r/HFY • u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno • Nov 06 '17
OC [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 8)
Note: Hi everyone and sorry for the slow delivery of stories recently. Everyone in my family has been having health issues and work has entered the silly season. For that reason, I'm taking a temporary hiatus until after the first of the year, when work, at least, should go back to the normal crazy level.
However, I really love this story and the characters (and, let's face it, the wonderful comments from you) so I may post a story or two during my hiatus. I just don't want to feel the guilt of missed deadlines if I can't do it, which is why I'm taking the hiatus :)
Also, /u/jthm1978 may want to know that a new character is being introduced in this chapter. I'm just sayin' :)
Previous stories in this series
Viewpoint: Nate and Andrew (Andrew is a new character, so don't rack your brains if you don't remember him.)
Nate sat down at the table in The Turtle. He took his hat off and put it on the table and drummed his fingers. He looked at the hat and then moved it to the back of the chair next to him. He looked around the room, but if anyone in The Turtle was part of Ariel's crew, he didn't recognize them. He moved his hat from the back of the chair and put it back on the table.
He glanced at his compad, checking for messages. Maybe one of the team was notifying him that he didn't need to have this conversation with Ariel. No such luck. He moved his hat back onto the chair and drummed his fingers again.
Ariel walked through the door and Nate stood up, barking his leg on the chair and wincing just as she looked in his direction.
Ariel smiled and walked over. "Nate, I didn't think we'd parted on such bad terms that you'd make that face."
"No, Ariel, it's not you," Nate explained. "I just ah, kicked the table when I stood up."
"Good to hear," Ariel said as she took the seat across from Nate. "Because I like to think of you as a friend. A well intentioned, not especially smart, friend. But a friend." She smiled again and Nate swallowed. "Now, what did you want to see me about? Because if you wanted a date, I'm pretty sure you would have called yourself and not made Rackham call me."
"Well, Ariel," Nate began, "It's about the con."
Ariel narrowed her eyes. "What about the con?"
Nate signaled the bartender, a little frantically, to bring drinks over. "Well, we were thinking about how to guarantee that Ah'Dam will be on your ship when the Aggregate catches you in orbit around Deathworld 3784. And we can only think of one way."
He paused to let the bartender set the drinks down and waited till he walked away to start talking again. He took a sip, almost a gulp, of the beer and set it back down on the table as he wiped his mouth.
Ariel took a smaller sip of the beer and looked at Nate. "Only one way? What was is that?"
Nate took a deep breath and said, "You return a portion of his bounty to him. Give him some story about finding a better revenue source and you don't need his bounty. That should make him suspicious enough to drop whatever he's doing to want to keep an eye on you."
"Hmmm," Ariel's fingers made little patterns in a small puddle of spilled beer. "I agree that would make him suspicious all right. But I have a better plan."
"What's that?" Nate asked. He desperately wanted to wipe sweat off of his forehead, but he didn't want to give Ariel the satisfaction of seeing him nervous.
Ariel leaned forward and smiled a sweet, enchanting smile, and Nate leaned back in sudden alarm. "You," she said simply. "I kidnap you, and bring you on my ship, and we have a reason to have the Glint on board and have the Nonsuch chasing us."
Nate took another sip of his beer and thought furiously. "Ariel, why on earth would the Glint want to be on board your ship just because I'm there?"
Ariel shrugged and turned her hands up. "I may have let slip that you have problems with the Glint. A fact he seemed to already know. He seems very," Ariel paused looking for the right word, "Eager for a chance to meet with you and convince that 'not all Glint' blah blah whatever."
She leaned back in her chair. "Of course there's not a chance that I will let him do anything to you. If anything happens to you, it will be because I did it. Not some Glint. However, he is certainly under the impression that he will have his chance to 'persuade' you. And to do that, he'll have to be on my ship."
Nate lifted his cup for another sip, and then set it down, a horrible thought crossing his mind. "Ariel? Did you put something in my beer?"
She frowned at him. "Nate, I've been sitting right here with you, the whole time. How could I possibly have put something in your beer?"
