#of what dylas is going to say

[breakfastteatime]

Comfortember Day 12: Dreams

Water presses against him, fills his ears.  

Cal jolts, eyes springing open. Overhead is a bright blue sky. That can’t be right. Doesn’t feel right. He sits up, sinking slowly into the soft sand beneath the water. Far, far away he sees a beach and a figure waving and shouting. He knows her. He does. Who is she?

Someone moves at his side, the water splashing.

Cal watches a young man run past him and toward the beach. There’s something familiar about him too. Cal gets to his feet and hurries after him. Maybe he can explain what happen. Either him or the woman calling out on the beach.

Except Cal never makes it to the beach. The people shatter like glass and drift away, the world fading into –

Water presses against him, fills his ears.  

Cal jolts, eyes springing open. Overhead is a bright blue sky. That can’t be right. Doesn’t feel…

“I’ve done this before,” he whispers.

He looks over, sees a young man, probably his own age, flat out in the water beside him, eyes closed, grinning up at the sun. Facing the beach, Cal sees the tiny figure waving and shouting.

“Hey,” Cal calls, reaching out. “Hey, I think – ”

His hand passes through the other man.

The man’s eyes open and he sits, the water splashing. “Yeah, yeah, alright, I’m coming!”

Cal knows him. He knows his face. But there’s something different. Something…

…animated?

This time, Cal tries to keep up, make it to the beach, but…

Water presses against him, fills his ears.  

Cal jolts, eyes springing open. Overhead is a bright blue sky. That can’t be right. He was…

“I’ve done this before,” he whispers.

More than once. He takes a deep breath, ignores the sound of a person beside him. He needs to remember what he was doing before this. Right before.

Inside. He’d been inside. With the others. Stuck during a storm. Invited into a home. Log cabin. Simple. Homely. Welcomed to the table. Greez helping with the cooking. BD scanning. Merrin and Cere speaking with the friendly homeowner – Dyla. She’d taken pity on them, told them it was too dangerous to go back to their ship. Talk. They’d all been talking, until Cal was called upstairs, the Force insistent. A room. Medical equipment. A figure on the bed. Young. Unconscious. Shimmering.

An echo.

The man was an echo. And now, Cal is inside the echo. Not hearing. Not merely watching. Not even seeing it from within the man’s perspective. He is inside the echo. He is himself within in the memory, in the past.

“This is new,” Cal tells himself.

He can’t let the echo loop again. There must be more.

Cal looks. The man gets up, calls out, runs for the beach. This time, Cal goes with the flow, doesn’t allow the echo to reset. He pushes through, follows through, and this time when the people disperse and the beach fades to white, everything coalesces anew and suddenly he’s back in the cabin they’ve taken shelter in, except he’s in the past with its hazy, dreamlike quality, and standing ahead of him is the young man, arms held up, with Dyla aiming a weapon at him. Instinct tells Cal to get in between them. Before he can move, the pair burst into laughter, the man turns and walks through Cal, passing by like a warm breeze.

The scene replays.

Cal swears. He needs to get the hang of this, follow the man’s memory, not get stuck in it.

Not get lost.

He tunes in, hears the pair properly this time.

“It’s going to work perfectly,” Dyla says. “No one’s going to see us coming. No one knows about us. You go to work, same as always, we come in and launch the surprise attack, take you hostage and you let us in. No one will suspect you because why would they? You being such a loyal soldier.”

The past moves on, and Cal’s there, in the Imperial outpost they’d taken care to avoid today, staring at a stormtrooper with his arms raised, Dyla aiming a weapon at him, a crowd of others behind her.

“Give us what we want, and no one gets hurt!” Dyla bellows.

The stormtrooper – the young man – opens the door and beyond is a prisoner transport. Dyla and her people rush aboard, start freeing people, start –

The echo shifts. A firefight. Prisoners versus stormtroopers. Cal sees Dyla. Sees the fear on her face. It’s all gone wrong. Cal knows exactly which stormtrooper is the young man, can see him a sea of white.

Sees a prisoner behind him. Sees the prisoner holding a weapon – a slugthrower.

The prisoner doesn’t know he’s aiming at an ally.

He lines up the shot.

Fires.

The slug cuts through the helmet.

The young man drops.

The crowd moves past him, the fight heading beyond the prison. Dyla alone remains. Her, and Cal. He joins her at the man’s side, sees that despite the terrible headwound, he’s still alive. He’s still –

The echo fades and they’re back in the water, back on the beach. The echo has looped again. Cal sits, turns to the man, reaches for him.

The man looks at him, stares in confusion. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

No one ever noticed Cal in an echo before. No one. This man, this rebellious stormtrooper, is trapped within it. Stuck in his own past, going around and around and –

Cal holds out a hand. “Come with me. Come back. Dyla’s waiting.”

Their hands connect. The echo ends. Cal is back in the cabin, hand closed around the young man’s. The young man who is staring up at him from his nest of medical equipment. Cal’s head gives a nauseating thud. He can’t be sick. Can’t be. Not on this poor guy he just woke up. He takes a deep breath. “I’ll go and get your, uh, your – ”

“You were in my head.” The man’s voice is a whisper. “My memory. And now you’re here. How?”

The door opens. Dyla is there, staring first at Cal, and then at her partner in the bed. She rushes forward.

“You’re awake!” she cries out. “I never… I never thought it would…”

He reaches for her, hand trembling. She grabs it, sits on the bed, kissing his fingers.

Cal backs away, finding a wall to lean against. His head throbs, the migraine gaining strength. He’d never, not once, done that before. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb him.”

She looks up at him. “You’re joking, right? Dev’s been in a coma for months. You woke him up. The doctors said he would never –” She trails off, stares at him, wonder in her eyes. “What are you?”

He’s going to be sick, that’s what he is. He rushes out of the room, almost crashes into Cere, finds the cabin’s refresher and just about makes it in time. A few minutes later, there’s a knock on the door and Cere calls out. She steps in, crouches down by his side. “What did you do?” she asks.

He holds up a hand, begging for silence. He’s not ready. His head is in a vice, brain slowly crushing under the pressure.

Cere’s voice is next in his head, soft and soothing. It’s alright, she tells him. We’re still safe here. I’ll be back for you.

She slips out once again. The only sound is the rain lashing the refresher window. Cal sinks to the refresher floor, eyes closed, the cold tile the most soothing thing he’d ever experienced in his whole life. Slowly, surely, the nausea backs off and the migraine steadies. He sits up, massaging his head. He wishes he hadn’t left his sunglasses aboard the Mantis. They’d really come in handy right about now. Instead, he gets to his feet and washes off in the sink. When he steps out, Dyla is in the hallway, eyes swimming with tears.

“I know what you are,” she says.

Cal takes a breath, steadies himself with the Force. “And I know what you are. You and Dev.”

Dyla smiles. “Guess that means we’re on the same team.” She salutes him. It’s the Partisan’s salute. “I promise I’ll never tell a soul, not after what you’ve done for us.”

“Will Dev be alright?” Cal asks.

“Eventually,” Dyla says. “He’s got me. And I spoke to Cere. She told me offer you a bed.” She nods to the door on her right. “That’s for you.”

Cal thanks her, steps in, and finds Cere and BD waiting. There’s a bed with the covers turned down, and BD’s busy hopping on the pillow to fluff it.

“What did you do?” Cere asks.

Flopping carefully into the bed, Cal closes his eyes. Cere places a cold compress over his head. It feels so good. “It was an echo,” he tells her. “It called to me. But it wasn’t like others. It was a sequence, a chain of echoes, stuck on a loop.” He pauses, takes a deep breath. “Cere, I think I walked through his dreams.”

“Your psychometry is strengthening,” she says. “This is likely the next progression of the ability.”

“Could have used a heads up,” Cal says.

“Get some sleep,” Cere tells him. “And try to stay in your own dreams."

[toyherb]

I was never a fan of Amber's marriage event, man.... I like that it shows a more serious side of Amber and her strong desires, but the lore implications and the fact that Amber isn't particularly present in it. Amber being so kind it almost kills her is kind of frustrating in the first place.

It specifically has always bugged me that the event tells us that Ambrosia and Amber are two separate beings that used to be fused together, and therefore the same would be true for the other Guardians and their respective monsters. It's just less appealing of a concept to me than if the process of becoming Rune Guardians literally transformed them.

(Also like, how is Ambrosia even able to stay in Amber's body in the first place? Her body went but not her soul? I guess Venti did that but she's literally a Dragon God...)

(I think this would also make the monsters Literally A Part of Them and not a separate entity and soul, so when you beat them with Tamitaya enchanted weapons, as all weapons in RF are, you send that monster part of them to the Forest of Beginnings. But saying they fractured into two beings because of that, for the purposes of Rune Factory, isn't something I'm interested in either... So let's say they were like that due to Rune accumulation or something, and sending that monster part away is really you beating the runes out of em. And when you rematch the bosses it's that Rune Energy re-manifesting or something. It feels neat and tidy that way, and makes sense how they are still physically changed. I mean, it doesn't make more sense than being physically changed from just being fused with a monster, because neither are realistic scenarios, but in my head it works.)

Because it's weird that Amber has an entire event like this but it's not addressed anywhere else in the game even though the plot surrounds it and there's 3 other characters who went through it! Do any of them ever talk about their time as a monster, and specifically about being a monster??? Even in Leon's event I don't think he addresses this issue (but I would love to see it if he does).

So anyway I think part of my issue with how this was handled in the game is that I want Amber, Dylas, Dolce, and Leon to actually be monsters and not just people who were temporarily fused with monsters because that means they aren't actually monsters and I have some THEORIES about Rune Factory Lore and the Forest of Beginnings and life and death. Which basically amounts to humans being monsters too, humans dying and going to the Forest of Beginnings*, etc. I think it ties into half monsters in RF3 very well too.

*dead humans can't come back through gates though... unless what has been established about monsters coming back through gates is incorrect and we have been killing monsters this entire time, and the monsters that come back are born from ~reformed rune energy~. Or something.

Humans And Monsters Are The Same is just a juicy theme okay.

[jacobsbigmelons]

Now, hear me out, Jacob x Dylan? Terribly sorry if that’s not in your range of expertise/comfort, I just gotta get the question out as a shipper. If it suits you, though, maybe some fluff with Jacob in general would be cute? I know your “bro (passionately)” fic was hella good and I’m a total sucker for just cute fluffy stuff.

hey anon! i’m not the best when it comes to ships since im more of a x reader kinda guy but im a man of the people 🫣 so i’ll try !

Beating around the bush

Jacob Custos x Dylan Lenivy

cw: jacob and dylan fighting off the romantic tension to the point where the vine “oh my god they were roommates” plays perfectly here.

OH- and for the sake of my own sanity, emma and jacob aren’t a thing here because i have no clue how to write a smooth scene where they casually split or whatever smh.

oh and spoiler alert i’m making the roommates joke at the end of this lol

Faint crickets chirped in the distance as moonlight lit up the cabins as best as it could, Jacob and Dylan were in their bunk beds thought the sudden voice of Dylan and the response of Jacob clearly showed they were awake. “You up?” Dylan said as he was tapping his fingers on his chest to fidget a bit.

“Huh? oh uh well I was starting to drift off but not anymore” Jacob put it bluntly, he rolled onto his side so his ear is in the air so he can both lay down while hearing what Dylan had to say. “My bad, but like can you come down and give me company. Lonely on the bottom bunk” Jacobs eyebrows furrowed not because of annoyance but merely because of his tired state but for some reason he just couldn’t find it in himself to say no.

