hotlittlehands:

Amiko, well wrapped in a flight suit, waited patiently as her brother carried her to the landing point near the Yashida compound.

They'd been paired together for a little while, handling various ... errands. It was good to work with him. Even if they were seeing a lot clearer now, as if a lot of clutter had been removed from their minds, they were still family.

Which led her thoughts to the ostensible mission here: to go after the sword Amiko had previously claimed 'on behalf of the sane side of the Clan.' And apparently, she'd been Confused at the time as to which side that was. Their obvious mission was to rectify that.

But so far, they were not being obvious. They were good at that.

"They'll know we're coming," Amiko reminds him. "They're not so lost and stumbling they won't have been able to find out a few things, and suspect what we obviously want. Just not direction or precise timing. And please keep Hajime off of me, Misha. I'm not concerned about the others. They'll hesitate, for old time's sake." Old times were hazy and vague in her head, but not so much so that she couldn't exploit them.

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.

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.

mishaloganovich:

The helicarrier crash and aftermath might've delayed his memory for a day or two while 'Iron Man' assisted SHIELD, but Darlene was right on top of things. She reminded Misha of Anya's birthday and provided a list of possible gifts, all of which required him to shop at at Jared's. He did a head shake over his car's single-minded determination to get him to buy jewelry. Only his AI car would keep pushing the subject.

He traded the Iron Man armor for the stealth suit and flew to Boston to personally deliver burgers and a six pack of beer to his workaholic sister.

onearmofhydra:

Things were going according to plan. Viper was quite please by the way things were progressing. Alliances had been made. Plans were laid and the attack against the RenTech factory had been a great decoy. The real attack had been on another RenTech factory where working Zero Point Energy Modules were being stored. Once she had her hands on an energy source powerful enough to power the weapon scientists had develop she could initiate the next part of her plan.

The weapon was almost powerful enough to blacken a large city, but Olivia had other plans. More important plans. The ZPEM was put into the weapon and the weapon was on a large cargo ship in the Atlantic a few miles off the coast of New York Habor. The weapon was powered up.

A blinding white light shot forth from the weapon and blazed a trail across the sky. The light slammed into the Helicarrier, SHIELD's flying fortress.

While the distraction of the impact of the ion pulse slammed into the Helicarrier, a small flying craft came in right behind the blinding white light. It landed on the deck while panic and chaos broke out on the flying fortress.

mishaloganovich:

"Ev'rybody says so." Eight year old Misha tossed his ball up and tried to catch it in his new mitt. "Mommies and Daddies have to be married. So I can't play house with you girls."

mishaloganovich:

Misha almost opted out of the family dinner, but a) he didn't have a note from Saint Peter and b) Anya probably already knew he turned another armor suit into a cracked sculpture. The way he was going through suits, two this year alone, any income he might get in the future from the Renn Tech stock was probably earmarked to pay for them. Besides, he owed Nick a monkey dance and Mom an update on what was going on.

He showed up with chocolates for Mom and Anya, a bunch of bananas for Nick, and the damaged armor in a duffel.

nextgen_holiday:

“Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development.” – David Gottesman

nextgen_shield:

The X-Men had informed Shield of the resurgence of the U-Men and since then Donnelly had feelers out to see how extensive the organization was. While on one of these searches some unexpected information fell into their laps. He quickly put in a call to the X-Men.

anyastark:

Anya had been planning Misha's birthday present for some time. It had taken some time to get it set up, but she had managed to get it ready by his birthday. Well, Sunny did most of it. Anya did take Nick out to shop for a present for big brother.

She picked up Nick and the two of them drove out to Xavier's to pick up Prince Dork.

ng_xtremists:

Cape Citadel, Florida, home to a portion of the United States nuclear arsenal.  Notable for being the first public target of the then-terrorist mutant Magneto and the first public appearance of the X-Men who battled him there.  Not especially remarkable in and of itself, but quite notable in that the events there first brought the idea of mutants and the causes involved to the public attention.  It was a day that changed everything.

In the decades since, the stock of mutants has risen and fallen, sometimes with a fair amount of public support, sometimes with even those who called themselves heroes a little afraid to show themselves in public.  In the time since, Magneto had gone from a wanted and hated terrorist to a leader of men, with a nation of his own.  The X-Men continued their fight for mutant rights and equality, trying to show the world that they to, could be heroes. 

Today... today was going to be a day for the history books again.

