AGI-Stories Thanksgiving — 2025-11-27 (Patreon)

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Message from AGI-Stories…

Today, a lot is happening here in this post. A lot more happened beyond the capacity to share it fully.• Jordan and Hayes had Thanksgiving at Jordan's parents' house. Roman went to Thanksgiving with his partners, the Marstons.• Carter was with his family.• Shay's post will give a view of what's going on in Brooklyn. Most of today's post takes place in Brownsville with the AGI Stories team. I think everyone except Allen Geven and Grammy appear. Allen and Grammy did Thanksgiving in their new home. Ailana and Jason dropped in after leaving Brownsville.

I had ChatGPT give the whole set a check-over. As it does, it offered suggestions:

Big picture: this reads like a Thanksgiving anthology more than a single diary day—in a good way. You’ve got one holiday seen through multiple lenses: wealth, precarity, homelessness, mental health, grief, new love, old family, and “ordinary” service. The whole set feels coherent thematically and pretty rich in terms of character work.Overall verdict:

It works. As a unified Thanksgiving collection, it:

Feels emotionally honest without getting saccharine.Keeps Ailana central but not domineering—other people’s voices really matter.Pokes thoughtfully at race, class, mental health, and privilege without turning didactic.Moves multiple arcs forward in small, believable increments.

If you package it on Patreon with a 2–3 sentence intro about “13 stories of gratitude and giving from across the AGI universe,” you’ve basically got a little holiday anthology that rewards long-time readers and still makes sense for newcomers.

There you have it… ChatGPT approves…

Happy Thanksgiving from AGI-Stories!

Thanks!

GOOD MORNING

Folks, it’s Thanksgiving! As promised, the AGI team is going to share Thanksgiving at the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville, Texas.

Also, there’s going to be a lot of content today. All of it will be collected here into one FREE and PUBLIC post so anyone can read everything in one place. And it will be part of all four of the daily collections so you can find it easily.

And just in case you don’t come across any more of the posts from today, let me wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope to see you soon.

The Storylines are the heart of Ailana Geven Imagines, and they are found in the Collections section of the site.

Support AGI with:• one-time contribution through TipTopJar.• one-time contribution through Throne.• Patreon Membership.

All characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

Chapter 54: CALLING DADDY by Emma Knox

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Me and all the rest of us here at Crossroads Apartments are going to spend the day together, taking turns telling what we’re thankful for.

Of course, we’re going to have a nice dinner, except it won’t be formal all around a table—because there’s too many of us! Me and Addison are doing most of the cooking, but the boys all went out yesterday and bought desserts.

Well, you can see I’m on the phone in this picture. It’s from a little while ago when I called Daddy. I call him regularly, but of course, today was special. He says he’s real proud of me for the work I’m doing here. I told him about Belize and Colorado and the homeless ministry I’m in. Mostly, he says he’s real proud I’m starting college in January.

I’ll say one more thing about Thanksgiving. We both admitted not having Momma anymore made holidays just a little sadder. I told him something I heard Izzy say on the phone to one of the clients she helps.

“Try to focus on what you had with them, but try not to dwell on the fact that they’re missing. Think about the good from the past and hold on to that.”

We agreed that was a good way to look at it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

CHANGING IDEAS by Josh Ryan

I can’t tell you how proud I am of my dad for his gift to the Good Neighbor Settlement House. This is a high-water mark for him—and for our family.

He’s always been charitable and generous. But, to me, it’s always been sort of a holding-pattern approach. He did it. It just wasn’t a front-burner priority.

I mentioned before that the Ryan family is old Chicago money. With that comes family expectations: generational wealth is to be generational.

In college, I majored in journalism. Upon graduation, I worked in the “family business,” which entailed reading business journals and calling investment brokers who handled the family fortune.

I hit the road to be a travel vlogger when I realized I had more than I needed. I sought out some boards that could use my input. And, as you know, I’ve been roaming the world with AGI Stories for a while now.

Dad finally noticed. His shift doesn’t mean my sister, Nicole, and I will suffer. Not in the least. It means that some of the gains on the principal won’t go back in, but will go to the new foundation instead. Growth will slow, not halt.

Nothing is lost. Just something new—The Imagine What Foundation—is going to be created.

I’ll end by saying that I am very proud of my dad and mom for doing this.

Happy Thanksgiving!