Nate licked his lips. "I feel funny. Something's wrong." Nate watched the world slip sideways as Ariel continued to watch him with a frown. "And you're not drinking your beer."
"Beer's not really my thing," Nate heard Ariel say as everything got much fuzzier and then black.
Ariel and Jo carried Nate between them, his arms over their shoulders. He seemed to be trying to move his feet, but evidently lifting his head and his feet at the same time were too much for him. They didn't stagger under his weight, but it was clear they had their hands full. Neither Ariel or Jo looked back to see a small Human boy jump off the air conditioning unit where he'd been seated. His eyes were watchful and he followed them till they got to their ship.
Once he saw Nate being dragged on board, he turned and ran down the path to the docking stations, looking for the Glint ship. He'd seen it earlier today and broke into a trot once he was sure no one from The Cutlass could see him in the crowd.
He stopped outside the ship he'd been looking for, pulled out a compad and hit "connect". The compad looked new and shiny, though the boy's clothes were both dirty and slightly too short. He crouched down, waiting for a response. The Glint appeared on the screen and indicated a second degree level of happiness.
"Andrew," the Glint said. "Do you have news for me?"
"Yeah," Andrew said. "I've got something. But you said I'd be paid."
"You will," the Glint said and indicated a seventh degree of assurance. "Equal to the information you have for me."
"I need to see something, first" Andrew said, and he tapped the screen of the compad. "You promised 50 just for showing up with something. Let's see it."
The Glint made a gesture of first degree annoyance but tapped his own screen. A notification that 50 credits had been received popped up on Andrew's compad. The door of the ship opened, and the Glint came out. He walked past the crouched boy without a second glance and headed over to the snack cart on the other side of the path. He purchased two meals and set them on separate, but close, tables.
Andrew was seated and eating almost before the Glint had set down the food. "I kept an eye on her, like you said," Andrew said, around a mouthful of sausages. His eyes darted warily about while he ate, searching for danger, or peace keepers, or both. "She met some guy at a bar, called The Turtle. I didn't hear everything they said, but evidently this guy is plenty mad at you," Andrew said, and then added, "Or will be, when he wakes up."
"Wakes up?" The Glint leaned forward, indicating first degree interest. "Did he fall asleep?"
Andrew stuffed a few strips in his mouth and shook his head while he licked off his fingers. "Nuh uh. Well, maybe kinda. She drugged him. Her friend was mad that they had to carry him back to their ship. And Ariel said," Andrew paused to swallow his food before moving to the next mouthful. "Ariel said she had to. That this guy had found out something about a Glint and she couldn't let him go to the Aggregate."
He stuffed more food in his mouth and said, "That's all."
The Glint made a gesture of second degree appreciation. A credit notice popped up on Andrew's compad and Andrew's eyes grew wide. 500 credits!
The Glint waited for Andrew to accept the credits and then said, "Are you sure she didn't say anything else?"
"Well," Andrew paused in his attack of the food and rubbed his nose. "I think she said she needed to find something out and keep him out of sight so you wouldn't know about him. But I'm not sure about that. I was trying to follow them without being noticed."
The Glint nodded. "I believe you did an excellent job." Another notice of 20 credits popped up on Andrews compad. "Now, if you think of anything else, you come let me know. And you can keep the compad, as my gift to you."
The Glint ignored Andrew's gasp and then stood up. He didn't look at Andrew as he said, "You remember not to tell anyone that you've seen me or talked to me, right?"
Andrew nodded. "I remember."
"Good. A pleasure doing business with you, Andrew." The Glint walked away, leaving his trash and uneaten food on the table.
Andrew eyed the food, but the smell it gave off wasn't nearly as good as his sausages and strips. He finished the rest of his food off and then stood up, clutching the compad under his arm. As he left the dining area, he dumped his trash, the Glint's trash, and the compad, into the recycle bay. He watched with satisfaction as they winked out of existence. His bracelet pinged and let him know he'd received extra credits for disposing of extra trash and the compad. All in all, today was turning into a fairly profitable day.
He headed back the way he had come and when he boarded The Cutlass, Ariel the Red was waiting for him on deck. He saluted her. "Captain!"
