#HE SHOULD REMAIN MOSTLY ‘ARMLESS

[raygirlramblings]

All these sweet, talented people in the fandom coming up with amazing oc’s and having them interact with Rayman showing how much they love and appreciate him…

…and then there’s Raye 🤣

[gaoau]

Stir — Mosquito-Free Zone

A Mother's Instinct note — daddy long legs are cowards and wont even touch you, please dont kill them warnings — none. word count — 1.1k

prev. — next.

In the end, [Name] bought Gilbert a terrarium and kept him warm on the corner of her desk ​​​​to watch him while she studies. Yaku wasn't exactly fine with the armless reptile, considering it was nowhere to be found the first time [Name] tried to introduce him. He later appeared hissing from [Name]'s closet and Yaku had to keep himself from kicking him. He blinked blankly while [Name] crouched and extended her hand, allowing the two-meter snake to calmly wrap around her. [Name] had never heard Yaku scream louder.

But it was fine. As a few weeks went by and visits to each other's house remained as frequent as usual, Yaku ended up becoming quite fond of Gilbert. It also seemed Gilbert had grown quite fond of [Name], seeing as she mostly left the terrarium without its lid, yet he stayed in the comfort of his hidey home. Their nightly hang-outs turned into [Name] rambling about whatever new fascinating facts she had recently learned, Yaku listening closely but not really—because even if he adored her, sometimes she was too fast to follow—and Gilbert poking out his snake tongue while slithering back and forth between the two.

The whole Gilbert ordeal brought a realization to Yaku: [Name] was in absolute love with plants and animals. He knew about her passion for plants, considering he'd heard refer to her succulents multiple times as her babies. Her interest in animals was the same, as she greeted any animal on the street when walking home. How many times had the whole team stopped because [Name] had suddenly disappeared from their side, only to find her petting and baby-talking a stray cat? Too many to count. How many times had Lev joined her since becoming part of the team? Not more than Fukunaga, that's for sure—damn, that kid loved cats.

What Yaku didn't know about [Name]'s infatuation with breathing creatures was that it included every animal—except for maybe flies and mosquitoes, God, she loathed those. He came to learn this the hard way.

[Name] was finishing with setting up their usual pillow fort when Yaku walked into the room. His arms were occupied with bags of snacks, a plastic container, and soda bottles as he closed the door behind him with his foot. "Hey, your dad baked some brownies. I'm kinda starting to see a pattern here. Do you think he wants to eat you for New Year's?"

"Morisuke, what the fuck?" [Name] looked up from her laptop, eyebrows bending in confusion.

Yaku shrugged. "I'm just saying; he's feeding you a lot of sweets lately."

"Yeah, he's gotten into baking, for some reason. Probably cause mom told him he's not very good at cooking."

Yaku's chuckles bounced against the walls, filling the room with cheerful laughter. [Name] grabbed the sealed bottles from his grasp and, keeping the container for himself, Yaku let go of the bags he was struggling to hold. They plopped down on the carpeted floor, and a very unfortunate one slapped [Name]'s face. She shot her eyes up to glare at her friend, but he was already off to check on Gilbert. Her gaze immediately softened at the sight, a content smile curling her lips upwards.

Yaku did like Gilbert, after all. To think that about a month before he wouldn't dare get close to the snake, and now he was tapping Gilbert's terrarium and calling him buddy. How very lucky she was to have a best friend that put up with every last bit of her bullshit; be it adopting random animals or buying ice-cream for her all-nighters.

"Ah, shit, [Name], there's a spider here. You should clean this place a bit."

[Name] snapped out of her daze at the sound of her name. One of her brows quirked as she tried to make sense out of Yaku's words. She dismissed his sentence when she remembered the spider by the corner of her room. "Oh, no, that's Lukas. I feed him the mosquitoes—"

Yaku's palm slamming against the wall silenced her instantly. Her jaw unhinged. Yaku wiped his hand on his clothes to clean off the spider's body. His eyes widened in guilt as he turned to look at [Name]'s dumbfounded expression. "You had a name for it?"

"Did you just…? Did—Did you…? Did you just kill Lukas?"

"Shit, sorry, I thought it was just a spider."

[Name] blinked once; twice; thrice. Her brows twitched. "Um… It's—Doesn't matter, it's fine. Don't worry…"

A heavy silence settled between the pair. [Name] hung her head low to hide her eyes brimming with tears. Yaku heard his stomach growl at him as it started somersaulting in its place. He sighed along with a roll of his eyes. Gilbert slithered onto his arm, and he popped open the lid of the brownie container. "Are you crying?"

"…No."

The breaking of her voice begged to differ. "[Name], look, I'm sorry. I acted on reflex. I meant no disrespect to Lukas." He plopped down among the bundle of blankets, a friendly snake on one hand and a pair of brownie squares in the other. Gilbert hissed while climbing up [Name]'s neck and nuzzling below her hair.

She sniffed, pursing her lips."…It's fine." She used her index finger to rub Gilbert's head.

"[Name], I'm really sorry. I'll help you find another one, if you want to."

[Name] lifted her head to meet Yaku's eyes with her own teary ones. Her lips were downturned in a pout, voice quivering as she muttered, "Would you really do that…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. Here, come on." His left arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, pulling her to lean against him as she still sniffled quietly. He held the brownie in front of her and she leaned froward slightly to bite down on it, albeit still holding back her tears. "I'm sorry, I really am, yeah?"

"He was my best friend…"

"Ouch."

"After Gilbert, of course."

"Well, look who's not sad anymore." Yaku almost instantly pulled his arm back and pushed [Name] away from his body.

"No, wait, I'm still sad, hug me!" And she threw her arms around him, stealing the brownie from his hand in the process. Yaku wanted to grunt out an I hate you, but [Name] would never buy it. She knew better than that, and he would be lying if he said he didn't want to hold her again.

[sepublic]

I don’t think Ravage will die in RotF for the Nizziverse since I’d rather he and Laserbeak team up in DotM, but! I am bemused by the image of an armless Rampage looking down at Ravage’s flayed corpse and muttering to himself, “Soundwave is definitely going to kill me.” Have I mentioned Soundwave and the Constructicons don’t exactly get along? A lot of the Decepticon cliques don’t, tbh.

Sure, there’s plenty of jolly cooperation within said groups, but it’s not news for Decepticon High Command to be at each other’s throats, mostly held together by a begrudgingly mutual dedication to Cybertron and their leader Megatron, whom they wonder what the hell he saw in the others. Maybe I should map out the drama one day. Like in G1, they would absolutely go at each other like rabid dogs without him and actually did. It’s a miracle the Fallen kept the Decepticons together during Megs’ disappearance, while still remaining a secret. Often he’d ask himself, “When will my apprentice come back from to the war?”

[year2000electronics]

HLVRAI takes place in a video game- but how does it work?

(a headcanon masterpost)

in the world of hlvrai, half life vr is in fact an actual new game from valve (released in 2020 because of coomer’s line that one time)

HOWEVER, it’s an experimental beta tester copy given to the player

more likely, however, considering the player’s insistence to roleplay and general confusion of features, the player isn’t an actual game tester themselves- they probably got a copy off the internet or from an outside source

in this universe, valve is probably still as big as it used to be in its hayday- taking all holly’s gags about extra features like a hunger meter and a staff ghost gives off the impression that valve grew as a company and wanted more stuff to advertise for what’s admittedly a clunky game for 2020 standards

the player is aware this is a game- however, they wanted to roleplay as gordon and act accordingly (most likely thanks to the influence of machinimas like freeman’s mind)

they’re known to get a bit “too into it” though- they not only act as if this is real, but the player eventually ends up caring deeply for the npcs, which is why the player is GENUINELY MAD about the betrayal etc etc

some of the anxious confusion also comes from the fact that this is just not how the games supposed to be

(benrey ended up actually sending a shock through the right vr controller to simulate the betrayal- so the players right arm did hurt for a bit)

should add that the player here isn’t wayne. with the fiction rtvsolutions has brought to the table, the “player” and wayne being one and the same is impossible from a storytelling standpoint, as wayne knows it’s just him and his friends in gmod

the player, to contrast, is played only by wayne as “gordon”, but gordon also expresses the fact he knows he’s in a game.

