My hands'll be free if we need 'em to be free, quit worrying so much.
[ haven't you ever heard of enjoying the moment, keith? sure, technically they're out here for a job, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy their time there while they can! they haven't devolved into petty squabbling just yet, either — that's gotta be something to be happy about. looks like having separate "rooms" helped after all...
in any case, he's so preoccupied with making sure billy is safe and comfortable in his hands, he almost doesn't notice the large shadow that suddenly crosses their path, about twenty feet ahead. the water sloshes loudly around his legs when he suddenly comes to a halting stop, meaning if keith happened to be following along close enough, he'd walk right into him. lance leans back slightly, whispering over his shoulder. ]
[It's not worrying, it's planning ahead. He'll just glare at the back of Lance's head for the time being, which naturally places that giant shadow somewhere in his peripheral. Peripheral becomes the focal point, though it's difficult to discern anything through the darkness -- including Lance's full stop. His own steps slowed some, but he only idles upon nearly walking into his company.
There's some urgency to slap a hand over Lance's mouth, as he's prone to screaming and shrieking like a woman in labor for no reason. He does not, having gone completely still -- just barely offering a nod in turn.
Which Lance wouldn't be able to see, uh.]
Yeah, be quiet...
[Wild glances here and there. The water up ahead's too shallow for what they're looking for, so that was clearly an axe murderer of some kind.]
[ he'd reassert that he knows to be quiet but that's kind of. counter-productive. and also proves himself wrong so... he just keeps shut for once, giving keith a slow nod in understanding. he makes a quick glance to his hands, relieved to find billy still safe and sound in the cup of his hands. his light is still shining, at the very least which, okay, is probably totally giving them away right now but whatever...
he takes a slow half-step back, just so he can pivot slightly and look to keith better. he's not gonna say he's spooked but...
he's pretty spooked. this is the crazy killer castle-ship all over again... ]
Now's probably a good time to take out one of your twelve knives you stash somewhere on your body.
[This is, in fact, a spooky situation, but they put themselves into it! It's fine! Cryptid hunting at ass o'clock on an alien planet isn't supposed to be safe. Expect the unexpected -- anticipate the unexpected....]
What good is that gonna be when we only saw its shadow?!
[Close combat isn't even an issue; he's thrown knives with pinpoint accuracy in the past.]
Just, stay here with your friend.
[Pretending the situation's that simple is just as good as...if...it were. Anyway, the lone wolf of the apocalypse is now suggesting they split up while he goes to properly hunt the giant creature. Nevermind the sinking feeling that they're actively being hunted themselves.
Nevertheless, he's stepping forward, moving beyond Lance to investigate the shadowlands.]
[ he gets about two steps before his intent fully hits lance, and hastily he's reaching out with a hand (hastily shifting billy to the other — sorry, billy, hang on!) to grasp as keith's arm, yanking him back. ]
Are you crazy?! [ he isn't yelling, which is a point in his favor tbh. but he's definitely hissing this close to keith's face... ] Splitting up's a big no-no! That's what the crazy axe-murderer [ why is that their first thought in this situation ] wants us to do so he can pick us off one-by-one! We can't let him win!
[ there now comes a low, half-groaning half-buzzing sound coming from somewhere to their right, heightening this spooky experience up another level. ]
Shh! [ nvm that he's the only one talking here. he shuffles a little closer to keith, glancing in the general direction of where the sound came from. ]
[Sometimes he...just needs to be reminded of what's inappropriate in times of great stress. He's stopped without a struggle, like a puppy that's been scruffed.]
It's not an axe-murderer...
[His one gripe about Lance's deduction. The rest is...sort of...okay. Lance is scared, it wouldn't be fair to abandon him in a dark swamp with that weird buzzing--
Almost like a helicopter, but more organic. There's a hard swallow and he's leaning his head closer to Lance's, as if to better perceive what's in store for them. Like leaning closer to him would force him to share his height/vantage via osmosis.]
