Christmas with the Crew 🎁🎄

Last Christmas we posted how each of the crew members like to celebrate the holidays, so we thought we'd repost it again as a little holiday read for you!

We hope you all have an amazing Christmas, and let us know in the comments which one of the crew you relate to the most when it comes to the festive season! ⛄️

Ryona/Aya art by Megneato!

Ayame 🥁

Aya is very much a fan of spreading Christmas spirit and cheer to others, and though she didn't grow up celebrating Christmas as a kid, due to it being a human tradition, she more than makes up for it now.

She especially loves to decorate the ship, using garlands, baubles, and fairy lights, and making the dull, grey metal as festive as she can manage. When the decorating is done she'll hover around the kitchen, claiming she's only trying to help out. Bash may fall for it, but Damon knows exactly what she's up to... Though she usually manages to swipe a sweet or two before she's unceremoniously kicked out.

She's the worst at picking out gifts for others, and will usually choose something that will get a good laugh, even if she's the only one laughing. And she'll expect a gift (or three) in return. Luckily, she's extremely easy to buy for, and is happy with even the smallest present.

Aya will go out of her way to make sure everyone has an amazing day! She's so happy to be a part of her found family, and will never fail to show that every member is truly loved by her.

What better time to do that than at Christmas?

Bash ⛄️

For many years Bash avoided Christmas. The celebrations, festivals and feasts were all a cruel reminder of the family he had lost. Today, with his new family, the crew of A6, he has regained his love for the holidays, and is at the forefront of spreading Christmas cheer throughout the ship.

Each Christmas, him and Damon cook up a huge feast for the whole crew and spend the day relaxing, drinking and eating. He always cooks way too much food than what's needed, but will always make sure that nothing goes to waste.

Aya and Ryona have banned him from helping with the Christmas decorations after a mishap with a circular saw, but that doesn't stop him from coming up with doodles of everyone in Christmas outfits and posting them throughout the ship.

He'll wear a Santa hat for about a week straight and hang mistletoe throughout the ship, trying to convince anyone who gets caught under it to give him a hug. Certain members of the crew are less than impressed by this "tradition" but for Bash, it's simply his way of spreading the love.

Calderon 🎁

Christmas is a human tradition that has passed down among generations since their time on Earth. It doesn't snow on Goldis, due to the almost non-existent surface water, and Christmas usually falls during the warmer months in Silta Vie.

When Cal was growing up, his moms were well-known for throwing the best Christmas Eve parties in the city. As a child, Cal was extremely spoilt, and though he was raised to be kind and sensible, he didn't always practice it. He was showered with presents on Christmas Day, and didn't want for anything.

After he joined the Guard, and saw for the first time how the people in the lower Districts lived, Christmas began to lose its appeal for him. Nowadays, Cal attempts to avoid Christmas as best he can, which can be difficult when there are others on the ship who love it. Although he misses his family constantly, every Christmas Day he spends away from them hurts the most.

The crew do their best to cheer him up around Christmas, reminding him that they are also a part of his family, and he will see his moms again one day.

Damon 🥧

Though Christmas is something he's not particularly fond of, Damon doesn't mind spending the time together with the A6 crew. He had a rocky start to life, but he's grateful for where his life has led him, and even though he rarely shows it, he feels it, especially over the holidays.

Damon, of course, is happy to cook for Christmas, and he won't trust anyone other than Bash to be in the kitchen with him, knowing that food and cooking are things that Bash takes just as seriously as he does. Everyone else has to get out until it's ready. Go and find something else to do.

And no Santa hats in the kitchen, Sebastian.

He's generally in charge of the baking and desserts, while Bash busies himself with the main course and side dishes. When the feast is served, everyone sits down together, eating and drinking until the small hours. It's a rare time when Damon will let his guard down, usually after a few too many drinks, and quietly appreciate the people around him.

June 🎄

During Christmas on the ship, June sometimes feels a bit lost, and not too sure how to help out with the celebrations. He's never been the best cook and doesn't have the same knack for decorating as Aya does. A lot of the time he feels like he's getting in the way.

Usually, he and Calderon will end up hiding away somewhere together, away from the fuss, with two glasses and a bottle of whatever Cal procures from his secret stash. They'll drink and chat about anything and everything that isn't Christmas-related. Knowing that Cal would never gossip, it's always a good chance for June to get a few things off his chest.

When they're finally coaxed out from their hiding spot (it changes every time, yet Aya still manages to sniff them out) June will always make a point to compliment the decorations and try every single dish that's been prepared. And the little Christmas outfits that Aya picks out for Lizzie are always a highlight! The fact that everyone has gone through so much trouble to make the day special never goes unnoticed by him, and he makes sure to let each of them know it.

Ryona ❄️

On Tilaarin, Christmas isn't celebrated, so it's not a tradition that Ryona grew up with. However, there are festivities centered around the shortest day of the year - what humans would refer to as Winter Solstice.

Growing up, Ryona and her sisters loved to take part in the celebrations. They would eat good food, dance, and sing. Feasts would consist of stews and soups, pies, roast meat and vegetables, dried fruit and nut bread, and candied fruits and hot cocoa. Gifts are always given, and are often handmade, though with remarkable craftsmanship.

Since being away from home, Ryona has become more familiar with the traditional human Christmas, though she only recently celebrated her first one with the crew. While she enjoys most of it, some of the traditions can be a little overwhelming, and the food is sometimes too heavy for her taste.

Aya will try to rope Ryona into assisting her with decorating the ship, begging her to make the beautiful paper snowflakes she has a particular talent for. She also has some beautiful plants growing in her collection which only bloom around Christmas, their silver flowers a welcome addition to the Christmas table.

Ryona will always take a few, quiet moments on the day to think of her family and hope that whatever they're doing, they are happy and healthy.

Vexx 🎅

Growing up on Goldis, Christmas always happened during the warmer months, and the Silver District especially was a bustle of activity. People usually kept to themselves and their families when celebrating the holidays in the District, and though Vexx's family celebrated, they preferred not to make too big a fuss of it.

When he was acting as a Guard at the Palace, the entire place was lavishly decorated for Christmas, with balls or parties every other day. It was a time of the year when he and Traveler could get away with spending time together while everyone else was busy with the festivities.

Together they would sneak sweets from the feasts, play around under the snow machines in the gardens and celebrate Christmas in their own way. Sometimes they could even convince Nerissa and (reluctantly) KY-L3 to join in with them, though only for a short while.

He often found himself having a lot of fun, though he would never let himself forget his parents or the true reason he was stationed at the Palace...