quitethecharmer:

After sufficiently bracing herself for any potential reactions she can foresee, Vincent heads home, avoiding Valeria, as she still doesn't know what to say to her. As usual, he bypasses the lobby in favor of the rooftop access, heading down to the common area. He winces as he walks past Andrea's room, still next to his own. He wonders how long that will last.

She settles into her room, freshening some of the bandages she'd already been fitted with, due to her combat with Halbjorn.

She knows he doesn't need to call Kristoff. Even as hurt as he must still be, her brother's presence is something she can always exp---

No.

No more assumptions. No more of taking him for granted. Not when she can at least stop to think that much. Vincent abruptly finishes the changes quickly, and heads to the intercom.

"Kristoff... I'm home." She swallows, nervous. "Something has happened."

nextgen_parent:

Sersi chuckled when her nephew told her about the Avengers little problem. She of course had agreed to help and had flown over to the mansion. She was in residence for the next few days to change them all back.

ng_independent:

They had arrived at Earth and had orbited for awhile before Empress had selected her targets. It had taken some time. She didn't want just ANYONE. They had to be among the best. She WOULD win the gladiatorial games this time. NOTHING would stop her. Not even a small thing like gender.

Empress didn't care if it was cheating. The only thing that mattered was winning and she would win this time.

The teleporters were activated and the selected targets were beamed directly to the lab. There they underwent a little transformation and were given attitude readjustments and then put into a holding cell.

The men would wake up in the holding cell to find a few changes.

discardedheir:

Kristoff checked the repairs to the security systems, now that all the actual walls of the Baxter Building were finally intact again. Kristoff had regretted their inability to assist in the most recent manifestations of the crisis, after the attack that took Franklin, they'd had to secure their home and hadn't been able to leave the noncombatants that vulnerable until they could, at which point the conflict itself was already over. Good for the Avengers, the X-Men, SHIELD, and some apparent newcomers. It had been all the FF could manage to look after their own.

He checked on the others.( Read more... )
Next he checked the shipments for equipment he was trying to make available in the pinpointed parts of the world most ravaged by flood, drought, or contamination in the past few weeks of crisis.

And between each of these checks, he would go back and check again, and again, and again, on the machine running every possible scan through worldwide detection and positioning systems for any sign of his brother.

Day after day since he'd set it up, it had run constantly, and turned up nothing.
Until now.

shield_maiden:

They were gathered at the gates to the city at the foot of the newly repaired Bifrost Bridge. Tryggvi stood behind Svalin and pawed at the ground with a hoof. "Stop that," she said to her mount. He responded by headbutting her arm. Svalin new he was eager to go. He was always like this before a trip.

Svalin was not so eager to go. This would be the last time she saw her siblings for awhile. They would return to the Defenders and she would be going to the Avengers. Father's idea and Svalin had thought it a good one, but it didn't mean it would make this any easier.

She stood a little distance away from her siblings and waited for her chance to say goodbye to them and her parents. Father and the Mothers were saying their goodbyes to the other three.

Hrimhari, Lady Rahne, Moira and Danielle were a little ways off saying their goodbyes to each other.

Amorason stood off to one side.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had flown himself up to one of the towers, looking out on Asgard as celebrations still rang out. His wounds hadn't fully healed yet, but they were hardly of concern to him. Even if his body was not, the place of his birth was timeless. Every street, nearly every stone and bit of mortar, was still unchanged from his childhood. Only he had changed.

Or had he?

Had he made the right decision? Was there a right decision to be made? With Bifrost still in ruin, there was no way back... back home.

His stomach twisted as he contemplated what he had done. All his life he had dreamed of being born again under the banner of Asgard, but he had built a life on Earth nonetheless. He had family, a lover, and friends. And he had stood with others.

But they had needed him. Hadn't they?

Kristoff was the head of the family. There was no-one to be trusted more with their lives. The shade of his true self that Vincent had been... what could he have done? Here, in Asgard, he had helped win the day.

They'd won.

He hadn't.

He drew his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them.

If he was truly to live to see Ragnarok, for it had not been this day, then he would have a very very long time to think about what he had done.

nextgen_asgard:

The Great Hall of Odin is awash with people and noise. The fallen heroes have been honored and it was now time to celebrate their victory. It was also time to celebrate the acts of courage and bravery in the heat of battle. Mead flowed freely and the tables were pregnant with food of all kinds.

