Ahh, what a fine day for SCIENCE!

silk: does your muse care about appearances much? do they spend a lot of time on their own appearance, or do they just go with the flow each day? 

I would say that Dexter does care about his appearance, but not in the extent of wanting to look good to those around him. He isn’t the type who would just grab whatever he finds within his closet and wear it for the day, nor would you find him wearing things like hoodies, loose t-shirts, baggy shorts, or even sneakers all of the time, as instead, Dexter has a more mature and clean-cut type of appearance to him. Every single day, he would wear button ups, fitted slacks/pants, boots and occasionally, he would have a sweater vest and even chemical resistances gloves. And even rarely, his own glasses at that. It’s also really rare whenever he his wearing anything that is more considered as ‘comfy’ and ‘casual’ as the clean-cut look is his type of casual. And I mean it kinda is, seeing how this is the same boy who use to wear a literal science lab coat everywhere he went.

honey: when your muse loves someone (whether it be romantic, platonic, or familial love), how do they show it? 

The best way to indicate how much Dexter loves and cares for someone is the level of trust he has for the person. Dexter is very emotionally closed off, and it isn’t even because he makes himself out to be so, but rather it’s due to the fact that he finds it difficult to express himself in the same ways other people can. And because of that, he tends to keep to himself for the most part and would often make sure that no one tries to get close or physical with him since he doesn’t like it. But if Dexter were to somehow find himself forming a close relationship with a person, and begins to trust them more, the more inclined he would be in wanting to attempt to recuperate that same level of trust. For example, the only people Dexter is most comfortable in allowing to hug or even kiss him is his family, and even then it’s more his older sister Dee Dee than anyone else because he’s already use to her type of affections and to her touch. But if it were anyone else? He would snap at them for even trying. However, he is aware that he has difficulties in expressing himself and that is why the best way one can tell how he is expressing his care for them is the sake of him trying to display the most common form of affection in return. Another way to tell is whenever he allows a person to be around him for a long duration of time as he is normally someone who prefers to be on his own for the most part. Dexter never hesitates to kick anyone out and away from his presences whenever he doesn’t feel like dealing with anyone or he would choose to try and ignore them, and so if you see him actually giving you attention and seems to be actively listening to them at that, then chances are that he cares at least a decent amount about them.

champagne: does your muse drink (alcohol)? are they a heavy drinker, if so? 

lapis lazuli: does your muse prefer the idea of exploring the depths of the oceans, or the boundless expanses of space more? 

TASK 005:::….. Digging Deeper

QUOTE: “Dee Dee, how long have known each other? Our whole lives, you say? No, in truth? Never? Or should I say, you never knew me? Because if you did, you would know I am a soul who requires peace, quiet and, most importantly, solitude. But every day, that solitude is inevitably broken by *you*. Which is why I called you here. Now, I know these are tough times and a dollar does not go as far as it used to, but it is time to take stock, a time for responsibility, a time for change, for as the lab grows, so do my expectations, which, quite frankly, you're not living up to, which is why I have made this tough but firm decision. Dee Dee, you're fired.”

Dexter’s Costume - Monkey (ft: @littletriton & his own pet monkey)

Though he doesn’t mind the holiday much, this is the first Halloween where Dexter has the choice in what he wants to wear as often than not, he’s costume is whatever Dee Dee decided for him. But this year is different, as not only is he going as one of his favorite superheroes, Monkey, but Ariel will be wearing a matching costume as Agent Honeydew and he’ll be bringing his own pet monkey wearing a matching yellow M and yellow gloves.

A giggle escapes them at Dexter’s claim to have impeccable style taste. Not because he didn’t dress nicely, but just because Ariel knew that likely wasn’t something he actually cared or ever really thought much about. “Yeah, you’re a regular old fashion guru,” they tease, hand reaching out with the intention of nudging him on the shoulder but they’re quick to stop themself and drop their arm back down. After all this time hanging out with Ariel feels like they should be getting better at remember his distaste for physical contact and shouldn’t be having as many almost slip-ups like this… But at least they’ve been faster at stopping themselves lately. That was improvement at least. “I’m sure it’ll look fine, though. But go get it now! I want to see!”

“Oh, you would be surpirsed.” He remarked, a small curve to his lip indicating a small smile. No, he didn’t actually care about whether he was fashionable or not, but if Detxter wanted to put his mind onto it, than he may just be able to turn heads. Noticing how Ariel had reached over with the obvious intention in touching him, the ginger had admittedly had the urge to move back as to not let that happen before Ariel prevented themselves from doing so, but at the same time for some odd reason, just as Dexter frowned again, he also didn’t like that they did. “Yes, wait right here then.” He instead instructed, walking off without as to wait for a response.

“Yeah - like moss green is a nice color, but a beige-y color would be less attention grabbing. No one really notices a person dressed in just a boring color,” Ariel explains, perking up at the way Dexter was actually considering their suggestion. Not that he didn’t always do that, at least on some level, but after the whole breaking an important beaker fiasco it felt like a good step forward that he wasn’t dismissing them right away. “But let’s see what the suit even looks like first. It should be something at least somewhat stylish, hopefully, otherwise the color doesn’t matter it’ll stand out no matter what.” There wasn’t much that Ariel could actually bring to the table science-wise, but this right here was something they could actually be of help with.

