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.

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.

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.

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.

marvelkid:

Since he'd finished his patrol and his homework Wally elected to go for a flight on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. It was one of his favorite powers after all. He flies out over the ocean at high speed, enjoying the air and the sun. The hybrid hero skims along the surface of the water and then shot up high into the air. After a few flips and barrel rolls, he notices a plane and flies closer to give people looking out the window a little thrill in the form of getting to see a superhero. With that done, he heads back towards the land.

"Great day so far. Maybe I'll get some more patrolling in," he muses, idly searching for any trouble or other flying heroes as he heads back into the air over New York City.

ohu_amane:

Ohu Amane wakes early on April First. He comes out to the kitchen, brews the coffee, makes pancakes -- plenty for everyone -- and then moves to the living room with a stack of pancakes, a large cup of coffee, and a massive smile perched on his face.

He sits... and he waits. Smiling broadly.

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.

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.

pop_trash_hero:

He has Zoey up and dressed, the rest of this should be easy. Nice smile, lots of non-acting. He can do this. So when he barges into Syd's room with a huge kid grin on his face all of it is for real.

"Come on, Sydney! Up and Adam!"

nextgen_deviant:

The brides were clad in white and lined up in front of the altar. A semi-circle of priests stood behind the brides and were chanting. The magic in the air became more powerful as the priests chanted. A small circle appeared in the air before the brides and started to get bigger.

Standing behind the priests was a large group of deviants. They were witnessing the rebirth of their god into the mortal realm. It was an honor and privilege to be witness to this historic moment.

nextgen_holiday:

The beginning of a New Year, a time for new hopes, new experiences to come. A time to reflect on times past, remembering fond memories happily and trying to put less pleasant thoughts and experiences in the past.

It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. And for much of the world, it is a time of celebration. This is no less true for the super hero set as anyone else. If anything, they just have that much bigger of things to look forward to.

ohu_amane:

It's early Christmas morning.

Sleeping on the living room floor are Ohu and Zoey. Several cookies remain on a platter on the coffee table nearby. One half-eaten cookie lies on the floor. A glass lies on the floor, with a puddle of now-warm milk around it.

A hand-made doll that looks like nothing so much as Aslief is tucked under Zoey's arm, while another that looks like Yoda is tucked under Ohu's.

They sleep a deep, exhausted sleep.

old_saint_nick:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Christmas Day is a Christian holiday, it's true, but it also has become increasingly secular. It is an opportunity for love, charity, and goodwill, even in Los Angeles, arguably the most superficial city in the country.

There is some debate within mystical circles if there is indeed such a creature as the embodiment of Christmas Giving known as Santa Claus. But whether or not there is such a being, the spirit of giving itself is very real, be it incarnated in a fat man in a red suit or not.

Throughout this small blue planet of Earth, people have brought trees into their homes, decorated them with lights and ornaments, and placed them in locations of honor. Stockings have been placed on the chimneys. And gifts have been placed under the tree.

Some are looking forward more to the receiving than the giving. But for many, it is the act of giving which warms them, which fills them with the holiday spirit.

Each person, in their own way, becomes a part of this spirit of giving. Each person, in their own way, becomes Santa Claus.

The Defenders Manor has been decked out with lights, as has most of the grounds. Ohu has made hanging lighting a top priority, and every tree on the grounds -- including the palm trees -- is well lit with multi-colored lights. Despite the warm location, Ohu has made sure that there's plenty of snow on the grounds, too, with a bit of magic. As for the gods themselves, and their mortal keepers...

sydney_ashcroft:

Syd took a step back and admired the results of the day's work so far. The main building was looking a bit more festive after Sarah, Griffen, and Syd, started decorating for Yule and Christmas. Boughs of real ivy, fir, holly and evergreens were put up all through the house. Mistletoe was also put in strategic places and candles were scattered throughout the house. Syd didn't ask where it all came from, but she suspected that Asleif had been talked into transportation duties to gather the greens.

The tree they had managed to find was huge, standing at least ten feet tall, but had easily been carried in by Svalin. The tree was bare at the moment. Syd had decided to leave that to last to allow everyone a chance to help decorate it. Thankfully there had been a ton of decorations in the attic and they would have more than enough to decorate the tree.

The place smelled of evergreen and fresh greens, giving one the sense of being out in a forest. The candles were scented of cinnamon and vanilla, but currently unlit at the moment.

Zoey was going to have the best Christmas this year and Syd was so thankful she could provide it with the help of the Defenders. Syd's shopping was almost done and it had been difficult as hell. What exactly did one get gods, a geek, a magic user and an actor for Christmas? Getting Zoey gifts had been easy by comparison. Though Zoey would not be getting a daddy for Christmas.

Syd sipped the mulled wine that they had made earlier. Once the decorating was done, Sarah and Syd would start the baking. She predicted that over the next few days the two of them would make obscene amounts of baked goods. The problem would be keeping the others from eating it all at once.

Syd looked at the clock. Zoey would be out of school soon then they could start decorating the tree.

ohu_amane:

Halloween was incredible, of course, but Ohu is having a hard time thinking of a better holiday than Thanksgiving. There is food! And there's more food! And then dessert... and all kinds of more food.

Ohu has been very careful not to eat all the food as he helped cook dinner and dessert for the Defenders, and worked hard to make certain everything was ready. This would be a feast fit for gods and their favored friends. After everything that Sydney did for the main course, it was the least he could do to make certain dessert was taken care of.