Stories about the recent battle were exchanged as well as stories of previous battles. Songs passed down through time were sung as well as new ones.

The air was light and merry and it was a festive time in Asgard.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent von Doom loved New York City. So vibrant and diverse compared to his father's kingdom. It was why he spent as much time as possible living out of the Latverian embassy there, rather than at home. The city was just so wonderfully dirty, so unrestrained.

His father had been remarkably indulgent of this, as Vincent more often than not provided a certain measure of distraction. The boy had been quite happy to play the role of the free-wheeling and globe-trotting heir over the past few years.

Today, however, was his eighteenth birthday. He was a man. He felt like testing the limits of his leash somewhat.

There had been a certain issue he'd never been ordered to approach, although it had been some time since he'd been specifically told not to, that piqued his curiosity.

Which is why he was standing at the front entrance to the Baxter Building, in formal Latverian attire, carrying what amounted to a picnic basket. The spiced tea and banitsa, teleported in only minutes earlier, in particular smelled wonderful.

shield_maiden:

Odin's Great Hall was almost silent. The gathered crowd waited for Thor, current ruler of Asgard while Odin slept, to speak. They were gathered to honor their fallen warriors. The battle had cost many lives and it was only fitting and proper those lost lives were honored.

Svalin stood next the throne and next to her father as Princess of Asgard. She was uncomfortable standing in front of so many people and as the princess. She was a warrior born and had a warrior's heart, not some speech maker. Barking out orders or yelling battle cries were more her style and easier to do.

Her father looked at her and nodded once.

She swallowed against the lump in her throat and looked out at the assembled warriors, her people. It was so hard to stand before them and talk about the ones that she had failed. The ones that had died because of her actions and her disregard of her duty. By Odin's beard this was hard. Her hand shook and she nearly dropped the goblet of mead she held.

"When mine father said I wast to speak to all of thee today, I didst not know what I would say. I wast scared to stand before you all and speak for I art much better with sword and shield than with words." Her voice started out a little shaky, but got stronger the more she spoke.

"Today I doth not stand before you as a princess of Asgard nor as a warrior. Today I stand /with/ you as a daughter of Asgard and the words I now speak art from mine heart."

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Sons and daughters of Asgard, we art not here to celebrate victory with food and drink. We art not here to sing songs of our prowess in battle. We art /not/ here for us. Today we do not mourn the loss of our sisters and brothers, but today we honor them. We honor their strength, their bravery, their unparalleled courage, and their sacrifice for Asgard.

Mine father hath tried to teach me and mine siblings humility as his father had taught him, but naught hath made me more humble than to see our sisters and brothers standing up in battle against an enemy that outnumbered them. I wast deeply humbled to see them do their duty to Asgard and to pay the ultimate price for the home and people they loved."

Another deep breath to steady herself. Tears clouded her eyes and she blinked them back.

"We feel the painful loss of our fallen brothers and sisters, but we must take comfort in knowing that they art now in Valhalla with the honored slain. They hath been reunited with our brothers and sisters that hath fallen in battle before them. Take heart brothers and sisters, for one day we shall be reunited with them, whether it be in Valhalla to wait until the final days or at the end of times in the final battle when we once again fight side by side with our honored brothers and sisters.

Honor their memory and their sacrifice each day by celebrating and appreciating the life they have given you by giving theirs. We must not let them slip from our memories or our hearts."

She raised the goblet in her hand.

"Raise your drinks and voices to our honored fallen brothers and sisters and keep their memories alive until the end of times."

She looked out at the people before her and then a quick glance over at her father. "To our fallen brothers and sisters. May you rest well in Valhalla until we see all of thee again in the final battle."

Svalin poured a little of the mead on the floor as an offering and then took a long drink of mead.

quitethecharmer:

He'd been gone a very very long time. Not so long by the standards of Asgardians, or even by the standards of many of Midgard, but for Vincent Amorason Richardsson, having half his blood of mortal stock and only eighteen years to walk the worlds, a very long time indeed.

The Golden Realm was largely unchanging, even in the aftermath of such battle. It's architecture, the palpable hum of magic and divinity, the ever-present sensation of metal and beasts of war. It was almost suffocating, for one used to the ever-changing city of New York. It was a comfort to him to have Asleif accompanying him as he ventured out into it again, finally released from custody by the healers. The experience was humbling. For those who noticed him at all, he seemed to be regarded with a mixture of confusion and wariness. His form was frail by comparison to others, even if others could not 'sense' his mixed heritage. Frailty was not something that was allowed to thrive in Asgard, even among the ranks of mages rather than warriors.

