#The quality of the image is pretty blurry

[ratchetonsteroids]

sword 🙂‍↕️

[shontellarchive]

photo booth pics for life! #fentyski

[silvergyus]

polaroid

pairing: yeonjun x fem!reader

summary: you buy your boyfriend a film camera for his birthday, only for him to find his passion for taking pictures of your, ahem, intimate moments together

warnings: yeonjun & y/n (consensually) photograph each other naked/performing sexual acts, reader has a vulva, hickeys, oral (y/n receiving, yj receiving), penetrative sex (y/n receiving), use of “baby/ pretty/ my baby” for reader

word count: 900+

author’s note: written as part of @majestyjun's #24 days with jjunie !! event. check out the rest of the works here.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*＊

Your boyfriend blows the candles out on the birthday cake you baked for him, his face illuminated by the warm glow. There’s a mechanical click and sudden flash as you capture the moment. Yeonjun seems startled for a moment, and you giggle at his surprised expression.

“It’s your present!” you smile, holding up a vintage Polaroid camera. “I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t get to wrap it.” You handed him the black device, the photo slowly being deposited from within. You kissed him on the cheek and scooted your chair closer to his. “It just arrived this morning and between baking the cake and everything…”

“It’s great; I love it.” He smiled and kissed you.

You wanted to get Yeonjun something that he could explore his burgeoning love of photography with. Something that would drive his fans crazy when he shared it on Instagram. Yes, even though Yeonjun was your boyfriend, you loved every opportunity for a “boyfriend photo.”

And Yeonjun did like the camera.

----

He never posts them of course, the pictures he takes of you. They’re just for him; special, secret photos that only the two of you will ever see. They start out innocently enough: pictures of you smiling at his birthday party, pictures of your fingers intertwined with his. But from there…

They’re faceless at first, the pictures of you in his bed. Your hair splayed out messily across the pillow, your neck and chest covered in dark hickeys. Your nipples, puffy and swollen after he tugged them into his mouth. The hazy quality of the film camera in the low light of his bedroom makes everything seem like it was taken in a dream.

The photos print instantly from the camera, a mechanical whirr as the paper releases and the wait as the image slowly, slowly comes into view. He saves each one in a photo album he keeps hidden away in a drawer.

At first, you’re shy around the camera, not used to a camera being out during intimate moments. But soon enough, Yeonjun’s habit of snapping a pic becomes comfortable and routine. It’s cute, the way he dates them in sharpie at the bottom of the film. Little hearts around your name on his favorite images.

You start to take pictures of him too. His pretty lips spread as he sucks on your fingers, his face snuggled against your bare chest. His mischievous eyes as he flicks at your nipple with his tongue.

The more comfortable the both of you become around the camera, the more involved it becomes.

Side by side in the photo album hide a set of matching photos. In the first, Yeonjun looks up into the camera, his eyes hazy with lust as he laps at your pussy. In the second, you’re on your knees with his cock in your mouth, his hand holding your hair back as the other snaps the picture.

He keeps the picture of you, ropes of his cum staining your face as you smile, eyes closed, behind the case of his phone. Behind yours you hide the one of him, your juices running down his chin as he smiles a dopey grin.

There are fuzzy Polaroids of his fingers buried inside you, taken with his left hand while he continued to pump into you with his right. Blurry and still images of his length buried inside your pussy. One where he was moving and one where he had the forethought to pause his hips while taking the picture.

He always, always asks before the camera comes out. He wants you to feel comfortable enough to have these moments preserved forever.

“Baby, you look so cute,” he says, pressing a wet kiss to your throat as he slowly pumps his hips, “wanna take a picture.”

You moan out a quiet “yes” as consent before whining at the loss of physical contact when he moves away to grab the camera from his bedside table. He moves quickly, not wanting to be away from you for long. Soon enough, the device is in-hand, loaded with film and ready to capture the moment.

Yeonjun gently places his tip at your entrance and pushes in just a little. You let out a soft moan at the feeling of him. He smirks, loving the effect he has on you with even this little contact. He leans back to get as much of you in the frame as he can, wanting to include the point where the two of you connect.

Your hands fly to your face, shyly covering it from the gaze of the camera. You hear the click and whirr as the image is captured and printed. As it develops in the light, Yeonjun thrusts the rest of the way in, drawing a long moan from you as you readjust to his length. He kisses along your jaw muttering sweet nothings. “So pretty, my pretty baby.”

The photo finishes developing and he smiles, showing it to you. You kiss him in response; you love the way he sees you, how his eye finds no flaws.

----

One picture from the camera does make its way onto his Instagram. The last slide of a photodump is a picture of a fuzzy Polaroid laying on his comforter. The tiny picture is two sets of sneakers touching toes on the sand of a beach. Fans debate who the other set of shoes belong to. They don’t know that the sneakers were Yeonjun’s birthday gift to you.

author's note: this is a work of fiction not meant to accurately represent the idol. please do not repost.

[buskingalbatross]

results of a quest to identify the cicada in dnp’s rodent boy summer instagram post

[video: an audio comparison of dan howell's mediterranean cicada imitation and two real cicada species from the med]

abstract: following a perceived dearth of interest in the cicada latched onto the wall in one photo of the ten in dan and phil’s most recent joint vacation instagram post, the authors of this post (buskingalbatross and an anon who instigated this quest) have endeavored to determine its identity at the species level. using resources such as naturalism networking site iNaturalist, various scientific research articles, a databank of Mediterranean cicada song audio files, and Dan’s imitation of cicada screams in the AmazingPhil video “How Phil Nearly Died,” we have concluded that the cicada is most likely an East Aegean cicada (Cicada mordoganensis). obtaining these results would have been impossible had we not received assistance from @/bitchslapblastoids, who generously provided the herein unnamed geographical location* of dan and phil’s summer rat and relaxation destination. I would also like to thank @/pierogish for providing feedback on comparisons of cicada audio files with Dan’s cicada noises.

[image: the individual in question]

methods, results, and conclusions below the cut.

*the authors of this tumblr post would like to flaunt their scientific achievements unencumbered by potential discourses surrounding the unearthing of this location, and thus have chosen to omit its name from this post. the authors of this tumblr post nevertheless understand that the location can be discerned by those curious enough to discern it. the authors moreover state that they harbor no wish to compromise dan and phil’s privacy.  

methods and results

iNaturalist’s search feature was used to gain an awareness of what species of cicadas have been observed on the mediterrranean peninsula where dnp went on holiday. a spreadsheet was created to organize data such as cicada common names, scientific names, the number of observations for any given species, the reliability of those observations (that is, how likely the observer was to have correctly identified a cicada; a high quality identification is referred to on iNat as a research grade ID), the period of time in which a species is the densest in numbers (most prevalent in its aboveground habitat), appearance, and, finally, a link to an audio file containing each cicada species’ song. audio files were the last piece of data to be acquired, and so were added to the spreadsheet very last.

once a list of species had been determined and entered into the spreadsheet, we compared the appearences of each candidate cicada species to dnp’s instagram image. all in all, we looked at seven cicada species: the black sorrow cicada (Cicadatra atra), the ash cicada (Cicada orni), the common cicada (Lyristes plebejus), the red cicada (Cicada haematodes), the east aegean cicada (Cicada mordoganensis), the geminate cicada (Lyristes gemellus), and Cicada lodosi (a species name now possibly defunct but with 4 observations in the area of interest in the past five years).

[images: left - the east aegean cicada; right - the ash cicada]

then, I decided to read a truly excessive number of scientific research papers about cicadas in the mediterranean. why did I do this? besides reasons of entomology-associated passion (and legitimate professional interest), I did it because I learned that it turns out that basically, the aegean sea constitutes a “hot spot of cicada diversity,” with numerous species across different genera that nevertheless look—pretty much all the same! quite quickly, it became apparent that one blurry instagram image would be insufficient to determine the species. in fact, even if the image had been crystal clear, it wouldn’t have mattered. apparently, many cicadas of the eastern mediterranean are not morphologically distinct (meaning, again: some of them look identical) and what differentiates them is actually, primarily, their songs. they are “acoustically divergent,” with females being able to locate males of their own kind by their unique calls alone, not their looks. different species also tend to be distributed differently across this region, by which I mean some are only found on certain islands, or in certain areas of Italy, the Balkans, Greece, or Turkey, or Greece and Turkey, etc etc. I needed to read to form a better picture of all of this, essentially, and to gather clues.

[image: some of the papers I read]

after perusing all of this fascinating literature—and also squinting really hard at dnp’s picture and the photos of cicadas we had accumulated—I came to the conclusion that, most likely, the cicada was either Cicada orni, the ash cicada, or potentially more likely, Cicada mordoganensis, the east aegean cicada. both had three observations recorded in the region of interest (the most observations of any species), and both had the most similar coloration and patterning to dnp’s cicada. my predilection for the east aegean choice stemmed from two things: 1. the east aegean cicada observations were of a higher quality (research grade) than the ash cicada, and 2. the papers I had read were telling me that while east aegeans were prevalent along the entirety of the our region of interest, ash cicadas were more constrained, geographically, to northern Turkey and the Greek mainland. in fact, according to mediterranean cicada scientists, no ash cicadas had ever been found on islands as southeast as Samos and Ikaria, two islands relatively close to the peninsula where dnp’s cicada resides. this contradicted the observations on iNaturalist.

apparently, this difference in distribution has a lot to do with the tectonic and geographical history of the eastern mediterranean. where certain cicadas are today has a lot to do with where warm refuges from ancient glaciers existed thousands and millions of years ago (cicadas like the heat). also, and I should not necessarily subject you to this tangent, but did you know that about 5 million years ago the mediterranean sea simply gave up on existence for a little while? ... during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, the mediterranean simply stopped being a sea for a little while and almost dried up completely, allowing certain creatures that could not otherwise traverse an entire sea to disperse across it, except for where there is a huge ass canyon in the seafloor, and—

[images: highlighted, pertinent sections of papers discussing cicada distribution; relief map of the mediterranean seafloor]

anyway, what we were sorely missing at this stage were sound recordings of the cicadas. despite the evidence against the ash cicada, this cicada is still one of the most commonly found cicadas around the aegean sea. also, some of the studies I found were ten or more years old—who knows how climate change or other factors may have impacted the location of cicada populations since they were published.

while the audio of the cicadas outside in Phil’s video is poor, Dan does an imitation at 00:30 of what they’d been hearing during their trip. knowing Dan, this imitation is not merely a made-up, vaguely cicada-like noise, but an actually good approximation of the song that had been driving them crazy (this whole study mayhaps hinges on this lmao). if only we could uncover audio of these cicadas, maybe we could know for sure if this insect was of the ash or east aegean variety.

thankfully, at this point I was still reading papers. even more thankfully, the ten individuals who seemed to have cornered the market on mediterranean cicada studies since the 1970s made a website, and mentioned it in one of their papers. it is an exceptional, beautifully designed website called cicadasong.eu that evokes the ad-free, uncluttered, cozy and homemade feeling of the early noughties internet. it almost made me cry, and @/pierogish reported that seeing this website made her realize that in all these years recently spent online she had been choking, and only on cicadasong.eu was she finally able to breathe freely. on this website, there happen to be embedded YouTube videos of high quality audio recordings of all the european cicadas its creators have ever studied.

at last! comparisons of cicada songs to Dan commenced, and we were able to play the ash cicada’s sound alongside the east aegean’s and Dan’s. at the top of this post, you will find the compilation of these three sounds. here are the links to the original audio videos of the east aegean and ash cicada.

the main unit of sound—the chirp—of a cicada’s song is known scientifically as an “echeme”. in these audio files, you can perceive that, for the east aegean cicada, the duration of the echeme is longer, meaning the number of echemes per second is lower. this rhythm, and in general the structure of the east aegean cicada’s song was, in comparison to the ash cicada’s, deemed to the ear of all the authors and contributors definitively more similar to dan’s cicada song. thus, this final piece of evidence seemed to complement the rest of our data and confirm our initial assumption of the cicada’s identity.

conclusion

accumulated data has lent support to our hypothesis that the cicadas suffusing the atmosphere of dip and pip’s holiday resort with their ebullient, lascivious songs were east aegean cicadas.

