#Multi-cloud challenges

[softweb-solutions]

Discover how a multi-cloud strategy can enhance disaster recovery, safeguard business operations, and optimize performance. Learn practical insights on effective implementation and how SaaS providers can assist.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Why Writers Don't Finish Writing Their Stories, and How to Fix It

Hello fellow writers and storytellers,

The journey of writing a story is an exhilarating adventure, but it's not without its share of obstacles. Many of us have embarked on a creative endeavor, only to find ourselves mired in the struggle to finish what we started. In this blog post, I'll unravel the common reasons why writers don't finish their stories and explore practical strategies to overcome these hurdles and reignite the flame of creativity.

The Perils of Unfinished Stories

As writers, we often find ourselves in the throes of unfinished tales, grappling with the intricate web of characters, plots, and themes. There are several reasons why the ink dries up and the story remains untold. Let's shine a light on the familiar adversaries that stand between us and the triumphant completion of our narratives:

1. Lack of Planning:

Some of us brazenly dive into our stories without a clear roadmap, resulting in uncertainty about the direction of the plot and the fate of our characters. The lack of a solid plan can lead us astray, leaving our stories wandering in the wilderness of aimlessness.

2. Self-Doubt and Perfectionism:

Ah, the relentless whispers of self-doubt and the siren call of perfectionism! These twin adversaries can cast a shadow over our creative vision, compelling us to endlessly revise and perfect the early chapters, trapping us in a whirlpool of perpetual edits.

3. Time Management:

Balancing the demands of daily life with the ardor of writing can be akin to walking a tightrope. The struggle to find consistent time for our craft often leaves our stories languishing in prolonged periods of inactivity, longing for the touch of our pen.

4. Writer's Block:

The mighty barrier that even the most intrepid writers encounter. Writer's block can be an insurmountable mountain, leaving us stranded in the valleys of creative drought, unable to breathe life into new ideas and narratives.

5. Lack of Motivation:

The flame that once burned brightly can flicker and wane over time, leaving us adrift in the murky waters of disillusionment. The initial excitement for our stories diminishes, making it arduous to stay committed to the crafting process.

6. Fear of Failure or Success:

The twin specters that haunt many writers' dreams. The apprehension of rejection and the unsettling prospect of life-altering success can tether us to the shores of hesitation, preventing us from reaching the shores of completion.

7. Criticism and Feedback Anxiety:

The looming dread of judgment casts a long shadow over our creative endeavors. The mere thought of receiving criticism or feedback, whether from peers or potential readers, can cast a cloud over our storytelling pursuits.

8. Plotting Challenges:

Crafting a cohesive and engaging plot is akin to navigating a labyrinth without a map. Faced with hurdles in connecting story elements, we may find ourselves lost in a maze of plot holes and unresolved threads.

9. Character Development Struggles:

Breathing life into multi-dimensional, relatable characters is a complex art. The intricate process of character development can become a quagmire, ensnaring us in the challenge of creating personas that drive the story forward. (Part one of Character Development Series)

10. Life Events and Distractions:

Unexpected events in our personal lives can cast ripples on our writing routines, interrupting the flow of our creativity and causing a loss of momentum.

Rallying Against the Odds: Strategies for Success

Now that we've confronted the adversaries that threaten to stall our storytelling odysseys, let's arm ourselves with strategies to conquer these barriers and reignite the flames of our creativity.

Embrace the Power of Planning:

A clear roadmap illuminates the path ahead. Arm yourself with outlines, character sketches, and plot maps to pave the way for your story's journey.

Vanquish Self-Doubt with Action:

Silence the voices of doubt with the power of progress. Embrace the imperfect beauty of your early drafts, knowing that every word brings you closer to the finish line.

Mastering the Art of Time:

Carve out sacred writing time in your schedule. Whether it’s ten minutes or two hours, every moment dedicated to your craft is a step forward.

Conquering Writer's Block:

Embrace the freedom of imperfection. Write, even if the words feel like scattered puzzle pieces. The act of writing can unravel the most stubborn knots of writer's block.

Reigniting the Flame of Motivation:

Seek inspiration in the wonders of the world. Reconnect with the heart of your story, rediscovering the passion that set your creative spirit ablaze.

Reshaping Fear into Fuel:

Embrace the uncertainty as an integral part of the creative journey. Embrace the lessons within rejection and prepare for the winds of change that success may bring.

Navigating the Realm of Criticism:

Embrace feedback as a catalyst for growth. Constructive criticism is a powerful ally, shaping your story into a work of art that resonates with readers.

Weaving the Threads of Plot:

Connect the dots with fresh eyes. Step back and survey the tapestry of your plot, seeking innovative solutions to bridge the gaps and untangle the knots.

Breathing Life into Characters:

Engage with your characters as if they were old friends. Dive into their depths, unraveling their quirks, fears, and dreams, and watch as they breathe life into your story.

Navigating Life's Tempests:

Embrace the ebb and flow of life. Every pause in your writing journey is a chance to gather new experiences and perspectives, enriching your storytelling tapestry.

The Ever-Resting Pen: Harnessing the Power Within

Fellow writers, the journey of completing a story is filled with peaks and valleys, each offering us the opportunity to sharpen our resolve and unleash our creative potential. As we stand at the crossroads, staring at the canvas of unfinished tales, let's rally against the odds, armed with the power of purpose, passion, and perseverance.

Let the ink flow once more, breathing life into tales left untold, and watch as your stories triumphantly reach their long-awaited conclusion. You possess the power to conquer the adversaries that stand in your way, and within you lies the essence of untold narratives waiting to unfurl onto the page.

Here's to the journey that lies ahead, the stories waiting to be written, and the unyielding spirit of creativity that thrives within each of us.

Warm regards and unwavering encouragement, Ren T.

[ailoda]

updated: 09.03.25

ᯓ ✈︎ smut

All In (✘): you make jake’s dreams come true. aka the face sitting fic. (@seasonsbloom)

Left At The Altar (multi-part) (❤❅✘): when you get left at the altar, a familiar face swoops in to save the day. (@tip-top-cloud-surfer)

Take A Bite (✘): your best friends challenge you to bring the hottest guy at the bar home, and you can’t manage to say no. (@dearsnow)

Back to Sleep (✘): “Ain't sorry that I woke ya.” (@thebirdandthebee)

Don't Ever Leave My Side (❤✘): the one where you finally let Jake take you out on a date after countless rejections, but it turns out that the guy you convinced yourself he was, isn’t who he is at all. (@bloatedandalone04)

↪︎ Just Us Three (❤✘): yours and Jake’s son gets in trouble at school, and then Jake gets in trouble at home when he tries to hide it from you.

