Good-will Toward Men

[cityship]

There is a whole world out there to spread holiday joy to. A world of flying cars, and massive towering skyscrapers, of quiet, cold deserts, of snow-covered cities. Everyone in it is either holed up in their homes, hooked into the Links, the network run by Macrohard, abstaining from human contact, or they're poor and destitute, in the streets, and in parts of the world that are ailing right now.

Some of them are due to stop in on specific parts of the world during their journeys. Others are just going to be show generosity to anyone they meet. Every angle has to be covered, every holiday that celebrates generosity and unity, to help stoke the fires and revive the Holiday Spirit.

Pick a place, Meatcrew. Grab some crewmates to help. Make some noise and entice people to leave their VR sets and come outside with their fellow man.

With the magical sacks, containing last of the Spirit's power, they can give anything that's wanted OR needed to the people of this world, and with the enchanted flying cars, they can get anywhere in the world to do it, in no time.

[ooc: Special holiday groups, tag your assigned subthreads (and keeping them in one thread would likely be best, since those groups are small). Whoever feels creative can pick an exact location and set up details--we wanted to give you some freedom to have your characters find where to go. Anyone else, doing Christmas or general gift-giving, tag and make new subthreads for each situation of gift-giving. These can stand alone as vignettes, but we encourage everyone to thread-hop and tag in to random threads. Don't worry about the organization of groups, they'll probably be switching groups all over the place throughout the night.]

Comments

Hanukkah

[cityship]

The Festival of Lights is still celebrated in many places in the world. The Jews have held onto their faith now as they have for thousands of years, even if it's grown more and more difficult with the changing times.

It is the eight and last day of Hanukkah, and there are many places where menorahs adorn a bar-covered window, the last candles being lit a half hour after night fall.

Re: Hanukkah

[redeyes_andblue]

Chanukah tends not to have the lavishness that Christmas does, but there are still little ways for Sheik - and others - to leave joy for those celebrating it.

Many of the houses where the chanukkiyot have been lit now have little gifts stacked nearby, scattered with handfuls of gelt (and with the occasional real coin amongst the chocolate - bite carefully!), the occasional dreidel - and a few plates of latkes here and there.

Mmm, latkes.


((OOC: ...Dammit. Now I'm craving latkes!))

Eid ul-fitr

[cityship]

It is the second day of Eid ul-fitr. The Middle East is not the only place in the world it's celebrated, of course. There are Muslim populations in Britain, The United States, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Like most of the world, though, there's slim pickins for the feasts and gifts. It is not a good time for this planet, for everyone, and people go hungry. Many take solace in the fact that they can at least share with one another the spirit of their faith.

Re: Eid ul-fitr

[worm-dancer.livejournal.com]

The Sisters of Mercy charitable mission was based in a small adobe building on the outskirts of Baghdad. Dust clung to everything, sand blew in through the open windows. It was oppressively hot during the day. At night though the cold cut to your bones.

The sisters were two girls who had blown in from out of the city, in through the desert, dressed in old clothes. Humble but beautiful, both had meekly refused several offers of marriage from visiting uptowners doing their charitable work for the holiday. They seemed dedicated to nothing but serving.

Sheeana had seemed utterly tireless, serving all day, then going to "visit" with local governors at night, returning home at night flushed and exhausted but their place in the city secure.

Merchants agreed readily to donate food and water...well, it just seemed to appear out of thin air.

The war had cooled on this earth. Every year there were a few bombings from either side. Both had settled in to a long grind and the citizens of the Republic of Qurac had built their lives back up as best they could. Life had returned to a semblance of normalcy.

And on the night of Eid Ul Fitr, a sumptuous feast was laid out in the street for the city's poor. Grizzled war veterans with missing limbs sat next to beggars and refugees. Tabbouleh and fried eggplant opened the stomach for sfiha, lentil and pomegranate soups, dolmaches and falafels.

There were plates of baklava for afterwards, that flaky sweet dessert beloved of all in the middle east.

Nothing could interrupt this good of an occasion...or could it?

Re: Eid ul-fitr in the US

[visserbasher.livejournal.com]

Loren had no idea Eid ul-fitr existed until she saw the team list Stacy brought up. In the end, she figured it was a lot like Christmas, which was really about spending time with friends and family and eating (and the presents too).

She didn't speak anything other than English so she spent her time in the United States, cooking, greeting people, and making sure everyone got along well. She wasn't much of a cook, but she did enjoy getting to know new people and helping to spread the holiday spirit. Everyone here really needed it.

General Gift Giving Group - London

[psi-flames.livejournal.com]

Jono wasn't all that enamored of his outfit (http://www.buycostumes.com/Elf-Adult-Costume/61839/ProductDetail.aspx), but he had seen worse ones at the North Pole. And even if it wasn't black, at least it was dark.

