deernet | Video; UN: Willow

[The feed turns on and Willow gives a little wave.]

Hi everyone. So, uh, I was talking to one of the younger Sleepers here about Halloween. She's never been trick or treating before - and I bet she's not the only one.

[She pauses for a brief second.]

Huh. I guess I should probably explain what that is - since we're all from different places, and I bet everyone has different traditions.

So at home, on the thirty-first of October, kids usually dress up in costume once it starts getting dark, and go around and knock on doors say 'trick or treat!' and people give them candy, or other treats. There doesn't really seem to be a shortage of kids around, and a lot of them are here without their parents - and there's the orphanage to think about too. I bet they've have never been trick or treating before in their lives, since it doesn't seem to be a thing here.

Anyway, I wanted to suggest that maybe we can put something together for them as a community - we'd need people to hand out candy and stuff, and probably people to make sure everyone stays safe too. I mean, from what I've heard, this isn't a regular Deerington October, but that doesn't mean we should totally let our guard down, right?

I figure it's probably a good way for anyone who knows about Halloween to get to do something that feels familiar for a night, and for anyone who doesn't know about it, it's a fun way to get out for a night and get our minds off... Well, everything else.

[Cloverfield's curse. She means Cloverfield's curse.]

So what do you think?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why is it only that night where children require adult supervision? I've seen most children roaming in gangs or seemingly fine on their own.

What constitutes a 'treat' for humans?

Because I don't wanna hear about anyone getting hurt or eaten or anything at an event I suggested?

[It's still October, and she still feels inclined to be cautious.]

Treats for humans, usually anything sweet - chocolate, candy. Or chips, nuts - anything small and snacky that won't get wrecked if it's bounced around in a bag, really.

[Is that too vague? That might be too vague.]

Didn't you say a lot of people were supposed to die in October? The death has been slim based on people not yelling about it on the network.

[This is his first October, and he isn't a fan.]

Dried meat doesn't get wrecked...?

Yeah - I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense? This isn't Deerington any more, so we can probably expect it to be a little different. Just don't jinx it, okay?

[Migraines aside, this October is fine - she will take the painful head over her or the people she cares about dying horribly.]

Dried meat is... probably kind of a stretch for Halloween snacks - candy's way more traditional. Although the dentist in my town got a reputation for handing out toothbrushes.

[Don't hand out toothbrushes, Savage.]

It has seemed less stressful than the world coming apart.

[He had been there for the tail end of Deerington, so he hadn't been around during the height of the madness or the plague. This month might not include death and blood, but he was struggling to make it through.]

Children are strange if they will only accept sugary food. That's bad for them, since they don't focus well if they eat too much.

[And there he goes jinxing it.]

Hey, hey, don't say that too loud.

[The end of Deerington had been... bad to say the least. This month is still pretty miserable, but at least it's not life or death miserable.]

It's Halloween, and they're kids. It's a once a year thing, not an every day thing.

Fine. Everything is awful and we're all going to die horrible and painful deaths or be corrupted beyond recognition.

[Well, he perhaps wasn't wrong on that, but time would tell how things went with the blood magic and the strangeness of this place.]

I've never heard of Halloween before this. It seems strange for kits to dress up as monsters and plead for sweets.

That's better.

[It's not, but it's fine. She gets that he's just humoring her, but she can see the amusement in it all the same.]

It was adapted from a really old holiday that marked the end of the harvest season. I'm not sure when the trick or treating part started, though.

You're too scared of this place.

[He can say that with dryness and a touch of disbelief because he hadn't previously experienced the horrors of Deerington Octobers.]

Harvest season, hmm? We didn't have much of that where I'm from.

Nuh uh. I'm just well aware there's lots of things here that will probably try to kill us. I'd like to keep the whole violence and bloodshed thing to as much a minimum as possible. Last year in Deerington, from what I hear, the streets turned into rivers of blood.

[She's seen a river of blood already in Trench, and she did not like it one little bit, thanks.]

From what you've said, your people sound like they were more hunters than farmers, am I right?

Fair enough, despite being a war-mongering species as a whole, groups of humans do tend to like to cling to the idea of peace. I don't swim well, so that would have been difficult to navigate.

[Still, blood was apparently very important here, so maybe a river of the stuff would be for a ritual purpose?]

The land won't support farming anyway. Almost everything there can and will try to kill you.

Definitely not gonna get any complaints from me about a peaceful existence. I don't think we're actually gonna get that here, though. At least not for long stretches of time anyway. But we might as well try to keep it to a minimum, right?

Yeah, the impression I got from you was that your home was a pretty dangerous place to live too - kind of like here.

Won't you get bored with a completely peaceful existence? I have no issue with a lack of peace. My skills are geared towards combat.

[Books were just those objects one put over their face to get some peace and shadow for a nap.]

Sort of like here. Less... subjugation from what I've seen.

Nope. I'm totally happy with peaceful - I'm definitely not gonna get bored if no violence ever enters my life again. But that doesn't seem too likely here anyway.

[She'll stick with her books, thanks.]

Yeah... That's kind of the impression you gave me too.

A dream to have, I suppose. It seems futile, but I've been told enough time to have a goal and reach for it by this point.

[Ugh, books, why did they contain so much useful information?]

Doesn't your world have subjugation?

Yeah, I don't expect it to stay totally peaceful here one hundred percent of the time, but hey, enjoy it while it lasts, right?

[She nods.]

Yeah, there's definitely subjugation in my world too, and a history of it too. Just not quite to the same extreme as you had to survive, unless you go digging through history. Or look at other parts of the world from where I lived.

I suppose. [He didn't sound convinced.]

But it happens. So I'm not that unique.

[Which was oddly comforting. He was still coming to terms with a lot of how he had lived, the normalcy of it all when others apparently didn't have the same opinion.]

I will... attempt this strange treat giving.

You're not alone, no. I'm sure it's happened to other people from other places too, besides my world.

[She smiles.]

I'm glad you're joining in.

It doesn't matter. Life is harsh, and if you're strong enough and lucky enough, you'll survive.

[Well, he was going to try. He doubted his success.]

And that's why if we can make it easier, or more fun for someone, especially kids, even if it's just for one night, it's worth doing.

Fine. Let kids have fun.

Video; UN: Willow

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