nextgen_holiday:

“We’re here outside the Four Seasons Hotel in New York where the who’s who is gathered tonight. Celebrities, royals and superheroes have all turned out for the annual Maria Stark Foundation Winter Charity event benefiting Toys for Tots.

The stars and celebrities are out tonight to help a good cause.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Chris Evans, Patrick Stewart, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

Miss Anya Stark, the organizer of this event arrived with Mr. James Rogers and both had arms full of gifts. Other public heroes are out in attendance and supporting a good cause. Members of the Avengers, Defenders, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and other teams are in attendance.

This party also has royal guests. His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Mikhail Loganovich is in attendance with a lovely lady on each arm. Princess Nimue of Atlantis is here tonight and is being escorted by Mason Jeffries of Alpha Flight. Prince Mackenzie of Atlantis is also in attendance and is escorting Miss Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four. Vincent Vernard, heir to Latveria, is also in attendance tonight. We even have otherworld royalty in attendance as the children of Thor are here tonight as well.

It is a night to have fun and help a wonderful charity."

anyastark:

Anya was in a bad mood from the argument with Toni about Genosha, but she promised Jimmy she would go to the Giants game with him and do some tailgaiting. The Toni stuff could be pushed back for the evening. Tomorrow she could think about it and deal with it.

The game was in New Orleans which would make it a challenge, but nothing so simple as distance would stop a Stark. This would also be her first Giants game of the year which was a surprise. It was a testament to how busy her life was right now. Usually she didn't miss a game.

She had on a pair of jeans, her favorite boots, a Giants jersey, a matching turtleneck underneath it, and a Giants ballcap. She had a jacket with her as well since it was supposed to be in the mid-40s. It still wouldn't be difficult to recognize her, but maybe it won't be so bad. She was really wearing anything to make her stand out. Blending in was usually a good thing.

She checked herself in the mirror one more time and then headed toward Jimmy's hotel room. Bridget would have made sure everything they needed would be waiting for them downstairs in the rented truck. The woman was a godsend and Anya needed to give her a raise.

She knocked on Jimmy's door.

nextgen_holiday:

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues." - Cicero

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.

marlow:

Dusk at the Defenders compound. Marlow stood barefoot on the grass in front of her bungalow. She had originally intended to go to the main house for dinner, but had to stop and watch the sunset. For days she'd felt a shift in the world. It had saddened her for some reason she couldn't put a finger on, but the magic won out. It had to go somewhere and if she didn't let it out there would be consequences.

While the sun sank into the ocean, Marlow's body rose from the grass to hover several feet above the earth.

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.

tabula_rasa:

From foggy London to sweltering New Orleans. It was as much a culture shock as it was a shock to her senses. To Yankee Clipper's too, if the grumbling mews coming from the pet carrier meant anything. She was in total agreement with the cat - it was too damned hot.

She set the carrier down in front of a door and checked the address. It was correct. Hopefully they had something cool to drink for the both of them. She took a breath and knocked.

sandcastlegod:

Corey faced it. She deserved to know. He had to tell Marlow about this. So he called, holding the geneology sketchbook with him.

sandcastlegod:

The little voodoo shop off Rampart was packed full of aesthetically fascinating stuff. Corey couldn't resist. Besides, from what he knew of it, the religion itself -- if not necessarily some of the associated magical practices -- made a lot of sense to him. Pouring out the first sip of milk or wine, offering up shot glasses of rum... he could connect.

He picked up a book of voodoun iconography and dusted it off. Under it was another, dustier book, the leather cover all scarred. Corey picked that up, too, and opened it. Oooh, nice pictures! All sketchy and... bizarre. Not quite Escher or Geigeresque, but interesting. There were family trees the back sections, with hand notes. ...And then Corey spotted the name 'Nicholas Scratch of New Salem.'

Wasn't that Nick's father's name? His really disgusting babykiller-wannabe father?

"Celeste, how much for the freaky antique history-sketchbook?"
"What? Oh, that. I don't even know where that came from; it was Mom's. Let's just price it the same as the art books."
"Okay...I think I'll take it."

sandcastlegod:

The sculpture was coming along beautifully, but was resulting in Corey's keeping odd hours. It was around three a.m. when he stumbled to the kitchen to fix himself some chili-cocoa. He soon noticed he wasn't alone.