[nai418]

Punch-Out!! In the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Since I’m ill and this fandom has nothing I tried to find all of the Punchy cameos in the SMB movie (Even the leaked images from the concept art, lmao) and I’m not sure if anyone has posted these already but I want these guys on my blog so yea.

This is gonna be a long post so just open the cut for the rest of the images (PS. A lot of these are going to be in terrible quality so look at them from afar if you want)

So first of all, the Punch-Out!! Pizzeria! I would eat here in a heartbeat (Also I just noticed the continuity error with the bicycle, weird)

On the same wall of the entrance door is supposedly Mac’s stuff, or maybe replicas? There are also framed photos of (bottom left to right) I’m gonna assume Aran for some reason, Doc Louis, Bull (Seemingly his “Does anyone else dare to challenge me!?” pose), Sandman who’s above him, Disco beside ��Mac’s gloves,” Little Mac himself, the one in the small yellow frame I can’t make out but beside the clock is Don.

Mac, Mac and Doc, and an article of Mac (The header reads “Little Mac,” and the little photo down there is Bear Hugger.)

Portrait of Doc biking.

The one and only Glass Joe :) He’s super cute in this photo

Title Defense Joe, you can tell by the headgear

Lil Mac and Joe staring each other down lol. The referee is here as well but he looks somewhat younger?

Should be TD Kaiser

Kaiser and Disco in color! (Wow look at that quality.)

Kaiser and Don fighting…

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any Hippo photos as iconic as he is :/

Piston and Bull in a match, it’s hard to make out the second one but Hondo seems to be struggling there

Bear!

I couldn’t find any Tiger portraits either

Don frames! He looks really cool in the second one, I love his smug face (Punch Out fans (me) will say this and it’s the blurriest shit ever.)

Of course we have Aran looking as devious as ever. What even is the stance in the first one

I can only assume it’s Soda in the second image that Mac is fighting because the opponent is pretty tall and looks Pretty Bald, but I can’t say because I don’t think that’s a speedo he’s wearing…?

No Macho images! I’m surprised, you’d think he’d be hogging up the cameras. If he went to this place he’d be pissed there’s not a big fancy portrait of himself.

And Sandman! Looks less bulky in the last image but that’s definitely him. He looks pretty happy?

And lastly these three which I can’t make out who’s in them for the life of me:

The first one looks like Mac fighting… someone, but who else is shorter than him?

I’m pretty bummed about the one on the very bottom it looks like there’s about 4 people (I think Kaiser is one of them, the second to the left seems to have a mustache and his contender haircut) but it’s really blurry so I can’t make it out ~_~

[vanfleeter]

Whiskey & Cherries

Summary: When love at first sight actually happens.

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Val Word count: 7.9k Warnings: 18+ || Language. Adult themes. Angst. Body insecurities. Self doubt. Tension. Smut. Sex. Unprotected penetrative sex (never be risky, always wrap it). Oral sex (f & m receiving). Fingering. Allusions to sex. Fluff. Jake with his words of affirmation. Jake and flowers. Just all around fluffy Jake. (pretty sure I may have missed something so please let me know so i can add it)

A/N: Got plans for this baby.

Dropping his guitar case on the floor in front of his bed, he slips out of his shoes and walks along the carpeted bedroom of the hotel suite until he reaches the balcony doors. He swings them open and breathes in the fresh air. The sun was shining high in the sky and he smiled. Being back in France felt so wonderful. He wasn’t cooped up in his home back in Nashville. At least here, not many cared who he was unless he wanted them to.

Hearing someone knocking on the door of his suite, he leaves the bedroom to go answer it. Seeing Josh through the peephole, he grumbles under his breath his annoyance before opening the door. “Twelve hours on a plane with you wasn’t enough quality time?” He says.

“I would say yes, but my dearest brother, we have rehearsal for the show tonight. The car is waiting for us downstairs.”

“Give me two minutes,” Jake says before closing the door again and going back to retrieve his shoes and his guitar.

Stepping out of the elevator, he follows Josh out of the hotel. Stepping into the revolving door, his eyes lock with the eyes of a brunette as she moves in the opposite direction. “Woah! Pay attention!” Josh yells as he pulls Jake from the revolving doors. “You almost squashed yourself.”

Jake looks behind him again to see the woman through the blurry glass as she approaches the check in counter.

“Jake!” Josh snaps, once again grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him to the car. “We cannot be staring at women right now. We have to get to rehearsal.”

All through rehearsal, Jake couldn’t get the image of the woman’s face out of his mind. Though he never missed a single note or beat while they rehearsed, his mind was still elsewhere. He obviously had no idea who she was, but he wanted to know who she was. But he knew he wouldn’t see her for a long time. He had a show to get through tonight and who knew what tomorrow would bring.

Jogging down the few steps of the side of the stage, Jake hands off his guitar to the tech and heads back to the dressing room. He pours himself a small glass of whiskey and knocks it back in one gulp before pouring himself another.

“We’ve still got hours before the show and you’re already getting drunk,” He hears Josh snicker behind him.

“I’m not drunk yet,” Jake says as he turns to face his twin.

“After tonight, we have a couple days free here in Paris before we move on to Rome. Have any plans for what you want to do?”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe relax in the hotel, work on some songs.”

Josh scoffs, shaking his head. He grabs the whiskey bottle from Jake and takes a swig, causing Jake to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “What? I don’t just drink tequila brother.” Josh says before taking one more drink of the liquor and handing it back to Jake. “We are in Paris, Jake. France, for god sake. Do not hide away in your room for two days. You should come hang with us! I think we’re going to go exploring.”

“What more could we explore?” Jake says. “We’ve been here so much already, what do we do?”

Josh shrugs his shoulders. “I’m sure we can figure something out. There’s always something to do.”

Jake rolls his eyes and takes another drink. “I’ll think of something to do.”

“Or who..” Josh smirks. “I saw the way you were looking at her.”

Jake shakes his head. “I have not slept with a single woman this entire tour, I plan to keep it that way.”

“Bullshit.. I bet before we even leave Paris, that dumb vow you made will be broken.”

“And if you win, what do you want?”

“Teasing rights,” Josh smirks.

“Teasing? Really?”

“Or I get to drive your Porsche for a week.”

“Teasing it is,” Jake says.

“Afraid to let me drive your precious Porsche?”

“Actually yes,” Jake twists the cap back on the bottle and puts it away. “I don’t want to sleep with anyone,” He continues. “I have no need for it.”

“Jacob, there is always a need. You just choose not to act on it.” Josh sits on the arm of the couch and straightens up enough to see himself in the mirror and begins fluffing his hair. “I’m sure jacking off just isn't cutting it.” He throws a smirk over to Jake who just simply crosses his arms over his chest.

“You are stupid,” Jake says.

“You know I’m right,” Josh stands back on his feet and heads for the door. “We’re all going out for an early dinner, if you’d like to join.”

“Yeah sure, I’ll meet you outside.”

After dinner finished, and meeting a few fans, Jake finds himself back at the venue and getting ready for the show. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw just how tired he looked. Did he look like this the whole day? Maybe a day or two of relaxation and sleep isn’t such a bad idea.

Finally arriving at the hotel after the show, Jake thanks the driver before climbing out of the car and making his way inside. He turned down going out with the guys for an aftershow bar hang out. All he really wanted to do was sleep and that’s what he tried to do when he got back to the hotel. He laid there in bed for what felt like hours but sleep never came over him.

Getting out of bed, he walks over to the balcony doors and swings them open before stepping out inside the still warm air. Maybe a little fresh air could help. Falling into one of the balcony chairs, he rests his feet on the railing and leans his head back as he closes his eyes and takes in the sounds of Paris. It was somewhat quiet at this hour, a few cars driving by, maybe a couple talking every now and then.

“Beds exist for a reason.”

Peeling his eyes open, he turns to look behind him when he sees her. She was standing on the balcony that’s beside his, leaning against the railing. Seeing her this time, she was only wearing a thin, silk robe over a pair of shorts and tank top that showed more cleavage that was respectable to look at. Though he can’t say much, he’s only in his boxer shorts.

“Oh uh, couldn't sleep.” He says as he stands up from the chair.

“Time change?” She asks. “That’s my excuse.”

He shakes his head. “Sort of.. Also had a show and the adrenaline hasn’t quite worn off yet.”

“A show? Like a play?”

Jake chuckles and shakes his head. “No, I don’t act,” He says. “I play guitar.”

“Oh,” She says, nodding her head. “A band. Have I heard of it?”

“Obviously not if you have to ask.” He says as he walks over to the side of his balcony. “I’m Jake.”

“Nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Val.”

“Short for Valerie?” He asks.

Val shakes her head. “Valentine,” She says. “My mom gave us unique names when we were born.”

“Unique name for a unique person.” He says, only to immediately regret the words he just uttered. “I’m sorry,” He sighs. “That was pathetic.”

Val giggles and leans against the railing once more. “You’re cute when you blush,” She says. “So you said you play the guitar?”

Jake feels relief when she finally changes the subject. “Yeah, I do.”

“Care to show me?”

“I don’t think anyone wants to hear it at four in the morning.”

Val hums to herself before stepping backwards to peer into her room before coming back to the railing of her balcony. Slipping off her robe, she tosses it to Jake. It smelt sweet like cherries or something like it.

“Wait, what are you doing?” He says when he sees her swing a leg over the railing.

“Coming over,” She says, swinging her other leg over.

“Are you crazy?” He says. “You could fall.” He rushes over the railing, dropping her robe, and reaching out to grab hold of her. She leaps over to the edge of his balcony and he helps her over the railing.

“Not the first time I’ve jumped balconies,” She says, bending over to pick up her robe. She slips it on, not bothering to tie it and steps through the doors and into his room. “Must be a well known band if you can afford a room like this,” She says as she looks around.

“I don’t look familiar to you at all?” He asks.

“Should you?”

“Maybe?”

She flops down onto his bed and props herself up on her elbow. “What’s your band’s name?”

“Greta Van Fleet,” He doesn't hesitate to tell her.

“Ahhhh okay,” She says. “Still haven't heard of you.”

He scoffs and walks over to the bed, grabbing his guitar off the floor in the process. Sitting on the bed, he tunes the guitar just a little before beginning to strum a few chords. He hadn't noticed Val crawling across the bed as he played, his mind completely focused on the guitar. She sat perched at his side as she listened and watched him play. It came so easily for him as his fingers glided up and down the fretboard while the others plucked the right strings. The guitar seemed to meld with him, as if it were an extension of his body and he just knew how to use it perfectly.

The thought alone made her eyes wander over the rest of him. The focus on his face drew out the intensity and passion he has for what he does. His forehead wrinkled and moved whenever he played a different chord or note. His jaw clenches and relaxes and his lips just stay the same. They glistened whenever he licked his tongue over them. They looked soft. She wonders if they feel the same way too.