He looked over the city as they drove in, shaking his head. This ain't roight, he said, voice disbelieving. Bloody 'ell, I know it's Christmas, but I ain't ever seen it this quiet. Nobody's bloody well outside! And that was just unheard of. There were always people on the streets. It was LONDON!

Re: General Gift Giving Group - London

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye," Jamie agrees, absently reaching up to adjust his hat as it slips over one eye. At some point he opted to put his version of the elf costume on - although, true to form, the kilt is on underneath. At least it's red, and blends well enough with the rest of the outfit.

"They must all be inside with those virtual reality things." He frowns thoughtfully. "Ye would think, though, not everyone can afford them." There's got to be some people around who can't. It's just a matter of finding them.

Ho ho ho

[birthmural]

Never in his wildest dreams did Daimon expect to find himself here. Riding a sleigh, powered by his own his own powers, focused through his trident.

No, there were no reindeer to pull this sled. But there was a bag of presents and there was a Santa Claus.

Daimon tugged at his collar. The costume was uncomfortably snug.

And you didn't want to get him started on what he thought of the fake beard.

"Ho, ho, ho." He said dryly. "Merry Christmas."

Christmas had been infinitely more enjoyable when he was a young boy.

Re: Ho ho ho

[dreamstolights.livejournal.com]

"Oh, come on, don't be so cold," Selene said, nudging Daimon. She was currently dressed in a helper elf's outfit. "We got gifts to deliver. We might even get cookies if they're still keeping that up."

General Gift Giving - Boston

[compromise-wolf.livejournal.com]

Leaf didn't like the whole flying thing one bit. Nor was she thatfond of the whole 'handing out presents to humans' thing, or especially-

"A scab? Being inside this Weaver thing is not enough?" She snarled to herself as she eyeballed the city below. Her temper didn't improve as she watched Scout. "And how are we to land when this has no feet?"

Re: General Gift Giving - Boston

[bonk-you-up.livejournal.com]

Scab? Weaver? Wha-? And oh right, landing. Scout kinda forgot about that. Scout doesn't really want to land, though he guessed it was kind of nice to be back in his hometown.

"Hold on, I got this," he almost sounded unsure of himself. He slowed down the car, hovering over a building, then finally downshifting into park (in mid-air, no less). The car thumped onto the top of an apartment building. Scout folded his arms, looking pretty pleased with himself.

General Gift Giving - The Caribbean

[telekinetic_badass]

Sun, surf, and women in bikinis. This was more like it. Now that he could shed the layers of clothing, he was in a much better mood for gift giving. And a day of island hopping to spread holiday cheer sounded good to him.

Re: General Gift Giving - The Caribbean

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

Kon had been a little crankier--at first--but then he'd decided that even he could pull of the whole Kon-elf (http://community.livejournal.com/trans_9/221653.html?thread=17474005#t17606101) thing with style.

"Ladies, ladies, laugh all you want, but you know you'd rather be sitting in my lap and telling me what you want for the holidays rather than any fat guy, candy cane tights aside."

General Gift Giving - Colorado

[sgmitchell.livejournal.com]

Strange as the mission outline sounded, it did match the other AI's mistletoe schemes, and made him question just how long he'd been asleep in the pods. There was no room to question the reality of this place, not on a mission. He hadn't signed up for anything, true, but military training was deeply ingrained within him. The possibility that what they'd been told was true meant that, when necessary, he followed orders.

The orders weren't so bad, really. Go to an alternate Earth and act out a Christmas movie plot. The work that would entail was more than made up for with the chance to fly. Granted, it was a flying car, not an F-302, and on Stacy he was already traveling to other planets...but the familiarity of the situation was nice, and after awhile, one got to miss flying under their own power.

Now, the idea of costumes? That, he was dubious about, but as a team leader he was expected to make an example. So, he'd do with a good old classic santa hat.

Of course, Colorado here wasn't quite the same as his own home, but it was a strange comfort to see such a familiar place after so long--how long had it been? It was a comfort to see something familiar, and that was enough to spur him onward and make himself look like a fool, looking for random strangers to give gifts to.

Re: General Gift Giving - Colorado

[letmelive]

Claire hadn't particularly cared what the mission was, she was going. She needed to set foot somewhere familiar, as bizarre as the whole situation was. And maybe that had been what had led her to jump on the car for Colorado. It had been where she'd grown up, after all.

Everything in this world was a little off, but snow everywhere wasn't completely a horrible thing. And Claire was never particularly shy, so this wasn't a difficult thing for her, seeking out people who could use a little cheering up.

"We should sing, or something. Christmas carols? Might get their attention."

Kwanzaa - Redid to fix sommat

[cityship]

In this world, Kwanzaa starts on the 25th rather than the 26th as it does in some of their own worlds.

