Holiday Plot Planning Post [Part Deux]
THE PLOT
Okay, for the Holiday Plot, we need folks to keep in mind this is a light event-ey kinda plot. It's going to be more about posting heartwarming vignettes and a little bit of interaction than actual plot.
It's going to run from December 20 to January 1. Podpop is likely going to be a day late, or we're going to just podpop them to an emptyish ship or we're going have things wrapped up and folks back on the ship chilling by then.
It's going to have five parts to it.
Part 1 - The Briefing
Stacy will gather the crew that's going on the mission (you can sit out if you want) on Obs Deck, and explain the situation to them, which is as follows:
The world is Earth, the year is 2245. After WWIII (which mercifully only involved a limited nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan), the world pretty much has gone to pot. Poverty and apathy runs rampant, and most citizens live in giant megalopolises, huge cities that nearly stretch straight to other cities. In less developed countries, especially those affected by WWIII, conditions are as destitute as they ever were, and this has been made all the worse by a small nuclear winter dragging temperatures down to another "Little Ice Age."
Currently, a massive megacorporation called Macrohard (a computer company that was also originally the maker of the massively successful Doodle Search Engine) pretty much rules the entire market, and even employs its own small army. It's largely exempt from the law, as it lines the pockets of major politicians and police officers and even has a dummy vice president in the Oval Office of the US on their payroll.
One of the primary products of Macrohard are systems of virtual reality and hologames, that further distance the apathetic populace from each other, and pretty much dominate the market every holiday season.
However, this world was once a world of magic, long long ago. It's all but died out since, but one of the last things to go is the Holiday Spirit. This creature does not belong to any particular religion, though his form has been shaped by the more secular beliefs regarding one Santa Clause. No, this is merely the spirit of Giving, and Generosity, a spirit whose influence was once threaded throughout a great deal of humanity. But now with humanity's ties to each other growing more and more cut off, it's growing weaker and falling asleep, until it fades away into nothing.
On this world, due to the orbit of the Earth being minutely different, the winter solstice falls on December 24. This year, due to freak chance and the way the Hebrew and Islamic calendars have worked out, the last night of this world's Hanukkah and the first day of Eid ul-Fitr fall on December 24 as well. Due to a slightly altered history, the first day of Kwanzaa falls on December 24, as well, rather than December 26 as it does in our world.
This day would be a momentous day, a time of celebration for many cultures and religions, a time of community and generosity, but with the world's populace stuck to their VR sets, pacified by the mind-numbing subliminal influences programmed in and with the rest of society struggling to survive, this world could use a little kick in the butt to get moving.
The crew's mission is to temporarily take down the VR network, forcing people to go outside and talk to other people, and to use to last of the magic of the Holiday Spirit, which has created magical sacks that produce any food, any toy, anything, really, that's appropriate to give to someone, and go around the world, giving away gifts and food and useful things to the people of this Earth. They're to give away things that will help them come together again to celebrate their respective religions and cultural holidays with other people (after all, it's easier to have a feast with those you care about when you have the food to feast on). From the snow-covered cities of the north, to the warm southern hemisphere, the crew's job is to give and inspire giving.
With luck, this will help revive the Spirit of Giving itself, and allow it to perpetuate the cycle year round as it once did, subtly inspiring people to give in to the better nature that's always been there. To exist, generosity must exist, and the spirit's existence will help spur further generosity.
Part 2 - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The crew will briefly (VERY briefly, we're just playing them getting the magic bags) visit the extra-dimensional rift at the North Pole and the home of the Holiday Spirit and receive their magic bags from the imps there. Some can dress in whatever holiday attire they like (like as Santas or Elves or IDK Krampus or whatever). Then they'll all fly out into the world under their own power or in groups in flying cars decked out to be like sleighs (but we're talking some classic cars, like T-birds).
Part 3 - Good-will Toward Men
The crew will then undertake the grueling task of gift-giving and bringing the holiday spirit around the world. It's highly recommended that whatever holiday your character is helping with, that you read up on. Eid ul-fitr for instance, has gift-giving in some countries, but more feasting and giving away to the poor and more toned down activities in other countries.
The groups will be grouping up and regrouping a lot, to allow people to interact with anyone they particularly interact with, but will mostly comprise of small scenes or vignettes. For anyone that's gonna be completely busy during the holiday season, this is the best part for you to participate in if you want to join in--it'll be left open and let people bendytime threads or little mini-stories.
