nextgen_misc:

Night had settled over the city of Los Angeles. A waning gibbous mood had risen and the light of the stars was blocked out by the thick smog that usually blanketed the city. The hours moved on and the city slowed down. Citizens were asleep in their beds and off to dreamland.

The same held true for the residents at 1800 Palos Verdes Drive.

They wouldn't stay asleep for long. Something stirred in the darkness outside.

brit_sorcerer:

There had been an invitation for Excalibur to attend a cookout with the Defenders for Independence Day. Quinn was a Brit by birth, but he had spent half of his life in New York. He considered himself a Yankee as well as a Brit.

When it was time he teleported all from Excalibur who wanted to go to the Defenders compound. Quinn was looking forward to a day in the sun, on the beach and watching girls in bikinis with a lot of good food on hand. Not to mention Asgardian mead. It would truly be a wonderful day.

They arrived in a flash right outside the gates to the compound. It was rude to arrive inside the gates and Quinn didn't feel like fighting. He was a lover, not a fighter.

shield_maiden:

Svalin was stretched out on one of the large couches in the rec room of the main building and was trying hard to enjoy sitting still. Her feet and ankles had started to swell and her wife wasn't going to let her do much besides sit and put her feet up as much as she could. Svalin had tried to argue but it didn't get her anywhere except sitting on the couch with her feet up.

She sighed and looked at the television. To Kill a Mockingbird was on and Svalin was still waiting for the killing to start. Why was kill in the title if there was no killing in it? It didn't make much sense to her, but it was one of her wife's favorite movies and Svalin would watch it.

Svalin focused on the television and was surprised by the sudden kick. She gasped and reflexively put her hand on her stomach.

nextgen_holiday:

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

team_mascot:

Zoey was always happy when there was going to be a party. The Asgardians didn't have an exact birthday, but it was sometime in the spring. So today they were going to celebrate the Asgardians' birthday. Zoey of course wanted a party with balloons, streamers, ice cream and cake, but Mom had said that they would be having dinner of their favorite foods and then cake. Not a regular birthday party.

Zoey did help Sarah and Malinda make and decorate the cake.

Dinner came and the Defenders gathered around the large dining room table.

"Happy birthday!" Zoey said and handed each one of them a card she had made herself. She went shopping with Mom and the two of them had gotten the Asgardians some clothes.

butterflybullet:

She'd never really pictured this happening. Of course, she'd married off her dolls as a girl, but the idea of her wedding had always brought with it the idea of really settling down with one guy, which had never been much on her agenda. This, of course, was different. This was Svalin. And she loved Svalin, and honestly wanted to be there for her and be a family with her. And while there would be sacrifices involved, it wasn't the same as Really Settling Down. A platonic marriage that still came with a fancy party. Nothing wrong with that!

Her parents had been brought up to Asgard, along with the Avengers and the Defenders.

The first royal wedding in a generation was the Event of the Season, with quite a bit of bustle about it.

...And the dress was going to be perfect.

But first, Spa day with Mom and the Mothers-in-law --two of them. Oh gosh.

She hoped Svalin was okay.

likethewind:

Eiltin was having a large bowl of ice cream in the Defenders’ kitchen. He thought the stuff was just plan amazing and really thought he should try and figure out how it was made so he could bring it back to Avalon. He knew of a lot of people there who would like it. He knew Ruarc did which is why he had given him a nice big bowl of it too. Though Ruarc seemed to have more difficultly eating it without that brain freeze thing Grace had explained to him.

anyastark:

Word about certain things spread fast in the cape community and Anya learned that Vernique and Svalin were getting married, in Asgard, and Svalin was expecting a baby. This of course meant one thing. There had to be a party to celebrate both things and Anya was the perfect one to throw it. Anya had known Vernique since forever and there had been many marathon shopping trips.

She sent invitations out to the female members of the X-Men, Champions, Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Defenders, X-Force, Alpha Flight, Excalibur, Fantastic Four, Sammy and Alice in SHIELD, Kelly and Melissa. It was also the first get together the Thunderbolts would be hosting.

