#it's just a set of vertices and a set of edges! and the edges are just pairs of vertices!

[todays-xkcd]

C'mon, ESA Solar Orbiter team, just give the Parker probe a LITTLE nudge at aphelion. Crash it into the sun. Fulfill the dream of Icarus. It is your destiny.

Sun Avoidance [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

[A table is shown with three columns, all with underlined headers. Above these there is a header for the entire table.] Sun Avoidance Skill Leaderboard Rank. Mission. Sun Nearest Miss.

[The top of the table is not filled out regularly. It starts with giving the first number in the first column. But then instead of text in the next two columns there is a pair of large square brackets that covers about four lines with text in between that do not align with the table lines. In the first column beneath the first number along the bracket to the right there are three vertical, three horizontal and three vertical ellipses to indicate that the large bracket covers more than just the 4 first lines. At the bottom of the bracket the first visible digit of a larger number is shown. It is clearly cut of so the first number is partly outside the left frame edge. After the bracket ends, the next seven lines are normal tekst in all three columns. The numbers continues to increase from the first at the bottom of the bracket, but as for that number the first columns number is always cut partly off across the first visible digit to the left. The first digit can be read though, and in one of the middle lines, one more significant digit is partly visible at the front of the number due to non-proportional spacing, this new number itself being cut off instead of the now fully visible digit partly visible in the other rows]

1. ⋮ …     [All other expeditions in human history] ⋮ 4303857.

4303858.    Mariner-10    69.0 million km

4303859.    Helios 1    46.4 million km

4303860.    BepiColombo    45.8 million km

24303861.  Messenger    45.3 million km

4303862.    Solar Orbiter    43.8 million km

4303863.    Helios 2    43.3 million km

4303864.    Parker    6.17 million km

[Caption below the panel:] Congratulations to the Parker Solar Probe for setting a new record for "Worst Job Avoiding the Sun."

[unnonexistence]

i should be Doing Tasks instead of sitting here waxing poetic about math but i do think graphs (the discrete math kind) (not this kind 📊📈📉) are the most elegant and beautiful mathematical object

[bubbloquacious]

So as @as-if-and-only-if pointed out, the topological axiom that the collection of open sets should be closed under finite intersections is (kind of, you'll see) the killer here. Topology was simply not really built for these sorts of cases. There's a theorem that all topological spaces, including in particular the finite ones, are quotient spaces of Hausdorff spaces. In this way we can think of finite spaces as just normal, 'large' spaces with a lot of continuous content (as opposed to graphs) but with the points representing entire parts of the space. The Sierpiński space, for example, which consists of one open point and one closed point, can be thought of as any Euclidean space, but with all points that are not the origin identified with each other. This is why the constant sequence at the open point also converges to the closed point; you can see it as representing any sequence in the non-origin space. So I wouldn't necessarily expect finite topologies to accurately capture the finite, discrete connectedness properties of graphs.

But I digress. Topology is the study of continuity; continuous transformations. I think it is often a little unclear why we define a topological space in terms of a collection of 'open' sets. Why is that the structure we need to express how a space is 'attached to itself'? Here's another way of doing it. We say that, intuitively speaking, a subset 𝑁 of our space is a neighbourhood of a point 𝑥 if 𝑁 'contains all of the immediate surroundings of 𝑥'. The is-a-neighbourhood-of relation between subsets and points we will take to be the primitive notion in terms of which we define everything else, like open sets are in the common topological formalism. There's various properties that this relation should satisfy. First, 𝑥 should be an element of any of its neighbourhoods. Second, if 𝑁 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 and 𝑀 is a subset that contains 𝑁, then 𝑀 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (i.e. the collection of all neighbourhoods of a point is upwards closed). Third, the whole space (we could call it 𝑋) should be a neighbourhood of any of its points. Fourth, if 𝑁 and 𝑀 are neighbourhoods of 𝑥, then their intersection 𝑁 ∩ 𝑀 should also be a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (all these properties together mean that the set of neighbourhoods of some point forms a filter).

We can now define a set 𝑈 to be open if it is a neighbourhood of all of its points. Going the other way, if we have a topology then we can say that 𝑁 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 if and only if 𝑁 contains an open set that contains 𝑥 (i.e. 𝑥 lies in the interior of 𝑁). If we define the 'neighbourhood system' of a topological space this way, then the two definitions of 'open' do in fact agree. However, the four neighbourhood axioms we gave above are not enough to specify a topology. That is, there are some neighbourhood systems satisfying the above axioms such that the collection of open sets w.r.t. this system does not form a topology. Precisely because, again, the collection of such open sets is not necessarily closed under finite intersections (even though the neighbourhoods of any particular point are!). Let me give you a fifth axiom: for a neighbourhood system to be topological, every neighbourhood of a point 𝑥 needs to contain a neighbourhood of 𝑥 that is a neighbourhood of each of the points it contains (that is, every neighbourhood contains an open neighbourhood). With this additional axiom the theory becomes equivalent to the open set formalism of a topological space.

For a subset of the vertices of an undirected simple graph, what it means to 'contain all of the immediate surroundings' of a vertex 𝐴 seems pretty clear: it should contain 𝐴 and all of the vertices that are attached to 𝐴 by some edge. This defines a neighbourhood system that is not in general topological. Look at the cyclic graph 𝐶₄ in the OP up there; the subset {𝐴,𝐵,𝐷} is the smallest possible neighbourhood of 𝐴, but it is not a neighbourhood of 𝐵 or 𝐷. Note that an 'open' subset of a graph must be a union of connected components.

If 𝑋 and 𝑌 are sets equipped with neighbourhood systems, we can say that a function 𝑓: 𝑋 -> 𝑌 is continuous at a point 𝑥 of 𝑋 if for every 𝑌-neighbourhood 𝑁 of 𝑓(𝑥), the inverse image of 𝑁 under 𝑓 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (or, equivalently, for every neighbourhood 𝑁 of 𝑓(𝑥) there is a neighbourhood 𝑀 of 𝑥 that gets mapped into 𝑁 by 𝑓, i.e. 𝑓 preserves the immediate surroundings of 𝑥). The function is said to be just 'continuous' if it is continuous at every point of 𝑋. For topological neighbourhood systems, this property is equivalent to the usual notion of continuity (the inverse image of every open set in 𝑌 is open in 𝑋). For a function between the vertices of graphs 𝑓: 𝑉(𝐺₁) -> 𝑉(𝐺₂), what it says is that the inverse image of the set of vertices attached to 𝑓(𝐴) should contain all of the vertices attached to 𝐴. Put another way, the image of a vertex that's attached to 𝐴 must be attached to 𝑓(𝐴). This is exactly a graph homomorphism.

This same idea applies for directed simple graphs; a neighbourhood of 𝐴 is a set containing 𝐴 and all of the vertices 𝐵 such that there is an arrow from 𝐴 to 𝐵 (this is slightly harder to justify as 'containing all of the immediate surroundings', so I put this remark after why you should care about this perspective on graphs :p). We can again specify a new axiom to get exactly the theory of (directed simple) graphs. A neighbourhood system is graph-like if the set of neighbourhoods of any point is closed under arbitrary intersections. Equivalently, any point has a unique smallest neighbourhood contained in all the others. We can then create a graph by saying that there is an arrow from 𝐴 to 𝐵 if 𝐵 is contained in every neighbourhood of 𝐴. The operations of getting a neighbourhood system from a graph and a graph from a graph-like neighbourhood system are mutually inverse, just like with topological spaces.

The continuity theory of neighbourhood systems therefore subsumes both the topological and graph-theoretic ones.

Intuitively, it seems to me that graphs should be some sort of finite topological space. I mean, topology studies "how spaces are connected to themselves", and a graph represents a finite space of points with all the internal connections mapped out. That sounds topological to me! And of course many people consider the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem to be the "beginning" of topology, and that's a graph theory problem. So graphs should be topological spaces.

Now, I vaguely remember searching for this before and finding out that they aren't, but I decided to investigate for myself. After a bit of thought, it turns out that graphs can't be topological spaces while preserving properties that we would intuitively want. Here's (at least one of the reasons) why:

We want to put some topology on the vertices of our graph such that graph-theoretic properties and topological properties line up—of particular relevance here, we want graph-theoretic connectedness to line up with topological connectedness. But consider the following pair of graphs on four vertices:

On the left is the co-paw graph, and on the right is the cycle graph C_4.

Graph theoretically, the co-paw graph has two connected components, and C_4 has only one. Now consider the subgraph {A, D} of the co-paw graph. Graph theoretically, it is disconnected, and if we want it to also be topologically disconnected, it must by definition be the union of two disjoint open sets. Therefore, in whatever topology we put on this graph, {A} and {D} must be open. The same argument shows that {B} and {C} must be open as well. Therefore the topology on the co-paw graph must be the discrete topology.

Now consider the subgraph {B, D} of C_4. It is disconnected, so again {B} and {D} must be open. Since {A, C} is also disconnected, {A} and {C} must be open. So the topology on C_4 must again be the discrete topology.

But these graphs aren't isomorphic! So they definitely shouldn't have the same topology.

It is therefore impossible to put a topology on the points of a graph such that its graph-theoretic properties line up with its topological properties.

Kind of disappointing TBH.

