quitethecharmer:

Vincent knocked at the door to Andrea's room. Hopefully this conversation wouldn't be something he'd come to regret.

"Andrea? It's Vincent. I need to talk to you, if you have some time."

nextgen_misc:

The invitations to THE wedding of the year went out today. Heads of state, diplomats and dignitaries from all over the world would be receiving invitations. The fervor over the wedding was building and would reach a peak when Kate Middleton walked down the isle.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent was single this Valentine's Day, but he was determined not to let himself be dragged down by that. To that end, he'd arranged friend-dates with three ladies he was inordinately fond of.

nextgen_parent:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

quitethecharmer:

Eventually, the mortal Vincent and Kristoff arrived at Jennifer Kale's home. It was relatively inoccuous compared to Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, but the wards and residual magic around it stood out like a beacon. The half of Vincent reflected on how long it had been since one of his formal lessons.

"Home away from home." He commented to himself as he leaped from the still descending Fantasticar out of habit. His legs screamed their protest as he made his landing from a bit higher than would have been comfortable for a human in relatively fit condition. His face strains, but he doesn't let out any noise of discomfort.

He advances to the front door and knocks.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent's Asgardian self had remained at the Baxter Building while his mortal self had departed with Kristoff. He'd devised an, while perhaps not as intricate as he would have previously done, effective tracking spell and was identifying other affected individuals, in hopes of locating the original source.

It was going to take some time to cycle however, leaving Vincent uncomfortably alone with his thoughts. He'd gone to speak with Andrea, but had silently withdrawn after spotting her with Mac. It wasn't his place to try to comfort her, not anymore.

Oh yes, he so enjoyed having thought thought stirred up again.

After a fruitless attempt to try to busy himself with something in his work space, his eyes fall on his phone. He bites his lip in hesitation, then picks it up. "Dial Moira."

nextgen_misc:

It started as a large blast of magical energy in London, but it quickly spread outward. It started slowly, but it quickly gained speed and eventually it would travel over the whole planet.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent was, all things considered, in a good mood. Applying alchemical principles had proven most effective in the theoretical models for his nanites, even if it disqualified the work from any mass distribution. Still, he was proud of it, and looked forward to this first lab test. Particularly since Kristoff was working with him. Despite some of the more mind-numbing parts, he'd been quite happy with resuming their lessons together.

godlierthanthou:

Well, the New Year (at least by how the majority of the mortals measured time) had started off well enough.   A year filled with promise and potential, what ifs and what might be's...

Asleif found her thoughts already trickling back over one of them... and one particular person...

nextgen_holiday:

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

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

Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

Christmas. Yule. Saturnalia. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Many cultures have celebrated and still celebrate a winter festival. There have been many names for it over the millennia. No matter the name it is a time to come together and celebrate with feasts and gifts with friends and loved ones.

Each culture has a legendary figure who would deliver gifts to children during this time. In Russia and some Slavic cultures he is known as Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, and comes not on Christmas but on New Year’s along with his granddaughter Snegurochka, or ‘”Snow Maiden”. In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe he is known as Father Christmas. In the Netherlands and Belgium he is known as Saint Nicholas or “Sinterklaas” and in France he is known as Père Noël. In the United States we know him as Santa Claus.

No matter the name or who is delivering gifts, it is the season of peace, joy and togetherness. It is the season for thinking about loved ones, friends and those less fortunate. It is a time to witness the goodness and generosity the human race is capable of. It is a time for peace on Earth and goodwill toward man.

nextgen_holiday:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

godlierthanthou:

Asleif continued to travel the world, occasionally rendering aide as she saw fit to those she saw fit to render it to.  Which seemed all the more often these days.  The world news was filled with reports of the odd mudslide which missed a village or a trail which stopped moments before a collision, and smaller, human interest stories of lost pets suddenly returning home.

But today was decidedly a day for herself, or at least, a day for friends, of which she had precious few.

