hellfireprince:

Each member of X-Factor receives word of the meeting at X-Factor Plaza's Boardroom with instructions to attend as soon as possible on a matter of urgency. Julian has some minor refreshments set up, but doesn't have the usual feast ready; they may need to move quickly regarding this matter.

Julian waits in the boardroom for the team to arrive.

They'll all notice immediately that there are no cameras in sight.

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
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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:

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.

clothesline:

X-Factor was a team, right?  Jason didn't know much about teams, but he was aware that MOST teams actually sat down and got to know each other.  He didn't rightfully give a damn, but the press did.  So, like a good boy int he public eye, Jason set up a dinner with his team at Masa.  If somebody was unable to find something appropriate to wear in their current wardrobe, they were set up with information to contact Jason's people and get something appropriate.  As for Jason?  He was looking fancy and dashing in a custom suit.  He was always overdressed.

Jason, of course, was at the restaurant to make sure everything was in order.  The menus were already on the table, including the all-important drink menu.  They were seated near a window so the press could see them having a great time.  And by God, they were all going to smile-even if Jason would have to force them by the hairs on their lips.

ng_independent:

The Empress was NOT happy. So far all of her plans have failed. The plan to grab female champions from Earth failed. The plan to grab guys and turn them into girls to use as her champions failed. The Empress had to come up with another plan. She had thought long and hard on it and eventually came up with something.

"Set A corSE to EARth!" she commanded. She would not be stopped this time. The plan was fail proof.

The Empress selected candidates as the ship made its way toward Earth. By the time they arrived, she had a list. One by one the names on the list were collected and put in the proper chambers.

When they wake up they will see a recording of the Empress addressing them.

"Greetings! Welcome to the service of...ME. Each of you will be expected to do your duty and proCREATE with the feMALE in the ROOM with you."

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

harryreynolds:

Harry liked to volunteer at the animal shelter, the animals could really use a friend and he liked hanging out with them. He also would use his healing powers there to help treat the sick and hurt animals and to the abused animals this really brought them out of the fear of him as a stranger and made them friendly with him. This was also the place where he learned a lot about how to use is powers and he liked healing animals more than people considering all the hassles that came with healing people where animals were just happy that he helped them. This had also been the place where he found out about his abilities other side almost seven years ago.

He had been trying to heal an abused chocolate lab but something happen he tripped up when activating his healing power. Instead of healing up the injuries they got worse. Both the dog and him panicked, the dog moved away yelping and Harry backed up against the wall in horror trying to figure out what happened and how to turn off his ability which he was having trouble doing. The lab sensed his horror about what he had done and came back over to him in a way of letting him know everything would be ok. As Harry calmed done he was able to shut it off with great concentration. It took him a while to regain the confidence in his control to start using his healing again once he did the first thing he used his powers for was to heal the damage he had caused. His mom had been very concerned about what had happen but ultimately was able to come up with some ideas for what to do if it happened again.

After he finished helping out at the animal shelter Harry started making his way back towards the x-factor plaza. He was slightly in disguise as to avoid the paparazzi which he really didn’t feel like dealing with today not that there was ever a day he liked to deal with them. It wasn’t much of a disguise just sunglasses and a baseball cap but it would be enough to hide him from a quick glance.

ng_independent:

After she had seen them on television, she'd gone into her bedroom for a long heart to heart with Daddy. He was so happy, so proud. They'd laid down the ground rules -- lots and lots of rules, or it wouldn't be any good, after all.

Now for the opening move. She had a meeting with some of the Foundation for a Finer Life's best and brigh--- well, they were good boys, anyway. Nice boys. They tried hard; and that's all Phoebe was asking for.

Starting that night and continuing throughout the week, there was a surge in break-ins, burglaries, and vandalism in the area of town surrounding X-Factor's new home/studio.
Three churches -- all coincidentally connected by their contributions to such things as 'sexuality rehabilitation' centers -- ransacked with 'Glass Houses!' spray-painted in bright yellow on the inner walls. Numerous stores robbed only of their entire supply of cigarettes, with 'Nasty Habit!' painted across the empty storage display cases in the same bright shade.
Scores of cars stolen from a parking lot that had been made just a few months before by paving over greenspace, with 'Ride a Bike!' in yellow.

Every single security camera anywhere near any scene of the crime had been taken as well.

By the end of the week, letter with no fingerprints or return address will be delivered to the plaza which reads simply,
'Welcome to the neighborhood. And nobody hurt yet. Ain't we sweet?'

hellfireprince:

The results are in: Everyone wants a piece of X-Factor.

He's gotten offers from Letterman and Leno. Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein want to speak to Jason about joint projects.  Slash and Gene Simmons thinks DJ and Pauline are the future of music. Harry is morphing into a young heartthrob; between the ladies from The View and Oprah, the young man might never know another day of obscurity in his life.

And Julian's thinking he may need to get another phone if the Owner of Suicide Girls doesn't stop trying to blow his up about having Lisa do a shoot for them.  Besides, Maxim wants first dibs.

As for Julian, bumping into Jay-Z at a recent after-party (he can't remember where) landed him a spot in Rihanna's newest video.

X-Factor's star was rising higher with each passing day, and he still hadn't had time to tell the team about X-Factor Plaza yet. He'd have to get them all together, but time was conspiring against them. And there was still the World Tour, actions figures and everyone's solo ventures to discuss. Not to mention his trip to New Orleans to open up another nightclub. 

Julian asks Paulo to call the rest of the team to the Outcast to discuss the next step in their adventure together and set down some rules. This is probably also a good time to give anyone who wants out the chance to get out clean.

hellfireprince:

Julian was still counting the money and good press from the Battle of the Bands a few days later, when the Battle of New York began. People were calling the club at all hours, wanting to know when N.I.C.H Machinegun was performing again, and that put Julian in a good mood.

That all ended the moment Paulo came in and turned on the television.

"Sir, there is...something you must see." Paulo says, rewinding the newscast. TiVo was a wonderful invention.

Julian, for a moment, did not understand what--or who-- he was looking at. Over the space of a few more seconds, his recognition of the young man became clear.

"Andrew...?" Julian said, his eyes widening. "Paulo, bring the car around. I need to get to Ellis Island."

"Sir, may I suggest that you call in aid? The...terrorists have hostages, and you don't know their numbers. It would be unwise to walk into a situation like this without a plan and back up." Paulo said.

Julian considered it for a moment. "Very well. The X-Men can handle themselves. Call Lisa and the others and ask them to come here. If they aren't interested, fine, but anyone I want to talk to anyone who is. We need a plan and someone needs to get to those children." he says, keeping his eyes on the television.

Andrew, it would be unwise for you die right now. It might get us all killed.  Julian thought to himself.

hellfireprince:

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