The tree is ready to be trimmed, the Santa hats are waiting to be donned, and the icing for the strawberry shortcake is setting in the fridge until cake assembly time. Our fearless shachou, Twwk, still needs to put in the KFC chicken order, but otherwise, it is time for…drum roll please…
BtT’s first-ever Staff Christmas Party!
And guess what? We’re inviting a few special guests… come join the fun!
Who’s your guest for the BtT Staff Christmas Party?
Nathan: I’m bringing the life of the party—Vash the Stampede! And he’ll entertain everyone with his clownish antics while advising all to care for LOVE AND PEACE! ✌️ He has a cheesy sense of humor and an uncanny talent for disarming—sometimes literally—any situation. The trouble is, he’ll either be the first one to get drunk (assuming he can) or the first to quell any rowdy partygoers. It might take a little effort to get him to come, though, because trouble tends to follow him—and said “trouble” is usually ’90s-style supervillains.
Twwk: Okay, I’m with Nathan on this one for reasons we’ll explain below. But I’m going to bring a few My Hero Academia characters, too, based on how they acted at their Class 1-A Christmas party: Mina, because she’s that character who’s doing things like trying to put a Christmas suit on Bakugou; Mineta, because when he’s in the spirit, apparently, he’s no longer creepy and instead just helps along a good time; and the pair of Tsuyu and Ochako, who are so charmed by the event that they’ll restore a little bit of your faith in the season, despite how commercialized this holy day has become!
Josh: You know what? I have two people in mind who I’m inviting to this shindig! First up, I’m inviting Kyotaro Ichikawa from The Dangers in My Heart. Why? Well, our little cringe-lord-turned-lovestruck dork could do with having a fun time with some great people to develop those social skills. And of course, I have to invite his little girlfriend, Anna Yamada, too! They’re a package deal, and besides, she can help draw Kyotaro from out of his shell! Just ignore those snack crumbs on her dress…
Gaheret: What about someone who would otherwise be lonesome, and whose presence would require a bit of a Christmas miracle? I think it’s in the spirit of the season to invite Lain Iwakura, the 14-year-old protagonist of Serial Experiments Lain, who, due to reasons it would be spoiler-y to detail, is excluded from human contact. An introverted, shy, quite childish teenager, she is nevertheless truly appreciative of others. So here we go. Present day, present time. Layer 14: Christmas. Cue the laughter, and perhaps the sound of a bell. Lain is here!
Samuru: You know who hasn’t been to a Christmas party in quite a long time? Senku Ishigami! I would like to see how Dr. Stone himself would participate in and analyze everything going on. I love to learn, so I would want to be around while he checks the flavors of food, the engineering of the lights and decor, while also devising a way to improve the experience, all at once. Give the guy a break, he was literally a rock just a while ago.
Laura: I’m going to invite Scarlet from May I Ask for One Final Thing! She’s just so cool that I would love to meet her face-to-face and get to know her personally! Granted, by extension, Prince Julius is naturally coming too, because somehow he seems to always end up wherever Scarlet is. Ha! I don’t think I would be too starry-eyed when chatting with Julius, but I would definitely be struggling super hard when talking to Scarlet! I also confess I might have to reel in some laughter because I have no doubt Julius is going to do something to try and get a reaction out of her! Ha!
claire: I’m going to copy Gaheret’s noble approach and invite someone who could really use a Christmas party, and specifically, a workplace Christmas party: Natsuko, the anime director and death-defying isekai-hopper from Zenshu. She starts out the series as the kind of person who wouldn’t even notice that a party was going on around her at the office, let alone consider actually stopping work to join in the fun! But by the end, she’s beginning her journey of making friends with her colleagues and learning how to enjoy life. So, a staff Christmas party will be a great way to help her level up both her social skills and joy quotient!
What’s your guest bringing to the party? And how do they spend the evening?
