team_mascot:

It was going to be the best day EVER! Ellie, Daniel, Scotty and she were going to spend the day with Starry Twilight! Zoey had barely been able to sleep last night and had been practically bouncing this morning. The time until they needed to be in the club seemed to drag, but eventually it was time!

She was practically bouncing in her seat as she waited for them to start.

nextgen_misc:

The auditorium of the high school was crowded with various groups of teens, mostly girls, all there to win a day with Starry Twilight. The room was filled with a lot of giggling and squealing.

The band sat at a table in front of the stage and were the judges for the event. Their manager sat at the end of the table and looked bored out of their mind. Four bodyguards stood behind the band members and tried to keep enthusiastic fans from reaching the band.

A large screen was set up on the stage so the competitors could easily see it.

"Next up," the manager said as one group just finished. "Band number twenty." The manager sighed and put his chin in his hand. It was going to be a long day.

nextgen_misc:

There's posters and fliers up all over the city.


"This weekend is your chance to win a day with the hit sensation Starry Twilight and a new guitar!

Brush up on your Rock Band skills and join:


BATTLE OF THE BANDS!

Sign ups are from 5/8/2011 to 5/13/2011 at Club Nightfall!

The competition is on Sunday 5/15/2011 at Club Nightfall!


DO NOT MISS THIS CHANCE TO MEET STARRY TWILIGHT!"


There's even a few commercials being played on the television in the New York area.

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

nextgen_asgard:

Eir and Astrid led Ellie through the halls of Odin's Hall. The royal treasury lay beyond the Great Hall and always guarded. However, Eir and Astrid grew up in this building and thanks to their resourceful brother Skari, they knew how to get into the Royal Treasury. There were double doors guarded by two guards, but it wasn't the only way into the room. Not when one had a teleporter on hand.

Eir and Astrid led Ellie through the building without being seen and as close to the treasury room as they could get. They described the inside of the room to Ellie as they went so when they arrived they could teleport in and out in almost no time.

"Art we ready?" Eir asked Ellie and Astrid.

nextgen_misc:

Daniel, Zoey, Scotty, Ellie and Rufus had told Thor and Sif about what happened in Hel while Einmyria made sure they ate and rested. The Thunder God's face wore a scowl as the children told the tale and Sif's expression mirrored his. They left the kids with Eimyria and returned to Odin's great hall. A dark cloud loomed on the horizon and Asgard would prepare to face it.

The host of Asgard started preparations for a battle and the sons and daughters of Asgard on Migard would be called back.

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.

nextgen_asgard:

Hela ruled Hel and there was nothing that she didn't know about. Her latest amusement was leading a bunch of kids around. She wasn't sure exactly what her father's plan was, but dealing with the kids was entertaining her. It had been some time since she had entertainment such as this. She let them wander around her realm, tricking them with illusions and occasionally sending a minion after them. The kids were proving to be quite resourceful. The two little ones weren't scared and it intrigued her. The other three weren't either, but they were older. She eventually led them to the ice where the Destroyer was encased and put up an illusion to make it look like the two little ones were in the ice.

team_mascot:

Zoey /loved/ visiting New York because it meant seeing Scotty. It was Valentine's Day and Mom and Dad had some auction thing to go to and that meant Mr. and Mrs. Vernard would be babysitting the two of them. Zoey had a card that she made for Scotty and the Super Buddies DVDs for him.

Mr. Vernard had given both of them a very specific set of rules about what they were allowed and not allowed to do. They didn't mean to cause trouble the last few times, but it just seemed like trouble found them. They didn't plan on all those things happening.

As it was they were in the living room playing with Scotty's Super Buddies DVDs and playing with his Super Buddies toys.

nextgen_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

ice_ice_baby:

The Super Bowl.  I'm at the @!*@!#*$*#@ SUPER BOWL.    And the Jets made it.

I wish Dad were here.

CeCe looked out the window of the private box suite that Anya had secured at Cowboy's Stadium.   She was here to watch a football game of historic proportions, as the winners of the first three Super Bowl's ever, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets, were going to play for the championship.

CeCe's dad was a DIE HARD Jets fan.   It cost her two weeks of tutoring income to get tickets to see the 45-3 debacle at Gillette Stadium when the Jets came up north to play the Patriots.   But she screamed when the Jets beat the Steelers 2 weeks ago to make it here.

And then Anya had the idea of bringing the Thunderbolts to Dallas for the Superbowl as a team activity.   The team was down, thank God.   And there were even a couple of friends along...including Franklin.   She was VERY happy to see Franklin.

She looked out the window again, staring.   The Jets hadn't won a title since Dad was a kid.   She had hoped that he had done enough repenting to be seeing this game from above.

