Editing Laserdream (section)

==Personality==
Crystal is easygoing<ref>There were other calls I needed to make, including one to Crystal to let her know where I was.  I put that one off.  Crystal was easygoing. - [[Flare 2.2]]</ref> and tries to be friendly and mindful of others.<ref>It was cold, but her costume was good quality and warm, made of a thicker material that softened the lines of her body somewhat.  It was her nose and ears that got cold, even with earmuffs on and mostly hidden by her hair, her face turned away from the strident wind.<br><br>On any other day or circumstance she might have used her forcefield to block that wind, but the people at the building entrance were from Shin and they didn’t like powers.<br><br>In a ''personal'' capacity, she had tried to be friendly, to open discussion, and answer questions for people.  People had been notified and given the impression that the prisoners would be out soon.  Two hours ago.  As a form of compromise, considering the shitty weather, she’d offered to text everyone on a list as soon as people emerged, so the worried friends, family and teammates could wait in a nearby coffee shop or store.  Only half had taken her up on the offer.<br><br>She was trying to piece together who was here for who. - [[Dying 15.a]]</ref> She is also good at being on television.<ref>“Mayday put on a good show, a bit stilted,” Tristan said.  “Some ex-Wardens were also out there.  Chevalier’s back, Legend and Valkyrie are away doing something important.  Narwhal doesn’t do TV, and some of the ex-Guild like Stonewall and more stern, dark Protectorate types like Cinereal aren’t exactly TV types either.”<br><br>“Weld’s pretty good at it, but he’s still away,” Sveta said.<br><br>Crystal too. - [[Gleaming 9.2]]</ref> Although Crystal can focus and perform well during grim events such as [[Endbringer]] fights, she does not handle the aftermath as well.<ref>Crystal had backed me up for a good while.  She’d been a friend, a support.<br><br>She had performed during the event.  She’d been focused, she’d done what she needed to do.  It had been after that she faltered.  Hearing that the people who’d been touched by the broken trigger weren’t doing well, then hearing that only four remained.  Hearing and seeing those four drop away.<br><br>It had been that way for Leviathan, too.<br><br>It had probably been that way after I went to the hospital.<br><br>Fine during, not so fine after. - [[Flare 2.4]]</ref> For example, 10 days after a [[broken trigger]] incident killed 92 civilians, [[Victoria]] found her binge-watching TV.<ref>“How many?” Rocketround asked.<br><br>“Ninety two, if you include the ones in houses,” she said.<br>[...]<br>It had been ten days, now.  Ten days after the broken trigger with the citizen workers.  One of the worst we’d seen for citizen casualties and damage.<br><br>I landed on the balcony, letting myself in.  I took the carton out of the plastic bag and popped it into the microwave, lid ajar.  Eighteen seconds.<br><br>“Vic?” Crystal called out.<br><br>“I’m here.  One second.”<br><br>“That had better not be what I think it is.”<br><br>“It is.”<br><br>Crystal groaned audibly.<br><br>I pulled the carton free, grabbed some spoons, and walked over to the living room.  Crystal was sitting in the armchair, watching TV, a blanket on her lap. - [[Flare 2.4]]</ref>

She does not believe in the ends justifying the means.<ref>“You might be right.  I just find that having the question constantly put before me is… it’s hard.  If I hadn’t taken his life and automatically drawn him into me, he would have notified key people, and we would have lost the element of surprise.  Many more would have suffered and died.”<br><br>“I don’t believe in the ends justifying the means, sorry.  I think once you start thinking that way, you stop looking for those hard-to-spot answers.  But I’m a flying blaster girl.  Pew pew.  It’s shitty of me to judge you when I got the easy, awesome power, and you got the power with the built-in moral dilemmas.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/10/20/gleaming-interlude-9/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 9 II]]</ref> For example, she was not afraid to tell [[Valkyrie]] that her power was creepy<ref>“Did it go okay?” one of the capes on duty asked.  