#multiple mounting options

[virtualizationhowto]

Mikrotik CRS310-8G+2S+IN Review: 2.5 Gigabit Switch For Home Lab

Mikrotik CRS310-8G+2S+IN Review: 2.5 gigabit Switch For Home Lab @mikrotik_com #homelab #selfhosted #MikroTikCRS3108G2SINReview #2.5GigabitEthernetPorts #10GigabitSFPPorts #Marvell98DX226SSwitchChip #RouterOSv7OperatingSystem #efficientnetworkswitch

The 2.5-gigabit switch market is set to really heat up in late 2023 and 2024 with so many cheap switches and network adapters now running at 2.5 gig in micro PCs, access points, and other devices. The MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN is a new switch from Mikrotik that is set to be a favorite in the home lab. It has many great features and is designed to meet the needs of small offices, edge locations,…

[reasonsforhope]

ETA: Article here (can't believe I forgot this rip)

A new study finds you can reduce the amount of microplastics you drink simply by boiling your water.

Scientists are just beginning to understand the health risks associated with microplastic exposure.

Nano- and microplastics are bits of plastic as tiny as one-thousandth of a millimeter in diameter.

Boiling and filtering your tap water may dramatically lower the amount of microplastics you drink, according to new research.

Recent studies have found that nano- and microplastics (NMPs), which are bits of plastic as tiny as one-thousandth of a millimeter in diameter, have been found in a host of products and even in tap water.

A new study, published February 28 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, found that boiling mineral-rich water for just five minutes can reduce the amount of NMP you’re exposed to by up to 90%.

Scientists are just beginning to understand the health risks associated with microplastic exposureTrusted Source, but growing evidenceTrusted Source suggests the plastics can accumulate in the body and trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, insulin resistance, and liver issues.

Certain advanced water filtration systems can capture and help remove some NMPs from tap water. But researchers wanted to figure out other options to remove microplastics, especially since in poorer countries cheaper, more accessible solutions for clean water are needed.

Boiling water may be a safe, simple solution that can effectively decontaminate household tap water, the new findings suggest.

“Boiling water before drinking is a great example of an ancient cultural practice that can help reduce an environmental exposure,” Dr. Luz Claudio, PhD, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Healthline.

Claudio was not involved in the study.

How boiling water can help remove microplastics

The researchers found simply boiling water is the first step to removing NMPs from tap water.

The researchers collected multiple samples of tap water from Guangzhou, China and contaminated the samples with varying levels of NMPs.

Each sample was boiled for five minutes then left to cool for 10 minutes.

Boiling hard water that’s rich with minerals — such as calcium or magnesium — creates a chalk-like residue known as limescale, or calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can trap the plastics.

That solid, chalky residue then had to be separated and removed from the water with a standard coffee filter or stainless steel filter, thereby removing NMPs.

The team found that the impact was greatest in harder water: In samples that had 300 milligrams of CaCO3, for example, nearly 90% of NMPs were removed.

In softer water samples with less than 60 mg of CaCO3, roughly 25% of NMPs were removed.

“What’s important to note here is that the effectiveness of trapping these micro/nano plastics in these mineral solids is tied to how hard the water is – the harder the water, the more solids are formed, the more microplastics are trapped,” Dr. Anja Brandon, PhD, the associate director of U.S. plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy and an environmental engineer, told Healthline.

Brandon was not involved in the study...

How to limit your exposure to microplastics 

Anyone who wishes to boil their water should do so in a glass or stainless steel pot.

After boiling the water for about five minutes, let it cool, and do not stir it, Claudio says.

The microplastics need to bind to the calcium and fall to the bottom of the pot so they can filtered or scooped out."

-via Healthline, February 28, 2024

[dwaekkicidal]

"Heats" with Bunny!Lee Know

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ summary: Day 2 of my Bboki-Dwae collab with @bbokicidal <3

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ word count: ~900

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ warnings: gn!reader but theres pregnancy mentions in the last two quotes at the very very end of this post, constant mentions of breeding, 1 mention of a spank, overstimulation, some cum talk, using another person's clothes+scent to get off, this last one is marked with "⚠" but 1 mention of being forced down with a foot on ur head lol

DO NOT republish or translate+post my work!

❥ Has no real heat cycle, at least not an obvious one, since male rabbits are always ready to breed year-round.

❥ That being said, he will be very obsessive about breeding you from the very beginning of the year, usually February or March, all the way to September. You both quickly come to learn that it is because of rabbit's mating season! Which explains why he's constantly insatiable during this time frame and will usually want to go multiple rounds a day, every single day if you'll allow it.

❥ He cums super fast sometimes, so oral is not an option in his mind. He will taste you at least 3 times a day and he'll dig his nails into your thighs if you start trying to squirm away from overstimulation.

❥ Once he's got his fill and he's sure you've enjoyed yourself, he’s wasting no time to flip you onto your hands and knees. It’s his favorite position!! something something "Best for me to breed you thoroughly"

❥ He’s gonna keep your hole nice and stuffed while he roughs you around for as many rounds as he deems sufficient enough for his seed to take. (Spoiler: it's NEVER enough for him)

❥ And if he’s that deep in, that he’s giving in to his more 'primal' side, then you will be at it for hours before his mushy little brain pushes past the chants of “breed. breed. breed.” and remembers that you’re, in fact, a human and need a second to breathe.

❥ He quite literally does not care if you physically can not get pregnant... You not having the means to get pregnant or simply being on birth control will never stop him from talking or thinking about breeding you. If anything, he finds it even hotter because his minds convinces him that "If we try hard enough.."

❥ You don’t need lube when he has almost disgusting amounts of precum/cum leaking from his tip <3 So much so that you now have a towel drawer in your nightstand

❥ Much to his human side’s dismay, and to his rabbit side’s joy, he will cum buckets every 2nd time. Meaning that once that second round of the day is hitting, prepare to literally overflow due to the sheer amount of cum his heavy balls will pump into you.

❥ Oh, and don’t even think about letting any of it go to waste. The second a singular drop of his cum falls past the midpoint of your thigh, he is racing to shove it back inside where it belongs.

❥ Depending on how deep into this “headspace” he is he might even growl, which always comes out as a huff, and land a warning slap to your ass cheek. Loves to combine it with some crude comment (like the very first quote at the end of this post)

❥ If he’s reaally really into it he will mount you as best as he physically can: If you’re in a position similar to missionary, you’re getting shoved into a mating press and held in place. Or if you’re in a position similar to doggy style, you’re getting shoved flat into the sheets so he can straddle the backs of your thighs and spread your cheeks while he watches himself fuck into your tight hole <3

⚠ You didn't hear this from me but if he's particularly insatiable & has lost himself to his instincts, he may or may not hold you down with his foot on the back of your head while you're in downward doggy. This is so he can force you to sit still and fuck your brains out so that you stay pliant for him until he's ready to take a break <3 In this position, he fucks you soo much more aggressively/rougher than ever before so prepare to not be able to walk for a bit hehe

Now, let’s say he goes through one of these “mating season” fits while you’re nowhere near. Maybe in another country or state for whatever reason and there’s no possibility that you and him can reunite anytime soon.

❥ He WILL try to breed hump everything that smells like you. From using your towel(s) to tug one out all the way to humping your favorite spot on the couch until his dick is raw.

❥ This also means he will throw one of your clothes (cough 90% of the time is your worn underwear cough) onto a pillow and will rub his cock against it until he dirties it even more.

❥ But, he is a good boy. So he won’t be gross and leave his cum to seep into your clothes until you come home. He’ll be good and thoroughly clean whatever he lost his mind on and definitely will get horny again in the process

❥ You let him think he’s gotten away with it, but in reality? He cums so much that some stains just don’t go away…

Well... that and you leaving a semi-filled laundry basket just to come home to an empty basket and suspiciously clean clothes always gives him away.

“Tell this ungrateful, little hole to take what it's given and stop wasting.”

“Jagi- Fuck. Jagiya, stop wiggling so much. The deeper I am, the better I can breed you.”

"I need to cum- God, please, baby- you haveta' take it all. You owe me for being so fucking tight and wasting all my cum."

“If you keep spilling, I’ll have no choice but to fuck another couple of loads into you, Honey.”

"You're gonna be so fucking sexy, all nice and round with my kits in your tummy. Yeah? Right fucking here." As he puts his palm on your lower stomach 🥴

"Yeah? You're gonna give me a litter? Gonna have our babies runnin' around my parent's house while I stuff you full with even more of them."

Taglist:

@valkyriexo @lunearta @jabmastersupriseee @rylea08

@yaorzu-blog @amararosesblog @jiminssluttyminx @clemissleepy

@miss-daisy04 @kittyxnoa @dwaekkiiracha @bubblerizz

@mariteez

[allgoodnamesrgoneee]

i love your virgil smut so much, dominant and size kink 😫😫 wondering if you could write the one that is similar for jude too please ❤

I know this one took me forever to upload but I had to make sure it was perfect for you guys. After 3 rewrites, I present to you...

After Hours

Masterlist

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — the one where you are his only desire.

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — Jude Bellingham x you

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 10.5k.

Warnings! FLUFF! He's down badddd, NSFW! SMUT (18+), size kink, protected vaginal sex (stay safe), oral sex (f receiving), hot sex, multiple orgasms, dom!Jude, sub!reader.

The Penthouse was alive with energy. Trent's birthday had drawn out the kind of crowd that made it impossible to move without brushing shoulders with someone.

Laughter spills over the booming bass of the music, blending with the distinct smell of alcohol and food wafting throughout the house. A mix of conversations buzz in every corner of the house—loud, overlapping, and relentless.

Jude leans against the far wall of the living room, eyes half-lidded as he sips from a drink he barely cares for. He wasn’t really a fan of these gatherings; too many people, too much noise. But Trent was a friend, and bailing wasn't an option.

At least not yet.

He was giving the party until midnight before making his excuses and heading out. It's 11:57. Almost there.

His gaze flickers to the clock mounted over the TV, then around the room at the partygoers. He spots Trent across the room, laughing and hugging a group of people, and smiles. He's happy his friend is having a good time.

He checks his watch again, making a silent vow to himself to stay put for at least two more minutes. He exhales quietly, thinking of how easy it would be to slip out unnoticed. He's already halfway to deciding on an exit strategy when something—someone—catches his attention.

There you are.

Standing on your tiptoes, trying—and failing—to grab something from the top shelf in the kitchen. Your brows furrow in concentration, bottom lip caught between your teeth as you stretch as far as your short frame would allow, but it's no use.

The cup remains tantalizingly out of reach, and it looks like you'd been at it for a while, silently battling the shelf like it was some kind of cruel joke.

Amused, Jude can't help the smirk tugging at his lips. The scene is oddly endearing.

His gaze sweeps over you, lingering for a moment on your curvy figure before he sets his drink down, the thought of leaving slipping from his mind. His legs move before he can stop himself, carrying him across the room with an easy stride. It takes him a second to cross the living room, dodging a couple of people on his way before finally reaching the kitchen.

Jude pauses just behind you, his height towering over your small frame. You don't notice him at first, too focused on your mission to retrieve the elusive cup.

A grin plays at the corner of his mouth as he reaches up with ease, his long arm grabbing the cup that had been giving you such a hard time.

You finally notice him, head snapping around, eyes widening as you take in his presence. You're flushed, whether from the exertion or embarrassment, Jude isn't sure, but the sight made something warm bubble up in his chest.

“Need a hand?” His voice is low, teasing, his smirk not fading.

You blink at him, brows furrowing slightly before a small, sheepish smile pulls at your lips. "That obvious, huh?" you mutter, voice soft but laced with a hint of humor. Your cheeks are a little pink, but you don't seem angry, just mildly exasperated.

Jude raises an eyebrow, his smirk still firmly in place. “I don’t know, you were getting pretty close. Maybe another few inches and you would've nailed it.”

You roll your eyes at him, embarrassment fading into something lighter. “Oh, shut up. Are you going to give me the cup, or are you just here to gloat?”

He chuckles, lowering the cup to your level. “Maybe a bit of both.”

You snatch it from his hand with a dramatic sigh, but the small smile you wear tells him you aren’t really upset. “Thanks... I guess,” you say, tone playfully begrudging. You set the cup down and turn to him, raising your eyes to his face.

There's a pause between you both as you take him in. He can see it, the way your gaze drags down his chest, over his arms, and back up again. His body responds to the attention, a spark of attraction lighting up inside him as he watches you study him.

He likes that. The way you look at him like that. He wants to see it again.

“So...” he says, interrupting your stare. “What's the occasion?” His eyes flick to the cup on the counter. “Late night tea party for one? I didn't know those were a thing.” He's not sure why he says it, maybe just to keep the light banter going. It feels like he should say something.

He watches you raise an eyebrow at him, the corner of your lips curling into an amused smile. “I needed a drink. Thought it was better than bothering the bartender.” You shrug, picking up the cup and sauntering over to the fridge. He follows you with his eyes, taking in the sway of your hips, his heart rate picking up a little as he thinks of how much fun he could have with your curvy little body.

“I can make one for you if you want,” Jude offers, his voice still teasing, but there’s a new edge to it, something more playful, maybe even flirtatious. He leans against the kitchen counter, eyes following your movements as you reach into the fridge, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

You glance back over your shoulder at him, eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "You? Make a drink?" you ask, amusement dripping from your tone.

He chuckles softly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve been known to make a decent one or two. What are you in the mood for?”

