Source JSON

{
  "_format": "download_manifest_v2",
  "api_blob_sha512": "e8fcdc175d76ac10fdea4ed1fa1bfeedc29098c142cfc1e4b51d88f25b18edb0a12a486a3dc44c337f8534826477bfd1fb117f37188368cdfa777f589b66ff0f",
  "artifacts": [
    {
      "blob_sha512": "1b18e07a54a3dfd7fba379ba6ba15cc520ace27c25b623e61224835c4abd53a351e7df7de9d9a730efd9e1987bf1b5b420a33596e040e05c5289fcffe87b5358",
      "path": "/mnt/data/img-downloader/export/inkbunny.net/Artists/TuxGen/3675869_5711796_TuxGen_hug.png"
    },
    {
      "blob_sha512": "e8fcdc175d76ac10fdea4ed1fa1bfeedc29098c142cfc1e4b51d88f25b18edb0a12a486a3dc44c337f8534826477bfd1fb117f37188368cdfa777f589b66ff0f",
      "path": "/mnt/data/img-downloader/export/inkbunny.net/Artists/TuxGen/3675869_5711796_TuxGen_hug.api.json"
    },
    {
      "blob_sha512": "027d98f2d72573383ea514cbe48104af205de6ab5adf60f9b0e88a8a4dad57c3c0b3efd4abfc7aea8abdb7186e1034b3d670427e617e95a6dfa7f38d29e4dc9e",
      "path": "/mnt/data/img-downloader/export/inkbunny.net/Artists/TuxGen/3675869_5711796_TuxGen_hug.description.json"
    },
    {
      "blob_sha512": "7d52418b5a07cdbf3c9e9329bcd49276757d699de825ff749938f78f43ee5f3d90027316a962bc1fa2306978974f415a8d18c16a50b95dc14de7a701dd6bf34f",
      "path": "/mnt/data/img-downloader/export/inkbunny.net/Artists/TuxGen/3675869_5711796_TuxGen_hug.writing.json"
    },
    {
      "blob_sha512": "972c15f0892271976ab9442b41fa00e5888d837631d95cdb9c9b0de1bf5f435492ef531564d7d031d07e6a2e4781c4a3d9833209f02837fd35f3f402d2fba264",
      "path": "/mnt/data/img-downloader/export/inkbunny.net/Artists/TuxGen/profile.api.json"
    }
  ],
  "sidecar_fallbacks": {
    ".api.json": {
      "comments_count": "11",
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 23:39:20.002663+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Aug 2025 01:39 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "description": "I'm happy and relieved to finally share part 2 of this story I originally wrote way back in like April and to properly introduce Lyra.\n\nI gave a lot more of Tuxley's inner thoughts in this one and I had some fun with the writing format in the middle section. I really hope everything comes across clearly. \n\nFor the images, I especially like the way the first one turned out. It's definitely my favorite of the bunch. \n\nThis was an interesting set of images in that some of them I have alternate versions of that I also really liked but didn't end up going with, and other ones, namely the two solo images, where I didn't feel like I was getting any real standouts, so I feel I kind of settled with those two. \n\nThe hardest thing about generating images with the two of them together is that Lyra was conceived to be a year and some change older and a bit taller than Tuxley. Not too much taller, but just enough to be noticeable, which is really hard for AI to understand let alone be consistent about. Most of the time she either ends up way, way taller than him, or shorter. Sometimes I ended up having to make a choice between images where you could see a height difference, and images that I liked a lot more in general, but where they look pretty much the same height. I tended to lean towards the latter for this set. But I did try and pick ones where there was at least some ambiguity in terms of her knees being more bent for example.\n\nPulling together and fixing up the images I wanted along with making tweaks and edits to the story took longer than expected, and I'll be away all next week, so I really wanted to get this out before stepping away. \n\nAnyway, I hope you like this angsty little story of Tux getting swept off his feet.",
      "favorite": "f",
      "favorites_count": "29",
      "file_name": "5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "files": [
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 23:15:23.279333+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Aug 2025 01:15 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5663121",
          "file_name": "5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
          "full_file_md5": "9e2f705ad06b1b2cdc1e2ca19277c36f",
          "full_size_x": "2432",
          "full_size_y": "1664",
          "initial_file_md5": "1e599a27d69acdbd8bd0a39fcfbbe4b9",
          "large_file_md5": "ea7d6900af71a8fc934dfd0a893a7f73",
          "mimetype": "image/png",
          "preview_size_x": "300",
          "preview_size_y": "205",
          "screen_size_x": "920",
          "screen_size_y": "629",
          "small_file_md5": "2d33a0ff2f5cd1a21ddbe8bd7f800a47",
          "submission_file_order": "0",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
          "thumbnail_md5": "ae0186049e559a3dc1c569549f2ac775",
          "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-21 23:02:17.316942+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "22 Aug 2025 01:02 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5688051",
          "file_name": "5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.jpg",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
          "full_file_md5": "f1f41d5406ad9993e45cd87b472377a1",
          "full_size_x": "1664",
          "full_size_y": "2432",
          "initial_file_md5": "1945bce580d65991c8ec2f5e7baf3f79",
          "large_file_md5": "54770dd3837f908e9237043291228571",
          "mimetype": "image/png",
          "preview_size_x": "205",
          "preview_size_y": "300",
          "screen_size_x": "920",
          "screen_size_y": "1345",
          "small_file_md5": "cdb2c2b06a9b11b08ecc571a675dc61a",
          "submission_file_order": "1",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
          "thumbnail_md5": "0037362168ca0ab408097ecb748f13fb",
          "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques_noncustom.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques_noncustom.jpg",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:43:03.481898+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:43 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662257",
          "file_name": "5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.jpg",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
          "full_file_md5": "d9eb0d63ebdd02a96f995a49dc5a1d90",
          "full_size_x": "2432",
          "full_size_y": "1664",
          "initial_file_md5": "6c343fe1c0940382a12f656fb1fd3a41",
          "large_file_md5": "b0aedfc0197d8c1d75e1d1cfda764565",
          "mimetype": "image/png",
          "preview_size_x": "300",
          "preview_size_y": "205",
          "screen_size_x": "920",
          "screen_size_y": "629",
          "small_file_md5": "c82faaef92173bafeb4b5c9ba16e65e2",
          "submission_file_order": "2",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
          "thumbnail_md5": "a3ce07aa81794d27a26c93871984f514",
          "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat_noncustom.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat_noncustom.jpg",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:47:25.755991+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:47 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662263",
          "file_name": "5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.jpg",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
          "full_file_md5": "30e3b7610667489a0aae6f49759de7b6",
          "full_size_x": "1664",
          "full_size_y": "2432",
          "initial_file_md5": "41c220b0d5e138d9bc773f8083ffcaaa",
          "large_file_md5": "09e1b2c23b37890f92b2bcfd7e958bab",
          "mimetype": "image/png",
          "preview_size_x": "205",
          "preview_size_y": "300",
          "screen_size_x": "920",
          "screen_size_y": "1345",
          "small_file_md5": "f2f70da81aae01b97f88280a97a82a70",
          "submission_file_order": "3",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
          "thumbnail_md5": "3a0fa117e69e59f9f46065907ad4bac7",
          "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up_noncustom.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up_noncustom.jpg",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-09-10 00:42:44.170102+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "10 Sep 2025 02:42 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5711796",
          "file_name": "5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
          "full_file_md5": "99135aa8204321f27673aa2664ceefee",
          "full_size_x": "1664",
          "full_size_y": "2432",
          "initial_file_md5": "2c75655a22a5ebc61e8b56f3bf68c4bb",
          "large_file_md5": "d1eb6affbde857744abac11dac93f0fb",
          "mimetype": "image/png",
          "preview_size_x": "205",
          "preview_size_y": "300",
          "screen_size_x": "920",
          "screen_size_y": "1345",
          "small_file_md5": "3dc98edbf9dc296d4833235b285067ce",
          "submission_file_order": "4",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
          "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
          "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
          "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
          "thumbnail_md5": "04703abf08986c894355238c979120d9",
          "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
          "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:36:57.645994+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:36 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662251",
          "file_name": "5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
          "full_file_md5": "a9c135599ab3d4356ffbbff04bc285df",
          "full_size_x": null,
          "full_size_y": null,
          "initial_file_md5": "a9c135599ab3d4356ffbbff04bc285df",
          "large_file_md5": "",
          "mimetype": "text/plain",
          "preview_size_x": null,
          "preview_size_y": null,
          "screen_size_x": null,
          "screen_size_y": null,
          "small_file_md5": "",
          "submission_file_order": "5",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumbnail_md5": "",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:40:46.863243+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:40 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662255",
          "file_name": "5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
          "full_file_md5": "8875f36cd1783565d187f61b33d30d1d",
          "full_size_x": null,
          "full_size_y": null,
          "initial_file_md5": "8875f36cd1783565d187f61b33d30d1d",
          "large_file_md5": "",
          "mimetype": "text/plain",
          "preview_size_x": null,
          "preview_size_y": null,
          "screen_size_x": null,
          "screen_size_y": null,
          "small_file_md5": "",
          "submission_file_order": "6",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumbnail_md5": "",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:45:30.345477+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:45 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662259",
          "file_name": "5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
          "full_file_md5": "40daed58687f9f5b72c3ae89d58a1a56",
          "full_size_x": null,
          "full_size_y": null,
          "initial_file_md5": "40daed58687f9f5b72c3ae89d58a1a56",
          "large_file_md5": "",
          "mimetype": "text/plain",
          "preview_size_x": null,
          "preview_size_y": null,
          "screen_size_x": null,
          "screen_size_y": null,
          "small_file_md5": "",