She appeared in the lobby of the Fantastic Four's headquarters and informed the clockwork golem at the desk that she was here to see Vincent.

quitethecharmer:

Well, the annual rating event had revealed a bit more than Vincent had been expecting, but he was still resolved to get through his list. Even concerning MacKenzie. Especially concerning MacKenzie, given the nature of the item.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

next_avenger:

With Charlie gone and as a male member of the Avengers, in addition to being the leader, it was up to James to uphold a few traditions that didn't have to deal with battling bad guys. Though he had to admit that he would rather be fighting bad guys than doing this. It just wasn't his thing.

He wasn't as industrious as Anya, but James had managed to collect the necessary photos. It hadn't been easy and a part of him felt like he was cheating on Val.

Invitations were sent to the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Champions, Excalibur the X-Men and the Defenders guys.

With the help of Jarvis food and drink was laid in. James made sure they had a wide variety of pizza, chips, pretzels and drinks.

He loaded the photos in and took care of the security systems. The girls were not allowed to watch. Now all that was left was people showing up.

quitethecharmer:

Give Andrea Heaven. In progress.
Apologize to Her Highness
Do not do anything undignified regarding Andrea dating. In progress.
Honor Kristoff. Need everyone present for this. Holidays?
Find Taliesin. Wait until Kristoff gives all clear.
Fix things with Franklin and Valeria.
Finish Restoration. In progress.
Help Shanna with her moving.
Holiday shopping. Kristoff requests no more robotics for Scotty. Plush toys good for Miranda.
Repay Grimm for latest poker tab.
Have Asleif fit for dress.
Meet with academic advisor for next semester's courses.

Vincent taps a marker to his chin, hesitating before adding another item.

Offer Mackenzie dodgeball game.

So far as making amends went, intensely avoiding contact with someone after a petty loss in basketball seemed easy enough to move on from. Learn to deal with enough little things to help deal with the larger ones.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent knocks at the door to Shanna's apartment. The conversation he needed to have with her could have been done over the phone, but he had an armful of dvds he wanted to loan her anyway. A mix of nature specials and social documentaries, along with the pop culture. It was rather refreshing to watch her take in the world at large. He remembered what it had been like for him when he escaped-- ...when someone helped him escape Latveria.

quitethecharmer:

The day after the discussion with Shanna, Vincent needed to talk to someone. It wasn't as if he and Kristoff had had the typical brotherly relationship, and certainly not in the context of being Americans, but he couldn't think of anyone else to bring this particular situation to. Even if they'd pointedly tried to avoid talking about Vincent's sex life in the past.

They'd been scheduled for a science lesson anyway, so Vincent is expecting his brother to be available when he arrives at the lab. He's not quite distraught, but he's clearly uneasy.

callme_eight:

Shanna had finally thought she got used to Earth culture. She had been working hard and taking care of herself pretty well. There had been very few bad reactions to foods in a long time. She was pretty happy with herself.

That was why she had decided to invite Vincent over. She was cooking dinner. She had found ways to make food that would be pretty filling and not make her sick. It was sort of like fried rice, except without the eggs of course.

She really hoped that Vincent was okay with this place. She had been told it was what was called a 'dive' due to the cracks in the walls and sometimes the lights didn't work right. But the heating worked almost all of the time. Her bed was usually dry and the locks worked properly so she could have her privacy. Now all she had to do was wait for Vincent.

nextgen_misc:

You are cordially invited to attend the 27th annual Maria Stark Foundation's Winter Charity event.

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

Saturday December 18th
Seven O'clock pm - Midnight

Formal dress required.

Please bring a donation for Toys for Tots.

quitethecharmer:

It was looking to be a rather busy week for Vincent. Aside from what he had to do, there were certain things he simply felt he should do, and at least one he was looking forward to.

nextgen_citizen:

A middle-aged man in official looking uniform of some European fashion arrives at the Baxter Building.

"I am here to speak with Kristoff Vernard and Vincent von Doom, on behalf of the monarch of Latveria, Victor von Doom."

quitethecharmer:

He'd gotten as far as he could in reasonable confidence. Logic trees, operating parameters, and all the other basic formulas had been set. Vincent knew it was time to call in someone more proficient than he for the rest of the programming. Kristoff had already been lending him aid on the assembly of the prototype swarm, but the Refreshers needed their marching orders, so to speak.

