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New filter captures and recycles aluminum from manufacturing waste
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-filter-captures-and-recycles-aluminum-from-manufacturing-waste/
New filter captures and recycles aluminum from manufacturing waste
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Used in everything from soda cans and foil wrap to circuit boards and rocket boosters, aluminum is the second-most-produced metal in the world after steel. By the end of this decade, demand is projected to drive up aluminum production by 40 percent worldwide. This steep rise will magnify aluminum’s environmental impacts, including any pollutants that are released with its manufacturing waste.
MIT engineers have developed a new nanofiltration process to curb the hazardous waste generated from aluminum production. Nanofiltration could potentially be used to process the waste from an aluminum plant and retrieve any aluminum ions that would otherwise have escaped in the effluent stream. The captured aluminum could then be upcycled and added to the bulk of the produced aluminum, increasing yield while simultaneously reducing waste.
The researchers demonstrated the membrane’s performance in lab-scale experiments using a novel membrane to filter various solutions that were similar in content to the waste streams produced by aluminum plants. They found that the membrane selectively captured more than 99 percent of aluminum ions in these solutions.
If scaled up and implemented in existing production facilities, the membrane technology could reduce the amount of wasted aluminum and improve the environmental quality of the waste that plants generate.
“This membrane technology not only cuts down on hazardous waste but also enables a circular economy for aluminum by reducing the need for new mining,” says John Lienhard, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Water in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT. “This offers a promising solution to address environmental concerns while meeting the growing demand for aluminum.��
Lienhard and his colleagues report their results in a study appearing today in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. The study’s co-authors include MIT mechanical engineering undergraduates Trent Lee and Vinn Nguyen, and Zi Hao Foo SM ’21, PhD ’24, who is a postdoc at the University of California at Berkeley.
A recycling niche
Lienhard’s group at MIT develops membrane and filtration technologies for desalinating seawater and remediating various sources of wastewater. In looking for new areas to apply their work, the team found an unexplored opportunity in aluminum and, in particular, the wastewater generated from the metal’s production.
As part of aluminum’s production, metal-rich ore, called bauxite, is first mined from open pits, then put through a series of chemical reactions to separate the aluminum from the rest of the mined rock. These reactions ultimately produce aluminum oxide, in a powdery form called alumina. Much of this alumina is then shipped to refineries, where the powder is poured into electrolysis vats containing a molten mineral called cryolite. When a strong electric current is applied, cryolite breaks alumina’s chemical bonds, separating aluminum and oxygen atoms. The pure aluminum then settles in liquid form to the bottom of the vat, where it can be collected and cast into various forms.
Cryolite electrolyte acts as a solvent, facilitating the separation of alumina during the molten salt electrolysis process. Over time, the cryolite accumulates impurities such as sodium, lithium, and potassium ions — gradually reducing its effectiveness in dissolving alumina. At a certain point, the concentration of these impurities reaches a critical level, at which the electrolyte must be replaced with fresh cryolite to main process efficiency. The spent cryolite, a viscous sludge containing residual aluminum ions and impurities, is then transported away for disposal.
“We learned that for a traditional aluminum plant, something like 2,800 tons of aluminum are wasted per year,” says lead author Trent Lee. “We were looking at ways that the industry can be more efficient, and we found cryolite waste hadn’t been well-researched in terms of recycling some of its waste products.”
A charged kick
In their new work, the researchers aimed to develop a membrane process to filter cryolite waste and recover aluminum ions that inevitably make it into the waste stream. Specifically, the team looked to capture aluminum while letting through all other ions, especially sodium, which builds up significantly in the cryolite over time.
The team reasoned that if they could selectively capture aluminum from cryolite waste, the aluminum could be poured back into the electrolysis vat without adding excessive sodium that would further slow the electrolysis process.
The researchers’ new design is an adaptation of membranes used in conventional water treatment plants. These membranes are typically made from a thin sheet of polymer material that is perforated by tiny, nanometer-scale pores, the size of which is tuned to let through specific ions and molecules.
The surface of conventional membranes carries a natural, negative charge. As a result, the membranes repel any ions that carry the same negative charge, while they attract positively charged ions to flow through.
In collaboration with the Japanese membrane company Nitto Denko, the MIT team sought to examine the efficacy of commercially available membranes that could filter through most positively charged ions in cryolite wastewater while repelling and capturing aluminum ions. However, aluminum ions also carry a positive charge, of +3, where sodium and the other cations carry a lesser positive charge of +1.
Motivated by the group’s recent work investigating membranes for recovering lithium from salt lakes and spent batteries, the team tested a novel Nitto Denko membrane with a thin, positively charged coating covering the membrane. The coating’s charge is just positive enough to strongly repel and retain aluminum while allowing less positively charged ions to flow through.
“The aluminum is the most positively charged of the ions, so most of it is kicked away from the membrane,” Foo explains.
The team tested the membrane’s performance by passing through solutions with various balances of ions, similar to what can be found in cryolite waste. They observed that the membrane consistently captured 99.5 percent of aluminum ions while allowing through sodium and the other cations. They also varied the pH of the solutions, and found the membrane maintained its performance even after sitting in highly acidic solution for several weeks.
“A lot of this cryolite waste stream comes at different levels of acidity,” Foo says. “And we found the membrane works really well, even within the harsh conditions that we would expect.”
The new experimental membrane is about the size of a playing card. To treat cryolite waste in an industrial-scale aluminum production plant, the researchers envision a scaled-up version of the membrane, similar to what is used in many desalination plants, where a long membrane is rolled up in a spiral configuration, through which water flows.
“This paper shows the viability of membranes for innovations in circular economies,” Lee says. “This membrane provides the dual benefit of upcycling aluminum while reducing hazardous waste.”
#aluminum#atoms#author#batteries#boards#california#Capture#chemical#chemical bonds#chemical reactions#chemistry#circular economy#Cleaner industry#Collaboration#content#Desalination#Design#economy#efficiency#electrolysis#electrolyte#engineering#engineers#Environmental#experimental#Facilities#filter#Food#form#Forms
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Alternative Color Versions of my drawing “Colored Halo in the Grey” Gotta say I like the fully colored versions better than the original grey one. Which one is your favorite?
#color adjustments#filters#gradient maps#colorized#cloudy#city#building#cityscape#rainbow#circular rainbow
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just got new glasses! everything's so clear now. damn
#not a reblog#i feel like maybe the lens on the right is a bit messes up#and the blue light filter doesnt seem nearly as strong as id expected#so i might go and get that fixed ina few days if the problem persists#but it might not since i havent gotten new glasses in 2 years now so maybe thats why these feel so weird#the frame is so pretty though#im so happy about that :D#this was also my little brothers first time wearing glasses! hes not happy with the frames since#he wanted circular ones but my dad told him to get square ones since those go with his face more#so hes grumpy about that#but everything else is pretty good all things considered!
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Photographers all know about polarizing filters. They remove reflections off the surfaces of objects. We use them to see into water or windows that are obscured by those reflections. But anything with an even slightly glossy surface has a layer of reflection on top. So if you have a shiny green plant, it can remove the shiny and reveal a very saturated green underneath. Polarizers also remove a lot of scattered and reflected light from the sky. Which reveals a deep blue color you didn't even know was there.
Here is a photo I took of my circular polarizer.
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And the first thing I noticed when walking outside during the eclipse was the color of everything was more saturated, just like in that circle. Apparently, an eclipse significantly reduces polarized light and I got this creepy feeling because I was only ever used to seeing the world like that through the viewfinder of my camera.
The other thing I noticed was my outdoor lights. I leave them on all the time because I never remember to turn them on at night. And usually the sun will render them barely visible during the day. On a very sunny day they almost look like they are off.
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But you can clearly see they are shining and even flaring the camera during the eclipse.
Our eyes adjust to lighting changes very well so it was hard to tell how much dimmer things were, but that is a good indication. I took this photo a few minutes ago and you can see how dim the lights appear after the moon has fucked off.
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I did a calculation using the exposure settings between these two photos. The non-eclipse photo has 7 f-stops more light. That is 128 times or 12,700% more light.
A partial Pringle eclipse cut the sun's light by 99.2% and somehow our eyes adjusted to make it seem like a normal sunny day (with weird ass saturated colors).
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How to find the .5 Classic filter on Snapchat?
How to find the .5 Classic filter on Snapchat? #snapchat
Snapchat .5 Classic filter Check out below to find out the .5 Classic filter. There are two ways you can unlock this lens for your Snapchat account. Open Snapchat on your phone, and use the Snapchat camera to view the snapcode image above, and hold your finger on the camera screen to unlock the Snapchat lens on your device.If you are visiting this page on your mobile device, you can click on…
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#0.5 classic filter#big#big face#big nose#camera#circular#classic#distort#distorted#effect#face#fish eye#fish eye filter#fishbowl#funny#magnified#magnify#mode#snapchat filter#warp#wide-angle#zoom#zoomed in
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— sleepy
I’m still deciding how to characterise him because I feel like he’s got so much depth😫
Togame hates having his naps interrupted— unless it’s by you.
Pairing: Togame Jo x f!reader.
Warnings: 18+, dirty talk, established relationship, handjobs, cockwarming, lazy sex, one spank, dick riding, creampie.
Word Count: 2.1k.
Togame Jo is handsome like this. Thick brows softened behind circular glasses as his dark lashes tickled the lenses, eyes shut softly as his chest rose and fell steadily with the rhythm of his breathing. His yellow Shishitoren jacket is strewn over the back of the couch, sandals are kicked off on the floor as he spreads his thick thighs.
You’re happy to feel him half-hard when you settle yourself on top of him, plush thighs on either side of his hips as you press your weight against his crotch. You’d expect him to wake with a jolt if you didn’t know him any better, so used to having to stay alert to avoid the conflict from Furin or any other rival gangs that may filter into unknown territory. But Togame already has you mapped out like the back of his hand, warm palms immediately smooth along the exposed skin of your thighs as his lashes flutter. Staring up at you through half-lidded eyes as he stifles a yawn.
“You ain’t ever lettin’ me nap, huh?” His voice is laced with sleep as calloused fingers dig into the plush of your thighs, shifting slightly beneath you as he feels the warmth between your thighs press against his crotch from the motion. The way you tighten your grip around his shoulders at the contact doesn’t go unnoticed. He slides his outstretched legs back in as he shifts you on his lap, bringing you closer to him.
“You can nap later” You tease, pressing a kiss to his lips as his tongue juts out to taste your lipgloss, “I missed you today.”
You loved having Togame like this— soft and vulnerable, a side of him that no one else got to see.
“I missed you too.” He hums, tilting his head against the back of the couch to get a better look at you as you grind yourself against his crotch again, “Oh? You missed me like that—” He feigns ignorance— he knows exactly what you want.
“Been thinking about you all day,” You admit, feeling your skin flush as the heat inside you continues to rise, a neglected throb pulses between your thighs as your cunt begs for attention.
“Ah, so that’s the real reason you woke a sleeping man up, hm?” He pretended to grumble, his fingers already dipping into your thighs in response, “Tell me what you need?”
“Need your cock, Jo,” You mumbled, leaving glossy kisses against his jawline, “Please?”
“Take whatever you want, sweetheart.” He goads, “It’s yours.”
You love when he indulges you, leaning back just enough to pull his pants down as he mutters complaints under his breath as he’s forced to raise his hips just enough to leave the fabric nestled around the curve of his ass. A soft pout appears on his lips that you can’t help but kiss away before you take in the sight of his cock, hot and heavy as it lays against his pelvis.
Gently taking him into your hands as you pump him softly, your thumb swipes at the bead of pre that pearls at the tip as you smooth it along the length of him. Togame is so pliant when he’s like this, allowing you to take the reigns and use him how you see fit.
“You’re such a tease,” He chastises, his head strewn against the back of the couch as your eyes follow the column of his neck. His Adam’s apple bobs when you press your thumb against his slit, swallowing thickly as his hips jerk into your grip.
“I dunno,” You smile back, “You seem to like it.”
“Your hand’s wrapped around my dick, what’s not to like?” He drawls, squeezing your thigh gently.
“So why don’t you wanna fuck me?” You press, and you feel his grip tighten against your plush skin.
“Believe me, sweetheart,” He yawns, not bothering to cover his mouth as he flashes sharp canines, “I always wanna fuck you.”
“So why don’t you?” You pout, running your thumb along the underside of his cock.
“I just like seeing you needy,” Togame grins, and it has your brows furrowing in annoyance.
“I’m not needy,” You gasp in mock offence as you jab a finger against his chest, “You’re the one that’s been out fighting all morning.”
“You always need my cock to shut you up, yeah?” He ignores you with a dull smirk, staring at you with half-lidded eyes.
Togame his calloused palm along your thigh to the curve of your ass as he pulls your body against his, your face buried in the apex of his neck as he grips his cock steady. Giving himself a languid pump with a flick of his wrist as his other hand pulls your panties to the side, too tired to even attempt to undress you. His slender fingers curl around the fabric as he helps guide the tip of his cock towards your drooling hole, holding you steady as you meet resistance and begin to drop yourself down on his cock.
“Fuck,” You sigh as you feel the delicious ache of him stretching you out. Grinding your hips against him as you feel your body begin to relax and mould to him, taking inch after inch as he finally bottoms out inside you.
“Jo,” You murmur against the column of his neck, feeling him shift beneath you as he palms the swell of your ass, “Pay attention to me.”
“You always have my attention, sweetheart,” He replies, smoothing a palm along your spine as he holds you to his chest, “But it’s bedtime.”
“It’s four in the afternoon,” Your lips curl into a grin against his pulse point as he delights in the saccharine tone of laughter that tumbles from your lips.
Togame breaks off into a guttural groan that rumbles deep in his throat when he feels your tight heat clench around him from the rhythm of your laughter, a sound that vibrates all the way through his neck as you feel it against your lips.
“Yeah, see—” He agrees, tightening his grip around your frame to prevent you from grinding yourself down on his lap, “Bedtime.”
He tries to resist the urge to rut into you like this, to feel the blunt head of his cock carve away at your insides as you pulse and whine above him. Your fingers tease through the short hair at the back of his neck as you wriggle your hips in defiance.
“You never let me nap, woman.” Togame grunts.
“We can’t fall asleep like this.” You coo, warm breath fans his ear as you try to find purchase against his broad shoulders.
“Sure we can.” He counters, “Just close your eyes.”
Togame was certain he could quite happily die like this— the last thing he feels as he takes his dying breath is the sensation of your perfect walls wrapped tight around his cock. What better way to go?
“You’re so silly,” You scoff, pressing a kiss to his cheek as you continue to roll your hips above him, lifting yourself before dropping yourself down on his length as you deliberately press against his pelvis with each forward motion to add some friction to your clit.
You think he’s maybe falling asleep until he strokes his palms along your waist, mapping a path along your sides until he finds the curve of your chest. Pushing your shirt over your breasts as he palms them through the thin cups of your bra. The corners of his lips curl into a content smile when he feels you clench around him in response, your pace faltering when his thumbs graze your nipples. Feeling them pebble beneath his touch as he pulls the cups of your bra down to settle below your tits.
“You’re so pretty,” Togame mumbles, rolling the stiff peaks between his thumb and forefinger as you scoff.
“You’re not even looking at me.”
“I don’t have to look to know.” He shoots back, catching you off guard with a rough smack against your ass.
“Oh,” Your hips jerk, velvety walls clenching around him in response as you feel your skin begin to prickle under his touch.
“You’re always pretty.” He parts his eyes into a tired squint, just enough to adjust to the afternoon sunlight streaming into the room as he watches you. Using him for your pleasure as you keep a sloppy pace, hips rolling as his cock moulds you into the shape of him.
You reward him with a kiss— a slow sensual one with tongues clashing and swallowed breaths as a groan rises in his throat.
“Jo,” You mumble against his lips, “I’m tired.”