          "submission_file_order": "7",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumbnail_md5": "",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:48:55.702368+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:48 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662266",
          "file_name": "5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
          "full_file_md5": "124988299d6d661509d6ccccb3e129e4",
          "full_size_x": null,
          "full_size_y": null,
          "initial_file_md5": "124988299d6d661509d6ccccb3e129e4",
          "large_file_md5": "",
          "mimetype": "text/plain",
          "preview_size_x": null,
          "preview_size_y": null,
          "screen_size_x": null,
          "screen_size_y": null,
          "small_file_md5": "",
          "submission_file_order": "8",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumbnail_md5": "",
          "user_id": "802980"
        },
        {
          "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 05:18:05.811897+00",
          "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 07:18 CEST",
          "deleted": "f",
          "file_id": "5662288",
          "file_name": "5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
          "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
          "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
          "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
          "full_file_md5": "6f0e81731ccb42694733dffefac15db2",
          "full_size_x": null,
          "full_size_y": null,
          "initial_file_md5": "6f0e81731ccb42694733dffefac15db2",
          "large_file_md5": "",
          "mimetype": "text/plain",
          "preview_size_x": null,
          "preview_size_y": null,
          "screen_size_x": null,
          "screen_size_y": null,
          "small_file_md5": "",
          "submission_file_order": "9",
          "submission_id": "3675869",
          "thumbnail_md5": "",
          "user_id": "802980"
        }
      ],
      "friends_only": "f",
      "guest_block": "t",
      "hidden": "f",
      "keywords": [
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "10503",
          "keyword_name": "ai",
          "submissions_count": "10086"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "672082",
          "keyword_name": "ai art",
          "submissions_count": "6035"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "677476",
          "keyword_name": "ai assisted",
          "submissions_count": "2459"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "530560",
          "keyword_name": "ai generated",
          "submissions_count": "33828"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "677111",
          "keyword_name": "ai generated art",
          "submissions_count": "4030"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "2036",
          "keyword_name": "cheetah",
          "submissions_count": "16629"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "37",
          "keyword_name": "cub",
          "submissions_count": "307638"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "123",
          "keyword_name": "female",
          "submissions_count": "1156764"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "838106",
          "keyword_name": "forgeui",
          "submissions_count": "307"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "3392",
          "keyword_name": "karate",
          "submissions_count": "302"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "165",
          "keyword_name": "male",
          "submissions_count": "1270474"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "11507",
          "keyword_name": "male/female",
          "submissions_count": "104460"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "3393",
          "keyword_name": "martial arts",
          "submissions_count": "708"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "672195",
          "keyword_name": "stable diffusion",
          "submissions_count": "8302"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "948",
          "keyword_name": "story",
          "submissions_count": "15379"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "196846",
          "keyword_name": "story in description",
          "submissions_count": "1837"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "164",
          "keyword_name": "wolf",
          "submissions_count": "203238"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "962",
          "keyword_name": "wolves",
          "submissions_count": "5083"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "1493",
          "keyword_name": "young",
          "submissions_count": "78758"
        },
        {
          "contributed": "f",
          "keyword_id": "6385",
          "keyword_name": "young love",
          "submissions_count": "786"
        }
      ],
      "last_file_update_datetime": "2025-09-10 00:42:44.170102+00",
      "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "10 Sep 2025 02:42 CEST",
      "latest_file_name": "5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "latest_file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "latest_file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
      "latest_file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "latest_mimetype": "image/png",
      "latest_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
      "latest_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
      "latest_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
      "latest_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
      "latest_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
      "latest_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
      "latest_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
      "latest_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
      "latest_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "pagecount": "10",
      "pools": [],
      "pools_count": 0,
      "public": "t",
      "rating_id": "0",
      "rating_name": "General",
      "ratings": [],
      "scraps": "f",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "submission_type_id": "12",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
      "title": "Lesson 2",
      "type_name": "Writing - Document",
      "user_icon_file_name": "425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
      "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
      "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
      "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
      "user_id": "802980",
      "username": "TuxGen",
      "views": "1092",
      "writing": "Tuxley could hardly wait for his next karate lesson. The promise of learning new moves and techniques to practice was all he could think about. The next class came two days later on a Saturday morning. This would be his first class with other students, many of whom would be a level or two above him. \n\nExcited to learn more, but anxious about sharing a class with more experienced students, the young wolf bowed, then padded nervously into the main room of the dojo. Class wouldn't start for a few more minutes but many other students were already spread throughout the room. Some were stretching, others were practicing, the rest were sitting in a line on the floor waiting for class to start. \n\nNot spying any other white belts in the room, Tuxley walked past the orange and yellow belts to the far end of the lineup and sat down, trying his hardest not to look as out of place as he felt. Most of the other students looked a few years older than him. There were one or two that may have been closer to his age, but Tuxley had little doubt he was the youngest one there. \n\nAs class drew nearer, two other white belts, a lanky pair of cheetah boys who were clearly twins, walked past him and sat down. The small relief granted by having other white belts in the class was punctured by a fresh spike of anxiety when the closer of the two twins peered over at Tuxley then turned back to his brother and muttered something that got a quick glance from the other twin followed by a stifled laugh. Ears drooping, the little wolf lowered his gaze to the floor in front of him and pretended not to have noticed. A few more students filtered in, including two more white belts, who mercifully sat between Tuxley and the cheetah twins.\n\nJust as the class was getting ready to start, one final student bowed in and walked into the dojo. Tuxley turned to see who had just entered. Tingles shot through his body and he inhaled sharply as the late arriving student strode into the dojo. Wearing a yellow belt, the wolf girl with sky blue fur was perhaps a year older than Tuxley and looked like she might have been an inch or so taller. She walked into the dojo with a confident, bouncy stride, her purple hair swinging behind her in a ponytail.\n\n[i]Who is that?[/i] Tuxley wondered, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He forgot to breathe for a good few seconds before realizing he was staring. By then it was too late. Her brilliant blue eyes had found his and she smiled. Tuxley quickly looked away, but it was in vain. Upping her pace, she headed straight for the empty space between the blushing wolf boy and the rest of the yellow belts.\n\nShe sat down much closer to Tuxley than she needed to. A second later she turned and leaned towards him, causing the little wolf's back to stiffen. \"Hi! Are you new? I haven't seen you before. I'm Lyra.\"\n\n[i]What's going on with me?[/i] Tuxley had been friendly with girls before, but none of them had tied his stomach in knots like this. What was it about this girl that had his pulse racing?\n\nHeart pounding loudly in his ears and still tingling all over, he managed to respond. \"Uh, yeah. I'm...Tuxley.\"\n\n[i]Why is she sitting so close to me?[/i]\n\n\"Wow, your eyes are so beautiful! I love them! Purple's my favorite color!\"\n\n\"Th-thanks,\" Tuxley fidgeted, \"I l-like you too --I mean yours! I mean, I like blue.\"\n\n[i]Oh, no![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning now.\n\nShe giggled and inched a little closer. \"Thanks, Tuxley. I've already decided I like you too.\"\n\n[i]What did she mean by that? Is she like this with everybody?[/i]\n\n\"First group class?\" she asked, reaching over and giving the end of his belt a playful tug.\n\n[i]She smells nice.[/i]\n\n\"Yeah\" he replied.\n\n\"Don't worry. If you don't know how to do something you can watch me.\"\n\n\"Uh, Sure. Thanks.\" Tuxley had a feeling he was going to have a hard time looking anywhere else.\n\n\"Attention!\" came the voice from the front of the dojo.\n\nTuxley hadn't even noticed the instructor enter the dojo. He quickly sprang to his feet along with Lyra and the rest of the class. The instructor opened the class with a traditional bow and the lesson began.\n\nAs class commenced, the instructor led them through warm-ups and basics. All the while Lyra's presence and close proximity remained in Tuxley's mind along with a constant fluttering feeling in his chest. Tuxley, already sneaking frequent glances at Lyra, quickly found a whole other reason to stare. She performed her moves with a crispness and focus that caught him by surprise. Though she was only one belt rank above him and very much still a beginner, she looked like a natural. \n\nWhatever meeting this girl had done to Tuxley, this warm jittery feeling he couldn't get rid of --that he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of, seeing how graceful and powerful she looked threw yet more coal on the fire raging inside him. Without him even realizing it, he was slowly overcome by an overwhelming desire be as good as she was. Only it wasn't just that. He did want to be as good as she was, but that alone wasn't enough. What he wanted was for her to see that he could be as good as her. