#DMS system

[stockholdingsposts]

Transform Business Efficiency with Comprehensive Content Management Services 

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, managing a growing volume of content efficiently is paramount for companies to stay competitive. Whether it’s for internal processes, customer interactions, or compliance, content management is critical. Comprehensive content management services (CMS) helps streamline operations, improve collaboration, and ensure the security of data across all business functions. This article explores the importance of adopting an enterprise-level CMS and how it can transform business efficiency. 

Understanding Content Management Services 

Content management services (CMS) are essential for organizing, storing, and tracking business documents, multimedia content, and other digital assets. These systems not only allow businesses to store content but also manage workflows, monitor versioning, and enable easier access to key resources. 

Effective CMS solutions offer businesses the ability to centralize all content in a single, easy-to-access location. The value lies not just in storing information but also in the automation, collaboration, and governance features that come with the system. 

Key Benefits of Content Management Services 

1. Streamlined Workflow Management 

One of the most significant advantages of a comprehensive CMS is the improvement in workflow management. With an organized structure, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, such as document approvals, data entry, and content publication. This frees up employees to focus on more strategic tasks and reduces the chances of human error. 

Moreover, automated workflows help ensure that the correct version of a document or content is always available, reducing delays caused by version control issues. Additionally, the ability to route documents through approval chains quickly enhances productivity and decision-making. 

2. Improved Collaboration Across Teams 

For businesses that rely on team collaboration, CMS tools provide a centralized platform where employees can work together more effectively. Teams can access, edit, and comment on documents in real time, no matter where they are located. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and helps ensure everyone is working with the most up-to-date information. 

In addition, content management services support role-based access control, allowing businesses to define who can access, edit, and distribute specific content. This provides an added layer of security, ensuring that sensitive information is only available to authorized personnel. 

3. Enhanced Data Security and Compliance 

As businesses handle sensitive and confidential data, security is a primary concern. A well-implemented CMS provides robust security features that help protect your content from unauthorized access, theft, and data breaches. CMS solutions often offer encrypted storage, user authentication, and audit trails, ensuring that every action taken within the system is logged and tracked. 

For industries with strict compliance requirements, content management services make it easier to adhere to regulations by offering features like document retention policies, compliance tracking, and data integrity checks. These ensure that businesses can meet legal requirements and pass audits without disruption. 

4. Increased Efficiency and Cost Savings 

The ability to access and manage content easily reduces the time spent searching for files or manually sorting through documents. This improved efficiency can translate into direct cost savings as resources are optimized, and business processes are streamlined. By reducing the reliance on physical documents and implementing digital workflows, businesses can also cut costs related to printing, shipping, and storing paper records. 

Furthermore, the automation of repetitive tasks reduces the need for manual input, saving both time and money. Employees can spend more time on high-impact activities, such as creative development or strategic decision-making, rather than administrative tasks. 

5. Better Content Quality and Consistency 

A CMS ensures that content is standardized across an organization. Whether it's marketing materials, internal documents, or customer-facing content, consistency is key to maintaining a professional image. By centralizing all content, businesses can create templates, apply uniform formatting, and ensure that branding is adhered to at every touchpoint. 

Furthermore, version control ensures that content is always up to date, minimizing the risk of outdated or conflicting information being used. This helps build trust with customers and clients, who rely on accurate and consistent communication. 

Types of Content Management Services 

When selecting a content management service, businesses have several options based on their specific needs. Below are the primary types of CMS solutions: 

1. Document Management Systems (DMS) 

DMS are designed to store and track business documents. These systems typically include features such as document storage, version control, document search capabilities, and access controls. DMS solutions are ideal for businesses that focus on managing a high volume of written documents, such as contracts, legal papers, and financial reports. 

2. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Systems 

ECM systems are more comprehensive and are used to manage the entire lifecycle of business content, from creation to archiving. ECM systems are typically integrated with other enterprise applications like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. They provide businesses with a robust solution for managing documents, records, multimedia content, and workflows across the organization. 

3. Web Content Management (WCM) 

WCM solutions are specifically focused on managing digital content on websites. These tools allow businesses to create, manage, and optimize content for the web, including images, videos, articles, and blogs. WCM systems are crucial for businesses that prioritize content marketing, customer engagement, and SEO optimization. 

