InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "embrace eternity"

Henry Claus Ceredig (philosophos) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2022-11-24 14:52:00

Entry tags:

beezlebub, gabriel, henry claus, iestyn ceredig

WHO: Henry Claus Ceredig, Beelzebub, Gabriel, and then Iestyn Ceredig and maybe even Tinse and Merry
WHEN: Tuesday, evening
WHERE: BMCC Campus, and then a hospital and then maybe Casa Ceredig
WHAT: Just a demon having a Good Time and then having a Bad Time
WARNINGS: Mentions of past torture, some light violence (finger snapping, you know), and momentary assault, character death

It had taken a lot of courage for Henry to go back to his college campus after being abducted from there by Lucifer's minions. But after being reassured by Michael that they were all off limits to Lucifer, and a healthy dose of therapy, Henry had managed it. He'd made it almost a year, before a demon returned and necessitated a change of school.

Henry had finished his classes for the day by 2:30, but he had stuck around to do some studying in the library. He hadn't even realised he had been at it for five hours until his stomach rumbled and he glanced up at the clock and saw it was after seven. "Oh shit," he hissed, immediately gathering his things to shove them into his backpack. At least he had warned his husband that he was going to be studying so Iestyn wouldn't have been waiting for him for dinner or anything. He shot Iestyn a quick message to let him know he was coming home, and then he slipped his phone into his pocket and headed for the door.

The late autumn air was crisp and cool, and the sky was nearly dark when Henry emerged from the library. The campus lights had all come on, but as usual, the normal buzz the place had was gone and it was pretty silent and deserted as he made his way across the quad, towards the car park. He was humming to himself, some song that Iestyn had been practicing a lot lately, which was now stuck in his head. When he turned a blind corner, he felt someone grab him and he didn't even have time to react before he was being pulled back in between the car parking building and the admin building.

Henry let out a squawk, but he was spun around and a hand slammed over his mouth. And then he was looking into the face of Beelzebub. Henry's head swam and his stomach turned to ice. The last time he had been faced with Beelzebub he had fainted immediately. This time, even though the demon's aura was hideous and Henry sort of thought he might throw up, he didn't faint. He was, however, terrified beyond the telling of it.

"Don't scream, or I'll rip your vocal chords out," Beelzebub said. "Understand?" When Henry nodded, quick and terrified, Beelzebub pulled his hand back. He backed Henry up against the wall of the car park building and held him there, giving him a once over. Henry shuddered in horror, imagining all the terrible things that were about to happen to him. He had thought they were safe, but would they ever really be? God, he was going to die here- Would Iestyn ever know what happened to him? Would Merry and Tinsel ever be okay? Would Addy try to hurt herself again?

"Please-" Henry whispered to the demon, begging not just for him but for the well-being of the people he loved, "please don't hurt me." He was panicking far too much, at least at the moment, to snap himself out of the fear and get help. Begging was all his trauma brain had to offer.

Beelzebub smiled and he leaned back, loosening his grip on the young man. Henry stayed frozen in place anyway, sure that the second he made a move to run, Beelzebub would snap his neck. He was far too scared to try. "I got my cattle prod back the other day," Beelzebub said, as if this was just a normal, breezy topic for conversation. "And it made me think of your boyfriend. I lent it to Lucifer, see, and he used it on that welsh kid."

Beelzebub didn't know they were married which was a good thing, but just the mention of Iestyn in pain was enough to sap some of the fear. His breathing deepened from scared short gasps, to angry and heated, and his hands balled into fists. "Fuck you," he growled, finding his voice just a little.

"You could if you wanted to," Beelzebub said, chuckling a little. "Anyway, it made me remember the time I ran into you and you fainted like a feeb. I wanted to see if you would do it again. I'm almost sad you didn't, I was going to take you back to mine and try the cattle prod on you too."

Okay a little fear was back. His head was swimming and his heart was pounding and that aura was trying to snatch consciousness away, but he was clinging to it, and thank fuck.

