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[jubilantwriter]

A Benchful of Memories (Abandoned)

Chapter 3 - Untitled (Contains the final outline)

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Once you get the okay from your human nurse, you dress up and head out to the park.  With a backpack filled with your essentials, you slowly make your way to your favorite bench, only to find someone already sitting there.  The sunlight makes the white of the bones shine brighter when you realize that ah, it’s the skeleton from before.

What was his name again?  Um, something with an S you think.  

Ah, well, it doesn’t really matter right now.  He probably doesn’t remember you anyway.  You’ve only met like, once?  And that was maybe a few days ago?  You don’t think you made a lasting impression anyway.

As you sit down, he cracks an eye socket open (how?) and watches as you set the backpack down next to your feet.

“Well, didn’t expect to see ya so soon.”  Welp, he remembers you.  Just avoid saying his name and maybe you’ll be okay?

“Me neither honestly.  I didn’t think you’d come back to this park.”

“Heh.”  He closes his eye socket and slumps a bit.  “‘s nice and quiet.  Like it here.  Why are you back?”

“I come here pretty often.  I like it here too.”

“Somethin’ we have in common then.”

“Yup.”  He doesn’t say anything else after that, so you bend down to pick through your backpack and grab a sheet of origami paper.  As you sit there making a tulip, the skeleton starts to snore.

Loudly.

...how?

He doesn’t have a nose.  You blink slowly before shaking your head.  He’s a magic skeleton, he can do whatever he wants no matter how anatomically impossible it should be.  The fact that he’s even being held together by nothing but magic should be enough proof.  As you finish the tulip and move on to make a lily, you start wondering more about your bench buddy.

...

..

.

And that’s the end of that chapter lol.

HERE’S THE OUTLINE!  It’s been a year since I last touched this, so like, bear with me.

A Brief Introduction to the OCs:

Rajena (rah-jen-ah):

Based off of axolotls

Kind, bubbly nurse who has mediocre healing powers.  She specializes mainly in studying souls.

Her name is based off of the word “regenerate”, mainly the first few syllables of the word

This is due to the axolotls ability to regenerate severed limbs (don’t actually hurt these babies tho)

Importance: she was supposed to be the Insert’s voice of hope, someone who could encourage them 

Supposed to grow extremely close to the Insert

Comforts the Insert when the ~scene~ happens

The only one who can tell how long the Insert has since she is the only one with permission to see the Insert’s soul

Which is why she tries hard to foster hope (HP) inside the Insert

(SPOILERS) it doesn’t work out in the end

Miss Millie:

Nurse in charge of Insert - most likely a character based around JUSTICE

Southern flair; she’s a very tough but loving person

The mother figure that Insert never had

Wants to exhibit righteous anger but can’t

Has known Insert for a long time - they were admitted at a young age due to an unspecific disease that made them highly susceptible to catching viruses and made them ill easily = hereditary

Most likely a fake disease - I derived inspiration from one of the characters in Persona 3 (both are very different however)

She very much wants to see the Insert live a normal life if possible, so she encourages Insert to go out and make friends - enter monsters

She wants to protect Insert for various reasons

Leads to a moment where she accidentally brings up the hopes of Insert, only to let Insert’s hopes be crushed horribly

Kelsy:

The female cousin - I forget what soul aspect she was based off of, and reverse searching the name isn’t coming up.  But I’m gonna take a guess and think it was BRAVERY

I think they were supposed to be twins?  Kelsy would be the elder

She and her brother are super close with Insert

She will get into fights on the behalf of Insert, especially when it comes to Insert’s parents

She hates Insert’s parents

The other half of the reason why Insert’s hopes get destroyed

Ben:

The male cousin - I forget once more, but he is either KINDNESS or PERSEVERANCE

The smarter of the twins, and definitely the more calmer 

While he’s the more rational half, he tends to fail in actually making sure his sister stays under control when she gets too passionate or emotional

This leads to an outburst that Insert overhears that makes them do very reckless things

Teaches Insert things because he wants Insert to get a taste of school life, even if it’s a shoddy imitation

Wants the best for Insert

Hates Insert’s parents as well

Younger Sister:

She had a name, but I don’t remember what I was gonna call her, nor the aspect she was gonna be focused around

Was supposed to resemble the life that Insert wish they had

A complicated relationship with their parents

Tries very hard to be there for her sibling, but ultimately fails in bringing about the one thing they want

Loves the origami crafts - the one who suggested they do it actually

Originally just stuck around Insert out of pity and obligation but grew to love her sibling due to the patience they exhibited for her

Their parents are not that patient

Blames herself 

The Parents:

Think of Insert as a burden

Still pays the hospital bills and gives Insert an allowance regardless

Focuses mainly on the younger sister as a result

Never gives Insert the attention and validation they crave

AND FINALLY THE OUTLINE:

Basically Sans and Insert meet up whenever the skies are clear and the weather is deemed “good” in a way that won’t wreck the Insert’s health

They chat about Paps, the rest of the gang, Insert’s cousins and sister and nurses

One day Paps meets them, and they all get along swimmingly

Paps suggests that they one day eat dinner together

“I WILL MAKE MY SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI!  IT WILL BE AMAZING, HUMAN!”

Reveals that they practically live at the hospital and can’t really go out that far

Pap shouts “NONSENSE!” and brings the party to their hospital room

Millie gets excited when they visit - friends!

Younger sister gets properly introduced a chapter later

Sans and Insert continue to bond over things

Insert reveals why they’re so into origami

They heard of a story once about a girl who was supposed to make a wish after making 1000 paper cranes

The sad part was that she died before making them all

They lend him the book, “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes”

It was the one gift that they got from their parents that they cherish

Sans learns more about the destructive history of humans and how innocents can easily die from things they didn’t deserve to get

Insert reveals that they love flowers, but because they always die, they’ve resorted to making origami flowers to not only pass the time, but to replace the real flowers in their room

Less death to clean up

Sis and Kelsy get into a fight about the parents

Sis tries to defend them stating they’re just busy, but Kelsy gets upset and says that they’re just avoiding Insert because they don’t want to deal with them

This argument starts to escalate, and Ben ends up forcing Kelsy and himself to leave before it gets out of hand

Sis cries and Insert apologizes

Once Sis leaves, Rajena and Insert have a talk

HP has been declining, and Rajena has been getting worried

The truth comes out: “Honestly?  I’m just waiting to just... you know, die.  It’ll be easier on everyone.  On my family.  My friends.  I mean, all of us can tell.  I’m not gonna live long.  And.  That’s.  Okay.  No one lives forever after all.  I’m just... a burden.  It’ll be better if I just died already.”

Yeah that’s right they’re patiently waiting for death.  It’s why they’ve never actively looked for friends or started any relationships - they saw it as a pointless endeavor that would only serve to hurt more people.  Why create more pain when they should strive to minimize?

This also implies that they can be self-destructive - there are moments where they “forget” to take their meds, or purposely do things that can actively harm their health in the efforts of speeding up their death, not because they are impatient, but because they don’t want to make anyone else wait any longer than they have to

This is very worrying, but before Rajena can do anything about it, she gets called away to care for another patient

Insert realizes that they are lonely.  They accept it.

On a day with Sans, he realizes some of these self-destructive tendencies - notices that Insert isn’t very careful around streets, easily gets cuts or scratches from the outdoors and doesn’t care to clean them when they are in a state in which infections are easy to get, etc etc

He’s gotten close enough to them that he does care if they get sick, knowing their disposition 

Casually steers them away from hurting themselves, making comments about how they’re not gonna get any sharper by hanging out with those thorns, or that sidewalks prefer if they walk on them, and not at their sides despite what their name may imply

Eventually just keeps them from moving too far from his side since it’s easier to keep them from doing stupid things by having them not stray too far from him

Coaxes out more info from them

Wishes to one day see the stars, but they can’t leave the hospital at night

He says that one day, he’ll help and bring the stars to them instead - it makes Insert laugh

Insert meets the rest of the monster gang

Fun and happy times!  The humans and monsters grow closer, Sans and Insert more so since they start trading books, discuss dreams and wishes, maybe even reveal their insecurities