[atomicami]

doing another bfm abby drabble because i said so…inspired by this twitter video (18+ minors DNI)

okay so imagine spending the night with boyfriend’s mom!abby at her house and she decides to use a toy on you for the first time…but not only that, she would also be just a little more dominant with you too.

you’d be sitting on the edge of her bed, in that same exact spot where she ate you out not that long ago without her son knowing, watching her rummage through her bedside drawer and picking out a hot pink wand to use on you.

she’d then approach back to where you were and kneel down in front of you. you’d instantly spread your legs out, revealing your wet pussy to her. you hear the clicking sound of the wand, followed by a buzzing noise, and she immediately places it right over your clit to start you off.

it’d be less than 30 seconds with that wand on your pussy and your legs would already be trembling. you want to close them so bad, but the sensation of the wand feels so good that you just can’t do it. it then becomes more difficult once abby increases the setting. more moans and whines escape from your mouth as you squirm on the edge of the bed.

you hear her call out your name, and you try to focus your attention on her. “do you like it, sweetheart?” she asks, receiving a whiny nod from you in response. abby then begins to vertically rub the wand in between your puffy folds, spreading your arousal all over your pussy as she continues to talk to you. “why don’t you tell me how much you like it? do you like it?”

“y-yeah…”

“how much?”

“a lot…”

“good girl.”

abby increases the setting again, and you start to lose the sense to even form a coherent sentence, now letting out a bunch of babbles and whines to her. the stimulation feels too intense on your clit, giving you the need to grab the wand out of her hands. abby notices and moves the wand away from you, now pressing it harder down onto your clit as punishment. “keep your hands to yourself…” she warns.

you ball your hands up into fists, whining in frustration as you try to hold back. as much as you were trying to resist it, the fact that abby was increasing the pressure bit by bit was making it more difficult for you. “ah, f-fuck…” you whine out, your hands peeking out in between your legs to try to grab at the wand again. once again, abby looks up at you and moves the wand away before giving you a final warning:

“i said keep your hands to yourself, sweetheart…or i might not let you cum at all tonight.”

so yeah anyways…bfm abby supremacy 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

[hairmetal666]

Eddie's at a party, lunch box in tow, and he's making a fucking killing.

He sets up shop in the crowded kitchen, but that doesn't stop him from spotting King Steve in the living room. Harrington's face is still fucked up from the fight with Hargrove, and he's tipping a cup almost vertically into his mouth. He's not too surprised when--the next time he spots the jock--he has a can of beer in each fist.

More customers flood up to him, and he can't help but be a little grateful for the distraction. Harrington is one unrequited crush he just can't kick.

Lunch box cleaned out, Eddie heads outside for a smoke. He's fishing his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket when he hears a snuffling sort of shuffle that sends his heart racing.

He edges forward, just enough to make out the heap of a person half-heartedly sitting up against the house. A person in fitted blue jeans, tight polo, and Member's Only jacket; swoop of chestnut hair catching in the flash of fire from Eddie's Zippo.

"Harrington?"

The guy startles, stability wavering, eyes blinking too much. "Munson?"

"You alright, man?" He asks, though he can already tell that Steve is most definitely not.

Steve shrugs. "Why do you care?" It's not mean, sounds genuinely curious.

Eddie gets it. He has no reason on earth to show concern about King Steve. In answer, he taps his boot against Steve's sneaker, giving him a small smile. "Not sure. But I'm here, so..."

"Just needed some air. Clear my head."

"How much have you had to drink?" Eddie asks.

"One or two,"

"Dozen?"

Steve laughs. "You're funny. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"I've heard," Eddie says, can't help but laugh a little too. "Wanna talk about what's going on?"

Eddie thinks that'll be a "no," but then: "Nancy dumped me."

"Yeah, big news."

"Ugh, people are talking about it?" Steve whines. It's really cute and Eddie hates himself for noticing. Hates himself more when Steve loses his balance, tips onto Eddie's shoulder, and Eddie doesn't tip him back.

Eddie can tell that Steve isn't fully with him anymore. He's a little afraid to leave the guy alone, so Eddie talks about the latest Hellfire campaign. Sober Steve Harrington probably has no idea what dnd is, but the drunk version is kind of a rapt audience.

He's just explaining about owlbears when Steve's voice, soft and sad, says "I just want someone to love me, you know?"

The admission renders Eddie speechless for a second, his chest fucking aching for the jock. He says "Oh, Stevie," knows he sounds too sad, is sure of it when Steve's nose wrinkles (it's cute; it's so fucking cute. Eddie hates himself for noticing).

Before he can backtrack, Steve slumps over, body going limp as he passes out. "Jesus H Christ," Eddie barks.

With a heavy sigh, and way too much fondness, Eddie stands. "Let's get you home, sweetheart."

He gathers Harrington up in his arms--dude is heavy--and carries him around to his van.

---

Steve wakes up, head throbbing and tongue fuzzy, with no idea how he got home and into bed. Can't really recall anything after he stumbled outside, aside from talking to Eddie Munson. But maybe that was a dream? Either way, he's home, not really any worse for wear. It's enough to let him forget all about it; what's one drunken party in a life full of them?

That Wednesday, he opens his locker after the final bell, and a Hershey bar falls out. He picks it up, flipping it over to see a note on the foil wrapping, "thought you might need something sweet to cheer you up." It's not signed, and Steve slips it into his backpack, knowing he's got a silly smile on his handsome face.

The little gifts continue to show up once or twice a week. Candy, plastic vending machine toys, sketches of the school grounds, caricatures of classmates and teachers. Sometimes they even come with a note in handwriting he doesn't recognize.

Along with the little treats, he starts seeing Eddie Munson kind of everywhere. And it's not like Steve hadn't seen him before--guy was hard to miss--but he was never around this often. Wasn't around this often and he and Steve had never shared a smile, a quick bob of the head, a quiet hello.

It isn't long before they're talking. Nothing much, nothing serious. Complaining about teachers, about classmates; sharing weekend plans. Only now Steve can't pretend to not notice the way Eddie dimples up when he smiles, the subtle muscles that bunch under the sleeves of his Hellfire Club shirt, the long litheness of his legs. Steve knows he's attracted to other guys, it's just that he didn't realize he'd be attracted to Eddie.

The gifts keep coming. Once, he opens his locker to find a plastic ring fashioned into a golden crown and a note that says, "made me think of you, Stevie." There's something about the "Stevie" that catches deep in his brain, but he can't make it connect to anything.

A few months later, Steve opens his locker and pulls out a drawing. This one--it's of him. He's gazing out into space in a way that managers to be dreamy and wistful. The Steve in the drawing is lovely, and it makes something clench deep in his gut, that someone sees him like this.

Steve tries to be more aware of the people in his surroundings, to figure out who his admirer is. He's not very good at it, even as more sketches of him--all depicting him as a gorgeous, ethereal thing he definitely isn't--show up in his locker. Especially when, so often these days, the person he sees the most is Eddie.

---

The presents in his locker continue into April, and would probably last until the end of the school year, but Steve's got a migraine starting. He keeps aspirin in his locker, gets a hall pass out of English to get some.

When he reaches his locker, though, someone is already there, with the door open. Someone in ripped black jeans, heavy black boots, a black leather jacket, and patch covered denim vest.

"Munson?" He asks. His heart beats so hard it reverberates in his ears, making it hard to hear.

Eddie jumps back, hands fluttering, face flushing bright red. "Ste--Harrington! I--uh--," he's backing up, his hands held out from his body, like he's pushing Steve away even though they aren't touching.

"Were you--?" Steve tries to ask, but the words won't quite come. There's familiar warmth low in his stomach, a twisting that has nothing to do with his impending migraine.

"I wasn't doing anything, I swear," Eddie says. He's breathing hard, eyes too bright, and Steve thinks he might be about to cry, but then the metalhead is turning away, starting to run.

"Eddie, wait!" Steve calls, chasing after him without much thought. "Please!"

Eddie doesn't stop until after they've crashed out one of the side exits, are alone outside.

"It was you? Leaving the--?"

Eddie nods, presses his hands to his eyes. "Sorry, I'm sorry, Harrington. I just--"

"Don't be sorry," Steve begs. "It's been--I liked it."

"Even now that you know they're coming from the freak?" Eddie spits. He still hides his face behind his hands.

"It's sort of been the best part of my year, if I'm being honest."

Only now does the metalhead remove his hands, blink back at Steve, dark eyes wide with shock. "Really?"

"Yeah. It made me feel-- important, I guess? Like, maybe someone saw me as something more than King Steve."

Eddie smiles now, looks down at the pavement. "I just didn't want you to think that you weren't--" he stops then, presses his mouth tight.

"Didn't want me to think what?"

"That you weren't loved, Stevie."

The statement hangs between them, Eddie's face pinking again, as the words wrap their way around Steve's heart. Loved. That he's loved. It clenches at every part of him, and he surrounds himself with the truth of it, what all those little presents were saying without words.

"Eddie, I--" he's overwhelmed by the gesture, the meaning, the reciprocal buzz in his chest, because Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson, loves him, and this fact is turning Steve's world on it's head in the best way.

"I'm sorry, Steve, really. Please don't hate me, or--or--"

"It means so much to me," Steve says, his voice a little broken. He reaches a hand out, slow, telegraphing the movement. "Can I?" He whispers.

Eddie nods, and Steve strokes the skin of his face with his thumb. "Thank you."

The metalhead nods, leaning into Steve's touch, they shift close, until their foreheads meet, until they share the same air. They stand that way for a while, long enough that they hear the bell ringing, and only then does Steve break their quiet. "Eds?"

"Yeah, Stevie?"

"You wanna hangout some time?"

Eddie laughs. "Yeah. I really, really do, sweetheart."

[sweetbunpura]

Meanwhile Yuu who was kidnapped at RSA

ROUND TWO!

