I gotta say, his Grandmother was kinda well.....messed-up in the head for the most part. She can't just use past experiences as excuses to not do work. And I wonder why she is able to accept Cripto changed into a furry, but accepting nothing else.

Her mind is impossible to explain. You'd think she's nuts.

Umm, in this case, yes.

But she will get over it.

She didn't get the memo that it was to be done as a surprise for me while I was in Metro City with Zelus Blaze, Clockwork, and company, going through that week of training of refraining from powers, as well as control my mouth, because I used to always say too much information, which caused problems for everybody. (Lucky I passed all the tests in that.

You do know that story was never completed, right?

I do know that. I had intended, however, for Cripto to get his act together and pass the tests after that rough first day of being a doormat.

But remember that for a character to develop, sometimes, they must fall before they can rise again. What comes up must come down. When a character rises after he/she falls, they would learn the mistakes of their pasts and improve from there. That is the expectation to make a good character. For example, Zachary grew up as a good boy but decided that for America to rise, he must fall into evil to change America hence he led an insurgency in America and staged a coup against the American government to appoint himself as dictator so he can reform America and make the country an example for the world to follow despite the costs behind his reforms (including crimes like robbing the Federal Reserve to fund his reforms and agenda). Second, it is important for characters to have flaws as they can actually come in handy in some situations. For example, Avon's habit of cross-dressing and hiding in the women's restroom to dodge his enemies became handy when Leon impersonated him where his psyche led Leon to be disgusted beyond reasoning. When Avon jinxed himself into thinking that Leon would impersonate him, Rook not only laughed at Avon but also at Leon so it affected not only Avon's ego but also Leon's ego. Afterwards, Chuong's gluttony came in handy when Leon impersonated him where his gluttony overpowered his psyche leading him to become obese where his disguise got ruined and exposed himself leading to his final arrest in New York City by the Nebula Rangers where they hauled him back to the Intergalactic Court in the Andromeda Galaxy albeit with some giggles and laughs. Pretty much, if you allow Cripto to accept his mistakes and to learn from it by not running away from his mistakes and calling himself a coward but to accept them an learn what he did wrong so he doesn't do that again, he will be a better character. Otherwise, Cripto is a stagnant Mary-Sue with no personality as well as a coward as long he continues to overreact and runaway from problems and comment how he wants to hangup the cape. Heck! Chuong got fat on several occasions in his gluttony and even though other UN1024s did not approve him, he didn't run away from his problems and said he wants to hang up his guns forever. Instead, he accepts his consequences and tries not to do that. Avon never wanted to quit himself as a UN1024 for Belgium after Leon impersonated him because he knew that he'll still be needed in Belgium. So if Leon were to impersonate Cripto, then it is expected for Cripto to fix his reputation like most people do than to use his powers to solve everything at once. I hope you understand where I and Zephy are going with this since we want you to help you build your characters than just giving them a name, physical appearances, superhero outfits, and powers. Plus, falls are important as much as rises in stories as it gives the audience empathy to what the hero must go through to rise again otherwise, it'll be boring and stagnant where the hero simply accomplishes everything without doing much. People want to see struggles in action.

I may be having troubles doing that, but I do see your point. It serves me right for trying to model some of these like the old cartoons of Saturday morning, yesteryear. Some of those use deus ex machina for humorous effect. If that was the goal, I still got it wrong. Instead, people today want realism in the story. It's no surprise, therefore, that Cripto's now on the demerit system, given his case. I think  16weeks was trying to help me with that as well; in one of those storylines, Bendraqi turns brilliant and turns Super C into a monster, and after that's restored and Bendraqi is back in prison, Super C has plans to work to fix the damage and pay the debt he owes to Wildcat City (even though Cripto still donated a huge sum of cash to the city). In the end, the Cat of Steel got community service when it was judged he had no control over himself.

People want aspects of realism in a story because it's more believable and they tend to make more sense.

Then that's what I've been lacking: common sense. A problem with me, this is, long before I joined FA.

By "doormat", it's referring to his stiff personality. He just verbally responds to either what's being said to him as well as what's happening in his surroundings so he's not really "reacting". In other words you need to show how he's reacting to those around him, both visibly and emotionally, rather than telling what he's thinking. I also agree with Chuong; don't just have Cripto "pass with flying colors". Even Superman and Captain America had their fair share of failures, and you learn more from your failures than you do your success. Or as the actor Will Smith once said; "Don't let failure get into your heart, and don't let success get to your head."

