Evil Henchmen

Some may wonder, what has become of our hero and the Forces of Good.  Some may fear the worst.  The Forces of Good are still intact.  However, it has come to our attention that Queen Dribbles, leader of the Evil Squirrels, has contracted additional forces.

Unexpectedly, the Evil Squirrels have been joined by the Hoard of Rats.  They are dark and evil henchmen who specialize in biotoxins and destructive behavior.  The Rat Henchmen strike in force and only the most drastic of actions can eliminate the threat. 

The Forces of Good have taken swift action to prevent the Hoard from building up their forces.  The lab has been extremely active in the creation of counter measures with great success.  Knowing that there are a few of the Hoard to have eluded the Forces of Good, I have been working closely with our hero to route out the enemy and destroy it.

Wish us luck.

Stars' New Song

Sometimes a hero just needs to sing his happiness.  So Stars the Mighty found Rat Child and sang his new song to her, because she has thumbs and can write it down so the Forces of Good can hear Stars the Mighty, too, and be happy along with him.

Yellow, yellow is my song

and this is the reason why

because yellow is the color

of all good things to try.

Yellow is the flashlight's face

that dances in the night

Yellow is the cheesy round

that makes my eyes alight

Yellow is the butter yummy

that makes me smile so bright

Yellow is the warm snortle glow

of a heart loved just right.

Yellow, yellow is my song

and this the reason why

because yellow is always the color

of the happy Star-Man's sigh.

Training Conference

After the typical day in the lab, I have finished my preparations for my upcoming training conference.  I will be teaching some lab techniques to another up North for a few days and must travel by train to reach my destination.  While I completely trust Stars the Mighty to defend the Forces of Good from the Evil Squirrels, I do worry that perhaps Hippo and Ducky might get to acting silly and cause chaos in the lab.  I must also remind Rat Child to take special care of our dear hero as he has a slight limp due to injury from chasing Evil Squirrels.  He really is quite enthusiastic about his duties and it is often hard work to convince him to come inside and rest.  He is already missing me and I him.  It will be a long week, but knowledge must be spread to eager minds.  And hey, it pays for new lab equipment.

Cherry Cough Drops and Chicken Soup

As I throw away the last of the cough drop wrappers and used tissues, I contemplate the last four weeks.  Four weeks of sinus infection, sore throat, coughing, minimal sleep, complete draining of energy, minimal work being accomplished, and lack of attention directed towards our hero, Stars the Mighty.  (He informs me that this last aspect has been the worst of it.)  While the lab is tossing about theories on biotoxins and Evil Squirrel weapons, I have come to the conclusion that even the Forces of Good must battle the enemy of all -- the common cold.  A vicious virus that introduces itself as a mere sniffle or a sneeze only to mutate into something beyond human comprehension.  How is it that a mere sneeze can become a sinus congesting illness capable of producing enough yellow mucus to fill twenty sinus cavities let alone just one?  And, to make its reign of terror even worse, it saps all energy and desire to function  while continuing to drag out its stay until even the most hardy of souls would give in.  In my research, I have found the following results from experimentation against this virus:  soft cotton hankerchiefs are less likely to make one's nose feel raw; cherry cough drops work the best (or maybe they just taste the best); chicken noodle soup really does restore the feeling of hope that one might possibly get well; and there's nothing quite like the company of friends to make you feel human even when you can't feel healthy.  Now, if only there were some nearby Evil Squirrels I could cough on--after all, its only polite to share.