Round one

Daydreamers

Everyone's dressed in RSA outfits and the more noticeable members are disguised. They managed to sneak past the gate and make their way to the RSA dorm mirrors. The school's hall of mirrors was stunning, it was styled like an indoor garden with arched doorways leaning to the respective dorms.

"Oh, where we do even start?" Trey asks as he looks at the flower decorated archways.

"Flamme, who did you hear on the phone other than Child of Man?"

"Someone named Phara and Neige." Rollo answered. "And the name Chen'ya was mentioned."

Vil and Malleus' faces changed at the mention of Phara and Neige, meanwhile Riddle and Trey sighed as Chen'ya's name was mentioned.

"So... that narrows it down to 3 dorms-"

"Ah, wait." He interrupted. "I heard a voice with a thick accent as well."

"..." A shadow appeared over Trey's face. "Hatley."

"Oh my!" Rook exclaimed. "That's a face I haven't seen in a while!"

"I forgot that Trey-kun and Hatley don't see eye to eye..." Cater muttered as the Heartslabyul vice headed towards the doorway with a a 1/2 tag sticking out of a teacup was etched on it.

"Wait, Trey!" Riddle followed after him as well as the others. "Heartslabyul with me, you as well Rollo. Everyone else should stay here. We shouldn't make this obvious."

The doors opened automatically, transporting them into a wooded area with hedges that stretched high above into the treeline. Paper Lanterns were wrapped around the trees, illuminating the area and leading a path towards the door. Trey didn't hesitate in following the path, nearly leaving the others to quickly follow after him before they were left behind. Eventually, the woods slip apart and sunlight came through as the courtyard came into view along with a very vertical and massive building in the shape of a top hat

"Everyone," Riddle gained their attention. "This is Daydreamers."

Their dorm building sat on the edge of a cliff as it was sounded by hills and hedges. Trees of multiple shapes and sizes were twisted around one another and thrown about the courtyard and in the center of it was a massive set of tables. There were chairs: large, small, and misshapen. A massive lake sat behind the building as well, with ponds connecting to it.

Students were lazily taking naps nearby, some in hammocks attacked to the trees or on top of the balcony's on the building.

"Holy shit." Ace said in awe as he looked around.

"Ace." Riddle said as he looked at him. "Language."

"Sorry, sorry."

Rollo's eyes moved around the dorm to the various students napping, but he couldn't spot Yuu anywhere.

"I don't see her, perhaps she's inside?"

"I wouldn't just walk in there." Cater spoke. "You got Hatley roaming around and I have no idea where Andy is."

"Then what do you-"

"Oh, oh!" The sound of a voice coming towards them had everyone freezing as they turned their attention to see a fair skinned blond haired boy.

"I'm sorry!" He panted and placed his hands on his knees. "We got caught up and I didn't even welcome our guests!" He raised his head. "I'm Andrew Lovington, but you can call me Andy! I'm the dorm leader of Daydreamers!"

Now it was Riddle's turn to make a face as everyone looked at Andy.

"H-hello." Deuce timidly said.

"I haven't seen you guys around before!" Andy bounced between the NRC students. "Are you guys new-"

"Andy." A new voice, with a think accent, interrupted him. "I got this."

"But, Hatley!" Andy turned to pout as the approaching student. "I should be the one greeting guests!"

"Shoot, and I came all this way to tell ya Rod made brownies-" Hatley brought down his top hat as Andy took off without a second thought. "NRC students? Ya come looking for ya princess?"

Hatley was tall with caramel skin and mysterious gray eyes, he wore a green top hat and had long light brown hair. Trey immediately tensed up and glared at the boy.

"Bigsy."

"That ya Clover?" A smirk finds its way to Hatley's face. "Almost didn't recognize ya without that clover trademark." He poked Trey's marking. "Ya a couple of lost lambs, wandering too far from the flock."

"Where is she?" Deuce squared up, only to be pulled back by Ace.

"Yuu? Ah, Love is around here somewhere." Hatley straightens up and looks over his shoulder. "Chen'ya probably ran off with her."

Rollo tensed up at what he had called Yuu. "What did you say?"

A gray eye moved to stare Rollo down. "Hmm?"

"What did you call her?"

"Love? Whut? Is that a sore spot or sumethin'?" Hatley raised an eyebrow before it dawned on him. "Oh! Ya must be Rolls, huh?"

Cater quickly grabbed Rollo before he could attack a laughing Hatley.

"Calm yaself! Can't take a wee tease, can ya?"

"Hatley, we won't ask again. Where is Yuu?" Riddle gained the vice leader's attention. "We're taking her back home."

Hatley shrugged. "Dunno, Sissel probably took off with her." He rolled his eyes. "But, I'll be nice and throw ya a bone. She might be in Junglehearts." He turned on his heel. "Now off with ya, before ya alert the hoard."

[kydrogendragon]

"And here we go, Robert Gadling gets ready for his third shot at the pole vault tonight," the announcers call out. Robyn and Orpheus sit on the couch at the Walker's, eyes glued to the television set. Rose, Jed, and Lyta crowd around the living room along with Lucienne and Jessamy and Matthew and even Jo and Rachel. Everyone had come over for the watch party.

"And here he goes. He needs to beat Sam Kendricks's score by at least three tenths if he wants to get a spot on that podium tonight. When we saw him back in Tokyo, he earned himself a silver medal. Let's see if he can earn himself a gold tonight."

Robyn leans closer. He grips the edge of the couch, eyes wide as his father takes a breath and races forward, pole in hand.

"And here he goes! Strong start there, good grip on that pole. Distance is looking good, maybe a bit short and oh!"

Their dad plants the pole down and thrusts himself up, up, up! He curves around the upper bar and...he hits it. He comes falling down, pole and bar alike as he crashes down onto the mat. Robyn deflates.

"Oh. Oh dear. I—" the announcer laughs. "Well, that's just unfortunate. Let's play that back. So you can see here—" the footage pauses as their dad's feet just begin to tip over the upper bar. "—he's got plenty of room here, lots of space up above. Robert is known for his strength and his ability to get good vertical height above that bar. But as he comes down—" the footage continues in slow motion. Their dad curls over the other side of the bar like they've seen him do hundreds of times before. It slows down until it stops right when he hits the bar. Matthew squacks.

"Oh my god!" Rose laughs.

"Oh, he is never living this down," Aunt Jo pipes off.

"So you can—" Even the announcer laughs again. "You can see where he hits the bar. And it's-it's really unfortunate because everything else about this vault was nearly perfect. But it looks like his, uh. Well. His lower half got a bit in the way there."

The camera cuts to their dad standing up from the mat, wincing as he gets to his feet. And then it cuts to Papa in the stands. He's doubled over, whole body shaking, and Robyn knows immediately that he's cracking up.

"Did dad really just hit the bar with his dick?" Robyn asks.

"Robyn!" Lyta cries.

"What! That's what happened, right?"

Jessamy chuckles before patting his head. "Yes, starling. Make sure to tease him about it tonight, okay?"

"There's definitely worse problems to have in life," Matthew laughs.

"Well, I can see now why Dream married him," Lucienne says.

"Please stop talking, I don't want to think about my cousin's junk, please and thank you," chimes Jo.

Orpheus turns to Robyn, frowning. "Dad's not getting a medal, huh?"

Robyn sighs. "No. I don't think so. Maybe in one of the other events, though."

"Hm. That's true."

The camera cuts to their dad, where he's standing at the stands in front of their papa. Dream's face is red from laughter, and even now, he's still giggling. Hob's laughing now, too, pressing a kiss to his lips. Hob whispers something to Dream, who bursts out laughing once more.

"Well, at least he seems to be in good spirits," the commentator says.

"As does his husband," the other chimes.

"Unfortunately for team GB, we won't be seeing any medals out of this event. Let's head over to the Men's Vault now."

"I cannot believe this is how you will be remembered, husband mine," Dream says, running his hand down Hob's chest. They're back at his hotel room, away from the villa for the night, much to Hob's pleasure. Those beds sucked.

"Don't remind me. My damn dick still hurts from that thing. I can't believe that happened. Christ." Dream chuckles, pressing a kiss to his jaw

"Well. Now everyone will know just how...well endowed you are. And how lucky I am to call you mine."

Hob shakes his head with a smile. "Guess you're the real winner from all this, aren't you?"

"If I have you? Then I always am."

Hob wakes up to exactly 46 messages from friends and family and co-workers alike, all commenting on his "performance" last night. Half sent him links to various articles, all labeled something along the lines of "Olympic Athlete Betrayed by his Penis."

Dream nearly pulls a stomach muscle from laughing so hard.

[moistcl1tikal-ao3]

Okokok what about older stepbro!Schlatt x fem!reader but he's really mean and likes to humiliate her. 🧍🏻‍♀️

Like, mans takes his opportunity to act out when Reader is in a stereotypical position like being bent over in the washing machine 👀

stepbro 🧍coward . make em related /hj

anyway this turned out less "omg stepbro" and more bully vibes. sawwy

-

You were just trying to do laundry. That was it, nothing serious, just laundry. The only problem was, you were vertically challenged, and your nice new panties had gone and glued themselves to the bottom of the top-loading washing machine. The rest of the laundry was loaded into the drier already, but the damn underwear was just out of your reach.

"Ooof," Your stomach ached as you leaned over the edge, trying to reach for the damn underwear as your toes left the ground and kicked in the air for balance.

Your face was red from being upside down, but it got even worse when you heard a low chuckle behind you.

"Oh, that's a little pathetic, huh."

You shot up, banging your head on the agitator as you fell back to the ground. You groaned in pain and the laughing behind you only got louder.

