#but for photography. you're creating your OWN work. you have to go out find subjects yourself

[quaranmine]

seeing people use photography as a defense in favor of ai art (photography is easy/photography didn't replace drawn art/they're both just machines humans put input into to create things) makes me sort of violent as an amateur photographer

i am not hiking out to places, literally laying on the ground to get angles, memorizing aperature and iso and shutter speed and white balance information to compensate for constantly changing real-world conditions, paying attention to specific compositions, etc just for u to say it's the same as feeding some prompts into a computer. respect the technical expertise that goes into it or die by my sword

[nightcitygigs]

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ℂ𝕚𝕥𝕪!

𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚒. 𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪

Welcome to Night City Gigs - a weekly prompt page that encourages interaction with those in the community! Regardless of your medium, we encourage you to participate and meet new people! Here's how it works On each Monday, at 12:00 (Noon) MST there will be a "Gig Post" with the information for the gig! Gig's will be either issued by a moderator or user-submitted; if you want to submit your own gig, please do from our page!

Once a Gig is posted, commenting under it (it can say anything, but it does need to say the OC who is responding to the gig!) will earn you a slot! Slots for the gig are determined by the Caper Crew Maximum; it will say on the Gig Listing! These slots are first come first serve for each listing- that being said, if you have participated in the previous listing you are considered LOW priority for the next one. This allows others to join in who haven't yet participated! Gigs will be available to join for 24 hours after posting- these posts will be labelled as CLOSED after those 24 hours and the individual's will be @'d in the comments letting them know they got the slot!

You then have time to create! Write, in-game photography, art, or even RP! Whatever you can contribute to it, do it! Have fun! Meet new people! Once you post content, please @ this page! We would love to reblog your content!

We ask that you read the rules below before participating (this is a requirement) and like the post to ensure that you have read it in full ♡

ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕤

Want to use our generator? You can find it here!

Formatting lines are from here!

ℝ𝕦𝕝𝕖𝕤

Anything above and below is subject to change- I'm sure that I'm overlooking certain aspects and rules might get more lenient or strict as we see how these go. Please message this page with any and all feedback or suggestions that you have! That being said, for now we ask of a few things:

References

Before applying for a slot, please ensure that you have some kind of reference for the character that you are entering for that gig. This is kind for those who are working with visual mediums. Not having a reference (even an in-game reference is better than nothing) might have you restricted from future gigs.

Please be kind to those participating.

As this is a group activity, there are going to always have a variety of skill sets, personalities, and tastes. Everyone has come here to allow the community to flourish and celebrate our interests. Finally, being kind is a lot easier than being mean. We're all adults here- please have a kind and calm conversation if you've come to a disagreement!

Tapping Out

Someone might enter a gig and then might not be able to create due to personal circumstances. In this instance, we please ask that you message the appropriate parties (it could just be this page) so you can pull out of that Gig. This is only a preventative measure so that nobody is taking advantage of free resources or having the rest of the Caper Crew members feeling as if the circumstance is unfair. Tapping out this way will NOT bar you from future gigs!

Age Restriction To stay safe, we ask that you are 18+ to participate and follow this blog. You will be immediately blocked and blacklisted if you break this rule.

Thank you for reading!

As we said, there might be changes with any of this. We will keep you updated when the rules have been changed!

Special thanks to @another-corpo-rat for helping with any and all ideas & writing! You're an amazing and talented person and this wouldn't be possible without you. Thank you for continuously supporting me, my ideas and endeavors! Love ya!! ♡♡♡

[downingg2001]

Trembling Fawn; Part 3

Thought I would give a part 3 to Trembling fawn while you guys wait on the blood duel story. Ps. I need name ideas for it. Once again the photo is one of my own from my photography business!

“Dusk and Shadows”.

“Save me Kingslayer”.

“Take me to a place of Dusk and Shadows”.

Elain shot out of bed, panting, and pale. The winds from her open window, whispering to her of forgotten promises made long before her time.

Next to her, the shadowsinger stirred as well, as if sensed her uneasiness but exhaustion coaxed him farther into sleep.

She thanked the goddess for that. Last thing he needed was to worry about her.

It had been almost a year since everything had happened. A year since she had a single vision.. Until tonight. Like the cauldron decided it was punishing her not taking the mate it had generously given her.

She slid out of bed, careful for the bed not to dip and wake, Mother above he needed sleep. Rhysand had been working him relentlessly lately. The Highlord and sensed something coming just as much as elain had back in the garden, when she had confessed her love for him.

She leaned her head against the cold glass and sighed. She wasn't going to lie and say she didn't miss having visions, but her life was definitely easier without them.

They still had no idea why Azriel had been able to walk in her visions with her, and no idea why she could do the same with the shadows. Azriel had his theories but he never could find enough proof to back it up. Shadowsingers were rare, Seer’s even more so. The couple had been working with the priestess and Helion both on any information they could find. It also happened to create opportunities that helped Elain with her spy training.

“You should come back to bed Kingslayer” Azriels voice, soft as velvet night, rang in her ears.

“How long have you been up?” elain turned away from her window and faced her mate. He was leaned up against the headboard, watching her with such worry it made her heart hurt.

“Longer than you have.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” she let out a small laugh, shaking her head.

“No…But I knew you wanted to be alone. To think.”

She walked over to him taking his hand in hers as he pulled her gently down on his lap.

“You had a vision” the raspiness of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

Elain nodded.

“It’s been almost a year since your last one”. She knew Azriel had been beyond worried. She couldn't bring herself to say anything so she just intertwined her fingers with his own, caressing the scars on his hands gently before bringing his hand to her mouth and giving him a small kiss.

She could feel her husband's gaze on her, heated and all knowing.

She smiled into the kiss.

The shadowsinger hissed. “If you're trying to change the subject you're doing a damn good job, my love”.

She met his gaze “Am I? I hadn’t noticed”

“Don’t play Innocent..as much as i adore it, we both know..”

Elain cut him off, her lips crashing into his naturally pouty lips. Azriel moaned in her mouth. His hands tangled in her hair and made their way down her back, pulling her closer to him.

She gasped as he deepened the kiss, letting her cold fingers trace small circles on his abs. Az was naturally warm, she loved it, but he loved it even more, the sensation of her cold skin on him, for some reason it drove him crazy.

“If you don’t stop Lainy..” his voice as barley a whisper

“Stop what? Shadowsinger? '' she let her finger trace his underlip and smirked. “ Are you going to torture me?”

“You Cruel, wicked, creature” He groaned.

Azriel flipped them over and began attacking her neck in love bites and kisses. His hands slowly made their way up her thigh. His shadows began to wrap themselves around the two of them and Az hissed in annoyance.

“Busybodys”.

However he did not tell them to leave. Elain was under the impression that he might actually secretly enjoy the shadows playing along with them and Elain couldn’t help but giggle in delight at the thought. She certainly didn't have any objections to it.

“Not feeling wicked anymore my dear..”

Elain hummed, twirling one of Az’s curls between her fingers

“Your giggling says otherwise” he murmured into her neck continuing his attack on the skin between her ear and collar bone, his fingers sliding in out of the skin between her thighs.

“I’m always in the mood to be wicked with you” she let out a soft plea, her skin turning feverish. “I’m…I’m just delirously happy…you make me happy” she pushed the hair out of his beautiful gold eyes and kissed the side of his face.

That's all it took, Azriel claimed her, over and over again. Whispering promises in her ear of their future, of their family. Sliding in and out till neither one could walk, much more move.

Exhaustion eventually took over and the shadowsinger passed out, but not before promising elain that they would talk in the morning over breakfast …and the punishment that would follow for distracting him.

Elain watched him as he slept, his even breath. She liked this side of him, rare as it was to see him at peace. It had taken him a few months to relax with her.

“Dusk and Shadows” Azriel mumbled.

“Dusk and Shadows?” Elain Repeated, instinctively placing her hand on her flat stomach.

She frowned. Whispering the words again.

She felt it before it happened.

A heart beat

A baby’s cry

A phoenix and a fox

Laughter.

truthteller

Bloodied White wings wrapped in Shadows

Light

A war

Death and Rebirth

A unknown court

Elain gasped. She turned quickly and looked at Azriel’s sleeping form. She would deal with it in the morning. It could wait. To hell with Rhy’s! Azriel needed sleep.

She couldn't help but smile even after what she had just seen. She snuggled closer to her husband. Her hand remaining on her stomach.

They would deal with this together.

Her eyes began to flutter “Dusk and Shadows” she whispered.

[blakekathryn]

Hey! I’m hopefully going to school for 3D art! I’m going to community college to create a portfolio so I can get into school. Any advice for a person trying to get into art school? And someone aspiring to be a 3D artist in the 21st century?