He kept his head high as he walked alongside her. If anyone had anything to say to him, they held it for now. He seemed to be able to go about his business unmolested. All the better, for there were a precious few individuals he wished to visit while he was here, for however long he was here.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had let Andrea know to dress up however nicely she chose, as he had special plans for them for Valentine's Day. He'd been dropping various hints about what he had in mind, but they were all seemingly unrelated items.

Unable to forgo the classics however, he tapped at Andrea's door, appreciating once again that she was in the room adjacent to his own, with a miniature potted rosebush (cutting flowers just for the sake of sticking them in a vase always seemed wasteful), and a box of her favorite chocolates.

nextgen_asgard:

An eerie calm fell over Asgard for a few brief moments. The forces of dark were outside of the shield over the city and were still. Inside the Asgardian warriors waited for the moment when the shield would come down and the battle would start. They were warriors, men and women, caught in an endless struggle against the dark forces that were camped outside the walls.

This would be another battle in an almost endless series of battles. Two forces locked in a constant struggle until the day the last battle came and all would be decided. Today was not the day of that last battle, but it was a day of battle.

The warriors inside the shield had taken up their proper places and waited for the shield to come down. The warriors armed with swords, shields, axes and other weapons were on foot and horseback. Beserkers waited to unleash uncontrolled fury upon their enemies. Magic users stood perched upon high battlements waiting to unleash their spells upon the enemy. Archers also lined the battlements, waiting to rain a storm of arrows upon their foes. Valkyries waited to take to the air to strike at their enemies from above. The battle commanders paced the upper battlements looking out at the forces, dark and light, below them.

Everything was still. Man, woman, horse and enemy. Not even a breeze blew.

The shield came down and chaos erupted.

circle_of_seven:

Asgard had seen a rare period of peace. That peace was about to be shattered. Dark forces gathered in a far corner of the realm. Trolls, dark elves and giants fathered their forces and prepared for an assault on the city and the cursed Asgardians.

Soon the city would fall and Asgard would be theirs to rule.

Alfun looked at the assembled troops and smiled. They would make a great distraction. Alfrun knew they wouldn’t succeed in defeating the Asgardians and taking the city. Countless times they have tried and failed. The Asgardians always won.
Until today. The troops were a distraction until the real weapon could be brought onto the battlefield. With the two, the Asgardians would fall. This would be their Ragnarok. The final battle for them.

Alfrun ran her fingers lovingly over the parchment. How very nice of that dwarf to give her this wonderful piece of parchment. With it she could bring about the downfall of Odin, Thor and the rest of Asgard. Then she, Alfun daughter of Eisa and granddaughter of Loki, would sit upon the throne of Asgard as queen.

“Send them!” she said. “I have to start the ritual.”

Treg grunted and then bellowed orders. The troops started moving.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent smiled as he stretched out in the chair adjacent to Andrea's. The idea for a getaway had been perfect.  Least of all for the reason that ever since he no longer had his divinity, New York had been absolutely frigid. He didn't know how humans just dealt with it.

Here though, on some insignificant but just barely developed tropical island, he and his girlfriend were quite happily isolated from any annoying aspects of real life that might drive home reminders of his condition. He'd had to worry about sunscreen as well for the first time in his life, but that was a small price to pay. Particularly since Andrea had been willing to help with the application.

A pair of cocktails and lounge chairs on a nearly deserted beach at sunset was rounding out the day nicely. He smiled as he looked over at Andrea. "Thank you for agreeing to my idea. I needed this. More than I realized initially."

ng_independent:

The Empress was most pleased. Very pleased indeed. Things were going according to her plan. The recent fights had been entertaining and she had her champion. Now she could win the games here on her home world. Her champion would win no matter what and she now had more soldiers in her army. She was quite pleased indeed.

She was stretched out on her litter as four of her soldiers carried her to the area. It was the start of the games and by the end her champion would be victorious.

Everything was going according to plan.

franklen_four:


( We gather here today... )

nextgen_misc:

Friends, family and loved ones are bound to notice the disappearance of some females.

ng_atlantis:

When last we left our heroes, the hordes of Atlantis were heading straight for Canada, ready to enact great vengeance upon the surface world.  The Fantastic Four had intervened, but were shot down over the open ocean  (fortunately, the could all fly).  But now they face an army of Atlanteans, including their mysterious leader....

