strongbox:

In the past, Alpha Flight has had to deal with a number of mystical threats, and it always worked out due to having a fair amount of mystical influence and know-how on the team. Mostly in the form of an Inuit Goddess and the Twoyoungmen family. Now, they have no such luxury. Thankfully, Jordan hasn't been left entirely without resources, such as a phone number in Colorado.

nextgen_misc:

The day was going like any normal summer day in Salem Center. The sun was out, it was hot and the residents of the small town in Westchester county went about their daily business. It was not to last.

A small pinpoint of light appeared in the middle of Main St and started to grow. It quickly expanded causing traffic to stop and the citizens to stop and stare. The light continued to grow until it was the size of a three story building.

A moment later things started coming out of the bright portal.

badforbusiness:

After his arrival at Xavier's and a really fun workout with rose Logan, Esteban was sitting in the kitchen cheerfully covered in bruises, making a peanut butter and banana sandwich and pouring a tall cold glass of milk.

princess_mutt:

They lay alone in the woods together. A flask of ginger ale sitting next to the radio upon which they were listening to the Rockies game. Moira'd long since learned enough to be quite vehement in her baseball fandom and was cheerfully excited at the impending victory.

_tsunami_:

Sylvie was the sister Cait never had. The two had known each other since they were in diapers and Cait wasn't about to let Sylvie's birthday pass without some fanfare. Cait had the gifts ready well in advance and had put her sewing skills to work to make Sylvie a new blouse and a matching long skirt. She had also got Corey's help in creating a necklace of polished colored stones.

Cait of course made a batch of Sylvie's favorite cookies along with cupcakes. She made sure the one for Sylvie had a candle on it and gave the rest out to the other X-ers.

jetstream:


Her mother had explained it to her countless times, that she had simply commanded that the air carry her and it had obeyed.  The winds and air had lifted the young Ororo, keeping her aloft instead of throwing her to the ground.  It sounded simple enough, but what sounded easy could in actuality be very complicated.  That is why Chara decided that she wasn't just going to trust that the air and wind would listen to her and obey the sound of conviction in her voice.  She made sure she had a safety net, literally, set up for her in the Danger Room that she could fall into when she jumped from a pretty solid height.

As the net caught her for the fifth time, the thrill of falling had worn off.  Now she was just getting annoyed.

"Is there a magic word or something?"  Chara grumbled a bit as she started her climb back up to attempt a sixth leap.

perenawska:

Corey's birthday was easy to remember. Fittingly, it was on Earth Day and Irina and Lyta had been /planning/. Corey was like a little brother to them and they were going to make sure that his birthday was celebrated with a big fuss.

Irina left the catering and party supply part to Lyta. Organization was not one of Irina's strong points, it almost wasn't a point at all. Irina took care of the guests. She had delivered invitations to all of Corey's friends in Westchester and his family in Nova Roma last week with a promise to transport them if they wanted to go. She didn't mind playing taxi for events like this.

Corey wasn't hard to get a gift for, but the kid didn't think much about new clothes or shoes for himself, so in addition to an Ark Irina got him some clothes and shoes. She also got him some shade-grown chocolate bars.

When it was time, she went to fetch the invited guests.

little_gabriel:

It had been some time since Gabriel had seen Cait and Aaron, so he was getting somewhat worried.  They were more responsible than that, to just not come back.  First thing he did was call the resort they said they were going to, but the attendant on the phone told him nobody by those names were there.  He went to go find Xavier to express his concern.

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.

dream_catcher:

Lucas has been even busier than usual lately. Part of that is simply classes, getting finals done, and getting the academics in order. The second part is cooking - he's been a fairly steady presence around the kitchens, mostly cooking with stone ground flour and oats to make cookies - using preserves from his garden that he'd canned in season, the better to leave something behind for the other students as something of a Christmas present.
The last has been speaking with the spirits, wishing them well, and helping to spiritually ready the area for the coming season, thanking the spirits for the bounties of the past year and hoping the next would bring better times.

When prayers and meditation are done in the early hours, he does a little more cooking. This time there's more meat than he usually makes for himself, scrambling together ham, herbs and fresh spinach into extra-fluffy scrambled eggs, with a side of still-warm oatcakes.

By now, privacy isn't the biggest of concerns between them, so he brings the breakfast in bed directly to Moira and Danielle's door, knocking softly. It is still really early, after all.

