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.

sydney_ashcroft:

Sydney hummed an upbeat tune while she cleaned and chopped carrots for a salad. The classes she taught today had gone very smoothly. She only had a few more weeks to go and she would have her masters in Ancient History. In the fall she'd be starting on her doctorate. Life was going very well for her and she was a happy woman.

She glanced at the clock. It was only four thirty. Zoey was in the rec room watching cartoons and Avery wouldn't be home for at least another hour. Which mean she still had time to think of something to make for dessert. She was thinking about brownies. There was plenty of time to make some and they would go great with the vanilla ice cream and topped with melted peanut butter.

The carrots were tossed in the bowl of salad and she toss the knife and cutting board into the sink. She glanced at the muted television. Huh. LA now had its own team of superheroes judging by the headlines. She didn't think San Francisco would get a team anytime soon. Which was fine in her book. They didn't need villains and heroes alike destroying parts of the city.

She grabbed a box of brownie mix from the cabinet and started collecting the items and ingredients she would need.

this_fire_burns:

Matt's most recent case was, on the surface, a simple one. A middle-age father of four skips out on his family to join some kind of New-Age Spiritual Club (read: cult) that offered to eternal peace and tranquility. The wife was understandably distraught, as her husband left in the company of a beautiful, young twenty-something who was saying all the things Victor Pabst wasn't hearing elsewhere.

Matt almost considered it an open-and-shut case until Mrs. Pabst showed him pictures of the symbols that her husband started drawing on the basement walls four months ago. Pentagrams, mostly in animal blood,  adorned the walls of their Queens home. Matt had already decided to take the case on that alone, as the symbols were the kind used to summon demons and other baddies from the Otherside.

But when the wife indicated that Pabst had been using their children's blood to make the symbols, something inside Matt snapped a little bit, and he'd offered her a reduced rate. He hoped that Pabst was really just a guy who was being manipulated by some rogue sorcerer and that he hadn't actually become one; otherwise, this would get ugly in a hurry. He should have gone to Lynch with this, but knowing her, she'd bring the cops into it and if he was dealing with a summoner, this would get a lot of unprepared cops killed.

So he made his way to Los Angeles himself, leaving Whisper in the company of Mrs. Emberstein.

Two days after his arrival, Matt finds himself inside a warehouse not far from the Staples Center, looking at the same symbols from the pictures on these walls. If these people are summoning a demon, he doesn't have a lot of time to find them and stop it.

Just about every summoning ritual he's ever heard of requires a sacrifice, and someone will die if he can't connect the dots.

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.

word_of_law:

Avery followed the directions from his GPS to the mansion, not sure what he was expecting. The place was huge, he knew, but what he could see from the gate was....epic. There really wasn't another world for it.

He'd called ahead to let Sydney and Zoey know he'd be coming, but he still wasn't sure what to expect when he pulled up to the front gate. He didn't see any dragons or, heavens forbid, any Mongolian Death Worms, but one never knew with these types, did they?

He just hoped Zoey was still interested in being around him even after all the awesome she was currently surrounded with.

nextgen_citizen:

Michael came to the Defenders' building to pick Sydney up to check out the Dickens exhibit. He was looking forward to seeing it with her.

godlierthanthou:

Dawn Roberts, librarian, had not been having a good week.  There had been the abduction, and then there had been the nightmares and freakout at work, along with a very perplexing change in her eye color.   And now, after a night of even stranger dreams, she'd discovered she'd sleep-walked all night and found herself in front of the Defenders' Compound, just as the sun was coming up.

She looked around nervously, feeling pain in her feet and calves from having walked so much without even knowing it.

Should she?  Something had brought her here.  But what on Earth would involve a nobody like her with a team of super-heroes and gods?  She was probably well beneath their notice.

She hesitated, then reached out and touched the buzzer on the gate.

word_of_law:

Thus far, Avery Crittenden had enjoyed spending time with his newfound little girl. Zoey was bright, talented and outright amazing, and it made Avery proud to be able to say that she was his daughter. He called every other night, work permitting,  to speak with her and tell her good night and that he hoped she slept well. He still hadn't told his parents about her yet, wanting to ease Zoey into getting to know her extended family, but he hoped that she'd come to call them family in time as well.