Congrats on the fresh milestone you're approaching! I went to a public state university and studied Graphic Design. Which is tangential but not art school, I taught myself in the professional moonlit hours what I do today post-uni. What courses to this day I kiss the floor worshipping for my own artistic progress in both these realms are: color theory, composition/perspective, typography (text is very frequently included in some form with visual art), figure painting, and art history. The last being, as while history repeats itself, you can become educated and evolve to have past movements naturally influence your future progression. For getting into art school I imagine it's similar to me getting into upper division and you need a portfolio: only include works you feel show the utmost craft! There isn't always a bias of needing a clear style (do research for your school as that is a subjective situation), as that can be fleshed out with experience, but sloppy work will be noticed immediately. I still abide by doing 10-12 top tier projects/works as a portfolio, and no more than 15 or you may appear insecure on your own curation to those reviewing. Lastly, the elephant in the room, AI. Concept art is actively evolving at an unprecedented rate (I have friends in field who kick ass and are first to admit this), folks are changing their job titles or learning to use AI as a sketch/concept flush out and do paint overs/edits on top, etc etc. All this I say knowing, for a fact, that the industry is adopting these changes actively. I am not in concept art and so far am unaffected, but do know that taste is quickly becoming the most important skillset you can showcase to become hired alongside of course your body of work. I don't view it fully bleak, technology is inevitable and painters used to curse the presence of photography. Alas I find it naïve to ignore the mass adoption occurring and hopefully you can navigate your professional future accepting its existence and integration.

Best of luck to you, rooting for all your success <3

[mamadickevent]

Mama Dick Event Rules & FAQs

Mama Dick Event Rules

General Rules 

Anyone and everyone is allowed to participate in this ship-friendly, censorship-free event!

Please be kind with one another. We will not tolerate any sort of hate or harassment towards the mods, the participants, or the works created for this week. No matter what metric, be it ships, tropes or something else, if someone made something you dislike, you're more than free to click away and move on with your life. Anyone found in violation of this rule will be auto-blocked and banned from the event.

About Works

The works don’t have to be stand-alone, you can put all the prompts into one fic, or use the prompts to make new works in a long running series, those sound great! 

While this week focuses on Dick Grayson and his maternal nature and instincts, we encourage the inclusion of ships or other characters. Our simple ask is that the content submitted is:

A) Brand new

B) Mainly about Dick acting as a mother / parental figure

C) Tagged appropriately 

D) Follow the prompts.

There is no maximum or minimum word count, or any other restrictions on your piece. This means that you may have SFW, NSFW or even Dark themes. So long as everything is tagged properly (see below), it will be allowed. You may submit a NEW multi-chaptered work (including a WIP), but the entire work must be new. A new chapter for an existing work does not count.

The work does not have to be a written fic, if you want to approach these prompts from any other creative angle, go for it! The event has been designed with fanfics and fanart in mind, but go wild with your creativity!

Art pieces must be new works created by yourself, the submitter. Dick must be the main subject of the work. All forms of art are acceptable with the following EXCEPTIONS:

You may NOT take photography of human subjects (including in cosplay) as we have no way of verifying the age and consent of human subjects. Want to take photographs of your Legos or action figures? No prob!

ALSO: While this is a censorship-free event, using live or photographic/videographic references of minors for artwork is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If we discover that this has happened, you will be reported to the appropriate authorities. The mods of this event stand firmly against child abuse and exploitation.

About Tagging

If your non-fanfic creation is NSFW, you must tag it as such and follow Tumblr posting guidelines. Also, please tag all ships in the # with the common ship name so that those wishing to filter out certain tags may do so. 

 Fanfics must be rated and tagged per AO3 policies, whether or not you post them on AO3. 

 On Tumblr, please rate your work above the cut line (G, Teen, Mature, Explicit/NSFW). Post the content of mature and explicit fics below the cut line.

 All ships must be tagged above the cutline and in the # with the common ship name. 

You must also EITHER tag for triggers OR clearly indicate that “author chooses not to use content warnings” at the beginning of your fic. 

If you do choose to tag for triggers, please tag for them all and err on the side of tagging too much so that your readers will know what to expect and can make an informed decision about whether or not to read your fic.

We want this to be a safe event where people are able to accurately curate their own experience. Be aware that if an author states that they choose not to use content warnings, you are reading at your own risk and may find some content upsetting or triggering.

About Posting

Posting begins on 28th of August. Please do not post your works before then! And, only post on the appropriate day for your prompts. (Except for late posts, which are welcomed! But no early birds!)

You may use your created works for other weeks/exchanges/bingos/bangs as long as they allow cross-use.

You are free to post your work on whatever platform you choose.

If posting on Tumblr, please use a “Read More” for mature and explicit rated fics and art as well as for longer fics and tags above the cut line (see above). Use #mamadickevent2023 and mention us @mamadickevent so we can reblog your work.

If posting on Twitter, please follow and tag @mamadickevent so we can retweet your pieces.

Also, please self-post your work in our AO3 collection - https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MamaDickEventweek2023

Due to differences in time zones, please give us at least 48 hours to reblog/retweet your work. After that, feel free to drop us a DM in case we missed it!

Late entries are most definitely welcomed! Our love for motherly Dick is not contained in a simple week so you should absolutely feel free to fill the prompts late and tag us when you do!

About Tagging

Remember to take some time to enjoy the creations made by your fellow writers and artists and please push yourself to comment on their works, be it emoji, keyboard smash, 1-2 words, or an essay.

Everyone, yourself included, has worked hard to make this event a success and we all know that positive feedback means the world to content creators!

And, reblog reblog reblog both your own and your fellow creators’ works! Let’s build community as well as an awesome collection of Dick-centric work! 

Most important rule of all - have fun!!

FAQs

When is Mama Dick Week happening?

21st - 28th of August 

When will the Official Prompts be posted?

We hope to have them out by 12th of July. We will take prompt suggestions from around 28th of June and then the community will vote to determine the final prompt list.

How many prompts will be posted for each day?

Three

Do I have to include all the prompts in my work?

Not at all! Feel free to combine them or to only pick one. We simply ask that you note on your work which Day/Prompt you’re creating for.

Is there a certain structure I have to follow with the prompts?

The prompts are up for interpretation! Create whatever sparks your inspiration, so long as your work is mainly about Dick and his motherly nature / instincts. 

Am I allowed to create anything?

You can create fanfic, fanart, comics, mood boards, playlists, aesthetics, headcanons, meta, dolls - almost anything you can think of.

The EXCEPTION: You may NOT take photography of human subjects (including in cosplay) as we have no way of verifying the age and consent of human subjects. Want to take photographs of your Legos or action figures? No prob!

ALSO: While this is a censorship-free event, using live or photographic/videographic references of minors for artwork is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If we discover that this has happened, you will be reported to the appropriate authorities. The mods of this event stand firmly against child abuse and exploitation.

Can I have poly and multi ships?

Yes! All manner of ships are welcome here, so long as your overall work is Dick-centric. If you ship Dick with anyone / have background relationship(s) in your fic, Dick should at least get equal focus compared to his partner(s) and not outshined by the background relationship(s). 

Do I have to make something for every single day?

Not at all! You’re free to crank out all seven days, or only pick and choose which days you create for. So long as you have fun, it’s all good! No need for stress.

What type of contents are allowed and what isn’t?

There is no restriction for this event! Anything goes for this particular week. You can use any canon, part of canon, or AU centric plots for your work. There is no limit to what rating or relationships for your work, and you may write Dick as any gender(s) and/or orientation. It’s up to you as long as your work is tagged properly and you’re at least 18+ if you’re posting a NSFW work.

How do I participate?

    •    There is no sign up needed! You make whatever it is you want for the prompts, add the work to the AO3 collection, and/or tag us on Tumblr, @mamadickevent, or on Twitter, @mamadickevent with #MAMADICKEVENT2023 and whatever day the submission is relevant for! Point of Contact: 

mamadevent01@gmail.com

[sciapod]

Bathtub Photoshoot 💦

Pairing: Henry Cavill x First Person-POV (Female, or at least X wears a bra and has breasts)

Summary: Little private photosesh' with Henners and then some.

Warnings: Dry humping but let's just call it grinding. Edging. 18+ to be safe!! Contains smut. You might be able to find the tiniest bit of angst. And bit of fluff.

Word count: 2.5K

Not beta’ed! I take full responsibility for this fuckup.

Inspired/prompted by this post by @cavillfics

Masterlist

I obviously don't own Henry Cavill, nor do I know him IRL, so it goes without saying that this is a figment of my imagination.

(I took the liberty to edit the photo just a bit and don’t know who to credit for the original edit. Let me know if you know, so I can give credit where it's due.)

Happy reading 💦

---

“Babe, I've got an idea! Can you do something for me, please?”

When I heard you coming through the front door, I rushed to meet you there. You were finally home again and was hanging your jacket on the coat rack when I found you.

“Oh, well,” you reply, “I really want to just lean back, maybe take a shower or something. It’s been a long week, babe. And hello, by the way.”

You step over to me, reach around my waist and pull me against your firm body.

“Mhm, you smell lovely,” you whisper in my hair. I sigh, then wiggle myself free of your embrace.

“Henry, listen,” I look up at you with my best attempt at puppy eyes. You breathe deeply and turn your face, scratching mine with your stubble. It sends shivers through my body.