4. Cloud-Based CMS 

Cloud-based CMS solutions offer the flexibility of storing content remotely on secure cloud servers. These systems are ideal for businesses that need to provide remote access to content for teams across multiple locations. With cloud CMS, businesses can scale storage and functionality as needed, without the need for on-site infrastructure. 

How to Implement Content Management Services 

Implementing content management services within a business requires careful planning and execution. Below are the key steps to ensure successful CMS integration: 

1. Assess Business Needs 

Before selecting a CMS, businesses should evaluate their content management needs. This includes understanding the type and volume of content they manage, the required workflows, and security needs. By assessing these factors, businesses can select a CMS that best aligns with their operational goals. 

2. Select the Right CMS 

There are numerous CMS platforms available, each offering different features and capabilities. It’s crucial to choose a system that can meet both the current and future needs of the organization. Consider factors such as scalability, ease of use, and integration capabilities when selecting a CMS. 

3. Train Employees 

Proper training is essential for ensuring that employees can effectively use the new system. Providing training on how to navigate the CMS, manage content, and leverage key features will help businesses realize the full benefits of the system. 

4. Monitor and Optimize 

After implementing a CMS, businesses should regularly monitor its performance and make adjustments as needed. This includes evaluating system efficiency, gathering feedback from employees, and optimizing workflows to improve productivity. 

Conclusion 

Comprehensive content management services are not just a luxury but a necessity for businesses looking to streamline their operations, enhance collaboration, and maintain data security. By investing in an effective CMS, businesses can transform their content management process, improve workflow efficiency, and reduce operational costs. The ability to automate processes, maintain consistency, and ensure regulatory compliance positions businesses for long-term success in today’s competitive environment. 

Adopting the right CMS solution will allow companies to stay agile, adapt to changing business needs, and ultimately, drive growth and profitability. A well-managed content strategy is a powerful tool in enhancing overall business efficiency and delivering value to both internal teams and customers. 

[mielplante]

when you find yourself with two yappers instead of one

[woahcoolbear]

npcs from my blades in the dark campaign (that i never stop thinking about)

[dare-to-dm]

I make and use excel spreadsheets for my TTRPG character sheets, for the most part. I like the freedom it gives me to design the sheet the way I want and have plenty of space for notes. Plus you can plug in all the formulas to make it do the math for you, and the act of putting those formulas in yourself (as opposed to using some ready made tool instead) is a good way to learn more about the mechanics.

Anyway, I recently made a sheet for 5E characters since my friend is running Curse of Strahd in that system. We leveled up the other night, and with the use of my new sheet it literally took me 3 seconds to level my character. XD

[onnahu]

Imagine Shen Qingqiu being bored and introducing ttrpg to Qing Jing. He pulls in all his favourite students and explains it as a 'strategy and teamwork game'. Shang Qinghua is weirded out but actually super excited by the prospect of his weird-ass xianxia world inventing xianxia d&d. Only after the immortal alliance conference does he find out it was SQQ. They then proceed to make the game as mainstream as wei qi

[psisexual]

What’s a pup gotta do to get bred around here?

[isawken]

last week i went to an elder focused lgbtq fashion show put on by the org my best friend is program director for where local designers were paired with local gay and trans folks over 50 to model and then take home sick outfits and it was so fun and so cool and i got so emotional and i wanted to share pictures bc it was incredibly heartening to see so many people show up for and celebrate old queers

bonus ken because i’m 30 and in two measly decades i will be an old queer

[twist3dd4ydr3ams]

Pick me up pt.1

Words: 1.6k

Summary: After a terrible night out with your boyfriend of 6 months, it ends with some really red flags and you, sitting out on the pavement alone at 2am. You have nobody else to call but Marc.

Pairing: friend!marc spector x reader friend!jake lockley x reader friend!steven grant x reader

Warnings: substance use, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, violence in general, angst, swearing, abusive relationship, arguments, angsty stuff (I promise fluff later)

After a long night out you step outside into the biting October air as you wait for your boyfriend to be done in the restroom. You sigh, checking your phone from inside your small handbag.

1:47 am

Your eyes widened finally realizing what time it was. You had taken your boyfriend out to celebrate a new and exciting promotion he had gotten at work.

Unfortunately one thing led to another and he had ended up a little drunker than you’d anticipated. It had taken a little over an hour to convince him to leave the pub. when you finally did, you had to leave him inside so that he would actually leave with you.

