video @nina

[neversmall]

[ You can make VIDEOS ON THIS THING.

Now that Nina knows this, no one is safe. Well, okay, not true, because she's still got to get the hang of it. You, the viewer, are once again treated to a vision of... the Aid Station wall.

Nina: "Where's the camera again?"
John, her long-suffering patient who isn't suffering as much as he is laughing at her: "On the corner, there."
Nina: "But that means I have to hold my wrist like--" Abruptly, the picture changes and now Nina's squarely in view, "--oh yes, you're right. That's a better idea."
John: "...so are you gonna say something or?"
Nina: "Oh Saints, is it recording already? Blast--"

Bright smile is go! ]

Hello, everyone! If we haven't met yet, I'm Nina Zenik.

There are so many of us here from so many different places. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly two months, and now more of us are coming. I’m not used to making announcements like this [ some noise from beside her, Nina looks toward John and corrects: ] -- or, posts? Apparently they’re called posts. -- but even some the Adament crew I’ve spoken to are interested in my questions, so they’ve assured me they don’t mind if I - post - with this.

So tell us - what’s it like where you’re from? What are the legends that are most popular? What are the courtship practices? [ She’s absolutely not crafting this whole post because she’s searching for ideas on this, nope. ] Are you one of those of us have been fighting a war -- excuse the question if it’s rude, there just do seem to be a lot of us. I’d ask you to talk about your favorite foods instead, but that might be more depressing than helpful. Oh - here’s one: If you’re from an Earth, how do you know it’s a different Earth than all the other Earths? And if not, does your planet have a name or is mine the only one that doesn't?

Comments

@astarkov

[sunmon]

you already know my answers 🎉
Looking for advice on courting someone? 👁🔍

[neversmall]

An advantage to coming from the same place, I suppose. 😀
I'm interested in learning more about different cultures. I've found out that some are very strict about such things. It's an interesting window. 😉

( un: starless | text )

[morozova]

Given that we share a homeland, I'm sure there's little that you don't already know, at least in the general sense.

Though I do have a fondness for kartoshka and tea cakes.

[neversmall]

[ ...she feels mildly embarrassed that the general had to witness her silliness, but then - she had her reasons, and, well. Relationships were going to have to shift in a place such as this.

...it was still weird. Oh well. ]

Oh, tea cakes and kartoshka! With some nice, dark tea. That is an excellent choice.

[ She's going to just imagine that she's eating some right now. ]

@crowe

[pridecroweth]

If you want Earth-specific legends, we're going to be here a long time. We're, uh, a mythologically prolific people, let's say.

（ he could talk about wakȟáŋ tȟáŋka. he could talk about iktomi and the white buffalo. but those are his grandmother's stories, her beliefs, and he hasn't yet reached a point where he'll share them offhand with near-strangers. ）

Courtship practices where I'm from is usually asking people out for a drink.

（ he was on tinder for like, three seconds. that didn't work out so hot. ）

Been in two wars when I was younger. Been out of it for just over a decade, can't say as I'd fight another one. Especially one over someone else's money or land or resources.

[neversmall]

[ Oh, hello new Sam!

...Sam must be a popular Earth name. ]

That's understandable - I've heard Earth is a rather big place. Ravka isn't the largest of countries, but we have plenty of myths there too.

[ That courtship practice sounds a lot like what she's accustomed to - Matthias would sneer at it. But it's nice to know that there are places where it's less formal, outside of Ravka. Fjerda is... Fjerda. And considering Alina's already picked on her question once, she's not going to risk pushing it now. ]

Hopefully we won't be called to do any of that sort of fighting here. Matthias has even found a way to lead the critters out instead of killing them, so our worst enemy might be the plants. And the food.

[ It's interesting, though, that the newest person here that she knows is also a soldier. Most of the people she's met here have been fighters, formally or informally. She can only think of two of the Hatchlings she's met off-hand that aren't. ]

@dr j.e. reid

[deathpending]

[ Jonathan's hearing catches her. ]

[ But he saves accosting her for the lunch hour — as of yet the only person who knows he's a vampire, there is an oddly freeing sense being around Nina. ]

Hello Miss Zenik!

Having fun?

[neversmall]

Hello, Dr. Reid,

Yes, I am. [ She does try to have fun on a regular basis. ] It's interesting to hear about different worlds. You're doing quite well with the watch, I see.

@A.Price

[cryptoherpetology]

It's nice to see you again, Nina. I hope Crow hasn't been bothering you too much on his daily rounds of the base camp.

I haven't been in a war in the official sense, but I was raised to expect one and/or the apocolypse. It made for some interesting spins on traditional childhood games with my siblings.

Courtship on my earth has become a fairly unstructured practice. I met my fiancee, Shelby, when we worked in different parts of the same zoo. Our relationship progress wasn't exactly traditional and involved a lot more life-threatening situations than most peoples' tend to, but I'm starting to notice that falling in love while almost dying seems to be something that isn't uncommon in hatchling and Adamant couples.