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but somehow he was going to impress this girl.\n\nHis efforts in this regard were helped by the fact that he was very much enjoying the karate class. As it went on, he put every bit of energy and focus into his movements as he could muster. He didn't always manage the proper form, the teacher gently correcting him a few times, but his intensity never wavered. The nods from the instructor were encouraging, but what motivated him most were Lyra's occasional glances at him. Several times their eyes met before quickly looking away, each time sending a thrilling jolt through Tuxley. \n\n[i]Did she just smile?[/i] He didn't dare look back to check.\n\nThey eventually moved on to practicing more advanced techniques. The class was structured with a rotating curriculum, so today's technique was new for the whole class. It was a basic sequence of moves. Pin the arm, chop to the throat. After several minutes of practice as a class, the instructor announced it was time to partner up and practice on each other.\n\n[i]Uh-oh![/i]\n\nAs soon as the instructor started pairing off students, Tuxley knew immediately who he'd be partnered with. Lyra was keyed in to this too. She quickly moved in on Tuxley, tail wagging and grabbed him by the wrist. \"Yay! Come on, Tuxley!\" She pulled his arm, smiling. \n\nDizzy and tingling at her touch, Tuxley let her lead him to an open practice mat.\n\n[i]Her hand feels so soft.[/i]\n\nShe let go of his wrist and positioned herself across from him. Still in a daze, Tuxley stood motionless. \n\n\"Hey, you alright? I'll grab you first. Ready?\"\n\n[i]Keep it together, Tuxley.[/i] He snapped out of his daze. \"Yeah, sorry. Ready.\" \n\n[i]Just have to get through this. Focus.[/i]\n\nHe got another little thrill when she put her hand on his shoulder and grabbed a a fistful of his gi.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat. Easy.[/i]\n\nHe maintained his composure well enough to make it through the simple technique, placing his hand on top of hers where it rested on his shoulder and delivering a slow chop that gently tapped her throat.\n\n\"Pretty good,\" she smiled encouragingly \"Now grab me.\"\n\nHe grabbed her shoulder.\n\n[i]So warm.[/i]\n\nShe pinned his hand firmly under hers and delivered a swift yet perfectly controlled chop that lightly tapped his throat. Her unexpected intensity elicited an involuntary gulp from Tuxley that he was certain she felt.\n\n[i]Say something.[/i]\n\n\"Y-you're uh, really good.\"\n\n\"Thanks!\" she smiled, \"You're doing great too for your first real class.\"\n\n\"T-Thanks.\" They continued practicing in turns.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She's really nice.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I have to be as good as she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]I hope she's here a lot.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]Her hair is so pretty.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She still smells nice even when she's sweaty.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder how old she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n\"OK, class,\" came a voice that barely registered to Tuxley. \"My white belts, you're going to keep practicing this one. Yellow and orange belts, this time, when your partner grabs you--\"[i]I wonder if she goes to my school. Should I ask?[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder what other stuff she li--[/i] \"Whaaahh..\"\n\nBefore he knew what happened, Tuxley was on the ground. The mat had cushioned his landing to some extent, but he still landed hard on his tail. It wasn't so much from pain, but the confusion and sudden shock of hitting the mat that brought a stinging rush of water to his eyes. After a momentary daze, he snapped back to his senses to realize Lyra was standing over him, still holding his wrist and looking down at him, a wide-eyed look of concern on her face.\n\n\"Oh my gosh, are you OK?\" he heard her ask as his mind tried to piece together what had just happened. \"I'm so sorry. I thought you were ready for the leg sweep. I should have made sure.\"\n\nPanicked over the thought of Lyra seeing the tears that had formed in his eyes, Tuxley averted his gaze while desperately trying to blink away the welled up water. \"I-I'm fine. Really.\" he tried to sound convincing as he started to get up.\n\n\"Here, let me help you up,\" one hand still holding his wrist, Lyra grabbed his elbow with her other hand and pulled him to his feet. \"That was kind of a hard landing. Are you hurt? Want to take a break?\"\n\n\"No. I'm OK. Really. Let's keep going.\" He insisted, forcing a blushing smile as he straightened up his belt and tugged his disheveled gi back into place.\n\nLyra exhaled with relief. \"Phew, OK, sure. Try and stick your arm out more next time, and roll on your side a bit. That should be softer.\"\n\n\"Thanks. OK.\"\n\n\"Your turn next,\" She said, repositioning herself to grab Tuxley again. \"Remember, you white belts are still doing the chop.\"\n\n\"Right.\" he nodded.\n\nCheeks still burning with embarrassment, Tuxley continued taking turns with Lyra for the remainder of class. Following Lyra's advice and knowing the sweep was coming made all the difference. He suddenly found himself looking forward to each time Lyra would sweep him to the ground. The pair exchanged genuine smiles that evolved into laughter every time she helped him back up.\n\nTo Tuxley's disappointment, the instructor called for them to line up to end class. After they had bowed out, Lyra immediately turned to Tuxley and smiled. \"I loved meeting you, Tuxley! I hope you're in class with me again. I'm only here some Saturdays. But I'm here every Tuesday and Thursday night!\"\n\nTuxley couldn't help but smile at this. \"Thanks. I liked meeting you too. I'll tell my mom to bring me those days.\"\n\n\"Yay!\" she exclaimed, tail wagging and smiling back at Tuxley. They stood there for a second looking at one another. The dazzling blue of her eyes peering into the deep purple of his. \n\nAfter that brief moment of silence, what Lyra did next gave Tuxley the biggest shock of the morning. All of a sudden, she threw her arms around his neck and nearly knocked him over as she pulled him into a hug. Tuxley was stunned. For the brief few seconds the hug lasted, he couldn't move, mouth open as waves of electricity buzzed through his body. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and blurted out \"Sorry for knocking you on your tail so hard!\" before turning and hurrying off towards the dojo's exit, blue tail waving back and forth as it bobbed along behind her. She stopped in the doorway just long enough to turn and bow out of the dojo before shooting one last blushing glance in Tuxley's direction and disappearing down the hallway.\n\nThe stunned little wolf stood rooted in place, still buzzing all over as his mind slowly processed what had just happened. He felt like he was floating, only vaguely aware of his surroundings while his mind was racing with a swarm questions bouncing around all at once. What was it about this girl? Why did she seem to like him so much? Why did he feel so strange around her? What was making his body tingle and that fluttery feeling in his stomach? How was he supposed to make it through every karate class with Lyra there? How was he supposed make it to Tuesday before seeing her again?\n\nA laugh to his right snapped his attention back to the present. He realized he was still standing there with his mouth open as the two cheetah twins walked past him whispering and stifling their snickering laughter. They had seen it all hadn't they? To Tuxley's own surprise, this realization didn't embarrass him nearly as much as he thought it should have. [i]Fine.[/i] he thought. [i]Good even. Lyra gave me a hug and not them and I'm glad they saw that.[/i]\n\nRealizing everyone else had left the dojo by now, Tuxley padded towards the door on jittery legs, still followed by that floaty sense of elation and warm buzzing.\n\n---\n\n\"Who was that girl you were partnered with?\" came the voice of his mother on the car ride home. He had forgotten that she had been watching the class from the sitting area. \n\n\"Oh, uhh, her name was Lyra,\" replied Tuxley, doing his best to sound disinterested and looking out the window in an attempt to hide his flushed face. In reality, she had been all he was able to think about.\n\n\"That was so nice that she hugged you!\"\n\n[i]Oh no! She saw that too![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning again now. He winced with embarrassment, eyes squeezed shut and ears drooped.\n\n\"Yeah, I guess,\" he finally managed to reply.\n\n\"Seems like she really likes you, Tux! Huh?\" She reached over and tussled his hair before returning her hand to the steering wheel.\n\nTuxley fidgeted in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut again. \"I dunno.\" he muttered as he looked back out the window, his entire face burning now.\n\n\"Well I think she's cute. I hope we see more of her.\"\n\nA few moments of silence passed as they drove home.\n\n\"Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"The best classes seem to be Tuesday and Thursday nights. Can we come on those days?\"\n\nTuxley's mother turned to her side and pretended to check her blind spot to hide the smile she couldn't keep from spreading across her muzzle. She turned back with it mostly under control.\n\n\"Of course.\""
    },
    ".description.json": {
      "description": "I'm happy and relieved to finally share part 2 of this story I originally wrote way back in like April and to properly introduce Lyra.\n\nI gave a lot more of Tuxley's inner thoughts in this one and I had some fun with the writing format in the middle section. I really hope everything comes across clearly. \n\nFor the images, I especially like the way the first one turned out. It's definitely my favorite of the bunch. \n\nThis was an interesting set of images in that some of them I have alternate versions of that I also really liked but didn't end up going with, and other ones, namely the two solo images, where I didn't feel like I was getting any real standouts, so I feel I kind of settled with those two. \n\nThe hardest thing about generating images with the two of them together is that Lyra was conceived to be a year and some change older and a bit taller than Tuxley. Not too much taller, but just enough to be noticeable, which is really hard for AI to understand let alone be consistent about. Most of the time she either ends up way, way taller than him, or shorter. Sometimes I ended up having to make a choice between images where you could see a height difference, and images that I liked a lot more in general, but where they look pretty much the same height. I tended to lean towards the latter for this set. But I did try and pick ones where there was at least some ambiguity in terms of her knees being more bent for example.\n\nPulling together and fixing up the images I wanted along with making tweaks and edits to the story took longer than expected, and I'll be away all next week, so I really wanted to get this out before stepping away. \n\nAnyway, I hope you like this angsty little story of Tux getting swept off his feet."
