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[charlastan]

[Stan isn't really sure how to begin this message, or what say first. The beginning of the post catches him in a rare moment of being entirely unsure what to say. There's a German Shepard by his side who nudges him and whines a little, as if it knows he's sad. There's two cats curled up nearby, but both intently watching what's going on.]

Shh, don't make this harder!

[He's not a total monster though, so he scritches behind the dog's ears as he talks.]

So, uh. ...I've got a couple animals I need to re-home. This dog's Newt, and that cat over there's Archie. I think they're short for Newton and Archi...medes?

[He looks at the cat as if for confirmation, and the cat looks vaguely put out by the question and meows at him.]

...Anyway, um. They belonged to my brother Stanford, but...his room's all empty and they kinda wandered down the hall to me, and I can't take care of four animals. Heck, I can barely take care of myself half the time! I've still got my cat Freeloader here, and his owl's pretty good at takin' care of himself-- [There's a hoot off-screen.] --but the other two...they need someone else to look after 'em. The cat's got six toes on his paws, and the dog's good for, uh. [He's making an attempt to be discrete about his brother's PTSD business.] ...Emotional stuff, I guess.

[Stan sounds tired. He should have known this would happen sooner or later, but he wasn't ready for it at all. He'd gotten too comfortable with Ford being around. But, at least needing to give away his animals will let him spread the news that Ford's gone without talking about Ford being gone. He should be used to being alone, but it stings even more now that they had patched things up.

He takes a deep breath, and says the only thing that might betray how terrible he feels to anyone who knows him. He won't look at the screen, and makes none of his usual showman gestures.]

They're free to a good home, first come first serve.

Comments

[boonie]

How old's the curr?

[Don't worry Stan, it's not an insult. Daryl's just a no bullshit southerner. Newt's a nice specimen and if anyone knows PTSD it's Daryl, not that he'll ever admit it. Right now he's thinking hunting partner and possible companion. Where he's from dogs are food or threat. It's a bleak world. Not that he's about to fall back on old habits here. More like, an effort at normal.]

[charlastan]

[Stan squints at the dog, trying to eyeball it. Honestly, he assumed no one would ask. The cats are both noticeably young, but the dog is more of a gray area for him.]

Tough call. Maybe a couple years? He ain't a puppy, but he's not gonna get any older than this with all of Wonderland's time shenanigans either.

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[mr_englishguy]

Oh. I'm so sorry. This place shouldn't do this to us.

[And he looks as hurt and upset as his words sound. He hasn't had others from his life here, and he's kind of glad for it to be honest. He doesn't have to go through this.]

I have several other pets, and I'm quite willing to not only adopt others but to also help with the others if you find need for it. I've quite a bit of experience with owls in my own world as they are used for letter carrying.

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[charlastan]

It shouldn't, but it does. This ain't the first time.

[It's definitely worse than the first time though. He raises an eyebrow at Newt's offer though, once he mentions owls.]

Wait, really? I, uh. I wasn't really expectin' anyone to know anything about owls...come to think of it, I think Ford told me this guy delivered letters for him once. He had weird owl penpals for a few weeks or somethin' like that.

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[naughty_nurse]

Mister Pines...

[Oh, no. This hurts, it's like someone is squeezing her heart in their palm. She swallows hard, trying to be strong for Stan.]

I... I could try?

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[charlastan]

[He was planning on making sure the animals went to the first couple people who asked about them, but with Mikan he has some hesitation - not because she's a bad candidate exactly, but she sounds uncertain enough about it that he wonders if she's just offering out of obligation and not because she actually wants to - which, in fairness, would be pretty on point for her.]

Don't feel like you've gotta if you don't wanna. They're not gonna go homeless if you can't do it.

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[burntvideocassette]

[This is a terrible idea. This is a TERRIBLE idea.]

[But Jay’s no stranger to terrible ideas.]

Are you still looking for a home for Archimedes?

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[charlastan]

NOT SURE YET. GOT A TENTATIVE OFFER BUT WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.

[He did say they need to be good homes. He just...needs to be absolutely sure of that first.]

WHY? YOU WANT HIM?

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[uncaging]

[ It takes a while for Elizabeth to reply, having needed to gather herself after seeing Stan's broadcast, and when she appears on the video her eyes are red and puffy from crying. ]

If either of them still need homes, I'd be glad to take them.

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[charlastan]

I think I might be all set, but I'll let you know if I'm not.

[He can see she's been crying though, and he kind of remembers her. They haven't talked much, but he remembers Ford cutting in and correcting him when they were talking about Colombia.]