"Lucifer would have a shit fit," Beezlebub carried on, "but I don't care what that fuckhead thinks anyway. "Would you scream as loud as your boyfriend, do you think? Hmm? Maybe we should get him here?"

Henry's head was beginning to clear, and though he was still terrified, the surprise had worn off. He could get himself out of this if he could find his fucking voice again. "You don't want to do that," he said, frustrated that it came out timid and trembling.

"No, I think I do," Beelzebub said, leaning in again. He reached out to Henry's pocket, though his hand took a side tour to grope Henry through his jeans because he was terrible like that. Henry whimpered and tried to curl in on himself, but a moment later Beelzebub stopped and went back to pulling out Henry's phone and holding it out. "I'll force you to watch as I burn him. Here. Call him. Call your boyfriend and get him here. Don't let him know I'm here. You alert him, you die. You call anyone else you die. Get him here now."

Like fuck. He couldn't do it to Iestyn and he couldn't do it to himself. He wouldn't survive. Not another few weeks of his body being starved and tortured. Neither of them would. "No," Henry growled, and then he gasped in pain as Beelzebub's hand shot out and snapped his pinky finger like it was a match stick. Beelzebub slammed his hand over Henry's mouth to muffle the yelp that followed.

"No screaming," Beelzebub cautioned him. "I'll snap your neck and make your body disappear. They'll never find you. Call your boyfriend."

Oh god, more pain was coming and Henry knew it. He shook his head quickly, and then his entire body tensed as he awaited it. Beelzebub snapped his ring finger and Henry screamed with his mouth closed to muffle the sound. Then another scream caught in his throat, when there was a painful tugging on his broken finger, as Beelzebub pulled his wedding ring off.

"Oh ho ho," Beelzebub said, a wide and happy smile on his face. "Well congratulations are in order, little feeb. I see you married that saint's son. Torturing a married couple is something I haven't done in ages," he said, a little wistfully. "Call him. Or I break every single bone in your body, one by one."

Shaking, Henry still refused. He would rather every bone in his body be shattered, than watch Iestyn be tortured. But god it hurt as he stifled another scream when Beelzebub broke his middle finger. His head was swimming, and he leaned back against the car park to take a breath. The pain was pulling him out of the fear. And Beelzebub holding his wedding ring was infuriating. When Beezlebub snapped his index finger, Henry found himself able to claw out of trauma brain and take steps to save himself. First, he fervently prayed to his guardian angel-

Gabriel, please! Beelzebub's here and he's threatening to take me somewhere- I'm at college. Behind the car park. Please help me.

Beelzebub snapped Henry's pinky and ring finger of his other hand, and Henry let out a furious growl. Once fear left him, he was the same man who had once rushed Wrath because he had thought she was a demon there to take Iestyn away. He had slammed his broken body into Lucifer - risking death - so Lucifer couldn't use him to torture Iestyn any worse that he already was. And now he had shoved Beelzebub away from him, bringing his knee up hard between the demon's legs, so Beelzebub fell to the ground.

"If you touch me again, do you know what my father will do to you?!" he screamed. He was still shaking with pain and horror, but he wasn't silent any more. "He'll turn your dick into a candy cane, you fuck." He didn't actually know if Nick could do that, but he'd seen Nick turn other things into candy canes, so it stood to reason- "He can get into anywhere. You can't lock him out. He's more powerful than you! You know why we're off limits to Lucifer? Because he's fucking afraid. Lucifer is afraid of my father. You think you're a match for him? You?! Don't you ever talk about my husband! Don't you ever think about him!" Henry was backing up because Beelzebub was glaring at him, his expression deadly. He just had to keep talking- Keep up the threats-

Thankfully, as Beelzebub rose to his feet and started to head towards Henry, there was a flapping of wings announcing the angel's arrival. "Oh yeah, and one of my best friends is an arch angel. You piece of shit," Henry hissed at Beelzebub, who immediately stepped back.

