Zoonotic Hookworm | OpenLog001

[clussy]

Featuring: Eddie Kaspbrak + Open to anyone
What's Happening? Eddie's dancing to some sick tunes at Town Hall, fixing up some interesting light mechanics, and...handing out lemonade because how generic can we be (also giving out other food goods from the greenhouse).
When: Various days throughout March. New players may tag into this even though I'm posting it now.
Content Warnings: All the music linked is uncensored so there's some swearing/questionable content, Eddie's usual content warnings may be applicable at any time.Underage kid technically offering up booze- potential mentions of underage drinking. I will try to tag headers if particularly harsh things come up.



𝟷. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙺𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚔 𝙶𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙸𝚍𝚎𝚊
Location: Town Hall

(Attending classes helped well enough, but Eddie still hardly knew what he was doing. He was sitting on the floor with a pile of wires in front of him, and a variety of other odds and ends. There were a couple of light bulbs sitting in front of him as well. He was fussing mostly with wires, twisting them together at the ends and looking this way and that next to a notepad he had laying open next to him. There was a bunch of notes inside it with little drawings that clearly showed the blue prints for something.

Any one of these days, someone might see Eddie getting the wires properly attached to one of the light bulbs. He has an assortment of what looks like buttons and maybe on a lucky day, one might see him pushing one of these buttons and seeing the light bulb flicker to life. Every now and then, he messes up something with the wires and gets a tiny shock. It never fails to make him jump and yelp before sticking said injured finger into his mouth with a glare sent to the wires. But it seems those incidents are few and far in between.

What on earth was this kid making anyway?)

𝟸. 𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙺𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚔 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚊 𝙼𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚃𝚠𝚘
Location: Town Hall
CW: Vulgarity in linked songs though not all of them.

(Figuring out how an ipod worked with its speaker had been a bit of a trip for Eddie, but he had figured it out in the safety of his soundproof room. He had also indulged himself greatly in his soundproof room by playing his music quite loudly. Not really 'blasting' it, but it was more noise than he had heard in a long time and it felt great. Even though he didn't recognize an overwhelming majority of the music, it turned out that the future had some awesome tunes. It felt unfair to hog all this greatness to himself, so he decided to start setting up shop over at the Town Hall.

The locals might not be too fond of him doing this, but after finding one of the soundproof rooms used for classes, he left the door open and set the music up on a desk. Again, he wasn't blasting it, but for such a quiet area, anyone would be able to hear the music playing idly and when they follow it to its source?

Well, Eddie was dancing quite generously around an open space he'd cleared out in the room. There was no real rhyme or reason to his dancing. Some people might realize he's using a few moves that had cultivated during the fifties, but mostly he's just moving around to the beat, bobbing his head, and sometimes even singing along. He listens to mostly faster songs, but there are a few lulling slow songs that gets him swaying in lazy circles. It felt good to be noisy and move around, so all in all, Eddie was flushed smiles. Whenever a song is from the fifties, it's clear that Eddie knows the song much better.

Whenever someone enters though, there's quite a few different ways Eddie will react.

1. If it's another child, particularly one he recognizes, he might grin and instantly go over to grab at their hands and pull them in to dance with him- or at the very most, gesture for them to come over.

2. If it's an older teenage boy or adult man, he'll stop moving and smiling completely, looking instead a little embarrassed and quite possibly ashamed.

3. If it's an older teenage girl or woman, he'll slow down his moves entirely, looking uncertain, a bit awkward, but after a moment he'll smile shyly and gesture vaguely for them to come and join him.

Any number of popular songs from the fifties to 2017 can be heard playing from his stereo of all different genres.

Here's just a snippet of what might be heard- and certainly feel free to assume songs and put your own in for them to sing along to or have fun with:

1. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
2. Rockin' Robin by Bobby Day
3. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
4. Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners
5. Mambo No.5 by Lou Bega
6. Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
7. The Time Warp by The Rocky Horror Picture Show
8. Oops!... I Did It Again by Britney Spears
9. Timber by Kesha
10. So What by P!nk

+Open Arms by Journey
+Imagine by John Lennon
+Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley

For House Eleven: As he is doing this often in his room, feel free to have any one of the people living in House 11 join him there.)