It's--
[Glowing, dully. The tall grass is making it difficult to perceive, but it's also landed some feet in front of them. Something big...but not...in height?]
[ lance, in contrast, stops moving the moment the buzzing persists, save for the widening of his eyes and the tightening of his grip around keith's arm. he's at least very consciously not tightening his fist around poor billy, whom lance notices belatedly has also started to buzz and bop around in what lance assumes is sympathy fear... ]
Good idea.
[ even with their faces presses side-by-side like this, lance isn't all that eager to disengage just yet... as if any sort of movement might further anger the extra cryptid. slowly, he takes a step back, then another, trusting keith to follow along. ]
[This is okay, tentatively ebbing away, gaining a bit of a head start. He does follow that lead, but only for a handful of steps...
Then he's spinning around, gripping Lance by his skinny goddamn bicep and bolting back into the direction from which they came. Worst case scenario, they're followed, but they end up reaching he edge of the forest and are thereby allowed to find some coverage to sneak off.
That plan crashes and burns nearly from the getgo. The giant shadow passes overhead (a glance up confirms disgusting legs, some fur?) only for it to settle ahead of them once more.
And he's skidding (sloshing?) to a halt.]
Okay, this isn't working.
[He'll go ahead and reach for his weird Galran knife now -- with his free hand. The other's still digging into Lance's shoulder. Something to note: it isn't...attacking them....
But his knife sounds good right now. Like a security blanket.]
[ KEITH??? YOU TELL PEOPLE WHEN YOU DECIDE TO DO THESE THINGS!
it's a wonder lance doesn't trip and fall flat on his face in that moment, what with the abruptness of it all, not to mention the gooeyness of the marsh. when they suddenly stop again, he has a piece of mind to yell at keith for his dumb idea, but now that they're still again he can no longer ignore the erratic thumping around in his hand. ]
—Hey, wait... Billy's going crazy.
[ hi keith meet billy, the firebug, you've already met but never been formally introduced. carefully, lance holds his fist up, slowly uncurling it to reveal the little lime-green firebug bouncing around on his palm.
the large shadow creature some fifteen feet away from them suddenly buzzes louder in response. ]
[Which isn't something he truly believes, not when he's got his knife-! But he's sure some of their frantic energy transferred over or something like that. He'd take a moment to ask who Billy is, if only to emphasize how stupid it is for him to have named the alien at all, let alone naming it Billy, but...
Desperate times, priorities. It was more important to alert him to their possible demise. The increased vibrating is an indicator of that potential. If only his knife weren't important, he'd have chucked it by now...but he's waiting for a good angle.]
Let's head back that way. [A motion over his shoulder.] When that thing moves above us, I'll get it.
[ oops, someone forgot to remind lance he's from a kid's show. keep it pg, lance! ]
We don't know if it's really gonna hurt us or not... [ lance is a marshmallow on the inside okay, someone has to be, and he's reluctant to kill something on the off-chance it isn't really, you know. as scarily intent on maiming them as it has seemed for the past couple of minutes.
on his hand, billy buzzes and bounces even louder, to which the giant shadow suddenly shifts and — seems to expand???
[The only possible indicator that they won't be killed by this thing is that it hasn't tried replicating any voices from their combined pasts...and...
And that's really it. It's preventing them from leaving, making itself bigger...]
Are you sure it's not gonna kill us?!
[Rhetorical. He's lowering into a squat and urge-pulling Lance to do the same. If he weren't so concerned about not getting swallowed whole/perfecting his aim and killing the giant creature in one go, he may recommend shooing Billy away. Just in case it explodes as a means of self-defense -- like a voltorb.
[ lance opens his hand as wide as he can, and even tries to sort of... bop it up and down in an attempt to let billy go. any fears he previously had about the large winged creature potentially trying to eat billy seems to have left him, the moment he realized that, given its size, it could have done that any time it wanted to... if it really wanted to.
but billy remains on his hand, exchanging erratic buzzes with the large shadow creature. before long, said creature lifts one of its wings again and —
it seems to be pointing? ]
Wait... you think it's trying to help us?
