Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Play by Post
Amazing Tales from Centropolis
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="jmucchiello" data-source="post: 7018010" data-attributes="member: 813"><p>Princess Starlight flew into the gale force winds of the storms. It had been raining for three straight days and the town was getting crazy. Every night Brandon felt the need to go out and do something, anything in these trying days. She headed out to the more suburban parts of Centropolis. The night before, she had learned the hard way that sudden gale force gust of winds and narrow alleyways were a dangerous combination for someone flying with wings. Brandon was glad he did not share bruises with Princess Starlight as the time she smashed face first into a building would have surly left a mark.</p><p></p><p>It was actually quiet this night over Hillsdale. Quiet if you ignored harsh hiss of the winds and the noises that sounded like voices in the distance. The normally quiet (and flat) suburb was usually free of police activity. But with the storm, break ins, riots, and other civil disobedience were making Hillsdale seem like Red Haven. Well, not that bad, not really.</p><p></p><p>The Princess had learned these past few nights that with her natural glow, hiding was much easier in the busier sections of MainTown than it was to skulk in any actual shadows. Brandon had always hoped to be the scary, vigilante, mystery man style of hero. Instead, as the Princess, he could neither scare nor be a man for that matter. He had to settle for the front line, eyes-on-me style hero. And, men especially, did not mind putting the eyes on the Princess. </p><p></p><p>She shook her head to stop those thoughts from getting where they were going. A cry for help pierced the howling winds. Later she would note that it pierced those winds a bit too well. She changed direction and headed toward the sound. Below her in a mostly dark industrial park one building was still fully lit though only a single car was in the parking lot. Glass shattered and a woman screamed. Princess Starlight dove toward the falling body unable to catch it as it hit the ground. "No!" she shouted as she landed among the glass. The broken body lay on the sidewalk. Its head rolled to face her and then it started laughing. Laughter surrounded her. She looked around and saw a man approaching her. Her hand started to glow.</p><p></p><p>"Hey you," a voice called at unsteadily. "We don't need no trouble here." The man was a security guard, his weapon drawn but still angled toward the ground.</p><p></p><p>Looking up she saw there was no broken window above her. She looked down and the body was gone. "I thought someone called for help," she said. The part of her that was Brandon thought she sounded like a six year old who had just been caught trying to take a cookie from the forbidden jar.</p><p></p><p>"Ain't no one here but you and me, little lady, and I don't need your kind of help."</p><p></p><p>The words "little lady" echoed in Brandon's mind. To avoid glaring at the man, she looked at the wet, blood-free pavement once more, total clean, before taking off, "Then I'll be on my way."</p><p></p><p>The guard said something she could not quite hear but the laughter she had heard when she first saw the body was back. It crescendoed and then was gone a moment later.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>The next night, she was flying over Little Russia when she noticed a crowd gathering. The crowd looked menacing so she circled back and slowed down to get a closer look. Several leaders of rival groups, she was sure there were at least two or three groups there. Settling on a tenement right above the group she said, <em>"Brilliant Comet Birdie Sentinels"</em> and held the birds in reserve. Her instincts had paid off and she sent the birds into the crowd between two of the leaders just as someone threw a rock at him. It harmlessly deflected off one of the luminous birds. More rocks flew and she tried to keep her birds in front of people. It was a losing battle given the number of people who could throw stuff. "Stop this." She shouted above the din of the wind and the crowd. All eyes turned to her as she floated down among the crowd.</p><p></p><p>Most of the crowd became silent, staring at her eerily. "Why are you leading these people into a fight?" She yelled at two of the leaders. They too started at her. She gave then both a shove and they seemed snap out of... something.</p><p></p><p>"We don't need your kind here," said the first man.</p><p></p><p>"No, her kind are exactly what we need," said the second.</p><p></p><p>"You're an idiot," said the first man. "Look at her, she's just a child, playing superhero games. She can't stop the rain."</p><p></p><p>"Listen," she shouted. "I don't care if you like me, or superheroes, or eskimo pies. Fighting about superheroes, here on this street isn't going to change anything."