Today, he was meeting with Sydney to hammer out and finalize the terms of their custody arrangement. Sydney was indeed with the time Zoey could spend with him, but Avery had in mind to ask for a small something extra. He didn't think it was anything Sydney would mind too much, and their previous discussions on where she would go for different holidays helped him come up with a few other ideas on how to set up a good time with Zoey. 

Avery and his lawyer/best female friend,Claire Walsh, would arrive at the office of Sydney's lawyer with their papers and requests to be added to the custody agreement. He didn't think he was asking for very much, about sixteen days each apiece, give or take when one of them had work to attend to. Sydney's schedule appeared more flexible than his, though, so his idea might benefit her more.

"Avery, you're being extremely charitable about this whole thing. Honestly, you've got ground to demand join custody and set some of your own terms regarding this situation where your daughter is concerned. Are you sure you don't want me to file that motion for you?" Alexis asks as they enter the building.

"No, Alexis, I don't want you to. It would only hurt Zoey in the long run, and Sydney and I agreed that we can be adults about this. She could have told me to go hell at the start, but she didn't, and I'm not trying to make waves. Zoey is my priority; I've missed too much already and I'm not going to waste anymore time by starting a custody battle." he says.

"You're afraid she's going to sic her friends on you, aren't you?" Alexis asks. "They're a pretty handy deterrent for a lot of things, you have to admit."

"No, I'm not. She wouldn't do that." Avery counted.

He hoped.
 

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.

nextgen_citizen:

The Huntington Library had recently added 35 personal letters of Charles Dickens to their collection.  Michael was only personally acquainted  with one person he believed would give the matter the interest it was due.

He called Sydney.

word_of_law:

Avery Crittenden did not get nervous on dates with women. He did not worry about what he wore, how he looked, or if it was a good or bad hair night. He didn't get nervous over business dinners when million-dollar deals were on the line, or times when the eyes of the entire gallery were on him, listening to him speak on why this or that argument held water or did not.

He stood outside the Chuck E. Cheese Restaurant early Saturday afternoon and wondered if the sweater and slacks were too conservative for meeting his daughter. Would she pick up on that? Should he have just gone with the polo shirt and jeans? Would that make her think he was a slacker of some kind? 

Would Sydney consider him a bad influence upon her?

Avery took a few deep breaths and smiled ruefully to himself, thinking he should have gone with the polo shirt and jeans.  Ah, well. He hoped Zoey would enjoy spending a little bit of time with him today, and that Sydney would see that he was ready to be an active, supportive parent to their little girl. He knew it was best to take things in slow steps, but he also wanted to let Zoey know he would always be there for her.

So, he waited outside for Sydney to show up with Zoey and fought the urge to call and say he'd be late so he could run home and change.
 

nextgen_citizen:

Avery walked into the large, sprawling house dropping his bag at the door and shaking his shoulders to loosen some of the tension there. Despite the motion, his stomach was still doing flips.

Very soon, he would get to meet his daughter.

He had to play this slowly, though, because one wrong move and Sydney would try to keep Zoey away from him. It angered him on a few levels that she had all the power in this, that his rights had been violated. Still, he kept a lid on it, because getting a chance to know Zoey outweighed his anger at Sydney. He could be an adult about all of this.

He walked into his home office and sat down, picking up the phone and dialing Sydney's number. The two of them needed to reach an understanding first, before they brought Zoey into the picture, and the best way to do that was a friendly chat.

Avery waited as the phone rang, hoping Sydney was there.

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.

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.

sydney_ashcroft:

The week had been a series of ups and downs, twists and turns, and quite frankly Syd wanted off the roller coaster ride. At least for a little while. Avery showing up was definitely a twist. She wasn't sure it would turn into a down or an up at the moment, but her money was on a down. Time would tell.

An up was a naked man falling out of the sky. While Quinn had definitely made things around the compound more interesting, he was eye candy at best. Still. she'd take the eye candy.