Would it work, then, if I was to have Cripto fling his arms up and let out a shriek that you'd spelled "AUGH!"?

That's one way. Just anything to show he's attentive to what's happening around him like scratching his head, his tail or whiskers twitching in like nervousness, and so on.

I see; I had the right idea in that case then.

Zachary: I still dislike Cripto's grandmother with a burning passion thinking that religion solves everything. Second, her vanity prevents her from seeing the good things that her daughter and grandson did in life! After my reforms, Criptio's mom now has a six figure salary, like many teachers, because they teach and lead society! That places Cripto in the upper middle class at least unless his father has a white-collar career too which could place them in the upper class society!

Zax: So if I want to teach in America, what is my minimum salary for say, a high school teacher?

Zachary: According to my pay scale plans for teachers, a high school teacher would make at least $120,000 a year. Elementary teachers make at least $100,000 a year. Middle school teachers make $110,000. High school teachers make $120,000 a year. Community college professors are paid between $130,000 and $140,000 a year. Public university professors are paid at least $150,000 a year. Remember, those are minimums and they don't include locality pay or even bonuses for things like having the best performing class in high school. Plus, the quality of teachers are more important than the quantity of teachers. And knowing Cripto's mom just by speaking to her after my verbal bout against Mrs. Clements, she's a very serious English literature high school teacher and yes, it was ironic that when I was dictator, Cripto was my enemy yet I was helping his mother out due to her occupation. Why? Teachers shape the future my providing knowledge to their students. So it was considered my duty to reform America's education system as part of my agenda of improving America's future and herself as a country as an example for the world to learn and follow.

Chuong: So, did Cripto's mom ever thank you in person for doing this?

Zachary: Not yet. But deep down in her heart, she did. If her duty in life is to teach English literature to her students and have them understand what English literature really is, then she deserves the most support to provide our children the knowledge of English literature. Elementary children in India type essays for their teachers for crying out loud and they type better English than most American students before my reign! So I thought "You know what India? Two can play that game in seeing who's better in English literature."

Chuong: Have you ever offered American English teachers your manifestos?

Zachary: I actually have; especially manifestos regarding the context of law and justice and how they can be interpreted. I'm sure Cripto's mother received my manifestos too. Forgot to mention that before my reign, I don't know about you guys but like everywhere else, there are more doctors and lawyers than teachers in America yet doctors and lawyers get paid more than teachers which is messed up. Most teachers, especially who are good, have experience in a job related to what they teach or have extensive study in the subject they teach. Cripto's mom has to have a PhD in English literature. If not, then she must be gifted.

Zax: Since Cripto's mom is upper class thanks to your reforms, maybe she should get herself a Caddy!

Zachary: Nah! Not all teachers drive Cadillacs now.

Dustin: Lawyers being paid more than teachers? Well, in some cases, that is actually true even after your reign.

Zachary: But teachers get better employee benefits than lawyers. Plus, I removed the tenure policy in American education so that teachers are more pressured to not only research in their subjects more but also push their students to perform better in their classes. In other words, teachers in America, like anywhere else, are held accountable for their students' performances and their future in life. Teachers are also more creative and competitive to push their students further.

Chuong: You know, I want to see how Cripto's mom thank you because despite the fact that you were America's first and last dictator, you actually improved her job and made people like her love their jobs more which in return, improves your country's future with more educated Americans.

Zachary: Yeah. *to Cripto* Tell your mom that I said hi and never give up on her job! She deserved all that support after the headache of grading homework and essays!

Zax: Me thinks private school teachers and professors are paid more than what public education pays them.

Zachary: Significantly much more. I've met private university professors who get paid above $200,000 a year and private high school teachers who get paid in minimum $150,000 a year. Put the resources into education, which is the base of society, you'll have a better society.

Cripto: I'll do that, Zachary. She didn't think she was ever going to get a raise given the hard work she put in, but seemingly never was praised for acknowledged for it. Then you took over the country and reformed it, and hey, presto, she's now making six figures. Now she's making more than the mayor. Nothing personal.

Mayor Clarkson: No, not at all. I do like the idea that teachers should have bigger pay, but the work they put into it should determine their salary. I met your mom the other day, Cripto, and she mentioned the hard work. What's her subject?