</p><p></p><p>Some of the people around her were no longer staring at her eerily and instead were either nodding or shaking their heads. Shouts of "You tell 'em." and "shut the b--ch up already" could be heard around her.</p><p></p><p>"That's what I said," said the second man. "But Peter here is too stubborn to listen."</p><p></p><p>"I always listen. Unless what is being said is too stupid, Illya."</p><p></p><p>"Just go back to your homes," Princess Starlight implored. "For your own safety, and for your health. You all must have something better to do than stand out in the pouring rain debating the need for superheroes."</p><p></p><p>"That is true. Come Peter. I think The Corner Bar is still open." The crowd slowly dispersed. Although, some people did linger behind, staring at the frustrated Princess. </p><p></p><p>She lifted off slowly once the crowd was sufficiently thin. "Why did they always stare like that?" She wondered. As she passed above a street lamp, a camera clicked.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>The next day, Brandon heard his sister tell his mother all about how Princess Starlight stopped a riot in Little Russia the prior night. Brandon was not surprised by part of the exchange.</p><p></p><p>"Well, that's all well and good, Brandy," his mother said. "But these supers are a menace. Centropolis would be an even better city without them.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, yeah, Mom, a menace. It would be far better to have been enslaved by the various invaders or blown up by the megalomaniacs."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe there would be no space invaders or megalomaniacs if there were no supers."</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Last night, Princess Starlight was involved in a drawn out battle with two low level supers robbing a bank. She managed to capture one of them, the one with the money, but the other escaped. As she waiting for the police to arrive, she was startled when her sister came stalking up the street directly for her. "Why didn't you tell me you were Princess Starlight?"</p><p></p><p>"What?" The Princess asked. "Why are you here?"</p><p></p><p>"I was robbing the bank," the crook said. "Typical, I get caught by one of the crazy ones. I should have listed to Aunt Gladys."</p><p></p><p>"You should have told me, Brandon," Brandy complained.</p><p></p><p>"Don't say my name," The Princess scolded.</p><p></p><p>"Your name is Gladys?" The crook asked. "Who names a kid Gladys these days? No wonder you're a bit crazy."</p><p></p><p>"What's going on here?" A police officer, arriving on the scene, asked.</p><p></p><p>"I'm yelling at my brother, don't interrupt," Brandy admonished.</p><p></p><p>"Don't yell at the officer," The Princess said.</p><p></p><p>"I didn't say anything," replied Gladys' nephew.</p><p></p><p>The Princess turned to the officer, "I'm sorry about this young lady yelling at you." As the police officer was looking at her oddly, The Princess turned and discovered his sister was not there. She had experienced other hallucinations these past few night, but never like that. "Um, can you take this guy off my hands? I think I need to leave."</p><p></p><p>"Typical super, never wants to deal with the paperwork." The officer said with a sigh, "We have a bunch of other witnesses. I'll need you to give me a statement tomorrow."</p><p></p><p>She shook her head, feeling better now that the perp was in custody. "No, on second thought, I'll give it to you now."</p><p></p><p>Later that evening, Brandon knocked on Brandy's bedroom door. "Come in," she called out.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, my God," he thought as he crossed the threshold into his sister's room.</p><p></p><p>"You love it. Don't you?" his twin sister Brandy grilled him, pointing to the wall decal. "I saw it online last night and had over-nighted."</p><p></p><p>Brandon was completely shocked to see a picture of Princess Starlight, floating above a street lamp, taken from street level, on his sister's bedroom wall. It was life-size, like those images of sports superstars would adorn a child's bedroom. Though he noted that her natural glow made her face look a bit washed out.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, it's great," he said as he thought it was not great. "You must be a big fan."</p><p></p><p>"The biggest," Brandy replied. "I think her name is Gladys."</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Minutes ago, Doctor Apocalypse delivered his ultimatum to Centropolis and the United States. In a large estate along the central canal in the Ridgeway district, a family of four reacted to the ultimatum.</p><p></p><p>"We should leave town, perhaps visit your mother in LA," Mr. Wein suggested.