so it’s a player who would have HLVRAI as a real game, basically.

part of why the AI becomes so self-aware and breaking the laws of the game is because this is still a beta tester copy- this specific copy would likely designed with the early stages of “self-aware AI” in mind, meaning most testers would probably stick to basic yes or no answers or greetings

it’s because also the ai encounters two personalities it wasn’t expecting: gordon’s and benrey’s

benrey himself was never supposed to be the way he was

despite barney being one of the iconic half-life characters, the real barney calhoun is canonically only seen by gordon near the beginning of the game

benrey is somewhat of a “cancer cell” in the game- he was originally a mistake, a glitch- but being around the other NPCs not only caused them to become more “off the rails”, but made benrey more powerful in terms of the game

the longer the game went on, the more benrey ruined it-

unintentionally, he corrupts the NPCs of the game just by being near the plot trigger (that’s gordon)

every mistake and bad line of code the game does is thanks to benrey existing and fucking the source up

intentionally, he’s become so powerful/made the game’s code so weak that he’s able to just rip it open and assign himself as the final boss

since half life 1 has close ties to the source engine, benrey is able to break the game’s rules and borrow gmod assets (ie the wowozela, and changing his model to be a skeleton)

he also switched gordon’s model to an armless one to “add some excitement”

his final boss form is when he discovered packs on gmod and had a field day

he is able to look at files in the player’s computer, which is how he knows all the stuff he does

however his power isn’t enough to escape the game completely until the acab stream (which puts a whole different spin on the HLVRAI game)

although benrey is a glitch, he was still originally an NPC. his NPC quality is somewhat like cleverbot or ai dungeon- his stories are wild, nonsensical, and may come out of nowhere if gordon says even one thing a bit oddly. like cleverbot, benrey’s AI also has trouble registering when stories are his- although on a fundamental level, benrey is aware gordon is asking him about “when were we friends”, he can’t comprehend enough to say an answer that isn’t “whuh?”

(his repetition of “can i see your passport?” and “you’re not supposed to be in here” may also be his default lines- being a glitch, he would either not have any or be able to ditch the usual guards’ “what the hell are these things?”

tommy is arguably the least NPC-like, but that’s because he is the most important NPC.

he’s the g-man.

in a technical sense, i mean. the g-man was upgraded code-wise to be able to be a “self-aware ai” of his own, but somehow (most likely thanks to benrey being there), the class “g-man” was duplicated- and that’s tommy.

tommy has all the same abilities as the g-man, but since he registers himself as his own being, he’s not really aware of them

all his “seeing faster” from soda is actually the g-man’s timestop

this is why the g-man sees him as his “progeny”- he sees duplicate code but it’s a different person entirely

tommy never fully realizes he’s in a game until the acab stream- it’s not really distressing to him, considering he’s found the news right after gordon’s rescued him from a finished game

he didn’t pick up on the cues that it was a video game because he is an “important NPC”- story events and maps work smoother around him

this is also why he’s the least talkative of the group- unlike tutorial NPCs, it was never tommy’s job to help gordon around the maps

tommy found sunkist after benrey left him laying around from messing around in gmod, and he used the in game science equipment to effectively make him immortal lore-wise

bubby was supposed to be another tutorial NPC, like coomer, but the game messed up and he was assigned both “tutorial NPC” and “hostile NPC” (eg. what happens to a guard whenever anyone bumps into them). that’s why he’s so grumpy. his nature of overconfident attack, only to run back screaming, is a direct result of his two AIs conflicting

dr. coomer is pretty much spelled out from holly’s great performance- a tutorial npc who is also busted

as for why he got busted? too much unpredictable things happening around him. it mostly blossoms from the resonance cascade itself

coomer’s code indicates that RESONANCE CASCADE means ONLY GORDON SHOULD BE HERE

but that’s just not what happens, so he just gets a bit... busted

darnold appearing so late is a result of the bugged game being played for so long that it starts accepting the crazy lore the glitched AI has been feeding it

effectively, the NPCs have the power to change the game because gordon keeps going along with what theyre saying and treating it like fact

which leads to a feedback loop of “yes, and” that causes the game’s cybernetics department to bust and darnold to throw out the complete non sequitur of a mixology department

thanks to this it’s really hard to say why darnold is what he is

however, he still has NPC traits- like the devil gun spiel and how log says he was supposed to break down as soon as they stepped through the door- that’s his dialogue trigger

effectively, he’s a tutorial NPC for a broken area of the game, making him a “self aware AI” just as much as everyone else is

forzen speaks as casually as benrey does, but that’s because they’re “best friends”

forzen used to be a regular soldier NPC who had a pretty run-of-the-mill “mean soldier” AI, but benrey got bored after disappearing time and time again, and decided to make a friend

after copious use of the wowozela and making forzen his “plus one” for looking around the computer, forzen decided being a soldier was lame and he just wanted to graduate

he’s basically “benrey junior-“ a cell infected by the cancer cell that benrey is

the g-man somehow remained pretty spot-on throughout this whole debacle, but once again benrey ruins things

g-man has the level of awareness that tommy does, but since he already has the programmed personality of “the G-man”, he goes about his lore-breaking ways exactly as the g-man would

which is somehow going to chuck e cheese.

basically, benrey is responsible for most of the AI being fucked up- tommy being a dupe plot NPC, bubby being two NPC codes combined, coomer being flat broken, darnold being a sequentially generated NPC, forzen being benrey’s little sith apprentice, and g-man being a father

to end this off: the player has a son named joshua but it’s a little robot gifted to him by a friend who rigged it to have a terrible tts voice that talks about cowboys a lot

[rhythmicpirate]

BFB AU where everything is the same until...

4:Now form 8 teams of 8! 8-ball:It’s to bad I don’t care about that number at all. Basketball:Wanna be on the same team because we’re both balls?