"Fuck off."

"Such language!" Your stepbrother placed a hand against his chest in mock affront. "Should've expected it from you, though."

You were so pissed it made you forget you were in nothing but a sports bra and pajama shorts, the only things you'd had left after the laundry. Not exactly something you'd want to wear around the college guy that had just invaded your house only a few months ago. "Excuse me?"

"Shut up. Here, you need help? I'll help you out. Sibling bonding, ain't that what your mom wants?" Jay leered down at you, filling the doorway of the laundry room with his broad shoulders.

You realized that he was about to see the lacy little set of underwear you'd bought just recently and your face went hot. "No, I got it, don't--"

Trying to deny him only made it worse, his grin widening as he walked to the washer. "Oh, no, baby, I insist. Really. I'll get it."

You tried to move him out of the laundry room but he simply moved you aside, reaching down into the washer and pulling out the panties. They were a light purple, all lacy and delicate and oh god you were gonna throw up-

"Oh wow," he turned them around and held them up to the light as you tried to grab at them, failing to move his arms. "didn't know my baby sister was such a slut. I mean, makes sense, look at you."

"Give me those, you fucking perv!" You yelled, balling up your fist to sock your stepbrother in the stomach. He doubled over briefly, but once you caught his eye you knew you'd fucked up. He squeezed the underwear tightly in one hand as he grabbed you, bending you over the washing machine.

"Don't be so fuckin' loud, hey? You wouldn't want to get me in trouble, would you?" Schlatt hissed, grabbing your neck with one hand. You froze, then very gently shook your head.

"Good. Good girl. See, you can learn." He balled up your new expensive panties and shoved them into your mouth, making you gag on the water and detergent taste. You could only feel the heat of your stepbrother's body against yours as tears pricked at your eyes. His hand came down to rest against your ass, rubbing before delivering a harsh spank to one cheek.

"Mmph!" You whined, trying to wiggle free of his arm's grip around you.

"Oh no, sweetheart, no no no. I'm gonna teach you exactly what happens to sluts in this house." His hand wound up for another smack and your heart sank as you realized you were in for a long afternoon.

[whitherwanderer]

Pride Backlighting Tutorial

A few people have shown interest in replicating the pride backlighting I did, so hey, here’s a quick tutorial below the cut.

Enjoy, and happy Pride Month. 🏳️‍🌈

STEP 1 — SETUP

First thing you’ll want to do is find a suitably dark background to bounce the light off of. I use the White Screen housing item dyed Soot Black, available from the Housing Merchant or Apartment Merchant in any of the housing zones for 3000 gil.

I line up 2-3 of them for coverage, but one will do if you're trying to be frugal.

If you don’t have an apartment or an FC room to use, try asking friends, FC mates, or even folks you share a Discord server with. You might even find someone who already has a studio space set up and is willing to let you use it!

Lighting in your studio space should be 0 (though you might have success at 1 as well), so make sure to adjust that or ask the studio owner if they can make that change before you start posing.

STEP 2 — GPOSE

Position your character(s) just a little ways back from the edge of the screen. You want some space between them and the screen so that the lighting can float there without casting a weird circle on the wall.

Hop into /gpose and bump up the “Manual brightness adjustment” to about 120 or whatever level allows you to see your character well enough to pose them. Pose to your heart's content.

STEP 3 — LIGHTS

Here’s the fun part. In the Light tab of the Gpose menu, switch all of your Light sources to Type 1, which has the shortest falloff radius (meaning it doesn't reach as far as Type 2 or 3). I also set all of my lights to one strong color to differentiate them while I worked on lighting—red, green, and blue, all maxed out at 255 (for now).

Swing your camera (still on all default settings) around to your character’s back and up above their head a little ways. This is where Light 1 (red) will go.

Now pan your camera down at about mid-back height and set Light 2 (green) there.

Pan your camera down one last time until you have a nice shot of your character’s butt and set Light 3 (blue).

Spin your camera back around and enjoy this nice little macaw-colored gradient.

STEP 4 — CAMERA

Set your camera angle.

The way FFIXV’s lighting works is partially dependent on how much light is in a shot. It will adjust a lot like your eyes do when you’re entering a dark room from a bright room, or vice versa. Your zoom level and camera angle are going to directly affect the lighting, so set this before you start messing with light strength and color. Sometimes this means weaker lighting will actually light your character better.

I ended up bringing my lights down to around ~160 and boosted the "Manual brightness adjustment" up quite a bit to get lighting I was happier with.

For a straightforward vertical shot, I like to have my Field of View (FOV) at 200 and of course my rotation is set to 90. Zoom in or out as needed. Remember to save your camera angle if you plan to pan around and fix things!

STEP 5 — COLOR

Make it ~queer~.

Take your flag of choice and pick out 2-3 “main” hues. Generally these will be the strongest hues in the flag, if not the only ones. Some flags, like the Pride/Progress/Intersex-Inclusive flag itself, are difficult to replicate for the sheer number of colors that are in it. You can loosely represent a rainbow with some adjustment to the RGB colors, if you’re determined to have a whole rainbow in there.

Shader Note: I recommend picking a shader preset that doesn’t mess too much with color so that colors are represented correctly. You may need to adjust light strength and “Manual brightness adjustment” to be compatible with your preset of choice. Bloom will also heavily affect the way your colors are showing up, so you may need to tone down the bloom FX or toggle it off entirely. This all depends on your preset, however.

If you’re not into RGB math, here are some cheat sheets! Not every flag is represented here of course, but I tried to cover as many colors as I could so that you could grab a color from another flag as needed! Please note that colors will need some adjustment for your own screenshot, presets, and preferences.

And that’s it, y’all! 🏳️‍🌈

(Open this image up in a new tab for more detail.)

These were taken using a heavily customized shader for that nice glowy effect.

[boxturret]

2003, The Era of Sport, The Era of the Hockey Men

I'll be honest, I wanted to do a big multi part write up in a similar vein to the one I did on the Bohrok Pens, but after getting all the sets in hand I just...didn't have much to say about them. I took a ton of photos but when it came to actually putting a post together I just wasn't having any fun, felt like I'd end up reciting set numbers and other things that anyone can look up on other sites, so screw it. In no particular order, here's my rambling thoughts about the 2003 Bionicle Hockey sets:

They're okay.

Function

The spring part at their core is neat, it's bidirectional, so both ends of the spring are set up in such a way that when its rotated it will return to centre.

There are two configurations of hockey men, they all use the same basic functional parts:

The first kind mounts the spring vertically and by pushing on the head the stick rotates slightly

The second one mounts the spring horizontally and pressing the head swings the stick in a wide arc.

There's four different kinds of sticks, two for each configuration.

Each has a different shape to it to affect how the hockey puck is hit, but in practice the horizontal mount is by far the more powerful of the two.

This one fires pretty straight.

This one is curved so it kinda flicks the puck in the air.

This one destroys everything in its path.

And this one is pretty much the same, but with a slight bend in it.

And that's it really. Despite there being 8 different hockey men across all the sets, there's only those four configurations.

When looking at some of the parts, like the spring and the base, I saw how they were mirrored, and was hoping that maybe you could reverse the mechanisms at the very least, but nope.

Sadly the main wedge parts are chiral, so they can't be flipped around. Which seems rather a shame, having left and right handed hockey men would have added some variety.

Masks

On the topic of variety, one of the more interesting aspects of the hockey men is the masks. This was really the reason I got them. I'm really in to the pre-Bionicle idea of Voodoo Heads, and some of these masks seem like they would have fit in well with that theme.

The hockey men actually use a Tohunga head, the same as in the 01 Bionicle sets, but in light grey. So their masks are completely compatible with Bionicle.

The way they were released though was very odd.

There's 7 different masks, which works out perfectly for the number of sets, 4 canister sets, a two pack, a mess, and the omni man who can be anything you wish:

The masks were on sprues, three to a wheel. The first row of three was on one, the second on another. The seventh mask was released on its own.

What's so odd about the sprues is how...different they are.

The first one has a much thinner wall to the ring, there's no support spokes, and the masks are supposed to be held together with a little 3 pronged bit of plastic in the middle, though none of the ones I got had that part in place. In fact, one sealed set I got that was supposed to come with this ring just had the masks loose, with the bit of plastic along with them. Note how the masks all have horizontal parts jutting out from the mouth peg, that slots in to the mouth of the Tohunga skull, just like a Bionicle mask would.

The second wheel is much thicker, with additional supports along the edges, and three spokes holding everything in place. Now you'd think this would be a later revision, but look at the mouth pegs, they're lacking the parts that lock in to the mouth, meaning they're harder to align properly.

The seventh mask is lacking any sprue marks so I think it was done as a single part and has the side parts on the peg. Its also quite similar to one of the ones on the first sprue, so for a while I didn't know it was its own thing.

They're quite odd. Neat looking though.

Mess

Speaking of the seventh mask, here's the set it came with.

Its best described as a hot mess.

In theory its supposed to be a puck feeder, shooting pucks out for you to attempt to hit, but the motor is so weak, and the construction of the feeding mechanism is really prone to jamming.

It barely has enough power to get through the included pucks, which it just limply drops out of its ramp.

If that isn't good enough for you there's alternate instructions for a...thing instead.

Its super awkward to wind up, and you get seconds of a hockey stick shaped thing flailing around a bit, the bulk of the mechanism itself filling most of the goal on its own.

Its also even more susceptible to jamming than the first build!

Goals

Okay, back in to more positive things, the goal in that last set was a stripped down version of the goals that came in the two pack set, which I think are some of the better things to come from the theme.

