Mikos gone mad! MoTK's First Annual Holiday Charity Drive

[helvetica]

Thanks to a wonderful idea by one of our own, MJP, we as a community are going to do something wonderful this holiday season.  We are going to run several holiday-themed contests along with a charity donation drive, with the winners deciding what worthy causes we donate to.  Deadline for all pledges and entries is 12/20.

Without further ado, I will hand the mic over to MJP with his awesome writeups for our two contests!

[helvetica]

Contest 1.  WELCOME TO THE FIRST ANNUAL TOUHOU-HO-HO SONGFEST!

Billy!  You know what I have to say about hats!  Take that thing off or Mr. McCarthy's going to be MORE than happy to take it from you permanently!

All right, listen up kids, I don't want to hear any more crap about this being a "Holiday" concert!  We're a diverse school and you'd better believe that I won't have anyone turning into Judah the Maccabee King and going onto a roid rage to deliver the Christ Child to the blue base!  That's right, the school board has approved funding for the largest Kwanzaa kinara in the West Essex area, and we're going full equality putting it out on Knight Way with the flamethrower-shammas Chanukah menorah and a Christmas tree made with 100% post-consumer recycled materials.  There's no Christmas tree greener than OUR greenery!

Oh, come on, stop your moaning.  It's not all bad.  Guess what they let me throw at you guys? 

No, HELL no, we are NOT doing the opening theme from Greatest American Hero, Jim, so shut UP!  1983 was 26 years ago!  They are NOT doing a remake, and if they do, you're damn well betting someone's getting an angry letter for passing over seaQuest DSV! 

They let me make our holidays Touhou-ified!  Yeah, how do you lot like that?  I know you kids are all about the fairies with frilly clothes and fancy hats!  And the songs, oh, the songs!

So here's what we're gonna do.  We're gonna start doing some of the classic holiday songs a la Touhou! 

There's lots to celebrate over the holiday season.  Whether it's a celebration of the birth of a very special child, the liberation of a people, coming together to celebrate the people and values in the community around us, or just turning over a new leaf, this is a time when everyone can take comfort in each other and come together in good cheer. 

The Songfest is your chance to put your creativity or even your performance skills to work for a good cause!  Your mission, should you choose to accept it: rewrite a holiday song to involve Touhou!  Whether it's "Do You See What I See?" dealing with the Three Kings returning Reimu's missing donation box, "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" rewritten with Utsuho dealing with baking her little dreidel in the fires of the sun, or "Auld Lang Syne" done even drunkener by Suika, take a classic and rewrite it!

Feel up to caroling or cantoring your way through the contest?  Find someone to take your rewritten holiday masterwork and sing it!  We'll do performance rewards!  Don't think you're American Idol material?  Take a shot at impersonating it or just belting it out! 

Here's the best part: we're doing this for charity!  Which one?  How about picking it yourself?  That's right: winners get to pick the charities the money goes to! 

I'll be putting up the base amount to start: $80 to go to the winners, $40 to Best Overall, $20 to Best Writing, $20 to Best Performance.  That money goes to the charity of your choice!  Can't decide?  You can donate your share to a Toys for Tots purchase!

In the spirit of giving, we're doing a buy-in!  You can contribute money to the MotK Donation Box via PayPal to donationbox@shrinemaiden.org and it'll go towards the total pot, divided evenly in a 2:1:1 ratio!  The more you donate, the more goes to a worthy cause!  Even if you don't feel like playing, you can do good this holiday season to a cause that's always in need of help!  But the only way to pick that cause is to play and win!  Idiot pantheon positions are also up for grabs, with an ID spot going to Best Overall, and IM spots for Best Writing and Best Performance.

Of course, if you aren't into singing, rapping (Hey, if someone can do a Touhou mix of Christmas in Hollins, it'd own), or writing...

[helvetica]

Contest 2. SHOW YOUR SKILLS!  TAKE A SHOT AT THE FIRST ANNUAL TOUHOU TOYS FOR TOTS STYLE COMPETITION!

