[❀12] [video]

[styxiedust]

[Hello, world of Pokemon! It's your local cheerful reaper, all smiles and energy as usual for her. She seems to have dressed up for the occasion in a perfectly normal-looking light purple kimono with a simple cloudy pattern across it. Until one gets to the obi around her waist and realizes it's covered in little ghost Pokemon and also has a Mimikyu charm hanging off of it.

At least the cookies she's presenting look normal, though they are also slightly spooky.]

October is upon us, everybody! It's time to show appreciation to your local ghosts and have a little fun with tricks and treats! We're only just getting started over at Honeyed Soul, so if you're 'round the Goldenrod area please do pop in for a visit, we always like seeing people!

[Who's "we" exactly? Probably the Mimikyu in the foreground with a green ribbon tied around its neck, the various Phantump floating around in the background, and the Sylveon already nicking some cookies for himself to eat. Might be safe to say this lady has company indeed.]

For everyone that's new: hiya! I'm Botan, resident ghost lady and Pokemon breeder--I happen to run a sweets shop on the side, so if you were interested in work or wanted a sampler, I'm always free to chat! I can also chat with your Pokemon if that's needed, though I should hope it's not if you're getting along well!

[Yes it's safe to say Botan is in good spirits.]

Comments

» video

[lordofthefries]

Tricks and treats?

[Sasha looks utterly confused at that combination. She likes tricks. She likes treats. But why together?]

[styxiedust]

October is the month of mischief! Well, in a sense--old beliefs from the past declared the 31st an important harvest day, rumors have gone around saying that night in particular is one where the barrier between the spirit world and ours is thinnest.

[Take a second to breathe Botan.]

The night before Halloween--that's the harvest festival's name, it's also called "All Hallow's Eve" or "Samhain" for some folks--is called Mischief Night, where kids get up to all sorts of pranks and other japes. Treats come in on Halloween itself, kids dress up on costumes in some countries and get candy in exchange!

[Of course Botan only knows that last bit from being Old As Balls and her years spent in Johto which is more aligned with the Western viewing of Halloween so she might be a little confused.]

[lordofthefries]

[Yeah, yeah, yeah thanks Botan for all that information, but Sasha's really concerned about one specific point you threw out there:]

People give out candy? For free? Just because people dress up?

[Botan, how could you withhold this important information from her for almost a whole year?!]

[Video]

[unwantedgirl]

If it's alright to ask...what do you mean by resident ghost lady?

[Hi there Botan you sure have caught this young lady's attention.

Chise can't help but look curious as she watches the older woman, a Shuppet hovering over one shoulder while a Litwick sits on the other eyeing Botan suspiciously.]

Are you a ghost-type trainer?

[styxiedust]

I did happen to end of with quite a lot of them, yes! In my own world I happened to be a medium, here it just transitioned to ghost-type trainer--though I'm a breeder and don't do very much battling.

[That's not to say her ghosts don't go around battling at all, of course, as two mischievous Gengar peeking up over the counter and snickering might show.

And also it's...not entirely true she was a medium. But saying "yeah so I brung folx to the afterlife" is slightly alarming.]

I don't mind questions in the slightest, dear. I've been in this world for just shy of half a decade now, answering questions is the least I can do.

[unwantedgirl]

A medium...so you can speak to ghosts where you come from? And see them?

[She sounds a bit hopeful. Someone that can relate to her maybe?]

I just didn't want to be rude is all. [Chise manages a faint smile.] Where I'm from I...could see spirits as well. And Fae. When I came here, I thought that the Ghost and Fairy types might be similar but most people here didn't seem to have any idea what I was talking about.

video;

[shiro2hero]

... Oh.

It... is October, isn't it.

[Well @#$% his life.]

[styxiedust]

...That look tells me you forgot, or something bad happened in October.

Am I wrong on either front?

[shiro2hero]

Nope. Not even a little wrong.

text

[lyingheart]

Nice to meet you, Botan. I'm Annie.

More to the point, what about October makes it time to appreciate... ghosts, let alone the rest of what you're talking about?