You pause at the fridge, considering his offer for a moment before shutting the door without grabbing anything. Turning to face him, you lean back against the counter, mirroring his stance. “Surprise me.”

Jude grins, pushing off the counter as he steps closer, now standing directly in front of you. The space between you narrows, not quite enough to be uncomfortable, but just enough for the tension to feel palpable. He reaches up to grab a couple of bottles from the liquor cabinet above the sink, and you watch him with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

“So, do you always rescue people from their beverage-related dilemmas?” you ask, your tone light and teasing, though you can’t help but admire the ease with which he moves. There’s something effortless about him.

Jude smirks, eyes flicking to yours as he pours the first drink. “Only when they look as helpless as you did.”

You gasp, feigning offense, and lightly swat his arm. “I wasn’t helpless! I was just… strategically challenged.”

He laughs, the sound low and warm, and for a moment, it drowns out the rest of the party’s noise. “Right. My mistake,” he says, handing you the drink with a smirk that makes it clear he’s not sorry at all.

You take the glass from his hand, your fingers brushing against his for a brief moment, and you feel the electric tingle of the contact. It’s subtle but undeniable, and you wonder if he felt it too.

“Thanks,” you say, bringing the glass to your lips. You take a sip, the cool liquid soothing as it slides down your throat. You meet his gaze over the rim of the cup, noting the way his eyes seem to darken slightly as they lock onto yours.

“No problem,” he replies, voice quieter now, almost intimate despite the noise surrounding you. His eyes don’t leave yours, and for a brief second, it feels like the rest of the party has faded into the background, leaving just the two of you standing there, locked in this moment.

The drink is strong, but surprisingly good. You raise your eyebrows, impressed despite yourself.

“Well?” he asks, crossing his arms and leaning back against the counter with a smug expression. “Do I pass?”

You roll your eyes but can’t suppress the smile that tugs at your lips. “Okay, fine. I’ll give you that one. It’s decent.”

"Decent, huh?" Jude’s grin widens, a flicker of something playful lighting up his face. "I'll take that as high praise."

You shake your head, laughing softly as the tension between you both begins to shift into something easier, more comfortable. “I didn’t mean that as praise,” you tease, taking another sip from your drink.

He chuckles at the light jab, the sound rumbling from his chest. “Of course not.” Jude glances at his watch, raising his brows slightly as he notices how late it is.

He hadn’t planned to stay for long, but he was having too much fun chatting with you to leave right now. It wasn’t like him to enjoy a conversation so much, especially at a party like this. There was something about you that drew him in, made him want to stay and learn more about you.

“Are you leaving?” you ask, seeming to notice his attention on his watch.

He raises his gaze to meet yours, blinking. He shrugs, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “Was just about to leave, actually.”

Your smile falters slightly, just for a second. “Already? But the party’s just getting started.”

“Not really my scene,” Jude admits, glancing back toward the crowded living room.

You nod, gaze flicking back to the drink in your hand as you swirl it absentmindedly. “Well, glad you did. Otherwise, I’d probably still be standing here, struggling for that cup like a fool.”

His eyes glimmer with amusement. “It wasn’t that bad.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Oh, come on. You were laughing at me.”

“Not laughing,” he corrects, a teasing edge to his voice. “Just…observing.”

His gaze flicks to yours, lips twitching with a grin. You arch an eyebrow at the response, but the playful teasing has you smiling again.

“So,” Jude says, suddenly changing the topic. “How do you know Trent?”

“He’s my sister's boyfriend” you reply, “You?”

“Wait! You're Y/N?” He blinks at you, realization dawning as he takes in the information. “Right. I should’ve made the connection earlier.” He laughs softly at himself, shaking his head.

You look exactly like your sister, with people sometimes mistaking you for twins. Your height was the only way for people to distinguish you sometimes. With her being 5'5 and you being 5'2.

You smile at his confusion, seeming amused by his reaction. “Yeah, that’s me. How do you know her?”

“Trent brought her to my New Year's party.”

“Oh, yeah...” You frown at him, as though remembering something. “You’re Jude, right? I think my sister has mentioned you a few times.”

He smirks at the memory, feeling something warm in his chest at the mention of your sister talking to you about him. “That’s me.”

A small silence falls between you both, the tension growing less easy now, but not quite uncomfortable. He thinks of something to say, but before he can open his mouth, you beat him to it.

“Do you want to step outside with me for a minute?” you ask, already setting your drink down on the counter.

He blinks, slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. He was about to ask you to grab another drink with him when you mentioned going outside.

“Sure,” he replies finally, picking his drink up from the counter. “Lead the way.” He follows you through the crowded house, almost losing you a couple of times as you seem to disappear into the crowd. Damn, you're short.

The balcony is quieter than the inside, a couple smoking in the corner, but otherwise, it's fairly empty. The sounds of the party are muted now, a muffled background noise. The cold air feels like a welcome relief after the heat of the crowded living room.

“Nice out here,” he says as you sit down at a lounge, nodding to the empty spot next to you as he lowers himself onto it.

You smile, settling into your seat as you pull your jacket a little tighter against the chill. "Yeah, it's nice to get some air. Gets a bit suffocating in there."

Jude nods, glancing back toward the house where the sounds of the party still hum faintly through the walls. He’s relieved to be out here, away from the chaos, but more than that, he's glad you're here too. Conversation feels... easy with you, even though you've only known each other for a few minutes.

"So, you do this often?" he asks, leaning back in the seat, watching the way you absentmindedly twirl a strand of hair between your fingers.

You raise an eyebrow at him. "What, escape to the balcony?"

"No, I meant..." He gestures vaguely with his drink, smirking a little. "Come to these kinds of parties."

You laugh, the sound light and genuine. "Not really. Trent's parties are... something, but my sister drags me along sometimes. I think she feels bad leaving me home alone." You roll your eyes, but there's no real annoyance in your tone, just affection.

Jude studies you for a moment, noticing the way your expression softens when you talk about your sister. There's a warmth in your eyes that he hadn't seen earlier, and it makes him curious, wishing you would look at him like that.

"Seems like she cares about you," he says, tone a little softer now.

You shrug, a small smile playing on your lips. "Yeah, she does. It's kind of nice, even if I act like it's annoying sometimes."

Jude nods, thinking about his own brother for a moment before turning the conversation back to you. "So, what do you do when you're not at parties you don't really want to be at?"

You snort softly, bringing your knees up to rest your feet on the edge of the lounge. "Oh, you know, just saving the world, one cup at a time."

He chuckles at your sarcasm, but there's a twinkle of genuine amusement in his eyes as he leans forward slightly. "Seriously though."

"Okay, okay," you relent, a playful smile tugging at your lips. "I'm a med student, so I guess you could say I'm learning how to save lives."

Jude's eyebrows lift, impressed. "Wow, that's... intense."

You shrug, though there's a flicker of pride in your expression. "It is, but I love it. Always wanted to be a doctor."

"That's cool," he replies, leaning back again. "I bet you're great at it."

You glance at him, something in his tone catching your attention. He sounded sincere, not like the typical empty flattery you sometimes got. It makes you smile.

A comfortable silence settles between you both as you sip your drinks, the night air crisp but not too cold.

Jude watches you for a moment, noting the way the moonlight casts a soft glow on your face, making your eyes seem brighter in the darkness. There’s something calming about being out here with you, something grounding. It’s not what he expected when he first spotted you struggling with that cup, but now that you’re here, he’s not in any rush to leave.

“You know,” he starts, his voice low but warm, “this isn’t a bad way to spend the night after all.”

You glance over at him, a soft smile playing on your lips. “Yeah, I guess it’s not.” You pause, meeting his gaze. “I’m glad you didn’t bail at midnight.”

Jude grins, feeling that familiar warmth bloom in his chest again. "Me too." He leans forward, resting his arm on the back of the lounge chair. "I mean, it would have been a bummer to leave right when I'm just getting to know a woman this beautiful." He smiles softly, his eyes sparkling in the faint light.

You flush, dropping your gaze to your drink as you fidget with the glass. “Um... thanks, I guess.” Your cheeks are hot, but you can't help the flutter in your chest at his words.

Jude notices your blush though, and it brings a smirk to his lips. He enjoys the way you fumble with your drink, clearly nervous at the compliment. He leans back again, sipping his drink quietly for a moment before looking over at you.

"You’re cute," he says, voice dropping down into something softer, lower, more intimate. “Especially when you're embarrassed.”

The flush deepens as you look away, your eyes skipping to the floor. "I'm not embarrassed," you say, but the fact that you're avoiding looking at him says otherwise.

"Sure you’re not," he replies with a chuckle, leaning forward again.

You fidget in your seat, eyes still down. Your cheeks burn, and you’re glad for the dim lighting out here that hopefully hides it. "Stop it," you mutter, but there's a hint of laughter in your voice.

Jude laughs softly, reaching out and sliding his hand into yours. His hand is warm, calloused, bigger than yours, and his fingers wrap easily around yours. "Can't help it," he says, squeezing your hand lightly. "You're too cute."

You swallow, mouth suddenly dry as your eyes dart to his hand in yours. He's holding it loosely, not gripping it tightly, but it's enough to feel possessive somehow, enough to make your heart race and your cheeks flush with heat. You can’t remember the last time someone touched you like this, let alone with such intention.

Your gaze snaps to Jude's, eyes wide and slightly nervous. His eyes are darker now, pupils dilated, his mouth curved in a low, satisfied smile. His thumb presses into the center of your palm, the pressure soft, light, sending goosebumps down your arm.

You swallow again, trying to form words, but coming up with nothing. The air between you feels heavy suddenly, thick with heat and tension, your heart pounding in your ears. You glance back at the house, wondering if anyone can see, if anyone notices, but the windows are empty, the party still going strong inside.

Jude chuckles, low and soft. "You good?" he asks, voice dropping into something lower, husky.

You swallow hard again. Your eyes dart back to his, finding his still locked on yours, his gaze intense.

"Yeah, I'm good," you finally manage to get out, though your voice comes out barely above a whisper.

Jude's smile widens, and he shifts closer, your thighs now touching. "Good." His hand tightens a little around yours, squeezing lightly. "Good," he repeats, his voice dipping into something even softer, more intimate before placing his now empty glass on a nearby table along with yours.

His eyes are still locked on yours, and the way he's watching you, it feels like he's looking right through the layers you’ve carefully built up. It makes you feel exposed, vulnerable, but not in a way that’s uncomfortable. In a way that feels… thrilling.

You bite your lip, the warmth of his hand grounding you even as your pulse races. There’s a tension now, something thick in the air that wasn’t there before. It crackles between you, electric, and you don’t know whether to pull away or lean into it.

"Jude…" you start, but your voice trails off. You’re not sure what you’re trying to say. You can’t even think straight.

He tilts his head, watching you carefully. "Yeah?"

You swallow, forcing yourself to hold his gaze, though your stomach twists in nervous anticipation. There’s a strange, fluttery feeling in your chest, like you’re standing at the edge of something new, something you can’t quite name. "What are we doing here?"

He smirks, his thumb brushing over the back of your hand in a slow, deliberate motion. "Just talking," he says, but the way he says it, the way his eyes darken, suggests that there’s a lot more simmering beneath the surface.

You laugh softly, a little breathless. "Is that what this is?"

His grin widens, and for a moment, he doesn’t respond. He just watches you, studying the way you shift nervously in your seat, the way your lip trembles slightly as you bite it. Finally, he leans in a little closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "What do you want it to be?"

Your breath catches in your throat, and for a long moment, you don’t say anything. You can feel the weight of the question hanging between you, his gaze heavy with something you can’t quite place. Something that makes your skin tingle, makes your heart beat faster.

"Jude..." you start again, but again, your voice dies off.

His grin softens. "Yeah?" His hand squeezes yours lightly, his fingers brushing over your wrist as his eyes dart to your mouth.

You feel your cheeks heat all over again, and there's a sudden ache between your legs that you can’t ignore. You fidget, trying not to think about it, trying to focus on the conversation instead. “This is a little... intense, isn't it?"

He chuckles softly, leaning in even closer, his lips just inches from yours now. "It doesn't have to be." His voice drops to a whisper as he looks at you. "I promise. Whatever you want."

For a moment, you don’t speak. You just look at him.

The dim light casts gentle shadows across his face—strong jawline, high cheekbones, and a slightly crooked smile that adds a touch of roguish charm to his otherwise serene expression. His lips are full, inviting. And his eyes. Oh, how beautiful they are. There’s a way he looks at you that makes you feel like the only person in the world. You want to stare into them forever.

He's beautiful.

Slowly, you reach out with your free hand, wrapping it around the back of his neck to pull him closer. Close enough that you can feel the warmth of his breath on your mouth. Smell the subtle scent of his cologne—a hint of something warm and musky, with a touch of something fresh—mingling with the crisp night air.

Jude lets out a low exhale as he leans in the last few inches to meet you, pressing his lips softly against yours. They're warm and firm, gentle as they slide against yours, teasing a little with each movement. He doesn't rush it, just lets the kiss play out slowly as his hand squeezes around yours, pulling you closer.

You sigh against his mouth as he slides his tongue over your lower lip, a low noise of pleasure slipping from your throat. He groans softly at the sound, his hand shifting from yours to wrap around your side and pull you into his lap, your legs falling to either side of him on the lounge chair. You go willingly, letting him slide his arms around you, feeling him against you now.