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:

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.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_misc:

"George"'s time on Earth exposed him to a lot of different things of Earth culture. One of these things was Santa Claus. The idea of some man giving out presents to all the kids on one night a year was an interesting concept. There was no such thing on George's planet.

When George returned to his planet he told them all about Earth culture and Santa Claus. The fascination with Santa and getting presents prompted a small group of aliens to leave their planet and head to Earth. They arrived at the North Pole and promptly brought Santa aboard their ship.

Things were going well as they headed home with Santa, but trouble found them half way home. A ship of Symbiotes attacked and took their precious cargo. George managed to turn the ship around and headed back to Earth. There were people that could help.

Those people were Team Awesome.

rocky_2:

He's been saving up for this for a while. All the babysitting has to be worth something, after all. He's sure the X-Men are going to have their own event for Ellie's birthday, the Rasputins are an Xavier's institution and all, but thankfully, his present/intentions for her birthday have to wait for the weekend anyway.

He shows up in full Anaheim Ducks gear - her gifts include her own Ducks sweatshirt and hat. He felt like a little bit of a traitor to the New York teams, but its for a good cause. The rest of her present, after all, includes tickets to the Anaheim Ducks vs. the New York Islanders in the 16th, which comes right after a dinner for two, which comes right after a day of ice skating at Rockefeller Center.

Ok, so sure, the date is half present for him too, but he hopes she'll like it.

nextgen_holiday:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." JFK

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.

team_mascot:

Zoey finally got to visit Scotty at /his/ house. Before Scotty had visited Zoey in California, but Zoey hadn't had the chance to visit Scotty's house until now. Mom had business in New York and Zoey had begged to go along. She liked New York (despite the broken arm she got the last time she was here) and wanted to see more of the city and more importantly see Scotty. Scotty even had a new little sister and Zoey wanted to meet her. Though it was a little disappointing that Miranda couldn't really play with them. Miranda was still cute and Zoey giggled every time she made little spit bubbles and cooed.

Zoey and Scotty had just finished watching Super Buddies again. Scotty loved the recent Fantastic Four episode and they had watched it twice. Scotty even had the super limited edition M.O.D.O.K. toy. Zoey would admit that the M.O.D.O.K. toy was cool. He talked and said silly things when you pushed the button on the back.

Zoey and Scotty were currently playing with the M.O.D.O.K. toy when the members of the Fantastic Four said they had to go out on a mission. Cassie was still here with Miranda and Daniel would be coming over to watch the two of them.

"That's a cool toy," Zoey said with giggles. "I'm going to ask my mom for one when I get home."

nextgen_holiday:

The air was warm and the sun was bright making it a perfect day for a cookout to celebrate Labor Day. Classes would start on the 7th (for those going to college they started a week ago) and it was the last chance to kick back and cut loose before hitting the books.

At Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning tables had been placed out around the pool and the large grill fired up. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

It was a day of rest and relaxations for those who put their lives on the line for others.

aerosmithette:

Ororo Munroe had not forgotten about the X-Men while in Wakanda.  It was true that she had no visited them in a long time, and that she could not visit them now.  However, her daughter was more than capable.  Akilah arrived at the mansion with a tote bag and a sealed envelope.  She waited at the front gate after making it known she had arrived, however unexpected it was.

nextgen_cosmic:

Galactus was a cosmic being who needed to feed on the life forces of planets. Currently he was about to feast on a planet which was also the home of George, a small alien who had been residing on Earth. A small ship docked with Galactus' world ship, the crew intent on stopping Galactus from feeding on the planet.

nextgen_parent:

Given the events of the last few months, Logan didn't push for a party or even try to roust David and drag him out to dinner. He left a note in David's room that dinner at his favorite place would be entirely doable that evening if he felt up to it.

Also, David should check out the garage bay next to Logan's.

nextgen_parent:

Lady Sif placed the two new swords for Aridis and Svalin on the table with the other items that were bound for Migard. Four new daggers, one for each, were also placed on the table. A new war hammer for Halbjorn was added along with a pouch containing common spell items. Added to the weapons were new clothes made by Einmyria and also various baked goods.

It was mid-summer and the kids, though they weren't really kids anymore, would receive gifts from their parents. Sif wasn't exactly the most maternal of women, but she did love her children and worried about them as any mother would. Even if she didn't bear some of them.

Now it was time to deliver the gifts.

"Skari!" she called.

_tsunami_:

Cait left a basket of Sylvie's favorite baked goods in her room along with two pairs of leather gloves and a necklace. Cait usually didn't have much money, but what little she did have she always saved for gifts for her friends.

nextgen_holiday:

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

poof:

Sometimes, Ellie really hated being SHORT. Not only was it not much fun to have to look up to everyone, and came with about fifty million downright insulting nicknames (like Short-Stack, Shrimp, and Half-Pint, to name a few).