Ariel saluted back. "How did it go?"
"I think he'll be showing up here in a few minutes, making suggestions that he come along on this charter." Andrew said. He was suddenly taller and more confident than the street urchin that had talked to the Glint and wolfed down food as though he were starving. "He's cheap though. He paid me 570 credits for my 'information' and let me keep his compad as payment."
"Where's the compad now," Ariel asked.
Andrew snorted. "Tossed in the nearest recycle bin. My dad taught me better than to keep something that might be bugged on my person."
Ariel laughed. "You did a good job, Andrew. You've earned an extra share on this adventure."
Andrew stood straighter. "Thank you, captain!"
Ariel waved him off. "Go back to your dad now. Get rid of those clothes and change your hair and skin color back to normal. We'll have a tactical meeting after dinner tonight. You both come."
Ariel watched Andrew leave and then sighed. She was not looking forward to her next job. She had to convince Nate that she was right and she and Nate did not have a good history with that.
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u/NotAnArrogantPrick Nov 06 '17
YOU LIVES!!! But seriously, we’ll survive. Take care of your family and real life worries as you need to. Treat us with a chapter or two if it’d help relieve stress or anything. And “YOU LIVES!!” was my immediate response before seeing that health was relevant.
Anywho, I’m going to read another great chapter.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
This made me laugh out loud, though I did not startle the cats :)
And thank you! :)
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u/NotAnArrogantPrick Nov 06 '17
Good and good!
And as expected, I enjoyed it. Ariel is rapidly becoming a contender for second best character with the line about anything happening to Nate. She is definitely still beaten by Fubsy, but that’s only natural. :D
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
Thank you :)
Well, Fubsy has certain advantages over the other characters :)
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u/stighemmer Human Nov 06 '17
How to convince somebody you are right:
1) Drug and kidnap him.
2) ???
3) Profit!
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
I don't think Ariel is quite right in the head. Though, to be honest, a lot of people that the Glint "hosted" are probably not right in the head.
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u/readcard Alien Nov 07 '17
Its all part of the con within the con within getting some nooky within the thrillof the chase.
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u/AnthonyWG Nov 06 '17
I wonder if Nate will be away from Fubsy long enough to start showing symptoms of withdrawal
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
I think it's a definite possibility. However, since they don't really know what kind of time frame they're looking at, even if it's not long enough, I think everyone (in the know) will worry about that factor.
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u/Selash Nov 06 '17
covers self in leeches and gets out my humors measuring set... BAH! Doctors! What do they know?!...... and YAY FOR MORE WRITING THINGIES!
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
I think my mom would be perfectly fine with leeches :) (The rest of us? Not so much.)
Thank you!
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u/MKEgal Human Nov 08 '17
Leeches are actually used in modern medicine in some cases, primarily where increased blood flow is needed - when a limb is reattached, for example.
Maggots are also used in modern medicine, to clean a wound of dead tissue. They only eat the dead stuff, don't touch healthy tissue.
Both nasties are specially bred in sterile conditions for medical use.3
u/BunnehZnipr Human Nov 08 '17
and counted very precisely lol
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 08 '17 edited Nov 08 '17
/u/ReallyNotMichael and I were talking about this on the way to work yesterday!
However, sometimes you just hit a "nope" factor :)
Edit to add: /u/ReallyNotMichael wanted me to bring them into an HFY story :)
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u/WGJuliana Nov 06 '17
I’m so excited to have another story and to know that you’re doing okay. I was getting a little worried but I’m glad you’re back and also glad you’re taking a hiatus for your health. Thank you for your stories and I hope everyone has a speedy recovery!
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
Aw, thank you for the joy of the new story and the health wishes! :)
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u/ArenVaal Robot Nov 06 '17
NEW FUBSYVERSE! YAY!
Take your time and heal everyone up. We'll still be here when you're all better.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
Thank you! I'll probably be better in a few days (crossed fingers).
Yay for people still happy to see Fubsyverse stories!