Jude breaks the kiss after a moment, leaning back to look at you. "You taste good," he murmurs, his voice rougher now, deeper, his words sending heat flooding through you.

You flush, your cheeks warming again as your eyes drop to his mouth. "You too," you reply, barely above a whisper.

He hums softly, his fingers trailing along your side to brush against your waist. Your breath hitches at the light touch, and his hand moves again, his palm sliding down over your hips. "So fucking soft," he mutters, a smile playing on his lips. "I want to feel every inch of you."

A shiver runs through you at his words, desire burning inside of you at the promise in his voice. "Do it," you whisper, leaning in again to brush your mouth over his.

He groans, his hand pulling your crotch down to meet his. Jude's arms tighten around you, and you feel the hard length of him pressing against your core. You gasp against his mouth at the feel, your hips twitching slightly as he pushes you tighter against him. You both moan softly, your fingers tightening around the back of his head as you grind against him.

Jude pulls back with a chuckle, looking at you through his lashes. "Fuck, baby. You're going to kill me." He leans in again, pressing his mouth to yours as his hands slide underneath your skirt to cup your ass. He kneads your flesh gently, his hands rough against your skin as he squeezes. "Fuck. I knew you'd feel this good." He groans low in his throat, his tongue sliding over your lips once more.

You whimper into his mouth, heat burning in your lower belly as you rock against him. You're wet already, his touches, his words lighting you on fire. His hand shifts, one still cupping your ass as

the other slides between you to press against your clit through your panties.

A choked moan escapes you as you grind into his hand, your hips twisting against him. "Please," you breathe, breaking away from his kiss to lean against his shoulder. "Jude. Please." Your nails dig into his back at the pressure of his fingers through your underwear, his thumb sliding over your clit with each movement of your hips.

Jude lets out a harsh breath, his mouth running along your neck as his hands tighten around you. "God, baby," he groans. "I can't. There's too many people." He nips at your throat, his teeth sliding gently over your skin. "I don't want to share you. Not for one fucking second."

You cry out softly at his words, your hips bucking against his hand. "But I want you," you murmur, rolling your hips into his touch, your teeth sinking into his shoulder.

Jude's hands pull away from you, one cupping your jaw as you lean back against his arm, panting. "Look at me," he rasps, his eyes dark as they meet yours. "There's no way we're going to be able to do this right here." He trails his hand over your breasts, cupping them gently as he murmurs. "I need you too fucking bad, and there's not a chance in hell that I'm going to get you out of your pants before someone realizes what the fuck is going on."

He groans, leaning in to brush his lips over yours. "Come back to my place," he whispers against your mouth, his hand slipping over your hip once more. "Let me take care of you."

You flush at his words, his touch sending fire shooting through you. Your hand wraps around his arm, fingers digging into his skin. "Okay," you agree, your voice barely above a whisper, your eyes slipping closed.

"Jesus," Jude breathes out, pulling you against his chest as he leans his mouth against your forehead. "If I take you home like this," he says, his voice low in your ear, "I'm not going to let you leave my bed for the rest of the night."

You bite your lip, swallowing back a whimper. "That sounds good," you breathe out, heat flooding your body at his words.

Jude’s breath shudders against your forehead. The night air feels colder now, a stark contrast to the heat coursing through your veins. You can’t help but shiver slightly, but it’s not from the cold.

“Let’s go,” he murmurs, his voice low and urgent as he starts to stand, lifting you with him. His grip on you is firm but gentle, as if afraid you might disappear if he holds too tightly. You smile a little at the thought, letting him guide you back inside.

As you walk, his hand slides to your lower back, his arm still wrapped around you. Your smile deepens, and your breath hitches, catching in your throat as you notice the way he’s staring down at you. “What?” you ask, a giggle bubbling up in your throat.

He smiles, shaking his head. “Nothing,” he replies voice barely heard over the music. “I just like looking at you.”

You blush, biting your lip as you turn your gaze. A few of his friends glance at you, their gazes flicking to Jude’s hand wrapped around you before they turn back to their conversation.

He guides you through the crowd, his hand never leaving the small of your back, making sure you’re close to him. He stops by a group of friends, his mouth moving as he talks to them, but you don’t hear his words. You’re too busy looking up at him, taking in the hard planes of his face, the way his eyes flicker between you and his friends.

You don’t notice when he pulls out his phone, a smile on his lips as he types something out quickly. He slips it into his pocket, turning to wrap his arm back around you. His eyes flicker over your face, a grin playing on his lips as he leans down to whisper in your ear. “My driver is here,” he says softly. “Want to go?”

You nod quickly, heat burning inside of you. He doesn’t hesitate, pulling you through the crowd again as you make your way to the door.

Jude holds your hand as he opens the door, stepping back to let you exit first. You do, walking out of Trent's penthouse and into the cool night air. The Porsche is parked at the curb, its doors already open as you step out. A driver stands next to it, his hands clasped in front of him as he waits.

You get in first, feeling like royalty as you slide into the smooth leather seats. The door closes behind you, and Jude slides in beside you. You catch a glimpse of his smile as he slides his arm around you, pulling your legs over his lap as he leans against you.

The car glides smoothly from the curb, heading down the highway toward the city. You lean back against the seat, feeling Jude's hand slide up your leg, his fingertips ghosting under the hem of your skirt. You turn to face him, grinning as you play with the collar of his shirt.

His eyes flick to your hand, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips as you tease the fabric. "What are you thinking?" Jude murmurs, his voice thick with that same low, gravelly tone that sends shivers down your spine.

You shrug, feigning innocence. "Just wondering if you always wear shirts this nice," you tease, brushing your fingertips against the fabric again, trailing lightly along the edge of his collar.

Jude chuckles, low and deep, leaning his head back against the seat as his fingers slide further up your thigh, sending a wave of heat crashing through you.

Your breath catches, and you can't help the way your body reacts to his touch. The closeness, the heat, the tension—all of it coils tight inside of you like a spring wound too tight, waiting to snap. You glance down, watching his hand inch further beneath the fabric of your skirt, teasing but never fully satisfying.

The city lights outside blur as the car speeds down the highway, a soft hum filling the silence between you. The world seems distant, fading away as you lose yourself in the moment, in him. Jude’s hand pauses, resting just at the top of your thigh, his thumb brushing back and forth lazily over your skin. It’s torture, slow and deliberate, making your body crave more.

"You have no idea what you’re in for, baby," he murmurs, his voice sending a shiver down your spine.

You grin, the anticipation coiling tighter in your belly as you press your mouth to his jaw, kissing along the sharp line there, tasting the faint hint of cologne on his skin. Jude’s hand shifts, sliding up to rest on your lower back, his fingers splayed wide as he presses you closer against him. His breath is ragged, his pulse quick under your lips, and you know he’s as affected by this as you are.

The car slows to a stop, and you glance out the window to see the entrance to a sleek high-rise building, all glass and steel, gleaming under the night sky. Jude doesn’t waste a second. He slides out of the car, his hand still gripping yours as he helps you out, pulling you close as he leads you toward the entrance.

The moment you step inside the building, the atmosphere shifts—quiet, intimate. The lobby is dimly lit, modern, and elegant, with polished floors and soft lighting. You barely register any of it, too focused on the way Jude’s fingers are laced with yours, the heat of his hand grounding you in the moment.

An elevator door opens, and Jude pulls you inside, pressing you up against the mirrored wall the second the doors close. His mouth is on yours in an instant, the kiss hot and urgent, all of the restraint from earlier gone in a flash. You gasp against his lips, your hands tangling in his hair as you kiss him back just as fiercely, your body arching into his.

His hands are everywhere—on your waist, sliding up your back, gripping your hips. He groans into your mouth, the sound vibrating through you, making you weak at the knees. "I’ve been waiting all night for this," he murmurs between kisses, his voice low and full of need.

You pull back just enough to look at him, your breaths coming fast, your heart pounding in your chest. "So have me," you whisper, your voice breathless, your fingers tugging at the collar of his shirt.

Jude's eyes darken, his grip on you tightening as the elevator dings softly, signaling that you've reached his floor. He doesn't say another word. Instead, he grabs your hand again, pulling you down the hall toward his apartment, his pace quick and purposeful. Your pulse quickens with every step, the anticipation thrumming through your veins.

The door to his apartment swings open, and before you can even take in your surroundings, Jude pulls you inside, his hands already sliding under your jacket, pushing it off your shoulders as he backs you up against the nearest wall.

His mouth crashes down on yours again, the kiss rough and demanding, full of the same need that's been building inside you all night.

You arch against him, your arms looping around his neck as you pull him closer, kissing him back with just as much passion. His hands slide down your sides, gripping your waist tight as he presses you harder into the wall, his hips grinding against yours.

You can feel the hard length of him through his jeans, his cock straining against the fabric, sending a jolt of arousal through you. A whimper slips from your lips, and Jude growls low in his throat, his teeth grazing your jaw, your throat, making your skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Fuck," he groans, his voice rough with desire. "You're so fucking sexy." His hands shift, sliding up under your skirt to grip your ass, his fingers kneading the flesh as he lifts you up, his hard cock pressing right where you need it most.

You cry out, your head falling back against the wall, your breath catching as he grinds his cock against your pussy through the fabric of his jeans, the friction making your body clench tight with anticipation. His mouth is relentless, licking, sucking, and biting its way down your neck, sending waves of heat through you.

"Jude," you gasp, his name slipping from your lips on a moan.

He makes a rough sound, deep in his throat, and lifts you higher against him, his hands rough on your skin, his grip bruising. "Your ass is perfect," he mutters, his mouth traveling back to yours as he presses your hips harder into the wall, the thrusts of his cock against you almost enough to send you over the edge.

You're panting, gasping, your body trembling as the tension winds tighter and tighter inside you. Jude's hands are everywhere, groping and teasing as he devours your mouth, his tongue thrusting in and out in a rhythm that matches the thrusts of his hips.

The pleasure is almost too much, the anticipation threatening to boil over at any second. But then Jude suddenly stops, pulling back just a bit to look at you. His eyes are dark, his pupils blown wide with lust as his chest heaves with heavy breaths.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asks, his voice still low and rough, but his eyes locked intently on yours.

You nod, breathless. "more than anything" you answer honestly.

He nods once, then presses your body flat against the wall again. "Good," he murmurs, leaning in to kiss you again. It's hard and fast, almost brutal. Then, before you even know what's happening, he lifts you away from the wall and carries you away.

Jude’s grip is steady, firm as he carries you effortlessly through the spacious apartment. You barely notice the surroundings, too consumed by the fire between you, by the way his touch sets your skin ablaze. His lips find yours again, devouring, urgent, as he moves with purpose down the hallway.

You don't care where he's taking you as long as he keeps going. The feel of his hard cock against you is addictive. You arch your hips, pressing closer against him as he walks.

The next thing you know, your back hits the soft surface of his bed, and you land with a bounce, your skirt riding up your thighs. Jude stops at the foot of the bed, his eyes raking you from head to toe as he begins to pull off his shirt. The fabric ripples down his torso, revealing a chiseled chest and abs, taut muscles flexing beneath his skin.

You swallow hard, your heart pounding harder in your chest, anticipation burning through you like fire.

He’s bigger than you in every way. His hands are twice the size of yours, his biceps thicker than your thighs. He’s not a huge man, not overly muscled, but there’s a raw power in his body that’s undeniable. And you’re so tiny compared to him — so small that your head only comes up to his shoulder.

It’s not something he usually thinks about, but in the moment, it becomes a living thing. The size difference between the two of you is so apparent, so obvious, it’s hard to ignore. And for some reason, it makes Jude’s cock even harder.

Your eyes are locked on him, dark and dilated, as if you want nothing more than his hands on you. He steps closer, reaching for the fly of his pants. Your gaze tracks his every movement, your breathing quickening as he unbuttons his jeans.

You wet your lips, sitting up to lean forward on the bed. Your eyes are wide, your cheeks flushed with heat as Jude’s pants fall to his feet, revealing his boxers, the shape of his cock straining thickly against the fabric.

You lick your lips again, your eyes drifting up to his as he kicks his pants away, standing at the foot of his bed in only his boxers. The room seems to grow hotter.

"I'm going to fuck you so good," he promises, his voice low, husky, making you whimper with need.

The way he says it makes you want to agree, to give him whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. You bite your lip, your pulse throbbing in your ears as he steps closer to you, his hand wrapping around the back of your neck.

He hauls you close, your thighs parting automatically as his knees hit the mattress and he comes down on top of you. His mouth finds yours, his lips coaxing yours open as he slides his tongue into your mouth. His kiss is hot and wet and everything you want in this moment.

He kisses you deep and slow, his weight pressing you down into his mattress. You moan into the kiss, your tongue moving against his as you roll your hips against him. He groans into the kiss, his cock twitching against you where you're grinding against it.

His hand slides down your body, his palm smoothing up to cup your breast. You squeak as he grabs it and squeezes. He smiles against your mouth, thrusting his hips against you as you mewl and squirm beneath him.

"Fuck," he grunts, kissing down your neck, his tongue tracing the curve of your throat. He nips at your skin, sucking a mark on the skin above your collarbone.

You whine, clutching at his shoulders and he bites harder, making you gasp. The sound turns him on, his hips jutting against you like he can't stop himself.