A PRTCJ uniform.<br><br>“It went fine,” Valkyrie answered.  “No casualties.  Some captives.  We’ll get information on the powers they’ve been using.  I have the spirit of one, and I think he’ll tell me what he knows soon.”<br><br>“Wow.  That’s pretty crazy creepy,” the PRTCJ officer said.<br><br>“Perhaps,” Valkyrie replied.  “Excuse me.  I need to rinse off the poison before the adaptations fade.”<br><br>As she walked away, she could hear a whispered exchange between the PRTCJ officers.<br><br>“You can’t just call them creepy when they’re ''Valkyrie'', Crystal.”<br><br>“Oh, just stole a soul, gonna interrogate it, nothing wrong about that.”<br><br>Valkyrie paused.<br><br>“Oh, shit,” the not-Crystal PRTCJ officer replied, before ducking away.<br><br>“Don’t just run and… hi again, Valkyrie,” PRTCJ officer Crystal said. - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/10/20/gleaming-interlude-9/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 9 II]]</ref> and that she was not comfortable with her taking the shadow of an enemy combatant to then later "interrogate".<ref>“You don’t like it?  You’ve been on the front lines here, in the northwestern American states, and in Russia.  You’ve seen what we’re up against.  We need information.”<br><br>“I don’t like it,” Crystal said.<br><br>“It will be more lives saved in the long run.”<br><br>“It’s capturing someone’s very ''essence''.  It’s deeply, ''deeply'' uncomfortable.  If you’re capturing guys on our side with permission and bringing them back like I’ve seen, I’m okay with that.  Otherwise, I’m not cool with it.  I’m not going to shoot you or fight you or anything, but… not cool.”<br><br>“I’ve had at least one of these conversations every day for the past few months,” Valkyrie said.  “Different points, different particulars.  I have people telling me to take time off, but this– ''this'' is what wearies me.”<br><br>“Am I wrong?  What am I missing?” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/10/20/gleaming-interlude-9/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 9 II]]</ref>

As she grew up with a [[Lady Photon|mother]] who fully embraced powers,<ref>Your aunt surprised me by agreeing, and I think that was ''her'' move… establishing an unsafe bubble, not pursuing civilian life.  Powers as a part of everything.  Even the ''damn'' home recipes.- [[Radiation 18.7]]</ref> Crystal is very relaxed about using her powers in everyday life. For example, she uses forcefields as make-shift tables/trays when eating outdoors,<ref>Crystal was out at the water’s edge now, leaning over the railing.  Forcefields made a kind of table or tray for her to set her food down on.  It drew the attention of bystanders, in a ‘look at that, how cool’ way. - [[Shadow 5.1]]</ref> does not own a pair of scissors,<ref name="II2.1 eNoScissors">Still appearing half asleep, she moved one hand, creating a deep red forcefield behind the bacon, then she produced a thin laser from her fingertip, slicing off the end of the package.<br><br>She handed the bacon to me, open end up.<br><br>“You don’t have scissors?”<br><br>She shook her head, smiling. - [[Flare 2.1]]</ref> uses lasers to help cook food,<ref>“Yeah,” my dad said.  “With food I’ve been aching for for just as long already cooking, the kitchen and barbecue rich with that smell.  Things, like I said, that make me stupid.”<br><br>“What food was it?” I asked.<br><br>“Laser seared kebabs,” Crystal said.<br><br>I bit my lip.  Family recipe.  With my lip still between my teeth, I said, “Okay.” - [[Glare 3.5]]</ref><ref>“Hhm.  I’ll trust your instincts,” he said.  “I can work faster if I heat the metal up.  I’m going to go set up the forge.”<br><br>“Why barbecue when you can use ''lasers''?” Crystal asked.  “Lasers are great.  We can collab and gossip like schoolgirls while these two work out their business.”<br><br>“My schoolgirl impression leaves a lot to be desired,” Weld said.<br><br>Crystal grinned.  “But barbecue sounds good, while we’re on the subject.  