    },
    ".writing.json": {
      "writing": "Tuxley could hardly wait for his next karate lesson. The promise of learning new moves and techniques to practice was all he could think about. The next class came two days later on a Saturday morning. This would be his first class with other students, many of whom would be a level or two above him. \n\nExcited to learn more, but anxious about sharing a class with more experienced students, the young wolf bowed, then padded nervously into the main room of the dojo. Class wouldn't start for a few more minutes but many other students were already spread throughout the room. Some were stretching, others were practicing, the rest were sitting in a line on the floor waiting for class to start. \n\nNot spying any other white belts in the room, Tuxley walked past the orange and yellow belts to the far end of the lineup and sat down, trying his hardest not to look as out of place as he felt. Most of the other students looked a few years older than him. There were one or two that may have been closer to his age, but Tuxley had little doubt he was the youngest one there. \n\nAs class drew nearer, two other white belts, a lanky pair of cheetah boys who were clearly twins, walked past him and sat down. The small relief granted by having other white belts in the class was punctured by a fresh spike of anxiety when the closer of the two twins peered over at Tuxley then turned back to his brother and muttered something that got a quick glance from the other twin followed by a stifled laugh. Ears drooping, the little wolf lowered his gaze to the floor in front of him and pretended not to have noticed. A few more students filtered in, including two more white belts, who mercifully sat between Tuxley and the cheetah twins.\n\nJust as the class was getting ready to start, one final student bowed in and walked into the dojo. Tuxley turned to see who had just entered. Tingles shot through his body and he inhaled sharply as the late arriving student strode into the dojo. Wearing a yellow belt, the wolf girl with sky blue fur was perhaps a year older than Tuxley and looked like she might have been an inch or so taller. She walked into the dojo with a confident, bouncy stride, her purple hair swinging behind her in a ponytail.\n\n[i]Who is that?[/i] Tuxley wondered, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He forgot to breathe for a good few seconds before realizing he was staring. By then it was too late. Her brilliant blue eyes had found his and she smiled. Tuxley quickly looked away, but it was in vain. Upping her pace, she headed straight for the empty space between the blushing wolf boy and the rest of the yellow belts.\n\nShe sat down much closer to Tuxley than she needed to. A second later she turned and leaned towards him, causing the little wolf's back to stiffen. \"Hi! Are you new? I haven't seen you before. I'm Lyra.\"\n\n[i]What's going on with me?[/i] Tuxley had been friendly with girls before, but none of them had tied his stomach in knots like this. What was it about this girl that had his pulse racing?\n\nHeart pounding loudly in his ears and still tingling all over, he managed to respond. \"Uh, yeah. I'm...Tuxley.\"\n\n[i]Why is she sitting so close to me?[/i]\n\n\"Wow, your eyes are so beautiful! I love them! Purple's my favorite color!\"\n\n\"Th-thanks,\" Tuxley fidgeted, \"I l-like you too --I mean yours! I mean, I like blue.\"\n\n[i]Oh, no![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning now.\n\nShe giggled and inched a little closer. \"Thanks, Tuxley. I've already decided I like you too.\"\n\n[i]What did she mean by that? Is she like this with everybody?[/i]\n\n\"First group class?\" she asked, reaching over and giving the end of his belt a playful tug.\n\n[i]She smells nice.[/i]\n\n\"Yeah\" he replied.\n\n\"Don't worry. If you don't know how to do something you can watch me.\"\n\n\"Uh, Sure. Thanks.\" Tuxley had a feeling he was going to have a hard time looking anywhere else.\n\n\"Attention!\" came the voice from the front of the dojo.\n\nTuxley hadn't even noticed the instructor enter the dojo. He quickly sprang to his feet along with Lyra and the rest of the class. The instructor opened the class with a traditional bow and the lesson began.\n\nAs class commenced, the instructor led them through warm-ups and basics. All the while Lyra's presence and close proximity remained in Tuxley's mind along with a constant fluttering feeling in his chest. Tuxley, already sneaking frequent glances at Lyra, quickly found a whole other reason to stare. She performed her moves with a crispness and focus that caught him by surprise. Though she was only one belt rank above him and very much still a beginner, she looked like a natural. \n\nWhatever meeting this girl had done to Tuxley, this warm jittery feeling he couldn't get rid of --that he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of, seeing how graceful and powerful she looked threw yet more coal on the fire raging inside him. Without him even realizing it, he was slowly overcome by an overwhelming desire be as good as she was. Only it wasn't just that. He did want to be as good as she was, but that alone wasn't enough. What he wanted was for her to see that he could be as good as her. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but somehow he was going to impress this girl.\n\nHis efforts in this regard were helped by the fact that he was very much enjoying the karate class. As it went on, he put every bit of energy and focus into his movements as he could muster. He didn't always manage the proper form, the teacher gently correcting him a few times, but his intensity never wavered. The nods from the instructor were encouraging, but what motivated him most were Lyra's occasional glances at him. Several times their eyes met before quickly looking away, each time sending a thrilling jolt through Tuxley. \n\n[i]Did she just smile?[/i] He didn't dare look back to check.\n\nThey eventually moved on to practicing more advanced techniques. The class was structured with a rotating curriculum, so today's technique was new for the whole class. It was a basic sequence of moves. Pin the arm, chop to the throat. After several minutes of practice as a class, the instructor announced it was time to partner up and practice on each other.\n\n[i]Uh-oh![/i]\n\nAs soon as the instructor started pairing off students, Tuxley knew immediately who he'd be partnered with. Lyra was keyed in to this too. She quickly moved in on Tuxley, tail wagging and grabbed him by the wrist. \"Yay! Come on, Tuxley!\" She pulled his arm, smiling. \n\nDizzy and tingling at her touch, Tuxley let her lead him to an open practice mat.\n\n[i]Her hand feels so soft.[/i]\n\nShe let go of his wrist and positioned herself across from him. Still in a daze, Tuxley stood motionless. \n\n\"Hey, you alright? I'll grab you first. Ready?\"\n\n[i]Keep it together, Tuxley.[/i] He snapped out of his daze. \"Yeah, sorry. Ready.\" \n\n[i]Just have to get through this. Focus.[/i]\n\nHe got another little thrill when she put her hand on his shoulder and grabbed a a fistful of his gi.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat. Easy.[/i]\n\nHe maintained his composure well enough to make it through the simple technique, placing his hand on top of hers where it rested on his shoulder and delivering a slow chop that gently tapped her throat.\n\n\"Pretty good,\" she smiled encouragingly \"Now grab me.\"\n\nHe grabbed her shoulder.\n\n[i]So warm.[/i]\n\nShe pinned his hand firmly under hers and delivered a swift yet perfectly controlled chop that lightly tapped his throat. Her unexpected intensity elicited an involuntary gulp from Tuxley that he was certain she felt.\n\n[i]Say something.[/i]\n\n\"Y-you're uh, really good.\"\n\n\"Thanks!\" she smiled, \"You're doing great too for your first real class.\"\n\n\"T-Thanks.\" They continued practicing in turns.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She's really nice.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I have to be as good as she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]I hope she's here a lot.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]Her hair is so pretty.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She still smells nice even when she's sweaty.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder how old she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n\"OK, class,\" came a voice that barely registered to Tuxley. \"My white belts, you're going to keep practicing this one. Yellow and orange belts, this time, when your partner grabs you--\"[i]I wonder if she goes to my school. Should I ask?[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder what other stuff she li--[/i] \"Whaaahh..\"\n\nBefore he knew what happened, Tuxley was on the ground. The mat had cushioned his landing to some extent, but he still landed hard on his tail. It wasn't so much from pain, but the confusion and sudden shock of hitting the mat that brought a stinging rush of water to his eyes. After a momentary daze, he snapped back to his senses to realize Lyra was standing over him, still holding his wrist and looking down at him, a wide-eyed look of concern on her face.\n\n\"Oh my gosh, are you OK?\" he heard her ask as his mind tried to piece together what had just happened. \"I'm so sorry. I thought you were ready for the leg sweep. I should have made sure.\"\n\nPanicked over the thought of Lyra seeing the tears that had formed in his eyes, Tuxley averted his gaze while desperately trying to blink away the welled up water. \"I-I'm fine. Really.\" he tried to sound convincing as he started to get up.\n\n\"Here, let me help you up,\" one hand still holding his wrist, Lyra grabbed his elbow with her other hand and pulled him to his feet. \"That was kind of a hard landing. Are you hurt? Want to take a break?\"\n\n\"No. I'm OK. Really. Let's keep going.\" He insisted, forcing a blushing smile as he straightened up his belt and tugged his disheveled gi back into place.\n\nLyra exhaled with relief. \"Phew, OK, sure. Try and stick your arm out more next time, and roll on your side a bit. That should be softer.\"\n\n\"Thanks. OK.\"\n\n\"Your turn next,\" She said, repositioning herself to grab Tuxley again. \"Remember, you white belts are still doing the chop.\"\n\n\"Right.\" he nodded.\n\nCheeks still burning with embarrassment, Tuxley continued taking turns with Lyra for the remainder of class. Following Lyra's advice and knowing the sweep was coming made all the difference. He suddenly found himself looking forward to each time Lyra would sweep him to the ground. The pair exchanged genuine smiles that evolved into laughter every time she helped him back up.\n\nTo Tuxley's disappointment, the instructor called for them to line up to end class. After they had bowed out, Lyra immediately turned to Tuxley and smiled. \"I loved meeting you, Tuxley! I hope you're in class with me again. I'm only here some Saturdays. But I'm here every Tuesday and Thursday night!\"\n\nTuxley couldn't help but smile at this. \"Thanks. I liked meeting you too. I'll tell my mom to bring me those days.\"\n\n\"Yay!\" she exclaimed, tail wagging and smiling back at Tuxley. They stood there for a second looking at one another. The dazzling blue of her eyes peering into the deep purple of his. \n\nAfter that brief moment of silence, what Lyra did next gave Tuxley the biggest shock of the morning. All of a sudden, she threw her arms around his neck and nearly knocked him over as she pulled him into a hug. Tuxley was stunned. For the brief few seconds the hug lasted, he couldn't move, mouth open as waves of electricity buzzed through his body. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and blurted out \"Sorry for knocking you on your tail so hard!\" before turning and hurrying off towards the dojo's exit, blue tail waving back and forth as it bobbed along behind her. She stopped in the doorway just long enough to turn and bow out of the dojo before shooting one last blushing glance in Tuxley's direction and disappearing down the hallway.