Well, everybody, I decided to teach myself to fly today.

One cliff-dive, a sprained wing and several broken wing-feathers later, I realised something.

Heights still scare me, vertical drops do not make for good practices and my wings are only strong enough to let me glide short distances.

Anyone got any ideas on how I can learn to fly properly? What's the bloody use of sprouting wings if I can't fly?

As I said, I'm happy to help you learn. I'm faster then your terminal velocity, and I'm strong enough to lift conduit while flying, so I know you'd be no problem at all. I can possibly support you as you take more and more weight onto yourself.

Well, understand that you can't fly with your wings. Aerodynamically impossible. Thus, development will really occur in your 'power portfolio' - you'll have to convince your subconcious that you ought to be able to fly.

Of course, arguably, a good way to do that is to keep jumping off cliffs. ( ;

Seriously, though, you probably should keep practicing. You shouldn't really need to go off cliffs or anything - just find an open, flat area and start running while trying for lift. In terms of conventional physics, that would be about as effective as me running around flapping my arms, but there's a good chance that you got some fragment of Totem's flight ability embedded in your quantum signature with all of the other goodies you've found. Keep trying, and your subconscious might eventually open that box.

-edit-

Incidentally, while I don't have current data on your mass, bone density, and such, you probably shouldn't even be able to glide on that wingspan. Since you can, that suggests that you've already started convincing yourself that flight is possible.

Amped's help or Alex's ideas might work out... both sound safer than my wide receiver impression I have been doing lately, love. Although I believe you are much closer to succeeding where I have failed, humorously, for years.

I wonder what would happen if I jumped off a cliff.

Without flying? It is rather peaceful at first, then you realize you are going to hit the ground at terminal velocity. Granted, I can handle that kind of landing and I advise not leaping off cliffs without some kind of "out" if you are unable to survive the impact.

You should see the craters he leaves.

Reminds me of the old Coyote cartoons with ACME and whatnot.

making impact angels in the Himalayas... that was how Shen-Kahn taught me to fly.. You'd expect a nice splat instead of a dull thud. Seriously, you've just got to keep telling yourself you can. Though stay away from cliff diving

Good luck. I can't give you any advice, since I have no experience with flying. However, I've recently developed some very effective impact-absorbing materials (part of the armor I'm making for my team).

If you want a body-stocking of the material (it's very stretchy), I can have it mailed to you. It would certianly stop serious bruising from failed attempts, but I don't think it would do anything for your wing strain.

Just send me a PM if you want it. All I ask is that you tell me how well it's working. I don't have the courage to put one on and jump off the top of our HQ.

Hey!, I said you I was willing to test it.

Seriously, Saimhe, I wish you luck with your plans.

She's more fragile than you are, BlackStar. You can jump of the roof of the HQ and not notice without the padding. Same reason I didn't want Jager to test it.

And it would probably make Franklin more comfortable if she was wearing some kind of protection while she learns to fly.

If those wings are like mine (which since they are for the most part an echo of mine) It is going to take sheer muscle to move them. I never feel my node interact with my flying. I simply beat the air into submission. Bad news is from day one I have been able to. I think the instinct to fly came with this lovely body of mine.

I guess you just need to start some muscle conditioning to strengthen the muscle group that would allow you to fly. I am sure Franky can figure up some sort of workout plan for you. If not look up some Physical trainers.

Totem - hate to break it to you, but you're as aerodynamically sound as a rock with a tarp taped to it. If you weren't a nova, you wouldn't be able to get off the ground. Lions aren't built to move through the air, even if they have been given wings.

Yes it would, however I am still doing my best to prevent the possibility of injury in the first place. Being nigh invulnerable does not mean slamming into the ground at terminal velocity is a comfortable activity and I do not want her to share the experience.


I did not consider that. Sounds like it could work on multiple levels: generating enough thrust to lift off the ground and fooling the subconscious into giving a litte quantum boost.

Thanks guys. You gave me a great idea for a cartoon strip and I'm getting response already.

Know any Telekinetics? Or Gravity Manipulators?

Doesn't matter how aerodyamic I am you put big enough wings and enough muscle on a aircraft carrier and you would get it off the ground.

Your wings are not big enough to provide the lift needed for your mass for flight. Like it or not, the quantum is helping you, even if you are unaware of it.

True it is I never said it wasn't since my entire body is because of Quantum. I just said I never feel my node like I do whenever I conjure images and such. All I feel are my muscles pushing air.

"True it is I never said it wasn't since my entire body is because of Quantum. I just said I never feel my node like I do whenever I conjure images and such. All I feel are my muscles pushing air."

Which is really just how you're rationalizing the expenditure. Doesn't really matter though - you can fly, and apparently you can do it with relatively passive quantum manipulation (I wouldn't hazard to guess exactly what's going on there). It works out the same in the end.