He called Anya Stark.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent smiled and waved to the cab as it departed, some old acquaintances of his already calling it a night. After his talk with Kristoff, and some more work on his project, he'd decided to treat himself to a night out. He hadn't really hit the club circuit in a while, and it felt good to get out and feel the pulse of the city again.

Adjusting his scarf, (he didn't really need it, but it completed his look), he strode down the street, waiting for another drink special, smell of food, or song to catch his attention and lure him inside.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had needed a distraction after the events in Symkaria, and more to the point, in Latveria. He'd reorganized his lab, run some upgrades on his aide droids, and upon attempting to clean up some of his old journals, had started re-reading them.

He smirked and shook his head at himself as he read about his and Kristoff's first meeting. Various incidents with Valeria and Franklin. Pranking Grimm with Storm's help.

And then he got to the outing where they clashed with the Serpent Society, and the talk with Kristoff afterwards.

He felt his stomach fall to somewhere remote.

~~~

"Kristoff?" He was still holding the journal. "Do you have any time?"

discardedheir:

When the smoke and the dust and in some cases the blood finally clears, there's just the electronically sealed vault door separating the combatants from their captive parents, grandparents, and employers.

Kristoff gets to work on the locks, and soon the door rolls back. The technicians surrounding the prisoners are all cowering in fear with their hands up.

The prisoners themselves -- Silver Sablinova, Victor Von Doom, Namor McKenzie, T'Challa, Magneto, and Exodus -- are all under heavy restraints and hooked up to IVs, so heavily drugged that they cannot access their abilities or think straight enough to plan an escape. They have only recently been brought to enough basic consciousness to -- HYDRA had assumed -- watch their children die on the television screen provided.

burnwithlight:

Just before they got near Symkarian airspace, they'd gotten a message from Vernard that he and his brother would be going. Another point in the 'Nazi Trap!' column.

And again they answer a few basic questions from SHIELD before they're even allowed past those border checks.

Eventually, they're in. Giovanna's hand hangs onto Andrew's arm in a girlfriendly fashion. The better to shock him at an instant's notice.

Symkaria's cleanup look like it's going very well.

discardedheir:

Kristoff got Vincent and Andrea together privately within the castle.

"Vincent and I have obtained invitations to the meeting in Symkaria," he says. "Raising the likelihood that this is a trap from 'very likely' to 'extremely likely'."

discardedheir:

Kristoff sent a message to SHIELD. Full Disclosure. Doom was not in Latveria, and the Doombot signals had apparently been hijacked.

Then he got to work trying to raise Atlantis on the communcations system. Even once a signal got through the general difficulties connections with Atlantis sometimes did, it was something of a wait for anyone of the techs on the other end to be willing to take a call coming from Doomstadt right now. Even then, it some work to get someone to take "Please put His Majesty or Her Highness through as soon as possible. No, this is not a trick, this is Kristoff Vernard of the Fantastic Four" seriously.

discardedheir:

SHIELD was notified. Cassandra and the children were taken care of, and the Fantasticar was about to enter Latverian airspace.

Obviously, the automatic national defenses were on alert, but they could be temporarily disabled with a code that changed every hour of every day, but was based on particularly complex algorithm Doom had concocted at the age 24 and never shared with another human being, and into which one simply had to plug in the full date and time. And, of course, add the name Valeria.

It's been a very, very long time since he's disobeyed the Master. The Fantasticar touched own on the outskirts of Doomstadt unmolested; Kristoff deliberately does not look in the direction of the gypsy funeral grounds. He can't let himself do that right now.

Since the defenses hadn't been activated, Doomstadt is looking its normal calm, quiet self. People walk unmolested down the cobblestone streets, and the water flows in the fountains. The castle looks its normal self from this distance as well.

Time for them to see about making the Master of Latveria explain himself.

nextgen_media:

Staggered and vague reports are coming that Dr. Doom has now followed his unprovoked aggression against neighboring Symkaria with attacks against Atlantis and Wakanda. As both of these nations are insular and isolated, these reports have been difficult to confirm, and no public announcements have been made by any of the governments involved.  There are even rumors that the respective kings of Atlantis and Wakanda are missing in action.