"Harmony? What's wrong?"

nextgen_holiday:

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

fallingup:

Adrian had called up Corey earlier that week and the idea of him stopping by to visit was brought up. Adrian thought it would have been a logistics nightmare given how far it would be to get there until Corey had mentioned that a teammate of his could easily just pick him up while she was out shopping for the team.

Adrian had packed a duffel bag with enough stuff so that he could stay the weekend. He was a little surprise with how easy it had been for Irina to just come by and pick him up and take him to the Champions headquarters where he now found himself in the kitchen.

nextgen_misc:

The moon was rising over the city of New Orleans, however, it wasn't the only thing rising in the city tonight. Corpses were rising from their resting places and starting to move through the city. Decaying flesh hung from rotting bones as they shambled through the streets. At first the tourists thought it was a joke or some sort of production, but when the zombies started grabbing tourists and started biting they knew otherwise.

Elsewhere restless spirits moved around and in their anger and anguish stirring up objects and moving them around. Some discarded trashed hit tourists and sent them running. The spirits were encouraged by this and became more and more violent.

The source of this unrest moved through the streets behind Baron Samedi in the form of a cult. He controlled the zombies and the spirits and they had summoned him. The leader of the cult was quite pleased at the chaos that was now present in the streets of New Orleans.

nextgen_holiday:

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

quadrimanial:

Sylvie and Corey had called each other about this. He was there that afternoon with a cake and a stone bracelet. Sylvie had a book full of pictures of ice sculpture.

Cait wasn't getting away without some celebrating.

ng_avatars:

Wrath, being the most feared of the seven, led the ceremony in the abandoned warehouse. The seven demons stood around Harold Jenkins and chanted while their followers stood in a circle around them. Harold was a criminal of the worst sort and had just finished killing a family of four when the demons grabbed him and offered him great power. They chanted along with their demon masters.

Wrath held the Medallion of Power and with it they would being a new Vengeance into the world. This one would serve them and their goals and hopefully distract the Ghost Rider and his companions. The city wasn't big enough for the demons and the Champions and New Orleans was the perfect city for them. Vegas was too showy and over the top for most their tastes.

The voice rose in volume until the ceremony reached it's climax. There was a bright burst of flame around Harold and when it died down Vengeance stood in place.

"Go," Wrath said. "Your job is just beginning. There is a city awaiting you. We have even provided you a motorcycle."

Vengeance nodded and climbed onto the waiting bike. The bike roared to life and Vengeance rode out of the warehouse.

anyastark:

Anya loved birthdays. She loved shopping for people and loved watching their reactions when they opened their gifts. Eliza was always hard to shop for, but Anya had tackled the problem with gusto. Anya had selected a new uniform made of some new fabric developed by Stark Inc. It would withstand knives and bullets.

She had also selected a diamond and ruby tennis bracelet.

She suited up and flew down to New Orleans.

nextgen_holiday:

There were certain traditions that were kept around the holidays and then there were traditions. The annual New Year's Day snowball fight was a long standing tradition at Xavier's Institude For Higher Learning. For the past six years the girls have won the fight, but this year the boys have a new player on their side and he's one that may tip the scales in their favor.

Dawn broke over the grounds and the sun climbed into the sky. It would be a warm bright day and perfect for a snowball fight.

At high noon the players on each side gathered on opposite ends of the grounds.

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_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.

sandcastlegod:

Corey had his booksack over his shoulder when he knocked on the door to Argo's room one Saturnalia morning. "Argo? Can we talk?"

sandcastlegod:

While Argo had a few private moments with Harmony, Corey stood in the kitchen, stirring the stew and talking to Andy.
"Mind if I ask how old you are?"

next_avenger:

With Charlie gone and as a male member of the Avengers, in addition to being the leader, it was up to James to uphold a few traditions that didn't have to deal with battling bad guys. Though he had to admit that he would rather be fighting bad guys than doing this. It just wasn't his thing.

He wasn't as industrious as Anya, but James had managed to collect the necessary photos. It hadn't been easy and a part of him felt like he was cheating on Val.

Invitations were sent to the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Champions, Excalibur the X-Men and the Defenders guys.

