Third Issue, Vol. II - February 12th, 2014

Station Square Times
Nuntiantes in nova nuntia referens, singulis hebdomadis!
Issue 3, Vol. 2

Fire Effects Trending Up
The alterations to the communal fires, for good or ill, have been drawing a lot of attention.  Mobians around the globe are springing to the private gatherings, getting together in unprecedented numbers.  The fires have seen as many as twenty discussers, and all three of the storytelling fires have been in use at the same time.  The idea is catching on quite like wildfire.  The caretakers hope that the increasing activity here will lead to an increase in activity out in the world.  For the moment, it's watching and waiting, but it's also 'get out there and get going'!


Emerald Art Museum Successes Continue
The gallery hosting many prominent artists has done it again.  The unnamed gallery, affectionately dubbed the 'Emerald Art Museum', continues to add to its features works at blinding pace.  Artists are even starting to talk about competitions amongst themselves, and excitement rides high.  The concept has been taken up by newspaper staff, and the work of local artists will likely be featured in upcoming issues.  Keep reading for details. (P2, Image of the Week.)


Interview with Sparknish
Interview by Correspondent Hyro

Hyro: Greetings, readers! This is Hyro coming to you from Station Square, and today our interviewee is long time member, Sparknish. How are you today, Spark?
Sparknish: Pretty good. You?
Hyro: I'm doing well myself, thank you. So exactly how long have you been a part of this lovely forum?
Spark: Uhh let me see I've been here for about 3 Years! I joined On December 14th, 2011.
Hyro: Nice! Would you say the forum has changed at all since your arrival? And if so, for good or for bad?
Spark: The forum has definitely changed since I arrived. It was basically only a Forum Site. No cBox or anything. Then Sythe came back and made some improvements fixing the CBox and giving adminship to Burn leaving him the Site. It's all been for the good especially with the new update.
Hyro: Interesting insight. Now on the topic of the new update, that of course being the cBox, What were your first impressions?
Spark: My first impression was confusing at first but I soon learned it's an amazing contribution. Multiple RPs at once I'm all for it!
Hyro: I agree, the multiple roleplay function is an amazing feature indeed. Is there anything about it you don't like, or would like to see improved upon?
Spark: The only thing I have a problem with is the button's placement.  Why the bottom right?  I wish it'd be beside the cBox roster.
Hyro: I see. Understandable. Now I do recall you having a rap battle with a member at one point. Do you still rap?
Spark: Sometimes but not full-time.
Hyro: Would you care to give your readers a sample?
Spark: Oh sure! *Ahem* Yo what up SRN! It's me Sparknish, up in here giving you the Dish~ Wuuurd.
Hyro: Haha, nice. Alright, back to the topic of the forum. Do you have any advice for your fellow members?
Spark: When deciding how to join an RP just drop in... Literally! You'll find your way along the story and make a difference in it. Good or Bad. But make it believable though.
Hyro: Good stuff. Anything else you'd like to add?
Spark: Not Really.
Hyro: Alright. Thank you for your time.
Spark: Thanks for having me!


Image of the Week
In keeping with the upturn in artwork and interest in the Emerald Art Museum, the newspaper will begin featuring the work of local artists who are newspaper readers at their request.  Expect to see one new piece per issue!

Around the Site in 60 Seconds (or Less!)
This section endeavors to give a quick update on any and all developments in site canon, including official character approvals, Emerald situations, and the development of the central storyline.
Disclaimer: The reader's ability to get through this section in one minute may vary with the amount of information and the reading speed.
Also disclaimer: The editor will use firsthand knowledge of plot whenever possible, but this is not always possible and as such some sections will be much shorter at times.
- Official character listings:  To date, since the previous issue:
- SolFox has been granted authorship of Blaze (the Cat).
- plutokrasi has been granted authorship of Christopher Thorndyke.
- Cyril Wer Kaldra has been granted authorship of Iblis (the Firegod).
- UnbreakableBond has been granted authorship of Ray (the Flying Squirrel)

- Emerald Situations: The weekly rundown looks like this:
The red Emerald is held by Punk the Hedgehog (author Punk the Hedgehog).
The green Emerald is unowned and, as yet, untraced.
The blue Emerald has been held by Sonic the Hedgehog (author Burning-Fox) for quite some time.
The light blue Emerald is unowned, but a largely fruitless search is ongoing at Red Volcano.
The orange Emerald is held by Electrisa the Hedgehog (author Electrisa) and that hasn't changed recently.
The purple Emerald is held by Jayne Granger (author Quiet Light) since recent times.
The silver Emerald is unowned, its signal tracing to Mount Mobius.
The Master Emerald was recently shattered again after an encounter between Sonic and Eggman.  Knuckles has retrieved five of the approximately twenty-seven shards.
Expect news on the Sol Emeralds within the next couple of issues.
- Site canon:
The Sol Emeralds are back on present-day, prime-zone Mobius.  Blaze followed them here and is currently ransacking a titanium tower with Knuckles because the tower contains a Sol Emerald and a shard of the Master Emerald.  News as it develops.
Shadow's been seen around again, restoring some public confidence in G.U.N.  However, no-one has seen any sign of Sonic, Tails, or Eggman for weeks, leading many to wonder where the world is headed...
Several seekers still search Red Volcano for the light blue Chaos Emerald, but the signal has been jammed and the search isn't leading anywhere.  It looks increasingly likely that the attempt will be abandoned.
For present, the plot ends there.