[ honestly what a roller coaster of emotions this has been. ]
[Again, he's gonna make a grab for Lance's hood, tugging him in reverse. This has been the most trifling game of fishy fishy cross my ocean ever.]
I think it's using us as bait, so get away from it!
[This would be so much easier if they weren't in a marsh. Like, if they were cornered in the forest again. On the other hand, at east these encounters are preparing them for an insect takeover...]
[ ah... sorry, billy, looks like the baby's cranky and is in need of a nap.
lance makes more of an effort to fling billy away, actually swinging his hand around in wild arcs, but that little bug has got velcro for feet or something because it isn't going away at all...
at least, until they reach the middle of the marsh, at which point the large winged creature buzzes to the point of vibrating the earth beneath it, and billy very suddenly and swiftly flies away... almost like it were running away. ]
Huh, [ says lance in the silence that follows. ] That's weir—
[ and then the giant fish cryptid they were originally looking for comes out from the marsh and bodyslams them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
[Good thing he made Keith take a picture of Lance with his friend. That way, next time he decides to befriend an insect's husband, they can use that as a reference point. A warning to others.]
Crap-!
[Footing is difficult to maintain, even though the vibrating isn't quite as bad as an earthquake. He stops, thinking it'd be a good idea to try physically laying low again, but...
But the giant horrendous creature has different plans. I mean, it has the same effect; Keith's now sideways, half-submerged in marshy water. His grip on Lance is completely lost.]
Lance?!
[While shoving himself onto his knees. God, this is fucking cold and wet and he's definitely going to stab that thing inbetween the eyes -- wherever it went.
He's asking for Lance while looking around wildly; if it weren't so dark and the marsh weren't so messy..........]
[ whatever happened to that sad little flashlight you had keith... not that it would have done anything for them at this point, not even the moon overhead is providing that much light. if anything, it's just casting more shadows that look suspiciously like other creatures that could potentially kill them, though the one currently trying to is taking a good chunk of attention at the moment.
in any case, keith's frantic calls is soon answered by an equally frantic, ] KEEEEEITH!! [ though it sounds unfortunately some distance away. if he should turn, he'll see and hear a lot of desperate splashing, lance reaching out towards the other boy while he appears to be getting pulled down into the deeper parts of the marsh by something with a pretty good hold of his leg.
[Forget flashlights; he's thinking strictly about knives now.
His head whips around, from sky to water -- and apparently the silhouette of Lance being dragged off somewhere as usual. He is a leg. He's just a leg. Something not-so PG (Y7?) hisses out under his breath, mobilizing like FEMA to wade further into the water, rushing toward him like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch circa 1989. Is it the bugwife? The original monster they were searching for? Whatever it is, he's gonna kill it.
Just after he gets a grip on Lance; when he's near enough to try, his grip slips right off.]
Grab onto me!
[He's gonna kill it and chop it into pieces 💘. Start from back to front, so he has the opportunity to feed it to itself. Or get eaten just as well.]
once the large marsh-thing knocked him down, he fell like a sack of brings, completely submerged in the thick swamp water. for the paladin that's supposed to be the most comfortable in the element, the shock of it all had left him surprisingly and laughably inept. he'd barely been able to resurface before he felt a sharp tug on his right foot, and a force that has to belong to something sizable tug him back and down. he tries to yell but swallows swamp water instead, but by the second time he manages to shout out keith's name, which is where we are now in our journey, with lance scrambling to grab onto keith's hand and not slip away, despite all the gross swamp water making that an all too easy possibility.
he does finally get some purchase when his fingers hook onto keith's sleeve, and he tries his best to drag himself closer, but this giant catfish swamp thing is really, really strong. ]
Keith!! [ half of that is gargled in marsh water this is disgusting ] Don't let it eat me!
