SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE [open as heck]

[hugling]

Who: SUPER HEROES!!!!!
Where: Ernest E. Debs Regional Park!
When: Sunday!
What: SUPER BARBECUE
Warnings: Superheroes...



It's a pleasant evening at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, just a couple miles from downtown LA, which can be seen through the haze. Late March means spring is just arriving in LA and the trees are just starting to bud. Unfortunately, the grass is still kind of dead and dry.

The barbecue and picnic area isn't too busy, though the park does have the usual assortment of joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists. There are some balloons tied to picnic tables, and strung between two trees is a very homemade "SUPER BBQ" banner, courtesy of Hulkling and Starbreaker. There's still glitter glue on Milly's apartment floor. There's another posterboard with the rules written on it in big bold sharpie letters nearby, just in case anyone forgets:

• Don't be a jerk!!!
• Keep your weapons holstered please.
• Do not trash the park!
• ABSOLUTELY NO FIGHTING
• Anyone caught fighting will be asked to leave!
• Really don't be a jerk!

[OKAY GUYS!!! mingle! have fun! maybe some THINGS WILL HAPPEN, whoooo knows!]

Comments

[hugling]

Everyone's favorite big green alien is currently crouched in front of a barbecue pit, swearing at it. It turns out it's a lot harder to get charcoal to catch on fire than the internet made it seem, and Teddy is really wishing he'd bought some lighter fluid, even though it's totally cheating. He was a cub scout, damn it. Why is this so hard?

Teddy stands up with a sigh, brushing his hands off on his pants.

"Is anyone here better at starting fires than me?"

[scribes]

Disciple hasn't been doing too much so far. Simply enjoying the nice weather and relaxed atmosphere. It's nice here, and it's a good opportunity to actually get herself out and living a life outside of the Sufferist movement.

When Teddy stands up she makes her way over to him, giving a friendly if uncertain smile. It was still a little strange for her to realize that she could do that without having to worry about being regarded as insolent or weak.

"I can help." From one green alien to another.

[cazamitad]

"You know that's why they sell lighter fluid in the grill section right next to the charcoal, right?" Araña asks, bemused. She's in a new costume, that's really more of something comfortable enough to wear outdoors that she's managed to pull together - black bike shorts, black sneakers, a black lycra top with a white stylized spider design on the front, and a black domino mask. It leaves her metal arm visible, but since she's been trying to keep it hidden out of costume, she feels like it's a safe enough move. (Not that the Trailblazers won't all fucking recognize her...) Tommy's got Matilda, and she figures the guy trying to light the pit is most likely to be the dumbass who thought this was a good idea.

She kind of hope his optimism plays out, if only because she doesn't look forward to hustling M out of there if things go south.

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat is pretty okay with the idea of a barbecue, as Earth things go – even humans can't really fuck up heating up meat, even if they tend to cook it more than he personally would prefer, and it takes place in the evening, which is always preferable for Nocturnal Guy over here.

He is definitely not coming along in case any of the more Earth-human-shindig-minded friends of his who are attending this get together end up in trouble or something.

He is loitering around waiting for it to get darker and for the meat to happen and/or for some dumbshit supervillains to show up when he notices there is something a little familiar? about Hulkling? He probably wouldn't have noticed at all if the dude hadn't straight up opened a conversation by telling Karkat he was a Skrull, but knowing someone is a shapeshifter kind of opens out the possibilities a little more.

He sidles over, ears pricked forward under his hood. He knows his own outfit doesn't do a tremendous job of concealing his secret identity on a planet where his own species exists in such tiny quantities, which is possibly why he feels less sensitive about questioning other people's. But then again, it's not like the guy actually even introduced himself by name, so really it's not like Karkat actually knows his secret identity.

"Hey," he says, frowning. "You're the Skrull guy."