You, uh. ...You knew him pretty well, huh?

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[fulllifeconsequences]

Oh. Hm.

Maybe Dipper or Mabel will want them. Perhaps you should see if they want to come over and look.

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[charlastan]

Yeah, and they'd prolly take the whole lot of 'em and have their own little zoo since they've already got a pig, but then what happens if they go? Then I've got two cats, a dog, an owl, and a pig and I'm right back at square one!

[He's not sure he wants to think about that, but the possibility can't help rattling around in his old head, so naturally he makes it sound like it's more about the inconvenience.]

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[determinedest]

[Ford.]

[He's gone.]

[It's silly to let that get to them. Because - because people disappear all the time, and that's unavoidable. It's silly to let it wrap around their chest and squeeze until the breath evaporates from their lungs. It would be stupid to imagine that...that anyone could be immune to that.]

[Anyone.]

Is he really



I'm sorry

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[charlastan]

YEAH... SORRY KIDDO. ALL HIS STUFF WAS GONE WHEN I LOOKED. LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED HE WAS GONE FOR MONTHS.

[The last time it had felt almost expected in a weird way. They were still fighting and then one day he was gone, but with Ford still angry at him it felt more typical of their lives. With them getting along though, it stung twice as much. If Ford comes back, he probably won't remember Wonderland.

He'll probably still hate Stan. Again.]

[video]

[punful]

he's--

[Just like that. It always is. He was just here, helping Sans face his Shadow, and Sans was just starting to actually open up to him, and--]

[Just like that.]

i, uh. well, i've already got a cat, and i dunno how well he gets along with other cats, but if...if no one else ends up wanting him, i can try.

[video]

[charlastan]

[Just like that. It really was just like that for Stan too.]

He's fine with other cats, but it's looking like I've got an offer on the line, so you're off the hook. But, uh. ...Yeah, he's gone. Did you know him?

[Stan's regretting not keeping better tabs on who Ford was and wasn't friends with. He doesn't enough know who to fill in and he's kind of hoping they just figure it out from this message.]

[action?]

[wriggedywrecked]

[Rick doesn't even bother answering, he just shows up at Stan's door with two enormous bottles of some kind of alien liquor.]

Hey, asshole, leave th-the pets alone for a bit, we're going drinking.

[action!]

[charlastan]

[There's at least a half dozen reasons Stan shouldn't do this. He's got the kids to think about, now that he's the only adult from home around. There's the animals, and how he's still got too many of them until they get properly rehomed. There's the fact that drinking away his problems isn't actually going to help and he's likely to just wind up crying on Rick by the end of the night. There's the fact that laying in bed and never moving again sounds like a very attractive option right now.

There's a few more reasons here and there, but when Rick turns up he throws them all out the window. He knows without even a second of hesitation that he's going to go with him. The kids have gone back to their rooms for the night. The animals can handle themselves for one evening. And honestly, Stan just wants to shut his brain off and not think about this for as long as he can possibly manage.]

Yeah. Yeah, alright. [That sounded kind of half-hearted though, so he forces up a grin.] 'Bout time you turned up.

1/2

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper and Mabel don't bother responding via network. Ford is family, and they know how much he especially means to Stan. They just head on over to Stan's room and push open the door.]

Grunkle Stan?

[Dipper's holding a copy of The Duchess Approves 2: Count Lionel Strikes Back.]

...hey.

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[powerofmabel]

[Mabel pokes her head in beside Dipper's. She's got an armload of dog and cat treats and is balancing a bowl of popcorn on her head. How she has managed this is a feat that not even God can comprehend. She's weird.]

Random feelsy movie night?

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[mcgucket]

[It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Stanford's pets need new homes. Even so, Fidds hides behind text regardless.]

I'm sorry. I hope you're able to find a good place for them here.

[He'd offer, and it is very tempting, but the man barely takes care of himself here, he doesn't trust himself enough to be able to take care of any pets.]

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[charlastan]

IT'S LOOKIN PRETTY GOOD. I GOT A FEW TAKERS ALREADY.

[Stan gets it though - that's why he's not holding onto them himself. He's lucky he can take care of the cat he does have.]

YOU UH. YOU HOLDIN UP ALRIGHT MCGUCKET?

[He doesn't know a ton about what was going on but he knows enough that he should probably ask.]

[video]

[sciencelizard]

Ford's... gone?

[Sometimes, she forgets that it's just like that. You wake up one day and just like that, you never see someone ever again. So few goodbyes are clean, and not all endings made equal. But it's just like that. It's just... over.

