Out of Water: Haunting Pearl Lane

This time of year, one's thoughts are drawn to things like local taiko festivals where towns and cities and villages all across the country of Hingashi would be bringing out massive floats, parading them around up and down the city streets as drummers with magnificent taiko drums played them from atop said floats, sending stirring rhythms carrying down through the crowds, as they thank the gods for yet another solid harvest this year. There are celebrations, and the floats are the pride of every town or village. The sheer amount of specialized craftsmanship needed to keep the floats in good condition not only keeps entire industries in business, it also encourages master craftsmen to keep seeking out apprentices to make sure that their knowledge and techniques are not lost to time.

But in my desire to further understand the intricacies of Eorzea, I chose to stay here for the start of the autumn holiday season, and apparently that begins with All-Saints Wake, a holiday where the various saints of the Twelve (beings like Daniffen, Randolfe, Llafymae, and more) have been called to the table of the twelve deities of the Star for a well-deserved feast and time of merry-making. Unfortunately, while they're away the Void will apparently come out to play... but from the festivals being held, the people don't apparently think of them as a threat these days?

Instead, the various peoples of Eorzea seem to treat this as an opportunity to come out and dress up, and have their children go door to door playing innocent tricks and collecting bounties in the form of small packages of sweets. But other times, they hold parties like the one I was invited o: the Pearl Lane Haunt, held in Ul'dah. I managed to find myself a costume for myself (the one provided was... not to my taste, maybe next year...?) [Editor's Note: She would have looked cute, though.]

But still, walking around dressed as a ruby carbuncle did make me feel kind of on the spot, but... looking around, I wasn't the only one in costume, and well... one of my favorite sayings is “if you're afraid of standing out, find a school to swim with.” There were people dressed as voidsent of various kinds, people dressed as the Scions, as blitzball players, and even more. I'm fairly certain I saw at least one Queen Sphene, as well...

But truthfully, I must admit that the feeling of not being the only one dressed up was freeing. As long as you didn't seem to take it too far, nobody seemed to care that I was a grown raen dressed up as a cuddly carbuncle. I got a few compliments, a few whistles, mind you, but at the same time, it was like... nobody really cared. I was a fellow festival-goer, and just after the same things- a few tricks, a few treats, and a very good fun time!

Even as I walked along Pearl Lane, taking a few bites from something the Bandee Pakshee called “Cauldron Curry” - which tasted like their usual curry, except with a citrus bite – I started to wonder just who was under some of the same masks I kept seeing. Perhaps... one of the true meanings of the holiday is to give everyone the opportunity to don a mask so that all are equal in the commission of various tricks or treats? After all, that elezen you see walking around could just be a sellsword from Gridania or he could be the heir to one of Ishgard's High Houses, bringing his significant other on a date?

I took some time to scroll through the selections that Between the Lines had brought, and as I walked off, another thought struck me: what if the holiday was essentially just an opportunity for both sides to let their hair down, just a bit? The saints get to go and breathe, the voidsent get to walk among the living and not get up to too many tricks, otherwise it's spoiled for both of them? Peace has been seemingly forged through more out there ways than just giving each other the chance to behave, I suppose.

I tried my luck with some of the games- unfortunately my aim was off for ghost hunting and it appears I wasn't interesting enough for the spectres to try and hunt, but all in all... I must say that I did indeed have a great time, and that perhaps maybe next year I'll get a chance to douse the penguin. I brought home plenty of wrapped treats, amazing memories, and a better appreciation of just why All Saints is such a big deal and why it's one of the biggest holidays here:

There are so many legends and rumors of the things that go bump in the night, with voidsent: the stories of what happened in Haukke Manor in Gridania, the story of Mhach summoning and binding the voidsent queen Scathach to their massive flying Void Ark, to the events occurring upon the Thirteeth... that the spoken tribes have come to fear the mere specter of voidsent. But what if there were voidsent who didn't believe like the majority of the bloodthirsty, corruptive, tempting kinds that litter legend and lore? What if... they just wanted to come to the Source and mingle with us, and have fun doing it because they're just lonely and want to have fun, as well?

All in all, it's very thought-provoking. And on that note, with only a few nights of All Saints' left...

...how old is too old for trick or treating, and would it be odd if a grown raen walked around asking for candy? I still have the costume, and... well... let's face it, it'd be a waste to not go out there and actually experience things...