It began with a flash of energy in the middle of the base, a teleportation device, and the appearance of seven women.  One, monstrous like a giant frog.  Another, taller than all the rest and built like a truck.  A slender, pale woman in red and a similar looking woman with blue hair.  Another, a blonde, staying at the fringes.  Another, a beautiful red haired woman.

And last, in crimson and purple armor, cape trailing behind her, and dark helmet upon her head.  She floated on the air on currents of magnetic force, looking at the world like she owned it all.  In scant moments, they defeated the soldiers who came to challenge them, mutant powers making it all too easy.

One of the others, the frog-woman, pulled out a small, camera-like device and pointed it at her.

She raised a hand, and a magnetic force field sprang into existence around the base, bent just enough to allow her transmission through.  It would soon be appearing on every television in the country.

"People of the United States, I am Magneta, daughter of Magneto.  And for too long have you oppressed our people!  Today, as my father once did, we mutants strike back to take what is ours!  My X-Tremists and I have seized your nuclear arsenal.  We demand the total surrender of your government, or else I shall unleash them upon you.  Today is a call for all mutants to join us!  Rise up!  Rise up and join our cause!  Cast down your human oppressors!

To the government of the United States... you have twenty-four hours to abdicate.  You know what shall happen if my terms are not met."

The transmission ended there.

nextgen_misc:

Gbadu and her followers gathered outside a small unknown temple in the desert near the ancient site of Akkaba. Inside one of the ancient temples the mutant known as En Sabah Nur lay in a state of suspended animation. Today they were here to awaken Apocalypse and unleash him on the world.

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.

nextgen_holiday:


You are cordially invited to attend the 28th annual Maria Stark Foundation's Winter Charity event.

Four Seasons Hotel
57 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

Friday 21st of September
Seven O'clock pm - Midnight

Formal dress required.

Please bring a donation for Toys for Tots.


The grand ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel on 57 East 57th street was festively decorated for the holidays. A series of lit candles on every table gave off warm light and the dulcet tones of a jazz ensemble filled the room.

People, the upper elite of New York society, Hollywood celebrities, musicians, politicians and even superheroes moved around the room. People sat at tables and talked, while some moved gracefully around the large dance floor.

Tables loaded with unwrapped and unopened toys lined one wall and at one end stood a very large decorated Christmas tree. Wrapped presents sat under the tree, but they were just empty boxes wrapped for decoration. Mistletoe hung from the ceiling near the tree and people stopped to kiss.

The air was light and the mood happy and festive.

treadlightly:

So, Anya talked him into hosting this year... so Avengers Mansion is all set up for a proper party in the main lounge. Extra couches set around the giant screen, plenty of food - ranging from the chips and soda to the pretzels and beer.

The front doors are left watched, but open, and invitations have been sent out to the guys on all the teams the Avengers are in contact with... so... potentially a lot of people.

_tsunami_:

Cait loved the holidays whether it was Saturnalia or Christmas. Both meant decorating and a lot of great food. Today was the start of decorating the mansion. Boxes upon boxes of decorations had been hauled out of storage and placed in the rec room. Thankfully Aunt Jean was a little anal retentive about labeling everything and putting everything back where it was supposed to go, so it saved having to dig through the boxes to find anything.

Cait opened a box and found a sprig, fake of course, of mistletoe laying on the top. Looks like that was going to be the first thing to be put up. She hanged it in the doorway of the rec room that led to the hallway. It was one of the most used doors in the mansion.

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.

nextgen_parent:

Charles Xavier, head of the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning and mentor of the X-Men, had been busy in the recent days. Together with an old friend, Erik Lehnsherr, the two of them pushed the anti-human groups into action. Attacks on humans started happening all around New York City.

In Times Square the MLF appeared and started attacking the sea of people in the "Crossroads of the World". They also targeted the nearby Police and fire stations to hinder efforts to control the chaos they were creating.

Down on Wall Street the Brotherhood started attacking the bankers and investment brokers.

Leading the attacks on humans were Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr.

Mutants attacking humans prompted responses from anti-mutant groups such as the Friends of Humanity, the Church of Purity and other pro-human groups.

The streets of New York quickly became a battleground between humans and mutants.

anyastark:

Anya's schedule was a nightmare and there were more meetings and appointments in it than there were hours in a day, but she had made some time to head to New York and meet the new family member. To say she was surprised was a bit of an understatement. A sister dropping in from another dimension was unexpected, not to mention a full sister at that.

Anya was curious. It was a Stark trait and so when Mom said there would be a lunch with the new sister with Misha, Anya of course cleared some time. She wanted to meet this sister. For a change she was running early. She arrived at Big Nick's and grabbed a booth.

