Word: Ebullient

 

ebullient

[ ih-buhl-yuhnt, ih-bool- ]

adjective

1. overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited:

   The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.

2. bubbling up like a boiling liquid:

   ebullient lava streaming down the mountainside.

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                  Sam had just sprawled out on the couch. He was about to really start getting comfortable when the apartment door slammed open. He groaned mentally as he heard the rapid footsteps dashing towards him.

                  “Sam! Sam, Sam, Sam!” The newcomer said at a rapid pace.

                  He sighed. “What is it, Joyce?”

                  “Guess what?” Joyce said, coming to a stop in front him. She skidded a little bit on the tile floor, but that did not seem to bother her. She was smiling from ear to ear, and bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

                  “Knowing you, you probably found another kitten on the side of the road.”

                  “Nope! Well, not this time. Not for a lack of trying though.”

                  “Okay, a puppy then.”

                  “It has nothing to do with cute animals! I mean, I did see this super adorable puppy being walked by…that’s not important! Come on, guess! It’s something I’m going to do.”

                  Sam groaned, audibly this time, and forced himself to sit up. He sighed and looked at her with blank eyes.

                  “If it’s something you’re going to do, then I have no idea, and no way to even start guessing. Therefore, it’s pointless to even try.”

                  Joyce blew a raspberry. “Spoilsport.”

                  “Just tell me. Then I can go ahead and tell you why it’s a bad idea.”

                  She gave an overly dramatic pout that, for most onlookers, would result in them immediately falling head over heels for her. Sam had seen her make that look too many times to be affected by it though. She brighten up again immediately after.

                  “I’m going to be…” She paused and changed her stance. She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and put her hands on her hips. “A superhero!”

                  Sam stared blankly. “A superhero.”

                  “Yup!”

                  “Okay, on to why that’s a bad idea. First of all, being a superhero is basically being a vigilante, which is illegal. And if you just want to have an excuse to go around helping people, you can do that without putting on a fancy costume.”

                  “Nope! Well, yeah, I am definitely going to do all that stuff, but I’m totally going to kick all kinds of bad guy butt too!”

                  “Just going to ignore the illegal part, huh? Fine. Do you know how to fight?”

                  “Nope!”

                  “Do you have any equipment.”

                  “Nope. But I’m designing a super cool suit.”

                  “I hope it’s something bullet proof.”

                  “Pff. That would ruin the look. Part of being a superhero is looking good. And you gotta admit, I’d look damn good in one of those costumes.” She said with a  wink.

                  His eyes darted down below her neckline for a moment. He did have to admit she would look alarmingly good in a comic-style costume. But that was hardly the point.

                  “You do know that doing that is basically inviting criminals to shoot you, right? Or worse.”

                  “They can try!” She said proudly.

                  He sighed and ran his hands down his face. “Joyce, just don’t. Unless you somehow spontaneously developed superpowers, which would fly in the face of every law of physics ever made, then this is just a terrible idea.”

                  Joyce grinned wide and chuckled. She took a few steps to the couch and slipped her hands under it. Then she picked up the couch, with Same still on it. He let out a yelp of surprise and clung to whatever he could as she lifted the couch over her head like it was nothing.

                  “Oh, by the way, I totally got superpowers!” Joyce said. “I got all the super awesome cool ones too! We can go somewhere, and I’ll show you and then we can brainstorm what my superhero name should be and what my costume should look like! Oh, oh, and if I should have a catchphrase or stick to one-liners! This is going to be so cool!”

                  Sam’s mouth moved, but no words came as he listened to Joyce cheerfully exclaim about everything they were going to do in regards to her upcoming superhero career. His mind furiously worked to come up with some explanation, but could not. All he could think about was that maybe this would actually work. 

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    If I randomly got powers, I probably wouldn't be a hero. I know, I know, great power, great responsibility and all that. But I'm just not cut out for hero work. Really, I'd probably just use them to make my daily life a little easier.