Always A Bridesmaid (❅✘): Bradley tells all the guys at his wedding that his little sister is off limits… But when has Jake ever listened to Rooster? (@sugarcoated-lame)

↪︎ Sometimes A Bride (❤❅✘): you’re having some pre-wedding jitters and there’s only one person you know can help calm you down - or you and Jake sneak off for a quickie before the two of you say ‘I do.’ (part two)

Desire (❤✘): your feelings for Jake resurface after you tried to push them away, leading to an extremely intimate night with your best friend. (@cowboybeepboop)

The Devil Needs A Ride (✘): you can feel the rumble of his voice before he asks, “Whatcha up to, Sugar?”, “Giving you a taste of your own medicine,” you whisper and you revel in the shudder that washes over his body as you bring one of your hands down to rest on his belt buckle. Or the one where Jake works you up enough that you feel the need to retaliate. (@oncasette)

The Hangman Special (✘): on a night out with your friends at a fancy cocktail bar, you are just trying to keep your head down and ignore the girl that your ex cheated on you with. The night only seems like it's going to get worse when you are dared to kiss a stranger at the bar. However, it seems like the odds might finally be in your favor when you notice a familiar set of broad shoulders. If you can be convincing, you think you might just be able to get your brother's friend Jake "Hangman" Seresin to help you out with your little problem. (@hangmanssunnies)

Start of A Silver Fox (✘): back from deployment, you notice a change in your boyfriend's appearance. (@topherwrites)

Touch Me, I'm Sick (✘): it’s always been easy to resist hangman’s charm -- until one lonely night, when it becomes the hardest task you’ve ever had to complete. (@ohcaptains)

Oh Honey (❤✘): Jake Seresin has a routine. He wakes up, he thinks of you, he goes to sleep, he dreams of you. And on Friday nights, he goes to the Hard Deck just to see your face, hoping you’ll one day decide that you want to be with him, too. It’s been the same for a year, but maybe things still have a chance to change. (@seresinhangmanjake)

new! Slim Pickins (✘): an accidental stay in an old school love motel. (@pabbit)

[chukys-mouthguard]

please please please

“if you wanna go and be stupid, don’t do it in front of me”

featuring -> matthew tkachuk x female reader

genre -> fluff/angst

word count -> 1.4k

*not proofread

-> short n’ sweet masterlist

Surely there was no way that Matt could even think about alcohol after his multi-day bender after winning the cup. But somehow, he was knee deep in the sand, and knee deep in his fifth margarita. Jumbo margarita to be exact.

You’d begged him to pace himself, mostly concerned his body would shut down on him in protest of not being able to digest any more alcohol. But he reassured you he was good to go!

The vacation was something he’d planned spontaneously, wanting some time for just the two of you before he’d have to retire his party boy ways and get in gear for the upcoming season. Though he’d now gathered quite a reputation from fans and haters across the internet for his persona after winning the cup.

People were calling him all sorts of things, simply because he had been living his best life on cloud nine. Though you knew nothing they said was true, you were a bit unsure of how you’d deal with drunk Matt on this vacation all by yourself.

Thinking back to day three of no sleep when he thought it was a good idea to host a drunk belly flop competition at your house, only for two of his teammates to puke instantly after hitting the water. Not a fun cleanup for those involved, and Matt still won’t live that down in your heart. But this vacation was a good start to him getting back on your good side.

He’d planned a couples massage, a nice moonlit dinner on the beach, the whole nine.

“Matty, I love you.”

He smiled at you from his beach chair, the word drunk practically branded across his forehead and written in his eyes. Eliciting a chuckle from you as he simply whined, hating when you laughed at him when he’d been drinking.

“You say you love me, then you make fun. Not nice.”

“Babe, I do love you. But I also love when you’re acting goofy like this. It makes me smile, it’s not to make fun I promise.”

He just shrugged it off, reaching his hand out for yours as he closed his eyes to enjoy the moment.

“Matthew Brendan Tkachuk, if you don’t hurry up we are gonna be late.”

You scolded as he continued taking his sweet time getting out of bed. His jumbo margaritas having caught up to him and making everything difficult. A groan fell from his lips as he slid off the side of the bed, stumbling to his suitcase to look for clothes to put on.

“Babe, I laid your clothes out already. Come on! We are gonna be late!”

As much as you loved Matthew, he was getting on your last nerve. This vacation was supposed to be a turn from the crazy Stanley Cup celebrations. A chance for the two of you to have a moment for yourselves before training camp and another crazy season got underway. Matthew having told you the trip wouldn’t be consumed with drinking as he was sure his liver couldn’t handle anymore after the week long partying he’d done back home.

You should’ve listened to his dad and Brady, both of them telling you that Matt wasn’t done celebrating yet. Though you wanted to believe he’d retire the alcohol for even a few days to make the most of this trip with you.

He smiled at you with rosey cheeks as he grabbed the clothes from the dresser where you’d set them out, heading into the bathroom to quickly rinse off and get changed.

Checking your watch you knew you were at risk of missing your reservation, this dinner being something you’d looked forward to since the first day here. Matt had put so much planning into it, and soon it would be all for nothing.

“Okay hun, let’s go!”

Matthew finally emerged from the bathroom, the buttons on his shirt proving to be a challenge as none of them lined up properly, causing you to chuckle as you rushed to fix them.

“Matthew, stop it now!”

You scolded him as he was walking along a ledge of the beach, pretending he was on a balance beam at the Olympics. While it was funny at first, the wall had grown increasingly higher and you were nervous that he’d injure himself and put himself in hot water with the organization come training camp in a few weeks.

“Relax babe, m’fine! See!”

He sped up his pace as he quickly put one foot in front of the other, laughing down at you as you tried to keep up with him. Your heels in hand as you weren’t trying to break an ankle chasing down his drunk ass.

“And now for the dismount.”

He stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath as he turned to face the sand, a concentrated look on his face as you pleaded with him to not do something stupid. Keith and Brady’s words replaying in your head have fun trying to keep him in check. You were very much hating them for ever putting those ideas into the universe right now.

“He’s going to attempt a front tuck, will he stick the landing.”

He flashed a smirk to you with a wink, ignoring your pleading for him to stop. Telling him to think about the upcoming season, training camp, the team would kill him if he ended up with a season ending injury because he was drunk in Mexico pretending to be an Olympic gymnast.

But Matthew surely didn’t listen, attempting his flip only to fail miserably. His groans immediately sobering you up from any drop of alcohol you’d had, though nothing compared to him.

“Matt, are you okay!”

He rolled in the sand grabbing at his shoulder as he groaned, and your fears had come true. A torn ligament, broken bone, surgery, his season would be in jeopardy.

“Matt, come on tell me what’s wrong?”

His groans soon turned to chuckles as he smiled at you, your concern immediately turning to anger as you smacked his arm.

“Are you fucking kidding? What the fuck is wrong with you! Get yourself back to the hotel, I’m done.”

He quickly realized his joke was nothing but, running after you and stopping you in your tracks. His hands were holding tight to yours as he frantically apologized.

“Baby I’m sorry, okay, it wasn’t funny. You’ve just been so stressed and worried about me all trip, I thought you needed a good laugh.”

“So you pretend to fucking get hurt? Everyone told me this trip would be me baby sitting and got were they right! You promised this was a trip for us, to relax after the hype of the Cup celebrations. But here we are with you drunk everyday once again. I should’ve known this would turn into a multi day binge for you.”

You rolled your eyes as you pushed past him. Matthew cursing himself for fucking up this trip, one that he’d planned and promised to be anything like the last month or so. And yet he’d fallen short, living up to the expectations of everyone that told you that he’d not give up the partying.

“Baby please, okay I’m sorry. Please stop.”

Matt stood in front of you, his hands caressing your face as he tried his best to apologize.

“You’re right, I promised this vacation was for us. And I ruined that by getting so drunk. And that joke wasn’t funny, I know you’re just worried about me doing something stupid. Which, I fucked that up. Clearly. But, please don’t be mad at me. Let me fix this!”