[bombsheltered]

"Hulkling!" Milly breaks away from a conversation with another hero to bound over to Teddy, grinning as she slings an arm around his shoulders. She's no good for helping with the fire, but honestly, who cares? She just wants to hang out with one of her best friends, especially after he'd been gone for so long. Sure, they'd spent some time catching up while she helped him get things ready, but that's not nearly enough. "Have I mentioned how happy I am to see you around here again? Seriously, no checking out like that again for a while, okay? I missed you!"

[scribes]

Was she allowed to be here? Disciple wasn't really sure she could be regarded as a super hero. She had no powers of which to speak, nor any special equipment. Yet technically she was a part of a team now that she had joined up with Vanessa.

It was nice to be here. Outside in the nice weather, surrounded by people who all seemed to be having a good time. This was the sort of gathering Di liked--casual, informal, friendly.

Disciple can be found all around, approaching familiar and new faces to say hi, playing Frisbee, lounging in the shade against a tree or sampling some of the food.

[thanksoptimus]

Maybe it's surprising for a moment when she is approached by another troll, but it probably doesn't last. The jadeblood is familiar, even though at the moment they appear to be wearing a mask-like visor and some made up defensive armor.

"Hello," Orion says.

[alienheroes]

Ben's first response to hearing about the superhero barbecue was to get excited, because superhero barbecue. Then he remembered the time limits on the watch and realized that that may not be a possibility, which was disappointing.

Then he decided 'forget it' and went anyway.

Throughout the evening, each one of Ben's different alien forms can be found wandering around at different times, chatting with anyone who wants to and probably eating a lot.

Every so often, whichever alien he is at the moment will need to leave unexpectedly for reasons that probably have to do with the flashing red hourglass symbol that they all display, either on their chest or their shoulder, and a few minutes later the same one will show up, or maybe a different one, because Ben is utter garbage at subtlety.

[I guess let me know if you have any preference as to who you want to encounter him as, either in the subject line or through narration. He's going to use pretty much all of them at various times. Even the eyeless bear-hyena-thing that can't speak English.]

[nailsandglass]

Matilda had a costume.

She was probably more excited about this than she should be, but it made her feel validated somehow, it made her feel like she was part of a group. She had Ana to thank for that, mask and all. When she heard about the barbeque she was certain that it would be something only for the older folk, so she was ecstatic when she had been brought along.

Getting a chance to see so many other superheroes was like a dream and it made Matilda realize that she actually could be one herself once she got older. She had never actually considered what she might want to do with her life but perhaps getting to know some other heroes could give her an idea if this was the right path for her.

Of course that would actually involve her having to talk to others and that was easier said than done. If she wasn't sticking to Ana or Tommy she was just kind of lurking off at the perimeter of the festivities.

[hellacold]

Well, that's an awfully small person looking awfully unsupervised. Jon doesn't want to bother her, but he definitely wants to make sure he hasn't gotten separated from anyone. He approaches her cautiously, making sure to keep his hands where she can see them.

"Hey," he says. "Is everything all right?"

[crotcharrow]

After eating his fill and making sure nobody is going to arrest him, Tommy starts mingling. He lost Aña and Matilda pretty early on, thanks to his insistence to stay vigilant, but he's finally having a chance to let his guard down a little. So of course he makes a beeline for Matilda first when he spots her in the cute outfit that Aña had made her.

Tommy creeps up behind her, and ruffles her hair--something that's become a familiar greeting for the both of them.

"Hey squirt. You look awesome."

[superiormind]

Some people, if they've been around before the last couple of months, might recognize the woman with the long blonde ponytail and the big grin. Irene Adler's not an active costumed hero anymore, but in the spirit of the event she broke out the old uniform she used in New York, though without a mask it doesn't do anything to hide her identity. Well, it's not like she's kept it much of a secret anyway.

There are things to take care of at the gallery (and things to take care of with some jobs Moriarty's been contracted for lately), but who can say no to a barbecue, especially as a way to celebrate being home again?

She shows up right on time with food for the potluck and a beach ball to toss around if anyone's in the mood. She'll be easy to find for the duration of the afternoon, hanging around the food, playing games if anyone's up for them, and generally mingling as much as she can.