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heavens_voice
2022-11-24 09:44 am UTC (link)

It was always the same. One just sits down for supper, and there is a fervent prayer calling one away. Gabriel sighed softly and set down his fork, and a moment later he was dusting off his jacket as he stepped into the college campus. He took a moment to orient himself, glancing around, and his eyes lit on Henry and Beelzebub.

Ordinarily, he would fold his wings away neatly once he had ported through to his destination, but this time he left them visible, although still folded down behind his back. "Beelzebub," he said, with a touch of irritation. "What do you think you are doing?"

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philosophos
2022-11-24 09:50 am UTC (link)

Beelzebub scowled at Gabriel, but there was no way he was going to get to torture anyone now. Goddammit. "Oh fuck off," he grunted, backing away a little. "I was just talking to him."

"And breaking my fingers," Henry hissed at the demon. "Give me my wedding ring back!" He wanted his phone back too, but it could be replaced. Iestyn had bought that ring for him and proposed to him with it and he wanted it back, goddammit.

"Ugh, like I want your piece of shit ring," Beelzebub dropped it and the phone and then, far too quickly for Henry to even comprehend, it was like Beelzebub disappeared, and left behind in his place was a blowfly. The fly flew at Henry's face, and Henry reacted on instinct. He slammed his hands together, killing Beelzebub the fly in between them, and then he screamed at the pain, radiating out to his broken fingers.

"Oh my god!" Henry shrieked, pulling his hands apart to see the fly goo. "Oh my god, did I kill him?! Oh my god!"

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heavens_voice
2022-11-24 10:07 am UTC (link)

Gabriel blinked, and then casually flicked his wings away out of sight. "Well that killed my appetite," he said with distaste, pulling out a crisp white handkerchief, which he began folding into a neat strip across the diagonal. "Nobody ever said Beelzebub was the brightest flame in Hell. Here, give me your hands."

He was no Raphael, but he could dull the pain and straighten Henry's fingers out from the unnatural angles Beelzebub had caused, which he did as he wrapped his makeshift bandage around Henry's fingers to hold them in place. Demons always had such an unhealthy appetite for causing pain, and Gabriel shook his head as he found a second handkerchief in his pocket for the other hand. (One could never carry too many handkerchiefs.) "Do not feel bad for squashing him. He got what he deserved."

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philosophos
2022-11-24 10:11 am UTC (link)

Henry stood there, shaking as Gabriel attended to his broken fingers. God, his fingers- He wasn't going to be able to do anything! He sighed with relief when Gabriel pulled some of the pain out of them though, and he could see they were straighter. They wouldn't heal at shitty angles.

"My ring," Henry sort of muttered, watching where it was on the ground so he didn't lose sight of it while Gabriel tended to him. "He was go- he was going to- He said he'd- Oh god," Henry choked up and just inserted himself into Gabriel's arms, desperate for a calming hug.

This could have ended so much worse. "Can you drive me to hospital?" he muttered against Gabriel's chest.

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	heavens_voice 2022-11-24 10:31 am UTC (link)
	"Drive?" Gabriel paused a moment as Henry leaned into him, then rested his hands soothingly on Henry's back. "Well yes, I can do that. You dealt with it all very well, under the circumstances. Deep breaths." He rubbed Henry's back. "I'll fetch your ring for you. Where did you park?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

philosophos
2022-11-24 10:36 am UTC (link)

"And my phone," Henry said, standing while Gabriel got them for him. He was shaking now, shuddering with horror of what could have happened. "I- I was almost to my car when he got me," Henry said, leading Gabriel into the carpark building he had been tortured against.

They went to Henry's car and henry managed to dig his keys out of his pocket with his two good fingers. He handed it over and once inside he had to have Gabriel help him buckle up. He leaned his head against the window and only then, now that he was safe and headed towards a hospital, did he let himself cry. "Said he was going to torture Iestyn in front of me," he sniffed. "I'm not sad I killed him."