He pulls back to look at you, a smile twisting his lips. You're flushed pink, your pupils blown wide, lips plump from kissing him.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," he murmurs, his expression tender as he looks at you, his hands moving over you in a slow caress. He tugs your skirt down your hips, tossing it aside, leaving you in just your lingerie. His hands come back up to you, running down the sides of your thighs, his thumbs brushing the waistband of your panties.

You moan as he touches you, your back arching. You're desperate for more. He laughs, his touch teasing, light as he rubs his thumbs along the edges.

"Please," you whimper, reaching for his shoulders. His hands slide up, his thumbs hooking into the straps of your bra and tugging it down your arms. He pulls it off, his gaze falling on the curves of your naked breasts. He groans as he takes you in, his eyes hot as they look at you.

He drops his head to suck a nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue against it, making you cry out. His hand finds your other breast, kneading it in his palm, squeezing. You gasp, your hips jolting up at the feel of his mouth on you.

He sucks harder, his teeth raking over your sensitive flesh. You moan, your nails digging into his back as he draws on your breast.

A shiver runs through your body as his hand falls to the waistband of your underwear. He tugs them down your legs and you raise your hips automatically, letting him pull them all the way off.

You're naked now, exposed and trembling with need as he looks down at you, sprawled out on his bed. Fuck.

You look so hot. So tiny and small compared to him, it’s impossible not to feel that urge to use you, to bend you to his will. It’s been there since the balcony, his desire to own you, to take care of you, but right now, it’s almost overwhelming.

"Spread your legs," he murmurs as he runs a finger up the inside of your thigh. You part your knees automatically for him and his hand moves straight up to your pussy. He presses his palm flat against your mound, his fingers slipping through your folds to feel your heat.

"Fuck," he groans, "look at you." You can't help but look. Your body is so much smaller than his, his hands spanning half the length of your thigh.

You gasp at the touch, your head falling back against the bed as he teases your clit. His fingers slide between your folds, rubbing, parting you open to find the entrance to your cunt. He circles it, his finger dipping inside, and you gasp.

You try to roll your hips and he moves his hand, using his palm to press you still.

"Let me play with you," he murmurs. You whimper, your body shivering with the touch. His mouth comes down over your breast again as he thrusts his finger into you with a squelch. "Shit, baby you're so wet." You moan at the stretch of his finger inside you, arching up against him. His teeth graze your nipple, his lips sucking it in his mouth.

You whine at the feel of him sucking on your nipple while his finger is inside you. The dual sensations make you gasp for breath as he thrusts into you, deep, making you clench around him.

His mouth moves to your other breast and he slides a second finger inside you as he sucks on your skin. You cry out, your back bowing as he uses his hand to hold you in place.

He finger fucks you, working your body with his touch as he nips at the curve of your breast, his teeth scraping your skin. He's careful not to hurt you, but you want him to go further.

He seems to realize that as he kisses his way back up your body. He holds his weight off you on one arm, his other hand still buried between your thighs as he works your cunt with his fingers.

You gasp as he curls his fingers inside you, stroking over your g-spot as he kisses your lips. You feel the build of your orgasm in the tightening of your belly, in the way your toes curl and your thighs clench. He rubs you faster, his mouth eating at yours as he drives you higher and higher.

The orgasm hits you like a wave, rolling through your body and leaving you trembling in his hold. You cry out against his mouth as he rides you through it, his fingers working your pussy until it's spent.

He kisses your lips softly as he pulls his hand from you, his cock still hard against your leg. He shifts his hips to the side, sliding between your legs as you lay there, flushed and panting.

His hands move to his boxers, tugging them down his hips as you watch. Your eyes grow wide at the sight of his cock, thick and long and hot. He's so big. Unlike anyone you've had before. You have no idea how he’s going to fit.

Your thoughts are interrupted by Jude’s mouth moving over your stomach, kissing his way down your body. His kisses are slow, sweet and you let him, relaxing against the bed with a moan.

His lips move over your hipbones, his tongue licking the skin and you can't help the giggle that escapes. He pauses to look up at you, his eyebrow arched in amusement.

"You ticklish?" he asks. You nod and he chuckles as he moves closer. His mouth drops to your mound and you gasp as his lips place a gentle kiss on it.

"Jude," you whisper, your fingers sliding into his hair.

He moans, his lips moving over your pussy. He kisses your folds as he pushes them apart with his fingers and you arch under the touch. Your thighs part, falling open to let him have his way and he takes it, kissing along your slit, his tongue flicking out to tease you. You shiver at the feel of it on your clit and he repeats it, circling your little nub in a teasing caress.

He growls against you as he licks you open. Your cunt is wet and pink and fucking perfect. His tongue is long and rough against your sensitive skin and you gasp, clutching at the bedding as he goes to town. He sucks on you, his tongue pushing inside, licking your taste on his lips as he drinks you in.

His hands come down on either side of your thighs, pressing them open as his mouth finds your clit and sucks. Your body jolts at the feel of his lips, his tongue flicking at you in a quick caress that has you gasping in shock.

You whimper, your toes curling as he eats at you. You've never felt anything like this before. It's incredible, the way his mouth feels on you, his tongue stroking you in long swipes.

"Jude, fuck," you gasp and his growl vibrates against your clit as he works you towards another orgasm.

It doesn't take long. You're so sensitive, so worked up already. His tongue flicks over your clit in quick circles and you burst in a rush, your whole body trembling with the force of it. Your thighs clamp down around his head as he holds you steady, his tongue still stroking your clit through it.

You’re sensitive to the point of pain by the time he eases off, licking slowly as he lets you come down from the orgasm. You whine, your legs still clamped around his head and he gently works you open, his hands soft on your thighs.

His face is wet with your taste as he comes up over you, kissing you deep and filthy, making you taste yourself on his lips.

He's hard as hell against your thigh, his cock pressing into you and you roll your hips up in instinctive need. He groans, grinding his cock against you, rutting you like he needs it.

"I need you," you pant, kissing him, your hands running down his back. "Please, I need it."

His groan is thick and guttural. "Yeah, baby, need that big cock in that tight little pussy? Want me to fuck it? Hm?" He thrusts his hips against you to punctuate his words and you moan. You gasp, your eyes going wide at the way he talks, but fuck, you like it. It makes you hot, his dirty words making you need more.

You nod, your fingers sliding down to his ass, holding his hips tighter to your body. "Yes," you agree, "please, I want it."

"Fuck, you are so fucking hot," he whispers as he leans to the side to reach for a drawer in the bed, pulling out a condom. He tears it open and slides it over his cock, his hands slick with lube as he fists himself, working his shaft. Never taking his eyes off you. Fuck. This is going to be so good.

He drops on top of you, his weight heavy on you as he braces his elbows beside your head. his hands running up your thighs and hooking underneath your knees. He pushes them up towards your chest, opening you wide and you feel vulnerable in his hold, tiny and exposed as he lines his cock up with your cunt.

"You ready for me, baby? Gonna fill you up," he growls, his eyes dark and serious as he watches your reaction.

You can only moan, unable to talk as you feel his cock at the entrance to your body, hot and hard against you.

He stops, his eyes locked on yours as he checks on you. "You okay?" he whispers.

Your breath hitches, and your eyes flicker to his. There’s a tenderness in his gaze, cutting through the thick haze of lust that surrounds you both. The way his voice softens when he asks—it's a moment of clarity, and it grounds you.

You nod, feeling the pressure of him right there, so close to entering. "Yeah," you murmur, your voice breathy, lost in the pleasure he's giving you. "I'm okay."

Jude's lips curve into a small smile, one that only deepens the wetness between your legs. His hands squeeze your thighs gently, reassuring you. "Good. I'll take care of you," he promises, and then his eyes drop to where he's pressed against you.

You moan, your mouth dropping open as you feel him press into you.

"Ah," you gasp, looking up at him in shock. Your fingers curl into the sheets, your body not yet adjusted to his size. He's huge inside you, thick, your walls stretching to accommodate him. The burn of his penetration is almost painful and you clench around his cock instinctively.

His breath shudders, and you can hear the restraint in his groan as he fights to keep it slow. "Fuck, you’re so tight," he mutters, forehead resting against yours as your gummy walls squeeze his cock.

You can feel him everywhere. His breath hot on your neck, his hands firm on your legs, his cock stretching you in ways you’ve never felt before.

You're fucking ruined for life. Ruined for anyone else.

You gasp, your body taut and trembling, and he moans as he settles deep inside your body. His eyes flutter closed, his head tipping back as he gasps.

For a moment, neither of you move. His hips stay locked against yours, the both of you catching your breath. Jude’s hands caress your thighs, thumbs brushing the sensitive skin there as if to ease you into this. His lips ghost over your cheek, whispering soft words you can barely make out, but you know they’re for you. Only for you.

And then he moves.

It’s a slow, gentle pull out, almost torturous in its pace, followed by a deep thrust back in. Your mouth falls open in a silent moan, your back arching as you take him.

"Fuck, you're tight, baby," he pants. "Oh shit, I knew you'd feel good." He drops his forehead to yours with a groan. "But this," he thrusts, his cock moving inside you in a slow, deep stroke, "this is better than I imagined." He looks down at you, watching you as he fucks you, your cunt clenching tight around him as he moves in you. His cock fills you full, so full, and you're hot and tight and wet as hell around him, and he fucking loves it. You can see it in his eyes.

"Jude," his name is a moan as he drives deep inside you, hitting you with a thrust that makes you gasp in shock.

"That feel good, baby?" he pants, his hands sliding down to grab at your ass, holding you still as he fucks into you. You clutch at him, your arms wrapping around him. He kisses you deep, his mouth dropping to yours as his cock thrusts into your cunt. "Love you around my cock," he grunts against your lips. "It's so fucking perfect." Your whimpers make him growl.

Your nails dig into his back, leaving crescent-shaped marks in his skin as he fucks you harder, faster, pounding into you. The bed creaks beneath you, the air heavy with the sounds of skin against skin, of gasps and moans. You’re lost in it, in him—completely undone by the way he makes you feel.

It’s like nothing else matters. Nothing. Right now, all that exists is Jude, his body moving against yours, his cock filling you over and over until you can’t think straight.

"Look at you," he pants, "taking it so well." You can feel his words vibrate in his chest, and it only drives you higher.

It’s too much. Too much sensation, too much pleasure, and you cry out, the sound high-pitched and desperate as you clench down around him. "Fuck, fuck, baby," he growls against your lips as he feels it. "That feels so fucking good. Look at me. Look at me when I make you cum." His fingers move down to rub your clit, your pussy clenching tighter around him and he groans, thrusting into you with a growl as he tips you over the edge.

"Jude, Jude," you pant his name like a prayer, your nails digging into his shoulders, holding him closer. "Oh shit!" You feel your pussy clench and ripple around him, milking his cock for everything.

Your eyes flutter, your head tipping back with a gasp as your body trembles through the orgasm. Your cunt pulses tight around his cock and he groans as he takes you through it. His thrusts become unsteady, deep and hard and fast as he pounds into your little cunt and you take it.

"Oh yeah," he murmurs against your neck. "There you go. Cum on my cock, baby. That's a good girl." His mouth moves to your shoulder, his teeth sinking into you as he grunts, his body shuddering with pleasure.

He’s close. You feel it in the way he holds himself against you, in the way his breaths become short and heavy against your skin. "Fuck, I'm going to cum, baby," he gasps.

You clench down on his cock with a moan, squeezing his length inside you, and his mouth drops to yours in a hot and filthy kiss.

He fucks into you with a grunt, his thrusts quick and hard as he seeks his release. His body moves against yours in rough jerks, his cock thick inside you, filling you. He growls as he fucks, his lips dropping to your neck.

"Baby," he gasps, "fuck," he moans again, his voice so deep it’s almost a whine. You feel him shudder against you, his whole body trembling as he thrusts into you.

"You want my cum?" he growls against your shoulder and you moan at the words, your body already clenching in response.

"Yes," you gasp. "In me, please." He thrusts deep inside you at your words, his groan loud in your ear.

"I’m gonna fill you so full of it," he pants, grinding deep inside you. "So full," he grunts, face buried in the crook of your neck "gonna fill you up and then it's going to drip out of your tight little pussy."

His lips are hot on your skin as he gasps your name, his body jerking into you. "Fuck," he breathes, his hips rolling against yours in a deep grind.

You wrap your arms around him, holding him close as he rides out the pleasure, cumming again for the fourth time that night. He groans, his hips jerking against yours, thrusting his cock deep inside you as he empties into the condom. His fingers curl into you, holding your body close as he fills you, and it’s so good.

The way he feels inside you, the way his cock throbs and pulses as he cums. You can feel it, even through the condom, and it makes you gasp. He thrusts again, groaning as he keeps going, wanting to fuck you through it as much as you do.

And then it’s over.

His body shudders through the aftershocks and he goes still on top of you. His head drops to your shoulder, his breath coming in ragged pants as he holds you close, riding out the aftershocks together.

His face moves back to yours, his lips pressing a kiss against your forehead. "Well, shit," he mutters against you. "You're amazing."

You giggle, your hands running over his back. His weight is comforting on top of you as you come down, your breaths slowing. You let him stay for a moment, enjoying the weight and heat of his body before he pulls out and rolls to the side, stripping off the condom and tossing it into a bin by his bed.

You follow him to the side, turning and pressing a kiss to his shoulder as you let the afterglow wash through you. He smiles, turning to look at you and lifting his arm.

"Come here," he murmurs.