FOR ONE TAKER ONLY:

[sufferist]

Meanwhile, there is a troll camping out in the bushes/trees nearby. He's hidden pretty well, so coming across him won't be easy, but it's his persistence that will most likely give him away. He seems to be stalking two of the other trolls at the gathering, but has made no move to approach. He's wearing a form fitting black body suit and his hair is raggedy and unkempt.

Sometimes, his eyes glow in the shade. What the fuck.

[thelittlemerman]

Well, Finnick is here. He's not particularly thrilled about it, but he does have to spend at least a little time socializing with people who aren't sixteen or he'll break something, so here he is in his brand new hero suit. It's a very tasteful looking thing - complete with golden scale armour that serves to protect and look good. It still feels a little silly, but it's not too bad now that he's with other costumed heroes.

That was another motivation for showing up to this thing. He's only just beginning to grasp this entire culture of superheroes and he figures throwing himself into the middle of the whole ordeal will help him adjust.

So he'll be milling about, inconspicuously observing and striking up conversations whenever he feels comfortable enough to do so. Pretending he belongs, looking a lot more happy to be here than he actually is, the whole song and dance.

[hugling]

With some cursing and plenty of help, Teddy has finally gotten fires going in several of the barbecue pits. There are burgers and hot dogs and soy burgers starting to sizzle, which means it's finally an actual barbecue instead of a bunch of adults in spandex in a park. Teddy looks up from flipper duty to see who else has arrived since he last checked, and-- holy crap that guy is attractive. Really attractive. So attractive Teddy doesn't even notice the burger he's just flipped directly into the fire.

He doesn't recognize the man, though. Maybe he's new in town? Teddy makes it his business to know about all the heroes in LA worth knowing, which means this guy is either small time or new to the scene. Maybe he should introduce himself.

Pawning his spatula and grilling duties off on a hapless bystander, Teddy snags two cans of soda from a drinks cooler and heads towards the New Guy.

"Hey. You want a drink?"

[pullingamiko]

Superhero barbecue meant lots of superheroes in one place, and there was no way Miko was missing out on that, what kind of journalist would that make her. She kind of wishes she has an actual camera, but since she still hasn't bought a new one after her old one was lost to cyborgs, that isn't really a possibility for now.

Instead, she hangs around near the edge of the picnic area, snapping occasional pictures with her phone and waiting for anything especially interesting to happen. If anyone she recognizes gets close enough, she may try to interview them. Officially this time, she has her notebook with her and everything.

[liberaition]

Kit is at the superhero barbecue in a completely unofficial capacity - Uplink has no interest in superheroes who aren't heads of corrupt corporations and aren't committing any heinous crimes of science. But Kit Peddler likes to know what's going on in her city, and a super powered cookout seems like as good a place as any to catch up on the gossip. Besides, it's a good place to test out her new robotic leg, now approaching its 3 week birthday. With her implant continuing to heal Kit has traded her crutches for a sleek brushed aluminum cane, and she's wearing a knee length sundress that shows off her cybernetic arm and leg nicely.

As a civilian, it's best to stick to the outskirts, and Kit finds herself standing near a young girl snapping way too many cell phone photos.

"You think the heroes will appreciate so much... publicity?"

[starscheme]

Who the fuck let this creepy guy in here.

Oh that's right, Breadkdown's pet Alternian did. How he'd let Sollux convince him to come to this shit was a mystery even to him. But, here he was. In avatar presence, anyway. Looking extremely out of place in a nice suit and a sour expression amongst all these happy superheroes.

Mostly he seems to be interacting with the same group of similarly strangely out of place people, but he at least seems to be behaving himself for now.

pretend my paid did not expire and that i have avatar icons

[buffthis]

Even more sharply dressed than the creepy-looking white dude nearby (come on, Starscream, let's be real, Knock Out is totally the best dressed here, don't even argue) is another man wearing a disgruntled expression almost as well as he does his outfit. Arms crossed over his chest, Knock Out surveys the superhero crowd with a disdainful look, lip curled and all. How did Sollux badger him into this indeed. What a waste of such a nice day.