Alpha Flight, alerted to the thread to Canada, has set off in its Alpha Flier in order to fight for truth, justice, and the Canadian Way!  Fortunately for all concerned in this aquatic battle royal, Alpha Flight possesses not just one, but two aquatic heroes--the shapeshifter, Alex, and Marrina, daughter of the legendary Sub-Mariner himself!

Who will win?  Will the hordes of Atlantis overtake Canada and then the world?  And what has happened to the Atlantean Royal Family, Namor, Namora, and Namorita?

Find out...

nextgen_misc:

The satellite image began with the United States Naval Destroyer, the USS Washington, in open ocean. For a moment, it seemed as though nothing unusual was going on, but then something broke the surface. It was a massive ship, shaped very much like some kind of gigantic fish. Weapons ports opened on the strange new vessel, blasting away at the destroyer. Other ships, equally marine-like in nature, surfaced and surrounded the destroyer, completing the process of blasting it to pieces.

The video stopped, and the Fantastic Four's SHIELD liason, Agent Doug Deeley, turned to the assembled heroes. "This is the fifth attack on US Naval forces in three months. We got lucky this time. Most of the crew survived. The craft are clearly Atlantean in origin, though we've been unable to determine if they're proper military forces or a rogue element. Attempts to contact any of the Atlantean royal family have failed."

The balding black man breathed heavily. "We therefore have to presume the worst."

He changed the projection on the screen to a naval map showing the Northeastern coast of the United States. "Strategic analysis of the attacks suggests that they're heading towards Manhattan. We've already alerted the Avengers, but as the Fantastic Four have more experience with Atlantis, we were hoping you'd be able to assist."

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had been put up on thirty-six hours of enforced bed-rest after retrieving Cassandra, and losing.. part of himself. The world seemed different. He was cold. He got hungry and tired as mortals of average physicality did. It was terrifying, and humiliating, and sickening for him. His body felt incomplete.

As soon as he'd been able to get out of bed, he'd retreated to his lab. All his work on the other major project he was working on was carefully recorded, preserved, and cordoned off, and then everything else got wiped clean. Hours passed, then days, then weeks. He only stopped his calculations and testing when he needed to eat or sleep. Discarded junk food wrappers and instant food packaging overflowed his wastebasket by now The exception was checking in with Kristoff to be assured that Andrea's repairs were proceeding on schedule.

At this point it was a month later, and more than fifty percent of the laboratory walls were covered with notations. He was attempting to isolate the energy that constituted the Asgardian 'spark', and then reinfuse himself with it. He would have called Asleif for consultation, but he couldn't bear to interact with anyone while he was in this state.

He couldn't stay like this.

Without his power.

Without his identity.

Weak. Vulnerable. Unable to protect anyone.

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.

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...

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 New York City, arguably the most skeptical 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 Baxter Building is too large to have lights hung from it like most residences, but some festive lighting has been arranged. A light, slowly alternating between red then green, shine up the sides of the building. And on the top floor, where the Fantastic Four reside...

nextgen_deviant:

It was time to bring Set back into the world and bring about a new age for the Earth. Mammals would no longer be the dominant species and humans, those foul evolved apes, will be slaves once more. Slaves like they used to be before the accursed Celestials wiped out most of the deviants and lizard men.

The priests knew what needed to be done. One of the special deviants, those modified to better fight for Set, would accompany them and take the brides into custody. Teleporting was much easier now that Set’s influence in the world was getting stronger. The priests did it now with very little effort.

The priests teleported in near the brides, they were marked and easy to find now, and once they were alone, a small spell was cast and the bride went unconscious. The priest’s escort picked her up and the trio teleported back to Lemuria.
It had only taken a matter of moments to retrieve all seven brides.

Once they were back in Lemuria, the brides had been dressed in white dresses and cloaks and prepared for the coming of their lord Set. They were then arranged around the serpent crown and the ritual began.

nextgen_holiday:

The grand ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel on 57 East 57th street was festively decorated for the holidays. A series of lit candles on every table gave off warm light and the dulcet tones of a jazz ensemble filled the room.

People, the upper elite of New York society, Hollywood celebrities, musicians, politicians and New York’s own superheroes moved around the room. People sat at tables and talked, while some moved gracefully around the large dance floor.