“Huh…” It truly hasn’t came to his realization that beige was a less attention grabbing type of color. It could possibly be due to the mere fact that Dexter himself wore colors such as beige, whites, grays, with black and a splash of purple and green, so choosing the right color for something wasn’t always a priority for him. And any input that was given by Dee Dee, often results with her claiming he should brighten them up with a blinding color such as fuchsia. Just the thought of him creating anything in that color made the genius want to shudder. “Yes, well I do believe I have impeccable taste in terms of style, so you do not need to worry about whether it’s stylish or not. Although, out of all things I would not do is reconstruct it just for that purpose, if it does not need to be fixed within any other area.”·

“What do you mean how long? Can you not already tell that I do like Ariel? I make sure their companionship is not only wanted but appreciated whenever they are with me, and they seem to enjoy being around myself in return. I may not be comfortable in being affectionate with them in the way they so desires to be, but Ariel’s aware of why I do not enjoy doing such. Additionally, I am constantly inviting Ariel back into my laboratory, a feat I do not offer to many unless you are Dee Dee who always trespasses her way inside regardless of all the trades I implanted to prevent her from doing so, however with Ariel is all but voluntarily.” Dexter blinked. “If I did not like Ariel, than they would not have been accepted within my laboratory nor would I asks for their suggestions on any of my inventions. Therefore, I do like them.” @littletriton

“And if what you are referring to is the so called romantic form of like, then there is no need for me to like Ariel that way. There is another who they claim to vocally love already, and even if I may had fathomed viewing them in such a way, it would have been of no use if there is already a lesser probability of Ariel feeling the same.” 

A bright smile grows on their face when he confirms that their interpretation of the experiment had been right. Ariel wasn’t always correct when it came to trying to understand Dexter’s inventions, but every time they were it was exciting. They took pride in the times they were able to actually keep up with the boy genius. “Sounds cool! But don’t you think a tan color would actually blend better? Moss green is good for disusing yourself out in the woods and stuff, but it’s not a common color in public. A beige would be less attention grabbing around people.”

It wasn’t often when Dexter allowed the inputs of others when it came to his inventions. The ginger believing that only he knew best when it came to them since he was the creator, and Computer being the singular being he would listen to for the most part if he did so, which wasn’t much since Dexter created her too. But ever since moving to Corona and meeting the likes of Ariel, Bonnibel, Ella, and even Danny, Dexter discovered listening to others suggestions could actually be beneficial. Ariel’s input being one of the few who he truly takes into full consideration at that, which is why the boy genius came to a pause at the comment of the suit being in tan rather than moss green. “You think the moss green would make the suit stand out rather than blend in?” He questioned, having not considered that.·“That would defeat the purpose and functionality of the suit if it cannot be blended around public.”

Ariel thought the explanation over for a moment, trying their best to understand exactly what he meant, but couldn’t help being a little confused. “So it’ll make you invisible? And invincible?” they question, unsure how exactly a suit could do both things at once without being something straight out of a superhero movie - which usually didn’t seem like Dexter’s speed of inventions. But it still could be cool and they were willing to try it out no matter what it did. “Okay! Moss green is nice, though, but we’ll see how it actually looks.”

“Precisely.” The ginger nodded, unaware of the confused expression on Ariel’s face from his explanation. Dexter was still more focused on the download as he continued on with the specs of his suit. “There will be a small button on the left wrist of the suit where you can press on that’ll turn you invisible. The invincibility would be a standard feature the moment the suit’s on you.” He then gestured for Ariel to follow him the second after Computer notified him that his download was finished. “Moss green is the perfect color when disguising in public as even without the invisible function, it’s designed to blend with the surrounding.”·

who reaches out to new neighbors

Is that even a question? Ariel obviously! If it were up to Dexter, he would not care to reach out but Ariel insists in making the new neighbors feel welcomed and who is he to stop them from doing so. And not only that, but sometimes Dexter would even come along if he’s up for it or if Ariel convinces him and makes him break by pouting at him until he agrees to go with them. 

who remembers to buy healthy food

It has to be Ariel because Dexter more often than not forgets to even eat whenever he is consumed with whatever he’s inventing at the moment. Not only that, but he often would just buy whatever if he is grocery shopping so if either of them wants to eat healthy, Ariel has to be the one to remember to pick the healthy food out.

who remembers to buy junk food

Also Ariel for the same reason above. Dexter isn’t even someone who likes junk food or sugary stuff, but food is like an after thought for him unless he’s literally doing nothing but focusing on the food that they are buying. Then he’ll try. Maybe.

who fixes the oven when it breaks

Dexter would reconstruct the oven so that it’ll be programed to cook for itself so that neither of them would have to bother with it. But it could either end up working well and would never need a repair ever again, or he’ll mess up somewhere and make the oven worsts. Fortunately, Dexter hardly messes up but depending on whether Ariel is on board with his idea or not, depends on how he ends up fixing it. 

