perenawska:

Irina opened a portal inside the Champions' Headquarters and she and the Salem's Seven went through it.

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_misc:

It was a quiet autumn day in the city of New Orleans. Tourists wandered the streets and moved about their business. The local superhero team, The Champions, were enjoying the quiet and going about their daily routines.

Of course that was about to change.

It had taken many small jumps to get here, but the Winter Guard, some small subset, did suddenly arrive on the Champions' doorstep.

quitethecharmer:

From: charmschoolwizard@ff.net
To: jwoolverton@champions.com

Subject: Friday night?

Jenny, I've been thinking a lot about the night with the blackout. The stuff before the wraith, I mean. You really made me feel comfortable with myself; and frankly, that's not something that's been familiar to me in a while. I've got a dinner reservation at Slices of Heaven for 8 this Friday. I'd like to see you there, if you're interested.

- Vincent

tabula_rasa:

Continued from here.

"Oh, I'm sure he's met you and you haven't realized it yet. Yankee Clipper makes himself at home in everyone's room. I think even Nick's if only to rub on his boots a little. He wants to make sure he'll still have somebody to feed him if I don't make it home on time."

perenawska:

It was late and Champions headquarters was quiet. Irina was downstairs in the common area making friends with a bottle of vodka in the dark. It had been a long day and she just needed some time to wind down and relax.

nextgen_holiday:

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

sandcastlegod:

Corey was working on a sculpture. It was of the Blonde Phantom, the 1940s crimefighter. Corey was drawing on a spread about her in an art-photography book from the '40s.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent strolled down the streets of New Orleans. It had been years since he'd been in the city. Sure, all the super teams had done their part in helping with recovery efforts, but he'd never seen the city as unspoiled as now. Hm. City. It didn't seem like the right word. It was more like a town that just stretched on and on. It was charming, that way. Food, alcohol, and people. Even without demigod senses anymore the air was rich with smells; it didn't smell badly, just enormously. And there was music. Music just about everywhere. It was a nice place to take it easy.

Of course, he wasn't there to take it easy. He'd picked up the trail of something during one of his meditations, headed from New York towards this city. Nothing so heavy on the mystical scale of things that he felt like he needed to alert Strange or Mistress Jennifer, or sound an alert, but just... something there. He'd grabbed his general gear and followed in pursuit of it. He hadn't been out in the field on his own enough lately, so a tracking expedition was certainly something he could use. Honestly, he was glad for the diversion. He'd been feeling stagnant as of late. Sure, school was progressing nicely, and he was even starting to make peace with his duties as the heir to Latveria, but he'd still been unable to shake the feeling that he was still just following a course someone else had set out for him.

Maybe... maybe it was time for something else.

His introspection is halted by a string of shrill squeals from a nearby bar with a 'Ladies Night' banner over the door. A bit off the pitch he'd expect for just drunken partying. Harmless but ridiculously bright bolts of green and blue light start hurtling out the windows and swinging front doors. He set his jaw and ran for the door, only to get bowled over by a sudden tide of humanity pouring out from it. He was completely blindsided, and ended up knocked on his rear. He caught site of the people fleeing. Each of them had something changed in their eyes. One green, one blue, devoid of any features. The partiers started going mad up and down the street. Senseless damage, tearing of clothes, and all manner of singing and screaming. Not malicious, but overwhelmingly vast, and spreading.

"...Oh Hel..." He knew what it was now, and he was going to need backup to contain them all.

nextgen_misc:

In England near Glastonbury Tor a portal opened up and a large demonic red creature emerged. The Red Lord emerged from Otherworld and had been unleashed upon the mortal world. Chaos and destruction followed in his path.

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.

nextgen_adult:

Slowly news of the theft of the Quantum Mirror reached Akantha and she knew that it could be behind the erratic behavior of some of the world's super heroes. She booked a flight and then she was on the plane to New Orleans to visit the Champions.

nextgen_parent:

K'un-L'un, mystic city inhabited by the H'ylthri, was in a separate dimension and was only reached by magical means. Today Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, was trying to bring K'un-L'un into the real world and he was succeeding. The fabled city was entering the normal world and the ground shook. Shockwaves moved through the ground and spread out over most of Asia.

The tremors and the shaking of the ground disturbed the sleep of two powerful beasts. Fin Fang Foom and Godzilla were now waking.

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

starry_twilight:

The Starry Twilight concert had started off perfectly and the crowd was loving it and after playing songs for about an hour. It was at this point that they began using their instruments to start a riot with the massive crowd.