8-ball:Okay, but let’s not get anymore balls, 2 is enough. Needle:Hey Loser, wanna join my team? originally Coiny, Pin and Firey were gonna be in it but when those 2 started slapping I knew it would never work. Loser:Sure! Eggy:But what about me? Cake:Loser you said you were gonna be with me! Needle:There’s still plenty of spots left you guys. Loser:Yeah, why don’t we just be on the same team? Those five:*gasp* Loser, Loser, loser! Loser:There’s enough of me to go around. Snowball:Hey Pie, how many people have you killed? Pie:Uh...none? Snowball:Wimp. Lightning:Hold on, did you say that you didn’t kill anyone? I’ve killed, sadly dozens. Snowball:I knew I’d find a powerful teammate soon enough! We’re gonna go far lightning we’re gonna go so-*gets zapped* Lightning:I don’t want to be on your team, I wanna be on Pie’s team so I can learn not to kill anyone. Liy:Me too. I’ve killed before but it was extremely disturbing. Can the two of us be on your team? We wanna learn how to prevent death instead of causing it. Black Hole:Oh, oh, please show me as well. Pie:Sounds like a good idea as any. Firey:Speaking of good ideas, wouldn’t it be nice to have the winner of the original BFDI on your team. Tree:I agree and we need more people who are against murder for no good reason. Liy:Join us then! Pillow:Did someone say killing? Snowball:Noooooooooooooooo Pillow:Oh ok. Barf Bag:Lollipop I know you think my brain has been destroyed but I think I can prove my true abilities if we’re on the same team. Lollipop:How can you prove yourself if your’e truly infected. Barf Bag:*gasps* Oh my sap! Clock:Trust me, she isn’t worth your time. Join my team instead. Come join my team with Rocky. Clearly we don’t have a problem with barf. Barf Bag:You know what? I think I will. Pencil:All right FreeSmart, who are our 2 other members? Bubble:You mean 3 other members, since I’m just a Bember to you I might as well just leave to find a completly diffrent team. Pencil:Huh? Book, try to presuade her otherwise. Book:Actually, I think she may have a point. Your’e letting 2 complete strangers become members right away and...I dunno, it just seems like this team is starting to become toxic. Maybe we should play on diffrent teams for now. Ice Cube:Yeah. Book:I’m gonna join Pillows team, Ice Cube you wanna join? Ice Cube:No. Bubble:Me either, sorry book but I’m just worried she’d pop me. Pencil & Match:So your’e staying. Bubble:No. Pencil & Match:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Dora:Dadadadadadadadada. (I wanna be on Geletains team, he looks like an island and smells just as delicious.) Geletain:Uh...thanks? Gaty:Stapey join my team. Stapey:Okay! Can I bring Foldy here too? Gaty:Sure, the more friends the merrier! Leafy:Hmmmm....I wanna help all the people who need a helping hand. And maybe you four are just the right people (Nickel, Fanny, Naily & Cloudy). Nickel:Let me geuss it’s because we don’t have hands? Leafy:Woody, you know how I told you how “there’s a life out there to enjoy so enjoy it” back in episode 1 part 1? Well I’m gonna help you enjoy that life! Bubble! I’ll help you too! Bubble:Yoylecake! Leafy:So long as you promise not to get rid of any of my gifts again. Bubble:Oh...okay. Yellow Face:Pillow, Puffball join now. Puffball:Okay Do-kay. Yellow Face:Pillow, we’d kill to have you on here. Pillow:Now that time I definitely heard you say killing. Lollipop:I’m going to follow her and discuss her so called “research”. Fries:Yellow Face, I really admire what you just did there. You’ve got amazing skills of persuasion! Puffball let’s join this team. Puffball:I am on this team. Fries:See what I mean? Snowball:You there, Pin. I know you popped Bubble back in episode 1, and in both parts too. Pin:Yeah? What about it? Snowball:You now legally have to join my team. Pin:Fine, but your’e getting Coiny too. Snowball:Great, we’ll have our own little slap man. And we don’t have any armless contestants. Coiny:Actually I just merged this team with Foldy & Gatey who have no arms, Stapey who has no legs and Bell who has neither. Braclety:Oh yeah, it’s time to join Ice Cube’s team and make my dreams come true. Gelatin:Ice Cube just joined our team...but there’s still 5 empty spots! Ice Cube:Yeah! Braclety:Yay! *hugs Ice Cube* Firey Jr:Dang it, I was gonna grab her while she was incapacitated. Grassy:No one picked me. Firey Jr.:That’s a great idea! Bomby I!....Bomby? Golf Ball:Based on my caculations we need at least 2 mechanical minds, to outsmart the other teams which are lacking in mechanical minds. TV, Roboty and Remote, you’ve been selected by my formula to form a successful team. Robot Flower:You’ve got one mechanical mind already, bossy bot. Golf Ball:And that’s why I’m not choosing you. Robot Flower:I’m gonna join 8-Balls team with David instead. David:Aw, seriously? Gelatin:Hey Donut wanna join our team? Donut:Sure whatever. Spongy:I’m gonna join this team too. Most of the members here haven’t called me fat. Marker:I’ll follow Spongy! Pen:Okay guys we need to stick together. Eraser:This dude is right! Pen:We need to find a team with 3 slots open or else we’re gonna split up. We have to stick together. Braclety:I can’t believe I got Ice Cube on my team. I still can’t believe this isn’t a prank. Blocky:Now that’s the team for me. Pen:Okay we lost Blocky, but you and I won’t split will we? Eraser:Of course not! Yellow Face:Homm! Free Food People! Eraser:And I think I know just the team for us. *Bomby joins Leafy team and Book joins Yellow Faces* Flower:Oh no! The teams are filling up! Hmmm...well I really want Loser on my team because he’s popular but I also really want Ruby on my team ‘cause she saw how beautiful I am. I choose both! Match:Crudiously, like Needy? *gets slapped* Needle:Don’t call me Needy. 8-Ball:Hey Clock, wanna merge our teams into one since they wanted 8 teams of 8 and not 9? I don’t really care for 9 either. Clock:Okay then, now we just need a one more member. *Saw, Bottle, Taco and Balloony remain* Basketball:I think we should avoid Saw, she might be a bit to dangerous. Liy:We’ll just be taking her then so she can learn to prevent death. Saw:Great! Now I’m on a team of 8! Thank goodness I can say 8 normally. Robot Flower:And Balloony would pop way to easily, we need someone more durable. Barf Bag:But aren’t all the remaining members more durable? Bottle:I may not be durabble but I am lovebale! 8-Ball:Fair point, let’s take her because no one else probally will. Bottle:Thanks! Naily:Yeah, you nailed it! Ballooony:And I’ll take Balloony, because at least he has arms! Tennis Ball:I’m gonna take Taco because I picked the Taco contest in Vomitaco. Remote:Yay! We got all 8 teams of eight done! Pen:Okay so these teams need names. Tree:Well...I don’t have any ideas. Liy:Well this team mostly formed to avoid causing death. Pie:Uh-huh. Lightning:But what would be a good team name for Death Prevention and Creating Trust? Firey:*gasps!* Wait a minute, abbreviate the later four worlds and you get:

DEATH P.A.C.T

Remote:Oh wow, that’s a pretty good team name. Golf Ball:Hmmm, if we want to win then our team name must have a better name then that.

A Better Name then That

Golf Ball:I’ll have to remember to think before I speak in the future in case there is a hypothetical split in the series. Donut:Okay our team name has to be something solid, that stands out and isn’t dumb. Spongy:I agree. Geletain:I agree, We can’t ened up with something lame! Marker:Well since this team formed because Braclety wanted to be on a team with her biggest idol maybe we should go with... Braceletty:*gasp*

TEAM ICE CUBE!

Marker:You took the words right out of my mouth. Yellow Face:Nya...hmm. Eraser:What happened to the free food? Pen:What free food? Yellow Face:Mmmmm. Eraser:Where is the Free Food? Yellow Face:Mmmm...Free Food!

FREE FOOD

Pen:Woah, we’re the free food. Cake:Let’s be called the Losers! Pencil:No, we’re like the alliance right? Match:OMG that is so true! Ruby:That’s such a good observation pence-pence. Flower:Observe me please! Eggy:No observe me and my spots. Needle:There’s other people here to you know, and you call me Needy. Loser:Let’s compromise, let’s take the losers and take the alliance to get...

Losers’ Alliance!

Cake:It’s pronouced Loser’s All-lie-ance Woody:Eh-heh? Fanny:Woody is right. Everyone else is getting their names done fast. I hate it when people rush but I hate being last even more. Leafy:Fanny, take your negative attitude out the window. Cloudy:I don’t have my collection with me so she can’t. Leafy:Regardless, that’s not even what Woody is saying. Tell me agian Woody. Woody:Shashashashashashashasha. Leafy:That’s a catch name. Cloudy:I know something we can add. Shashashashashashashasha. Nickel:That is the perfect name! Bomby:Yeah! Shashashashashashashasha. Fanny:So many meanings which I don’t hate that much! Naily:Hm! Bubble get this to four. Bubble:Okay! Shashashashashashashasha.

Shashashashashashashasha

*The members of 8-balls and Clocks team are arguing.* 4:Do you have a team name? Clock:Can you just give us a Minute.

A Minute

David:Aw seriosuly? Bell:Aw ding-dong, looks like we’re the last to finnish! Stapey:Hey don’t view it as a bad thing Bell. Just view it as saving the best for last. Foldy:Don’t you mean saving the best 4 last. Snowball:That actually sounds like a good team name. At least the first part. Pin:So we’re the Best 4 Last then?

The Best 4 Last

4:So I believe you eight teams are all set to go. *Book, Saw and Teardrop wave their arms other wise* Pillow:Yep! Theyr’e all set to go! 4:That’s good.

Eraser:...Well isn’t it time to start the first contest? Blocky:Wait why are my pals over there while I’m over here? Pen:Gee, I sure wonder. Golf Ball:But I believe Eraser is right. I have deduced that yes, it IS time to start the first contest.