You tried your best to keep your stern look and be mad at him, but as he peppered your face with kisses. Moving to your neck before he picked you up and spun you around, earning a laugh from you and knowing he’d won you over.

“See, I knew you couldn’t be mad at me for long!”

Rolling your eyes you kissed him back, running your hands through his curls as you sarcastically smiled up at him.

“Well I’m still mad, but if you promise to not do any more stupid drunk shit like that, maybe I’ll forgive you.”

He nodded his head, stealing another kiss before he started walking towards the water with you in his arms.

“Matthew, what are you doing? This feels like another stupid drunk thing!”

The closer the two of you got to the water the more you fought his grip, knowing he was planning to take you for a swim. Matthew laughed at you as his arms held tighter to you, ready to dunk the two of you into the ocean despite your pleading for him to stop and turn back.

“No, no babe, it’s not I promise. The water will help sober me up quick! But they say night swimming is dangerous alone, I’ve seen plenty of research studies!”

[theanimeroom]

BOMBSHELL | PROLOGUE

synopsis: during a drunken girls night, you and your friends decide to up the ante just a bit, but how did it ever come to this?

warnings: lots of kissing, smut, multi characters x reader, lots of mixed pairings, very random challenges, fluff, slow burns, mentions of cheating, drama, angst, plenty of tears, multi fandom at some point, playlists included!

a/n: content warnings will be posted with each chapter, so be sure to read thoroughly before indulging! the story will progress through my own discretion as well as voting at the end of each chapter, so make sure to cast your votes to see how the plot will unfold!

BOMBSHELL MASTERLIST

“okay okay, who’s next?” one of your friend's chipper voice invaded the rowdy space of your house. she sat up on her legs in front of you as she looked around the room, hoping to find her next victim. you groaned softly as you tried to get accustomed to the hardwood floor of your living room, groaning softly as you pressed your back against the cushion of your couch. you peered around at the three other girls that occupied your space, your closest friends all smiles and dopey expressions as the mimosa’s you made started to take effect.

you were starting to feel a bit warm yourself, relaxation flooding through your veins due to the remnants of champagne. your mind was a bit groggy, the lack of thought and judgment bringing about an uncommon comfort to you. there weren’t many times when you had the chance to relax fully; a constant stream of assignments, schedules, and family matters occupied your brain until it was pounding relentlessly against your skull. nights like these with your friends were far and few in between, so you prepared yourself to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

you swirled the liquid around in your glass, biting your tongue at the present question. with a shake of your head, you took another swig, hoping that they would forget the fact that you hadn’t taken a turn in almost two rounds. before you even had a moment to swallow your mimosa you were hearing the sound of your name, your head snapping in the direction of the friend sitting to your left. “i think it’s y/n’s turn!”

“unfortunately, y/n is unavailable at the moment, please call again, or try your call later,” you chimed in a robotic voice, not making eye contact with any of the women around you. a smirk appeared on your face when everyone started hollering, pointing accusatory fingers at you insistently. a quiet laugh rumbled in your throat, your eyes rolling softly at their antics. you weren’t opposed to the game in question, but you knew how creative your friends tended to become when alcohol clouded their judgment.

you were quite happy to be looked over after you watched your friend suckle at the length of your finger in an attempt to arouse you, an intrigued and inviting visage lining your features through every second of it. although it was funny, as much as you trusted your best friends, you weren’t very fond of seeing the mayhem they could come up with.

"nope! you're not getting out of this one," another friend chimed. you rolled your eyes at the comment, setting your glass down on the hardwood floor as you settled against the plush carpet.

you eyed your friends suspiciously as they all looked at you in contemplation, deciding on a dare for you to complete. the companion to your right gasped just loud enough to catch your attention, your gaze falling on her as she leaned over close enough for you to hear her whisper the question of the hour. “truth or dare?”

you hummed softly, eyes cast towards the ceiling as you feigned contemplation.

you knew the safe route would be to pick truth, saving yourself from whatever method of torture they could conjure up for you this time. despite your thought process, a churning feeling in your stomach steered you in the opposite direction. you had always been the type of person to follow your gut, and what was life without a little risk for reward?

you didn’t hesitate before you looked back at your friends, a challenging smile curving the corners of your mouth. “dare.”

excited glances were shared between your friends and they quickly started whispering amongst themselves. you rolled your eyes with a minuscule smile before taking another sip of your mimosa.

“okay,” one friend blurted by the time you’d swallowed your first sip, your gaze reflecting a suspicious expression. “i dare you to… apply for love island.”

your mouth popped open, a harmless glare being sent her way. of course, she would pick something like this. your obsession with the show was a known fact amongst your friend group, your group chats being filled with pictures of the newest bombshells and your ratings on each couple. you even cleared your schedule on friday evenings just to make sure that you caught the newest episode every week.

but that didn’t mean that you were going to apply for it.

“oh come on,” you chastised. “that’s boring, can you please pick another one?”

your friend pouted at your denial, eyebrows furrowing together. “nooo, i want you to do this one! besides, it’s just for fun, right? the odds of you getting picked are slim to none, and even if you do, at least there’s a prize fund, you could use the help right now anyway.”

your other friends nodded their heads in approval at her statement while you sighed quietly to yourself. as much as you hated to admit it, everything she said was right. there wasn’t any harm in applying, and it’s not like you would get picked anyway, yet, a small part of you pondered on if it would be that bad if you did. you briefly thought about your current financial situation; the unpaid bills needed to maintain the house you currently sat in being shoved into a drawer that you never open, the financial aid that was supposed to get you through your last years in school swiftly being taken from you, and the part-time job that isn’t worth the pain you have to deal with after a long day of classes. you needed a source of income if you wanted to stay enrolled at your college, to stay with your friends, but you just can’t seem to make ends meet.

you blinked before downing the rest of your mimosa.

“fine, someone grab my laptop.”

you truly thought you were dying.

your heart was beating rapidly, a shuddered breath slipping through the air as you stared at yourself in the mirror before you. it was huge, white borders illuminating the corner of your eyes as you tried your best not to take your eyes off of your figure. a short tug on your hair made you look up at the woman standing behind you, her soft smile and apologetic “sorry” drifting in one ear and out of the other. you shook her head at her, returning a smile of your own as she placed the straighter against your frizzy hair again. you watched with worried eyes as your full head of hair was flattened out by what felt like the 100th stylist to touch you today.

nervous didn’t even begin to describe how you were feeling at the moment; your jaw clenching and unclenching periodically, and your breaths coming out much shorter than they probably needed to. you’d felt fine in the weeks leading up to this, even going as far as buying a whole new wardrobe and fixing the atrocity that was your finger and toenails. you had plenty of time to come to terms with the current situation, so why did it feel like you were going to pass out?

staring at your own eyes in the mirror, you tried your best to fix your labored breathing. you started thinking, pondering about anything that could take your mind off of the anxiety shooting up your spinal cord. the bodies sliding around behind you made it even harder to forget where you were, your anxious fingers wrapping around your bracelet-clad wrist. you shut your eyes as you took a couple of deep breaths, hand wringing the skin of your wrist roughly.

a light touch to your shoulder brought you back to the real world, eyes opening to reveal the woman who was currently playing with your hair. she held a comforting smile on her face, the warmth from her hand meeting your exposed skin gently. “try not to think about it too much, i’m sure you’ll do great.”

you tried your best to take her advice, but the tight line that your lips drew gave away your true thoughts immediately. when the stylist only gave you another smile you huffed before slouching in your chair.

