Water slide nip slip

my bun nipped me today for the first time ever, ive had her for a little more than a month now and i bond with her regularly, she doesnt seem to love me yet but doesnt hate me or avoid me, i was moving her litter box as im still attempting to litter train her, i moved it one foot away from where it usually is, i was sitting cross legged in her cage and she came over and bit my toe! not that hard but as i tried to redirect her softly she tried to take another bite at my finger!! im not surprised i know this is how buns are, im genuinely just curious what u bunny experts think she was saying during this specific interaction, i'll feel so bad if i made her angry, also she has always nudged my legs for me to move, this is the first time she nipped, shes 14 weeks btw and has plenty of toys, food, hay, space and fresh water, bunny whisperers help!!

I'll try to keep it brief. Note: this was an exercise with ChatGPT 3.5, so not all elements may be realistic or plausible.

• After initial talks on Soviet missiles in Cuba fail, the USAF is authorized to strike known missile sites. The mission is a partial success, but six missiles end up operational anyway.
• The USSR does a bunch of posturing before threatening to launch their Cuban missiles if there is any further "imperialist aggression."
• Kennedy orders a USN blockade of Cuba, after which Soviet ships and attack submarines mass for a planned blockade run.
• As the run commences, the Soviets state that firing on Soviet shipping, water cannons, boarding, etc. will all be considered launch-triggering aggression.
• The USN attempts to physically block Soviet ships, but a few manage to slip past and are pursued by a destroyer.
• At the last moment, Kennedy gives authorization for the destroyer to fire on the Soviet ships.
• Soviet forces in Cuba launch five missiles at Strategic Air Command bases in the US while Moscow publicly broadcasts this action, its justifications, and that it is a promised and proportional strike on only military targets which should not prompt a full exchange - but they have one in reserve destined for DC proper if Washington gets stupid
• Kennedy, unwilling to start WW3, orders SAC and other military entities to remain on high alert, but not to launch a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Curtis Lemay has a literal stroke trying to force Kennedy to reverse this order.
• The following bases are destroyed by the Soviet attack: Hunter AFB (near Savannah, GA), Wright-Patterson AFB (near Dayton, OH), Andrews AFB (near Washington DC), Bergstrom AFB (near Austin, TX), and Carswell AFB (near Fort Worth, TX).
• Kennedy orders USAF craft in Europe to conduct conventional strikes against suspected Soviet nuclear forces in the Warsaw Pact, publicly broadcasting his intention to blunt possible nuclear aggression in Europe and that he does not intend the crisis to escalate beyond this preventative action. The strike is moderately successful.
• The outraged Soviets order their troops in East Germany to secure West Berlin, which falls within a few hours. Moscow now announces that the pride of the socialist world has been satisfied, and that Washington should likewise reconcile itself to what has happened so far.
• Both sides remain at high alert but take no further action out of fear of escalation into full-scale war. Over the course of months, the crisis slowly dies of inactivity.
• In sum: American conventional strikes on Soviet forces in Cuba, five Soviet nuclear hits on American SAC bases near major cities, American conventional strikes on Soviet nuclear forces in Eastern Europe, and Soviet forces seize West Berlin. No further action or escalation.

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So, if you survived the southern campasak, for So, if you survived the southern campasak, for a moment I didn't think you would, I mean, no one will judge you for eating that berry, there isn't much food but luckily no kogen noticed you (those birds are very annoying and we don't have rules for avoid them) but fortunately you managed to cross the river and now you find yourself in this dense forest And we have rules
South-central Campasak, this is the smallest region of Campasak so it shouldn't take you more than a couple of days to get out of here, South-central Campasak is a very dense and dark forest so it is home to many creatures and we will have to give each one their own rules
Rules for south-central campasak
Rule 1: When you reach the shore, push the boat back to the other shore, it will be the fault of other travelers (the villagers have great power over this area and will be very angry if their canoe does not appear)
Rule 2: when you enter the forest you will see that it is very dark but NOTHING IN THE WORLD should you use a light source, this forest is FULL of entities and the only thing that prevents them from attacking you is that they do not see you
Rule 3: Stay silent, just like bats, the entities in this forest have almost perfect hearing so any sound louder than a breath will be heard, this includes sighs.
Rule 4: to minimize noise I recommend that almost your entire journey be crawling on the floor, this way you minimize the noise
Rule 4a: if when you crawl you feel a very slippery "slime" on the floor, you are VERY LUCKY, it means that the rule 10 tree of Campasak Sur liked you too much and decided to help you by spreading its roots and making a path with its sap, If this happens to you, simply jump on the sap as if it were a slide and move forward, you will leave here and reach Campasak center (if this happens, ignore the rest of the rules).
Rule 5: If at any time you hear the tick-tack sound similar to that of a bomb, get up from the ground and run, it doesn't matter if you make noise, the rest of the creatures have too much time for it and will forget about you for a while.
Rule 5a: the creature that generates this sound is known as "the tick" and is the most dangerous entity in this area, it is a kind of "robot", a mountain experiment that went very wrong and escaped to Campasak, if you want know its appearance is similar to a cannon with a large round head on top with eyes that reflect pure hatred, to attack its head detaches itself from its body in a disturbing movement and destroys everything in its path
Rule 6: if tick catches you (with his detached head he bites you and grabs your arm) quickly tell him that you destroyed the village on the bank of the river in Campasak Sur, he hates its inhabitants and will go to check if you really destroyed it, After this you have about 4 days to leave Campasak Sur, (tick is quite slow) before he reaches the village and realizes that it is a lie, when he realizes that you lied to him he will get very angry and ask the trees about your location (trees are also an entity) and will come towards you, if it finds you it will bite your head off.
Rule 7: If the tick catches you after you lied to it if you followed rule 6a, and you manage to free yourself (no one knows how the hell this is achieved) there is a greater than 0 chance that you will hear crows singing, if this happens do the Whatever happens to yourself and whatever god you worship, the trees have become angry with you and in a few minutes they will stick their sharp roots into you and you will die. The only way to save yourself from this is for the scenario in 4a to happen to you.
Rule 7a: in fact "the explorer" left central-south Campasak thanks to rule 7 and just suffered rule 4a moment I didn't think you would, I mean, no one will judge you for eating that berry, there isn't much food but luckily no kogen noticed you (those birds are very annoying and we don't have rules for avoid them) but fortunately you managed to cross the river and now you find yourself in this dense forest And we have rules
South-central Campasak, this is the smallest region of Campasak so it shouldn't take you more than a couple of days to get out of here, South-central Campasak is a very dense and dark forest so it is home to many creatures and we will have to give each one their own rules
Rules for south-central campasak
Rule 1: When you reach the shore, push the boat back to the other shore, it will be help other travelers (the villagers have great power over this area and will be very angry if their canoe does not appear)
Rule 2: when you enter the forest you will see that it is very dark but NOTHING IN THE WORLD should you use a light source, this forest is FULL of entities and the only thing that prevents them from attacking you is that they do not see you
Rule 3: Stay silent, just like bats, the entities in this forest have almost perfect hearing so any sound louder than a breath will be heard, this includes sighs.
Rule 4: to minimize noise I recommend that almost your entire journey be crawling on the floor, this way you minimize the noise
Rule 4a: if when you crawl you feel a very slippery "slime" on the floor, you are VERY LUCKY, it means that the rule 10 tree of Campasak Sur liked you too much and decided to help you by spreading its roots and making a path with its sap, If this happens to you, simply jump on the sap as if it were a slide and move forward, you will leave here and reach Campasak center (if this happens, ignore the rest of the rules).