“Okay,” you hum as your hands roam my body, finding their way to my bare thighs then sneaking up beneath my robe, “tell me.”

I grab your hips and press my core against your thigh as I lean backwards, looking up at you, “I want to take some pictures … of you.”

Your face goes through a range of emotions; surprised, suspicious, smirking, friendly and finally incredibly charismatic: Front-page-style smile.

“That’s the one!” I say with excitement.

“Which one?” you tease, furrowing your brow and looking all suspicious again.

“You know perfectly well, you buffoon!” I say, as I slap your chest playfully.

My entire body lifts when you laugh. You kiss my forehead and twirl some of my hair between a few fingers. Your eyes shift, gazing at various areas of my face. I sigh, then reach for your hands, the one playing with my hair and the other, which I find gently caressing the lace of my panties.

I hold your hands between us and look up at my man.

“You do realize, of course, that you are basically a Greek god carved out of stone.”

“I have been told so, yes.”

“And you do realize that every artist needs a muse, a model, to create from.”

“I have a faint idea of that, yes,” you say, smirking down at me.

“And I happen to be short of a project, and subject, for my portfolio.”

“I see,” your smile broadens, “but what does that have to do with me?”

“Henry!”

My declining patience must have been obvious somewhere in my face or perhaps my exclamation, because you burst out laughing, throwing your head back as you do so. I can’t help but melt a little.

“Tell me what you need me to do, darling,” you say, stroking my hands with your thumbs. I feel warmth spread through my chest. Your face softens and I feel the warmth spread further down.

“Fuck,” I breathe, casting my eyes to the floor. I’m suddenly filled with all kinds of insecurities, imposter syndrome and such, but there’s a reason why you’re my man. You sense it immediately and lift my hands to your lips, kissing them sincerely.

“You’ve got this, babe.”

I sigh, “I know, sweetheart. It's just… Urgh.”

You kiss my forehead.

“Tell me your idea.”

“I…” My voice breaks. You lift my chin up with a single finger, as if it were suddenly light as a feather, forcing me to look into your striking blue eyes.

“I don’t know,” I finally exclaim. “I didn’t have a concrete idea. I just knew that I wanted you to be in the photos.”

You smile, almost apologetically, “Okay, look. I really want to help. But I’m so damn tired. I’ve got an idea, though, of how we may be able to hit two birds with one stone.”

“Okaay?” I say, a slight tinge of hope seeping into my core again.

“I need a bath–”

“–I can’t take a nude picture of you!”

You laugh again, but shake your head, “No, silly. Let me finish.”

My cheeks flush scarlet.

“I need a bath, but instead of taking a shower, I’ll jump in the tub. Once in there, you can have me do whatever you want.”

I squint my eyes, then see a lightbulb flash on.

“YES!” I almost yell, running my hands up your torso and leaning in for a kiss.

“Yes,” I repeat, then press my lips against your sculpted ones. It is as if your lips curl to a smile amidst the kiss.

“Yes,” I say one last time, meeting your eyes, “If you get the water running, I’ll collect my gear.”

Your hands go wandering about on my hips again, dragging my robe up and making my hairs stand on end. You look down at me with a confident smile, saying, “great minds think alike.”

I fight off the urge to kiss you again and instead draw away from you. You catch the waistband of my robe and it slides off as I step away, revealing the new set of lingerie I’m wearing underneath. I stand, looking at you with what I imagine is the expression of a suspicious feline. You, on the other hand, make a low whistle and shake your head in slow motion, clearly surprised and pleased to see what I was hiding beneath. Then you nod toward the living room, signalling I get on with finding my camera.

It takes me a few minutes to find the right lens. When I enter the bathroom, you’re in the process of unbuckling your belt. The tap is running and there’s already a bit of water in the tub.

“Wait,” I say, stopping you just as you’re about to pull your jeans down, “I think I want you in the water dressed.”

You stare for a moment, shrug, say “sure,” then proceed to tug your jeans over your perky bum again.

“Right, erm,” I think for a moment, “No, you know what? Lose the pants, but keep the t-shirt on.”

“Lose the pants,” you repeat and let your jeans fall to the floor. As you stand back up, I realize something.

“We might have a problem,” I say, eyeing the hefty bulge in your boxers.

You follow my gaze, noticing the same problem, then nod in agreement.

“But then again,” you say, “what did you expect, looking like that?” you hint at my open robe and lingerie.

We both shrug, then burst laughing.

“I guess we’ll just have to make it work!” I say, “Now, in the tub with you, buddy.”

You feel the temperature of the water and deciding that it’s decent, turn off the tap, step in and lie down. There’s not a lot of water in there, but I’m assuming it will do. You look up at me with anticipation, “Now what?”

I squint at you, finding the bulge slightly distracting, basically towering above the waterline like another Burj Khalifa. Obviously, you notice my lack of response.

“Hey, babe!” you say, snapping me out of it. I feel my nether region clench.

“Okay, okay!” I shake my head to wake up. You shake yours too, smirking at me.

“We need to do something about that,” I say.

“I can try to hide it?” you suggest.

“How?” I squint. It’s a mastodon of a package you has stored down there, I think to myself.

“Anyway, I need to find a position to photograph you from.”

I begin taking random photos of you from various angles and perspectives, simultaneously adjusting the settings on the camera as I do so. Meanwhile, you roll around to one side, then the other, then back again. The squeaking sounds of your body rubbing against the sides of the tub while you change poses makes the whole situation rather comedic, and I'm convinced you're doing it even worse on purpose. Determined to be somewhat professional, I try to ignore your distractions.

“It’s a good thing we have such good lighting in here,” I say, gazing around the small room, pretending to be focused and ignorant of your attempts at sabotage.

“How do you want me, babe? I feel like… I don’t even know? A fish out of water,” you say, doubting your own wording, “or something like that.”

I sigh, “I know, I get it. I need to think. We’ve also still got that… situation… going on.” I gesture at the, no less apparent, tent between your legs.

“Okay,” you say calmly, “I’ll just lie back and relax, while you think of something.”

“Good.”

As you settle into a comfortable position, I mentally run through the various “golden rules” of photography that I can remember.

Then it’s as if I notice the obvious. The absolute god-like adonis carved in marble in front of me: My initial inspiration. Your white t-shirt, soaked from all the turning and splashing around you did, is sticking to your chest and abs, enhancing the lines of your muscular torso, yet still in a perfectly suggestive fashion; somewhat similar to the drapery you see on these same sculptures. In a fit of impulse, I crawl up to stand on the edges of the tub.

You open your eyes –awoken by my scramblings– fear in your eyes as you reach for me, “be careful, babe!”

“No no, darling! Stay put!” I say, “I’m perfectly safe. It’s dry. My feet are dry. I’m stable, but thank you.” I smile, reassuringly. Suspicious yet accepting, you lower your arms and lie back down. I notice your eyes trail down my exposed body. Lust now clear as daylight in your gaze.

“I think I’ve got the photo soon, babe, then we’re done,” I explain. “Just close your eyes for me.”

You shake your head and smile, then do as I said.

Your head rests on the back of the tub, but your fingers begin fidgeting … around your nether region.

“Are you uncomfortable?” I ask between photos.

“No…” you smirk, eyes still closed, but you shift and rest your hands awkwardly on your stomach instead.

“We can’t have that,” I say, “you’re covering the main part of the photo,” I tease.

You open your eyes, still smirking but not saying a word.

“And you’re revealing, exposing, what we need to hide,” I try to hold back my laugh.

“Okay,” I continue, “what about… what if you hold your t-shirt at the hem and stretch it down to cover your crotch. Place your other hand casually beside it. Yeah, like that! Exactly, babe. Beautiful.”

I take a couple of photos and look at them on the tiny screen.

“Right, hold that pose, but just… kinda relax, if you can. I’ll take a few shots more and then you’re done!”

You close your eyes again and begin taking deep breaths, lessening the tension that must have been building in your shoulders over the last few days. As peace falls upon your face and body, I take the last photos. After quickly reviewing them on the tiny screen, I decide that I’m done. I turn off my camera and place it on the shelf above the tub before crawling down to sit on the edge of the tub, my feet in the water between your legs.

“Okay, it’s a wrap!”

Your eyes flash open and you let go of your t-shirt. The fabric bounces back, revealing your hairy tummy, teasing me. You look up at me with mischief, then give your member a squeeze.

“Get down here,” you say, almost ferocious in your voice.

I feel myself get all giddy with sudden anticipation as you rise like Poseidon from the water. Before I can do anything other than yelp, you pull me down onto you and with a splash and a thud I land against your rock-hard body. I'm instantly soaked.

“Finally,” you mutter, drenching my face and neck with hungry kisses. Your hands tease the collar of my robe before sliding it over my shoulders. Your eyes explore the curves of my upper body, then you adjust me so that I sit straddled upon you. You don’t speak a word, but your eyes and body say everything I need to know.

