cant_stop_this:

Joe looked at the football on the floor.  Then he looked at the broken lamp.  Then he looked at the football.  Then the lamp again.  Then the lamp some more. 

Then the nearest doorways.

Then the lamp again.

Then Misha.

"...this is all your fault," he said.

nextgen_misc:

All over England skeletons from the fifteenth century began to rise from their graves and start to match on London. They began with laying siege of Buckingham Place and the Tower of London using weaponry from their time period.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn grabbed two beers from the fridge and headed into the rec room of Excal's HQ. He fell onto the couch and turned on the Manchester United game. He opened a beer and took a long pull from it.

Now this was the life.

ng_mojoverse:

 "Whaaaaat!? What do you mean viewership is down!?" Mojo screamed at the ever-stoic Major Domo. "Did they not see all Armageddon-esque that just happened!? I gave them full coverage of that and you're telling me the ratings are down!?"

Major Domo calmly took a handkerchief and wiped his face of Mojo-spit. "There was an influx of viewership during that time, Grand Obesity, but with it over, people are exhausted and prefer a little cheer, pep, and outright silliness."

"Don't tell me what my viewers need, Domo!" Mojo strokes his chin, idly scurrying about on his spider-legs. "I got it! People need cheer, pep, and silliness! In short, they need crack! Lots and lots of crack! Let's see, who's consistently come through on that front..aha! Excalibur! Their antics always get a good response! What are they doing now!?"

"They disbanded, sir."

"What!? Why the hell didn't someone tell me that!? Who's in charge of monitoring the UK!?"

As if one cue. "So baby, want to go hang out sometime? Number 45? Please, she didn't mean anything to me, beautiful. So how about-yargh!" And said supervisor drone just got blown to kingdom come by an irate Mojo.

"We need an Excalibur team! Alright, let's do this the old-fashioned way. I'll send a huge force to invade the UK and force local heroes to team up. It's a classic and the nerds will appreciate it. We'll ignore the whiners on the forums. Get to it! I want my funny accents on display, now!" 

feathers_:

Lyta was Going Out tonight. And when one was going out, you needed shoes to go with the outfit. Luckily, Lyta knew just were to find the perfect pair. They just weren't in her closet. They were in one of her "back-up closets." And Lyta knew which one.

She made her way down the hallway to Joe's room and knocked on the door. "Joe? You in there? I need a pair of my shoes."

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.

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.

mishaloganovich:

Misha's birthday gift from Dad, which included a stash of Mopar parts for Darlene, was a directive to go to Japan and check on Amiko. Phone calls were one thing, but Logan wanted a real idea of what was going on with a Deathstrike around and considered that his presence might create unwanted attention for Amiko. Misha, however, was a likable, friendly representative. Almost harmless in his natural state. And far too noticeable to the social media for almost anybody to have serious plans of kidnapping and torture.

Misha thought the idea would be fun. He liked Amiko a great deal and worried about her too. Sisters were delicate creatures, and if any of them found out he thought that, his life would be hell until they had something new to torment him over.

On his way upstairs to pack and make arrangements for the trip (as well as call his guard so she wouldn't have a tizzy), he found Sylvie making her way through the first floor toward the kitchen.

Idea struck bell tones. "Hey," he said. "I know I owe you a dinner out. How would you like fish and chips with a side of sushi?"

anyastark:

Anya entered the luxurious suite they had in The Four Seasons Paris and dropped her bags near her bedroom door. She walked over and fell on the couch. Paris was their second stop on their weekend shopping trip. They had spent a day in Milan (Vernique needed Italian shoes), now a day in Paris and then the last day in London. Having a teleporter on call to get them from one city to another in the blink of an eye sure had made traveling easier and allowed more time for shopping.

Shop they did.

Anya had bought a lot in each city and had most of it shipped home already. There was no way she would have been able to carry even half of it. It was a good thing she had gone through her closets before they had left. At least she would have room for it all.