Today was Valentine's Day, and while she normally spent it with Zoey, Sydney actually had plans. She was to meet Michael at the museum today and she welcomed the break from the insanity that had become her life. It would help her get her mind off of Avery and his sudden appearance back in her life.

She put on nice clothes, slacks and a blouse, did her hair and put on some makeup. It didn't take her too long to get to the museum and she had arrived a few moments early.

sydney_ashcroft:

Nervous was too kind a word. Sydney had been on edge from the second she had woke up in the morning and had looked at the clock a million times during the day. She was meeting Avery tonight for dinner and she had a sinking feeling in her gut. Whatever was going to happen, she knew it couldn't be good.

The plans were for dinner at a restaurant she knew well. Syd had called Avery earlier in the week to make the arrangements. A place and a time had been arranged and until this morning Syd hadn't thought too much about it. She had enough distractions around the place to keep her mind occupied. This morning was a different story however.

During the week she did contact a lawyer and met with him to explain the situation. Avery wasn't stupid and Syd was going to have things ready if the subject of Zoey came up. She wasn't going to let anything happen to her daughter or her relationship with her daughter.

Zoey was dropped off at Bryn's (despite how much Ohu assured her it was okay to leave Zoey with him she was not going to leave him with Ohu) and Syd headed for the restaurant.

She arrived ten minutes early and was shown to a table.

sydney_ashcroft:

Sydney sat across from Zoey and waited for Zoey to finish her slice of pizza. Syd had picked Zoey up and had taken her to the mall. Some quality mother and daughter time was needed and the mall was the perfect place. Of course they hit the food court first. The first words out of Zoey's mouth every day when Syd picked her up from school wasn't "Hi Mom" it was "I'm hungry!".

The Defenders, Scion and school kept Syd plenty busy and the two of them needed some time together just the two of them every week. Syd made a promise to herself that no matter what happened, they would get that day. Getting Zoey away from the Defenders for a little bit was always a good thing. Thees and thous were starting to slip into Zoey's speech on regular basis.

She went over the todo list in her head. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

She looked over at Zoey and smiled when her daughter looked at her. "Love you, monkey."

sydney_ashcroft:

Syd was definitely in a good mood. She hummed quietly as she poured herself a glass of red wine.

The day couldn't have been any more perfect.

Morning had included a five mile jog followed by a light breakfast and a hot cup of masala chai. She took Zoey to her ballet class and watched the girls dance around in their tutus. They were so cute and adorable and Syd always loved watching them dance.

A quick lunch and then came the afternoon with taking Zoey to see The Tooth Fairy. A movie with The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, always made her day and put her in a good mood. Good enough that she didn't think of Simon once during the whole afternoon.

She treated her and Zoey to dinner at their favorite Indian restaurant. Syd didn't like eating out often, but it seemed like the kind of day to eat dinner out. Then they came home and curled up on the couch together to watch The Game Plan. Two movies with The Rock in them in one day was always a good thing in her book.

She spoke to Michael on the phone and they had set a day and time to go to the museum. Things couldn't go more right. Not even any chaos to manage. Definitely a really good day.

Zoey was now tucked in bed and sleeping and Syd was winding down with a glass of wine and a book or two.

Not a bad ending to a perfect day. Not at all.

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.

nextgen_citizen:

Michael Sapt could not believe he had let the girls from the office conspire with their friend Bryn into getting him into this situation. But so it went. Sydney didn't sound bad at all, of course, but after all this time, he still wasn't sure how to go about having another relationship, so it was hard to say how well this could possibly go even if it did go well.

So he was sitting here in the Literati Cafe waiting to meet Bryn's sister. He'd arrived early -- as usual.

sydney_ashcroft:

It was a perfect winter day to be out and about in Los Angeles. The sun was bright and the air was a very mild seventy two degrees and more importantly, Zoey was in school for the day. It was perfect for shopping and Syd wasn't going to pass the opportunity up.

With her substantial increase in salary she could afford to treat herself to some new clothes. She asked if anyone wanted to go along and Aridis had taken her up on the offer. Syd also called her sister Bryn because if anyone loved to go clothes shopping it was Bryn. The woman lived for clothes.

