alarm clock radiation - sunrise, most commonly used in a begrudging or sarcastic manner.
analog war: a series of large-scale fights between the killjoys and bl/ind during the 2000s, beginning towards the end of the second helium war.
angel kisser - a term originating in the underground, used for medics and doctors.
audition: the initiation rituals that one must do in order to prove themselves deserving of joining a certain gang (most commonly the bigger, more powerful ones). these rituals can range from harmless humiliation pranks to committing serious city crimes which can result in being arrested or being killed. "fuck, i got my audition tomorrow, what do you think they'll make me do?"
banger cell - a well-known/renowned killjoy crew within the zones.
banksy - to owe a debt to someone or have a bounty over your head.
batt rat - derogatory term for those born in battery city.
battery city: the city controlled by bl/ind. only known major civilization left. devoid of much colour, emotion, and freedom. also called 'batt city' and 'the city'.
bifrost: areas of the zones that were so greatly affected by the bombs that the desert sand became glass. "this bifrost is the most beautiful thing you'll ever lay eyes on out here. it's a reminder that the zones don't always chew you up and spit you out, sometimes they shape you, make you better."
black cape - zone term for those whose appearance would be considered goth.
blanket drive - the act of driving at night at full speed with the car headlights off, only guided by stars and moonlight.
bonus track - as in, "you're a screaming bonus track right now!" seems to be synonymous with "you look hot," but as for how the phrase originated, i've got nothing.
boxing ring: a one-on-one firefight between two members of rival gangs. "you gotta stop stepping into boxing rings man, you’re gonna get yourself killed."
broken glass - a way to describe a bad relationship between two people.
brown sugar: patches of desert land where plants are able to be grown, such as the witch's garden and tommy's (no so) secret little greenhouse in the back of his shop. "hey, did ya see that garden we just drove by, must be some brown sugar over in that area."
butt lamp - a character flaw; something conspicuous.
burners - artists as well as spray paint supplies, known for being the most up-to-date on all things graffiti both in and outside of the city.
burn out - children who showed an aptitude for creativity young and got on battery city's radar, making it more and more difficult to enter the underground, the lobby or the zones.
cemetery drive: those places where dracs ambush joys and many lives are lost, like old battlefields. you can see masks and jackets lying in the sand, dusted over and sun bleached. as a sign of respect, the 'joys leave them untouched, lime colourful tombstones. only if the ghosted 'joy left you the next owner before the firefight can get it. it you happen to find one, the entire car grows silent until you've passed through it.
city proper/inner city: the area of the city that bl/ind has most control and whose inhabitants are the most compliant.
crash queen - someone who actively takes extreme risks in order to feel an adrenaline rush.
crazy = genius (crazy equals genius) - like "bob's your uncle". e.g. "and bam! crazy equals genius."
cap - slang for caffeine pills.
carbons - money/dollars, shortened to 'c'.
chalk outlines - bodies
chilly - used to describe something suspicious or out of place.
china doll - someone who's afraid to get their hands dirty- "come on, man, stop being a china doll and come with us on a run for once."
clap - a fight
collar full - too much to handle
commit mercy: a killing out of mercy for another joy or person. if one must resort to this, any other rebels in the area must stand at least 40 paces away and face the opposite direction, masks off.
Costa Rica - means crazy or bad e.g. "the fight went Costa Rica." often used like "go all Costa Rica" or "went all Costa Rica."
curtain call - death
death valley: the areas beyond zone six. used to contain farming communities, until the land was destroyed in bombings by bl/ind.
deity indecisive - used to describe a person who is incredibly good at getting out of crazy and dangerous situations, but also very good at getting into these situations in the first place. comes from how it seems that the gods have no idea what to do with this person.
digital: an important moment in time shared amongst two or more people where you can just tell that you'll never forget it. digital moments are extremely important in the zones because they're believed to be what separates a rebel from city folk. people in the city don't get to have digital moments because they're unable to feel anything, therefore no moment is special.