"Okay, Vernique. It's time for you to dish about your adventures. Meet any hunks? Get lucky with said hunks?"

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:

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.

glinting:

Tamara was in her room, curled up in her bed, reading a book. She had had a busy day, going shopping to get food and drinks (mostly beer, of course), for the small New Year's Eve party the team was having. She had also done a little shopping for herself, as she needed some new winter clothes.

She was just about to turn off the lamp on her bedside table and call it a night, when she heard something outside of her window.

She was pretty sure that it was singing. And...a lute?

Tamara pulled on her bathrobe, walking over to the window and opening it. And saw the knight from when the team fought the "dragon". The one that she had kissed on the cheek.

And he was now singing to her, outside of her window. It was kind of sweet, actually.

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.

next_avenger:

With Charlie gone and as a male member of the Avengers, in addition to being the leader, it was up to James to uphold a few traditions that didn't have to deal with battling bad guys. Though he had to admit that he would rather be fighting bad guys than doing this. It just wasn't his thing.

He wasn't as industrious as Anya, but James had managed to collect the necessary photos. It hadn't been easy and a part of him felt like he was cheating on Val.

Invitations were sent to the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Champions, Excalibur the X-Men and the Defenders guys.

With the help of Jarvis food and drink was laid in. James made sure they had a wide variety of pizza, chips, pretzels and drinks.

He loaded the photos in and took care of the security systems. The girls were not allowed to watch. Now all that was left was people showing up.

perenawska:

Irina had gotten to know Lyta pretty well in the past eleven months the Champions had been together, including finding out when her birthday was. The day had finally rolled around. Irina had gone with a pair of Prada Motorcycle Boots for if and when her boyfriend took her for a ride. She also gave her a card that promised transportation to anywhere in the world, a trip to the spa and a night of drinking.

She coordinated with Corey for the food for the celebration. Corey was cooking dinner and Irina had taken the responsibility of getting the cake. Finding Lyta's favorite kind of cake had been a little difficult to find out, but she had managed to do it. She and Corey got everything ready, assembled the Champions and called Lyta downstairs.

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.

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:

Oktoberfest. It was like Christmas to some of the members of Excalibur. Better than Christmas actually. Oktoberfest was about two things. Beer and food. Three if you really liked women. So it was a given that Excalibur would be going to Oktoberfest. No other team drank more than they did.

When everyone was ready and the hotel was booked, Quinn teleported them to Munich. They took a few moments to check in to the hotel and then it was time to hit the beer tents.

bornlucky:

After having had a couple days to get used to the idea of what he had gotten himself into Casey figured now was as good a time as any to let the rest of the Excalibur team know what was going on.  So he let people know that he wanted to talk to them about something.

nextgen_holiday:

Excalibur had enough Americans on the team to warrant a cookout and most importantly drinking to celebrate their holiday and the end of summer.

A grill was set up and a variety of food prepared including traditional cookout food along with some not so traditional cookout food. Drinks, mostly beer, was put on ice along with soda and water. Tables and chairs were set up on the roof not far from the grill. Music was pumped through the buildings communication systems and an American flag was put up as well.

Later fireworks would be provided by the resident sorcerer.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn was tired of being in Camelot. Tam and he had to keep a very low profile and Quinn was tired of hiding. While some of the wenches were comely and willing, Quinn wanted to go home. It was time to get the hell out of here. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

Quinn started a spell to take them back home.

nextgen_misc:

Two members of Excalibur woke found themselves dressed in simple clothing from 12^th century England though with a slightly modern feel. They found themselves in a courtyard of a small castle in the town of Locksley. A middle aged man is addressing the crowd explaining why he is going to hang the young man next to him for being an outlaw of Sherwood.

nextgen_misc:

They had stolen their gold that they had so carefully hidden in the mortal world. No one gets away with stealing a Leprechaun’s gold and gets away with it. More over no one steal clan of Leprechauns’ gold and gets away with it.