You had dressed to the absolute nines. You had put on an outfit specifically designed for him. His favorite colors, things he’s complimented you on before, ect.

Tonight however, he seemed too taken with his excitement to notice. You’d decided to pay it no mind. It's only human he should be excited for his new career opportunity.

You frowned looking down at the outfit you’d put together, a bit disheartened he hadn’t even told you it looked nice when you asked.

You tried not to think of that. Or the unpleasant feeling that was starting to wrack your body from how long you’d been out and standing about for.

When he finally reached you out by the curb, you were able to have a good look at him.

Shit. He was completely blasted. You didn’t know why it had taken you so long to see it. Perhaps it had been the unhappy feeling that bubbled in your throat you kept swallowing down throughout the night.

You pushed the thought from your mind as you shifted your focus towards getting him in a cab and back home.

“Ok, let's get going then alright?” You said to him, while trying to see if you could call a cab this late.

“My loveee” he slurred clinging to you. “I don’t want to leave.” He said firmly but you laughed it off. Afterall he was way too drunk to know what he was really talking about.

You roll your eyes but you keep the conversation playful so as to not upset him. As you noticed he seemed to get a bit of a temper when he drank.

“Is that so?” You hum as you scroll your phone, an uber would have to do you decided.

He grabs your hand roughly tugging you back towards the pub. You start to stumble as you follow.

“Yes! Lets go get a few more rounds and then we can go home!” He says almost incoherently. He pulls you forward as you protest.

“No no no no. We can’t Justin, we’ve got to go home, I've got work in the morning remember?” You try to remind him gently. Unfortunately for you, he’s having none of it.

“You’re no fun! Go home then! I’m going to stay here.” He says, almost as if he’s challenging you.

“No you can’t stay here. How would you even get home after a few more rounds?” You ask expectantly. When there is no answer you click your tongue. “Exactly.”

He sighs and heads back towards you. You sigh in relief, you thought he was finally going to listen to reason.

He however approaches with hostility as he grabs onto you again.

“C’mon darling just come back inside. Have fun for once!” He spits at you.

You yank yourself away from him assessing him. This was extremely different to any way you'd ever seen him act before.

“Thomas, no. I don’t want to and I don’t want to just leave you here also! What is going on? You've never acted this way before?” You ask, your face painted with shock.

“Because you’re seriously uptight, and also a bitch.” He says with a childish groan. “I fucking hate it just lighten up. You always suck the fun out of everything!” He yelled back through his slurred speech.

You looked at him. “If that’s how you feel, we are done here. I don’t care how blasted you are, I deserve respect. And you will not speak to me like I’m someone you don’t know or don’t care for.” You said angrily, completely and totally fed up.

You turned on your heel and started to make your way down the street but now your phone had died and you couldn’t even call an uber.

You usually held back your emotions pretty well. You tried to ‘just focus on finding a way home’ instead of the way you felt but there was ultimately no luck.

The feeling of a hand closing tightly around your wrist was enough to pull you very harshly out of your thoughts.

“Don’t you walk away from me bitch!” He yelled as you struggled against his grip.

“Get away! Get off me!” You yelled. You made sure to cause a scene and fight just in case anyone happened to hear and wanted to help.

Eventually after much struggling and pleading with him and every god you could think of you finally pushed him off.

Though the momentary relief was not enough to help the situation it seemed as he winded back and pushed you to the ground.

You’d stumbled as you fell hitting the ground hard. Your head hit the pavement with a loud unsettling sound as you coughed around the air on impact.

You knew you were bleeding somewhere you just couldn’t pinpoint it where yet. Pure shock wracked your body as well as the pain, it came in waves.

“Stay down. Bitch!” He called walking towards the pub again. That was the last time you ever saw him.

You sat up and stumbled realizing you were bleeding from your forehead, and a lot.

“Shit.” You murmur, panicked and dazed. You reach for your phone before remembering its dead. You curse again and stand up shakily.

You did see a payphone around the corner, you remember it vaguely.

You make your way there pulling some change from your pocket. Thank the gods you actually happened to have some.

You didn’t want to have to call them. You knew it had been years since you’d even seen all of them

truthfully. You weren’t sure if they would even answer the phone, but it was the only number you knew by heart. And the only option besides waiting until sunrise for a bus.

