pantherasapiens
you were always my best friend
- Location
- somewhere over your shoulder
[X] THROUGH THE WINDOW. YOU'D FIGURE OUT HOW TO SURVIVE THE FALL ON THE WAY DOWN.
The Arachne System (SPIDERLIV 3)
- Thread starter open_sketch
- Start date
- Superhero
JNewbold54
Asexual Gallifreyan
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] THROUGH THE WINDOW. YOU'D FIGURE OUT HOW TO SURVIVE THE FALL ON THE WAY DOWN.
The Upper Hand
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
YOU DASHED FOR THE WINDOW AND THROUGH IT, YOUR MOVEMENTS CLUMSY, MORE RAW STRENGTH THAN ANYTHING. EACH STEP A BOUND UNTIL YOUR SHOULD HIT THE GLASS AND YOUR LEGS WERE THROWN OUT FROM UNDER YOU AND YOU TUMBLED OUT ABOVE THE STREET.
IT WAS A BIGGER FALL THAN YOU'D REALIZED, BUT NOT LONG ENOUGH THAT YOU HAD MUCH TIME TO THINK. YOU RELAXED YOUR CONTROL JUST A LITTLE, JUST TO SEE WHAT YOUR HOST WOULD DO SO YOU COULD TAKE THE ACTION AND REPEAT IT. YOUR HAND TWITCHED TOWARD THE METAL THING HANGING FROM A CORD AROUND YOUR NECK, A THOUGHT IMPULSE, AND YOU FINISHED THE ACTION AND-
"What the fuck are you doing get out of our body you jerk who are you swing away from the building idiot i swear to god what is wrong with you??!?" AN OVERLAPPING BABBLE OF IDENTICAL VOICES SCREAMED INTO YOUR EAR FROM INSIDE THE HOOD WHICH HAD MANIFESTED AROUND YOUR HEAD. YOU DID YOUR BEST TO IGNORE THEM AS YOU REACHED OUT, TRYING TO IMITATE THE MOTION OF FIRING A LINE OF SPIDER SILK THE WAY THE MEMORIES SHOWED. NOTHING HAPPENED.
"No tech sense you fucking moron Liv that's ableist wait shit-" AND THEN YOU CRASHED INTO THE TOP OF A CAR AND BOUNCED. PAIN EXPLODED THROUGH YOU LIKE YOU'D NEVER FELT, OVERWHELMING, MIND-BLANKING, AND YOU LOST CONTROL.
---
You tumbled hard against the concrete sidewalk and against the brick of the building opposite, screams of alarm all around you from the pedestrians you'd almost run over, and you staggered to your feet with a groan.
"What the fuck was that?" you muttered weakly.
"There's something else in our brain." Athena replied smoothly, "Don't panic. I've been preparing for this possibility."
"... you've what?"
"Well, not this possibility, but an introject... hmm. Let's have this conversation back upstairs. I've looped in Nat and Clint." she said. You glanced back up the building, to the open window a dozen stories up, and reached out to-
"NO!" Your hand wavered, a pressure like a bad headache washing through you, "DON'T WANT TO GO."
"Jesus fucking Christ." you groaned. You tried again, but the closer you got to doing it the more resistance you felt, like trying to press two magnets into each other. "Fuck, ow."
"Oh, you're still here. Just who do you think you are?" Athena asked, her voice still that unnatural calm.
"NO!"
"Hm. Not blessed with a particularly robust vocabulary." Athena noted.
"Look, we're going, whoever the fuck you are." you said sternly. You set your legs to crawling up the nearest instead, which didn't seem to spark the same level of resistance, and would at least get you off the street. In the window opposite, you saw a face and long red hair suddenly appear as Nat decloaked, giving an exaggerated 'what the hell' gesture from across the street. You responded with an equally exaggerated shrug. "Heads full up, my dude."
"LET ME CONTROL YOU!" the voice screamed again, still fighting to the front, and you felt yourself trying to hold on to consciousness for dear life. "LET ME WIN!"
