Introductory Superhuman Physics, Period 4 [9-23]
"Good afternoon," Jean-Paul said from his perch on a desk at the back of the room. "If one of you could please get the lights, we're going to have a little slideshow? Thank you," he said when someone handwavily did so. "Now. Winged flight. This class will be a bit more about biology than most others." He revved up the projector after a little fumbling with the remote control, and an image appeared on the screen at the front of the room. "Your eyes do not deceive you, nor have I developed the sudden misconception this is a religious education class. This is one Warren Worthington III. Actually I believe this may be an alternate version of him; the internet this weekend was a little...strange. But the basic principle holds. Here he is in flight. Ignore the blue. And another view, just so you get the idea. And here we have Brad Pitt, just because I think he should play him if, God forbid, there is ever a movie, and also the world can always use more Brad Pitt. I could not find a picture of him with the wings hidden under a suit, for some reason, but he can fold them to do so.
"Monsieur Worthington is a mutant, like myself, although his mutation is somewhat more, shall we say, comprehensive. Rather than attempt to list everything that is remarkable about him, I have provided a fact sheet. Read it and weep. There is an error on that sheet, however; his wingspan is far greater than sixteen feet; I believe it to be closer to thirty. Sixteen feet would come nowhere near carrying his weight. Additionally, Mr. Worthington is of the bluest of New England bloodlines, Ivy League educated, and in possession of more money than most of us will see in our lifetimes, meaning that in addition to being able to use his appearance as proof that God has a sense of humor, he is also proof that some people really do get all of the breaks. Warren's interests include flight, making more money, and dating teenagers. But I digress.
"As your fact sheet will inform you, Warren's entire body is modified in support of his wings; he is built for flight from head to toe. Additionally, he has one of the powers most likely to cause a health safety issue, as contact with his blood heals wounds and letting someone bleed on your open wound goes against everything you should ever, ever do. But we are not interested in that, we are interested in the flight. The physics of Monsieur Worthington's ability are straightforward. Think of him as a very large, handsome bird. Consider, then, the biology. If Warren did not have hollow bones and extra muscles to control his wings, he would never get off the ground. If his tissues were not extra-tough and flexible, he would snap something on landing.
"Your assignment for today is to pair up. Then, consider the fact sheet and--" Jean-Paul flicked back to the first picture, "Monsieur Worthington, and decide if there is anything you could change to make him more ideally suited to flight."
"Monsieur Worthington is a mutant, like myself, although his mutation is somewhat more, shall we say, comprehensive. Rather than attempt to list everything that is remarkable about him, I have provided a fact sheet. Read it and weep. There is an error on that sheet, however; his wingspan is far greater than sixteen feet; I believe it to be closer to thirty. Sixteen feet would come nowhere near carrying his weight. Additionally, Mr. Worthington is of the bluest of New England bloodlines, Ivy League educated, and in possession of more money than most of us will see in our lifetimes, meaning that in addition to being able to use his appearance as proof that God has a sense of humor, he is also proof that some people really do get all of the breaks. Warren's interests include flight, making more money, and dating teenagers. But I digress.
"As your fact sheet will inform you, Warren's entire body is modified in support of his wings; he is built for flight from head to toe. Additionally, he has one of the powers most likely to cause a health safety issue, as contact with his blood heals wounds and letting someone bleed on your open wound goes against everything you should ever, ever do. But we are not interested in that, we are interested in the flight. The physics of Monsieur Worthington's ability are straightforward. Think of him as a very large, handsome bird. Consider, then, the biology. If Warren did not have hollow bones and extra muscles to control his wings, he would never get off the ground. If his tissues were not extra-tough and flexible, he would snap something on landing.
"Your assignment for today is to pair up. Then, consider the fact sheet and--" Jean-Paul flicked back to the first picture, "Monsieur Worthington, and decide if there is anything you could change to make him more ideally suited to flight."