#listen I did my best and beggars cannot be choosers in this case

[neon-green-reagent]

Brendan Hughes as Vlad Tepes in To Die For

[melodylandmouse]

Last week I think? Pom brought up that they had read something about lawyers jogging to help with anxiety and that they could see Benny doing that which I heckin’ LOVED the idea of, so I went out and read a thing about lawyers also meditating to help with stress, so all of that combined with the already existent headcanon of mine that Benny is made of pipe cleaners and duct tape (read: flimsy as all heck) resulted in me writing this little ditty.

Just a shortish one-shot that I’ve been calling “Benny Jogs to Taco Bell” even though a more accurate title would be something along the lines of:

“Benny Tries to Run from his Problems but is Harshly Reminded that he is his Own Problem Most of the Time (also Oliver is there)”

Contains fluff, doctors doing doctor things, and lots of robots being robotic. Rated PG-13 tops probably, fic below the cut, rip mobile users. 1800 words. Not the best thing I’ve ever written, but I still like it, so enjoy. I don’t think there’s any applicable trigger warnings since they’re all robots?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the unusual sights in Toontown, a backstabber booking it around the courtyard of Lawbot Headquarters before a trial was not one of them.

“There he goes,” buzzed a Spin Doctor to a Big Wig, both Lawbots’ glares following the lesser cog as he jogged by the entryway. He very nearly tripped over an invading toon on his way by, but he was too busy and she too stunned for them to engage.

The Big Wig scoffed and shook his head. “This case will not even be a challenge. I almost pity that shopkeeper.”

“Agreed. The rabbit would have been better off being represented by a pile of scrap he picked up off the street,” the Doctor added, turning his nose up. As they continued on their way to the courtroom, their sneers nearly turned to cruel smiles.

Benedict heard none of this. His focus was inward even as he nearly ran over that cat by the entryway. He didn't think about his ill-fated defense, didn't think about that openly-mocking prosecutor, and certainly didn't think about what was going to happen to his defendant when he inevitably lost this case… He had already taken the time to hope that some toons would be in the jury, and now he had ten minutes of nothing but last minute preparations before he needed to be in court, unless he wanted to be late to being thirty minutes early for the trial.

He had tried taking these ten minutes to update his will and say some hopeless prayers in the past, and therefore knew firsthand that this was a better way to spend his limited time. He kept his eyes forward, watching the floor ahead of him to make sure he didn't trip or run over anything, holding his pace at a brisk jog. Any faster and he'd be putting unnecessary stress on his systems. Any slower, and he wouldn't need to concentrate on keeping said systems in check. This way, he could just feel his pistons pumping at a constant rate, just focus on getting his oil flowing to every limb, just listen over the mostly deadened noise of his engine to the dull whir of his fans and bellows working to keep his components cool and clear, and of course just plunk, CRASH!

Benny didn't even have time to register that something had happened before he was on the ground in a dazed heap. That hadn't felt very good...

He groaned and sat up easily enough… He hadn't detected anything wrong before he had gone down, so perhaps it had just been some imperfection on the completely smooth and level flooring that had made him slip up…? He started to get up slowly, and discovered the problem almost immediately when his left knee buckled under pressure. He was sure he could hear something grinding in there, and, even worse, something rattling around further down his leg whenever he moved it. He winced. ‘Scrap...’

Rather than trying that again, he deployed his propeller, the blades whirling above his head just quick enough to get him off the ground and upright. He cautiously lowered himself; he could still control that leg despite the knee being what he could only describe as dislocated, so maybe... Yes, it could still support his weight so long as he didn't put too much on it. The moment he tried to bend it to walk, however, he nearly ended up on the ground again.

After several minutes of cautious experimentation that left him gritting his teeth, Benny was finally heading towards the courtroom with a stiff limp. So long as he kept that leg locked straight, it would support him long enough to take quick steps. Sure that rattling sound was attracting some stares, but it wasn’t like that was particularly unusual. He was used to ignoring them, and so just kept his eyes ahead and flew over the stairs rather than climbing them. He’d just have to make sure he stood in one spot during the trial, and hope his rhetoric was strong enough to keep everyone’s attention on his defense...