\n\nThe stunned little wolf stood rooted in place, still buzzing all over as his mind slowly processed what had just happened. He felt like he was floating, only vaguely aware of his surroundings while his mind was racing with a swarm questions bouncing around all at once. What was it about this girl? Why did she seem to like him so much? Why did he feel so strange around her? What was making his body tingle and that fluttery feeling in his stomach? How was he supposed to make it through every karate class with Lyra there? How was he supposed make it to Tuesday before seeing her again?\n\nA laugh to his right snapped his attention back to the present. He realized he was still standing there with his mouth open as the two cheetah twins walked past him whispering and stifling their snickering laughter. They had seen it all hadn't they? To Tuxley's own surprise, this realization didn't embarrass him nearly as much as he thought it should have. [i]Fine.[/i] he thought. [i]Good even. Lyra gave me a hug and not them and I'm glad they saw that.[/i]\n\nRealizing everyone else had left the dojo by now, Tuxley padded towards the door on jittery legs, still followed by that floaty sense of elation and warm buzzing.\n\n---\n\n\"Who was that girl you were partnered with?\" came the voice of his mother on the car ride home. He had forgotten that she had been watching the class from the sitting area. \n\n\"Oh, uhh, her name was Lyra,\" replied Tuxley, doing his best to sound disinterested and looking out the window in an attempt to hide his flushed face. In reality, she had been all he was able to think about.\n\n\"That was so nice that she hugged you!\"\n\n[i]Oh no! She saw that too![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning again now. He winced with embarrassment, eyes squeezed shut and ears drooped.\n\n\"Yeah, I guess,\" he finally managed to reply.\n\n\"Seems like she really likes you, Tux! Huh?\" She reached over and tussled his hair before returning her hand to the steering wheel.\n\nTuxley fidgeted in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut again. \"I dunno.\" he muttered as he looked back out the window, his entire face burning now.\n\n\"Well I think she's cute. I hope we see more of her.\"\n\nA few moments of silence passed as they drove home.\n\n\"Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"The best classes seem to be Tuesday and Thursday nights. Can we come on those days?\"\n\nTuxley's mother turned to her side and pretended to check her blind spot to hide the smile she couldn't keep from spreading across her muzzle. She turned back with it mostly under control.\n\n\"Of course.\""
    }
  }
}

{
  "comments_count": "11",
  "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 23:39:20.002663+00",
  "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Aug 2025 01:39 CEST",
  "deleted": "f",
  "description": "I'm happy and relieved to finally share part 2 of this story I originally wrote way back in like April and to properly introduce Lyra.\n\nI gave a lot more of Tuxley's inner thoughts in this one and I had some fun with the writing format in the middle section. I really hope everything comes across clearly. \n\nFor the images, I especially like the way the first one turned out. It's definitely my favorite of the bunch. \n\nThis was an interesting set of images in that some of them I have alternate versions of that I also really liked but didn't end up going with, and other ones, namely the two solo images, where I didn't feel like I was getting any real standouts, so I feel I kind of settled with those two. \n\nThe hardest thing about generating images with the two of them together is that Lyra was conceived to be a year and some change older and a bit taller than Tuxley. Not too much taller, but just enough to be noticeable, which is really hard for AI to understand let alone be consistent about. Most of the time she either ends up way, way taller than him, or shorter. Sometimes I ended up having to make a choice between images where you could see a height difference, and images that I liked a lot more in general, but where they look pretty much the same height. I tended to lean towards the latter for this set. But I did try and pick ones where there was at least some ambiguity in terms of her knees being more bent for example.\n\nPulling together and fixing up the images I wanted along with making tweaks and edits to the story took longer than expected, and I'll be away all next week, so I really wanted to get this out before stepping away. \n\nAnyway, I hope you like this angsty little story of Tux getting swept off his feet.",
  "favorite": "f",
  "favorites_count": "29",
  "file_name": "5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
  "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
  "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
  "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
  "files": [
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 23:15:23.279333+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "02 Aug 2025 01:15 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5663121",
      "file_name": "5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.png",
      "full_file_md5": "9e2f705ad06b1b2cdc1e2ca19277c36f",
      "full_size_x": "2432",
      "full_size_y": "1664",
      "initial_file_md5": "1e599a27d69acdbd8bd0a39fcfbbe4b9",
      "large_file_md5": "ea7d6900af71a8fc934dfd0a893a7f73",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "preview_size_x": "300",
      "preview_size_y": "205",
      "screen_size_x": "920",
      "screen_size_y": "629",
      "small_file_md5": "2d33a0ff2f5cd1a21ddbe8bd7f800a47",
      "submission_file_order": "0",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
      "thumbnail_md5": "ae0186049e559a3dc1c569549f2ac775",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-21 23:02:17.316942+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "22 Aug 2025 01:02 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5688051",
      "file_name": "5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.png",
      "full_file_md5": "f1f41d5406ad9993e45cd87b472377a1",
      "full_size_x": "1664",
      "full_size_y": "2432",
      "initial_file_md5": "1945bce580d65991c8ec2f5e7baf3f79",
      "large_file_md5": "54770dd3837f908e9237043291228571",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "preview_size_x": "205",
      "preview_size_y": "300",
      "screen_size_x": "920",
      "screen_size_y": "1345",
      "small_file_md5": "cdb2c2b06a9b11b08ecc571a675dc61a",
      "submission_file_order": "1",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
      "thumbnail_md5": "0037362168ca0ab408097ecb748f13fb",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5688/5688051_TuxGen_techniques_noncustom.jpg",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:43:03.481898+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:43 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662257",
      "file_name": "5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.png",
      "full_file_md5": "d9eb0d63ebdd02a96f995a49dc5a1d90",
      "full_size_x": "2432",
      "full_size_y": "1664",
      "initial_file_md5": "6c343fe1c0940382a12f656fb1fd3a41",
      "large_file_md5": "b0aedfc0197d8c1d75e1d1cfda764565",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "preview_size_x": "300",
      "preview_size_y": "205",
      "screen_size_x": "920",
      "screen_size_y": "629",
      "small_file_md5": "c82faaef92173bafeb4b5c9ba16e65e2",
      "submission_file_order": "2",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
      "thumbnail_md5": "a3ce07aa81794d27a26c93871984f514",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5662/5662257_TuxGen_on-mat_noncustom.jpg",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:47:25.755991+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:47 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662263",
      "file_name": "5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.png",
      "full_file_md5": "30e3b7610667489a0aae6f49759de7b6",
      "full_size_x": "1664",
      "full_size_y": "2432",
      "initial_file_md5": "41c220b0d5e138d9bc773f8083ffcaaa",
      "large_file_md5": "09e1b2c23b37890f92b2bcfd7e958bab",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "preview_size_x": "205",
      "preview_size_y": "300",
      "screen_size_x": "920",
      "screen_size_y": "1345",
      "small_file_md5": "f2f70da81aae01b97f88280a97a82a70",
      "submission_file_order": "3",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
      "thumbnail_md5": "3a0fa117e69e59f9f46065907ad4bac7",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5662/5662263_TuxGen_helping-up_noncustom.jpg",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-09-10 00:42:44.170102+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "10 Sep 2025 02:42 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5711796",
      "file_name": "5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
      "full_file_md5": "99135aa8204321f27673aa2664ceefee",
      "full_size_x": "1664",
      "full_size_y": "2432",
      "initial_file_md5": "2c75655a22a5ebc61e8b56f3bf68c4bb",
      "large_file_md5": "d1eb6affbde857744abac11dac93f0fb",
      "mimetype": "image/png",
      "preview_size_x": "205",
      "preview_size_y": "300",
      "screen_size_x": "920",
      "screen_size_y": "1345",
      "small_file_md5": "3dc98edbf9dc296d4833235b285067ce",
      "submission_file_order": "4",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
      "thumbnail_md5": "04703abf08986c894355238c979120d9",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:36:57.645994+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:36 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662251",
      "file_name": "5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662251_TuxGen_prompt-sitting-with-lyra.txt",
      "full_file_md5": "a9c135599ab3d4356ffbbff04bc285df",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "a9c135599ab3d4356ffbbff04bc285df",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "mimetype": "text/plain",
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "submission_file_order": "5",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumbnail_md5": "",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:40:46.863243+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:40 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662255",
      "file_name": "5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662255_TuxGen_prompt-techniques.txt",
      "full_file_md5": "8875f36cd1783565d187f61b33d30d1d",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "8875f36cd1783565d187f61b33d30d1d",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "mimetype": "text/plain",
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "submission_file_order": "6",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumbnail_md5": "",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:45:30.345477+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:45 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662259",
      "file_name": "5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662259_TuxGen_prompt-on-mat.txt",
      "full_file_md5": "40daed58687f9f5b72c3ae89d58a1a56",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "40daed58687f9f5b72c3ae89d58a1a56",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "mimetype": "text/plain",
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "submission_file_order": "7",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumbnail_md5": "",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 04:48:55.702368+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 06:48 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662266",
      "file_name": "5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662266_TuxGen_prompt-helping-up.txt",
      "full_file_md5": "124988299d6d661509d6ccccb3e129e4",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "124988299d6d661509d6ccccb3e129e4",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "mimetype": "text/plain",
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "submission_file_order": "8",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumbnail_md5": "",
      "user_id": "802980"
    },
    {