“Oh?” He goads, “You’re tired? When you woke me up to do this.”
“Please, Jo.” You plead, tugging his bottom lip between your teeth.
“I suppose I’ll have to do the work, huh?” He rasps, squeezing your ass playfully.
“Fuck me, please?” You whine, and Tokgame feels it. The way your walls tremble around him with desire, desperately trying to milk him of his seed as he feels your slick drool down to his balls. His eyes are still shut behind circular glasses as he moves his fingers to where your bodies are connected, stroking along the length of him that pokes out of your tight cunt to feel how wet you are.
“Fuck.” He groans, and you can tell that’s his final piece of resolve wavering.
You’re the only thing that makes him want to go fast— the pulse of your warm hole coaxing him further as he expels a deep breath. Togame’s grip on you tightens as he holds you steady, fingers dig into your hips as he starts a rough pace. The sound of skin against skin echos the room as he fucks up into you with vigour. The harsh movement has your breasts bouncing as you scramble for purchase, clinging onto the back of his neck near the base of his skull as you rest your forearms on strong shoulders.
He loves you like this— so pliant and at his mercy as his balls slap against the swell of your ass with each rough rut. Pulling the prettiest sounds he’s certain he’s ever heard from between your lips as you begin to crescendo, feeling yourself teetering on the edge of your climax as your walls clamp down around him.
“That’s it, baby,” He grunts, as his hips snap roughly, “I know you’re close.”
Pearly tears clump in your lashes as your nails dig into his scalp, the coil inside you dangerously close to unravelling as the tip of his cock kisses your cervix with each pronounced thrust, “Give it to me.”
And you do. Crying out his name as your toes curl and your eyes roll into your skull, euphoria washes over you as it’s all you can do but bask in the pleasure as a mind-numbing orgasm surges through you.
“That’s my girl,” Togame is quick to prolong it, his eyes open and intent on you through polarised lenses as he moves his thumb to rub at your puffy clit. Ignoring your pleas that it’s too much, you can’t— when he knows you can, and you will, “That’s my good fucking girl.”
Your body trembles against him as your second climax hits that much harder than your first. Convulsing against him you pull your face back from his neck, sitting upright as the pleasure wracks through you, flowing through your veins like an addictive drug as he watches you ride it out. Clenching around his cock as your cunt eagerly begs him for his release, wanting to feel every drop of it.
“Fucking hell,” He pants, holding you steady as he begins to use his grip on you to bring your body down to meet his thrusts. Forcing you onto his cock with each rough snap of his hips, “You’re so needy.”
It’s all you can do but sit there and take it as he uses you for his own release, barely managing a handful of thrusts before he reaches his peak. Holding your hips flush with his as he pumps spurt after spurt of warm, white cum inside your velvety walls. Coating you with his spend as he leaves you seated on his cock, basking in the afterglow as he feels your walls continue to pulse and throb around him as he keeps you plugged with his spend.
You whine when you try to pull yourself off him and his harsh grip stops you, leaving you positioned on his cock as he wraps his arms around your body to press you against his chest. Tucking your head onto his shoulder as he presses wet, open-mouthed kisses against your collarbone.
“Not so fast, sweetheart,” He hums, his hands back to tracing lines against the curve of your spine, “You got what you wanted— now we’re takin’ a nap.”
#togame Jo x reader#togame jo smut#togame x reader#togame smut#wind breaker x reader#wind breaker smut
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i just saw you reblogged an Anora post😍 would u ever be interested in writing a reader x Luigi prompt inspired by that movie? love your writing girl you are just so fantastic
Losing Dogs — { Luigi x Reader }
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Content: NSFW - MNDI, sex work, rich as fuck Luigi, Dancer!Reader, p in v, come eating (whoooops), reader is addicted to uncertainty.
Wc: 7,158 (This is an unfinished work, I’m willing to continue if requests for it are substantial, but for the sake of keeping it on Tumblr and not posting it on Ao3, I had to stop where I did 💕)
Notes; Luigi Mangione, heir to a Sicilian real estate empire and alleged regular at underground poker clubs where he watches rather than plays, never expected to find himself falling for a dancer at Sapphire.
Click here for part 2
"It's actually funny," Luigi mumbles, more to himself than his companions, wedged between his two cousins fresh off the plane from Sicily.
Tony, the giant of the family, shares Luigi's sharp features but stretched larger, like someone had taken Luigi's face and expanded it to fit a bruiser's frame. Then there's Lorenzo — shorter but somehow taking up just as much space, his body a testament to long hours at his father's dockyard; the scar splitting his right eyebrow catches sunlight every time he smirks. “First time on American soil in what, five years? And this is where you had to come firs-“
The door is swung open, the facade is deceptively plain — just black marble and smoked glass, a discreet Sapphire etched in gold above the door marks this as their destination.
The bouncer, a mountain in a tailored suit, doesn't bark or posture like the ones on cheaper doors. He just stands there, radiating quiet competence, his earpiece gleaming. "IDs," he requests, somehow making the single word sound both polite and non-negotiable.
His eyes linger on the Italian passports, but his face betrays nothing.
Inside the antechamber, it's all dark wood and soft amber lighting and a woman in a pencil skirt recites the house rules with practiced efficiency: no phones on the floor, no photographs, minimum table service in VIP is $500, and — she pauses here, sliding elegant paperwork across the marble counter — there's the matter of the $200 per person convenience fee that will be withdrawn immediately.
Tony balks slightly at this. "Two hundred just to walk in?"
"It's to ensure our clientele maintains a certain standard," she explains, her smile professional but cooling several degrees. "The amount is credited toward your evening's entertainment, of course."
Lorenzo elbows Tony, muttering something in rapid Italian about American prices, but Luigi slides his card across, knowing this is how places like this filter out the tourists and trouble-makers.
Through the second set of doors, bass pulses like a heartbeat, but it's still muffled, promising rather than announcing, and the air smells of expensive perfume and aged whiskey, not beer and desperation.
The main floor unfolds before them like a fever dream in black marble. Sapphires reputation for being high end suddenly makes visceral sense — everything gleams with the kind of wealth that doesn't need to announce itself.
The lighting is precise, strategic; LEDs trace abstract patterns across coffered ceilings while hidden spots paint the stages in liquid gold. "Dio," breathes Tony, his complaints about the entrance fee forgotten.
Three circular stages dominate the space, each with its own constellation of private tables, but it's the architecture that catches Luigi's eye — the way the room seems to spiral inward like a nautilus shell, the tables far enough apart that conversations stay private, close enough to feel intimate with the performance space.
A hostess materializes — there's no other word for how smoothly she appears — in a black dress that costs more than most people's monthly rent. "Gentlemen, will you be joining us at the bar, or would you prefer a table?" Her eyes flick to Lorenzo's Rolex, Tony's Brunello Cucinelli jacket, making rapid calculations.
"Table," Lorenzo says before anyone else can speak. "Something close." His English is heavily accented but the universal language of status needs no translation.
She leads them through the crowd — if you can call it that. The usual press of bodies you'd expect in a club is absent here.
Instead, there's space, carefully crafted distance.
Men in suits that cost more than Beamers speak in low voices, and a tech billionaire Luigi recognizes from CNBC sits alone, staring into middle distance while a dancer performs with the kind of grace that suggests formal training.
They're led to a half-moon booth with a perfect view of the main stage. The leather is butter-soft, the table's surface black glass that seems to swallow light, with a subtle panel of buttons for service inlaid near the edge.
"Your server will be with you shortly," the hostess says, then hesitates. "And gentlemen? I'd recommend staying for the next set."
That's when Luigi notices the music tumbles into something that isn’t the typical club thunder — instead, it's something classical, deconstructed and woven through with electronic elements; Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, he realizes, but reimagined as something darker, more modern.
The server approaches with the same calculated grace as the hostess, but there's something different in her manner — a hint of genuine warmth. "Welcome to Sapphire. I'm Aria." She sets down crystal water glasses with practiced precision. "Our special tonight is the 1982 Macallan, though—“ her eyes drift meaningfully to Luigi, "We also make an exceptional Manhattan.”
Before anyone can order, the lights shift — subtle at first, then with purpose.
The deconstructed Chopin fades into silence, the main stage, empty moments ago, now holds a single figure in darkness, and the murmur of conversation around them dies without prompting.
A single cello note cuts through the quiet, followed by another, building a melody that feels both ancient and startlingly modern.
As the music swells, light bleeds onto the stage, revealing her.
Her whose movement matches the music's duality — classical technique fractured and reassembled into something hypnotic.
She doesn't dance around the pole so much as she seems to bend gravity to her will, each transition so fluid it looks like liquid mercury.
Luigi notices something else.
The crowd's reaction.
These men, who deal in billions and shape markets with a phone call, are completely still. It's not the typical attention of a gentleman's club — it’s the silence of an audience witnessing something they don't quite understand but can't look away from.
Both Tony and Lorenzo order bottles with the casual arrogance of men used to throwing money around, and Luigi can't tear his eyes away long enough to ask about their other cocktails.
He's never been much for bourbon, but right now he doesn't care — the performance has him in a trance that no spirit could match.
It's not long before he hears his cousins acting up, murmuring something to each other in their native tongue, that lyrical Italian that Luigi understands but rarely speaks, his own command of it lost somewhere between private schools and college lectures.
“Where's her tits?” Lorenzo mutters, Tony leaning in to complain right behind him, “I thought this was a strip club?”
Luigi furrows his brows, the spell broken.
He turns his broad chest toward them both, pausing only to acknowledge the two women who parade over their bottles of champagne with divine precision and grace, their movements a stark contrast to his cousins' crude commentary. "You buy a fuckin' room if you want tits," he growls, flicking his finger first in Tony's direction, then Lorenzo's, each gesture sharp as a warning shot. "Don't put a bad name on us, cugini — Papa has investments here."
The cousins exchange glances but settle back, chastened more by the mention of their uncle than Luigi's reprimand.
On stage, the music shifts again — something even darker now, all cello and static — and her routine evolves with it, the control is absolute, each movement deliberate yet somehow wild, like watching lightning decide where to strike.
The pole becomes less prop and more partner, an extension of her artistry rather than its center, and Luigi finds himself leaning forward, elbows on his knees, aware that he's staring but far past caring.
He notices details his cousins miss — the way her muscles tell stories of dedication, how her face reveals nothing and everything at once.
There's mathematics in her movement, philosophy in her form.
A sharp sound of crystal meeting crystal breaks his concentration — Lorenzo, already refilling his glass, the champagne sloshing slightly over the rim.
The cousin catches Luigi's glare and shrugs, muttering something that sounds like an apology but isn't while Tony's attention has already wandered to one of the cocktail waitresses, his earlier complaints forgotten in favor of more immediate distractions.
Reluctantly, the music fades and she descends from the stage with the same fluid grace that marked her performance, moving through the club like water finding its path, stopping at tables where regulars sit with their crystal glasses and dollar bills.
Luigi, needing air — or space— or both, makes his way to the bar, leaving his cousins to their champagne and their increasingly loud discussions about Italian soccer to a couple of women who couldn’t care less, but would open a ear to anything if it meant getting them in a private room.
"Sanpellegrino," he murmurs to a bartender, suddenly wanting clarity rather than clouds. The sparkling water arrives in a glass with lime, and that's when he sees her — the girl who was just on stage —materialized a few seats down, leaning across the bar to speak with the bartender.
Her right hand rests on the polished wood, and there, in delicate script across her inner wrist: "God is dead."
Before he can stop himself, the words leave his mouth, soft but clear: "And we have killed him.”
Your head turns, eyes finding his with an intensity that makes him forget the rest of Nietzsche's proclamation, and for a moment, the club, his cousins, everything else fades away.
You tilt your head slightly, a subtle smile playing at the corner of your mouth. "Most people just ask if it's about Satan," you grin, your voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Or they try to save my soul."
Luigi takes a slow sip of his sparkling water that tickles his nose, appreciating the irony. "Nietzsche would've had thoughts about both responses." He gestures to the empty seat between them. "Though I doubt he ever imagined his words would end up here.”
"Oh, I don't know," your voice becomes airy and light, sliding onto the stool next to him, closer than the one he'd indicated. "The death of God, the birth of tragedy, eternal recurrence — seems fitting for a club where people come to forget." You eye him, take inventory of his posture, what he’s wearing, and the sparkling water he’s drinking. "Besides, what better place to question values?"
Luigi finds himself leaning in slightly, aware that this conversation is rapidly becoming more intriguing than anything happening on stage, or back at the table with his cousins. "So, you studied philosophy?" he asks, though it's more statement than question.
"Columbia," you answer, then add with a knowing look, "Before you ask — yes, this is how I pay for it. And no, I'm not looking for rescue from this life of sin."
The directness catches him off guard, but he appreciates it. "NYU. Comp Sci.” he offers in return. "And I wouldn't presume to rescue anyone who quotes Nietzsche.”
"Let me guess," your eyes scan him with amused precision, "You were more Camus than Nietzsche?"
Luigi can't help but smile, caught between surprise and appreciation. "The Myth of Sisyphus was my thesis," he admits. "Though these days I'm pushing more rocks up hills than contemplating them."
A glance over his shoulder reminds him of his cousins' presence — they're still at the table, but their attention has shifted to their phones, probably already bored without the promised spectacle they came for, or having scared the girls enough to deny them private rooms.
He feels a shift in the air as one of the floor managers approaches — the kind of interruption that seems inevitable in a place like this, and you notice too, but instead of immediately pulling away, you reach for a cocktail napkin and a pen from behind the bar.
"Speaking of eternal recurrence," you scribble over the napkin, "I'm here Thursdays and Fridays. If you want to continue our discussion about the death of God, or-“ you slide it toward him, "the birth of tragedy."
•
Thursday.
Oh, Thursday, Thursday, Thursday.
"Happy thirsty Thursday, bitches!" Julia's voice rings through the dressing room as she weaves between vanity stations, balancing a bottle of Prosecco.
You're perched on the counter, nose nearly touching the mirror, wielding your liquid eyeliner with the precision of a surgeon — or at least attempting to.
"Honey," Julia pauses behind you, pressing a cool glass into your hand while gently easing you back from the mirror, which has begun to fog from your focused breathing. "Don't you make enough for some contacts? I swear you're going to give yourself a repetitive stress injury.”
You accept the prosecco without turning from your reflection, then the shot she presses into your other hand. The old rule echoes in your mind — drinking before shifts is bad business — but tonight feels different.
It wasn't any one thing that set this mood — but maybe it was the way your boots crunched through dirty ice on your trek from the subway, or how the wind cut right through that orange and brown balaclava your mother had knitted, sent from Santa Monic with a note saying "stay warm".
You sit by the bar, chin propped on your fist as you survey the crowd through half-lidded eyes.
The regulars hunch over their drinks like old friends, while first-timers betray themselves with darting glances and tentative sips. Music thrums through the floorboards —some nameless pop song stripped down and remixed until only the bassline remains, vibrating in your chest like a second heartbeat.
His "Hey" materializes beside you, soft enough that it nearly dissolves into the din. You don't need to look to know it's him — that particular shadow in charcoal grey wool.
He's shed the usual entourage of boisterous cousins, and there's something different in his approach — a hesitation in steps that usually claim every room they enter.
You turn, "Sanpellegrino?" A ghost of a smile plays at your lips as the glass catches the low light. His face is different tonight — something raw beneath the polished exterior, like fresh paint that hasn't quite dried.
"About last week," he begins, easing onto the barstool as if it might disappear beneath him. "The, uh — your number - it -"
"Let me guess." You slide his drink across the mahogany with practiced grace. "Either your suit met an untimely end at the cleaners with it still in the pocket, or one of those cousins of yours lifted it."
Breaking your cardinal rule — never give your number to a customer — only to have it vanish feels like the universe's personal punchline.
Seven digits sacrificed to whatever deity presides over dry cleaning.