Ah, yes, Jenkins, do come in.  I understand that your double inverse French flip spin twist was rejected by the Ministry of Silly Walks.  Pity, the double inverse French is always fertile ground for good walks.  So good of you to come all the way to Whitehall's consulate here.  Spot of tea? 

Well then, I do suppose you wonder why you were chloroformed, thrown into the belly of a 737, and flown all the way to La Guardia and left on the tarmac in the middle of the night.  Indeed, we've been asked to liaise with a wonderful cause indeed, done by the United States Marines.  "Oorah," I believe they say?  Ah, yes, oorah.  Quite literate you are, Jenkins, I knew that HM's people have been capital in their choices.  In any case, the Marines - formidable as they are, their softer sides do show themselves quite nicely - host an annual charity called Toys for Tots.  You see, Jenkins, any child loves to celebrate the holidays by giving and receiving gifts.  But there's always those who need a bit of help, and that's where the Marines come in with their "oorah" and their giving spirit.  Toys for Tots is when people donate new toys - not in the wrapping, mind you, we wouldn't want young Louis getting an American Girl doll unless he's asked for one in hopes of receiving it - for the holidays. 

Pedestrian, you may think?  Well, it is quite in the good spirit of the holidays.  Freshen your tea?  No?  In any case, our friends on this side of the pond could use our help.  These donations, while in the best spirit and intention, could use a little of the old Ministry oomph. 

Here's the deal:

1) You buy a new toy or toys (Minimum value $10 per toy per Marine regulations - you don't want to make Gunnery Sgt. Hartman angry!), don't giftwrap it, and locate your nearest Toys for Tots donation site.
2) You come up with the most creative way of putting that toy in the donation box.
3) You make sure the people who own the donation box or property it's located are okay with you doing your idea from #2.
4) Get a camera - video is best but a photo montage works, too - and someone to tape/photograph you.
5) Bust it out!  Strut your stuff!  Come out in costume, do whatever it takes - show off your donation style! 

You're getting judged on style and ideas here - best wins an ID spot!

[Nobu]

Oh, sweetness. I'll have to see if I can whip up something.

[Pesco]

I'll give a shot at contest 1 when I get home and read the fine print.

Will collaboration entries be accepted?

[Janitor Morgan]

This ought to be fun! Count me in.

[helvetica]

I'll give a shot at contest 1 when I get home and read the fine print.

Will collaboration entries be accepted?

Group entries are fine, but one song per entry.  Judging will be done on a song by song basis, and if it's a group entry the group will win (and I'll have to figure out an alternate prize for ID/IM)

All rules, regulations, and entry stuff is located http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?board=24.0

This topic is mostly for discussion and question/answer.

[Helepolis]

Hmmm rewrite of holiday songs into touhou style. I am more into singing and songtext but the problem would be everybody rewriting the obvious like 'Jingle Bells' and such.

And also I don't know that much 'Holiday songs' than the regular christmas ones and stuff.

[helvetica]

Do something from Dutchland or Turkey then.  Just something seasonal and festive with appropriate Touhou lyrics would be fine.

[Fightest]

This is a wonderful idea, and I'd be happy to participate, though here's a question - if I were to rewrite a Russian holiday song, how would it be judged? Unless the judges know Russian, of course.

[helvetica]

Ethnic or regional holiday songs would be wonderful.  If you do sing it in your native language we do expect you though to at least translate your new lyrics for us =P

[Fightest]

Ethnic or regional holiday songs would be wonderful.  If you do sing it in your native language we do expect you though to at least translate your new lyrics for us =P

That's fair. What's the contest deadline? I didn't see one mentioned on the briefing.

[helvetica]

I was going to say Lunar New Year but that's out in February 14th.  We'll make the deadline 12/31 unless MJP has a better date.

Actually crap that won't work for a Toys for Tots donation.  Deadline is 12/20 then, since you can't do the second contest anyways after Christmas.  And it'll give me time to buy toys for donation if the winner(s) choose to.

[Pesco]

I think 12/20 might be better. So that the beneficiaries get the stuff for Christmas.

[helvetica]

Yeah I'll do that, so I can go out on Monday and make the donations.