I feel your girth throbbing against me. You slide my robe all the way off and without taking your eyes off me, you cast it aside. Then your hands slide up my body. You cup my breasts tenderly, admiring the lace and how the new style of bra suits my breasts. You lick your lips as your thumbs begin stroking my hardening nipples. I sigh and begin grinding against the tip of your member.

You sit up and proceed to kiss and bite the flesh of my breasts. Gently holding the lace aside with your fingers, you capture my nipples between your teeth, ever so gently, before circling your tongue around them with exquisite attention. While squeezing my breasts together, you kiss them one after the other, back and forth, before venturing up to my collarbone and neck. All I can do is whimper and moan.

Then you grasp my hair, pulling my head back. Between kisses and bites on my exposed neck, you breathe damp, sultry words onto my skin. Expressions of how I’ve been a tease, how patient you’ve been and how much you want me now. I want to answer, but I can’t do anything but mutter incoherencies; your throbbing cock eagerly pressing against my core and thus stealing all of my vocabulary.

My breath quickens as I grind harder, cursing the fabrics that keep our cores from meeting, merging. Then you push me towards you, allowing our lips to meet in hungry kisses. My bra loosens. You must have managed to open and take it off me with your other hand, before also casting it aside. You grab at my liberated breasts, then sit up and pull your drenched t-shirt over your head. It lands on the bathroom floor with a splash. My hands instinctively seek the wet fur of your stomach and chest, momentarily squeezing your pecs, then wander south again.

Your eyes read pure hunger and you buck your hips. As I fall back down from the jump, my core meets the powerful strength of your pelvis, bucking yet again. I gasp, overcome by a mixture of arousal and humor. You buck again, a laugh escapes me and somehow, after a few times of this, you’ve managed to free your erection from your boxers. I didn’t notice, but at some point you must have turned on the tap again, because I see you turn it back off. I guess this increased level of water also explains the more slow-motion-like sensation I experience as I land back down on your pelvis; a somewhat softer landing than before. In my own defence, I was entranced and my mind was not functioning at 100%, hence the questionable description. Anyway, both our hips are now submerged under water and I simply shake my head at your mischievous ways. You smirk and pull me down to a deep kiss, slapping my ass through the water, making more water splash all over the place. Everything in the room is certainly wet by now.

I grind against your exposed and infinitely hard cock as your fingers slider under the lace. Your hands grab my cheeks with determination, enhancing the force and enabling you to better thrust against my grinding motion. The friction is causing short-circuits in my brain, making me see colours that aren’t there. My first climax is staggeringly near, but just before I get to release, you buck your hips again, making me scoot off your cock. A devious grin is smeared across your chiseled face.

“You had me waiting, sweetheart. Now it’s my turn to tease.”

---

Thanks for reading my shitpost! Please leave a comment of your thoughts, however nonsensical they may be 💜🙏

Tags in the reblog 🖤Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list.

[eleganttravelergoatee]

Does a blog really need a niche?

There is a wealth of information available about blogging. But one issue that keeps coming up is whether or not I need to have a niche. Is it OK if you don't have a specialized blog? First and foremost, what exactly is a specialized blog?

Creating a blog for a particular and focused market is referred to as a "niche blog." This is a blog dedicated to a single subject. Consider a blog dedicated to digital photography. Alternatively, a pregnancy fashion blog for ladies. Alternatively, a gluten-free culinary blog.

If you don't have a specialized blog, there's some disagreement over whether you can still be successful. I'd like to show you why I believe you can.

Content, social media analytics, and pageviews aren't the most essential aspects of a blog for me. You must want to blog. You must like the process and want to continue blogging. You'll grow bored and tired of blogging if you don't do it. You'll stop if you don't like it.

Regardless of whether you have a specialized blog or not, you must take care of it. Many people believe that in order to be a successful blogger (in any sense), you must first have a niche.

I don't agree.

This is why:

It's not always simple to choose a route when you first start blogging. You may be discussing one issue or another, and you may feel compelled (not to mention pressured) to limit yourself to just one blog topic. What happens if you change your opinion or lose interest in the subject? Then you feel compelled to maintain a blog that no longer has a purpose for you.

Consider any of the radio broadcasts, talk shows, or morning news programs you regularly listen to. Do they constantly stick to a single topic?

NO!

What's more, do you know why? Because they are always utilizing engaging, top-of-mind news and materials that the audience finds fascinating. They effortlessly transition from one topic to the next, keeping us engrossed the whole time.

You are also free to do so.

Time for a story: I used to name my blog "Do Dallas Cheap" when I first began it. The plan was for me to go online and look for Dallas deals for the day.I collected a list of the greatest bargains and built a page with all of the offers and my suggestions day in and day out.

I despised it.

I had a few hits, to be sure. But I couldn't keep forcing myself to write that way any longer. Then I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wrote about my life and threw in a few deals. Then I ditched the entire "business" and wrote about what I really wanted to talk about. Traveling, fracturing my ankle, my marriage, writing, and social networking were all topics on which I wrote.

It was fantastic. I felt like I was being genuine to myself, not just because I was receiving more comments (which I wasn't getting before). And that was the deciding factor.

I wanted to blog more, and as I did, I discovered which subjects I liked writing about, which ones my readers loved, and which ones they didn't like. I started a "lifestyle blog" that I was passionate about, and my followers were as well. My site increased in popularity as the quality of the materials I provided improved. Producing no longer seems like a chore.

Now for the actual question: Can you have a successful blog without a niche?

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES,

To begin with, I'm going to do it. I'm a full-time blogger that earns money from my site and I don't have a specialty. Are you looking for additional examples? Here are some full-time bloggers who don't have a specific niche:

– A Cup of Jo (A Cup of Jo)

– The Sunday Chapter (http://thesundaychapter.com/)

– The Bloggess (The Bloggess)

– The Londoner (The Londoner)

– Love Taza (Love Taza - Rockstar Diaries)

to mention a few. These ladies are all badass bloggers who have earned money from their blogs despite never settling on a specialty.

I'm not suggesting specialized blogs aren't useful. If you have a niche blog, that's fantastic! But it's OK if you don't; you may still be very successful.

I'm a passionate person with a wide range of interests, and my blog reflects that. I decided to create a brand around myself rather than a particular area of skill or passion.

#Of course, whichever path you pick, you will need to put in a lot of effort and commitment. You may discover the perfect method that works for you as long as you're enthusiastic. Just keep in mind that a specialized blog isn't the sole option.

You can build a successful blog whether or not you want to have a specialty.

We all begin at "zero." Nobody begins with a large number of followers or page views. We're all learning as we go, and we're all responsible for charting our own course. That is why I want to always be someone who is willing to assist and support other bloggers. We're all in this together, after all.

The issue is: how can you get visitors to a blog, whether it's specialized or not? I think you should begin with a fantastic blog article.

[someraesofsun]

Hey I feel bad if you're getting hate, I honestly wanted to send a writing thing but I was like eh you don't wanna hear from me. But anyways what if like there were these two artists. One did photography and the other was a painter and they argued about which was better and eventually they find out they like each other because the photographer has secret pictures of the painter painting and the painter has painted the other while they were working. Hope that's decent.

Hey I made this Giles because you literally cannot stop me. Also sorry this took ten years. 

Title: In the Eyes of the Beholder

Pairing: Geoff/Miles

Word count: 3,874

Rating: E, some cursing 

There was always one person in your circle of friends that you just could not bring yourself to like. One person at least that you kept at an arm’s distance for their personality alone. For Miles, that person was Geoff. Among his found collective of artists, he met a variety of different creators that he would have never even known existed if not for the wonders of the internet. There was Kerry, a sculptor. Mariel did murals and graffiti art. Then of course there was Lindsay, a knitter, Michael, a cake maker with the most beautiful designs. Mica danced and Matt was a digital artist, Barbara designed clothes and Kyle wrote. All of them made such amazing, creative, inspiring things that in their own special way, affected Miles’ own photography work in positive ways.

Then there was fucking Geoff.

The first time Miles met said ‘fucking Geoff’ was at their first face-to-face meeting after weeks of talking with one another on a local forum started by Mariel to reach out to new fellow artists. Her original intention was to meet street artists, specifically. But instead, she was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of talent she brought together. Not a single one of them had the same talent. Everyone was so varied in what they not only considered art, but how they expressed that interpretation. It began a lot of discussions, it unified a group that would otherwise not talk to one another. Miles was proud to be a part of it.

Miles never liked Geoff much in internet form. He was a painter, and one that hardly took his own skill seriously, so why would he bother thinking much about anyone else’s? Well, that wasn’t exactly true… he was always quick to compliment Mica’s videos, Lindsay’s new knitting projects, Kerry’s realistic looking busts. But he never had anything to comment on with Miles’ pictures. What was the deal with that!? Miles wasn’t usually the type to take offense to ‘ghosting’ on the internet. But serious, what the hell!?

He got his answers at their first meeting. The coffee shop. The first time he ever laid eyes on Geoff’s stupid face which had probably the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, but that was beside the point. Those eyes belonged to a horrible, ignorant man. A fraud of an artist. An absolute dick.