You roll onto your side, pressing against him as he curls his arm around you, pulling you close. He nuzzles into your hair, his fingers running through it as he pulls your body into his. Your leg lifts, your thighs opening around one of his as you curl into him, the softness of the bed and pillows enveloping you.

"Mmmhmm," he mutters, running his hands down your back. "God, I don't want to move. You feel so good."

You smile against him, kissing his chest. "Me neither. I'm comfortable right here."

He laughs, his chest vibrating with it. He rolls a little closer to the edge of the bed, reaching down and pulling up the blanket. He wraps it around you both, tucking it in so that it covers you completely and you're nestled into him, warm and comfortable.

"Better?" he asks.

"Mmm, perfect."

He hums, his arms coming around you again. He snuggles into you, nuzzling your cheek.

"You are perfect," he tells you, his voice gentle as he lets the afterglow take him over. His lips move against your shoulder, his hands rubbing your back and hips. "Thank you for tonight."

You smile, turning your head so you can kiss him. He moves with you, meeting you in it as his hand cups your cheek. His lips are soft and sweet, his tongue teasing yours as he kisses you back.

When you break it, you both smile and snuggle in, holding each other close.

"Mmmm," he says. "I'm gonna want to do that a lot more." His arm curls around your body, holding you close as you snuggle deeper. "Are you alright?"

"I'm great," you tell him. "That was amazing."

He grins, his body relaxing as he holds onto you. His voice drops into a soft mumble, the last of the afterglow pulling him over. "Good. I can't wait to do it again. Best sex of my life." His hand runs up your side, his finger brushing against your breast. "Can't wait for more of that. You're perfect, baby girl." His lips press against the side of your head and he holds you close. "So perfect for me."

His words send a spark of happiness through you and you smile, dropping your head onto his chest. He holds you closer, his fingers rubbing up your back, his hands resting on your lower back and ass.

Then you feel his body pulling away from yours. You mumble a protest, reaching for him, and you can feel him chuckle.

"Shh, baby, I'll be right back," he tells you softly. His lips press a kiss to your forehead and then he's rolling away from you, moving to the side of the bed. "Just need to run to the bathroom for a minute."

You hum, stretching and letting your eyes flutter open. He's pulling on his boxer briefs, moving out of the bedroom. You watch him go with a little sigh, your body still buzzing from the afterglow. You roll over onto your back, running a hand through your hair and smiling up at the ceiling.

God, he's perfect.

He comes back a few minutes later, a warm towel in his hands. You turn your head to look at him as he moves back onto the bed, a soft smile on his face. He runs the towel up your thigh, leaning down to kiss your hip.

"Spread your legs for me," he murmurs.

Your thighs drop open, letting him clean you with the warm towel. His mouth moves against your skin, his tongue licking at your hip as he holds the towel against you. The warmth feels good against your pussy and you let out a soft sigh, tilting your hips into his touch.

"Does that feel better?" he asks. You nod, his eyes lifting to yours.

"Yeah, that feels really good." Your voice comes out breathy and soft as he cleans you again. "Mmmm."

He smiles, his lips brushing against your stomach. His tongue flicks out to lick at your skin as he moves his mouth lower. You shudder a little, wanting to push your hips up, and his mouth lifts to yours.

He crawls over you, bracing his arms on either side of you. His lips cover yours, kissing you slowly. His tongue slips between your lips, his teeth catching your lip as he moves his hips against you.

Your thighs lift up around his, holding him close between your legs. His cock is hard again, pressing against your stomach, and he groans as he feels it.

"Again?" he asks you.

You smile and nod, reaching up to kiss him again. He smiles too, his lips covering yours.

"Mmmm," you murmur against him. "Yes."

-Bianca🌻

[pforestsims]

Lo and behold, the amazing @episims has made "It's Myshuno" into a functional thing! I had no furniture appropriate for bingo halls so I decided to make some. I also gave Myshuno cube & marker a makeover and Epi has created multicolor mod for those, so when Sim starts playing, one of four color options is picked at random 😀

Bingo Hall Set

& Myshuno Cube & Marker Default / Multicolor Mod

Download: SFS | BOX

*Bar dining table requires bar table mod by @morepopcorn that allows placing bar stools at bar tables (with custom BHAV also by Morepopcorn) - mod is included.

*I recommend my default for Myshuno, you can find it here. Last but not least, you need Epi's Myshuno fix (SFS).

More pics under the cut:

*This is for The Sims 2

Archive was updated 20.06.2024:

- Added 'Bingo Hall Speaker' (decor) Hobbies/Misc, 8 S.

- Lowered the Bingo Hall Coffee Table surface a little bit, so it's now compatible with diningtable-height OMSP (it was almost compatible but object shadows would sink into the top).

- Edited TXMT settings for decorative score cards so these are less bright.

Bingo Hall Chair (livingroom chair) seat is repo'd to Ektorp sofa. I also included a base game-friendly edit that pulls recolors from Satinistic Loveseat - these are two versions of the same chair and cannot be used together. Frame has 5 different looks - left wall mount, right wall mount, left & right extended frame - all in one mesh. That's why each recolor package contains multiple recolors.

Place the chair near a wall (right or left side), then enable setquartertileplacement On cheat to add another chair close to the first one (upper right pic). Sims are able to move between these chairs /and also between chair and wall.

Included coffee table is in fact 1x1, bar dining table is 1x2 - you can place these with shorter or longer side facing the wall - only front side of the dining bar table is functional though (as shown in the pic below).

Use setquartertileplacement On cheat (CTRL + F activates it) to align wall-mounted dining table with the wall /Coffee table is different size and cannot be aligned this way/.

Polycounts:

Cube & Marker default: cube 272 poly, marker 176 poly, 128x128 px textures. Multicolor mod contains 8 textures, there's also a 'standard' default containing two textures.

Chair is 830 poly, Tables are below 600 poly, decorative score card is below 500 poly. Textures 256 x 256 px.

New - Bingo Hall Speaker /or whatever this thing is called/ pulls textures from basegame Club Distress Avignon table and Value Counter. Polycount: 382.

[flowersdiceandlove]

Just realized that the pick up line “did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?” Would both work SO WELL but also fail miserably for hualian. Like it could go multiple ways:

Hua Cheng being all flirty and trying to be smooth (successful): hey, gege, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?

Xie Lian, oblivious: which time?

——

Hua Cheng being all flirty and trying to be smooth (successful): hey, gege, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?

Xie Lian: yeah, it’s a pretty long fall. But, I’m fine, really. All healed 😊

Hua Cheng, freaking out and checking Xie Lian over: gege!! 😱

——

Xie Lian trying to flirt and be smooth (failing, but it’s hua cheng so he’s into it either way): San Lang, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?

Hua Cheng: No. I didn’t fall, I jumped. How could I stay in heaven if my god was walking the earth?

Xie Lian, blushing profusely: San Lang!!!

——

Xie Lian trying to flirt and be smooth (failing, but it’s hua cheng so he’s into it either way): San Lang, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?

Hua Cheng, staring lovingly at Xie Lian: gege’s my heaven, and he’s the one that caught me.

Xie Lian, equally besotted: San Lang…🥹

——

Hua Cheng, before Banyue Pass and still disguised as San Lang: gege, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

Xie Lian, shocked: San Lang knows even this!?!? He really is amazing! 😃 (see the second option for how this progresses)

——

Surprise beefleaf!!

Shi Qingxuan, flipping his hair and fluttering his eyelashes flirtatiously: Ming-Xiong, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

He Xuan disguised as Ming Yi, feeling pretty murderous over the question: …

Shi Qingxuan, oblivious to it: because you must be an angel 😘

He Xuan, reached his “Shi Qingxuan threshold for the day” and walking away: …

Shi Qingxuan: eh?! Ming-Xiong? Where are you going??

——

Lmao just looked up the actual pick up line and realized I remembered it wrong, so have some more 🤗🤗

Hua Cheng being all flirty and trying to be smooth (successful): hey, gege, did it hurt?

Xie Lian, not sure what incident he’s talking about: I have a high pain tolerance 😊

Hua Cheng: …

——

Surprise FengQing!!

Feng Xin: hey! Did it hurt!?

Mu Qing, annoyed, wondering what he wants: did what hurt?

Feng Xin: when you fell from heaven?

Mu Qing, drawing his saber: …is that a threat? 😡😡😡

Feng Xin, realizing he fucked it up: 😳😳😳

——

Jun Wu, trapped in Mount Tonglu: did it hurt?

Mei Nianqing, sitting to the side, reading a book, not even looking up: did what hurt?

Jun Wu: when you fell from heaven?

Mei Nianqing, flipping a page and still not bothering to spare him a glance: you’re the one that fell, my lord, not me.

[horsegirlwithnoname]

okay we can all agree the Manticore is fucking weird, right?

Like, look past Castigate, which is mostly a meme (I've seen players say 'the enemy doesn't know whether it's online or not and you can play that psychologically to influence enemy behaviour' but that seems so GM dependent), what the fuck is this thing's deal?

Well, it's tough-ish. 8hp, 2 armour, 7 heat cap, 10 e-def. That's ... the same as a Tortuga??? With +1 heat cap??? 3 repcap (low, but the same as the Gorgon or Napoleon, and like them it has damage mitigation tools) so you're less resilient across multiple scenes but I think a lot of people get so caught up in Castigate they miss that the Manticore's stat line is really similar to the Tortuga's, including (unfortunately) speed 3, which means your movement/positioning needs to be pinpoint if you're planning to play up close.

Also like the Tortuga, it's got +1 tech attack but unlike the ever-popular hacktuga it actually has invade options on its license. Like ... four different invade options, which range from decent-if-niche to amazing.

So it's a hacker, then? Problem solved.

Except

all its license weapons are CQB

Charged Exoskeleton, EMP Pulse and Lightning Generator want you to be up close

Beckon is a completely absurd tool for getting close

So you're what ... a close-quarters hackerbrawler? Who wants to overheat as much as possible. Its kit likes it when enemies group up and Summon lets you force them to group up. Since it's already decent at hacking it works well with licenses like the Goblin that let you play with enemy movement to bring them into your hellzone.

People love the hacktuga but the Manticore tends to get pushed into meme territory despite being something really similar. You're a close-combat guy who's also slow as hell so you use hacking tools to bring the enemy to you.

Isn't that cool? Isn't that so much more interesting than the way the playerbase tend to treat it? Like I'm trying to figure out what A Complete Manticore looks like and it's so much weirder than I was expecting. Melee hackertank who wants to cook their own reactor and wants to bring the enemy to them, right? So:

-- HORUS Manticore @ LL12 -- [ LICENSES ] HORUS Manticore 3, HORUS Goblin 3, SSC Metalmark 3, HORUS Balor 3 [ CORE BONUSES ] The Lesson of Thinking-Tomorrow’s-Thought, The Lesson of the Open Door, Integrated Weapon, Full Subjectivity Sync [ TALENTS ] Hacker 3, Executioner 3, Hunter 3, Nuclear Cavalier 3, Pankrati 3 [ STATS ] HULL:4 AGI:2 SYS:6 ENGI:2 STRUCTURE:4 HP:22 ARMOR:2 STRESS:4 HEATCAP:9 REPAIR:5 TECH ATK:+7 LIMITED:+1 SPD:4 EVA:10 EDEF:16 SENSE:10 SAVE:18 [ WEAPONS ] Integrated: Fuel Rod Gun INTEGRATED WEAPON: Shock Knife FLEX MOUNT: Shock Knife / Shock Knife HEAVY MOUNT: Nanobot Whip [ SYSTEMS ] H0R_OS System Upgrade I, Beckoner, Lightning Generator, Scanner Swarm, Swarm Body, OSIRIS-Class NHP

Am I completely off base here?

[mintyjinx]

(Retro & Vintage) Wall Mounted Landline Telephones

Background: I’ve been wanting some more vintage and retro-esque electronics in my game, I especially miss the telephones that used to come with previous Sims games so I figured I’d make a wall mounted telephone- of course with some over the top color options! Details & Info: There are 3 versions of this telephone, all of them are extremely similar with some minor changes to the meshes. Version #1 has a somewhat metallic surface while version #2 has a much more reflective surface and finally there’s version #3 which has a more matte-like surface. Both 1 & 2 have the exact same 24 swatches whereas version 3 with the matte surface has its own set of swatches. Requirements: None. Note(s): You can pick and choose which version(s) you prefer in your game. You can have all of them in your game at the same time. Each file contains its own mesh so you're not required to download anything else. I just created multiple versions for people who are picky like myself. For any questions, leave a comment or ask me anything HERE. Notes For CC creators wishing to edit my CC: You may absolutely recolor my CC. If you share the recolor then please do not include the mesh but rather provide a link back to this page. (Unless it’s for personal use, obviously.) You may edit any and all of my meshes. All I ask is to credit me with a link to this page stating that you’ve used my mesh as a base/source etc. 📞🗯️ Download the phone(s) for free HERE (SFS) (No ad)

[influenzalake]

Dc x Invincible - Jealous Yan Dick x Reader

Imagine: a new hero has been flying around the past year, and they caught reader's eye

TW: suggestive content, GN reader,  500+ words 

- - - 

"Hey! Give me the remote the news is on!", Y/N says.

"No way. I know what you're really looking for.", Dick snaps and he holds the remote out of Y/n's reach. 

"Okay yeah and so what? I wanna see!", as Y/n continues to wrestle for television rights.

"Master Dick, I suggest you give in to Master Y/N's requests. You have been enjoying the television for some time and the news program is important for education about real world events.", count on Alfred to always have your back. 