"Dessert is served!" he declares to the base as he places the last pie on the table.

nextgen_holiday:

“We need to be more grateful. I think there is no true character without gratitude. It is one of the marks of a real strong character to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in the church, everywhere. It doesn't cost anything, and it is so easy to cultivate.” - Ezra Taft Benson

In America today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

ohu_amane:

It's taken much of the day to prepare. Thankfully, Griffen's been in his lab for the entire time. And now it's time to get him.

The spell keeping too much sound from reaching the lab has held. The webbing on the door to the lab remains sturdy -- he hasn't tried to leave the room yet.

He adjusts his beret, pulls the two tiny triangles of his temporary mustache out to fine points, and tucks the old-style megaphone under his arm.

He dispells the webbing, then opens the door to the lab, ducking his head in with a big smile.

"Friend Griffen!" he calls. "Are you in here?"

nextgen_misc:

All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween as it has been come to be called, is a popular holiday with children and adults alike. It is a holiday that had its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain or Summer's End. Samhain celebrated the end of the "lighter half" of the year and the beginning of the "darker half".

On this evening the barriers between this world and the Otherworld were believed to be thin and the spirits, good and bad, of the dead could pass through. The spirits of the family's ancestors were welcomed in while evil and bad spirits were warded off by the wearing of masks and costumes. The costumes and masks disguised one as a harmful spirit and avoided harm from others.

It was also a harvest celebration and time to take stock of food stores for the winter. Livestock were slaughtered and the meat prepared for storage. It was the final harvest of the year and the crops were then stored for the winter. Celebrations included bonfires and tales of the family's ancestors.

It was a celebration of the dead and of the harvest.

Today we dress up in scary and not so scary costumes and masks and go door to door for candy or attend costume parties. It is a night for revelry, pranks and fun.

In Los Angeles and Hollywood it could be said that every day was like Halloween. People were always dressed up and most were costumes. On Halloween just about everyone dressed up, not just the normal ones.

nextgen_misc:

The sun was starting to sink on the Western horizon and into the Pacific Ocean as another day was ending. A few miles south of 1800 Palos Verdes Drive the ground erupted in a spray of dirt. One by one soldiers came forth from the ground. Some were Spartans, some were Roman legionnaires, and some were Norsemen. A total of three thousand eventually stood in the dying light. They moved into formation and started marching.

sydney_ashcroft:

Sydney sat curled up on one of the large couches in the living room of the main building. Classical music played on the stereo and even though it was really too warm for it a fire burned in the fireplace. An open book was in her lap and a glass of wine was in one hand. It was late and most of the team had retired to their bungalows. Her mind was a million miles away.

She really wasn't cut out for this job and she was in way over her head.

Just how was she supposed to deal with gods?

They were all nice, just...well they were gods. How was she supposed keep them from doing things like they did in Disneyland? Or Medieval Times? She was a normal...mutant. Her powers were nothing but remembering things. She didn't have super strength or any other fancy powers. Simon was much more suited to this than Sydney was.

She took a long drink from her glass.

Tomorrow she'd contact...shit. She couldn't even contact Mr. Stark to submit her resignation with him in the hospital. There were even rumors that he was in a coma or even dead. She supposed she could send it to Miss Potts.

The job paid well and Zoey was finally living in a place where they didn't have to worry about drug deals going on across the streets or the cops showing up during the night for some reason. The loss of money would hurt, but Syd had managed to provide a home and food for her daughter before this job. She could do it again.

She finished the last of the wine in her glass and refilled it.

pop_trash_hero:

Hours later...Medieval Times is cleaned up. Charges were dropped. There went his take from his last movie and his date for Friday. She used to watch Mr. Muscles after school and that was a mutual turn off. He should get better about that. It's not like he's going to age and he's not into grandmas - yet. He dropped by his place

He uses his old ID card to get past the security (damn Tony for reactivating it already) and knocks on the door. "Mrs. Ashcroft, I have beer."

sydney_ashcroft:

Zoey had a plan. It was a good plan. No. It was a great plan. No. It wasn't just a plan. It was THE Plan. The plan of all plans. She just had to find a way to get it done.

The idea came when she saw her...Mom called them housemates...but they were really her friends.... Very tall and very strong friends. She was the only girl in her class who had a friend who could lift a boulder and throw it very far. Zoey had watched Svalin and Halbjorn do it. It was awesome!

She couldn't wait to go back to school to tell her classmates about her newest friends. None of them had friends like she did. Maybe Asleif would go to school with her one day and show Zoey's classmates real magic. Not the stupid kind that Jessica had at her birthday party. Zoey had totally seen the man hiding things in his hands and sleeves. The man was lame compared to Asleif.

The fireworks on the Fourth of July were just awesome. Totally awesome. She was glad she had the idea to ask Asleif to make fireworks.

Idea. The idea for today and for The Plan came to her while she watched Svalin practicing with a sword. A REAL sword and not some lame fake one. Svalin had one, so did Aridis and Halbjorn. Asleif didn't seem to like them for some reason. Zoey thought they were really cool and Mom had said she was not allowed to touch them. Ever. She wondered what Mom had against swords. Svalin said that she had a sword when she was Zoey's age. She wanted one too.

Right. The idea. Mom had taken her out to dinner to a place with swords and horses once. Middle Times or something like that. Zoey knew it would be a great place to take her new friends. They would love it. They had to.

She ran and asked Mom if they could go. Mom said yes, but Zoey had to ask the others if they wanted to go. Mom went on about how she couldn't talk or speak for others. Zoey only heard the first part of it.

She skipped around the grounds looking for Asleif or any of the others.