“Ow- fuck, uh gimme a sec” Jacob moved too quickly as his elbow met the wall, the slight pulses of pain were rather uncomfortable. The sound of sheets moving before he hopped off the top bunk made the cabin slightly creek. “Heh, sup dude” Jacob sat next to Dylan who was now sitting up himself, stretching a bit as to not tire himself out. “Long day today huh?” Dylan spoke. “Dude, so uncalled for by Mr.H to go on that long ass hike, i mean I personally enjoyed it until my legs started to get tired” Jacob whined as he spoke with his hands while talking, something Dylan enjoyed about him.

“Well you definitely got the build to enjoy stuff like that” Dylan said while pointing to the not at all handsome dude in front of him without a shirt on. Yet he did all that without presenting the pink tint on his cheeks now. “I guess you’re right, sight for sore eyes i’m sure” Jacob said. “Do you ever shut up when it comes to talking about yourself?” Dylan said making sure to make his tone sound not malicious at all but mere teasing.

“Well i’m not shutting up until you make me” Jacob has a slight smirk on his face, “I mean…I can think of a few ways” the silence only adding on to Jacobs thoughts, clearly they both had similar thoughts but didn’t wanna say anything, the silence spoke every word they couldn’t. “Uh…haha…I think i’m too tired to think about how you’d do that man” Jacob rubbed his eyes to add to the bit.

“Just putting my cards out on the table.” Dylan said, whether a joke or not Jacob added onto it “What, you looking to go at it on a table?” Dylan was thrown back by his reply as the two broke out into laughter, “Well I mean there’s always room on the table so we could always y’know…do more” Dylan finished off before Jacob turned against Dylan. “Eww, you’re gross dude!” He said giving Dylan a playful punch on the shoulder. “No see! I’m not gross, i’m just more vocal about my thoughts, you just keep this stuff tucked away! So the only reason i’m being accused of being ‘gross’ is for my consistency!”

The two laughed a bit longer before the room fell silence again, though with a bit more uncomfortable tension unlike before. “Just in case, if I ever joke around and I like cross a boundary or something…just tell me?” Dylan broke the quietness, “Nah you’re good man, but…when you do joke and shit…do you like, mean some of that stuff?” Dylan always made flirtatious jokes, a bit to Ryan when they first became friends, and most of the time they were directed to Jacob. But he never expected to be confronted with this kind of question. The urge to lie was there but he felt wrong lying to the person he feels deeply for.

“I mean…like I said. No jokes this time, my cards are on the table…so I mean, I guess. Yeah. I like you a lot, you’re a good friend and all that. So, if you ever…wanna give a guy named Dylan a call and ask him out or whatever, i’m here.” Silence yet again filled the air which only made Dylan want to double back on what he just said, he definitely didn’t expect to spill his guts to his crush. “But if you don’t I totally get that I mea-“ His words were cut off by the feeling of long awaited lips against his, he was shocked at what was currently going down, was Dylan even conscious?

They pulled away quickly as they just stared into one another’s eyes as they felt more drawn to each other in the moment, they simply reconnected lips once again, Dylan putting a hand on Jacobs waist and likewise. “Uh.” They awkwardly laughed in unison, almost like they both knew they weren’t expecting this. “Color me impressed, Im pretty speechless, not too often this happens” Dylan admitted. “Well, uh” Jacob scratched the back of his neck. “We don’t have to talk when we can like…show it.” Jacobs voice which was much more louder earlier now turned soft even kinda sweet was showing and it only made Dylan smile. “But guess what?” Jacob was trying not to laugh as he spoke his question.

“What…?” Dylan asked with concern laced in his voice along with a raised eyebrow. “oh my god they were roommates.” Dylan playfully smacked Jacobs chest as all he could do laugh while trying to protect his bare body. “You just killed such an intimate mood dude.” Dylan said now slightly annoyed but more or less happy overall as he saw Jacob filled with all this joy, it was contagious really.

“Worth it.” Jacob said while cackling as they attempted tried to sleep in the bottom bunk together, the crickets still chirping as the moonlight illuminated the two peaceful lovers.

[thunderberryz]

Star's Rune Factory 3 Special 1st Playthrough, Part 3: It's... already nearly over?

So, going into Rune Factory 3 Special, I knew that the main story was going to be a fairly quick affair. That was one of the big things I heard about RF3; it's a good game, but it's not the longest. And I thought to myself "Well, I played RF5 and I'm pretty sure I finished the main story by early autumn of year 1 in my one playthrough. Surely, it can't be as quick or quicker than THAT."

It is, in fact, early autumn of Year 1 and I am just about to rescue Micah's fiancee AKA Shara from Aquaticus.

Knowing that I am very close to the end of the plot, I feel like it is a good opportunity to talk about the story. When I think about RF3's story... it's weird. Vishnal's marriage event comes to mind because the flaws of that event, I feel, encompasses a lot of the issues I have with RF3's plot. I have an older post going over my experience watching Vishnal's marriage event via YT, but to explain its biggest issue; it's short. I don't know if it's THE shortest of all the marriage events (I've still haven't gotten around to watching Forte's, Margaret's, Clorica's, Doug's, and Dylas'), but it is the shortest of the ones I have seen so far. And because it is so short, everything in that event comes in rapid fire--the plot, the emotions, Vishnal's proposal, the resolution--and so for what is there, it never feels like there's enough time to enjoy a scene and let it set in before the next thing happens.

That is essentially what happens with Rune Factory 3. The game has an incredibly good plot in concept, but because it's so short and things happen so quickly, it's difficult to appreciate what's there when it's there. For instance, compared to the likes of Frey/Lest and Alice/Ares, there is a lot less mystery with Micah; he starts recovering his memories immediately after defeating the first boss and it's always a sort of "Oh, that happened" kind of deal whenever he discovers an orb that triggers a recollection, even though him regaining his memories should really be that much bigger of a deal (the most emotional memory recovery scene was, I feel, the third where he remembered that he was the one tasked with defeating the monsters causing problems around Sharance, since it plays into the intro to the Death Wall fight later.)

There is also the matter of the Human-Univir conflict, which is its own problem. It's bad enough that it is resolved fairly easily, but the fact that the conflict isn't rationalized very well beyond "The Univir were exiled from Sharance at some point in the past--no one knows why, but the humans of Sharance and the Univir have hated each other since" is kind of... sad. In what I've experienced so far of the series, Rune Factory plots aren't anything to write home about, but... I don't know. I can't say whether RF3's plot turns out to be forgettable, but I can't say anything from the game's main story sticks out other than getting Kuruna to stop being so prejudiced against humans by giving her a handmade bouquet from the residents of Sharance.

But you know what they say; a mediocre story can be saved by good characters! And while I was initially overwhelmed by RF3's cast as mentioned in my first post, I've grown somewhat used to the eccentricities of Sharance by now and if there's anything memorable about the writing, it's how bonkers everyone is while still managing to convey some genuinely heartfelt storytelling. (And according to people on Reddit, XSEED's new translation for Special is apparently toned down from Natsume's original. Geez, I wonder how I would have reacted if this had been the original DS version.)

My favorites are the same as last time and... goddamn, I really do love Shara. Initially I figured I'd be marrying her purely to see if she was as bad as the fanbase makes her out to be and then in my second playthrough move on to a bachelorette I actually feel has genuine chemistry with Micah, but I really do like these two together. Granted, she doesn't have the most emotionally intensive plot associated with her requests (It's more about helping her younger sister, Monica, come out of her shell than any issues that Shara herself has), but she's so sweet and kind, cares for her family, and she loves flowers! I love flowers! And not gonna lie, her manner of teasing Micah and occasional bluntness do remind me of Frey, so that might have something to do with why she hits just right for me.

Girl, plz. You're killing poor boy.

That said, even though I made the firm decision this playthrough to marry her (and we would have had the wedding by now if Aquaticus didn't * grumbles *), there are other bachelorettes that I am considering marrying in subsequent playthroughs, which is pretty shocking considering my track record with RF4S. And by track record, I mean Arthur is the entire record.

Of the other bachelorettes, I've done a fair chunk of Sakuya's requests and I still like her a lot; besides having one of the more "normal" personalities, her love of travel and commerce reminds me a lot of Arthur (even though she's not a workaholic and is genuinely concerned with profits) and I'm liking the progress of her character development through her events. She also has a cute character design, but that's only ever a nice bonus and not something that determines whether I like a character or not.

The bachelorettes I was most skeptical of were Raven and Pia, and this is because I was aware of the fandom's opinions on those characters going in. Long story short: I figured this was going to be another Leon and Dylas situation for me, and by that, you know, I don't dislike either of them, they're pretty neat and I get why they hit close to home for some people, but it got annoying to see them constantly treated as objectively The Best when hey, their writing is not perfect, there's a reason why not everyone romances them; I'm certainly among those people. And at first, I was disappointed. Pia's personality was too airheaded for my tastes, and Raven... I liked her guest appearance in RF4S, but here, she's a straight up tsundere and tsunderes are one of those hit-or-miss kind of characters for me.

In Raven's case, I think I've done at least half her requests by now and by god, I feel bad for judging her so fast. Despite being a tsundere, she actually has an incredibly valid reason for telling Micah to stay away from her; according to her, anyone who becomes close to her disappears and she's afraid of the same thing happening to him. That... that hit hard and even if she doesn't end up being my favorite ship choice for Micah, I do want her to be happy.

Pia, I think, was just an instance of finding her initial personality overwhelming like many others in Sharance. I can't give any opinions on her character arc because I have only done one or two of her requests, but she is very cute. She is often lost in her own little world and tends to blatantly ignore things Micah says, but I do really love her happy-go-lucky approach to life and I unironically find her personal vendetta against squid hilarious. (She and Margaret would be friends.)

That is definitely the benefit of the romance system in RF3S. I'm sad there isn't a true dating phase and you can just go right to marriage once you've gotten the Engagement Ring recipe from Wells and Marjorie, but knowing that I can help these girls with their personal issues without having to turn down a heartwarming proposal at the end of their last request does make me feel a bit better about "hareming" all these bachelorettes. (And I say that as someone who detests harems and prefers a single dedicated romance in any narrative.)

My next post will presumably be my last for this first playthrough given how fast this has gone. I'm still incredibly attached to Selphia and RF4S is still my favorite game of the RFs I have played, but there really is a lot to love about RF3S despite its imperfections and I am already looking forward to my next playthrough. Cheers, everyone! I'll see you next time!

[silverdragon-imagines-blog]

Okay, just some Rune Factory 4 things for now

I can see Margaret eventually being the one to ask Forte out, since Margaret seems like someone who would say what’s on her mind and isn’t afraid to say how she feels. Margaret feels safe with Forte, and Forte feels stronger around Margaret. They talk and grow closer until they are able to decide what to do next. 

Doug and Dylas are rivals to lovers for sure. It doesn’t click how much they actually care about each other until Doug gets badly injured in the second arc of the game. After that whole mess, they’re basically inseparable. Dylas definitely worries about Doug a lot, but he’s willing to give him space and such. Also can and will call Doug out on his bullshit. Doug does the same for Dylas and they just end up closer until eventually they get married. Dylas probably opens his own restaurant or takes over for Porcoline. 

As for everyone else, I can see a few relationships clicking and making sense, but they are so much less concrete.

I could see Arthur ending up with a few different people, or even in a polycule. Leon could be a good match, starts with the usual teasing and friendly banter until they grow to enjoy each other’s company more and more. Then it’s just the logical next step to Arthur. Another one would be Dolce, and that just cuz I can see her sitting in his office as a quiet place for her to do her sewing/knitting/embroidery while Arthur does paperwork. Mutual respect for each other then grows into a nice little friendship where they have tea and breakfast in the early morning before Porcoline opens the restaurant fully. Then it’s again, the logical next step. The three of them together also makes sense, just following a similar path where Leon jokes and teases both of them, and then it progresses. 

