islandshore | 63

[It's that time of year again, network. The time when two island doofuses set the stage for the ultimate bet of all time. A matter of life and death, of... okay, so maybe nothing that extreme. Still, here we have Riku, dressed in a black jacket and a scarf, looking slightly. So, right. He should probably get the ball rolling, but first, he turns to look at Sora and Kairi.]

You guys ready for this?

[ third year. it's officially a tradition. Sora? he's bouncy. two year victor here. he's pretty confident this streak is going to last. ]

I dunno... Are you ready to lose again, Riku?

[See that? That would be Riku slapping his face with his palm.]

Don't get ahead of yourself. A lot can change in a year.

[Not that he particularly feels invested by now, but it is tradition, and he can't ever turn down a challenge.

The camera pans down to Kairi, the lovely host for this little wager. She grips a pair of clip-on antlers in her hand, disappointed that she couldn't convince Riku to wear them. She will, however, make sure he at least ends the night with the glowing red nose.]

Hey everyone! It's time for us to see which one of these two is the bigger dork.

[Wait that's not it.]

We're looking to see who believes in Santa! If you don't know Santa, he's the big guy who flies around the world with his magic reindeer delivering presents to all the good boys and girls.

[And the fluffy red hat atop her head should make it easy to see what team she's on.]

Old Man Riku is such a stick-in-the-mud that he doesn't believe in magic presents anymore, so Sora wants to prove him wrong. Whoever loses gets to show off their "Christmas Spirit" for everyone to see, so make sure you all vote!

[Riku rolls his eyes, flicking Sora's shoulder.]

Hey, if I'm old, so's he. But anyway, consider this our Christmas tradition. So... place your bets. We'll see who ends up singing their heart out this time...

Pfft. Coming from the guy with white hair? I'm not so sure that you're not old... Foofyku.

[ Sora snickers, escaping to stand by Kairi and throws a friendly arm around her shoulders. ]

Just remember this, guys... Voting on Riku's side means you have to hear me and Kairi sing and do you really wanna have to put people through that?

[Riku smirks.]

Hey, we gotta shake it up somehow. Besides, Sora's gonna need a decent backup singer, otherwise it'd just be painful.

[The feed ends with Sora pouting and sticking out his tongue.]

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Well, someone has to punish the bad children. Or did you really think they just got off with a bit of coal?

[She's grinning widely, enjoying this entirely too much.]

They say he has great big horns, cloven hoof feet, and the face of a goat. Did you know, Riku, that goats will eat anything?

Sounds more like a demon than Santa's evil twin.

[He's still staring because... geez, that's. Um. Wow, talk about a crazy story.]

And I've heard goats will eat a lot, but anything? That's gotta be an exaggeration.

Well, if one thinks of the actual Santa as a saint, that makes sense, doesn't it?

[She can't help but giggle a bit, both at his expression and because he's the one making it.]

I've heard of goats eating tin cans. If that's true, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch.

I guess, but it doesn't really match with the whole fat man in a suit motif. Put them side by side, and you'd probably think this evil Santa came from a Halloween card.

[Still, she's got a point. He's just a bit too baffled to admit it.]

How they can even digest metal's beyond me. You'd think that stuff would chop up their insides....

All Hallow's Eve is just as venerated and important a holiday as Christmas is. Perhaps more so, depending on who you ask.

[But she's hardly an expert on matters of religion, so she won't delve further than that.]

I suppose they just have really strong stomachs. Much like some of my Pokemon, given what I've caught them eating...

Huh. I never did get the background of it beyond the whole costumes and candy gig. Is there really more to it?

[If so, he really needs to pay more attention. Silly Riku.]

...I may have to keep an eye on my Skiddo. She hasn't caused too much trouble yet, but if she's anything like a real goat...

[She gives him a flat, almost offended look, but it quickly fades into something more resembling exasperation.]

Yes, there certainly is. It's the day where the bonds between the world of spirits and the world of the living are at their weakest. Ghosts and demons wander the land, and things outside normal human knowledge are commonplace. The feast of All Hallow's Eve is meant to honor and placate these otherworldly beings. It's a tribute, and a celebration of something we don't fully understand.

Huh. Wonder how it got so skewed, then. I've heard about celebrations to honor the dead, but these days Halloween seems all about the sweets, goofy costumes, and campy movies.

Then again, I hear Christmas used to be a lot less commercialized, too. Some people say it actually snagged a bunch of pegan traditions.

[Riku doesn't really delve into that kinda stuff all that often, so it's really all based on hearsay.]

Well, the sweets and the costumes have their own roots in the old traditions too. It used to be that you wore masks and costumes to hide from the demons, or to intimidate them. The idea was to make something so frightening that even a demon wouldn't want to mess with it, then wear that for the night. And the candy was to both satisfy them and celebrate getting through the night without being snatched up by a monster.

As for the movies, I assume that's just an evolution from the old tradition of telling frightening stories.

Pfft. So wait, people tried to scare demons?

[Riku's eyes go wide, and then he slaps his thigh, laughing.]

Man, how'd it get so watered down? That sounds awesome.

Oh I'm pretty sure that was deliberate. Some people decided children couldn't handle being that scared or some such nonsense. Really, there's no excuse.

But you know, around here the season does seem to have a certain genuine thrill to it, even if it's a bit different every year.

What? That's insane. Do those people even know kids? I mean, I guess I can't speak for everybody, but I loved getting scared when I was a kid.

Scary movies, scary stories... stuff like that keeps you on your toes.

Oh it wasn't about what the children actually wanted, it was about what the adults thought was "good for them". It's ironic, in a way. I mean, I doubt the same people would have thought it was a good idea to shove nothing but sugar down their child's throat physically.

Yeah, see, that's what I don't get. A few spooky undertones are too much for kids to handle, but cavities aren't?

I don't really think they were thinking that hard about it.

Of course, there's also the fact that some people were scandalized by the idea of ghosts and demons walking the earth with them, and didn't want anything to do with that tradition. Personally I think those sort of people should have been dragged off by the monsters for their insensitivity, but sadly that didn't happen.

Pffft. What's so bad about demons?

[...]

Well, okay, I guess if you really want to get technical, they are kind of the definition of "evil," but still, it's a holiday. Plus, unless the demons were actually real, then it seems like it'd just be some spooky myths.

[She can't help but burst out laughing at that question.]

Okay, after the things I've heard about them doing, "what's so bad about demons" is one of the silliest questions I've ever heard anybody ask.

63 - video;

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