The phone rang three times before the call connected. Your breath hitched into your throat as heard the man on the other end of the phone.

“You’ve reached Steven Grant, how can I help you?” He sounded groggy, but not like he had been asleep long, if at all.

“Steven? It’s me.” You swallowed thickly it's been two years since you’d spoken to him last.

He said your name into the phone, shock lacing his tone. You could hear movement on the other end of the phone.

“I’m so sorry about this truly, I know it’s late.” You ramble, taking a shaky breath before starting again.

“Please come pick me up.” You finally manage, a twinge of sadness coating your words.

You can hear his fumbling become more frantic now.

“What’s going on? Where are you? Where’s your phone?” He asks hurriedly you hear a thud and then the jingling of keys.

“I’ll explain later. On the corner of First and Seventh. Dead. Steven, you don’t know how to drive!” You panic as the thought of him trying to figure out the car flashed in your mind.

“Relax. I got it. You’re outside?” Jake asked hurriedly. You could hear the annoyance in his voice but you could tell it wasn’t at you.

“Are ya’ hurt?” He asked, the engine roared with life in the background.

“I’m fine.” You lied quickly trying to avoid all the questions so she could leave.

You knew he’d see right through you and at this point you didn't care. As long as he came and picked you up you wouldn’t care about anything else.

He huffed “No me mientas, querida.” Don’t lie to me, dear.

You sigh and choke back a tear. You just want this to be over with.

“Yes but It’s only a few scratches really, I’m fine.”

You can almost hear the leather gloves squelching as his grip tightens.

You move to say something else but the call ends on you. You ran out of quarters.

You hear the loud screeching of tires from around the corner.

“Shit” you mumble you know instantly that’s Jake’s car. You hurry towards the sound and before you know it he’s in front of you.

“What happened?” The car door slammed shut as he made his way to you. He inspected your injuries thoroughly.

“I fell…he…well…I…” you found yourself unable to make sentences. You felt yourself getting choked up.

He put a hand on your shoulder gently.

“Hey hey, it’s ok. Breathe for me.” He said looking at you. “We’re gonna help you, it's ok just talk to me.” He encourages.

“He pushed me. Thomas…he pushed me.” You said finally. You didn’t know what to do. You felt at a loss.

“Get in the car.” He said shortly, his temper wearing thin. You scurry into the car and put on your seat belt,

“My place or yours?” He asked you gently, trying to distract himself so he wouldn’t turn the car around and bash that bastard’s brain in.

“Yours please.” You say quietly as you keep your gaze out the window.

The car rolls away from the pub and your head starts to swim as you get further and further from the events that had just happened.

Hi my lovelies! This is just part one of a mini series I’m starting just for you! I know it's a bit angsty. I promise it'll get better and lighter as it goes! Please if you like it don’t be afraid to drop a note or a comment! Requests for oneshots are open! Drink some water friends!

[jackfuckingtwist]

— Oh, yeah, by the way, folks, I can teleport. Did I not mention? bonus:

[starry-bi-sky]

no context snippet for a "SY is SJ" au i thought of at 1am last night, because i am a firm believer of the "amnesia doesnt erase your trauma it just erases the context of it" agenda.

(although in SY's case he DID kinda forget that trauma.. at first. it's coming back to him. the system gave him a grace period. there that's my excuse)

crossposted on ao3 too in case anyone wants to read it there instead

--------

Shen Qingqiu is painting again.

He's found himself doing that a lot lately, now that he's out of seclusion and Binghe is in the bamboo house, squirreled away into the side room where the Head Disciple should be. Painting is, of course, a logical course of action for a peak lord to do! Especially one such as himself, the Peak Lord of Qing Jing, which was basically the peak of the creative arts.

But— well, he wasn't expecting to find himself liking it so much. Or doing it so often. Painting in the style of the time period is a lot easier to learn than he expected, and it gets him B-points for in-character actions! Who knew the Original Goods was such an artist of the time? He had such an evocative way with his brush, he should know — he's found some of his works!

(They were tucked away like a dirty secret in the back of his closet, locked away in a qiankun chest that Shen Qingqiu found the key to far too easily. He’ll admit to being a little disappointed in the Original Goods’ predictability — a false bottom in the vanity, really? Anyone could find that!) 

