#Sterling Integrator

[sonalikrishnan]

Navigating B2B and MFT Trends

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, organizations grapple with a host of challenges stemming from a rapidly evolving B2B and Managed File Transfer (MFT) environment. From managing ever-increasing file transfer volumes to ensuring the timely onboarding of a rising number of suppliers and customers, businesses are at the crossroads of transformation and innovation. As expectations for faster responses soar and the imperative to modernize legacy systems through cloud adoption becomes pressing, where can businesses turn for a holistic solution?

The Landscape of Change: Unpacking the Trends

Surging File Transfer and B2B Transaction Volume: The exponential increase in data flow between businesses necessitates robust systems capable of handling, processing, and analyzing large quantities of information securely and efficiently.

Growing Number of Suppliers and Customers: Diversifying supply chains and expanding customer bases require advanced B2B solutions that can seamlessly integrate and manage multifaceted interactions.

Heightened Expectations for Rapid Responses: Today’s digital-first customers anticipate swift transactions, immediate feedback, and efficient onboarding processes, pressuring businesses to keep pace.

The Push for Cloud Modernization: As legacy systems age, the movement towards cloud-based infrastructures offers businesses scalability, flexibility, and resilience against disruptions.

Complex and Diverse Transactions: Handling multifaceted B2B transactions necessitates a robust platform capable of catering to unique business requirements.

Security Concerns: With ransomware and security breaches becoming more prevalent, ensuring data security across transactions has never been more paramount.

Bridging the Gap with Pragma Edge and IBM Sterling Solutions

Facing these intricate challenges head-on, Pragma Edge, in collaboration with IBM Sterling, provides tailored solutions designed to address and surmount these trends.

Combat Complexity: Simplify your B2B interactions and file transfers with streamlined processes, reducing the intricacies of managing vast transaction volumes.

Fortify Security: Benefit from top-tier security measures that guard against potential breaches and attacks, ensuring the safety and integrity of your data at every touchpoint.

Boost Agility: Seamlessly deploy solutions that offer flexibility in handling diverse transactions, ensuring you’re always ready to adapt to the changing landscape.

Enhance Visibility: Gain unmatched insight into your B2B transactions, allowing for predictive maintenance, performance management, and informed decision-making.

Empower Your IT Team: Address the IT skills shortage with user-friendly interfaces and tools, minimizing the learning curve and maximizing productivity.

Integrate Seamlessly: Move away from siloed solutions to a unified platform that integrates all your B2B needs, from onboarding to transaction management.

Smooth Cloud Transition: Embark on your cloud journey with confidence, leveraging the robustness and resilience of modernized infrastructures.

Customized Solutions for Unique Needs: Each business is distinct. Benefit from solutions tailored to cater to your unique requirements, ensuring you’re not just another number.

Stay Ahead with Modernization: Embrace the future with open arms. Keep pace with modernization efforts that ensure your business remains at the forefront of innovation.

Scale with Confidence: As your transactions grow, so does your capability. Experience unmatched scalability that keeps up with your business trajectory.

Accelerate Onboarding: No more delays. Expedite your onboarding processes, ensuring rapid and efficient integration of new suppliers and customers.

In conclusion, as the B2B and MFT landscapes continue to evolve, having a trusted partner like Pragma Edge, backed by the prowess of IBM Sterling, can be the game-changer your business needs to stay ahead of the curve. 

Ready to embark on a journey of transformation and success? Reach out to us today.

[butternutkrinklefry]

Exploring the X-Men tag is like a minefield because one second I'm doomscrolling memes and then I'm blasted in the face with Logan's tits

[mildaintraining]

IBM Sterling Integration Certification

Mildain Training offers in-depth IBM Sterling Integration Certification specifically designed for professionals who want for a way to understand enterprise integration and secure B2B communications and data exchange between partners. This program teaches fundamental concepts like Sterling architecture as well as system deployment as well as real-time workflows for integration led by industry experts. Through hands-on exercises and real-time case study, the training program will help participants develop the practical and work-ready abilities. Mildain Training is proud to offer all over the world users with this certification, which allows learners from different regions to increase their technical abilities and progress in their career. IBM Sterling Integrity Certification is a great choice for IT professionals or developers as well as system architects who want to gain recognition and advancement in their careers.

Company Name: Mildain Training Contact Number: +91-8447121833 Address: Mildain Solution, Zopper Building, BGR Tower, Plot No. -1, Sector -16A, Film City, Noida Email: info@mildaintrainings.com Website: https://mildaintrainings.com/ibm-sterling-b2b-integrator-training/

[dyed-indigo]

y'know it's actually so fascinating to think that i was drawing and posting here and just generally living before i made crusker and later began my obsession. like in my mind there is no longer a pre-crusker time period they've always been there

[easytoken12]

Top Greenhouse Manufacturers: Innovations and Designs

STERLING ARCH PRODUCTS stands as a premier greenhouse manufacturer, situated at Plot-81 Ecotech VI in Greater Noida. With a commitment to quality and innovation, Sterling Arch specializes in crafting cutting-edge greenhouses that epitomize durability, functionality, and sustainability. Their designs integrate modern technology with eco-conscious practices, offering solutions for various agricultural and horticultural needs. Each structure is meticulously engineered to optimize natural light, climate control, and space utilization. Sterling Arch Products' dedication to superior craftsmanship and their strategic location in Greater Noida makes them a frontrunner in the industry, catering to diverse clientele seeking reliable, state-of-the-art greenhouse solutions.

