Template:Featured Articles/12-2019

Moment of Awesome - Angelo Espinosa/Skin: Navigating the Harry Potter scenario, Angelo finds his challenge more fun than difficult. "No burning involved," Angelo promised. "...well, not because of my powers, anyway. I call it the Flying Squirrel. If I stretch my skin out, I can glide." Marie-Ange carefully stepped away from where she had leaned, and the stone block slid back into the wall. "Oh, how fun." She muttered darkly. "It is a cooperative game. We get to try to find the secret places to press so Angelo does not fall to his death." She leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, and the stone slid back out. "Quidditch is a stupid game and the points make no sense." Jean-Phillipe would have teased his cousin about her cynicism, but he was too busy fretting over the idea that Angelo might actually fall to his death. Despite knowing that he was not an eleven year old, some of an eleven year old's struggle with managing emotions was rubbing off on him, clearly. "Be safe," he instructed Angelo, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek and squeeze his hand before darting away and blushing. Angelo gave him what was meant to be a reassuring smile but came out as more of a grin, clearly looking forward to doing this again, and turned to start climbing the wall, pausing at times to wait for the others to make another block jut out. "Uuuuh okay, okay," Alex said with as much confidence as he could muster, watching Angelo and gently testing out parts of the wall and finally finding one that jutted for Angelo to jump to. "Ha! This would be way more fun than rock climbing in the real world." Stephen couldn't stop himself as he joined Alex, staring up at the wall in awe as he nodded his head seriously, his dark eyes flicking over his section of the wall as his lips moved. "It would be pretty awesome...I call dibs on the next climb!" Narrowing her eyes, Hope carefully mapping her own section of the wall. She didn't find any section that seemed pushable, but there was a small hook in the middle. Shrugging she tugged it gently and was rewarded by the sound of several blocks retreating into the wall. "Sorry!" She called out. "Got the wrong thing." Angelo, who had been standing on one of those blocks, yelped in alarm but was close enough to the top of the wall to latch his skin on before it slid out from under him. "Okay, it's okay... just got to pull myself up." He had been flitting back and forth, charting Angelo's progress, and trying not to hover over each person helping with Angelo's climb, but after the blocks retreating from the wall, Jean-Phillipe took it upon himself to press the last few sections that opened Angelo's way to the final part of the maze. "Are there puzzle keys? Do they fly around like very stupid hummingbirds?" Marie-Ange yelled up to Angelo. "I think the movie and book were both the same for this one, one with a bent wing?" For someone who proclaimed to hate everything about this series, Marie-Ange did seem exceptionally knowledgeable about it. "Although perhaps one that looks like a sugar glider, or bat, or monkey, something symbolic and easily guessed by children and even more easily guessed by adult sociopaths!" “There are keys”, he confirmed, “...and there’s one with bat wings. But if I jump off and glide near enough to catch it, I’m not sure how I’ll get back.” "Isn't there like... IDK a spell or something that could cushion him?" Alex asked, looking around. "He jumps to grab the key, Actual Magic Boy can catch him and get him down safe?" "Wait what? I don't like that nick...actually I do like that nickname cause that makes you Not-Actual Magic Boy," Stephen grinned at Alex before transferring his gaze up to Angelo who was getting forever further away. "I mean, if he falls I think I can catch him, you know, if I can react in time at least." "Wingardium Leviosa." Marie-Ange muttered. "Angelo, get the key and then glide down as best you can, Potter here will slow your fall." She was clearly seven books, eight movies, a stage production and two terrible prequels -done- with this. "Really, I hate this series why do I have to remember all of the spells?" Angelo perched on the top of the wall, stretched his fingertips out as far as they would go, and waited for the bat-winged key to fly within reach. A crow of triumph announced that he had it, and he stood up and shuffled around to face them. “This bit’s always fun!” Stephen couldn't help grinning in reply at the look on Angelo's face, his wand pointing unerringly at the man as he saw him leap from his perch. How'd it go in the movies, flick and swish? Hop on one foot? Do the hokey pokey and turn around? With a swish and a flick of his wand the boy took a step forward. "Wingardium Leviosa." Angelo stretched out his skin into "wings" to do his part in guiding his fall, but Stephen's spell buoyed him up so that he had time to glide. The grin didn't leave his face well after he'd settled back to the ground and was turning to open the door.