Nebula 5

[firewalled]

Heard we're supposed to be having another mission soon... seems a bit like every time we get beat down, we have a nice break, then have to get beat down even harder, huh?

[Rich is starting to get tired of this, honestly. He's trying not to let it show on his face, but the bags under his eyes probably still make it obvious. At least he seems to be back to his talkative self, though he has to admit... it's just because he can't take the silence anymore.]

Anyways, I've been thinkin' a lot about the stuff I miss back home. Video games and cheesy movies, and fast food courts in malls that seem like a great vibe until two hours later when you've barricaded yourself in a bathroom stall. All the stuff we don't have a lot of here. And I think there's one thing we're sorely missing, which is memes.

[He smirks a little.] I mean, I could do an acoustic riff on Astley if anyone wanted it, but I wonder if we have better than that.

Maybe we could use that laptop to make new ones? Yknow, all that bottom text goodness? Though I guess we couldn't really use them as reaction images on these terminals...

Anyways, I guess, what's the one thing you wish you had here, that the train just can't replace for you? So whatever you can't buy from the store. I'm in a nostalgic kinda mood.

Comments

[firewalled]

Well, it's basically like... when people were asking for information, other people would pretend to give them the answer with um, an internet link? If you understand the internet. But when you opened it, it would play the song instead. It became a prank after a while, and people love putting it in when you least expect it.

[He gives a sideways smile, giggling softly.]

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm not that special. But yeah, even if the stars are kind of... billions and billions of lightyears away, getting that much closer is nice.

[calmness]

I understand it from my memories of the last mission. [a soft laugh, gentle.] And was this done often? This prank? It seems more harmless than most pranks.

We are special to be amongst them now, aren't we? In a sense.

[firewalled]

Yeah! I mean, I think people have forgotten pranks are mostly supposed to make people laugh, not freak them out or scare them. I like the ones like that, where the only thing that happens is maybe you feel stupid for a second for clicking on a link.

[He considers that, and well, that's a nicer thought than he'd usually have.]

I guess we are pretty special, yeah... it'd still be nice to actually see the stars around here, though.

[calmness]

That is a very kinda perspective to have when it comes to pranks. That the ones that make someone laugh are favorable. It's one I agree with.

[but mostly because he is a teacher who has had to, well, punish those who pull any pranks in the classroom.]

On the next world, hopefully there is the opportunity to star gaze and see something similar to what we see at home.

[firewalled]

Well, I'm glad you agreed! The less people trying to prank by freaking people out, the better.

[He used to be the kind of bully who would pass his torment off as jokes... He doesn't want to take part in that kind of shit again.]

That could be fun! If only I had a telescope... I bet the stars on other worlds are super weird.