Rule 5: If at any time you hear the tick-tack sound similar to that of a bomb, get up from the ground and run, it doesn't matter if you make noise, the rest of the creatures have too much fear for it and will forget about you for a while.
Rule 5a: the creature that generates this sound is known as "the tick" and is the most dangerous entity in this area, it is a kind of "robot", a mountain experiment that went very wrong and escaped to Campasak, if you want know its appearance is similar to a cannon with a large round head on top with eyes that reflect pure hatred, to attack its head detaches itself from its body in a disturbing movement and destroys everything in its path
Rule 6: if tick catches you (with his detached head he bites you and grabs your arm) quickly tell him that you destroyed the village on the bank of the river in Campasak Sur, he hates its inhabitants and will go to check if you really destroyed it, After this you have about 4 days to leave Campasak Sur, (tick is quite slow) before he reaches the village and realizes that it is a lie, when he realizes that you lied to him he will get very angry and ask the trees about your location (trees are also an entity) and will come towards you, if it finds you it will bite your head off.
Rule 7: If the tick catches you after you lied to it if you followed rule 6a, and you manage to free yourself (no one knows how the hell this is achieved) there is a greater than 0 chance that you will hear crows singing, if this happens do the Whatever happens to yourself and whatever god you worship, the trees have become angry with you and in a few minutes they will stick their sharp roots into you and you will die. The only way to save yourself from this is for the scenario in 4a to happen to you.
Rule 7a: in fact "the explorer" left central-south Campasak thanks to rule 7 and just suffered rule 4a
Rule 8: If you hear the sound of sizzling, behind you. You have 60 seconds to get up and climb the nearest tree, when you are at the top close your eyes and count to 200, after this you can go down and continue with your trip, FOR NOTHING IN THE WORLD DO YOU OPEN YOUR EYES or you will see the sky of Campasak center -south, there are certain things that are not meant to be seen and one of these is the sky of this area of ​​Campasak, if you open your eyes you will lose your sanity in a few minutes and you will become one of the things that hang from the trees (Did you really think they were fruits?)
Rule 9: if you see a person in the distance with a top hat, come closer, he is Joaquin, he is an ancient aristocrat who owned these lands before the "incident" that gave rise to all the barbarism that inhabits these lands
Rule 9a: when you arrive with Joaquin he will start a conversation with you (talk to him, he will help you regain your sanity) if he likes you he will invite you to his house, if not just continue on your way
Rule 9b: if he invites you to he's house, get up and follow him, his house is a very large old mansion from the 1700s, the servants of the house are trees that are at Joaquin's service and do the tasks through their roots ( For some reason the mansion is full of them) Joaquin will invite you to eat (eat everything you want, his food is delicious) then say goodbye and leave
Rule 10: no matter which path you follow, due to the geography of the place, for some reason you will always arrive at the same place when leaving Campasak central-south.
Rule 11: after about 6 days of crawling you will reach a large desert full of strange palm trees, this is Campasak center and you will be able to get up and continue your journey
Rule 11a: if you arrive at the desert but find that it has no palm trees and has a blood red sky, hide at the bottom of the small stream that will appear (also drink a lot of water, you will need it) and close your eyes, the abominations of the forest are doing a last attempt to catch you (probably being warned by the trees)
Rule 11b: after a while you will feel that the stream dries up and when it is completely dry open your eyes and everything will be normal and you can continue your trip
This area is FULL OF ENTITIES but thanks to the darkness and crawling on the ground you will get rid of a large part
After this you will reach Campasak Centro and it has its own set of rules, although it is safer than Campasak Centro Sur
RULES FOR CAMPASAK CENTER UNDER CONSTRUCTION🏗
PS, this is my second story here and I think it's a big improvement.

A PREFACE: This is an essay written by former commissioner of Major League Baseball, A. Bartlett Giamatti, and it is something I always read following the conclusion of one of my team’s (across various sports) seasons, and I’d like to introduce it to all of you, in hopes that some of you may pick up this tradition for yourselves.
I find it’s a good way for me to appreciate and reflect on the experience of following a team over an entire season and beyond, and more broadly to examine why, despite the inherent futility in wrapping up so much of our emotional well-being in something we ultimately can’t control, we do precisely that anyway.
I will post the essay in its entirety here. Even though it was originally written about baseball, I believe the underlying themes can apply to any sport. Since it is a bit lengthy, I’ve highlighted the three most important and universally-applicable paragraphs. Despite this, I encourage you all to read the whole thing. Even if not for its own sake, at least do it in order to properly give those three paragraphs their intended rhetorical and emotional weight.
Without further ado…
"The Green Fields of the Mind”
”It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone.
“Somehow, the summer seemed to slip by faster this time. Maybe it wasn't this summer, but all the summers that, in this my fortieth summer, slipped by so fast. There comes a time when every summer will have something of autumn about it. Whatever the reason, it seemed to me that I was investing more and more in baseball, making the game do more of the work that keeps time fat and slow and lazy. I was counting on the game's deep patterns, three strikes, three outs, three times three innings, and its deepest impulse, to go out and back, to leave and to return home, to set the order of the day and to organize the daylight. I wrote a few things this last summer, this summer that did not last, nothing grand but some things, and yet that work was just camouflage. The real activity was done with the radio--not the all-seeing, all-falsifying television--and was the playing of the game in the only place it will last, the enclosed green field of the mind. There, in that warm, bright place, what the old poet called Mutability does not so quickly come.”
“But out here, on Sunday, October 2, where it rains all day, Dame Mutability never loses. She was in the crowd at Fenway yesterday, a gray day full of bluster and contradiction, when the Red Sox came up in the last of the ninth trailing Baltimore 8-5, while the Yankees, rain-delayed against Detroit, only needing to win one or have Boston lose one to win it all, sat in New York washing down cold cuts with beer and watching the Boston game. Boston had won two, the Yankees had lost two, and suddenly it seemed as if the whole season might go to the last day, or beyond, except here was Boston losing 8-5, while New York sat in its family room and put its feet up. Lynn, both ankles hurting now as they had in July, hits a single down the right-field line. The crowd stirs. It is on its feet. Hobson, third baseman, former Bear Bryant quarterback, strong, quiet, over 100 RBIs, goes for three breaking balls and is out. The goddess smiles and encourages her agent, a canny journeyman named Nelson Briles.
“Now comes a pinch hitter, Bernie Carbo, onetime Rookie of the Year, erratic, quick, a shade too handsome, so laid-back he is always, in his soul, stretched out in the tall grass, one arm under his head, watching the clouds and laughing; now he looks over some low stuff unworthy of him and then, uncoiling, sends one out, straight on a rising line, over the center-field wall, no cheap Fenway shot, but all of it, the physics as elegant as the arc the ball describes.
“New England is on its feet, roaring. The summer will not pass. Roaring, they recall the evening, late and cold, in 1975, the sixth game of the World Series, perhaps the greatest baseball game played in the last fifty years, when Carbo, loose and easy, had uncoiled to tie the game that Fisk would win. It is 8-7, one out, and school will never start, rain will never come, sun will warm the back of your neck forever. Now Bailey, picked up from the National League recently, big arms, heavy gut, experienced, new to the league and the club; he fouls off two and then, checking, tentative, a big man off balance, he pops a soft liner to the first baseman. It is suddenly darker and later, and the announcer doing the game coast to coast, a New Yorker who works for a New York television station, sounds relieved. His little world, well-lit, hot-combed, split-second-timed, had no capacity to absorb this much gritty, grainy, contrary reality.