I was tempted here with food and promises of a chance to tease my cousin.” - [[Shadow 5.6]]</ref><ref>She cracked some eggs, putting them in the frying pan – for Crystal and herself.  In another pan, english muffins were lying face-down in a little bit of butter, alongside some mystery meat patties that were frying up.  The pan had warped a bit because Crystal had a habit of rushing the heating-up of the pans by lasering them, which concentrated too much heat in one place.  My mom used the fact the pan naturally tilted to manage the way the butter and meat juice pooled. - [[Sundown 17.2]]</ref> and opens chip bags in a strange way.<ref name="II20.e6 eChips" /> She also grew up with her mother's philosophy of setting realistic goals and being happy when she meets them.<ref>“You set a goal,” Aunt Sarah spoke, purple irises bright in the dark.  “Get the civilians down there safe and sound, minimum of casualties.”<br><br>“There were casualties,” I said, frantically looking between the various targets.  ''What the fuck do I even shoot, now''?  “There’s about to be a lot more.”<br><br>“There were always going to be casualties, Victoria,” my Aunt said.  “We’ve done a good job of keeping them to a minimum.”<br><br>“No,” I said.  “Any number above zero was always going to be a failure.  Saying it’s anything but is shirking responsibility.”<br><br>“Set your goals, keep your goals realistic-”<br><br>“-and let yourself be happy when you meet them,” Crystal finished, speaking alongside the woman who was and simultaneously wasn’t her mother.<br><br>My laser cannon clacked and roared as I fired at Skadi.  She was preoccupied though.  The Wardens were taking the primary focus in this moment.<br><br>“My mom always said we needed to deny the other side ''their'' goals,” I said, quiet.  “They want to crush us, slowly and steadily.  They wipe out humanity, connect to one another, and discard our planet.  They’re succeeding.”<br><br>“I remember discussing plans and policies with your mother, when the team was new,” Aunt Sarah said.  “I never imagined we’d pass them on to our individual kids like this.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2019/12/24/infrared-19-1/ Excerpt] from [[Infrared 19.1]]</ref>

Crystal is not a morning person.<ref>“What are you doing to my kitchen?”<br><br>Crystal was in the doorway, her hair a mess.  She wore an oversized t-shirt and pyjama shorts, and she still looked half asleep.<br><br>“Did I wake you?” I asked.<br><br>“Uh huh,” she said, sleepy.  “Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.  That would be a problem.”<br><br>“I’m not.  I’m a person who fell asleep early last night-”<br><br>“Almost right after eating.  Yep.  And now you’re up, showered, dressed, and you’re dismantling my kitchen.  For reasons.” - [[Flare 2.1]]</ref><ref>My clothes were somewhat rumpled, so I ventured back to the bathroom and called out, “Crystal?”<br><br>My voice wasn’t ''that'' loud, but it sounded deafening with how quiet it all was.<br><br>“-hate being bothered when I’m showering.  Give me a few minutes of peace, damn it.-”<br><br>The grumbling continued.<br><br>“Can I borrow clothes?”<br><br>“Yes!  Go away!”<br><br>Crystal wasn’t a morning person. - [[Sundown 17.2]]</ref> She is also quite the hoarder<ref>“Ah ha,” I said.  “Then can I make fun of you for having two big jars of spatulas, whisks, spaghetti scoops, having two food processors-”<br><br>“One was a gift.”<br><br>“-And no scissors or shears anywhere I can find?  I’d settle for a sharp knife.  You have those steak knives, but they look nice and I don’t want to use them for the wrong thing and ruin them.” - [[Flare 2.1]]</ref> as she has a ''lot'' of stuff, including old proto-costumes<ref>“My closet,” she said.  “Black trash bags.  Never throwing things away pays off.  It’s one of the sample batches.”<br><br>The bags made the clothes easy to find, even in the jam-packed closet.  The contents were hidden within the trash bags, the hooks of the hangers poking up and through.  Crystal indicated the bed, and I laid them out, peeling the plastic back.  White costumes without icons or decoration, a variety of cuts and styles.<br><br>It was a familiar range.  