This can be something tangible, like food, drink, party game, etc., or more of a vibe, i.e. they “bring” the jolly cheer or whatever. Also, what do they do at the party?
Nathan: Vash is bringing donuts. At least a dozen, if not more. And a comically oversized gun that he’ll go out of his way to never fire.
Twwk: Yeah, man! He’s also bringing that style. The glasses and red overcoat still look good, or if you’d rather have Stampede Vash over, he looks great, too! Meanwhile, the MHA guys are in charge of the white elephant gift exchange. With those kiddos at the helm, it might actually be fun!
Josh: Honestly, since Kyotaro is very much a reserved and shy kind of guy, I’m sure he’ll fret for days over what to bring! However, I think he’ll come through with a wide variety of snacks… though several of them seem to be opened already… weird. As for what Anna brings? Since her dad is a famous chef, as well as a prodigious gamer, I’m sure she’ll bring one of his famous cakes (with a slice suspiciously missing…) and one of his old video games for everyone to play!
Gaheret: Perhaps something that can only be found in the most obscure corners of the Internet? Knowing that we are anime fans, perhaps Lain would bring to us the legendary three lost episodes of Astro Boy (1963), or 1917’s (also) lost The Old Man Who Made the Flowers Bloom, to watch sometime during the party, or entertain us with some other unseen wonder of the Internet. The one thing she would surely bring, though, are madeleines to share with everyone. She loves the taste, after all.
Samuru: A concoction of ingredients to make several dishes. Some may be new since he didn’t have a lot of ingredients to choose from in the Stone World. There weren’t any grocery stores, so whatever he could find, he promised it would be 10 billion percent delicious!
Laura: My first thought is food! Prince Julius, I imagine, will bring some kind of “appropriate gift” that doesn’t have much sentimental value but fulfills the whole “bringing a gift” thing, because I know he would not want to come empty-handed. For Scarlet, though, she is easily bringing a sweet dessert! Outside of Julius getting a reaction out of her, it’s no secret that she loves sweets, and they, too, get a reaction out of her!
Possibly unfortunately for Scarlet, though, I plan to hog all her time, so I’m not sure what she will be able to do outside of us chatting! Ha! We could play some card games together with my kiddos, though! My husband is quite the card shark and could see Prince Julius—once he learns how to play the game—giving my husband quite the run for his money! Ha!
claire: Well, I can tell you the one thing I’m banning Natsuko from bringing, and that’s seafood bentos! (iykyk) Seriously, though, our super-skilled anime superfan will be bringing…the decorations! None of that store-bought stuff, though. Nope, Natsuko will be rocking the poster paper, making hand-drawn illustrations to decorate the staff room with everyone’s anime faves wearing Santa hats, and a rendition of The Forgers as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, with Bond as a gentle donkey, Franky as the lamb he is, the Headmaster, Sylvia and Yuri as the (highly cautious and suspicious) Wise Men, Becky and Damian as (bickering) angels, and…ok, I’m getting carried away now. But it will be GLORIOUS! Natsuko will subsequently spend the evening signing autographs, obvs. Wait, is that a DVD case I can see pocking out of her knapsack??? Wonder what that could be…
What is “Secret Santa” giving them? (ahem, you are Secret Santa!)
Nathan: Hair gel. Lots and lots of hair gel. Do you think he just wakes up with the spikey blonde locks? There’s sure to be several guests at a minimum who need the World’s Strongest Hairgel to make their trademark style. Vash is the king of style!
Twwk: Ochako seemed really happy getting her All Might ornament last Christmas, so how about the Hallmark Deku one this time around? Mina gets one of those chemistry kits that lets her play with acid. Tsuyu gets a lillipad stuffed cushion. And Mineta? I think he should just be thankful he’s attending a party with girls.