With a grumble of defeat, Dick relinquishes the remote and settles back into the couch. 

You type the channel and looks excitedly at the screen. You've heard the whispers, there HAS to be an official report. Hopefully the cameraman takes their job seriously this time. 

The jingle plays, the image of the Earth swirls across the screen, you are greeted kindly by the host and, for once, you are delighted by the words "Breaking News". 

*new hero, self-proclaimed, "Invincible" and Atom Eve spotted today at Mount Rushmore fighting against super-villain Doc Seismic, saving countless civilians. Reporter O'Hara is on scene with the latest, O'Hara?"

The scene changes to the location in question and the reporter begins to recount the events. You don't really need the rundown, you already know what happened. You're here for the close ups! 

... and there he is. Draped in his iconic blue and yellow, speeding across the screen. You are treated to the same scene from multiple angles, all with decent quality and sound. Heavens bless the videographers that day. 

"I dont know what you see in that guy. You're surrounded by other, BETTER, heroes every day!", Dick huffs.

You ignore his comment and keep your eyes on the screen. Forget whatever people say, he's SUCH a hunk. 

"You know we know who he is right. His name is Mark Grayson. We know his name, his address, and his favorite comic book! That means we can find all his dirt too."

This time you tune in. Mark...  Mark Grayson. You like it. You instantly attach the name to his face (and body) with a soft smile. Maybe? I mean, you are connected with the superhero community even if they have their separate groups. It shouldn't be too hard...

Dick sees the way you stare at the TV. At HIM. You're practically drooling! He feels that gnawing heat rise up from his chest and go straight to his teeth. Nothing this guy has that the entire BATFAMILY does not or cannot get. Just waiting until they hear about this. It goes higher and his eyes feel like they're going to burst. 

"If you wanted your last name to be Grayson so bad, all you had to do was ask." He bites the inside of his cheek, hoping that wasn't too loud. 

But you heard it. You heard loud and clear. You let some time pass then tip your head in his direction.

"...Hmm?"

Keeping him at bay is the smarter option. As much as you'd like to confront him about what in the Name Of Heck that was, you can let it slide this time. It's always like this. They're jealous and demanding, nothing like your dear Invincible. 

Hopefully. 

[kithtaehyung]

mami (m) (teaser) | myg/knj

— “then hurry up, mami. gimme one more for luck.”    

title: mami (teaser) pairing: battle rappers!myg/knj x reader(f) , slight jhs x reader(f)😛 rating/genre: m (18+) ; smut ; battle rap au , roommates au  summary: turns out, two of the guys you’ve been hooking up with are battle rappers. and roommates. and the most competitive gd people you’ve ever met.  warnings for fic: [redacted] lmfaooooo🥴🥴🥴  warnings for teaser: cursing, yoongi’s fit, dirty talk, namjoon deserves his own gd warning throughout this whole fic so it’s included in the teaser warnings, too :^))  note: fuuuuuuck me lol. this is also gonna have some heavy 00s vibes so let’s fcking go🦋 est. drop date: jul-aug 2023 est. word count: 15-20k taglist: join here (will be checking blogs!) —18+ teaser below if you want to read :)) drops you right in the middle! minors dni.  

-

-

Weeks go by and you keep your options super open, with the occasional run-in with Yoongi and the strangely refreshing dates with Namjoon. 

As much as you want things to move forward with the latter, he’s kept every meet-up early and short, always checking his phone with pure concentration before heading out. 

Did you think about whether or not he had a girl already? Absolutely. But just being able to have nice dinners and talk was pretty fucking harmless considering. 

If he finally decides to cave in and split you in two, maybe you’ll re-evaluate. But you hope that happens sooner rather than later because you are aching to feel anything he’d give you. 

That and the frustrating fact that he looks more and more attractive with every damn date.

Speaking of attractive things… 

One dingy, smoke-filled event on south side, just as you were cussing someone out for slapping your ass, it was Yoongi that shocked you by stepping in, quietly shielding you and taunting,

“You wanna try that again?”

“Fuck outta here, man. Just having a good time.”

When your surprise of a savior aims one slitted eye over his shoulder, he asks,

“You having fun?”

And your arms fold in calm revenge. “Not with him.”

“Didn’t think so.” Turning back around, Yoongi simply eases, “I’ll let you off this time, but only cus she’s listening.”

Your blink is immediate.

“But I better not see your sorry ass anywhere near her by the time I get on stage.”

Safe to say, it didn’t matter if he saw that guy or not. 

Because he definitely saw you after the show, right before you tugged his stupid tracksuit into the nearest bathroom.

Ever since the first, all your dates with Namjoon have been innocent.

So it sends shivers across your arms when low words slip into your ear. Words so spiced that they cause your thighs to squirm on the cheap vinyl booth you both occupy, 

“I gotta say… I didn’t expect us to talk this much.” 

Breath hitching, you slowly turn, fixated on the veins running down his arms while admiring the way neon lights make rainbows of his chains. Not giving much of your own thoughts away, you simply ask, 

“This time? Or at all?”

“Honestly?” His smile coats you in a layer of warmth. Which is strange considering how frozen you really feel. “I don’t usually do dates.” 

What?

You’ve never moved away so quick. “Wait, really?”

“Oh, shit. Was that bad to say?” 

“No, I”—pure relief juts out of your mouth—“Neither do I.” 

“No fuckin’ way,” Namjoon challenges with a grin, shaking his head when you nod multiple times. “Nah. You can’t tell me your fine ass has never gone out before.” 

“First of all,” you tut, smirking at his true nature coming through, “This ass has been taken out more times than yours.” 

“Oh, yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” Flipping your head, you give him a mocking once-over, feigning boredom even though you wanna mount those goddamn thighs and ride them into next Wednesday. “I just don’t waste my time dating.” 

“Then why’d you keep coming?”

“Why’d you keep asking?”

At your coy tone, Namjoon’s smile grows and grows, and you’re enjoying where this is going an obscene, frightening amount. 

Instead of responding, he simply lifts an arm to skirt knuckles right up the front of your dress, finally looping one under the necklace dangling from your neck. When he presses a bold thumb down, you cease breathing as he softly tugs forward, your entire body following without resistance. 

And just as your lips hover against his, he challenges, 

“Cus if I asked you anything else, you would’ve ran.”

Oh, fuck. 

Butterflies scatter at his insinuation, and they fall victim to his honeyed smirk when you taunt, 

“Try me.” 

What the hell is he gonna say? Based on your earlier conversations, you could tell he has a way with words. You don’t have to spell a single thing out for him, that’s for damn sure. 

The look you get is pure sin before he moves to your ear, his mouth hidden from the rest of the bar and hot breath stroking your neck. Anticipation keeps your body fully alert, and yet it still doesn’t prepare you for whatever comes out of this dude’s mouth. 

“Like if you’d ever let me paint those tits.” 

The fuck.

“Or if you’d let me be the first to make you squirt.” 

The fuck?

Your exhale comes out stilted before stuttering out, and your chest physically heaves because—

“What, that’s all it takes to make you shy?” 

Holy shit. You haven’t felt this way in years. 

Truthfully, you can’t even think up an inkling of a response. 

Because the hand on your necklace slides downward, a finger lowering your dress bit. By bit. By bit.

Before letting it spring back with a snap.

-

-

-

tbc. :)

-

💌 l m f a o what do we think!! 💌

A/N: PFFFFFT SO. thank you so much for reading and for all of your support in general. as you can probably tell, i am sweating writing this whole thing if this is what i decide to share as the teaser dklfjdsklf honestly y’all i need all the strength i can muster for these two DEMONS that are haunting the everloving SHIT out of me LMAOOO  ++ taglist:  ⇥ of course, any reblogs/comments/messages are appreciated!  ⇥ no emails collected, just put your username and make sure ur age is visible on your blog somewhere so i can see it when i check. ⇥ here!   ++ ⇥ masterlist 

[whatthebodygraspsnot]

beginning snippet of something i’ve been working on. baby sub ian you compel me so tags: sex club, first time sub! ian, experienced dom! mickey, ian is nervous and cute and doesn’t know what he wants exactly, all he knows is he’s very into mickey

Ian is minorly freaking out.

The room is like something out of Fifty Shades, but slightly more intimidating in real life. Slightly warmer. Slightly overwhelming, with its wall of mounted whips and multiple surfaces to be whipped on.

It’s not that Ian has to worry about those because he definitely steered clear of them on his terms and consent form, it’s just overwhelming to see - to look up from the pillow they told him to kneel on in the center of the room, to a sight of ropes suspended from the ceiling.

It’s a lot.

Ian definitely wants to be here, but he’s minorly freaking out, every second that ticks by as he waits for the dom to come into the room feeling like its own brand of torture.

But he wants this. God, he wants this so fucking bad - practically needs it at this point, even though he’s nervous. So he sits and waits, his back to the door and time ticking…ticking…ticking, until finally…

Behind him, the doorknob twists.

A rush of air, otherwise silent.

And then the click of the door closing again, sealing him back inside.

Only this time, he’s not alone.

Ian balls his hands on his thighs, his heart beginning to beat uncomfortably under his t-shirt. He waits. Because that’s what a sub is supposed to do, right? Wait? That’s what the lady told him to do before she left.

More silence.

Anticipation wracking up his body.

Nerves popping off and okay, maybe just a little peek.

He turns to shoot a glance over his shoulder, but doesn’t get much. Not enough without kneeling off the pillow, and he definitely shouldn’t do that, right?

“Hi…” he tries. A shot in the dark. But it’s better than nothing, and- “I uh-… I know you probably know this, but it’s my first time here...” Unclear whether this is helping or not. If it makes him feel better or more frantic. “I’ve never-… I mean, I don’t really know how to-”

“Tell me why you’re here.”

The voice that cuts him off isn’t unkind, but it’s commanding. Certain.

And fuck, does it have Ian’s mouth snapping closed for a moment as he tries to process the effect that has on him, something plucking teasingly at his nerves.

No. It’s okay.

He can do this.

“I just-…” Breathe in. No need to freak out. It’s a simple question. “I always have to…do everything.” In bed. Which is fine - he’s kinda built for that - but deep in his heart of hearts he knows that’s not him. Not all the time, at least. “I don’t wanna have to do everything…” Hopefully that makes sense.

“So you wanna be lazy.”

Ian frowns, twisting for another look over his shoulder but getting nowhere. Seeing no one. Just a shadow in the corner. “No.” That’s not it at all.

“What, then.”

This is bait, isn’t it?

Or is he actually asking?

Ian tries to go over the options again in his head, just as unsure where to slot himself, now that he’s in this, as he was when he was filling out his terms.

Why is he here? What is he looking for tonight?

A dom to serve…? A dom to challenge him…? A dom that’ll give him structure…?

He shifts on his knees, pulse quickening. “I don’t-… I’m not sure.”

Yet.

He’s tired of making decisions, remember?

“What’s your name?” he finally asks. Because as hot as lurking in the shadows is, his curiosity is getting the best of him. Especially when he hears that voice again.

“To you, it’s sir.” The air shifts behind him in slow steps - rounding…rounding…rounding. “‘Yes, sir’… ‘No, sir’…” And when he finally comes into view, the payoff is as overwhelming as it is gorgeous. “‘Whatever you want, sir’…” he smirks for that one in particular, measured playfulness shining over dark features. “You get it…?”

He knocks the breath right out of Ian’s lungs - the words from his throat - lips parting, but producing nothing more than a nod as he takes in the man in front of him.

Holy fuck…

Ian was expecting something flashy - leather and buckles - a harness, maybe. But there’s something impossibly hotter about the gold chain and black tank that fits across this dom’s chest. How it shows off the tight, defined muscles in his shoulders - his arms - the sturdy cut of his waist that leads to even sturdier thighs under black denim - the kind Ian definitely wouldn’t mind worshipping a little if he told him how.

He posts up right in front of where Ian’s kneeling and all at once, it’s like he’s drawn every ounce of energy from the room right here - right in his stance.

Power.

Ian doesn’t know if he’s supposed to, but he can’t get himself to look away. Can’t drag his curious gaze from those eyes as they peer down at him, heavy-lidded but piercing.

When he speaks, he asks it clearly. Not strict or mean or anything, but still somehow cutting right down to the nerve. “When’s the last time you been touched?”

Ian swallows. Shifts on the pillow, gaze flicking away before coming right back. “Uh… Do I really-…”

“Asked you a question.”

Right. Yeah no, of course he did - of course he did. “Um…” Ian’s brows draw together as he traces back for visions of his last hookup. “Like…a couple months, maybe…?”

“‘Maybe’?”

“A couple months,” he confirms, eager to convince. “Two. Two months.”

Is that a long time?

Too short?

“And you’re here ‘cause you think I’m gonna touch you…”

Ian processes. “I mean…” That’s what this is, right? That’s what all the consent forms were about? “I…was kinda hopin’… Yeah…”

He’s really starting to feel the control slip through his fingers. The dizzying dance of trying to keep up, even when the pace is ultra slow like this. The only thing he can focus on is how the dom steps closer, thick black boots sending his pulse thumping in his chest.

“I only touch good boys,” he explains. Then, tilting his head just a bit as he looks down at him, “You gonna be my good boy, Ian?”

And…

Holy shit. That’s-… That’s something, isn’t it? “Y-… Yeah, I can-”

“Say ‘yes sir’.”

