strange seas are for stronger swimmers

doc_vlog_2.mp4

''Kay, we're on right?' Ryan peers at the screen, then nods to himself. 'Off we go then!' he chirps.

'So, it's – it's April thirteenth? Fourteenth? Yeah, fourteenth of April, and we've been back on Earth for two months now. Can barely believe it to be honest. Time flies, even down on Earth. Bet you wouldn't agree with me, would you? Time's so different when you're travelling.' He clears his throat, and runs a hand down his jaw. He has a beard emerging, complete with moustache. 'It was so weird, like at first every day was so damn slow, but... Two months is a long time, I guess. I guess we got used to it.

'And it was hard at first. I mean – wait, I've told you all this before, right? In the last one.' He laughs at himself. 'Just so you know I'm not editing any of this. Too much to edit, what with my Let's Play Videos, and also it feels – like, natural. Candid, y'know. Like you're really here. Wish you were, but this is the best I've got, so...' He looks away, and his shrug signifies the end of his sentence. He crosses his arms.

He looks back at the camera. 'Actually it's kinda difficult to say all that's happened in the last two months 'cause that's a long time, right?' He frowns. 'So I'm sorry for not doing this earlier, Doctor. I got caught up in it all. There's been so much goin' on that it's been difficult to find time to film in it.

'Like – I've got three different places I switch around, right? Got my shifts at the warehouse, and when I'm there it's bl—proper exhausting. Then I got NVQ class, and that's just a waste of time sometimes, y'know. And I've got the garage as well, and it's my highlight of the week to be fair. Then in between all that I got puppy training and gym and my Let's Play and then —' he takes an exaggerated breath '— I got my own downtime.' His eyebrows raise. 'Whoa. Didn't actually realise how busy I am to be honest. Huh.

'And then in all that time we're s'posed to be lookin' out for Jane as well.' He flings out his hands. 'And it's like, can I? I ain't even met her yet. After, like, two months!

'I mean, Yaz has, quite a lot. They text all the time, she and Jane. They're – they're friends now. Yeah. Friends, definitely. Back, like, a month ago, Yaz helped Jane assemble a dining table, then they watched Game of Thrones. Jane really likes Game of Thrones, apparently.

'They actually do binge nights now, believe it or not. Straight up just Game of Thrones, all night.' Ryan puts on a high-pitched voice, to badly impersonate Yaz. '"Ryan, it's Game of Thrones and Schloer and wine!"' Back to his normal voice, he continues, 'The amount of times she's said that to me now, mate. It's always that. Dunno what she's trying to prove. That they have refreshments? That they're being proper adulty? Who knows, mate, who knows.' He pauses. 'All I know is I've said that show's name far too much and I bet you don't even know it.' He frowns. 'Actually. If you know Ed Sheeran then you probably know GoT.' Looking to the camera, he wonders, 'Did you know Ed Sheeran was on that? Bet you'd love to see that. Just ask Yaz, she'll happily do that.

'Or maybe it would remind her too much of Jane. I dunno.

'It's a weird thing for her. Don't think it stopped being weird for her, don't think it ever will. 'Cause with that sonic screwdriver and that USB, you pretty much put her in charge of this whole thing, and she's tryin' her best. She's the one who befriended Jane, and she's the one who's constantly looking on them alien conspiracy sites – the actually good ones that saw the Dalek and everythin' – and, mate, trust me, there are some proper awful ones on the internet. Ugh.' He scratches his cheek. 'Anyway, got sidetracked. She's the one tryna look after us all while we wait for them Limina to come. Jane, especially.

'And from what I hear, Jane's actually decent. Nothin' like you, Doctor. She ain't got your energy – no one does, really, do they? But she's alright. Funny. Casual. Into her jazz.