Santas

Santas are a very special sort of people in Pandora comics, who make a lifestyle out of giving generously and making others happy.
==History==
Although Santas exist on and in many different worlds, all of them, regardless of species, dimension or universe, trace their origins back to one man.
The first Santa appeared in the fourth century. Saint Niklaus, or Klaus for short, was an Orthodox bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey. His most famous act was an act of charity. In his day and age, daughters were expected to pay a dowry to marry, rather than receive one. A friend of the saint had a daughter who wished to marry but could not afford to pay the dowry. Niklaus snuck into the man's house and left a bag of gold. Later, he did the same for the man's other two daughters. Niklaus was also the patron saint of travelers, especially sailors, for which he had a great empathy. Many miracles are credited to Niklaus, both before and after his death, which involve helping travelers and sailors in trouble.
Today, thousands of people carry on the work of Santa in his name. Most, though not all, can be identified by their telltale red cap with the white trim and white ball on the end.
==Function==
Today's Santas have three main functions. 1) To provide for the poor. 2) To visit with children. 3) To deliver gifts. Providing for the poor makes up the bulk of the work, and is carried out by most Santas, but especially those affiliated with organizations such as the Salvation Army. The second is handled largely by a cadre of actors known as the "department store Santas", so called because shopping venues are their favored locations. The delivery of gifts is also handled by many Santas, but most of the credit goes to the one who lives at the North Pole, ranches reindeer and operates a workshop where toys are made and letters come flooding in from all over the world. To the one this office is given goes the name and title of the first Santa: Santa Klaus, or in today's spelling, Santa Claus.
==Pandora's Santas==
A wide variety of Santas exist in the worlds of Pandora. Here are the most famous ones.
Santa Oren, also known as Oren Otter, spends each year collecting clothing for poor American indians. Every July, he and his partner, Santa Larry, assisted by kindhearted children, deliver a truckload of clothing and toys to the Lakota. While Larry doesn't wear a uniform, Oren, being by far the cuter of the two, loves to announce the delivery of their gifts by displaying the bright red hat on his head.
The Rat Princess, one of the few Santas who does not normally use the title, is the Santa of Venus in the Intense Universe. When the rats of Venus became civilized under the rule of her father, an age of plenty ensued. The princess, who saw that many vegetaliens were still poor and suffering, began secretly giving gifts of food to the vegetaliens near her. When her father the king found out about her activities, he joined them, adding such comforts as blankets, toys and tools. As global warming made the surface of Venus uninhabitable, the rat princess worked overtime to make life bearable for everyone. The Rat Princess now lives in a refrigerated dome, provided by the people of Earth at the request of Tommy Tomias, from whence she continues her fight against poverty and suffering.
Santa Pangolin is a sapient pangolin, or scaly anteater, who serves as the Santa of Procyon in the Intense Universe.
Santa Grinch, although not part of Pandora Comics, is one of the most beloved Santas of all. The grinch is an olive-green furred humanoid who lives just north of Whoville, on Mount Crumpit, in the Pontooz mountain range, in a microverse which appears in the world of Dr. Seuss as a speck of dust within the forest of Nool. At the age of 53, the Grinch had fostered a horrific hatred of all things Christmas. Hoping to stifle any further celebration, the Grinch dressed up as Santa Claus and rode down to Whoville on a ramshackle sleigh pulled by his dog, Max. He then robbed the whos blind, taking everything they had and riding with it to the top of Mount Crumpit to throw it over the edge. Pausing to listen for the Whos' wails of misery, he was surprised to hear them singing and celebrating the day. Realizing that Christmas was not about toys for the whos, but about joy and love, the Grinch had a complete change of heart and returned everything he stole. Since then, the Grinch has been the Santa of Whoville, where in addition to delivering presents, he presides over the Christmas feast every year.
Santa Droppo, also known as Droppo Claus, is the Santa of Mars. His origin can be found in the movie "Santa Claus Conquors the Martians", a hilariously cheesy but touching movie in which martians kidnap Santa Claus in an attempt to cheer their melancholy children. The lazy and rather goofy Droppo, a household servant of councilman Kimar, discovers that helping Santa in his work is a delight. After saving Claus from some murderous martians who do not approve of his presence by pretending to BE Claus, Droppo dons the red suit and becomes Mars' Santa, allowing Santa to be returned to Earth. In the Intense Universe, Mars is populated by humans who migrated from Earth. Fans of the movie decided that they wanted their own Santa, and the character of Droppo was just right for the job. His suit was changed to make it a bit less silly, but everyone filling the office since then has been given the name and title "Santa Droppo".
Santa Mnen is the Santa of Zirco in the Intense Universe. Traditionally, the office is given to a fishman, although it has also gone to a few centoskids. Because Santa Mnen must be able to function for long periods of time underwater, it is only entrusted to Amphibious men. Mnen does not wear the traditional red, which rapidly becomes black in deep water. In order to maintain a cheerful, colorful appearance, mnen dresses in a dricon suit of aqua and white.
Santa Xruqp (Pronounced Zrukp) is the Santa of planet Xequephez in the Intense Universe. Zuni Vier says that she has always written to Santa Claus because she has been unable to spell his name.
Furry Santa is often seen in completely furry worlds such as HALO. He is exactly the same as Santa Claus, and indeed is called by that name. The only difference is that Furry Santa is a reindeer.
Category: Characters