Overview

Dylan does have Blank Canvas. The question is, have they lost "freak"? I don't think I should get to decide that, but, in thinking about it, it seems like there would have to be witnesses seeing Derek and his friends interacting with Dylan in some other way.

I think that makes sense. I think Derek is definitely thrown off enough here that he's not looking to prolong the interaction. On the XP question, I know the Hollow gets an XP for gaining a new condition, but I don't see where Dylan would get one for leaning into a condition or acting on it. If Dylan has A Blank Canvas, then they could leverage it here to cross off freak. I could imagine the mood shifting a bit, with the others taking Derek's lead off an unspoken thought of 'Oh! Dylan's kind of hot actually... they can't be a freak if I want to get freaky with them...'

A brief cutting laugh, something within her mind closer to a hyena's chuckle, cut to Selene's core like a lashing whip. She tried to avoid speaking up. This was the reason for it. Still, it wasn't as harsh as what she was used to. Nobody was berating her yet. Things hadn't gotten out of hand and she could still make some sort of gain here. The look shot her way wasn't new either, although she tried to take it as a compliment. Immortality was, after all, something that most witches dreamt about! She had tried to recite a spell for it in the past. Was it possible that she had secretly succeeded? Probably not, but it was better to use that as an excuse, if only to preserve her image within her own mind. Lips parted briefly. She barely restrained herself from muttering 'Facebook' in a way that would make it seem as though she didn't know about it. In fact she did know of it! Did she use it herself? No. Had she tried in the past? Also no, but she had come close! But then she'd seen other people who did have it and didn't successfully make friends through the program. They seemed sad and the strange site appeared to lure them into doing things that they might normally not, all for the sake of chasing new friend requests! It had been bad enough to convince Selene that a Demon might have created it. She wasn't about to take a risk on that. "I guess" she ended up saying instead, voice low but above a whisper, something which took her at least a little effort. Snapchat was, however, not something she was fully familiar with. If she had to guess then it was a more recent iteration of the same sort of thing. Thankfully there would be no attempts to press Selene on either of the sites. Charlotte was taking most of the attention, something for which Selene was definitely grateful! Suddenly a drink was pushed into her hands, breaking the small woman out from her brief spell of thoughts! Lids flickered as her gaze lowered. There was a sweet smell, something fruity but also clearly alcoholic. A dangerous substance for her. She did not have much of a tolerance for this sort of thing. Weirdo. Fingers briefly tightened their grip around the cup, crinkling it ever so slightly, nearly risking a spillover of its contents. That word bit hard. She feared it. It had been the bane of her relations with others, or rather lack of relations. But Charlotte wasn't just using it to insult her. It was a warning. With a quick albeit timid nod Selene pulled the cup to her lips and took a long swig. Eyes clenched shut as she resisted the burning sensation, and by the time it was lowered again a third of the drink had been consumed. She could feel the heat within her chest, heat which rose up her neck and flowed into her cheeks, leaving behint a faint though constant pink fluster. A dangerous gambit perhaps but she dare not risk refusing it. Another nod was offered towards the girl, followed by her whispered response. "Sorry." She nearly jumped when Samantha clapped and shot to her feet! Like the others she followed the girl's gaze, expression wincing into a frown when the realization of what was going to happen hit her. It didn't matter whether Robin had a Facebook or not. If she visited the party as she said she would then there would be no missing that. Oh. This isn't going to be good. Eyes darted about, exploring the party around her. She needed to figure out a way to stop this. Or, if she were lucky, to find Robin and warn her! An idea did start to form within her mind, although the chances of success were slim, especially given the fact that she would just be winging things. The first step would be to keep the twins from taking control. As for the rest? Well she could think about that later! "Should I go ask if they can play it?"

I think he masks that awkwardness by telling me to "go on, get the fuck away from us" and lets me go up to the house because he thinks that's what I want. Either way, Derek is turned on but does Dylan mark experience for acting like a freak?