They had found a few clues which they had used their magic on to find out who had stolen their gold and the spell lead them to the new Excalibur team.

In a blast of light the entire clan appeared inside the Excalibur base. “Give us back our Gold or else,” They demanded angrily.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn had been a couch slug since the World Cup started. He slept, ate and breathed football since the opening game. It was only his favorite sport and he watched it whenever he could. He remembered his father taking him to Manchester United games for as long as he could remember. It was one of the few father/son bonding times he had with his dad.

Today he was in his boxers and stretched out on the couch. He had a six pack of beer, a plate full of fish and chips and a bag of crisps. He was set for the game.

Now to sit back and watch Greece play Argentina.

glinting:

Tamara sat on the sofa, a mess of papers in front of her.

Currently, she was only in the United Kingdom on a passport. If she wanted to stay there and work, she'd need a visa. Mom and Dad had been great in sending her money to help her get started, but she couldn't leech off of her parents forever, or rely on her teammates to always be able to front her cash if she needed it.

But damn, that was a lot of paperwork.

Mother's maiden name....mother's country of birth....father's occupation....

Tamara heaved a sigh. This could take awhile.

nextgen_shield:

Dressed in street clothes and looking as non-threatening as possible, Rob Woolverton knocked on the Excalibur's front door. He had a pet carrier in one hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. He had left a message on Jenny's voice mail, but she hadn't replied. He took no response to mean she still hadn't forgiven him for objecting to her sudden move into what seemed to be little more than a coed dorm with a group of strangers.

Since he had this morning free, he decided to drop in and get a better idea of how things stood between them, and between her and her new acquaintances.

tabula_rasa:

If she was going to get to know her new teammates, Jenny couldn't think of a better way than to invite them to the local pub for pints and food, maybe a game or two of darts. Socializing at the new headquarters when there were things to be done seemed to be happening on a one-at-a-time basis. They all seemed to know each other and were close. Not easy for an outsider to fit in, and fitting it wouldn't happen if she didn't make the effort.

She posted a note above the coffeemaker where everyone was sure to notice it and went about her day. After work, she went directly to the Red Lion.

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

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn opened a portal and brought them all to Limbo.

They arrived in Limbo on what was a plain that stretched out in front of a castle. Nothing grew on the plain. It was dirt and rocks for as far as the eye could see. Demons moved about in the distance and along the battlements of the castle. For now they didn't notice the newcomers.

brit_sorcerer:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Quinn screamed and sat up. It took him a few seconds to realize that it had been a dream. His breathing was quick and a little labored. Sweat beaded on his body and a chill passed over him from the cooler air.

What the bloody hell?

Quinn rubbed his face with both hands.

brit_sorcerer:

Quinn stepped out of the portal and looked around. Avalon was almost a reflection of England on Earth, but there were still many differences. The inhabitants were much different and the cities were gone. Quinn looked at his fellow...teammates or just companions? He didn't know and at this point he didn't care much.

"Stay close. I'm going to teleport us to a spot just outside of Morgan's castle. Once we get there, expect resistance." He wasn't quite sure if Morgan was responsible for destroying Braddock Manor, but his gut told him it was her. He had sensed the residue from a portal to Avalon and this Morgan could have as much animosity toward Captain Britain as the Morgan he knew. A part of him wondered if it was the same Morgan and if this was the same Otherworld.

icallnopowers:

Leech got rather cheerfully off the computer. It felt weird to be cheerful with everyone still slowly recovering from so many horrible things. But he couldn't help but be happy about the news he'd just gotten.

nextgen_xmen:

Sean had been trying to get in touch with Theresa for a few days now and so far he's had no luck. Worry gripped him. It wasn't like her to be out of touch for so long. He left messages and in the past she would return them within a day. Four days and nothing so far.

It was time to call in some help.

He called Xavier's to see if anyone there had seen her lately or if someone could go to her apartment and check on her.

tommythetree:


Somewhere remote and out-of-the-way on the grounds for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, there was a dull thunk.