(To be contiued in part 2)

[effervescently-alice]

Prompt suggestions -Alice and Jasper have a talk about Maria -Jalice during their two years as nomads -Jasper and Alice searching for the hybrid in Breaking dawn. -overprotective fool scenarios. -taking a ride on the Ducati/in the Porsche

Alice has a vision of the waitress cutting her finger, and being devoured by Jasper, the man from her visions who was now sitting across from her. Alice knows she has to stop Jasper from noticing the scent of human blood, or they'll have to kill everyone in the diner, and clean it all up to hide the evidence. She wasn't opposed, but it certainly wasn't her ideal first date.

"I dont think you told me where you're from. I like your accent."Alice mentions, distractingly"I was born in Texas.""So then what brings you to Philadelphia?""Just getting out of the rain, I suppose.""They don't have diners in Texas?"Really, that's all you could come up with? "I thought the visions told you everything you needed to know.""They do. Mostly. Which is how I know that we should continue this conversation somewhere else."She suggests, grabbing his hand.He takes hers, and the two newly united soulmates left their meeting place, and headed towards the woods.

"Why do you want to keep your past a secret so desperately?" Alice inquiries"My past isn't pretty, Ms. Alice, I wouldn't want to scare you off." "I woke up under an overpass in a hospital gown and an identification bracelet with no memory of what had happened leading to that moment. You can't scare me." What have I gotten myself into? Maybe I'm the one who should be afraid."

He jokes.

"Fine, I was a major in the confederate army. I got turned by a woman who was creating an army of new vampires. I stayed with her and trained them, until I decided to leave."Alice nods, although she doesn't fully have a grasp on what he was, or even the war he fought in."Whyd you leave?""I couldn't stand killing the underperforming soilders. They didn't deserve it, and I could feel every bit of fear and angusish they felt. I couldn't take it anymore.""So she wasn't a kind woman?" "No where near it." "Did she love you?" "I thought she did." "What was her name?""This 20 questions games feels a bit one sided. Lets talk about you.""I woke up alone under an overpass,"Alice repeats"I've  been the same way ever since, until earlier today, when I met you."She pauses trying to remember any details, and as usual,  she can't. "There, Ive told you everything I know about myself. You'll be by my side for the rest of my story, so I don't think I need to tell it."She looks up at him with a smirk "Oh look at that looks like it's your turn again." Jasper sighs, defeated. "Maria." "If she was so awful, why was she okay with you leaving?""She wasn't. Snuck out in the night with a few other newborns." "You thought she loved you. Do you think she'll try and find you?" "Maybe.""Is she dangerous?""Her not so much. Her army, could be.""Can we take them?" "Let's hope we won't have to.""But if we do?""You worry a lot for someone who can see the future. ""I just don't want to lose you.""I've know you for 10 minutes. I know vampires work different and all but-""Vampires do work different,  especially when one is physic. I've known you for years.” She inturupts."We'll have pleanty of time to catch up." She assures."After you teach me how to defend myself.""What?""You said you trained vampires before. Maria won't be able to hurt us if I can fight." "Maria isn't going to track us down. She's likely got better things to do, besides I'll keep us both safe." "Two is better than one." "If we get into a conflict with others of our kind, I don't you anywhere near it.""Can't always get what you want, Jazz, I'll be right by you the whole time. The outcome will be better if I know what I'm doing, wouldn't you think?""No." "Come on Jasper, it's 1948, women aren't just trophies any-"A vision stops her in her tracks."I hope you're a fast teacher, we're going to have some company."Jasper stumbles over words trying to decide which question was more important to ask. "No time." Alice responds as the other Vampires approach. "Don't let them get their arms around you." Jasper demands, in a hushed tone. "What business do you have here?" The first demands. She towers over Alice, but who doesn't? Her eyes are peircing red, and the scent of human blood lingers around her. "Just passing through, we'll be going now."Jasper ensures. "I don't think so." The second teases, leaning to block their path. She's taller than Jasper, maybe the tallest woman Alice has ever seen. Her hair is buzzed off. Alice wonders if she knows her hair won't grow back."We don't want any trouble."Jasper promises, taking Alice's hand"Oh, neither do we, but, you're in our territory. " lies the first"We already said we'd leave just let us!" Alice exclaims."Alice..."Jasper growls in warning "Your Friend is right, dear Alice. The grown ups are speaking. Why don't you go play somewhere else?" A growl escapes from Alice She's definitely getting killed."Hey, we're all red eyed here, obviously no one is residing here, just let us leave in peace. It'll be like we never met."Jasper continues to try and persuade them to no avail.  They want a fight, and they'll get one too."How about we get this over with?" The second Woman suggests.She lunges at Alice, who retreats into the branches of a high tree. "Leave her alone!" Jasper exlaims, tackling the larger womanEverything is going according to plan, for the other vampires, anyway. The smaller woman grabs Jasper from behind and drags him away from the other Woman. She's got her arms around him. Alice doesn't know much about fighting vampires, but thats the one thing she knows isn't good. She leaps from the branch and lands on Jasper's attackers shoulders. "Jasper, what do I do?" Alice asks desperately "Rip her apart!" He gasps in reply.She holds the breath she didn't need, and rips the womans head from the rest of her, her body falls along with Alice who lands on her feet. "Are you okay?" Alice asks"We've still got bigger problems." He dismisses, and stalks toward the other woman.She dissapears before they can confront her."Are we safe?"Asks Jasper. Alice pauses to check any visions, but is inturupted by footsteps behind her. "Nevermind. Alice, get out of here, she must've changed her mind. I'll handle her.""Yeah because that went well last time." She says bitterly. "We're in this together jazz."  She reminds him. The other vampire grabs Alice by the wrist, she throws a leg in the air, kicking the woman, and freeing herself. Jasper grips the womans arm and yanks it away from her body, throwing it on the pile with the peices of her mate. The newly armless vampire whips around and places a bite firmly on Jaspers shoulder before he can react. Alice lunges at her and gets her to the ground, she holds her down with a boot across her neck. She applies all the pressure she can manage and detaches her head. Alice and Jasper glance at eachother, the silence deafening."Overprotective fool." She scolds, walking over to him. "I had it under control." She continues and takes his hand."Are you hurt?" She asks"Nothing time won't heal." Jasper ensures."For now, pile up the peices, I've got a lighter.""Whats that for?" Alice asks, grabbing a detached arm"The only way to kill our kind is to tear us apart and burn the pieces." He explains."That's sick." "Yeah, but at least we wont be cold tonight." Jasper jokesAlice lets out a chuckle and throws a torso onto the ever growing pile of body parts"I guess that's true. I see a bonfire in our future. Do we have any marshmellows?"Jasper briefly checks his bag, and tosses a lighter to Alice. "Nope. I'm fresh out."He jokes."We should go, we don't want to be too close to any evidence."Alice stops to glance at him."What if the fire spreads. Don't you have any concern for the wildlife?"Jasper applies venom to the newest bite of his ever growing collection."I barely have concern for humans. What do I care about an animal?" "For an empath, you don't have a lot of it." Alice notes."For someone who can't recall being human, you sure have quite alot of it." He responds. "Why be mean when you can be kind?"She questions, arranging rocks around their pile of bodies, and setting them ablaze "You realize how ironic that is, right?""How what?""Ironic?" "Yes. What's that?" "It's like, funny, but not in a laughter kind of way." "How am I funny?" "You're speaking of kindness as you set the remains of the people we just killed on fire." "I guess that is a bit funny. We didn't have another choice though. I checked."