Luigi's grimace tells you everything. "Dry cleaning," he confesses, shoulders dropping slightly. "My housekeeper has a scorched-earth policy with receipts. By the time I realized-“ He lifts the glass, ice clicking against crystal. "I spent the week with Camus instead. Came strapped with counterarguments about the fundamental absurdity of existence."
You find yourself fighting back a smile.
In five years of working here, you've had countless men try to continue conversations, usually with tired lines about destiny or missed connections, but none of them ever showed up having done philosophical homework.
"Well," you say, leaning against the bar, "you did make it on a Thursday. That's something Sisyphus would appreciate — the eternal return and all that." You glance at the clock, then back at him. "Let's hear your defense of absurdism.” You find yourself reaching for his hand, your usual pitch tumbling out like second nature. "We could continue this conversation somewhere more private?"
The words hang there for a moment, and you watch his expression shift from philosophical intensity to something more certain.
In the private room, you move sinuously to music that's now more vibration than sound, while he dissects existentialism with the intensity of a doctoral candidate defending his thesis.
Even as you straddle him, skin gleaming in the low light, he's animated — one hand conducting an invisible orchestra while the other remains fixed to the armrest like it's been superglued there. His voice never wavers as he explains how Sisyphus's comprehension of his eternal task is actually his triumph over the gods.
"— and if we examine the boulder as a metaphor for societal expectations—" He's still lecturing while you execute a move that's earned you countless thousands, your body folded into an artful display of flexibility, each movement a masterpiece of calculated seduction.
"Babe," you cut in, flowing back into his lap with liquid grace. You press your palm against his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath expensive wool. "Are you even into this?" Your voice carries equal parts amusement and genuine curiosity. For the first time tonight, he falls silent.
Luigi freezes mid-sentence, mouth still shaped around 'existentialism,' blinking like someone emerging from a trance. "What? Of course I'm- Why would you think-"
"Because I've been doing inverted crosses and Russian splits for fifteen minutes, and you're more invested in French philosophy than the fact that I'm practically naked in your lap."
Color floods his neck, creeping up like watercolor on wet paper. "I just- I thought- You seemed so engaged in our discussion last week, and I spent days researching, and-" He drags fingers through dark curls, leaving them charmingly disheveled. "I'm completely fucking this up, aren't I?"
You laugh, soft and genuine, settling deeper into his lap as your arms drape over his rigid shoulders. "Most guys in here pretend to be intellectuals to get closer to the dancers. You might be the first one pretending not to notice my body to prove you actually are one."
"I notice," he blurts, then looks like he wants to dissolve into the leather seat. "God- I mean, I'm extremely aware. I just thought if I-"
"Luigi," you interrupt, oddly moved by his fumbling sincerity, "you can appreciate both Camus and tits. The universe is absurd enough for both."
His laugh is nervous but genuine, shoulders finally releasing their tension beneath your touch. "I suppose that would be a false dichotomy." Then, after a pause where his eyes actually — finally —trace your silhouette, "Though I have to admit, I'm finding it considerably harder to focus on French existentialism now that I'm not actively trying to ignore-“
"My existence preceding my essence?" You smirk, rolling your hips in a way that makes his breath catch, his head resting on the crushed velvet back of the chair beneath him, his eyes stuck on yours in a narrow gaze.
"That's — uh - that's Sartre, not Camus," he manages, hands still firmly gripped on the armrests like they're keeping him anchored to reality.
"Look at you, still managing to be pedantic." You run a finger down the cable knit of his sweater — Hermès, you notice, because of course it is. "You can touch me, you know. Club rules allow it in private rooms, and I'm giving you permission. Unless you'd rather discuss Kierkegaard's views on anxiety?"
His hands finally leave the armrests, hovering uncertainly near your waist. "I actually did read some Kierkegaard this week too," he admits, and you can't help but laugh at his commitment to the bit. "But maybe,” his hands finally settle on your hips, warm through the thin fabric of your tiny, ruffed lace bottoms, "we could table the philosophical discussion for now?"
"There he is," you murmur, noting how his pupils have dilated, his cheeks having gone pink, his aura radiating like a halo around him in the soft neon light of the shared private room, another dancer nearby with a regular client. "Though I have to say, this is the first time I've had to actively encourage a client to be less respectful."
•
Three months in, and you're lounging by his infinity pool overlooking Central Park. The Upper East Side condo had been a surprise — you'd known he was wealthy from his clothes and manners, but this was old money, generations of it seeping from every handcrafted molding and imported marble tile.
You adjust the Van Cleef he gave you last week — "Just because," he'd said, as if dropping $50K on jewelry was as casual as picking up coffee, and you run your fingers over the spine of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, thinking about power dynamics and the eternal dance between giving and taking — every gift, every dinner, every weekend in the Hamptons — you catalog them mentally, like entries in a ledger.
Not because you're calculating, but because you've learned that everything has a price, even if it's not immediately apparent.
Luigi looks at you like you're an answer to a question he never knew to ask, and when he kisses you, it's reverent, like you're something precious. When he talks about the future, it's with a certainty that would be frightening if you let yourself think about it too deeply.
But you've spent years understanding the transactional nature of desire.
Even as you feel yourself falling into the gravity of his affection, there's a part of you that remains detached, analytical. You recognize his love — it's evident in every gesture, every thoughtful gift, every time he shows up at the club just to drive you home after your shift, never asking you to quit, never making demands.
Your own feelings are more complicated.
You care for him, deeply even, but there's always that voice in the back of your mind tallying the cost of everything, wondering when the bill will come due, because it always does.
It's not that you don't feel love — it's that you've learned to view love itself as another form of currency, something to be exchanged, measured, quantified.
You’re snapped out of your daze when Luigi emerges from the townhouses study nook, still clutching his Advanced Algorithms textbook at his side. He's in his final semester, juggling classes with the machine learning research project he's hoping will revolutionize his family's investment firm.
The place isn't his — it's his parents', who spend most of their time at their place in Puglia.
"My brain is absolutely fried," he groans, collapsing onto the lounge chair beside you, a loud sigh following. "If I have to debug one more recursive function or optimize another binary search tree, I might actually lose it."
You close your Beauvoir and look at him with amusement. "The heir apparent to the Mangione empire, defeated by code?"
"Don't," he mumbles into the cushion. "Papa’s already called twice today to remind me about graduation expectations. Apparently, anything less than building the next revolutionary trading algorithm would be an embarrassment to five generations of Mangione bankers."
You run your fingers through his hair, and he leans into your touch like a cat — for a moment, you see him as he really is, not the polished future tech innovator, not the philosophy-quoting client, but just a 24-year-old kid trying to live up to impossible expectations.
Moving from your own lounge chair to his, you settle into his lap with a practiced grace that blurs the line between habit and performance, your hands splayed across his chest, and you can feel his heartbeat quickening beneath your fingers.
"What would you think if -“ you lean down, pressing kisses along his collarbone, tasting the salty skin of spring and expensive cologne, "I were to treat you tonight?" Your voice carries the same silky tone you use at the club, but there's something else there too — something that makes you uncomfortable if you think about it too hard.
"Mm?" His voice is gentle, soft but frayed around the edges. You can hear the weight of those endless phone calls with his father in it — arguments about the family's ventures, about graduation expectations, about codes both computational and criminal that you don't yet know about. "How so?"
You kiss your way up his neck, buying time, wondering when exactly you started using intimacy as currency, even outside of work.
His hands settle on your hips, and they're trembling slightly — from exhaustion or desire or both.
"Let me take care of you," you murmur against his jaw. "No thinking about algorithms or binary trees or whatever your father wants-“ You feel him tense slightly at the mention of his father, but you continue, "Just us."
He draws back just enough to study your face, and there's something in his gaze that makes your breath catch — like he's reading between the lines of your carefully constructed script, past the glitter and practiced smiles to something you thought you'd buried deep enough that no one would find it.
His thumb ghosts across your lower lip, and you brace yourself — waiting for him to name the thing you both see; how you turn every genuine connection into a filed entry, every moment of vulnerability into a debt to be repaid.
Instead, his voice comes soft as a confession, “You don't have to earn your place here, you know."
The words land like a punch to the chest, stealing your breath mid-motion.
Because isn't that exactly what you've been doing all these years — keeping a running tally, maintaining equilibrium, treating your heart like a balance sheet?
Even here, you're performing mental arithmetic — calculating the precise exchange rate between vulnerability and safety, between affection given and security received.
You recover with the grace of long practice, muscle memory sliding you back into familiar patterns. "Maybe I just want to," you say, but there's a tremor in your voice that betrays you, a hairline crack in carefully maintained armor.
His hands come up to cradle your face like you're something precious, something breakable, and he's looking at you with that devastating combination of tenderness and insight that makes your flight instincts scream. "Tell me what you're thinking," he whispers into the space between you. "Really thinking."
And that's the problem, isn't it?
You're thinking about debt and worth and the price of everything. You're thinking about how many private club dances it would take to equal the necklace around your throat. You're thinking about the way his family's wealth feels like a weight even as it lifts you up.
You think about the way he watches you – not just your body moving through practiced routines, but the quick flash of your wit, the sharp edges of your mind. How he's never once suggested you quit, never tried to "save" you from choices that were always yours to make. How he handles your thoughts with the same reverence others reserve for your curves.
And somewhere beneath the ledgers and calculations, beneath the careful arithmetic of survival, something dangerous is blooming — something that tastes like truth and terrifies you more than any amount of nakedness ever could.
So instead of words, you answer with your mouth against his, and for once there's no performance in it, no mental tallying of what this kiss might be worth.
His fingers thread through your hair like he's memorizing you, and for one crystalline moment, you let the numbers fall away, let yourself exist in the simple miracle of being wanted exactly as you are.
"May I ask something?" Luigi whispers softly against your lips, his palms pressing into your back as if he could somehow draw you closer, make you more real.
"With those manners, you can do just about anything, Lu." you murmur, rolling your hips against his with an urgency that would never appear in your calculated club performances.
"Well," he clears his throat, and you can feel him stalling beneath you. His request had tumbled out rushed and nervous, like ripping off a bandaid, words escaping before he could think better of them. "My parents are coming back from Sicily soon — they do usually in spring." He looks at you sheepishly, sweat beading on his brow. "And we do this dinner-“
You lean up slowly from his neck where you'd been losing yourself in the essence of him, in this space where things are simple. Where there are no student loans crushing your shoulders, no club schedules dictating your nights, no complicated family dynamics lurking beneath perfectly polished surfaces.
"Mm, is that so?" you murmur, studying the way his throat moves when he swallows, the tension gathering in his jaw.
"It is," Luigi says, blinking up at you like he's emerging from deep water. His fingers find the strings of your bikini, twisting them absently — an unconscious tell, like he needs something physical to hold onto while his usually precise mind fumbles for words.
This is the same man who can explain market derivatives or quantum entanglement without breaking stride, but now his throat works visibly, precision failing him when it matters most.
"And- well," he swallows, those clever fingers still tangled in thin strings against your skin, "it wouldn't necessarily be about meeting them - you know- as much as it would be about - uh..."
You can't help the smile that spreads across your face, oddly touched by this glimpse of the infamous Luigi Mangione – who can debate quantum mechanics in three languages – tripping over a simple invitation. "Are you asking me to be your dinner date?"
Your mind immediately unfolds a scene worthy of Gatsby — crystal chandeliers refracting old money whispers, wines older than your grandmother, silverware that could pay off your student loans. You know whatever you're picturing probably falls short of the actual Mangione world, but you let yourself imagine anyway.
His hands are still at your hips, thumbs brushing against bare skin in that absent way of his, like touching you is as natural as breathing. "Not exactly," he admits, and there's something in his voice that makes your heart skip. "I'm asking you to be my date. Period."
The implication settles between you like morning dew — delicate but impossible to ignore.
"Luigi," you breathe, and for once, you're the one struggling for words. “I-“
He shifts beneath you, spine straightening as one arm anchors you against him. His other hand finds your cheek, and those eyes — amber-bright, search your face with an intensity that sends a shiver through you, despite the winter bleeding into a blazing spring.
"I'm asking you to let me introduce you to my family. Properly. As the woman I—" He stops, and you can see the gears turning, watch him weigh each syllable with the same meticulous protection he applies to his billion-dollar code. "I care so much for you."
The words hang between you, heavy with everything he's not quite saying, and you realize this might be the first time in his life Luigi Mangione has chosen imprecise language.
That "care" is a placeholder, a variable waiting to be defined by something larger, something neither of you are quite ready to name.
The words hover between you like smoke, dense with unspoken weight — family legacies, billion-dollar empires, carefully segregated worlds. You think about everything you've heard whispered at the club about the Mangione name, about old money and new power, about the precise way Luigi has always kept his family's orbit separate from your shared nights.
And yet here he is, offering to bridge the gap.
"What do they think of me?"
Something flickers across his face — subtle, but you've learned to read the micro-expressions that betray his thoughts. "My sister already likes you," he says, each word measured and deliberate, his fingers still tracing absent patterns on your skin. "She says you're different — real."
But you notice the careful omission. "And your parents?"
Luigi's jaw tightens just enough to catch the light differently. "My mother," he begins, then seems to reset. "She's traditional. Concerned about appearances. But she'll come around."
The weight of what he's not saying about his father fills the space between his words. "And your father?"
His eyes catch yours, something dark and protective flashing in them. "My father is calculating. He's had his goons look into you." Luigi's fingers press slightly harder into your hips, like he's trying to hold you in place against some unseen current. "He knows about the club. Your student loans. Everything."
"Of course he does," you murmur. You're not shocked about him knowing your connection to the club — given his investment portfolio, that was inevitable — but the thought of strangers dissecting your life still leaves you feeling raw. "And?"
"And he thinks you're either a liability, or an asset. He hasn't decided which yet." Luigi's honesty cuts clean and quick, but his thumbs trace gentle circles against your ribs like an apology. "That's part of why this dinner is important. He'll be watching how you handle yourself."
"A test?" The word tastes bitter.
"Everything's a test with him."
There's something in his voice — not quite resentment, not quite resignation, but somewhere in the territory between the two.
You wonder how many tests Luigi has passed, failed, or refused to take over the years.
You stare down at him, your hands settling over his where they anchor you at your hips. The world seems to quiet around you — just the whisper of leaves in the breeze and distant city sounds filtering through the moment like white noise.
He doesn't shy away from your scrutiny.
Instead, those eyes hold yours with an intensity that makes your breath catch — pleading, vulnerable in a way that seems almost impossible for someone born into his world of calculated moves and careful masks.
But you can't help but appreciate the absurdity of it all.
Your first real conversation had been about existentialism, of all things — you'd challenged his clinical view of human behavior as merely predictable patterns, and he'd been intrigued by your passionate defense of life's beautiful chaos.
Now here you are, living proof of his father's worst nightmare
An unpredictable variable in their carefully ordered world.
Luigi, heir of Marco Mangione, a rich, sophisticated in his own right, business mogul of some sort — important and wealthy enough, you know, for one of his three children to buy the club dancer he’s been seeing for three months a fifty thousand dollar piece of jewelry between an eggs Benedict breakfast and an Eleven Madison Park dinner.
But also Luigi — who showed up at 2 AM after your shift with mint chocolate chip ice cream melting in his Maserati's cup holder, because you'd texted about craving it.
Luigi, who got brain freeze from eating too fast while you both sat in his parked car, you still in your platform heels and him in his $5,000 suit, sharing a single spoon and laughing about nothing.
The duality strikes you; the man who moves billions through digital empires with a keystroke is the one who remembers how you take your coffee. The Mangione heir, and the boy who gets adorably flustered when you wear his dress shirts around.
Then, your mind drifts back to last week's conversation with Julia.
You'd been perched in your usual spot on the dressing room counter, legs swinging, while she sat at her vanity.