It would make for a great distraction while they went out and stole a few things they needed. Plus they would be out of the city before anyone could connect any of this with them.

orderofphoenix:

Moriarty was pleased that his plans were going so well. Then again he knew they would. He was Moriarty after all and all others paled in comparison when it came to brains. His plans were foolproof and in the end he would get what he wanted.

Today the object of his attention was Calabdbolg in the castle of King John in Limerick, Ireland. He was not at the castle, but he was keeping an eye on his team. No way would he put himself in danger or at risk of getting caught.

The team entered the building, but unknown to Moriarty and the team the silent alarm was tripped and had alerted authorities. In Chicago an antique dealer got notified of the robbery in progress and called the Champions of New Orleans.

perenawska:

Irina and Jenny returned to Nova Roma after checking out the shop in New Orleans and then in Chicago. Their trip had been unsuccessful in retrieving the knife, but they did learn a few things. Once they reappeared in Nova Roma they were escorted to Senator Aquilla's residence. There they were given a chance to bathe and given food to eat. After they were escorted to a room where Corey, Nick and Rose were waiting.

nextgen_parent:

Lucius Antonius Aquilla rarely ventured out of the city of Nova Roma deep in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, but his mission was quite urgent and had brought him New Orleans. His grandson Cornelius lived here with his teammates and Lucius needed their help.

With little difficulty he made his way through the city and eventually came to the headquarters of the Champions. He double checked the address and satisfied that he was at the right place he knocked on the door.

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:

“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."

anyastark:

Anya was in a bad mood from the argument with Toni about Genosha, but she promised Jimmy she would go to the Giants game with him and do some tailgaiting. The Toni stuff could be pushed back for the evening. Tomorrow she could think about it and deal with it.

The game was in New Orleans which would make it a challenge, but nothing so simple as distance would stop a Stark. This would also be her first Giants game of the year which was a surprise. It was a testament to how busy her life was right now. Usually she didn't miss a game.

She had on a pair of jeans, her favorite boots, a Giants jersey, a matching turtleneck underneath it, and a Giants ballcap. She had a jacket with her as well since it was supposed to be in the mid-40s. It still wouldn't be difficult to recognize her, but maybe it won't be so bad. She was really wearing anything to make her stand out. Blending in was usually a good thing.

She checked herself in the mirror one more time and then headed toward Jimmy's hotel room. Bridget would have made sure everything they needed would be waiting for them downstairs in the rented truck. The woman was a godsend and Anya needed to give her a raise.

She knocked on Jimmy's door.

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_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.

tabula_rasa:

From foggy London to sweltering New Orleans. It was as much a culture shock as it was a shock to her senses. To Yankee Clipper's too, if the grumbling mews coming from the pet carrier meant anything. She was in total agreement with the cat - it was too damned hot.

She set the carrier down in front of a door and checked the address. It was correct. Hopefully they had something cool to drink for the both of them. She took a breath and knocked.

nextgen_misc:

Night settled over London and the British Museum was closed for the evening. Cleaning crews moved quickly and efficiently through the hallways and galleries. Nothing seemed amiss and it was another night just like many others.

Suddenly the alarms started going off and large steel doors closed all over the museum. The police were automatically notified and a call went out to Excalibur.

bornlucky:

Even though he had been busy taking care of Sean and helping run the Pub Casey still remembered his friend’s birthdays. He thought it was kind of funny that Jenny and Joe’s birthdays happened to be the same day who would have thought.

For Joe he had gotten a keg of good beer and a hot blind date whenever Joe had the time.

Jenny had gotten a rather nice bottle of French wine. He had called his mom’s friend Alain for help there. He also left a note promising a great night out for her and her boyfriend next time he was in the city.

There was also a card from him with Sean’s name signed by him for both of them.

brit_sorcerer:

There had been an invitation for Excalibur to attend a cookout with the Defenders for Independence Day. Quinn was a Brit by birth, but he had spent half of his life in New York. He considered himself a Yankee as well as a Brit.

When it was time he teleported all from Excalibur who wanted to go to the Defenders compound. Quinn was looking forward to a day in the sun, on the beach and watching girls in bikinis with a lot of good food on hand. Not to mention Asgardian mead. It would truly be a wonderful day.

They arrived in a flash right outside the gates to the compound. It was rude to arrive inside the gates and Quinn didn't feel like fighting. He was a lover, not a fighter.

team_mascot:

Zoey didn't think about how Andy and Titan were two separate personalities or why they looked different from each other, all she did know was that it was their birthday. She made them each a card complete with lots of hearts, rainbows and glitter and had Mom take her shopping for a gift. She got Titan a deluxe set of Uno cards and a set of regular cards. He promised her he would teach her how to play poker. For Andy she got him a new leather belt Svalin had helped her make.