For months the two of them traveled the country together, doing their best to stay out of trouble. They traveled from state to state leaping through the trees, and racing eachother to the forest's edge, teaching eachother everything they knew along the way, including how to feed off of animals.Alice had told Jasper of a vision involving them joining a coven, but as he watched her dance among the branches and look back at him with the light of a thousand stars in her eyes, he had to wonder, was joining a coven who survived soley off of animals, so they could pretend to be humans would be worth giving all of this up?He couldn't imagine so, but he couldn't help but to blindly follow Alice in whatever adventure she wanted to embark on next. Even if it meant loosing everything being a vampire stood for.Things were perfect for nearly the entire time. The only fight they ever had was when Alice attended public school alongside her adopted siblings for the first time. Halfway through the year the class had discussed the civil war, unearthing what Jasper once was that she hadn't previously had the education to understand. From then on, it was smooth sailing. Until Bella came around, that is. Alice loved Bella, no matter if she was human or not. Jasper? Not so much. But when Alice Cullen wants something, she's going to get it.Alice and Jasper fought with their family, and survived battle after battle, but, this one was going to be different than anything any of them had ever experienced. Bella was a mother now, and the Voulturi weren't too fond of that. "Jasper we need to go." Alice demands in a hushed whisper. "We can't just abandon our family when they need us most, Alice!"He argues."If there was a snowflake's chance in hell that we could stay and everyone would be fine, do you think I'd still be leaving?" She snaps, adding clothing to a backpack"We stay and the only survivors are Edward and I." She continues softly"If you can see the battle you can tell them what to avoid." "No, Jasper, the only reason we survive is because the volturi takes us hostage to join the gaurd. They've always wanted us for our powers. Our only hope is to find another like Renesme." "Another? There's more of her?" "Yes, well, maybe. He's in my visions, he must be important." "Alice, please, this is insane. We need to be with our family. We can't abandon them to follow a rediculous vision." Alice is taken aback, her patience with him being replaced by anger."My visions are not rediculous! If you're not coming along, fine, I can't make you, but I'm going to do everything I can to save our family weather you like it or not." She throws her bag over her shoulder and raises the window"So much for forever." She adds with a glare in his direction. "Alice, I didn't mean- fine, fine."He surrenders."Are you sure you're not an empath? I'm coming, but shouldn't we at least tell them?" "Don't worry about it.""This is completely unfair to our family."Jasper stumbles over discarded clothing that has over taken their room, trying to find his own"It is," She agrees "But something tells me they'll forgive us when they're not dead. They can't stay mad at me. Now, hurry up, before they catch on. We don't have a lot of time." Alice jumps from the window, and takes off. She leaves her apologies, instructions and cryptic hints, and finds her way back to wait on Jasper in her porsche. "You're taking the porsche?" Jasper criticizes, dropping from a tree branch"You're not very good at being inconspicuous, are you?""It's simply not in my nature, besides,  would you rather have taken the bike?"She challenges.  "Yes."He admits."You're just as bad as me." She laughs in response. He hadn't heard that in a while. "I could go back for it." He suggests. "Jasper, this is life or death!" She reminds him harshly, snapping back to their current conflict."I'll be quick. What if we end up somewhere the porsche can't get?" "We'd just run! We were nomadic for years!" She reminds him, hastily."You still owe me a ride together."He taunts smugly."Maybe when we aren't in immediate danger, Jasper." Jasper decides its better to drop it. He joins Alice, who floors it nearly immediately. Their first stop is to find their old friends Peter and Charolette, they're mostly nomadic these says as missing people cases are activley worked on in this day and age. Then they'll head off to wherever corner of the world this hybrid was. Hopefully the visions would tell Alice soon. Jasper takes Alice's hand, sending calming waves, but still startling her out of her vision watching."Would you like me to drive so you can focus on your visions?"He asks after hours of silence. She considers his offer, but decides against it.

They finally arrive to where Alice's visions told her they'd be. A department store in Texas. They approach the two nomads from behind as they're examining a display cabinet of jewelry.  Nothing wrong with that picture at all. The cashier seems to notice the same thing as she stalks over to confront them.

"Peter, Charolette! It's great to see you too again!" Alice calls, throwing an arm around Charolette.  "Excuse me" Inturupts the cashier "Do you know these two?" She questions harshly.Alice lays her keys down on the counter, casually, but with the porsche logo in obvious sight as she leans over the counter to the cashier."They're old friends. They haven't been causing any issues have they?"She asks innocently "Yes they ha!-""What's the damage? I'll take care of it." Alice inturupts. "Don't give her anything, Alice! We didn't do shit this time!"Charolette defends"Hand me your bag." Alice requests."Alright fine, give her the money." Peter responds in defeat.Alice slides the cashier a stack of bills."Sorry about them. You can keep whatevers extra." The four head out of the store before Peter and Charolette can find themselves in any more trouble."So, what's the occasion? Or did you just see that we were gonna need some help?" Charolette asks."We need your help." Alice admits."Edward got a human pregnant. We didn't know it was possible, but now we have a vampire-human hybrid on our hands.""I don't do kids, Ali." "No, no, someone reported us to the volturi for having an immortal child. They're coming to kill her, and likley us too. We need people to convince them that she isn't dangerous." "We're in." Peter decides for the two of them. "Great. We have some unfinished business that I can't go into detail about because mind readers are involved, but we'll be back for the fight." Alice promises."You guys have got to get cell phones." Jasper kids, shoving peter playfully. "Yeah whatever, we'll see you there." He replies, shoving him back.

Alice and Jasper return to the porsche. "I'm driving."Jasper announces. "So you can keep an eye on our hybrid." "No, it's fine, I can barley see him anyway. It'll be just as much of a needle in a hay stack no matter who drives.""Good, then it won't make a difference if I drive?""That's not what I meant." Alice complains, settling into the passenger seat. Jasper takes her hand and places a light kiss on the top of it. "Relax, Alice. Whatever happens happens, okay?" "I'm not used to not knowing what comes next." "Really? I would have never guessed." he says with a laugh as he starts the car.The next hours are spent greatly exceeding any speed limit sign they passed on what seemed to be a never ending interstate. "I got something!" Alice exclaims with glee. "What is it?" "We're in an airport, the ticket says, well, I can't see the exact location." She admits."But somewhere in south America!""At least we've narrowed it down to a continent." Jasper encourages. His foot becomes heavier on the gas, pushing the little car to it's limits. They eventually take their exit, and get to their destination airport. They travel to a secluded south American village, and find exactly who they're looking for. He reluctantly agrees to travel back with them, mostly because we wants to meet another person like himself. He'd never been in an airplane before. Alice and Jasper found it to be amusing watching an indistructable vampire worry about the logistics of an airplane. Jasper helped to calm him down, he may have overdone it a bit as he slept for the remainder of the multi hour flight."Jasper?" Alice asks softly"What is it darlin' ?" He asks touching her hand."The cullens. Do you think they'll still let us be part of their family when we come back?" "Alice, I'm sure they will. They love us.You'd be the one to know, wouldn't you?" Jasper says reassuringly, squeezing her hand."Renesme and the wolves are blocking a lot of my sight. I can't see them since they're all in contact with eachother. " She explains."I'm just worried that leaving may have turned them against us, but it was our only hope.""How about we worry about it after the fight?" "I can't just put off worrying about whether or not we still have a family, Jazz.""You'll always have a family with me. Even if its just you and me." Jasper promises. She rests her head on his shoulder, looking up at him."Thanks." She says quitely.The plane lands, and it's a race against time back to forks. Alice drives home at the car's full potential the whole way back, and contemplated for a moment if they'd do better running. If we didn't have the hybrid, maybe. She decides.  He'd probably prefer it though, the porsche didn't have much of a back seat.They make it back to the Cullen's house with no time to spare. The rest of their family and all their friends are already in the clearning. "Let's go!"Jasper demands taking to the trees. "He won't be able to keep up, Jazz, I need to be at the clearing as soon as possible.  You'll have to bring him with you while I go ahead." She instructs. "I've got it covered." Jasper says with a smirk.  "Hey kid," He says turning to the hybrid"Ever ridden a motorcycle before?""A what?" "Just hang on, kid." Jasper encourages, taking off at vampire speed to the garage. He mounts and starts his ducati, and takes it back out to the hybrid"Come on, let's go." As soon as he was on, the two went as fast as the bike would take them. Eventually they even managed to catch up with Alice. She made her way through the branches and stopped at the edge, awaiting Jasper. "Now or never." Jasper encourages. The three walk out onto the potential battlefield, the hybrid stays behind with the other vampires."Alice!" Aro exclaims. Not this creep.A member of the gaurd separates Alice and Jasper from Aro, but with some convincing, she's able to show him her vision. You've only got to live through this vision 2 more times, maximum, Alice. She lies to herself, watching members of your family die in front of you is hard to forget, and she knows it'll always be in the back of her mind.Luckily for everyone,  aro decides retreating is the best option.The volturi leaves, and everyone gets to live another day. Except Irina, of course.  Alice feels terrible for thinking so, but she decides it's a trade she was more than willing to make. Her family embraces their return just as Jasper said they would. A couple of their visitors had found new mates through their visit.Prehaps things would be okay for a while.