𝟹. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙻𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙻𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚍𝚎?
Location: Throughout town.
CW: Kid serving alcohol??

(You know those stereotypical stands kids set up with the painted sign of 'LEMONADE'? Yeah. Eddie's got that set up at various parts around town except there's no table. It's just a sign sitting upright and he's sitting cross legged wherever he's decided to set up. Although in some places he's found tables to use for the time being. He's get two big things of lemonade- one marked as 'soft lemonade' and the other as 'hard lemonade'. What could this possibly mean? Pretty easy. The soft is your regular old fashioned refreshing lemonade.

The hard lemonade is really fucking sour. Like this kid barely used any sugar sour and it has a kick to it. Is this lemonade spiked?

It might be.

Either way, Eddie's going around serving up some fresh lemonade. On top of that, he has small crates with fruits and the like that he seems willing to part with for some traded goods- as there's a little sign in front of them saying 'TRADE 4 THINGS'. What things? Ask him, obviously. Really, Eddie's not a big stickler, and half of his food stuff will probably just be given away for the hell of it, but he might as well try and get things while he's at it.

If he's serving his lemonade and selling his things anywhere soundproof, he's absolutely got his stereo set up and playing music very softly. Just for a change of pace. If he's around workers, such as people laying out sand or other physical tasks, he very well might come up to your character if they look like they're working particularly hard and offer a cup of the (soft, non-alcoholic) lemonade. You're welcome, buddy.)

𝟺. 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜
(Eddie goes all over town all the time for various things or just to explore. Feel free to ask about setting up a scene or just start up something on your own! He works at the Greenhouse and lives in House 11 so those are both options as well for interactions. Please feel free to ask me questions.)

Comments

[beyourzoomer]

Yeah, I thought so too.

[She doesn't know Bill quite as well as she knows Eddie or Richie at this point, but he's smart. He's a planner. He thinks ahead. She reads the admiration in Eddie's eyes and grins a little.

She glances around curiously when he reaches for the device, wondering what's going on in his head, and then glancing at her own device when the message appears. She looks up at him, nodding very slightly before typing back a message.]

I'll keep my eyes out for possibilities when I go scavenging.

[She shifts positions, moving so she's sitting lotus-position beside him.]

As much as I'd love to teach you guys how to skateboard and play Atari, they're not really useful skills here. But I can fish and Kajima showed me how to prepare them for cooking.

[clussy]

(Bill was always busy, but that was okay. He was a hard worker, and maybe the distractions were nice for him.

There was some depth to Eddie's mistrust. Kindness didn't automatically ensure the wholeness of his trust. He also knew adults could be manipulated. Hell, there was a guy here who could apparently make you do anything that he wanted you to do.)

Good. Me too.

(Eddie was still contemplating the sewers of this place. He loathed the idea of exploring them, but it might be for the best.

Whoa boy. Eddie outright gags and covers his mouth.)

Oh, Jesus. I seriously don't think I could...eugh- prepare a fish. They're slimy and gross and eeeeeugh!

(He visibly shudders. He had practically cried when his mom had tried to make him eat lobsters! That had been worse though. He could eat fish fine, he guessed, but gosh. No part of him wanted to actually....dissect a fish and get its guts all over him. Blegh.)

[beyourzoomer]

[It's funny, that adults always think it's easy to manipulate kids. That most kids are naive and trusting. Some are, she knows. She's also aware that her new friends are pretty far on the opposite side of the spectrum. She leans toward it herself. She nods slightly at his agreement that he'd start looking, too. She hopes they never need it.

She's also almost sure they will.

She's not expecting him to gag and she does her best not to chuckle.]

It's pretty gross.

[She can admit that much. She doesn't like the idea of killing things, but she also knows it could come down to a matter of survival.]

[clussy]

(Lord were the Losers ever at the opposite end of the spectrum. Almost to a fault at times, or so it had seemed back on the station. When Bill had gotten ripped away by a demon, Eddie had known several professional soldiers, and yet, he had sprinted after Bill all on his own. Even though he had liked those soldiers and warriors, had trusted them okay enough, when it came to the real horror of a situation, Eddie's faith fell to himself and his friends first. It was so automatic to be self-reliant at this point that he honestly forgot to ask the adults who he did trust for help when help was so desperately needed.