“Cox swings a bat, stretches his long arms, bends his back, the rookie from Pawtucket who broke in two weeks earlier with a record six straight hits, the kid drafted ahead of Fred Lynn, rangy, smooth, cool. The count runs two and two, Briles is cagey, nothing too good, and Cox swings, the ball beginning toward the mound and then, in a jaunty, wayward dance, skipping past Briles, feinting to the right, skimming the last of the grass, finding the dirt, moving now like some small, purposeful marine creature negotiating the green deep, easily avoiding the jagged rock of second base, traveling steady and straight now out into the dark, silent recesses of center field.
“The aisles are jammed, the place is on its feet, the wrappers, the programs, the Coke cups and peanut shells, the doctrines of an afternoon; the anxieties, the things that have to be done tomorrow, the regrets about yesterday, the accumulation of a summer: all forgotten, while hope, the anchor, bites and takes hold where a moment before it seemed we would be swept out with the tide. Rice is up. Rice whom Aaron had said was the only one he'd seen with the ability to break his records. Rice the best clutch hitter on the club, with the best slugging percentage in the league. Rice, so quick and strong he once checked his swing halfway through and snapped the bat in two. Rice the Hammer of God sent to scourge the Yankees, the sound was overwhelming, fathers pounded their sons on the back, cars pulled off the road, households froze, New England exulted in its blessedness, and roared its thanks for all good things, for Rice and for a summer stretching halfway through October. Briles threw, Rice swung, and it was over. One pitch, a fly to center, and it stopped. Summer died in New England and like rain sliding off a roof, the crowd slipped out of Fenway, quickly, with only a steady murmur of concern for the drive ahead remaining of the roar. Mutability had turned the seasons and translated hope to memory once again. And, once again, she had used baseball, our best invention to stay change, to bring change on.
”That is why it breaks my heart, that game--not because in New York they could win because Boston lost; in that, there is a rough justice, and a reminder to the Yankees of how slight and fragile are the circumstances that exalt one group of human beings over another. It breaks my heart because it was meant to, because it was meant to foster in me again the illusion that there was something abiding, some pattern and some impulse that could come together to make a reality that would resist the corrosion; and because, after it had fostered again that most hungered-for illusion, the game was meant to stop, and betray precisely what it promised.
”Of course, there are those who learn after the first few times. They grow out of sports. And there are others who were born with the wisdom to know that nothing lasts. These are the truly tough among us, the ones who can live without illusion, or without even the hope of illusion. I am not that grown-up or up-to-date. I am a simpler creature, tied to more primitive patterns and cycles. I need to think something lasts forever, and it might as well be that state of being that is a game; it might as well be that, in a green field, in the sun.” — A. Bartlett Giamatti
16-1-1 in 2024, +62 GD and 89 points total. A remarkable season by all accounts, even if it ultimately didn’t receive the external validation of a trophy.
But, in any case, it is time to close the book on 2023-24. The countdown to 2024-25 begins.
COYG ❤️

Video showing a POV of a water slide that went into a small pool and then had multiple paths you could take to other pools. It was like a combination of a slide and lazy river if that makes sense

When I was in junior high a transfer student arrived in the middle of the semester; a kid that was different from everyone else. Right away he had caught my eye, in fact he caught everyone's attention because he had a very unique disability; he couldn’t speak. I guess you could say he was deaf, though it was clear to me after getting to know him that he could in fact hear; every word spoken to him was understood with simple nods or gestures; facial expressions contorting into understood language; so I guess he was mute; yeah, that would describe him best. He was an oddity to most but to me he was a unicorn, something that sparkled in our dim monotonous lives and it wasn’t until he revealed who he was did I become terrified of him and his shine.
I was in 7th grade maneuvering my way through the jungle of middle school, avoiding trouble and premature violence. I was an undersized boy for my age, no more than 5ft tall; puberty had yet to visit me leaving me left out of the herd; the other students or the ‘sheep’ as I called them that infested my school. They were all the same, kids that were driven by hormones constantly talking about boys or girls, their deep voices riding on the coattails of the wind that breezed in and out of our hallways. I was a mere shadow, always walking a few paces behind the others not wanting to be seen or acknowledged; I saw what others that looked like me went through, they were tortured and abused for simply existing.
Once Bryce Ellis and his friends stuck Timmy Easton’s face in the shitter for over 10 flushes, I was in a stall over, hiding and waiting for the torment to be over. I slithered my feet up on to the stall caressing them to my chest as I sat in a fetal position horrified of how one human could treat another. Eventually the bullies had gotten bored, their short attention span driven minds directed them to another endeavor leaving Timmy to fester in his tears and possible filth.
He sobbed for minutes that felt like hours as I remained silent in the stall over, I placed my hand cautiously on the barrier wall trying to absorb a bit of his pain, my heart ached for him in that moment and I wanted to lend him a compassionate hand if only I had the courage to do so. So yeah, I did my best to stay hidden, unseen to all the dwellers that mindlessly walked in and out of our school on a daily basis, the boys that believed themselves to be men or the girls that pontificated to anyone that listened. I was lost into an enteral sea of vindictive young adults that searched for any reason to lash out at anyone that stood in their way.
So when ‘Tape boy’ — as they would eventually call him — came to my little middle school that stood still in the secluded hills of our small town I was enthralled almost immediately with his existence. He was introduced to my home room class, I sat in the back burying my head into my arms, occasionally lifting my head to listen on the days lecture. My day dreams entertaining me as the clock slowly ticked away at our lives and it wasn’t until my teacher promptly stopped talking did it trigger a primal emotion in me to sit up and pay attention. I postured myself up straight, pausing the internal movie that played in my mind to see what the interruption was about.
There he was, a new boy that no one had ever seen before, by middle school everyone knew each other; we had went to the same elementary school, the same holiday events and grocery stores. So getting a new student was like getting a new flavor at Baskin Robbins; a mystery taste simmering on the tip of your tongue as you digested every drop, his presence was intriguing. He wasn’t small like me, I would say average height for a 12 year old; about 5'4, slender body with unkempt dark black hair. He looked timid, his head tilted towards the ground not wanting to accidentally lock eyes with any of us as the teacher introduced him, my mind wandering with such intrigue because to all of our astonishment he was wearing a surgical face mask — mind you this was in the 90’s; eons before the Covid pandemic breached the windows of our thoughts.
Right away I could hear the murmurs, the questions erupting throughout the classroom as everyone pondered of why this boy sheltered his face. I stared on for what must of been minutes as the shy boy kept his gaze down, I could see him slightly squeezing the arm straps to his backpack nervously the longer he stood there on full display for all.
I had my fill and I relaxed my postured sinking back into my chair directing my stare out the window but then Billy Sherman asked the question we all had on our minds,
“Uhm, why is he wearing that mask?”.
Our teacher explained to us that it was because of some weaken immune system, something about how his ticker didn’t click like the rest of ours, she then also told us about him being mute. This drew my eyes right back to him, I think it did for all of us and for a moment the quiet kid raised his head and locked eyes with me. His dark black eyes glistened with despair, the deep purple bags that sagged under his eyes were more indicative of someone that hadn’t slept in days. I felt something for him in that moment, our third eye conversing in some cosmic dialogue and as quickly as he rose his head did it drop once again towards the ground. I could still hear all the the other kids snickering, questioning and some even giggling; it made me sick, if I was a braver boy I would of stood on top of my desk and verbally lashed out to all the sheep, instead I rose my hand asking something Mrs. Willis never said, what was the timid boys name?
“Oh I’m sorry, how rude of me, this is Gabriel”.