</p><p></p><p>"I can't leave," Mrs. Wein said. "I have two board meetings tomorrow."</p><p></p><p>"You just heard the Mayor is closing MainTown," he said. "Perhaps, send the children."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, no way," Brandy complained. "I'm not visiting Grandma Byrnes without Mom there to run interference."</p><p></p><p>"That's no way to talk about your Grandmother," Mr. Wein said.</p><p></p><p>"No, I wouldn't send them to mother either."</p><p></p><p>"Where is Brandon?" Brandy asked.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jmucchiello, post: 7018010, member: 813"] Princess Starlight flew into the gale force winds of the storms. It had been raining for three straight days and the town was getting crazy. Every night Brandon felt the need to go out and do something, anything in these trying days. She headed out to the more suburban parts of Centropolis. The night before, she had learned the hard way that sudden gale force gust of winds and narrow alleyways were a dangerous combination for someone flying with wings. Brandon was glad he did not share bruises with Princess Starlight as the time she smashed face first into a building would have surly left a mark. It was actually quiet this night over Hillsdale. Quiet if you ignored harsh hiss of the winds and the noises that sounded like voices in the distance. The normally quiet (and flat) suburb was usually free of police activity. But with the storm, break ins, riots, and other civil disobedience were making Hillsdale seem like Red Haven. Well, not that bad, not really. The Princess had learned these past few nights that with her natural glow, hiding was much easier in the busier sections of MainTown than it was to skulk in any actual shadows. Brandon had always hoped to be the scary, vigilante, mystery man style of hero. Instead, as the Princess, he could neither scare nor be a man for that matter. He had to settle for the front line, eyes-on-me style hero. And, men especially, did not mind putting the eyes on the Princess. She shook her head to stop those thoughts from getting where they were going. A cry for help pierced the howling winds. Later she would note that it pierced those winds a bit too well. She changed direction and headed toward the sound. Below her in a mostly dark industrial park one building was still fully lit though only a single car was in the parking lot. Glass shattered and a woman screamed. Princess Starlight dove toward the falling body unable to catch it as it hit the ground. "No!" she shouted as she landed among the glass. The broken body lay on the sidewalk. Its head rolled to face her and then it started laughing. Laughter surrounded her. She looked around and saw a man approaching her. Her hand started to glow. "Hey you," a voice called at unsteadily. "We don't need no trouble here." The man was a security guard, his weapon drawn but still angled toward the ground. Looking up she saw there was no broken window above her. She looked down and the body was gone. "I thought someone called for help," she said. The part of her that was Brandon thought she sounded like a six year old who had just been caught trying to take a cookie from the forbidden jar. "Ain't no one here but you and me, little lady, and I don't need your kind of help." The words "little lady" echoed in Brandon's mind. To avoid glaring at the man, she looked at the wet, blood-free pavement once more, total clean, before taking off, "Then I'll be on my way." The guard said something she could not quite hear but the laughter she had heard when she first saw the body was back. It crescendoed and then was gone a moment later. * * * The next night, she was flying over Little Russia when she noticed a crowd gathering. The crowd looked menacing so she circled back and slowed down to get a closer look. Several leaders of rival groups, she was sure there were at least two or three groups there. Settling on a tenement right above the group she said, [i]"Brilliant Comet Birdie Sentinels"[/i] and held the birds in reserve. Her instincts had paid off and she sent the birds into the crowd between two of the leaders just as someone threw a rock at him. It harmlessly deflected off one of the luminous birds. More rocks flew and she tried to keep her birds in front of people. It was a losing battle given the number of people who could throw stuff. "Stop this." She shouted above the din of the wind and the crowd. All eyes turned to her as she floated down among the crowd. Most of the crowd became silent, staring at her eerily. "Why are you leading these people into a fight?" She yelled at two of the leaders. They too started at her. She gave then both a shove and they seemed snap out of... something. "We don't need your kind here," said the first man. "No, her kind are exactly what we need," said the second. "You're an idiot," said the first man. "Look at