"is it normal to feel like this?" the words left your mouth before you could stop them. you locked eyes with the woman through the mirror, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed with worry. she grasped another piece of your hair, straightening it out with her fingers before lining up the straightener to flatten the last couple of pieces. without a word, she started nodding her head.

"much more normal than you think," she explained as she brushed your newly straightened hair with the rest. She paused momentarily, grasping the last lock of hair with soft fingers, and laughed softly to herself. "Most people come in here looking like they're about to throw up. you're probably doing the best that i've seen so far."

a small laugh allowed your shoulders to drop slightly. it would be a lie if you said that her words didn't help you out, the butterflies swarming around in your stomach subsiding slightly. No more words were spoken between you until your flattened hair fell in front of your face, hairspray clouded your vision in the mirror, and the stylist muttered to you that her job was officially done. you blinked, remembering exactly where you were and what you were about to experience in mere hours.

as you eyed your appearance in the mirror you couldn’t help but widen your eyes slightly. your makeup wasn’t too much different from what you did on a usual basis, but the light shadows of the brown they’d creased into your outer lids left you with a captivating smokey eye, eyes narrowing out into a seductive glare. your lips were tinted with a lip stainer, the gloss overlapping it accentuating the curve of your smile. you couldn’t deny the fact that you in fact did look stunning in your current outfit and makeup, the realization that you got to dress up like this every day for the world to see shocking your system in the most pleasurable of ways.

the stylist motioned for you to stand from the chair, your body moving instinctively as you rose from the leather cushion and trailed behind her. the door you'd initially walked through to get your hair done was behind you, your head swiveling around to peer at it before following behind the woman. you knew there was no turning back the moment you stepped through those doors, yet when your feet crossed the threshold, you couldn't help the twinge of excitement that finally zipped through you. your legs felt like jelly as you followed your guide, eyes flickering about your surroundings. the walls were white, splotches of random colors scattered along the surface. it was fun and bubbly, a stark contrast to how you were feeling at the moment. the wide hallway felt never-ending as you walked towards a large set of double doors, your breath catching in your throat when the woman in front of you ceased her movements.

you bit down on your tongue as you realized this was your moment. as you stared down at the doors before you, your mind started swirling with questions.

would you find love? how are the other people going to be? what if you embarrass yourself? what if all the guys are actually smoking hot?

it wasn’t even the people you were necessarily worried about. you had become accustomed to meeting new people and having suitors, but for everything to be broadcasted on national television? you didn’t want to do something stupid and have the entirety of your country hating your guts. it left an uncomfortable churning in your stomach, muscles growing stiff as all the possibilities swarmed your mind. you shut your eyes as you rid yourself of all those plaguing thoughts, trying to focus on only the happy things.

just look forward to the experience, and have as much fun as you can. just be yourself, you'll do just fine. you're hotter.

you hummed to yourself, peeking at the door when you heard a soft click resonate through the empty hallway. the stylist was looking at you with a knowing smile, nudging her head at the door that was now cracked open.

"good luck,"

thank you for reading! look at the top of each chapter to find the masterlist, and don’t forget to participate in the polls! beta readers are always welcome, so if you’re interested, just send me a dm!

[badbf-cb]

For the third time in 10 minutes, Lisa slapped Mark’s hand away from her cake. “If I have to tell you to stop one more time I’m going to stick this fork in your hand,” she promised, waving her fork at him. Her threats were only met with a smile as Mark leaned closer from across the table.

“I don’t see why you’re being so stingy. You always used to share with me,” he pouted, grabbing her empty hand… just in case. He idly spun her stunning oval-cut engagement ring around her finger and sighed. “You know, when you left I always thought you’d come back to me,” he said softly before she pulled her hand away, “not… not this… engaged to someone else.” He ducked his head and chuckled almost sadly. “I would have guessed it was Jungkook you let me for. Did you even get my letters?” The hurt that clouded his eyes made Lisa push the cake closer to him.

This was a conversation she hoped to never have in her life. “I did,” she admitted, “but I never read them. I couldn’t let you pull me back, Mark. That wouldn’t have been fair to either of us.” She avoided his gaze knowing it would only make this harder.

“Did the thought of marrying me seem that bad?” he asked finishing the cake between them.

“Yes.” Her answer was straight to the point. “I was a different girl then. I was suffocating under every expectation from you and my parents. I tried telling you but-”

“I wouldn’t listen,” he finished for her. “And now? What’s changed?” He tilted his head and tried to read her face. The way she stared back would normally infuriate him but he could see the gears turning in her brilliant mind. “Do you remember the time we snuck out and went to the lake?” His sudden change of topic caught Lisa off guard. “The second time… not the first.”

The memory made her laugh, a sound that echoed in the kitchen. “I remember you having a black eye for a week after if that’s what you’re asking,” she reached across the table and tapped his left cheek. “I don’t think Jaebeom forgave you either.” Mark stood and pushed his chair back before offering his hand.

“Let me take you to get some coffee and fresh air. I’ll even leave a note so your brother doesn’t think I kidnapped you… again,” his request didn’t leave much room to argue, except it was Lisa and it was what she did best. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest.

“And if I say no?” she challenged him, holding her chin up defiantly.

“Then I’ll ask again later today, and tomorrow, and the next day until you say yes,” he said matter of factly. “I’m not going to sit around and watch you waste away in shadows. You belong in the sunshine for everyone to see.” He wiggled the fingers on his still-extended hand, waiting patiently for her answer.

“Fine,” Lisa laughed, taking his hand. “just please leave that note. I don’t want to see you with another black eye.”

I’ll catch up on everything tonight. ❤️

@raiden-oc 🧡 @monsterhigh-cb @dc-heroes-cb 🖤 @hybrid-babies ❤ @vixen-demonscb 💚 @the-hellhounds 💝 @fate-bot @shangrixxla @multi-esme @dark-royals-cb @nana-n-nono @mutant-academy @project-takeover @supernaturalcb @livealittleoc-cb 💙 @violettaamore @lostwoods-cb @mirage-ocs @oc-empire @reve-rv @oc-acehouse @yoncho @welcometosector1 @prkshoon @moonlit-nights-club @yandere-loves

[crankyarchives]

jujutsu kaisen

ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ, ᴀʟʟ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀꜱ ᴛᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ

❀= 𝗌𝗆𝗎𝗍 ♡ = 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿 ⭑= 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍 𖦹= au