Val then moves down his body, watching as the muscles flex in his arms as he moves. His skin was slightly tanned, must have gotten some sun before coming here to Paris. Her eyes moved further down his body and towards his chest and torso. He wasn’t quite sturdy, has a little bit of a stomach but still he looks beautiful. He wasn’t sporting a six pack but that didn't matter. She still found him beautifully just the way he was.

His legs came into view and she found them to be a little hairy but not too much. The tan followed all the way down to his feet, which tapped to the beat, keeping him on track with what he was playing.

Her hands were itching to reach out and touch him. She could still feel his hands on her waist as he pulled her over to his balcony. She didn't pay attention to how his skin felt at the moment but now she wants to. She wants to feel every part of him.

Stop it, Val. You don't even know him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asks, drawing her out of her mind. She bashfully shakes her head, looking away. He chuckles and moves to set his guitar on the floor. “Did you like what you heard?” He asks.

“If you’re this good on an acoustic, I can only imagine what you must be like with this band.”

Jake smiles and turns himself on the bed to face her. “A simple youtube search would confirm that for you.”

“I’ll have to look it all up later.”

“Why not now?” He asks, finding himself leaning a little closer to her.

“Because I’m a little distracted.”

“Really? By what?”

“More like who..” She breathes.

He chuckles, his warm breath breezing over her lips before he presses into her. Her lips tasted just as her robe smelled. Cherries. Her lips were soft that he was thinking they would be. He pulls away, his lips lingering a little longer to savor the taste of her. Taking the initiative again, he leans back again and kisses her. Taking his hand, he wraps it around the back of her neck and uses his thumb to tilt her chin upwards.

He feels her poking her tongue against his teeth and he chuckles before granting her access. Without breaking apart, she moves her body closer and starts to wrap her legs around his waist until she’s seated on his lap. His hands drop to her waist, holding her in place as they continue their makeout.

His eyes peel open when she pulls away, only to start kissing down his neck. Usually it would be the other way around, but he isn’t complaining, he’s enjoying the feeling of her lips on his skin. He leans back on his hand, tilting his head back and closing his eyes again as he savors this moment. A moan escapes his mouth before he can even stop it and he can feel her smiling against his neck.

Giving in further to the moment, he lays down on his back on the bed, allowing her to have full control. If he leaves Paris, having broken his streak of not sleeping with anyone, so be it. He was hers and he didn’t care at all. The feeling she was giving him was euphoric and he wasn't going to deny it.

Feeling her hand trace the curve of his semi erection over the top of his boxers, he opens his eyes once again and looks down at her. She has those doey eyes that he can’t ever resist. He nods his head and she pulls down his boxers enough to release him. Another moan falls from his mouth when she takes him in hers. His hands snake down his body and tangles in her hair.

This can’t be real.

It has to be a dream.

His body tensed as he felt himself approaching his release. He can’t stop himself from spilling inside of her mouth, but he’s pleasantly surprised when she takes it all and swallows. Pulling away from him, she sits back up and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

“How was that?” She asks.

“Amazing.” He says breathlessly.

She pulls his boxers back up and climbs up to straddle his waist. She places her hand against his chest and smiles. “Your heart is racing.” He chuckles and pulls her down for a kiss.

“Can I taste you?” He asks before kissing her again.

“I think it’s only fair.” She says before sliding off her robe.

Jake glides his hands along her shoulders, following the robe as it falls down her arms and pools around her hips. His eyes canvas every curve of her body, every minuscule scar. She didn’t have the supermodel body, but he didn’t care, he still found her beautiful. Just like him, she had a little meat to her body, it was perfectly toned or sculpted but it was a body that has been lived in. Worn over the years but still beautiful. He gently traced his thumbs over to the strips on her hips and looked up into her eyes.

He could see the timid look in her eyes as she watched him, wondering if at any second he would change his mind and not want her like she was wanting him. His lips curved upwards as a smile graced his sun kissed face. His brown eyes single handedly reassured her that he was in complete awe of her.

He didn't even know her besides her name. None of that mattered in the moment as he still took the time to admire her body.

Slowly he let his hands run over the fuzzy elastic band over her shorts and tugged on them, pulling the fabric away from her body and letting go, watching it snap back against her skin. He giggles lightly to himself. He dips his thumb beneath the elastic and looks up at her.

“May I?” He asks. Val nods her head and he proceeds to go further down inside of her shorts. He feels her hands grip loosely to his hips, her own instinctively bucking against his thumb. He gently rubs over her clit making her gasp.

With graceful movements, he’s sitting up and laying her on her back between his legs. Removing his hand from her shorts, he takes them off and licks his lips at the sight of her laying bare in front of him. Leaning over, he licks his tongue through her folds earning another gasp from Val. She didn't taste like cherries but she did taste sweet.

Within a couple minutes he had her releasing on his tongue and he licked up every drop. He pulls her back up and kisses her, tracing her lips with his tongue as he pulls apart from her.

“Being a rockstar, you must have a lot of women when you want to.”

He scoffs with a smile. “I could, but I’ve chosen not to,” He says. “Sure I could live the drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll lifestyle easily, but I like the calm paced life. Play a lot on stage, flirt with the fans during the set, and then just relax afterwards.”

“When was the last time you slept with someone?”

“It’s been a couple years..” He says. “I used to just have meaningless sex. None of it meant anything. I brought a woman home after a night out at the bar, we’d slept together, and then she was gone by the time I opened a bottle of whiskey.”

“So what am I?” Val asks. “It’s almost five in the morning–in Paris–and you have me in your bed.”

Jake brings his hand up to her face and brushes her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know.. There’s just something about you that I like–as if I was meant to meet you. You’re not like the others..”

“What if tonight was our only night? Then what?”

Jake shakes his head. “I don’t believe it to be our only night,” He says.

“How can you be so sure?” She asks.

“I feel something with you–something that I have never felt before. And if we only spend tonight together, I won’t ever forget you. Who knows,” He says, tracing his thumb over her cheek. “We may see each other again and if we do, then we will know we were meant for each other.”

“Already falling in love, are we?” Val teases.

“Well we are in the city of love,” Jake playfully responds. “No.. But when I saw you for the first time yesterday, I was hooked. I thought about you all day and having you here now feels like a dream that I never want to wake up from.” He kisses her lips and then down to her neck before stopping just above her cleavage. “Let me love you tonight and then prove to you later that you are to be mine, and I yours.”

“Spoken like a prince.”

“I like to think I was in another life.”

Val giggles and kisses him. “If you treat me just like the others, I will never forgive you.”

“Only if you promise not to leave after I open a bottle of whiskey.”

Val shakes her head, “Never. You are stuck with me until the sun comes up.”

He smiles. “Good.”

As the sun begins to rise, the light filling the room, Val wakes up to the feeling of Jake running fingers ever so gently over the surface of her back. She flips her head to the other side and looks up at him. “Good morning,” He says. His breath still smelled like whiskey.

“Good morning,” She responds before flipping over onto her back.

“Do you have any plans today?” He asks, walking his fingers up the expanse of her stomach.

“My friends and I were just going to relax on the beach, but I can cancel.”

“I don’t want you to cancel your plans,” He says.

“We have a whole week here, I can miss one day.”

“And what would they think about you spending a whole day with some guy you just met?”

“You’re not just some guy,” Val says as she reaches her up to push his hair back away from his face. “Not anymore.”

“What if we spent the whole day in bed?” He asks. “We can order room service and just be together..”

“You don't want to go out?” She asks. “Do some exploring?”

“I have explored Paris countless times,” He says. “But I have yet to explore you,” He says as he rolls over top of her.

“You have too,” Val giggles as she tries to roll away from him. “You have seen every inch of my body.”

“Ahh, but that was with my eyes,” He says. “I meant with my lips.” He says as he starts kissing her neck. She giggles at the tickling sensation he gives her as he works his way down her neck and to her collarbone. “You are so beautiful.” He says.

“You keep saying that and yet I have a hard time believing you.”

“I only speak the truth,” He says. “I would never lie to you.”

His fingers glide over her stretch marks again as he kisses her breasts. “I just can’t wrap my head around why a rockstar like you would ever love someone who looks like me? Last night was beautiful and I just thought you were saying those words.”

“I meant every word, why are you doubting me now?” He says.

“I guess I’m just getting deep inside my head..” She says. “I have always had trouble loving my body and yet a man like you still sees me as beautiful–even with my stretch marks and my hips.”

“Your hips are beautiful and so are your stretch marks,” Jake says as he traces the marks on her hips. “You don’t need a perfect body for me to be attracted to you. Your eyes alone have already done that for you.”

“And what about my legs? My thighs–”

He covers her mouth lightly with the palm of his hand. “You are beautiful,” He says. “With every mark on your body, your hips, your thighs. Every inch of you is beautiful. I do not need a super model’s body pressed against mine, I just want yours in all its flawed beauty.”

He sees a tear start to slide down the side of her face and he wipes it away with the pad of his thumb. “You are beautiful, don’t ever think otherwise.”

“How can you say such things about a woman you have only met just four hours ago?”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “A woman deserves to know when she is beautiful.” He leans his head down and kisses her.

“I should probably tell my friends where I am before they think I was kid–napped..” She moans when she feels him slip back inside of her.

“At least your kidnapper is sexy,” He teases before thrusting back inside of her.

Within minutes they were both coming down as he gave her sloppy kisses.

Against his begging, she slips on her clothes again and heads for the door. “Ten minutes and then I’ll be back.” She says as she pulls herself away from his arms.

“Jake Kiszka?! You slept with him?!”

“Shhh!” Val says, clamping her hand over her friend’s mouth.

“How did that even happen? When?”

“Last night,” Val says as she steps away from her friend and heads over to her suitcase to grab clothes. “I saw him out on his balcony and he brought me into his room. He played me a song on his guitar and then… We slept together.”

“And you’re going back over there?” Val nods her head. “I just can't believe this is happening,” Her friend continues. “So you’re spending the day with him?” Val slides her shoes on and slips in a sweater over top of her shirt. “He leaves in like a day, while you’ll still be here.”

“I know..”

“So then what happens after that?”

“I’m not sure,” Val says as she fixes her hair. “I can’t go with him, but maybe we’ll meet again sometime.”

“Are you in love with him?”

Val shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know if I’d call it love just yet, but I do feel something. He’s so sweet, Jayge, and so kind. He’s not at all like the typical rockstar you would assume.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Jayge questions. “What if.. What if he only thinks of you as just some women he fucked in Paris and he never thinks of you again?”

“Wow, way to be such a downer.”

“I’m not a downer,” Jayge says as she sits down in the bed. “I’m being logical here. Val, he’s a rockstar, currently on tour for the next four months and after this week in Paris, you’re going back to Dallas.”

“Then I will savor whatever this is while it lasts and then.. Well.. I’ll deal with the fact that I may never see him again.”

“Val, I’m sorry.. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up that this means anything. Of course, by all means, have sex and just have fun, but don’t let yourself get caught up on what could happen.”

Noticing Val was oddly quiet all of sudden, and not paying much attention, Jake pulls away from her, cocking his head slightly as he studies her face. “Hey,” He says, cupping her face in his hands. “Is everything okay?” He asks.

“Hmm?” Her eyes flicker up to his.

“You seem a little..distant.”

Val shakes her head. “No, no.. I’m okay..” She says.

“Are you sure?” He asks.

Val nods her head, forcing a smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m sure.” She says as she brushes her hand up along his arm.