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	heavens_voice 2022-11-24 10:57 am UTC (link)
	Gabriel pursed his lips. "Not at all," he agreed, as he started up the car. He glanced across at Henry, sympathetic to his shock and fear. Poor Henry, so unfairly targeted. "It isn't fair at all," he said gently. "Nobody deserves that, least of all you and your husband. Where is he right now? Would you like to message him?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

philosophos
2022-11-24 11:02 am UTC (link)

"My fingers," Henry lamented. He couldn't hold his phone and use the keyboard at the same time. "Can you text him from the hospital? And my sisters? Just...get them to come if they can?" he said.

Henry leaned against the window, crying softly the entire ride there. The horror of what had nearly happened was clinging to him and until he got to lay eyes on Iestyn and see that his husband was okay, he was going to remain horrified.

When they arrived at the hospital, Henry got all signed in. He handed his phone over to Gabriel. "Iestyn and Tinse and Merry. Will you stay?" he asked, feeling bad for making the angel take care of him, but he was the only thing making Henry feel safe. And as he was wheeled away, he offered Gabriel a sad, teary smile, trying to look brave.

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	heavens_voice 2022-11-24 11:12 am UTC (link)
	Gabriel was the Messenger of God, of course he could handle a couple of texts. He could've sent them without needing the phone, but he didn't want to show off. "I will stay as long as you need me," Gabriel promised, giving Henry a nod, and settled in to wait. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

piu_fermata
2022-11-24 11:29 am UTC (link)

By the time Iestyn reached the hospital, he was in a complete spin. How, how, how could this have happened again!? He didn't know the details, but the message had given him a good enough idea, reading between the lines that something very bad had gone down. When he dashed into the waiting room, he could see that Tinsel was already there, standing at the front desk. She turned as he speed walked over to her.

"Oh, here he is, Henry's husband. I was just saying you wouldn't be far." Tinsel was wearing a hoodie over a neat red and black houndstooth pencil skirt, having clearly come very quickly from the office, and she gave Iestyn a welcoming smile.

"Is he okay?" Iestyn said quickly, and Tinsel nodded towards the doors.

"We're about to go and find out," she said, as the receptionist put down the phone and directed them to go through. As soon as Iestyn was in Henry's (very, very nice) private room, he rushed to Henry's side. Tinsel followed a bit more calmly.

"Henry! Oh my god, are you- what happened!? Oh your poor hands!"

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philosophos
2022-11-24 11:33 am UTC (link)

Henry was having his last finger wrapped by the doctor when Iestyn and Tinsel came through the door. He let out a cry and pulled his hand away from the doctor (causing a hiss of protest) before straight up inserting himself in Iestyn's arms. He held his hands out straight to protect them, but he had to hug Iestyn. To feel the weight of his body. To know he was safe.

"I was so scared," Henry whispered, willing Iestyn to cling to him.

"Your last finger, Mr Ceredig," the doctor said, but Henry just staying in Iestyn's arms.

"Can we have a moment?" he asked, not moving an inch.

The doctor sighed, but he nodded and left them alone for a second and once he was out of the room, Henry whispered, "Beelzebub."

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piu_fermata
2022-11-24 11:43 am UTC (link)

Iestyn held Henry tightly, and when Henry said that name, he shuddered with horror. "Oh god," he breathed, and held Henry all the more tightly.

Tinsel watched the doctor go, then looked back at Henry, coming over to stand by the bed. She didn't fully follow what was happening here, but the sight of Henry's hands all splinted and bandaged was disconcerting. For a split second she was glad she wasn't the one who was going to have to help him get dressed and go to the bathroom, before she mentally chided herself for being uncharitable.

"Someone attacked you?" she asked, sitting down next to the bed.

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philosophos
2022-11-24 11:48 am UTC (link)

Henry held on to Iestyn for a moment longer before letting him go. He nodded to Tinsel, sniffing hard, and then sat back down. He wanted to cling to Iestyn but he couldn't, not with his hands like this.

