House of M - The Beginning

[selfhelp]

Who: Billy Kaplan + Anyone who wants to be involved in the House of M Plot + Related CR + Anyone Really
What: Um. The House of M Plot.
When: October 1st-7th
Where: Literally anywhere in Luceti, yo
Summary: Billy returns from a kidnapping feeling a bit, er, different. A white light envelops the village for just a moment, and when it fades... well. All kinds of things are different, actually.
Rating: Varies, anything above R take it elsewhere!

Still accepting last minute sign-ups, if anyone is interested.


It starts off so innocently, early on the morning of October 1st. A burst of light, a warm rush of energy that consumes everything it touches, and it's gentle enough to feel like stepping out into sunlight from the shade. It's so brief that some people might not even notice it happened. But there are certainly... differences. Some subtle, some not. And those changed won't even understand the problem.

After all, why would perfection be a problem?

The truth is, there are no problems. There can't be. It's perfect, Billy thinks. Believes it. His belief is his reality, and now, it's their reality. It all has to be perfect; they deserve it, all of them, for one reason or another. And he'll do whatever he has to protect that perfection from being tainted, ruined, taken away from them.

Teddy died so this could happen, after all.

So what is your new reality?


((first two threads reserved for the intro thread and billy's status; after that consider this log a free-for-all.))

Comments

d!

[complicatedliar]

[Loki's here to kibitz, maybe help a little. And he's also got his daughter with him, cradled in one arm, since she's a bit too young be left on her own. She's only six months old, after all.]

Look at that, Anja. It's a man who is trying to build a rat trap in a tree. How curious.

[alloys]

[ Leaning against a tree trunk with plenty of wooden planks in front of him and a screw sticking out of his mouth, Tony shoots Loki a well-intended-but-flat look. ]

And it'll be the best damn rat trap you'll ever see. Just you wait. Blow your rat traps out of the water.

[complicatedliar]

My rat traps are all magical, Tony. That automatically makes them better.

[He looks around the yard.] Is anywhere around here safe to put Anja down, or should I be expecting an explosion presently?

[alloys]

No explosions. Not anytime soon, anyway. [ He felt the need to clarify, considering explosions were, in fact, a regular occurrence around the Potts-Stark household. ] Unless she's gone mobile already, she'll be fine on the patio.

[complicatedliar]

"Mmm. But Tony, I was promised explosions. Why else would I be here?" Loki carried the baby over to the porch and set her down, followed by a few toys. He drew a little ward at all the potential exits to keep her in, then headed back over to Tony. "We'll see how long the peace lasts. There seems to be teething going on."

[alloys]

"I have to wait for Susie to blow things up. It's, um - part of her continuing education." Or something. That would continue to be his excuse, anyway.

He smiled down at the baby for a moment - yeah, she should be good there - before returning his attention to Loki. "Aha. Your sleep schedule is about to get even worse."

[complicatedliar]

"I think I've got a bit to wait before Anja does that. Though I was told I started using magics before I could talk, which is a bit worrying." He wasn't certain if he hoped his daughter shared that talent or not.

Loki groaned. "Aren't you supposed to tell me comforting lies? You sound positively gleeful."

[alloys]

"I am positively gleeful," he insisted. "Now that it's over and done with and I have a kid who actually sleeps through the night, I get to tell you what you're in for without any drawbacks."

Little did Tony know he would soon be going through that baby experience again.

[complicatedliar]

"So happy to bring joy to your life." Loki smiled. "By the way, Rogue suggested we get your dear daughter a drum kit for Christmas. I have to admit, I've no idea what that actually means, but it sounds fun."

[alloys]

His lips twitched, but he didn't lose the self-satisfied look. "I welcome it. She's already got art and science down pat - might as well through music into the mix. Come to think of it - how does Anja feel about Tickle Me Elmo?"

He will inflict you with that, Loki. Don't think he won't.

[complicatedliar]

"Yes, your little polymath." He grinned down at Anja. "Don't worry, we'll catch up, dearest. And you'll do magic, I'm sure. Just like your grandmama." He gave Tony a sideways look. "I haven't any idea what that is, but will it cause Rogue to banish me forever from her bed?"

[alloys]

Tony smirked. "When she sees how enthused your toddler is over it, I can't imagine so."

But the fact remained that Tony had never even entertained the idea of getting one for his own daughter. Nope.

[complicatedliar]

Loki made a mental more to independently check what this "Elmo" business was all about. "I know that smile. I know better than to trust that, you naughty man."

He grinned. This was why Tony was his favorite mortal. Well, outside of Rogue. "In the interest of continued domestic bliss, perhaps a truce?"

Which they would both violate almost immediately. But that was part of the fun.

[alloys]

"Of course. A truce." Tony knew as well as Loki the integrity of such a truce, but he reached out for a handshake all the same.

[complicatedliar]

Loki shook Tony's hand firmly. He'd learned, after all, to shake hands properly from Tony.

"All right. What of this house in the trees? Do you wish your daughter to be an elf?"

[alloys]

"It's a Midgard thing, as you'd say," Tony explained, eyeing his work in progress. "It's a kid thing. Every kid needs a good treehouse. Not that I did, but - point still stands."

[complicatedliar]

"It's also an Alfheim thing, you know. The light elves live int he trees." He inspected Tony's work thus far. The man knew well how to build things, there was no arguing with it. "Shall I have to make one of these for Anja?"

[alloys]

"You shall. Otherwise my kids will have all the bragging rights. And club leadership. Those things go hand in hand."

[complicatedliar]

"Kids? Planning another in earnest now?" He hoped so. It would be nice for Anja to have another child her age around.

He grinned. "I think Anja will have plenty to brag on. She'll likely be quite tall."

[alloys]

"I wouldn't say no to another bun in the oven." Little did he know that that was just the case, even if he and Pepper hadn't really been trying. A bigger family was something he had wanted ever since he'd made it through Susie's early years without losing his marbles.

"She might have a promising career in the WNBA. Good for her."

[complicatedliar]

"Bun in the oven." Loki shook his head. "That is such an appalling turn of phrase. As if your child is something to be cooked and eaten."

"And I don't know what that is. But quite tall, good with magics, incredibly intelligent, and as beautiful as her mother. She'll do quite nicely, I think."