"Hm. Compelling." you replied tensely, "But nah."
"FUCK YOU." The pressure returned harder, harder than ever before, but soon burnt out.
"Dude, keep it down." Athena chided.
"FUCK YOU TOO."
"Charming."
Whoever the fuck this voice was, and you didn't have much patience for it, it didn't seem to quite be able to force you out of the front again, but the pressure in your skull every time it tried was disorienting. Not quite pain, but distracting. It felt the way it felt when Athena was trying to take the front, just more intense and longer and louder.
"THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD LET ME UP FRONT. IT WILL STOP IF YOU DO." the voice said, almost cackling to itself. "YOU CAN'T LAST FOREVER."
"Stop being dramatic. It's not that bad, it's just kind of a dick move." you muttered, resting against your mechanical harness on the side of the building. "You shouting in my fucking brain is way worse."
There was a short pause.
"I WILL KEEP SHOUTING UNTIL YOU LET ME UP FRONT! SHOUTING! SHOUTING! SHOUTING LOUDLY! SCREAMING! NOISES!"
"Shut up."
"YELLING!!!!"
"Wait, Liv, I have an idea." Athena said, and either through your shared brain or similar thought processes you realized what it was.
"Ahahaha, do it." you said, bracing yourself against the wall and taking a deep breath.
"WHAT ARE YOU ARRGAHNOSTOP-"
Just like she did a month ago, Athena streamed a file directly into the neural implant in your arm, causing an awful, discordant painful spasm that rippled through your body. It was bad, but like, maybe a seven, and only for a few minutes, you'd dealt with worse. Your new headmate, though, didn't seem to appreciate it very much.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
"You... you gonna stop yelling now?" you asked.
"FUCK YOU."
"Alright, hit it again Athena."
"NO. STOP!" it screamed, but you just gritted your teeth and Athena sent another pulse. Oh, you were sure it was already listening, but honestly at this point making it squirm was delightful in and of itself. "NO!"
Ahahahahahaha. Fuck you.
"... you know, actually, it's a little disturbing how much you're enjoying this, Liv."
"YES. SHE'S SICK!" the voice gasped.
"Shut up, I'll do it again." Athena said dispassionately, "However, I think I'll draw the line at torture for its own sake, even of entities who have forcefully hijacked our body."
"Spoilsport." you complained, "Though... maybe not just for its own sake. Hey voice, whatever the fuck you are, you have ten seconds to get out of my head, or we're going to run the pulse until you do."
"YOU WOULDN'T."
"I would."
"IT HURTS YOU TOO."
"Mhmm."
"YOU'RE INSANE."
"We don't use that word. Nine, eight, seven-"
"N-NO. I CAN'T LEAVE. I'M NOT ABLE TO."
"... six, five, four, three-"
"WE'RE STUCK. WE'RE STUCK TOGETHER NOW. PLEASE DON'T, PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING-"
"Two... oh. Anything, you say?"
"YES. ANYTHING. I JUST CAN'T LEAVE. I'LL DIE."
"Huh." you said. "Well, that's a shame. Athena?"
"... no. Liv, we can't kill it." Athena said, "That wouldn't be right."
"THANK YOU ATHENA."
"Though I'm not above aversion therapy to dissuade you from shouting into my friend's brain." she said sternly.
"SORR.... sorry."
"Better."
"Athena, it's probably just lying to save its own ass." you pointed out, "And I'm not feeling charitable today. Besides, it still might be killing us, it's clearly some kind of parasite-"
"I AM NOT A PARASOWFUCK!" it screamed, accompanied by a jolt in your arm, "I-I'm not a parasite. I'm a symbiote."
"Sure. That's you probably tell all your hosts before laying your eggs in their chest cavity." you said, "Same story every time. What makes you think you have a right to just barge into people's bodies like that and take them over?"
"Because we can." it intoned, "It is how we conquer other species. Use their bodies to our own ends."