A rush of heat floods Ian’s chest and then seeps downward, pooling low in his belly. “Yes sir…”

And it’s the ink he notices first, dark and swirling over the man’s inner forearm - printed crudely across his knuckles as those fingers reach out, closing the space between them as he hooks below Ian’s chin, plucking his pulse and face briskly upward.

Fuck…

Okay…

Ian breathes back in the gasp before it can escape his stretched throat.

Blinks up at the dom - drawn to how the room’s lights glint off the metal pierced across the dark arch of his eyebrow.

“You’re prettier than most guys that come here.”

And Ian’s heart flutters in the weirdest way. Because oh. “…really?”

“Mm… Got a real sweet face on ya…” He takes his time making his point - using his hold to tilt Ian’s head in all sorts of admiring ways, in control of every angle. “Almost cute enough to letchya slide on not remembering your manners.”

Oh.

Shit.

He just told Ian he’s pretty.

“Oh uh- thank you, sir,” he backpedals, the sudden desire to please setting him off in an unsure ramble. “You’re-…pretty too, sir…?” Is that right?

Judging by the little brow pinch he gets, it’s not.

But the huff of a chuckle that follows sure feels good, doesn’t it? Even if it’s Ian he’s laughing at.

“Fuck,” he grins, giving Ian’s cheek two promising pats before stepping away, “you’re gonna be fun.”

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked: Hi Rainbowsky :) I just saw a post [redacted] stating the belief that there was a stand-in Yibo at a PFW event, pretending to be the actual Yibo. The implication was that this was not in a decoy type deployment (e.g. using a double to exit or leave an event privately / distract fans or stalkers) but as the main event. Is this at all plausible or is it too outlandish / professionally risky to be an option? Thanks!

I have decided to make you anonymous, Anon, because I am about to be very blunt here and I don't want you to feel targeted. (CW unapologetic, yet utterly necessary swearing).

When you read something that sounds like utter bullshit, please, people - use your own judgment and accept that it's bullshit. No one should need to write me to ask if something they saw with their own two eyes was faked, for what, .... 'reasons'?

I also want to add that the person making these claims, they have been sharing increasingly unhinged*, outrageous lies on their blog for years, claiming to have inside information about GG and DD, claiming they're both utterly miserable, claiming blah blah blah. Not sure what they get out of it, but this is a perfect example of why we all need to curate our online experience. People who make up garbage like that should not be propped up by credulous people looking for salacious gossip, they should be left to their own dark corner to reflect on their life choices.

Unpack this, Anon, and think for yourself. You saw the photos and video of the events DD attended - was that a Melania Trump moment, or was it the real DD?

Did DD fly all the way out to Paris for these events, only to - somehow not have time to attend them, when they're on separate days and for some of his most prestigious endorsement brands?

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Please block and ignore people who try to spread this kind of utter excrement. Consider GG and DD and their well-being. No one with their best interests at heart could spread this kind of absurdity.

Honestly, I've heard a lot of ridiculous shit over the past several years, but this is up near the summit of Mount Fuckery.

I understand that being a turtle can be confusing at times, and there is a lot of information coming at us from all sides. This is why it's critically important to use and trust our own judgment over wild claims we hear online. The more outrageous the claim, the more extreme the required evidence.

Luckily in this case we have video footage taken from multiple angles and by multiple people, absolutely establishing the facts. We have photographs and actual interviews where he spoke in his actual voice.

We can't control what that other person posts, but we can control what we choose to follow and read. Hopefully we will choose wisely rather than let ourselves be gaslit by unscrupulous people.

*Yes, unhinged. Sorry, not sorry. IYKYK.

[boringkate]

whats the secret of good self butt photography how do i capture there glory and not throw out my back

1) Get something to hold your phone. Dollarama (if you're canadian) has these like $4 goose neck phone clip things that you can clip onto a chair or whatever and are pretty great, but if you can spare a little more money (and you expect to use it enough to justify it) then get a proper tripod (I use a couple 60 inch amazon basics tripods, but it seems like they've gotten more expensive and other brands are probably no worse) and pair it with a screw on phone tripod mount (aliexpress has them for a couple dollars and you can even get rotating ones that'll let you film in portrait mode).

2) Use a free auto clicker app (I'm on android, but I assume ios has them too) to automatically tap the button to take a photo every 4 or 5 seconds. You're gonna end up with a lot of wasted photos where you're just getting into position, but that's fine (just delete em). I wildly prefer this over using a bluetooth remote because it keeps your hands free and something about not needing to choose to snap the photo makes it easier (the time passes faster and you'll end up with more usable pics which is dope even if you just want one good one because the way to take a good pic is to take a lot of bad ones untill you get lucky).

3) Set up a way for you to see what the camera sees. You could plug your phone into a monitor or tv using an hdmi adapter or use a free screen streaming app to watch your phone's screen on a laptop.

4) Use the camera on the back. It's always higher quality. The selfie camera is only for when you don't wanna deal with those first three steps.

5) Natural light is your BFF. Take your pics while the sun is out and your curtains are open.

6) Filter your pics. I use an app called MIX (specifically an old build of it bc they changed some stuff like their payment model for the batch image filtering feature) (which is definitely on both Android and iOS), but I imagine there are a ton of others that do all the same stuff. I loath smoothing for face pics, but it can be alright for butt pics. Noise can further obscure stubble. You're probably gonna wanna raise the temperature and maybe even the tint (people look unwell when their skin is more blue or green than it should be). Lowering the contrast can be nice too. Beyond that it can be fun to just experement and see what looks nice.

That's my process anyways. You do you. I know a lot of hotties are more into the pink blue lighting thing for example (you can get colored bulbs at the dollar store and stick em on a couple cheap thrift shop lamps) and I could especially see that being appealing if you aren't getting much natural light (pls don't just be taking nudes at night under the harsh light of your apartment's one shitty ceiling lamp lol).

Bonus protip: If you are using a lamp or lamps or softboxes and you want extra brightness then you can get E27 lamp bulb splitters online for a couple dollars that'll let you plug multiple bulbs into a single lamp.

Bonus bonus protip: Keep an eye out for selfie sticks with a screw on the base. I use a gimbal extension rod with a 1/4 inch screw paired with a hinge (and had previously been using a selfie stick with a screw on the bottom which was cheaper although it eventually broke) and screw it in between my tripod and my phone clip so that I can get my phone hovering over my bed (without the instability that comes from actually putting your tripod on your bed). It's very optional, but it does rule.

[shibiichi]

CANDY KINGDOM AU SUN AND MOON

And here’s some lore about the world! Not all sunshines and rainbows . Sun and moon may look sweet but they are not candy! Wink wink

CANDY KINGDOM AU:

Warnings: Will have heavy themes, much more than a normal candy au! Such as near genocide, nuclear war, very slight religious themes, discrimination and persecution, stuff like that!

Inspirations: FNaF (Obviously), Adventure Time, Mandela Catalogue

Thank you to my friend Qball for helping out with ideas!

Candy Kingdom AU is focused on the Candy Kingdom, the candy people. They used to inhabit their sweet themed world fully, without worry or care. Candy people are very technologically advanced, although in exchange they are physically fragile. Basically everything was alright, until the Ghouls started showing up. No one knows where they came from, most some thing is was a punishment from God (or The Devil) for straying too far off the path. Becoming selfish and confident in their abilities.

The Candy Kingdom was vast and large, millions of candy’s inhabited the planet. In comparison there were around only a thousand Ghouls, but their strength made up for their lack of numbers. The Ghouls, as a species, need candy people to survive, to gorge to their hearts content. They had skills to allow this, as well. Sharp claws and teeth, multiple eyes, biblically accurate forms. But most importantly they could change their size, they could change their appearance to that of a Candy citizen. And so a war broke out between the two species.

While things looked dire at first, the Candy people were very quick to turn the war in their favor. Their technological advancements made it so that they could best Ghouls at their own game. A group of Candy people versus a Ghoul was certainly death, but with their weapons the Candy people changed their fates quickly.

The ghouls were often separate, but they began to build a society to strengthen their forces, their communities, their abilities to sustain a stable food source. The Candy people saw this cooperation as a threat, and so they did something truly vile. A nuclear blast enveloped the Ghoul’s territory, wiping out a majority of their population in one fell swoop. The remaining Ghouls were enraged, no longer killing to feed their needs but rather as compensation for the hundreds of lives lost.

Eventually the candy kingdom built walls, defenses to keep them safe from the Ghouls. Living for decades in lavish housing and upper class life. The Ghouls remained to pick up the pieces of their species, living amongst rubble buildings and nuclear waste. Unfortunately tensions never ceased. The Ghouls had to eat, and Candy people were the best option. Meanwhile Candy citizens never forgave the Ghouls, seeing them as animals, lower lifeforms. Dumb creatures that only knew how to feed. They called them Sours, a derogatory phrase for a Ghoul because they could never be sweet like Candy. They could never be candies. The wealthier Candy folk often make a habit of buying expensive weaponry, hunting Ghouls for sport and mounting their heads on their walls. Some ghouls are treated to a much worse fate, captured by candies to be put into freak shows. There are around only 50 ghouls left.

[argumentalist]

Building an old Mobile Suit Gundam kit this week - the original Z'Gok!

This is an old kit - one of the first few HGUC kits released - and it shows. It's a small box with just a couple runners of plastic. A tiny assortment of polycaps. It feels like they had to pad-out the instructions with illustrations just to make it worth printing.

The entire inner-frame is ABS, which is a little unusual. I'm used to seeing mostly PS plastic in my gunpla kits. Normally I'd be worried about the paints I used on this... But it's just the inner-frame, so I wasn't doing any painting on it.

I've heard plenty of people complain that this kit is floppy, so I made sure to tighten-up the joints as I was building it. I used this DSPIAE joint-strengthening pen. I'm honestly not quite sure what's in it... It goes on a kind of milky white and dries completely clear, but it's got a tacky/sticky finish to it. And it does a fantastic job of tightening-up the joints.

Like I said - it's a simple build. The arms and legs are built from multiple segments connected with ball joints. There's decent articulation in the feet and wrists, but those ball joints don't offer much flexibility. The claws are articulated too, which is nice. And there's even some ab-crunch in there.

Unfortunately the mono-eye is just a sticker on some plastic. There's no dimension or detail there. And absolutely no poseability. It's just fixed wherever you put that sticker.

There aren't really any accessories. It's just the Z'Gok.

Unfortunately this kit doesn't have any kind of mounting hole or anything, so you can't really get it up on a stand. This means your posing options are a little limited. And they're also limited by the articulation in the arms and legs. You're not going to be doing anything super dynamic with this guy.

But it looks pretty damn good. It's a very simple, very solid kit. And given the price - about $10 USD - it's great for new builders or customization.

I'll be curious to see how the RG compares to this thing.

[superconductivebean]

#1588: Magical Photography

It seems, me and @espressoristretto-patronum were struck by the same lightning strike of creativity: we needed the old photography.

And the mechanics behind taking a photo when there are barely any artificial lights, and the camera itself looks like a box, weighs quite a lot and requires a tripod to mount it, lest you want to waste a sum of anywhere from 30 to 120 dollars (~$950 to ~$4500 today). Anyway.

I am sure that, over the years, the greater HP fandom has come with their own explanations. Multiple times. Moving pictures are one of the HP's selling features after all; they quite literally cherish old gifs. I haven't read any of those, but I may repeat someone by the sheer accident of a thought being simple will visit many heads.

The post is going to be long-ish.

To put photography super simple: a photo is an impression left by the light that gets captured on the camera's photosensitive: 1) matrix, if it's a digital camera, 2) film, plate, or paper, if it's an analog camera.

In digital cameras, that impression is coded a certain way and stored as a file on the memory card. Our stories and HP itself don't present the technology at all, so I will not discuss it much.

In analog cameras, you may say, the impression of light is captured by exposing silver halides, or similar material, to something well-lit.

Both kinds of cameras require being exposed to the light for a period of time. This period is called exposure time. The more light camera receives, the more visual information it gathers and is able to etch on to the surface of its unit of storage. Short exposure times are most excellent if there is a sufficient amount of light, and long exposure times will be the best option for if you are capturing something that emits a very little amount of light (e.g. night sky).

The need for continuos exposure of light can be somewhat mitigated by using ISO(=increasing light sensitivity of the sensor) in the digital cameras:

But if you can use exposure, i.e. provide enough light per unit area, enough lux, better use that. Analog cameras, as you likely notice by now, can't afford any such luxuries.

Analog photography requires a set-up for two reasons:

memory capacity is dictated by what you literally have on hand to store the latent images—plates, papers, or rolls of film—and these options are often costly to make anew;

too little or too much light are not valid options, there is only one and it's called Enough Lux.

Then, it all depends on the kind of the camera. For the sake of our timeline—1900s—I'm not going to mention something old-school. Instead, I will thoroughly mention graveyard.

Many of the old cameras followed the design of the camera obscura and rarely had lenses made in accordance of the principles of optics.

The old camera is typically two boxes: 1) the front box has in-built lens that can be capped, 2) the read box could slide back and forth and had the ground glass aka focusing screen: a matted glass plate mounted at the face of the box on which the image from the front was projected laterally reversed (i.e. upside down).

An additional prism or lens could be installed to flip the image, but it wasn't strictly necessary. By sliding the box, the image was brought in to the camera focus—appeared sharp on the screen. The infamous photographer's cloak was needed precisely to help the man focus the image as otherwise it was nearly impossible to see it in the daylight.