[Rin Kagamine]

I wake up and find this?  I was going to make a thread today in which I was going to rewrite a holiday song to be about Touhou everyday for 12 or 24 days.  I've already got one written up, so I'll post it before I leave.

EDIT: Wait, can we have multiple submissions for the song contest?  And can we post lyrics and then go back later and sing the song?

[FinnKaenbyou]

I'm coming up short in terms of Scottish songs to use for this, besides Auld Lang Syne which is insanely overused. >_>

Nevertheless, I'll try to write something at the very least. I can probably afford to donate a little, as well.

EDIT: And I will admit I cringed hard at Tou Ho Ho. GJ, whoever came up with that.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Turnout is a good thing - even if you have to redo "Christmas in Fallujah" it's all for a good cause.

Honestly, almost any popular artist has had some kind of holiday song at some point.  Jimmy Buffett did an island music Christmas album.  If you're in doubt, google %artistname% %holidayname% and roll the dice.  Local ethnic songs are totally awesome as long as we get those translations. 
 
If someone manages to pull off Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song"/"Hanukkah Song" (Stupid freaking unclear Hebrew transliteration) with Touhous I'll throw an extra $10 into the pot: "Mima is half-Jewish, Youmu's half-ghost is too, put them together, what a myon-looking Jew!" 

[helvetica]

I put in the rules that entries will be judged per song so if you write up lyrics and enter and then sing it later it is counted as one entry.

[Rin Kagamine]

I'm not happy with one line, so I'll work on it and put it up when I get home.  Which won't be until 9 tonight.

[Tengukami]

What an excellent idea. Good work, MJP. I'll have to see what I can do.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

What an excellent idea. Good work, MJP. I'll have to see what I can do.

I blame that thread about Native Faith + Come Together in CPMC a while back.  It got me thinking "A holiday Beatles Touhou song contest would be awesome" and somewhere on the drive home it became "What about ALL holiday songs?  Gotta be interfaith and all!" 

The style competition just kinda came into being.  For THAT I hope to see some interesting stuff!  Bust out the parkour, people!

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Also, in case anyone needs to locate a Toys for Tots donation site, there is a link on http://www.toysfortots.org.  I would specify it, but for some really, really mean reason I'm sure, my company has blocked the site as "Service and Philanthropic Organizations."  If someone could post a direct link it would be much appreciated with my apologies for being behind a Websense filter that makes the Berlin Wall look like a white picket fence.

[Shizumarashi Mayuzumi]

If someone could post a direct link it would be much appreciated with my apologies for being behind a Websense filter that makes the Berlin Wall look like a white picket fence.

Here's the most direct it looks like I can get, since I'm certainly not about to link every state's search pages individually. =P

http://www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys.asp

[Fightest]

Entry not quite ready yet, and I'm-a-gonna have to find a good microphone to record with, but when done it should be posted in the Charity Drive subforum in the Songfest Rules and Entries thread, correct?

[helvetica]

That is the title of the thread so yes =P

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

I'm going to issue a few challenges.  I'd love to see this become a major force for good, so I'm going to put forth a challenge to meet a goal.  If it is met, I'll post the photos, or if I can get my hands on a device that records video, I'll post the video, of what I promised if it gets hit.

If the Donation Fund reaches US$300 by 12/20, I will donate to a Toys for Tots box wearing my boxers outside of my pants.  It'll be at an indoor location - the Starbucks by my office.  We'll try to get reactions. 

If we get to that mark, I'll set a $500 donation challenge with accompanying MJP-humiliating reward!

[Moerin]

If the Donation Fund reaches US$300 by 12/20, I will donate to a Toys for Tots box wearing my boxers outside of my pants.  It'll be at an indoor location - the Starbucks by my office.  We'll try to get reactions.

I look forward to seeing you do it~

[Momiji]

If we get to that mark, I'll set a $500 donation challenge with accompanying MJP-humiliating reward!

Ufufuu~  Don't fail us now, MJP.

[triangles]

Oh don't worry, I will see to it he doesn't.
If it's what he told me he was thinking it's a good one~