[basic-baka]

Uploading the Rainy Days

Title: Uploading the Rainy Days Fandom: Detroit: Become Human Rating: General Relationships: None

here is the other fic mar requested! this is also my first detroit fic so i really hope i got it down. please enjoy it! :3

The elderly detective looked outside the window of his home. In the meantime, the new android that he was forced to work with stayed in the house with him. The two had been on a case where an armless android had somehow stabbed its owner to death. They had eventually figured out, well mostly Connor, that the android had purposefully removed its own arm in an effort to trick the police.

Granted, it wasn’t as though Hank didn’t do any of the work – he used his detective intuition to question the deviant and making the android reveal the trick to them. Connor had the mechanics down but it was still just a theory – until the android revealed it to Hank. All he had to do was to take advantage of the deviant.

The android itself had grown arrogant and proud of its functions that humans regularly did not have. Once the trick was revealed, the deviant was true to its name. It kept the arm that it had killed its owner as a reminder of its ‘freedom’, whatever that meant. Connor called it a logical error. Hank called it a trophy.

The robot was programmed by CyberLife to follow Hank even after cases. There was a moment in time where Hank nearly committed suicide and if it wasn’t for Connor… Hank didn’t dwell on the ifs. As a result, though, the captain had to make a request to have Connor programmed to follow Hank home just in case.

“I’m sensing low emotional levels. Hank, are you feeling sadness right now?”

Hank scoffed.  “And what about it? Ain’t like you’re going to do shit. Fucking android.”

As usual, Connor didn’t take any offense to that. Hank decided to sit down in his chair. Instead, the android continued on. Hank didn’t want to listen to him but he couldn’t help it.

“Detective Hank, from my observations, I have noticed you have quite a taste for jazz. Allow me.”

Suddenly, the room seemed to quickly echo with some jazz Hank hadn’t heard in a long time. The sound itself was as clear and crisp as it would at a live show. Hank sat in silence as Connor finally opened its mouth and ‘sang’ about a love lost in the winds of the rain and how much of a fool he was to let her go. Hank didn’t say anything for the duration of the song.

Instead, he sat there and listened to the lyrics. It was strange to have that deep baritone voice come out of an android like Connor but if his dog didn’t get up and bark, why should he? Shouldn’t he just enjoy the music that played?

And truth to be told, it soothed his soul. It brought his dark and dampened heart back to a place when Cole was alive. Not a sad moment, but a moment after he was born that Hank was at his happiest. He played this song softly in the background as he watched his baby boy sleep in the crib peacefully.

He wanted to get mad – how did Connor know about such a delicate moment? Perhaps it’s because the android must have ‘observed’ the vinyl albums he had around the house. He somehow retained his collection throughout the years, throughout the tragedy. He couldn’t bear to part with the only thing that remained of Cole aside from the singular picture he had of him – a grim reminder.

Connor ‘sang’ more until the song was over. Hank didn’t say anything – he felt too much and he was also sober. He hated that. The usual urge to drink didn’t creep up – instead, it hit him hard enough for him to clear his throat – his addiction reminding him how dry his throat was without it.

Connor didn’t stop. Another song immediately echoed in the house as the rain continued to beat against the ground, against the window, against any surface it could reach. Hank caught himself focusing more on the rain than the music. He didn’t know what Connor ‘sang’ anymore. Hank’s eyes got heavier. Was it the weight of his thoughts?

The android’s music eventually lulled him to sleep. He didn’t realize he did fall asleep. He didn’t realize when he woke up and was on the couch instead. When did Connor do such a thing? Why would he do such a thing?  It was hard to tell what time it was outside. It had been dark and gloomy with maybe a hint of brightness here and there. It hurt his head so he closed his eyes again.

The music had stopped.

“Why’d you stop?” Hank found himself muttering. He winced in pain as he lied back down to his position. He felt the fabric of a blanket that he liked. How did Connor know this? Did he ‘sense’ it? Did he observe it with whatever features CyberLife added?

Connor’s voice was quieter but it was still very clear to the detective.

“You fell asleep and I didn’t want to wake you up.” His voice was as crisp and clear as possible. The honesty was almost too much for Hank. He tried to stop himself from getting angry. Connor was programmed to be honest. He doesn’t ‘think’ like he, a human, did. That fact truly irritated him.

“Yeah? Why didn’t you put me in my bed? Somewhere that’s more comfortable?” He didn’t make an effort to get up. Humans would’ve scrambled for an excuse. Not Connor. Never Connor.

“The mattress in your bedroom makes the injury in your lower back worse than it already is. Until you are able to acquire a proper mattress, the couch is the firmest thing that is comfortable enough for such an anomaly in your vertebrate.”

Hank couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at that. Why was he surprised? Did he really expect him … an android, an inanimate object, to care beyond its capabilities?

The rain outside never seemed to let up though.

“Did you want me to leave, Detective Hank?”

“No,” Hank said as he drifted off to sleep once more. Even though he would never admit it out loud, but even if Connor was artificial, at least it cared enough to stay there. But was it in Connor’s program to lay a gentle and comforting touch on his shoulder?

[poemsinthirdperson]

Ghosts in the Shells

It was carpet in the sense that it wasn’t wood. You could already see the procession of scraped knees and red palms. The room was homely but only in the ways it could be meant by a lettings agent.

‘Hiromi…’

She was distracting herself. She knew she was distracting herself.

‘We can’t do a big fight again. We had no choice but to sell. Samuel was gonna have to take out that second mortgage and Julie’s mother has to move in with her.’

Allen looked as tall as he was, hunched over his desk and perpetually poised to slide off the cushions (again, not wood) of his armless office chair. A bulbous computer rested in front of him, every inch of white, keyboard and mouse included, yellowed from a nasty habit his mouth had never quite managed to perceive as nasty.

‘No, don’t worry about that.’ Hiromi’s heart wasn’t quite in it the first time. ‘I was just wondering if I should say something, you know, on air.’

‘Well, your contract rolls over for a few months, but you never know with these people.’ Allen squeezed a finger under his glasses and rubbed. ‘I don’t even really know what they want.’

‘Buy everything until you’re the only one left.’

A community television station was, unsurprisingly, a place where Hiromi had become reacquainted with a few hobbies she had mostly kept to herself. Rummaging through the boxes of old tapes she’d picked up some dice. She’d never had to roll for integrity before but it occurred to her now that the action probably spoke for itself. It landed on a two but she hadn’t yet established what that meant.

The patter of the rain had long since faded into the background, just as the electrical hum that seemed to stay until all the lights were off. But the wind picked up and the rain knocked itself back into focus with the sound of a hose thrust towards a car window.

Hiromi was going to say something.

The broadcast couldn’t help feeling like a eulogy. For who she wasn’t exactly sure. The sheer number of formats that composed the archives meant nobody had a full grasp on the people who had been a part of the station. The place had always changed, that was its charm, but Hiromi knew this was different.

White flashed from the windows and thunder rumbled overhead. It was impactful in its novelty but in the grand history of thunderstorms, it appeared the heavens were not particularly invested in this day. The lights went out.

Julie’s eye was stuck to the viewfinder. They had long since obtained monitors but her right eye had always remained squeezed shut. Nyasha had her head pressed into her forearm, her headphones ever so slightly pushed over the edge of her ears. There is supposedly a difference between sonic purity and sleep but the end product spoke for itself. Sam stared into the black feed; his hand stretched over the back jiggling wires he’d never quite known the purpose of individually.

‘Bugger,’ said Hiromi.

