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[darkforcerising]

Who else blew off work to watch Perseverance land on Mars today? Show of hands?

Comments

[not_as_i_do]

Especially since I was the one wrist-deep in a man's ribcage.

[he takes a few minutes out of their conversation to inspect the link. oddly enough, his first thought is that it's not nearly as red as he'd been led to believe, but ... still]

That's incredible. Being able to watch a video of a thing as it's happening from so far away ... I wonder how many millions of people take that for granted in the age of high speed internet.

[darkforcerising]

Or, we could think about how many people get to experience now what you older folks got when NASA showed you all the first Earthrise photograph.

[not_as_i_do]

Look at you, putting the positive spin on things and making me feel like a bitter old fogey.

[he's so pleased, really.]

[darkforcerising]

I can't stop the passage of time, only enjoy the innovation that comes with it.

[not_as_i_do]

That's the sort of thing that ends up in books of pithy quotations with your name under it. Practicing for when you're famous for something-or other?

[he's teasing, of course]

[darkforcerising]

I mean, I'm probably in a Wikipedia article about pilots that survived a crash with an F-15.

[not_as_i_do]

Nnnnot quite the sort of thing they hang quotes on, but I'm still quite glad you did.

[and he means it, too]

How've you been lately, anyway? Remembering anything new? Not waking up on the ceiling anymore, I hope?

[darkforcerising]

I don't want to be anyone's inspirational porn anyways.

Still getting memories. I'm always surrounded by assholes in my memories. The Good Guys aren't always good people. But I haven't broken any more windows.

[not_as_i_do]

At least you're surrounded by people? So many of my memories ... I'm just alone. Or there are only one or two people there. One is always an older man, in a white uniform, sitting in a chair. I think he's supposed to be watching me.

[a short pause]

I'm beginning to wonder if I go insane, Anakin.

[darkforcerising]

Like, really? Not just metaphorically?

[not_as_i_do]

The more I see ... the more I think so. Really. I'm always wearing scrubs, even though there's not a patient in sight. Except for a few memories when I'm younger, with my wife or my children.

[darkforcerising]

Well. Fuck.

I think that's different from anything anyone else here is going through.

Have you told anyone else?