The renovated firehouse in Cambridge was cleaned from top to bottom and supplies were laid in. Stephanie was given cart blanch on the menu and snacks. Anya and Molly went shopping for the drinks and for gifts for Vernique and Svalin. Since the crowd was very varied they got a wide selection of sodas, juices, beer and also picked up a lot of water. Anya even booked rooms at a nearby hotel just in case people didn't want to make the trip home that night. Anya had spoken to Irina and arranged for pick up of the various team members around the world.

Saturday rolled around and Anya was up at the crack of dawn double checking everything. Then she headed down to the lab until the first ladies arrived.

sydney_ashcroft:

Grace's birthday was on Thursday and Syd had made sure she they acknowledged the day, but they were saving the big party for Saturday. The Defenders as a team had gone out to dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse. When they returned home anyone who wanted to watch movies camped out in the living room.

Syd had the two chefs, Hugh and Malinda, make Grace's favorite food for dinner and her favorite cake for dinner on Saturday. When dinner was over, Syd and Zoey brought the cake out with the candles lit.

"Happy birthday to you...." they sang as they brought the cake to the table.

Syd ignored her own birthday.

nextgen_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

nextgen_parent:

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first annual Maria Stark Foundation Charity Auction. I'm Alison Blaire and your host for tonight's festivities. Prepare yourselves for a night of fun to help a worthy cause. In just a few minutes many very handsome men will be brought out one by one for your chance to win a date with one of them.

Before we begin I would like to bring out Her Imperial Highness Anya Stark. Miss Stark helped arranged tonight's event and will give you a little more information on the charity organization tonight's proceeds will help."

Anya walked out on stage and smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Blaire. All of the proceeds from tonight's event will go directly to Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières. This organization was created in 1971 in France to benefit the citizens of the world. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation all across the globe. MSF operates independently of any political, military, or religious agendas.

I'm happy to announce on behalf of the Maria Stark Foundation, that all money collected here tonight will be matched dollar for dollar by the Maria Stark Foundation."

"Thank you Miss Stark and that is a very generous offer by the Maria Stark Foundation. Now it's time to begin. So open those wallets and let's bring out our first man." Anya left the stage and went to take her seat.

"First we have the son of Captain America Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. James Romanov-Rogers is currently an Avenger and has recently moved to Seattle to lead the West Coast Avengers."

"Let's start the bidding at a hundred dollars."

shield_maiden:

For Svalin getting two new weapons at the same time was like a kid getting toys at Christmas and not knowing which one to play with first. Vigfrior was one of the most perfect weapons Svalin had ever picked up. The sword was...well perfect. The grip fit her hand with perfections, the balance was unlike she had ever seen and it the ability to change into different weapons. Svalin no longer had to worry about carrying a small arsenal with her.

Then there was the Bat'leth. Her brother had done excellent work and she truly didn't deserve such a gift. Svalin had been practicing almost non-stop with the two weapons when she wasn't doing other chores around the compound. At first the Bat'leth felt clumsy and awkward, but Svalin was a warrior and she practiced religiously and took to weapons like no other. Now her movements were fluid, almost graceful and she knew she could now use the weapon in combat.

Maybe soon she would get her chance to use both weapons in combat.

She thought about Vernique as she went through her afternoon training routine. She had left a message with her inviting her out to visit for a few days. Svalin may have said something about wanting some new Migard clothes. If anything brought Vernique out, it would be the promise of shopping and the chance to dress Svalin up.

She hadn't heard back from Vernique, but she had used Sydney's phone because she didn't have one of her own. Though she knew Syndey would tell her if Vernique had called. That she was sure of.