      "create_datetime": "2025-08-01 05:18:05.811897+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "01 Aug 2025 07:18 CEST",
      "deleted": "f",
      "file_id": "5662288",
      "file_name": "5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5662/5662288_TuxGen_prompt-hug.txt",
      "full_file_md5": "6f0e81731ccb42694733dffefac15db2",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "6f0e81731ccb42694733dffefac15db2",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "mimetype": "text/plain",
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "submission_file_order": "9",
      "submission_id": "3675869",
      "thumbnail_md5": "",
      "user_id": "802980"
    }
  ],
  "friends_only": "f",
  "guest_block": "t",
  "hidden": "f",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "10503",
      "keyword_name": "ai",
      "submissions_count": "10086"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "672082",
      "keyword_name": "ai art",
      "submissions_count": "6035"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "677476",
      "keyword_name": "ai assisted",
      "submissions_count": "2459"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "530560",
      "keyword_name": "ai generated",
      "submissions_count": "33828"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "677111",
      "keyword_name": "ai generated art",
      "submissions_count": "4030"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "2036",
      "keyword_name": "cheetah",
      "submissions_count": "16629"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "37",
      "keyword_name": "cub",
      "submissions_count": "307638"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "123",
      "keyword_name": "female",
      "submissions_count": "1156764"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "838106",
      "keyword_name": "forgeui",
      "submissions_count": "307"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "3392",
      "keyword_name": "karate",
      "submissions_count": "302"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "165",
      "keyword_name": "male",
      "submissions_count": "1270474"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "11507",
      "keyword_name": "male/female",
      "submissions_count": "104460"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "3393",
      "keyword_name": "martial arts",
      "submissions_count": "708"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "672195",
      "keyword_name": "stable diffusion",
      "submissions_count": "8302"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "948",
      "keyword_name": "story",
      "submissions_count": "15379"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "196846",
      "keyword_name": "story in description",
      "submissions_count": "1837"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "164",
      "keyword_name": "wolf",
      "submissions_count": "203238"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "962",
      "keyword_name": "wolves",
      "submissions_count": "5083"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "1493",
      "keyword_name": "young",
      "submissions_count": "78758"
    },
    {
      "contributed": "f",
      "keyword_id": "6385",
      "keyword_name": "young love",
      "submissions_count": "786"
    }
  ],
  "last_file_update_datetime": "2025-09-10 00:42:44.170102+00",
  "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "10 Sep 2025 02:42 CEST",
  "latest_file_name": "5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
  "latest_file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
  "latest_file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
  "latest_file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.png",
  "latest_mimetype": "image/png",
  "latest_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "205",
  "latest_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300",
  "latest_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "137",
  "latest_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200",
  "latest_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "82",
  "latest_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120",
  "latest_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug.jpg",
  "latest_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
  "latest_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5711/5711796_TuxGen_hug_noncustom.jpg",
  "mimetype": "image/png",
  "pagecount": "10",
  "pools": [],
  "pools_count": 0,
  "public": "t",
  "rating_id": "0",
  "rating_name": "General",
  "ratings": [],
  "scraps": "f",
  "submission_id": "3675869",
  "submission_type_id": "12",
  "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
  "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "205",
  "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
  "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "137",
  "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
  "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "82",
  "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5663/5663121_TuxGen_sitting-with-lyra_noncustom.jpg",
  "title": "Lesson 2",
  "type_name": "Writing - Document",
  "user_icon_file_name": "425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
  "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
  "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
  "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/425/425882_TuxGen_tuxvest-crop.png",
  "user_id": "802980",
  "username": "TuxGen",
  "views": "1092",
  "writing": "Tuxley could hardly wait for his next karate lesson. The promise of learning new moves and techniques to practice was all he could think about. The next class came two days later on a Saturday morning. This would be his first class with other students, many of whom would be a level or two above him. \n\nExcited to learn more, but anxious about sharing a class with more experienced students, the young wolf bowed, then padded nervously into the main room of the dojo. Class wouldn't start for a few more minutes but many other students were already spread throughout the room. Some were stretching, others were practicing, the rest were sitting in a line on the floor waiting for class to start. \n\nNot spying any other white belts in the room, Tuxley walked past the orange and yellow belts to the far end of the lineup and sat down, trying his hardest not to look as out of place as he felt. Most of the other students looked a few years older than him. There were one or two that may have been closer to his age, but Tuxley had little doubt he was the youngest one there. \n\nAs class drew nearer, two other white belts, a lanky pair of cheetah boys who were clearly twins, walked past him and sat down. The small relief granted by having other white belts in the class was punctured by a fresh spike of anxiety when the closer of the two twins peered over at Tuxley then turned back to his brother and muttered something that got a quick glance from the other twin followed by a stifled laugh. Ears drooping, the little wolf lowered his gaze to the floor in front of him and pretended not to have noticed. A few more students filtered in, including two more white belts, who mercifully sat between Tuxley and the cheetah twins.\n\nJust as the class was getting ready to start, one final student bowed in and walked into the dojo. Tuxley turned to see who had just entered. Tingles shot through his body and he inhaled sharply as the late arriving student strode into the dojo. Wearing a yellow belt, the wolf girl with sky blue fur was perhaps a year older than Tuxley and looked like she might have been an inch or so taller. She walked into the dojo with a confident, bouncy stride, her purple hair swinging behind her in a ponytail.\n\n[i]Who is that?[/i] Tuxley wondered, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He forgot to breathe for a good few seconds before realizing he was staring. By then it was too late. Her brilliant blue eyes had found his and she smiled. Tuxley quickly looked away, but it was in vain. Upping her pace, she headed straight for the empty space between the blushing wolf boy and the rest of the yellow belts.\n\nShe sat down much closer to Tuxley than she needed to. A second later she turned and leaned towards him, causing the little wolf's back to stiffen. \"Hi! Are you new? I haven't seen you before. I'm Lyra.\"\n\n[i]What's going on with me?[/i] Tuxley had been friendly with girls before, but none of them had tied his stomach in knots like this. What was it about this girl that had his pulse racing?\n\nHeart pounding loudly in his ears and still tingling all over, he managed to respond. \"Uh, yeah. I'm...Tuxley.\"\n\n[i]Why is she sitting so close to me?[/i]\n\n\"Wow, your eyes are so beautiful! I love them! Purple's my favorite color!\"\n\n\"Th-thanks,\" Tuxley fidgeted, \"I l-like you too --I mean yours! I mean, I like blue.\"\n\n[i]Oh, no![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning now.\n\nShe giggled and inched a little closer. \"Thanks, Tuxley. I've already decided I like you too.\"\n\n[i]What did she mean by that? Is she like this with everybody?[/i]\n\n\"First group class?\" she asked, reaching over and giving the end of his belt a playful tug.\n\n[i]She smells nice.[/i]\n\n\"Yeah\" he replied.\n\n\"Don't worry. If you don't know how to do something you can watch me.\"\n\n\"Uh, Sure. Thanks.\" Tuxley had a feeling he was going to have a hard time looking anywhere else.\n\n\"Attention!\" came the voice from the front of the dojo.\n\nTuxley hadn't even noticed the instructor enter the dojo. He quickly sprang to his feet along with Lyra and the rest of the class. The instructor opened the class with a traditional bow and the lesson began.\n\nAs class commenced, the instructor led them through warm-ups and basics. All the while Lyra's presence and close proximity remained in Tuxley's mind along with a constant fluttering feeling in his chest. Tuxley, already sneaking frequent glances at Lyra, quickly found a whole other reason to stare. She performed her moves with a crispness and focus that caught him by surprise. Though she was only one belt rank above him and very much still a beginner, she looked like a natural. \n\nWhatever meeting this girl had done to Tuxley, this warm jittery feeling he couldn't get rid of --that he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of, seeing how graceful and powerful she looked threw yet more coal on the fire raging inside him. Without him even realizing it, he was slowly overcome by an overwhelming desire be as good as she was. Only it wasn't just that. He did want to be as good as she was, but that alone wasn't enough. What he wanted was for her to see that he could be as good as her. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but somehow he was going to impress this girl.\n\nHis efforts in this regard were helped by the fact that he was very much enjoying the karate class. As it went on, he put every bit of energy and focus into his movements as he could muster. He didn't always manage the proper form, the teacher gently correcting him a few times, but his intensity never wavered. The nods from the instructor were encouraging, but what motivated him most were Lyra's occasional glances at him. Several times their eyes met before quickly looking away, each time sending a thrilling jolt through Tuxley. \n\n[i]Did she just smile?[/i] He didn't dare look back to check.\n\nThey eventually moved on to practicing more advanced techniques. The class was structured with a rotating curriculum, so today's technique was new for the whole class. It was a basic sequence of moves. Pin the arm, chop to the throat. After several minutes of practice as a class, the instructor announced it was time to partner up and practice on each other.\n\n[i]Uh-oh![/i]\n\nAs soon as the instructor started pairing off students, Tuxley knew immediately who he'd be partnered with. Lyra was keyed in to this too. She quickly moved in on Tuxley, tail wagging and grabbed him by the wrist. \"Yay! Come on, Tuxley!\" She pulled his arm, smiling. \n\nDizzy and tingling at her touch, Tuxley let her lead him to an open practice mat.\n\n[i]Her hand feels so soft.