· · ───────────── ·𖥸· ───────────── · ·

satoru gojo

♡ unconcealable - @chuluoyi ♡ 2 + 1 - @yueebby ♡ 12:03 pm - @yueebby ♡ cool touch - @forest-hashira ♡ serein - @omitea ♡ it was fast, the way you fell for him - @cheriepits ♡ wife - @chuluoyi ♡❀ arranged marriage - @gojorgeous ❀ did you know that you're in my fantasies? - @arminsumi ❀ gojo wanted a baby - @leashaoki ❀ whatever she wants - @anathemaspeaks ❀𖦹 creature of myth - @gojorgeous 𖦹❀♡⭑ sixeyed - @notmazikeen

suguru geto

𖦹❀ "do your other fucktoys even make you cum?" - @wh1msic4alwasab1

kento nanami

(coming soon)

choso kamo

(coming soon)

ryomen sukuna

⭑♡ a millenium of unsaid i love you's - @lxvebun 𖦹 mess it up - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 - @hqbaby

multi-character

❀ i wanna feel you. taste you. touch you - @tojiseviltwin ❀ impatience - @kamitv ❀ guys who just come completely undone - @glitterycvm ♡ i want something more... - @gojom0jo ♡ turning tables - @bunny584 ♡ men who do pushups, you lying beneath them - @white-poppie

satosugu x reader

♡ deserve better - @meo-on-prairie ♡ life with poly!geto and gojo - 1 / 2 - @lunarpeonie ♡ paracosm of the gods - @satoruxx ♡ lovers rock - @driaswrld ♡ early mornings and stolen cups - @risuola ♡ challenge accepted! - @lxvebun ♡ i want to kiss you - @arminsumi ♡ sick day - @queenendless ♡⭑ raspberry leaves - @sunmoonjune ⭑ first time that i called you mine (that wasted summer) / 2 - @haeryna ❀ a girl with no name - @bunny584 ❀ getting high with satosugu - @graytalents ❀ clouded - @dsiiress ❀ pervy!satosugu - @nisuna ❀ audience of one - @fartfather ❀ one, two, three (it's not only you and me) - @justrustandstardust ❀ what's mine is yours - @saetoru 𖦹♡ in their loving hands - @sunmoonjune

[pascaloverx]

STARVE

Summary: You lost your husband some time ago while he served as a gladiator for Emperors Geta and Caracalla. General Acacius saved you from becoming an object of pleasure for the emperors. Since then, he has taken you as his mistress. In your free time, you became a disciple of Ravi, the healer, dedicating yourself to tending to wounded gladiators. All seemed to be in perfect harmony until Hanno, a gladiator driven by a thirst for vengeance, crossed your path.

Author's Note: And the gods said: Starve will be a multi-chapter fanfiction (I hope readers will follow it all the way through). Without further ado, the characters belong to Ridley Scott's Gladiator II universe, though there will be significant deviations from the film. Historical accuracy regarding life in the Roman Empire may not always be strictly observed, so I hope you can overlook that. Yes, this story revolves around a love triangle, but I will strive to satisfy everyone. This fanfiction will include adult content, violence, and potentially coarse language. Please interact with this chapter.

SIX EIGHT

SEVEN

There is a heaviness in the air as you still wrestle with the confusion of not knowing whether General Acacius has betrayed your trust all these years.

“If you intend to punish me for my disagreement with Emperor Caracalla, know that I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions,” you murmur, eyes cast downward, utterly dejected. You notice the footsteps of Emperor Geta drawing closer. Then, his hands gently lift your face, forcing you to meet his gaze.

“Healer, what did my brother do to you?” His words catch you off guard. You had expected him to assume you provoked Caracalla and that punishment was warranted.

“There will always be discord between the Emperor Caracalla and me. Augustus hovers between us like a ghost. Sadly, he is not pleased with my presence here, given all that lies in our past,” you say with a fragile voice, hoping Geta believes that you're weakened by the weight of it all.

His fingers softly graze your cheek before he draws you into his arms, startling you with an unexpected embrace. At first, the closeness feels foreign—you’ve never known him to show such tenderness. Yet you allow yourself to surrender to the warmth of his hold, returning the embrace and clutching his body tightly to yours.

“Augustus has long since departed this world, and the discord born of his memory should have faded with him,” Geta says, his voice low as his lips brush against your shoulder—which, amidst the chaos, had somehow become bare. The warmth of his mouth against your skin is unexpectedly soothing.

“Alas, my brother’s mind is troubled. He is no longer the man he once was.”

He pauses, a hint of worry clouding his expression. “He will not rest until he believes you have been punished for defying him. I must send you to a cell. But if you need—”

Before he can finish, you close the distance and kiss him. A kiss born as much from the need to silence this conversation as from the desire to feel something other than rage. His lips, however, are more eager than you anticipated—hungrier, as though Emperor Geta holds more than a passing interest in you.

“I can look after myself, Emperor. And if you do not object, I believe it is time I face my punishment,” you say, your lips still barely apart from his.

"General Acacius!" Emperor Geta calls out, still holding you in his arms. You wish he hadn’t chosen Acacius to escort you, but deem it unwise to challenge his decision.

General Acacius enters the chamber with precision, his gaze falling upon you and Geta. He seems slightly unsettled—perhaps even jealous—at the sight of your closeness with the emperor.

"What is your will, Emperor?" the general asks, and you notice the chains in his hands, meant for your wrists.

Geta steps away from you and gestures toward Acacius, granting him permission to approach and restrain you. The general wastes no time, fastening the chains without hesitation.

"Take the healer to a cell," Emperor Geta commands. "Tell the guards to treat her gently, but make it clear—she does not leave unless I give the order."

Acacius nods. He appears reluctant to touch you roughly, instead attempting to guide you forward with a soft nudge. You look at him, struggling to suppress the anger boiling within you, but say nothing as you walk away from Emperor Geta.

You move ahead of General Acacius. The silence between you feels like a dagger driven into the space that once held trust. He dares not speak. You sense that any words exchanged now might unleash destruction across Rome.

At last, he lifts you onto his horse and begins the journey toward your confinement.

“I should thank you,” Acacius murmurs as the horse trots forward, “for taking the blame upon yourself.”

With each steady gallop, your hands grip the chains tightly—if only to keep from pushing him off the horse and killing him then and there. Truth be told, you are not certain whether he truly murdered Augustus. Yet something in Caracalla’s words—or in the way Acacius has carried the weight of responsibility for you since your husband's death—makes you believe he may very well be the one who ended Augustus’ life.

"Did it fill you with gratitude to take my husband’s life with your own hands? Or was it by the blade of your sword?" you ask, struggling to believe you are truly accusing Acacius of such an act. The man who had cared for you all these years—the one who had made you feel safe, even if only for a moment.

“I do not take pride in what I have done,” he murmurs, admitting what you so desperately wished he would deny.

A wave of sorrow threatens to overtake you, tears brimming in your eyes. “You killed my husband? Why would you murder your friend—someone you once vowed to protect?” you whisper, your voice tight with emotion, nearly breaking as the grief takes hold of you. A sharp pain blooms in your chest, as if sorrow itself had taken root in your soul.

“Because he asked me to,” Acacius mutters, shattering something deep within you. No—no, it could not be true.

You move instinctively, as if your very body rejects his words, and fall from the horse. Acacius immediately dismounts to help you, but you recoil from his touch, struggling to gather yourself after the fall. Your body aches, but it is your spirit that screams in pain.

“You expect me to believe my husband asked you to kill him?” you speak with contempt, revolted by the very suggestion that Augustus would choose to abandon you.

“He could no longer endure the battles. No matter how hard he tried to stand tall, his body had long begun to reveal what he already knew in his heart. He was dying before our very eyes, Y/N,” Acacius says, once again attempting to draw closer. But you, already on your feet, step away from him.

“How could you?” you whisper, clutching the chains that bind your hands with trembling strength.

“I did it out of love,” General Acacius murmurs, his gaze fixed on you—his longing to close the distance between you evident in his eyes.

“Love?” you echo, as though the very word were foreign—a concept twisted beyond recognition by the betrayal it now represents.