She continued to go through her forms and Zoey mirrored her movements. She could tell the child had been practicing while she was away and had improved. After practice they would see to their horses and then Svalin promised Zoey she would take her swimming.

nextgen_misc:

The Seven Heaves Casino and Resort was the newest casino in Vegas and business was booming. Tourists and locals alike came to the new casino to check it out and to see if they could hit a jackpot. Some came out winners while others came out losers. Some came out completely changed and had a new outlook on life after finding religion. It was an unusual place to find religion, but then again the owners were very unusual themselves.

likethewind:

Eiltin got a portal set up to take him and Grace to Avalon at least for the night and day of Imbolc.

There was the fire festival the night before the day to start of Imbolc and then the next day was the first day of spring in Avalon.

A lot of this was attributed to his Foster Mother Brigid but it was a good day for all. Due to the general uncomplicated merriment of the day Eiltin though it would be a good day for Grace to meet his father and get to know his family and world better.

shield_maiden:

The view from the highest tower in Asgard was the same as she remembered it, but this time it didn't offer the calm and peace it usually did. Svalin's heart and mind were heavy and the beauty of the Golden Realm didn't offer the solace she had been seeking.

It was good to be home and good to be back in Asgard, but at the same time she was sad to be home. She'd probably never see Jon again. He had been right when he said they each had duties to see to and she would do hers. She just wished it didn't hurt so much.

Momone had been happy to see her return and Sif being Sif was proud Svalin had proved herself worthy and would take her proper place in Asgard. Momtwo had practically smothered here with TLC and had noticed she wasn't herself. Svalin had told her about Jon and the time spent with him. It got her a good dose of home cooking and a generous amount of mead. Nothing helped heartache than some TLC from Momtwo.

She swore Astrid and Eir had grown a few inches in the months Svalin had been gone. Skari had grown a lot. Soon he would be taller than Svalin, but she would still be able to kick his ass if needed.

Svalin had made a quick stop to pay respects to Lord Odin and Lady Frigga, but for the most part she kept to herself.

nextgen_media:

Rome, Italy – The Vatican is addressing the recent rash of robberies at a few churches and monasteries throughout the world. Two churches and two monasteries were broken into during the night and ransacked. Many valuable religious artifacts were destroyed and some are reported missing. The Vatican is not saying what artifacts were stolen, but it will only confirm that some objects are missing. Authorities are investigating, but so far there are no leads. CONT PAGE 2A


Almeda, TX – Miracles continue to happen in the small town of Almeda, Texas. People are being miraculously healed by Maria Sefanos. No matter the injury or sickness, it seems like Ms.Stefanos is able to heal or cure them. She has decline every interview request, but there is word that she is able to do this miraculously healing by the power of the goddess. People will not say which goddess it is, but people have started to convert to the worship of this unnamed goddess. A small cult is forming and local officials have not taken any actions. CONT PAGE 3A


New York, NY – Hell's Kitchen is seeing a surge in it's goth population. Goths have flocked to this area of New York and appear to be forming some sort of cult. They gather each night in one of the small community parks and hold some sort of rites for the 'Dark Goddess' as they call her. They will not name this Dark Goddess, but the air has a cult like feel to it. Authorities have yet to take action. CONT PAGE 4A


Los Angeles, CA – It seems like people have found the Fountain of Youth in Los Angeles outside of plastic surgery. A new treatment at a new clinic has rejuvenated the stars. This new treatment is provided by New Beginnings Clinic. A trip to the clinic has the customers coming out with ten to twenty years off of their appearances. Details on the procedure are unknown and so far the owner, Ms. Abigail Pederson, has been unavailable for comment.



San Fran, CA – The new drug Nirvana is becoming more and more popular in the streets of San Francisco. The people using the drug have claimed to have seen “the Goddess” and have started worshiping her. The name of this goddess is unknown and these so called worshipers will not release the name. Police are trying to stop the spread of this drug, but so far their efforts have been unsuccessful.

likethewind:

Eiltin was sitting on the couch in his bungalow with Ruarc sitting at his feet. He was practicing playing the harp as one of the things his father wished for him to keep up on while he was staying in the mortal world.