[nisatrainings1997]

[darkficlord69]

Cregan Stark x Targ!Reader

Warnings: smut, 18+, unprotected sex, 18+ language, death, character death, angst, sadness, not proofread

Cregan Stark was indubitably a wolf: ever since he sprang up from his mother's northern womb he had a savage attitude kept in place by his house's sterling reputation for personal integrity. But when his gaze locked onto yours, all semblance of restraint evaporated from his big muscled body like a snowflake slowly melting under the hot sun. When he met you, he felt like a starved animal ready to pounce, to hunt, to eat something so positively delicious that it would satisfy him to no end...

Despite having lived your whole pampered life on Dragonstone, under your mother's constant and loving supervision, you felt at home in the snow covered Winterfell. And when you descended from your mauve scaly beast with a wingspan bigger than the tallest watchtower in Deepwood Motte, you shivered although you were drowning in thick layers of fur and wool. That is, because you met Cregan. He looked at you with an intesity that was at odds with the iciness of the climate and you could do little but avert your gaze to avoid losing yourself in those stormy grey eyes that twinkled with desire.

"My lord, it is an honor," you curtsied clumsily due to your heavy attire but Cregan quickly put a hand on yours to help stabilize you and prevent you from falling face-first in the snow.

"The honor is all mine, my princess," he replied in a husky voice that almost brought tears to ths corners of your eyes. Whatever passed between you was a dangerous thing, hotter than fire, yet fickler than a shard of thin ice.

"I hope your journey was pleasant," he said.

"Oh, definitely, my lord of Winterfell. Now, I believe the politics and scheming can wait for the morrow, but riding Kocsaryon has made my belly rumble in hunger. A feast is in order, if it please you."

Cregan gave a curt nod and led you to the Main Hall, where a feast had already been laid out. The long wooden tables groaned under the weight of hearty soups for each heart, each dish more decadent than the last, the aromas mingling in the air like a seductive promise of indulgence.

At the center of the hall stood a massive boar, its skin crisp and golden, crackling with fat that had been painstakingly rendered over hours of slow roasting. It was stuffed with onions, apples, and a medley of herbs that filled the air with their heady scent. The juices ran clear as it was carved, pooling on the thick wooden platters beneath, where hunks of dark meat were passed around to eager hands.

Beside it, platters of venison, seasoned with juniper and garlic, had been seared to perfection, the meat tender and pink within, the crust dark and fragrant. Roasted root vegetables, earthy and sweet, nestled alongside them, their edges caramelized to a rich mahogany.

A serving girl approached Cregan to clear away a platter of untouched meat and your eyes darkened when her hair brushed against Stark's shoulder.

You stuffed yourself until your belly groaned and then you chanced a glance again at Cregan who was watching as you cleaned your fingers by putting them in your mouth and slowly sucking in a suggestive gesture that was meant as a provocative invitation. Lord Stark's eyes hardened with unmistakable lust and he rose abruptly, mumbling excuses to confused guests. He promptly grabbed your hand and led you outside.

"If you will follow me, my lady. I have something to show you."

By the time you left the warmth of the Great Keep, you were wholly intrigued by this escapade. Cregan knelt before the weirwood tree that seemed to weep blood as you joined him in prayer.

"So, are going to..." No sooner had you started to ask your question, than Cregan's lips were on yours, kissing you with a ferocious intensity that went beyond mere words. His expert tongue left a trail of saliva down the column of your neck, your jaw... He licked and sucked like a newborn wolf pup, but his groans were the howl of a fully grown member of the pack.

"Oh, gods!" you yelled, uncaring of who may hear.

He quickly disrobed you, your smallclothes thrown far, far away and then you were naked beneath his lord's piercing gaze, trembling with anticipation as heat pooled between your legs.

"Cregan, pleaaase!"

The night beneath the godswood was a symphony of passion and primal need. The ancient trees stood silent witness as you and Cregan came together, your bodies intertwining with an intensity that left you both breathless. The air was cold, biting even, but the heat in your lower stomach was enough to ward off the chill for a time.

He kissed you with a fervor that spoke of years of restraint finally unleashed. His hands, rough and calloused from a lifetime of wielding swords and axes, were surprisingly gentle as they roamed your body, tracing every curve and dip as if committing you to memory. You shivered beneath his touch, but it wasn't from the cold. It was from the raw power and the undeniable hunger in his eyes, the kind that made you feel like the only thing in the world that mattered.