"Ow."

Tom stumbled back, wincing, one hand clamped to his head. This was officially not his day. He tried to focus, but the pain (and the dawning suspicion he'd gone for too long without taking his tablets, accompanied by an unpleasant mental pressure and feeling of fogginess) got in the way. He leaned forward against the tree he'd just headbutted, one hand out to steady himself.

He'd been fighting, that much was clear. The odd, slightly pricklish sense that signalled he'd been using his powers, as well as the fact that he had just nutted a tree, rather distinctly implied that. But he was alone out here, that much was sure, and right now he had absolutely no idea why.

Slightly more importantly, he didn't know where "here" was, either, or where he'd been the last few days. He had vague memories of getting into an argument with Terry- something about his christmas letter- and then blankness.

He glanced around the strangely familiar woodland.

 

"Tom, man," he muttered, one hand drawing his shillelagh from his coat, the other bringing his hip flask to his lips, "you've really gone and done it this time..."

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.

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.

sandcastlegod:

It was entirely finished except for the stupid little broken mechanism, which he certainly had no hope of fixing alone.

And so, Corey did the logical thing: he fixed up some very good homemade hamburgers.
Well-seasoned meat, juicy fresh tomatoes, and some skillet-fried potatoes on the side.

Carrying this, he went looking for Joe.

lytaworthington:

Lyta took a sip of her beer, grabbing a couple of pretzels out of the bowl set in the middle of the table. The bar was a little crowded tonight, not too busy, but packed enough to where they'd have to wait to play pool. Which she wanted to do. She was long over-due to kick Misha's butt at it.

She had to admit, she looked good. Her wings were hidden in their brace under her light-blue blouse that showed juuust the right amount of cleavage. Her jeans were tight, but still comfortable so she could move around in them just fine.

Grinning at her three friends that she was sharing a table with, Lyta placed her beer down on the table.

"This is long overdue, boys."

lytaworthington:

She has a backpack on and a purse in her hand as she touches down on the ground outside of Xavier's School for Gifted Children.

It has been too long for Lyta since she's last been here. Far too long indeed. She's missed her home, her friends, her team.

She's already called ahead to make sure that her room is the same as she's left it. Dad's shipping in the rest of her luggage tomorrow. For now though, she has enough clothes to last.

Opening the door, Lyta steps in and grins.

"Hello!"

nextgen_holiday:

“We need to be more grateful. I think there is no true character without gratitude. It is one of the marks of a real strong character to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in the church, everywhere. It doesn't cost anything, and it is so easy to cultivate.” - Ezra Taft Benson

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.

princessbruiser:

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

Looking at the gates, Molly Hayes knew one thing off the top of her head.

This place was freaking huge.

"Of course it's huge Mol," she mutters under her breath, pulling her bags up the front door like they weigh nothing. Which, to her, they don't. "There's like, a billion and one other people here." Well...maybe not that many people.

A nervous feeling sat in the pit of her stomach. And Molly was not one to get nervous. The Runaways would be the first people to tell anybody that. She punched the Punisher in the gut when she was eleven years old for Pete's sake!

And yet, here she was, palms sweating, heart pounding, stomach twisting into knots. What if no one liked her? What if she didn't fit in? What if she screwed up royally on a mission? Good Lord, what if Wolverine remembered her as that girl from all those years ago that told him he was a big, stinky, jerk? Man, Chase would never let her live that down...

Chase. Molly couldn't help but feel a little pang in her heart when she thought of Chase. And the rest of the Runaways. Was she really doing the right thing, leaving her family in California behind to join the X-Men? Then again, Nico had been the one that told her this would be a good idea...

She could turn around. Tell Professor Xavier thanks but no thanks. Go straight back to Los Angles and her family.

Molly shook her head. No. That wasn't an option. She was offered a spot on the X-Men, and she was going to wear that uniform with pride.

