video 02 | Alzheimer's Disease | Introducing the Losers

[clussy]

(It felt a little bit like a blessing. After losing his memories, getting them back, and going through that alone, Eddie had damn near broken himself down with how badly he had missed his friends. But then they showed up. Not all of them, but the three boys he had been the closest to for the longest, the kind of childhood friends that started out in the single digits. Eddie Kaspbrak was happy. Maybe not perfectly, but for the time being, they were each other's perfect distractions and it was good to have them around.

On top of that, Eddie wanted them to know everything about this place. Including, most importantly, the people who lived there. He could have dragged them from place to place to introduce them to everyone he has come to know and care about, but then he remembered how the device worked and realized how much faster it'd be if he just sent out a video introduction.

So here he was, turning on the video feed and smiling into the camera. Anyone who had seen him lately would have noticed the kid was a bit off, but not here. He might still have bags under his eyes, but there was a brightness in him that hadn't been present in nearly an entire month.)

Hi! It's Eddie. So I know I told some of you about my friends a little bit? And guess what! They're here. Not all of them, but my best buds are- like. Childhood best friends.

(Can you feel his excitement? Eddie is practically vibrating. He's sitting in his room currently, and all it takes is him removing the device entirely from his wrist and turning it around to show Richie Tozier sitting on the floor.)

This is Richie Tozier. He's probably like, my best best friend. You might also notice he has some striking similarities to a trash can.

(He whips the video back around and grimaces a little. Richie was already speaking up with 'Whatever, eds, it's trashcan, not trashcannot.' The quib comes as Eddie's already turned the camera away, and Richie doesn't bother waiting for Eddie to stop talking. Them talking over each other is nothing new, though. Eddie doesn't even hesitate before plunging on.)

Really though, I have to apologize on his behalf for anything stupid he says. And trust me, most of what he says is really stupid.

(And Eddie's up and rushing out of the room, jogging down the hall before bursting into the nearby room that Bill and Stan were sharing. The camera gets whipped around and focuses on Stan. Not looking so amused at the intrusion.)

This is Stan! He's um- the man with the plan, you know?

(Then just like that, he's pulling out of the room, and heading into the main area.

The video doesn't focus on it, but as Eddie slides it across the room, people might notice that the door heading out of their unit is covered in several words painted in black. A large Derry painted over the door, a long list of names down the back of the door, including the Losers' names themselves. And of course, the ominously crookedly written It at the bottom of the door. On the wall beside the door are other words, some sketches, one that almost even looks like a map of something with 'sewers' written over the top of it. But it's a brief passing, something that slides in and out of perspective like a passing thought.

Then Eddie's focusing on a new boy and zooms in on Bill Denbrough's face.)

And this is Bill. He's practically my brother. He is arguably the coolest of us all.

(At first, Bill looks rather grave for his age, waving at the camera for his introduction. But then Richie has to go and jump at Eddie's back, grabbing at one of his cheeks which automatically has Eddie shrieking on the other side of the camera, and at that, Bill starts to laugh. Richie's voice filters through, indistinguishable (probably) insults not easily heard between Bill's laughing and Eddie's whining.

Eddie barely gets the camera back around, his face flushed, and he gives a long exasperated sound. Richie's hand can be seen coming out and grabbing at Eddie's cheek. Again.)

So that's- oh my God, stop- my best friends. So say hi. As for us? Well...We got some uh- stuff to do.

(Is that a small pile of what looks like Kaittan fireworks in the background? Oh boy. Let's just hope those are actually just strange looking sticks.)

OOC | It's completely up to you how you want to interact with this! Feel free to talk to Eddie directly, or make a post directed to all the Losers that they can respond to via separate threads. It's a free for all sort of thing so do whatever.

Comments

Re: ota / ind threads? threadjacks? whatever

[clussy]

(Teenage boys a little older than Eddie automatically raise a small red flag. His primary experience with older boys were mostly negative besides Kurt, and he never knows how to hold himself around them.

