MARCH UPDATE

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

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TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Feb 21, 2024 17:42:46 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

He rested his head against the cool steel of the station, body loosening atop a bench as his eyes shuttered closed.

Running around such a massive crater burning shit to the ground wasn't particularly tiring work, but it was compounding with his endless self-assigned shifts in the emergency ward.

He could really use a power nap... or a 10 hour coma—

"Oh. Hey." He said suddenly, rolling his head over to gaze at his hitherto unnoticed companion.

Shit, he was really out of it.

"You're really big for such a short guy." He blatantly tangented, half lidded, tired eyes blinking slowly at one Isaac Merlo.

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.

AYcNY8Gn

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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4,402 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Feb 24, 2024 3:52:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"Yeah, yeah. Don't gotta toot your own horn, sleepyhead."[break][break]

From one magic man to another, the two knew how much of a miracle Isaac's recovery had been. A part of him wondered if, once he was away from Doug, he'd end up deflating like some sorta balloon. Instead, his body only felt more natural the more he got used to it. At this point his well-honed physique was as much a part of him as his magic powers and never-say-die attitude.[break][break]

In a way, it was strange. In Rocket, everything he'd fought for came with strings attached; blackened, barbed chains designed to squeeze the life out of him and never let go. He'd never truly get to reap the fruits of his labor. He'd never truly get to be his own man. Every gift was another trap, designed to leave him more and more dependent.[break][break]

Now, he was free, a truth that was written over the body he'd spent a year and a half fighting for.[break][break]

"And you're really drained for a guy on such a big mission," Isaac pointed out. Okay, so it was Hoenn. Everyone was tired, and everything was a big deal. Big whoop. "Good! That makes two of us."[break][break]

"So! What's the plan tonight? Cause something tells me they didn't call us here for a sleepover."[break][break]

[roll]

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

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3,111 posts

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TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 1, 2024 15:10:09 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

Doug groaned, banging his head against the side of the bench.

"They didn't? F*ck." He groaned.

And Isaac accused him of having no bedside manner, destroying his hopes and dreams ruthlessly like that.

"I'm not... Ugh..." He attempted to move— slipping right off the bench and onto the floor with the grace of a Magikarp's splash. "Fuck."

His filter didn't work right when he was this tired.

Languidly, Doug reached into his bag, hand slipping inside for a moment before suddenly slipping out... syringe in hand.

With all the gentleness of a pneumatic hammer, the medic jammed it straight into his neck, pumping the contents into his body without a flinch.

Briefly, his eyes contracted, dilated, and finally settled, before he sprang up to his feet, casually breaking off the needle before dumping the syringe onto a trash can.

It read 'adr3nal1n3' across it.

"Want one?" He asked peppily, holding up another fat, adrenaline filled syringe for the other man.

The dark bags around his eyes were not disappearing, despite the sudden influx of energy.

"Oh, right." He said, before approaching a table at the center of the station. Reaching into his bag, he produced rough map and slapped it atop the table. "Our satellites and scouts have been hard at work."

He dragged his finger up to a yellow dot.

"We're here." He said, before dragging it to a relatively nearby purple dot. "And over here is a rocket station."

He reached for his bag yet again, pulling out a combat knife and stabbing it onto the purple dot.

"Any questions?"

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
3F6S9mXP

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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4,402 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 4, 2024 14:49:52 GMT

John Sullivan likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Before Isaac could even scoop Doug off the ground, the madman injected himself with an entire syringe's worth of go-go juice. Turned out you didn't need to be a mad scientist to be a mad doctor. Who knew? Still, at least the guy had the courtesy to be his own guinea pig.[break][break]

"S'all yours, man," he said, hoping Doug wouldn't take his polite declination as an invitation to double down.[break][break]

Somehow, it didn't surprise Isaac that Rocket already had outposts here. It was the way this war went. Another scar tore open on the fabric of their home. The Rocket and League alike dove in with shovels to excavate it for all it was worth. A part of him wondered if there was any going back now. If Rocket disappeared the next day, would the League instead focus on mending the region? Or were they addicted to all of the new toys they could fashion from the corpse of their home?[break][break]