They all dragged a couple high tables together to accommodate for their large party. Some people he immediately recognized, like Mica, who showed her face in her dance videos. Some people he had no idea on. Was that the elusive Kerry, elusive sculptor extraordinaire who turned scrap metal into one of the most haunting modern pieces of the decade? Was he sitting next to Matt, who knew his way around a muted fall color palette like nobody’s business? Everyone recognized Mariel, she posed with all her work in her pictures of it. Everyone mumbled out introductions amongst themselves. The man next to Miles turned out to be Michael, not Matt. He gave Miles a shoulder shove and spoke in a loud, matter-of-fact voice.

Miles was interested in the man with the blue eyes and the tattoos all over his arms. He sat across from Miles and kept glancing back at him. Each time he looked over, Miles felt his heart pound. Something about those eyes, he’d love to get a few pictures of the man. Maybe a number, a dinner date that ends at someone’s place, a marriage proposal and-

“Alright guys! Looks like everyone’s here! Time for the formal introductions.” Mariel stood from her seat and turned to her left, motioning to a blonde woman with a smile. Yeah, Miles wouldn’t mind a date with her, either! What’s her name? “We’ll start with you.”

“I’m Barbara, hi. I’m Blawndee on the forum. I see some of you are even wearing my designs today, so that’s really neat.” Barb! Wow, Miles had no idea Barb was hot. Why didn’t he wear anything she made for him today? Stupid move! He definitely blew all his chances with Barb the second he didn’t wear one of her shirts. Oh well, there was always tattoo man…

Next to Barb was Lindsay, also really cute. Miles was smart enough to wear a Lindsay-made scarf. Then came Kyle, cute. Matt, cute. Mica, who was really cute and laughed at the end of a lot of her sentences nervously which only made her more cute. He’d met Michael already and that left…

Oh, he was next. Oh. Social anxiety was suddenly haunting him. He stood from his seat, looking on at all his friends. Talented, wonderful friends who were also all far too attractive for his liking. “Um. Hello! I’m Miles, lunatic24 on the forum. And I’m the photographer!” He held up the camera looped around his neck for effect. Across the table, he heard a snort.

A snort!?

Nobody else got a snort!

Miles looked towards the direction of the snort, as did the rest of the group. All eyes laid on the tattooed man fidgeting in his seat. He did move around a lot, and cover his mouth with his paint covered hands to hide his smiles. As cute as the gestures were, Miles was no longer seeing a future with him. “Um, hi! Who are you?”

“Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to… ha! Sorry.” He looked erratic with how much he shifted in his seat. “Just… photography.”

“What about it?” Miles said defensively, the rest of the group went silent.

“No, no. It's just that… well come on, I can't be the only one here that thinks it's such a bullshit art.” Geoff looked around the table to very blank faces.

“You probably are, asshole. What the hell do you do? Who the fuck are you?” Miles glared, well, if he thought he was getting a date and marriage proposal, the tattooed dickwad sure had another think coming!

“Geoff. A guy who actually makes shit instead of capturing it.” Geoff rolled his eyes. “Don't take it so personally. It's not like you do much anyway.”

“Geoff-” Mariel was about to intervene, until Miles cut her off.

“Says the guy who probably hasn't picked up a camera in his entire life, but sure, go on.”

“Miles-” Mariel’s irritation grew with the interruption. Still the two continued to bicker.

“Oh buddy, I was a journalist in the army and took pictures of shit that would keep you up at night if you saw it in person. I can take pictures. It took me a week to learn how to do it decently? Not art.”

“If you learned properly, how could you possibly not consider it art!? The rule of thirds, the color theories and shit, it takes time to line up and get the perfect shot-”

“Bah! It's nothing! Taking a picture is easy! You press a button and there it is for you-”

“-A perfect shot which may never even-”

“-Have you ever even tried to paint a tree? No! You haven't! You just point a lens at one and-”

“-You truly know nothing if you're gonna compare two completely different-”

“-You take a stupid picture and you call it avant garde while I spend weeks-”

“-two complete different forms! Both of which are valid and-”

“GUYS!” Mariel's voice boomed through the cafe, her first slammed on the table, causing everyone's cups to slosh around and clatter. Silence once again. “I… I think we've had enough debate time for today. Before everyone even got to introduce themselves. So how about we just let it the fuck go. Yeah?”

That was the first time they met. They had since debated even more of whether or not Miles was a true artist. Something about the camera just put Geoff off. He was happily willing to accept knitting and writing as forms of expression, but he refused to ever see photography as anything other than taking pretty pictures of stuff that hardly matters on its own. Unread of his pretentious opinion that all Miles did was document. He didn't contribute to the beauty. He didn't create anything from what wound up on his film roll. It was all happily provided to him by nature and the grace of god and all he had to do was take the snapshot of it. Geoff, he argued, was a creator. He took the paints and the canvas and he transformed it. Barbara took yards upon yards of fabric and made it into something wearable. Lindsay knew how to tie yarn together in such a way that she made practical items. But Miles? He didn't even make the film. He was a spectator. He was a hobbyist. He was never an artist.

Every trip out, Miles was reminded this. Days out to the park were met with Geoff behind his easel, painting a stupid still life of a stupid flower while spouting off his stupid opinions. His way of capturing the beauty of the flower was far superior, far more crafted than Miles’ way. Art gallery trips were met with his distaste that they even had a photography section, as he went on and on about the value of real, fundamental art. It was always the fundamentals with him. Every pompous statement he had was met with gav rise of anger from Miles. Deep down, Miles knew that was exactly why he said all those things. To get a rise out of him. And yet here Miles was, giving him exactly what he wanted each and every time. From the red in his cheeks to the bite in his responses. All Geoff did when he got this way was smile. It was infuriating every single time!

Miles wanted to prove him wrong. He wanted to take his camera and create a photograph so perfect, it was like a painting on its own. All he needed was a subject, and the perfect lighting, manufactured by him of course, and the right mood. An unedited shot that showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was not only an artist, but a talented one at that. He talked in great detail about his mission among more polite company. He'd grown close with Barbara and Lindsay, in particular. They knew all about his struggles with the tattooed painter. All they had to say about it was just how concerned they were getting for the man's health.

“I'm concerned for your health,” Lindsay said over lunch one day with Barb. “You worry too much about what one guy thinks about your artform. So what he's got something against photography? He's an ass.”

“You do tend to obsess over everything he says. I don't think taking a really nice picture is going to sway him.” Barbara glanced at Lindsay with a frown to match her own. “It's… stupid to dwell on him.”

Miles narrowed his eyes at the two. “You think I'm obsessed with him? Oh no, this isn't obsession. Don't you see? This is drive. He wants an artist, I'll give him an artist.”

“He never said he wanted an artist out of you. He just said that you weren't one.” Lindsay pointed out.

“Well he's wrong, because I am. And I'm going to show it.” Miles said through gritted teeth. He looked too crazed for the comfort of the blonde and the redhead.

“Um... So. You've heard this sort of thing before, I'm sure. We all have. You're not a real artist. This isn't a real job. This is a hobby.” Barbara paused, choosing her next words carefully. “Why is it… different when he says it?”

“Well he's one of us! He shouldn't even be thinking like that! It's a betrayal to the arts, it's-”

“His own stupid, useless opinion.” Lindsay interrupted, eating a forkful of pasta. “Miles, he's literally doing this for a reaction. You're an idiot.”

Despite his inability to counter statement, Miles continued his pursuit of upstaging Geoff. For days he searched for that perfect picture. Rolls of film all used up as he furiously took pictures of everything and anything he could find. Nothing was just right enough, though. He struggled to find that perfect snapshot into life that would blow Geoff's mind.

It was bumming him out!

It wasn’t until one day, when the group all came out to help Mariel with a street Mural, that Miles finally found the perfect shot.

It was a sweltering hot day, the blank canvas came in the form of a brick wall in Central Austin. The only person who looked like the wanted to be there (and oddly, the only person who wasn’t a sweating mess) was Mariel, but it was good experience to see just how the artist made all her amazing designs reality. Everyone helped in painting in an already sketched out design. Mariel drew it out like an elaborate paint-by-numbers project, each individual sketched out spot was given a specific number for which places to shade and where what color went. Miles put himself in charge of the easiest looking parts, the light blue sky. Minimal change in colors. And he got to draw in the birds.

By 3 o’clock, everyone was exhausted from the heat, splayed out on the grass of a nearby park and taking advantage of the shady trees. All but one, Miles realized. For across the street, at the big brick wall with a half-done mural, was an tattooed man in cargo shorts, covered in paint, still taking a smaller brush to the wildflowers that lined the bottom corner of the mural. Miles watched him for the longest time, he sat up and after hastily wiping his hands on his own shirt, he pulled out his camera and snapped a picture of what he saw.

There was something compelling about what he captured. Geoff, all alone and still painting. The incompleteness of the mural. How the paints faded to red brick in unfinished places. When it was edited and printed, Miles couldn’t stop looking at the finished project. It told a nice story of commitment to work or something of the like, or maybe it just looked nice. Miles couldn’t decide what he liked about it, but it had to be one of his favorite shots.