Part 4 - The Siege on the North Pole
A small group checking out Macrohard to see what precisely their VR tech does to people will warn the others that Macrohard has found out what they're trying to do. They have robotic surveillance polar bears and arctic foxes in the North Pole as they've been trying to kill the Holiday Spirit for a awhile to establish their commercial dominance over the holiday season and are indeed responsible for its trance in the first place after having it taken out of the air by missiles--it didn't have enough energy to heal itself and keep on going. When they find out that the crew has passed through the rift and given away it's location, they'll send their mercenaries there to finish the job.
A small group of the crew (most likely one not well equipped to fight, to make things more interesting) will have to get there in time to defend the Holiday Spirit and fight against ninjas wielding deadly throwing candy canes and mecha Nutcrackers.
Part 5 - Peace on Earth
With mecha nutcrackers vanquished, generosity and good cheer will be spread throughout the world, reviving the Holiday Spirit. Though the crew has no way of knowing for sure if their actions will leave a lasting effect, the Spirit will be there trying to maintain the cycle throughout year, and throughout the years, until hopefully, someday, its influence isn't needed at all.
PLANNING STUFF
There are multiple groups that will be helping with specific holidays, so, who wants to help with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Eid ul-fitr? Preferably folks that are interested in the practices of other cultures and stuff would be best. Otherwise, everyone else will just be general gift-giving/giving food/being generous.
Also we need to know who will be infiltrating Macrohard (though this is a very small part, so bank on also doing charity stuff, too). People with ninja skills/infiltration powers a must.
And, of course, we need to know who will be on the Defend the North Pole team. Preferably those that haven't had a ton to do yet (so we wanna try to limit the superheroes on this one).
People on these teams will all get to do the other stuff too, this is just stuff more in the spotlight and for people who will a) be around during the holidays to play to give them something fun to do if they don't have much RL stuff, and b) haven't had a chance in the spotlight recently/are new. So:
General List - Who will Be having Someone Participate in General [Note: We're gonna go by player, rather than listing all the characters and just assume you're bringing a few to the table, so just say your player handle. Keep in mind, if you're busy over the holidays, but still want to get a vignette or something in, still let us know. This is for the purposes of allowing us to know everyone that we need to get in.]
Amanda
Amred
Anna
Andy
Arden
Ash Blaze
Batty
Beth
Blue
Cheeta
Col
Cyn
Di
Emi
Eric
Erii
Funk
Holly
Kazra
Kit
Kiyuu
Kuroi
Kyle
Matt(1)
Matt(2)
Naomi
Pedro
Penny
Pixle
Sair
Sam
Saphie
Shard
Shaun
Su
Sylvar
Tai
Varis
Will
Zoki
Hanukkah Team [Note: All the rest of these, list by character.]
Allen Gentry
Atomic Robo
Ron Stoppable
Scarlet Levy
Sheik/Zelda
Slobo
Nightwing
Eid ul-fitr Team
Billy Cranston
Dani Phantom
Kate Bishop
Katara
Loren
Peter Petrelli
Kwanzaa Team
Hannibal King
Leela Bricker
Marco
Terry McGinnis
Wyn
Xander
Infiltration Team
Arha
Danny Phantom
Dark Smoke Puncher
Gandrayda
Jean-Paul Valley
Lex Luthor
Nicholas Angel
Spot
North Pole Emergency Defense
Aeneas
Alia
Chris Ramirez
Dark Alessa
Elfangor
Fate
Holly Short
Nanoha
Rtas 'Vadum
Shadow
Shawn Spencer
Wonder Woman
Keep in mind, this is going to be a very low-key plot, no muss, no fuss, much more event-like, with very short scenes, so don't really expect a whole lot you can sink your teeth into. It'll be light and fluffy. You can also assume folks can get each other gifts while they're doing stuff on this world; they'll likely get a small allowance for it. While it's not even December for some of them (at least by their limited reckoning of what time of year it'd be back home) it is for some of them and who needs an excuse to get presents, amiright? When they get back on the ship, they can also have some 'nog and pass around presents and socialize and just use it as an excuse to be merry or something.
Also if you wanna do something in it we haven't really named (making toys to magically get teleported into the magical sacks or something), when everything is up, feel free to just DO it.
Questions, comments, what teams you wanna be on, and so on here. (P.S. Will put up a post shortly that will be a more detailed planning one for the Escherville/Nightmare king plot).