Right now they were taking a break and grabbing a bite to eat. It wasn't anywhere fancy, far from it, but Pink's did have the best hot dogs in the entire city. Possibly the United States. Syd worked on a chili cheese dog as they sat outside at one of the tables.

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_adult:

Margaret Donovan-Stark wasn't a stupid woman and she wasn't a fool. She knew that there were always people out to take her position, this time it was family who was after her position. Which was to be expected.

She had been watching the stocks closely and was concerned about this Scion company. They had been buying as much stock as possible and if for some reason they teamed up with her brother...well Margaret would be prepared. Contingency plans were always necessary when someone was trying to take you down.

It was time to initiate those contingency plans just in case. She always covered her ass and she always had a few plans for the future. She began the necessary file transfers.

nextgen_misc:

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

New Year's Resolutions
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Anonymous entries accepted.

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?"

team_mascot:

Zoey was sitting on a stool at a counter in the kitchen and was doing the most important thing she could do this year. Christmas was coming and she had to write a letter to Santa. Otherwise she wouldn't get any Christmas presents this year. That would be bad. Very bad.

Mom gave her a pencil, some paper, a glass of milk and some cookies. She was all set.

Taking a deep breath and started her very important task.

sydney_ashcroft:

Books were Sydney's main indulgence, but she had another one. One that she didn't admit to anyone under any circumstances. Though this weekend she fully intended to take advantage of the fact that Zoey was with her Aunt Bryn for the weekend and Syd got a well deserved few days break from being a mom.

Popcorn, soda, and chocolate were laid in for a movie marathon. Though she wasn't in the rec room. Syd was having this movie marathon in her bedroom because she didn't want anyone to learn her obsession with Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock. Syd loved the man. She would watch anything with him in it, including wrestling when he was doing that. This weekend she had The Game Plan, The Scorpion King, Race to Witch Mountain, Doom, The Gridiron Gang, Get Smart and The Rundown to watch.

She popped in The Rundown and stretched out on her bed after shoving some books aside.

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.

son_of_hercules:

So! This was the City of Angels, here in the realm of the mortals! Truly a place of wonder!  It was easy to see why the daughters and son of Thor had chosen such a location for their home in the mortal world.  True, great-Uncle Pluto was said to have his fingers in this city, but the same was supposedly said of many of the gods of the Underworld.  In truth, it mattered little.  Whatever demons might arise, they were surely no match for the son of Hercules!

He had the address of the compound where he was supposed to go.  And his father had said he would speak to Tony Stark of his coming, as soon as he could.  Granted, battle, women, drink, and song did tend to distract his father, but small matter.

So lost in thought was Argo, the Almighty Son of Hercules, that he did not notice the mortal conveyance coming at him as he crossed the street. It skidded to a stop--not that it could have harmed his godly form--and the driver climbed out, well muscled, for a mortal, fist shaking in anger. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? Why don't you watch where you're going? I oughta clock you one good!"

Argo regarded him with a boisterous laugh. "Thou art welcome to try, friend! I wouldst love to share the Gift of Battle with thee!"

"What're you? Some kind of nut?"

"Nay! I art Argo, the Almighty! Son of Hercules! Here to drink thine mortal beer, seduce thine mortal women, and battle thine mortal super-villains!"

He considered something. "Though not, perhaps, in that order."

"Great," the man said, rolling his eyes.  "A nut job.  Inna skirt."

Argo lost his jovial mood.  "Thou wouldst insult the scion of Hercules, Lion of Olympus?  The raiment of Argo the Almighty art forged from the finest Olympian-steel!"

The man backed away slowly.  "Oookaaay, I'm just gonna step away now before you start going on about gladiator movies..."

He got back in his car, and pulled around Argo.

"Most strange, " Argo mused to himself, as he continued to cross the street.  

The second crash, however, was not his fault.  A larger mortal vehicle, a semi-truck screeched through an intersection further up the road as its breaks began to fail.

One leap carried Argo in front of it.  He braced himself and put his hands forward, bending his knees ever so slightly.  The truck slowed... then stopped completely, all without harm to the driver or spilling the contents of its trailer, marked with strange symbols he did not immediately recognize, but still seemed to convey some form of danger.