No doubt would that remain the same here.

Eddie is glad for not chuckling, especially as he relives the trauma of having to see those scary lobsters clicking their little feet in the air. Seafood was horrific.)

Honestly, I...I'll be okay. I know plant stuff real well. Mushrooms are like, just as much protein as beef or something.

(He appreciates the offer, but when it came down to it, Eddie was a forager more than a hunter.

That and it did sort of help that Eddie had a line of young boys who were extremely willing to keep him fed. Go figure.)

Thanks though. Um. I mean, I guess could teach me the actual fishing part? I don't...really....I'd think about it too much when I went to hurt the fish though so I can't do the whole...other part. Fish are...pretty. (He says this haltingly, grimacing a little. He knows how he sounds, and he quickly informs Max:)

I'm not a sissy or anything. It's just. I know I can find food other way,s you know?

[beyourzoomer]

[By that same token, Max is still trying to adjust to the idea of having other people around that might help her if she needs it. She and her mom had never been particularly close. They were just too different, and Max usually came away from interactions with her mom feeling like she was some kind of disappointment because she wasn't girly enough, because she didn't wear dresses or fuss over her hair beyond brushing it. Shopping wasn't her thing, either, unless it was for books and that was a different story. She'd learned shortly into her mom's marriage to Neil not to expect too much in the way of intervention when things got shitty at home with Neil and Billy. Mostly Max just did her best to steer clear, counting down the days til she turned 18 and could move the hell out.

It's why the first thing she'd done here really, was ask to be taught how to fight. She doesn't want to depend on anyone else to do it for her. And god forbid Billy or Neil show up here, in this place. She's fairly certain Billy would lose his shit two seconds out of the reset room and get everyone within a two mile distance killed. Probably more than once. The guy wasn't known for his self-control.

She nods slightly at his easy refusal for fishing-related things. She gets it.]

It's fine. Maybe you can teach me about mushrooms and stuff? [She cocks her head to the side, pausing.] Maybe we should start a garden behind the house. [To ensure they had plenty of food of their own if push comes to shove, and it probably will.

Max reaches out and lays a hand on his arm at the quick addition of his words.]

Not wanting to kill things doesn't make you a sissy. [She gives him a meaningful look.]

squints at my past typos.

[clussy]

(Eddie's mom had simply babied him too much. But not in just a normal sort of way. In the kind of way that left Eddie messed up in the head and thinking he was a whole lot more fucked than he actually was. Her love had been shackles around his ankles, and every day he shamefully felt grateful he no longer had to worry about her immense figure suddenly stepping into his doorway. He still heard her voice though, but he tried desperately to ignore it. His momma had never made him feel too bad about his being soft- well, unless it annoyed her like with the lobsters. Then she'd scream at him and he'd scamper back to his room.

It was always the other, bigger boys at school that made Eddie feel inadequate for who he was. How he didn't quite understand girls the same way, or how he wasn't allowed to partake in gym classes even though he actually always kind of wanted to. How he just wasn't violent enough or rough enough. It hardly helped that he was physically tiny too. Maybe it was these very things that locked people like Max and Eddie together. There was something on a personal level that seemed to be understood between the two of them without it ever needing to be said.

He scratches at his cheek shyly, and gives a small nod.) That'd be a good idea. You can eat weird stuff in the forest that makes you puke or die. I can teach you what is or isn't okay.

(He smiles at her suggestion.) Yeah, I'm already thinking to work on that. I planted some potatoes recently.

(The gesture...surprises him. Eddie doesn't know why. Max has been nothing but kind to him, but perhaps it was because she was so tough...He blinks slowly, staring at her, feeling his face color hotly.)

...Really? You think so?

are you me, though?

[beyourzoomer]

[She's been lucky by that token. Most of the kids back in California hadn't actively bothered her, minus Larry Boyer, who'd made the mistake of snapping her bra strap a second time after she'd told him to knock it off. She'd gotten out of her seat and punched him in the nose in the middle of class since the teacher wouldn't do anything about it. She wasn't sorry even though she'd gotten suspended for three days and had been in huge trouble at home. He'd never so much as looked at her cross-eyed after that, though. Worth it.

