anyastark:

Traditions were important.

For a lot of people the day after Thanksgiving meant hitting the stores and getting great deals on items that would most likely be Christmas presents. For the female Avengers and others the day after Thanksgiving meant a different tradition. They would gather and rate the hunkiness of the male members of the various teams.

Anya had been up at the crack of dawn and readied the Thunderbolts' headquarters. Normally this would take place in the Avengers Mansion, but the boys would be holding Rate the Babe there and the girls needed their own space. She made travel arrangements for everyone invited. Avengers, X-Men, SHIELD, Future Foundation, Alpha Flight, Champions, and the Defenders.

Anya had the event catered by a local restaurant, not wanting to make the Thunderbolts chef have to feed so many people. She had even made sure that all of the Kelly's guns were unloaded.

Everything was ready for their guests.

skald_iona:

For weeks, nay, months now, Iona had been listless, rarely leaving her room let alone the Defenders compound. Despite reassurances that what happened on Asgard had not been her responsibility, guilt weighed her down almost unbearably - but finally, the shame over hiding like a frightened child and shirking her duties to her friends, Midgard and Asgard finally grew greater than her shame over her part in the events back home and she emerged.

Never again would she be so easily overpowered...and the simplest and most effective way to make sure that didn't happened was to pour her energy into growing strong, fast, as able to defend herself and those she gladly served under as she was able to spin a tale. Honing such skills had never been a necessity for her, never a passion. That would have to change.

Entering the training facilities with a determined stride, she moved over to the wall of weapons to be used to practice with, determination setting her mouth in a hard line.