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.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn had been thinking about the leprechaun incident and had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he saw the little annoy creatures. Quinn's magic hadn't been effective and he had to know what to do the next time they came around. Maybe there was a spell or something that would work against them and their magic.

Quinn had to go to the one person who would know about this kind of stuff.

He teleported to 177A Bleecker Street in New York only to find it empty. He wondered where Dr. Strange was.

There was one person who may know. Quinn teleported out to the West Coast and arrived at the front gate of the Defenders.

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.

_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

marvel_girl:

Galactus was gone, Chandrillar had been saved.  The Throneworld of the Shi'ar Empire and its royals were safe.  Saved by the efforts of the X-Men and the former guardian of the M'krann Crystal, the Phoenix.

The Phoenix, bonded to Rachel Summers of Earth, daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, the former host of the Phoenix, counterpart of another Rachel Summers who had also hosted a measure of the Phoenix's power.

The same Phoenix the Shi'ar had tried to kill or enslave numerous times.  The same Phoenix a rogue faction of the Shi'ar had so feared, they'd tried to kill the entire Grey family and would have, if not for the timely intervention of the X-Men.

As Rachel rejoined the others, still surrounded by a corona of cosmic flame, she could feel the unease from... well, virtually the entire world.

nextgen_holiday:

Mothers are the place that we call home.
On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.
There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,
Happiness, contentment, sweet release,
Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,
Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom. - Anonymous

nextgen_shiar:

It was a modified kjethya scoutcraft. Big enough for passengers, but still small and simple enough for one man to fly.

Or, in this case, one seventeen-year-old princeling.  His Imperial Highness Starbridge Xavier Neramani hadn't been to the planet he was now orbitting since three summers ago. Various formal duties and complications had kept getting in the way of his visits with his father.

The father for whom he was mentally calling as his ship came screeching into the upstate New York sky. Starbridge managed to land safely at the Institute's designated area, but it was close. And until he'd gotten help, nothing counted as 'safe' anyway.

dream_catcher:

The school has been quiet over the declared spring break, most of the students are in Tahiti, on Stark money.
He'd have liked to have gone with them, he really would have. He's been working himself to exhaustion most days. He's up to prepare ritual to greet the sun every day, like clockwork, and has been skipping his usual self-imposed time to sleep in order to spend a little more time with those in the medbay, or to help deal with some of the nightmares and aftermath. He's also taken up part of greeting committee, and helping with the administrative duties here and there where he could.
And then he did have his own few days away. Following the notes he'd written home for the slain students, he went to help their families some. Elf went with him for her roommate's funeral and all, and doing what they could for the mother. It was never enough.

Still, he'd begged off on Tahiti. Too much to do. But the real reason was today. After the Christians had finished their Easter weekend and the easter egg hunts and other little holiday things were passed, he'd spent all night cleaning up and making sure nothing was left from those celebrations. Sure, the Professor and others were fine with it taking a few days, but he wasn't. Today is too important.

As he sits down, just before dawn, feeling the cold of Father Sky in the pre-light day, and Mother Earth under him, all of the pain of sympathetic healing rituals melts away for a bit. All the shadows of nightmares that weren't his own filter out of his mind, swept away on the breeze. His mother fortifies him, pushing away the tired muscles and fatigue, revitalizing him. His service isn't without cost to him, but, with a smile on his face, he's reminded that sometimes there are some amazing benefits to being a shaman and servant to the Father and Mother and the spirits.

There's new voices this morning, as the sun rises. Spirits of renewal and rebirth and fertility arise off the lake and from the woods. Spirits that have been sleeping since the last days of summer, others, more resilient, arising from their slumber since Autumn, or the first snows. He greets each by name, taking the time to recognize the awakening spirit of each flower, of the trees finding new leaves, of the creatures soon to bring new life into the world with the spring and summer months to grow strong before another winter comes.

He doesn't need Tahiti, doesn't need a vacation. This is where he belongs, greeting the coming of Spring.

notyetqueen:

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, getting up on her feet slowly. She should have gone into ruby form if she knew that she was going to trip through...a portal. That was what she'd had tripped through, right?

How else would she have gotten back to front yard of the Institute.

Anastasia looked around. Though it looked exactly the same, something felt....off. Like this wasn't the same place that she was used to. It didn't feel like the home where she grew up.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

The alarms were going off?