"Beelzebub did," he nodded. He was just going to leave mentions of cattleprods out of this entirely until he was alone with his husband. The things that had been done to Iestyn had been told to him in confidence and he didn't want to tell Tinsel without permission. So he was going to explain around it. "He said he didn't care that Lucifer said we were off limits. He wanted me to call and get Iestyn there," Henry shuddered. "Said he- He was going to break every body in my body one by one until I agreed. He got six, I guess."

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piu_fermata
2022-11-24 12:01 pm UTC (link)

Iestyn cringed, feeling a twist in his gut. This wasn't fair! They were supposed to be free! He put his hands to his face, torn between being relieved that Henry had saved him, and sickened that Henry had been brutalised in Iestyn's name. "Oh goooood, I'm sorry!" he moaned. "This is- oh god!"

"This is messed up," Tinsel said, looking at Henry in concern. "So Gabriel got you out? What happened to the creature?"

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philosophos
2022-11-24 12:09 pm UTC (link)

"Hey, Iestyn," Henry reached out for his husband, but it wasn't like he could take Iestyn's hand. Not like this. "I got myself out," Henry corrected, though he still wasn't sure if he would have been killed without Gabriel's perfect arrival timing. It was fifty fifty, really, whether his threats would have been enough. Beelzebub had looked worried. Worried and pissed off.

"I was frozen in fear and I- I would have let him break every single bone in my body before I would have called you there," Henry promised his husband, his voice firm despite the fact that he was still a little teary. "But he kept snapping my fingers one by one, telling me to call you every time. And he took my wedding ring, and he told me he was going to make me watch while he hurt Iestyn and I just got so fucking mad. And that...unfroze me. And I kneed him in the balls and told him Dad was going to turn his dick into a candy cane. I never, never would have let him hurt you."

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piu_fermata
2022-11-25 10:10 am UTC (link)

Iestyn let out a low groan as Henry talked about snapping bones, because that was just- oh God- and he dragged his hands down the sides of his face in distress. "But he hurt you," he said plaintively.

Tinsel didn't like it at all either, and wished she had more of her father's power than just the Tingle. Not for the first time, someone she loved was in a lot of pain, and she was helpless to change it. "Tell Dad about it anyway," she advised, glancing at Iestyn. "I will if you don't. He can do worse than knee him in the balls, and make sure the ding-dong doesn't get any more bright ideas."

She did feel a bit proud of Henry for fighting back though, glad he didn't just passively let this happen to him. She patted his leg and gave him a "you did good" nod.

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philosophos
2022-11-25 10:14 am UTC (link)

"Oh, no, I- I'm definitely telling Dad," Henry nodded, swallowing roughly. "But he doesn't have to uh...hurry or anything. Because-" Henry was going to reassure Iestyn more once they were alone, but while Tinsel was here, he was going to focus on the big picture and that was that Beelzebub was gone, at least for now. "He turned into a fly and I sort of uhm...squashed him. Slammed in right between my hands. Hurt like a motherfucker," he admitted, because he had reacted without thinking and his broken fingers had not thanked him for it. "I killed a demon. I killed a demon with my bare hands."

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	piu_fermata 2022-11-25 10:23 am UTC (link)
	There was a heavy pause while both people digested that information. Iestyn blinked and stared at Henry. "I'm sorry, you what?" Tinsel asked, because she though maybe she'd had a mind blip and missed what Henry actually said. "They can do that??" Iestyn asked, and shook his head, non-plussed. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

philosophos
2022-11-25 10:26 am UTC (link)

"I killed him," Henry said, looking a little hangdog about it. He hadn't meant to. A fly flew directly at his face and he reacted. "Beelzebub's lord of the flies isn't he? I looked him up after last time he- Anyway, I guess it makes sense. I don't know if the others can but he changed into a fly right in front of me and flew at my face and I didn't mean to, but I crushed him. It was really gross," Henry made a little 'blech' face. "And Gabriel just kind of shook his head at it."

