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 Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:58 am
Located on a large natural harbor on the Atlantic coast of the Northeastern United States, the city consists of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
New York is notable among American cities for its high use of mass transit, most of which runs 24 hours per day, and for the overall density and diversity of its population. The city is sometimes referred to as "The City that Never Sleeps", while other nicknames include Gotham and the Big Apple.
Many neighborhoods and landmarks in the city have become world-famous. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and the twin towers of the former World Trade Center.
New York is the birthplace of many cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art, abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in painting, and hip hop, punk, salsa, disco and Tin Pan Alley in music. It is the home of Broadway theater.
Since 2005 the city has had the lowest crime rate among the 25 largest U.S. cities, having become significantly safer after a spike in crime in the 1980s and early 1990s from the crack epidemic that affected many neighborhoods. By 2002, New York City had about the same crime rate as Provo, Utah and was ranked 197th in crime among the 216 U.S. cities with populations greater than 100,000. Violent crime in New York City decreased more than 75% from 1993 to 2005 and continued decreasing during periods when the nation as a whole saw increases. In 2005 the homicide rate was at its lowest level since 1966, and in 2007 the city recorded fewer than 500 homicides for the first time ever since crime statistics were first published in 1963.
Sociologists and criminologists have not reached consensus on what explains the dramatic decrease in the city's crime rate. Some attribute the phenomenon to new tactics used by the New York City Police Department, including its use of CompStat and the broken windows theory. Others cite the end of the crack epidemic and demographic changes.
Organized crime has long been associated with New York City, beginning with the Forty Thieves and the Roach Guards in the Five Points in the 1820s. The 20th century saw a rise in the Mafia dominated by the Five Families. Gangs including the Black Spades also grew in the late 20th century. As early as 1850, New York City recorded more than 200 gang wars fought largely by youth gangs. The most prominent gangs in New York City today are the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, and MS-13.
{For further research on the area, I suggest this google map
and a map of the newyork subway system}
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:18 pm
It wasn’t hot and it wasn’t sunny, but it was nice enough outside to annoy Vivienne past her tolerance level. She had taken it upon herself that day to avoid people as much as possible, sticking to back alleys and avoiding the heart of the city. Vivienne scrawled in her deteriorating journal, the pages fraying slightly from use.
…I still remember his face. Not the way it looked, but the way he looked at me. It was disgust. When our lips touched it tingled. Like when you scoot around on carpet too much in your socks and put your hand to a door knob. I thought it might have been chance, but it’s like that anytime I touch anyone. Sometimes people get hurt.
She held a boy’s picture in her hand, running her index finger along the edge. She felt a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach, not knowing if it was remorse, or anger. Sparks began to immerge from her fingertips, eventually enveloping the picture. When she looked back down the photograph was nothing more than charred ash, filling the page of her journal.
“s**t,” She muttered shaking the book clean. She grabbed her guitar and headed toward the street. She looked out onto the sidewalk, she smirked. “Time to catch me a sucker.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:46 pm
Vivienne’s guitar sung out, but was ignored by any passers-by. She had grown weary of trying to sustain herself on the spare change thrown to her from the sidewalks. So with a frustrated sigh, she slung her guitar over her back and began to roam the streets. Returning to the ally in which she was sleeping, she looked to the brick wall to see the words “The Brotherhood,” written on the wall in red spray paint. She had seen it before, scribbled in places she passed by everyday. She had heard stories muttered from people passing her on the sidewalk.
“Maybe they’ve got food.” Vivienne said to herself. “It’s worth a shot.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:56 pm
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:18 am
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic  Garrett walked down the dimly light streets of New York, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him. Even if it was human, he wouldn't underestimate Mystique's ability.
He glanced at the sky.
"Don't they look like bugs," a small voice in the back of his mind asked. "The stars...they look like silver flies caught in a spider's web...Don't they Garrett?"
Garrett smiled softly and continued walking towards a bundle of buildings in the distance.
"What do you see when you look at the stars? Do connect the dots?"