her, she's just a child, playing superhero games. She can't stop the rain." "Listen," she shouted. "I don't care if you like me, or superheroes, or eskimo pies. Fighting about superheroes, here on this street isn't going to change anything." Some of the people around her were no longer staring at her eerily and instead were either nodding or shaking their heads. Shouts of "You tell 'em." and "shut the b--ch up already" could be heard around her. "That's what I said," said the second man. "But Peter here is too stubborn to listen." "I always listen. Unless what is being said is too stupid, Illya." "Just go back to your homes," Princess Starlight implored. "For your own safety, and for your health. You all must have something better to do than stand out in the pouring rain debating the need for superheroes." "That is true. Come Peter. I think The Corner Bar is still open." The crowd slowly dispersed. Although, some people did linger behind, staring at the frustrated Princess. She lifted off slowly once the crowd was sufficiently thin. "Why did they always stare like that?" She wondered. As she passed above a street lamp, a camera clicked. * * * The next day, Brandon heard his sister tell his mother all about how Princess Starlight stopped a riot in Little Russia the prior night. Brandon was not surprised by part of the exchange. "Well, that's all well and good, Brandy," his mother said. "But these supers are a menace. Centropolis would be an even better city without them. "Yeah, yeah, Mom, a menace. It would be far better to have been enslaved by the various invaders or blown up by the megalomaniacs." "Maybe there would be no space invaders or megalomaniacs if there were no supers." * * * Last night, Princess Starlight was involved in a drawn out battle with two low level supers robbing a bank. She managed to capture one of them, the one with the money, but the other escaped. As she waiting for the police to arrive, she was startled when her sister came stalking up the street directly for her. "Why didn't you tell me you were Princess Starlight?" "What?" The Princess asked. "Why are you here?" "I was robbing the bank," the crook said. "Typical, I get caught by one of the crazy ones. I should have listed to Aunt Gladys." "You should have told me, Brandon," Brandy complained. "Don't say my name," The Princess scolded. "Your name is Gladys?" The crook asked. "Who names a kid Gladys these days? No wonder you're a bit crazy." "What's going on here?" A police officer, arriving on the scene, asked. "I'm yelling at my brother, don't interrupt," Brandy admonished. "Don't yell at the officer," The Princess said. "I didn't say anything," replied Gladys' nephew. The Princess turned to the officer, "I'm sorry about this young lady yelling at you." As the police officer was looking at her oddly, The Princess turned and discovered his sister was not there. She had experienced other hallucinations these past few night, but never like that. "Um, can you take this guy off my hands? I think I need to leave." "Typical super, never wants to deal with the paperwork." The officer said with a sigh, "We have a bunch of other witnesses. I'll need you to give me a statement tomorrow." She shook her head, feeling better now that the perp was in custody. "No, on second thought, I'll give it to you now." Later that evening, Brandon knocked on Brandy's bedroom door. "Come in," she called out. "Oh, my God," he thought as he crossed the threshold into his sister's room. "You love it. Don't you?" his twin sister Brandy grilled him, pointing to the wall decal. "I saw it online last night and had over-nighted." Brandon was completely shocked to see a picture of Princess Starlight, floating above a street lamp, taken from street level, on his sister's bedroom wall. It was life-size, like those images of sports superstars would adorn a child's bedroom. Though he noted that her natural glow made her face look a bit washed out. "Oh, it's great," he said as he thought it was not great. "You must be a big fan." "The biggest," Brandy replied. "I think her name is Gladys." * * * Minutes ago, Doctor Apocalypse delivered his ultimatum to Centropolis and the United States. In a large estate along the central canal in the Ridgeway district, a family of four reacted to the ultimatum. "We should leave town, perhaps visit your mother in LA," Mr. Wein suggested. "I can't leave," Mrs. Wein said. "I have two board meetings tomorrow." "You just heard the Mayor is closing MainTown," he said. "Perhaps, send the children." "Oh, no way," Brandy complained. "I'm not visiting Grandma Byrnes without Mom there to run interference." "That's no way to talk about your Grandmother," Mr. Wein said. "No, I wouldn't send them to mother either." "Where is Brandon?" Brandy asked. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Play by Post
Amazing Tales from Centropolis
Top