Swallowing her fears (and praying that she didn't hurl all over whoever opened the door), Molly rang the bell.

nextgen_media:

“We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you breaking news from Times Square. An apparent bank robbery gone wrong has resulted in the deaths of at least eleven people at the 1515 Broadway branch of Bank of America. Witnesses report that a masked man entered the bank and held the patrons at gunpoint. The details of what happened next aren’t clear, but it appears the robbery was stopped when a mutant teenage boy lost control of his powers and killed everyone in the bank. The boy fled the scene and remains at large. If you see this boy please contact your local authorities immediately and do not approach him. He is considered extremely dangerous. “

“As you can see behind me, crews are still cleaning up the site and authorities have the area cordoned off and are prohibiting anyone from approaching the bank. Traffic is at a crawl through Times Square and police are suggesting that commuters seek alternate routes.”

“Anti-mutant demonstrators and pro-mutant demonstrators are already on the scene. Police are trying to keep the demonstrations peaceful, but tension is running high.”

rabbitfromahat:

The taxi pulled up alongside a huge gate and Summer hesitated a minute before she made herself step out of the car. As she leaned in the window to pay the fare it was on the tip of her tongue to ask to be returned to the city. Still, she had come this far and it would be pointless to turn back now. This was the first real opportunity she'd been given to do something new with her life. No one could exist forever on disappearing rabbits and card tricks. So she ignored the voice in her head telling her to turn back, paid the cab driver, and watched him drive away.

When she'd spoken to Kristoff the day before, Summer had thanked him profusely for his help and at the time she had been very excited. Now that she was there, something seemed so final about it. Maybe it was the gate and the wall. Or the enormous size of it all. This place was nothing like any she'd ever been before, and she'd been lots of places.

Before she buzzed the intercom to ask to be let in, she paused to look through the gate. It was a nice day out, for as late as it was getting in the year. There were even a few kids playing or lounging on the lawn. Teenagers never changed. No matter where she went, some things always stayed the same. Weekends were sacred, no matter what the weather channel threw at them.

Okay. Enough dithering. It was time to go inside. She squared her shoulders, pressed the button on the intercom, and waited for someone to answer.

ng_purifiers:

Its all neatly organized and legal, they have the permits to speak, donors and supporters lined up to help legitimize the event, and plenty of television coverage. There's no direct association with any movement or politics - that would be improper, but the Church of Purity is high enough profile to get plenty of guests and coverage of their own, and the Reverand Butler is a rather sympathetic figure in many eyes, having spoken passionately on his cause ever since the deaths of his family. When the noise dies down, he begins to speak. His voice is quiet - he's not a fire and brimstone type, always noted for his soothing voice and long temper. The power of his words comes more through true conviction and personal charisma.

"First, I want to welcome you all here today. As a religious figure, politics is always something of a tricky subject to address appropriately, but I assure you, I am not speaking for or endorsing any candidate. Instead, friends, I am endorsing responsibility and accountability. The topic of registration for the parahuman, and especially mutant population has arisen again in the halls of power. Now I know, many people have pointed to the heroics of some of America's 'super beings' before, and noted that these events helped to table talk of a comprehensive registration act. I want to tell you about another hero. My oldest son served his country. He served overseas, putting his life on the line daily for God and country. He was a decorated veteran, specializing in urban security. As such, he was one of the brave soldiers asked to take on a dangerous assignment - providing peacekeeping services during the trial of Magneto as part of multi-national forces. Indeed, sworn statements from half a dozen attendees, including two of the court officers will attest that it was due to Jason Butler and his unit's services that day that their lives were spared when the trial came under attack by mutants identified only as Fenris. My son's services... my son's sacrifice. You see, he, and a dozen other peacekeepers, brave men and women all, died that day, caught in a conflict between forces they could not comprehend or hope to confront. And while he was credited with saving lives that day, as well all know,Magneto also fled the building afterwards. Its a story we've seen again and again... I am not asking you to unduly punish those born with these strange abilities... but to require them to be held accountable for their actions. Our brave policemen are given more and more restrictive rules in how they do their jobs. And many 'bad men' are freed each day for some lapse in procedure. Our soldiers and security overseas have been questioned and put on trial. And yet time and again, these X-Men, and Brotherhood, and whatever else these secret socieities call themselves defy authority, refuse to be held accountable for their actions, and hide behind code names and secrecy. And yet we hear time and again, they feel they're persecuted and put down... and maybe they are. But the road goes both ways, my friends. If America's mutant population truly wants equal rights... then let them come forth and say they are no better than the rest of us. That they are willing to accept that they are part of something greater... America, including its laws and restrictions. If they wish to style themselves heroes, people... I do not denigrate that noble intent... but let them act like heroes! Shadow vigilantes that we cannot discern from terrorists are not heroes. Those of noble intent... truly, I will stand beside. But so long as no one knows their names, they hold no one but themselves accountable for their actions, they hold themselves as a higher force than our soldiers and police... and so long as we cannot even know who among them was responsible for the deaths of many of our real heroes... how can they ask us to accept them?"