He was about to duck hurriedly into the courtroom when someone seized him by the elbow on his injured side and started dragging him in the opposite direction. Benny yelped as his leg was knocked out of its locked position by the sudden movement, but the grip on his arm made sure he stayed upright. “What do you think you’re—” His indignant remark was abruptly cut off when he looked up and saw a familiar Spin Doctor glancing down at him.

“Silence. You have the time,” Oliver said firmly, guiding Benny around the corner to one of the marble benches lining the hallway. It was quieter over here without the noise of all those other Lawbots shuffling into the courtroom. The Spin Doctor set to work the moment the Backstabber was sitting, bending the malfunctioning leg experimentally.

The grinding and rattling still made Benny grimace. “How come you weren’t in the courtroom already?”

“I was coming to look for you. You were late,” Oliver explained. He already had Benny’s leg open, the small bolts that had been holding the exterior plates together each falling victim to a simple twirl of Oliver’s fingers.

Benny watched Oliver work with almost morbid fascination; his favorite Spin Doctor hadn’t wanted to be a mechanic at first, but that hadn’t stopped him from becoming so well practiced at his job that Benny couldn��t even feel him plucking bolts and poking around his internal structures. “Only relatively,” he said defensively, but it had little bite to it. “And now I suppose you know why.”

Oliver frowned, reaching down into his leg. “I’ve already called Jennifer.” He pulled out a particularly large screw from the bottom of Benny’s leg and showed it to him.

Benny groaned. “Oh no, that really wasn’t necessary!”

“This is a support screw, Benedict, an important one. If the other falls out, this joint is worthless,” Oliver growled, nudging Benny’s nearly useless leg for emphasis. Benny flinched, glancing stubbornly off to the side. “You insist on jogging even though you know your structure cannot safely handle the strain. I am finished waiting around for you to break down every time you take a case, so Jennifer is going to get you some better parts and you are going to sit still long enough for us to install them.”

“So that’s why you keep sitting in on all my clients’ trials.”

Oliver carefully replaced the fallen screw, spinning it back into place with a flick of his precise fingers. “It is one of the many reasons.”

Benny couldn’t help but smile. He glanced back over and saw Oliver looking up at him expectantly. He slowly bent his leg. Oliver studied the working parts carefully, then stood up straight and offered Benny his hand. Benny used it for leverage, and stretched his legs. Satisfied that he wouldn’t fall apart mid-trial, Oliver closed the plates over his leg again.

“Thank you.”

“Just take things slow until I can get a better look.”

“I’ll do my best,” Benny promised with a small chuckle.

The pair headed back towards the trial, Benny’s hand on Oliver’s shoulder.

 ------------------------

“Are you sure this is an ‘improvement’?”

It was the most skeptical expression both Oliver and the Micromanager standing next to him had ever seen on a Backstabber who happened to be doing lunges in circles around them.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Ben,” replied Jennifer, the Micromanager. “Sellbot parts are the easiest to get even without considering that any other make would have to be imported.”

“They will do,” Oliver added firmly.

Benny stood up straight and looked distastefully down at his legs. They looked exactly the same on the outside, but inside they were all but entirely different. Oliver, with Jennifer’s assistance, had spent several hours working on fitting the barely compatible legs of a Two-Face chassis into Benny’s frame without damaging any parts. It was fortunate that Oliver had been up to the challenge, or else the upgrade may not have worked; although they were the correct size, fitting all of Benny’s modified parts in and around them in a way that wouldn’t cause any problems in the foreseeable future had caused some anticipated difficulty. Oliver was rather proud of his work, and knew that Benny really did appreciate the effort, so he didn’t mind quite as much when the Backstabber had scowled at the concept of having Sellbot insignias engraved into almost every part of his lower chassis.