Thus began a very strange fixation with taking pictures of Geoff when he went out with the artist group.

He carried his camera around his neck everywhere he went, still on the quest for more and more perfect shots. He couldn’t dare to use any pictures of Geoff to one-up Geoff, oh no, that was his pride on the line. But Geoff was quickly becoming his favorite subject. A night in playing cards with the artist group turned into a portrait Miles took from across the room of Geoff peeking up from behind his cards, a glint in his eye seconds before he laid down a flush. At coffee shops with him leaning against the wall, tall latte in hand, talking with Michael about something or the other. Snapshots of him in mid laugh so full of life, you could hear his trademark laughter if you looked at the photo long enough. By the end of five weeks, Miles had pictures of nothing but one pretentious painter and his beautiful, intricate tattoos. Geoff had no idea just how well-documented he was by Miles.

Also in those five weeks, Geoff was… less cruel. He wasn’t exactly nice, but he no longer tried to get under Miles’ skin. Miles didn’t understand it, nothing had changed much. Except that he talked less to the Geoff and the group overall. He was invested in his own project, finding that shot. Getting it on camera. Show Geoff how wrong he was about photography. One barbeque dinner on a gloomy day at Lindsay’s, Miles felt the gaze of someone while he was on laying on his stomach, taking a picture of a cat that had wandered into the woman’s yard. He turned and looked up, catching Geoff staring at him from the porch. For the longest time, the both of them were still, then Miles smiled, getting up and pointing his camera up at Geoff. He snapped a picture. It was all it took to snap Geoff out of his gaze.

“Argh! Don’t do that!” He broke eye contact with Miles, rolling his eyes. “I.. was supposed to check up on the ribs. Everyone went back inside, isn’t it cold out for you?”

“Kinda. But look. Kitty!” Miles let his camera hang off of him while he bent down and picked up the gray tabby cat. “He’s really fat, isn’t he? He’s collared though.” The cat mewed, as if offended that Miles would point out his figure.

Geoff looked briefly conflicted before he sat down at the abandoned table and chairs. “You ever thought about just… leaving that damn camera at home for once?”

“Nope.” Miles carried the cat over to Geoff and sat down next to him. He scratched behind the tabby’s ears, which was responded with a low purr. “Taking pictures is what I do! And this cutie was too cute to ignore, he’s so photogenic.”

“He looks pissed off.” Geoff replied flatly.

“That’s because you’re here.”

Miles dodged an arm swat with a laugh, and for a second, they might have at least appeared friends for a second. Geoff had a look in his eyes that Miles couldn’t place the meaning of. “You know, now that I think about it, taking pictures is about all you do. What’s up with that?”

“Well, uh,” Miles shrugged, faltering. “I guess I just see a lot of beauty in a lot of things. I wanna capture as much as I can, knowing that it’s not going to last forever. That’s why I like it so much. It’s quick. Painting takes time, you might miss a detail or something might slip by you. But a photo is, well, I guess you’re kind of right. It’s easy. You can capture an exact moment and it’s going to stay alive with you forever. The hard part is making sure you catch those moments before they get away. Kind of like catching butterflies in a net or something. You only have so many chances.”

Geoff didn’t say anything for a while, looking at Miles and taking all of what he said in. “That was beautifully put.” He looked away, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs. His hands fiddled about and he stared straight ahead. “When I was in the army, the stuff I saw through a lens was rarely pretty.”

“I can imagine reporting for the army wasn’t all… wildflowers and cats.” Miles swung mindlessly swung his feet before setting the cat back on the ground and removing his camera from his neck. He handed it over to Geoff. “Here. Try it now. There’s plenty of pretty right here if you look for it.”

Geoff looked at the camera skeptically, but took it and held it up to his face. He glanced around the yard for a few seconds, zeroing in on a stray dandelion in the grass. The camera clicked and he looked at the preview screen.

“Huh. Not bad.” He mumbled, tilting the camera towards Miles. “Wanna see?”

Miles looked at the picture and nodded. “Good. Yeah. A little out of focus… but good!”

“Oh shut up, Luna.” Geoff laughed and pulled the camera away. “What other shit you got on here?” He opened up the gallery, scrolling through all the different pictures. Miles was suddenly on high alert. He definitely had an old SD card in there.

“Oh, you don’t want to see any of my-”

“What the fuck is this?”

Geoff was stopped on a picture of none other than himself. Mid-laugh and taken today at the barbeque. He scrolled through and saw even more pictures of himself. All taken at different events and get-togethers. “...Holy shit dude, are you stalking me?”

“No! No, no! Not really! Fuck, shit! That’s what it looks like but no!” Several bells were going off in Miles’ head. He panicked and struggled to think of an explanation. “I just take pictures of things I like looking at, and you’re very… aesthetically pleasing. The tattoos and the eyes and… hair. Messy hair. I like it, I like taking pictures of… it.”

“My… hair.”

“No! Not just your hair! All of it, you, all of you. I just like your… look. That’s all. And you always seem to be the subject of some of my best work, so I developed this weird… fixation. Or something.”

“I’d call it obsession, but tomato, to-mah-to.” Geoff only seemed slightly phased. He shrugged and handed the camera back to Miles. “Well… thanks. I’m flattered, a little freaked out, but also flattered. I guess I can’t even fucking talk…”

“What do you mean?” Miles asked, confused.

Geoff sighed and pulled out his phone. “This isn’t some artsy bullshit picture, but I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it anyway.” He opened up his gallery and scrolled through it, flashes of progress photos of unfinished work flew by until he stopped, tapping on what looked like a complete painting on an easel. He handed the phone over to Miles.

It was a portrait. A smiling man with eyes half-closed and a wrinkled flannel, holding a camera. It was Miles. “...You painted me?”

“I paint things I like looking at. You take picture of things you like looking at. There. Now we’re even.” Geoff mumbled. “Now I won’t immediately go to Kerry and Kyle and tell them that you’re my own personal paparazzi, if you make sure Michael never fucking knows about this painting. He thinks we’re going to hook up or something, teasing me relentlessly over it.”

Miles barely heard anything Geoff said, he was stuck looking at the picture of a wonderfully done painting. He captured his likeness perfectly, all while still flattering him. He smiled. “I like it. I love it, it’s amazing! I won’t tell anyone about it, yeah... “

“Great. thanks.” Geoff rubbed the back of his neck, red blush blooming on his cheeks. “...You take good pictures. Really good. I haven’t seen something with my face on it look so nice before. I guess you got some kind of talent in you kid.”

“You… you mean that?” Miles grinned and began to feel bashful. “Well, I mean, I spend so much time on angles and candids like that are pretty complicated, I’m still new to the idea and-”

“Put your number in my phone.”

“What.”

Geoff laughed, elbowing Miles in the rib. “You heard me! Put your number in my phone, i’ll call you up for dinner sometime. You can tell me all about angles then. For now, I should really check up on the chicken. It’s probably all burnt and shit because you distracted me with your stupid cat photoshoot.”

“I… okay. Yeah. Number in phone, you handle the chicken. Yep.” Miles closed out of the gallery, putting his number into Geoff’s phone with a small smirk. He looked up while Geoff tended to the food on the barbeque. “It’s a date. Don’t tell Lindsay I said that. It’s a date.”

“Sure. it’s a date.”

The chicken was very much burned.

[salvo-love]



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After helping beginners for 5 years, I see exactly what’s stopping you from taking photos that really impress your friends and family… and will sell online, at shows, and even galleries.

So if you’re struggling to get the most out of your camera and finally be recognized for your own amazing photographs, then what I’m about to share will make you extremely happy…

I Used To Be Like You

Look, I understand how it feels to compare your own photographs with what we see in magazines, books, and online forums.

As a beginner, it’s not only frustrating but can get depressing, wondering “how was that shot taken?”… thinking “it’s probably because they have a better camera than me”… or “I’ll take photos that good, eventually”.

Like you, I didn’t know the secrets. I couldn’t afford expensive cameras or classes. But I wanted to take good photos TODAY, not “someday”…

 

Are These Questions And Concerns Stopping You From Becoming A Better Photographer?

Do you own a DSLR camera but take mediocre photographs – a sign that you lack the skill and confidence to get the best results?

Have you thought about upgrading your equipment, believing that will improve your photos?

Are you lost when it comes to exposure, aperture, ISO/ASA, depth of field, lighting, lenses, filters, post-production and other difficult concepts?

Do you still have questions or feel overwhelmed after reading blogs, forums, books, and tutorials?

Have you thought about taking photography classes – but want to save time and money?

Do you think you’re not ready to be a professional – a mindset that you must overcome to succeed, get recognized, and sell your own photos?

Bad Photos Are Not Your Fault



More old photos of mine shot back when I was the typical average photographer, completely unaware of how my images could be improved. Do your photos look like these?