dive sidestreet/get off the highway - a humorous way to tell someone to fuck off
don't write their name on the mailbox - don't say they're dead just yet.
dress rehearsal - a hookup/sex
dust mashing - a form of energetic dance ritual performed at killjoy concerts.
fires of 2012: a series of large fires in 2012 which were lit by bl/ind to sabotage the killjoys but spiralled out of control and burned several neutral establishments and bl/ind factories and warehouses. bl/ind claims to not have started them, but to have put them out.
floral - a rare or innocent type of beauty
fresh meat - a batt-rat that's fresh out of the city, doesn't have a new hairstyle, or any set or clothes yet other than their city clothes. "sorry, we don't serve fresh meat at this bar!"
full house - a large group of cops
getaway mile: route guano
ghost chase: the act of searching the zones for someone who may possibly be dead. "last i heard he's on a ghost chase out on zone 1."
helium wars: war in the 1980s fought over the resource of helium. a second war was fought in the late 90s/early 2000s between bl/ind and other civilizations around the world, which all then disappeared.
lighthouse: well-known places such as old motels and warehouses throughout the zones that act somewhat like a safe house, offering shelter to those on the run and sometimes food when it can be spared. the diner by doc's shack is a good example of a lighthouse. "there's a lighthouse a few miles north of here, you should be safe for the night."
lobby: an artificial 'slum' in the city created by bl/ind, a place used for its shadier work and is mostly inhabited by droids.
maple plaza: places in the desert (mainly zones 5 and 6) where radiation is still thick and dangerous. "steer clear of zone 6 as much as you possibly can, the whole thing is just one big maple fucking plaza."
mailbox: a cultural landmark in the zones. it is elaborately decorated and filled with art and letters. some rebels take the masks of the dusted to the mailbox so that their souls will be safely passed along to the phoenix witch.
nest: the nest is a small house built next to the destroya. it occasionally loses power, but it is often well stocked with radios, video games, and junk food.
outskirts: the actual slums of the city, drac patrols are high here as most delinquents reside here. the place where you end up when you're out of luck or trying to escape from city proper or escaping from the desert. they all end up there. it has little access to the benefits of bl/ind and is often looked over by them as nothing more than a blemish on their perfect city.
pangea: (pan-gee-ya) a gathering of three or more gangs to discuss pressing topics, the likes of which may vary. "there's a pangea going on tomorrow at sundown and i think you should be there, boss says it's urgent."
picket fence: the border separating each zone from the next. picket fences are labelled by the number that corresponds with the zone they border. "the road leading to picket fence 1 is fuckin' swarmed by dracs, get out of the area while you can."
red dawn: that single moment right after a firefight when the survivors are left standing in the settling dust, wondering if the blood they're covered in belongs to themselves, a drac, or their fellow gang members and friends. "a red dawn it- it never gets any easier. it never hurts less, ya know?"
route guano: the main road through the zones. a paved, multi-lane road that stretches from zone one to abandoned factories in zone six. also called the 'getaway mile.'
shower curtain: those rare days where the sun is blocked out by clouds. a blessing to all zone souls and a day to get things done before the heat comes back.
sun sandbox: a place in zone 5 where so much glitter has been mixed into the sand that they are basically one and the same. "come on man, i wanna go down to sun sandbox today."
train station ave: a spot along route guano that's travelled extremely often, making it a popular place for hitchhiking joys to pick up a ride. "be careful down train station avenue, you never know what type 'a chilly fucker could be getting into your car."
underground: the realm of the juvie halls set in the old subway systems built before the city. bl/ind have a hard time controlling this area as they lack knowledge on exactly how large these systems are.
witch's garden: a large expanse of land in zone 3 where many wild desert plants grow.
zones: the desert surrounding battery city, consisting of at least six areas determined by geographical terrain. there were once more but were destroyed in bombings by bl/ind. mainly where the neutrals and rebels live but does contain scattered bl/ind factories and warehouses.