As the night deepened, the cold crept closer, seeping into your bones. But you were too lost in him, too lost in the way he made you feel alive in a way you had never experienced before. You clung to him, seeking warmth and comfort in the strength of his embrace, in the heat of his body pressed against yours.

But the North was unforgiving. The warmth of passion was no match for the biting cold of the northern winter. Even as Cregan held you close, his hairy body shielding you from the worst of the elements, the chill began to seep into your skin, turning your breath to fog and your lips to ice.

Cregan sensed it before you did, the way your shivers became more violent, more uncontrollable. He pulled back, his brow furrowing in concern as he looked into your eyes, now glassy with the onset of hypothermia. His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the sight.

"You're freezing," he murmured, his voice rough with worry. He pulled you closer, trying to rub warmth back into your limbs, but it was too late. The cold had already taken hold, and no amount of heat from him could chase it away.

You tried to smile, tried to reassure him that you were fine, but the words caught in your throat, your lips too numb to form them. You could feel the warmth of life slipping away, could feel the darkness creeping in at the edges of your vision. But you didn't want to let go, not when you were here, in his arms, where you had always dreamed of being.

"Cregan..." you whispered, your voice barely more than a breath. "I'm sorry..."

His eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. "No," he growled, shaking his head. "No, don't you dare leave me."

But you were already slipping away, your body going limp in his arms. The last thing you felt was the warmth of his tears on your face, the last thing you heard was the desperate, broken sound of his voice calling your name, begging you to stay.

When the dawn broke, the godswood was silent, the snow around you undisturbed save for the imprint of Cregan's body beside yours. He held you tightly, even as the life had long since fled from your body, refusing to let go, refusing to accept that you were gone.

The godswood bore witness to many things over the centuries, but the sight of the Lord of Winterfell, the fearsome wolf of the North, cradling the lifeless body of the one he loved, was something that would linger in its memory forever.

For Cregan Stark, the godswood would never again be a place of peace, but a place of sorrow, a reminder of the warmth he had once held in his arms and the cold that had stolen it away.

Guyss, this is my first fic! 🫣 Please let me know what you think so that I can improve my work 🐺🌙💫 Thanks for reading! 💝

[himeofshyness]

𝚃𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔

Okay, so I finally downloaded the Sunberry Village mod and let me just say, it was totally worth it. I’ve been eyeing it for a while, and after seeing all the gorgeous screenshots and hearing people rave about it, I knew I had to try it out for myself.

That said… I did have to remove East Scarp from my mods folder. As much as I adore that mod, my poor little laptop just couldn’t handle everything running at once. (RIP, memory.) But hey, it’s not goodbye forever just a temporary pause until I get a proper upgrade. Hopefully soon! (Also, fun fact: I heard that the Always Raining in the Valley mod was integrated into Sunberry Village now, so if you’re like me and want to pursue Sterling, you’ll find him here instead. One more reason to dive in!)

Now let’s talk about Sunberry Village itself, what a gem of a mod. The new map is just chef’s kiss! Lush, vibrant, and full of cozy details that make the whole place feel alive. The NPCs are super well-written and diverse, each with their own personalities and stories. And there's even marriageable candidates here. I’ve already had a few cutscenes and honestly? I’m hooked. I can tell a lot of love went into their design.

There’s also tons of new places to explore, including little hidden spots and secret passages that make wandering around feel like a proper adventure.

And yes, they even have their own mines! I tried them out and I’m kind of obsessed. Every level has a fresh layout, different biomes, and brand-new vibes. It’s not just your average mine crawl, it feels like stepping into a different world with every floor.

If you’re looking for a rich, immersive expansion that blends perfectly with other mods like SVE, RSV, ES or VMV, this is it. Whether you’re into farming, fighting, exploring, or just getting to know new characters, Sunberry Village has something for you.

If you want to play it too, you can find the mod here on NexusMods

[dcdreamblog]

Roy Raymond's book about the history of PIs has a chapter on PoC PIs and he mentions a native American private detective who went by "Pow-Wow Smith"; I seem to recall that this was a nickname occasionally used for Sheriff Ohiyesa Smith, the Western Hero (which he hated for obvious reasons); was this a descendant or just someone using it for name recognition or...?

Yea that one's a...I mean I'm sure it was progressive for the time. So to back fill some information for those not in the know. We're talking here about famous sheriff Ohiyesa Smith of Elkhorn, Nebraska.

(Smith's official portrait from his exhibit at the National Cowboy 7 Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City (can you tell they're my best source for shit like this?))

Yes that was the name he went by, only about half against his will. It is how he is recorded for posterity and while I do not enjoy it, his actual relationship to the name and his own legacy during life was...complicated to say the least.