[/i]\n\nShe let go of his wrist and positioned herself across from him. Still in a daze, Tuxley stood motionless. \n\n\"Hey, you alright? I'll grab you first. Ready?\"\n\n[i]Keep it together, Tuxley.[/i] He snapped out of his daze. \"Yeah, sorry. Ready.\" \n\n[i]Just have to get through this. Focus.[/i]\n\nHe got another little thrill when she put her hand on his shoulder and grabbed a a fistful of his gi.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat. Easy.[/i]\n\nHe maintained his composure well enough to make it through the simple technique, placing his hand on top of hers where it rested on his shoulder and delivering a slow chop that gently tapped her throat.\n\n\"Pretty good,\" she smiled encouragingly \"Now grab me.\"\n\nHe grabbed her shoulder.\n\n[i]So warm.[/i]\n\nShe pinned his hand firmly under hers and delivered a swift yet perfectly controlled chop that lightly tapped his throat. Her unexpected intensity elicited an involuntary gulp from Tuxley that he was certain she felt.\n\n[i]Say something.[/i]\n\n\"Y-you're uh, really good.\"\n\n\"Thanks!\" she smiled, \"You're doing great too for your first real class.\"\n\n\"T-Thanks.\" They continued practicing in turns.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She's really nice.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I have to be as good as she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]I hope she's here a lot.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]Her hair is so pretty.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She still smells nice even when she's sweaty.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder how old she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n\"OK, class,\" came a voice that barely registered to Tuxley. \"My white belts, you're going to keep practicing this one. Yellow and orange belts, this time, when your partner grabs you--\"[i]I wonder if she goes to my school. Should I ask?[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder what other stuff she li--[/i] \"Whaaahh..\"\n\nBefore he knew what happened, Tuxley was on the ground. The mat had cushioned his landing to some extent, but he still landed hard on his tail. It wasn't so much from pain, but the confusion and sudden shock of hitting the mat that brought a stinging rush of water to his eyes. After a momentary daze, he snapped back to his senses to realize Lyra was standing over him, still holding his wrist and looking down at him, a wide-eyed look of concern on her face.\n\n\"Oh my gosh, are you OK?\" he heard her ask as his mind tried to piece together what had just happened. \"I'm so sorry. I thought you were ready for the leg sweep. I should have made sure.\"\n\nPanicked over the thought of Lyra seeing the tears that had formed in his eyes, Tuxley averted his gaze while desperately trying to blink away the welled up water. \"I-I'm fine. Really.\" he tried to sound convincing as he started to get up.\n\n\"Here, let me help you up,\" one hand still holding his wrist, Lyra grabbed his elbow with her other hand and pulled him to his feet. \"That was kind of a hard landing. Are you hurt? Want to take a break?\"\n\n\"No. I'm OK. Really. Let's keep going.\" He insisted, forcing a blushing smile as he straightened up his belt and tugged his disheveled gi back into place.\n\nLyra exhaled with relief. \"Phew, OK, sure. Try and stick your arm out more next time, and roll on your side a bit. That should be softer.\"\n\n\"Thanks. OK.\"\n\n\"Your turn next,\" She said, repositioning herself to grab Tuxley again. \"Remember, you white belts are still doing the chop.\"\n\n\"Right.\" he nodded.\n\nCheeks still burning with embarrassment, Tuxley continued taking turns with Lyra for the remainder of class. Following Lyra's advice and knowing the sweep was coming made all the difference. He suddenly found himself looking forward to each time Lyra would sweep him to the ground. The pair exchanged genuine smiles that evolved into laughter every time she helped him back up.\n\nTo Tuxley's disappointment, the instructor called for them to line up to end class. After they had bowed out, Lyra immediately turned to Tuxley and smiled. \"I loved meeting you, Tuxley! I hope you're in class with me again. I'm only here some Saturdays. But I'm here every Tuesday and Thursday night!\"\n\nTuxley couldn't help but smile at this. \"Thanks. I liked meeting you too. I'll tell my mom to bring me those days.\"\n\n\"Yay!\" she exclaimed, tail wagging and smiling back at Tuxley. They stood there for a second looking at one another. The dazzling blue of her eyes peering into the deep purple of his. \n\nAfter that brief moment of silence, what Lyra did next gave Tuxley the biggest shock of the morning. All of a sudden, she threw her arms around his neck and nearly knocked him over as she pulled him into a hug. Tuxley was stunned. For the brief few seconds the hug lasted, he couldn't move, mouth open as waves of electricity buzzed through his body. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and blurted out \"Sorry for knocking you on your tail so hard!\" before turning and hurrying off towards the dojo's exit, blue tail waving back and forth as it bobbed along behind her. She stopped in the doorway just long enough to turn and bow out of the dojo before shooting one last blushing glance in Tuxley's direction and disappearing down the hallway.\n\nThe stunned little wolf stood rooted in place, still buzzing all over as his mind slowly processed what had just happened. He felt like he was floating, only vaguely aware of his surroundings while his mind was racing with a swarm questions bouncing around all at once. What was it about this girl? Why did she seem to like him so much? Why did he feel so strange around her? What was making his body tingle and that fluttery feeling in his stomach? How was he supposed to make it through every karate class with Lyra there? How was he supposed make it to Tuesday before seeing her again?\n\nA laugh to his right snapped his attention back to the present. He realized he was still standing there with his mouth open as the two cheetah twins walked past him whispering and stifling their snickering laughter. They had seen it all hadn't they? To Tuxley's own surprise, this realization didn't embarrass him nearly as much as he thought it should have. [i]Fine.[/i] he thought. [i]Good even. Lyra gave me a hug and not them and I'm glad they saw that.[/i]\n\nRealizing everyone else had left the dojo by now, Tuxley padded towards the door on jittery legs, still followed by that floaty sense of elation and warm buzzing.\n\n---\n\n\"Who was that girl you were partnered with?\" came the voice of his mother on the car ride home. He had forgotten that she had been watching the class from the sitting area. \n\n\"Oh, uhh, her name was Lyra,\" replied Tuxley, doing his best to sound disinterested and looking out the window in an attempt to hide his flushed face. In reality, she had been all he was able to think about.\n\n\"That was so nice that she hugged you!\"\n\n[i]Oh no! She saw that too![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning again now. He winced with embarrassment, eyes squeezed shut and ears drooped.\n\n\"Yeah, I guess,\" he finally managed to reply.\n\n\"Seems like she really likes you, Tux! Huh?\" She reached over and tussled his hair before returning her hand to the steering wheel.\n\nTuxley fidgeted in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut again. \"I dunno.\" he muttered as he looked back out the window, his entire face burning now.\n\n\"Well I think she's cute. I hope we see more of her.\"\n\nA few moments of silence passed as they drove home.\n\n\"Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"The best classes seem to be Tuesday and Thursday nights. Can we come on those days?\"\n\nTuxley's mother turned to her side and pretended to check her blind spot to hide the smile she couldn't keep from spreading across her muzzle. She turned back with it mostly under control.\n\n\"Of course.\""
}

{
  "description": "I'm happy and relieved to finally share part 2 of this story I originally wrote way back in like April and to properly introduce Lyra.\n\nI gave a lot more of Tuxley's inner thoughts in this one and I had some fun with the writing format in the middle section. I really hope everything comes across clearly. \n\nFor the images, I especially like the way the first one turned out. It's definitely my favorite of the bunch. \n\nThis was an interesting set of images in that some of them I have alternate versions of that I also really liked but didn't end up going with, and other ones, namely the two solo images, where I didn't feel like I was getting any real standouts, so I feel I kind of settled with those two. \n\nThe hardest thing about generating images with the two of them together is that Lyra was conceived to be a year and some change older and a bit taller than Tuxley. Not too much taller, but just enough to be noticeable, which is really hard for AI to understand let alone be consistent about. Most of the time she either ends up way, way taller than him, or shorter. Sometimes I ended up having to make a choice between images where you could see a height difference, and images that I liked a lot more in general, but where they look pretty much the same height. I tended to lean towards the latter for this set. But I did try and pick ones where there was at least some ambiguity in terms of her knees being more bent for example.\n\nPulling together and fixing up the images I wanted along with making tweaks and edits to the story took longer than expected, and I'll be away all next week, so I really wanted to get this out before stepping away. \n\nAnyway, I hope you like this angsty little story of Tux getting swept off his feet."
}

{
  "writing": "Tuxley could hardly wait for his next karate lesson. The promise of learning new moves and techniques to practice was all he could think about. The next class came two days later on a Saturday morning. This would be his first class with other students, many of whom would be a level or two above him. \n\nExcited to learn more, but anxious about sharing a class with more experienced students, the young wolf bowed, then padded nervously into the main room of the dojo. Class wouldn't start for a few more minutes but many other students were already spread throughout the room. Some were stretching, others were practicing, the rest were sitting in a line on the floor waiting for class to start. \n\nNot spying any other white belts in the room, Tuxley walked past the orange and yellow belts to the far end of the lineup and sat down, trying his hardest not to look as out of place as he felt. Most of the other students looked a few years older than him. There were one or two that may have been closer to his age, but Tuxley had little doubt he was the youngest one there. \n\nAs class drew nearer, two other white belts, a lanky pair of cheetah boys who were clearly twins, walked past him and sat down. The small relief granted by having other white belts in the class was punctured by a fresh spike of anxiety when the closer of the two twins peered over at Tuxley then turned back to his brother and muttered something that got a quick glance from the other twin followed by a stifled laugh. Ears drooping, the little wolf lowered his gaze to the floor in front of him and pretended not to have noticed. A few more students filtered in, including two more white belts, who mercifully sat between Tuxley and the cheetah twins.\n\nJust as the class was getting ready to start, one final student bowed in and walked into the dojo. Tuxley turned to see who had just entered. Tingles shot through his body and he inhaled sharply as the late arriving student strode into the dojo. Wearing a yellow belt, the wolf girl with sky blue fur was perhaps a year older than Tuxley and looked like she might have been an inch or so taller. She walked into the dojo with a confident, bouncy stride, her purple hair swinging behind her in a ponytail.\n\n[i]Who is that?