"Hmm. No, I think Liv might be right, that sounds like a parasite to me."
"NO! It is a glorious process, becoming part of something greater. It will be what we do to humanity, because you can't stop us."
"Uh, consider yourself stopped, dude." you pointed out, "Like, if this is all it takes to stop you guys everyone should be fine. Life sucks and is painful and you can't even deal with that you don't stand a chance with us."
"If there's anything I've learned about humans its that they have a remarkable capacity for self-harm."
"No. The others I possessed were not so.... this."
"As strong?" Athena asked.
"HA! You are nothing special in that regard. Not as weak as other humans, but not strong, no." it said, "No. Not as... much. Not as many. Not as used to other voices."
"And what happened to them?" you asked.
"They died."
"Right. Athena, hit it."
"NO! I DIDN'T KILL THEM!" the voice screamed, "THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK ME DID. FORCED US BACK OUT, TO EXPERIMENT."
"Shouting." Athena warned tensely.
"Wait, us? There's more than one of you?"
"... Us. I. We. It is a continuum. Humans would not understand."
"You'd be surprised. So the Life Foundation has more than just you, and they're doing fucked up experiments on people?"
"Yes. They took the others, the rest of me, they took them away. I hid. Hibernated for a short time, in the cold. When we have no hosts, it is our only way to survive. In the cold, or vacuum of space, or-"
"Got it. We'll find a nice walk-in freezer, drop you off, and go fuck them up for you. How does that sound?" you asked.
"... or you could keep me and I could help you." it offered.
"Why? So you can gain my trust, reunite with the rest of you, and overwhelm me once we've done your dirty work and we've let our guard down?"
"... yes."
"Right, Athena, find a Dippin' Dots, we're gonna freeze this sucker."
"Wait!" the voice cried, "I can help, I CAN! Not just with information. Power. Strength. Healing."
"... healing?" you asked.
"You are broken. We cannot fix you, but we can... improve things. Stop this fucking pain, at least a little. Make you stronger. Change your body..."
"... I'm listening."
"We have many powers. What do you want?" it asked.
---
IT WAS A BIGGER FALL THAN YOU'D REALIZED, BUT NOT LONG ENOUGH THAT YOU HAD MUCH TIME TO THINK. YOU RELAXED YOUR CONTROL JUST A LITTLE, JUST TO SEE WHAT YOUR HOST WOULD DO SO YOU COULD TAKE THE ACTION AND REPEAT IT. YOUR HAND TWITCHED TOWARD THE METAL THING HANGING FROM A CORD AROUND YOUR NECK, A THOUGHT IMPULSE, AND YOU FINISHED THE ACTION AND-
"What the fuck are you doing get out of our body you jerk who are you swing away from the building idiot i swear to god what is wrong with you??!?" AN OVERLAPPING BABBLE OF IDENTICAL VOICES SCREAMED INTO YOUR EAR FROM INSIDE THE HOOD WHICH HAD MANIFESTED AROUND YOUR HEAD. YOU DID YOUR BEST TO IGNORE THEM AS YOU REACHED OUT, TRYING TO IMITATE THE MOTION OF FIRING A LINE OF SPIDER SILK THE WAY THE MEMORIES SHOWED. NOTHING HAPPENED.
"No tech sense you fucking moron Liv that's ableist wait shit-" AND THEN YOU CRASHED INTO THE TOP OF A CAR AND BOUNCED. PAIN EXPLODED THROUGH YOU LIKE YOU'D NEVER FELT, OVERWHELMING, MIND-BLANKING, AND YOU LOST CONTROL.
---
You tumbled hard against the concrete sidewalk and against the brick of the building opposite, screams of alarm all around you from the pedestrians you'd almost run over, and you staggered to your feet with a groan.
"What the fuck was that?" you muttered weakly.
"There's something else in our brain." Athena replied smoothly, "Don't panic. I've been preparing for this possibility."
"... you've what?"