Jake exhales a breath and drops his hand from her face. “Something’s bothering you,” He says. “Come on, talk to me.. What happened while you were back in your room?”

“Jake, it’s stupid.. Really..” Jake cocks his head, still not believing a word she’s telling him. Realizing that he won’t let it go, Val sits up on the bed and crosses her leg in front of her. “My friend.. She thinks that after you leave to finish your tour and I go back home, you’ll forget about me.. And that this was all just a simple fuck..”

Jake’s hands drop to his lap as he lowers his head. “That’s what she thinks of me?” He says.

“Jake..”

“Is that what you think of me?” He asks, looking back up at her. “I was honest with you.. I’m not like that anymore..”

“I know,” Val says. “But is she right about what happens when we go our separate ways? Jake.. We’re from two different worlds. You have this whole career and I’m just some girl from Texas.”

“You're not just some girl,” He says. “This isn’t just a simple fuck either.” He reaches for her hand and rubs his thumb over her knuckles. “I know this isn’t ideal and we do have separate for the time being, but I just know this isn’t over when I leave.”

“I don’t want her to be right,” Val says. “I don’t want to be just another girl.”

“You are not just another girl,” Jake says. “I want to explore more of this with you. Don’t let what your friend said make you think differently.”

Climbing off the bed, Jake grabs his button up shirt and slips it on before moving onto his shorts. “Come on, I think we need to get out of the room,” He says as he hands her her clothes.

Jake enjoyed seeing the smile on her face as she talked animatedly with the florist. Knowing he couldn't commit to memory, he took out his phone and snapped a photo as he continued watching the conversation play out. The smile she bore, he’d never want to forget that. Suddenly the florist was pointing towards him and Val looks over, still wearing a smile, and nods her head. The florist nods her head as if understanding whatever Val had told her before waving him over. As he approached the table, the florist handed him a small bouquet of wildflowers and motions for him to give them to Val.

“Oh okay,” He says, his cheeks growing a light shade of pink. He hands Val the flowers and leans over to kiss her cheek. “May our love grow wild and free like these flowers,” He whispers into her ear. He feels her skin grow warm and he chuckles. “Am I making you flustered?”

“Just a little..” She whispers.

“Good,” He says. “Just wait until we get back to the room. Your cheeks won’t be the only thing that will be red..” He says, keeping his voice low, before pulling away. He goes to retrieve his wallet from his pocket when the florist hurriedly stops him. “I have to pay you,” He says.

“No, no!” The florist exclaims. “It’s a gift.”

“Are you sure?” Jake asks.

“I am sure,” She says. “Love comes without a price.”

“Thank you,” Val says. “I hope you have a wonderful day.”

As they walked away from the stand, Val picked out one of the purple flowers. Jake tries to stop her but she already has the flower tucked safely behind his ear. “Beautiful.” She says.

“Val, men do not–”

“Men do,” She cuts him off. “And I think you look good with it.” She reaches up and kisses his cheek. “Keep it there.” He did keep there the whole time they ventured around the street market.

He snuck even more candid photos of her, not realizing she was doing the same. As he goes to put it away, he feels it vibrate and he lifts it back up to see a text from Josh.

‘Whatever you are doing, forget about it for a little while and come get lunch with us!’

Jake looks up at Val who’s distracted, smelling different candles. “Are you hungry?” He asks, walking up to her.

“A little, why?” She says as she straightens back up.

“The others are getting lunch, do you want to go?” Val lifts up a candle for him to smell. He scrunches up his face when he smells the god awful scent. “Ew..”

Val giggles and sets the candle back down on the table. “Are you sure?” She asks. “They won’t think–”

“Doesn't matter what they think,” He says as he pulls her into his arms. “But they will love you.”

“Ummm.. Sure, why not?” She says, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well well well, you must be the woman who’s captivated my brother,” Josh says as he embraces Val in a hug. “It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”

Val giggles and hugs him back, “It’s nice to meet you too…..”

Josh laughs, slapping his hand against Jake’s shoulder. “I see my brother has not told you about us,” He says. “I’m Josh, his twin.”

“Twin?” Val questions as she looks between the two.

“We don’t look so much alike now but we used to growing up.”

“Oh, and this is Sam, our younger brother,” Josh continues. Sam waves at her with a wide grin. “And then there’s Daniel, our childhood friend and badass drummer.” Danny waves as well before taking a drink of his beer. “Come sit and join us!” Josh says as he pulls her to their table.

All through dinner, they got to know each other, more so they wanted to know everything about Val. Jake also couldn't keep his eyes off of Val, watching her as she held conversations with his brothers and allowed them to ask her whatever they pleased.

“Do you ride at all?” Josh asks. “Horses, I mean..” He adds, glancing over at Jake.

Jake’s smile fades and he kicks Josh’s leg underneath the table. Josh winks at him and sips on his drink.

“I was taught how to ride from a young age,” Val says. “Still do.”

“Jake, I believe you found yourself a cowgirl.” Danny chuckles.

Jake smiles and reaches over to kiss Val’s cheek. “I don’t know, did I?” He whispers. He chuckles feeling her cheeks warm slightly and he squeezes her thigh.

They were barely inside the door of his hotel room before they’re tearing off each other’s clothes. Jake kicks the door closed behind him, the lock latching immediately behind him. As he picks her up, she wraps her legs around his waist and he carries her into the bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, with her still wrapped around him, he feels his way around her hips and pushes down her pants. Having left his jeans by the door already, she ground down against his groin, her clothed center rubbing against his semi hard dick.

Pulling away from him, long enough to take off his boxers, she then lays him back on the bed and starts to kiss down his body. He hisses, grabbing a fist full of her hair when she nips his skin above his hips. “Did you just bite me?” He questions, titling her his chin downwards so he can see her.

She winks up at him before continuing down the rest of his body until she reaches his length. He can’t help the moan that escapes him when he feels her envelope him with her mouth. She licks and strokes him a few times before making him release her hair. She rises to her feet and slides off her underwear before climbing on top of him.

He moves further up the bed, carrying her with him, until he’s comfortably lying in the middle of the bed. He squeezed her hips as she sinks down on him, taking him as deep as he can go. “You’re so sexy from this angle,” He says, looking up at her. He moans again, his head falling against the pillows as she starts to lift herself and stop in a steady pattern.

Val rests her hands on his shoulder, keeping the pace, rising and falling repeatedly, bringing herself closer to her climax. Jake grips her hips tighter and pushes his hips upwards, meeting her thighs as they collide with his.

“Jake…” She moans, squeezing her eyes shut as her mouth falls open.

“Yeah baby, let go for me.” He says. “Come on..”

They both meet their ends and she collapses against his chest. He rubs her back and kisses her forehead. He slowly sits them both up and brushes her hair out from in front of her face. “I’m going to miss this,” He says.

“Gee, I hope you don’t only want me for sex,” Val jokes.

He lightly taps her ass as he laughs. “I want you for more than just sex,” He says. “I want to take you on romantic dates, fun adventures. I want to hold your hand and cuddle with you in bed. I want to have a life with you.”

“Boy you are falling quickly,” She jokes again, earning yet another smack to her ass, making her laugh. “All of that sounds wonderful,” She says. “Maybe I can teach you how to ride a horse.”

“Oh I know how to ride a horse,” Jake says.

“Yes but do you know how to ride a horse?” She says. “Full speed through an open space, the wind blowing through your hair,” She runs her fingers through his semi sweaty locks. “The adrenaline coursing through your veins and the feeling of being as free as the wind.”

“You make it sound like an adventure.”

“It can be,” She says. “It’s my favorite thing to do when I need to clear my head–or just to have fun.”

“How often do you go riding?”

Val shrugs her shoulders. “Whenever I decide to,” She says as Jake starts to kiss down her neck and over her shoulders. “I think you’d enjoy it.”

“I think I’d enjoy anything with you,” He says, continuing to kiss her body. He makes his way to her chest and sucks gently on one of her nipples. He can feel her heart beating in her chest. He releases her nipple and turns his head to press his ear to her chest. “I could listen to this all the time,” He says.

He sighs, realizing by the morning time he’ll be on a plane and flying to Rome…without Val. How was he supposed to leave her behind while he continues with this tour? He knows he can’t just cancel the rest of the tour. Missing someone you love wasn’t a big enough reason to cancel everything.

As if they were thinking the same thing, Val speaks up as she runs her hand through his hair. “You promise nothing will change when you leave?” She asks.

Jake lifts his head and tilts it backwards to look at her. “Nothing will change,” He says. “I promise..” He caresses her cheek and presses his lips to hers. “As soon as I get back home, I’m coming to you.”

The morning came sooner than either of them wanted and as Val still slept, Jake quietly made his way around the room collecting his things and packing them into his suitcase. Once everything was zipped and ready to go, he carries them out of the room to set by the hotel door. He quietly goes back to the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed before gently waking up Val.

“Hey, it’s time for me to leave..” He says.

“Already?”

Jake nods his head. “Yeah..”

“Can I come with you to the airport?” She asks.

“Of course,” Jake says as he stands up from the bed.

The two of them stand in the middle of the crowded airport, not wanting to let each other go. Val was the first to finally pull apart, regretting looking up at Jake. His eyes were glossy with tears as they flickered between hers. “I wish you could come with me,” He says. “You’d love Italy.”

“I’m sure I would,” Val says as she reaches up to wipe away an escaped tear slipping down his cheek.

“Goddamn it,” He huffs, wiping his own hands over his cheeks. “I’m not supposed to cry… I’m so pathetic..”

Val giggles, shaking her head. “Only four more months,” She says, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And then it’s you and me and the open field.”

He smiles and leans down to kiss Val. “I’m looking forward to it.” He kisses her again, savoring the taste of her chapstick. “Cherries..” He hums. “Definitely going to miss that.”

“Jake,” Josh says as he walks up to the two of them. “We have to go.”

“Yeah, okay..” Jake says as he takes in a deep breath.

“I’ll see you soon,” Val says as she kisses him one last time before pulling away and heading off back through the airport. Jake wipes his face again and slips on his sunglasses, covering how red his eyes must look, and heads off to catch up with the others.

-4 months later-

Four months away from Jake proved to be harder than she had originally thought it would be. Sporadic texts here and there, last night phone calls when he was available. She was depressed the first few weeks, moping over what they had in Paris. Part of her didn't believe this would move forward, based on the tone of his texts. His voice when he spoke only sounded like he wasn't at all interested anymore.

But then they stopped all together. It has been at least a month now since she last spoke to Jake. He hadn't responded to any of her texts so eventually she stopped sending them. Maybe Jayge was right. Maybe Paris was only what it was at the moment. Even the words he spoke held no meaning anymore.

She needed to get her mind off of him and she knew of the only way to do so.

Riding.

She started out at a slow pace, taking in the colors of the wildflowers as they swayed in the wind, the clear blue sky with not a single cloud to be seen, the sounds of the birds singing from the trees. Then the slow trot turned into a full on sprint, as fast as the horse could go. The wind ripped through her hair as the tears stung her eyes.

She really was just some girl to him. At least that’s what it felt like. He gave her no reason to think otherwise, never reassured her that she was more than that. She felt just like the others that he talked about. Except this time, it wasn’t her leaving him by the time he opened a whiskey bottle, but it was him leaving the memories of her behind in Paris. Those memories would never leave Paris.

Eventually the horse started to grow tired, so she led him down to a nearby river to rest and drink. Her phone started to ring in her pocket and she pulled it out to see Jake’s name on the screen. She simply stared at it, not making a move to answer it, letting it disappear and go to voicemail. His name pops back up, another incoming call.