[/i] Tuxley wondered, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He forgot to breathe for a good few seconds before realizing he was staring. By then it was too late. Her brilliant blue eyes had found his and she smiled. Tuxley quickly looked away, but it was in vain. Upping her pace, she headed straight for the empty space between the blushing wolf boy and the rest of the yellow belts.\n\nShe sat down much closer to Tuxley than she needed to. A second later she turned and leaned towards him, causing the little wolf's back to stiffen. \"Hi! Are you new? I haven't seen you before. I'm Lyra.\"\n\n[i]What's going on with me?[/i] Tuxley had been friendly with girls before, but none of them had tied his stomach in knots like this. What was it about this girl that had his pulse racing?\n\nHeart pounding loudly in his ears and still tingling all over, he managed to respond. \"Uh, yeah. I'm...Tuxley.\"\n\n[i]Why is she sitting so close to me?[/i]\n\n\"Wow, your eyes are so beautiful! I love them! Purple's my favorite color!\"\n\n\"Th-thanks,\" Tuxley fidgeted, \"I l-like you too --I mean yours! I mean, I like blue.\"\n\n[i]Oh, no![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning now.\n\nShe giggled and inched a little closer. \"Thanks, Tuxley. I've already decided I like you too.\"\n\n[i]What did she mean by that? Is she like this with everybody?[/i]\n\n\"First group class?\" she asked, reaching over and giving the end of his belt a playful tug.\n\n[i]She smells nice.[/i]\n\n\"Yeah\" he replied.\n\n\"Don't worry. If you don't know how to do something you can watch me.\"\n\n\"Uh, Sure. Thanks.\" Tuxley had a feeling he was going to have a hard time looking anywhere else.\n\n\"Attention!\" came the voice from the front of the dojo.\n\nTuxley hadn't even noticed the instructor enter the dojo. He quickly sprang to his feet along with Lyra and the rest of the class. The instructor opened the class with a traditional bow and the lesson began.\n\nAs class commenced, the instructor led them through warm-ups and basics. All the while Lyra's presence and close proximity remained in Tuxley's mind along with a constant fluttering feeling in his chest. Tuxley, already sneaking frequent glances at Lyra, quickly found a whole other reason to stare. She performed her moves with a crispness and focus that caught him by surprise. Though she was only one belt rank above him and very much still a beginner, she looked like a natural. \n\nWhatever meeting this girl had done to Tuxley, this warm jittery feeling he couldn't get rid of --that he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of, seeing how graceful and powerful she looked threw yet more coal on the fire raging inside him. Without him even realizing it, he was slowly overcome by an overwhelming desire be as good as she was. Only it wasn't just that. He did want to be as good as she was, but that alone wasn't enough. What he wanted was for her to see that he could be as good as her. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but somehow he was going to impress this girl.\n\nHis efforts in this regard were helped by the fact that he was very much enjoying the karate class. As it went on, he put every bit of energy and focus into his movements as he could muster. He didn't always manage the proper form, the teacher gently correcting him a few times, but his intensity never wavered. The nods from the instructor were encouraging, but what motivated him most were Lyra's occasional glances at him. Several times their eyes met before quickly looking away, each time sending a thrilling jolt through Tuxley. \n\n[i]Did she just smile?[/i] He didn't dare look back to check.\n\nThey eventually moved on to practicing more advanced techniques. The class was structured with a rotating curriculum, so today's technique was new for the whole class. It was a basic sequence of moves. Pin the arm, chop to the throat. After several minutes of practice as a class, the instructor announced it was time to partner up and practice on each other.\n\n[i]Uh-oh![/i]\n\nAs soon as the instructor started pairing off students, Tuxley knew immediately who he'd be partnered with. Lyra was keyed in to this too. She quickly moved in on Tuxley, tail wagging and grabbed him by the wrist. \"Yay! Come on, Tuxley!\" She pulled his arm, smiling. \n\nDizzy and tingling at her touch, Tuxley let her lead him to an open practice mat.\n\n[i]Her hand feels so soft.[/i]\n\nShe let go of his wrist and positioned herself across from him. Still in a daze, Tuxley stood motionless. \n\n\"Hey, you alright? I'll grab you first. Ready?\"\n\n[i]Keep it together, Tuxley.[/i] He snapped out of his daze. \"Yeah, sorry. Ready.\" \n\n[i]Just have to get through this. Focus.[/i]\n\nHe got another little thrill when she put her hand on his shoulder and grabbed a a fistful of his gi.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat. Easy.[/i]\n\nHe maintained his composure well enough to make it through the simple technique, placing his hand on top of hers where it rested on his shoulder and delivering a slow chop that gently tapped her throat.\n\n\"Pretty good,\" she smiled encouragingly \"Now grab me.\"\n\nHe grabbed her shoulder.\n\n[i]So warm.[/i]\n\nShe pinned his hand firmly under hers and delivered a swift yet perfectly controlled chop that lightly tapped his throat. Her unexpected intensity elicited an involuntary gulp from Tuxley that he was certain she felt.\n\n[i]Say something.[/i]\n\n\"Y-you're uh, really good.\"\n\n\"Thanks!\" she smiled, \"You're doing great too for your first real class.\"\n\n\"T-Thanks.\" They continued practicing in turns.\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She's really nice.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I have to be as good as she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]I hope she's here a lot.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]Her hair is so pretty.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n[i]She still smells nice even when she's sweaty.[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder how old she is.[/i]\n\n[i]Pin the hand, chop the throat.[/i]\n\n\"OK, class,\" came a voice that barely registered to Tuxley. \"My white belts, you're going to keep practicing this one. Yellow and orange belts, this time, when your partner grabs you--\"[i]I wonder if she goes to my school. Should I ask?[/i]\n\n[i]Grab the shoulder.[/i]\n\n[i]I wonder what other stuff she li--[/i] \"Whaaahh..\"\n\nBefore he knew what happened, Tuxley was on the ground. The mat had cushioned his landing to some extent, but he still landed hard on his tail. It wasn't so much from pain, but the confusion and sudden shock of hitting the mat that brought a stinging rush of water to his eyes. After a momentary daze, he snapped back to his senses to realize Lyra was standing over him, still holding his wrist and looking down at him, a wide-eyed look of concern on her face.\n\n\"Oh my gosh, are you OK?\" he heard her ask as his mind tried to piece together what had just happened. \"I'm so sorry. I thought you were ready for the leg sweep. I should have made sure.\"\n\nPanicked over the thought of Lyra seeing the tears that had formed in his eyes, Tuxley averted his gaze while desperately trying to blink away the welled up water. \"I-I'm fine. Really.\" he tried to sound convincing as he started to get up.\n\n\"Here, let me help you up,\" one hand still holding his wrist, Lyra grabbed his elbow with her other hand and pulled him to his feet. \"That was kind of a hard landing. Are you hurt? Want to take a break?\"\n\n\"No. I'm OK. Really. Let's keep going.\" He insisted, forcing a blushing smile as he straightened up his belt and tugged his disheveled gi back into place.\n\nLyra exhaled with relief. \"Phew, OK, sure. Try and stick your arm out more next time, and roll on your side a bit. That should be softer.\"\n\n\"Thanks. OK.\"\n\n\"Your turn next,\" She said, repositioning herself to grab Tuxley again. \"Remember, you white belts are still doing the chop.\"\n\n\"Right.\" he nodded.\n\nCheeks still burning with embarrassment, Tuxley continued taking turns with Lyra for the remainder of class. Following Lyra's advice and knowing the sweep was coming made all the difference. He suddenly found himself looking forward to each time Lyra would sweep him to the ground. The pair exchanged genuine smiles that evolved into laughter every time she helped him back up.\n\nTo Tuxley's disappointment, the instructor called for them to line up to end class. After they had bowed out, Lyra immediately turned to Tuxley and smiled. \"I loved meeting you, Tuxley! I hope you're in class with me again. I'm only here some Saturdays. But I'm here every Tuesday and Thursday night!\"\n\nTuxley couldn't help but smile at this. \"Thanks. I liked meeting you too. I'll tell my mom to bring me those days.\"\n\n\"Yay!\" she exclaimed, tail wagging and smiling back at Tuxley. They stood there for a second looking at one another. The dazzling blue of her eyes peering into the deep purple of his. \n\nAfter that brief moment of silence, what Lyra did next gave Tuxley the biggest shock of the morning. All of a sudden, she threw her arms around his neck and nearly knocked him over as she pulled him into a hug. Tuxley was stunned. For the brief few seconds the hug lasted, he couldn't move, mouth open as waves of electricity buzzed through his body. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and blurted out \"Sorry for knocking you on your tail so hard!\" before turning and hurrying off towards the dojo's exit, blue tail waving back and forth as it bobbed along behind her. She stopped in the doorway just long enough to turn and bow out of the dojo before shooting one last blushing glance in Tuxley's direction and disappearing down the hallway.\n\nThe stunned little wolf stood rooted in place, still buzzing all over as his mind slowly processed what had just happened. He felt like he was floating, only vaguely aware of his surroundings while his mind was racing with a swarm questions bouncing around all at once. What was it about this girl? Why did she seem to like him so much? Why did he feel so strange around her? What was making his body tingle and that fluttery feeling in his stomach? How was he supposed to make it through every karate class with Lyra there? How was he supposed make it to Tuesday before seeing her again?\n\nA laugh to his right snapped his attention back to the present. He realized he was still standing there with his mouth open as the two cheetah twins walked past him whispering and stifling their snickering laughter. They had seen it all hadn't they? To Tuxley's own surprise, this realization didn't embarrass him nearly as much as he thought it should have. [i]Fine.[/i] he thought. [i]Good even. Lyra gave me a hug and not them and I'm glad they saw that.[/i]\n\nRealizing everyone else had left the dojo by now, Tuxley padded towards the door on jittery legs, still followed by that floaty sense of elation and warm buzzing.\n\n---\n\n\"Who was that girl you were partnered with?\" came the voice of his mother on the car ride home. He had forgotten that she had been watching the class from the sitting area. \n\n\"Oh, uhh, her name was Lyra,\" replied Tuxley, doing his best to sound disinterested and looking out the window in an attempt to hide his flushed face. In reality, she had been all he was able to think about.\n\n\"That was so nice that she hugged you!\"\n\n[i]Oh no! She saw that too![/i] Tuxley's cheeks were burning again now. He winced with embarrassment, eyes squeezed shut and ears drooped.\n\n\"Yeah, I guess,\" he finally managed to reply.\n\n\"Seems like she really likes you, Tux! Huh?\" She reached over and tussled his hair before returning her hand to the steering wheel.\n\nTuxley fidgeted in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut again. \"I dunno.\" he muttered as he looked back out the window, his entire face burning now.\n\n\"Well I think she's cute. I hope we see more of her.\"\n\nA few moments of silence passed as they drove home.\n\n\"Mom?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"The best classes seem to be Tuesday and Thursday nights. Can we come on those days?\"\n\nTuxley's mother turned to her side and pretended to check her blind spot to hide the smile she couldn't keep from spreading across her muzzle. She turned back with it mostly under control.\n\n\"Of course.\""
}