She sat Gabriel upfront next to her desk, wanting him close in case he needed to write or sign something to her and just like that everyone went back to their simple lives; including myself.
The next few weeks I saw little of Gabriel other than the back of his head during class, once the bell rang everyone that my eyes glimpsed at for the day disappeared or just maybe it was me who dissolved into the ambience of our school. Either way I saw little of the boy who wore a mask, the one that sheltered his true identity and my curiosity with the new flavor of the week gradually faded into the abyss of non-existence; well, that was until the day I saw the mask slip.
It was end of the day, I spent most of the time turning corners anytime Bryce Ellis approached; evading the wrath of him and his band of merry men who were the pinnacle of human torture; finding any opportunity to demean those who crossed their path. I remember leaving Chemistry class, my mind all to occupied with leaving the hell hole of every kids dread and that’s when I saw Gabriel walking down the hall towards the cafeteria; his head still tilted down; his gaze tracking every step he took; face mask still tightly fitted around his face.
This time I saw someone was following him, it was Tom Ingram one of Bryce’s guys, a kid that tried to be the “alpha male” of the group numerous times, doing his best to dethrone the reign of Bryce. He was a big boy for his age, probably about 5'9 and easily weighed 200 pounds, he was a wild card alright; he got caught pouring sugar down Mr. Whitakers old Pontiac gas tank for giving him a poor grade. So when I saw him berating poor Gabriel; taunting him as grotesque laughter followed every insult, I felt like I had to do something and my consistent stealth veneer of camouflage morphed into into a full on sprint towards the two. I saw Tom was closing in on him, other kids looking on with bewilderment on their faces — not knowing if they should laugh out of fear or grimace from disgust. For the first time in a long while did a burning sensation of courage ignite in my soul, I was tired of seeing monsters preying on the sheep and I was going to stop it somehow.
Finally Gabriel had stopped walking and stood still, his head hanging even lower than before, the strands of his long hair covered the remainder of his face. Tom began slapping the top side of the poor kids head, yelling out obscenities, angered that he didn’t stop sooner. I was close, I was gonna stop this since all anyone else could do is cower in fear while looking on and then it happened causing me to stop dead in my tracks, my eyes widening with befuddlement. Tom had torn away the mask from Gabriel's face, awes with groans came from everyone then silence blanketed the entire school and for those few seconds our existence had been swallowed up by the earth itself.
“What the hell” Tom yelped out breaking the still but heavy disquietude.
I wanted to say something, but no words could be manifested only gurgles as I choked on my own disbelief. The timid boy under the mask of intrigue had a strip of black duct tape covering his mouth, it stretching from the side of his face to the other almost resembling what would be some hideous smile. The timid boy then collapsed his hands over his face as faint muffles of sobbing protruded from him, he ran into the nearest restroom only for Tom to pursue. Finally my thoughts had been gathered while my body came back to life, I brushed off the bizarre occurrence of that grizzly smile and I reminded myself of what was about to happen. Tom was going to punish Gabriel for simply existing as he and his gang have been doing for years and like some old factory machine the cogs of my body set into motion as I ran towards the restroom.
Before I could open the door the most horrid scream exploded outwards into the hallway, the sound sending a cold shiver down my spine and Tom came running out of the restroom gripping at his face crying. He was hysterical running and bumping into the walls until finally crumbling onto the floor only to continue sobbing. My mind was clouded with a whirl wind of confusion, I no longer knew what to do, I mean I was going to run in there and stop the assault but now the assaulter was on the floor destroyed. Then Gabriel calmly came out of the restroom, his mask firmly back on and he turned to look at me, his dark eyes burning an image of anguish into my mind. I asked if he was okay of course he said nothing though, he didn’t need to I could just sense his response and it was one of gratitude. I almost could see him smiling at me from underneath the mask and I reminded myself of what was under it; that abysmal duct tape that looked like a sinister grin.
From that day on most of the kids were afraid of Gabriel, I could see the look of terror in their eyes anytime he passed by them even though his headed was still shifted downwards but that’s the day whenever someone mentioned him they referred to him as “Tape boy”. I had heard through the whispers of our school that Tom had suffered some mental breakdown, that the doctors couldn’t find anything psychically wrong with him, it was as if his mind had shattered. He remained in some mental hospital, memories of him gradually fading and the sheep went on with living their mundane lives. Bryce even slowed his bullying, I think he knew that their were now more eyes watching everyone after the altercation and he didn’t want to get caught in some bad situation, though I could see he was itching to get at Gabriel. I went back to being a shadow, avoiding all the others still not too confident that the days of torture were over.
Even though Gabriel was regarded as some magical or perhaps malevolent being by most; not sure which one; he still appeared to be sad; lonely, his head always dragging with despondency. I made an effort in getting to know him, I wasn’t afraid like the rest of them something about the day we locked eyes gave me the resolve to understand he wouldn’t hurt me. I approached him during lunch break, he was outside sitting underneath a tree, the shade showering him a gloom of haze. I think I surprised him or maybe it was just my stealth nature but I saw him jump when I sat next to him. I began talking about the origins of Darth Vader, of how he was originally a hero using his force power for good only to eventually turn to the dark side.
Gabriel just looked at me confounded of why I was even talking to him, his stare looking on with indifference. I told him that he was like a super hero, doing whatever he did to Tom was just like a super power, that I was thankful. His gazed then returned back to the floor almost out of shame, I guess whatever he did that day he didn’t see it as something special, or something to praise. I then told him that I still envied his ability to defend himself, that having such an ability was better than winning the school lottery — which was a week supply of free cafeteria food. I kept blabbering on for the remainder of the break while he still postured his stare towards the floor until the bell had finally rung. Before getting up I told him that if I could have a super power mine would be invisibility that’s when he turned to me pulling out a small spiral from his back pack writing something down, he then showed me.
“Why?” it read.
I told him that I didn’t like being seen, that if I could I would melt away into the noise, then life would be better he just stared at me with what I could assume was disbelief. He didn’t write anything back, he just remain seated while I stood to my feet. I asked if he was coming back to class but he ignored me and just stared out into space presumably lost in his own thoughts.
For the next several months I would catch Gabriel in the hallways, talk to him about the latest edition of whatever comic I was reading, Superman being my favorite and I would go on and on about how his true super power wasn’t strength but hope. I think he became more comfortable with me, pulling out his spiral notebook to write down his thoughts; his questions and answers — a new gateway of communication had formed between us. Most times I could tell what he was going to write by looking at his eyes, those dark haunting eyes, he was a mysterious book slowly being revealed to me and I was completely beguiled by his friendship. Bryce and his little posse slowly went back to bullying the sheep, though they kept their distance from Gabriel and me.
I guess I had a new protector one that wouldn’t be crossed and something about that protection left me feeling proud. I knew in my heart that the timid kid that now went by “Tape boy” wouldn’t hurt a fly that maybe the day of Tom going crazy was all by chance, perhaps his rage snapped his mind. I tried asking him about that day numerous times but he never explained what happened he would redirect the conversation back to super hero’s. I would walk home with him on certain days, well, more like he would walk me home I never got to see where he lived, he was too reserved to give up that kind of information but the days we would walk together was always fun. I finally felt like I belonged, the longing emotion of needing acceptance was found by his friendship.
One day when I was walking home by myself I decided to stop in at the gas station to pick up a drink and scour the latest edition of comic books in the small rack of magazines. Before entering the store I could hear arguing voices engaging in combative dialogue and it became vividly clear that it was more of a yelling match than conversation. It was coming from the side of the building, most times I would just ignore it but one of the voices sounded all too familiar and I crept slowly to the edge of the building poking my head out to get a glimpse of the disturbance. It was Bryce, his back was up against the wall while someone who I presumed was his father berated him with such a vicious snarl on his face. The angry man kept slapping Bryce across the face anytime he tried to say something and soon tears began drizzling off the face of the mighty bully only for the man to laugh.