What right does she even have to really mourn him, when his brother's-- right there, and obviously missing him worse? She sucks in a little air, swallows hard.]

I'm sorry.

[video]

[charlastan]

Yeah. ...Yeah. All his stuff's gone, and there's no sign of him anywhere. And he wouldn't just, y'know.

[He wouldn't just take off. Not like that and not without saying goodbye. Not without taking Stan and the kids. ...Right?]

Me too. Uh, you and him were pretty close right? With all the science and those weird tentacle boxes or whatever?

[At least he's trying? Kind of?]

[Text]

[mypartnerintime]

[Max doesn't- didn't like Ford, not after that one mind-invading thing he did, where everyone got to go in each others' heads and see things. But she does like Stan.]

I'm really sorry Stan... let me know if there's anything I can do?

[Text]

[charlastan]

[She isn't the first person to ask, but Stan's always been bad at asking for that kind of help and accepting it out of the blue. People usually don't, so it's hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that anyone would want to. In a weird way, the people who cared about Ford are almost easier - at least he can attempt to console them and not have to think about himself.]

YEAH UH. I'LL LET YOU KNOW KID. BUT HONESTLY UNLESS YOU CAN YANK PEOPLE BACK HERE OR GET US OUT THERE REALLY AIN'T ANYTHING ANYONE CAN DO, Y'KNOW?

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[restinglichface]

[Lup doesn't know Stan or his brother, but his message hits home just a little too hard for the elf. What would she do if Taako up and disappeared from Wonderland out of nowhere, leaving her trapped in this awful place without her twin?

She just doesn't know.]

That sucks, my man. [And it's insensitive of her, but she just has to know.] Was there any like, hint he was gonna bounce outta here?

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[charlastan]

[Stan can deal with insensitive, and is honestly a little more used to it.]

Nope. There never is until they're actually gone. Sometimes people only leave for a week or so, but if all their stuff's missing? They're prolly gone for real. It just...happens, without warning. This ain't the first time.

[They were just getting along again finally, so it's different this time.]

Video!

[mettatonvevo]

[Initially when Mettaton sees this broadcast he thinks it might be Ford. He hasn't seen the man in awhile and would welcome talking to him again. But quickly it becomes apparent that it's his brother, who he hasn't spoken to in even longer, and is still a welcome discussion since... does he really know him beyond events?

It's when the rest of the message settles in that Mettaton stops himself from initially responding. Quietly, Sugar, the cat he himself adopted when another friend left, pads up to him and rubs against his arm and meows gently. She seems to sense how much this revelation has gutted him and he turns to her, petting her head as a few tears stream unwillingly from his eyes. He takes a moment, fluffs his hair a bit, dabs away the water, closes his eyes, and then opens up the video.]

I don't think I can take more animals permanently myself, but if you need help taking care of them in the interim before finding someone, I'm here.

[He takes another moment to brace himself. Sugar's presence at his side is helping but... the loss is still deep.]

How are you holding up, darling?

[Losing your family is something he knows intimately now. The pain is unbearable. Whatever pain Mettaton is feeling over Ford's loss is nothing in comparison to what Stan is. And yet, all the same, Mettaton feels his heart break just a little bit more than usual.]

+2 to ZEZPQB BT FRESMNF IZDVZ BEFVQN GC NBVBW

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[charlastan]

[It takes Stan a minute, since Mettaton is someone he's only met when they've all thought they were someone else, but in a weird way he appreciates not having a conversation about it and just acting like they do already know each other. It's less awkward than anything else would be.]

Eh, I think I got it. A bunch've people already claimed 'em, so they're gonna be fine.

[The other half though...it's hard to say. He's not really used to people asking how he is, and it's such an alien concept that he doesn't even bat an eye at being called darling by someone he's only fake-known. He sighs heavily.]

I'm...holdin' up. I've lost him before, so this ain't really anything new. And on the upside it wasn't my fault this time, so uh. ....Could be worse, I guess?

[It sounds flimsy though. He's making excuses for himself and trying to make himself sound more alright than he is.]

[voice locked]

[scoutsniper]

[ In a way, Frank's glad no one he knows is here, because at least he doesn't have to deal with this happening to him. Pets or not. ]

When was the last time you ate?

[It only seems random and weird.]

[voice locked]

[charlastan]

Uh...

[Probably doesn't bode well that he has to think about it.]

...Prolly a day or so. [He shrugs.] I dunno. Just been busy with the sudden menagerie of animals, that's all.

[They've all been re-homed now though, so it's a flimsy excuse.]