This brought him to his next issue; he was getting headaches, and he thinks, perhaps, just a little, that the Original Goods' thoughts and feelings were bleeding into him. Just a tad! And he was certain it was the Original Goods too, because— because, well…

He keeps flinching. You know how you’re walking down a public but otherwise empty hallway, and turn the corner and nearly run right into someone, and your heart jumps three spaces to the left and back? Subconsciously you knew there was a chance you were going to see someone, but their sudden appearance still startles you? 

Yeah, that. He keeps experiencing it with Binghe. He about jumps right out of his skin whenever Binghe emerges from the side room or the kitchen, even though he knows his disciple is there! And he knows it’s not a habit from his old world, because Shen Qingqiu lived with three other siblings in the house, and always knew to expect someone to be right around the corner. 

And he knows, especially so, that it’s not a habit from his old world, because along with the mini heart attacks that come with Binghe’s presence in the bamboo house, is the discomfort. A distinct yet indistinguishably vague feeling of unease that comes with sharing a living space with someone. The kind that makes his hackles rise like a particularly disgruntled and cornered street cat. 

Again, he grew up with three siblings! That could not be coming from him. It has to be an Original Goods feeling slipping in, and it was really getting in the way of things! How was he supposed to give Binghe a sense of belonging and a better upbringing if his presence in the bamboo house made him feel horribly exposed?

Some days, he just can't escape the gnawing feeling of dread in his chest when he returns to the bamboo house at the end of the day, knowing full well that it will soon be accompanied by someone else. Even if that someone was Binghe. 

That feeling of a lack of privacy makes his skin crawl and his shoulders lock up to his ears with every step. It was inconvenient; annoying. 

It was utterly unscientific, it was his house! And it was only Binghe, who, currently, is a harmless little white sheep! There was no darkened protagonist here, come to tear his limbs off. There was nothing to be so… tense about. 

It does nothing to stop the little swooping his heart does when he opens the door to, sometimes, Binghe already there, kneeling at the table like a dutiful disciple as always.

Oh, and that's not starting on his steadily increasing dislike of physical touch. It had to be something to do with the ludicrous amount of layers he wears and the modesty standards of the time period — and, also, of course, the Original Goods' own aversion to it.

He knows he's never felt so uncomfortable in another human being's presence before! Sure, he wasn’t the most social of people in his old world, but he still remembers being able to leave the house and be among the masses with relative ease. Here, though, was an entirely different story. His personal space bubble seemingly doubled, no, tripled in size, and it was irking him quite unhandily. 

The worst offenders were the Peak Lord meetings, it had to be. Navigating through the sea of disciples, cultivators, and visitors on Qiong Ding was a nightmare enough on its own — lessened only by the fact that said mountain occupants parted like the red sea when they saw him coming — but sitting in a secluded room with eleven other people, majority of whom still disliked him despite his turnaround? Awful.  

The proximity between him and his martial siblings isn’t even that bad, either. He has plenty of elbow room and in fact, would need to make an effort to reach out and physically touch anyone on either side of him. But, still!! Too close!! 

Shen Qingqiu made the conscious decision to sit as close to the door as his own comfort would allow, but not so close that he couldn’t see it — he tried that once. He doesn’t want to speak of the incident. The stress alone will give him heart palpitations. 

(He, pointedly, doesn’t want to think about the time he arrived at a Peak Lord meeting and found the Long Ning Shou Peak Lord sitting in His Chair either. Shen Qingqiu has never been particularly territorial about ‘assigned seating’ before, up until that moment. While he’s proud to say that he didn’t do anything to Chen Qingxuan for sitting in his spot, he’s mortified by how childishly petulant he felt about it for the rest of the meeting. He’s pretty sure everyone could sense his sour mood.)  

Why, just a few days ago he nearly bit a poor disciple's head off during martial lessons when they accidentally tumbled into him after a series of spectacularly fumbling footing. The child had been so horrified and apologetic that Shen Qingqiu remembered to reel himself back in time and merely scold them, rather than tear their skin right off with a tongue lashing.

But— enough about such stressful things! Shen Qingqiu was painting, and when he was painting, Binghe knew not to bother him, and to not let anyone do so either. Lest they all be dealt with a moderately grumpy Shizun. 

(His emotions may be as volatile as a hormonal boy lately, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know how to keep them in check!! He still had a reputation to keep.)