Hyro's Helpful Hints!
"There is always room for improvement." -Hyro.

The elemental realm. A realm inhabited by strange,ancient beings known as the elementals. A realm of Earth,fire,water,air and other kinds of elements. A realm of peace,tranquality and.... "This can't go on any longer! We can't let those mortals misuse our gifts. They must be punished! But what can we do?" ...shouting?

Let us move forward in time. Two weeks to be precise.

Walking through a thick forest we find a rather young looking pitchblack,ninetailed kitsune. Don't be fooled by his looks though. He may look like a simple kitsune but nothing could be farther from the truth. This 'kitsune' is no one else but the Crystal elemental Cyril. Cyril,the only living crystal elemental currently has been send by the elemental council to find the keys to the barrier which seperates the Elemental realm from Mobius. Traveling alongside him is a group of various other elementals. Though the elemental taken a kitsune form pays them no heed,too deep in thoughts,thinking back to when his leaders gave him his task.
-- Post sent in by member Cyril Wer Kaldra.

So here's how I'm going to break this post down: The Good Stuff - every post has some good in it, Grammar Mistakes - we all make 'em, and lastly, How To Improve This Post.

The Good Stuff
I'll tell you what, Cyril. I am LOVING that first part. The way the dialogue interrupted your introduction was a creative twist to your writing and a nice touch to the beginning. By placing the dialogue directly after peace and tranquility, you give it a sense of sarcasm and I love that. And your transition between these elemental creatures into your character's introduction was nice. Very smooth. A great post.

Grammar Mistakes
There weren't too many mistakes, but there are a few that need to be addressed. First off...
- Send vs. Sent.
Examples of correct use:
She sent him away.
She will send him to you.
She is sending him to you.
- Thought vs. Thoughts.
Examples of correct use:
She had a couple thoughts.
She was deep in thought.
- Traveling alongside him is a group of various other elementals. Though the elemental taken a kitsune form pays them no heed,too deep in thoughts,thinking back to when his leaders gave him his task.
This part needs a few fixes. For one, this should be one sentence. "...various other elementals, though the elemental..." Connect that with a comma and you're good to go. Also, the part, "the elemental taken a kitsune form" doesn't quite make sense. Perhaps you meant to say, "the elemental who had taken a kitsune form."
- This 'kitsune' is no one else but the Crystal elemental Cyril. Cyril,the only living crystal elemental
This is repetitive. Perhaps take out the name Cyril in the second sentence. Also, "no one else but" should probably be replaced with "none other than."
- And lastly, this isn't necessarily wrong, but it is something I noticed and found somewhat distracting. When you separate things with a comma, you tend to not put a space after the comma. There should definitely be a space there, to help separate ideas.

How To Improve This Post
It's a good post overall. In order to add length, I would recommend describing your character's surroundings as well as their reaction to those surroundings. Make reference to the five senses. Does he see, hear, feel, smell, or(if eating) taste anything? What is his reaction to this? And does he have any thoughts? This can help any writer lengthen their posts. That's about all!

If you found this interesting and would like your post featured in the next issue, please contact Hyro via forum PM.


Letters to the Editor

None today!  Be sure to write in if you want to know about anything!

Introductions & Birthdays

This section notes any users who have recently entered and written introduction threads since last issue.
On Wednesday, the 22nd of January, we welcomed CruzTheEchidna91.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Thursday, the 23rd of January, we welcomed UnbreakableBond.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Friday, the 24th of January, we welcomed plutokrasi.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Friday, the 24th of January, we re-welcomed Roxanne the Fox.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Wednesday, the 29th of January, we welcomed Popcornsam23.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Tuesday, the 6th of February, we welcomed Kallon.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Tuesday, the 6th of February, we welcomed Shoko.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Sunday, the 9th of February, we welcomed Kosmo.  Introduction thread can be found here.
On Sunday, the 9th of February, we welcomed NeonWings.  Introduction thread can be found here.

This coming week, we'll celebrate the birthday of Death Shadow, and the past weeks have seen many birthdays.
Wish them a happy birthday if you see them around!