I didn’t know why the older man was treating Bryce the way he was, information cut out of my understanding, for all I know it could of been because of something the bully did at school. I found it to be poetic justice that the boy that caused so much heart ache suffered the same amount only at home. It felt like a cliche, the angry kid was angry because of the angry father; a cruel loop of never ending proportions. Eventually the man or father walked away getting back into his car leaving the bully to brush away the tears from his face. I cautiously retreated my head away deciding to ditch the store completely when that same broken voice only minutes ago shouted out to me with a hefty dominance.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Bryce howled out.
I didn’t bother turning around, I just ran home, dodging into alley ways trying my best to not been seen. It didn’t appear as if he was following, but seeing him in such a vulnerable state was bemusing. We were a small town how could I not know who the man was, we all knew each other since we were small and then it hit me; Bryce’s dad had left when he was little. This man must of been his step dad or perhaps mom’s boyfriend, it didn’t matter I was going to mind my own business, I was going to slither back into the shadows; but my attempts would only fall on defeated shoulders.
I didn’t want to tell anyone of what I saw, I hoped that keeping my mouth shut would of been enough for the bully to leave me be. Unfortunately there is no reasoning when it comes to human beings, we base our actions on emotions, our anger and Bryce confronted me the next morning in front of Gabriel.
“Hey fairy, did you enjoy the show?” the angry kid spouted out at me.
I tried explaining to him that I wasn’t trying to intrude, that the arguing concerned me, that I didn’t like seeing him being mistreated and then he punched me right in the gut. I fell to the floor gripping at my stomach, the pain slicing through every fiber of my body. I tried catching my breath but inhaling was too painful and I sheltered my face expecting another punch but the bully walked off leaving me to sweat. Gabriel kneel down to me taking out his spiral notebook writing the obvious question, I gestured to him to give me a moment and I honestly felt like crying. I had spent years doing my best to blend into the background, the invisibility power I was so desperate to have amongst the sheep was now gone; I was on Bryce’s radar.
For the remainder of the school year I tried avoiding the bullies, the monsters that preyed on the sheep but their leader would actively search for me, he was no longer intimidated by Gabriel; his once menacing allure had dwindled and now we both were sitting ducks. Luckily there was only a few weeks left until summer break and I only had hoped that the time off would be enough for the monster of monsters to cool off.
Entering summer was a relief much needed for my sanity, I took a few thrashings but it was over, me and Gabriel had big plans on spending time together. He wasn’t an out door kind of kid, he usually would just come over my place and we would read my comic books. He quickly grew enchanted with the idea of super hero's, their powers restoring balance to the nature of our world. I enjoyed every minute of it, my parents on the other hand looked less jovial to our friendship, they didn’t like the mask; it worried them. They thought that whatever illness he had could be passed on to me, but they didn’t do anything to stop us from seeing each other, they only silently protested.
So after awhile we decided to meet somewhere outdoors, away from my parents judgmental stares, there was a creek close to my house, the trees giving us enough shade to stay cool on those long summer days. The small stream that flowed through the trenches of the creek enriched our view as we would find the perfect rock to perch on while reading our comics. We didn’t see much of any of the other classmates that summer, the sheep kept their distance or maybe it was just us, but the days seem to pass quickly and before we knew it summer was coming to an end. I couldn’t remember how many volumes we must of read but Gabriel was now a fan of almost every super hero. He tend to raise out his arms while walking, mimicking the premise of flying like Superman; his ponderous eyes cutting through the brush as we escaped our secluded summer spot.
It was on the final day of our summer break did I pressure the shy timid boy to explain to me what had happen that day, the day Tom lost his marbles, I needed to know. Gabriel as always tried redirecting the conversation, holding up a comic of Batman, pointing at some dialogue. I got upset, I raised my voice telling him that if we were friends then he should tell me, that there wasn’t secrets between us. His heavy eyes collapsing to the ground, shifting his posture on the rock that we both sat on.
“Look, I just need to know, you’re my best friend” I told him with genuine longing.
The school year was about to start up again and I could already envision a future of slithering through the hallways how I have always done, but with Gabriel maybe that could change. I needed to know and I was done guessing, fantasizing that he was some super hero or at least my hero; my protector. I stood up off the rock walking over to the stream, the sound of water colliding unto the small stones that infested the trench triggered something awful in my gut. I took a deep breath and made my final stand with my best friend.
“If you don’t want to tell me then I’m going home, see ya” I said with impatience dripping off of my words.
Gabriel ignored my warning and continued pointing at the comic book, that’s when I noticed what he was pointing at, it wasn’t dialogue it was one of Batman's villains — he was pointing at Clayface. This made me stop, my minding halting after speeding at 100 miles per hour; it crashing my thoughts.
“Yeah, what about Clayface?” I curiously asked with a withered and tired voice.
That’s when his pointer finger was no longer on the page but rather it was pointed towards his mouth; the mouth that was hidden behind his mask. He could see my face drop with sadness, whatever disfigurement he had underneath that horrid black duct tape must of been something like the villain from the comic and my heart broke for him. Gabriel’s eyes gleaming with absolute sorrow, the boy that only wanted to be left alone, the person all the others feared just wanted solitude and here I was badgering him to no end about something so insignificant. We stared at each other for several seconds, our eyes meeting in some altered state and I reached my hand up to his face tenderly taking off his mask. There it was, the black duct tape that resembled a grin, a nightmarish one that could only been seen in some horror movie. I then placed my fingers on the edge of the tape, my cold grip causing him to shiver and I slowly began to remove it.
“What the hell are you fairy’s doing?” a voice called out from the brush, one that sank my heart into my stomach.
I turned trying to locate the voice and sure enough there he was, the bully that had tortured so many for so many years — it was Bryce. His body slowly revealing itself from the brush like some despicable ooze frothing from the depths of hell. Though, something about him was different, his cold stare no longer fictitious but more intimidating and as his body fully emerged did I see the blood trickling down his soaked stain shirt. He was covered in the crimson fluid, there was even some on his cheeks almost as he had some open wound and smeared the remnants of it on his face. The devilish grin that bestowed his bruised and beaten face quickly led me to a conclusion; one that I wish I didn’t conclude. A purplish black infested the out layer of his left eye, it practically closed shut and his nose had been bent to a unsightly angle. I started to whimper as my lips trembled from fright because this Bryce was not the same one that had given us wedgies or swirlies this one was a true monster, a beast that devoured souls. His gaze was enough to display a vacancy of any humanity and my eyes crawled down his arm into his hand to see the black pistol that he firmly gripped.
“Uh, Bryce what happened? Are you okay?” I groaned out while sniffling.
He didn’t answer, he just kept grinning at me, the ghastly smile that stretched ear from ear plagued my vision and I knew that he had done it, that he had hurt someone badly. I was terrified and in the moment I had completely forgotten about Gabriel, my tunnel vision only focused on that firearm.
“Where the hell did the other one go?” the monster asked, I turned and realized Gabriel in fact had run away leaving me behind.
I wanted to run, I wanted to flee while screaming but horror kept me in place and I felt like some dear trapped in headlights contemplating my entire life in mere seconds.
“Everyone always messes with me!” Bryce yelled out with such ferociousness.