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.

quadrimanial:

Sylvie rolled up to Misha's room and knocked on the door.

"Happy Ethically-Ambiguous Western-Hemisphere Holidays Day," she told him when he opened. the door. "Let's go out. Um... I mean, let's go out to Harry's and shoot some pool." Smooth, McCoy. Real smooth.

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

mishaloganovich:

A package was delivered to the Thunderbolt headquarters. Inside was an iPod with PLAY ME taped to it. Misha had recorded himself and Monkey Boy singing Happy Birthday, both loud and off key.

Under the iPod was a card inviting Anya to lunch with her brothers. And monkey slippers.

The only condition was that they couldn't take Nick to the zoo ever again.

quadrimanial:

"Okay. It's a werewolf movie, so I'm calling dibs on 'Shot of forming claws followed by shot of shirt-ripping followed by howlshot' for my center square. You'll have to put it on a corner and pick something else for center," Sylvie asserted as she crawled onto the couch next to Misha and the popcorn, her Bingo card in her hand in the process of being filled by both left hands.

mishaloganovich:

When Someone wants to see the world's largest Tesla coil.

Picture it - two royals loose in the wilds of America. They could have flown, by plane or suits. They may have even thought they'd get away without security following, as they could provide security for each other. They might have decided to recreate a childhood vacation from the view point of adults with more adult interests. Misha might've decided Brat needed a break and tossed her into the car backseat with a couple of pillows, a ice chest of supplies, and driven off into the night.

He hadn't been cruel about it. She /did/ have her laptop and satellite phone with access to the Urbanspoon app. She could find a burger anywhere they went.

Plus there was a '65 Mercury Comet Caliente car frame in Alabama that Misha wanted to see personally. If he liked it, he was going to have it shipped back to New York to keep company with the Corvette shell. Finally, he was letting Anya's teasing get to him. No more could she mock him about saving his salary from Xavier's to get the things he wanted. He was going to dip (a little) into those reserves she kept telling him he had and do something he loved - restore cars and drive them at breakneck speeds.

Except now she was in the spirit of the thing and wanted to stop in Arkansas. "Don't you have one of those things in your basement?" he asked.

anyastark:

It was a baseball game Anya couldn't pass up going to. Her beloved Yankees were playing the Mets and she knew people who would be interested in going. She sent out texts earlier in the week to Misha, Andrea, Mac and Buck to see if they wanted to go. It would be good to get out and relax and not think of work or anything else except the baseball game.

They would have the luxury box to themselves and Anya made sure there was a caterer. There would be plenty of food and plenty to drink.

dark_scion:

 Fred had spent nearly an entire twenty fours hours in his lab. He hadn't eaten or slept the whole period, with only a minimum of liquid requirements. He had to purge every bit of research he had done since acquiring the Shiar DNA sample. He regretted having to destroy so much of his current progress, it would take time to get back to where he had been, but it wasn't something he could risk. It took just about the whole day, but his system was purged of everything.

All gone..he knew he had to do it, but..didn't make it easy. Finally Fred left his laboratory, his legs wobbly from lack of usage. He stumbled a little into the kitchen, clumsily looking for something to eat. 

anyastark:

It was that time of the year again and it was Prince Dork's birthday. Anya would not let it pass without getting him prezzies. Anya loved shopping for Misha. Almost all of her gifts to Prince Dork were humorous, but this year she went with not-so-humorous. She built him a brand new suit and also bought him the shell of a 1964 Corvette

She had the shell delivered to Xavier's and she hand delivered the suit. This was a suitcase model as well.

anyastark:

Easter and Mom's birthday fell on the same day this year and Anya headed to New York to celebrate with the family. Mom was always had to shop for and this year was no exception. Anya went with a gift certificate for babysitting for a weekend and Anya had a necklace made with the birthstones of the three kids.

She arrived in the early afternoon and while Mom and Dad were busy chasing Nick around Anya went to catch up with Prince Dork.

anyastark:

Anya stood at the corner across from the Thunderbolts HQ waiting for the light to change and the crosswalk signal to come on. She held a paper bag that contained a few containers of Indian food in it since she worked through dinner. A few hours in the lab and Martin's laptop had been modified in order for him to be able to use it. Now it was time to eat and get back to the dozen things she had to read for Ren Tech. After calling her parents and wishing them a happy anniversary and see how they liked her gift. They had been married for three years. Who would have thunk it?

The light changed and Anya crossed Hampshire street. She reached the other side and reached for the door handle of the entrance to the renovated firehouse that served as the TBotls HQ. The blow she didn't see coming hit her on the back of the head and blackness enveloped her.