The harp was a small one that he could hold in one arm with ease and strum with his other. The harp was beautifully carved and inlaid with metals from Avalon that looked like gold and silver though still seemed like human hands could create it abide with great difficulty.

Eiltin wasn’t playing any particular song simply whatever came in to his head free flow. It was a simple melody but there was without a doubt an undeniable beauty to it that had sent the dog to a peaceful sleep. He felt pretty sure he wasn’t playing loud enough to disturb Andy or Titan, whichever one was currently out.

Eiltin was thinking about putting some words to it but doing that free flows much harder than any melody even for him though those tended to be the more interesting songs to hear.

nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

“We’re here outside the Four Seasons Hotel in New York where the who’s who is gathered tonight. Celebrities, royals and superheroes have all turned out for the annual Maria Stark Foundation Winter Charity event benefiting Toys for Tots.

It’s truly an all-star gala here tonight.

New York’s own princess, Anya Stark, was seen being escorted by what appears to be her new flame, actor Austin Cain. Her brother and currently second in line to the Russian throne, Mikhail Romanov, was seen entering the party with Lyta Worthington, heiress to Worthington Industries. Tony and Natasha Stark, parents of a new baby, are making their first public appearance since the birth of their son.

Mackenzie Rider, a prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is escorting Ms. Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four tonight. Kristoff Vernard, leader of the Fantastic Four, was seen in attendance with his wife Cassandra and their son Scotty. Vincent Amorason, heir to Latveria, arrived alongside his brother and was seen escorting a member of the Defenders, Asleif Thorsdottir. The rest of the Fantastic Four are here too with their dates, though Miss Valeria Richards is not in attendance. Franklin Richards is in attendance and is escorting one Miss Gill.

Los Angeles’ own superhero team, the Defenders are in attendance as well. Arriving with her team is Grace Danvers, daughter of Hollywood hunk Simon Williams and she is being escorted by teammate, Eiltin. The two Asgardian princesses and daughters of Thor, Asleif and Aridis, are also attending the festivities with their team.
Akilah Munore, the crown princess of Wakanda, is here tonight with her steady flame, Daniel Sherwood a member of the Young Avengers. The other Young Avengers are in attendance tonight with their dates, alongside the adult Avengers.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Jack Nicholson, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

It’s truly a party of the who’s who and it’s all for a great cause.”

anyastark:

Anya didn't have many traditions in her family, unless you counted being a bastard as one of them. The Avengers however did have a few time honored traditions that must be kept going. Sure saving the world from alien invasions, beating up the world level threats and other heroic things were some of those traditions, but not everything could be about beating up the bad guys. One such non-heroic thing was Rate the Hunk.

Each year the female Avengers got together and rated their fellow male Avengers. The new generation had eagerly picked up and kept this tradition going. However, they had expanded it a bit.

The day after Thanksgiving was a perfect day to avoid shopping crowds, take over the rec room, banish the males and look at pictures of them. Anya had run it last year and she took it upon herself to do it again this year. Invitations went out to fellow female heroes. Avengers, X-Women, Defenders, Champions and Thunderbolts all got invitations to come to New York to Rate the Hunk.

Food, drink and snacks were laid in. Signs were put up on the doors and electronic surveillance was set up to see if males dared to interrupt.

Anya settled in on one of the couches and queued up the stash of photos she had collected in the past year.

ng_divine_ones5:

A chasm opened in the front yard of the Defenders compound on Halloween. From which Eoghan walked out of with the baying of unseen hounds coming from around him.

Eoghan then walked slowly but purposely towards the front doors of the compound and rang the door bell. He was fairly certain that this is how things were done in the mortal realm to let people know they wanted to talk.

He hoped he could do this quickly Eoghan had a lot to do today Samhain was always busy for him.

nextgen_misc:

It started out as a normal day in Southern California, but it didn't stay normal. A convoy of tanks and military transports rolled down Palos Verdes Drive and stopped outside of 1800. They spread out along the road in front of the main building of the compound.

