4th Shadow [Video]

[peaceful_shadows]

[As Nikola turns on his device, it's not hard to see he's out a cafe somewhere in Genessia City sipping a drink that.. he's not a hundred percent sure he even likes. But, he was curious about all this pumpkin spice nonsense and might just be regretting it a little.]

I've noticed recently that most of the cities save for Everglade have become.. rather festive. However, I don't have the slightest idea  why. 

[He sets his mug down and sighs.]

And I'm rather sure I don't like pumpkin spice now that I've tried it.  Now, please, can some one tell me why most of the cities seem to be celebrating monsters, torture, blood and gore? I'm afraid I don't understand even if it does uncomfortably remind me of someone I knew once. 

Comments

[Video]

[despisesthegods]

From what I've gathered, Halloween was a night that monsters and ghosts were free to wander so people would dress up to hide from them. It's an old belief but it seems it's changed over time like most holidays. Now it's just for fun. Some cultures celebrate it as the day of the dead instead which is a time to honor your ancestors.

Re: [Video]

[peaceful_shadows]

I see... a festival such as that would not have worked on my world. However, dressing up as monsters to hide from them is a rather interesting approach to avoiding them.

[he sighed softly and toyed with his mug.]

Day of the dead..that does sound similar to something we do celebrate.

Re: [Video]

[despisesthegods]

Then you understand to some extent now.

Re: [Video]

[peaceful_shadows]

To a degree I suppose, that is if this Day of the dead is anything like my world's Feast of Remembrance. We honor family that has been lost and our Ancestor.

Come to think of it, the seasons are turning so... it should roughly be around that time of year.

[Video]

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye smirks at mention of his coffee and shakes her head*

Yeah. Those things are more gimmick than good. But it's getting to be fall so...people go crazy for it. But the monster stuff is just Halloween.

Re: [Video]

[peaceful_shadows]

I'm starting to see that when it comes to pumpkins. Some of the pastries I've tasted were fine but... I don't think it belongs in coffee or latte's.

[He's tried them all. Nikola can honestly say he's not a huge fan.]

However, I have never heard of this 'Halloween' before. We don't have in on my world so I'm afraid, I don't quite understand why Monsters are celebrated in this manner.

It's... a little mocking truth be told.

[Video]

[myfayevalentine]

Sure, it's supposed to be mocking. Dressing up like spirits to mock them so they leave us alone.

That was the idea, once upon a time. Now it's just an excuse to get drunk and for girls and guys to flaunt themselves in tiny costumes.

*Faye shrugs, not the biggest fan of Halloween herself*

Re: [Video]

[peaceful_shadows]

[And to him that makes even less sense.]

So, something that was meant to.. honor and mock Monsters has now turned into a time for drunken orgies?

[...]

I'm not sure I understand the progression of this supposed Holiday.

[video]

[bigbadrose]

Must be Christmastime.

[Trolling? SO MUCH TROLLING!]

Re: [video]

[peaceful_shadows]

[....]

....What's this 'Christmastime' ?

[Rose, he isn't trolling. Nikola has NO IDEA what you're talking about.]

Re: [video] OTA feel free to call Rose out on this

[bigbadrose]

[No, Rose knows. ROSE is trolling.]

A terrible time of year when the Pumpkin King and Santa Claws take to the skies to scare children and turn them into monsters. The only escape is to already be a monster yourself, to do the monster mash dance, and deck the halls with jack'o'lanterns and bows of holly and lights and murderous Christmas trees.

And angels and demons that will kill you if you do not join their mad feasts on treats.

Re: [video]

[justabitunlikely]

Don't tell him that, Rose. He seriously doesn't know about these holidays. At least give him an honest answer about it.

[video]

[peaceful_shadows]

[....Nikola's not exactly sure just how much of that he can believe. Even to him, it sounds extremely far fetched.]

....None of that makes any sense, even from my perspective. Why would a King of Pumpkins and some Claws fellow go around scaring children and purposely turning them into monsters?

