Rekindle Network

[Pete had been a bit of a recluse since the whole "ghost" thing, but considering what time of year it was, he thought it was about time to change that. And with the string of departures that just hit the city, and how some people were taking them, he thought it might be best if he shared a little bit of celebrations from home.]

So...I don't know how many of you from Earth, or even my version of it, but I've been keeping track of the date, and there'd be a holiday coming up. We call it Thanksgiving, and it's basically a time to spend with your friends and family, and basically be grateful for what you have. Company included.

So, if anyone feels up for it, I figure we might as well celebrate it here, too. For everyone. Even if we've never met before, we're all in this together, right? We're all a long way from home, and definitely missing some people that matter to us. There's probably no better time to be thankful for what we do have, and just try to help each other out.

I figure we could use one of the common rooms for the apartment buildings for Thanksgiving dinner, with a little work. Not much, just moving everything around, and making sure there's enough room for everybody. It's not like it's a big celebration or anything, it's more about spending time with people than...well, partying, I guess. Not that any of us would turn down the good cheer. I mean, Christmas is next on the list, so killing the spirit a little early would probably be a bit mean.

Anyway. I could use some help preparing, mostly with the food, but I just wanted to say the offer's open to everyone. Humans, aliens...and, well, all the other kinds of non-humans alike. It's for everybody, and I mean that.

[And he knew there were plenty of varieties of non-human present, he just didn't know what name they'd prefer. There was at least one mer-person (?) that he'd met here, a few aliens, and even a potential goddess. He was still gonna default to giving Cupid the benefit of the doubt on that one, if only because he was convinced that sort of perkiness wasn't humanly possible.]

If you want to show up, just let me know. You don't have to bring anything, and you won't owe anybody any favors. Consider it an invitation to be part of the family. I mean, we're all here together, right? In a way, we kind of are like one big family.

[A really, really extended one.]

I just want to make sure we can make room for you when you get here. Nobody deserves to be left out.

[It's Pete again, everybody! Looking a little...more embarrassed than usual, actually.]

So, I uh...I need a favor from one of you. Or several of you, even.

See, I'm just a teenager, obviously, so I haven't really figured out a lot of things yet, and, well, one of them's kind of important thanks to the whole 'kidnapping' thing.

And while I'm grateful they give us an allowance, I really would like to be able to spend it on something other than street vendors all month. So, I guess what I'm asking is, well...

[Out with it, Pete. Sheesh.]

...could any of you teach me how to cook? I mean, sure, there's a few cookbooks in the library, but the last couple of attempts didn't go so well. And I don't really want to risk burning the apartments down...again. It was scary enough the first time.

[Anyone living on Pete's floor: That is why you might've smelled smoke a while back. And to the so-far-unknown locals who were called in to repair the kitchen, he is so, so sorry.]

[Pete figured waiting at least 24 hours would be a good idea before stepping out into the open as Peter Parker, considering he'd spent much of the previous day as Spider-Man. He was also hoping that the sizable crowd of new arrivals would also cause people not to give the timing a second thought. After all, it was perfectly reasonable to believe that they were two different people who just happened to get dragged here as part of the all-expenses-paid unplanned vacation, right? It also helps that he sounds a bit different without the mask, and a whole lot less confident and sure of himself. Not to mention about 1000% more serious about things.]

...I guess this thing's working now...

[He'll clear his throat before continuing, in a distinctly not-mumbled tone of voice.]

So, first things first, I guess. My name's Peter Parker, and I'm one of the new arrivals. And I've got some questions. A lot of them are probably the same ones you all have, so I'm not going to bother with those. I just noticed something unusual last night.

Unfortunately, it looks like they're probably telling the truth about this not being our home. I mean, unless the Earth picked up a new moon when no one was looking, I don't think this is anywhere even close to home. Especially since the starts don't look like they match up, either. But that's also what I have some questions about.

[Frankly, this scrawny looking teenager seems to be handling the entire mess pretty well. In reality, he's pretty much still freaking out on the inside, but he's had plenty of practice with keeping a level head in bad situations. Both in and out of costume, because his luck is just that spectacularly poor that it's something that comes up pretty frequently.]

Has anyone noticed any unusual effects of having an extra moon involved? They both seem pretty sizeable, so I figure they've probably got some effect on the planet, sort of similar to the moon back on Earth. So I was wondering if there's anything unusual as far as far as marine activity is concerned. At the very least, it might mean there's some pretty interesting adaptations in aquatic life to look at. As for the stars...I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I don't recognize any constellations up there. Has anyone else had any better luck? At the very least, it might help give us some idea of just where exactly we are in relation to the rest of the universe.