004 || video

[couldbebeautiful]

[The video opens zoomed in on—a spider. Don't worry, it isn't a real spider, it's a clearly fake tarantula attached to a web made out of cotton stuck to the ceiling, and when the camera starts to zoom out, it's clear that this fake tarantula is one of many plastic spiders dangling from the ceiling, with plastic bats in flight hanging on strings to complete the Spookiness of the bakery this video's taking place in.

Then the video shakes a little, the camerawoman getting up from her seat to walk over to the display of pastries. There's a tray of cupcakes that's decorated with orange icing and tiny little ghosts stuck on the top with a stick, in keeping with the theme that's currently going.

The camera turns to reveal Veronica, wearing this piece with a blue scarf.]

I just realized that it's the same month now that it was back home, when I got dragged here. [She says this in a tone of slight surprise.] I didn't really celebrate Halloween then, because [multiple people were dead by then and it kind of slipped her mind] I was brought here before the last week of October. But hey, apparently, I get a redo.

[Yaaaaay.]

So does anyone have any recommendations about horror movies? The cheesier the better, but I'm not opposed to horror movies that are actually scary.

[A pause. Then:] And, I'm just curious, how many people here come from a world where Halloween doesn't exist? Because, if so, happy first Halloween, you're going to see a lot more of this [gesturing vaguely towards the decorations hanging from the ceiling] until November.

Comments

[ Video ]

[ghoulking]

Happy Halloween. Even though there is one month left until the actual day. [ people like to celebrate holidays so much ]

Is it important you won't miss it, apart from the candy? [ every year is like this. ]

[ Video ]

[couldbebeautiful]

We're big on the holidays here. Especially holidays where we can eat candy.

[Veronica is not totally great at hiding her emotions. Her smile slips a little, and when it comes back there's a new, slightly forced quality to it. It's something normal, that's why it's important.]

Not really, but—I got way too busy back home with some stuff, it completely slipped my mind. And I'm not busy now, so [she shrugs] why not?

Re: [ Video ]

[ghoulking]

Hm... [ big on holidays, right. Kaneki never celebrated like this, so it's not really normal to him. Plus something always happens on holidays ]

I guess there is no harm in it. [ hopefully no one will remember murdering someone (= except they totally did already ]

[Video]

[itcanwait]

Halloween doesn't exist where I come from! Well not on my planet any way, I can't talk about the Earth we have.

I'm getting excited the more people tell me about it!

[Video]

[couldbebeautiful]

It might. The Porter seems to like people from Earth, it's possible there's a Halloween there too. Just not on your planet, wherever that is. [Yeah, okay, that's a robot. You know what, her best friend's a robot, she can roll with this.]

Happy first Halloween. You have an excuse to gorge yourself till you're sick on candy. [She frowns, after a second.] Wait, is that even possible for you?

video

[devoutish]

Halloween exists, but we don't celebrate it. It's an American thing only.

[And though by now he's heard that Halloween eventually spreads across the pond in some form, it hadn't happened yet in his day.]

video

[couldbebeautiful]

[dryly:] Welcome to America. Happy Halloween. We're big on that and Christmas here and now.

Though, I thought Britain celebrated Halloween?

[video]

[continuousgroaning]

Dad once showed me this movie called Plan 9 From Outer Space. I think it was supposed to be scary, but it's just bad.

[video]

[couldbebeautiful]

That's fine. I'm not just looking to scare the shit out of people anyway. [Though that's a small part of it.] I think I saw that when I was a kid? I just remember thinking it was pretty funny.

[taraincognita]

[ tara looks positively delighted by the halloween-y atmostphere that veronica has cultivated, and she's practically bouncing when she responds. ]

Holy shit, okay. You've gotta watch the Friday the 13th movies, first of all. And, uh, Halloween, and oh my god, have you seen the Children of the Corn sequels? They're rockin'.

[couldbebeautiful]

[She purposefully picked the most Halloween-y bakery in De Chima to film in, because Veronica is going to dedicate herself to the #aesthetic if it kills her.]

I saw the Friday the 13th movies! Even the one in New York, ugh. [That one was forgettable as hell.] I've already seen Halloween, but I missed the newest one because [she was living her own horror movie] it kinda slipped my mind—is the fifth one still the newest one? I'm not sure.

Wait, they made sequels to Children of the Corn?

video;

[onlydoubts]

So the point of Halloween is ... Scary things and brightly colored treats?