Amber I’m very unsure about, but maybe it would be cute if she was with Kiel? Something about exploring the world together and going on their own type of adventure.

For Clorica, Xiao Pai, and Vishnal I really have no idea who would fit for them. Like, I guess I could see the three of them together? But I couldn’t tell you how that would go. The more I play Rune Factory 5 tho, I could see some of them getting together with the characters from Rune Factory 4. I’ll have to play the game more to tell for sure tho.

[libraryofcirclaria]

12 September 1282

Library of Circlaria

Third Level Society: First Version

Story Seven: Sarah Marks

I'm still reeling from having lost Kara Martins.

She didn't die or get locked away or anything like that.

Well, let me just write down what happened.

So she, Dyla, and I went to the Arbitrator Office as scheduled back on June 16. The Arbitrator accepted all the documentation needed and said that she would submit all the documentation to the Basin District to be reviewed and that it would be a week or two before we heard back.

The Arbitrator called us back on June 27. And during that meeting, she informed Dyla and Kara that the documentation was accepted and that both of their licenses would be given back to them when the renewal date of January 2, 1286 came to pass.

Having to wait until that date was a bit inconvenient, something that Dyla begrudgingly accepted. But Kara's reaction was completely different.

I don't know if she did not understand this or was expecting to be given a convenient exception, but Kara was shocked that she would have to wait until that renewal date. She started demanding her license back immediately. And when the Arbitrator explained how that was not possible, Kara called her a derogatory name.

That alone was enough to get the bailiffs to arrest her then and there. And that is not to say that Kara did not get physical.

In fact, she did.

The altercation was so intense that Dyla was a bit scared afterward. Ultimately, the Arbitrator submitted some sort of official complaint to the Gentry County court, and a judge there ordered Kara to spend the weekend in jail.

During that altercation, Kara actually started blaming Dyla for "setting her up on this." When we got back to our dormitory, Dyla was still a bit shaken up and felt alienated by Kara. I tried to explain to Dyla how that reaction was quite possibly a symptom of "the Burden." But then over the course of Saturday and Sunday, some friends and family of Kara's came knocking on our door, going in to pick up Kara's stuff. Apparently, Kara had become convinced that Dyla and I were "colluding with the local government to repress her," and resolved to no longer room with us.

Up to that point, we had been trying to appeal the ban that Peter Crane had placed on Kara. It had been an exhausting battle because Peter has been stubborn about banning Kara. We were having a hard time trying to find Members brave enough to petition against Peter. So that Sunday night after Kara's stuff was moved out, Dyla felt that perhaps it was better to just have Peter have his way with Kara and the ban. I told Dyla once again that this may just be the Burden affecting her and that this all may blow over.

On Monday September 2, Richard Rohrbaugh came to us with a flyer made by Kara accusing both Dyla and I of collaborating with Ceri Mains to sway the masses in harmful ways during the strike. And then on Tuesday, Kara Martins herself showed up outside our dormitory window and began throwing rocks. When Dyla's bedroom window shattered, I called the Campus Watch.

I still remember watching from my bedroom window shaking my head as the Campus Watch slapped handcuffs on Kara and escorted her away.

That week, Cabotton University Affairs, which I was surprised was still open during the strike, formally expelled Kara from the University. Then the Gentry County Court decided to have her banned from the County.

That loss Dyla and I are bearing with great fortitude considering also the issue with Richard Rohrbaugh.

Richard had been getting pretty close with the both of us, especially with me, in quite a pushy way. Recently, he had been praising us for apparently good leadership skills during this whole ordeal. He told Dyla to try running for the Dungeonmaster position again. When she backed from that, Richard suggested that I make the pitch. I kind of hesitated as well.

But then one evening, Richard sent me a ticker message asking to meet with him, just me and him, at the Slack. I told him that the Slack was closed due to the strike. He did not press further on the meetup that day. I told Dyla about it, and we laughed it off.

It was this past Friday when he approached me in the lobby of Fleming House with flowers, and told me that he wanted to spend "close and quality time with me." That was when I took a more serious approach to him, and told him politely but bluntly that I was not interested.

I told Dyla about that as well. I felt a bit guilty afterward, fearing that I had been too blunt with Richard, but Dyla assured me that I had a right to take a firm stance.

I agree with her, but now I am concerned of a possible fallout from Richard because he has been silent and absent ever since. Furthermore, I am not sure whether Richard, himself, said something or there was a bystander in the Fleming House lobby, but somehow word of what happened reached the ears of the lovely Robert Sievert. I think that Robert Sievert is making this up completely, but he is saying that Richard is now "leaving the front line because he is heartbroken."

Dyla is saying that Robert is twisting the truth. I hope she is right.

<- 24 May 1282 <- || -> 01 October 1282 ->

[thebeckster]

Dolce/Lest 31, 19. Don't go with the obvious choice. Or totally do. Thank you! And sorry if it's too late

(So sorry for the delay Nonny, I kinda forgot I wrote these prompts last month until just now 😬)

Anywho. I definitely didn't go with the obvious choice for this prompt when it comes to getting walked in on. Can't tell you why, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw the prompt was "Someone's gonna get walked in on while changing clothes" and this is what sprung from it. Poor Dolce just does NOT know what to do with her crush. RIP.

I hope you enjoy!

💜💜💜

It wasn’t often that Lest got presents. He was usually the one rolling up every few days with something in his bag to pass off to a friend as an impromptu gift with ‘just because’ being the usual answer when asked ‘why?’ Sometimes he spent the day cooking just to give everyone their favorite dish. Half the produce that came from his fields seemed to end up as a present to townsfolk. And then there were the memorable times when he emerged from the dungeon with some hard-earned trophy or prize from a battle with a monster, and he turned around and gave it to someone else. People sometimes asked him why he gave so much when he often received so little in return. ‘Thanks’ was not enough for the blood, sweat, and tears he put into getting some gifts for people. Lest always said he didn’t do it for reciprocation. He liked surprising people with an unexpected gift, or a favored food when they least expected it, or were having a bad day. He found great joy in the act giving. He didn’t need anything else. That wasn’t to say he was never given something in return. The dish-trading “war” Lest and Dylas had going on was six months strong, and showed no signs of slowing down. People often gave what they could or what they had when they came across something that made them think ‘Lest would like this.’ Dolce had been working on her gift back to Lest for months now. Over the summer Lest had gifted her a mountain of yarn after she’d expressed interest in taking up knitting again after her long sleep. And after receiving a huge batch of yarn from Lest’s own woolies, which he had spun and dyed himself to a lovely earthy brown color, Dolce had decided she was going to put this yarn to good use and give something back to Lest. She was going to make him a sweater!

She stubbornly ignored any teasing from Pico or Nancy about the alleged ‘Boyfriend Sweater curse.’ Mostly because such curses were silly to begin with. And also because Lest was not her boyfriend. Couldn’t have a boyfriend-related curse if there was no boyfriend to begin with. Nor was this sweater a declaration of anything boyfriend-intended either. It was simply Dolce’s way of showing Lest how much she appreciated him.

She had to be a little surreptitious to figure out his measurements. She would not let Pico sneak into his room while he slept with a measuring tape. She found out through other means, and maybe guessed here and there. There were several false starts when she just could not get her gauge to cooperate. The first try would have ended up with a sweater more suited to fit a man of Bado’s frame, the second attempt would have made a sweater that would barely fit Amber. But finally she got it right and she spent many long hours working up a sweater, stitch by stitch into the late hours of the night.

And just as Autumn was ending and the weather was turning to the chill of winter, when sweaters would be very much needed and wanted, Dolce had hers ready. The next time Lest came around with another ‘just because’ gift, she would have something to give back to him in return.

Just as predicted, almost like clockwork, Lest came into the clinic, saying ‘hello’ to Jones and Nancy and turned to Dolce, already digging in his bag. “Found something in the dungeon. Thought you might have some fun seeing if it’s worth spinning.”

He handed over a bundle of what must have been fur or hair, Dolce couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of monster it came from, but it carried some interesting energy in the fibers, and it did look like a suitable candidate for turning into yarn. Already her fingers itched to give it a try. “Thank you,” she said, clutching the gift to her chest. “I’ll have to show you how it works up, when I get the chance. I can’t wait to give it a try!”

Lest’s cheeks pinked, and he scratched at the back of his head muttering, “Oh it’s not much, nothing special.” Then he paused, as if deciding to say something more. Instead he swallowed his words and said, “Well, I’d better run.”

“No wait, I have something for you too.” Dolce caught him by the sleeve before he could retreat from the clinic. “It’s upstairs.”

And taking Lest by the hand, she guided him up to the second floor, ignoring Nancy’s knowing smile as they passed her on the way up. She held her breath when she presented Lest with the wrapped package. And only breathed again when he held up the sweater exclaiming, “Wow, this is incredible? And you made it for me? Oh it’s so soft.”

He rubbed the sweater against his cheek. “I mean, I know I made the yarn, but I swear it was not this nice when I gave it to you. You’ve put some magic in it to make it even better.” He beamed at her, and Dolce felt her cheeks warm up.

She’d expected him to like it, but she didn’t think he would heap so many praises on it. Then he asked a question she wasn’t expecting.

“Can I try it on here?”

“O-oh, of course. You can change in my room.” She directed him needlessly to the door, he’d been in there a number of times before.

“Be out in a jiffy,” Lest promised, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door shut, Pico appeared right in front of Dolce’s face, chattering happily and excitedly endlessly. “Did you see his face, Dolly? He loves it so much! And the way he held it against his cheek, bet you wish he was holding your hand there instead of the sweater. And you know what else, you worked so long on it, I bet it smells like you too, and he’s gonna take it home and notice and—”

“Quite Pico!” Dolce hissed, swatting her ghost friend away like she was a gnat. Just above the chatter she heard Lest say something but hadn’t been able to catch the words.

She already had her hand on the doorknob, turning it without thinking to step into the room as she said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over Pico. Would you mind saying that again?”

Then she stopped cold. Her eyes were locked on Lest and she could feel her face burning up. What she’d thought she’d heard was just Lest complimenting the sweater again. She had thought that meant he’d put it on. She had thought it was safe to enter her room.

Whatever he had said it wasn’t remotely close to ‘Come check out your handiwork and see how well it fits!’

Dolce walked in to find Lest half into the sweater. He’d removed his shirt, and his chest was bare. And instead of doing the reasonable and polite thing and averting her eyes from this unintended show of skin, Dolce found she could only stare as her beautiful handiwork covered chest and stomach and abs as Lest pulled the sweater on. She lifted her eyes just as his head popped out from the neck of the sweater. He caught her staring with a little, “Oh.”

Dolce wanted to die right there. Or sink through the floor like Pico could. She thought she would combust with how hot her face felt. Quickly she averted her eyes. “S-sorry, I thought you were dressed.”

Lest laughed, though his cheeks were growing red too. “No worries! Look, it fits perfectly,” he lifted his arms and did a little spin to show off how well the sweater was made to fit him. “And it’s so soft, it feels incredible against my skin.”

Somewhere behind her, Dolce heard Pico break out into a fit of laughter. The heat drained from her face as other ideas of what might feel good against Lest’s skin so rudely invited themselves into the forefront of her mind, because that was certainly not what he meant. And before anything else could so rudely insert itself into the situation (like a certain ghost with the giggle fits) Dolce put an end to it.