[neversmall]

[ Well, that's a good solid chunk of information. Nina brightens up, interested. ]

So you'd compare your growing up to living in training, then?

Courtship in my country is also relatively informal. But apparently some places have all sorts of steps. It makes me think that falling in love and courtship are two entirely different things.

[ The poor guy has a fiancee that he loves and who isn't here with him. That must be so difficult. ]

@steve.rogers

[fossils]

Histories aren't lining up exactly the same for everyone here that comes from a place called Earth. Mine's had two large scale alien invasions.

I've been craving a decent slice of pizza for three years.

[ seriously had to mention food, huh ]

[neversmall]

[ She DID have to mention food; she MISSES food. ]

Yes, I've learned that finding out that someone is from Earth is no guarantee that they're from the same place or time as someone else I've learned is from Earth. I am sorry to hear about what your world has endured. [ Though she bets he doesn't really want to talk about it; she wouldn't. So: ]

What's pizza?

@marion.adamopoulos

[cleaningsolutions]

Hello, Nina.

I think people name their planet as they become aware that it isn't all of the universe and that there are spaces and worlds which aren't it. Maybe there are people where you're from who've named it and it just isn't widely known, or maybe that will come later.

[neversmall]

It's certainly possible, but I bet there'll be a fight about it when it does. I can just imagine...

Does your world have a name?

video ▶ @cal

[psychometries]

[ Well, at least someone around here is having fun with the video. Cal was starting to despair with all the texting. ]

Hey, Nina. Looks like you're figuring things out. [ He gives her a friendly little wave, while BD-1 trills cheerfully over his shoulder. ]

That's a lot of questions. I'm not actually sure where to start.

[neversmall]

Hello, Cal! I've had some help, [ She twists her wrists so John can wave at Cal. ]

And you can start wherever you'd like - choose your own place. They were suggestions more than anything.

[portolan]

I see you are picking up the local tech faster than I am. I have not figured out the video function yet.

Would you like to meet and discuss? I've enjoyed our previous conversations.

[ He COULD learn how to do video, but it seems oddly intimate and public at the same time. As much as he's a performer, he likes to be in control of that image. Or video. ]

[neversmall]

Oh, I just learned that it was possible! 😀 And John helped me with the rest.

If you'd like! I'm finishing up at the Aid Station soon, or we could meet during the lunch shift?

un.vidar

[spalten]

[ that's all well and dandy, but - ]

'Courtship practices' seems like an awfully pointed question ... troubles in love?

1/2

[neversmall]

[neversmall]

Why? Would you consider yourself an expert?

[skagzz]

Girl you thirsty like these mermaids. link

[ Tina brought her ECHODevice with her. It has close to a terrabyte of local storage that she has mostly filled with EchoNet nonsense. She is now the pop culture god of this planet. Or at least she has decided she is. ]

1/2

[neversmall]

[ ...there is... so much about this... that Nina does not understand.

Congratulations, you have given her her very first exposure to a music video.

Or any kind of video, actually. ]

video @jon.snow

[northerndragon]

[One of those things is not like the other!]

I know that it is not my world because most had never heard of the lands I came from before they met me, or someone else from my world. Nor have they heard of any of the other lands or peoples.

From all I could find, Westeros is a little like Great Britain, but it is much, much larger. They had seven kingdoms there once. But no Free Folk, no Children of the Forest, no Andals come over from Essos, no Dothraki. If they had horse lords once, they went by another name. And so on and on.

[He is level and amiable as he explains all this, as if it's not his first time, or his fifth.]

[neversmall]

[ She knows what Great Britain is because she found a map of Earth, but the rest of it -- definitely different. She gives Jon a bit of a wry smile and shakes her head. ]

I don't know what those things are either, I'm afraid. So are you saying you're not from an Earth, or just from a very different one?

video | @s.wilson

[unclesam]

Look at you, conquering modern technology.

[ He sounds amused, but the smile on his face is kind. He's not laughing at her - just pleased that she's enjoying herself.

Background noise is a little strange on his video. Not the usual bustle of activity from the camp. And the background is just the pure blue of the sky, nothing else. Sam seems to be sitting somewhere, though. ]

As for telling Earths apart, depressing but there's some easy markers. You compare the big disasters and catastrophes. Wars, alien invasions. Technological advancements. Not a guarantee everything lines up, but it's a pretty good measure.

[neversmall]

[ Oh, hello, Sam! Have a smile.

Nina is about as capable of letting things go as velcro, and so she chirps back: ] I prefer to think of it as alien, out-of-time technology. Modern technology for me is the invention of trains and guns that fire multiple bullets.

I see. ...are alien invasions something that regularly happens?