"Saw your boy at Paradiso," she'd said, casual in that deliberate way that meant it wasn't casual at all.
Your hands had stilled on your stockings.
Paradiso.
Not just a casino — the casino. Where million-dollar hands were dealt in back rooms and real business happened over whiskey and poker chips.
"He was with his father." Julia had turned then, arm draped over her chair back, dark eyes serious despite her light tone. "Spitting image, those two. But Luigi wasn't playing." She'd paused, checking to see if you were really listening. "He was doing that thing he does — you know, when his brain goes all Beautiful Mind? But he wasn't counting cards. He was watching. Patterns. Players. Money movement."
"His daddy kept introducing him around," Julia had added softly. "To men who looked like they buy countries.”
You realize that this uncertainty is something that fuels your curiosity further — and if you're honest with yourself, it's part of what draws you to him.
You'd seen that same distant look Julia described, but in softer moments; Luigi calculating the exact trajectory needed for a paper airplane to sail from your bedroom window to the fountain below, his hands moving through the air as he mapped invisible vectors.
Or the night he'd gotten excited explaining market microstructures, his brilliant mind spinning beautiful patterns from chaos.
But there's another side to those patterns now.
Its power flows, influence matrices, the invisible algorithms that govern his father's world — and Luigi reads them all like sheet music, even if he never talks about the song they're playing.
His hands tighten slightly on your hips, bringing you back to the present moment; to those brown eyes still watching you, waiting for an answer about a dinner that suddenly feels like more than just meeting the family.
You wonder if he's already mapped out all the variables of this moment.
The invitation isn't just about meeting his mother, enduring his father's scrutiny, or bearing his siblings judgment. It's about acknowledging what you've been carefully not discussing — that falling for Luigi Mangione means entering a world where dinner parties are strategic moves and casual observations can carry the weight of corporate empires.
You think about the way he looks at you sometimes, like you're a glorious aberration in his ordered universe.
"You're thinking too hard," he murmurs, and there's that smile — the real one, not the calculated curve he shows to his professors and business partners. "It's just dinner."
But you both know it's not.
You trace your fingers along his jaw, feeling the slight tension there. "Your father's going to hate me.” you say, but what you mean is: I see the patterns too, even if we don't talk about them.
His eyes darken with something between worry and pride. Because you do see — maybe not the complex mathematics of power and influence that he tracks, but you see him.
The brilliant mind that draws patterns out of mayhem, and the heart that chose disorder anyway.
•
You could spend forever like this with him, lost in the heat of morning light. Luigi's head falls back, eyes half-lidded and languid, looking at you like you're some Renaissance masterpiece come to life.
The months together have stripped away any need for performance, leaving only this raw, honest thing between you.
"You need—" Your words dissolve into a gasp as his hands map the contours of your skin with quiet worship, your hips working over him in gentle circles. "T-to help me pick out a dress."
He lets out a low sound from deep in his throat, his palms steady against your back as he guides you down. The world tilts, and suddenly, he’s above you — lean muscle and sun-warmed skin, haloed by the morning light streaming through the windows. “Mhmm,” Luigi groans, the gold chain around his neck swinging with each rhythmic thrust.
You grasp that same chain, pulling him closer, and he quickly obliges. “Tell me how good it feels,” you whisper against his lips. For a moment, his hips falter, an uncoordinated tempo, but he quickly regains his rhythm. “You’re too quiet today.”
Usually, Luigi would be breathless and chatty, his praise flowing like a devoted worshipper at the feet of a saint. But today, you can sense his anxiety, and it stirs your own.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he breathes, his spit-slicked kisses trailing over your chest, warm tongue tracing your nipples before moving to your neck. “You know you’re my-“ he’s cut off by another low moan, “my sweet girl.”
You’re not convinced, studying his features to find some sort of hidden answer there, but all you can assume is that he’s nervous about the party — about his parents, his grandparents, his siblings, distant relatives — and it does nothing to ease your own nerves.
He whimpers, truly whimpers, your body filled with warmth from the inside out, Luigi riding out the last of his orgasm for every bit it was worth and yet you’d gone rather ridged, shoving his chest down slowly between your legs. “Clean up your mess.” You murmur, more as a demand, which you’d learned rather quickly Luigi liked very much being told what to do.
He’s eager, always.
He first trails his tongue along your thighs, descending to the mess he left inside you, threatening to stain the sheets. “Good boy,” you whisper, running your fingers through his hair—this wouldn’t be the first time he’s tasted himself from you, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last if you had any say in it. “What’s with the radio silence?”
Despite the sight before you — the devotion, the raw intimacy — you can't help but ask.
“I-I’m just tired, I guess.” Luigi is lying, of course; a tired man doesn’t have sex for three hours. He stares at you, his eyes glossy and his mouth slick with his own pleasure, making it hard to take him seriously, yet he looks at you as if he has something to prove.
“Is it about the party?” you ask, gently wiping his mouth with your thumb. “Be honest, Lu.”
He blinks at you several times before allowing himself a slow nod, still lying there between your legs. In this moment, you're both stripped of your usual armor — him without his tailored suits and careful control, you without your practiced distance.
"Should I just-" You close your legs and sit up, leaving him there on sheets. Even now, part of you still wants to solve this for him, make it easier. "Not go? Would it just be easier if I didn't?"
"No." Luigi rises quickly to his knees, crawling across the vast expanse of his bed toward you. The California king makes your studio apartment mattress feel like a child's cot in comparison. "Baby— fuck," he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, a gesture so uncharacteristically unpolished it makes your chest ache. He shakes his head, sighing. "I'm just — yeah, of course I'm nervous." His hands lift in frustration, fingers splayed like he's trying to grasp the right words from the air. "This is the first time I've ever done this."
You turn to look at him finally, having kept your gaze fixed on the Manhattan skyline outside his window. It's easier than seeing him like this — mouth still glistening, cheeks flushed, all his careful composure undone by pleasure and something deeper. "First time you've done what, Lu?"
There's a weighted silence between you, his eyes meeting yours before darting away like he can't quite hold your gaze. It reminds you of those first nights at the club, when he'd try to maintain that perfect Mangione composure while coming undone beneath your hands.
"I've never introduced anyone to my parents." The admission hangs heavy. Luigi's had his share of lovers — you both know this, have discussed the parade of socialites and models that graced his bed through high school and beyond.
But none of them made it past the velvet rope of family approval.
None of them earned a seat at the Mangione table.
You see it now in the slight tremor of his hands, the tension in his shoulders — he's not just afraid of his father's judgment or his mother's disapproval.
He's afraid of the worlds colliding; your straightforward honesty meeting his family's carefully orchestrated performance, the raw truth of what you share together being dissected under crystal chandelier light.
“Fuck.”
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hi! someone requested me to do a tutorial based on this gifset!
this tutorial requires an intermediate knowledge of gifmaking. i won’t teach you how to do gifs from scratch, there are other tutorials for that out there.
[tutorial under the cut]
THE BASICS
AN INTRODUCTION
first off, the gifset in question is based on this gifset by @/eddiediaaz and i got permission from them to explain the process. i won’t be sharing the template because it’s a near replica of theirs (that isn’t shared to the public) and i don’t feel comfortable doing so, but you can recreate it by yourself just like i did!
also, ESL, so please pardon any mistakes.
THE FONT
Circular ST (Medium & Black). download it here & here.
CLIPPING MASKS
clipping masks are the way i put images and gifs inside of shapes. i used that method in the first and second gif of the Spotify gifset as you can see here. what does a clipping mask do? basically, it links two or more layers together in a way it follows the “shape” of your base layer. ie, everything that is shown follows the “shape” of your main layer and nothing more. your base layer can be anything: a shape, an image, a gif, a text, an adjustment layer, really everything. let’s see an example:
CLIPPING MASKS & SHAPES
the original image (Gun 'n' Roses logo) is intact, as in, it’s not cut like a circle, something that cannot be undone. instead, everything outside the limits of the blue circle is just hidden. if i delete the base layer (the circle layer), the original image will appear as it originally is, as an rectangle. talking about layers, let’s see my layers panel (some things are in Portuguese, but i think you can understand):
notice the little arrow pointing downwards to the “circle” layer. that is the clipping mask symbol. the base layer always needs to be below what is being clipped. if the base layer is deleted, the chain is broken and every layer clipped will now act independently and have its original shape. you can have as many clipped layers as you want. you can also have multiple chains going on in a .psd, each one with its own base layer. to clip a layer, you just need to press ctrl+alt+G or cmd+option+G while having the layer you want to clip selected (NOT your base layer). or, you can go to LAYER > CREATE CLIPPING MASK.
CLIPPING MASKS & TEXT
let’s see the same example, but with text instead:
A TIP
because adjustment layers are clippable, you can completely gif by using clipping masks. this is very useful when you have more than one gif inside a canvas and don’t want an adjustment layer to affect everything besides a certain layer/element.
let’s take my first gif of the Spotify gifset as an example.
the circle is the base layer. the “Carol smiling” layer is my gif converted to a smart filter. above that “Carol smiling” layer, there is a black and white gradient map and two color fills of white so i can achieve the coloring you see. all those layers are clipping onto the circle layer, making my now b&w gif have the shape of a small circle as well. those layers are in a folder in the .psd of my first gif, so i don’t have multiple files sitting on my PC to assemble just one gif. i could have giffed that small gif separately and pasted it onto my canvas as well, but i like to do this way so i can adjust everything i want in real time instead of redoing a gif over and over every time i want to change something.
HOW TO MAKE EACH GIF
all gifs are 540x540px.
THE FIRST GIF
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the first gif has 6 elements. the elements are: a big gif serving as a background (a close-up of Carol), a smaller gif inside a circle (a b&w gif of Carol smiling) as a profile picture and four static images for the featured artists. i giffed as i normally do (loaded screencaps, resized the gif, sharpened the gif, etc) for my background gif. to achieve the coloring, i’ve added a gradient map (layer > new adjustment layer > gradient map) purple to pink. to the profile picture, i made a 160x160px circle in the top left corner. the color of it doesn’t matter. the next step is a matter of taste: i giffed the smaller gif in the same .psd thanks to clipping masks that i explained earlier, but you can do it in a separate canvas too. for the featured artists, i made four circles with 98x98px each. for the images, i had to check Spotify for their selected PFPs. after that, i googled “[band/artist] spotify” to find the images. the PFP of bands and artists in the Spotify app are displayed in black and white, so you might have to make them b&w if you happen to find them only in color. to make the artists PFPs pop a bit more, i transformed them into smart filters and added a bit of sharpening to them (intensity 10 x radius 10). you can adjust the colors and the brightness if you want, too. the sizes of the texts in the gif are: 58px (username), 20px (top artists of the month), 15px (name of the artists), 12px (only visible to you + show all + profile) and 11px (following and follower numbers).
SECOND GIF
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for the chart, i created a black rectangle (490x308px) that i set its blending mode to lighten (thus making it transparent) and i added an internal white stroke. i added the text and the little squares next to the top 6 numbers. the font sizes are: 17px (top tracks this month), 11px (only visible to you), 14px (song title, show all, top 6 numbers), 13px (artist/band, album title, length of the song). i added the album covers — that i made b&w — by clipping images onto 32x32px squares. for the coloring, i added a gradient map (dark purple > light purple).
THIRD GIF
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there are three types of playlists in this gif: a Spotify original playlist, a playlist made by a user and a Mix. you don’t have to follow this formula if you don’t want to, but in the case you do, here’s how i did it: browse Spotify for an original playlist of theirs. chances are, if you google the playlist’s name, you can find its cover on Google Images. at least, i found the “All Out 80s” cover that i used in my gifset. you can also create your own. for the user playlist, just pick four songs and find their (album) covers, also on Google. create a square canvas on Photoshop and make four squares, each in one quadrant of the canvas. paste your images onto your canvas and clip the images to each square. then, add a gradient map (black + whatever color you want) to all those images and title your playlist (font size: ). save that collage as a PNG and load to your gif canvas or merge all the layers+transform into a smart filter and drag the smart filter layer onto your gif canvas. now, the trickiest one. while you can invent your own Mix, i wanted to use a real one, but i had no idea on how to find them. thanks to reddit, i discovered that, if you search “made for you” on Spotify, you will find their Mixes! some of them are very whacky and specific! i just picked the Mix that made the most sense for Carol from that (gigantic) list. before doing the next step, i would advise you to google the name of the Mix you picked to see if you are able to find the cover of it with good quality. i wasn’t able to find mine (Karaoke Mix), so i just screenshotted my Spotify app, pasted that screenshot into Photoshop and cut the Mix cover and pasted that onto my canvas. the quality wasn’t great, so i transformed the cover into a smart filter, added a bit of gaussian blur and then sharpened it (intensity 10 x radius 10). the color wasn’t what i wanted either, so i used Hue/Saturation to change the hue. because the original image for the Mix was smaller than i wanted and i stretched it to make it bigger, the quality of the text and the Spotify logo was botched. i painted over the Mix cover and created a text with the font i linked earlier to replace its now pixelated title. i also painted over the little Spotify logo, found a logo in the internet and pasted over the Mix cover about the same size of the original logo. to achieve the “3D effect” of the gif, i made my b&w gif, the base. then, i duplicated all layers and added a gradient map (black > pink) and merged all the layers of that duplicate. i made a second replica of my gif, now with a different gradient map (black > blue). i set both replicas to the ligthen blending mode. you will notice that the replicas will "disappear" and only the original b&w gif will remain. if you move the replicas a bit, that colored border will appear. this doesn't work much in very bright gifs without a lot of dark areas, btw.
FOURTH GIF
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this gif used an altered (by me) version of this template. (i changed the fonts to match the rest of the gifset, too.) for the color text effect, you will have to gif with the timeline bar. take your gif’s length and do the math to find how many frames are ⅓ of it. take your lyrics’ layer and cut it into three equal parts or close to it by using the scissors icon in the timeline panel. in each third, change the color of just one line, line by line. when you play your gif, the colors of the lyrics will change like in Karaoke. you can do the same thing with frames iirc, though. i explained the timeline method because that’s the one i used in this gifset and use in general gif making. for the coloring, i added a gradient map. to make the colors pop a bit more, i add two gradient maps: the first one is in black and white, the other is in color. that adds depth to the blacks and darker colors of the gif.
FIFTH GIF
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like in the Top Playlists gif, i wanted for my Daylist to be real as well. to achieve that, i listened to my Carol Danvers companion playlist (that you can listen here) for a long time until my Daylist refreshed itself. (Daylists refresh in certain times of the day — don't worry, Spotify will tell you when.) then, i just copied what it told me — the title and the genres i listened to generate such a Daylist, plus the genres i should check it out. you can invent your own Daylist if you want, but because it is generated by AI, i find very difficult to mimic its crazy titles, but you can try! you can also search in the web for other people’s Daylists if you want, but usually people don’t tell you what they listened to to get those playlists and nor what was recommended for them to listen to and i, at least, find that information important for the gifset. be aware that Daylists aren't available for every country yet (like in mine), but i found a way to work around that. the browser Opera GX offers a free "VPN" — not exactly a VPN, but it works close enough — so you can set your location to the US and listen to in-browser Spotify. i recommend not log into Tumblr while using Opera's VPN as there is a myth (that could easily be true!) that Tumblr terminates people's accounts that use a VPN. font sizes: 43px (daylist title), 13px (text), 12px ("daylist" & "made for"). for the flare effect, i searched for flare overlays on YouTube and downloaded one of those videos with 4K Video Downloader, a free software. i loaded the overlay into Photoshop and added a gradient map (purple > pink) over it, thus changing its color. i pasted the overlay onto my b&w gif and set its blending mode to screen. voila!
that's it! i hope you liked it and that i was able to express myself well. if you have any questions, feel free to contact me, i love helping people about their gifmaking questions! 💖
#*#*tutorials#gifmaker tag#dailyresources#usergif#completeresources#alielook#userairi#userhallie#userbess#userrobin#usershreyu#userzaynab#tuserju#tusermalina#tuserheidi#usertina#userabs#userbuckleys#usermagic#userjoeys#antlerqueen#userarrow#flashing gif tw
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Those Eyes.