Rolling her eyes, she taps the answer button and presses her phone to ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Just riding..”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine..” She says, tilting her head down and fidgeting with the reins in her hand. “I haven't heard from you for a while…”

He sighs. “Yeah.. I know.. I’m sorry..”

“You know, if you don't want me anymore, you could just tell me..”

“What? No.. Val, of course I still want you. I meant every word I told you back in Paris.”

“Somehow I’m finding it hard to believe that anymore.. You’ve talked to me like you have no interest and even when you do talk to me, it’s so few and far in between.. I’m struggling to believe that you do mean what you told me.”

“Val, I swear, I meant it all. I’m sorry for acting that way, I have no other excuse except that I’m tired.. But the tour is finally over and I want to continue where we left off.”

“Jake, I have to go.”

“No, Val, please don’t-”

She doesn't let him finish as she ends the call. Letting the horse rest a little more, after a few more minutes she climbs back up onto the saddle and rides away from the river, keeping her phone on Do Not Disturb for the time being. This time on the way back to the ranch, she doesn't haul ass back through the fields, instead she decides to take her time riding back.

After an hour, she finally reaches the ranch. Climbing down off the horse, she walks him to the stables but stops when she sees Jake leaning against the stable door. He was dressed appropriately in jeans and cowboy boots, though his button down shirt was open to the last two buttons, revealing his still tanned chest. When he sees her, he pushes off the door and walks up to her.

“Please, can we talk?” He asks.

“Jake, I get it, okay?” Val says as she leads the horse into the stable. “I fell for your stupid trap. You got what you wanted.”

“No, I didn’t,” He says, following after her. “Val, I meant everything I told you. I was stupid for not following through, but I swear I’m not treating you like the others. You mean so much to me, Val.”

“Sure didn't sound like it the few times we’ve talked.”

“I’m sorry.. I-I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

“There is nothing you can do Jake.” She says as she turns to face him, after locking the horse inside the stable. “We were crazy to think this would ever move forward from Paris. We live in two different states and we have different lives. I can’t just drop everything to move to Nashville o-or to follow you on tour, and you sure as hell can’t move here because of the band. Just admit it, Jake, this is not going to work.”

“No!” He exclaims, following her out of the stables. “I am not going to admit it because I know we can make this work.” He grabs her hand and pulls her back to him. “I’m not asking you to follow me on tour, I won't make you do that. I’ve seen what happens if you do. I can’t ask you to give up your life for that, but I am asking for you to not give up on us. If I have to move to goddamn Texas, then I will. My bands will survive.”

“Jake, don’t move here.”

“Why not? You’re here.”

“You’d hate it.”

“I can deal with it, if I still have you. Come on, I know you’ve imagined turning this rockstar into a cowboy.”

Val can't help but laugh. “Cowboy by day, rockstar by night?”

“I could do it,” He says. “I know how to ride a horse.”

“You really want to move forward with us?” Val asks.

“You already know my answer,” He says as he pushes their bodies together, lifting up her chin and kissing. “I will do whatever it takes to keep loving you.”

“You’ll do whatever?” She asks, looking up at him. He nods his head and she smiles. “The house is empty,” She says, nodding her head to the white farmhouse behind her. “The boys are out wrangling the herd, could be a couple hours.”

Jake smirks before grabbing her hand and running for the house. Within minutes he had her naked and in her bed, kissing every inch of her body, making up for the lost time. When he reaches her legs, she pulls him back up and kisses him.

“I need you,” She says. “Please.”

He nods his head and adjusts himself between herself, careful to take it slow as he pushes himself inside. She hisses slightly and he pauses, looking at her. He slowly eases further in until he’s completely bottomed out. He stays like that, allowing her time to readjust to him. When she was ready, he began at a snail pace, taking his time until she was comfortable enough to let him go faster. In no time she was begging him to and he obliged, picking up the pace until the headboard began hitting the wall.

Her lips still tasted like cherries when he kissed her, the taste being enough to intoxicate him. He didn't stop until he was struggling to keep himself at bay but he couldn't. He couldn’t stop himself from hitting his climax and spilling inside of her. She followed not too long after him.

They laid there in bed, completely spent and covered in sweat but still cuddling each other. Jake traces the curves of her hip with his fingertips and kisses her forehead.

“Valentine!” A man calls from downstairs.

Val sits up in bed, holding the blankets up to cover her chest. “Who is that?” Jake asks.

“My dad,” Val says as she scrambles out of the bed. “Get dressed, hurry–and button up your shirt.”

“I have to meet your dad so soon?” Jake asks as he climbs out of the bed and starts picking up his clothes to put back on.

“Better to get it out of the way now rather than later.” Val says as she zips up her pants.

“Oh fantastic,” Jake mutters before following Val out of her bedroom.

@losfacedevil @writingcold @edgingthedarkness @i-love-gvf @katuschka @josh-iamyour-mama @sammysstolenbirks @asendingtothestarsasone @hollyco @musicislove3389 @its-interesting-van-kleep @katiegvf @tinydancer40 @gretavangroupie @lizzys-sunflower @fleetingjake @takenbythemadness @godly-sinsx @psychedelectable @dancingcarbon @cheersdannyx2 @piratejtk @katuschka @musicislove3389 @takenbythemadness @wildbluesorbit

[the-silver-cookie-thief]

A Story Done Right

Kill Bill, The Princess Bride, Blue-Eyed Samurai, Wrath of Khan. Our media is saturated with revenge stories. Even children's tales often have revenge as a sweeping premise (e.g., the countless Star Wars villains as a modern example, but older tales such as Cinderella were even more rife with vindictive messages). And to be honest, I have never cared for this plot type.

Revenge stories are usually violent, merciless, myopic, and pretty disregarding of 'collateral' losses. Not all, but most lack any type of interesting moral symbology and substitute dynamic storylines and complex character development in lieu of exciting action scenes and a prosaic fixation on bloodshed. There are certainly exceptions to this, many of the titles I listed above actually have a lot of great things going for them. But I would say that these qualities are in spite of their focus on revenge and not because of it.

And there are an endless number of animes, movies, books, and other stories based on revenge that simply do not appeal to me (not judging other people if they like violent action media, just not my personal taste). Most of the time, I am just left feeling empty at the end, like Neo after volume 9.

But there is one exception to this theme. One revenge story that leaves me feeling whole, not empty. From the banner image, I think it is pretty obvious which story it is. This is my own highly subjective opinion, but I truly believe that the fight with Adam represents the perfect revenge story. And here is my reasoning.

Revenge is Not The Hero's Purpose

In too many stories, the premise begins with douchebag 'X' killing damsel 'Y', leading to hero 'Z' killing a lot of henchmen and blowing up a lot of buildings all for the singular purpose of making Mr. X pay. Once they achieve this purpose, they look around aimlessly before wandering off to have a milkshake or play golf or something. Yeah well, this story does not do this. Killing Adam was never the objective for Blake and Yang, because they have actual goals that involve saving people and not just executing some vendetta.

Don't get me wrong. I love redemption stories, I find them so much more satisfying, especially when the character in question has to struggle to overcome the gravity of what they have done (note: a redemption arc does not mean instant forgiveness, it might never end with actual for absolution for what they have done). I love Emerald's story and think it has a lot of interesting twists that it can take. But there are some characters who are just too far gone to save. And Adam fits that perfectly.

He has a tragic backstory and I truly pity him. But he is also an abusive, murdering shitlord who manipulated and groomed Blake (I wouldn't be surprised if he physically or sexually abused her, which is somewhat implied by her frequently defensive body posture, but is not definite). He kills out of spite and represents Yang's demon, who she could have become. It was cathartic to watch him fall, but I am ever so grateful that his demise was not the purpose of Blake and Yang. Because killing him out of spite for what he did to them would not be much different than the way he lashed out at others for the traumas that he has endured. Some might call it justice, but justice and revenge are two sides of the same coin and the edges between them can be blurry.

The point is, Yang and Blake are so much more than Adam. They killed him out of necessity, not out of hate.

They Are Set on the Future

As I mentioned, I often feel empty at the end of a revenge story. When the villain lies dead within a pool of their own blood and the hero has achieved everything they sought to accomplish, what more is there really? Often, I feel like the story has reached its ending without really achieving anything of note. Often, without really making the world a better place. A plot about revenge is not the same as one about taking someone down to save other people. The former is what Adam wanted and it would have made the world a worse place. But Yang and Blake are protectors. The fight was exhilarating and satisfying, but it ultimately humanized these characters whereas most revenge stories do the opposite, treating human life as cheap entertainment to be killed in the most 'epic' way possible.

But more important, the fight left me feeling excited about the future, rather than feeling burn out from seeing the villain die. Adam was fixated on the past. He was a character of the past. He represented Blake and Yang's trauma, their old demons and fears. He had no further place in their character arcs, because they had evolved into something so much more. Killing Adam was not the end of their story as it is in so many revenge plots. It was simply a new beginning. It felt whole and wholesome. Past, present, and future.

Because it is the People Who Matter

Ultimately, the fight was never about killing Adam. It was about bringing Yang and Blake together. About having them overcome the demons of their past. About the importance of mental health. About their individual traumas (abandonment issues & PTSD for Yang and Blake's fear of hurting others). About the challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in finding security in a hostile world. It was about these two, fucking amazing characters and the ineffably wondrous relationship that forms between them. One based on actual fucking support, equality, and love.

That is all I have on this right now. Hopefully, I did not offend too many people by criticizing typical revenge stories. But I have been wanting to talk about my love and appreciation of this scene for years. I know there have been so many more people who have discussed these same themes and points before, probably more adroitly than my rambling mess, but this is my rambling mess. Thanks for reading!

Random side trivia 1: Mandy Patinkin, the actor who played Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, is famous for his iconic line, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Mandy felt that the scene was symbolic of feelings towards the illness that took his father. But regarding revenge against people, he actually dislikes his iconic line and how it idolizes revenge.

Random side trivia 2: I love Jeff & Casey William songs and I just love BMBLY (except or that creepy line about the birds and butterflies knowing, wtf). But as an ecologist, I should note that bumblebees do not make honey. Jeff was thinking of European honey bees. Bumblees are cute, fuzzy, chunky super pollinators that live in the ground, in hollow plant stems, or other obscure spots and are either solitary or have very small hives. They virtually never bother people and are super pollinators, actually much better pollinators than honeybees (which are super awesome cool in their own right, but also highly invasive in the western hemisphere and hurt our native pollinators D: And yes, I cherry-picked the ugliest picture of one that I could find). Many bumblebees are endangered, just like our beloved Bumblebees. Save the bees! AND THE BEES!