The photosensitive material, usually a plate, is installed afterwards. The cap on the lens acts like a shutter.

The film (or plate, like in daguerrotype, or paper, let's say, Bayard or calotype) then must be processed to render it insensitive to light.

The development of the photosensitive materials went hand in hand with the evolution of cameras. Not all cameras were as simple, if not to say crude; going forward, they became more and more advanced, as shorter exposure times were desired, so was the need for different focal ratios (the ability to control the amount of light on the sensor).

The Camera that we are all familiar with does not appear until 1930s.

With that in mind, to reconstruct a possible kind of camera used by the wizards, we should keep in mind that those would be huge and cumbersome apparatuses mounted on tripods.

So this image of Ranrok from the beginning of the game:

was captured with something like this:

and put to paper likely using a variation of halftone or photogravure; woodcut could do, too.

I'm not overly familiar with the contemporary printing techniques. Will read on them.

Today, organising a set-up like this isn't impossible even if you take your photos with the authentic cameras from two centuries ago. But how was it for people living back then?

I went very in-depth and in-detail. It is needed to draw a picture, or an approximation of it, before I can theorise anything about the wizards. I have a headcanon, yes, but it is not easy to put to concise wording without an atrociously long exposition to the topic of the early photography.

So.

The technology being was it was—crude at the wee hours of its dawn—left many to their own devices. Organising the process and getting the materials and the room, as well as the fact many photographers processed their photos themselves, rendered photography quite a prosperous business venue—if you could afford everything needed for it and could keep up with both the demand of a client and the process itself. It was ridiculously tiresome and hazardous, cumbrous even for something so monotonous and simple.

Besides, early photography was also notoriously long. Anywhere from few seconds to nearly an hour, depending on the intensity of the light and whether if you had fallen asleep or yawned or shuddered.

Hours long exposition was the thing in the landscape photography, that includes city photography. By today's standards, 5 seconds is a lot. But in the 1800s, it would've been considered incredibly quick!

Early techniques used photosensitive materials of poor sensitivity. This is why you'd commonly spend around few minutes before the camera lens: light needed to leave strong enough impression on the plate.

The main source of light was the Sun. Just making windows larger was not enough. The entire room was transformed or constructed in a form of a greenhouse to accommodate the camera's design and the plate's poor light-catching qualities. This set-up, established in the 1840s followed the overwhelming popularity of the daguerrotypes, had remained barely touched or changed until the 1860s.

Usually, it would something like this:

Obvious it is that the working process was dictated by the weather. Inconvenient, to say the least, and bankruptcy for an average brit. Exposure time was also, as I said, long. Long. Up to 30 minutes long.

Up to 30 minuted in the direct sunlight put through glass. People tanned while taking photos sometimes. If you've wondered why people on the old photos are uncanny and serious, this is one of the reasons why. In addition to that, if you move after the exposure has been set…

Long-exposure photos are quite popular today. You can use longer exposure to create effects like motion blur and many others.

Few examples, (c) Boarsart:

Allow yours truly to contribute to the bit with this crappy shot of the mouse light shaken near the lens:

But if you are shooting a single family portrait for 30 minutes straight (and nobody can move), any such effect will be catastrophic. It is not as much of an issue for the photographies recorded in film (by the time it is film, the photos are also taken much faster) but if you are making a daguerreotype—you are going to ruin it.

By the way: the "ghosts" on the photographs are caused by this effect. How it happens? Imagine exposure not only as gathering light thing, but as layering with transparent paints except you are also able to layer light on top of dark—because it's light theory, not colour theory. Anything you add to the solid foundation will be translucent. Therefore, if you have appeared mid-shoot, your figure would appear ghostly on the final photo—or not seen at all if your clothes blend with the background too much.

But don't worry. People couldn't give in into the slumber for long. To keep them straight and well-posed, other people invented yet another Victorian torture device: head-rests!

These beasts weighed tens of kilograms and had to be moved and recalibrated to fit each new customer manually. People were quite afraid of these things, hence the caricature from above (I believe, it's from Punch?). To shorten the exposure time, some photographers even applied white powders, like flour, on their clients' faces, as white reflects most light, therefore, it appears brighter. Can also explain the Perfect Skin people from the old photos often have.

Sitting underneath direct sunlight wasn't pleasant for the eyes either.

The photo room is commonly at the roof, has white or pastel-colour walls, and look much like a greenhouse. The light is blindingly bright. How to solve… this, somewhat, at least? Install blue-tinted windows! It's actinic anyway—meaning, affecting the photochemical reaction—and the daguerrotype plate is sensitive to light at the blue end of the spectrum, only barely affects the exposure time, and simultaneously keeps the client's eyes relatively unstrained. Don't worry though, they could blink. If you are supposed to sit before a camera for more than even 5 seconds, a blink wouldn't be registered. It's too fast to catch.

Atrocious exposure times were also the reason why people preferred to sit during the shooting.

By the time it's 1850s, something needed to change.

Sunlight was a terrible source of light. The entire work process is tied to the vagaries of the weather. Daguerrotypes, albeit photosensitive, weren't terrific at it at all. Not only that: they were hazardous. Fixing—the post-process, if you will—required the person working with the negatives to work with mercury vapours as it was the method of de-sentification the plates to light. As a result, many people died from the effects of the mercury poisoning in the years following the boom of daguerrotype photography. But it wasn't the main reason why the daguerrotypes were soon to be replaced with the ambrotypes and ferrotypes.

Underexposure was the deal-breaker for daguerrotype photography. It didn't solve this issue, nor offered solutions, neither was cheap enough to keep going. To make a plate for this kind of photography, you need an amalgam of (preferably) pure silver and copper or brass. It's too expensive in the long run. And it goes without saying to suppose it was a quest to replicate an image from the daguerrotype.

The replacement for it had already been introduced but but before the faster wet collodion methods, ambrotype and ferrotype, could take over (either was as sharp as the daguerrotype whilst requiring a lot less maintenance and possessing the duplicability of calotype), photographers needed to find sources of the artificial light.

Said light, however, with technology at hand, ought to be in the blue part of the spectrum. Anything like kerosene lamps—a very new thing at the time yet taking over the market at a rapid pace as it was the replacement for candles—couldn't be used; the light of the kerosene lamp is in the red part of the spectrum.

Photographers tried candlelight. Weak and insufficient source of light. Some tried the Drummond light—limelight—as it was super bright and was widely used in theaters and music halls. At the start of the 19th century some even suggested to use it for street illumination but… This is how the limelight looks like:

A piece of calcium carbonate, usually in cylindrical form, is skewered on the thin rod on top. To make it candescent, flame was required, and was put directly at the piece whilst it has been continuously rotated. Besides, the piece was not burning away evenly and required an abysmal amount hydrogen gas. You can change it for the coal gas, also known as the town gas, or for acetylene. Either way, you are stuck with a highly flammable and agressive chemical reaction.

The size of the piece was also a huge problem. It was too big to be safely and effectively utilised for this purpose. Look at the packaging:

So. The limelight is expensive. Needed additional pair of hands. Could engulf the entire studio with uncontrollable flames and take down the entire building with it—not to mention mercury. You don't want mercury vapours raw—and certainly don't desire them travelling around the city block trapped in a thick cloud of smoke.

The photographs made with the limelight were overexposed and had "chalky" look to them. Photographers couldn't really stick to it. Yet, it was used occasionally up until the 1860s because it was still light and the clients have paid for the session.

If you had ever seen or felt the intensity of a scoop light, limelights are as blinding. Daylight or this, for so a lot of decades, was the only choice besides the option of refusing to make photo of themselves for many people (it sounds quite dramatic; taking a photo wasn't formidably expensive for most people but depended on the kind of the technology involved; the daguerrotype would be more expensive (silver) than an ambrotype (glass) or a ferrotype (iron sheet), or a calotype (paper)).

There were other attempts to introduce chemical sources of light to the process but neither could provide the necessary amount of blue, nor they were sufficient light sources.

I have mentioned 1860s a few times. What happens in the 1860s?

The invention of magnesium wire.

Its light is highly actinic and it's continuous. Magnesium wires were used to take photos of the catacombs of Rome in the late 1860s—to give an indication of just how bright they can be:

It was the breakthrough.

But magnesium introduced few new troubles. First off, staring at the wire could hurt the eyes. Second, the wire was prone to fuming and snuffing itself; dousing it in water could cause it to burn even brighter due to the reaction with hydrogen in the water's vapour. Thirdly, that thing blasted like gunshots.

It is then when you see the change in postures on the old photos, too. People could stand! (c) photos. A jardinière becomes a Very Important Decorum:

Flattening the wire, developing the special casings for it, performing the shooting in synch with the burning helped a bit but now it was too much uncontrollable light.

To mitigate this whilst still providing enough lux, magnesium flash was developed after the few years of unsuccessful tries. We know this flash under another name: the flash-powder.

It was usually a mix of potassium perchlorate and magnesium, but PP could've been replaced with 1) nitrates of barium, thorium, or ammonium, 2) or with potassium permanganate. Sometimes, sulfur was added (you don't want to do that, it's not gunpowder!!!).

If you supposed the new solution introduced storage complications, spontaneous combustion and smoke clouds enshrouding the sitters, you are most correct. Photographers were granted mobility in their work to escape dinner parties before guests could realise their gowns and food were coated in grime. The flash itself was also quite loud:

The flash-powder had remained in use until well into the 1960s.

Cheap, quick, serving its purpose well until electric flashes eventually came to replace it. Albeit, the flash gives a very soft light; we struggle to replicate it with safer alternatives today, believe it or not.

Flash-powder was also a cheaper option between it and the flashbulb used in the analog cameras we know circa 1930. The bulb had been rapidly modified and worked on since, as the first examples of this technology were single-use items. And, you know. Flashbulbs.

Colin's camera is an indication that analog cameras can be used in the wizarding world. Especially the older cameras, the box-n'-box, something like Thornton Pickard, Houghton's Midg or the Brownie.

All of these use something called gelatin silver print as a unit of storage—in other, more familiar words, it is the Kodak film we all know and remember (hopefully; please tell me we are all old farts).

It was lousy of me not to mention what were exactly these many -types of photography and photographs. They are all based on the two discoveries that made photography even possible: 1) camera obscura that has been known c.5 century B.C. and 2) photosensitivity of the silver nitrate (when powdered and exposed to sun, turns black as ink), discovered in 1614 by Angelo Sala. So, what are these:

1839-1856: daguerrotypes. Required polished-to-mirror-finish sheets of silver-platted copper or brass. Needed to be exposed to a source of light, could take seconds, could claim tens of minutes. The latent image is only visible when exposed to mercury vapours for a few minutes; could've been entirely avoided by exposing the plates to the sun after covering them with red or yellow colour filter but was rarely if at all done due to the process taking at least a day. Besides, the image could appear as both negative and positive if viewed at different angles but only under specific light. Fixing is done by a rinsing with fixer and and in auric chloride. The plate is then sealed behind glass. Expensive and lengthy process.

1856-mid1860s: ambrotype. Glass plate is the base material. One side is coated with a thin layer of collodion and then dipped in the silver nitrate—so it will stick to the glass. Then the plate is exposed for a time necessary, but quick enough to avoid over-exposition or drying. Remove, develop, fix. The back of the ambrotype image was usually covered with something black: lacquer or cloth—done to highlight the opaque areas that appear lighter when viewed against the dark background. The glass used could be tinted. The resulting negative is always positive image and can be seen under any light. Cheaper and slightly shorter in comparison.

1860s-mid1950s: ferrotype. Basically, ambrotype, but the base material is a thin sheet of iron. Eventually, replaced ambrotype photography due to the flaking of the ambrotype images. Before the glass for ambrotype would be ready, it required a thorough cleaning to degrease it. Iron for a ferrotype was a lot easier to prepare, it was faster to shoot with, to fix and develop it and seal the resulting image. All could take just few minutes. Inexpensive and fast option.

1890s—nowadays: kodak film gelatin silver print. Insanely long-lasting, incredibly photosensitive, an absolute winner.

Essentially, all use silver and a some kind of emulsion to stabilise it for a period of time, enough to capture something. Now that I wrote all this,

my headcanon.

Wizarding photography as we know it really took off only after the flash-powder was made. In muggle photography, the flash creates enough light to leave an impression.

Wizards are different. They do not capture light. Instead, they expose a kind of unit of storage but for magic readings and call it exposure.

Too much magical impression—which I can characterise as nothing less than magical residue left by any soul and particle of the universe—"corrupts" the film. This is why magical photography is usually few seconds long, but can also act like a normal magical painting. Sometimes.

So, why using the flash?

It blinds the magic. It is also too much magic. An overload or better say, over-exposition. The first ever photo made with the flash was thought to be ruined but…

Magnesium is an element alchemists supposed being able to burn if not forever, then persistently. They also thought it was used in the process of making the Philosopher's Stone. What if you add sulphur to it, too?

The magic has been rejuvenated but kept repeats itself an infinite number of times after has been hit with a sulfur-magnesium flash; it's imposed a some kind of self-circuiting behaviour that allows it to just flash the same scene over and over again. It is persistent, at least.

phew

That should be all. I might return to this post to review it in the future and maybe clean up details here and there and add clarity. Hope it was informative. Oh and there was a guy in 1901. He was measuring the heights of the Moon's mountains. I forgot to mention.