"Well, not this possibility, but an introject... hmm. Let's have this conversation back upstairs. I've looped in Nat and Clint." she said. You glanced back up the building, to the open window a dozen stories up, and reached out to-
"NO!" Your hand wavered, a pressure like a bad headache washing through you, "DON'T WANT TO GO."
"Jesus fucking Christ." you groaned. You tried again, but the closer you got to doing it the more resistance you felt, like trying to press two magnets into each other. "Fuck, ow."
"Oh, you're still here. Just who do you think you are?" Athena asked, her voice still that unnatural calm.
"NO!"
"Hm. Not blessed with a particularly robust vocabulary." Athena noted.
"Look, we're going, whoever the fuck you are." you said sternly. You set your legs to crawling up the nearest instead, which didn't seem to spark the same level of resistance, and would at least get you off the street. In the window opposite, you saw a face and long red hair suddenly appear as Nat decloaked, giving an exaggerated 'what the hell' gesture from across the street. You responded with an equally exaggerated shrug. "Heads full up, my dude."
"LET ME CONTROL YOU!" the voice screamed again, still fighting to the front, and you felt yourself trying to hold on to consciousness for dear life. "LET ME WIN!"
"Hm. Compelling." you replied tensely, "But nah."
"FUCK YOU." The pressure returned harder, harder than ever before, but soon burnt out.
"Dude, keep it down." Athena chided.
"FUCK YOU TOO."
"Charming."
Whoever the fuck this voice was, and you didn't have much patience for it, it didn't seem to quite be able to force you out of the front again, but the pressure in your skull every time it tried was disorienting. Not quite pain, but distracting. It felt the way it felt when Athena was trying to take the front, just more intense and longer and louder.
"THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD LET ME UP FRONT. IT WILL STOP IF YOU DO." the voice said, almost cackling to itself. "YOU CAN'T LAST FOREVER."
"Stop being dramatic. It's not that bad, it's just kind of a dick move." you muttered, resting against your mechanical harness on the side of the building. "You shouting in my fucking brain is way worse."
There was a short pause.
"I WILL KEEP SHOUTING UNTIL YOU LET ME UP FRONT! SHOUTING! SHOUTING! SHOUTING LOUDLY! SCREAMING! NOISES!"
"Shut up."
"YELLING!!!!"
"Wait, Liv, I have an idea." Athena said, and either through your shared brain or similar thought processes you realized what it was.
"Ahahaha, do it." you said, bracing yourself against the wall and taking a deep breath.
"WHAT ARE YOU ARRGAHNOSTOP-"
Just like she did a month ago, Athena streamed a file directly into the neural implant in your arm, causing an awful, discordant painful spasm that rippled through your body. It was bad, but like, maybe a seven, and only for a few minutes, you'd dealt with worse. Your new headmate, though, didn't seem to appreciate it very much.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
"You... you gonna stop yelling now?" you asked.
"FUCK YOU."
"Alright, hit it again Athena."
"NO. STOP!" it screamed, but you just gritted your teeth and Athena sent another pulse. Oh, you were sure it was already listening, but honestly at this point making it squirm was delightful in and of itself. "NO!"
Ahahahahahaha. Fuck you.
"... you know, actually, it's a little disturbing how much you're enjoying this, Liv."
"YES. SHE'S SICK!" the voice gasped.
"Shut up, I'll do it again." Athena said dispassionately, "However, I think I'll draw the line at torture for its own sake, even of entities who have forcefully hijacked our body."
"Spoilsport." you complained, "Though... maybe not just for its own sake. Hey voice, whatever the fuck you are, you have ten seconds to get out of my head, or we're going to run the pulse until you do."
"YOU WOULDN'T."
"I would."
"IT HURTS YOU TOO."
"Mhmm."
"YOU'RE INSANE."
"We don't use that word. Nine, eight, seven-"
"N-NO. I CAN'T LEAVE. I'M NOT ABLE TO."