So, to touch on what @WritesNaughtyStories wrote in the RP thread, I personally do not mind if other people want to grab the reins on an NPC even after I start something with them. So, for instance, if @DreamsnThings had an idea for how Derek would react here, I'd be comfortable her jumping in. But yeah, absolutely, Dylan gets a string on Derek and I think my gut reaction is that he'll get suddenly awkward and acting out 'extra masculine' because of how enticing he's finding Dylan (I think in my head canon, he thought Dylan was a guy and this is fucking with his binary brain). But if someone else gets to a reply before me, follow your hearts ❤

Freak Dylan rubbed the knuckle of their injured hand with the same thumb, unaware they were trying to decide which pain was more fulfilling. The boys were right though - Dylan was a freak, they just had no idea how much of a freak. They tried to offer Derek and his friends an engaging smile and gave a slight shrug, "Just delivering some party favors for a friend." They lied, thinking about the eXtasy in their pocket. "We can be friends." Dylan added with a wink. "Let me run up to the house for a sec and I can come back and make it worth your while." They tugged at the hem of their wrap, causing it to slip and reveal the slight rise of the bust their loose top concealed. They knew their tits were pretty - it's just that the rest....

it will be an absolute woot! im looking forward to it!

Yeah, I definitely felt a little of that fog coming back. I skimmed a bit but decided I just needed to get something rolling before I delayed any longer. We'll get the feel of it back after a few posts.

Now that I think about it I need to chill and let @WritesNaughtyStories post too. It's only fair!

Velvet was... butterflys inside after that... holy fuck. her half lidded eyes half wanting to close and melt into the moment, meld with her cute little birdy, and feel that intoxicating closeness that made her forget everything for a little while... well the other half wanted to keep those eyes open, watching the cute little changes in robins face, the way her eyelashes looked against the multicolored lights dying their little world as they seeped in from the party, the way her body leaned forward, hungry for more but not knowing how to ask for it, even the way robin looked like she was a happy little chick, freshly hatched, excited, clumsy, and a little scared. It was so hard to stop when robin clearly realized where she was, what she was doing... fucking hell she was hot. looking only mildly dejected velvet cleared her throat, sitting back into her drivers seat as she glanced away "y..ya we probably should, just give me a second and ill catch up with y-" it was right about then when velvet realized, the good christian girl just hinted at agreeing a little fun in the bedroom was on the table... hell velvet had to collect herself after imagining robin bent over a table after that... imagining the view she would have... and the noises robin would make if velvet could take full advantage of that lovely view... shaking herself a little, velvet got out, slightly bounding along to catch up with robin who seemed to get a little ahead after her bold little declaration. a little grin on her lips led velvet to tease, just a little more "it also wouldnt be a college party if two people didnt end up closer than they did before it... I hope I can be close to you in quite a few ways my little birdy" her words where a whisper, barely there over the volume of the music... pausing for a second before adding "be it as a friend, a winggirl for you and dylan... or derek..., or whatever you need. I just... like you a lot, and the closer I can be... the better for me... but more than that, I want you to be happy.. now!" with a little clap, she spoke a little louder "should I grab both of us a cup of punch? or do you want me to stick close for now?.. or should i give you some space?" as velvet was asking, he eyes caught lizzie and Samantha already a drink or two into the night... normally they would have blended into the blur of her friends... or I guess "friends" might be a strong word... but since they had just helped with their little costume change they stood out... especially as they started laughing over a picture, velvet kept her smile, though her eyes lost their grin... having an... inkling of what they were looking at...

I am more than a little lost, im going to just reply for velvet for the time being, maybe ill throw a few NPC's related to mr ascars down the line... or however i spelled his name... but for now, I kissed a cute girl, she kissed me back, and then ran off. im going to try and figure out what the butts my little goth gal would do

As eager as I am to reply right away again I think I'll give @DreamsnThings a chance to post first so @WickedCadrach next post can also push Robin's story forward! Otherwise I'll just keep responding again and again.

there has... suddenly been a lot of progress o.o... annnnd im forgetting which specific npc is which off hand XD