Okay, for the Holiday Plot, we need folks to keep in mind this is a light event-ey kinda plot. It's going to be more about posting heartwarming vignettes and a little bit of interaction than actual plot.
It's going to run from December 20 to January 1. Podpop is likely going to be a day late, or we're going to just podpop them to an emptyish ship or we're going have things wrapped up and folks back on the ship chilling by then.
It's going to have five parts to it.
Part 1 - The Briefing
Stacy will gather the crew that's going on the mission (you can sit out if you want) on Obs Deck, and explain the situation to them, which is as follows:
The world is Earth, the year is 2245. After WWIII (which mercifully only involved a limited nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan), the world pretty much has gone to pot. Poverty and apathy runs rampant, and most citizens live in giant megalopolises, huge cities that nearly stretch straight to other cities. In less developed countries, especially those affected by WWIII, conditions are as destitute as they ever were, and this has been made all the worse by a small nuclear winter dragging temperatures down to another "Little Ice Age."
Currently, a massive megacorporation called Macrohard (a computer company that was also originally the maker of the massively successful Doodle Search Engine) pretty much rules the entire market, and even employs its own small army. It's largely exempt from the law, as it lines the pockets of major politicians and police officers and even has a dummy vice president in the Oval Office of the US on their payroll.
One of the primary products of Macrohard are systems of virtual reality and hologames, that further distance the apathetic populace from each other, and pretty much dominate the market every holiday season.
However, this world was once a world of magic, long long ago. It's all but died out since, but one of the last things to go is the Holiday Spirit. This creature does not belong to any particular religion, though his form has been shaped by the more secular beliefs regarding one Santa Clause. No, this is merely the spirit of Giving, and Generosity, a spirit whose influence was once threaded throughout a great deal of humanity. But now with humanity's ties to each other growing more and more cut off, it's growing weaker and falling asleep, until it fades away into nothing.
On this world, due to the orbit of the Earth being minutely different, the winter solstice falls on December 24. This year, due to freak chance and the way the Hebrew and Islamic calendars have worked out, the last night of this world's Hanukkah and the first day of Eid ul-Fitr fall on December 24 as well. Due to a slightly altered history, the first day of Kwanzaa falls on December 24, as well, rather than December 26 as it does in our world.
This day would be a momentous day, a time of celebration for many cultures and religions, a time of community and generosity, but with the world's populace stuck to their VR sets, pacified by the mind-numbing subliminal influences programmed in and with the rest of society struggling to survive, this world could use a little kick in the butt to get moving.
The crew's mission is to temporarily take down the VR network, forcing people to go outside and talk to other people, and to use to last of the magic of the Holiday Spirit, which has created magical sacks that produce any food, any toy, anything, really, that's appropriate to give to someone, and go around the world, giving away gifts and food and useful things to the people of this Earth. They're to give away things that will help them come together again to celebrate their respective religions and cultural holidays with other people (after all, it's easier to have a feast with those you care about when you have the food to feast on). From the snow-covered cities of the north, to the warm southern hemisphere, the crew's job is to give and inspire giving.
With luck, this will help revive the Spirit of Giving itself, and allow it to perpetuate the cycle year round as it once did, subtly inspiring people to give in to the better nature that's always been there. To exist, generosity must exist, and the spirit's existence will help spur further generosity.
Part 2 - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The crew will briefly (VERY briefly, we're just playing them getting the magic bags) visit the extra-dimensional rift at the North Pole and the home of the Holiday Spirit and receive their magic bags from the imps there. Some can dress in whatever holiday attire they like (like as Santas or Elves or IDK Krampus or whatever). Then they'll all fly out into the world under their own power or in groups in flying cars decked out to be like sleighs (but we're talking some classic cars, like T-birds).
Part 3 - Good-will Toward Men
The crew will then undertake the grueling task of gift-giving and bringing the holiday spirit around the world. It's highly recommended that whatever holiday your character is helping with, that you read up on. Eid ul-fitr for instance, has gift-giving in some countries, but more feasting and giving away to the poor and more toned down activities in other countries.
The groups will be grouping up and regrouping a lot, to allow people to interact with anyone they particularly interact with, but will mostly comprise of small scenes or vignettes. For anyone that's gonna be completely busy during the holiday season, this is the best part for you to participate in if you want to join in--it'll be left open and let people bendytime threads or little mini-stories.