Terry RichmondWerewolf! x Black Fem! Reader Werewolf Slayer.
Summary: After you couldn't find your boyfriend Terry, you found out that he's a werewolf.
A/N: happy spooky season, enjoy!🫡❤️ don't forget to leave a like, comment & reblog to support, feel free to ask for a request if you like!
Taglist: @henneseyhoe @sweettea-and-honeybutter @sageispunk @keyera-jackson @lovedlover @justhornyyme @avoidthings @brattyfics @soft-persephone @planetblaque @megamindsecretlair @theblacklewinsky @phomoe @satoruya @kindofaintrovert @playgurlxoxo @blackelysian @vile-harlot @violetmuses @thecapodomme @thecookiebratz @browngirldominion @babybratzmaraj @kstaxks @kprivqooo @life-in-the-slut-house @euphoric05 @euphorichappiness10 @last-lost-one @lavnderluv @earthchica @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @hxneyclouds @cvpidvsq @liatreads
Warnings: +18, violence, biting, dirty talk, praise, spanking, werewolf Terry, use of a gun, use of weapons, use of magic, fluff, soft Terry, aftercare.
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Her deep brown eyes fixed on the window with her face resting on her right palm as the raindrop fell from the grey clouds above and an occasional sigh left her lips, her back leaned against the plush beige armchair, surrounding the melanated woman were the four walls painted in a soft lavender hue, Paramore's "Decode" softly played in the background, She glanced at the television, showing her favorite childhood cartoon. The pitter-patter of raindrops firmly hitting the window and the scent of vanilla filled the medium sized-living room.
"How did we get here? Well, I used to know you so well, But how did we get here?"
Zoe hasn't seen her boyfriend Terry in a few years, and despite searching for him with his mother, they have been unable to find any trace of him.
The presence of werewolves and vampires in the city has only made the situation worse, intensifying her concern for his well-being.
Zoe, a renowned werewolf slayer in the small two, devoted her life to eliminating these creatures.
Whenever someone required assistance, the person turned to her. However, Zoe carried the weight of disappointment for failing to find Terry, feeling she could have done more to save him.
"Please be okay Terry, I love you.." Zoe whispered, wiping a tear from her eyelid. Peacefully dozing off, she slowly closed her eyes.
For now, Terry will be in her dreams where everything is perfect and the way she wants it to be. As if he was standing right next to her, kissing her lips tenderly and telling her that he loved her. Resting her head on his chest, Right there.
Zoe's eyes abruptly opened as she tightly held onto the armrests of the armchair. She had awoken from her nap a few hours ago, and now the moonlight filtered through the beige curtains. Letting out a yawn and stretching her limbs, she stood up from the armchair.
Although she couldn't quite explain it, there seemed to be a compelling force calling her name, pleading for her to listen to its cry.
Zoe gracefully opened the door as she stepped toward the small garden of red roses. She closed the door behind her and seated herself on the short green grass.
The moonlight illuminated her dark brown skin. It was the full moon, the time when werewolves typically left the forest.
But whatever was calling her, it must have been Terry right?
Out of nowhere, a chill ran down her spine while her eyes widened slightly. The wolf moved in a circular motion, emitting a soft whine. Its deep brown eyes locked onto hers, and she noticed its striking resemblance to the one she had seen at the cafe's window the night before.
The wolf's unique black fur, and green eyes set it apart from the rest of the pack, and this memory flooded her mind.
Zoe swiftly retrieved her firearm from her belt and directed it at the wolf, her eyes narrowed in focus. As the wolf approached, barking fervently, she squeezed the trigger, causing a gunshot to reverberate through the forest.
The bullet struck him, causing blood to seep from his forehead. Undeterred, she fired again, shouting, "Stay away from me!" in vain.
Zoe puts her gun down on the porch and reached for her bat. In an instant, the wolf lunged towards her, prompting her to strike its face with the bat. The wolf retaliated by sinking its teeth into her arm, forcing her to cry out in agony.
Refusing to be defeated, Zoe punched the wolf in the face, causing it to fall to the ground. Blood trickled from her injured arm as she settled into her lawn chair, grimacing in pain.
Zoe swiftly snatched a medical kit, seizing a cotton swab and peroxide. She dipped the cotton swab in the bottle and gently applied it to the injury, wincing in agony at the sound of the sizzling liquid on her wound.
“Why did you come here? Do you know who I am?” she grumbled, wrapping the bandage tape around her arm with care.
She took another gaze at the wolf and arched her brows, Is this Terry? she mentally thought to herself. She had to know and now.
Zoe rose up from the rocking chair and heard it softly whine in pain on the grass, slowly walking toward the wolf.
"Terry is that you?" Zoe asked him, her hands cupping his cheeks and she pressed her forehead against his, gently caressing the crowd of his head.
Terry gave her a brief nod while taking a few steps away from her. At the same time, she rose from the grass, and a beautiful red light surrounded the wolf, illuminating the small garden.
Her eyes closed to shield against the brightness, she instinctively moved back a few steps. Meanwhile, Terry was transforming back into a human.
She gradually lifted her eyelids to reveal a man standing in front of her, his chiseled chest bare and his black pants and belt fitting snugly around his slim waist.
Framed his handsome face, wherein his deep brown eyes shine from a crimson shade to their usual color.
Zoe swiftly ran towards him and hugged him tightly in a warm embrace, his arms slithered around her body as he rested his chin on top of her head, "I missed you so much, why did you leave me?" She asked him, her voice trembling.
Terry exhaled deeply to gather his thoughts, trying to find the right words to say to his girlfriend. "I missed you too, I was afraid that you wouldn't see me as the same person, I was scared baby," he replied, kissing her forehead softly.
Zoe gently held his face in her hands, passionately kissing him. She remembered his plump, soft lips, and as their lips broke apart with a gentle smack, her nails ran through his locs while she warmly smiled at him.
"You may have changed but you're still the same person to me Terry, don't you ever forget that baby." Zoe told him, wiping her tears away from her eyes.
“My bad for bitin’ you, Zoe,” Von apologized to her, kissing her bandage arm lovingly.
“It's okay but don't you ever do that shit again, i could've killed you if that battle kept going!” Zoe shot back, swatting him in the arm. Her boyfriend winced in pain.
The couple headed back inside her house with their light chuckles filling the air, so many questions flooded her mind as the couple talked about everything.
Her career as a werewolf slayer and his new life as a werewolf but she wanted to know his story.
The couple were seated on the couch eating their meal as they watched a movie, “How did you become a werewolf T?” Zoe asked, arching her brows. “If you don’t mind me asking..” she added, blushing bashfully.
Terry sighed as he ran a hand through his locs, contemplating how to answer Zoe's question.
"It's a long story, baby," he began, his voice filled with sadness.
"After I disappeared, I found myself in a dark place. I was isolatin’ myself from the world but I walked outside, it was full moon." Terry replied, his nails sunk into the armrest of the couch.
Zoe face etched with concern as she listened, her fingers intertwined with his.
"I stumbled upon a group of werewolves, my only choice was to run. I tried to fight them off but they bit me so many times. I couldn’t keep count." He replied, his voice shaking between his words.
“And then I felt this sharp pain through my body and all I saw was red, I became this. That’s why I had to hide. ” Terry explained, resting his face in his palm.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you baby, i wish there was some way that I could help you—“ Zoe was cut off by her boyfriend shaking his head again. He diverted his attention to the television.
Terry shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head, “It’s okay, I’ve could’ve used to this shit.” He told her, he cupped her face in his tatted hands.
His tongue ran across his lips as his eyes fixed on her lips, “The only that matters is that I got you and my mama, I missed you.” He spoke softly, pecking her lips again.
Terry tenderly lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom, where the couple passionately kissed and embraced.
The duo lay on the bed, the slight creak filled the room, he lovingly buried his face in her neck and litterd kisses across her face, neck, and collarbone.
The pair swiftly undressed, consumed by their desire for each other.
“How about we make up this time?” Terry whispered in her ear, his hands gripping her legs as he rested them on top of his shoulders, he gently slides his dick between her folds and they both moaned together.
“Y-yes...please..” Zoe moaned softly, his tongue licking the wound on her arm, yellow sparks flying in the air.
The wound vanished quickly, and a warmth enveloped them both, binding their souls together in an intimate embrace.
Terry's deep brown eyes locked onto Zoe's, filled with a mixture of love and longing. "You know I never wanted to hurt you," he murmured, his voice husky with desire. "I was just scared... scared of what I might become."
Zoe's heart raced as she felt the heat radiating off him. "You’re still you, Terry. No matter what form you take, I will always love you,” she reassured him, her hands exploring the contours of his body, tracing the lines of his muscles.
He chuckled softly, the sound reverberating through her. "You’re really okay with this? With me being a werewolf?"
Zoe nodded, her lips curling into a smile. "I’m a werewolf slayer, remember? I've faced worse. Besides, you’re still my Terry," she said, pressing her forehead against his.
His expression softened as he leaned in closer, their breaths mingling. "Then let’s make tonight ours," he whispered, sealing his promise with a fervent kiss.
His hips rolled into the brown-skinned woman with passion, peppering kisses along her neck. His lover moaned loudly and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Oh..fuck..Terry!”
Suckling on her right nipple made her shiver and her pussy clench around his dick, “You're so fucking wet just like I remember, this is still my home..” Terry groaned possessively,
Tears threatened her vision and rolled down her cheeks, spanking her ass roughly as Terry sent her into cloud nine. “Y-Yessss! I’m still yours!” Zoe cried out harshly, her mouth wide open. The bed creaked underneath their weight.
He meant every word, every thrust. Skin-to-skin slapping made his ears perk up, The wetness from the woman completely covered his thick, long dick. He moaned in her ear, “Don't you hear how good this pretty little pussy sounds?” he groaned.
Zoe nodded and heavily panted knowing she couldn't respond back, moving her hips with his at the same pace, “Fuckkkk…Terry!” she screamed out, crying as if she was breaking,
Her stomach tightened with quickness, he moaned with her again. He picked up the pace and watched her face scrunch up, feeling her essence gush all over his dick.
In response he felt his dick twitch indicating his climax and he pulled out, tendrils of his cum landed on her stomach as he moaned again, “What a pretty sight..” he whispered.
She almost dozed off until he gently picked her up bridal style, carrying her into the bathroom as he flipped the light switch. He turned the faucet, Zoe heard the squeak.
Filling the tub with foam soap, at the right temperature, You were placed in the tub, allowing the water to soothe the ache in your body and pussy, sighing blissfully. You watched him walk into the shower and proceed to wash himself clean.
You washed yourself clean from the weight of the day, you fell asleep in his bed with him. Beside his body, dressed in your clean panties and gray tee shirt.
As the sun began to rise, casting golden hues through the window, Terry made a silent vow to herself. To always be by your side and never leave.
———��
#black!reader#black fanfiction#black fantasy#black writer#terry richmond#terry richmond x black reader#rebel ridge#aaron pierre
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Repurposed beer yeast may offer a cost-effective way to remove lead from water
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/repurposed-beer-yeast-may-offer-a-cost-effective-way-to-remove-lead-from-water/
Repurposed beer yeast may offer a cost-effective way to remove lead from water
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Every year, beer breweries generate and discard thousands of tons of surplus yeast. Researchers from MIT and Georgia Tech have now come up with a way to repurpose that yeast to absorb lead from contaminated water.
Through a process called biosorption, yeast can quickly absorb even trace amounts of lead and other heavy metals from water. The researchers showed that they could package the yeast inside hydrogel capsules to create a filter that removes lead from water. Because the yeast cells are encapsulated, they can be easily removed from the water once it’s ready to drink.
“We have the hydrogel surrounding the free yeast that exists in the center, and this is porous enough to let water come in, interact with yeast as if they were freely moving in water, and then come out clean,” says Patricia Stathatou, a former postdoc at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, who is now a research scientist at Georgia Tech and an incoming assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “The fact that the yeast themselves are bio-based, benign, and biodegradable is a significant advantage over traditional technologies.”
The researchers envision that this process could be used to filter drinking water coming out of a faucet in homes, or scaled up to treat large quantities of water at treatment plants.
MIT graduate student Devashish Gokhale and Stathatou are the lead authors of the study, which appears today in the journal RSC Sustainability. Patrick Doyle, the Robert T. Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, is the senior author of the paper, and Christos Athanasiou, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech and a former visiting scholar at MIT, is also an author.
Absorbing lead
The new study builds on work that Stathatou and Athanasiou began in 2021, when Athanasiou was a visiting scholar at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. That year, they calculated that waste yeast discarded from a single brewery in Boston would be enough to treat the city’s entire water supply.
Through biosorption, a process that is not fully understood, yeast cells can bind to and absorb heavy metal ions, even at challenging initial concentrations below 1 part per million. The MIT team found that this process could effectively decontaminate water with low concentrations of lead. However, one key obstacle remained, which was how to remove yeast from the water after they absorb the lead.
In a serendipitous coincidence, Stathatou and Athanasiou happened to present their research at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Boston in 2021, where Gokhale, a student in Doyle’s lab, was presenting his own research on using hydrogels to capture micropollutants in water. The two sets of researchers decided to join forces and explore whether the yeast-based strategy could be easier to scale up if the yeast were encapsulated in hydrogels developed by Gokhale and Doyle.
“What we decided to do was make these hollow capsules — something like a multivitamin pill, but instead of filling them up with vitamins, we fill them up with yeast cells,” Gokhale says. “These capsules are porous, so the water can go into the capsules and the yeast are able to bind all of that lead, but the yeast themselves can’t escape into the water.”
The capsules are made from a polymer called polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is widely used in medical applications. To form the capsules, the researchers suspend freeze-dried yeast in water, then mix them with the polymer subunits. When UV light is shone on the mixture, the polymers link together to form capsules with yeast trapped inside.
Each capsule is about half a millimeter in diameter. Because the hydrogels are very thin and porous, water can easily pass through and encounter the yeast inside, while the yeast remain trapped.
In this study, the researchers showed that the encapsulated yeast could remove trace lead from water just as rapidly as the unencapsulated yeast from Stathatou and Athanasiou’s original 2021 study.
Scaling up
Led by Athanasiou, the researchers tested the mechanical stability of the hydrogel capsules and found that the capsules and the yeast inside can withstand forces similar to those generated by water running from a faucet. They also calculated that the yeast-laden capsules should be able to withstand forces generated by flows in water treatment plants serving several hundred residences.
“Lack of mechanical robustness is a common cause of failure of previous attempts to scale-up biosorption using immobilized cells; in our work we wanted to make sure that this aspect is thoroughly addressed from the very beginning to ensure scalability,” Athanasiou says.
After assessing the mechanical robustness of the yeast-laden capsules, the researchers constructed a proof-of-concept packed-bed biofilter, capable of treating trace lead-contaminated water and meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water guidelines while operating continuously for 12 days.
This process would likely consume less energy than existing physicochemical processes for removing trace inorganic compounds from water, such as precipitation and membrane filtration, the researchers say.
This approach, rooted in circular economy principles, could minimize waste and environmental impact while also fostering economic opportunities within local communities. Although numerous lead contamination incidents have been reported in various locations in the United States, this approach could have an especially significant impact in low-income areas that have historically faced environmental pollution and limited access to clean water, and may not be able to afford other ways to remediate it, the researchers say.
“We think that there’s an interesting environmental justice aspect to this, especially when you start with something as low-cost and sustainable as yeast, which is essentially available anywhere,” Gokhale says.