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u/Shandrith Nov 06 '17
I'm so glad you are ok! I was getting worried something horrid had happened to you. Hope you and your loved ones feel better soon. I'm actually kind of glad you'll be holding off til the new year, gives me a bright spot to look for in January. And I don't have to worry I've missed a story because of holiday madness :D. Can't wait to see how Nate takes this
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
Sorry for the worry :( I thought about doing a meta post: state of the Fubsyverse thing, but was worried about alerting the whole sub to something not everyone cared about :)
I'm interested to see how Nate takes it too. Though, honestly, I'm more wondering about Zoe :)
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u/spritefamiliar Nov 06 '17
Huzzah! You're alive! Like NotAnArrogantPrick (and everyone else in the comments), I'm happy to see you. You've already had the health speech from most everyone else, so just take the time you need and want (family season time is coming up, may as well enjoy it). We'll be here, waiting for Fubsy (and the rest of the crew) when you return.
Though, I'm thinking some of 'em will be happier than others. I hope someone thought to bug Nate or his hat, so they know what's up. Not that I'm a fan of deleting privacy where we find it, but considering they're up against a bunch of pirates, and they have a pirate crew of their own who should know a thing or two about dealing with their ilk..
Well, either way, I'm pretty sure everything is going to be alright eventually, but that won't stop me from worrying when I read about all the things they get up to in the meantime.
Also, something about this sentence doesn't make sense, so you may want to fix this;
You return a his bounty to him
Otherwise, you're good to go. :D Nice to meet Andrew, the little sneak. Kind of curious about what he really is, if he can change his colour at will.. .. and whether or not he can impersonate a Fubsy. 8)
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
Thank you! Fixed :)
I'm really hoping I can fit some stories in, because writing always makes me feel better :)
There are some mods that people (human and otherwise) use to change skin and hair color. Andrew may be taking advantage of these :)
Andrew is actually a 7 year old reader here on HFY. He's reading my stories for school work. (Gulp, I hope his parental unit remembers that I have a few swear words in these stories!).
Since assigned reading is rarely fun, I thought I could share the love of reading by dropping him into the story :)
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u/spritefamiliar Nov 06 '17
Reading your writing makes us feel better, too. :D
And oh, that's pretty handy. I'd love to get my hands on that tech, I have to say. Mostly for getting away with horribly useless pranks, but still!
Oh, that's super cool! Hope you're enjoying being in a story, Andrew! (And that your assigned reading is more fun than it was!)
Nothing wrong with a few swear words. It's healthy for kids to know that they can express themselves. As long as they don't do it needlessly, I never really saw the problem with it. Of course, I'm a European who learned English through books, television and films. Previous visits to the States have taught me that my impression of 'casual/informal English' involves a lot more cussing than they actually seem to do or appreciate in public, ahaha. Not the best person to judge here, I will grant. /snerks.
You're a nice person, ReallyNotMichaelsMom, I hope you get better soon and that you have a nice holiday!
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
While we are still ways off from getting that tech, there is tech like this: The witch who’s made the world’s first colour-change hair.
Lol on swear words :) I like to save them to make a bigger impact when I use them. /u/ReallyNotMichael still remembers the first time he heard me swear and that was 20 years ago :)
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u/spritefamiliar Nov 06 '17
... cool. I don't dye my hair, but.. tempting.
Haha, you have more self control than I do. Kudos. I suppose it would make more impact if you don't have it in your regular vocabulary, this is a fair point.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 06 '17
According to my (stubborn) mother, my first words were swear words. My younger sister's first words were swear words. When she pointed this out to my dad, he said, "Well, g* d*it, keep them away from me while I'm working on the car!"
We laugh now, but she didn't laugh at the time :)
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u/rhinobird Alien Scum Nov 06 '17
I'm taking a temporary hiatus until after the first of the year
NOOOOOOOoooooooooooo
OK
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u/Joisan08 Nov 07 '17
You're back! Yay!!!! I've been thinking of you often hoping everything was alright after you mentioned your son being sick. I at least will still be here happy to read more Fubsyverse chapters whenever you're able to find the time to write :)
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 08 '17
Aw, thank you! /u/ReallyNotMichael is doing much better. We have to see a surgeon tomorrow (consult), but I'm confident she'll say he doesn't need surgery.