"Surely we have better things to do than...this," Knock Out says haughtily, rolling his eyes. Like taking a nice, luxurious drive in the pleasant spring weather, for one.

[hellacold]

Jon does not trust this barbecue idea at all; even if it is legit and not a trap it is still a huge target for any enterprising supervillains. Also, it is difficult to eat with a bandanna over your mouth. He lurks around the edge of the party area, eying the festivities suspiciously.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick looks quite happy to be here as he strolls up to stand beside Jon, and it's only mostly an act. Learning about superheroes has been an interesting experience, but right now he's amused that Jon looks just as sour as he always does.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself."

[superball]

Eusine's -sorry, the Mysticalman's - contribution to this giant barbecue party is bread. Loads and loads of bread. Real bread he'd say, if anyone asked him, because he'll happily indulge the hon hon hon baguette eiffel tower stereotype if it means his sausages don't end up in one of those disgustingly sweet rolls.

Of course, it might be more convincing if his bread loaves weren't weirdly lumpy and slightly burnt on top. They kind of look like they were made by someone absolutely inept at cooking but who tried really hard, which is - surprise! - exactly what happened. They don't taste bad, at least, which is a pleasant surprise.

He's not just here for food though. He can be found pretty much all over the place, strutting around as if he were a human-shaped peacock. Someone starts a group activity? Yeah! Team sports? Yeah!! Imposing himself on people who obviously don't feel like being approached? YEAH!!!

[alienheroes]

Sometimes meeting as many people as possible means just running up to the first person who catches his eye, so it was pretty much inevitable that Ben would end up noticing the guy in all the purple and the cape before too long.

(He seems kind of familiar actually, but Ben shuts down that train of thought as soon as it comes to mind - he feels like intentionally figuring out someone else's secret identity must be breaching some kind of Superhero Code or something.)

He rushes up to the guy (he's kind of been rushing everywhere for the past couple minutes, this form is good for that), skidding to a stop on XLR8's weird foot-wheel-things. "Hey, what's up!"

[bombsheltered]

Milly's there in her full Starbreaker costume, all up in that superhero socialization. Thrilled to have Hulkling back on the planet again, she's bubbly and energetic, flitting all over the place to help with the cooking, chatting up any familiar faces, and making sure the balloons don't come undone and fly off. It's been a weird couple of weeks, honestly, so she's happy for the chance to decompress and rub elbows with some superhero types without anyone's lives on the line. She can be found starting up a game of frisbee too, although anyone without the power of flight might be at a disadvantage.

[starscheme]

Starscream doesn't seek Milly out necessarily, but being in the same vicinity, it's sort of inevitable that one of them will at least see the other, whether they end up engaging or not.

He catches sight of Milly when he's walking back to the group from harassing Orion, and at first he feels a thrill of cruel amusement. He'll have to point her out to Knock Out, he thinks; perhaps they can scheme something horrible up.

Then it occurs to him that he used this avatar as bait to confront her that one time and swiftly begins to panic. He needs to adjust his appearance, immediately, before it's too late--

When he's certain no one is looking, he changes his hair color to jet black and his suit to a slightly darker grey. Genius.

[neonmonstrosity]

Chris is there in full Neon getup, (read: the neon clusterfuck of clothes that he calls a costume,) a little - but not too excited to rub elbows with some of the other hero types. He's bobbing around the park, usually with a cigarette or a beer in his hand - nothing illegal though (aside from the underage drinking,) he knows better to do that shit in an open area full of capes.

He's kinda taking stock of all the costumes and trying to remember names, but more than that one can rely on him to a) join in any fun looking games, b) be kind of bouncing like there's music playing even when there isn't, or c) showing off his fancy robot arms to any children who happen to stare. Where are the children? Not in the park but on the street? Did Chris leave the party just to go show a kid his arms? You betcha. And he probably gave them a balloon too.