[reginaldbelchhuggins-blog]

Mens et Manus

Chapter 2. Changes

Pairing: Richie Tozier & Betty Ripsom (platonic) Rating: T Warnings for this chapter: Underage drinking; past violence; emotional scars;  emotional abuse; mental health issues; referenced character death Chapters: [1], 2, [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] Ao3: [x] Summary:

Stan looks at himself in the mirror; Richie talks to his mom; Mike starts listening; Ben finds a new hobby; Eddie moves out of his mom's house; Beverly starts dating; and Bill writes his first book.

a.k.a a series of short stories based on the prompt "Tell the story of a scar"

A/N: The chapters are as listed above. This is Richie’s chapter:

If you were to ask Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier if demons or ghosts were worse, he would tell you the answer was ghosts, hands down. No question. How does he know? He had once battled a demon. It was a surprisingly easy thing to do. He’d taken a Louisville Slugger and popped one right in It’s ugly, ugly kisser.

But the ghosts of Derry didn’t have physical bodies to destroy. They were untouchable. He’d once wondered if the ghosts were somehow Pennywise, but Stan and Mike never saw them. They existed in his brain, and unless he planned on destroying that, they weren’t going away anytime soon. They stood on every corner smoking stolen cigarettes, or passed him on the street, only a breeze as they sped by on their bikes. They were armless, legless, and glaring at him from every blue Trans Am. They were focused on Richie, blaming him, as they begged him to answer one simple question:

Why did you survive?

He didn’t know. He ran it by the Big Man every Sunday morning mass, and even Wednesday evening. He even asked it a few times on his knees beside his bed, hoping a more private conversation would lure out the truth. But either God was shy or had nothing to say, because after five years, Richie still didn’t have an answer.

Betty Ripsom’s torso hung around as he turned and pulled down the metal door, locking up Freese’s Department Store for the night. She never said much; she mostly stared. Today, she was crying. He hopped in his yellow Toyota, and just sat for a moment. He hoped to feel some kind of sense of relief that his day was over. He didn’t. He felt just the same as he had that morning. So he turned on the radio, lit a cigarette, and sat back to listen to David Bowie lament over changes while Betty appeared in the passenger seat.

Time had changed them all. Between the three remaining Loser’s, he was the only who actually looked like he’d grown any. Mike and Stan were taller and broader, but otherwise looked exactly the same as they did. Of course, as much as they didn’t change physically, they were definitely touched by their experiences. They didn’t know how to let it go, dwelled on it, and adopted obsessions over it; while Richie had a weekly schedule, a budget, and an actual job.

Somehow, in the twists and folds of time, he was everything he thought they’d be at his age, and they were everything he expected for himself.

“Life is full of chucks like that sometimes. Ain’t it, Betty?” Richie asked. Betty only sobbed.

Richie dwelled on that for a moment. And then he drove. He grabbed some Moo Goo Gai Pan and Orange Chicken for dinner from the new Chinese food place, and then headed home. He grabbed the mail, and kicked the door shut. Betty was already inside, making the living room cold.

“Mom, I’m home!” Richie yelled across the quiet little four-bedroom home. His parents had bought it hoping to fill it up with daughters, laughter, and merriment. Then, Richie came out crooked, and the doctors told Maggie she couldn’t carry another child. Now, he was stuck there with another type of ghost: the ones from people who never existed in the first place. “MOOOM! DINNER!”

Richie waited until he heard the bed down the hall creaking before moving to the kitchen. He unpacked the food boxes, dished up a serving for himself, and then carried the mail with him to the living room. He turned on reruns of Dallas, and chewed his food without really tasting it. Betty sat in his father’s chair. He tried to ignore her as she chattered on in his mind.

Your mom doesn’t even like you, Betty said, staring deep into Richie. He could feel her eyes boring through skin. It’s not fair that an unwanted child who is wasting his life is allowed to keep it. I was going to go to Harvard. Have you read my essays? I was going to be an award winning journalist.

He shuffled through the bills, and an advertisement for Motorola Beepers. Beep beep Richie, he thought, with a dry chuckle. His food didn’t taste very good anymore, not that it was particularly outstanding before. He set it aside, along with the ad. It didn't stay there long. He needed something to occupy his mouth when it wasn't talking.

Finally, there was the rejection letter from the University of California.

Well, he presumed it was a rejection letter, just like all the rest. It should be a rejection letter. As Betty was agreeing – you might have got good grades in high school, but that doesn’t mean you’ll survive college. But Richie remembered the look in Stan’s eyes as he went straight for that one brochure, honed in like a missile. They were wide and distant, seeing into a place Richie couldn’t even fathom.

“This is the one,” Stan had said, handing it to Richie. “This is where you’re going.”

“And leave you, dear Staniel? I think not!”

Richie hadn’t even wanted to apply to something so far away. But when he refused to even consider it, Stan sent in the application himself. He was so fucking insistent… Richie tried to swallow two lumps of chicken at the same time. After coughing them back up, he picked the letter back up from the ground where it fell, and tore it open like it was Christmas. He dropped it again in disgust after reading only one word: Congratulations! And popped the chicken back in his mouth.

Betty grimaced.

Fucking Stan, was all Richie could muster. He couldn't even make himself be angry.

The couch sank in beside him. Maggie Tozier sat two beers down on the coffee table, already opened. She slid one over to Richie. He stared at it, and then gave his mom a cheesy smile, pretending it didn't exist.

“Hey pretty lady,” Richie said to his mom. He gave her the ‘Beverly look,’ which he’d been practicing for years. A quick lick, a big smile, and his round eye falling into an easy wink, all released within milliseconds of each other. It took a surprising amount of concentration. “You come here often?”

Maggie Tozier’s giggle was short, and filled with coughing. Richie’s smile, fake to begin with, faltered. She brought her hand up to catch some spittle. Richie noted the red hue.

“How was your day?” she asked, wiping her hand on her pajama pants. She was sick all the time these days, but refused to go to the hospital. He didn’t know if she wanted to die, or assumed she was somehow immortal. He didn’t know if it mattered. The end results were the same.

Betty’s humorless laugh took over her side of the room. He could just hear her saying, oh this is great. Your mom won’t even be grieving that long! My mom has seventy more years. Seventy!

“It was fine,” Richie answered. “I saw Mike today. I didn’t get to talk to him, but, y’know… he looks healthy.”

Maggie looked at him like she knew all the answers. She nudged the bottle she’d brought for him. Richie only looked at it.

“Have a drink. You’ll feel better about it,” she said, in her infinite wisdom.

Why not have a few, live a little? Betty’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, and just a hint of sadness. I’ll never be able to.

“Yeah, I know,” Richie said, addressing both women at once. He put the letter down and picked the beer up. Maggie raised an eyebrow, and looked at the envelope.

Richie sighed and brought the beer to his lips. He took a few sips, bargaining with himself. One beer was just a beer. It wasn’t what his parents did. It wasn’t even comparable. When he set it back down on the table, his mom was lowering the letter.

“You got in?”

“They like me. Just like that sonuvabitch said they would,” Richie took another few sips of his beer. The taste was awful, but in that way where once it faded, he wanted another just to prove it really was bad.

Her eyes flicked up to his. That sad smile never left her face. She tilted her head, straightened the hem of her shirt, and took a long drink. She finished her bottle.

“Well then,” she said, her voice swelling with some kind of emotion Richie couldn’t place. He would’ve been surprised to know it was pride. “I guess this is a celebration, then. Let me go get the good stuff.”

“Mom, no—”

“Shoosh shoosh,” Maggie headed into the kitchen, yelling back at him: “My baby boy is going off to college. We’re going to get shit-faced!”

“Ah ah,” Richie yelled after her, grinning from ear to ear. He tried on a new voice he’d picked up from a coworker. He thought of them as a young, slightly homosexual poet, with the tiniest forced English lilt. In his attempt to copy them, he wound up sounding more like Patrick Hockstetter. “You’ll never get rid of me that easily.” Then, in a normal voice: “I’m not going. Maybe in a few years, but right now—”

“I swear to God, Richie, do not fuck this up,” Maggie’s voice was soft, motherly, despite the harshness of her words. It hurt all the same. “I didn’t raise you like that.”