So many new photographers and hobbyists get stuck on buying equipment. And they spend months hunting for ways to improve their skills.

Yet, after all that, your photos are average. Or worse.

Here’s the truth: it’s really NOT your fault!

I’m telling you, I’ve spent hundreds of hours digging through blogs and forums, reading books and manuals, watching YouTube and DVDs.

Guess what. After going through ALL of the training material out there, I’ve found NONE that will turn you into a pro, step-by-step.

They always have missing pieces. Questions without answers. Nobody says exactly how the best images are made.

You’re just expected to “spend a lot of time practicing”!

People believe that’s a good thing, but it can actually be wasted time and energy. Doing something over and over again is exhausting. It takes years to figure stuff out and become a professional that way… if you get there at all!

There’s a better strategy…

It Takes Years To Become A Professional… If You Don’t Know The Shortcut



These shots were taken by me after I learned the secrets of professionals…

How did I go from beginner to having photographs showcased and featured on DeviantART, Flickr, print ads, billboards, posters, magazines, and book covers?

Well, I never took classes. Anywhere. Ever.

Instead, I went around my town and shot photos with an entry-level DSLR, a Nikon D50.

My first attempts were “ordinary”, nothing special. Online I saw photos better than mine and literally thought they were mysterious. I couldn’t figure out how they did it!

But then… I discovered a few BASIC PRINCIPLES that make it possible to take good photos, every time, no matter what camera’s in my hands.

With these principles, I can take a couple shots and feel comfortable knowing at least one will be a “keeper”.

It’s WAY BETTER than digging through 100 shots hoping that one is just “okay”.

Now I’m aware of WHAT to look for… WHEN to photograph… HOW to get the shot I want. And I can be sure that a photo will be good – even before it’s taken.

It’s like I found a reflex that just “knows” when to click the shutter!

Seriously, this changed my life…

How To Quickly Learn Everything You Need To Create Amazing Photographs



Your shots CAN look like these! Here's how…

Let’s be real: after getting a DSLR you found it takes more than reading the manual to get professional results from it.

Then your hunt for more information and answers began.

But there’s a TON of information about photography, and it’s so unorganized!

I learned by doing meticulous research, putting it all together on my own. After spending years of applying what I discovered, I began sharing with friends online.

Nobody prepared me for the flood of questions about landscapes, portraits, sports, studio photography... and my weird ability to just grab a camera and start taking great photos without any effort whatsoever.

Now I've got the answers you're looking for, and they're here on this website.

Just Imagine Being Able To…

Choose the right DSLR on a budget and still get all the desired features

Properly hold a DSLR and stop looking like a complete idiot out in the field

Stop taking boring photos that nobody cares about and start taking creative, memorable photos worth sharing and selling



GET CRISP, CLEAR SHOTS when photographing anything, including people, objects, and landscapes



Avoid the 6 common beginner mistakes of COMPOSITION and easily create brilliant images instead



Finally grasp a complete understanding of Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO for total control over MOTION and DEPTH OF FIELD



Learn the “secret” time of day when most professional photos are shot



Understand Exposure and Metering so pictures won’t be too bright or too dark, but “just right”



Properly select the right WHITE-BALANCE setting on your camera and stop worrying about photos coming out too orange or having washed out colors



Select the BEST LENSES to create appropriate, proportional, non-distorted, aesthetically pleasing images… no matter the situation



Take JAW-DROPPING panoramic shots



Use FOCUS correctly and know what focus points to avoid in a scene



Choose the BEST EQUIPMENT, including flash, filters, camera bag, tripod, tripod head, batteries, battery recharger, strap, camera mount, and memory cards

Use external FLASH to control motion, remove red-eye, add drama, and give your images an edgy, high-class, professional look…



Use FILTERS to control light coming through the lens, remove glare, and even make the colors in a scene appear more saturated

Get NATURAL HDR shots that don’t look fake or “over-done”



Correctly decide when to use a TRIPOD – and know when it’s dumb to use one

Capture sharp, correctly exposed photos in LOW-LIGHT SITUATIONS… with no motion blur or noise



Take stunning photographs at NIGHT with or without using a flash or tripod



Know where to put LIGHTS in relation to your subject/model and how to control the mood of portrait photos



Choose effective LIGHT MODIFIERS, including umbrellas, soft boxes, beauty dishes and grids to establish the mood of the image (do you want the image to be dark, dramatic and shadowy? Soft and pleasing? Bright and happy? Do you want soft pools of background light? When would you want light to create texture across surfaces, and when wouldn't you?)



Know how to select a SOFTWARE package that fits your needs and budget

Correctly EDIT IMAGES in post-production using Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom and Adobe® Photoshop® software



And much, much more…

Others started applying my advice and the results were pretty amazing…



Photo by someone who took my advice

It felt great when they started getting the same results as me…

But Don’t Just Take My Word For It

“People thought my photos were from a travel magazine!”



Why Does This Work So Much Better?

The principles I discovered can turn nearly anyone into an “expert photographer”. When it comes to getting better shots, you’ll be AMAZED at how well they work.

And these principles are essential if you want photography to be a secondary or even full-time income.

Yet this information is hard to get. It’s either hidden from the general public or scattered all over the place, unavailable in one location for easy access.

NOW HERE’S THE SOLUTION: Everything you must learn to take professional quality images is on this website.

You can finally start using your camera with confidence. Start taking your own amazing photographs that people will rave about and even pay money for, if that’s your goal.

Listen, I’m willing to tell you everything because I’m not afraid of competition.

After being published all over the world, I’ve learned that it’s actually more fun and rewarding to share what I discovered… the very same information that launched my career.

My favorite part is when people send photos after using what I taught them.

Bottom-line: it doesn’t matter if you’re brand new or have been struggling with photography for a long time… I want to help you.

To make it easy, I took a video camera and recorded answers to all the top questions, and more.

I carefully demonstrate how to use exposure and aperture, lenses, lighting, composition, software, and many other topics that people find difficult or confusing.

What’s better, I’ll show you how to succeed…

Without piles of books or college courses

Without years of experimentation taking “average” photos

[blogranch-blog]

Get the Scoop on Guest Post Before You're Too Late

When you compose a guest post and it gets accepted, make sure that your website is prepared to accept new readers. What's more, you have to have a look at the most prosperous posts of that blog, searching for hints. Make certain that your targeted websites and blogs are related to your own website.

Why You ought to Be a Guest Blogger Be certain to include why you ought to be a guest blogger. It's completely free and enables you to compose your post in Google Docs and immediately publish it upon your WordPress website. Guest posts must be written in English.

Sometimes a 1 hour conversation on a particular topic is all you want. My Twitter presence and ongoing social networking banter has paid. Spending an extra few hours to earn a guest post shine is what produces the difference between a mediocre reply and over-the-top success.

Readers care about your story, needless to say, but in addition they will need to learn certain lessons from your post "guest post" + hobby. Mentoring is a superb method to do that. Quite simply, it's fine to acquire personal.

Provide a limited-time freebie or cool tool which it is easy to share! Some sites might have a word count requirement or other specific rules which need to be followed while other sites don't. Joining new partners to make the service makes it increasingly challenging.

You may also have a peek at what is generating comments and compose some content on your own blog concerning the very same subjects. If your article comprises a great deal of typos then your odds of publication are significantly reduced. While you should make sure that guest blog posts pique the interest of the new readers, you want to bear in mind that it's a far better marketing strategy to make certain that your current readership base stays connected with you.

Influential websites also think about the volume and high quality of your content in your blog. Make your blog stick out by offering your very own unique opinions, or by creating content that maynot be found elsewhere. You are able to put links to your customer's website so long as it's not affiliate links, the links also have to be relevant to cannabis, just stop by the site in order to confirm the niche.

To begin with, you've got to pick the correct key terms and then you create the advertisement. Get acquainted with the Blog's Content Getting to know your intended blog's content is crucial. They need good content.

Find key experts your audience could benefit from and approach them to see whether they'd be interested! The enthusiasm displayed by the general public and the range of individuals who had the ability to take part in a brief period showed technology provides great promise to advance community planning. Possessing a list of individuals who aren't interested in your services is worthless!!

It is extremely easy to use and has a comprehensive user guide. Guest blogging is just one of the greatest strategies to broaden your brand's reach, yet it's also among the most under-utilized advertising and marketing strategies among business owners. If you do mention your business in the story, it ought to be in the context of a bigger trend or insight that's applicable to other businesses.

Make your bullets bold to boost the simplicity of use too. So it actually doesn't make much sense which you would ask them for a favor AND THEN suggest they do all of the work "write for us" + camping. To be relevant in today's running a blog planet, you need to continuously produce fresh material that individuals want.

Verification of backlinks within structured data The very first phase of the backlink analysis was supposed to check if there weren't any other ones already active. Therefore it can be challenging to whiten data in many conditions. To overcome this effect you'll be able to rewrite or rotate your article to create hundreds of special ones in order to get the full advantages of generating links.