At least it was better than the war parading its way through cities. A year and a half since Isaac's eyes were opened to the nature of this war, and Littleroot of all places had been the one civilian target. That, too, seemed on the cusp of changing. Until then, at least these proxy wars over Hoenn's scars kept the war away from its heart.[break][break]

Isaac would ask what kind of mission this was, but between the spying half already be done and the combat knife lancing through an effigy of their adversary, he had a feeling he already knew.[break][break]

"What's intel got for us, before we kick this off?" If two Avatars were being drafted to the front, it had to be a big deal.

wN_TAW_c

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

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3,111 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 9, 2024 0:58:48 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

"Your loss." He said, pointedly slipping it into his belt for later use...

At Isaac's question, Doug leaned over the bench he had been sleeping on, reaching over it to grab something... before plopping it down between himself and Isaac rather unceremoniously.

It was a gallon of rarely seen nowadays, ancient method of fueling that society had long abandoned for its many harmful effects and precious little utility in a world were rats generated electricity by sneezing.

Gasoline.

"Rocket has commited the grave mistake of making their stations flammable." Doug informed the other man with a gleam in his eye that was totally hinged. "So you know— we'll make 'em regret that."

He crouched besides the map once again, plucking his knife off the effigy of the enemy— before dragging it along the paper to another purple dot, then another.

"There's 2 others, each further down the chasm." He said. "We're gonna be burnin' all of 'em."

He paused.

"There might be some resistance." He said, pursing his lips before snorting. "But I mean... it's us."

What were they gonna do, NOT get stomped by the 2 avatars? lol.

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
CYNYgSf_

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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4,402 posts

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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 11, 2024 1:44:47 GMT

Eris Halla likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Somehow, Isaac had the sense that this wasn't fuel for his new bike.[break][break]

Plenty of gasoline. Two Rocket outposts. One goal: burn them to the ground. As he shared the plan, Doug pulled out the thoughts Isaac best felt were left unspoken; they were Avatars, so who the hell was gonna stop them?[break][break]

It was exactly what Isaac had vented to kyle lopez about, once upon a time. Why should gods get to throw their weight around without a care in the world?[break][break]

This wasn't the first time. He and Doug had taken Rocket by storm on the beaches of the resurfaced isle, where they fought Rocket with the fury of a thousand suns for Eris Halla' sake. That was different. That was war. They didn't ask for Rocket to swarm the island, pick apart its secrets, and attack them all the while. But this? This was . . .[break][break]

What exactly was different, here? The fact that the League didn't demand all hands on deck?[break][break]

The cognitive dissonance hurt. Isaac shook the thought before it could creep deeper into his head. "We're making sure nobody's inside first," Isaac said. "I don't care if I gotta blow through there myself and search every nook and cranny. If we gotta do this, then we're doing this the right way."[break][break]

Doug could handle the resistance how he wished. But Isaac wasn't going to let them become the monsters Rocket wished they were.[break][break]

awGimY7U

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

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3,111 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 12, 2024 18:18:26 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

"The right way." He echoed the other's words, his hand sliding off the knife's handle briefly to cup his chin.

Casually, Doug slid back onto the bench. Because hey, he was in no rush— those stations would be burnt down no matter what. Now or an hour later, it didn't really matter.

"And what's right according to ya, Hotstuff?" He asked, leaning his head atop his palm lazily—

His leg kept bouncing repeatedly, though.

"Don't mind. Adrenaline."

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
TSJOPvDx

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 17, 2024 2:34:44 GMT

John Sullivan likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]By this point, Isaac couldn't mind Doug if he tried. Not when he had so much else on his mind.[break][break]

"I . . . I don't know," he admitted. "But I know what isn't right is lighting that building up while there could be anyone inside. I don't give a crap about the facility, or whatever notes they're drawing up. But the smoke . . . the debris . . . the inferno . . . if anyone gets stuck, killed in the most horrific way possible-"