He pauses for a drink of water, nodding thanks to the stage hand, then turns back, the murmuring silenced. "Today, ladies and gentlemen, I stand behind and with the mutant population of America... let us give them equal rights. Let us make them a part of the society we hear so often they claim holds them apart. Let us support mutant registration, not to separate and destroy, but so that we have a means to make them a part of the process... so we can tell the heroes from the villains, so we can punish the guilty and thank the virtuous. People fear what they do not understand. Let mutants come forth from the shadows, and let us know them, not as Magneto, Brotherhood, Fenris, X-Men... but by names. Not merely to punish the guilty... so that perhaps before I die, I can know and confront my son's murderer... but so too that we can thank those who truly have the best for humanity in their hearts, and know them, and strive for true equality. If they truly wish equality with all other men and women, then first, friends, they must submit to the same authority the rest of us live under, that our police and soldiers account to. We cannot allow them to both claim they wish to be equals, be known as just another person, and allow them their cloak of mystery, letting them act without regard to law or accountability. Yes, my friends... today, I stand with what mutantkind has so long claimed they wished... I plead with you to support the registration act as is grows... that we can truly be equals."

_tsunami_:

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 8th (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.

Cait had even gone as far as going into the woods yesterday and made some garum. It was a surprise for her brother, the twerp liked the stuff, and making it near the mansion was not an option. It was currently in a small container on the table.

She stood on the edge of the pool and made different water sculptures unpon request. Yes, once and awhile a sphere of water would "just happen" to get out of her control and soak someone.

ng_mojoforce:

It had been a long two weeks in New York, but in the end they had managed to get quite a few recruits for the new shows. Now that they were just about done here in New York, they'd be heading off to Los Angeles. There were always people looking to be the next big star in that town and recruiting should be easier.

The screening process was slow because the boss didn't want just anyone in the shows. He wanted people that would deliver action and most importantly ratings. Not your everyday ordinary Joe Schmoo off the street would do. The boss wanted people with charisma, or ones who could provide a lot of action. Mutants were great for the latter and they couldn't just come out and ask people if they were mutants. There was a battery of very specific questions and then a small "screen test" to see what they could do.

So far the boss had been pleased with the ones that had been found and sent back.

They had two more days here in New York and then it was off to Hollywood where the pickings would be better and easier. Sweepzweak couldn't wait to get to Hollywood where sun and beautiful women awaited.

sandcastlegod:

Once Corey and David had reported what they'd realized to the Professor and Uncle Scott, Corey was left with the fact that there he couldn't think of anything useful to do until the staff figured out a little more of what had happened to Cait and the others and where they could be found.

Announcing with agitation that Cait and the Gileses and others had been missing for day and to let people know felt only marginally helpful.

He sat in the hallway, thinking.
...Please let there be some answers before he called Mom and Dad.