His studio offered him a sense of privacy and solitary that not even his bedroom allowed him — for Binghe could knock on his bedroom door to alert him for whatever needed his attention, and while he could do the same to the studio, the fact remained; a Shizun interrupted during his precious studio time, did not, a happy Shizun make. 

There were silencing talismans painted into the walls — courtesy of the Original Goods — that Shen Qingqiu really quite appreciated. It allowed him the peace of mind to do things his face could not allow him outside of it— and that is, he got to muse aloud to himself, and hum songs from his old world that he couldn't anywhere else. Some songs that he still knew the lyrics to, he was happy to half-sing under his breath.

It had to be a form of meditation, it had to be! With how much peace and grounding it brought him, it couldn't be anything but a form of meditation.

Currently, he was just letting instincts lead his brush strokes while he hummed a melody from some myth musical he stumbled across a few weeks before he died. The songs had been so catchy that he had most of them all but memorized! He's tried repeating the instrumentals on his guqin and ruan with varying degrees of success.

Painting helped kill his migraines the most. As it stands, he’s had a killer one hammering at his skull since this morning. Bad enough to the point that he nearly snapped at poor Binghe during breakfast, and the child could all but sense the sour mood radiating off his master, and in turn had been silent and subdued until he left. 

Aish, that child… Shen Qingqiu hasn't quite quelled the guilt in him. Something about that awful subservience rankled him in a way he couldn’t explain, making him want to recoil and snap out at the same time. Something dark and deep in him had reared its head, wanting to reach over and shake Binghe for it. 

He'd been horrified by his own thoughts, and then locked himself in his studio for the rest of the day.

Even in death — or wherever the Original Goods was — he was still making things difficult! It was only natural that Binghe would go quiet and careful at the sight of Shen Qingqiu’s bad mood, he used to beat the boy at whim for imagined slights! He’ll have to reassure Binghe better that he wasn’t going to hurt him. 

Bah. He was supposed to be painting, not thinking about things that made his head pound worse or his mood dampen more! He didn't want to think about Luo Binghe right now — a surprise, even for him! — he wants to focus on the scent of ground ink and paints, and his own soft humming.

He blinks, once, twice, and focuses on the painting. It happens, like now, that he would zone out and paint entire landscapes, people, whatever, without realizing. It was always a guessing game of what he's made when he lets his mind wander. Some of things he painted were merely of Qing Jing, other times— 

— a burning red fire, encased on canvas, hangs off his eyelashes. And following it, the ensuing qi deviation he'd shoved off. —

Other times aren't worth mentioning.

He's painted a boy this time, a young one, with dark skin and even darker hair, and a smile that isn't quite right. There's a beauty mark right above the corner of his lip, artfully placed, as if it had been hand-placed by an expert craftsman. The boy's upper face remains unpainted, as if he’d been born without eyes. Yet, even without them, the boy looks completely serene and non-judgemental. Mn, no, perhaps more accurately he looks passive? Peaceful? 

Shen Qingqiu can feel his gaze, missing as it is, burning into him. He frowns immediately. His headache no less lessened, in fact— he thinks it's gotten worse. There’s a horrid familiarity about the boy in the painting, like a word poised on the tip of his tongue that he can’t quite place. "Don't look at me like that." He says aloud, bah, he hadn't meant to! But it’s not like there’s anyone to hear him. "Don't you know who I am?" 

En, no, it’s placating. That’s what it is. The boy is placating him. How unscientific! Unneeded; ridiculous. Why would he paint a boy trying to placate him? He was a scum villain, and a grown man!

The painting says nothing, as it ought to, it was only wet ink and dry parchment. Shen Qingqiu's ears burn anyways, and his eyes drop down to the smile on the boy's face. 

He finds that he deeply detests that smile on his face, it disgusts him. 

It disgusts him in the way only sheer incompetence can, a burn of irritation that bubbles up every time he saw an objectively wrong take in the PIDW comment section. As if he can't believe someone would look at him, a scum villain such as himself, and still be able to smile like that.

More than that, it's not right. That smile. It's— there's something wrong with it. Which can't be right, Shen Qingqiu hardly makes a mistake when he makes these trance-made paintings. But there is, he’s looking at it right here. He hates it. That awful smile. It's so— so… insincere. If you're going to smile at him, at least mean it, eh? Doesn't he deserve that much?