At least him being sorta youngish means Eddie doesn't try and hide the whole firework thing.)

We know not to set 'em off inside.

(Though they were starting to run out of options as the new world closed off.)

They're for- it's for other stuff.

(That 'other stuff' remains a mystery for now.)

[quickfingers]

[He'd be so proud to be considered sorta youngish, he's actually older than most people realize - but it's nice to know despite the gray hair his childish attitude keeps him young. He listens, brow still quirking upward before he glances sidelong as if thinking before snorting a bit.]

Don't go blowing off any fingers? They're hard to stitch back on and you might end up with six fingers on one hand and four on the other. Not that that wouldn't be cool in a weird way, but. Y'know. Also freaky?

[God, he can't really say "don't do that" to any part of whatever they're doing because he's probably done or planned to do it at some point in his life himself. Cherry bomb in the school toilet or snaps under the seats - chaos is fun when you're young. Fuck, it still is kinda fun at his age too. But weh, other adults don't think so.]

[clussy]

(It's that baby face. In the 50s, people didn't have too many baby faces. Least not in Derry. Not that Derry is the greatest sampling of humanity, but you know, Eddie goes with what he knows.

Eddie actually looks visibly horrified by this.)

Oh my God! (Eddie had been caught up in the fun of fireworks that he honestly forgot about the dangers. Amazing, really, but happened when his friends were involved. He even pales a few shades.)

Holy shit. Jesus. You're right. Ooooooh God. Knowing my luck, I'd blow off my fingers, but then there'd be some weird foreign bacteria in space that gets into them, infects what's left of my hand, and then before you know it- whoop! They have to cut my arm off. And I don't think I'd survive that. Nope. Ship me out in a space coffin, I'm good as a goner. Good bye.

(.....He's real worked up about this isn't he.)

[quickfingers]

I mean, that could happen. Or like, an alien parasite could sneak in to your fingers and take over your arm while you sleep. You wake up and it just makes you hit yourself for fun until people have to chop it off to keep it from taking over the rest of your body.

[Is he supposed to not be doing this? Horrifying children? Someone let him know.]

It's better than a chestburster soooo...

[clussy]

A lot of stuff could happen. (Eddie says this so seriously. Don't even get him started on the never ending list of awful things that could happen with fireworks.

His jaw drops open and yup, he is absolutely horrified.)

That doesn't actually exist here does it?!

(He's getting that wheezy sound when he starts panicking goin' on.)

What's a chestburster?

(Kid's born way before Alien was a thing, so Peter's got a whole playing field to work with here.)

[quickfingers]

I haven't heard word of any parasites yet, so don't worry. But be careful in all these new worlds and planets because you never know? Hell, you could get your brain eaten back home by snorting amoeba infested water up your nose...

As for chestbursters? Are you really sure you wanna know?

[clussy]

Oh Jesus. Are you sure? Parasites exist every where back home. In dirty water, in bad food, in dog shit.

(He is literally going to scream okay!!! Or cry!! Or hyperventilate!!

Except he doesn't do any of those things, instead looking on with morbid fascination.)

Yes....no? But yes for my own good. (Uh....Probably not for his own good, but Eddie be Eddie.)

[quickfingers]

[Peter cocks his head to the side and tries not to smile too widely, keeping his expression to a more relaxed quirk of interest as he leans back with a sigh.] If you're sure, then. Alright. I'll tell you.

From what I've heard, there was this ship heading back to Earth and it had its crew in stasis. Y'know, frozen? Only they unfroze when they heard this transmission from a nearby planet and went to investigate. They found out that it wasn't a call but a warning, because the planet was host to another space craft full of something truuuuuly horrifying. A stash of alien eggs.

