62 days till Halloween [Video]

[quickattackjack]

_{[It's early. It's way, way too early, but here's Jack outside in the dawn fog, perched precariously on a ladder and stringing up lights along the eaves of his mansion. The Halloween decorations haven't even been taken down. Why would they be? Of course he's going to address the network!]}

Jingle bells! Silver bells!... Bells bells bells! Aha-hah! I can't believe it, it's already here!

_{[At least he didn't do this on November first, right?]}

I hope you've all been good! I know I have! What are you hoping to get this year from old Sandy Claws?

_{[His joyful yammering is cut off for a moment as his ladder wobbles and he pinwheels his arms (gear in-hand) to catch his balance. Somewhere off-screen it's possible to hear a Yamask having a poke'breakdown.]}

That was a close one...I think. I think this year I'd like...a quiet holiday. And maybe hiking boots.

Comments

[loveisanopendoor]

Well, you're not supposed to see him, silly! Clearly he's magic, I mean, how else does he get to all of those houses in one night and know what you want every year? But still, that's really nice that he even manages to come all the way here!

[quickattackjack]

That's right! _{[He laughs at himself. How could he forget that?]} You know, I wonder if this place has its own Sandy Claws?

[loveisanopendoor]

So there's more than one Santa? ...Huh, I had never thought of that before! But it might make sense if he split the job up between different people. I bet even with magic, he must get really tired going down everyone's chimneys. Especially if people want really heavy things!

[quickattackjack]

It's possible! I've learned a lot of impossible things in the four years I've been here.

[loveisanopendoor]

I've been starting to realize that pretty much nothing's impossible, honestly...

[quickattackjack]

I would say that's a good outlook to have on life in general, but that might take the fun out of discovering things.

[loveisanopendoor]

Oh, I disagree! If anything, it just makes it more fun! You never really know what to expect!

[quickattackjack]

_{[Hmm. He'll think about that!]}

It certainly opens a lot of doors when it comes to murder mysteries!

_{[That's not what she meant, Jack.]}

[loveisanopendoor]

That, um, wasn't exactly what I had in mind...

[No murders, please...]

[quickattackjack]

But just think! You find a man, dead, in a room that was locked! The doors and windows all open from the inside. It could be anything! A ghost! Elves! Someone invisible!

_{[He becomes so excited in his gesturing that his ladder starts to topple. He gives a shout and clings to the roof's edge.]}

[loveisanopendoor]

...Or it could be a suici--Woah! Are you okay up there?

[quickattackjack]

Fine! Fine!

_{[He lets out that nervous laugh people let out when they nearly fall twenty something odd feet.]}

But you see, that would be your first guess! But in a world where anything could happen, you'd never be able to just guess! Wouldn't that be fun?

[loveisanopendoor]

I wouldn't exactly call someone's death very fun...

[quickattackjack]

OH--! Oh, no, it's only a story. No one has to actually die. Although being dead isn't so bad.

[loveisanopendoor]

Oh! Well, if it's just a murder mystery, like something Poe would write, then, yes, that would be a very interesting story to read!

[quickattackjack]

Exactly like that! Have you ever thought of trying your hand at writing?

[loveisanopendoor]

Actually, I have! I read a lot of books back at my castle, so I think I'd really like to write something interesting and exciting...

[quickattackjack]

That's fantastic! This world could use a good writer! I've sampled the horror selection here and it's...lacking. Lacking is a nice, friendly way to say it! Save one book I've found. A very old one called Dig.

[loveisanopendoor]

Well, I don't know if I'd necessarily write horror stories...I mean, I could give it a shot! I used to read all kinds of genres, from mythology to adventures to non-fiction to romance! But I didn't mind horror stories, either! Frankenstein is a really good one...and there's also a good one called The Castle of Ortanto! When it was first published, it was actually disguised as a real romance novel from Italy during the medieval times, that someone had discovered and translated...so when it started getting spooky, people were really surprised! I think that was actually the very first story ever made that was considered to be "horror", if I remember reading right.

[Most horror stories from back in her time were written by women, and tended to involve resourceful female protagonists trapped in gloomy castles; that said, it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch that she would gravitate towards them.]

I've never heard of Dig, though!

[quickattackjack]

_{[Jack's face lights up as she talks. What a brilliant writing idea! Why...he could do something like that! Perhaps he could combine that, with his Summer Project.]}

I must see if this world has an equivalent to The Castle of Ortanto! Dig is a psychological thriller about a man who found himself mysteriously unable to find his way out of Diglett Cave--a cave in Kanto that's incredibly small and easy to traverse. I won't spoil it for you!

[loveisanopendoor]

I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find a story like that! It was a real trendsetter, you know! Like, it inspired a whole big genre, so it's gotta be good!

But goodness, that sounds like a pretty crazy situation...if the cave is so small, he must be freaking out that he's trapped inside.

[Not that she necessarily blames the guy for being spooked by being in the same place for extended periods of time!]

I'll have to look into it! Maybe Santa will bring it to me as a gift!

[quickattackjack]

Ahahah! I'm excited now! These lights can't string themselves up fast enough.

_{[At the next thing she says, Jack can only grin. It's his quest to shove a copy of that book into the hands of everyone he can.]}

Maybe he will.