But it absolutely sucked when you wanted something that was out of your reach.

Ellie stared at the jar of cookies, resting at the top of the fridge.

This was simple. All she had to do was teleport up, grab the cookie jar, and then teleport herself back down.

Easy as pie.

Ellie teleported herself up to the top of the fridge. She reached to grab the cookie jar, not knowing that her leg was hanging on of the edge...

She slipped, sending her arm flying into the cookie jar, which landed down on the ground with a giant CRASH, shattering it into little pieces. Ellie hung onto the edges of the fridge for dear life, before teleporting back down in front of the now shattered jar.

Yeah...this didn't exactly look good.

_tsunami_:

Rachel was one of Cait's oldest friends. They had known each other since they had been in diapers and Cait considered Rachel a sister she never had. They had even stood as maid of honor for each other when they both married Misha.

It stood to reason that Cait was not going to let Rachel's birthday pass unnoticed.

Cait wasn't exactly one to have readily available funds, but she did manage to be able to get Rachel a small gift in addition to making her a batch of her favorite cookies. The cookies and the small wrapped box containing a charm bracelet with a happiness charm were placed on Rachel's bed along with a card wishing her a happy birthday.

nextgen_holiday:

On the last Monday in May the country pauses to mourn its war dead, the spirit of redemptive sacrifice is extolled and pledges to American ideals are renewed. Flags are placed on soldiers' graves and those who sacrificed their lives for their country are remembered.

The holiday first began in the 1860s to honor the Civil War dead and took place near the day of reunification after the war, it has since come to encompass all war dead. People observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time and another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries. The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol where music is performed, and respect is paid to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

Families and friends come together for barbecues and cookouts. Kids rejoice at the opening of pools and knowing that summer has begun and school is ending.

anyastark:

As always, Anya knew exactly what to get Prince Dork for his birthday. Gifts for him were never hard. Others, like Mom, on the other hand were almost impossible to buy for. The Dork didn't need anything for Darlene or his motorcycle, so she went with something else he loved.

The New York Mets.

Luckily they were playing in New York on the Dork's birthday this year. Coordinating with Lyta, the girlfriend (hee hee the Dork had a girlfriend and one Anya liked), they came up with A Plan. Lyta would distract the Dork and get him to the stadium. Lyta also was responsible for telling the X-ers and making sure they knew The Plan.

The Plan was simple.

Get to the stadium three hours before the game and join battling practice with the team. Then dinner in the private box before the game, and then watch the game from the private box. Snacks and drinks would be served all night.

It would be the perfect birthday for Prince Dork.

She informed the other Brother Dork, Eliza, Dad and Mom of the plans. Mom excused herself from the activity and said she would have lunch with Prince Dork tomorrow. Which if Misha saw Mom, he would send her right home. She looked exhausted today and it was best that she stayed home. She wasn't sure if Eliza and Dad would make it, but the other Brother Dork was going.

She got ready and grabbed James. They arrived at the stadium before everyone else.

tooth_n_claw:

A month and seven days and Alex was now up to and hour and one minute and fifty two seconds with being able to hold human form. When he first got here he had only been able to hold human form for about thirty to forty seconds. A lot of time with Professor Xavier, Mrs. Summers and a lot of practice and hard work had gotten Alex to where he currently was.

He sat by the lake on a boulder and watched the stopwatch. He would have done this in his room, but it was too beautiful a day to stay inside. The shorts he wore allowed him to change shape without removing them. The Professor said they were made of unstable molecules or something like that. They changed with him. Now he didn't have to worry about someone finding him naked while in human form.

He glanced at the stopwatch again.

Today he was trying for an hour and five minutes. It helped to have a goal in mind before he started and it helped to meditate for awhile beforehand. He could wait to show Mel what he had accomplished. His goal before it was time for him to leave here was two hours. Then he'd be able to take Mel out to a movie or dinner without having people stare. He also wanted to be able to do normal things like cook and other things individuals with hands were able to do.

He smiled and watched the sunlight dance on the water.

poof:

Ellie could barely contain her excitement. She'd called Daniel earlier in the week and asked him if he wanted to come to the Institute to hang out for the afternoon. And he said yes!

She already knew what they were going to do that afternoon. It just so happened that Ellie was able to copy the codes to get into the Danger Room unsupervised...instead of having to hunt down Misha or Cait or one of the older students to let them in and set a training session for them. A baby level training session. That? Something that a baby could beat? That, just would not do. No, no, no, they needed something challenging! Something fun!