As Selene @Chiyako speaks up, Lizzie let's out a short laugh that dies as soon as she realizes that the younger girl is serious. Glancing to Charlotte, she gives a look that, even in the dim light, clearly reads as 'who let this kid in here?' And despite that fact the Selene and Charlotte are both going to be freshmen at the college in the fall, only the barest hesitation passes over Charlotte's face before she lets out a scoffing laugh to match Lizzie's. "Come on, Selene," Charlotte adds, taking another hurried mouthful of her drink and swallowing quickly. "I mean, it's not like Robin's even gonna see it. I bet she still only has that Facebook account her mom set up with her." Samantha snorts over her drink, hurriedly setting down the plastic cup as Lizzie breaks out in a high laugh and the twins both stumble over each other to ask if it was true. And while Selene looks on, Charlotte nods along, drinking up the older girls' attention as she breaks into condescending joke about having to explain to Robin what Snapchat was. Almost without looking, Charlotte motions to the bucket-hat bartender, coming back with a plastic cup smelling of something fruity yet sharp. And pushing the cup into Selene's hands, Charlotte leans in and whispers, "Have something to drink and stop standing there like a weirdo." "OH MY GOD!" Samantha suddenly said, clapping her hands and shooting up from her stool. Her eyes lock onto something on the far side of the room, and the other girls following her gaze. She was staring at a projector, one the DJ seemed to be using to display an animation of his name and contact info onto the wall beside the dance floor. "Lizzie... I just had the perfect idea on how to debut Robin's little movie." --- As Dylan @WritesNaughtyStories reached the top of the rise, the chiller air from the beach tugged at their wrap. The thrumming bass and the cacophony of party-goers ahead of them felt like an inferno compared to the cool spaciousness of the beach and the lone bonfire at their back. The pool, glowing an almost iridescent blue from its inner lights rippled as a few of guys and girls splashed back and forth, watering down their drinks with every playful surge. Through the third floor windows, pulsing lights could be seen from the DJ's setup and dancers flashed in and out of existence through the shadow and glass between them. Reaching that crest, though, Dylan felt something on the wind. Riding the space between the voices and the music, it almost felt as if the waves at their back had found some crack through space to reach their ear... and between it all... just on the edge of hearing, rose a thin melody that was not quite a voice and yet like no instrument they'd ever heard... It was a strange, alien sort of sound that almost seemed to come from no place at all, but they could almost place it... almost— "Oh, what the fuck..." The voice broke the spell, and following it's source, Dylan saw it came from a beer-pong table where several of the athletes Dylan had seen in Derek's entourage were gathered. Derek himself lifted his head, dropping an empty Solo cup, and looked over Dylan as if he were a stray dog that had just thrown up in the pool. "What's the freak doing here?" said another, broad-shouldered and sporting a black, pharaoh-esque goatee that seemed to have had as much to drink as he had.

A wave in her general direction was more than enough to lead the poor witch on. There was absolutely no pretending that she wasn't being invited here! Making friends with Robin was still a primary goal for her, but now she had a chance to expand upon that! Charlotte had shown enough interest in her to drag her along on whatever escapades they were to experience, and she very clearly knew other people at the party too. Perhaps by the end of the night they could all be added to her miniscule list of friends! I'm just keeping an eye on her! Yeah! Once Robin sees that I have located her then things will get better! Selene winced slightly when the woman she was supposed to be watching ran up and delivered what appeared to her to be a solid elbow into some poor boy's gut! He seemed to take it well enough. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't know Charlotte well enough. Selene was not built for physical altercations. Regardless as she caught up to Robin's not actually sibling Selene offered a timid nod towards the shirtless boy, and then another towards the girl now identified as being 'Lizzie'. Or so it appeared, anyhow. Lizzie. Is Charlie a nickname for Charlotte? That does fit. I don't think we're close enough for me to use that. Another nod was offered towards the boy in the bucket hat. A purveyor of drinks! She didn't ask for one. Not yet. No, she needed to keep as clear a head as possible for as long as she possibly could. At the very least Selene hoped to meet up with Robin first. Once Robin located Charlotte her mission would be complete, and she could then explore a little more freely. I probably shouldn't take anything though. Not going to take anything. Not a thing! I can resist! When a phone was extended towards Charlotte and, by extension Selene, she crept just a little closer, although not enough to brush up against the girl she'd been following, and focused her attention upon the device. A faint hint of pink danced across her cheeks at the slightly risque video. "See? She is getting a swimsuit for the party" the witch spoke, albeit quietly so as not to interrupt anything that might have been playing on the video. Oh. Oh! Oh wow! Gosh! They're kissing! Amethyst orbs widened a bit for a moment. Robin was into girls? Selene didn't really feel anything wrong with that, but she was a little surprised. It certainly wasn't going to stop her from being Robin's friend! Or trying, at least! "Shouldn't you ask Robin first?" It didn't feel right to share something like that without permission. At the very least it always painted a person in a bad light within her novels. Could she stop something like that from happening? Probably not. But maybe she could at least get them to think twice! Wearing a robe avoids these sorts of things getting shared around. I am glad that I brought one!