“Yeah, actually, you did,” the words came out before Richie could stop them. He straightened his back, listening to the bones crack and pop as they moved back into place. He was pulling one of his older voices from his repertoire, trying to mask the tremble trying to take over. “Ah say, ah say, raised the biggest fuck up this side of the Kenduskeag, ya did.”

Maggie chuckled. She muttered a small agreement as she came back to the couch, and handed him a shot glass full of something amber colored and tasteless. A million words fluttered in the back of his mind, and he thought about how he wanted to say all of them.

Hey mom, I'm afraid I'll forget. Or I'm afraid It's coming back. Or even please tell me you need me, because you're all I have left.

He didn’t say any of them. Instead, he occupied his mouth by filling it with alcohol, tilting his head back as he swallowed it in one go. It shut everything up, like a liquid off switch.

The burn left him feeling centered. Maggie refilled his glass, and then clinked hers against it. They pressed their glasses against their lips, and threw their heads back at the same time.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Six shots in, Richie’s head was swimming, and he saw Betty as she’d been on that last day, before she went missing. Thirteen, her long legs in jeans and her curls looking more Farrah Fawcett than Stanley Uris; she stared down at the lower half of her body, and then curled her feet beneath her, giving Richie a quizzical glance. He looked at the shot glass, and then raised it to his eye.

Beer goggles, babe. Makes everyone look better.

Maggie poured them another shot. After it was added to the warm soup of their stomachs, she wiped her mouth. “You know, I don’t think you’ll be missed as much as you think.”

Richie inhaled sharply, and said, “Woooooow, thanks, mommy dearest.” He masked it in sarcasm, but he meant it. If he could've felt less than nothing, he would've. He realized that's how he knew he reached the bottom of his emotional well.

“It’s the truth, though, isn’t it? How long has it been since you’ve actually hung out with your friends? You aren’t seeing anyone, and you’ll miss me about the same as I’ll miss you. There is nothing holding you here, sweetie.”

Richie pulled out an invisible microphone. His announcer voice was the best quality overall, and easiest to fall into. “Standing in this corner, weighing one-hundred-twenty-five pounds is three-time world champion, Tuh-tuh-tuh-TRASHMOUTH  TO-JEE-ER.” He put his hands around his mouth, and hissed. It never really ever sounded like an audience cheering to him, but it was what everyone did. So he did it too.

His mother was shocked, at first, and then laughed. “And standing in this corner, weighing more than life itself, homelessness in a strange place,” Richie gestured to the acceptance letter. “I don’t know anything about California, ma. I don’t know anyone in California.”

“It’s not that hard of a decision: Maine, or California,” Maggie snorted. “If I could’ve dropped you and moved clear across America to someplace sunny, I would’ve. Imagine all those pretty young boys with their blond curls, like the beach boys.” Richie lowered his head, knowing what was coming next. “But Wentworth sure as hell wasn’t going to take care of you, and you can’t say I didn’t try. Because I tried, goddammit, and you’re going to college to pay me back for it.”

“Okay, but, money. I don’t have any.”

“I have a savings account, believe it or not, and since you’re my only heir...” she shrugged, letting Richie finish the sentence with understanding. He looked up at the ceiling, chewing his bottom lip.

“You need that—”

“The fuck I do,” she scoffed. “For what? Fixing the bathroom? I’ll let this hellhole be condemned before I invest another penny in it.”

Richie kept his head bowed. He shook the microphone once, twice, and then it was gone, replaced by a glass full of whiskey. Richie swallowed it all at once, and grimaced. It made looking his mother in the eyes easier.

“What about taking care of yourself?” Richie asked. The look she gave him took the wind from his sails. She was dead already, and she knew it. Richie felt his heart and throat tighten. Maybe he didn't like her, but she was his mom.

“Like you care,” she said, as plain as if she’d said she wanted eggs. “This place is miserable, and so are you. Let me die terrorizing a nurse on insurance while you fuck a grandchild into some bimbo who looks too good for you.” He poured the next shot, but she took it from him. “You’ve had enough of this. Find your own poison, that’s my last bit of advice. You can’t just copy your folks, or you’ll never be better than them.”

She downed the shots one after the other. The room was small, and Richie was suddenly far too big for it. He felt like if he stayed any longer, it would just crush him. He stood up. The floor lurched forward, and Richie steadied himself. He opted to leave behind the car keys, and went out through the garage door. She didn’t even ask him where he was going; he didn't even know.

Richie’s bike wobbled to and fro as the world decided tonight was the night to shake ominously. Betty walked beside him, keeping pace like it was nothing. She did a little hop, and a twirl, smiling the whole time.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had legs!” she said, her voice clear as day. “I could dance! Will you dance with me, Richie?”

Richie looked at her, and didn’t answer. They traveled together until they reached Bassey park. Richie dropped his bike in the grass, and then reached out, taking Betty’s hand. He almost felt it – warm and soft, alive. Taking her other hand, Richie leaned back and spun. The world became a dark blur, and as he howled, he heard Betty’s surprised laughter. It was melodic, therapeutic, and just plain fun to hear. He spun until he felt the Chinese food coming back up, and had to go lean over the trash. Betty was laughing so hard she was crying. She fell to the grass, her legs trembling as much as Richie’s. When he was done, he picked her back up.

Once upon a time, he’d gotten it in his head to learn the Lindy Bop. He never was good at it, missing as many steps as he hit. But he remembered how it was supposed to go. He and Betty looked like fools, but they didn’t care. They laughed, and spun, and kicked their gangly legs to a beat only they could hear. It was easy to forget his worries in that moment,and pretend he was a normal kid, dancing with a gal in the moonlight.

When it was over, Betty was glowing, and Richie was breathless.

“Alright Trashmouth, I’ve gotta go. I guess I won’t be seeing you around anymore,” she said, sounding a little sad.

“Aw, you could always go haunt Mike. I think he’d like that,” Richie said, feeling more than a little woozy. “Hey, hey, before you go, ask me that question. I have an answer for you assholes.”

Betty didn’t need to clarify what question he meant. With a little more humor and grace than usual, Betty asked him: “Why did you survive, Trashmouth, when so many others died?” She said that last word hard, clicking her tongue when she was done.

“Well, you see, God hates me,” Richie flashed her a winning smile. It stretched his face painfully, and showed off the stains forming on the teeth in the side of the mouth he favored when smoking. “So he didn’t want me up there with him. I just won’t shut up, and you know, he has so many people to listen to. So even though nobody wants me down here either, not even my fuckin’ mother, he’s got the last word. So I’m practically immortal!”

Richie took a bow. Of all the things he expected, sympathy wasn’t it. Betty gave his hand a little squeeze, leaving him feeling just a little better. She started to walk away.

“We should do this again!” He yelled after her. They both laughed then. “I’m free next Friday! Or any day, really.” He put his hands on his hips. “Oh, except for Saturday two weeks from now… I’ll be packing then. I’m going to California! Can you believe it? California! Maybe I’ll meet Kevin Bacon and get him to sign my dick. I heard he’s into that.”

Betty clapped, and gave him a little yay. She twirled one final time, and then walked away. As soon as Richie blinked, she was gone. He didn’t cry, even though he felt the tears building up. Instead, he sat and thought of all of them: Betty Ripsom, the future journalist; Eddie Corcoran, who was going to work on movies; Veronica Grogan, who could’ve been a model; Gard Jagermeyer and Moose Sadler, who were dumb as bricks but harmless overall; Peter Gordon, set to run his father’s business; Steven Johnson, just a sweet lad; and Georgie Denbrough, who deserved to grow up. He even mentally poured one out for Victor Criss and Belch Huggins, who died trying to stop Henry, becoming heroes in the end.

Richie stared into the Kenduskeag. He pulled the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit them up one by one. Once the pack was gone, Richie told himself, he wasn’t going to get another. He owed it to every single one of those names to be better. He was going to live, and going to go to college in California, and eventually, one day, make television history by becoming the best damn ventriloquist the world ever saw.

His hands were shaking as he crumbled up the empty pack. Richie picked up his bike, and started his trek back home. After a few blocks, Richie was whistling, feeling, for once, excited about the future.