olympian_elf:

 Kael sat in the library, a pile of different books laying across the table as he went from one to the another, writing a detail or two on some paper he had nearby.

nextgen_media:

It was a normal day in Los Angeles and at the Defenders' Compound. Or so it seemed. It only took a few minutes, but the compound was transformed into a castle with part of it looking like a skull. Castle Grayskull now stood where the main building of the Defenders' compound once stood. Around the castle a thick woods sprang up and surrounded the castle.

One one side of LA Skeletor and his crew started heading for Castle Grayskull. He wanted to get inside and learn all of its secrets.

On the other side of LA Hordak and his crew started headed for the Whispering Woods. He wanted to capture She-Ra and her rebels.

nextgen_holiday:

Each year toward the end of December people come together with friends and family to celebrate and exchange gifts. The atmosphere is light, merry and there is plenty of cheer to go around. Holiday music fills the air while bright colorful lights light up the nights. Mistletoe is placed in strategic locations and people are willing caught under it.

It's a time of celebration, even for superheroes.

anyastark:

Anya had spent Thanksgiving with her team and with her family. Early dinner in Boston and then dinner with the family in New York in the evening. It was great having two Thanksgiving Day dinners. The best part of the holiday after the food was the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn't for the shopping or the deals, but for the time honored tradition of rating the male members of the superhero community.

Anya had the rec room of the Avengers mansion all prepared. Pizza, snacks, drinks of the soft kind and other various items for eating and drinking were laid out. Electronics were all prepared for the event. All that was left was for the guests to arrive.

nextgen_holiday:

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.

shield_maiden:

Svalin frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror. She hated dresses and didn't understand why both mothers insisted she wear one tonight for dinner with their guests. The Greeks didn't care if she wore a dress or not so why should the mothers care? She frowned again and took one last look in the mirror before heading to Lord Odin's hall for dinner.

godlierthanthou:

Asleif very carefully set up her dolls in their little wooden chairs, smoothing a few wrinkles from Brunhilde's dress. Then, she very carefully placed her tea set on the table and smoothed her own dress before sitting down.

"Why yes," she said, "it be nice and quiet in the house for once. Perhaps those noisy children have gone far away. Mayhaps they might not return. Would that not be nice?"

She considered this, as though listening to one of the dolls. "Perhaps thou art right. They doth provide some entertainment value. And I doth suspect Mothers and Father wouldst be terrible upset without them."

dashingly:

skald_iona:

It had been a perfect storm, where everyone seemed to have something to do upon the same hour, upon the same day. Everyone, it seemed, except the Asgardian story teller, who assured the royal family that she was honored and pleased to watch the baby. She and Solver had gone for a walk on the grounds, taken in an absurdly entertaining episode that had pony's with an impressive amount of sassy and moxy, and she had told him an enthralling and carefully edited tale from the young Prince's homeland while she bathed him.

It seemed so long since she sang in the halls of Asgard, before her friends, parents, even Odin himself. Now she sang softly to the baby, of his people and the great things they were capable of as she rocked him asleep, being careful to tuck a blanket around him to keep him warm before heading down to wait for one of his mothers. A cup of cocoa and People and she was settled in to wait, content.

shield_maiden:

Svalin and Hal were in the training room sparring, in other words beating the crap out of each other, when the world seemed to shift for a few moments. When the world righted itself, they found themselves standing outside near a forest. There was a loud roar in the distance.

shield_maiden:

Svalin still didn't quite understand the reason why people on Migard celebrated the day of one's birth, but her wife's birthday would not go by without something from Svalin and Solver. Sydney had helped Svalin and Solver find a gift by taking them out shopping. When they didn't find anything they liked, Sydney showed them how to shop on the Internet. It took some time, but eventually Svalin found something she thought her wife would like. The vintage butterfly brooch was quite beautiful.

Svalin wrapped the gift in a silk scarf and Solver made the card.

shield_maiden:

Svalin knew she'd have a hard time dealing with the events of the solstice and had avoided sleeping for a few days afterward. Even she needed to sleep at some point and she had finally drifted off. The nightmares started almost instantly. She didn't dream of dying. That never scared her. She dreamed of what happened after Nidhogg killed her.

The world burned and her son was responsible. He ruled Migard and Asgard with such brutality and such destruction. Solver stood over her while she knelt on the ground in surrender. His dual maces came up to strike her and Svalin screamed.

shield_maiden:

Svalin knew what tomorrow held for her and would face it with valor as always, but this evening she would push it to the back of her mind and spend a nice night with her family. A night out would help both her and her wife push tomorrow to the back of the mind.

