the_other:

(This scene takes place an one hour after this.)


Ben creeps out his room window quietly, trying not to alert his sister. His parents said he couldn't go out, and that's fine. They didn't say his alter-ego couldn't go out; that was his story and he was sticking to it. He creeps down the side of the building, hand over hand as quickly as possible, until he reaches the alley floor. Once he touches down, he makes a run for it, heading toward Kassi's.

His parents could ground him until he was ninety, but only after his date.

the_other:

Ben didn't know when it would start, only that it would. With all the anti-mutant sentiment going about, it was only a matter of time before it got to Midtown High School. A few people, people he thought he knew well, started going the other way when they saw him coming. Others pretended to be busy with a particular spot on the floor that kept them from looking at him. Gong from one of the most popular sophomores in school to near-pariah in a matter of days didn't bother him nearly as much as where the hate was /really directed.

( Read more... )

 

nextgen_holiday:

"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." -- Unknown

little_mermaid:

Kassi hated gym.  Hated it with a passion, even more now that they were very near the end of the school year and it was hot outside.  Heat didn't go well for a girl with a largely Atlantean physiology nor did it go well with those damn socks.  The socks were the bane of her existence and so Kassi tried to time it just so that when she went in to dress out for gym she could be alone, allowing her to free her wings for a moment before stuffing back in their little elastic prisons.

She had just slipped off her shoes and sat down thinking she was alone when she heard a noise.

no_relation:

Jack had finally lost the argument with Marcia that even though Doctor Samson had cleared him for it, going to school was a waste of time. She made the arrangements for him to enroll just after the break, and so here he was. He wandered the halls of Midtown High early in the morning, trying to make sense of the schedule, or even find his locker.

This whole thing would be so much simpler if he just crawled along the ceiling; but that would tend to compromise the whole secret identity thing.

fleetfootmac:

He'd headed to work as soon as he got up in the morning, barely stopped for lunch, and worked some more. Valentine's Day at a plant shop was kinda busy; go figure. Then there was the charity thing and a beautiful evening with Andrea. Mac had had an exhausting but excellent day.

And then he got home, and knocked on Kassi's door to check on her.

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.

the_other:

Ben Parker listens to Coach Thompson in the huddle, getting his assignment for the play. He does his best not to look up and try to find Kassi in the crowd. She said she'd come, but he hadn't seen her yet. Then again, he'd only been able to take quick glances around, and even those were dangerous. Already, he'd allowed one steal to turn into a fast-break situation that allowed the Rochester High Roadrunners to score.

Coach was /not/ happy about that.

Now, Midtown High was down six points in the fourth quarter with two-minutes left in regulation. Ben was loathe to do so, but now, he might have to rely on his secret weapon to secure the win for his team.

( Read more... )( Read more... )</div>

fleetfootmac:

He'd found one -- an all-ages karaoke bar. A night out for him, Andrea, Kassi, and Ben. No mention of the trouble at home for now.

"A root beer, please -- Abita, if you've got it -- and the lady will have a Cherry Coke."

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
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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_media:

DAILY BUGLE - Crime rates near the so-called "District X" continue to climb in recent weeks, as what are being reported as mutant street gangs ransacked thirteen stores in the past three weeks, with half a dozen home invasions as well. Property damage estimates are estimated to be in the tens of thousands and still rising, and insurance carriers for the claimants are currently entering litigation as to whether or not mutant violence constitute valid claims under criminal sections of their coverage.

THE BUZZ - (editorial by Khan Keorattanavong) Police Captain Erica Strauss commended her precinct's officers today, in a grandstanding public ceremony where the collective members of the 11th Precinct by all rights should have snapped in half from how fast they bent over to kiss their own collective rears. Arrests for possession are at an all-time high as Strauss continues her war on drugs, specifically MGH, Mutant Growth Hormone. Arrests are at an all-time high, with a soaring conviction rate on possession charges as well. Sources also claim that pleas from defense attorneys for what would normally be minor charges have been ignored by the DA's office.

We've all seen what MGH can do, but voices within the local community cite that the arrests have been focused on users carrying empathic and telepathically communal strains, rather than your typical lasers and super strength varieties. Cops beating up on hippies, where have we seen that before?

nextgen_holiday:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." JFK

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.

little_mermaid:

Day Two of public school did not appear to be headed down any more positive a path than Day One.  Kassia arrived early so she could stop by the office and pick up her class schedule, only to discover that they did not yet have her name correct.  She was now "Grace McKenzie".  She gave up at that point, realizing that any further protestations would just piss off the administration and also likely leak her identity as an Atlantean princess, which would piss off Namor.  Truth was, Kassi had no documentation with her name as Kassia save for Atlantean paperwork.  That they were able to get the McKenzie right was a step in the correct direction and she took it.