Cripto: English and literature. Not the easiest to teach. Sometimes I help her with the grading when possible. *to Zachary* All she has is a Bachelor's, as it happens; she teaches at a private school and got her certification after a few years of struggling to find a job when she got laid off from her previous job. Her second degree is in the topics of psychology and sociology, since WU likes to double up on both. She doesn't have a copy of your manifesto right now, but she wanted a copy. Meanwhile, Grandma is upset with herself even more so than she is with you, because she'd argue that what she does is none of your business. All it was in that instance was the pot calling the kettle black, because she's nosy. She was nosy; let's hope she's not.

Super C: Especially after she told me to lose weight. Does the uniform make me look fat?

Leo: No, I think she saw you on camera and assumed you were ten pounds heavier, since the camera is supposed to add ten pounds according to the saying.

Cripto: Don't bother getting my mom a new car; she's happy with the one she's got now. It turns out, she hasn't even rode in my Challenger yet.

Zachary: *to Cripto with a light chuckle* That's the point Cripto; teachers should be paid more than politicians. Politics is never a full time job because politicians already have jobs outside of politics. Not to mention, they are only representatives of their people and most of them are advisers to the representing leader of a community. In the end, education is the base of society and the teachers are the ones shaping it by providing the youth with knowledge needed to survive in the real world. Your mother however, sounds like she came a very long way before settling her career in teaching.

Chuong: I thought my armor makes me look fat because I'm a big wolf with a big appetite.

Avon: You shouldn't eat so much anyways. And Zachary, stop berating that poor old lady! She may be a jerk but leave her alone with dignity please!

Zachary: Teachers come from respected families. She doesn't sound like she's the respectful type despite her own daughter is a teacher of a prestigious private school in Wildcat City. Cripto's mother is the most respected family member in my opinion.

Zax: Hmm... What would Cripto's mom drive with making much more than $120,000 a year? If I was a teacher in the post-Zachary period, I'd go for a BMW SUV or a Mercedes S Class sedan. Those are really nice cars for the prestigious! If teachers are prestigious people like they should be, they should show that around. Even the new Chrysler Town and Country would fit well for a teacher.

Iker/Ike: Nah just let her be. Second, Cripto's mom reminds me of my country's national politicians where they are known to reject any offer involving luxury vehicles. Our politicians drive Toyota Corollas as official state cars for political business instead of any brand of luxury cars which also includes the BMW cars as well as the Mercedes S Class. The Mercedes S Class are popular cars for politicians on the national level around the world but our politicians opt out for Toyotas instead. They even rejected any offers involving Lexus cars. Why do Uruguayan politicians do this despite our endless prosperity and no poverty? Because Uruguayan politicians stick to their beliefs of representing the common people more so they do that. The closest thing they would own to a luxury vehicle would be a Chrysler Town and Country minivan with the works and that's it. Not to mention, Mujica is our president and he still lives his life as a farmer and donates 90% of his presidential earnings to charity. He still drives his old 1987 Volkswagen Beetle while everybody else in Uruguay drives brand new trucks, SUVs, and minivans of various common brands. Even with Cripto's donations in my country, our president still lives a very humble life that he didn't even accepted a penny from Cripto. He told Cripto "Every bit of that is for my country and none of them is for me."

Zachary: So that could explain why your people like to keep it simple and fun.

Iker/Ike: Yeah. Critics say that we are "not serious" people but in reality, we can prove that we can be serious and official without a suit and tie. Sure there are Uruguayans who wear business suits and ties because that's their job but a majority of them do not own luxury brand vehicles. To us Uruguayans, whenever we see someone in a luxury vehicle, regardless of how old or new they are, we see them as outliers and deviants and we wonder who they are. Mujica hardly wears his business suit in most meetings and sticks to being casual and he hardly wears a tie on his suit to show his humbleness. But hey! People like him are the reason why I'm proud to be Uruguayan!

Zachary: We should hang out there more often. Its a fun country without a doubt!

Cripto: When Mr. Mujica said that to me, I felt a sense of great satisfaction from hearing that. And yes, just let my mom drive what she wants to drive. She's budget conscious about these things, just as we all should be. Also, leave my grandma alone; she needs the break. All elderly people can do without a berating. It also leads me to point out I went to public schools and not the private one, but due to the fact Wildcat City continues using the old-fashioned methods so that they have something to fall back on when the new ones do not work, test scores were still higher than the national average, unlike most public schools in America at the time. I was just a horrible test taker.

Leo: How so, Cripto?

Cripto: My scores reflect it. I mean, most folks claim they do better with multiple-choice than with open-ended essay-type questions. Not me; I am the opposite.

Leo: Yes, that does make sense, knowing you.