A familiar sensation; weak, feeble, choking on a dark, cloudy miasma. It stumbled through a towering complex for reasons it could no longer understand. Was it trying to help another? Or was it simply trying to survive? The darkness, both inside and out, crept in more by each moment. Its eyes fluttered. Its head drooped. Slowly, as if against it will, it lay its weary head to rest. When it next came to, it was in the presence of a legend, having been pulled from the brink of its feeble mortality and made something far greater.[break][break]

Isaac looked down at his hands. They weren't legs. They were thin, slender paws. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a roar like howling wind came out. He turned to see who had done this to him, but it was not the familiar purple ripples of the northern wind that followed. It was a great firebird, feathers shimmering like a rainbow on a dewy morning as it crested the skies of another world.[break][break]

None of that happened, of course. Not to him. But as Isaac blinked himself back into focus, he realized he understood his patron more than he ever had before.[break][break]

"I can't," he said, the words only partly his own. His heart was pounding like an overclocked drum machine, and for once he could swear he knew the reason why. "Not again."

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

awards

3,111 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 20, 2024 0:39:57 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

He had been ready to debate on something like this for what felt like forever. Unfortunately, Isaac hadn't given him what he had prepared for.

And he couldn't well argue against something he agreed with.

"... Urgh." He groaned, rubbing his temples while giving the former blonde a withering look, taking in his rather naked body language and feeling bad for even thinking he would give him what he expected.

It was a reminder of how little he actually knew the other. He had seen deeper into the man than any other person in Hoenn, but what did they actually know about each other?

He was probably registered as 'mad unlicensed doctor Eris ocassionally hangs with' in the other's head.

He rose from his seat, sighing.

His expectations had been entirely off base... but then again— it went both ways.

"I get it. Now stop thinking. You're gonna psyque yerself out before we even get out there." He huffed, hands on his hips as he marched up to the man, palming his shoulder. "Still, I feel like I should be offended. I haven't killed a damn thing in the past 40 years; I ain't planning to break my hotstreak on a buncha random grunts."

He turned around and hoisted up his gasoline.

"Let's just say I've got my ways of knowing stuff. Hell— You've met all 18 of them."

God bless the Orbeetle Army.

Attaching the gasoline to his bag, Doug turned towards the door, humming.

"Still, didn't know you had been in those situations too. We're a lot more alike than you'd think." He mused. "I stopped fearing it after that night, though."

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
OILs5qTv

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 25, 2024 21:25:00 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]They were both too soft to fight. They were both too strong to stand aside. For all the term had gone on to describe the dreamwoven inhabitants of Area Zero, it was people like Doug and Isaac who were the true paradoxes of the Hoenn region.[break][break]

"40 years, huh? Hell of a streak, soldier boy." This time it was Isaac's turn to shoot the other man a wry grin, even as respect underlined his tone. "Wish I could say I was building my own. But the barrel of Cillian Quinn's gun against my head forced my hand." He'd almost made it out of Rocket without taking a single life. Almost.[break][break]

"Part of me knows he was a dead man the moment Cil got his hands on him. But I can't forgive myself for it, and I sure as hell can't forget." Maybe that was why, even as he warred against Rocket, he refused to embrace their philosophy. In a world of kill or be killed, the bigger, nastier bastard thrived. One way or another, it was Rocket's win.[break][break]

"Well, I told you my That Night. You ever need to get yours off your chest, I'm here." With that offer, Isaac eyed the knife embedded in the paper, drawing it and offering it back to Doug. "But maybe next time. Like you said, we really gotta stop thinking."[break][break]

Processing this war was hard. Fighting it? That was the easy part. Especially for two young men who knew what they were fighting for. Especially when they were each chosen by a patron of immense power. Especially when, whatever Rocket could throw at them, they'd shrug off as of they were never even hurt.[break][break]

As the aurora shimmered high over the Giant's Chasm, Isaac couldn't help but realize how right Doug was. This wasn't even fair.[break][break]

Btg1FZLL

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

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3,111 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 26, 2024 21:51:47 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

Rocket stations made for spectacular fireworks, he found.

Doug flicked his lighter shut, watching the fire briefly before turning back towards Isaac.