The researchers are now exploring strategies for recycling and replacing the yeast once they’re used up, and trying to calculate how often that will need to occur. They also hope to investigate whether they could use feedstocks derived from biomass to make the hydrogels, instead of fossil-fuel-based polymers, and whether the yeast can be used to capture other types of contaminants.
“Moving forward, this is a technology that can be evolved to target other trace contaminants of emerging concern, such as PFAS or even microplastics,” Stathatou says. “We really view this as an example with a lot of potential applications in the future.”
The research was funded by the Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions, the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), and the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech.
#Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)#aerospace#applications#approach#atoms#biodegradable#biomass#breweries#capsules#Capture#Cells#Center for Bits and Atoms#chemical#Chemical engineering#circular economy#clean water#contamination#drinking#drinking water#economic#economy#energy#engineering#Environmental#environmental impact#filter#Food#form#fossil#freeze
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Supreme Leader
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☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*
A/N; The motivation for this one legit came out of nowhere but I can’t even complain 🫶 this is the best smut I’ve done to date I think
Part of Written in the Stars
Summary; You come back to find Snoke gone… and Kylo Ren has taken his place.
Content; NSFW 18+, AFAB reader, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Commander Reader, aftermath of TLJ, angst to sad fluff, original characters, you get promoted!!!, Kylo’s mean, Kylo gets a lightsaber pulled on him, you have a saberstaff, throne room confrontation turns into throne room sex, fucking on the throne, tension, you’re still not Kylo’s biggest fan lol, helmet on, gloves on, calling Kylo by his proper title, orgasm denial, overstimulation, inappropriate use of the Force, very dominant Kylo, fingering, unprotected piv sex, riding Kylo, humiliation, degradation, praise, talking about feelings
Wc; 6.2k
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*
There’s a sharp ping that comes from the device imbedded into your metal arm cuffs, overriding the silence mode you have it set on and making you startle. You grumble to yourself, pausing your work to tap a few things on the screen and project a smaller screen above it. There it reads the message: all troops involved with mission-76653 cease operations and return to base immediately. There’s coordinates to the Steadfast attached and not the Supremacy, you note.
“Are you serious?” You snap to yourself. The members of Fleet 74 who came along with you on this expedition stop at your voice, looking back at you curiously. You sigh, lifting a hand and making a circular motion with a finger. “We’re heading back to base, I guess. Direct orders.”
Jaharah begins to protest. “Now? But we haven’t finished-“
“I know. I’m not happy about it either.” You say, a scowl settling nicely onto your features. You traveled all the way out to some planet in the Outer Rim to basically have to go right back. You turn, starting the journey to the speeders you’d left behind that’ll return you to your ship that’s even farther away. The others reluctantly follow. “I hope whatever bastard demanded this realizes we’re still two weeks out.”
Lyra’s hands wring together nervously. “Do you think something bad happened? Maybe the resistance-“
You scoff sharply. “The resistance couldn’t hope to do anything against Snoke’s ship, not as things stand now. This is something else.” Or you’d think so.
You won’t admit that you’re worried about what that ‘something else’ could be.
» ☆ «
The trip back to base was just as annoying as the trip out to the assigned planet was. Traveling in a cramped transport ship for two weeks isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world. But finally, there’s a familiar beeping of the sensors and the filter of hyperspace fades away to reveal the massive Star Destroyer that is the Steadfast sitting amongst the blankness of space.
The ship is brought into the hangar and you immediately get the feeling that something is off. A tension in the atmosphere, a shiver running up your arms beneath your uniform. Stormtroopers stand about in a more stiff manner than usual, and the lower workers of the Steadfast seem to have become as meek as mice. There’s also a tinge of leftover smoke in the air, like something blew up within the Star Destroyer. You glance back at your Fleet members as they exit their ships; they feel it too, but Jaharah shrugs, just as lost as you are.
“General,” comes a sudden voice. You snap back around to see a trooper standing before you. “Your presence is requested in the throne room immediately. And the Fleet’s.”
The throne room? What would Snoke want with you now? And what would he want with your Fleet?
You nod, following the Stormtrooper as he acts like some guide through the Steadfast. You’re sure you could find your way faster than he ever could, but you follow along to be nice. The walk there is long, of course, since the ship is so ungodly huge. The hall turns colder as the throne room doors come into view, and it’s like the tension you felt in the air before becomes about ten times heavier, threatening to weigh you down and prevent you from going forward. There’s Sith Troopers guarding the doors, and you see the members of Fleet 74 who stayed behind waiting there as well.
You look to Chief, your second in command. “What is this about?” You demand in a whisper.
“You’ll see.” She mutters. You don’t like that.
The Fleet gets in to a close formation with yourself at the head. The doors open and you’re led inside. You nearly freeze in your tracks with the sight you’re met with.
Snoke is no more. Instead, sitting in a newly made, imposing throne, is Kylo Ren.
He wears his full uniform, hood pulled over his helmet adorned with the red veins that stick the shattered pieces back together coursing through the black metal. His Knights fan out on either side of the throne, still as statues with their weapons held tightly in their hands. Kylo himself is clearly trying to be every bit as intimidating as Snoke was, with his boots firmly planted on the ground, gloved hands clutching the arm rests, back straight as a board.
You kneel before he even gets the chance to tell you to because somehow, initiating it yourself is less humiliating. You hear the Fleet follow suit behind you. The cold, reflective metal of the floor bites into your knee as you stare at it.
There’s an unnerving silence and you feel his eyes on you. Then, “welcome back, Commander.”
You perk at the title, your head shooting up. “Commander?”
“It seems we’ve both gotten promotions.” Kylo drawls. “Snoke is dead, killed by the Jedi girl in his own ship.”
Liar.
He knows that you know, and he also knows that you know it’s better to keep your mouth firmly shut. The discussion you’ll have later should be interesting.
“I’ve taken his place, and I believe it’s most logical to make you my Commander. Fleet 74 will remain as it is. I’m sure you can handle the extra duties, correct?” He asks.
You dip your head again. “Yes, of course. I’m honored, Com-“ you clear your throat, correcting yourself, “Supreme Leader.” It feels wrong.
He taps a finger against the arm rest. “Then you’re dismissed. You and I will talk later.”
You nod. “Yes, sir.”
You rise with the Fleet, leading them out of the throne room with tense muscles. As soon as the doors close behind you, a few of them clap you on the back, congratulating you on the new position. You can’t share in the celebration, unable to ignore the itch in the back of your mind that you can’t quite get rid of.
What the hell happened while you were gone?
» ☆ «
You’re called back to the throne room an hour later.
You know you don’t have a choice in the matter, the message was very clear in that sense. You either go willingly or you’re sure someone will come along to drag you there. So you put away the report you were filing on your forcefully failed mission and push yourself from your chair. You walk down familiar halls, you try to ignore the tremor in your hands by clenching them into fists.
The path to the throne room is void of life, as if it’s a radioactive zone that nobody wants to enter. The description isn’t far off; it feels like you enter into a cloud of smog that chokes you when you get near and it sends a shiver down your spine. The Dark is heavy, threatening, and thick in the area. It parts for you when you pass through, ever so willing to obey your commands even if it doesn’t belong to you, but you feel it pressing in on every side. You take a deep breath when you see the doors leading into the throne room finally appear around a corner, looming like a beast waiting to pounce.
You push them open without pause, steeling yourself and the nerves that buzz beneath your skin. Your face is set with hard lines, your brows slightly drawn over your eyes and your lips positioned with a small downturn. Cold air and the sharp tang of polished metal hits you when you step inside, the click of your heels against the ever-so shiny floor the only sound.
You quickly take note of the fact that the room is empty. There are no Guards, no Stormtroopers, no Knights. Only him.
There is only Kylo Ren, sitting on a false throne.
You feel his eyes behind that mask trained on you as soon as you enter, crawling along your form and taking in every bit of you. He looks as he did before, his body cloaked in black robes with his hood framing his helmet, hiding it from the light. The throne isn’t the same as Snoke’s, this one has had to be built from scratch like many things after the utter obliteration of the Supremacy. This new chair has clearly taken inspiration given its size, but the energy surrounding it has changed. It isn’t as Dark as people would believe it to be.
You stop a healthy distance away from the dais, your perfect reflection along the floor mirroring your movements. “You requested me, Supreme Leader?” The title feels wrong and foreign on your tongue when referring to him and you struggle to hide the mockery in your tone, though he hears it all the same. There’s a seed of unease that burrows itself in your gut, eager to bloom into something bigger as you stare at the man you’ve worked with for most of your life. All of this was unexpected, and that’s where your problem lies. Kylo did this, he got himself to this position—and you don’t understand it.
His gloved hands brace against the armrests as he stands. You watch him intensely, your body feeling like it’s pulled taut as a bowstring, ready for something that you don’t know about yet. Your breathing stutters in your chest, it quickens with your heartbeat. He walks down those steps, one after another with the grace and power of a leader that knows his strength. There’s a brush against the shields in your mind, a familiar Force signature that’s taunting you, playing a game that you’re not interested in. You recoil from the touch, quickly forcing it away from you and out of your head. It can’t be trusted.
He reaches the same level you’re on but when he tries to take another inch of the space between you, you find your lightsaber in front of you. It screams to life, red beams of plasma coming from either end. It lets out a steady hum through the handle clenched in your palm—a threat, a promise. Kylo pauses where he is and you glare at him over the weapon, the red bouncing off the silver on his helmet.
“What did you do?” You demand, words spat from between your teeth.
“Don’t be stupid.” He sneers, deep voice crackling through the vocoder.
He moves towards you again, unfazed by the deadly lightsaber you have pointed directly at him. His pace is unrelenting and you move yourself backwards, eager to keep the same distance. You bare your teeth, twisting to follow him as he circles you like a predator. “What happened to Snoke?”
There’s a minuscule shake of his head as he observes you. “I told you-“
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Kylo. What did you do?” You say again. You want a straight answer, you want to know what the fuck happened when you were gone. You want to know what happened to the man you were beginning to trust. You remember the hunger he’d had in his eyes when you’d first met him, the insatiable desire for power and to prove himself to whoever dared doubt him. You wonder how that young man would feel seeing himself now like this, standing at the top of the galaxy. And you wonder how much farther he’ll go, if this is where you make the stand for your life because you’re a threat.
“I did what I had to.” He says coldly with nothing but conviction. “You’ll understand.” He got himself behind you, now forcing you to walk in the opposite direction to stay away from him. There’s ripples in the Force, the darkness swirling around you both. You feel him at the shields you keep up, but he’s not trying like he should be to get in. He’s basically just sitting there, occasionally reaching forward to remind you that he’s waiting. It’s a silent plea to be let in, but you won’t listen.
“Snoke was a worthless coward. He was incapable of fighting his own battles. Why do you feel such remorse for him when he’s the one who’s caused you so much pain?” Kylo demands, so blatantly angry at the idea of you sympathizing with Snoke. You don’t. You never would. You’re glad to see that he’s gone, that you’ll never again have to experience dread when returning back to base. Snoke tortured you both but after knowing of him ever since you were a child, hearing him in your head, that seed of unease blooms into fear. What will happen now? What kind of leader could Kylo Ren possibly be?
You don’t have the chance to ponder it further. The backs of your legs hit the seat of the throne after having been forced up the dais by Kylo who now comes so close it causes you to fall unceremoniously into the chair. Your lightsaber is still active, poised at his throat even as he slams both hands on either armrest, caging you in. “I saved us,” he snarls, “and this is how you thank me?”
Even as Kylo’s presence threatens to rob you of breath, his darkness trying to choke you, you don’t cower. Your lightsaber reflects in your eyes in the same way it does his helmet, the heat from the plasma an uncomfortable presence between you. “How am I supposed to trust you?” You practically throw the words in his face, and you can see the way they make him recoil. It’s barely there, so very slight, but he draws back just a fraction of a centimeter and you hear the creak of his gloves as he grips the armrests tighter. It hurts him, it brings you satisfaction. You feel the flinch in the Force, betraying his true emotions to someone like you who’s more attuned than he realizes.
And then it’s gone. He brushes it aside and replaces that emotion with bristling anger. He reaches past your arm, past your lightsaber without a care, and he grips your chin. You want to thrash against him, want to fight against his hold; it would be so easy with the saber you have against his neck. But you can’t bring yourself to. You let him hold you there as he makes sure you’re looking at him, his fingers digging into your jaw.
“He was going to have me kill you.” Kylo says, tone quiet and blunt as he brings forth information he’d been holding inside of himself for so long, letting it consume him. “That’s why I sent you away.” Scenes flash in your mind, brought to you by Kylo so that you can see exactly what terrified him, to see what caused the sense of fear he had that day he gave you your mission.
Snoke would’ve had you both come to the throne room, and you would’ve thought nothing was amiss. But then he would reveal that he wished to further Kylo’s training after his recent failures, and that you were the key to making him stronger. That key was your own death. Snoke would admit as such, that he wants Kylo to kill you. You could feel it—the rage inside of you, the despair. Snoke had always favored Kylo over you because Kylo had a name behind him, he had a legacy. You were just a kid with a meaningless family that he picked up off a worthless planet that turned out to have more potential than anyone could’ve ever dreamed. You’d surpassed Kylo in more than enough trials to prove that and yet… it didn’t matter. You were to die to push someone else forward.
“You would’ve fought,” Kylo murmurs, briefly breaking you from the vision, “but you would’ve lost.”
You see what he means. You turned on Snoke, you lashed out with everything you had in you as the Praetorian Guards advanced. You killed all of them, your will to live greater than their own strength, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough against Snoke, who forced you to your knees even as he struggled to do so from your protesting. You could’ve been something, you could’ve been more, but you were just fodder for the machine. You at least looked Kylo in the eyes with your chin held high when he lifted the hilt of his lightsaber. The vision cut out directly after that, and you find yourself heaving for breath.
Your own lightsaber is gone, taken from your grip by Kylo while you watched your death play out. The anger that boils in your gut almost feels misplaced because that future never came to pass, and it never will. Because of what Kylo did. He sent you on a convenient mission to the Outer Rim, as far away from Snoke as possible. Then he took his chances back here, trying to figure out some way to save you, and then the perfect opportunity was laid at his feet.
He keeps his hold on you, forcing you to watch through his own eyes and learn of what he’d gone through. Rey had shown up. The young Jedi girl actually had the gall to deliver herself right to her enemy. She definitely has guts, you’d give her that. She tried and failed to get Kylo to turn away from the Dark Side, trying to make him see the Light. But it didn’t work when his thoughts remained on you and keeping you from Snoke’s grasp. He was too focused on the fact that if the future he saw came to fruition, he knew he’d lose himself entirely. He wouldn’t be able to bear it.
So he used Rey in his schemes, used her as a distraction of sorts. He used her to finally kill Snoke, to free himself and you from his reign. He couldn’t believe it actually worked, that Snoke was truly lying on the floor severed in half. It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, a ghoul finally banished from the corners of his mind. It was peaceful, but only for a moment. Him and Rey fought the Guards, and then he tried to get back his grandfather’s lightsaber once more to no avail. The memories from then on are bright flashes, fuzzy images, and explosions—nothing you can make out.
You’re pulled from Kylo’s memories, your jaw slack and your heart racing. It feels unreal, something you can’t believe because you weren’t here to witness it. But if you had been here, you would’ve died. “Now you see, don’t you? I told you that you’d understand. Yet you still can’t bring yourself to trust me. It just disgusts you, doesn’t it?” He says lowly, jabbing at you. “How could you ever bear to trust someone like me?” Someone who saved your life, he wants to add with his mocking tone.
There’s a moments pause where you stare at each other, unsure of what to think or say. You wish you could see him, could see his eyes and his face. Your nervous hand reaches up, attempting to get the latch on his helmet to take it off, but he stops you abruptly. He grips your wrist firmly in a leather-clad hand. You try and fumble for words. “Kylo, I-“
“No. You’ll address me as Supreme Leader. You need to get used to that title.” He snaps, forcing you all the way back into the throne as he comes even closer, his boot sliding between your own and forcing your legs apart. Your breath hitches when he takes both your wrists in one hand, pinning them above your head so you can’t do anything stupid like trying to shove him off or drawing your lightsaber on him again.