There was no talking my way out of this one, no pleading, I knew in that moment he was going to kill me; his rage over flowing to the point of lunacy. He quickly pounced dropping me to the floor, screaming with madness and he repeatedly hit me over the head with the but of the gun causing me to see stars. His words became incoherent sounding like muffled tones that slushed it’s way into my hearing, I shook my head trying to collect myself, just maybe I could figure a way out of this but as soon as my vision corrected itself Bryce would strike me another time causing it to blur once again. I fell into a darkness, my world collapsing into an eternal void of loneliness as my body began to float effortlessly but as soon as I thought this was my final moments flashes of Gabriel flooded into my mind awakening me out of whatever slumber I found myself in. That’s when I realized Bryce was no longer hitting me, instead he was talking to someone and as I grabbed at my head trying to steady my balance I saw it was Gabriel standing still head as always tilted downwards.
Bryce confronted him pointing his 9mm directly at his head yelling, screaming at the top of his lungs but my best friend remained unmoved, just quiet and then he slowly removed his mask. This caused Bryce to pause, his tone weaken and I think for the first time he digested if he should proceed doing what he was doing.
“What are you doing freak?” the bully yelped out.
Gabriel remained quiet, eyes still directed towards the floor, his breathing escalating; I could see his chest pump more vigorously with each passing second. With the mask off me and Bryce could see the bewildering black duct tape strapped to his face, Gabriel’s face began to tremble violently as if he was trying to yell through the bondage. He then finally began to peel of the thick layer of black duct tape and it came off with a wicked screech as I could see my friends eyes squint with pain.
Bryce was no longer pointing the gun at Gabriel, no longer was he even saying a word his arm lowered to his side and both him and I stared on with amazement. What was under the tape was layers of skin, twisting and binding to each other like some thriving organism living it’s own life on Gabriel's face. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t say anything I was in shock and my head still throb from pain. Then Gabriel's mouth — if you want to call it that — began to stretch open, he tilted his head backwards while the mountain of dead flesh started to drip down his face allowing some endless void to open up inside of him. I could hear the cracking of bones breaking, his jaw shifting to accommodate the massive hole that was now his mouth and then horrid dwindling fingers began to protrude from the darkness.
My mouth gaped open with trepidation and if I had the ability to adjust my head I would think Bryce had the same facial expression. Then a grotesque head forced it’s way out of my friends mouth revealing a face that could only exist in the realms of the dead, this new creature having two large almond shape eyes; eyes that looked very similar to the ones that were attached to my friend. This ‘thing’ then stared at Bryce, that’s all it did, no words were spoken no violence was created it just stared at him and soon the bully grasped at his face and began to yell. He ran frantically in different directions, his gun firing out into the tree line, I jumped for cover; falling to the floor sheltering my head with my arms. Bryce’s terrified screams caused my stomach to turn and soon those dire cries stopped along with the gunshots.
I must of stayed on the floor for what felt like hours, too scared to rise to my feet and through my peripheral did I see the sun begin to set plunging the small creak into darkness. I eventually mustered up enough courage to get up and I looked around, Bryce was mere feet away from me, he lay still on the floor blood spewing out of his head; it appeared as if had shot himself. I walked over to his body befuddled of what to do I then remembered Gabriel, I turned to look for him but he was gone it was only me and Bryce's dead corpse. I ran home telling my parents about everything, of the encounter I experienced, at first it seemed as if they didn’t believe me but they still phoned for the police.
I led them to the creek to the bullies dead body, I initially thought perhaps they would blame me, connect me to his death but the police believed me; well the believed me about Bryce but not about Gabriel. They told me that Bryce had killed his step father, apparently they had gotten into some altercation and afterwards he went into his mothers bedroom and shot her to death. They told me that the once bully was a disturbed individual, suffering abuse for many years; that I was lucky to escape from his wrath. I told them that they needed to find my friend I wanted to know if he was okay, but all the officers could do was pat my back with sympathy trying to relax me.
It has almost been 30 years since the event, I still have nightmares of what had happened, I see the dead stare Bryce had while pointing his pistol at me, I see him repeatedly hitting me over the head again and again. Though, what still haunts me more is Gabriel's mouth contorting into that horrid shape revealing the creature that lived inside of him. He was never found, I’m pretty sure he moved on to another city, another place where bullies like Bryce tormented their schools and I could only imagine Gabriel was there to balance the wrongs of the world. I am scared of my best friend, but I know at the same time he is my protector; my super hero, he is out there doing good, I can feel it and I hope he can sense my love for him. Maybe we will never meet again, perhaps it’s not written in the stars for us to reunite but one thing is for sure, I get comic books mailed to me randomly every month; most are of Superman and I know exactly who they are from.

I wanted to provide some impressions with the Nano Texture display. I’m not a full-time artist, I’m just now starting to get into 3D modeling (but have just dipped my toes in the water), and I love editing photography as a hobby.
I originally purchased a 1TB Standard Display iPad that was delivered on May 15th. However on Friday the 17th, I saw an Apple Store had the 1TB Nano Texture in stock, and so I picked that up as well and did some side by side comparisons. I had them together in a well lit living room, a darkened bedroom (curtains closed but not pitch black), as well as in complete total darkness. And overall, yes, there is a bit of a difference, but it is so incredibly small, that I can only see it if I’m looking at both side by side.
In a pitch black room and side by side, there is a hint more saturation and a hint of deeper blacks. But how often am I in that scenario? Usually right before I’m going to bed. For the other 90% of the time I’m using the iPad, I am in lit areas of varying degrees, and in those situations, not having glaring reflections wins out every single time. When I can see visible reflections on my screen, that 2% extra deep black doesn’t mean anything because it’s being washed out by the horrible reflection. The Nano Texture diffuses the light, making it a much, MUCH better viewing experience. Sure the image gets washed out as well, but in a much softer way and provides a much easier reading experience because your brain isn’t trying to see through a reflection.
The other thing I’ve really loved about the Nano Texture, is it almost gives this display an E-Ink feel to it. Except it would be the most gorgeous, bright, high-resolution E-Ink display you’ve ever seen. Everything you view almost feels like it has a printed quality to it. Things are less digital and more physical feeling. And at first it may be a bit jarring. When I bought my Studio Display with Nano Texture over a year ago, when it first came in I struggled on if I should replace it with glossy, it just looked a bit different. But after a year, and having my Nano Studio Display at home and working off a glossy display in the office, Nano is absolutely my preferred viewing choice. And maybe that year of adjusting my eyes to this matte display helped my transition from glossy iPad display to matte. iJustine mentioned it in one of her videos, but it is a bit weird for your brain because it’s used to seeing through reflections, and this just doesn’t have them.
Speaking of E-Ink, I’ve been doing some reading from the Kindle App on my new Nano iPad, and it is a pretty big improvement and easier on the eyes reading long blocks of texts. I think this goes back to the images on the display feeling more print like and less digital. This will 100% replace me using my Kindle Oasis and I also can’t wait to start getting into some graphic novels with this display.
Finally the texture of the screen. There is definitely a difference to the touch, but this just feels like a much smoother (and even softer) surface to slide my fingers around compared to the standard glass. It really feels premium. Fingerprints have been way less of an issue for me compared to standard. Yes, they are there, but the microfiber cloth provided removes them easily enough. And if I need to really clean my screen, I can always use the 70% alcohol which works magically on my Nano Studio Display. And when using the Apple Pencil, the difference isn’t as drastic, but it’s there, and it made sketching in Procreate a bit better of an experience. I’ve never used Paperlike, but I can say the Nano does offer a bit of a friction with the pencil that you don’t get with standard glass.