She gathered up Lest and began bundling him towards the door and down the stairs. “Right, well I’m so glad to see it fits. I hope it keeps you warm through the winter. Maybe I’ll make a matching hat or some mittens. I still have some yarn left over. But like you said earlier, you’d better run. I’m sure you still have lots of important business to tend to today. Bye Lest, thanks for stopping by!”

And she pushed him unceremoniously into the street, closing the clinic door behind him. Jones and Nancy watched her with masks of placidity on their faces.

“So,” the doctor broached slowly, cautiously. “Did he like the sweater?”

Dolce did not grace him with a response. She rushed back upstairs, closing herself in her room, to burn in her embarrassment in private. As she dropped onto her bed and called muffled curses into her pillow about how incredibly awkward the whole thing had become. If only she’d waited two more seconds for a response before barging in!

After a minute or two of quiet despair, Dolce realized something. In her rush to get him out the door, Lest’s shirt had been left behind on her bed. Just as she realized this, she heard Nancy’s voice carrying clearly and brightly up the stairs.

“Lest, back so soon! Did you forget something?” Dolce groaned, balling up the shirt in her hands. Good gods, this embarrassment would never end!

[casspurrjoybell-25]

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS - Chapter 8

*Warning Adult Content*

- Dylan -

Although he'd promised himself he wouldn't let his guard down around Jayce, that promise had gone out the window as soon as Jayce's wood splitting accident happened.

It was a flood of emotions for him, guilt that someone had gotten hurt on his watch, sympathy for Jayce feeling like he was unwanted and a yearning on his part to reach out and connect with another person.

And then, embarrassment about Jayce noticing that he'd opened up a little.

On the rare occasions when he'd had the chance to talk with someone, he'd kept the conversation limited to small talk.

He was afraid to open up to people.

He didn't want to do or say the wrong thing and give them a reason to reject him.

People rejected him all the time for what was on the surface and he didn't think he could stand to also be rejected for who he was underneath his tough, intimidating exterior.

For the rest of the day, he was quiet, only speaking to Jayce if Jayce asked a question.

At night, he was hyper aware of Jayce's presence next to him in the bed.

It was still awkward but despite that, he liked having Jayce around.

He wanted Jayce to like being around him too but he didn't know how to be likeable.

Even though he was reluctant, he knew opening up to Jayce and talking with him more would probably be a good start.

Jayce had confided in him about his own insecurities and he had trusted Dylan with information about his family and relationships and his feelings about it all.

Jayce had trusted him with a lot, his safety, his health and his life. 

Now he needed to trust Jayce as well.

- Jayce -

When he woke up the next morning, Dylan was already awake and making oatmeal for both of them.

Before he could get out of bed, Dylan brought one of the bowls to him.

"I thought you said you weren't going to bring me breakfast in bed?"

"It's only happening today. You know, because of your hand."

He sat up, resting his back against the wall, and took the bowl from Dylan.

"Thanks."

Dylan retreated back to the other side of the cabin to stand near the stove and eat his own oatmeal.

He noticed that whenever Dylan did something nice for him, he became more standoffish immediately afterwards, often changing the subject or physically taking a step back.

He didn't know why but it made him want to know more about Dylan's life and how he ended up living like this.

"What are you doing today?" he asked.

"Probably splitting wood."

"Is there anything I can do to help? It's my fault you have to do it now after I failed so miserably on my first try."

Dylan shook his head.

"You should rest today. How's your hand?"

He held it up and flexed his fingers.

"Sore, but I'll live."

Once he'd finished his breakfast, Dylan came back over to the bed with some antibiotic ointment and took his hand.

Dylan unwrapped the bandage and carefully examined his skin before putting more ointment on the puncture wounds.

The side of his hand was a little swollen, but it looked okay otherwise.

After Dylan had bandaged it again, he went outside to start chopping up the logs.

Jayce stayed curled up on the bed and pretty soon the repetitive noise of the axe hitting the logs made him drift off to sleep.

When he woke up a couple hours later, Dylan was inside the cabin and had dragged the chair in front of the wood stove.

He was sitting in the light of the fire and Jayce noticed he was reading a book.

The book Dylan was holding looked tiny in his huge hands.

"Hey," Jayce said.

Dylan startled and closed the book.

"Sorry, you don't have to stop," Jayce insisted. "I just wanted to let you know I'm awake."

Dylan grunted and got up from the chair.

"What book are you reading?"

"It's about environmental disasters. Nuclear accidents, industrial pollution, oil spills. That kind of thing."

"Are you reading it because of your job or because you're interested in that stuff?"

"I'm interested in books about the environment and I like reading in general," Dylan replied, avoiding his gaze.

He came towards the bed and knelt down before pulling a wooden chest from underneath the bed.

Jayce hadn't bothered to look under there, so he'd had no idea Dylan had stuff underneath it.

Dylan opened the lid and set his book inside.

"What's in there?" Jayce asked. "Do you have something I can read?"

Dylan hesitated.

"I don't think so."

"You either do or don't."

Jayce peered over the side of the bed and caught sight of two more books.

He reached for them and Dylan grabbed his wrist.

The book on top was a romance.

It looked like a Western romance, with a rugged, handsome cowboy putting his arms around a gorgeous woman in a pretty dress.

"Are you embarrassed about reading romance?" Jayce asked, tugging his wrist free. "You shouldn't be."

Dylan's cheeks were red and he wouldn't look at Jayce.

"I wouldn't have guessed this would be your choice of reading material but you're full of surprises."

He tentatively reached for the book again and this time, Dylan didn't stop him.

He turned it over and scanned the back.

"Is it okay if I read it? I need something to do."

"It's a straight romance. I don't think that's your thing."

Jayce shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me. Love is love. Besides, this cowboy on the front is seriously hot, so there'll be plenty in this book for me."

He glanced down at the book that was underneath it.

"Wait, is that Beauty and the Beast?"

"Yeah," Dylan mumbled. "It's one of my favorites. I can kinda relate, you know?"

Jayce laughed out loud.

"Are you saying you're the Beast? Since I'm trapped in your cabin, does that make me Beauty? Is that what we are?"

Dylan's cheeks turned even redder, if that was possible.

"Didn't say that."

"I think I'm a little too average looking to be beautiful but you know what, I'm going to take the compliment and run with it."

It seemed like Dylan was processing the comment and he must have decided Jayce wasn't making fun of him because he smiled.

It was a tiny smile but it was there.

"So you like to read," Jayce said. "What else do you like to do?"

Dylan looked up at him and then back down at the chest.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I don't know if I can promise that but if you're asking if I'm going to make fun of you or judge you, the answer is no."

"Fair enough."

Dylan moved a couple items around in the chest and then pulled out a large ball of yarn and some knitting needles with a long knitted rectangle attached.

"Wait, you knit? Seriously?"

It was the last hobby Jayce would have guessed and he almost thought Dylan was messing with him.

Dylan nodded, his cheeks turning red again.

"I know how to sew too. It makes things easier because I can repair my own clothes when I'm out here and learning how to knit gave me something to do in my spare time. It's kinda relaxing."

"What are you making?" Jayce asked, peering at the needles.

"A scarf. I'm still a beginner, so I can't make anything complicated yet."

Jayce reached out and touched the yarn.

It was a deep red color and softer than he was expecting. "

That feels nice."

Then he smiled.

"You're an interesting person, Dylan. Maybe if you had told me you like to read and knit in your spare time, I wouldn't have been so intimidated by you."

Dylan looked like he didn't know what to say to that.

He closed the chest and put it back under the bed and then took his knitting project back over to the chair.

Jayce couldn't help but smile as Dylan sat and started knitting.

Dylan could probably snap the knitting needles in half if he wanted to but he was surprisingly delicate in his movements.

It was mesmerizing to watch.

Dylan must have felt Jayce's eyes on him because he stopped and looked up, the blush returning to his cheeks.

"Do you need something?"

"No," Jayce said, shaking his head and grinning. "I'm just watching. I think seeing a huge, murderous looking man knitting is hilarious. I love it."

Dylan's eyebrows furrowed briefly and Jayce couldn't tell if it was in anger or confusion.

It was hard to tell with Dylan.

"At least you have hobbies," he continued. "All I do is work out and watch TV. I don't really know what I like. I probably wouldn't have seemed as boring to all my boyfriends if I'd actually had a hobby."

"Well, we know splitting wood isn't going to be one of your future hobbies," Dylan said, in a mumble quiet enough that Jayce wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it.

"You made a joke. I think that's a first," he pointed out, still smiling. It made him happy that Dylan seemed to be opening up to him more and letting some of his personality show through.

He saw a hint of a smile on Dylan's face before Dylan returned his attention to knitting.

Then, he picked up the Western romance book and curled up on the bed with it, grateful to have something to do other than sleep or stare out the window.

A comfortable silence settled over the cabin as he read while Dylan knitted, the fire crackled and the snow fell. 

[devine-star]

The Summer That Lead to More 18+

Dylan x Male!Reader

Warnings: SMUT! dirty talks, fingers, oral, 

Note: Sorry this took so long! Enjoy! 

BY READING THIS YOU ARE CONSENTING THAT YOU ARE 18 YEARS OR OLDER! 

When Y/n first met Dylan, it was during a summer festival in his town. He was with a group of friends and was EASILY the tallest one there minus an Aussie. The two would see each other through the crowd and send small flirty smiles and wave. 

Dylan didn't have the guts to go up to Y/n, he was very insecure about himself. So when Katilyn jokingly threatened to go ask for the other man's number, he panicked and rushed off towards where Y/n was standing in line for some food. 

"Hey," he started, cursing to himself as his voice cracks with nervousness. 

"Hm? Oh! Hi!" Y/n chuckled. 

The conversation flowed easily as the two waited to order food. Once their time came the two pinning men ordered, Dylan pulled out his wallet saying he'd pay for both of their meals. 

"What? Dylan you don't have to!" Y/n argued pulling out his own wallet but was too slow seeing the cashier handing Dylan back his card. 

Dylan placed his good hand on Y/n's back to guide him to the other side of the food truck where they would pick up their food. "I know I didn't HAVE to, but I wanted to treat the most handsome man in this festival." 

Y/n blushed looking away before mumbling "You should be treating yourself then," Dylan nearly choked on the drink he got, coughing as Y/n laughed. 

In that moment, Dylan decided that Y/n's laugh was the best thing ever, and he would do ANYTHING to hear it again. 

And that is exactly what Dylan did! The two swapped numbers that night and would go on several hang outs that neither knew if they were dates or not. 

Dylan learned a lot about Y/n and likewise. 

Dylan was secretly a little science nerd and was in college for Quatum theory. 

Y/n was an electronics nerd. Building little robots and he could take any electronic apart then put it together again without even breaking a sweat! 

And if Dylan was honest, he liked watching Y/n's fingers move about the electronics; letting the shamless dirty thoughts flood through his flustered mind. 

"-And then you just press this and....Dylan are you even listening?" Dylan snaps from his thoughts as his face turns beat red at being caught up in his sexual daydreams. 

"Huh?" Y/n rolls his eyes playfully reaching over to grab Dylan's arm and attaching the robotic prostetic to it. 

"If you want to be able to use this Dyl, you gotta pay attention." Y/n chuckled while playfully scolding Dylan as he did the last few adjustments before looking up at him with a smile. 

"I worked hard on this thing and you better take care of it," Narrowing his eyes playfully. 

Dylan was just staring at Y/n with some look in his eye. "Dylan-" "Can I kiss you?" 

Y/n face flushed as he heard this, looking back down at the prostetic before nodding slowly "Yeah," Using his good hand Dylan tilted Y/n's head up and smashed his lips against Y/n's. 

The world seemed to stop for a moment, Y/n reacted after a few seconds. Wrapping his arms around Dylan's neck as the kiss got more heated.