The rise and fall of your chest quickens when cold air kisses the skin of your stomach, your layers shoved up by his free hand. The leather of his glove is rough as it skates along the newly exposed area on its way further down. His fingers catch on the waistband of your pants and they don’t hesitate to slip beneath the fabric. Your body feels like it’s been set on fire, your spine pressed so firmly against the back of the throne that there’s nowhere else for you to go, even as you try to scoot away from his burning touch.
You jolt when he grazes your clit, your teeth digging so sharply into your lip that you think you taste blood. He’s moves slow and with purpose, knowing exactly what he’s doing when a low groan rumbles from the back of your throat. You can tell by the way he’s so willing to taunt and tease, by the way his huge body covers your own and boxes you in, that this isn’t going to be good for you. The pad of his index finger traces slow, tortuous circles around your entrance while the heel of his palm makes occasional, light taps against your clit to keep you aware, to keep you anticipating.
“You love to say how much you hate me, and yet you’re always so eager for me.” Kylo spits, his voice guttural when it comes through his helmet, struggling to get past the vocoder as more than just lustful static. He can feel how wet you are, how easily the dark leather of his gloves slides between your folds. His finger finally plunges into your waiting cunt not a second later, a gasp rattling your body. It’s a welcome feeling, one that finally gives the throbbing of your walls something to focus on instead of just aching, empty space.
The thrusts of his finger are lazy, staying at the same easy pace even as you squirm. He’s more generous to your clit now at least, his palm staying firmly against it, providing the friction of rough leather and stitched seams with each in and out of your hole. You whine in pleasure when he finally adds a second finger, the thick digits filling you more completely. They go farther, sink deeper into your heat, finding and pressing against the spot you’re never able to get on your own. Your hands struggle against the hold he has on them, your attempts at freeing yourself as your body writhes having been unsuccessful. You know you’ll have bruises in the shapes of his fingers across your wrists from the strength of his grip.
Kylo enjoys seeing you like this, completely under his mercy and so, so very compliant. It’s rare when he gets what he wants from you—your submission—so he’s relishing in it now while it lasts. His enjoyment is obvious from the erection creating a tent in his pants. You have to avert your eyes from it, trying not to think of the way he’d use it, the way he’d ram into you again and again and fill you with his desire. You can feel your own mounting, a knot in your gut that grows bigger with his ministrations, threatening to come undone.
You’re almost there. You’re standing on the ledge, leaning over the side, ready to fall off into bliss. Just a few more thrusts of his fingers, a few more circles around your clit, and your orgasm will be washing through you. But it never comes despite the way he continues to fingerfuck you, despite the way you can feel it right there and so ready to burst. It’s like something’s blocking it on purpose, a dam built with the sole mission of denying your release. Your eyes snap open, finding Kylo. He huffs a laugh. “What, you think I’d let you cum that easily?” It pisses you off how much he’s liking this. “I’ve barely even started.”
You practically growl at him, lip drawing up to reveal your sharp teeth, but you know he just finds it amusing. Especially when you try to grind your hips down onto his fingers as if that’ll be enough to break the Force hold he has on your body. You can’t move much beyond that with the way he looms over the throne, his legs pinning yours and your hands still stuck above your head. An involuntary whimper rips from your throat when he moves his thumb to your clit, rubbing at it with more purpose and ferocity and a third finger managing to slip into your eager cunt. Your feet scrabble against the floor, trying to find some kind of purchase as the denial of an orgasm makes you dizzy. You try and swallow the drool pooling in your mouth, the breath of your panting fogging the metal panels on Kylo’s helmet from your proximity.
You give in to begging once tears prick your eyes. Your words are barely more than a whisper. “Please- please, Kylo, just-“
There’s a harsh thrust up into your cunt that has your words falling silent, instead replaced by a sharp, high pitched yelp. “What did I fucking tell you?” He demands, pressing even harder against that spot along your walls that has you seeing stars. You feel like you’re about to explode from the built up tension in your body. “What did I tell you to call me?”
You glare at him, your eyes full of all the fury you can’t manage to get out with your voice. You don’t want to say it. You don’t want to bend to this man who’s held such a ridiculous amount of power over you for what feels like your entire life. Your teeth grind together in defiance, even as your face burns. He hums at that and seems almost happy that you’re going against him. He does love a good fight.
His fingers stall and begin to slowly slide out of you, ready to leave you completely empty and with a simmering need that won’t be taken care of. You jolt, eyes widening. It’s in that moment you find you don’t actually give a fuck about defying him, you just need him to stay in you. “Supreme Leader!” You practically shout, so sudden it even startles yourself. Your next words are quieter, more restrained. “Supreme Leader, please..”
You moan in relief when his fingers take back their positions deep inside your cunt, the sounds of your slick sloshing around filling the empty throne room. “Good,” Kylo says roughly, clearly struggling himself. Your obedience is music to his ears and it does nothing to soothe the ache of his cock still restrained by his pants. It just makes it worse. “Say it again.”
You hate him. You’re probably going to kill him. “Supreme Leader, please-“ you have to choke back your humiliation and death threats, “please let me cum.”
This time Kylo groans, the desperate sound crackling through his helmet. He thrusts his fingers one more time, swiping his thumb along your clit, before he lets you go. The release is instant. Something akin to a scream comes from you with your orgasm, the world around you feeling like it’s shattering. You can barely breathe, pure pleasure wracking your body and sending lightning through your limbs. The dam finally broke, and it feels so fucking good. The unbearable pressure is gone, bliss washing through you like a wave from the ocean as you cum around his hand. “See how nice I am?” Kylo says with heavy breath, barely able to contain himself. His eyes are locked on to where his hand disappears into your pants; he can feel your cum pooling on his glove. “How well I reward you when you’re good?”
It’s all you can do to nod dumbly, too blissed out with your ears still ringing to really comprehend what he’s saying. You don’t resist when your pants are pulled off, your underwear entirely soaked through and baring your sensitive, wet cunt to the cold air. You shiver. Your cloak is tossed aside, your top layers undone to reveal your upper body. You’re barely more than a rag doll when Kylo braces an arm against your back, using it to scoop you out of the throne so he can take your spot. His zipper is pulled down, his boxers lowered so his cock is finally freed, painfully erect and dribbling precum.
He sinks you down to the hilt without hesitation. All the air is punched from your lungs, your body tensing as his length fills you to capacity. Kylo’s appreciative groan is loud and throaty, his fingers digging bruises into your hips. You have to pause for a moment to adjust to the sudden intrusion, feeling so full it’s like you’re not allowed to breathe. Your lips are parted, your nails digging into the ribbed sleeves on his forearms for purchase. His body is warm and muscular beneath your hands.
You struggle to move, still feeling the after effects of your orgasm, your limbs weak and trembling. Kylo makes no effort to help you, his helmet instead tilted up towards you expectantly. “If you want it you’ll have to work for it, Commander.” He says with some twisted amusement. You briefly consider how easy it’d be to reach forward and wring his neck.
But you put that aside, swallowing your broken pride. You unfortunately want his cock more than that. The first thrust is bliss, pleasure filled shocks coursing through you like a live wire. You and Kylo moan in tandem, both of you finally getting some form of relief. Your movements are slow at first, trying desperately to get used to the feeling of his cock splitting you open. His hands travel up your sides, his left glove still soaked in your juices and leaving a trail along your skin. He finds your breasts, encompassing them with large, warm palms that have your head tilting back and your eyes closing. He pinches your stiffened nipples between his fingers, rolling them experimentally as you whine and arch into his touch. Your pace on his cock is steady now, finally having figured out a rhythm.
“Touch yourself.” Kylo orders suddenly, words sounding choked.
Your gaze snaps to him, brows furrowing slightly. “What?”
“Touch yourself.” He snaps again. “If you’re smart, you’ll listen to what I say.”
You glower, your face burning even hotter. He knows you don’t enjoy doing it, which is giving him all the more reason to make you. You hesitate, both not wanting to do as he demands and also not wanting to see whatever repercussions will come if you don’t. Your shaking fingers reach down and find your clit, the bud still sensitive and aching from Kylo’s earlier abuse. Your lip is between your teeth, trying to keep back your moans as you run circles over your clit. The stimulation quickly builds and you can feel that familiar knot forming in your gut again.
Kylo’s helmet tilts up and you can feel his eyes on you. You try not to meet them. “You look pretty like this, you know? Finally fucking listening to me.” He rumbles, giving your nipple a particularly hard pinch and making you writhe in his grip. “Say my name.”
You try to ignore him, ignore his stupid power trip and ego boost. But then he makes his move—one hand comes down to grip your wrist and the other is firm on your hip, completely stalling your movements and messing up your concentration. Your climax steadily begins to fade, a loud and frustrated groan coming from you. “This is stupid.” You snarl at him.
He doesn’t back down. “Say it.”
A harsh breath blows through your nose. You move your head so you can look past him, not wanting to admit that this is what he’s bringing you to. “Supreme Leader.” You mutter, your hips shifting to try and get friction with his cock still hard inside your cunt. He puts a stop to that quickly with a harsh squeeze.
Kylo lets go of your wrist to instead grab your chin, forcing you to look at him. “Again.”
“Supreme Leader.” You grit out.
“One more time.”
You grab his forearm, your nails digging deep enough and with such fury that they’ll leave marks. It’s the least you can do. “Supreme Leader.”
“Good girl.” He murmurs, thumb running along your lower lip. You want nothing more than to sink your teeth into it until you taste blood. “You’ve done so well.”
His following thrust up into you has you forgetting what insult you were going to say. Both of his hands rest on your hips now, keeping you steady as he fucks you mercilessly. You bend forward, gripping his shoulders as some kind of anchor, punctuated moans spilling endlessly from your mouth. His helmet is downturned, the forehead of it resting against your sternum as he watches his cock disappear inside of your cunt, slick smearing along the front of his pants. He uses his Force to swirl against your clit, creating a sort of buzzing sensation that quickly brings that knot back and sets your blood ablaze.
“A commander reduced to a fucking cocksleeve. So good for my dick, aren’t you?” He breathes, words made even more gravelly by his vocoder. “Fuck.” You can only nod along and whimper, your brain fucked into useless mush.
You grip him tighter when your second orgasm finally bursts, your walls spasming around his cock and making him curse even louder. Cum gushes from you, dripping along your folds and making a further mess of Kylo’s pants. You cry out when he keeps thrusting into you, everything throbbing and overly sensitive for his harsh pace. You can’t think straight, you can only dig your teeth into the padded armor of his shoulder as tears well and threaten to fall.
His cock twitches, his hips stuttering. He gets in a few more thrusts before he’s cumming at last, a slew of cusses mixed with grunts and groans falling from his mouth. You hum in pleasure when you feel his warm spend filling your cunt to the brim, effectively coating your walls white.
Neither of you can move for a couple of minutes after. You don’t know how long you sit there for, your body finally relaxing and your eyes closing. He doesn’t pull out, his cock softening inside you and making sure you stay plugged full of his cum. You’re tempted to fall asleep before Kylo’s hands are leaving your hips and instead coming up to undo the latches on his helmet. There’s a hiss of air as the mechanisms slide out of place and he’s able to take it off. His black hair falls around his face, sweat drenching the ends.
You struggle to lift yourself up, but you want to see him. Your hands shake from exhaustion when they reach forward, taking his cheeks in your palms. He looks so tired. His sigh tickles your skin, his eyes closing at your touch. He seems significantly more relaxed now, his body letting go of its tension and his Force signature becoming something calmer. You can feel the weight shift as he leans into your right hand. His arms circle around your back, somehow pulling you even closer.
He swallows before speaking. “I was… afraid.” He mutters. “Afraid without you here… and yet I had to do it. Otherwise I’d lose you.”
He buries his face in the crook of your neck, his lips gentle as they brush along your collarbone. “I was afraid that I would fail. That it would’ve all been for nothing.” He continues. He sounds so quiet, quieter than you’ve heard him in a while. You run your fingers through his hair. “I just… I’m glad I sent you away.”
“Me too.” You mumble, your eyes trained on the back wall as your mind runs. You’re finally coming to terms with the fact that your death had almost been set in stone at the hands of Snoke. Coming to terms with the fact that your lifelong teacher was going to have you executed by his star pupil, and the fact that Kylo decided to save you and possibly get himself killed instead. The fact he did everything he could to make sure you wouldn’t come back to a death sentence. You swallow thickly. “Thank you.”
He stills at those words. They’re the last thing he expected to hear from you and it makes him uneasy. He doesn’t say anything, and that’s okay. You know he can’t. Besides, it’s easy to gather what he wants to say from his Force in this moment of vulnerability. An apology is at the forefront; an apology for taking things out on you again. He doesn’t regret it, but he didn’t mean for it to happen. Then underneath that there’s longing that’s still lingering from when you were gone. He wanted nothing more than to see you, to know you were okay. He’s more than happy to have you in his arms now.
You pull yourself out of his thoughts, blowing out a tired sigh and resting your head on his shoulder. He wraps his cape around you to protect your mostly-naked form from the chill of the throne room, his warmth bleeding into you. You’re content to just sit there in his lap, and he seems content to let you. He relaxes back into the throne, cradling you against him with his soft breathing ruffling the hairs on the top of your head.
You’re together. You’re alive. That’s all you need in this moment.
#insane behavior#writing mean Kylo is kinda new so 🙏#sorry if it’s wonky or anything lmao#star wars#star wars fanfic#star wars x reader#original characters#kylo ren#kylo ren fanfic#kylo ren x reader#kylo fanfic#kylo x reader#kylo#kylo x you#Kylo ren angst#Kylo ren fluff#Kylo ren smut#smut fic
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2024 September 4
NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Taivalmaa
Explanation: Can you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus), NGC 6995, known informally as the Bat Nebula, spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent size of the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through narrow band filters, emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in red with strong emission from oxygen atoms shown in hues of blue. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another seasonal apparition: the Witch's Broom Nebula.
∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240904.html
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Ways of Being Comfortable
(Related side project: Prank War! The last page is up today!)
~~~
“Good thing we're not here for Mesmer furniture,” Mimi said in his gravelly voice. “We'd need a bigger sled.”
“Is that what that is?” I asked, weaving past something vaguely shaped like a padded beach chair. “I thought that was a weightlifting bench.”
Mimi turned an amused look up at me from where he towed the small hoversled with one tentacle, saving the rest for walking. “Humans have furniture specially for lifting things?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “For exercising a certain set of muscles, though. Not for loading a shipment or something.”
Mimi laughed. “I was going to say. If you have to lie down in order to lift things, you might as well have someone else do it.”
Mimi's species were commonly called Strongarms for a reason. The opinions about physical capability were only part of that reason.
We reached the front counter of the furniture shop before I could come up with a good answer about bodybuilders or forklifts. Mimi clambered onto the low table that was probably set there specifically for customers his size. He rang the bell (whistle) for service. I stood beside the hoversled that was partly full of other supplies we’d picked up elsewhere, and I wondered how much rearranging we were in for. I had no idea who on our ship needed new furniture.
Mimi did, though. When the harried-looking Frillian employee rushed over, all fast speech and fidgety blue frills, he said simply, “Pickup for the courier ship Slap the Stars.”
“Yes. Minor patience.” She dashed off through a translucent air wall that passed for a door into the back. Multiple other customers wandered around the store, with only a couple employees in view. I wondered if a bunch were out sick.
She came back a moment later, walking backwards with quick feet while she towed something on a skid plate that hovered just above the floor. It looked like a giant soup can, or one of those industrial storage barrels. I turned a questioning look to Mimi, but he had his back to me, watching it approach.