"... six, five, four, three-"
"WE'RE STUCK. WE'RE STUCK TOGETHER NOW. PLEASE DON'T, PLEASE, I'LL DO ANYTHING-"
"Two... oh. Anything, you say?"
"YES. ANYTHING. I JUST CAN'T LEAVE. I'LL DIE."
"Huh." you said. "Well, that's a shame. Athena?"
"... no. Liv, we can't kill it." Athena said, "That wouldn't be right."
"THANK YOU ATHENA."
"Though I'm not above aversion therapy to dissuade you from shouting into my friend's brain." she said sternly.
"SORR.... sorry."
"Better."
"Athena, it's probably just lying to save its own ass." you pointed out, "And I'm not feeling charitable today. Besides, it still might be killing us, it's clearly some kind of parasite-"
"I AM NOT A PARASOWFUCK!" it screamed, accompanied by a jolt in your arm, "I-I'm not a parasite. I'm a symbiote."
"Sure. That's you probably tell all your hosts before laying your eggs in their chest cavity." you said, "Same story every time. What makes you think you have a right to just barge into people's bodies like that and take them over?"
"Because we can." it intoned, "It is how we conquer other species. Use their bodies to our own ends."
"Hmm. No, I think Liv might be right, that sounds like a parasite to me."
"NO! It is a glorious process, becoming part of something greater. It will be what we do to humanity, because you can't stop us."
"Uh, consider yourself stopped, dude." you pointed out, "Like, if this is all it takes to stop you guys everyone should be fine. Life sucks and is painful and you can't even deal with that you don't stand a chance with us."
"If there's anything I've learned about humans its that they have a remarkable capacity for self-harm."
"No. The others I possessed were not so.... this."
"As strong?" Athena asked.
"HA! You are nothing special in that regard. Not as weak as other humans, but not strong, no." it said, "No. Not as... much. Not as many. Not as used to other voices."
"And what happened to them?" you asked.
"They died."
"Right. Athena, hit it."
"NO! I DIDN'T KILL THEM!" the voice screamed, "THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK ME DID. FORCED US BACK OUT, TO EXPERIMENT."
"Shouting." Athena warned tensely.
"Wait, us? There's more than one of you?"
"... Us. I. We. It is a continuum. Humans would not understand."
"You'd be surprised. So the Life Foundation has more than just you, and they're doing fucked up experiments on people?"
"Yes. They took the others, the rest of me, they took them away. I hid. Hibernated for a short time, in the cold. When we have no hosts, it is our only way to survive. In the cold, or vacuum of space, or-"
"Got it. We'll find a nice walk-in freezer, drop you off, and go fuck them up for you. How does that sound?" you asked.
"... or you could keep me and I could help you." it offered.
"Why? So you can gain my trust, reunite with the rest of you, and overwhelm me once we've done your dirty work and we've let our guard down?"
"... yes."
"Right, Athena, find a Dippin' Dots, we're gonna freeze this sucker."
"Wait!" the voice cried, "I can help, I CAN! Not just with information. Power. Strength. Healing."
"... healing?" you asked.
"You are broken. We cannot fix you, but we can... improve things. Stop this fucking pain, at least a little. Make you stronger. Change your body..."
"... I'm listening."
"We have many powers. What do you want?" it asked.
---
Note: This is a change that will stick even if you manage to get rid of the symbiote later, just so long as you give it enough time to enact it. Which deep-freezing it won't do.
[ ] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain.
[ ] Strength. Sure, you can lift two tons, but couldn't hurt to upgrade. Especially considering the calibre of foes recently.
[ ] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
[ ] Write In: Subject to veto, but hey who knows what this alien goo is capable of?
[ ] Nope, into the freezer with you, jerk.
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- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Healing feels pretty tempting - less pain, more energy to work with, that's kind of a big deal?
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It also removes the strongest way to influence the symbiote, right? Making it harder to prevent things from happening later. I'm leaning towards freezer.
