[Everybody except Ambrose.]

[thezerothlaw]

Pardon me.

[As polite as ever; Daneel rarely speaks on the psychic network at large, though he listens enough. It's rude to interject, he feels.]

I'm interested in what you generally feel are acceptable birthday celebrations, and what sort of details are involved. Ambrose's birthday is very soon, and I would like to do something for him, but I have little cultural experience with birthday parties. Spacer culture is the one I know best, but birthday celebrations past childhood are not common for them.

What would you suggest is appropriate?

Also, I would greatly appreciate help with the creation of food and drink, for those of you capable of it.

Comments

[mytearsaremine]

Cake. You definitely need cake, usually his favorite kind of cake, and usually with like cute decorations on it. And you should have little party hats, like the pointy kind with little elastic bands that go around your chin.

And you have to sing "happy birthday". Loudly.

Usually there's gifts and things, too, but since I guess people can make anything they want here, so that's probably a little less of a thing. I mean, unless you have some really cool idea that you don't think he'd think of, and you can surprise him with. But it should be wrapped in fancy paper for him to unwwrap so it can be a surprise, if you're going to do that.

Also, hi, I'm Jolie. What's spacer culture?

[thezerothlaw]

Hello, Jolie. My name is Daneel.

Spacers are the residents of the planets first colonised by humanity. I was made by Spacers.

Gifts are... important, I understand that. I'm not certain what would be appropriate. Why pointy hats?

[mytearsaremine]

Because they're cheap and easy to make. I mean, they're made out of paper and you unfold them from the party decorations and wear them. Especially the person having the birthday, because that one should be bigger so everyone can tell who the birthday party is for.

It's just a tradition of birthday parties on Earth. What do you mean you were made by spacers? Were you not born like most people? Do spacers make clone babies or something? Are you a clone baby?

[wickedestwitch]

I don't think the hats are a good idea, they're....

only Witches wear them where we're from, and he's not a Witch.

[thezerothlaw]

This is true, he is not. I was unaware this would be a problem.

Would you suggest a different type of hat or something else entirely?

[mytearsaremine]

Well, I mean, they're party hats, not witch hats. They're a lot smaller and don't have a brim and like there's a little pom-pom or sparkly tinsel at the point. But if that's a cultural thing for you guys, I guess maybe not. Sorry about that.

Uh. Where are you from anyway? I'm pretty sure I don't have any actual witches where I come from, since there's no magic or anything, but I know not everybody's from where I'm from.

[theflyingone]

...I thought they were worn by warrior-queens of the East?

[ Apparently tall hats were the fashion of several vastly different groups of people. ]

[thornsofmalkav]

Dude, we should make him a chocolate peacock. [Look, when you're a bird dude...] I totally copied down the recipe for it. They had it, like, on the BBC website back in Newport.

[HER FORMER INFILTRATION MIGHT HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO CERTAIN BRITISH REALITY TELEVISION OK OK.]

[thezerothlaw]

A chocolate peacock sounds highly appropriate.

But surely this can be accomplished by merely manipulating liminal space?

[thornsofmalkav]

It could, but I like cooking and baking and I really want to try that one. Also, I'm good enough at making rooms now that I can make a kitchen, so I want to take advantage of that.

[howexciting]

... it is very rare in my time to celebrate one's birthday. Unless you are a noble of some form - which Ambrose certainly is - you are expected to celebrate your saint's day instead. Nobility and royalty celebrate their birthdays and their saint's days, as a sort of display of wealth - and depending on how rich one's family, the longer the birthday celebrations can last, sometimes up to a week after their birthday.

Given that we can infinitely create food, here, we could easily celebrate Ambrose's birthday for a week, if you so desired.

[thezerothlaw]

I'm not sure if he would want a birthday celebration lasting a week, but I'll consider it an option.

What is a saint's day?

[howexciting]

Well, a nobleman in both senses of the word, like Ambrose, deserves as such, in my opinion.

In Catholic lands, it is the feast day of a particular saint which corresponds with the day a child is baptized. Usually the day after his or her birth, but it may take a few more days, up to a week. I was baptized the day after I was born, so I suppose my saint's day is the Feast of Sabas Stratelates.

I understand he is not Catholic, as many Travelers are not, so my take on this may be rather... skewed.

[uzoda]

That's really great of you to want to do! Uh, but what to do...

That's kind of a hard question to answer. Every place has its own idea of what a birthday party should be, if they even do that kind of thing. So... are you hoping to do something that he'll really enjoy because it's just like from home? Or are you wanting to do something that's just fun?

I mean, you can't go too wrong with cake, at the minimum.

[thezerothlaw]

I will definitely be sure there is cake.

I cannot hope to make something exactly as appropriate to his home, though I can certainly attempt to make note of his own traditions. Fun is foremost. I want him to enjoy himself. I believe that he deserves that.

[uzoda]

Sounds like you've got the start of a plan! What kind of things does he find to be fun? Is he really social? Would he want lots of people there? Or just something quiet with close friends?

I mean, I know some people that really wouldn't like a big, noisy party, so... that's something to think about.

[awondrousplace]

I can help with food or drink if you need me to. Perhaps Naoki would be so good as to help as well.

As for birthday celebrations, the ones I know are from a much earlier time than many here, and quite a lot more... extravagant. I was unaware, however that millinery was a large part of the celebration of one's birth.

[thezerothlaw]

I would appreciate any help you are able to offer. Thank you.

I wasn't aware of the importance of headgear either, but this is why I am asking these questions. I would rather have a good selection of advice about what would be enjoyable than attempt to guess on my own.

[morethanashadow]

Cake is the most important thing. And lots of food. And things he'd think were fun!

[thezerothlaw]

I believe it may be a good idea to include a dance floor, in this case.

[morethanashadow]

Does Ambrose like dancing? [He didn't know that!!!]

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

A thimble and a coin should be placed in the cake, do not forget. I am not sure how that would work, if one is not baked, but instead created from whole cloth.

There should also be cards.

I agree with the suggestion of dancing. It should be smashing! Do you need musicians?

[thezerothlaw]

That sounds like a choking hazard. Surely such inedible objects should not be in the food?

Musicians would be useful, if I cannot work out how to provide music another way.

[fridgeninja]

Every culture has their own traditions. Since we're all Travelers now, anything we come up with should be all right.

But a big meal, cake for dessert, and small presents for the person whose birthday it is are traditional in western culture on twenty-first century earth, which is probably the only time and place most of us have seen or visited.

[thezerothlaw]

It is not the place of origin for either Ambrose or myself, though we have visited something similar in this most recent jaunt.