“Here it is—” The employee stopped at the sound of something falling over in the back. Indistinct yelling filtered through the air wall. “Patience, please.” Then she was off again.
I stepped closer to the thing, which had no lid. It was empty. “What is this?” I asked Mimi.
He frowned and grated, “Not our order.”
“Okay. That makes more sense.” I glanced up at the air wall, where another employee was hurrying away, then back at the barrel. A seam and flat handle on the side suggested a door. “Is this one of those vertical bathtubs?” I asked, peeking inside. “I don’t see a chair. Or hose hookups. And it would need a place to drain.”
“I really couldn’t tell you,” Mimi admitted. “Maybe it’s a table turned upside-down. I’ve seen stranger decorating choices.”
“Maybe.” I tilted my head, visualizing it the other way up. “I guess the door could be for storage underneath.”
Mimi pressed the button on the counter again to make sure the employee came back. The polite whistle sounded, but no one returned through the air wall. I hoped the disaster back there wasn’t a bad one.
Then I wondered some more about the barrel-table-thing. It looked exceptionally smooth on the inside, not like a storage space that no one was expected to see. There weren’t even any seams at the bottom; the circular corner around the base was rounded like a classy metal soup bowl. Maybe this was actually a bowl, for one of those giant species I hadn’t seen often. But a bowl wouldn’t need a door. Or be sold at a furniture shop. Probably.
“Is that my order?” asked a surprised voice.
It was a voice with that distinct underwater warble, and the pieces started falling into place in my head as I turned.
“Probably,” Mimi said to the Waterwill, who looked just as much like a column of goo as they all did. This one hadn’t even extended any arms, since there was nothing to interact with yet. Mimi continued, “The people here seem to think it’s our order, though that is definitely not the case.”
“Well, I did ask for one just like that to be set aside,” the Waterwill said, gliding forward to give it a look. “And I said I’d be right over. Did you already press the button?”
“Yeah, there’s some mess in the back, by the sounds of it,” Mimi said with a wave of a tentacle. “Could take them a while. You might as well check this thing for fit while you wait.”
The Waterwill did just that, reaching out a temporary arm to open the door, then squishing inside and closing it again before settling down with a burbling sigh of comfort.
I’d never seen a Waterwill relax before. They really do collapse into a pile. This piece of alien furniture was the perfect size to keep this one in roughly the same shape, all the better to more easily “stand up” again when the employee returned. Which she did.
“Hey, I think this is their order, not ours,” Mimi said.
“Perfect size, though!” added the Waterwill.
“Many apologies. Back in a moment.”
The Waterwill climbed out and produced something from the depths of their insides that looked like a waterproof wallet. I was suddenly very glad that most of our payments were digital. It was bad enough when our clients hadn’t washed their hands before touching a payment tablet; at least they didn’t pay us in gut money.
A second Frillian employee arrived to handle that transaction before the first one managed to find our order. We stood to the side and waited. I waved a goodbye to the Waterwill, who was apparently buying the skid plate too.
“Gratitude for your patience,” said the first Frillian, hurrying back over. “I believe this is yours.” She set a cat bed on the counter.
I sighed deeply. Telly already had a bed, and she liked sleeping on mine more anyway. This one looked nice, very silky and plush, but that couldn’t have been ordered by anyone on our ship either. I opened my mouth to tell her so.
But before I could, Mimi had stepped from the table onto the counter, and was curling up into the bed like a pale green octopus about to purr. “That’ll do,” he said, stepping back out. “Good support, nicely warm, and less threadbare than my old one.”
I closed my mouth with a click, trying my best not to look surprised by any of this. Mimi signed for it, then gave me a look.
“What?” he asked, pulling the bed onto our hoversled.
“Nothing! Nothing at all.” I moved a box to the side. “Just don’t leave that anywhere a cat can reach, or you might have to fight her for it.”
~~~
Did I mention the Prank War?
~~~
These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.
Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.
The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).
#my writing#The Token Human#humans are weird#haso#hfy#eiad#humans are space orcs#writeblr#writblr#science fiction#the fun kind
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Sooo remember that blupee Wild post from yesterday? I wrote something for it
Forgive the quality I wrote it in less than an hour
—————————
Legend stops short, Wild’s name still hovering on his lips, waiting to be propelled into the indifferent grouping of trees. There are eyes glowing from within the blanket of ferns at his feet. Glowing golden irises rimmed in amber, staring from a heart shaped face of palest blue.
Two antenna twitch. A small nose wriggles.
Legend bends to one knee, holds out a hand.
“Hey there. You wouldn’t happen to know where that crazy cook went, would you?”
Again the nose moves, though this time it wrinkles slightly as though the being has smelt a stench.
“Alright, fine.” Legend sighs. “Do you know where Wild went?”
That earns him some small amount of favor. The creature runs a paw over its face, fluffing up the fur there. Then, with one small hop, it emerges from its hiding place. It settles down on its haunches right in front of the veteran and sneezes.
Legend gazes at it and it gazes at him. It looks for all the world like a rabbit, with its loping gate and compact form. Yet, the appendages atop its head are like vines stretching upward in their ascent towards light. Its eyes are endless pools of molten treasure. They speak of wisdom, of mystery. They are a map Legend has yet to obtain.
Its body is delicate. The magic that waltzes gently around it threatens to spirit it away. But there is a strength about it that calls to Legend’s soul. It is painted in the eruptions of royal blue burned into the side of its face, etched in craggy, sporadic splotches upon its chest and abdomen. It is housed in those eyes of an ethereal stranger, a beloved brother and friend.
Again, the veteran holds out his hand in invitation. His voice is even softer this time.
“I won’t hurt you, champion.”
I know, Wild’s eyes say. Because you’re like me.
Another two hops and he has deposited himself in Legend’s lap. The veteran’s breath catches at this display of easy trust. Long and arduous is the road they walk. Many have been the days when he and Wild have ended up together, two conflicting minds forced to meld into something complementary. But never had he allowed himself to imagine it would all lead to this.
How’d you know?
A soft head presses against his chest. Legend ducks his face into the fur and for a moment, breathes in the scent of bubbling springs and murmuring branches, whispering wind and moist river rocks, moss and magic and autumn leaves.
How’d you know it was me?
He chuckles. Delicate fingers crowned with jewels find the spot behind Wild’s ears and rub there. The champion makes a trilling sound deep in his throat, a melody as pleasant as a bird singing its jovial song amongst the trees.
“It’s as you said. I’m like you.”
There is something about rabbits, he decides, a thread that weaves between their hearts and minds, connecting them in ways far beyond what words can explain. So that they may find one another, helpless creatures though they may be.
He checks over Wild one more time, searching for an explanation to the champion’s sudden disappearance from camp. But there are none to be seen. No wounds. No disturbances in the pattern of quick breaths. No skips in the race his tiny heart runs.
Legend lies back on the firm, packed earth, and Wild immediately readjusts along with him. He curls around himself, head meeting bushy tail in the form of a snail’s circular shell. Legend’s fingers continue their trail along the curving form, silk turning skin soft.
Above them, the trees bow to one another, limbs meeting midway to filter the pale rays of the sun. A leaf flutters down toward them. Its lazy journey ends atop Wild’s body. He doesn’t seem to mind. A tiny sigh lifts his chest. He readjusts, blinks open one eye that probes Legend’s soul.
Hey…thanks, vet.
The veteran grins. “Never thought I’d hear you say that to me.”
There is no bite in his tone. The sarcasm usually biting is gentle, teasing.
The wounds were never outward to begin with. He knows that now. He should have seen it the moment Wild’s eyes grew wide as a memory took over, the moment afterward when his chest had heaved in subtle attempts at breath, and those in the days following when he had walked with slow steps, head bowed, smile a ghost ready to fade and flee.
He doesn’t know how the hero came to take this form. It doesn’t matter however.
Legend runs his hand over the tiny head and he understands.
#trin writes#linked universe#linkeduniverse#linked universe fic#lu wild#lu legend#just two bunny boys#fluff#blupee wild#is this in character?#prolly not#but I wanted them to be soft#so here we are
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Pucker Up for the Sea Lamprey!
The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), also known as the vampire fish, is the most famous member of the order of lampreys, Petromyzontiformes. Despite their similar appearance to eels, lampreys are actually jawless fish, and are more closely related to hagfish than eels. To add further confusion, sea lampreys actually reproduce in freshwater rivers and streams, and are only found in the ocean as adults. They are spread along the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe, as well as the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Sea lampreys are the largest member of the lamprey family, at an impressive 30 to 100 cm (11.8 to 39.4 in) long and weighing around 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). They are generally olive or brownish grey, and their bodies are long and smooth. Perhaps P. marinus' most distinctive feature are their mouths, which are wide and circular with teeth arranged in a circle around the tongue and throat. When opened to attach to its prey, the mouth can stretch larger than the lamprey's head.
Vampire fish are widely known for their feeding habits. Adults are parasites that attach themselves to the sides of fish and feat on their victim's blood and tissue. But despite their fearsome appearance, P. marinus has a variety of predators as both juveniles and adults, including sturgeon, catfish, sea lions, seals, sea birds, and northern pikeminnows. Juveniles are particularly vulnerable, as they are smaller and, as deteriorates, are not equipped with the sharp teeth of adults.
Like many other fish, sea lampreys are anadromous, meaning they migrate from salt to freshwater to reproduce. From April to June, males and females travel up river to find rocky beds in which to build nests. Females lay anywhere from 30,000 and 100,000 eggs in their nest, which are then fertilized by multiple males. After mating, both parents die. The larvae take 3 to 8 days to hatch, and the young spend the next 1 to 3 years filter feeding in their home river. Once they reach maturity, they migrate back to the ocean, where they can reside for up to 5 years before returning to their spawning grounds to complete their lifecycle.
Conservation status: The IUCN has rated the sea lamprey as Least Concern. This species is invasive in the Great Lakes region of the United States. However, within its native range it is threatened by habitat degradation and over-fishing.
Photos
Paul Wilson
U.S. National Park Service
Sean Landsman
#sea lamprey#Petromyzontiformes#Petromyzontidae#lamprey#jawless fish#fish#marine fauna#marine fish#coasts#coastal fish#rivers#river fish#atlantic ocean#north america#eastern north america#europe#western europe#mediterranean sea#animal facts#biology#zoology#ecology
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show me how to love I one - party time
pairing: hyunjin x afab reader
premise: all hyunjin is known for is hookups. he does not commit and would rather feed on lust. he has never been in love but his best friend, y/n, is in love with him. maybe he will someday want to be loved.
content: 🔞this series is NSFW so MDNI at all!!! some making out mentioned and grinding (in a party setting), drinking, brief mention of weed
a/n: i know its been a while but this has been in my drafts forever and is now seeing the light of day. i already have 4 parts full written, i anticipate 5 or 6 in the series so i hope u enjoy!
The floor vibrates from the loud music that fills the thick air. Smells of sweat, weed and beer litter the room. Among the smells is the loud conversations that filter throughout. Each conversation is barely comprehensible.
She takes a sip from her solo cup and feels the familiar liquor hit her throat. Was it worth it in the end to get drunk? Who knows but she couldn't wait to find out. This is her first drink, a drink her friend Han had given her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was.
She watches Han as he plays beer pong with a few of his other friends, Lee Know, Chan and Changbin. They were also her friends, friends she made all thanks to him.
She felt her stomach begin to rumble a little, starting to crave food. Her eyes scan the crowd around her. A few people are dancing amongst themselves, boys chugging down their drinks, couples making out but one couple in particular caught her eye. One of them was none other than her best friend, Hyunjin, which was no surprise. She feels her face warm up at the sight. He was sloppily kissing the girl who was grinding into his lap. His hands roam down her back and settle on her waist. He moves her hips in circular motions on top of him. She could practically hear her loud moans from here. A feeling in her chest made her look away. Her eyes instead land on the snack table filled with finger food. She puts her cup down and reminds herself to not pick it up again.
She makes her way to the snack table and stuffs her face with pretzels. The saltiness fills her tongue creating an explosion of flavor. She heard it was good to eat while drinking and right now she sure was hungry.
“Hey.”
She looks up and sees Seungmin, another boy who is a part of Han’s friend group. His eyes were glossed over and he was beginning to slur his words.
“Are you doing okay?”
The thing about Seungmin and to be fair all of Han’s friends is that they all looked after her. No matter the situation, at least one of them would be by her side.
“I’m alright. I think I’m a tad tipsy.” She replied, she was still putting pretzels between her lips. Her face was clearly flushed and her eyes were beginning to lose focus.
He pats her head lovingly, “Just be careful. Don’t forget to also drink some water, yeah?”
She nods back at him with a salute which makes him chuckle. Yep she is getting drunk.
“I’ll be over here.” he said pointing over to the couch filled with people. They were playing some video games on the big tv mounted on the wall.
Even when Seungmin is drunk he is still a sweetheart.
Han screams loudly in victory, her eyes look over to him. Him and Chan dance happily while Leeknow and Changbin accept defeat. She chuckles to herself at the sight. Han’s eyes make contact with hers and he gestures for her to come over.
She begins to walk and feels her legs wobble. Is this what being tipsy feels like? Very strange.
“We just beat their asses.” Han yells over the loud music that was now making people sing along. Chan picks up his beer and takes a big swig, wiping the dribble of beer off his chin.
Jeongin then walks over, his hand filled with a few more beers. “Who wants more?” He smiles widely. Lee Know and Changbin take one each from him, Jeongin passes the beer opener.
Jeongin then turned to her, “Want one?” Jeongin asked, still having one left over.
“Fuck it, why not?”
He opened the beer bottle for her and she put it to her lips. Was it disgusting? Absolutely. But, she needed some sort of stimulation tonight. The boys talked amongst themselves and she found herself searching the room. The corner where Hyunjin previously sat was now empty. She didn’t even have to guess where he was. Probably upstairs in some locked room. The mere thought made her feel less happy.
She sighed loudly and Lee Know looked at her. He knew what was up. They all did. It was pretty clear to all of them how she felt for him.
“Y/n.” Changbin said, catching her attention and knocking her from her head.
“This is your time to enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about him.” He places a hand on her shoulder, his fingertips were cold from the beer bottle in his hands.
She nods shyly, “Come on Y/n! We’re supposed to be having fun. Fuck college and studying, we’re finally done!” Han cheers loudly causing the rest of the party to cheer as well.
It was the end of their third year in college, only one more year and they would be finished. Time surely does fly past really quickly. She swore she was just starting college and next thing she knew, she was going to graduate in less than a year. It’s crazy.
“You’re right! Let’s do some shots or something!” She replied, a big smile coating her face.
“Did I hear shots?”
She turned around and both Seungmin and Felix stood behind her. Felix had a tray of shots on a plate.
“Damn how did you do that so fast?” Chan chuckles and grabs one of the shot cups.
“Well I was bringing them anyway, I guess it was perfect timing?” Felix says, a smile spreading across his lips. Everyone grabs a shot cup and clinks their cups together before shooting them down.
The burning liquor resonates in Y/n’s throat. Giving her a very nice buzz. She could tell her alcohol tolerance was not very high as she already felt the effects.
She began to walk unsteady through the room. Everything soon felt like a blur. All she could see was mirages of bodies moving past. She sat down on the couch in the corner, her friends danced in the middle of the room in front of her. The music filled her ears but it felt slow.
Something wet began to trickle down into her hands. It was water. She was crying. She felt her chest rise and fall quickly. Someone was mumbling. More tears came down into her hands creating a tiny pool.
“Hey.” No response.
“Y/n.”
She finally looks up and is met with his eyes.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” His hands move up to her cheeks wiping away the tears.
“Hyunjin.”
#stray kids imagine#kpop imagines#stray kids#stray kids x reader#stray kids smut#hyunjin imagines#hyunjin smut#kpop#kpop x reader#hwang hyujin imagines#hwang hyunjin#hwang hyunjin smut
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