002 ( video )

[unhidden]

( Hay kids. It's that one loser, looking considerably cleaner, better fed and more relaxed than her first post. Part of it's pretence and part of it is being better fed, but whatever.

Today, Tara's posture is a lazy slouch against the side of her sofa, bottle of beer in hand. )

Okay, so-- possibly a personal question. How many of you dudes are from worlds where everything's kinda gone to Hell? Apocalypse-style, y'know? Like, uh, I dunno. Everyone simultaneously woke up with Donald Trump hair, or meteors hit, or there's an undead shit-storm unfolding outside.

( A casual shrug. Seems like it might be less crazy a thing here than she thought. )

And, part two: what's the best thing about the world ending? 'Cause, I mean, I kinda miss living off ramen and canned stuff being a win instead of a basis for judgment.

( Hmm. Tara takes a swig of her beer. Maybe she is a bit less okay then she seems, but that's basically what her life is all about. )

Gotta find the bright side, right?

Comments

[mantlepieces]

I don't dislike her, I don't even know her. As for her, go figure; she doesn't know my name or what I look like, so if I ever see her in person and the conversation goes the same way, I guess we'll have our answer.

[ There's a sound from his end that sounds like fabric moving, probably a shrug. ]

You guys friends or something?

[rathercommon]

Yeah, we are.

[ That's said firmly, with no self-consciousness at all. A momentary pause, then - ]

Sorry, if I can ask - what was life like for you at home?

[mantlepieces]

I figured that must've been why you were getting involved. But the world isn't gonna end if me and this chick don't end up making nice. I'm willing to forgive and forget as much as the next person, but I won't lose any sleep, either.

[ He pauses, a much longer silence than hers. ]

Does it even matter?

[rathercommon]

[ Simply: ]

It does.

[mantlepieces]

[ He huffs a breath out aggressively. ]

I lived a normal teenage life -- high school, Halloween parties, family, friends, regular normal non-apocalyptic reality. More than most people around here can boast, I know.

[rathercommon]

[ Hm. That doesn't really line up with the way he sounded... ]

This place must be weird to adjust to, then.

[mantlepieces]

[ He clears his throat. ]

Um. Yeah. Guess so. Kind of sucks but there's nothing we can really do about it, y'know? Just making the best of a bad situation.

[rathercommon]

[ A grunt of acknowledgment. ]

Yeah. But this seems like it must be a lot worse. I mean - most people, at least, are going from bad to bad. You're going from pretty nice to bad.

[mantlepieces]

Maybe this whole time I've been coping with it by picking fights with drunk people on the network.

[ He manages -- somehow -- not to sound totally sarcastic. ]

[rathercommon]

This is the first drunk person we've had on the network in quite a while, though.

[mantlepieces]

Are you calling me a liar?

[rathercommon]

If I were calling you a liar I'd say you're a liar. I'm just worried that if that's your coping mechanism, this is the first time you've been able to cope.

[mantlepieces]

Someone being sober isn't a total deal-breaker.

[rathercommon]

Ohh. So it's been a lot of fighting, has it?

[mantlepieces]

Depends on how you define "a lot." Not that I really get why we're still talking about this.

[rathercommon]

Have you got people you know here? Who support you?

[mantlepieces]

I've got people I've met here, if that's what you mean.