“Augustus always knew I harbored feelings for you,” Acacius confesses, his voice strained, as though the weight of the truth were nearly too heavy to speak aloud. “I tried to bury it when I learned the two of you had wed… but I fear I never truly grasped the depth of it.”

You stare at him, unable to reconcile the man before you with the certainty you once held—that General Acacius had given his heart to Lucilla.

“Are you saying this only to deceive me again?” you ask, your voice laced with bitterness. “Professing some deep affection now, so that I might believe the rest of your tale?”

“I deceived you once,” he says softly, taking a step toward you before lowering himself to his knees. “I will not repeat that mistake.”

“So not only did you kill my husband, but you made me feel shame for believing there was more between us than a fabricated affair to maintain appearances?” The fury you had struggled to contain finally breaks through, lacing your voice with fire. He had deceived you—deceived you even while claiming to love you.

“I cannot express how deeply I hate you in this moment, General Acacius,” you cry, your voice sharp, searing—as though each word scorches the air between you. The truth is, you do not know what you feel. But something inside you demands to rise, and rage surges like a tide.

“This was what I sought to prevent,” he confesses, still on his knees before you, a rare vulnerability exposed in a man who seldom allows any weakness to show. You cannot stop yourself.

Gripping the chains that bind your wrists, you raise your fists and strike him across the face. The blow lands with a dull thud, and Acacius exhales sharply, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“You are a coward!” you cry out, feeling the warmth of his blood trailing over your hands. The gash across his face reveals that your blow landed with more force than you had anticipated. Acacius’s lips tremble as he falters, clearly shaken.

“Yes, I am,” he says, voice hoarse. “I was a coward when I granted a friend’s request years ago without grasping the consequences—and I am a coward now, admitting that a part of me took advantage of the aftermath.”

The way Acacius looks at you now is stripped of all armor—utterly vulnerable. You stare at him, trying to make sense of how the two of you arrived at this moment. The tears come then, a bitter, agonizing weeping that feels like it had long been lodged within you. Still on his knees, Acacius drags himself closer, then clings to your legs as though trying to physically anchor himself to you, to beg silently for the forgiveness he desperately desires.

“Forgive me,” he murmurs, gazing up at you as your tears fall freely. The plea in his voice is palpable. But in this moment, nothing he does can draw you toward forgiveness.

“General Acacius, rise—and take me to my cell,” you command, struggling to contain your sobs. Distance is what you need now. Perhaps time apart will bring clarity to your heart… or strength to your fists.

He looks up at you one last time before rising—seeking in your expression the faintest trace of hope for reconciliation. He finds none.

Without a word, he helps you back onto the horse, and then guides you in silence through the streets—toward your prison among the captured gladiators. You do not speak. He does not speak. Truthfully, you would not listen even if he did.

You only realize you have reached your destination when the murmurs of the gladiators reach your ears. Acacius steps forward before returning to the comfort of his home—and the embrace of his wife. Quietly, he removes the chains from your wrists.

“I will return soon… to see if you are well,” he says softly, gently undoing your bonds. You say nothing. You simply look at him—with a hollow, empty stare that seems to strike him harder than any blow could. He says no more. Then, you are led into a cell—

You then collapse to the ground as if your body can bear no more of standing. A tumult of conflicting emotions overwhelms you—guilt for having wounded Acacius, a burning desire for revenge for being deceived, and anger that your husband chose to command Acacius to take his life rather than open his heart to you. So many feelings churn within you that it seems you cannot bear the weight of them all.

Just then, you hear someone enter your cell. "General Acacius, it would be best for your safety that you depart," you say without turning to see who has come in, for you are nearly certain it is Acacius. You know full well that if you do not insist upon his leaving, the discomfort between you will only endure longer.

"I am not General Acacius," Hanno declares, surprising you, "but I am willing to risk my own safety to remain here." He fixes his gaze upon you, as if studying every nuance of your state, while you feel a deep shame for being so utterly broken in his presence.

"You should not be here," you murmur softly, acutely aware of your disheveled condition. Then Hanno stoops toward you, and without further delay, he gathers you into his arms, offering solace without requiring a single word from you.

"I feel that here is exactly where I should be, Y/N," Hanno declares as he draws you into his embrace, allowing you to feel the warmth of his body. He begins by kissing your neck, then your cheek, and finally your lips, holding you with a tenderness that belies the tumult of the day.

"I missed you," you whisper, comforted by the secure hold of his arms. You close your eyes, nestling against the expanse of his chest.

"I do not know what has befallen you, but know this: henceforth, you are mine to care for," he says, pressing a gentle kiss upon the top of your head. And so you remain together, intertwined in that intimate and reassuring embrace.

[22ayla21]

Hi! Can I order Tiramisu and Strong Espresso with Kayden, please? 🤎🤍

"Tiramisu and Strong Espresso"

Event: "Sweet Stories, Intoxicating Feelings"

Somewhere between the ruins of unfulfilled ambitions and the smoke of past battles, he met her. Not in the roar of the arena, not in the fury of blows, and not in the blinding brilliance of power—no. She appeared in his ordinariness, like a quiet, almost unreal melody amidst eternal solitude. Unexpectedly. Without challenge. Without a shadow of fear.

She entered his life like a drop of balsamic in a sweet sauce—not destroying, but enriching the flavor.

He, Kayden—a storm in human form, lightning incarnate—was forever seeking worthy opponents to prove his superiority, his apex among the awakened. His name inspired awe, his voice echoed with glory. And yet, beside her, he seemed to lose some of his thunderousness. Not out of weakness, but out of a strange, previously unknown respect.

Love with her was not simple. Not a transparent compote of sentiments, not a cloying jam of romance. It was tiramisu—a multi-layered combination of bitterness, sweetness, intoxicating tenderness, and the tart cocoa on the tips of fingers. Her presence felt like an aftertaste on the lips: first light, almost fleeting, then sharp, unforgettable, penetrating to the very core.

Every glance of hers seemed to sift through him. It was as if she saw in him not only the tempest that everyone admired, but also a cloud-covered sky, eternally lonely. And she didn't look away. Didn't run. Didn't beg for mercy. She accepted him entirely. With all his sharp words, flashes of anger, with a pride capable of crushing mountains.

And he allowed himself to be different.

Love with her was not only like tiramisu, but also like strong espresso: a small cup containing everything—heat, aroma, invigorating bitterness, an impulse to life. Every morning, when her touch awakened him, he felt a surge in his chest—not of rage, but of an energy that gave hope. The kind that needs no proof. He, Kayden, in whose veins power surged, didn't know that a heart could beat faster not from battle, but from her simple "Good morning."

And he adored her for it.

For the way she, barefoot, with a cup of coffee in her hands, would come into the kitchen and say:

"Today you will be calm, Kayden."

"Today I will be invincible," he would reply, already smiling. Because with her, invincibility was not a mask, but a home. Not solitude, but a union.

And when the world around blurred, when old enemies once again loomed on the horizon, Kayden no longer rushed into battle with a cry: "Kayden will show you where your limit is!" He returned home. To her. To her gaze, in which there was no fear. Only confidence. In him. In them. In love.

He didn't say it to her out loud. Kayden rarely voiced his feelings—he showed them. In the way he carefully brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. In the way he stood silently behind her while she cooked. In the way he always sensed when he simply needed to be there, to offer a shoulder—not for protection, but for closeness.

And one evening, on a very ordinary evening, when the city was drowning in twilight and rain, she covered his hand with hers.