He was born on what is now the Red Deer Valley reservation to the Santee Sioux, a band of the Eastern Dakota in Nebraska and went out to learn about the "white man's world" via the nearby town of Elkhorn. He was a skilled tracker, fighter and shooter and so was made deputy sheriff in short order and eventually promoted to sheriff full stop.

The name "Pow Wow" was given to him by the townsfolk in what by all accounts seemed to be a genuine attempt at affection. Yes, Ohiyesa made it clear, especially in his early career that he would have preferred going by his "Indian name" (his words, not mine) but as the town continued to insist and as he integrated himself more and more with that community he made his peace with it calling it, from his own diaries... "The people of this city blessing me with their approval. I cannot fully remove the part of me that is proud to here the name "Pow Wow" spoken proudly by my people and with fear by bandits and outlaws" Make of that what you will, he was a Sioux man who had gained some measure of status and even acclaim in the late 1800s. While he was to many respects a trailblazing and radical figure I can't find it in my heart to condemn him for picking his battles and making his peace.

He was even granted US citizenship directly by an act of congress (Because no one is allowed to forget native americans were not given automatic citizenship until *1924*)

He eventually married another SIoux woman named Fleetfoot Smith and they had many children, who in turn had children, on and on until we get to today's subject. U.S Marshall Ohiyesa Smith the Second.

(Cropped newspaper photo of Smith from the Gotham Gazette)

Yes, Smith is indeed a direct descendant of the famous man with whom he shares a name. He is also on the rolls as a member of the Santee Sioux of Red Deer Valley. By all accounts he is a U.S Marshall in VERY good standing with a sterling record (as I was told very directly (and loudly) by a government source (I have those now) who assumed I was investigating him out of some kind of assumption of misconduct.)

If there's an award that a U.S Marshall is eligible for, Smith has one it thrice over and everybody I spoke to had nothing but decent things to say about him. Though he's probably most famous outside "true crime"-esque circles for an utterly bizarre caper he was wrapped up in that involved an old fashioned shoot out at the derelict Gotham Gulch amusement park.

[firemane-angel]

Name: Marianthe

Species: Angel Planeswalker (Clone of Feather)

Gender & Pronouns: N/A, She/They

Color Identity: RGW

Height: 6'7"

Weight: 250 lbs

Age: 70 years ZC

Plane(s) of residence: Thunder Junction

Plane of Origin: Ravnica

Affiliations: Boros Legion (Former)

Titles/Ranks/Positions: Firemane Angel

Allied Organizations: Sterling Company (Tenuous)

Companions/Associates: Haruko (Friend), Azure (friend(unless..? 👉👈)), Jasna (Wrestling partner), The Snorse (Enemy turned friend), The Hatted Rat (Traveling companion), Revel (Friend)

Likes: Animals (even the Snorse), Flying, exploring the wilderness of Thunder Junction, strong drinks, savoury foods

Dislikes: Outlaws, Crime, sweets and sugary foods, sour foods

Bio: Created by Feather, Marianthe served the Boros Legion as a Firemane Angel since her creation. Under Aurelia's leadership, she serves within the Theater of Integrity with other Firemane angels, rooting our corruption within the ranks.

During the War of the Spark, like the majority of Boros, she was on the front lines fighting against Bolas and his army. During the conflict, she had a chance encounter with an Elven Planeswalker. Holding them in her arms after they were lethally wounded, they transferred their spark to her, rather then letting it be harvested by Nicol Bolas. Following the invasion, Marianthe began to have doubts about her mission with the Boros, and after the Phyrexian Invasion of Ravnica, decided to leave the Boros and the plane, taking up residence as a protector of the people on Thunder Junction.

Cards: Coming soon

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 12, 2025

Distinct patterns of connectivity with the motor cortex reflect different components of sensorimotor learning. Areshenkoff, C. N., de Brouwer, A. J., Gale, D. J., Nashed, J. Y., Smallwood, J., Flanagan, J. R., & Gallivan, J. P. (2024). PLOS Biology, 22(12), e3002934.

Persistent activity during working memory maintenance predicts long-term memory formation in the human hippocampus. Daume, J., Kamiński, J., Salimpour, Y., Gómez Palacio Schjetnan, A., Anderson, W. S., Valiante, T. A., Mamelak, A. N., & Rutishauser, U. (2024). Neuron, 112(23), 3957-3968.e3.

Ants integrate proprioception as well as visual context and efference copies to make robust predictions. Dauzere-Peres, O., & Wystrach, A. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10205.

A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect in mice. Jhang, J., Park, S., Liu, S., O’Keefe, D. D., & Han, S. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2455–2465.

Compartmentalized pooling generates orientation selectivity in wide-field amacrine cells. Lei, W., Clark, D. A., & Demb, J. B. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2411130121.

Trans-saccadic integration for object recognition peters out with pre-saccadic object eccentricity as target-directed saccades become more saliency-driven. Liang, J., & Zhaoping, L. (2025). Vision Research, 226, 108500.