Dylan wrapped both arms around Y/n, pulling him from his chair into his own lap. 

Y/n's hands were in Dylan's hair as Dylan's were tightly on his waist almost as if Y/n would slip away if he didn't hold him close enough. 

A groan came from Dylan's throat at the feeling of Y/n's tongue slipping into his mouth. Dylan could taste the coffee he had bought Y/n on his tongue, his grip tighening along with his pants as he grew more turned on. 

Y/n's hands gripped Dylan's hair as he pulled Dylan's head back pulling a moan from Dylan. Y/n lips left Dylan's and attached themselves to his throat; sucking and biting to find the one spot that made Dylan's back arch slightly. 

"Y/n..." Dylan gasped eyes wide. Kissing his way up to Dylan's ear Y/n whispered "If you keep making those sounds, I don't know if I can control myself anymore," Dylan whines. 

"Is that what you want baby boy?" Dylan nods unable to vocalize what he's been dreaming of since the two met. 

Smirking, Y/n slid his hands under Dylan's shirt as he went back to kissing and marking Dylan's throat "Is that what you've been spacing about? hm? All the dirty thoughts you want me to do to you?" 

Nodding again but stopping as Y/n pinched his nipple Dylan gasped, his hips bucking unintentionally. Y/n groaned at the feeling as well as the pleasure that scrawled itself across Dylan's face. 

Pulling away from Dylan's neck to tug the man's shirt over his head, Y/n's eyes caught site of the small scars riddled across his lover's chest. Deciding against bringing it up, Y/n brought his mouth down to Dylan's chest. 

Taking one of Dylan's nippled into his mouth Y/n spun the nub in his mouth. "Oh shit!" Dylan panted gripping Y/n's hair for dear life. 

The postion the two were in wasn't making any of this easy, so Y/n pulled away before crawling off of Dylan's lap. Dylan looked up at him with a concerned look as he panted "Upstairs," was all Y/n said. 

Dylan stood quickly climbing up the basement steps and to the bedroom he's been in a million times with Y/n hot on his tail. 

Y/n closed the bedroom door before turning and pushing the taller man onto the bed with himself on top. Knees on either side of Dylan's hip; Y/n chuckled to himself feeling how turned on Dylan had gotten from a simple make out session. 

Pressing kisses along Dylan's stomach and chest Y/n whispered "So Dyl, tell me. What has you so excited? Or are you just so whipped that a simple make out session has you hard as a rock?" Looking up at him through eyelashes Y/n could see Dylan cover his face with the crook of his arm. 

"I-....uh" Dylan stuttered over his words as he tried to get a cohearent thought through his lustfilled mind. Y/n waited paitently as he kissed and sucked marks all over Dylan's chest and stomach while whispering praise of how handsome Dylan is; that further fucked his mind. 

"If you don't say what you want then how am I supposed to please you baby boy?" Dylan whined before finally saying what had been clogging his mind for the past month. 

"Want you to...fuck me," he panted. 

Y/n hummed as he playfully tugged at the waistband of Dylan's sweatpants, enjoying the view of his hard on through the grey fabric "What else?" 

"Want you to...Fuck!" Dylan cried out as Y/n gently started kissing his cock through his sweats "That! Please!" The desperation in his voice caused Y/n's cock to twitch in his pants as he groaned. 

"Want me to suck you off?" The cockiness in Y/n's voice made Dylan moan and push his hips towards the other's face "Yes! Please!" Looking up at Dylan, Y/n could see the tears of sexual frustraion beading in Dylan's eyes.

'Too much Y/n, take it down a notch' he told himself as he began pulling Dylan's sweat pants and boxers down at the same time. 

Gently stroking Dylan listening to him moan and whine as his hips moved from the pleasure, Y/n enjoyed the view. 

The room was dimly lit by the bedside table, light from the moon coming through the window above the bed. It covered Dylan and made his face glow; it was probably the sweat that made him glow but Y/n didn't care. 

"Please..." 

Placing a few kisses on Dylan's exposed thighs, Y/n got to work. First taking the tip into his mouth giving a few gentle sucks listening to Dylan curse. Bobbing his head lower Y/n set an even pace, one that wasn't too slow or too fast; just enough for Dylan to enjoy it but also want more. 

A groan slipped through Y/n lips as Dylan gripped his hair roughly before thrusting a few times harshly causing Y/n to gag. "Shit! S-Sorry!" Dylan looked down at Y/n with a look of concern "Don''t worry handsome, that was hot," Y/n said after pulling off with a small cough. 

Once again, Y/n kissed his way up to Dylan's ear whispering "Need some prep baby?" Dylan nodded slowly "Y-Yes, PLEASE use your fingers on me," Y/n sensed there was more to that sentence so as Dylan rolled over, Y/n grabbed the bottle of lube from his nightstand but not before shedding his own shirt and sweatpants. 

Dylan was on all fours, head leaning against the pillow as he took slow steady breaths. His body tensed when Y/n placed a hand on his ass "Relax baby, it'll hurt more if you're so tense," Y/n whispered kissing his hips before opening the bottle. 

The sound of the bottle opening and clicking closed made Dylan shiver, he was nervous but so excited. It had been a few years since he's had sex, so he doesn't know if he would be so relaxed. 

"Why don't you tell me why you're so excited over my fingers hm?" Dylan groaned, embarrsed that Y/n had caught on. "I never missed the stares you would give as I take things apart." Y/n spread the lube across his fingers before slowly inserting one into Dylan. 

"I-Aah~" Dylan moaned pushing back onto the finger "Watching you lick your lips while staring at my hands drove me INSANE," Y/n growled the last word, nipping Dylan on the ass after. 

Whining Dylan finally spoke in fast breaths "Just....seeing you skillfully take things apart and put them back together...seeing them work perfectly fine is...hot" Y/n chuckled as he inserted another finger picking up speed. 

"Shit!" Dylan cursed as he matched the speed of Y/n's fingers, fucking himself once Y/n stopped his movements. Desperation was growing inside of Dylan as tears of frustraion slid down his face "Please! I-I'm prepped just fuck me!" 

Y/n's eyes went wide as he laughed a bit, pulling his fingers out. He stood to grab a condom from the same drawer the lube was in but not before cleaning his hand of the sticky liquid; no need to get that on the sheets. 

Kneeling behind Dylan he slid the condom on lining himself up. "If you need me to stop let me know, okay? We'll use the color light system," Dylan looked over his shoulder, his cock twitching at the sight of Y/n gently stroking himself while looking at him. 

"Do you know that one? Green for good, yellow for slow down, and red for stop. Okay?" The concern in Y/n's eyes made Dylan fall for him even more "Okay," 

Y/n nodded before slowly pushing inside Dylan, the two moaning in unison once Y/n bottomed out. Giving Dylan time to adjust Y/n kissed along his shoulders waiting for Dylan to whisper that he was ready. 

Starting slow, Y/n dragged his hips down until only his tip was left inside before pushing back in moaning loudly "Fuck Dyl, you're tight." Dylan just moaned in reply nodding his head lazily. This pace continued for a good 5 minutes before Dylan was crying out for Y/n to go faster. 

Speeding up, Y/n gripped Dylan's hips in a bruising hold as his hips snapped against Dylan's ass groaning loudly. Dylan gripped the pillow as he looked over his shoulder to see Y/n's face contorted in pleasure "Y-Y/n," 

Y/n looked down at the call of his name concerned that he was going too fast "Yeah?" Dylan stayed silent for a moment before leaning his head against the pillow "D-...dirty talk me," Y/n groaned loudly as he sped up slightly at the thought. 

"You've been thinking about this having you? Daily daydreams of me bending you over my workbench huh?" Dylan whined nodding his head as he got off to what Y/n was saying. 

"Or maybe even me fucking you with my skillful fingers? Hm? Using my fingers to bring you over the edge as you babble about how good you feel?" Y/n was also getting off to the thoughts of Dylan daydreaming about this. 

"Admit to me what you've been cooking up in that dirty little brain of yours," Dylan mumbled incohearent sentences before his mind caught up to himself. 

"I've...UGH! Jerked off to the thought of you using the wires to....tie me up and use me," Dylan panted no longer feeling the shame of his thoughts; silently praying that what he admitted would lead to them ACTUALLY doing his dirty thoughts. 

Y/n moaned at the possiblity "You want me to use you? Yeah? Turn you into my little cumdump?" Y/n could feel his high approaching, far quicker than he would like it too. 

The moans Dylan was letting out were getting more and more desperate, Y/n knew he was close as well. Reaching over Dylan's hips to grip his swollen cock in his hands Y/n started jerking him at a fast pace. 

"Oh shit! Baby!" Dylan's back arched "Right there!" Y/n had unintentionally found Dylan's prostate at this angle. Bringing Dylan's back to his chest Y/n continued jerking him off as Dylan bounced himself on Y/n's dick. 

"Kiss me," Y/n damanded watching as Dylan turned his head smashing their lips together. They stayed in this postion for a good 5 minutes before Dylan pulled away from the kiss yelling "Fuck! Cumming..." 

Y/n felt as Dylan's cock twitched in his hands before spurting his cum over his fist, continuing to stroke him through his orgasm. 

Y/n came not long after as Dylan clenched around him with one final thrust Y/n groaned while repeating Dylan's name like a prayer. 

Dylan leaned his head back against Y/n's shoulder as they both panted, slowly coming down from his high. Y/n pulled out slowly as he laid Dylan on his back leaving to grab some water and a snack along with a warm wet cloth to clean his hand and Dylan's stomach. 

Gently wiping away the cum watching as Dylan stared at him lovingly, Y/n smiled placing a kiss on his lips softly before depositing the soiled towel into the laundry hamper. 

Grabbing the water bottle, Y/n brought it to Dylan's lips telling him to drink before laying down next to him. 

Dylan moved closer snuggling up to Y/n's side as the other man reached over grabbing the small bag of chips popping them open "Open," Dylan listened letting Y/n place a few chips into his mouth. 

"Ya know," Y/n started after the silence of them eating "You could've told me all those thoughts sooner, cause I've had just as many dirty thoughts about you." Dylan blushed hiding his face in Y/n's bare chest whining softly. 

"I didn't want to ruin anything!" 

"Dylan we've been going on dates for MONTHS!" Y/n laughed along with Dylan. 

"THOSE WERE DATES?!" Y/n laughed harder "YES YOU LOVEABLE IDIOT!"

[love-toxin]

Nick accent fan anon coming back now I’m just imagining the kids asking him to say stuff bc his accent is cool and you’re close by and he starts talking louder bc he can tell you’re getting flustered and turning pink 🧍🏻‍♀️ now I need to go lie down

>:)

(cw: nothing! just fluff ♡)

"domino!"

"domino."

"outback!" 

"outback."

"water!" 

"water." 

the kids were relentless. they had crowded around Nick on the steps of his cabin and threw out word after word for him to repeat, like a brown-eyed parrot for them to squeal at when he said something in an especially aussie way. he didn't seem to mind that much, but it was hard to tell when he was so polite and sweet, especially around the kids. they adored him, and rightfully so. 

and you could relate to them. Nick had grabbed your attention from the first moment you met; his height, his little wave when he met your eyes, his freckles, and of course, his voice had all stuck in your mind like honey. even now, the little tilt of his head as he took notice to you pushing one of your campers on the tire swing made your heart flutter, although it could also have been in part because he had caught you staring. and that cocky smile proved it: busted. 

"have you guys run out of words? want me to come up with something?" 

he turned his attention back to the campers around him, and by the cheering that resounded amongst them you could tell what their answer was, but you could still feel him glancing over at you every so often like he was trying to gauge whether you were still focused on him. 