Featuring lovely long red axles and a special net, they really look the part! shame about the blue friction split pins, this was right on the edge of when everything fell apart colour wise.

What's better is that if you got the big multi pack which came with the two pack and two of the omni-men, you also got the huge hockey rink base which had special tabs just for locking the goal in place.

The rink is a really cool thing, its made from this milky plastic and they printed everything on the back side, so the prints are viewed through the semi transparent plastic. This makes it look very authentic to how ice rinks really look (I'm Canadian I know these things).

Its huge though, it needs a lot of table or floor space. Its larger than toy hockey rinks, and is getting close to some smaller air hockey tables I've seen.

Couldn't even take a full photo of it easily.

You can fit all the major sets on it, but its pretty tight, but that doesn't really matter that much, as I don't think you'd be able to play the game like this at all.

Really I don't know how playable this game is, even with the rink, there's some sets that are purposefully designed to flip the puck in the air.

Combination Models

Speaking of flipping pucks in the air: the hockey Kaita. Okay I don't have a good link to this part.

I think these guys really highlight the weakness of this system. even when using parts from multiple sets the functions stay identical, the extra parts are just tossed on haphazardly.

Also, even though this one says its a combiner of those two sets, you can make it without touching any part of the second one.

It doesn't come though on this scan, but the face plates in these photos are clearly 3d printed.

Mini Guys

As is traditional, the theme also features several small sets. Its quite confusing as there's a lot of different versions, some come together, some separate, some in bags, some not, but at their core there's 6 figures, two pairs of each size class; large, medium, and small. The larger ones sometimes had goals, depending on the version.

The mini guys all have the same function, which honestly is pretty ingenious, using a Slizer foot to wedge the two feet beams apart on one side and snap them together on the other side to shoot the puck. Honestly its a bit more fun than some of the full sized sets.

The one issue is that hitting them too hard on the softer plastic of the armour piece does feel liable to bend it. Something to look out for, especially with the set exclusive yellow one.

That part came in a very wide array of colours in this one theme.

Female Bionicle M.O.C.s for decades after owe a lot to the hockey-men.

Bottle

And I guess to end things I'll briefly touch on the bottle. Much like the Roboriders and Bionicle sets, they came in canisters, in fact the threading is cross compatible between many of these various canisters.

The canisters always had a purpose, the Roborider's lids could be used in the combiners, the Toa's canisters were an important thing in the story, and the lids represented the suva and could store 7 masks, and the Bohrok canisters represented their hive and doubled as a way of displaying them.

The hockey canisters are functional water bottles.

The nub on top can be pulled out and drunk from. Its a fairly standard water bottle design, though I think more recently its fallen out of favour. the lid is lacking a gasket of any kind however, so the water tightness of this bottle is questionable.

Conclusion

And that's all I have to say about the hockey men of 2003. Turns out it was quite a lot, but it wasn't quite as comprehensive as I was intending. I took a lot of photos that I didn't end up using, so I'll put them all up on my drive HERE. In my attempts to get all the sets I just incidentally ended up with practically all the boxes and cans, which is pretty funny considering all the effort I went through to achieve the same for other themes.

Overall, they're kinda neat, interesting to mess around with a bit, but the system was really needlessly limited and some functions were quite lacklustre. If I had to give them a number ranking it would be an eight point three.

****

I'll leave this post on a bit of a mystery I'm not invested enough to get to the bottom of:

There's an odd amount of inconsistency between how the sets are depicted, whether its a straight image or doing this effect where its a single image projected across multiple screens. I got all the canister sets at once, and they all came with their instructions, so unless the person selling them was mix and matching them, which is possible but seems unlikely with the condition they were in, I have no clue what's going on here. Some match, some are one way, some are the other, its all very odd.

Well, have a nice day.

Ah yes! One last thing:

Like the Slizer boxes, the Hockey Men all come with a nice blank tile to write your name on.

Which is, I believe, a crime in oleg fan circles severe enough to warrant execution.

[chaotic-minds-think-alike]

Guess what time it is…….

CENTIPEDE TIME !!! she’s finally real,,,,,,,, based off Scolopendra hardwickei or the Indian tiger centipede

Before I go about the process I just want to say you guys have been soooo incredible and I love reading your reblogs and I love the idea knowing I’ve inspired a lot of people,,, the project, although it was a lot of work and I’m feeling not so great as of posting this, still motivates me to want to make another.

(Art process below)

This was entirely freehanded! I have a lot of experience working in 3D art settings that this part came easy to me but I started with a flat base shaped in the pose I’d like the creature in. I used one whole piece cut from a shipping box and filled in the gaps with tape; you don’t need a single piece for the base but for structural integrity it helps a lot. As you can see here I also cut the legs separate and glued them on using hot glue. The vertical cross sections are to give an early support for the structure of the creature, think about the frames of aircraft or boats. During this part I used a pen to mark the width and height of the previous section to get a gradual flow of shapes.

This next part I wish I got more documentation on but after the vertical cross sections I used soda boxes for the thinner and flexible cardboard to add contour lines along the length of the creature, gluing them on the cross sections. I did about 2 strips of this on either side to fill in the space and then I continued to use soda boxes to fold and shape the top of the creature, gluing onto the strips rather than the cross sections (this part was a mistake but I quickly adapted, no issues happened but it did make it slightly less secure). I also gave the legs vertical cross sections as well to shape them for the masking tape.

The worst part, taping everything. I used tape to further shape it how I wanted but that meant going over parts several times. I used 2 different widths of tape for this for efficiency but it doesn’t matter. The legs were very loosely taped and if squeezed then they’d lose their shape; I didn’t bother filling them in because I don’t have materials for that and I let the paper mache help support them instead. Tape was also used to fill any holes and gaps left by the cardboard skeleton.

The next phase is paper mache of which I haven’t done since 5th grade… I was not confident in this step. I used mod podge and a brush to smooth down the paper. Because I lacked materials I used fast food napkins instead of newspaper which worked totally fine, it just tended to tear a bit easier. Some areas required me to get hands on and I don’t really like the texture during this stage so that was fun (lie). I didn’t do too many layers, one for the body and 3 for the back and legs but some projects might demand more. I used half of a 16oz bottle of mod podge btw so please get more than you think you need.

Finally, texture hell!!! I did a base coat of white spray paint and painted everything else with acrylic. Start with your lighter colors first before doing darker ones! I originally mixed some yellow and orange for the body and realized it was too bright and so covered it with orange instead. It also wasn’t until later I realized I could’ve been smarter with my paint so I skipped over the segments that were going to be fully black, saving the orange for the rest of the body. I wanted my centipede to stand out and not look 2D color-wise so I also used the red for the head and tail to give gradients and edges to the orange segments and legs, later going back with burgundy to further darken them but not too much. For the black segments I also used a very watered down layer of sky blue to give a fake shine and show the intended structure of the segments. Do not be afraid to use your hands! I used mine to smudge my detail paints like the black fade on the legs and the back shading. To top it all off I sprayed a clear coat and punched two holes in the underside to hang it up, using thumbtacks angled upwards.

[worldsover]

Will we ever get a sequel for Heejin's birthday fic? Just asking btw

Sorry. I am allergic to completing tasks to 100%. For example, as I mentioned in its author notes, there was never even meant to be a sequel since this was supposed to be one story, but instead I posted the incomplete version because the alternative was no story for her birthday. That being said, I do at least have a bit more written, so the same thing applies here: it's unfinished, but at least it's something?

✦✧✦✧✦✧

Heejin Birthday Fic cont.

~2.5k words, incomplete draft of the continuation to Transcendence/Pareidolia ft. Heejin

This wasn't fun. Well, it's a little fun. All the games the two of you play.

The best/worst part are all the videos she sends. She starts with the typical: eating an ice cream cone, having cream drip on her fingers; covering herself with oil and rubbing it over her entire body; holding a vibrator to her clit, waiting for your text about what position you want her in; showing her sopping pussy from various angles, and you can tell exactly which angle she sent you and why.

And then her videos get dirtier. There's Heejin on a vertical video, sitting on her bed, dildo deep inside her pussy, just talking. She talks about how she imagines your cock sliding in and out of her pussy, ramming her g-spot and fucking her senseless, while your fingers rub her clit and your mouth suck her tits. You would fill her up with your cum, dripping out of her pussy, down her legs. Then she would get the taste of your cock as she cleans it with her mouth, and how the cum mixing with her juices would taste even better as she slurps it all up. Heejin has a gift for describing things with vivid detail. You never realized just how eloquent her tongue could be. You can't wait until it's on yours again.

There are the times you meet and end up making out and nearly fucking, but you manage to stop. You keep each other on the brink. Sometimes you want to rip each other's clothes off and ravage the other right then and there, and your hearts would race at the thought of all the consequences and dangers involved with doing it outside. But you had to be patient; you were the one who suggested waiting, after all.

But the weeks pass, and you grow restless. You can't wait to claim Heejin as yours, in the most intimate way possible.

And finally, October 19 arrives.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

The restaurant is a small, cozy establishment, with warm lighting and ambient music. You and Heejin are dressed in semi-formal attire, and you admire how beautiful she looks in her black dress, with a slit up the thigh that shows off her perfect legs. You're both a little giddy with anticipation. You feel like it's Christmas, ready to open the ultimate present, even if she's the birthday girl here.

As you sit at the table, Heejin's phone lights up with birthday messages from her friends, and you can't help but wonder what they would think if they knew about you two.

"Wow, you're popular."

She giggles. "I know, it's silly. But, it's kinda sweet."