She left the items on the table in the main building where he would see them.

bornlucky:

Yesterday night Casey got a call on the phone. It was happening right now. He was quite the mixture of emotion as he rushed his way out the door and made sure to tell someone what was going on. Sure he technically probably didn’t need to be there for a while still but he was going to be there through the long night ahead of them.

It had been quite the delivery and he had heard new insults about himself that he had never heard or even thought of before. He just took the very punishment and was very glad her nails were currently cut short. He tried to be as supportive and helpful as he could, not that he was certain how helpful that was exactly.

About mid-morning May 29th Sean Oran Flynn was born, a healthy little baby boy. The first time Casey held him he could help but feel some pride in the little lad and attachment to him. He could easily see his features in Sean and he really didn’t want to let go.

He spent much of the early afternoon doing some paperwork and making some of the first big decisions of Sean’s young life. He could only pray he was making the right choices.

Later that day he called of the Excal HQ telling them that he was coming back and he was bringing with him someone he wanted them all to meet and if someone could set up a video camera for him that would be great.

That evening Casey opened to doors to the HQ with one hand the other arm busy holding a currently quiet bundled up baby.

gammagodling:

Andy worked diligently at Scion for the last month in preparation for today. When Sydney got hurt, he thought his idea was dead in the water, but it turned out that he had to cut his time-frame short, but he was going to save a ton on air fare. Knowing a teleporting mystic made a lot things better.

When lunch time came around, he showed up ready at Marlow's bungalow.

"Hey, Marlow. I'm ready when you are." he says, knocking on the door.
 

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

bloody_irony:

Dmitri's final lesson of the day was done.  As much as he loved giving music lessons to kids, he was ready to take a vacation.  Being a member of Excalibur had given him enough business to save up a nice enough amount of money.  He even had a bottle of his absolute favorite brand of vodka, which was way too expensive for the average music teacher to just go and buy offhandedly (he wished he had more, but Dmitri was very much the type of guy to be responsible and save his money).  In fact, Dmitri was in the mood for some Kauffman Luxury Vintage Vodka at that moment.  He ventured into the kitchen to get himself some.  Perhaps he would run into a teammate.

bornlucky:

It had taken Casey and Quinn a bit of work and a lot of money but the had gotten their pub up and going and gotten all the paperwork done on it and done a bit of advertising for tonight their grand opening. Excal and anyone else they knew had been invited too. They were probably going to be giving out a lot of free drinks that first night.

Casey was currently helping man the bar while being very sociable and having a few himself. It was early and the place was already hopping.

girlspy:

Vegas had been a fun break from normal hectic schedule that Alice had working for SHIELD. But a couple of days later, it was back to business.

Alice was in her room, working on writing up a report when she heard a knock on her door.

"Coming," she said, getting up from her desk to answer it. She smiled when she saw who was on the other side. "Hi Grandpa." She gave him a hug.

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

nextgen_parent:

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first annual Maria Stark Foundation Charity Auction. I'm Alison Blaire and your host for tonight's festivities. Prepare yourselves for a night of fun to help a worthy cause. In just a few minutes many very handsome men will be brought out one by one for your chance to win a date with one of them.

Before we begin I would like to bring out Her Imperial Highness Anya Stark. Miss Stark helped arranged tonight's event and will give you a little more information on the charity organization tonight's proceeds will help."

Anya walked out on stage and smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Blaire. All of the proceeds from tonight's event will go directly to Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières. This organization was created in 1971 in France to benefit the citizens of the world. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation all across the globe. MSF operates independently of any political, military, or religious agendas.

I'm happy to announce on behalf of the Maria Stark Foundation, that all money collected here tonight will be matched dollar for dollar by the Maria Stark Foundation."

"Thank you Miss Stark and that is a very generous offer by the Maria Stark Foundation. Now it's time to begin. So open those wallets and let's bring out our first man." Anya left the stage and went to take her seat.

"First we have the son of Captain America Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. James Romanov-Rogers is currently an Avenger and has recently moved to Seattle to lead the West Coast Avengers."

"Let's start the bidding at a hundred dollars."

nextgen_media:

"This is a special report for breaking news in London," the reporter says as all local programming is interrupted. "It seems like London is being invaded by what looks to be Daleks from the popular show Dr. Who, Klingons from Stark Trek, Weevils from Torchwood and there's even a report about a dragon flying over the city. What appears to be an army of strangely dress soldiers is moving through the streets along with the thousands of other things from popular television shows. Police and security forces are out in full force, but we urge residents to stay inside and stay off the streets."

