02 | @hearse

[wheft]

[ well, that's quite the mental update. while ishmael isn't reeling from the download's sappy effects, she is in the mood to yap and gossip -- which is typically unlike her at all. and so, while they're all still waiting for the download to finish, she's got this to ask on their shared network. ]

Looks like this is going to take a while. And I know that most of us here were haunted by certain dreams a while back, me included. It's something I've already gone through back home so I'm not too bothered with it now, but I'm going to go ahead and ask anyway.

What are some of your happier memories?

That's probably easier said than done, though. You don't even have to think too far back and just share whatever made you happy since coming here. It's corny, sure, but we could definitely need some cheering up after all that on top of this horribly hot weather.

Of course, if you're too shy to share them to everyone in the class, I get it. I know I am. You can just tell me privately if you trust me that much, or you don't have to say anything at all and just read or react to everyone's contributions instead. Also if anyone's gonna come here to say shit like "Oh I'm not gonna share anything :/" then do us all a favor and not waste our time. Thanks. 👍

[ ish is too embarrassed to share hers right now, if anyone's wondering 🧍‍♂️ of course, feel free to threadjack if needed. happy yapping!! ]

Comments

@mr. viper

[penaltypoints]

[ Not thinking too far back makes it easier, avoiding memories that were fleeting happiness in the end... ]

The night sky here has been pleasant to experience.

[ Everything that came with experiencing it is memorable. There are other moments as well, but this one seems the most suitable option for the purposes of this exercise. ]

[wheft]

[ the night sky, huh... ]

Is it any different from the City we're from?

[penaltypoints]

It was, out in the desert, specifically. My colleagues noticed it as well.

[ In part because seeing the sky at all remains a novelty for other reasons... ]

[wheft]

Really? I guess I see where you're coming from. The Great Lake at District 21 may be one of the worst places in the City, but it has a beautiful sunset. This world has yet to compare to it, if I'm being honest.

[penaltypoints]

[ Admittedly, he has to wonder whether the sky and the stars would have made the same profound impression without the surrounding context. Ishmael's remarks about the sunset that she recalls, in addition to her initial post, have his attention. ]

Then the skyline there must have been unobscured. What made the sight particularly striking?

[wheft]

I'm guessing you haven't been to U Corp either.

I think it's the way the sunset reflects on the water. They're usually murky, but the way the light strikes the water and how the color stretches across the sky... There's nothing like it. It usually storms a lot at the Lake too, so it's quite the spectacle when the sky happens to clear up at that time in the afternoon.

[penaltypoints]

[ Like their first conversation, the picture that Ishmael's description paints now is surprisingly uplifting — the notion of someone noticing something like a sunset, being able to enjoy a natural phenomenon as it is, without any unpleasant fine print, even in their City. ]

Your guess would be correct. I appreciate your explanation.

In that case, that seems to be a reasonably happy memory.

[wheft]

It's one of the few happier ones I have from the City. It's... hard to come up with anything else other than that.

[penaltypoints]

Yes, that isn't surprising. Nevertheless, it seems that you also met like-minded people in the City.

[ And experienced change that was worth the difficult journey to reach it. Are these positive memories? ]

[wheft]

Maybe, maybe not. Most of us here from the City are tight-lipped for plenty of reasons.

[penaltypoints]

That isn't surprising, either.

I simply recalled your remarks regarding the potential for change, even in our City.

[wheft]

I mean, I think most of us here are capable of changing. But it's only because this world allows us to.

[penaltypoints]

In other words, the right people to lead you down the right path, as you phrased it, exist only in this world?