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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[scribes]

It still did take her a little by surprise. The whole holomatter business was a bit of a trip for her, and the armor threw her off for a second, but it was hard to forget considering she had been there to help Orion with his new form.

Not to mention the fact she rarely forgot anything.

She brightens up at the sight of him. "Hello!" She patted the ground next to her, welcoming Orion, "How have things been?"

[hugling]

Teddy smiles back, and hurriedly holds out the lighter and the LA Times he was using as kindling.

"Oh my gosh, thank you. I obviously should have bought those little fire starter cubes or something, I thought this would be way easier."

[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.

[thanksoptimus]

He sits down next to her, with his legs neatly folded beneath him. He looks pretty awkward in this kind of bustling social situation. He's not sure he'd been to a party like this in his entire life on Cybertron.

"They have been...relatively peaceful. Though I've no indicator of how long I can expect that to last." He looks to her. "And yourself?"

[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?"

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick does a good job of appearing unfazed, though it's a completely new thing for him to be approached by someone who looks like this - all green skin and broad as hell - but he fits right in with the others and if he doesn't belong in this world he's doing a good job of masking it.

And he's offering him a drink, so he can't be all bad. Finnick smiles at him, all effortlessly friendly and likable. "Sure. Thanks."

[hugling]

"Here, catch." He tosses the soda to the Ridiculously Attractive New Guy gently, so it won't get shaken up too much. Teddy wouldn't usually really approach a cute guy like this, but he has to know who he is. Besides, he's completely out of his league anyway.

"I'm Hulkling." He holds out a large very green hand for shaking.

[alienheroes]

It's probably fortunate that Ben happens to be Heatblast anyway when he spots Finnick from a few yards away, because his immediate response is to point at him and shout "Hey, it's you!"

He half-jogs over to him, barely remembering to pull down his body temperature enough not to scorch the grass or anything. "I didn't know you were a superhero! Why didn't you mention that last time?"

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick catches the can and looks at it briefly to determine what it is - not that he recognizes any brands just yet. This one looks familiar though, so he thinks he knows what it'll taste like.

But before he does that, he takes the young man's hand and shakes it confidently despite its largeness and greenness, still offering his friendly smile. "Finnick."

He had thought about a codename. It didn't seem necessary, given that Katniss was running around calling herself the Mockingjay. Anonymity was a lost cause.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick's expression goes a little serious when he hears someone recognize him, but it fades into minor annoyance when Heatblast approaches him. He doesn't particularly want to explain the whole situation, so it's time for some glossing over.

He sighs. "You didn't ask," he says

[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.

[alienheroes]

He opens his mouth to argue, then realizes he actually has no response to that. Drat.

He changes the subject instead, though it takes him a moment to remember what they actually talked about. "So, uh... you find who you were looking for?"

[thelittlemerman]

Well, that was incredibly easy. Finnick expected a longer line of questioning, but he's relieved when Heatblast drops it so quickly.

Now, to dodge specific questions about Katniss and why he was looking for her. "I did," he says. "Thank you for the help, by the way."

[alienheroes]

"No problem!" He seems to puff up a bit(literally, in a way; he gives off a momentary burst of warm air). "Stuff like that isn't really my thing, but I'll help when I can! Usually more into punching out bad guys, though."

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick supposes he should be thankful that Heatblast doesn't want to know anything about him. Without any enthusiasm, he says, "yeah, me too."

[alienheroes]

He cocks his head to the side, placing his hands on his hips. "You... don't sound too happy about it, though."

He straightens up and moves as if to slap Finnick on the back - fortunately he thinks better of it and pulls his hand back. "C'mon, get excited! We're at a barbecue! Talking about punching bad guys!" As far as Ben is concerned, it doesn't get much better than this.

[thelittlemerman]

He smirks.

"I don't really do excited," he says.