You take a sip of water. "You know, Heejin, it's been fun, these last couple of weeks, edging. I've never gone this long."

Heejin scoffs. "You're one to talk. It's been hell for me."

"I believe you."

You start to eat your food. The flavors are rich and savory, and the portions are generous. The two of you chat about the usual stuff, like work and your family and the newest set of anime coming out, but no matter how you try, you can't resist being glued to her every touch. Her finger absentmindedly twirls around a strand of hair. Her thighs shift in her seat. A napkin wipes the side of her mouth. The candlelight, and the warmth of the establishment makes her glow, and you're hopelessly under her spell.

Of course, her heel brushing against your inner thigh doesn't help.

"You seem tense," she says.

"Great observation."

"You know, for some reason, I don't feel that full, even after all I ate."

"You wanna go to another restaurant or something?"

Heejin rolls her eyes. "That's not what I'm hungry for."

Your mouth rounds to a circle.

She rubs her heel on your pants. "What?"

You throw the napkin on the table and stand up. "Excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

Heejin bites her lip as you walk away. You enter the bathroom. It's its own individual room, fancy and well-kept. You walk up to the sink and splash cold water on your face, sighing.

You use the toilet. Then, you use your phone to find the nearest hotel and its nearest vacancy. Can't even wait to bring her home. You text her your plan for the night.

Seems even that is too much waiting. A knock. She texts you back.

> open the door.

You gulp. You do, and Heejin steps in, her breathing erratic, her smile mischievous. She pulls you by your tie for a kiss, shoving you against the door. Your tongue and hers are tangling, and you reach for her breast. Your knee is lifting her skirt, and she's grinding against it.

"Heejin," you say, "we gotta, we gotta go somewhere else."

"I can kneel here." And she does just that. "We can make this quick."

She unbuckles your pants and frees your cock, your limp-cock instantly hard in the warmth of her mouth, instantly in the back of her throat.

"Heejin, no, wait, we were saving..."

Pop. "Oh, what, like you don't wanna blow your load down my throat and cum all over my tits and face?"

She's pumping, her fingers slick and tight around your shaft, your cockhead rubbing against her face. She sucks on your balls.

"I bet you'd absolutely ruin this fucking dress with your load."

In the next five minutes, Heejin proceeds to slather your cock in her spit while sucking you down with best blowjob you've ever received. Her lips and tongue are tight, and the heat of her mouth and the vacuum of her suction feels so divine around your cock. And her moans, oh, fuck, how you missed her moans around your shaft. The vibrations tickle your skin and your nerves. You're thankful for the door and the weight of your body preventing the two of you from collapsing, because the pleasure is making your knees weak. And if that wasn't enough, Heejin is relentless in her dirty talk and her sucking.

"God, your cock is fucking amazing. I wanna drink your cum forever. I wish you could shoot your cum deep in my pussy, fill me up. I can't wait to get your cock in my cunt."

She bobs faster, deeper, sucking more intensely. You're about to burst. She knows. Heejin reaches between your legs and squeezes your balls.

Then, she pulls back. Pop. "So, where's the hotel?"

✦✧✦✧✦✧

You pay for your meals, and then you're on the way to the hotel. It's a short taxi ride away, and the two of you keep your hands to yourself.

Once you're in the elevator, you hold Heejin's waist, and she faces you, giggling.

"What?" you ask.

"Nothing," she says. "Just… happy."

You lean down to kiss her. "Have I told you enough that you're the prettiest girl on the planet?"

"A couple times." She kisses back. "I don't mind you telling me more."

You brush strands of hair away from her face. She puts her hands on your face. Your hand slides up her waist to cup her cheek. She runs her thumb across your bottom lip.

Ding. The elevator doors open, and you step into the hallway. Your room is a few steps down, and you unlock the door.

It's a basic suite, and you don't waste time, dropping your stuff, locking the door, and moving to the bed, pushing Heejin down and kneeling to her height.

She giggles. "Gotta catch up, huh?"

You slide her shoes off her feet, then your own. Then, you slip your hands under her dress and hook a finger on her panties, moving them down her legs. All the while, she takes off your suit jacket and undoes your belt. You move Heejin's panties completely off her ankles. They're soaked. She lies down on the bed.

Your cock is throbbing, but you can't stop staring at the view.

She blushes. "N-no, no more edging. Please. I need to cum, so, so fucking bad. I need you in me, right fucking now."

You swallow. "Don't worry. I'll be inside you soon enough. Just, lemme get a good look of your body first."

Heejin smiles. "My body, huh? What, what's so special about it?"

"Everything."

You're on top of Heejin now, caressing her face.

"Everything," you repeat. You lower your head. "Especially your eyes." You lower your head again. "And your lips." You kiss them. "And your neck." You kiss. She moans. You continue kissing downwards, licking along her collarbone, nibbling on the side of her throat, biting her shoulder. Then you lick the valley between her breasts, pull down the neckline of her dress, and lick circles on her nipples. You hike up the hem of dres to reach a hand to her pussy. "And, this." You rub her lips.

She moans. "What… about that?"

You crawl lower, your face between her legs. You spread her lips, already wet, and you stick your tongue inside her hole. "The prettiest pussy I've ever seen." You lick up her slit.

Heejin grabs your hair and pulls you. "I'm sorry, but I can't wait anymore. Fuck me."

You wipe your mouth. "Yeah, yeah, sorry."

"Just… put it in me already."

You get on your knees and rub your cockhead against Heejin's lips, smearing pre-cum. You rub it around her clit, and she shudders, whimpering.

Heejin pushes on your chest. "Wait, hold on, sit up. I wanna watch. Please. Your cock… entering me. I can't wait to see it."

You nod. Heejin sits up too. You grab Heejin's thighs and spread them. Your cockhead rubs against Heejin's entrance again.

"Holy shit, holy shit," she says.

You lick your lips. You push your cock into Heejin's hole, and your head is swimming in her heat, her wetness. Her pussy is already sucking you in, and Heejin is already moaning, and her whole body is already trembling.

"Shit, Heejin, you're already going to cum?"

She nods. "Yes! I'm sorry, it's just, you're finally, finally inside me. I've dreamed about this, so many times, and now it's happening."

"Me too. It's fine, it's fine." You pull back, and then you thrust again, a bit deeper, and Heejin shudders again. "Holy shit."

You pump slowly, Heejin moaning louder and louder, her pussy squeezing you tighter and tighter. Your grip on her thighs is tight, and you push her down, burying your cock deeper. Her back arches, and you start thrusting faster. You grunt. Heejin's pussy is milking your cock, sucking you deeper, and you're pounding her cunt, her moans and your grunts filling the room, until she lets out a scream, a high-pitched, satisfied noise, and her walls are convulsing. And just as you said, you empty your load deep inside her, rope after rope, a thick batch of semen pooling in her hole and leaking past your shaft.

"Holy… shit," she says. Heejin's trying to catch her breath. She looks up at you, a slight smirk on her face. "You're still hard, right?"

You look down. You're still hard.

Even though her legs writhe and her toes curl, she fucks herself into your shaft, covering it in more and more cream.

"Fucking, hell, Heejin, just like that?" You clench your jaw.

"Yeah. Yeah, we just started. I love watching you pump your cock in and out of my pussy, seeing it get all sloppy."

You chuckle. "Slut."

"For you." She wraps her legs around your waist, her arms around your back. "Wreck me."

You can do nothing but comply. Heejin's eyes roll back, her lips tremble, and her nails dig into your back, and you fuck her, you fuck Heejin, hard. Using your own creampie as lube, your cock plunges and slams inside Heejin's pussy, over and over. You pick her up from the bed and pound into her as you carry her around the room, making loud wet slaps fill the air. Then, you set her down on the desk, gripping her shoulders, and the room shakes with your thrusts.

Heejin screams and babbles. You're about to cum again already, and so is she. You love her expression, like she's completely drunk to your cock as she loses herself to the pleasure of it stuffing her, pushing your first creampie out just to fill her up again. You're sure she can feel your heartbeat from how far your cock is in her womb. You slow down, then you pull out. Heejin's pussy is drooling cum, and she lies flat on the desk. Your head is so light that you only just now realize you're still cumming, so you jack off onto her body, mainly covering her dress in cum, though some of it reaches her chin. Heejin promptly licks that clean.

"Why," she says. "Why'd you stop? You're, you're still hard. Please."

"Turn around. Get on your hands and knees."

She obeys. "Yes, sir," she says, and you like the way she says that.

You grab Heejin's waist, and then you slam into her pussy. Your pace is just as brutal as when you started the night. Turns out that edging for weeks, then cumming inside a woman's tight pussy, then pulling out and painting her in your cum is more than enough to keep your cock rock hard, and Heejin is more than eager to have your cock pounding her hole as many times as you want.

After the fourth round, your fifth climax, Heejin is a mess on the bed, and so is your cock. It's covered in her cum and your cum and some of her saliva, and her tongue is lazily circling your cockhead while she rests her head on your thighs.

"Do you, do you want to keep going?"

Heejin nods. "Why? Are you tired?"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure I have another few in me. But my abs are killing me."

"Oh yeah? You should try doing planks."

"The way you do them? Yeah, ri—" You're interrupted when Heejin climbs up your body and grabs your cock. You flinch. "No, wait, wait, wait. Wait, Heejin."

"Are you afraid?"

You gulp. "Very."

"I promise it won't hurt. It'll be fun."

When Heejin says it, you believe her. "Fine. Go for it."