There was then the matter of her locker.  Kassia couldn't make the lock open, her efforts resulting in the lock breaking in her hands.  She was going to have to carry her stuff in her bag, which was fine.  She could handle that, but she was late for her first class, got lost finding her second, and by the time lunch rolled around she managed to spill juice on herself...and discovered there wasn't a single vegan option available.  And asking for one had gotten her weird looks from the cafeteria staff and students alike.  By the first class after lunch, Kassia had earned the badge of "Weird New Girl".

This wasn't going well.  When Study Hall arrived, Kassia found a spot at the furthest table away from everyone else and wished briefly that invisibility was one of her abilities.  She could use it.

notinplainsight:

Kalypso sat at a table in a small cafe not too far from where her brother taught classes. She had sent him a message to meet her here for a cup of coffee and to catch up. He didn't respond so she didn't know if he would show, but she was fine if he didn't show. There were times Kal just liked to sit in the middle of the sea of humanity and feel like she was one of them for awhile.

Her favorite place to collect her thoughts was looking down on the Earth from the edge of space, but it made her feel more removed from humanity than she already was. Here, sitting among the masses, she could pretend she was still one of them even though she would never be again. She felt herself pulling away from the human race further and further each day since the day she had found out that she would literally live forever.

She looked like them, but she wasn't human. She no longer needed to eat, sleep or even breathe. She wouldn't die unless her atoms were scattered over a large enough distance and she wouldn't get sick or succumb to the ravages of time and old age. She would remain like she was forever.

It was a scary thought.

Humans dreamed of living forever, but the more Kal realized she would live forever and the more she thought about it, the more she began to dislike it. The only people she wouldn't have to watch grow old and die were other Eternals and gods. Everyone else she knew would live out their mortal lives and die, returning to the Earth from whence they came.

The more she thought about such things, the more she felt herself pulling away from her mortal cousins. Jack kept her grounded in humanity and helped her keep what remaining humanity she had left, but one day he too would be gone and the split from the human world would be complete.

Kal sipped her coffee. Such maudlin thoughts. She needed to think of something happier. Something other than not being human. She turned her attention to the people outside on the street and watched them.

the_other:

"Spider-Man" slams into the side of car, having been hit by the fifth or sixth pumpkin bomb of the evening. He hated whoever threw the damn bomb, and he definitely hates the gang-bangers that tricked him here. They knew they couldn't beat him with all their guns and numbers, so they hired a mask to stop him.

That angers him enough to want to kill this one and he will...as soon as his head stops spinning.

His Spider-Sense goes crazy the moment he stumbles to his feet and he leaps up and to his right, clinging to the side of a building as he escapes the next pumpkin bomb. The car that broke his fall explodes in a hunk of metal and cinders, and he fires a webline at the maniac on the glider.

The gawkers below are innocent people and this Jack-O-Lantern will pay dearly for those deaths.

He just needs to stay alive long-enough for that to happen.

the_other:

Two nights after his first appearance, the Man in Black is prowling the streets of New York, seeking any trace of the Poison Memories he can find. He stops other thieves and killers along the way, but any time he can find a member of the Poison Memories, he devotes his all to stopping that criminal. Every criminal he comes across is beaten savagely, regardless of the crime, but only the gang-bangers  get the worst thrashings.

All in all, he finds himself smiling beneath the mask as he perches atop a light pole across from ESU to survey the landscape.

Where are the muggers?

Soon enough, he sights one, and releases a webline, swinging over in the direction to intervene.

the_other:

It took some serious doing while Mom and Dad were out this evening, but Ben manages to find Peter's old Nikon Camera in the attic from his days as a photographer at the Daily Bugle. It also takes a serious chunk of Ben's allowance to get some good film for the thing, but once he'd done so, he was ready. He threw some clothes in his backpack, made his bed, then left a note for Mom and Dad saying he going to visit May over at ESU and see the Comedy Improv Group doing a free show there with her.

Alibi established with the parents. He also sent a text to May saying he was staying the night at Jake's house, but they were going out to the Arcade at Coney Island.

Alibi established with Super-Hero Sister.

Time for action.

Ben catches the bus down toward the docks not far from ESU, having heard from a few reliable sources that the Poison Memories had some turf in the area. Tonight, Ben was going to end their reign of terror, and make them pay for what they'd done to Sidonie and countless other best friends, brothers, and sisters over the years.