Even though all the reported victims so far have been isolated or marginalized nations, the U.N. and various governments around the world are reported to be in an uproar trying to decide what action to take.

nextgen_media:

"Reports are coming in from Symkaria that both major cities are under siege by what are unmistakeably Doombots and other Latverian military automata.

After decades of only occasionally mildly disturbed peace, Latveria has apparently finally invaded its southern neighbor.  Victor Von Doom's motivation for this attack remains unknown; he has made no public statement."

quitethecharmer:

Vincent, as a rule, did not like the smell of coffee. He found it to be bitter and that it stuck with one for hours.

He did however, like people, and this particular Starbucks as good a place as any to enjoy their comings and goings. The new lemonade mix they had wasn't bad either. (Kristoff and general standards had long since ruined him for any franchise-produced tea, so lemonade it was.)

He hadn't yet worked up the nerve to approach Kristoff with his plan yet, although the talk with Andrea had certainly helped. A new paperback was also a good way to spend an hour or two, re-reading each page twice so as not to finish it too quickly. The katakana snuck onto the main character's staff on the cover had been worth a chuckle as well.

awesome_andrea:

Andrea was currently in the lounge of the living quarters portion of the Baxter Building, a laptop open on the table in front of her, and books alongside that.  Of course, she already had the contents of those books scanned into her memory, but the more human aspects of her programming matrix insisted upon also having the physical articles in front of her.

Her eyes were fluttering in their sockets, and the computer was humming along, text appearing on the screen with speed far faster than any person could type.

Only her second week of school and she was already working on papers.  Granted, her class schedule was somewhat larger than that of other students.  Without the need for sleep or food that other students possessed, she was able to take an enlarged class schedule, across better hours.

callme_eight:

Shanna Eight was still not used to Earth. She thought the city of New york would be the best place to get started in learning about Earth culture. So she was going to stay there until she thought she could blend in well. The problem was that there were very few things she could eat on Earth when it came to food. She had gotten very sick twice trying to eat very basic Earth foods.

Cheese burgers tasted so good but puking for an hour after that was not fun. She would never do that again.

But she had things now! A job at a pet store. The animals there seemed to really like her. But no more than a human which was good. She didn't like drawing attention to herself.

She also had a place to stay. It wasn't very good. It made her wonder if Earth had caste systems too.

Today was her day off. The first day off she had in two weeks. Which was nice actually.

But now she was ting to pick some place to go to learn about Earth culture. She had no idea where one would do that. That was why she was hovering just a few inches off the ground on a street corner reading from a tour guide. She didn't realize she was floating and didn't notice the nervous whispers of people passing by her and standing near that same street corner.

quitethecharmer:

In his admittedly short life, Vincent had faced all sorts of things beyond normal comprehension, of the arcane, the extra-dimensional, the chronologically displaced, or extra-terrestrial. Right now, he would rather be dealing with any of those.

He took a breath and went out on stage to the podium with his best show smile in place, waving to the crowd of college freshmen and their parents.

"Ladies and gentlemen, of the entering class of 2014, my name is Vincent Richardsson, probably better known until now as Vincent Amorason. The dean of your university has invited me today as part of your orientation ceremonies to address you. Me, someone only the same age as most of you and not even in college myself yet." He shrugs, letting the crowd have a brief chuckle with him. "I am here today to tell you one simple and disheartening fact.

Most of the world is dead." Vincent paused to let some of the shock ripple over the crowd.

"I'm not going to bore you with details about orbital deceleration or genetic stagnation or the greenhouse effect, no. When I say 'the world', I mean the world all the peoples on this planet have made it to be. Society.

How long does the discovery of a new species, or a new medication, or solar system, stay in the news? If it ever makes the mainstream news to begin with. Conversely, how long do we need to hear about the infidelities of some athlete or politician?