General Stihl climbed out of the transport and four heavily armed soldiers flanked him. He walked up to the gate and pressed the buzzer.

shessomarvelous:

Grace had been busy since school had started. She was only taking her gen eds at the local community college, but she was up to her eyeballs in schoolwork. She'd also gotten a job at a local boutique downtown. She could really own work weekends and some nights, but she didn't want to leech off of Dad and the rest of the Defenders. It wasn't going to get her rich, but it would give her some spending money.

The local Starbucks down the street from her school had become her best friend, as Grace was basically living off of coffee these days. The concept of eight hours of sleep had been thrown out the window at the start of the school year, as Grace found herself up until the early hours of the morning, buried in a school book.

Today, however, Grace only had two classes, both in the morning, and she had the day off from work. She'd changed into her bikini the second she got back to Defender's compound, and made her way to the beach. She laid out her towel, before running straight to the water for a much needed swim.

nextgen_holiday:

It was a perfect Southern California day. The sun was warm and bright and the water was nice and cool. Traditionally the large bbq pit would be fired up and food slow cooked over it all day, but today the Defenders went for something different. Two very large grills were carried down to the beach along with tables and all of the food. The Defenders' Labor Day celebration would be a beach party.

The volleyball net was strung up and the surf board were carried down. Two brand new jetskis were also purchased and taken down to the beach.

Massive amounts of food were prepared to satisfy godly appetites. A whole pig was set up over a pit and put on a spit, burgers, hot dogs, sausage, barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

It was a day of rest and relaxations for those who put their lives on the line for others.

nextgen_adult:

In a flash a white a portal appeared in the middle of the defender’s front lawn. A moment later a large man in a dark blue cloak with red Celtic designs on it step through. He then confidently walked up to the main doors of the central building and knocked on them.

sydney_ashcroft:

The black strapless dress fit just right and Sydney looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The clock showed 5:45. Nervousness gripped Sydney as she turned to look at her side and back. The dress had been a spur of the moment purchase during a shopping trip and now Syd was glad she had made it. She had bought it for a date with Simon, but now it was being used for a date with Avery. How fast things changed.

Syd put on a little makeup just to shake things up. She didn't normally wear it, but this was a formal date after all. With Avery. If she was moving on from Simon, she was going to do it right. Was she moving on? Had Simon already moved on? She hadn't seen him and she wasn't going to go out of her way to see him either.

Syd wiped her sweaty palms off on the side of her dress and then chided herself for doing it. Oh man was she nervous. She couldn't remember the last time she was this nervous. It was just a date. Right?

Syd slipped her feet into a pair of black heels and took a deep breath. She could do this. One last glance in the mirror and another deep breath.

ohu_amane:

It wasn't expected.

Ohu Amane received an unusual phone call today. And now his room is empty.

It's abrupt, but Ohu Amane has never done anything in half-measures.

He goes from room to room, seeking out the Defenders one at a time to say his goodbyes.

nextgen_parent:

It felt good to be back on Earth again, but Simon had some mixed feelings about coming back home. He felt like a heel with the way he left. At Grace's graduation no less. His daughter had graduated from high school and he couldn't even stay for the whole thing. There were probably a dozen angry voicemails from Carol on his cell phone and another dozen from Sydney. Though he did deserve every single angry voicemail. That much he would admit to.

He managed to get inside the main building and to the door of Grace's room without anyone stopping him. He didn't even see any sign of Sydney or the godlings. Normally he would think it werid, but today he was thankful he didn't see any of them. he wanted to talk to Grace before anyone else.

He knocked on Grace's door.

nextgen_holiday:

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

godlierthanthou:

Dawn was still trying to get her head wrapped around everything when the Grandmaster had teleported them to their battle sites.  The first thing she was aware of was the thin air, as though they were on a mountain somewhere.  The second thing she noticed was the cold, the intense, almost life-sucking cold.