Needless to say, my Standard iPad is getting returned to Apple and I am keeping the Nano iPad. For me, I’d rather take a 2% hit on contrast if it means the viewing experience on my iPad will be drastically better 90% of the time because of no reflections. And for those times I’m streaming YouTube or Netflix before I go to sleep, I’ll never miss the barely noticeable drop in contrast and saturation.
Hope this helps anyone else thinking about getting a Nano iPad. The experience may not be for everyone, but if you’re like me, once you‘re eyes and brain have adjusted to this different type of display, it’s so hard to go back to a display that showcases reflections so much.

I wanted to provide some impressions with the Nano Texture display. I’m not a full-time artist, I’m just now starting to get into 3D modeling (but have just dipped my toes in the water), and I love editing photography as a hobby.
I originally purchased a 1TB Standard Display iPad that was delivered on May 15th. However on Friday the 17th, I saw an Apple Store had the 1TB Nano Texture in stock, and so I picked that up as well and did some side by side comparisons. I had them together in a well lit living room, a darkened bedroom (curtains closed but not pitch black), as well as in complete total darkness. And overall, yes, there is a bit of a difference, but it is so incredibly small, that I can only see it if I’m looking at both side by side.
In a pitch black room and side by side, there is a hint more saturation and a hint of deeper blacks. But how often am I in that scenario? Usually right before I’m going to bed. For the other 90% of the time I’m using the iPad, I am in lit areas of varying degrees, and in those situations, not having glaring reflections wins out every single time. When I can see visible reflections on my screen, that 2% extra deep black doesn’t mean anything because it’s being washed out by the horrible reflection. The Nano Texture diffuses the light, making it a much, MUCH better viewing experience. Sure the image gets washed out as well, but in a much softer way and provides a much easier reading experience because your brain isn’t trying to see through a reflection.
The other thing I’ve really loved about the Nano Texture, is it almost gives this display an E-Ink feel to it. Except it would be the most gorgeous, bright, high-resolution E-Ink display you’ve ever seen. Everything you view almost feels like it has a printed quality to it. Things are less digital and more physical feeling. And at first it may be a bit jarring. When I bought my Studio Display with Nano Texture over a year ago, when it first came in I struggled on if I should replace it with glossy, it just looked a bit different. But after a year, and having my Nano Studio Display at home and working off a glossy display in the office, Nano is absolutely my preferred viewing choice. And maybe that year of adjusting my eyes to this matte display helped my transition from glossy iPad display to matte. iJustine mentioned it in one of her videos, but it is a bit weird for your brain because it’s used to seeing through reflections, and this just doesn’t have them.
Speaking of E-Ink, I’ve been doing some reading from the Kindle App on my new Nano iPad, and it is a pretty big improvement and easier on the eyes reading long blocks of texts. I think this goes back to the images on the display feeling more print like and less digital. This will 100% replace me using my Kindle Oasis and I also can’t wait to start getting into some graphic novels with this display.
Finally the texture of the screen. There is definitely a difference to the touch, but this just feels like a much smoother (and even softer) surface to slide my fingers around compared to the standard glass. It really feels premium. Fingerprints have been way less of an issue for me compared to standard. Yes, they are there, but the microfiber cloth provided removes them easily enough. And if I need to really clean my screen, I can always use the 70% alcohol which works magically on my Nano Studio Display. And when using the Apple Pencil, the difference isn’t as drastic, but it’s there, and it made sketching in Procreate a bit better of an experience. I’ve never used Paperlike, but I can say the Nano does offer a bit of a friction with the pencil that you don’t get with standard glass.
Needless to say, my Standard iPad is getting returned to Apple and I am keeping the Nano iPad. For me, I’d rather take a 2% hit on contrast if it means the viewing experience on my iPad will be drastically better 90% of the time because of no reflections. And for those times I’m streaming YouTube or Netflix before I go to sleep, I’ll never miss the barely noticeable drop in contrast and saturation.
Hope this helps anyone else thinking about getting a Nano iPad. The experience may not be for everyone, but if you’re like me, once you‘re eyes and brain have adjusted to this different type of display, it’s so hard to go back to a display that showcases reflections so much.

Context: I am trying to make a sliding turtle that goes down a water slide. I am really new to unreal engine and just started learning blueprints a few days ago.
Right now what I want is to make a rectangle mesh follow the camera rotation so that when I press W it goes foward relative to the camera and not relative to north, south, etc.
I am using physics for movement btw.

Waking up in the middle of the night I find myself restless
So much has come into focus in the last few days. The station, my first steps on another world. It is all a bit overwhelming. Relaxing my thoughts drift off thinking about how I got here. A young girl on Europa, being selected for training after my aptitude tests, the Academy on Ganymede. Then as always my thoughts drift back to… her…
Lucy…
We started at rivals at the academy, we were from different worlds. Literally, me from Europa a wet ocean world remote and isolated, her an inner worlder from the hot dusty plains of Venus. We were water and fire.
The professors pitted us against each other from day one, based on our aptitude tests we were the top of the class. They split the class into teams and gave us challenges. I like to say I got the better of her, I was fast out the gate winning a few challenges. But Lucy turned back on me in a vengeance, she had a magnetism to her that caused our classmates to almost be addicted to her. People from my team would defect over to Lucy. Soon I found myself vastly outnumbered.
One day after Lucy and her team thrashed me again in a simulated strategy challenge. I left and I needed to be alone. I showered, went into the sauna. Replaying the moves again and again. How was I going to get the upper hand. She outnumbered me so much.
Everyone knew to leave me alone in the sauna. It was where I thought, relaxed, my place of peace. I was frustrated, I lean back against the wall and let me hands wander. Gently down my body, letting my stress evaporate as I tease myself…Then the door opened…. And it was Lucy. A cocky grin in her face.
We had been thinking about nothing but each other and we had both become obsessed. When that tension broke. Let me just say in a sauna fire and water combine to make something beautiful. Lucy and I did as well.
She moved towards me quickly, letting her towel drop, she was direct with a purpose. Grabbing the back of my head and kissing me deeply. I was shocked.. surprised... Excited..
I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her back. A deep need inside of me welling up, our lips slid across each other's as our tongue intertwined. I poured my life water of passion into her. She flared up and accepted my passion. Her hands exploring my body as I moved my knees between her legs.
Fuuuccckkk…. When she arched her back… so beautiful… MMM nnngghhhh an orgasm washed over me in my bed while I thought of Lucy.
Panting… even after all this time, separated by a waygate and unfathomable distance my body still yearned for her, I still yearned for her. Rolling onto my side I stare out my window into the vastness of space and the void. My fingers still ryhmically dancing on my pussy. Fingers sliding in and out
Your taught at the academy not to develop attachments, especially since the top prize, the highest honor of our training, to one day fly a deep space exploration through a waygate. Which would put us alone, in a different system. Like I am now.
Even if I power up my waygate in record time and rush home. Lucy is most likely gone. She was my alternate, meaning had I been unable to go this time she would have. It also means she most likely the deployed to her own system and would be gone before I returned. Likely I would never see her again.
Biting my lips and pressing a hand out onto the glass…yes…yes.. there
Fuck again….Fuucckkkkk LLLLuuucccCC
EeeeeeeeeerrrrrreeeemmmmmAAAAAA, a beautiful black haired woman orgasms in a bed identical to Emeras save the ambient lighting is blue inside of pink.
Fuck…. That was good. I find myself panting as I step out into the hallway of my ship. 2 days since the waygate, 6 months since I last saw Emera. Since she departed through her gate. Stars know if she still lives.