She put on a sun dress her wife had bought and put into her closet on along with a pair of sandals. Heels, well, Svalin could do a lot of things, but walking in heels wasn't something she was good at. Sandals were better, but boots were still the best.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door to her wife's bedroom. "Milady?'

shield_maiden:

Svalin woke to find herself lying on the ground. She blinked. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was being attacked. She didn't see the attacker, but the world went black and she woke up here. Where was here?

Svalin pulled herself to her feet and looked around.

The world was desolate and had been destroyed at some point. Where in Hel was she and what had happened?

shield_maiden:

Svalin still wasn't sure about the whole celebrating birthdays, but Zoey insisted they celebrate all the birthdays of the Defenders. Kael would find Asgardian mead and a dagger Svalin had forged.

shield_maiden:

Svalin still didn't quite understand why mortals celebrated the day they were born, but she did like the idea of presents. Giving that is. She found a good pair of leather boots for Aridis and Hal. Asleif was the hard one, but in the end Svalin settled for a leather pouch to hold spell components.

nextgen_cosmic2:

The Collector was always searching for unique and unusual items to add to his personal collection. He had numerous worlds filled with items he had collected over the eons. His attention had wandered away from Earth for awhile, but that changed. Now something unique caught his eye and he was determined to add it to his collection.

He landed on the front porch of the Defenders' compound. He blasted the door into oblivion and walked into the building.

shield_maiden:

Svalin was a woman of her world. She would do anything to keep her word once she gave it and she had given it to her brother when they made their wager. Now she had to do what she agreed upon. Tonight was a night out with Brandr.

Svalin pulled her hair back into a thick braid and dressed in a pair of pants with loose blouse. Her sword was at her side and she wore her favorite pair of boots. She played with Solver while she waited for Brandr.

shield_maiden:

Svalin's sword didn't stop. It moved from one opponent to another in wide sweeping strokes. Occasionally a large overhead blow was required, but enemies still fell before her.

shield_maiden:

When Svalin needed to think she headed to the training room. Smashing and killing things, in a sense, helped her clear her mind. When she was fighting things she blocked everything else out and focused on the task in front of her.

dashingly:

So the first date hadn't quite gone as planned, just general bad luck. But Brandr wasn't one to let that get him down, he wouldn't be able to hold the name Fandralsson if it did. Unfortunately, ever since that first date, Lady Svalin seemed to be avoiding him. Unsure of exactly what to make of it, he decided to try his luck and ask her if out again. So he had timed it so he'd find her outside the one place she could never avoid. The training room.

olympian_elf:

 Kael had been more quiet and insular than usual upon their return from Olympus. The day had been won though hard fought, but Kael was not in any mood to celebrate. Kael was in the training room fighting a copy of the being he fought on Olympus, the Flame. This version, while formidable, was not quite the equal of the real thing. The computer said something about "safety protocols" when he tried to give his opponent equivalent power. So Kael had to settle for what he could get. He spent a long time just going back and forth with his adversary, He was bruised and bleeding, but nothing too serious,

Kael remembered being there..the home of his father. He remembered seeing Zeus..and how the arrogant bastard dismissed them all after they saved his kingdom. So that was how Olympus was represented. This was the other side of his heritage!? Kael roared in rage, attacking his faux-enemy with absolute fury. he barely registered that his opponent's sword-arm was cleaved off. His swords were dropped as he knocked the enemy to the ground and proceeded to punch it continuously, screaming in the language of the Dark Elves.

nextgen_holiday:

"A simple 'I love you' means more than money." – Frank Sinatra

nextgen_misc:

The trail eventually led the Avengers, Future Foundation and the Defenders to the other dimensional realm that served as the home of the Greek gods. They traveled to a few realms that were home to other gods only to find them destroyed and in ruins. Olympus wasn't in ruins, but it was under attack. Battle raged all around and the skies thundered and were lit up by lightning bolts.

shield_maiden:

Svalin wasn't quite sure how it happened, but she found herself along with Aridis on a road trip with Frances. Vernique had gone shopping with Brandr and Solver, saying that Solver needed more clothes. Though Svalin was quite sure their son had enough clothes and shoes and everything else a child could need. Svalin was of the mind that he could have used a few more wooden weapons, but her wife was quite keen on limiting the number of those.

Aridis and she had been in the training room when Frances found them. The next moment they were in the car and heading somewhere.