Tables loaded with unwrapped and unopened toys lined one wall and at one end stood a very large decorated Christmas tree. Wrapped presents sat under the tree, but they were just empty boxes wrapped for decoration. Mistletoe hung from the ceiling near the tree and people stopped to kiss.

The air was light and the mood happy and festive.

invisigirl:

Val sat at her desk at in her office/lab at the Baxter Building, working on an essay for one of her college applications. She was a little late getting them in, so early action wasn't definitely out of the picture, but that was only invented to make applicants sweat out the process a little bit longer.

She didn't know where she wanted to go yet. She was going to be too young to live in a dorm, as she wouldn't be turning eighteen until well into her freshman year, so she wanted something close. But something with a good science department. Something that would give her a challenge. A program that would keep her on her toes.

Essays were the easiest part. If the school had a prompt, you wrote an essay based on that prompt. If not, then you just wrote the same essay for each school and just replaced the name of the college.

Hearing a knock on her door, Val perked her head up.

"Come in."

swashbuckler:

Turnabout was, as they said, fair play.  So Steve had gathered the Avengers guys (and put in a call to Vincent of the FF since Val and Andrea had attended the girls' night, as well as Misha), set up the projector, provided plenty of unhealthy snakes, and generally had quite the time playing party planner. 

"All right, gentlemen," he said to assembled group, "and I use the term loosely in some of your cases, we are here for one purpose and one purpose in particular.  Last week, our colleagues in crime fighting conducted the time honored tradition of "Rate the Hunks" amongst those of us on the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Defenders.  So tonight, we men-folk must unite...

"And...

"Rate...

"the...

"Babes!"

quitethecharmer:

As a general rule, men do not like being involved with moving people's stuff besides their own. Moving other people's stuff subjects them to being on the receiving end of a very large number of demands and at the mercy of their own indecisions as to where things should go.

Vincent wasn't currently regretting promising to help Andrea move, but he was reserving the right to do so. It wasn't that he was fatigued by anything he was having to carry, but the number of items made the procedure tedious. She seemed to have an endless collection of figurines and other collectibles. Being that it was only being moved from one floor of the building to the other, there was also none of the usual reasonable 'excuse' to let boxes remain unpacked for a while. Everything was being repositioned, and in a few cases, extra shelves were being put up.

There was also the fact that all of her boxes were labelled with bar-codes she had printed, making them somewhat less than intelligible to others. Vincent shook his head as he opened another box. "I see.. notebooks. Where do these go?" He looked over to his girlfriend.

nextgen_misc:

A man holding a piece of parchment stood in Times Square, the crossroads of the world, and read from the page. A spell was cast and the Montesi Formula, which once wiped out all vampires, was reversed. The all of the vampires that had been destroyed reformed right in front of the spell caster. They looked around for a few moments, confused about what had happened. Then the hunger took a hold and Times Square was full of humans with warm blood flowing through their veins.

nextgen_misc:

You are cordially invited to attend the 26th annual Maria Stark Foundation's Winter Charity event.

Four Seasons Hotel
57 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

Saturday December 19th
Seven O'clock pm - Midnight

Formal dress required.

Please bring a donation for Toys for Tots.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent knocked at the door to his brother's lab. He'd been carefully rehearsing and mapping out possible turns in the conversation ahead of time, and was in his mind fully prepared. He was about to have to eat some crow, not his favorite concession to make.

"Kristoff? Do you have some time? I wanted to discuss something with you."

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.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent woke up, and instinctively smiled, already knowing what day it was without having to think twice. It was his birthday. More than that, it was his eighteenth birthday. Perhaps not so great a deal in the Asgard of his birth or the Latveria of his father, but here, in the country he had made his home, it meant a great deal. He had high hopes for the day.

There had been that miserable little worm of a thought that Kristoff was no longer legally expected to look after him, but that was routinely quashed each time it came up.

discardedheir:

The morning of Saturday, November 14 dawned. With the whole Fantastic Four family there, the chairs and a few minor decorations for the empty 29th floor of the Baxter building were easily set up. The rest of the guests would be arriving soon, Cassandra's friends among the Avengers.

Jennifer Walters had been kind enough to recommend the judge. Their license was in order. The bride was with the maid of honor and there was no word of any problems at the moment.

By noon, Cassandra would be his, officially. Scotty, too, to an extent.
If any outsider prevented that, Kristoff was not absolutely certain he could keep himself from ...a display of excessively bad manners.

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.