When visual metacognition fails: widespread anosognosia for visual deficits. Michel, M., Gao, Y., Mazor, M., Kletenik, I., & Rahnev, D. (2024). Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(12), 1066–1077.

A dynamic subset of network interactions underlies tuning to natural movements in marmoset sensorimotor cortex. Moore, D. D., MacLean, J. N., Walker, J. D., & Hatsopoulos, N. G. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10517.

Local changes in potassium ions regulate input integration in active dendrites. Nordentoft, M. S., Takahashi, N., Heltberg, M. S., Jensen, M. H., Rasmussen, R. N., & Papoutsi, A. (2024). PLOS Biology, 22(12), e3002935.

Neural Correlates of Category Learning in Monkey Inferior Temporal Cortex. Pearl, J. E., Matsumoto, N., Hayashi, K., Matsuda, K., Miura, K., Nagai, Y., Miyakawa, N., Minamimoto, T., Saunders, R. C., Sugase-Miyamoto, Y., Richmond, B. J., & Eldridge, M. A. G. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(49), e0312242024.

Partially dissociable roles of the orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in context-dependent hierarchical associations. Peterson, S., Chavira, J., Garcia Arango, J. A., Seamans, D., Cimino, E. D., & Keiflin, R. (2024). Current Biology, 34(23), 5532-5545.e3.

A computational account of self-control. Suri, G., & Paap, K. R. (2024). Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 123, 102886.

Category boundaries modulate memory in a place-cell-like manner. Theves, S., Schäfer, T. A. J., Reisner, V., de Cothi, W., & Barry, C. (2024). Current Biology, 34(23), 5546-5553.e3.

Action similarity warps visual feature space in working memory. Trentin, C., Falanga, L., Jeske, J., Olivers, C. N. L., & Slagter, H. A. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2413433121.

Organizing space through saccades and fixations between primate posterior parietal cortex and hippocampus. Vericel, M. E., Baraduc, P., Duhamel, J.-R., & Wirth, S. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10448.

Predicting modular functions and neural coding of behavior from a synaptic wiring diagram. Vishwanathan, A., Sood, A., Wu, J., Ramirez, A. D., Yang, R., Kemnitz, N., Ih, D., Turner, N., Lee, K., Tartavull, I., Silversmith, W. M., Jordan, C. S., David, C., Bland, D., Sterling, A., Seung, H. S., Goldman, M. S., Aksay, E. R. F., Wille, K., … Williams, S. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2443–2454.

Multiplexing of temporal and spatial information in the lateral entorhinal cortex. Wang, C., Lee, H., Rao, G., & Knierim, J. J. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10533.

Autism spectrum disorder variation as a computational trade-off via dynamic range of neuronal population responses. Wertheimer, O., & Hart, Y. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2476–2486.

Dynamic tuning of neural stability for cognitive control. Xu, M., Hosokawa, T., Tsutsui, K.-I., & Aihara, K. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2409487121.

Applying the efficient coding principle to understand encoding of multisensory and multimodality sensory signals. Zhaoping, L. (2025). Vision Research, 226, 108489.

[smallnico]

when you made the comic about wyll saying that thing about orin i liked that the him inside his thought bubble didnt have the post-transformation horns and eye. a thoughtful little touch, it made me contemplate the ghost of his character arc (sorry if this is rude to the developers its just how i feel.) i also thought the comic was good overall. thanks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AUH NO THANK YOU <333

yeah i'm so glad people noticed and enjoyed that detail!! i love wyll so dearly and i also (with love to larian for everything they Did do) think he suffered a bit from the last-ish minute changes they made to his character. they were necessary changes, and they made him who he is today, but he didn't get as much thorough and layered development as some of the other companions did. he and karlach are both in this camp lmao, and i believe for the same reason. they didn't become who they are until pretty late in the development process, unlike someone like astarion, who's been himself since very early on.

all this to say, i love wyll and i am determined to explore what is there as best as i can, and i fucking love taking little details and pulling them out. wyll is a confident person who outwardly states that 'self-doubt' is one of the most dangerous monsters a person could fight, and he tends to double down on his confident persona every time something happens to rattle that confidence. moments like the tiefling party illustrate this for me very clearly -- if you wander around with him in the emerald grove post-devilification, a lot of key npcs will say to the effect of "wyll, what in the fuck happened to you", or react with fear and uncertainty. they're willing to accept it given any amount of time and thought, but there's not nothing to his worry that people see him as a monster, and of course, he's already been through the trauma of that same snap judgement by his father, so. he puts on a brave face and keeps his distance from the people he fears he makes uncomfortable, because what else are you going to do? enforce your own uncertain presence in front of regular, good people who are just... trying to live their lives? having a good time at a party? they don't want to be scared. you've been working your whole life to try and keep people like them safe so they don't have to feel scared or unsafe. you are getting in the way. this isn't for you. you aren't welcome here. it does no good to argue that point when you could just keep your chin up and leave.