- Location
- United States
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
- Location
- India
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hm. Liz is already passing pretty well, isn't she? I may be wrong, but I don't think dysphoria has been an issue in recent chapters.
Plus going for changes would make me even more jelly of her than I already am
Guessing it's a choice between healing and strength , then. I really don't think it's the best idea to freeze it- it might be possible to achieve a diplomatic solution if it sticks around, and it might smooth over getting its siblings, unless once Liz finds said siblings they decide to collaborate to take over her body again.
Healing would probably be best for everyone's mental health, so...
[X] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain.
Guessing it's a choice between healing and strength , then. I really don't think it's the best idea to freeze it- it might be possible to achieve a diplomatic solution if it sticks around, and it might smooth over getting its siblings, unless once Liz finds said siblings they decide to collaborate to take over her body again.
Healing would probably be best for everyone's mental health, so...
[X] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain.
- Location
- India
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Can't we still influence it with pain regardless, though? I thought that less pain meant in general from our existing injuries- Liz would still feel the same pain when tossing files into the arm uplink.
Hakazin
Serpent Admirer
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Liv, please don't start bullying the symbiote less than five minutes after you meet them. They just wanna be friends!
As for the vote, our new friend is offering so many good choices! But given Liv's extreme propensity for getting injured in the line of duty, there's really only one option I'd pick.
[X] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain.
- Location
- Who Knows Where
Changes seems appealing. Should help with jealousy/insecurity whenever Loki pops in.
Looking nice is still a QOL improvement, if not as direct as pain reduction. Which could be problematic in its own ways.
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
Looking nice is still a QOL improvement, if not as direct as pain reduction. Which could be problematic in its own ways.
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
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- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
What kind of changes are we talking about here? If our new "friend" is offering alien transformation nonsense, that might be the best chance Liv will ever get.
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
10ebbor10
DON'T PANIC
- Location
- Present
It's still a fairly risky move that relies on Liv being able to communicate exactly what she wants to an alien entity with a fairly limited understanding of human neuro-diversity.
- Location
- France
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
10ebbor10
DON'T PANIC
- Location
- Present
Anyway, I don't think I want to vote for this, but given the symbiote's regenerative and biological capabilities, it might be capable of pulling this off.
[] Another body. The process will absolutely suck, but given it's regenerative capabilities, it can bud a little flesh homunculus off of you and give Athena another version of yourself to do things with, if she wants to.
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
Athena would like to veto this, having no desire to have a different body.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I don't think Athena would want another body? This came up way back at the beginning when we were talking about modifying the alien power armor.
Edit: ninjaed
Edit: ninjaed
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
[X] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain
Listen, this is why I voted for touching the weird alien goop, and I want to reap the rewards for touching the weird alien goop!
Edit: Also if this Venom is anything like movie Venom it won't take much to get him to defect.
Edit2: Added Healing option as well. I'm good either way.
[X] Healing. It says it can't 'fix' you (fucking ableist tbh) but you won't say no to less pain
Listen, this is why I voted for touching the weird alien goop, and I want to reap the rewards for touching the weird alien goop!
Edit: Also if this Venom is anything like movie Venom it won't take much to get him to defect.
Edit2: Added Healing option as well. I'm good either way.
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- Location
- Leeds
Also if it can't regrow an arm it probably couldn't regrow a body.
If it could the symbiote species could just infinitely duplicate their preffered hosts.
Not gonna lie, these two parts are pretty concerning, and an "invasion of the body snatchers" scenarios feels way high above Spiderliv's paygrade
Write-in proposal:
[] into the freezer, then brief Nat and Clint so you can get a better containment unit, and maybe contact SSR about a possible alien invasion
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well sure, the symbiote probably can't change everything Liv wants, but maybe it can adjust her body so that she doesn't have to worry about missing treatments or something. You know, maybe so that she doesn't have to worry about regressing.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Changes. HRT has done most of its work, and while you aren't unsatisfied with the results, things could be... pushed. A little.
This or the freezer TBH.
This or the freezer TBH.