It was a rare happening, another gate coming online shortly after Emera’s departure. I thought I would be flying routine patrols around the system. Now I'm alone. Alone with my thoughts of her, and my AI Julia. Fuck. Why couldn't we have gone together. Why only one pilot to a ship. Who knows maybe she's thinking of me. Technically the systems we are in are closer together than home. That's something…
You're probably wondering if I was outnumbered and Lucy normally had my number in competition then how did I get to leave first. Yes, I did sleep with high command. That was only my closing argument though. You see Lucy had her magnetism that caused people to be addicted to her, she drew people in. But I was better at strategy and nuanced maneuvers.
The rules weren't strict on the teams, people defected all the time. Keeping your people together was part of the challenge. I decided to break that challenge.
No Battleplan survives first contact with the enemy afterall. Why not break the competition itself
My enemy wasn't Lucy, trust me we had been together enough at this point my heart swelled when I saw her. My enemy was the rules, and proctors.
There had to be two team in the academy for the lessons to work. But the rules only set a minimum not a maximum.
Lucy and her best 4 left her team, and me and my best 4 left my team. We formed a new team with Lucy and I at the head. The proctors were fuming. I was called into their offices again and again. Which is what led to me sleeping with a few of them to get ahead. It is always good to solicit a meeting with superiors, you can always be turned to your advantage.
In the Academy, there were 50 of us girls. The proctors let us keep our 3rd team, but declared no one else could join us. It was the ten of us vs double our number on both the other teams. Not ideal… but we had Lucy and I together. My how we shined
We out maneuvered, out paced, and out thought the other teams again and again and again..
Entering into the final the proctors split everyone up, eliminating the team. Just to try and stop us from sweeping the competition. Instead there would be 25 teams of 2 members each of our own selection. Lucy and I naturally selected each other.
We set down on a terraformed valley on Mars, all the other duos were around. The mission was complex. Gather knowledge, survive in the wilderness, there were simulator villages where we had to set up relations, and if possible eliminate other teams.
The gravity is different from what I'm used to, my body feels heavy. Sluggish, they train us on this and soon I'll adapt. But first landing it hits me like a weight. Ffuuuccckkk I murmur as I land my account ship on the surface.
Lucy always compares a new celestial body to a lover. Well for me Mars just grabbed my hair, slapped my ass and pushed in
Fuck I can't imagine landing on Earth. Triple this, fuck that give me my moon mother's oceans anyday.
I suck deep and hard on the control in my mouth and all three extract from me. I am about to get up from the control seat when I feel a palm in the small of my back
“Lucy not funny, let me up” I say
She giggles, and rubs my ass cheeks before her fingers rub against my lips
I moan biting my lip as I push myself against her hand
“I knew the gravity here would give a Moonie like you a good fucking, you're so wet my love”
Rolling my head back and forth..”quickly we have to debrief and set up camp” I moan
She smacks my ass again and her fingers deftly slide to work, one hand pinning me to the chair while she teases my sex, her thumb rubbing in perfect circles on my clit and her fingers pulling on my g-spot
“Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes uuuhhhhh my love it feel so good” shaking my hips back and forth I feel it building as I rock my hips on her hand
Squeezing….my leg….quivering… my voice squeaking… “uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh ffuuuccckkk” I moan as I feel the orgasm wash over me…
Lucy slaps my ass playfully and licks her fingers… “let's go my love, stop playing around we have to set up camp” she giggles
“Oh!! You!!” I get up and rush after her slapping her ass when I catch up
Carryalls follow us out of the ship.. I immediately sent out the scout drones and assessed our landing spot. Allocating tasks and running diagnostics.
Lucy set about converting the ship to a shelter and arranging power arrays, and deciding on perimeter defenses
We were a perfect power duo. Our carryalls and scouts were soon all at work, and Lucy was finishing up the shelter
I needed to repay her, so I slowly walked up behind her. She heard my heavy steps in the gravity. Turning to look at me she beamed at me. My heart melted and grabbing both sides of her face I pinned her to the side of the ship. Our bodies intertwined and our lips locked.
She moaned at me giggling, pushing my knee between her legs, and we quickly undressed each other. Her mouth on my breast, as my hand glided down to her slick vagina.
Grabbing her chin roughly and up turning her head exposing her neck I sink my teeth into it as I push forward with my knee back and forth pressing my fingers in and out of her.
A deep moan emanates from her, licking my bite mark I kiss up her neck until my forehead is resting hers. Eye to eye, I watch the pleasure build in her. Thrust after thrust of my knee. My fingers pressing into her g-spot every time, my palms pressing and grinding onto her clit
“Cum for me my love, give me your sweetness, I want your water to be the first I drink on this planet” I breath
I feel her pussy tighten and grip my fingers. Her legs twisting around me… she goes silent… a flush rises in her flesh… we kiss deep, and long, and passionately as I feel her gush onto my hand as orgasm rapts her body..
I watch her eyes dilate and relax I kiss her gently again before kissing down, my lips brushing through her pubic hair tickling my lips. Opening my mouth and pressing my tongue in I drink of her orgasm
My fingers inside pressing to work again, she cries out as she rocks her hips grinding her lips to mine. As she gushes another orgasm into my mouth..
I can even taste and feel it now on my tongue…
Releasing her, and helping her up I grin
Walking awayz the top of my leotard open my tits out in the sun
“I'm up by one my love, and you taste so GGGGOOOOoooOOooddddDD” I giggle setting back to work.
Days and weeks pass Lucy and I set up our camp. Wefind nearby teams before they find us. We quickly fall on them in the night, clearing our immediate area, eliminating them from the contest. We bathe in a nearby stream, sun ourselves on the rocks, make love on the soft moss of the forest.
I don't know if I've ever been happier, ever been more at peace l than I was then with Lucy. Her and I… her and I against the world.
We make good progress setting up relations with 12 of the 15 villages. Our camp is well stocked. We receive updates from the proctors from dead drops. Seems out of the 25 teams only 8 remain. Lucy and I have eliminated 7 ourselves.
We need to be the last standing, triumphant together.. so that maybe.. maybe we can convince them to send two of us on a ship. Imagine the wonders, this wouldn't be temporary, but would become our life.
Lucy and I talk about it often. We can convince them. We'll defeat the others then refuse to turn on each other.
Our dream died that night…
We were naked, curled up in each others arms when the alarm sounded..all the alarms
Proximity alert for 14 signals… they had teamed up on us. 14 on 2 they were going to eliminate the front runners while they still could.
Fuck.
Lucy and I turned and quickly downed our emergency biotic vials just as a concussive blast hit our ship shelter.
“Fuck! They aren't supposed to attack equipment!” I yell
“The proctors must have sent them, they should be intervening with that!” Lucy says
“You're better in a fight, charge them and I'll flank” I yell
We nod at each other and we are off naked as the day we were born
Lucy bursts from our ship her shield bursting out in front of her
I dart out the side and task our scouts and drones to make dive bomb attacks on the intruders
I leap over a blast, grab a tree branch and swing. I land my legs on either side of the head. Of one the attackers, twisting my flip her over and knock her out. Back on the run, I see Lucy take out another one as drones dive in and out of the chaos.
Lucy blocks to her right and charges blasting herself high into the air, twirling before blasting herself downward tackling her target to the ground and eliminating her.
She's about to get blasted from behind when I take the attackers in the flank, knee to the solarplex. My hand on the side of her neck I thrust up hard with my knee. In the low gravity she turns and flies off into the trees as I raise my hands and blast another in the side.
She turns just in time to block my attack, when Lucy rockets into her side with her elbow