Hey, guys, since I've been feeling really creative lately, I'm gonna update fairly often until I finish this. Please leave me reviews on your way out so I know what you think and feel about this.

Summary: Stan couldn't have it in him to stay away.

It would have probably been a smarter idea to not get mixed up in the world of the goth kids back in elementary school. Stan marsh wasn't goth. He may not have been normal, but he wasn't goth. He had an affinity for poetry, but his depression wasn't bad enough for his musings to be dark all of the time. His soul was baptized as a child, his family was religious. However, he wasn't really the type to worship Cthulhu.

However, he somehow clicked with the four outcasts in his own way.

He discovered an out from a sport he didn't really get the social understanding of. His views on the world weren't judged the same way the others judged them.

He also learned to look at the world around himself differently. Like, the way his father took things too far. Stan figured out that maybe he's where his depression came from. Maybe Randy needed to be outrageous to not look at the world in black and grey. Just maybe.

"Have you guys ever tried the Dragon Age series? I mean, it's a fun game if you like rpgs. I have it for PlayStation 4."

Stan had asked one day while spending time with Firkle, Henrietta, Michael, and Pete.

Firkle wasn't too into the idea, same as Henrietta, Michael had a rather negative opinion about the whole idea. Pete had a speech prepared, somehow.

"Typical conformist, buying into the hype of spending overly large amounts of money just find fulfillment in life through the pre-thought out idea of commercial-"

Stan had interrupted him, unable to keep up.

"You can use magic as a mage and become a dark mage."

That had them sold, if only to judge it. Three hours later found them elbow deep in the battle against a troll on the hardest difficulty level, with Pete at the controls.

"Goddamn it, Raven."

Stan was left pretty pleased with himself.

It four weeks later that found Stan switching his clothes back to his regular jeans, brown jacket, and red poofball hat; much to the appreciation of Kyle.

And if Stan were being honest at the time, leaving the goth clique was nice since it stopped Cartman from making his comments every time the five goths went on their way to the back of the school.

"Ooooooh, look it, everyone! The whiny, depressed, fags are parading again! Quick, hide your knives, before they kill themselves."

"Eat a dick, cocksucker!"

"Emo, fag!"

It always ended with Pete and Michael nudging Stan with their shoulders.

"Just ignore them. When our three thousand years of darkness arrive, he'll be the first to go."

That was a pleasant lie to let himself believe.

He didn't stop hanging out with them though, from time to time.

He always joined them on Friday nights for poetry reading and creative writing. Often enough, they'd go out of town to bars that looked the other way at their age to listen to metal bands.

It was kind of an even mix in his life. When he wasn't hanging out with the goths, he was either chilling on his own or hanging out with his own friends. Pulling away from Cartman seemed to make it even better.

Last week found Kenny, Butters, Stan, and Firkle at Starks Pond hunting for spiders and lizards, despite their ages.

With Stan at the age of seventeen, Stan is in a good place.