"mmh…how about a tongue twister, eh? how can a clam cram in a clean cream can?" 

Nick put even more emphasis on the words than he usually did, and while it was unusual, the kids clearly loved it and begged him to say some more while you tried and failed to smother a giggle. but just as they were coming up with more tongue twisters for him to say, your heads all turned to the sound of the PA system crackling through the old speakers that were spread throughout the camp "shit, is it working now? oh, it worked! crap!", before the voice that you knew was Dylan's hastily made the announcement that dinner would be commencing in fifteen minutes. the campers, including the younger ones that you had been helping to swing, jumped up and off whatever they had been sitting on and rushed towards the entrance of the cabin circle to head into the lodge. 

you'd get there too, eventually, but you had some spades and plastic beach shovels to clean up from the children's attempts to plant some old flower sprouts you'd found lying around--and just as you were bending over, the man of the hour strolled over to you like he'd just been waiting to catch you alone.

"need a hand? looks like the little ones made quite the mess." 

he asked, and yet he was already kneeling down to help you by picking up some of their play tools and tossing them into the bag you had brought them in. so instead of agreeing, you just smiled and thanked him quietly, all the while trying not to let your eyes linger on him too long while he was so close to you. it took barely any time to get the task done with both of you, and yet it still felt like time slowed to a stop when your heart was beating so quickly. you finally stood, and pulled the end of the bag up to carry it, but Nick beat you to it and grazed his fingers over yours in his bid to grab it himself. 

"can't let a pretty thing like you carry something so heavy, now can I? I think that counts as a crime…somewhere." 

figures that the false bravado he had would only last so long, but it was enough to fluster you and that seemed to be exactly what he wanted. Nick couldn't have wiped that gleeful smile off his face if he wanted to, and as he threw the sack over his shoulder to carry it with ease he looked down at you like he wanted to say something more. you certainly weren't going to break the silence when you were obviously scrambling for words, and yet it wasn't either of you that did so–it was Dylan, who you hadn't realized had walked up to you two until a sharp whistle broke you both from staring at each other.

"hey, lovebirds! we're overdue on kitchen duty–grilled cheese isn't gonna grill itself. let's go help the others." 

you were almost glad that Dylan had snapped you both to attention before he passed by you to get to the lodge, else you might've stood there like idiots until Mr. Hackett himself came to give you both an earful for missing your shift on handing out dinner. you were sure you'd be in for some teasing from him later once Nick was out of earshot, but for now, you walked together in shy silence while stealing glances at each other every so often. the only thing you managed to get out was a "thank you" for his unexpected compliment–but even that brightened his smile so much you would swear it didn't go away for the whole evening, even when one of the campers spilled their juice on his pants. he wouldn't even notice, because he'd be too busy making eyes at you the whole time. 

[avionvadion]

Dylas’ “smile” event gives off a totally different feel if you go through it already having married Leon, and it cracks me up. 🤣

(For those who don’t know, town events are random so you don’t really have any say when they trigger.)

If you aren’t married to/in a relationship with Leon when the event triggers, and you choose to talk to him with Dylas in your party, it sounds like he’s teasing Dylas because he knows the tsundere horse-boy has a thing for the player, and because he just likes to get reactions out of people for giggles by annoying them. Leon is, as Forte would say, the town menace.

But if you’re married to Leon, then the energy he gives off during that scene is completely different despite the dialogue being the exact same (with the exception of the pet names he uses for you/that you asked him to call you) so it sounds more like Leon is being very passive aggressively jealous and is just trying to keep the player’s attention on him.

It’s literally the exact same dialogue, going something like,

Leon: “Oh, are you two on a date?”

Dylas: “What? No, what makes you think that?”

Leon: “Because I have eyes, and it looks like you two are on a date. Oh, (Name), come look at what I found earlier. Isn’t it great?”

Dylas: “Hey, I’m here too!”

Leon: “…(Name) did you hear something?”

Dylas: “Are you ignoring me?”

Leon: “Oh, Dylas, how long have you been standing there?”

Dylas: “From the beginning!”

Leon: “I see… and who are you, again?”

Dylas: “Don’t act like you’ve forgotten!”

Leon: “You heard the voice, too, right, (Name)? I think something is trying to talk to us…”

…but the context is totally different depending on your relationship with Leon.

Leon: “Oh, are you two on a date?”

Dylas: “What? No, what makes you think that?”

Leon: “Because I have eyes, and it looks like you two are on a date. Oh, Love, come look at what I found earlier. Isn’t it great?”

Dylas: “Hey, I’m here too!”

Leon: “…My Lady, did you hear something?”

Dylas: “Are you ignoring me?”

Leon: “Oh, Dylas, how long have you been standing there?”

Dylas: “From the beginning!”

Leon: “I see… and who are you, again?”

Dylas: “Don’t act like you’ve forgotten!”

Leon: “You heard the voice, too, right, Love? I think something is trying to talk to us…”

And if you know Leon’s actual jealousy event- he gets real upset demanding why you’ve been ignoring him so much recently, and then just… hugs you real tight, real scared-like. So it doesn’t feel too off-base for him to be, like, pretty petty and take his teasing to a different level when it comes to any potential love rivals.

But like… you also aren’t even on a date with Dylas. He just misunderstood something said by Porculine and wanted to figure out how to be a better waiter, and asked you for help. But anyway, I somehow triggered Dylas’ smile event last night and the entire conversation had me reeling because it’s like, Dude, I’m MARRIED to you. So it just came off as Leon being jealous instead of genuinely having fun teasing Dylas.

[cottlestonpie77]

Calum smugly walks around the apartment with his UNBURNED toaster pastries, rubbing it in Abner's face.

Abner: Eh, I don't think you really need to go to college, son. The only thing kids do at college these days is party.

Pretty sure Abner is just more worried about the cost.

OH HELL NO, BRANDI. These kids are like two days from being out of the house.

FUCK. That is all I have to say about that. These guys are elders in just a few days!

Calum's Ex: Oh, shit, there's Calum's dad. Do you think he saw me? Maybe he didn't see me.

Narrator: Abner did in fact see her.

Brandi: So please tell me we have the kids' old toys stored in a box somewhere so we don't have to rebuy everything, okay?

Narrator: They did not have any toddler things stored in a box somewhere

Calum: So yeah, not quite sure what to do about my psycho ex. She comes over every day and kicks the trash can over!

Dylan: Well, never stick your dick in crazy, Calum. That's my motto!

Calum: ...I'm still a virgin, Dylan.

Abner: So as I was saying, Dylan, college is useless and you really shouldn't attend.

Dylan: Dad, I'm a fortune Sim. I HAVE to go to college. I have a couple of scholarships, it'll be FINE.

Well, here we go again.

And this is how little Edward? I think? Was brought into the world, amidst the stench of his father's poop.

Sorry for the crappy screenshot and cropping lol

Calum sits and contemplates why he thought it would be a good idea to have sex with his wife with no birth control.

Dylan wonders why he has to spend his final days at home sharing them with an infant.

But he's an adorable big brother.

Brandi, wondering how this happened so late in life. I'll tell you, Brandi! ALL THE WOOHOO.

Fitness is Dylan's chosen hobby so he jump ropes a lot. Remind me to get a default workout outfit for teens, please.

She's your mom's friend, Dyla! Stop it.

Calum: Dammit (ex-girlfriend who's name I can't remember), quit coming over here and kicking over our trash can! I don't want to call the cops but I will if I have to!

Dylan: We broke up because you were crazy mean to me and made me cry at the birthday party! Now MOVE ON, please!

Ex-girlfriend does not understand why Calum should be so angry and this is because ex-girlfriend is an idiot crazy lady.

Calum ages up to adult while Brandi burns hamburgers.

Abner tries not to choke on the blackened burgers...

...while Calum has a nervous breakdown in the bathroom about his crazy-exgirlfriend.

And also the fact that he didn't go to college.

Bye, Calum! Enjoy your new townie life!

[seven-of-sevensbye]

lingering thoughts abt “pushed romance options” in rf5

after the last post, i really feel like getting this out of my chest, too. might ask on reddit too just for laughs’ sake, but it’s something i’m genuinely curious about.

i heard meg and doug were the canonical pairings in rf4. honestly, i LIKE canonical pairings and feel like that’s sort of an unpopular opinion to have. i have an unfinished file of rf4 where my original intention was to date arthur, but after hearing that, and knowing what happens at the start of arc 2, i’m really intrigued about doug.... with the sole exception that i know that he loves dylas more lol, but anyway, getting back to rf5,

it’s clear priscilla is the “canonical” rf5 option, and she’s p cute, but after playing arc 1, anyone would say Scarlett is even more important than her in... every sense? And just who in hell is the canonical bachelor? no one seems to fit that role so far, even Terry would make more sense lol.

What i’m saying is, i wish ALL characters had some kind of involvement in the main plot. that’s clearly a difficult task and it’s easier to keep on treating them like they’re living their own lives, but in the end, i just feel more endearment to those that are really there for me....... and c’mon, it’s really not that hard to write inside of the main storyline that i get to help them w their fear abt going outside, some new competition w lucy after the initial ones or hanging out at night then going also to one of the dungeons. Ludmilla also feels important because of this, and Lucas, but they’re quickly forgotten again by the plot.

i guess this would totally ruin the game for other people though, bc they’d feel forced in one way or the other. dunno. i’m just letting out my thoughts, but as i said, it’d be funny to get some opinions wwwww

[baekhvuns]

I wish I could retire soon but alas 😭 despite feeling like an 80 year old I MUST WORK

Lmao I just saw Dylan's video what the fuck is going on and one of my friends was like "I've never seen Zootopia, I should watch it soon"

You're right Park Seonghwa is dangerous, he lures people in... and you can never come back. Siyaisyajhdhahsshh I'm not scared just angry and envious lmao

It's maaaaad, I hate the weird tension between ifans and kfans, it's usually the ifans who get mad though, like Atinys and Stays, they're so annoying when it comes to Korean fanbases. But then Korean fans mob idols at the airports, so many stalkers out there too...

Yes pre-recordings can be crazy, but I was lucky cause the first time I went to see Ateez they also let some of us stay for Stray Kids, and later when I went for Skz I got out and people were queuing for Atz, but they had some free spots and I went in again 😭 so it was worth it. Overall it was an experiment, my friends and I wanted to see how it all works. If I take the meat out it won't be the whole experience jahdushshhs also the egg?!

Omg your friend better have fun for all of us! Who do they bias?

SM is Europephobic for sure 🤡 after years of me giving them money, sigh. Ok Shinee was here, then both Taemin and EXO for MuBank Berlin, Kai was here for the festival, but come on

My non-existent boyfriend definitely does not compare to Seonghwa!

The new Hybe group should collab with Enhypen since they have the vampire/werewolves concept

I'm so sorry about the ebook website, I know it's a huge loss especially for academic purposes 😭🔫 maybe it'll be back somehow? Like Torrents or Pirate Bay, I remember they tried to take them down multiple times until the arrests happened ☠

His Hehetmon, Baek you didn't.....

Someone said this about The Fabulous, maybe it's not legit, but I remember seeing comments that the show is indefinitely postponed because some major plot points happen during Halloween? Btw Shinee, NGDA2 2nd anniversary was yesterday can you believe...