The edges of the map may have been filled in, but we should not let ourselves grow satisfied with that. There are other planets to map, and worlds beneath the surface of our own that we have barely charted.

Do not let the spirit of exploration, of discovery, die in your generation. Do not settle for some line of study simply because you feel it is profitable or what your parents want; but don't take your family for granted. You never know when anyone you treasure might be lost to you, even if they're still alive and well.

Cultivate your friendships. You have more to discover about the people you've known all your life than you can even yet imagine.

Respect your teachers, even if you don't like them. Respect them more if they challenge you. Question what you learn, but only when you're prepared to do the work to find your own answers or confirm the ones you've been given.

Find your own ideals and goals, and realize them. If nothing else, realize that the world is waiting to be made a better place, and you can expect no-one to do it but yourselves. Thank you."

He doesn't wait for any applause. He simply vanishes, with less light and noise than is typical for him.

discardedheir:

Kristoff Vernard, age 22, didn't leave his lab for a long time. He wasn't sure he could handle the humiliation.

"I'm so sorry," she had said. "It's not that I don't care for you, but I'm fairly sure I could never marry you."

The small bottle of Latverian brandy had been a birthday gift he'd been saving for a special occasion. It was empty now.

nextgen_misc:

It was a day like any other day for the island of Manhattan.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the cabbies were swearing.  All was as it should be.

As it should be, until something had come up out of the harbor.  Multiple stories tall, covered in scaly green-skin, its every step a practical earthquake.  Bullets could not stop it!  It marched through the city, stepping on all in its wake, smashing and striking out at anything that seemed to annoy it.

Giganto walked the streets of New York!   The police were helpless!  There was only one team with the experience to handle such a beast!

....No.  Not the Avengers.  They're busy this issue.

The World's Greatest Super-Heroes... THE FANTASTIC FOUR!

nextgen_holiday:

What Makes a Dad

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

He called it ... Dad

quitethecharmer:

He could do this. She was his friend. She'd been his friend for a very long time. There was no reason they couldn't continue to be friends, despite... being dumped breaking up.

He knocked at her door. It wasn't as if he had far to go. She was right next door after all.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent takes a deep breath. Doctor Samson hadn't spoken yet, waiting for him to make himself comfortable. He lays down on the couch, then sits up, then lays back down again. He turns on his side, facing out the window. Samson's office had an excellent view. The place always smelled like crushed peppermint as well. He wondered if that was just for him, or for all his patients. It was probably just for him, or only a few others. Samson was meticulous like that.

Before it had been a full five minutes into the hour, he finally cleared his throat, speaking up.

"So.. It was my idea to seek some manner of professional help. Kristoff agreed it was in order and chose you."

franklen_four:

It had been awhile since Franklin recovered from his coma, and he had been working on keeping himself in check.  Therapy every week helped him control his emotions better, although he was happy that his sessions were over in the coming week.  He sighed in relief and sat down in the kitchen with a hot mug filled with hot chocolate in front of him.  He made it himself, and it tasted particularly good.  The trade secret was two little baggies of the hot chocolate mix.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent looked up at his brother, waiting for him to speak. Much had happened.

nextgen_holiday:

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

quitethecharmer:

Vincent Amorason, mage in practicum, glared out the window of his keep in Asgard as a horse flew by, the clash of metal following it. It wasn't actually his keep alone, but it was his private study at the sorcery school. He had mastered every course put before him ever since his mother petitioned for his placement, despite reservations by the leaders of the school. Now he was at the top of his classes... and the only male in the entire school. In a strange coincidence, it was the first time for only one male to have been in attendance since Loki himself attended the school.

Not that that part bothered him much. He had his pick of charming young sorceresses, and girls outside the school, to spend his time with. He'd never needed anything in the way of magic to glamor them. He smirked to himself, but the satisfaction was fleeting.