Anastasia went straight into ruby form.

Yeah, something didn't feel right here at ALL.

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.

princess_mutt:

They were finally back. Things had managed to get even more disastrous in their absence.
And Moira knew whom she most needed to see, with whom she most needed to talk.

He was very busy, initially, and she would not interrupt anything so entangled with people's health. But she waited for him outside the infirmary, until he was done.

shattered:

She's been sleeping a long time. Exactly how long, she's not sure.

But her dreams have not been peaceful. She remembers the pale man with the red jewel in his forehead. She remembers the blue and gray man.

She remembers the blood. The slaughter. Slashing and cutting. Hunting and killing.

And, worst of all, she remembers enjoying it.

The glass shards flash. The blood flows. The blue man laughs, a deep, booming laugh...

Abruptly, she sits up, screaming, tears running down her face, her sheets soaked in sweat. She doesn't know where she is. Strangers are all around her.

She looks at the people nearby, and screams again, terrified.

nextgen_media:

"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking report. It seems like a giant, what can only be called a citadel, rose from the very ground itself and covered almost the entire area of Central Park just moments ago. The monstrosity seems to be composed completely out of stone and there are no discernible entrances. What appears to be people on flying robotic horses circle the citadel. Who built this and to what end has yet to be discovered."

gust:

Wesley Graham hesitated and stopped at the gates of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. For as long as he could remember Wes had stuck to shadow. He used back entrances, he used the winds to lift himself up to second story windows and sneak in. He hadn't used the front door in a very long time. He was certain that they wouldn't open the door for him, that they wouldn't let him in. He was an assassin, a murderer. He may not have killed by his hand but it didn't matter. He was a killer and he was sure that there was a telepath inside who would figure that out and turn him away. He hoped that it wouldn't turn out that way but he didn't have a lot of hope. Wes was not good people any way you twisted it. He didn't deserve the redemption that he was looking for. That didn't stop him from calling the winds to carry him over the gates. He rang the doorbell and he waited.

nextgen_misc:

The media watched the battle from the safety of Ellis Island while on Liberty Island the battle raged on.

dream_catcher:

Everything is still, everything is quiet, aside from the gentle ripple of the water and the crackle of the tiny fires. Lucas sits within a circle drawn into the frozen earth, blessed by the shedding of his own blood as he worked his fingertips bloody doing the carving all by hand, marking the ritual site with his vitality, freely given.
The elements are here in abundance - water from the nearby lake. The frozen ground he sets upon. The tiny fires lit at north, south, east and west marks of the circle.
The Lady Mandarin lies within the circle, stripped of all Earthly things, spread-eagled with her arms pointing northwest and northeast, and her feet pointing southwest and southeast exactly, for she is not right with the world, nor in balance. All of the others have been forbidden to come anywhere near the rite or where they might see it, whether to ogle or whatever other purpose, even her family, though Moira and Danielle have been permitted to stand watch some ways off, just in case. Beyond that, he would have no hostility here - but also no worry, no fear, no darker emotion which might touch the ritual. Those are for the people back in the school.

Anya has been painted in all-natural green dyes here and there, in markings vaguely representative of the Lady Mandarin persona and armor - but other marks as well. Dark marks of a mix of his blood and the stained earth color her eyes, that she might come to see the pure world, each earlobe that she might hear the mother earth and father sky whispering, her lips that she might speak the truth and without poison once more, her throat that the air she breathes might be pure and fill her with the essence of the father, over her heart that it might beat true and strong and pure, over her loins as the gift and curse of the earth mother's fertility where new life enters the world as the mother's greatest gift, over the right hand that it might do good works once more, the left hand that the right shall not be alone, to the sole of her right foot that it might know the mother's touch again and lead along the right path, and the sole of the left foot that it might follow. And a final crimson streak over her brow - when he has fought ten battles, there will be his final battlefield, if he can overcome this terrible dream that long.

Her head is cradled in his lap, both hands resting upon her brow as he goes into meditation, working his way into her troubled dreams, easing himself into the fabric of her mind.

rabbitfromahat:

The weather this winter was so bad that even getting back to her little town in Michigan had been a challenge. Summer had been stuck in an airport overnight on her way in. It had turned into a long, miserable trek on top of being one that she had never planned to make again, if she could help it. Of course, death hadn't really been figured into her plans and it had a way of derailing things handily.