As a way to do that, one needs a superior photography training course. It's polite to offer you some help to clean up toward the close of the party. If you're a wedding planner who's new to blogging, you may have trouble finding ideas on what things to write.

As a way to be effective in engineering you're going to get to undertake the duty of learning the material for yourself. Based on the skill, proficiency, status, and emotional intelligence of the individual you need to put as overall in charge, you might be able to give them with the duty of splitting and delegating the work of the undertaking. On the flip side, if you truly are excited about the prospect of writing your own content, it is a worthwhile investment to take some time to come up with a writing schedule so you can produced content on a normal basis.

[mwcilliamssilver21-blog]

If you're locating that the majority of your photos are releasing the same form of type and missing something you can't really placed your finger on, try striving something totally new. You can find an endless variety of ways to get a good picture on any one item or place. In this article, we'll provide you with a number of tips that can help modify the type of pictures you find yourself with.

Ensure you using lights into mind when you're taking your photos. Will there be shadows cast after your topic? Is your subject matter squinting in to the sun or another dazzling light-weight? Try out getting around to get the best direction from the illumination for top level image. Try out taking your photographs at distinct vantage points to be able to see the things that work finest. Decide on a topic and concentration into it. Position the digital camera towards this issue or subject and employ the auto concentration feature if necessary. If Anybody can snap photos using a digital camera and become fortunate enough to get a couple of good photos. There is far more of any method to having a good snapshot than most people realize. If you are searching to consider your photographic expertise up a degree, start to see the pursuing easy methods to improve. do not accomplish this, your picture can look hazy. Play with conventions and select an unconventional point of concentrate if you need initial photographs. If you are planning to take images within a new nation go straight to the postcard carrier. Post cards will help you obtain new suggestions in the views that is certainly special towards the nation that you will be in. Use these pictures as suggestions for the places that you would like to check out. An essential picture taking suggestion to remember is to always make sure there's a specific center point within your picture. With out a center of attention, there won't be considerably there to hold the viewer's interest. Their eye will just move and they'll quickly move on to another photograph. Do not make use of the display with a digicam if you do not are in a dark-colored area. Using a flash outdoors inside a place that already provides extensive gentle will only make the picture emerge too dazzling. Some video cameras have an automatic flash environment so your camera understands if the display is required. Utilize a very good zoom lens to acquire a better impression top quality. You can create imaginative pictures with just about any equipment when you strive and modify your look to your gear. But receiving a very good zoom lens absolutely opens far more options. For example, you are able to seize more information and have a better concentration. When framework your photo, constantly think about the rule of thirds. This will really be the tip of ninths, since you are envisioning your image place into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Make an effort to spot your subject to the left or proper, best or underside, as opposed to lifeless middle from the photo. This will make the viewer's eyes move about the photo instead of stareing directly into it. In no way stand up listed below your subjects when photographing men and women or pets. There may be absolutely nothing a lot more unflattering than searching for a person's nose inside a take pictures of, even though the upwards perspective also distorts other face functions. Inside the really very least, stand up parallel to your topics. If it is possible, placement yourself at a slightly elevated elevation to achieve the best results. When conducting a picture snap, take lots of photos. With digital camera models and pcs, you may acquire close to limitless photos. You'll have an improved chance of having great images if you acquire far more. And if you get poor ones, all you want do is hit remove to eliminate them. When you are to capture images of lovers, people or groupings, imagine advising directly to them in advance about getting a great look. Although complementing garments aren't required, owning your topics clothed in supporting colors of colour can boost a picture. You can suggest hot colors or shades that happen to be fairly neutral, as these match properly with organic adjustments. If much brighter hues are called for, give believed to counteracting them with black colored fabric items to prevent an avalanche of clashing shades. When In photography, getting very good photos that show away your material is crucial. This is where you can benefit from some beneficial ideas. It will be easy to take much better photos and have a greater reputation as being a digital photographer. Follow these suggestions to make your photographs be noticeable above the rest. are getting a image, your arms ought to be in close proximity to your aspects. This helps maintain the digicam nonetheless and make sure that your picture appears clear and sharp. Your no-dominating hand ought to be within the camera camera lens to keep it stable as you may snap the image. When composing You have to have some expertise in things to search for and expect from bettering your picture taking expertise. You must know what resources are available to you together with who can supply you replies as to what you need for your potential pictures. The tips below can help you with steps to start. , take note of the conditions. If it is overcast outside the house, try to keep the skies from your snapshot as far as possible. Monochrome pictures can also be a good choice if you want to take outside with an overcast time. When the weather is nice and sun-drenched, you will definately get lots of fantastic photographs, make absolutely certain your subject matter isn't squinting at the sunshine. An excellent picture taking strategy which will help you out is to secure your air prior to taking a photograph. Holding your breathing will allow you to require a clear picture. If at all possible you need to use a tripod but this simple secret might help keep you from acquiring hazy images. You may now realize that getting a very good image is more than getting a effectively-illuminated, sharp picture. The process may have a extraordinary influence on how excellent your photos appear.

[mamadickevent]

Mama Dick Event Rules

General Rules 

Anyone and everyone is allowed to participate in this ship-friendly, censorship-free event!

Please be kind with one another. We will not tolerate any sort of hate or harassment towards the mods, the participants, or the works created for this week. No matter what metric, be it ships, tropes or something else, if someone made something you dislike, you're more than free to click away and move on with your life. Anyone found in violation of this rule will be auto-blocked and banned from the event.

About Works

The works don’t have to be stand-alone, you can put all the prompts into one fic, or use the prompts to make new works in a long running series, those sound great! 

While this week focuses on Dick Grayson and his maternal nature and instincts, we encourage the inclusion of ships or other characters. Our simple ask is that the content submitted is:

A) Brand new

B) Mainly about Dick acting as a mother / parental figure

C) Tagged appropriately 

D) Follow the prompts.

There is no maximum or minimum word count, or any other restrictions on your piece. This means that you may have SFW, NSFW or even Dark themes. So long as everything is tagged properly (see below), it will be allowed. You may submit a NEW multi-chaptered work (including a WIP), but the entire work must be new. A new chapter for an existing work does not count.

The work does not have to be a written fic, if you want to approach these prompts from any other creative angle, go for it! The event has been designed with fanfics and fanart in mind, but go wild with your creativity!

Art pieces must be new works created by yourself, the submitter. Dick must be the main subject of the work. All forms of art are acceptable with the following EXCEPTIONS:

You may NOT take photography of human subjects (including in cosplay) as we have no way of verifying the age and consent of human subjects. Want to take photographs of your Legos or action figures? No prob!

ALSO: While this is a censorship-free event, using live or photographic/videographic references of minors for artwork is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If we discover that this has happened, you will be reported to the appropriate authorities. The mods of this event stand firmly against child abuse and exploitation.

About Tagging

If your non-fanfic creation is NSFW, you must tag it as such and follow Tumblr posting guidelines. Also, please tag all ships in the # with the common ship name so that those wishing to filter out certain tags may do so. 

 Fanfics must be rated and tagged per AO3 policies, whether or not you post them on AO3. 

 On Tumblr, please rate your work above the cut line (G, Teen, Mature, Explicit/NSFW). Post the content of mature and explicit fics below the cut line.

 All ships must be tagged above the cutline and in the # with the common ship name. 

You must also EITHER tag for triggers OR clearly indicate that “author chooses not to use content warnings” at the beginning of your fic. 

If you do choose to tag for triggers, please tag for them all and err on the side of tagging too much so that your readers will know what to expect and can make an informed decision about whether or not to read your fic.

We want this to be a safe event where people are able to accurately curate their own experience. Be aware that if an author states that they choose not to use content warnings, you are reading at your own risk and may find some content upsetting or triggering.

About Posting

Posting begins on 28th of August. Please do not post your works before then! And, only post on the appropriate day for your prompts. (Except for late posts, which are welcomed! But no early birds!)

You may use your created works for other weeks/exchanges/bingos/bangs as long as they allow cross-use.

You are free to post your work on whatever platform you choose.

If posting on Tumblr, please use a “Read More” for mature and explicit rated fics and art as well as for longer fics and tags above the cut line (see above). Use #mamadickevent2023 and mention us @mamadickevent so we can reblog your work.

If posting on Twitter, please follow and tag @mamadickevent so we can retweet your pieces.

Also, please self-post your work in our AO3 collection - https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MamaDickEventweek2023

Due to differences in time zones, please give us at least 48 hours to reblog/retweet your work. After that, feel free to drop us a DM in case we missed it!

Late entries are most definitely welcomed! Our love for motherly Dick is not contained in a simple week so you should absolutely feel free to fill the prompts late and tag us when you do!

About Tagging

Remember to take some time to enjoy the creations made by your fellow writers and artists and please push yourself to comment on their works, be it emoji, keyboard smash, 1-2 words, or an essay.

Everyone, yourself included, has worked hard to make this event a success and we all know that positive feedback means the world to content creators!

And, reblog reblog reblog both your own and your fellow creators’ works! Let’s build community as well as an awesome collection of Dick-centric work! 

Most important rule of all - have fun!!