The crowd was still for a moment, and then the clapping began.  Argo grinned mightily, his hands up in the air, drinking in the praise.  There were several comely women in the crowd, all looking quite impressed.

Perhaps meeting the Asgardians could wait a time.

sydney_ashcroft:

Movies and curled up on the couch with her daughter was a great way to spend a Saturday night in Syd's book. Dinner for Syd and Zoey consisted of pizza (cheese of course) and soda (it was a treat since they hadn't had movie night in awhile) and a huge bowl of popcorn with lots of extra butter on it.

Movie night started with Beauty and the Beast, which was Zoey's all time favorite movie, and moved on to Monsters vs. Aliens. Syd hadn't the chance to take Zoey to see it in the theater, so as soon as it came out on DVD she purchased it and they planned a movie night. It was a cute movie and Syd had the feeling they would be watching it many times in the near future since Zoey enjoyed it so much.

It was just a little past nine pm and Zoey was asleep next to Syd. Syd looked down at her daughter and smiled. Cuddling with her daughter was always a good thing. Syd was dozing as Independence Day just started.

sydney_ashcroft:

Nothing was more enjoyable to a parent than the first day of school after a long and interesting summer and today was no exception. Sydney was enjoying the peace and quiet that came with a child at school. Zoey wasn't a bad kid, she just had a lot of energy and Syd could barely keep up to her daughter some days.

Once Zoey was off to school for the day, the whole day to boot, Syd went to her morning class and then hit the grocery store on her way home. Someone, she had a sneaking suspicion who, had eaten the last of her not so secret stash of Ben and Jerry's Brownie Batter ice cream and Syd was craving chocolate. It had to be PMS and if she didn't get some chocolate ice cream even the gods would be fearing her.

Class was done, ice cream was acquired, and Syd was now sitting quietly at the table in the kitchen eating her ice cream and reading her assignment for her class in sociology. The house was eerily quiet and a small part of her brain wondered what the godlings were doing, or more likely getting in to. Naw. She didn't want to do know. The day was going too well and she didn't want to ruin it.

It wasn't to last. Instead of the peace and quiet being ruined by something crashing, getting broken, or demons showing up at the front door, her cell phone ringing shatter the quiet reprieve.

"Hello."

"Yes. This is Sydney Ashcroft."

"She did what?" A heavy sigh. "I'll be right there. Thank you."

Syd disconnected the call and sat there for a long moment. Well that was unexpected, sort of, not really. She really shouldn't be surprised. Not in the least. Of course she had to go in and talk to Zoey's principal on the first day of school.

She closed her book, grabbed her phone, grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

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:

School shopping with a very opinionated five-year-old was an experience Sydney would like to forget, mutant power aside. It had been a constant battle for the past three hours. Zoey loved being out and loved going shopping, it was just her taste in clothes. Everything the child picked out had been black. It wasn't any place strange where she picked up her taste in fashion, but did everything have to be black?

It just made school shopping VERY difficult.

In the end most of Zoey's clothes were black, but Syd had managed to get the child to agree on some clothes with other colors in them.

Syd sighed as the front door closed behind her. She dropped the numerous bags she carried in the foyer. First something cold to drink, then she'd come back and grab the bags to put the clothes away. This year Syd had bought her at least double what they had bought last year. It was nice to have a good paying job and to be able to provide for her daughter. Zoey's birthday was in a week and Syd would be able to make it the best birthday of Zoey's life. She just had to find time to go shopping without Zoey.

She made her way into the kitchen in search of that cold drink.

ohu_amane:

Ohu sighs happily as he drops a bag of groceries on the counter and begins to unpack it.

"Well! That was quite an adventure retrieving groceries, was it not, Syd?" He smiles to his shopping companion. "Purchasing groceries doesn't always involve armed robbers in the store, nor a naked prophet running through the streets, nearly causing accidents, to warn us of a 'clothing armadeggon.'" He grins. "I suppose we are just lucky. Though he seemed to be unaware that Armageddon isn't an event, but a location..."