"Where art we?" Svalin asked as they climbed out of the car.

shield_maiden:

There were a lot of things on Migard one could indulge in, but Svalin only had two. The first was chocolate. She couldn't get enough of it and loved it in any form. The other was a shower. Svalin loved showers. She took one every day, not because training and working with the horses worked up a sweat and usually left her quite fragrant, but because she loved the feel of hot water falling down on her.

Svalin stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled herself off. She wrapped the large turkish bath towel around herself and stepped out into her bedroom. Now to find something to wear. What did one wear on a date?

treadlightly:

They'd done their scouting. They've put up all the defenses they could, and put themselves in a position to attack. Buck has reviewed what they have on hand, and the situations exploding around them.

"Alright, folks, thank you for your patience. I know its been a tense situation waiting and doing patrol work... but I think we've identified some key points in the enemy strategy. We're still going to have to be careful. We're dealing with major influences here, but...

Alpha Flight... and their current guests, should be obvious. There's every sign that more of the Great Beasts will be awoken... that's a top priority situation.

X-Men... and the Genoshans - in following up the uprisings earlier, we've identified a 'Cult of Apocalypse', who took the whole massive fight before as a sign its time for En Sabbah Nur's awakening. We've located some of their likely strike points, your leadership has marked maps.


Champions and Thunderbolts, we've located a massive danger in the Red Lord. Its been determined that it will likely take both teams to deal with it.

Nightstalkers and Big Hero 6, we have a second target of the same type, Sakhmet. You two are on that.

SHIELD will be picking up on all of the general monitoring, crowd safety and control, and other work we've been doing in the lead up to this.

Finally, Avengers, Defenders and FF - you're with me. We're targeting the masterminds behind this.

Any questions?"

nextgen_misc:

Once the Champions returned to their headquarters and destroyed the Quantum Mirror returning all the heroes to normal. Once that was done they called a meeting of the superhero teams. Irina transported the Champions to the Avengers Mansion and volunteered to provide transportation for the other teams.

shield_maiden:

Svalin didn't sleep during the night as she never could sleep on the eve of battle. Instead she waited with armor and Vigfrior ready. This would be the toughest battle of her life so far and though she knew she'd lose, she wouldn't go down without putting up a fight. She didn't know when she would be whisked away, but she would be prepared for when it did happen.

One moment she was in the small bungalow she shared with her wife, son and Brandr and the next was at the base of Yggdrasil.

shield_maiden:

How was one supposed to feel knowing that tomorrow they would die? Svalin was fully aware that when she went into battle there was a good chance she wouldn't come back. This was different. She was going to die tomorrow. There were no doubts. It was unsettling to know death was certain, but Svalin had other things to focus on.

Her wife and son.

Today would be a day she was going to focus on them and not on tomorrow. She had the day planned out, but there was one thing she had to do before spending time with her son and wife.

She got the number from Sydney and called Jordan Bochs from Alpha Flight.

shield_maiden:

It was a rare occasion when most of the Defenders were out of the compound and elsewhere. Today that happened as most were out shopping or doing other errands. Christmas and Yule were coming and some still had gifts left to purchase/make. Svalin had been done for days since she knew she wouldn't be here. She was taking advantage of the quiet to get some chores done. There were stalls to clean out, horses to groom, saddles to oil, weapons to sharpen and other chores.

Right now she was grooming Snowflake outside while he grazed.

shield_maiden:

Lady Sydney had declared that it was time to decorate the main building and the grounds for Christmas once the Migard calendar said it was December. Svalin didn't know much about decorating, but she could carry the boxes of decorations and reach the high places for Sydney. She was always eager to lend a hand and enjoy watching Zoey and Solver's faces light up at the sight of twinkling lights and shiny decorations.

She was carrying the last box of decorations down from the attic.

nextgen_asgard:

Eir Einmyriasdottir waited until the middle of the night and almost everyone was asleep or elsewhere. She crawled out of bed and quickly dressed. In multiple layers. The winds were bitter cold and the snow was piling up. It was a winter like she had never seen in her life. The last item she put on after her fur lined boots was a fur lined cloak.

She walked over to the door and opened it a crack. The hallway was silent and she didn't hear or see anyone. She opened the door wider and darted across the hall to her sister's room. The door opened silently and she slipped into the room making sure to close the door behind her.

"Astrid," she said as she gently shook her sister awake.

shield_maiden:

The recent trip to New York had been fun, but it meant time away from chores and practice. She missed her nightly sparring session with Brandr. Not only because he helped her improve her skills, but because she missed him too. The man had caused her a lot of confusion lately and had spent a lot of time in her head.