of course, that's sad as hell, are you fucking kidding me? wyll deserves better than that, but he won't accept better because he's not the type to ask for grace or patience from others, and he's from a background where he's not confident he will receive it -- his father's grace is one thing, but think for a second about how he talks about ulder ravengard's personal history as well: ravengard sr. is the son of a tradesman serving a role meant for patriars. i don't doubt that all that comes with its own baggage and passed-down high standards. as soon as ravengard sr. let his guard down, you know a flock of upper-class baldurians was just waiting to tear him apart for it, because you see them do the same thing to gortash even though he's literally mind-controlling several of them. i don't doubt that ulder ravengard instilled in wyll a driving need to not only be better than other men, surer than other men, more dependable, reliable, with more sterling integrity than other men at all costs, remember the words of balduran, memorize the values of the city, love baldur's gate more than other men, be ready to face them and prove these things to them at all times because they are always testing you. it's hard to have the most demanded of you at all times, and it can create the kind of man wyll is: a man who sees self-doubt and hesitation as a monster, worse than a mind flayer or a devil. and he knows from experience (again, from ulder ravengard himself) that flagging for a second, not being able to explain yourself sufficiently to the people around you, is enough to get you cast out and shunned forever.

but it's not possible for a human being to live like that. they're impossible standards for a reason. wyll has a flawless facade of confidence, but he's not immune to self-doubt and angst under the surface, and this comes out when you play as him or investigate some of the details he drops in a regular tav/durge playthrough, and his devil transformation really does shake his confidence. look:

all of a sudden he's using 'i guess' and 'maybe' and 'could' and 'i might', more uncertain language, to say nothing of what he's actually saying. he's been put in a position where he thinks people will never see the wyll underneath again unless he asks it of them, something he has been conditioned to never expect people to do -- if you have to ask, you're not projecting a solid enough image of confidence and skill and good leadership. then there's the sheer body horror and dysmorphia of minding your own business and one day your boss physically transforms you into a monster forever. wyll is trying so hard at any given moment to not let it bother him, but it so clearly does, and it would bother anyone -- but wyll ravengard is supposed to be better than anyone, better than a normal man. he lives inside stories of heroes and hyperbolic idioms, Things One Says about Heroes, because he's never been allowed to be a normal man. he had to sneak out of the house to play hopscotch with lower city kids. to me that says everything. he has been taught to lead an idealized existence free of doubt, but that just means he's gotten very good at hiding his doubts and anxieties, his inconsistencies, his human error. he has so much trouble facing the fact that he also experiences internal conflict, just like anyone.

he spares karlach because she's an innocent, because it's the right thing to do, but he struggles with making that decision because he knows it's going to hurt him, and he refuses for a long time to admit that to himself, much less anyone else, because it makes him feel lesser. it makes him feel like the worst person on the planet to admit that he was afraid for his own life, essentially staring down the barrel of a gun to say no to mizora when faced with an innocent in need of protection, even though he wouldn't dream of even making a good person mildly uncomfortable for two minutes while they get used to the way he looks.

part of my vision for wyll's development is just, him getting a little bolder with the things he says, because we all know he says some out of pocket shit for no reason, and part of why that is so funny to me is because he says those things with all the confidence of a train barrelling forward, because of course he does, he's wyll ravengard, he has to be everything to everyone, he can't do something as human as cringe or twitch an eye and go 'ah. nope, that's not what i meant' when he blurts out something thoughtless, or something that sounded better in his head. i like the idea of turning into a monster being the thing that eventually makes him more comfortable with being human. part of letting your guard down around your friends is saying stuff you think they'd get a kick out of even if it doesn't fit the perfect image of the hero you're trying to be, or saying something that comes out wrong and letting yourself cringe when it wasn't received the way you wanted it to be. letting yourself let go of the idealized version of yourself and trusting your friends enough to know that they won't think less of you for it, because they still know you would rather die than let an innocent person get hurt, even if you do feel scared for yourself in the process.

tl;dr yeah i like to depict wyll slightly awkward and nervous. let the man be a human being and vulnerable for god's sakes he's been through enough. i love him

[mermaidsirennikita]

What other examples of "This is so fucking embarrasing. Leave me to perish" you have? Aside from Derek Craven of course 😅

IIIIIII have some!