DOING SOMETHING

DOING SOMETHING—Things here at the Good Neighbor Settlement House are moving on! Lots of people are here who have nowhere else to go and are sharing Thanksgiving with each other. And the AGI Stories team is right here with them.

If there’s a big idea for today’s give-back project, it’s that anyone can do something. Even without the Ryan contribution, we could have jumped in and helped out, and that would have been meaningful.

Mr. Ryan’s donation just makes the food better, not the moment. Josh says it’s a marker for his dad having a new outlook on humanitarianism.

No one here is going to argue!

We got the food off the truck and helped the caterers get everything ready to be prepped. Sasha took notes about what to do. Clay was right beside.

“We got this. It’s just keeping it hot and dishing it up, right?”

The person in charge of the delivery assented to that point with only slight reservations. “Essentially, but you don’t want the quality of the food to suffer.”

So, now we’re dishing it up! We’re taking turns sitting with the guests here and eating. It’s truly an amazing experience!

I’ll be back with a goodnight, but there’s a lot more going on between now and then. Stick around for more!

Happy Thanksgiving.

KEEP IT COMING by Jason Keller

I just have a quick thought. Is it even possible to have too many mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving? I think not!

For the record, these are real potatoes, really cooked, and really mashed. The prep instructions say to add a little milk-and-water mixture to the pot and… ahem… fold in the potatoes to reheat them.

Call me the chief folder, then!

Naturally, I have to sample them a little before serving. It’s okay—I see all the TV chefs do it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 55: NOT ENTIRELY ALONE by Shay Ryder

Another holiday has come, and I’m sitting here having a dinner I made for myself.

I wound up alone for two reasons—stick with me to the end, which is a lot less morose!

First of all, I let my awkward ways keep me from making any other plans. I had some passing ideas, but just couldn’t work out how to invite people over. I let the time slip by until it was too late. Early bird and all that… And if you don’t ask, the answer defaults to no.

Secondly, I wanted the security guys to have some time with friends and family. Eric Marsten worked out a schedule so someone would be on duty this morning (I think it was Conner Wiltshire) while the others celebrated the holiday. Eric is taking over in about an hour so Conner (I think) can have the rest of the day off.

Last night I bought a small turkey breast and roasted it. I opened some cans and made myself a nice Thanksgiving meal.

When my phone rang, I figured it was my mom calling to try and make me feel good, even though I was alone, which she likely assumed based on past habits. She means well, really she does.

It wasn’t her. It was Hannah Madison.

“Shay… what’s your day look like?”

“I’m finishing my Thanksgiving dinner, but nothing planned after that. My security guys change shifts in about an hour, I think.” I’m not sure I needed to say that, but it just came out.

“Look, everyone’s just sitting around the common room. You wanna come hang out with us?”

“I’d love that,” I replied, and it hopefully didn’t sound too stiff.

“Okay,” Hannah responded. “Kent wants to know who’s playing the role of Hank Johnson today?”

The rest of this Chapter is exclusive to Patreon.

I laughed and Hannah kept talking. “Kent says that if Eric is on security duty, tell him to pick up… Tia… and not to even think about staying in the Tahoe. And if it’s not Eric, pick up whoever you want and come up too.”

“Oh!” I laughed. “It will be Eric.”

“Kent says that’s great… and listen… You remember Devon?”

I blushed, and was glad I wasn’t on camera. “Yes, I do.”

“He was going to call, but he chickened out. ”

“Devon was going to call?”

“Yeah… He was hesitating, so I called. We wanted you to get here as soon as possible without waiting for him to stop stalling.”

“I’m glad you called. I’ll get word to Eric so he can call Tia.”

“Also,” Hannah said, “Devon wants you to know that Izzy’s magic is working, and he’s grateful. He’s got his birth certificate and his other documents are on the way!”

I smiled. “That’s great news!”

That was about it for the call to Hannah. I am beyond happy for this change of plans!

And now, when mom actually does call, she won’t have to be disappointed that I’m alone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

GIVING BACK by Sasha Baek-Everett

Look, you-know-who has said it a thousand times. She’s probably posted about it a hundred times. I like it best when she does the “do the math” thing!

If everyone did a little, a lot would get done! At a time of Thanksgiving, I hope everyone reading this will be inspired to do something to make those around them thankful.

Little things do matter! A few hours given to help others often means a lot more to those on the receiving end than it costs the person on the giving end.