One of the crew was attacked by this like, alien fetus thing? They call them facehuggers, 'cause that's what they do. They wrap right around your face and don't let go. You can't get them off - their blood is made of this like gnarly acid. But eventually they let go and life seems peachy keen?

Only... you thought that the facehugger died but really? It didn't. What it did was stick a chestburster inside its victims, which grows until - you know where this is going, right? Very literal naming schemes... a lot of bleshchhhkkk? [Peter makes the noise, using his hands to gesture away from his chest in a 'splashing' sort of way with splayed fingers.]

Didn't end well for the guy. Noooot aaaat allll.

1/3

[clussy]

(At first, there's a growing sort of fear that Eddie gets because there is absolutely no way on earth he wants to deal with this. Especially not after the summer he's just had. And what does he know about space travel anyway? Eddie's just barely naive enough that he starts to hang on every word--)

2/3

[clussy]

(--But then.

Then something dawns on him. He's not totally sure what it is. Maybe it's because the story is so exact that it reminds him a little bit of whenever Bill made up stories, or when one of the boys at school tried to scare him with stories about people at Bassey Park doing dirty things and getting sick from it. Short and sweet might have been the better way of getting Eddie to buy this- and really, he was definitely naive enough to buy the chestbursting thing.

Except his mouth clamps up and his cheeks puff out, suspicion drawing in his gut.

He is twelve years old- not a baby, and he comes to the conclusion all on his own that he's being jerked around here. Which entitles him to a singular reaction once the conclusion sets in.)

[clussy]

You're being an asshole, aren't you?

(R U D E. He is so onto you.)

[quickfingers]

[Peter's grin splits open into a smile and he laughs.] What, me? An asshole?

That's preposterous.

[clussy]

Nuh-uh. I know guys like you. I'm not that stupid.

(Actually not stupid at all. But he is a little easily convinced. He points at the camera.)

You screwed yourself with the long explanation. Made it super obvious it was a hokey story.

[quickfingers]

If you say so. [He chuckles a bit, noting this for next time.]

We're in space, chestbursters could be a very real thing. Or worse.

[clussy]

I say so.

(Eddie felt very good in saying so, actually.)

You're probably right. But it isn't a real thing yet. (No way is he gonna let himself get scared by this guy twice.)

Y'know, anything that could get me could also get you so I'd watch what you say. Maybe you'll piss into the toilet and some bacteria will travel back up the stream and rot your dick off.

(Eddie. Well. He's being crude for the effect of horror, okay? He has to try and get Peter back some way and what's more scary than this?)

[quickfingers]

[Peter laughs outright - at least you've got imagination, kid.] Ooh, yeah that'd be bad.

I mean, I thought the toilet spider situation was bad enough but that makes it even more spooky to take a leak.

[clussy]

(The one positive thing about being a hypochondriac was that he could think of some seriously nasty stuff, yes. He grins a teensy bit at the fact that he got this guy to laugh. Even if he was a jerk, Eddie naturally kind of wanted to impress older boys. It just was the Thing Boys Had to Do.)

Oh, Christ. I don't even want to know what that is. Especially because space spiders are probably worse than normal earth spiders. And earth spiders are horrifying.

[quickfingers]

[Peter took what the kid said and is using it against him, this time making up a load of bullshit with less detail.

Because he's an asshole. Sorry, Eddie.] I know, right? All you gotta do is kick the toilet seat to make sure nothing's under it.

I check the ceiling too, but I'm just an overly cautious guy.

[clussy]

(It's a good tactic, definitely, but Eddie's moved past the initial perfect patch of horrors. Try again later, Peter, no doubt it'll work.

He's used to assholes. His best friend was a grade-A one, after all.)

Is there any space pesticide?

(He...might take a glance up. Just in case.)

[quickfingers]

[Peter'll be so proud if he instills even the faintest fear of space toilets for the foreseeable future.]

Dunno, maybe? We have a greenery. It's possible. After the dino infestation, like... we should have something to fight back the pests.