[tiktowafel]

1-b social media pfps

monoma: photo he once managed to take of bakugo tripping over something. yes he gets threats over it, no he will not change it ever

setsuna: changes hers frequently, most of the time it's her newest cool selfie. sometimes the chosen pictures feature one or more of her geckos

tsuburaba: also changes his pfp all the time but in his case it's a dumb blurry selfie on monday, random cursed image on thursday and a dumb blurry picture of something else (sometimes also featuring his hand doing a thumbs up) on sunday

yui: just a solid color (im thinking peach or pastel pink) and it's been that way since forever

honenuki: somewhat poor quality picture of his cat that he finds endearing. it's also been that for a really long time. worth noting that his cat is incredibly ugly

shishida: it's not the exact same picture that's on his school ID but it could as well be

rin: originally he had no pfp and just went with the default. tsuburaba really hated that for some reason and kept pestering him to change it so eventually he added a hat to it bc he didn't know what picture to choose (tsub was pleased)

kinoko: fairly recent mirror selfie with a pink overlay and a bunch of cute effects added. her phone covers her face in the picture and the focus is on her frilly dress

reiko: pretty #aesthetic black and white portrait of herself taken by someone else

ibara: either a selfie taken from an awkward angle, boomer-uncle-on-facebook-style, or a bible quote image with a sunset background taken from the internet (too small to read)

tetsutetsu: cropped picture of himself with his friends taken in rather poor lighting. it is more on less centered on him but someone who doesn't know him could still have trouble telling which person is supposed to be him.

kendo: epic motorcycle pic (not her own </3)

kaibara: a nature photo he took once and liked a lot. he originally intended to change it every time he took a new favorite but ended up getting used to the first one he ever set his pfp as and hasnt changed it since

pony: cycles between selfies, picrews loosely based on herself, random pretty photos she takes (usually of the sky) and screencaps of her anime faves

awase: old photo of his dog, may he rest in peace

manga: goku

kuroiro: either a picture of himself wearing his favorite outfit with his face cropped off, or just solid black. can't decide

kamakiri: stick bug :)

shoda: slightly old pic of himself taken by someone else, zoomed out so it shows about half of his body. outfit and surroundings are nothing extraordinary but the picture has an inexplicably cool aura.

bondo: photo of a pretty flower. he's also never changed it

[soapyghostie]

I felt kinda weird sending a request cause we talk outside of here but oh well

Do you think you could write Nubbins and Danny with a reader who does photography, horror is one of the reasons I got into photography so idk, sorry if I worded this weird

I had the motivation to do one more for now since I haven’t been very productive in my classes so far today. Hope you enjoy!

The Ghost Face/Danny Johnson

OMG! Can he help?! Danny is drawn to your passion for photography because he loves photography too! He admires your ability to capture the beauty of the world around you, and he often finds him lost in the amazingly well shot photos you took. Almost as good as his photography skills. 

Danny, being a journalist under his alter ego Jed Olsen, understands your creative drive behind pursuing your passion for photography. When you express your desire to open a photography studio, he’s not only super supportive but also is excited about the prospect. He sees this as an opportunity for you to showcase your amazing talent and creativity to the world. He, also, wants to help you start and run your photography business too! 

As someone who appreciates the power of storytelling through images and his articles, Danny will bring up the idea of collaborating with you on various photography projects. He’ll even ask you to photograph events that he’s having to write about so he can publish your beautiful photographs for the whole town to see in his well written top tier articles. 

Danny understands the challenges of starting a new venture, especially in a competitive field like photography (He might be the top journalist at the Roseville Gazette, but that doesn’t mean he became that great overnight. He’s had a lot of practice). He offers his support not only emotionally but also practically, helping you with business planning, networking, and promotion. 

As a journalist, Danny's schedule is pretty busy during the day and also he spends a lot of time with his ‘hobby’ (if you know what I mean), yet, he still finds time to make an effort to prioritize quality time with you (I don’t know how he does it so don’t ask me). He understands the importance of nurturing y’all’s relationship amidst y’all’s respective careers and often suggests going on photoshoot outings together as a way to bond and unwind. Danny enjoys brainstorming creative concepts and themes for your photoshoots.

When you finally open your photography studio, Danny couldn’t be more prouder. He attends the grand opening with a camera in hand, capturing the excitement and anticipation of the moment. He smiles and y’all’s shared passion for storytelling will continue to strengthen y’all’s bond and drive each other to success.

Nubbins Sawyer

When Nubbins finds out that you photograph for fun just like him, he’s excited. Obviously, your photography technique is very different from his and he doesn’t fully understand the artist form of your photography at first; however, he quickly becomes fascinated by the way you capture the world through your lens. He wants to know why your photographs aren’t dark and blurry like his. 

Nubbins often finds himself admiring your work in awe, marveling at the way you can turn the most mundane scenes into something beautiful and captivating. You’ll look over your shoulder and find him just staring at one of the many photos you’ve taken in his hand, unmoving. Who knows how long he’s been standing there admiring your work. Actually, the better assumption is how long has he gone staring at that photo without blinking.

Nubbins spends the majority of his time hitchhiking and looking for ‘food’ heading towards the Sawyer property. He’d enjoy it if you tagged along with him and brought your camera to document your adventures together. Your hobby is a great way to immortalize y’all’s experiences and memories, creating a photo album of y’all’s life.  

Nubbins encourages and supports you. He would point out interesting objects and compositions for you to take pictures of during y’all’s unorganized photoshoots. He’ll also scout for locations or offer input too. 

Nubbins is protective of your camera equipment, ensuring it’s always safely stowed away when not using it. He understands how much your gear means to you and goes to great lengths to make sure it goes undamaged, knowing how much their photography means to you. 

Nubbins often proudly displays your work around the Sawyer house for his brothers to see. He takes pride in showcasing your talent to them and often boasts about your skills to his brothers. When he shares your photographs with his brothers, Nubbins finds himself cherishing the photographs, reminding him of all the moments y’all shared together. Each image holds a special place in his heart, serving as a visual representation of y’all’s love and adventures.

[audliminal]

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 2 Redux

Masterpost

"Okay, so. Like I said before, the first video is pretty basic.” Bernard tells Tim. He’s got his laptop perched on his lap and Tim leans into him as he clicks play.

He’s not wrong, either. The video in front of him looks like it was made with movie maker software from at least a decade ago. Hell, Tim’s pretty sure he remembers using a couple of those transitions in elementary school projects. The background remains stagnant, for the most part, with just the pictures at the center of the screen and the text beneath them changing. The pairing pretty obviously is supposed to be a caption for the videos, but the letters are a jumbled mess. Still, it feels familiar.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a Caesar cipher,” Tim mutters. He’s seen enough of them used by shitty two-bit rogues to recognize the patterns on instinct. It’s a bit harder to determine the exact amount of shift just by looking – especially since the shift amount seems like it’s changing on the different captions. Presumably the ciphers have already been solved, so Tim turns his attention away from them for a moment.

Looking around the screen, he can spot hints of distortion against the blank background. It’s blurry, almost invisible to the naked eye, but there’s not really any reason for it to be there naturally.

“The background looks weird,” Tim says.

“Oh yeah, there’s a text overlay on the video. It’s real blurry but somebody identified it as a poem. Something by Emily Dickinson; I don’t remember what the name was, though.”

“Hmmm. Did anyone recognize the song?” It sounds off, but it doesn’t seem to be random notes either. In fact, Tim almost feels like he could hear it on the radio.

“Yeah, a couple people recognized it as Space Oddity, only its been transcribed in a different key. There’s also some random discordant notes in there, too.”

“Heavily modified audio. Doesn’t sound like it’s poor quality, though.”

“True.”

They let the video finish playing. It’s not very long; they were probably timing the visuals to the song, rathen than the other way around. Tim stares at the finished video for a few moments. He’s never really had time for ARGs before. They weren’t exactly very big when he was younger, and now he spends so much time solving rogue shit and actual crimes that he doesn’t really need to go seeking out more puzzles to solve.

“So?” Bernard prompts. “What do you think?”

Honestly, the vibes aren’t the best. It’s clearly intended to be creepy in a way that’s probably exciting for most people, but just sort of reminds Tim of a rogue.

"I can see why you called it basic," Tim says.

“Yeah, it really didn’t seem like it was gonna be much at first.”

“Okay what does the decoded text say?”

"Here," Bernard switches tabs, to an impressive document with screenshots of the actual video, and loads of color-coded notes. “This is a copy of the community document so far.” Tim leans in, and considers the transcriptions.

Honestly, the transcriptions seem pretty basic, too. They’re all simple captions; just a name for the person or location in the image, and some semblance of a date. Notes next to each transcription denote the cipher used. First, a shift of four, then twenty-five, then seven, then nineteen. It’s a simple trick, scrambling the cipher between captions. Even without a key, Caesar ciphers are pretty easy to solve – there’s only ever going to 25 possible solutions, after all. Changing up the key ensures that it takes a lot longer to solve.

“Odd choice of content, too, honestly?” Tim says. It seems so simple, so benign, in comparison to the upsetting music.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, imagine if a novel started with that. They’ve literally made their first video just about names and setting.”

“Huh. Yeah, that is odd.”

Tim lets Bernard consider that, and turns back to look at the document. It’s pretty obvious from the lack of mention of a solution path that they brute forced it. Which, that could be the intended method of solution, but there could also be a key hidden somewhere in the video. Possibly, that’s the point of the poem, or of the music choice. But either of those are something that’ll take further looking into.

Tim may have taken a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but he’s certainly not capable of transcribing music himself, so he’ll probably have to hire someone for that. The document also names the poem as A lane of Yellow led the eye. Tim sits up, reaching out to pull the laptop towards him.

“I’ll see if I can’t get someone more musically gifted to look at the audio. For now, I wanna know more about that poem.”

[daydreamvalley]

October Sunsets (1) - nanami kento

𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 Summary: You daydream about a sweet conversation you had earlier in the day with Nanami, right before he left for a job in Shibuya.

Content: Fluff + slight angst

7:00 pm, October 31st, Haneda Airport, sounds of passengers trying to find their seats and infants crying filled the air while you sat in a frozen state, looking down at your phone screen with furrowed brows. The single ticks next to your images still stared back at you. Pending. It had been ten minutes, yet he was not owning up to his part of the request he made. Nanami asked for two images, one containing evidence of the bread he recommended you try at the airport cafe. The other is a photo of your choice, just not a picture of yourself since you'll already be bombarding him with plenty throughout the flight. 

Your second undelivered message read: "Bossy much? Here you go, it's a pretty sunset, don't you think?" 

In your opinion, it was. It was taken while facing a large airport window that gave you a view of the departing planes. The autumn sky was free of clouds, with only clear hues of orange and purple in the image. Its quality made up for the previous blurry bread photo. Exhaling in defeat, you accepted that he may have begun the big task he hinted at having to do that evening. Denmark was fifteen hours away. You'd hoped to depart in a better mood after an anticipated message from your ex-coworker making fun of your poor photography skills. Even two grey ticks would suffice. Your cheeks started to warm just at the thought of his teasing, but you couldn’t let your mind wander or else you wouldn’t stop. Turning to your right, you realized your isle seat was going to be empty, freeing whichever lucky soul from witnessing the nightmare of you smiling at yourself alone. Though, he didn’t deserve that much since you should be upset with him. After shutting off the power on the phone, annoyingly shoving it into your tote bag, and then letting out a scoff, the last bit of your parting conversation with him suddenly replayed in your mind. 

~ 

The two of you walked side by side on the pavement to your apartment building, “Did you pack the neck pillow?” He had already begun interrogating. 

“The one that you bought for me. Now imagine the drama if I forgot it.” 

“I’m the only person who owns your extra apartment key, so try not to forget anything. Shoko wants me on call later tonight, and I most likely won’t get your messages. 

“Okay, but you keep dismissing what I asked earlier. Are you sure there’s nothing you’re curious about in Denmark that you want me to relay to you while I’m there?”

“Nothing my family hasn’t already told me. At this age, I only care to know that I have lineage there. I doubt anyone related to me in Denmark knows I exist. I'm also a sorcerer, and jujutsu sorcery is a shitstorm. Can I ask that you bring me lots of pastries?” 

“I could run into your distant cousin and you’re still thinking about bread.” You stop mid-walk to face him in disbelief. Still curious as to how he could address such a deep part of himself like it's an uninteresting topic. 