“I believe you,” Benny said, raising his hands in surrender. “I��m just saying that I’m pretty sure that going from high quality Lawbot engineering to this is more of a downgrade in general.”

Oliver and Jennifer exchanged a look, but neither was about to remind him that he hadn’t been built with quite the same integrity as other Lawbots.

“I’ll admit it, I do not disagree with you there,” Jennifer said instead, pulling a pair of sunglasses from a pocket inside her suit. “But considering that you can jog to your heart’s content now, I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the gags on this one. Take care, Ben, Oliver.”

“Take care,” Oliver replied as she took her leave. Benny just hummed, lost in thought. Oliver gave him a look. “What is it?”

Benny looked over at him, thinking about the new parts. And more specifically, how Jennifer had probably gotten her hands on them... None of them was overly troubled when it came to finances, but brand new Sellbot replacement parts, especially chassis components, were not cheap. She certainly had not resorted to petty theft to get them for him, at least not in the traditional sense, but that wasn’t reassuring. He had seen the alternatives land many cogs and toons alike in much deeper trouble than simple crime would have. “Nothing you need to worry about,” Benny said with a reassuring smile.

Oliver knew that look all too well. That affectionate sort of smile that he had seen older toons give their younger counterparts... He found it endearing and patronizing in equal measure. He frowned and shook his head. “As if I wasn’t the one just looking after you.”

Benny actually laughed aloud at that. “You can’t blame me for that! You obviously worry enough as it is. Like I’m going to intentionally bother you with any of my problems.”

“Do you have any more problems for me to be bothered by?” Oliver asked immediately, seeming to think that if he squinted hard enough at Benedict’s face that he’d be able to read his mind.

“Oh, let me get out my list,” Benny snickered, clapping him on the shoulder.

Oliver might’ve scoffed at that, but it came out as more of a snort. “Point taken.”

“Good. Now off you get, I’ve got things to do.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

Benny just smiled and jogged off into the distance. Oliver rolled his eyes and nearly groaned aloud. Of course he was going to break in his new joints.

And if that ended up being literal again, so help him...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading! <3

[glitteryyouthstudentworld]

I believe, that in order to change the misconceptions and negative perspectives, of which society has many in relation to our criminal justice system, we need to change the headlines. I was taken aback this weekend when I went to double check my spelling of a name before commenting on a related post on LinkedIn. The curse of the red line, or lines in this case, as neither the forename or surname were recognised. However, and for once, the mocking red line turned out to be a blessing in disguise – I would’ve said disgiusy but it wouldn’t have made literal sense until further on.

The blessing in disguise of the curse of the red line has given me the perfect opportunity to provide a visual representation about a part of the Journey of a reformed man. Not only that, it has also provided a perfect representation of the hashtag I primarily use, #WhatCanBe.

I am of the opinion that it is in our human nature to learn. Nurturing is a major influence behind the motivation for a Master or Miss, or even a Mr or Mrs, to learn. No matter what we do in life, we learn. Every day has a lesson to be learnt if we are willing. Not only are we students of life, we are also in one form or another teachers too.

Since I was a young child I’ve had a thirst for knowledge. A yearning for learning that has grown rather than diminish over the years. It wasn’t learning I had a problem with, I loved learning, it was teachers, school and authority whom I took umbrage with, something which I take full responsibility for. We can only be responsible for our own actions and not the actions or reactions of others. That is for their conscience.

My last, and final, prison sentence, for once, came in the right place and at the right time. Basically, I was lucky to be in prison.

“You were whaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt!!!!!!!?”

Yeah! I was lucky. In more ways than one too. Even from a practical perspective. I had a roof over my head. Regular meals every day. Okay, so the food wasn’t anything to write home about, well, not unless you were moaning. Which we did. Constantly. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right? My cell was en-suite. Sort of. Then again, was my cell in a toilet? Having said that, my cell (or W.C) was also where I ate my nothing to write home about food. So, did I???