An accident, the officer who called her had said. Freak accident. She was well versed in all things 'freak' or so she had thought, but this one had still managed to catch her by surprise. What surprised her more was that the news actually hurt. She had never been close to her parents. She didn't hate them... they were just a vague part of her past that she didn't bother too much with once she reached adulthood. In her mind, they lived in two different worlds even before Summer ever dared utter the word 'mutant' while speaking of herself. Still, the loss was... surprisingly hard.

After the services and once her parents' accounts were all settled, she was amazed to find a small inheritance left for her. It was not much, just maybe enough to buy a small house somewhere, but it was a sign they had thought of her over the years. That revelation had made the trip that much worse. Now, she had guilt to contend with as well as the sadness. It was what had kept her there in that tiny little, one horse town for several months. It never seemed to be the right day to get up and walk away again.

She couldn't stay forever, nor did she want to. Maybe her first departure from her parents' home had been made too soon, but this one was past time. Lingering would only make things harder for herself, and herself was all she had left to care for. There was something freeing in that thought, even though it still made her sad. No family, no home, no real friends, no career... and no limits. It was a trade off, but it was one she thought she could handle. This time.

It took some time to arrange, but she was finally settled into the room assigned to her at the Xavier Institute (a new room, apparently they had been busy). The staff had been very understanding of her abrupt departure from before. She even had classes assigned. How weird did that feel? Not as weird as wandering the school looking for any face she recognized.

Maybe she'd try the kitchen.

dorthyjames:


It was a bitter day for Dorthy, just plain bitter. When she was little, her father would always come home from work with two dozen roses. Red for her mother, and pink for her. But now she was alone at Xavier's, on a day when everybody had somebody, and she had nobody. So instead of going downstairs and dealing with all the lovey dovey stuff, Dorthy grabbed her old copy of Pride and Prejudiceand began to read.

nextgen_media:

A special report breaks in on almost all channels....


"We're here live on Ellis Island as apparently a group of mutant terrorists, known as the Mutant Liberation Front, have kidnapped a number of senators' children and grandchildren and have brought them to Liberty Island. The terrorists are holding the children in the torch of the Statue of Liberty. They have threatened to kill the children unless their demands are met. Sources have it that those demands are the immediate halt to the registration bill that is currently in Congress.

The children were abducted from their beds in the middle of the night by the terrorists and a note was left in their place. It is unclear at this time whether or not the registration bill will be killed. Congress is in session now debating the issue.

The question on everyone's mind is what is being done to save these kids? Where are the so called superheroes? Where are the Avengers? Where are the so called benevolent X-Men who want harmony between mutants and humans and fight for that?"

dream_catcher:

Lucas doesn't have anything by way of money, but he's got other preparations in place. He's once again made arrangements to take the van, and has plenty of food made, including both the oat cakes and some things Danielle should try. And this time, its not just Danielle along as an extra wheel. While the food and park were planned around them, most of the singles from the school with no Valentine's Day plans are invited along for a picnic, including guaranteed nice weather, despite the season, and a scavenger hunt - teams of two only. While he's judging, even he doesn't know where the items are - he's had nature spirits of various sorts hiding them in tricky, but possible to access places all week.

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?"

nextgen_deviant:

The Eternals had always been a race that sought out the cold. It didn’t come as a surprise that their two cities of Olympia and Polaria were situated in the coldest climates on the planet. Olympia was in Antarctica, well secluded in a very desolate location. Only the most hardy and stubborn of humans would hope to find the city and even then the residents didn’t like interlopers.

The Eternals were a reclusive race, but there were a few who ventured out to mingle among their cousin humans.

Another race, the deviants, were another creation of the Celestial, were the enemies of the Eternals. They wanted to enslave the humans and rule the Earth. The deviants had always been stopped by the Eternals, but the shift of power was now changing.

The Deviants were stronger than they ever had been. They didn’t have the numbers they had had in the past, but now they had powers they never had. Powers that could now help them stand up to the accursed Eternals.

They climbed out of the cold waters and onto the ice shelf and headed for Olympia. An ally waited for them not far from the city.

Today was the day the Eternals would fall and the Deviants would start their rise to power.

dream_catcher:

Its been too long through the winter, and he knows Danielle has wanted to keep her promise to her body. Lucas also made a promise to Lyta. He's been extremely discrete about it, but made arrangements to borrow one of the vans to get out into more or less the literal middle of nowhere so Lyta can stretch her wings without any risk of being seen and the others can get some relaxation time in. He's invited Lyta, Moira and Danielle to invite along anyone they like and feel comfortable with, and who aren't going to mind the boy being along. Otherwise, he's kept it strictly between them.