[Ok! Taking the reins of this wandering beast. It's been a minute, so feel free to chime in with any edits or corrections I need to make, or just reply as if I've already made them since I might not see right away, lol @WritesNaughtyStories, @Chiyako, @DreamsnThings] "Charlie! Girl, get your ass over here." Lizzie Miller bounced from hip to hip, her hair waving wildly as she bobbed her head and took a deep pull from the glowing vape in her hand. Her twin sister Samantha let out a loud squeal and slapped the chest of the topless frat boy next to her who had just grabbed a handful of her bikini-clad butt. They were sitting at the open bar on the house party's top floor, dancers making use of the free space as a DJ worked the room from a stack of crates and a folding table in the corner and lights on free standing poles added over-the-top strobe and laser effects to the space that 'almost' synched with the music. Selene could see Charlotte, Robin's cousin, darting ahead, looking back only long enough to wave her along as well. The words she'd heard moments before about Lizzie having a 'surprise' for them echoed in both Charlotte and Selene's minds. "Sup, bitches," Charlotte said, popping the word with an attitude that seemed to add six-inches of aura on top of her five-foot frame. The dye in her hair caught the blacklight as she crashed into position and hooked an elbow into the frat boy's bare stomach, sending him back with a scoff as Sam gave a pouty look and waved 'bye'. "I hear you have something to show me?" Charlotte added, getting a boy in a bucket hat to pour her something from the bar as she leaned closer. "Oooooh, yeah," Lizzie said, the word breaking into a mischievous little cackle of a laugh. "Did Robin tell you she was coming out tonight?" Charlotte scoffed. "I heard that rumor. No way. I call bullshit. Did I tell you what she did when she found my weed pen?" Taking a quick pull of her drink, Charlotte drowned her indignation and gave the Tik-Tok twins a chance to reply. Sam and Lizzie looked at each other, sharing a cheshire-cat grin while Lizzie's finger quickly swiped across the phone. "Check it out." A short, edited video played. It was Robin, Selene could see that much for sure. But she was dressed differently than she'd ever seen her. Smash cuts between a couple scandalous swimsuits and arrangements were interspliced with tilted shots catching Charlotte's cousin around the edge of what was clearly a modesty screen in the twins' bedroom, the pale edge of her shoulder and hip slipping into view in a TV-level of tantalizing, implied nudity. As the short video rolled on, hasty zooms closed in, moving from Robin's unaware face to her chest, catching a flash of her small, firm chest, a curve of side boob that somehow barely managed to avoid showing any nipple. And when the video reached its abrupt conclusion, it showed a shaky view from a second story window, facing down onto a moonlit driveway and a pink jeep, zooming in with voyeuristic steadiness until it centered on Robin and Velvet, their bodies close, their lips meeting. "Well?" Sam prompted. "We haven't released this one yet," Lizzie explained, tapping her lip with the edge of the phone as she looked from Selene to Charlotte and back. "We have a few more PG-rated cuts showing Robin's little fashion show tonight. And I haven't decided what song I want to put over this... something about temptation or one of those 'good girls gone bad' types..."