"What'cha think we should do with these guys?" He asked, gesturing with his neck to the cuffed grunts strewn about the ground, kept down by the threat of possible force. "Cops can get rough with grunts when left alone."

Not everyone was up for the whole 'reform' thing. Some even resented the fact that criminals, specially traitors, were getting the chance.

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
ipJ|9m__
TOTAL = 409

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 26, 2024 22:15:47 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]Doug wasn't kidding. Even as the Rocket facility went up in flame, not a soul was left trapped inside.[break][break]

A part of Isaac wished he had the other man's fortitude. Another part of him knew how much pain he must have felt in the last 40 years to be able to do so. A soldier who didn't kill. A healer who fought. A man who spent half his lifespan lost in another world, to the point where when he returned he wasn't even sure who he was anymore.[break][break]

That was what it took to be able to look away from the fire. Isaac, on the other hand, could barely avert his eyes.[break][break]

Even after the fight, equal parts a struggle and surprisingly simple, these weary few remembered their empathy. "Yeah. Wouldn't want that." It was almost ridiculous, considering they had just cuffed all these men themselves. Yet even a small win for fair treatment was one Isaac was happy to fight for. "Might be better for us to bring them back ourselves."[break][break]

He wanted to sit here with them, talk to them himself. He wanted to learn their stories, why they were with Team Rocket in the first place. He knew some of them would be too scared to speak. Some of them would scoff at him for even trying. He wouldn't be surprised if some spat right at him.[break][break]

But he needed to try.[break][break]

"We can talk on the way back." It wasn't a captor's demand. It was simply an offer, for those he helped to their feet to take or leave at their leisure. With their hands cuffed and their Pokeballs separated from their person, they wouldn't be much of a threat. "Should be plenty of time before we make it back to HQ, right?"[break][break]

Maybe if none of them took him up on his offer, he'd share his own story.[break][break]

Nb3hn3v_

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

awards

3,111 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug

POSTED ON Mar 27, 2024 20:10:27 GMT

RESEARCH STATION

With Isaac Merlo

Doug popped open a pocket watch, staring at it briefly before nodding at Isaac. "I'll stick around for a bit— just a bit, though. Patients are waiting."

He had arranged for a number of daylong shifts at Oldale General. Wouldn't do to keep the patients waiting long.

His Orbeetle hovered close, settling atop his hat. When the time ran out, it would teleport him away, back to work.

For now...

He reached down and hoisted up two rockets, one on his shoulder, the other under his pit. "Let's get'em vehicle."

"Let's go."

TL;DR:
Hi Big small handsome man.
ytwgN4kS
TOTAL = 587

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Mar 27, 2024 22:01:38 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"Busy man." Not that Isaac wasn't one, too. Between his Avatar status, his obligations to the people of Hoenn, and his own personal plans, there was rarely a quiet day in the life of Isaac Merlo. Would that even change if all those fetters fell away? Or would he simply find something new to throw himself at, come hell or high water?[break][break]

One must imagine Sisyphus happy.[break][break]

Doug's posse would evac him out of there once the time came. After that, it'd fall onto Isaac to make sure everyone made it to League HQ in one piece. A part of him wondered if he should call for backup. Another part realized he already had plenty of that. The six balls on his belt, well-worn and marked with individual seals, weren't there for show.[break][break]

Besides, he'd been wanting some alone time with these Rockets, anyway.[break][break]

He was strong enough to heft these Rockets up, but he preferred to lead them behind him instead. As frustrating as being part of a chain gang must have been, being scooped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes must have been worse. He owed these POWs at least that basic dignity, even if he knew what would have happened were the roles to be reversed.[break][break]

"Let's hustle, then." A Tailwind fluttered behind him, just enough to help lighten their load and help spur them along. "Got anything you want to say before you're off, doc?"

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — John Sullivan [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Epic BugCatcher

Dr. Doug

He/Him

20 (40)

March 3

Viridian City, Kanto

It just works

AQUA, Combat Medic

Bug Catcher

5' 11" (181 cm) / 180 lbs (82 kg) height

You're being healed. Please do not resist.

awards

3,111 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @bugcatcherdoug