[ he's too young and beautiful to die like this! ]
[If a giant flying moth was difficult to spot, imagine how much more difficult it is for him to figure out where Lance is being grabbed and what's got him when they're surrounded by darkness and wetstuff.
A single arm makes its way around Lance's middle, intent on lifting him out of the water to eliminate some of the threat...but Lance is wet, heavy and whatever that thing is, it's got him by a leg.
That, and they're in too deep to be picking each other up. What a shitshow.]
I'm not going to!
[And out comes the knife. A vibrant, circular purple grow emanates from the handle.]
Which leg is it?!
[Talk about wrong implications. At least he's got the location/body part right.
What if it's a shark tho....fucking marsh sharks.]
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[ haven't you ever heard of enjoying the moment, keith? sure, technically they're out here for a job, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy their time there while they can! they haven't devolved into petty squabbling just yet, either — that's gotta be something to be happy about. looks like having separate "rooms" helped after all...
in any case, he's so preoccupied with making sure billy is safe and comfortable in his hands, he almost doesn't notice the large shadow that suddenly crosses their path, about twenty feet ahead. the water sloshes loudly around his legs when he suddenly comes to a halting stop, meaning if keith happened to be following along close enough, he'd walk right into him. lance leans back slightly, whispering over his shoulder. ]
Hey — did you see that?
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There's some urgency to slap a hand over Lance's mouth, as he's prone to screaming and shrieking like a woman in labor for no reason. He does not, having gone completely still -- just barely offering a nod in turn.
Which Lance wouldn't be able to see, uh.]
Yeah, be quiet...
[Wild glances here and there. The water up ahead's too shallow for what they're looking for, so that was clearly an axe murderer of some kind.]
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he takes a slow half-step back, just so he can pivot slightly and look to keith better. he's not gonna say he's spooked but...
he's pretty spooked. this is the crazy killer castle-ship all over again... ]
Now's probably a good time to take out one of your twelve knives you stash somewhere on your body.
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What good is that gonna be when we only saw its shadow?!
[Close combat isn't even an issue; he's thrown knives with pinpoint accuracy in the past.]
Just, stay here with your friend.
[Pretending the situation's that simple is just as good as...if...it were. Anyway, the lone wolf of the apocalypse is now suggesting they split up while he goes to properly hunt the giant creature. Nevermind the sinking feeling that they're actively being hunted themselves.
Nevertheless, he's stepping forward, moving beyond Lance to investigate the shadowlands.]
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Are you crazy?! [ he isn't yelling, which is a point in his favor tbh. but he's definitely hissing this close to keith's face... ] Splitting up's a big no-no! That's what the crazy axe-murderer [ why is that their first thought in this situation ] wants us to do so he can pick us off one-by-one! We can't let him win!
[ there now comes a low, half-groaning half-buzzing sound coming from somewhere to their right, heightening this spooky experience up another level. ]
Shh! [ nvm that he's the only one talking here. he shuffles a little closer to keith, glancing in the general direction of where the sound came from. ]
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It's not an axe-murderer...
[His one gripe about Lance's deduction. The rest is...sort of...okay. Lance is scared, it wouldn't be fair to abandon him in a dark swamp with that weird buzzing--
Almost like a helicopter, but more organic. There's a hard swallow and he's leaning his head closer to Lance's, as if to better perceive what's in store for them. Like leaning closer to him would force him to share his height/vantage via osmosis.]
It's--
[Glowing, dully. The tall grass is making it difficult to perceive, but it's also landed some feet in front of them. Something big...but not...in height?]
Maybe we should go.
[THIS IS THE WRONG CRYPTID.]
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Good idea.
[ even with their faces presses side-by-side like this, lance isn't all that eager to disengage just yet... as if any sort of movement might further anger the extra cryptid. slowly, he takes a step back, then another, trusting keith to follow along. ]
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Then he's spinning around, gripping Lance by his skinny goddamn bicep and bolting back into the direction from which they came. Worst case scenario, they're followed, but they end up reaching he edge of the forest and are thereby allowed to find some coverage to sneak off.