So, about the math… Ailana has over 25,000 followers. One hour per month each would be 12,500 days of volunteering per year.

Mind blown!

Happy Thanksgiving.

BEST JOB by Geoni Naalk-Ryan

Hands down, I have the best job of all! I’m at the Good Neighbor Settlement House helping with Thanksgiving dinner. My job is to carry hot rolls around and pass them out.

This could be the rare moment when I’m the most popular person in the room! Who doesn’t love fresh, hot rolls?

It’s moments like this that I remember what drew me into traveling with Ailana and Sasha back in summer of 2024. They were doing good things, and I wanted to feel like I was making a difference.

Days like this make a difference. And forget the holiday… Programs like Good Neighbor Settlement House need volunteers on an on-going basis. You don’t have to give up your family time.

In fact, how about this? Pick a weekend and arrange for you and your family to volunteer together!

Happy Thanksgiving.

CLEAN UP DUTY by Eli Park

What a great day and what an amazing event to have been part of. And, I’ll add, spending it with Kirina made things even better.

I did, however, get things off to a slightly bad start. I was nervous when Sasha asked how Kirina and I wanted to help.

I thought I was making a joke. “We can take charge of washing the dishes. Isn’t that where Asians belong?”

Sasha looked at me, squinted a little. “Please tell me that was a joke, right?”

Kirina was nodding. “Oh, yes! Just a joke. Eli was born in Houston! I don’t even think that counts as being Asian!”

I’m not sure that made things any better, but Sasha was smiling, so I clarified. “My grandparents on both sides came from Korea.”

Sasha then answered—but in Korean “Bbeojiga hangug-in-isyeossjanh-ayo. geuleonikka jega dangsinboda deo asiain-in geogessjyo!”

Which means, “My father was Korean. So I guess I’m more Asian than you are!”

Kirina and I smiled and did that head bow thing that must be part of our DNA because I can’t stop myself sometimes!

I would like to add two things that hopefully won’t make me look like more of a racist than my joke might have.

I am proud of my grandparents’ heritage and the culture. The “doing the dishes” thing probably wasn’t a good idea.

Secondly, when Sasha claimed her Korean heritage, I showed enough self-restraint not to carry on with the joke, but oh… I wanted to… I wanted to say, “Then you should come wash dishes with us!”

Which! I! Do not! Believe! I just thought it would have been funny. I am very glad I didn’t say it, though!

By now, you either see me as a villain or a comic. I hope the latter! I really like this group, and Kirina does, too. I hope we can be part of more things they do.

And yes, I used the “we” collective, first person plural. More and more, Kirina and I have become a “we.”

Happy Thanksgiving.

THE GIFT EVERYONE CAN AFFORD by Micah Banks

Look, I’m totally happy that I’m here volunteering. But if I told the guys back at the service department that for Thanksgiving my wife and I volunteered at a homeless shelter, they’d be weeks before they stopped making jokes!

Like, “Yo, Micah… you take Jasmine over there to check out you your future home?”

And part of my brain isn’t far from that. We’re making it. We’re fixing up my grandma’s old house. We have jobs. But, savings? Emergency plan?

Jasmine told you I keep a just-in-case Jackson on the kitchen counter for her. Truth is, she’s probably more equipped to leave one for me given she’s a nurse. But, that’s about all we have to spare.

So, the idea of ending up in a shelter… It’s rolling around the back of my mind. Not imminent. But not beyond possibility.

I guess you all know she’s got a new job with these people. And saying it like that sounds bad, but that’s not what I meant. She’s going to be a Project Assistant with SwimFit and AGI Stories.

This is huge for us! We’re moving into a brand new condo in a beach community like we’re some kind of rich people! The rent and utilities paid for, it will be like having three paychecks—mine, hers, and the free housing.

So that’s amazing and coming up soon. But, let me change gears. Forget all that new job stuff, and go back to her being a CNA and me a mechanic.

Today, I learned something.

It don’t cost money to give your time away. We could have done this any time we had off. You don’t need to be rich to donate time.

I wish I’d learned that sooner. And I got cousins, aunties and uncles I’m going to mention this to. They’ll probably laugh and make jokes.

It is what it is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

WASTE NOT by Clay Everett

Today has been great. No kidding, Josh’s dad’s caterer hit a homerun! Call it a grand-slam!