Sans fears repetition and waking up to Groundhogs day, that everything will have lost meaning and that nothing he does will change that

Insert wants validation and affection from their parents, fears being a burden, wonders why they were born

They both promise to be there for the other if something goes bad

Sans reveals that he’s been going on walks because Paps told him to get exercise - that’s how he meets Insert

Turns out that he’s been adjusting pretty badly to the Aboveground - hasn’t been going out much as a result

The park was the closest thing near his house

Insert allowed him to chill and not be bothered

Then they started to talk

Origami was productive and made him feel like he was accomplishing something

The books were interesting and led to discussions he missed having

Insert helped bring about a pattern that got him active again

Around this time is when they both start to crush on the other, but they never admit it

Things have been going pretty good

Gradually getting excited to live life

Time for Insert’s b-day

Excited because even their parents come for their bday usually

Sis and Millie gets them pumped up

Everyone comes

except for parents

Insert waits for them to come through the door

And waits

And waits

The day is almost over

Kelsy calls the parents outside the room and ends up getting into an argument that turns into a yelling fest

Ben doesn’t move to stop her in time

“What do you mean you can’t come visit them?!  They are your child!”

“You can’t just fucking say that-!”

“THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!”

“YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE THEM HERE!”

“YOU CAN’T SAY THAT ABOUT THEM!”

Yeah they hear everything

Their mind fills in the blanks and they quickly spiral into despair

Unwanted unneeded unnecessary burden no-good-child no one loves you a child no mother loves you worthless why do you exist go away you’re just dragging everyone down how could you say you love them when you’re making them suffer stop it stop it just stop breathing you can’t do anything right can’t even die fast enough they’d be happier if you just-

Visiting hours are over, everyone has to leave

There’s a thunderstorm the next day - Insert sneaks out by breaking their window and leaving through there

Chaos, no one knows where they are and how long they’ve managed to stay out

Sans comes to visit but meets a distraught Rajena

He finds them some time later, hunched over and crying next to the bench

They’re wet, cold, and already sneezing and coughing

He tries to get them to move, but they refuse to

Teleportation powers

They scream and thrash at him when they end up at the hospital

He dodges of course

He talks them down from their hysteria

Hugs and comforts

“You’re not worthless.  You’re an irreplaceable being, y’know?  Don’t need nobody to give you a reason to live.  You just gotta.  Because no one else can be you.  Plus, you make lots of people happy.”

“Like who?”

“Like me.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothin’ to apologize for.  It’s not your fault all of this happened.”

They end up getting reaaaally sick

They can’t go out anymore

Everyone visits as much as they can

Slowly getting better but then

Uuhhh parent drama happens and it stresses them the fuck out and ends up making them worse

Parents low-key tell them to just expire already

High School Level Despair

But Sans helps them get through it because they promised right

But they’re HP has taken a fuckton of hits already

Rajena is doing the best she can but by now it’s just prolonging the inevitable

They end up bedridden with one HP and declining health

Doctors conclude that it was bound to happen soon anyways - no they are not being heartless, they’re just as sad

“Memento mori, right?”

But Insert doesn’t want to die now, because they have Sans and Rajena and their cousins and sister and friends, they have hopes and dreams and things they wanna do, and now they can’t do that because they decided to purposely fuck up their health

They break down, and Sans can’t do anything but hug them tight

Gradually, they come to terms with their regret and knows that they can’t change their actions

Chooses however to not blame anyone, or themselves

“On the bright side, I kinda got to decide how I died, right?  Dying because of the rain, it has a romantic sort of sense to it.”

“There’s nothing romantic about dying, though.”

“...Haha.  Yeah, you’re right.”

They end up crying together

Rajena notes their declining health once more, and ends studying their soul - everyone knows why

They all gather for one last get to together in the hospital room

It’s all games and origami and marathons and pizza and laughter and fun

Sans is oddly detached in a way, but he slips Insert a note saying he’s got one last thing for them

INSERT LAST CHAPTER

oh yeah Sans’ nickname for the insert, Bud, is a pun on the fact that they really love flowers, he considers them a friend, and a bud is like, a baby flower. lol