Countdown to Countdown!

[worked_through_labor_day]

[Video]

[At around noon on the 31st, the following announcement goes out over the network.]

Hello, everyone!  It's New Year's Eve, and I hope you'll join me tonight in counting down the end of one year and ringing in the new!  I'll be in the Virgo Ward at the Statue of Frost all day handing out some things to help everyone celebrate, so I look forward to seeing you all there!

[Action; all day; Statue of Frost]

[Anyone who stops by the statue at any point in the day on New Year's Eve will indeed see Isabelle standing there next to a big digital countdown clock adorned with balloons and other festive decorations.  There's also a small stand set up nearby with glasses of sparkling cider, party hats, and poppers for the big night.  She greets passersby with a big wave and a happy smile, and will gladly chat a bit with anyone who approaches.]

Comments

[phantom_envoy]

...What's Day?

[She looks baffled as she blinks back at Isabelle, having wandered over to look at the party hat.]

Isn't that some kind of animal? Why does it have a day?

[worked_through_labor_day]

If it sees its shadow on February 2nd, that means there will be six more weeks of winter. But if it doesn't, there will be an early spring!

[phantom_envoy]

...You have an animal that can change the angle of the planet in relation to the sun?!

[Phantom Girl stops in her tracks and stares.]

H-How come I never heard about this when I was living on Earth? That's incredible!

[worked_through_labor_day]

That's right! It happens every year!

[What does Isabelle even know about astronomy anyway.]

[phantom_envoy]

Is it here, though? Are these groundhogs here in Hinoto-Ri?

[She actually looks pretty excited about this.]

Wow, this is like, the most interesting thing I've ever learned about Earth. I can't believe they didn't talk about this in school.

[worked_through_labor_day]

I've never seen one, but maybe! They like to dig holes, so there might be some living in the park.

[phantom_envoy]

Ohmygosh this is like the most exciting thing that's happened here so far.

What if I made them change around the seasons now? Would that really mess things up? If I tried it, would they like, exile me from Hinoto-Ri or something?

[worked_through_labor_day]

I don't think it happens on any day other than Groundhog's Day. But it's only about a month away!

[phantom_envoy]

...Oh.

[She frowns a bit.]

Well. That's less exciting, but it's still interesting. I guess I should have expected it. Something like that would wreak havoc on the ecosystem.

[worked_through_labor_day]

I'm glad you're looking forward to it, though!

[phantom_envoy]

...Oh, right. You said you have decorations for that stuff, too, huh?

Are there any other esoteric holidays I should know about here?

[worked_through_labor_day]

Um, well, Hinoto-Ri has a lot of festivals I'm not really familiar with... at home, the next one after Groundhog Day would be Valentine's Day.

[phantom_envoy]

Oh.

Yeah.

That one survived.

[...Any holiday that called for mass commercialization would surely live on into the annals of history.]

Hinoto-Ri is based on some of the cultures in the continent of Asia, right? I guess it's too much to expect to know everything here.

[worked_through_labor_day]

I think so. There are a lot of festivals to remember.

[phantom_envoy]

Well.

[Phantom Girl shrugs.]

The important thing is to celebrate them when we can. This place has too much doom and gloom all the time.

[worked_through_labor_day]

Is there anything else you'd like to see in the city to make it more cheerful? I'm always looking for more public works project suggestions.

[phantom_envoy]

More cheerful?

[She doesn't seem to have thought of this before.]

I'm not really sure how cheerful a city that fills with demons every night can get. Maybe we can use more yellow in our color schemes.

[worked_through_labor_day]

More yellow...

[She pulls out a small pad of paper, jotting that down.]

[phantom_envoy]

T-That was...

[...Oh never mind. She tried so hard it was just wrong to discourage her.]

While we're at it, I think we could use our own city font, too. Something with a lot of curlicues.

[worked_through_labor_day]

Good idea! I've never designed anything like that before, though.

[phantom_envoy]

I feel like you're the type of person who doesn't need practice to know how to make writing look bright and cheerful, so. You're probably already good.

[worked_through_labor_day]

You might be right. Sometimes I dot my i's with smiley faces!

[phantom_envoy]

[ugh really uh wait she means how adorable]

Doesn't it get a little cramped on the page? That's three dots when you only need one.

[worked_through_labor_day]

And a circle around the dots.

[phantom_envoy]

You can just save time by using stationery cut out into the shape of a smiley face.