She was lost in thought as she groomed Tryggvi.

skald_iona:

For weeks, nay, months now, Iona had been listless, rarely leaving her room let alone the Defenders compound. Despite reassurances that what happened on Asgard had not been her responsibility, guilt weighed her down almost unbearably - but finally, the shame over hiding like a frightened child and shirking her duties to her friends, Midgard and Asgard finally grew greater than her shame over her part in the events back home and she emerged.

Never again would she be so easily overpowered...and the simplest and most effective way to make sure that didn't happened was to pour her energy into growing strong, fast, as able to defend herself and those she gladly served under as she was able to spin a tale. Honing such skills had never been a necessity for her, never a passion. That would have to change.

Entering the training facilities with a determined stride, she moved over to the wall of weapons to be used to practice with, determination setting her mouth in a hard line.

anyastark:

Traditions were important.

For a lot of people the day after Thanksgiving meant hitting the stores and getting great deals on items that would most likely be Christmas presents. For the female Avengers and others the day after Thanksgiving meant a different tradition. They would gather and rate the hunkiness of the male members of the various teams.

Anya had been up at the crack of dawn and readied the Thunderbolts' headquarters. Normally this would take place in the Avengers Mansion, but the boys would be holding Rate the Babe there and the girls needed their own space. She made travel arrangements for everyone invited. Avengers, X-Men, SHIELD, Future Foundation, Alpha Flight, Champions, and the Defenders.

Anya had the event catered by a local restaurant, not wanting to make the Thunderbolts chef have to feed so many people. She had even made sure that all of the Kelly's guns were unloaded.

Everything was ready for their guests.

nextgen_holiday:

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart." - Seneca

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.

shield_maiden:

Svalin shouldn't have been surprised when Mr. Denning and Rory showed up out of the blue because Mr. Denning loved to see his grandson and Rory was usually with him. Svalin offered to watch Solver if Mr. Denning wanted to go out and spend some time with V, but he said he wanted to stay here and spend time with V and Solver. Rory asked Svalin if she wanted to go out to dinner and she accepted.

Now it was time to leave. She was dressed in a blouse, jeans and a pair of boots her wife insisted would make the outfit.

"Ist there anything thou wouldst like me to bring back?" she asked her wife and Brandr who were sitting in the small living room of the bungalow Svalin and V shared.

shield_maiden:

Things had settled down since their return to Migard and Svalin was more at ease with Brandr around. Between the two of them Vernique and Solver were protected and things between Svalin and her wife were better. The tension was gone and the both of them were better for it.

Svalin had settled into a nightly routine after her wife and son were sleeping. With Brandr there, Svalin could spend most of the night in the training room. Each night she tried a new scenario and it always involved a dragon. The upcoming solstice weighed on her mind and even though she knew she would die, she would fight her hardest before she died. She was slowly going through any dragon she could find, real or in myth and legend.

When she was finished in the training room she would head down to the beach and go for a swim. The water invigorated her and was soothing on her tired and sore muscles.

Tonight was no different from the others. She had just finished battling Smaug from the Hobbit book and had taken a beating. She was tired, sweaty and sore. A swim in the ocean would be wonderful. Tomorrow night she planned on battling a balrog.

She stripped off her clothes and dived into the water.

shield_maiden:

It was a perfect autumn day in Los Angeles and perfect for shopping, at least according to her wife. Vernique didn't miss the fact that Brandr had all Asgardian clothes, what little of those he had, and no Migard clothes. There was a statement that bodyguarding couldn't be done if one stood out. So shopping it was.

Svalin was on Solver duty for shopping. She knew next to nothing about Migard fashion or clothes in general and someone had to keep Solver from flying around the stores. Vernique was the expert shopper in the family and Svalin was more than happy to let her take point and say where they went and what they bought.

With toddler in arms and distracted by animal crackers, Svalin followed her wife and Brandr.

shield_maiden:

There was no such thing as too much practice in Svalin's mind which is exactly why she made it a point to practice as much as she could. Today she was working a difficult session in the practice room. The room was filled with trolls. They swarmed Svalin and it was all she could do to keep them back.

She yelled and took the head off of one, not pausing before moving on to the next.

shield_maiden:

They returned to Migard and Svalin and Vernique got Brandr settled into a room. When he had his things all put away, they started the grand tour of the grounds. First stop was the main house. Hopefully some of the Defenders were around to meet him.

nextgen_misc:


You are cordially invited to attend

Terra Nova Charity Fundraiser

Twenty-Fourth of September Two Thousand Twelve

New York Botanical Gardens' Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Seven pm until one am.