The trade-off, she supposes, is that she'd been stuck living with Billy.]

Oh. Cool. I can help with like, weeding it and stuff. My mom used to garden.

[Max is tough. But if she had to choose between a guy like Billy, who would definitely have zero trouble killing any kind of animal you set in front of him, or someone like Eddie, who'd prefer not to kill...well, she'd pick Eddie every damn time.]

Uh, yeah. Definitely. [Her voice is firm. She doesn't want to leave any room for doubt that she means what she's saying.]

i just might be

[clussy]

(Eddie would get an absolute kick out of that story, truthfully. Max really was so awesome. So many kids he met outside of their world seemed so much cooler and nicer than everyone back in Derry.)

Yeah? Gardening is pretty fun. And involves almost no guts at all. Unless you count when you accidentally kill bugs.

(Which sometimes made him flip too. But honestly, literally no one but crazy people enjoyed hearing the crunch of a beetle you just stepped on. That was nasty. And centipedes could literally go fuck themselves.

Thing is it's almost impossible to not believe Max when she says it like that. Eddie stares for a second longer, and then he's smiling this private, shy sort of smile, his face a little red.)

Thanks Max. (She really was the best. He knew girls were normally a lot gentler, but he's pretty sure Max didn't really fit into the feminine niche perfectly. So it meant a lot more hearing that from her than it might other girls.

That and well. She was his friend. That meant her opinion mattered a lot.)

[beyourzoomer]

[Her nose scrunches at the mention of bugs. She's also not a fan - of bugs in general, or bugs crunching. Gross. Here, though, there aren't any bugs. At least that she's seen, and definitely not that she's heard. She still wonders how that's possible. It's strange, for sure.

Max holds his gaze as long as he stares at her and she nods, smiling a little when he does, and then when his face starts turning red.]

Sure thing.

[And if she hears anyone mocking him for not being willing to do things like kill a fish, she'll definitely be punching them in the nose.]

[clussy]

(Having a girl defend his honor by punching someone out was both flattering and embarrassing. He was still just young and dumb enough to wonder if he should feel ashamed for any girls offending him. But when push came to shove, he was always gonna be happier about having friends and allies than not.)

You can teach me to fish. I'll just leave the gross stuff to the rest of you. That's not so bad, right?

(There would be some guilt, certainly, but maybe not as much.)

And skateboarding might not be useful but it'd still be really cool to learn.

[beyourzoomer]

[She smiles faintly at the concession, tilting her head to look at him and then nudging him gently with her elbow.]

You don't have to. It's okay. I can do the fishing if and when we need it.

[She doesn't mind, and she doesn't want him to feel like he has to do something he doesn't want to do. She brightens at the mention of skateboarding though, glancing around.]

Do you think they'd let me skate in here?

[clussy]

(Eddie can't help but giggle lowly, shooting her an appreciative look.)

Between you and Jake, I'll never starve.

(It was sweet, honestly. Not that he'd say as much to either Jake or Max, but he felt oddly cared for by them both. It does make him feel better too. They could do the fishing- he could do everything else.

His eyes sparkle with a touch of mischief.)

Who gives a shit? Half of them are probably so old they wouldn't be able to catch up with you anyway....

(....So Eddie Kaspbrak is not the greatest influence.)

[beyourzoomer]

Yeah, we won't let you starve.

[It's not something she's ever really had to worry about. Her family doesn't have a lot of money, but they'd always had food on the table. Here it isn't as easy as going to the grocery store, or grabbing some fast food.

A soft, surprised laugh escapes her at his response, eyes dancing with amusement at the thought. It wouldn't be the first time she got in trouble for using her skateboard somewhere she wasn't supposed to.]

You have a point there.

[clussy]

Oh thank God for that.

(Eddie snickers lowly, briefly covering his mouth before dropping his hand into his lap. Eddie's didn't have a whole lot of money either, though his mom had always managed to cram the house with food.)

Besides. I bet we could find an empty hallway or something. I could bike with you too so there'd be two of us for them to have to chase after if they wanted to.

[beyourzoomer]

[Her smile gets even wider at that.]

Okay I'm adding that to the list of things to do when we're bored.