With the help of Jarvis food and drink was laid in. James made sure they had a wide variety of pizza, chips, pretzels and drinks.

He loaded the photos in and took care of the security systems. The girls were not allowed to watch. Now all that was left was people showing up.

_tsunami_:

Rufus was impossible to get gifts for. He had always been difficult to get things for, but now everything had to be fireproof, or as close to it. Cait had put some thought into this and with the help of Uncle Scott had managed to make him a new leather jacket. He set his other one on fire last week.

Cait left the wrapped jacket along with a card on Rufus' bed. She also made him his favorite cookies.

perenawska:

Irina had gotten to know Lyta pretty well in the past eleven months the Champions had been together, including finding out when her birthday was. The day had finally rolled around. Irina had gone with a pair of Prada Motorcycle Boots for if and when her boyfriend took her for a ride. She also gave her a card that promised transportation to anywhere in the world, a trip to the spa and a night of drinking.

She coordinated with Corey for the food for the celebration. Corey was cooking dinner and Irina had taken the responsibility of getting the cake. Finding Lyta's favorite kind of cake had been a little difficult to find out, but she had managed to do it. She and Corey got everything ready, assembled the Champions and called Lyta downstairs.

son_of_hercules:

It took Argo, Andy, and Corey no time at all to make their way to the cemetery where he had met with Pluto.  The Lord of Hades had been true to his word as well, for as soon as they crossed through the gates, a great hole opened up in the ground, flames spewing out of it for a moment, before those subsided.  When the flames had cleared, they could see stairs leading deep into the "earth."

Ancient runes were carved into those steps, in some language none of the three would be able to read.  Roughly translated, however, they said things such as "I meant to do it this week," "I was only trying to help," and "I'm going to make a New Years resolution..."

Argo looked down those steps and thought of the woman he loved.  Harmony came easily to mind and he felt his blood boil.  Mephisto would learn that the Son of Hercules was not to be trifled with.  He would free her even if he had to bring all of Hell down upon their heads.

"Shall we?" he asked his companions.

son_of_hercules:

Argo returned to the Champion's headquarters not long after his conversation with Pluto.  The consequences of his decision today would probably haunt him for some time, he knew, but he did not see how he could make any other decision.  The woman he loved was in hell, suffering torments that no one as pure and innocent as she should have to endure. 

He would rescue her.  Because he was the hero.  And the hero always rescued their beloved, no matter where they were or what the hero had to go through to get there.  Because that was how the universe worked.

He would worry about paying the price when the time came.

He had his brother, Andy, and his worshiper, Corey.  There were no better he could ask to fight beside him this day, no better he could ask to accompany him into the bowels of the underworld itself.

"I thank you both," he said simply, "for what you do for me today.  I know not how I shall ever repay you."

sandcastlegod:

Corey hurried back into the old club and looked up the number for the Defenders.

"Hello, this is Corey Drake, Antaeus for the Champions of New Orleans. May I speak to Andy, please?"

perenawska:

Irina and Lyta returned to the Champions headquarters and informed the other members about running into the visitor from the other dimension and that the bad Avengers were here and on the loose. It took a little bit of time to explain it all, but by the time they were finished their guests had arrived.

They were shown in and they all gathered in what was once the main room of the nightclub.

perenawska:

Their first planned shopping trip had been a disaster. Not the end of the world type of disaster, but enough of one to qualify as a disaster. Now that they had been home for a short while, Irina grabbed Lyta for another shopping trip. This one, however, would be in New Orleans. No teleporting or portals involved what so ever.

Shopping was an active sport and it required drinks and food. There was a pause from the day's activity to grab some food and a few drinks in the French Quarter. Irina let Lyta pick the place and within no time they were seated and cooling off with some potent drinks.

"The best part about shopping," Irina said with a grin before she downed her shot of vodka.

lytaworthington:

A portal opened in front of Champions headquarters, and Lyta and Irina stepped out.

"Home sweet home," Lyta said, grinning at Irina. "I'm taking a shower and then asking Corey if he wouldn't mind cooking dinner a little early." She had no idea what time it was, though she was guessing mid-afternoon, early evening. You lose track of time when you're locked up in another dimension.

Lyta made her way inside with Irina.