That plan crashes and burns nearly from the getgo. The giant shadow passes overhead (a glance up confirms disgusting legs, some fur?) only for it to settle ahead of them once more.
And he's skidding (sloshing?) to a halt.]
Okay, this isn't working.
[He'll go ahead and reach for his weird Galran knife now -- with his free hand. The other's still digging into Lance's shoulder. Something to note: it isn't...attacking them....
But his knife sounds good right now. Like a security blanket.]
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it's a wonder lance doesn't trip and fall flat on his face in that moment, what with the abruptness of it all, not to mention the gooeyness of the marsh. when they suddenly stop again, he has a piece of mind to yell at keith for his dumb idea, but now that they're still again he can no longer ignore the erratic thumping around in his hand. ]
—Hey, wait... Billy's going crazy.
[ hi keith meet billy, the firebug, you've already met but never been formally introduced. carefully, lance holds his fist up, slowly uncurling it to reveal the little lime-green firebug bouncing around on his palm.
the large shadow creature some fifteen feet away from them suddenly buzzes louder in response. ]
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Yeah, because we're about to get killed!
[Which isn't something he truly believes, not when he's got his knife-! But he's sure some of their frantic energy transferred over or something like that. He'd take a moment to ask who Billy is, if only to emphasize how stupid it is for him to have named the alien at all, let alone naming it Billy, but...
Desperate times, priorities. It was more important to alert him to their possible demise. The increased vibrating is an indicator of that potential. If only his knife weren't important, he'd have chucked it by now...but he's waiting for a good angle.]
Let's head back that way. [A motion over his shoulder.] When that thing moves above us, I'll get it.
[The PG version of I'll Stab It To Death.]
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[ oops, someone forgot to remind lance he's from a kid's show. keep it pg, lance! ]
We don't know if it's really gonna hurt us or not... [ lance is a marshmallow on the inside okay, someone has to be, and he's reluctant to kill something on the off-chance it isn't really, you know. as scarily intent on maiming them as it has seemed for the past couple of minutes.
on his hand, billy buzzes and bounces even louder, to which the giant shadow suddenly shifts and — seems to expand???
no those are wings... ]
1/2
And that's really it. It's preventing them from leaving, making itself bigger...]
Are you sure it's not gonna kill us?!
[Rhetorical. He's lowering into a squat and urge-pulling Lance to do the same. If he weren't so concerned about not getting swallowed whole/perfecting his aim and killing the giant creature in one go, he may recommend shooing Billy away. Just in case it explodes as a means of self-defense -- like a voltorb.
He's certainly--
Buzzing?
Wait a a second.]
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Maybe it's just him. He's looking to and from Lance/Billy with increasingly furrowed brows.]
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oh.
they definitely are making the same sound.
YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS RIGHT— ]
Ohmygod, it's Billy's wife!!
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But...]
Why is she so big?!
[Way to be offensive.]
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Maybe this is like the praying mantis... Maybe she's trying to eat him!
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[Why would she be trying to eat him? He's so small.]
Let him go, we're leaving.
[Not that Lance is really forcing him to stay anymore....]
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but billy remains on his hand, exchanging erratic buzzes with the large shadow creature. before long, said creature lifts one of its wings again and —
it seems to be pointing? ]
Wait... you think it's trying to help us?
[ honestly what a roller coaster of emotions this has been. ]
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I think it's using us as bait, so get away from it!
[This would be so much easier if they weren't in a marsh. Like, if they were cornered in the forest again. On the other hand, at east these encounters are preparing them for an insect takeover...]
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lance makes more of an effort to fling billy away, actually swinging his hand around in wild arcs, but that little bug has got velcro for feet or something because it isn't going away at all...
at least, until they reach the middle of the marsh, at which point the large winged creature buzzes to the point of vibrating the earth beneath it, and billy very suddenly and swiftly flies away... almost like it were running away. ]
Huh, [ says lance in the silence that follows. ] That's weir—
[ and then the giant fish cryptid they were originally looking for comes out from the marsh and bodyslams them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
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Crap-!
