Battle Prep.

There is a lot to be said for being creatures of habit. When it comes down to going out on our nightly patrols, The Mysterious Minute-Men just do what they have always been doing. We split up, we head out, we patrol. When we encounter any evil-doers, we dispatch them. Naturally.

It is what we do, as heroes. It is as natural to us as breathing. Or drinking coffee. There is no real "preparation" routine that we go through. Just as normal citizens head out to work every morning, so too do we head out to do our "work".

But what of those unexpected villains, you might ask. And I know that you do, for those unexpected villains are indeed... unexpected. Well, we really have no choice but to trust our instincts, try some battle strategy, and find a solution that works.

There is, however, some preparation that we must go through whenever we expect to go up against a specific criminal. When we know that a villain is at large, we must review all we know of them in order to hone our senses. And, alas, when we learn of some extremely evil villain... an Ancient Evil... then our very survival depends on being as well prepared as possible.

Ancient Evils do not get to be Ancient by easily being defeated. No, they most often are simply beaten for a time. The best one can hope for is such a victory. Failure... defeat... would be disasterous. Fatal. Brutal.

Such is the ... "stench" of the Ancient Evil that has begun to poison our air recently that I retreated into my lair and studied, reviewed, planned, and made myself as ready as possible. After a full and intense day... a strategy was formed.

The strategy will be revealed... soon. For now, it must be properly shared and digested by all who possibly will be implicated in the coming battle. A group review will soon follow and then... once more into the breach!

An Ancient Evil

The streets were deserted tonight. Void of any living beings, the stillness in the air was definitely supernatural.

Taking a deep breath and allowing my mind to access that part of me that still has ties to the other side, I could sense the power keeping everyone away.

An Ancient Evil was loose.

A being so ugly, so malevolent, so impure, as to defy description. And still... I recognized it. I had... "smelled" its like before.

There had been a time... long ago... when this creature had more substance than it does today. That was before I had managed to banish it.

Tonight, it was letting me know that my city and my life was once more in its sights.

Preparation is required. Time to regroup, study my options, and build a strategy.

Tomorrow... or very soon... the games will begin. Again.

Appreciation

When it comes to keeping the streets safe, I and the rest of The Mysterious Minute-Men do what we do not because we need praise. We do it because it must be done. Because we CAN do it. And because we are compelled to do it. For the benefit of the city. Of the people. Of our way of life.

Regardless of what Orion may try to let you believe, it is not always fun and games. Well, actually, it is rarely fun and games. We deal in people's lives and livelihood. That is what protecting Metro City is all about.

However, I will say, that at the end of the day, or in the case of recent events, at the end of a very tiring week, there is an indescribable wave of joy that accompanies any unexpected word of thanks.

That is just what happened tonight. After another rough patrol, as I slunk into my booth here at Stan's, I was greeted by a message as soon as I got online. Someone praising me for what I do.

Those moments are magical and I treasure them always.

Thank you for your kind words. It makes the on-going battle with evil worth every drop of sweat.

No Crime Holidays

I have been informed that the roughest day of the week is Monday. This being due to the difficulty in returning to a regular work week after a weekend away.

If you thought the same were true for criminals, I must sadly advise that it is not so! Crime needs no calendars to do its deed! In fact, every day is just another "symptom" to the way of crime.

For example, again, the working person looks forward to Fridays and is generally in a happy mood come the end of the day. A criminal is also happy, but this is due to their ability to come in contact with more people on the streets to take advantage of.

As for Mondays, well, they are just as eager to get back out there and take advantage of those worn down from the return to work.

Case in point. It is no longer Monday. It is early Tuesday. I have just returned from finally completing my patrol. The sun, it stings my eyes. But before exhaustion claims me, I decided to pop in here and lay down these words.

And now, my bed beckons!

What were you made for?

I must thank Stan for jumping in here last night and informing you that I would not be able to update the blog. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but what can you do? Not every night in a super hero's life is filled with fun and adventure. Sometimes it does get a little... bizarre.

The Kissing Bandit? Can you believe it? Here I thought this flash-in-the-pan was nothing more than a gimmick used to sell extra papers during Valentine's day. After all, we had not heard from him in something over 7 years.

But, lo and behold, last night he decided he would jump back into the fray. I half expected to corner him in an old folk's home but he had decided to jump around the red light district. Really. Seems he wanted to make the working women feel loved and appreciated.

They accused him of trying to get some free sampling. Seriously.

He tried to claim that kissing women is what he was made for. We shall see how that holds up in court for him. But, it did get me thinking about what each of us inherently feels about our time here on earth.

There is no question for me. I am here to help the citizens of Metro City and, by extension, the world, when required.

How about yourselves?

Stan Speaks

Good Evening, Everyone!

This is Stan talking here... or rather, typing here.

Minute-Man was starting to get really attached to this here blogging tool and since he couldn't make it on tonight, he buzzed me to slip in a little ditty on his behalf. Seeing how he's stuck up on a roof tonight keeping a watch out for The Kissing Bandit, of all people. No one's heard o' this guy in years and suddenly tonight he's spotted around town!

Something must be up with November Madness or some such.

Anyhow, have yourselves a good night and I'm sure Minute-Man will have something to say later on.