“I'm not curious about it. Baking, on the other hand. Where do I even begin? Is the bakery outside your office building still there? Nothing will compare to that place. Expensive but it was worth it.” Nanami asks, stopping your walk to the entrance of your apartment building to pull out his cell phone.

“It’s not a historical monument. Of course, it’s still there.” 

“Then I’ll replace your presence in the cafe while you're away. The leather couch in the back corner is still your favorite right?” He was now taking pictures of the bright dawn above him.

“Replacing me also means talking to my coworkers. Your ex-coworkers.”

He cringed at the idea, “Hmm. You were the only person I talked to there.” 

You giggle at the current visual of him leaning back like a photographer with one eye closed. “Exactly. You can admit you miss your bread. Don’t use me as an excuse. Also, the sky isn’t that pretty at this time why’d you take a picture?” 

“If it feels right to me, I snap the photo. Not thinking too much about it at the time makes looking back at it more special.” He firmly states while he showed you the image. “It’s a feeling.”

“Don't take offence, but I’m not sure I get it.” You give a sheepish smile, honestly wishing you could understand his vision.

“None taken. It’s nothing complicated. Try it today. When you have a gut feeling that your memory won’t serve you in the future when you reminisce about a specific day, document it with the sky.” He advises while slipping the phone back into his cream-white blazer's inner pocket. “Send them to me too. I’ll create a folder for our sunsets.” 

“That doesn’t seem fair. You get pastries, sunsets, and travel photos. I want more than a folder in your camera roll when I return.” You sternly said, with your hands on your hips, but quickly lost your confident stance when the brisk air pricked your bare arms, causing a full-body shiver.

Nanami maintained eye contact while removing his blazer to snug it around your shoulders. 

“You’re right. How about a date then?”

Your eyes widened. For the new warmth that blanketed your skin and the fact that he had finally said it. The one word you’ve been yearning to hear from him since you started spending time together after he left the insurance company. The event that could lift the barrier. The barrier which maintained your label as his good friend. An ex-colleague. Turning the potentially one-sided crush you’ve had on him into a mutual pursuit. 

“Not at the bakery.” You mentally slap yourself for being so quick to respond. Thinking you had removed all the chances to come off as cool. 

A deep, raspy chuckle left his body, “No. Not the bakery. I’ll worry about the location. You just show up the same as always, lovely and perfect. The experience will be befitting of you.” 

“If you say so.” You bashfully comment. Not being able to meet his eyes, you lifted a hand to playfully shove his arm, but he gently held it in place. 

With the same gentle manner, he interlocked your fingers. His swift action made you ponder, whether the blazer was doing its job or the brown eyes beaming at you was increasing your body temperature. 

Softly grazing his fingers across your knuckles, he brought the back of your hand to his lips. Placing a tender kiss. 

“Don’t become a stranger.”

“Impossible.”

~ 

11:14 pm, October 31st, somewhere in the air. 

A hand tugged on the cream-white blazer you used as a blanket, succeeding at waking you up from a nap.

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am. I’m delivering the next meal to you now.” The soft-spoken flight attendant apologized. She placed the tray on the vacant tray table. 

Almost forgetting where you were, you half sleepily heartened to her, “It’s not a problem. Thank you.” 

Barely looking in the right direction, it took a couple of seconds, paired with an infant's cries to recall your location. 

I’m not suffering again. Where are my EarPods?

Digging into the blazer pockets, you felt a heavy metal. Shit. The weight of your heart had become heavier. The chances of you shitting yourself were on par with the crying infant on the plane. You might have just ruined the chances of having your first date with Nanami. 

You hijacked the guy’s phone. Any audacity you thought you had to be frustrated with him for not responding to your texts instantly vanished. 

Okay! First time writing a longer piece so be nice.

Will probably do a part two if anyone wants it!

Edit: we did it (Part 2)

This is rough idea so let me know what details I can articulate better.

It’s also on Ao3, if you would prefer to continue the rest there!

[breadstyx]

I'm working on a website for a comic (those who know, know) and it gives me a good opportunity to talk about the modern web innovation that's #1 most reviled on here: webp.

I was working on image quality. See, the author made the pictures high-quality, and since they're hand-drawn it's absolutely worth it — but it means we're talking ~2500x1100px PNGs. Which means ~2-3MB per picture.

Since on the actual website they'll be displayed at 1000px width, smart old me figured a pretty quick fix to save on readers' bandwidth would be to reduce the image size to 1000px width (after all, that's over 5x smaller than the original!).

The issue though: quality surprisingly suffered. Specifically there was a notable impact to the text (but also the colours and texture, if you look closely).

So I started wondering how exactly one could get a cleaner output from my image downsizing.

Which I spent the next 5 hours trying to crack. Turns out it's not easy.

On the other hand, there is another approach: simply finding a better way to store the image. On JPEGs and PNGs you can play with various compression settings which might help you reduce that file size without compromising quality (I tried a bunch, no dice!), but you could also switch to another format. For example, you might consider webp.

Here's what it brings to the table.

"-original" files are the HD originals, "-large" files are the blurry resized ones, "-optimized" are the webp ones.

They are 13-15 times lighter at the same size. This makes them even lighter than the 1000px-wide ones. (2 to 3 times lighter! despite being 5x bigger! that's insane!)

And the output:

I couldn't tell you which capture I took from which version.

And like, damn, that's p cool.

[interdimentional]

Hey there, love your photos!

As someone with a nocturnal lifestyle, have you found that there's a 'best' pick between the nikon, kodak, and canon you have? Or do they all get the job done when it comes to night shots?

Thank you kind anon!! <3 and Ooooo good question!! Okay here is how I would describe their abilities (as far as overall image quality goes):

Canon powershot: is gonna be the best at this. In absolutely pitch black it can be risky if you’re taking like a landscape/scenery shot (sometimes it turns out decent) and if you’re taking a picture of a particular object, it’ll usually show up. If you have any type of light source like a street lamp, then it’ll be fine. Here are some pics with a light source: 1, 2, 3 and some without: 1, 2, 3

Kodak: I would say when it comes to night shots, it’s similar to the canon but in a lesser capacity. It will be more blurry/unfocused. Here is some with a light source: 1, 2, 3 and some without: 1, 2, 3

Nikon: absolutely does not do well at night LOL even if there’s a bit of an external light source, is gonna be pretty unfocused. You can see here: 1, 2, 3 there is some light source but it was difficult to get a clear image with how dark it was! Here is no light source: 1, 2, 3

At twilight/sunset/sunrise times, all three do mostly fine :) also I used the flash function in almost all of these!! sorry this is so long for such a simple question!!

[owlchimedes]

Hi there ! I absolutely love your photos (I only just realized that a bunch of studyblr photos I've recently fallen in love with were yours!)

I was curious if you had any tips for taking good photos/editing them? I find that my photos don't seem to quite have the same good lighting as others' and would truly appreciate any advice you might have on the matter.

Thank you and have a great day!!!!

Thank you!! 🤩 (have to say, I’m a big fan of your blog)

I actually don’t edit my photos that much! Sometimes I might blur or crop out identifying information, but I rarely mess with the colors or shadows of a pic, and if I do, it’s just with the limited tools in the Apple Photos editor. I mostly curate my posts really heavily — for every posted picture, there are 24+ blurry bad ones that didn’t make the cut. Besides that, I do have a couple of general tips:

Prioritize light colored notebooks, papers, pens, etc. since they reflect more light and make an image seem brighter. Select matte over shiny. Photographing shiny black objects is very hard!

Pay attention to shadow and contrast. Hard, flat light (like full sun at an acute angle) in the warm spectrum photographs really well. Most of my favorite pics have been taken between 7-10 am or 4-7 pm. It can be helpful to haunt a handful of study spaces so that you can predict how the light will behave.

It really is about what you’re photographing. I like the way that paper, ceramic, leather, and glass refract light so I tend to have more of those objects around. I have a hard time photographing cloth, so I don’t do bed-spreads or carpet/floor layouts.

Be careful with blue light! Snapping pics of computer screens sucks because it adds a hard, blue square to an image that can be really jarring. Put f.lux or some other color filter on your laptop and take the pic from an angle to limit the amount of blue. Likewise, I try to avoid taking pics in the very early morning or under fluorescents.

Be careful with dappled or fractionated light. It can look very cool but depends on what’s being photographed (ex: left is fun, right is disorganized even though they have the same lighting situation).

It can be helpful to have a tiny guide/reference photo for each batch, or even a HEX code that you aim for. Honestly, I use the avatar thumbnail for this blog. If I put a picture next to it and squint, do they seem consistent? If they do, post! It helps with getting that warm luminous quality that I particularly like.

And lastly, always give yourself permission NOT to take a pic! My worst pictures come when I force them and the best ones are when I’m busy studying only to look up and go “woah, pretty!” You can boost your chances by sitting alone near a window & using all your favorite supplies, but it really is somewhat up to the Fates!

[cq-studios]

This one screenshot has so much I want to talk about in it so I’m gonna babble about it below the cut

(TLDR: CQ geeks out about translating the Scala Language)

Okay, so first off I’d like to say how much I love the newspaper vibe they are going for and achieving with menus. It has me gnawing on the walls. There’s just Scala Script (the Scala language, for clarity’s sake) everywhere and my code breaking brain is eating it up.

Speaking of which here’s what I’ve been able to translate so far (out of what I’ve been able to make out… the writing is pretty scuffed up in places and it’s not the highest quality image lol)

So the first thing I’d like to focus on are the banners. Each one has something written in Scalian underneath. Those things in order of left to right are “Daily”, “Item”, and “Avatar”, which uh, makes sense lol.

I think it’s a little strange that “Item” is the only one that isn’t exactly translated… like did they just forget the “S”?

On a more interesting note though, this one for one translation here means we now have an official Scalian character for “V”. Unfortunately the character used is pretty scrapped away, so I can’t be 100% sure, but I do think I know which character is used.

(Click/tap on the images below… for whatever reason they were just not formatting correctly)

I also considered it being the one below, but because of the location of the flecks I lean more towards the first one.

I also might have translated another new Scalian character but I’m not sure…

See, on the bar at the top of the screen it says “[unknown character]ho[same unknown character]colates”. I spent at least an hour trying to find out all the possible English words what it could be. I just filled in the blanks tried anagrams, the whole shebang (except for trying that with the other languages that are most likely to be used. Those being Japanese, for obvious reasons, and Latin, which has been used in Scala Script before on the manhole covers in KH3 Scala) and came out with one possible word: Chocolate.

And I must be wrong because that makes no sense, but in case I’m right, it’s here.

I tried to cross reference with KH3 signs to no avail so I’m a bit stumped…

Maybe the little blurb on the other side makes it make sense but it’s too blurry for me to read.

Next up I’ll talk about the “Weather”.

The top text is decently clear so I was able to work that out pretty quickly (pros of being fluent in this fictional language I guess lol) and thanks to that clear text I was actually able to make out a bit more of what was below it than I would’ve otherwise. See, the smaller letters are pretty blurry but I’m able to vaguely make them out. The “L” and “W” were what I caught first and I filled in the blank between pretty fast with some pretty simple connections. Once I’d seen that I realized that there was probably a high there too, and there do seem to be “H”s on either side of the word above it… and a “G”… and an “I” (I think, I was trying to double check but my iPad has significantly worse image quality than my computer).

As for the temperature, I tried my best but the numbers are probably inaccurate. They are very blurry.

Last but not least, here are a few of my smaller notes.