who waters the plants/feeds their pet(s)

Dexter doesn’t pay much mind to the plants so that is a job for Ariel to do because he would let them die without a second thought. However, he would remember to feed the pet since he has been consist in feeding Monkey as it is and would most likely remember to feed any other pet they get. But the feeding of the pet is something they both take turns in doing, it just all depends on who remembers firsts and they’ll do so.

who wakes up earlier

Ariel is the earlier raiser because if it was up to Dexter, he would either go an entire night without sleep while working in his lab or sleep in because he went to bed so late. Heck, I think Ariel would have to be the one to convince Dexter to sleep if he is up for so long and boy is extremely stubborn about it too. 

who makes the bed

Dexter offers to built a bed making bot so that neither of them has to do it, but Ariel likes to turn it into a bonding moment for the both of them. So even when he rolls his eyes at it and complains that making the bed is unnecessary when they’ll end up ruining it again later, he complies because no matter what, he can’t ever say no to Ariel in the end. 

who makes the coffee

Dexter makes the coffee because he is better at doing so and without it, he could not function to the best of his capabilities for the day. 

who burns breakfast

Also Dexter because cooking is not his strong suit despite it being another form of science. Dee Dee and his mother use to do all the cooking in the past, so while he would give it a try or like all his other suggestions, choose to build a robot that can cook for the both of them, it’s bests for Ariel to do the cooking unless they want to eat something that is burnt. 

how do they let each other know they’re leaving the house

At first, due to Dexter still not being so use to physical contact, Ariel would asks if they could give him a kiss and hug goodbye, Dexter would most likely opt for just the kiss since it’ll be quicker and is what he got use to the quickest. Whereas for Dexter, he would announce that he is leaving and would have just leave it at that, but because he knows how affectionate Ariel is, he would either give them a brief kiss as a form of goodbye or like reach forward to gently, take Ariel’s hand and quickly but gently squeeze it as a way of affectionate before muttering bye to them again and leaving. Then after more time together, Dexter would be more use to the physical affection and let Ariel kiss and hug him as much as they want before leaving, but they always inform the other when they do so.

how do they greet each other when one of them gets home

Very similar to the one above, Ariel often likes to at least give Dexter a hug whenever they arrive back home and so they would asks him if they could do so at first. This is most likely the main time he allows it since he is happy to see them back home too, a smile on his face and everything, and then after more time together, they both allow any form of affection to occur whenever either arrives back home. 

who brings home little gifts like flowers/chocolates more often

Ariel because Dexter is more of a make something and give it to Ariel kind of person than buy something and give it to them. But like, unless it’s something he knows for a fact that they really want and didn’t get it themselves, then he’ll surprise them with it unless he could make something better. He’ll do anything to make them smile honestly. 

who picks the movie for movie night

This may be one of the few times they both argue with each other because they both have different interests in what to watch and they are both stubborn about not wanting to watch something either would dislike. It then comes down to Computer to decide but using a random algorithm programed into her to make it fair.

their favorite kind of movie to watch

Ariel loves watching rom-coms, fantasies and generally anything that would be fun to watch. As for Dexter, he prefers to watch documentaries, sci-fi and the occasional action film if it has his favorite superhero, Major Glory in it. Computer tries to find any films that would make as a compromise for them both.

who first suggests a pillow fort

Ariel would be the one to suggest it and Dexter would at first think it’s stupid and childish to do. But then they stare at them with their big brown eyes and barely needs to plead to him about how much fun it’ll be for them to build a pillow fort before Dexter breaks and gives in. Ariel cheers every single time. 

who builds the pillow fort

Dexter comes up with the semantics on the best way to create a pillow fort, but Ariel just wants to wing it and if it falls apart, it falls apart and if it doesn’t, they want them both to stay inside it for the rest of the day and tell silly stories. Dexter thinks his way is better but he’ll allow Ariel to have it their way until the next time they want to make a pillow fort again.

who tries to distract the other during the movie

It isn't more of who distracts the other but who get’s bored first. Usually it’s Dexter because he doesn’t always have the attention span to sit down and watch a film for long or like because he feels the need to complain about what they are watching. But sometimes Ariel does the distracting too, either because they are confused by something that occurred and knew Dexter could explain it or because they realize they didn’t like the movie as much as they thought they would. 

who falls asleep first

Ariel, and it takes a lot from Dexter not to move when it happens because 9 out of 10 times whenever Ariel falls asleep, they end up leaning against him or curling up to him. Even when Ariel falls asleep on the other end of the couch, somehow they end up gravitating towards him and Dexter just has to deal because in the name of Albert Einstein, would he not dare to wake Ariel up.

who is big spoon/little spoon

Ugh, it’s rare especially at the beginning but Ariel is the big spoon with how much they love to hug people whereas Dexter is the little spoon since well, not only is he most likely a bit smaller than them but because Ariel is one of the only people who would let hug him. They are also one of the few who he would try to hug in return, so even more rarely, he would be the big spoon if he has to be. But like at best, whenever they go to sleep, Dexter is most comfortable at them both falling sleep while holding hands.