She's more fragile than you are, BlackStar.

Al, you need to go out of the lab more. It was only a joke.

Good luck to you. Flight is a wonderful experience, and everyone should try it once.

Since your wings were a gift from Totem, take his advice on how to use them. Muscle training to build up your wing's strength will most likely allow you to fly (even if they physicists disagree).

Is it just me or does it seem like more and more novas are manifesting flight capability as of late? I mean I've personally talked to half a dozen novas who recently added flight to their capabilities...

Chances are: I'll never be able to fly.

"Is it just me or does it seem like more and more novas are manifesting flight capability as of late? I mean I've personally talked to half a dozen novas who recently added flight to their capabilities..."

Maybe it's that quote that 'Fireman' made a few years ago, "...What kind of Superguy can't fly?"

Add me to that Half-Dozen. Found out in a weird way too. I too a visit to Aurora, IL, where there was an Ice-Storm that recently passed through. Some sidewalks were still icy, and I slipped and fell. Now, I've fallen on my face many times before, and quite embarassingly I might add, but this time... fhwoosh... I just stopped. Inches from the ground. Just hovering there.

Felt... warm. Perhaps I've been ignoring my full talents, or perhaps it's some early holidays present my Node gave me.

Whatever it is, I'm not complainin.

You're frickin' kidding me! It always takes me at least a year of concentrated study to develop out a new ability, and you just ... fell into it. Literally.

*sigh* Maybe I need to become less analytical.

It's not like that at all. I think I had it all along, but not really thought I did.

You ses, I had been chasing after an... I guess you can say a client's interest... and he tried to evade me by jumping over a bridge that was under construction. He made it, since he was cranking over the threshold in a crotch-rocket motorcycle at about oh... 175 or so. Now, I started huffing it, and I mean hyperspeed baby, and I jumped the gorge like it was nothing. Thing is, and this is the best part, usually when I'm running at half-tilt, I could make the jump, but I OVERSHOT the jump so much, I landed in front of him and Wile E. Coyote'd the guy. Yes, all that and I got run over. 4 days recovering from that fiasco.

Thing is, I was controlling my speed, yet something thrust me foreward.

I can only assume it was my ability to fly that I know I have now.

And, it's something to be said being able to stand on top of the Sears Tower and look over Chicago.

And if anyone says I need a licence, I'll polietely reply...

BULLSHIT, BITCH!

I am going to use this in my new comic strip. The names will be changed to ensure you still get dates. Thanks.

Well, everybody, I decided to teach myself to fly today.

It's worth it!

But I don't really have any advice. No wings, y'know?

Hey Tarot, I'd like to read the strip, I have this image of what this would be like... reminds me of the old Roadrunner cartoons...

Wear a parachute. ^o^

Good luck, April!

How are you going to go about it? Don't worry about the wings. I was searched the opnet and found out most novas that can fly don't even have wings. So you're halfway there already.

Long, the strips should be going into syndication soon. There are actually three that I'm rotating though I'm thinking of doing a fourth one to toss in too. There's Stone Cold Ned Pushes the Edge, Ned and The Legions of Doom and My Node Isn't Talking To Me Today. The new idea is about some kids that erupt and keep it secret from their parents. Cute stuff. They're eating it up.

Again, if you think you can fly, just be fracking careful in seeing if you can or not. Please, the last thing we need is hearing someone became street-pizza because they strapped a cape to their back and their happy thoughts would take them to Neverland.

Then again, it's just the mother hen in me. >_<

Yeah don't test-fly alone, it's always nice to have someone who'll be there to save you from the sudden stop at the end of a failed attempt.

Good luck, April! How are you going to go about it?

Weeell ... they tell me that I can already fly faster than most military aircraft, so I think I'm already kinda there ...

Sorry about the misunderstanding. I never really learned to fly, since I just got it when I erupted, and since I don't really have the wings thing going either, that means I don't have much advice for Saimhe.

Curious, if one wanted to fly why would one leap from a great height in order to learn how? Why not simply take off from the ground?

Is that person trying to use fear as a motivator? Would that person like it if I was to set of a nuclear device in their vicinity to learn how to survive extremes of heat, pressure and impact?

I'm sure there are much less extreme methods Prodigy, and most of them wouldn't get Pax shoved yer ass quite like detonating a nuke....

Well fear is the catalyst that often forces an eruption for some. It isn't horrible logic just dangerous.

I have yet to manifest a power on purpose as of yet and to be honest exposure might be the best way to get where you need to be.

Stress is another way for powers to develop. I learned a few new tricks while in combat but not in fear of my life.

Sometimes advacement requires a particularly nasty crucible.