....And how does this affect humans? And what's the 'Monster Mash Dance'...? Or Jack'o'lanterns or.. What does Holly have to do with anything or killer trees?

[Rose, you just confused the poor man. ]

[notquitedracula]

All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween as it's currently known, was originally a handful of other holidays. A harvest festival, a day of remembrance of one's ancestors, and a night when spirits rose from the otherworld to walk the world of man. These days, it's hard to separate the original traditions from the modern consumerist trappings, but you still see echoes. People dressing in costume to confuse the spirits, decorations that include skeletons and ghosts to honor the dead, food and drink to celebrate the harvest. Elements of Walpurgisnacht also turn up, but that's actually an entirely separate holiday, mostly celebrated by witches.

As for pumpkin spice... I have to say that I agree. It isn't something I care for.

[peaceful_shadows]

[Incidentally, that explanation does make a fair amount of sense to him.]

Then, it is similar to my world's Feast of Remembrance. It is a time we remember those that have gone before and our Ancestor. We decorate our memorials and feast in their honor, sharing stories of them.

;video

[hellorhighwater]

In the world where I was born, they call the last day of this month Halloween. People dress up, get spooky--s' fun. Has roots in celebrating the eve of All Souls Day--to honor the dead, so lotsa monsters and ghouls and scary shit.

In the world I call home, this'd be the preparation for the Harvest. It's mostly what it sounds like, big party for the farm folk to celebrate the end of their labors for the season. They have these big festivals with competitions and stuff that everyone enters, and some of 'em are for plays or musicals. Lotta people competing will give public shows to practice--that's usually why you see folks runnin' around in costume, but it's not just spooks and horror. Mostly its glass beads and bright colors to mimic dragon hide, masks with big bone fangs hanging off 'em, crap like that.

video

[peaceful_shadows]

That does sound rather interesting to see and in part, something akin to one of the few 'holidays' that my world has among my people. However, celebrating harvest was never one of the things we did, nor have I ever seen anything along the lines of what you would call 'spooky'.

We did hold a feast to remember the ones we lost though. So, in that I can find something similar. I simply was not aware that something along that line was.. a universal concept.

Re: video

[hellorhighwater]

What, honoring the dead? Dude, if there's one thing I've learned from livin' in two different worlds? It's that some things just translate. Even the gods know what it is to lose--least mine do.

What kinda world you from? I mean...is there magic and stuff? Or is it one without?

Re: video

[peaceful_shadows]

We don't deem them as dead for many are not. They are simply lost to us.

[It's a strange concept compared to other worlds. At least, that was what he was discovering.]

It's hard to quite define my world compared to others. From my reading, what most would hall Fairy creatures, we call 'Wild Ones'. The same goes for were creatures, we call them Garou and even then, there are.. subsection with their own names and cultures. Vampires are referred to as Kindred in my world as well. But, we don't have anything called 'magic' as I have found it described. We simply have abilities within our blood that define what we are in a sense.

[He's finding the differences from his world and others to be.. rather interesting and quite challenging to compare.]

voice

[lancerofblood]

If you are still curious regarding the recent festivities, there are books at the library which can provide some enlightenment. I found them rather useful in filling in the gaps in my knowledge.

[Guess who else had to be educated in the point of Halloween.]

Re: voice

[peaceful_shadows]

That... is rather helpful to note. I may need to make the library my next destination after I finish at the cafe.

[At least he wasn't alone in needing that education..]

voice

[lancerofblood]

If you are in need of specific titles, I can send you a list.

[In fact, he might just do that anyway.]

But confusing festivities aside, how have you been finding this place?

VIDEO

[phoenixstrut]

[Dove appears with a look of obvious mock offense.]

Hold on... you don't like pumpkin spice?!

Re: VIDEO

[peaceful_shadows]

[He just raises an eyebrow to the mock offense, though does find it a bit amusing.]

Not particularly. It's a bit overwhelming for my tastes.

[phoenixstrut]

[She laughs, dropping the act immediately.]

I'm just not a fan of artificial pumpkin myself. Cider is always better.

[She tilts her head to appraise him.] So no halloween in your world?