I’m a big fan of the Moogle stamp, but I could not tell you what the first word on that thing is. The second is “news”, clear as day but the first word doesn’t have any characters I recognize other than the “S”. I tried coming up with possibilities through context but I’m drawing a blank.

I also love the little Potion and Elixir advertisement in the bottom corner. Like, I’m so charmed by the art for it. That being said though, I also have no clue what the text next to this one says. I’m sure it’s an onomatopoeia of some sort but once again my brain wasn’t working with me.

If you guys have any ideas please let me know. I always love to have discussions and help.

(Also I know I left a whole text box out… I honestly have nothing to say about that. Not enough characters I recognize to decipher anything at this point)

[truths33k3r4]

CHAPTER 28 - An Un-Sound Mind

Murky black morphed into overwhelming, piercing white as Don’s vision steadily began to return. The growing ache in his shoulders were revealed to be two sets of large, gloved hands dragging him through the first dimly-lit corridor. His ears were echoing with a screeching hum as he once again was pulled back to consciousness. He tried to blink away as much of the sleep crusties in his eyes as he could, despite it making little difference given he still couldn’t SEE. That makes planning one’s escape and taking notes of surroundings just a bit more difficult. 

I bet Raph’s got the seeing thing covered.. Knowing that flame-head he probably fought off the sedative far quicker than I did.. 

Don got a little worried by how much concentration he needed just to turn his head. His mind still lagged, and his body still felt unreasonably heavy and uncomfortable to move.

Ughh.

Don slowly turned his head to face the guard on his left. The only human traits of his captor were their two legs, two feet, and their head. Anything else regarding the features of their hair or the color of their eyes was concealed behind their reflective helmets. Instead of looking into the face of another person- another soul, the only eyes that met his were his own mirrored in the reflection of the man’s helmet. 

While Don stared at the faceless soldier, his eyes quickly fell on to the design of their gear and armor. Thanks to the guard’s close proximity to himself, his infuriatingly blurry vision only partially distorted their image, making it easier for him to study the fine work of the man’s armor. Its sleek design and firm material moved with ease as the man walked. All the seams stayed pressed and tidy. Not a button was loose. It was excellent craftsmanship.

Of COURSE it is- look at the size of this place.. Pretty sure whoever’s in charge can afford giving his guards quality gear.. I should probably make some alterations to ours when I get back.. Maybe I would have enough saved up by then to be able to-

His words echoed painfully back to him like a slap to the face.

‘ ..when I get back.. ‘

This is not some vacation or a WEEKEND GETAWAY. 

He and Raph are prisoners.

.. And the chances of them returning to their home are slim at best. That isn’t fear. That’s fact.

Nevermind that- Focus. Raph is most likely awake now, if he hasn’t already been for the past few minutes.. I don’t hear any struggling, but if he got hit with the same stuff I did, then his body must feel heavy too.. I can hear footsteps behind me. Most likely Raph is being carried by two more guards..

And then a new problem arrived at the door of Don’s brain: 

HOW THE SHELL AM I GONNA COMMUNICATE WITH HIM? I can’t speak. I can’t reach him.. How-

Almost immediately a childhood habit reemerged from the forgotten corner of his matured mind.

Don inwardly groaned to himself.

That’s self-demeaning.. But it just might work.

As quietly as he could manage- cause he still had some dignity - Don sounded the tiniest of chirps; a sound he had not made in more than ten years.

Before he was taught how to speak, this is how the brothers would communicate to each other. Raph, Leo, Mikey and himself would sound an assortment of clicks and chirps, each in different orders to translate to specific messages. 

Click- chirp - click ~ “ Are you ok? “

Chirp ~ “ Hey “

Chirp - click  ~ “ Yes “

Click - click ~ “ No “

And so on.

The refreshing nostalgia that washed over Don with the memories of his childhood was quite welcomed in the situation he had found himself in. But with the joyous feelings of memories long past, comes the sadness of the fact that those times are, indeed, OVER. In fact, he was so lost in the past that he failed to pay attention to what was occurring in the present. Like if Raph even heard or answered his call..

Deafeningly silent minutes passed as Don’s anxiety only grew. The jingles of his chains no longer swayed, but shivered. He could feel the same painful ache in his chest infect his heart as it had throughout his teen years.

Now’s not a good time for a panic attack, calm down.

In spite of his clear refusal, Don’s body continued to betray him. Theories in his mind began to transform into worries; What ifs. 

What if Raph’s not here?

What if they took him away to some other lab?

What if he’s in another city entirely??

What if he’s being tortured as I just sit here being blind and USELESS?!!

NO. STOP IT. FACTS, DON. You don’t know where he is. BUT there’s a possibility that he’s literally right behind you, just unconscious. And if he’s asleep, then of course he wouldn’t answer your call. 

The jingles of keys snapped Don back to the situation at hand. He raised his head just as he and his captors reached what appeared to be the final door at the end of this eternal hallway. Thankfully, moving his body was slowly becoming an easier feat.

Guess the sedative is finally wearing off.

As one of the guards fumbled with the set of keys, Don took the opportunity to take one last look around. 

Why the shell did he use the word ‘ last ‘ ??

What if it was.

Ochitsuke, Don. THAT’S ENOUGH.

To Don’s right, a pane of see-through glass stretched across an entire wall, revealing the inside of another room. He tried to peer through, but his blurry vision once again became a hindrance. He had to squint and grimace to even begin forming the floating blobs into a recognizable image.

Something.. was kept upright. But the angle of the something made him think it was being held up. He could see that the something was mostly consisting of a pale green color as well. His confusion only grew when he noticed what appeared to be a large growth coming out of the something’s back. It was rounded, and covered the length of its body perfectly- 

And then it hit him.

That something was a turtle. A turtle LIKE HIM. And the only other turtle like him in this nightmare lab was Raph. And if that’s RAPH, then what the heck happened to his skin?!?!?? The shade of it was all wrong. It was misty and faded- not vibrant and healthy like his own.

He wanted to cry out. To scream to his brother. To make sure he was ok. To make sure that he was ALIVE. 

He could try to run. Attempt to save him and his brother from this nightmare. Or just try to get a closer look to see if there was even a brother to save anymore.

The decision was made for him as he was pushed through the now open doorway in front of him. He yanked and tugged and fought, but the grips on his shoulders stayed firm. Even so, he continued to try to elbow and kick at his captors, aiming always for the areas he knew would cause the most pain. His actions were harshly cut short with a single blow to the side of his face. His ears rang so loud it gave him a headache, pulsing and pressing deep into his mind. The nausea that came with the disorienting hit made his whole head go limp, hanging lifelessly as he tried to keep down his dinner. His cheek began to swell, burning with a reddish- purple bruise, and the fresh tears falling from his eyes stung as they trickled down his face.

Raph.. I’m sorry.

As he watched the door close behind him, he kept his eyes on his brother’s faded form till the last second. Then he was pulled to the floor and tied down by the cuffs and chains restricting his wrists. They locked into place in a slot on the ground, pulling him down to his knees. The room smelled dank and the cold, dirty ground dug into Don’s shins. His wrists ached from the abnormal pressure and weight.

But despite all the pain flowing freely through his body..

.. all he wanted was his brother back.

Without knowing if Raph was ok, Don’s mind could only guess. Estimate. Hope.

The room’s aura deepened into a chasm of fear and anxiousness as all he could do was think. His fear constricted him worse than any of his chained cuffs could. His anxiety weighed him down far below the floor he was already kneeling on. His doubt yanked and tugged at his thoughts relentlessly until they went to places he didn’t want to go. 

The thing about having a strong mind is.. It can turn on you. Like the monster from Frankenstein, the thoughts you give life to will eventually have a will of their own. And if you’re not strong enough..

.. it will consume you. It will control you, beginning with your thoughts, and ending with taking full control of your body. 

Sensei had noticed the power of Don’s mind when he was a kid. But not just on the technological side. He noticed Don would overthink things. Become super anxious if he were left to his thoughts. When one of the brothers got sick, Don would hide in his closet praying like a warrior. Not for his brother’s health, but for his own. He would stay up all night, not looking for remedies for his ill sibling, but instead searching for ways that he could make his body an impenetrable fortress against the germs. And when he became a teenager, things didn’t get much better. If anything they got worse.. He just got better at hiding it. 

Eventually, Sensei pulled him aside and told him about the dangers of his mind. How easy it is to become a slave to your thoughts. An empty shell, always worrying, always afraid. How if he didn’t learn to hold truth in his heart, then the lies his mind would create would roam freely, taking full control.

Don didn’t understand all those years ago.

Now he’s beginning to. Here, in this dark cell, held down not by his chains, but by the overpowering grip of his mind.

Sensei’s words echoed in his heart.

‘ Remember this, my son. When worry begins to pull things apart, never forget to speak truth in your heart. 2 Timothy 1:7, “ For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind. “ ‘

A sound mind.

A.. sound.. Mind..

Sound - which means reliable or Sensible. Well, it seems my brain is quite reliable when it comes to solving diverse equations AND creating worries.

Ok. Let’s try this mind that is sound thing. 

Don did his best to get into a less- uncomfortable position on the ground as he took a long breath.

Or as long as he could make it, that is. Which was like two seconds, but it was close enough.

Breathe..

He closed his eyes and harnessed all his focus into keeping his thoughts at bay. 

Lord. I am scared. I know You already know that, but I will still communicate it.. I am scared and I don’t know what’s happening to Raph- but I know YOU do- You know all- You’re omniscient, which means that You know all, but ANYWAYS. I um.. I know You have Raph in Your hands right now. I know You’re with him. Please, God.. Please keep my brother safe. I don’t even know where we are- but AGAIN- I know You DO, so I really shouldn’t worry- but I am- cause my brain is being stupid right now- but uhhh please- please Lord- help us to make it back home. Alive preferably.. That’s not sarcasm! Just being honest- I’d really prefer to not die today- You’ve seen my list- there’s still so much that needs to be done in the lair- And I’ve already lost so much time being here- AGhhhhh I’m so bad at this. Which You.. already know.. Cause You made me this way.. And I know You still love me- despite my blatant faults and failing to do the simplest of chores… Aaand there I go again.. I’m sorry- my brain just won’t stop- yes, that is my request- Please, Lord, help me to have a sound mind. Help me not to have a spirit of fear. Uh.. A- amen.

Don let out a frustrated groan as he rubbed at his temples. He flinched at the tenderness of his bruised cheek as his hand skimmed over the fresh bruise.

“..D - don? “

 A familiar voice strained from the far corner of the cell, making Don flinch something awful to the sudden noise in the silent room.

Don twisted his head as far as it could turn towards the dark corner where the voice emanated from.

 Even with blurred vision, Don knew it was his twin.

“ RAPH!!!!! “

That's it for this chapter. :) Not sure if you can tell- ( I truly hope you do since its spread out all throughout this chapter ) but Don deals with anxiety. The kind that pulls you to silent, dark places. The kind that doesn't ever let go of your brain and thoughts.

In my Biblical Study of Anxiety, I am learning how imperative it is to speak truth in your heart. " Don't fill your heart with what if's, but instead truth. " And I wanted to explore this with poor Don here. XD Worry and fear have been a huge part of my life- just as much if not more than my faith. But slowly, I'm learning to let go of the lies I tell myself. I'm learning to give all my fears and worries to God. And it's hard. It's very hard to let go of control. But the peace I have found in Him- It is indescribable. And I pray that this chapter will touch hearts- and help them to see there is a way out of your anxiety. There is hope to quiet your noisy soul and mind. :) And giving it all to God is a good first step. :)

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

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