The holiday was created as a way for African-Americans to celebrate their heritage and ancestry, to allow them to focus on family, community, and history.

Today, of the Nguzo Saba, the principle being celebrated is Unity--in the family, in the community, in their nation, and in their race.

Harlem, NYC

[cityship]

The Harlem YMCA still stands there, the place where such notable figures as Malcolm X once stayed, the center of the Harlem community. It's been vastly renovated, time and time again over the centuries, but now it's started to fall into disrepair. Who has need for culture anymore, when they have the Links? Who has need for community?

Some people still do. Most of the volunteers here at this dinner are from Harlem, and some of them come from families that lived in the area since the days that Duke Ellington played at the Cotton Club--and since the days that only whites were allowed to hear him play there.

At the head table is a kinara, the first candle of which will be lit at midnight. Next to it is the kikombe cha umoja, the communal unity cup, made out of wood, and at each table where everyone sits is a mkeka, a straw basket, and mazao, fruit and vegetables for the centerpiece.

"Pops, why are we here doing this scazz anyway?" asks a sixteen-year-old boy, who's there with his father, dishing out food. "Like I wanna be here on Christmas Eve with these pomp-pomps. All my friends are on the Links, eking out the Holiday Slam."

"You're here because we're still going to be here at midnight, feeding his people, and it's going to be the first day of Kwanzaa," says the man, dishing out some turkey--real turkey, too, thanks to their new guests.

"Don't give me that razz again. The first day is about 'unity' blah blah, still don't explain why we're feeding these gap-toothed--"

"These people are a part of our community--they're a part of our society. They don't deserve to be alone and hungry tonight--they don't deserve to be alone and hungry any night. Unity's about accepting people different from you as part of the same community you live in, seeing them as people, treating them the way they deserve to be treated."

The teenager spots a homeless family, and some of the kids, not much older than his little sister, stuffing food into their mouths like they're starving--because they are. "...They sure are hungry."

"We're all part of the same world, son. And everybody in that world can wind up damn hungry sometimes, especially the way the world is right now. Who else is going to help them?"

This Holiday Dinner, sponsored by the Hearts of Harlem charity is not just one where the volunteers slop out food to the hungry and then ignore them. Oh no, they're also giving their time, eating with them, talking to them, giving them a sense of belonging somewhere, of being cared about. A few local social workers have volunteered their time to try to talk to people and see what they can do to refer them to services that might help them with their living situations.

Of course, every year, this little shindig's funds lessen and lessen, and their organization's year-round work suffers, too. Many of the small, locally-owned businesses that used to provide hefty donations have been muscled out of business by Macrohard and the massive megacorporation only donates to the giant not-for-profits that are nearly businesses themselves, that they can garner favors and good PR with.

They didn't even have enough money to buy little things for the kids' Zawadi gifts this year.

At least until several strangers showed up.

GGG City slums

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

The Planet had nothing comparable to Christmas, but spreading love and joy was not a new goal to Aeris. Very little of what Stacy laid out for them this time was new to Aeris, save for the planet itself. She'd heard a little about Earth in her time on the ship, though, and to be able to visit it so soon was a lovely surprise.

She could not yet hear the pulse of this planet, but she could feel it in the distance. Just enough to know that it was still alive, for all of the miniature (and not-so-miniature) ShinRas fighting to quench it out.

She hadn't dressed up in anything special, except for extra pink ribbons in her hair, because she knew nothing about what sort of costumes were expected, but it wasn't about what she was wearing. It was about helping everyone else, and that was something she was very good at.

She found a place which reminded her of the slums in which she grew up, and chose there to spread cheer, giving out flowers and blankets to those she found.

Re: GGG City slums

[indigoblueberry.livejournal.com]

Indigo had been skimming about, looking to see if anyone had needed assistance. The night was shaping up to be an extremely long one, but she was determined to tackle some of the worst areas. Case in point, a slum like this one.

One of the other crewmembers was already there, she'd been noted on the trip down but Indigo hadn't talked to her. She parks and steps out of her car, done up in traditional Santa garb (sans beard) and eyes what Aeris is up to. After a moment, she walks up. "Do you wish for company?" Assistance probably wasn't the right word for this kind of activity, no.

NYC

[cityship]

There is no Christmas Tree at Rockefeller center this year. Only holographic advertisements to BUY BUY BUY. But then most people just order everything online anymore anyway, so who would be there to even look at a tree? Who would bother to put one up?

The crew is, and with them damaging the VR networks where they go and enticing people outside, a crowd is gathering as some of them put up a massive tree, while others put up a gigantic menorah. The tree itself was hauled down from Canada by some of the crew and it's huge, and the decorations are coming from their bags like, well, magic. The menorah was in Jaime Reyes' bag and he's still not quiet sure how he got the damn thing out, but he's working on getting it to light up, and he could use a little help.