[liberaition]

Kit is hanging out at one of the less crowded picnic tables, sipping a hard lemonade and resting her leg. It's definitely bothering her, and after this she has to make it all the way home. Still, taking painkillers could affect her reaction times, which is not ideal. The boozy lemonade helps though, and for now she's content to sit and observe the barbecue, occasionally recording interesting eavesdropping tidbits on a tiny camera embedded in her hand.

[nitrodamus]

A WIZARD comes up behind her, and gets onto the spot on the seat next to her. This is probably very confusing for a moment, until it starts speaking in Sollux's very notable, heavily accented English.

"Hey, what you doing?"

[thanksoptimus]

Orion has broken away for the moment, trying to get a closer look at the gang of hoodlums surrounding the large man in the spiky cape. He's not sure if he's just more invested in his perceived observation than he should be, or even if he's hoping that's who he thinks it is. There's no reason to want him there, even if it was reasonable. That is foolish nonsense. Stupid.

From the outside he just appears to be a jadeblooded troll woman stalking some human guys, looking kind of awkward and embarassed.

[deadpartners]

A superhero party seems like a decent place to keep up with her data-gathering activities, but ever since her run-in with Starscream -- and then Airachnid -- she's been keeping an eye out for holomatter avatars. There's an Alternian woman who sends up red flags in Arcee's scanners and nearby him she sees Magdal, Orion's friend -- it seems reasonable enough to assume for now that it's Orion's avatar.

Of course, his isn't the only one that comes up on her scanners. She directs her attention to the group of men hovering around the guy in the obscenely spiky costume, and -- she recognizes Starscream's avatar before she even has a chance to register that the big supervillainous looking one is most definitely Megatron. And the other two...they must be more Decepticons. Great.

So she waits to approach Orion until he's broken away from Magdal and looks to be on his own, more or less safely out of Starscream's avatar's line of sight. Arcee assumes he'd recognize her if he saw her again; she doesn't want to take that chance.

"Orion? Is that you?"

[10thingsihateaboutme]

Karkat is, presently, lurking. (This is pretty easy to do when it is dark and your uniform is black and grey, but the bright orange horns do give it away a little.) He figures it's only a matter of time before some piece of shit supervillain shows up to wreck everything (he has his suspicions about the dude with the spiky cape), and he doesn't want to be the last person to know when they do.

[nitrodamus]

RANDOM ENCOUNTER: A WILD WIZARD APPEARS.

No, just kidding, it's Sollux. He approaches Karkat leisurely, his grin concealed beneath his black face mask. He leans in real close and then says:

"Sup." Or whatever the Alternian equivalent is.

[crotcharrow]

Tommy is hanging around the picnic table, looking squirrelly. He's extremely torn about being here in the first place--there are so many people here who could arrest him--but the prospect of home cooked, not stolen or cold from a packet food is too hard to pass up. He's dressed in a tight fitting green cycle shirt, and long legged cycle pants, combined with a bright green backpack and goggles for running. He'd normally stick out like a sore thumb, but he's not even the most outrageously dressed here.

He's keeping an eye on things though, making sure Matilda doesn't talk to anyone she shouldn't or Aña doesn't get herself into trouble (since she's the one who dragged him here) and just helps himself to copious amounts of food. Probably more than is humanly possible for a guy that skinny to put away.

[hugling]

Hey, Teddy recognizes that guy. Even with the goggles, it's pretty obviously that street kid who wanted the pastries out of the dumpster. The hair alone is pretty recognizable, even without that guy's apparently permanent scowl. But Teddy can't just say something, even if the kid is eating all the hot dogs. And the cookies. And the chips. And the soda. Is he even a real superhero? Whatever, Teddy has to unload a fresh batch of burgers on the food table anyway.

"Hey, sorry, I just need to set these down."

Probably they'll be gone before he gets back to the grill.