An hour later, he's watching the docks, camera in hand, waiting for the shot that the cops can't ignore. He doesn't have spider-powers, but he does have the courage to stand up to evil.

He takes a deep breath, peeking around a corner as a car pulls up on the docks.

webslingergirl:

May loved that ESU had a full selection of summer courses that she could take to knock a couple of gen-eds out of the way. What she loved even more was that she could live on campus (and not have to worry about her nosy roommate), and not have to get up at the crack of dawn to take the subway from Queens to barely get to class on time.

However...she didn't get to spend as much time with Ben as she would like. And after what happened to Sidonie, well, let's just say that she was worried about her little brother even more than she normally was. It wasn't everyday that you saw one of your best friends murdered in front of your eyes.

He needed to get out. And May knew just what to do.

She texted Ben.

Hey twerp, lunch at Big Nick's? My treat.

the_other:

Two days after the shooting at The Dot, Ben Parker still hasn't been back to school. He's been holed up in his room with the lights out, mostly. When he's awake, Ben is somber and silent, seemingly unable or unwilling to talk about what happened.

Now, he just sits at his desk in his room, going over old group pictures of Sidonie, Jake, and himself, and wondering if there wasn't something more he could have done to help his friend. It was his fault she was there in the first place, then that she died soon after.

If he'd had powers, like May or Guardian, Sidonie would have lived.

He just knew it.

the_other:

After another long day of classes, Ben Parker is enjoying a milkshake at The Dot with his two best friends in the world, Sidonie and Jake. Sidonie asked Ben if she could interview him for their final paper in Journalism. Ben was still looking for someone to interview, but he tried to put the upcoming deadline out of his mind and focus on the State Championship game in three weeks.

"Ben, do you think you'll see court time in the State Championships against Stuyvesant? The so called 'Sticky Fingers' are last year's State Champs and Midtown is the big underdog. You're the team's star point-guard. Are you nervous?" asks Sidonie Henderson, pressing the "Record" button on her new digital tape recorder. She really wanted her first story for the school-paper to be good, but Ben still wanted to do the story on him, of all people. Sidonie wanted to work for the New York Times someday, and always talked about how she was going to be the "real-life Lois Lane", complete with her own personal superhero.

Ben shook his head at the thought of reporters with their own superheroes and answered the question.

( Read more... )

benparker:

Manhattan, New York. Ah, smell that fermented hotdog and cheese combo. It would make Ben hungry if not for the full course meal he had before going out. Mary Jane always insisted he eat whatever was put in front of him, not like he complained, mom was a supreme cook of ultimate blackholes and could rival a top chef or two given the chance. That should be her superpower at least, she should get a medal for it. With a full stomach he headed out into the streets, camera hanging from his neck and swinging against the black AC/DC t-shirt he sported -- he'd be back before ten, there was that thing called taking out the trash... though he grunted when he was told it was his turn, he'd try to remember this time. Last time May ended up taking it out and he had to clean out her closet in turn. 'It's only fair.' Peter stated, telling him about the times he forgot to do his chores when living with Uncle Ben and Aunt may -- it ended with him doing double work or a good talking to. That seemed to carry over to his parents much to his disdain.

Ben veered his thoughts toward a newsstand, there were a few passerbys paying for magazines, top seller books and newspaper -- Ben attempted seeing over a large man's shoulder, finally catching sight of the Daily Bugle Paper in question. The headline read 'HAVOC AT DISNEYLAND!' subtitle 'NOT EVEN THE SAFEST PLACE IS SAFE! UNBELIEVABLE!' he rolled his eyes, of course not, villains liked corrupting anything and everything that looked like a good innocent time. But at Disneyland? He had to take a look at that, he remembered someone at home mentioning it, though he'd been too involved with a game controller at the time to actually listen.

Once the Burly man moved away from the stand, nearly knocking him over, wide eyed he held onto the side and looked at the seller with an awkward grin. "Ah, hi, one Daily Bugle?" The seller didn't look like the polite type but he didn't mouth off like the usual New Yorker, exchanging the paper for money in hand. Ben moved away to lean against the side of the stand, reading through the context with interest. "Always making it out to be worse than it really is... figures." He expected the article to mention death and mayhem, but it was nothing more than what a couple of high-school pranksters would do if they had the means to do it. News about Tony Stark and The Young Avengers seemed more up there with what he thought he would be reading. It happened a few days ago, so, it was still being investigated from what he could tell, but it looked like a new team of superheros was on the rise on the opposite of the country. "Can never have too many of those."