Josh: Ooooh, gifts! (how nice of you to assume I have money…) Welp, for Kyotaro I’m gonna give him a copy of “Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa”. I think that game would be right up his alley! For Anna, I’m giving our snack-loving dork the complete collection of Insomniacs After School. Anna is a known connoisseur of romance manga, and I think she would enjoy it! (and I totally didn’t say that because I wanted an excuse to post Ganta and Magari…really I didn’t!)
Gaheret: I’d go for a cat, black or grey. It fits her aesthetic and is something you cannot find on the web: a living, warm being that cannot be programmed. I think she’d like that. I’m not quite sure of how the logistics would work, but expect lots of analog-looking shots of Lain’s cat looking at us, the viewing audience, and tilting his head in the shadows. I’d throw in a Santa hat too, just for the party atmosphere. And another one for the cat.
Samuru: I found this really cool beaker mug for coffee! I love coffee, so maybe Senku will too. It’s been a long time since he’s had any, and it would wake him up to get more experiments finished. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he doesn’t start using it for anything else besides coffee during the party; we may be in danger if he does…
Laura: Admittedly, I would not get anything for Prince Julius because what does one even get for a prince?! But for Scarlet, I’m going to give her brass knuckles! I’ll make sure that they fit comfortably over her gloves so she can give those bad nobles an even harder punch!
claire: Natsuko is getting some hair accessories. Scrunchies, ties, barrettes, clips, bobby pins, a cornucopia of cloth headbands—all the things she needs to keep her hair outta her face! And a sweatshirt that isn’t a hoodie. With Luke Braveheart on it, naturally. 😉
What Christmas song will they request from the BtT DJ?
Josh: I would like to volunteer my services to be the BtT DJ. You may refer to me as DJ Blue Socks! I got some old school Motown Christmas carols in my lineup! Y’all are about to learn about “Silent Night” by The Temptations, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by The Jackson 5, “White Christmas” by the late, great Otis Redding, and of course “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” by the HARDEST working man in Show Business and the purveyor of Cup Ramen noodles, James Brown! Let’s go!!
Twwk: Love it, DJ Blue Socks! I’m sorry for the weird requests from the MHA gang—I know there are no such songs as “Froppy the Snowman” or “All I Want for Christmas is Pink Good,” and please ignore Mineta constantly asking for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” But you could time a romantic version of “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” like Michael Buble’s, for when Ochako and Deku are talking with one another…underneath the mistletoe?
Nathan: “Mistress for Christmas” by AC/DC. First, Vash’s original theme song sounds like an instrumental by that band. Second, he’d probably drag his almost-girlfriend, Meryl, onto the dance floor when it plays. Did I mention that the “insurance girls” (Meryl and Milly) tagged along, since their only hobby is chasing Vash? Is the venue insured? It might not survive the night with the Humanoid Typhoon around.
Gaheret: Libera’s version of the Carol of the Bells. It is subtly haunting; it builds up, and I think it goes with her personality. Perhaps it will close the episode instead of A Distant Cry.
Samuru: Jingle Bell Rock, since it’s more of a fun vibe for a Christmas song.
Laura: I’m not sure what Scarlet would suggest, but I get the feeling that Julius would ask for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”! I personally love it, so I don’t mind at all it being played by our awesome DJ, but if Scarlet finds out that he did it in honor of her as his “plaything,” well, I might have to take back those brass knuckles I gifted her in case she gets the urge to use them on Prince Julius! Ha!
claire: I guarantee that Natsuko is going to want to mumble a request for some intense, epic track from the score of A Tale of Perishing that our funky DJ Blue Socks definitely won’t have in his repertoire, at which point I’ll step in with what I think will be quite a clever compromise: the score for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” of course!
It’s time to trim the Christmas tree! What’s your guest’s contribution?
Nathan: It’d probably be a simple silver cross in honor of Rem, the woman who saved his life as a child, and his best frenemy, the violent minister Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Hanging it will be the one serious moment he has all night.