Formal dress required

shield_maiden:

It was nearing Solver's first birthday, not that Asgardians really celebrated such, but it had been some time since the mothers, especially MomTwo had some time with her grandson. Einmyria made it a point to send Skari with a message stating such. It was time for a visit while things wert quiet.

No sooner than they had stepped foot into the Great Hall, then Einmyria scooped Solver up to take him to go dote upon him. Eir and Astrid were tagging along after her to play with their nephew. Svalin went to go to talk to her father first. Then find some sparring partners. She brought her bat'leth to use against Asgard's warriors to test her abilities with it.

There was also the quest to find the Crimson Hawk the Norns spoke about.

First thing's first. She went to see her father.

shield_maiden:

It had taken days even on Tryggvi to cross the continent to Nornheim to the forest where the Norns lived. Skuld, Urd and Verdandi were three sisters who lived at the base of Yggdrasil near the Well of Urdr and draw water from it to pour over the roots of Yggdrasil.

Svalin dismounted Tryggvi when they drew closer and she led him the rest of the way on foot. Vigfrior remained at her side and sheathed.

shield_maiden:

Svalin spent days (and nights) mulling over her father's words and still hadn't come to an answer. She hadn't slept much and picked at her food. If she seemed distant or distracted it was because she had a lot on her mind. Even the rigors of the practice room hadn't helped to clear her mind or help her come to a decision.

On one hand she could ask her sister to take over responsibility of being the heiress presumptive and Svalin could join the Valkyries. It may, a big may, give her more freedom to protect her wife and son. Svalin didn't like the thought of passing responsibility off on her sister. Svalin had a streak of responsibility a few miles wide and this went against her nature.

On the other hand she could keep things like they were. It could put her son and wife at risk and she would always have to put Asgard as a higher priority. She would be doing her duty, the thing she was taught to do since she knew what duty was, to Asgard and would help her people. Did the needs of Asgard outweigh the needs of her wife and son?

She was one person and was being pulled in many directions.

Maybe it was time to talk to someone about this.

The bungalow they shared was quiet and she knew from the time that Solver was taking his daily nap. It was a good time to have a serious talk. She knocked lightly on the door to her wife's room.

shield_maiden:

It had taken a lot of time to come to this decision, but Svalin eventually reached one and gathered her courage to go through with it. What she was about to do was big and probably wouldn't go over too well with a lot of people, especially her parents, but she had to do it.

Svalin took a deep breath and put her hand on the hilt of Vigfrior before entering the great hall. Svalin's gaze was locked on the figure on the throne at the far end as she crossed the hall. Her courage threatened to fail her, but she held on to it as hard as she could.

Heads and eyes turned toward her and she could hear the whispers from the people gathered in the hall. She ignored them and kept walking toward the throne. Nothing would dissuade her from doing this.

She stopped at the base of the dais and the steps leading up to the throne.

Her head bowed and she went down to one knee.

butterflybullet:

Vernique had been staying with Solver in the main building more and more lately, because Svalin watched them like a weary hawk when they weren't, and the quiet between them was... too much. But Vernique couldn't start the conversation that hung unsaid between them. It hurt too much.
She avoided some of the others, too. Not Marlow, to whom she'd always be grateful, or Kael, who'd tried to make amends. But Aridis... who'd laughed at some in-joke while Solver was in Klatu-barada-niktoheim, and Aslief... whose cold voice she could still hear dismissing her panic. Even Hal, dear Hal, could never understand why she hurt like this.

So she stays in the house except when Solver needs his sunlight. And more and more, they stay in the nursery. But right now, they've ventured to the kitchen. She fixed Solver a sippie-cup.

olympian_elf:

 Kael had made the necessary payments for the object, but was currently on house-arrest by the Defenders' healer until she deemed he could see without the protective covering on his face. So instead he had to pay the man a considerably extra sum to deliver the order to the compound. The man seemed agog at first when Kael answered the door, but quickly went about his business after Kael gave him a gold piece. He inspected the package to make sure it was not damaged in any fashion. Satisfied, he went to find Svalin.

nextgen_asgard2:

The Asgardians returned to Asgard after the incident with Malekith and Surtur. Svalin, Aridis, Halbjorn and Asleif reported what happened to their father and mothers, causing much concern in Asgard. The opposition was taking more direct action involving Solver and all of Asgard had to be more vigilant.

Aridis informed her father of Asleif's role in what transpired and what she did for her siblings and what she thought she was doing for Asgard. People were ordered to assemble in the great hall.