#turly

Right. Well, hello there. My name is Grant Murphy but I go by Curly, and I am from a universe where Anya is the nurse and you are the captain, among a few other changes. I just, uh, wanted to say hello, see how you were doing, that sort of thing. If you'd like, I could stop contacting you, sorry. Didn't mean to freak you out or anything. And yes, we are currently stuck in a time loop. It resets when I die. I have died.... so many times. It's a little embarrassing, actually. ....I should stop talking now, before I tell you about the coffee incident. Cheers, mate. Hope you're alright.

Hello.

I suppose that at this point this is kind of on par with what's been happening in my phone, so sure, time loops, why the hell not.

Yes, thank you friend!

Just had a couple of revelations that’s all <3

As far as answering your questions go: we are currently about 4 months out from our destination on this loop. (here's fucking hoping we actually get there this time, yeah?) no idea on if it'll end the loop, but I am... cautiously hopeful about it. Jimmy is in the pod because I ah. I hit him over the head with a spanner. So he wouldn't try to crash the ship this time around. The ship... does... technically still need two pilots, but I am. Managing. Currently teaching Daisuke the basics, which does help at least. I have been sleeping even less than normal, though, to try to keep on top of things, which... may have contributed to the uh. mental health thing. It's fine. I'm fine.

Thank you, genuinely, for uh. For what you said about the... "betrayal" thing. If... if your version of Jim... if he hurt you the same way, I. I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what to say except that I'm here for you if you need it.

Hope you're all well, and settling in alright. Cheers,

-Time Loop Curly

Hi,

I’m very glad to hear from you. I’ve been worried.

Which, as a sidenote, does make me wonder — if the time loop resets, will it also reset for us? Has it already? Did I forget?

…Anyway. It’s very concerning to hear about your health. You— you can’t be running yourself into the ground, I’m sure your crew has told you as much. I know how it feels, believe me. I know. And it’s an uphill battle every hour of the day, but I know they are there for you. A captain is responsible for his crew, but a crew is there to support the captain, yeah? It works both ways. Please let them help.

And if I — somehow, I don’t know how — can help too, please let me know. I mean it.

Jim…he has, yeah. Most of it was uh, my own initiative though. So um. No need to get into it, or worry about it, yeah? I did what I had to. And it doesn’t matter now. Anya and I are home. That’s all I can afford to think about.

I hope these four months go well for you. I hope, if possible, to hear from you before that, just so that I know that everything is alright. I’d like to be in contact more often too, of course, but if you are too busy with…all of this…I completely understand.

Stay strong, and stay safe. I’m here if you need me.

No, idiot, that's ridiculous. Don't do that.

Sorry about that. I do silly things when I'm tired. ....Should probably go to sleep. Anyhow, hope you're well, other-universe version of myself. Sort of.

....No, wait, that's just going to scare the poor man, shouldn't send that either.

Uhhhh how about.... Hello. Alternate universes exist. I am having a Time of it, hope you are having a less-awful time. Cheers from all of us in the time loop.

Ugh. Also no. Maybe I shouldn't bloody send anything at all. Ah wait shit I still have the text-to-speech thing on-

NO WAIT DELETE NOT SEND YOU AWFUL PIECE OF--

[MESSAGE SENT]

…Okay.

A few months ago, I’d assume you were pulling my leg. Now I’m…less hasty to draw conclusions.

I've uh. I've got the other crewmembers. They know about the whole... time loop business. So far, Anya is the only one who remembers more than one of the loops. She said she can remember about a dozen or so with... varying levels of clarity. Daisuke can only remember the most recent one, which... He saw me. Die. The last time, so. Makes sense, yeah? Big Swans said he doesn't remember anything. Bully for him. Jim never... never acted like he knew anything about it. Can't exactly ask him now, seeing as he's currently unconscious in a cryopod. As for... "hurting her too", well. Jim never... he never exactly listened when I told him no, if you catch my meaning. That's what I meant, earlier, about having to restructure some things mentally. I never really, uh... thought about it as... as... I can't say the words. You understand. And it was recently... brought to my attention, as it were, what all that actually... meant. For me. What he did. To me. So, not exactly... been having a great time. Realizing that. Feel a bit stupid for... lying to myself, I suppose, for so long. Pretending it wasn't really that bad, that it didn't... mean anything, because I didn't remember, because I went somewhere else in my head. So. Yeah. Not fun. ...Enough of my sad sack woe-is-me shit, though. Are you alright? How are you doing? Everything going well on your end? -Time Loop Curly

They know— Daisuke saw— oh god. How far out are you? Can you get home soon? …Do you think it might break the loop?

Hold on— Jimmy’s in the pod? You froze him? But how—

I thought the Tulpar needed two pilots, even with the autopilot in the mix. Do you mean to say that it’s…untrue? That we could have just frozen him too and everything would be alright and they would be alive and

I…suspect that I’m getting what you are trying to say there, and I am so sorry. It’s far from a fun thing to realise, this…degree of betrayal. I’m glad you’re out of his reach now. I’m sorry.

Us— well yeah, as well as can be I reckon. We’re being released from the hospital in a few days, and— I’ve got a spare room now, so I offered it to Anya. She’s being a really trooper about it all, I don’t know where she gets the strength.

So yeah uh, all painfully linear here, no curveballs as far as I can tell.

I'm alright, though. Dying so many times... it gets at least a little funny, after a while. Pain doesn't really... register the same, though. Probably nothing. I'm fine. Captaincy is... stressful, to be completely honest. Feel like I'm... kind of terrible at it, yknow? It's my job to look after everyone and I couldn't even see that he was hurting her too how I could have been so fucking daft Ignore me, been feeling a bit down lately.

Anyway, hope you're well, mate.

Cheers,

-Time Loop Curly

Hello,

It concerns me how nonchalantly you talk of death. I can’t wrap my head around desensitising to death through exposure, but if that’s what’s happening to you…god, I hope you’ve got someone there looking out for you. It sounds like a whole new level of scary.

I don’t envy you on the captaincy, truly. But I’m certain you are doing your best.

…What do you mean by… ‘hurting her too’? Are you okay?