Part 4 - The Siege on the North Pole
A small group checking out Macrohard to see what precisely their VR tech does to people will warn the others that Macrohard has found out what they're trying to do. They have robotic surveillance polar bears and arctic foxes in the North Pole as they've been trying to kill the Holiday Spirit for a awhile to establish their commercial dominance over the holiday season and are indeed responsible for its trance in the first place after having it taken out of the air by missiles--it didn't have enough energy to heal itself and keep on going. When they find out that the crew has passed through the rift and given away it's location, they'll send their mercenaries there to finish the job.
A small group of the crew (most likely one not well equipped to fight, to make things more interesting) will have to get there in time to defend the Holiday Spirit and fight against ninjas wielding deadly throwing candy canes and mecha Nutcrackers.
Part 5 - Peace on Earth
With mecha nutcrackers vanquished, generosity and good cheer will be spread throughout the world, reviving the Holiday Spirit. Though the crew has no way of knowing for sure if their actions will leave a lasting effect, the Spirit will be there trying to maintain the cycle throughout year, and throughout the years, until hopefully, someday, its influence isn't needed at all.
PLANNING STUFF
There are multiple groups that will be helping with specific holidays, so, who wants to help with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Eid ul-fitr? Preferably folks that are interested in the practices of other cultures and stuff would be best. Otherwise, everyone else will just be general gift-giving/giving food/being generous.
Also we need to know who will be infiltrating Macrohard (though this is a very small part, so bank on also doing charity stuff, too). People with ninja skills/infiltration powers a must.
And, of course, we need to know who will be on the Defend the North Pole team. Preferably those that haven't had a ton to do yet (so we wanna try to limit the superheroes on this one).
People on these teams will all get to do the other stuff too, this is just stuff more in the spotlight and for people who will a) be around during the holidays to play to give them something fun to do if they don't have much RL stuff, and b) haven't had a chance in the spotlight recently/are new. So:
General List - Who will Be having Someone Participate in General [Note: We're gonna go by player, rather than listing all the characters and just assume you're bringing a few to the table, so just say your player handle. Keep in mind, if you're busy over the holidays, but still want to get a vignette or something in, still let us know. This is for the purposes of allowing us to know everyone that we need to get in.]
Amanda
Amred
Anna
Andy
Arden
Ash Blaze
Batty
Beth
Blue
Cheeta
Col
Cyn
Di
Emi
Eric
Erii
Funk
Holly
Kazra
Kit
Kiyuu
Kuroi
Kyle
Matt(1)
Matt(2)
Naomi
Pedro
Penny
Pixle
Sair
Sam
Saphie
Shard
Shaun
Su
Sylvar
Tai
Varis
Will
Zoki
Hanukkah Team [Note: All the rest of these, list by character.]
Allen Gentry
Atomic Robo
Ron Stoppable
Scarlet Levy
Sheik/Zelda
Slobo
Nightwing
Eid ul-fitr Team
Billy Cranston
Dani Phantom
Kate Bishop
Katara
Loren
Peter Petrelli
Kwanzaa Team
Hannibal King
Leela Bricker
Marco
Terry McGinnis
Wyn
Xander
Infiltration Team
Arha
Danny Phantom
Dark Smoke Puncher
Gandrayda
Jean-Paul Valley
Lex Luthor
Nicholas Angel
Spot
North Pole Emergency Defense
Aeneas
Alia
Chris Ramirez
Dark Alessa
Elfangor
Fate
Holly Short
Nanoha
Rtas 'Vadum
Shadow
Shawn Spencer
Wonder Woman
Keep in mind, this is going to be a very low-key plot, no muss, no fuss, much more event-like, with very short scenes, so don't really expect a whole lot you can sink your teeth into. It'll be light and fluffy. You can also assume folks can get each other gifts while they're doing stuff on this world; they'll likely get a small allowance for it. While it's not even December for some of them (at least by their limited reckoning of what time of year it'd be back home) it is for some of them and who needs an excuse to get presents, amiright? When they get back on the ship, they can also have some 'nog and pass around presents and socialize and just use it as an excuse to be merry or something.
Also if you wanna do something in it we haven't really named (making toys to magically get teleported into the magical sacks or something), when everything is up, feel free to just DO it.
Questions, comments, what teams you wanna be on, and so on here. (P.S. Will put up a post shortly that will be a more detailed planning one for the Escherville/Nightmare king plot).