Garrett hung his head with a smile as he was lost in past memories. he glanced up at the stars again. He saw his younger sister's favorite constellation. The Ursa Major.
"It looks like a big bear," she would always say. "It holds the big dipper and leads you to where you want to be....Where do you want to be, Gare?"
He followed the big dipper until he got to a hospital. He glanced over his shoulder one last time before going in, there were many people wakling by the hospital tonight.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:23 pm
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic Garrett, satisfied that no one seemed to be following him, walked into the hospital and took the elevator to the children's ward.
"Can I help you," a nurse at the desk asked as she studied Garrett.
"I'm here to see Eliza Faulkner," he replied quietly. "I'm her brother and I'm not in town often...I know that visiting hours are over...I fly out tomorrow, I have my ticket here," he lied searching his pockets.
The nurse stopped him and bid him to follow her, and follow he did. "She has been getting worse," the nurse warned and led Garrett to room 203. It was a smaller room, big enough for one bed and a chair. They wanted to keep whatever she had away from everyone else.
Garrett stood in the door way for a moment as the nurse checking his younger sister's vital signs left. Then he removed his jacket and took a seat on the bed next to the small, pale girl. Her long hair had been shaved off. It appeared that she was on chemo.
Garrett choked back tears as he saw all the machines hooked up to her. He knew what some of them did and others, they were forigen to him, and quite scary. "Hey, Lizzy," he whispered and gently caressed her cheek.
The girl stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled.
"You can see your favorite constellation tonight," he whispered still choking back tears. "It's clear and everything."
"Gare," the tweleve year old girl whispered, then she smiled and squeezed his left hand that held hers. "I was beginging to worry about you. You don't come with Mum and Dad anymore..."
Garrett smiled and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I've been busy, Lizzy. I'm sorry." He paused when he heard footsteps. "So, kiddo, what's up?"
"I'm dying Garrett," came the sad and tired reply. "I have Leukemia."
Garrett's eyes widened. It...It's not...oh thank the stars but...but it got worse than what they thought before...
"Uh...you should rest, Lizzy," Garrett said gently and watched as his sister drifted back off to sleep. His mind wandered. I thought I was on the verge of a break through, but now I am back to square one...
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 11:02 pm
Vivienne was never sure how she ended up where she did. It was like she had some kind of internal compass inside of her, subconciously guiding her in the right direction.
She arrived at the steps of a hospital late at night. She didn't wat to cause a stir and draw attention to herself, so she approached the front desk.
"Yes?" The nurse said, studying Vivienne. She hadn't had the chance to clean up by that point and still looked shabby.
"Yeah, Uhm. I was wondering if a guy came by here. My uh...brother. Tall Kid. Shaggy blond hair...Kind of aloof."
"Name?"
"Tox- Oh uhm. Garrett?"
The Nurse looked to her in disbelief.
"I'm sure he won't mind if you sit in the waiting room until he's done."
Vivienne sighed in frustration and went to sit in one of the chairs around the corner. Not willing to give up there, Vivienne waited a few moments before further embarking on her mission.
She waited until the nurse went on her bathroom break to run down the hallway. She slid on the tile past the doors to the stairs. Regaining her composure, she boltedinto the small hallway and started her ascent. She figured she would just try each room on each floor until she found him.
Starting with the second floor, she snuck through the hallway, stopping and walking into each room. What she was going to do when she finally reached Toxic, she didn't know.
Subtlety was not her best trait.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:29 am
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic Garrett, watched his sister sleep as he also watched the clock. He wondered how long it would take for Magneto to wonder where he went.
"Hey, Lizzy," he whispered, gently waking her up.
"Yeah, Gare," the girl replied weakly.
"What do you want to do? I mean, maybe not this time but next time I come to visit. What would you like to do," he asked. He didn't want to ask what she wanted to do before she died.
"I want to see the stars again, Gare," she replied with a smile.
He smiled and nodded. "What would you say if I found a cure for you," he asked again.
"I'd say you are super smart and hand it over," she replied.