Emily felt the moment of resistance in her commander, the tautness in Magda's limbs as her forearms paused over her head. Tangled in the twisted cloth, Emily and Magda's arms wear like two locked blades for a moment that lasted less than a heartbeat. But as their lips slipped together, warmth and the soft sound of close breath, the older woman's muscles relaxed, her wrists sliding back as her hips sought the friction of Emily's leg beneath her torn jeans. A small gasp broke from Emily's lips as her head pulled back reflexively, the sound sinking into a quiet moan as the phantom-soft contact of Magda's dark nipples glided over the pink hardness of Emily's own. And as her captain's promise to 'be good' landed in her ears, Emily's desire flared in a sudden need to make her prove the words. It was an almost predatory hunger, like something more from the feral mind of her BioFrame than her own human wetware—an urge in her hands and mouth to consume the lovely, dark-eyed woman whole. One hand holding Magda's arms behind her head, Emily's other hand traced up the other woman's ribs. She felt the muscle and small folds in the skin from where she curled in her chair, both of them still rocking into the other's hips and thighs in a steady, grinding roll. She felt the tremor of the sensitive skin, a ticklish reflex that rose as her thumb followed the rib below Magda's breast and flowed up to cup that beautiful softness, teasing up the hard peak between thumb and forefinger as she gave a crooked smirk that belied the fire in her eyes. Bringing her face forward again, Emily inhaled the warmth of Magda's skin, the smell of her, the bitter alkaline scent of the soap from her recent shower. She wouldn't have been able to say why she did it. It may have come from that same feral place in her brain that seemed to have taken control, simple animal instinct. Or it might have been that part of her that remembered what it felt like not to care about scents or warmth or touch... a part that still felt like it was making up for lost time. Either way, the smell of the other woman and the feeling of her breath against Emily's face drew one more reflexive movement out of the pilot. Her tongue slipped from her open mouth, and raising her chin with the motion, Emily licked across Magda's cheek, a short line no longer than the knuckle of her thumb but with a pressure that made it clear it was no accident. Letting go, Emily tilted her head, stepping back until her ass reached the edge of her commander's desk. Her head was tilted, her pony-tail draped over her shoulder and covering one firm breast, and the last point of contact between them was one tracing finger lingering on Magda's peaking nipple before Emily's hands fell and came together on her belt buckle. Over the clink of the small metal pin and the shuffle of denim, Emily thought of Magda's promise and replied in a soft, firm voice of challenge, "Show me." Her jeans fell away, pooling around her ankles and revealing a pair of beige, boy-cut panties—darkened where they'd been pressed to Magda a moment before—and the chrome of Emily's cybernetic left leg, full-metal from just above the knee-joint to where it disappeared into the loose boots beneath her fallen garment.

When Magda felt the cloth tighten on her forearms, she tensed. Control. Discipline. Command. Everything in her world demanded she be in charge. Patune would go berserk if she didn't reign him in. Kehrer would burn herself up or die because it hurt less than living. People trusted her. Emily's lips were on her. Hungry. Insistent. She lifted her hands against Emily's weight and leverage, but the kiss demanded her attention and the captiab surrendered to it. 'I trust her.' She kissed back, needing. Submitting to the demand with a soft moan. She pressed her nipples against Emily's by arching her back ant the same time she thrust her hip forward to better grind against the pilot's crotch. Yielding was delicious. Her sex seeped into her panties as she wriggled against Emily's thigh. Magda relaxed her shoulders and let Emily pull her hands down, behind her head. "I'll be good, I promise." Magda murmured,

I like the idea of a Boost Bee supporting the larger frames. Does her hypo deliver a dose of one of three Boosts or Debuffs? Say Jacked! that gives the Boosted frame some extra strength (think kaiju adrenaline) that lets them do extra damage in physical combat at the cost of some minor exhaustion later? Dopamine Hit that can push pilot/Frame pairs towards Synch (and, since the Hive pilots don't use it, can act as a way to disrupt the Hive pilot/frame interface?). And some thing else?

A hornet-looking, living motorcycle that can readjust itself into a suit sounds pretty awesome. I see what you're thinking with the stinger and using that to affect the much larger BioFrames that typically make up the fights.

in all seriousness though, I do like the idea of her working on the next gen of Eblockers, and well trying to balance out the hormones she ended up negating her own Eblockers. realizing what she was a part of she played it cool and bided her time well looking for a chance to escape. and that came during a raid the LU did on the hive my main hang up is the specifics on her frame... currently im liking the idea of a bumble bee or wasp theme, mostly because of the syringe weapon i mentioned before

I don't mind other people doing that sort of thing, I always just feel weird personally doing it myself, and generally like to stick with one character. I'd be totally up for this idea.

GM-less revolution! We have nothing to lose but our chains! I'm up for giving it a chance. If we want to give RtS a chance to see like @DreamsnThings says, I'd maybe say, if we don't hear by the start of July, then we're good to go ahead? Would it feel weird for you if the rest of us ran the setting and NPCs while you continued just running your own character? I get that you didn't sign up to GM, and if it's not something you'd be excited for, I wouldn't want to push it on you. But this feels preferable to letting the story die if we don't hear back from RtS.

I don't particularly like running other people's characters, including NPCs.

Im not against the idea, I would like to give him another week to see this particular exchange just in case, since it does look like he pops on sometimes based on his profile activity after that the GMless approach should be good IMO