She collapsed to her knees instantly, fingers fumbling for the umbrella she always kept with her now.

C'mon... don't die... don't die...


Fingers that were already freezing gripped it, stamped it upon the ground, transforming her body into that of Asleif in a flash and boom.

A body that was from the line of Frost Giants, a body far more at home in this land.

What the hell am I doing here?  I'm no god.  I'm no super-hero.  I'm just some luckless librarian in way over her head...

Who else had come with her?  She hoped to God she wasn't alone.  She knew she would surely die here if she was.

nextgen_asgard:

Once the players had all been gathered, Loki transported himself, along with Ardis and Halbjorn, the spider-god Ohu, the mortals Grace, Griffen, and Dawn, and the mysterious woman called Marlow, to Asgard. It was a desolate, abandoned region, where few would ever traverse. He himself had only been here to make certain that the Norn Stones had still been in place, should he require them for a future plot. He had discovered the Grandmaster only by chance.

The Grandmaster, the being who stood before them now.

"Greetings again to thee, Elder," Loki said, feigning humility and feeling disgust at doing so. The Elders were older even than the Asgardians themselves, possibly the one set of beings in the universe who might yet give them pause. He it galled him to know there were beings truly his superior. "And again, mine thanks for thine leave to gather mine champions. T'will make for a most entertaining game, I doth assure thee."

shessomarvelous:

Bendy-timed to before a couple of days before Loki showed up

Grace fidgeted with the sleeves of her black robe. The gold tassel from her cap dangled in front of her face.

She was graduating from high-school. Sure, it wasn't the school that she had started out at, but she did it. She'd put in the hard work, and she'd soon have the diploma to prove it.

The speeches having been over and done with, Grace stood in line with the kids from her row to get her diploma. As long as she didn't trip, everything would be perfect. Dad and the Defenders were somewhere in the crowd. She'd even told Zoey to invite Avery along. Her Mom had flown in from Boston to see her daughter graduate.

Grace could feel her heartbeat start to speed up, as she got closer to the platform.

"Grace Elizabeth Danvers!" Her name was called out by the vice-principal and she walked across the stage, taking her diploma from the principal, a wide grin on her face.

When all the names had been called and all of the seniors had officially graduated, Grace tossed her cap into the air along with the rest of the students. Then, picking it up, she rushed off to find the Defenders and her Mom. Mom had booked a room at a local restaurant for them to have all of them to have a nice dinner.

nextgen_asgard:

He appeared before the Defenders compound without fanfare or signal, without any of the usual lavish displays he attempted when wishing to make a point. Instead, it was simply as though he was not there one moment and there the next. His features--he would never be called handsome, though some might have called them regal--contorted slightly. Why was so much of Midgard so insufferably warm? A proper place was cold enough to freeze the marrow from unworthy bones.

Well, you know what they say. You can take the giant out of Jötunheimr, but you can't take Jötunheimr out of the giant. He resisted the urge to change the climate to something more to his liking.

He was not, technically, supposed to travel to Midgard these days. But when had he ever cared for the rules? Besides, who would deny him the opportunity to see his niece and grandchildren?

Loki, Lord of Lies, God of Mischief, adopted son of Odin, had come to Earth.

nextgen_holiday:

Mothers are the place that we call home.
On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.
There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,
Happiness, contentment, sweet release,
Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,
Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom. - Anonymous

ohu_amane:

Ohu Amane does more with his time than just eating, reading, playing video games, watching movies, and sleeping. Today, he's gone out to help live up to the name of his team. He will Defend people!

So it is that he's sitting in the back seat of a car, smiling quietly, while the two carjackers in the front seat swear and fire back at the police chasing after them.

"I don't think you're going to get away," Ohu says pleasantly.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" the one riding shotgun declares, leaning out the window, firing at the police behind them.

"Noisiest damn hostage we've ever fuckin' taken," the driver declares, spinning the wheel to take a corner at top speeds, hoping to lose the cops.

"I think you're supposed to use your turn signal," Ohu comments.