Heejin grins. "Awesome." As she positions herself over your shaft, the creampie you filled her with starts to leak onto your stomach, and she holds your cock to point it up towards her hole. She lowers her pussy, and your cock enters her again. She rides you, holding your cock by the base so that the entire time, you feel the entirety of her tunnel envelop you, and your cum is squishing all over her insides.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

If I do get around to finishing the story, I will probably delete this and the initial version of Transcendence, post the full version instead. Big if.

[nimbusclan]

Moon 3, Part 1

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

“Stop breathing on me.”

“I’m not anywhere near you, Fogpaw.”

“You are, because you’re close enough to be breathing on me.”

StarClan help her.

“What’s your problem?” Moonpaw asks, unable to keep claws of exasperation from sharpening her voice. She’s not anywhere near him. They’ve been walking side by side for ages, up this horrible, hot mountain to the highest edge of their territory, under the horrible, blazing sun, and only now he’s going to fuss that she’s been beside him this entire time?

“What’s your problem?” He mocks in a poor imitation of Moonpaw’s meow, sticking his tongue out at the end of his sentence. 

Moonpaw scoffs. The fur along her back is so warm it feels as though it’s been set aflame under the full force of the greenleaf sun, and her paws ache with the near-vertical climb up harsh ground. Short on patience, she lifts a paw and bats Fogpaw with it. He should consider himself lucky she kept her claws sheathed.

Fogpaw whirls on her, astonished and angry, and whaps her with a paw of his own. Her ears flatten and her fur bristles as she rears back, tail fluffed up to twice its size.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“You hit me first!”

“Because you’re being an idiot!”

“Well, if you would stop stepping all over me–”

“FINE!” Moonpaw screeches. A few songbirds lift from the sparse trees that cling to the cliffside, startled. “If I’m just so in your way, I’ll get out of your fur!”

“GOOD!” Fogpaw yowls back. “I’m going hunting by myself!”

Fogpaw stomps off and Moonpaw hisses at his retreating back, her own arched and angry. What is he being such a mouse-brain for? She whips around, intending to get her emotions out by sinking her claws into something, but her head is too cloudy with anger to focus on the scents surrounding her. It doesn’t help any that somebody had her training cut short because her mentor got buried under a pile of boulders.

Angry tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, she crouches down in defeat. She can’t do this. She can’t do this – pretending that everything is fine, walking in some random direction and hoping for a miracle. She’s walked every inch of this territory since her earliest apprentice days. The best place for a camp was drowned in rocks and rubble. They’re not going to find another one.

Despair sinks quick claws into her chest, overwhelms her with the thought, I wish StarClan had buried me, too.

A sharp blur of color speeds past her. Pupils dilating, her despair fades to the back of her mind as she hones in on a rabbit that’s sped by and settled several fox-lengths away, sniffing and nibbling at some grass that’s struggling to grow through the cracks in the rock.

She flexes her claws against the rough ground. Catching a juicy piece of fresh-kill is the best kind of therapy. 

Dropping into a hunter’s crouch, she drags her belly slowly over the mountain as she creeps up on the rabbit, closing the distance between them to a few tail-lengths. The wind is in her favor, and the rabbit hasn’t spotted her yet.

An ear-splitting yowl cuts through the air. The rabbit’s ears go up, eyes round and frightened, and it bounds away. Alarmed, Moonpaw’s ears also fly up, head swiveling in the direction of the noise.

Fogpaw.

[Previous] [Start] [Next]

[frankensteinzmonstrrr]

The Benefits of Being a Marine Biologist (Part 1)

Part 2

Merman x transmasc reader Contains: monster meet cute Warnings: none Length: 1.1K words

After a long day at work, you decide to drive to the beach. You didn't get to work in the field like you'd wanted to, riding out on research boats to observe wildlife and collect specimens; you ended up as the guy analyzing the data and specimens instead. So when you clocked out, you decided you would make a stop at the ocean before heading home.

Parking in your usual spot, you jump out of your car and mindlessly begin the walk down the familiar trail. Just a little ways down the road from your lab there's a tiny beach accessible only by a short hike through the marshland and tall grasses. It seems no one else comes here, at least not at the hours you do, so it is your reliable quiet refuge to be alone with the ocean.

When you reach the sandy trailhead, you are greeted by a group of sand pipers that scurry towards the water away from you. You smile as you watch them dash in and out of the waters edge, looking for something to eat. You would easily choose watching sea birds for hours over microscopes and spreadsheets if you could.

Walking along the short stretch of beach, you make your way to the edge where the soft sand turns into dark stones. The large rocks stretch out into the water quite a bit. You clamber up the shortest boulder and walk down the jagged stone path as you have many times before, extending your arms for balance like a gymnast on a beam.

Reaching the end, you sit down on the flattest rock. At this tide, the water is nearly level with the rocks and the gentle waves will splash your sneakers if you're not careful. You watch the setting sun for awhile, the orange sky dotted with careening seagulls.

Something catches your eye and snaps you out of your meditative trance. There is distant movement in the water, heading towards the shore. As it slowly approaches, you realize it must be an animal from the shape's considerable size. You feel a rush of adrenaline as you try to stay absolutely still on your rocky seat. Could it be a shark? A dolphin? As the shadowy figure gets closer and closer, it becomes clearer that it's heading straight toward you. Shit. If it's a seal or a sea lion come to lay on the rocks, you're not really sure how to deal with that.

The creature finally stops its advance about fifty yards in front of where you sit. It pokes its head out of the water, just as curious about you as you are of it. From a distance it's hard to tell, but it is definitely not a seal. Or a sea lion. It looks like a human face.

"What the fuck..." you whisper as you try to slowly scoot backwards without taking your eyes of the creature, which had ducked back underwater and was swimming towards you again. When it was mere feet from the edge of the rocks, it surfaced again.

You were face to face with something not quite human, not quite animal. It looked like a person, barring the scales and gills. And the long fish-like tail that trailed in the water behind it. You had come to your beach for some post-work relaxation, but instead you have found a bona fide mermaid.

When the creature smiles at you, baring many sharp teeth, and says "Hello!", you yelp with shock.

It tilted its head to the side, its reptilian eyes fixed on you in fascination. "I don't see many humans." Noticing your surprise and tenseness, it added, "Don't be afraid, I don't hurt humans."

You manage to stammer out a question. "How can you speak English?"

"I like to watch and listen. I don't know every word but I think I know a lot." As it speaks, you notice a clear lid blink vertically across its eyes.

Convinced enough that this thing doesn't want to eat you, you move a bit closer to the end of the rocks. It mirrors your movement, swimming a little closer to you.

"I study marine life. How on earth do you even exist?" you ask, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I don't know. I come from the sea. How do you exist?" it said. It made small noises after speaking that you guessed is laughter.

"Fair enough," you replied. You paused for a moment, then asked, "What can you tell me, then? What can you tell me about yourself?"

Before replying, the creature closed the distance between the two of you, resting its arms on the edge of a rock. It answered you pensively, "I am a mer-folk... I am a male... I don't have much to say about me."

You laughed at how human his last statement is. He looks at you strangely, probably like how you did when he laughed. "Well, I can tell you that I'm a scientist, I study the ocean like I said, and this is my favorite beach." You felt a bit stupid as you asked, "Do you have a name?"

"Yes, but not one you could say," he smiled, flashing his teeth again. "My name means Abalone in human language."

"That's beautiful," you say before you can think to stop yourself. You feel your face turning pink as Abalone continues to stare at you inquisitively. "I mean, I don't know if you know, but abalone shells are... I guess coveted by humans. People make jewelry from the interior."

"I know!" he said brightly. "Many of us love human jewels. They lose them so much when swimming."

You marvel again at how normal of a conversation you are having with a merman. Looking at the sky, you are sad to realize that the sun is very low to the horizon. Your mythical chance encounter is going to be ruined by the fact that you don't have a flashlight. "I'm sorry, I need to go home before it gets dark."

You jump a little when his hand shoots forward to touch yours on the rock. His silvery blue-gray skin is cool and smooth, like a stingray or shark, and his fingers end in dark claws for nails. "Will you come back?"

Your breath catches in your throat. "Yes... I can come back tomorrow? At sunset?"

Abalone grinned as he released your hand from his gentle grip. "Tomorrow," he repeated. With a mischievous smile, he said "Don't tell anyone!" and disappeared into the water. The last you saw of him was a swish of his dark tail as he swam away.

You spent your walk back up the trail trying to think of excuses to leave the lab early the next evening.

AN: If you're reading this, thank you for reading! This is my first (posted/shared) fic so I hope anyone who reads it likes it. I'm weirdly nervous to post this, the mortifying ordeal of being known or whatever. I was NOT expecting to write over 2k words at the drop of a hat (edit: my word counter was bugging, I wrote around 1K words :,D). I'm not sure how many parts this will end up being in total, but at least three or four. Tip Jar on Ko-Fi (requests/comms coming soon maybe?)

[sillybeanies]

hi! any chance you can make a quick tutorial on how to make tiled backgrounds? i can never get mine to repeat properly.

no problem!! my method is very simple and uses photoshop 2020 (adobe dont ask how i got photoshop...) but likely would work in other programs.

first set up your canvas and the element you want to tile. it doesn't matter what size as long as you remember how many pixels make up your dimensions, this will be important!!

drag your element over the edge of the canvas, wherever you want it to be.

now make a copy of the layer by dragging the layer down to the "new layer" button. for some reason copy-and-paste moves the layer slightly in photoshop?? so don't use it. you want your copied layer to be EXACTLY where your original layer is.

now comes the magic. drag the new layer over to the opposite edge of the canvas. photoshop has a little tooltip to show how far you're dragging it. you want it to be at a 0 on the horizontal axis and the EXACT dimension of your canvas (in this case 300px) on the vertical.

