2; THE BEACH EPISODE

[medicgunner]

WHO: Everyone!!
WHERE: Starting on the network, then The Beach!
WHEN: Forward dated to the last weekend of August
WHAT: Beach Episode!!
WARNINGS: None hopefully??



[With no context, no preamble, no nothing. Early on the last weekend of August, Eunie greeted the network with a message.]

text; un: fortuneclovers

hey
Eunie here, changed my un
so this month was fuckin awful
im goin to the beach. Maybe have a little fun there to get the mind off all the bullshit
if you’re seein this youre invited too. come on and lets have a good time, bring what you want

Oh yeah
im bringin a volleyball for the nets
anyone who wants a game come at me. >:)

🌭 getting grilled

[So ended the text one humble weekend morning. Eunie didn’t have specific plans for this, she just sort of ran off and invited the whole app to the beach without considering the logistics. She did say to bring what you want but she was social enough to arrange some things for a bit of a beach gathering.

It wasn’t a lot, a few coolers and BBQ grills people can hand around and either loiter or cook at if they have the capability. If they don’t though they will be removed from the grill. But maybe that’s part of the fun.]

🌊 ocean owned

[Aside from the coolers, there’s obviously the beautiful sea people can surf or swim in all they want! The water is fine, a little cold but in a way that felt refreshing from the hottest days of the last legs of summertime. The tides were even and there was no real risk of drifting away, but don’t go too far out unless you’re a strong swimmer. There are lifeguards on duty but we’ve had enough trauma this month, we don’t need a drowning scare. Or do, I’m not your mom.]

⛱️ avoid the burn

[Not a swimmer? Well then catch up on your tan under the share umbrellas and towels laid on the sand. Or your sunburn. It is a bright and sunny weekend after all so no matter what you’re catching up on, get your sunscreen on too.

It’s also just as good for a little break from the swimming and the music to steady yourself before you head out or head back into the water or some piers you can walk down on your own for the same experience to just catch the sea breeze while staying up and about.]

🏐 bolleyvall bapped

[That being said, Eunie was not joking about there being volleyball. There are a few nets on the beach for a few different games to go on at once. Organize a tournament or just play casually. Remember though that there are normies on the beach and any Earth Shattering volleyball spikes might cost some property damage claim money. This isn’t death soccer, people.

Who am I kidding, this is going to turn into a disaster either way. Go ham, challenge the bird girl or just watch the chaos unfold and place your bets, kids.]

🎇 bonfire lit up your life

[As the day winded down and night settled on the beach, some folks were headed home or have gone there already to get the sand out of their shorts. But those who stuck around will get the pleasure of sitting by a bonfire not me as they bid a fond farewell to the summertime and summer vacation.

Or get in touch with their inner arsonist in a less destructive way.

Sit, relax and socialize, take in the ambiance of the twilight by the fire, roast some marshmallows or hot dogs. Maybe decide to camp out for the night. It is a pretty peaceful time, and it’s these small moments of calm with friends and loved ones we have to cherish the most when in recovery, right?]

Comments

[jackdawvision]

[Edward takes note of the watermelon, how far it is from him and the length of the stick, before he slips the blindfold on and tightens it for good measure. He gives the stick a little flourish, then falls into a stance and brings it crashing down on the watermelon as hard as he can.

It cracks open into uneven parts, chunks flying everywhere on the cloth. Strong as he is, Edward’s experience in breaking shit open is less concerned with even halves and more concerned with just cracking skulls hard enough to send somebody off to dreamland, possibly permanently.]

Well? How did I do?

[lowestclass]

[ okay, so, he's never getting into a fight with you, sir. But he watches with a flash of his eyes as that stick does the job it's meant to--shattering the watermelon near in half, even if it isn't a perfect-even break.

Chunks are here and there, and Jinwoo is pretty quick to scurry in to assess the damage.

He looks pleased. So pleased. ]

--You split it in one hit. I knew you'd be the right person for the job...

[ he's gonna squat down and pick up a broken chunk. And offer it to the other. ]

Now all there is to eat it.

[jackdawvision]

[He pulls the blindfold up and off his head, and gives the stick a fancy little twirl.]

I've cracked harder heads than that. [Usually with swords or an ax he picked up from a fresh corpse.] What sort of tradition is this, anyway?

[Taking the broken chunk and munching on it, then spitting the seeds out to the side.]

[lowestclass]

Haha. I suppose that's a good point. Bokoblin heads are harder than a watermelon...

[ Don't mind if mr. vampire just sits down and pulls up a chunk of watermelon for himself, looking pleased with how things turned out.
Anyone else who may have been watching will be offered some melon as well as Jinwoo looks over--that question being asked making complete sense. Right. ]

--Ah, right. You're from a different world, I am not even sure if you'd have heard about it before.

I grew up in Japan, and when I was a teen, this tradition was called Suikawari.
'Suika' meaning 'melon,' and 'wari' meaning 'to split.'

It was a game thought up by young people, as watermelon could be pretty unwieldy to cut into at the beach--so making a game of hitting it until it split was thought to be far more fun.

To crack it in one hit is impressive.

[jackdawvision]

Oh, I didn't break those bokoblins' heads open. It was more like— [and he mimes sliding a blade into his own neck.] But I have had to split someone's skull open with an axe or a sword, a time or two.

[That is a very gory thing to have just casually dropped into conversation like that while eating watermelon. It's quite possible Edward has been around other criminals a bit too long.]

Wales might as well be a different world from Japan even without my being from a very different time, you're not wrong about that. [But he listens avidly, munching away on his watermelon. If he thinks back to his younger years he can recall days spent playing with his friends, pretending to be a king, a knight, a sailor, thinking up games a little like Suikawari to stave off the boredom. So maybe it's not all that different.]

I find it comes natural to me. [A cocksure little smile.] Did you play this game often, when you were young?

[lowestclass]

[ he looks content as a vampire on a beach can be, one supposes. Eating watermelon and looking out onto the ocean--trying not to look TOO amused when the other gave a good mimicry of his previous battle.

Lucky for Edward, he doesn't seem too disgusted or put off by it. ]

I've never gotten a chance to see Wales or any other part of Britain. So we know just as much about each others' home as the other, it seems. [ he gives a small chuckle. ]

And I did--I lived near the ocean when I was younger. Summer didn't feel like summer unless we were all sharing watermelon under the sun. [ ...it's been a long time since he's been able to enjoy the sun part, though. He gives a little shrug. ]

Then I got a job that made things like going to the beach pretty difficult.

...Before I joined the order, I mean.