He and the Hrimharisdottirs have been out this way before, but this is the first time anyone else has been invited along.

ng_weaponx:

Ezra Kane had been most pleased with the tech provided by Senator Sloane. So far the results were encouraging, but he needed his team to do a real field test. He knew the perfect test to do with the two mutants that Crosshairs and Bloodlust had brought in.

He looked at Phobia and Crosshairs. "You know what to do. Get in, take a look around, get any information you can and then get out. Spectre will be waiting for you call for extraction."

soothsayer:

He didn't like what had happened to the school. He had decided to go through with the outing anyways. This would be to help the students out. He had two vans ready to go with a third one if they had anyone else show up who wanted to get out. He has a clip board in one hand and a pen in the other.

Some people might notice that his shoes aren't normal sneakers. He had been wearing the ones that had a leg brace build in for one of his legs. Sometimes when he was more stressed out Ezekiel found it more difficult to use one leg so he had a brace for times like that. He didn't need a cane or anything, so long as he had a brace he would be fine.

He glances at his watch and leans against one of the vans. He would check off names and add any more to his lists. He had a feeling that there would be more people coming and he was prepared just in case. Good thing he had plenty of older students coming too.

dream_catcher:

The Marauders are gone. At least for now. They still haven't determined what that was all about, and right now, Lucas doesn't care. He's been hard at work ever since the attack, despite his own psychological scars, healing who he can. When the medical labs, Hank McCoy, and the other healer assured him they had things under control, he went to talk to Scott, and got permission to do the hardest task yet.
He sighs, setting down the pencil and reviewing the letter.

ng_marauders:

Penny stepped out of the cab and didn't look back to see if Winterkill and Breakneck were getting out. They would follow, of that she had no doubt. They had a mission to do. Penny smiled. They'd have fun doing it too.

Penny smiled more as she practically bounced up to the gate. Makeup covered the bruise she had because of that bastard breaking her nose. Anger bubbled up, but she pushed it back. She couldn't afford to let real emotions get the best of her. She had to play a part right now.

Smiling into the security camera, Penny pressed the buzzer.

sophie_lebeau:

Sophie found herself in the backyard of the mansion, in a white and yellow party dress that looked like it belonged to a six year old. Looking down at it she noticed the white patent leather Mary Jane shoes she was wearing with little frilly socks. “What the heck?” she asked herself as she looked around the yard. The yard looked like a set up for a kiddy party, with pony rides and clowns….

 

……. Clowns making balloon animals…......

 

Sophie tried to make her way to her parents who were helping with the food tables but the balloon animal guy came up to her. “Hey little lady, what kind of animal would you like?” he asked as he pulled out a yellow balloon and began to shape it.

 

“No.” Sophie whispered to herself. “No, no, no, no, no……”

aaronwyatt:

Aaron was running around a city that he didn’t recognize. The place was both foreign and familiar to him at the same time not that that really mattered to him right now, because he was being chased by something truly terrifying. Now far behind him were thousands of clowns.

Occasionally Aaron would throw a lightning blast back towards the mob of heinous clowns not that it did much to slow them down.

“How can people possibly think these things are funny,” Aaron screamed as he continued running aimless through the misty city that he could not place.

Aaron could not seem to lose them or outpace them but they did seem to be slowly but surely catching up to him.

omni_absorber:

 

( Food for Thought... )

lytaworthington:

Lyta made her way down to the living room, a smile on her face. It was the weekend and she planned to enjoy her Saturday morning. Nothing to do, just watch some t.v. in the living room, and then go for an easy yet satisfying workout later.

She didn't even notice a couple of the weird looks that some of the others were giving her as she made her way down the stairs. Or the wolf-whistles. Or the snickering. There was probably something else going on around her, anyway.

Lyta walked into the living room, smile still on her face. "Good morning!"

The whole room burst into a mixture of laughter and wolf-whistles. And a couple of eyerolls.

Lyta put her hands on her hips. "What the hell's so funny? Do I have a pillow imprint on my face or something?"

"Hey Lyta," one of the boys in the room said in between snickers, "Forget something this morning?"