Long, slender fingers dip into the small wooden paint bowl beside him and lift back up, dripping wet ink onto the side table, and then onto the floor, across the last two layers of his robes that he always strips down to in here.

He reaches for the canvas to— to what? Smear that stupid smile off that boy's face? Mould it into his own image, back into place like the way it should be, paintbrush be damned? That wretched child, smiling at him like that. That smile is too straight, too perfect. It's mocking him.

Where is the tilt? The slant in it? That boy always smiled with an off-kilter turn of his lips, crooked, that made him real the same way blood in the mouth did, and now he's not, and it's wrong. He will wipe that smile off the boy's face himself if he must, if only to get him to wear anything else—

There is a knock on the door, gentle, hesitant. Only his cultivator hearing is what allows him to pick up on it. Shen Qingqiu's head pounds terribly at the sound. It makes a screeching sound go off in the back of his skull, like an abrupt kick to the teeth. His jaw clacks together on pure adrenaline as he regains the sense to not snarl wordlessly.

Didn't he say not to interrupt—?

His ink-stained fingers snap back, a gunshot recoil that sends splatters of ink flying and splatting coldly against his face. His nails dig painfully into the soft flesh of his palm, and Shen Qingqiu gathers himself back into his lofty cultivator persona with a single breath and a ramrod straightening of his spine. His ears ring horribly. "What." He calls, perhaps a little too coldly.

"Shizun?" Binghe says softly, and the sound of that child's voice is like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. Recognition hits him, and the guilt crawls back in at his earlier irritation. "Forgive this one for interrupting, but Yue-shibo is here."

Shen Qingqiu is still staring at his painting, but the boy’s smile burns behind his eyelids like a fire. It takes half a beat for him to respond; "…Alright," he says, and stands up, "prepare some tea, Binghe. And use the ginger root this master owns, he has a terrible headache."

He walks around the stool, fingers still dripping black, and plucks his robes up from the chair he draped them over. His head still hurts, and there’s a peculiar ache in his heart. He takes his time putting his layers back on, vindictively tying each button and knot leisurely. 

Surely Yue Qingyuan has the patience to wait for this one after he so rudely arrived unannounced, hm?

[psipudding]

commission

[swordscleric]

I can't stop thinking about the post from a few days ago about how Critical Role has been great at doing personal faith but didn't put the necessary work in to discuss the religious/god angle of c3 in-depth. Like the fact that Cardinal Respa was linked to both the Dawnfather and the Chained Oblivion is, on a personal level, very interesting (fallen/corrupted priest goes hard) but like does that mean that there's a Papacy somewhere in Exandria dedicated to the Dawnfather? If so, are there more cardinals who ordain the bishops of the Dawnfather? Are there Conclave-level intrigues going on in the Dawnfather's Sistine Chapel? Why is the Dawnfather so Christianity-coded in vibes alone if there's no actual outline of his religious organisations? With Downfall the Dawnchild/Dawnfather thing makes the allusions to Christ as Son of God co-existing with the Father textual - was there a Dawnfather Schism around whether the Dawnchild was a separate mortal? Was there a Reformation about how the Dawnfather's Pope kept selling indulgences? Is that why the priest of the Dawnfather Grog & Pike offer a drink to doesn't partake because of a cultural shift between Protestant-Temperance-League-coded and Catholic-coded Dawnfather congregations? Why do I have so many questions about the religious organisation of one of the most important Prime Deities in Exandria and to Critical Role's 3 campaigns? How on earth were the cast (and us as the viewers!) meant to care about the gods if all they had were "really tall kings" instead of interrogating how religious organisations provide both a place of healing and community to a wide range of people and also a place of horrific harm and abuse for a wide range of people?

[red-garden]

Poorly written scum villain fanfic my beloved

Save me

Save me poorly written scum villain fanfic

[plasticbabyart]

Haven't been posting because work (Also catching up on sleep haha) but jammers, someone using tags correctly and sharing a somewhat negative or critical opinion on something you like isn't a bad thing; just scroll? Block? Ignore? Like cmon jammers, ain't no need

[figofswords]

suggestions for how to dm dnd game for nine middle schoolers who say they want story but all just stare at you when you try to get them to roleplay and you’ve been having a rough week so you’re REALLY not at your best creatively or in terms of patience. go