Back in the day, companies had periodically reached out to New Wave, wanting to pitch their product and get us to use them for our costuming.  Mom had handled those talks and periodically singled out a family member to send a bunch of proto-costumes to.  Later she would nag us for feedback that she could send the companies.<br><br>I didn’t want to think about mom.<br><br>I focused on the costumes, with some attention paid to the situation at hand.  The leotard cut was a ‘never ever’.  The full-body suit was problematic because of how it resembled Scion’s, and I didn’t want to go there.  Those were two I could eliminate right away.  I pulled the black trash bags down over them and set them aside. - [[Flare 2.3]]</ref> and things previously owned by her parents.<ref name="II2.1 eHoardStuff" /> [[Victoria]] believed her cousin's apartment in [[the City]] was a borderline uncomfortably cluttered place<ref>No way to make money off of my powers, to pay the rent and get out of Crystal’s borderline uncomfortably cluttered place. - [[Flare 2.2]]</ref><ref>“Please,” Sveta said.  “And we’re almost there.  The place might be a little messy, to warn you.”<br><br>“Crystal and I are two people crammed into an apartment with room for one person, I don’t think it’s a problem,” I said.  I withheld the part where Crystal was a bit of a pig.<br>[...]<br>The apartment wasn’t what I would have called ‘messy’.  In a way, it was very different from Crystal’s place.  There was no detritus, nothing left lying around. - [[Shadow 5.6]]</ref> and thus did not want to live with her long-term.<ref>“I know I want to move forward, because… I dunno.  I feel like I’m a shark that drowns if it stops moving, or a bird that drops out of the air like a stone if I’m not flying forward.  I know I need to get some of the basics of life squared away.  I’m okay for money for a couple of months, but I can’t stay on Crystal’s couch.”<br><br>“In my brief interactions with Crystal, I did like her,” Jessica said.<br><br>“She’s great.  But not great to live with long-term, I don’t think.  You’d never know it to look at her, she’s beautiful, she’s fashionable, and very well put together, but if you looked at her apartment…”<br><br>I trailed off, using my expression to convey a bit of the horror to Jessica.<br><br>“Ah,” Jessica said.  She smiled again. - [[Daybreak 1.8]]</ref> Crystal does not mind mess as she prefers a lived-in element to her home.<ref name="II2.1 eHoardStuff">“I don’t care,” she said.  “First of all, I know I have a lot of stuff.  You know I have a lot of stuff.”<br><br>I looked at the stuff around the kitchen and adjacent living room.  It was a bit messy, to the point counter space and table space was occupied.<br><br>“Just- I really don’t care if you add your stuff to it.  I like my places feeling lived in.  Some of the stuff is a friend’s, and they’ll take it when they get set up.  Some is mom and dad’s.  Some is yours, and that’s fine.  That leads me to my second point.  I ''want'' you to be here.  I want you to feel comfortable.”<br><br>“Thank you.”<br><br>“I know my couch isn’t much, but you need a place that you can kick your shoes off and leave them where they are.”<br><br>I might have mentioned that I wasn’t quite that personality type, but I held my tongue.  I understood the sentiment, what she wanted.<br><br>“I want you to have a place that’s yours, Vic.” - [[Flare 2.1]]</ref>

She finds men who dye their hair more attractive.<ref>“I like Tristan’s choice in colors,” Crystal said.<br><br>I didn’t get a chance to respond, because Tristan and Natalie joined us in the living room.<br><br>“Crystal.  We didn’t meet,” Tristan said.  “I was watching on camera while you visited Cedar Point.”<br><br>“I love the hair,” Crystal said.  “I like the color, too.  I have a soft spot for boys who are brave enough to dye their hair.  If only you were a bit older.”<br><br>“I’m flattered,” Tristan said.  “Those aren’t the boys I tend to go after, myself, but my dating life isn’t very… alive, either.” - [[Shadow 5.6]]</ref>
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Did not keep her room clean at all.

===Relationships===
List characters they liked, hated, or worked alongside.
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