Absolutely, more bonuses if you have to work on a project with Hwa or he's your tutor/vice versa, but in your head you see those sinful hips and the dangerous tongue 😳

Idols obsess over JB or Shawn (didn't know he was Canadian lol) yet barely anyone cares about 🇨🇦 :/ what's this

That fallen angel AU I'm listening 👂

Lissssen Seonghwa must be over the moon because Star Wars replied to him three times yesterday 😭 maybe some brands on Twitter are doing good things after all. Now give him some free stuff, you've been flirting with him for a while. I wish KQ let him respond

My friend also said she's become Seonghwa's bitch and that's absolutely pathetic kusydhsgdhsgsgs and that he looked stunning 👀 but something I'm especially happy she posted about on Twitter and Reddit is how a lot of people talk about Hwa's visuals and demon tendencies only, but not about his incredible performance skills overall and his commitment to singing live as much as he can. I always feel like a biased delulu whenever I say he deserves more credit, because yeah I know he's one of the most popular members, but still he has so much to offer

SHUT UP THOSE PHOTOS. I have to force someone to go to another pop-up for me, because I'm not immune to soft photoshoots :( also THE BLANKET. And Lego flowers I'm kms-ing. Look at all the photos it's so cute the mannequins though osyssmshsjgsshjs.

I got Hongjoong on that quiz and I pretty much agree. What about you? - DV 💖

hi hello!!

I wish I could retire soon but alas 😭 despite feeling like an 80 year old I MUST WORK

LMFAOOOO THE RETIREMENT AT 50 NOT COMING SOON 😭😭😭 mo bc what is this life, graduate at 23, get a job by 24, get married by 26, have kids by 30 and then wait for death to come get u 🤨

Lmao I just saw Dylan's video what the fuck is going on and one of my friends was like "I've never seen Zootopia, I should watch it soon"

FBWKDHWK THE UNIVERSE MANIFESTED ZOOTOPIA FOR US 😭😭no bc why the fox kinda 🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️

You're right Park Seonghwa is dangerous, he lures people in... and you can never come back. Siyaisyajhdhahsshh I'm not scared just angry and envious lmao

seeing his live photos just know, i can’t believe this man’s real ?????? LIKE HE SMILES AND IM 📉📈📉📈📉📈📉📈📉 his skin is so prefect??? AND YUNHO?? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT MAN ????

It's maaaaad, I hate the weird tension between ifans and kfans, it's usually the ifans who get mad though, like Atinys and Stays, they're so annoying when it comes to Korean fanbases. But then Korean fans mob idols at the airports, so many stalkers out there too...

no ur so right, most of the time ifans mad over things they don’t understand about the sokor culture 😭😭 and immediately it becomes problematic bc it doesn’t fit their views 😭😭 now that stalking is officially law in kr hopefully they gET THEM TO JAIL AND LEAVE THEM THERE !!!!!

Yes pre-recordings can be crazy, but I was lucky cause the first time I went to see Ateez they also let some of us stay for Stray Kids, and later when I went for Skz I got out and people were queuing for Atz, but they had some free spots and I went in again 😭 so it was worth it. Overall it was an experiment, my friends and I wanted to see how it all works. If I take the meat out it won't be the whole experience jahdushshhs also the egg?!

JUST SWAPPING LINES CASUALLY AND SEEING THE MOST VISUALLY STUNNING MEN 😭😭🤚🏼 HOW TO BE YOU !!!!!! the scenes behind must’ve be so articulate and detailed omg,, CLOSE UR EYES AND INHALE IT BESTIE CHARACTER GROWTH

Omg your friend better have fun for all of us! Who do they bias?

bestie she cannot speak atm due to screaming, AND YUNHWA I BELIEVE MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE HONGJOONG but seonghwa’s photos????? 🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️idk if i can share but 🔫🔫🔫

????

SM is Europephobic for sure 🤡 after years of me giving them money, sigh. Ok Shinee was here, then both Taemin and EXO for MuBank Berlin, Kai was here for the festival, but come on

NO SERIOUSLY THEY USED TO DO SO MUCH FOR EURO but ever since nct its all america tour america this 😭😭🤚🏼 sm’s main fans come come from asia and euro yET THEY DONT SEE THAT ANYMORE smtown euro when 😭😭

My non-existent boyfriend definitely does not compare to Seonghwa! //// The new Hybe group should collab with Enhypen since they have the vampire/werewolves concept

hoping one day a hwa drops on both of us 🤲🏼🤲🏼 YES AND HOPEFULLY HAVE THOSE NICE SONGS TOO THAT FEVER ONE ESP

I'm so sorry about the ebook website, I know it's a huge loss especially for academic purposes 😭🔫 maybe it'll be back somehow? Like Torrents or Pirate Bay, I remember they tried to take them down multiple times until the arrests happened ☠

ive been looking for torrents def! hopefully they come back again under a diff alias bc coleen hoover it’s on sight 🔫 $100 per book 😀 <3

His Hehetmon, Baek you didn't.....

Someone said this about The Fabulous, maybe it's not legit, but I remember seeing comments that the show is indefinitely postponed because some major plot points happen during Halloween? Btw Shinee, NGDA2 2nd anniversary was yesterday can you believe...

it’s almost like the industry is not trying to eliminate the entire word instead of having to blame the govt 😭😭 ngda 2nd anniversary??? wHAT DO U MEAN???? ALREADY??? TWO YEARS SINCE HEAVEN DROPPED???? WHAT THE FUCK???? no bc ngda truly is so superior, every track is so carefully chosen and its so beautifully performed by taemin i can’t wait for what he shows after military

Absolutely, more bonuses if you have to work on a project with Hwa or he's your tutor/vice versa, but in your head you see those sinful hips and the dangerous tongue 😳

ANON. HELLO. hear me out what if he’s the junior-

Idols obsess over JB or Shawn (didn't know he was Canadian lol) yet barely anyone cares about 🇨🇦 :/ what's this

no tbh we don’t claim shawn mendes <3 disrespectfully <3 ryan reynolds tho >>> YEAH WHERES ALL THE MAPLE BLOODED KPOP IDOLS 🤨🤨

That fallen angel AU I'm listening 👂

<3 something like this

Lissssen Seonghwa must be over the moon because Star Wars replied to him three times yesterday 😭 maybe some brands on Twitter are doing good things after all. Now give him some free stuff, you've been flirting with him for a while. I wish KQ let him respond

IMAGINING HIM WIDE EYED JUMPING ON THE BED YELLING “STAR WARS SUNBAENIM!!!!” brands doing good for him when is DIOR AND YSL PULLING UP 🤨🤨🔫 GIVE THAT MAN FREE LEGO SETS IM BEGGING

My friend also said she's become Seonghwa's bitch and that's absolutely pathetic kusydhsgdhsgsgs and that he looked stunning 👀 but something I'm especially happy she posted about on Twitter and Reddit is how a lot of people talk about Hwa's visuals and demon tendencies only, but not about his incredible performance skills overall and his commitment to singing live as much as he can. I always feel like a biased delulu whenever I say he deserves more credit, because yeah I know he's one of the most popular members, but still he has so much to offer

LMFAOOOO BRMQBDMWBDMQBDKW THIS ENTIRE ENTIRE PARAGRAPH!!!!!! EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS 1000% FACTUAL !!!!!!! i ghost wrote this, i was beside u in spirit while u wrote this,, becoming hwa’s again is like a experience my friends a hwa biased but she’s like “i saw him and it felt like i got to know him all over again” truly what a fascinating man

SHUT UP THOSE PHOTOS. I have to force someone to go to another pop-up for me, because I'm not immune to soft photoshoots :( also THE BLANKET. And Lego flowers I'm kms-ing. Look at all the photos it's so cute the mannequins though osyssmshsjgsshjs.

STOP IF THESE PHOTOS ARE GOOD WHEN THE SEASONS GREETINGS DROP THEN WHAT??? WHAT ABOUT THOSE PHOTOS 😭😭😭 ARE U GETTING THE BLANKET FBWMBDMSVDEK

I got Hongjoong on that quiz and I pretty much agree. What about you? - DV 💖

omg i saw the hong one and it said ur a lil fruity 😭😭 i got yeosang!

when i tell u i m just a hole

???? san second lead??? 😮‍💨

my turn when

im

this your guy?

WHAT???

m-model hwa

[stephen-776]

October 2022 Games/Media UPdate

Anyway, nothing too serious; just trying this website again. Currently playing Rune Factory 4 and in the middle of a harem run. Have finished Vishnal's, Kiel's, and Dylas' marriage events. Vishnal's was really cute and adorabe and Kiel is umm. The event was sweet, and my god did it hurt to say no, but I'm sorry bud you just look way too long. Dylas' event didn't really change my opinion about him; probably my least favorite guy so far. Doug is probably my second favorite candidate so far; not quite feeling Arthur and Leon but I'll wait until I finish their events before final judgement.

Storywise, I finished arc 3, and mostly doing last minute prep before going into sharence maze. Some of that last minute prep is getting married for the white stone. I feel I should finish within a few days and make my penultimate weapon/armor, and then make me final armor set from sharence maze drops. Steady but slow progress currently.

I honestly don't know what game I'll play next. I'll figure it out I guess. oh, and I’ve also been watching Vinland Saga (NF dub). Almost done. It can move slow at times, but definitely gives GoT-as-an-anime vibes. Also, everyone is just so. Burly. So burly. Well, maybe not Thorfinn.

[libraryofcirclaria]

03 September 1281

Library of Circlaria

Third Level Society: First Version

Story Six: Meona Bell

I finally met Julian Mackwell.

He was switching from his class in the School of Language and Literature, and walking toward the School of Lightfire, and I caught him when he was between the University Fountain and John Fleming House. There was an approaching storm, however, so I followed him over as we walked rather quickly to his destination.

Nevertheless, we talked.

"That booth I walked into last night," I started. "I have to venture. Is that Mary Kormann's accomplishment? I hear she is quite the prodigy."

"The Immersion Console, you mean?" Julian said. "Yes that is indeed Mary's. She drew the diagrams and Dyla Cormick led the Project that built them. There's a bunch in our new Library as you can see, but each bedroom of each Member has one as well."

"Very good. Very good. Definitely a surprisingly convenient upgrade compared to what I had in my time."

"Not everyone says so," Julian said. "You've probably seen the notorious Peter Crane and Kara Martins at work; and please don't tell anyone that I'm actually bad-mouthing them. I don't want to add to the drama."

"I won't. No worries," I said. "But I understand they've been sowing rumors. I came across one of their flyers last night."

"Don't get me started," Julian said. "They used to be rivals, Peter Crane and Kara Martins. They arrived the same year a couple years ago, and immediately took a dislike to each other. Each one was determined to outdo the other, building their avatars up to, what I admit will be, impressive levels of skill and caliber.

"And their leadership was impressive as well. They were heads of powerful independent spaceship fleets, but they fought relentlessly, across multiple systems. Many Members were beginning to complain of the excessive violence in many places across the Interstellar Void; and for each of the two sides, the relentless grinding was not yielding any results or progress. So Peter Crane and Kara Martins decided to meet in person and shake hands. Their avatars and respective entities signed a peace treaty; and questing went back to normal for everyone else.

"But that's when the trouble started. I'm sorry Meona, I can't remember the names of the two entities that existed before; I've been so busy. But those two entities merged a few months ago into one big trading conglomerate: The Silver Starstrand. It seemed a happy medium, except that both Peter and Kara seem not to get enough of what they want, especially when it comes to gaining and hoarding Arturian wealth and territory, like troublesome Members typically do.

"After a great deal of complaints, some of the avatars not a part of the Starstrand went up to the Bookkeeper and filed a complaint. The Bookkeeper intervened and had a few Prefects downgrade some powerful avatars to lower skill levels; they then divided the conglomerate into smaller fleets.