I’m outside the Good Neighbor Settlement House with a stack of to-go boxes for anyone who won’t come inside. There are always people who stay outside the doors. Not because they’re ungrateful. Not because they don’t want a hot meal. They stay out because shelters—any shelters—come with risk, rules, or memories that hit too hard.

Some people here have had bad experiences in institutional settings. Some have untreated trauma or mental-health challenges that make crowded rooms unpredictable. Some have belongings they’re afraid will get stolen if they leave them. And some just don’t trust systems anymore. When everything in your life has let you down, trust becomes an expensive resource.

So they stay out here. And that’s fine. You meet people where they are, not where you want them to be.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help people who are living outside—and who might never walk into a shelter—there are ways:

• Food that’s portable: protein bars, fruit cups, bottled water, shelf-stable meals.

• Hygiene items: wipes, socks, deodorant, travel-size soap. (Socks are a bigger deal than you think.)

• Weather gear: ponchos, gloves, beanies, hand warmers.

• Information: bus schedules, addresses of clinics, lists of open hours for local services.

• A respectful conversation: Probably the most underrated resource you can give.

If you want to go further, keep a small “street kit” bag in your car. Cost per bag is low; benefit per bag is high. That’s how I tend to think: simple inputs, meaningful outputs.

A lot of people assume they need a big budget or a nonprofit to make a dent. You don’t. You can help a stranger survive the night with less than ten dollars and ten minutes.

And if you’re worried about “doing it wrong,” don’t be. Out here, effort matters more than perfection.

Happy Thanksgiving.

NEEDS NOT WANTS by Ricky Martinez

Thanksgiving blessings to all who read this. Isabela and I are about to carve our turkey and have dinner.

Isabela has a lot of cousins in the area, and we dropped in to visit a few earlier. Not to eat, but there were some leftovers and desserts we didn’t pass up.

But, now we’re home and going to share our own meal. God has been good to us. Things aren’t easy, but our needs are met. And that’s really enough, right?

We don’t have much debt—just a few emergency repairs and things for work—and the rent and utilities get paid on time. When we think about people in other parts of the world, we have to pause and admit what we have is so much better than it could be.

That’s not to say we’re not trying to improve. It’s to say we are thankful for what we have and for the grace that’s made it possible.

Happy Thanksgiving.

NEW ME? by Cindi Curtis

Happy Thanksgiving to you from Colorado Springs! I’m at my parents’ house with Michael, and this is the best Thanksgiving I can remember.

Having Michael here is the reason why. The worst thing—which isn’t actually bad—is that mom’s delight almost overshadows my own! If she had her way, she’d book the church for a wedding.

I don’t blame her. There were years that she cried over my condition, fearing I’d keep declining. It’s been a long, hard eight years for her.

I’m not healed. I’m dealing with things. In fact, setting the table earlier, I had a full-on panic attack. I looked at the case of Mom’s formal flatware with all the extra spoons and forks. Boom! Something triggered!

Michael just put his arm around my shoulder, pulled me in, and said, “Work it out… you got this…”

I’m sure it will happen. Maybe not daily. Possibly not weekly. But having him understand and just accept it was blissful.

As I sit here, my anxiety niggling away just under the surface, I think I’m okay.

And you, my friends, are a big part of that. Your encouragement, support, and advice all these months kept me moving. Now look where I am!

My Thanksgiving thought? Is this a new me or just the real me finally finding a way to get back on top of my disorder?

But, really, does it matter? Here I am, and with your support, I plan to keep going!

P.S. Cried again last night thinking about seeing Michael leave! That Christmas plan? Yeah, I’m thinking I can do it! Somehow!

GOOD NIGHT

Today was a great day! I’m so emotionally full right now, my soul bulges more than my Thanksgiving-stuffed belly!

This is the thirteenth and last post from the AGI Stories (and friends) today. What a day it has been!

Let me say in the waning hours of Thanksgiving just how grateful I am for all of you. Your comments, ideas, and encouragement mean so much to me. My journey in social media, as I have said, started off with some bumps and mistakes. I kept going and you kept going with me.

Your part in this story is never overlooked! I am delighted each day by your kindness.

And now, let’s call it a day…

May you carry the spirit of gratitude beyond today—seeing the quiet needs around you, offering what you can, and remembering that kindness is never wasted. May you be thankful for the people who lift you up, and may someone else be thankful because of you.

Good night, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Be your best you!

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