"Shut UP!!" the gunman declares.

Ohu smiles quietly. He hasn't seen yet any potential danger to any civilians or policemen yet, or to himself of course. But eventually, he'll put an end to the whole thing, when it's gone on long enough to make a good story.

shessomarvelous:

Grace Williams, the hero and Avenger known as Ms. Wonder, flew over New York City.

Life couldn't be better right now. She great friends and teammates that were always there for her, it was her senior of high school, and best of all, she had two loving and supportive parents that would always love her. That being the daughter of two well-known superheroes, one of them being a famous movie star? People looked at you in a different light. Grace got a little annoyed with the star treatment all the time, but sometimes (like the free spa days and coffees at the Starbucks down the street from Avengers Mansion), it really wasn't that bad.

Grace flew over the city, figuring she'd get a good patrol in before heading back to Avengers Mansion and maybe seeing if a couple of them wanted to go see a movie or go to a club.

team_mascot:

Zoey loved spring! It was her favorite season after summer. Though winter was good because winter had Christmas in it. Christmas was the best and this year she had met Santa Claus! She even drove his sleigh! But now it was spring. Spring meant a lot of good things and one of those things were the Asgardians birthday.

Zoey was a little confused about how they didn't know the actual day they were born and Mom couldn't really explain it either, but they were okay with just spring as their birthday. Birthdays meant parties and Zoey had decided that there HAD to be a party.

A party was her favorite thing right after Christmas. She LOVED parties and this would be the bestest birthday party ever!

She knew she couldn't do it alone so she went seeking help. Mom. Grace. Ohu. Any of them, or all would help her. They HAD to.

godlierthanthou:

Dawn, in the form of Asleif, stood on the beach, practicing spells.   She couldn't even begin to understand the theory involved here, or any of the ancient lore or any of that.  All she knew was that if she could focus on something happening clearly enough--within a very specific realm of effects--the staff and whatever innate magical power Asleif had possessed, could make it happen.

Power bolts were easy, just point and shoot.  But just about anything else, force fields, tractor beams, elemental command, teleporting, illusions, just about anything Asleif could do, that was harder.  Some of it she'd probably never get. 

"<i>Shieldshieldshielshieldsheild,</i>" she chanted, concentrating.  Slowly, but surely, a mystical shield shimmered into existance in the air before her, before fading back into nothingness.  Too slow to form, too quick to fade to have offered any protection.

She stamped the handle of the staff on the ground once in a very specific, precise motion, and with a crack of thunder and light, reverted back to herself, the staff changing into an umbrella.

"I am never going to be able to do this," she said to herself.  "I'm no goddess. I'm not a super-hero.  I don't know what I'm doing here."

At least the nightmares had stopped, since she'd been able to transform back and forth.

shessomarvelous:

Grace was sitting cross-legged on the living room floor of the Defender's compound, facing the greatest foe that a high-school senior could ever go up against.

Trigonometry homework.

Grace scratched the back of her with her pencil. She should've taken stats for her senior math course. But nope, she let Mom and the guidance counselor at her old high school convince her that trig was the better choice.

There we go....five problems down...and twenty-five more to go.

"I'm never going to get this done...." Grace glanced down at her book, looking down at the problems in front of her.

pop_trash_hero:

He's not interested in parties this year and with things being "interesting: with Syd he's not going to spend this night doing what he normally does. There's already people asking about the "hot young blonde" he's been seen out with. He wanted to shelter Grace from most of Hollywood's oddness, but the clock is ticking and tonight everyone will be on their best behavior...mostly...because the cameras are on.

"Grace," he knocks on her door early in the morning. "It's Dad." He's so going to get used to sayin that at some point. Really.

sydney_ashcroft:

Sydney answered the buzzer to the front gate when it rang and was mildly surprised to find it was the UPS guy. There weren't many packages delivered to the compound. She opened the gate and then went to the front door to sign for and receive the package.

