sticksandbones | [POST-MORTEM] not to blame

Who: Loop & others
What: Loop doing Loop things
When: October 5th ~ 14th (and probably onward to the end of the month)
Where: Locations™
Warnings: hello depression spiral my old friend.... talk of murder/dead kids, suicidal thoughts, ISAT and GF spoilers, will update if needed!

After everything that happened on the 4th, it's not long before Loop's cozy new camp is also left abandoned. The cozy pillows remain for awhile, perhaps, but Loop is nowhere to be found near it for the rest of the month.

... and they're not at their old tree, either, if anyone decides to check. There's slash marks in the ground, here, and deep in the tree's bark, swathes off willowy branches sheared from the curtain surrounding it. How long has it been like that?

Regardless, they don't plan on being an easy person to find.

((using this as a catch-all instead of attacking like a dozen inboxes maybe, so hit me up

BlueFlewFedUQueen/discord/PMs/etc if you want to do something with Loop!!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You got it!

[Stan gives them a sincere thumbs up, and it's a sealed deal.

He wasn't expecting sincere praise though, and he actually seems unsure how to take that compliment.]

I mean, I didn't know where to start either! I just worked with what I had, and even then it didn't all click together until I got the last couple pieces of the blueprint - and I definitely don't remember any of it. At that meeting a couple weeks ago Dipper brought it up when we were all talking about skills and I had to tell him to can it so people wouldn't go around thinking I still know anything about portal junk!

[The last thing he needs is someone quizzing him on quantum physics because they thought he knew what he was talking about, because Dipper had to go and talk him up in front of everyone.]

But you still figured it out! And all by yourself, too! Even if you forgot it after, that's really impressive.

What else did he say... [They hum, drawing out the memory. Town meeting introductions are important enough to recall, so—] A boxer, a business owner, taxidermist... what else is on that resume of yours?

[That gets a deadpan look from Stan.]

Uh. Crime? Lots and lots and lots of crime.

[Not so impressive NOW, huh?! Wow, he sure sabotaged all of that admiration real good! Oh, well! Guess Loop will just have to see him like everyone else does!]

A criminal!! [yeah no sorry Stan, now they look even more impressed]

What sorts of crimes? [thinks about this for 2 more seconds] ... not like murder, right? Any fun crimes?

[Stan wiggles his hand, which is probably not the confirmation Loop was looking for!]

I've got more than a decade totally unaccounted for, so...I dunno. Then there's the whole "faking my own death thing" but that's more illegal in a taxes kinda way than a murder kinda way...

[Question of fun crimes is enough to get Stan grinning though!]

The best crimes are the fun ones! A lot of my greatest hits are stealing - theft, shoplifting, breaking and entering's always good. Really anything where I can throw down a smoke bomb and run is ideal, something where I can make a real spectacle, y'know? Oh, and counterfeiting! Counterfeiting's great too. Back where we're from no one really paid any attention to anything so half the time I'd just draw my own face on money and pay with "Stanbucks".

[He could go on for days if Loop let him.]

[They sparkle a little more brightly as they listen. Should they be this excited to hear about a man's criminal record? Probably not, but committing petty crimes sounds very cool when he puts it like that. There are even smokebombs! They're pretty sure only cool people get to use smokebombs.]

Wow, you're a real rogue, aren't you? ... I've broken a few laws, but mostly by accident. I know some sleight of hand, though! [and timeloops turned them into a kleptomaniac but that doesn't feel like it should count.]

What kind of stuff did you steal?

Ha! Well, all criminals gotta start somewhere, right?

[That's probably not what Loop should be getting out of this, but oh well, too late now!]

I've been picking pockets since I was a little kid! If something's not nailed down I could prolly find a way to walk off with it - and even if it is, it's not like a few nails are gonna stop me. Hm, what good stories do I have though...I stole a watch from a witch once? And this other time I robbed a guy of a dozen cursed wax figures. I've gotten thrown outta Vegas more times than I can count for counting cards too, but that shouldn't even count as stealing. It's more like..."creative winning"!

[He pauses, and then thinks out loud - certainly loud enough for Loop to hear.]

...Huh. Did I steal that bear before I taught it to drive? I feel like I definitely did not pay for that bear.

What, like the animal? A bear??

[They heard the rest too, but how can they not focus on the most insane statement in there? Bear theft...]

Was it a good driver?

Yep! The animal!

[Yes, Loop. You heard all of that correctly.]

And it sure was. It wound up an even better driver than me, if you can believe it!

[Whether that says more about the bear's driving skills or his own is...unclear. But he tells the story with a big grin and a real sense of showmanship.]

The local cops pulled us over, but I just told 'em I needed a seeing eye bear and they let us go - after a little forgery from yours truly!

Hahaha, no way! You've gotta be making that one up! Who's ever heard of a seeing eye bear?!

[Oh hey, a genuine laugh... crazy how this started with like, the most depressing mood ever. Crimes were always the solution.]

Why Dr. Medicine, of course! The very real doctor who definitely wrote the note I gave the cops! "Stan is sick and needs a bear!"

[He's laughing now too though - it all happened of course, but laughter's contagious and it's a fun story to tell.]

Oh, very real! Who hasn't heard of our good Dr. Medicine?? [They very clearly do not believe a word of this, but it's funny, so maybe that's okay. Not like they haven't told their fair share of ridiculous made-up backstories before.]

And what happened after that? Did they apologize to the bear?

[POST-MORTEM] not to blame

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