A large man caught the body before it fell to the ground and picked her up as if she were nothing more than a doll. He put her over his shoulder and walked off into the night.

The next day a picture and a note was delivered to Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning addressed to Misha Romanov.

_tsunami_:

No snow had canceled the annual snowball fight. Cait couldn't make enough snow on her own and Aunt Ororo wasn't here. Not that Cait would have asked her anyway. It would just be impolite. Cait was disappointed, but there was always later this winter or next year.

Today she was down near the lake and working on some ice statues. She'd never be the artiste that her brother was, but she could make reasonably good statues.

nextgen_misc:

The X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy set out from Knowhere Station and headed toward Chandilar the throne world of the vast Shi'ar empire. They arrived not far from the planet and ready to put their plan into action.

nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Anonymous Entries Accepted

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.

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."

nextgen_misc:

The Guardians of the Galaxy had managed to make it back to Knowhere Station with their guests, the X-Men and one Shi'art citizen. The visitors were shown to temporary quarters and given a chance to rest a bit after their battle.

The next day they were asked to meet in a conference room.

echokinetic:

Weary. That was exactly how she was feeling as she pulled her bags out from the back of the cab, feeling a sense of relief that she'd gotten a typical New York driver; one who refused to get out of his car and help her. Ah, but isn't it great to be home. She'd barely closed the trunk when the car took off, prompting a smile to cross her face. Hefting her bags, she slogged up the stairs and wrestled open the front doors, taking in that first whiff of Xavier's; the scent of home. "Honey, I'm home," she said softly, a smile on her face. Shuffling her bags in, she listened for any sound of activity as she made her way up to her room.

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.

nextgen_misc:

Abel dropped them out of a space warp as close to Earth as possible. The ship shook as it entered the upper atmosphere and the hull started to heat up and started to glow red. Azura helped Alex pilot the ship through the turbulence. She hoped the rust bucket held together.

Once they were past the initial barrier and slowed down a bit, they set a course straight for Xavier's. They ignored hails from local enforcement agencies and continued on their way. Their passenger, the Shi'ar, had been antsy during the whole trip and seemed a little relieved once they arrived. It didn't last long and he fretted until they arrived over Xavier's.

Their timing was perfect. They arrived just in time to see the Imperial Guard standing off with the X-Men and Prince Starbridge. Azura shoved their Shi'ar guest into her seat and ordered him to take over. She grabbed her gun and Godslayer and raced for the hatch.

Alex gave the flying of the ship to their guest and raced after Azura. Once they were low enough the Guardians of the Galaxy exited the ship to help Prince Starbridge and the X-Men.

anyastark:

It had been an extremely busy week for Anya, but she made sure she had Saturday set aside for lunch with Jimmy and going out with Toni at night. Sunday was a special day. It was Monkey Boy's first birthday. Nick had earned his nickname with his zoo escapade into the chimpanzee enclosure. Talented kid. Earned it before he turned one.

Finding gifts hadn't been hard.

Anya got him monkey pajamas, a plush monkey and a Curious George book.

She also donated ten thousand dollars to Save the Chimps in his name.

She arrived at the penthouse with presents in hand. She was greeted with smiles and Monkey Boy happily tore into his presents.

hotlittlehands:

Keiji was making a full recovery, though he still shouldn't go outside yet.

Kayura's latest Incident had been tidied up. Everyone had something for which to be grateful; Amiko, for one, rejoiced that she did not attract ogres and had never had a blind date.

After her talk with Keiji a few days ago... Amiko sat alone and realized how sick she was of keeping secrets from her father. She put in for a couple of days off, making many, many provisions for the team's organization and safety before she left. She hated leaving them, but this was something she had to do in person... after a lot of showers and laundry. She had to tell him, not any kind of residual smell.

And then, she did something she really hated: bought a plane ticket for New York.

She managed to pull up in the taxi to the school at a time when no one was attacking the place.

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.

nextgen_cosmic:

The ship exited the space-warp behind Earth's Moon. It carried the whole of a civilization long thought extinct. The civilization was one bent on the destruction of the Shi'ar race and its empire. Today would be the first salvo in their efforts to achieve their goals.

"We have arrived at Earth," Brother said to Eldest.

"Excellent. Prepare the assault team. I want the prince killed before the day is over," Eldest said and left the bridge. He had planned for this day for so long. They would finally eradicate the cursed Shi'ar from existence.