(there is another method where you use a command to move the element by a certain number of pixels, but i forgor how to do it!! it might work better in other programs if there's no tooltip)

for horizontal elements, use the same method only swap your horizontal and vertical dimensions.

it can take a bit of fiddling about to get a nice looking pattern. it's possible to do corner elements too! you'll have to make four layers for each corner element, rather than two.

ta-da, finished pattern!

see it in action here: link

i hope that's useful! this method can be easily finessed for more complex designs, mine are just very simple.

basically, keep the dimensions of your canvas in mind as you work!!

[draconic-absurdism]

DESPERATE MEASURES

Story below the cut

An image of a doorway flutters in hir mind as ze shimmies upward ever further, nearing the flattening of the smooth linoleum pane, nearly teetering off the edge. And as hir vision blurs again, surely ze will fall. The wall, crisp and cold, audibly clacks, a desperate grasping with useless hooven fingers, tinged with a pulling at hir fuzzy chest as ze slides hirself up. There's no railing, nothing to grip.

Falling wouldn't be so bad, really. It never is, here in this place. Clouds roll on and on. It's comforting, almost, breaking barriers that, in a sense, are physically impossible, over and over again. To rely on something that contradicts nature. Or is it that nature itself is contradictory?

But ze's never made it quite this far before. As hir fingers crest the corner, ze pulls hirself up, slipping a final time before maneuvering one hoof onto flat land. But as ze huffs in relief, the image flickers again, and hir heart recoils into itself in horror as it realizes the door ze pictures has no stairway leading up, no clouds, no bluish tinge left to the sky. This is all wrong. How hadn't I realized?

Maybe this isn't the end of the path. But ze manages to arch hir head back far enough to get a glimpse up at the endless vertical stretch of the architecture, absurd in its scale, vanishing up into a single point in space beyond a layer of clouds so far up that they may as well have been pixels on a screen, and ze sees that this is indeed the wrong place and the wrong time.

I'm going to give up again. I'm going to stop trying again. It wasn't so bad in the water, floating around on the surface but never really breaking through. But even as ze mutters to hirself, the truth of the matter has already been decided, and bile rises in hir throat as ze realizes that an attempt at something so futile as this may not be worthwhile. Or maybe it is. Either way, in the end, you find that despite how gratingly alone you may feel, you aren't in solitude nearly as often as you think you are.

"Come up with me." The voice isn't startling. It's always a new one, but it says the same thing. It's the tone that really gets to hir. Sometimes sincere and sometimes otherwise, not like ze can ever tell the difference regardless.

"No," ze retorts, letting one hoof slip back down the slope.

The creature's slit eyes open up in what appears to be genuine surprise. "Oh."

"You can't help me. I'm in the wrong place."

"I don't think so."

'You don't get to tell me if I am or not."

"That's true...."

It's a nonsense conversation, the dragon lacking the entirety of context surrounding the boar's circumstances. Even if the discussion persisted for quite a while, it wouldn't understand beyond what is mostly universal, would it? But to say anything actually true to hirself would be to risk a level of vulnerability that ze's never quite known how to reign in. If it was called small talk, why did it always feel like hir lungs were set ablaze? A surface tension that can't be broken.

"...I can take you back down, then. So you don't have to fall, at least."

The offer almost makes hir laugh. Almost. "Frankly, I'd rather you just eat me at this point."

"Sure." It opens its maw.

The boar is genuinely surprised to have met someone who picks up on jokes even less often than hirself. Ze goes to scratch hir chin before realizing with a start that ze's still in a rather precarious situation, straightening up hir spine and smooshing her chest back up against the wall.

At some point in the moment of silence that follows, the dragon realizes its mistake and snaps its jaws shut with an audible clack. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

This time, the boar really does laugh. "You're fine."

Though the massive reptile's neck quickly disappears into a thick layer of fluffy white cumulus clouds, most of its body completely out of view, the boar gets the sense that its claws are shuffling uncomfortably in the grass so far below. The silence flows through both of their lungs on the next inhale, and the boar scoots up to stand along the edge of the flat plane, where there's a bit more room to shift around.

"I like the sound your hooves make," the dragon huffs.

"Oh, thanks. I liked the click of your teeth."

"Thanks."

There's another ten seconds or so of silence, and the shifting of the beast's claws grows slightly audible. But at least to the boar, it's not an uncomfortable silence, not really. Something about this thing in all its absurdity, its sheer size, the sharpness of its bladed face juxtaposed with its awkward expression, its fangs that jut out and give it a bit of a lisp, is really likable.

"I'm afraid that I like you." Why did I say that? What a stupid thing to say. You don't just tell people you like them. I wish you could.

"You don't have to be afraid of something like that," the dragon replies. This answer, while comforting, isn't convincing.

"I definitely do."

"You don't scare me."

"I'm not scary. I just like people a lot, but I'm not really good at showing it. I haven't had that many friends before, so I don't know how it works. I don't know how to connect with people, I don't know what I'm meant to say most of the time. Every version of myself that I've been before this very moment has been masked by some sort of complacency, some sort of veil of attempted normalcy that plagued me so deeply that I'd lost myself. And now I'm unpacking all these feelings I'd been trained to veil, and I don't know what to do with them. I'm not trying to complain or sound pathetic, it's not a self-pitying thing. I honestly like myself quite a bit, I just don't think I'm equipped for any of the situations I find myself in. I don't feel like the reality I was born into is one I can navigate so easily."

"Despite that, you've survived," says the dragon. "Though, you're kind of holding yourself back, don't you think?"

"Maybe so." I think of it just then, I think of what I have to do. It's the only way, really. Something I'd often been too stuck in my own head to ever really consider, and even on the rare occasion that I had, it didn't work out right. But the only way to find out if this time would be different is to try, and so I do. "Would you like to go sit on a rock with me somewhere?"

"A rock?"

"Yeah. Like, granite or something."

"I would love to. But um." The dragon shifts once more, this time with a bit more purpose as it leans in toward the boar. "I would still have to carry you. To get anywhere that has rocks, I mean."

"Oh." Ze hadn't really considered that, but the possibility of lounging in a dark enclosed space for a while was indeed enticing. "Yeah, that works."

"Anywhere that has rocks?"

"Anywhere that has rocks, yeah. Like a river or a forest or anything is fine, as long as we can both sit comfortably." The boar steps forward, a little cue that ze hopes might prompt the dragon, once again, to open up. Ze supposes its silly to rely on such things at this point. This, clearly, isn't someone who communicates through that muddling series of subtleties, a song and dance for which ze hadn't ever been quite able to get the footwork down, and yet would still attempt at times for the sake of acting as some sort of social chameleon.

It takes a second for the cue to click, or maybe the dragon is just unsure what to do with the near complete freedom of location. Eventually, it realizes it's time to go and opens its maw back up, and for the first time, the boar is able to see what's inside. To really see what's inside. Teal-green flesh and gums, metallic and slightly glittery in texture, accented pale minty green razor sharp teeth. A few are messy and chipped. And with that, the surface tension is broken, and the fluid of the beasts tongue engulfs hir, the wetness seeping into hir fur fully, not simply bouncing off. At first the sensation, alien and new, is unpleasant, and as ze squishes up against the beasts tongue as it closes its jaws around hir, ze shifts along the muscle and adjusts until a pattern settles. The grumbling of the great beast's throat as it lifts off. The relief of no longer teetering on that ledge as ze had so many times before. The fear that this might not last, that any expression of seeking longevity could come off as a bit too much for someone ze'd just met.

Though they hadn't just met, really, as ze recalled all the times before that the dragon had perched along that very ledge. Had it been the same one? Sometimes, probably. Not every time. This didn't really feel new, but it certainly felt more comfortable than times prior. Perhaps to credit this change to the dragon wasn't quite right. Perhaps it was hir own willingness to be vulnerable and ask the risky questions that rewarded hir with an experience that, while not new, didn't feel so scary this time. It feels stupid to admit that to myself in a way. I'd known all along that this would yield better results, so why, pray tell, was I so terrified? Why am I still so terrified?

Hir stomach drops as the beast's wings flap and it picks up speed, soaring through the endless sky, but its head stays mostly steady. And just as hir eyes begin to adjust to the darkness and the ridges along the roof of its mouth gleam a deep emerald jewel tone through the blackness, a beam of light shoots in with a gush of cold wind. The beast's teeth crack open just a bit, just enough to let the clouds enter its mouth and fill the space with dense fog, drenching hir in mist, the heat of the beast's body and the frost of the outside air swirling as one force of nature. The sensation reels through hir, and ze shudders as the beast's taste buds run along hir forearms. After it begins to run a bit cold, the teeth clack shut once again and dark warmth falls in again, that clicking sound of the sets of bones interlocking tingling in hir ears.

Something profound occurs to hir almost every day, it seems, and yet such things make progress only towards goals intangible to others. Something that lives in hir head and slams on a pane of glass and begs to be heard, but out loud it just sits there staring and waiting for an opportunity, waiting to be served something on a platter that isn't coming.

"I've known you for a long time, I think. I love you," says the boar. "I just want to tell you that, in case things go wrong somewhere down the line. I want you to know that, at least now, in this moment, I love you."

The dragon tries to respond, but finds that moving its tongue jostles the boar far too much, so it resorts simply to hugging the tiny creature with its tongue, curling each side up around hir body as a warm, wet blanket.

The silence is welcome this time.