The streets of New York saw children and adults dressed up in costumes and moving about.

quitethecharmer:

While Vincent and his brother loved each other very much, it was fairly obvious to most that Kristoff was not the most jubilant of individuals. Therefore, as he had done for several years prior, Vincent dispensed with noise and ceremony when wishing his brother a happy birthday. Simple things were to be appreciated. That was why, when Kristoff parted himself from his work that day, he would find a platter with spiced tea and banitsa, accompanied by a birthday card he had made that played Vivaldi with repulsor noises once opened.

The rest of his day's schedule had been cleared, with the intention of a stroll through Central Park and an art gallery, and Vincent himself would be easy to find in the building.

discardedheir:

After talking to Cassandra, Kristoff returned to his lab and looked at the coins for just a few minutes in thoughtful silence.

And then, of course, Manners required one thing. He wrote four words neatly on a piece of paper, which he slipped into an envelope and put in his coat, before locking the bag of coins away in one of the lab's various secure drawers.

Then, after running a little more data about circumventing the nanites, Kristoff gathered some of his notes to bring with him as he left the lab.

Soon he knocked on the door of his brother's bedroom.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent carried the 'personal' mail for the building under one arm, having felt like picking it up himself for a change. All the usual papers related to fanmail went through scanning by HERBIE, and Kristoff's patent related mail went directly to his office. Just the usual light load from actual friends and relatives.

And... a package in plain brown paper, with no markings. It had a woodsy scent to it that prickled at Vincent's memory, making him uneasy. It had to have passed through security screenings to make it this far into the building, so he wasn't concerned about it being a bomb, not one of any mundane make anyway. He turned it over, and everything else he was holding slipped from his hands as he gripped it tightly, his nostrils flaring as he headed for his magical research lab.

The package bore the Latverian royal seal.

~~

Several hours of strenuous mystical testing later, he was convinced the package would do no harm, and opened it. Inside was a deerskin pouch, filled with coins. A simple piece of parchment with a simple note of Kristoff's impending marriage.

His... Kristoff's... their father had seen fit to send a traditional engagement gift. Vincent's jaw tightened and he was tempted to incinerate the present right then and there. How dare he throw Kristoff table scraps after all this time? Worse, what if Kristoff welcomed them? What if he wanted to invite him?

He shut the pouch and note inside a secure safe in the wall, then called Andrea. He wasn't planning on asking her advice, but he needed out of the building immediately.

staturity:

It took six hours of surgery to fix the damage Kang's weapon caused. It was six more hours before Cassie was awake, and nearly half a day before she was well enough for the breathing tube to come out.

The doctors walked her through what they'd done and what to expect during recovery. She got off lucky, the doctors told her. They had no idea.

staturity:

Another morning, another day school day for Scotty.

The battle (and oh, that word was so accurate for it) to get her son out of bed was over. He was dressed, fed, and all she needed to do was drive him to school. He was still tired but usually by the time the drive was over he was alert and excited to be learning.

Today was just like any other day. Or so Cassie thought.

universaljoke:

Kevin was getting used to life as a cat. His teacher had been very understanding of the situation too which had been great. She had mentioned another student of hers so he had decided to slip out and check out this 'other' student.

That had been a few days ago. He got distracted by his cat senses and a few other things. He shouldn't have gotten so caught up in stalking a mouse in an ally way so close to the Baxter building. But now he decided to at least stay within a block of the building. He needs to remind himself that he is happy to eat cat food when he can get is and he is NOT a cat so mouse will never be on the menu.

He really just wanted to catch a peek at Vincent. It was all about being curious and not because he enjoyed the other things that could easily take up his time. But now he was defiantly in trouble, he saw birds that would be just as easy to follow as one human male. Urg. Everything was tempting and putting him at odds with what he really wanted. Now though he springs up and balances himself on a planter some one hundred and fifty feet away from the main entrance to the Baxter building. It was actually a rather nice planter that was connected to several others in a small cluster. This would be a good way to watch the front of the building.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent, having returned from breakfast from Andrea and cleaned himself up to face the remainder of the day, waited in the lobby of the Baxter Building. It was still a few minutes before he was to meet Asleif, but he felt it best to be prepared. She might not view the movies they were going to see as their intended genre, but they should prove reasonably entertaining. The gap in years between their productions should also well illustrate the pace at which mortals make advancements in their crafts. He was rather looking forward to the outing, but was prepared to cut it short if she made any misunderstandings about the 'just friends' arrangement.

discardedheir:

The "axe-wielding maniac" had been active too close to the Baxter Building to escape the Fantastic Four's immediate attention.