"You know," she said, "you're not at all the way you want to seem."

He smirked, looking into her eyes.

"I have always been magnificent. It's just that not everyone has had the chance to see it for real."

And she, laughing, pulled him close.

And outside the window, the rain tapped softly, and in the air mingled the aroma of coffee and something much more—a love that had grown deeper than words and kisses.

She became his home.

And he—her legend.

[canonical-transformation]

(first | previous | #untitled shenhe game )

> say yes but you are no hero

It is true that you fought Beisht and drove the ancient god away from Liyue Harbour.

“Yes,” you say, “but I am no hero.”

You weren't trying to be a hero. You were simply protecting people you cared about.

Some of your friends have disagreed with you on this. Yun Jin said that a hero is defined not by their motivations but by the difficulties they overcome. Yanfei said that there's no legal definition of heroism so arguing over it is pointless.

No matter. You know what you know:

“I am simply a human like any other.”

The woman in the gray hooded cloak tilts her head. She seems to be thinking this over.

“That's very enlightened of you,” she eventually says. “Still, it's an honour to meet someone as formidable as you.” She motions towards the dead Fatuus. “May I take his badge?”

“Yes,” you say. (She likely wants it for the Tianquan's recycling program, in which Fatui soldiers' badges can be traded in for a thousand Mora each. The Tianquan is very environmentally conscious.)

“Thank you,” she says, and begins rifling through his clothes. “Miss, may I trouble you for your help with something?”

“I am busy,” you reply. “I am making noodle soup, so I am hunting for Boar Meat.”

“Really? I can get you some Boar Meat.”

“I would prefer to hunt my own kill.”

“Oh. I see. It's just, please, my research has stalled and... Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like arrows? Or some Hunting Traps?”

Hunting Traps might be useful. When used correctly, they can result in additional meat at a higher quality. Nobody is quite sure how this works.

“The local boars are really aggressive,” the woman adds. “Even with your prowess, I wouldn't recommend getting into a brawl with one. It's too risky. One of my boys got knocked off a cliff by a boar just the other day.”

(You are aware of the risks. Cloud Retainer once told you a precautionary tale about this exact thing happening to Xiao.)

(Multi-choice: multiple popular options may be picked.)

> offer to trade Fowl bits; ask what she wants help with; go challenge the boar

[softweb-solutions]

Discover the benefits and challenges of implementing a multi-cloud strategy for your business. Learn how to navigate the complexities, choose the right cloud providers, and unlock agility, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

[florineseexpertfanfic]

Fanfic List for Easy Access

Hello! My name is florineseexpert (‘floor-in-knees expert’) and I write too much fanfiction. I write mainly for Final Fantasy VII (Cloti), Sonic the Hedgehog (Shadamy) and Stardew Valley. A lot of my stories are meant for mature audiences! Please read at your own risk.

To read all my works, follow me on AO3!

I decided to make a master list of the stories posted on tumblr! Some Shadamy stories are only available here on tumblr, they are annotated with a *.

Final Fantasy VII (mainly Cloti ship):

Paper Faces On Parade (Rated M, One Shot)

AU! Aerith and Jessie convince their friend, Tifa, to go to a masquerade party with them to forget her ex-boyfriend. They neglect to tell her what kind of party it really is- though there, she meets someone who makes her feel daring. 

A Pinch of Salt (Rated G, One Shot)

AU! Cloud is a bartender who never has eyes for anyone. At least, not until a certain Major comes in to celebrate her early retirement.

Their Knight in Shining Armor (Rated T, One Shot)

Barret gets a phone call late at night and comes to the rescue.

Under the Moon (Rated G, One Shot)

Omega has been defeated, and the world celebrates. Cloud and Tifa have a romantic moment before he leaves to join the search party.

Karaoke Days (Rated G, One Shot)

Tifa has some ice cream, and some moves! Written for #clotivacay2025.

Sonic the Hedgehog (mainly Shadamy ship): 

Doing My Boyfriend’s Makeup Challenge (Rated G, One Shot)

Amy does Shadow’s makeup.

*How Can We…? (Rated M One Shot) 

Shadow and Amy share a night together, and a decision was made. But was it the right one? Is it… right? Can they go back to being… friends?

*Love Language (Rated G One Shot)

Shadow learns their love languages. He decides to take the next step. 

Amy- (Rated G, Multi-chapter)

Shadow is not sure how to express himself. It doesn’t come naturally or easily for him. But he needs to figure out things, so he decides to write letters to a certain hedgehog- letters he never intends to send.

*Heated Kisses (Rated M, One Shot)

Shadow and Amy have been dating for almost a year now, and their makeout sessions have started to become more… spicy. Are they ready to take the next step?

Playdate Hero (Rated G, One Shot)

He could not believe his owner would force him to sit through ‘playdates’ with these chao. The pink one won’t even look at him - but maybe an act of bravery would change that!

Venus Zinnias (Rated G, One Shot)

The Venus Zinnia is a special and rare flower filled with medical benefits.

If you give it to someone you love, you stay together forever.

Not an Idiot (Rated G, One Shot)

Despite what people think, Sonic the Hedgehog was not an idiot- and he knows something is going on.

[kharrisdawndancer]

DWC Feb 2025 - Day 3 - Suspicion/Salutation - Tinnaire

There was a tiny park near her apartment building. Just a patch of grass, some flowers, and a few benches. She tried to come down at least once or twice a day and sit there, though. Tinnaire had never even noticed it, before the Scourge had come. She’d certainly never noticed the multi-level apartment building just behind it. She’d never lived somewhere that the translocation orb to the top floors was so often out of commission. Still, she’d always appreciated her legs. Going up and down five flights regularly had only made them better. A grin tugged at her lips and she sipped her iced coffee from a paper to-go cup. She could hear the sounds of construction. It bounced off the walls of the city and came careening through the streets, even a district over, as a constant buzzing you could sometimes feel through the stone of the roads.

Just as the rumble faded away temporarily, Tinnaire saw a duck waddle out of a bush. A strangely distressed quarking sound came from the beak and it seemed to stumble just a little, like its body wasn’t right for the nervous system driving it. The corner of her lips came up to watch it.

In a puff of arcane dissipation, the spell wore off with a glittering cloud. A rabbit. It shuddered all over and immediately set in on grooming itself. Tinn couldn’t help wondering if it exalted in being in a familiar form, or if it was trying to clean off the ‘duck’. Either way, it made her chuckle.

“Hello, little one. Student practicing on you today?”

It froze in response, looked at her with suspicion and dashed back into the bush.

Silvermoon, truly a city of magnificent and inspiring magics, was also home to small, vulnerable animals constantly being polymorphed without consent.

@daily-writing-challenge

[umflowers]

i wish so much that this was surprising. for the link-weary, a sprint racer was in a crash that broke several of his vertebrae some months ago and has since been using a wheelchair. he and his partner were at the nascar race at sonoma and attempted to go to the ADA (americans with disabilities act; this is a common way to describe accessibility functions and features at races, like the 'ADA carts' i used at watkins glen) parking lot, with the correct credentials, but were stopped by a security guard who gave them conflicting instructions and generally harassed them, culminating in him shoving the driver in the chest, flipping his wheelchair backward and causing him to smash his head off the pavement. scans showed a cracked C1 vertebrae and swelling from his C6 to T2 vertebrae. i hope i don't have to spell out for you that this could have killed him easily.