Once the UPS guy (cute one too) was gone, Syd looked at the label. It was for Grace. Time to play delivery girl.

Sydney knocked on the door to Grace's room.

pop_trash_hero:

The tide is coming in, and the shadow of the cliff has been slowly retreating from Syd's sleeping form. Simon hasn't wanted to rest. He could use years more of that and a thousand year of this...waves, rocks, a sun rising and her cradled lightly in his arms and pulling in close for warmth. He knew giving in wasn't going to cure him. Being with Syd was only going to make everything he was feeling for her more intense and complicated.

Simon was good at reading his partners, and there were answers he was finally able to extract from Sydney. Some women that had terrific minds turned into sex kittens when they had a chance to relax. Syd wasn't, and that had surprised him. She was still all brains, even in bed. She used that mind to create an intense and extremely focused sensuality and targeted physical awareness. Of course he wasn't her type. Whether she knew it or not, she needed someone with just as much mental stamina as physical endurance. Her memory was almost a guarantee she'd be able to read a man's body like one of her books; lingering over the good parts while skimming through any set up, and God help you if you were boring. It was probably the reason she wasn't all that experienced (at least not recently), but frankly, most men were not going to be able to handle her.

He kept pushing the "what now?" question out of his mind. By this point, most women wanted him to shower and then lock the door behind him as he left. He was a few hours into this reverie when his watch made up his mind for him, specifically, the alert that Swarm is in the Galleria...again When do Nazi bees ever die?

He takes enough time to float slowly up the side of the cliff to Syd's room to settle her into bed. He smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead goodbye before taking off to be a big damn hero.

nextgen_baddie:

The spell took longer than he had planned, but Eric Williams had finally been able to complete it. The spell took days to prepare and hours to perform, but in the end it had worked. The graves in the cemetery were disrupted and the ground was disturbed from underneath.

Zombies crawled out of the graves, including the rotting corpses of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Jennifer Aniston (though she wasn't supposed to be dead yet).

The zombies started moving out from the cemetery and into LA. They bit and tried to eat anyone they came across.

Eric Williams laughed as he watched the chaos.

shessomarvelous:

Takes place shortly after this post

Grace had been staying with the Defenders for a couple of weeks now. She'd called her mom shortly after Simon said that he'd do any tests that she'd like. Needless to say, Carol wasn't happy with her daughter when she first called. Not all. Granted, Grace still wasn't too happy with her mother for keeping her father a secret all these years. The anger vanished a little, though, as spending time with Zoey and the rest of the Defenders almost made her forget how mad she was at her mom. Almost.

Earlier that morning, Grace got the phone call from the lab saying that the results of the paternity test were in. Butterflies in her stomach, Grace took a cab there, and got the envelope with the results before heading back to the Defenders Compound.

Her heart was beating a million miles a minute as she looked for Simon. She didn't want to open the envelope until she found him.

He had to be her father. He just had to.

Stopping at his bedroom door, Grace inhaled and knocked. "Simon? It's Grace. Are you there?" Her voice shook a little.

sydney_ashcroft:

Sydney was obsessing about making sure things were, well not perfect, but at least in order. She made sure the main building got a good cleaning and the animals were kept outside. She had even spoken to the Defenders about Michael visiting and wanting them on their best behavior. Hopefully there wouldn't be any world threatening events or you know demons showing up on the front lawn again.

Syd liked Michael and didn't want the natives scaring him away.

She double checked everything again. Then she triple checked everything.

shessomarvelous:

It had taken her awhile, but Grace had managed to locate Defenders HQ. Granted, she got lost a couple of times on the way there....but she was there now.

Her heart was beating loudly and felt like it would fall out of her stomach. Her palms were sweaty and her feet felt like blocks of cement.

She could do this. She wanted to do this for seventeen years. Well...granted, she didn't know who her father was until recently, but she'd still wanted to meet him just the same.

Inhaling and gathering her courage, Grace walked up to the door and pressed down on the buzzer.