Josh: Well, knowing our little chuni dork Kyotaro, I’m guessing he’s going to add a couple of blood-soaked skulls with festive Santa hats on them. He’s an odd kid, bless his heart. And as for Yamada, I think she would cover our little tree with red scarved Corgis!
Twwk: Don’t let Mina near the tree—she might melt it. Same with Ochako, because we don’t want it floating and everything falling off. Tsuyu could hop up and put the star on top, though! And Mineta? Well, I’m sorry for all those purple spheres all over the tree…
Gaheret: Little stuffed animals that will be taken from a big basket and won’t loom over the audience in the shadows anymore, and an intricate system—a little too intricate perhaps—of colourful electric lights going up all the branches. Lain can work on those with abandon, forgetting herself in the wires and connections, until we stop her and show her that the tree is ready to light up.
Samuru: A small microscope that may be used for scientific purposes only. Of course, Senku used it to analyze some samples around the party before hanging it. He had an idea for a new recipe of fruit cake, but based on his calculations, it would have been the most tasty, so he abandoned it.
Laura: If it’s okay to ask a prince to help, I’m asking Prince Julius to handle putting up the garlands in the party room! I’m not sure how tall he is, but I’ve always gotten the impression that he is a good height, and I feel he wouldn’t mind helping in that way. I’m going to ask Scarlet to help decorate the Christmas tree, though, because I think she would enjoy it! She might ask about some of the “odd” Christmas ornaments I’m bringing from our family, like our Thunder Cats one or the Minecraft Creeper, but I will take any time to simply chat with her, even about ornaments!
claire: Oh boy, Natsuko’s got this one covered! She’s bringing her magical pegbar for the top of the tree and handing it to Tsuyu to get the job done. Who needs a fake angel or star when you’ve got an actual miracle object that emits rays of light and literally saves the world?
Oh snap, it’s snowing outside! Who is having a ball in the snow?
Nathan: Vash won’t start a snowball fight, but he’ll finish it. He’ll headshot every participant—and then probably run to each of them to make sure they aren’t hurt too badly. Then again, Vash has superhuman precision, so he’d more likely laugh awkwardly to deflect suspicion.
Josh: Oh, I’m sure Anna and Kyotaro are having some fun shenanigans off to the side in the snow, making snow angels and snowmen! Blood-soaked, of course, because that’s how our little bro rolls.
Twwk: The whole group is hyped for a snowball fight! But make sure you’re on Mineta’s team—that guy was made for snowball fights. Think Will Ferrell in Elf…
Gaheret: I imagine Lain being puzzled at first, until she receives the first snowball and is surprised by the touch of it. Perhaps she’ll bend down and slowly grasp the snow, and suddenly stand up and throw it at the others, smiling more openly than before. Our eyes will follow the throw with no sound, but in the moment it makes an impact on someone, the laughter and the music will cut in again, all of a sudden. It is Christmas, and everything is connected.
Laura: Listen, every time my family and I have had a snowball fight, my husband basically takes out my entire family, no matter how much my kiddos and I tag team! Ha! I want Scarlet on my side because I foresee that with her help (and maybe Prince Julius too!), my kids and I can finally have one victorious match against my husband! I’ll even take a snowball to the face to make it happen! Haha!
claire: Our kuudere introvert is gonna play it cool at first, scoffing at adults acting like children, though she’ll come outside and watch. But when a well-placed snowy strike from Vash hits her in the back of the head, getting her beloved purple hoodie wet, it’s on!!! Natsuko’s gonna get super serious about crafting the perfect snowball and then let loose with enough ferocity that her eyes will blaze, her hair whip in a wind that no one else feels, and her arms blur with speed as she transforms into a virtual snow launching demon until the sharpshooting outlaw king will regret starting a fight! Natsuko will bury everyone.
And so ends the inaugural BtT Staff (and Friends) Christmas Party!
What do you think—do you wanna join in? Who are you bringing? Let us know below!