Io: The Shrew/SM LaViolette—he's also a blusher who continuously keeps trying to shock this woman and is dismayed when he fails every time; he also humps her leg at one point

Master of Desire/Kinley MacGregor—warrior becomes reluctant guardian of a woman determined to have him, is scandalized by his own desire for her

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting/KJ Charles—local man is horrified that he would sell his integrity for the other guy's ass

Regarding the Duke/Grace Callaway—Mr. "I can only have sex with my wife once a week or else I'll submit to the mind-numbing bliss of that gorilla grip pussy and lose all my power"

The Wedding Witch/Erin Sterling—recluse warlock hires treasure hunter, ends up falling in love with her over text, highkey hates himself for it

Rules for a Proper Governess/Jennifer Ashley—another boss/employee situation except this time she's the street urchin he hired to manage his horrible children

Baron/Joanna Shupe—Mr. Big Rich Man Dismayed to Find Himself Attracted to Con Artist

Glitterland/Alexis Hall—pretentious flop author saddened by own susceptible to glittery boy he fucked one time

Managed/Kristen Callihan—the one where the uptight band manager falls for his platonic nap partner (also his employee sorta) and ends up shamefully masturbating while sniffing her dirty panties in their shared bathroom

Hotel of Secrets/Diana Biller—virgin secret agent is mortified to keep saving the bon vivant manager of a hotel he's staying in; gets hard after he almost dies during one of those situations

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason/India Holton—dual spies who are also nerds begin physical relationship that turns into love, both have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to do with that

Knockout/Sarah MacLean—this is a MacLean CLASSIC, but lol Tommy just... defines it

The Truth About Cads and Dukes/Elisa Braden—local duke is a crack shot and super efficient but loses his mind when the woman he agrees to marry breathes

American Royalty/Tracey Livesay—uptight professor prince is dismayed to find that the woman performing at the charity concert he agreed to host is in fact, not only a famous rapper and mogul but the hottest person on the planet

The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham—uptight earl falls for his best friend's little sister and is horrified with himself, also wants to spank her real bad (and she deserves it)

Unfit to Print by KJ Charles—just read this, childhood friends reunite to solve a mystery and one of them is a stern lawyer who not only hates how into the other one he is, but HAS NOT HAD SEX WITH A SINGLE PERSON SINCE THEY USED TO FOOL AROUND AT BOARDING SCHOOL

[mildaintraining]

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[weepingcryptcore]

Keeping Your Sparkle: A Comprehensive Guide to Jewelry Care

Jewelry is more than just an accessory; it's a collection of memories, a symbol of love, or a cherished heirloom passed down through generations. To ensure these precious items maintain their beauty and integrity for years to come, proper care is essential. By following a few simple guidelines, you can protect your jewelry from damage and keep it shining bright.

The Golden Rule: Last On, First Off

One of the most effective habits for preserving your jewelry is to make it the last thing you put on before leaving the house and the first thing you take off when you return. Perfumes, hairsprays, lotions, and cosmetics contain chemicals that can dull the finish of metals and damage porous gemstones like pearls and turquoise. By applying these products first and letting them dry, you create a barrier that protects your pieces.

Smart Storage is Key

Tossing your jewelry into a single drawer or dish is a recipe for disaster. Chains can become hopelessly tangled, and harder gemstones like diamonds can easily scratch softer metals and gems. Invest in a proper jewelry box with individual compartments or soft fabric lining. For delicate items, especially necklaces, consider hanging them or storing them in separate soft pouches. For sterling silver, storing it in an anti-tarnish bag or cloth can significantly slow down the oxidation process that causes tarnish.

Know When to Take it Off

While you may love your jewelry, it’s not meant for every activity. Always remove your rings, bracelets, and necklaces before engaging in strenuous activities like exercising, cleaning, or gardening. Sweat can react with metals, and harsh cleaning chemicals like bleach and ammonia can cause discoloration or structural damage. Likewise, it's crucial to remove jewelry before swimming in a pool or hot tub, as chlorine can weaken gold alloys and damage gemstones.

A Gentle Approach to Cleaning

Regular, gentle cleaning will keep your jewelry looking its best. For most gold, platinum, and diamond pieces, a simple and effective method is to soak them in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap. Use a soft-bristled baby toothbrush to gently scrub away dirt from crevices and around settings. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

However, this method is not suitable for all pieces. Pearls, opals, and emeralds are delicate and should never be submerged in water or cleaned with harsh chemicals. For these, simply wipe them with a soft, damp cloth after wearing. Sterling silver can be cleaned with a dedicated silver polishing cloth to remove tarnish without scratching the surface.

Seek Professional Help

At least once a year, it’s wise to take your most-worn pieces to a professional jeweler for a check-up and deep cleaning. They can inspect settings to ensure prongs are secure, check clasps for wear, and use professional-grade equipment to restore your jewelry’s original luster safely.

By incorporating these simple habits into your routine, you are not just cleaning metal and stone—you are preserving the sentimental value and brilliant beauty of your most treasured possessions for a lifetime of enjoyment.

[mariacallous]

Every era produces its own emblematic array of knuckleheads and butterfingers: Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops. The Three Stooges. The 1962 Mets. Beavis and Butt-head. Wayne and Garth. In Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War classic, “Dr. Strangelove,” the fools wield apocalyptic weapons rather than custard pies. Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, played by Sterling Hayden, grows so feverish and paranoid about a Communist plot “to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids” that he goes “a little funny” and orders a thermonuclear strike on the Soviet Union. But such fantastical heedlessness is the province only of comic fantasy, no?

