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.

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.

bloody_irony:

The television was on -- it was rugby.  The Tricolors were playing.  Dmitri was in a comfortable chair.  There was booze on the small round table next to him.  So far, so good.  Dmitri had been enjoying a day of good sport on the television.

bornlucky:

Before they had gone out to the Cookout of course Excalibur had remembered Tamara's birthday was today and since they were eight hours ahead of where the defenders where they had a little time to celebrate with some cake and ice cream.

Casey had gotten Tamara a hundred dollars in cash as spending money and a few light prisms that he that she might like.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

bornlucky:

It was Quinn’s birthday today so Casey thought he would be nice and got him a case of English beer that he knew Quinn liked and a case of really good Irish beer just because. He hoped Quinn would be nice enough to share after all beer is better with people than by yourself.

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.

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.

bornlucky:

Life without his luck sucked. Casey honestly couldn’t see how people were able to get by without it. He actually had to look where he was going and watch where he stepped, things he never had to do before since his luck had always taken care of that type of thing for him.

Which was probably why he had fallen down a flight of stairs and sprained his ankle.  It wasn’t too bad a sprain but he was told by the doctor that he should stay off his foot and keep it elevated for a few days.

So Casey was lying on the couch in the Excalibur Headquarters living room with his foot elevated watching TV. He also had a couple beers nearby to drink.

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 found themselves dressed in Arthurian clothing. They were in an outdoor market place in the middle of Camelot. Nearby two young men are arguing one dressed finely like a knight and the other more humbly.

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:

Two members of Excalibur woke up and found themselves dress in modern clothing that was slightly professional. The find themselves in an underground high tech base under Carthage with a pterodactyl flying around. A sign in the base reads Torchwood.

Not far from them a man and a woman are talking next to a large computer.

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.

glinting:

The 1812 Overture played in the background as Tamara walked out to the backyard of Excalibur headquarters, American flag cake in hand. Though they were England, it was still the Fourth of July, which a good number of them celebrated. It was also Tamara's birthday. She was twenty years old today. She'd picked up some cupcakes when she was at the bakery earlier. Singing Happy Birthday wasn't a requirement, but it wouldn't hurt if she got to blow a candle out of one of the cupcakes.

"I come bearing baked goods!" Tamara said with a grin, setting them down on the table.

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.

tabula_rasa:

In the bathroom, Jenny tipped a bottle of hydrogen peroxide over her left shoulder and hissed when the cool fluid made contact with the jagged cut just out of her reach It was probably deep enough to need a couple of stitches and a blowtorch to kill the demon germs. Only the fastest and strongest demons managed to inflict damage on her before they were thrown back, the bloody bastards. There hadn’t been many, but it hurt. A lot.

As Excalibur didn’t have a medic or a healer, she debated her pitifully few options. A hospital, which would require full disclosure to treat her, the SHIELD medical office where she’d been treated before and who would know how to deal with her particular brand of weird, or one of her new teammates.

It was going to hurt anyway, and she could direct someone here on how to seal a measly little hole in her skin with SurgiSeal. She had a few tubes for personal use because it was the easiest way to seal cuts and nicks, especially with her brand of weird.

She eased into a robe and went looking for the nearest willing and able teammate.

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.

icallnopowers:

Leech was cleaning the kitchen. He was particularly avoiding his brother, because Art was Concentrating and the last thing he needed was a chance accident disrupting his three-dimensional blueprints.

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.

nextgen_misc:

The half moon was hazy behind high cirrus clouds and the air had a slight chill to it. The night around Braddock Manor was still and quiet, but it wouldn't last. A portal opened and demons poured out along with the stench of brimstone. They headed directly for the manor house.

Ripples of magic spread out from the center. Fire cut through the darkness. Demonic screams and roars shattered the silence.

When it was over Braddock Manor lay in smoldering ruins and there were no signs of the residents.