Garrett nodded. It seemed that the disease would be difficult to find a cure, after all, it wasn't an infection. Well sort of, but not really. He sighed and watched as a nurse came in and checked the girls vital signs. "Guess they never leave you alone, huh kiddo," he joked.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:50 pm
Vivienne passed room 203, stopping to look through the small glass window in the door.
"Oh, damn," She whispered to herself, seeing Toxic at a small girl's bedside. She convinced herself that it was better to wait by the door than to just burst in. She didn't want to make any enemies. Based on what she had seen of him when they met, she didn't expect to see him in that state. Tears glossed his eyes as he watched the little girl, and Vivienne didn't have the heart to interupt. She slumped against the wall waiting for him to get leave. Not even five minutes later, a nurse came by.
"What are you doing here?" She said sternly.
"I-uh-"
"You're not supposed to be here-"
"I was just leaving."
Vivienne stood up and started for the stairs again. She decided to wait outside of the entrance for Toxic, hoping he wouldn't be too upset with her. Lighting up her last cigarette she leaned against the brick wall and looked out toward the stars.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 1:56 pm
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic The girl smiled and began to drift off to sleep.
Garrett gave her a light squeeze then turned to the nurse. "How long does she have," he asked.
"We don't know," the nurse replied quietly. "She stopped responding to treatments...no more than a year, but probably less than that."
Garrett nodded. "I'll be back after my trip...she wants to see the stars again," he smile softly then grabbed his jacket and headed out of the room. He didn't look back at the room, he didn't talk to any of the nurses, he just kept walking. When he got to the entrance, he caught sight of Vivienne.
His face showed a bit of surprise. He figured Magneto would send someone, but he hoped that he would have been away from Lizzy before then.
His face hardened. "How long have you been here," he asked quietly. From the looks of it, the girl had been waiting and not just walked in. He knew that he was going to have to answer to Magneto. He knew that if he didn't tell the truth of where he was, the girl might and then Lizzy, the only person he cared about, would be in danger.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:44 pm
She couldn't lie to him. He looked like he might have been frustrated with her so she tried to tread cautiously.
"A while," she began. "Magneto sent me, to you know follow you. I didn't want to interrupt anything..." She paused, hesitating to make eye contact, and a bit apprehensive to ask further.
"Is she alright?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:03 pm
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic Toxic looked at Vivienne and shook his head. "No, she's not alright...she is dying," he replied. Everyone at the hide out knew that. Magneto probably already knew where he was.
"We should go," he said making his way towards the elevator and holding it open for the girl. "I was thinking about your name," he lied, though no he was. "I was thinking, Shock or Static or...Thundra," he shrugged, not thinking that his names seemed to have much thought to them
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:14 pm
She didn't know what to say, and merely looked down. She felt sorry for him, she really did. She felt sort of disconnected when it came to other people though, and questioned if what she was feeling was really compassion or if it was just guilt.
"What about lightening girl!" She joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Or uhm. Surge. I don't know I like the name I have I guess. Magneto seems not too keen on the idea though." She followed Toxic through the door, avoiding eye contact once again.
"What about Spark?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:20 pm
Garrett Faulkner~ Toxic Toxic nodded. "Magneto won't use the human name of a mutant if he doesn't have to," Toxic said as he pushed the button for the floor. "He doesn't like humans...and the only one that I care for is in that room," he said quietly. It was hard to imagine when you knew him.
Most of the time, he was rough and tough, and didn't really care about anyone or anything. He as cynical, he had nerve, he was harsh. But when it came to Lizzy, he showed a whole nother side of him, that hardly anyone saw. Except now, now Vivienne had seen him.
"Spark...it seems to suit you," he said, regaining his normal attitude. His voice was no longer so soft.
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:42 pm
Vivienne smirked at Toxic's sudden change in attitude. The softness was a pleasent change and she liked it, she wouldn't let him onto that though.
"I'm not sure that I can say I'm fond of humans either. Haven't found one I've liked yet."
She didn't want to delve any further into the conversation, not sure if Toxic even cared what she had to say. She wasn't going to risk her integrity and embarass herself by suddely explaining her life story.
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