"Honestly, Meona, I felt that a list of terms would have done better. But nonetheless, Crane and Martins blamed me and the Administrators. I will add though that funnily enough, I've heard talk that Crane and Martins have entered a friendship turning into rather a romantic-"

And just then, a mighty thunderbolt came down from the sky and hit very close, quite possibly just on the other side of us from Fleming House. It was enough to tremble the ground and charge the air in the blinding white flash. This form of what seemed like divine intervention sent Mackwell and I flying on hot feet toward the Lightfire School, amid the sudden wind and rain. I went toward the entrance on the North End of the School, but then Julian tugged me hard toward the South End.

"Kara and Peter come that way!" he shouted through the driving storm. "We're safer going through this way!"

We finally made it to the door on the South End, wet and gasping for air as we were. But before we went in, two women came bolting shouting "Let us in!"

"I'll get the door," Julian said. "You go through."

I stood just inside the doorway with my pinkie casually hanging off the edge while Julian held the door. That, unfortunately, was a futile move on my part, because just then, an almighty powerful gust of wind and rain tore through the Campus, masking visibility even to the University Affairs Office. And Julian's fingers slipped, sending the door slamming shut on my outer two fingers before I could pull them out of the way.

"You had a fine loud voice up there," Julian said later while we were in the University Hospital.

Miraculously, my right pinkie and ring fingers were not broken. But they were quite swollen, bruised, bloody, and sprained from the ordeal. My scream of pain, shock, and agony sent throngs of students inside gathering around. I don't know if it was Julian or someone else, but whoever it was guided me down the stairs to the University Underground Cable-Train Route, which I took to the University Hospital Wing of the Administration Hall.

And there the doctors did their work. My right hand was cleaned and then dipped in this warm oil that made my bones hurt like something else but also felt healing. My right hand was then put in a cast while I was told that it would be a couple weeks before I could remove it.

So the Great Oak Tree between Fleming House and the Flagstaff Building was struck. The thunderbolt splintered the Tree into three different sections, all three of which fell crashing to the ground. Furthermore, small splinters of wood were sent flying in all directions, some of which chipped a few windows of Fleming House and the Flagstaff Building, and some of which caused a couple students minor injuries. Funnily enough, I waved with my casted hand at those students as I was checking out of the Hospital Wing.

The Weather Bureau viewed a report on this apparently. They had been been watching some sort of weather event known as a "cyclonic explosion," where an Inland Sea cyclone will lose its integral structure and split off into smaller rotating storms in a rotating fashion. They had been worried because these types of storms produce destructive tornadoes. With that being said, they determined the windstorm at Cabotton to be a "downburst."

But what bothers me is the fact that the Peter Crane and Kara Martins friend group is taking politics outside of the Third Level Society. Stephen Martins, Kara Martins' brother, is claiming that the wood fibers of the tree glowed purple for about 5 to 10 minutes after the lightning strike. He is suggesting that this is evidence that Ceri Mains is on Campus.

Luckily, the Campus Watch is not taking him seriously.

Julian took me back to 327 East Mason Street, telling me to rest and relax for a day or two. However, after a few moments of trying out my hand movements, I determined that despite being in a cast, my hand was good enough for me to do questing. The White Baroness had been in the back of my mind all day. I was looking forward to the engagement. So a couple hours after Julian left, I snuck back out and down to the Society Library.

Captain Bornan was right where I left him, on a small sea coastal town in the Republic of Cresca near Antemaersa. My memory served me well there because I had my Falcon-Hawk spaceship parked in Antemaersa, itself. One boating trip later, I was there, where I promptly boarded the vessel and launched off from Planet Arturia.

The Interglobal Void is a lot more structured than it was when it was first conceived into being. Planet Arturia is one of six planets orbiting a gas giant; and the seventh orbital ring out is occupied by a spacehub containing jump gates to other gas giant and star systems. Navigating through these spacehubs, I finally brought myself to the supposed location of the White Baroness: Planet Prestia Minor CCL.

This globe is quite different, for it is all water safe for a star-shaped Isle. The journey here was surprisingly peaceful for Captain Bornan, and this world seemed the same in that regard.

In fact, I felt that it was too peaceful.

I landed my Falcon-Hawk in the Northeast End of the Isle, where I determined was the location of the White Baroness. Near the tip, just before the great ocean, stood a great chasm down into Prestia Minor CCL's Underworld. There I finally encountered opponents, which included werewolves and wysps. Those were easy to defeat; and before I knew it, I was in the Underworld, itself.

Except it was snowy and icy. I was expecting that, having read up on the crisis, but nonetheless, it was a shock. No enemies stood here, surprisingly. And as I looked over the icy but beautiful wasteland, I saw a snowy path leading up to a great white door. I had a bad feeling that this was a trap, but, seeing no alternatives, I went up it anyways. The door, by the way, opened with the greatest of ease.

I realized that this was the very Bedchamber of the White Baroness. And there she was on her vast white bed, looking at me with quite possibly the warmest of smiles.

"So glad you came to visit, you young, handsome man," was all she said, before giving Captain Bornan a hug. Then she pulled out her talisman to cast a Glass-Freeze spell.

She was actually very slow about it, but it didn't matter. Captain Bornan could not move. I knew it was some sort of paralysis, but, in all my experience of questing, I could not figure out what type of paralysis this was. Unfortunately, Bornan was unable to shield himself, and took a full hit from the Glass-Freeze spell. Using another spell, the Baroness flung Captain Bornan up, shattering the glass ceiling above, and up out of the Chasm before landing hard on the Isle.

It took a few long moments before the Glass-Freeze spell wore off, but then I realized that my poor avatar was seriously hurt. I had him pull out his nav map and locate a Healer on the other end of the Isle. I called their Couriers to come pick up Captain Bornan and carry him back.

The Healers there offered to provide a whole-body treatment to restore Captain Bornan to Ultra-Optimal Health. I accepted that and was sent to the Great Priestess, who performed what appeared to be a simple spell.

I decided here to stop. I disengaged my avatar, pulled out of the Arturian Realm, and made my way up to the University Library above ground. There, I went to the Ticketer where I consulted the Roster Rolls and found the Member behind the Priestess: Sarah Marks. A brief description here told me that she lived in Fleming House. So I went there and sent her a message to come meet me down in the lobby of the place.

Fleming House had a pretty neat lounge area on the bottom floor; so I had a conversation with her regarding my quest as Captain Bornan. I learned pretty quickly that she is a fourth-year student here, was studying in the School of Lightfire, and was very closely associated with Mary Kormann in the Immersion Console Project.

But then came the subject of the White Baroness.

"What do you make of the notion that Ceri Mains is the one engaging the White Baroness?" I asked.

"Well, what do you make of the made-up story by Kara Martins' brother about the Great Oak Tree?" she replied. "In all honesty, I feel that a group of Members might have created her. You know that's possible, right?"

"Of course, if you mean a daemon cast collectively by a group of direct avatars," I said. "Very rare but very possible. My question is the reason though."

"Much has changed in terms of Society politics since you were last here. I could delve into detail about what happened but that would take all night. I mean look at the flyers. Perhaps my opinion on the matter is very much jaded by my personal experience, but I hear I'm not the only one.

"I was falsely accused by an individual named Cody Brine for apparently playing a part in exploiting Mary Kormann for the favor of Ceri Mains. I mean, word's out that Ceri might have interest in us, and sees Mary Kormann for the very bright individual she is. However, Mary is also...shall I say...socially vulnerable.

"I can tell, Meona, that you're not quite understood what I meant by that last part. When you meet her, you'll see.

"In any case, Cody had me temporarily banned through our Bookkeeper, who I feel is a pushover. But it was temporary, because Julian had some sense and wrote to the Bookkeeper. And now here I am, back in the Society, engaging with my Priestess again...Anyway, I'd rather avoid that subject and ask instead: What of your experience with the White Baroness?"

Over the course of a few moments, I told Sarah about my quest, but then came to an important point: "So when I finally met her, she hugged me, well my avatar Captain Bornan, and Bornan was unable to make any motion or decision when she lifted her hand to cast that Glass-Freeze Spell."

"Oh that," Sarah said. "That's actually a stun, not a paralysis. It just exists and works in a different form than what we're all familiar with.

"You see...how do I put it...your character is male...And the White Baroness managed to craft a certain spell, and it's cast through hugs, to make male characters...shall we say...incapacitated in a certain way."

"I see," I replied. "So is there a way to resist that?"

"Not that I know of," Sarah said. "It's hard enough trying to find the identity behind her. Without that, you don't really have a concrete list of spells and skills...Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. This has stumped even our most seasoned Veterans since the beginning of summer."

We parted ways there; and before I knew it, I was back on 327 East Mason Street. First thing I noticed was that there was no more pain in my hand. Against all common sense, I ripped off my cast and saw that my right hand had no bruising or bleeding whatsoever.

It was as if the incident with the door had just been a dream.

I am utterly baffled by this. Thinking back, I noticed that I did not feel any pain since Captain Bornan had been healed by the Priestess.

But how is that possible? How could healing an avatar be healing the Member behind it?

I decided to send a message both to Sari back home and to Sarah. I will have to address this at another time, but now a more important matter dawns on me.

Before 1264, I was Meon. I was male, which I was okay with, or so I thought. But honestly, it was around that time when I began to feel a bit...shall we say...out of place with myself. I'm too tired to write it all out now, after the long day today. But I will say that this was, in fact, the beginning of a change I encountered internally, in comparison to the external changes in my life.

During my time in Canticula with what we thought would be the project to last beyond our lifetimes, I dressed and identified with the intent to not associate myself with either traditional gender: male or female. I was unsure how to refer to myself, whether to be a he or a she. I will admit, I opened up personally a bit to Sari Frame, who, after awhile, suggested that I take a reference neutral in nature: they.

Such a neutral stance on what I realized was a gender spectrum carried me well throughout our Canticula Campaign. I feared that there would be backlash, but I was surprised by how well everyone, even the recruits, received me. Honestly, I felt that chapter in my life was the best.

Change came round when the Provans decided to take over. We had to stop our project, and had to flee back to Remikra. And looking back, I feel that the magnitude of the change was what finally got me to re-evaluate myself once again. My journey in life was not complete with simply disassociating with both genders. I realized that I felt more akin to my mother than I did to my father.

It was just after all these years of denying myself that sentiment that I finally came to terms with and decided to complete the internal change, in order to become who I was meant to be: Meona.

With Sari's help, I discovered that there was a five-year treatment that was completely legal and safe; I just had to find a doctor. And found one I did later that year. And so began the procedures, the medications, the surgeries. Finally, in May 1272, I was completely Meona.

Eight years later, Sari Frame and I got married. We had grown close during this time. And it came to pass that romantically, Sari and I meshed quite well. In that regard, I feel content.

But now that I am once again engaging the dymensional plane of the Arturian Realm, there comes quite an important question: Should my avatar undergo the same change?

After awhile of thinking, I have come to this: Indeed, Captain Bornan, when originally created by me, was an extension of my sphere of influence in the Arturian Realm. However, that does not mean that Bornan was nor ever will be an actual extension of my own identity. There had apparently been a convention in the days before the Third Level Society founding, back when the old TableQuests were played that an avatar was to be an extension of your identity. That was before the Third Level Society and its Roster, when one was not quite so sure who each avatar belonged to.

The purpose of the Society Roster, as we were taught upon recruitment, was to have one's avatar maintain its own identity in order to avoid "potential dangerous projection and propagation" as what gave rise to violent dynamics in the old TableQuest games, especially ones involving darkfire cartels. Therefore, to change Bornan's gender would be counter to that.

So Captain Bornan shall remain Captain Bornan.

<- 02 September 1281 <- || -> 04 September 1281 ->