The broadcast moves to show each of the groups moving through the streets of London and the citizen screaming as they try to flee.

nextgen_holiday:

The beginning of a New Year, a time for new hopes, new experiences to come. A time to reflect on times past, remembering fond memories happily and trying to put less pleasant thoughts and experiences in the past.

It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. And for much of the world, it is a time of celebration. This is no less true for the super hero set as anyone else. If anything, they just have that much bigger of things to look forward to.

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_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.

It’s truly an all-star gala here tonight.

New York’s own princess, Anya Stark, was seen being escorted by what appears to be her new flame, actor Austin Cain. Her brother and currently second in line to the Russian throne, Mikhail Romanov, was seen entering the party with Lyta Worthington, heiress to Worthington Industries. Tony and Natasha Stark, parents of a new baby, are making their first public appearance since the birth of their son.

Mackenzie Rider, a prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is escorting Ms. Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four tonight. Kristoff Vernard, leader of the Fantastic Four, was seen in attendance with his wife Cassandra and their son Scotty. Vincent Amorason, heir to Latveria, arrived alongside his brother and was seen escorting a member of the Defenders, Asleif Thorsdottir. The rest of the Fantastic Four are here too with their dates, though Miss Valeria Richards is not in attendance. Franklin Richards is in attendance and is escorting one Miss Gill.

Los Angeles’ own superhero team, the Defenders are in attendance as well. Arriving with her team is Grace Danvers, daughter of Hollywood hunk Simon Williams and she is being escorted by teammate, Eiltin. The two Asgardian princesses and daughters of Thor, Asleif and Aridis, are also attending the festivities with their team.
Akilah Munore, the crown princess of Wakanda, is here tonight with her steady flame, Daniel Sherwood a member of the Young Avengers. The other Young Avengers are in attendance tonight with their dates, alongside the adult Avengers.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Jack Nicholson, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

It’s truly a party of the who’s who and it’s all for a great cause.”

bornlucky:

Casey was in a great mood and very excited when he walked into the pub that Excalibur often frequented. He had gotten to learn some really exciting news at least as far as he was concerned. It was the kind of new that probably meant he was going to be buying everyone a couple rounds of drinks.

Today had been the first ultra-sound which meant it was the first time he had seen his baby and was actually making him feel more ready for this. In addition to that the doctors had been able to find out something important, it was a boy.

anyastark:

Anya didn't have many traditions in her family, unless you counted being a bastard as one of them. The Avengers however did have a few time honored traditions that must be kept going. Sure saving the world from alien invasions, beating up the world level threats and other heroic things were some of those traditions, but not everything could be about beating up the bad guys. One such non-heroic thing was Rate the Hunk.

Each year the female Avengers got together and rated their fellow male Avengers. The new generation had eagerly picked up and kept this tradition going. However, they had expanded it a bit.

The day after Thanksgiving was a perfect day to avoid shopping crowds, take over the rec room, banish the males and look at pictures of them. Anya had run it last year and she took it upon herself to do it again this year. Invitations went out to fellow female heroes. Avengers, X-Women, Defenders, Champions and Thunderbolts all got invitations to come to New York to Rate the Hunk.

Food, drink and snacks were laid in. Signs were put up on the doors and electronic surveillance was set up to see if males dared to interrupt.

Anya settled in on one of the couches and queued up the stash of photos she had collected in the past year.

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.

k_nnnn_iggits:

Arthur and his “Knights” had been going around “helping” and “saving” people. Of course most of those had been staged either by them or by the leprechauns. The only ones that weren’t were things like helping cats out of trees and helping old ladies cross the street though even some of those had been staged.

Though they still hadn’t made much progress with their goal the needed something big to really get people’s attention. The leprechauns told Arthur to keep on the lookout for something big. What that meant Arthur didn’t know.

Later that day a Dragon started attacking London.

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.

tabula_rasa:

Left with an afternoon off, Jenny decided to cook dinner for the team. She stopped at the shops on the way home and bought everything needed for a pot roast dinner for a dozen people. She figured that the men could eat twice as much as she and Tamara, and leftovers were always good for lunch the next day. She wouldn't have time to make garlic bread, but she bought refrigerated dough, garlic and seasonings to make a passable substitute. Dessert would be a chocolate cake. She also bought a tin of salmon for YC. Everyone would celebrate tonight.

There were treats and snacks in the bags as well. Snacking while cooking was a must.

The kitchen table was completely covered by the time she got everything inside and started unpacking.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn left two cases of Irish beer on Casey's bed and a note that said 'Happy Birthday, Irish' on it. Everyone deserved a little something on their birthday and beer was the best gift of all. Quinn just hoped Casey would share.