Taking a Stand

Stars the Mighty noted that Rat Child and Ranger came to town recently to help me fight the forces of evil.  And though it made him lonely, I needed the help.  Thanks Stars the Mighty!  Often, being a hero can feel like a very hard thing to be.  Sure there are the perks (good capes, cool names, always something to do on a Friday night) but there's always a trade-off.  In the case of heroes, you trade a life of service to others for a life that can be lonely because you are always rushing off to face an evil squirrel or help defend someone.  And not everyone wants to be rescued!  Today though, I want to talk about what it means to be a hero and take a stand against something you know is wrong--whether that is someone's actions or comments.  It isn't easy.  Sometimes you are the only one in the group to realize that what they are doing or saying isn't right.  If you take a stand, it's possible they will make fun of you or turn on you.  And that can be scary.  The thing to remember is that when you face that moment, you are not alone.  When you take a stand for what is right, you stand with all the Heroes in the Before Time, those heroes that fought the good fight against the forces of evil and chaos all their days.  When at last they leave Planet Earth, they go on to Hero Paradise.  Yet they often are allowed to return to earth to stand with those who would be like them.  They are bound by one rule however and that is the rule of invisibility.  In this way, each would-be hero has the opportunity to make the choice for themselves.  That would-be hero must face their own fear and decide what is most important, popularity and security or goodness and honour.  The Heroes in the Before Time wait, silently, by your side while you deliberate.  They can help you, but the ultimate decision must be yours.  Sometimes your circle of friends changes with that decision.  Just remember though, to stand with Heroes is to stand tall.  And with that courageous choice, you will gain wisdom and begin your training to become a True Hero. 

Stand Tall--We Stand Together

Girl America

And thank you for Herman, he has been a true joy!

Sometimes it's hard to be a hero

The Evil Squirrels of Montana are about to have a very bad week.  Stars almost feels sorry for the Evil Squirrels, but not quite.  Stars the Mighty is sending two of the Forces of Good to provide backup to Girl America.  Because even the strongest of heroes needs backup once in awhile--and furniture.  I am sending Rat Child and The Ranger.  Poor Dr. Thumbs has to stay here in the lab because someone must watch over Stars and keep the Evil Squirrels from eating everybody.  Stars is happy because he loves Dr. Thumbs.  Though Dr. Thumbs might get lonely without Rat Child to get her into trouble.  So Stars will happily take that over with Hippo.  Dr. Thumbs will have her hands full with Hippo and Ducky, the dynamic silly duo.  We will have to tell them silly stories to keep them giggling so they stay out of too much trouble.  We are going to send the covert operative Herman the Anteater to surprise Girl America when she comes into the bathroom with her bunny slippers.  Stars is not sure if she has bunny slippers, but she is Girl America, so she probably does.  And they would be pink.  Stars hopes Girl America does not get Rat Child lost in the mountains.  It is a good thing The Ranger is coming to keep an eye on Girl America and Rat Child so that they do not become silly like Hippo and Ducky because they will want to.  Dr. Thumbs says it is something in their genes, maybe they should check their pockets.  Stars has to give them a secret mission because heroes without secret missions get into too much trouble coming up with stuff on their own.  And so, their mission will be to find new locations for the Forces of Good and to find Stars something fun, maybe some cheese or a new friend for the Forces of Good.  Stars is sad because he is already missing Rat Child and The Ranger, but because Stars is a hero, he must still be sad because otherwise Girl America would be sad when they did not come, so Stars must be a hero and let them come.  It is hard to be a hero sometimes.

A Good Day

Today, Ducky joined the Forces of Good.  Ducky's name is Weep Weep and he is yellow and orange and he has a big smile because he is a happy ducky.  Dr. Thumbs and Rat Child found Ducky.  And brought him to Stars and Stars gave him nose kisses.  Ducky's best friend is Hippo.  Stars thinks maybe they will giggle together in the corner.  Stars is eating double cheeseburgers from McDonald's because heroes like double cheeseburgers.  Today has been a busy day for the Forces of Good.  Rat Child and Dr. Thumbs have been out foraging for the Cause of Good.  This is how they found Ducky who is a silly ducky and Hippo likes him because he is silly and they are always giggling.  Rat Child said they needed to go find supplies and so out they went and Stars napped while they went.  Now they have supplies to fight the Evil Squirrels.  And Ducky.  Stars says it was a good day.