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.

team_mascot:

Summer vacation was about half over and Mom had yet to take her to Disneyland. It was the one big thing they did each year and Zoey wasn’t going to let the summer go by without going to Disneyland. This year it could even be more fun. She knew her new friends had never been there. They hadn’t been anywhere on Earth which was really weird. She also knew that Ohu would love Disneyland. It was the happiest place on Earth after all and Ohu was always happy. He’d fit right in. Maybe Asleif would smile if she went to Disneyland.

A plan began to form in her mind. It was probably even better than her last plan and that one had been awesome. Zoey couldn’t wait to tell her friends at school about the fighting and how Svalin and Aridis beat up the knights. Even the dragon wasn’t scary now. She bet the kids in her class had never seen a real dragon before or a flying horse for that matter.

Thinking of flying horses, Zoey had to remember to grab some carrots and sugar cubes for Tryggvi and take it down to him. The two dogs got treats all the time because they were allowed inside and their treats were kept in the cabinet near the sink in the kitchen. It was Zoey’s job to make sure they had fresh water and to give them a treat every evening at six. She liked the dogs. They were nice and they liked to play and they made her giggle when they licked her face. They licked her face a lot.

Right. Disneyland. Mom had said they would go and Zoey would make sure they did go. She wanted to bring her new friends with them.

Zoey looked up from her book (not having read any of it in the past five minutes) and looked at her mom who was sitting across from her reading a book. Mom always set time aside each day for the two of them to read. Today they were in the library where it was quieter than the rest of the house. Zoey was still amazed she now lived in such a big house. It was A LOT bigger than their last house.

“Mom?”

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."

ngmastersofevil:

The attack on the Young Avengers had been successful. The Stark girl, the Rogers boy and the Rhodes girl were all successfully taken. Temujin would be along shortly to pick up the Starkling. Hadelinde would deal with the Rhodes girl and the Rogers boy would be executed. It had been a good day and was about to get better.

Egghead had set everything up in Times Square while Hadelinde and the others retrieved the three young Avengers.

Hadelinde and the rest arrived right after their successful attack on the Avengers. She dropped the Rogers kid in the middle of the hovering platform and turned toward the crowd in the streets below. Enforcer held the Stark girl. Stark would have a front row seat at her brother's execution. Frenzy held the Rhodes girl. Hadelinde would deal with her after this.

"Attention world," she said, her voice amplified by a small device attached to the neck of her suit. The event was also being transmitted around the world via satellite thanks to Egghead.

"Years ago Captain America killed my father. Today justice will be served as his son pays for his crime."

Hadelinde motioned for Enforcer to ready the Rogers kid. Egghead had constructed a modern guillotine. Hadelinde had always been a fan of be-headings.

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.

nextgen_misc:

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Across the great nation of the United States of America people everywhere celebrate the freedoms that they enjoy, the history, government, and traditions of the United States with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events.

nextgen_misc:

It had taken a little effort and a lot of talking and explaining, but the Asgardians, Ohu and Griffen O'Niell were moving to California. They were going to act as the Avengers' west coast team and would go by the name of The Defenders. Their headquarters would be at the former West Coast Avengers base Avengers' Compound located at 1800 Palos Verdes Drive just outside of LA.

The 15 acre estate featured one main building, five bungalows, garage, hangar, tennis courts and a private beach. It would be a good base for the Defenders and keep the collateral damage out of city.

Today was moving-in day.

marlow:

It took less than five minutes for Marlow to realize that she was meant to be in the same place as the woman who stopped to pick her up. The spell she cast was supposed to take her where she wanted to go, but the closer they drove to the beach, the more certain she was that her spell had been hijacked to take her where she needed to be.

Something was coming, and Sydney and her daughter a part of it. Somehow. Ultimately very bad. Marlow didn't have all the answers. Hardly any answers at all, but she had a gut feeling and the voice in her head telling her to stay.

It would be helpful if Clea would give her a bigger hint than just a whisper that somebody was coming. Sure wouldn't be Santa because her luck didn't run that way.

"You know of any place around yours that I can stay?" she asked Sydney. "Somebody looking for a roommate for week or two?"