[daaayum.livejournal.com]

She's been all over the world tonight, but ended up here in the city, in a little community center in Harlem.

She had to come see the tree though--hell, and the menorah, too. The lights are beautiful--and a snow is starting to drift down. It's certainly cold enough.

On street level, where cars once raced everywhere, there are only people walking, all of them gathering there. Spotting someone in the crowd of decorators, she laughs slightly to herself, as she sees he's got his cape on over his clothes, still, even now. Head tilted, for a moment, she looks and sees a nearby store and suddenly has an idea, and disappears into it.

This is something she wants to spend money on rather than magic up, to make sure it won't disappear or something. It doesn't take long for something to catch her eye, and before long, she's outside again, with a gift wrapped in biodegradable foil. Cupping her hands around her mouth, and yelling over the sound of the cars flying overhead, she calls:



It's a little quieter away from the crowd--he just has to get past them first.

Buenos Aires

[cityship]

"She ain't woken up in a while now, she ain't--I tried everything. Her mama died last spring and I said I'd at least try to keep her alive longer--"

Re: Buenos Aires

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"Be silent. I'm attempting to concentrate and your nattering is distracting."

Brainiac 5 bends over his patient, under less than desirable clinical conditions--a outdoor colony of the homeless in a park is hardly sterile. He'd come here to provide medical attention to these people, when they wouldn't get it otherwise, and all day, he's been dealing with the ravages of dehydration, malnutrition, skin infections, diabetes, HIV--all things that have cures by his time.

It disgusts him, the way these people live. It disgusts them that they go neglected by their society and aren't cared for.

General Gift-Giving: Washington, D.C.

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

Snow filtered through the night sky, driffting down the empty streets of what had once been the capitol of the city. Maybe it still was in some fashion. The sleigh, which was rather old fashioned save for the fact that it flew was perched upon a flat roof of a hospital. Near that sleigh, in tight, buckled red leather (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/illusionarymind/jedeyewut.png), her equally dark red leather Santa hat (complete with a tuft of fur at the end and around the circumference), Arha Masaari had finished another run and was coming back for more.

Her large red and fur trimmed coat had now finally been discarded at the sleigh, the wide hood with its copious fur trim rustling in the wind as she dropped it. Her hand landed on the hood as she reached for another bag. What is it these strange people said? Ho, ho, ho? Arha sighed and rubbed at her cold-reddened nose, laughing at herself as she moved back toward the much warmer interior. Snowflakes clung to her cheeks and hair as she rounded the corner, for the first time coat-less.

It was very, very cold.

Obi-Wan, I've another bag! she called merrily through the Force.

Re: General Gift-Giving: Washington, D.C.

[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

Obi-Wan was ignoring the leather. He was ignoring the buckles and the...the red. He was not thinking of how impractically close-fitting Arha's clothing was, he wasn't thinking about...

He wasn't!

That's plenty, then. Come on, or you'll freeze to death He replied long-sufferingly. Well, at least she was happy? He smiled, it was a good mission, and the joy was infectious.

General Gift Giving-Cape Town

[gogopowersuit.livejournal.com]

Samus was trying not to dwell on the attire (http://i46.tinypic.com/fkp2mo.png) she had been forced into (after Meluly kept insisting, she gave in and put it on. So much for an iron will). She absentmindedly rubbed at a rather large burn on her cannon arm. She always felt sort of exposed out of armor, but this was a little ridiculous.

She probably shouldn't be driving a flying car with only one hand on the steering wheel. She briefly peered out the side. They had to stop and give out gifts somewhere. "Should I land here?"

Re: General Gift Giving-Cape Town

[unsc-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Kelly was positively glaring at anything that moved down there. Out of her armor, the wind whipping her hair uncomfortably around her face, she folded her arms tightly across her chest, trying to ignore the outfit (http://www.scavengeinc.com/images/sexy-elf-costume.jpg) she'd been forced into by Samus. Misery loves company was a saying that came to mind. She just wished the woman hadn't taken it quite so literally.

The Spartan watched the woman drive the car, not commenting. Though a few times she'd been tempted to shove her out of the seat and take over. At her question, she raised a brow and turned her gaze to Meluly. The alien seemed to be the one in charge of their little trio.

General Gift Giving - Austin

[notastaffchick.livejournal.com]

It was probably not a good idea to let Hunter drive the flying car. He had what could be charitably called an idea of how to drive a stick shift, but he'd never quite put it into practice before. Every time the car stalls, it drops straight down fifty feet or so-- and the car stalls often.

"So, ah... here looks good?" he suggests hesitantly, adjusting his Santa hat. Parking the '69 Camaro (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/1969_Chevrolet_Camaro_Pace_Car.jpg/180px-1969_Chevrolet_Camaro_Pace_Car.jpg) should be... interesting, to say the least, but this looks like as good a place as any.