[styxiedust]

[Oh, a text message! Then she will respond in kind.]

Welcome, Annie!

The culmination of some centuries history and beliefs, mostly. "Halloween" as it's understood today is the main holiday of October and based on a harvest festival called Samhain. Around that time was when the barriers between the living world and the spirit world are believed to be thinned, so the spirits of deceased relatives would come to visit. Of course one would be inclined to be hospitable to the spirits of their loved ones and light lanterns outside of their homes so the spirits can find safe places to visit as well as their way back when it's time to leave.

The lanterns also happened to be hollowed-out gourds because, of course, harvesting fall crops, why not?

That's about the long and short of it as to how ghosts and general spooky things ended up the focus of October. Does that make sense?

[lyingheart]

It does. Not a festival I'm familiar with, or similar to those I know, but you've explained it well. People in this country... or region, whatever the appropriate word is, follow similar traditions?

Video

[icecastlemadonna]

Oh, that's right, Halloween is at the end of October! I almost forgot. [She only knows because Halloween is steadily becoming more of a thing in Japan lately. She remembers the triplets being pretty enthusiastic about the idea of dressing up in costumes and getting free candy, at least.] Do they celebrate it here?

[styxiedust]

In some respects, yes, there's festivals and costumes, and of course plenty of treats and pumpkin spice. It's quite interesting how similar Johto is to the Japan of my world in that respect.

[Well. The Japan of the mid 90s, which wouldn't have quite had Halloween caught on for the Aesthetic yet, but getting there.]

[...Sometimes also bad things happen but let's...not scare the nice lady.]

[icecastlemadonna]

That sounds like fun. I'm from Japan myself, and where I'm from it's been slowly catching on more lately. We still don't have any trick-or-treating there yet, though my girls have tried campaigning for the idea. [Considering how social media-savvy the triplets already are, of course they'd find out more about Halloween sooner or later.]

[Video]

[maybeitsmabelline]

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

[The chanting is coming from a very enthusiastic teenager because this is the BEST MONTH EVER!!!]

I'm going to tell Dipper that we have to come visit and help because I want to make all the yummy things!!

[styxiedust]

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

[And of course she'd chant it back because what else would you do as an immortal being that's forever young?]

We'll be delighted to have you, sweetie! How has your Shinx been?

[maybeitsmabelline]

Best time of the year!! What are you going to dress up as? I have to ask Dipper what he wants to do this year--we always do matching costumes!!

[It's their thing!]

Fizz-Gig is doing really well! She evolved--wanna see wanna see? [Mabel doesn't even wait for an answer as she sets her 'gear down with a "FIZZ!!!", disappearing from view for a moment only to return with Luxio who's blinking a bit blearily.] She's growing up big and strong!!

Video

[bent_the_world]

Guess I better haul my butt up to Goldenrod, huh?

[styxiedust]

Darn right--I've stayed over at your place so many times, it's about time it was my place, huh?

[bent_the_world]

That is an excellent point!

And you know, I don't think I've ever really gone all out celebrating Halloween here.

[Video]

[disarmingstrikes]

Question!

[Magnus, don't raise your hand, you look like a nerd. And also raising your hand on a video call looks super awkward.]

...What's October got to do with the undead.

[styxiedust]

Answer: Rude, ghosts aren't the undead, that's only if it's a body moving around sans soul.

[Which isn't really a problem in Japan since cremation is a thing.]

As to what October has to do with the dead, the shortest answer is that it's believed the barrier between the living and spirit worlds is thinnest in October. So the dead come back to visit in spirit form--if you've got undead visiting, there's a slight problem there.

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Goodness, I feel like I haven't been to Goldenrod in years.

[It hasn't been that long, but it definitely has been months after having stayed there for even longer than that before.]

I'm going to have to come and visit sometime soon! We haven't caught up in so long.

[styxiedust]

It feels like it's been ages, yes! My friend Korra is coming to visit too, we can make it a gal's night plus Dr. Pines if he doesn't mind getting his nails painted.

[Should she be enthusiastic. Yes, always yes.]