In the initial months of Donald Trump’s second Administration, the qualities of malevolence, retribution, and bewildering velocity have obscured somewhat the ineptitude of its principals. This came into sharper view with recent reports in The Atlantic, in which the magazine’s editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, tells how he was somehow added to a communal chat on the commercially available messaging system Signal, labelled “Houthi PC small group.” Sitting in his car, in a Safeway parking lot, Goldberg watched incredulously on his phone as the leaders of the national-security establishment discussed the details of bombing Houthi strongholds in Yemen.

The comedy of Goldberg’s reports resides, at least in part, in the discovery that the Vice-President and the heads of the leading defense and intelligence bureaucracies deploy emojis with the same frequency as middle schoolers. More seriously, but not astonishingly, when prominent members of the Administration were confronted with their potentially lethal carelessness, they did as their President would have them do: they attacked the character and the integrity of the reporter (who proved far more concerned about national security than the national-security adviser), and then refused to give straight answers to Congress about their cock-up and the sensitivity of the communications. Everyone from Cabinet members to the President’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, followed principles inherited by the President from the late Roy Cohn: Never apologize. And be certain to slander the messenger.

This spectacle of breezy contempt regarding questions of process and policy was humiliating, for sure, but hardly an amazement. In the chat, Vice-President J. D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seem to compete in their denigrations of the Europeans. (“I fully share your loathing of European freeloading,” Hegseth tells Vance. “It’s PATHETIC.”) And yet much of what is so depressing about the chat is how familiar we are with the details and its spirit. Vance has, publicly and repeatedly, unburdened himself of his and the President’s disdain for Europe—most flagrantly in a speech in Munich, in February, when he lectured European leaders on their supposed failures in the realms of immigration and free speech.

This is an Administration that does not have to slip on a Signal banana peel to reveal its deepest-held prejudices and its painful incapacities. You get the sense that we would learn little if we were privy to a twenty-four-hour-a-day live stream of its every private utterance. Part of what was so appalling about Trump and Vance’s recent meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky was not just their penchant for channelling the world view and negotiating points of Vladimir Putin but their comfort in expressing them, barking them, at the Ukrainian President in front of reporters in the Oval Office.

Similarly, it does not require months of painstaking investigative reporting or a middle-aged tech fail to discover that another member of the group chat, Steven Witkoff, the President’s leading shuttle negotiator, is no more steeped in the granular details of diplomatic history and strategy than any other New York real-estate developer from the eighties in Trump’s circle. In a long interview with Tucker Carlson, following recent conversations in Moscow with Putin, Witkoff consistently parroted Russian talking points and relayed that the Russian dictator (“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy”) had been “gracious” and gave him a “beautiful portrait” of Trump as a gift for the President. (Trump, in turn, “was clearly touched” by the painting, Witkoff reported.) Throughout, Witkoff’s grasp of the conflict was so wobbly, so Moscow-inflected, that one could almost hear the guffawing from the Kremlin. In a moment of contemplation, Witkoff admitted, “I underestimated the complications in the job, that’s for sure. I think I was a little bit quixotic in the way that I thought about it. Like, I’m going to roll in there on a white horse. And, no, it was anything but that, you know.”

Pete Hegseth is less prone to misty self-reflection. But his incompetence might have been predictable. Last December, after Trump nominated Hegseth, a weekend host on Fox News, to lead the Pentagon, Jane Mayer wrote a meticulously reported piece in this magazine on his florid background: his bouts of excessive drinking and profoundly sexist behavior on and off the job; his failures at managing enterprises somewhat larger than a dry cleaner but infinitely smaller than the Pentagon. No matter. Congressional Republicans were not inclined to deny Hegseth his appointment or to risk the President’s wrath. And they were similarly accommodating for another participant in the hapless Signal chat, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence.

And so the week’s scandal is rather like the ending of an O. Henry story, surprising yet inevitable. If a journalist is mistakenly dropped into a group text among the leaders of the American health bureaucracy, will we faint when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., refuses to recommend proven vaccines?

It would be unwise to dismiss the importance of secrets in this or any other Administration, but the point is that Trump and his ideological and political planners have made no secret of their intentions. While Richard Nixon tended to save his darkest confidences and prejudices for private meetings with such aides as Henry Kissinger and H. R. Haldeman, Trump gives voice to his id almost daily at the microphone or on social media: the autocratic actions intended to undermine the law, academia, and the media; the disregard for democratic partners and the affection for all manner of authoritarians; the hostile designs on Greenland, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Europe; the ongoing attempt to purge the Republican Party of any remaining dissenters; and the constant effort to intimidate his critics and perceived enemies.

The threat of autocracy advances each day under Donald Trump, and it is a process that hides in plain sight. Some will choose to deny it, to domesticate it, to treat the abnormal as mere politics, to wish it all away in the spirit of “this too shall pass.” But the threat is real and for all to see. No encryption can conceal it.