[ well, the second part of that is something he can get behind. ]

Is there some kind of significance behind that?

video;

[couldbebeautiful]

I have no idea. [She's oddly cheerful about this.] Also, costumes. Kids are going to show up at our doorstep begging for candy, and it's in our best interests to give them candy so they don't throw eggs at the house.

[She speaks like she has Experience on the egg-throwing end. She kind of does.]

Honestly, I think it's an excuse to stay up late eating candy.

video

[am_i_a_monster]

Life has enough horror. I'd rather watch Halloween movies like Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Gremlins, the Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie Brown, Little Shop of Horrors, that kind of thing

I like your scarf.

[She's wearing a plaid scarf herself with navy, burgundy and grey.]

video, cw mention of assumed suicide

[couldbebeautiful]

I've seen Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Gremlins, [she almost named her Roomba after a gremlin] but I missed Beetlejuice when it came out. I've never heard of Nightmare Before Christmas, though—I think that came out after [I blew myself up in a football field] my time.

Charlie Brown—what, the guy from Peanuts?

[She winds her scarf around her hand, smiles a little.] Thanks, I got it for sale.

video;

[reexamined]

Right. This is when people watch fake scary things on purpose. Or "cheesy"?

I'm sure I don't need to explain this isn't a holiday I've celebrated.

video;

[couldbebeautiful]

Got it. "Cheesy" just means it's not even that scary, just funny. [Like certain shitty remakes of classic horror movies, cough.]

Happy first Halloween, Kay. Are you planning on celebrating it?

video

[poreiavian]

I never did a halloween, but I've been researching a lot! Although I don't quite get the obsession with pumpkins - they aren't scary.

video

[couldbebeautiful]

Oh, great, I don't have to explain it that much. [Thank god, she's not actually much of an expert beyond the trick-or-treating part. And the horror movie marathons.] Happy first Halloween, Loma Shade.

I—honestly have no idea, either. I guess it's 'cause they grow in the fall, and Halloween's in the midst of fall. [There's probably more to it than that, but all Veronica's familiar with is the commercial culture that's sprung up around the holidays in her time, so.] You gotta admit pumpkin spice lattes are pretty good, though.

[songwrite]

[Archie grins at the display. He picked out his costume halfway through last month, tbh.]

Paranormal Activity. [He is exactly the kind of basic bitch who would like Paranormal Activity, sorry Veronica.] Or Planet Terror. Definitely. [Archie also has very enthusiastic Quentin Tarantino fan friends... (friend, honestly. It's just the one friend.)]

[couldbebeautiful]

Paranormal what now? And what's Planet Terror, sci-fi and horror? [She's from 1989, Archie, these movies are completely unfamiliar to her and will probably actually scare her a little.

Okay, no, let's be real, she'll just be munching on popcorn the whole way through.] Are either of them any good?

[andtherevolution]

It exists, but... I dunno. It's not really a big deal in Japan. Or at least, it wasn't? The only people I remember being really into it were guys from overseas, but things might be different...

[Different now or different here? Sorry Vee, the differences between the late nineties and the brave future of 2 0 1 7 still throw her for a loop, and it's hard to tell what differences are spawned from the march of time and what are unique to this strange alternate Earth. So she trails off, before she suddenly perks up and changes the topic]

But if you want some movies, I got a whole bunch from the secondhand store. Do you want me to start with the good, the bad, or the ugly?

[couldbebeautiful]

[Yeah, well, she understands. She sighs a little.] Yeah, there's a lot that's changed from 1989. And it's a whole lot bigger in the city than it was in Sherwood, too.

[But thinking about Sherwood sends her thoughts down a dark, dark path, so she's grateful for the change in subject:]

Let's start with the most laughably bad and work our way up to the slightly more terrifying.

text; i hoPE I'M NOT TOO LAte

[pillz]

you end up with any good recommendations? anything pique your interest, as they say?
i got a friend from space who needs the same initiation.
personally i was always into the saw movies, but i'm pretty sure that's less halloween and just assholes being assholes, you know what i mean.

text; where's the starbucks

[couldbebeautiful]

Something called Paranormal Activity, and apparently they made sequels to Children of the Corn. And Friday the 13th. And Nightmare on Elm Street. And—there are a lot of sequels I missed in coming here.

I'm living with a lot of people from space who've never even seen a horror movie before. I can't wait to see their faces for some of them.

Saw?