth of blond hair and one liners… A no-show (Natasha snorted at this)... One hero, who Natasha could only assume was a fan favorite, entered with a dizzyingly grand air show that left not only the crowd in an excited frenzy, but Natasha as well in slightly stunned silence. Geez, don’t upstage me before I even come on tomorrow.
Not too far into the program, Natasha got up to refill her water. While at the sink, she kept her head down, careful to keep her eyes focused only on the faucet. Once the cup filled, though, and she turned to head back to the bed, Natasha stopped. She paused. She dared to steal a glance at the mirror. A rare incident to occur, but under the pressure of current and future events, she decided to grant herself this special occasion. Everything was the same as the last time she took a peek. Cropped brown hair framed a tan, rounded face with a light application of make up. Golden piercings lined both ears, and two hoops hung down to the same level as a perfectly fitted frown. Simple clothing hung from modest shoulders: comfortable, but still decent-looking. It was the eyes that Natasha saved for last. She almost resisted, finding it tempting to turn away without a second thought. Instead, she looked dead ahead. Gazing into those dark grey eyes stirred an uneasiness that had nestled in her chest since before her trip to Heraclia. It awoke from its hibernation, and a cold weight settled on her stomach. It chilled the blood that pumped faster and faster through her body, buzzed louder and louder in the back of her mind. The thoughts she’s been having, how could she... “Who even are you?” She muttered. The Queen. That’s how the rest of the world saw her, at least. A superstar at the top of her career, confident in herself as her albums topped charts on national and global scales. It was the only identity known by her fans, her associates, her manager. No harm done, though, as she was happy as well to adopt this image. To become this other person. But before the mirror now stood no one of the sort. There stood only Natasha Greiss, a woman with whom she had lost connection since so long ago. Since her past became distorted, since her mind became constantly confused by the supposed memories storming inside of it… “Not for long, though,” she assured the reflection, “That’s why we’re here.” She took a step back from the counter. The cold phantom still coursed through her veins, but she focused on her breathing and tried to quell the quivering beast in the back of her mind. Running a hand through her dark hair, Natasha stole one last look at the mirror. “That’s why I’m here.” Just a second’s silence more, and Natasha grabbed her cup to return to the TV’s broadcast. A woman in formal dress glided down onto stage, her umbrella delicately breaking whatever fall she had jumped from before. Once on the ground, a button was pressed to illuminate the umbrella, impressing the audience and catching Natasha’s eye. Tech, huh? Probably doesn’t have any actual powers, that could provide a pretty nifty weak spot…
This hero, along with the kid and distractible man-child, might not serve the Queen too much grief if she were to play her cards right. The pale one as well didn’t hold much to his appearance, although with a look as dark as that, he may have some tricks up his sleeve… These thoughts I’ve been having…
The flying hero is where things could get tricky. Their brief display before proved a heightened sense of agility and speed, and the crowd as well hinted at their great popularity, and thus, power. Not like the Queen had to figure this out on her own, though; the train incident from earlier proved that others were at least willing to confront this hero with confidence. How could I…
Natasha finally started to feel a sense of ease come over her again. She decided to check up on her Chitter while watching, curious about others’ anticipation for her concert the next day. “... didn’t decide to bring the Queen on this season? What interview have you been watching, buddy?” Natasha sits down to watch Hero City's premiere in her hotel room, casually having dinner while looking to see who this season has to offer. When she goes to refill her drink, though, seeing her reflection puts Natasha in an uneasy mood. She starts to wonder her reasoning for coming to Heraclia and what she may do while there. Trying to reassure herself that everything is fine, Natasha sits back down to watch the show, slowly feeling better.
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Post by Thorn on Sept 17, 2016 23:39:47 GMT -5
Nyx perched on the table's edge, sewing kit open beside her and spilling out across its surface, which was otherwise dominated by her trusty black cloak. Her pride wasn't the only casualty of that embarrassing incident on the train tracks: the left portion of this beautiful garment had been hideously mangled, all thanks to that Glitch kid. "They'd better know what they're doing," she grumbled, fumbling about for her shears. "Still, I'll have some choice words for him when next we meet." Against her better judgement, the television was on in the background, playing the 'Hero City' premiere. The all-too familiar voice of Wulfric Weisle flooded the room, and Nyx scowled and rolled her eyes as Mizshu made her way onto the stage. "I should be there," she muttered. "That kid should be at home, doing homework!" DUDE BRO TM was up next, which was aggravating enough in itself, but then it was Zenith's turn. Nyx narrowed her eyes and watched her sworn archenemy soar about in glorious, colourful, almost insulting fashion. Nyx had gone out of her way to coax them out earlier- they could at least pretend it had taken a toll on them! Instead there they were, basking in the attention of their adoring fans, every bit the glory hog Nyx had long known them to be. Of course- you can't let anybody else upstage you now, can you? Stupid flying twerp.
This was just about more than Nyx could take, so she put down her cloak and shears and turned off the television, wincing as pain lanced through her ribs. And then there's that. Falling one hundred feet or so was bound to cause issues, no matter what kind of shield she was using. Zenith, of course, didn't care about that. They'd been content to stand on the tracks yelling ridiculous advice- 'just use your shield'? Of course she'd used her shield! She quite enjoyed having teeth and a face and working internal organs. "None of that will matter soon, though," she said, turning and grinning at the only other living being in the room. "We're going to get them good. We'll see how mighty they feel when their friend is our friend- and that's just the beginning!" Nyx is working on repairing her cloak. Because she enjoys being angry, she's also watching the premiere of the new season of 'Hero City'. She spouts some exposition because she's the type of villain who enjoys doing that, preferably while laughing maniacally, but being somewhat sore after falling 100 feet, she's not super inclined to try that out today. I feel I should clarify that her ribs aren't broken, she's just sore- her shields aren't really designed to be used that way, after all! =P Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) I'm assuming Mizshu's learning difficulties aren't common knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong. =)
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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Sept 18, 2016 7:58:57 GMT -5
No, Thorn, they're not, but perhaps among several perceptive heroes in this season it is. It's another thing for people to 'figure out' cause I like making things difficult. c; Despite this being the first time Mizshu was on Hero City, and despite her rigorous training with her power-hungry agent, she could not help but feel several bubbles of excitement at seeing the other heroes onstage with her, doing their own things as they joined her side after giving their performances. It took every ounce of combined fear and training to not let out a shriek when Ms. Kingsley dropped from several feet only to be cushioned with her magnificent umbrella, every bit of awe not to let her jaw hit the floor when she saw Zenith flying around with their energies, screaming at Dynamic’s acrobatics, and every bit of eye-widening rapture not to stare too enthralled at Mr. Fireflyman’s glowing body, among others, and she had fought to squeal or react too noisily at any one of them. That part had failed some, evidently, for as Mr. Fireflyman returned to the stage, the bubbles of excitement overflowed without having time to reach her brain first. “You were so sparkly and pretty!” she burst out suddenly. Wrong move. God, could she have said anything more stupid?! Mr. Boorish would have a few choice words for her after this. Hopefully the camera didn’t catch any of that. “Sorry,” she whispered, shrinking behind the closest hero with the most coverage from those dreadful cameras-- Ms. Kingsley’s tails and umbrella. Mizshu did at least control herself enough to not bury her face in them. It’s Mizshu’s first time seeing so many heroes in action and in spite of herself she’s enjoying the performances right in front of her. However, she blurts out something along the lines of “I like your shiny butt’ (directed at Moni) without first realizing that she is ON THE STAGE, and not in the audience. She immediately seeks refuge from this in the clothes of Celestial.
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