***

speaking of my own experiences, the ADA drivers were very kind volunteers at the imsa race at watkins glen, but the track decided to not have ADA carts on thursday 'because of low turnout', as if that means disabled fans don't exist and don't need accommodations that are physically required for us to be able to function and get around. i was repeatedly given bad information by track workers (who were very nice, and i don't blame them for trying to help with clearly what limited information they were given; the lack of preparedness in this area clearly came from higher up), which resulted in more walking around in pain for me and us missing a session we had paid to see. even on a day when the ADA carts were running, we were told by one person that the ADA carts weren't available the entire race weekend and i had to correct them and give them the random number you had to call to request an ADA cart. thankfully one of the pilot challenge drivers actually gave us a ride to our seats on thursday (his name is jim jonsin of rafa racing, please support him), but at the end of the day i had to hoof it across the entire infield from the esses to turn 11 near the start/finish line, which was only physically possible thanks to my rollator walker, which has a seat - which i almost didn't bring due to lack of room in the car. i then had to climb and descend the very steep ramps of the spectator bridge, during which my knees nearly gave out and i nearly fell face-forward. all of this was in 85+ degree heat and high humidity with little cloud cover or wind. additionally, while plenty of seating (like. picnic tables, i don't mean the grandstands) was available in some areas, there was none in others, and parts of the infield outside of the paddock and garage areas is unpaved and uneven, strewn with tree roots and other detritus, without so much as paved walkways. my rollator is multi-terrain but many are not, as well as non-rollator walkers and, of course, canes and arm and leg braces can have difficulty on uneven surfaces, as well, not to mention some both electric and non-electric wheelchairs. idk what the moral of the story is. i'm just real frustrated with ableism in motorsports, i guess. please think about and be aware of what we have to go through just to attend a race and how much of preparedness for our being there is ignored out of indifference and greed. please care. and please keep chase johnson in your thoughts while he recovers from what i'm sure is emotional trauma as well as his injuries.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Cosmic anomaly hints at frightening future for Milky Way

A terrifying glimpse at one potential fate of our Milky Way galaxy has come to light thanks to the discovery of a cosmic anomaly that challenges our understanding of the universe.

An international team of astronomers led by CHRIST University, Bangalore, found that a massive spiral galaxy almost one billion light-years away from Earth harbours a supermassive black hole billions of times the Sun’s mass which is powering colossal radio jets stretching six million light-years across.

That is one of the largest known for any spiral galaxy and upends conventional wisdom of galaxy evolution, because such powerful jets are almost exclusively found in elliptical galaxies, not spirals.

It also means the Milky Way could potentially create similar energetic jets in the future – with the cosmic rays, gamma rays and X-rays they produce wreaking havoc in our solar system because of increased radiation and the potential to cause a mass extinction on Earth.

A re-think of galaxy evolution

"This discovery is more than just an oddity – it forces us to rethink how galaxies evolve, and how supermassive black holes grow in them and shape their environments," said lead author Professor Joydeep Bagchi, of CHRIST University, Bangalore.

"If a spiral galaxy can not only survive but thrive under such extreme conditions, what does this mean for the future of galaxies like our own Milky Way?

"Could our galaxy one day experience similar high-energy phenomena that will have serious consequences for the survival of precious life in it?"

In the new study, which has been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers unravelled the structure and evolution of the spiral galaxy 2MASX J23453268−0449256, which is three times the size of the Milky Way.

Using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter Wave Array and multi-wavelength analyses, they detected an enormous supermassive black hole at its heart and radio jets that are among the largest known for any spiral galaxy, making it a rare phenomenon.

Traditionally, scientists believed that the violent activity of such colossal jets of supermassive black holes would disrupt the delicate structure of a spiral galaxy.

Yet, against all odds, 2MASX J23453268−0449256 has retained its tranquil nature with well-defined spiral arms, a luminous nuclear bar, and an undisturbed stellar ring – all while hosting one of the most extreme black holes ever observed in such a setting.

Adding to the enigma, the galaxy is surrounded by a vast halo of hot, X-ray-emitting gas, providing key insights into its history. While this halo slowly cools over time, the black hole's jets act like a cosmic furnace, preventing new star formation despite the presence of abundant star-making material.

How this compares to Milky Way

Our own Milky Way has a 4 million solar mass black hole – Sagittarius A (Sgr A*) – at its centre, but this is currently in an extremely quiet and dormant state.

That could change if a gas cloud, star, or even a small dwarf galaxy were to be accreted (effectively eaten), the researchers said, potentially triggering significant jet activity. Such events are known as Tidal Disruption Events (TDE) and several have been observed in other galaxies, but not in the Milky Way.

If large jets like this were to emerge from Sgr A*, their impact would depend on their strength, direction, and energy output, the researchers said.

One pointed near our solar system could strip away planetary atmospheres, damage DNA and increase mutation rates because of radiation exposure, while if Earth were exposed to a direct or nearby jet, it could degrade our ozone layer and lead to a mass extinction.

A third possibility is that a powerful jet could alter the interstellar medium and affect star formation in certain regions, which is what has happened in the galaxy the new paper focused on.

Astronomers believe the Milky Way likely had large-scale radio jets in the past and although it could potentially generate them again in the future, experts aren't able to say exactly when because it depends on many factors.

Dark matter clues

The team of researchers also discovered that J23453268−0449256 contains 10 times more dark matter than the Milky Way, which is crucial for stability of its fast spinning disc.

By revealing an unprecedented balance between dark matter, black hole activity, and galactic structure, the experts said their study opens new frontiers in astrophysics and cosmology.

"Understanding these rare galaxies could provide vital clues about the unseen forces governing the universe – including the nature of dark matter, the long-term fate of galaxies, and the origin of life," said co-author Shankar Ray, a PhD student at CHRIST University, Bangalore.

"Ultimately, this study brings us one step closer to unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos, reminding us that the universe still holds surprises beyond our imagination."

TOP IMAGE: The giant radio jets stretching six million light-years across and an enormous supermassive black hole at the heart of spiral galaxy J23453268−0449256, as imaged by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. Credit Bagchi and Ray et al/Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope

LOWER IMAGE: Colour image of J23453268-0449256, which is 300,000 light-years across, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is shown alongside a depiction of our own Milky Way galaxy, which is three times smaller.  Credit Bagchi and Ray et al/Hubble Space Telescope

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Compiled Fully finished pieces

Redrawn fanart from Interview with The Vampire series

A Doflamingo fanart from a Draw This in Your Style challenge

Cupid Draw This In Your Style on Instagram

Redrawn Fanart in the style of Eyvind Earle

Close-up of Doflamingo and Sanji's Eyes

Anime-style Fem!Sanji

Aizen sosuke Fashion Piece

Prepacked Halloween Treat Series 2024:

Which was a multi day Halloween project where I drew different outfits that Sanji wears in different story arcs in One piece.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Some examples of the Halloween project below:

Overall, I love to do details and textures in my art pieces, using a variety of colours, and do constantly seek to improve my work. I also have done a few backgrounds from scratch as medibang (the app I use to draw) doesn't have things like a cloud brush or leaf brushes, seldom shying away from something I haven't done yet or have less experience with.

I do have more finished pieces but Tumblr has a limit of 10 images so I will post some links in the comments.

Thank you for your time 🙏❤️