second bite ☣ video

[epundemiology]

[Hello network it's been awhile. Turns out holidays are stressful even when you're not actively participating, especially if you're still kind of sensitive about large crowds and loud noises.]

Ooookay, so. Learned recently that I'm not the biggest fan in the world of celebratory explosions.

[She may or may not have pulled a knife on some poor fucker. The police may or may not have been called. It was a Bad Time, Brent.]

Do those happen a lot, or is that just a once-a-year thing?

[Please tell her it's a once-a-year thing. She'd really rather not Actually Stab Someone based on a reflex, thanks.]

Ummm, also and mostly unrelated. I've got this old walkman from home, kinda sentimental value, you know? But the batteries are starting to run out, and I don't....know what kind they are. The store clerk asked if I wanted double or triple-A? And I have nooooo idea what either of those things mean. So if anyone could take a look, that'd really help me out.

Thanks. Uhh, happy new year, I guess?

Comments

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[knaval]

i get that
there was another human guy here who was the same and id tell u to see him but he's gone :/

it happens all year round for a bunch of reasons i think

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[epundemiology]

ugh, super
all year round like when, though?
like there weren't any when i first showed up in november, is that month usually clear

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[knaval]

ppl set them off for no reason its just more around holidays
i usually go and chill out in the bay where i cant hear them but i can still see em

video.

[micycle]

[Hey, it's this kid again!]

Twice a year - New Years, and the Fourth of July.

[Well... generally. He doesn't go into "at carnivals" or "when teenagers get bored in small towns" yet.]

And I can help with the batteries!

video.

[epundemiology]

[She wrinkles her nose a little]

Twice. I can work with that, I guess.

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[itssacrifice]

The fireworks happen twice a year. For New Years and the 4th of July.
You might want to hole yourself up for the 4th if they bother you. People tend to go hard then.
As for the batteries, if they're slim they're likely triple-A it they're thick double-A but I can sort it for you if you just show me what the batteries you have look like.

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[epundemiology]

great, awesome

[even thru txt, her tone is as dry as the desert]

don't suppose you know any good holing up spots
i kind of have roommates and shit, so
not a great option

and cool, would video be enough?

[am_i_a_monster]

Those explosions can trigger bad memories, huh? They happen on the fourth of July too. Maybe other holidays.

Triple A batteries are smaller compared to the double A. Which I guess doesn't help you much unless you've got something to compare you batteries to. If you have the old batteries, they might have it written on them.

Happy New Year.

[epundemiology]

[It's not so much memories as an instinctive fight-or-flight. When she hears that noise, she's right back in battle mode, getting ready to defend her life from infected or Hunters or whatever the fuck else. Useful in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, certainly, not so much in peaceful-ass Nonah.]

Mmm, these things are old as balls, they're probably way too faded to read....[She wiggles open the battery lid in her walkman just to check, and....nnnnope.]

How big is a double-A supposed to look?

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[d33tached]

If you're referring to the use of "fireworks", then I can understand the concern. One would think that such a thing would be used for offense rather than celebration.

Honestly, the entire thing still seems rather strange to me despite what explanations I've been given.

[Dangerous, at that. But they sure do look amazing.]

[epundemiology]

right?
it's super strange, dude
back home finding that much gunpowder would be like....the fucking mother lode, you know? you could stockpile that shit or barter it off for food or medicine or whatever else you needed, probably

[And yet here...they use it to make patterns in the sky? She probably would've been enthralled by them, even a year ago. Now, they only make her body tense up as if in preparation for action, and she can't help but find it almost...wasteful. But then again, it's a world without Cordyceps. When there's so much of everything, maybe it just makes sense to use it frivolously? It's still weird, to her.]

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[umopepisdn]

What is a... walk man?

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[epundemiology]

[wait is this a technological thing she knows and someone else doesn't.......how the heck]

It's, uhhhh, a thing you listen to music on? You can carry it around, hence the...walking. Part of its name.

Voice

[bookkeeper]

Depends on the holiday. Some people like setting them off every chance they get.

Did something happen? Did you get too close to them or...?

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[epundemiology]

Fantastic. [u g h why this

also, why that question. she's gotten a little too used to the joel school of We Don't Talk About Bad Shit That Happens, Ever, and so she squirms a little uncomfortably on camera, not really sure what to say or how to say it]

It's just, you know, they sound a lot like gunfire.

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[lasersounds]

...Explosions are kind of a set off for a lot of people. I get it.

[Military kid and war hero? Yeah, he can do without explosions thanks.]

For what it's worth, a lot of those electronics tend to go for the double-A variety, but I'm willing to give it a look.

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[epundemiology]

[She sighs.]

But it's peaceful here, so it doesn't bother most of them. That makes sense, I guess.

[Even if it's frustrating.]

That'd be cool. Can you tell through this thing, or do you need to see it in person?

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[aboveand]

It's usually just New Year's and the 4th of July--especially the 4th of July--but I've noticed that sometimes people just randomly set them off in the summer here. They're also popular at carnivals and sports games.

Uhhh it's been a while since I've seen those kinds of batteries, but if you show me I can see if I know what it is.

Also... what's a walkman?

[epundemiology]

4th July....that's like, some kind of independence thing, right.

[She feels like that's something she's heard before. Unfortunately, teaching history isn't really of particular importance at a military boarding school, especially one that will train kids to hunt infected and Fireflies by the time they're 16.]

Anyway, I've got the battery situation covered by now, but thanks.

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[dejerate]

[This older teen is pale, and there might be barely visible pointed tips of his ears poking through his mess of unruly dark hair, and she might just notice the fangs when he talks.]

I think there's a few times there's fireworks. Mostly New Years and the in July? If I remember right. I'm more used to Japan's holidays and even then those haven't been as big a thing for most of my life.

As for the batteries? I could try have a look. If you wanted help. That'd be pretty simple. Just take them out and show us with the phone? Should say on the batteries what size they are, double or triple. Doubles are bigger.

[epundemiology]

[First things first:]

Whoa - are those fangs? Real ones?

[gurl has priorities]

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[onlydoubts]

I didn't like them either. But I'm to understand that they're used for celebration once or twice a year, here.

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[epundemiology]

well, it's nice to know i'm not the only one, i guess
i mean, it sucks that it freaks you out too, but
the solidarity is appreciated and all

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[heisenbitch]

Not a fan of fireworks, huh?

[ A small, lopsided smile. In the background where he is, no fireworks. Just the faint sound of the ocean. ]

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[epundemiology]

[She shakes her head.]

They look cool and all, but they're way too loud and gunfire-y.

[Which is a shame. The Ellie of yesteryear, the one who still had Riley? She would've loved fireworks. Now they just bring up too many memories of people trying to kill her.]