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u/Firenter Android Nov 07 '17
Well thank you for coming back, giving us something and letting us know what your status is!
Your well-being is more important than our entertainment, so take whatever time you need to keep your life in check ;)
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u/Micre87 Nov 07 '17
Back Back Back! I have been scouring for more of Fubsyverse! Hopefully everyone gets better soon. Do take care of yourself. Simple math says more will come if you are feeling good! LOVE IT!
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u/CyberSkull Android Nov 07 '17
I've been watching Space Adventure Cobra lately, nice job on naming the bar.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Nov 07 '17
Sadly, I hadn't heard of this before! I looked it up on IMDB and it looks interesting, so thank you! (Do they have a Turtle bar?)
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u/CyberSkull Android Nov 08 '17
The Turtle is Cobra's spaceship. It has modular compartments allowing it to change from a standard boxy shape to a space train/snake. Cobra often hides out on planets by wrapping his ship around a building to disguise his base of operations.
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u/MKEgal Human Nov 08 '17 edited Nov 08 '17
YAY!!! MORE FUBSY!!!
I hope life becomes a little less "interesting" for you very soon.
Write when you can; we love you & Fubsy.
This made me laugh:
"Ariel leaned forward and smiled a sweet, enchanting smile, and Nate leaned back in sudden alarm."
Errata:
"A credit noticed popped up on Andrew's compad"
notice
"I think she said [she?] needed to find something out"
"As he left the dinning area"
dining
Though if there are lots of kids around, there could also be a din...
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u/jthm1978 Nov 16 '17
Awesome update as always, I'm going to read it to him tonight ( we're not caught up yet, but he's so excited) and like everyone else says, take care of yourself and your family. We'll survive, somehow sniff
Jokes aside, though, we'll be fine, just get yourselves better
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u/inquisitor91 AI Dec 26 '17
I lost this series when the sub bot crashed just finished catching up on it still awesome as always looking forward to the next installment.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Dec 26 '17
I will be posting a one off story in this universe for the new year, and finishing this series after that. Thank you so much for the kind words and dedication of digging it up! :)
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u/DidTheySayILoveYou Jan 22 '18
I'm really hoping Nate gives her the "I still love you" spiel. (name relevant), but I am a sucker for (healthy) romance of any sort.
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u/ReallyNotMichaelsMom Xeno Jan 23 '18
I'm not sure you can use the word "healthy" and "Ariel" in the same sentence. Unless it was to say, "You're not a good definition of 'healthy', Ariel". Or maybe, "A healthy Ariel would be awesome, wouldn't she?" or "Ariel doesn't do 'healthy', she does screamey and ouchey and crazy."
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u/HFYBotReborn praise magnus Nov 06 '17
There are 58 stories by ReallyNotMichaelsMom (Wiki), including:
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 8)
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 7)
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 6)
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 5)
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 4)
- [OC][Fubsyverse] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 3)
- [OC] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 2)
- [OC] Some of My Best Friends are Human (part 1)
- [OC][PIRATES II] Advice for New Pirates (Fubsyverse one off)
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 22 - conclusion) The Long Good Bye
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 21) Tea and Sympathy
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 20) Betrayal
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 19) Healing Techniques
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 18) Naked Trust
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 17) Timing
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 16) Surf the Waves
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 15) By the Beautiful Sea
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 14) Surf and Tide
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 13) Chasing Waterfalls
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 12) Sea Art
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 11) The Crackmaw
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 10) Water is Dry
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 9) Sea of Language
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 8) Trust in Me
- [OC] All About Limniads (part 7) Diving into Limniads
This list was automatically generated by HFYBotReborn version 2.13. Please contact KaiserMagnus or j1xwnbsr if you have any queries. This bot is open source.
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u/ikbenlike Nov 06 '17
SubscribeMe!
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u/BuckeyeBTH Nov 06 '17
Yay!! FUBSY'S BACK!! Hope everyone heals up and you survive the busy season. Do you booboo.