Ellie grinned. This was going to be AWESOME!

_tsunami_:

Cait had known that Aaron's birthday was coming up and she had made sure she wouldn't miss doing something for him. She didn't know what to get him outside of his favorite baked goods. Which is what she made. She put them in a basket and left them on his bed with a card wishing him a happy birthday.

tooth_n_claw:

One of the few benefits about being a shapechanger who was stuck in animal form was that Alex always traveled light. He didn't have to worry about clothes or toiletries or other stuff like that. Of course he'd still rather be able to take human form again for a lot of reasons. A certain purple girl was one of them.

Alex flew down to Xavier's in falcon form and landed just inside the gate. He would have preferred dragon for a long flight, but he didn't want to scare anyone. It was best not to ruffle the feathers of the natives when you showed up asking for help. Not to mention he didn't feel like getting into a fight over a misunderstanding.

He landed and shifted to orangutan. He would have used the gate buzzer, but not being able to talk made it a little difficult. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the front door and then knocked.

nextgen_misc:

The citizens of Nova Roma were responsible residents of the Amazon Rainforest. They didn't waste resources, they used every part of everything, they worked with the land instead of clearing it and they recycled everything they could. They had learned these methods thousands of years ago from the local tribes not long after establishing their settlement.

Citizens from the colony would venture out into the jungle on a daily basis to gather the herbs, plants, fruit and other items they needed. Wood was gathered from the forest floor instead of chopping down trees whenever it was possible.

Today the citizens that ventured out did not return.

bloody_irony:


The mansion's residents seemed to have a lot going on, except for Dmitri.  He struggled the entire day with what to do with himself.  He sat peacefully at a piano he'd brought back with him and began to play a "simple" piece.  Well... it was simple for him.

rocky_2:

Its Daniel's first date - and his parents, his dad in particular, weren't going to let it go over in a small way. They aren't the Richards family, but through the F4 and all, Ben isn't exactly short on money, and its his only son.

As such, Daniel arrives at Xavier's School for Gifted Youths in a chauffered limousine. He's dressed for hockey watching, but nicely for it, with a brand new jersey and nice jeans. He also has a boquet of flowers in hand and a box of chocolates in hand - his mother's insistence. The name gets him through most of the security, and he is expected, after all.

He comes up, and knocks on the door, speaking into the intercom when it clicks on.
"Its Daniel Grimm, is Ellie Rasputin ready?"

poof:

After her conversation with Daniel, Ellie left the living room to go look for one of the boys. Or at least one that could at least give her a better understanding of hockey. 'Cause while the Mighty Ducks movies were good, they weren't really going to help all of that much when it came to her and Daniel's date (she still couldn't believe that she had a date!). A boy's advice on the subject would be very helpful.

Wandering through the boys' dorm, she stopped at Lucas' door. He was nice, and he was a boy, so he should at least know something about sports, right? She sure hoped so, as she knocked on his door.

"Lucas?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't bothering him. "It's Ellie...can I talk to you about something?"

rocky_2:

Daniel doesn't really have a Valentine, but he's not above the mushy stuff entirely. He got over that age a couple years ago, and has started noticing girls. Problem being, while there are some cute girls in his school, and he eats lunch with some of them sometimes, he'd like to connect more with the hero crowd - and most of the kids aren't his age.
First and foremost, he makes sure Zoey and Scotty get some extra candy (including carefully packed candy cigarettes and root beer hidden under the card and more 'acceptable' candy) and silly Valentines.

Then he gets something for that cute X-girl. Ok, sure, he doesn't know her well, but they've met a time or three in passing. His dad is connected everywhere, and he's done his share of traveling. Can't hurt to at least make sure she gets something for Valentine's. He finds a card with a suitably adorable puppy and the standard silly poetry without being too sappy or suggestive. Cute puppy and 'Happy Valentine's Day' seems fitting.

He sends it off to Ellie to make sure it'll be there the Friday before the holiday.

sophie_lebeau:

Sophie was not a true fan of the dreaded Valentines Day. Granted she had never had a true valentine, but she had her reasons not to like it. Besides not having a valentine, Sophie just hated how extra lovey dovey her parents were. There was only so much parental unit pda a kid could take and her parents over did it every year. So Sophie spent her free time away from homework and engrossed herself in her newest paperback find. Folding back the cover she began to read.

poof:

While Mom and Dad were currently talking to the Professor about her attending Xavier's, Ellie had taken the notion to explore the mansion. Yes, she'd been there many times before, mostly to see her older siblings over the holidays or for the odd visit, but now she was going to be here all the time.

"I wonder if they'll let me train in the Danger Room," Ellie muttered as entered the garage, "Because that would be SWEET."