Zachary: *to Cripto about the tests* That's the problem; most folks want that because its easier. What's the purpose of a school if all they do is teach people how to be better test takers? Open ended essay type questions encourage people to think and that is what America needs more of and that's what I addressed in my education manifesto. Multiple choices have limited answers and the more we encourage multiple choice, the less opportunities we're providing to our youth to use their minds more. Even with online tests, they still need those open response questions. When you said that you're the opposite from most of those folks, you're a lot more intelligent than I thought and that's a great thing. However, that also means we expect you to have better control over your outbursts and overreactions.

Chuong: We have that in Vietnam too. And yes Zachary do heed Cripto's advice about respecting the elderly. Let them be.

Zachary: Budget conscious and rich; I like that from your mother! She'd be a model citizen to the other Americans to follow! Even better is that she's a teacher too!

Cripto: She'd appreciate you saying that. She doesn't go for the online stuff, though; she said that since many college professors expect their students to know how to spell and to write by hand, let alone have excellent penmanship, so does she. That's a positive about Wildcat City's school system; they still teach handwriting. I used to have really sloppy writing, but it improved over time.

Zachary: Oh yes handwriting and going back to the paper. We'll always need that. Nowadays, most of our handwriting is done with signing forms.

Cripto: And checks for your checking account if a business still takes them. I never use a debit card.

Zachary: People still write checks these days? Everybody has a debit card...

Chuong: Checkbooks exist because they contain routing numbers. Usually, before one is employed, they would be asked to go to their banks and have the bankers print them a routing form for them to take to their employers. Granted that they could do this online but due to personal information involved, they are better off done on paper in person.

Zachary: Checkbooks are about to go obsolete in less than ten years dude! Everything is going to be done online! We no longer will have to keep track of bills since we have auto-pay now! Looks at Korea and Japan for example! Almost everything is done online as much as possible when it comes to business! Even Vietnam has moved on to that stage as well! Well, the entire world has; even every country in Africa.

Chuong: I know that.

Zachary: Yeah. I remember when I was in college, my parents told me how much things have changed. They were surprised that their neighbors don't write checks anymore. But at the same time, they accepted this as a normal part of our world advancing towards the future. Its for the best of us anyways. Yet, Neo-Luddites want to make things SO complicated.

Chuong: I feel ya. Even I'm shocked to learn that people still write checks. Even my dad doesn't write checks anymore and he finds it shocking that people still do. I'm surprised the checkbook hasn't become obsolete yet but we are getting there at an alarming rate. Then again, who uses checkbooks these days?

Leo: Older people and/or the citizens of Wildcat City who choose to use them, that's who. I do it myself. I don't use a debit card in order to avoid the risks you take when somebody steals it. But what you should know, Zachary, is that while Wildcat City does need modernization, and we're working on it, we're fighting hard to keep the traditional things. That way, as Cripto said, we can fall back on one if the other one fails. For similar reasons, I don't do online banking. I don't want hackers attacking.

Super C: They wouldn't attack you anyways because of your loud voice.

Leo: True, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Zachary: Leo, we have technology to catch a debit card thief and most of them are for free; especially after my reign. Say I go in to a car dealership and I use someone's information other than my own to get a car as well as their debit card. They can quickly spot out fraud and the police can arrest me on the spot in seconds. Second, when you go outside of your country to use your debit card overseas, the bank puts a limit on how much you can spend unless you tell them which countries you're visiting first so they can remove the overseas transaction limits or whatever they call that these days. Even on eBay, they can spot out a debit card thief easily. You'd be surprised how easy it is to catch a debit card thief these days. Identity theft? Those can be spotted easily these days.

Chuong: We UN1024s are trained in cyber-security too because of stuff like this on the rise.

Zachary: Yup! The Feeder Foxes have used other people's debit cards to buy food to fatten up their victims; especially at buffets. In many cases, they would steal the debit cards of their victims and spend all of that on food and delivery of said food to their homes for them to eat and get fat off of. Even that, most security experts can track such suspicious payments down without actually having to be at the event. And don't forget that if you spend more within a certain time period, you'll get a notification to your phone and email about it. So yes, we now have technology to safeguard ourselves from stuff like this. Of course, we still have to be careful as usual.

Leo: You have a point there. You do have to bear in mind there's a part of me that doesn't seem to want to let go of the old-fashioned way, granted it's part of my already-tarnished reputation. *his silent thoughts* So much for upholding the family name; there's too much pressure to go the new way. But what if I come off the exact same way Cripto's ungrateful grandmother if I still write checks? Why is this even turning into an internal civil war inside me, anyway?