[Footing is difficult to maintain, even though the vibrating isn't quite as bad as an earthquake. He stops, thinking it'd be a good idea to try physically laying low again, but...
But the giant horrendous creature has different plans. I mean, it has the same effect; Keith's now sideways, half-submerged in marshy water. His grip on Lance is completely lost.]
Lance?!
[While shoving himself onto his knees. God, this is fucking cold and wet and he's definitely going to stab that thing inbetween the eyes -- wherever it went.
He's asking for Lance while looking around wildly; if it weren't so dark and the marsh weren't so messy..........]
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in any case, keith's frantic calls is soon answered by an equally frantic, ] KEEEEEITH!! [ though it sounds unfortunately some distance away. if he should turn, he'll see and hear a lot of desperate splashing, lance reaching out towards the other boy while he appears to be getting pulled down into the deeper parts of the marsh by something with a pretty good hold of his leg.
why is it always his leg... ]
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His head whips around, from sky to water -- and apparently the silhouette of Lance being dragged off somewhere as usual. He is a leg. He's just a leg. Something not-so PG (Y7?) hisses out under his breath, mobilizing like FEMA to wade further into the water, rushing toward him like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch circa 1989. Is it the bugwife? The original monster they were searching for? Whatever it is, he's gonna kill it.
Just after he gets a grip on Lance; when he's near enough to try, his grip slips right off.]
Grab onto me!
[He's gonna kill it and chop it into pieces 💘. Start from back to front, so he has the opportunity to feed it to itself. Or get eaten just as well.]
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has no defense.
once the large marsh-thing knocked him down, he fell like a sack of brings, completely submerged in the thick swamp water. for the paladin that's supposed to be the most comfortable in the element, the shock of it all had left him surprisingly and laughably inept. he'd barely been able to resurface before he felt a sharp tug on his right foot, and a force that has to belong to something sizable tug him back and down. he tries to yell but swallows swamp water instead, but by the second time he manages to shout out keith's name, which is where we are now in our journey, with lance scrambling to grab onto keith's hand and not slip away, despite all the gross swamp water making that an all too easy possibility.
he does finally get some purchase when his fingers hook onto keith's sleeve, and he tries his best to drag himself closer, but this giant catfish swamp thing is really, really strong. ]
Keith!! [ half of that is gargled in marsh water this is disgusting ] Don't let it eat me!
[ he's too young and beautiful to die like this! ]
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A single arm makes its way around Lance's middle, intent on lifting him out of the water to eliminate some of the threat...but Lance is wet, heavy and whatever that thing is, it's got him by a leg.
That, and they're in too deep to be picking each other up. What a shitshow.]
I'm not going to!
[And out comes the knife. A vibrant, circular purple grow emanates from the handle.]
Which leg is it?!
[Talk about wrong implications. At least he's got the location/body part right.
What if it's a shark tho....fucking marsh sharks.]
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i keep dropping the f word cus of that link
i can't believe you'd bring that up here... right in front of my salad
YOU LITERALLY MADE IT WORSE
yes this is my revenge
youre a bad man
lock me up
go away
fine
no
no????
no (i hope the moths are recurring friends in the future)
they'll visit keith as he's sleeping... glowing from the window
no thank you
too late
no, its not,
yes it's in the queue
i'll delete it
i'll delete you...
try it
right clicks you
delete your account
puts in trash
watch out for raccoons
you're the only pest here...
8^<
gross get that out of here
thats my face uh
yeah go on
https://i.gyazo.com/4ed4f6b343c1ac1a87b2b8bc2e6de516.png
who's lena she sounds needy
shes the woist
cut her loose
i plan on it
✂
snip ya balls off
my blueballs
away they go
bye...
oyasumi
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