Sleep in a toilet?

Eat in my bedroom? or

Shit in my dining-room?

Let’s just say my cell was convenient in an inconvenient situation that had convenience within.

But! And a big BUT! at that. I cannot lie, I like a big BUT! (Bet you sung the song in your head).

It was also a room which gave me the perfect home from which to, first grow the fuck up (to a point), then become self-aware of who I was, who I wanted to be and how I was going to get there. Ergo, #WhatCanBe.

I didn’t want to label the following images as before and after. That could constitute I have arrived at some form of pre-determined destination which could not be any further from the truth. #WhatCanBe has a long way to travel yet. You could even say #WhatCanBe  is infinite. I’d also like to think the images provided a great example in relation to Journey of a reformed man.

I have written quite a lot about what worked for ME! in prison. However, in respect of writing/creative writing, as I began my latest education journey studying for an Access Module via The Open University and distance learning, it was because of the feedback I was receiving from my tutor which gave me the confidence and belief to replace the old negative, helped along by others over the years, self-talk with “ya know what David my old son, you can actually do this” as I moved on to my degree. The staff within the education department at HMP Norwich along with the library staff all conspired to also provide me with confidence and belief in my newly found talent to create rather than destruct.

Best drug ever.

So much better than spice, crack and heroin that’s for sure.

Change happens within the individual. Change usually takes place if and when the individual is ready to do so.

However!

Change is also something that can be influenced to start earlier than expected.

Just having belief in someone can be a key to unlocking it.

The difference when people hear you, listen to you and believe in you can and does change the headlines.

One to one… They meet, maybe across a table.

A soul-less room, wet with tears, thick with pain.

STOP!!!

Please… Just listen, before you fail me.

For a poem is not just sound it is silence as well.

We fail to listen to understand whilst providing rapid response.

The empathetic listening ear changes ways of thinking.

We listen… We learn… of others, hopes, failures, fears and dreams.

Unselfish connections in this absorbed and troubled world.

Unconditional listening, an art form… not achieved by all.

Creating a deeper bond of empathy, the trade begins.

Come quietly into my world and allow me to be me.

Failure comes when ears are closed.

#WhatCanBe

        THE DIFFERENCE WHEN PEOPLE HEAR YOU, LISTEN TO YOU AND BELIEVE IN YOU CAN AND DOES... Change the headlines! I believe, that in order to change the misconceptions and negative perspectives, of which society has many in relation to our criminal justice system, we need to change the headlines.

[thewordonmainstreet]

Something for Nothing - Time To Disrupt Retail As We Know It

Just to clear the air, this is written not from the perspective of hating those that need help.  I’ve been down and out more than I’ve been up and in in my life and boy, do I know tough times.  I’ve been broke more than I’ve been fixed and living in poverty means I usually always have more month than money and have to deny myself of so many things that I would like in a consumerist society like ours.  So I’ve been there, I’ve seen shit happen and I know how painful life can be so I’m not hating, I’m just more or less writing about my observations and how this may be influencing change in the marketplace.

I spend a lot of time on Kijiji just sort of people watching in a way.  I find it interesting to see what goes on in Ottawa online.  But now, a new trend has taken flight. Online panhandling or stating your need and hoping people will give.  I see new pleas and urgent situations everyday.  From our house burned down to I got evicted hours after I paid my rent to the pedestrian unemployed and EI has run out and welfare isn’t enough to pay my bills.  All kinds of crisis situations hit Kijiji in the free section of all places almost hourly.  Oddly enough, the free section is where broke people flock who are looking to score something free so really, not the best of target audiences.  And then there are those who want something free and delivered to boot.  What is this, FedEx?  I’ve seen requests for everything from a kitchen table and four chairs to a boxspring because my mattress is on the floor to the necessities for a new baby and maternity clothes to a new computer and it must be a laptop with Windows 10, a new set of winter tires and toys for my kids - not used please.  Not used?  And you want them free?  Have you got some balls.  Or maybe you don’t.  Maybe you’re hoping for some if someone answers your post.  Oh, I’ve seen it all.  They say beggars can’t be choosers but I guess that was so 2016.  Out of the recent postings that have stuck out in my mind, here are the best two:

Hi, I'm looking for a microfibre sectional or suede or other. I don't want leather dogs will ruin it. I have 2 dogs and would like something for them to lay on also for myself and my boyfriend. I would hope it would come from smoke free home or pet friendly or none there's no preference but I do want kind of mint condition meaning no stains or tears. Unless you are willing to clean before I pick it up. 

AAAND......... I am a young mother of three children. I left an abusive relationship and pretty much left everything behind. I hate to sound desperate but just trying to make our home cozy. I have always been one to give, and hoping that my family can also get some help. Unfourtunately, I do not have money for bus fare and do not own a car. So delivery would be needed and very much thankful. These are the following item's in need; - Furniture; couch, chair, coffee table, end tables, lamps. (We are currently using a broken couch that seats 2 for a family of 4) - Dining Room Table, at least 4 chairs. We also need a highchair for the baby. -Toy Boxes. At least 2. -Pictures, Little Nic Nacs. -TV if anyone has to spare. -Curtains, and curtain rods. -Gift cards for groceries and diapers and wipes, any unopened food items. -DVDs for children ages 4Girl, 2Boy, 1Boy. -Garbage Bags. -Toys, and Crafts. -Dishes. Girl clothes 5T Boy clothes 4-5T & 2T Medium-Large adult clothes. Picture Frames, nails if possible. Home decor. Anything helps. Thank you to all those who can or cannot help. Happy New Year. :) If you have any spare items your willing to part with please message me and I can tell you if I could use it.

Does no one have money anymore?  I know it’s easier to ask for something for free but come on, these leeches are taking over the free section like nobodys’ business and since when did society owe you everything to furnish your home or an XBox just because you feel you deserve one?  So I guess here we have it, panhandling in 2017.  No one carries cash and they don’t rent debit terminals to vagrants so this is future panhandling.  People never listen but the Internet always does.  A sucker is born every minute.  It seems everyone is now a believer in Jesus’ words “ask and you shall receive” even if they’re heathens because every hour, a new request for something.  Sure, I love free things too but much is to be said for working for the things you want.  The holidays brought a wave of pleas out of the woodwork, everyone hoping to catch some good person in the holiday spirit.  And most of these families had 7 kids.  It seems it’s never the small families with uncomplicated cases that come to Kijiji with a need, it’s the ones with the more mouths to feed or should I say they just put “I have 7 kids” to reel in a better bounty?  Ya think???

Most of the ads will affirm that they’ve tried Ontario Works, they’ve tried their community centre, non-profits, and the food bank and they cannot help.  Is this perhaps the result of no job creation but jobs at Tim Hortons, threadbare social programs with year-long waiting lists and the general collapse of the economy as we once knew?  It’s quite disturbing to see the volume of urgent plea ads. trending upwards.  That means we’re not doing well as an economy.  Politicians may say jobs numbers are great and the country is thriving but Kijiji ads. tell the real story.  People are facing hard times like never before and don’t have the resources to cope.  This influx of requests could be framed as giving established retail the middle finger.  So we see a case for disrupting traditional retail as we know it.  I fully agree that prices are way out of hand in comparison to todays’ job quality and plummeting incomes.  I can only afford to buy used myself.  Freecycle, swap meets and community free for all days are non-profit, environmentally friendly, help people right away, and bring communities together.  It also has a ripple effect on the bottom lines of traditional retailers.  If enough people change join the anti-establishment alternative retail movement, retailers will take notice. Think of the relationships and sense of community that will be born out of a sharing/bartering/free economy.  I’d rather build my community than build the profits of a billion dollar enterprise that often exploits workers and has questionable management practises, I don’t know about you.  Alternative retailing just makes good sense for real life in 2017.