"Forget something?" Lyta smirked, "What the hell are you-"

And then she looked down.

She was naked. In the middle of the living room. And there wasn't a blanket in sight that she could grab hold of.

Lyta let out a scream, bringing her arms around to cover up her fully exposed chest.

nextgen_misc:

The skies were cleared and the cat-people seemed to be calming, if still nervous, as Elder Shadow addressed them.

"My people, we have been so very wrong. Look at the anguish and fear that has only been elevated in our attempts to protect ourselves and our world." He looks towards Lucas, before hurrying down the temple steps to tend to his wound personally, still addressing the others. "We cannot let the suffering and violation of one of our own blind us to the consequences of our actions. The Rituals will never be invoked, for they can only bring more pain and madness."

As he heals the wound, his tone becomes more personal. "Lucas Moonstar, Chris Pym, all members of the X-tribe.. we cannot offer enough apologies, and I give you mine personally. I will take whatever atonement you see fit to repent for the actions of my people's will and my own leadership."

princessbruiser:

( OOC Note-Some readers may find this to be potentially disturbing. Consider this a fair warning. )

soothsayer:

He turned in after rubbing his old injury down with some cream so it wouldn't wake him up during the night. He hated how it smelt but it was better than the whole thing seizing up during the night. He rolled down his pant leg then turned off the light.

Sleep came quickly.

He was in his old police uniform that he wore for functions and he was at a big party. Everyone was there that he knew on the force plus his ex-wife and son. She doesn't look at him as if he is a terrible person. She looks at him with love. His son, his precious little boy looks proud to be there too.

Ezekiel feels happy. Then he gets asked to come up to the front. They are going to give him something for being a good detective. So he goes forward and notices dimly that everyone is turning into a more scary version of themselves. Something feels wrong but before he can touch his gun two long mechanical arms grab him and hold him down.

The Chief sneers at him. "Give the Mutie freak what he deserves."

His ex-wife and son look on with hatred.

little_gabriel:

 

( It started with a smile... )

nextgen_baddie:

The movements from the realm of darkness were intriguing, to say the least. Deals and movement and pacts galore. Which meant, to be prepared, Nightmare needed some additional power. However, moving on the more mystically inclined elements was too dangerous. He'd been defeated by Strange and the godly forces too often.
Searching, however, he found a mass well of psychic energy with few magical wards, with many powerful minds, some of them psychic, some of them with related potential, ripe for the taking.

Shifting to the dream realm reflection of Westchester, deeper than the few wards began, he shifted and shaped the realm, extending vague fingerling tunnels into the dreams of the inhabitants to allow them access to his realm, where their fears and insecurities would shape the realm around him, and allow their fears to feed and empower him.

And with so few mystically aware, odds were they would feel little save fatigue, at least at first.

soothsayer:

The newest staffer at Xavier's had been trying to figure out how to get to know the students better without scaring them off since his truth telling ability did tend to get in the way of things. That was when he thought back on the last weekend he had with his son no matter how much the kid seemed to hate him he at least had fun with his old man. Ezekiel smirks and taps his chin thoughtfully before setting up a sign up sheet to post in the recreation rooms.

Laser Tag!

Sign up for a night of laser tag and pizza. This is for fun guys. Any questions can be directed to Ezekiel Brooks. We'll be leaving at 5:30 expect to be back by 10 at the latest.

Ezekiel gives himself a proud mental pat on his back and then sets about correcting papers in a corner as h casually pretends to not notice if anyone looks at the sign up sheet.

little_gabriel:

The magic of the holidays was finally dying down, and Gabriel had started a solid relationship with Warren.  In fact, he had proposed to bring Warren and Lyta to Scotland to see Connor.  Something unexpected happened, though, after he informed Professor Xavier about the trip.  Gabriel got outside of the building to find that word had gotten out about the Scotland trip.  'Oh Jeez,' he thought. 

"At least I should have a nice flight today."

dream_catcher:

Between all the problems around the holidays, Lucas finally more or less ran himself ragged. Moira and her family have been wonderful at helping since the solstice, and he's put most of the weight he lost back on and he's been sleeping less, but still trying to take it easy.

And, of course, now the world is entering a World Cup year, which means the soccer is especially interesting, even if its not his main sport. At the moment, he's found himself a comfortable spot on the couch and a game on satellite, which he's watching with intent interest.