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piu_fermata
2022-11-25 10:38 am UTC (link)

"oh!" Iestyn blinked again. "I guess I hadn't- I never really considered that could happen." Henry killed a fly demon just by swatting it. Should that be possible? But Tinsel laughed, and he looked at her, still trying to come to terms with all this.

"Your face!" Tinsel said with a chuckle, kind of laughing and kind of trying not to in case Henry really didn't find it funny at all. "You crushed a demon fly and an archangel just shook his head. What is life anymore?"

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philosophos
2022-11-25 10:43 am UTC (link)

"I don't know," Henry said, finally finding it himself to chuckle at least a little. He could be in another basement right now, but instead he was sitting with his husband and sister and he was hurt, but he would heal. He was fine. "I don't even know. Hey, Tinse, can you go get the doctor back for me?" The sooner they could patch up his fingers, they sooner they could all get out of here.

Also- The second Tinsel was gone, Henry looked over at his husband and he blew out a breath. "He uh- He assaulted me. He was taking my phone out of my pocket, but he also-" Henry's cheeks flushed red and his stomach churned as he remembered those disgusting hands on him. He was glad he had had layers of clothing between them and him. "He grabbed me. I was frozen. Too scared to stop him."

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piu_fermata
2022-11-25 11:00 am UTC (link)

Iestyn wanted to fold Henry's hands between his and kiss them better, but he was too afraid to cause more pain. "It's not your fault," he said immediately, sure that Henry would know that, but needing to say it anyway. "Being scared is very, very natural. I wouldn't have known what to do either." And honestly, he really wouldn't have. Thinking it over, he felt that he probably would have done everything exactly the same in Henry's position. Except for the fly crushing part, he couldn't have predicted that.

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	philosophos 2022-11-25 11:03 am UTC (link)
	Henry smiled, the expression both grateful and sad, and he leaned in to kiss Iestyn's cheek. "All I cared about was keeping you safe," he whispered. I can't believe he came back to find me. He remembered when I fainted. This time though, I didn't faint. My body kept trying to, but I didn't. He said if I had he would have taken me away." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	piu_fermata 2022-11-25 11:32 am UTC (link)
	It was positively sickening, hearing Henry say these things, but Iestyn had to hold onto the positives. It didn't end in abduction. Henry had fought his way out, and remained more or less intact. "You were so brave," Iestyn whispered back, leaning his forehead against Henry's. "You made it out. I'm so glad you got free. You were so brave." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

philosophos
2022-11-25 11:38 am UTC (link)

Henry was about to say more - about how he had been terrified that if Beelzebub had killed him, they might never know what happened to him, but the doctor came back in. And maybe that was a conversation better had at home anyway. "I love you," Henry whispered to his husband, nuzzling against Iestyn's face. Then he pulled away to let the doctor finish his job.

"We'll get this last finger wrapped up and then we'll get you out of here, Mr Ceredig," the doctor said. "We've sent the x-rays on to your doctor so he can handle the treatment from here. And I'm going to prescribe some painkillers for you. Luckily they were all clean breaks, so they should heal fine in about six to eight weeks.

Henry groaned, because yes healing fine was great, but six to eight weeks with no hands?! "Thank you," he said, anyway, because he was ever polite. "I really appreciate it, doctor."

They trooped together, the three of them, back out to the waiting room where Gabriel - bless him - was still waiting. "I'm free to go," Henry said, but he sat down next to the angel anyway, and leaned his head against Gabriel's shoulder. "Thank you. For saving my life."

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heavens_voice, 2022-11-25 11:50 am UTC

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philosophos, 2022-11-25 11:54 am UTC

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tinseltangled, 2022-11-25 12:14 pm UTC

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philosophos, 2022-11-25 12:18 pm UTC

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tinseltangled, 2022-11-25 12:50 pm UTC

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