And so here they are. And he was hardly difficult for them to contain, although he was obviously quite, quite fast which made taking him down less than immediate.

awesome_andrea:

It had been, in Andrea's opinion, a most enjoyable evening.  To her own amazement, she had proven surprisingly capable at dancing.  Perhaps not so surprising, really, when one considered her ability to sync her body movements to a rhythm and keep time with computerized precision.  But she had not employed her more mechanical aspects that evening, relying instead on a bit less regulated talent, not even absorbed from those around her.


They stayed out much of the night, returning to the Baxter Building very late (or very early, depending on how one considered the situation), though the activities did not stop there.  They were young, in love, and still quite filled with passion.  Andrea had not been quite prepared for sex, not yet, not until she was certain she had properly adjusted her programming and capabilities so that it was a pleasurable activity for all involved, but it had been quite close.  To use a baseball metaphor, second base had most definitely been reached.


Early still, passions had given way to the need for sleep, even for androids (she mimicked a regular human sleep cycle when possible), a sleep spent wrapped in each others arms.

The late of day worked its way through the windows of the Baxter Building...

discardedheir:

She was so beautiful.
It was pretty much all Kristoff could think about as he kissed her again after his shirt hit the floor.
That and how much he wanted to make her happy, just to make her happy.
It certainly seemed to be going well, too. The strange tension she seemed to be under so much lately seemed to have been lifted. He was certainly doing his best to make her as comfortable as possible.
"I love you, Cassandra," he whispered.

discardedheir:

Cassandra and Kristoff talked to Scotty. The boy'd had a lot to take in these past couple weeks, but this at least was good stuff.

And then, over the communication system. "Vincent? Andrea? While it is not an emergency, Cassandra and I would like to speak to you as soon as possible."

godlierthanthou:

Further adventures with the Defenders had been reasonably minor and her siblings (and Ohu for that matter) had largely not bothered her in some time.  She'd gotten some small pleasures by venturing out and playing small tricks on mortals by tricking them with illusions or minor magics, but that was the extent of her excitement.

To put it bluntly, she was bored.  And perhaps, though she would never admit it to anyone, more than a little bit lonely.  On some small level, she envied the companionship her siblings shared, though she thought little of their lifestyle choices, her brother in particular.

Fortunately, there was one with whom she could spend time with.  One who's company she would even enjoy.  She did have her needs, after all, even if she was not as obvious as Ardis or Halbjorn  (consorting with that arrogant fire-haired mortal!  The thought of it!).

Vincent Amorason, offspring of her one-time teacher, and rather attractive, for one who was only half-Asgardian.  Yes.  Now was indeed the time to pursue a further... liason.

Traveling across the country to th Baxter Building in New York was a simple enough spell for her.  In one moment, she vanished from the Defenders' headuqarters in California and in the next she had reappeared in the living room of the Fantastic Four's portion of the Baxter Building.



"An impressive display of teleportation," a voice said.  "Though I would hope this is not part of an attack."

Asleif turned, finding herself facing a dark-haired girl.  No, not a girl.  She could sense no thoughts, no life from her.  Some sort of golem or clockwork contrivance then.  Quite obvious, in hindsight.  Vincent could and most certainly would have created servants for himself.  "Hardly," she said.  "I art here to see Vincent.  Fetch him for me."

The golem continued to stare at her, its gaze less unnatural than she would have expected.  "I have sent a message to his laboratory," the thing said.  "He should arrive soon."

Asleif nodded, but said nothing. One did not thank a candle for lighting, or a knife for cutting, after all.

princess_mutt:

Danielle was resting after another blood test. Vicki wasn't far from her if she needed anything.
There'd been a great deal going on, and Moira had several things on her mind, only some of which she wanted there.
So that afternoon she called up an old pal.

nextgen_misc:

The Fantastic Four’s new location was, as it had been last time, in the middle of a busy square. The architecture of the buildings was different, more advanced and with an oriental feel. There was a garden in the center of the square, well cared for and vibrant. Not very far from the square there was a Sphinx. If the unwilling time travelers at first assumed that they were In Egypt, they could not be faulted. However, there was a landmark that would place them in New York City: the Statue of Liberty. At least that was it had been. Now Lady Liberty was transformed, now bearing a striking resemblance to one member of their team: Cassandra Lang.