Although he had a small handful of friends unconcerned with his lineage, murmurs of 'half blood' and 'witchspawn' always seemed to drift around him. More than that, while sorcery commanded respect in Asgard, it did not command adoration. Cheers rose up with each practice bout down in the courtyard for the warrior school. He seated himself in the window, looking down on them as he bit harshly into an apple. There. Central to all the glory, companionship, and respect Asgard had to offer. Lord Thor's warrior children. Accomplished alumni of the warrior school and celebrities to every oaf with no greater aspirations in life than to swing a weapon and splinter shields and bodies.

He spared a moment to mentally congratulate himself on making the sleeping poison's taste vanish entirely. It wasn't meant to take effect for an hour yet, so he had plenty of time to uncork a bottle with the antidote and take a few drops as needed. For all his venom towards the Thorspawn, he was not so foolish as to make a move against them. The poison was an intellectual exercise, although perhaps it could be put to some use for Moira and Danielle, baiting ambushes. It had become a long-standing game of theirs for him to add a bit of magical tactic to their small hunts.

A messenger imp fluttered into the chambers, shrieking noisily before it dropped a parchment into Vincent's lap and vanished.

Mother. She could just as easily have channeled the message, or sent a living messenger; but then she would hardly be Amora if she did.

He unrolled the paper and scowled. What did she want him at home for now? He pitched the remainder of the apple into the fire, swirling his cloak around him to transport him home. Whoever it was he was meant to meet had best be worth his time.

exiledbrother:

Two months ago he would not have been able to do this. He had been broken by being tossed to this other world. This world that was not his. He had been reduced to nothing. Less than nothing really. He had no papers to get himself set up at first. It had not taken him too long to change things around. He had ended up using an alias to get things started.

Taliesin Morgan was a useful name to use. But it would not last forever. The world would soon know the name of Taliesin von Doom.

So when does this happen and how? It is a Saturday. The skies are clear and people are out and about doing whatever it is they want to. Then in a flash of yellow and blue light that looks almost pretty buses stop. Cabs stop. Police officers on horses in the city parks or on bicycles stop.

Not because they are frozen in time. But they are confused. They are no longer human but dogs, cats, and birds.

Not all of them are like that though. About a half dozen police officers who weren't caught in the strange light are at the City hall. One of them notices just how the wacko is dressed and dives behind a pillar as his friends are tossed by magic and something else aside. The cop manages to get a message through to the Fantastic Four that someone dressed like Doom has just attacked City hall, could they please help?

quitethecharmer:

A call comes over Kristoff's communicator, registering as originating from Vincent's laboratory.

"Kristoff, would you join me in my lab? I'm preparing to initiate something, but I need a fresh set of eyes and a fresh mind to make sure I haven't overlooked anything."

A pause.

"Please."

swashbuckler:

Well, there was good news and there was bad news.  The good news was that the girls had, indeed, successfully freed them from a lifetime of service to the Empress.  They'd successfully bargained for their release and had been allowed to go back home.  There had been the promise that they would be returned to normal as soon as possible.

That.... had turned out to be a lie. 

Steve didn't fully understand the science behind it all (though Doctors Richards, Pym, and McCoy had gone on about it for quite some time), but the basic phrase that had come up was something along the lines of "permanent or possibly fatal genetic damage" if anything was attempted to be done to change them any further than what the Empress's science had done.  At least, for the mortals among them anyway.  Halbjorn and Iason's possible fates were a bit more up in the air.

Steve had gone back to his(?) room in the mansion, not knowing what else to do.

This?  ...This just royally sucked.

discardedheir:

Pawn to e4.

"I hope you have been well," Kristoff politely says to Vincent von Doom, looking t him from across the board in the park.

quitethecharmer:

She was still nursing the broken arm, but her injuries were mostly stabilized. In light of all she had gone through with her family right now, she needed to get out. A standard scrying spell determined the location of the friend she had in mind. After letting Kristoff know she would be leaving the building, and her general destination, she was off.

She arrived at the front gates of the Defenders' headquarters, asking for Asleif over the intercom.