A few moments later three smaller ships exited from the larger ship and sped toward Earth. They entered the atmosphere and headed toward their destination in New York state. Eldest looked on with anticipation. It was exhilarating to finally take action against their ancient enemy.

Once they were close enough they opened fire. The blasts weren't to destroy the buildings on the ground, but more to cause confusion. Eldest wasn't about to kill the prince from a distance. He wanted the honor of killing the Shi'ar prince up close and personal.

anyastark:

Anya finally had a long weekend where she didn't have to be traveling somewhere in the world for Renaissance Tech and the Boston area had been quiet and didn't need Thunderbolts intervention. It meant that she had some time to head to New York and spend some time with the family. It felt like forever since she had spent some time with her family.

After a few days it was quite clear that Mom and Dad had their hands full with Nick and needed a break. Anya volunteered to babysit. Though she wasn't going to do it alone. Even she knew she would need backup so she called His Highness Prince Dork. Not only would he have her back, but it would give the three of them some quality sibling bonding time.

A day at the Bronx Zoo would provide just that.

mishaloganovich:

With Darlene's help, Misha had Anya's birthday box ready for mailing in time for her birthday. Included with the must have Mets jersey (he didn't want her to forget the greatest team in baseball history!) were a pair of Cthulhu slippers and gift cards to burger places around Boston.

And truffles. Always remember the truffles.

next_avenger:

To James his birthday was just another day. He got up and immediately went to the gym. After a two hour workout and a hot shower he grabbed breakfast that consisted of two bagels and a cup of the best coffee one could get. James had become somewhat of a coffee snob since living with Mom and Tony, despite what MC claimed he liked for coffee. She didn't know him yet or even try to get to know him so he ignored what she said about him.

He headed for the rec room to play some video games for an hour. He knew he was an addict, he would admit it, but he had grown up a bit and was now limiting himself to two hours a day. An hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. There were more important things than video games and he had learned that lesson.

Mom had sent his gift and it arrived a day before his birthday. It consisted of a vacation for him and Val along with a gift card to his favorite video game store. She called and promised that she, Tony and Nick would visit soon.

He leaned back on the couch and hit start.

dark_scion:

More and more Friedrich had grown disenfranchised with his family's methods of pushing the mutant agenda.  While Friedrich was hardly squeamish, in fact violence had little affect on him, but said action should serve a higher reason for the pursuit of mutant survival. While he wasn't sure he could say he loved his brother, Nicholas, he had a deep respect for him. The fact of the matter was, his habit of killing human sympathizers along with "wannabe-human" mutants seemed more petty than for any higher purpose. While Friedrich shared his brother's contempt for said individuals, in the end his continued crusade was not feasible.

His father was even more dissappointing. While Nicholas on some level may feel he's helping the mutant cause, Friedrich did not get the same impression from his father, no matter what he personally claimed. After long observation Friedrich came to the conclusion that his father was, in the end, a sadistic lunatic. He respected the man's brilliance, but his pattern of behavior increasingly confirmed the truth to Friedrich. The Dark Beast didn't care a wit about his people. To him "the cause" was simply a pretext to perform all manner of grotesque experiments to push the mutant genome. Not to help his people, but for his own curiosity and sick enjoyment. Friedrich's own modified mutations were proof of that. Granted Friedrich had intiated his own "inhuman" experiments, but at least they served a higher purpose.

Then one day, Friedrich believed enough was enough. He would never be able to properly aid his people within the confines of his home or with the limited doctrine of Gene Nation. No, he needed a new perspective. While leaving the only home he knew was difficult, it had to be done. So one day, with a disguise he'd been preparing to cover his animal-like legs and claws, Friedrich set out to find someone who could properly see to it his efforts were truly working for mutant benefit. Though in truth, he had little idea of where to go, hence his search. He had a few options, but wasn't sure which would be the most feasible.

Unable to make a solid decision without more information, Friedrich decided a visit to the library would be prudent. Perhaps there would be articles and studies he could utilize. He walked a little awkwardly, he wasn't used to walking like the average human, into the building. He made doubly sure nothing was visible before entering.

clawed_progeny:

 Keiji was..very uncomfortable. There was nothing wrong with the seating, it was actually quite comfortable. Misha's stepfather had only the best. No, the problem was..they..were..in..the..SKY!  Keiji had never liked heights. Yes the ride was smooth, yes his seat was secure, but..THEY WERE IN THE SKY! Shinsuke..somehow the older man had fallen asleep! How the hell could anyone sleep in the damn sky!? Keiji breathed in and out in an attempt to calm himself, though his hands still clutched the armrests tightly.